WSJ891030 O
- O
0149 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0149 O
. O

Trustcorp O
Inc O
. O
to O
Change O
Name O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

TTCO O
SOCI O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

BANKS O
( O
BNK O
) O

TOLEDO O
, O
Ohio O

Trustcorp O
Inc O
. O
will O
become O
Society O
Bank O
amp O
Trust O
when O
its O
merger O
is O
completed O
with O
Society O
Corp O
. O
of O
Cleveland O
, O
the O
bank O
said O
. O

Society O
Corp O
. O
, O
which O
is O
also O
a O
bank O
, O
agreed O
in O
June B-T
to O
buy O
Trustcorp O
for O
12 O
. O
4 O
million O
shares O
of O
stock O
with O
a O
market O
value O
of O
about O
$ O
450 O
million O
. O

The O
transaction O
is O
expected O
to O
close O
around B-T
year I-T
end I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0010 O

MADRID O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Leading O
goal O
scorers O
of O
Spanish O
first O
division O
soccer O
league O

Following O
are O
the O
leading O
goal O
scorers O
of O
the O
Spanish O
first O
division O
soccer O
league O
after O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
games O
: O

10 O
Ronaldinho O
( O
Barcelona O
) O

9 O
Diego O
Milito O
( O
Real O
Zaragoza O
) O

Frederic O
Kanoute O
( O
Sevilla O
) O

8 O
Ruud O
van O
Nistelrooy O
( O
Real O
Madrid O
) O

5 O
Fernando O
Morientes O
( O
Valencia O
) O

David O
Villa O
( O
Valencia O
) O

Fernando O
Baiano O
( O
Celta O
Vigo O
) O

Eidur O
Gudjohnsen O
( O
Barcelona O
) O

Nikola O
Zigic O
( O
Racing O
Santander O
) O

4 O
Florent O
Sinama O
Pongolle O
( O
Recreativo O
Huelva O
) O

Javi O
Guerrero O
( O
Recreativo O
Huelva O
) O

Nene O
( O
Celta O
Vigo O
) O

Francisco O
Yeste O
( O
Athletic O
Bilbao O
) O

Fernando O
Torres O
( O
Atletico O
Madrid O
) O

Samuel O
Eto O
' O
o O
( O
Barcelona O
) O

Diego O
Forlan O
( O
Villarreal O
) O

Raul O
Tamudo O
( O
Espanyol O
) O

ea980120 B-T
. O
1830 O
. O
0071 O

NEWS O
STORY O

Good O
evening O
from O
the O
central O
park O
in O
downtown O
Havana O
. O
We O
are O
here O
this B-T
week I-T
to O
witness O
the O
rendezvous O
that O
Fidel O
Castro O
and O
the O
Pope O
are O
having O
with O
history O
. O

We O
are O
here O
because O
what O
happens O
on O
this O
island O
will O
also O
have O
an O
impact O
on O
the O
United O
States O
. O
Everything O
that O
happens O
in O
Cuba O
gets O
America O
' O
s O
attention O
. O

Incidentally O
, O
we O
just O
show O
up O
to O
do O
the O
broadcast O
, O
and O
Cubans O
want O
to O
know O
what O
we O
' O
re O
going O
to O
tell O
Americans O
, O
in O
many O
cases O
, O
what O
their O
relatives O
in O
the O
United O
States O
are O
going O
to O
hear O
. O

Well O
, O
this O
is O
the O
eve O
of O
the O
Pope O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
one O
of O
the O
last O
bastions O
of O
Communism O
anywhere O
in O
the O
world O
, O
and O
it O
is O
already O
causing O
enormous O
expectations O
. O

In O
Revolution O
Square O
, O
they O
put O
up O
a O
giant O
cross O
today B-T
. O
And O
right O
across O
from O
the O
Cuban O
revolutionary O
icon O
Che O
Guevara O
, O
they O
now B-T
have O
a O
giant O
portrait O
of O
Jesus O
. O
Above O
it O
in O
Spanish O
, O
Jesus O
, O
in O
you O
we O
believe O
. O

Not O
all O
Cubans O
believe O
, O
but O
Castro O
has O
invited O
everyone O
to O
welcome O
the O
man O
who O
has O
been O
one O
of O
Communism O
' O
s O
most O
effective O
adversaries O
, O
and O
that O
' O
s O
why O
there O
is O
suspense O
. O

Everyone O
appears O
to O
believe O
that O
somehow O
Cuba O
is O
going O
to O
change O
. O
Castro O
has O
said O
officially O
that O
it O
' O
s O
okay O
to O
be O
enthusiastic O
. O
And O
so O
, O
people O
are O
increasingly O
enthusiastic O
by O
the O
day O
- O

[ O
[ O
NS O
] O
] O

Today B-T
, O
Cuban O
television O
, O
which O
clings O
to O
the O
Communist O
Party O
line O
, O
actually O
began O
to O
promote O
its O
papal O
coverage O
. O

Today B-T
, O
hundreds O
of O
people O
from O
the O
US O
began O
to O
arrive O
, O
including O
some O
Cuban O
Americans O
who O
left O
here O
when O
Castro O
came O
to O
power O
and O
are O
returning O
to O
Havana O
for O
the O
first O
time O
. O
The O
Pope O
' O
s O
visit O
is O
important O
, O
but O
they O
are O
also O
coming O
home O
. O

This O
is O
quite O
an O
extraordinary O
story O
unfolding O
here O
. O
We O
' O
ll O
come O
back O
to O
Havana O
later O
in O
the O
broadcast O
. O

But O
now B-T
we O
' O
re O
going O
to O
go O
back O
to O
New O
York O
, O
where O
Diane O
Sawyer O
has O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
news O
. O
Diane O
? O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0406 O

WARSAW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

At O
least O
8 O
Polish O
miners O
killed O

At O
least O
eight O
Polish O
miners O
were O
killed O
in O
a O
methane O
gas O
explosion O
in O
a O
coal O
mine O
in O
southern O
Poland O
on O
Tuesday B-T
evening I-T
. O

The O
explosion O
took O
place O
at O
1 O
, O
030 O
meters O
underground O
in O
the O
Halemba O
coal O
mine O
in O
Ruda O
Slaska O
, O
and O
eight O
miners O
managed O
to O
flee O
while O
23 O
others O
were O
trapped O
. O

Grzegorz O
Pawlaszek O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Weglowa O
company O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
mine O
, O
told O
the O
PAP O
news O
agency O
that O
eight O
Polish O
miners O
had O
been O
found O
dead O
. O

Polish O
Prime O
Minister O
Jaroslaw O
Kaczynski O
has O
already O
visited O
the O
spot O
to O
oversee O
the O
rescue O
work O
. O

The O
Weglowa O
company O
spokesman O
, O
Zbiegniew O
Madej O
, O
said O
the O
search O
and O
rescue O
was O
very O
difficult O
. O
Furthermore O
, O
as O
the O
ventilation O
facilities O
were O
destroyed O
, O
the O
miners O
still O
buried O
underground O
were O
in O
a O
very O
dangerous O
situation O
. O
However O
, O
the O
rescuers O
would O
never O
give O
up O
their O
efforts O
. O

According O
to O
reports O
, O
it O
is O
the O
largest O
mine O
accident O
in O
Poland O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
adding O
the O
number O
of O
miners O
killed O
this B-T
year I-T
to O
28 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0201 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
open O
mixed O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
opened O
mixed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
ahead O
of O
the O
Thanksgiving B-T
holiday I-T
, O
as O
U O
. O
S O
. O
initial O
weekly O
jobless O
claims O
rose O
12 O
, O
000 O
to O
321 O
, O
000 O
. O

In O
the O
opening O
trading O
, O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
was O
down O
5 O
. O
61 O
, O
to O
12 O
, O
315 O
. O
98 O
. O
The O
Standard O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
gained O
0 O
. O
53 O
to O
1 O
, O
403 O
. O
34 O
, O
and O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
rose O
7 O
. O
82 O
to O
2 O
, O
462 O
. O
66 O
. O

Initial O
claims O
for O
state O
unemployment O
benefits O
rose O
to O
their O
highest O
level O
since O
late B-T
October I-T
, O
climbing O
by O
12 O
, O
000 O
to O
321 O
, O
000 O
, O
the O
Labor O
Department O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Crude O
oil O
prices O
fell O
below O
60 O
dollars O
on O
Wednesday B-T
as O
concern O
over O
supply O
eased O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0612 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
Hitachi O
wins O
rolling O
mill O
order O
from O
China O

Japan O
' O
s O
Hitachi O
Ltd O
. O
has O
won O
a O
16 O
billion O
yen O
( O
126 O
. O
5 O
million O
dollar O
) O
order O
from O
a O
Chinese O
company O
to O
supply O
a O
rolling O
mill O
near O
Shanghai O
, O
a O
company O
spokesman O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Hitachi O
got O
the O
order O
from O
Baoshan O
Iron O
Corp O
. O
jointly O
with O
Mitsubishi O
Heavy O
Industries O
Ltd O
. O
, O
Marubeni O
Corp O
. O
and O
Mitsubishi O
Corp O
. O

The O
mill O
aims O
to O
meet O
rising O
demand O
for O
cold O
rolled O
sheet O
steel O
in O
China O
for O
use O
in O
consumer O
electronics O
, O
automobiles O
and O
other O
products O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Financing O
for O
the O
mill O
will O
be O
managed O
by O
the O
Export O
- O
Import O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0315 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
underlines O
potential O
of O
rainwater O
in O
boosting O
agriculture O
in O
Africa O

The O
United O
Nations O
on O
Monday B-T
underscored O
the O
importance O
of O
rainwater O
in O
revitalizing O
agricultural O
production O
in O
developing O
countries O
. O

In O
a O
report O
released O
at O
the O
ongoing O
UN O
Climate O
Change O
Conference O
, O
the O
UN O
Environment O
Programme O
( O
UNEP O
) O
and O
the O
World O
Agroforestry O
Center O
said O
rainwater O
harvesting O
as O
a O
buffer O
against O
climate O
- O
linked O
extreme O
weather O
has O
been O
almost O
invisible O
in O
water O
planning O
with O
countries O
relying O
almost O
exclusively O
on O
rivers O
and O
underground O
supplies O
. O

The O
report O
said O
rainwater O
harvesting O
also O
held O
important O
potential O
to O
assist O
managers O
of O
protected O
areas O
with O
the O
technologies O
that O
had O
been O
tested O
to O
help O
wild O
animals O
in O
places O
like O
Nairobi O
and O
Tsavo O
National O
Parks O
in O
Kenya O
during O
drought O
. O

The O
study O
said O
many O
communities O
and O
countries O
suffering O
or O
facing O
water O
shortages O
as O
a O
result O
of O
climate O
change O
could O
dramatically O
boost O
supplies O
by O
collecting O
and O
storing O
rain O
falling O
freely O
from O
clouds O
. O
Kenya O
, O
which O
has O
a O
population O
of O
over O
30 O
million O
, O
has O
enough O
rainfall O
to O
supply O
the O
needs O
of O
its O
current B-T
population O
for O
six O
to O
seven O
times O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

" O
Ethiopia O
, O
where O
just O
over O
a O
fifth O
of O
the O
population O
are O
covered O
by O
domestic O
water O
supply O
and O
an O
estimated O
46 O
percent O
of O
the O
population O
suffer O
hunger O
, O
has O
a O
potential O
rainwater O
harvest O
equivalent O
to O
the O
population O
needs O
of O
over O
520 O
million O
people O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

The O
UNEP O
and O
the O
World O
Agroforestry O
Center O
urged O
the O
governments O
and O
donors O
to O
invest O
more O
widely O
in O
low O
- O
cost O
technologies O
to O
deploy O
and O
maintain O
rainwater O
in O
Africa O
. O

" O
Unlike O
big O
dams O
which O
collect O
and O
store O
water O
over O
large O
areas O
, O
small O
- O
scale O
rainwater O
harvesting O
projects O
lose O
less O
water O
to O
evaporation O
because O
rain O
is O
collected O
locally O
and O
can O
be O
stored O
in O
a O
variety O
of O
ways O
, O
" O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
report O
' O
s O
overall O
conclusion O
is O
that O
Africa O
does O
not O
lack O
water O
. O
Rainfall O
contribution O
, O
it O
said O
, O
is O
more O
than O
adequate O
to O
meet O
the O
needs O
of O
current O
population O
for O
several O
times O
. O

" O
In O
the O
popular O
mind O
, O
Africa O
is O
seen O
as O
a O
dry O
continent O
. O
But O
overall O
, O
it O
actually O
has O
more O
water O
resources O
per O
capita O
than O
Europe O
. O
However O
, O
much O
of O
Africa O
' O
s O
rain O
comes O
in O
burst O
and O
is O
rapidly O
swept O
away O
or O
is O
never O
collected O
, O
" O
Dennis O
Garrity O
, O
director O
general O
of O
the O
World O
Agroforestry O
Center O
, O
said O
. O

Currently O
, O
14 O
out O
of O
Africa O
' O
s O
53 O
countries O
are O
categorized O
as O
water O
- O
stressed O
or O
water O
- O
scarce O
. O

A O
water O
- O
stressed O
country O
has O
water O
availability O
of O
less O
than O
1 O
, O
700 O
cubic O
meters O
per O
capita O
every B-T
year I-T
and O
a O
water O
scarce O
one O
less O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
meters O
. O

It O
is O
estimated O
that O
the O
number O
of O
countries O
in O
Africa O
in O
this O
situation O
could O
double O
by O
2025 O
to O
be O
about O
half O
of O
all O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0090 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Turkey O
faces O
Italy O
test O
in O
Bergamo O

Turkey O
will O
be O
seeking O
its O
first O
win O
in O
history O
against O
world O
champion O
Italy O
at O
a O
friendly O
in O
Bergamo O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
, O
Turkish O
Daily O
News O
reported O
. O

The O
game O
will O
be O
played O
in O
honor O
of O
Giacinto O
Facchetti O
, O
former O
skipper O
of O
the O
Italian O
national O
team O
, O
who O
died O
in O
September B-T
. O

In O
the O
past O
12 O
matches O
against O
the O
Azzurri O
, O
three O
of O
them O
with O
B O
teams O
, O
Turkey O
has O
lost O
nine O
and O
drawn O
three O
, O
scoring O
seven O
goals O
and O
conceding O
22 O
. O

Their O
last O
clash O
was O
a O
friendly O
in O
Pescara O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
where O
midfielder O
Emre O
Belozoglu O
and O
striker O
Christian O
Vieri O
scored O
one O
each O
in O
a O
1 O
- O
1 O
draw O
. O

Turkey O
coach O
Fatih O
Terim O
knows O
all O
about O
Italian O
soccer O
, O
having O
spent O
time O
in O
charge O
of O
Serie O
A O
clubs O
AC O
Milan O
and O
Fiorentina O
. O

Terim O
has O
called O
up O
veteran O
striker O
Hakan O
Sukur O
to O
the O
squad O
, O
despite O
speculation O
after O
his O
last O
appearance O
that O
he O
would O
retire O
. O

Newcastle O
United O
' O
s O
Belozoglu O
, O
who O
still O
has O
one O
official O
match O
ban O
to O
serve O
, O
is O
also O
expected O
to O
play O
. O
Schalke O
04 O
midfielder O
Hamit O
Altintop O
suffered O
a O
minor O
injury O
in O
his O
team O
' O
s O
4 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
Mainz O
on O
Sunday B-T
and O
whether O
he O
can O
play O
will O
be O
known O
today B-T
. O

Ankaragucu O
goalkeeper O
Serkan O
Kirintili O
received O
his O
first O
call O
- O
up O
to O
the O
national O
squad O
. O

Turkey O
has O
not O
conceded O
a O
single O
goal O
in O
its O
last B-T
four O
matches O
against O
opponents O
incomparable O
with O
Italy O
. O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
match O
will O
be O
a O
tough O
test O
for O
Terim O
and O
his O
players O
ahead O
of O
the O
Euro O
2008 O
qualifiers O
against O
Greece O
and O
Norway O
in O
March B-T
2007 I-T
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0039 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0039 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Coast O
Savings O
Financial O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Thrift O
Company O
Posts O
Loss O
; O

@ O
Restructuring O
Program O
Cited O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CSA O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Coast O
Savings O
Financial O
Inc O
. O
reported O
a O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
loss O
, O
citing O
a O
previously O
announced O
capital O
restructuring O
program O
. O

The O
Los O
Angeles O
thrift O
holding O
company O
said O
it O
had O
a O
loss O
of O
$ O
92 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
6 O
. O
98 O
a O
share O
, O
for O
the B-T
quarter I-T
ended O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
. O

Coast O
earned O
$ O
10 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
67 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
ago I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
year B-T
- I-T
ago I-T
results O
have O
been O
restated O
to O
comply O
with O
government O
regulations O
. O

The O
restructuring O
program O
is O
designed O
to O
increase O
the O
company O
' O
s O
tangible O
capital O
ratio O
. O

It O
includes O
removing O
$ O
242 O
million O
in O
good O
will O
from O
the O
books O
, O
issuing O
$ O
150 O
million O
in O
preferred O
stock O
and O
commencing O
an O
exchange O
offer O
for O
$ O
52 O
million O
in O
convertible O
bonds O
. O

During O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
company O
charged O
about O
$ O
46 O
million O
against O
earnings O
in O
reducing O
goodwill O
, O
added O
$ O
20 O
million O
to O
its O
general O
loan O
loss O
reserves O
and O
established O
a O
$ O
30 O
million O
reserve O
for O
its O
high O
- O
yield O
bond O
portfolio O
. O

The O
company O
said O
its O
junk O
- O
bond O
portfolio O
after O
these O
moves O
had O
been O
reduced O
to O
less O
than O
1 O
% O
of O
assets O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0239 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
set O
up O
information O
security O
certification O
center O

China O
launched O
an O
information O
security O
certification O
center O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
A O
national O
standard O
on O
security O
products O
will O
take O
effect O
following O
the O
establishment O
of O
the O
center O
and O
some O
products O
will O
be O
subject O
to O
compulsory O
certification O
, O
" O
said O
Qu O
Weizhi O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Information O
Office O
under O
the O
State O
Council O
. O

Information O
security O
has O
become O
a O
serious O
problem O
in O
China O
with O
the O
rapid O
growth O
of O
the O
information O
industry O
. O
Crimes O
through O
the O
Internet O
, O
computer O
viruses O
and O
junk O
mail O
has O
threatened O
security O
. O

" O
Some O
departments O
have O
set O
up O
systems O
on O
evaluation O
, O
licensing O
or O
purchase O
of O
security O
products O
but O
a O
unified O
national O
system O
is O
required O
to O
avoid O
repetition O
, O
" O
said O
Qu O
. O

Apart O
from O
certification O
of O
security O
products O
, O
the O
center O
would O
also O
conduct O
talents O
training O
and O
technology O
research O
and O
development O
on O
information O
security O
. O

China O
boasts O
the O
world O
second O
largest O
population O
of O
netizens O
behind O
the O
United O
States O
, O
exceeding O
123 O
million O
last B-T
July I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0384 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Palestinian O
PM O
admits O
Hamas O
holding O
out O
for O
key O
cabinet O
posts O

Palestinian O
premier O
Ismail O
Haniya O
warned O
Saturday B-T
against O
drawing O
a O
line O
under O
talks O
on O
forming O
a O
new O
government O
acceptable O
to O
Western O
donors O
but O
admitted O
his O
Hamas O
movement O
was O
holding O
out O
for O
key O
cabinet O
posts O
. O

" O
We O
affirm O
that O
the O
door O
of O
dialogue O
remains O
open O
. O
But O
if O
some O
want O
to O
close O
it O
, O
they O
will O
have O
to O
take O
responsibility O
for O
the O
repercussions O
, O
" O
Haniya O
told O
reporters O
in O
the O
Qatari O
capital O
. O

His O
remarks O
came O
a O
day O
after O
Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
said O
that O
talks O
on O
forming O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
embracing O
both O
his O
secular O
Fatah O
faction O
and O
Haniya O
' O
s O
Islamist O
movement O
were O
officially O
dead O
. O

Haniya O
, O
who O
came O
to O
Qatar O
from O
Egypt O
on O
his O
first O
trip O
abroad O
since O
Hamas O
took O
power O
in O
March B-T
, O
identified O
the O
allocation O
of O
key O
cabinet O
posts O
as O
the O
chief O
obstacle O
in O
the O
talks O
with O
Fatah O
. O

" O
The O
largest O
parliamentary O
bloc O
is O
supposed O
to O
have O
a O
presence O
in O
important O
ministerial O
portfolios O
. O
That O
' O
s O
the O
bone O
of O
contention O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
There O
is O
talk O
of O
giving O
( O
major O
posts O
) O
to O
independents O
, O
which O
contradicts O
parliamentary O
norms O
, O
" O
said O
Haniya O
, O
whose O
Islamist O
militant O
group O
formed O
the O
government O
after O
winning O
parliamentary O
elections O
in O
January B-T
. O

The O
European O
Union O
, O
Israel O
and O
the O
United O
States O
have O
imposed O
a O
crippling O
aid O
freeze O
on O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
since O
Hamas O
took O
power O
, O
citing O
the O
movement O
' O
s O
continued O
refusal O
to O
renounce O
the O
armed O
struggle O
or O
recognize O
past O
peace O
deals O
with O
Israel O
. O

Haniya O
said O
he O
did O
not O
object O
to O
Hamas O
government O
members O
meeting O
Israeli O
counterparts O
to O
discuss O
day O
- O
to O
- O
day O
affairs O
. O

" O
But O
recognizing O
the O
legitimacy O
of O
occupation O
? O
No O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Abbas O
is O
now B-T
considering O
a O
range O
of O
options O
including O
holding O
a O
referendum O
or O
fresh O
parliamentary O
and O
presidential O
elections O
, O
aide O
Yasser O
Abed O
Rabbo O
said O
. O

But O
Haniya O
said O
he O
was O
not O
party O
to O
the O
president O
' O
s O
deliberations O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0364 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Italy O
rejects O
proposed O
EU O
budget O

The O
Italian O
government O
on O
Tuesday B-T
rejected O
the O
budget O
for O
the O
enlarged O
European O
Union O
presented O
by O
the O
bloc O
' O
s O
British O
presidency O
. O

" O
The O
Italian O
government O
has O
a O
negative O
opinion O
on O
the O
entire O
proposal O
, O
" O
Foreign O
Minister O
Gianfranco O
Fini O
told O
the O
Italian O
Senate O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Silvio O
Berlusconi O
, O
informed O
late O
Monday B-T
by O
his O
British O
counterpart O
Tony O
Blair O
of O
the O
broad O
outlines O
of O
the O
proposal O
, O
had O
" O
reserved O
his O
judgement O
. O
" O

But O
Italian O
diplomats O
said O
the O
initial O
response O
had O
been O
negative O
. O

Proposed O
spending O
reductions O
would O
" O
derail O
the O
process O
of O
integrating O
the O
10 O
new O
member O
states O
and O
raise O
the O
Italian O
contribution O
. O
" O

In O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
a O
December B-T
15 I-T
- I-T
16 I-T
summit O
in O
Brussels O
, O
the O
British O
EU O
presidency O
is O
proposing O
seven O
to O
eight O
percent O
less O
in O
funding O
for O
the O
mainly O
ex O
- O
communist O
states O
that O
joined O
the O
bloc O
in O
May B-T
2004 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0283 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
business O
inventories O
rise O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
in O
September O

Inventories O
held O
by O
US O
businesses O
on O
shelves O
and O
backlots O
increased O
by O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
in O
September B-T
, O
marking O
the O
largest O
gain O
in O
eight B-T
months I-T
, O
the O
Commerce O
Department O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Data O
released O
by O
the O
department O
showed O
that O
business O
sales O
in O
September B-T
totaled O
1 O
, O
021 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
up O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
from O
the O
previous O
month O
and O
up O
7 O
. O
8 O
percent O
from O
the O
same O
month O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Business O
inventories O
in O
September B-T
were O
estimated O
at O
an O
end O
- O
of O
- O
month O
level O
of O
1 O
, O
282 O
. O
1 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
up O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
from O
the O
previous O
month O
and O
up O
4 O
. O
3 O
percent O
from O
the O
same O
month O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
gain O
in O
September B-T
' O
s O
inventories O
was O
down O
slightly O
from O
an O
advance O
of O
0 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
previous I-T
month I-T
. O

Data O
also O
showed O
that O
the O
total O
business O
inventories O
- O
to O
- O
sales O
ratio O
based O
on O
seasonally O
adjusted O
data O
at O
the O
end O
of O
September B-T
was O
1 O
. O
25 O
. O

Economists O
see O
rising O
inventories O
either O
as O
a O
sign O
of O
confidence O
in O
future O
demand O
or O
as O
a O
result O
of O
an O
unexpected O
decline O
in O
sales O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0524 O

ASTANA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

by O
Sebastian O
Smith O

Oil O
- O
rich O
Kazakhstan O
' O
s O
veteran O
President O
Nursultan O
Nazarbayev O
has O
scored O
a O
landslide O
re O
- O
election O
to O
a O
new O
seven B-T
year I-T
term O
, O
officials O
said O
Monday B-T
, O
sparking O
claims O
of O
fraud O
from O
the O
opposition O
. O

Nazarbayev O
, O
65 O
, O
won O
91 O
. O
01 O
percent O
of O
ballots O
cast O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
poll O
in O
the O
giant O
Central O
Asian O
country O
, O
according O
to O
preliminary O
results O
, O
said O
Central O
Election O
Commission O
chairman O
Onalsyn O
Zhumabekov O
in O
the O
capital O
Astana O
. O

" O
He O
won O
. O
Congratulations O
to O
the O
candidate O
. O
" O

Nazarbayev O
, O
whose O
16 O
- O
year O
rule O
has O
transformed O
this O
former O
Soviet O
backwater O
into O
an O
emerging O
world O
oil O
power O
, O
was O
due O
to O
hold O
a O
rally O
with O
supporters O
in O
Astana O
. O

International O
observers O
were O
also O
due O
to O
deliver O
their O
verdict O
on O
the O
conduct O
of O
the O
election O
. O

According O
to O
officials O
, O
leading O
challenger O
Zharmakhan O
Tuyakbai O
secured O
just O
6 O
. O
64 O
percent O
. O
Former O
labour O
minister O
Alikhan O
Baimenov O
got O
1 O
. O
65 O
percent O
, O
Yerasyl O
Abilkasymov O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Communist O
Party O
0 O
. O
38 O
percent O
, O
and O
Mels O
Yeleusizov O
of O
the O
environmentalist O
Tabigat O
movement O
0 O
. O
32 O
percent O
. O

But O
the O
former O
Soviet O
apparatchik O
' O
s O
crushing O
victory O
was O
marred O
by O
opposition O
claims O
of O
cheating O
. O

" O
I O
can O
only O
regret O
that O
Nazarbayev O
wasn O
' O
t O
given O
120 O
or O
150 O
percent O
, O
" O
Aidos O
Sarimov O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
Tuyakbai O
, O
told O
AFP O
after O
the O
official O
announcement O
. O

Earlier O
, O
Sarimov O
vowed O
legal O
challenges O
to O
what O
he O
said O
had O
been O
" O
multiple O
violations O
of O
the O
law O
, O
" O
including O
falsification O
of O
voter O
lists O
. O
He O
also O
said O
that O
the O
official O
turnout O
of O
about O
77 O
percent O
was O
inflated O
. O

Tuyakbai O
has O
warned O
previously O
that O
Kazakhstan O
faces O
dictatorship O
under O
Nazarbayev O
. O
However O
, O
the O
opposition O
has O
so O
far O
indicated O
that O
it O
will O
abide O
by O
a O
law O
banning O
street O
demonstrations O
in O
the O
immediate O
aftermath O
of O
the O
election O
. O

In O
his O
furious O
reaction O
, O
Communist O
candidate O
Abilkasymov O
said O
: O
" O
It O
' O
s O
nonsense O
. O
. O
. O
. O
This O
is O
what O
happens O
when O
people O
vote O
on O
command O
. O
" O

A O
Nazarbayev O
victory O
had O
long O
been O
predicted O
, O
though O
not O
always O
by O
such O
a O
wide O
margin O
. O
Independent O
analysts O
say O
the O
one O
- O
time O
steel O
worker O
, O
who O
rose O
through O
Communist O
Party O
ranks O
to O
head O
Soviet O
Kazakhstan O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
enjoys O
solid O
support O
. O

Under O
his O
rule O
, O
Kazakhstan O
has O
become O
the O
most O
prosperous O
and O
stable O
part O
of O
Central O
Asia O
, O
largely O
thanks O
to O
billions O
of O
dollars O
of O
foreign O
investment O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Caspian O
Sea O
oil O
fields O
. O
Kazakhstan O
is O
set O
to O
become O
a O
top O
- O
10 O
world O
oil O
producer O
within O
a B-T
decade I-T
. O

But O
the O
republic O
, O
which O
is O
roughly O
the O
size O
of O
western O
Europe O
or O
India O
and O
was O
once O
part O
of O
Genghis O
Khan O
' O
s O
empire O
, O
has O
never O
held O
an O
election O
judged O
free O
and O
fair O
by O
Western O
observers O
. O

Even O
before O
the O
election O
, O
the O
opposition O
complained O
that O
media O
bias O
and O
pressure O
from O
the O
authorities O
had O
made O
a O
fair O
campaign O
impossible O
. O

Nazarbayev O
, O
who O
went O
in O
sub O
- O
zero O
temperatures O
to O
vote O
at O
a O
theatre O
in O
Astana O
, O
said O
: O
" O
These O
elections O
will O
be O
more O
democratic O
than O
ever O
before O
. O
" O

About O
1 O
, O
600 O
observers O
monitored O
the O
election O
, O
including O
some O
465 O
from O
the O
influential O
Organisation O
for O
Security O
and O
Cooperation O
in O
Europe O
( O
OSCE O
) O
, O
which O
was O
due O
to O
issue O
its O
report O
on O
the O
conduct O
of O
voting O
later O
Monday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0183 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Palestinians O
demonstrate O
in O
support O
of O
prisoners O

Dozens O
of O
Palestinians O
demonstrated O
on O
Wednesday B-T
in O
front O
of O
headquarters O
of O
the O
International O
Committee O
for O
Red O
Cross O
( O
ICRC O
) O
in O
Gaza O
to O
express O
solidarity O
with O
Palestinian O
prisoners O
in O
Israeli O
detention O
camp O
of O
Ofer O
. O

" O
We O
demonstrated O
today B-T
to O
support O
all O
the O
prisoners O
jailed O
in O
Israeli O
detentions O
and O
stop O
practices O
against O
prisoners O
, O
" O
Hisham O
Abdel O
Razeq O
, O
chief O
of O
prisoners O
affairs O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
National O
Authority O
, O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
Prisoners O
' O
Committee O
for O
National O
and O
Islamic O
Powers O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
the O
committee O
condemned O
Israeli O
assaults O
and O
called O
on O
the O
international O
committee O
to O
press O
Israel O
to O
stop O
its O
practices O
against O
prisoners O
. O

It O
was O
reported O
that O
Israeli O
guards O
in O
Ofer O
prison O
attacked O
Palestinian O
prisoners O
on O
Monday B-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
, O
firing O
tear O
gas O
and O
beating O
them O
by O
club O
and O
wounding O
some O
20 O
prisoners O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0292 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
: O
Rumsfeld O
resigns O
, O
to O
be O
succeeded O
by O
ex O
- O
CIA O
director O

U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
that O
Defense O
Secretary O
Donald O
Rumsfeld O
was O
stepping O
down O
, O
and O
would O
be O
replaced O
by O
former O
Central O
Intelligence O
Agency O
( O
CIA O
) O
director O
Robert O
Gates O
. O

Bush O
made O
the O
announcement O
one B-T
day I-T
after O
Democrats O
won O
control O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
in O
the O
legislative O
elections O
and O
was O
just O
one O
seat O
short O
of O
capturing O
control O
of O
the O
Senate O
. O

Rumsfeld O
, O
74 O
, O
has O
been O
under O
intense O
pressure O
from O
both O
Democrats O
and O
Republicans O
to O
resign O
over O
his O
handling O
of O
the O
increasingly O
Iraq O
war O
, O
which O
has O
been O
in O
its O
fourth B-T
year I-T
and O
already O
claimed O
nearly O
3 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
. O

Just O
one B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
, O
Bush O
said O
he O
wanted O
Vice O
President O
Dick O
Cheney O
and O
Defense O
Secretary O
Donald O
Rumsfeld O
to O
stay O
in O
office O
during O
the O
rest O
of O
his O
presidency B-T
. O

Rumsfeld O
, O
the O
oldest O
to O
serve O
as O
defense O
secretary O
as O
well O
as O
the O
youngest O
defense O
chief O
when O
he O
was O
appointed O
by O
former O
President O
Gerald O
Ford O
in O
1975 B-T
, O
has O
been O
a O
target O
of O
criticism O
over O
the O
conduct O
of O
the O
Iraq O
war O
and O
the O
treatment O
of O
detainees O
in O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
custody O
. O

At O
the O
White O
House O
press O
conference O
, O
Bush O
acknowledged O
that O
the O
administration O
' O
s O
handling O
of O
the O
Iraq O
war O
played O
a O
major O
role O
in O
giving O
the O
Democrats O
control O
over O
the O
House O
. O

The O
elections O
to O
a O
large O
extent O
was O
a O
national O
referendum O
on O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
and O
the O
war O
in O
Iraq O
, O
The O
New O
York O
Times O
reported O
, O
citing O
exit O
polls O
. O

Sixty O
percent O
of O
voters O
leaving O
the O
polls O
said O
they O
opposed O
the O
war O
in O
Iraq O
, O
and O
40 O
percent O
said O
their O
vote O
was O
a O
vote O
against O
Bush O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

Gates O
, O
who O
was O
born O
in O
September B-T
1943 I-T
, O
served O
in O
the O
CIA O
and O
the O
National O
Security O
Council O
for O
26 B-T
years I-T
. O
He O
served O
as O
CIA O
director O
during O
1991 B-T
and O
1993 B-T
, O
and O
later O
as O
president O
of O
Texas O
A O
University O
. O

Gates O
first O
joined O
the O
CIA O
in O
1966 B-T
and O
served O
in O
the O
intelligence O
community O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
a I-T
quarter I-T
century I-T
, O
under O
six O
presidents O
. O
His O
nomination O
must O
be O
approved O
by O
the O
Senate O
. O

Bush O
said O
he O
met O
with O
Gates O
on O
Sunday B-T
to O
discuss O
the O
appointment O
, O
even O
before O
the O
election O
was O
held O
. O
" O
He O
is O
a O
steady O
, O
solid O
leader O
who O
can O
help O
make O
the O
necessary O
adjustments O
in O
our O
approach O
to O
meet O
our O
current O
challenges O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Gates O
also O
served O
in O
the O
bipartisan O
panel O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
, O
headed O
by O
former O
secretary O
of O
state O
James O
A O
. O
Baker O
III O
, O
a O
Republican O
, O
and O
former O
Indiana O
congressman O
Lee O
H O
. O
Hamilton O
, O
a O
Democrat O
, O
which O
would O
make O
recommendations O
on O
the O
government O
' O
s O
Iraq O
policy O
, O
probably O
in O
early B-T
January I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0048 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0048 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
First O
Security O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Tentative O
Accord O
Formed O

@ O
To O
Buy O
Deseret O
Bancorp O
. O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

FSCO O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

First O
Security O
Corp O
. O
said O
it O
tentatively O
agreed O
to O
acquire O
Deseret O
Bancorp O
. O
for O
stock O
valued O
at O
about O
$ O
18 O
million O
. O

Terms O
call O
for O
First O
Security O
to O
issue O
about O
0 O
. O
55 O
share O
of O
its O
stock O
for O
each O
Deseret O
share O
held O
, O
or O
a O
total O
of O
about O
550 O
, O
000 O
First O
Security O
shares O
. O

It O
has O
about O
12 O
. O
3 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

Deseret O
, O
with O
about O
$ O
100 O
million O
in O
assets O
, O
is O
the O
parent O
of O
the O
Deseret O
Bank O
, O
which O
has O
six O
offices O
and O
headquarters O
at O
Pleasant O
Grove O
, O
Utah O
. O

The O
purchase O
price O
is O
equal O
to O
about O
1 O
. O
65 O
times O
Deseret O
' O
s O
roughly O
$ O
10 O
. O
7 O
million O
book O
value O
, O
or O
assets O
less O
liabilities O
. O

Salt O
Lake O
City O
- O
based O
First O
Security O
, O
with O
$ O
5 O
. O
4 O
billion O
in O
assets O
, O
said O
the O
agreement O
is O
subject O
to O
shareholder O
and O
regulatory O
approval O
, O
and O
that O
it O
hopes O
to O
complete O
the O
transaction O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0187 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Trilateral O
Commission O
to O
launch O
first O
regional O
conference O
in O
China O

The O
Trilateral O
Commission O
Pacific O
Asia O
Group O
Beijing O
Regional O
Conference O
is O
to O
run O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
to O
27 O
, O
the O
first O
time O
the O
commission O
launched O
such O
a O
regional O
conference O
in O
China O
. O

Around O
50 O
guests O
including O
officials O
, O
scholars O
and O
entrepreneurs O
from O
North O
America O
, O
European O
Union O
countries O
and O
Asian O
- O
Pacific O
countries O
will O
attend O
the O
conference O
. O

Topics O
to O
be O
discussed O
include O
" O
Common O
Regional O
Challenges O
and O
Joint O
Responses O
" O
, O
" O
Road O
map O
for O
east O
Asia O
community O
building O
. O
" O

The O
topic O
" O
The O
Rise O
of O
China O
and O
Its O
Global O
Implications O
" O
tops O
the O
agenda O
. O

" O
The O
commission O
members O
want O
to O
discuss O
China O
' O
s O
growth O
directly O
with O
Chinese O
elites O
from O
every O
field O
, O
" O
Qin O
said O
. O

" O
The O
rise O
of O
China O
attracts O
global O
attention O
. O
That O
' O
s O
why O
the O
commission O
decided O
to O
hold O
a O
regional O
conference O
in O
China O
for O
the O
first O
time O
, O
" O
said O
Dr O
. O
Qin O
Yaqing O
, O
vice O
president O
of O
the O
China O
National O
Association O
for O
International O
Studies O
. O

" O
The O
Beijing O
regional O
conference O
is O
to O
serve O
as O
a O
platform O
for O
China O
to O
show O
its O
peaceful O
progress O
, O
" O
Qin O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
it O
is O
also O
an O
opportunity O
to O
make O
the O
country O
' O
s O
peaceful O
rise O
known O
to O
the O
international O
community O
. O

The O
Trilateral O
Commission O
was O
formed O
in O
1973 B-T
by O
private O
citizens O
of O
Japan O
, O
European O
Union O
countries O
, O
United O
States O
and O
Canada O
to O
foster O
closer O
cooperation O
among O
these O
core O
democratic O
industrialized O
areas O
of O
the O
world O
and O
to O
share O
leadership O
responsibilities O
in O
the O
wider O
international O
system O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0079 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bomb O
hoaxes O
greet O
Eid O
el O
- O
Fitr O
in O
south O
Thailand O

Suspected O
insurgents O
has O
placed O
suspicious O
packages O
in O
eight O
different O
locations O
in O
three O
districts O
of O
southern O
Spongkhla O
province O
bordering O
the O
predominantly O
Muslim O
southernmost O
border O
provinces O
. O

The O
incidents O
coincided O
with O
the O
beginning O
of O
Eid O
- O
al O
- O
Fitr O
which O
marks O
the O
end O
of O
Ramadan B-T
, O
the O
Islamic O
holy O
month O
of O
fasting O
- O
- O
known O
locally O
as O
Hari O
Raya O
- O
- O
from O
Thursday B-T
through O
Saturday B-T
. O

Police O
demolitions O
experts O
rushed O
to O
the O
sites O
only O
to O
discover O
that O
all O
the O
so O
- O
called O
" O
bombs O
" O
in O
Chana O
, O
Thepha O
and O
Saba O
Yoi O
districts O
of O
the O
province O
contained O
cattle O
manure O
and O
sand O
. O

The O
investigators O
said O
they O
thought O
the O
bomb O
hoaxes O
were O
the O
work O
of O
militants O
who O
wished O
to O
create O
further O
disturbance O
on O
the O
Muslim O
holiday O
, O
according O
to O
local O
newspaper O
reports O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
bomb O
hoaxes O
occurred O
less B-T
than I-T
12 I-T
hours I-T
after O
a O
number O
of O
bomb O
incidents O
in O
Narathiwat O
province O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
. O

Police O
defused O
seven O
bombs O
in O
the O
provincial O
capital O
but O
another O
five O
bombs O
went O
off O
, O
downing O
10 O
high O
- O
voltage O
power O
poles O
in O
Narathiwat O
city O
. O
The O
attacks O
caused O
power O
blackout O
in O
many O
areas O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0756 O

LEGASPI O
, O
Philippines O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
GRAPHIC O
+ O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

The O
first O
foreign O
aid O
flights O
of O
food O
and O
medicines O
arrived O
Tuesday B-T
in O
the O
eastern O
Philippines O
, O
where O
officials O
said O
devastating O
mudslides O
have O
left O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
080 O
people O
dead O
or O
missing O
. O

At O
first O
light O
two O
C O
- O
130 O
transport O
aircraft O
from O
Indonesia O
touched O
down O
in O
Legaspi O
City O
where O
disaster O
relief O
operations O
are O
being O
coordinated O
, O
carrying O
more O
than O
12 O
tonnes O
of O
food O
and O
medicine O
. O

The O
devastating O
torrents O
of O
mud O
and O
volcanic O
ash O
triggered O
by O
typhoon O
rains O
swallowed O
entire O
villages O
near O
Mount O
Mayon O
volcano O
last B-T
Thursday I-T
. O

Survivors O
desperately O
picked O
through O
the O
thick O
deposit O
trying O
to O
find O
loved O
ones O
, O
but O
rescuers O
said O
the O
search O
was O
hopeless O
. O

" O
The O
search O
for O
life O
is O
over O
, O
" O
said O
Daniel O
Fernandez O
, O
of O
the O
Spanish O
search O
and O
rescue O
team O
BUSF O
, O
after O
a O
sweep O
of O
the O
area O
around O
the O
village O
of O
Maipon O
, O
near O
the O
volcano O
, O
using O
dogs O
. O

" O
There O
are O
no O
more O
survivors O
here O
. O
" O

But O
typhoon O
Durian O
, O
now B-T
downgraded O
to O
a O
tropic O
storm O
, O
continued O
its O
deadly O
passage O
overnight O
, O
lashing O
the O
coast O
of O
southern O
Vietnam O
where O
officials O
said O
at O
least O
12 O
people O
had O
died O
and O
more O
were O
missing O
. O

In O
the O
Philippines O
, O
civil O
defence O
officials O
confirmed O
450 O
dead O
around O
Mayon O
volcano O
in O
the O
Bicol O
region O
, O
southeast O
of O
Manila O
, O
and O
another O
636 O
missing O
, O
for O
a O
total O
of O
1 O
, O
086 O
. O

Philippine O
President O
Gloria O
Arroyo O
was O
expected O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
to O
inspect O
relief O
efforts O
and O
meet O
with O
survivors O
. O

National O
Disaster O
Coordinating O
Centre O
executive O
officer O
Glenn O
Rabonza O
said O
more O
than O
1 O
. O
14 O
million O
people O
had O
been O
affected O
by O
the O
disaster O
. O

Rabonza O
said O
damage O
to O
property O
is O
estimated O
at O
more O
than O
274 O
million O
pesos O
( O
5 O
. O
48 O
million O
dollasr O
) O
. O

The O
coordinating O
centre O
' O
s O
chief O
of O
operations O
Agnes O
Palacio O
told O
AFP O
: O
" O
What O
we O
need O
now O
are O
medicines O
, O
temporary O
shelters O
like O
tents O
and O
food O
. O

" O
We O
also O
need O
water O
containers O
and O
purifiers O
because O
we O
do O
not O
have O
sources O
of O
clean O
water O
. O
" O

She O
said O
teams O
had O
been O
sent O
into O
the O
region O
to O
check O
for O
any O
outbreaks O
of O
diseases O
. O
" O
But O
so O
far O
, O
we O
have O
had O
no O
reports O
of O
outbreaks O
. O
" O

Teams O
from O
the O
health O
department O
were O
making O
their O
way O
to O
villages O
to O
help O
deal O
with O
the O
dead O
. O

Many O
unclaimed O
bodies O
have O
been O
buried O
in O
shallow O
graves O
but O
many O
more O
are O
still O
lying O
unrecovered O
. O

Officials O
said O
that O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
500 O
villages O
in O
100 O
municipalities O
and O
nine O
cities O
across O
the O
Bicol O
region O
were O
affected O
by O
the O
typhoon O
and O
mudslides O
. O

They O
said O
72 O
evacuation O
centres O
had O
been O
set O
up O
to O
care O
for O
the O
survivors O
. O

For O
those O
who O
lived O
through O
the O
disaster O
, O
there O
was O
heartaches O
as O
they O
dug O
for O
the O
bodies O
of O
family O
members O
. O

In O
Maipon O
, O
Aljabar O
Mammah O
wept O
as O
he O
clawed O
through O
the O
grey O
soil O
where O
his O
home O
once O
stood O
, O
vainly O
hoping O
to O
find O
the O
bodies O
of O
his O
wife O
and O
baby O
son O
. O

" O
Nobody O
had O
time O
to O
react O
. O
My O
wife O
and O
son O
were O
snatched O
from O
my O
arms O
and O
were O
gone O
in O
an O
instant O
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

Rescuers O
say O
they O
have O
not O
detected O
any O
life O
, O
six B-T
days I-T
after O
the O
tragedy O
. O

More O
foreign O
aid O
is O
due O
to O
arrive O
. O
Malaysia O
has O
promised O
a O
C O
- O
130 O
plane O
with O
20 O
tonnes O
of O
supplies O
, O
aid O
has O
come O
in O
from O
Japan O
and O
more O
is O
expected O
during O
the O
day O
from O
Singapore O
. O

Money O
donated O
by O
other O
nations O
has O
been O
sent O
either O
to O
the O
Red O
Cross O
or O
to O
relief O
organisations O
to O
buy O
tents O
which O
are O
being O
ferried O
to O
Legaspi O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0511 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
closing O
levels O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Europe O
' O
s O
main O
stock O
markets O
were O
mixed O
but O
generally O
stronger O
Wednesday B-T
, O
though O
London O
trades O
were O
weighed O
down O
by O
losses O
in O
mining O
issues O
and O
a O
cautious O
start O
to O
trading O
on O
Wall O
Street O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

London O
' O
s O
FTSE O
100 O
index O
of O
leading O
shares O
slipped O
by O
0 O
. O
09 O
percent O
to O
6 O
, O
198 O
. O
60 O
points O
, O
while O
in O
Frankfurt O
the O
DAX O
30 O
added O
0 O
. O
51 O
percent O
to O
6 O
, O
586 O
. O
91 O
and O
the O
Paris O
CAC O
40 O
rose O
0 O
. O
54 O
percent O
to O
5 O
, O
514 O
. O
42 O
points O
. O

The O
DJ O
Euro O
Stoxx O
50 O
index O
of O
eurozone O
blue O
chip O
shares O
increased O
0 O
. O
44 O
percent O
to O
4 O
, O
118 O
. O
54 O
points O
. O

The O
euro O
stood O
at O
1 O
. O
3183 O
dollars O
. O

In O
New O
York O
, O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
had O
risen O
by O
0 O
. O
20 O
percent O
to O
12 O
, O
495 O
. O
91 O
points O
as O
European O
markets O
closed O
, O
while O
the O
Nasdaq O
Composite O
was O
up O
by O
0 B-T
. I-T
42 I-T
percent I-T
at I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
439 I-T
. I-T
72 I-T
. O

The O
broad O
Standard O
and O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
showed O
a O
gain O
of O
0 O
. O
20 O
percent O
to O
1 O
, O
428 O
. O
42 O
. O

Tokyo O
' O
s O
benchmark O
Nikkei O
- O
225 O
gained O
1 O
. O
40 O
percent O
to O
close O
at O
17 O
, O
011 O
. O
04 O
points O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
- O
- O
the O
first O
time O
it O
has O
finished O
above O
the O
symbolic O
17 O
, O
000 O
points O
level O
since O
May B-T
9 I-T
. O

Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
key O
Hang O
Seng O
index O
closed O
1 O
. O
45 O
percent O
higher O
at O
19 O
, O
240 O
. O
12 O
points O
after O
Thai O
authorities O
scaled O
back O
capital O
controls O
, O
easing O
worries O
of O
financial O
instability O
in O
the O
region O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

Thai O
stocks O
had O
suffered O
their O
biggest O
losses O
in O
more O
than O
30 O
years O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
shedding O
15 O
percent O
as O
panicking O
investors O
fled O
the O
market O
after O
the O
central O
bank O
imposed O
draconian O
measures O
in O
an O
effort O
to O
halt O
the O
rise O
of O
Thailand O
' O
s O
currency O
, O
the O
baht O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
Stock O
Exchange O
of O
Thailand O
- O
- O
where O
foreign O
investors O
account O
for O
about O
40 O
percent O
of O
the O
market O
- O
- O
regained O
11 O
. O
16 O
percent O
to O
691 O
. O
55 O
points O
. O

In O
London O
, O
the O
mining O
sector O
was O
hit O
by O
falling O
prices O
for O
copper O
, O
silver O
and O
gold O
. O

Antofagasta O
shares O
lost O
2 O
. O
21 O
percent O
to O
508 O
pence O
, O
Lonmin O
was O
off O
by O
1 B-T
. I-T
61 I-T
percent O
at O
2 B-T
, I-T
988 I-T
and O
Rio O
Tinto O
shed O
1 O
. O
01 O
percent O
to O
2 O
, O
735 O
. O

Oil O
group O
Shell O
was O
also O
down O
on O
the O
day O
, O
losing O
1 O
. O
10 O
percent O
to O
1 O
, O
795 O
pence O
. O

In O
Paris O
, O
the O
aerospace O
sector O
was O
in O
focus O
after O
Singapore O
Airlines O
said O
it O
would O
buy O
nine O
more O
double O
- O
decker O
A380 O
aircraft O
from O
European O
aircraft O
maker O
Airbus O
. O

The O
share O
price O
of O
Airbus O
parent O
group O
EADS O
gained O
4 O
. O
08 O
percent O
to O
25 O
. O
24 O
euros O
. O

In O
Amsterdam O
, O
the O
AEX O
index O
gained O
0 O
. O
44 O
percent O
to O
495 O
. O
59 O
points O
, O
the O
Swiss O
SMI O
edged O
0 O
. O
09 O
percent O
higher O
to O
8 O
, O
770 O
. O
78 O
, O
in O
Milan O
the O
SP O
/ O
Mib O
added O
0 O
. O
22 O
percent O
to O
41 O
, O
315 O
points O
, O
in O
Madrid O
the O
Ibex O
- O
35 O
rose O
by O
0 O
. O
18 O
percent O
to O
14 O
, O
201 O
. O
7 O
and O
in O
Brussels O
the O
Bel O
- O
20 O
closed O
0 O
. O
13 O
percent O
higher O
at O
4 O
, O
345 O
. O
29 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0171 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Judges O
to O
interview O
French O
PM O
over O
dirty O
tricks O
scandal O

French O
judges O
probing O
the O
so O
- O
called O
Clearstream O
dirty O
tricks O
scandal O
will O
quiz O
Prime O
Minister O
Dominique O
de O
Villepin O
- O
- O
accused O
of O
using O
the O
affair O
to O
damage O
his O
political O
rival O
, O
Interior O
Minister O
Nicolas O
Sarkozy O
- O
- O
solely O
as O
a O
witness O
, O
aides O
to O
Villepin O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
status O
of O
" O
simple O
witness O
" O
being O
accorded O
to O
the O
prime O
minister O
means O
that O
he O
is O
not O
being O
treated O
as O
a O
suspect O
in O
the O
case O
centring O
on O
bogus O
allegations O
of O
illegal O
accounts O
held O
at O
a O
Luxembourg O
clearing O
- O
bank O
. O

Villepin O
' O
s O
office O
said O
the O
go O
- O
ahead O
for O
the O
two O
judges O
heading O
the O
inquiry O
to O
interview O
him O
would O
be O
given O
at O
the O
next O
cabinet O
meeting O
. O

The O
judges O
had O
said O
in O
November B-T
that O
" O
an O
interview O
does O
indeed O
appear O
useful O
for O
elucidating O
the O
truth O
and O
will O
take O
place O
at O
the O
moment O
we O
judge O
to O
be O
opportune O
. O
" O

Villepin O
' O
s O
aides O
repeated O
that O
the O
prime O
minister O
welcomed O
the O
chance O
to O
speak O
to O
judges O
Jean O
- O
Marie O
d O
' O
Huy O
and O
Henri O
Pons O
to O
give O
his O
side O
of O
events O
. O

It O
will O
only O
be O
the O
second O
time O
in O
history O
that O
a O
serving O
prime O
minister O
gives O
testimony O
in O
a O
judicial O
investigation O
. O
Socialist O
Lionel O
Jospin O
was O
quizzed O
some B-T
15 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
over O
illegal O
funding O
for O
his O
party O
. O

The O
Clearstream O
affair O
erupted O
in O
April B-T
and O
for O
a O
time O
appeared O
to O
threaten O
Villepin O
' O
s O
future O
as O
prime O
minister O
. O

He O
has O
vehemently O
denied O
that O
as O
foreign O
minister O
in O
early B-T
2004 I-T
he O
ordered O
a O
secret O
probe O
into O
claims O
that O
Sarkozy O
was O
on O
a O
list O
of O
names O
of O
alleged O
account O
- O
holders O
at O
Clearstream O
. O

D O
' O
Huy O
and O
Pons O
have O
already O
questioned O
as O
witnesses O
Villepin O
' O
s O
predecessor O
as O
prime O
minister O
, O
Jean O
- O
Pierre O
Raffarin O
, O
and O
current O
Defence O
Minister O
Michele O
Alliot O
- O
Marie O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0054 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
state O
councilor O
says O
steering O
committee O
to O
boost O
China O
- O
Vietnam O
ties O

Chinese O
State O
Councilor O
Tang O
Jiaxuan O
said O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
newly O
- O
established O
steering O
committee O
on O
cooperation O
will O
further O
promote O
the O
long O
- O
term O
good O
- O
neighborly O
relations O
between O
China O
and O
Vietnam O
. O

" O
The O
development O
of O
Sino O
- O
Vietnamese O
ties O
have O
progressed O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
with O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
being O
expanded O
and O
deepened O
in O
an O
all O
- O
round O
and O
comprehensive O
way O
, O
" O
Tang O
told O
the O
first O
meeting O
of O
the O
China O
- O
Vietnam O
steering O
committee O
on O
cooperation O
. O

China O
is O
willing O
to O
make O
joint O
efforts O
with O
the O
Vietnamese O
side O
to O
implement O
the O
consensus O
reached O
between O
leaders O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
and O
the O
Vietnamese O
Communist O
Party O
as O
well O
as O
leaders O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Vietnamese O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
Foreign O
Minister O
Pham O
Gia O
Khiem O
, O
who O
co O
- O
chaired O
the O
meeting O
with O
Tang O
, O
said O
his O
country O
hopes O
to O
boost O
the O
Vietnam O
- O
China O
friendly O
cooperation O
through O
the O
creation O
of O
the O
joint O
committee O
. O

The O
committee O
, O
which O
is O
designed O
to O
coordinate O
China O
- O
Vietnam O
cooperation O
in O
various O
fields O
and O
address O
major O
issues O
in O
their O
cooperation O
, O
will O
meet O
once O
a B-T
year I-T
in O
the O
two O
countries O
alternatively O
. O

At O
the O
meeting O
, O
the O
two O
side O
also O
discussed O
the O
preparations O
of O
the O
upcoming O
visit O
to O
Vietnam O
by O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
and O
believed O
his O
visit O
will O
surely O
have O
far O
- O
reaching O
impact O
on O
the O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
parties O
and O
two O
countries O
. O

Hu O
, O
who O
is O
scheduled O
to O
pay O
a O
state O
visit O
to O
Vietnam O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 O
- O
17 O
, O
will O
also O
attend O
an O
informal O
meeting O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
leaders O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Hanoi O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0246 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
international O
news O
advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
28 O

The O
following O
major O
international O
news O
stories O
from O
the O
North O
America O
region O
are O
scheduled O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
News O
Agency O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

- O
- O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
is O
expected O
to O
deliver O
remarks O
on O
Border O
Security O
and O
Immigration O
Reform O
on O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

- O
- O
Canada O
' O
s O
Parliament O
is O
to O
vote O
Monday B-T
evening I-T
on O
a O
motion O
of O
non O
- O
confidence O
against O
Liberal O
government O
. O

- O
- O
The O
United O
Nations O
Security O
Council O
is O
to O
discuss O
the O
situation O
in O
Burundi O
on O
Monday B-T
and O
is O
expected O
to O
extend O
the O
mandate O
of O
the O
UN O
peacekeeping O
mission O
in O
the O
country O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0381 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

remarks O

Chile O
' O
s O
President O
Michelle O
Bachelet O
directed O
the O
military O
Wednesday O
to O
punish O
a O
grandson O
of O
Augusto O
Pinochet O
for O
remarks O
the O
army O
captain O
made O
at O
the O
ex O
- O
dictator O
' O
s O
funeral O
extolling O
the O
1973 O
military O
coup O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0422 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

IMF O
to O
lower O
growth O
forecast O
for O
2007 O
: O
chief O
economist O

The O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
is O
to O
lower O
its O
growth O
estimate O
for O
2007 O
from O
its O
current B-T
prediction O
of O
4 O
. O
9 O
percent O
, O
IMF O
chief O
economist O
John O
Lipsky O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
We O
will O
be O
reducing O
that O
somewhat O
, O
" O
Lipsky O
told O
reporters O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
IMF O
nonetheless O
continued O
" O
to O
anticipate O
a O
favorable O
environment O
for O
growth O
. O
" O

He O
said O
he O
saw O
" O
no O
obvious O
reason O
to O
be O
concerned O
" O
by O
the O
recent O
plunge O
in O
the O
dollar O
against O
the O
euro O
, O
a O
trend O
that O
has O
prompted O
fears O
that O
the O
euro O
' O
s O
appreciation O
could O
cut O
into O
eurozone O
exports O
and O
dampen O
growth O
. O

Asked O
about O
the O
European O
Central O
Bank O
' O
s O
interest O
rate O
policy O
, O
he O
replied O
: O
" O
We O
think O
a O
policy O
of O
moderate O
tightening O
remains O
appropriate O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0569 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

China O
diverted O
US O
equipment O
to O
military O
plant O
: O
White O
House O

A O
state O
- O
owned O
Chinese O
company O
diverted O
US O
equipment O
intended O
for O
civilian O
purposes O
to O
a O
weapons O
plant O
but O
has O
returned O
the O
materiel O
on O
US O
orders O
, O
the O
White O
House O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Spokesman O
Michael O
McCurry O
said O
the O
United O
States O
discovered O
that O
the O
machines O
were O
moved O
to O
an O
" O
unapproved O
" O
location O
by O
the O
Chinese O
, O
after O
the O
New O
York O
Times O
reported O
the O
equipment O
was O
sent O
to O
a O
missile O
and O
fighter O
jet O
plant O
. O

He O
declined O
to O
elaborate O
, O
citing O
an O
ongoing O
investigation O
, O
but O
said O
" O
the O
machines O
in O
question O
are O
now B-T
under O
the O
supervision O
of O
the O
original O
customer O
- O
- O
they O
' O
re O
back O
at O
a O
McDonnell O
Douglas O
facility O
. O
" O

A O
year O
- O
long O
investigation O
using O
satellite O
photos O
suggested O
that O
in O
1994 B-T
CATIC O
, O
a O
state O
- O
owned O
corporation O
, O
diverted O
McDonnell O
Douglas O
Corp O
. O
equipment O
designed O
to O
build O
civilian O
jetliners O
to O
a O
military O
complex O
of O
the O
Nanchang O
Aircraft O
Co O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Times O
. O

Pentagon O
officials O
earlier O
feared O
that O
the O
equipment O
, O
which O
includes O
giant O
tools O
used O
to O
shape O
and O
bend O
large O
aircraft O
parts O
, O
could O
be O
used O
for O
military O
purposes O
. O

US O
officials O
believe O
that O
the O
Chinese O
intended O
to O
use O
the O
equipment O
for O
military O
purposes O
all O
along O
. O
The O
matter O
is O
under O
criminal O
investigation O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0696 O

NANTES O
, O
France O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Nantes O
make O
Barthez O
an O
offer O

Fabien O
Barthez O
, O
last O
seen O
on O
a O
football O
pitch O
keeping O
goal O
for O
France O
in O
the O
World O
Cup O
final O
in O
Berlin O
in O
July B-T
, O
has O
reportedly O
been O
offered O
a O
contract O
with O
French O
side O
Nantes O
. O

Barthez O
, O
out O
of O
contract O
with O
Marseille O
since O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
last I-T
season I-T
, O
is O
wanted O
by O
Nantes O
to O
replace O
Serb O
keeper O
Vladamir O
Stojkovic O
, O
who O
is O
keen O
to O
leave O
. O

According O
to O
France O
Inter O
radio O
Barthez O
' O
lawyers O
will O
study O
the O
deal O
which O
is O
for O
an B-T
initial I-T
six I-T
months I-T
with O
an O
option O
of O
a O
two B-T
year I-T
extension O
, O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Nantes O
manager O
Georges O
Eo O
revealed O
at O
the O
start O
of O
the B-T
week I-T
that O
he O
had O
been O
in O
contact O
with O
the O
1998 O
World O
Cup O
winner O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0025 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
to O
unveil O
a O
list O
of O
more O
aids O
to O
Africa O
during O
Beijing O
Summit O

China O
will O
announce O
a O
package O
of O
major O
assistance O
, O
investment O
, O
trade O
and O
other O
key O
cooperation O
projects O
with O
Africa O
during O
the O
upcoming O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
( O
FOCAC O
) O
, O
scheduled O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
, O
said O
Chinese O
Vice O
Commerce O
Minister O
Wei O
Jianguo O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Considering O
the O
wishes O
of O
African O
friends O
, O
the O
Chinese O
government O
has O
decided O
to O
offer O
more O
cooperation O
projects O
to O
Africa O
to O
deepen O
mutual O
benefit O
and O
cooperation O
and O
realize O
common O
development O
, O
Wei O
said O
at O
the O
Senior O
Officials O
Meeting O
of O
FOCAC O
, O
which O
was O
closed O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

China O
has O
put O
forward O
a O
series O
of O
measures O
including O
debt O
relief O
, O
exemption O
of O
tariff O
and O
personnel O
training O
to O
promote O
the O
cooperation O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
, O
said O
Wei O
, O
also O
Chinese O
side O
secretary O
general O
of O
the O
summit O
' O
s O
organizing O
committee O
. O

Forty O
eight O
African O
countries O
that O
have O
diplomatic O
relations O
with O
China O
are O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
focusing O
on O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
" O
. O

FOCAC O
is O
a O
mechanism O
for O
collective O
dialogue O
and O
cooperation O
jointly O
established O
by O
China O
and O
Africa O
to O
cope O
with O
new O
challenges O
and O
facilitate O
common O
development O
. O

Since O
the O
FOCAC O
was O
established O
in O
2000 B-T
, O
economic O
and O
trade O
cooperation O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
has O
entered O
a O
new O
era O
, O
with O
comprehensive O
, O
rapid O
and O
stable O
development O
. O

Trade O
volume O
rocketed O
to O
39 O
. O
7 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
after O
breaking O
the O
mark O
of O
10 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

In O
addition O
, O
China O
has O
forgiven O
debts O
of O
10 O
. O
9 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
38 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
by O
31 O
heavily O
indebted O
poor O
countries O
and O
least O
developed O
countries O
in O
Africa O
and O
extended O
zero O
- O
tariff O
treatment O
to O
some O
imports O
from O
Africa O
. O

China O
has O
helped O
establish O
nearly O
900 O
projects O
in O
Africa O
and O
train O
some O
14 O
, O
600 O
personnel O
in O
various O
fields O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0299 O

NICOSIA O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
, O
Iraq O
, O
Iran O
, O
Libya O
attend O
sanctions O
conference O
by O
Elie O
Austa O

Officials O
from O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Iraq O
, O
Iran O
and O
Libya O
attended O
a O
forum O
which O
opened O
here O
Monday B-T
on O
the O
effects O
of O
UN O
and O
US O
sanctions O
on O
the O
oil O
market O
and O
world O
economy O
. O

" O
Even O
if O
there O
is O
no O
premeditated O
policy O
to O
harm O
these O
countries O
for O
their O
anti O
- O
Israeli O
stance O
, O
this O
is O
the O
way O
things O
are O
perceived O
in O
the O
region O
, O
" O
World O
Energy O
Council O
president O
Hisham O
el O
- O
Khatib O
said O
in O
his O
opening O
speech O
. O

Iraq O
, O
Iran O
and O
Libya O
are O
all O
oil O
- O
producing O
, O
Moslem O
, O
anti O
- O
Israeli O
countries O
with O
strong O
centralized O
governments O
, O
he O
said O
, O
while O
the O
United O
States O
is O
Israel O
' O
s O
main O
ally O
. O

However O
, O
the O
former O
US O
assistant O
secretary O
of O
state O
for O
the O
Near O
East O
Robert O
Pelletreau O
said O
Washington O
" O
bears O
no O
ill O
will O
toward O
the O
peoples O
of O
Iran O
, O
Iraq O
and O
Libya O
and O
would O
like O
in O
the O
long O
run O
to O
see O
normal O
relations O
develop O
with O
each O
of O
these O
states O
. O
" O

Pelletreau O
said O
Washington O
adopted O
, O
unilaterally O
or O
with O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
sanctions O
to O
prevent O
countries O
from O
acting O
" O
in O
a O
way O
detrimental O
to O
US O
interests O
and O
disruptive O
of O
regional O
and O
even O
global O
security O
and O
stability O
. O
" O

The O
former O
official O
, O
who O
left O
his O
post O
in O
March B-T
, O
said O
the O
partial O
lifting O
of O
sanctions O
on O
Iraq O
under O
the O
UN O
oil O
- O
for O
- O
food O
deal O
beginning O
in O
December B-T
was O
not O
, O
as O
Baghdad O
claimed O
, O
the O
first O
step O
toward O
completely O
lifting O
the O
embargo O
. O

Rather O
it O
eased O
international O
pressure O
on O
Washington O
, O
especially O
from O
Europe O
, O
over O
the O
suffering O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
, O
which O
is O
the O
fault O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
, O
he O
said O
. O

US O
policy O
toward O
Iraq O
is O
based O
on O
the O
assumption O
that O
" O
Baghdad O
has O
given O
up O
none O
of O
its O
ambitions O
to O
be O
the O
dominant O
power O
in O
the O
Gulf O
, O
" O
Pelletreau O
added O
. O

" O
Without O
Security O
Council O
sanctions O
and O
US O
leadership O
in O
maintaining O
them O
, O
President O
Saddam O
Hussein O
would O
be O
rearming O
, O
rebuilding O
and O
modernizing O
his O
armed O
forces O
and O
developing O
their O
nuclear O
, O
biological O
and O
chemical O
capabilities O
as O
rapidly O
as O
possible O
. O
" O

International O
sanctions O
were O
imposed O
on O
Iraq O
after O
it O
invaded O
Kuwait O
in O
August B-T
1990 I-T
, O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
has O
stipulated O
that O
Iraq O
must O
get O
rid O
of O
its O
weapons O
of O
mass O
destruction O
before O
the O
sanctions O
are O
lifted O
. O

Pelletreau O
also O
said O
that O
if O
Iran O
is O
behind O
a O
bomb O
attack O
in O
Khobar O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
that O
killed O
19 O
US O
servicemen O
in O
June B-T
, O
Washington O
" O
will O
respond O
strongly O
including O
, O
possibly O
, O
demanding O
the O
imposition O
of O
United O
Nations O
sanctions O
. O
" O

Pelletreau O
said O
that O
in O
Iran O
and O
in O
the O
US O
Congress O
, O
Europe O
' O
s O
approach O
to O
Tehran O
was O
seen O
as O
dictated O
by O
" O
commercial O
interest O
. O
" O

Washington O
' O
s O
adoption O
of O
sanctions O
against O
countries O
such O
as O
Iran O
, O
Iraq O
or O
Libya O
in O
spite O
of O
economic O
losses O
to O
US O
companies O
" O
reflects O
the O
strong O
current O
of O
morality O
present O
in O
US O
political O
decisions O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Edward O
Morse O
of O
the O
Energy O
Intelligence O
Group O
research O
institute O
said O
" O
the O
use O
of O
. O
. O
. O
economic O
instruments O
of O
foreign O
policy O
by O
the O
United O
States O
has O
, O
not O
accidentally O
, O
mushroomed O
as O
the O
Cold O
War O
came O
to O
an O
end O
and O
as O
the O
United O
States O
became O
increasingly O
the O
singular O
fulcrum O
of O
international O
politics O
. O
" O

The O
United O
States O
" O
can O
' O
get O
away O
with O
' O
using O
them O
for O
a O
long O
time O
" O
because O
of O
" O
the O
current O
structure O
of O
international O
society O
, O
which O
, O
for O
better O
or O
worse O
, O
is O
highly O
US O
- O
centric O
, O
" O
Morse O
said O
. O

The O
three O
- O
day O
forum O
, O
sponsored O
by O
IBC O
Gulf O
Conferences O
, O
is O
headed O
by O
Iraq O
' O
s O
ambassador O
to O
UNESCO O
, O
Abdel O
Amir O
al O
- O
Anbari O
, O
and O
included O
an O
oil O
ministry O
official O
. O

Iran O
' O
s O
position O
will O
be O
presented O
by O
an O
official O
from O
its O
chamber O
of O
commerce O
and O
Libya O
' O
s O
by O
an O
advisor O
to O
the O
Libyan O
central O
bank O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051203 O
. O
0071 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Japanese O
governor O
to O
try O
and O
stop O
US O
nuclear O
ship O
deployment O

The O
governor O
of O
a O
prefecture O
hosting O
the O
largest O
US O
Navy O
base O
in O
Japan O
said O
Saturday B-T
he O
would O
continue O
to O
seek O
to O
stop O
the O
deployment O
of O
a O
nuclear O
- O
powered O
ship O
there O
in O
2008 B-T
as O
announced O
by O
Washington O
. O

" O
It O
doesn O
' O
t O
mean O
that O
we O
have O
exhausted O
all O
possibilities O
" O
of O
stopping O
the O
deployment O
of O
a O
nuclear O
- O
powered O
ship O
at O
Yokosuka O
, O
Kanagawa O
governor O
Shigefumi O
Matsuzawa O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
US O
Navy O
announced O
Friday B-T
in O
Washington O
that O
the O
USS O
George O
Washington O
would O
replace O
the O
USS O
Kitty O
Hawk O
in O
2008 B-T
as O
its O
first O
nuclear O
- O
powered O
aircraft O
carrier O
based O
in O
Japan O
. O

Japan O
, O
a O
close O
US O
ally O
, O
announced O
in O
October B-T
it O
had O
agreed O
to O
host O
a O
Nimitz O
- O
class O
nuclear O
- O
powered O
aircraft O
carrier O
at O
the O
port O
from O
2008 O
prompting O
protests O
in O
the O
only O
nation O
to O
have O
suffered O
nuclear O
attack O
. O

More O
than O
210 O
, O
000 O
people O
died O
when O
Hiroshima O
and O
Nagasaki O
were O
bombed O
by O
US O
forces O
in O
1945 B-T
. O

" O
I O
' O
ll O
continue O
urging O
the O
Japanese O
and O
US O
governments O
to O
solve O
the O
noise O
problem O
caused O
by O
carrier O
- O
based O
aircraft O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
and O
to O
try O
my O
best O
to O
see O
that O
a O
conventional O
carrier O
is O
deployed O
here O
, O
" O
Matsuzawa O
said O
. O

Japanese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Taro O
Aso O
, O
currently O
visiting O
Washington O
, O
is O
scheduled O
to O
meet O
US O
Secretary O
of O
Defense O
Donald O
Rumsfeld O
on O
Saturday B-T
and O
to O
discuss O
the O
realignment O
of O
US O
forces O
in O
Japan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0142 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O

By O
sportswriters O
Wang O
Jimin O
, O
Xiao O
Chunfei O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Chinese O
American O
Michael O
Chang O
, O
the O
youngest O
Grand O
Slam O
champion O
in O
ATP O
history O
, O
is O
sportscasting O
the O
yearend O
Masters O
Cup O
in O
Shanghai O
. O

The O
tennis O
genius O
, O
who O
was O
acquainted O
with O
Chinese O
when O
he O
was O
called O
Zhang O
Depei O
, O
came O
as O
sportscaster O
at O
the O
Shanghai O
Sports O
Channel O
. O

Chang O
, O
34 O
, O
claimed O
the O
French O
Open O
title O
in O
1989 B-T
when O
he O
was O
just O
17 B-T
years I-T
and I-T
three I-T
months I-T
old O
and O
became O
the O
first O
American O
male O
to O
win O
the O
Roland O
Garros O
since O
Tony O
Trabert O
in O
1955 B-T
. O

He O
was O
remembered O
as O
his O
thrilling O
five O
- O
set O
win O
for O
the O
title O
over O
Stefan O
Edberg O
and O
his O
round O
of O
16 O
win O
over O
former O
Number O
one O
Ivan O
Lendl O
, O
in O
which O
he O
served O
underhanded O
at O
one O
point O
after O
cramping O
but O
won O
4 O
- O
6 O
, O
4 O
- O
6 O
, O
6 O
- O
3 O
, O
6 O
- O
3 O
, O
6 O
- O
3 O
in O
a O
4 O
- O
hour O
, O
37 O
- O
minute O
match O
. O

" O
With O
the O
schedule O
the O
way O
that O
it O
is O
now B-T
on O
the O
ATP O
Tour O
, O
it O
plays O
a O
very O
, O
very O
important O
role O
as O
for O
as O
being O
healthy O
for O
the O
top O
players O
. O
That O
' O
s O
one O
of O
the O
things O
that O
has O
really O
been O
very O
good O
for O
you O
, O
to O
be O
able O
to O
go O
out O
, O
play O
tennis O
, O
and O
be O
healthy O
. O
How O
is O
it O
you O
find O
to O
be O
able O
to O
balance O
time O
to O
work O
hard O
, O
taking O
time O
to O
rest O
and O
relax O
? O
" O
Chang O
asked O
world O
number O
one O
Roger O
Federer O
after O
the O
opening O
match O
as O
an O
average O
journalist O
. O

The B-T
year I-T
of I-T
2002 I-T
was O
his O
swan O
song O
when O
Chang O
retired O
partly O
due O
to O
the O
health O
problems O
after O
Compiling O
a O
disappointing O
7 O
- O
18 O
match O
record O
and O
it O
was O
first O
time O
he O
' O
s O
ever O
had O
a O
losing O
record O
and O
not O
won O
10 O
matches O
in O
a O
season O
since O
he O
turned O
pro O
in O
1987 B-T
. O

" O
Federer O
is O
obviously O
among O
the O
great O
players O
. O
He O
demonstrated O
his O
prowess O
under O
pressure O
while O
Nalbandian O
lost O
his O
confidence O
as O
early O
as O
in O
the O
second O
set O
. O
And O
he O
ran O
out O
of O
his O
stream O
in O
the O
opening O
set O
, O
which O
led O
to O
the O
fast O
collapse O
in O
the O
remaining O
sets O
. O
And O
I O
think O
what O
was O
in O
Nalbandian O
' O
s O
mind O
during O
the O
third O
set O
is O
to O
have O
a O
bath O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
! O
" O
Chang O
commented O
in O
Chinese O
, O
which O
was O
not O
his O
strong O
point O
in O
the O
past O
. O

On O
Sunday B-T
, O
top O
seed O
Federer O
rallied O
from O
one O
set O
down O
to O
destroy O
Argentine O
nemesis O
David O
Nalbandian O
3 O
- O
6 O
, O
6 O
- O
1 O
, O
6 O
- O
1 O
in O
a O
blockbuster O
opening O
match O
of O
the O
2006 O
circuit O
finale O
. O

As O
for O
the O
question O
Chang O
threw O
to O
Federer O
, O
the O
Swiss O
tycoon O
replied O
: O
" O
I O
always O
used O
to O
played O
25 O
to O
30 O
tournaments O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
years I-T
. O
Now B-T
I O
only O
play O
around O
20 O
tournaments O
. O
" O

" O
I O
always O
take O
a O
lot O
of O
good O
care O
, O
you O
know O
, O
with O
my O
coach O
, O
with O
my O
condition O
trainer O
. O
We O
always O
sit O
down O
together O
and O
think O
what O
is O
the O
best O
plan O
. O

" O
I O
always O
try O
to O
enter O
a O
minimum O
of O
tournaments O
, O
and O
I O
hate O
pulling O
out O
. O
" O

Although O
playing O
in O
the O
different O
era O
, O
Chang O
has O
played O
Federer O
five O
times O
in O
career O
with O
the O
Swiss O
wrapping O
off O
four O
wins O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0206 O

KHARTOUM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

in O
Darfur O

Sudanese O
President O
Omer O
al O
- O
Bashir O
reiterated O
on O
Sunday B-T
his O
country O
' O
s O
refusal O
of O
deploying O
an O
international O
peacekeeping O
force O
to O
be O
sent O
by O
the O
United O
Nations O
in O
the O
western O
Sudanese O
region O
of O
Darfur O
. O

The O
Sudanese O
president O
reiterated O
the O
position O
during O
a O
meeting O
with O
French O
Foreign O
Minister O
Philippe O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
, O
who O
arrived O
in O
Khartoum O
on O
the B-T
same I-T
day I-T
on O
a O
two O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
in O
Sudan O
. O

Sudanese O
Minister O
of O
State O
for O
Foreign O
Affairs O
al O
- O
Wasila O
al O
- O
Samani O
told O
reporters O
following O
the O
meeting O
that O
al O
- O
Bashir O
urged O
the O
world O
society O
to O
help O
reinforce O
the O
7800 O
- O
strong O
African O
Union O
troops O
which O
are O
undertaking O
the O
peacekeeping O
mission O
in O
Darfur O
. O

The O
Sudanese O
president O
also O
stressed O
his O
country O
' O
s O
full O
respect O
for O
the O
security O
and O
sovereignty O
of O
Chad O
and O
the O
Central O
African O
, O
denying O
the O
accusation O
that O
Khartoum O
was O
baking O
rebels O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
to O
launch O
cross O
- O
border O
attacks O
from O
Sudan O
, O
al O
- O
Samani O
said O
. O

Al O
- O
Samani O
disclosed O
that O
the O
French O
foreign O
minister O
expressed O
his O
" O
complete O
understanding O
" O
for O
Sudan O
' O
s O
position O
of O
refusing O
the O
deployment O
of O
international O
peacekeeper O
in O
Darfur O
, O
and O
his O
keenness O
to O
mediate O
between O
Sudan O
and O
Chad O
and O
the O
Central O
Africa O
. O

" O
Sudan O
and O
France O
agree O
that O
the O
Darfur O
Peace O
Agreement O
( O
DPA O
) O
must O
be O
completed O
by O
bringing O
in O
those O
refusing O
to O
accept O
the O
agreement O
until O
now B-T
, O
and O
President O
al O
- O
Bashir O
thanked O
France O
for O
its O
efforts O
to O
help O
look O
for O
a O
comprehensive O
settlement O
for O
the O
conflict O
in O
Darfur O
, O
" O
al O
- O
Samani O
added O
. O

The O
Sudanese O
government O
signed O
the O
DPA O
with O
a O
main O
rebel O
faction O
in O
the O
Nigerian O
capital O
Abuja O
on O
May B-T
5 I-T
. O
But O
some O
other O
rebel O
movements O
have O
refused O
to O
sign O
the O
agreement O
, O
claiming O
that O
it O
did O
not O
meet O
all O
their O
demands O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0378 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Jaafari O
, O
Baathists O
, O
Qaeda O
warning O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Iraqi O
violence O
shadowed O
special O
early O
polling O
Monday B-T
ahead O
of O
a O
general O
election O
for O
a O
full O
- O
term O
parliament O
which O
many O
hope O
will O
stabilize O
the O
country O
and O
allow O
US O
troops O
to O
leave O
. O

The O
vote O
is O
expected O
to O
restore O
full O
sovereignty O
to O
Iraq O
nearly B-T
three I-T
years I-T
after O
the O
invasion O
, O
with O
officials O
desperately O
hoping O
to O
draw O
Sunni O
Arabs O
back O
into O
the O
political O
process O
and O
undermine O
support O
for O
a O
crippling O
insurgency O
. O

Before O
15 O
. O
5 O
million O
voters O
cast O
their O
ballots O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
300 O
, O
000 O
Iraqi O
hospital O
patients O
, O
detainees O
and O
members O
of O
the O
security O
forces O
voted O
for O
the O
275 O
deputies O
who O
are O
to O
serve O
four O
- O
year O
terms O
. O

In O
an O
atmosphere O
of O
jubilation O
, O
Iraqi O
security O
forces O
punched O
the O
air O
and O
made O
V O
for O
victory O
signs O
as O
they O
queued O
outside O
polling O
stations O
in O
the O
capital O
. O

Detainees O
in O
orange O
jumpsuits O
crossed O
their O
ballot O
papers O
in O
jails O
in O
the O
southern O
city O
of O
Samawa O
as O
electoral O
officials O
went O
from O
bed O
to O
bed O
with O
transparent O
ballot O
boxes O
in O
a O
Baghdad O
hospital O
, O
attending O
to O
patients O
too O
weak O
to O
walk O
. O

Security O
measures O
, O
similar O
to O
those O
enforced O
at O
two O
earlier O
polls O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
will O
be O
imposed O
to O
limit O
bloodshed O
and O
bombings O
during O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
main O
event O
. O

But O
violence O
flared O
in O
the O
capital O
before O
the O
clampdown O
took O
full O
effect O
, O
killing O
at O
least O
seven O
people O
and O
wounding O
at O
least O
30 O
. O

Two O
US O
soldiers O
also O
died O
in O
separate O
attacks O
south O
of O
Baghdad O
and O
in O
the O
volatile O
western O
Sunni O
province O
of O
Al O
- O
Anbar O
. O

Calling O
for O
a O
peaceful O
ballot O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Ibrahim O
Jaafari O
vigorously O
defended O
his O
10 O
- O
month O
record O
in O
government O
at O
a O
Baghdad O
news O
conference O
. O

" O
Praise O
be O
to O
God O
, O
Iraq O
is O
today O
stronger O
after O
overcoming O
so O
many O
obstacles O
, O
" O
said O
the O
devout O
Shiite O
. O

Rivals O
have O
accused O
him O
of O
presiding O
over O
a O
weak O
administration O
that O
has O
failed O
to O
quell O
violence O
and O
Jaafari O
could O
lose O
the O
top O
cabinet O
job O
in O
the O
political O
wrangling O
after O
the O
election O
. O

But O
the O
dominant O
Shiite O
United O
Iraqi O
Alliance O
that O
includes O
Jaafari O
' O
s O
Dawa O
Party O
put O
on O
a O
show O
of O
force O
by O
staging O
a O
rally O
that O
drew O
thousands O
in O
eastern O
Baghdad O
. O

Red O
and O
green O
Shiite O
banners O
waved O
in O
Sadr O
City O
as O
militants O
chanted O
slogans O
in O
support O
of O
the O
UIA O
, O
which O
includes O
the O
Dawa O
Party O
, O
the O
powerful O
Supreme O
Council O
for O
the O
Islamic O
Revolution O
and O
followers O
of O
radical O
cleric O
Moqtada O
al O
- O
Sadr O
. O

Across O
the O
country O
, O
airports O
and O
borders O
will O
shut O
from O
Wednesday B-T
, O
a O
five O
- O
day O
holiday O
imposed O
, O
curfews O
extended O
and O
weapons O
carrying O
banned O
. O

Such O
strict O
security O
measures O
are O
intended O
to O
prevent O
the O
kind O
of O
suicide O
bombings O
that O
have O
become O
so O
commonplace O
in O
Iraq O
. O

Al O
- O
Qaeda O
' O
s O
branch O
in O
Iraq O
and O
four O
other O
extremist O
groups O
warned O
people O
not O
to O
vote O
in O
a O
statement O
posted O
on O
the O
Internet O
. O

" O
What O
is O
known O
as O
the O
political O
process O
is O
nothing O
but O
a O
devilish O
plot O
, O
" O
said O
a O
statement O
signed O
by O
the O
Al O
- O
Taifa O
Mansura O
Army O
. O

The O
election O
for O
a O
275 O
- O
member O
parliament O
follows O
a O
lightning O
Anglo O
- O
US O
drive O
to O
oust O
Saddam O
in O
April B-T
2003 I-T
, O
two O
transitional O
governments O
and O
the O
adoption O
of O
a O
constitution O
in O
October B-T
. O

Electoral O
officials O
will O
allow O
some O
candidates O
with O
suspected O
links O
to O
Saddam O
' O
s O
former O
party O
to O
stand O
, O
but O
warned O
they O
could O
still O
be O
disqualified O
. O

The O
committee O
responsible O
, O
however O
, O
for O
purging O
the O
state O
of O
Saddam O
loyalists O
called O
on O
voters O
not O
to O
elect O
roughly O
130 O
Baathist O
candidates O
standing O
in O
the O
election O
among O
a O
total O
7 O
, O
000 O
. O

The O
body O
urged O
electors O
to O
reject O
such O
candidates O
" O
in O
the O
name O
of O
the O
victims O
of O
the O
mass O
graves O
and O
out O
of O
loyalty O
for O
the O
blood O
of O
the O
martyrs O
. O
" O

When O
the O
dust O
settles O
, O
the O
Iraqi O
parliament O
will O
set O
out O
to O
define O
a O
new O
direction O
for O
a O
country O
wracked O
by O
intercommunal O
tensions O
. O

Strengthening O
democracy O
through O
credible O
elections O
is O
a O
cornerstone O
of O
US O
policy O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
which O
Washington O
hopes O
will O
foster O
the O
ultimate O
exit O
strategy O
from O
Iraq O
, O
an O
increasingly O
unpopular O
military O
campaign O
. O

But O
success O
of O
the O
poll O
hinges O
on O
turnout O
among O
the O
fallen O
Sunni O
Arab O
elite O
that O
boycotted O
the O
January B-T
30 I-T
election O
for O
a O
transitional O
parliament O
, O
Iraq O
' O
s O
first O
free O
vote O
in O
half O
a B-T
century I-T
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
Sunni O
Sheikh O
Khalaf O
al O
- O
Alyani O
, O
a O
leader O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
National O
Dialogue O
, O
pressed O
Iraqi O
insurgents O
to O
observe O
a O
five O
- O
day O
truce O
so O
that O
the O
crucial O
vote O
could O
take O
place O
peacefully O
. O

The O
228 O
political O
entities O
which O
have O
presented O
candidates O
number O
double O
the O
111 O
groups O
that O
contested O
the O
January B-T
poll O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0262 O

TAIPEI O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Taiwan O
not O
to O
alter O
pig O
export O
policy O

Taiwan O
will O
not O
change O
its O
pig O
- O
rearing O
policy O
despite O
the O
outbreak O
last B-T
month I-T
of O
foot O
- O
and O
- O
mouth O
disease O
, O
estimated O
to O
have O
slowed O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
growth O
rate O
by O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
Don O
' O
t O
randomly O
change O
a O
policy O
whenever O
a O
problem O
occurs O
, O
" O
Taiwanese O
President O
Lee O
Teng O
- O
hui O
said O
at O
the O
end O
of O
a O
regular O
meeting O
of O
the O
decision O
- O
making O
Central O
Standing O
Committee O
. O

" O
Changes O
to O
policy O
should O
be O
made O
only O
after O
they O
are O
carefully O
studied O
by O
scholars O
and O
experts O
. O
. O
. O
Only O
so O
doing O
will O
government O
policies O
become O
more O
healthy O
, O
" O
added O
Lee O
, O
who O
is O
also O
the O
ruling O
Kuomintang O
party O
' O
s O
chairman O
. O

There O
have O
been O
widespread O
calls O
for O
a O
thorough O
government O
review O
of O
pig O
raising O
following O
the O
island O
' O
s O
worst O
pig O
disease O
in O
80 B-T
years I-T
. O

Economics O
Minister O
Wang O
Chih O
- O
kang O
said O
the O
plague O
, O
which O
was O
threatening O
the O
jobs O
of O
700 O
, O
000 O
workers O
, O
is O
estimated O
to O
have O
dragged O
economic O
growth O
by O
0 O
. O
5 O
percentage O
points O
from O
a O
previously O
forecast O
6 O
. O
3 O
percent O
for O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
government O
has O
banned O
exports O
of O
105 O
categories O
of O
fresh O
and O
processed O
meat O
products O
, O
inflicting O
huge O
losses O
on O
the O
1 O
. O
6 O
billion O
US O
dollar O
a B-T
year I-T
industry O
. O

Total O
losses O
to O
the O
pork O
industry O
and O
related O
businesses O
could O
reach O
an O
estimated O
270 O
billion O
Taiwan O
dollars O
( O
almost O
10 O
billion O
US O
) O
. O

Lee O
said O
it O
was O
not O
right O
for O
Taiwan O
to O
pull O
out O
of O
the O
overseas O
market O
only O
because O
of O
the O
pig O
epidemic O
, O
or O
it O
would O
be O
hard O
for O
the O
local O
pig O
- O
raisers O
to O
take O
back O
the O
market O
share O
they O
lost O
to O
competitors O
. O

Lee O
, O
who O
received O
a O
doctorate O
degree O
in O
agroeconomy O
from O
Cornell O
University O
of O
the O
United O
States O
, O
took O
pride O
in O
Taiwan O
' O
s O
rice O
- O
growing O
and O
pig O
- O
raising O
techniques O
which O
he O
said O
were O
" O
first O
class O
in O
the O
world O
. O
" O

Lee O
, O
Vice O
President O
Lien O
Chan O
and O
other O
ranking O
government O
officials O
ate O
pig O
knuckles O
and O
pork O
at O
a O
press O
promotion O
campaign O
on O
the O
heels O
of O
the O
KMT O
meeting O
. O

They O
urged O
the O
public O
to O
consume O
pork O
, O
saying O
the O
pork O
available O
on O
the O
market O
was O
not O
tainted O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
30 O
parliamentarians O
on O
Wednesday B-T
endorsed O
a O
bi O
- O
partisan O
resolution O
demanding O
two O
top O
agricultural O
officials O
step O
down O
to O
shoulder O
responsibility O
for O
the O
agricultural O
disaster O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0390 O

PHNOM O
PENH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cambodian O
PM O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
China O
fruitful O
: O
FM O

Cambodian O
Prime O
Minister O
Hun O
Sen O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
China O
from O
Oct B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
to O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
was O
fruitful O
and O
would O
promote O
the O
friendly O
cooperative O
ties O
between O
China O
and O
ASEAN O
( O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asia O
Nations O
) O
, O
especially O
those O
between O
China O
and O
Cambodia O
, O
according O
to O
a O
local O
media O
' O
s O
report O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Hor O
Namhong O
, O
Cambodian O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
Minister O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
and O
International O
Cooperation O
, O
told O
local O
reporters O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
at O
the O
Phnom O
Penh O
International O
Airport O
on O
Thursday B-T
after O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
return O
. O

During O
the O
summit O
held O
in O
Naning O
, O
Guangxi O
, O
to O
commemorate O
the O
15th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
establishment O
of O
the O
dialogue O
ties O
between O
China O
and O
ASEAN O
, O
Hun O
Sen O
proposed O
to O
build O
cooperative O
partnership O
between O
both O
sides O
, O
which O
would O
greatly O
promote O
the O
friendly O
cooperation O
between O
China O
and O
ASEAN O
, O
especially O
that O
between O
China O
and O
Cambodia O
. O

Such O
cooperation O
would O
bring O
benefits O
to O
Cambodia O
' O
s O
social O
and O
economic O
developments O
and O
help O
the O
kingdom O
narrow O
its O
difference O
with O
other O
member O
countries O
of O
ASEAN O
, O
he O
said O
. O

In O
a O
joint O
declaration O
of O
the O
summit O
, O
Hor O
said O
, O
Hun O
Sen O
provided O
some O
complementary O
opinion O
for O
China O
to O
accomplish O
the O
Singapore O
- O
Kunming O
Railway O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
, O
so O
as O
to O
supplement O
the O
current O
rail O
lines O
connecting O
Singapore O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Thailand O
and O
Cambodia O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
the O
prime O
minister O
asked O
China O
to O
offer O
loans O
for O
Cambodian O
to O
construct O
a O
railway O
leading O
to O
Vietnam O
, O
thus O
enabling O
the O
kingdom O
to O
transport O
more O
commodities O
to O
China O
via O
Vietnam O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Hun O
Sen O
returned O
to O
Phnom O
Penh O
on O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O
During O
his O
trip O
to O
China O
, O
he O
also O
visited O
Shandong O
Province O
in O
order O
to O
tap O
experience O
of O
economic O
development O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0114 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
, O
Bulgaria O
to O
strengthen O
military O
ties O

China O
is O
ready O
to O
join O
hands O
with O
Bulgaria O
to O
bring O
their O
military O
relationship O
to O
a O
new O
high O
, O
Liang O
Guanglie O
, O
chief O
of O
general O
staff O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Army O
( O
PLA O
) O
, O
said O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Liang O
made O
the O
remarks O
in O
his O
talks O
with O
his O
Bulgarian O
counterpart O
Nikola O
Kolev O
. O

China O
has O
always O
taken O
a O
positive O
attitude O
to O
developing O
China O
- O
Bulgaria O
military O
relations O
, O
Liang O
said O
. O

He O
said O
Bulgaria O
was O
among O
the O
first O
batch O
of O
countries O
to O
forge O
diplomatic O
relations O
with O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
China O
. O
Since O
then O
bilateral O
relations O
have O
kept O
advancing O
and O
there O
have O
been O
frequent O
mutual O
high O
- O
level O
visits O
and O
friendly O
exchanges O
. O

Kolev O
said O
that O
Bulgaria O
and O
China O
have O
enjoyed O
a O
tradition O
of O
friendly O
exchanges O
, O
and O
the O
armed O
forces O
of O
Bulgaria O
hope O
to O
further O
promote O
the O
friendly O
and O
cooperative O
relationship O
with O
the O
Chinese O
PLA O
. O

Xiong O
Guangkai O
, O
deputy O
chief O
of O
general O
staff O
of O
the O
PLA O
, O
also O
attended O
the O
talks O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051120 O
. O
0004 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
Opposing O
" O
Taiwan O
Independence O
" O
in O
interest O
of O
China O
, O
US O
: O
Hu O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
said O
here O
Sunday B-T
that O
it O
is O
in O
the O
common O
interest O
of O
both O
China O
and O
the O
United O
State O
to O
oppose O
and O
contain O
" O
Taiwan O
Independence O
" O
, O
and O
to O
safeguard O
stability O
across O
the O
Taiwan O
Straits O
. O

" O
The O
Chinese O
government O
and O
people O
have O
been O
committed O
to O
safeguarding O
peace O
across O
the O
Taiwan O
Straits O
, O
and O
will O
make O
the O
utmost O
efforts O
with O
the O
utmost O
sincerity O
to O
achieve O
the O
country O
' O
s O
peaceful O
reunification O
, O
but O
we O
will O
never O
tolerate O
' O
Taiwan O
Independence O
' O
, O
" O
Hu O
told O
the O
press O
after O
his O
talks O
with O
visiting O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0244 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
lead O
: O
Fatah O
primaries O
in O
Gaza O
Strip O
suspended O

Eds O
: O
Updates O
with O
details O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Fatah O
primaries O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
were O
suspended O
due O
to O
riots O
and O
violations O
, O
a O
poll O
official O
announced O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Ibrahim O
Abu O
Najja O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
highest O
committee O
of O
Fatah O
primary O
elections O
, O
announced O
the O
suspension O
following O
severe O
violations O
occurred O
at O
several O
polling O
stations O
across O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
These O
violations O
made O
the O
continuation O
of O
the O
whole O
process O
impossible O
, O
" O
Abu O
al O
- O
Najja O
told O
reporters O
after O
a O
meeting O
of O
the O
committee O
. O

Palestinian O
militants O
stormed O
several O
polling O
stations O
in O
the O
cities O
of O
Deer O
al O
- O
Balah O
, O
Khan O
Younis O
and O
Beit O
Hanoun O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
and O
ordered O
voters O
to O
go O
away O
. O

Dozens O
of O
Fatah O
members O
burned O
tires O
and O
voters O
lists O
after O
failing O
to O
find O
their O
names O
in O
the O
lists O
. O

Earlier O
, O
Palestinian O
sources O
said O
that O
the O
committee O
decided O
to O
postponed O
Fatah O
primaries O
in O
the O
central O
Gaza O
Strip O
following O
riots O
at O
the O
ballot O
stations O
in O
this O
region O
. O

The O
ongoing O
primaries O
are O
to O
choose O
candidates O
of O
the O
dominant O
Fatah O
movement O
to O
stand O
in O
the O
legislative O
elections O
set O
for O
Jan B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0235 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

53 O
birds O
die O
of O
avian O
flu O
in O
Britain O

Fifty O
- O
three O
birds O
have O
died O
at O
a O
British O
quarantine O
center O
hit O
by O
an O
outbreak O
of O
avian O
flu O
, O
according O
to O
a O
report O
released O
on O
Tuesday B-T
by O
the O
British O
Department O
for O
the O
Environment O
, O
Food O
and O
Rural O
Affairs O
. O

The O
report O
said O
that O
within O
the O
species O
documented O
as O
coming O
from O
Taiwan O
, O
only O
the O
Mesias O
were O
infected O
with O
H5N1 O
, O
adding O
that O
53 O
out O
of O
101 O
birds O
had O
died O
. O
It O
went O
on O
to O
say O
that O
the O
H5N1 O
virus O
was O
only O
transmitted O
between O
the O
Mesias O
, O

There O
is O
no O
evidence O
of O
transmission O
to O
other O
species O
in O
the O
facility O
including O
the O
sentinel O
birds O
. O

Announcing O
the O
publication O
of O
the O
report O
, O
Chief O
Veterinary O
Officer O
Debby O
Reynolds O
said O
, O
" O
This O
report O
contains O
significant O
epidemiological O
findings O
and O
helps O
to O
further O
our O
understanding O
of O
highly O
pathogenic O
avian O
influenza O
. O

" O
In O
particular O
the O
apparent O
lack O
of O
transmission O
of O
H5N1 O
between O
species O
in O
the O
facility O
will O
be O
of O
interest O
to O
the O
international O
community O
. O
" O

In O
a O
written O
Parliamentary O
statement O
, O
Environment O
Secretary O
Margaret O
Beckett O
said O
, O
" O
This O
report O
will O
be O
fed O
into O
the O
independent O
review O
of O
avian O
quarantine O
procedures O
I O
announced O
on O
October B-T
31 I-T
led O
by O
Professor O
Nigel O
Dimmock O
and O
to O
Essex O
County O
Council O
, O
who O
are O
conducting O
an O
investigation O
into O
events O
at O
the O
quarantine O
facility O
. O
" O

nyt_20130321_sarcozy O

2013 B-T
- I-T
03 I-T
- I-T
21 I-T

France O
: O
Sarkozy O
Faces O
Investigation O

Former O
President O
Nicolas O
Sarkozy O
was O
informed O
Thursday B-T
that O
he O
would O
face O
a O
formal O
investigation O
into O
whether O
he O
abused O
the O
frailty O
of O
Liliane O
Bettencourt O
, O
90 O
, O
the O
heiress O
to O
the O
L O
' O
Oreal O
fortune O
and O
France O
' O
s O
richest O
woman O
, O
to O
get O
funds O
for O
his O
2007 B-T
presidential O
campaign O
. O
Mr O
. O
Sarkozy O
has O
denied O
accepting O
illegal O
campaign O
funds O
from O
Ms O
. O
Bettencourt O
, O
either O
personally O
or O
through O
his O
party O
treasurer O
at O
the O
time O
, O
Eric O
Woerth O
, O
as O
alleged O
by O
her O
former O
butler O
. O
Mr O
. O
Sarkozy O
' O
s O
lawyer O
, O
Thierry O
Herzog O
, O
called O
the O
judge O
' O
s O
decision O
, O
which O
indicates O
that O
the O
judge O
believes O
that O
Mr O
. O
Sarkozy O
probably O
committed O
a O
crime O
, O
" O
incoherent O
" O
and O
" O
unjust O
. O
" O
The O
lawyer O
said O
he O
would O
appeal O
. O
The O
ruling O
does O
not O
necessarily O
mean O
that O
Mr O
. O
Sarkozy O
, O
who O
lost O
his O
re O
- O
election O
bid O
last B-T
May I-T
and O
with O
it O
his O
presidential O
immunity O
from O
prosecution O
, O
will O
stand O
trial O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0215 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ethnic O
minorities O
to O
grow O
bio O
- O
fuel O
in O
fragile O
southwest O
China O
hills O

Communities O
living O
in O
the O
arid O
mountains O
bordering O
Guizhou O
, O
Sichuan O
and O
Yunnan O
provinces O
may O
soon O
be O
benefiting O
from O
the O
seeds O
of O
a O
locally O
grown O
tree O
. O

A O
four O
- O
year O
project O
aimed O
at O
alleviating O
poverty O
in O
southwest O
China O
has O
been O
jointly O
established O
by O
the O
United O
Nations O
Development O
Programme O
( O
UNDP O
) O
and O
the O
Chinese O
government O
. O

The O
8 O
. O
58 O
million O
- O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
dollar O
project O
was O
launched O
on O
Tuesday B-T
in O
Beijing O
, O
aiming O
to O
use O
green O
technologies O
to O
reduce O
poverty O
and O
improve O
fragile O
ecosystems O
. O

The O
" O
Green O
Poverty O
Reduction O
in O
China O
" O
project O
targets O
ethnic O
minority O
communities O
in O
ecologically O
fragile O
and O
remote O
regions O
. O

The O
project O
aims O
to O
create O
a O
market O
for O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
seeds O
of O
the O
Jatropha O
Curcas O
L O
tree O
, O
which O
grows O
wild O
in O
the O
mountainous O
regions O
of O
western O
China O
. O
Traditionally O
used O
as O
a O
hedge O
and O
to O
prevent O
desertification O
, O
its O
cultivation O
would O
hopefully O
lead O
to O
more O
fertile O
land O
in O
an O
area O
where O
soil O
erosion O
and O
aridity O
hinder O
agriculture O
and O
the O
ecosystem O
. O

The O
project O
will O
also O
develop O
production O
of O
Jarrah O
Dayun O
, O
a O
raw O
material O
for O
traditional O
medicine O
, O
in O
the O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
and O
provide O
small O
wind O
turbines O
to O
poor O
herdsmen O
in O
the O
Inner O
Mongolia O
Autonomous O
Region O
. O

Knowledge O
gained O
through O
the O
pilot O
projects O
will O
be O
disseminated O
for O
its O
proposed O
extension O
across O
the O
country O
. O

This O
initiative O
is O
jointly O
established O
by O
the O
UNDP O
, O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Science O
and O
Technology O
and O
the O
China O
International O
Center O
For O
Economic O
and O
Technical O
Exchanges O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Commerce O
. O

" O
Fostering O
the O
potential O
of O
green O
industries O
and O
energy O
sources O
in O
remote O
mountain O
areas O
and O
deserts O
is O
an O
important O
vehicle O
which O
can O
generate O
income O
and O
employment O
opportunities O
, O
while O
protecting O
the O
environment O
, O
" O
said O
Alessandra O
Tisot O
, O
UNDP O
Senior O
Deputy O
Resident O
Representative O
in O
China O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0019 O

HARBIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
Death O
toll O
rises O
to O
68 O
in O
NE O
China O
coal O
mine O
blast O

As O
of O
2 O
: O
00 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
death O
toll O
rose O
to O
68 O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
coal O
mine O
blast O
in O
northeastern O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
, O
said O
sources O
with O
the O
National O
Bureau O
of O
Production O
Safety O
Supervision O
and O
Administration O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0138 O

LAO O
CAI O
PROVINCE O
, O
Vietnam O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vietnam O
- O
China O
e O
- O
trading O
floor O
launched O

An O
electronic O
trading O
floor O
, O
which O
offers O
on O
- O
line O
transaction O
tools O
and O
trade O
- O
related O
data O
to O
enterprises O
, O
especially O
those O
in O
Vietnam O
and O
China O
, O
was O
launched O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
establishment O
of O
the O
e O
- O
trading O
floor O
will O
facilitate O
trade O
and O
investment O
in O
Vietnam O
and O
China O
, O
especially O
their O
border O
localities O
, O
helping O
the O
construction O
of O
e O
- O
commerce O
systems O
in O
northern O
Lao O
Cai O
province O
, O
said O
Nguyen O
Ngoc O
Kim O
, O
vice O
chairman O
of O
the O
provincial O
People O
' O
s O
Committee O
at O
the O
launching O
ceremony O
. O

Over O
300 B-T
Vietnamese O
and O
Chinese O
have O
registered O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
floor O
which O
is O
written O
in O
Vietnamese O
, O
Chinese O
and O
English O
. O
The O
floor O
allows O
users O
to O
conduct O
on O
- O
line O
transactions O
, O
and O
access O
information O
about O
trade O
and O
investment O
in O
Vietnam O
, O
China O
and O
many O
other O
countries O
. O

Vietnam O
' O
s O
import O
and O
export O
turnovers O
with O
China O
via O
the O
Lao O
Cai O
international O
border O
gate O
are O
estimated O
at O
400 O
million O
US O
dollars O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
up O
more O
than O
33 O
. O
3 O
percent O
against O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
Kim O
said O
. O

Economic O
and O
trade O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
gained O
encouraging O
results O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
with O
China O
having O
become O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
biggest O
trading O
partner O
, O
and O
Chinese O
statistics O
show O
the O
two O
- O
way O
trade O
reached O
6 O
. O
74 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
an O
all O
time O
high O
. O

In O
early B-T
2004 I-T
, O
the O
leaders O
of O
Vietnam O
and O
China O
set O
the O
target O
of O
posting O
two O
- O
way O
trade O
at O
5 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
and O
10 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
2010 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0015 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Prince O
William O
, O
second O
in O
line O
to O
the O
British O
throne O
, O
finishes O
his O
training O
as O
an O
officer O
at O
Sandhurst O
military O
academy O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
and O
Britain O
is O
abuzz O
with O
talk O
about O
when O
he O
will O
finally O
ask O
to O
marry O
his O
pretty O
girlfriend O
Kate O
Middleton O
. O

Happy O
news O
from O
the O
royal O
household O
has O
been O
rare O
these O
last B-T
few I-T
years I-T
. O
The O
last O
birth O
dates O
back O
to O
November B-T
2003 I-T
when O
Queen O
Elizabeth O
II O
' O
s O
youngest O
son O
Prince O
Edward O
had O
a O
daughter O
, O
Lady O
Louise O
. O

And O
there O
was O
a O
marriage O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
that O
of O
Prince O
Charles O
and O
Camilla O
Parker O
Bowles O
, O
but O
it O
was O
more O
about O
normalizing O
a O
longterm O
relationship O
that O
had O
caused O
scandal O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
. O

Since O
then O
the O
media O
and O
souvenir O
merchants O
have O
become O
restless O
: O
Will O
2007 O
be O
the O
year O
of O
Prince O
William O
and O
the O
return O
to O
glamor O
? O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
the O
Daily O
Mail O
raised O
the O
possibility O
of O
an O
engagement O
party O
during O
the O
Christmas B-T
holidays I-T
, O
when O
the O
royal O
family O
will O
gather O
in O
Sandringham O
, O
eastern O
England O
. O

The O
official O
announcement O
will O
then O
come O
in O
the B-T
spring I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
daily O
which O
said O
Kate O
was O
invited O
to O
dinner O
on O
December B-T
24 I-T
in O
Sandringham O
, O
an O
uprecedented O
event O
for O
a O
royal O
girlfriend O
, O
as O
well O
as O
join O
William O
and O
his O
family O
for O
Christmas B-T
Day I-T
services O
. O

Buckingham O
Palace O
neither O
confirmed O
nor O
denied O
the O
report O
, O
citing O
a O
completely O
private O
event O
. O

At O
24 B-T
, O
William O
, O
the O
elder O
son O
of O
Prince O
Charles O
and O
the O
late O
Princess O
Diana O
, O
has O
for O
three B-T
years I-T
been O
dating O
Kate O
Middleton O
, O
a O
pretty O
brunette O
of O
the O
same O
age O
whom O
he O
met O
while O
he O
was O
studying O
geography O
and O
she O
art O
history O
at O
St O
Andrews O
University O
in O
Scotland O
. O

They O
shared O
the O
same O
apartment O
with O
other O
students O
and O
quickly O
became O
inseparable O
. O
Signs O
increasingly O
point O
to O
marriage O
, O
even O
if O
the O
couple O
do O
nothing O
to O
confirm O
it O
. O

Their O
first O
public O
appearance O
together O
happened O
on O
the O
ski O
slopes O
of O
the O
Swiss O
resort O
at O
Klosters O
in O
April B-T
2004 I-T
. O
There O
was O
then O
the O
first O
meeting O
with O
the O
queen O
in O
her O
Scottish O
castle O
at O
Balmoral O
. O

The O
first O
public O
kiss O
was O
in O
the B-T
spring I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
also O
at O
Klosters O
. O
And O
for O
several B-T
months I-T
, O
Kate O
has O
been O
taking O
riding O
lessons O
, O
a O
virtual O
requirement O
for O
anyone O
who O
might O
want O
to O
enter O
a O
royal O
household O
passionate O
about O
horses O
. O

In O
anticipation O
of O
a O
hypothetical O
engagement O
, O
the O
tabloid O
press O
has O
given O
Kate O
little O
breathing O
room O
, O
showing O
her O
in O
a O
bikini O
during O
a O
vacation O
with O
William O
in O
Ibiza O
, O
shopping O
in O
London O
, O
and O
during O
a O
night O
out O
at O
a O
club O
with O
the O
prince O
' O
s O
double O
. O

Nothing O
escapes O
them O
, O
including O
the O
first O
job O
she O
landed O
in O
late B-T
November I-T
. O

Kate O
Middleton O
now B-T
buys O
accessories O
for O
Jigsaw O
, O
a O
British O
clothing O
chain O
whose O
owners O
are O
friends O
of O
her O
parents O
, O
themselves O
owners O
of O
an O
Internet O
company O
. O

And O
with O
impatience O
growing O
about O
their O
plans O
, O
some O
firms O
are O
taking O
no O
risks O
. O

The O
Woolworth O
department O
store O
chain O
recently O
negotiated O
contracts O
for O
20 O
souvenir O
items O
showing O
the O
smiling O
faces O
of O
the O
prince O
and O
his O
beauty O
: O
cups O
, O
china O
ware O
, O
and O
even O
computer O
mouses O
. O

All O
that O
must O
be O
added O
to O
them O
is O
a O
wedding O
date O
. O

Other O
firms O
have O
take O
the O
precaution O
to O
register O
Internet O
sites O
, O
such O
as O
willandkate O
. O
co O
. O
uk O
, O
willandkate O
. O
com O
, O
williamandkate O
. O
net O
. O

However O
, O
neither O
of O
the O
two O
has O
said O
anything O
until O
now B-T
. O

When O
identical O
rumors O
were O
making O
the O
rounds O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
Prince O
William O
clearly O
discouraged O
them O
. O
" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
want O
to O
get O
married O
until O
I O
am O
at O
least O
28 O
or O
maybe O
30 O
, O
" O
William O
said O
. O

For O
Ingrid O
Seward O
, O
a O
specialist O
on O
the O
British O
monarchy O
, O
a O
wedding O
is O
not O
particularly O
pressing O
. O

" O
I O
can O
' O
t O
see O
them O
getting O
married O
soon O
because O
William O
isn O
' O
t O
settled O
in O
his O
life O
yet O
, O
" O
Seward O
said O
. O

After O
Sandhurst O
, O
he O
must O
continuing O
serving O
in O
the O
armed O
forces O
for O
around B-T
another I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0159 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0159 O
. O

Dow O
Jones O
Extends O

@ O
Tender O
Offer O
for O
Rest O

@ O
Of O
Telerate O
to O
Nov O
. O
6 O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

DJ O
TLR O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

MEDIA O
, O
PUBLISHING O
, O
BROADCASTING O
, O
ELECTRONIC O
PUBLISHING O
( O
MED O
) O

NEW O
YORK O

Dow O
Jones O
amp O
Co O
. O
extended O
its O
tender O
offer O
of O
$ O
18 O
a O
share O
, O
or O
about O
$ O
576 O
million O
, O
for O
the O
33 O
% O
of O
Telerate O
Inc O
. O
that O
it O
does O
n O
' O
t O
already O
own O
until O
5 B-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
EST I-T
, I-T
Nov I-T
. I-T
6 I-T
. O

The O
offer O
, O
which O
Telerate O
' O
s O
two O
independent O
directors O
have O
rejected O
as O
inadequate O
, O
previously O
had O
been O
scheduled O
to O
expire O
at O
midnight B-T
Friday I-T
. O

Dow O
Jones O
said O
it O
extended O
the O
offer O
to O
allow O
shareholders O
time O
to O
review O
a O
supplement O
to O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
tender O
offer O
circular O
that O
it O
mailed O
last B-T
Friday I-T
. O

The O
supplement O
contains O
various O
information O
that O
has O
been O
filed O
with O
the O
Securities O
and O
Exchange O
Commission O
since O
Dow O
Jones O
launched O
the O
offer O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, O
but O
it O
does O
n O
' O
t O
change O
the O
terms O
and O
conditions O
of O
the O
offer O
except O
to O
extend O
its O
expiration O
date O
. O

In O
Delaware O
Chancery O
Court O
litigation O
, O
Telerate O
has O
criticized O
Dow O
Jones O
for O
not O
disclosing O
that O
Telerate O
' O
s O
management O
expects O
the O
company O
' O
s O
revenue O
to O
increase O
by O
20 O
% O
annually O
, O
while O
Dow O
Jones O
based O
its O
projections O
of O
Telerate O
' O
s O
performance O
on O
a O
12 O
% O
revenue O
growth O
forecast O
. O

In O
the O
tender O
offer O
supplement O
, O
Dow O
Jones O
discloses O
the O
different O
growth O
forecasts O
but O
says O
it O
views O
the O
20 O
% O
growth O
rate O
" O
as O
a O
hoped O
- O
for O
goal O
" O
of O
Telerate O
' O
s O
management O
" O
and O
not O
as O
a O
realistic O
basis O
on O
which O
to O
project O
the O
company O
' O
s O
likely O
future O
performance O
. O
" O

Telerate O
shares O
fell O
50 O
cents O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
close O
at O
$ O
20 O
each O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
. O

Dow O
Jones O
shares O
also O
fell O
50 O
cents O
to O
close O
at O
$ O
36 O
. O
125 O
in O
Big O
Board O
composite O
trading O
. O

Dow O
Jones O
has O
said O
it O
believes O
the O
$ O
18 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
price O
is O
fair O
to O
Telerate O
' O
s O
minority O
shareholders O
. O

Late B-T
last I-T
week I-T
, O
representatives O
of O
Dow O
Jones O
and O
Telerate O
began O
negotiations O
about O
the O
terms O
of O
the O
offer O
, O
but O
those O
talks O
did O
n O
' O
t O
result O
in O
any O
changes O
in O
the O
offer O
. O

Telerate O
provides O
information O
about O
financial O
markets O
through O
an O
electronic O
network O
. O

Dow O
Jones O
, O
which O
owns O
67 O
% O
of O
Telerate O
, O
publishes O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O
, O
Barron O
' O
s O
magazine O
, O
community O
newspapers O
and O
operates O
financial O
news O
services O
and O
computer O
data O
bases O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0106 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
soldier O
killed O
in O
northern O
Iraq O

A O
US O
soldier O
was O
killed O
and O
two O
others O
wounded O
in O
a O
vehicle O
accident O
, O
while O
patrolling O
an O
area O
in O
the O
northwestern O
Iraqi O
town O
of O
Tal O
Afar O
, O
the O
US O
military O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
One O
Soldier O
was O
killed O
and O
two O
Soldiers O
were O
injured O
in O
a O
vehicular O
accident O
while O
performing O
a O
combat O
logistical O
patrol O
north O
of O
Tall O
Afar O
at O
about O
8 O
: O
25 O
am O
( O
0525 O
GMT O
) O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, O
" O
the O
military O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
name O
of O
the O
soldier O
is O
being O
withheld O
pending O
notification O
of O
next O
of O
kin O
, O
it O
added O
. O

The O
death O
toll O
has O
brought O
to O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
080 O
the O
number O
of O
US O
military O
personnel O
who O
have O
died O
in O
Iraq O
since O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
, O
according O
to O
media O
tally O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0449 O

MOGADISHU O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RESENDING O
to O
fix O
typo O
in O
1st O
paragraph O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Somali O
government O
forces O
backed O
by O
Ethiopian O
troops O
, O
tanks O
and O
aircraft O
rolled O
into O
the O
capital O
Mogadishu O
Thursday B-T
after O
Islamist O
leaders O
retreated O
but O
vowed O
to O
launch O
a O
guerrilla O
campaign O
. O

" O
We O
are O
already O
inside O
Mogadishu O
in O
some O
areas O
, O
" O
Prime O
Minister O
Ali O
Mohamed O
Gedi O
told O
reporters O
in O
Afgoye O
township O
, O
about O
20 O
kilometres O
( O
13 O
miles O
) O
west O
of O
the O
coastal O
city O
, O
where O
he O
had O
been O
sounding O
out O
local O
chiefs O
. O

" O
We O
are O
starting O
to O
establish O
the O
security O
in O
Mogadishu O
. O
Everyone O
who O
has O
guns O
or O
armed O
militia O
will O
have O
to O
surrender O
them O
to O
the O
government O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
am O
neither O
a O
warlord O
nor O
an O
Islamist O
, O
I O
just O
want O
to O
do O
my O
duty O
. O
" O

There O
were O
no O
independent O
assessments O
of O
casualties O
but O
Ethiopian O
Prime O
Minister O
Meles O
Zenawi O
claimed O
up O
to O
3 O
, O
000 O
dead O
on O
the O
side O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Courts O
Union O
, O
and O
that O
the O
number O
of O
wounded O
could O
number O
up O
to O
5 O
, O
000 O
. O

The O
Islamists O
claimed O
hundreds O
of O
government O
troops O
had O
died O
. O
AFP O
correspondents O
saw O
huge O
numbers O
of O
bodies O
at O
battlefields O
in O
central O
and O
southern O
Somalia O
. O

The O
entry O
into O
the O
capital O
came O
nine B-T
days I-T
after O
Ethiopian O
forces O
had O
defied O
pressure O
from O
other O
African O
nations O
by O
openly O
putting O
their O
air O
power O
and O
heavy O
artillery O
behind O
Somalia O
' O
s O
government O
, O
which O
had O
been O
left O
in O
control O
of O
just O
one O
town O
- O
- O
Baidoa O
- O
- O
after O
an O
Islamist O
onslaught O
earlier O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Islamists O
, O
who O
had O
seized O
Mogadishu O
and O
most O
of O
Somalia O
from O
US O
- O
backed O
warlords O
, O
are O
perceived O
as O
a O
direct O
threat O
by O
Addis O
Ababa O
and O
are O
accused O
by O
Washington O
of O
having O
links O
with O
al O
- O
Qaeda O
. O

Washington O
, O
for O
its O
part O
, O
steered O
clear O
Thursday B-T
of O
condemning O
Ethiopia O
for O
its O
involvement O
, O
saying O
Meles O
' O
s O
government O
had O
legitimate O
security O
concerns O
. O

" O
I O
saw O
government O
troops O
in O
north O
Mogadishu O
. O
They O
have O
fully O
entered O
the O
town O
. O
People O
were O
cheering O
and O
shouting O
' O
Welcome O
our O
government O
' O
, O
" O
said O
local O
resident O
Nur O
Dirie O
. O

" O
I O
am O
telling O
you O
that O
I O
also O
saw O
Ethiopian O
forces O
enter O
, O
( O
they O
) O
are O
now O
in O
( O
Mogadishu O
district O
) O
Suuqaholaha O
, O
" O
Dirie O
added O
. O
Another O
witness O
counted O
around O
50 O
Ethiopian O
armoured O
vehicles O
. O

As O
Islamist O
forces O
retreated O
from O
Mogadishu O
, O
pro O
- O
government O
fighters O
took O
control O
of O
its O
international O
airport O
, O
sea O
port O
and O
presidential O
palace O
, O
but O
Gedi O
and O
his O
government O
halted O
outside O
the O
city O
for O
consultations O
with O
religious O
, O
clan O
and O
civil O
society O
leaders O
before O
moving O
any O
further O
. O

Deputy O
prime O
minister O
Mohamed O
Hussein O
Aidid O
, O
one O
of O
several O
powerful O
Mogadishu O
warlords O
uprooted O
when O
Islamic O
Courts O
Union O
took O
control O
of O
the O
capital O
in O
June B-T
, O
said O
the O
government O
would O
enter O
the O
city O
of O
about O
a O
million O
people O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
day O
of O
reconciliation O
and O
victory O
( O
and O
) O
a O
day O
of O
the O
return O
of O
law O
and O
order O
, O
" O
Aidid O
said O
. O

His O
optimism O
was O
not O
unanimously O
shared O
in O
the O
city O
, O
however O
, O
where O
many O
fear O
renewed O
lawlessness O
after O
a O
relatively B-T
quiet I-T
six I-T
months I-T
under O
strict O
Islamist O
rule O
. O

" O
We O
have O
been O
living O
peacefully O
for O
the B-T
last I-T
six I-T
months I-T
, O
but O
I O
think O
hell O
has O
broken O
loose O
and O
killing O
will O
be O
back O
, O
" O
said O
resident O
Hashim O
Jeele O
Hassan O
. O

The O
Islamists O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
acknowledged O
retreating O
but O
vowed O
to O
launch O
a O
guerrilla O
war O
against O
the O
Western O
- O
backed O
government O
. O

Sheikh O
Sharif O
Sheikh O
Ahmed O
, O
head O
of O
the O
executive O
committee O
of O
the O
Supreme O
Islamic O
Council O
of O
Somalia O
( O
SICS O
) O
, O
told O
Al O
- O
Jazeera O
television O
that O
" O
we O
have O
withdrawn O
our O
forces O
( O
from O
Mogadishu O
) O
and O
there O
are O
no O
Islamic O
Court O
forces O
. O
" O

" O
It O
is O
the O
Somali O
people O
who O
are O
resisting O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O
" O
We O
did O
not O
leave O
the O
capital O
to O
chaos O
. O
We O
left O
it O
to O
avert O
heavy O
bombing O
because O
Ethiopian O
forces O
are O
practicing O
genocide O
against O
the O
Somali O
people O
. O
" O

As O
government O
and O
Ethiopian O
troops O
entered O
the O
city O
, O
many O
Islamist O
fighters O
swapped O
their O
uniforms O
for O
civilian O
clothing O
and O
removed O
their O
turbans O
. O

" O
Islamic O
forces O
turning O
into O
local O
militias O
, O
" O
said O
Shadiyo O
Gure O
Ali O
, O
a O
businesswoman O
forced O
to O
close O
her O
shop O
. O

Somalia O
disintegrated O
into O
lawlessness O
after O
the O
1991 B-T
ouster O
of O
a O
dictator O
, O
when O
it O
was O
carved O
up O
among O
warlords O
and O
has O
since O
lacked O
a O
central O
government O
and O
defied O
all O
international O
bids O
to O
restore O
functioning O
institutions O
of O
state O
. O

Meles O
said O
his O
forces O
would O
pull O
out O
" O
hopefully O
in O
the O
next O
few O
days O
, O
maybe O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
, O
but O
definitely O
not O
months O
. O
. O
. O
While O
we O
are O
there O
, O
we O
will O
help O
them O
try O
to O
stabilize O
Mogadishu O
. O
We O
will O
not O
let O
Mogadishu O
burn O
. O
" O

In O
Washington O
, O
the O
United O
States O
called O
for O
a O
resumption O
of O
power O
- O
sharing O
negotiations O
between O
Somalia O
' O
s O
rival O
factions O
, O
saying O
that O
a O
stable O
government O
could O
not O
be O
achieved O
through O
violence O
. O

" O
We O
remain O
concerned O
about O
the O
situation O
there O
, O
" O
State O
Department O
deputy O
spokesman O
Tom O
Casey O
said O
. O
" O
You O
' O
re O
going O
to O
have O
to O
have O
that O
government O
established O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
discussions O
and O
dialogue O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0328 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
judo O
star O
confident O
over O
Asian O
Games O

Tong O
Wen O
, O
one O
of O
China O
' O
s O
top O
judo O
players O
, O
Tuesday B-T
expressed O
her O
confidence O
over O
the O
upcoming O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
. O

Tong O
, O
who O
just O
arrived O
here O
with O
her O
teammates O
, O
looked O
relaxed O
with O
a O
big O
smile O
on O
her O
face O
. O
She O
said O
she O
did O
not O
know O
that O
her O
major O
rival O
, O
Japan O
' O
s O
Olympic O
judo O
gold O
medalist O
Maki O
Tsukada O
has O
quit O
from O
the O
Games O
. O

Tsukada O
withdrew O
from O
the O
15th O
Asiad O
due O
to O
a O
calf O
injury O
, O
and O
was O
replaced O
by O
20 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Mai O
Tateyama O
. O

Tong O
said O
she O
doesn O
' O
t O
know O
of O
Tateyama O
, O
saying O
that O
she O
will O
play O
her O
own O
way O
in O
the O
competition O
. O

Japanese O
officials O
allegedly O
said O
Japan O
would O
sweep O
all O
women O
' O
s O
judo O
gold O
medals O
in O
the O
Doha O
Games O
. O

" O
The O
match O
results O
will O
not O
be O
decided O
by O
what O
they O
( O
Japanese O
officials O
) O
said O
, O
" O
Tong O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0018 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
, O
UPDATES O
rates O
, O
Asian O
currencies O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
dollar O
slipped O
against O
the O
yen O
in O
Asian O
trade O
Tuesday B-T
as O
the O
market O
waited O
for O
the O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
chief O
' O
s O
remarks O
later O
in O
the O
day O
on O
interest O
rates O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

They O
said O
participants O
also O
wanted O
to O
see O
a O
batch O
of O
US O
economic O
indicators O
this B-T
week I-T
to O
glean O
clues O
on O
whether O
the O
US O
Federal O
Reserve O
will O
keep O
interest O
rates O
on O
hold O
or O
cut O
them O
in O
early B-T
2007 I-T
. O

The O
dollar O
slipped O
to O
117 O
. O
96 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
morning O
trade O
from O
118 O
. O
06 O
in O
New O
York O
late B-T
Monday I-T
. O

The O
euro O
was O
quoted O
at O
1 O
. O
3086 O
dollars O
, O
down O
from O
1 B-T
. I-T
3097 I-T
and O
fell O
to O
154 O
. O
36 O
yen O
from O
154 B-T
. I-T
74 I-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
Thai O
baht O
fell O
to O
35 O
. O
67 O
against O
the O
dollar O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
from O
35 O
. O
22 O
on O
Monday B-T
after O
the O
Bank O
of O
Thailand O
on O
Monday B-T
made O
a O
major O
intervention O
to O
curb O
the O
soaring O
currency O
. O

The O
market O
largely O
ignored O
the O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
announcement O
of O
keeping O
the O
benchmark O
rate O
of O
borrowing O
at O
a O
super O
- O
low O
0 O
. O
25 O
percent O
. O
The O
market O
had O
widely O
expected O
the O
decision O
after O
mixed O
economic O
data O
. O

Dealers O
said O
the O
market O
' O
s O
interest O
has O
now B-T
shifted O
to O
Governor O
Toshihiko O
Fukui O
' O
s O
remarks O
later O
in O
the O
day O
for O
signals O
on O
when O
the O
bank O
will O
next O
hike O
ultra O
- O
low O
interest O
rates O
. O

" O
Players O
were O
concerned O
about O
a O
swift O
advance O
in O
the O
dollar O
against O
the O
yen O
, O
" O
said O
Saturo O
Ogasawara O
, O
strategist O
at O
Credit O
Suisse O
First O
Boston O
. O

" O
Players O
also O
refrained O
from O
buying O
the O
dollar O
ahead O
of O
the O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
policy O
board O
meeting O
and O
Fukui O
' O
s O
presser O
afterward O
, O
" O
Ogasawara O
said O
. O

The O
market O
is O
waiting O
for O
US O
producer O
price O
or O
factory O
gate O
data O
see O
if O
inflationary O
pressures O
remain O
, O
which O
would O
ease O
concern O
of O
a O
US O
rate O
cut O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
dollar O
pared O
back O
gains O
slightly O
overnight O
after O
the O
Commerce O
Department O
reported O
that O
the O
US O
balance O
of O
payments O
deficit O
worsened O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
amid O
rising O
costs O
for O
oil O
and O
a O
jump O
in O
Chinese O
imports O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

But O
overall O
, O
it O
had O
little O
impact O
on O
the O
currency O
market O
as O
it O
was O
in O
line O
with O
expectations O
, O
they O
added O
. O

" O
Our O
bias O
is O
to O
see O
the O
US O
dollar O
drift O
higher O
into O
year O
- O
end O
as O
sentiment O
continues O
to O
improve O
, O
especially O
if O
housing O
indicators O
stabilize O
and O
the O
large O
speculative O
net O
short O
( O
sell O
) O
position O
is O
further O
unwound O
, O
" O
wrote O
National O
Australia O
Bank O
senior O
researcher O
John O
Kyriakopoulos O
in O
a O
note O
to O
clients O
. O

The O
dollar O
gained O
ground O
against O
Asian O
currencies O
. O

The O
dollar O
rose O
to O
49 O
. O
70 O
Philippine O
pesos O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
from O
49 O
. O
36 O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
to O
9 O
, O
128 O
Indonesian O
rupiah O
from O
9 O
, O
070 O
and O
to O
32 O
. O
68 O
Taiwan O
dollars O
from O
32 B-T
. I-T
55 I-T
. O

The O
greenback O
rose O
to O
930 O
. O
85 O
South O
Korean O
won O
from O
924 B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
and O
to O
1 O
. O
546 O
Singapore O
dollars O
from O
1 O
. O
541 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0002 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Australia O
, O
which O
opposes O
capital O
punishment O
, O
said O
Saturday B-T
it O
respected O
Iraq O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
execute O
former O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
calling O
it O
a O
" O
significant O
moment O
" O
for O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
. O

" O
No O
matter O
what O
one O
might O
think O
about O
the O
death O
penalty O
, O
and O
the O
government O
of O
Iraq O
is O
aware O
of O
the O
Australian O
government O
' O
s O
position O
on O
capital O
punishment O
, O
we O
must O
also O
respect O
the O
right O
of O
sovereign O
states O
to O
pass O
judgement O
relating O
to O
crimes O
committed O
against O
their O
people O
, O
within O
their O
jurisdictions O
, O
" O
Foreign O
Minister O
Alexander O
Downer O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
He O
has O
been O
brought O
to O
justice O
, O
following O
a O
process O
of O
fair O
trial O
and O
appeal O
, O
something O
he O
denied O
to O
countless O
thousands O
of O
victims O
of O
his O
regime O
. O
" O

Australia O
contributed O
troops O
to O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
of O
Iraq O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
which O
led O
to O
the O
ouster O
of O
Saddam O
. O
It O
still O
has O
about O
1 O
, O
300 O
troops O
involved O
in O
operations O
in O
the O
area O
. O

Downer O
said O
it O
was O
a O
credit O
to O
the O
people O
of O
Iraq O
that O
Saddam O
has O
been O
granted O
a O
fair O
trial O
for O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
involving O
the O
execution O
in O
1982 O
of O
148 O
Shiite O
men O
and O
boys O
in O
the O
village O
of O
Dujail O
. O

" O
The O
people O
of O
Iraq O
now B-T
know O
that O
their O
brutal O
dictator O
will O
never O
come O
back O
to O
lead O
them O
, O
" O
the O
foreign O
minister O
said O
. O

" O
While O
many O
will O
continue O
to O
grieve O
over O
their O
personal O
loss O
under O
his O
rule O
, O
his O
death O
marks O
an O
important O
step O
in O
consigning O
his O
tyrannical O
regime O
to O
the O
judgement O
of O
history O
and O
pursuing O
a O
process O
of O
reconciliation O
now B-T
and O
in O
the O
future O
. O
" O

The O
Australian O
government O
, O
along O
with O
its O
coalition O
allies O
, O
would O
continue O
to O
" O
support O
the O
struggle O
of O
the O
vast O
majority O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
people O
to O
preserve O
and O
build O
upon O
the O
progress O
which O
has O
been O
achieved O
, O
where O
even O
the O
cruellest O
of O
dictators O
can O
be O
tried O
and O
brought O
to O
justice O
" O
, O
said O
Downer O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0643 O

ORLANDO O
, O
Florida O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Baseball O
announces O
inaugural O
Civil O
Rights O
tribute O
game O

Major O
League O
Baseball O
Monday B-T
announced O
it O
will O
hold O
its O
inaugural O
Civil O
Rights O
Game O
on O
March B-T
31 I-T
as O
a O
tribute O
to O
one O
of O
the O
most O
significant O
eras O
of O
social O
change O
in O
US O
history O
. O

The O
game O
will O
feature O
the O
World O
Series O
champion O
St O
. O
Louis O
Cardinals O
and O
the O
Cleveland O
Indians O
. O

It O
will O
take O
place O
in O
Memphis O
- O
where O
civil O
rights O
leader O
Martin O
Luther O
King O
jnr O
was O
assassinated O
in O
1968 O
- O
and O
will O
be O
played O
at O
AutoZone O
Park O
, O
home O
of O
the O
Class O
AAA O
Memphis O
Redbirds O
. O

" O
This O
game O
is O
designed O
to O
commemorate O
the O
Civil O
Rights O
Movement O
, O
one O
of O
the O
most O
critical O
and O
important O
eras O
of O
our O
social O
history O
, O
" O
commissioner O
Bud O
Selig O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
I O
am O
proud O
of O
the O
role O
that O
Major O
League O
Baseball O
played O
in O
the O
movement O
, O
beginning O
with O
Jackie O
Robinson O
' O
s O
entry O
into O
the O
big O
leagues O
on O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1947 I-T
, O
and O
very O
pleased O
that O
we O
have O
this O
opportunity O
to O
honor O
the O
movement O
and O
those O
who O
made O
it O
happen O
. O
" O

Major O
League O
Baseball O
also O
announced O
that O
donations O
will O
be O
made O
to O
several O
charities O
, O
including O
the O
National O
Civil O
Rights O
Museum O
and O
the O
Jackie O
Robinson O
fund O
, O
and O
that O
filmmaker O
Spike O
Lee O
is O
creating O
a O
documentary O
showcasing O
the O
connection O
between O
the O
Civil O
Rights O
Movement O
and O
baseball O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0062 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Earthquake O
hits O
northern O
Iran O

Northern O
Iran O
was O
hit O
by O
a O
moderate O
earthquake O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
but O
there O
were O
no O
reports O
on O
possible O
casualties O
or O
damage O
so O
far O
. O

Local O
TV O
said O
that O
the O
earthquake O
, O
measuring O
5 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
, O
took O
place O
in O
Agh O
Ghala O
, O
a O
small O
town O
in O
Golestan O
province O
of O
Northern O
Iran O
, O
which O
is O
near O
the O
Caspian O
Sea O
. O

An O
earthquake O
with O
a O
magnitude O
of O
5 O
. O
9 O
shook O
southern O
Iran O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
killing O
10 O
people O
and O
injuring O
70 O
. O

Earthquakes O
usually O
happen O
in O
Iran O
because O
the O
country O
is O
situated O
in O
some O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
most O
active O
seismic O
fault O
lines O
. O
Statistics O
showed O
that O
on O
average O
, O
there O
is O
at O
least O
one O
slight O
earthquake O
every B-T
day I-T
in O
Iran O
. O

On O
Dec B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2003 I-T
, O
a O
quake O
measuring O
6 O
. O
8 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
hit O
southeastern O
city O
Bam O
, O
killing O
nearly O
262 O
, O
000 O
people O
. O

On O
Feb B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
another O
quake O
measuring O
6 O
. O
4 O
left O
more O
than O
600 O
dead O
and O
1400 O
injured O
on O
the O
outskirt O
of O
Zarand O
, O
a O
town O
250 O
km O
northwest O
of O
Bam O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0227 O

HELSINKI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Finnish O
government O
finalizes O
energy O
strategy O

The O
Finnish O
government O
finalized O
Thursday B-T
the O
working O
- O
out O
of O
an O
energy O
and O
climate O
strategy O
in O
which O
it O
promises O
to O
invest O
in O
the O
fields O
of O
renewable O
energy O
sources O
, O
energy O
conservation O
, O
and O
to O
reduce O
greenhouse O
gas O
emissions O
. O

This O
strategy O
, O
to O
be O
given O
as O
a O
report O
to O
Parliament O
, O
aims O
to O
meet O
international O
requirements O
for O
restricting O
greenhouse O
gas O
emissions O
in O
Finland O
during O
the O
Kyoto O
commitment O
period O
of O
2008 O
- O
2012 O
. O

The O
target O
set O
in O
the O
strategy O
is O
that O
the O
total O
consumption O
of O
renewable O
energy O
would O
increase O
by O
at B-T
least I-T
one I-T
quarter I-T
by O
2015 B-T
, O
and O
by O
at O
least O
40 O
per O
cent O
by O
the B-T
year I-T
2025 I-T
. O
Renewable O
energy O
could O
then O
account O
for O
nearly O
one O
third O
of O
primary O
energy O
consumption O
, O
as O
against O
23 O
per O
cent O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

In O
particular O
, O
the O
strategy O
emphasizes O
the O
increased O
utilization O
of O
wood O
chips O
made O
from O
logging O
waste O
, O
as O
well O
as O
field O
biomass O
, O
recycled O
fuels O
and O
biogas O
. O
The O
target O
is O
at O
least O
to O
triple O
their O
share O
of O
primary O
energy O
, O
from O
about O
two O
per O
cent O
in O
2004 B-T
to O
over O
six O
per O
cent O
within O
the B-T
next I-T
15 I-T
- I-T
20 I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
government O
emphasizes O
that O
indigenous O
energy O
sources O
, O
renewable O
energy O
sources O
and O
biofuels O
, O
play O
an O
important O
role O
in O
the O
security O
of O
energy O
supply O
. O
The O
goal O
is O
that O
the O
total O
consumption O
of O
indigenous O
energy O
sources O
will O
rise O
by O
at B-T
least I-T
one I-T
quarter I-T
during O
the B-T
next I-T
10 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Trade O
and O
Industry O
has O
launched O
an O
investigation O
on O
how O
the O
role O
of O
peat O
could O
be O
secured O
against O
imported O
fuels O
in O
the O
generation O
of O
electricity O
in O
condensing O
power O
plants O
. O

In O
Finland O
, O
important O
results O
have O
already O
been O
achieved O
in O
increasing O
the O
efficiency O
of O
energy O
use O
. O

The O
government O
will O
intensify O
these O
efforts O
by O
introducing O
new O
energy O
conservation O
measures O
. O
The O
goal O
is O
to O
reach O
an O
additional O
reduction O
of O
five O
per O
cent O
in O
energy O
consumption O
by O
the B-T
year I-T
2015 I-T
. O
The O
long O
- O
term O
goal O
in O
energy O
conservation O
is O
to O
halt O
the O
growth O
of O
total O
primary O
energy O
consumption O
and O
to O
bring O
about O
a O
falling O
trend O
. O

In O
the O
strategy O
, O
the O
government O
promises O
to O
invest O
in O
renewable O
energy O
sources O
, O
save O
energy O
and O
reduce O
greenhouse O
gas O
emissions O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
by O
utilizing O
the O
Kyoto O
mechanisms O
, O
Finland O
will O
acquire O
emission O
units O
allowed O
by O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
. O

Through O
the O
actions O
outlined O
in O
the O
strategy O
and O
through O
flexible O
mechanisms O
, O
such O
as O
emissions O
trading O
within O
the O
EU O
, O
Finland O
will O
meet O
the O
obligations O
set O
and O
approved O
for O
it O
. O

Without O
these O
measures O
, O
Finland O
' O
s O
greenhouse O
gas O
emissions O
would O
exceed O
the O
target O
set O
by O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
by O
about O
15 O
per O
cent O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061216 O
. O
0379 O

HOUSTON O
, O
Texas O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
ISS O
to O
slug O
, O
UPDATES O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Space O
shuttle O
Discovery O
astronauts O
began O
a O
space O
walk O
Saturday B-T
to O
finish O
rewiring O
the O
International O
Space O
Station O
, O
a O
delicate O
and O
complex O
task O
that O
has O
dominated O
the O
12 O
- O
day O
mission O
. O

Astronauts O
Robert O
Curbeam O
and O
Sunita O
Williams O
started O
their O
maneuvers O
at O
1925 O
GMT O
, O
15 O
minutes O
ahead O
of O
schedule O
, O
outside O
the O
ISS O
, O
NASA O
said O
. O

During O
this O
third O
and O
final O
scheduled O
excursion O
, O
expected O
to O
last O
roughly O
six O
hours O
, O
the O
two O
were O
to O
complete O
work O
begun O
in O
the O
prior O
space O
walk O
Thursday B-T
and O
take O
a O
close O
look O
at O
a O
stuck O
ISS O
solar O
array O
. O

The O
power O
supply O
for O
part O
of O
the O
station O
was O
turned O
off O
to O
protect O
the O
astronauts O
as O
they O
carry O
out O
the O
delicate O
procedures O
. O

" O
The O
primary O
goal O
. O
. O
. O
is O
to O
finish O
the O
rewiring O
of O
the O
space O
station O
and O
getting O
the O
active O
thermo O
system O
up O
and O
running O
, O
" O
said O
Kirk O
Shireman O
, O
deputy O
ISS O
program O
manager O
, O
told O
reporters O
late O
Friday B-T
. O

But O
he O
said O
the O
space O
walkers O
would O
be O
asked O
to O
" O
go O
out O
and O
take O
a O
look O
at O
the O
solar O
array O
for O
us O
. O
" O

National O
Aeronautics O
and O
Space O
Administration O
officials O
decided O
to O
abandon O
, O
at O
least O
for O
the O
moment O
, O
attempts O
to O
unblock O
the O
stuck O
array O
and O
may O
require O
a O
fourth O
space O
walk O
to O
fold O
it O
away O
. O

Space O
shuttle O
Discovery O
and O
ISS O
astronauts O
on O
Wednesday B-T
only O
managed O
to O
fold O
the O
stubborn O
array O
half O
- O
way O
by O
remote O
control O
, O
and O
NASA O
engineers O
on O
Friday B-T
tried O
to O
determine O
why O
it O
remained O
stuck O
after O
repeated O
attempts O
at O
activation O
. O

At O
one O
point O
, O
NASA O
engineers O
in O
Houston O
asked O
German O
astronaut O
Thomas O
Reiter O
to O
exercise O
vigorously O
for O
30 B-T
seconds I-T
on O
the O
ISS O
' O
s O
training O
machine O
, O
hoping O
his O
vibrations O
would O
cause O
the O
panels O
of O
the O
stubborn O
array O
to O
fold O
all O
the O
way O
. O

Reiter O
, O
who O
after O
a O
five O
- O
month O
stay O
on O
the O
ISS O
will O
be O
replaced O
by O
Discovery O
astronaut O
Williams O
, O
tried O
several O
times O
to O
shake O
the O
array O
into O
action O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
very O
sorry O
to O
hear O
that O
, O
" O
said O
Reiter O
when O
told O
by O
the O
Mission O
Control O
Center O
in O
Houston O
, O
Texas O
, O
that O
all O
his O
efforts O
came O
to O
naught O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ll O
give O
you O
a O
silver O
medal O
for O
that O
, O
" O
a O
NASA O
controller O
replied O
. O

The O
solar O
array O
was O
stuck O
in O
a O
half O
- O
folded O
position O
, O
and O
while O
it O
needs O
to O
be O
fully O
retracted O
before O
it O
can O
be O
moved O
to O
another O
location O
on O
the O
ISS O
, O
its O
current O
position O
has O
allowed O
a O
new O
solar O
array O
to O
unfold O
and O
rotate O
properly O
. O

ISS O
commander O
Mike O
Lopez O
- O
Alegria O
told O
reporters O
from O
the O
station O
that O
" O
a O
fourth O
EVA O
is O
one O
of O
the O
options O
still O
on O
the O
table O
, O
" O
referring O
to O
extravehicular O
activity O
, O
NASA O
language O
for O
space O
walk O
. O

Discovery O
astronauts O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
Thursday B-T
went O
on O
two O
space O
walks O
to O
attach O
a O
two O
- O
tonne O
truss O
segment O
and O
to O
rewire O
the O
ISS O
for O
the O
new O
, O
power O
- O
supplying O
solar O
array O
delivered O
in O
September B-T
by O
the O
shuttle O
Atlantis O
. O

Despite O
the O
stuck O
solar O
array O
- O
- O
it O
has O
supplied O
electricity O
to O
the O
ISS O
for O
six B-T
years I-T
- O
- O
astronauts O
late O
Wednesday O
were O
able O
to O
activate O
the O
newer O
array O
so O
it O
could O
turn O
its O
photovoltaic O
cells O
to O
follow O
the O
sun O
. O

Once O
it O
is O
fully O
installed O
and O
operational O
, O
it O
will O
double O
the O
ISS O
' O
s O
electrical O
output O
. O
The O
station O
, O
when O
completed O
, O
will O
have O
a O
total O
of O
four O
solar O
arrays O
providing O
it O
with O
electricity O
. O

The O
Discovery O
mission O
is O
part O
of O
14 O
shuttle O
flights O
NASA O
has O
planned O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
four I-T
years I-T
to O
finish O
the O
ISS O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
when O
the O
shuttle O
fleet O
, O
down O
to O
three O
vehicles O
, O
is O
to O
be O
retired O
. O

Discovery O
and O
its O
seven O
- O
member O
crew O
blasted O
off O
last B-T
Saturday I-T
from O
Cape O
Canaveral O
, O
Florida O
, O
in O
the O
first O
nighttime O
liftoff O
in O
four B-T
years I-T
. O

Reiter O
is O
to O
return O
with O
Discovery O
in O
a O
landing O
scheduled O
next B-T
Thursday I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0338 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Turkey O
condemns O
killing O
of O
Lebanese O
industry O
minister O

Turkish O
Foreign O
Ministry O
on O
Tuesday B-T
strongly O
condemned O
killing O
of O
Lebanese O
Industry O
Minister O
Pierre O
Gemayel O
. O

" O
We O
strongly O
condemn O
this O
attack O
which O
aims O
to O
deteriorate O
peace O
and O
stability O
in O
Lebanon O
. O
We O
believe O
Lebanese O
government O
and O
people O
will O
not O
allow O
such O
attacks O
to O
deteriorate O
the O
efforts O
of O
national O
consensus O
in O
the O
country O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
ministry O
also O
offered O
condolences O
to O
the O
family O
of O
Gemayel O
as O
well O
as O
Lebanese O
people O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
perpetrators O
of O
this O
attack O
will O
be O
found O
soon O
. O
Turkey O
is O
ready O
to O
provide O
every O
type O
of O
support O
for O
settlement O
of O
peace O
and O
stability O
in O
Lebanon O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
added O
. O

Gemayel O
was O
killed O
by O
a O
gunshot O
on O
his O
head O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
when O
his O
convoy O
was O
attacked O
by O
unknown O
gunmen O
in O
Jedeide O
, O
about O
15 O
km O
northeast O
from O
Lebanese O
capital O
of O
Beirut O
. O

The O
34 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Gemayel O
was O
also O
a O
Christian O
leader O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
son O
of O
former O
president O
Amin O
Gemayel O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0230 O

CRAWFORD O
, O
Texas O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Bush O
pays O
tribute O
to O
Ford O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
paid O
tribute O
Saturday B-T
to O
former O
president O
Gerald O
Ford O
, O
praising O
him O
for O
guiding O
the O
United O
States O
through O
a O
" O
crisis O
of O
confidence O
" O
spurred O
by O
political O
scandal O
and O
the O
end O
of O
the O
Vietnam O
War O
. O

" O
He O
was O
there O
for O
the O
Nation O
when O
we O
needed O
him O
most O
, O
" O
Bush O
said O
in O
his O
weekly B-T
radio O
address O
from O
his O
Texas O
ranch O
, O
where O
he O
was O
to O
ring O
in O
the O
New O
Year O
with O
First O
Lady O
Laura O
Bush O
. O

" O
On O
behalf O
of O
all O
Americans O
, O
Laura O
and O
I O
send O
our O
prayers O
and O
condolences O
to O
Mrs O
Ford O
and O
the O
entire O
Ford O
family O
, O
" O
said O
Bush O
, O
who O
was O
to O
return O
to O
Washington O
Monday B-T
to O
take O
part O
in O
formal O
memorial O
ceremonies O
. O

Ford O
, O
a O
Republican O
president O
from O
August B-T
1974 I-T
to O
January B-T
1977 I-T
, O
was O
best O
known O
for O
leading O
the O
United O
States O
out O
of O
the O
turbulent O
era O
after O
Richard O
Nixon O
stepped O
down O
in O
disgrace O
in O
1974 B-T
under O
the O
Watergate O
scandal O
. O

Ford O
, O
whose O
popularity O
sank O
when O
he O
pardoned O
Nixon O
, O
died O
late O
Tuesday B-T
aged O
93 O
. O

" O
Providence O
gave O
us O
Gerald O
Ford O
' O
s O
steady O
hand O
and O
calm O
leadership O
during O
a O
time O
of O
great O
division O
and O
turmoil O
. O
He O
guided O
America O
through O
a O
crisis O
of O
confidence O
, O
and O
helped O
our O
Nation O
mend O
its O
wounds O
by O
restoring O
faith O
in O
our O
system O
of O
government O
. O

" O
As O
we O
say O
goodbye O
to O
the B-T
year I-T
2006 I-T
, O
we O
bid O
farewell O
to O
one O
of O
the O
finest O
public O
servants O
America O
has O
ever O
known O
. O
We O
give O
thanks O
for O
the O
gift O
of O
his O
remarkable O
life O
, O
for O
the O
caring O
man O
who O
touched O
so O
many O
lives O
, O
and O
the O
wise O
President O
who O
helped O
heal O
our O
Nation O
, O
" O
the O
president O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0155 O

HARBIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
LD O
- O
Writethru O
: O
Colliery O
blast O
in O
northeast O
China O
kills O
15 O

Fifteen O
of O
the O
18 O
miners O
are O
found O
dead O
as O
their O
bodies O
have O
been O
recovered O
by O
9 O
: O
38 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
Saturday B-T
following O
a O
colliery O
gas O
blast O
in O
Northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
, O
according O
to O
local O
sources O
. O

Two O
of O
the O
18 O
were O
rescued O
and O
rescuers O
are O
searching O
for O
the O
one O
still O
missing O
. O

The O
blast O
took O
place O
at O
1 B-T
: I-T
50 I-T
p O
. O
m O
. O
Saturday B-T
when O
32 O
miners O
were O
working O
in O
the O
shaft O
of O
the O
Yuanhua O
Coal O
Mine O
in O
Jixi O
City O
. O
Fourteen O
managed O
to O
escape O
. O

None O
of O
the O
survivors O
are O
in O
critical O
condition O
, O
though O
some O
are O
injured O
, O
according O
to O
local O
sources O
. O

The O
accident O
was O
believed O
to O
be O
caused O
by O
gas O
discharge O
in O
the O
shaft O
. O
At O
10 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
a O
power O
failure O
occurred O
. O
When O
the O
power O
is O
on O
at O
about O
1 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
, O
workers O
discharged O
the O
accumulating O
gas O
in O
a O
way O
of O
violating O
work O
regulations O
. O

Further O
investigation O
into O
the O
cause O
is O
underway O
. O

The O
Yuanhua O
Coal O
Mine O
is O
privately O
- O
owned O
with O
an O
annual O
production O
capacity O
of O
30 O
, O
000 O
tons O
. O

Jixi O
is O
an O
important O
coal O
producing O
city O
in O
China O
. O
A O
gas O
blast O
happened O
there O
on O
June B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2002 I-T
and O
killed O
124 O
people O
. O
The O
city O
also O
saw O
a O
gas O
blast O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
when O
13 O
miners O
were O
killed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0352 O

WARSAW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Polish O
, O
Latvian O
leaders O
meet O

Polish O
Prime O
Minister O
Jaroslaw O
Kaczynski O
met O
here O
Thursday B-T
with O
his O
Latvian O
counterpart O
Aigars O
Kalvitis O
and O
said O
after O
the O
meeting O
that O
it O
was O
a O
meeting O
of O
two O
prime O
ministers O
from O
friendly O
countries O
. O

Poland O
and O
Sweden O
are O
the O
first O
countries O
the O
Latvian O
prime O
minister O
decided O
to O
visit O
after O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
parliamentary O
elections O
in O
Latvia O
. O

" O
This O
was O
a O
short O
meeting O
but O
I O
am O
deeply O
convinced O
that O
together O
we O
can O
achieve O
a O
lot O
, O
" O
the O
PAP O
news O
agency O
quoted O
Kaczynski O
as O
saying O
. O

Kaczynski O
told O
reporters O
the O
talk O
also O
focused O
on O
energy O
security O
, O
EU O
relations O
with O
Russia O
and O
bilateral O
relations O
and O
added O
that O
the O
meeting O
with O
Kalvitis O
was O
very O
important O
both O
in O
respect O
to O
Polish O
- O
Latvian O
relations O
and O
broadly O
, O
in O
the O
European O
dimension O
. O

Kalvitis O
said O
that O
the O
meeting O
in O
Warsaw O
is O
the O
beginning O
of O
a O
" O
further O
dialogue O
which O
is O
certainly O
necessary O
. O
" O
He O
believed O
that O
possibilities O
exist O
in O
forging O
good O
cooperation O
between O
Latvia O
and O
Poland O
as O
well O
as O
other O
European O
countries O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0294 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
Lead O
: O
exiled O
Hamas O
leader O
arrives O
in O
Cairo O
on O
unexpected O
visit O

The O
exiled O
leader O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
Khaled O
Meshaal O
arrived O
in O
the O
Egyptian O
capital O
of O
Cairo O
on O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
on O
a O
surprise O
visit O
, O
Egpty O
' O
s O
official O
MENA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Meshaal O
and O
his O
accompanying O
delegation O
would O
hold O
talks O
with O
senior O
Egyptian O
officials O
on O
the O
latest O
developments O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
, O
means O
to O
revive O
the O
stalled O
peace O
process O
and O
the O
forming O
of O
a O
Palestinian O
unity O
government O
, O
MENA O
said O
in O
a O
short O
dispatch O
, O
without O
giving O
more O
details O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051211 O
. O
0468 O

HAMBURG O
, O
Germany O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

by O
Phil O
Seery O

With O
talk O
of O
a O
financial O
crisis O
burdening O
them O
German O
club O
Hertha O
Berlin O
could O
do O
without O
any O
more O
bad O
news O
, O
but O
they O
got O
it O
this B-T
weekend I-T
with O
a O
player O
dispute O
. O

Croat O
defender O
Niko O
Kovac O
and O
Brazilian O
midfielder O
Marcelinho O
- O
- O
two O
of O
the O
club O
' O
s O
leading O
players O
- O
- O
tore O
into O
one O
another O
after O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
2 O
- O
1 O
defeat O
at O
SV O
Hamburg O
in O
which O
Marcelinho O
was O
red O
- O
carded O
. O

With O
just O
eight O
minutes O
gone O
Hamburg O
stormed O
into O
a O
two O
- O
goal O
lead O
through O
a O
Dick O
van O
Burik O
own O
goal O
and O
a O
Mehdi O
Mahdivikia O
penalty O
while O
Berlin O
' O
s O
Brazilian O
playmaker O
Marcelinho O
was O
booked O
for O
complaining O
. O

Marcelinho O
was O
then O
sent O
off O
after O
52 B-T
minutes I-T
for O
a O
scuffle O
with O
Hamburg O
' O
s O
Benjamin O
Lauth O
and O
Croatian O
international O
Kovac O
could O
not O
contain O
his O
rage O
. O

" O
His O
lack O
of O
discipline O
can O
not O
be O
excused O
, O
" O
fumed O
Kovac O
. O
" O
He O
gave O
the O
team O
too O
much O
to O
do O
. O
He O
just O
complained O
and O
that O
is O
not O
on O
because O
we O
could O
have O
got O
something O
from O
this O
match O
with O
11 O
men O
. O
" O

Hertha O
manager O
Falko O
Gotz O
admitted O
he O
would O
speak O
with O
Marcelinho O
about O
his O
conduct O
but O
the O
Brazilian O
star O
hit O
back O
at O
the O
criticism O
from O
Kovac O
. O

" O
When O
I O
have O
a O
good O
game O
and O
we O
win O
because O
of O
me O
I O
do O
not O
hear O
a O
thing O
from O
Niko O
, O
" O
Marcelinho O
. O
" O
He O
needs O
to O
chill O
out O
. O
I O
do O
not O
need O
to O
apologise O
when O
I O
have O
an O
off O
- O
day O
. O
" O

The O
30 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Marcelinho O
, O
contracted O
at O
Hertha O
until O
June B-T
2007 I-T
, O
was O
voted O
German O
Player O
of O
the B-T
Year I-T
last I-T
season I-T
after O
scoring O
18 O
goals O
from O
midfield O
and O
the O
media O
dubbed O
Hertha O
' O
FC O
Marcelinho O
' O
. O

But O
while O
his O
talent O
is O
not O
in O
doubt O
his O
Latin O
temper O
can O
often O
irk O
team O
- O
mates O
and O
last B-T
season I-T
he O
had O
a O
similar O
verbal O
exhange O
of O
words O
with O
club O
captain O
Arne O
Friedrich O
. O

Marcelinho O
later O
apologised O
for O
the O
incident O
but O
said O
he O
would O
not O
accept O
a O
punishment O
from O
the O
club O
this O
time O
around O
. O

" O
I O
would O
not O
accept O
a O
fine O
because O
I O
am O
not O
an O
undisciplined O
player O
and O
have O
only O
been O
sent O
off O
twice O
for O
Hertha O
, O
" O
Marcelinho O
said O
. O

Hertha O
stay O
fifth O
despite O
the O
defeat O
in O
Hamburg O
but O
are O
ten O
points O
points O
adrift O
of O
Werder O
Bremen O
who O
occupy O
the O
third O
and O
final O
Champions O
League O
spot O
. O

With O
debts O
estimated O
at O
35 O
. O
6 O
million O
euros O
( O
42 O
million O
dollars O
) O
Hertha O
could O
do O
with O
the O
financial O
windfall O
that O
accompanies O
the O
Champions O
League O
but O
it O
looks O
like O
they O
need O
to O
repair O
team O
spirit O
first O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0273 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
CHANGES O
bronze O
medal O
winner O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Li O
Du O
of O
China O
won O
the O
women O
' O
s O
10m O
Air O
Rifle O
individual O
title O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
with O
a O
combined O
qualification O
and O
final O
tally O
of O
501 O
. O
4 O
points O
here O
on O
Saturday O

Zhao O
Yinghui O
of O
China O
came O
second O
and O
team O
- O
mate O
Wu O
Liuxi O
was O
third O
, O
but O
the O
bronze O
was O
awarded O
to O
fourth O
- O
placed O
Olga O
Dovgun O
of O
Kazakhstan O
because O
Asian O
Games O
shooting O
rules O
stipulate O
that O
only O
two O
athletes O
from O
one O
country O
can O
win O
medals O
in O
one O
event O
. O

China O
won O
all O
six O
gold O
medals O
on O
offer O
on O
the B-T
opening I-T
day I-T
of O
competition O
at O
the O
Lusail O
ranges O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0338 O

MECCA O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Large O
fire O
strikes O
pilgrim O
camp O
near O
Mecca O
, O
thousands O
evacuated O

A O
large O
fire O
broke O
out O
Tuesday B-T
in O
a O
camp O
for O
Moslem O
pilgrims O
at O
Mina O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
burning O
thousands O
of O
tents O
and O
forcing O
a O
massive O
evacuation O
, O
witnesses O
and O
officials O
said O
. O

Several O
pilgrims O
and O
Saudi O
civil O
defense O
workers O
were O
wounded O
in O
the O
blaze O
, O
which O
covered O
a O
25 O
square O
kilometer O
( O
10 O
square O
mile O
) O
area O
, O
according O
to O
witnesses O
, O
but O
there O
was O
no O
official O
confirmation O
of O
the O
injuries O
. O

" O
Because O
of O
the O
strong O
winds O
, O
the O
fire O
spread O
north O
of O
Mina O
, O
" O
the O
director O
of O
Saudi O
civil O
defense O
, O
General O
Mohammed O
ibn O
Ali O
al O
- O
Sahili O
, O
told O
the O
official O
SPA O
news O
agency O
. O

The O
fire O
, O
sparked O
by O
a O
gas O
bottle O
used O
for O
cooking O
, O
began O
at O
11 B-T
: I-T
45 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0845 O
GMT O
) O
Tuesday B-T
about O
five O
kilometers O
( O
three O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
Mecca O
, O
the O
home O
of O
Islam O
' O
s O
holiest O
shrines O
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

The O
blaze O
was O
still O
buring O
more O
than O
five B-T
hours I-T
later O
, O
despite O
the O
efforts O
of O
civil O
defense O
workers O
backed O
by O
helicopters O
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

The O
region O
was O
closed O
off O
by O
Saudi O
authorities O
, O
and O
thousands O
of O
pilgrims O
were O
evacuated O
to O
a O
region O
outside O
Mina O
, O
where O
10 O
, O
000 O
tents O
had O
to O
be O
set O
up O
in O
haste O
. O

Tents O
occupied O
by O
Iranian O
pilgrims O
were O
also O
burned O
in O
the O
fire O
, O
Iran O
' O
s O
official O
news O
agency O
IRNA O
reported O
in O
Tehran O
. O

About O
two O
million O
Moslem O
pilgrims O
have O
gathered O
at O
Mina O
to O
attend O
the O
annual O
hajj O
pilgrimage O
to O
Mecca O
and O
Medina O
. O
The O
pilgrimage O
climaxes O
on O
nearby O
Mount O
Arafat O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051120 O
. O
0114 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
reports O
2 O
new O
bird O
flu O
outbreaks O
in O
Inner O
Mongolia O
, O
Hubei O

The O
Chinses O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
Sunday B-T
confirmed O
bird O
flu O
outbreaks O
in O
northern O
China O
' O
s O
Inner O
Mongolia O
Autonomous O
Region O
and O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Hubei O
Province O
. O

It O
noted O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
a O
total O
of O
176 O
chickens O
, O
ducks O
and O
geese O
died O
Tuesday B-T
in O
the O
banner O
( O
or O
county O
) O
of O
Morin O
Dawa O
in O
Inner O
Mongolia O
before O
they O
were O
confirmed O
by O
a O
state O
avian O
flu O
lab O
as O
H5N1 O
subtype O
highly O
pathogenic O
bird O
flu O
cases O
. O

Separately O
, O
the O
same O
kind O
of O
bird O
flu O
killed O
3 O
, O
500 O
geese O
Wednesday B-T
at O
a O
development O
zone O
in O
Shishou O
City O
of O
Hubei O
Province O
. O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
has O
sent O
a O
team O
of O
experts O
to O
help O
contain O
the O
disease O
, O
and O
local O
veterinary O
departments O
have O
culled O
the O
poultry O
near O
the O
affected O
area O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0119 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Over O
2 O
, O
000 O
Indonesian O
fishermen O
deported O
from O
Australia O

Australian O
authorities O
have O
deported O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
000 O
Indonesian O
fishermen O
for O
illegal O
trespassing O
till O
November B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
an O
Indonesian O
official O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
fishermen O
were O
flown O
back O
to O
East O
Nusa O
Tenggara O
province O
after O
undergoing O
legal O
proceedings O
in O
Australia O
on O
charges O
of O
illegal O
fishing O
and O
border O
crossing O
, O
said O
Frans O
Salem O
, O
head O
of O
the O
provincial O
office O
for O
social O
affairs O
in O
East O
Nusa O
Tenggara O
. O

" O
This O
figure O
is O
fantastic O
compared O
with O
the B-T
previous I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
he O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
national O
Antara O
news O
agency O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
fishermen O
mostly O
came O
from O
the O
eastern O
parts O
of O
Indonesia O
, O
including O
East O
Nusa O
Tenggara O
, O
Papua O
, O
Sulawesi O
and O
Maluku O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Our O
fishermen O
use O
compass O
to O
navigate O
their O
vessels O
, O
but O
they O
have O
little O
knowledge O
about O
Indonesia O
- O
Australia O
marine O
borders O
and O
can O
be O
easily O
seized O
by O
the O
patrols O
of O
the O
Australian O
Navy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0121 O

NANNING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
premier O
urges O
Guangxi O
to O
expand O
cooperation O
with O
ASEAN O

Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
urged O
Guangxi O
Zhuang O
Autonomous O
Region O
in O
south O
China O
to O
expand O
cooperation O
with O
the O
Association O
of O
South O
East O
Asian O
Nations O
( O
ASEAN O
) O
, O
develop O
economy O
and O
improve O
people O
' O
s O
living O
standard O
. O

The O
premier O
made O
the O
remarks O
during O
a O
recent O
two O
- O
day O
inspection O
tour O
of O
Guangxi O
ahead O
of O
the O
opening O
of O
the O
China O
- O
ASEAN O
Business O
and O
Investment O
summit O
, O
which O
kicked O
off O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

During O
the O
inspection O
tour O
, O
Wen O
visited O
Liangmianzhen O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
, O
a O
name O
brand O
toothpaste O
producer O
, O
Liuzhou O
Tech O
Machinery O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
and O
Wuling O
Motors O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
in O
Liuzhou O
, O
Guangxi O
' O
s O
largest O
industrial O
city O
, O
and O
held O
talks O
with O
enterprise O
officials O
and O
workers O
. O

He O
urged O
these O
companies O
to O
explore O
development O
potential O
, O
grasp O
opportunities O
and O
step O
up O
development O
of O
industries O
with O
unique O
advantages O
by O
taking O
the O
region O
' O
s O
rich O
natural O
resources O
. O

He O
also O
visited O
two O
villages O
and O
inquired O
about O
farmers O
rice O
production O
, O
revenues O
, O
medical O
care O
and O
the O
implementation O
of O
seeds O
and O
farm O
tool O
subsidies O
, O
stressing O
that O
the O
construction O
of O
new O
socialist O
countryside O
should O
respect O
farmers O
will O
. O

The O
input O
in O
rural O
areas O
should O
be O
increased O
and O
efforts O
should O
focus O
on O
developing O
roads O
, O
water O
, O
electricity O
, O
telecommunications O
and O
other O
infrastructure O
facilities O
so O
as O
to O
lay O
a O
foundation O
for O
rural O
development O
and O
improving O
farmers O
life O
, O
he O
noted O
. O

As O
for O
the O
serious O
drought O
problem O
complained O
by O
villagers O
, O
Wen O
called O
on O
governments O
at O
various O
levels O
to O
build O
an O
irrigation O
system O
and O
improve O
water O
conservancy O
facilities O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
upgrade O
drought O
- O
fighting O
ability O
. O

Guangxi O
, O
with O
a O
population O
of O
over O
46 O
million O
, O
is O
home O
to O
more O
than O
15 O
million O
Zhuang O
minority O
people O
. O

APW19980213 O
. O
1380 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
13 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
15 I-T
: I-T
44 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2227 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
PuertoRico O
- O
HostageKil O
02 O
- O
13 O
0243 O

BC O
- O
Puerto O
Rico O
- O
Hostage O
Killed O
, O
0246 O

Police O
discover O
dismembered O
body O
of O
man O
kidnapped O
Wednesday O

UR O
By O
HILARIO O
DE O
LEON O
QC O

UR O
Associated O
Press O
Writer O
QC O

CAGUAS O
, O
Puerto O
Rico O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Kidnappers O
kept O
their O
promise O
to O
kill O

a O
store O
owner O
they O
took O
hostage O
and O
police O
found O
the O
man O
' O
s O

dismembered O
and O
decapitated O
body O
Friday B-T
wrapped O
in O
plastic O
garbage O

bags O
. O

Police O
confirmed O
Friday B-T
that O
the O
body O
found O
along O
a O
highway O
in O

this O
municipality O
15 O
miles O
south O
of O
San O
Juan O
belonged O
to O
Jorge O

Hernandez O
, O
49 O
. O

Hernandez O
was O
kidnapped O
from O
his O
small O
, O
neighborhood O
store O
in O

the O
town O
of O
Trujillo O
Alto O
at O
10 B-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Wednesday I-T
, O
police O
said O
. O
His O

kidnappers O
demanded O
a O
ransom O
of O
dlrs O
1 O
million O
, O
but O
negotiations O

broke O
off O
at O
noon B-T
Thursday I-T
. O

Police O
gave O
no O
details O
about O
the O
negotiations O
with O
the O

kidnappers O
for O
the O
return O
of O
Hernandez O
. O

The O
store O
owner O
' O
s O
body O
was O
found O
with O
the O
arms O
and O
head O
cut O
off O

and O
the O
parts O
stuffed O
in O
separate O
garbage O
bags O
. O
A O
passerby O
called O

police O
to O
report O
the O
body O
alongside O
the O
road O
. O

Puerto O
Rico O
Police O
Superintendent O
Pedro O
Toledo O
urged O
people O
who O

might O
be O
targeted O
by O
kidnappers O
to O
be O
alert O
. O

` O
` O
There O
has O
been O
an O
increase O
in O
Puerto O
Rico O
in O
this O
kind O
of O

thing O
and O
some O
of O
these O
bands O
of O
kidnappers O
are O
made O
up O
of O

foreigners O
, O
' O
' O
Toledo O
said O
. O

While O
some O
Latin O
American O
countries O
such O
as O
Mexico O
and O
Colombia O

have O
suffered O
from O
a O
rash O
of O
kidnappings O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
the O
crime O

has O
not O
been O
common O
in O
this O
U O
. O
S O
. O
commonwealth O
. O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Puerto O
Rico O
- O
Hostage O
Killed O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
CRB O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
02 O
- O
13 O
- O
98 O
1544EST O

APW19980227 O
. O
0476 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
08 I-T
: I-T
02 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2381 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

u O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
WorldCourt O
- O
Lockerbie O
5thLd O
02 O
- O
27 O
0169 O

BC O
- O
World O
Court O
- O
Lockerbie O
, O
5th O
Ld O

World O
Court O
declares O
jurisdiction O
in O
Lockerbie O
dispute O

UR O
Eds O
: O
RECASTS O
lead O
to O
clarify O
; O
ADDS O
detail O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
British O

objections O
in O
3rd O
graf O
. O
QL O

UR O
AP O
Photo O
staffing O
QL O

UR O
By O
MIKE O
CORDER O
QC O

UR O
Associated O
Press O
Writer O
QC O

THE O
HAGUE O
, O
Netherlands O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
The O
World O
Court O
Friday B-T
rejected O

U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
British O
objections O
to O
a O
Libyan O
World O
Court O
case O
that O
has O
blocked O
the O
trial O
of O
two O
Libyans O
suspected O
of O
blowing O
up O
a O
Pan O
Am O

jumbo O
jet O
over O
Scotland O
in O
1988 B-T
. O

Libya O
, O
which O
brought O
the O
case O
to O
the O
United O
Nations O
' O
highest O

judicial O
body O
in O
its O
dispute O
with O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Britain O
, O

hailed O
the O
ruling O
and O
said O
it O
would O
press O
anew O
for O
a O
trial O
in O
a O

third O
neutral O
country O
. O

Both O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
British O
officials O
filed O
objections O
to O
the O
court O
' O
s O

jurisdiction O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
claiming O
Security O
Council O
resolutions O
imposed O

on O
Lybia O
to O
force O
the O
suspects O
' O
extradition O
overruled O
a O
1971 B-T

Convention O
which O
gives O
Libya O
the O
right O
to O
try O
the O
men O
. O

The O
decision O
, O
3rd O
graf O
pvs O
. O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
World O
Court O
- O
Lockerbie O
, O
5th O
Ld O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
02 O
- O
27 O
- O
98 O
0802EST O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0004 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Blair O
aides O
investigated O
for O
obstructing O
probe O
: O
report O

Aides O
of O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
and O
officials O
of O
his O
governing O
Labour O
Party O
are O
under O
investigation O
for O
obstructing O
the O
" O
cash O
- O
for O
- O
honours O
" O
probe O
, O
The O
Times O
reported O
in O
its O
Monday B-T
edition O
. O

The O
report O
comes O
after O
Blair O
last O
Thursday B-T
became O
the O
first O
serving O
prime O
minister O
to O
have O
been O
questioned O
as O
part O
of O
a O
criminal O
inquiry O
in O
what O
critics O
said O
was O
an O
embarrassment O
to O
the O
British O
leader O
. O

According O
to O
the O
newspaper O
, O
the O
Crown O
Prosecution O
Service O
( O
CPS O
) O
has O
told O
police O
that O
they O
should O
look O
into O
the O
fact O
that O
some O
e O
- O
mails O
and O
documents O
have O
not O
yet O
been O
handed O
over O
, O
while O
others O
have O
apparently O
disappeared O
. O

" O
There O
is O
more O
than O
a O
suspicion O
that O
evidence O
has O
not O
been O
handed O
over O
, O
people O
have O
colluded O
and O
the O
police O
are O
not O
being O
helped O
, O
" O
an O
unidentified O
prosecution O
source O
told O
the O
newspaper O
. O

" O
What O
these O
people O
should O
remember O
is O
that O
they O
are O
not O
dealing O
with O
a O
parliamentary O
inquiry O
; O
this O
is O
a O
criminal O
investigation O
and O
anyone O
failing O
to O
co O
- O
operate O
is O
participating O
in O
a O
criminal O
offence O
, O
" O
the O
source O
said O
. O

According O
to O
The O
Times O
, O
the O
possibility O
of O
charges O
of O
perverting O
the O
course O
of O
justice O
was O
discussed O
by O
CPS O
lawyers O
after O
they O
met O
with O
the O
police O
. O
The O
charge O
carries O
a O
maximum O
life O
sentence O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
Financial O
Times O
reported O
that O
Lord O
Michael O
Levy O
- O
- O
Blair O
' O
s O
Middle O
East O
envoy O
and O
Labour O
' O
s O
main O
fundraiser O
, O
dubbed O
" O
Lord O
Cashpoint O
" O
- O
- O
was O
understood O
to O
be O
the O
focus O
of O
the O
police O
investigation O
into O
the O
issue O
. O

The O
business O
daily O
reported O
that O
detectives O
may O
soon O
interview O
Levy O
for O
a O
third O
time O
. O

Police O
are O
investigating O
claims O
that O
seats O
in O
the O
House O
of O
Lords O
, O
the O
unelected O
upper O
house O
of O
parliament O
, O
were O
offered O
in O
return O
for O
financial O
help O
to O
political O
parties O
, O
including O
Labour O
since O
it O
became O
the O
party O
of O
government O
in O
1997 B-T
, O
in O
breach O
of O
the O
1925 O
Honours O
( O
Prevention O
of O
Abuse O
) O
Act O
. O

They O
are O
also O
considering O
whether O
there O
was O
any O
breach O
of O
the O
Political O
Parties O
Elections O
and O
Referendums O
Act O
2000 O
which O
requires O
donations O
and O
non O
- O
commercial O
loans O
to O
parties O
to O
be O
publicly O
declared O
. O

Critics O
of O
the O
government O
also O
pointed O
out O
, O
according O
to O
The O
Guardian O
, O
that O
it O
seemed O
to O
be O
contradicting O
previous O
statements O
in O
its O
response O
to O
the O
investigation O
- O
- O
Blair O
said O
earlier O
that O
he O
nominated O
four O
Labour O
Party O
donors O
for O
" O
expressly O
party O
peerages O
, O
given O
for O
party O
service O
" O
. O

Their O
citation O
documents O
, O
however O
, O
which O
were O
printed O
in O
the O
Independent O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
make O
no O
mention O
of O
their O
links O
to O
the O
party O
, O
and O
instead O
speak O
of O
their O
business O
and O
other O
experience O
. O

John O
Yates O
, O
the O
Metropolitan O
Police O
officer O
leading O
the O
investigation O
into O
allegations O
of O
" O
cash O
for O
honours O
" O
, O
said O
last B-T
month I-T
that O
detectives O
had O
conducted O
90 O
interviews O
. O

Of O
these O
, O
35 O
were O
linked O
to O
the O
governing O
Labour O
Party O
, O
29 O
to O
the O
main O
opposition O
Conservatives O
and O
four O
to O
the O
Liberal O
Democrats O
, O
Britain O
' O
s O
third O
biggest O
party O
. O

A O
further O
22 O
were O
non O
- O
party O
interviews O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0311 O

ANKARA O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Israeli O
FM O
begins O
Turkey O
visit O

Israeli O
Foreign O
Minister O
David O
Levy O
arrived O
here O
Tuesday B-T
for O
cooperation O
talks O
with O
Turkish O
leaders O
, O
including O
a O
meeting O
with O
Islamist O
Prime O
Minister O
Necmettin O
Erbakan O
, O
who O
opposes O
close O
ties O
with O
the O
Jewish O
state O
. O

This O
is O
the O
first O
high O
- O
level O
political O
visit O
between O
the O
two O
states O
since O
Erbakan O
and O
Israel O
' O
s O
hardline O
Prime O
Minister O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
came O
to O
power O
in O
their O
respective O
countries O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Turkey O
and O
Israel O
, O
whose O
relations O
remained O
dormant O
during O
decades O
of O
the O
Arab O
- O
Israeli O
conflict O
, O
boosted O
their O
ties O
to O
a O
strategic O
level O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

They O
signed O
two O
major O
pacts O
on O
military O
and O
defense O
industry O
cooperation O
despite O
condemnation O
by O
radical O
states O
such O
as O
Iran O
, O
Syria O
and O
Iraq O
. O

But O
the O
boost O
in O
military O
relations O
could O
not O
be O
matched O
in O
political O
ties O
, O
as O
Erbakan O
has O
still O
not O
responded O
to O
an O
invitation O
by O
Netanyahu O
to O
visit O
Israel O
. O

Levy O
said O
in O
interviews O
with O
Turkish O
newspapers O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
his O
visit O
would O
be O
aimed O
at O
cementing O
political O
cooperation O
. O

Diplomats O
here O
said O
Erbakan O
accepted O
Levy O
' O
s O
request O
for O
a O
meeting O
at O
the B-T
last I-T
minute I-T
. O

A O
630 O
million O
dollar O
agreement O
under O
which O
Israeli O
Aircraft O
Industries O
will O
upgrade O
Turkey O
' O
s O
aging O
fleet O
of O
54 O
F O
- O
4E O
Phantom O
aircraft O
took O
effect O
last B-T
November I-T
, O
the O
largest O
- O
scale O
defense O
industry O
deal O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

In O
Turkey O
, O
Levy O
will O
also O
meet O
President O
Suleymen O
Demirel O
, O
Foreign O
Minister O
Tansu O
Ciller O
, O
Chief O
of O
the O
General O
Staff O
Ismail O
Hakki O
Karadayi O
and O
business O
circles O
. O

The O
Turkish O
parliament O
last O
Friday B-T
approved O
a O
free O
trade O
agreement O
signed O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

With O
the O
agreement O
, O
the O
two O
countries O
hope O
to O
bolster O
their O
trade O
relations O
, O
which O
currently B-T
register O
an O
annual O
two O
- O
way O
volume O
of O
nearly O
500 O
million O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0116 O

ZAMBOANGA O
, O
Philippines O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Four O
children O
injured O
in O
grenade O
attack O
in O
southern O
Philippines O

Four O
children O
were O
injured O
when O
a O
suspected O
Moslem O
rebel O
lobbed O
a O
grenade O
at O
their O
home O
in O
a O
town O
north O
of O
here O
, O
the O
Philippine O
military O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
four O
children O
, O
aged O
three O
, O
six O
, O
seven O
and O
17 O
, O
suffered O
shrapnel O
wounds O
in O
the O
bodies O
after O
an O
unidentified O
man O
aboard O
a O
motorcycle O
threw O
the O
grenade O
at O
their O
home O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Sirawai O
late O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
military O
report O
said O
. O

Intelligence O
sources O
said O
the O
attack O
was O
a O
retaliatory O
move O
by O
rebels O
of O
the O
Moro O
Islamic O
Liberation O
Front O
( O
MILF O
) O
who O
had O
suffered O
heavy O
casualties O
in O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
fighting O
between O
their O
troops O
and O
the O
military O
in O
Sirawai O
. O

" O
This O
could O
be O
the O
start O
of O
their O
retaliatory O
attacks O
, O
" O
said O
a O
military O
official O
who O
asked O
not O
to O
be O
named O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
clashes O
, O
which O
left O
30 O
rebels O
and O
four O
soldiers O
dead O
, O
came O
amid O
an O
impasse O
in O
ceasefire O
talks O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
, O
which O
failed O
to O
agree O
on O
the O
disposition O
of O
its O
forces O
around O
a O
rebel O
camp O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Buldon O
east O
of O
here O
. O

The O
MILF O
is O
a O
splinter O
of O
the O
Moro O
National O
Liberation O
Front O
( O
MNLF O
) O
, O
which O
last B-T
year I-T
signed O
a O
peace O
treaty O
with O
the O
government O
to O
end O
a O
24 O
- O
year O
guerrilla O
campaign O
aimed O
at O
setting O
up O
a O
separate O
Moslem O
state O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
south O
. O

The O
MILF O
, O
which O
had O
refused O
to O
join O
the O
negotiations O
, O
was O
left O
out O
in O
the O
political O
settlement O
. O
Manila O
hopes O
to O
forge O
a O
similar O
accord O
with O
the O
MILF O
to O
establish O
development O
projects O
in O
the O
once O
war O
- O
torn O
southern O
Philippines O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0058 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Srichaphan O
confirms O
participation O
in O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O

Thailand O
' O
s O
medal O
hopes O
at O
the O
15th O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
have O
been O
boosted O
as O
their O
tennis O
number O
one O
Paradorn O
Srichaphan O
has O
confirmed O
his O
intention O
to O
compete O
in O
the O
December B-T
1 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
Asian O
sports O
jamboree O
, O
as O
the O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
official O
website O
revealed O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

With O
an O
exhausting O
schedule O
and O
wrist O
problems O
, O
there O
had O
been O
doubts O
whether O
Srichaphan O
would O
be O
able O
to O
defend O
the O
men O
' O
s O
singles O
title O
he O
won O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
Busan O
, O
South O
Korea O
. O

But O
following O
an O
excellent O
run O
of O
form O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
at O
ATP O
tour O
, O
the O
27 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
China O
Open O
semifinalist O
will O
take O
to O
the O
courts O
at O
the O
tennis O
in O
Doha O
. O

Although O
now B-T
not O
officially O
recognized O
as O
Asia O
' O
s O
top O
player O
, O
according O
the O
ATP O
rankings O
, O
which O
places O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Lee O
Hyung O
Taik O
at O
number O
49 O
, O
four O
places O
above O
Srichaphan O
, O
the O
Thai O
is O
still O
likely O
to O
start O
as O
favourite O
. O

He O
won O
both O
two O
previous O
meetings O
against O
Lee O
, O
whom O
he O
defeated O
to O
win O
the O
title O
of O
the O
men O
' O
s O
singles O
at O
Busan O
Games O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0575 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
will O
make O
a O
rare O
address O
to O
the O
nation O
from O
his O
Oval O
Office O
at O
9 O
: O
00 O
pm O
Sunday O
( O
0200 O
GMT O
Monday O
) O
to O
discuss O
the O
way O
forward O
in O
Iraq O
, O
his O
spokesman O
said O
Friday O
. O

" O
The O
Iraqi O
people O
just O
concluded O
a O
historic O
election O
and O
we O
' O
re O
now O
entering O
a O
critical O
period O
for O
our O
mission O
in O
Iraq O
, O
and O
the O
president O
will O
talk O
about O
what O
we O
' O
ve O
accomplished O
and O
where O
we O
' O
re O
headed O
, O
" O
said O
Scott O
McClellan O
. O

The O
last O
time O
Bush O
made O
an O
address O
to O
the O
nation O
from O
the O
Oval O
Office O
was O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
to O
announce O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
to O
oust O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
remarks O
, O
which O
were O
expected O
to O
run O
20 O
minutes O
or O
less O
, O
were O
to O
cap O
a O
public O
relations O
offensive O
that O
saw O
Bush O
give O
four O
speeches O
touting O
progress O
on O
the O
political O
, O
economic O
and O
security O
fronts O
. O

The O
rhetorical O
onslaught O
came O
after O
deadly O
violence O
in O
Iraq O
fueled O
Bush O
' O
s O
sharp O
drop O
in O
the O
polls O
this O
year O
, O
though O
they O
have O
recently O
edged O
up O
from O
what O
had O
been O
their O
lowest O
levels O
since O
he O
took O
office O
in O
January B-T
2001 I-T
. O

On O
another O
front O
, O
the O
US O
president O
was O
to O
take O
the O
unusual O
step O
of O
delivering O
his O
weekly O
Saturday O
radio O
address O
live O
, O
as O
part O
of O
an O
effort O
to O
pressure O
lawmakers O
into O
renewing O
the O
controversial O
Patriot O
Act O
package O
of O
anti O
- O
terrorism O
measures O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0291 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ship O
hijackings O
threaten O
food O
aid O
for O
drought O
- O
stricken O
Somalis O
, O
UN O
agency O
warns O

A O
recent O
spate O
of O
ship O
hijackings O
off O
the O
coast O
of O
Somalia O
is O
restricting O
delivery O
of O
urgently O
needed O
food O
aid O
, O
posing O
a O
serious O
threat O
to O
the O
health O
of O
640 O
, O
000 O
people O
in O
the O
drought O
- O
stricken O
and O
war O
- O
torn O
south O
of O
the O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
country O
, O
the O
World O
Food O
Program O
( O
WFP O
) O
warned O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
The O
worsening O
humanitarian O
situation O
in O
southern O
Somalia O
is O
of O
deep O
concern O
to O
us O
and O
to O
our O
UN O
and O
NGO O
partners O
, O
especially O
with O
insecurity O
on O
the O
high O
seas O
hampering O
relief O
efforts O
, O
" O
WFP O
Country O
Director O
Zlatan O
Milisic O
said O
. O
" O
We O
may O
have O
to O
step O
up O
our O
deliveries O
of O
food O
aid O
, O
which O
will O
be O
extremely O
difficult O
under O
present O
circumstances O
. O
" O

The O
southern O
Somali O
coastline O
is O
one O
of O
the O
most O
dangerous O
in O
the O
world O
. O
In O
recent B-T
months I-T
, O
WFP O
' O
s O
operations O
have O
been O
sabotaged O
by O
the O
hijackings O
of O
two O
vessels O
carrying O
relief O
food O
. O
Ship O
owners O
are O
now O
demanding O
armed O
escorts O
to O
travel O
in O
these O
waters O
. O

" O
Given O
the O
insecurity O
off O
the O
coast O
, O
we O
are O
exploring O
alternative O
transport O
routes O
, O
including O
overland O
from O
Kenya O
and O
via O
Djibouti O
, O
to O
reach O
those O
in O
desperate O
need O
of O
food O
assistance O
. O
But O
these O
other O
routes O
raise O
similar O
logistical O
and O
security O
challenges O
, O
" O
Milisic O
said O
. O

WFP O
is O
also O
concerned O
about O
the O
lack O
of O
access O
for O
UN O
relief O
flights O
to O
several O
airstrips O
in O
the O
south O
of O
Somalia O
, O
which O
has O
been O
torn O
by O
factional O
fighting O
and O
lacking O
a O
functioning O
central O
government O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
14 I-T
years I-T
. O

Malnutrition O
rates O
in O
southern O
Somalia O
are O
unacceptably O
high O
, O
reaching O
20 O
percent O
in O
some O
areas O
. O
Drought O
is O
a O
major O
threat O
to O
Somalis O
living O
away O
from O
rivers O
in O
Lower O
and O
Middle O
Juba O
and O
Gedo O
, O
where O
poor O
and O
patchy O
rainfall O
during O
the O
second O
rainy O
season O
in O
October B-T
and O
November O
are O
compounding O
an O
already O
desperate O
situation O
after O
the O
first O
rains O
failed O
earlier O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

Despite O
the O
hijackings O
, O
WFP O
' O
s O
operations O
have O
continued O
, O
with O
1 O
, O
555 O
metric O
tons O
of O
food O
reaching O
nearly O
150 O
, O
000 O
people O
in O
Jilib O
and O
Buale O
districts O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
, O
and O
a O
further O
830 O
tons O
set O
to O
be O
distributed O
to O
78 O
, O
000 O
beneficiaries O
in O
Sakow O
district O
. O

WFP O
still O
requires O
11 O
, O
000 O
tons O
of O
food O
aid O
contributions O
from O
donors O
to O
provide O
sufficient O
assistance O
to O
those O
severely O
affected O
by O
food O
shortages O
throughout O
the O
country O
until O
mid B-T
- I-T
2006 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0017 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

BULLETIN O
Gujral O
sworn O
in O
as O
Indian O
PM O

Inder O
Kumar O
Gujral O
was O
sworn O
in O
as O
India O
' O
s O
12th O
prime O
minister O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0289 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambian O
gov O
' O
t O
warns O
against O
abusers O
of O
fertilizer O
support O
program O

Zambian O
government O
Friday B-T
warned O
of O
stern O
action O
against O
farmers O
or O
organizations O
found O
guilty O
of O
abusing O
the O
fertilizer O
support O
program O
. O

Agriculture O
and O
Cooperatives O
Deputy O
Minister O
Daniel O
Kayenga O
said O
here O
that O
the O
government O
would O
not O
entertain O
abuse O
of O
the O
program O
. O

Speaking O
at O
the O
national O
launch O
of O
the O
60 O
percent O
subsidy O
support O
program O
, O
Kayenga O
said O
that O
misapplication O
of O
the O
program O
would O
defeat O
the O
government O
' O
s O
effort O
to O
improve O
household O
and O
national O
food O
security O
in O
the O
country O
. O

The O
government O
has O
targeted O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
farmers O
to O
benefit O
from O
the O
program O
for O
2006 O
/ O
2007 O
farming O
season O
countrywide O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Kayenga O
called O
upon O
the O
private O
sector O
to O
assist O
the O
government O
in O
the O
provision O
of O
finances O
to O
the O
farmers O
as O
the O
government O
alone O
could O
not O
manage O
to O
meet O
the O
financial O
requirements O
of O
the O
farmers O
. O

Earlier O
, O
Kapiri O
Mposhi O
District O
Commissioner O
Jeston O
mulando O
appealed O
to O
the O
government O
to O
increase O
the O
number O
of O
farming O
inputs O
for O
the O
district O
. O

Mulando O
said O
that O
the O
432 O
, O
000 O
bag O
of O
fertilizer O
meant O
for O
the O
district O
is O
inadequate O
to O
cater O
for O
the O
growing O
number O
of O
farmers O
in O
the O
area O
. O

Zambian O
government O
has O
allocated O
198 O
billion O
kwacha O
( O
about O
51 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
for O
the O
implementation O
of O
the O
2006 O
/ O
2007 O
fertilizer O
support O
program O
. O

The O
government O
provides O
subsidized O
fertilizer O
for O
the O
small O
scale O
farmers O
since O
2002 B-T
to O
encourage O
agriculture O
production O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0097 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0097 O
. O

Hudson O
' O
s O
Bay O
Gives O

@ O
Terms O
of O
Rights O
Offer O

@ O
To O
Raise O
$ O
337 O
Million O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

T O
. O
HBC O

BUYBACKS O
, O
REDEMPTIONS O
, O
SWAP O
OFFERS O
( O
BBK O
) O

TORONTO O

Hudson O
' O
s O
Bay O
Co O
. O
announced O
terms O
of O
a O
previously O
proposed O
rights O
issue O
that O
is O
expected O
to O
raise O
about O
396 O
million O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
US O
$ O
337 O
million O
) O
net O
of O
expenses O
. O

Proceeds O
of O
the O
offering O
will O
be O
used O
to O
redeem O
C O
$ O
264 O
million O
of O
preferred O
shares O
and O
to O
reduce O
short O
- O
term O
debt O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

Canada O
' O
s O
largest O
department O
store O
operator O
said O
the O
rights O
offering O
will O
entitle O
holders O
of O
its O
ordinary O
shares O
, O
except O
residents O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
Britain O
, O
to O
subscribe O
for O
two O
additional O
shares O
for O
every O
five O
shares O
held O
at O
a O
price O
of O
C O
$ O
31 O
. O
25 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
record O
date O
is O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
. O

The O
company O
has O
about O
31 O
million O
ordinary O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

On O
the O
Toronto O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
Hudson O
' O
s O
Bay O
shares O
closed O
at O
C O
$ O
35 O
, O
up O
12 O
. O
5 O
cents O
. O

Hudson O
' O
s O
Bay O
said O
that O
Woodbridge O
Co O
. O
, O
which O
currently B-T
holds O
about O
77 O
% O
of O
the O
ordinary O
shares O
, O
will O
subscribe O
for O
all O
the O
shares O
to O
which O
it O
is O
entitled O
and O
for O
any O
shares O
that O
are O
n O
' O
t O
otherwise O
taken O
up O
. O

Woodbridge O
is O
a O
holding O
company O
owned O
by O
Toronto O
' O
s O
Thomson O
family O
. O

Hudson O
' O
s O
Bay O
said O
it O
will O
redeem O
9 O
. O
5 O
million O
Series O
H O
preferred O
shares O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
at O
a O
price O
of O
C O
$ O
27 O
. O
75 O
each O
. O

The O
move O
was O
approved O
at O
a O
special O
shareholders O
' O
meeting O
yesterday B-T
. O

Gary O
Lukassen O
, O
chief O
financial O
officer O
, O
said O
redemption O
of O
the O
preferred O
shares O
, O
originally O
issued O
at O
C O
$ O
25 O
each O
, O
will O
eliminate O
dividend O
payments O
of O
C O
$ O
17 O
. O
9 O
million O
annually O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0116 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thai O
, O
Laotian O
PMs O
break O
ground O
at O
Nam O
Thuen O
II O
site O

Thai O
Prime O
Minister O
Thaksin O
Shinawatra O
and O
his O
Lao O
counterpart O
Bounnhang O
Vorachit O
Sunday O
jointly O
laid O
a O
founding O
stone O
to O
start O
construction O
of O
a O
controversial O
Nam O
Thuen O
II O
hydropower O
project O
, O
according O
to O
local O
media O
The O
Nation O
. O

The O
ceremony O
took O
place O
at O
the O
construction O
site O
of O
the O
powerhouse O
at O
Gnoumalat O
district O
of O
Laos O
' O
s O
central O
Khammouane O
Province O
. O
Some O
300 O
officials O
from O
both O
countries O
and O
international O
financiers O
and O
investors O
attended O
the O
event O
. O

During O
his O
weekly B-T
radio O
address O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
Thaksin O
said O
that O
Thailand O
would O
buy O
electricity O
totaling O
924 O
megawatts O
generated O
from O
this O
dam O
project O
annually O
upon O
its O
completion O
. O

He O
said O
that O
Thailand O
needs O
to O
depend O
more O
on O
hydropower O
and O
coal O
and O
less O
on O
natural O
gas O
in O
generating O
electricity O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Natural O
gas O
will O
be O
used O
in O
domestic O
transportation O
system O
, O
and O
, O
if O
possible O
, O
the O
country O
will O
stop O
using O
oil O
in O
power O
generation O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

The O
Nam O
Theun O
II O
hydropower O
project O
site O
is O
located O
in O
Khammouane O
and O
Bolikhamxay O
provinces O
in O
central O
Laos O
, O
about O
250 O
kilometers O
southeast O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
capital O
- O
- O
Vientiane O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0266 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
, O
2005 O

RAG O
wants O
all O
or O
nothing O
of O
Degussa O
, O
chairman O
says O

RAG O
, O
the O
German O
energy O
and O
mining O
group O
, O
wants O
to O
increase O
its O
stake O
in O
specialty O
chemicals O
maker O
Degussa O
to O
100 O
percent O
or O
it O
will O
sell O
its O
current O
majority O
, O
RAG O
chairman O
Werner O
Mueller O
said O
in O
a O
newspaper O
interview O
released O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
Either O
we O
take O
it O
over O
fully O
or O
we O
' O
ll O
sell O
our O
stake O
completely O
, O
" O
Mueller O
told O
the O
daily O
Die O
Welt O
in O
a O
pre O
- O
release O
of O
an O
interview O
to O
be O
published O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

RAG O
currently B-T
holds O
a O
stake O
of O
50 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
Degussa O
, O
with O
further O
43 O
percent O
owned O
by O
energy O
giant O
E O
. O
ON O
. O

But O
E O
. O
ON O
wants O
to O
sell O
its O
stake O
and O
is O
currently O
negotiating O
with O
RAG O
over O
a O
billion O
- O
euro O
( O
dollar O
) O
deal O
. O

" O
The O
only O
thing O
that O
is O
certain O
is O
that O
E O
. O
ON O
wants O
to O
sell O
. O
How O
they O
will O
do O
so O
or O
whether O
we O
' O
re O
the O
buyer O
has O
not O
yet O
been O
decided O
, O
" O
Mueller O
said O
. O

Asked O
whether O
RAG O
was O
in O
a O
position O
to O
finance O
such O
a O
deal O
, O
Mueller O
replied O
: O
" O
We O
' O
re O
not O
going O
to O
commit O
some O
sort O
of O
financial O
' O
harakiri O
' O
. O
We O
can O
do O
this O
deal O
if O
we O
want O
to O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0037 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

APEC O
seeking O
to O
help O
resolve O
trade O
impasse O

A O
draft O
statement O
being O
discussed O
by O
senior O
officials O
from O
APEC O
members O
warned O
on O
Sunday B-T
that O
global O
trade O
talks O
could O
collapse O
if O
the O
current O
impasse O
over O
agricultural O
subsidies O
and O
other O
issues O
were O
not O
resolved O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
the O
21 O
- O
member O
Asia O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
Forum O
was O
concerned O
that O
" O
the O
current O
impasse O
in O
the O
negotiations O
may O
lead O
to O
a O
potential O
failure O
" O
of O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
ministerial O
meeting O
scheduled O
for O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

" O
We O
all O
agree O
that O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
ministerial O
( O
meeting O
) O
will O
be O
a O
critical O
step O
in O
achieving O
this O
goal O
" O
of O
reducing O
subsidies O
and O
other O
barriers O
to O
free O
trade O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
, O
whose O
final O
wording O
may O
be O
changed O
. O

The O
APEC O
summit O
on O
Friday B-T
and O
Saturday O
will O
bring O
together O
APEC O
leaders O
, O
including O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
, O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
, O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Junichiro O
Koizumi O
, O
South O
Korean O
President O
Roh O
Moo O
- O
hyun O
and O
Russion O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
that O
while O
the O
initial O
expectations O
of O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
meeting O
may O
not O
be O
achieved O
, O
" O
we O
should O
nonetheless O
not O
compromise O
the O
level O
of O
ambition O
for O
the O
whole O
round O
" O
launched O
in O
Doha O
, O
Qatar O
, O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

The O
trade O
dispute O
centers O
on O
agricultural O
subsidies O
which O
protect O
European O
farmers O
from O
outside O
competition O
. O
The O
European O
Union O
has O
rejected O
demands O
by O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Australia O
and O
some O
other O
APEC O
members O
to O
impose O
greater O
cuts O
in O
the O
subsidies O
. O

The O
APEC O
statement O
urged O
all O
WTO O
members O
to O
" O
make O
further O
, O
meaningful O
contributions O
to O
move O
the O
negotiations O
forward O
. O
" O
It O
said O
, O
" O
Doing O
this O
will O
require O
economically O
and O
politically O
difficult O
decisions O
by O
all O
WTO O
members O
. O
" O

Many O
pin O
hopes O
on O
the O
APEC O
summit O
to O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
ministerial O
round O
. O
" O
The O
summit O
would O
add O
momentum O
to O
finalize O
a O
trade O
deal O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
by O
giving O
leaders O
around O
the O
world O
a O
chance O
to O
reaffirm O
the O
pledge O
to O
make O
substantial O
progress O
in O
global O
trade O
talks O
, O
" O
South O
Korean O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ban O
Ki O
- O
moon O
said O
earlier O
. O

Expectations O
were O
shrinking O
and O
hopes O
plummeting O
after O
negotiations O
last B-T
week I-T
in O
Geneva O
and O
London O
failed O
to O
end O
the O
stand O
- O
off O
. O

Participants O
at O
the O
APEC O
senior O
official O
meeting O
were O
working O
hard O
to O
come O
up O
with O
a O
statement O
for O
their O
leaders O
to O
sign O
off O
. O
The O
statement O
was O
expected O
to O
support O
the O
WTO O
, O
thus O
breathing O
new O
life O
into O
the O
staggering O
trade O
talks O
. O

" O
What O
is O
needed O
at O
this O
moment O
is O
a O
strong O
message O
from O
leaders O
to O
keep O
spirits O
up O
, O
" O
said O
one O
participant O
, O
who O
refused O
identification O
. O

Some O
participants O
, O
however O
, O
were O
worried O
about O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
meeting O
becoming O
a O
repeat O
of O
the O
previous O
ministerial O
gathering O
in O
Cancun O
, O
Mexico O
, O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
which O
broke O
down O
in O
acrimony O
and O
paralyzed O
the O
WTO O
for O
months O
. O

" O
APEC O
would O
like O
to O
change O
this O
message O
of O
crisis O
into O
a O
message O
of O
hope O
, O
" O
said O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
hoon O
, O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
senior O
APEC O
official O
. O

APEC O
, O
with O
seven O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
13 O
largest O
economies O
, O
constitutes O
60 O
percent O
of O
the O
global O
economy O
and O
almost O
half O
of O
world O
trade O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0301 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

unexpected O
visit O

The O
exiled O
leader O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
Khaled O
Meshaal O
arrived O
in O
the O
Egyptian O
capital O
of O
Cairo O
on O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
on O
a O
surprise O
visit O
, O
Egypt O
' O
s O
official O
MENA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Meshaal O
and O
his O
accompanying O
delegation O
would O
hold O
talks O
with O
senior O
Egyptian O
officials O
on O
the O
latest O
developments O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
, O
means O
to O
revive O
the O
stalled O
peace O
process O
and O
the O
forming O
of O
a O
Palestinian O
unity O
government O
, O
MENA O
said O
in O
a O
short O
dispatch O
, O
without O
giving O
more O
details O
. O

The O
prisoners O
' O
swap O
deal O
was O
reportedly O
also O
among O
the O
top O
agenda O
of O
Meshaal O
visit O
to O
Egypt O
. O

However O
, O
contacts O
with O
the O
Egyptian O
foreign O
ministry O
failed O
to O
confirm O
the O
report O
. O

But O
Hamas O
spokesman O
in O
Damascus O
confirmed O
the O
visit O
at O
midnight O
Wednesday B-T
, O
saying O
Meshaal O
has O
arrived O
Cairo O
. O

Reports O
on O
Meshaal O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Egypt O
were O
abundant O
since O
late B-T
October I-T
. O

On O
Oct B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, O
a O
senior O
Egyptian O
official O
told O
Xinhua O
that O
Meshaal O
would O
visit O
Egypt O
soon O
, O
but O
failed O
to O
give O
an O
exact O
date O
. O

The O
official O
, O
speaking O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
, O
said O
at O
that O
time O
that O
Meshaal O
, O
now O
in O
exile O
in O
Syria O
, O
would O
visit O
Cairo O
in O
four B-T
or I-T
five I-T
days O
. O

Also O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, O
Egyptian O
Presidential O
Spokesman O
Suleiman O
Awwad O
said O
Egypt O
had O
invited O
Meshaal O
for O
a O
visit O
to O
broker O
negotiations O
between O
the O
Palestinians O
and O
Israel O
on O
a O
prisoner O
swap O
deal O
and O
help O
major O
Palestinian O
political O
factions O
to O
set O
up O
a O
unity O
government O
. O

But O
Meshaal O
didn O
' O
t O
come O
to O
Egypt O
in O
the O
end O
. O
Instead O
, O
he O
sent O
a O
delegation O
, O
which O
was O
led O
by O
Hamas O
representative O
in O
Syria O
Imad O
al O
- O
Alami O
, O
to O
Cairo O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
. O

Egyptians O
have O
been O
aggressively O
playing O
a O
mediating O
role O
between O
Hamas O
and O
Fatah O
led O
by O
Palestinian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
, O
both O
of O
which O
have O
been O
at O
loggerheads O
with O
each O
other O
over O
a O
series O
of O
political O
issues O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
several I-T
months I-T
. O

The O
rift O
between O
Hamas O
and O
Fatah O
was O
deepened O
after O
Hamas O
defeated O
Fatah O
in O
legislative O
elections O
in O
January B-T
and O
thus O
given O
mandate O
to O
form O
the O
current O
government O
. O

However O
, O
the O
fledging O
Hamas O
government O
was O
cornered O
shortly O
after O
it O
came O
to O
power O
due O
to O
the O
West O
' O
s O
suspension O
of O
direct O
aid O
to O
the O
government O
, O
which O
was O
unable O
to O
pay O
its O
almost O
160 O
, O
000 O
civil O
servants O
. O

Despite O
the O
deep O
financial O
crisis O
facing O
the O
government O
, O
Hamas O
still O
adhere O
to O
its O
rejection O
to O
international O
demands O
of O
recognizing O
Israel O
, O
honoring O
signed O
peace O
deals O
with O
Israel O
. O

In O
order O
to O
walk O
out O
of O
the O
dual O
crises O
of O
economic O
and O
political O
, O
Palestinian O
factions O
, O
mainly O
Fatah O
and O
Hamas O
, O
have O
been O
dedicated O
to O
efforts O
to O
form O
a O
new O
Palestinian O
unity O
government O
to O
be O
accepted O
by O
international O
community O
. O

Egyptian O
officials O
have O
also O
been O
actively O
coordinating O
a O
prisoners O
' O
swap O
deal O
, O
which O
involved O
Israeli O
soldier O
Gilad O
Shalit O
, O
who O
was O
kidnapped O
and O
has O
been O
held O
hostage O
by O
Palestinian O
militants O
in O
Gaza O
since O
June B-T
. O

The O
captors O
of O
Gilad O
Shalit O
call O
for O
releasing O
about O
1 O
, O
700 O
prisoners O
out O
of O
more O
than O
10 O
, O
000 O
detainees O
who O
are O
staying O
in O
Israeli O
custodies O
. O
They O
insist O
women O
, O
children O
and O
old O
prisoners O
be O
among O
those O
set O
to O
release O
under O
the O
swap O
. O

Egypt O
, O
the O
first O
Arab O
country O
to O
sign O
a O
peace O
treaty O
with O
Israel O
, O
maintains O
good O
relations O
with O
both O
Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
and O
has O
long O
been O
playing O
a O
mediating O
role O
between O
the O
Palestinians O
and O
Israel O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0140 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Germany O
' O
s O
Merkel O
condemns O
Gemayel O
murder O

German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
on O
Wednesday B-T
condemned O
the O
murder O
of O
Lebanese O
Industry O
Minister O
Pierre O
Gemayel O
, O
saying O
it O
was O
" O
a O
cowardly O
act O
. O

" O
We O
want O
to O
see O
an O
independent O
Lebanon O
and O
forceful O
efforts O
to O
end O
violence O
, O
" O
she O
told O
the O
German O
Bundestag O
parliament O
. O

The O
German O
Chancellor O
extended O
her O
condolences O
in O
a O
telephone O
call O
to O
Lebanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Fouad O
Siniora O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
pledging O
to O
continue O
support O
for O
the O
reconstruction O
of O
the O
Middle O
East O
country O
. O

Gemayel O
, O
a O
member O
of O
the O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
faction O
in O
the O
Lebanese O
government O
, O
was O
shot O
dead O
on O
Tuesday B-T
by O
a O
gunshot O
to O
the O
head O
when O
his O
convoy O
was O
attacked O
on O
a O
street O
in O
Jedeide O
, O
about O
15 O
km O
northeast O
of O
Beirut O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0116 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Fire O
breaks O
out O
in O
Doha O
primary O
school O

A O
group O
of O
girl O
students O
preparing O
for O
the O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
opening O
ceremony O
had O
to O
be O
evacuated O
when O
a O
fire O
broke O
out O
at O
the O
Al O
Bayan O
primary O
school O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O
No O
casualties O
were O
reported O
. O

Qatar O
' O
s O
leading O
English O
daily O
The O
Peninsula O
reported O
that O
fire O
was O
caused O
by O
an O
electrical O
short O
circuit O
while O
some O
renovation O
work O
was O
being O
carried O
out O
in O
the O
sports O
hall O
of O
the O
school O
. O

The O
hall O
was O
being O
prepared O
to O
train O
the O
students O
for O
the O
Asian O
Games O
opening O
ceremony O
. O
It O
was O
badly O
damaged O
in O
the O
fire O
. O

School O
principal O
Hissa O
Abdullah O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
that O
all O
the O
students O
were O
safely O
evacuated O
from O
the O
building O
. O

The O
Asian O
Games O
is O
slated O
to O
open O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0534 O

DALLAS O
, O
Texas O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Cowboy O
' O
s O
Owens O
fined O
for O
spitting O
on O
Hall O

Dallas O
Cowboys O
' O
temperamental O
wide O
receiver O
Terrell O
Owens O
was O
fined O
35 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
Monday B-T
by O
the O
NFL O
for O
spitting O
in O
the O
face O
of O
Atlanta O
' O
s O
DeAngelo O
Hall O
in O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
38 O
- O
28 O
win O
. O

The O
fine O
by O
new O
commissioner O
Roger O
Goodell O
is O
more O
than O
double O
the O
17 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
fine O
levied O
by O
former O
commissioner O
Paul O
Tagliabue O
against O
Washington O
Redskins O
safety O
Sean O
Taylor O
for O
spitting O
in O
the O
face O
of O
Tampa O
Bay O
running O
back O
Michael O
Pittman O
in O
a O
playoff O
game O
last B-T
season I-T
. O

Taylor O
was O
ejected O
from O
the O
game O
for O
unsportsmanlike O
conduct O
. O

Owens O
spit O
on O
Hall O
after O
Dallas O
' O
sixth O
play O
from O
scrimmage O
, O
but O
it O
was O
not O
seen O
by O
the O
officials O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
series O
, O
Hall O
used O
his O
forearms O
to O
shove O
Owens O
. O
Then O
after O
tight O
end O
Jason O
Witten O
caught O
a O
pass O
, O
Owens O
spit O
on O
Hall O
before O
heading O
back O
to O
the O
huddle O
. O

" O
I O
got O
frustrated O
and O
I O
apologize O
for O
that O
( O
spitting O
) O
, O
" O
Owens O
said O
. O
" O
It O
was O
a O
situation O
where O
he O
( O
Hall O
) O
kept O
bugging O
me O
and O
getting O
in O
my O
face O
. O
" O

Said O
Hall O
, O
" O
I O
lost O
all O
respect O
for O
the O
guy O
. O
You O
don O
' O
t O
spit O
in O
another O
grown O
man O
' O
s O
face O
. O
" O

Owens O
later O
beat O
Hall O
for O
a O
seven O
- O
yard O
touchdown O
late O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
and O
a O
51 O
- O
yard O
score O
midway O
through O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
. O
He O
has O
77 O
catches O
for O
1 O
, O
040 O
yards O
and O
11 O
touchdowns O
this B-T
season I-T
. O

Owens O
played O
just O
seven O
games O
with O
the O
Philadelphia O
Eagles O
last O
season O
before O
the O
club O
banished O
him O
for O
conduct O
detrimental O
to O
the O
team O
. O
He O
publicly O
criticized O
numerous O
members O
of O
the O
organization O
- O
including O
star O
quarterback O
Donovan O
McNabb O
. O

Signed O
to O
a O
three O
- O
year O
, O
25 O
million O
dollar O
contract O
in O
the O
offseason O
by O
the O
Cowboys O
, O
Owens O
created O
quite O
a O
stir O
when O
he O
was O
admitted O
to O
a O
Dallas O
hospital O
on O
September B-T
26 I-T
for O
what O
was O
classified O
by O
police O
as O
an O
" O
accidental O
overdose O
" O
of O
prescription O
painkillers O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0176 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Singapore O
blue O
chips O
end O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
higher O

Singapore O
blue O
- O
chip O
share O
prices O
closed O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
higher O
Tuesday B-T
as O
market O
sentiment O
improved O
following O
a O
mild O
overnight O
rally O
by O
US O
stocks O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
Straits O
Times O
Industrials O
index O
of O
leading O
shares O
on O
the O
Stock O
Exchange O
of O
Singapore O
rose O
16 O
. O
57 O
points O
to O
2 O
, O
104 O
. O
71 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0351 O

PHNOM O
PENH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cambodia O
ranks O
second O
in O
mine O
clearing O
in O
world O

Cambodia O
ranked O
second O
in O
the O
world O
' O
s O
84 O
countries O
in O
clearing O
land O
mines O
and O
unexploded O
ordnance O
( O
UXO O
according O
to O
the O
latest O
annual O
Landmine O
Monitor O
Report O
from O
the O
International O
Campaign O
to O
Ban O
Landmines O
. O

With O
32 O
square O
kilometers O
of O
land O
cleared O
of O
mines O
and O
UXO O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
Cambodia O
ranks O
second O
in O
the O
world O
when O
it O
comes O
to O
clearing O
land O
from O
the O
lethal O
explosives O
, O
The O
Cambodia O
Daily O
quoted O
the O
report O
as O
saying O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Denise O
Coghlan O
, O
research O
officer O
from O
Cambodian O
Campaign O
to O
Ban O
Landmines O
, O
said O
that O
although O
more O
could O
be O
done O
to O
rid O
Cambodia O
of O
mines O
, O
being O
second O
out O
of O
84 O
affected O
countries O
was O
a O
good O
sign O
. O

According O
to O
the O
report O
released O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
154 O
countries O
including O
Cambodia O
have O
now O
signed O
the O
1997 O
Mine O
Ban O
Treaty O
banning O
stockpiling O
, O
producing O
and O
transferring O
landmines O
. O

As O
a O
signatory O
, O
Cambodia O
is O
bound O
to O
clear O
all O
of O
its O
land O
of O
mines O
and O
UXO O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
Coghlan O
said O
. O

Mine O
Action O
and O
Injury O
Prevention O
Coordinator O
for O
Handicap O
International O
Christian O
Provoost O
said O
that O
clearing O
Cambodia O
of O
mines O
in O
the B-T
near I-T
future I-T
is O
not O
a O
realistic O
goals O
. O

" O
If O
they O
want O
to O
clear O
everything O
it O
will O
take O
150 O
years O
more O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Kem O
Sophoan O
, O
director O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
Cambodian O
Mine O
Action O
Center O
, O
said O
that O
the O
highest O
priority O
in O
de O
- O
mining O
was O
to O
clear O
the O
heavily O
mined O
areas O
along O
the O
Thai O
- O
Cambodian O
border O
. O

The O
Cambodian O
Mine O
/ O
UXO O
Information O
System O
' O
s O
latest O
report O
shows O
that O
mines O
or O
UXO O
injured O
or O
killed O
36 O
in O
October B-T
, O
bringing O
the O
total O
number O
of O
dead O
or O
injured O
so O
far O
in O
2005 B-T
to O
775 O
. O

Cambodia O
is O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
most O
- O
heavily O
mined O
counties O
with O
an O
estimated O
four O
to O
six O
million O
of O
the O
hidden O
killers O
buried O
in O
its O
soil O
during O
the O
country O
' O
s O
nearly B-T
three I-T
decades I-T
of O
civil O
conflicts O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0411 O

ANKARA O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Sinan O
Fisek O

A O
spectacular O
gesture O
of O
peace O
to O
Muslims O
and O
an O
apparent O
change O
of O
heart O
about O
letting O
a O
Muslim O
country O
into O
the O
European O
Union O
turned O
Benedict O
XVI O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Turkey O
into O
a O
major O
event O
, O
many O
analysts O
agreed O
, O
but O
some O
took O
it O
all O
with O
a O
grain O
of O
salt O
. O

Just O
11 B-T
weeks I-T
after O
he O
outraged O
Muslims O
by O
appearing O
to O
equate O
Islam O
with O
violence O
, O
the O
pope O
made O
a O
stunning O
conciliatory O
gesture O
Thursday B-T
, O
assuming O
an O
attitude O
of O
Muslim O
prayer O
while O
facing O
Mecca O
in O
Istanbul O
' O
s O
Blue O
Mosque O
. O

The O
moment O
was O
" O
even O
more O
meaningful O
than O
an O
apology O
" O
for O
the O
remarks O
made O
in O
September B-T
in O
Ravensburg O
, O
Germany O
, O
said O
the O
mufti O
of O
Istanbul O
, O
Mustafa O
Cagrici O
, O
who O
was O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
guide O
during O
the O
mosque O
visit O
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
great O
gesture O
of O
peace O
, O
" O
commented O
Dalil O
Boubakeur O
, O
a O
moderate O
French O
Muslim O
leader O
and O
rector O
of O
the O
Paris O
Mosque O
. O
" O
One O
can O
only O
see O
in O
it O
a O
profound O
indication O
of O
the O
fraternal O
ties O
between O
Islam O
and O
christianity O
. O
" O

" O
It O
is O
an O
act O
of O
great O
symbolic O
and O
theological O
- O
- O
even O
historic O
- O
- O
significance O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
pope O
' O
s O
words O
and O
gestures O
about O
Muslims O
" O
turned O
the O
page O
on O
the O
sorry O
episode O
of O
Ravensburg O
, O
" O
agreed O
Algerian O
academic O
and O
thinker O
Mustapha O
Cherif O
, O
who O
had O
a O
private O
audience O
with O
the O
pope O
on O
November B-T
11 I-T
. O

" O
We O
have O
turned O
a O
fresh O
page O
in O
relations O
between O
Islam O
and O
Christianity O
, O
" O
Cherif O
said O
. O

But O
Turkish O
researcher O
and O
religion O
expert O
Aytunc O
Altindal O
, O
scoffed O
at O
reports O
that O
the O
pope O
had O
" O
prayed O
" O
at O
the O
Blue O
Mosque O
. O

" O
Like O
everything O
in O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
trip O
, O
it O
was O
very O
well O
orchestrated O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
He O
adopted O
the O
prayer O
stance O
that O
all O
early O
Christians O
did O
until O
the B-T
year I-T
325 I-T
, O
the O
same O
as O
the O
Jews O
, O
with O
hands O
crossed O
across O
the O
waist O
. O
" O

In O
any O
case O
, O
he O
pointed O
out O
, O
the O
pope O
did O
not O
cross O
his O
hands O
the O
way O
Muslims O
do O
, O
right O
hand O
clasping O
left O
wrist O
with O
fingers O
joined O
, O
but O
" O
with O
three O
fingers O
spread O
, O
in O
the O
sign O
of O
the O
Trinity O
. O
" O

Even O
before O
the O
controversy O
over O
his O
remarks O
on O
Islam O
, O
Benedict O
XVI O
had O
earned O
the O
sobriquet O
of O
the O
" O
anti O
- O
Turkish O
pope O
" O
for O
having O
said O
, O
while O
still O
Joseph O
Cardinal O
Ratzinger O
, O
that O
allowing O
overwhelmingly O
Muslim O
Turkey O
into O
the O
EU O
would O
be O
" O
a O
grave O
error O
. O
. O
. O
against O
the O
tide O
of O
history O
. O
" O

He O
made O
a O
what O
was O
widely O
perceived O
as O
a O
stunning O
U O
- O
turn O
moments O
after O
arriving O
in O
Ankara O
Tuesday B-T
, O
saying O
he O
backed O
the O
candidacy O
in O
remarks O
to O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
, O
who O
reported O
the O
conversation O
to O
journalists O
. O

Most O
analysts O
were O
pleased O
, O
but O
cautious O
. O

" O
If O
Benedict O
XVI O
maintains O
his O
support O
for O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
membership O
after O
he O
leaves O
Turkey O
, O
it O
would O
be O
an O
historic O
turning O
point O
, O
" O
commented O
Cengiz O
Aktar O
, O
an O
Istanbul O
academic O
and O
a O
specialist O
on O
the O
EU O
. O

" O
Turkish O
diplomats O
have O
been O
trying O
for O
decades O
to O
get O
a O
( O
positive O
) O
word O
from O
the O
Vatican O
, O
but O
no O
avail O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
Considering O
the O
weight O
of O
the O
Pope O
' O
s O
words O
on O
Christian O
- O
Democratic O
parties O
and O
public O
opinion O
in O
Europe O
, O
this O
is O
revolutionary O
. O
" O

" O
I O
noted O
with O
great O
satisfaction O
that O
he O
changed O
his O
stance O
on O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
membership O
, O
" O
said O
Fouad O
Alaoui O
, O
a O
radical O
Muslim O
leader O
from O
France O
. O
" O
I O
hope O
this O
progress O
is O
not O
simply O
a O
requirement O
of O
his O
position O
, O
but O
a O
personal O
conviction O
as O
well O
. O
" O

" O
He O
said O
extremely O
friendly O
things O
about O
Turkey O
, O
" O
Boubakeur O
said O
. O
" O
It O
is O
a O
country O
all O
Muslims O
hold O
dear O
because O
we O
remember O
that O
Turkey O
controlled O
the O
destiny O
of O
Islam O
and O
of O
Muslims O
during O
the O
Ottoman O
Empire O
. O
" O

The O
only O
sour O
note O
again O
came O
from O
Altindal O
. O

" O
The O
Prime O
Minister O
( O
Erdogan O
) O
misled O
us O
" O
when O
he O
said O
the O
pope O
favors O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
membership O
, O
Altindal O
said O
. O

" O
In O
fact O
, O
there O
was O
no O
change O
. O
He O
does O
not O
want O
to O
see O
Turkey O
in O
the O
first O
circle O
of O
the O
EU O
, O
" O
the O
researcher O
said O
. O

" O
There O
was O
only O
one O
reason O
for O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
visit O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
" O
and O
that O
was O
to O
proclaim O
the O
Ecumenic O
nature O
of O
the O
Orthodox O
church O
and O
take O
it O
under O
the O
wing O
of O
the O
Vatican O
. O
In O
that O
, O
he O
succeeded O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0264 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Pakistani O
PM O
to O
leave O
for O
New O
York O
to O
attend O
UN O
meeting O

Pakistani O
Prime O
Minister O
Shaukat O
Aziz O
will O
leave O
for O
New O
York O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
attend O
the O
meeting O
of O
High O
Level O
Panel O
of O
Secretary O
General O
of O
United O
Nations O
working O
to O
improve O
the O
UN O
system O
, O
state O
- O
run O
APP O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Aziz O
who O
is O
among O
the O
three O
cochairs O
will O
attend O
the O
meeting O
of O
UN O
High O
Level O
Panel O
to O
develop O
concrete O
and O
comprehensive O
analysis O
and O
finalize O
recommendations O
to O
strengthen O
the O
UN O
operation O
system O
in O
the O
areas O
of O
development O
, O
humanitarian O
assistance O
and O
environment O
. O

The O
Panel O
has O
15 O
members O
with O
prime O
ministers O
of O
Pakistan O
, O
Norway O
and O
Mozambique O
as O
cochairs O
nominated O
by O
the O
Secretary O
General O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
. O

The O
cochairs O
represent O
the O
donor O
community O
( O
Norway O
) O
, O
middle O
income O
developing O
country O
( O
Pakistan O
) O
and O
least O
development O
country O
( O
Mozambique O
) O
. O

The O
Panel O
commenced O
its O
work O
in O
April B-T
2006 I-T
and O
is O
expected O
to O
finalize O
its O
report O
and O
recommendations O
during O
the O
visit O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
Aziz O
to O
New O
York O
and O
then O
the O
recommendations O
will O
be O
presented O
to O
the O
Secretary O
General O
. O

The O
Prime O
Minister O
during O
his O
stay O
in O
New O
York O
will O
also O
meet O
American O
investors O
besides O
addressing O
the O
Pakistani O
community O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0487 O

CHARLOTTE O
, O
North O
Carolina O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Bryant O
' O
s O
58 O
not O
enough O
to O
lift O
Lakers O
over O
Bobcats O

Kobe O
Bryant O
poured O
in O
a O
season O
- O
high O
58 O
points O
, O
but O
it O
wasn O
' O
t O
enough O
to O
stop O
the O
Charlotte O
Bobcats O
from O
pouncing O
for O
a O
triple O
- O
overtime O
victory O
over O
his O
Lakers O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Charlotte O
' O
s O
Emeka O
Okafor O
was O
able O
to O
dominate O
the O
paint O
, O
and O
Matt O
Carroll O
scored O
a O
career O
- O
high O
27 O
points O
off O
the O
bench O
as O
Charlotte O
ultimatedly O
downed O
the O
Lakers O
133 O
- O
124 O
in O
a O
National O
Basketball O
Association O
contest O
. O

Okafor O
had O
22 O
points O
and O
a O
franchise O
- O
record O
25 O
rebounds O
for O
the O
Bobcats O
, O
who O
picked O
up O
a O
victory O
in O
the O
first O
triple O
- O
overtime O
game O
in O
club O
history O
in O
front O
of O
the O
largest O
crowd O
ever O
to O
see O
a O
game O
in O
Charlotte O
. O

Bryant O
shot O
22 O
- O
of O
- O
45 O
from O
the O
field O
and O
10 O
- O
of O
- O
12 O
from O
the O
line O
to O
record O
the O
second O
- O
highest O
scoring O
performance O
in O
the O
NBA O
this O
season O
. O
Washington O
guard O
Gilbert O
Arenas O
scored O
60 O
points O
against O
the O
Lakers O
on O
December B-T
17 I-T
. O

However O
, O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
extra I-T
session I-T
, O
Bryant O
committed O
one O
of O
the O
cardinal O
sins O
of O
defense O
. O

With O
his O
team O
trailing O
by O
two O
points O
with O
1 O
: O
14 O
left O
, O
he O
fouled O
reserve O
Derek O
Anderson O
, O
who O
was O
attempting O
a O
3 O
- O
pointer O
. O

Anderson O
nailed O
all O
three O
foul O
shots O
to O
make O
it O
129 O
- O
124 O
, O
and O
Los O
Angeles O
was O
unable O
to O
get O
any O
closer O
. O

On O
the O
ensuing O
possession O
, O
Bryant O
fouled O
out O
of O
the O
game O
, O
committing O
a O
charge O
on O
a O
wild O
drive O
to O
the O
basket O
but O
leaving O
with O
the O
third O
- O
highest O
scoring O
game O
of O
his O
career O
. O

Last B-T
season I-T
, O
Bryant O
scored O
a O
franchise O
- O
record O
81 O
points O
against O
Toronto O
and O
62 O
points O
in O
a O
game O
against O
Dallas O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0429 O

BUDAPEST O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
mass O
, O
burial O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Hungary O
observed O
a O
day O
of O
national O
mourning O
on O
Saturday B-T
for O
the O
funeral O
of O
Ferenc O
Puskas O
, O
one O
of O
the O
greatest O
footballers O
of O
all O
time O
who O
led O
the O
" O
Mighty O
Magyars O
" O
to O
world O
dominance O
in O
the B-T
1950s I-T
and O
Real O
Madrid O
to O
a O
string O
of O
titles O
in O
the B-T
1960s I-T
. O

Puskas O
, O
who O
died O
after O
a O
long O
battle O
with O
Alzheimer O
' O
s O
on O
November B-T
17 I-T
aged O
79 O
, O
was O
the O
inspiration O
of O
Hungary O
' O
s O
" O
Golden O
Team O
, O
" O
which O
won O
Olympic O
gold O
in O
1952 B-T
and O
was O
runner O
- O
up O
to O
Germany O
in O
the B-T
1954 I-T
World O
Cup O
. O

One O
of O
the O
game O
' O
s O
best O
- O
ever O
strikers O
, O
Puskas O
scored O
a O
remarkable O
83 O
goals O
in O
84 B-T
international O
matches O
for O
Hungary O
from O
1945 B-T
to O
1956 O
. O

" O
How O
many O
times O
his O
fearsome O
left O
foot O
drove O
defenders O
crazy O
and O
led O
his O
team O
to O
victory O
. O
A O
nation O
and O
the O
entire O
world O
grieves O
, O
" O
Jeno O
Buzanszky O
, O
one O
of O
only O
two O
surviving O
members O
of O
the O
" O
Golden O
Team O
" O
, O
told O
a O
memorial O
service O
at O
the O
national O
stadium O
. O

FIFA O
president O
Joseph O
Blatter O
, O
former O
French O
great O
Michel O
Platini O
, O
German O
icon O
Franz O
Beckenbauer O
and O
retired O
Real O
Madrid O
aces O
Raymond O
Kopa O
and O
Francisco O
Gento O
, O
who O
were O
Puskas O
' O
teammates O
, O
were O
also O
in O
attendance O
. O

But O
only O
a O
few O
thousand O
Hungarian O
fans O
showed O
up O
, O
leaving O
many O
disappointed O
that O
people O
could O
not O
fill O
the O
stadium O
, O
renamed O
after O
Puskas O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
to O
its O
capacity O
as O
in O
the B-T
glory I-T
years I-T
of O
Hungarian O
football O
. O

" O
There O
is O
hardly O
anyone O
here O
, O
this O
indifference O
makes O
me O
so O
sad O
. O
This O
is O
an O
embarrassment O
and O
it O
makes O
me O
want O
to O
cry O
, O
" O
said O
a O
choked O
- O
up O
mourner O
, O
Janos O
Szalai O
. O

The O
" O
Golden O
Team O
" O
signalled O
its O
dominance O
in O
1953 B-T
with O
a O
stunning O
6 O
- O
3 O
thrashing O
of O
England O
at O
Wembley O
, O
becoming O
the O
first O
overseas O
team O
to O
beat O
the O
English O
side O
on O
their O
home O
turf O
. O
Puskas O
scored O
twice O
in O
that O
match O
. O

After O
his O
defection O
to O
Spain O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
failed O
1956 O
Hungarian O
uprising O
against O
Soviet O
domination O
, O
Puskas O
joined O
Real O
Madrid O
where O
he O
was O
a O
cornerstone O
of O
the O
club O
which O
won O
three O
European O
Cup O
titles O
and O
seven O
league O
championships O
during O
his O
decade B-T
there O
from O
1958 O
to O
1967 O
. O

" O
Ferenc O
left O
an O
indelible O
mark O
as O
a O
player O
and O
as O
a O
person O
. O
Thank O
you O
Hungary O
, O
thank O
you O
Pancho O
, O
" O
Ramon O
Calderon O
, O
Real O
Madrid O
' O
s O
President O
, O
said O
in O
a O
tribute O
at O
Puskas O
stadium O
, O
using O
the O
legend O
' O
s O
Spanish O
nickname O
. O

Following O
the O
memorial O
service O
, O
a O
procession O
, O
with O
a O
six O
- O
horse O
carriage O
drawing O
Puskas O
' O
casket O
, O
went O
through O
the O
city O
to O
Saint O
Stephen O
' O
s O
Basilica O
, O
where O
the O
legendary O
player O
was O
buried O
. O

The O
procession O
stopped O
for O
a O
military O
salute O
at O
Heroes O
' O
Square O
, O
in O
honor O
of O
the O
" O
Galloping O
Major O
, O
" O
so O
called O
because O
of O
his O
military O
rank O
while O
playing O
for O
his O
Hungarian O
club O
Kispest O
. O

Born O
in O
1927 B-T
in O
Budapest O
, O
Puskas O
was O
only O
15 O
when O
he O
started O
playing O
for O
Kispest O
, O
later O
renamed O
Honved O
, O
or O
Army O
, O
in O
1949 B-T
. O

From O
1927 B-T
to O
1956 O
, O
Puskas O
scored O
358 O
goals O
in O
349 B-T
matches O
. O

He O
was O
posthumously O
promoted O
to O
brigadier O
- O
general O
. O

" O
All O
over O
the O
world O
, O
the O
first O
thing O
that O
comes O
to O
people O
' O
s O
minds O
about O
Hungarians O
is O
Puskas O
. O
Everyone O
says O
his O
name O
with O
a O
smile O
and O
with O
joy O
, O
" O
Hungarian O
President O
Laszlo O
Solyom O
said O
at O
a O
mass O
before O
Puskas O
was O
laid O
to O
rest O
inside O
the O
basilica O
. O

Besides O
his O
stellar O
career O
as O
a O
player O
, O
Puskas O
was O
also O
an O
accomplished O
coach O
, O
directing O
Greek O
club O
Panathinaikos O
to O
league O
crowns O
twice O
and O
to O
a O
European O
Cup O
final O
in O
the B-T
1970 I-T
- I-T
71 I-T
season I-T
. O

In O
the B-T
1970s I-T
and O
80s O
, O
Puskas O
coached O
nearly O
a O
dozen O
teams O
from O
North O
and O
South O
America O
, O
Europe O
, O
Africa O
and O
even O
Australia O
. O

Among O
the O
teams O
he O
directed O
from O
the O
bench O
were O
Chilean O
club O
Colo O
- O
Colo O
, O
Greek O
side O
AEK O
Athens O
, O
Egyptian O
side O
Al O
- O
Masri O
and O
Panhellenic O
Melbourne O
in O
Australia O
. O

Puskas O
settled O
in O
Hungary O
after O
the O
fall O
of O
communism O
and O
briefly O
held O
the O
job O
of O
caretaker O
coach O
of O
the O
national O
squad O
in O
1993 B-T
. O

This O
is O
the O
first O
time O
since O
the O
country O
' O
s O
transition O
to O
democracy O
that O
a O
day O
of O
mourning O
has O
been O
declared O
for O
the O
funeral O
of O
a O
sports O
star O
, O
in O
homage O
to O
the O
legend O
who O
became O
the O
" O
best O
- O
known O
Hungarian O
in O
the O
world O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051209 O
. O
0109 O

LEIPZIG O
, O
Germany O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Iran O
coach O
backs O
Portuguese O
for O
semi O
- O
finals O

Iran O
coach O
Branko O
Ivankovic O
believes O
Group O
D O
rivals O
and O
Euro O
2004 O
runners O
- O
up O
Portugal O
can O
make O
the O
World O
Cup O
semi O
- O
finals O
. O

" O
Our O
group O
contains O
very O
good O
teams O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Croatian O
. O

" O
The O
favourite O
is O
clearly O
Portugal O
, O
they O
will O
be O
in O
the O
semi O
- O
finals O
. O

" O
Mexico O
are O
a O
good O
side O
, O
I O
was O
very O
impressed O
by O
them O
at O
the O
Confederations O
Cup O
. O
Angola O
are O
a O
new O
team O
to O
me O
. O
They O
have O
a O
lot O
of O
enthusiasm O
and O
a O
game O
which O
is O
difficult O
to O
understand O
. O

" O
I O
am O
proud O
of O
my O
team O
, O
we O
have O
worked O
hard O
recently B-T
. O
Our O
problem O
will O
be O
in O
adapting O
to O
the O
different O
styles O
- O
European O
, O
African O
and O
Latin O
- O
American O
. O
I O
hope O
our O
players O
will O
learn O
how O
to O
respond O
to O
the O
different O
problems O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0167 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Official O
urges O
Chinese O
, O
Japanese O
statesmen O
to O
boost O
bilateral O
ties O

Political O
figures O
in O
China O
and O
Japan O
should O
make O
more O
efforts O
to O
turn O
China O
- O
Japan O
relationship O
to O
the O
track O
of O
healthy O
and O
stable O
development O
, O
Chinese O
State O
Councilor O
Tang O
Jiaxuan O
said O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Tang O
made O
the O
remarks O
when O
meeting O
with O
a O
delegation O
of O
young O
parliamentary O
members O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
Komei O
Party O
, O
led O
by O
Ueda O
Osamu O
, O
director O
of O
the O
International O
Bureau O
of O
the O
party O
. O

Tang O
spoke O
highly O
of O
the O
Komei O
Party O
' O
s O
long O
- O
term O
efforts O
to O
promoting O
China O
- O
Japan O
friendly O
cooperation O
, O
and O
briefed O
the O
guests O
on O
China O
' O
s O
stance O
on O
current O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

At O
present O
, O
political O
figures O
of O
both O
countries O
should O
more O
firmly O
abide O
by O
the O
principle O
of O
taking O
history O
as O
a O
mirror O
and O
facing O
toward O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
and O
properly O
handle O
historical O
issues O
with O
a O
right O
attitude O
, O
in O
an O
effort O
to O
push O
forward O
China O
- O
Japan O
relationship O
and O
return O
it O
to O
the O
track O
of O
healthy O
and O
stable O
development O
, O
Tang O
said O
. O

Tang O
expressed O
the O
hope O
that O
young O
political O
figures O
of O
the O
Komei O
Party O
carry O
forward O
the O
tradition O
of O
friendship O
, O
actively O
make O
pragmatic O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
in O
various O
fields O
, O
and O
contribute O
more O
to O
the O
improvement O
and O
development O
of O
China O
- O
Japan O
relations O
. O

Ueda O
Osamu O
said O
the O
Komei O
Party O
always O
upholds O
the O
strong O
desire O
to O
promote O
Japan O
- O
China O
friendship O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
Komei O
Party O
will O
continue O
its O
efforts O
to O
further O
push O
forward O
the O
friendly O
ties O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
. O

Ueda O
Osamu O
paid O
the O
China O
visit O
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
the O
China O
- O
Japan O
Friendship O
Association O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0416 O

ANKARA O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Regensburg O
stead O
Ravensburg O
. O
Here O
is O
a O
corrected O
repetition O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
spectacular O
gesture O
of O
peace O
to O
Muslims O
and O
an O
apparent O
change O
of O
heart O
about O
letting O
a O
Muslim O
country O
into O
the O
European O
Union O
turned O
Benedict O
XVI O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Turkey O
into O
a O
major O
event O
, O
many O
analysts O
agreed O
, O
but O
some O
took O
it O
all O
with O
a O
grain O
of O
salt O
. O

Just O
11 B-T
weeks I-T
after O
he O
outraged O
Muslims O
by O
appearing O
to O
equate O
Islam O
with O
violence O
, O
the O
pope O
made O
a O
stunning O
conciliatory O
gesture O
Thursday B-T
, O
assuming O
an O
attitude O
of O
Muslim O
prayer O
while O
facing O
Mecca O
in O
Istanbul O
' O
s O
Blue O
Mosque O
. O

The O
moment O
was O
" O
even O
more O
meaningful O
than O
an O
apology O
" O
for O
the O
remarks O
made O
in O
September B-T
in O
Regensburg O
, O
Germany O
, O
said O
the O
mufti O
of O
Istanbul O
, O
Mustafa O
Cagrici O
, O
who O
was O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
guide O
during O
the O
mosque O
visit O
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
great O
gesture O
of O
peace O
, O
" O
commented O
Dalil O
Boubakeur O
, O
a O
moderate O
French O
Muslim O
leader O
and O
rector O
of O
the O
Paris O
Mosque O
. O
" O
One O
can O
only O
see O
in O
it O
a O
profound O
indication O
of O
the O
fraternal O
ties O
between O
Islam O
and O
christianity O
. O
" O

" O
It O
is O
an O
act O
of O
great O
symbolic O
and O
theological O
- O
- O
even O
historic O
- O
- O
significance O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
pope O
' O
s O
words O
and O
gestures O
about O
Muslims O
" O
turned O
the O
page O
on O
the O
sorry O
episode O
of O
Regensburg O
, O
" O
agreed O
Algerian O
academic O
and O
thinker O
Mustapha O
Cherif O
, O
who O
had O
a O
private O
audience O
with O
the O
pope O
on O
November B-T
11 I-T
. O

" O
We O
have O
turned O
a O
fresh O
page O
in O
relations O
between O
Islam O
and O
Christianity O
, O
" O
Cherif O
said O
. O

But O
Turkish O
researcher O
and O
religion O
expert O
Aytunc O
Altindal O
, O
scoffed O
at O
reports O
that O
the O
pope O
had O
" O
prayed O
" O
at O
the O
Blue O
Mosque O
. O

" O
Like O
everything O
in O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
trip O
, O
it O
was O
very O
well O
orchestrated O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
He O
adopted O
the O
prayer O
stance O
that O
all O
early O
Christians O
did O
until O
the B-T
year I-T
325 I-T
, O
the O
same O
as O
the O
Jews O
, O
with O
hands O
crossed O
across O
the O
waist O
. O
" O

In O
any O
case O
, O
he O
pointed O
out O
, O
the O
pope O
did O
not O
cross O
his O
hands O
the O
way O
Muslims O
do O
, O
right O
hand O
clasping O
left O
wrist O
with O
fingers O
joined O
, O
but O
" O
with O
three O
fingers O
spread O
, O
in O
the O
sign O
of O
the O
Trinity O
. O
" O

Even O
before O
the O
controversy O
over O
his O
remarks O
on O
Islam O
, O
Benedict O
XVI O
had O
earned O
the O
sobriquet O
of O
the O
" O
anti O
- O
Turkish O
pope O
" O
for O
having O
said O
, O
while O
still O
Joseph O
Cardinal O
Ratzinger O
, O
that O
allowing O
overwhelmingly O
Muslim O
Turkey O
into O
the O
EU O
would O
be O
" O
a O
grave O
error O
. O
. O
. O
against O
the O
tide O
of O
history O
. O
" O

He O
made O
a O
what O
was O
widely O
perceived O
as O
a O
stunning O
U O
- O
turn O
moments O
after O
arriving O
in O
Ankara O
Tuesday B-T
, O
saying O
he O
backed O
the O
candidacy O
in O
remarks O
to O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
, O
who O
reported O
the O
conversation O
to O
journalists O
. O

Most O
analysts O
were O
pleased O
, O
but O
cautious O
. O

" O
If O
Benedict O
XVI O
maintains O
his O
support O
for O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
membership O
after O
he O
leaves O
Turkey O
, O
it O
would O
be O
an O
historic O
turning O
point O
, O
" O
commented O
Cengiz O
Aktar O
, O
an O
Istanbul O
academic O
and O
a O
specialist O
on O
the O
EU O
. O

" O
Turkish O
diplomats O
have O
been O
trying O
for O
decades O
to O
get O
a O
( O
positive O
) O
word O
from O
the O
Vatican O
, O
but O
no O
avail O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
Considering O
the O
weight O
of O
the O
Pope O
' O
s O
words O
on O
Christian O
- O
Democratic O
parties O
and O
public O
opinion O
in O
Europe O
, O
this O
is O
revolutionary O
. O
" O

" O
I O
noted O
with O
great O
satisfaction O
that O
he O
changed O
his O
stance O
on O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
membership O
, O
" O
said O
Fouad O
Alaoui O
, O
a O
radical O
Muslim O
leader O
from O
France O
. O
" O
I O
hope O
this O
progress O
is O
not O
simply O
a O
requirement O
of O
his O
position O
, O
but O
a O
personal O
conviction O
as O
well O
. O
" O

" O
He O
said O
extremely O
friendly O
things O
about O
Turkey O
, O
" O
Boubakeur O
said O
. O
" O
It O
is O
a O
country O
all O
Muslims O
hold O
dear O
because O
we O
remember O
that O
Turkey O
controlled O
the O
destiny O
of O
Islam O
and O
of O
Muslims O
during O
the O
Ottoman O
Empire O
. O
" O

The O
only O
sour O
note O
again O
came O
from O
Altindal O
. O

" O
The O
Prime O
Minister O
( O
Erdogan O
) O
misled O
us O
" O
when O
he O
said O
the O
pope O
favors O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
membership O
, O
Altindal O
said O
. O

" O
In O
fact O
, O
there O
was O
no O
change O
. O
He O
does O
not O
want O
to O
see O
Turkey O
in O
the O
first O
circle O
of O
the O
EU O
, O
" O
the O
researcher O
said O
. O

" O
There O
was O
only O
one O
reason O
for O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
visit O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
" O
and O
that O
was O
to O
proclaim O
the O
Ecumenic O
nature O
of O
the O
Orthodox O
church O
and O
take O
it O
under O
the O
wing O
of O
the O
Vatican O
. O
In O
that O
, O
he O
succeeded O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0135 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Pakistan O
' O
s O
delegation O
leaves O
for O
dialog O
with O
India O

An O
eight O
- O
member O
delegation O
headed O
by O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Secretary O
Riaz O
Mohammad O
Khan O
left O
for O
New O
Delhi O
on O
Monday B-T
to O
resume O
secretary O
- O
level O
dialogue O
with O
India O
after O
months O
of O
suspension O
. O

India O
had O
suspended O
talks O
with O
Pakistan O
following O
the O
deadly O
train O
blasts O
in O
the O
Indian O
commercial O
center O
of O
Mumbai O
, O
which O
had O
killed O
more O
than O
180 O
people O
and O
injured O
some O
400 O
. O

India O
has O
alleged O
that O
Pakistan O
- O
based O
militant O
group O
Lashkar O
- O
e O
- O
Tayyeba O
had O
carried O
out O
the O
blasts O
with O
the O
help O
of O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
intelligence O
agency O
. O

Pakistan O
had O
denied O
the O
charges O
and O
said O
it O
would O
offer O
assistance O
in O
the O
investigation O
process O
and O
said O
that O
it O
would O
take O
action O
if O
India O
provided O
proofs O
. O

The O
two O
- O
day O
talks O
to O
begin O
on O
Tuesday B-T
will O
formally O
mark O
the O
resumption O
of O
the O
stalled O
composite O
dialogue O
, O
considered O
an O
integral O
part O
of O
the O
ongoing O
Indo O
- O
Pakistan O
peace O
process O
. O

President O
Pervez O
Musharraf O
and O
Indian O
Prime O
Minister O
Manmohan O
Singh O
, O
who O
met O
in O
the O
Cuban O
capital O
of O
Havana O
, O
had O
directed O
their O
foreign O
secretaries O
to O
resume O
dialogue O
. O

Official O
sources O
said O
that O
the O
two O
sides O
would O
discuss O
mechanism O
on O
how O
to O
jointly O
deal O
with O
the O
issue O
of O
terrorism O
. O

They O
will O
also O
review O
progress O
of O
talks O
held O
between O
senior O
officials O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
on O
varieties O
of O
key O
issues O
including O
the O
issue O
of O
Jammu O
and O
Kashmir O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0235 O

TEHRAN O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Major O
petrochemical O
complex O
opens O
in O
Iran O

President O
Ali O
Akbar O
Hashemi O
Rafsanjani O
inaugurated O
Iran O
' O
s O
largest O
and O
most O
modern O
petrochemical O
complex O
in O
the O
northestern O
city O
of O
Tabriz O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
official O
sources O
said O
. O

The O
new O
project O
in O
East O
Azerbaijan O
province O
will O
make O
Iran O
the O
second O
largest O
producer O
of O
petrochemicals O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
after O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
with O
an O
estimated O
annual O
output O
of O
13 O
million O
tonnes O
, O
state O
radio O
said O
. O

The O
new O
complex O
has O
an O
annual O
capacity O
of O
311 O
, O
000 O
tonnes O
worth O
around O
300 O
million O
dollars O
, O
its O
director O
Abbas O
Sedghi O
told O
Iran O
' O
s O
official O
news O
agency O
IRNA O
. O

" O
Given O
the O
high O
quality O
of O
its O
products O
, O
we O
expect O
to O
export O
up O
to O
150 O
million O
dollars O
in O
petrochemicals O
, O
" O
he O
said O
without O
elaborating O
. O

Sedghi O
said O
Iran O
had O
received O
technical O
assistance O
for O
the O
complex O
from O
France O
, O
Italy O
and O
Germany O
and O
that O
750 O
million O
dollars O
in O
foreign O
loans O
had O
been O
obtained O
to O
finance O
the O
project O
. O

Parliament O
has O
authorized O
the O
government O
to O
secure O
up O
to O
2 O
. O
8 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
foreign O
financing O
to O
develop O
the O
petrochemical O
sector O
during O
the B-T
current I-T
Iranian I-T
year I-T
, O
which O
started O
on O
March B-T
21 I-T
. O

The O
assembly O
on O
Tuesday B-T
imposed O
a O
ceiling O
of O
16 O
. O
7 O
billion O
dollars O
for O
hard O
currency O
spending O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Iran O
expects O
to O
earn O
around O
18 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
oil O
receipts O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0073 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Top O
Ugandan O
army O
officer O
warns O
retired O
officers O
against O
dividing O
army O

The O
newly O
- O
appointed O
Chief O
of O
Defense O
Forces O
of O
Uganda O
has O
warned O
retired O
officers O
against O
sowing O
seeds O
of O
divisionism O
in O
the O
army O
. O

General O
Aronda O
Nyakairima O
was O
quoted O
by O
local O
press O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
saying O
that O
there O
are O
some O
retired O
army O
officers O
who O
have O
turned O
against O
the O
Commander O
in O
Chief O
of O
the O
Ugandan O
armed O
Forces O
, O
President O
Yoweri O
Museveni O
and O
were O
trying O
to O
spread O
propaganda O
to O
disunite O
the O
army O
. O

" O
Some O
officers O
, O
when O
they O
retire O
, O
turn O
against O
the O
commander O
in O
chief O
but O
we O
are O
in O
full O
force O
. O
Our O
response O
will O
be O
terrible O
for O
those O
trying O
to O
interfere O
with O
the O
army O
and O
dividing O
us O
. O
They O
stand O
warned O
. O
I O
am O
telling O
politicians O
that O
they O
should O
not O
attempt O
to O
sow O
seeds O
of O
disunity O
in O
the O
Uganda O
People O
' O
s O
Defense O
Force O
( O
UPDF O
) O
, O
" O
Nyakairima O
. O

Two O
retired O
army O
officers O
, O
Col O
. O
Kiiza O
Besigye O
and O
Maj O
. O
Gen O
. O
Mugisha O
Muntu O
have O
been O
critical O
of O
President O
Museveni O
and O
the O
UPDF O
. O

The O
two O
officers O
belong O
to O
one O
of O
the O
major O
opposition O
parties O
in O
Uganda O
, O
the O
Forum O
for O
Democratic O
Change O
. O

" O
We O
have O
seen O
governments O
which O
have O
spent O
only O
one B-T
year I-T
, I-T
68 I-T
days I-T
or I-T
even I-T
two I-T
months I-T
in O
power O
. O
The O
UPDF O
is O
determined O
to O
defend O
the O
country O
from O
such O
and O
also O
defend O
a O
government O
which O
is O
clearly O
steering O
the O
country O
into O
development O
and O
stability O
, O
" O
said O
Nyakairima O
. O

Nyakairima O
' O
s O
statement O
comes O
after O
President O
Museveni O
promoted O
and O
retired O
some O
of O
the O
UPDF O
officers O
on O
October B-T
24 I-T
. O

Uganda O
is O
currently O
going O
through O
a O
political O
transition O
period O
which O
will O
see O
it O
hold O
its O
first O
ever O
multiparty O
general O
elections O
in O
March B-T
next I-T
year I-T
after O
over B-T
20 I-T
years I-T
of O
political O
parties O
being O
in O
abeyance O
. O

In O
this O
transition O
period O
some O
politicians O
have O
been O
critical O
of O
the O
UPDF O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0194 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambia O
gets O
loan O
from O
African O
Development O
Fund O

" O
In O
Zambia O
, O
there O
is O
a O
close O
correlation O
between O
infant O
mortality O
and O
access O
to O
potable O
water O
and O
sanitation O
services O
. O
Health O
statistics O
in O
Zambia O
indicate O
that O
diarrhea O
and O
other O
water O
- O
related O
diseases O
are O
ranked O
among O
the O
top O
common O
causes O
of O
outpatient O
care O
for O
all O
age O
groups O
because O
of O
poor O
hygiene O
and O
sanitation O
. O
During O
the O
first O
phase O
of O
the O
program O
( O
2006 O
- O
2010 O
) O
, O
2 O
. O
1 O
million O
will O
be O
provided O
access O
to O
safe O
water O
and O
2 O
. O
3 O
million O
people O
to O
improved O
sanitation O
services O
, O
" O
ADF O
, O
the O
soft O
loan O
arm O
of O
the O
African O
Development O
Bank O
( O
AfDB O
) O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Since O
AfDB O
started O
working O
in O
Zambia O
in O
1971 B-T
, O
it O
has O
financed O
11 O
operations O
in O
water O
supply O
and O
sanitation O
sector O
with O
a O
combined O
worth O
of O
137 O
. O
6 O
million O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0390 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Anarchists O
torch O
banks O
in O
Athens O

A O
series O
of O
firebomb O
attacks O
targeting O
banks O
in O
Athens O
occurred O
Wednesday B-T
overnight O
, O
days B-T
before O
the O
33rd O
anniversary O
of O
the O
Polytechnic O
students O
' O
uprising O
in O
1973 B-T
. O

The O
first O
firebomb O
attack O
, O
which O
targeted O
a O
National O
Bank O
branch O
in O
the O
Peristeri O
district O
, O
damaged O
an O
ATM O
and O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
entrance O
. O
A B-T
few I-T
minutes I-T
later O
, O
the O
entrance O
of O
another O
National O
Bank O
branch O
in O
Paleo O
Faliro O
was O
also O
wrecked O
by O
fire O
. O

In O
Holargos O
district O
, O
a O
firebomb O
caused O
minor O
damage O
to O
a O
third O
National O
Bank O
branch O
. O

Extensive O
damages O
were O
also O
reported O
following O
a O
firebomb O
raid O
against O
an O
Emporiki O
Bank O
branch O
in O
downtown O
Athens O
. O

The O
1973 O
uprising O
was O
an O
event O
marred O
by O
violence O
of O
self O
- O
styled O
anarchist O
and O
anti O
- O
state O
youths O
and O
activists O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0235 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sino O
- O
Japanese O
joint O
TV O
documentary O
to O
mark O
Sun O
Yat O
- O
sen O
anniversary O

China O
Central O
Television O
is O
to O
broadcast O
a O
Sino O
- O
Japanese O
jointly O
produced O
documentary O
on O
the B-T
years I-T
of O
Chinese O
revolutionary O
Sun O
Yat O
- O
sen O
in O
Japan O
to O
mark O
140 O
years O
since O
his O
birth O
. O

The O
fourth O
channel O
of O
CCTV O
( O
China O
Central O
Television O
) O
will O
broadcast O
the O
50 O
- O
minute O
documentary O
, O
entitled O
" O
Kyushu O
- O
- O
Following O
Sun O
Yat O
- O
sen O
' O
s O
Path O
" O
on O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
and I-T
night I-T
, O
a O
CCTV O
spokesperson O
said O
. O

The O
documentary O
, O
shot O
by O
CCTV O
, O
the O
Soong O
Ching O
Ling O
Foundation O
, O
and O
tourism O
agency O
of O
Kyushu O
, O
Japan O
, O
over O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
will O
trace O
Sun O
' O
s O
activities O
in O
Japan O
where O
he O
stayed O
for O
a O
total O
of O
nine B-T
years I-T
between O
1895 B-T
and O
1924 B-T
. O

Sun O
was O
active O
in O
the O
cities O
of O
Tokyo O
, O
Nagasaki O
, O
Kobe O
and O
Yokohama O
, O
where O
his O
experiences O
are O
thought O
to O
have O
shaped O
his O
ideas O
of O
revolution O
. O

He O
led O
the O
historic O
revolution O
of O
1911 O
that O
overthrew O
the O
Qing O
Dynasty O
( O
1644 O
- O
1911 O
) O
, O
ending O
China O
' O
s O
autocratic O
monarchical O
system O
that O
had O
been O
in O
place O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
000 I-T
years I-T
. O

Sun O
died O
in O
Beijing O
on O
March B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
1925 I-T
. O
His O
body O
was O
temporarily O
kept O
in O
the O
then O
Central O
Park O
, O
which O
was O
renamed O
Zhongshan O
( O
Sun O
Yat O
- O
sen O
) O
Park O
in O
1928 B-T
. O

Sun O
is O
a O
national O
hero O
in O
both O
Taiwan O
and O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
. O
Roads O
and O
parks O
named O
" O
Zhongshan O
" O
are O
seen O
all O
over O
China O
. O
His O
trademark O
tunic O
suit O
, O
which O
bears O
his O
name O
, O
was O
once O
part O
of O
a O
national O
dress O
code O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
leaders O
and O
people O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0157 O

SRINAGAR O
, O
India O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Two O
Moslem O
militants O
killed O
after O
Kashmir O
grenade O
attack O

Indian O
border O
guards O
shot O
dead O
two O
Moslem O
militants O
here O
Monday B-T
after O
a O
failed O
grenade O
attack O
on O
a O
police O
officer O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Three O
other O
militants O
were O
arrested O
after O
the O
shootout O
with O
the O
Border O
Security O
Force O
( O
BSF O
) O
. O

The O
initial O
attack O
occured O
in O
a O
busy O
street O
in O
a O
residential O
area O
near O
Islamia O
College O
, O
a O
BSF O
spokesman O
said O
. O

A O
group O
of O
militants O
threw O
a O
grenade O
and O
opened O
fire O
at O
the O
car O
of O
deputy O
superintendent O
of O
police O
Mohammed O
Shafi O
Pattro O
. O
He O
escaped O
unhurt O
. O

Dozens O
of O
BSF O
personnel O
, O
who O
are O
deployed O
on O
Srinagar O
' O
s O
streets O
, O
rushed O
to O
the O
site O
and O
cordoned O
off O
several O
houses O
from O
where O
the O
militants O
were O
firing O
. O

" O
A O
prolonged O
gunbattle O
followed O
, O
" O
an O
officer O
said O
. O
" O
We O
shot O
dead O
two O
militants O
. O
Our O
men O
later O
recovered O
four O
AK O
- O
47 O
rifles O
and O
a O
universal O
machine O
gun O
. O

" O
We O
are O
still O
looking O
for O
other O
militants O
. O
" O

Moslem O
militants O
are O
fighting O
for O
Kashmnir O
' O
s O
independence O
from O
India O
. O
Around O
20 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
died O
in O
the O
campaign O
since O
1989 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0247 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
, O
Singapore O
vow O
to O
strengthen O
personnel O
training O
cooperation O

China O
and O
Singapore O
should O
further O
strengthen O
cooperation O
and O
exchanges O
on O
personnel O
training O
, O
said O
He O
Guoqiang O
, O
head O
of O
the O
Organization O
Department O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
Central O
Committee O
. O

" O
Such O
cooperation O
and O
exchanges O
are O
of O
great O
significance O
to O
promoting O
mutual O
understanding O
between O
officials O
of O
both O
sides O
and O
the O
development O
of O
bilateral O
friendly O
relations O
, O
" O
He O
said O
. O

He O
made O
the O
remark O
in O
a O
meeting O
with O
Tan O
Tee O
How O
, O
permanent O
secretary O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
National O
Development O
of O
Singapore O
, O
who O
headed O
a O
Singaporean O
delegation O
of O
training O
course O
for O
permanent O
secretaries O
. O

He O
said O
the O
visit O
by O
the O
Singaporean O
guests O
was O
an O
important O
part O
of O
China O
- O
Singapore O
cooperation O
on O
personnel O
training O
and O
he O
hoped O
the O
two O
sides O
continue O
to O
strengthen O
exchanges O
to O
promote O
the O
sustainable O
, O
healthy O
and O
steady O
development O
of O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

He O
added O
that O
Singapore O
has O
a O
lot O
of O
experience O
that O
China O
can O
learn O
from O
in O
personnel O
training O
. O

He O
also O
briefed O
Tan O
on O
the O
recent O
Sixth O
Plenary O
Session O
of O
the O
16th O
CPC O
Central O
Committee O
and O
China O
' O
s O
economic O
and O
social O
development O
and O
opening O
up O
. O

Tan O
said O
the O
visit O
to O
China O
was O
part O
of O
the O
training O
program O
of O
his O
delegation O
and O
the O
reason O
for O
this O
visit O
is O
that O
he O
hoped O
his O
delegation O
members O
to O
see O
the O
significant O
and O
fast O
development O
in O
China O
. O

He O
said O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
conducted O
good O
cooperation O
in O
many O
fields O
, O
among O
which O
personnel O
is O
a O
very O
important O
one O
and O
the O
Singaporean O
side O
hoped O
to O
keep O
regular O
exchanges O
with O
the O
Chinese O
side O
in O
this O
field O
. O

The O
delegation O
will O
also O
visit O
Tianjin O
, O
a O
port O
city O
neighboring O
Beijing O
, O
and O
Hubei O
Province O
in O
central O
China O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0164 O

DURBAN O
, O
South O
Africa O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

India O
set O
to O
make O
354 O
to O
win O

India O
were O
set O
a O
target O
of O
354 O
to O
win O
when O
South O
Africa O
declared O
their O
second O
innings O
at O
265 O
for O
eight O
on O
the B-T
fourth I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
second O
Test O
at O
Kingsmead O
Friday B-T
. O

Shaun O
Pollock O
made O
a O
stroke O
- O
filled O
63 O
not O
out O
as O
South O
Africa O
pushed O
for O
quick O
runs O
after O
lunch O
. O
Shanthakumuran O
Sreesanth O
was O
India O
' O
s O
most O
successful O
bowler O
with O
four O
for O
79 B-T
. O

There O
were O
48 O
overs O
due O
to O
be O
bowled O
on O
the B-T
fourth I-T
day I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0080 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Dave O
James O

Double O
world O
champion O
Nicol O
David O
is O
eyeing O
revenge O
over O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Rebecca O
Chiu O
as O
she O
attempts O
to O
reclaim O
the O
Asian O
Games O
squash O
crown O
she O
lost O
in O
such O
miserable O
circumstances O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
Malaysian O
won O
the O
title O
as O
a O
15 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
in O
Bangkok O
in O
1998 B-T
but O
crashed O
to O
a O
demoralising O
defeat O
in O
Busan O
in O
2002 B-T
when O
the O
weight O
of O
expectation O
proved O
too O
much O
. O

Now B-T
, O
with O
another O
world O
title O
under O
her O
belt O
and O
with O
her O
place O
at O
the O
top O
of O
the O
world O
rankings O
confirmed O
by O
having O
twice O
as O
many O
points O
as O
her O
closest O
rival O
, O
the O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
insists O
she O
is O
ready O
to O
take O
back O
her O
Asian O
crown O
. O

" O
The O
Asian O
Games O
is O
very O
important O
to O
me O
, O
in O
a O
different O
way O
from O
the O
World O
Open O
, O
" O
said O
David O
who O
saw O
off O
Australia O
' O
s O
three O
- O
times O
Commonwealth O
Games O
gold O
medallist O
Natalie O
Grinham O
to O
retain O
her O
world O
title O
in O
Belfast O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

David O
, O
who O
is O
seeded O
to O
face O
Chiu O
again O
in O
the O
final O
here O
, O
defeated O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
girl O
to O
win O
the O
gold O
at O
the O
Bangkok O
Games O
in O
1998 B-T
. O

" O
At O
the O
Asian O
Games O
, O
you O
are O
part O
of O
your O
country O
' O
s O
whole O
team O
of O
athletes O
from O
a O
number O
of O
different O
sports O
. O
There O
' O
s O
been O
a O
huge O
build O
- O
up O
to O
the O
Games O
and O
winning O
something O
like O
this O
is O
a O
whole O
different O
feeling O
, O
" O
said O
the O
woman O
from O
Penang O
. O

David O
is O
in O
a O
rich O
vein O
of O
form O
with O
her O
win O
in O
Belfast O
stretching O
her O
unbeaten O
international O
run O
to O
33 O
matches O
. O

After O
a O
bye O
in O
the O
first O
round O
, O
she O
is O
expected O
to O
go O
on O
to O
face O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Christina O
Mak O
in O
the O
semi O
- O
finals O
, O
before O
the O
anticipated O
final O
clash O
with O
Chiu O
. O

Victory O
here O
will O
also O
see O
her O
bank O
account O
boosted O
by O
a O
25 O
, O
000 O
- O
dollar O
bonus O
from O
the O
Malaysian O
National O
Sports O
Council O
. O
Her O
first O
world O
title O
in O
2005 B-T
earned O
her O
56 O
, O
000 O
dollars O

In O
the O
men O
' O
s O
event O
, O
David O
' O
s O
compatriot O
Mohd O
Azlan O
Iskandar O
is O
the O
top O
seed O
. O

His O
only O
previous O
performance O
in O
the O
Games O
was O
a O
semi O
- O
final O
finish O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

Azlan O
Iskander O
is O
seeded O
to O
meet O
compatriot O
and O
defending O
champion O
On O
Beng O
Hee O
, O
the O
defending O
champion O
, O
in O
the O
final O
. O

The O
pair O
will O
face O
stiff O
competition O
, O
however O
, O
from O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
Mansoor O
Zaman O
and O
Aamir O
Atlas O
Khan O
, O
and O
Indian O
duo O
Ritwik O
Bhattacharya O
and O
the O
Saurav O
Ghosal O
. O

Azlan O
Iskander O
, O
the O
world O
number O
14 O
, O
is O
the O
highest O
ranked O
player O
in O
Asia O
but O
recent O
form O
has O
not O
been O
encouraging O
. O

He O
lost O
to O
qualifier O
Alister O
Walker O
of O
England O
at O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Open O
and O
then O
was O
beaten O
by O
unseeded O
Pakistani O
Aamir O
Atlas O
Khan O
in O
the O
first O
round O
of O
the O
Pakistan O
Open O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
the O
Games O
. O

The O
Malaysian O
said O
he O
will O
be O
under O
pressure O
when O
the O
tournament O
starts O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
Losing O
twice O
to O
players O
ranked O
well O
below O
me O
was O
a O
setback O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Malaysian O
. O

" O
I O
need O
to O
brush O
up O
on O
my O
technique O
and O
tactics O
quickly O
to O
live O
up O
to O
my O
billing O
as O
the O
number O
one O
player O
in O
Asia O
, O
" O
said O
Azlan O
who O
was O
a O
bronze O
medallist O
in O
Busan O
. O

Defending O
champion O
Ong O
Beng O
Hee O
, O
who O
beat O
Mansoor O
Zaman O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
believes O
the O
Pakistanis O
, O
once O
the O
kings O
of O
the O
sport O
, O
will O
again O
pose O
a O
threat O
. O

" O
They O
will O
definitely O
try O
to O
stop O
me O
and O
Iskander O
from O
reaching O
the O
final O
, O
" O
said O
Beng O
Hee O
. O

" O
It O
will O
be O
really O
nice O
to O
have O
all O
- O
Malaysian O
finals O
in O
both O
the O
men O
' O
s O
and O
women O
' O
s O
events O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0085 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nepal O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Nepal O
to O
recruit O
ex O
- O
Gurkhas O
for O
initial O
arms O
monitoring O

Nepal O
' O
s O
government O
and O
Maoist O
rebels O
have O
agreed O
for O
former O
Gurkha O
soldiers O
to O
monitor O
a O
ceasefire O
in O
the O
Himalayan O
nation O
until O
the O
arrival O
of O
a O
full O
United O
Nations O
team O
, O
officials O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
The O
meeting O
between O
the O
government O
, O
the O
UN O
and O
the O
Maoists O
on O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
agreed O
to O
deploy O
ex O
- O
Gurkha O
soldiers O
to O
begin O
the O
registration O
and O
verification O
of O
arms O
and O
armies O
, O
" O
Maoist O
negotiator O
Dinanath O
Sharma O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
The O
retired O
soldiers O
will O
be O
assisting O
in O
the O
arms O
management O
until O
the O
full O
UN O
monitoring O
mission O
arrives O
in O
Nepal O
, O
" O
said O
Sharma O
. O

Under O
a O
peace O
deal O
agreed O
last B-T
month I-T
that O
ended O
a O
decade O
of O
civil O
war O
, O
the O
government O
agreed O
to O
let O
the O
Maoists O
enter O
parliament O
and O
government O
in O
return O
for O
placing O
their O
arms O
and O
fighters O
in O
camps O
under O
UN O
supervision O
. O

But O
UN O
monitors O
are O
not O
slated O
to O
start O
arriving O
in O
Nepal O
before O
next B-T
month I-T
, O
and O
will O
not O
immediately O
have O
the O
capacity O
to O
cover O
all O
the O
rebel O
camps O
. O

Gurkha O
soldiers O
- O
- O
from O
special O
regiments O
of O
Nepali O
soldiers O
in O
the O
Indian O
and O
British O
armies O
- O
- O
have O
a O
long O
history O
of O
UN O
peacekeeping O
missions O
. O

Sharma O
said O
that O
a O
total O
of O
111 O
ex O
- O
Gurkha O
servicemen O
who O
have O
retired O
from O
the O
British O
and O
Indian O
armies O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
would O
be O
recruited O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
week I-T
Ian O
Martin O
, O
the O
UN O
chief O
' O
s O
personal O
representative O
to O
the O
peace O
process O
, O
said O
that O
formation O
of O
a O
Gurkha O
interim O
task O
force O
would O
make O
it O
possible O
for O
the O
early O
start O
of O
the O
arms O
and O
armies O
verification O
process O
while O
UN O
monitoring O
strength O
was O
built O
up O
. O

Martin O
said O
that O
an O
initial O
party O
of O
35 O
UN O
monitors O
would O
arrive O
by O
mid O
- O
January O
2007 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0397 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Schwarzenegger O
leaves O
hospital O
after O
surgery O
on O
broken O
leg O

California O
Governor O
Arnold O
Schwarzenegger O
was O
released O
from O
the O
hospital O
here O
Saturday B-T
, O
following O
successful O
surgery O
on O
his O
right O
leg O
to O
fix O
a O
broken O
bone O
. O

The O
Hollywood O
action O
- O
hero O
- O
turned O
- O
politician O
fractured O
his O
right O
femur O
on O
December B-T
23 I-T
while O
skiing O
in O
Sun O
Valley O
, O
Idaho O
, O
and O
underwent O
a O
90 O
- O
minute O
operation O
on O
December B-T
26 I-T
to O
knit O
the O
broken O
bones O
back O
together O
. O

" O
His O
femur O
is O
beginning O
to O
mend O
nicely O
and O
I O
expect O
him O
to O
have O
a O
full O
and O
speedy O
recovery O
from O
this O
injury O
, O
" O
Doctor O
Kevin O
Ehrhart O
, O
Schwarzenegger O
' O
s O
orthopedic O
surgeon O
, O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
Saturday B-T
. O

He O
added O
that O
fractures O
of O
that O
kind O
usually O
take O
about O
eight B-T
weeks I-T
to O
completely O
heal O
. O

Schwarzenegger O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
he O
felt O
" O
fantastic O
to O
return O
home O
today B-T
as O
my O
family O
prepares O
to O
celebrate O
the O
New O
Year O
together O
. O
" O

He O
said O
he O
was O
looking O
forward O
to O
beginning O
2007 O
with O
his O
formal O
inauguration O
, O
his O
State O
of O
the O
State O
Address O
, O
and O
the O
presentation O
of O
a O
state O
budget O
proposal O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061231 O
. O
0180 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
REFILING O
correcting O
name O
typo O
in O
para O
five O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Russia O
edged O
closer O
Sunday B-T
to O
cutting O
gas O
supplies O
to O
neighbouring O
Belarus O
as O
talks O
in O
Moscow O
on O
a O
price O
dispute O
entered O
their O
final O
hours O
, O
prompting O
fears O
of O
energy O
disruptions O
in O
western O
Europe O
. O

Supplier O
Gazprom O
' O
s O
spokesman O
Sergei O
Kupriyanov O
said O
on O
national O
television O
that O
marathon O
negotiations O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
had O
so O
far O
failed O
. O
" O
We O
have O
not O
been O
able O
to O
agree O
, O
but O
Gazprom O
is O
doing O
everything O
so O
that O
a O
contract O
can O
be O
signed O
on O
gas O
delivery O
for O
2007 O
. O
" O

But O
he O
added O
later O
that O
while O
the O
talks O
were O
continuing O
they O
were O
" O
difficult O
and O
tense O
" O
. O

" O
In O
addition O
, O
the O
Belarussians O
have O
started O
linking O
to O
the O
gas O
problem O
questions O
of O
relations O
between O
Belarus O
and O
Russia O
that O
have O
nothing O
to O
do O
with O
gas O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
without O
giving O
details O
. O

Kupriyanov O
said O
that O
without O
an O
accord O
on O
a O
new O
five O
- O
year O
contract O
Gazprom O
would O
move O
towards O
cutting O
off O
supplies O
to O
Belarus O
from O
0700 O
GMT O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
Russian O
gas O
giant O
wants O
to O
boost O
its O
prices O
from O
the O
current O
45 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
metres O
to O
105 O
dollars O
, O
about O
a O
third O
of O
which O
would O
be O
paid O
in O
shares O
in O
Belarus O
' O
s O
pipeline O
network O
. O

Kupriyanov O
' O
s O
latest O
pessimistic O
remarks O
came O
despite O
the O
presence O
in O
Moscow O
Sunday O
of O
Belarus O
' O
s O
first O
deputy O
prime O
minister O
Vladimir O
Semashko O
" O
to O
take O
part O
in O
the O
negotiations O
, O
" O
according O
to O
his O
spokesman O
in O
Minsk O
. O

Gazprom O
had O
previously O
said O
that O
without O
Semashko O
no O
deal O
was O
possible O
. O

If O
Gazprom O
cuts O
supplies O
- O
- O
as O
it O
did O
briefly O
in O
a O
similar O
price O
dispute O
with O
Ukraine O
last B-T
January I-T
- O
- O
many O
of O
Belarus O
' O
s O
10 O
million O
people O
may O
start O
the O
New O
Year O
in O
chilly O
conditions O
, O
while O
the O
country O
' O
s O
industrial O
base O
will O
suffer O
a O
major O
blow O
. O

There O
are O
also O
concerns O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
that O
the O
row O
will O
impact O
on O
Russian O
imports O
, O
20 O
percent O
of O
which O
transit O
through O
Belarus O
, O
meeting O
about O
five O
percent O
of O
EU O
natural O
gas O
needs O
. O

Late O
Saturday O
Semashko O
announced O
that O
the O
two O
sides O
had O
agreed O
to O
a O
price O
of O
100 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
metres O
for O
2007 B-T
and O
that O
the O
price O
for O
2008 O
- O
2010 O
was O
all O
that O
remained O
to O
be O
finalised O
. O

But O
Gazprom O
immediately O
poured O
cold O
water O
on O
the O
claim O
, O
saying O
it O
reflected O
Semashko O
' O
s O
" O
point O
of O
view O
, O
" O
not O
an O
agreement O
, O
and O
warned O
of O
a O
" O
critical O
scenario O
. O
" O

Gazprom O
, O
a O
state O
- O
owned O
giant O
that O
produces O
a O
third O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
gas O
, O
has O
mounted O
a O
tough O
campaign O
to O
end O
Soviet O
- O
era O
subsidies O
to O
neighbouring O
countries O
, O
as O
well O
as O
expand O
ownership O
of O
infrastructure O
and O
other O
energy O
businesses O
throughout O
Europe O
. O

The O
company O
says O
it O
wants O
to O
put O
pricing O
on O
a O
market O
basis O
. O
Critics O
, O
including O
many O
in O
western O
Europe O
, O
fear O
the O
Kremlin O
seeks O
to O
use O
Gazprom O
as O
a O
tool O
to O
reimpose O
part O
of O
its O
dominance O
lost O
at O
the O
time O
of O
the O
1991 O
Soviet O
collapse O
. O

Belarus O
, O
which O
lies O
sandwiched O
between O
Russia O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
is O
in O
a O
loose O
economic O
and O
political O
partnership O
with O
Russia O
and O
has O
always O
argued O
that O
gas O
import O
prices O
should O
be O
similar O
to O
those O
paid O
within O
Russia O
. O

But O
Kupriyanov O
on O
Sunday B-T
said O
this O
would O
not O
be O
possible O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
price O
demanded O
was O
lower O
than O
that O
now B-T
being O
paid O
by O
several O
other O
ex O
- O
Soviet O
republics O
, O
including O
Armenia O
, O
another O
ally O
of O
Russia O
. O

" O
We O
take O
into O
account O
the O
relations O
that O
there O
are O
between O
our O
countries O
, O
but O
all O
the O
same O
Belarus O
is O
an O
independent O
, O
sovereign O
country O
, O
and O
not O
a O
region O
of O
Russia O
, O
and O
so O
the O
prices O
should O
be O
different O
, O
" O
Kupriyanov O
said O
. O

Belarus O
insists O
that O
unless O
a O
deal O
is O
reached O
on O
its O
own O
domestic O
imports O
, O
then O
transit O
of O
Russian O
gas O
across O
Belarus O
to O
western O
Europe O
will O
also O
be O
threatened O
. O
This O
could O
potentially O
result O
in O
shortfalls O
for O
EU O
members O
including O
Germany O
, O
Lithuania O
and O
Poland O
. O

Gazprom O
accuses O
Belarus O
of O
preparing O
to O
siphon O
off O
gas O
intended O
for O
western O
Europe O
and O
says O
it O
will O
closely O
monitor O
the O
line O
. O

The O
growing O
threat O
of O
an O
energy O
war O
between O
Russia O
and O
Belarus O
could O
spell O
difficulties O
for O
Lukashenko O
, O
an O
autocratic O
ruler O
who O
runs O
a O
Soviet O
- O
style O
economy O
largely O
based O
on O
Russian O
subsidies O
, O
analysts O
say O
. O

Western O
governments O
gave O
strong O
diplomatic O
backing O
to O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
pro O
- O
Western O
president O
, O
Viktor O
Yushchenko O
, O
during O
the O
gas O
row O
at O
the O
start O
of O
2006 B-T
, O
but O
Lukashenko O
is O
a O
political O
pariah O
in O
Europe O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

The O
EU O
has O
limited O
itself O
to O
calling O
on O
the O
two O
parties O
to O
reach O
a O
deal O
that O
does O
not O
threaten O
European O
supplies O
, O
while O
the O
authorities O
in O
France O
and O
Germany O
say O
they O
are O
not O
worried O
by O
the O
prospect O
of O
shortages O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051211 O
. O
0008 O

BOSTON O
, O
Massachusetts O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Improving O
Kwan O
still O
not O
100 O
percent O
as O
US O
Olympic O
trials O
loom O

American O
figure O
skating O
star O
Michelle O
Kwan O
said O
here O
Saturday B-T
she O
is O
improving O
from O
a O
hip O
injury O
and O
is O
confident O
she O
can O
be O
at O
full O
strength O
for O
next B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
US O
Olympic O
trials O
. O

Nine O
- O
time O
US O
champion O
Kwan O
, O
here O
to O
compete O
in O
a O
fan O
- O
judged O
event O
lacking O
the O
pressure O
of O
the O
Grand O
Prix O
season B-T
she O
has O
missed O
, O
was O
forced O
to O
withdraw O
from O
several O
events O
and O
missed O
two B-T
weeks I-T
of O
training O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
at O
100 O
percent O
but O
I O
' O
m O
getting O
better O
, O
" O
Kwan O
said O
. O
" O
It O
will O
be O
nice O
to O
see O
where O
I O
' O
m O
at O
, O
even O
if O
it O
' O
s O
not O
the O
best O
. O
" O

Kwan O
said O
it O
would O
be O
a O
" O
good O
month O
" O
before O
she O
is O
back O
at O
full O
strength O
, O
cutting O
it O
close O
to O
be O
prepared O
for O
the O
qualifying O
meet O
for O
February B-T
' O
s O
Torino O
Winter O
Olympics O
, O
the O
first O
obstacle O
in O
her O
long O
quest O
for O
Olympic O
gold O
. O

That O
US O
skating O
showdown O
is O
January B-T
9 I-T
- I-T
14 I-T
at O
St O
. O
Louis O
, O
Missouri O
. O
It O
would O
be O
only O
the O
second O
event O
in O
which O
she O
has O
competed O
in O
an O
event O
with O
the O
new O
judging O
system O
adopted O
by O
the O
International O
Skating O
Union O
. O

" O
This O
( O
injury O
) O
just O
brings O
up O
another O
challenge O
and O
the O
new O
system O
is O
a O
big O
enough O
challenge O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
I O
would O
rather O
have O
that O
as O
my O
main O
focus O
. O
" O

Kwan O
, O
25 O
, O
settled O
for O
a O
silver O
medal O
at O
the O
1998 O
Nagano O
Games O
and O
fell O
to O
bronze O
at O
the O
Salt O
Lake O
City O
Olympics O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0366 O

PRAGUE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Illegal O
immigrant O
network O
busted O
in O
Slovakia O

Slovak O
police O
destroyed O
a O
network O
for O
illegal O
immigration O
during O
an O
operation O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
reports O
from O
the O
Slovak O
capital O
of O
Bratislava O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

About O
240 O
police O
officers O
participated O
in O
the O
operation O
to O
break O
the O
network O
suspected O
of O
bringing O
illegal O
immigrants O
into O
neighboring O
Austria O
and O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
, O
said O
Slovak O
Interior O
Minister O
Vladimir O
Palko O
. O

He O
added O
that O
28 O
suspects O
have O
been O
accused O
of O
running O
the O
network O
, O
whose O
members O
pocketed O
around O
150 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
in O
total O
from O
their O
" O
clients O
" O
from O
Asian O
countries O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
more O
than O
8 O
, O
340 O
illegal O
immigrants O
were O
detained O
and O
272 O
of O
their O
escorts O
were O
arrested O
in O
Slovakia O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0348 O

YOKOHAMA O
, O
Japan O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Club O
World O
Cup O
result O
: O
Barcelona O
4 O
Club O
America O
0 O

Result O
from O
the O
FIFA O
Club O
World O
Cup O
football O
tournament O
on O
Thursday B-T
: O

Semi O
- O
final O

Barcelona O
( O
ESP O
) O
4 O
( O
Gudjohnsen O
11 O
, O
Marquez O
30 O
, O
Ronaldinho O
65 O
, O
Deco O
85 O
) O
Club O
America O
( O
MEX O
) O
0 O

Teams O

Barcelona O
: O
Victor O
Valdes O
, O
Motta O
( O
Xavi O
61 O
) O
, O
Rafael O
Marquez O
, O
Carlos O
Puyol O
( O
capt O
) O
, O
Eidur O
Gudjohnsen O
( O
Ezquerro O
66 O
) O
, O
Ludovic O
Giuly O
( O
Belletti O
74 O
) O
, O
Ronaldinho O
, O
Gianluca O
Zambrotta O
, O
Giovanni O
van O
Bronckhorst O
, O
Deco O
, O
Andres O
Iniesta O

Club O
America O

Guillermo O
Ochoa O
, O
Jose O
Antonio O
Castro O
, O
Oscar O
Rojas O
, O
Duilio O
Davino O
( O
capt O
) O
, O
Claudio O
Lopez O
( O
Matias O
Vuoso O
74 O
) O
, O
Salvador O
Cabanas O
( O
Cuauhtemoc O
Blanco O
45 O
) O
, O
Fabiano O
Pereira O
( O
Raul O
Alvin O
Mendoza O
74 O
) O
, O
Ricardo O
Rojas O
, O
German O
Villa O
, O
Alejandro O
Arguello O
, O
Nelson O
Cuevas O

Yellow O
cards O
: O
Claudio O
Lopez O
, O
Fabiano O
Pereira O

Referee O
: O
Oscar O
Ruiz O
( O
COL O
) O

Assistant O
referees O
: O
Wilson O
Berrio O
( O
COL O
) O
, O
Rafael O
Yanez O
( O
VEN O
) O

Fourth O
official O
: O
Jerome O
Damon O
( O
RSA O
) O

Attendance O
: O
62 O
, O
316 O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0309 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japanese O
begin O
evacuating O
from O
Kinshasa O

Six O
Japanese O
left O
Kinshasa O
Sunday B-T
as O
part O
of O
an O
evacuation O
called O
for O
by O
the O
Japanese O
embassy O
, O
embassy O
charge O
d O
' O
affaire O
Seromi O
Okamoto O
said O
. O

The O
six O
, O
five O
women O
and O
a O
child O
, O
left O
by O
ferry O
across O
the O
Zaire O
river O
to O
the O
Congolese O
capital O
Brazzaville O
. O
The O
women O
were O
all O
married O
to O
Zaireans O
. O

Okamoto O
said O
the O
embassy O
had O
called O
for O
the O
evacuation O
since O
Japan O
did O
not O
have O
troops O
in O
the O
region O
to O
rescue O
its O
nationals O
in O
case O
of O
emergency O
. O

The O
situation O
is O
increasingly O
tense O
as O
rebels O
have O
said O
they O
will O
be O
in O
Kinshasa O
before O
June B-T
and O
the O
government O
has O
been O
cracking O
down O
on O
opposition O
protests O
in O
the O
capital O
. O

It O
was O
apparently O
the O
first O
time O
in O
the O
Zairean O
crisis O
that O
an O
embassy O
has O
urged O
all O
its O
nationals O
to O
leave O
the O
country O
. O

A O
Chinese O
woman O
Catherine O
Chan O
evacuated O
with O
the O
Japanese O
told O
reporters O
: O
" O
Yeah O
, O
we O
' O
re O
afraid O
. O
We O
' O
re O
frightened O
. O
We O
don O
' O
t O
know O
what O
will O
happen O
. O

" O
The O
situation O
really O
is O
deteriorating O
every B-T
day I-T
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

There O
were O
a O
total O
of O
39 O
Japanese O
in O
Zaire O
, O
not O
counting O
the O
five O
embassy O
staff O
in O
Kinshasa O
, O
when O
the O
embassy O
on O
April B-T
4 I-T
urged O
all O
Japanese O
to O
leave O
who O
did O
not O
have O
business O
in O
Zaire O
, O
Okamoto O
said O
. O

But O
three B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
Japanese O
were O
advised O
to O
leave O
the O
country O
, O
without O
any O
conditions O
being O
attached O
. O

Eleven O
Japanese O
- O
- O
including O
two O
children O
- O
- O
are O
still O
in O
Zaire O
and O
have O
refused O
to O
leave O
. O
Okamoto O
said O
there O
were O
two O
Japanese O
Catholic O
nuns O
in O
Kinshasa O
and O
four O
Catholic O
nuns O
elsewhere O
in O
Zaire O
. O

Five O
diplomats O
, O
all O
male O
, O
also O
remain O
. O

US O
ambassador O
Daniel O
Simposon O
said O
there O
was O
no O
heightened O
readiness O
at O
the O
US O
embassy O
for O
an O
evacuation O
. O

Belgium O
, O
Britain O
, O
France O
and O
the O
United O
States O
have O
troops O
in O
the O
neighboring O
Congolese O
capital O
of O
Brazzaville O
, O
ready O
to O
evacuate O
their O
nationals O
if O
necessary O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0185 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Three O
Turkish O
aid O
workers O
injured O
in O
fire O
in O
Pakistan O

Three O
Turkish O
engineers O
, O
who O
came O
to O
Pakistan O
to O
aid O
earthquake O
victims O
, O
were O
injured O
in O
a O
fire O
that O
broke O
out O
in O
their O
tent O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
semi O
- O
official O
Anatolia O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
report O
said O
the O
three O
were O
injured O
when O
their O
heating O
equipment O
suddenly O
caught O
flame O
, O
which O
set O
their O
tent O
on O
fire O
in O
the O
northwestern O
town O
Balakot O
which O
was O
largely O
flattened O
by O
the O
7 O
, O
9 O
- O
magnitude O
quake O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
. O

Turkish O
Prime O
Ministry O
Emergency O
Management O
Directorate O
was O
quoted O
by O
Anatolia O
as O
saying O
that O
a O
military O
airplane O
would O
leave O
for O
Pakistan O
later O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
bring O
the O
three O
wounded O
engineers O
to O
Ankara O
for O
medical O
treatment O
at O
the O
Gulhane O
Military O
Hospital O
. O

A O
powerful O
earthquake O
hit O
northern O
Pakistan O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, O
killing O
more O
than O
73 O
, O
000 O
people O
and O
leaving O
three O
million O
homeless O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Turkey O
is O
among O
the O
first O
batch O
of O
countries O
to O
offer O
aid O
to O
the O
quake O
- O
stricken O
Pakistan O
and O
has O
pledged O
to O
donate O
150 O
million O
US O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0444 O

CAIRO O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Egypt O
detains O
10 O
suspected O
French O
Islamists O

Egyptian O
security O
services O
have O
been O
holding O
10 O
suspected O
French O
Islamists O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
10 I-T
days I-T
, O
security O
sources O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Eight O
were O
picked O
up O
in O
Medinet O
Nasr O
, O
a O
northeastern O
suburb O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
and O
the O
other O
two O
in O
the O
second O
city O
of O
Alexandria O
, O
French O
diplomatic O
sources O
confirmed O
. O

There O
was O
no O
immediate O
word O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
the O
suspects O
' O
arrest O
beyond O
their O
alleged O
involvement O
in O
militant O
Islam O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0475 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tropical O
storm O
Durian O
threatens O
to O
enter O
Philippines O

Tropical O
storm O
Durian O
has O
entered O
the O
Philippines O
' O
area O
of O
responsibility O
and O
is O
threatening O
to O
reach O
Metro O
Manila O
by O
Friday B-T
, O
local O
weather O
bureau O
PAGASA O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

As O
of O
10 O
: O
00 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
local O
time O
( O
02 O
: O
00 O
GMT O
) O
, O
Durian O
was O
spotted O
870 O
kilometers O
east O
of O
Samar O
, O
central O
Philippines O
, O
with O
maximum O
sustained O
winds O
of O
95 O
kilometers O
per O
hour O
( O
kph O
) O
near O
the O
eye O
, O
and O
gusts O
of O
up O
to O
120 O
kph O
, O
said O
PAGASA O
. O

The O
storm O
is O
moving O
in O
the O
west O
direction O
with O
a O
speed O
of O
26 O
kph O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
storm O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
350 O
kilometers O
east O
of O
Samar O
by O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
and O
the O
vicinity O
of O
the O
east O
- O
central O
province O
of O
Catanduanes O
by O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
. O
It O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
the O
vicinity O
of O
Metro O
Manila O
by O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
. O

Typhoon O
Xangsane O
hit O
Metro O
Manila O
and O
southern O
Luzon O
two B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
, O
killing O
at O
least O
200 O
and O
destroying O
billions O
of O
pesos O
of O
properties O
and O
infrastructures O
. O
Another O
typhoon O
, O
Cimaron O
, O
hit O
the O
northern O
part O
of O
the O
country O
one B-T
month I-T
ago I-T
, O
killing O
a O
dozen O
people O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0367 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tension O
mounts O
in O
troubled O
Paris O
suburbs O

The O
violence O
which O
has O
plagued O
the O
Paris O
suburbs O
since O
Thursday B-T
spread O
to O
several O
other O
departments O
ringing O
the O
French O
capital O
overnight O
, O
with O
many O
cars O
set O
ablaze O
, O
French O
authorities O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

According O
to O
Paris O
police O
officials O
, O
many O
cars O
have O
been O
set O
ablaze O
in O
cities O
of O
the O
five O
satellite O
departments O
ringing O
Paris O
overnight O
. O
Throughout O
the O
Seine O
- O
Saint O
- O
Denis O
area O
, O
some O
60 O
vehicles O
have O
been O
torched O
. O

In O
Sevran O
and O
Aulnay O
- O
sous O
- O
Bois O
, O
young O
people O
threw O
rocks O
at O
police O
besides O
setting O
cars O
on O
fire O
, O
while O
police O
fired O
flaring O
shots O
in O
return O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Police O
have O
also O
reported O
sporadic O
incidents O
involving O
" O
very O
mobile O
" O
groups O
of O
youths O
in O
Val O
- O
d O
' O
Oise O
to O
the O
north O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
Seine O
- O
et O
- O
Marne O
to O
the O
southeast O
, O
and O
Hauts O
- O
de O
- O
Seine O
and O
Yvelines O
to O
the O
northeast O
. O

More O
than O
150 O
fires O
have O
been O
reported O
overnight O
, O
most O
of O
which O
were O
caused O
by O
burning O
cars O
and O
garbage O
cans O
, O
according O
to O
the O
police O
. O

Many O
Parisians O
believe O
the O
troubles O
were O
triggered O
by O
the O
deaths O
of O
two O
teenagers O
in O
Clichy O
- O
sous O
- O
Bois O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O
The O
boys O
were O
electrocuted O
in O
a O
power O
substation O
where O
they O
hid O
to O
escape O
police O
officers O
who O
they O
thought O
were O
chasing O
them O
. O
A O
third O
boy O
was O
injured O
but O
survived O
. O

Unrest O
followed O
as O
hundreds O
of O
angry O
young O
people O
took O
to O
the O
streets O
, O
setting O
garbage O
cans O
and O
cars O
ablaze O
and O
clashing O
with O
police O
. O
They O
also O
organized O
large O
- O
scale O
demonstrations O
in O
the B-T
following I-T
days I-T
against O
the O
police O
and O
the O
authority O
. O

Clichy O
- O
sous O
- O
Bois O
is O
in O
the O
suburbs O
that O
ring O
France O
' O
s O
big O
cities O
and O
home O
to O
immigrants O
often O
from O
Muslim O
North O
Africa O
. O
Its O
soaring O
unemployment O
and O
alleged O
discrimination O
against O
these O
immigrants O
have O
aroused O
great O
dissatisfaction O
. O

Local O
people O
are O
blaming O
the O
tension O
on O
the O
police O
' O
s O
rough O
ways O
in O
pursuing O
suspects O
and O
dealing O
with O
the O
unrest O
, O
saying O
they O
smack O
of O
racial O
discrimination O
. O

On O
Sunday B-T
night I-T
, O
a O
tear O
gas O
grenade O
believed O
by O
the O
locals O
to O
be O
thrown O
by O
police O
landed O
in O
the O
Clichy O
- O
sous O
- O
Bois O
mosque O
, O
arousing O
more O
anger O
and O
resulting O
in O
arrests O
. O

In O
a O
bid O
to O
end O
the O
rioting O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Dominique O
de O
Villepin O
met O
Tuesday B-T
night I-T
with O
the O
parents O
of O
the O
three O
boys O
and O
ordered O
a O
thorough O
investigation O
into O
the O
matter O
, O
while O
calling O
on O
people O
to O
stay O
calm O
. O

Interior O
Minister O
Nicolas O
Sarkozy O
went O
to O
Clichy O
- O
sous O
- O
Bois O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
discuss O
a O
solution O
to O
the O
current O
unrest O
. O

Despite O
these O
efforts O
, O
violence O
continued O
in O
other O
cities O
in O
the O
province O
and O
other O
suburb O
provinces O
around O
Paris O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0689 O

SYDNEY O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Australia O
' O
s O
Westpac O
in O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
dollar O
merger O
with O
regional O
bank O

Australia O
' O
s O
Westpac O
Banking O
Corp O
. O
Thursday B-T
announced O
a O
billion O
dollar O
bid O
to O
merge O
with O
the O
regional O
Bank O
of O
Melbourne O
Ltd O
( O
BML O
) O
. O

" O
This O
announcement O
is O
a O
significant O
milestone O
in O
our O
aim O
of O
being O
the O
best O
in O
Australia O
and O
New O
Zealand O
, O
" O
Westpac O
managing O
director O
Robert O
Joss O
said O
. O

Westpac O
has O
valued O
the O
Victorian O
state O
banking O
group O
at O
1 O
. O
435 O
billion O
Australian O
dollars O
( O
1 O
. O
13 O
billion O
US O
) O
and O
launched O
a O
9 O
. O
75 O
dollars O
a O
share O
bid O
. O

" O
This O
merger O
reinforces O
our O
regional O
approach O
and O
takes O
the O
bank O
well O
down O
a O
path O
where O
we O
now B-T
have O
a O
critical O
share O
in O
each O
of O
our O
major O
customers O
, O
" O
Joss O
said O
. O

Analysts O
said O
the O
Westpac O
bid O
was O
fully O
priced O
and O
pitched O
about O
2 O
. O
6 O
times O
net O
tangible O
assets O
, O
reflecting O
the O
value O
of O
BML O
to O
Westpac O
. O

" O
Bank O
of O
Melbourne O
is O
a O
very O
attractive O
asset O
; O
it O
' O
s O
a O
very O
, O
very O
efficiently O
run O
bank O
with O
a O
very O
strong O
local O
franchise O
. O
" O
Shaw O
Stockbroking O
' O
s O
Anusha O
Srinivasan O
said O
. O

" O
As O
far O
as O
Westpac O
is O
concerned O
it O
strengthens O
them O
in O
Victoria O
where O
they O
' O
ve O
been O
the O
weakest O
of O
the O
four O
( O
major O
Australian O
banks O
) O
. O
" O

Under O
the O
merger O
, O
BML O
and O
the O
Victorian O
retail O
operations O
of O
Westpac O
would O
be O
combined O
. O
The O
merged O
operation O
would O
trade O
in O
Victoria O
under O
the O
BML O
name O
. O

The O
Westpac O
brand O
would O
continue O
in O
the O
large O
corporate O
, O
commercial O
and O
institutional O
markets O
. O

The O
merger O
proposal O
is O
subject O
to O
necessary O
regulatory O
consents O
and O
BML O
shareholder O
approval O
. O

BML O
chairman O
Chris O
Stewart O
will O
join O
the O
Westpac O
board O
while O
Westpac O
managing O
director O
Robert O
Joss O
and O
another O
senior O
Westpac O
executive O
will O
join O
the O
BML O
board O
. O

" O
The O
directors O
of O
the O
Bank O
of O
Melbourne O
believe O
the O
merger O
proposal O
is O
very O
attractive O
and O
recognises O
the O
strong O
position O
that O
the O
Bank O
of O
Melbourne O
has O
achieved O
in O
the O
Victorian O
market O
, O
" O
Stewart O
said O
. O

Until O
the O
merger O
is O
approved O
both O
BML O
and O
Westpac O
will O
trade O
as O
usual O
. O

Stewart O
admitted O
there O
would O
be O
bank O
closures O
and O
job O
loses O
arising O
from O
the O
merger O
. O

" O
There O
are O
360 O
branches O
between O
Westpac O
and O
Bank O
of O
Melbourne O
in O
Victoria O
and O
we O
may O
end O
up O
with O
two O
hundred O
and O
something O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Treasurer O
Peter O
Costello O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
said O
the O
government O
would O
not O
approve O
any O
bank O
mergers O
before O
the O
government O
announced O
its O
response O
to O
an O
inquiry O
into O
Australia O
' O
s O
financial O
system O
. O

He O
said O
he O
would O
have O
to O
personally O
approve O
any O
bank O
mergers O
, O
and O
the O
Westpac O
/ O
BML O
deal O
would O
not O
receive O
any O
priority O
. O

" O
No O
priority O
will O
be O
given O
to O
applications O
which O
seek O
to O
anticipate O
that O
announcement O
, O
" O
Costello O
told O
reporters O
. O

Analysts O
say O
the O
( O
Wallis O
) O
inquiry O
is O
expected O
to O
recommend O
ways O
to O
enhance O
competition O
and O
improve O
regulation O
. O

It O
has O
examined O
whether O
the O
government O
should O
retain O
its O
policy O
which O
keeps O
Australia O
' O
s O
six O
largest O
finanical O
institutions O
- O
- O
four O
major O
banks O
and O
two O
major O
insurance O
houses O
- O
- O
separate O
from O
each O
other O
. O

The O
report O
was O
expected O
to O
be O
with O
Cabinet O
next B-T
week I-T
, O
Costello O
said O
. O

BML O
shareholders O
are O
expected O
to O
vote O
on O
the O
merger O
proposal O
in O
June B-T
. O

Analysts O
said O
shareholders O
were O
certain O
to O
embrace O
the O
offer O
with O
the O
only O
hurdle O
being O
approval O
from O
the O
Australian O
Competition O
and O
Consumer O
Commission O
. O

BML O
shares O
surged O
95 O
cents O
, O
or O
9 O
. O
9 O
percent O
, O
in O
early O
trade O
to O
an O
all O
- O
time O
high O
of O
9 O
. O
75 O
dollars O
following O
news O
of O
the O
bid O
. O

Westpac O
shares O
fell O
7 O
. O
3 O
cents O
, O
or O
1 O
. O
0 O
percent O
, O
to O
6 O
. O
80 O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051221 O
. O
0053 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

European O
stocks O
rise O
at O
open O
: O
FTSE O
100 O
up O
0 O
. O
34 O
percent O

European O
stock O
markets O
climbed O
in O
opening O
deals O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
with O
London O
' O
s O
FTSE O
100 O
index O
up O
0 O
. O
34 O
percent O
at O
5 O
, O
566 O
. O
8 O
points O
. O

Frankfurt O
' O
s O
DAX O
30 O
index O
rose O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
5 O
, O
367 O
. O
8 O
points O
and O
in O
Paris O
the O
CAC O
40 O
gained O
0 O
. O
12 O
percent O
to O
4 O
, O
709 O
. O
1 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0239 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
ambassador O
says O
Shrine O
- O
visiting O
hurts O
Sino O
- O
Japanese O
ties O

Chinese O
Ambassador O
to O
Japan O
Wang O
Yi O
said O
Thursday B-T
that O
the O
issue O
featuring O
the O
visit O
to O
the O
Yasukuni O
Shrine O
is O
the O
major O
stumbling O
block O
to O
the O
development O
of O
Sino O
- O
Japanese O
relationship O
. O

Wang O
said O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
that O
China O
always O
abides O
by O
the O
policy O
of O
good O
- O
neighborliness O
and O
friendship O
with O
Japan O
. O

Chinese O
leaders O
have O
made O
it O
clear O
that O
they O
hoped O
, O
based O
on O
the O
three O
joint O
political O
documents O
, O
the O
two O
countries O
will O
coexist O
peacefully O
, O
be O
friends O
from O
generation O
to O
generation O
and O
conduct O
mutually O
- O
beneficial O
cooperation O
for O
common O
development O
, O
Wang O
added O
. O

But O
it O
is O
regrettable O
that O
the O
view O
on O
history O
issues O
featuring O
the O
visit O
to O
the O
Yasukuni O
Shrine O
is O
still O
preventing O
healthy O
development O
of O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

Wang O
noted O
that O
the O
core O
of O
the O
Yasukuni O
Shrine O
issue O
is O
that O
the O
facility O
enshrines O
Japan O
' O
s O
Class O
- O
A O
war O
criminals O
who O
masterminded O
and O
commanded O
Japan O
' O
s O
aggressive O
war O
. O

The O
shrine O
, O
however O
, O
still O
sticks O
to O
the O
point O
that O
the O
war O
launched O
by O
Japan O
in O
Asia O
was O
for O
self O
- O
defense O
and O
that O
the O
Pacific O
War O
was O
for O
countering O
offensives O
from O
foreign O
countries O
including O
the O
United O
States O
. O
The O
shrine O
also O
challenges O
the O
legitimacy O
of O
the O
ruling O
made O
by O
the O
International O
Military O
Tribunal O
of O
the O
Far O
East O
by O
claiming O
the O
war O
criminals O
were O
innocent O
, O
he O
said O
. O

How O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
issues O
concerning O
the O
Class O
- O
A O
war O
criminals O
is O
not O
only O
Japan O
' O
s O
internal O
affair O
, O
but O
also O
is O
related O
to O
the O
political O
foundation O
for O
the O
resumption O
of O
Sino O
- O
Japanese O
relations O
, O
to O
the O
purpose O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
post O
- O
war O
reconstruction O
and O
the O
international O
order O
established O
after O
World O
War O
II O
, O
Wang O
said O
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
the O
issue O
not O
only O
concerns O
China O
and O
Japan O
, O
but O
also O
involves O
other O
Asian O
countries O
plagued O
by O
Japan O
' O
s O
aggressive O
war O
as O
well O
as O
the O
international O
community O
at O
large O
, O
Wang O
said O
. O

The O
ambassador O
pointed O
out O
the O
Chinese O
people O
are O
tolerant O
. O
The O
Chinese O
government O
released O
Japanese O
war O
prisoners O
jailed O
in O
China O
and O
waived O
the O
claim O
for O
damages O
. O

China O
has O
no O
objection O
to O
visits O
to O
the O
shrine O
by O
ordinary O
Japanese O
people O
to O
hold O
memorial O
ceremonies O
for O
their O
deceased O
relatives O
. O
Yet O
, O
if O
Japanese O
leaders O
pay O
homage O
to O
the O
shrine O
honoring O
the O
war O
criminals O
, O
they O
will O
greatly O
hurt O
the O
feeling O
of O
the O
Chinese O
people O
and O
damage O
the O
political O
foundation O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
' O
diplomatic O
relations O
, O
the O
ambassador O
said O
. O
Their O
practice O
is O
obviously O
unacceptable O
to O
the O
Chinese O
side O
, O
he O
added O
. O

He O
said O
China O
has O
opposed O
the O
visits O
by O
Japanese O
leaders O
since O
it O
came O
to O
light O
in O
1985 B-T
that O
the O
shrine O
honors O
Class O
- O
A O
war O
criminals O
. O

In O
1986 B-T
, O
the O
then O
Japanese O
chief O
cabinet O
secretary O
, O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
Japanese O
government O
, O
made O
an O
official O
statement O
, O
saying O
that O
Japan O
' O
s O
prime O
minister O
would O
give O
up O
the O
practice O
due O
to O
comprehensive O
considerations O
, O
Wang O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
on O
history O
issues O
, O
Japan O
should O
keep O
moving O
forward O
rather O
than O
retreating O
from O
its O
stance O
made O
nearly B-T
20 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970406 O
. O
0138 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
defense O
chief O
flying O
into O
storm O
over O
US O
military O
in O
Okinawa O
by O
Shigemi O
Sato O

US O
Defense O
Secretary O
William O
Cohen O
flies O
into O
Tokyo O
on O
Monday B-T
straight O
into O
a O
political O
storm O
over O
a O
government O
move O
to O
force O
landowners O
in O
Okinawa O
to O
continue O
leasing O
land O
to O
US O
forces O
. O

Protests O
over O
the O
government O
bill O
, O
introduced O
Friday B-T
after O
the O
government O
won O
the O
support O
of O
the O
main O
opposition O
party O
, O
continued O
Sunday B-T
with O
some O
2 O
, O
500 O
people O
braving O
heavy O
rain O
to O
march O
in O
the O
capital O
. O

Organisers O
of O
the O
rally O
, O
which O
included O
civic O
group O
members O
, O
anti O
- O
war O
landowners O
and O
other O
campaigners O
, O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
they O
could O
not O
" O
forgive O
this O
outrageous O
act O
, O
" O
by O
the O
government O
. O

They O
marched O
through O
a O
nearby O
shopping O
district O
, O
carrying O
banners O
saying O
" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
allow O
US O
occupation O
" O
and O
" O
Abolish O
US O
bases O
" O
. O

The O
demonstration O
followed O
a O
rally O
on O
Saturday B-T
by O
about O
3 O
, O
000 O
people O
in O
the O
Okinawan O
capital O
of O
Naha O
in O
the O
southern O
part O
of O
the O
Japanese O
archipelago O
. O

The O
rallies O
are O
part O
of O
continuing O
moves O
to O
force O
the O
US O
forces O
off O
Okinawa O
where O
locals O
have O
grown O
increasingly O
resentful O
claiming O
that O
the O
use O
of O
their O
land O
by O
the O
military O
prevents O
the O
island O
from O
developing O
economically O
. O

Feelings O
were O
raised O
to O
boiling O
point O
following O
the O
rape O
of O
a O
12 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
school O
girl O
by O
three O
US O
servicemen O
in O
1995 B-T
. O

But O
Cohen O
and O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Ryutaro O
Hashimoto O
are O
expected O
to O
commit O
themselves O
to O
strong O
military O
ties O
to O
cope O
with O
fears O
of O
instability O
in O
East O
Asia O
, O
particularly O
on O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
. O

During O
a O
three O
- O
day O
stop O
here O
, O
Cohen O
will O
be O
assured O
by O
Hashimoto O
that O
the O
bill O
will O
pass O
allowing O
US O
forces O
to O
continue O
running O
12 O
facilities O
in O
Okinawa O
on O
land O
owned O
by O
3 O
, O
000 O
people O
who O
have O
refused O
to O
renew O
leases O
which O
expire O
on O
May B-T
14 I-T
. O

" O
From O
the O
standpoint O
of O
ordinary O
people O
, O
it O
may O
seem O
cruel O
, O
" O
Hashimoto O
commented O
on O
the O
decision O
to O
extend O
the O
leases O
which O
he O
said O
was O
necessary O
to O
uphold O
Japan O
- O
US O
defence O
links O
. O
" O
But O
it O
is O
a O
question O
concerning O
the O
faith O
of O
politicians O
. O
" O

The O
bill O
has O
been O
opposed O
by O
the O
Social O
Democratic O
Party O
which O
holds O
a O
swing O
vote O
in O
parliament O
and O
usually O
supports O
the O
ruling O
Liberal O
Democratic O
Party O
. O

The O
party O
has O
instead O
called O
for O
a O
reduction O
of O
US O
troops O
in O
Okinawa O
. O

The O
demand O
has O
been O
flatly O
rejected O
by O
the O
US O
administration O
, O
which O
vows O
to O
maintain O
some O
100 O
, O
000 O
troops O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
due O
to O
uncertainty O
on O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
. O

Around O
27 O
, O
000 O
of O
the O
47 O
, O
000 O
US O
troops O
in O
Japan O
are O
based O
in O
Okinawa O
, O
which O
accounts O
for O
only O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
land O
area O
, O
but O
accommodates O
three O
- O
quarters O
of O
US O
military O
facilities O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Hashimoto O
had O
hoped O
to O
enact O
the O
bill O
before O
leaving O
for O
the O
United O
States O
on O
April B-T
24 I-T
for O
talks O
with O
US O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
. O
The O
premier O
said O
it O
was O
" O
not O
an O
appropriate O
time O
" O
to O
talk O
about O
a O
troops O
reduction O
. O

When O
Clinton O
visited O
Tokyo O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
, O
the O
two O
leaders O
agreed O
to O
study O
the O
expansion O
of O
defence O
cooperation O
into O
" O
areas O
surrounding O
Japan O
" O
while O
they O
endorsed O
plans O
to O
cut O
back O
by O
20 O
percent O
land O
used O
by O
US O
forces O
in O
Okinawa O
. O

Hashimoto O
' O
s O
legislative O
gamble O
over O
Okinawa O
has O
shaken O
Japan O
' O
s O
political O
landscape O
and O
could O
lead O
to O
a O
possible O
realignment O
among O
parties O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
, O
Ichiro O
Ozawa O
, O
who O
heads O
the O
main O
opposition O
New O
Frontier O
Party O
( O
NFP O
) O
, O
promised O
to O
support O
the O
bill O
in O
parliament O
. O
Hashimoto O
' O
s O
ruling O
Liberal O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
LDP O
) O
and O
the O
NFP O
have O
a O
combined O
385 O
votes O
in O
the O
500 O
- O
seat O
lower O
house O
. O

Ozawa O
, O
a O
former O
LDP O
strongman O
, O
bolted O
from O
the O
scandal O
- O
tainted O
conservative O
party O
, O
helping O
to O
end O
its O
38 O
- O
year O
grip O
on O
power O
in O
1993 B-T
. O

LDP O
secretary O
general O
Koichi O
Kato O
said O
Saturday B-T
the O
LDP O
would O
stay O
aligned O
with O
the O
SDP O
and O
the O
centrist O
New O
Party O
Sakigake O
in O
parliament O
" O
while O
seeking O
to O
discuss O
each O
individual O
policy O
with O
different O
parties O
. O
" O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Cohen O
will O
fly O
on O
to O
South O
Korea O
where O
he O
will O
meet O
with O
the O
commander O
of O
the O
35 O
, O
000 O
US O
troops O
there O
and O
top O
Korean O
leaders O
to O
discuss O
developments O
in O
the O
Stalinist O
North O
Korea O
, O
hit O
by O
worsening O
food O
shortages O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0458 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

China O
Energy O
begins O
trading O
on O
American O
Stock O
Exchange O

Shares O
of O
China O
Energy O
Resources O
Corporation O
, O
which O
has O
a O
majority O
stake O
in O
a O
Chinese O
joint O
venture O
company O
, O
began O
trading O
on O
the O
American O
Stock O
Exchange O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

China O
Energy O
, O
a O
holding O
company O
based O
in O
the O
British O
Virgin O
Islands O
, O
owns O
80 O
percent O
of O
Mishan O
Hua O
Xing O
Coke O
Limited O
, O
a O
foreign O
equity O
joint O
venture O
operating O
in O
China O
. O

A O
local O
Chinese O
government O
entity O
controls O
the O
remaining O
20 O
percent O
in O
the O
joint O
venture O
, O
which O
began O
operations O
in O
October B-T
1995 I-T
. O

China O
Energy O
Resources O
opend O
at O
six O
dollars O
on O
100 O
shares O
early O
Monday B-T
, O
followed O
by O
4 O
, O
900 O
shares O
at O
the O
same O
price O
. O

The O
American O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
the O
second O
largest O
US O
market O
after O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
specializes O
in O
small O
to O
medium O
- O
sized O
companies O
, O
notably O
in O
the O
oil O
and O
gas O
sector O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0011 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepal O
to O
host O
regional O
psychiatrists O
meeting O

Psychiatrists O
of O
South O
Asian O
countries O
will O
meet O
in O
Nepal O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
to O
share O
knowledge O
and O
information O
about O
mental O
health O
problems O
in O
South O
Asian O
region O
. O

Kapil O
Dev O
Upadhyaya O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Psychiatrists O
Association O
of O
Nepal O
, O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
participants O
of O
the O
2nd O
international O
conference O
of O
the O
South O
Asian O
Association O
for O
Regional O
Cooperation O
( O
SAARC O
) O
Psychiatrists O
Federation O
will O
get O
to O
learn O
more O
about O
ways O
to O
cope O
with O
challenges O
. O

" O
Thousands O
of O
people O
have O
been O
affected O
due O
to O
the O
conflict O
and O
many O
more O
are O
suffering O
from O
mental O
health O
problems O
. O
The O
conference O
will O
help O
us O
understand O
the O
problems O
and O
will O
find O
ways O
to O
solve O
them O
, O
" O
Upadhyaya O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
Nepal O
' O
s O
leading O
news O
media O
group O
' O
s O
website O
, O
thehimalayantimes O
. O
com O
. O

The O
meeting O
, O
with O
the O
theme O
of O
" O
Social O
, O
Conflict O
and O
mental O
health O
challenges O
to O
Psychiatrists O
" O
, O
is O
organized O
by O
the O
World O
Psychiatrists O
Association O
, O
the O
Nepali O
Department O
of O
Psychiatrists O
and O
Mental O
Health O
, O
and O
Psychiatrists O
Association O
of O
Nepal O

According O
to O
Upadhyaya O
, O
around O
300 O
participants O
from O
Pakistan O
, O
India O
, O
Nepal O
and O
other O
SAARC O
countries O
will O
take O
part O
in O
the O
conference O
. O

According O
to O
a O
survey O
, O
2 O
- O
3 O
percent O
of O
the O
world O
populations O
suffer O
from O
severe O
mental O
disorder O
. O

The O
first O
SAARC O
psychiatrists O
meeting O
was O
held O
in O
Agra O
, O
India O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0394 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

western O
Nepal O

At O
least O
six O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
nearly O
36 O
others O
were O
injured O
when O
three O
passenger O
buses O
collided O
in O
mid O
- O
western O
Nepal O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
local O
police O
office O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
accident O
took O
place O
at O
around B-T
5 I-T
: I-T
30 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
local I-T
time I-T
( O
1145GMT O
) O
at O
Orahi O
khola O
of O
Royal O
Bardiya O
National O
Park O
in O
Bardiya O
district O
, O
some O
700 O
km O
west O
of O
Kathmandu O
, O
local O
police O
office O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

A O
passenger O
bus O
traveling O
from O
Dhangadhi O
to O
Nepalgunj O
collided O
with O
another O
bus O
that O
was O
on O
its O
way O
to O
Dhangadhi O
from O
Kathmandu O
. O
A O
third O
bus O
that O
was O
heading O
to O
Mahendranagar O
from O
Kathmandu O
also O
collided O
with O
the O
two O
buses O
, O
the O
statement O
noted O
. O

The O
injured O
people O
have O
been O
taken O
to O
Kohalpur O
and O
Nepalgunj O
for O
treatment O
, O
the O
statement O
added O
. O

The O
cause O
of O
the O
accident O
could O
not O
be O
immediately O
known O
. O
Details O
are O
still O
awaited O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0081 O

ROME O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Italian O
factory O
prices O
up O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
February O

Italian O
factory O
prices O
edged O
up O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
February B-T
from I-T
12 I-T
months I-T
earlier I-T
, O
the O
Italian O
statistics O
institute O
Istat O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Wholesale O
prises O
rose O
by O
only O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
from O
February B-T
1996 I-T
, O
confirming O
a O
downward O
trend O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
inflation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0035 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambia O
' O
s O
electoral O
system O
has O
loopholes O
: O
observers O

There O
are O
a O
lot O
of O
loopholes O
in O
the O
electoral O
system O
in O
Zambia O
, O
an O
international O
independent O
review O
team O
has O
said O
, O
Times O
of O
Zambia O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Team O
that O
was O
tasked O
by O
the O
Electoral O
Commission O
of O
Zambia O
( O
ECZ O
) O
to O
conduct O
a O
review O
of O
the O
last O
elections O
held O
on O
September B-T
28 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
urged O
Zambian O
government O
to O
seal O
the O
loopholes O
in O
the O
next O
elections O
. O

Group O
leader O
Ron O
Gould O
said O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
both O
the O
government O
and O
ECZ O
would O
abide O
by O
the O
recommendations O
that O
would O
reflect O
in O
their O
report O
to O
be O
handed O
to O
ECZ O
in O
two B-T
weeks I-T
time I-T
. O

" O
This O
is O
the O
last O
group O
we O
are O
meeting O
today B-T
, O
we O
have O
already O
met O
politicians O
, O
and O
government O
officials O
, O
police O
and O
civil O
society O
, O
and O
all O
the O
meetings O
are O
confidential O
to O
help O
come O
up O
with O
a O
lot O
of O
information O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
team O
collected O
other O
reports O
from O
both O
local O
and O
international O
observers O
, O
according O
to O
Gould O
. O

He O
said O
any O
country O
holding O
elections O
must O
respect O
the O
local O
monitors O
because O
they O
are O
always O
on O
the O
ground O
and O
reflect O
what O
more O
transparent O
than O
international O
monitors O
who O
only O
observed O
the O
counting O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0340 O

HAVANA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
resolution O
calls O
on O
US O
to O
repeal O
economic O
embargo O
on O
Cuba O

Cuban O
media O
interrupted O
their O
normal O
program O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
show O
a O
live O
vote O
in O
the O
United O
Nations O
General O
Assembly O
, O
which O
called O
on O
the O
United O
States O
to O
unconditionally O
lift O
the O
economic O
embargo O
against O
Cuba O
. O

Some O
182 O
countries O
voted O
for O
the O
document O
which O
urged O
the O
United O
States O
to O
end O
the O
44 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
commercial O
and O
economic O
embargo O
on O
Cuba O
, O
while O
only O
four O
countries O
voted O
against O
it O
and O
one O
abstained O
. O

The O
blockade O
was O
costly O
both O
to O
the O
United O
States O
as O
well O
as O
Cuba O
, O
Cuban O
Foreign O
Minister O
Felipe O
Perez O
Roque O
said O
, O
referring O
to O
a O
recent O
study O
by O
the O
University O
of O
Alabama O
which O
said O
repealing O
the O
blockade O
can O
generate O
100 O
, O
000 O
new O
jobs O
and O
6 O
million O
US O
dollars O
for O
the O
US O
economy O
. O

" O
Silence O
cannot O
fool O
all O
the O
people O
all O
the O
time O
, O
" O
the O
foreign O
minister O
criticized O
the O
United O
States O
for O
not O
taking O
part O
in O
the O
vote O
by O
citing O
Abraham O
Lincoln O
' O
s O
words O
, O
one O
of O
America O
' O
s O
most O
famous O
presidents O
. O

The O
economic O
embargo O
on O
Cuba O
prevents O
it O
from O
receiving O
financial O
aid O
from O
the O
World O
Bank O
and O
the O
InterAmerican O
Development O
Bank O
, O
which O
respectively O
offer O
loans O
of O
4 O
. O
4 O
billion O
dollars O
and O
4 O
. O
5 O
billion O
dollars O
each B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Cuban O
government O
said O
the O
blockade O
has O
cost O
Cuba O
80 O
billion O
dollars O
since O
the O
United O
States O
imposed O
it O
on O
the O
Caribbean O
country O
more B-T
than I-T
40 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0204 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

German O
parliament O
extends O
mandate O
for O
" O
Enduring O
Freedom O
" O
troops O

The O
German O
parliament O
Friday B-T
voted O
to O
extend O
the O
mandate O
of O
about O
300 O
troops O
serving O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
led O
anti O
- O
terror O
" O
Operation O
Enduring O
Freedom O
. O
" O

The O
Bundestag O
, O
parliament O
' O
s O
lower O
chamber O
, O
achieved O
the O
one O
- O
year O
extension O
after O
436 O
deputies O
voted O
for O
, O
101 O
against O
and O
26 O
abstained O
. O
As O
many O
as O
300 O
German O
naval O
troops O
are O
stationed O
in O
the O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
under O
the O
mandate O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
parliament O
extended O
the O
deployment O
of O
around O
2 O
, O
800 O
German O
soldiers O
in O
Afghanistan O
serving O
in O
the O
31 O
, O
000 O
NATO O
- O
led O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
( O
ISAF O
) O
. O

ON O
the B-T
same I-T
day I-T
, O
the O
German O
Defense O
Ministry O
confirmed O
that O
members O
of O
Germany O
' O
s O
elite O
Kommando O
Spezialkraefte O
( O
KFK O
) O
are O
operating O
in O
Afghanistan O
under O
ISAF O
command O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0137 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Japanese O
share O
prices O
extend O
gains O

Japanese O
share O
prices O
closed O
up O
0 O
. O
31 O
percent O
Wednesday B-T
, O
extending O
gains O
after O
Wall O
Street O
' O
s O
overnight O
post O
- O
Christmas O
rebound O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

They O
said O
share O
prices O
continued O
to O
be O
supported O
by O
the O
strong O
dollar O
, O
which O
boosts O
Japanese O
exporters O
, O
and O
by O
growing O
expectations O
that O
the O
central O
bank O
will O
not O
hike O
interest O
rates O
soon O
. O

The O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Exchange O
' O
s O
benchmark O
Nikkei O
- O
225 O
gained O
53 O
. O
96 O
points O
at O
17 O
, O
223 O
. O
15 O
. O
The O
broader O
TOPIX O
index O
of O
all O
first O
- O
section O
companies O
rose O
4 O
. O
50 O
points O
or O
0 O
. O
27 O
percent O
to O
1 O
, O
676 O
. O
95 O
. O

Gaining O
shares O
beat O
decliners O
983 O
to O
598 O
, O
with O
130 O
stocks O
flat O
. O

Volume O
rose O
to O
1 O
. O
66 O
billion O
shares O
from O
1 O
. O
72 O
billion O
shares O
Tuesday B-T
. O

US O
stocks O
rebounded O
overnight O
on O
a O
sharp O
drop O
in O
oil O
prices O
, O
bringing O
more O
holiday O
cheer O
to O
the O
Tokyo O
market O
. O

Hideyuki O
Suzuki O
, O
strategist O
at O
SBI O
Securities O
, O
said O
that O
the O
market O
tone O
remained O
bullish O
despite O
the O
thin O
trade O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
year O
with O
many O
foreign O
investors O
absent O
. O

" O
Looking O
at O
the O
details O
, O
shares O
which O
have O
increased O
too O
rapidly O
were O
weighed O
down O
as O
investors O
locked O
in O
profits O
, O
" O
Suzuki O
said O
. O
" O
But O
the O
blue O
- O
chip O
shares O
were O
bullish O
, O
leading O
overall O
share O
prices O
higher O
. O
" O

Hiroaki O
Hiwada O
, O
a O
strategist O
at O
Toyo O
Securities O
, O
said O
the O
weakening O
of O
the O
yen O
against O
the O
dollar O
had O
supported O
market O
expectations O
about O
the O
earnings O
of O
exporters O
. O

He O
said O
automakers O
helped O
drive O
the O
market O
, O
while O
steelmakers O
, O
a O
key O
factor O
in O
gains O
Tuesday B-T
, O
were O
hit O
by O
profit O
- O
taking O
. O

Toyota O
Motor O
was O
up O
150 O
yen O
or O
1 O
. O
9 O
percent O
at O
7 B-T
, I-T
920 I-T
after O
it O
confirmed O
its O
chief O
had O
held O
talks O
with O
struggling O
US O
giant O
Ford O
amid O
speculation O
of O
a O
tie O
- O
up O
. O

Other O
auto O
shares O
were O
also O
higher O
. O
Isuzu O
rose O
23 O
yen O
or O
4 O
. O
3 O
percent O
to O
557 O
, O
Mazda O
climbed O
21 O
yen O
or O
2 O
. O
6 O
percent O
to O
818 O
, O
Honda O
Motor O
advanced O
50 O
yen O
or O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
to O
4 O
, O
630 O
and O
Yamaha O
Motor O
was O
up O
50 O
yen O
or O
1 O
. O
4 O
percent O
at O
3 B-T
, I-T
720 I-T
. O

Steel O
makers O
shed O
on O
profit O
- O
taking O
. O
JFE O
Holdings O
lost O
140 O
yen O
or O
2 O
. O
3 O
percent O
at O
6 O
, O
090 O
, O
Sumitomo O
Metal O
Industries O
fell O
13 O
yen O
or O
2 O
. O
5 O
percent O
to O
510 O
and O
Kobe O
Steel O
shed O
11 O
yen O
or O
2 O
. O
7 O
percent O
to O
399 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0179 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bird O
flu O
vaccine O
supply O
can O
meet O
demand O
in O
major O
areas O
, O
ministry O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
said O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
country O
now B-T
produces O
more O
than O
100 O
million O
doses O
of O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
every O
day O
, O
which O
can O
meet O
the O
demand O
in O
major O
areas O
for O
epidemic O
prevention O
and O
control O
. O

A O
press O
release O
on O
the O
ministry O
' O
s O
website O
says O
the O
ministry O
has O
enhanced O
the O
research O
, O
manufacture O
and O
quality O
supervision O
of O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
to O
guarantee O
supply O
. O

China O
has O
the O
capacity O
of O
producing O
16 O
billion O
doses O
of O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
which O
can O
meet O
the O
national O
demand O
in O
general O
, O
but O
as O
the O
local O
demand O
increased O
recently O
, O
some O
places O
have O
reported O
short O
supply O
. O

The O
ministry O
said O
it O
will O
help O
accelerate O
production O
of O
the O
vaccine O
and O
expand O
production O
capacity O
. O
After O
using O
new O
technology O
, O
the O
production O
cycle O
has O
been O
shortened O
to O
34 O
days O
from O
previous B-T
44 I-T
days O
. O

Under O
the O
arrangement O
of O
the O
ministry O
, O
two O
more O
factories O
have O
joined O
in O
the O
production O
of O
vaccines O
for O
water O
fowls O
. O

The O
ministry O
also O
gave O
full O
support O
to O
the O
Harbin O
Veterinary O
Institute O
, O
which O
is O
now B-T
researching O
and O
developing O
new O
types O
of O
vaccine O
of O
high O
efficiency O
. O

It O
is O
said O
that O
such O
research O
work O
is O
going O
smoothly O
, O
and O
the O
new O
- O
type O
vaccine O
is O
expected O
to O
put O
into O
use O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
ministry O
also O
enhanced O
crackdown O
upon O
counterfeit O
vaccines O
and O
issued O
8 O
. O
2 O
million O
fake O
- O
proof O
labels O
for O
this O
purpose O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0161 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O
unveils O
2008 O
Olympic O
mascots O
( O
updated O
) O

Beijing O
unveiled O
a O
set O
of O
five O
doll O
mascots O
for O
the O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
Friday B-T
evening I-T
, I-T
exactly I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
000 I-T
days I-T
before O
the O
event O
' O
s O
opening O
ceremony O
. O

The O
long O
- O
anticipated O
mascots O
, O
which O
embody O
the O
natural O
characteristics O
of O
four O
of O
China O
' O
s O
popular O
animals O
- O
- O
the O
Fish O
, O
the O
Panda O
, O
the O
Tibetan O
Antelope O
, O
the O
Swallow O
- O
- O
and O
the O
Olympic O
Flame O
, O
were O
presented O
at O
a O
grand O
televised O
ceremony O
inside O
the O
Workers O
' O
Gymnasium O
. O

It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
more O
than O
three O
images O
share O
Summer O
Olympic O
mascot O
duty O
. O

The O
2000 O
Sydney O
Games O
featured O
three O
animal O
mascots O
- O
- O
Olly O
the O
Kookaburra O
, O
Syd O
the O
Platypus O
and O
Millie O
the O
Spiny O
Anteater O
. O

" O
We O
decided O
to O
produce O
five O
mascots O
instead O
of O
one O
, O
because O
we O
think O
no O
single O
figure O
can O
embody O
China O
' O
s O
profound O
and O
diversified O
culture O
, O
" O
said O
Han O
Meilin O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
mascot O
designers O
' O
group O
. O

Each O
of O
the O
Beijing O
Olympic O
mascots O
has O
a O
rhyming O
two O
- O
syllable O
name O
- O
- O
a O
traditional O
way O
of O
expressing O
affection O
for O
children O
in O
China O
. O
Beibei O
is O
the O
Fish O
, O
Jingjing O
is O
the O
Panda O
, O
Huanhuan O
is O
the O
Olympic O
Flame O
, O
Yingying O
is O
the O
Tibetan O
Antelope O
and O
Nini O
is O
the O
Swallow O
. O

When O
these O
names O
are O
put O
together O
- O
- O
Bei O
Jing O
Huan O
Ying O
Ni O
- O
- O
they O
say O
" O
Welcome O
to O
Beijing O
" O
. O

The O
five O
elements O
of O
nature O
- O
- O
the O
sea O
, O
forest O
, O
fire O
, O
earth O
and O
sky O
- O
- O
can O
be O
found O
in O
their O
origins O
and O
headpieces O
, O
all O
stylistically O
rendered O
in O
ways O
that O
represent O
the O
deep O
traditional O
influences O
of O
Chinese O
folk O
art O
and O
ornamentation O
. O

Each O
of O
the O
mascots O
also O
symbolizes O
a O
different O
blessing O
- O
- O
prosperity O
, O
happiness O
, O
passion O
, O
health O
and O
good O
luck O
. O

The O
unveiling O
of O
the O
Beijing O
Olympic O
mascots O
also O
ended O
a O
year O
- O
long O
race O
of O
hundreds O
of O
candidates O
. O

Since O
the O
Beijing O
Organizing O
Committee O
for O
the O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
( O
BOCOG O
) O
launched O
a O
worldwide O
solicitation O
in O
August B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
competition O
was O
hot O
as O
a O
handful O
of O
areas O
were O
vying O
to O
have O
their O
local O
symbols O
picked O
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
western O
Qinghai O
province O
was O
pushing O
the O
endangered O
Tibetan O
antelope O
. O
Fujian O
province O
presented O
the O
South O
China O
tiger O
. O
Gansu O
favored O
the O
mythical O
dragon O
and O
Jiangsu O
promoted O
the O
legendary O
Monkey O
King O
. O

Dozens O
of O
artists O
and O
designers O
were O
called O
to O
cut O
the O
initial O
list O
of O
mascot O
entrants O
from O
662 O
to O
56 O
and O
finally O
to O
six O
, O
with O
the O
final O
choice O
selected O
by O
the O
BOCOG O
. O
The O
International O
Olympic O
Committee O
approved O
the O
choice O
in O
August B-T
. O

The O
first O
mascot O
to O
appear O
at O
an O
Olympic O
Games O
was O
in O
the O
1968 B-T
Winter I-T
Games O
in O
Grenoble O
, O
France O
. O
But O
Schuss O
the O
skier O
was O
not O
official O
. O
The O
first O
official O
mascot O
was O
Waldi O
the O
Dachshund O
, O
who O
appeared O
at O
the O
Munich O
Summer O
Games O
in O
1972 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0293 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
shares O
edge O
down O
over O
Fed O
rate O
hike O

US O
shares O
edged O
down O
Tuesday B-T
while O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
hiked O
US O
interest O
rates O
to O
their O
highest O
level O
in O
more B-T
than I-T
four I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
US O
Federal O
Open O
Market O
Committee O
decided O
Tuesday B-T
to O
boost O
the O
federal O
funds O
rate O
by O
another B-T
one I-T
quarter I-T
percentage O
point O
to O
expected O
4 O
percent O
, O
the O
highest O
level O
since O
2001 B-T
. O

This O
was O
the O
12th O
consecutive O
action O
that O
the O
central O
bank O
had O
taken O
to O
tighten O
credit O
since O
last B-T
June I-T
. O

The O
Fed O
said O
that O
" O
the O
cumulative O
rise O
in O
energy O
and O
other O
costs O
have O
the O
potential O
to O
add O
to O
inflation O
pressures O
; O
however O
, O
core O
inflation O
has O
been O
relatively O
low O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
and O
longer O
- O
term O
inflation O
expectations O
remain O
contained O
. O
" O

Crude O
edged O
up O
but O
still O
remained O
below O
60 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
amid O
concerns O
that O
warmer O
- O
than O
- O
normal O
weather O
in O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Europe O
may O
cut O
heating O
oil O
consumption O
. O
New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
December B-T
, O
added O
nine O
cents O
to O
close O
at O
59 O
. O
85 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
. O

In O
company O
news O
, O
Dell O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
biggest O
personal O
- O
computer O
maker O
, O
reported O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
sales O
of O
13 O
. O
9 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
which O
trailed O
the O
company O
' O
s O
prediction O
of O
14 O
. O
1 O
billion O
dollars O
to O
14 O
. O
5 O
billion O
dollars O
. O
Sales O
also O
missed O
Dell O
' O
s O
forecast O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
. O
Dell O
slumped O
2 O
. O
64 O
dollars O
to O
29 O
. O
24 O
dollars O
. O

Viacom O
Inc O
. O
, O
the O
media O
conglomerate O
that O
owns O
MTV O
, O
CBS O
and O
the O
Paramount O
movie O
studio O
, O
reported O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
earnings O
of O
45 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
a O
loss O
of O
28 O
cents O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O
Excluding O
some O
costs O
, O
profit O
was O
47 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
topping O
the O
45 O
- O
cent O
average O
estimate O
in O
a O
Thomson O
Financial O
survey O
of O
analysts O
. O
Its O
stock O
rose O
56 O
cents O
to O
31 O
. O
61 O
dollars O
. O

The O
blue O
- O
chip O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
fell O
33 O
. O
30 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
32 O
percent O
, O
to O
10 O
, O
406 O
. O
77 O
. O

Broader O
stock O
indicators O
also O
dropped O
. O
The O
Standard O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
fell O
4 O
. O
25 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
35 O
percent O
, O
to O
1 O
, O
202 O
. O
76 O
, O
while O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
was O
dragged O
down O
by O
Dell O
, O
slipping O
6 O
. O
25 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
29 O
percent O
, O
to O
2 O
, O
114 O
. O
05 O
. O

Decliners O
outnumbered O
advancers O
by O
more O
than O
8 O
to O
7 O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
where O
volume O
was O
1 O
. O
79 O
billion O
, O
down O
from O
1 O
. O
90 O
billion O
at O
the O
same O
time O
Monday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0231 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Johannesburg O
stock O
ends O
negative O

The O
Johannesburg O
Security O
Exchange O
finished O
in O
negative O
territory O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
successive I-T
day I-T
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
weighed O
down O
by O
a O
relatively O
strong O
rand O
and O
soft O
world O
markets O
. O

Traders O
said O
fresh O
long O
- O
term O
highs O
by O
both O
gold O
and O
platinum O
were O
countered O
by O
the O
rand O
while O
the O
market O
also O
witnessed O
some O
profit O
- O
taking O
. O

The O
JSE O
also O
showed O
no O
reaction O
to O
gross O
domestic O
product O
data O
released O
on O
Tuesday B-T
morning I-T
which O
, O
although O
good O
, O
was O
much O
in O
line O
with O
expectations O
. O

The O
all O
share O
and O
industrial O
indices O
ended O
down O
0 O
. O
97 O
percent O
and O
0 O
. O
95 O
percent O
respectively O
. O
The O
resources O
index O
was O
off O
1 O
. O
37 O
percent O
and O
the O
gold O
mining O
index O
was O
1 O
. O
90 O
percent O
weaker O
, O
with O
the O
platinum O
mining O
index O
2 O
. O
18 O
percent O
lower O
. O

The O
financial O
and O
banking O
indices O
were O
down O
0 O
. O
33 O
percent O
and O
0 O
. O
54 O
percent O
respectively O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0158 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vietnam O
issues O
anti O
- O
corruption O
law O

The O
National O
Assembly O
( O
NA O
) O
of O
Vietnam O
approved O
the O
anti O
- O
corruption O
law O
at O
its O
working O
session O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
Vietnam O
News O
Agency O
reported O
. O

Under O
the O
law O
, O
a O
central O
steering O
committee O
on O
anti O
- O
corruption O
led O
by O
Vietnamese O
Prime O
Minister O
Phan O
Van O
Khai O
will O
be O
set O
up O
. O
The O
government O
will O
take O
responsibility O
of O
annually O
informing O
the O
NA O
about O
its O
work O
on O
the O
issues O
. O

The O
law O
also O
regulates O
that O
media O
agencies O
and O
reporters O
have O
the O
rights O
of O
asking O
relevant O
organizations O
to O
provide O
documents O
relating O
to O
corruption O
. O
In O
the O
cases O
that O
the O
organizations O
are O
unable O
to O
response O
, O
they O
have O
to O
give O
reasons O
in O
the O
form O
of O
documents O
. O

The O
law O
developed O
from O
an O
ordinance O
on O
the O
issue O
is O
an O
important O
legal O
document O
for O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
fight O
against O
corruption O
, O
NA O
Chairman O
Nguyen O
Van O
An O
, O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
government O
, O
especially O
Prime O
Minister O
Phan O
Van O
Khai O
, O
the O
NA O
, O
and O
the O
Politburo O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
Vietnam O
Central O
Committee O
, O
need O
to O
vigorously O
act O
to O
help O
the O
law O
implemented O
effectively O
. O

Last B-T
weekend I-T
, O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Nguyen O
Tan O
Dung O
reaffirmed O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
determination O
to O
combat O
corruption O
. O
The O
government O
has O
instructed O
relevant O
agencies O
to O
effectively O
increase O
management O
over O
land O
- O
related O
issues O
and O
the O
use O
of O
public O
prosperity O
, O
the O
two O
domains O
which O
have O
involved O
in O
most O
corruption O
cases O
, O
and O
accelerated O
restructuring O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
8th O
session O
of O
the O
11th O
National O
Assembly O
, O
which O
kicked O
off O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, O
is O
scheduled O
to O
conclude O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
. O
During O
the O
session O
, O
it O
plans O
to O
pass O
14 O
bills O
, O
including O
those O
on O
intellectual O
property O
, O
electronic O
transactions O
, O
housing O
, O
anti O
- O
corruption O
, O
tender O
, O
and O
amendment O
and O
complement O
to O
some O
articles O
in O
the O
law O
on O
value O
- O
added O
tax O
and O
the O
law O
on O
luxury O
tax O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0095 O

PRETORIA O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Zaire O
peace O
talks O
open O
in O
Pretoria O

The O
first O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
peace O
talks O
between O
Zaire O
' O
s O
warring O
parties O
officially O
opened O
here O
Saturday B-T
, O
chaired O
by O
the O
United O
Nations O
and O
South O
Africa O
, O
UN O
envoy O
Mohamed O
Sahnoun O
said O
. O

Sahnoun O
told O
journalists O
and O
diplomats O
at O
the O
state O
Union O
Buildings O
here O
that O
Zaire O
' O
s O
government O
delegation O
, O
led O
by O
Foreign O
Minister O
Kamanda O
wa O
Kamanda O
and O
special O
envoy O
Honore O
Ngbanda O
Nzambo O
, O
made O
opening O
speeches O
along O
with O
the O
rebels O
, O
led O
by O
Bizimana O
Karaha O
. O

South O
African O
Deputy O
Foreign O
Minister O
Aziz O
Pahad O
was O
present O
at O
the O
ceremony O
, O
which O
is O
the O
first O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
meeting O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
since O
rebels O
led O
by O
Laurent O
- O
Desire O
Kabila O
launched O
an O
insurgency O
aimed O
at O
toppling O
long O
- O
time O
Zairean O
ruler O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
. O

Sahnoun O
is O
also O
the O
representative O
of O
the O
Organisation O
of O
African O
Unity O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0134 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Some O
20 O
, O
000 O
tons O
of O
copper O
to O
be O
auctioned O
to O
ease O
domestic O
supply O

The O
State O
Reserves O
Bureau O
under O
the O
National O
Development O
and O
Reform O
Commission O
( O
NDRC O
) O
is O
going O
to O
auction O
20 O
, O
000 O
tons O
of O
copper O
reserves O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
ease O
tight O
supply O
in O
domestic O
market O
, O
China O
Daily O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
auction O
will O
be O
held O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
and O
the O
sign O
- O
up O
date O
for O
the O
auction O
will O
close O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, O
the O
paper O
said O
, O
quoting O
a O
notice O
posted O
on O
the O
website O
of O
the O
NDRC O
, O
a O
State O
Council O
department O
responsible O
for O
the O
macro O
- O
regulation O
of O
the O
national O
economy O
. O

The O
bureau O
' O
s O
move O
confirmed O
long O
- O
circulating O
speculation O
in O
the O
market O
that O
it O
would O
sell O
copper O
reserves O
to O
bring O
down O
the O
runaway O
copper O
price O
. O

The O
high O
copper O
prices O
, O
spurred O
by O
the O
large O
demand O
, O
have O
jumped O
from O
1 O
, O
779 O
US O
dollars O
per O
ton O
in O
2003 B-T
to O
3 O
, O
328 O
dollars O
per O
ton O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

Industry O
analysts O
estimate O
the O
bureau O
has O
about O
200 O
, O
000 O
tons O
of O
copper O
stockpiles O
, O
the O
exact O
figure O
is O
treated O
as O
a O
State O
secret O
in O
China O
. O

The O
soaring O
copper O
prices O
, O
which O
has O
increased O
profit O
margin O
in O
the O
copper O
smelting O
industry O
, O
has O
led O
the O
government O
to O
fear O
the O
making O
of O
an O
investment O
bubble O
, O
prompting O
the O
NDRC O
to O
announce O
last B-T
month I-T
that O
the O
government O
will O
soon O
introduce O
a O
slew O
of O
measures O
to O
rein O
in O
the O
investment O
in O
the O
copper O
smelting O
industry O
. O

Analysts O
, O
however O
, O
said O
the O
bureau O
' O
s O
latest O
move O
will O
be O
effective O
in O
the O
short O
term O
, O
but O
not O
in O
the O
long O
- O
term O
if O
the O
demand O
remains O
robust O
in O
the O
domestic O
market O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0289 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Asiad O
soccer O
draws O

Following O
are O
the O
men O
' O
s O
and O
women O
' O
s O
soccer O
draws O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
: O

Men O
' O
s O
draw O
: O

First O
round O
( O
qualification O
) O

Group O
A O
: O
Jordan O
, O
Tajikistan O
, O
Kyrgyzstan O
and O
Macao O
of O
China O

Group O
B O
: O
Singapore O
, O
Syria O
, O
Indonesia O
and O
Iraq O

Second O
round O
: O

Group O
A O
: O
Qatar O
, O
UAE O
, O
Uzbekistan O
and O
Winner O
A O

Group O
B O
: O
South O
Korea O
, O
Bahrain O
, O
Vietnam O
and O
Bangladesh O

Group O
C O
: O
Thailand O
, O
Kuwait O
, O
Yemen O
and O
Palestine O

Group O
D O
: O
Iran O
, O
India O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
of O
China O
and O
Maldives O

Group O
E O
: O
China O
, O
Oman O
, O
Malaysia O
and O
Winner O
B O

Group O
F O
: O
Japan O
, O
DPR O
Korea O
and O
Pakistan O

( O
Note O
: O
22 O
qualify O
directly O
into O
Round B-T
2 I-T
. O
The O
eight O
remaining O
teams O
, O
who O
did O
not O
participate O
in O
the O
last O
Asian O
Games O
, O
are O
divided O
into O
two O
groups O
of O
four O
, O
and O
play O
in O
Round O
1 O
. O
The O
winner O
of O
each O
group O
joins O
the O
22 O
in O
Round O
2 O
. O
) O

Women O
' O
s O
draw O
: O

Group O
A O
: O
China O
, O
Japan O
, O
Maldives O
and O
Jordan O

Group O
B O
: O
DPR O
Korea O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Thailand O
, O
Chinese O
Taipei O
and O
Vietnam O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0683 O

SACRAMENTO O
, O
California O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

Complete O
with O
proud O
smiles O
and O
self O
- O
conscious O
glances O
, O
Vladimir O
and O
Zynaida O
Chernenko O
' O
s O
seventeen O
children O
were O
introduced O
to O
the O
world O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Cradled O
delicately O
in O
Vladimir O
Chernenko O
' O
s O
thick O
arms O
was O
his O
baby O
, O
David O
, O
whose O
birth O
on O
December B-T
7 I-T
gave O
the O
Ukrainian O
- O
American O
family O
the O
largest O
brood O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Russian O
language O
newspaper O
The O
Speaker O
. O

" O
When O
we O
got O
married O
back O
in O
the O
Ukraine O
, O
for O
six B-T
month I-T
we O
had O
no O
children O
and O
thought O
we O
wouldn O
' O
t O
have O
any O
kids O
at O
all O
, O
" O
Vladimir O
told O
reporters O
at O
a O
celebration O
in O
Bethany O
Slavic O
Missionary O
Church O
in O
Sacramento O
. O

" O
I O
never O
thought O
I O
would O
have O
such O
a O
family O
. O
" O

Vladimir O
said O
he O
was O
serving O
in O
the O
Ukrainian O
army O
when O
his O
wife O
wrote O
in O
a O
letter O
that O
she O
was O
pregnant O
. O

" O
I O
said O
how O
could O
this O
happen O
, O
me O
in O
the O
army O
and O
she O
is O
at O
home O
pregnant O
? O
" O
he O
recalled O
with O
a O
laugh O
. O
" O
I O
was O
young O
then O
and O
didn O
' O
t O
take O
into O
account O
we O
had O
lived O
together B-T
a I-T
while I-T
. O
" O

The O
family O
emigrated O
and O
settled O
in O
California O
seven B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
the O
couple O
said O
. O
Vladimir O
is O
a O
security O
and O
maintenance O
worker O
for O
a O
charter O
school O
and O
the O
family O
lives O
in O
a O
seven O
- O
room O
house O
in O
Sacramento O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
lot O
of O
work O
, O
and O
we O
all O
get O
tired O
, O
and O
it O
' O
s O
difficult O
from O
financial O
point O
of O
view O
, O
" O
Zynaida O
Chernenko O
conceded O
when O
asked O
if O
having O
such O
a O
large O
family O
was O
difficult O
. O

" O
But O
, O
we O
overcome O
the O
fear O
by O
looking O
forward O
to O
our O
children O
with O
love O
. O
" O

The O
children O
, O
the O
eldest O
of O
which O
is O
22 O
, O
share O
duties O
and O
responsibilities O
, O
with O
the O
older O
ones O
filling O
in O
for O
their O
parents O
at O
times O
, O
the O
mother O
said O
. O

" O
It O
takes O
a O
great O
deal O
of O
work O
to O
raise O
all O
of O
the O
children O
, O
on O
each O
level O
, O
" O
Vladimir O
said O
. O
" O
Education O
and O
upbringing O
plays O
a O
large O
role O
, O
but O
the O
most O
important O
thing O
is O
love O
and O
a O
big O
heart O
. O
" O

It O
also O
helps O
to O
have O
a O
15 O
- O
seat O
mini O
- O
van O
and O
a O
huge O
dinner O
table O
, O
the O
family O
confided O
. O

" O
I O
talk O
to O
my O
friends O
, O
and O
they O
are O
worried O
their O
family O
has O
only O
one O
child O
or O
two O
, O
" O
said O
18 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Dimitry O
Chernenko O
. O
" O
They O
go O
home O
to O
nothing O
. O
I O
come O
home O
from O
school O
and O
I O
' O
m O
never O
bored O
. O
You O
always O
have O
something O
to O
do O
. O
" O

Part O
of O
that O
is O
by O
parental O
design O
, O
the O
mother O
explained O
, O
because O
she O
and O
her O
husband O
make O
certain O
the O
children O
keep O
busy O
with O
school O
, O
chores O
or O
other O
tasks O
. O

" O
Our O
goal O
is O
to O
raise O
the O
children O
so O
when O
they O
grow O
up O
they O
will O
not O
be O
afraid O
of O
anything O
in O
life O
, O
" O
Zynaida O
said O
. O
" O
I O
think O
if O
every O
family O
approaches O
it O
that O
way O
, O
we O
will O
have O
a O
very O
healthy O
society O
. O
" O

The O
siblings O
do O
not O
squabble O
about O
portion O
sizes O
, O
television O
channels O
or O
other O
matters O
because O
their O
dad O
has O
driven O
home O
the O
importance O
of O
putting O
aside O
selfishness O
in O
order O
to O
survive O
as O
a O
family O
, O
17 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Anatoliy O
said O
. O

" O
We O
sit O
all O
together O
, O
put O
out O
the O
food O
and O
eat O
like O
a O
regular O
family O
, O
" O
said O
16 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Lyudmila O
" O
Sometimes O
we O
wait O
for O
each O
other O
to O
finish O
, O
and O
then O
feed O
the O
little O
kids O
. O
" O

The O
father O
and O
mother O
said O
it O
was O
difficult O
to O
estimate O
how O
much O
they O
spend O
weekly O
on O
food O
, O
because O
the O
money O
goes O
out O
as O
quickly O
as O
it O
comes O
in O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
impossible O
to O
say O
how O
many O
diapers O
we O
' O
ve O
changed O
, O
because O
back O
in O
the O
Ukraine O
we O
didn O
' O
t O
have O
those O
things O
, O
" O
Vladimir O
said O
. O
" O
We O
used O
other O
means O
. O
" O

The O
huge O
family O
group O
appeared O
to O
be O
thrilled O
by O
the O
presence O
of O
reporters O
and O
the O
notion O
of O
being O
on O
the O
television O
news O
. O

Two O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Timofey O
, O
however O
, O
napped O
in O
a O
sister O
' O
s O
lap O
as O
the O
family O
fielded O
questions O
and O
posed O
for O
pictures O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
cool O
to O
be O
called O
the O
biggest O
family O
in O
America O
. O
" O

The O
couple O
expressed O
thanks O
for O
the O
support O
they O
have O
received O
from O
Russian O
and O
American O
business O
people O
, O
along O
with O
their O
church O
. O

When O
asked O
whether O
David O
would O
be O
her O
last O
baby O
, O
Zynaida O
replied O
: O
" O
I O
can O
' O
t O
say O
. O
" O

" O
I O
am O
grateful O
for O
all O
my O
children O
, O
my O
wonderful O
husband O
, O
my O
friends O
. O
And O
, O
I O
' O
d O
like O
to O
thank O
my O
doctor O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0102 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Shanghainese O
develop O
taste O
for O
expensive O
imported O
fruits O

Shanghai O
' O
s O
residents O
have O
developed O
a O
taste O
for O
expensive O
imported O
fruits O
, O
some O
as O
exotic O
as O
the O
thorny O
durian O
from O
Malaysia O
, O
a O
newspaper O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
Shanghai O
Youth O
Daily O
said O
that O
despite O
their O
high O
prices O
, O
imported O
fruits O
have O
made O
their O
way O
into O
the O
homes O
ordinary O
families O
, O
which O
buy O
them O
as O
gifts O
or O
just O
because O
they O
like O
the O
taste O
of O
the O
exotic O
. O

Until O
several B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
Shanghai O
' O
s O
market O
was O
closed O
to O
imported O
fruits O
but O
now B-T
shoppers O
can O
buy O
durians O
for O
60 O
yuan O
( O
7 O
. O
2 O
dollars O
) O
a O
kilogram O
( O
2 O
. O
2 O
pounds O
) O
, O
Thai O
lychees O
for O
68 O
yuan O
a O
kilogram O
and O
Sunkist O
oranges O
for O
12 O
yuan O
a O
kilogram O
. O

Some O
Shanghai O
parents O
buy O
only O
imported O
fruits O
for O
their O
only O
child O
while O
tourists O
from O
the O
provinces O
consider O
imported O
fruits O
as O
something O
special O
to O
bring O
home O
from O
Shanghai O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

Wholesalers O
can O
mark O
up O
the O
price O
of O
imported O
fruits O
100 O
percent O
and O
retailers O
add O
another O
20 O
to O
50 O
percent O
, O
while O
the O
products O
face O
duties O
of O
50 O
percent O
and O
value O
added O
tax O
of O
13 O
percent O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0240 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Greek O
stocks O
close O
slightly O
higher O

Small O
gains O
were O
the O
order O
of O
the O
day O
on O
Friday B-T
at O
the O
Athens O
Stock O
Exchange O
( O
ASE O
) O
, O
traders O
here O
said O
. O

The O
composite O
index O
rose O
0 O
. O
65 O
percent O
to O
end O
at O
3 O
, O
509 O
. O
20 O
points O
. O
The O
turnover O
was O
modest O
at O
214 O
. O
5 O
million O
euros O
( O
252 O
. O
7 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
FTSE O
/ O
ASE O
20 O
index O
for O
blue O
chip O
and O
heavy O
traded O
stocks O
rose O
0 O
. O
59 O
percent O
, O
the O
FTSE O
/ O
ASE O
MID O
40 O
index O
and O
the O
FTSE O
/ O
ASE O
SmallCap O
80 O
index O
jumped O
slightly O
0 O
. O
27 O
percent O
and O
0 O
. O
21 O
percent O
higher O
respectively O
. O

Broadly O
, O
advancers O
led O
decliners O
by O
135 B-T
to O
131 O
with O
another O
59 O
issues O
unchanged O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0580 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Tests O
confirm O
polonium O
210 O
in O
body O
of O
Russia O
ex O
- O
spy O
' O
s O
contact O

Mario O
Scaramella O
, O
an O
Italian O
contact O
of O
dead O
former O
Russian O
ex O
- O
spy O
Alexander O
Litvinenko O
, O
was O
admitted O
to O
hospital O
on O
Friday B-T
after O
tests O
detected O
radioactive O
polonium O
210 O
in O
his O
body O
, O
a O
University O
College O
Hospital O
spokesman O
said O
. O

" O
Tests O
have O
detected O
polonium O
210 O
in O
Mr O
Scaramella O
' O
s O
body O
but O
at O
a O
considerably O
lower O
level O
than O
Mr O
Litvinenko O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
added O
. O

" O
He O
is O
currently O
well O
and O
shows O
no O
symptoms O
of O
radiation O
poisoning O
. O
He O
is O
receiving O
further O
tests O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0151 O

CHENNAI O
, O
India O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

Jamie O
Dwyer O
scored O
two O
goals O
as O
Olympic O
gold O
medallists O
Australia O
opened O
their O
Champions O
Trophy O
campaign O
with O
a O
fluent O
4 O
- O
1 O
win O
over O
revamped O
Germany O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Dwyer O
, O
whose O
sudden O
- O
death O
goal O
against O
the O
Netherlands O
in O
Athens O
last B-T
year I-T
gave O
Australia O
their O
first O
Olympic O
title O
, O
began O
the O
gold O
rush O
by O
flicking O
in O
a O
pass O
from O
the O
right O
in O
the B-T
15th I-T
minute I-T
. O

Nathan O
Eglington O
broke O
through O
the O
middle O
in O
the B-T
31st I-T
minute I-T
and O
scooped O
past O
German O
goalkeeper O
Ulrich O
Bubolz O
to O
help O
Australia O
go O
into O
half O
- O
time O
2 O
- O
0 O
ahead O
. O

Dwyer O
, O
the O
International O
Hockey O
Federation O
' O
s O
reigning O
player O
of O
the O
year O
, O
made O
it O
3 O
- O
0 O
two O
minutes O
after O
the O
resumption O
when O
he O
deflected O
in O
a O
penalty O
corner O
hit O
by O
Luke O
Doerner O
. O

World O
Cup O
champions O
Germany O
, O
who O
are O
rebuilding O
after O
eight O
top O
players O
retired O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
Athens O
Olympics O
, O
could O
not O
contain O
the O
rampaging O
Aussies O
. O

Australia O
earned O
a O
penalty O
stroke O
in O
the B-T
40th I-T
minute I-T
when O
Dwyer O
was O
stick O
- O
checked O
inside O
the O
circle O
and O
Brent O
Livermore O
coolly O
pushed O
home O
to O
make O
it O
4 O
- O
0 O
. O

The O
young O
Germans O
were O
rewarded O
for O
a O
late O
assault O
on O
the O
Australian O
defence O
when O
Christopher O
Zeller O
scored O
a O
consolation O
goal O
for O
his O
side O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
nice O
to O
return O
to O
the O
Champions O
Trophy O
with O
a O
win O
, O
" O
said O
Australian O
coach O
Barry O
Dancer O
, O
whose O
side O
missed O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
event O
in O
Lahore O
, O
Pakistan O
due O
to O
security O
concerns O
. O

" O
This O
is O
just O
the O
start O
we O
needed O
because O
every O
point O
earned O
will O
count O
in O
the O
tournament O
, O
" O
Dancer O
said O
. O

" O
As O
Olympic O
champions O
we O
are O
one O
of O
the O
favoured O
sides O
to O
win O
the O
title O
and O
we O
are O
focused O
on O
that O
goal O
. O
" O

German O
coach O
Bernhard O
Peters O
conceded O
the O
Aussies O
were O
too O
good O
. O

" O
Ours O
is O
a O
young O
team O
without O
much O
experience O
in O
world O
hockey O
so O
this O
was O
a O
good O
learning O
experience O
for O
all O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
What O
we O
have O
learned O
here O
will O
help O
us O
in O
the O
remaining O
games O
. O
" O

Defending O
champions O
Spain O
take O
on O
hosts O
India O
and O
the O
Netherlands O
clash O
with O
Pakistan O
in O
the O
remaining O
matches O
of O
the O
opening O
day O
in O
the O
elite O
six O
- O
nation O
event O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0132 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Draws O
for O
women O
' O
s O
table O
tennis O
team O
event O
of O
Asian O
Games O

Following O
are O
the O
draws O
for O
the O
women O
' O
s O
table O
tennis O
team O
event O
of O
the O
15th O
Asian O
Games O
here O
released O
on O
Saturday B-T
: O

Group O
A O
: O
DPR O
Korea O
, O
Uzbekistan O
, O
India O

Group O
B O
: O
China O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
of O
China O
, O
Vietnam O
, O
Kuwait O

Group O
C O
: O
Japan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Lebanon O
, O
Mongolia O

Group O
D O
: O
Singapore O
, O
Thailand O
, O
Macau O
of O
China O
, O
Tajikistan O

Note O
: O
Top O
two O
finishers O
advance O
to O
the O
next O
stage O
. O
The O
women O
' O
s O
team O
event O
of O
the O
Doha O
Asiad O
is O
slated O
from O
November B-T
29 I-T
to O
December B-T
3 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0683 O

SAN O
FRANCISCO O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Microsoft O
, O
HP O
target O
business O
market O
with O
300 O
- O
mln O
- O
dollar O
alliance O

Microsoft O
and O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
they O
would O
jointly O
invest O
300 O
million O
dollars O
in O
a O
three O
- O
year O
partnership O
to O
become O
the O
go O
- O
to O
source O
for O
business O
computer O
systems O
. O

Microsoft O
software O
expertise O
would O
be O
combined O
with O
HP O
hardware O
savvy O
to O
tailor O
networks O
to O
meet O
individual O
company O
needs O
from O
e O
- O
mail O
and O
voice O
mail O
to O
video O
conferencing O
and O
infrastructure O
, O
executives O
said O
at O
a O
news O
briefing O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
perfect O
time O
to O
go O
to O
market O
as O
one O
single O
stack O
of O
the O
best O
combination O
of O
hardware O
and O
software O
available O
today B-T
, O
" O
said O
HP O
senior O
vice O
president O
John O
McCain O
. O
" O
It O
is O
a O
great O
opportunity O
. O
" O

Microsoft O
chief O
operating O
officer O
Kevin O
Turner O
said O
the O
partnership O
was O
aimed O
at O
winning O
a O
major O
share O
of O
the O
business O
network O
market O
, O
which O
is O
predicted O
to O
exceed O
50 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

" O
We O
are O
very O
excited O
about O
this O
partnership O
and O
where O
we O
can O
take O
it O
, O
" O
Turner O
said O
. O
" O
It O
is O
about O
driving O
hardware O
sales O
and O
services O
for O
HP O
and O
selling O
more O
Microsoft O
technology O
. O
" O

The O
partnership O
was O
an O
extension O
of O
a O
decades O
- O
old O
relationship O
between O
Redmond O
, O
Washington O
- O
based O
Microsoft O
and O
California O
- O
based O
HP O
, O
according O
to O
the O
executives O
. O

" O
This O
builds O
on O
20 B-T
years I-T
of O
successful O
partnering O
by O
the O
companies O
, O
" O
said O
HP O
executive O
vice O
president O
Ann O
Livermore O
. O
" O
Our O
sales O
forces O
are O
ready O
. O
We O
could O
begin O
tomorrow B-T
. O
" O

The O
alliance O
announced O
on O
Wednesday B-T
made O
HP O
the O
first O
" O
global O
partner O
" O
in O
a O
Microsoft O
People O
- O
Ready O
Business O
program O
that O
was O
described O
as O
being O
focused O
on O
giving O
people O
technology O
tools O
needed O
to O
excel O
at O
their O
jobs O
. O

" O
We O
ought O
to O
be O
able O
to O
cover O
almost O
the O
whole O
world O
between O
the O
resources O
we O
have O
and O
what O
Microsoft O
has O
, O
" O
Livermore O
said O
. O

" O
In O
some O
cases O
the O
solution O
might O
be O
a O
simple O
server O
and O
some O
software O
, O
and O
in O
others O
more O
complex O
software O
. O
The O
power O
is O
we O
can O
come O
at O
this O
from O
many O
different O
standpoints O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0113 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Colombo O
stocks O
close O
up O

Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Colombo O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
up O
Wednesday B-T
with O
the O
key O
Colombo O
All O
Share O
Price O
Index O
rising O
9 O
. O
25 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
2525 O
. O
72 O
points O
. O

On O
the O
other O
hand O
, O
the O
highly O
capitalized O
Milanka O
Price O
Index O
gained O
17 O
. O
24 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
3337 O
. O
81 O
points O
. O

A O
total O
turnover O
of O
319 O
million O
rupee O
( O
3 O
. O
19 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
was O
recorded O
during O
the B-T
day I-T
with O
a O
volume O
of O
8 O
. O
8 O
million O
shares O
being O
traded O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0349 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Iraq O
issues O
fresh O
call O
for O
lifting O
of O
UN O
sanctions O

Iraq O
appealed O
again O
to O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
Wednesday B-T
to O
lift O
the O
sanctions O
against O
it O
, O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
a O
visit O
here O
by O
the O
head O
of O
the O
UN O
Special O
Commission O
on O
disarming O
the O
country O
( O
UNSCOM O
) O
. O

Foreign O
Minister O
Mohammad O
Said O
al O
- O
Sahhaf O
said O
in O
a O
message O
to O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
: O
" O
The O
embargo O
was O
imposed O
and O
is O
kept O
in O
place O
to O
serve O
US O
policy O
goals O
, O
not O
any O
legal O
consideration O
. O

" O
And O
it O
goes O
against O
international O
law O
and O
the O
UN O
charter O
, O
" O
the O
message O
said O
, O
according O
to O
Baghdad O
newspapers O
. O

" O
Maintaining O
the O
sanctions O
became O
a O
policy O
of O
vengeance O
by O
the O
known O
parties O
to O
wipe O
out O
an O
entire O
people O
and O
deprive O
them O
of O
their O
right O
to O
life O
, O
" O
the O
message O
said O
. O

UNSCOM O
chief O
Rolf O
Ekeus O
was O
expected O
to O
arrive O
in O
Baghdad O
Thursday B-T
. O
He O
visits O
the O
Iraqi O
capital O
on O
routine O
missions O
every O
two B-T
months I-T
to O
monitor O
the O
progress O
of O
UN O
inspections O
and O
to O
question O
the O
Iraqis O
on O
missing O
arms O
data O
. O

On O
March B-T
3 I-T
Ekeus O
accused O
Iraq O
of O
continuing O
to O
hide O
biological O
weapons O
and O
said O
that O
doubts O
about O
Baghdad O
' O
s O
destruction O
of O
its O
medium O
- O
range O
missiles O
remain O
. O

Under O
the O
UN O
resolutions O
imposed O
on O
Iraq O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
1991 O
Gulf O
war O
, O
the O
UNSCOM O
inspectors O
must O
verify O
that O
Baghdad O
has O
destroyed O
all O
its O
weapons O
of O
mass O
destruction O
before O
the O
international O
embargo O
against O
it O
can O
be O
lifted O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0192 O

WARSAW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

At O
least O
8 O
killed O
, O
15 O
missing O
in O
Polish O
mine O
explosion O

At O
least O
eight O
coal O
miners O
were O
killed O
, O
15 O
others O
missing O
, O
when O
a O
methane O
gas O
explosion O
took O
place O
in O
a O
coal O
mine O
in O
southern O
Poland O
on O
Tuesday B-T
evening I-T
, O
officials O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
explosion O
was O
the O
largest O
mine O
accident O
in O
Poland O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
increasing O
the O
number O
of O
miners O
killed O
in O
2006 B-T
in O
the O
country O
to O
28 O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
. O

Rescue O
teams O
had O
recovered O
six O
bodies O
from O
the O
scene O
of O
the O
explosion O
1 O
, O
030 O
meters O
underground O
in O
the O
Halemba O
coal O
mine O
in O
the O
southern O
Polish O
city O
of O
Ruda O
Slaska O
, O
said O
Zbiegniew O
Madej O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Weglowa O
company O
, O
which O
operates O
the O
mine O
. O

Another O
two O
bodies O
had O
been O
located O
but O
could O
not O
be O
reached O
because O
of O
the O
high O
concentration O
of O
methane O
gas O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
fate O
of O
the O
other O
15 O
was O
unknown O
. O
Locator O
devices O
carried O
by O
the O
missing O
miners O
emitted O
no O
signals O
, O
said O
Madej O
. O

As O
the O
ventilation O
facilities O
had O
been O
destroyed O
, O
the O
miners O
who O
remained O
buried O
underground O
were O
in O
a O
very O
dangerous O
situation O
, O
he O
said O
. O

A O
small O
reconnaissance O
team O
sent O
deep O
into O
the O
mine O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
locate O
the O
missing O
miners O
had O
to O
withdraw O
temporarily O
because O
of O
high O
gas O
levels O
. O

" O
The O
rescue O
managing O
staff O
decided O
that O
it O
cannot O
expose O
the O
health O
and O
the O
life O
of O
the O
rescuers O
to O
danger O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
This O
is O
probably O
the O
most O
difficult O
and O
dangerous O
rescue O
action O
in O
Poland O
in O
many B-T
years I-T
, O
" O
Dominik O
Kolorz O
, O
a O
miners O
' O
trade O
union O
official O
, O
said O
on O
TVN24 O
. O

However O
, O
the O
rescuers O
would O
never O
give O
up O
their O
efforts O
, O
said O
Madej O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0475 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

subsidiaries O

The O
Chinese O
government O
is O
encouraging O
foreign O
banks O
to O
incorporate O
locally O
and O
set O
up O
subsidiaries O
to O
minimize O
risks O
for O
Chinese O
customers O
, O
a O
senior O
official O
said O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

China O
- O
registered O
subsidiaries O
will O
be O
corporate O
entities O
, O
said O
Song O
Dahan O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Legislative O
Affairs O
Office O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
here O
. O

If O
a O
foreign O
bank O
continued O
to O
run O
its O
Chinese O
operation O
as O
branches O
operated O
from O
overseas O
, O
the O
range O
of O
services O
it O
could O
offer O
customers O
would O
be O
limited O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Song O
said O
linking O
the O
range O
of O
services O
a O
foreign O
bank O
can O
offer O
to O
its O
corporate O
status O
would O
help O
safeguard O
the O
interests O
of O
Chinese O
customers O
. O

According O
to O
international O
practice O
, O
when O
liquidity O
risks O
occur O
, O
domestic O
customers O
are O
given O
priority O
in O
withdrawing O
funds O
. O
Chinese O
individuals O
who O
deposit O
money O
in O
branches O
operated O
from O
overseas O
could O
find O
their O
assets O
at O
risk O
if O
the O
parent O
bank O
experienced O
a O
crisis O
. O

In O
a O
globalized O
world O
, O
financial O
risks O
can O
be O
passed O
from O
one O
country O
to O
another O
. O
But O
China O
- O
registered O
corporate O
entities O
, O
which O
are O
supervised O
by O
Chinese O
banking O
authorities O
, O
will O
take O
measures O
to O
minimize O
risk O
and O
ensure O
domestic O
financial O
stability O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Song O
said O
the O
policy O
favoring O
Chinese O
corporate O
status O
complied O
with O
WTO O
rules O
, O
which O
allow O
its O
members O
to O
adopt O
measures O
of O
prudence O
when O
opening O
up O
the O
banking O
sector O
. O

Prudent O
measures O
include O
policies O
that O
protect O
customers O
' O
interests O
, O
prevent O
risks O
to O
the O
bank O
and O
safeguard O
the O
stability O
of O
financial O
markets O
. O

As O
of O
December B-T
11 I-T
, O
China O
will O
accept O
applications O
from O
foreign O
banks O
who O
wish O
to O
convert O
their O
branches O
into O
a O
locally O
incorporated O
bank O
. O

" O
The O
Chinese O
government O
will O
do O
everything O
it O
can O
to O
facilitate O
the O
conversion O
process O
, O
which O
will O
take O
one O
to O
three B-T
months I-T
, O
" O
said O
Wang O
Zhaoxing O
, O
assistant O
chairman O
of O
the O
Chinese O
Banking O
Regulatory O
Commission O
at O
the O
press O
conference O
. O

Wang O
said O
he O
is O
confident O
the O
government O
departments O
involved O
- O
- O
the O
judicial O
department O
, O
the O
industrial O
and O
commercial O
administration O
, O
and O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
commission O
- O
- O
will O
work O
together O
in O
an O
efficient O
and O
well O
- O
coordinated O
manner O
. O

The O
length O
of O
the O
conversion O
period O
also O
depended O
on O
the O
preparation O
work O
carried O
out O
by O
the O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Wang O
said O
locally O
incorporated O
bank O
will O
not O
be O
regarded O
as O
new O
institutions O
. O
The O
date O
on O
which O
the O
foreign O
bank O
established O
its O
first O
branch O
in O
China O
will O
be O
regarded O
as O
the O
beginning O
of O
its O
period O
of O
operation O
. O

He O
gave O
the O
example O
of O
a O
foreign O
bank O
that O
has O
been O
operating O
in O
China O
for O
five B-T
years I-T
. O
This O
bank O
can O
convert O
its O
branches O
into O
a O
locally O
incorporated O
bank O
after O
December B-T
11 I-T
, O
but O
this O
will O
not O
affect O
its O
period O
of O
operation O
which O
will O
still O
be O
deemed O
to O
be O
five O
years O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0144 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Greek O
proposal O
to O
aid O
smaller O
firms O
endorsed O
by O
OECD O
: O
minister O

The O
Organization O
for O
Economic O
Cooperation O
and O
Development O
( O
OECD O
) O
adopted O
a O
Greek O
proposal O
to O
aid O
small O
and O
medium O
- O
sized O
enterprises O
, O
Greek O
Development O
Minister O
Dimitris O
Sioufas O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Under O
the O
government O
proposal O
, O
a O
mechanism O
would O
be O
created O
to O
provide O
an O
information O
and O
cooperation O
link O
that O
would O
allow O
smaller O
firms O
to O
learn O
about O
access O
to O
global O
markets O
from O
multinationals O
, O
Sioufas O
said O
. O

Sioufas O
made O
the O
remarks O
at O
the O
opening O
of O
a O
three O
- O
day O
conference O
in O
Athens O
sponsored O
by O
the O
OECD O
, O
Asia O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
and O
the O
Development O
Ministry O
. O

" O
Although O
small O
and O
medium O
- O
sized O
enterprises O
are O
less O
well O
equipped O
to O
make O
use O
of O
opportunities O
on O
an O
international O
level O
in O
comparison O
with O
large O
firms O
, O
they O
have O
tremendous O
potential O
. O
It O
has O
been O
estimated O
that O
if O
they O
employ O
all O
their O
resources O
for O
exports O
, O
they O
will O
achieve O
the O
same O
exports O
volume O
as O
large O
companies O
, O
" O
he O
noted O
. O

" O
But O
an O
outward O
- O
looking O
approach O
is O
required O
to O
ensure O
their O
competitiveness O
and O
viability O
. O
That O
is O
why O
the O
Greek O
government O
proposed O
the O
mechanism O
, O
which O
has O
been O
accepted O
by O
the O
OECD O
' O
s O
deputy O
general O
secretary O
, O
" O
the O
minister O
said O
. O

The O
conference O
aims O
to O
identify O
cost O
effective O
mechanisms O
to O
remove O
barriers O
to O
market O
- O
access O
, O
and O
promote O
internationalization O
of O
the O
enterprises O
. O

Best O
- O
practice O
support O
programs O
put O
in O
place O
by O
governments O
, O
at O
both O
national O
and O
local O
levels O
to O
assist O
in O
dealing O
with O
the O
impediments O
, O
will O
be O
reviewed O
. O

The O
conference O
is O
part O
of O
the O
OECD O
Bologna O
Process O
on O
small O
and O
medium O
- O
sized O
enterprises O
and O
entrepreneurship O
policies O
. O
The O
Athens O
meeting O
follows O
an O
OECD O
ministerial O
conference O
in O
June B-T
2004 I-T
in O
Istanbul O
, O
where O
ministers O
adopted O
a O
declaration O
pledging O
cooperative O
action O
in O
reducing O
barriers O
to O
access O
. O
The O
declaration O
also O
invited O
the O
OECD O
, O
working O
with O
countries O
and O
international O
organizations O
, O
to O
identify O
ways O
in O
which O
barriers O
could O
be O
lifted O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0014 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0014 O
. O

Xerox O
Will O
Lay O
Off O
300 O

@ O
At O
Personal O
Insurance O
Unit O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

XRX O

Xerox O
Corp O
. O
has O
told O
employees O
in O
its O
Crum O
amp O
Forster O
personal O
insurance O
operations O
that O
it O
is O
laying O
off O
about O
300 O
people O
, O
or O
25 O
% O
of O
the O
staff O
. O

A O
spokeswoman O
for O
Crum O
amp O
Forster O
said O
employees O
were O
told O
early B-T
this I-T
week I-T
that O
numerous O
staff O
functions O
for O
the O
personal O
insurance O
lines O
were O
going O
to O
be O
centralized O
as O
a O
cost O
- O
cutting O
move O
. O

She O
said O
the O
move O
would O
result O
in O
a O
after O
- O
tax O
charge O
of O
less O
than O
$ O
4 O
million O
to O
be O
spread O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
quarters I-T
. O

By O
comparison O
, O
for O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
Xerox O
earned O
$ O
492 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
4 O
. O
55 O
a O
share O
, O
on O
revenue O
of O
$ O
12 O
. O
97 O
billion O
. O

Earnings O
at O
Xerox O
' O
s O
financial O
- O
services O
operations O
actually O
rose O
slightly O
, O
but O
that O
was O
largely O
because O
capital O
gains O
at O
Crum O
amp O
Forster O
offset O
Hurricane O
Hugo O
payments O
and O
the O
reserves O
set O
up O
to O
cover O
future O
payments O
. O

Property O
/ O
casualty O
insurance O
has O
been O
a O
tough O
business O
in O
recent B-T
quarters I-T
, O
as O
pricing O
has O
been O
cutthroat O
and O
natural O
disasters O
such O
as O
Hurricane O
Hugo O
and O
the O
California O
earthquake O
have O
resulted O
in O
huge O
payments O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0308 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Britain O
hails O
Gibraltar O
backing O
for O
greater O
autonomy O

Britain O
welcomed O
Friday B-T
a O
vote O
to O
support O
a O
new O
constitution O
for O
Gibraltar O
, O
modernizing O
ties O
between O
the O
British O
dependent O
territory O
and O
London O
and O
allowing O
greater O
local O
autonomy O
. O

" O
I O
warmly O
welcome O
the O
people O
of O
Gibraltar O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
accept O
the O
draft O
Gibraltar O
constitution O
, O
" O
said O
Europe O
Minister O
Geoff O
Hoon O
, O
after O
the O
referendum O
on O
the O
" O
Rock O
" O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
I O
look O
forward O
to O
working O
with O
the O
government O
of O
Gibraltar O
in O
the O
new O
, O
more O
modern O
and O
mature O
UK O
- O
Gibraltar O
relationship O
that O
it O
entails O
, O
" O
he O
added O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
electorate O
of O
the O
tiny O
outcrop O
on O
Spain O
' O
s O
south O
coast O
, O
population O
just O
27 O
, O
000 O
, O
were O
called O
to O
back O
a O
greater O
degree O
of O
self O
- O
determination O
after O
seven B-T
years I-T
of O
negotiations O
aimed O
at O
modernizing O
ties O
between O
Gibraltar O
and O
Britain O
. O

A O
clear O
majority O
, O
60 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
of O
voters O
backed O
the O
question O
: O
" O
In O
exercise O
of O
your O
right O
to O
self O
- O
determination O
, O
do O
you O
approve O
and O
accept O
the O
proposed O
new O
Constitution O
for O
Gibraltar O
? O
" O

However O
, O
turnout O
was O
modest O
at O
around O
60 O
percent O
- O
- O
28 O
percentage O
points O
less O
than O
in O
a O
2002 O
referendum O
where O
residents O
overwhelmingly O
rejected O
a O
proposal O
that O
Spain O
and O
Britain O
should O
share O
sovereignty O
over O
Gibraltar O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0203 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
mourns O
death O
of O
former O
Turkish O
PM O

The O
United O
States O
expressed O
sadness O
on O
Monday B-T
over O
the O
death O
of O
five O
- O
time O
Turkish O
prime O
minister O
Bulent O
Ecevit O
who O
died O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
at O
the B-T
age I-T
of I-T
81 I-T
. O

" O
We O
were O
saddened O
to O
learn O
of O
the O
death O
of O
former O
prime O
minister O
Bulent O
Ecevit O
, O
" O
State O
Department O
deputy O
spokesman O
Tom O
Casey O
said O
at O
a O
briefing O
. O

" O
His O
commitment O
to O
Turkey O
' O
s O
secular O
democratic O
institutions O
was O
something O
that O
we O
very O
much O
respected O
and O
, O
I O
think O
, O
was O
respected O
throughout O
the O
world O
, O
" O
Casey O
said O
. O

Ecevit O
, O
whose O
final O
term O
in O
office O
ended O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
was O
once O
a O
strong O
U O
. O
S O
. O
ally O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0111 O

SEOUL O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
INSERTS O
president O
' O
s O
quote O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
South O
Korean O
broadcaster O
has O
admitted O
using O
coercion O
to O
obtain O
information O
critical O
of O
cloning O
pioneer O
Hwang O
Woo O
- O
Suk O
and O
suspended O
airing O
a O
report O
alleging O
his O
breakthrough O
stem O
cell O
research O
was O
fabricated O
. O

Seoul O
- O
based O
MBC O
issued O
a O
statement O
late B-T
Sunday I-T
admitting O
its O
investigative O
reporting O
team O
had O
violated O
journalistic O
ethics O
in O
reporting O
on O
Hwang O
for O
the O
weekly O
program O
PD O
Network O
. O

The O
world O
- O
renowned O
researcher O
was O
forced O
to O
step O
down O
from O
his O
official O
posts O
and O
offer O
an O
apology O
on O
November B-T
24 I-T
, O
two B-T
days I-T
after O
the O
network O
broadcast O
allegations O
of O
ethical O
lapses O
in O
his O
research O
. O

A O
second O
installment O
of O
the O
program O
, O
making O
more O
explosive O
claims O
concerning O
the O
validity O
of O
Hwang O
' O
s O
research O
, O
was O
scheduled O
to O
air O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
We O
have O
decided O
to O
suspend O
a O
plan O
to O
air O
a O
follow O
- O
up O
program O
about O
Hwang O
' O
s O
research O
, O
" O
a O
spokesman O
for O
MBC O
, O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
TV O
network O
told O
AFP O
Monday B-T
. O
He O
said O
top O
executives O
were O
discussing O
when O
to O
air O
the O
program O
or O
whether O
to O
scrap O
it O
. O

President O
Roh O
Moo O
- O
Hyun O
, O
who O
has O
closely O
followed O
the O
unfolding O
controversy O
, O
said O
the O
matter O
should O
now O
be O
laid O
to O
rest O
as O
he O
pledged O
continued O
government O
support O
for O
Hwang O
' O
s O
research O
. O

" O
I O
hope O
the O
issue O
of O
verifying O
the O
authenticity O
of O
professor O
Hwang O
' O
s O
research O
results O
should O
be O
settled O
here O
, O
" O
Roh O
told O
a O
meeting O
with O
senior O
advisors O
. O
" O
I O
expect O
it O
to O
be O
verified O
naturally O
by O
Hwang O
' O
s O
follow O
- O
up O
research O
. O

" O
The O
government O
will O
continue O
without O
fail O
to O
give O
support O
for O
Hwang O
' O
s O
team O
to O
conduct O
its O
stem O
cell O
research O
, O
" O
Roh O
added O
. O

MBC O
became O
a O
target O
of O
national O
anger O
when O
it O
broadcast O
an O
initial O
report O
attacking O
Hwang O
, O
a O
national O
hero O
, O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
criticism O
of O
MBC O
continued O
after O
Hwang O
admitted O
the O
charges O
were O
true O
- O
- O
that O
some O
of O
the O
eggs O
used O
in O
his O
experiments O
had O
been O
paid O
for O
and O
that O
others O
had O
been O
obtained O
from O
members O
of O
his O
own O
research O
team O
. O

International O
ethical O
standards O
frown O
on O
egg O
donations O
by O
researchers O
, O
especially O
junior O
staff O
who O
may O
be O
vulnerable O
to O
pressure O
. O

MBC O
says O
it O
obtained O
information O
concerning O
the O
origin O
of O
the O
eggs O
from O
some O
of O
Hwang O
' O
s O
own O
researchers O
. O

It O
said O
that O
, O
based O
on O
interviews O
with O
them O
, O
it O
was O
going O
to O
broadcast O
a O
second O
report O
that O
would O
be O
far O
more O
damaging O
to O
Hwang O
' O
s O
reputation O
, O
as O
it O
would O
claim O
he O
had O
faked O
landmark O
research O
findings O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

However O
on O
Sunday B-T
MBC O
was O
forced O
into O
an O
apology O
after O
two O
of O
Hwang O
' O
s O
researchers O
told O
Seoul O
- O
based O
cable O
news O
television O
YTN O
the O
MBC O
team O
had O
misled O
them O
and O
used O
coercion O
to O
force O
them O
to O
give O
information O
unfavorable O
to O
Hwang O
. O

" O
MBC O
sincerely O
apologize O
to O
the O
people O
, O
" O
MBC O
said O
in O
the O
statement O
. O
" O
MBC O
will O
insist O
that O
those O
involved O
in O
the O
violations O
of O
the O
journalistic O
code O
of O
ethics O
take O
responsibility O
. O
" O

The O
two O
researchers O
deny O
MBC O
' O
s O
contention O
that O
they O
said O
Hwang O
' O
s O
research O
had O
been O
faked O
. O

" O
I O
never O
made O
such O
a O
statement O
, O
" O
one O
of O
the O
researchers O
, O
Kim O
Seon O
- O
Jeong O
, O
the O
source O
for O
the O
MBC O
report O
, O
said O
in O
the O
YTN O
interview O
. O

He O
said O
he O
clearly O
told O
MBC O
that O
the O
allegations O
against O
Hwang O
concerning O
falsified O
research O
results O
were O
" O
not O
true O
. O
" O

Hwang O
' O
s O
team O
said O
in O
its O
study O
published O
in O
May B-T
in O
the O
periodical O
Science O
that O
it O
had O
produced O
patient O
- O
specific O
stem O
cells O
from O
cloned O
human O
embryos O
. O

To O
do O
this O
, O
a O
patient O
' O
s O
somatic O
cell O
is O
planted O
into O
a O
human O
egg O
, O
the O
nucleus O
of O
which O
has O
been O
removed O
. O
The O
DNA O
of O
the O
stem O
cells O
produced O
by O
the O
experiment O
would O
genetically O
match O
the O
patient O
' O
s O
cells O
. O

However O
, O
MBC O
staff O
said O
they O
obtained O
samples O
of O
stem O
cells O
from O
Hwang O
' O
s O
team O
and O
had O
them O
tested O
independently O
. O
Later O
MBC O
said O
the O
tests O
were O
not O
conclusive O
but O
showed O
there O
may O
be O
problems O
with O
Hwang O
' O
s O
findings O
. O

According O
to O
media O
reports O
, O
of O
45 O
samples O
tested O
, O
only O
one O
was O
found O
to O
be O
readable O
, O
and O
it O
did O
not O
match O
the O
original O
donor O
cell O
. O

MBC O
asked O
Hwang O
' O
s O
team O
to O
conduct O
a O
new O
test O
to O
verify O
the O
results O
but O
the O
researchers O
dismissed O
MBC O
' O
s O
findings O
and O
refused O
, O
according O
to O
media O
reports O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0006 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
April B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Malaysian O
share O
market O
falls O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
at O
midday O

Malaysian O
share O
prices O
dipped O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
by O
midday O
Tuesday B-T
, O
with O
the O
market O
barometer O
falling O
below O
the O
1 O
, O
200 O
support O
level O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
three B-T
months I-T
following O
credit O
curbs O
and O
the O
Dow O
' O
s O
fall O
. O

" O
The O
overnight O
fall O
on O
Wall O
Street O
was O
a O
double O
whammy O
for O
the O
market O
, O
which O
was O
already O
reeling O
from O
the O
central O
bank O
' O
s O
curbs O
on O
bank O
lendings O
, O
" O
said O
Victor O
Wan O
, O
analyst O
at O
South O
Johore O
Securities O
. O

Wan O
said O
investors O
were O
selling O
banking O
and O
property O
stocks O
in O
anticipation O
of O
lower O
earnings O
. O

The O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
Stock O
Exchange O
' O
s O
100 O
- O
share O
weighted O
composite O
index O
tumbled O
13 O
. O
68 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
189 O
. O
42 O
at O
the O
close O
of O
the O
morning O
session O
, O
after O
touching O
a O
low O
of O
1 O
, O
183 O
. O
17 O
. O

The O
central O
Bank O
Negara O
Tuesday O
imposed O
new O
lending O
limits O
on O
shares O
and O
luxury O
properties O
to O
thwart O
excessive O
market O
speculation O
and O
quell O
soaring O
property O
prices O
. O

Bank O
lending O
to O
the O
property O
sector O
was O
limited O
to O
20 O
percent O
of O
all O
loans O
, O
excluding O
residential O
units O
costing O
60 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
and O
below O
, O
infrastructure O
facilities O
and O
industrial O
buildings O
. O

Rules O
for O
lending O
against O
stocks O
and O
unit O
trusts O
were O
also O
redefined O
. O

Trading O
volume O
in O
the O
morning O
session O
was O
162 O
. O
178 O
million O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
175 O
billion O
ringgit O
( O
470 O
million O
dollars O
) O
. O

Falling O
stocks O
outnumbered O
those O
rising O
401 O
to O
187 O
, O
with O
142 O
unchanged O
and O
131 O
untraded O
. O

Top O
bank O
, O
Maybank O
, O
led O
the O
fall O
in O
banking O
stocks O
with O
a O
75 O
sen O
lost O
to O
27 O
. O
50 O
ringgit O
, O
Public O
Bank O
was O
flat O
at O
3 O
. O
56 O
ringgit O
while O
Arab O
- O
Malaysian O
Merchant O
Bank O
declined O
70 O
sen O
to O
19 O
. O
90 O
ringgit O
. O

Both O
national O
powerhouse O
Tenaga O
Nasional O
and O
gaming O
giant O
Genting O
eased O
10 O
sen O
each O
to O
12 O
. O
00 O
ringgit O
and O
16 O
. O
70 O
ringgit O
respectively O
. O

Telekom O
Malaysia O
shed O
20 O
sen O
to O
19 O
. O
10 O
ringgit O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0364 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Belgian O
paratrooper O
arrested O
for O
alleged O
sadism O
in O
Somalia O

Belgian O
gendarmes O
have O
arrested O
a O
third O
paratrooper O
accused O
of O
sadism O
against O
Somali O
people O
during O
a O
multinational O
operation O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
in O
1993 B-T
, O
judicial O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
officer O
, O
named O
as O
First O
Sergeant O
- O
Major O
Rudy O
, O
was O
arrested O
Thursday B-T
after O
allegedly O
being O
recognised O
in O
a O
photograph O
published O
in O
the O
press O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
which O
showed O
a O
Belgian O
soldier O
urinating O
on O
a O
wounded O
Somali O
. O

He O
had O
commanded O
a O
mortar O
team O
at O
Tielen O
in O
Somalia O
. O

The O
officer O
was O
brought O
back O
from O
mission O
in O
the O
Congolese O
capital O
Brazzaville O
and O
is O
due O
to O
appear O
before O
the O
Brussels O
Court O
Martial O
, O
which O
has O
already O
charged O
two O
other O
soldiers O
with O
sadism O
. O

One O
of O
them O
, O
accused O
of O
badly O
treating O
children O
, O
has O
been O
locked O
up O
. O

Among O
other O
allegations O
made O
by O
former O
paratroopers O
was O
a O
claim O
that O
a O
young O
Somali O
caught O
stealing O
food O
died O
when O
he O
was O
put O
in O
a O
crate O
for O
two B-T
days O
. O

Belgian O
Defence O
Minister O
Jean O
- O
Pol O
Poncelet O
has O
promised O
to O
cashier O
those O
responsible O
and O
dissolve O
their O
whole O
military O
unit O
should O
the O
alleged O
brutality O
prove O
to O
consist O
of O
more O
than O
isolated O
incidents O
. O

The O
soldiers O
were O
part O
of O
a O
failed O
UN O
- O
sponsored O
mission O
called O
Operation O
Restore O
Hope O
, O
which O
had O
sought O
to O
bring O
peace O
and O
protect O
food O
deliveries O
in O
Somalia O
, O
wracked O
by O
clan O
fighting O
and O
starvation O
. O

Foreign O
troops O
eventually O
pulled O
out O
without O
an O
end O
to O
the O
conflict O
and O
after O
bloody O
battles O
with O
Somali O
movements O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0138 O

PHNOM O
PENH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Six O
Cambodians O
drown O
after O
their O
floating O
house O
capsizes O

Six O
local O
people O
, O
including O
four O
children O
, O
drowned O
after O
their O
floating O
house O
capsized O
as O
the O
cable O
that O
tied O
it O
to O
a O
tree O
on O
the O
bank O
of O
Bassac O
River O
became O
broken O
, O
a O
police O
officer O
told O
Xinhua O
by O
phone O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
The O
cable O
was O
too O
old O
and O
the O
house O
roof O
was O
made O
from O
heavy O
clay O
. O
So O
, O
it O
forced O
the O
floating O
house O
to O
turn O
upside O
down O
, O
" O
said O
En O
Savuth O
, O
deputy O
police O
chief O
of O
Sa O
- O
ang O
District O
, O
Kandal O
Province O
, O
some O
25 O
kilometers O
south O
of O
the O
capital O
city O
. O

As O
the O
tragedy O
happened O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
two O
adults O
, O
35 O
and O
65 B-T
years I-T
old O
, O
and O
the O
four O
minors O
, O
2 O
, O
7 O
, O
10 B-T
and O
12 O
years O
old O
were O
having O
lunch O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
When O
the O
floating O
house O
collapsed O
, O
the O
river O
had O
high O
currents O
and O
people O
could O
not O
survive O
in O
them O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

However O
, O
in O
the O
family O
of O
seven O
, O
one O
boy O
survived O
by O
jumping O
to O
the O
bank O
before O
the O
house O
collapsed O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
house O
was O
built O
on O
a O
platform O
supported O
by O
10 O
oil O
barrels O
. O
The O
only O
stabilizing O
force O
was O
a O
rope O
that O
tied O
it O
to O
the O
tree O
on O
the O
bank O
. O

The O
capsized O
house O
floated O
some O
300 O
meters O
away O
from O
the O
original O
place O
, O
creating O
panic O
for O
other O
floating O
house O
residents O
on O
the O
river O
, O
said O
Savuth O
. O

Some O
riverside O
Cambodians O
tend O
to O
live O
in O
floating O
houses O
in O
order O
to O
easily O
fish O
and O
enjoy O
convenience O
of O
sanitation O
. O
Such O
a O
lifestyle O
can O
also O
help O
them O
save O
money O
for O
constructing O
house O
on O
land O
and O
escape O
the O
taxation O
and O
population O
management O
of O
the O
government O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0315 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Barcelona O
and O
Arsenal O
into O
final O
16 O
while O
Man O
Utd O
future O
uncertain O

Barcelona O
and O
Arsenal O
progressed O
to O
the O
knockout O
stages O
of O
the O
Champions O
League O
with O
group O
wins O
on O
Wednesday B-T
while O
Manchester O
United O
' O
s O
future O
hangs O
in O
the O
balance O
after O
they O
lost O
to O
Lille O
1 O
- O
0 O
. O

Samuel O
Eto O
' O
o O
grabbed O
a O
hat O
- O
trick O
as O
Barca O
hammered O
Panathinaikos O
5 O
- O
0 O
, O
Mark O
van O
Bommel O
and O
Lionel O
Messi O
also O
getting O
on O
the O
scoresheet O
. O

The O
game O
of O
the O
night O
was O
in O
Bremen O
where O
Werder O
beat O
10 O
- O
man O
Udinese O
4 O
- O
3 O
. O
Miroslav O
Klose O
, O
Frank O
Baumann O
and O
Johan O
Micoud O
scored O
for O
the O
hosts O
while O
an O
Antonio O
di O
Natale O
pair O
and O
a O
Christian O
Schulz O
own O
goal O
replied O
. O

To O
rub O
salt O
into O
their O
wounds O
Udinese O
had O
Giampiero O
Pinzi O
dismissed O
for O
a O
second O
bookable O
offence O
. O

Arsenal O
secured O
their O
place O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
16 I-T
with O
a O
convincing O
3 O
- O
0 O
victory O
at O
home O
to O
Sparta O
Prague O
in O
Group O
B O
. O

French O
striker O
Thierry O
Henry O
opened O
the O
scoring O
before O
Robin O
van O
Persie O
came O
off O
the O
bench O
to O
bag O
a O
late O
brace O
. O

Ajax O
broke O
FC O
Thun O
hearts O
with O
a O
4 O
- O
2 O
victory O
thanks O
to O
late O
, O
late O
goals O
from O
Nigel O
de O
Jong O
and O
Nourdin O
Boukhari O
. O

Wesley O
Sneijder O
and O
Yannis O
Anastasiou O
twice O
put O
the O
visitors O
in O
front O
but O
Mauro O
Lustrinelli O
and O
Adriano O
Spadoto O
had O
replied O
for O
the O
home O
side O
. O

Juventus O
went O
above O
Bayern O
Munich O
in O
Group O
A O
with O
a O
2 O
- O
1 O
victory O
in O
Italy O
. O

David O
Trezeguet O
scored O
for O
Juve O
either O
side O
of O
a O
Sebastian O
Deisler O
leveller O
, O
while O
Juve O
striker O
Zlatan O
Ibrahimovic O
was O
sent O
off O
towards O
the O
end O
. O

Club O
Brugge O
stayed O
in O
the O
hunt O
for O
qualification O
with O
an O
impressive O
3 O
- O
2 O
win O
over O
point O
- O
less O
Rapid O
Vienna O
. O

Marek O
Kincl O
put O
the O
Austrians O
ahead O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
minute I-T
but O
Javier O
Portillo O
, O
Bosko O
Balaban O
and O
Gert O
Verheyen O
bagged O
before O
a O
Marcin O
Adamski O
consolation O
. O

Manchester O
United O
' O
s O
miserable O
recent O
form O
continued O
with O
a O
lacklustre O
1 O
- O
0 O
away O
defeat O
at O
Lille O
in O
Group O
D O
. O

Former O
Spurs O
schemer O
Milenko O
Acimovic O
notched O
the O
only O
goal O
of O
the O
game O
seven O
minutes O
before O
half O
- O
time O
. O

Spanish O
side O
Villarreal O
went O
top O
of O
a O
tight O
group O
after O
their O
1 O
- O
0 O
victory O
over O
Portuguese O
outfit O
Benfica O
. O

It O
was O
a O
goal O
eight O
minutes O
from O
time O
that O
earned O
them O
three O
crucial O
points O
, O
Marcos O
Senna O
firing O
home O
for O
Manuel O
Pellegrini O
' O
s O
team O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0081 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Mofaz O
defection O
gives O
further O
poll O
boost O
to O
Sharon O

The O
defection O
of O
Defence O
Minister O
Shaul O
Mofaz O
from O
the O
right O
- O
wing O
Likud O
to O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
' O
s O
Kadima O
gave O
the O
Israeli O
premier O
' O
s O
new O
party O
a O
further O
boost O
in O
the O
polls O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
latest O
survey O
published O
by O
the O
Yediot O
Aharonot O
daily O
found O
that O
Kadima O
is O
on O
course O
to O
win O
41 O
of O
the O
120 O
Knesset O
seats O
in O
the O
March B-T
28 I-T
election O
, O
20 O
more O
than O
its O
nearest O
rival O
, O
the O
centre O
- O
left O
Labour O
party O
. O

Likud O
, O
which O
won O
38 O
seats O
at O
the O
last O
election O
, O
is O
set O
to O
see O
its O
representation O
tumble O
to O
just O
11 O
, O
one O
ahead O
of O
the O
ultra O
- O
Orthodox O
Shas O
party O
, O
the O
survey O
found O
. O

Kadima O
' O
s O
projected O
number O
of O
seats O
has O
gone O
up O
two O
since O
the O
last O
such O
survey O
on O
December B-T
9 I-T
, O
indicating O
that O
Mofaz O
' O
s O
defection O
has O
had O
an O
immediate O
bounce O
effect O
. O

In O
contrast O
, O
the O
seats O
projection O
for O
both O
Labour O
and O
Likud O
has O
dropped O
by O
two O
. O

Mofaz O
announced O
on O
Sunday B-T
that O
he O
had O
decided O
to O
pull O
out O
of O
the O
campaign O
to O
succeed O
Sharon O
as O
leader O
of O
Likud O
, O
which O
he O
said O
was O
veering O
towards O
right O
- O
wing O
extremism O
, O
and O
would O
instead O
link O
up O
with O
the O
premier O
' O
s O
new O
centrist O
party O
. O

The O
survey O
of O
500 O
people O
was O
conducted O
by O
the O
Tel O
Aviv O
- O
based O
Dahaf O
institute O
and O
has O
a O
4 O
. O
4 O
percent O
margin O
of O
error O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0034 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O
starts O
construction O
on O
Olympic O
media O
village O

Beijing O
Olympic O
organizers O
Friday B-T
started O
construction O
on O
the O
media O
village O
for O
the O
2008 O
Games O
. O

The O
media O
village O
, O
situated O
to O
the O
northeast O
of O
the O
Olympic O
Green O
and O
the O
Olympic O
Forest O
Park O
in O
the O
north O
of O
the O
city O
, O
will O
be O
within O
ten B-T
minutes I-T
drive O
from O
the O
Main O
Press O
Center O
and O
major O
Olympic O
competition O
venues O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Beijing O
Organizing O
Committee O
for O
the O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
( O
BOCOG O
) O
. O

The O
media O
village O
will O
provide O
up O
to O
6 O
, O
000 O
rooms O
to O
accredited O
media O
during O
the O
Games O
. O

The O
whole O
project O
is O
due O
for O
completion O
at O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
2008 I-T
. O

In O
line O
with O
the O
themes O
of O
" O
Green O
Olympics O
" O
, O
" O
Hi O
- O
tech O
Olympics O
" O
and O
" O
People O
' O
s O
Olympics O
" O
, O
new O
technologies O
and O
green O
concepts O
are O
incorporated O
into O
the O
design O
and O
construction O
work O
of O
the O
media O
village O
, O
such O
as O
the O
utilization O
of O
geothermal O
energy O
and O
solar O
energy O
, O
green O
construction O
materials O
and O
a O
rain O
water O
- O
recycling O
system O
. O

Aside O
from O
the O
new O
media O
village O
that O
just O
broke O
ground O
, O
two O
existing O
accommodation O
facilities O
have O
also O
been O
selected O
as O
media O
villages O
and O
will O
provide O
additional O
2 O
, O
500 O
rooms O
. O

Moreover O
, O
46 O
hotels O
in O
Beijing O
have O
been O
so O
far O
assigned O
as O
media O
hotels O
, O
making O
around O
15 O
, O
000 O
hotel O
rooms O
available O
for O
the O
accredited O
media O
. O

Quick O
access O
to O
the O
Main O
Press O
Centre O
and O
major O
competition O
venues O
is O
one O
of O
the O
priorities O
for O
the O
organizers O
in O
the O
selection O
of O
media O
accommodation O
facilities O
. O

Around O
21 O
, O
000 O
accredited O
media O
from O
all O
over O
the O
world O
are O
expected O
to O
come O
to O
Beijing O
to O
cover O
the O
2008 O
Games O
. O

WSJ891031 O
- O
0040 O

= O
891031 O

891031 O
- O
0040 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Dataproducts O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Lawsuit O
Is O
Filed O
to O
Block O

@ O
DPC O
' O
s O
Hostile O
Tender O
Offer O

10 B-T
/ I-T
31 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

DPC O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

COMPUTERS O
AND O
INFORMATION O
TECHNOLOGY O
( O
CPR O
) O

Dataproducts O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
filed O
a O
lawsuit O
in O
Delaware O
Chancery O
Court O
to O
block O
a O
tender O
offer O
by O
DPC O
Acquisition O
Partners O
, O
alleging O
that O
the O
hostile O
offer O
violates O
a O
standstill O
agreement O
between O
the O
two O
concerns O
. O

DPC O
, O
an O
investor O
group O
led O
by O
New O
York O
- O
based O
Crescott O
Investment O
Associates O
, O
had O
itself O
filed O
a O
suit O
in O
state O
court O
in O
Los O
Angeles O
seeking O
to O
nullify O
the O
agreement O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
Dataproducts O
had O
rejected O
a O
$ O
15 O
a O
share O
offer O
from O
DPC O
, O
saying O
it O
was O
n O
' O
t O
adequately O
financed O
. O

DPC O
last B-T
week I-T
launched O
a O
new O
, O
$ O
10 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
offer O
for O
the O
Woodland O
Hills O
, O
Calif O
. O
- O
based O
computer O
printer O
maker O
. O

DPC O
said O
it O
could O
n O
' O
t O
comment O
on O
the O
suit O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0216 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bush O
to O
arrive O
in O
South O
Korea O
Nov O
. O
16 O
: O
US O
official O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
will O
arrive O
in O
South O
Korea O
Wednesday B-T
, I-T
one I-T
day I-T
before O
his O
planned O
bilateral O
summit O
with O
his O
South O
Korean O
counterpart O
Roh O
Moo O
- O
hyun O
, O
a O
US O
Embassy O
official O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

Roh O
and O
Bush O
have O
agreed O
to O
meet O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
southeastern O
city O
of O
Gyeongju O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, O
ahead O
of O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
leaders O
' O
meeting O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
, O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Yonhap O
News O
Agency O
said O
. O
The O
forum O
opened O
in O
Busan O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
US O
president O
is O
to O
arrive O
at O
Gimhae O
International O
Airport O
, O
the O
gateway O
to O
this O
host O
city O
of O
the O
13th O
APEC O
forum O
, O
according O
to O
the O
official O
, O
who O
spoke O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

Bush O
is O
among O
the O
21 O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Rim O
leaders O
expected O
to O
attend O
the O
APEC O
leaders O
' O
meeting O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0025 O

DAR O
ES O
SALAAM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

ICTR O
probe O
report O
sent O
to O
UN O
headquarters O

The O
fate O
of O
an O
International O
Criminal O
Tribunal O
for O
Rwanda O
( O
ICTR O
) O
official O
is O
now O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
those O
at O
the O
United O
Nations O
headquarters O
as O
his O
case O
was O
sent O
to O
New O
York O
already O
. O

Local O
media O
quoted O
the O
Arusha O
- O
based O
UN O
court O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
report O
by O
a O
probe O
team O
on O
Roland O
Amoussouga O
having O
allegedly O
violated O
ICTR O
' O
s O
conditions O
of O
appointment O
by O
assisting O
his O
friend O
to O
get O
a O
job O
in O
the O
UN O
court O
. O

The O
probe O
team O
has O
been O
verifying O
the O
authenticity O
of O
recruitment O
electronic O
mails O
between O
the O
ICTR O
spokesperson O
and O
his O
French O
friend O
. O

The O
registrar O
of O
the O
UN O
court O
, O
Adama O
Dieng O
, O
told O
the O
press O
that O
the O
report O
had O
been O
sent O
to O
New O
York O
. O

The O
ICTR O
court O
, O
set O
up O
in O
1994 B-T
in O
northern O
Tanzania O
that O
became O
operational O
in O
1997 B-T
, O
has O
its O
administrative O
matters O
taken O
care O
of O
in O
the O
UN O
headquarters O
. O

The O
probe O
was O
prompted O
by O
leaked O
e O
- O
mail O
communication O
between O
Amoussouga O
and O
the O
candidate O
for O
a O
post O
of O
the O
head O
of O
the O
defense O
counsel O
management O
section O
. O

The O
ICTR O
spokesperson O
not O
only O
allegedly O
tipped O
off O
the O
French O
lawyer O
about O
the O
qualifications O
needed O
for O
filling O
up O
the O
post O
and O
also O
allegedly O
informed O
his O
friend O
of O
the O
support O
to O
his O
candidature O
by O
other O
high O
- O
ranking O
officials O
at O
the O
tribunal O
. O

The O
ICTR O
, O
whose O
mandate O
ends O
in O
2008 B-T
, O
has O
so O
far O
brought O
to O
trial O
25 O
people O
while O
26 O
others O
are O
currently O
on O
trial O
, O
with O
another O
17 O
waiting O
to O
be O
taken O
to O
court O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0259 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

World O
urged O
to O
help O
Cote O
D O
' O
Ivoire O
clean O
up O
toxic O
waste O

The O
United O
Nations O
on O
Friday B-T
has O
urged O
the O
world O
to O
mobilize O
financial O
assistance O
to O
pay O
for O
the O
clean O
up O
and O
rehabilitation O
of O
contaminated O
sites O
in O
Cote O
D O
' O
Ivoire O
as O
a O
result O
of O
fresh O
reports O
that O
the O
final O
costs O
of O
a O
dumping O
incident O
in O
August B-T
could O
reach O
into O
the O
millions O
of O
dollars O
. O

The O
UN O
Environment O
Program O
( O
UNEP O
) O
Executive O
Director O
Steiner O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
issued O
in O
Nairobi O
that O
he O
had O
been O
informed O
by O
the O
Ivorian O
authorities O
that O
following O
initial O
emergency O
assistance O
, O
the O
country O
was O
now B-T
having O
to O
use O
its O
own O
public O
funds O
to O
pay O
a O
private O
company O
for O
the O
retrieval O
, O
shipment O
and O
processing O
of O
the O
toxic O
waste O
in O
France O
. O

" O
Irrespective O
of O
who O
will O
or O
who O
will O
not O
be O
held O
liable O
for O
this O
incident O
, O
it O
is O
the O
people O
of O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
poorest O
countries O
who O
have O
already O
paid O
dearly O
for O
this O
irresponsible O
act O
of O
hazardous O
waste O
dumping O
, O
who O
are O
now B-T
being O
forced O
to O
actually O
pay O
the O
bill O
for O
removal O
and O
clean O
up O
operations O
, O
" O
said O
Steiner O
. O

The O
costs O
of O
this O
operation O
allied O
to O
the O
medium O
and O
long O
- O
term O
rehabilitation O
of O
affected O
sites O
could O
approach O
30 O
million O
US O
dollars O
according O
to O
the O
Ivorian O
authorities O
. O

Steiner O
said O
urgent O
assistance O
to O
meet O
Cote O
D O
' O
Ivoire O
costs O
was O
in O
the O
spotlight O
but O
emphasized O
that O
this O
was O
by O
no O
means O
a O
unique O
case O
. O

He O
warned O
that O
cases O
like O
this O
could O
escalate O
unless O
existing O
international O
regulations O
on O
toxic O
wastes O
, O
including O
those O
under O
the O
International O
Convention O
for O
the O
Prevention O
of O
Pollution O
from O
Ships O
( O
MARPOL O
) O
, O
are O
properly O
enforced O
and O
gaps O
between O
various O
treaties O
closed O
. O

" O
We O
must O
assist O
Cote O
D O
' O
Ivoire O
now O
, O
but O
it O
cannot O
end O
there O
. O
We O
must O
enforce O
existing O
laws O
in O
both O
OECD O
and O
developing O
countries O
alongside O
building O
the O
capacity O
for O
customs O
authorities O
and O
local O
waste O
management O
at O
ports O
and O
elsewhere O
to O
minimize O
the O
chances O
of O
such O
an O
incident O
occurring O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
" O
said O
Steiner O
. O

" O
It O
would O
seem O
reasonable O
and O
sensible O
to O
considerably O
boost O
the O
resources O
of O
the O
emergency O
fund O
so O
that O
the O
international O
community O
can O
have O
a O
specific O
and O
well O
- O
funded O
response O
to O
hazardous O
waste O
dumping O
incidents O
that O
are O
occurring O
in O
Africa O
and O
other O
developing O
countries O
far O
too O
often O
, O
" O
UNEP O
chief O
added O
. O

He O
was O
speaking O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
an O
international O
meeting O
of O
the O
Basel O
Convention O
on O
the O
Control O
of O
Transboundary O
Movements O
of O
Hazardous O
Wastes O
and O
their O
Disposal O
, O
which O
begins O
in O
Nairobi O
next B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
central O
theme O
of O
the O
meeting O
is O
the O
issue O
of O
electronic O
waste O
or O
e O
- O
waste O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
massive O
growth O
in O
the O
international O
traffic O
of O
obsolete O
products O
like O
computers O
and O
mobile O
phones O
. O

But O
the O
issue O
of O
illegal O
shipments O
of O
hazardous O
materials O
to O
vulnerable O
countries O
by O
unscrupulous O
operators O
is O
also O
likely O
to O
be O
high O
on O
delegates O
' O
minds O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
Cote O
D O
' O
Ivoire O
case O
in O
which O
a O
ship O
sailing O
from O
Europe O
dumped O
wastes O
in O
the O
West O
African O
country O
. O

Delegates O
from O
across O
the O
world O
are O
arriving O
in O
Nairobi O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
week I-T
' O
s O
five O
- O
day O
- O
long O
Conference O
of O
the O
Parties O
to O
the O
Basel O
Convention O
, O
which O
was O
set O
up O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
issue O
of O
hazardous O
waste O
shipments O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0090 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambia O
' O
s O
sugar O
output O
up O

Zambia O
' O
s O
sugar O
output O
up O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Zambia O
' O
s O
sugar O
output O
in O
the O
first O
half O
production O
year B-T
ending O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
increased O
by O
3 O
, O
000 O
tons O
compared O
with O
the O
same O
period O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
Zambia O
Sugar O
Plc O
. O

The O
sugar O
production O
is O
expected O
to O
exceed O
250 O
, O
000 O
tons O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
Zambia O
Daily O
Mail O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Secretary O
of O
the O
company O
Lovemore O
Sievu O
said O
the O
company O
registered O
revenue O
amounting O
to O
307 O
. O
4 O
billion O
kwacha O
( O
about O
78 O
. O
82 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
compared O
with O
270 O
. O
1 O
billion O
kwacha O
( O
about O
69 O
. O
26 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
the O
same O
period O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
combination O
of O
cost O
and O
productivity O
improvements O
resulted O
in O
a O
slight O
improvement O
on O
operating O
margins O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Exports O
and O
revenues O
have O
benefited O
from O
an O
additional O
EU O
quota O
allocations O
and O
also O
improved O
regional O
market O
prices O
, O
Sievu O
said O
. O

The O
maintenance O
of O
operating O
margins O
and O
exchange O
rate O
will O
remain O
significant O
to O
the O
final O
profitability O
of O
the O
company O
for O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
secretary O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0169 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
: O
5 O
US O
marines O
accused O
of O
raping O
Filipino O
woman O
at O
Subic O
Bay O

Five O
US O
marines O
have O
been O
accused O
of O
gang O
raping O
a O
22 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Filipino O
woman O
at O
the O
former O
US O
navy O
base O
of O
Subic O
Bay O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
throwing O
shadow O
over O
the O
annual O
joint O
military O
exercises O
between O
the O
United O
States O
and O
the O
Philippines O
held O
under O
a O
visiting O
force O
agreement O
. O

The O
five O
US O
marines O
were O
prevented O
from O
boarding O
their O
amphibious O
warship O
, O
USS O
Essex O
, O
to O
leave O
the O
Philippines O
on O
Thursday B-T
after O
a O
Filipino O
woman O
accused O
them O
of O
gang O
raping O
her O
in O
a O
van O
in O
Olongapo O
City O
near O
Subic O
Bay O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
the O
All O
Saints O
' O
Day O
which O
is O
an O
important O
Catholic O
festival O
here O
for O
mourning O
the O
dead O
. O

The O
US O
marines O
, O
who O
were O
from O
the O
US O
military O
bases O
in O
Okinawa O
, O
Japan O
, O
were O
later O
turned O
over O
to O
the O
US O
embassy O
here O
by O
the O
Philippine O
authorities O
, O
according O
to O
Philippine O
officials O
in O
charge O
of O
supervising O
the O
just O
- O
concluded O
military O
exercises O
named O
" O
Talon O
Vision O
" O
held O
at O
the O
Subic O
Bay O
, O
in O
which O
4 O
, O
500 O
US O
marines O
and O
navy O
sailors O
participated O
. O

Philippine O
Foreign O
Secretary O
Alberto O
Romulo O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
he O
has O
asked O
the O
US O
Embassy O
to O
make O
sure O
that O
the O
accused O
soldiers O
do O
not O
leave O
the O
country O
and O
that O
they O
be O
made O
available O
to O
Philippine O
police O
and O
judicial O
authorities O
. O

" O
I O
am O
deeply O
concerned O
by O
this O
report O
and O
I O
have O
instructed O
the O
VFACOM O
( O
Visiting O
Forces O
Agreement O
Committee O
) O
to O
fully O
assist O
the O
victim O
of O
this O
crime O
and O
to O
support O
all O
efforts O
by O
our O
authorities O
to O
investigate O
, O
prosecute O
and O
try O
this O
case O
, O
" O
said O
Romulo O
. O

" O
The O
perpetrators O
of O
this O
heinous O
crime O
shall O
be O
brought O
to O
justice O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
VFACOM O
is O
a O
US O
- O
Philippine O
joint O
institution O
charged O
with O
supervising O
the O
annual O
US O
- O
Philippine O
military O
exercises O
being O
held O
under O
a O
mutual O
defense O
agreement O
and O
a O
visiting O
forces O
agreement O
. O

The O
acting O
US O
embassy O
charge O
d O
' O
affaires O
Paul O
Jones O
said O
the O
five O
US O
marines O
are O
under O
the O
responsibility O
of O
the O
embassy O
but O
assured O
they O
will O
be O
made O
accessible O
to O
local O
authorities O
. O

" O
They O
are O
under O
American O
responsibility O
. O
I O
conveyed O
how O
seriously O
the O
US O
takes O
this O
accusation O
. O
We O
have O
an O
important O
agreement O
we O
make O
them O
available O
to O
Philippine O
investigators O
, O
" O
he O
told O
local O
media O
. O

But O
he O
said O
the O
US O
authorities O
are O
conducting O
separate O
probes O
into O
the O
case O
and O
justice O
will O
be O
done O
if O
the O
Americans O
are O
found O
guilty O
. O

" O
While O
the O
charges O
are O
very O
serious O
, O
they O
are O
innocent O
unless O
proven O
guilty O
. O
If O
they O
are O
proven O
guilty O
, O
we O
obviously O
find O
this O
an O
outrageous O
crime O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
a O
separate O
statement O
, O
the O
US O
embassy O
said O
the O
Visiting O
Forces O
Agreement O
( O
VFA O
) O
, O
signed O
in O
1998 B-T
between O
the O
Philippine O
and O
US O
governments O
to O
allow O
US O
troops O
return O
to O
the O
Philippines O
after O
they O
pulled O
out O
in O
1993 B-T
, O
provides O
the O
mechanism O
for O
US O
and O
Philippine O
authorities O
to O
work O
together O
to O
determine O
the O
facts O
of O
the O
case O
and O
to O
ensure O
that O
accused O
individuals O
are O
available O
to O
both O
Filipino O
and O
US O
investigators O
. O

The O
Subic O
Bay O
Metropolitan O
Authority O
( O
SBMA O
) O
said O
the O
alleged O
victim O
was O
invited O
by O
the O
Americans O
to O
go O
with O
them O
in O
a O
rented O
van O
after O
they O
met O
in O
a O
video O
- O
OK O
bar O
, O
where O
people O
drink O
and O
sing O
. O
A B-T
few I-T
hours I-T
later O
, O
the O
woman O
was O
seen O
dumped O
unconscious O
on O
a O
road O
from O
the O
van O
. O

Under O
the O
VFA O
, O
US O
troops O
who O
take O
part O
in O
joint O
exercises O
in O
the O
Philippines O
are O
provided O
with O
special O
legal O
protection O
for O
actions O
taken O
as O
part O
of O
the O
war O
games O
but O
are O
given O
less O
protection O
for O
crimes O
committed O
while O
on O
leave B-T
. O

US O
troops O
pulled O
out O
of O
the O
Subic O
Bay O
and O
Clark O
airfield O
military O
bases O
in O
1993 B-T
after O
the O
Philippine O
Senate O
voted O
to O
take O
back O
the O
bases O
built O
during O
US O
rule O
in O
the O
Philippines O
from O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
20th I-T
century I-T
until O
World O
War O
II O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0581 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Germany O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Film O
- O
maker O
Kusturica O
plans O
gypsy O
comedy O
set O
in O
Serbia O

Yugoslav O
film O
- O
maker O
Emir O
Kusturica O
is O
to O
start O
work O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
next I-T
month I-T
on O
a O
comedy O
with O
a O
gypsy O
background O
set O
in O
Serbia O
, O
he O
said O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
film O
, O
entitled O
" O
Black O
Cat O
, O
White O
Cat O
, O
" O
will O
cover O
the O
joyful O
attitude O
to O
death O
in O
the O
gypsy O
community O
, O
Kusturica O
said O
. O
It O
will O
recount O
the O
efforts O
of O
an O
old O
man O
' O
s O
many O
relatives O
to O
restore O
him O
to O
life O
after O
he O
has O
died O
. O

Kusturica O
has O
twice O
won O
the O
Golden O
Palm O
at O
the O
Cannes O
film O
festival O
, O
in O
1985 O
for O
" O
When O
Father O
was O
away O
on O
Business O
, O
" O
and O
in O
1995 O
for O
the O
controversial O
" O
Underground O
, O
" O
accused O
by O
critics O
of O
being O
too O
pro O
- O
Serb O
. O

In O
between O
, O
he O
was O
voted O
best O
director O
at O
Cannes O
for O
an O
earlier O
gypsy O
film O
, O
" O
Time O
of O
the O
Gypsies O
. O
" O

Kusturica O
is O
currently O
making O
a O
short O
film O
on O
support O
for O
AIDS O
sufferers O
in O
Frankfurt O
. O
It O
is O
to O
be O
shown O
in O
two O
different O
versions O
, O
for O
cinema O
and O
for O
television O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0344 O

MADRID O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Spain O
to O
give O
2 O
. O
3 O
mln O
dlrs O
to O
Americas O
Cup O
promotors O

The O
Spanish O
government O
will O
give O
two O
million O
euros O
( O
around O
2 O
. O
3 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
to O
the O
organizers O
of O
the O
Americas O
Cup O
, O
the O
sailing O
event O
hosted O
by O
the O
Spanish O
city O
of O
Valencia O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
local O
media O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
plan O
was O
approved O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
a O
ceremony O
attended O
by O
Jordi O
Sevilla O
, O
Spain O
' O
s O
minister O
of O
public O
affairs O
, O
and O
Ricard O
Perez O
Casado O
, O
Americas O
Cup O
president O
. O

The O
money O
will O
be O
used O
to O
launch O
an O
international O
publicity O
campaign O
promoting O
Valencia O
and O
the O
Americas O
Cup O
. O
Casado O
and O
Sevilla O
approved O
the O
marketing O
plan O
drawn O
up O
by O
the O
Americas O
Cup O
coordination O
committee O
at O
the O
same O
time O
as O
approving O
the O
deal O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0168 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O
' O
s O
water O
supply O
suffers O
worsening O
pollution O
: O
report O

Water O
from O
the O
Guanting O
reservoir O
, O
Beijing O
' O
s O
fourth O
largest O
source O
of O
drinking O
water O
source O
, O
is O
not O
fit O
for O
human O
consumption O
or O
even O
irrigation O
, O
according O
to O
a O
report O
from O
the O
city O
' O
s O
environment O
watchdog O
. O

At O
level O
five O
on O
the O
water O
pollution O
index O
water O
is O
only O
suitable O
for O
irrigation O
. O
At O
below O
level O
five O
, O
water O
from O
the O
Guanting O
reservoir O
is O
not O
fit O
for O
growing O
agricultural O
produce O
. O

With O
21 O
reservoirs O
, O
the O
city O
of O
16 O
million O
faces O
grave O
water O
supply O
problems O
as O
the O
Zhaitang O
, O
Taoyukou O
, O
Niantan O
and O
Daning O
reservoirs O
have O
all O
dried O
up O
, O
said O
the O
Beijing O
Municipal O
Environmental O
Protection O
Bureau O
in O
its O
first O
monthly O
report O
on O
water O
quality O
. O

Miyun O
, O
Huairou O
and O
Yanqinggucheng O
reservoirs O
, O
the O
capital O
' O
s O
other O
major O
drinking O
water O
sources O
, O
are O
still O
providing O
clean O
, O
potable O
water O
, O
said O
the O
report O
which O
is O
posted O
on O
the O
bureau O
' O
s O
Web O
site O
. O

Water O
quality O
levels O
between O
one O
and O
three O
are O
considered O
potable O
. O

The O
report O
also O
said O
nearly O
half O
of O
Beijing O
' O
s O
sightseeing O
lakes O
and O
ponds O
are O
so O
polluted O
their O
water O
also O
can O
' O
t O
even O
be O
used O
to O
irrigate O
the O
park O
landscape O
that O
surrounds O
them O
. O

The O
report O
said O
water O
quality O
in O
seven O
of O
Beijing O
lakes O
, O
such O
as O
the O
Winter O
Palace O
Lake O
and O
Taoranting O
Lake O
, O
is O
below O
level O
five O
. O
Only O
four O
lakes O
could O
be O
used O
to O
supply O
drinking O
water O
, O
while O
water O
from O
the O
other O
lakes O
is O
only O
fit O
for O
industrial O
use O
. O

The O
watchdog O
has O
earlier O
blamed O
too O
much O
untreated O
waste O
water O
, O
industrial O
effluent O
and O
agricultural O
pollution O
for O
the O
deteriorating O
water O
qualities O
in O
the O
lakes O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0626 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Steve O
Griffiths O

Chelsea O
striker O
Didier O
Drogba O
admitted O
he O
has O
a O
soft O
spot O
for O
the O
League O
Cup O
after O
dumping O
Newcastle O
out O
of O
the O
competition O
in O
the O
quarter O
- O
finals O
. O

Drogba O
scored O
with O
a O
superb O
free O
- O
kick O
just O
11 O
minutes O
from O
full O
- O
time O
at O
St O
James O
' O
Park O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
seal O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
that O
kept O
Chelsea O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
win O
all O
four O
major O
trophies O
on O
course O
. O

The O
Ivory O
Coast O
star O
, O
who O
had O
also O
hit O
the O
winner O
against O
Newcastle O
in O
the O
Premiership O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
knows O
all O
about O
League O
Cup O
glory O
after O
scoring O
in O
Chelsea O
' O
s O
2005 O
final O
win O
over O
Liverpool O
. O

That O
victory O
was O
Drogba O
' O
s O
first O
taste O
of O
success O
in O
English O
football O
and O
, O
with O
Chelsea O
through O
to O
the B-T
last I-T
four I-T
, O
he O
is O
determined O
to O
savour O
the O
winning O
feeling O
again O
. O

" O
Everyone O
knows O
how O
important O
this O
competition O
is O
to O
me O
because O
it O
was O
my O
first O
trophy O
in O
England O
and O
I O
scored O
in O
the O
final O
, O
" O
Drogba O
said O
. O

" O
The O
team O
want O
to O
win O
every O
game O
because O
we O
want O
to O
be O
champions O
again O
and O
to O
win O
this O
trophy O
. O
" O

Drogba O
has O
been O
suffering O
from O
a O
thigh O
injury O
recently O
but O
he O
came O
on O
for O
the O
lacklustre O
Andriy O
Shevchenko O
with O
17 O
minutes O
left O
and O
made O
an O
instant O
impact O
. O

Nicky O
Butt O
fouled O
Arjen O
Robben O
and O
Drogba O
stepped O
up O
to O
curl O
the O
free O
- O
kick O
past O
Shay O
Given O
for O
his O
17th O
goal O
this B-T
season I-T
. O

He O
is O
in O
the O
form O
of O
his O
life O
after O
grabbing O
the O
decisive O
goal O
in O
each O
of O
Chelsea O
' O
s O
last O
three O
matches O
, O
but O
he O
put O
that O
impressive O
run O
down O
to O
the O
hard O
work O
of O
his O
team O
- O
mates O
. O

" O
Sometimes O
you O
have O
a O
good O
period O
like O
this O
, O
" O
Drogba O
said O
. O
" O
But O
if O
I O
score O
it O
is O
because O
everyone O
is O
doing O
a O
good O
job O
and O
maybe O
their O
defence O
is O
tired O
. O
Sheva O
, O
Salomon O
Kalou O
and O
Arjen O
all O
did O
well O
. O

" O
I O
am O
giving O
my O
best O
and O
I O
think O
everyone O
is O
happy O
with O
me O
not O
just O
because O
I O
am O
scoring O
goals O
but O
also O
because O
I O
am O
working O
for O
the O
team O
. O

" O
It O
is O
difficult O
to O
come O
on O
as O
a O
substitute O
because O
the O
pace O
is O
very O
high O
in O
the O
English O
game O
. O

" O
Frank O
Lampard O
came O
on O
and O
made O
a O
difference O
as O
well O
and O
so O
did O
Michael O
Ballack O
. O
It O
' O
s O
very O
important O
to O
have O
a O
strong O
bench O
for O
different O
competitions O
. O
" O

Newcastle O
were O
unlucky O
not O
to O
take O
the O
lead O
in O
the O
first O
half O
when O
Obafemi O
Martins O
' O
long O
- O
range O
shot O
cannoned O
off O
the O
crossbar O
and O
onto O
the O
goal O
- O
line O
. O

The O
assistant O
referee O
ruled O
the O
ball O
had O
not O
crossed O
the O
line O
and O
Drogba O
came O
on O
to O
make O
Glenn O
Roeder O
' O
s O
side O
pay O
for O
failing O
to O
turn O
their O
possession O
into O
goals O
. O

Roeder O
said O
: O
" O
We O
were O
doing O
more O
than O
holding O
them O
in O
the O
first O
half O
and O
had O
some O
good O
chances O
. O
I O
thought O
the O
boys O
were O
fantastic O
. O
" O

Chelsea O
were O
joined O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
four I-T
by O
Tottenham O
after O
Jermain O
Defoe O
' O
s O
extra O
- O
time O
winner O
earned O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
against O
Southend O
at O
White O
Hart O
Lane O
. O

Southend O
goalkeeper O
Darryl O
Flahavan O
produced O
a O
string O
of O
fine O
saves O
to O
take O
the O
tie O
into O
an B-T
additional I-T
30 I-T
minutes I-T
. O

But O
England O
striker O
Defoe O
pounced O
from O
close O
range O
as O
he O
just O
beat O
the O
offside O
trap O
to O
tap O
- O
in O
Mido O
' O
s O
cross O
in O
the B-T
115th I-T
minute I-T
. O

League O
Two O
Wycombe O
had O
shocked O
struggling O
Premiership O
side O
Charlton O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
Jermaine O
Easter O
' O
s O
goal O
clinched O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
at O
The O
Valley O
. O

Liverpool O
will O
play O
Arsenal O
in O
the O
last O
quarter O
- O
final O
on O
January B-T
9 I-T
after O
their O
match O
on O
Tuesday B-T
was O
postponed O
due O
to O
heavy O
fog O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0221 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
Tomen O
buys O
19 O
percent O
of O
Koppert O

Japan O
' O
s O
Tomen O
Corp O
. O
said O
Thursday B-T
it O
had O
bought O
a O
19 O
percent O
stake O
in O
Koppert O
Biological O
Systems O
BV O
, O
a O
Dutch O
company O
that O
breeds O
benign O
insects O
to O
protect O
vegetables O
against O
insect O
pests O
. O

The O
Japanese O
trading O
house O
has O
been O
a O
sales O
agent O
in O
Japan O
for O
the O
world O
' O
s O
biggest O
breeder O
of O
benign O
insects O
since O
1992 B-T
and O
sold O
for O
two B-T
years I-T
a O
type O
of O
bee O
that O
kills O
insects O
that O
thrive O
on O
tomatoes O
and O
strawberries O
. O

Tomen O
said O
its O
capital O
tie O
- O
up O
with O
the O
Rotterdam O
- O
based O
Koppert O
would O
help O
breed O
and O
market O
types O
of O
benign O
insects O
peculiar O
to O
Japan O
. O

It O
plans O
to O
sell O
12 O
other O
types O
of O
insects O
to O
farmers O
for O
use O
in O
greenhouses O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0096 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Turkmen O
opposition O
plans O
return O
from O
exile O
: O
report O

Turkmenistan O
' O
s O
exiled O
opposition O
is O
preparing O
a O
return O
to O
the O
Central O
Asian O
country O
following O
the O
death O
Thursday B-T
of O
President O
Saparmurat O
Niyazov O
, O
the O
Russian O
news O
agency O
RIA O
Novosti O
reported O
, O
citing O
a O
leader O
in O
exile O
. O

" O
We O
will O
definitely O
fly O
there O
in O
two B-T
or I-T
three I-T
days I-T
, O
" O
Nurmukhammed O
Khanamov O
, O
head O
of O
the O
exiled O
Republican O
Party O
, O
was O
quoted O
by O
RIA O
Novosti O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
An O
opposition O
coalition O
government O
must O
be O
formed O
, O
" O
he O
also O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
three O
main O
opposition O
parties O
abroad O
were O
preparing O
to O
unite O
so O
that O
" O
there O
will O
not O
be O
anarchy O
and O
conflict O
in O
the O
country O
. O
" O

" O
The O
most O
important O
thing O
is O
to O
do O
this O
all O
by O
the O
law O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Niyazov O
died O
earlier O
Thursday B-T
of O
a O
heart O
attack O
, O
according O
to O
an O
official O
statement O
. O
During O
his O
20 O
- O
year O
rule O
he O
allowed O
no O
political O
opposition O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0287 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Thousands O
of O
mourners O
marched O
on O
Tuesday B-T
behind O
the O
coffin O
of O
a O
young O
Shiite O
Muslim O
killed O
during O
mass O
opposition O
rallies O
, O
chanting O
for O
the O
fall O
of O
the O
Lebanese O
government O
. O

" O
Death O
to O
( O
Prime O
Minister O
Fuad O
) O
Siniora O
, O
" O
chanted O
the O
crowd O
, O
marching O
on O
a O
main O
road O
leading O
to O
the O
Rawdat O
Ash O
- O
Shahidain O
( O
maryrs O
' O
) O
cemetery O
in O
Beirut O
' O
s O
Shiite O
southern O
suburbs O
. O

Ahmad O
Mahmud O
, O
20 O
, O
was O
killed O
during O
street O
fights O
which O
erupted O
on O
Sunday B-T
in O
several O
Sunni O
Muslim O
- O
majority O
neighbourhoods O
near O
where O
the O
opposition O
has O
been O
holding O
mass O
protests O
since O
Friday B-T
to O
demand O
the O
government O
' O
s O
resignation O
. O

" O
The O
blood O
of O
the O
Shiites O
is O
boiling O
, O
" O
shouted O
other O
angry O
mourners O
, O
raising O
the O
green O
flags O
of O
the O
Shiite O
movement O
Amal O
. O

The O
incidents O
have O
prompted O
officials O
to O
call O
for O
calm O
amid O
fears O
of O
a O
descent O
into O
sectarian O
violence O
in O
a O
country O
still O
reeling O
from O
the O
1975 O
- O
1990 O
civil O
war O
. O

At O
the O
funeral O
ceremony O
, O
Sheikh O
Abdel O
Amir O
Qabalan O
, O
interim O
president O
of O
the O
Higher O
Shiite O
Council O
, O
appealed O
for O
calm O
and O
unity O
amid O
the O
deep O
political O
division O
in O
the O
country O
. O

" O
We O
present O
the O
martyr O
as O
a O
sacrifice O
for O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
national O
unity O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
It O
is O
forbidden O
for O
Shiites O
to O
kill O
Sunnis O
, O
for O
Sunnis O
to O
kill O
Shiites O
, O
for O
Christians O
to O
kill O
Muslims O
and O
vice O
- O
versa O
, O
" O
said O
Qabalan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0047 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
Middle O
East O
news O
advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
13 O

The O
following O
are O
some O
of O
major O
Mideast O
news O
stories O
due O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
News O
Agency O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
development O
on O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
file O
as O
Tehran O
plans O
to O
install O
3 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
for O
uranium O
enrichment O
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
progress O
on O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
as O
Fatah O
has O
accepted O
a O
candidate O
nominated O
by O
the O
Hamas O
movement O
as O
the O
new O
prime O
minister O
. O

- O
- O
Keep O
watching O
the O
latest O
Lebanese O
political O
crisis O
after O
six O
ministers O
resigned O
from O
the O
cabinet O
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
as O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
on O
Sunday B-T
called O
for O
a O
major O
reshuffle O
in O
the O
cabinet O
. O

- O
- O
Keep O
watching O
situation O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
as O
Arab O
foreign O
ministers O
called O
for O
a O
peace O
conference O
to O
resolve O
the O
Palestinian O
- O
Israeli O
conflict O
. O

- O
- O
The O
4th B-T
High O
- O
level O
Group O
Meeting O
of O
Alliance O
of O
Civilizations O
Initiative O
will O
be O
held O
in O
Turkish O
largest O
city O
Istanbul O
with O
the O
participation O
of O
Turkish O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
and O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
as O
well O
as O
other O
senior O
officials O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0103 O

KIGALI O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

More O
than O
70 O
arrested O
in O
northern O
Rwanda O
: O
Radio O
Rwanda O

More O
than O
70 O
people O
have O
been O
arrested O
and O
a O
number O
of O
guns O
found O
by O
the O
Rwandan O
security O
forces O
in O
the O
Ruhengeri O
region O
of O
northern O
Rwanda O
, O
Radio O
Rwanda O
said O
. O

Thirty O
- O
seven O
people O
were O
arrested O
in O
the O
district O
of O
Ndusu O
, O
where O
two O
guns O
and O
10 O
grenades O
were O
found O
, O
the O
radio O
said O
late B-T
Sunday I-T
. O
It O
did O
not O
say O
when O
the O
arrests O
took O
place O
. O

Thirty O
- O
nine O
people O
were O
arrested O
in O
the O
neighbouring O
district O
of O
Nyamureta O
, O
where O
security O
forces O
found O
four O
guns O
, O
the O
radio O
said O
. O
It O
said O
that O
the O
local O
population O
had O
assisted O
the O
security O
forces O
. O

The O
security O
forces O
appeared O
to O
be O
treating O
the O
men O
as O
members O
of O
the O
former O
Rwandan O
Hutu O
, O
or O
Interhamwe O
, O
and O
former O
Rwandan O
army O
( O
FAR O
) O
. O

Accused O
of O
taking O
part O
in O
the O
worst O
massacres O
in O
the O
1994 B-T
Rwandan O
genocide O
, O
which O
killed O
at O
least O
500 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
mostly O
minority O
Tutsis O
, O
the O
former O
militia O
and O
army O
soldiers O
are O
believed O
by O
authorities O
to O
be O
carrying O
out O
attacks O
in O
northern O
and O
western O
Rwanda O
. O

A O
large O
number O
of O
former O
militia O
members O
and O
ex O
- O
FAR O
soldiers O
returned O
to O
Rwanda O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
last I-T
year I-T
from O
Zaire O
, O
among O
hundreds O
of O
thousands O
of O
returning O
refugees O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0152 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0152 O
. O

Chandler O
Insurance O
Earnings O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CHANF O

GRAND O
CAYMAN O
, O
Cayman O
Islands O

Chandler O
Insurance O
Co O
. O
said O
it O
expects O
to O
report O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
jumped O
97 O
% O
to O
$ O
2 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
51 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

In O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
automobile O
and O
trucking O
insurer O
had O
earnings O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
48 O
cents O
a O
share O
on O
a O
restated O
basis O
, O
on O
revenue O
of O
$ O
16 O
. O
5 O
million O
. O

In O
an O
interview O
, O
W O
. O
Brent O
LeGere O
, O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
officer O
, O
said O
he O
expects O
revenue O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
quarter I-T
to O
total O
about O
$ O
28 O
million O
. O

The O
earnings O
- O
per O
- O
share O
figures O
reflect O
a O
25 O
% O
stock O
dividend O
in O
June B-T
1989 I-T
. O

Mr O
. O
LeGere O
attributed O
the O
earnings O
increase O
to O
growth O
in O
the O
company O
' O
s O
longhaul O
trucking O
insurance O
lines O
and O
the O
ability O
to O
keep O
premium O
rates O
firm O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0659 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Moderate O
quake O
shakes O
central O
Japan O

A O
moderate O
earthquake O
measuring O
4 O
. O
5 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
shook O
Tokyo O
and O
surrounding O
areas O
Friday B-T
but O
no O
casualties O
or O
damage O
had O
been O
reported O
, O
the O
meteorological O
agency O
said O
. O

The O
epicentre O
of O
the O
quake O
, O
which O
ocurred O
at O
8 B-T
: I-T
30 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
2330 O
GMT O
Thursday B-T
) O
, O
was O
in O
the O
northern O
part O
of O
Ibaraki O
prefecture O
, O
some O
100 O
kilometres O
( O
62 O
miles O
) O
from O
Tokyo O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0423 O

LIMA O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Peru O
' O
s O
army O
, O
president O
mourn O
dead O
soldiers O

Peru O
' O
s O
army O
on O
Thursday B-T
honored O
the O
two O
soldiers O
who O
died O
in O
the O
raid O
to O
free O
72 O
hostages O
from O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
in O
an O
emotional O
ceremony O
before O
laying O
the O
bodies O
to O
rest O
. O

Colonel O
Juan O
Valer O
Sandoval O
and O
Capitan O
Raul O
Jimenez O
died O
Tuesday B-T
in O
the O
bold O
attack O
on O
the O
mansion O
that O
freed O
71 O
of O
the O
hostages O
. O

One O
hostage O
, O
a O
judge O
, O
died O
of O
a O
heart O
attack O
after O
being O
shot O
and O
all O
14 O
of O
the O
Tupac O
Amaru O
rebel O
commando O
inside O
the O
residence O
were O
slain O
. O

Fujimori O
' O
s O
son O
, O
Kenji O
wept O
as O
his O
father O
praised O
the O
two O
soldier O
' O
s O
valor O
in O
facing O
a O
" O
cruel O
and O
fanatical O
enemy O
. O
" O

" O
What O
a O
great O
honor O
for O
a O
Peruvian O
soldier O
" O
to O
die O
in O
battle O
" O
but O
that O
does O
not O
impede O
us O
from O
crying O
" O
for O
the O
losses O
, O
Fujimori O
said O
. O

Valer O
was O
in O
charge O
of O
Kenji O
Fujimori O
' O
s O
personal O
safety O
during O
his O
vacations O
from O
university O
in O
Boston O
, O
Massachusetts O
. O
Kenji O
arrived O
in O
Lima O
late B-T
Wednesday I-T
. O

Armed O
forces O
chief O
Nicolas O
Hermoza O
also O
wept O
as O
he O
remembered O
the O
fallen O
soldiers O
. O

The O
president O
' O
s O
son O
kissed O
the O
flag O
- O
drapped O
coffin O
of O
his O
protector O
and O
friend O
and O
placed O
a O
plaque O
on O
the O
casket O
. O

Valer O
, O
38 O
, O
received O
gunshot O
wounds O
from O
rebel O
fire O
as O
he O
tried O
to O
protect O
Foreign O
Minister O
Francisco O
Tudela O
, O
one O
of O
the O
hostages O
, O
from O
the O
bullets O
. O
He O
is O
survived O
by O
his O
wife O
Luz O
Collado O
Escuza O
and O
two O
children O
. O

Collado O
sobbed O
as O
she O
was O
handed O
the O
red O
and O
white O
Peruvian O
flag O
that O
had O
covered O
her O
husband O
' O
s O
coffin O
as O
her O
two O
small O
children O
looked O
on O
sadly O
. O

Jimienez O
, O
27 O
, O
was O
shot O
in O
the O
neck O
as O
he O
tried O
to O
usher O
other O
hostages O
out O
of O
the O
residence O
. O

Valer O
and O
Jiminez O
were O
promoted O
post O
- O
humously O
to O
the O
ranks O
of O
colonel O
and O
captain O
, O
respectively O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0365 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
commentary O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
US O
economy O
grew O
at O
a O
2 O
. O
0 O
percent O
rate O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
government O
reported O
Thursday B-T
in O
a O
slight O
downward O
revision O
of O
gross O
domestic O
product O
. O

The O
Commerce O
Department O
, O
in O
its O
final O
revision O
of O
growth O
in O
the B-T
July I-T
- I-T
September I-T
quarter I-T
, O
notched O
down O
its O
earlier O
estimate O
of O
a O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
annualized O
pace O
. O

Wall O
Street O
analysts O
had O
on O
average O
expected O
no O
revision O
from O
the O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
figure O
. O

In O
any O
case O
, O
the O
growth O
was O
the O
slowest O
since O
the B-T
final I-T
quarter I-T
in O
2005 B-T
and O
a O
deceleration O
from O
the O
2 O
. O
6 O
percent O
pace O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
revision O
came O
from O
a O
slight O
downward O
adjustment O
in O
the O
estimate O
of O
consumer O
spending O
growth O
in O
the B-T
quarter I-T
to O
2 O
. O
8 O
percent O
instead O
of O
2 O
. O
9 O
percent O
. O

The O
department O
said O
the O
slowdown O
in O
consumer O
spending O
was O
driven O
by O
better O
data O
on O
medical O
care O
spending O
, O
which O
was O
revised O
lower O
, O
and O
by O
a O
steeper O
slump O
in O
real O
estate O
spending O
. O

That O
offset O
slight O
upward O
revisions O
to O
durable O
goods O
spending O
. O

The O
latest O
revision O
left O
unchanged O
the O
picture O
of O
an O
economy O
that O
has O
shifted O
to O
a O
slower O
growth O
pace O
, O
held O
back O
by O
slumping O
real O
estate O
but O
still O
underpinned O
by O
consumer O
and O
business O
spending O
. O

Spending O
on O
residential O
property O
plunged O
18 O
. O
7 O
percent O
, O
revised O
from O
an O
earlier O
estimate O
of O
an O
18 O
percent O
drop O
, O
the O
steepest O
drop O
since O
1991 B-T
. O

" O
The O
downward O
revision O
in O
the O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
GDP O
data O
was O
almost O
entirely O
due O
to O
the O
recession O
in O
housing O
, O
" O
said O
Nariman O
Behravesh O
, O
chief O
economist O
at O
Global O
Insight O
. O
" O
The O
spillover O
effects O
to O
other O
parts O
of O
the O
economy O
continue O
to O
be O
limited O
. O
" O

Business O
investment O
grew O
10 O
percent O
, O
unrevised O
from O
the O
last O
estimate O
. O

An O
inflation O
index O
linked O
to O
GDP O
showed O
a O
2 O
. O
4 O
percent O
increase O
in O
prices O
, O
and O
was O
unrevised O
after O
a O
four O
percent O
jump O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
. O

Core O
prices O
excluding O
food O
and O
energy O
were O
up O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
slightly O
ahead O
of O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
' O
s O
unofficial O
target O
but O
suggesting O
that O
the O
central O
bank O
' O
s O
view O
of O
easing O
inflationary O
pressures O
is O
correct O
. O

The O
Fed O
, O
which O
halted O
a O
string O
of O
rate O
increases O
in O
August B-T
, O
has O
indicated O
it O
may O
lift O
interest O
rates O
further O
if O
inflation O
kicks O
back O
up O
, O
but O
most O
economists O
see O
the O
next O
move O
as O
a O
rate O
cut O
to O
help O
stimulate O
flagging O
growth O
. O

Robert O
Brusca O
at O
FAO O
Economics O
said O
the O
GDP O
report O
also O
lowered O
the O
estimate O
for O
US O
productivity O
. O

" O
GDP O
is O
old O
news O
, O
but O
what O
stings O
in O
this O
report O
is O
the O
marginal O
lowering O
of O
already O
weak O
productivity O
growth O
that O
will O
result O
from O
weaker O
GDP O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Weak O
productivity O
growth O
is O
bad O
news O
, O
and O
even O
weaker O
growth O
is O
worse O
news O
- O
- O
even O
if O
it O
is O
a O
marginal O
revision O
. O
This O
revision O
does O
not O
obviate O
or O
reduce O
but O
rather O
worsen O
this O
new O
trend O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0139 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
Ld O
: O
China O
set O
to O
issue O
regulations O
on O
organ O
transplants O

China O
will O
issue O
its O
regulations O
on O
human O
organ O
transplants O
" O
soon O
" O
, O
said O
an O
official O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
( O
MOH O
) O
. O

" O
The O
draft O
of O
the O
regulations O
has O
been O
submitted O
to O
the O
State O
Council O
for O
amendment O
, O
" O
said O
Wang O
Jianrong O
, O
vice O
director O
of O
the O
MOH O
regulations O
department O
as O
quoted O
in O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
Guangming O
Daily O
. O

Under O
the O
new O
regulations O
, O
a O
new O
organization O
will O
be O
in O
charge O
of O
registering O
and O
allocating O
donated O
organs O
, O
and O
evaluating O
the O
quality O
of O
the O
organ O
transplant O
surgery O
. O

Only O
the O
top O
- O
tier O
hospitals O
- O
usually O
located O
in O
provincial O
capitals O
- O
will O
be O
allowed O
to O
perform O
organ O
transplants O
once O
they O
have O
been O
approved O
by O
the O
MOH O
. O
It O
remains O
to O
be O
seen O
whether O
exceptions O
will O
be O
made O
in O
emergency O
cases O
. O

Currently O
, O
China O
has O
no O
clear O
laws O
on O
human O
organ O
transplants O
. O
This O
has O
resulted O
in O
transplants O
being O
carried O
out O
by O
unqualified O
doctors O
with O
substandard O
medical O
equipment O
, O
leading O
to O
the O
death O
of O
some O
patients O
. O
It O
is O
also O
widely O
claimed O
that O
hospitals O
are O
preoccupied O
with O
the O
quantity O
of O
organ O
transplants O
rather O
than O
the O
quality O
. O

" O
The O
MOH O
will O
strictly O
control O
the O
number O
of O
hospitals O
licensed O
to O
perform O
organ O
transplants O
and O
supervise O
the O
quality O
of O
the O
surgery O
, O
" O
said O
Wang O
Jianrong O
. O

Ministry O
of O
Health O
statistics O
indicate O
that O
China O
performed O
34 O
, O
726 O
organ O
transplants O
from O
2000 B-T
to O
2004 O
, O
and O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2004 I-T
, O
599 O
medical O
institutions O
did O
liver O
, O
kidney O
, O
heart O
and O
lung O
transplants O
. O

Though O
organ O
transplants O
have O
been O
performed O
in O
China O
for O
40 B-T
years I-T
, O
the O
absence O
of O
laws O
concerning O
organ O
transplants O
and O
irregular O
organ O
transplant O
practices O
in O
some O
medical O
institutions O
have O
hindered O
the O
promotion O
of O
organ O
transplants O
in O
the O
country O
, O
Huang O
Jiefu O
, O
Vice O
Minister O
of O
Health O
, O
told O
a O
conference O
on O
the O
management O
of O
organ O
transplants O
held O
in O
Guangzhou O
recently B-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
China O
is O
still O
suffering O
a O
serious O
shortage O
of O
human O
organ O
donations O
. O

" O
About O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
people O
in O
China O
need O
transplants O
each B-T
year I-T
, O
but O
only O
around O
10 O
, O
000 O
operations O
can O
be O
carried O
out O
due O
to O
organ O
shortages O
, O
" O

" O
Social O
customs O
are O
a O
big O
reason O
, O
" O
Huang O
said O
, O
explaining O
that O
many O
Chinese O
are O
unwilling O
to O
donate O
organs O
because O
of O
traditional O
rituals O
and O
beliefs O
. O
Furthermore O
, O
education O
of O
the O
public O
about O
donation O
is O
lacking O
, O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0713 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Daniel O
Rook O

Business O
confidence O
among O
Japan O
' O
s O
major O
manufacturers O
probably O
hit O
a O
new O
two O
- O
year O
high O
in O
the B-T
three I-T
months I-T
to O
December B-T
, O
smoothing O
the O
way O
for O
another O
interest O
rate O
rise O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

The O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
closely O
watched O
Tankan O
survey O
out O
Friday B-T
is O
expected O
to O
show O
that O
sentiment O
among O
big O
manufacturers O
rose O
to O
25 O
in O
December B-T
from O
24 O
in O
September B-T
, I-T
the I-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
improvement I-T
, O
according O
to O
consensus O
forecasts O
. O

But O
market O
views O
are O
still O
divided O
on O
whether O
such O
a O
modest O
pick O
- O
up O
would O
lead O
the O
central O
bank O
to O
raise O
interest O
rates O
from O
0 O
. O
25 O
percent O
as O
soon O
as O
next B-T
week I-T
, O
with O
some O
analysts O
predicting O
a O
move O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
instead O
. O

" O
We O
expect O
manufacturers O
' O
sentiment O
to O
remain O
steady O
in O
the O
face O
of O
rising O
uncertainty O
in O
the O
external O
environment O
, O
" O
underpinned O
by O
solid O
profits O
and O
a O
weaker O
yen O
, O
predicted O
Morgan O
Stanley O
economist O
Takehiro O
Sato O
, O
who O
expected O
a O
bigger O
than O
average O
rise O
in O
the O
headline O
index O
to O
26 O
. O

" O
For O
non O
- O
manufacturers O
, O
we O
expect O
to O
see O
some O
sense O
of O
stagnation O
in O
light O
of O
slackening O
demand O
on O
poor O
summer O
weather O
and O
the O
like O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Average O
market O
expectations O
are O
for O
the O
index O
for O
major O
non O
- O
manufacturers O
to O
dip O
to O
19 O
in O
December B-T
from O
20 O
in O
October B-T
. O

The O
previous O
Tankan O
report O
, O
which O
surveys O
almost O
10 O
, O
000 O
firms O
, O
showed O
Japanese O
executives O
growing O
more O
upbeat O
, O
with O
sentiment O
among O
big O
manufacturers O
jumping O
to O
24 O
in O
September B-T
from O
21 O
in O
June B-T
. O

The O
figure O
was O
the O
strongest O
since O
the O
13 O
- O
year O
high O
of O
26 O
seen O
in O
September B-T
2004 I-T
. O
A O
positive O
reading O
means O
that O
confident O
firms O
outweigh O
pessimistic O
ones O
. O

But O
in O
October B-T
, O
the O
major O
manufacturers O
remained O
cautious O
about O
the O
outlook O
further O
ahead O
, O
forecasting O
a O
drop O
in O
the O
index O
back O
down O
to O
21 O
by O
December B-T
. O

Some O
analysts O
believed O
that O
another O
upbeat O
Tankan O
might O
be O
enough O
to O
persuade O
the O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
to O
hike O
its O
key O
rate O
again O
at O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
next B-T
week I-T
. O

But O
others O
say O
the O
central O
bank O
is O
more O
likely O
to O
hold O
off O
until O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
to O
ensure O
the O
Japanese O
economic O
recovery O
does O
not O
grind O
to O
a O
halt O
if O
the O
US O
economy O
slows O
sharply O
. O

Recent O
sluggish O
data O
- O
- O
including O
a O
smaller O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
rise O
in O
machinery O
orders O
in O
October B-T
and O
a O
sharp O
downgrade O
to O
third O
- O
quarter O
growth O
, O
to O
an O
annualized O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
- O
- O
have O
dampened O
expectations O
of O
a O
rate O
rise O
next B-T
week I-T
. O

In O
addition O
inflation O
remains O
subdued O
, O
with O
core O
consumer O
prices O
up O
just O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

The O
BoJ O
, O
which O
holds O
its O
next O
policy O
meeting O
on O
December B-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
, O
has O
kept O
its O
benchmark O
overnight O
call O
rate O
target O
at O
0 O
. O
25 O
percent O
since O
July B-T
when O
it O
ended O
the O
era O
of O
virtually O
free O
credit O
with O
its O
first O
rate O
hike O
for O
almost O
six B-T
years I-T
. O

" O
With O
the O
December O
Tankan O
sure O
to O
join O
the O
October O
industrial O
production O
index O
in O
confirming O
the O
strength O
of O
the O
business O
sector O
, O
the O
only O
things O
arguing O
against O
a O
December B-T
rate O
hike O
by O
the O
BoJ O
are O
the O
continued O
sluggishness O
of O
consumer O
spending O
and O
the O
slower O
pace O
of O
inflation O
, O
" O
argued O
BNP O
Paribas O
chief O
economist O
Ryutaro O
Kono O
. O

Japan O
' O
s O
industrial O
output O
grew O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
from O
September O
. O

" O
We O
still O
maintain O
the O
BoJ O
will O
make O
its O
move O
in O
January B-T
, O
before O
fallout O
from O
the O
slowing O
US O
economy O
gets O
worse O
, O
" O
added O
Kono O
. O

The O
Tankan O
survey O
may O
also O
show O
that O
Japanese O
companies O
have O
revised O
up O
their O
capital O
expenditure O
plans O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

In O
October B-T
, O
major O
manufacturers O
said O
they O
planned O
to O
boost O
capital O
spending O
by O
16 O
. O
9 O
percent O
on O
average O
in O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
to O
March B-T
2007 I-T
, O
while O
all O
companies O
surveyed O
planned O
to O
raise O
spending O
8 O
. O
3 O
percent O
. O

A O
finance O
ministry O
survey O
showed O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
corporate O
investment O
slowed O
from O
its O
recent O
breakneck O
pace O
in O
the B-T
three I-T
months I-T
to O
September B-T
. O

Combined O
corporate O
capital O
spending O
by O
non O
- O
financial O
companies O
rose O
12 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
between O
July B-T
and I-T
September I-T
, O
slowing O
from O
a O
16 O
. O
6 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
increase O
in O
the B-T
previous I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
report O
showed O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0041 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0041 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Primerica O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
A O
. O
L O
. O
Williams O
Corp O
. O
Merges O

@ O
Into O
Firm O
on O
Holders O
' O
Vote O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

PA O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

A O
. O
L O
. O
Williams O
Corp O
. O
was O
merged O
into O
Primerica O
Corp O
. O
, O
New O
York O
, O
after O
a O
special O
meeting O
of O
Williams O
shareholders O
cleared O
the O
transaction O
, O
the O
companies O
said O
. O

Primerica O
, O
which O
had O
owned O
nearly O
70 O
% O
of O
Williams O
, O
will O
pay O
about O
16 O
. O
7 O
million O
shares O
, O
currently B-T
valued O
at O
almost O
$ O
472 O
million O
, O
for O
the O
rest O
of O
Williams O
. O

The O
financial O
- O
services O
company O
will O
pay O
0 O
. O
82 O
share O
for O
each O
Williams O
share O
. O

Williams O
shares O
, O
which O
were O
to O
be O
delisted O
from O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
after O
the O
close O
of O
composite O
trading O
yesterday B-T
, O
closed O
at O
$ O
23 O
. O
25 O
, O
off O
12 O
. O
5 O
cents O
. O

Primerica O
closed O
at O
$ O
28 O
. O
25 O
, O
down O
50 O
cents O
. O

Williams O
, O
Duluth O
, O
Ga O
. O
, O
is O
an O
insurance O
and O
financial O
- O
services O
holding O
company O
. O

Its O
subsidiaries O
' O
services O
are O
marketed O
by O
closely O
held O
A O
. O
L O
. O
Williams O
amp O
Associates O
. O

Primerica O
, O
as O
expected O
, O
also O
acquired O
certain O
assets O
of O
the O
agency O
and O
assumed O
certain O
of O
its O
liabilities O
. O

Terms O
were O
n O
' O
t O
disclosed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0213 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

ASEAN O
air O
forces O
to O
increase O
cooperation O
in O
parts O
procurement O

The O
air O
force O
chiefs O
of O
ASEAN O
( O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
Nations O
) O
member O
countries O
have O
agreed O
to O
increase O
cooperation O
in O
the O
procurement O
of O
spare O
parts O
for O
both O
transport O
and O
fighter O
planes O
. O

The O
agreement O
was O
reached O
at O
the O
two O
- O
day O
third O
ASEAN O
Air O
Chiefs O
' O
Conference O
( O
AACC O
) O
concluded O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Indonesia O
had O
so O
far O
cooperated O
with O
several O
other O
ASEAN O
member O
countries O
in O
procurement O
of O
spare O
parts O
for O
Hercules O
transport O
and O
Hawk O
fighter O
planes O
, O
Indonesian O
Air O
Force O
Chief O
of O
Staff O
Marshal O
Herman O
Prayitno O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
Most O
ASEAN O
member O
countries O
have O
Hercules O
transport O
and O
Hawk O
fighter O
planes O
. O
So O
if O
we O
have O
a O
spare O
part O
problem O
we O
can O
ask O
for O
help O
from O
Malaysia O
or O
Singapore O
, O
" O
he O
said O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
Indo O
Defense O
Expo O
and O
Forum O
2006 O
. O

Under O
the O
spare O
parts O
cooperation O
, O
Indonesia O
could O
" O
borrow O
" O
parts O
from O
its O
ASEAN O
neighbors O
. O
The O
parts O
would O
be O
returned O
after O
Indonesia O
had O
obtained O
replacements O
from O
producing O
countries O
like O
the O
United O
States O
in O
the O
case O
of O
Hercules O
parts O
. O

Indonesia O
had O
so O
far O
cooperated O
with O
Singapore O
in O
parts O
supply O
for O
Hawk O
fighters O
and O
" O
we O
will O
consider O
doing O
it O
with O
the O
Philippines O
and O
other O
countries O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Besides O
discussing O
parts O
procurement O
, O
the O
third O
AACC O
also O
dwelt O
on O
terrorism O
and O
security O
stability O
in O
the O
region O
and O
the O
handling O
of O
natural O
disasters O
. O

On O
anti O
- O
terrorism O
cooperation O
, O
the O
ASEAN O
air O
force O
chiefs O
agreed O
to O
conduct O
exchange O
of O
information O
and O
joint O
patrols O
and O
to O
increase O
cooperation O
in O
training O
and O
education O
. O

Indonesia O
has O
held O
joint O
exercises O
with O
other O
ASEAN O
member O
countries O
such O
as O
Malaysia O
, O
Thailand O
and O
Singapore O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
AACC O
was O
attended O
by O
the O
air O
force O
chiefs O
of O
staff O
of O
Malaysia O
, O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Singapore O
, O
Brunei O
Darussalam O
, O
Vietnam O
, O
Cambodia O
, O
Laos O
and O
Myanmar O
. O

The O
first O
AACC O
was O
held O
in O
Thailand O
in O
2004 B-T
and O
the O
second O
in O
Malaysia O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0155 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Jordanian O
FM O
, O
Russian O
envoy O
discuss O
Palestinian O
issue O

Jordanian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Abdul O
Ilah O
al O
- O
Khatib O
held O
talks O
on O
Saturday B-T
with O
visiting O
Russian O
Deputy O
Foreign O
Minister O
Alexander O
Sultanov O
, O
stressing O
the O
importance O
of O
supporting O
efforts O
to O
settle O
the O
Palestinian O
issue O
, O
the O
official O
Petra O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Al O
- O
Khatib O
urged O
the O
International O
Quartet O
on O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
which O
groups O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Russia O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
to O
make O
more O
efforts O
to O
achieve O
a O
just O
and O
lasting O
peace O
in O
the O
region O
. O

He O
expressed O
his O
appreciation O
for O
the O
expected O
visit O
of O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
to O
Jordan O
next B-T
February I-T
. O

During O
the O
meeting O
, O
Sultanov O
talked O
about O
Putin O
' O
s O
initiative O
to O
hold O
an O
international O
conference O
to O
settle O
the O
Palestinian O
issue O
. O

Al O
- O
Khatib O
said O
Jordan O
had O
a O
positive O
view O
on O
the O
initiative O
and O
an O
initiative O
announced O
by O
France O
, O
Spain O
and O
Italy O
. O

" O
Such O
initiatives O
reflect O
the O
world O
' O
s O
interest O
in O
the O
situation O
in O
the O
region O
and O
the O
willingness O
of O
the O
international O
community O
to O
contribute O
to O
finding O
a O
just O
and O
comprehensive O
solution O
for O
the O
Palestinian O
cause O
, O
" O
said O
al O
- O
Khatib O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0189 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Anniversary O
of O
late O
non O
- O
communist O
party O
leader O
marked O

A O
workshop O
was O
held O
at O
the O
Great O
Hall O
of O
the O
People O
, O
in O
central O
Beijing O
, O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
to O
commemorate O
the O
100th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
birth O
of O
late O
non O
- O
communist O
party O
leader O
Sun O
Xiaocun O
. O

Sun O
was O
vice O
chairman O
of O
the O
CPPCC O
National O
Committee O
and O
chairman O
of O
the O
Central O
Committee O
of O
the O
China O
National O
Democratic O
Construction O
Association O
, O
one O
of O
China O
' O
s O
eight O
non O
- O
communist O
parties O
. O
He O
was O
also O
a O
renowned O
rural O
economist O
. O

Liu O
Yandong O
, O
vice O
chairperson O
of O
the O
National O
Committee O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Political O
Consultative O
Conference O
( O
CPPCC O
) O
, O
called O
Sun O
an O
" O
outstanding O
patriot O
" O
and O
a O
" O
revolutionary O
intellectual O
who O
walked O
from O
the O
old O
society O
into O
New O
China O
. O
" O

In O
her O
speech O
, O
Liu O
, O
who O
is O
also O
director O
of O
the O
United O
Front O
Department O
of O
the O
CPC O
Central O
Committee O
, O
praised O
Sun O
' O
s O
contribution O
to O
the O
undertakings O
of O
the O
United O
Front O
and O
multiparty O
cooperation O
under O
CPC O
' O
s O
leadership O
. O

Jia O
Qinglin O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
National O
Committee O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Political O
Consultative O
Conference O
( O
CPPCC O
) O
and O
member O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
Central O
Committee O
Political O
Bureau O
, O
attended O
the O
meeting O
. O

Other O
speakers O
were O
Zhang O
Rongming O
, O
Wan O
Guoquan O
, O
Cheng O
Shi O
' O
e O
as O
well O
as O
Sun O
' O
s O
granddaughter O
Sun O
Yangsheng O
, O
and O
Sun O
Qimeng O
, O
. O
Also O
present O
were O
He O
Luli O
, O
Huang O
Mengfu O
, O
Wang O
Guangying O
, O
and O
Sun O
Fuling O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0584 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
defense O
secretary O
gets O
assurance O
that O
US O
bases O
law O
will O
be O
passed O

US O
Defense O
Secretary O
William O
Cohen O
won O
assurances O
from O
his O
Japanese O
counterpart O
that O
a O
special O
law O
extending O
the O
US O
military O
presence O
in O
Okinawa O
would O
be O
pass O
in O
time O
for O
a O
US O
- O
Japan O
summit O
in O
two B-T
weeks I-T
, O
a O
US O
spokesman O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Cohen O
, O
on O
the O
first O
stop O
of O
a O
five O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Japan O
and O
Korea O
, O
planned O
to O
visit O
US O
troops O
at O
two O
nearby O
bases O
before O
further O
meetings O
later O
Tuesday B-T
with O
members O
of O
the O
Japanese O
parliament O
and O
Foreign O
Minister O
Yukishiko O
Ikeda O
. O

In O
an O
opening O
round O
of O
talks O
late O
Monday B-T
with O
Japanese O
Defense O
Agency O
director O
Fumio O
Kyuma O
, O
Cohen O
reaffirmed O
Washington O
' O
s O
determination O
to O
maintain O
US O
troops O
levels O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
at O
100 O
, O
000 O
, O
Pentagon O
spokesman O
Kenneth O
Bacon O
said O
. O

Amid O
protests O
over O
the O
US O
military O
presence O
, O
landowners O
in O
Okinawa O
have O
refused O
to O
renew O
leases O
on O
US O
facilities O
when O
they O
expire O
in O
May B-T
, O
prompting O
Prime O
Minister O
Ryutaro O
Hashimoto O
to O
seek O
passage O
of O
a O
law O
to O
override O
the O
landowners O
. O

" O
They O
believe O
that O
this O
will O
pass O
and O
this O
will O
be O
done O
by O
the O
time O
Prime O
Minister O
Hashimoto O
meets O
President O
Clinton O
, O
" O
Bacon O
said O
. O

Cohen O
and O
Kyuma O
' O
s O
talks O
covered O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
issues O
, O
including O
the O
situation O
in O
North O
Korea O
and O
work O
to O
update O
1978 O
defense O
guidelines O
that O
would O
spell O
out O
Japan O
' O
s O
role O
in O
supporting O
US O
forces O
in O
a O
crisis O
in O
Korea O
or O
elsewhere O
. O

" O
They O
agreed O
that O
the O
defense O
guidelines O
are O
a O
serious O
issue O
for O
both O
sides O
that O
we O
hope O
to O
complete O
to O
them O
in O
September B-T
by O
time O
of O
the O
defense O
and O
foreign O
ministers O
two O
- O
plus O
- O
two O
meeting O
in O
Washington O
in O
late B-T
September I-T
, O
" O
Bacon O
said O
. O

" O
The O
Japanese O
hoped O
to O
give O
an O
interim O
progress O
report O
sometime O
in O
May B-T
on O
where O
we O
stand O
, O
" O
Bacon O
said O
. O

Cohen O
also O
raised O
US O
interest O
in O
involving O
Japan O
in O
developing O
theater O
missile O
defenses O
, O
but O
Bacon O
said O
the O
issue O
was O
not O
a O
focus O
of O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
talks O
. O

The O
US O
defense O
secretary O
was O
traveling O
to O
the O
US O
air O
base O
at O
Yakota O
and O
the O
US O
navy O
base O
at O
Yokosuka O
to O
visit O
some O
of O
the O
47 O
, O
000 O
US O
troops O
in O
Japan O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061208 O
. O
0018 O

MANAMA O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Israel O
provoked O
nuclear O
race O
in O
Gulf O
: O
Saudi O

Israel O
' O
s O
reputed O
nuclear O
arms O
arsenal O
has O
provoked O
an O
atomic O
weapons O
race O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
a O
senior O
Saudi O
official O
said O
Friday B-T
in O
apparent O
reference O
to O
Iran O
. O

" O
The O
fact O
that O
Israel O
has O
nuclear O
arms O
constitutes O
the O
most O
dangerous O
strategic O
threat O
for O
the O
security O
of O
the O
Gulf O
in O
the O
short O
and O
medium O
terms O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Saudi O
intelligence O
chief O
, O
Prince O
Muqrin O
bin O
Abdul O
Aziz O
. O

" O
This O
has O
led O
certain O
countries O
in O
the O
region O
to O
take O
part O
in O
the O
contest O
for O
nuclear O
arms O
, O
as O
we O
are O
now O
seeing O
, O
" O
he O
said O
in O
a O
speech O
to O
a O
Gulf O
security O
conference O
in O
Manama O
, O
without O
naming O
Iran O
. O

The O
West O
suspects O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
is O
seeking O
to O
develop O
nuclear O
weapons O
, O
a O
charge O
denied O
by O
Tehran O
. O

The O
Jewish O
state O
is O
widely O
considered O
to O
be O
the O
Middle O
East O
' O
s O
sole O
nuclear O
armed O
power O
, O
but O
has O
never O
confirmed O
or O
denied O
the O
suspicions O
, O
and O
continues O
to O
campaign O
against O
arch O
- O
foe O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
programme O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0242 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
case O
sent O
to O
central O
criminal O
court O
/ O
/ O
/ O

An O
aide O
to O
the O
British O
commander O
of O
NATO O
troops O
in O
Afghanistan O
was O
sent O
Wednesday B-T
for O
trial O
at O
the O
Old O
Bailey O
, O
accused O
of O
passing O
secrets O
to O
" O
the O
enemy O
" O
- O
- O
believed O
to O
be O
Iran O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Corporal O
Daniel O
James O
, O
an O
interpreter O
to O
Lieutenant O
General O
David O
Richards O
, O
has O
been O
charged O
under O
the O
Official O
Secrets O
Act O
with O
" O
prejudicing O
the O
safety O
of O
the O
state O
. O
" O

The O
44 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
, O
who O
first O
appeared O
before O
magistrates O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
was O
back O
in O
court O
on O
Wednesday B-T
- O
- O
and O
judge O
Timothy O
Workman O
set O
a O
date O
of O
January B-T
12 I-T
for O
a O
preliminary O
hearing O
at O
the O
Old O
Bailey O
, O
England O
' O
s O
central O
criminal O
court O
. O

The O
charge O
alleges O
that O
on O
November B-T
2 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
he O
" O
communicated O
to O
another O
person O
information O
calculated O
to O
be O
, O
or O
that O
might O
be O
, O
or O
intended O
to O
be O
directly O
or O
indirectly O
useful O
to O
the O
enemy O
. O
" O

James O
' O
boss O
Richards O
is O
head O
of O
NATO O
' O
s O
more O
than O
30 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

James O
, O
who O
lives O
in O
the O
southern O
English O
resort O
town O
of O
Brighton O
, O
is O
of O
Iranian O
descent O
and O
speaks O
fluent O
Pashtun O
, O
one O
of O
the O
main O
languages O
in O
Afghanistan O
, O
according O
to O
The O
Daily O
Telegraph O
newspaper O
. O

At O
last B-T
Wednesday I-T
' O
s O
initial O
case O
the O
judge O
ordered O
reporters O
out O
for O
much O
of O
the O
proceedings O
because O
of O
possible O
prejudice O
to O
national O
security O
, O
and O
remanded O
him O
in O
custody O
over O
the O
Christmas O
break O
. O

According O
to O
The O
Guardian O
newspaper O
, O
the O
court O
ruled O
that O
there O
was O
a O
substantial O
risk O
of O
further O
" O
communications O
" O
between O
James O
and O
" O
a O
foreign O
power O
" O
, O
and O
he O
might O
be O
" O
extracted O
" O
from O
British O
jurisdiction O
if O
granted O
bail O
. O

The O
court O
case O
comes O
as O
British O
- O
led O
forces O
struggle O
against O
fiercer O
than O
expected O
Taliban O
insurgents O
in O
the O
south O
of O
Afghanistan O
, O
invaded O
by O
US O
- O
led O
forces O
following O
the O
September B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2001 I-T
terror O
attacks O
on O
the O
United O
States O
. O

The O
charges O
also O
come O
amid O
heightening O
tension O
between O
the O
West O
and O
Iran O
over O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
' O
s O
nuclear O
plans O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0228 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sweden O
to O
set O
up O
new O
government O
crisis O
center O

The O
Swedish O
government O
has O
announced O
it O
is O
organizing O
a O
new O
alarm O
center O
to O
help O
it O
react O
to O
crises O
like O
the O
Asian O
tsunami O
, O
in O
which O
more O
than O
500 O
Swedes O
died O
, O
Radio O
Sweden O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
government O
is O
under O
pressure O
from O
critics O
who O
say O
it O
responded O
too O
slowly O
for O
the O
thousands O
of O
Swedish O
vacationers O
who O
were O
in O
the O
region O
just O
under O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
crisis O
center O
is O
to O
watch O
for O
events O
around O
the O
world O
24 B-T
hours I-T
a I-T
day I-T
, O
analyzing O
crises O
and O
advising O
the O
government O
on O
what O
kind O
of O
action O
is O
needed O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
government O
announcement O
came O
just O
before O
a O
commission O
is O
due O
to O
make O
its O
report O
on O
Sweden O
' O
s O
reaction O
to O
the O
tsunami O
. O
It O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
highly O
critical O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0092 O

MOGADISHU O
, O
Dec B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
, O
UPDATES O
throughout O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Somali O
Islamists O
claimed O
to O
have O
captured O
a O
frontline O
position O
from O
Ethiopian O
- O
backed O
government O
forces O
Saturday B-T
as O
the O
embattled O
Somali O
prime O
minister O
warned O
that O
foreign O
" O
terrorists O
" O
had O
joined O
the O
ranks O
of O
the O
Islamic O
forces O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Ali O
Mohamed O
Gedi O
said O
4 O
, O
000 O
" O
foreign O
fighters O
" O
had O
taken O
advantage O
of O
the O
conflict O
to O
infiltrate O
the O
country O
, O
which O
has O
been O
lawless O
since O
the O
1991 O
ouster O
of O
dictator O
Mohamed O
Siad O
Barre O
. O

" O
Four O
thousand O
foreign O
fighters O
have O
participated O
in O
recent O
fighting O
around O
Dinsoor O
district O
and O
some O
of O
them O
have O
been O
killed O
, O
" O
Gedi O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
in O
Baidoa O
, O
about O
250 O
kilometres O
( O
155 O
miles O
) O
northwest O
of O
the O
Islamist O
- O
controlled O
capital O
Mogadishu O
. O

" O
This O
shows O
how O
terrorists O
are O
gaining O
ground O
in O
Somalia O
, O
so O
we O
are O
calling O
the O
international O
community O
to O
be O
aware O
of O
( O
what O
is O
happening O
in O
) O
Somalia O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Islamists O
meanwhile O
renewed O
calls O
for O
Muslims O
around O
the O
world O
to O
offer O
support O
for O
the O
" O
holy O
war O
" O
, O
and O
claimed O
to O
have O
captured O
a O
key O
frontline O
position O
at O
Idale O
, O
some O
60 O
kilometres O
( O
40 O
miles O
) O
south O
of O
the O
government O
headquarters O
in O
Baidoa O
. O

" O
Our O
Islamic O
fighters O
have O
taken O
control O
of O
Idale O
and O
are O
heading O
to O
other O
parts O
where O
Tigray O
( O
Ethiopian O
) O
invaders O
are O
now O
based O
, O
" O
Islamic O
movement O
information O
chief O
Abdurahim O
Ali O
Muddey O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
By O
the O
will O
of O
Allah O
, O
we O
will O
liberate O
our O
people O
and O
country O
from O
the O
Ethiopian O
invaders O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Information O
Minister O
Ali O
Jama O
did O
not O
confirm O
the O
seizure O
, O
but O
told O
AFP O
" O
fighting O
is O
raging O
in O
Idale O
. O
" O
Witnesses O
said O
the O
rivals O
were O
shelling O
each O
other O
with O
mortars O
, O
rockets O
and O
machine O
- O
gun O
fire O
, O
causing O
heavy O
casualties O
. O

With O
no O
sign O
of O
let O
- O
up O
in O
the O
fighting O
, O
the O
Islamist O
leadership O
called O
on O
all O
Muslims O
around O
the O
world O
to O
join O
in O
the O
clashes O
that O
threaten O
to O
engulf O
the O
entire O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
region O
. O

" O
This O
country O
is O
open O
for O
the O
Islamic O
fighters O
all O
over O
the O
world O
to O
join O
the O
holy O
war O
, O
" O
said O
Islamist O
security O
chief O
Sheikh O
Yusuf O
Mohamed O
Siad O
Indo O
' O
adhe O
. O

" O
Grave O
results O
will O
be O
witnessed O
if O
the O
international O
community O
maintains O
ignoring O
deteriorating O
situation O
in O
Somalia O
, O
" O
said O
Indo O
' O
adhe O
, O
whose O
movement O
has O
been O
accused O
of O
ties O
with O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
. O

The O
fresh O
violence O
drew O
calls O
for O
restraint O
from O
the O
international O
community O
, O
with O
the O
United O
Nations O
and O
African O
Union O
regional O
grouping O
urging O
an O
immediate O
end O
to O
the O
fighting O
. O

Ethiopia O
is O
supporting O
Somalia O
' O
s O
weakened O
government O
against O
the O
Islamist O
forces O
, O
which O
control O
Mogadishu O
and O
much O
of O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
war O
- O
ravaged O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
nation O
. O

Fighting O
erupted O
early B-T
Wednesday I-T
, O
hours O
after O
the O
expiry O
of O
an O
Islamist O
- O
imposed O
ultimatum O
for O
Ethiopia O
to O
withdraw O
the O
thousands O
of O
troops O
the O
Islamists O
say O
Addis O
Ababa O
has O
deployed O
in O
the O
country O
. O

The O
International O
Committee O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
( O
ICRC O
) O
said O
the O
fighting O
had O
left O
" O
dozens O
" O
dead O
. O

For O
its O
part O
the O
government O
says O
its O
Ethiopian O
- O
backed O
forces O
have O
killed O
more O
than O
500 O
Islamist O
fighters O
since O
Wednesday B-T
, O
while O
the O
Islamists O
spoke O
of O
slaying O
at O
least O
70 O
enemy O
combatants O
. O

Muddey O
said O
Islamist O
forces O
were O
pushing O
back O
the O
Ethiopian O
- O
backed O
troops O
. O

" O
This O
war O
is O
between O
Somalia O
and O
Tigray O
invaders O
. O
The O
forces O
have O
been O
pressed O
and O
they O
are O
losing O
in O
the O
battlefields O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

" O
The O
invaders O
have O
been O
repelled O
, O
we O
have O
a O
lot O
of O
their O
bodies O
here O
and O
are O
going O
to O
show O
the O
media O
, O
we O
have O
their O
ID O
cards O
, O
pictures O
with O
their O
wives O
, O
and O
equipment O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
fighting O
on O
twin O
fronts O
has O
forced O
thousands O
of O
residents O
to O
flee O
. O

" O
People O
are O
really O
scared O
because O
both O
sides O
are O
using O
heavy O
artillery O
shells O
and O
other O
weapons O
, O
" O
Haji O
Hassan O
Dhubow O
, O
a O
resident O
of O
Goof O
Gaduud O
village O
southwest O
of O
Baidoa O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
I O
have O
seen O
many O
people O
fleeing O
with O
their O
children O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Witnesses O
said O
Ethiopian O
tanks O
faced O
off O
with O
Islamic O
fighters O
in O
Daynunay O
, O
a O
flashpoint O
garrison O
town O
about O
30 O
kilometres O
to O
the O
east O
of O
Baidoa O
, O
but O
there O
was O
no O
direct O
confrontation O
. O

The O
fighting O
and O
war O
of O
words O
have O
come O
despite O
a O
statement O
by O
European O
Commissioner O
Louis O
Michel O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
he O
had O
secured O
the O
commitment O
of O
both O
sides O
to O
observe O
a O
truce O
and O
resume O
peace O
talks O
. O

Arab O
League O
- O
mediated O
talks O
in O
Khartoum O
collapsed O
in O
November B-T
when O
Islamists O
refused O
to O
negotiate O
until O
Ethiopia O
withdrew O
its O
troops O
. O
The O
new O
clashes O
have O
ruined O
hopes O
of O
possible O
resumption O
of O
talks O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0231 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

India O
lose O
openers O
cheaply O
after O
delayed O
start O

India O
lost O
both O
their O
opening O
batsmen O
cheaply O
when O
the O
first O
Test O
against O
South O
Africa O
got O
off O
to O
a O
late O
start O
at O
the O
Wanderers O
Stadium O
Friday B-T
. O

India O
were O
19 O
for O
two O
at O
lunch O
after O
Wasim O
Jaffer O
and O
Virender O
Sehwag O
fell O
within O
the O
space O
of O
six O
balls O
. O

Jaffer O
was O
leg O
before O
wicket O
to O
Makhaya O
Ntini O
for O
nine O
when O
he O
padded O
up O
to O
a O
ball O
just O
outside O
his O
off O
stump O
which O
was O
slanting O
in O
. O

Sehwag O
was O
caught O
behind O
off O
Shaun O
Pollock O
in O
the O
next O
over O
when O
he O
was O
squared O
up O
by O
a O
lifting O
delivery O
. O
The O
normally O
dashing O
Sehwag O
scored O
only O
four O
runs O
off O
26 O
balls O
. O

Indian O
captain O
Rahul O
Dravid O
, O
recovered O
from O
a O
finger O
injury O
, O
took O
a O
painful O
blow O
in O
the O
ribs O
from O
Pollock O
. O
He O
had O
yet O
to O
score O
at O
lunch O
, O
while O
Sachin O
Tendulkar O
was O
on O
four O
. O

The O
morning O
' O
s O
play O
was O
restricted O
to O
an O
hour O
. O
The O
start O
was O
delayed O
by O
90 B-T
minutes I-T
because O
of O
damp O
patches O
on O
the O
pitch O
. O

The O
Gauteng O
Cricket O
Board O
said O
the O
damp O
patches O
were O
caused O
by O
wet O
hessian O
placed O
on O
the O
pitch O
overnight O
because O
groundsman O
Chris O
Scott O
was O
concerned O
that O
the O
surface O
was O
too O
dry O
and O
that O
it O
might O
break O
up O
on O
the O
fourth O
and O
fifth O
days O
. O

" O
After O
removing O
the O
covers O
this O
morning O
, O
there O
was O
a O
lot O
more O
moisture O
on O
the O
wicket O
than O
anticipated O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Despite O
the O
late O
start O
, O
the O
pitch O
looked O
good O
for O
batting O
on O
a O
hot O
, O
cloudless O
day O
and O
although O
there O
was O
grass O
cover O
it O
had O
a O
brown O
tinge O
. O

India O
opted O
to O
leave O
off O
- O
spinner O
Harbhajan O
Singh O
out O
of O
their O
final O
eleven O
, O
leaving O
leg O
- O
spinner O
Anil O
Kumble O
as O
the O
only O
specialist O
slow O
bowler O
. O
South O
Africa O
fielded O
an O
all O
- O
seam O
attack O
. O

Dale O
Steyn O
took O
the O
new O
ball O
for O
South O
Africa O
but O
although O
he O
bowled O
fast O
he O
did O
not O
make O
the O
batsmen O
play O
enough O
and O
he O
was O
replaced O
after O
three O
overs O
by O
Pollock O
, O
who O
immediately O
struck O
a O
good O
line O
and O
length O
. O

Ntini O
bowled O
a O
fiery O
spell O
of O
six O
overs O
before O
Steyn O
came O
on O
again O
in O
the O
over O
before O
lunch O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0045 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0045 O
. O

Delta O
Air O
Net O
Rose O

@ O
By O
33 O
% O
to O
Record O

@ O
In O
Fiscal O
1st O
Period O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Bridget O
O O
' O
Brian O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

DAL O
AWAL O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

AIRLINES O
( O
AIR O
) O

Delta O
Air O
Lines O
earnings O
soared O
33 O
% O
to O
a O
record O
in O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
, O
bucking O
the O
industry O
trend O
toward O
declining O
profits O
. O

The O
Atlanta O
- O
based O
airline O
, O
the O
third O
largest O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
attributed O
the O
increase O
to O
higher O
passenger O
traffic O
, O
new O
international O
routes O
and O
reduced O
service O
by O
rival O
Eastern O
Airlines O
, O
which O
is O
in O
bankruptcy O
proceedings O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
a O
strike O
that O
began O
last B-T
spring I-T
. O

For O
the B-T
quarter I-T
ended O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, O
Delta O
posted O
net O
income O
of O
$ O
133 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
53 O
a O
share O
, O
up O
from O
$ O
100 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
03 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Revenue O
rose O
15 O
% O
to O
$ O
2 O
. O
17 O
billion O
from O
$ O
1 O
. O
89 O
billion O
. O

During O
the B-T
quarter I-T
, O
Delta O
issued O
2 O
. O
5 O
million O
shares O
of O
common O
stock O
to O
Swissair O
, O
and O
repurchased O
1 O
. O
1 O
million O
shares O
for O
use O
in O
a O
company O
employee O
stock O
ownership O
plan O
. O

" O
The O
key O
to O
Delta O
' O
s O
record O
earnings O
continued O
to O
be O
excellent O
passenger O
revenue O
growth O
, O
" O
said O
Thomas O
Roeck O
, O
chief O
financial O
officer O
. O

Passenger O
traffic O
jumped O
14 O
% O
in O
the O
quarter O
, O
while O
profit O
per O
passenger O
grew O
2 O
% O
. O

Delta O
has O
benefited O
more O
than O
other O
carriers O
from O
the O
weakness O
of O
Eastern O
Airlines O
, O
which O
shares O
the O
Atlanta O
hub O
. O

Although O
Eastern O
is O
back O
to O
about O
80 O
% O
of O
its O
pre O
- O
strike O
schedule O
now B-T
, O
the O
Texas O
Air O
Corp O
. O
subsidiary O
was O
only O
beginning O
to O
get O
back O
on O
its O
feet O
during O
the B-T
quarter I-T
. O

Separately O
, O
America O
West O
Airlines O
, O
Phoenix O
, O
Ariz O
. O
, O
reported O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
profit O
jumped O
45 O
% O
to O
$ O
5 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
28 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
24 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

The O
latest O
results O
include O
a O
$ O
2 O
. O
6 O
million O
one O
- O
time O
payment O
from O
a O
" O
foreign O
entity O
. O
" O

America O
West O
would O
n O
' O
t O
identify O
the O
entity O
, O
but O
said O
the O
payment O
was O
for O
the O
foreign O
company O
' O
s O
use O
of O
certain O
tax O
benefits O
in O
connection O
with O
America O
West O
plane O
purchases O
. O

Year B-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
results O
included O
an O
extraordinary O
gain O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
6 O
million O
from O
a O
buy O
- O
back O
of O
convertible O
subordinated O
debentures O
. O

Revenue O
rose O
21 O
% O
to O
$ O
243 O
. O
4 O
million O
from O
$ O
201 O
. O
2 O
million O
. O

For O
the B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
America O
West O
posted O
earnings O
of O
$ O
18 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
97 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
a O
loss O
of O
$ O
9 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
74 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Revenue O
rose O
27 O
% O
to O
$ O
715 O
. O
1 O
million O
from O
$ O
563 O
. O
8 O
million O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0230 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Domestic O
news O
item O
from O
Xinhua O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
29 O

The O
following O
are O
domestic O
news O
items O
released O
by O
Xinhua O
on O
Tuesday B-T
: O

Market O
exchange O
rates O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Highlights O
of O
major O
Beijing O
- O
based O
newspapers O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Xinhua O
domestic O
news O
advisory O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Victims O
' O
families O
compensated O
following O
north O
China O
colliery O
flood O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
open O
lower O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Death O
toll O
rises O
to O
138 O
in O
northeast O
China O
coal O
mine O
blast O

Schools O
in O
Harbin O
to O
resume O
classes O

Bus O
overturn O
leaves O
three O
dead O
, O
15 O
injured O
in O
SW O
China O

Stocks O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
end O
lower O
at O
midday O

China O
confirms O
two O
more O
bird O
flu O
outbreaks O
in O
Xinjiang O
, O
Hunan O

Senior O
legislator O
meets O
ROK O
guests O

Air O
quality O
of O
major O
Chinese O
cities O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Harry O
Potter O
' O
s O
" O
Goblet O
" O
conjures O
up O
66 O
. O
56 O
million O
yuan O
in O
China O

China O
, O
US O
to O
hold O
second O
strategic O
dialogue O
in O
Washington O

UN O
chief O
to O
visit O
China O
in O
December B-T

Shanghai O
stock O
index O
down O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Shenzhen O
stock O
index O
down O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Hushen O
index O
down O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Most O
rescued O
miners O
in O
NE O
. O
coal O
mine O
blast O
suffer O
from O
mixed O
gas O
poisoning O

HK O
stocks O
finish O
lower O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Boat O
collision O
leaves O
three O
dead O
, O
one O
missing O
in O
E O
. O
China O

Ten O
Chinese O
cities O
lose O
title O
after O
failing O
environmental O
check O

HK O
foreign O
exchange O
rates O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Share O
prices O
end O
down O
in O
Taiwan O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Death O
toll O
rises O
to O
146 O
in O
NE O
China O
coal O
mine O
blast O

Trading O
on O
HK O
stock O
exchange O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

China O
becomes O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
tourists O
- O
source O
- O
market O
in O
NE O
Asia O

UN O
torture O
rapporteur O
' O
s O
China O
tour O
" O
smooth O
" O
: O
Chinese O
FM O
spokesman O

Weather O
forecast O
for O
major O
Chinese O
cities O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Weather O
forecast O
for O
world O
cities O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Shanghai O
to O
install O
1 O
, O
200 O
more O
condom O
machines O
to O
prevent O
AIDS O

Zero O
- O
tariff O
Thai O
fruits O
entering O
China O
through O
new O
channel O

China O
to O
merge O
three O
major O
communication O
networks O
in O
five B-T
years I-T

China O
gives O
Russia O
equipment O
for O
monitoring O
possible O
river O
pollution O

China O
asks O
Malaysia O
to O
probe O
assault O
cases O
against O
Chinese O
citizens O

Death O
toll O
of O
NE O
China O
coal O
mine O
blast O
rises O
to O
148 O

China O
sends O
inspection O
panels O
to O
study O
effects O
in O
handling O
bird O
flu O
epidemics O

Two O
Chinese O
taikonauts O
meet O
HK O
youths O

Share O
prices O
end O
lower O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

China O
vows O
to O
protect O
migrant O
workers O
against O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O

Chinese O
top O
legislator O
meets O
Mongolian O
president O

More O
needy O
college O
students O
benefit O
from O
KFC O
foundation O

USAID O
official O
: O
China O
becomes O
major O
contributor O
to O
int O
' O
l O
aid O
for O
education O

Chinese O
top O
political O
advisor O
meets O
Mongolian O
president O

Ancient O
limestone O
cave O
suffers O
damage O
in O
Inner O
Mongolia O

China O
Gas O
may O
announce O
new O
potential O
strategic O
investor O

Indian O
official O
: O
India O
to O
learn O
from O
China O
for O
educational O
development O

Weather O
information O
for O
major O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
cities O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Hong O
Kong O
gold O
price O
ends O
higher O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

China O
, O
Mongolia O
issue O
joint O
statement O
, O
pledging O
closer O
ties O

China O
to O
reduce O
slick O
impact O
on O
downstream O
Russia O
: O
FM O
spokesman O

NW O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
boasts O
thousands O
of O
scenic O
spots O

WTO O
MC6 O
appoints O
BMW O
official O
limousine O
provider O

Shenzhen O
to O
host O
HK O
constitutional O
development O
forum O

Hang O
Seng O
China O
Enterprises O
Index O
closes O
lower O
- O
- O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T

Pollution O
slick O
on O
NE O
China O
river O
to O
arrive O
at O
downstream O
city O
Saturday O

China O
' O
s O
increasing O
energy O
demand O
poses O
no O
threat O
to O
world O
market O
: O
official O

USAID O
official O
: O
China O
becomes O
surging O
power O
in O
international O
aid O

China O
Focus O
: O
Neighboring O
China O
, O
Mongolia O
keen O
on O
enhancing O
relations O

Simplified O
customs O
formalities O
better O
for O
Sino O
- O
Greek O
cooperation O
: O
Greek O
offcial O

China O
focus O
: O
China O
to O
moderate O
its O
high O
- O
speed O
economic O
growth O

Residents O
advised O
against O
eating O
fish O
from O
China O
' O
s O
polluted O
Songhua O
river O
in O
two B-T
months I-T

China O
, O
Britain O
seek O
closer O
science O
, O
technology O
cooperation O
in O
rural O
areas O

Grass O
- O
roots O
CPC O
members O
to O
go O
through O
self O
- O
improvement O
education O

China O
Exclusive O
: O
Chinese O
army O
guard O
of O
honor O
first O
wins O
over O
infringement O
case O

Poultry O
culling O
ends O
in O
Inner O
Mongolia O
bird O
flu O
- O
hit O
city O

Judge O
brought O
to O
trial O
over O
misconduct O
involving O
millions O
in O
E O
. O
China O

WHO O
experts O
investigate O
second O
human O
death O
case O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
E O
. O
China O
province O

China O
spreads O
AIDS O
knowledge O
to O
train O
passengers O

China O
calls O
for O
int O
' O
l O
aid O
to O
post O
- O
quake O
Pakistan O
against O
freezing O
winter B-T

Roundup O
: O
death O
toll O
of O
NE O
China O
coal O
mine O
blast O
rises O
to O
146 O
, O
rescue O
efforts O
continue O
for O
the O
last O
five O
missing O

Survey O
: O
Chinese O
mainland O
sees O
increasing O
workers O
from O
Hong O
Kong O

Mainland O
welcomes O
HK O
scientists O
to O
participate O
in O
its O
space O
undertakings O
: O
official O

Feature O
: O
HK O
youngsters O
' O
space O
dream O
lightened O
by O
Shenzhou O
- O
6 O

WHO O
experts O
investigate O
China O
' O
s O
first O
human O
bird O
flu O
case O

Roundup O
: O
Songhua O
River O
pollution O
belt O
moves O
downstream O
toward O
Tonghe O
County O

Mongolian O
President O
visits O
Tianjin O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0112 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
press O
, O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
defended O
his O
EU O
budget O
deal O
Saturday B-T
that O
will O
slash O
billions O
of O
euros O
from O
Britain O
' O
s O
rebate O
, O
saying O
failure O
would O
have O
caused O
" O
immense O
damage O
" O
to O
its O
national O
interest O
. O

Facing O
a O
press O
savaging O
for O
renouncing O
some O
of O
the O
annual O
cashback O
in O
order O
to O
strike O
a O
deal O
, O
he O
insisted O
there O
was O
no O
other O
choice O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
in O
the O
British O
interests O
to O
stay O
firmly O
anchored O
within O
the O
EU O
, O
and O
we O
' O
ve O
done O
so O
successfully O
during O
this B-T
presidency I-T
, O
" O
he O
told O
BBC O
radio O
just O
a O
few O
hours O
after O
sealing O
an O
accord O
hammered O
out O
overnight O
. O

The O
compromise O
deal O
over O
the O
2007 O
- O
2013 O
budget O
followed O
two B-T
days I-T
of O
intense O
summit O
diplomacy O
under O
Britain O
' O
s O
EU O
presidency O
, O
ending O
a O
bitter O
deadlock O
over O
the O
bloc O
' O
s O
spending O
plans O
. O

Britain O
will O
effectively O
give O
up O
10 O
. O
5 O
billion O
euros O
( O
12 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
of O
its O
long O
- O
cherished O
budget O
rebate O
over O
that B-T
period I-T
, O
after O
an O
earlier O
lower O
proposal O
was O
angrily O
dismissed O
as O
inadequate O
by O
its O
EU O
partners O
. O

Failure O
to O
reach O
a O
deal O
" O
would O
have O
done O
immense O
damages O
to O
the O
country O
' O
s O
national O
interest O
, O
" O
Blair O
said O
. O
" O
We O
would O
have O
wrecked O
our O
entire O
relationship O
with O
these O
new O
Europe O
countries O
and O
with O
the O
new O
German O
government O
. O
" O

The O
rebate O
, O
famously O
negotiated O
by O
Margaret O
Thatcher O
in O
1984 B-T
when O
Britain O
was O
struggling O
economically O
, O
is O
tied O
to O
EU O
spending O
and O
rises O
every B-T
year I-T
. O
In O
2004 B-T
it O
came O
to O
more O
than O
five O
billion O
euros O
. O

Even O
after O
foregoing O
10 O
. O
5 O
billion O
euros O
, O
the O
deal O
would O
still O
see O
Britain O
' O
s O
net O
rebate O
- O
- O
the O
money O
it O
gets O
back O
from O
the O
bloc O
- O
- O
rise O
overall O
during O
the B-T
financial I-T
period I-T
. O

" O
The O
rebate O
rises O
, O
it O
doesn O
' O
t O
diminish O
, O
" O
Blair O
said O
, O
adding O
: O
" O
Most O
of O
the O
large O
countries O
are O
losing O
far O
more O
than O
Britain O
. O
We O
have O
for O
the O
first O
time O
parity O
with O
France O
. O
" O

Blair O
said O
the O
agreement O
opened O
the O
way O
to O
a O
review O
in O
2008 B-T
or O
2009 O
of O
the O
way O
the O
European O
Union O
spends O
its O
money O
, O
claiming O
" O
it O
will O
then O
allow O
us O
to O
do O
changes O
and O
to O
prepare O
for O
further O
reforms O
. O
" O

" O
I O
am O
a O
reformer O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O
" O
There O
' O
s O
actually O
a O
need O
now O
for O
a O
different O
type O
of O
Europe O
" O
and O
to O
get O
rid O
of O
" O
a O
CAP O
( O
common O
agricultural O
policy O
) O
which O
is O
completely O
out O
of O
date O
. O
" O

" O
We O
face O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
fundamental O
reform O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
Blair O
argued O
. O

That O
was O
not O
how O
the O
traditionally O
eurosceptic O
British O
press O
saw O
it O
. O

" O
Blair O
' O
s O
surrender O
, O
" O
lashed O
the O
right O
- O
wing O
Daily O
Mail O
. O

" O
He O
gives O
Europe O
YOUR O
cash O
and O
is O
getting O
NOTHING O
back O
, O
" O
raged O
the O
tabloid O
Sun O
, O
Britain O
' O
s O
biggest O
- O
selling O
daily O
, O
claiming O
the O
deal O
would O
cost O
" O
an O
extra O
100 O
pounds O
for O
every O
UK O
man O
, O
woman O
and O
child O
. O
" O

The O
conservative O
Daily O
Telegraph O
said O
Blair O
" O
caved O
in O
because O
the O
EU O
could O
not O
afford O
another O
failure O
" O
after O
the O
acrimonious O
collapse O
of O
an O
earlier O
June B-T
summit O
and O
the O
rejection O
by O
French O
and O
Dutch O
voters O
of O
an O
EU O
constitution O
. O

" O
After O
all O
the O
tough O
talk O
, O
surrender O
was O
the O
only O
option O
left O
, O
" O
it O
wrote O
. O

Still O
, O
The O
Times O
, O
also O
conservative O
, O
detected O
a O
silver O
lining O
in O
declaring O
that O
Blair O
had O
achieved O
a O
deal O
many O
had O
thought O
beyond O
him O
and O
had O
managed O
to O
bring O
new O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
closer O
to O
his O
view O
. O

Blair O
also O
drew O
warm O
praise O
from O
a O
host O
of O
other O
EU O
leaders O
for O
hammering O
out O
the O
deal O
, O
some O
praising O
his O
political O
courage O
and O
readiness O
to O
compromise O
at O
the B-T
last I-T
minute I-T
. O

The O
prime O
minister O
insisted O
Britain O
' O
s O
six O
- O
month O
presidency O
, O
which O
ends O
on O
December B-T
31 I-T
, O
had O
achieved O
some O
solid O
results O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
begun O
negotiations O
with O
Turkey O
and O
Croatia O
, O
a O
huge O
step O
forward O
, O
" O
he O
told O
BBC O
radio O
, O
" O
we O
' O
ve O
produced O
a O
budget O
, O
we O
' O
ve O
got O
a O
whole O
series O
of O
changes O
agreed O
, O
often O
in O
challenging O
circumstances O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0037 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Senior O
South O
Korean O
politicians O
summoned O
over O
Hanbo O
scandal O

South O
Korean O
prosecutors O
Friday B-T
summoned O
two O
senior O
opposition O
politicians O
for O
questioning O
over O
a O
massive O
graft O
scandal O
enveloping O
the O
Hanbo O
business O
group O
, O
prompting O
charges O
of O
a O
political O
conspiracy O
. O

The O
Prosecutor O
General O
' O
s O
Office O
called O
in O
Kim O
Sang O
- O
Hyon O
of O
the O
main O
opposition O
National O
Congress O
for O
New O
Politics O
and O
Kim O
Yong O
- O
Hwan O
of O
the O
second O
opposition O
United O
Liberal O
Democratic O
Party O
. O

Prosecutors O
also O
summoned O
a O
ruling O
New O
Korea O
Party O
presidential O
hopeful O
, O
Kim O
Deok O
- O
Ryong O
, O
who O
said O
he O
would O
respond O
to O
the O
summons O
around O
this B-T
weekend I-T
. O

The O
three O
were O
the O
first O
to O
be O
questioned O
among O
33 O
politicians O
, O
including O
20 O
incumbent O
lawmakers O
, O
who O
allegedly O
received O
money O
from O
Chung O
Tae O
- O
Soo O
, O
founder O
of O
the O
failed O
Hanbo O
conglomerate O
. O

Hanbo O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
14th O
largest O
conglomerate O
, O
collapsed O
in O
January B-T
under O
debts O
of O
5 O
. O
8 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
prompting O
charges O
of O
high O
- O
level O
corruption O
. O
Eleven O
people O
, O
including O
four O
lawmakers O
, O
have O
been O
arrested O
and O
jailed O
. O

The O
summoning O
of O
politicians O
came O
after O
prosecutors O
pledged O
a O
new O
probe O
into O
politicians O
whose O
names O
have O
surfaced O
in O
the O
course O
investigations O
into O
the O
massive O
loans O
- O
for O
- O
kickbacks O
scandal O
engulfing O
Hanbo O
. O

The O
prosecution O
had O
said O
that O
aside O
from O
the O
arrested O
four O
, O
they O
had O
no O
plans O
to O
investigate O
other O
politicians O
who O
allegedly O
took O
customary O
" O
rice O
cake O
expenditures O
. O
" O

Rice O
cake O
expenditures O
are O
cash O
gifts O
of O
anywhere O
between O
tens O
of O
dollars O
and O
tens O
of O
thousand O
dollars O
, O
which O
are O
offered O
with O
no O
clear O
strings O
attatched O
. O

The O
prosecution O
' O
s O
reversal O
in O
policy O
triggered O
charges O
of O
political O
conspiracy O
from O
both O
the O
ruling O
and O
opposition O
camps O
. O

Second O
opposition O
party O
leader O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
Pil O
accused O
the O
investigation O
of O
being O
" O
a O
ploy O
to O
protect O
( O
South O
Korean O
President O
Kim O
Young O
- O
Sam O
' O
s O
second O
son O
) O
Kim O
Hyun O
- O
Chul O
. O
" O

Kim O
Hyun O
- O
Chul O
, O
39 O
, O
is O
to O
face O
parliamentary O
questioning O
on O
April B-T
25 I-T
on O
allegations O
that O
he O
was O
at O
the O
centre O
of O
the O
Hanbo O
scandal O
and O
other O
charges O
of O
corruption O
and O
influence O
peddling O
. O

The O
Christian O
- O
run O
Kookmin O
Daily O
said O
the O
government O
might O
be O
sending O
a O
warning O
signal O
to O
politicians O
in O
the O
run O
up O
to O
the O
parliamentary O
questioning O
of O
the O
president O
' O
s O
son O
. O

Kim O
Deok O
- O
Ryong O
, O
the O
ruling O
party O
presidential O
hopeful O
summoned O
by O
the O
prosecution O
, O
said O
he O
had O
fallen O
victim O
to O
a O
conspiracy O
by O
rival O
factions O
within O
the O
ruling O
camp O
ahead O
of O
the O
presidential O
election O
in O
December B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0219 O

LIMA O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Peru O
' O
s O
Fujimori O
basks O
in O
glory O
of O
hostage O
rescue O
; O
Japanese O
PM O
to O
visit O
by O
Oscar O
Zamalloa O

Governments O
around O
the O
world O
praised O
President O
Alberto O
Fujimori O
for O
ending O
an O
18 O
- O
week O
hostage O
standoff O
with O
a O
spectacular O
attack O
that O
left O
17 O
people O
dead O
but O
freed O
71 O
prominent O
captives O
. O

Peruvian O
troops O
stormed O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
Tuesday B-T
in O
a O
surprise O
operation O
that O
killed O
one O
hostage O
, O
two O
members O
of O
the O
security O
forces O
and O
all O
14 O
hostage O
- O
takers O
. O

Fujimori O
celebrated O
his O
spectacular O
victory O
over O
the O
Tupac O
Amaru O
Revolutionary O
Movement O
( O
MRTA O
) O
rebels O
by O
dining O
late B-T
Tuesday I-T
with O
top O
officials O
at O
a O
restaurant O
in O
the O
posh O
neighborhood O
of O
San O
Isidro O
, O
the O
same O
neighborhood O
where O
the O
hostage O
crisis O
evolved O
. O

" O
Peru O
will O
never O
cave O
in O
to O
blackmail O
by O
subversive O
elements O
, O
" O
Fujimori O
told O
a O
crowd O
in O
central O
Lima O
after O
the O
crisis O
ended O
. O

In O
Tokyo O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Ryutaro O
Hashimoto O
said O
Wednesday B-T
during O
talks O
with O
Peru O
' O
s O
ambassador O
to O
Japan O
that O
he O
hoped O
to O
visit O
Fujimori O
soon O
. O

" O
Once O
things O
are O
settled O
and O
when O
President O
Fujimori O
has O
the O
time O
, O
I O
want O
to O
visit O
Lima O
and O
give O
my O
thanks O
to O
him O
directly O
, O
" O
he O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

Japanese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Yukihiko O
Ikeda O
was O
scheduled O
to O
leave O
for O
Lima O
late B-T
Wednesday I-T
, O
officials O
said O
. O

South O
Korean O
President O
Kim O
Young O
- O
Sam O
and O
Philippine O
President O
Fidel O
Ramos O
and O
both O
congratulated O
Fujimori O
on O
a O
job O
well O
done O
. O

The O
Peruvian O
Congress O
late O
Tuesday B-T
praised O
the O
military O
intervention O
, O
calling O
it O
a O
" O
glorious O
page O
" O
in O
Peruvian O
history O
, O
and O
naming O
Supreme O
Court O
justice O
Carlos O
Giusti O
, O
who O
died O
of O
a O
heart O
attack O
after O
he O
was O
shot O
during O
the O
rescue O
operation O
, O
a O
" O
civil O
hero O
. O
" O

Bolivian O
Ambassador O
Jorge O
Gumucio O
, O
one O
of O
the O
freed O
hostages O
, O
said O
that O
troops O
assaulted O
the O
building O
when O
the O
captors O
were O
playing O
a O
football O
match O
in O
the O
residence O
reception O
hall O
. O

" O
An O
explosion O
underneath O
the O
reception O
hall O
, O
where O
a O
tunnel O
had O
been O
dug O
, O
killed O
most O
of O
the O
terrorists O
( O
and O
) O
I O
saw O
five O
or O
six O
of O
them O
collapse O
, O
" O
Gumucio O
said O
. O

Officials O
said O
140 O
crack O
troops O
entered O
the O
residence O
compound O
through O
an O
underground O
tunnel O
whose O
construction O
was O
cited O
by O
the O
rebels O
as O
the O
reason O
for O
an O
abrupt O
suspension O
of O
negotiations O
on O
March B-T
6 I-T
. O

The O
sunny O
afternoon O
calm O
in O
the O
posh O
neighborhood O
was O
shattered O
by O
the O
sound O
of O
automatic O
gunfire O
and O
a O
series O
of O
explosions O
that O
left O
a O
thick O
, O
black O
pall O
over O
the O
compound O
. O

Roughly B-T
40 I-T
minutes I-T
after O
the O
operation O
began O
, O
jubiliant O
soldiers O
appeared O
on O
the O
rooftop O
of O
the O
residence O
, O
flashing O
the O
' O
V O
' O
victory O
sign O
. O

Then O
Fujimori O
- O
- O
who O
ordered O
the O
operation O
even O
though O
his O
brother O
Pedro O
was O
among O
the O
hostages O
- O
- O
arrived O
to O
tour O
the O
residence O
and O
embraced O
the O
freed O
hostages O
. O

Twenty O
- O
four O
Japanese O
nationals O
, O
including O
Ambassador O
Morihisa O
Aoki O
, O
were O
set O
free O
. O

Some O
two O
dozen O
people O
, O
mostly O
hostages O
, O
were O
slightly O
hurt O
in O
the O
operation O
. O
Two O
others O
were O
seriously O
injured O
but O
expected O
to O
recover O
. O

The O
hostage O
crisis O
began O
last B-T
December I-T
17 I-T
when O
the O
guerrillas O
entered O
the O
compound O
during O
a O
gala O
reception O
attended O
by O
numerous O
dignitaries O
. O

They O
initially O
seized O
some O
700 O
hostages O
, O
but O
soon O
released O
all O
but O
72 O
men O
. O

The O
rebels O
demanded O
the O
release O
of O
some O
400 O
imprisoned O
comrades O
. O

Fujimori O
and O
top O
government O
ministers O
met O
the O
negotiators O
who O
have O
been O
trying O
to O
broker O
an O
agreement O
between O
the O
government O
and O
the O
rebels O
late O
Tuesday B-T
to O
inform O
them O
of O
the O
reasons O
behind O
his O
approval O
of O
the O
attack O
. O

The O
mediators O
- O
- O
Ayacucho O
Archbishop O
Juan O
Luis O
Cipriani O
, O
Canadian O
Ambassador O
Anthony O
Vincent O
, O
and O
International O
Red O
Cross O
representative O
Michel O
Mining O
- O
- O
withdrew O
without O
talking O
to O
reporters O
. O

At O
midnight O
, O
while O
the O
bodies O
of O
the O
MRTA O
guerrillas O
remained O
in O
the O
residence O
, O
residents O
from O
the O
working O
- O
class O
Lima O
neighborhood O
of O
San O
Juan O
de O
Miraflores O
reported O
seeing O
a O
red O
flag O
in O
support O
of O
the O
guerrillas O
on O
a O
nearby O
hill O
. O

Callers O
who O
claimed O
to O
speak O
for O
the O
MRTA O
telephoned O
several O
news O
organizations O
to O
warn O
of O
retaliation O
. O

Soon O
after O
the O
rescue O
, O
Hashimoto O
thanked O
Fujimori O
, O
but O
noted O
: O
" O
I O
regret O
to O
say O
that O
the O
Peruvian O
government O
did O
not O
notify O
us O
before O
they O
stormed O
the O
residence O
. O
" O

In O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Ramos O
told O
reporters O
he O
has O
sent O
a O
letter O
to O
Fujimori O
expressing O
Manila O
' O
s O
support O
for O
his O
decision O
to O
use O
force O
in O
freeing O
the O
hostages O
. O

" O
The O
Philippines O
stands O
very O
firm O
against O
the O
scourge O
of O
terrorism O
in O
all O
its O
forms O
, O
" O
Ramos O
said O
. O

Kim O
sent O
a O
congratulatory O
message O
to O
Fujimori O
for O
wrapping O
up O
the O
incident O
" O
at O
a O
minimal O
cost O
of O
human O
life O
. O
" O

" O
I O
pay O
my O
deep O
respect O
for O
patience O
and O
courage O
shown O
in O
the O
course O
of O
addressing O
the O
four O
- O
month O
- O
long O
hostage O
case O
, O
" O
Kim O
said O
in O
a O
written O
statement O
. O

One O
South O
Korean O
national O
and O
one O
ethnic O
Korean O
were O
among O
the O
original O
group O
of O
hostages O
, O
and O
were O
soon O
released O
. O

Not O
all O
foreigners O
were O
happy O
, O
however O
. O
In O
Guatemala O
, O
some O
60 O
pro O
- O
MRTA O
students O
threw O
rocks O
at O
the O
Peruvian O
embassy O
and O
spray O
- O
painted O
anti O
- O
Fujimori O
slogans O
on O
nearby O
walls O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0018 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0018 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
First O
of O
America O
Bank O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Midwest O
Financial O
Group O

@ O
Acquired O
for O
$ O
250 O
Million O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

FABK O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

BANKS O
( O
BNK O
) O

First O
of O
America O
Bank O
Corp O
. O
said O
it O
completed O
its O
acquisition O
of O
Midwest O
Financial O
Group O
Inc O
. O
for O
about O
$ O
250 O
million O
. O

First O
of O
America O
, O
which O
now B-T
has O
45 O
banks O
and O
$ O
12 O
. O
5 O
billion O
in O
assets O
, O
announced O
an O
agreement O
to O
acquire O
the O
Peoria O
, O
Ill O
. O
, O
bank O
holding O
company O
in O
January B-T
. O

Midwest O
Financial O
has O
$ O
2 O
. O
3 O
billion O
in O
assets O
and O
eight O
banks O
. O

The O
Midwest O
Financial O
subsidiary O
banks O
will O
continue O
to O
operate O
under O
their O
current O
names O
until O
early B-T
1990 I-T
, O
when O
each O
will O
adopt O
the O
First O
of O
America O
name O
. O

Kalamazoo O
, O
Mich O
. O
- O
based O
First O
of O
America O
said O
it O
will O
eliminate O
the O
13 O
management O
positions O
of O
the O
former O
Midwest O
Financial O
parent O
company O
. O

First O
of O
America O
said O
some O
of O
the O
managers O
will O
take O
other O
jobs O
with O
First O
of O
America O
. O

But O
it O
said O
that O
severance O
payments O
to O
those O
executives O
not O
staying O
with O
the O
company O
will O
reduce O
First O
of O
America O
' O
s O
operating O
results O
for O
1989 O
by O
$ O
3 O
million O
to O
$ O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
15 O
cents O
to O
20 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0211 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
, O
( O
AFP O
) O

1996 O
set O
grim O
record O
for O
executions O
: O
Amnesty O

Last B-T
year I-T
set O
a O
new O
record O
for O
capital O
punishment O
with O
more O
than O
7 O
, O
000 O
death O
sentences O
being O
passed O
and O
more O
than O
4 O
, O
000 O
carried O
out O
, O
3 O
, O
500 O
of O
them O
in O
China O
, O
Amnesty O
International O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
human O
rights O
organisation O
welcomed O
a O
move O
by O
the O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
which O
called O
Thursday B-T
on O
countries O
which O
still O
have O
the O
death O
penalty O
to O
limit O
executions O
. O

The O
resolution O
condemning O
capital O
punishment O
was O
adopted O
despite O
opposition O
from O
a O
number O
of O
countries O
, O
including O
China O
, O
Japan O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

Passed O
by O
27 O
votes O
to O
11 O
, O
it O
also O
called O
on O
countries O
still O
practising O
state O
- O
sponsored O
execution O
to O
spare O
adolescents O
under O
18 O
and O
pregnant O
women O
. O

Amnesty O
underlined O
that O
in O
countries O
where O
the O
death O
penalty O
is O
most O
frequently O
applied O
, O
executions O
often O
followed O
unfair O
trials O
with O
convictions O
often O
based O
on O
confessions O
obtained O
by O
force O
from O
prisoners O
denied O
legal O
access O
. O

At O
least O
4 O
, O
272 O
prisoners O
were O
executed O
in O
39 O
countries O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
while O
a O
further O
7 O
, O
017 O
people O
were O
sentenced O
to O
death O
in O
76 O
countries O
, O
Amnesty O
said O
. O

The O
figures O
- O
- O
which O
only O
represent O
part O
of O
the O
true O
number O
of O
death O
sentences O
and O
executions O
- O
- O
mark O
an O
increase O
of O
30 O
percent O
on O
1995 B-T
, O
when O
3 O
, O
276 O
prisoners O
were O
executed O
and O
4 O
, O
165 O
sentenced O
to O
death O
. O

This O
great O
leap O
forward O
is O
largely O
attributed O
to O
an O
anti O
- O
crime O
campaign O
launched O
in O
China O
last B-T
April I-T
. O
Amnesty O
recorded O
3 O
, O
500 O
executions O
in O
China O
, O
most O
victims O
being O
hastily O
dispatched O
at O
the O
conclusion O
of O
dubious O
trials O
. O

In O
Ukraine O
169 O
prisoners O
were O
executed O
, O
at O
least O
140 O
in O
Russia O
, O
and O
more O
than O
110 O
in O
Iran O
. O

The O
above O
four O
countries O
between O
them O
account O
for O
92 O
percent O
of O
all O
executions O
in O
the O
world O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Unconfirmed O
statistics O
attribute O
123 O
executions O
to O
Turkmenistan O
, O
and O
Iraq O
is O
also O
believed O
to O
have O
implemented O
numerous O
death O
sentences O
. O

In O
the O
United O
States O
, O
at O
least O
3 O
, O
150 O
prisoners O
were O
on O
death O
row O
in O
September B-T
1996 I-T
, O
with O
45 O
death O
sentences O
being O
passed O
in O
the O
course O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

However O
, O
despite O
the O
increase O
in O
executions O
, O
Amnesty O
noted O
a O
growing O
tendency O
for O
countries O
to O
abolish O
capital O
punishment O
. O

Belgium O
was O
the O
latest O
country O
to O
do O
so O
, O
bringing O
to O
58 O
the O
number O
of O
countries O
that O
have O
totally O
renounced O
the O
punishment O
. O

A O
futher O
15 O
countries O
have O
abolished O
the O
death O
penalty O
except O
for O
extraordinary O
crimes O
, O
and O
27 O
countries O
with O
the O
penalty O
still O
in O
their O
legislation O
have O
suspended O
all O
executions O
for O
10 B-T
years I-T
. O

More O
than O
half O
the O
world O
' O
s O
nations O
have O
now O
either O
abolished O
or O
no O
longer O
practice O
the O
death O
penalty O
, O
Amnesty O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0295 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Denmark O
to O
increase O
troops O
in O
Afghanistan O

The O
Danish O
government O
plans O
to O
meet O
a O
NATO O
request O
to O
increase O
its O
number O
of O
troops O
in O
Afghanistan O
, O
Ritzau O
news O
bureau O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
additional O
soldiers O
have O
been O
requested O
to O
help O
patrol O
the O
southern O
Hemland O
Province O
, O
an O
area O
that O
has O
been O
described O
as O
" O
unsafe O
and O
complex O
" O
, O
and O
would O
more O
than O
double O
the O
Danish O
contribution O
to O
NATO O
' O
s O
Afghanistan O
contingent O
, O
sources O
closed O
to O
the O
government O
revealed O
to O
Ritzau O
. O

Defense O
Minister O
Soeren O
Gade O
confirmed O
the O
possibility O
that O
troops O
would O
be O
sent O
, O
but O
kept O
further O
details O
under O
wraps O
. O

" O
The O
government O
has O
received O
a O
request O
from O
NATO O
, O
which O
we O
are O
willing O
to O
meet O
. O
Now B-T
we O
are O
discussing O
the O
matter O
with O
the O
other O
parties O
in O
parliament O
, O
" O
Gade O
said O
. O
" O
Any O
troops O
we O
send O
would O
be O
under O
British O
command O
, O
but O
how O
many O
we O
send O
is O
still O
not O
decided O
. O
" O

The O
government O
, O
according O
to O
Ritzau O
' O
s O
source O
, O
proposes O
sending O
as O
many O
as O
190 O
additional O
soldiers O
, O
increasing O
the O
total O
number O
of O
Danish O
forces O
in O
Afghanistan O
to O
360 O
. O

Both O
the O
government O
' O
s O
supporters O
and O
the O
opposition O
said O
they O
supported O
sending O
more O
troops O
. O

" O
We O
would O
even O
support O
sending O
more O
troops O
than O
the O
government O
proposes O
, O
" O
said O
Per O
Kaalund O
, O
defense O
issues O
spokesman O
for O
the O
opposition O
Social O
Democrats O
. O

Denmark O
' O
s O
173 O
soldiers O
currently B-T
stationed O
in O
Afghanistan O
are O
primarily O
responsible O
for O
coordinating O
cargo O
flights O
, O
and O
for O
air O
traffic O
control O
at O
Kabul O
' O
s O
main O
airport O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0137 O

KHOST O
, O
Afghanistan O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

/ O
/ O
/ O

Nine O
Taliban O
rebels O
and O
an O
Afghan O
soldier O
were O
killed O
and O
14 O
insurgents O
were O
captured O
in O
fresh O
fighting O
across O
insurgency O
- O
hit O
Afghanistan O
, O
officials O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

A O
major O
firefight O
broke O
out O
early O
Monday B-T
after O
nearly O
200 O
militants O
crossed O
the O
border O
from O
Pakistan O
and O
attacked O
a O
border O
checkpost O
in O
the O
eastern O
Afghan O
province O
of O
Khost O
, O
police O
said O
. O

Five O
Taliban O
fighters O
and O
an O
Afghan O
militia O
soldier O
died O
in O
the O
hour O
- O
long O
exchange O
of O
fire O
, O
provincial O
police O
official O
Gul O
Dad O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
four O
Afghan O
nationals O
were O
arrested O
. O

Pakistani O
militants O
" O
were O
also O
with O
them O
fighting O
our O
troops O
, O
" O
Dad O
told O
AFP O
, O
citing O
documents O
found O
on O
the O
bodies O
of O
the O
dead O
rebels O
. O
" O
It O
was O
a O
heavy O
battle O
. O
" O

Self O
- O
confessed O
Taliban O
spokesman O
Mohammad O
Hanif O
claimed O
responsibility O
for O
the O
attack O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
ousted O
Islamists O
but O
said O
only O
one O
rebel O
was O
killed O
. O

The O
fighting O
took O
place O
days O
after O
Afghan O
President O
Hamid O
Karzai O
publicly O
accused O
the O
Pakistani O
government O
for O
the O
first O
time O
of O
supporting O
Taliban O
rebels O
. O
Islamabad O
denies O
the O
claims O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
four O
Taliban O
insurgents O
were O
killed O
in O
a O
separate O
clash O
late B-T
Sunday I-T
in O
the O
southern O
province O
of O
Kandahar O
which O
also O
left O
three O
US O
- O
led O
coalition O
soldiers O
injured O
, O
the O
US O
military O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
raid O
supported O
by O
warplanes O
" O
seized O
an O
enemy O
weapons O
cache O
containing O
mines O
and O
explosives O
" O
near O
Kandahar O
city O
, O
the O
birthplace O
of O
the O
Taliban O
and O
a O
continuing O
focus O
for O
the O
insurgency O
. O

Also O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
coalition O
troops O
backed O
by O
Afghan O
army O
soldiers O
detained O
10 O
" O
suspected O
terrorists O
" O
including O
an O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
- O
linked O
militant O
in O
the O
eastern O
province O
of O
Kunar O
, O
another O
troubled O
region O
on O
the O
Pakistani O
border O
. O

" O
The O
operation O
resulted O
in O
the O
capture O
of O
a O
known O
transporter O
of O
weapons O
and O
explosives O
who O
is O
linked O
to O
foreign O
fighter O
movements O
in O
the O
region O
, O
" O
the O
coalition O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
man O
, O
whose O
name O
and O
nationality O
were O
not O
disclosed O
, O
was O
also O
responsible O
for O
facilitating O
suicide O
bombings O
which O
have O
increased O
in O
Afghanistan O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

" O
Credible O
information O
led O
the O
combined O
force O
to O
believe O
the O
transporter O
and O
his O
associates O
were O
at O
the O
compound O
, O
" O
which O
the O
rebels O
shared O
with O
women O
and O
children O
, O
it O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
there O
were O
no O
civilian O
casualties O
in O
the O
raid O
. O

Some O
4 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
many O
of O
them O
militants O
but O
also O
troops O
and O
civilians O
, O
have O
died O
in O
Taliban O
- O
led O
violence O
this B-T
year I-T
alone O
, O
making O
it O
Afghanistan O
' O
s O
bloodiest O
year O
since O
the O
movement O
was O
toppled O
by O
US O
- O
led O
forces O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0162 O

MOGADISHU O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

planes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
powerful O
Islamic O
movement O
on O
Saturday B-T
seized O
control O
of O
a O
key O
Somali O
township O
, O
pushing O
the O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
nation O
closer O
to O
an O
all O
- O
out O
war O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

As O
the O
international O
community O
scrambled O
to O
avoid O
fresh O
clashes O
, O
Islamic O
forces O
said O
they O
had O
taken O
control O
of O
Dinsoor O
, O
about O
270 O
kilometres O
( O
170 O
miles O
) O
west O
of O
the O
capital O
Mogadishu O
, O
after O
pro O
- O
government O
militia O
pulled O
out O
. O

" O
We O
are O
telling O
you O
that O
Dinsoor O
is O
under O
the O
control O
of O
the O
Islamic O
courts O
, O
" O
said O
Sheikh O
Abdurahim O
Ali O
Muddey O
, O
the O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Supreme O
Islamic O
Council O
of O
Somalia O
( O
SICS O
) O
. O

" O
We O
will O
take O
military O
steps O
if O
any O
force O
violates O
the O
area O
, O
" O
he O
added O
, O
referring O
to O
transitional O
government O
based O
in O
Baidoa O
, O
about O
110 O
kilometres O
( O
69 O
) O
miles O
north O
. O

Local O
Islamic O
officials O
said O
plans O
were O
underway O
to O
impose O
Islamic O
law O
in O
the O
township O
. O

" O
Mogadishu O
has O
sent O
delegates O
here O
. O
They O
are O
telling O
people O
that O
Islamic O
courts O
are O
preparing O
to O
take O
control O
of O
the O
whole O
region O
and O
implement O
Islamic O
Sharia O
law O
, O
" O
Osmail O
Adan O
Kerrow O
, O
a O
local O
Islamic O
commander O
told O
AFP O
from O
the O
region O
' O
s O
trading O
post O
. O

Somali O
government O
officials O
protested O
the O
advance O
, O
saying O
the O
Islamists O
were O
seeking O
to O
provoke O
new O
unrest O
in O
the O
country O
that O
has O
been O
wracked O
by O
unrest O
since O
dictator O
Mohamed O
Siad O
Barre O
was O
toppled O
in O
1991 B-T
and O
is O
currently O
reeling O
from O
devastating O
floods O
. O

" O
This O
is O
provocation O
, O
we O
are O
still O
in O
the O
stage O
of O
calling O
them O
to O
stop O
" O
lawmaker O
Madobe O
Nunow O
said O
. O

The O
seizure O
, O
which O
violates O
a O
previous O
truce O
and O
mutual O
recognition O
pact O
between O
the O
SICS O
and O
the O
government O
, O
comes O
days O
after O
Ethiopian O
Prime O
Minister O
Meles O
Zenawi O
secured O
parliamentary O
approval O
for O
his O
plans O
to O
fight O
the O
Islamists O
. O

Addis O
Ababa O
denies O
deploying O
thousands O
of O
troops O
across O
the O
border O
but O
acknowledges O
sending O
military O
advisers O
and O
trainers O
to O
assist O
the O
internationally O
backed O
but O
largely O
powerless O
Somali O
government O
. O

Mainly O
Christian O
Ethiopia O
has O
watched O
with O
growing O
concern O
the O
rise O
on O
its O
southeastern O
border O
of O
the O
Islamists O
, O
who O
seized O
Mogadishu O
in O
June B-T
and O
now B-T
control O
most O
of O
southern O
and O
central O
Somalia O
. O

With O
a O
large O
ethnic O
Somali O
population O
, O
Ethiopia O
fears O
radicalization O
of O
its O
sizable O
Muslim O
minority O
by O
the O
Islamists O
, O
some O
of O
whom O
are O
accused O
of O
links O
to O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
, O
who O
have O
imposed O
strict O
Sharia O
law O
in O
areas O
they O
control O
. O

Somali O
watchers O
have O
warned O
that O
an O
all O
- O
out O
war O
in O
Somalia O
would O
suck O
in O
Addis O
Ababa O
' O
s O
chief O
rival O
, O
Eritrea O
, O
also O
accused O
of O
supporting O
the O
Islamists O
, O
thereby O
pushing O
war O
in O
a O
regional O
conflict O
. O

The O
new O
development O
comes O
as O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
mulled O
a O
United O
States O
proposal O
to O
lift O
the O
1992 O
arms O
embargo O
to O
enable O
African O
nations O
send O
in O
peacekeepers O
to O
protect O
the O
government O
. O

And O
as O
the O
UN O
and O
aid O
groups O
delivered O
relief O
to O
nearly O
a O
million O
people O
hit O
by O
floods O
, O
the O
Islamists O
warned O
the O
world O
body O
from O
neither O
deploying O
any O
Ethiopian O
planes O
or O
sending O
any O
Ethiopians O
to O
work O
in O
Somalia O
. O

" O
We O
cannot O
endure O
our O
enemies O
using O
humanitarian O
assistant O
to O
spy O
, O
if O
the O
UN O
agencies O
try O
to O
use O
Ethiopian O
planes O
, O
including O
helicopters O
to O
drop O
food O
in O
the O
flood O
- O
hit O
areas O
, O
we O
will O
bring O
them O
down O
, O
" O
said O
Sheikh O
Mukhta O
Robow O
, O
the O
deputy O
defence O
chief O
for O
the O
Islamists O
. O

" O
We O
know O
that O
every O
Ethiopian O
national O
is O
a O
spy O
. O
So O
, O
we O
will O
not O
tolerate O
Ethiopian O
planes O
flying O
over O
our O
territories O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Asked O
why O
the O
Islamists O
were O
restricting O
the O
UN O
operations O
, O
he O
said O
: O
" O
They O
drop O
food O
today B-T
, O
and O
tomorrow B-T
they O
drop O
bombs O
after O
they O
have O
carried O
out O
surveillance O
over O
all O
areas O
where O
we O
are O
based O
. O
" O

The O
floods O
have O
killed O
at O
least O
120 O
people O
and O
displaced O
around O
300 O
, O
000 O
since O
unusually O
heavy O
rains O
started O
to O
pound O
the O
country O
in O
October B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0259 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Britain O
- O
warning O
- O
scene O
sched O
London O
' O
s O
bustling O
streets O
emptied O
after O
IRA O
bomb O
alerts O

The O
normally O
bustling O
streets O
of O
Monday B-T
morning I-T
London O
ground O
to O
a O
virtual O
standstill O
as O
a O
series O
of O
IRA O
pre O
- O
election O
bomb O
alerts O
turned O
downtown O
briefly O
into O
a O
ghost O
town O
. O

An O
eerie O
silence O
fell O
over O
the O
city O
centre O
. O

Usually O
packed O
Trafalgar O
Square O
was O
empty O
but O
for O
its O
thousands O
of O
pigeons O
. O

Stranded O
office O
workers O
waited O
patiently O
behind O
security O
barriers O
after O
bomb O
scares O
stopped O
them O
from O
cutting O
across O
the O
central O
tourist O
magnet O
to O
get O
to O
work O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
one O
of O
the O
hazards O
of O
living O
in O
London O
really O
, O
isn O
' O
t O
it O
? O
" O
said O
29 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
bank O
manager O
Justin O
Hare O
. O
" O
I O
' O
m O
quite O
immune O
to O
it O
. O
" O

The O
scene O
was O
repeated O
across O
London O
after O
police O
sealed O
off O
streets O
around O
six O
of O
the O
core O
area O
' O
s O
key O
rail O
and O
underground O
stations O
. O

Michael O
Foot O
, O
83 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
former O
Labour O
leader O
, O
was O
among O
the O
thousands O
delayed O
at O
Paddington O
station O
, O
and O
made O
his O
frustration O
clear O
. O

" O
The O
Irish O
republicans O
have O
a O
good O
cause O
, O
but O
this O
sort O
of O
thing O
brings O
it O
into O
disrepute O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Postal O
worker O
John O
Kehoe O
was O
furious O
. O

" O
I O
was O
born O
in O
London O
but O
both O
my O
parents O
were O
born O
in O
Ireland O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
They O
are O
both O
dead O
now B-T
but O
they O
detested O
what O
the O
IRA O
are O
doing O
. O
It O
gives O
hard O
- O
working O
Irish O
people O
in O
Britain O
a O
bad O
name O
. O
" O

Anne O
Sparrow O
, O
a O
public O
relations O
officer O
stuck O
outside O
King O
' O
s O
Cross O
station O
, O
said O
: O
" O
I O
guess O
it O
will O
get O
worse O
before O
the O
( O
May B-T
1 I-T
) O
election O
. O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
the O
people O
behind O
this O
are O
going O
to O
get O
public O
opinion O
on O
their O
side O
- O
- O
they O
certainly O
won O
' O
t O
get O
mine O
. O
" O

Meanwhile O
at O
Gatwick O
Airport O
south O
of O
the O
city O
- O
- O
one O
of O
the O
four O
London O
airports O
hit O
- O
- O
staff O
were O
scampering O
to O
find O
a O
vacant O
hangar O
to O
shelter O
some O
8 O
, O
000 O
disembarking O
passengers O
suddenly O
without O
means O
to O
get O
back O
to O
London O
. O

Gatwick O
duty O
manager O
Mike O
Cook O
said O
many O
passengers O
were O
trapped O
on O
the O
tarmac O
, O
unable O
to O
leave O
the O
dozens O
of O
planes O
which O
had O
landed O
since O
the O
terminals O
were O
closed O
for O
bomb O
searches O
at O
around O
06h30 O
GMT O
. O

Some O
flights O
were O
still O
landing O
, O
others O
were O
being O
diverted O
but O
no O
flights O
were O
taking O
off O
, O
said O
Cook O
. O

Police O
were O
warning O
against O
unnecessary O
travel O
and O
advising O
walking O
or O
cycling O
where O
possible O
. O

" O
Basically O
, O
west O
London O
and O
central O
London O
are O
closed O
, O
" O
said O
Royal O
Automobile O
Club O
spokesman O
Peter O
Brill O
. O

" O
This O
is O
some O
of O
the O
worst O
traffic O
chaos O
that O
we O
have O
seen O
in O
London O
for O
many B-T
years I-T
, O
if O
ever O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0177 O

BARCELONA O
, O
SPAIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

News O
Analysis O
: O
Euromed O
summit O
reflects O
difficulties O
to O
bridge O
gap O

Marked O
by O
the O
absence O
of O
most O
Arabic O
leaders O
, O
the O
Euromed O
summit O
, O
which O
concluded O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
a O
watered O
- O
down O
" O
code O
of O
conduct O
" O
on O
terrorism O
and O
a O
vague O
action O
plan O
on O
immigration O
and O
reform O
, O
reflected O
the O
profound O
difficulties O
in O
bridging O
the O
gap O
between O
the O
two O
rims O
of O
the O
Mediterranean O
, O
said O
an O
Arabic O
observer O
. O

All O
but O
two O
leaders O
of O
the O
Mediterranean O
- O
rim O
partners O
- O
- O
Turkey O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
- O
- O
joined O
the O
summit O
, O
which O
aimed O
to O
re O
- O
launch O
the O
so O
- O
called O
Barcelona O
Process O
set O
up O
to O
strengthen O
cooperation O
on O
peace O
, O
security O
, O
economic O
development O
and O
social O
cohesion O
between O
both O
shores O
of O
the O
Mediterranean O
sea O
. O

On O
defining O
terrorism O
, O
Arab O
nations O
insisted O
on O
noting O
the O
differences O
between O
terrorism O
and O
the O
right O
to O
resist O
occupation O
, O
while O
Israel O
and O
several O
EU O
countries O
wanted O
an O
explicit O
statement O
that O
terrorism O
could O
never O
be O
justified O
by O
any O
cause O
. O

The O
summit O
ended O
without O
going O
beyond O
pledges O
to O
implement O
in O
full O
all O
United O
Nations O
Security O
Council O
resolutions O
addressing O
the O
issue O
of O
terrorism O
, O
while O
ensuring O
respect O
for O
the O
Charter O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
and O
international O
law O
. O

For O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
, O
whose O
country O
holds O
the O
rotating O
EU O
presidency O
, O
the O
statement O
was O
" O
as O
strong O
as O
you O
could O
possibly O
have O
on O
a O
unified O
determination O
to O
fight O
terrorism O
in O
all O
its O
forms O
. O
" O

Spanish O
Prime O
Minister O
Jose O
Luis O
Rodriguez O
Zapatero O
also O
qualified O
the O
code O
of O
conduct O
as O
" O
energetic O
and O
unprecedented O
. O
" O

But O
another O
comment O
from O
Zapatero O
, O
inadvertently O
picked O
up O
by O
closed O
- O
door O
session O
microphones O
, O
and O
widely O
cited O
by O
the O
press O
, O
said O
the O
contrary O
- O
- O
" O
A O
text O
must O
be O
agreed O
, O
come O
what O
may O
. O
" O

On O
the O
issue O
of O
migration O
, O
a O
five O
- O
year O
program O
was O
agreed O
to O
reduce O
illegal O
immigration O
and O
crack O
down O
on O
human O
traffickers O
while O
" O
promoting O
legal O
immigration O
opportunities O
. O
" O

The O
European O
Commission O
hoped O
the O
summit O
defined O
a O
" O
shared O
vision O
" O
to O
give O
" O
fresh O
impetus O
" O
to O
the O
issue O
. O
However O
, O
the O
North O
- O
African O
countries O
complained O
that O
they O
did O
not O
have O
sufficient O
tools O
to O
enhance O
border O
control O
and O
demanded O
more O
financial O
compensation O
for O
cooperation O
on O
combating O
illegal O
immigration O
. O

Critics O
also O
pointed O
out O
that O
the O
disputes O
on O
terrorism O
and O
immigration O
overshadowed O
other O
pressing O
issues O
, O
such O
as O
economic O
cooperation O
and O
development O
, O
which O
was O
of O
greater O
importance O
for O
the O
Arabic O
states O
. O

" O
There O
is O
a O
deep O
- O
seated O
divergence O
of O
views O
: O
the O
Southern O
states O
are O
asking O
for O
more O
aid O
whereas O
the O
north O
wants O
to O
link O
that O
to O
further O
advances O
in O
democracy O
and O
good O
- O
government O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Barcelona O
- O
based O
Spanish O
daily O
Vanguardia O
in O
an O
editorial O
. O

The O
Muslim O
leaders O
were O
not O
keen O
to O
hear O
European O
lectures O
on O
democratic O
reform O
and O
the O
need O
for O
elections O
, O
an O
Arabic O
diplomat O
told O
Xinhua O
reporter O
. O

The O
summit O
' O
s O
lack O
of O
concessions O
for O
Arabic O
leaders O
suggested O
that O
Europe O
, O
long O
seen O
as O
a O
greater O
ally O
to O
the O
Muslim O
world O
than O
the O
pro O
- O
Israel O
United O
States O
, O
might O
be O
losing O
some O
of O
its O
influence O
, O
warned O
the O
diplomat O
. O

For O
European O
analysts O
, O
the O
Europeans O
were O
lacking O
the O
instrument O
of O
economic O
diplomacy O
. O

Without O
agreement O
on O
the O
EU O
financial O
perspective O
for O
2007 B-T
- I-T
2013 I-T
, O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
could O
only O
confirm O
that O
the O
funds O
destined O
for O
the O
region O
" O
would O
not O
decrease O
" O
under O
the O
next O
financial O
framework O
. O

A O
new O
1 O
. O
5 O
- O
billion O
- O
euro O
( O
about O
1 O
. O
8 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
financing O
facility O
from O
the O
European O
Investment O
Bank O
, O
intended O
for O
the O
private O
sector O
in O
the O
South O
Mediterranean O
, O
was O
the O
only O
" O
new O
" O
money O
put O
on O
the O
table O
in O
Barcelona O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0270 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

British O
soldiers O
acquitted O
of O
killing O
Iraqi O
teenager O

Seven O
British O
soldiers O
accused O
of O
beating O
an O
Iraqi O
teenager O
to O
death O
with O
rifle O
butts O
were O
acquitted O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
Sky O
news O
, O
a O
court O
martial O
judge O
ruled O
there O
was O
insufficient O
evidence O
to O
convict O
the O
soldiers O
. O

The O
men O
had O
faced O
murder O
and O
violent O
disorder O
charges O
following O
the O
death O
of O
18 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Nadhem O
Abdullah O
, O
in O
May B-T
2003 I-T
. O
But O
all O
the O
soldiers O
, O
members O
of O
The O
3rd O
Battalion O
The O
Parachute O
Regiment O
, O
denied O
the O
allegations O
. O

Abdullah O
died O
in O
an O
attack O
on O
a O
group O
of O
Iraqi O
civilians O
in O
al O
- O
Ferkah O
, O
60 O
miles O
north O
of O
Basra O
. O
The O
attack O
was O
said O
to O
have O
taken O
place O
three B-T
weeks I-T
after O
formal O
hostilities O
in O
Iraq O
had O
ceased O
. O

Judge O
Advocate O
General O
Jeff O
Blackett O
called O
some O
of O
the O
evidence O
" O
too O
inherently O
weak O
" O
and O
directed O
a O
military O
panel O
in O
Colchester O
, O
Essex O
, O
to O
clear O
the O
defendants O
. O

" O
The O
judge O
made O
clear O
that O
, O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
the O
evidence O
presented O
, O
very O
serious O
allegations O
had O
been O
made O
and O
that O
it O
was O
perfectly O
proper O
to O
take O
the O
matter O
to O
trial O
, O
" O
British O
Ministry O
of O
Defense O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
Our O
soldiers O
are O
not O
above O
the O
law O
. O
It O
is O
right O
that O
allegations O
of O
this O
nature O
must O
be O
followed O
up O
and O
the O
evidence O
tested O
in O
full O
. O
This O
process O
is O
now O
complete O
and O
those O
soldiers O
still O
in O
the O
Army O
will O
now B-T
return O
to O
Regimental O
duty O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

The O
cleared O
soldiers O
are O
Corporal O
Scott O
Evans O
, O
32 O
, O
Private O
Billy O
Nerney O
, O
24 O
, O
Samuel O
May O
, O
25 O
, O
Morne O
Vosloo O
, O
26 O
, O
Daniel O
Harding O
, O
25 O
, O
Roberto O
Di O
- O
Gregorio O
and O
Scott O
Jackson O
, O
26 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0231 O

ADDIS O
ABABA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Writethru O
: O
Ethiopian O
parliament O
authorizes O
" O
all O
necessary O
" O
steps O
against O
Somalia O
' O
s O
UIC O

Ethiopia O
' O
s O
parliament O
on O
Thursday B-T
adopted O
a O
resolution O
authorizing O
Prime O
Minister O
Meles O
Zenawi O
- O
led O
government O
to O
take O
" O
all O
necessary O
" O
steps O
against O
the O
Union O
of O
Islamic O
Courts O
( O
UIC O
) O
in O
neighboring O
Somalia O
. O

" O
Parliament O
hereby O
authorizes O
the O
government O
to O
take O
all O
necessary O
and O
legal O
steps O
to O
stave O
off O
a O
declaration O
of O
holy O
war O
and O
invasion O
by O
the O
Union O
of O
Islamic O
Courts O
against O
the O
country O
, O
" O
said O
the O
resolution O
. O

" O
The O
parliament O
believes O
there O
is O
a O
clear O
and O
present O
danger O
to O
our O
country O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O
However O
, O
it O
stressed O
parliament O
would O
prefer O
dialogue O
and O
peace O
. O

The O
resolution O
also O
accused O
the O
UIC O
of O
" O
training O
, O
sheltering O
and O
arming O
Ethiopian O
groups O
that O
are O
trying O
to O
overthrow O
the O
government O
. O
" O

The O
resolution O
was O
adopted O
by O
a O
311 O
to O
99 O
vote O
with O
16 O
abstentions O
. O

Meles O
told O
foreign O
journalists O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
his O
country O
would O
not O
wait O
for O
foreign O
approval O
to O
attack O
the O
UIC O
in O
Somalia O
. O

" O
We O
respect O
their O
views O
but O
because O
it O
is O
our O
country O
which O
is O
being O
attacked O
, O
naturally O
we O
do O
not O
seek O
any O
light O
- O
- O
green O
, O
red O
, O
amber O
- O
- O
from O
anyone O
to O
protect O
ourselves O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
UIC O
has O
seized O
Somalia O
' O
s O
capital O
of O
Mogadishu O
controlled O
most O
of O
southern O
and O
central O
Somalia O
. O

Somalia O
has O
been O
without O
a O
functioning O
central O
authority O
since O
the O
1991 B-T
ousting O
of O
strongman O
Mohamed O
Siad O
Barre O
and O
the O
two O
- O
year O
- O
old O
transitional O
government O
has O
been O
unable O
to O
assert O
control O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0220 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

New O
Indian O
coalition O
likely O
to O
review O
block O
on O
foreign O
airlines O
: O
experts O

India O
' O
s O
new O
coalition O
government O
is O
likely O
to O
review O
a O
block O
on O
foreign O
airlines O
investing O
in O
domestic O
carriers O
, O
experts O
predicted O
Tuesday B-T
. O

They O
also O
called O
for O
largescale O
investment O
in O
the O
industry O
, O
saying O
the O
policies O
carried O
out O
under O
the O
last O
government O
were O
out O
of O
date O
and O
anti O
- O
competition O
. O

India O
' O
s O
United O
Front O
coalition O
government O
was O
voted O
out O
of O
power O
Friday B-T
after O
the O
Congress O
( O
I O
) O
party O
withdrew O
parliamentary O
support O
. O

The O
two O
former O
partners O
, O
however O
, O
are O
trying O
to O
form O
a O
new O
administration O
following O
the O
resignation O
of O
outgoing O
prime O
minister O
H O
. O
D O
. O
Deve O
Gowda O
as O
Front O
leader O
. O

Prabir O
Das O
, O
an O
aviation O
expert O
for O
the O
Confederation O
of O
Indian O
Industry O
( O
CII O
) O
, O
blamed O
Aviation O
Minister O
C O
. O
M O
. O
Ibrahim O
for O
the O
block O
on O
overseas O
expertise O
and O
investment O
. O

" O
Ibrahim O
' O
s O
decisions O
were O
not O
a O
policy O
. O
. O
. O
They O
were O
just O
event O
- O
based O
statements O
which O
would O
have O
to O
have O
a O
re O
- O
look O
. O

" O
They O
never O
went O
through O
legislation O
in O
parliament O
and O
hence O
they O
are O
not O
law O
. O
" O

He O
added O
there O
should O
be O
a O
review O
" O
if O
India O
is O
serious O
in O
upgrading O
its O
aviation O
industry O
through O
resource O
mobilisation O
and O
foreign O
participation O
. O
" O

Ibrahim O
banned O
foreign O
airlines O
from O
holding O
equity O
in O
local O
carriers O
on O
April B-T
4 I-T
, O
five B-T
days I-T
after O
the O
coalition O
government O
lost O
its O
parliamentary O
majority O
. O

He O
gave O
foreign O
airlines O
six B-T
months I-T
to O
withdraw O
investments O
from O
local O
carriers O
but O
allowed O
overseas O
investors O
outside O
the O
aviation O
sector O
to O
hold O
up O
to O
40 O
percent O
in O
domestic O
airlines O
. O

The O
guidelines O
, O
approved O
by O
Deve O
Gowda O
' O
s O
cabinet O
, O
killed O
off O
a O
708 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
plan O
by O
Singapore O
Airlines O
and O
India O
' O
s O
Tata O
group O
to O
set O
up O
a O
new O
airline O
after O
more B-T
than I-T
two I-T
years I-T
of O
wrangling O
. O

India O
' O
s O
former O
civil O
aviation O
secretary O
, O
S O
. O
S O
. O
Sidhu O
, O
said O
: O
" O
The O
new O
government O
, O
in O
whichever O
form O
it O
comes O
, O
will O
take O
a O
look O
at O
the O
decisions O
. O
" O

An O
executive O
from O
the O
Foundation O
for O
Aviation O
and O
Sustainable O
Tourism O
said O
: O
" O
Instead O
of O
fishing O
in O
troubled O
waters O
, O
a O
new O
government O
should O
think O
of O
pragmatic O
policies O
to O
turn O
the O
industry O
into O
a O
vibrant O
sector O
. O
" O

Ibrahim O
has O
argued O
that O
investment O
by O
foreign O
airlines O
would O
lead O
to O
the O
destruction O
of O
the O
state O
- O
run O
India O
Airlines O
domestic O
carrier O
and O
Air O
India O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
flagship O
airline O
. O
He O
allowed O
, O
however O
, O
100 O
percent O
foreign O
equity O
in O
domestic O
airports O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0227 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japanese O
NGO O
vehicle O
in O
Afghanistan O
fired O
by O
shots O

A O
vehicle O
of O
a O
Japanese O
nongovernmental O
organization O
was O
fired O
by O
shots O
in O
northern O
Afghanistan O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Kyodo O
News O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
Japanese O
Embassy O
, O
the O
vehicle O
, O
belonging O
to O
Peace O
Winds O
Japan O
, O
was O
shot O
by O
three O
bullets O
from O
at O
least O
four O
men O
riding O
on O
two O
motorbikes O
when O
it O
was O
driving O
in O
Sar O
- O
i O
- O
Pul O
Province O
, O
but O
two O
local O
staffs O
in O
the O
vehicle O
were O
fortunately O
unhurt O
. O

Embassy O
officials O
said O
Taliban O
remnants O
or O
al O
- O
Qaida O
fighters O
were O
behind O
the O
incident O
and O
called O
for O
caution O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0090 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Iraq O
condemns O
Jordan O
' O
s O
suicide O
bombings O

Iraq O
condemned O
on O
Thursday B-T
the O
three O
suicide O
bombing O
attacks O
on O
three O
hotels O
in O
the O
Jordanian O
capital O
of O
Amman O
last B-T
night I-T
which O
killed O
at O
least O
57 O
people O
and O
injured O
hundreds O
. O

" O
The O
Iraqi O
Ministry O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
strongly O
condemns O
the O
terrorist O
blasts O
that O
took O
place O
in O
three O
hotels O
in O
Jordan O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
ministry O
called O
on O
the O
international O
community O
" O
to O
make O
every O
possible O
effort O
to O
uproot O
terrorism O
and O
save O
humanity O
from O
the O
most O
evil O
plague O
. O
" O

The O
statement O
stressed O
Iraq O
' O
s O
readiness O
to O
actively O
cooperate O
with O
the O
Jordanian O
government O
to O
relieve O
the O
two O
countries O
from O
terrorism O
. O

Iraqi O
president O
Jalal O
Talabani O
also O
condemned O
the O
bombings O
. O

" O
Those O
explosions O
are O
another O
proof O
that O
terrorism O
has O
become O
an O
international O
plague O
that O
should O
be O
strongly O
confronted O
and O
defeated O
by O
Arab O
countries O
and O
the O
international O
community O
, O
" O
said O
Talabani O
in O
a O
statement O
released O
by O
his O
office O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0155 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
LD O
: O
Chinese O
courts O
ordered O
to O
restrict O
use O
of O
death O
penalty O

In O
China O
' O
s O
latest O
move O
to O
control O
the O
use O
of O
the O
death O
penalty O
, O
the O
chief O
justice O
urged O
courts O
to O
exercise O
extreme O
caution O
when O
sentencing O
people O
to O
death O
, O
saying O
that O
every O
judgement O
must O
stand O
the O
test O
of O
time O
. O

" O
In O
cases O
where O
the O
judge O
has O
legal O
leeway O
to O
decide O
whether O
to O
order O
death O
, O
he O
should O
always O
choose O
not O
to O
do O
so O
, O
" O
said O
Xiao O
Yang O
, O
President O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Supreme O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
. O

Xiao O
said O
a O
bullet O
to O
the O
back O
of O
head O
should O
be O
reserved O
for O
only O
an O
" O
extremely O
small O
number O
" O
of O
serious O
offenders O
. O

If O
a O
convict O
surrenders O
to O
the O
police O
or O
helps O
them O
solve O
crimes O
the O
judge O
should O
generally O
not O
pass O
a O
sentence O
of O
death O
, O
the O
chief O
justice O
said O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
, O
Jiang O
Xingchang O
, O
vice O
president O
of O
the O
Supreme O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
, O
again O
, O
stressed O
that O
all O
appeals O
against O
death O
sentences O
should O
be O
processed O
in O
open O
trials O
and O
local O
courts O
must O
video O
- O
tape O
the O
appeals O
for O
record O
keeping O
. O

He O
also O
called O
for O
increased O
security O
during O
trails O
that O
may O
end O
with O
death O
sentences O
to O
ensure O
the O
safety O
of O
judges O
, O
lawyers O
, O
and O
other O
people O
involved O
. O

Late B-T
last I-T
month I-T
, O
China O
' O
s O
top O
legislature O
passed O
an O
amendment O
to O
the O
organic O
law O
on O
courts O
, O
stipulating O
that O
all O
death O
penalties O
handed O
out O
by O
provincial O
courts O
must O
be O
reviewed O
and O
ratified O
by O
the O
Supreme O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
( O
SPC O
) O
. O

The O
Supreme O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
has O
expanded O
criminal O
tribunals O
and O
a O
death O
penalty O
review O
team O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
change O
of O
statutes O
. O

A O
series O
of O
cases O
involving O
people O
wrongly O
convicted O
and O
executed O
for O
crimes O
they O
did O
not O
commit O
were O
recently O
exposed O
in O
the O
media O
. O

" O
Judges O
should O
be O
very O
cautious O
, O
as O
if O
walking O
on O
thin O
ice O
, O
when O
it O
comes O
to O
the O
death O
penalty O
. O
They O
should O
ensure O
the O
facts O
and O
the O
evidence O
are O
all O
clear O
and O
the O
verdict O
is O
issued O
in O
accordance O
with O
law O
, O
" O
said O
Xiao O
. O

The O
chief O
justice O
also O
ruled O
out O
the O
possibility O
of O
abolishing O
the O
death O
penalty O
as O
a O
number O
of O
legal O
experts O
and O
human O
rights O
groups O
have O
urged O
. O

" O
The O
conditions O
are O
not O
yet O
ripe O
for O
China O
to O
ban O
the O
death O
penalty O
. O
It O
is O
still O
a O
necessary O
means O
to O
ensure O
the O
safety O
of O
the O
state O
and O
protect O
the O
people O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0552 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Bangkok O
' O
s O
Motor O
Expo O
, O
often O
overlooked O
as O
the O
smaller O
of O
Thailand O
' O
s O
two O
auto O
shows O
, O
has O
won O
unusual O
attention O
this B-T
year I-T
as O
carmakers O
pin O
to O
it O
their O
hopes O
of O
a O
last O
- O
minute O
jolt O
to O
a O
year O
of O
lagging O
sales O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
is O
set O
to O
be O
the O
first B-T
year I-T
of O
falling O
auto O
sales O
since O
the O
1997 O
financial O
crisis O
blew O
apart O
the O
market O
. O

As O
of O
October B-T
, O
sales O
were O
down O
four O
percent O
over O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
last I-T
year I-T
and O
the O
industry O
doesn O
' O
t O
expect O
them O
to O
leave O
negative O
territory O
by O
the O
year O
- O
end O
. O

But O
that O
hasn O
' O
t O
stopped O
them O
from O
hoping O
that O
the O
Motor O
Expo O
will O
be O
the O
catalyst O
that O
helps O
them O
shake O
off O
pressure O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
of O
high O
oil O
prices O
, O
rising O
interest O
rates O
, O
widespread O
flooding O
and O
intense O
political O
turmoil O
. O

" O
The O
Motor O
Expo O
will O
give O
a O
significant O
boost O
to O
car O
sales O
for O
the B-T
rest I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O
This O
is O
high O
season O
and O
people O
are O
in O
the O
mood O
for O
spending O
, O
" O
said O
Wit O
Sittivaekin O
, O
marketing O
director O
of O
BMW O
group O
in O
Thailand O
. O

" O
A O
lot O
of O
uncertainties O
have O
influenced O
the O
market O
, O
especially O
oil O
prices O
and O
political O
uncertainties O
. O
The O
situation O
has O
improved O
gradually O
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
Even O
so O
, O
consumers O
still O
have O
purchasing O
power O
and O
are O
ready O
to O
spend O
money O
for O
the O
right O
product O
and O
financial O
offers O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Carmakers O
are O
offering O
aggressive O
promotions O
and O
unveiling O
new O
models O
for O
2007 O
to O
draw O
customers O
to O
the O
Expo O
, O
which O
opened O
on O
November B-T
30 I-T
and O
runs O
through O
December B-T
11 I-T
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
15 O
, O
000 O
cars O
were O
sold O
at O
the O
auto O
show O
, O
which O
attracted O
1 O
. O
6 O
million O
visitors O
, O
according O
to O
organiser O
Inter O
- O
Media O
Consultant O
Co O
. O

But O
the O
show O
was O
not O
expected O
to O
do O
well O
enough O
to O
turnaround O
a O
disappointing O
2006 O
after O
a O
series O
of O
record O
- O
setting O
years O
. O

In O
October B-T
, O
the O
month O
after O
the O
coup O
that O
ousted O
prime O
minister O
Thaksin O
Shinwatra O
, O
sales O
plummeted O
by O
10 O
. O
5 O
percent O
from O
one B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
, O
according O
to O
figures O
complied O
by O
Toyota O
Motor O
Thailand O
. O

The O
Automotive O
Industry O
Club O
said O
sales O
overall O
were O
expected O
to O
sink O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
It O
would O
be O
the O
first O
negative O
growth O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
in O
car O
sales O
since O
the O
sector O
recovered O
from O
the O
crisis O
with O
double O
- O
digit O
increases O
every B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
said O
the O
club O
' O
s O
spokesman O
Suraphong O
Phaisithpattanaphong O
. O

Domestic O
sales O
this B-T
year I-T
are O
expected O
to O
fall O
short O
of O
the O
record O
703 O
, O
000 O
units O
sold O
in O
2005 B-T
with O
commercial O
vehicles O
suffering O
the O
most O
, O
Suraphong O
said O
. O

Manufacturers O
have O
also O
revised O
down O
their O
production O
target O
by O
450 O
, O
000 O
units O
for O
2006 O
to O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
units O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
total O
production O
stood O
at O
1 O
. O
1 O
million O
units O
. O

" O
Despite O
the O
auto O
show O
, O
volume O
for O
2006 O
still O
cannot O
catch O
up O
with O
those O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
after O
sales O
were O
sluggish O
for O
many B-T
months I-T
, O
" O
Suraphong O
told O
AFP O
. O

Analysts O
said O
slow O
domestic O
consumption O
has O
put O
Thailand O
' O
s O
economic O
growth O
among O
the O
slowest O
in O
east O
Asia O
since O
2005 B-T
, O
pushing O
car O
sales O
down O
. O

" O
Even O
though O
consumer O
confidence O
improved O
after O
the O
coup O
, O
other O
negative O
factors O
have O
remained O
, O
mainly O
the O
oil O
prices O
, O
" O
said O
Sakkarin O
Nigamsilpa O
, O
an O
auto O
analyst O
at O
Kasikorn O
Research O
Center O
. O

" O
With O
improving O
confidence O
and O
an O
expected O
decrease O
in O
interest O
rates O
, O
we O
expect O
domestic O
car O
sales O
will O
begin O
growing O
again O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

Despite O
the O
weak O
domestic O
demand O
, O
Thailand O
' O
s O
auto O
exports O
have O
continued O
to O
surge O
. O
Automakers O
expect O
to O
finish O
the B-T
year I-T
with O
exports O
up O
30 O
percent O
from O
2005 B-T
, O
topping O
500 O
, O
000 O
units O
for O
the O
first O
time O
. O

Suraphong O
said O
manufacturers O
are O
still O
confident O
that O
the O
sector O
could O
achieve O
another O
milestone O
in O
2010 B-T
with O
production O
volume O
of O
1 O
. O
8 O
million O
units O
. O

But O
Kasikorn O
' O
s O
Sakkarin O
said O
Thailand O
has O
to O
find O
other O
niches O
to O
reach O
the O
target O
as O
its O
core O
pick O
- O
up O
truck O
segment O
, O
which O
accounts O
for O
two O
thirds O
of O
local O
production O
, O
is O
getting O
saturated O
. O

Thailand O
is O
now O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
producer O
of O
pickups O
, O
surpassing O
the O
United O
States O
. O

The O
Board O
of O
Investment O
earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
announced O
standards O
for O
producing O
fuel O
- O
efficient O
cars O
that O
would O
receive O
yet O
- O
undefined O
incentives O
from O
the O
government O
for O
local O
production O
. O

Thailand O
wants O
to O
convince O
automakers O
to O
begin O
producing O
cars O
that O
would O
meet O
stringent O
Euro O
4 O
emission O
standards O
and O
consume O
less O
than O
five O
liters O
of O
petrol O
per O
100 O
kilometers O
( O
62 O
miles O
) O
. O

Shortly O
after O
the O
announcement O
, O
Japan O
' O
s O
Mazda O
Corp O
and O
Ford O
Motor O
announced O
plans O
to O
spend O
more O
than O
50 O
billion O
yen O
( O
424 O
million O
dollars O
) O
combined O
to O
build O
a O
small O
car O
factory O
in O
Thailand O
, O
set O
to O
open O
in O
2009 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0042 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Ld O
Writethru O
: O
Russia O
, O
US O
sign O
agreement O
on O
WTO O
deal O
in O
Vietnam O

Russia O
and O
the O
United O
States O
Sunday B-T
signed O
a O
bilateral O
agreement O
on O
Russia O
' O
s O
accession O
to O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
ongoing O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
in O
Hanoi O
. O

The O
agreement O
was O
signed O
by O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trade O
Representative O
Susan O
Schwab O
and O
Russian O
Minister O
of O
Trade O
and O
Economic O
Development O
German O
Gref O
. O

Describing O
the O
agreement O
as O
an O
important O
milestone O
in O
Russia O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
join O
the O
WTO O
, O
Schwab O
said O
the O
document O
signed O
will O
be O
presented O
to O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
and O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
, O
who O
were O
here O
attending O
the O
APEC O
leaders O
' O
meeting O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
pleased O
that O
we O
have O
concluded O
this O
important O
agreement O
with O
Russia O
' O
s O
WTO O
accession O
negotiations O
. O
This O
is O
a O
strong O
and O
far O
- O
reaching O
agreement O
that O
meets O
the O
high O
standards O
of O
President O
Bush O
' O
s O
market O
- O
opening O
trade O
agenda O
and O
moves O
Russia O
closer O
to O
full O
integration O
into O
the O
global O
, O
rules O
- O
based O
trading O
system O
, O
" O
Schwab O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0277 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
envoy O
to O
attend O
regional O
ministerial O
meeting O
in O
Somalia O

A O
top O
UN O
envoy O
for O
Somalia O
is O
traveling O
to O
Somalia O
on O
Tuesday B-T
for O
a O
regional O
ministerial O
meeting O
this B-T
week I-T
in O
Jowhar O
, O
the O
provisional O
capital O
of O
Somalia O
, O
officials O
said O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

A O
statement O
from O
the O
UN O
Political O
Office O
of O
Somalia O
( O
UNPOS O
) O
said O
the O
UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
' O
s O
Special O
Representative O
for O
Somalia O
( O
SRSG O
) O
Francois O
Lonseny O
Fall O
will O
attend O
the O
first O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
of O
the O
Inter O
- O
governmental O
Authority O
on O
Development O
( O
IGAD O
) O
Council O
of O
Ministers O
which O
begins O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
No O
part O
of O
the O
international O
community O
has O
greater O
responsibility O
towards O
Somalia O
than O
IGAD O
. O
The O
Somali O
national O
reconciliation O
process O
and O
the O
transitional O
federal O
institutions O
are O
very O
much O
IGAD O
' O
s O
babies O
, O
" O
said O
Fall O
. O

This B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
initiative O
is O
in O
line O
with O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
' O
s O
request O
urging O
IGAD O
, O
the O
African O
Union O
, O
the O
League O
of O
Arab O
States O
, O
European O
Union O
and O
concerned O
member O
states O
, O
to O
leverage O
their O
influence O
to O
ensure O
that O
Somalia O
' O
s O
transitional O
federal O
institutions O
reconcile O
their O
differences O
peacefully O
. O

The O
Somali O
transitional O
federal O
institutions O
moved O
to O
Somalia O
in O
2004 B-T
from O
Kenya O
, O
where O
they O
were O
created O
after O
a O
reconciliation O
conference O
, O
but O
the O
administration O
has O
been O
divided O
over O
where O
the O
seat O
of O
government O
should O
be O
situated O
. O

President O
Abdullahi O
Yusuf O
Ahmed O
and O
his O
supporters O
pitched O
camp O
in O
Jowhar O
, O
90 O
km O
north O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
Mogadishu O
. O

Other O
lawmaker O
, O
led O
by O
parliamentary O
speaker O
Sharif O
Hassan O
Sheikh O
Adan O
, O
went O
to O
Mogadishu O
- O
- O
a O
city O
largely O
destroyed O
during O
nearly B-T
15 I-T
years I-T
of O
civil O
strife O
. O

Two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
, O
Somali O
parliamentarians O
based O
in O
Mogadishu O
resolved O
to O
hold O
talks O
with O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
government O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
bridge O
differences O
that O
have O
paralyzed O
the O
new O
administration O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0289 O

TIRANA O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Force O
vanguard O
arrives O
in O
Albania O

A O
24 O
- O
strong O
advance O
party O
of O
the O
multinational O
force O
for O
Albania O
has O
arrived O
in O
the O
capital O
Tirana O
to O
scout O
installations O
where O
the O
force O
could O
be O
billetted O
, O
officials O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
mission O
includes O
13 O
Italians O
, O
despite O
political O
uncertainty O
in O
Rome O
over O
whether O
Italy O
' O
s O
leadership O
of O
the O
force O
will O
get O
the O
required O
backing O
of O
parliament O
in O
a O
vote O
which O
was O
to O
be O
held O
later B-T
Wednesday I-T
. O

The O
advance O
team O
arrived O
in O
Tirana O
late B-T
Tuesday I-T
. O

The O
experts O
Wednesday B-T
began O
assessing O
the O
suitability O
of O
barracks O
and O
other O
centres O
which O
are O
to O
be O
used O
to O
house O
the O
6 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
multinational O
force O
. O

The O
Albanian O
authorities O
are O
proposing O
that O
the O
force O
headquarters O
be O
in O
a O
military O
school O
in O
Tirana O
, O
one O
of O
the O
military O
experts O
said O
. O

Intensive O
renovation O
work O
has O
been O
carried O
out O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
in O
government O
- O
controlled O
towns O
to O
restore O
military O
installations O
ransacked O
during O
riots O
sparked O
by O
the O
collapse O
of O
phoney O
investment O
schemes O
. O

The O
force O
will O
have O
to O
cope O
with O
widespread O
lawlessness O
, O
with O
large O
areas O
of O
the O
country O
, O
particularly O
in O
the O
south O
, O
controlled O
by O
armed O
gangs O
. O

Apart O
from O
the O
Italians O
, O
the O
advance O
contingent O
is O
made O
up O
of O
three O
French O
, O
three O
Greeks O
, O
two O
Danes O
, O
two O
Spaniards O
and O
a O
Romanian O
. O

Eight O
European O
countries O
have O
pledged O
troops O
for O
the O
force O
, O
the O
first O
contingents O
of O
which O
are O
due O
to O
land O
in O
the O
port O
of O
Durres O
within O
days O
. O

One O
hundred O
and O
twenty O
men O
of O
the O
French O
contingent O
left O
Toulon O
on O
the O
Mediterranean O
coast O
overnight O
on O
the O
troop O
transport O
vessel O
Champlain O
, O
the O
French O
military O
press O
service O
SIRPA O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Another O
350 O
men O
will O
embark O
Thursday B-T
and O
600 O
others O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
troops O
are O
expected O
to O
arrive O
in O
Durres O
two B-T
or I-T
three I-T
days I-T
later O
. O

The O
French O
contingent O
has O
been O
tasked O
with O
making O
Durres O
port O
and O
the O
Durres O
- O
Tirana O
road O
safe O
. O

In O
a O
related O
development O
, O
Albanian O
Defense O
Minister O
Shaqir O
Vukaj O
said O
the O
multinational O
force O
would O
not O
face O
a O
civil O
- O
war O
situation O
in O
Albania O
. O

" O
The O
only O
existing O
threat O
comes O
from O
criminal O
armed O
gangs O
which O
under O
the O
prevailing O
conditions O
unfortunately O
organize O
rapidly O
, O
while O
the O
Albanian O
people O
, O
from O
north O
to O
south O
, O
will O
welcome O
the O
multinational O
force O
, O
" O
said O
Vukaj O
after O
talks O
with O
his O
Greek O
counterpart O
Akis O
Tsohatzopoulos O
in O
Athens O
. O

Vukaj O
said O
that O
Greek O
would O
help O
in O
rebuilding O
the O
Albanian O
armed O
forces O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0548 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Jose O
Luis O
Yulo O
elected O
as O
Philippine O
Stock O
Exchange O
president O
( O
new O
series O
) O

Jose O
Luis O
Yulo O
, O
who O
runs O
a O
state O
trading O
firm O
, O
has O
been O
elected O
the O
new O
president O
of O
the O
Philippine O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
the O
bourse O
announced O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
choice O
of O
Yulo O
, O
a O
non O
- O
broker O
and O
president O
of O
the O
Philippine O
International O
Trading O
Corp O
. O
( O
PITC O
) O
, O
would O
ensure O
that O
the O
bourse O
" O
continues O
to O
maintain O
and O
improve O
its O
high O
standards O
of O
efficiency O
and O
integrity O
, O
" O
a O
bourse O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
PITC O
is O
the O
government O
' O
s O
trading O
arm O
with O
the O
socialist O
bloc O
which O
includes O
Iraq O
, O
Libya O
, O
North O
Korea O
and O
several O
other O
countries O
. O

Yulo O
replaces O
Vitaliano O
Nanagas O
, O
who O
resigned O
after O
a O
few B-T
months I-T
on O
the O
job O
when O
some O
owner O
- O
brokers O
resisted O
his O
effort O
at O
reforms O
. O

Yulo O
, O
who O
turned O
the O
PITC O
from O
near O
bankruptcy O
in O
1990 B-T
to O
profitability O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
was O
a O
former O
president O
of O
the O
Philippine O
Chamber O
of O
Commerce O
and O
Industry O
. O
He O
was O
educated O
at O
the O
University O
of O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Stanford O
Advance O
Management O
College O
and O
the O
Colegio O
de O
San O
Juan O
de O
Letran O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0238 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Afghanistan O
is O
Netherlands O
' O
most O
disastrous O
overseas O
mission O
: O
newspaper O

The O
mission O
in O
Afghanistan O
is O
becoming O
the O
most O
accident O
- O
prone O
and O
expensive O
deployment O
ever O
for O
the O
Dutch O
defense O
ministry O
, O
the O
De O
Volkskrant O
daily O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

Although O
Dutch O
troops O
in O
Afghanistan O
never O
exchanged O
fire O
with O
al O
- O
Qaeda O
or O
Taliban O
fighters O
, O
the O
Dutch O
air O
force O
lost O
some O
80 O
million O
euro O
worth O
of O
equipment O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
year I-T
, O
a O
record O
for O
Dutch O
missions O
abroad O
, O
the O
paper O
said O
. O

The O
Dutch O
air O
force O
confirmed O
that O
a O
second O
Chinook O
helicopter O
was O
written O
off O
after O
making O
an O
emergency O
landing O
in O
mountains O
north O
of O
Kabul O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
paper O
, O
one O
of O
the O
biggest O
dailies O
in O
the O
Netherlands O
. O

The O
25 O
- O
million O
- O
euro O
aircraft O
, O
en O
route O
to O
Dutch O
commandos O
in O
Kandahar O
, O
was O
forced O
to O
land O
for O
reasons O
not O
yet O
clear O
. O
Three O
of O
the O
17 O
soldiers O
on O
board O
were O
wounded O
. O

In O
July B-T
, O
a O
Chinook O
crashed O
near O
Kandahar O
. O
The O
Dutch O
defense O
ministry O
has O
ruled O
out O
the O
possibility O
that O
the O
aircraft O
was O
shot O
down O
by O
Taliban O
or O
al O
- O
Qaeda O
fighters O
. O

The O
air O
force O
suffered O
its O
heaviest O
loss O
in O
August B-T
last I-T
year I-T
when O
a O
mis O
- O
communication O
resulted O
in O
the O
crash O
of O
a O
30 O
- O
million O
- O
euro O
Apache O
combat O
helicopter O
north O
of O
Kabul O
. O

" O
It O
is O
never O
nice O
to O
lose O
so O
much O
equipment O
that O
is O
so O
crucial O
and O
scarce O
, O
" O
an O
air O
force O
spokesperson O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
, O
adding O
that O
" O
luckily O
there O
have O
not O
been O
any O
wounded O
or O
dead O
so O
far O
. O
" O

As O
the O
Dutch O
mission O
in O
Afghanistan O
continues O
its O
dangerous O
operations O
, O
the O
air O
force O
risks O
losing O
more O
of O
its O
remaining O
11 O
Chinooks O
, O
the O
paper O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0394 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Heaven O
' O
s O
Gate O
lives O
on O
in O
cyberspace O
by O
Francis O
Curta O

Heaven O
' O
s O
Gate O
Internet O
sites O
will O
exist O
in O
cyberspace O
for O
months O
because O
, O
shortly O
before O
committing O
mass O
suicide O
, O
cult O
members O
paid O
access O
providers O
to O
maintain O
them O
. O

The O
sites O
, O
updated O
just O
one B-T
week I-T
before O
Heaven O
' O
s O
Gate O
' O
s O
39 O
members O
killed O
themselves O
in O
a O
mansion O
outside O
San O
Diego O
, O
California O
, O
outlines O
the O
group O
' O
s O
belief O
that O
aliens O
aboard O
a O
spaceship O
would O
give O
them O
new O
life O
. O

Ed O
Deppe O
, O
head O
of O
access O
provider O
Spacestar O
Communications O
, O
said O
his O
company O
received O
several O
telephone O
calls O
from O
the O
group O
shortly O
before O
the O
suicides O
seeking O
to O
make O
sure O
that O
Spacestar O
had O
gotten O
the O
maintenance O
payments O
. O

To O
make O
absolutely O
sure O
, O
Heaven O
' O
s O
Gate O
had O
made O
two O
payments O
to O
Spacestar O
dated O
March B-T
21 I-T
. O
When O
Spacestar O
asked O
how O
it O
should O
reimburse O
the O
group O
for O
its O
overpayment O
, O
a O
member O
of O
the O
cult O
reportedly O
said O
that O
it O
was O
impossible O
. O

" O
You O
can O
' O
t O
contact O
us O
anymore O
in O
California O
. O
We O
' O
re O
going O
to O
be O
moving O
, O
" O
Deppe O
recalled O
a O
cult O
member O
telling O
him O
. O

The O
site O
was O
briefly O
shut O
down O
on O
Thursday B-T
- O
- O
the O
day O
after O
police O
discovered O
the O
bodies O
- O
- O
after O
some O
900 O
, O
000 O
callers O
jammed O
the O
Internet O
, O
Deppe O
said O
. O

The O
Heaven O
' O
s O
Gate O
site O
is O
now B-T
open O
again O
and O
will O
remain O
accessible O
for O
four B-T
months I-T
, O
Deppe O
said O
. O
The O
cost O
of O
maintaining O
a O
site O
ranges O
from O
50 O
to O
100 O
dollars O
per O
month O
. O

The O
cult O
created O
an O
identical O
site O
with O
another O
access O
provider O
in O
an O
apparent O
bid O
to O
guarantee O
that O
it O
would O
leave O
behind O
a O
cyberspace O
presence O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
Federal O
Bureau O
of O
Investigation O
was O
analyzing O
the O
contents O
of O
computers O
at O
the O
cult O
' O
s O
compound O
in O
Rancho O
Santa O
Fe O
. O
That O
analysis O
could O
take O
up O
to O
six B-T
weeks I-T
. O

Among O
the O
other O
items O
the O
cult O
left O
behind O
is O
a O
223 O
- O
page O
script O
about O
itself O
that O
could O
become O
a O
movie O
soon O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
script O
that O
needs O
a O
lot O
of O
massaging O
because O
it O
' O
s O
very O
raw O
material O
. O
But O
it O
' O
s O
a O
Hollywood O
natural O
at O
this O
point O
if O
there O
ever O
was O
one O
, O
" O
Alex O
Papas O
, O
a O
producer O
with O
rights O
to O
the O
script O
, O
told O
The O
New O
York O
Times O
. O

Several O
members O
of O
the O
cult O
who O
rented O
an O
Arizona O
house O
from O
Papas O
in O
1995 B-T
wrote O
the O
script O
in O
hopes O
that O
Papas O
could O
help O
them O
tell O
their O
story O
and O
expand O
their O
membership O
. O

Titled O
" O
Beyond O
Human O
, O
" O
the O
script O
" O
threw O
in O
a O
lot O
about O
UFOs O
and O
space O
aliens O
and O
earthlings O
evolving O
from O
their O
' O
containers O
' O
to O
a O
' O
higher O
level O
, O
' O
" O
Papas O
said O
. O

Suicide O
is O
not O
mentioned O
in O
the O
script O
, O
he O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0027 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

China O
tries O
to O
calm O
fears O
over O
power O
in O
Asia O

China O
' O
s O
foreign O
minister O
on O
Saturday B-T
tried O
to O
soothe O
international O
worries O
over O
its O
rising O
dominance O
in O
the O
East O
Asian O
region O
, O
assuring O
that O
Beijing O
will O
stay O
on O
a O
path O
of O
peaceful O
development O
. O

" O
China O
, O
a O
developing O
country O
, O
will O
keep O
to O
its O
peaceful O
influence O
. O
China O
is O
insisting O
on O
a O
path O
of O
peaceful O
development O
, O
" O
Li O
Zhaoxing O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
We O
will O
not O
be O
threatening O
or O
replacing O
anyone O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
We O
' O
ll O
help O
as O
much O
as O
possible O
to O
establish O
a O
harmonious O
world O
. O
In O
that O
way O
, O
everyone O
is O
happy O
. O
" O

His O
remarks O
came O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
an O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
Nations O
( O
ASEAN O
) O
meeting O
next B-T
week I-T
, O
which O
will O
be O
followed O
by O
the O
inaugural O
East O
Asia O
summit O
. O

The O
summit O
in O
the O
Malaysian O
capital O
brings O
together O
the O
10 O
members O
of O
ASEAN O
as O
well O
as O
China O
, O
Japan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
and O
India O
, O
Australia O
, O
New O
Zealand O
. O

The O
inclusion O
of O
Australia O
, O
New O
Zealand O
and O
India O
was O
the O
result O
of O
concern O
raised O
by O
Singapore O
, O
Japan O
and O
Indonesia O
over O
possible O
Chinese O
dominance O
in O
the O
absence O
of O
the O
United O
States O
. O

Li O
dismissed O
fears O
that O
China O
was O
harbouring O
ambitions O
to O
be O
dominant O
in O
the O
region O
, O
replacing O
the O
traditionally O
more O
powerful O
influence O
of O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Japan O
. O

" O
We O
have O
lots O
of O
issues O
at O
home O
. O
We O
are O
focusing O
. O
. O
. O
on O
improving O
the O
living O
of O
the O
1 O
. O
3 O
billion O
Chinese O
people O
, O
" O
Li O
said O
. O

He O
reiterated O
Beijing O
' O
s O
stance O
that O
the O
country O
needed O
a O
peaceful O
international O
environment O
for O
its O
development O
. O

" O
We O
want O
to O
see O
peace O
across O
the O
world O
so O
we O
can O
focus O
our O
energy O
on O
developing O
our O
economy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
Second O
, O
we O
want O
to O
make O
friends O
. O
Only O
through O
making O
friends O
, O
our O
reforms O
may O
be O
able O
to O
progress O
smoothly O
. O
" O

Washington O
, O
though O
unsure O
about O
the O
value O
of O
the O
forum O
that O
does O
not O
have O
set O
objectives O
, O
is O
concerned O
over O
its O
direction O
in O
the O
region O
as O
China O
' O
s O
influence O
grows O
, O
US O
diplomats O
in O
Asia O
and O
officials O
in O
Washington O
have O
said O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
also O
been O
concerned O
over O
China O
' O
s O
rising O
military O
might O
and O
economic O
clout O
in O
Asia O
, O
where O
Washington O
is O
linked O
by O
defense O
alliances O
with O
Japan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Australia O
, O
the O
Philippines O
and O
Thailand O
. O

But O
analysts O
say O
some O
unpopular O
policies O
of O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Japan O
are O
also O
a O
reason O
why O
their O
influence O
in O
the O
region O
has O
diminished O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0613 O

SYDNEY O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Drama O
at O
sea O
on O
US O
aircraft O
carrier O
Independence O

A O
crew O
member O
of O
the O
US O
aircraft O
carrier O
Independence O
had O
to O
be O
airlifted O
to O
a O
Sydney O
hospital O
after O
he O
was O
hit O
by O
a O
fighter O
plane O
attempting O
a O
night O
landing O
on O
the O
ship O
. O

The O
incident O
late O
Wednesday B-T
left O
the O
man O
with O
fractured O
legs O
and O
arms O
, O
an O
ambulance O
spokesman O
here O
said O
. O

" O
He O
sustained O
fractured O
legs O
and O
arms O
and O
was O
airlifted O
to O
Sydney O
airport O
by O
an O
Independence O
helicopter O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
spokesman O
said O
few O
details O
were O
available O
but O
he O
understood O
an O
FA O
- O
18 O
Hornet O
aircraft O
approaching O
the O
Independence O
' O
s O
landing O
deck O
overshot O
the O
runway O
and O
hit O
the O
man O
. O

The O
aircraft O
carrier O
left O
Sydney O
Harbour O
Tuesday B-T
after O
a O
six O
- O
day O
rest O
and O
recreation O
visit O
. O

It O
was O
in O
Australia O
to O
participate O
in O
Operation O
Tandem O
Thrust O
, O
a O
joint O
Australian O
/ O
US O
military O
exercise O
involving O
28 O
, O
000 O
troops O
in O
far O
north O
Queensland O
state O
which O
ended O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

After O
hitting O
the O
man O
the O
damaged O
aircraft O
was O
forced O
to O
fly O
120 O
nautical O
miles O
on O
one O
engine O
, O
escorted O
by O
another O
FA O
- O
18 O
and O
a O
Viking O
tanker O
plane O
, O
to O
make O
an O
emergency O
landing O
at O
the O
Williamtown O
RAAF O
Base O
near O
Newcastle O
, O
about O
150 O
kilometres O
( O
93 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
Sydney O
, O
an O
official O
there O
said O
. O

Wing O
Commander O
Lou O
Lapuma O
said O
the O
Hornet O
' O
s O
undercarriage O
collapsed O
as O
it O
made O
an O
emergency O
landing O
but O
the O
pilot O
was O
unhurt O
. O

" O
He O
was O
off O
the O
coast O
relatively O
near O
an O
F O
- O
18 O
base O
when O
he O
lost O
his O
engine O
and O
undercarriege O
; O
we O
were O
also O
preparing O
for O
night O
manoeuvres O
, O
so O
all O
the O
emergency O
crews O
were O
here O
( O
in O
Williamtown O
) O
anyway O
. O

" O
We O
' O
re O
in O
contact O
with O
the O
Independence O
and O
trying O
to O
figure O
out O
what O
they O
want O
to O
do O
with O
their O
plane O
and O
their O
pilot O
, O
" O
Lapuma O
said O
. O

The O
Independence O
, O
commissioned O
in O
1959 B-T
, O
is O
the O
US O
Navy O
' O
s O
oldest O
active O
ship O
. O

It O
served O
in O
the O
1962 O
Cuban O
missile O
crisis O
, O
the O
liberation O
of O
Grenada O
in O
1983 B-T
, O
the O
Gulf O
War O
in O
1990 B-T
and O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
tensions O
between O
Taiwan O
and O
China O
. O

More O
than O
5 O
, O
000 O
sailors O
and O
marines O
live O
aboard O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0125 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hamas O
threats O
to O
attack O
U O
. O
S O
. O
targets O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O

The O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O

on O
Tuesday B-T
urged O
, O
for O
the O
first O
time O
, O
to O
attack O
American O
targets O
and O
interests O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
. O

The O
threat O
came O
in O
a O
statement O
released O
by O
al O
- O
Qassam O
Brigades O
, O
a O
military O
wing O
of O
Hamas O
, O
following O
the O
death O
of O
19 O
Palestinians O
in O
Israeli O
artillery O
shelling O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
town O
of O
Beit O
Hanoun O
in O
the O
day O
. O

" O
America O
provides O
political O
and O
logistical O
cover O
for O
the O
crimes O

committed O
by O
the O
Zionist O
occupation O
and O
it O
must O
be O
blamed O
on O
Beit O
Hanoun O
massacres O
prior O
to O
the O
occupation O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

It O
called O
on O
Arab O
and O
Muslims O
to O
" O
teach O
the O
American O
enemy O
unmerciful O
lessons O
they O
will O
not O
forget O
. O
" O

In O
the O
past O
, O
Hamas O
, O
which O
now B-T
leads O
the O
government O
, O
has O
said O
that O
their O
battle O
was O
only O
with O
Israel O
and O
their O
borders O
are O
inside O
Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
. O

In O
the O
meantime O
, O
al O
- O
Qassam O
brigades O
also O
vowed O
to O
respond O
to O
the O
killings O
in O
Beit O
Hanoun O
. O

Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
strikes O
came O
after O
24 B-T
hours I-T
of O
the O
Israeli O
withdrawal O
from O
the O
town O
. O
Over O
the B-T
past I-T
week I-T
, O
more O
than O
63 O
Palestinians O
have O
been O
killed O
so O
far O
in O
Israeli O
incursion O
in O
Beit O
Hanoun O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0526 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Albright O
, O
Dalai O
Lama O
favor O
good O
Sino O
- O
US O
relations O

US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Madeleine O
Albright O
and O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
agree O
on O
the O
importance O
of O
strong O
US O
- O
China O
relations O
, O
the O
State O
Department O
said O
Thursday B-T
after O
the O
two O
held O
talks O
here O
. O

During O
the O
meeting O
, O
Albright O
also O
" O
reiterated O
the O
administration O
' O
s O
support O
for O
the O
preservation O
of O
Tibetan O
religion O
and O
culture O
, O
" O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Nicholas O
Burns O
said O
. O

She O
also O
reaffirmed O
that O
Washington O
wished O
a O
" O
dialogue O
between O
the O
Chinese O
government O
and O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
or O
his O
representatives O
to O
resolve O
differences O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

During O
a O
State O
Department O
visit O
that O
lasted O
slightly O
more O
than O
an O
hour O
, O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
also O
met O
with O
John O
Shattuck O
, O
assistant O
secretary O
of O
state O
for O
democracy O
, O
human O
rights O
and O
labor O
, O
and O
with O
the O
Advisory O
Committee O
on O
Religious O
Freedom O
Abroad O
. O

Committee O
members O
" O
expressed O
their O
deep O
commitment O
to O
ending O
religious O
persecution O
in O
Tibet O
, O
including O
incidents O
of O
torture O
and O
the O
arbitrary O
arrest O
of O
Tibetan O
nuns O
and O
monks O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
destruction O
of O
religious O
sites O
and O
restrictions O
on O
religious O
expression O
, O
education O
and O
worship O
, O
" O
Burns O
said O
. O

Earlier B-T
Thursday I-T
, O
Beijing O
voiced O
" O
great O
indignation O
" O
at O
a O
meeting O
between O
US O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
and O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
. O

The O
Dalai O
Lama O
met O
officially O
Wednesday B-T
with O
US O
Vice O
President O
Al O
Gore O
, O
and O
the O
president O
joined O
the O
talks O
" O
in O
progress O
, O
" O
a O
strategy O
aimed O
to O
minimize O
offense O
to O
China O
. O

During O
the O
meeting O
, O
Clinton O
assured O
the O
spiritual O
leader O
he O
was O
concerned O
about O
protecting O
Tibet O
and O
called O
for O
direct O
talks O
between O
the O
exiled O
Himalayan O
god O
- O
king O
and O
Beijing O
, O
a O
White O
House O
spokesman O
said O
. O

China O
on O
Thursday B-T
said O
such O
talks O
were O
not O
out O
of O
the O
question O
. O

" O
The O
door O
to O
dialogue O
has O
long O
been O
open O
, O
but O
there O
is O
one O
condition O
. O
. O
. O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
must O
cease O
his O
separatist O
activities O
, O
" O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Cui O
Tiankai O
told O
reporters O
in O
Beijing O
. O

China O
seized O
control O
of O
Tibet O
in O
1951 B-T
, O
and O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
fled O
into O
exile O
eight B-T
years I-T
later O
following O
an O
abortive O
uprising O
against O
Chinese O
rule O
. O

The O
government O
- O
in O
- O
exile O
he O
has O
since O
headed O
in O
India O
is O
not O
recognized O
by O
any O
country O
, O
but O
the O
spiritual O
leader O
' O
s O
campaign O
for O
Tibetan O
self O
- O
determination O
has O
won O
him O
international O
acclaim O
. O
The O
Dalai O
Lama O
was O
awarded O
the O
Nobel O
Prize O
for O
Peace O
in O
1989 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0155 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

NATO O
military O
drill O
begins O
in O
Greece O

A O
military O
exercise O
started O
in O
northern O
Greece O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
which O
was O
part O
of O
a O
North O
Atlantic O
Treaty O
Organization O
( O
NATO O
) O
Deployable O
Corps O
- O
Greece O
headquarters O
training O
program O
. O

The O
drill O
, O
code O
- O
named O
Gordian O
Knot O
' O
06 O
, O
under O
NATO O
auspices O
, O
includes O
the O
partial O
deployment O
of O
the O
Headquarters O
in O
northern O
Greece O
and O
will O
run O
through O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, O
the O
ANA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
program O
includes O
the O
movement O
of O
Greek O
and O
Allied O
forces O
on O
land O
, O
sea O
and O
air O
with O
the O
use O
of O
appropriate O
means O
and O
vehicles O
. O

Heavy O
artillery O
shooting O
will O
take O
place O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, O
according O
to O
military O
sources O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0531 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Bundesbank O
sees O
German O
economy O
growing O
by O
2 O
. O
75 O
pct O
in O
2006 O

The O
Bundesbank O
expects O
the O
German O
economy O
to O
grow O
by O
around O
2 O
. O
75 O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
thereby O
providing O
" O
substantial O
impulses O
" O
for O
the O
12 O
- O
country O
eurozone O
as O
a O
whole O
, O
the O
German O
central O
bank O
' O
s O
president O
Axel O
Weber O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
German O
economy O
, O
the O
biggest O
in O
the O
single O
currency O
region O
, O
" O
has O
developed O
very O
positively B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
" O
Weber O
said O
in O
a O
speech O
prepared O
for O
delivery O
at O
an O
economic O
forum O
in O
Hamburg O
. O

A O
copy O
of O
the O
speech O
was O
made O
available O
by O
the O
Bundesbank O
in O
Frankfurt O
. O

After O
expanding O
by O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
and O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
respectively O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
two I-T
quarters I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
area O
- O
wide O
gross O
domestic O
product O
( O
GDP O
) O
grew O
by O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

" O
The O
economic O
uptrend O
continued O
at O
a O
rapid O
pace O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
" O
Weber O
said O
. O

The O
annual O
growth O
rate O
for O
the O
whole O
of O
2006 O
" O
should O
therefore O
stand O
at O
around O
two O
- O
and O
- O
three O
- O
quarter O
percent O
, O
well O
above O
potential O
. O
That O
means O
Germany O
is O
providing O
substantial O
impulses O
for O
the O
euro O
area O
, O
" O
the O
German O
central O
bank O
chief O
said O
. O

Exports O
and O
domestic O
demand O
were O
contributing O
to O
growth O
. O

" O
Nevertheless O
, O
there O
is O
still O
no O
sign O
of O
a O
deep O
recovery O
in O
consumption O
, O
even O
if O
there O
have O
been O
improvements O
on O
this O
front O
recently B-T
. O
In O
the O
traditional O
retail O
sector O
, O
developments O
are O
still O
weak O
, O
" O
Weber O
said O
. O

Looking O
ahead O
to O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
Weber O
said O
he O
was O
projecting O
the O
current O
upturn O
to O
weaken O
" O
but O
not O
break O
down O
altogether O
. O
" O

" O
The O
fundamental O
trend O
will O
remain O
intact O
, O
even O
if O
the O
rise O
in O
value O
- O
added O
tax O
( O
VAT O
) O
on O
January B-T
1 I-T
will O
have O
a O
substantial O
braking O
effect O
on O
the O
economy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
German O
government O
has O
decided O
to O
raise O
VAT O
or O
sales O
tax O
by O
three O
full O
percentage O
points O
to O
19 O
percent O
from O
next B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
biggest O
- O
ever O
single O
VAT O
rise O
. O

Turning O
to O
the O
state O
of O
Germany O
' O
s O
public O
finances O
, O
Weber O
said O
that O
given O
the O
country O
' O
s O
strong O
economic O
performance O
, O
the O
public O
deficit O
was O
to O
set O
to O
fall O
back O
within O
EU O
limits O
for O
the O
first O
time O
since O
2002 B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

Under O
the O
European O
Stability O
and O
Growth O
Pact O
, O
eurozone O
countries O
are O
not O
allowed O
to O
run O
up O
public O
deficits O
in O
excess O
of O
3 O
. O
0 O
percent O
of O
GDP O
. O

However O
, O
Germany O
, O
the O
pact O
' O
s O
main O
architect O
, O
has O
been O
in O
breach O
of O
the O
3 O
. O
0 O
- O
percent O
rule O
every B-T
year I-T
since O
2002 B-T
. O

Weber O
said O
the O
Bundebank O
was O
pencilling O
in O
a O
deficit O
ratio O
of O
" O
around O
two O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
" O

And O
given O
the O
tax O
measures O
due O
to O
come O
into O
effect O
from O
2007 B-T
, O
the O
deficit O
ratio O
would O
likely O
fall O
further O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
Weber O
continued O
. O

However O
, O
Germany O
should O
not O
rest O
on O
its O
laurels O
, O
" O
there O
is O
still O
room O
for O
further O
substantial O
consolidation O
, O
" O
Weber O
said O
. O

" O
A O
deficit O
ratio O
of O
less O
than O
3 O
. O
0 O
percent O
is O
just O
an O
interim O
goal O
. O
And O
much O
of O
what O
has O
been O
achieved O
is O
cyclical O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
The O
medium O
term O
goal O
is O
to O
achieve O
a O
balanced O
budget O
. O
Additional O
consolidation O
must O
follow O
in O
economically O
good O
times O
. O
" O

Weber O
warned O
against O
excessive O
euphoria O
. O

" O
The O
current O
favourable O
economic O
developments O
and O
the O
related O
increase O
in O
tax O
revenues O
must O
not O
be O
interpreted O
as O
an O
indication O
of O
improved O
growth O
perspectives O
in O
the O
long O
term O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

More O
structural O
reforms O
would O
have O
to O
be O
implemented O
to O
improve O
the O
low O
potential O
growth O
rate O
of O
the O
German O
economy O
and O
reduce O
unemployment O
on O
a O
lasting O
basis O
, O
Weber O
argued O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0269 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
Adds O
Jol O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Arsene O
Wenger O
paid O
tribute O
to O
his O
side O
' O
s O
character O
after O
Arsenal O
bounced O
back O
from O
two O
defeats O
to O
beat O
local O
rivals O
Tottenham O
3 O
- O
0 O
on O
Saturday B-T
despite O
the O
absence O
of O
injured O
skipper O
Thierry O
Henry O
. O

" O
We O
played O
with O
spirit O
, O
character O
, O
determination O
and O
good O
organisation O
against O
a O
good O
Tottenham O
team O
, O
" O
Wenger O
said O
. O

Arsenal O
had O
lost O
successive O
Premiership O
matches O
to O
Bolton O
and O
Fulham O
and O
Wenger O
admitted O
: O
" O
We O
were O
under O
a O
lot O
of O
mental O
pressure O
but O
the O
team O
responded O
well O
. O

" O
They O
are O
inspired O
by O
their O
ambition O
and O
they O
were O
disappointed O
by O
our O
last O
two O
results O
. O
We O
realised O
that O
, O
as O
a O
team O
, O
we O
have O
to O
give O
more O
. O
" O

Despite O
his O
satisfaction O
with O
the O
performance O
, O
Wenger O
admitted O
that O
Arsenal O
had O
enjoyed O
the O
rub O
of O
the O
green O
at O
the O
Emirates O
Stadium O
, O
with O
Steed O
Malbranque O
missing O
an O
early O
chance O
to O
put O
Tottenham O
ahead O
and O
two O
of O
the O
three O
goals O
coming O
from O
disputed O
penalties O
. O

Emmanuel O
Adebayaor O
put O
Arsenal O
ahead O
and O
stand O
- O
in O
captain O
Gilberto O
Silva O
coolly O
converted O
both O
spot O
- O
kicks O
to O
leave O
the O
home O
side O
as O
comfortable O
winners O
. O

" O
The O
two O
penalties O
looked O
to O
be O
penalties O
to O
me O
but O
it O
happens O
that O
you O
don O
' O
t O
get O
them O
in O
some O
games O
, O
" O
Wenger O
said O
. O

" O
And O
there O
was O
a O
turning O
point O
at O
0 B-T
- I-T
0 I-T
when O
Malbranque O
had O
a O
good O
chance O
but O
didn O
' O
t O
take O
it O
and O
we O
didn O
' O
t O
concede O
early O
on O
set O
points O
as O
we O
have O
done O
recently O
. O

" O
But O
you O
have O
to O
work O
hard O
on O
your O
luck O
and O
that O
is O
what O
we O
did O
today O
. O
" O

Czech O
midfielder O
Tomas O
Rosicky O
limped O
off O
ten B-T
minutes I-T
after O
the O
break O
and O
will O
miss O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
trip O
to O
Porto O
for O
a O
Champions O
League O
encounter O
from O
which O
Arsenal O
must O
take O
a O
point O
to O
secure O
their O
passage O
to O
the O
knockout O
stages O
. O

" O
We O
gave O
a O
lot O
physically O
in O
this O
match O
but O
we O
needed O
a O
lift O
and O
we O
have O
four O
days O
to O
recover O
before O
Porto O
. O
" O

Silva O
also O
hailed O
the O
win O
as O
a O
welcome O
tonic O
for O
the O
Gunners O
ahead O
of O
the O
Porto O
match O
and O
next O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
trip O
to O
Chelsea O
in O
the O
Premiership O
. O

" O
We O
knew O
today B-T
it O
was O
all O
about O
winning O
the O
game O
, O
" O
the O
Brazilian O
said O
. O
" O
But O
we O
got O
the O
result O
and O
we O
played O
our O
best O
as O
well O
, O
so O
it O
is O
very O
pleasing O
. O

" O
Before O
this O
game O
we O
knew O
a O
victory O
would O
mean O
a O
lot O
for O
us O
because O
of O
the O
important O
games O
ahead O
. O
When O
you O
win O
a O
tough O
match O
like O
this O
, O
it O
gives O
you O
a O
lot O
of O
confidence O
. O
We O
have O
done O
the O
job O
today B-T
, O
now O
we O
have O
to O
continue O
to O
do O
the O
job O
against O
Porto O
and O
Chelsea O
. O
" O

Tottenham O
boss O
Martin O
Jol O
insisted O
Arsenal O
' O
s O
controversial O
penalties O
were O
not O
to O
blame O
for O
the O
defeat O
and O
admitted O
his O
side O
had O
missed O
a O
chance O
to O
capitalise O
on O
Arsenal O
' O
s O
recent O
woes O
. O

Jol O
told O
reporters O
: O
" O
You O
can O
talk O
about O
the O
decisions O
and O
they O
probably O
did O
cost O
us O
goals O
, O
but O
I O
would O
be O
embarrassed O
to O
talk O
about O
them O
too O
much O
. O
We O
did O
not O
lose O
because O
of O
them O
. O

" O
We O
saw O
that O
Thierry O
Henry O
was O
not O
playing O
and O
we O
knew O
Arsenal O
had O
lost O
recent O
games O
. O
We O
sensed O
this O
was O
an O
opportunity O
, O
so O
we O
are O
disappointed O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0552 O

DHAKA O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Bangladesh O
Supreme O
Court O
stays O
order O
to O
compensate O
opposition O
leaders O

The O
Bangladesh O
Supreme O
Court O
Tuesday B-T
temporarily O
stayed O
a O
High O
Court O
order O
requiring O
the O
government O
to O
compensate O
four O
opposition O
leaders O
who O
had O
been O
detained O
illegally O
, O
court O
officials O
said O
. O

Judge O
Latifur O
Rahman O
Chowdhury O
issued O
the O
stay O
following O
a O
petition O
filed O
by O
the O
government O
a O
day O
after O
the O
High O
Court O
ordered O
the O
release O
of O
the O
four O
Bangladesh O
Nationalist O
Party O
( O
BNP O
) O
leaders O
. O

The O
court O
, O
in O
an O
unprecedented O
move O
, O
also O
ordered O
the O
government O
to O
pay O
100 O
, O
000 O
taka O
( O
2 O
, O
325 O
dollars O
) O
to O
each O
BNP O
leader O
as O
compensation O
. O

The O
Supreme O
Court O
will O
hear O
the O
government O
petition O
against O
the O
compensation O
order O
in O
six B-T
weeks I-T
. O

Three O
of O
the O
leaders O
- O
Khandaker O
Mosharraf O
Hossain O
, O
Abdul O
Mannan O
and O
Mirza O
Abbas O
- O
were O
freed O
hours O
after O
the O
court O
order O
on O
Monday B-T
but O
the O
fourth O
, O
Goeswar O
Roy O
, O
was O
still O
being O
detained O
as O
he O
is O
also O
wanted O
on O
other O
matters O
. O

All O
four O
were O
arrested O
on O
March B-T
20 I-T
under O
the O
Special O
Powers O
Act O
of O
1974 O
for O
" O
subversive O
activities O
" O
following O
a O
series O
of O
disruptions O
in O
the O
power O
distribution O
system O
blamed O
on O
" O
sabotage O
" O
by O
the O
government O
. O

The O
Act O
allows O
detention O
without O
specific O
charges O
for O
120 B-T
days I-T
, O
but O
those O
arrested O
can O
file O
writ O
petitions O
to O
the O
High O
Court O
against O
the O
detention O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Sheikh O
Hasina O
Wajed O
was O
criticised O
for O
using O
the O
hated O
act O
to O
detain O
the O
four O
, O
but O
on O
Monday B-T
she O
reiterated O
the O
charges O
at O
a O
rally O
of O
her O
ruling O
Awami O
League O
party O
. O

She O
also O
referred O
to O
a O
report O
of O
the O
London O
- O
based O
Amnesty O
International O
, O
saying O
the O
BNP O
under O
former O
premier O
Khaleda O
Zia O
arrested O
more O
than O
8 O
, O
500 O
people O
, O
including O
journalists O
, O
in O
1995 B-T
alone O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0398 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Sudanese O
leader O
defies O
UN O
sanctions O
to O
fly O
out O
of O
Libya O

Sudanese O
President O
Omar O
Hassan O
al O
- O
Bashir O
left O
Libya O
by O
air O
Sunday B-T
in O
defiance O
of O
UN O
sanctions O
against O
Tripoli O
, O
after O
holding O
talks O
with O
Libyan O
leader O
Moammer O
Kadhafi O
and O
government O
officials O
from O
Uganda O
, O
Libyan O
television O
said O
in O
a O
report O
monitored O
here O
. O

The O
television O
showed O
Al O
- O
Bashir O
boarding O
a O
plane O
at O
the O
airport O
in O
the O
coastal O
town O
of O
Sirte O
. O
Under O
UN O
sanctions O
, O
flights O
in O
and O
out O
of O
Libya O
are O
prohibited O
. O

Before O
leaving O
, O
Al O
- O
Bashir O
issued O
a O
statement O
, O
saying O
he O
and O
Kadhafi O
had O
discussed O
how O
Arabs O
should O
overcome O
their O
differences O
and O
resist O
attempts O
to O
weaken O
their O
unity O
. O

" O
He O
stressed O
, O
furthermore O
, O
that O
the O
Arab O
nation O
, O
given O
its O
resources O
and O
potential O
, O
was O
a O
superpower O
which O
could O
, O
once O
united O
, O
impose O
its O
will O
and O
face O
up O
to O
its O
enemy O
, O
" O
the O
television O
said O
in O
the O
report O
monitored O
by O
the O
BBC O
. O

General O
Al O
- O
Bashir O
also O
met O
members O
of O
a O
Ugandan O
delegation O
led O
by O
Foreign O
Minister O
Eriya O
Kategaya O
to O
discuss O
a O
dispute O
in O
which O
each O
country O
has O
accused O
the O
other O
of O
providing O
support O
for O
rebels O
operating O
in O
the O
border O
region O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0239 O

ALATAW O
PASS O
, O
Xinjiang O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

together O

As O
technicians O
of O
Sinopec O
finished O
their O
last O
welding O
work O
in O
Alataw O
Pass O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
oil O
pipeline O
linking O
China O
and O
Kazakhstan O
joined O
ends O
after B-T
18 I-T
months I-T
unremitting O
efforts O
. O

This O
marked O
a O
perfect O
accomplishment O
of O
the O
first O
period O
of O
the O
1000 O
- O
km O
oil O
pipeline O
project O
. O
The O
joining O
serves O
as O
a O
firm O
foundation O
for O
the O
eventual O
overall O
completion O
of O
this O
project O
soon O
. O

The O
first O
transnational O
oil O
project O
between O
China O
and O
Kazakhstan O
is O
jointly O
built O
by O
China O
National O
Petroleum O
Corporation O
( O
CNPC O
) O
and O
its O
Kazakh O
counterpart O
. O

In O
the B-T
first I-T
period I-T
of O
the O
project O
, O
700 O
million O
US O
dollars O
was O
invested O
to O
build O
a O
813 O
- O
millimeter O
pipeline O
with O
an O
oil O
transfusion O
capacity O
of O
20 O
million O
tons O
yearly O
. O

More O
than O
200 O
officials O
and O
delegates O
from O
the O
CNPC O
, O
the O
Kazakhstan O
National O
Petroleum O
and O
Natural O
Gas O
Company O
, O
the O
Sino O
- O
Kazakh O
Oil O
Pipeline O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
and O
the O
local O
government O
attended O
a O
joining O
ceremony O
. O

Kairgeldy O
Kabyldin O
, O
vice O
president O
of O
Kazakhstan O
National O
Petroleum O
and O
Natural O
Gas O
Company O
, O
said O
the O
oil O
pipeline O
butt O
joint O
is O
a O
good O
example O
of O
close O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
nations O
. O

The O
construction O
of O
the O
transnational O
oil O
pipeline O
signifies O
that O
the O
energy O
cooperation O
between O
China O
and O
Kazakhstan O
has O
stepped O
into O
a O
new O
phase O
, O
said O
Yin O
Juntai O
, O
deputy O
general O
- O
manager O
of O
China O
Petroleum O
Exploration O
and O
Development O
Company O
. O

He O
said O
currently O
the O
CNPC O
has O
53 O
projects O
in O
21 O
countries O
, O
including O
three O
exploration O
projects O
, O
four O
oilfields O
and O
two O
pipeline O
projects O
in O
Kazakhstan O
. O
Apart O
from O
that O
, O
in O
August B-T
, O
the O
CNPC O
successfully O
purchased O
the O
PetroKazakhstan O
. O

The O
oil O
pipeline O
project O
will O
also O
greatly O
promote O
the O
economic O
growth O
of O
Xinjiang O
, O
said O
Ma O
Ao O
, O
an O
official O
with O
the O
autonomous O
region O
' O
s O
Mongolian O
Autonomous O
Prefecture O
of O
Bortala O
. O

The O
Altaw O
Pass O
, O
where O
the O
oil O
pipeline O
joins O
, O
will O
become O
a O
hub O
of O
railway O
, O
road O
and O
pipeline O
transportation O
in O
the B-T
near I-T
future I-T
and O
this O
will O
also O
mean O
a O
great O
many O
commercial O
opportunities O
, O
said O
the O
official O
. O

The O
Chinese O
and O
Kazakh O
governments O
signed O
an O
agreement O
in O
June B-T
, I-T
2003 I-T
, O
on O
studying O
the O
feasibility O
of O
the O
joint O
investment O
in O
a O
transnational O
oil O
pipeline O
. O
In O
May B-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
a O
framework O
agreement O
was O
signed O
on O
overall O
cooperation O
in O
the O
fields O
of O
oil O
and O
gas O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0299 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zimbabwe O
to O
buy O
more O
ambulances O
to O
facilitate O
health O
service O

The O
Zimbabwean O
government O
will O
next B-T
month I-T
buy O
75 O
more O
ambulances O
to O
alleviate O
the O
shortage O
of O
transport O
in O
hospitals O
and O
clinics O
throughout O
the O
country O
, O
the O
official O
The O
Herald O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

At O
a O
workshop O
for O
parliamentarians O
on O
reproductive O
health O
here O
, O
Secretary O
for O
Health O
and O
Child O
Welfare O
Edward O
Mabiza O
said O
the O
fleet O
would O
be O
imported O
from O
South O
Africa O
at O
16 O
million O
rand O
( O
2 O
. O
24 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
move O
by O
the O
government O
, O
Mabiza O
said O
, O
was O
aimed O
at O
improving O
the O
quality O
of O
health O
care O
in O
the O
country O
. O
He O
added O
that O
the O
government O
has O
also O
embarked O
on O
a O
program O
to O
refurbish O
the O
old O
ambulance O
fleet O
. O

Operations O
at O
most O
clinics O
and O
district O
hospitals O
were O
being O
adversely O
affected O
by O
shortages O
of O
ambulances O
because O
some O
of O
the O
vehicles O
were O
old O
while O
others O
had O
broken O
down O
. O

Many O
hospitals O
around O
the O
country O
experience O
serious O
shortages O
of O
ambulances O
and O
the O
worst O
affected O
are O
rural O
districts O
and O
rural O
health O
centers O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0526 O

THE O
HAGUE O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Netherlands O
halting O
efforts O
to O
save O
Fokker O

The O
Netherlands O
indicated O
Wednesday B-T
it O
was O
definitively O
halting O
efforts O
to O
save O
bankrupt O
aviation O
group O
Fokker O
, O
following O
the O
recent O
withdrawal O
of O
the O
main O
industrial O
support O
for O
a O
Fokker O
relaunch O
plan O
. O

On O
April B-T
4 I-T
, O
Dutch O
industrial O
group O
Stork O
said O
it O
could O
not O
accept O
the O
" O
last O
chance O
" O
scenario O
presented O
to O
it O
for O
rescuing O
the O
group O
, O
thus O
condemning O
the O
plan O
to O
failure O
. O

In O
a O
letter O
Wednesday B-T
to O
the O
Chamber O
of O
Deputies O
, O
economic O
affairs O
minister O
Hans O
Wijers O
said O
he O
has O
reached O
the O
" O
bitter O
conclusion O
" O
that O
there O
were O
" O
no O
further O
prospects O
" O
for O
restoring O
the O
Fokker O
activities O
. O

Hence O
the O
state O
is O
no O
longer O
willing O
to O
invest O
, O
even O
though O
it O
is O
still O
prepared O
to O
provide O
technical O
support O
for O
further O
efforts O
by O
Belgian O
investor O
Andre O
Deleye O
, O
who O
said O
Saturday B-T
that O
he O
still O
had O
some O
hope O
of O
finding O
some O
parties O
to O
take O
over O
Fokker O
. O

Wijers O
praised O
the O
substantial O
efforts O
made O
by O
Deleye O
Investment O
Group O
, O
regretting O
that O
no O
industrial O
companies O
or O
groups O
had O
wanted O
to O
join O
in O
the O
initiative O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0375 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Rehhagel O
continues O
to O
reign O
in O
Greece O

German O
coach O
for O
Greece O
' O
s O
National O
Football O
team O
Otto O
Rehhagel O
on O
Monday B-T
announced O
to O
continue O
as O
the O
Greek O
national O
team O
' O
s O
head O
coach O
for O
another B-T
two I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
announcement O
ends O
speculation O
that O
the O
veteran O
coach O
would O
leave O
the O
Euro O
2004 O
champions O
for O
another O
national O
or O
Bundesliga O
side O
following O
Greece O
' O
s O
failure O
to O
qualify O
for O
the O
World O
Cup O
2006 O
competition O
in O
Germany O
. O

During O
a O
joint O
press O
conference O
with O
the O
Greek O
Football O
Federation O
, O
he O
expressed O
that O
the O
devoted O
players O
and O
passionate O
Greek O
fans O
are O
behind O
his O
decision O
to O
stay O
on O
. O

" O
Never O
before O
in O
my O
career O
have O
the O
fans O
and O
players O
wanted O
me O
to O
stay O
on O
after O
a O
team O
of O
mine O
was O
eliminated O
, O
" O
said O
the O
coach O
, O
who O
was O
passionately O
called O
as O
King O
Otto O
by O
his O
followers O
in O
Greece O
. O

" O
We O
talked O
a O
great O
deal O
to O
the O
players O
, O
and O
all O
of O
the O
team O
members O
asked O
me O
to O
stay O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

He O
also O
expressed O
his O
volition O
to O
reward O
his O
fans O
and O
the O
Greek O
public O
. O

" O
We O
owe O
the O
European O
championship O
to O
the O
players O
, O
and O
I O
need O
to O
give O
something O
back O
to O
them O
; O
to O
stay O
on O
and O
continue O
, O
" O
said O
Rehhagel O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
team O
' O
s O
target O
is O
now B-T
Euro I-T
2008 I-T
. O

A O
poll O
, O
taken O
hours O
after O
his O
side O
failing O
to O
qualify O
for O
World O
Cup O
2006 O
, O
showed O
88 O
percent O
of O
Greeks O
were O
in O
favor O
of O
him O
staying O
on O
. O

" O
The O
renewal O
of O
our O
cooperation O
is O
something O
all O
of O
Greece O
has O
been O
waiting O
for O
, O
" O
said O
Greek O
Football O
Federation O
president O
Vassilis O
Gagatsis O
. O

" O
We O
want O
Otto O
Rehhagel O
. O
We O
made O
an O
early O
offer O
because O
we O
believe O
he O
will O
once O
again O
lead O
us O
where O
all O
Greeks O
hope O
to O
go O
. O
" O

According O
to O
reports O
, O
Rehhagel O
' O
s O
contract O
will O
be O
worth O
roughly O
800 O
, O
000 O
euros O
a O
year O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0143 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

centers O

Palestinian O
sources O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
Fatah O
primaries O
in O
central O
Gaza O
Strip O
were O
postponed O
following O
riots O
occurred O
at O
ballot O
centers O
. O

All O
ballot O
centers O
in O
Deer O
Al O
- O
Balah O
district O
and O
some O
of O
centers O
in O
al O
- O
Bureig O
and O
al O
- O
Maghazi O
districts O
were O
shut O
down O
due O
to O
the O
riots O
. O

Witnesses O
said O
a O
number O
of O
gunmen O
stormed O
one O
of O
ballot O
stations O
in O
Deer O
al O
- O
Balah O
and O
ordered O
all O
voters O
and O
people O
inside O
to O
go O
away O
, O
and O
the O
militants O
claimed O
that O
their O
names O
are O
not O
listed O
in O
voting O
lists O
and O
they O
can O
not O
vote O
. O

One O
Fatah O
official O
said O
such O
an O
act O
proves O
that O
holding O
primaries O
in O
central O
Gaza O
Strip O
districts O
is O
meaningless O
. O

The O
primaries O
started O
in O
main O
Gaza O
Strip O
areas O
Monday B-T
morning I-T
. O
The O
poll O
in O
the O
southern O
city O
of O
Rafah O
will O
be O
held O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0276 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Italy O
supports O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
membership O

Italian O
President O
Carlo O
Azeglio O
Ciampi O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
Italy O
strongly O
supported O
Turkey O
' O
s O
entry O
into O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
. O

" O
We O
find O
Turkey O
' O
s O
membership O
of O
the O
EU O
very O
beneficial O
, O
" O
Ciampi O
, O
who O
arrived O
in O
the O
Turkish O
capital O
Ankara O
on O
Monday B-T
for O
a O
state O
visit O
, O
told O
a O
joint O
news O
conference O
with O
Turkish O
President O
Ahmet O
Necdet O
Sezer O
after O
their O
meeting O
. O

He O
noted O
that O
his O
visit O
to O
Turkey O
was O
aimed O
at O
strengthening O
political O
, O
economic O
and O
cultural O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
NATO O
members O
. O

Italy O
is O
the O
second O
biggest O
trade O
partner O
of O
Turkey O
with O
bilateral O
trade O
volume O
reaching O
11 O
. O
5 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Ciampi O
said O
that O
Turkey O
is O
on O
the O
most O
important O
energy O
transfer O
routes O
and O
that O
opening O
of O
Baku O
- O
Ceyhan O
oil O
pipeline O
is O
the O
proof O
of O
it O
. O

Ciampi O
said O
that O
Turkish O
- O
Italian O
cooperation O
will O
gain O
a O
new O
momentum O
with O
Turkey O
' O
s O
getting O
closer O
to O
the O
EU O
. O

Turkey O
started O
entry O
talks O
with O
the O
25 O
- O
member O
EU O
in O
October B-T
which O
is O
expected O
to O
last O
for O
a B-T
decade I-T
. O

He O
pointed O
out O
that O
Turkey O
and O
Italy O
supported O
development O
of O
relations O
between O
Western O
world O
and O
Islamic O
world O
to O
prevent O
conditions O
which O
will O
cause O
a O
possible O
clash O
among O
civilizations O
. O

" O
President O
Ciampi O
has O
arrived O
in O
Turkey O
with O
a O
large O
delegation O
of O
businessmen O
. O
This O
shows O
that O
Italy O
shares O
the O
same O
will O
as O
Turkey O
to O
enhance O
bilateral O
economic O
relations O
, O
" O
said O
Sezer O
. O

He O
noted O
, O
" O
during O
the O
meeting O
we O
also O
stressed O
the O
determination O
to O
further O
improve O
our O
cooperation O
in O
culture O
, O
tourism O
, O
defense O
and O
education O
areas O
. O
Turkey O
and O
Italy O
have O
also O
a O
beneficial O
cooperation O
in O
international O
institutions O
especially O
in O
NATO O
. O
" O

Ciampi O
also O
met O
with O
Turkish O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0596 O

ANNAPOLIS O
, O
Maryland O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
" O
regrets O
" O
Chinese O
defeat O
of O
human O
rights O
resolution O
( O
hold O
for O
expected O
release O
around O
2345 O
GMT O
) O

US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Madeleine O
Albright O
regretted O
Tuesday B-T
a O
decision O
by O
the O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
in O
Geneva O
to O
kill O
a O
US O
- O
backed O
motion O
criticizing O
China O
' O
s O
human O
rights O
record O
. O

But O
in O
a O
broad O
speech O
at O
the O
US O
Naval O
Academy O
here O
, O
Albright O
defended O
the O
Clinton O
administration O
' O
s O
decision O
three B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
to O
separate O
criticism O
of O
Beijing O
' O
s O
human O
rights O
record O
from O
renewal O
of O
its O
US O
trade O
privileges O
. O

" O
Earlier O
today B-T
, O
the O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
decided O
not O
to O
consider O
a O
resolution O
we O
had O
co O
- O
sponsored O
that O
would O
have O
urged O
China O
to O
improve O
its O
human O
rights O
practices O
. O
We O
regret O
that O
decision O
, O
" O
Albright O
said O
. O

" O
We O
congratulate O
the O
government O
of O
Denmark O
for O
sponsoring O
that O
resolution O
and O
the O
others O
who O
co O
- O
sponsored O
it O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

The O
United O
States O
believes O
" O
that O
human O
rights O
are O
a O
legitimate O
subject O
for O
discussion O
among O
nations O
. O
On O
this O
, O
we O
differ O
with O
China O
, O
" O
Albright O
said O
. O

" O
But O
we O
also O
differ O
with O
those O
who O
believe O
that O
the O
way O
to O
improve O
human O
rights O
conditions O
in O
China O
would O
be O
to O
deny O
that O
country O
the O
trading O
status O
we O
accord O
to O
most O
others O
. O
" O

Economic O
openness O
and O
political O
liberalization O
, O
she O
said O
, O
" O
reinforce O
each O
other O
. O
" O

China O
' O
s O
reputation O
was O
further O
tarnished O
this B-T
year I-T
as O
a O
result O
of O
allegations O
that O
it O
sought O
to O
illegally O
channel O
campaign O
money O
last B-T
year I-T
to O
the O
coffers O
of O
congressional O
candidates O
. O

Renewal O
of O
most O
favored O
nation O
trade O
status O
for O
China O
is O
virtually O
certain O
, O
although O
this O
latest O
scandal O
makes O
it O
less O
certain O
, O
analysts O
say O
. O

The O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
passed O
a O
China O
- O
backed O
" O
non O
- O
action O
" O
motion O
in O
Geneva O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
allowing O
Beijing O
to O
evade O
a O
Danish O
- O
backed O
censure O
motion O
on O
its O
human O
rights O
record O
scheduled O
for O
debate O
later O
in O
the O
day O
. O

This O
effectively O
kills O
a O
Danish O
motion O
criticizing O
Chinese O
human O
rights O
violations O
that O
had O
been O
supported O
by O
the O
United O
States O
, O
the O
Netherlands O
and O
others O
. O

It O
was O
the O
seventh O
time O
that O
western O
countries O
had O
presented O
a O
motion O
on O
China O
' O
s O
human O
rights O
record O
to O
the O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
. O
This B-T
year I-T
, O
however O
, O
they O
were O
sharply O
divided O
on O
the O
issue O
. O

Previous O
attempts O
to O
censure O
China O
have O
been O
defeated O
by O
the O
" O
non O
- O
action O
" O
ploy O
on O
every O
occasion O
except O
in O
1995 B-T
. O
No O
rights O
motion O
against O
China O
has O
succeeded O
since O
Beijing O
' O
s O
bloody O
crackdown O
on O
student O
protests O
in O
Beijing O
in O
1989 B-T
. O

( O
attention O
embargo O
) O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0334 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
polls O
closing O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Iraqis O
polls O
closed O
Thursday B-T
following O
a O
landmark O
poll O
to O
choose O
a O
government O
many O
hope O
will O
restore O
stability O
to O
a O
nation O
wracked O
by O
violence O
and O
sectarian O
feuding O
since O
the O
fall O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

Despite O
a O
massive O
security O
lockdown O
, O
three O
men O
died O
in O
attacks O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
while O
mortar O
strikes O
in O
the O
capital O
, O
including O
one O
in O
the O
fortified O
Green O
Zone O
claimed O
by O
an O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
- O
linked O
group O
, O
wounded O
four O
civilians O
and O
a O
US O
marine O
. O

" O
The O
most O
important O
thing O
is O
for O
Iraqis O
to O
express O
themselves O
with O
ballots O
, O
not O
blasts O
, O
" O
Prime O
Minister O
Ibrahim O
Jaafari O
said O
. O

Reacting O
to O
one O
blast O
in O
Baghdad O
, O
Shiite O
voter O
Safia O
Mohammed O
said O
: O
" O
This O
is O
our O
day O
of O
victory O
, O
they O
will O
not O
drive O
us O
back O
to O
our O
homes O
, O
this O
is O
the O
end O
of O
terrorism O
. O
" O

Voters O
went O
to O
the O
polls O
in O
large O
numbers O
, O
including O
Sunni O
Arabs O
who O
had O
snubbed O
an O
election O
in O
January B-T
. O

" O
Turnout O
was O
very O
strong O
in O
all O
regions O
, O
even O
in O
Fallujah O
, O
" O
a O
Sunni O
city O
in O
the O
western O
Al O
- O
Anbar O
province O
, O
senior O
electoral O
commission O
member O
Hussein O
al O
- O
Hindawi O
told O
AFP O
, O
without O
giving O
details O
. O

Strict O
security O
measures O
brought O
Iraq O
to O
a O
halt O
as O
15 O
. O
5 O
million O
Iraqis O
were O
called O
to O
vote O
for O
a O
four O
- O
year O
, O
275 O
- O
member O
parliament O
, O
with O
top O
candidates O
pledging O
to O
restore O
stability O
and O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
an O
exit O
of O
foreign O
troops O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
national O
celebration O
for O
all O
Iraqis O
, O
" O
declared O
President O
Jalal O
Talabani O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
first O
Kurdish O
head O
of O
state O
. O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
said O
Iraqi O
democracy O
would O
serve O
as O
a O
" O
model O
" O
for O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
while O
US O
ambassador O
Zalmay O
Khalilzad O
and O
three O
US O
senators O
symbolically O
dipped O
their O
fingers O
in O
ink O
used O
to O
identify O
Iraqi O
voters O
. O

The O
vote O
, O
the O
third O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
marks O
a O
new O
start O
following O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
to O
oust O
Saddam O
, O
two O
transitional O
governments O
and O
the O
adoption O
of O
a O
constitution O
in O
October B-T
. O

Iraqis O
poured O
into O
the O
streets O
and O
walked O
to O
polling O
stations O
because O
of O
a O
vehicle O
ban O
aimed O
at O
curbing O
car O
bomb O
attacks O
. O

In O
the O
capital O
and O
in O
Fallujah O
, O
disabled O
men O
in O
wheelchairs O
and O
on O
crutches O
joined O
neighbours O
to O
cast O
their O
ballots O
, O
with O
many O
demanding O
stability O
and O
the O
restoration O
of O
public O
services O
such O
as O
electricity O
and O
water O
. O

In O
the O
holy O
city O
of O
Najaf O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
main O
southern O
city O
of O
Basra O
, O
residents O
did O
not O
wait O
to O
celebrate O
victory O
for O
the O
dominant O
religious O
Shiite O
group O
, O
the O
United O
Iraqi O
Alliance O
. O

A O
total O
of O
7 O
, O
655 O
candidates O
and O
307 O
political O
entities O
, O
nearly O
triple O
the O
number O
that O
stood O
in O
January B-T
, O
competed O
for O
office O
. O

A O
rare O
glitch O
was O
reported O
in O
Fallujah O
, O
where O
some O
polling O
stations O
ran O
out O
of O
ballots O
following O
a O
higher O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
turnout O
. O

" O
The O
participation O
of O
the O
people O
so O
far O
is O
very O
good O
, O
it O
was O
unexpected O
, O
" O
city O
council O
president O
Sheikh O
Kamal O
Shakur O
said O
. O

Vice O
President O
Adel O
Abdel O
Mehdi O
, O
tipped O
by O
many O
as O
the O
next O
prime O
minister O
, O
had O
forecast O
earlier O
that O
" O
the O
next O
parliament O
will O
represent O
all O
Iraqis O
. O
" O

Ministers O
praised O
a O
security O
plan O
designed O
to O
thwart O
suicide O
attacks O
that O
killed O
almost O
40 O
people O
during O
January B-T
' O
s O
election O
, O
Iraq O
' O
s O
first O
free O
vote O
in O
half O
a O
century O
. O

The O
leading O
secular O
Shiite O
candidate O
, O
former O
prime O
minister O
Iyad O
Allawi O
, O
complained O
however O
that O
his O
supporters O
had O
been O
attacked O
and O
killed O
during O
the O
campaign O
. O

Top O
British O
general O
Nick O
Houghton O
told O
the O
BBC O
that O
the O
election O
gave O
London O
" O
growing O
confidence O
" O
that O
a O
transition O
of O
security O
powers O
, O
allowing O
foreign O
troops O
to O
leave O
Iraq O
, O
would O
begin O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
of I-T
2006 I-T
. O

In O
Rome O
, O
Defense O
Minister O
Antonio O
Martino O
announced O
that O
Italy O
would O
withdraw O
an O
additional O
300 O
soldiers O
from O
Iraq O
in O
January B-T
. O

Around O
2 O
, O
154 O
US O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
since O
the O
2003 O
invasion O
, O
which O
Bush O
admitted O
Wednesday O
had O
been O
based O
on O
wrong O
intelligence O
. O
Bush O
has O
estimated O
that O
30 O
, O
000 O
Iraqi O
civilians O
have O
been O
killed O
. O

Adjourned O
for O
the O
election O
, O
Saddam O
' O
s O
trial O
on O
charges O
of O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
threatened O
to O
exacerbate O
already O
high O
ethnic O
tensions O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Following O
purported O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
threats O
to O
" O
ruin O
the O
' O
democratic O
' O
wedding O
" O
, O
virtually O
all O
Iraq O
' O
s O
190 O
, O
000 O
police O
and O
army O
were O
mobilized O
, O
with O
US O
- O
led O
troops O
providing O
perimeter O
security O
for O
voting O
stations O
. O

Civilians O
were O
banned O
from O
carrying O
weapons O
and O
driving O
to O
polling O
stations O
that O
opened O
at O
7 O
: O
00 O
am O
( O
0400 O
GMT O
) O
and O
closed O
at O
5 O
: O
00 O
pm O
. O

Shiites O
and O
Kurds O
who O
dominated O
the O
transitional O
administration O
expected O
a O
full O
- O
term O
parliament O
to O
cement O
their O
grip O
on O
power O
after O
decades O
of O
oppression O
. O

The O
Sunni O
minority O
was O
keen O
to O
prevent O
a O
government O
dominated O
by O
religious O
Shiites O
and O
a O
break O
- O
up O
of O
Iraq O
into O
autonomous O
Kurdish O
and O
Shiite O
zones O
. O

The O
new O
parliament O
' O
s O
first O
task O
will O
be O
to O
appoint O
a O
president O
and O
two O
vice O
presidents O
. O
The O
presidential O
council O
will O
then O
have O
15 B-T
days I-T
to O
name O
a O
prime O
minister O
, O
who O
has O
30 B-T
days I-T
to O
form O
a O
cabinet O
with O
parliamentary O
approval O
. O

On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
US O
Senate O
Foreign O
Relations O
Committee O
chairman O
Richard O
Lugar O
warned O
however O
that O
an O
operational O
government O
might O
not O
be O
finalised O
until O
April B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0049 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

TV O

Five O
Palestinians O
were O
killed O
in O
a O
fresh O
Israeli O
air O
raid O
against O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
Dubai O
- O
based O
satellite O
channel O
Al O
- O
Arabiya O
reported O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0292 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Philippine O
shopping O
mall O
developer O
expects O
20 O
percent O
net O
profit O
rise O

Philippine O
shopping O
mall O
giant O
SM O
Prime O
Holdings O
Inc O
. O
said O
Wednesday B-T
it O
expects O
net O
profit O
to O
rise O
20 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
in O
1997 B-T
to O
to O
2 O
. O
4 O
billion O
pesos O
( O
92 O
million O
dollars O
) O
. O

Speaking O
after O
the O
company O
' O
s O
annual O
stockholders O
' O
meeting O
, O
SM O
Prime O
vice O
- O
president O
Joseph O
Sio O
said O
the O
profit O
would O
be O
generated O
from O
an O
increase O
in O
leasable O
space O
in O
the O
company O
' O
s O
huge O
shopping O
malls O
. O

SM O
Prime O
president O
Henry O
Sy O
cited O
the O
expansion O
of O
existing O
malls O
and O
reconfiguring O
of O
the O
space O
in O
the O
malls O
and O
said O
this O
would O
continue O
during O
1997 B-T
. O

The O
opening O
of O
two O
new O
malls O
in O
the B-T
latter I-T
half I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
would O
boost O
their O
company O
' O
s O
total O
leasable O
space O
by O
20 O
percent O
, O
he O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0287 O

BELGRADE O
, O
Serbia O
- O
Montenegro O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
, O
NATO O
play O
down O
threat O
of O
paramilitary O
groups O
in O
Kosovo O

UN O
and O
NATO O
officials O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
paramilitary O
groups O
could O
not O
undermine O
the O
security O
situation O
in O
Kosovo O
as O
the O
UN O
- O
administered O
province O
is O
to O
open O
future O
status O
talks O
, O
said O
reports O
reaching O
here O
from O
Pristina O
. O

Spokesman O
of O
the O
UN O
mission O
in O
Kosovo O
( O
UNMIK O
) O
Neeraj O
Singh O
said O
that O
the O
threatening O
statement O
issued O
by O
the O
self O
- O
styled O
Army O
for O
Kosovo O
Independence O
would O
be O
a O
daily O
occurrence O
during O
the O
forthcoming O
status O
talks O
, O
the O
official O
Tanjug O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Regardless O
of O
threats O
and O
other O
forms O
of O
pressure O
, O
the O
Kosovo O
status O
will O
not O
be O
decided O
in O
the O
streets O
or O
on O
the O
Internet O
, O
Singh O
said O
. O

UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Tuesday B-T
appointed O
former O
Finnish O
president O
Martti O
Ahtisaari O
as O
UN O
envoy O
for O
Kosovo O
status O
talks O
, O
paving O
the O
way O
for O
the O
talks O
to O
be O
opened O
by O
the B-T
year I-T
' I-T
s I-T
end I-T
. O

However O
, O
the O
talks O
have O
been O
overshadowed O
by O
the O
fears O
that O
extremists O
could O
use O
violence O
to O
protest O
the O
outcome O
for O
the O
ethnically O
- O
divided O
province O
. O

Kosovo O
' O
s O
Albanian O
majority O
demands O
for O
an O
independent O
state O
, O
while O
its O
Serb O
minority O
and O
Belgrade O
officials O
want O
the O
province O
remains O
part O
of O
Serbia O
. O

NATO O
- O
led O
peacekeeping O
force O
( O
KFOR O
) O
spokesman O
Pio O
Sabetta O
rejected O
any O
possibility O
that O
paramilitary O
groups O
might O
endanger O
security O
in O
Kosovo O
. O

He O
told O
the O
press O
in O
Pristina O
that O
KFOR O
, O
UNMIK O
and O
Kosovo O
Police O
Service O
were O
investigating O
uniformed O
persons O
who O
have O
been O
observed O
in O
the O
province O
recently B-T
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
KFOR O
held O
an O
exercise O
to O
demonstrate O
NATO O
troops O
' O
ability O
to O
deal O
quickly O
with O
potential O
violence O
or O
other O
security O
threats O
in O
the O
province O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0097 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Dave O
James O

Some O
goalkeepers O
study O
videos O
, O
others O
look O
for O
clues O
in O
the O
eyes O
of O
their O
opponents O
. O

But O
when O
North O
Korea O
goalkeeper O
Jon O
Myong O
Hui O
faces O
down O
a O
penalty O
, O
she O
dreams O
of O
a O
short O
, O
chubby O
, O
bespectacled O
dictator O
with O
his O
finger O
on O
the O
nuclear O
button O
. O

Jon O
' O
s O
secret O
of O
the O
shootout O
is O
to O
think O
of O
North O
Korean O
leader O
Kim O
Jung O
Il O
. O

" O
I O
thought O
of O
our O
Great O
Leader O
and O
I O
knew O
with O
his O
encouragement O
and O
trust O
in O
us O
we O
would O
get O
the O
victory O
, O
" O
said O
the O
20 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
who O
saved O
two O
Japanese O
spotkicks O
in O
a O
4 O
- O
2 O
shootout O
win O
which O
gave O
North O
Korea O
a O
second O
successive O
Asian O
Games O
women O
' O
s O
football O
gold O
. O

" O
I O
looked O
to O
the O
skies O
of O
Pyongyang O
and O
drew O
inspiration O
from O
him O
. O
I O
only O
wish O
he O
could O
have O
been O
here O
in O
person O
. O
I O
hope O
that O
our O
Great O
Leader O
Kim O
Jung O
Il O
gets O
the O
news O
of O
this O
victory O
and O
that O
he O
is O
happy O
. O
" O

The O
defending O
champions O
, O
Asia O
' O
s O
highest O
- O
ranked O
team O
, O
enjoyed O
the O
better O
chances O
throughout O
a O
dour O
final O
and O
held O
their O
nerve O
at O
the O
end O
. O

North O
Korea O
scored O
all O
of O
their O
penalties O
with O
Ri O
Kum O
Suk O
, O
Ri O
Un O
Gyong O
, O
Ho O
Sun O
Hui O
and O
Jong O
Pok O
Sim O
finding O
the O
target O
while O
Jon O
kept O
out O
Kozue O
Ando O
and O
Homare O
Sawa O
. O

Despite O
the O
victory O
, O
North O
Korean O
coach O
Kim O
Kwang O
Min O
was O
disappointed O
. O

" O
Although O
we O
are O
similar O
physically O
we O
are O
better O
players O
, O
" O
said O
Kim O
. O

" O
I O
told O
them O
to O
be O
aggressive O
from O
the O
start O
and O
we O
should O
have O
won O
in O
90 B-T
minutes I-T
. O
" O

Kim O
has O
big O
plans O
for O
his O
team O
but O
admits O
that O
in O
his O
hermit O
, O
Stalinist O
homeland O
, O
finding O
information O
on O
other O
sides O
in O
the O
world O
is O
not O
easy O
. O

" O
Our O
initial O
goal O
was O
to O
be O
the O
best O
in O
Asia O
and O
after O
that O
we O
aim O
to O
be O
the O
best O
in O
the O
world O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
quite O
sure O
of O
the O
standard O
of O
football O
in O
Europe O
or O
the O
Americas O
. O
Once O
we O
learn O
this O
we O
will O
work O
out O
a O
plan O
to O
beat O
them O
. O
" O

Japan O
coach O
Hiroshi O
Ohashi O
took O
responsibility O
for O
the O
defeat O
which O
left O
the O
Japanese O
still O
searching O
for O
a O
first O
Asian O
Games O
gold O
medal O
. O

" O
I O
feel O
responsible O
for O
not O
creating O
a O
team O
which O
was O
able O
to O
win O
the O
match O
in O
90 B-T
or O
120 O
minutes O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Japan O
goalkeeper O
Miho O
Fukumoto O
made O
a O
series O
of O
good O
saves O
to O
keep O
her O
side O
in O
the O
match O
while O
Eriko O
Arakawa O
set O
- O
up O
Japan O
' O
s O
best O
opportunity O
in O
the B-T
72nd I-T
minute I-T
. O

The O
afro O
- O
haired O
striker O
skipped O
inside O
two O
defenders O
, O
drew O
the O
goalkeeper O
and O
released O
the O
ball O
into O
the O
path O
of O
Shinobu O
Ohno O
who O
missed O
from O
six O
yards O
. O

Ohno O
had O
the O
ball O
in O
the O
net O
in O
extra O
time O
but O
her O
smart O
volley O
was O
controversially O
ruled O
out O
for O
offside O
. O

China O
grabbed O
the O
bronze O
medal O
with O
a O
2 O
- O
0 O
win O
against O
South O
Korea O
thanks O
to O
two O
goals O
from O
Wang O
Kun O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0395 O

YALA O
, O
Thailand O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
one O
more O
death O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Suspected O
separatist O
insurgents O
shot O
dead O
four O
men O
and O
injured O
three O
, O
including O
a O
policeman O
, O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
Thailand O
' O
s O
restive O
Muslim O
- O
majority O
south O
, O
police O
said O
. O

A O
25 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Buddhist O
trader O
was O
gunned O
down O
at O
his O
mobile O
stall O
in O
Narathiwat O
, O
one O
of O
three O
insurgency O
- O
torn O
provinces O
bordering O
Malaysia O
, O
police O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
victim O
' O
s O
nephew O
was O
also O
wounded O
. O

When O
police O
rushed O
to O
the O
scene O
, O
militants O
using O
a O
mobile O
phone O
detonated O
a O
bomb O
near O
the O
stall O
, O
injuring O
one O
policeman O
, O
they O
said O
. O

Also O
in O
Narathiwat O
, O
a O
46 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Muslim O
man O
, O
a O
former O
village O
chief O
, O
was O
shot O
dead O
by O
militants O
. O

In O
neighboring O
Yala O
province O
, O
six O
gunmen O
burst O
into O
a O
local O
government O
office O
earlier O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
and O
opened O
fire O
, O
killing O
two O
Buddhist O
engineers O
and O
seriously O
injuring O
a O
woman O
. O

Deadly O
attacks O
have O
surged O
in O
the O
three O
southern O
provinces O
of O
Yala O
, O
Pattani O
and O
Narathiwat O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
month I-T
, O
despite O
moves O
by O
Thailand O
' O
s O
post O
- O
coup O
government O
to O
forge O
peace O
in O
the O
region O
. O

The O
junta O
chief O
and O
coup O
leader O
General O
Sonthi O
Boonyaratglin O
was O
in O
Pattani O
Thursday B-T
to O
meet O
local O
army O
commanders O
, O
but O
an O
army O
spokesman O
said O
the O
one O
- O
day O
trip O
was O
not O
related O
to O
the O
deteriorating O
situation O
in O
the O
region O
. O

The O
area O
was O
an O
independent O
sultanate O
until O
it O
was O
annexed O
by O
mainly O
Buddhist O
Thailand O
in O
1902 B-T
. O
Separatist O
violence O
has O
erupted O
periodically O
ever O
since O
, O
with O
the O
latest O
unrest O
killing O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
700 O
people O
since O
January B-T
2004 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0682 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Georgian O
PM O
eyes O
Russia O
, O
meets O
Rice O

Georgia O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Zurab O
Nogaideli O
met O
US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
seeking O
US O
support O
in O
his O
country O
' O
s O
diplomatic O
showdown O
with O
Russia O
. O

Kicking O
off O
a O
four O
- O
day O
stay O
in O
Washington O
, O
which O
includes O
talks O
Tuesday B-T
with O
Vice O
President O
Dick O
Cheney O
, O
Nogaideli O
also O
met O
national O
security O
advisor O
Stephen O
Hadley O
and O
US O
Trade O
Representative O
Susan O
Schwab O
. O

As O
he O
left O
the O
State O
Department O
after O
meeting O
Rice O
, O
Nogaideli O
called O
on O
Russia O
to O
join O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
end O
the O
diplomatic O
spat O
set O
off O
when O
Georgia O
arrested O
four O
Russian O
soldiers O
in O
September B-T
and O
accused O
them O
of O
spying O
. O

" O
The O
most O
important O
issue O
in O
relations O
with O
Russia O
for O
us O
today B-T
is O
the O
resolution O
of O
territorial O
conflicts O
, O
" O
said O
Nogaideli O
. O

" O
We O
think O
instead O
of O
blaming O
each O
other O
. O
. O
. O
we O
need O
to O
move O
ahead O
with O
peace O
plan O
implementation O
in O
the O
region O
and O
we O
have O
discused O
this O
with O
Secretary O
Rice O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Terry O
Davidson O
, O
a O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
, O
said O
Rice O
and O
her O
visitor O
discussed O
a O
full O
range O
of O
regional O
security O
issues O
, O
including O
the O
Georgian O
dispute O
with O
breakaway O
regions O
Abkhazia O
and O
South O
Ossetia O
. O

Rice O
also O
touched O
on O
Georgia O
' O
s O
relations O
with O
Russia O
and O
energy O
resources O
in O
the O
region O
, O
Davidson O
said O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
strongly O
backed O
the O
Georgian O
leadership O
of O
President O
Mikheil O
Saakashvili O
, O
who O
hopes O
to O
take O
his O
country O
into O
the O
NATO O
military O
alliance O
. O

Georgia O
freed O
the O
military O
officers O
in O
October B-T
, O
but O
the O
United O
States O
has O
been O
urging O
Moscow O
to O
lift O
a O
sweeping O
raft O
of O
sanctions O
and O
for O
both O
sides O
to O
lower O
rhetoric O
. O

Russia O
vehemently O
opposes O
Georgia O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
join O
NATO O
and O
accuses O
Georgia O
of O
planning O
military O
action O
against O
Abkhazia O
and O
South O
Ossetia O
, O
which O
are O
supported O
by O
Moscow O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0136 O

NAIROBI O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

UNHCR O
reports O
150 O
cholera O
cases O
among O
Zairean O
refugees O

About O
150 O
cases O
of O
cholera O
have O
been O
registered O
among O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
ailing O
Rwandan O
refugees O
waiting O
to O
be O
repatriated O
from O
eastern O
Zaire O
, O
the O
UN O
refugee O
agency O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

UN O
High O
Commissioner O
for O
Refugees O
( O
UNHCR O
) O
spokesman O
Paul O
Stromberg O
said O
at O
least O
five O
refugees O
had O
died O
of O
the O
disease O
but O
that O
it O
should O
not O
hinder O
the O
repatriation O
process O
. O

Although O
the O
150 O
others O
were O
suspected O
cases O
for O
the O
moment O
, O
humanitarian O
organisations O
believed O
they O
were O
likely O
to O
be O
cholera O
. O
Three O
positive O
cases O
were O
confirmed O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

A O
total O
of O
60 O
to O
100 O
refugees O
die O
every B-T
day I-T
from O
disease O
and O
malnutrition O
as O
they O
wait O
for O
repatriation O
from O
their O
makeshift O
camps O
south O
of O
Kisangani O
, O
the O
rebel O
- O
held O
city O
in O
northeast O
Zaire O
. O

" O
Since O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
measures O
have O
been O
taken O
to O
isolate O
and O
treat O
suspected O
cases O
of O
cholera O
, O
which O
is O
endemic O
in O
the O
region O
. O
Medicines O
, O
soap O
, O
have O
been O
supplied O
in O
sufficient O
quantities O
. O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
it O
will O
spread O
, O
" O
Stromberg O
added O
by O
telephone O
from O
Kigali O
. O

He O
said O
it O
was O
not O
thought O
to O
be O
a O
virulent O
form O
of O
the O
disease O
, O
and O
that O
the O
repatriation O
process O
should O
go O
ahead O
as O
planned O
. O

Cholera O
, O
dysentery O
and O
malaria O
are O
among O
the O
many O
health O
perils O
facing O
approximately O
80 O
, O
000 O
Rwandan O
Hutu O
refugees O
around O
the O
rebel O
- O
held O
city O
. O

The O
emaciated O
and O
ill O
refugees O
fled O
from O
advancing O
rebels O
who O
now B-T
control O
eastern O
Zaire O
. O
The O
refugees O
have O
had O
no O
access O
to O
relief O
food O
or O
medical O
care O
for O
most O
of O
the O
six B-T
months I-T
of O
the O
rebellion O
. O

The O
rebels O
, O
who O
captured O
Kisangani O
on O
March B-T
15 I-T
, O
gave O
a O
green O
light O
10 B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
for O
UN O
agencies O
to O
set O
up O
an O
air O
- O
bridge O
to O
repatriate O
the O
Rwandans O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0013 O

HARBIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Public O
petition O
halts O
government O
wild O
boar O
cull O
in O
NE O
China O

Officials O
in O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
have O
suspended O
a O
proposed O
cull O
of O
wild O
boar O
, O
after O
about O
10 O
, O
000 O
local O
people O
signed O
a O
petition O
against O
the O
plan O
. O

Wild O
boar O
have O
been O
propagating O
rapidly O
under O
government O
- O
backed O
protection O
schemes O
, O
but O
invasions O
by O
the O
animals O
of O
villagers O
' O
homes O
have O
been O
reported O
in O
20 O
counties O
and O
districts O
in O
Heilongjiang O
. O

The O
authorities O
in O
the O
cities O
of O
Mudanjiang O
and O
Jixi O
, O
which O
have O
borne O
the O
brunt O
of O
the O
damage O
, O
had O
approved O
a O
cull O
of O
50 O
wild O
boar O
until O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
December I-T
to O
be O
supervised O
and O
carried O
out O
by O
local O
forestry O
officials O
in O
designated O
areas O
. O

Forestry O
authorities O
also O
promised O
that O
no O
individual O
hunters O
would O
be O
allowed O
to O
take O
part O
. O

Days O
after O
the O
announcement O
, O
10 O
, O
000 O
local O
residents O
led O
by O
wildlife O
enthusiasts O
signed O
a O
petition O
against O
the O
cull O
. O

Members O
of O
a O
wildlife O
organization O
in O
Harbin O
Institute O
of O
Technology O
voiced O
concern O
that O
the O
cull O
could O
run O
out O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
control O
. O

As O
wild O
boar O
population O
more O
than O
doubled O
from O
30 O
, O
000 O
in O
2000 B-T
to O
70 O
, O
000 O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
the O
province O
reported O
50 O
cases O
of O
attacks O
on O
villagers O
and O
damage O
to O
crops O
. O

China O
' O
s O
law O
on O
wild O
animal O
protection O
prohibits O
the O
hunting O
of O
animals O
under O
state O
protection O
. O
However O
, O
villagers O
have O
complained O
that O
they O
have O
tried O
every O
possible O
method O
to O
drive O
the O
wild O
boar O
away O
from O
communities O
without O
success O
. O

Tao O
Jin O
, O
a O
wildlife O
protection O
official O
with O
the O
Forestry O
Bureau O
, O
argued O
that O
the O
law O
allowed O
government O
- O
approved O
culls O
when O
scientific O
arguments O
proved O
the O
population O
of O
certain O
animals O
should O
be O
checked O
. O
But O
the O
government O
decided O
to O
suspend O
the O
cull O
in O
the O
face O
of O
strong O
public O
opposition O
. O

The O
public O
debate O
on O
the O
conflict O
between O
wildlife O
protection O
and O
farmers O
' O
livelihoods O
is O
still O
going O
on O
here O
. O
Wildlife O
experts O
have O
suggested O
farmers O
dig O
moats O
to O
protect O
crops O
against O
attacks O
and O
the O
relocation O
villagers O
living O
in O
deep O
mountains O
. O

Tao O
said O
the O
government O
' O
s O
limited O
forestry O
protection O
funding O
could O
not O
cover O
the O
costs O
of O
further O
protection O
measures O
. O
Limiting O
the O
wild O
boar O
population O
and O
developing O
the O
controlled O
breeding O
of O
domesticated O
wild O
boars O
might O
be O
a O
solution O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0008 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
finish O
lower O
at O
midday O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
2 O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
went O
down O
16 O
. O
3 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
11 O
percent O
, O
to O
finish O
the O
morning O
session O
at O
14 O
, O
555 O
. O
96 O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0318 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mubarak O
fears O
Saddam O
' O
s O
execution O
to O
fuel O
violence O
in O
Iraq O

Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
he O
feared O
the O
recent O
death O
verdict O
against O
ousted O
Iraqi O
president O
Saddam O
Hussein O
and O
its O
execution O
would O
fuel O
sectarian O
and O
ethnic O
violence O
in O
Iraq O
. O

Mubarak O
made O
the O
remarks O
in O
statements O
to O
editors O
- O
in O
- O
chief O
of O
the O
Egyptian O
national O
newspapers O
and O
the O
Middle O
East O
News O
Agency O
( O
MENA O
) O
on O
his O
way O
back O
home O
Wednesday B-T
from O
his O
three O
- O
nation O
tour O
. O

The O
trial O
of O
Saddam O
and O
six O
of O
his O
aides O
on O
charges O
of O
genocide O
against O
Kurds O
resumed O
in O
Baghdad O
on O
Wednesday B-T
after O
Saddam O
and O
two O
of O
his O
senior O
aides O
were O
sentenced O
to O
death O
on O
Sunday B-T
in O
a O
separate O
trial O
of O
Dujail O
case O
, O
in O
which O
148 O
people O
were O
executed O
in O
the O
aftermath O
crackdown O
on O
the O
town O
following O
a O
failed O
assassination O
attempt O
against O
Saddam O
in O
1982 B-T
. O

On O
the O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
, O
Mubarak O
said O
that O
Egypt O
is O
making O
efforts O
to O
protect O
interests O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
, O
stop O
bloodshed O
and O
support O
the O
Iraqi O
national O
unity O
. O

Mubarak O
returned O
to O
Cairo O
on O
Wednesday B-T
after O
visits O
to O
Russia O
, O
China O
and O
Kazakhstan O
. O
While B-T
in O
Beijing O
he O
attended O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
Summit O
which O
is O
seen O
as O
an O
important O
conference O
to O
promote O
China O
and O
Africa O
to O
construct O
new O
strategic O
partnership O
and O
strengthen O
cooperation O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0117 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0117 O
. O

Law O
: O

@ O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Threats O
to O
Seize O
Fees O

@ O
Scare O
Lawyers O
From O
Cases O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Laurie O
P O
. O
Cohen O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CRZYQ O

LAW O
AND O
LEGAL O
AFFAIRS O
( O
LAW O
) O

BANKRUPTCIES O
( O
BCY O
) O

JUSTICE O
DEPARTMENT O
( O
JUS O
) O

SECURITIES O
AND O
EXCHANGE O
COMMISSION O
( O
SEC O
) O

The O
government O
is O
sharpening O
its O
newest O
weapon O
against O
white O
- O
collar O
defendants O
: O
the O
power O
to O
prevent O
them O
from O
paying O
their O
legal O
bills O
. O

And O
defense O
lawyers O
are O
warning O
that O
they O
wo O
n O
' O
t O
stick O
around O
if O
they O
do O
n O
' O
t O
get O
paid O
. O

The O
issue O
has O
come O
to O
a O
boil O
in O
Newark O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
, O
where O
federal O
prosecutors O
have O
warned O
lawyers O
for O
Eddie O
Antar O
that O
if O
the O
founder O
and O
former O
chairman O
of O
Crazy O
Eddie O
Inc O
. O
is O
indicted O
, O
the O
government O
may O
move O
to O
seize O
the O
money O
that O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
is O
using O
to O
pay O
legal O
fees O
. O

The O
warning O
by O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
attorney O
' O
s O
office O
follows O
two O
decisions O
by O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Supreme O
Court O
last B-T
June I-T
. O

In O
those O
cases O
, O
the O
high O
court O
ruled O
that O
federal O
law O
gives O
prosecutors O
broad O
authority O
to O
seize O
assets O
of O
people O
accused O
of O
racketeering O
and O
drug O
- O
related O
crimes O
, O
including O
fees O
paid O
to O
lawyers O
before O
an O
indictment O
. O

If O
the O
government O
succeeds O
in O
seizing O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
' O
s O
assets O
, O
he O
could O
be O
left O
without O
top O
- O
flight O
legal O
representation O
, O
because O
his O
attorneys O
are O
likely O
to O
quit O
, O
according O
to O
individuals O
familiar O
with O
the O
case O
. O

A O
seizure O
also O
would O
make O
the O
case O
the O
largest O
- O
- O
and O
one O
of O
the O
first O
- O
- O
in O
which O
lawyers O
' O
fees O
have O
been O
confiscated O
in O
a O
prosecution O
unrelated O
to O
drugs O
. O

" O
The O
people O
who O
suffer O
in O
the O
short O
run O
are O
defendants O
, O
but O
the O
people O
who O
suffer O
in O
the O
long O
run O
are O
all O
of O
the O
people O
, O
because O
there O
wo O
n O
' O
t O
be O
a O
vigorous O
private O
bar O
to O
defend O
the O
Bill O
of O
Rights O
, O
" O
says O
Gerald O
Lefcourt O
, O
a O
criminal O
defense O
attorney O
who O
says O
he O
has O
turned O
down O
a O
number O
of O
cases O
to O
avoid O
possible O
fee O
seizures O
. O

Mr O
. O
Antar O
is O
being O
investigated O
by O
a O
federal O
grand O
jury O
in O
Newark O
, O
where O
prosecutors O
have O
told O
him O
that O
they O
may O
soon B-T
seek O
an O
indictment O
on O
racketeering O
and O
securities O
fraud O
charges O
. O

Under O
the O
Racketeer O
Influenced O
and O
Corrupt O
Organizations O
law O
, O
or O
RICO O
, O
the O
government O
has O
the O
authority O
to O
seek O
to O
freeze O
or O
seize O
a O
defendant O
' O
s O
assets O
before O
trial O
. O

According O
to O
individuals O
familiar O
with O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
' O
s O
case O
, O
prosecutors O
issued O
their O
warning O
this B-T
week I-T
after O
one O
of O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
' O
s O
attorneys O
asked O
whether O
legal O
fees O
might O
be O
subject O
to O
seizure O
. O

In O
a O
letter O
, O
prosecutors O
told O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
' O
s O
lawyers O
that O
because O
of O
the O
recent B-T
Supreme O
Court O
rulings O
, O
they O
could O
expect O
that O
any O
fees O
collected O
from O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
may O
be O
seized O
. O

Prosecutors O
have O
told O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
' O
s O
attorneys O
that O
they O
believe O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
' O
s O
allegedly O
ill O
- O
gotten O
gains O
are O
so O
great O
that O
any O
money O
he O
has O
used O
to O
pay O
attorneys O
derives O
from O
illegal O
activities O
. O

Therefore O
, O
they O
said O
, O
the O
money O
can O
be O
taken O
from O
the O
lawyers O
even O
after O
they O
are O
paid O
. O

Justin O
Feldman O
and O
Jack O
Arseneault O
, O
attorneys O
for O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
, O
both O
declined O
to O
comment O
on O
the O
matter O
. O

In O
Newark O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Attorney O
Samuel O
A O
. O
Alito O
said O
, O
" O
I O
do O
n O
' O
t O
think O
there O
' O
s O
any O
legal O
reason O
to O
limit O
forfeiture O
of O
attorney O
' O
s O
fees O
to O
drug O
cases O
. O
" O

Mr O
. O
Alito O
said O
his O
office O
" O
just O
responded O
to O
an O
attorney O
' O
s O
question O
about O
whether O
we O
would O
go O
after O
attorney O
' O
s O
fees O
, O
and O
that O
is O
different O
from O
actually O
doing O
it O
, O
although O
we O
reserve O
that O
right O
. O
" O

Mr O
. O
Antar O
was O
charged O
last B-T
month I-T
in O
a O
civil O
suit O
filed O
in O
federal O
court O
in O
Newark O
by O
the O
Securities O
and O
Exchange O
Commission O
. O

In O
that O
suit O
, O
the O
SEC O
accused O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
of O
engaging O
in O
a O
" O
massive O
financial O
fraud O
" O
to O
overstate O
the O
earnings O
of O
Crazy O
Eddie O
, O
Edison O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
, O
over O
a B-T
three I-T
- I-T
year I-T
period I-T
. O

Through O
his O
lawyers O
, O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
has O
denied O
allegations O
in O
the O
SEC O
suit O
and O
in O
civil O
suits O
previously O
filed O
by O
shareholders O
against O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
and O
others O
. O

The O
SEC O
has O
alleged O
that O
Mr O
. O
Antar O
aimed O
to O
pump O
up O
the O
company O
' O
s O
stock O
price O
through O
false O
financial O
statements O
in O
order O
to O
sell O
his O
stake O
and O
reap O
huge O
profits O
. O

Mr O
. O
Antar O
, O
the O
SEC O
said O
, O
made O
more O
than O
$ O
60 O
million O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
his O
shares O
between O
1985 B-T
and O
1987 B-T
. O

The O
Justice O
Department O
has O
emphasized O
that O
the O
government O
' O
s O
fee O
- O
forfeiture O
power O
is O
to O
be O
used O
sparingly O
. O

According O
to O
department O
policy O
, O
prosecutors O
must O
make O
a O
strong O
showing O
that O
lawyers O
' O
fees O
came O
from O
assets O
tainted O
by O
illegal O
profits O
before O
any O
attempts O
at O
seizure O
are O
made O
. O

Still O
, O
criminal O
defense O
lawyers O
worry O
that O
defendants O
are O
being O
deprived O
of O
their O
Sixth O
Amendment O
right O
to O
counsel O
and O
a O
fair O
trial O
if O
the O
government O
can O
seize O
lawyers O
' O
fees O
. O

They O
also O
worry O
that O
if O
the O
government O
applies O
asset O
- O
forfeiture O
laws O
broadly O
, O
the O
best O
defense O
lawyers O
will O
be O
unwilling O
to O
take O
criminal O
cases O
unless O
they O
are O
assured O
of O
being O
paid O
. O

bbc_20130322_1353 O

2013 B-T
- I-T
03 I-T
- I-T
22 I-T

Israel O
PM O
apologies O
for O
Gaza O
flotilla O
deaths O

Israel O
' O
s O
prime O
minister O
has O
apologised O
to O
Turkey O
for O
" O
any O
errors O
that O
could O
have O
led O
to O
loss O
of O
life O
" O
during O
the O
2010 O
commando O
raid O
on O
an O
aid O
flotilla O
that O
tried O
to O
breach O
the O
Gaza O
blockade O
. O

Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
also O
agreed O
with O
his O
Turkish O
counterpart O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
to O
compensate O
the O
families O
of O
the O
nine O
activists O
who O
were O
killed O
. O

Mr O
Netanyahu O
had O
previously O
only O
expressed O
regret O
for O
the O
deaths O
. O

The O
deal O
was O
brokered O
by O
US O
President O
Barack O
Obama O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
Israel O
. O

Mr O
Erdogan O
' O
s O
office O
said O
he O
had O
accepted O
the O
apology O
, O
" O
in O
the O
name O
of O
the O
Turkish O
people O
" O
. O

In O
the B-T
past I-T
, O
he O
has O
always O
given O
two O
conditions O
for O
restoring O
bilateral O
relations O
with O
Israel O
- O
an O
apology O
and O
compensation O
for O
victims O
' O
families O
. O

Nine O
people O
were O
killed O
on O
board O
the O
Turkish O
aid O
ship O
, O
Mavi O
Marmara O
, O
when O
it O
was O
boarded O
by O
Israeli O
commandos O
while O
trying O
to O
transport O
aid O
supplies O
to O
Gaza O
in O
May B-T
2010 I-T
in O
spite O
of O
an O
Israeli O
naval O
blockade O
. O

The O
Israeli O
government O
admitted O
mistakes O
were O
made O
in O
intelligence O
- O
gathering O
and O
planning O
, O
but O
insisted O
its O
commandos O
used O
lethal O
force O
because O
activists O
had O
attacked O
them O
. O

The O
activists O
said O
the O
troops O
had O
opened O
fire O
as O
soon O
as O
they O
boarded O
the O
vessel O
, O
which O
was O
in O
international O
waters O
at B-T
the I-T
time I-T
. O

The O
incident O
provoked O
an O
international O
outcry O
and O
led O
to O
a O
major O
deterioration O
in O
relations O
between O
Turkey O
and O
Israel O
. O

Before O
departing O
for O
Jordan O
on O
Friday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
Mr O
Obama O
revealed O
that O
Mr O
Netanyahu O
and O
Mr O
Erdogan O
had O
just O
spoken O
by O
telephone O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0129 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
top O
15 O
corporate O
collapses O

A O
list O
of O
the O
top O
15 O
collapses O
in O
Japanese O
corporate O
history O
after O
three O
finance O
companies O
applied O
Tuesday B-T
to O
be O
wound O
up O
, O
with O
combined O
debt O
of O
1 O
, O
800 O
billion O
yen O
( O
14 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
. O

Crown O
Leasing O
KK O
applied O
to O
be O
wound O
up O
at O
the O
Tokyo O
District O
Court O
with O
two O
other O
Nippon O
Credit O
Bank O
Ltd O
( O
NCB O
) O
. O
affiliates O
, O
Nippon O
Total O
Finance O
KK O
and O
Nippon O
Credit O
Finance O
KK O
. O

Date O
Company O
Liabilities O
Business O

( O
billion O
yen O
) O

1 O
. O
April B-T
1997 I-T
Crown O
Leasing O
1 O
, O
060 O
. O
00 O
finance O

2 O
. O
Oct B-T
1996 I-T
Nichiei O
Finance O
1 O
, O
000 O
. O
00 O
credit O
guarantee O

3 O
. O
Nov B-T
1996 I-T
Sueno O
Kosan O
600 O
. O
00 O
real O
estate O

4 O
. O
Nov B-T
1993 I-T
Muramoto O
Kensetsu O
590 O
. O
00 O
construction O

5 O
. O
Aug B-T
1985 I-T
Sanko O
Kisen O
520 O
. O
00 O
shipping O

6 O
. O
Oct B-T
1994 I-T
Nippon O
Mortgage O
518 O
. O
49 O
finance O

7 O
. O
April B-T
1997 I-T
Nippon O
Total O
Finance O
510 O
. O
00 O
finance O

8 O
. O
March B-T
1995 I-T
Osaka O
Sogo O
Shinyo O
437 O
. O
00 O
finance O

9 O
. O
Aug B-T
1991 I-T
Megumikawa I-T
410 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
restaurant I-T

10 B-T
. I-T
Nov B-T
1995 I-T
Hyogin O
Factors O
369 O
. O
20 O
factoring O

11 O
. O
June B-T
1996 I-T
Shin O
Kyoto O
Shimpan O
348 O
. O
88 O
consumer O
credit O

12 O
. O
Oct B-T
1987 I-T
Shinwa O
Kanko O
Kaihatsu O
309 O
. O
00 O
real O
estate O

13 O
. O
Oct B-T
1995 I-T
Tokyo O
Mortgage O
Acceptance O
300 O
. O
00 O
finance O

14 O
. O
April B-T
1997 I-T
Nippon O
Credit O
Finance O
300 O
. O
00 O
finance O

15 O
. O
Jan B-T
1991 I-T
Nanatomi I-T
296 I-T
. I-T
60 I-T
real O
estate O

Source O
: O
Teikoku O
Databank O
/ O
Tokyo O
Shoko O
Research O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0618 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Conservative O
support O
dips O
in O
new O
polls O

Support O
for O
the O
ruling O
Conservative O
Party O
fell O
in O
fresh O
opinion O
polls O
to O
be O
published O
, O
one B-T
week I-T
ahead O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
general O
election O
, O
with O
three O
new O
polls O
giving O
the O
opposition O
Labour O
Party O
as O
easy O
winners O
. O

A O
survey O
by O
the O
polling O
group O
MORI O
for O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
Times O
newspaper O
showed O
support O
for O
the O
opposition O
Labour O
Party O
down O
one O
to O
48 O
percent O
, O
the O
Conservatives O
down O
five O
to O
27 O
percent O
and O
the O
Liberal O
Democrats O
up O
four O
to O
17 O
percent O
. O
It O
gave O
Labour O
a O
21 O
- O
point O
lead O
. O

Earlier B-T
Wednesday I-T
two I-T
polls O
by O
Gallup O
- O
- O
the O
first O
for O
Channel O
4 O
News O
and O
the O
second O
for O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
Daily O
Telegraph O
- O
- O
put O
Labour O
' O
s O
lead O
at O
19 O
percent O
and O
20 O
percent O
. O

Both O
Channel O
4 O
and O
the O
Daily O
Telegraph O
put O
Labour O
on O
50 O
percent O
of O
voting O
intentions O
. O

The O
figures O
suggested O
that O
a O
poll O
by O
the O
group O
ICM O
and O
published O
by O
the O
left O
- O
of O
- O
centre O
Guardian O
newspaper O
Wednesday B-T
, O
which O
claimed O
Labour O
' O
s O
lead O
had O
fallen O
to O
just O
five O
percent O
, O
could O
have O
been O
a O
rogue O
result O
. O

Ironically O
neither O
Labour O
nor O
Tory O
officials O
believe O
the O
gap O
between O
the O
two O
parties O
is O
as O
wide O
as O
the O
Gallup O
and O
MORI O
polls O
suggest O
, O
although O
Labour O
also O
feel O
it O
is O
not O
as O
slim O
as O
five O
percent O
. O

Both O
parties O
would O
prefer O
a O
closer O
race O
, O
the O
Conservatives O
to O
engender O
hope O
they O
could O
still O
win O
, O
Labour O
to O
ensure O
their O
supporters O
turn O
out O
to O
vote O
. O

The O
Channel O
4 O
poll O
, O
which O
was O
carried O
out O
between O
Friday B-T
and O
Wednesday B-T
, O
also O
suggested O
that O
up O
to O
half O
the O
electorate O
had O
not O
firmly O
decided O
which O
way O
they O
would O
vote O
. O

The O
interviews O
which O
formed O
the O
basis O
for O
the O
MORI O
figures O
were O
carried O
out O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0555 O

ZAGREB O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Croatian O
polls O
a O
success O
for O
ruling O
party O
, O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
by O
Tessa O
Fras O

The O
ruling O
Croatian O
Democratic O
Union O
( O
HDZ O
) O
appeared O
set O
to O
keep O
its O
majority O
in O
the O
upper O
house O
of O
parliament O
, O
according O
to O
figures O
broadcast O
by O
television O
Monday B-T
, O
while O
polling O
closed O
in O
the O
troubled O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
region O
. O

With O
almost O
all O
votes O
in O
after O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
elections O
, O
the O
television O
said O
that O
the O
ruling O
party O
was O
expected O
to O
win O
41 O
seats O
of O
the O
63 O
up O
for O
election O
in O
the O
68 O
- O
seat O
House O
of O
Counties O
. O

However O
polling O
stations O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
closed O
a O
day O
late O
after O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
chaos O
where O
incomplete O
voter O
registration O
lists O
and O
missing O
ballot O
papers O
led O
the O
UN O
to O
allow O
a O
second O
day O
' O
s O
voting O
. O

The O
vote O
in O
the O
region O
is O
being O
seen O
as O
a O
key O
step O
in O
restoring O
Zagreb O
' O
s O
control O
in O
a O
region O
that O
separatist O
Serbs O
captured O
in O
bitter O
fighting O
in O
1991 B-T
. O

Local O
Serb O
leader O
Vojislav O
Stanimirovic O
, O
who O
hinted O
on O
Sunday B-T
the O
Serbs O
might O
not O
recognise O
the O
polls O
, O
said O
he O
was O
pleased O
at O
the O
efforts O
made O
by O
the O
UN O
to O
ensure O
the O
vote O
was O
fair O
. O

" O
Yesterday B-T
, O
there O
were O
many O
reasons O
for O
calling O
for O
the O
elections O
to O
be O
annulled O
but O
many O
things O
have O
been O
done O
to O
correct O
these O
irregularities O
and O
for O
this O
reason O
we O
can O
say O
that O
these O
elections O
have O
been O
democratic O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

People O
were O
allowed O
to O
vote O
with O
just O
a O
Croatian O
identity O
card O
while O
those O
who O
had O
yet O
to O
receive O
such O
cards O
were O
allowed O
to O
pick O
them O
up O
during O
Monday B-T
. O

US O
ambassador O
Peter O
Galbraith O
said O
that O
the O
elections O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
had O
been O
fair O
. O

" O
Nobody O
is O
going O
to O
say O
that O
these O
were O
perfect O
elections O
but O
they O
were O
fair O
. O
. O
. O
All O
the O
people O
from O
the O
region O
had O
a O
chance O
to O
cast O
their O
vote O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
, O
estimating O
the O
turnout O
at O
around O
85 O
percent O
. O

The O
ambassador O
is O
one O
of O
the O
architects O
of O
a O
November B-T
1995 I-T
accord O
between O
Zagreb O
and O
the O
rebel O
Serbs O
under O
which O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
is O
being O
returned O
to O
Croatian O
control O
. O

The O
local O
, O
regional O
and O
upper O
house O
elections O
are O
a O
key O
step O
in O
that O
process O
. O
They O
are O
being O
organised O
by O
the O
UN O
mission O
in O
the O
region O
, O
whose O
mandate O
is O
due O
to O
end O
on O
July B-T
15 I-T
. O

UN O
chief O
Jacques O
Klein O
said O
he O
expected O
turnout O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
of O
up O
to O
90 O
percent O
. O

He O
said O
he O
was O
" O
confident O
that O
the O
elections O
will O
be O
able O
to O
be O
certified O
as O
being O
full O
, O
fair O
and O
honest O
, O
" O
and O
cited O
" O
the O
calm O
atmosphere O
, O
and O
the O
fact O
that O
the O
polls O
were O
open O
until O
the B-T
last I-T
voter I-T
. O
" O
Final O
certification O
could O
take O
four O
or O
five B-T
days I-T
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
Klein O
said O
. O

In O
the O
rest O
of O
Croatia O
, O
where O
voting O
ended O
Sunday B-T
, O
results O
were O
pouring O
in O
from O
the O
21 O
regions O
which O
will O
each O
send O
three O
members O
to O
the O
68 O
seat O
upper O
house O
. O
The O
five O
other O
deputies O
are O
appointed O
by O
President O
Franjo O
Tudjman O
. O
Two O
of O
these O
are O
to O
be O
Serb O
candidates O
. O

Croatian O
television O
said O
that O
the O
Croatian O
Peasants O
' O
Party O
( O
HSS O
) O
would O
get O
nine O
seats O
, O
the O
Croatian O
Social O
and O
Liberal O
Party O
( O
HSLS O
) O
seven O
, O
the O
Social O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
SDP O
) O
four O
and O
the O
Istrian O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
IDS O
) O
two O
. O

Preliminary O
unofficial O
results O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
with O
much O
of O
the O
vote O
counted O
, O
Tudjman O
' O
s O
HDZ O
to O
be O
the O
leading O
party O
in O
19 O
regions O
, O
including O
one O
where O
it O
was O
in O
a O
coalition O
with O
other O
parties O
. O

Tudjman O
, O
quoted O
by O
Croatian O
radio O
, O
said O
he O
expected O
an O
HDZ O
victory O
. O
However O
, O
given O
the O
proportional O
electoral O
system O
, O
the O
effect O
on O
the O
seats O
in O
the O
upper O
house O
was O
not O
immediately O
clear O
. O

In O
Zagreb O
, O
opposition O
parties O
won O
a O
slim O
majority O
on O
the O
50 O
seat O
city O
council O
, O
a O
key O
battleground O
with O
the O
ruling O
party O
, O
according O
to O
preliminary O
results O
announced O
in O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

The O
local O
electoral O
commission O
said O
the O
HDZ O
would O
have O
24 O
seats O
, O
the O
opposition O
Social O
Democratic O
Party O
14 O
, O
the O
opposition O
Croatian O
Social O
and O
Liberal O
Party O
( O
HSLS O
) O
nine O
and O
the O
Croatian O
Peasants O
' O
Party O
three O
. O

After O
elections O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
the O
opposition O
parties O
controlled O
the O
city O
council O
, O
but O
a O
crisis O
ensued O
when O
Tudjman O
four O
times O
rejected O
their O
choice O
of O
mayor O
, O
before O
dissolving O
the O
council O
in O
April B-T
, O
drawing O
international O
criticism O
. O

Croatia O
is O
due O
to O
go O
to O
the O
polls O
within O
months O
for O
presidential O
elections O
in O
which O
Tudjman O
, O
74 O
, O
is O
a O
favourite O
to O
win O
a O
third O
term O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0304 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
agencies O
demand O
probe O
into O
situations O
of O
Victoria O
Falls O

UN O
agencies O
have O
asked O
the O
World O
Heritage O
Committee O
( O
WHC O
) O
to O
investigate O
whether O
Victoria O
Falls O
should O
remain O
on O
the O
World O
Heritage O
list O
following O
revelations O
that O
Zambia O
has O
approved O
the O
construction O
of O
500 O
chalets O
in O
the O
rainforest O
, O
local O
newspapers O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

According O
to O
regulations O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
Educational O
, O
Scientific O
and O
Cultural O
Organization O
and O
the O
World O
Conservation O
Union O
, O
the O
construction O
of O
the O
chalets O
would O
negatively O
impact O
on O
the O
natural O
state O
of O
the O
rainforest O
, O
The O
Herald O
said O
. O

After O
a O
three O
- O
day O
consultative O
meeting O
with O
the O
Zambian O
and O
Zimbabwean O
officials O
, O
the O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
World O
Heritage O
Center O
in O
Paris O
Kishore O
Rao O
said O
the O
joint O
consultative O
meetings O
were O
meant O
to O
improve O
conservation O
programs O
on O
both O
sides O
of O
the O
rainforest O
. O

He O
said O
his O
delegation O
was O
looking O
at O
various O
aspects O
that O
included O
tourism O
regulations O
and O
infrastructural O
development O
within O
the O
rainforest O
. O

He O
said O
some O
of O
the O
infrastructural O
developments O
were O
a O
threat O
to O
the O
site O
. O
" O
We O
are O
here O
to O
assess O
the O
state O
of O
the O
site O
in O
terms O
of O
the O
rules O
and O
regulations O
governing O
the O
world O
heritage O
sites O
. O
The O
regulations O
are O
meant O
to O
improve O
the O
state O
of O
conservation O
and O
there O
are O
specific O
regulations O
that O
we O
want O
to O
see O
being O
implemented O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

" O
Some O
infrastructural O
developments O
are O
a O
threat O
to O
the O
site O
and O
we O
are O
making O
assessments O
on O
the O
both O
sides O
of O
the O
site O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Rao O
said O
the O
results O
on O
whether O
or O
not O
to O
de O
- O
list O
the O
site O
as O
a O
World O
Heritage O
Site O
would O
only O
be O
known O
after O
a O
WHC O
meeting O
in O
June B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Rao O
was O
, O
however O
, O
reluctant O
to O
comment O
on O
the O
variance O
between O
Livingstone O
and O
Victoria O
Falls O
in O
terms O
of O
meeting O
the O
requirements O
of O
WHC O
. O
" O
We O
are O
now O
leaving O
for O
Lusaka O
where O
we O
intend O
to O
meet O
government O
officials O
there O
as O
some O
of O
the O
decisions O
might O
be O
political O
. O
So O
it O
will O
be O
premature O
if O
I O
am O
to O
say O
anything O
concerning O
the O
delisting O
of O
the O
site O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
commission O
visited O
a O
refuse O
dumpsite O
at O
the O
Helipad O
, O
and O
on O
the O
Zambian O
side O
they O
visited O
the O
proposed O
site O
of O
the O
500 O
chalets O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0086 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
in O
the O
driving O
seat O
as O
Rolls O
- O
Royce O
expands O
in O
Asia O

China O
has O
overtaken O
Japan O
as O
luxury O
car O
maker O
Rolls O
- O
Royce O
' O
s O
largest O
Asian O
market O
, O
the O
legendary O
marque O
' O
s O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
Ian O
Robertson O
revealed O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
fast O
- O
emerging O
economic O
giant O
last B-T
year I-T
saw O
sales O
of O
the O
super O
- O
luxury O
Rolls O
- O
Royce O
Phantom O
soar O
60 O
percent O
to O
70 O
units O
. O

" O
That O
sort O
of O
growth O
is O
unique O
it O
' O
s O
very O
special O
- O
- O
usually O
5 O
percent O
either O
way O
means O
the O
difference O
between O
a O
great O
year O
and O
a O
not O
so O
great O
year O
in O
other O
markets O
, O
" O
said O
Robertson O
, O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
for O
the O
unveiling O
of O
the O
Peninsula O
Hotel O
' O
s O
new O
fleet O
of O
14 O
Phantoms O
. O

The O
United O
States O
remains O
the O
company O
' O
s O
biggest O
market O
, O
with O
the O
majority O
of O
sales O
there O
made O
in O
Los O
Angeles O
, O
where O
the O
brand O
has O
three O
dealerships O
. O

Britain O
is O
the O
second O
largest O
market O
, O
with O
China O
now B-T
third O
. O

Such O
is O
the O
pace O
of O
growth O
amongst O
Chinese O
buyers O
that O
the O
company O
is O
to O
expand O
its O
four O
dealerships O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Beijing O
, O
Shanghai O
and O
Guangzhou O
to O
seven O
with O
addition O
next O
year O
of O
offices O
in O
Hangzhou O
, O
Shenzgen O
and O
Chengdu O
. O

Rolls O
Royce O
launched O
the O
Phantom O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
its O
first O
model O
since O
the O
former O
British O
company O
was O
acquired O
by O
German O
auto O
manufacturer O
BMW O
in O
1998 B-T
. O

The O
company O
hopes O
to O
sell O
600 O
of O
the O
made O
- O
to O
- O
measure O
cars O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
setting O
a O
16 O
- O
year O
production O
record O
, O
and O
will O
launch O
its O
long O
- O
awaited O
, O
yet O
- O
to O
- O
be O
- O
named O
convertible O
version O
in O
January B-T
2007 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0092 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

( O
Recast O
) O
Thai O
government O
to O
lift O
martial O
law O
in O
41 O
provinces O
including O
Bangkok O

( O
In O
third O
paragraph O
, O
" O
Interior O
Minister O
Boonrawd O
Somtas O
" O
should O
be O
" O
Defense O
Minister O
Boonrawd O
Somtas O
" O
) O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
The O
Thai O
government O
has O
decided O
to O
lift O
martial O
law O
, O
imposed O
shortly O
after O
the O
Sept B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
coup O
, O
in O
some O
parts O
of O
the O
country O
, O
including O
the O
capital O
Bangkok O
, O
media O
reports O
said O
. O

" O
The O
cabinet O
has O
approved O
the O
recommendation O
by O
the O
Council O
for O
National O
Security O
( O
CNS O
) O
to O
lift O
martial O
law O
in O
some O
parts O
of O
the O
country O
, O
" O
Thai O
Prime O
Minister O
Surayud O
Chulanont O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
English O
- O
laguage O
Bangkok O
Post O
website O
as O
saying O
on O
Tuesday B-T
after O
a O
cabinet O
meeting O
. O

Surayud O
, O
however O
, O
did O
not O
specify O
in O
which O
provinces O
martial O
law O
will O
be O
removed O
or O
when O
the O
decision O
would O
take O
effect O
. O
Defense O
Minister O
Boonrawd O
Somtas O
would O
later O
provide O
the O
list O
of O
provinces O
, O
Surayud O
said O
. O

" O
Martial O
law O
will O
be O
lifted O
in O
41 O
provinces O
and O
remain O
in O
( O
the O
other O
) O
35 O
provinces O
, O
due O
to O
both O
domestic O
and O
foreign O
security O
concerns O
, O
as O
well O
as O
concerns O
about O
drug O
smuggling O
and O
illegal O
immigration O
, O
" O
Boonrawd O
later O
told O
reporters O
. O

According O
to O
Boonrawd O
, O
martial O
law O
will O
remain O
in O
provinces O
along O
the O
borders O
and O
some O
areas O
in O
the O
interior O
of O
the O
country O
, O
including O
northern O
and O
northeastern O
provinces O
Khon O
Kaen O
, O
Buri O
Ram O
and O
Chiang O
Mai O
, O
which O
were O
considered O
the O
strongholds O
of O
ousted O
prime O
minister O
Thaksin O
Shinawatra O
and O
his O
Thai O
Rak O
Thai O
Party O
. O

Whereas O
martial O
law O
will O
be O
revoked O
in O
Bangkok O
and O
its O
suburbs O
, O
Boonrawd O
said O
the O
government O
decided O
to O
life O
the O
martial O
law O
in O
Bangkok O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
image O
and O
the O
government O
was O
certain O
that O
it O
would O
be O
able O
to O
control O
the O
situation O
in O
case O
of O
protests O
and O
demonstrations O
. O

Under O
pressure O
from O
international O
arena O
to O
lift O
the O
martial O
law O
since O
the O
coup O
, O
the O
military O
- O
led O
CNS O
on O
Monday B-T
officially O
sent O
its O
proposal O
to O
the O
interim O
government O
it O
installed O
in O
regard O
to O
lifting O
martial O
law O
in O
40 O
provinces O
of O
the O
country O
, O
exclusive O
of O
Bangkok O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0036 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Shanghai O
stock O
index O
down O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
3 O

The O
Composite O
Stock O
Index O
on O
the O
Shanghai O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
at O
1 O
, O
095 O
. O
27 O
points O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
down O
9 O
. O
52 O
points O
from O
the O
previous O
close O
. O

A O
Share O
Index O
: O
1 O
, O
151 O
. O
42 O
points O
, O
down O
10 O
. O
06 O
points O
; O

B O
Share O
Index O
: O
60 O
. O
13 O
points O
, O
down O
0 O
. O
22 O
points O
; O

Total O
Turnover O
: O
7 O
, O
510 O
, O
890 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0083 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Spiritual O
leader O
of O
Chechnya O
' O
s O
Arab O
fighters O
killed O
: O
Internet O

A O
Saudi O
man O
who O
is O
the O
purported O
spiritual O
leader O
of O
Arab O
fighters O
in O
Russia O
' O
s O
rebel O
republic O
of O
Chechnya O
has O
been O
killed O
in O
fighting O
, O
an O
Internet O
statement O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

" O
Sheikh O
Mohammed O
bin O
Abdullah O
bin O
Saif O
al O
- O
Jaber O
al O
- O
Buaynayn O
al O
- O
Tamimi O
, O
also O
known O
as O
Abu O
Omar O
al O
- O
Saif O
, O
the O
spiritual O
guide O
of O
the O
mujahedeen O
( O
holy O
fighters O
) O
in O
Chechnya O
, O
was O
martyred O
during O
a O
fight O
with O
the O
Russians O
, O
the O
enemies O
of O
God O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
, O
whose O
authenticity O
could O
not O
be O
independently O
verified O
. O

Sheikh O
Omar O
, O
described O
as O
the O
" O
judicial O
chief O
in O
the O
Shura O
( O
consultative O
) O
council O
" O
of O
the O
mujahedeen O
, O
left O
Saudi O
Arabia O
10 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
to O
fight O
in O
Chechnya O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
native O
of O
Qassim O
province O
, O
north O
of O
Riyadh O
, O
had O
issued O
numerous O
fatwas O
( O
religious O
edicts O
) O
calling O
for O
jihad O
( O
holy O
war O
) O
and O
is O
the O
author O
of O
several O
video O
and O
audio O
messages O
including O
on O
the O
war O
in O
Iraq O
. O

In O
April B-T
2004 I-T
, O
another O
Saudi O
Abdul O
Aziz O
al O
- O
Ghamdi O
, O
also O
known O
as O
Abu O
Walid O
, O
who O
was O
considered O
by O
Russian O
intelligence O
as O
the O
chief O
of O
Arab O
fighters O
, O
was O
killed O
in O
Chechnya O
. O

Ghamdi O
succeeded O
Arab O
warlord O
" O
Khattab O
, O
" O
who O
was O
also O
Saudi O
- O
born O
, O
after O
he O
was O
killed O
two B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

Saudi O
Arabia O
' O
s O
hardline O
Wahhabite O
brand O
of O
Islam O
has O
a O
strong O
following O
among O
Chechen O
rebels O
fighting O
Russian O
authority O
in O
the O
Caucasus O
republic O
since O
1994 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0286 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israel O
tries O
to O
blow O
up O
situations O
in O
the O
region O
: O
PNA O
official O

The O
spokesman O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
National O
Authority O
( O
PNA O
) O
Nabil O
Abu O
Rudeineh O
accused O
Israel O
on O
Tuesday B-T
evening I-T
for O
trying O
to O
blowup O
the O
situations O
in O
the O
region O
. O

Abu O
Rudeineh O
' O
s O
accusation O
came O
in O
response O
to O
earlier O
statements O
made O
by O
Israeli O
Defense O
Forces O
Chief O
of O
Staff O
Lieutenant O
Dan O
Halutz O
who O
said O
that O
Israel O
will O
continue O
its O
targeted O
killing O
against O
Islamic O
Jihad O
militants O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

Abu O
Rudeineh O
told O
reporters O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
city O
of O
Ramallah O
that O
the O
PNA O
will O
never O
allow O
any O
attempt O
that O
aim O
at O
hindering O
holding O
the O
parliament O
elections O
set O
for O
Jan B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O

He O
added O
that O
" O
the O
PNA O
will O
not O
allow O
any O
side O
to O
destroy O
its O
efforts O
that O
are O
spent O
preparing O
for O
the O
coming O
parliament O
elections O
. O
" O

Abu O
Rudeineh O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
demanded O
the O
Israeli O
government O
to O
stop O
its O
policies O
represented O
by O
incursions O
, O
assassinations O
and O
arrests O
against O
the O
Palestinian O
citizens O
. O

He O
also O
demanded O
the O
Israeli O
government O
to O
offer O
help O
for O
the O
PNA O
in O
guaranteeing O
positive O
atmospheres O
for O
the O
hold O
of O
fair O
Palestinian O
elections O
. O

Halutz O
made O
the O
statements O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
while O
briefing O
the O
Foreign O
Affairs O
and O
Defense O
Committee O
in O
the O
Israeli O
Knesset O
( O
parliament O
) O
on O
the O
security O
situations O
in O
the O
region O
. O

He O
said O
that O
the O
policy O
of O
targeted O
killing O
against O
Palestinian O
militants O
has O
proven O
to O
be O
extremely O
effective O
in O
restricting O
Palestinian O
militants O
' O
terror O
activities O
. O

Targeting O
the O
Islamic O
Jihad O
members O
will O
continue O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
even O
after O
the O
Israeli O
army O
had O
pulled O
out O
from O
the O
strip O
, O
he O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061216 O
. O
0460 O

GAZA O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
new O
clash O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Political O
tension O
gripped O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
Sunday B-T
after O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
called O
for O
early O
elections O
, O
dramatically O
raising O
the O
stakes O
in O
a O
long O
- O
running O
power O
struggle O
with O
the O
ruling O
Hamas O
party O
. O

The O
move O
set O
off O
fears O
that O
the O
standoff O
between O
Hamas O
- O
- O
the O
Islamist O
movement O
that O
swept O
parliamentary O
elections O
at O
the O
start O
of O
this O
year O
- O
- O
and O
the O
president O
' O
s O
own O
Fatah O
faction O
could O
ignite O
into O
full O
- O
blown O
civil O
war O
. O

A O
member O
of O
the O
presidential O
guard O
was O
killed O
and O
several O
people O
injured O
in O
what O
a O
security O
official O
described O
as O
an O
attempt O
Sunday B-T
by O
Hamas O
members O
to O
storm O
a O
presidential O
guard O
training O
camp O
. O

A O
Palestinian O
boy O
was O
shot O
dead O
and O
at O
least O
18 O
others O
wounded O
late B-T
Saturday I-T
as O
thousands O
of O
armed O
loyalists O
of O
the O
two O
rivals O
, O
some O
of O
them O
masked O
, O
took O
to O
the O
streets O
of O
Gaza O
after O
Hamas O
denounced O
Abbas O
' O
s O
move O
as O
tantamount O
to O
a O
coup O
. O

" O
We O
are O
going O
to O
organize O
many O
demonstrations O
to O
prove O
to O
the O
president O
that O
we O
have O
the O
majority O
and O
that O
his O
call O
for O
elections O
is O
unacceptable O
, O
" O
senior O
Hamas O
official O
Ahmed O
Yussef O
told O
AFP O
. O

Abbas O
said O
elections O
were O
the O
way O
to O
resolve O
the O
seething O
tensions O
with O
Hamas O
, O
which O
have O
paralyzed O
the O
Palestinian O
administration O
and O
added O
to O
the O
woes O
of O
a O
people O
suffering O
from O
a O
Western O
aid O
freeze O
. O

" O
We O
are O
living O
through O
difficult O
and O
miserable O
times O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
To O
break O
the O
vicious O
circle O
and O
prevent O
our O
lives O
from O
deteriorating O
further O
and O
our O
cause O
from O
eroding O
, O
I O
have O
decided O
to O
call O
early O
presidential O
and O
legislative O
elections O
. O
Let O
the O
people O
have O
their O
say O
and O
decide O
. O
" O

No O
date O
was O
set O
, O
but O
a O
senior O
aide O
to O
Abbas O
said O
the O
polls O
would O
take O
place O
" O
between O
now B-T
and I-T
three I-T
months I-T
" O
. O

British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
, O
who O
touched O
down O
Saturday B-T
in O
Cairo O
as O
part O
of O
a O
Middle O
East O
tour O
, O
welcomed O
Abbas O
' O
s O
call O
and O
urged O
the O
international O
community O
to O
rally O
behind O
the O
president O
. O

The O
United O
States O
said O
it O
hoped O
that O
elections O
would O
help O
quell O
violence O
, O
while O
Israel O
- O
- O
which O
views O
Hamas O
as O
a O
terrorist O
organisation O
that O
refuses O
to O
recognize O
the O
Jewish O
state O
- O
- O
said O
it O
supported O
the O
moderate O
president O
. O

Abbas O
left O
the O
door O
open O
to O
forming O
a O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
, O
composed O
of O
technocrats O
, O
thus O
avoiding O
what O
would O
be O
the O
third O
election O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
since O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
was O
formed O
in O
1994 B-T
. O

Hamas O
responded O
angrily O
, O
saying O
that O
Abbas O
' O
s O
move O
represented O
" O
a O
coup O
d O
' O
etat O
against O
the O
will O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
" O
. O

" O
Today B-T
what O
we O
have O
heard O
from O
Abu O
Mazen O
is O
a O
call O
, O
which O
if O
God O
willing O
we O
will O
try O
to O
avoid O
, O
for O
a O
civil O
war O
, O
" O
Yussef O
said O
earlier O
Saturday B-T
. O

Complicating O
the O
crisis O
is O
the O
fact O
that O
Palestinian O
basic O
law O
does O
not O
address O
the O
issue O
of O
early O
elections O
. O
The O
current O
parliament O
, O
elected O
in O
January B-T
, O
normally O
would O
remain O
in O
place O
until O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2010 I-T
. O

Abbas O
' O
s O
declaration O
followed O
a B-T
week I-T
of O
rising O
tensions O
and O
violence O
between O
his O
Fatah O
party O
and O
Hamas O
, O
and O
followed O
the O
collapse O
of O
months O
of O
tortuous O
talks O
on O
forming O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
Hamas O
accused O
Fatah O
loyalists O
of O
targeting O
Hamas O
prime O
minister O
Ismail O
Haniya O
after O
his O
convoy O
came O
under O
fire O
in O
southern O
Gaza O
, O
killing O
his O
bodyguard O
and O
injuring O
one O
of O
his O
sons O
. O

A O
Palestinian O
security O
official O
told O
AFP O
that O
Hamas O
members O
tried O
to O
storm O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
a O
training O
camp O
in O
southern O
Gaza O
for O
the O
presidential O
guard O
, O
triggering O
an O
intense O
exchange O
of O
automatic O
weapons O
and O
rocket O
- O
propelled O
grenade O
fire O
in O
which O
one O
camp O
guard O
was O
killed O
. O

Hamas O
officials O
were O
not O
immediately O
available O
for O
comment O
. O

The O
Fatah O
- O
Hamas O
talks O
failed O
over O
the O
Islamists O
' O
refusal O
to O
bend O
to O
Western O
demands O
that O
it O
renounce O
violence O
, O
recognize O
Israel O
and O
accept O
past O
peace O
deals O
, O
and O
over O
allocation O
of O
key O
ministerial O
posts O
. O

Like O
Israel O
, O
the O
West O
considers O
Hamas O
a O
terrorist O
organization O
. O
It O
froze O
direct O
aid O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
government O
after O
the O
Islamists O
took O
office O
, O
plunging O
the O
territories O
into O
unprecedented O
financial O
crisis O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0258 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Former O
Malaysian O
PM O
says O
world O
safety O
deteriorating O

Visiting O
former O
Malaysian O
prime O
minister O
, O
Mahathir O
Mohamad O
, O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
world O
safety O
has O
worsened O
judging O
by O
the O
increasing O
number O
of O
bombings O
and O
terrorist O
cases O
across O
the O
globe O
. O

Mohamad O
said O
this O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
reporters O
soon O
after O
meeting O
Zimbabwean O
President O
Robert O
Mugabe O
at O
State O
House O
. O

" O
The O
world O
is O
still O
not O
safe O
today B-T
, O
in O
fact O
it O
is O
getting O
worse O
. O
For O
example O
, O
travelers O
are O
no O
longer O
safe O
because O
of O
terrorism O
while O
in O
different O
places O
such O
as O
America O
, O
bombings O
continue O
to O
occur O
. O
" O

He O
condemned O
the O
unipolar O
world O
now B-T
existing O
in O
world O
politics O
, O
saying O
it O
was O
an O
unfortunate O
phenomenon O
that O
other O
countries O
in O
the O
world O
could O
not O
tackle O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
bad O
thing O
that O
is O
happening O
but O
unfortunately O
we O
can O
not O
opt O
for O
the O
other O
side O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
he O
described O
Zimbabwe O
as O
a O
rich O
nation O
with O
great O
potential O
for O
development O
. O

He O
also O
spoke O
out O
in O
support O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
land O
reform O
program O
that O
has O
seen O
thousands O
of O
landless O
blacks O
being O
given O
land O
. O

" O
Zimbabwe O
is O
now O
independent O
and O
the O
whites O
should O
know O
that O
what O
they O
had O
during O
the O
colonial O
period O
, O
they O
cannot O
have O
now B-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
will O
leave O
Zimbabwe O
on O
Wednesday B-T
after O
a O
three O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
for O
Lesotho O
to O
attend O
the O
Southern O
African O
International O
Dialogue O
( O
SAID O
) O
, O
a O
forum O
established O
to O
discuss O
various O
issues O
affecting O
the O
region O
and O
the O
way O
forward O
. O

Mahathir O
retired O
as O
the O
Malaysian O
prime O
minister O
in O
October B-T
, I-T
2003 I-T
after O
22 B-T
years I-T
at O
the O
helm O
and O
was O
replaced O
by O
Abdullah O
Ahmad O
Badawi O
. O

Since O
retirement O
, O
he O
has O
spent O
most O
of O
his O
time O
traveling O
and O
delivering O
speeches O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0125 O

KUWAIT O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
comments O
by O
UAE O
minister O
/ O
/ O
/ O

OPEC O
members O
look O
set O
to O
maintain O
their O
production O
quota O
but O
have O
yet O
to O
agree O
on O
renewing O
an O
offer O
of O
extra O
capacity O
, O
the O
cartel O
' O
s O
chief O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
ahead O
of O
a O
one O
- O
day O
meeting O
in O
Kuwait O
. O

The O
Organisation O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
has O
a O
production O
quota O
of O
28 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
( O
bpd O
) O
, O
but O
in O
September B-T
the O
11 O
- O
nation O
group O
created O
a O
standby O
two O
- O
million O
bpd O
allocation O
to O
offset O
hurricane O
disruption O
to O
US O
output O
. O

Sheikh O
Ahmad O
Fahd O
al O
- O
Sabah O
, O
Kuwait O
' O
s O
energy O
minister O
and O
also O
current O
OPEC O
president O
, O
said O
he O
and O
fellow O
ministers O
would O
discuss O
the O
matter O
at O
the O
meeting O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Asked O
by O
reporters O
whether O
there O
was O
a O
consensus O
on O
the O
28 O
- O
million O
- O
bpd O
quota O
, O
he O
said O
: O
" O
I O
believe O
that O
we O
will O
continue O
with O
our O
production O
level O
. O
" O

As O
for O
the O
offer O
of O
extra O
capacity O
, O
Sheikh O
Ahmad O
said O
: O
" O
From O
the O
beginning O
there O
are O
different O
opinions O
. O
For O
that O
I O
cannot O
decide O
now B-T
, O
we O
will O
have O
to O
discuss O
it O
in O
the O
meetings O
. O
" O

Turning O
to O
the O
crucial O
issue O
of O
demand O
for O
energy O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
, O
which O
typically O
wanes O
in O
line O
with O
a O
warmer O
climate O
in O
the O
industrialised O
northern O
hemisphere O
, O
the O
OPEC O
chief O
indicated O
that O
now B-T
was O
not O
the O
time O
to O
make O
a O
decision O
on O
how O
to O
counter O
such O
a O
slump O
. O

Instead O
, O
ministers O
may O
meet O
again O
next B-T
month I-T
or O
in O
early B-T
February I-T
. O

" O
In O
our O
experience O
always O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
there O
is O
a O
decrease O
in O
demand O
and O
I O
think O
for O
that O
reason O
some O
of O
my O
colleagues O
have O
already O
made O
their O
comments O
about O
their O
worries O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
, O
" O
said O
Shiekh O
Ahmad O
. O

" O
May O
be O
we O
can O
have O
a O
meeting O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
January I-T
, O
beginning O
of O
February B-T
to O
monitor O
the O
market O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
. O
" O

Kuwait O
is O
hosting O
the O
138th O
OPEC O
conference O
at O
a O
hotel O
in O
Kuwait O
City O
amid O
tight O
security O
. O

It O
is O
only O
the O
second O
time O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
country O
has O
played O
host O
to O
the O
cartel O
. O
The O
last O
such O
meeting O
here O
was O
in O
1966 B-T
. O

First O
to O
arrive O
Friday B-T
was O
Algerian O
Energy O
Minister O
Chakib O
Khelil O
who O
voiced O
support O
for O
maintaining O
the O
status O
quo O
, O
including O
the O
extra O
capacity O
pledge O
. O

" O
The O
position O
of O
Algeria O
is O
to O
continue O
with O
the O
two O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
, O
we O
have O
to O
work O
for O
a O
stable O
market O
, O
" O
Khelil O
said O
. O

" O
We O
should O
be O
able O
to O
constantly O
supply O
so O
that O
the O
economic O
growth O
in O
the O
world O
should O
be O
maintained O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

United O
Arab O
Emirates O
Energy O
Minister O
Mohammad O
bin O
Dhaen O
al O
- O
Hamli O
said O
in O
Abu O
Dhabi O
on O
Saturday B-T
before O
leaving O
for O
Kuwait O
that O
OPEC O
was O
likely O
to O
extend O
the O
standby O
allocation O
for O
another B-T
period I-T
of I-T
three I-T
months I-T
, O
the O
official O
WAM O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
majority O
of O
ministers O
- O
- O
including O
OPEC O
heavyweights O
Ali O
al O
- O
Nuaimi O
, O
oil O
minister O
for O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
and O
Kazem O
Vaziri O
- O
Hamaneh O
, O
interim O
oil O
minister O
for O
Iran O
- O
- O
are O
not O
expected O
in O
Kuwait O
until O
Sunday B-T
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
Sheikh O
Ahmad O
said O
the O
meeting O
was O
unlikely O
to O
decide O
on O
the O
optimal O
price O
band O
mechanism O
for O
oil O
, O
which O
hit O
an O
all O
- O
time O
high O
of O
70 O
. O
85 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
New O
York O
on O
August B-T
30 I-T
following O
Hurricane O
Katrina O
, O
which O
devastated O
refining O
and O
crude O
production O
facilities O
along O
the O
US O
Gulf O
Coast O
. O

" O
Maybe O
we O
start O
to O
discuss O
the O
( O
price O
band O
) O
mechanism O
. O
. O
. O
but O
there O
will O
be O
no O
resolution O
at O
this O
meeting O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

When O
asked O
what O
he O
thought O
was O
a O
fair O
price O
for O
oil O
, O
he O
said O
: O
" O
I O
think O
it O
is O
still O
between O
35 B-T
and O
55 O
, O
" O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
. O

Hamli O
for O
his O
part O
put O
the O
fair O
price O
between O
40 B-T
and O
50 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
, O
said O
WAM O
. O

Oil O
prices O
shot O
above O
61 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
for O
the O
first O
time O
for O
more O
than O
a O
month O
in O
New O
York O
trading O
on O
Friday B-T
before O
easing O
to O
close O
at O
59 O
. O
39 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
on O
profit O
- O
taking O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0431 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russian O
FM O
warns O
against O
discussing O
energy O
security O
without O
Russia O

Discussing O
energy O
security O
without O
Russia O
would O
be O
unproductive O
, O
Russian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Sergei O
Lavrov O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
that O
attempts O
to O
discuss O
energy O
security O
in O
any O
format O
without O
Russia O
could O
be O
productive O
and O
could O
promote O
energy O
security O
, O
" O
Lavrov O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
as O
saying O
in O
comments O
on O
NATO O
' O
s O
debate O
on O
the O
issue O
at O
a O
summit O
in O
Riga O
, O
Latvia O
. O

" O
Energy O
security O
is O
a O
subject O
that O
concerns O
everybody O
, O
" O
and O
the O
interests O
of O
all O
key O
players O
- O
- O
suppliers O
, O
consumers O
and O
transit O
countries O
- O
- O
should O
be O
taken O
into O
account O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Russia O
supplies O
about O
25 O
percent O
of O
the O
gas O
and O
oil O
consumed O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
, O
which O
is O
keen O
to O
formulate O
new O
principles O
of O
energy O
cooperation O
with O
Moscow O
. O

EU O
leaders O
want O
Moscow O
to O
commit O
to O
the O
Energy O
Charter O
, O
a O
document O
that O
regulates O
transit O
and O
investment O
in O
the O
energy O
sector O
and O
allows O
for O
greater O
market O
competition O
from O
foreign O
companies O
. O
Russia O
, O
however O
, O
has O
so O
far O
refused O
to O
ratify O
the O
charter O
. O

Energy O
security O
should O
be O
regulated O
by O
long O
- O
term O
agreements O
that O
would O
stabilize O
both O
supply O
and O
demand O
, O
Lavrov O
said O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0014 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0014 O
. O

Dividend O
News O
: O

@ O
Avon O
Rent O
- O
a O
- O
Car O
amp O
Truck O
Corp O
. O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

AVON O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

AVON O
RENT O
- O
A O
- O
CAR O
amp O
TRUCK O
Corp O
. O
said O
it O
declared O
a O
dividend O
of O
one O
warrant O
for O
each O
three O
shares O
of O
common O
stock O
. O

Currently O
, O
Avon O
, O
based O
in O
Santa O
Monica O
, O
Calif O
. O
, O
has O
3 O
. O
3 O
million O
common O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

About O
1 O
. O
1 O
million O
Class O
C O
warrants O
were O
issued O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

Each O
of O
the O
Class O
C O
warrants O
will O
enable O
the O
holders O
to O
purchase O
one O
share O
of O
common O
stock O
at O
$ O
5 O
. O
50 O
. O

The O
warrants O
may O
be O
exercised O
until O
90 B-T
days I-T
after O
their O
issue O
date O
. O

Avon O
also O
said O
it O
will O
issue O
an O
additional O
243 O
, O
677 O
of O
the O
Class O
C O
warrants O
to O
holders O
of O
its O
Class O
A O
, O
Class O
B O
and O
unclassified O
warrants O
. O

Issuance O
of O
those O
warrants O
will O
be O
at O
the O
rate O
of O
one O
- O
third O
warrant O
for O
each O
warrant O
exercised O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0264 O

ROME O
, O
April B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Italy O
weclomes O
Albanian O
refugees O
with O
mixed O
feelings O
by O
Anne O
- O
Marie O
Chapelan O

While O
Italy O
prepares O
to O
lead O
a O
multinational O
force O
to O
Albania O
, O
it O
has O
given O
a O
mixed O
welcome O
to O
the O
influx O
of O
refugees O
who O
have O
fled O
across O
the O
Adriatic O
from O
the O
stricken O
Balkan O
nation O
. O

Since O
March B-T
13 I-T
, O
around O
13 O
, O
000 O
Albanians O
have O
arrived O
in O
Italy O
by O
boat O
to O
rejoin O
their O
64 O
, O
000 O
compatriots O
there O
, O
according O
to O
officials O
. O

The O
Albanian O
immigrant O
community O
is O
second O
only O
in O
size O
in O
Italy O
to O
the O
Moroccan O
community O
, O
estimated O
to O
number O
some O
119 O
, O
000 O
. O

Albania O
has O
been O
gripped O
by O
instability O
since O
anti O
- O
government O
protests O
over O
the O
collapse O
of O
bogus O
investment O
schemes O
turned O
into O
armed O
rebellion O
as O
insurgents O
took O
control O
of O
a O
string O
of O
towns O
in O
the O
south O
. O

Amid O
the O
anarchy O
, O
and O
given O
that O
Albania O
was O
already O
Europe O
' O
s O
poorest O
country O
, O
many O
people O
are O
desperate O
to O
escape O
, O
anywhere O
and O
anyhow O
. O

A O
bid O
by O
one O
group O
to O
sail O
across O
to O
Italy O
ended O
in O
tragedy O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
when O
their O
tug O
boat O
collided O
with O
an O
Italian O
naval O
ship O
. O
Four O
people O
were O
drowned O
and O
scores O
more O
reported O
missing O
, O
presumed O
dead O
. O

The O
influx O
of O
refugees O
, O
who O
have O
been O
put O
up O
in O
40 O
reception O
centres O
, O
has O
sparked O
protests O
. O

The O
mayors O
of O
some O
cities O
, O
particularly O
the O
more O
affluent O
ones O
in O
the O
north O
, O
have O
refused O
to O
host O
refugees O
. O
The O
separatist O
Northern O
League O
has O
already O
warned O
that O
they O
will O
bring O
disease O
to O
the O
region O
. O

" O
The O
delinquents O
should O
be O
thrown O
back O
into O
the O
sea O
, O
" O
complained O
Irene O
Pivetti O
, O
the O
former O
speaker O
of O
the O
lower O
house O
of O
parliament O
. O

The O
tug O
boat O
drama O
" O
proved O
me O
right O
, O
" O
she O
insisted O
. O
" O
These O
women O
and O
children O
were O
taken O
hostage O
by O
unscrupulous O
criminals O
. O
The O
refugees O
must O
return O
home O
. O
" O

Roberto O
Rambaldi O
, O
a O
top O
official O
with O
the O
Catholic O
humanitarian O
agency O
Caritas O
, O
said O
: O
" O
There O
is O
a O
hidden O
racism O
in O
Italy O
, O
an O
underlined O
xenophobia O
. O
" O

Many O
of O
the O
immigrants O
were O
considered O
" O
liars O
or O
burglers O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
even O
though O
they O
often O
did O
work O
that O
Italians O
did O
not O
want O
, O
such O
as O
labouring O
in O
fields O
or O
looking O
after O
the O
elderly O
. O

" O
Albania O
is O
a O
violent O
country O
which O
has O
been O
a O
fulcrum O
of O
oil O
and O
arms O
trafficking O
( O
toward O
the O
former O
Yugoslavia O
) O
, O
" O
he O
added O
, O
" O
where O
it O
was O
easy O
to O
make O
money O
. O
" O

But O
the O
main O
problem O
was O
the O
link O
between O
organised O
crime O
in O
Albania O
and O
Greece O
and O
the O
Italian O
Mafia O
, O
especially O
in O
prostitution O
and O
child O
exploitation O
. O

" O
How O
can O
a O
country O
of O
57 O
million O
people O
, O
the O
fifth O
economy O
in O
the O
world O
, O
be O
afraid O
of O
thousands O
of O
refugees O
? O
" O
asked O
Luigi O
Manconi O
, O
spokesman O
of O
the O
Green O
party O
. O

Left O
- O
wing O
and O
anti O
- O
racist O
organisations O
plan O
to O
hold O
a O
rally O
Sunday B-T
in O
the O
souther O
port O
of O
Brindisi O
in O
a O
show O
of O
solidarity O
with O
the O
refugees O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0198 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
deaths O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Iraqi O
Red O
Crescent O
aid O
workers O
suspended O
work O
in O
war O
- O
torn O
Baghdad O
on O
Monday B-T
after O
two O
dozen O
of O
their O
colleagues O
fell O
victim O
to O
the O
latest O
mass O
kidnap O
to O
shock O
a O
city O
plagued O
by O
sectarian O
violence O
. O

At O
least O
14 O
Iraqis O
were O
killed O
in O
a O
string O
of O
bombings O
and O
shootings O
as O
new O
US O
Defence O
Secretary O
Robert O
Gates O
prepared O
to O
take O
office O
in O
Washington O
amid O
deepening O
US O
divisions O
about O
how O
to O
handle O
the O
worsening O
crisis O
in O
Iraq O
. O

" O
Only O
in O
Baghdad O
have O
we O
stopped O
, O
to O
make O
more O
pressure O
to O
free O
those O
who O
have O
been O
kidnapped O
, O
" O
the O
Iraqi O
Red O
Crescent O
' O
s O
secretary O
general O
Mazen O
Abdallah O
told O
AFP O
one O
day O
after O
the O
abductions O
. O

" O
We O
are O
the O
only O
organisation O
working O
in O
all O
Iraq O
. O
We O
don O
' O
t O
want O
to O
stop O
, O
" O
he O
added O
, O
emphasising O
that O
the O
closure O
applied O
only O
to O
the O
Red O
Crescent O
' O
s O
health O
and O
relief O
workers O
in O
the O
capital O
. O

In O
addition O
to O
the O
main O
branch O
targeted O
in O
the O
kidnapping O
, O
the O
Iraqi O
Red O
Crescent O
has O
closed O
another O
40 O
subsidiary O
offices O
in O
Baghdad O
, O
affecting O
more O
than O
600 O
staff O
, O
a O
large O
proportion O
of O
them O
security O
guards O
, O
Abdallah O
said O
. O

Thirteen O
of O
the O
30 O
men O
snatched O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
brazen O
raid O
by O
gunmen O
dressed O
in O
police O
uniforms O
have O
been O
released O
, O
including O
three O
guards O
from O
the O
nearby O
Dutch O
embassy O
and O
10 O
Red O
Crescent O
guards O
and O
drivers O
, O
Abdallah O
added O
. O

But O
17 O
people O
, O
including O
relief O
and O
health O
workers O
- O
- O
a O
mixed O
group O
of O
Shiite O
and O
Sunni O
staff O
- O
- O
are O
still O
missing O
following O
the O
second O
mass O
abduction O
to O
terrorise O
Baghdad O
in O
less B-T
than I-T
a I-T
week I-T
. O

The O
International O
Committee O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
, O
part O
of O
the O
same O
movement O
, O
has O
called O
for O
the O
immediate O
and O
unconditional O
release O
of O
the O
hostages O
, O
and O
condemned O
the O
kidnapping O
as O
a O
breach O
of O
international O
humanitarian O
law O
. O

Fully O
aware O
of O
the O
ugly O
sectarian O
tensions O
threatening O
to O
rip O
Iraq O
apart O
, O
Abdallah O
said O
he O
ordered O
his O
staff O
not O
to O
reveal O
their O
family O
names O
while O
at O
work O
, O
in O
order O
not O
to O
disclose O
their O
religious O
or O
ethnic O
background O
. O

With O
US O
experts O
and O
politicians O
increasingly O
anxious O
over O
how O
to O
manage O
the O
chaos O
in O
Iraq O
, O
where O
around O
129 O
, O
000 O
US O
troops O
are O
clashing O
with O
insurgents O
and O
training O
local O
forces O
to O
take O
over O
, O
a O
new O
defence O
secretary O
was O
to O
take O
office O
. O

Gates O
, O
a O
former O
Central O
Intelligence O
Agency O
director O
, O
will O
be O
sworn O
in O
at O
the O
Pentagon O
just O
three B-T
days I-T
after O
his O
predecessor O
Donald O
Rumsfeld O
, O
blamed O
for O
the O
current O
mess O
in O
Iraq O
, O
was O
given O
a O
full O
honours O
send O
- O
off O
. O

His O
arrival O
precedes O
the O
announcement O
of O
a O
new O
policy O
on O
Iraq O
set O
to O
be O
unveiled O
by O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
- O
- O
a O
new O
strategy O
that O
Gates O
is O
likely O
to O
be O
involved O
in O
shaping O
. O

Options O
under O
consideration O
reportedly O
include O
boosting O
the O
number O
of O
US O
soldiers O
by O
between O
20 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
and O
50 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
to O
secure O
Baghdad O
, O
forging O
an O
alliance O
between O
moderate O
Iraqi O
Shiites O
and O
Sunnis O
at O
the O
expense O
of O
radicals O
on O
both O
sides O
, O
or O
even O
throwing O
the O
US O
lot O
in O
with O
the O
majority O
Shiites O
. O

Bush O
has O
effectively O
dismissed O
a O
report O
by O
the O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
, O
a O
bipartisan O
panel O
of O
foreign O
policy O
luminaries O
, O
which O
recommended O
wrapping O
up O
US O
combat O
operations O
in O
the O
country O
by O
early B-T
2008 I-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
violence O
continues O
unchecked O
. O
In O
Baghdad O
, O
five O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
19 O
wounded O
when O
a O
car O
bomb O
exploded O
in O
a O
bustling O
marketplace O
in O
the O
mixed O
Shiite O
- O
Sunni O
neighbourhood O
of O
Saidiyah O
, O
a O
security O
source O
said O
. O

A O
national O
electricity O
employee O
, O
a O
police O
colonel O
and O
a O
university O
guard O
were O
also O
killed O
in O
separate O
attacks O
, O
security O
sources O
said O
. O

Five O
more O
civilians O
were O
killed O
in O
the O
Baquba O
area O
, O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
with O
one O
attack O
targeting O
mourners O
accompanying O
bodies O
to O
the O
Shiite O
religious O
south O
for O
burial O
, O
police O
and O
medical O
sources O
said O
. O

In O
the O
northern O
city O
of O
Mosul O
, O
unidentified O
gunmen O
ambushed O
and O
shot O
dead O
Khayreddin O
al O
- O
Dabbagh O
, O
a O
member O
of O
the O
municipal O
council O
, O
police O
said O
. O

The O
US O
military O
also O
announced O
that O
two O
more O
troops O
were O
killed O
in O
action O
, O
bringing O
the O
number O
of O
US O
fatalities O
in O
Iraq O
since O
the O
2003 O
invasion O
to O
2 O
, O
946 O
, O
according O
to O
an O
AFP O
count O
based O
on O
Pentagon O
figures O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0292 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Legend O
Best O
' O
s O
hour O
are O
numbered O
, O
says O
doctor O

Football O
legend O
George O
Best O
faces O
no O
chance O
of O
recovery O
and O
his O
final O
hours O
are O
numbered O
as O
his O
deteriorating O
condition O
was O
irreversible O
, O
his O
personal O
doctor O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Best O
, O
59 O
, O
could O
not O
recover O
from O
the O
internal O
bleeding O
that O
developed O
last B-T
night I-T
, O
Professor O
Roger O
Williams O
said O
. O

Just O
before O
1300 O
GMT O
, O
he O
said O
the O
former O
Northern O
Ireland O
international O
would O
not O
survive O
another O
24 O
hours O
. O

Family O
and O
friends O
have O
visited O
Best O
in O
London O
' O
s O
Cromwell O
Hospital O
, O
where O
he O
has O
been O
treated O
for O
a O
lung O
infection O
. O

Later O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
Professor O
Williams O
added O
there O
had O
been O
" O
no O
change O
, O
just O
deterioration O
" O
in O
Best O
' O
s O
condition O
. O

When O
Best O
' O
s O
closest O
family O
arrived O
at O
the O
west O
London O
hospital O
, O
they O
asked O
the O
gathered O
media O
not O
to O
film O
or O
photograph O
them O
as O
they O
went O
in O
. O

Best O
has O
been O
in O
hospital O
for O
eight B-T
weeks I-T
, O
after O
initially O
suffering O
flu O
- O
like O
symptoms O
, O
but O
deteriorated O
with O
a O
lung O
infection O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Professor O
Williams O
said O
: O
" O
Mr O
. O
Best O
is O
coming O
to O
the O
end O
of O
the O
long O
road O
of O
his O
ill O
health O
. O

" O
The O
situation O
is O
that O
medically O
the O
intensive O
care O
team O
and O
everybody O
concerned O
have O
managed O
to O
cope O
with O
pretty O
well O
all O
of O
the O
complications O
except O
the O
one O
that O
has O
happened O
again O
during O
the B-T
night I-T
- O
this O
bleeding O
. O

" O
Although O
[ O
the O
blood O
] O
has O
been O
replaced O
, O
it O
has O
now O
affected B-T
the O
lungs O
and O
other O
parts O
, O
and O
there O
is O
really O
no O
return O
from O
that O
situation O
. O

" O
It O
is O
just O
not O
possible O
to O
recover O
from O
that O
. O
" O

He O
added O
: O
" O
He O
is O
still O
having O
standard O
medical O
care O
and O
treatment O
but O
I O
have O
to O
tell O
you O
that O
his O
hours O
are O
numbered O
now B-T
and O
it O
' O
s O
all O
very O
upsetting O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0083 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Dollar O
stays O
at O
lower O
119 O
yen O
level O
in O
Tokyo O

The O
US O
dollar O
inched O
up O
to O
the O
lower O
119 O
yen O
level O
Friday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
, O
as O
market O
players O
sold O
the O
yen O
following O
the O
announcement O
by O
the O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
that O
it O
is O
maintaining O
its O
super O
- O
loose O
monetary O
policy O
. O

At O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
, O
the O
dollar O
was O
quoted O
at O
119 O
. O
22 O
- O
24 O
yen O
, O
up O
from O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
quotes O
of O
118 O
. O
76 O
- O
86 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
and O
118 O
. O
98 O
- O
119 O
. O
00 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
. O

It O
moved O
between O
118 O
. O
70 O
yen O
and O
119 O
. O
29 O
yen O
during O
the B-T
day I-T
, O
trading O
most O
frequently O
at O
118 O
. O
90 O
yen O
. O

The O
euro O
was O
quoted O
at O
1 O
. O
1712 O
- O
1714 O
dollars O
and O
139 O
. O
63 O
- O
67 O
yen O
against O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
quotes O
of O
1 O
. O
1743 O
- O
1753 O
dollars O
and O
139 O
. O
59 O
- O
69 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
and O
1 O
. O
1654 O
- O
1656 O
dollars O
and O
138 O
. O
66 O
- O
70 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061217 O
. O
0145 O

KANDAHAR O
, O
Afghanistan O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

30 O
Taliban O
rebels O
killed O
in O
NATO O
Afghan O
raid O

A O
NATO O
- O
led O
airstrike O
in O
southern O
Afghanistan O
this B-T
week I-T
killed O
up O
to O
30 O
Taliban O
fighters O
including O
two O
commanders O
, O
the O
governor O
of O
the O
troubled O
Kandahar O
province O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

Warplanes O
from O
the O
NATO O
- O
led O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
( O
ISAF O
) O
bombed O
a O
compound O
serving O
as O
a O
Taliban O
command O
post O
in O
the O
Panjwayi O
district O
of O
the O
volatile O
Kandahar O
province O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
alliance O
at O
the O
time O
did O
not O
provide O
information O
on O
casualties O
, O
saying O
that O
toll O
was O
being O
assessed O
. O

" O
According O
to O
intelligence O
reports O
, O
we O
' O
ve O
killed O
30 O
Taliban O
including O
some O
of O
their O
commanders O
, O
" O
Kandahar O
governor O
Asadullah O
Khalid O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
on O
Sunday B-T
, I-T
four I-T
days I-T
after O
the O
raid O
. O

He O
said O
Taliban O
regional O
commanders O
Mullah O
Abdul O
Wali O
and O
Mullah O
Sher O
Jan O
, O
and O
low O
- O
ranking O
rebel O
commander O
Mullah O
Abdul O
Nafi O
, O
were O
among O
those O
killed O
in O
the O
air O
raid O
. O

Hundreds O
of O
ISAF O
troops O
backed O
by O
Afghan O
security O
forces O
this B-T
week I-T
launched O
a O
major O
operation O
in O
Panjwayi O
, O
a O
known O
Taliban O
stronghold O
where O
in O
mid O
- O
September O
troops O
fought O
a O
major O
battle O
with O
insurgents O
. O

More O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
militants O
were O
killed O
in O
the O
earlier O
operation O
named O
" O
Medusa O
" O
. O

ISAF O
on O
Friday B-T
dropped O
leaflets O
on O
insurgent O
positions O
warning O
them O
to O
leave O
the O
area O
before O
troops O
force O
them O
to O
quit O
. O

The O
governor O
, O
citing O
security O
reasons O
, O
did O
not O
provide O
details O
on O
the O
latest O
operation O
, O
named O
" O
Baaz O
Tsuka O
" O
. O

Despite O
being O
forced O
out O
from O
power O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
remnants O
of O
the O
Taliban O
are O
still O
active O
and O
have O
been O
carrying O
out O
fierce O
attacks O
. O

Some O
4 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
including O
1 O
, O
000 O
civilians O
, O
have O
died O
in O
Taliban O
- O
led O
violence O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
bloodiest O
since O
the O
toppling O
of O
their O
regime O
in O
late B-T
2001 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0068 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

PNA O
insists O
on O
release O
of O
all O
Palestinian O
prisoners O

A O
senior O
Palestinian O
official O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
Palestinian O
National O
Authority O
( O
PNA O
) O
will O
not O
reach O
any O
agreement O
with O
Israel O
before O
release O
of O
all O
Palestinian O
prisoners O
. O

Minister O
of O
Prisoners O
' O
Affairs O
Sufian O
Abu O
Zayda O
told O
the O
Voice O
of O
Palestine O
that O
the O
PNA O
insists O
on O
releasing O
all O
the O
Palestinian O
prisoners O
from O
Israeli O
jails O
without O
any O
discrimination O
. O

Abu O
Zayda O
made O
the O
remarks O
after O
visiting O
ill O
Palestinian O
prisoners O
in O
Al O
- O
Ramla O
and O
Beer O
Sheva O
detentions O
, O
where O
some O
of O
them O
received O
medical O
treatment O
. O

" O
The O
prisoners O
' O
health O
condition O
needs O
an O
immediate O
interference O
of O
international O
human O
rights O
institutions O
and O
medical O
teams O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
accused O
the O
Israeli O
prison O
authorities O
of O
negligence O
toward O
ill O
prisoners O
. O

There O
are O
reportedly O
more O
than O
8 O
, O
000 O
Palestinian O
prisoners O
held O
in O
Israeli O
jails O
. O

Israel O
claims O
that O
it O
will O
never O
release O
those O
" O
with O
blood O
on O
their O
hands O
, O
" O
referring O
to O
Palestinians O
who O
were O
involved O
in O
attacks O
on O
Israeli O
targets O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0038 O

DAR O
ES O
SALAAM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tanzania O
ready O
for O
Anoca O
Games O

Tanzania O
has O
confirmed O
participation O
in O
the O
forthcoming O
Association O
of O
National O
Olympic O
Committees O
of O
Africa O
( O
Anoca O
) O
Zone O
Five O
U O
- O
20 O
Games O
. O

Tanzania O
has O
thus O
joined O
Burundi O
, O
Egypt O
, O
Ethiopia O
, O
Eritrea O
, O
Kenya O
, O
Rwanda O
, O
Somalia O
, O
Sudan O
and O
Uganda O
in O
the O
Games O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Nairobi O
of O
Kenya O
between O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
and O
5 O
. O

The O
Anoca O
Games O
will O
feature O
four O
sports O
of O
track O
and O
field O
, O
boxing O
, O
cycling O
and O
basketball O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0068 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepal O

Four O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
15 O
injured O
in O
a O
road O
accident O
in O
central O
Nepal O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
local O
police O
office O
said O
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
when O
a O
passenger O
bus O
bound O
for O
Narayangarh O
from O
Pokhara O
skidded O
off O
the O
road O
and O
fell O
into O
Trishuli O
river O
on O
the O
Mugling O
- O
Narayangarh O
road O
section O
of O
Chitwan O
district O
, O
some O
200 O
km O
west O
of O
Kathmandu O
, O
local O
police O
office O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
mishap O
occurred O
when O
the O
bus O
tried O
to O
overtake O
a O
mini O
truck O
, O
the O
police O
noted O
. O

The O
injured O
are O
undergoing O
treatment O
at O
the O
Mahendra O
Adarsha O
Hospital O
and O
College O
of O
Medical O
Sciences O
Teaching O
Hospital O
in O
Bharatpur O
, O
the O
police O
said O
, O
adding O
, O
the O
condition O
of O
three O
is O
serious O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0268 O

SRINAGAR O
, O
India O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Four O
Moslem O
militants O
killed O
after O
Kashmir O
grenade O
attack O

Indian O
border O
guards O
shot O
dead O
four O
Moslem O
guerrillas O
here O
Monday B-T
following O
a O
failed O
grenade O
attack O
on O
a O
police O
officer O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Two O
other O
militants O
were O
arrested O
after O
the O
shootout O
with O
the O
Border O
Security O
Force O
( O
BSF O
) O
. O
A O
BSF O
spokesman O
had O
earlier O
said O
three O
men O
had O
been O
detained O
. O

The O
initial O
attack O
occured O
in O
a O
busy O
street O
in O
a O
residential O
area O
near O
Islamia O
College O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

A O
group O
of O
militants O
threw O
a O
grenade O
and O
opened O
fire O
at O
the O
car O
of O
deputy O
superintendent O
of O
police O
Mohammed O
Shafi O
Pattro O
. O
He O
escaped O
unhurt O
. O

Dozens O
of O
BSF O
personnel O
, O
who O
are O
deployed O
on O
Srinagar O
' O
s O
streets O
, O
rushed O
to O
the O
site O
and O
cordoned O
off O
several O
houses O
from O
where O
the O
militants O
were O
firing O
. O

A O
prolonged O
gunbattle O
followed O
in O
which O
four O
militants O
died O
. O
A O
BSF O
officer O
said O
: O
" O
Our O
men O
recovered O
four O
AK O
- O
47 O
rifles O
and O
a O
universal O
machine O
gun O
( O
from O
the O
place O
) O
. O
" O

It O
was O
the O
bloodiest O
gunbattle O
in O
downtown O
Srinagar O
since O
a O
pro O
- O
India O
Moslem O
party O
took O
office O
in O
Kashmir O
in O
October B-T
, O
ending O
almost O
seven B-T
years I-T
of O
federal O
rule O
in O
the O
Himalayan O
state O
. O

Moslem O
militants O
are O
fighting O
for O
Kashmnir O
' O
s O
independence O
from O
India O
. O
Around O
20 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
died O
in O
the O
campaign O
since O
1989 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970427 O
. O
0493 O

JAKARTA O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Indonesian O
opposition O
complains O
of O
bias O
in O
campaign O
coverage O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
main O
opposition O
party O
has O
complained O
about O
unfair O
media O
coverage O
just O
two B-T
days I-T
into O
the O
official O
campaigning O
period O
, O
claiming O
that O
a O
state O
- O
owned O
television O
station O
was O
biased O
. O

The O
Moslem O
- O
led O
United O
Development O
Party O
( O
PPP O
) O
has O
strongly O
protested O
" O
the O
discriminatory O
attitude O
" O
of O
the O
state O
- O
owned O
television O
channel O
Televisi O
Republik O
Indonesia O
( O
TVRI O
) O
in O
reporting O
the O
campaign O
, O
which O
started O
Sunday B-T
. O

In O
a O
press O
statement O
received O
here O
late B-T
Sunday I-T
, O
PPP O
Secretary O
General O
Tosari O
Wijaya O
protested O
the O
fact O
that O
TVRI O
did O
not O
report O
his O
party O
' O
s O
successful O
campaign O
in O
North O
Sumatra O
while O
other O
private O
television O
channels O
did O
. O

The O
Media O
Indonesia O
daily O
Monday O
also O
reported O
that O
in O
Solo O
, O
Central O
Java O
, O
a O
local O
journalist O
was O
mobbed O
by O
supporters O
of O
the O
ruling O
Golkar O
party O
after O
he O
failed O
to O
display O
the O
party O
' O
s O
finger O
sign O
. O
His O
motorcycle O
was O
damaged O
in O
the O
encounter O
, O
the O
daily O
said O
. O

Indonesia O
on O
Monday B-T
entered O
the O
second B-T
day I-T
of O
its O
27 O
- O
day O
election O
campaign O
with O
the O
country O
' O
s O
three O
government O
- O
recognised O
political O
parties O
drumming O
up O
support O
in O
separate O
islands O
. O

Golkar O
members O
are O
scheduled O
to O
address O
rallies O
on O
Sumatra O
and O
Bali O
island O
, O
the O
Lesser O
Sunda O
islands O
and O
in O
East O
Timor O
, O
a O
party O
schedule O
show O
. O

Golkar O
Chairman O
Harmoko O
, O
who O
is O
also O
information O
minister O
, O
is O
scheduled O
to O
address O
a O
rally O
in O
Aceh O
and O
North O
Sumatra O
while O
several O
other O
cabinet O
ministers O
are O
also O
on O
the O
list O
of O
party O
speakers O
for O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

Executives O
of O
the O
PPP O
, O
without O
party O
chairman O
Ismail O
Hasan O
Metareum O
who O
will O
rest O
for O
the O
day O
after O
campaigning O
in O
North O
Sumatra O
Sunday O
, O
will O
address O
the O
population O
in O
Sulawesi O
and O
Kalimantan O
, O
the O
Indonesian O
part O
of O
Borneo O
island O
. O

The O
third O
and O
last O
state O
- O
recognized O
party O
, O
the O
rift O
- O
plagued O
Indonesian O
Democracy O
Party O
( O
PDI O
) O
, O
is O
due O
to O
campaign O
in O
Java O
, O
the O
Moluccas O
and O
Irian O
Jaya O
, O
the O
election O
campaign O
rooster O
show O
. O

The O
party O
' O
s O
campaign O
will O
not O
involve O
popular O
former O
PDI O
chairwoman O
Megawati O
Sukarnoputri O
which O
was O
deposed O
in O
mid O
- O
term O
by O
a O
state O
- O
backed O
rebel O
congress O
in O
June B-T
and O
replaced O
by O
Suryadi O
. O

The O
PDI O
headquarters O
here O
could O
not O
say O
where O
chairman O
Suryadi O
would O
campaign O
in O
Java O
on O
Monday B-T
or O
what O
the O
plan O
was O
for O
the O
capital O
. O

Suryadi O
has O
remained O
unpopular O
among O
the O
PDI O
masses O
and O
has O
faced O
frequent O
opposition O
rallies O
during O
his O
visits O
to O
PDI O
branches O
nationwide O
, O
especially O
in O
Java O
. O

Megawati O
, O
daughter O
of O
founding O
president O
Sukarno O
, O
said O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
she O
would O
not O
take O
part O
in O
the O
election O
campaign O
but O
urged O
supporters O
to O
monitor O
the O
elections O
closely O
. O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
124 O
million O
eligible O
voters O
will O
elect O
candidates O
to O
425 O
seats O
in O
parliament O
in O
the O
May B-T
29 I-T
polls O
, O
choosing O
from O
among O
the O
country O
' O
s O
three O
official O
political O
parties O
- O
- O
Golkar O
, O
PPP O
and O
PDI O
. O
Campaigning O
ends O
on O
May B-T
23 I-T
. O

Suharto O
' O
s O
Golkar O
has O
had O
landslide O
victories O
in O
the O
past O
five O
elections O
since O
1971 B-T
, O
and O
is O
expected O
to O
do O
the O
same O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
Golkar O
has O
been O
repeatedly O
criticized O
for O
using O
government O
facilities O
and O
officials O
to O
gain O
support O
in O
the O
elections O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0387 O

BERLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Mubarak O
due O
for O
Berlin O
talks O
after O
' O
signs O
of O
hope O
' O
in O
Mideast O

Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Hubarak O
will O
hold O
talks O
with O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
here O
on O
December B-T
10 I-T
to O
discuss O
" O
signs O
of O
hope O
" O
for O
peace O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
the O
German O
government O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
The O
German O
government O
has O
an O
interest O
to O
protect O
, O
nurture O
and O
support O
the O
growth O
of O
the O
small O
but O
fragile O
plant O
which O
seems O
to O
be O
developing O
, O
" O
the O
government O
' O
s O
chief O
spokesman O
Thomas O
Steg O
said O
. O

He O
listed O
the O
positive O
signs O
as O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
' O
s O
conciliatory O
speech O
to O
mark O
the O
anniversary O
of O
the O
death O
of O
Israel O
' O
s O
first O
premier O
, O
David O
Ben O
Gurion O
, O
and O
moves O
to O
encourage O
Hamas O
to O
exchange O
prisoners O
with O
Israel O
. O

" O
You O
could O
say O
there O
is O
a O
glimmer O
of O
hope O
on O
the O
horizon O
, O
" O
Steg O
said O
. O

German O
Foreign O
Minister O
Frank O
- O
Walter O
Steinmeier O
started O
a O
Middle O
East O
tour O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Mubarak O
' O
s O
visit O
is O
part O
of O
a O
flurry O
of O
diplomacy O
as O
Germany O
prepares O
to O
take O
over O
the O
presidency O
of O
the O
European O
Union O
and O
the O
Group O
of O
Eight O
most O
industrialised O
nations O
on O
January B-T
1 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0252 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

11 O
killed O
, O
17 O
injured O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
road O
accident O

At O
least O
11 O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
17 O
others O
were O
injured O
in O
a O
serious O
motor O
accident O
Saturday B-T
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
northwestern O
province O
, O
police O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

A O
van O
and O
a O
bus O
collided O
head O
on O
Saturday B-T
night I-T
at O
Gokarella O
, O
112 O
kms O
from O
the O
capital O
, O
the O
police O
said O
. O

The O
passengers O
in O
the O
van O
were O
returning O
to O
the O
central O
province O
village O
of O
Kandalama O
when O
it O
was O
hit O
by O
the O
bus O
which O
was O
heading O
towards O
Colombo O
, O
the O
police O
added O
. O

The O
bus O
driver O
told O
the O
police O
that O
he O
was O
unable O
to O
control O
the O
bus O
while O
negotiating O
a O
bend O
. O

The O
injured O
were O
admitted O
to O
hospitals O
at O
Kurunegala O
, O
Dambulla O
and O
Galewela O
, O
while O
at O
least O
2 O
of O
the O
critically O
injured O
were O
transported O
to O
the O
National O
Hospital O
in O
the O
capital O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0211 O

SEOUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Korea O
to O
pay O
all O
its O
late O
allotted O
charges O
to O
international O
agencies O

The O
South O
Korean O
government O
announced O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
it O
will O
pay O
all O
its O
late O
allotted O
charges O
to O
affiliated O
international O
agencies O
by O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
one B-T
year I-T
earlier O
than O
was O
originally O
planned O
. O

South O
Korea O
plans O
to O
pay O
116 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
that O
it O
owes O
in O
share O
expenses O
in O
agencies O
such O
as O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
and O
the O
Organization O
for O
Economic O
Cooperation O
and O
Development O
, O
by O
2007 B-T
, O
said O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
and O
Trade O
. O

The O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Yonhap O
News O
Agency O
said O
the O
South O
Korean O
government O
made O
the O
decision O
apparently O
for O
the O
upcoming O
inauguration O
of O
former O
South O
Korean O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ban O
Ki O
- O
Moon O
to O
the O
post O
of O
U O
. O
N O
. O
Secretary O
- O
general O
on O
Jan B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
2007 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0132 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
audit O
watchdog O
gives O
qualified O
approval O
to O
EU O
accounts O

The O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
' O
s O
top O
financial O
watchdog O
has O
given O
a O
qualified O
approval O
of O
the O
EU O
accounts O
for O
2004 B-T
, O
the O
European O
Court O
of O
Auditors O
( O
ECA O
) O
said O
in O
a O
report O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Speaking O
at O
the O
European O
Parliament O
plenary O
session O
in O
Strasbourg O
, O
France O
, O
ECA O
President O
Hubert O
Weber O
said O
that O
the O
court O
was O
unable O
to O
sign O
off O
the O
EU O
accounts O
for O
the B-T
11th I-T
consecutive I-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
a O
press O
release O
on O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
website O
. O

But O
Weber O
added O
that O
compared O
with O
the B-T
previous I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
quality O
of O
the O
accounts O
had O
improved O
, O
with O
nearly O
one O
- O
third O
of O
EU O
spending O
ratified O
by O
the O
ECA O
, O
a O
jump O
from O
6 O
percent O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

However O
, O
Weber O
said O
that O
for O
a O
variety O
of O
spending O
accounts O
, O
notably O
agricultural O
spending O
, O
the O
court O
was O
not O
in O
a O
position O
to O
approve O
. O

" O
The O
supervisory O
and O
control O
systems O
are O
not O
yet O
implemented O
and O
operating O
effectively O
and O
payments O
are O
still O
affected O
by O
errors O
, O
" O
he O
told O
European O
legislators O
. O

But O
he O
stressed O
that O
this O
did O
not O
mean O
that O
fraud O
was O
rife O
throughout O
the O
EU O
. O

" O
The O
court O
' O
s O
opinion O
on O
these O
matters O
cannot O
be O
interpreted O
as O
all O
transactions O
of O
the O
2004 O
payment O
budget O
being O
affected O
by O
error O
as O
an O
indication O
of O
fraud O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Agricultural O
spending O
was O
particularly O
error O
- O
strewn O
, O
Weber O
said O
, O
although O
the O
European O
Commission O
( O
EC O
) O
and O
national O
governments O
had O
improved O
their O
controls O
compared O
to O
the B-T
previous I-T
year I-T
. O

He O
said O
that O
new O
control O
measures O
covering O
59 O
percent O
of O
farm O
payments O
had O
had O
a O
positive O
impact O
" O
where O
properly O
applied O
, O
" O
while O
checks O
covering O
37 O
percent O
of O
the O
agricultural O
payments O
not O
covered O
by O
these O
new O
measures O
" O
did O
not O
provide O
reasonable O
assurance O
that O
they O
comply O
with O
legislation O
. O
" O

Weber O
was O
particularly O
critical O
of O
the O
national O
authorities O
, O
who O
account O
for O
80 O
percent O
of O
budget O
payments O
, O
saying O
" O
the O
improvement O
in O
systems O
and O
controls O
at O
the O
level O
of O
the O
commission O
has O
not O
been O
reflected O
in O
those O
within O
the O
member O
states O
. O
" O

When O
urging O
national O
authorities O
to O
work O
more O
closely O
with O
the O
commission O
to O
identify O
areas O
for O
improvement O
, O
Weber O
suggested O
, O
for O
example O
, O
the O
scope O
of O
current O
checking O
procedures O
be O
extended O
to O
include O
the O
legality O
and O
regularity O
of O
expenditure O
. O

Reacting O
to O
the O
ECA O
report O
, O
the O
European O
Commission O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
it O
broadly O
agreed O
with O
the O
ECA O
conclusions O
. O

The O
EC O
Vice O
- O
President O
Siim O
Kallas O
, O
who O
is O
responsible O
for O
relations O
with O
the O
Court O
of O
Auditors O
, O
said O
the O
report O
was O
" O
fair O
and O
balanced O
, O
" O
adding O
that O
it O
had O
taken O
note O
of O
the O
improvements O
in O
the O
implementation O
of O
the O
Common O
Agricultural O
Policy O
and O
the O
commission O
' O
s O
management O
systems O
. O

He O
admitted O
that O
there O
was O
still O
a O
lot O
to O
do O
and O
called O
for O
more O
cooperation O
from O
national O
and O
regional O
governments O
in O
improving O
budget O
spending O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0207 O

LHASA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tibet O
gains O
200 O
- O
mln O
- O
yuan O
non O
- O
governmental O
relief O
fund O

The O
Tibet O
Development O
Foundation O
in O
southwest O
China O
' O
s O
Tibet O
Autonomous O
region O
has O
raised O
nearly O
200 O
million O
yuan O
( O
24 O
. O
7 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
and O
launched O
640 O
supporting O
projects O
with O
no O
strings O
attached O
, O
according O
to O
sources O
of O
the O
foundation O
. O

The O
supporting O
projects O
launched O
by O
the O
foundation O
cover O
many O
fields O
, O
like O
culture O
, O
education O
, O
medical O
care O
and O
ecological O
protection O
. O

The O
Brightness O
Project O
, O
for O
instance O
, O
has O
helped O
20 O
, O
000 O
cataract O
sufferers O
regain O
eyesight O
since O
it O
was O
launched O
in O
1993 B-T
. O
The O
relief O
money O
provided O
by O
the O
project O
for O
medical O
care O
has O
amounted O
to O
80 O
million O
yuan O
( O
9 O
. O
9 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
so O
far O
. O

Sunshine O
Program O
, O
another O
aid O
project O
launched O
by O
the O
foundation O
this B-T
June I-T
, O
has O
installed O
solar O
- O
energy O
stoves O
for O
191 O
rural O
households O
. O
It O
has O
also O
offered O
other O
equipment O
powered O
by O
solar O
energy O
for O
free O
. O

The O
foundation O
was O
initiated O
in O
1987 B-T
by O
the O
tenth O
Panchen O
Lama O
and O
Ngapoi O
Ngawang O
Jigme O
, O
vice O
chairman O
of O
the O
National O
Committee O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Political O
Consultative O
Conference O
. O
Its O
principle O
is O
to O
assist O
the O
local O
government O
to O
further O
improve O
Tibetan O
residents O
' O
living O
standards O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0007 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Agro O
- O
product O
collection O
center O
benefits O
farmers O
in O
central O
Nepal O

Farmers O
of O
Eastern O
Chitwan O
in O
central O
Nepal O
, O
who O
were O
affected O
by O
the O
lack O
of O
buyers O
and O
relevant O
market O
of O
the O
green O
vegetables O
they O
produce O
in O
their O
own O
land O
, O
have O
been O
able O
to O
increase O
annual O
income O
after O
having O
set O
up O
an O
Agro O
- O
production O
Collection O
Center O
in O
the O
district O
. O

The O
selling O
and O
storing O
of O
vegetables O
in O
the O
highly O
equipped O
collection O
center O
has O
benefited O
at O
least O
6 O
, O
000 O
farmers O
of O
six O
Village O
Development O
Committee O
( O
VDCs O
) O
of O
this O
area O
, O
Chairman O
of O
the O
center O
, O
a O
non O
- O
government O
organization O
, O
Chudamani O
Bartaula O
told O
reporters O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Through O
this O
collection O
center O
, O
a O
total O
of O
2 O
. O
9 O
million O
kg O
of O
vegetables O
worth O
about O
42 O
. O
9 O
million O
Nepali O
rupees O
( O
612 O
, O
857 O
US O
dollars O
) O
was O
sold O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
which O
has O
been O
considerably O
contributing O
in O
the O
economic O
development O
or O
the O
rural O
area O
, O
Bartaula O
said O
. O

According O
to O
Bartaula O
, O
the O
local O
cooperative O
organizations O
have O
also O
been O
providing O
loans O
so O
as O
to O
make O
the O
business O
more O
effective O
and O
to O
enhance O
the O
living O
conditions O
of O
the O
farmers O
. O

Up O
to O
now B-T
, O
the O
center O
has O
invested O
a O
total O
of O
196 O
, O
000 O
rupees O
( O
2 O
, O
800 O
dollars O
) O
as O
a O
loan O
to O
the O
farmers O
and O
has O
also O
been O
providing O
technical O
assistance O
in O
order O
to O
expand O
vegetable O
production O
through O
228 O
shareholders O
. O

Now O
, O
the O
commercial O
vegetable O
production O
is O
on O
2 O
, O
000 O
hectares O
of O
land O
in O
the O
VDCs O
, O
and O
the O
farmers O
of O
this O
area O
are O
becoming O
self O
- O
reliant O
gradually O
after O
the O
establishment O
of O
the O
center O
two B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
Bartaula O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0134 O

HARBIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UNDP O
helps O
train O
personnel O
for O
China O
' O
s O
underdeveloped O
regions O

More O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
Chinese O
public O
servants O
and O
professionals O
are O
travel O
to O
Europe O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
to O
study O
methods O
to O
modernize O
China O
' O
s O
underdeveloped O
northeastern O
and O
western O
regions O
. O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Personnel O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
Development O
Programme O
( O
UNDP O
) O
on O
Monday B-T
jointly O
launched O
the O
three O
- O
year O
training O
program O
. O

Public O
servants O
and O
professionals O
from O
the O
northeast O
and O
west O
will O
go O
to O
Britain O
and O
Italy O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
to O
study O
laws O
and O
regulations O
on O
personnel O
resources O
and O
experiences O
in O
developing O
modern O
agriculture O
and O
manufacturing O
in O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

The O
UNDP O
provided O
one O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
for O
the O
program O
which O
has O
a O
total O
investment O
of O
2 O
. O
5 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
according O
to O
sources O
with O
the O
government O
of O
Daqing O
, O
a O
city O
of O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
, O
where O
the O
launch O
ceremony O
was O
held O
. O

This O
is O
the O
second O
time O
that O
the O
two O
sides O
have O
cooperated O
in O
training O
personnel O
for O
China O
' O
s O
underdeveloped O
areas O
. O

More O
than O
1 O
, O
200 O
public O
servants O
and O
professionals O
from O
12 O
provinces O
and O
autonomous O
regions O
of O
west O
China O
participated O
in O
training O
programs O
and O
were O
sent O
abroad O
from O
2002 O
to O
2004 O
to O
study O
environmental O
protection O
, O
energy O
efficiency O
, O
and O
the O
prevention O
and O
treatment O
of O
desertification O
. O

The O
Chinese O
government O
initiated O
the O
strategy O
to O
develop O
its O
vast O
western O
regions O
in O
2000 B-T
, O
targeting O
12 O
underdeveloped O
areas O
, O
to O
narrow O
the O
gap O
with O
the O
fast O
- O
growing O
east O
. O

Major O
tasks O
include O
improving O
infrastructure O
, O
ecological O
and O
environmental O
protection O
, O
and O
healthcare O
, O
and O
promoting O
education O
. O

The O
central O
government O
also O
launched O
a O
strategy O
to O
rejuvenate O
its O
northeast O
industrial O
bases O
in O
2003 B-T
. O
The O
strategy O
is O
aimed O
at O
developing O
new O
and O
essential O
growth O
areas O
of O
the O
national O
economy O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0212 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
upgrades O
diplomatic O
level O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O

The O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
has O
upgraded O
its O
representation O
level O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
to O
maintain O
good O
relations O
between O
EU O
and O
the O
Indian O
Ocean O
island O
country O
, O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
said O
Thursday B-T
in O
a O
press O
release O
. O

EU O
' O
s O
delegation O
is O
now B-T
a O
fully O
- O
fledged O
diplomatic O
mission O
with O
an O
accredited O
Head O
of O
Delegation O
of O
ambassadorial O
rank O
based O
in O
Colombo O
, O
said O
the O
press O
release O
. O

With O
the O
upgrading O
, O
the O
staff O
of O
the O
EU O
delegation O
will O
be O
doubled O
and O
all O
operational O
decisions O
will O
be O
managed O
locally O
in O
Colombo O
by O
the O
expanded O
team O
. O

EU O
is O
a O
major O
development O
partner O
of O
Sri O
Lanka O
with O
over O
150 O
million O
euros O
in O
aid O
to O
tsunami O
relief O
and O
reconstruction O
, O
and O
over O
70 O
million O
euros O
in O
conventional O
development O
expenditure O
. O

EU O
offers O
Sri O
Lanka O
its O
most O
concessional O
trading O
status O
, O
which O
assures O
the O
country O
of O
maximum O
access O
for O
its O
exports O
to O
EU O
and O
had O
made O
EU O
one O
of O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
most O
important O
trading O
partners O
. O

EU O
' O
s O
new O
Head O
of O
Delegation O
, O
Julian O
Wilson O
, O
presented O
credentials O
to O
Sri O
Lankan O
President O
Chandrika O
Kumaratunga O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0186 O

MELBOURNE O
, O
Australia O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Factbox O
of O
women O
' O
s O
all O
- O
around O
world O
champion O
Chellsie O
Memmel O

Following O
is O
the O
factbox O
of O
American O
Chellsie O
Memmel O
, O
who O
won O
women O
' O
s O
all O
- O
around O
at O
the O
38th O
gyamnastics O
world O
championships O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
: O

Chellsie O
Memmel O
, O
the O
United O
States O

Place O
of O
birth O
: O
West O
Allis O
, O
WI O
, O
the O
United O
States O

Date O
of O
birth O
: O
Junuary O
23 O
, O
1988 O

Height O
: O
154 O
cm O

Weight O
: O
50 O
kg O

Club O
: O
M O
Gymnastics O
in O
the O
United O
States O

Coach O
: O
Andrew O
Memmel O
, O
her O
father O
, O
and O
Laurie O
Glazer O

Idol O
: O
her O
parents O

A O
steady O
performer O
, O
she O
helped O
the O
American O
team O
win O
its O
first O
world O
team O
title O
in O
2003 B-T
and O
was O
a O
co O
- O
champion O
on O
uneven O
bars O
that B-T
year I-T
. O

She O
missed O
the O
2004 O
National O
Championships O
and O
Olympic O
trials O
due O
to O
a O
broken O
foot O
. O
She O
still O
made O
the O
Olympic O
travelling O
squad O
as O
an O
alternate O
but O
did O
not O
compete O
at O
the O
event O
. O

She O
was O
named O
the O
2003 O
TOPS O
Co O
- O
Athlete O
of O
the O
Year O
with O
Carly O
Patterson O
. O

She O
is O
the O
oldest O
of O
three O
daughters O
to O
Andrew O
, O
a O
collegiate O
all O
- O
American O
gymnast O
at O
Wisconsin O
, O
and O
Jeanelle O
, O
an O
all O
- O
American O
at O
Centenary O
. O
Her O
parents O
own O
the O
M O
Gymnastics O
club O
, O
where O
her O
younger O
sister O
Mara O
is O
also O
a O
competitive O
gymnast O
. O
Another O
sister O
, O
Skyler O
is O
also O
a O
gymnast O
. O

Her O
ambitions O
is O
to O
coach O
gymnastics O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0216 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
open O
higher O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
opened O
higher O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
investors O
were O
waiting O
for O
election O
results O
. O

In O
the O
opening O
trading O
, O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
rose O
1 O
. O
84 O
to O
12 O
, O
107 O
. O
39 O
. O
The O
Standard O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
rose O
0 O
. O
08 O
to O
1 O
, O
379 O
. O
86 O
, O
and O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
climbed O
0 O
. O
64 O
to O
2 O
, O
366 O
. O
59 O
. O

Crude O
oil O
prices O
rose O
slightly O
in O
electronic O
trade O
Tuesday B-T
amid O
supply O
concern O
of O
Nigeria O
. O

Output O
of O
55 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
of O
oil O
was O
cut O
in O
Nigeria O
when O
armed O
protesters O
forced O
the O
closure O
of O
a O
flow O
stationbelonging O
to O
the O
Italian O
oil O
company O
Agip O
in O
the O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
Niger O
Delta O
. O

Nigeria O
is O
the O
largest O
African O
oil O
producer O
or O
the O
sixth O
largest O
oil O
exporter O
in O
the O
world O
with O
a O
daily O
crude O
output O
of O
2 O
. O
6 O
million O
barrels O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0272 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Indian O
industry O
chiefs O
hail O
interest O
rate O
cut O
, O
new O
lending O
rules O

Delighted O
Indian O
industry O
chiefs O
Wednesday B-T
predicted O
the O
newly O
- O
announced O
cut O
in O
interest O
rates O
and O
relaxation O
of O
lending O
rules O
would O
spark O
growth O
as O
businesses O
revived O
expansion O
plans O
. O

A O
. O
S O
. O
Kasliwal O
, O
president O
of O
the O
Federation O
of O
Indian O
Chambers O
of O
Commerce O
and O
Industry O
, O
was O
responding O
after O
the O
Reserve O
Bank O
of O
India O
( O
RBI O
) O
Tuesday B-T
announced O
a O
one O
- O
percent O
interest O
rate O
cut O
to O
11 O
percent O
in O
its O
monetary O
policy O
for O
the B-T
six I-T
months I-T
to O
September O
. O

It O
also O
relaxed O
rules O
on O
bank O
lending O
to O
companies O
. O

" O
The O
policy O
will O
give O
the O
banking O
sector O
freedom O
and O
flexibility O
to O
meet O
credit O
requirements O
of O
the O
productive O
sector O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Confederation O
of O
Indian O
Industry O
( O
CII O
) O
president O
Shekhar O
Dutta O
also O
welcomed O
the O
RBI O
' O
s O
new O
policy O
, O
saying O
it O
would O
" O
broaden O
and O
deepen O
the O
financial O
and O
capital O
market O
reforms O
. O

" O
The O
policy O
reflects O
the O
continuation O
and O
direction O
of O
economic O
reforms O
and O
the O
measures O
announced O
will O
propel O
the O
pace O
and O
momentum O
of O
growth O
. O

" O
The O
reduction O
of O
lending O
rate O
by O
one O
percent O
will O
reduce O
the O
cost O
of O
borrowing O
and O
help O
reduce O
project O
costs O
, O
" O
the O
CII O
chief O
added O
. O

The O
Associated O
Chambers O
of O
Commerce O
and O
Industry O
said O
the O
RBI O
policy O
" O
will O
give O
a O
boost O
to O
the O
capital O
market O
. O
" O

All O
- O
India O
Association O
of O
Industries O
president O
Vijay O
Kalantri O
added O
: O
" O
Freedom O
to O
banks O
to O
assess O
potential O
borrowers O
. O
. O
. O
will O
benefit O
the O
commercial O
sector O
. O
" O

The O
RBI O
allowed O
banks O
more O
independence O
in O
giving O
credit O
and O
permitted O
them O
to O
extend O
loans O
to O
firms O
against O
their O
shares O
. O

Commercial O
banks O
are O
expected O
to O
match O
the O
RBI O
' O
s O
rate O
cut O
by O
reducing O
their O
prime O
lending O
and O
term O
deposit O
rates O
. O

A O
national O
forum O
of O
banking O
executives O
, O
however O
, O
went O
againsts O
the O
trend O
by O
warning O
Wednesday B-T
the O
relaxed O
rules O
could O
lead O
to O
more O
bad O
loans O
being O
made O
. O

All O
India O
Bank O
Officers O
Confederation O
secretary O
R O
. O
C O
. O
Agarwal O
added O
the O
RBI O
had O
restricted O
freedom O
of O
domestic O
banks O
following O
a O
multi O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
securities O
scandal O
in O
1992 B-T
. O

Nine O
Indian O
and O
foreign O
banks O
were O
held O
responsible O
for O
artifically O
jacking O
up O
share O
prices O
with O
borrowed O
funds O
. O

The O
RBI O
said O
Tuesday B-T
the O
aim O
of O
its O
policy O
was O
to O
" O
maintain O
a O
monetary O
expansion O
of O
15 O
to O
15 O
. O
5 O
percent O
with O
the O
expectation O
of O
bringing O
down O
the O
interest O
rate O
to O
a O
reasonable O
level O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0018 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepali O
people O
benefit O
from O
solar O
electrification O

Some O
300 O
homes O
involving O
2 O
, O
000 O
people O
of O
Katunje O
- O
2 O
village O
in O
Nepali O
Dhading O
district O
have O
benefited O
from O
Solar O
Electrification O
Project O
( O
SEP O
) O
. O

With O
the O
total O
cost O
of O
16 O
million O
Nepali O
rupees O
( O
228 O
, O
571 O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
the O
project O
was O
executed O
by O
Central O
Electronics O
Limited O
( O
CEL O
) O
, O
a O
public O
undertaking O
of O
the O
Indian O
government O
in O
partnership O
with O
Nepali O
Alternative O
Energy O
Promotion O
Center O
, O
a O
semi O
- O
governmental O
organization O
, O
a O
press O
statement O
of O
Embassy O
of O
India O
reaching O
here O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
project O
involves O
the O
provision O
of O
a O
solar O
panel O
, O
a O
maintenance O
free O
battery O
and O
a O
home O
lighting O
system O
of O
75 O
watts O
, O
as O
well O
as O
planning O
, O
implementation O
and O
maintenance O
. O

So O
far O
, O
India O
has O
executed O
10 O
solar O
electrification O
projects O
worth O
160 O
. O
7 O
million O
ruppes O
( O
2 O
. O
29 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
various O
districts O
in O
Nepal O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0382 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Metro O
train O
kills O
one O
, O
injures O
another O
in O
Washington O
area O

A O
Metro O
train O
struck O
two O
employees O
working O
on O
the O
track O
near O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
capital O
, O
Washington O
, O
D O
. O
C O
. O
, O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
killing O
one O
and O
critically O
injuring O
another O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
workers O
, O
both O
men O
, O
were O
walking O
the O
tracks O
doing O
routine O
inspections O
when O
the O
accident O
took O
place O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
. O

They O
were O
hit O
by O
an O
empty O
four O
- O
car O
train O
from O
Huntington O
to O
the O
Alexandria O
rail O
yard O
, O
which O
was O
near O
the O
Eisenhower O
Station O
, O
in O
Alexandria O
, O
Virginia O
, O
Metro O
spokeswoman O
Cathy O
Asato O
said O
. O

A O
section O
of O
the O
Yellow O
Line O
was O
shut O
down O
following O
the O
accident O
, O
and O
shuttle O
buses O
were O
used O
to O
transport O
passengers O
in O
several O
stations O
. O
Officials O
said O
the O
accident O
was O
under O
investigation O
. O

Thursday B-T
' O
s O
fatality O
was O
the O
14th O
for O
the O
Metrorail O
system O
in O
its O
30 O
- O
year O
history O
and O
the O
third O
serious O
one O
involving O
Metro O
trains O
and O
its O
workers O
, O
media O
reports O
said O
. O

Also O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
two O
freight O
trains O
derailed O
in O
North O
Baltimore O
, O
a O
small O
town O
in O
Ohio O
. O
One O
of O
the O
trains O
derailed O
, O
sending O
wreckage O
into O
another O
train O
nearby O
knocking O
some O
of O
its O
cars O
off O
the O
track O
. O

It O
was O
not O
known O
immediately O
how O
many O
people O
were O
injured O
in O
the O
accident O
and O
what O
caused O
the O
first O
train O
to O
derail O
, O
reports O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0234 O

LUANDA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

WFP O
halves O
rations O
for O
hungry O
Mozambicans O

A O
funding O
shortfall O
of O
over O
70 O
percent O
has O
forced O
the O
World O
Food O
Programme O
( O
WFP O
) O
to O
halve O
its O
rations O
to O
hungry O
Mozambicans O
, O
ahead O
of O
the O
critical O
" O
lean O
season O
" O
between O
harvests O
, O
when O
food O
stocks O
generally O
run O
out O
, O
said O
a O
report O
reaching O
here O
from O
the O
Mozambican O
capital O
of O
Maputo O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
report O
said O
the O
food O
aid O
agency O
urgently O
requires O
10 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
to O
feed O
460 O
, O
000 O
people O
till O
next B-T
March I-T
when O
another O
harvest O
is O
due O
. O

The O
WFP O
currently O
assists O
292 O
, O
000 O
vulnerable O
people O
, O
but O
a O
77 O
percent O
shortfall O
in O
funding O
has O
deprived O
hundreds O
of O
thousands O
of O
people O
of O
half O
the O
ration O
of O
cereals O
and O
corn O
- O
soya O
blend O
they O
have O
been O
using O
to O
fight O
starvation O
. O

" O
We O
are O
very O
concerned O
, O
because O
we O
are O
not O
talking O
about O
small O
numbers O
: O
some O
240 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
no O
food O
security O
; O
half O
of O
those O
people O
are O
living O
in O
arid O
areas O
where O
they O
can O
not O
farm O
; O
they O
have O
nothing O
, O
" O
said O
Paulo O
Zacula O
, O
director O
of O
Mozambique O
' O
s O
National O
Disaster O
agency O
. O

The O
director O
said O
, O
" O
we O
are O
about O
to O
enter O
a O
period O
of O
emergencies O
with O
possible O
cyclones O
and O
floods O
. O
We O
should O
have O
stockpiles O
of O
food O
in O
case O
of O
emergencies O
, O
" O

Karin O
Manente O
, O
WFP O
acting O
country O
director O
in O
Mozambique O
, O
said O
, O
" O
By O
this O
time O
, O
we O
have O
usually O
pre O
- O
positioned O
food O
stocks O
in O
areas O
that O
become O
inaccessible O
during O
such O
emergencies O
. O
" O

She O
added O
that O
due O
to O
the O
huge O
shortfall O
, O
some O
WFP O
- O
supported O
activities O
might O
have O
to O
be O
discontinued O
or O
suspended O
this B-T
month I-T
unless O
new O
donations O
were O
received O
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0243 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
, O
UPDATES O
with O
talks O
starting O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Nepal O
' O
s O
government O
and O
Maoist O
leaders O
began O
fresh O
talks O
Wednesday B-T
aimed O
at O
hammering O
out O
an O
interim O
constitution O
that O
could O
result O
in O
the O
suspension O
of O
the O
monarchy O
. O

Officials O
said O
the O
two O
sides O
, O
who O
signed O
a O
landmark O
peace O
deal O
last B-T
month I-T
to O
end O
a O
decade O
of O
civil O
war O
, O
were O
still O
at O
odds O
over O
who O
should O
be O
the O
Himalayan O
nation O
' O
s O
new O
head O
of O
state O
- O
- O
with O
the O
Maoists O
hoping O
to O
end O
the O
reign O
of O
embattled O
King O
Gyanendra O
. O

" O
The O
leaders O
will O
try O
to O
sort O
out O
the O
differences O
on O
some O
crucial O
issues O
, O
including O
who O
to O
be O
the O
head O
of O
the O
state O
in O
the B-T
interim I-T
period I-T
, O
" O
Ramesh O
Lekhak O
, O
a O
government O
negotiator O
and O
Minister O
for O
Labour O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

King O
Gyanendra O
was O
stripped O
of O
most O
of O
his O
powers O
in O
May B-T
, O
after O
massive O
protests O
forced O
him O
to O
end O
direct O
rule O
. O

Technically O
, O
he O
is O
still O
the O
head O
of O
state O
- O
- O
albeit O
with O
no O
power O
over O
the O
army O
and O
no O
political O
role O
. O

Some O
members O
of O
the O
multi O
- O
party O
interim O
government O
are O
arguing O
the O
job O
should O
be O
left O
empty O
until O
scheduled O
elections O
next B-T
year I-T
for O
a O
constitutional O
assembly O
that O
will O
decide O
once O
and O
for O
all O
whether O
the O
238 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
monarchy O
should O
stay O
or O
go O
. O

But O
the O
fiercely O
- O
republican O
Maoists O
want O
to O
see O
Prime O
Minister O
Girija O
Prasad O
Koirala O
- O
- O
the O
respected O
octogenarian O
architect O
of O
the O
peace O
deal O
- O
- O
or O
left O
- O
wing O
parliament O
speaker O
Subash O
Nemwang O
named O
as O
interim O
head O
of O
state O
, O
a O
move O
that O
would O
complicate O
the O
king O
' O
s O
chances O
of O
a O
comeback O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

Either O
way O
, O
the O
king O
looks O
set O
to O
temporarily O
lose O
his O
job O
. O

Maoist O
negotiating O
team O
leader O
Krishna O
Bahadur O
Mahara O
told O
AFP O
that O
a O
further O
sticking O
point O
was O
the O
slow O
process O
of O
" O
arms O
management O
" O
- O
- O
implementing O
an O
agreement O
for O
the O
rebels O
to O
be O
confined O
to O
camps O
with O
their O
weapons O
and O
placed O
under O
United O
Nations O
supervision O
. O

The O
UN O
has O
an O
initial O
batch O
of O
35 O
monitors O
slated O
to O
arrive O
within O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
, O
but O
is O
still O
some O
way O
off O
being O
able O
to O
monitor O
the O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
fighters O
the O
rebels O
claim O
they O
have O
. O

The O
prime O
minister O
has O
warned O
the O
process O
, O
which O
will O
involve O
the O
rebels O
entering O
government O
and O
parliament O
, O
may O
not O
be O
able O
to O
move O
forward O
as O
long O
as O
rebels O
and O
their O
weapons O
roam O
free O
. O

At O
least O
12 O
, O
500 O
people O
were O
killed O
during O
the O
rebel O
" O
people O
' O
s O
war O
" O
that O
officially O
ended O
with O
the O
signing O
of O
a O
peace O
accord O
. O
The O
former O
insurgents O
, O
however O
, O
still O
control O
large O
tracts O
of O
the O
countryside O
. O

Despite O
the O
hiccups O
, O
the O
Maoists O
insisted O
that O
the O
peace O
process O
as O
a O
whole O
was O
still O
firmly O
on O
track O
and O
an O
agreement O
likely O
. O

" O
We O
are O
hopeful O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
meeting O
will O
finalise O
the O
issue O
and O
give O
the O
final O
shape O
of O
the O
interim O
constitution O
, O
" O
Mahara O
said O
. O

The O
political O
parties O
in O
government O
and O
rebels O
are O
one O
- O
time O
foes O
who O
formed O
a O
loose O
alliance O
in O
late B-T
2005 I-T
. O

Together O
they O
spearheaded O
mass O
protests O
in O
April B-T
that O
forced O
Gyanendra O
to O
abandon O
14 O
months O
of O
absolute O
rule O
. O
He O
said O
he O
had O
seized O
direct O
power O
to O
crush O
the O
Maoist O
rebellion O
. O

After O
the O
king O
reinstated O
parliament O
, O
it O
promptly O
stripped O
him O
of O
most O
of O
his O
powers O
, O
and O
his O
future O
will O
be O
definitively O
decided O
in O
constituent O
assembly O
polls O
due O
to O
be O
held O
before O
June B-T
2007 I-T
. O

Although O
tainted O
by O
allegations O
of O
abuse O
of O
power O
, O
he O
is O
still O
revered O
by O
many O
in O
the O
deeply O
conservative O
kingdom O
as O
a O
Hindu O
deity O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Gyanendra O
and O
Queen O
Komal O
reportedly O
headed O
south O
for O
the B-T
winter I-T
to O
escape O
the O
cold O
, O
following O
pressure O
on O
them O
to O
keep O
a O
low O
profile O
after O
the O
peace O
deal O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0249 O

XI O
' O
AN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Buddha O
Finger O
Sarira O
to O
be O
enshrined O
in O
ROK O
for O
one O
month O

About O
1 O
, O
000 O
Buddhists O
held O
a O
religious O
ceremony O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
Xi O
' O
an O
, O
capital O
of O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Shaanxi O
Province O
, O
to O
see O
off O
the O
holy O
Buddha O
Finger O
Sarira O
, O
which O
is O
heading O
for O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
for O
one B-T
month I-T
of O
enshrinement O
there O
. O

The O
ceremony O
was O
chaired O
by O
Master O
Monk O
Yi O
Cheng O
, O
president O
of O
the O
Buddhist O
Association O
of O
China O
, O
and O
Master O
Monk O
Sheng O
Hui O
, O
who O
is O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
escort O
, O
at O
Famen O
Temple O
of O
Xi O
' O
an O
, O
one O
of O
the O
four O
sacred O
places O
in O
Chinese O
Buddhism O
. O

The O
Buddhists O
, O
from O
both O
China O
and O
the O
ROK O
, O
saluted O
the O
images O
of O
Buddha O
and O
chanted O
aloud O
sutras O
from O
Buddhist O
classics O
at O
the O
ceremony O
. O

The O
Buddha O
Finger O
Sarira O
, O
or O
the O
finger O
bone O
relic O
of O
Buddhism O
founder O
Sakyamuni O
, O
is O
regarded O
as O
China O
' O
s O
state O
treasure O
. O
It O
is O
going O
to O
the O
ROK O
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
the O
ROK O
Buddhist O
Association O
. O

This O
is O
an O
important O
event O
in O
the O
1 O
, O
600 O
- O
year O
history O
of O
friendly O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
said O
Master O
Monk O
Sheng O
Hui O
. O

The O
enshrinement O
of O
the O
Buddha O
Finger O
Sarira O
in O
the O
ROK O
could O
bring O
the O
ROK O
people O
happiness O
, O
improve O
social O
morality O
and O
boost O
friendship O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
said O
Hui O
Cong O
, O
head O
of O
the O
inviting O
Buddhist O
delegation O
from O
the O
ROK O
. O

The O
Buddha O
Finger O
Sarira O
will O
stay O
in O
the O
ROK O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
to O
Dec B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
. O

Since O
it O
was O
unearthed O
from O
a O
secret O
chamber O
at O
the O
Famen O
Temple O
in O
1987 B-T
after O
being O
buried O
underground O
for O
nearly B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
000 I-T
years I-T
, O
the O
Buddha O
Finger O
Sarira O
has O
been O
sent O
to O
Thailand O
and O
China O
' O
s O
Taiwan O
Province O
and O
Hong O
Kong O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
for O
enshrinement O
. O
The O
three O
activities O
, O
arranged O
respectively O
in O
1994 B-T
, O
2002 B-T
and O
2004 B-T
, O
attracted O
millions O
of O
Buddhist O
believers O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0323 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cairo O
to O
host O
annual O
international O
film O
festival O
from O
Nov O
. O
28 O

The O
annual O
30th O
Cairo O
International O
Film O
Festival O
will O
be O
held O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
to O
Dec B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, O
with O
some O
19 O
films O
from O
16 O
countries O
to O
be O
shown O
. O

Chinese O
film O
" O
The O
Road O
" O
, O
directed O
by O
Zhang O
Jiarui O
, O
will O
be O
among O
the O
films O
for O
competition O
. O
Three O
Egyptian O
films O
and O
two O
Mexican O
films O
will O
also O
be O
shown O
at O
the O
festival O
. O

According O
to O
a O
press O
release O
by O
the O
organizer O
, O
there O
will O
be O
a O
five O
- O
member O
international O
jury O
led O
by O
Egyptian O
director O
and O
writer O
Daoud O
Abdel O
Sayed O
during O
the B-T
festival I-T
. O

The O
film O
festival O
will O
be O
held O
with O
a O
series O
of O
form O
and O
content O
reforms O
as O
the O
festival O
' O
s O
logo O
being O
changed O
from O
" O
The O
Pyramid O
" O
to O
" O
The O
Pharaonic O
Life O
Key O
" O
while O
the O
prizes O
also O
being O
changed O
to O
" O
the O
Golden O
Life O
Key O
" O
, O
" O
the O
Silver O
Life O
Key O
" O
and O
" O
the O
Bronze O
Life O
Key O
" O
. O

Another O
remarkable O
change O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
film O
festival O
was O
the O
guest O
of O
honor O
, O
not O
a O
sole O
country O
, O
but O
a O
whole O
continent O
- O
- O
the O
Latin O
America O
. O

In O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
France O
, O
Italy O
and O
China O
were O
honored O
at O
the O
festival O
for O
their O
outstanding O
contributions O
to O
the O
Seventh O
Art O
( O
the O
art O
of O
cinema O
) O
during O
the O
past O
century O
. O

Furthermore O
, O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
film O
festival O
will O
hold O
a O
conference O
on O
anti O
- O
piracy O
, O
during O
which O
the O
current O
practices O
of O
film O
piracy O
, O
ways O
to O
reduce O
its O
harmful O
impact O
on O
investors O
and O
consumers O
, O
and O
the O
economic O
growth O
process O
will O
be O
discussed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0180 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O
gets O
new O
fuel O
cell O
cars O
for O
Olympic O
fleet O

Beijing O
Public O
Transportation O
Corp O
. O
got O
here O
Wednesday B-T
three O
brand O
new O
fuel O
cell O
passenger O
cars O
from O
world O
leading O
automaker O
Daimler O
- O
Chrysler O
. O

The O
three O
new O
cars O
, O
prototypes O
of O
the O
green O
vehicle O
fleet O
serving O
the O
Beijing O
Olympics O
, O
will O
be O
used O
in O
Beijing O
' O
s O
hi O
- O
tech O
zone O
, O
or O
Zhongguancun O
Area O
, O
for O
public O
transportation O
in O
an O
8 O
. O
19 O
- O
km O
route O
. O

The O
experimental O
commercial O
use O
of O
the O
fuel O
cell O
cars O
is O
the O
first O
of O
its O
kind O
in O
any O
developing O
country O
. O

The O
Beijing O
Public O
Transportation O
Corporation O
has O
prepared O
all O
facilities O
for O
hydrogen O
refilling O
, O
which O
is O
vital O
for O
fuel O
cell O
cars O
, O
data O
collection O
systems O
, O
training O
for O
drivers O
and O
service O
management O
. O

The O
Global O
Environment O
Fund O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
Development O
Program O
supported O
the O
experimental O
project O
for O
promoting O
free O
- O
emission O
fuel O
cell O
cars O
in O
China O
, O
which O
will O
host O
the O
2008 B-T
summer I-T
Olympics O
and O
the O
2010 O
World O
Expo O
in O
Shanghai O
. O

The O
three O
cars O
were O
shown O
at O
the O
Fourth O
International O
Clean O
Vehicle O
Technology O
Conference O
and O
Exhibition O
. O

At O
the O
inaugural O
for O
the O
exhibition O
, O
Ma O
Songde O
, O
vice O
- O
minister O
of O
Science O
and O
Technology O
, O
said O
that O
the O
development O
of O
energy O
- O
saving O
vehicles O
is O
one O
task O
for O
build O
an O
energy O
- O
saving O
society O
and O
an O
environment O
- O
friendly O
economy O
. O

As O
the O
world O
' O
s O
most O
populous O
country O
and O
a O
developing O
one O
, O
Ma O
said O
, O
China O
should O
cultivate O
an O
auto O
industry O
oriented O
for O
saving O
energy O
and O
protecting O
the O
environment O
. O

Fuel O
cells O
transfer O
hydrogen O
to O
electric O
power O
, O
which O
produces O
no O
pollution O
. O
Many O
big O
auto O
companies O
in O
the O
world O
invest O
much O
into O
the O
research O
and O
development O
of O
such O
environment O
- O
friendly O
vehicles O
. O

An O
industrial O
policy O
guideline O
issued O
by O
the O
government O
in O
2004 B-T
supported O
the O
development O
of O
vehicles O
using O
clean O
energies O
. O

Ma O
said O
Chinese O
companies O
need O
to O
combine O
their O
own O
innovative O
capacity O
with O
the O
latest O
technologies O
licensed O
by O
multinational O
auto O
makers O
to O
shape O
the O
cutting O
- O
edge O
in O
the O
industry O
. O

At O
present O
, O
Chinese O
auto O
makers O
have O
already O
developed O
more O
than O
100 O
kinds O
of O
hybrid O
cars O
and O
fuel O
cell O
cars O
, O
many O
of O
which O
were O
shown O
at O
the O
Beijing O
exhibition O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061217 O
. O
0433 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Six O
- O
nation O
talks O
on O
NKorea O
' O
s O
nukes O
start O

Six O
- O
nation O
talks O
aimed O
at O
convincing O
North O
Korea O
to O
give O
up O
its O
nuclear O
program O
began O
here O
Monday B-T
, O
a O
South O
Korean O
official O
said O
, O
just O
over O
two B-T
months I-T
after O
the O
reclusive O
nation O
conducted O
its O
first O
atomic O
test O
. O

bbc_20130322_332 O

2013 B-T
- I-T
03 I-T
- I-T
22 I-T

BP O
to O
buy O
back O
$ O
8bn O
in O
shares O
after O
Russian O
sale O

Oil O
giant O
BP O
has O
said O
it O
will O
buy O
back O
$ O
8bn O
of O
shares O
, O
returning O
to O
shareholders O
the O
money O
they O
had O
put O
into O
a O
complicated O
Russian O
venture O
. O

It O
said O
it O
" O
expected O
to O
return O
to O
BP O
shareholders O
an O
amount O
equivalent O
to O
the O
value O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
original O
investment O
in O
TNK O
- O
BP O
" O
. O

BP O
agreed O
to O
sell O
back O
its O
50 O
% O
stake O
in O
TNK O
- O
BP O
to O
Russia O
' O
s O
Rosneft O
in O
October B-T
in O
return O
for O
$ O
17 O
. O
1bn O
in O
cash O
and O
shares O
. O

It O
invested O
in O
TNK O
- O
BP O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

BP O
chairman O
Carl O
- O
Henric O
Svanberg O
said O
: O
" O
We O
expect O
our O
stake O
in O
Rosneft O
will O
generate O
long O
- O
term O
value O
for O
BP O
and O
its O
shareholders O
. O
But O
this O
buyback O
programme O
should O
also O
allow O
our O
shareholders O
to O
see O
benefits O
in O
the O
near O
- O
term O
from O
the O
value O
we O
have O
realised O
by O
reshaping O
our O
Russian O
business O
. O
" O

BP O
expects O
the O
share O
buyback O
programme O
could O
take O
between O
12 B-T
and O
18 B-T
months I-T
to O
complete O
. O

" O
In O
2003 B-T
BP O
invested O
around O
$ O
8bn O
in O
cash O
, O
shares O
and O
assets O
in O
the O
formation O
of O
TNK O
- O
BP O
, O
" O
the O
oil O
giant O
said O
. O
" O
Over O
the B-T
following I-T
decade I-T
BP O
received O
a O
total O
of O
$ O
19bn O
in O
dividends O
from O
the O
joint O
venture O
. O
" O

Although O
BP O
' O
s O
involvement O
in O
the O
Russian O
joint O
venture O
has O
been O
lucrative O
, O
relations O
with O
its O
partners O
have O
often O
been O
fraught O
with O
disagreement O
. O
In O
2011 B-T
, O
the O
AAR O
consortium O
attempted O
to O
block O
a O
drilling O
joint O
venture O
in O
the O
Arctic O
between O
BP O
and O
Rosneft O
through O
the O
courts O
and O
the O
plan O
was O
eventually O
dropped O
. O

As O
well O
as O
internal O
wrangles O
, O
BP O
employees O
at O
TNK O
- O
BP O
have O
fallen O
foul O
of O
Russian O
authorities O
. O

While O
serving O
as O
head O
of O
TNK O
- O
BP O
, O
Bob O
Dudley O
- O
now B-T
the O
head O
of O
BP O
as O
a O
whole O
- O
had O
his O
office O
bugged O
and O
raided O
by O
the O
police O
and O
met O
with O
onerous O
back O
- O
tax O
demands O
, O
legal O
action O
and O
visa O
problems O
. O

He O
eventually O
fled O
the O
country O
in O
2008 B-T
. O

But O
the O
tie O
- O
up O
with O
Rosneft O
will O
keep O
BP O
in O
Russia O
, O
allowing O
it O
to O
continue O
to O
explore O
and O
exploit O
the O
country O
' O
s O
vast O
energy O
resources O
, O
including O
in O
the O
Arctic O
region O
. O
And O
Rosneft O
benefits O
from O
BP O
' O
s O
expertise O
in O
exploring O
in O
difficult O
and O
potentially O
hazardous O
conditions O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0261 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Trans O
- O
national O
drug O
trafficking O
ring O
uncovered O
in O
Vietnam O

Vietnamese O
police O
have O
uncovered O
a O
trans O
- O
national O
drug O
trafficking O
ring O
alleged O
to O
have O
trafficked O
1 O
, O
000 O
heroin O
cakes O
, O
each O
weighing O
0 O
. O
35 O
kilograms O
, O
into O
the O
country O
from O
neighboring O
Cambodia O
since O
2002 B-T
, O
Vietnam O
News O
Agency O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

Heroin O
was O
brought O
into O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
via O
southern O
Kien O
Giang O
province O
' O
s O
Ha O
Tien O
town O
, O
which O
borders O
Cambodia O
, O
before O
heading O
to O
Quang O
Ninh O
province O
and O
other O
northern O
localities O
, O
the O
report O
quoted O
the O
police O
as O
saying O
. O

Late B-T
last I-T
month I-T
, O
local O
police O
arrested O
Kong O
Hung O
, O
a O
Cambodian O
, O
in O
Ha O
Tien O
town O
, O
with O
five O
heroin O
cakes O
. O
The O
man O
, O
who O
was O
a O
member O
of O
the O
ring O
, O
admitted O
that O
he O
has O
so O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
transported O
194 O
heroin O
cakes O
across O
the O
border O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0469 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Nearly O
one O
in O
four O
Britons O
fat O
: O
official O

British O
adults O
have O
got O
fatter O
in O
the O
last B-T
10 I-T
years I-T
with O
almost O
one O
in O
four O
now O
officially O
obese O
, O
according O
to O
official O
statistics O
released O
Friday B-T
. O

In O
men O
, O
obesity O
rates O
almost O
doubled O
in O
10 B-T
years I-T
, O
from O
13 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
1993 B-T
to O
23 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
a O
study O
by O
the O
Health O
and O
Social O
Care O
Information O
Centre O
found O
. O

For O
women O
, O
the O
increase O
was O
slightly O
lower O
, O
growing O
from O
16 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
23 O
. O
8 O
percent O
. O

But O
findings O
that O
children O
' O
s O
body O
mass O
index O
- O
- O
a O
measure O
of O
weight O
in O
relation O
to O
height O
- O
- O
continued O
to O
grow O
again O
raised O
fears O
that O
they O
will O
be O
larger O
than O
their O
parents O
and O
put O
an O
additional O
burden O
on O
health O
services O
. O

Despite O
the O
research O
' O
s O
gloomy O
picture O
, O
the O
number O
of O
people O
doing O
30 O
minutes O
of O
moderate O
physical O
exercise O
at O
least O
five O
times O
a B-T
week I-T
increased O
in O
the O
period O
, O
from O
32 O
to O
35 O
percent O
of O
men O
and O
21 O
to O
24 O
percent O
of O
women O
. O

There O
was O
also O
a O
rise O
in O
the O
number O
of O
people O
eating O
at O
least O
five O
portions O
of O
fruit O
and O
vegetables O
each O
day O
. O

More O
people O
kicked O
the O
smoking O
habit O
with O
the O
study O
showing O
a O
six O
percent O
fall O
in O
the O
number O
of O
male O
smokers O
from O
28 O
percent O
to O
22 O
percent O
. O

Women O
in O
Britain O
now B-T
smoke O
more O
than O
men O
with O
the O
research O
showing O
a O
three O
- O
percent O
dip O
in O
female O
smokers O
between O
1993 B-T
and O
2004 B-T
to O
23 O
percent O
. O

The O
research O
involved O
about O
8 O
, O
000 O
adults O
and O
2 O
, O
000 O
children O
aged O
two O
to O
15 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0166 O

ORDUBAD O
, O
Azerbaijan O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Azerbaijan O
to O
meet O
Gazprom O
over O
gas O
price O
hike O

Azerbaijani O
officials O
are O
to O
hold O
talks O
Friday B-T
with O
Russian O
gas O
giant O
Gazprom O
over O
an O
increase O
in O
Russian O
gas O
export O
prices O
, O
the O
head O
of O
Azerbaijan O
' O
s O
state O
oil O
company O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
Talks O
between O
Azerbaijani O
government O
representatives O
and O
Gazprom O
on O
the O
issues O
of O
the O
price O
and O
volume O
of O
delivery O
of O
gas O
will O
begin O
in O
Moscow O
tomorrow B-T
, O
" O
Rovnag O
Abdullayev O
, O
head O
of O
Azerbaijan O
' O
s O
state O
oil O
company O
SOCAR O
said O
. O

Russia O
' O
s O
state O
gas O
monopoly O
Gazprom O
wants O
to O
increase O
the O
price O
for O
gas O
sold O
to O
Azerbaijan O
from O
110 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
meters O
to O
230 O
dollars O
as O
part O
of O
a O
series O
of O
price O
hikes O
for O
former O
Soviet O
republics O
. O

It O
also O
wants O
to O
more O
that O
halve O
its O
annual O
deliveries O
of O
some O
four O
billion O
cubic O
meters O
to O
Azerbaijan O
, O
potentially O
creating O
a O
shortage O
of O
the O
fuel O
in O
the O
Caspian O
state O
, O
which O
has O
major O
oil O
and O
gas O
reserves O
of O
its O
own O
, O
but O
suffers O
from O
poor O
infrastructure O
. O

" O
Azerbaijani O
consumers O
will O
not O
be O
left O
without O
gas O
, O
" O
Abdullayev O
told O
journalists O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
Azerbaijan O
' O
s O
Nakhchivan O
region O
. O

Azerbaijan O
has O
reacted O
to O
Gazprom O
' O
s O
demands O
by O
threatening O
to O
cut O
exports O
of O
its O
own O
oil O
through O
Russian O
territory O
, O
in O
a O
move O
that O
would O
deprive O
Russia O
of O
lucrative O
transit O
fees O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0336 O

KARACHI O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

Kamran O
Akmal O
smashed O
his O
second O
successive O
one O
- O
day O
century O
to O
help O
Pakistan O
hand O
England O
a O
crushing O
165 O
- O
run O
defeat O
in O
the O
third O
day O
- O
night O
limited O
overs O
international O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Akmal O
followed O
his O
102 O
in O
the O
second O
match O
with O
a O
brilliant O
109 O
and O
all O
- O
rounder O
Abdul O
Razzaq O
hit O
an O
unbeaten O
22 O
- O
ball O
51 O
as O
England O
conceded O
their O
highest O
- O
ever O
one O
- O
day O
total O
of O
353 O
- O
6 O
in O
50 O
overs O
. O

England O
never O
looked O
remotely O
in O
the O
hunt O
and O
lost O
wickets O
at O
regular O
intervals O
. O
They O
were O
dismissed O
for O
188 O
in O
42 O
overs O
, O
with O
supersub O
Ian O
Bell O
topscoring O
with O
37 O
not O
out O
. O

Pakistan O
lead O
the O
five O
- O
match O
series O
2 O
- O
1 O
. O

The O
result O
equalled O
England O
' O
s O
previous O
worst O
one O
- O
day O
defeat O
of O
165 O
suffered O
against O
the O
West O
Indies O
at O
St O
. O
Vincent O
in O
the O
1993 O
- O
94 O
series O
. O

The O
tourists O
lost O
opener O
Matthew O
Prior O
( O
two O
) O
to O
a O
run O
out O
in O
the O
seventh O
over O
when O
fast O
bowler O
Shoaib O
Akhtar O
picked O
up O
Marcus O
Trescothick O
' O
s O
drive O
and O
threw O
the O
stumps O
down O
at O
the O
non O
- O
striker O
' O
s O
end O
. O

Rana O
Naved O
- O
ul O
- O
Hasan O
then O
removed O
Trescothick O
( O
22 O
) O
and O
Vikram O
Solanki O
( O
nought O
) O
in O
his O
fourth O
over O
to O
leave O
England O
struggling O
on O
40 O
- O
3 O
. O

It O
became O
4 O
- O
79 O
when O
Mohammad O
Sami O
trapped O
Andrew O
Strauss O
leg O
before O
for O
23 B-T
. O
Allrounder O
Andrew O
Flintoff O
hit O
seven O
boundaries O
in O
his O
36 O
before O
he O
was O
bowled O
by O
supersub O
Yasir O
Arafat O
. O

Leg O
- O
spinner O
Shahid O
Afridi O
and O
Shoaib O
Malik O
then O
shared O
five O
wickets O
between O
them O
to O
wrap O
up O
the O
innings O
on O
a O
day O
totally O
dominated O
by O
Pakistan O
. O

Earlier O
, O
Akmal O
had O
added O
104 O
for O
the O
third O
wicket O
with O
Mohammad O
Yousuf O
( O
68 O
) O
after O
Trescothick O
surprisingly O
put O
them O
in O
on O
a O
pitch O
full O
of O
runs O
. O

The O
22 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
, O
whose O
century O
helped O
Pakistan O
win O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
second O
match O
at O
Lahore O
by O
seven O
wickets O
, O
laid O
the O
cornerstone O
for O
a O
big O
Pakistan O
total O
by O
giving O
them O
a O
flying O
start O
of O
74 O
with O
Salman O
Butt O
( O
29 O
) O
. O

Akmal O
, O
who O
survived O
a O
caught O
and O
bowled O
chance O
off O
Paul O
Collingwood O
, O
struck O
12 O
boundaries O
off O
111 O
balls O
to O
notch O
up O
his O
third O
one O
- O
day O
hundred O
before O
holing O
out O
at O
long O
- O
on O
with O
a O
tired O
shot O
off O
the O
bowling O
of O
Collingwood O
. O

His O
fall O
brought O
in O
popular O
all O
- O
rounder O
Shahid O
Afridi O
, O
who O
delighted O
the O
packed O
33 O
, O
000 O
crowd O
with O
a O
rapid O
- O
fire O
14 O
- O
ball O
31 O
studded O
with O
three O
fours O
and O
two O
sixes O
. O

Afridi O
, O
who O
returned O
after O
serving O
a O
one O
- O
Test O
and O
two O
one O
- O
day O
games O
ban O
for O
scruffing O
the O
pitch O
in O
the O
second O
Test O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
was O
finally O
run O
out O
in O
a O
mix O
- O
up O
with O
Yousuf O
. O

Yousuf O
suffered O
the O
same O
fate O
five O
overs O
later O
after O
hitting O
seven O
boundaries O
during O
his O
65 O
- O
ball O
knock O
. O
But O
his O
fall O
opened O
the O
way O
for O
a O
late O
- O
order O
flurry O
as O
Pakistan O
notched O
up O
109 O
off O
the O
last O
ten O
overs O
. O

Razzaq O
hit O
five O
fours O
and O
three O
sixes O
during O
his O
brisk O
knock O
of O
22 O
balls O
, O
while O
Inzamam O
smacked O
four O
boundaries O
and O
a O
six O
as O
the O
pair O
added O
78 O
off O
just O
39 O
balls O
to O
scuttle O
a O
hapless O
England O
attack O
. O

Plunkett O
was O
the O
best O
of O
England O
' O
s O
bowlers O
, O
taking O
two O
wickets O
for O
61 O
off O
seven O
overs O
. O
James O
Anderson O
was O
hit O
for O
72 O
off O
his O
ten O
and O
Steve O
Harmison O
62 O
off O
his O
eight O
. O

England O
brought O
Vikram O
Solanki O
in O
for O
big O
- O
hitting O
Kevin O
Pietersen O
who O
returned O
home O
after O
suffering O
back O
and O
ribcage O
problems O
. O

The O
match O
was O
played O
under O
tight O
security O
with O
over O
3 O
, O
000 O
policemen O
and O
paramilitary O
troops O
cordoning O
off O
the O
ground O
. O
England O
, O
who O
refused O
to O
play O
a O
Test O
here O
, O
had O
sought O
extra O
security O
in O
the O
violence O
- O
prone O
city O
. O

The O
previous O
highest O
total O
conceded O
by O
England O
in O
all O
one O
- O
day O
internationals O
was O
326 O
- O
8 O
made O
by O
India O
at O
Lord O
' O
s O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

The O
fourth O
match O
will O
be O
played O
at O
Rawalpindi O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0651 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
trade O
surplus O
down O
26 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
March O

Japan O
' O
s O
trade O
surplus O
in O
March B-T
was O
down O
26 O
. O
8 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier O
at O
818 O
. O
3 O
billion O
yen O
( O
6 O
. O
49 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
but O
up O
from O
686 O
. O
7 O
billion O
yen O
in O
February B-T
, O
the O
finance O
ministry O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

Exports O
were O
up O
10 O
. O
5 O
percent O
at O
4 O
. O
54 O
billion O
yen O
while O
imports O
were O
up O
24 O
. O
4 O
percent O
at O
3 O
. O
72 O
billion O
yen O
, O
it O
said O
. O

For O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
ending O
in O
March B-T
, O
the O
trade O
surplus O
narrowed O
29 O
. O
6 O
percent O
to O
6 O
, O
421 O
billion O
yen O
. O

A O
ministry O
official O
said O
the O
decline O
in O
Japan O
' O
s O
trade O
surplus O
was O
" O
slowing O
" O
, O
apparently O
referring O
to O
the O
impact O
of O
the O
weaker O
yen O
. O

Tokyo O
Research O
Institute O
economist O
Toshio O
Sumitani O
said O
the O
March B-T
surplus O
was O
below O
his O
forecast O
for O
a O
trade O
imbalance O
of O
one O
trillion O
yen O
. O

" O
Imports O
were O
stronger O
than O
expected O
. O
. O
. O
Crude O
oil O
prices O
have O
fallen O
recently O
, O
so O
I O
did O
not O
expect O
strong O
imports O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
citing O
" O
extraordinary O
factors O
" O
for O
the O
increase O
. O

Sumitani O
also O
noted O
that O
exports O
to O
the O
United O
States O
remained O
high O
and O
this O
was O
expected O
to O
continue O
boosting O
the O
surplus O
in O
the O
coming B-T
months I-T
. O

" O
The O
pace O
of O
the O
movement O
in O
the O
trade O
surplus O
year O
on O
year O
is O
slowing O
, O
because O
of O
slowing O
exports O
to O
the O
Asian O
and O
European O
markets O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
March B-T
alone O
, O
Japan O
' O
s O
surplus O
with O
the O
United O
States O
, O
its O
biggest O
trading O
partner O
, O
surged O
11 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
380 O
billion O
yen O
with O
exports O
up O
14 O
. O
3 O
percent O
at O
1 O
, O
260 O
billion O
yen O
and O
imports O
up O
15 O
. O
7 O
percent O
at O
880 O
billion O
yen O
. O

The O
surplus O
with O
Asia O
shrank O
17 O
. O
9 O
percent O
to O
635 O
billion O
yen O
, O
with O
exports O
up O
7 O
. O
6 O
percent O
at O
1 O
, O
922 O
billion O
yen O
and O
imports O
increasing O
27 O
. O
0 O
percent O
to O
1 O
, O
287 O
billion O
yen O
. O

With O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
the O
trade O
surplus O
narrowed O
39 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
131 O
billion O
yen O
. O
Exports O
to O
the O
EU O
countries O
rose O
2 O
. O
5 O
percent O
to O
676 O
billion O
yen O
with O
imports O
down O
22 O
. O
8 O
percent O
at O
545 O
billion O
yen O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0328 O

NAIROBI O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Inflation O
soars O
in O
Kenya O

Kenya O
' O
s O
three O
- O
month O
annualised O
inflation O
rose O
to O
35 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
March B-T
from O
14 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
February B-T
as O
a O
result O
of O
food O
shortages O
caused O
by O
widespread O
drought O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
Central O
Bank O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
overall O
month O
- O
on O
- O
month O
inflation O
also O
rose O
to O
15 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
March B-T
from O
11 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
February B-T
, O
with O
the O
average O
annual O
inflation O
increasing O
to O
10 O
. O
7 O
from O
9 O
. O
9 O
percent O
during O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
. O

" O
The O
surge O
in O
the O
overall O
inflation O
during O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
was O
traced O
to O
the O
severe O
decline O
in O
agricultural O
output O
following O
the O
drought O
" O
, O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
monthly O
economic O
review O
for O
April B-T
says O
. O

The O
food O
price O
index O
increased O
by O
43 O
percent O
during O
the B-T
year I-T
to O
March B-T
1997 I-T
, O
compared O
to O
the O
earlier O
increase O
of O
17 O
percent O
during O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Kenyan O
shilling O
gained O
against O
major O
currencies O
in O
March B-T
when O
it O
was O
trading O
at O
54 O
. O
90 O
to O
the O
dollar O
compared O
with O
54 O
. O
93 O
in O
February B-T
. O

The O
overall O
balance O
of O
payments O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
up I-T
to I-T
February I-T
1997 I-T
was O
a O
surplus O
of O
504 O
million O
dollars O
compared O
with O
a O
deficit O
of O
102 O
million O
dollars O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
to I-T
February I-T
1996 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0187 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
joins O
force O
with O
Uganda O
in O
fighting O
malaria O

A O
three O
- O
day O
anti O
- O
malaria O
training O
program O
opened O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
as O
part O
of O
China O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
join O
force O
with O
Uganda O
to O
fight O
malaria O
. O

" O
Malaria O
has O
serious O
implications O
on O
all O
aspects O
of O
our O
lives O
, O
at O
individual O
, O
family O
, O
community O
level O
and O
at O
national O
level O
. O
We O
can O
not O
afford O
to O
keep O
silent O
and O
live O
with O
it O
, O
" O
said O
Stephen O
Malinga O
, O
Uganda O
' O
s O
minister O
of O
health O
, O
who O
opened O
the O
training O
program O
in O
Kampala O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

He O
also O
hailed O
the O
Chinese O
government O
for O
financing O
the O
course O
, O
saying O
it O
is O
an O
indication O
of O
the O
growing O
cordial O
relation O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

" O
There O
are O
a O
lot O
of O
technologies O
in O
China O
, O
in O
medicine O
, O
which O
the O
world O
is O
freshly O
discovering O
. O
It O
is O
the O
challenge O
for O
participants O
in O
this O
short O
course O
to O
utilize O
this O
opportunity O
to O
learn O
from O
Chinese O
experts O
, O
" O
Malinga O
said O
. O

Ministry O
of O
Health O
statistics O
indicate O
that O
malaria O
kills O
over O
80 O
, O
000 O
Ugandans O
per O
year O
, O
mostly O
pregnant O
women O
and O
children O
, O
and O
still O
ranks O
as O
the O
number O
one O
killer O
in O
the O
east O
African O
country O
. O

He O
Shijing O
, O
the O
charge O
d O
' O
affairs O
of O
the O
Chinese O
embassy O
in O
Kampala O
, O
said O
the O
Chinese O
government O
is O
fulfilling O
its O
pledge O
of O
donating O
anti O
- O
malaria O
medicine O
and O
carrying O
out O
anti O
- O
malaria O
training O
programs O
in O
Uganda O
. O

" O
The O
Chinese O
experts O
are O
here O
, O
ready O
and O
willing O
to O
work O
hard O
together O
with O
their O
Ugandan O
colleagues O
to O
reduce O
the O
influence O
of O
malaria O
, O
to O
share O
experience O
and O
to O
improve O
Ugandan O
people O
' O
s O
health O
through O
direct O
contribution O
of O
anti O
- O
malaria O
medicine O
and O
treatment O
expertise O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

In O
recent B-T
months I-T
, O
various O
Chinese O
anti O
- O
malaria O
drugs O
have O
been O
introduced O
on O
the O
Ugandan O
market O
as O
the O
Ugandan O
government O
embarked O
on O
various O
measures O
, O
including O
the O
indoor O
spraying O
of O
the O
DDT O
, O
to O
combat O
the O
disease O
spread O
by O
female O
anopheles O
mosquitoes O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0037 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Alien O
plant O
species O
threatens O
ecosystem O
of O
Zambia O
' O
s O
Victoria O
Falls O

Ecosystem O
of O
Zambia O
' O
s O
Victoria O
Falls O
is O
under O
serious O
threat O
from O
an O
invasive O
alien O
species O
( O
IAS O
) O
of O
weed O
called O
Lantana O
Camara O
, O
a O
conservationist O
has O
warned O
. O

The O
situation O
was O
very O
serious O
as O
the O
weed O
was O
killing O
off O
natural O
vegetation O
, O
Geoffrey O
Howard O
, O
eastern O
Africa O
regional O
program O
coordinator O
of O
International O
Union O
of O
Conservation O
of O
Nature O
( O
IUCN O
) O
was O
quoted O
by O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
The O
Post O
as O
saying O
. O

Lantana O
is O
regarded O
as O
one O
of O
the O
worst O
weeds O
because O
of O
its O
invasiveness O
, O
its O
potential O
to O
spread O
and O
its O
subsequent O
economic O
and O
environmental O
impact O
, O
according O
to O
Howard O
. O

The O
weed O
is O
a O
serious O
threat O
to O
biodiversity O
in O
several O
World O
Heritage O
- O
listed O
areas O
and O
poses O
a O
problem O
in O
gardens O
because O
it O
can O
cross O
- O
pollinate O
with O
weed O
varieties O
to O
create O
new O
, O
more O
resilient O
forms O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Howard O
said O
if O
left O
unattended O
to O
, O
the O
weed O
could O
become O
the O
dominant O
vegetation O
in O
the O
Victoria O
Falls O
area O
and O
that O
the O
other O
plant O
species O
were O
in O
danger O
of O
becoming O
extinct O
. O

He O
said O
his O
organization O
was O
working O
with O
the O
governments O
of O
Zambia O
and O
Zimbabwe O
to O
come O
up O
with O
the O
best O
way O
to O
tackle O
the O
weed O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0110 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

charges O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Political O
leaders O
in O
Iraq O
and O
abroad O
focused O
Saturday B-T
on O
a O
government O
for O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
nation O
while O
a O
high O
- O
profile O
secular O
candidate O
charged O
that O
an O
electoral O
commission O
had O
failed O
in O
its O
mission O
. O

The O
Independent O
Electoral O
Commission O
of O
Iraq O
cautioned O
that O
ballots O
from O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
legislative O
poll O
were O
still O
being O
counted O
and O
official O
results O
would O
not O
be O
available O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

Unofficial O
estimates O
, O
however O
, O
suggested O
polarized O
results O
similar O
to O
those O
from O
elections O
in O
January B-T
, O
and O
Adnan O
al O
- O
Dulaimi O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
National O
Concord O
Front O
, O
a O
list O
strongly O
supported O
by O
Sunni O
Arabs O
, O
said O
he O
was O
ready O
to O
join O
a O
coalition O
. O

But O
former O
planning O
minister O
Mehdi O
al O
- O
Hafez O
told O
media O
in O
Baghdad O
: O
" O
The O
results O
that O
have O
been O
announced O
are O
incorrect O
and O
are O
meant O
to O
influence O
public O
opinion O
. O
" O

He O
spoke O
after O
reports O
of O
a O
sweeping O
victory O
for O
the O
main O
religious O
Shiite O
coalition O
, O
the O
United O
Iraqi O
Alliance O
( O
UIA O
) O
, O
in O
nine O
southern O
provinces O
. O

" O
There O
were O
many O
violations O
in O
several O
provinces O
and O
there O
is O
widespread O
concern O
among O
the O
electorate O
, O
who O
feel O
state O
bodies O
and O
the O
electoral O
commission O
failed O
in O
their O
task O
, O
" O
Hafez O
said O
. O

Hafez O
who O
ran O
for O
office O
alongside O
former O
prime O
minister O
Iyad O
Allawi O
, O
a O
secular O
Shiite O
, O
pressed O
for O
an O
official O
investigation O
to O
remove O
all O
doubts O
about O
the O
poll O
' O
s O
credibility O
. O

Dulaimi O
in O
contrast O
appeared O
to O
accept O
the O
commission O
' O
s O
work O
, O
and O
said O
: O
" O
We O
will O
work O
towards O
finding O
a O
strong O
coalition O
in O
the O
national O
assembly O
that O
can O
protect O
the O
rights O
of O
Iraqis O
. O
" O

The O
current O
government O
, O
an O
alliance O
of O
Kurds O
and O
religious O
Shiites O
, O
took O
months O
to O
form O
and O
has O
been O
accused O
of O
sidelining O
the O
country O
' O
s O
disaffected O
Sunni O
Arab O
minority O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Ibrahim O
Jaafari O
has O
said O
that O
if O
the O
UIA O
lost O
, O
which O
is O
unlikely O
, O
he O
would O
work O
with O
whoever O
won O
" O
even O
if O
they O
are O
not O
qualified O
. O
" O

Jaafari O
met O
Saturday B-T
with O
Grand O
Ayatollah O
Ali O
al O
- O
Sistani O
, O
the O
spiritual O
leader O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
Shiites O
, O
in O
all O
likelihood O
to O
discuss O
the O
political O
future O
of O
the O
country O
. O

The O
religious O
Shiite O
UIA O
, O
according O
to O
estimates O
from O
commission O
sources O
and O
party O
officials O
, O
appeared O
to O
have O
swept O
the O
largely O
Shiite O
south O
, O
while O
a O
Kurdish O
alliance O
had O
a O
purportedly O
commanding O
lead O
in O
the O
north O
. O

An O
international O
mission O
said O
Friday B-T
that O
the O
Iraqi O
election O
has O
generally O
met O
international O
standards O
, O
and O
hailed O
the O
organisers O
for O
meeting O
a O
" O
difficult O
challenge O
. O
" O

Iraqi O
Shiites O
and O
Sunni O
Arabs O
staged O
rallies O
throughout O
Iraq O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
champion O
their O
legislative O
candidates O
as O
the O
country O
emerged O
from O
a O
three O
- O
day O
security O
lockdown O
. O

Facing O
anemic O
poll O
numbers O
at O
home O
over O
his O
Iraq O
policy O
, O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
has O
trumpeted O
the O
election O
as O
a O
victory O
for O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
and O
US O
policy O
in O
Iraq O
and O
is O
hoping O
a O
strong O
government O
will O
quickly O
coalesce O
. O

The O
new O
275 O
- O
member O
parliament O
is O
to O
appoint O
a O
president O
and O
two O
vice O
presidents O
. O
The O
presidential O
council O
will O
then O
have O
15 B-T
days I-T
to O
name O
a O
prime O
minister O
, O
who O
has O
30 B-T
days I-T
to O
form O
a O
cabinet O
with O
parliamentary O
approval O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
Bush O
said O
he O
has O
contacted O
the O
leaders O
of O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
Jordan O
, O
Kuwait O
and O
the O
United O
Arab O
Emirates O
and O
asked O
them O
to O
help O
Iraq O
establish O
a O
new O
government O
. O

US O
ambassador O
to O
Iraq O
, O
Zalmay O
Khalilzad O
, O
and O
General O
George O
Casey O
, O
the O
commander O
of O
coalition O
forces O
in O
Iraq O
, O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
: O
" O
The O
newly O
elected O
leaders O
should O
come O
together O
quickly O
and O
build O
bridges O
for O
national O
unity O
. O
" O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
also O
called O
for O
" O
the O
rapid O
formation O
of O
a O
representative O
government O
" O
and O
stressed O
" O
the O
importance O
of O
inclusiveness O
, O
dialogue O
and O
national O
unity O
as O
Iraq O
' O
s O
political O
development O
moves O
forward O
. O
" O

While O
few O
deaths O
occurred O
during O
the O
vote O
, O
ongoing O
instability O
in O
Iraq O
was O
underlined O
by O
a O
mortar O
attack O
Friday B-T
that O
killed O
four O
children O
playing O
football O
and O
an O
Iraqi O
soldier O
near O
the O
western O
town O
of O
Haditha O
. O

Dulaimi O
told O
reporters O
Saturday B-T
that O
insurgents O
had O
agreed O
not O
to O
attack O
polling O
stations O
and O
thanked O
them O
for O
holding O
to O
their O
promise O
. O

In O
an O
interview O
Friday B-T
, O
Bush O
admitted O
that O
the O
elections O
would O
not O
solve O
the O
problem O
of O
the O
insurgency O
in O
Iraq O
, O
and O
that O
violence O
would O
likely O
continue O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
Iraqi O
Central O
Investigating O
Court O
issued O
an O
arrest O
warrant O
for O
Mullah O
Halgurd O
al O
- O
Khabir O
, O
accused O
of O
masterminding O
the O
August B-T
23 I-T
bombing O
of O
the O
UN O
headquarters O
in O
Baghdad O
that O
killed O
22 O
people O
, O
among O
other O
attacks O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0279 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

operations O

The O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
and O
Canada O
signed O
an O
agreement O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
facilitating O
Canada O
' O
s O
participation O
in O
EU O
crisis O
management O
operations O
. O

The O
agreement O
was O
signed O
by O
EU O
' O
s O
foreign O
and O
security O
policy O
chief O
Javier O
Solana O
and O
Canadian O
ambassador O
Jeremy O
Kinsman O
in O
the O
margins O
of O
an O
EU O
- O
Canada O
leaders O
' O
video O
- O
conference O
. O

Until O
now B-T
, O
Canada O
' O
s O
participation O
in O
EU O
- O
led O
crisis O
management O
operations O
has O
been O
on O
ad O
hoc O
basis O
. O

Canada O
has O
participated O
or O
is O
currently O
involved O
in O
several O
EU O
- O
led O
operations O
in O
Bosnia O
and O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
the O
Congo O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0376 O

LIMA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
45 O
killed O
in O
Peruvian O
bus O
accident O

A O
passenger O
bus O
drove O
off O
a O
cliff O
in O
a O
remote O
part O
of O
southeastern O
Peru O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
killing O
at O
least O
45 O
people O
and O
injuring O
two O
others O
, O
local O
police O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0668 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
on O
Tuesday B-T
capped O
a O
special O
debate O
on O
growing O
Middle O
East O
turmoil O
by O
reaffirming O
its O
commitment O
to O
the O
vision O
of O
Israel O
and O
an O
independent O
Palestinian O
state O
living O
side O
by O
side O
in O
peace O
and O
security O
. O

" O
The O
Security O
Council O
reaffirms O
its O
profound O
attachment O
to O
the O
vision O
of O
two O
democratic O
states O
, O
Israel O
and O
Palestine O
, O
living O
side O
by O
side O
in O
peace O
and O
security O
, O
" O
said O
a O
statement O
read O
by O
Qatar O
' O
s O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Sheikh O
Hamad O
Bin O
Jassim O
al O
- O
Thani O
. O

Qatar O
, O
which O
holds O
the O
council O
' O
s O
rotating O
presidency O
for O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
scheduled O
the O
debate O
amid O
growing O
concern O
about O
the O
deteriorating O
situation O
across O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
with O
conflicts O
raging O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
the O
West O
Bank O
, O
Lebanon O
and O
Iraq O
. O

The O
15 O
- O
member O
council O
emphasized O
that O
" O
there O
can O
be O
no O
military O
solution O
to O
the O
problems O
of O
the O
region O
and O
that O
negotiation O
is O
the O
only O
viable O
way O
to O
bring O
peace O
and O
prosperity O
to O
peoples O
throughout O
the O
Middle O
East O
. O
" O

It O
welcomed O
last B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
Gaza O
truce O
agreement O
reached O
by O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
and O
Palestinian O
leader O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
and O
cautioned O
that O
" O
action O
by O
the O
international O
community O
cannot O
be O
a O
substitute O
for O
determined O
measures O
by O
the O
parties O
themselves O
. O
" O

It O
again O
called O
on O
the O
Hamas O
- O
led O
Palestinian O
Authority O
to O
accept O
the O
three O
pinciples O
set O
by O
the O
Middle O
East O
Quartet O
- O
- O
The O
European O
Union O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Russia O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
- O
- O
as O
a O
basis O
for O
resuming O
peace O
talks O
with O
Israel O
. O

But O
the O
Islamist O
Hamas O
movement O
, O
which O
controls O
the O
Palestinian O
government O
since O
its O
historic O
win O
in O
the O
January B-T
polls O
, O
has O
so O
far O
refused O
the O
three O
principles O
- O
- O
renounce O
violence O
, O
agree O
to O
abide O
by O
past O
peace O
deals O
or O
recognise O
Israel O
- O
- O
even O
implicitly O
. O

Opening O
the O
debate O
, O
outgoing O
UN O
chief O
Kofi O
Annan O
pleaded O
for O
" O
a O
new O
and O
urgent O
push O
for O
peace O
" O
between O
Israelis O
and O
Palestinians O
. O

He O
reiterated O
that O
the O
Roadmap O
, O
the O
blueprint O
for O
peace O
drawn O
up O
by O
the O
Quartet O
, O
remained O
" O
the O
reference O
point O
around O
which O
any O
effort O
to O
re O
- O
energize O
a O
political O
effort O
on O
the O
Israeli O
- O
Palestnian O
track O
should O
be O
centered O
. O
" O

But O
US O
deputy O
ambassador O
to O
the O
UN O
Alejandro O
Wolff O
warned O
that O
" O
the O
ultimate O
responsibility O
for O
progress O
toward O
peace O
rests O
with O
the O
parties O
, O
and O
with O
their O
fulfillment O
of O
the O
parallel O
obligations O
they O
have O
agreed O
to O
undertake O
in O
accordance O
with O
the O
Roadmap O
. O
" O

" O
The O
role O
of O
the O
international O
community O
, O
therefore O
. O
. O
. O
must O
be O
to O
help O
create O
the O
environment O
that O
will O
enable O
the O
parties O
to O
come O
together O
to O
resolve O
their O
differences O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

In O
his O
last O
report O
on O
the O
Middle O
East O
released O
Monday B-T
, O
Annan O
also O
stressed O
the O
need O
to O
find O
" O
new O
ways O
of O
protecting O
Palestinian O
and O
Israeli O
civilians O
" O
from O
violence O
, O
and O
to O
establish O
clear O
parameters O
for O
settling O
final O
status O
issues O
such O
as O
the O
fate O
of O
Jerusalem O
and O
the O
return O
of O
Palestinian O
refugees O
. O

Commenting O
on O
Annan O
' O
s O
ideas O
, O
China O
' O
s O
UN O
envoy O
Wang O
Guangya O
said O
that O
" O
they O
deserve O
serious O
consideration O
" O
by O
the O
Security O
Council O
. O

Slamming O
the O
council O
for O
its O
passivity O
in O
tackling O
the O
issue O
, O
the O
Chinese O
ambassador O
said O
that O
the O
powerful O
body O
" O
should O
transform O
itself O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
from O
' O
firefighter O
' O
to O
' O
problem O
shooter O
, O
' O
come O
up O
with O
innovative O
ideas O
and O
take O
an O
active O
and O
pragmatic O
approach O
" O
to O
help O
solve O
the O
Israeli O
- O
Arab O
conflict O
. O

Britain O
' O
s O
UN O
Ambassador O
Emyr O
Jones O
Parry O
again O
urged O
Israel O
" O
to O
freeze O
all O
settlement O
activity O
, O
including O
the O
' O
natural O
growth O
' O
of O
existing O
settlements O
, O
and O
to O
dismantle O
all O
outposts O
built O
since O
2001 B-T
in O
line O
with O
the O
provisions O
of O
the O
Roadmap O
. O
" O

And O
he O
pressed O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
to O
make O
every O
effort O
" O
to O
prevent O
terrorism O
. O
" O

Israel O
' O
s O
UN O
deputy O
representative O
Daniel O
Carmon O
, O
for O
his O
part O
, O
stressed O
that O
" O
direct O
negotiations O
. O
. O
. O
is O
the O
only O
way O
forward O
. O
" O

" O
Israelis O
, O
Lebanese O
, O
and O
Palestinians O
all O
deserve O
better O
. O
. O
. O
We O
must O
join O
hands O
in O
fighting O
extremism O
and O
radicalism O
, O
incitement O
and O
intolerance O
, O
terrorism O
and O
hate O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970420 O
. O
0083 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Gujral O
vows O
to O
improve O
India O
' O
s O
ties O
with O
Pakistan O

United O
Front O
coalition O
leader O
Inder O
Kumar O
Gujral O
on O
Sunday B-T
said O
he O
would O
improve O
India O
' O
s O
relations O
with O
Pakistan O
after O
forming O
his O
new O
government O
. O

Gujral O
said O
the O
alliance O
government O
would O
follow O
an O
independent O
foreign O
policy O
and O
added O
he O
would O
also O
try O
and O
improve O
relations O
between O
India O
and O
its O
other O
neighbours O
. O

The O
new O
United O
Front O
leader O
, O
who O
has O
served O
as O
India O
' O
s O
foreign O
minister O
under O
three O
governments O
and O
who O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
named O
prime O
minister O
later O
Sunday O
, O
promised O
normal O
ties O
with O
arch O
- O
rival O
Pakistan O
. O

" O
This O
area O
will O
be O
given O
considerable O
importance O
by O
the O
new O
government O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Gujral O
said O
he O
has O
evolved O
a O
" O
five O
- O
point O
doctrine O
" O
to O
improve O
India O
' O
s O
foreign O
relations O
in O
the O
region O
and O
said O
the O
subject O
would O
be O
a O
" O
priority O
area O
" O
. O

The O
former O
diplomat O
said O
India O
' O
s O
ties O
with O
Europe O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
China O
and O
Russia O
" O
would O
get O
the O
equal O
attention O
of O
the O
United O
Front O
government O
. O
" O

As O
foreign O
minister O
in O
his O
predecessor O
H O
. O
D O
. O
Deve O
Gowda O
' O
s O
government O
, O
Gujral O
helped O
end O
a O
three O
- O
year O
freeze O
on O
official O
talks O
between O
India O
and O
Pakistan O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

He O
also O
eased O
travel O
restrictions O
for O
Pakistanis O
visiting O
India O
before O
holding O
talks O
with O
Pakistani O
foreign O
minister O
Gohar O
Ayub O
Khan O
in O
April B-T
. O

That O
, O
ironically O
, O
was O
due O
to O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
a O
meeting O
between O
the O
prime O
ministers O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
at O
a O
regional O
summit O
next B-T
month I-T
in O
the O
Maldives O
. O
Now B-T
Gujral O
looks O
set O
to O
represent O
India O
there O
himself O
. O

India O
and O
Pakistan O
have O
fought O
three O
wars O
since O
independence O
from O
British O
colonial O
rule O
in O
1947 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0201 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hong O
Kong O
chief O
to O
visit O
Guizhou O
Province O
next O
week O

Hong O
Kong O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
( O
HKSAR O
) O
Chief O
Executive O
Donald O
Tsang O
will O
lead O
a O
delegation O
, O
comprising O
officials O
and O
local O
business O
leaders O
, O
to O
visit O
southwestern O
Guizhou O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, O
a O
government O
spokesman O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
three O
- O
day O
tour O
aims O
to O
promote O
economic O
and O
trade O
cooperation O
between O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
the O
Pan O
- O
Pearl O
River O
Delta O
region O
, O
which O
groups O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Macao O
, O
Guangdong O
, O
Guangxi O
, O
Fujian O
, O
Jiangxi O
, O
Hunan O
, O
Hainan O
, O
Sichuan O
, O
Guizhou O
and O
Yunnan O
. O

The O
tour O
will O
be O
Tsang O
' O
s O
third O
visit O
to O
the O
Pan O
- O
Pearl O
River O
region O
since O
he O
assumed O
the O
office O
of O
HKSAR O
Chief O
Executive O
in O
2005 B-T
. O
He O
will O
lead O
another O
business O
delegation O
to O
Jiangxi O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
government O
spokesman O
. O

During O
the O
trip O
, O
Tsang O
will O
visit O
local O
enterprises O
and O
tourism O
- O
related O
infrastructure O
. O
He O
will O
also O
take O
part O
in O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
Guizhou O
Business O
Co O
- O
operation O
Symposium O
and O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
Guizhou O
Tourism O
Seminar O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0089 O

TAIYUAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Death O
toll O
in O
north O
China O
colliery O
gas O
blast O
rises O
to O
41 O

The O
death O
toll O
from O
a O
colliery O
blast O
in O
north O
China O
last B-T
week I-T
has O
risen O
to O
41 O
with O
six O
others O
still O
missing O
, O
local O
government O
sources O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Rescuers O
found O
another O
body O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
in O
the O
Jiaojiazhai O
Colliery O
in O
Xinzhou O
, O
a O
city O
in O
the O
central O
northern O
area O
of O
Shanxi O
Province O
, O
according O
to O
a O
provincial O
coal O
mine O
work O
safety O
conference O
held O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

A O
gas O
explosion O
occurred O
at O
11 B-T
: I-T
45 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
. I-T
at O
the O
Jiaojiazhai O
Colliery O
, O
when O
393 O
miners O
were O
working O
in O
the O
pit O
. O
Three O
hundred O
and O
forty O
- O
six O
escaped O
after O
the O
blast O
. O

Search O
and O
rescue O
efforts O
are O
continuing O
though O
rescuers O
believe O
the O
six O
missing O
miners O
have O
little O
chance O
of O
survival O
, O
given O
the O
high O
density O
of O
toxic O
gas O
and O
serious O
cave O
- O
ins O
following O
the O
blast O
. O

Also O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
one O
miner O
was O
confirmed O
dead O
following O
a O
colliery O
flood O
that O
trapped O
eight O
in O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Liaoning O
Province O
. O

The O
accident O
, O
in O
which O
one O
miner O
is O
still O
missing O
and O
six O
were O
injured O
, O
occurred O
Tuesday B-T
at O
the O
privately O
- O
owned O
Dahenan O
Colliery O
in O
Huazi O
Township O
in O
Dengta O
, O
a O
city O
about O
50 O
kilometers O
south O
of O
provincial O
capital O
Shenyang O
. O

Surging O
demand O
for O
winter O
coal O
has O
spurred O
production O
but O
also O
caused O
a O
string O
of O
deadly O
accidents O
. O

In O
the O
coal O
- O
rich O
Shanxi O
Province O
, O
two O
recent O
colliery O
accidents O
, O
including O
the O
Jiaojiazhai O
Colliery O
blast O
, O
have O
killed O
at O
least O
67 O
people O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0411 O

DIYARBAKIR O
, O
Turkey O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
toll O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Four O
people O
, O
among O
them O
a O
woman O
and O
her O
two O
children O
, O
were O
crushed O
to O
death O
after O
an O
explosion O
caused O
by O
a O
defective O
heating O
system O
razed O
a O
five O
- O
storey O
building O
housing O
families O
of O
the O
Turkish O
military O
here O
early B-T
Monday I-T
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Eight O
people O
were O
pulled O
injured O
from O
the O
wreckage O
of O
the O
building O
in O
the O
center O
of O
Diyarbakir O
, O
the O
largest O
city O
in O
Turkey O
' O
s O
predominantly O
Kurdish O
southeast O
. O

Four O
others O
remained O
trapped O
under O
the O
rubble O
, O
land O
forces O
commander O
General O
Ilker O
Basbug O
, O
who O
flew O
in O
from O
Ankara O
to O
inspect O
the O
rescue O
efforts O
, O
told O
reporters O
. O

Two O
of O
them O
were O
said O
to O
have O
responded O
to O
rescuers O
. O

Police O
detained O
the O
man O
who O
repaired O
the O
heating O
system O
on O
Sunday B-T
evening I-T
for O
questioning O
, O
the O
Anatolia O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

At O
least O
two O
children O
were O
among O
the O
rescued O
, O
Anatolia O
said O
. O
Security O
officials O
said O
none O
of O
the O
injuries O
were O
life O
threatening O
. O

The O
army O
set O
up O
a O
security O
perimeter O
as O
dozens O
of O
rescuers O
from O
civil O
defense O
and O
military O
teams O
frantically O
digged O
the O
debris O
for O
more O
survivors O
and O
ambulances O
stood O
by O
. O

Diyarbakir O
is O
home O
to O
a O
major O
military O
garrison O
comprising O
thousands O
of O
troops O
. O

The O
destroyed O
building O
in O
the O
city O
center O
was O
part O
of O
a O
complex O
of O
two O
five O
- O
storey O
billets O
comprising O
of O
about O
a O
dozen O
apartments O
. O

Turkey O
maintains O
a O
strong O
military O
presence O
in O
the O
southeast O
, O
where O
it O
has O
been O
fighting O
a O
Kurdish O
insurgency O
for O
self O
- O
rule O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
22 I-T
years I-T
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0127 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0127 O
. O

Mutual O
Funds O
: O

@ O
Investors O
Yank O
Billions O
From O
Junk O
Funds O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Michael O
Siconolfi O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

TROW O

MUTUAL O
AND O
MONEY O
- O
MARKET O
FUNDS O
( O
FND O
) O

BOND O
MARKET O
NEWS O
( O
BON O
) O

NEW O
YORK O

Billions O
of O
investors O
' O
dollars O
are O
pouring O
out O
of O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
junk O
- O
bond O
mutual O
funds O
, O
undermining O
a O
pillar O
of O
support O
in O
the O
already O
reeling O
junk O
market O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
alone O
, O
an O
eye O
- O
popping O
$ O
1 O
. O
6 O
billion O
flowed O
out O
of O
the O
junk O
funds O
, O
or O
nearly O
5 O
% O
of O
their O
total O
assets O
, O
according O
to O
estimates O
by O
Dalbar O
Financial O
Services O
Inc O
. O
, O
a O
Boston O
research O
firm O
. O

In O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
months I-T
the O
nation O
' O
s O
88 O
junk O
funds O
have O
lost O
a O
total O
of O
about O
$ O
6 O
billion O
- O
- O
more O
than O
15 O
% O
of O
assets O
- O
- O
through O
sales O
or O
transfers O
of O
junk O
- O
fund O
shares O
, O
Dalbar O
says O
. O

It O
made O
the O
estimates O
based O
on O
data O
collected O
from O
more O
than O
a O
dozen O
big O
junk O
funds O
. O

Interviews O
with O
three O
major O
fund O
groups O
- O
- O
Fidelity O
Investments O
, O
Vanguard O
Group O
Inc O
. O
and O
T O
. O
Rowe O
Price O
Associates O
Inc O
. O
- O
- O
confirm O
the O
trend O
. O

Their O
junk O
funds O
combined O
have O
had O
net O
outflows O
totaling O
nearly O
$ O
500 O
million O
, O
or O
about O
13 O
% O
of O
their O
junk O
fund O
assets O
, O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
months I-T
. O

Some O
fund O
managers O
say O
negative O
publicity O
has O
exacerbated O
investors O
' O
concern O
about O
recent B-T
declines O
in O
junk O
- O
bond O
prices O
. O

" O
People O
have O
been O
seeing O
headline O
after O
headline O
after O
headline O
and O
saying O
: O
` O
I O
ca O
n O
' O
t O
take O
it O
anymore O
- O
- O
I O
' O
m O
getting O
out O
, O
' O
" O
says O
Kurt O
Brouwer O
of O
Brouwer O
amp O
Janachowski O
, O
a O
San O
Francisco O
investment O
adviser O
. O

The O
withdrawals O
could O
spell O
trouble O
for O
the O
$ O
200 O
billion O
junk O
market O
. O

If O
the O
heavy O
outflows O
continue O
, O
fund O
managers O
will O
face O
increasing O
pressure O
to O
sell O
off O
some O
of O
their O
junk O
to O
pay O
departing O
investors O
in O
the B-T
weeks I-T
ahead I-T
. O

Such O
selling O
could O
erode O
prices O
of O
high O
- O
yield O
junk O
bonds O
, O
already O
weakened O
by O
a O
rash O
of O
corporate O
credit O
problems O
. O

Mutual O
fund O
groups O
have O
n O
' O
t O
lost O
control O
of O
much O
of O
the O
outgoing O
money O
, O
says O
Louis O
Harvey O
, O
Dalbar O
' O
s O
president O
. O

Mutual O
fund O
officials O
say O
that O
investors O
have O
transferred O
most O
of O
it O
into O
their O
money O
market O
accounts O
, O
and O
to O
a O
lesser O
extent O
, O
government O
- O
bond O
funds O
. O

So O
the O
impact O
on O
the O
$ O
950 O
billion O
mutual O
fund O
industry O
as O
a O
whole O
probably O
will O
be O
slight O
. O

But O
tremors O
are O
likely O
in O
the O
junk O
- O
bond O
market O
, O
which O
has O
helped O
to O
finance O
the O
takeover O
boom O
of O
recent B-T
years I-T
. O

Mutual O
funds O
are O
the O
among O
the O
largest O
holders O
of O
junk O
, O
accounting O
for O
more O
than O
a O
quarter O
of O
the O
entire O
high O
- O
yield O
, O
high O
- O
risk O
market O
. O

The O
88 O
mutual O
funds O
investing O
solely O
in O
junk O
bonds O
hold O
assets O
of O
about O
$ O
32 O
billion O
. O

Other O
funds O
hold O
a O
smattering O
of O
junk O
bonds O
, O
too O
. O

The O
$ O
1 O
. O
5 O
billion O
Fidelity O
High O
Income O
Fund O
has O
had O
a O
net O
outflow O
of O
about O
$ O
150 O
million O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
months I-T
. O

About O
$ O
60 O
million O
streamed O
out O
last B-T
week I-T
alone O
, O
double O
the O
level O
of O
the O
week B-T
following O
last B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
Campeau O
Corp O
. O
credit O
squeeze O
. O

About O
98 O
% O
of O
the O
outflow O
was O
transferred O
to O
other O
Fidelity O
funds O
, O
says O
Neal O
Litvack O
, O
a O
Fidelity O
vice O
president O
, O
marketing O
, O
with O
most O
going O
into O
money O
market O
funds O
. O

" O
You O
get O
a O
news O
item O
, O
it O
hits O
, O
you O
have O
strong O
redemptions O
that O
day O
and O
for O
two O
days O
following O
- O
- O
then O
go O
back O
to O
normal O
, O
" O
says O
Mr O
. O
Litvack O
. O

The O
fund O
, O
with O
a O
cash O
cushion O
of O
more O
than O
10 O
% O
, O
has O
" O
met O
all O
the O
redemptions O
without O
having O
to O
sell O
one O
thing O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Litvack O
says O
. O

He O
adds O
: O
" O
Our O
fund O
has O
had O
{ O
positive O
} O
net O
sales O
every B-T
month I-T
for O
the B-T
last I-T
three I-T
years I-T
- O
- O
until O
this B-T
month I-T
. O
" O

Vanguard O
' O
s O
$ O
1 O
billion O
High O
Yield O
Bond O
Portfolio O
has O
seen O
$ O
161 O
million O
flow O
out O
since O
early B-T
September I-T
; O
$ O
14 O
million O
of O
that O
seeped O
out O
Friday B-T
Oct I-T
. I-T
13 I-T
alone O
. O

Still O
, O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
outflow O
has O
been O
steered O
into O
other O
Vanguard O
portfolios O
, O
says O
Brian O
Mattes O
, O
a O
vice O
president O
. O

The O
fund O
now B-T
holds O
a O
cash O
position O
of O
about O
15 O
% O
. O

At O
the O
$ O
932 O
million O
T O
. O
Rowe O
Price O
High O
Yield O
Fund O
, O
investors O
yanked O
out O
about O
$ O
182 O
million O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
months I-T
. O

Those O
withdrawals O
, O
most O
of O
which O
were O
transferred O
to O
other O
T O
. O
Rowe O
Price O
funds O
, O
followed O
little O
change O
in O
the O
fund O
' O
s O
sales O
picture O
this B-T
year I-T
through O
August B-T
. O

" O
The B-T
last I-T
two I-T
months I-T
have O
been O
the O
whole O
ball O
game O
, O
" O
says O
Steven O
Norwitz O
, O
a O
vice O
president O
. O

Junk O
- O
fund O
holders O
have O
barely O
broken O
even O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
as O
fat O
interest O
payments O
barely O
managed O
to O
offset O
declining O
prices O
. O

Through O
Oct B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, O
high O
- O
yield O
funds O
had O
an O
average O
0 O
. O
85 O
% O
total O
return O
( O
the O
price O
change O
plus O
dividends O
on O
fund O
shares O
) O
, O
according O
to O
Lipper O
Analytical O
Services O
Inc O
. O
That O
' O
s O
even O
less O
than O
the O
4 O
. O
35 O
% O
total O
return O
of O
the O
Merrill O
Lynch O
High O
- O
Yield O
Index O
. O

Fidelity O
' O
s O
junk O
fund O
has O
fallen O
2 O
. O
08 O
% O
this B-T
year I-T
through O
Oct B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, O
Lipper O
says O
; O
the O
Vanguard O
fund O
rose O
1 O
. O
84 O
% O
; O
and O
the O
T O
. O
Rowe O
Price O
fund O
edged O
up O
0 O
. O
66 O
% O
. O

People O
who O
remain O
in O
junk O
funds O
now B-T
could O
get O
hit O
again O
, O
some O
analysts O
and O
fund O
specialists O
say O
. O

Many O
funds O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
and I-T
months I-T
have O
been O
selling O
their O
highest O
- O
quality O
junk O
issues O
, O
such O
as O
RJR O
Nabisco O
, O
to O
raise O
cash O
to O
meet O
expected O
redemptions O
. O

Funds O
might O
be O
forced O
to O
accept O
lower O
prices O
if O
they O
expand O
their O
selling O
to O
the O
securities O
of O
less O
- O
creditworthy O
borrowers O
. O

And O
then O
, O
asset O
values O
of O
the O
funds O
could O
plunge O
more O
than O
they O
have O
so O
far O
. O

Says O
Michael O
Hirsch O
, O
chief O
investment O
officer O
of O
Republic O
National O
Bank O
and O
manager O
of O
the O
FundTrust O
Group O
in O
New O
York O
: O
" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
time O
bomb O
just O
waiting O
to O
go O
off O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0147 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Malaysia O
stock O
market O
stays O
firm O
with O
CI O
hitting O
new O
high O

The O
Malaysia O
stock O
market O
closed O
broadly O
higher O
Thursday B-T
on O
strong O
foreign O
buying O
in O
blue O
chips O
, O
pushing O
the O
Composite O
Index O
( O
CI O
) O
over O
the O
1 O
, O
080 O
- O
level O
. O

At O
the O
closing O
, O
the O
100 O
- O
quality O
stock O
CI O
surged O
16 O
. O
06 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
080 O
. O
66 O
, O
its O
best O
level O
since O
1997 B-T
. O
It O
opened O
higher O
by O
1 O
. O
25 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
065 O
. O
85 O
and O
reached O
an O
intraday O
high O
of O
1 O
, O
086 O
. O
37 O
. O

The O
Second O
Board O
Index O
went O
up O
one O
point O
to O
91 O
. O
56 O
, O
the O
Industrial O
Index O
gained O
27 O
. O
10 O
points O
to O
2 O
, O
215 O
. O
67 O
and O
the O
Mesdaq O
Index O
advanced O
0 O
. O
17 O
of O
a O
point O
to O
118 O
. O
12 O
. O

Gainers O
led O
losers O
594 O
to O
264 O
while O
298 O
counters O
traded O
unchanged O
. O

Volume O
increased O
to O
1 O
. O
58 O
billion O
shares O
valued O
at O
2 O
. O
77 O
billion O
ringgit O
( O
748 O
. O
65 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
from O
977 O
. O
02 O
million O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
70 O
billion O
ringgit O
( O
459 O
. O
46 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970419 O
. O
0058 O

HANOI O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Singaporean O
office O
project O
agreed O
in O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O

A O
Singaporean O
firm O
has O
signed O
a O
deal O
to O
build O
a O
10 O
million O
- O
dollar O
office O
complex O
in O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
, O
a O
report O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

Yuan O
Cheny O
Singapore O
is O
to O
take O
a O
70 O
percent O
stake O
in O
the O
joint O
venture O
project O
with O
the O
Transport O
Services O
3 O
company O
, O
under O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Transport O
, O
holding O
the O
balance O
, O
the O
Nguoi O
Lao O
Dong O
newspaper O
said O
. O

The O
project O
is O
to O
build O
a O
19 O
- O
storey O
office O
block O
in O
central O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
, O
due O
for O
completion O
in O
1999 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0071 O

MOGADISHU O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
At O
least O
17 O
killed O
in O
Mogadishu O
clashes O

At O
least O
17 O
militiamen O
and O
civilians O
were O
killed O
and O
26 O
other O
people O
wounded O
during O
heavy O
factional O
fighting O
which O
erupted O
in O
the O
Somali O
capital O
overnight O
, O
medical O
sources O
and O
witnesses O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0485 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

British O
mercenary O
boss O
tells O
of O
ordeal O
in O
Papua O
New O
Guinea O

British O
mercenary O
boss O
Tim O
Spicer O
, O
freed O
in O
Papua O
New O
Guinea O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
his O
trial O
for O
illegal O
firearms O
possession O
, O
told O
Thursday B-T
how O
he O
was O
threatened O
with O
a O
gun O
to O
his O
head O
and O
beaten O
up O
after O
being O
captured O
there O
. O

Spicer O
, O
who O
arrived O
back O
in O
Britain O
late B-T
Wednesday I-T
, O
said O
he O
narrowly O
missed O
death O
on O
a O
number O
of O
occasions O
after O
being O
captured O
by O
local O
defence O
forces O
who O
staged O
a O
civil O
and O
military O
revolt O
after O
his O
mercenary O
band O
were O
discovered O
. O

The O
former O
British O
soldier O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
in O
London O
that O
he O
was O
beaten O
up O
, O
intimidated O
and O
threatened O
with O
death O
by O
rebels O
in O
the O
local O
army O
before O
being O
dramatically O
released O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

He O
condemned O
Papua O
New O
Guinea O
Defence O
Force O
Brigadier O
General O
Jerry O
Singirok O
, O
and O
accused O
him O
of O
betrayal O
. O

Spicer O
, O
44 O
, O
said O
he O
and O
his O
65 O
mercenaries O
were O
recruited O
for O
24 O
million O
pounds O
( O
39 O
million O
dollars O
) O
by O
the O
government O
of O
the O
South O
Sea O
nation O
to O
help O
overthrow O
a O
nine O
- O
year O
rebellion O
on O
the O
copper O
- O
rich O
island O
of O
Bougainville O
. O

He O
was O
arrested O
three B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
, O
was O
mistreated O
for O
six B-T
days I-T
and O
then O
placed O
under O
house O
arrest O
until O
charges O
against O
him O
were O
dropped O
, O
he O
told O
assembled O
reporters O
. O

His O
military O
consultancy O
company O
Sandline O
International O
had O
only O
been O
paid O
half O
the O
agreed O
fee O
, O
he O
said O
, O
and O
was O
negotiating O
for O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
money O
and O
for O
the O
return O
of O
equipment O
, O
including O
helicopters O
. O

The O
company O
was O
cooperating O
fully O
with O
the O
Commission O
of O
Inquiry O
set O
up O
to O
investigate O
the O
government O
' O
s O
hiring O
of O
Spicer O
' O
s O
Sandline O
International O
mercenary O
group O
, O
he O
added O
. O

" O
We O
have O
acted O
both O
legally O
and O
constitutionally O
at O
the O
behest O
of O
both O
the O
government O
and O
military O
, O
" O
Spicer O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061224 O
. O
0140 O

ASHGABAT O
, O
Dec B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Boucher O
quotes O
on O
energy O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
United O
States O
sees O
opportunities O
for O
expanded O
cooperation O
in O
Central O
Asia O
and O
wants O
a O
peaceful O
transition O
of O
power O
in O
Turkmenistan O
following O
the O
death O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
president O
, O
a O
senior O
US O
official O
said O
here O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
There O
are O
many O
opportunities O
in O
this O
region O
for O
cooperation O
, O
" O
US O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
State O
for O
South O
and O
Central O
Asian O
Affairs O
Richard O
Boucher O
told O
reporters O
here O
after O
holding O
talks O
with O
officials O
in O
Ashgabat O
. O

Those O
opportunities O
include O
closer O
work O
with O
nearby O
Afghanistan O
and O
other O
countries O
in O
the O
region O
as O
well O
as O
" O
cooperation O
with O
those O
of O
us O
who O
are O
further O
away O
, O
" O
Boucher O
said O
. O

He O
called O
on O
the O
new O
government O
in O
Turkmenistan O
to O
" O
take O
advantage O
of O
these O
opportunities O
for O
the O
benefit O
of O
the O
people O
of O
Turkmenistan O
" O
and O
reiterated O
calls O
from O
Washington O
and O
other O
world O
capitals O
for O
stability O
in O
the O
energy O
- O
rich O
country O
. O

" O
We O
' O
re O
certainly O
hoping O
for O
a O
peaceful O
and O
stable O
transition O
" O
of O
power O
in O
Ashgabat O
following O
the O
death O
Thursday B-T
from O
a O
heart O
attack O
of O
Saparmurat O
Niyazov O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
iron O
- O
fisted O
ruler O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
two I-T
decades I-T
, O
who O
died O
leaving O
no O
successor O
and O
no O
clear O
system O
in O
place O
for O
choosing O
one O
. O

The O
United O
States O
, O
Russia O
and O
China O
are O
among O
major O
world O
powers O
that O
are O
anxious O
to O
consolidate O
strong O
relations O
with O
the O
authorities O
in O
Turkmenistan O
which O
has O
the O
fifth O
largest O
known O
natural O
gas O
reserves O
and O
is O
a O
key O
link O
in O
energy O
supplies O
to O
Europe O
. O

Western O
energy O
firms O
are O
eager O
to O
expand O
strategic O
energy O
routes O
between O
sources O
of O
supply O
in O
Central O
Asia O
and O
the O
Caspian O
region O
and O
markets O
in O
western O
- O
- O
routes O
that O
bypass O
Russia O
, O
a O
giant O
sitting O
between O
these O
two O
ends O
of O
the O
energy O
flow O
. O

Asked O
about O
different O
possible O
pipeline O
routes O
from O
Turkmenistan O
through O
Afghanistan O
, O
Azerbaijan O
and O
Russia O
, O
Boucher O
said O
: O
" O
Those O
will O
be O
decisions O
that O
the O
government O
will O
have O
to O
make O
. O
" O

Boucher O
was O
then O
asked O
in O
particular O
about O
a O
proposal O
to O
build O
a O
pipeline O
that O
would O
bypass O
Russia O
, O
stretching O
from O
Turkmenistan O
across O
the O
Caspian O
Sea O
to O
Azerbaijan O
and O
on O
to O
Western O
markets O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
project O
of O
interest O
to O
us O
and O
of O
interest O
to O
people O
in O
the O
region O
. O
. O
. O
as O
with O
any O
project O
, O
if O
it O
has O
a O
commercial O
foundation O
and O
it O
can O
be O
done O
in O
the O
region O
, O
we O
' O
d O
like O
to O
see O
it O
done O
, O
" O
Boucher O
said O
. O

Speculation O
about O
US O
designs O
in O
Central O
Asia O
is O
running O
high O
in O
Moscow O
and O
other O
capitals O
closer O
to O
Central O
Asia O
, O
and O
Boucher O
said O
he O
met O
with O
journalists O
in O
Ashgabat O
" O
so O
you O
all O
have O
the O
real O
story O
as O
opposed O
to O
what O
' O
s O
being O
written O
about O
" O
. O

Earlier O
Sunday B-T
, O
Boucher O
attended O
funeral O
ceremonies O
in O
Ashgabat O
, O
where O
Niyazov O
' O
s O
body O
lay O
in O
state O
in O
one O
of O
the O
presidential O
palaces O
he O
had O
built O
. O
The O
CEO O
of O
Russia O
' O
s O
state O
gas O
monopoly O
Gazprom O
, O
Alexei O
Miller O
, O
was O
also O
there O
. O

Scores O
of O
foreign O
dignitaries O
and O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
local O
mourners O
filed O
through O
the O
palace O
and O
past O
Niyazov O
' O
s O
open O
casket O
, O
which O
was O
then O
transported O
to O
his O
birthplace O
in O
the O
village O
of O
Kipchak O
outside O
Ashgabat O
where O
he O
was O
enterred O
in O
a O
family O
mausoleum O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0072 O

SYDNEY O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Australian O
stocks O
down O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O

Australian O
share O
prices O
slipped O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
Friday B-T
in O
the O
face O
of O
falling O
base O
metal O
prices O
and O
lingering O
concerns O
over O
an O
inflation O
report O
due O
out O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

The O
Australian O
Stock O
Exchange O
' O
s O
main O
indicator O
, O
the O
all O
ordinaries O
index O
, O
fell O
12 O
. O
4 O
points O
to O
2 O
, O
380 O
. O
5 O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0021 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0021 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Consolidated O
Freightways O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Third O
- O
Quarter O
Net O
Fell O
77 O
% O

@ O
On O
Emery O
' O
s O
Expected O
Loss O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CNF O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

TRANSPORTATION O
, O
TRUCK O
AND O
SHIP O
LINES O
, O
RAILROADS O
( O
TRA O
) O

Consolidated O
Freightways O
Inc O
. O
reported O
a O
77 O
% O
drop O
in O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
, O
citing O
expected O
losses O
in O
its O
Emery O
Worldwide O
shipping O
business O
. O

The O
Menlo O
Park O
, O
Calif O
. O
, O
company O
said O
net O
was O
$ O
7 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
22 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
down O
from O
$ O
32 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
or O
86 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

Revenue O
totaled O
$ O
1 O
. O
01 O
billion O
, O
a O
43 O
% O
increase O
from O
$ O
704 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
reflecting O
the O
company O
' O
s O
acquisition O
of O
Emery O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

Profit O
also O
suffered O
because O
of O
" O
intense O
" O
discounting O
in O
its O
long O
- O
haul O
trucking O
business O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

Analysts O
had O
expected O
Consolidated O
to O
post O
a O
slim O
profit O
, O
and O
the O
company O
' O
s O
stock O
was O
down O
only O
25 O
cents O
to O
$ O
30 O
. O
25 O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
yesterday B-T
. O

" O
They O
have O
to O
continue O
to O
tighten O
their O
belts O
, O
" O
said O
Craig O
Kloner O
, O
an O
analyst O
at O
Goldman O
, O
Sachs O
amp O
Co O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0535 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
, O
2005 O

' O
Brokeback O
Mountain O
' O
sweeps O
film O
critics O
awards O

Taiwanese O
director O
Ang O
Lee O
' O
s O
gay O
cowboy O
movie O
" O
Brokeback O
Mountain O
" O
swept O
the O
New O
York O
Film O
Critics O
Circle O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
increasing O
the O
Oscar O
buzz O
surrounding O
the O
recent O
release O
. O

The O
film O
was O
voted O
best O
picture O
of O
2005 O
, O
while O
Lee O
took O
the O
best O
director O
prize O
and O
Heath O
Ledger O
was O
named O
best O
actor O
. O

The O
best O
actress O
award O
went O
to O
Reese O
Witherspoon O
for O
her O
portrayal O
of O
the O
wife O
of O
Johnny O
Cash O
in O
the O
biopic O
of O
the O
legendary O
singer O
' O
s O
life O
, O
" O
Walk O
The O
Line O
. O
" O

Based O
on O
a O
short O
story O
by O
novelist O
Annie O
Proulx O
, O
" O
Brokeback O
Mountain O
" O
chronicles O
the O
gay O
romance O
between O
cowboys O
- O
- O
played O
by O
Ledger O
and O
Jake O
Gyllenhaal O
- O
- O
who O
meet O
while O
working O
on O
a O
ranch O
in O
1963 B-T
. O

The O
film O
has O
emerged O
as O
the O
critics O
' O
Oscar O
favourite O
with O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Film O
Critics O
Association O
voting O
it O
best O
picture O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
, O
with O
another O
best O
director O
nod O
for O
Lee O
. O

The O
movie O
is O
sure O
to O
feature O
when O
nominations O
are O
announced O
Tuesday B-T
for O
the O
Golden O
Globes O
, O
which O
are O
seen O
as O
a O
potential O
bellwether O
for O
films O
which O
could O
dominate O
the O
Academy O
Awards O
. O

The O
National O
Board O
of O
Review O
of O
Motion O
Pictures O
named O
" O
Good O
Night O
and O
Good O
Luck O
" O
its O
best O
film O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
but O
also O
gave O
" O
Brokeback O
Mountain O
" O
a O
nod O
by O
naming O
Lee O
best O
director O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0153 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Iran O
vows O
to O
keep O
enrichment O
at O
home O

Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
chief O
Gholamreza O
Aghazadeh O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
Iran O
would O
not O
move O
uranium O
enrichment O
to O
other O
countries O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0350 O

LUANDA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Angolan O
women O
' O
s O
handball O
beats O
Congo O
- O
Brazzaville O

The O
Angolan O
women O
' O
s O
national O
handball O
team O
, O
called O
" O
Angola O
30 O
years O
" O
, O
Thursday B-T
defeated O
Congo O
- O
Brazzaville O
28 O
- O
25 O
in O
their O
opener O
of O
the O
international O
tournament O
in O
Cabinda O
, O
Angolan O
North O
province O
, O
commemorating O
the O
30th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
national O
independence O
. O

The O
Angolan O
women O
dominated O
the O
match O
by O
running O
ahead O
with O
a O
7 O
- O
0 O
scroing O
spree O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
10 I-T
minutes I-T
, O
ending O
the O
first O
half O
18 O
- O
11 O
thanks O
to O
their O
superiority O
and O
maturity O
. O

In O
the B-T
second I-T
half I-T
, O
Angola O
' O
s O
Romanian O
coach O
made O
tactic O
changes O
to O
test O
the O
defensive O
skills O
of O
the O
hosts O
, O
who O
managed O
to O
hold O
on O
their O
advantages O
for O
eventual O
victory O
. O

The O
tournament O
features O
Angola O
( O
A O
and O
B O
) O
, O
Congo O
Brazaville O
and O
Ivory O
Coast O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0071 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chechen O
prime O
minister O
hospitalized O
after O
Moscow O
car O
crash O

Chechen O
Prime O
Minister O
Sergei O
Abramov O
has O
been O
admitted O
to O
a O
hospital O
in O
Moscow O
after O
being O
injured O
seriously O
in O
a O
car O
accident O
here O
, O
NTV O
television O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
He O
is O
in O
the O
emergency O
care O
unit O
at O
the O
moment O
. O
His O
condition O
is O
stable O
, O
" O
the O
Russian O
NTV O
television O
said O
. O

Abramov O
' O
s O
hospitalization B-T
came O
just O
days B-T
before O
a O
regional O
election O
in O
Chechnya O
, O
where O
he O
is O
the O
second O
most O
senior O
official O
of O
the O
restive O
southern O
Russian O
republic O
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
when O
the O
car O
, O
in O
which O
Abramov O
was O
riding O
on O
his O
way O
to O
the O
airport O
for O
a O
flight O
to O
Chechnya O
, O
collided O
with O
a O
KAMAZ O
truck O
, O
NTV O
reported O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Chechen O
administration O
in O
Moscow O
, O
Ziyad O
Sabsabi O
, O
ruled O
out O
the O
possibility O
of O
an O
assassination O
attempt O
on O
Abramov O
, O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Abramov O
, O
who O
was O
appointed O
prime O
minister O
of O
the O
Russian O
republic O
in O
March B-T
2004 I-T
, O
survived O
a O
roadside O
bomb O
in O
July B-T
2004 I-T
, O
but O
one O
of O
his O
bodyguards O
was O
killed O
during O
the O
attack O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0294 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
busiest O
ports O
to O
get O
mobile O
radiation O
detectors O

Los O
Angeles O
and O
Long O
Beach O
ports O
will O
use O
mobile O
radiation O
detectors O
to O
check O
containers O
for O
nuclear O
materials O
as O
trucks O
leave O
the O
harbor O
, O
authorities O
confirmed O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
federal O
government O
will O
provide O
the O
radiation O
detectors O
to O
the O
ports O
so O
as O
to O
enable O
them O
to O
prevent O
terrorist O
attacks O
, O
law O
enforcement O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
devices O
, O
which O
will O
check O
cargo O
containers O
on O
ships O
, O
trucks O
and O
trains O
, O
are O
part O
of O
a O
group O
of O
24 O
portable O
scanners O
that O
will O
be O
delivered O
by O
January B-T
. O

The O
monitors O
will O
supplement O
85 O
stationary O
radiation O
detectors O
that O
have O
been O
used O
at O
14 O
port O
terminals O
since O
June B-T
2005 I-T
. O
The O
devices O
scan O
shipping O
containers O
for O
nuclear O
materials O
as O
trucks O
leave O
the O
harbor O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
customs O
officers O
use O
small O
hand O
- O
held O
detectors O
on O
the O
docks O
and O
wharves O
to O
check O
cargo O
as O
it O
is O
unloaded O
from O
ships O
. O

By O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
additional O
scanners O
will O
allow O
customs O
to O
scan O
100 O
percent O
of O
containers O
that O
leave O
the O
ports O
by O
truck O
and O
train O
. O
The O
devices O
also O
can O
be O
moved O
outside O
the O
harbor O
to O
help O
other O
law O
enforcement O
agencies O
. O

" O
The O
technology O
we O
have O
deployed O
enhances O
our O
critical O
mission O
of O
preventing O
terrorists O
or O
others O
from O
attempting O
to O
smuggle O
weapons O
of O
mass O
destruction O
through O
U O
. O
S O
. O
borders O
, O
" O
Customs O
and O
Border O
Protection O
Commissioner O
W O
. O
Ralph O
Basham O
told O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Times O
. O

But O
critics O
say O
the O
devices O
have O
difficulty O
reading O
the O
low O
levels O
of O
radioactivity O
emitted O
by O
nuclear O
weapons O
; O
and O
they O
cannot O
detect O
radioactive O
materials O
if O
they O
are O
well O
shielded O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0152 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ministry O

China O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
contain O
rabies O
seem O
not O
to O
have O
taken O
effect O
yet O
as O
the O
number O
of O
people O
killed O
by O
the O
disease O
climbed O
slightly O
to O
326 O
in O
October B-T
, O
China O
' O
s O
Health O
Ministry O
reported O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

Rabies O
accounted O
for O
46 O
percent O
of O
all O
fatalities O
caused O
by O
infectious O
diseases O
reported O
on O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
in O
October B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
ministry O
. O

In O
September B-T
rabies O
caused O
318 O
deaths O
. O
The O
country O
has O
recorded O
2 O
, O
254 O
rabies O
cases O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
an O
increase O
of O
29 O
. O
69 O
percent O
over O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
disease O
emerged O
as O
the O
top O
public O
health O
priority O
four B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
after O
it O
caused O
the O
deaths O
of O
three O
people O
in O
southwest O
China O
' O
s O
Yunnan O
Province O
and O
local O
authorities O
in O
Yunnan O
and O
Shandong O
provinces O
sought O
to O
curb O
the O
risk O
through O
mass O
killings O
of O
dogs O
. O

Campaigns O
to O
clamp O
down O
on O
stray O
dog O
were O
also O
launched O
in O
many O
other O
places O
including O
Beijing O
. O

The O
Health O
Ministry O
has O
launched O
a O
program O
to O
conduct O
regular O
monitoring O
of O
rabies O
across O
the O
country O
to O
collect O
evidence O
and O
use O
it O
as O
a O
basis O
for O
drafting O
regulations O
that O
can O
effectively O
control O
rabies O
. O

Rabies O
was O
followed O
by O
tuberculosis O
, O
AIDS O
, O
hepatitis O
B O
and O
infant O
tetanus O
on O
the O
list O
of O
the O
most O
deadly O
infectious O
diseases O
in O
China O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0143 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

APEC O
meetings O
provide O
golden O
chance O
for O
local O
businesses O
: O
official O

The O
APEC O
- O
2006 O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Week O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
will O
provide O
a O
golden O
opportunity O
for O
Vietnamese O
businesses O
to O
promote O
their O
products O
, O
a O
Vietnamese O
business O
leader O
told O
local O
media O
prior O
to O
the O
event O
. O

" O
As O
the O
host O
of O
the O
APEC B-T
Year I-T
2006 I-T
, O
our O
enterprises O
must O
take O
full O
advantage O
of O
the O
golden O
opportunities O
brought O
about O
by O
leaders O
and O
enterprises O
of O
APEC O
member O
economies O
in O
2006 B-T
and O
the B-T
following I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
Vietnam O
News O
Agency O
quoted O
Hoang O
Van O
Dung O
, O
Deputy O
Chairman O
of O
the O
Vietnam O
Chamber O
of O
Commerce O
and O
Industry O
( O
VCCI O
) O
, O
as O
saying O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Dung O
, O
who O
is O
also O
President O
of O
the O
APEC O
Business O
Advisory O
Council O
( O
ABAC O
) O
- O
2006 O
, O
also O
said O
that O
the O
question O
is O
what O
the O
Vietnamese O
business O
circles O
should O
do O
to O
capitalize O
on O
the O
opportunity O
. O

The O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
economic O
leaders O
' O
week B-T
will O
include O
a O
CEO O
Summit O
, O
an O
ABAC O
conference O
, O
an O
APEC O
investment O
forum O
and O
a O
trade O
and O
investment O
promotion O
forum O
called O
Doing O
Business O
with O
Vietnam O
, O
which O
have O
drawn O
hundreds O
of O
business O
executives O
from O
21 O
member O
economies O
, O
in O
addition O
to O
the O
APEC O
economic O
leaders O
' O
meeting O
. O

At O
the O
meetings O
, O
Dung O
said O
, O
" O
We O
will O
propose O
that O
APEC O
economic O
leaders O
work O
together O
for O
the O
establishment O
of O
a O
free O
trade O
zone O
among O
APEC O
members O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
. O
" O

A O
development O
policy O
for O
small O
and O
medium O
- O
sized O
businesses O
, O
which O
provides O
assistance O
in O
capital O
and O
personnel O
training O
, O
simplifies O
administrative O
procedures O
and O
helps O
improve O
businesses O
' O
competitive O
edge O
by O
reducing O
input O
costs O
will O
also O
be O
proposed O
at O
the O
meetings O
, O
said O
Dung O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0123 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Toyota O
makes O
early O
retreat O
from O
Indy O
- O
car O

Toyota O
said O
Friday B-T
it O
had O
withdrawn O
from O
the O
Indy O
Racing O
League O
( O
IRL O
) O
, O
one B-T
year I-T
earlier O
than O
initially O
planned O
. O

Toyota O
had O
planned O
to O
pull O
out O
of O
the O
US O
- O
based O
open O
wheel O
racing O
series O
after O
the O
2006 B-T
season I-T
but O
decided O
to O
advance O
the O
withdrawal O
by O
one B-T
year I-T
with O
a O
Toyota O
engine O
- O
powered O
team O
switching O
to O
another O
company O
. O

The O
pullout O
follows O
General O
Motors O
' O
decision O
last B-T
November I-T
to O
withdraw O
Chevrolet O
from O
the O
IRL O
after O
the O
2005 B-T
season I-T
and O
leaves O
Honda O
as O
the O
lone O
enginemaker O
in O
the O
series O
next B-T
season I-T
. O

Honda O
and O
Toyota O
withdrew O
from O
IRL O
' O
s O
rival O
, O
Championship O
Auto O
Racing O
Teams O
( O
CART O
) O
, O
in O
2002 B-T
. O
It O
now B-T
runs O
as O
Champ O
- O
car O
and O
has O
only O
Cosworth O
engines O
. O

Toyota O
' O
s O
2003 O
IRL O
debut O
brought O
immediate O
success O
as O
Scott O
Dixon O
of O
New O
Zealand O
won O
the O
first O
race O
in O
Miami O
and O
captured O
the O
season O
crown O
while O
Toyota O
- O
powered O
Brazilian O
Gil O
de O
Ferran O
won O
the O
Indianapolis O
500 O
. O

Chevy O
did O
not O
win O
an O
IRL O
race O
or O
pole O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
leaving O
Toyota O
in O
an O
uphill O
battle O
with O
Honda O
which O
has O
outspent O
its O
rivals O
in O
development O
. O

Honda O
- O
powered O
cars O
won O
14 O
of O
16 O
races O
last B-T
year I-T
with O
Toyota O
racers O
taking O
only O
the O
first O
and O
last O
races O
of O
the O
season O
. O

Toyota O
- O
powered O
cars O
have O
won O
twice O
this O
season O
, O
American O
Sam O
Hornish O
in O
March B-T
and O
his O
Penske O
Racing O
teammate O
Castroneves O
last B-T
Saturday I-T
at O
Richmond O
, O
Virginia O
. O
But O
Penske O
' O
s O
cars O
have O
been O
the O
only O
competitive O
Toyotas O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0035 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
ambassador O
defends O
forces O
' O
presence O
in O
Japan O

US O
Ambassador O
to O
Japan O
Thomas O
Schieffer O
said O
Wednesday B-T
the O
presence O
of O
American O
troops O
in O
Japan O
ensures O
the O
safety O
of O
its O
ally O
. O

" O
In O
the B-T
last I-T
60 I-T
years I-T
Japan O
has O
been O
at O
peace O
, O
and O
the O
world O
has O
been O
spared O
another O
World O
War O
. O
The O
large O
part O
of O
the O
reason O
for O
that O
success O
lies O
in O
the O
presence O
of O
US O
troops O
here O
in O
Japan O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
, O
saying O
the O
troops O
' O
presence O
had O
helped O
Japan O
in O
building O
itself O
into O
the O
No O
. O
2 O
economy O
in O
the O
world O
. O

While O
defending O
the O
US O
military O
realignment O
in O
the O
country O
and O
responding O
to O
long O
- O
standing O
Japanese O
grievances O
about O
burdens O
as O
host O
, O
he O
played O
down O
the O
US O
role O
in O
influencing O
Japan O
' O
s O
foreign O
policy O
in O
handling O
relations O
with O
Asian O
neighbors O
. O

He O
said O
Japan O
and O
the O
United O
States O
acting O
together O
will O
create O
" O
powerful O
force O
for O
good O
in O
Asia O
and O
the O
world O
. O
" O

" O
I O
think O
if O
we O
increase O
the O
capability O
of O
US O
forces O
, O
we O
increase O
the O
security O
in O
Japan O
, O
" O
Schieffer O
said O
. O

Japan O
and O
the O
United O
States O
agreed O
recently O
on O
an O
interim O
security O
report O
which O
enables O
smoother O
military O
cooperation O
between O
them O
. O

The O
agreement O
are O
being O
fiercely O
opposed O
by O
governments O
and O
communities O
in O
regions O
hosting O
US O
forces O
. O

Schieffer O
reminded O
the O
Japanese O
who O
complain O
about O
the O
burden O
that O
it O
is O
the O
United O
States O
that O
has O
" O
born O
a O
heavy O
burden O
" O
in O
the O
alliance O
. O

He O
said O
the O
United O
States O
, O
in O
real O
dollars O
, O
are O
spending O
10 O
time O
as O
much O
as O
Japan O
on O
defense O
. O

When O
asked O
about O
the O
US O
role O
in O
influencing O
Japan O
' O
s O
foreign O
policy O
in O
Asia O
, O
Schieffer O
said O
Washington O
has O
no O
" O
direct O
role O
" O
in O
these O
affairs O
and O
is O
not O
the O
" O
final O
arbitrary O
" O
in O
the O
dispute O
between O
Japan O
and O
its O
Asian O
neighbors O
. O

Japan O
' O
s O
political O
relations O
with O
China O
and O
South O
Korea O
are O
on O
the O
rocks O
because O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
Junichiro O
Koizumi O
' O
s O
repeated O
visits O
to O
the O
war O
criminal O
- O
honoring O
Yasukuni O
Shrine O
as O
well O
as O
other O
history O
- O
related O
issues O
. O

After O
his O
meeting O
with O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, O
Koizumi O
said O
if O
Japan O
keeps O
close O
relationship O
with O
the O
United O
States O
, O
its O
ties O
with O
Asian O
countries O
will O
go O
better O
. O

As O
for O
the O
US O
attitude O
toward O
tuning O
Japan O
' O
s O
Self O
- O
Defense O
Forces O
into O
an O
army O
stated O
by O
a O
constitutional O
revision O
, O
Schieffer O
said O
it O
rests O
with O
Japan O
' O
s O
own O
decision O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0090 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
Ld O
: O
US O
president O
arrives O
in O
Beijing O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
arrived O
here O
Saturday B-T
evening I-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
China O
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
. O

Bush O
' O
s O
presidential O
plane O
Air O
Force O
One O
landed O
at O
Beijing O
' O
s O
Capital O
Airport O
. O

This O
is O
Bush O
' O
s O
third O
China O
trip O
as O
US O
president O
since O
2001 B-T
and O
also O
his O
first O
China O
visit O
in O
his O
second O
term O
of O
office O
. O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
and O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
are O
to O
meet O
with O
President O
Bush O
, O
and O
they O
will O
discuss O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
issues O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0160 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Former O
Malaysian O
PM O
Mahathir O
recuperating O
well O

Former O
Malaysian O
Prime O
Minister O
Mahathir O
Mohamad O
, O
who O
was O
admitted O
to O
hospital O
for O
mild O
heart O
attack O
, O
has O
been O
recuperating O
well O
Friday B-T
. O

Mahathir O
is O
currently O
in O
stable O
condition O
at O
the O
Coronary O
Care O
Unit O
and O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
transferred O
to O
a O
normal O
ward O
in O
one B-T
or I-T
two I-T
days I-T
' O
time O
, O
the O
National O
Heart O
Institute O
( O
NHI O
) O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

He O
went O
through O
a O
routine O
blood O
, O
x O
- O
ray O
and O
echocardiography O
tests O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
, O
the O
NHI O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
former O
prime O
minister O
and O
his O
family O
members O
also O
expressed O
their O
gratitude O
to O
all O
Malaysians O
and O
foreign O
friends O
who O
had O
sent O
their O
best O
wishes O
and O
prayers O
for O
Mahathir O
' O
s O
speedy O
recovery O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

Though O
Mahathir O
was O
advised O
to O
rest O
, O
he O
has O
already O
started O
receiving O
visitors O
Friday B-T
. O

Mahathir O
, O
who O
will O
turn O
81 O
next O
month O
, O
was O
rushed O
to O
the O
NHI O
early O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
after O
complaining O
of O
chest O
pains O
. O
The O
institute O
later O
said O
he O
suffered O
from O
a O
mild O
myocardial O
infarction O
. O

The O
former O
leader O
had O
a O
coronary O
artery O
bypass O
surgery O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
and O
in O
1999 B-T
he O
undergo O
full O
treatment O
for O
a O
lung O
infection O
. O

Mahathir O
had O
been O
Malaysian O
prime O
minister O
for O
22 B-T
years I-T
before O
he O
retired O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2003 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0007 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Beijing O
reins O
in O
arbitrary O
fees O
to O
attract O
foreign O
investment O

China O
' O
s O
capital O
city O
has O
introduced O
a O
" O
card O
" O
system O
to O
protect O
foreign O
investors O
from O
officials O
' O
arbitrary O
illegal O
fees O
, O
mayor O
Lu O
Yucheng O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
cards O
, O
issued O
to O
foreign O
- O
funded O
enterprises O
, O
identify O
a O
limited O
list O
of O
officially O
- O
sacntioned O
fees O
and O
give O
firms O
the O
right O
to O
refuse O
to O
pay O
any O
charge O
not O
cited O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Only O
three O
bodies O
in O
the O
city O
- O
- O
the O
municipal O
government O
, O
the O
municipal O
bureau O
of O
finance O
and O
the O
municipal O
bureau O
of O
price O
- O
- O
are O
authorised O
to O
establish O
new O
fees O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

Investors O
in O
China O
have O
long O
complained O
of O
cost O
overruns O
caused O
by O
local O
officials O
' O
legion O
unpredictable O
fees O
. O

Though O
government O
policy O
has O
sought O
to O
attract O
investment O
, O
the O
practices O
of O
corrupt O
individual O
administrators O
and O
departments O
often O
undermine O
the O
effort O
. O

Three O
centres O
have O
been O
set O
up O
in O
the O
city O
to O
receive O
foreign O
investors O
' O
complaints O
, O
Lu O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0327 O

AMMAN O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

King O
Hussein O
grants O
refuge O
to O
HAMAS O
official O
jailed O
in O
US O
by O
Randa O
Habib O

Jordan O
' O
s O
King O
Hussein O
has O
decided O
to O
grant O
refuge O
to O
Mussa O
Abu O
Marzuk O
, O
political O
leader O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
militant O
group O
HAMAS O
, O
after O
convincing O
Washington O
to O
free O
him O
, O
officials O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
HAMAS O
) O
, O
a O
fierce O
opponent O
of O
the O
Oslo O
accords O
with O
Israel O
for O
limited O
Palestinian O
autonomy O
, O
immediately O
welcomed O
the O
king O
' O
s O
intervention O
. O

" O
King O
Hussein O
wants O
this O
gesture O
to O
defuse O
a O
crisis O
sparked O
by O
the O
situation O
of O
Mr O
. O
Abu O
Marzuk O
whom O
Israel O
asked O
the O
United O
States O
to O
extradite O
, O
" O
a O
senior O
Jordanian O
official O
told O
AFP O
. O

The O
official O
, O
asking O
not O
to O
be O
named O
, O
said O
Jordan O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
take O
in O
Abu O
Marzuk O
set O
a O
precedent O
since O
the O
Palestinian O
is O
the O
holder O
of O
a O
Yemeni O
passport O
and O
not O
Jordanian O
. O

" O
The O
personal O
efforts O
of O
the O
king O
and O
his O
credibility O
within O
the O
US O
administration O
have O
been O
fruitful O
. O
The O
HAMAS O
official O
will O
soon O
be O
released O
by O
Washington O
and O
will O
be O
able O
to O
come O
to O
Jordan O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Information O
Minister O
Samir O
Motaweh O
later O
told O
the O
official O
news O
agency O
Petra O
that O
Abu O
Marzuk O
would O
come O
to O
Jordan O
" O
without O
any O
commitment O
" O
on O
his O
part O
. O
The O
decision O
was O
part O
of O
the O
kingdom O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
help O
the O
peace O
process O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Abu O
Marzuk O
, O
who O
has O
lived O
in O
the O
United O
States O
since O
1982 B-T
, O
was O
arrested O
on O
arrival O
in O
New O
York O
by O
immigration O
authorities O
in O
July B-T
1995 I-T
, O
and O
Israel O
demanded O
his O
extradition O
to O
face O
terrorism O
charges O
. O

But O
in O
January B-T
he O
called O
off O
an O
appeal O
against O
extradition O
and O
asked O
to O
be O
handed O
over O
to O
the O
Jewish O
state O
, O
catching O
Israeli O
officials O
off O
guard O
as O
they O
feared O
damage O
to O
the O
peace O
process O
if O
he O
was O
returned O
. O

Israel O
itself O
withdrew O
the O
extradition O
request O
on O
April B-T
6 I-T
, O
clearing O
the O
way O
for O
Abu O
Marzuk O
to O
be O
returned O
to O
either O
Jordan O
or O
Egypt O
, O
the O
only O
two O
Arab O
states O
to O
have O
peace O
treaties O
with O
Israel O
. O

The O
Jordanian O
official O
said O
King O
Hussein O
raised O
the O
issue O
during O
a O
Washington O
visit O
in O
early B-T
April I-T
. O
" O
The O
king O
proposed O
this O
alternative O
to O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Israel O
. O
. O
. O
and O
he O
was O
able O
to O
convince O
them O
. O
" O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
a O
HAMAS O
delegation O
met O
here O
with O
Jordan O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Abdel O
Salam O
Majali O
. O

The O
HAMAS O
representative O
in O
Amman O
, O
Mohammad O
Nazzal O
, O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
his O
organisation O
" O
welcomes O
the O
Jordanian O
decision O
to O
take O
in O
Mr O
. O
Mussa O
Abu O
Marzuk O
. O
" O
It O
was O
" O
highly O
appreciated O
by O
HAMAS O
and O
the O
entire O
Palestinian O
people O
. O
" O

The O
organisation O
is O
" O
in O
contact O
with O
all O
the O
parties O
to O
organize O
the O
arrival O
in O
Jordan O
" O
of O
Abu O
Marzuk O
, O
he O
told O
AFP O
, O
without O
giving O
a O
date O
. O

Abu O
Marzuk O
has O
denied O
any O
link O
to O
anti O
- O
Israeli O
bomb O
attacks O
by O
HAMAS O
, O
saying O
he O
works O
only O
on O
the O
organisation O
' O
s O
extensive O
fundraising O
and O
social O
activities O
. O

HAMAS O
does O
not O
have O
an O
office O
here O
, O
but O
some O
of O
its O
officials O
have O
Jordanian O
nationality O
and O
live O
in O
the O
kingdom O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0219 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Agency O
says O
170 O
, O
000 O
World O
Cup O
tickets O
still O
available O

About O
170 O
, O
000 O
hospitality O
tickets O
from O
an O
original O
contingent O
of O
346 O
, O
950 O
are O
available O
, O
the O
International O
Sports O
and O
Entertainment O
AG O
( O
iSe O
) O
announced O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
prices O
of O
the O
tickets O
for O
the O
games O
next B-T
year I-T
in O
Germany O
are O
between O
633 B-T
and O
15 O
, O
000 O
euros O
. O

" O
We O
are O
confident O
to O
be O
sold O
out O
at O
the O
World O
Cup O
, O
" O
iSe O
Managing O
Director O
George O
Tayler O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
in O
the O
southern O
German O
city O
of O
Munich O
. O

The O
company O
expects O
huge O
demand O
for O
tickets O
once O
the O
World O
Cup O
draw O
has O
taken O
place O
in O
Leipzig O
on O
December B-T
9 I-T
, O
Tayler O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
German O
news O
agency O
DPA O
. O

Regular O
tickets O
cost O
between O
35 B-T
for O
the O
cheapest O
group O
and O
600 O
euros O
for O
the O
most O
expensive O
final O
game O
. O
However O
, O
hospitality O
tickets O
start O
at O
633 O
. O

Those O
who O
want O
to O
see O
the O
final O
in O
Berlin O
must O
buy O
a O
package O
including O
games O
in O
other O
cities O
. O

" O
Our O
price O
is O
below O
that O
of O
France O
in O
1998 B-T
, O
" O
Tayler O
said O
. O

The O
iSe O
paid O
the O
world O
soccer O
body O
FIFA O
180 O
million O
euros O
for O
the O
hospitality O
tickets O
license O
and O
may O
gain O
an O
estimated O
700 O
million O
euros O
if O
all O
the O
tickets O
were O
sold O
out O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0423 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Defense O
chief O
says O
Russia O
unable O
to O
influence O
NATO O
enlargement O

Russia O
is O
unable O
to O
influence O
the O
process O
of O
NATO O
enlargement O
, O
Defense O
Minister O
Sergei O
Ivanov O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Ivanov O
' O
s O
remarks O
came O
as O
leaders O
from O
26 O
NATO O
member O
countries O
were O
meeting O
in O
Riga O
, O
Latvia O
, O
for O
a O
summit O
focused O
on O
its O
mission O
in O
Afghanistan O
and O
its O
future O
role O
. O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
the O
transatlantic O
military O
alliance O
' O
s O
door O
remains O
open O
to O
European O
countries O
. O

" O
We O
can O
take O
a O
critical O
posture O
and O
say O
we O
disapprove O
of O
this O
or O
that O
country O
' O
s O
admission O
to O
NATO O
, O
but O
I O
believe O
it O
would O
be O
very O
wrong O
, O
" O
Ivanov O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
Itar O
- O
Tass O
news O
agency O
as O
telling O
students O
at O
St O
. O
Petersburg O
State O
University O
. O

" O
Each O
country O
is O
free O
to O
decide O
what O
bloc O
it O
should O
be O
a O
member O
of O
, O
" O
Ivanov O
said O
. O
" O
We O
have O
no O
intention O
of O
joining O
NATO O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

NATO O
has O
recognized O
Albania O
, O
Croatia O
and O
Macedonia O
as O
formal O
aspirant O
countries O
. O
Georgia O
and O
Ukraine O
also O
have O
intentions O
to O
join O
, O
but O
are O
in O
an O
earlier O
stage O
of O
the O
process O
. O
The O
three O
Baltic O
states O
- O
- O
Estonia O
, O
Latvia O
and O
Lithuania O
- O
- O
joined O
the O
alliance O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

APW19980308 O
. O
0201 O

NEWS O
STORY O

03 B-T
/ I-T
08 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
06 I-T
: I-T
26 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2106 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Turkey O
- O
Yugoslavia O
- O
Kos O
03 O
- O
08 O
0243 O

BC O
- O
Turkey O
- O
Yugoslavia O
- O
Kosovo O
, O
0242 O

Ethnic O
Albanians O
in O
Turkey O
protest O
Serb O
attacks O
in O
Kosovo O

UR O
AP O
Photos O
IST101 O
- O
102 O
QL O

ISTANBUL O
, O
Turkey O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Some O
1 O
, O
500 O
ethnic O
Albanians O
marched O

Sunday B-T
in O
downtown O
Istanbul O
, O
burning O
Serbian O
flags O
to O
protest O
the O

killings O
of O
ethnic O
Albanians O
by O
Serb O
police O
in O
southern O
Serb O
Kosovo O

province O
. O

The O
police O
barred O
the O
crowd O
from O
reaching O
the O
Yugoslavian O

consulate O
in O
downtown O
Istanbul O
, O
but O
allowed O
them O
to O
demonstrate O
on O

nearby O
streets O
. O

` O
` O
Stop O
the O
bloodshed O
in O
Kosovo O
, O
' O
' O
the O
protesters O
chanted O
. O

Meanwhile B-T
in O
the O
capital O
, O
Ankara O
, O
a O
few O
hundred O
ethnic O
Albanians O

laid O
a O
black O
wreath O
at O
the O
gate O
of O
Yugoslavian O
embassy O
. O

Ethnic O
Albanians O
comprise O
90 O
percent O
of O
the O
population O
in O

Kosovo O
, O
but O
Serbs O
maintain O
control O
through O
a O
large O
military O
and O

police O
presence O
. O
Serbian O
police O
say O
they O
are O
trying O
to O
eliminate O

the O
pro O
- O
independence O
Kosovo O
Liberation O
Army O
and O
restore O
order O
. O

At O
least O
51 O
people O
were O
reported O
killed O
in O
clashes O
between O
Serb O

police O
and O
ethnic O
Albanians O
in O
the O
troubled O
region O
in O
recent B-T
days I-T
. O

Turkey O
, O
worried O
about O
civil O
war O
in O
Kosovo O
spilling O
to O
the O
whole O

Balkans O
, O
urged O
all O
Balkan O
states O
to O
sign O
a O
joint O
declaration O
that O

the O
Kosovo O
crisis O
be O
solved O
peacefully O
and O
without O
any O
change O
of O

borders O
. O

Turks O
feel O
they O
have O
special O
ties O
to O
the O
whole O
region O
, O
which O

they O
ruled O
for O
hundreds O
of O
years O
during O
the O
Ottoman O
Empire O
. O
They O

also O
share O
Islam O
with O
the O
ethnic O
Albanians O
. O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Turkey O
- O
Yugoslavia O
- O
Kosovo O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
03 O
- O
08 O
- O
98 O
0626EST O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0179 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

GlaxoSmithKline O
to O
set O
up O
new O
R O
plant O
in O
Singapore O

GlaxoSmithKline O
( O
GSK O
) O
, O
a O
world O
famous O
pharmaceutical O
company O
, O
is O
building O
a O
new O
research O
and O
development O
( O
R O
) O
plant O
in O
Singapore O
with O
an O
investment O
of O
115 O
million O
Singapore O
dollars O
( O
about O
68 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

According O
to O
Channel O
NewsAsia O
report O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
plant O
, O
which O
is O
expected O
to O
begin O
operation O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
, O
will O
develop O
techniques O
for O
drug O
production O
and O
produce O
drugs O
for O
clinical O
trials O
. O

Planning O
to O
employ O
some O
40 O
scientists O
, O
the O
plant O
is O
said O
to O
be O
" O
GSK O
' O
s O
first O
investment O
in O
upstream O
manufacturing O
process O
development O
in O
Singapore O
. O
" O

As O
one O
of O
the O
largest O
pharmaceutical O
investors O
in O
Singapore O
, O
GSK O
has O
put O
more O
than O
one O
billion O
Singapore O
dollars O
( O
about O
589 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
fixed O
assets O
in O
the O
city O
state O
and O
plans O
to O
further O
expand O
its O
operations O
here O
, O
including O
establishing O
more O
drug O
discovery O
centers O
. O

Headquartered O
in O
Britain O
and O
with O
operations O
based O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
GSK O
runs O
seven O
such O
drug O
discovery O
centers O
in O
the O
world O
with O
one O
located O
in O
Singapore O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0058 O

SAITAMA O
, O
Japan O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Results O
of O
men O
' O
s O
volleyball O
World O
Championship O

Following O
are O
the O
results O
from O
the O
first O
round O
matches O
of O
2006 O
men O
' O
s O
volleyball O
World O
Championships O
which O
held O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
: O

Group O
A O
in O
Saitama O
: O

Egypt O
lost O
to O
China O
, O
2 O
- O
3 O
( O
25 B-T
- I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
30 I-T
- I-T
32 I-T
, I-T
20 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
16 I-T
- I-T
18 I-T
) O
; O

Puerto O
Rico O
vs O
Poland O
; O

Japan O
vs O
Argentina O
; O

Group O
B O
in O
Fukuoka O
: O

Cuba O
bt O
Greece O
, O
3 O
- O
2 O
( O
25 B-T
- I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
20 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
21 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
15 I-T
- I-T
12 I-T
) O
; O

Australia O
vs O
Brazil O
; O

Germany O
vs O
France O
; O

Group O
C O
in O
Nagano O
: O

Iran O
lost O
to O
Bulgaria O
, O
0 O
- O
3 O
( O
19 B-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
23 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
) O
; O

Czech O
Republic O
vs O
Venezuela O
; O

Italy O
vs O
United O
States O
; O

Group O
D O
in O
Sendai O
: O

Tunisia O
lost O
to O
Canada O
, O
2 O
- O
3 O
( O
15 B-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
29 I-T
- I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
21 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
13 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
) O
; O

Serbia O
Montenegro O
vs O
South O
Korea O
; O

Russia O
vs O
Kazakhstan O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0459 O

BERLIN O
, O
April B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Prison O
sentences O
demanded O
over O
" O
Wall O
deaths O
" O

The O
prosecution O
in O
the O
trial O
of O
former O
East O
German O
military O
officials O
held O
responsible O
for O
the O
deaths O
of O
people O
killed O
trying O
to O
flee O
to O
the O
West O
called O
Friday B-T
for O
the O
court O
to O
impose O
prison O
sentences O
. O

A O
sentence O
of O
four B-T
years I-T
was O
demanded O
for O
the O
former O
deputy O
defence O
minister O
Joachim O
Goldbach O
, O
with O
lesser O
sentences O
for O
three O
other O
generals O
. O

The O
four O
are O
accused O
of O
complicity O
in O
murder O
and O
attempted O
murder O
over O
defence O
ministry O
" O
shoot O
- O
to O
- O
kill O
" O
orders O
given O
to O
guards O
on O
the O
Berlin O
Wall O
and O
the O
installation O
of O
automatic O
firing O
apparatus O
along O
the O
inter O
- O
German O
border O
. O

Such O
installations O
were O
not O
for O
the O
military O
defence O
of O
the O
East O
German O
state O
but O
directed O
entirely O
against O
the O
population O
, O
the O
prosecutor O
said O
. O

Five O
former O
border O
guard O
officers O
meanwhile O
went O
on O
trial O
in O
Berlin O
Friday B-T
accused O
of O
installing O
particularly O
deadly O
fragmentation O
mines O
along O
the O
frontier O
with O
West O
Germany O
. O
Nine O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
numerous O
others O
wounded O
by O
these O
mines O
, O
the O
court O
heard O
. O

More B-T
than I-T
seven I-T
years I-T
after O
the O
fall O
of O
the O
Berlin O
Wall O
, O
the O
number O
of O
people O
killed O
in O
all O
trying O
to O
escape O
from O
East O
Germany O
is O
not O
known O
exactly O
, O
but O
according O
to O
a O
specialist O
body O
there O
were O
more O
than O
860 O
who O
died O
in O
this O
way O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0043 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

musical O
odyssey O

China O
Exclusive O
: O
Glory O
in O
mind O
, O
Chinese O
monks O
restart O
a O
Buddhist O
musical O
odyssey O

By O
Chen O
Siwu O
, O
Gui O
Juan O

KAIFENG O
, O
Henan O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
To O
Buddhist O
Master O
Longjiang O
, O
listening O
to O
popular O
music O
is O
an O
act O
that O
infringes O
upon O
his O
faith O
. O
Even O
the O
great O
names O
in O
classic O
music O
are O
as O
strange O
as O
the O
world O
' O
s O
remotest O
corner O
. O

" O
Beethoven O
? O
" O
he O
shook O
his O
head O
and O
gazed O
reporter O
with O
a O
blank O
face O
as O
if O
reporter O
were O
from O
another O
planet O
. O
" O
Mozart O
? O
" O
he O
again O
shook O
his O
head O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ve O
never O
heard O
about O
them O
before O
, O
" O
the O
80 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Buddhist O
master O
replied O
while O
sitting O
in O
a O
room O
surrounded O
by O
drums O
at O
the O
Grand O
Xiangguo O
Temple O
, O
a O
noted O
Buddhist O
monastery O
in O
Kaifeng O
, O
an O
ancient O
city O
along O
the O
mud O
- O
clogged O
Yellow O
River O
in O
central O
China O
. O

When O
it O
comes O
to O
Buddhist O
music O
, O
however O
, O
Master O
Longjiang O
was O
recognized O
without O
question O
as O
one O
of O
the O
most O
skillful O
monks O
at O
the O
monastery O
that O
was O
once O
known O
for O
its O
band O
and O
religious O
melodies O
. O

First O
built O
in O
555 O
AD O
, O
the O
temple O
, O
whose O
current O
name O
means O
the O
Monastery O
of O
Great O
Assistance O
to O
State O
, O
has O
its O
prestige O
and O
influence O
reach O
the O
peak O
during O
the O
Northern O
Song O
Dynasty O
( O
960 O
- O
1127 O
) O
and O
became O
the O
intercourse O
arena O
for O
poets O
, O
artists O
, O
musicians O
, O
and O
the O
commons O
and O
nobles O
because O
of O
its O
close O
connection O
with O
the O
royal O
family O
and O
its O
outstanding O
music O
. O

Though O
such O
devotion O
and O
tradition O
in O
the O
temple O
survived O
numerous O
wars O
, O
floods O
and O
dynasties O
replacement O
, O
the O
temple O
' O
s O
splendor O
was O
dilapidated O
and O
fell O
to O
its O
bottom O
in O
1927 B-T
when O
warlord O
Feng O
Yuxiang O
, O
then O
ruler O
of O
Henan O
Province O
, O
ordered O
his O
soldiers O
to O
expel O
the O
monks O
and O
turn O
the O
site O
into O
a O
market O
. O
It O
became O
a O
Buddhist O
monastery O
in O
1992 B-T
again O
. O

To O
revive O
Buddhism O
and O
reclaim O
the O
temple O
' O
s O
glory O
in O
music O
, O
the O
abbot O
Great O
Master O
Xinguang O
selected O
22 O
full O
- O
time O
musician O
monks O
, O
mostly O
young O
monks O
older O
than O
15 O
, O
to O
reorganize O
a O
Buddhist O
musical O
band O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

" O
As O
part O
of O
Buddhist O
culture O
, O
" O
said O
Master O
Yuanjie O
, O
the O
band O
' O
s O
deputy O
head O
, O
" O
Buddhist O
music O
has O
its O
broadness O
and O
profoundness O
, O
it O
contains O
sacred O
chanting O
and O
instrumental O
music O
. O
" O

" O
Our O
temple O
has O
a O
great O
past O
in O
Buddhist O
music O
and O
we O
just O
need O
to O
pick O
up O
the O
lost O
part O
of O
it O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
" O
Master O
Longjiang O
is O
our O
treasure O
. O
" O

Longjiang O
is O
currently O
the O
only O
monk O
in O
the O
band O
who O
knows O
how O
to O
play O
certain O
musical O
instruments O
and O
read O
the O
musical O
staff O
. O

The O
instrument O
Yuanjie O
mentioned O
was O
called O
" O
bili O
" O
, O
a O
20 O
- O
cm O
long O
flute O
- O
like O
tin O
tube O
with O
seven O
holes O
. O
Other O
instruments O
used O
by O
the O
band O
members O
include O
wooden O
fish O
, O
tambourine O
, O
flute O
, O
horn O
and O
a O
Yamaha O
electronic O
organ O
. O

" O
You O
need O
some O
energy O
to O
play O
the O
' O
bili O
' O
, O
" O
said O
Longjiang O
, O
" O
you O
can O
' O
t O
make O
a O
sound O
if O
you O
are O
not O
strong O
enough O
. O
" O

Longjiang O
once O
bet O
Yuanjie O
, O
26 O
, O
a O
lunch O
that O
Yuanjie O
couldn O
' O
t O
blow O
the O
flute O
- O
like O
instrument O
. O
And O
he O
won O
. O

" O
It O
is O
all O
a O
result O
of O
hard O
practice O
, O
" O
said O
the O
80 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
master O
. O
He O
said O
he O
heard O
Buddhist O
music O
for O
the O
first O
time O
when O
he O
was O
12 O
and O
decided O
to O
convert O
to O
the O
religion O
. O

Generation O
difference O
is O
evident O
within O
the O
Buddhist O
band O
. O
For O
example O
, O
Longjiang O
can O
only O
read O
the O
staff O
while O
those O
young O
monks O
only O
know O
about O
the O
numbered O
musical O
scores O
. O

The O
Nike O
sock O
wearing O
by O
some O
young O
monks O
and O
their O
interest O
in O
computer O
installed O
with O
Microsoft O
' O
s O
Windows O
system O
also O
reflect O
their O
connection O
to O
the O
outside O
world O
. O

" O
Compared O
with O
our O
generation O
, O
few O
young O
people O
now B-T
can O
endure O
the O
hardship O
during O
training O
, O
" O
Longjiang O
said O
. O
" O
If O
you O
don O
' O
t O
give O
things O
, O
you O
can O
' O
t O
get O
things O
. O
" O

To O
train O
those O
young O
musician O
monks O
, O
the O
temple O
has O
invested O
2 O
million O
yuan O
( O
about O
125 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
) O
during O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
to O
buy O
instruments O
and O
invited O
professional O
musicians O
to O
instruct O
the O
band O
. O

" O
To O
keep O
its O
life O
, O
Buddhist O
music O
must O
keep O
its O
youth O
, O
" O
Master O
Yuanjie O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0326 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

ADB O
to O
help O
Sri O
Lanka O
reconstruct O
highway O
network O

The O
Sri O
Lankan O
government O
has O
decided O
to O
reconstruct O
highway O
network O
in O
the O
country O
with O
the O
financial O
assistance O
of O
the O
Asian O
Development O
Bank O
( O
ADB O
) O
, O
Daily O
News O
reported O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

With O
an O
estimated O
cost O
of O
208 O
million O
US O
dollars O
, O
the O
project O
, O
which O
aims O
at O
rehabilitating O
a O
number O
of O
grade O
A O
and O
B O
roads O
in O
western O
, O
central O
and O
eastern O
provinces O
, O
will O
receive O
the O
assistance O
from O
the O
ADB O
, O
Highways O
Ministry O
Secretary O
S O
. O
Amarasekere O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
The O
ADB O
will O
provide O
150 O
million O
dollars O
of O
the O
estimated O
cost O
of O
the O
project O
including O
the O
expenses O
regarding O
land O
acquisition O
. O
This O
is O
the O
first O
time O
that O
a O
donor O
has O
agreed O
to O
provide O
funds O
for O
land O
acquisition O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Among O
the O
highways O
to O
be O
reconstructed O
under O
the O
project O
are O
the O
Puttalam O
- O
Anuradhapura O
, O
Udakanda O
- O
Mahiyanganaya O
, O
Nuwara O
Eliya O
- O
Badulla O
and O
the O
Hatton O
- O
Nuwara O
Eliya O
highways O
. O

The O
Sri O
Lankan O
government O
and O
the O
ADB O
finalized O
negotiations O
on O
the O
implementation O
of O
the O
project O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Amarasekere O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
hopeful O
that O
the O
reconstruction O
could O
be O
commenced O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0386 O

KOMPONG O
SPEU O
, O
Cambodia O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cambodia O
destroys O
more O
surface O
- O
to O
- O
air O
missiles O

Cambodia O
destroyed O
two O
C O
- O
125M O
( O
SA O
- O
3 O
) O
surface O
- O
to O
- O
air O
missiles O
on O
Friday B-T
aimed O
to O
prevent O
them O
from O
falling O
into O
the O
hands O
of O
terrorists O
. O

Meas O
Sophea O
, O
deputy O
commander O
- O
in O
- O
chief O
of O
the O
Royal O
Cambodian O
Armed O
Forces O
( O
RCAF O
) O
and O
commander O
of O
the O
army O
, O
presided O
over O
the O
destruction O
ceremony O
. O
Some O
diplomats O
also O
attended O
the O
ceremony O
. O

Meas O
Sophea O
said O
the O
destruction O
was O
ordered O
by O
Prime O
Minister O
Hun O
Sen O
in O
order O
to O
prevent O
them O
from O
falling O
into O
the O
hands O
of O
international O
terrorists O

The O
36 O
surface O
- O
to O
- O
air O
missiles O
were O
discovered O
recently O
at O
a O
military O
base O
. O
The O
Defense O
Ministry O
started O
destroying O
them O
at O
the O
RCAF O
Armor O
Center O
in O
Kompong O
Speu O
province O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, O
and O
all O
have O
been O
destroyed O
by O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
surface O
- O
to O
- O
air O
missiles O
developed O
by O
the O
former O
Soviet O
Union O
are O
fired O
from O
fixed O
- O
position O
launchers O
to O
destroy O
aircraft O
, O
cruise O
missiles O
and O
assault O
helicopters O
flying O
at O
low O
and O
medium O
altitude O
. O
Cambodia O
imported O
the O
missiles O
in O
1980 B-T
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
need O
to O
keep O
them O
because O
we O
are O
now B-T
at O
peace O
, O
" O
Chao O
Pirun O
, O
director O
of O
the O
ministry O
' O
s O
technical O
and O
materials O
department O
, O
said O
earlier O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
RCAF O
destroyed O
all O
233 O
of O
its O
shoulder O
- O
fired O
surface O
- O
to O
- O
air O
missiles O
with O
assistance O
from O
the O
US O
government O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0092 O

MOSCOW O
, O
April B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Former O
Russian O
army O
chief O
under O
corruption O
probe O

Russian O
prosecutors O
have O
opened O
a O
corruption O
probe O
against O
a O
former O
commander O
- O
in O
- O
chief O
of O
the O
army O
, O
the O
Interfax O
agency O
reported O
Tuesday B-T
. O

They O
want O
to O
know O
how O
General O
Vladimir O
Semionov O
built O
himself O
a O
lavish O
villa O
on O
the O
outskirts O
of O
Moscow O
, O
the O
agency O
said O
, O
quoting O
the O
prosecutors O
. O

The O
general O
was O
sacked O
in O
December B-T
at O
the O
request O
of O
Defence O
Minister O
Igor O
Rodionov O
for O
" O
activities O
incompatible O
with O
his O
office O
and O
bringing O
the O
honour O
and O
dignity O
of O
the O
military O
into O
disrepute O
" O
. O

Semionov O
is O
suspected O
of O
" O
abuse O
of O
power O
. O
" O
Semionov O
, O
who O
had O
been O
army O
chief O
since O
1991 B-T
, O
refuted O
the O
allegations O
against O
him O
. O

Rodionov O
said O
last B-T
month I-T
that O
a O
number O
of O
other O
Russian O
armed O
forces O
generals O
were O
likely O
to O
be O
dismissed O
soon O
for O
corruption O
, O
without O
naming O
any O
of O
them O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0033 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0033 O
. O

Reupke O
Quits O
Post O

@ O
As O
General O
Manager O

@ O
Of O
Reuters O
Holdings O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

RTRSY O
WNEWS O

LONDON O

Reuters O
Holdings O
PLC O
said O
Michael O
Reupke O
resigned O
as O
general O
manager O
to O
pursue O
unspecified O
interests O
, O
a O
move O
the O
news O
organization O
termed O
an O
" O
amicable O
separation O
. O
" O

Mr O
. O
Reupke O
, O
52 O
years O
old O
and O
a O
27 B-T
- I-T
year I-T
Reuters O
veteran O
, O
had O
been O
the O
information O
- O
services O
company O
' O
s O
general O
manager O
for O
only O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

His O
appointment O
to O
that O
post O
, O
which O
has O
senior O
administrative O
, O
staff O
and O
policy O
responsibilities O
, O
followed O
a O
several B-T
- I-T
year I-T
tenure O
as O
Reuters O
' O
s O
editor O
in O
chief O
. O

No O
successor O
was O
named O
, O
and O
Mr O
. O
Reupke O
' O
s O
duties O
will O
be O
split O
among O
three O
other O
senior O
Reuters O
executives O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

In O
a O
telephone O
interview O
, O
Mr O
. O
Reupke O
said O
his O
departure O
was O
for O
" O
personal O
reasons O
, O
" O
which O
he O
declined O
to O
specify O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
business O
reason O
for O
my O
departure O
, O
" O
nor O
any O
disagreement O
over O
policy O
, O
he O
added O
. O

He O
also O
rejected O
reports O
that O
his O
departure O
stemmed O
from O
disappointment O
the O
general O
manager O
' O
s O
post O
had O
n O
' O
t O
also O
led O
to O
a O
board O
directorship O
at O
the O
London O
- O
based O
news O
organization O
. O

Mr O
. O
Reupke O
was O
one O
of O
three O
executives O
on O
Reuters O
' O
s O
eight O
- O
person O
executive O
committee O
who O
did O
n O
' O
t O
also O
serve O
on O
the O
company O
' O
s O
board O
of O
directors O
. O

" O
If O
I O
were O
choosing O
the O
people O
of O
tomorrow O
, O
I O
would O
have O
chosen O
the O
people O
who O
are O
now B-T
on O
the O
board O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

A O
Reuters O
spokesman O
said O
the O
departure O
reflects O
" O
no O
change O
in O
strategy O
or O
profits O
. O
" O

Mark O
Shepperd O
, O
an O
analyst O
at O
UBS O
Phillips O
amp O
Drew O
in O
London O
, O
said O
, O
" O
I O
suspect O
( O
the O
departure O
) O
will O
be O
fairly O
irrelevant O
for O
the O
company O
. O

I O
would O
be O
very O
surprised O
if O
his O
departure O
signals O
any O
change O
in O
strategy O
or O
change O
in O
profit O
expectations O
. O
" O

On O
London O
' O
s O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
Reuters O
shares O
rose O
five O
pence O
to O
913 O
pence O
( O
$ O
14 O
. O
43 O
) O
. O

In O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
market O
, O
American O
depositary O
shares O
for O
Reuters O
, O
each O
representing O
three O
shares O
in O
the O
London O
market O
, O
closed O
unchanged O
at O
$ O
43 O
. O
875 O
. O

The O
senior O
of O
the O
three O
executives O
who O
will O
assume O
Mr O
. O
Reupke O
' O
s O
duties O
is O
Nigel O
Judah O
, O
58 O
, O
finance O
director O
and O
a O
Reuters O
board O
director O
. O

Peter O
Holland O
, O
45 O
, O
deputy O
general O
manager O
, O
becomes O
director O
of O
corporate O
affairs O
. O

And O
Patrick O
Mannix O
, O
46 O
, O
international O
technical O
manager O
, O
becomes O
director O
of O
group O
quality O
programs O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0021 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hu O
says O
Sino O
- O
Vietnamese O
friendship O
enters O
new O
stage O

The O
traditional O
friendship O
between O
China O
and O
Vietnam O
has O
entered O
a O
new O
stage O
of O
all O
- O
round O
friendly O
cooperation O
, O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Hu O
made O
the O
comment O
in O
a O
speech O
at O
the O
National O
Assembly O
of O
Vietnam O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O
The O
Chinese O
president O
, O
also O
general O
secretary O
of O
the O
Central O
Committee O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
, O
arrived O
here O
earlier O
Monday B-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
official O
goodwill O
visit O
. O

" O
China O
and O
Vietnam O
linked O
by O
mountains O
and O
rivers O
share O
common O
ideals O
and O
have O
related O
culture O
and O
interests O
. O
The O
peoples O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
had O
profound O
feelings O
for O
each O
other O
in O
history O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O

Mutual O
respect O
, O
understanding O
, O
support O
, O
trust O
and O
cooperation O
remain O
the O
driving O
force O
of O
the O
development O
of O
the O
Sino O
- O
Vietnamese O
ties O
and O
the O
friendship O
between O
the O
two O
peoples O
, O
he O
said O
. O

With O
concerted O
efforts O
made O
by O
the O
peoples O
for O
generations O
, O
the O
Sino O
- O
Vietnamese O
traditional O
friendship O
has O
entered O
a O
new O
stage O
of O
overall O
friendly O
cooperation O
, O
the O
president O
said O
. O

Hu O
said O
the O
development O
is O
manifested O
in O
the O
guidelines O
set O
by O
the O
two O
countries O
' O
leaders O
for O
long O
- O
term O
stability O
, O
orientation O
toward O
future O
, O
good O
- O
neighborliness O
and O
friendship O
and O
all O
- O
round O
cooperation O
. O

" O
It O
is O
indicated O
by O
the O
common O
call O
of O
the O
two O
sides O
to O
be O
good O
neighbors O
, O
friends O
, O
comrades O
and O
partners O
for O
ever O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

He O
added O
the O
development O
is O
also O
displayed O
by O
the O
in O
- O
depth O
exchanges O
about O
governing O
experiences O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
and O
the O
CPC O
and O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
Vietnam O
( O
CPV O
) O
, O
and O
by O
the O
two O
nations O
' O
friendly O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
for O
mutual O
benefits O
in O
various O
fields O
. O

" O
China O
has O
turned O
into O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
largest O
trade O
partner O
. O
The O
two O
countries O
' O
trade O
volume O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
the O
goal O
of O
10 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
before O
2010 B-T
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

The O
two O
sides O
have O
carried O
out O
close O
coordination O
and O
cooperation O
within O
multilateral O
frameworks O
like O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
the O
Asia O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
and O
Asia O
- O
Europe O
Meeting O
, O
Hu O
said O
. O

He O
noted O
, O
" O
The O
Sino O
- O
Vietnamese O
friendly O
cooperation O
has O
brought O
real O
benefits O
for O
the O
two O
countries O
and O
their O
people O
. O
" O
. O

Hu O
added O
he O
talked O
with O
Nong O
Duc O
Manh O
, O
general O
secretary O
of O
the O
CPV O
Central O
Committee O
, O
and O
Vietnamese O
President O
Tran O
Duc O
Luong O
on O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

" O
Leaders O
of O
both O
sides O
agree O
it O
is O
in O
the O
basic O
interests O
of O
China O
and O
Vietnam O
and O
their O
people O
to O
promote O
friendly O
mutual O
trust O
, O
cooperation O
for O
mutual O
benefits O
and O
common O
development O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
and O
the O
CPC O
and O
the O
CPV O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

The O
leaders O
vowed O
to O
adopt O
more O
effective O
measures O
to O
intensify O
bilateral O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
in O
the O
fields O
like O
politics O
, O
economy O
, O
foreign O
affairs O
, O
defense O
, O
culture O
and O
education O
. O
Exchanges O
on O
governing O
experience O
, O
and O
socialist O
theory O
and O
practice O
will O
also O
be O
boosted O
. O

" O
China O
is O
ready O
to O
work O
with O
Vietnam O
to O
continue O
exploration O
in O
building O
socialism O
and O
make O
continuous O
efforts O
for O
new O
prospects O
of O
bilateral O
all O
- O
round O
friendly O
relations O
and O
cooperation O
and O
for O
a O
harmonious O
world O
of O
lasting O
peace O
and O
common O
prosperity O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0144 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Climate O
change O
threatens O
pastoral O
communities O
: O
Oxfam O

International O
relief O
agency O
Oxfam O
warned O
Thursday B-T
that O
unchecked O
climate O
change O
could O
deal O
a O
crippling O
blow O
to O
a O
way O
of O
life O
that O
has O
existed O
for O
centuries B-T
because O
more O
frequent O
and O
intense O
droughts O
are O
threatening O
the O
livelihoods O
of O
pastoral O
communities O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
issued O
here O
Thursday B-T
, O
Oxfam O
appealed O
to O
the O
delegates O
attending O
the O
ongoing O
United O
Nations O
conference O
on O
climate O
change O
to O
save O
the O
lives O
of O
pastoral O
communities O
such O
as O
the O
Turkana O
of O
northern O
Kenya O
. O

" O
Governments O
meeting O
at O
the O
UN O
climate O
change O
conference O
in O
Nairobi O
only O
have O
to O
look O
to O
a O
few O
hundred O
miles O
north O
to O
see O
how O
climate O
change O
is O
having O
an O
immediate O
and O
devastating O
effect O
on O
people O
' O
s O
lives O
, O
" O
said O
Antonio O
Hill O
, O
senior O
policy O
adviser O
of O
Oxfam O
. O

" O
Under O
threat O
is O
the O
way O
of O
life O
of O
pastoral O
communities O
. O
People O
such O
as O
the O
Turkana O
are O
on O
the O
front O
line O
of O
the O
injustice O
of O
man O
- O
made O
climate O
change O
. O
They O
are O
least O
responsible O
for O
climate O
change O
but O
are O
amongst O
the O
worst O
affected O
, O
" O
said O
Hill O
. O

Oxfam O
called O
on O
governments O
at O
the O
UN O
climate O
change O
conference O
to O
significantly O
increase O
funds O
to O
help O
the O
poorest O
and O
most O
vulnerable O
adapt O
to O
climate O
change O
and O
to O
agree O
on O
an O
accelerated O
timetable O
for O
binding O
commitments O
to O
reduce O
greenhouse O
gas O
emissions O
. O

The O
latest O
report O
from O
the O
Kenyan O
meteorological O
office O
, O
released O
at O
the O
Nairobi O
climate O
change O
conference O
, O
shows O
that O
the O
northern O
regions O
have O
seen O
a O
steady O
decline O
in O
mean O
annual O
rainfall O
over O
the B-T
last I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
. O

Pastoral O
communities O
, O
which O
rely O
heavily O
on O
natural O
resources O
and O
their O
livestock O
, O
have O
over O
centuries O
developed O
a O
way O
of O
life O
that O
has O
coped O
with O
the O
vagaries O
of O
the O
climate O
, O
even O
severe O
droughts O
. O

However O
Oxfam O
says O
more O
frequent O
extreme O
weather O
means O
it O
is O
more O
difficult O
for O
them O
to O
recover O
after O
each O
incidence O
of O
drought O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Kenyan O
government O
, O
pastoral O
communities O
have O
suffered O
most O
due O
to O
recent O
climate O
extremes O
in O
the O
country O
. O

The O
east O
African O
nation O
is O
used O
to O
extreme O
weather O
patterns O
but O
they O
are O
becoming O
more O
frequent O
and O
intense O
. O
The O
1999 O
to O
2000 O
drought O
was O
the O
worst O
in O
living O
memory O
and O
was O
followed O
by O
a O
severe O
drought O
in O
2004 B-T
to O
2005 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0024 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vietnam O
likely O
to O
launch O
remote O
sensing O
satellite O
in O
late O
2007 O

Vietnam O
could O
have O
its O
first O
remote O
sensing O
satellite O
in O
late B-T
2007 I-T
or I-T
early I-T
2008 I-T
, O
if O
the O
government O
approved O
the O
space O
industry O
development O
strategy O
and O
a O
project O
on O
launching O
it O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
months I-T
, O
an O
official O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Vietnam O
plans O
to O
launch O
a O
small O
remote O
sensing O
satellite O
to O
provide O
aerial O
images O
mainly O
used O
to O
better O
manage O
natural O
resources O
and O
transport O
systems O
, O
prevent O
natural O
disasters O
and O
forest O
fires O
, O
put O
forth O
weather O
forecasts O
, O
and O
draw O
maps O
, O
local O
newspaper O
Youth O
on O
Tuesday B-T
quoted O
Tran O
Cong O
Due O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Science O
and O
Technology O
Department O
under O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Science O
and O
Technology O
, O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
production O
and O
launch O
of O
a O
small O
satellite O
weighing O
10 O
- O
100 O
kg O
costs O
some O
6 O
million O
US O
dollars O
, O
while O
those O
of O
a O
bigger O
satellite O
weighing O
100 O
- O
500 O
kg O
up O
to O
20 O
- O
40 O
million O
dollars O
, O
Due O
stated O
, O
noting O
that O
some O
foreign O
companies O
want O
to O
cooperate O
with O
Vietnam O
on O
the O
issue O
. O

A O
small O
remote O
sensing O
satellite O
will O
be O
put O
on O
a O
pole O
- O
to O
- O
pole O
orbit O
at O
a O
distance O
of O
300 O
- O
1 O
, O
500 O
km O
from O
the O
Earth O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Now O
, O
Vietnam O
has O
to O
annually O
spend O
millions O
of O
US O
dollars O
buying O
aerial O
images O
from O
foreign O
countries O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Recently O
, O
the O
Vietnamese O
government O
decided O
to O
invest O
2 O
, O
885 O
billion O
Vietnamese O
dong O
( O
nearly O
182 O
. O
6 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
manufacturing O
and O
launching O
a O
medium O
- O
sized O
communication O
satellite O
, O
which O
will O
span O
its O
coverage O
over O
Vietnam O
, O
other O
Southeast O
Asian O
countries O
, O
Japan O
, O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
, O
part O
of O
China O
, O
eastern O
Oceanean O
and O
the O
South O
China O
Sea O
. O

Vietnam O
plans O
to O
put O
its O
first O
communication O
satellite O
named O
Vinasat O
into O
operation O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
2008 I-T
. O
It O
will O
open O
a O
tender O
for O
Vinasat O
production O
and O
relevant O
activities O
with O
bidders O
coming O
from O
the O
United O
States O
, O
France O
, O
Japan O
and O
Russia O
in O
the O
coming O
time O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0247 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

nation O

The O
work O
safety O
committee O
under O
the O
State O
Council O
, O
China O
' O
s O
cabinet O
, O
on O
Thursday B-T
urged O
relevant O
authorities O
to O
take O
urgent O
actions O
to O
curb O
the O
spate O
of O
accidents O
that O
have O
rocked O
China O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
. O

The O
committee O
said O
in O
a O
circular O
that O
thorough O
investigations O
must O
be O
carried O
out O
to O
find O
the O
causes O
of O
the O
accidents O
. O
It O
said O
that O
those O
people O
guilty O
of O
corruption O
and O
neglect O
of O
duty O
must O
be O
held O
to O
account O
. O

Investigations O
must O
be O
finished O
into O
at O
least O
some O
of O
the O
major O
accidents O
and O
the O
results O
must O
be O
made O
public O
, O
the O
circular O
says O
. O

China O
has O
seen O
a O
spate O
of O
major O
accidents O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
. O

On O
October B-T
28 I-T
, O
13 O
workers O
were O
killed O
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
region O
when O
the O
oil O
tank O
they O
were O
painting O
exploded O
. O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, O
a O
gas O
explosion O
in O
the O
Jiaojiazhai O
colliery O
in O
Datong O
city O
of O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Shanxi O
Province O
killed O
47 O
miners O
. O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, O
34 O
miners O
were O
killed O
in O
Nanshan O
colliery O
of O
Lingshi O
County O
, O
also O
in O
Shanxi O
, O
when O
a O
fire O
broke O
out O
in O
the O
pit O
. O

Figures O
from O
the O
State O
Administration O
of O
Work O
Safety O
show O
that O
China O
recorded O
532 O
, O
101 O
accidents O
between O
January B-T
and O
October B-T
, O
killing O
92 O
, O
437 O
people O
. O

The O
committee O
called O
for O
solid O
measures O
to O
be O
taken O
to O
improve O
safety O
measures O
in O
vulnerable O
industries O
. O

It O
said O
, O
with O
immediate O
effect O
, O
that O
authorities O
must O
stop O
approving O
new O
collieries O
with O
a O
capacity O
of O
less O
than O
300 O
, O
000 O
tons O
a B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0156 O

MELBOURNE O
, O
Australia O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japanese O
Tomita O
wins O
men O
' O
s O
all O
- O
around O

Japanese O
veteran O
Hiroyuki O
Tomita O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
all O
- O
around O
title O
after O
a O
lop O
- O
sided O
competition O
at O
the O
Gymnastics O
World O
Championships O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
2003 O
world O
championships O
bronze O
medallist O
posted O
a O
highest O
56 O
. O
698 O
points O
after O
all O
the O
six O
rotations O
. O

His O
compatriot O
Hisashi O
Mizutori O
ended O
up O
a O
far O
second O
in O
55 B-T
. I-T
349 I-T
to O
complete O
a O
Japanese O
one O
- O
two O
on O
the O
scoreboard O
. O

The O
bronze O
medal O
went O
to O
Denis O
Selariu O
of O
Belarus O
in O
55 B-T
. I-T
112 I-T
. O
And O
Spaniard O
Rafael O
Martinez O
, O
third O
in O
qualification O
, O
just O
missed O
his O
first O
- O
ever O
podium O
finish O
in O
a O
world O
championships O
by O
0 O
. O
264 O
behind O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0318 O

MADRID O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Souness O
warns O
of O
Chelsea O
backlash O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
Newcastle O
United O
manager O
Graeme O
Souness O
has O
warned O
his O
players O
that O
Chelsea O
would O
recover O
from O
the O
previous O
loss O
in O
the O
English O
premier O
league O
to O
become O
a O
" O
dangerous O
animal O
" O
. O

Chelsea O
are O
still O
leading O
the O
Premier O
League O
table O
despite O
their O
1 O
- O
0 O
loss O
to O
Manchester O
United O
following O
a O
Champions O
League O
defeat O
by O
Real O
Betis O
. O

" O
Chelsea O
lost O
the O
last O
game O
they O
played O
and O
for O
me O
when O
this O
happens O
to O
any O
team O
it O
makes O
them O
a O
dangerous O
animal O
, O
" O
Souness O
told O
reporters O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
We O
are O
playing O
against O
a O
team O
that O
is O
successful O
and O
used O
to O
winning O
, O
a O
team O
that O
has O
had O
a O
bit O
of O
criticism O
of O
late O
and O
all O
those O
things O
make O
them O
dangerous O
, O
" O
added O
the O
manager O
, O
whose O
side O
will O
visit O
Chelsea O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Newcastle O
will O
be O
without O
skipper O
Alan O
Shearer O
following O
a O
hernia O
operation O
, O
leaving O
striker O
Michael O
Owen O
to O
spearhead O
the O
Newcastle O
attack O
. O

" O
What O
we O
are O
hoping O
for O
is O
that O
they O
have O
a O
hangover O
of O
some O
sort O
and O
we O
are O
resilient O
and O
one O
of O
our O
special O
players O
can O
do O
something O
on O
the O
day O
, O
" O
said O
Souness O
. O

Following O
a O
poor O
start O
in O
the O
season O
, O
Newcastle O
stand O
10th O
on O
the O
league O
table O
, O
13 O
points O
behind O
Chelsea O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0124 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0124 O
. O

Dividend O
News O
: O

@ O
Goody O
Products O
Inc O
. O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

GOOD O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

GOODY O
PRODUCTS O
Inc O
. O
cut O
its O
quarterly O
dividend O
to O
five O
cents O
a O
share O
from O
11 O
. O
5 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

The O
reduced O
dividend O
is O
payable O
Jan B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
to O
stock O
of O
record O
Dec B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
. O

The O
Kearny O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
- O
based O
maker O
of O
hair O
accessories O
and O
other O
cosmetic O
products O
said O
it O
cut O
the O
dividend O
due O
to O
its O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
loss O
of O
$ O
992 O
, O
000 O
, O
or O
15 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

In O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
ago I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
company O
reported O
net O
income O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
29 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

The O
company O
also O
adopted O
an O
anti O
- O
takeover O
plan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0276 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Four O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
newspapers O
to O
ask O
for O
Rumsfeld O
' O
s O
resignation O

Four O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
newspapers O
will O
publish O
an O
editorial O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
asking O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
to O
fire O
Defense O
Secretary O
Donald O
Rumsfeld O
. O

The O
editorial O
, O
posted O
on O
the O
Website O
of O
the O
Army O
Times O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
said O
Rumsfeld O
" O
has O
lost O
credibility O
with O
the O
uniformed O
leadership O
, O
with O
the O
troops O
, O
with O
Congress O
and O
with O
the O
public O
at O
large O
. O
" O

" O
His O
strategy O
has O
failed O
, O
and O
his O
ability O
to O
lead O
is O
compromised O
. O
And O
although O
the O
blame O
for O
our O
failures O
in O
Iraq O
rests O
with O
the O
secretary O
, O
it O
will O
be O
the O
troops O
who O
bear O
its O
brunt O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

The O
article O
, O
first O
reported O
by O
CNN O
, O
said O
Bush O
, O
Vice O
President O
Cheney O
and O
Rumsfeld O
have O
made O
" O
one O
rosy O
reassurance O
after O
another O
, O
" O
such O
as O
" O
mission O
accomplished O
, O
" O
the O
insurgency O
is O
" O
in O
its O
last O
throes O
, O
" O
and O
" O
back O
off O
. O
" O

American O
military O
leaders O
generally O
" O
toed O
the O
line O
, O
" O
but O
a O
few O
retired O
generals O
eventually O
spoke O
out O
from O
the O
safety O
of O
the O
sidelines O
. O
" O
Now O
, O
however O
, O
a O
new O
chorus O
of O
criticism O
is O
beginning O
to O
resonate O
. O
Active O
- O
duty O
military O
leaders O
are O
starting O
to O
voice O
misgivings O
about O
the O
war O
' O
s O
planning O
, O
execution O
and O
dimming O
prospects O
for O
success O
, O
" O
said O
the O
editorial O
. O

The O
article O
said O
the O
call O
for O
Rumsfeld O
' O
s O
resignation O
at O
this O
moment O
" O
is O
not O
about O
the O
midterm O
elections O
. O
" O

The O
editorial O
would O
appear O
Monday B-T
in O
the O
four O
weekly O
publications O
- O
Army O
Times O
, O
Navy O
Times O
, O
Air O
Force O
Times O
and O
the O
Marine O
Corps O
Times O
- O
that O
serve O
the O
four O
main O
branches O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
, O
CNN O
reported O
. O

The O
timing O
of O
the O
editorial O
' O
s O
publishing O
was O
not O
prompted O
by O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
midterm O
elections O
, O
but O
was O
inspired O
by O
Bush O
' O
s O
statement O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
he O
wanted O
Rumsfeld O
and O
Cheney O
in O
their O
posts O
through O
the O
end O
of O
his O
term O
, O
Robert O
Hodierne O
, O
the O
senior O
managing O
editor O
for O
Army O
Times O
Publications O
, O
the O
papers O
' O
parent O
company O
, O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

Army O
Times O
Publications O
was O
owned O
by O
the O
Gannett O
Company O
, O
publisher O
of O
USA O
Today O
and O
many O
local O
U O
. O
S O
. O
newspapers O
, O
according O
to O
the O
CNN O
report O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0421 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

3 O
. O
6 O
pct O
of O
Vietnam O
population O
have O
diabetes O

More O
than O
three O
million O
Vietnamese O
people O
, O
or O
over O
3 O
. O
6 O
percent O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
population O
, O
suffer O
from O
diabetes O
, O
according O
to O
local O
newspaper O
Pioneer O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Millions O
of O
other O
local O
people O
face O
the O
risk O
of O
contracting O
the O
disease O
, O
the O
paper O
quoted O
reports O
at O
a O
seminar O
held O
by O
the O
Vietnam O
Diabetes O
and O
Endocrine O
Association O
as O
saying O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
situation O
results O
from O
low O
awareness O
of O
local O
people O
on O
the O
disease O
, O
weak O
grassroots O
health O
networks O
, O
and O
changes O
in O
residents O
' O
lifestyle O
such O
as O
unhealthy O
diet O
, O
physical O
inactivity O
and O
obesity O
, O
said O
the O
reports O
. O

Vietnam O
is O
focusing O
on O
raising O
public O
awareness O
about O
the O
danger O
of O
diabetes O
and O
ways O
of O
preventing O
it O
such O
as O
using O
appropriate O
diet O
, O
increasing O
physical O
activities O
and O
reducing O
weight O
, O
and O
improving O
diabetes O
diagnosis O
and O
treatment O
systems O
nationwide O
. O

The O
country O
currently B-T
has O
one O
hospital O
, O
five O
centers O
and O
five O
hospital O
faculties O
specializing O
in O
endocrinology O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0207 O

MOSCOW O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

IMF O
pledges O
support O
for O
Russia O

The O
IMF O
is O
to O
continue O
providing O
financial O
support O
to O
Russia O
despite O
disappointment O
with O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
performance O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
IMF O
director O
general O
Michel O
Camdessus O
said O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Supporting O
Russia O
financially O
" O
is O
our O
raison O
d O
' O
etre O
( O
reason O
for O
existing O
) O
- O
- O
we O
must O
do O
it O
and O
it O
will O
be O
done O
, O
" O
Camdessus O
told O
students O
at O
the O
State O
Institute O
for O
International O
Relations O
( O
MGIMO O
) O
here O
. O

But O
he O
also O
warned O
that O
failure O
to O
improve O
tax O
collection O
might O
open O
the O
way O
to O
anarchy O
or O
dicatorship O
. O

And O
the O
head O
of O
the O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
( O
IMF O
) O
said O
that O
no O
decision O
had O
yet O
been O
taken O
on O
the O
release O
of O
three O
pending O
monthly O
instalments O
of O
a O
10 O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
loan O
to O
Russia O
, O
spread O
over O
three B-T
years I-T
. O

" O
If O
the O
decision O
had O
already O
been O
made O
I O
would O
already O
have O
left O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
He O
was O
due O
to O
leave O
late B-T
Thursday I-T
. O

The O
January O
- O
March O
instalments O
are O
worth O
about O
one O
billion O
dollars O
. O
Last B-T
year I-T
the O
IMF O
delayed O
several O
instalments O
because O
the O
government O
had O
fallen O
far O
behind O
its O
targets O
for O
tax O
collection O
. O

Camdessus O
arrived O
here O
Monday B-T
to O
finalise O
discussions O
with O
the O
government O
on O
its O
1997 O
reform O
programme O
. O

He O
held O
talks O
with O
Prime O
Minister O
Viktor O
Chernomyrdin O
and O
newly O
- O
appointed O
first O
deputy O
prime O
ministers O
Anatoly O
Chubais O
and O
Boris O
Nemtsov O
, O
whom O
President O
Boris O
Yeltsin O
brought O
into O
the O
cabinet O
to O
give O
new O
impetus O
to O
Russia O
' O
s O
sluggish O
economic O
reforms O
. O

Camdessus O
said O
he O
was O
convinced O
that O
the O
new O
government O
had O
the O
necessary O
determination O
to O
tackle O
the O
main O
problems O
bedevilling O
Russia O
, O
especially O
inadequate O
tax O
collection O
, O
the O
delayed O
resumption O
of O
economic O
growth O
and O
corruption O
. O

" O
I O
talk O
of O
determination O
because O
I O
know O
these O
people O
, O
I O
know O
of O
their O
personal O
determination O
to O
do O
it O
. O
" O

" O
At O
times O
( O
Russia O
' O
s O
) O
progress O
has O
been O
so O
slow O
that O
the O
support O
of O
the O
IMF O
has O
been O
interpreted O
by O
some O
as O
reflecting O
a O
kind O
of O
political O
complacency O
, O
or O
sheer O
misjudgement O
from O
the O
IMF O
. O
It O
is O
time O
to O
show O
that O
this O
pessimism O
is O
misplaced O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
warned O
that O
if O
the O
government O
failed O
to O
solve O
the O
problem O
of O
tax O
collection O
, O
it O
" O
risks O
encouraging O
anarchy O
or O
dictatorship O
, O
or O
both O
. O
" O

Last B-T
year I-T
the O
government O
managed O
to O
collect O
only O
about O
60 O
percent O
of O
projected O
tax O
revenue O
. O

The O
new O
government O
has O
announced O
that O
it O
will O
target O
monopolies O
over O
natural O
resources O
, O
such O
as O
United O
Energy O
Systems O
( O
UES O
) O
and O
Gazprom O
, O
in O
its O
drive O
to O
boost O
tax O
revenue O
. O

The O
monopolies O
owe O
the O
government O
billions O
of O
dollars O
in O
taxes O
, O
but O
argue O
that O
in O
turn O
their O
customers O
, O
including O
government O
ministries O
, O
are O
heavily O
indebted O
to O
them O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0353 O

ABBOTABAD O
, O
Pakistan O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

More O
than O
200 O
Chinese O
troops O
headed O
to O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
mountainous O
northern O
region O
on O
Monday B-T
at O
the O
start O
of O
the O
first O
ever O
joint O
military O
exercise O
held O
here O
by O
the O
two O
allies O
. O

The O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Army O
( O
PLA O
) O
soldiers O
and O
their O
Pakistani O
counterparts O
raised O
flags O
and O
played O
their O
national O
anthems O
at O
a O
special O
ceremony O
in O
the O
hill O
station O
of O
Abbotabad O
, O
an O
AFP O
photographer O
said O
. O

Two O
guns O
boomed O
to O
herald O
the O
start O
of O
the O
exercise O
and O
paragliders O
showered O
fresh O
rose O
petals O
over O
the O
parade O
ground O
, O
before O
soldiers O
took O
part O
in O
a O
folk O
dancing O
display O
. O

The O
Chinese O
contingent O
flew O
in O
to O
the O
garrison O
city O
of O
Rawalpindi O
near O
the O
capital O
Islamabad O
on O
Sunday B-T
to O
take O
part O
in O
the O
10 O
- O
day O
exercise O
dubbed O
" O
Friendship O
2006 O
" O
. O

PLA O
Major O
General O
Liu O
Minjiang O
said O
at O
the O
ceremony O
that O
the O
exercises O
would O
foster O
" O
a O
joint O
strategy O
and O
tactics O
to O
fight O
terrorism O
. O
" O
Pakistani O
Major O
General O
Mohsin O
Kamal O
said O
the O
manoeuvres O
would O
strengthen O
cooperation O
. O

The O
exercise O
comes O
around B-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
after O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
pledged O
to O
take O
strategic O
ties O
with O
Pakistan O
to O
a O
" O
new O
level O
" O
during O
his O
first O
ever O
visit O
to O
the O
South O
Asian O
country O
. O

" O
This O
is O
the O
first O
time O
that O
a O
PLA O
contingent O
has O
arrived O
in O
Pakistan O
" O
on O
an O
exercise O
, O
a O
senior O
Pakistani O
military O
official O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
Pakistani O
troops O
visited O
China O
for O
joint O
exercises O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

" O
The O
exercise O
is O
a O
display O
of O
the O
mutual O
commitment O
and O
resolve O
to O
fight O
terrorism O
, O
besides O
bolstering O
time O
- O
tested O
friendship O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
" O
the O
official O
said O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

After O
the O
ceremony O
in O
Abbotabad O
the O
soldiers O
were O
due O
to O
head O
to O
the O
mountains O
further O
north O
for O
the O
exercises O
, O
the O
official O
said O
. O

Beijing O
remains O
Islamabad O
' O
s O
largest O
arms O
supplier O
and O
the O
two O
are O
jointly O
developing O
the O
JF O
- O
17 O
Thunder O
fighter O
jet O
. O
China O
is O
also O
providing O
major O
industrial O
and O
economic O
assistance O
. O

Islamabad O
meanwhile O
is O
helping O
Beijing O
deal O
with O
the O
perceived O
threat O
of O
Muslim O
separatists O
in O
China O
' O
s O
western O
Xinjiang O
region O
, O
which O
borders O
Kazakhstan O
and O
Pakistan O
. O

In O
late O
2003 O
Pakistan O
said O
it O
had O
killed O
Hasan O
Mahsum O
, O
identified O
by O
China O
as O
its O
" O
top O
terrorist O
" O
, O
in O
a O
raid O
in O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
South O
Waziristan O
tribal O
region O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0391 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
INCORPORATES O
Chile O
- O
politics O
- O
health O
- O
Pinochet O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Chile O
' O
s O
former O
strongman O
Augusto O
Pinochet O
was O
reported O
to O
be O
gravely O
ill O
Sunday B-T
, O
after O
a O
massive O
heart O
attack O
. O

" O
His O
fate O
is O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
God O
and O
his O
doctors O
, O
" O
said O
the O
former O
dictator O
' O
s O
youngest O
son O
, O
Marco O
Antonio O
Pinochet O
Hiriart O
. O

Juan O
Ignacio O
Vergara O
, O
a O
doctor O
treating O
the O
retired O
general O
, O
said O
Pinochet O
' O
s O
life O
is O
" O
in O
danger O
. O
" O

A O
family O
spokesman O
, O
Guillermo O
Garin O
, O
said O
Sunday B-T
that O
a O
Catholic O
priest O
had O
given O
Pinochet O
the O
last O
rites O
administered O
when O
a O
gravely O
ill O
person O
is O
in O
imminent O
danger O
of O
death O
, O
adding O
that O
Pinochet O
remains O
conscious O
and O
in O
stable O
condition O
. O

Pinochet O
, O
91 O
, O
was O
brought O
to O
Santiago O
Military O
Hospital O
shortly O
after O
2 O
: O
00 O
am O
( O
0600 O
GMT O
) O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
and O
immediately O
underwent O
angioplasty O
- O
- O
a O
procedure O
desiged O
to O
widen O
a O
narrowed O
or O
obstructed O
blood O
vessel O
. O

The O
elderly O
ex O
- O
dictator O
, O
who O
has O
been O
under O
house O
arrest O
off O
and O
on O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
years I-T
, O
was O
again O
placed O
under O
house O
arrest O
last B-T
week I-T
by O
a O
judge O
investigating O
the O
disappearance O
of O
two O
of O
the O
thousands O
of O
people O
who O
went O
missing O
under O
his O
regime O
. O

Pinochet O
ruled O
Chile O
for O
17 B-T
years I-T
after O
seizing O
power O
in O
a O
1973 O
military O
coup O
. O
Accused O
of O
fraud O
and O
human O
rights O
abuses O
during O
his O
1973 O
- O
1990 O
regime O
, O
Pinochet O
was O
first O
ordered O
under O
house O
arrest O
in O
late B-T
October I-T
on O
other O
charges O
only O
to O
be O
released O
on O
parole O
a B-T
few I-T
days I-T
later O
in O
deference O
to O
his O
advanced O
age O
and O
ill O
health O
. O

The O
latest O
arrest O
warrant O
by O
judge O
Victor O
Montiglio O
is O
linked O
to O
the O
disappearance O
of O
two O
security O
guards O
of O
socialist O
president O
Salvador O
Allende O
, O
who O
committed O
suicide O
during O
the O
September B-T
1973 I-T
military O
coup O
. O

The O
guards O
disappeared O
during O
the O
notorious O
" O
Caravan O
of O
Death O
, O
" O
an O
effort O
by O
a O
band O
of O
Chilean O
soldiers O
to O
purge O
the O
country O
of O
regime O
opponents O
shortly O
after O
the O
coup O
, O
killing O
75 O
people O
. O

Montiglio O
' O
s O
arrest O
warrant O
was O
issued O
two B-T
days I-T
after O
Pinochet O
' O
s O
91st O
birthday O
celebrations O
, O
at O
which O
his O
wife O
read O
a O
message O
saying O
that O
the O
former O
dictator O
held O
" O
no O
grudge O
against O
anyone O
, O
" O
despite O
all O
the O
" O
persecutions O
and O
injustices O
" O
against O
him O
. O

During O
his O
birthday O
celebration O
, O
the O
ailing O
ex O
- O
dictator O
sat O
in O
a O
wheelchair O
outside O
his O
home O
, O
managed O
a O
faint O
smile O
and O
lifted O
his O
hand O
to O
wave O
to O
scores O
of O
followers O
gathered O
outside O
his O
house O
in O
La O
Dahesa O
, O
one O
of O
Santiago O
' O
s O
poshest O
neighborhoods O
. O

" O
I O
will O
gladly O
withstand O
all O
the O
humiliation O
, O
persecution O
and O
injustices O
my O
family O
and O
I O
have O
suffered O
in O
the O
name O
of O
peace O
and O
harmony O
, O
which O
should O
reign O
among O
Chileans O
, O
" O
said O
the O
message O
. O

But O
Pinochet O
was O
unapologetic O
for O
toppling O
the O
elected O
Socialist O
government O
of O
Salvador O
Allende O
, O
saying O
that O
thanks O
to O
the O
courage O
and O
decisiveness O
of O
the O
armed O
forces O
, O
" O
Chile O
avoided O
the O
totalitarian O
threat O
and O
found O
true O
democracy O
, O
which O
we O
re O
- O
established O
, O
and O
which O
all O
our O
countrymen O
enjoy O
. O
" O

Dozens O
of O
Pinochet O
' O
s O
men O
are O
behind O
bars O
in O
Chile O
for O
killing O
and O
torturing O
some O
3 O
, O
000 O
persons O
, O
by O
official O
count O
, O
under O
his O
rule O

But O
Pinochet O
has O
yet O
to O
face O
trial O
for O
any O
crime O
. O
His O
lawyers O
have O
so O
far O
persuaded O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
in O
each O
case O
that O
the O
retired O
general O
was O
unable O
to O
defend O
himself O
because O
he O
suffered O
a O
" O
mild O
dementia O
, O
" O
the O
only O
condition O
available O
to O
him O
that O
Chilean O
courts O
accept O
to O
avoid O
trial O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
Pinochet O
was O
charged O
with O
alleged O
crimes O
at O
Villa O
Grimaldi O
, O
a O
secret O
jail O
where O
Michelle O
Bachelet O
, O
now B-T
president O
of O
Chile O
, O
was O
once O
tortured O
, O
along O
with O
her O
mother O
, O
for O
a B-T
month I-T
in O
1975 B-T
. O

Pinochet O
has O
also O
been O
charged O
in O
connection O
with O
Operation O
Colombo O
, O
an O
international O
effort O
to O
murder O
119 O
regime O
opponents O
and O
spirit O
the O
bodies O
to O
other O
South O
American O
countries O
ruled O
by O
military O
regimes O
in O
July B-T
1975 I-T
. O

His O
eldest O
daughter O
, O
Lucia O
Pinochet O
Hiriart O
, O
67 O
, O
said O
on O
November B-T
16 I-T
that O
Pinochet O
" O
feels O
the O
pain O
" O
of O
victims O
under O
his O
regime O
, O
but O
was O
not O
ready O
to O
ask O
for O
their O
pardon O
publicly O
. O

She O
and O
her O
mother O
are O
not O
allowed O
to O
leave O
Chile O
because O
of O
investigations O
of O
a O
hundred O
bank O
accounts O
that O
members O
of O
the O
Pinochet O
family O
opened O
in O
the O
United O
States O
and O
other O
countries O
, O
prosecutors O
say O
, O
to O
avoid O
taxes O
. O

The O
accounts O
came O
to O
light O
after O
a O
US O
Senate O
investigation O
of O
Riggs O
Bank O
in O
Washington O
. O

Chileans O
remain O
deeply O
divided O
over O
the O
dictatorship O
, O
which O
ended O
when O
Pinochet O
lost O
a O
1988 B-T
referendum O
on O
his O
continued O
rule O
and O
handed O
over O
power O
in O
1990 B-T
to O
a O
transitional O
government O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0016 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

APEC O
meetings O
seek O
to O
unlock O
stalled O
WTO O
negotiations O

World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
negotiations O
will O
continue O
to O
be O
of O
great O
importance O
for O
the O
APEC O
meetings O
which O
start O
here O
on O
Sunday B-T
as O
the O
APEC O
member O
economies O
seek O
to O
find O
a O
way O
forward O
, O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
deputy O
foreign O
minister O
said O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
. O

Speaking O
at O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
two O
- O
day O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
Concluding O
Senior O
Official O
' O
s O
Meeting O
( O
CSOM O
) O
, O
which O
is O
to O
be O
followed O
by O
the O
APEC O
Joint O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
- I-T
16 I-T
and O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
, O
Le O
Cong O
Phung O
, O
also O
chair O
of O
the O
CSOM O
, O
said O
APEC O
can O
lead O
the O
way O
for O
all O
members O
of O
the O
WTO O
to O
reignite O
negotiations O
and O
conclude O
the O
Doha O
Development O
Agenda O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

During O
the O
CSOM O
, O
senior O
officials O
from O
member O
economies O
will O
discuss O
the O
adoption O
of O
APEC O
Model O
Measures O
for O
Free O
Trade O
Agreements O
and O
guidelines O
to O
secure O
supply O
chains O
against O
counterfeit O
and O
pirated O
goods O
to O
unlock O
the O
stalled O
WTO O
negotiations O
. O

" O
APEC O
members O
provide O
an O
accurate O
gauge O
of O
global O
economic O
views O
and O
ideas O
, O
so O
if O
APEC O
can O
identify O
a O
way O
forward O
this O
path O
will O
most O
likely O
be O
suitable O
to O
the O
broader O
WTO O
membership O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
representatives O
of O
APEC O
member O
economies O
based O
in O
Geneva O
have O
been O
working O
on O
a O
solution O
and O
senior O
officials O
will O
be O
updated O
on O
this O
progress O
. O

Phung O
said O
APEC O
senior O
officials O
will O
also O
consider O
the O
adoption O
of O
model O
measures O
that O
can O
be O
used O
by O
member O
economies O
in O
the O
negotiation O
of O
Free O
Trade O
Agreements O
and O
Regional O
Trade O
Arrangements O
( O
FTAs O
/ O
RTAs O
) O
. O

" O
There O
are O
more O
than O
20 O
FTAs O
and O
RTAs O
in O
force O
in O
the O
APEC O
region O
and O
more O
under O
negotiation O
, O
" O
he O
noted O
. O

Phung O
said O
the O
member O
economies O
are O
working O
to O
ensure O
that O
a O
" O
spaghetti O
bowl O
" O
effect O
of O
having O
so O
many O
differing O
agreements O
does O
not O
undermine O
regional O
business O
environment O
and O
unduly O
increase O
transaction O
costs O
. O
" O
APEC O
model O
measures O
will O
increase O
transparency O
of O
new O
FTAs O
and O
RTAs O
and O
will O
be O
of O
particular O
benefit O
to O
member O
economies O
while O
negotiating O
their O
FTAs O
/ O
RTAs O
. O
" O

Ministers O
of O
the O
member O
economies O
will O
also O
consider O
model O
measures O
that O
cover O
areas O
such O
as O
rules O
of O
origin O
, O
transparency O
, O
cooperation O
and O
others O
in O
the B-T
18th I-T
APEC O
Joint O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
slated O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
- I-T
16 I-T
. O

Advancing O
multilateral O
trade O
and O
high O
quality O
FTAs O
/ O
RTAs O
are O
important O
components O
of O
one O
of O
the O
main O
objectives O
for O
the O
18th O
meeting O
and O
the O
14th O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
slated O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
in O
Hanoi O
: O
the O
release O
of O
the O
Hanoi O
Action O
Plan O
which O
provides O
the O
detail O
required O
to O
implement O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Busan O
roadmap O
to O
achieve O
the O
APEC O
Bogor O
goals O
. O

" O
The O
plan O
will O
have O
core O
components O
that O
include O
support O
for O
the O
multilateral O
trading O
system O
, O
strengthening O
of O
Individual O
Action O
Plans O
and O
Collective O
Action O
plans O
( O
CAPs O
/ O
IAPs O
) O
, O
high O
quality O
FTAs O
/ O
RTAs O
, O
and O
strengthening O
of O
business O
activities O
in O
the O
region O
and O
capacity O
building O
, O
" O
Phung O
said O
. O

For O
business O
to O
thrive O
in O
the O
region O
, O
APEC O
members O
have O
an O
obligation O
to O
ensure O
the O
business O
environment O
is O
conducive O
to O
growth O
, O
he O
said O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
Hanoi O
Action O
Plan O
will O
provide O
clear O
direction O
on O
a O
range O
of O
areas O
that O
include O
trade O
facilitation O
, O
private O
sector O
development O
, O
the O
digital O
economy O
and O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
, O
investment O
facilitation O
, O
transparency O
and O
anti O
- O
corruption O
, O
secure O
trade O
, O
structural O
reform O
and O
pathfinder O
initiatives O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0208 O

VIENNA O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

World O
demand O
for O
oil O
will O
increase O
1 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
to O
84 O
. O
9 O
million O
barrels O
a O
day O
, O
OPEC O
said O
in O
a O
December B-T
report O
released O
in O
Vienna O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
forecast O
is O
a O
" O
slight O
increase O
" O
over O
its O
outlook O
issued O
in O
November B-T
, O
due O
to O
stronger O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
predictions O
for O
world O
economic O
growth O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
OPEC O
said O
. O

Oil O
demand O
will O
increase O
in O
all O
major O
regions O
, O
with O
China O
accounting O
for O
more O
than O
one O
fifth O
of O
the O
increase O
of O
1 O
. O
6 O
million O
bpd O
. O

For O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
oil O
cartel O
lowered O
its O
estimate O
for O
demand O
to O
83 O
. O
3 O
million O
bpd O
, O
which O
represents O
an O
increase O
of O
1 O
. O
5 O
percent O
compared O
with O
demand O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

This O
forecast O
was O
in O
line O
with O
estimates O
by O
the O
International O
Energy O
Agency O
, O
which O
had O
said O
in O
its O
monthly O
report O
published O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
oil O
demand O
would O
grow O
by O
1 O
. O
4 O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

However O
, O
the O
IEA O
said O
that O
it O
expected O
oil O
demand O
to O
grow O
by O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
next B-T
year I-T
to O
85 O
. O
2 O
million O
bpd O
, O
higher O
than O
the O
forecast O
by O
OPEC O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
11 O
members O
of O
OPEC O
had O
met O
in O
Kuwait O
City O
and O
decided O
to O
leave O
their O
production O
levels O
unchanged O
at O
30 O
million O
bpd O
, O
declaring O
themselves O
happy O
with O
current O
market O
conditions O
and O
vowing O
to O
take O
action O
in O
the O
event O
of O
a O
fall O
in O
prices O
during O
winter O
. O

OPEC O
members O
are O
currently O
benefiting O
from O
high O
prices O
of O
oil O
, O
but O
are O
also O
producing O
at O
near O
full O
- O
capacity O
with O
output O
at O
levels O
unseen O
for O
25 B-T
years I-T
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
oil O
prices O
fell O
amid O
forecasts O
of O
warmer O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
weather O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
consumer O
of O
energy O
. O

New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
January B-T
, O
slipped O
29 O
cents O
to O
59 O
. O
70 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
electronic O
trading O
. O

In O
London O
, O
the O
price O
of O
Brent O
North O
Sea O
crude O
for O
February B-T
delivery O
shed O
36 O
cents O
to O
59 O
. O
04 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
. O
The O
January B-T
contract O
had O
closed O
on O
Thursday B-T
up O
25 O
cents O
at O
59 O
. O
85 O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0133 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

News O
analysis O
: O
Abuse O
of O
detainees O
creates O
chance O
for O
Taliban O

The O
ongoing O
reported O
abuse O
of O
detainees O
by O
US O
military O
in O
Afghanistan O
would O
facilitate O
Taliban O
- O
linked O
militants O
to O
exploit O
the O
situation O
for O
their O
own O
propaganda O
to O
mobilize O
local O
support O
, O
local O
observers O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

At O
least O
two O
suspected O
Afghan O
terrorists O
have O
died O
at O
the O
US O
military O
detention O
center O
in O
Bagram O
, O
50 O
km O
north O
of O
capital O
city O
, O
the O
headquarters O
of O
over O
20 O
, O
000 O
strong O
US O
- O
led O
coalition O
forces O
in O
the O
post O
- O
Taliban O
nation O
. O

In O
addition O
to O
the O
reported O
activity O
of O
detainees O
' O
maltreatment O
at O
the O
US O
holding O
facilities O
, O
the O
US O
military O
, O
according O
to O
media O
reports O
, O
has O
burned O
the O
bodies O
of O
Taliban O
militias O
, O
which O
are O
forbidden O
in O
Islam O
, O
the O
ruling O
religion O
in O
Afghanistan O
and O
the O
region O
. O

A O
footage O
broadcast O
by O
SBS O
, O
an O
Australian O
television O
network O
last B-T
month I-T
indicated O
the O
US O
troops O
burned O
two O
corpses O
of O
Taliban O
fighters O
in O
a O
village O
in O
southern O
Kandahar O
province O
, O
the O
former O
stronghold O
of O
Taliban O
, O
and O
taunt O
other O
militias O
. O
The O
act O
sparked O
outrage O
in O
the O
conservative O
Afghanistan O
. O

Afghan O
leaders O
including O
President O
Hamid O
Karzai O
strongly O
denounced O
the O
act O
and O
called O
for O
investigation O
into O
the O
subject O
. O

" O
Abusing O
detainees O
' O
rights O
, O
or O
torturing O
prisoners O
, O
would O
bring O
opposing O
effect O
and O
definitely O
facilitate O
Taliban O
and O
terrorism O
to O
exploit O
the O
situation O
for O
their O
own O
propaganda O
in O
order O
to O
mobilize O
local O
support O
, O
" O
renown O
political O
observer O
Qasim O
Akhgar O
maintained O
. O

He O
noted O
that O
Afghans O
did O
not O
expect O
human O
rights O
violation O
from O
the O
US O
military O
in O
Afghanistan O
as O
they O
had O
helped O
Afghans O
to O
get O
rid O
of O
the O
Taliban O
and O
terrorists O
' O
clutches O
. O

" O
Violating O
human O
rights O
and O
torturing O
people O
is O
the O
emblem O
of O
Taliban O
and O
terrorists O
, O
but O
not O
the O
emblem O
of O
soldiers O
of O
US O
army O
, O
" O
Akhgar O
pointed O
out O
. O

The O
US O
military O
, O
he O
said O
, O
had O
come O
here O
to O
root O
out O
the O
Taliban O
and O
terrorism O
. O

" O
The O
trend O
, O
if O
goes O
unchecked O
, O
would O
also O
affect O
Afghan O
law O
enforcing O
personnel O
to O
follow O
the O
same O
policy O
in O
tackling O
law O
breakers O
, O
" O
the O
analyst O
opined O
referring O
to O
the O
training O
by O
US O
instructors O
to O
Afghan O
law O
enforcing O
agencies O
particularly O
the O
police O
. O

Piling O
complaints O
over O
the O
reported O
detainees O
abuse O
forced O
the O
US O
military O
to O
initiate O
a O
thorough O
investigation O
early B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
and O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
probe O
, O
carried O
out O
by O
General O
Jacoby O
has O
yet O
to O
be O
made O
public O
. O

Some O
400 O
suspected O
Taliban O
and O
al O
- O
Qaida O
Afghans O
reportedly O
have O
been O
languishing O
in O
the O
23 O
holding O
facilities O
run O
by O
the O
US O
military O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

" O
Tactic O
of O
highhandedness O
and O
torture O
of O
prisoners O
adopted O
by O
the O
US O
military O
would O
cause O
distrust O
between O
Afghan O
people O
and O
government O
and O
finally O
benefit O
Taliban O
and O
al O
- O
Qaida O
terrorists O
to O
boost O
their O
ranks O
, O
" O
eminent O
journalist O
Syed O
Najibullah O
Hashimi O
observed O
. O

Taliban O
' O
s O
recent O
violent O
attacks O
, O
Hashimi O
went O
on O
to O
say O
, O
was O
the O
counter O
productive O
result O
of O
the O
treatment O
applied O
by O
US O
military O
to O
poor O
Afghan O
detainees O
at O
the O
detention O
centers O
. O

Usually O
the O
US O
army O
denies O
the O
reported O
detainees O
abuse O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O
It O
has O
refused O
the O
Afghan O
rights O
to O
visit O
the O
holding O
facilities O
by O
saying O
the O
International O
Committee O
of O
Red O
Cross O
( O
ICRC O
) O
regularly O
visits O
the O
detention O
centers O
. O

The O
US O
military O
has O
denied O
that O
its O
soldiers O
committed O
any O
crimes O
by O
burning O
two O
bodies O
of O
Taliban O
fighters O
in O
Kandahar O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

" O
Our O
investigation O
found O
there O
was O
no O
intent O
to O
desecrate O
the O
remains O
, O
but O
only O
to O
dispose O
of O
them O
for O
hygienic O
reasons O
, O
" O
operational O
commander O
of O
the O
US O
forces O
General O
Jason O
Kamiya O
told O
newsmen O
in O
Kandahar O
city O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

However O
, O
he O
added O
that O
disciplinary O
action O
would O
be O
taken O
against O
four O
soldiers O
involved O
in O
the O
case O
. O

" O
Continued O
violation O
of O
human O
rights O
by O
US O
military O
in O
Afghanistan O
would O
change O
the O
minds O
of O
Afghans O
in O
favor O
of O
Taliban O
as O
they O
did O
not O
expect O
rights O
violation O
from O
the O
US O
military O
when O
they O
respect O
them O
as O
their O
liberators O
, O
" O
Hashimi O
added O
. O

The O
reported O
rights O
violation O
by O
the O
US O
servicemen O
is O
also O
a O
matter O
of O
concern O
among O
the O
official O
circles O
in O
the O
Afghan O
government O
. O

" O
Burning O
human O
body O
or O
maltreating O
prisoners O
is O
an O
offence O
, O
and O
the O
offenders O
should O
be O
punished O
, O
" O
deputy O
speaker O
of O
Presidential O
Palace O
Siamak O
Herawi O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

" O
US O
troops O
present O
in O
Afghanistan O
should O
respect O
Afghan O
culture O
and O
those O
who O
violate O
the O
culture O
should O
be O
punished O
, O
and O
this O
is O
the O
stance O
of O
the O
government O
of O
Afghanistan O
, O
" O
Herawi O
emphasized O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0205 O

NANCHANG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

areas O

More O
than O
10 O
, O
000 O
soldiers O
have O
been O
mobilized O
and O
at O
least O
one O
million O
yuan O
( O
about O
123 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
) O
will O
be O
allocated O
in O
the O
disaster O
relief O
in O
central O
China O
' O
s O
quake O
- O
hit O
areas O
, O
said O
the O
sources O
with O
the O
provincial O
governments O
of O
Jiangxi O
and O
Hubei O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
Jiangxi O
provincial O
government O
said O
it O
was O
launching O
its O
emergency O
plan O
shortly O
after O
the O
quake O
struck O
and O
mobilized O
more O
than O
10 O
, O
000 O
soldiers O
and O
militia O
members O
to O
help O
restore O
the O
normal O
order O
of O
life O
and O
production O
in O
Jiujiang O
. O

As O
of O
Monday B-T
evening I-T
, O
the O
rescuers O
have O
found O
and O
saved O
more O
than O
200 O
people O
who O
were O
trapped O
in O
the O
collapsed O
buildings O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
more O
than O
50 O
, O
000 O
people O
who O
were O
affected O
by O
the O
disaster O
have O
been O
relocated O
by O
the O
local O
government O
. O

In O
the O
nearby O
Hubei O
Province O
, O
which O
was O
also O
partially O
hit O
by O
the O
earthquake O
, O
the O
provincial O
government O
decides O
to O
allocate O
at O
least O
one O
million O
yuan O
( O
about O
123 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
) O
to O
give O
free O
medical O
treatment O
to O
people O
who O
were O
injured O
in O
the O
quake O
. O

The O
provincial O
government O
held O
a O
special O
conference O
on O
Monday B-T
to O
strengthen O
the O
disaster O
relief O
work O
, O
adding O
that O
an O
earthquake O
prevention O
and O
disaster O
relief O
responsibility O
system O
will O
immediately O
take O
effect O
in O
Hubei O
. O

The O
majority O
of O
the O
schools O
in O
the O
quake O
- O
hit O
areas O
resumed O
class O
Monday B-T
, O
which O
unanimously O
gave O
the O
students O
lessons O
concerning O
earthquake O
and O
the O
survival O
skills O
. O

To O
further O
monitor O
the O
Jiujiang O
earthquake O
, O
the O
China O
Seismological O
Bureau O
organized O
a O
panel O
composed O
of O
more O
than O
50 O
seismologists O
, O
to O
head O
toward O
the O
two O
provinces O
. O

The O
experts O
will O
carry O
out O
field O
inspections O
and O
set O
up O
11 O
seismographs O
in O
both O
Jiangxi O
and O
Hubei O
for O
earthquake O
prevention O
and O
study O
. O

An O
earthquake O
measuring O
5 O
. O
7 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
jolted O
the O
city O
of O
Jiujiang O
, O
Jiangxi O
Province O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
leaving O
at O
least O
14 O
dead O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0395 O

DUBAI O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
offers O
US O
troops O
safe O
passage O
out O
of O
Iraq O

The O
head O
of O
an O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
- O
dominated O
organization O
in O
Iraq O
offered O
to O
give O
US O
troops O
a B-T
month I-T
to O
pull O
out O
free O
of O
attack O
in O
an O
audiotape O
posted O
on O
the O
internet O
Friday B-T
and O
demanded O
an O
answer O
within O
two B-T
weeks I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0078 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

APEC O
Business O
Advisory O
Council O
convenes O
meeting O

The O
APEC O
Business O
Advisory O
Council O
( O
ABAC O
) O
opened O
its O
three O
- O
day O
meeting O
in O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
capital O
Hanoi O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
to O
discuss O
trade O
and O
investment O
liberalization O
, O
finance O
, O
capacity O
building O
and O
other O
related O
issues O
. O

Attended O
by O
196 O
delegates O
and O
chaired O
by O
Vietnam O
Chamber O
of O
Commerce O
and O
Industry O
( O
VCCI O
) O
Vice O
Chairman O
Hoang O
Van O
Dung O
, O
the O
meeting O
has O
" O
Driving O
forward O
a O
prosperous O
and O
harmonized O
APEC O
community O
" O
as O
its O
theme O
in O
2006 B-T
. O

Addressing O
the O
opening O
plenary O
session O
, O
Vietnamese O
President O
Nguyen O
Minh O
Triet O
said O
ABAC O
has O
made O
great O
contribution O
to O
speeding O
up O
trade O
and O
investment O
facilitation O
and O
liberalization O
, O
and O
strengthening O
cooperation O
among O
economies O
in O
the O
region O
. O

He O
called O
on O
the O
APEC O
member O
economies O
to O
strengthen O
cooperation O
in O
such O
fields O
as O
improving O
business O
environment O
, O
more O
effectively O
tapping O
natural O
resources O
, O
encouraging O
technology O
transfer O
, O
and O
coping O
with O
the O
regional O
aging O
population O
with O
decreasing O
number O
of O
people O
in O
the O
working O
age O
. O

Founded O
by O
APEC O
economic O
leaders O
in O
November B-T
1995 I-T
to O
provide O
important O
business O
advice O
to O
the O
leaders O
, O
ABAC O
comprises O
of O
up O
to O
three O
representatives O
from O
the O
private O
economic O
sector O
of O
each O
of O
21 O
APEC O
member O
economies O
. O

ABAC O
has O
had O
three O
meetings O
previously O
in O
2006 B-T
in O
Singapore O
, O
Canada O
and O
the O
Philippines O
respectively O
, O
all O
under O
the O
chairmanship O
of O
VCCI O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0338 O

ROME O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

International O
health O
ministers O
commit O
cooperation O
against O
bird O
flu O

Health O
ministers O
from O
the O
Group O
of O
Seven O
( O
G7 O
) O
industrialized O
countries O
and O
Mexico O
on O
Friday B-T
signed O
an O
agreement O
here O
on O
reinforcing O
cooperation O
against O
the O
threat O
of O
bird O
flu O
and O
to O
keep O
it O
from O
spreading O
to O
human O
beings O
. O

The O
ministers O
, O
as O
well O
as O
representatives O
of O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
health O
commissioners O
also O
agreed O
to O
boost O
the O
capacity O
of O
producing O
pandemic O
flu O
vaccines O
. O

The O
agreement O
called O
for O
coordination O
between O
national O
preventive O
plans O
and O
recognizes O
the O
need O
to O
build O
greater O
stockpiles O
of O
vaccines O
and O
anti O
- O
flu O
medicines O
. O

They O
also O
decided O
to O
set O
up O
a O
store O
of O
three O
million O
doses O
of O
anti O
- O
flu O
vaccines O
to O
be O
used O
at O
the O
sign O
of O
any O
outbreak O
of O
the O
human O
variation O
of O
avian O
flu O
in O
the O
eight O
countries O
. O

Besides O
, O
a O
website O
for O
global O
health O
security O
will O
be O
created O
, O
which O
will O
release O
all O
scientific O
data O
related O
to O
the O
H5N1 O
virus O
and O
other O
pertinent O
information O
. O

According O
to O
the O
agreement O
, O
the O
eight O
countries O
will O
work O
together O
to O
prepare O
for O
the O
Beijing O
Donor O
Conference O
in O
January B-T
2006 I-T
, O
and O
Germany O
will O
host O
a O
workshop O
in O
June B-T
2006 I-T
for O
information O
sharing O
on O
comparative O
approaches O
to O
develop O
vaccines O
. O

On O
a O
proposal O
from O
Italy O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
richest O
countries O
have O
agreed O
to O
support O
the O
developing O
countries O
to O
help O
them O
deal O
with O
any O
possible O
pandemic O
. O

Bird O
flu O
has O
ravaged O
poultry O
farms O
across O
Southeast O
Asia O
since O
2003 B-T
, O
and O
at O
least O
64 O
people O
have O
been O
dead O
from O
the O
virus O
there O
thus O
far O
. O
On O
Friday B-T
, O
Vietnam O
reported O
that O
they O
found O
outbreaks O
of O
the O
deadly O
strain O
in O
three O
more O
provinces O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0211 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Classy O
Arsenal O
beat O
Liverpool O
3 O
- O
0 O
in O
English O
Premiership O

Arsenal O
put O
on O
a O
scintillating O
performance O
to O
thrash O
Liverpool O
3 O
- O
0 O
at O
home O
on O
Sunday B-T
and O
keep O
in O
touch O
with O
the O
Premiership O
pace O
- O
setters O
. O

Mathieu O
Flamini O
put O
Arsenal O
ahead O
from O
close O
range O
five O
minutes O
before O
the O
end O
of O
an O
evenly O
contested O
first O
half O
. O

But O
Arsenal O
moved O
into O
top O
gear O
after O
the O
interval O
, O
Kolo O
Toure O
racing O
on O
to O
Robin O
van O
Persie O
' O
s O
clever O
pass O
to O
slide O
home O
a O
cool O
finish O
after O
56 B-T
minutes I-T
. O

William O
Gallas O
was O
then O
left O
completely O
unmarked O
to O
head O
in O
Van O
Persie O
' O
s O
corner O
to O
seal O
the O
win O
with O
10 O
minutes O
left O
. O

Liverpool O
' O
s O
title O
hopes O
were O
slim O
before O
kick O
- O
off O
but O
they O
are O
now O
surely O
non O
- O
existent O
as O
they O
remain O
without O
an O
away O
win O
in O
the O
Premiership O
this O
season O
. O

Arsenal O
goalkeeper O
Jens O
Lehmann O
had O
a O
throat O
infection O
, O
which O
allowed O
Manuel O
Almunia O
to O
make O
a O
rare O
start O
. O

Liverpool O
boss O
Rafael O
Benitez O
persisted O
with O
Steven O
Gerrard O
in O
a O
right O
- O
wing O
role O
, O
despite O
the O
absence O
of O
injured O
Momo O
Sissoko O
, O
so O
Bolo O
Zenden O
played O
in O
central O
midfield O
alongside O
Xabi O
Alonso O
. O

It O
was O
to O
prove O
a O
questionable O
decision O
, O
with O
Gerrard O
very O
much O
a O
peripheral O
figure O
as O
Arsenal O
ran O
out O
comfortable O
winners O
. O

CNN19980222 B-T
. O
1130 O
. O
0084 O

NEWS O
STORY O

CNN O
headline O
news O
, O
I O
' O
m O
Sachi O
Koto O
. O

Diplomacy O
appears O
to O
be O
making O
headway O
in O
resolving O
the O
united O
nation O
' O
s O

standoff O
with O
Iraq O
. O

A O
UN O
spokesman O
says O
UN O
secretary O
general O
Kofi O
Annan O
is O
on O
the O
verge O
of O

a O
breakthrough O
, O
but O
added O
it O
' O
s O
not O
done O
yet O
. O

Annan O
wrapped O
up O
a O
three B-T
hour I-T
meeting O
with O
Iraqi O
president O
Saddam O
Hussein O

in O
Baghdad O
today B-T
. O

He O
' O
s O
expected O
to O
meet O
with O
Iraqi O
deputy O
prime O
minister O
Tariq O
Aziz O
later B-T

this B-T
afternoon I-T
. O
One O
major O
sticking O
point O
has O
been O
Iraq O
' O
s O
proposal O
to O
open O
it O
' O
s O
presidential O
sites O
for O
no B-T
more I-T
than I-T
sixty I-T
days I-T
. O

The O
UN O
security O
council O
insists O
any O
deal O
must O
allow O
UN O
inspectors O
unrestricted O
access O
to O
all O
suspected O
weapons O
sites O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0549 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thai O
top O
female O
weightlifter O
" O
half O
confident O
" O
for O
Doha O
Asiad O
gold O

Thailand O
' O
s O
World O
champion O
and O
Athens O
Olympics O
weightlifting O
gold O
medallist O
Pawina O
Thongsuk O
, O
who O
is O
recuperating O
from O
a O
knee O
injury O
, O
said O
her O
chances O
of O
helping O
Thailand O
break O
a O
40 O
- O
year O
gold O
- O
medal O
drought O
in O
the O
sport O
at O
Asiad O
were O
50 O
- O
50 O
. O

Pawina O
was O
among O
the O
139 O
athletes O
, O
including O
shooters O
, O
sepaktakraw O
players O
and O
weightlifters O
, O
travelling O
to O
Doha O
, O
Qatar O
for O
the O
15th O
Asian O
Games O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
27 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Thai O
is O
a O
gold O
- O
medal O
hopeful O
in O
Doha O
. O
Chaiya O
Sukjinda O
was O
the O
last O
Thai O
weightlifter O
to O
win O
an O
Asiad O
gold O
in O
the O
1966 O
Asian O
Games O
in O
Bangkok O
. O
Since O
then O
, O
no O
Thai O
lifter O
has O
made O
it O
that O
far O
, O
according O
to O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
Bangkok O
- O
based O
English O
daily O
The O
Nation O
. O

Four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
Busan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Thai O
weightlifters O
returned O
with O
three O
silver O
medals O
, O
including O
one O
from O
Pawina O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
69kg O
category O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
hard O
to O
say O
that O
the O
gold O
medal O
is O
a O
lock O
. O
I O
have O
picked O
up O
this O
knee O
injury O
during O
training O
and O
it O
has O
hampered O
my O
preparations O
, O
" O
Pawina O
was O
quoted O
by O
The O
Nation O
as O
saying O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
The O
team O
doctor O
says O
I O
must O
spray O
the O
pain O
- O
killer O
on O
the O
competition O
day O
, O
on O
December B-T
4 I-T
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Pawina O
admitted O
that O
the O
Chinese O
team O
would O
be O
hard O
to O
beat O
. O
She O
cited O
Ouyang O
Xiaofang O
, O
who O
captured O
three O
gold O
medals O
for O
the O
63kg O
category O
at O
the O
recent O
World O
Championships O
in O
the O
Dominican O
Republic O
and O
is O
expected O
to O
contest O
the O
63kg O
category O
at O
the O
Doha O
Asiad O
, O
will O
come O
out O
as O
a O
strong O
competitor O
. O

" O
I O
have O
to O
be O
judicious O
in O
calling O
the O
weights O
and O
put O
pressure O
on O
the O
Chinese O
team O
. O
I O
must O
say O
that O
it O
will O
be O
very O
difficult O
to O
break O
my O
world O
records O
in O
snatch O
and O
Olympic O
total O
events O
. O
" O

Pawina O
, O
who O
landed O
the O
Best O
Female O
Athlete O
of O
the O
Year O
2005 O
honour O
from O
the O
International O
Weightlifting O
Federation O
, O
has O
won O
in O
all O
the O
major O
competitions O
. O
Only O
the O
Asian O
Games O
gold O
is O
missing O
from O
her O
cupboard O
. O

It O
was O
still O
a O
mystery O
as O
regards O
which O
category O
the O
Thai O
top O
female O
weighlifter O
, O
the O
first O
woman O
in O
a O
century O
to O
break O
world O
records O
in O
three O
different O
categories O
- O
- O
63kg O
, O
69kg O
and O
75kg O
, O
would O
choose O
to O
contest O
in O
Doha O
. O

The O
news O
of O
Pawina O
suffering O
an O
injury O
during O
training O
early B-T
this I-T
week I-T
was O
a O
big O
blow O
to O
her O
domestic O
fans O
, O
who O
have O
held O
high O
expectation O
for O
her O
winning O
a O
gold O
in O
Doha O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0408 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

African O
reporters O
expecting O
more O
" O
China O
voices O
" O

Stepping O
on O
the O
turf O
of O
Beijing O
is O
exciting O
for O
Axmed O
Saggar O
. O
Like O
many O
of O
his O
country O
folks O
, O
the O
reporter O
of O
Puntland O
TV O
from O
Somali O
had O
only O
sciolistic O
knowledge O
of O
China O
, O
mostly O
from O
the O
roads O
and O
hospitals O
built O
with O
assistance O
from O
Chinese O
expatriates O
. O

" O
Somalians O
don O
' O
t O
know O
much O
about O
China O
. O
We O
have O
very O
limited O
access O
to O
information O
of O
the O
modern O
country O
, O
" O
said O
Saggar O
who O
came O
to O
Beijing O
to O
cover O
a O
historical O
summit O
to O
be O
attended O
by O
President O
Abdullahi O
Yusuf O
Ahmed O
of O
Somali O
. O

Leaders O
of O
more O
than O
40 O
African O
countries O
have O
been O
invited O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
Forum O
on O
Sino O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
scheduled O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
, O
which O
is O
described O
as O
the O
grandest O
diplomatic O
event O
in O
China O
since O
1950s B-T
. O

Recalling O
a O
photo O
show O
featuring O
Chairman O
Mao O
Zedong O
staged O
in O
Somali O
while O
he O
was O
young O
, O
Saggar O
said O
in O
the O
eyes O
of O
most O
Somalians O
, O
" O
China O
has O
always O
been O
a O
friend O
. O
" O

The O
relationship O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
is O
time O
- O
cemented O
. O
Six B-T
hundred I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
famous O
mariner O
Zheng O
He O
( O
1371 O
- O
1435 O
) O
of O
the O
Ming O
Dynasty O
led O
the O
then O
largest O
fleet O
in O
the O
world O
and O
made O
voyages O
to O
Africa O
. O
He O
brought O
there O
tea O
, O
chinaware O
, O
silk O
and O
technology O
, O
and O
took O
back O
spice O
and O
local O
specialties O
. O
Not O
an O
inch O
of O
land O
was O
ever O
occupied O
. O

" O
Zheng O
He O
and O
Jackie O
Chan O
( O
a O
contemporary O
Hong O
Kong O
movie O
star O
) O
are O
both O
quite O
well O
- O
known O
in O
Somali O
, O
" O
said O
Saggar O
. O

Over O
the B-T
past I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
, O
China O
has O
offered O
economic O
aid O
to O
53 O
African O
countries O
and O
canceled O
10 O
. O
9 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
36 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
worth O
of O
debt O
. O
By O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
China O
had O
over O
800 O
enterprises O
in O
Africa O
, O
involving O
a O
total O
investment O
of O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
official O
data O
revealed O
. O

" O
Somalians O
and O
Chinese O
expatriates O
have O
got O
along O
well O
. O
A O
raft O
of O
infrastructure O
facilities O
including O
roads O
and O
hospitals O
were O
built O
with O
aid O
from O
China O
, O
" O
said O
Saggar O
. O

He O
hoped O
President O
Yusuf O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Beijing O
would O
" O
bring O
more O
trips O
between O
Somali O
and O
China O
" O
. O

" O
Somalians O
would O
like O
to O
have O
more O
cooperation O
and O
exchanges O
with O
the O
Chinese O
in O
a O
variety O
of O
sectors O
, O
especially O
education O
, O
science O
, O
technology O
and O
economy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

As O
so O
much O
is O
going O
on O
in O
the O
world O
' O
s O
fourth O
largest O
economy O
, O
Saggar O
said O
Somalians O
were O
not O
only O
interested O
in O
China O
' O
s O
history O
but O
also O
appealed O
by O
its O
robust O
development O
. O

Saggar O
' O
s O
view O
was O
shared O
by O
many O
African O
reporters O
. O
Kato O
Jacob O
from O
President O
Press O
of O
Uganda O
said O
, O
" O
We O
wish O
to O
hear O
more O
voices O
from O
China O
, O
especially O
stories O
about O
China O
told O
by O
the O
Chinese O
. O
" O

Nearly O
300 O
African O
reporters O
were O
expected O
to O
cover O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
highlighting O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
" O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0247 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambian O
police O
gun O
down O
four O
suspected O
plunderers O

Zambian O
police O
Monday B-T
morning I-T
shot O
dead O
four O
suspects O
after O
an O
exchange O
of O
gun O
fire O
in O
the O
capital O
city O
of O
Lusaka O
. O
Among O
the O
dead O
are O
two O
locals O
, O
one O
Congolese O
and O
one O
Tanzanian O
. O

Lusaka O
police O
commanding O
officer O
Chendela O
Musonda O
told O
Xinhua O
that O
police O
were O
tipped O
off O
about O
the O
four O
who O
were O
trailing O
a O
businessman O
from O
a O
bank O
with O
large O
sum O
of O
money O
. O

He O
said O
the O
police O
successfully O
pined O
down O
the O
men O
who O
were O
driving O
a O
Toyota O
Corolla O
sedan O
near O
a O
shopping O
center O
and O
exchanged O
fire O
with O
them O
. O
Three O
were O
shot O
dead O
on O
the O
spot O
and O
the O
other O
one O
escaped O
with O
a O
taxi O
but O
was O
outpaced O
and O
gunned O
down O
. O

No O
policemen O
were O
killed O
or O
injured O
in O
the O
incident O
, O
said O
Musonda O
. O

Musonda O
also O
said O
the O
police O
recovered O
a O
pistol O
and O
a O
rifle O
used O
by O
the O
bandits O
together O
with O
identification O
cards O
which O
indicated O
that O
two O
are O
foreigners O
. O

He O
further O
said O
the O
bandits O
were O
suspected O
to O
be O
related O
with O
another O
robbery O
which O
occurred O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

The O
peaceful O
southern O
African O
country O
saw O
mushrooming O
robbery O
cases O
recently O
with O
most O
criminals O
armed O
with O
fire O
arms O
. O
Rumors O
say O
some O
of O
the O
criminals O
are O
from O
neighboring O
countries O
. O

Last B-T
Thursday I-T
, O
a O
Chinese O
businessman O
, O
Chen O
Xingtao O
, O
who O
was O
on O
his O
way O
home O
after O
closing O
his O
store O
was O
trailed O
and O
robbed O
of O
seven O
million O
kwacha O
( O
about O
1 O
, O
800 O
US O
dollars O
) O
by O
a O
group O
of O
armed O
bandits O
who O
were O
also O
driving O
a O
Corolla O
car O
. O

The O
Zambian O
police O
stepped O
up O
fight O
with O
robberies O
accordingly O
and O
Musonda O
said O
about O
50 O
suspected O
criminals O
of O
robbery O
were O
arrested O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
two I-T
months I-T
. O

He O
further O
said O
criminals O
who O
rob O
with O
guns O
, O
no O
matter O
if O
they O
have O
killed O
victims O
or O
not O
, O
would O
be O
" O
sentenced O
to O
death O
" O
according O
to O
Zambian O
laws O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0516 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Pakistan O
leaders O
voice O
grief O
over O
Mecca O
fire O

Pakistani O
leaders O
on O
Tuesday B-T
expressed O
their O
sorrow O
over O
the O
loss O
of O
lives O
in O
a O
fire O
that O
destroyed O
the O
camps O
of O
Moslem O
pilgrims O
near O
Mecca O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

President O
Farooq O
Ahmed O
Leghari O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
he O
was O
" O
deeply O
anguished O
" O
by O
the O
tragic O
incident O
, O
in O
which O
30 O
Pakistani O
pilgrims O
died O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
the O
country O
' O
s O
consulate O
in O
Jeddah O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Nawaz O
Sharif O
, O
sympathising O
with O
the O
families O
of O
Pakistani O
and O
victims O
of O
other O
nationalities O
, O
said O
he O
was O
shocked O
to O
learn O
of O
the O
tragedy O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051209 O
. O
0133 O

MADRID O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Put O
faith O
in O
me O
or O
we O
could O
sink O
, O
says O
new O
Real O
coach O

New O
Real O
Madrid O
coach O
Juan O
Ramon O
Lopez O
Caro O
told O
his O
star O
- O
studded O
squad O
Friday B-T
they O
must O
put O
their O
trust O
in O
him O
as O
he O
takes O
the O
helm O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
La O
Liga O
since O
succeeding O
sacked O
Wanderley O
Lucemburgo O
in O
Malaga O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
If O
the O
players O
do O
not O
have O
confidence O
in O
me O
the O
ship O
could O
sink O
, O
" O
said O
Caro O
as O
he O
looked O
forward O
to O
his O
first O
test O
since O
taking O
the O
reins O
as O
Real O
' O
s O
fifth O
coach O
in O
the O
last O
two O
and O
a O
half O
years O
. O

The O
Champions O
League O
loss O
to O
Olympiakos O
in O
midweek O
was O
academic O
for O
his O
first O
match O
of O
any O
description O
in O
charge O
with O
qualification O
for O
the O
last O
16 O
assured O
but O
Caro O
said O
that O
with O
six O
points O
to O
make O
up O
on O
leaders O
Barcelona O
everyone O
has O
to O
pull O
hard O
in O
the O
same O
direction O
. O

" O
I O
am O
surprised O
, O
happy O
and O
proud O
as O
the O
players O
are O
working O
exceptionally O
well O
, O
" O
Caro O
said O
of O
his O
players O
, O
adding O
that O
" O
hard O
work O
on O
a O
daily B-T
basis O
is O
the O
recipe O
for O
success O
. O

" O
I O
have O
told O
them O
there O
is O
no O
doubt O
they O
are O
the O
best O
team O
in O
the O
world O
and O
that O
, O
given O
time O
, O
work O
and O
unity O
we O
will O
be O
a O
great O
team O
. O
" O

Caro O
had O
Thursday B-T
called O
on O
Real O
' O
s O
fans O
to O
get O
behind O
the O
team O
is O
they O
seek O
to O
shrug O
off O
the O
mediocre O
form O
which O
saw O
Luxemburgo O
shown O
the O
door O
after O
less B-T
than I-T
12 I-T
months I-T
in O
one O
of O
the O
hottest O
seats O
in O
the O
game O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0058 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Dollar O
falls O
to O
lower O
117 O
yen O
level O
in O
Tokyo O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
fell O
to O
the O
lower O
117 O
yen O
level O
Wednesday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
as O
investors O
reduced O
their O
dollar O
holdings O
ahead O
of O
holidays O
in O
Japan O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

At O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
, O
the O
dollar O
was O
quoted O
at O
117 O
. O
46 O
- O
49 O
yen O
against O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
quotes O
of O
117 O
. O
87 O
- O
97 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
and O
118 O
. O
12 O
- O
14 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
. O

It O
moved O
between O
117 O
. O
38 O
yen O
and O
117 O
. O
94 O
yen O
during O
the B-T
day I-T
, O
trading O
most O
frequently O
at O
117 O
. O
85 O
yen O
. O

The O
euro O
was O
quoted O
at O
1 O
. O
2866 O
- O
2869 O
dollars O
and O
151 O
. O
15 O
- O
19 O
yen O
compared O
with O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
quotes O
of O
1 O
. O
2839 O
- O
2849 O
dollars O
and O
151 O
. O
39 O
- O
49 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
and O
1 O
. O
2825 O
- O
2827 O
dollars O
and O
151 O
. O
49 O
- O
53 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0170 O

KHARTOUM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sudanese O
FM O
vows O
to O
wipe O
out O
Ugandan O
rebels O
from O
southern O
soil O

Southern O
Sudan O
' O
s O
autonomous O
government O
vowed O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
it O
would O
try O
all O
means O
to O
wipe O
out O
Ugandan O
rebel O
forces O
, O
the O
Lord O
Resistance O
Army O
( O
LRA O
) O
, O
from O
the O
soil O
. O

Sudanese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Lam O
Akol O
made O
the O
statement O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
here O
, O
while O
talking O
about O
a O
recent O
visit O
to O
Washington O
by O
Salva O
Kiir O
Mayardit O
, O
Sudanese O
First O
- O
Vice O
President O
and O
President O
of O
the O
autonomous O
government O
in O
the O
south O
. O

Akol O
noted O
that O
Kiir O
had O
discussed O
the O
LRA O
issue O
with O
the O
US O
administration O
and O
the O
two O
sides O
were O
identical O
on O
the O
issue O
. O

The O
US O
administration O
did O
not O
show O
any O
proposals O
on O
the O
matter O
of O
the O
LRA O
, O
but O
it O
insisted O
that O
the O
problem O
should O
be O
solved O
quickly O
and O
the O
existence O
of O
the O
Ugandan O
rebels O
in O
the O
Sudanese O
lands O
is O
undesired O
as O
it O
is O
a O
foreign O
force O
that O
functions O
on O
the O
Sudanese O
territories O
and O
would O
bring O
damage O
to O
the O
country O
, O
said O
Akol O
. O

Akol O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
pointed O
out O
that O
Kiir O
' O
s O
US O
visit O
succeeded O
to O
convince O
the O
US O
administration O
to O
promise O
an O
exclusive O
decision O
to O
lift O
its O
economic O
sanctions O
it O
imposed O
on O
Sudan O
. O

The O
US O
should O
deal O
only O
with O
the O
Sudanese O
national O
government O
and O
the O
sanctions O
imposed O
on O
Sudan O
could O
not O
be O
divided O
, O
he O
stressed O
. O

On O
western O
Sudan O
' O
s O
Darfur O
issue O
, O
Akol O
revealed O
that O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
delegation O
would O
head O
for O
the O
Nigerian O
capital O
Abuja O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
to O
resume O
the O
peace O
talks O
with O
Darfur O
rebel O
groups O
, O
renewing O
the O
government O
' O
s O
vows O
to O
shore O
up O
the O
crisis O
. O

He O
said O
the O
Sudan O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Movement O
( O
SPLM O
) O
led O
by O
Kiir O
and O
its O
main O
ruling O
partner O
in O
the O
national O
government O
, O
the O
National O
Congress O
, O
as O
well O
as O
other O
political O
parties O
would O
endeavor O
to O
crystallize O
the O
government O
' O
s O
unified O
view O
for O
the O
next O
round O
of O
Abuja O
peace O
talks O
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0102 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0102 O
. O

Dividend O
News O
: O

@ O
Unifirst O
Corp O
. O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

UNF O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

UNIFIRST O
Corp O
. O
declared O
a O
2 O
- O
for O
- O
1 O
stock O
split O
. O

The O
Wilmington O
, O
Mass O
. O
, O
garment O
service O
company O
also O
boosted O
its O
quarterly O
dividend O
20 O
% O
to O
three O
cents O
a O
share O
adjusted O
for O
the O
split O
. O

The O
dividend O
had O
been O
five O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

The O
split O
and O
quarterly O
dividend O
will O
be O
payable O
Jan B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
to O
stock O
of O
record O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

The O
split O
will O
raise O
the O
number O
of O
shares O
outstanding O
to O
about O
10 O
. O
2 O
million O
. O

Separately O
, O
UniFirst O
reported O
that O
net O
income O
rose O
21 O
% O
to O
$ O
3 O
million O
, O
or O
29 O
cents O
a O
share O
adjusted O
for O
the O
split O
, O
for O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
ended O
Aug B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
. O

A B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
UniFirst O
earned O
$ O
2 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
24 O
cents O
a O
share O
adjusted O
for O
the O
split O
. O

Sales O
rose O
to O
$ O
52 O
. O
4 O
million O
from O
$ O
50 O
. O
1 O
million O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0311 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Fresh O
airstrikes O
on O
northern O
Gaza O
kill O
four O
militants O

Four O
Palestinian O
militants O
were O
killed O
and O
five O
others O
wounded O
on O
Thursday B-T
night O
in O
two O
separate O
airstrikes O
carried O
out O
by O
Israeli O
army O
aircraft O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
medics O
and O
eyewitnesses O
reported O
. O

Eyewitnesses O
said O
that O
an O
Israeli O
reconnaissance O
drone O
fired O
one O
missile O
at O
a O
group O
of O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
militants O
east O
of O
Jabalia O
refugee O
camp O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
killing O
one O
militant O
and O
wounded O
three O
others O
. O

Half O
an O
hour O
later O
, O
another O
drone O
missile O
was O
fired O
at O
another O
group O
of O
militants O
in O
the O
same O
area O
, O
killing O
three O
Palestinian O
militants O
and O
wounded O
two O
others O
, O
they O
added O
. O

The O
latest O
deaths O
brought O
the O
total O
number O
of O
the O
Palestinians O
killed O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
at O
least O
nine O
. O

Earlier O
on O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
, O
a O
senior O
female O
security O
officer O
was O
killed O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Beit O
Hanoun O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
by O
Israeli O
soldiers O
' O
gunfire O
, O
said O
Palestinian O
security O
sources O
. O

Mes O
' O
eda O
Hweihi O
, O
40 O
, O
an O
officer O
in O
the O
secret O
intelligence O
and O
also O
a O
Fatah O
movement O
activist O
, O
was O
shot O
dead O
as O
she O
was O
trying O
to O
help O
militants O
who O
were O
surrounded O
by O
Israeli O
soldiers O
into O
one O
of O
the O
mosques O
in O
the O
town O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
, O
four O
Palestinians O
were O
killed O
, O
three O
were O
shot O
dead O
by O
Israeli O
army O
snipers O
, O
and O
one O
75 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
man O
died O
of O
fear O
due O
to O
a O
severe O
heart O
attack O
, O
said O
Palestinian O
medics O
. O

The O
Israeli O
army O
forces O
stormed O
early O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
the O
town O
of O
Beit O
Hanoun O
in O
a O
large O
- O
scale O
military O
operation O
, O
the O
Israeli O
army O
had O
called O
" O
the O
clouds O
of O
autumn O
" O
. O

Palestinian O
security O
sources O
said O
that O
the O
Israeli O
army O
forces O
backed O
by O
dozens O
of O
tanks O
, O
bulldozers O
and O
armored O
vehicles O
covered O
by O
helicopters O
and O
fighting O
drones O
had O
occupied O
the O
whole O
town O
. O

Palestinian O
medics O
said O
that O
seven O
Palestinians O
were O
killed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
most O
of O
them O
were O
militants O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
death O
toll O
since O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
operation O
hit O
to O
15 O
killed O
and O
more O
than O
100 O
wounded O
. O

Resident O
said O
the O
Israeli O
army O
imposed O
a O
curfew O
on O
the O
whole O
town O
and O
ordered O
every O
male O
aged O
between O
16 B-T
and O
45 O
to O
gather O
into O
one O
of O
the O
schools O
in O
the O
town O
. O

They O
added O
that O
many O
of O
them O
were O
interrogated O
and O
beaten O
by O
the O
soldiers O
, O
while O
at O
least O
100 O
people O
were O
arrested O
. O
" O
The O
school O
turned O
into O
a O
detention O
camp O
, O
" O
said O
the O
residents O
. O

The O
Israeli O
army O
said O
the O
aim O
of O
the O
operation O
into O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
is O
aiming O
at O
reining O
on O
Palestinian O
militant O
groups O
who O
are O
firing O
homemade O
rockets O
round O
the O
clock O
on O
Israeli O
communities O
in O
southern O
Israel O
. O

Different O
militant O
groups O
claimed O
responsibility O
on O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
for O
launching O
several O
homemade O
rockets O
at O
Israel O
. O
Three O
Israelis O
were O
injured O
earlier O
Thursday B-T
by O
the O
shrapnel O
of O
a O
homemade O
rocket O
fired O
from O
Gaza O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0081 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

China O
and O
Japan O
went O
head O
to O
head O
Saturday O
in O
the O
Asian O
Games O
pool O
with O
the O
Japanese O
taking O
an O
early O
edge O
in O
the O
hunt O
for O
six O
opening O
day O
gold O
medals O
. O

Maki O
Mita O
of O
Japan O
set O
the O
trend O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
200m O
freestyle O
with O
the O
fastest O
qualifying O
time O
of O
2 O
: O
00 O
. O
44 O
ahead O
of O
Pan O
Jiaying O
of O
China O
, O
the O
Olympic O
relay O
silver O
medallist O
. O

China O
' O
s O
defending O
champion O
Yang O
Yu O
held O
off O
Lee O
Ji O
- O
Eun O
of O
South O
Korea O
in O
her O
heat O
to O
win O
in O
2 B-T
: I-T
02 I-T
. I-T
75sec I-T
and O
tipped O
herself O
to O
retain O
her O
title O
. O

" O
In O
tonight O
' O
s O
final O
I O
will O
try O
to O
better O
my O
time O
from O
the O
morning O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
My O
biggest O
rival O
is O
myself O
. O
" O

Yang O
collected O
three O
gold O
medals O
in O
the O
Aian O
Games O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
and O
qualified O
with O
the O
third O
fastest O
time O
of O
2 O
: O
02 O
. O
75 O
, O
ahead O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
Norie O
Urae O
, O
who O
claimed O
a O
place O
in O
the O
final O
on O
her O
20th B-T
birthday I-T
. O

In O
the O
women O
' O
s O
100m O
butterfy O
, O
Zhou O
Yafei O
of O
China O
won O
her O
head O
- O
to O
- O
head O
in O
the O
heats O
with O
Japan O
' O
s O
Ayako O
Doi O
and O
both O
go O
forward O
to O
the O
evening O
' O
s O
final O
along O
with O
Yuko O
Nakanishi O
, O
who O
came O
second O
to O
Tao O
Li O
of O
Singapore O
in O
a O
tactical O
first O
heat O
. O

Nakanishi O
, O
the O
Olympic O
bronze O
medallist O
over O
200m O
, O
is O
the O
butterfly O
racer O
Chinese O
swimmers O
fear O
most O
, O
but O
she O
said O
she O
needs O
to O
swim O
faster O
to O
conquer O
here O
. O

" O
I O
was O
surpised O
that O
my O
qualifying O
time O
was O
so O
slow O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Rising O
star O
Wang O
Qun O
, O
only O
13 O
, O
claimed O
her O
heat O
with O
ease O
in O
the O
50m O
breastroke O
and O
will O
be O
up O
against O
team O
- O
mate O
Ji O
Liping O
, O
the O
Asian O
champion O
, O
in O
the B-T
final I-T
. O

Ji O
was O
the O
only O
Chinese O
to O
post O
the O
fastest O
qualifying O
time O
and O
goes O
into O
the O
final O
ahead O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
Asami O
Kitagawa O
and O
Yoshimi O
Miwa O
, O
who O
said O
that O
the O
team O
' O
s O
goal O
was O
to O
put O
an O
end O
to O
Chinese O
dominance O
in O
the O
swimming O
pool O
. O

China O
won O
20 O
swimming O
titles O
to O
Japan O
' O
s O
11 O
in O
the O
last O
Asian O
Games O
in O
Busan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
with O
the O
women O
taking O
13 O
to O
only O
three O
for O
the O
Japanese O
women O
. O

" O
The O
aim O
of O
the O
Japanese O
team O
is O
to O
beat O
China O
, O
" O
said O
Miwa O
. O

In O
men O
' O
s O
events O
Japan O
domminated O
qualifying O
with O
Hidemasa O
Sano O
posting O
the O
fastest O
time O
in O
the O
400m O
individual O
medley O
. O

In O
the O
200m O
butterfly O
Japan O
' O
s O
top O
two O
, O
Ryuichi O
Shinata O
and O
Takeshita O
Matsuda O
led O
qualifying O
ahead O
of O
Wu O
Peng O
and O
Chen O
Yin O
of O
China O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0701 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

It O
' O
s O
that O
time O
of O
year O
again O
. O
Jostling O
throngs O
of O
bargain O
- O
hunting O
shoppers O
, O
office O
parties O
and O
the O
age O
- O
old O
debate O
over O
holiday O
exhibits O
and O
use O
of O
the O
" O
C O
word O
" O
- O
- O
that O
is O
, O
Christmas O
. O

From O
flaps O
over O
children O
singing O
Christmas O
carols O
to O
a O
row O
about O
Christmas B-T
trees O
at O
an O
airport O
or O
a O
traditional O
nativity O
play O
scrapped O
in O
favor O
of O
reggae O
- O
style O
carols O
, O
the O
Christian O
world O
is O
awash O
with O
examples O
of O
political O
correctness O
this B-T
season I-T
. O

Even O
Pope O
Benedict O
XVI O
has O
waded O
into O
the O
controversy O
, O
speaking O
out O
in O
support O
of O
Christmas O
creches O
threatened O
with O
banishment O
from O
public O
view O
in O
predominantly O
Catholic O
Italy O
. O

In O
Britain O
, O
the O
popular O
press O
is O
spreading O
plenty O
of O
Christmas B-T
jeer O
against O
politically O
correct O
do O
good O
- O
ers O
who O
, O
they O
say O
, O
are O
spoiling O
the O
fun O
for O
everyone O
. O

One O
school O
has O
banned O
Christmas O
cards O
in O
class O
, O
a O
court O
has O
restricted O
the O
number O
of O
lights O
one O
homeowner O
can O
have O
on O
his O
property O
and O
a O
school O
is O
offering O
halal O
turkey O
and O
chicken O
for O
its O
Christmas B-T
meal O
following O
pressure O
from O
many O
Muslim O
parents O
. O

In O
the O
United O
States O
, O
where O
nativity O
scenes O
and O
displays O
with O
religious O
themes O
in O
public O
places O
are O
pretty O
much O
a O
thing O
of O
the O
past O
, O
what O
critics O
call O
" O
the O
war O
on O
Christmas B-T
" O
has O
subsided O
this B-T
year I-T
although O
several O
incidents O
have O
made O
headlines O
. O

One O
involved O
the O
removal O
of O
14 O
plastic O
Christmas B-T
trees O
at O
Seattle O
- O
Tacoma O
airport O
, O
in O
the O
western O
state O
of O
Washington O
, O
following O
a O
complaint O
from O
a O
local O
rabbi O
who O
said O
the O
holiday O
decorations O
should O
include O
a O
menorah O
to O
mark O
Hanukkah O
. O

The O
airport O
restored O
the O
trees O
after O
the O
rabbi O
said O
he O
would O
not O
file O
a O
threatened O
lawsuit O
and O
a O
public O
outcry O
. O

Another O
incident O
concerned O
a O
high O
school O
choir O
ordered O
to O
abruptly O
stop O
singing O
Christmas O
carols O
at O
a O
holiday O
ice O
skating O
show O
featuring O
Olympic O
medalist O
Sasha O
Cohen O
, O
out O
of O
concern O
she O
would O
be O
offended O
because O
she O
is O
half O
Jewish O
. O

Officials O
at O
the O
rink O
in O
California O
approached O
the O
Rubidoux O
High O
School O
Madrigals O
just O
as O
they O
launched O
into O
" O
God O
Rest O
Ye O
Merry O
Gentleman O
" O
and O
requested O
the O
troupe O
immediately O
stop O
singing O
. O
Cohen O
later O
said O
she O
was O
stunned O
by O
the O
flap O
and O
never O
made O
a O
request O
to O
silence O
the O
singers O
. O

Newspapers O
have O
also O
carried O
stories O
about O
children O
at O
a O
school O
being O
told O
not O
to O
use O
the O
word O
Christmas B-T
when O
writing O
to O
US O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
; O
the O
American O
Civil O
Liberties O
Union O
filing O
suit O
over O
some O
Tennessee O
school O
children O
singing O
" O
Away O
in O
a O
Manger O
" O
and O
" O
Joy O
to O
the O
World O
" O
at O
a O
Christmas O
event O
; O
attempts O
to O
change O
Christmas O
school O
vacations O
into O
winter O
breaks O
; O
and O
an O
overzealous O
employee O
at O
a O
retirement O
home O
clipping O
the O
wings O
of O
an O
angel O
on O
a O
Christmas B-T
tree O
so O
as O
to O
remove O
any O
religious O
connotations O
. O

Major O
stores O
meanwhile O
appear O
in O
a O
quandary O
over O
proper O
etiquette O
. O

The O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
retailer O
Wal O
- O
Mart O
last B-T
year I-T
required O
its O
employees O
to O
say O
" O
happy O
holidays O
" O
, O
fearing O
the O
traditional O
" O
Merry O
Christmas O
" O
might O
offend O
customers O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
, O
following O
criticism O
by O
some O
Christian O
groups O
that O
called O
for O
boycotts O
, O
it O
has O
reversed O
course O
and O
is O
going O
with O
Christmas B-T
in O
a O
big O
way O
. O

Stores O
that O
have O
chosen O
to O
remain O
politically O
correct O
are O
exposing O
themselves O
to O
the O
wrath O
of O
Christian O
groups O
like O
the O
Liberty O
Counsel O
, O
which O
is O
advertising O
a O
" O
naughty O
and O
nice O
" O
list O
featuring O
retailers O
that O
use O
the O
" O
C O
word O
" O
and O
others O
that O
are O
sticking O
with O
" O
holiday O
" O
. O

Several O
groups O
have O
also O
launched O
crusades O
to O
" O
Save O
Merry O
Christmas O
" O
and O
are O
selling O
buttons O
and O
bumper O
stickers O
defending O
the O
religious O
holiday O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
ridiculous O
that O
Americans O
have O
to O
think O
twice O
about O
whether O
it O
' O
s O
OK O
to O
say O
Merry O
Christmas O
, O
" O
noted O
Joe O
Infranco O
, O
senior O
counsel O
at O
the O
Alliance O
Defense O
Fund O
, O
a O
Christian O
legal O
aid O
group O
. O

Those O
sickened O
by O
the O
war O
of O
words O
and O
eager O
to O
see O
the O
bah O
- O
humbug O
season O
over O
have O
launched O
tongue O
- O
in O
- O
cheek O
campaigns O
calling O
for O
the B-T
holiday I-T
to O
simply O
be O
scrapped O
. O

EndChristmas O
. O
com O
if O
offering O
free O
copies O
of O
the O
documentary O
film O
" O
The O
God O
Who O
Wasn O
' O
t O
There O
" O
, O
which O
questions O
Christian O
doctrine O
, O
and O
said O
its O
aim O
this B-T
year I-T
is O
to O
save O
children O
affected O
by O
the O
myths O
surrounding O
Christmas O
. O

Satellite O
radio O
owners O
for O
their O
part O
can O
tune O
in O
to O
a O
special O
Christmas O
Channel O
that O
unabashedly O
delivers O
wholly O
unsentimental O
holiday O
songs O
. O

Their O
pickings O
include O
, O
" O
Santa O
Is O
a O
Psycho O
" O
, O
" O
Santa O
' O
s O
in O
a O
Wheelchair O
, O
" O
and O
" O
Elvis O
Won O
' O
t O
Be O
Here O
for O
Christmas B-T
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0160 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
Enterprises O
Index O
closes O
higher O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
7 O

Hang O
Seng O
China O
Enterprises O
Index O
went O
up O
37 O
. O
94 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
49 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
7 O
, O
753 O
. O
67 O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
index O
, O
initiated O
in O
August B-T
1994 I-T
and O
readjusted O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
tracks O
the O
overall O
performance O
of O
37 O
Chinese O
mainland O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
listed O
on O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O

Hang O
Seng O
China O
- O
Affiliated O
Corporations O
Index O
went O
down O
34 O
. O
08 O
points O
, O
or O
1 O
. O
11 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
3 O
, O
049 O
. O
14 O
. O

The O
index O
tracks O
the O
performance O
of O
31 O
locally O
listed O
companies O
with O
a O
significant O
equity O
interest O
held O
by O
entities O
in O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
. O

Hang O
Seng O
Mainland O
Composite O
Index O
went O
down O
10 O
. O
06 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
37 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
2 O
, O
732 O
. O
35 O
. O

Introduced O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2001 I-T
and O
readjusted O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
Hang O
Seng O
Mainland O
Composite O
Index O
gauges O
the O
performance O
of O
103 O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
listed O
companies O
with O
principal O
places O
of O
business O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0060 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
to O
continue O
assistance O
to O
Nepal O
after O
guerrilla O
joins O
gov O
' O
t O
: O
official O

The O
United O
States O
( O
U O
. O
S O
. O
) O
Thursday O
said O
that O
it O
will O
be O
continuing O
its O
assistance O
to O
Nepal O
even O
after O
the O
guerrilla O
joins O
the O
interim O
government O
. O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
State O
for O
South O
and O
Central O
Asian O
Affairs O
Richard O
A O
. O
Boucher O
, O
who O
arrived O
in O
Kathmandu O
Wednesday B-T
on O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
, O
made O
the O
assurance O
during O
a O
meeting O
with O
Prime O
Minister O
Girija O
Prasad O
Koirala O
and O
Speaker O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
Subash O
Chandra O
Nemwang O
. O

The O
senior O
U O
. O
S O
. O
official O
made O
the O
comments O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
quell O
all O
misapprehensions O
regarding O
the O
continuation O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
assistance O
after O
the O
guerrillas O
- O
- O
which O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
had O
previously O
terrorist O
- O
tagged O
- O
- O
join O
the O
Nepal O
government O
. O

Making O
a O
brief O
statement O
to O
media O
persons O
after O
the O
meeting O
with O
Koirala O
, O
Boucher O
said O
, O
" O
The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
is O
ready O
to O
continue O
its O
assistance O
to O
Nepal O
for O
the O
welfare O
of O
the O
Nepali O
people O
. O
" O

The O
senior O
U O
. O
S O
. O
official O
discussed O
the O
on O
- O
going O
peace O
process O
and O
the O
overall O
Nepalese O
political O
situation O
besides O
issues O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
assistance O
with O
Koirala O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0153 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

India O
' O
s O
reform O
budget O
faces O
fresh O
crisis O
by O
Jay O
Shankar O

India O
' O
s O
tax O
- O
cutting O
reform O
budget O
faced O
fresh O
trouble O
Sunday B-T
when O
a O
communist O
partner O
in O
the O
ousted O
coalition O
challenged O
the O
caretaker O
government O
' O
s O
right O
to O
pass O
it O
in O
parliament O
. O

The O
Communist O
Party O
of O
India O
- O
Marxist O
( O
CPI O
- O
M O
) O
said O
the O
United O
Front O
, O
which O
was O
voted O
out O
Friday B-T
and O
holds O
office O
in O
a O
caretaker O
capacity O
, O
had O
no O
constitutional O
authority O
to O
pass O
the O
budget O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
to O
March B-T
1998 I-T
. O

" O
Once O
the O
government O
is O
ousted O
, O
then O
its O
budget O
proposals O
become O
defunct O
, O
" O
said O
Ashok O
Mitra O
, O
a O
senior O
CPI O
- O
M O
member O
. O

" O
President O
Shankar O
Dayal O
Sharma O
should O
ask O
the O
government O
to O
instead O
approve O
a O
vote O
- O
on O
- O
account O
. O

" O
This O
is O
my O
party O
' O
s O
view O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

A O
vote O
- O
on O
- O
account O
is O
a O
constitutional O
alternative O
to O
a O
fully O
- O
fledged O
budget O
and O
will O
help O
parliament O
to O
approve O
the O
government O
' O
s O
expenditure O
. O

Indian O
officials O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
parliament O
would O
ratify O
the O
budget O
later O
this B-T
month I-T
despite O
the O
dramatic O
fall O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
coalition O
government O
. O

They O
said O
major O
political O
parties O
had O
agreed O
to O
set O
aside O
their O
differences O
and O
pass O
the O
budget O
during O
a O
special O
three O
- O
day O
parliamentary O
session O
beginning O
April B-T
21 I-T
. O
India O
' O
s O
financial O
year O
begins O
April B-T
1 I-T
. O

But O
Mitra O
insisted O
a O
vote O
- O
on O
- O
account O
was O
the O
only O
solution O
. O

" O
The O
caretaker O
government O
cannot O
oppose O
or O
amend O
the O
budget O
proposals O
, O
" O
said O
Mitra O
, O
a O
former O
finance O
minister O
in O
the O
communist O
- O
ruled O
state O
of O
West O
Bengal O
. O

The O
CPI O
- O
M O
is O
a O
key O
constituent O
of O
the O
centre O
- O
left O
United O
Front O
and O
has O
been O
a O
constant O
critic O
of O
New O
Delhi O
' O
s O
free O
- O
market O
economic O
reforms O
. O

Finance O
Minister O
Palaniappan O
Chidambaram O
' O
s O
widely O
- O
acclaimed O
pro O
- O
reform O
budget O
, O
unveiled O
in O
parliament O
on O
February B-T
28 I-T
, O
slashed O
taxes O
and O
promised O
to O
reduce O
the O
fiscal O
deficit O
. O

The O
personal O
tax O
rate O
was O
slashed O
from O
40 O
to O
30 O
percent O
, O
to O
the O
cheers O
of O
the O
rich O
, O
while O
corporate O
tax O
for O
domestic O
firms O
was O
reduced O
from O
40 O
to O
35 O
percent O
. O

Chidambaram O
' O
s O
proposals O
delighted O
Indian O
stock O
markets O
, O
with O
the O
barometer O
30 O
- O
share O
index O
on O
the O
Bombay O
Stock O
Exchange O
shooting O
up O
6 O
. O
3 O
percent O
on O
the B-T
same I-T
day I-T
. O

The O
index O
has O
been O
on O
a O
rollercoaster O
ride O
since O
March B-T
30 I-T
when O
the O
Congress O
( O
I O
) O
party O
withdrew O
support O
for O
the O
government O
, O
sparking O
the O
chain O
of O
events O
which O
culminated O
with O
the O
fall O
of O
Deve O
Gowda O
' O
s O
United O
Front O
coalition O
Friday B-T
. O

Deve O
Gowda O
has O
been O
asked O
by O
the O
president O
to O
continue O
as O
caretaker O
prime O
minister O
until O
further O
notice O
. O

The O
speaker O
of O
the O
Indian O
lower O
house O
of O
parliament O
has O
warned O
the O
country O
would O
be O
plunged O
into O
a O
financial O
crisis O
if O
the O
budget O
was O
not O
passed O
before O
the O
deadline O
of O
May B-T
14 I-T
. O

Under O
Indian O
law O
, O
the O
budget O
has O
to O
be O
ratified O
in O
parliament O
within O
75 B-T
days I-T
of O
being O
unveiled O
. O
If O
that O
does O
not O
happen O
, O
the O
provisions O
of O
the O
previous O
budget O
remain O
in O
force O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
Hindu O
nationalist O
Bharatiya O
Janata O
Party O
( O
BJP O
, O
Indian O
People O
' O
s O
Party O
) O
said O
it O
would O
form O
a O
three O
- O
member O
panel O
to O
suggest O
amendments O
to O
Chidambaram O
' O
s O
tax O
proposals O
in O
the O
budget O
. O

" O
We O
cannot O
support O
the O
budget O
blindly O
, O
" O
BJP O
treasurer O
V O
. O
P O
. O
Goel O
said O
. O

A O
BJP O
ideologue O
, O
Jay O
Dubashi O
, O
said O
: O
" O
The O
panel O
will O
meet O
next B-T
week I-T
to O
thrash O
out O
an O
agenda O
to O
suggest O
changes O
in O
the O
finance O
bill O
. O
And O
we O
will O
ask O
the O
caretaker O
government O
to O
comply O
. O

" O
We O
will O
not O
mind O
being O
voted O
down O
on O
these O
suggestions O
. O
The O
idea O
is O
to O
present O
our O
viewpoint O
, O
" O
Dubashi O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0274 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Trans O
- O
Asia O
rail O
link O
completed O
by O
2015 O
: O
ASEAN O
official O

The O
proposed O
Trans O
- O
Asia O
Rail O
Link O
will O
be O
completed O
by O
2015 O
, O
Malaysian O
Transport O
Minister O
Chan O
Kong O
Choy O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

Also O
known O
as O
Singapore O
- O
Kunming O
Rail O
Link O
( O
SKRL O
) O
, O
the O
rail O
link O
will O
start O
from O
Singapore O
and O
run O
through O
countries O
such O
as O
Malaysia O
, O
Cambodia O
, O
Thailand O
, O
Vietnam O
, O
Myanmar O
and O
Laos O
before O
ending O
at O
Kunming O
in O
China O
. O

" O
For O
the O
missing O
link O
between O
Poipet O
and O
Sisophon O
( O
Cambodia O
) O
, O
the O
construction O
of O
the O
railway O
will O
start O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
using O
the O
rail O
tracks O
donated O
by O
Malaysia O
while O
the O
ADB O
( O
Asian O
Development O
Bank O
) O
would O
be O
financing O
the O
construction O
work O
, O
" O
Chan O
told O
reporters O
after O
officiating O
the O
28th O
ASEAN O
Railways O
CEO O
' O
s O
conference O
here O
. O

Chan O
said O
once O
construction O
of O
the O
missing O
link O
is O
completed O
, O
it O
will O
enable O
the O
movement O
of O
trains O
from O
Singapore O
to O
Phnom O
Penh O
( O
Cambodia O
) O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Cambodia O
will O
also O
start O
its O
rail O
rehabilitation O
project O
on O
its O
existing O
rail O
system O
, O
partially O
funded O
by O
the O
Asian O
Development O
Bank O
( O
ADB O
) O
, O
said O
Chan O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Royal O
Railways O
of O
Cambodia O
Director O
- O
General O
Sokhom O
Pheakavanmony O
said O
construction O
of O
the O
rail O
link O
between O
Poipet O
and O
Sisophon O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
completed O
by O
the O
end O
of O
next B-T
year I-T
or I-T
early I-T
2008 I-T
. O

For O
the O
225 O
- O
kilometer O
missing O
link O
between O
Phnom O
Penh O
and O
Loc O
Ninh O
, O
a O
border O
town O
between O
Cambodia O
and O
Vietnam O
, O
Pheakavanmony O
said O
a O
feasibility O
study O
on O
the O
missing O
link O
, O
funded O
and O
conducted O
by O
China O
, O
has O
been O
completed O
. O

Construction O
of O
the O
missing O
rail O
link O
is O
expected O
to O
start O
next B-T
year I-T
with O
the O
completion O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
Pheakavanmony O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
Bernama O
news O
agency O
as O
saying O
. O

Vietnam O
Railways O
Deputy O
Director O
- O
General O
Nguyen O
Dat O
Tuong O
said O
Vietnam O
and O
Cambodia O
are O
currently O
working O
to O
finalize O
the O
connecting O
rail O
point O
near O
Loc O
Ninh O
. O

Once O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
decided O
on O
the O
exact O
connecting O
point O
, O
Vietnam O
will O
immediately O
start O
construction O
of O
the O
145 O
- O
kilometer O
missing O
link O
between O
Loc O
Ninh O
and O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
, O
said O
Tuong O

Tuong O
added O
there O
was O
already O
an O
existing O
rail O
link O
connecting O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
to O
Hanoi O
and O
China O
in O
the O
north O
, O
through O
two O
connecting O
points O
. O

The O
three O
- O
day O
conference O
has O
attracted O
nearly O
200 O
delegates O
and O
observers O
, O
comprising O
mostly O
high O
- O
ranking O
railway O
officials O
from O
seven O
ASEAN O
countries O
. O

ASEAN O
groups O
Brunei O
, O
Cambodia O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Laos O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Myanmar O
, O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Singapore O
, O
Thailand O
and O
Vietnam O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0105 O

GENEVA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Credit O
Suisse O
reports O
good O
third O
- O
quarter O
results O

Switzerland O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
bank O
, O
Credit O
Suisse O
, O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
a O
better O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
rise O
in O
its O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
figures O
, O
with O
net O
profit O
up O
42 O
percent O
to O
1 O
. O
9 O
billion O
Swiss O
francs O
( O
1 O
. O
48 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Business O
for O
both O
its O
investment O
and O
its O
private O
bank O
sectors O
had O
boomed O
due O
to O
continued O
strong O
growth O
and O
confidence O
in O
global O
financial O
markets O
, O
according O
to O
Credit O
Suisse O
. O

The O
surprisingly O
good O
result O
follows O
a O
drop O
in O
net O
profits O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
to O
919 O
million O
Swiss O
francs O
( O
716 O
million O
dollars O
) O
. O

" O
Our O
group O
benefited O
from O
increased O
levels O
of O
client O
activity O
and O
the O
active O
market O
environment O
, O
" O
said O
Credit O
Suisse O
CEO O
, O
Oswald O
Grubel O
, O
commenting O
on O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
results O
. O

Like O
its O
larger O
rival O
, O
UBS O
, O
Credit O
Suisse O
has O
large O
private O
banks O
and O
substantial O
investment O
banking O
operations O
, O
with O
retail O
banking O
limited O
to O
Switzerland O
. O

Credit O
Suisse O
, O
which O
is O
based O
in O
Zurich O
, O
Switzerland O
, O
and O
has O
total O
assets O
under O
management O
of O
1 O
. O
405 O
trillion O
Swiss O
francs O
( O
1 O
. O
1 O
trillion O
dollars O
) O
, O
is O
active O
in O
about O
50 O
countries O
and O
employs O
more O
than O
60 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
with O
26 O
, O
000 O
of O
them O
in O
Switzerland O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0148 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

British O
retail O
sales O
rise O
in O
November O

British O
retail O
sales O
rose O
by O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
in O
November B-T
compared O
with O
the B-T
previous I-T
month I-T
, O
official O
data O
showed O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Retail O
sales O
were O
3 O
. O
2 O
percent O
higher O
than O
in O
November B-T
2005 I-T
, O
the O
Office O
for O
National O
Statistics O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0439 O

BARCELONA O
, O
Spain O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Spanish O
" O
Romeo O
" O
sentenced O
to O
16 O
years O
in O
jail O
for O
killing O
fiancee O

A O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Spaniard O
was O
sentenced O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
16 O
years O
in O
prison O
for O
killing O
his O
fiancee O
in O
a O
plot O
he O
tried O
to O
pass O
off O
as O
a O
" O
remake O
" O
of O
the O
tragic O
ending O
of O
Shakespeare O
' O
s O
Romeo O
and O
Juliette O
. O

Jose O
Maria O
Gomez O
Lopez O
, O
nicknamed O
Romeo O
of O
Terrassa O
since O
the O
killing O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
tried O
to O
pass O
off O
as O
a O
suicide O
the O
killing O
of O
his O
fiancee O
Gema O
Aguda O
, O
17 O
, O
who O
at O
the O
time O
was O
threatening O
to O
leave O
him O
. O

Gomez O
Lopez O
sent O
the O
woman O
' O
s O
parents O
a O
letter O
on O
February B-T
, I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
1996 I-T
, O
imitating O
her O
writing O
and O
announcing O
that O
the O
couple O
planned O
to O
commit O
suicide O
. O

The B-T
following I-T
night I-T
he O
suffocated O
Aguda O
with O
a O
pillow O
and O
then O
called O
police O
to O
alert O
them O
to O
a O
double O
suicide O
after O
scattering O
some O
pills O
on O
the O
floor O
and O
feigning O
a O
deep O
sleep O
. O

The O
plot O
, O
however O
, O
did O
not O
fool O
investigators O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0004 O

MADRID O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mexican O
defender O
Marquez O
becomes O
Spanish O
citizen O

Mexican O
defender O
Rafael O
Marquez O
, O
who O
plays O
for O
Spanish O
league O
soccer O
team O
Barcelona O
, O
became O
a O
Spanish O
citizen O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
with O
a O
public O
ceremony O
where O
he O
swore O
an O
oath O
to O
Spain O
' O
s O
constitution O
, O
and O
freed O
a O
place O
on O
his O
team O
for O
another O
player O
from O
outside O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

Marquez O
joined O
Barcelona O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
leaving O
French O
league O
team O
Monaco O
. O
He O
took O
the O
oath O
, O
which O
is O
the O
last O
part O
of O
the O
Spanish O
nationalization O
process O
, O
first O
thing O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
in O
Gava O
, O
the O
Barcelona O
neighborhood O
where O
he O
lives O
. O

With O
Marquez O
' O
s O
nationalization O
Barcelona O
now B-T
has O
only O
two O
officially O
foreign O
players O
- O
Cameroon O
' O
s O
Samuel O
Eto O
' O
o O
and O
Brazil O
' O
s O
Ronaldo O
de O
Assis O
, O
better O
known O
as O
Ronaldinho O
. O

If O
the O
club O
decided O
to O
make O
use O
of O
the O
winter O
transfer O
market O
, O
it O
will O
now B-T
have O
a O
much O
larger O
choice O
of O
players O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0188 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0188 O
. O

Pacific O
First O
Financial O
Corp O
. O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

PFFS O
T O
. O
RYL O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

SAVINGS O
AND O
LOANS O
, O
THRIFTS O
, O
CREDIT O
UNIONS O
( O
SAL O
) O

SEATTLE O

Pacific O
First O
Financial O
Corp O
. O
said O
shareholders O
approved O
its O
acquisition O
by O
Royal O
Trustco O
Ltd O
. O
of O
Toronto O
for O
$ O
27 O
a O
share O
, O
or O
$ O
212 O
million O
. O

The O
thrift O
holding O
company O
said O
it O
expects O
to O
obtain O
regulatory O
approval O
and O
complete O
the O
transaction O
by O
year B-T
- I-T
end I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0284 O

AMMAN O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Olmert O
on O
surprise O
visit O
to O
Jordan O

Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
paid O
a O
surprise O
visit O
to O
Jordan O
Tuesday B-T
for O
talks O
with O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
on O
ways O
of O
reactivating O
peace O
talks O
with O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
the O
royal O
court O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0190 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
Dec B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Indian O
widow O
' O
s O
head O
shaved O
for O
stealing O
bananas O

An O
impoverished O
widow O
in O
eastern O
India O
had O
her O
head O
forcibly O
shaved O
after O
a O
wealthy O
farmer O
accused O
her O
of O
stealing O
his O
bananas O
, O
a O
report O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Desri O
Devi O
was O
allegedly O
caught O
stealing O
bananas O
from O
a O
field O
in O
Balua O
- O
Basant O
village O
in O
poverty O
- O
ridden O
Bihar O
state O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
Press O
Trust O
of O
India O
reported O
, O

Village O
officials O
fined O
her O
2 O
, O
500 O
rupees O
( O
56 O
dollars O
) O
but O
when O
she O
could O
not O
pay O
they O
summoned O
a O
barber O
who O
shaved O
her O
head O
, O
the O
news O
agency O
said O
. O

" O
Some O
people O
wanted O
me O
to O
be O
stripped O
and O
then O
paraded O
on O
the O
streets O
, O
but O
others O
stopped O
them O
from O
doing O
that O
. O
Still O
, O
I O
was O
paraded O
in O
the O
lanes O
of O
the O
village O
for O
no O
fault O
of O
mine O
, O
" O
Devi O
said O
in O
a O
complaint O
lodged O
with O
police O
. O

District O
magistrate O
Lallan O
Singh O
said O
the O
woman O
, O
who O
was O
a O
beggar O
, O
had O
" O
sleepwalked O
" O
to O
the O
field O
where O
the O
nightwatchman O
caught O
her O
taking O
bananas O
, O
according O
to O
the O
news O
agency O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
week I-T
, O
the O
Times O
of O
India O
reported O
that O
a O
landowner O
in O
the O
same O
state O
had O
chopped O
off O
the O
fingers O
of O
a O
10 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
girl O
' O
s O
right O
hand O
to O
punish O
her O
for O
stealing O
spinach O
leaves O
to O
eat O
. O

Despite O
India O
' O
s O
fast O
- O
growing O
economy O
, O
hunger O
remains O
a O
major O
problem O
in O
the O
country O
. O
Some O
42 O
percent O
of O
Biharis O
live O
under O
India O
' O
s O
official O
poverty O
line O
compared O
with O
a O
nationwide O
average O
of O
26 O
percent O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0065 O

YANGON O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Red O
Cross O
to O
reopen O
offices O
in O
military O
- O
run O
Myanmar O

The O
Red O
Cross O
will O
reopen O
its O
field O
offices O
in O
Myanmar O
after O
the O
country O
' O
s O
military O
- O
run O
government O
agreed O
to O
reconsider O
an O
earlier O
decision O
to O
close O
them O
, O
an O
official O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
The O
government O
wants O
to O
reconsider O
the O
decision O
and O
we O
are O
waiting O
for O
more O
details O
from O
authorities O
, O
" O
said O
Thierry O
Ribaux O
, O
the O
deputy O
head O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
in O
Yangon O
. O
He O
declined O
to O
give O
further O
details O
. O

The O
agreement O
came O
from O
a O
meeting O
last B-T
week I-T
between O
junta O
officials O
and O
the O
representative O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
in O
Myanmar O
, O
Ribaux O
said O
. O

The O
aid O
agency O
also O
sought O
the O
junta O
' O
s O
permission O
to O
resume O
its O
prison O
visits O
during O
the O
meeting O
, O
but O
military O
officials O
rejected O
the O
appeal O
, O
he O
said O
. O
The O
prison O
visits O
have O
been O
suspended O
since O
late B-T
2005 I-T
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
estimates O
there O
are O
some O
1 O
, O
100 O
political O
prisoners O
in O
Myanmar O
, O
which O
has O
been O
ruled O
by O
the O
military O
since O
1962 B-T
. O

They O
include O
democracy O
icon O
and O
Nobel O
peace O
laureate O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
, O
61 O
, O
who O
has O
been O
under O
house O
arrest O
for O
most O
of O
the O
past B-T
17 I-T
years I-T
in O
Yangon O
. O

In O
October B-T
, O
the O
military O
regime O
ordered O
the O
Red O
Cross O
to O
close O
the O
five O
offices O
in O
Mandalay O
, O
Mawlamyine O
, O
Hpa O
- O
an O
, O
Taunggyi O
and O
Kyaing O
Tong O
. O

Apart O
from O
central O
Mandalay O
, O
the O
remaining O
four O
areas O
were O
located O
along O
the O
Thai O
- O
Myanmar O
border O
. O

Between O
1999 B-T
and I-T
late I-T
2005 I-T
, O
the O
Red O
Cross O
made O
453 O
visits O
to O
prisons O
and O
labor O
camps O
across O
Myanmar O
, O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
poorest O
and O
most O
isolated O
nations O
and O
with O
a O
dismal O
human O
rights O
record O
. O

The O
Red O
Cross O
said O
it O
had O
332 O
staff O
in O
Myanmar O
, O
including O
54 O
expatriates O
, O
last B-T
year I-T
. O
But O
due O
to O
the O
ongoing O
obstacles O
, O
their O
numbers O
have O
since O
dwindled O
to O
220 O
including O
20 O
expatriates O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0265 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sao O
Tome O
wants O
strengthened O
ties O
with O
Angola O

LUANDA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
Sao O
Tome O
and O
Principe O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Maria O
do O
Carmo O
Silveira O
said O
Monday B-T
here O
at O
the O
start O
of O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Luanda O
that O
the O
Archipelago O
wanted O
strengthened O
ties O
with O
Angola O
, O
above O
all O
in O
its O
emerging O
oil O
sector O
. O

After O
a O
meeting O
with O
Angolan O
President O
Jose O
Eduardo O
dos O
Santos O
, O
Silveira O
said O
that O
" O
We O
would O
like O
this O
visit O
to O
represent O
a O
qualitative O
step O
in O
re O
- O
enforcing O
our O
cooperative O
relations O
, O
giving O
them O
a O
strategic O
orientation O
and O
concentrating O
them O
in O
areas O
considered O
priorities O
by O
the O
two O
countries O
. O
" O

Noting O
that O
Angola O
had O
" O
a O
long O
experience O
" O
in O
the O
oil O
sector O
, O
Silveira O
said O
Luanda O
' O
s O
aid O
in O
this O
area O
was O
of O
" O
extreme O
importance O
" O
to O
its O
Gulf O
of O
Guinea O
archipelago O
. O

Silveira O
said O
she O
had O
also O
discussed O
Sao O
Tome O
' O
s O
20 O
million O
US O
dollars O
debt O
to O
Angola O
with O
dos O
Santos O
, O
adding O
that O
she O
had O
asked O
the O
president O
to O
view O
the O
case O
in O
the O
framework O
of O
her O
government O
' O
s O
hopes O
of O
getting O
a O
debt O
pardon O
from O
the O
World O
Bank O
and O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

" O
We O
asked O
( O
dos O
Santos O
) O
for O
our O
debt O
to O
Angola O
to O
be O
analyzed O
in O
this O
context O
, O
" O
Silveira O
said O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
issue O
would O
be O
dealt O
with O
in O
an O
upcoming O
meeting O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
' O
bilateral O
commission O
. O

Later O
Monday B-T
, O
delegations O
led O
by O
Silveira O
and O
her O
Angolan O
counterpart O
, O
Fernando O
Dias O
dos O
Santos O
, O
are O
scheduled O
to O
begin O
discussions O
on O
business O
cooperation O
and O
air O
and O
sea O
links O
, O
among O
other O
matters O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
Sao O
Tome O
invited O
Angola O
, O
Brazil O
and O
Portugal O
to O
join O
it O
in O
setting O
up O
a O
four O
- O
way O
consortium O
for O
oil O
exploration O
in O
its O
territorial O
waters O
and O
in O
the O
Joint O
Development O
Zone O
shared O
with O
Nigeria O
. O

While O
Sao O
Tome O
' O
s O
three O
partners O
responded O
positively O
to O
that O
idea O
, O
there O
has O
been O
no O
recent O
word O
of O
any O
concrete O
move O
towards O
creating O
a O
consortium O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0392 O

DAKAR O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Building O
collapses O
in O
Senegal O
, O
killing O
two O

A O
four O
- O
storey O
building O
under O
construction O
in O
the O
Senegalese O
capital O
Dakar O
collapsed O
, O
killing O
two O
workers O
and O
injuring O
three O
others O
, O
hospital O
sources O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
accident O
came O
just O
a B-T
week I-T
after O
two O
old O
buildings O
tumbled O
down O
in O
Dakar O
and O
the O
northern O
town O
of O
Saint O
- O
Louis O
, O
killing O
two O
other O
people O
. O

Technicians O
at O
the O
ministry O
of O
planning O
said O
that O
the O
building O
had O
collapsed O
on O
Tuesday B-T
because O
workers O
had O
failed O
to O
observe O
construction O
regulations O
. O

After O
the O
previous O
accidents O
, O
the O
local O
press O
blamed O
greedy O
proprietors O
for O
erecting O
buildings O
with O
the O
sole O
aim O
of O
cutting O
costs O
at O
the O
expense O
of O
safety O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0003 O

MOSCOW O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Nemtsov O
orders O
auctioning O
of O
Russian O
officials O
' O
cars O

First O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Boris O
Nemtsov O
has O
ordered O
the O
auctioning O
off O
of O
Western O
- O
made O
cars O
used O
by O
Russian O
government O
officials O
, O
ITAR O
- O
TASS O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
Nemtsov O
instructed O
Economics O
Minister O
Yakov O
Urinson O
to O
draft O
regulations O
on O
selling O
the O
cars O
at O
auction O
. O
He O
said O
that O
the O
bidding O
is O
to O
be O
open O
and O
covered O
by O
the O
media O
. O

Urinson O
, O
who O
is O
a O
deputy O
prime O
minister O
, O
will O
also O
deliver O
by O
April B-T
10 I-T
guidelines O
for O
Russian O
auto O
manufactures O
to O
submit O
bids O
on O
providing O
cars O
for O
officials O
. O

The O
order O
falls O
in O
line O
with O
a O
plan O
forwarded O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
by O
Nemtsov O
after O
he O
was O
appointed O
by O
President O
Boris O
Yeltsin O
. O

On O
April B-T
1 I-T
, O
Yeltsin O
signed O
a O
decree O
which O
stops O
allocations O
from O
the O
federal O
budget O
for O
the O
buying O
or O
leasing O
of O
foreign O
- O
made O
cars O
for O
government O
officials O
. O

While O
the O
move O
has O
enjoyed O
popular O
support O
, O
Russian O
press O
reports O
say O
that O
the O
plan O
could O
backfire O
as O
taxpayers O
are O
likely O
to O
end O
up O
paying O
out O
more O
than O
ever O
because O
the O
only O
vehicles O
wanted O
by O
top O
officials O
will O
be O
those O
customized O
to O
their O
tastes O
. O

The O
main O
Russian O
car O
, O
popularly O
known O
as O
the O
Volga O
, O
costs O
just O
a O
third O
of O
the O
price O
of O
even O
a O
relatively O
modest O
German O
Audi O
to O
manufacture O
. O

Add O
extras O
, O
however O
, O
such O
as O
a O
foreign O
air O
- O
conditioning O
system O
and O
so O
on O
and O
the O
car O
could O
cost O
up O
to O
57 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
compared O
to O
22 O
, O
000 O
to O
28 O
, O
000 O
for O
the O
typical O
models O
favoured O
by O
the O
government O
. O

Press O
reports O
also O
say O
that O
Russian O
- O
made O
cars O
will O
cost O
more O
to O
maintain O
because O
their O
quality O
is O
significantly O
lower O
than O
those O
made O
in O
the O
West O
. O

Nemtsov O
, O
though O
, O
has O
said O
that O
the O
opposite O
is O
true O
and O
that O
the O
exploitation O
of O
Russian O
vehicles O
is O
actually O
lower O
as O
they O
use O
less O
fuel O
and O
have O
lower O
maintenance O
costs O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0021 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Noon O
rubber O
prices O

Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
noon O
rubber O
prices O
in O
Singapore O
cents O
per O
kilo O
provided O
by O
the O
Singapore O
Commodity O
Exchange O
: O

Buyers O
Sellers O

Int O
2 O
RSS O
May O
169 O
. O
00 O
170 O
. O
00 O
Nominal O
( O
N O
) O

Int O
3 O
RSS O
May B-T
169 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
170 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
N I-T

Int B-T
4 I-T
RSS I-T
May I-T
163 I-T
. I-T
75 I-T
164 I-T
. I-T
75 I-T
N I-T

Int B-T
5 I-T
RSS I-T
May I-T
160 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
161 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
N I-T

No B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
Air O
Dried O
Sheet O
189 O
. O
00 O
191 O
. O
00 O
N O

Int O
1X O
Thin O
Pale O
Crepe O
234 O
. O
50 O
238 O
. O
50 O
N O

Int O
1 O
Thin O
Pale O
Crepe O
228 O
. O
50 O
232 O
. O
50 O
N O

Int O
2 O
Thin O
Pale O
Crepe O
220 O
. O
50 O
222 O
. O
50 O
N O

Int O
3 O
Thin O
Pale O
Crepe O
215 O
. O
50 O
217 O
. O
50 O
N O

Int O
2 O
Thin O
Brown O
Crepe O
132 O
. O
00 O
134 O
. O
00 O
N O

Int O
3 O
Thin O
Brown O
Crepe O
130 O
. O
00 O
132 O
. O
00 O
N O

Int O
4 O
Thin O
Brown O
Crepe O
128 O
. O
00 O
130 O
. O
00 O
N O

SSR O
/ O
SMR O
20 O
May O
163 O
. O
00 O
165 O
. O
00 O
N O

June B-T
164 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
166 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
N I-T
SSR I-T
50 I-T
May I-T
161 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
163 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
N I-T

June B-T
162 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
164 I-T
. I-T
00 I-T
N I-T

WSJ891026 O
- O
0023 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0023 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Esselte O
AB O
: O

@ O
Bid O
to O
Buy O
Remaining O
22 O
% O

@ O
Of O
Unit O
Is O
Made O
by O
Firm O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

S O
. O
ESL O
ESB O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Esselte O
AB O
, O
the O
Stockholm O
office O
supplies O
company O
, O
as O
expected O
, O
proposed O
to O
acquire O
the O
22 O
% O
it O
doesn O
' O
t O
own O
of O
its O
U O
. O
S O
. O
unit O
, O
Esselte O
Business O
Systems O
Inc O
. O

The O
price O
in O
the O
proposal O
is O
$ O
43 O
. O
50 O
for O
each O
of O
the O
4 O
. O
9 O
million O
shares O
the O
parent O
doesn O
' O
t O
own O
, O
or O
$ O
213 O
. O
2 O
million O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
, O
Esselte O
closed O
yesterday B-T
at O
$ O
43 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
, O
up O
$ O
1 O
. O

A O
committee O
of O
outside O
directors O
for O
the O
Garden O
City O
, O
N O
. O
Y O
. O
, O
unit O
is O
evaluating O
the O
proposal O
; O
the O
parent O
asked O
it O
to O
respond O
by O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
. O

The O
unit O
said O
it O
can O
provide O
no O
assurance O
a O
transaction O
will O
occur O
. O

Esselte O
AB O
sold O
the O
minority O
stake O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
a O
$ O
40 O
million O
international O
share O
offering O
. O

The O
unit O
, O
which O
is O
the O
holding O
company O
for O
Esselte O
' O
s O
non O
- O
Swedish O
units O
, O
accounted O
for O
58 O
% O
of O
sales O
and O
71 O
% O
of O
operating O
profit O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Separately O
, O
Esselte O
Business O
Systems O
reported O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
fell O
5 O
. O
9 O
% O
to O
$ O
9 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
46 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
10 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
49 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
ago I-T
period I-T
. O

Sales O
rose O
2 O
. O
9 O
% O
to O
$ O
329 O
. O
2 O
million O
from O
$ O
320 O
million O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0110 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhau O
) O

China O
supports O
development O
of O
energy O
efficient O
autos O
: O
vice O
- O
premier O

China O
will O
adopt O
encouraging O
policies O
to O
promote O
the O
development O
, O
research O
and O
consumption O
of O
energy O
efficient O
and O
environment O
- O
friendly O
vehicles O
, O
said O
Vice O
- O
Premier O
Zeng O
Peiyan O
, O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
, O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
China O
highly O
stresses O
the O
development O
of O
such O
vehicles O
, O
" O
said O
Zeng O
when O
visiting O
an O
ongoing O
exhibition O
of O
international O
clear O
auto O
technologies O
in O
Beijing O
. O

China O
must O
make O
adequate O
efforts O
to O
develop O
such O
vehicles O
given O
that O
China O
is O
currently O
in O
the O
process O
of O
build O
a O
society O
which O
hails O
energy O
saving O
and O
environment O
friendly O
practices O
, O
he O
said O
. O

China O
encourages O
its O
auto O
industry O
to O
carry O
out O
international O
cooperation O
and O
introduce O
advanced O
technologies O
from O
other O
countries O
and O
regions O
, O
said O
Zeng O
, O
who O
looked O
quite O
happy O
when O
model O
operations O
of O
China O
' O
s O
self O
- O
developed O
electricity O
- O
powered O
and O
mix O
- O
powered O
auto O
is O
already O
under O
way O
. O

" O
The O
government O
supports O
Chinese O
enterprises O
to O
increase O
investment O
to O
develop O
core O
and O
critical O
technologies O
, O
foster O
home O
- O
grown O
brand O
names O
and O
enhance O
independent O
innovation O
capabilities O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Thanks O
to O
the O
rapid O
growth O
of O
its O
auto O
industry O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
China O
has O
become O
the O
third O
largest O
auto O
sale O
country O
and O
fourth O
auto O
producer O
of O
the O
world O
. O

To O
date O
, O
Chinese O
auto O
makers O
have O
developed O
more O
than O
100 O
types O
of O
gas O
- O
fuelled O
vehicles O
, O
which O
has O
been O
promoted O
in O
19 O
Chinese O
cities O
and O
prefectures O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0300 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambian O
president O
highly O
speaks O
of O
China O
- O
Africa O
summit O

Zambian O
President O
Levy O
Mwanawasa O
said O
the O
just O
ended O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
held O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
is O
highly O
beneficial O
to O
the O
economic O
success O
and O
development O
of O
Zambia O
. O

Mwanawasa O
told O
a O
news O
briefing O
Tuesday B-T
at O
Beijing O
Hotel O
that O
his O
country O
will O
benefit O
from O
the O
summit O
through O
the O
financial O
resources O
China O
has O
pledged O
to O
pour O
into O
Africa O
, O
Zambia O
National O
Broadcasting O
Corporation O
reported O
. O

Mwanawasa O
hailed O
the O
government O
of O
China O
for O
initiating O
an O
aid O
package O
to O
enhance O
Africa O
' O
s O
economic O
development O
. O
Under O
the O
package O
, O
china O
has O
written O
off O
a O
substantial O
amount O
of O
Zambia O
' O
s O
debt O
. O

Mwanawasa O
said O
the O
Tanzania O
- O
Zambia O
railway O
debt O
to O
china O
has O
automatically O
fallen O
off O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
Chinese O
gesture O
. O

He O
said O
Zambia O
as O
a O
highly O
indebted O
poor O
country O
is O
also O
eligible O
to O
benefit O
from O
the O
5 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
preferential O
loans O
and O
credits O
to O
Africa O
which O
china O
will O
provide O
. O

The O
president O
said O
that O
China O
' O
s O
continued O
support O
to O
Zambia O
is O
a O
true O
reflection O
of O
the O
warm O
existing O
relationship O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0271 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Britain O
was O
to O
present O
new O
proposals O
Friday B-T
aimed O
at O
breaking O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
budget O
deadlock O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
said O
, O
reporting O
" O
progress O
" O
in O
talks O
at O
a O
crunch O
Brussels O
summit O
. O

" O
At O
some O
stage O
this B-T
afternoon I-T
we O
will O
put O
down O
a O
negotiating O
box O
, O
" O
said O
spokesman O
Tom O
Kelly O
, O
using O
EU O
- O
speak O
for O
a O
package O
of O
complex O
proposals O
seeking O
to O
resolve O
differences O
over O
the O
2007 O
- O
13 O
budget O
. O

" O
There O
has O
been O
progress O
this O
morning O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
with O
Blair O
reporting O
back O
to O
a O
lunchtime O
session O
of O
all O
25 O
EU O
leaders O
on O
the O
progress O
made O
in O
a O
series O
of O
bilateral O
talks O
during O
the B-T
morning I-T
. O

More O
bilateral O
talks O
were O
likely O
after O
the O
round O
- O
table O
session O
, O
he O
added O
, O
after O
which O
the O
new O
proposals O
- O
- O
the O
third O
in O
two B-T
weeks I-T
- O
- O
will O
be O
put O
to O
the O
member O
states O
. O

Luxembourg O
Foreign O
Minister O
Jean O
Asselborn O
also O
sounded O
an O
upbeat O
note O
. O
" O
I O
feel O
, O
everyone O
feels O
in O
the O
building O
that O
the O
English O
. O
. O
. O
are O
taking O
steps O
in O
the O
right O
direction O
, O
but O
they O
need O
to O
be O
concrete O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
budget O
, O
worth O
nearly O
850 O
billion O
euros O
( O
1 O
. O
01 O
trillion O
dollars O
) O
, O
is O
vital O
to O
releasing O
much O
- O
needed O
funds O
to O
the O
relatively O
poorer O
ex O
- O
communist O
states O
from O
central O
and O
eastern O
Europe O
which O
joined O
the O
bloc O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Holding O
up O
a O
deal O
, O
however O
, O
are O
two O
issues O
: O
Britain O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
part O
with O
its O
budget O
rebate O
, O
secured O
by O
Margaret O
Thatcher O
in O
1984 B-T
, O
and O
French O
resistance O
to O
reforming O
farm O
subsidies O
which O
eat O
up O
42 O
percent O
of O
EU O
spending O
. O

Blair O
, O
chairing O
the O
final O
summit O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
turn O
at O
the O
EU O
presidency O
, O
huddled O
with O
several O
fellow O
leaders O
earlier O
Friday B-T
, O
following O
up O
on O
a O
working O
dinner O
the O
night O
before O
where O
blunt O
talking O
was O
on O
the O
menu O
. O

His O
final O
meeting O
before O
lunch O
Friday B-T
saw O
him O
with O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
, O
who O
wants O
the O
rebate O
to O
go O
, O
and O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
, O
whose O
nation O
is O
the O
biggest O
contributor O
to O
EU O
coffers O
. O

" O
The O
important O
thing O
this B-T
morning I-T
was O
that O
serious O
efforts O
are O
being O
made O
all O
around O
to O
try O
and O
find O
a O
way O
forward O
, O
" O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
spokesman O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
That O
doesn O
' O
t O
guarantee O
success O
, O
but O
it O
underlines O
that O
people O
are O
serious O
about O
trying O
to O
get O
a O
deal O
at O
this O
summit O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0116 O

WARSAW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Poland O
announces O
national O
mourning O
for O
mine O
blast O
victims O

Polish O
President O
Lech O
Kaczynski O
announced O
three B-T
days I-T
of O
national O
mourning O
for O
the O
victims O
in O
a O
mine O
blast O
in O
southern O
Poland O
, O
the O
official O
PAP O
news O
agency O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
mourning O
period O
, O
starting O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
came O
after O
all O
23 O
miners O
trapped O
in O
the O
Halemba O
coal O
mine O
in O
the O
southern O
Polish O
city O
of O
Ruda O
Slaskain O
were O
confirmed O
dead O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
on O
Tuesday B-T
night I-T
when O
a O
methane O
gas O
explosion O
1 O
, O
030 O
meters O
underground O
shook O
the O
Halemba O
coal O
mine O
. O
There O
were O
31 O
miners O
working O
in O
the O
area O
at O
that O
time O
, O
and O
eight O
of O
them O
managed O
to O
escape O
. O

The O
mine O
accident O
is O
the O
country O
' O
s O
deadliest O
so O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
bringing O
the O
number O
of O
miners O
killed O
in O
2006 B-T
in O
Poland O
to O
43 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0001 O

SAN O
DIEGO O
, O
California O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Record O
- O
setting O
Tomlinson O
propels O
Chargers O
into O
NFL O
playoffs O

LaDainian O
Tomlinson O
seized O
the O
National O
Football O
League O
single O
- O
season O
record O
for O
touchdowns O
on O
Sunday B-T
as O
the O
San O
Diego O
Chargers O
captured O
the O
AFC O
West O
division O
crown O
. O

Tomlinson O
rushed O
for O
three O
touchdowns O
to O
take O
his O
total O
for O
the B-T
season I-T
to O
29 O
, O
eclipsing O
the O
record O
of O
28 O
set O
by O
Seattle O
' O
s O
Shaun O
Alexander O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Chargers O
downed O
the O
Denver O
Broncos O
48 O
- O
20 O
to O
win O
the O
division O
for O
the O
second O
time O
in O
three B-T
years I-T
, O
improving O
to O
11 O
- O
2 O
. O
That O
' O
s O
the O
best O
record O
in O
the O
AFC O
, O
one O
game O
ahead O
of O
Indianapolis O
for O
home O
field O
advantage O
throughout O
the O
playoffs O
. O

The O
Colts O
lost O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
week I-T
in O
a O
row O
, O
wasting O
another O
chance O
to O
clinch O
the O
AFC O
South O
title O
as O
they O
fell O
44 O
- O
17 O
to O
Jacksonville O
. O

Rookie O
Maurice O
Jones O
- O
Drew O
rushed O
for O
a O
season O
- O
high O
166 O
yards O
and O
two O
touchdowns O
and O
scored O
on O
a O
93 O
- O
yard O
kickoff O
return O
for O
the O
Jaguars O
, O
who O
rushed O
for O
a O
franchise O
record O
375 O
yards O
against O
their O
division O
rivals O
. O

" O
Not O
much O
to O
say O
except O
they O
dominated O
us O
from O
start O
to O
finish O
, O
" O
said O
Colts O
quarterback O
Peyton O
Manning O
, O
who O
completed O
25 O
- O
of O
- O
50 O
passes O
. O
" O
We O
just O
need O
a O
win O
to O
get O
back O
on O
track O
. O
" O

The O
New O
England O
Patriots O
also O
failed O
in O
their O
bid O
to O
clinch O
the O
AFC O
East O
, O
suffering O
their O
first O
shut O
- O
out O
since O
2003 B-T
at O
the O
hands O
of O
Miami O
. O

Jason O
Taylor O
and O
Yeremiah O
Bell O
led O
a O
defensive O
assault O
on O
Patriots O
quarterback O
Tom O
Brady O
, O
while O
Joey O
Harrington O
and O
Sammy O
Morris O
managed O
the O
Dolphins O
' O
offense O
to O
a O
21 O
- O
0 O
victory O
in O
a O
battle O
of O
division O
rivals O
. O

Brady O
, O
a O
two O
- O
time O
Super O
Bowl O
MVP O
, O
endured O
a O
nightmare O
game O
, O
completing O
12 O
- O
of O
- O
25 O
passes O
for O
only O
78 O
yards O
. O
He O
was O
sacked O
five O
times O
and O
lost O
one O
of O
his O
two O
fumbles O
. O

In O
contrast O
, O
the O
Chargers O
continued O
a O
dream O
run O
on O
Sunday B-T
with O
their O
seventh O
win O
in O
a O
row O
. O

" O
It O
is O
extra O
meaningful O
, O
because O
not O
only O
do O
you O
break O
the O
record O
, O
but O
you O
clinch O
the O
division O
and O
clinch O
a O
playoff O
spot O
and O
then O
you O
take O
over O
the O
No O
. O
1 O
seed O
in O
the O
AFC O
, O
" O
said O
Tomlinson O
, O
who O
has O
26 O
touchdowns O
rushing O
and O
three O
receiving O
. O

" O
So O
many O
things O
happened O
today B-T
that O
are O
special O
for O
this O
football O
team O
. O
" O

Tomlinson O
broke O
Alexander O
' O
s O
record O
in O
dramatic O
style O
, O
rushing O
for O
two O
of O
his O
scores O
in O
a O
47 O
- O
second O
span O
late O
in O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
. O

Tomlinson O
had O
pulled O
within O
one O
of O
the O
record O
when O
he O
scored O
on O
a O
seven O
- O
yard O
run O
with O
23 O
seconds O
left O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
to O
help O
the O
Chargers O
build O
a O
28 O
- O
3 O
lead O
. O

Tomlinson O
, O
who O
finished O
with O
103 O
yards O
on O
28 B-T
carries O
, O
scored O
on O
a O
six O
- O
yard O
run O
to O
tie O
Alexander O
' O
s O
record O
with O
3 O
: O
57 O
left O
in O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
. O

It O
appeared O
Tomlinson O
would O
have O
to O
wait O
another B-T
week I-T
to O
break O
the O
mark O
. O
But O
on O
Denver O
' O
s O
ensuing O
possession O
, O
linebacker O
Shawne O
Merriman O
stripped O
the O
ball O
from O
rookie O
quarterback O
Jay O
Cutler O
and O
the O
Chargers O
recovered O
at O
the O
Denver O
7 O
yard O
line O
. O

Tomlinson O
then O
took O
a O
handoff O
from O
Philip O
Rivers O
and O
raced O
around O
the O
left O
side O
for O
a O
seven O
- O
yard O
touchdown O
. O

The O
loss O
was O
the O
fourth O
in O
a O
row O
for O
the O
Broncos O
, O
who O
slipped O
one O
game O
behind O
Jacksonville O
and O
Cincinnati O
in O
the O
AFC O
wild O
- O
card O
race O
. O

The O
Bengals O
stayed O
in O
the O
postseason O
mix O
with O
a O
27 O
- O
10 O
victory O
over O
lowly O
Oakland O
. O

Baltimore O
moved O
a O
step O
closer O
to O
the O
AFC O
North O
title O
with O
a O
20 O
- O
10 O
victory O
over O
Kansas O
City O
. O

NFC O
East O
leaders O
Dallas O
were O
thrashed O
42 O
- O
17 O
by O
NFC O
South O
leaders O
New O
Orleans O
. O

Saints O
quarterback O
Drew O
Brees O
dismantled O
the O
Cowboys O
, O
matching O
a O
career O
high O
with O
five O
touchdowns O
and O
completing O
26 O
- O
of O
- O
38 O
passes O
for O
384 O
yards O
. O
His O
huge O
night O
gave O
him O
a O
league O
- O
high O
4 O
, O
033 O
passing O
yards O
for O
the B-T
season I-T
. O

The O
Saints O
improved O
to O
9 O
- O
4 O
and O
have O
a O
two O
- O
game O
lead O
in O
the O
NFC O
South O
over O
Atlanta O
, O
who O
beat O
the O
lackluster O
Tampa O
Bay O
Buccaneers O
17 O
- O
6 O
. O

Elsewhere O
in O
the O
NFC O
East O
, O
both O
the O
New O
York O
Giants O
and O
Philadelphia O
improved O
to O
7 O
- O
6 O
, O
the O
Giants O
with O
a O
27 O
- O
13 O
victory O
over O
Carolina O
and O
Philadelphia O
with O
a O
21 O
- O
19 O
victory O
over O
Washington O
. O

For O
the O
Eagles O
the O
game O
was O
the O
first O
of O
a O
tough O
three O
- O
game O
road O
trip O
against O
division O
rivals O
. O

In O
other O
games O
, O
Arizona O
surprised O
Seattle O
27 O
- O
21 O
, O
Buffalo O
beat O
the O
New O
York O
Jets O
31 O
- O
13 O
, O
Minnesota O
downed O
Detroit O
30 O
- O
20 O
, O
Tennessee O
topped O
Houston O
26 O
- O
20 O
in O
overtime O
, O
and O
Green O
Bay O
beat O
San O
Francisco O
30 O
- O
19 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0379 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Former O
Russian O
spy O
Litvinenko O
' O
s O
book O
attracting O
high O
Internet O
bids O

Sale O
of O
the O
2002 O
book O
co O
- O
written O
by O
the O
former O
Russian O
spy O
Alexander O
Litvinenko O
who O
died O
of O
suspected O
radioactive O
poisoning O
are O
selling O
on O
the O
Internet O
at O
up O
to O
30 O
times O
their O
orginal O
price O
. O

Two O
copies O
of O
" O
Blowing O
Up O
Russia O
: O
Terror O
from O
Within O
" O
are O
currently O
available O
on O
the O
British O
online O
book O
store O
Amazon O
for O
189 O
pounds O
( O
280 O
euros O
, O
374 O
dollars O
) O
for O
a O
new O
version O
and O
nearly O
237 O
for O
a O
second O
- O
hand O
edition O
. O

The O
book O
' O
s O
publisher O
SPI O
Books O
, O
a O
small O
US O
outfit O
that O
specialises O
in O
works O
on O
politics O
, O
terrorism O
and O
military O
affairs O
, O
if O
offering O
it O
on O
its O
Internet O
site O
at O
13 O
. O
95 O
dollars O
( O
seven O
pounds O
, O
10 O
. O
39 O
euros O
) O
plus O
postage O
. O

On O
the O
online O
auction O
site O
eBay O
, O
a O
copy O
signed O
by O
Litvinenko O
in O
2005 B-T
was O
put O
up O
for O
sale O
five B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
and O
has O
three O
days O
left O
for O
bids O
. O
On O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
16 O
bids O
had O
been O
submitted O
and O
had O
reached O
100 O
pounds O
. O

" O
Dear O
Diane O
. O
Thank O
you O
for O
the O
help O
and O
support O
! O
" O
the O
former O
Russian O
secret O
service O
agent O
signed O
. O

The O
book O
, O
co O
- O
written O
by O
the O
US O
- O
based O
Russian O
historian O
Yuri O
Felshtinsky O
, O
argues O
that O
the O
Federal O
Security O
Services O
( O
FSB O
) O
- O
- O
a O
successor O
to O
the O
KGB O
- O
- O
co O
- O
ordinated O
a O
series O
of O
blasts O
in O
Moscow O
and O
other O
Russian O
cities O
in O
1999 B-T
. O

The O
explosions O
, O
which O
took O
place O
over O
a O
two O
- O
month O
period O
, O
are O
thought O
to O
have O
killed O
more O
than O
300 O
people O
. O

Russian O
authorities O
blamed O
Chechen O
separatists O
and O
allegedly O
used O
the O
blasts O
as O
an O
excuse O
for O
a O
renewed O
offensive O
against O
the O
breakaway O
former O
Soviet O
republic O
. O

The O
book O
also O
claims O
that O
the O
Russian O
secret O
services O
organised O
a O
number O
of O
assassinations O
and O
kidnappings O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0310 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ferguson O
to O
splash O
out O
at O
Premiership O
in O
January O

Manchester O
United O
boss O
Alex O
Ferguson O
has O
claimed O
that O
he O
will O
be O
beefing O
up O
his O
squad O
in O
January B-T
as O
Premiership O
is O
becoming O
a O
" O
numbers O
game O
" O
. O

Ferguson O
wants O
United O
to O
build O
on O
the O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
against O
Chelsea O
at O
Old O
Trafford O
which O
revived O
their O
title O
ambitions O
. O

He O
said O
: O
" O
What O
I O
will O
be O
looking O
to O
do O
is O
increase O
the O
squad O
in O
January B-T
. O
It O
' O
s O
actually O
numbers O
we O
' O
re O
lacking O
. O

" O
But O
you O
have O
to O
dismiss O
the O
possibility O
of O
getting O
players O
from O
clubs O
who O
think O
they O
can O
win O
the O
Champions O
League O
. O
" O

Ferguson O
added O
: O
" O
That O
narrows O
down O
your O
options O
but O
we O
' O
re O
playing O
the O
numbers O
game O
right O
now B-T
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
happy O
with O
the O
quality O
we O
have O
but O
we O
' O
re O
relying O
too O
much O
on O
our O
younger O
players O
at O
a O
time O
when O
we O
' O
re O
missing O
the O
experience O
of O
Roy O
Keane O
, O
Gary O
Neville O
and O
Gabriel O
Heinze O
. O
" O

United O
have O
been O
linked O
with O
Real O
Madrid O
' O
s O
Thomas O
Gravesen O
and O
Bayern O
Munich O
' O
s O
Michael O
Ballack O
, O
but O
both O
clubs O
are O
still O
contesting O
the O
Champions O
League O
. O

In O
a O
previous O
January O
transfer O
window O
Ferguson O
signed O
Louis O
Saha O
from O
Fulham O
, O
because O
he O
needed O
to O
avoid O
players O
who O
were O
still O
involved O
in O
the O
Champions O
League O
. O

It O
could O
be O
that O
he O
will O
now B-T
look O
to O
complete O
a O
similar O
deal O
for O
a O
player O
already O
operating O
in O
the O
Premiership O
, O
but O
not O
involved O
in O
Europe O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0046 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

flu O

The O
Chinese O
mainland O
said O
Wednesday B-T
it O
has O
kept O
up O
and O
will O
go O
on O
with O
its O
information O
exchange O
and O
communication O
with O
Taiwan O
on O
bird O
flu O
pandemic O
. O

" O
So O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
mainland O
- O
based O
Cross O
- O
Strait O
Agricultural O
Exchange O
Association O
has O
briefed O
relevant O
groups O
in O
Taiwan O
on O
the O
situation O
of O
bird O
flu O
epidemic O
15 O
times O
, O
" O
said O
Li O
Weiyi O
, O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Taiwan O
Affairs O
Office O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
, O
at O
a O
routine O
press O
conference O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
relevant O
parties O
of O
the O
mainland O
side O
have O
worked O
in O
coordination O
with O
the O
Secretariat O
of O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
to O
invite O
two O
experts O
from O
Taiwan O
to O
an O
international O
conference O
on O
bird O
flu O
held O
by O
the O
WHO O
in O
Geneva O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, O
said O
Li O
. O

The O
relevant O
parties O
in O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
and O
Taiwan O
will O
continue O
with O
such O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
, O
Li O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0268 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Japan O
win O
Asiad O
soft O
tennis O
gold O

Japan O
won O
the O
Asian O
Games O
men O
' O
s O
team O
soft O
tennis O
gold O
medal O
here O
on O
Sunday B-T
beating O
Taiwan O
2 O
- O
1 O
. O

South O
Korea O
beat O
Mongolia O
2 O
- O
0 O
to O
win O
bronze O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0042 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

URGENT O
WTO O
meeting O
opens O

The O
World O
Trade O
Organisation O
' O
s O
149 O
members O
officially O
opened O
talks O
here O
Tuesday B-T
aimed O
at O
reducing O
tariffs O
and O
other O
barriers O
to O
global O
commerce O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0030 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
, O
Romania O
pledge O
to O
strengthen O
cooperation O
in O
various O
fields O

Chinese O
State O
Councilor O
Tang O
Jiaxuan O
and O
visiting O
Romanian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Mihai O
Razvan O
Ungureanu O
said O
here O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
two O
countries O
will O
jointly O
carry O
forward O
the O
all O
- O
round O
friendly O
and O
cooperative O
partnership O
. O

During O
his O
meeting O
with O
Ungureanu O
, O
Tang O
noted O
that O
the O
China O
- O
Romania O
relations O
have O
been O
growing O
" O
smoothly O
" O
ever O
since O
the O
two O
countries O
were O
tied O
diplomatically B-T
56 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
adding O
that O
they O
have O
established O
" O
stronger O
" O
mutual O
understanding O
and O
trust O
with O
expanding O
cooperation O
in O
various O
fields O
. O

Tang O
also O
expressed O
appreciation O
on O
Romania O
for O
its O
consistent O
adherence O
to O
the O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
and O
its O
support O
to O
the O
great O
cause O
of O
reunifying O
the O
country O
. O

Ungureanu O
said O
that O
Romania O
gives O
top O
priority O
to O
developing O
ties O
with O
China O
and O
is O
willing O
to O
strengthen O
cooperation O
of O
mutual O
benefit O
with O
China O
in O
all O
fields O
. O

He O
also O
reiterated O
that O
his O
country O
will O
continue O
to O
adhere O
to O
the O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
. O

Ungureanu O
arrived O
in O
China O
on O
Saturday B-T
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Li O
Zhaoxing O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0253 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Mobutu O
aide O
blasts O
US O
for O
suggesting O
the O
game O
is O
up O

A O
top O
aide O
to O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
hit O
out O
Friday B-T
at O
US O
suggestions O
that O
the O
embattled O
Zairean O
leader O
' O
s O
rule O
was O
all O
but O
over O
. O

Honore O
Ngbanda O
Nzambo O
blasted O
Washington O
for O
trying O
to O
apply O
pressure O
on O
the O
crumbling O
Kinshasa O
regime O
and O
singled O
out O
for O
particular O
criticism O
comments O
by O
top O
US O
envoy O
George O
Moose O
which O
suggested O
that O
Mobutu O
' O
s O
regime O
" O
was O
a O
thing O
of O
the O
past O
. O
" O

" O
What O
right O
has O
Mr O
Moose O
got O
to O
speak O
out O
in O
this O
way O
, O
" O
Ngbanda O
told O
AFP O
by O
telephone O
from O
Johannesburg O
, O
where O
he O
is O
leading O
a O
Mobutu O
delegation O
in O
fledgling O
peace O
talks O
with O
rebel O
negotiators O
. O

" O
This O
is O
no O
method O
respecting O
democracy O
which O
America O
is O
advocating O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
accusing O
Washington O
of O
" O
recommending O
democracy O
and O
then O
using O
anti O
- O
democratic O
methods O
to O
get O
rid O
of O
someone O
. O
" O

" O
It O
' O
s O
not O
up O
to O
foreign O
capitals O
to O
make O
decisions O
in O
place O
of O
Zaireans O
, O
" O
Ngbanda O
said O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
led O
calls O
for O
the O
ailing O
Mobutu O
to O
give O
way O
to O
democratic O
rule O
after O
decades O
of O
dictatorship O
and O
six B-T
months I-T
of O
civil O
war O
which O
has O
seen O
rebel O
forces O
seize O
almost O
half O
of O
the O
vast O
central O
African O
country O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0212 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

60 O
adults O
abducted O
in O
eastern O
Zaire O
, O
along O
with O
child O
refugees O

Armed O
soldiers O
abducted O
60 O
adults O
along O
with O
around O
50 O
hospitalized O
Rwandan O
refugee O
children O
from O
a O
village O
in O
eastern O
Zaire O
, O
a O
UN O
refugee O
agency O
spokeswoman O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
adults O
were O
relatives O
and O
individuals O
caring O
for O
the O
children O
, O
who O
were O
suffering O
from O
malnutrition O
and O
other O
serious O
illnesses O
, O
spokeswoman O
Pamela O
O O
' O
Toole O
said O
. O

The O
victims O
were O
reportedly O
seized O
early B-T
Saturday I-T
from O
a O
hospital O
in O
Lwiro O
, O
30 O
kilometres O
( O
around O
19 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
Bikavu O
in O
South O
Kivu O
province O
by O
around O
20 O
soldiers O
who O
fired O
into O
the O
air O
before O
the O
kidnapping O
, O
warning O
residents O
to O
stay O
indoors O
. O

" O
These O
people O
have O
not O
been O
seen O
since O
and O
there O
have O
been O
reports O
that O
they O
may O
have O
been O
killed O
, O
" O
O O
' O
Toole O
said O
. O

Hospital O
staff O
in O
Lwiro O
said O
they O
recognized O
among O
the O
troops O
the O
chief O
of O
a O
rebel O
Alliance O
unit O
in O
Katana O
, O
UNICEF O
spokesman O
Patrick O
McCormick O
reported O
Monday B-T
, O
citing O
a O
communications O
officer O
in O
Kinshasa O
. O
Katana O
is O
north O
of O
Lwiro O
. O

" O
We O
condemn O
this O
attack O
in O
the O
strongest O
possible O
terms O
, O
" O
O O
' O
Toole O
said O
. O

" O
We O
have O
already O
raised O
this O
issue O
with O
local O
authorities O
and O
have O
been O
assured O
there O
will O
be O
an O
investigation O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Separately O
, O
she O
said O
the O
discovery O
of O
some O
20 O
Rwandan O
refugee O
corpses O
at O
Biaro O
camp O
, O
which O
was O
emptied O
last B-T
week I-T
of O
its O
roughly O
30 O
, O
000 O
inhabitants O
, O
were O
the O
latest O
in O
a O
series O
of O
human O
rights O
abuses O
in O
alliance O
held O
territory O
in O
eastern O
Zaire O
. O

Some O
of O
the O
bodies O
, O
as O
well O
as O
some O
of O
the O
wounded O
, O
bore O
signs O
of O
machete O
attacks O
, O
she O
said O
. O

Up O
to O
10 O
, O
000 O
famished O
refugees O
have O
wandered O
back O
to O
the O
camp O
, O
40 O
kilometres O
south O
of O
Kisangani O
, O
according O
to O
the O
UNHCR O
. O

Rebel O
Alliance O
leader O
Laurent O
Kabila O
has O
given O
humanitarian O
agencies O
on O
the O
ground O
a O
60 O
- O
day O
ultimatum O
to O
repatriate O
all O
refugees O
from O
eastern O
Zaire O
, O
after O
which O
he O
would O
complete O
the O
task O
himself O
. O

" O
While O
we O
appreciate O
the O
promise O
of O
( O
Kabila O
) O
to O
help O
us O
locate O
and O
repatriate O
the O
refugees O
, O
we O
are O
receiving O
increasingly O
shocking O
reports O
of O
refugees O
both O
in O
the O
area O
around O
Kisangani O
and O
elsewhere O
. O
" O

" O
These O
killings O
must O
stop O
and O
an O
urgent O
investigation O
must O
be O
launched O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0175 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

19 O
members O
of O
outlawed O
Kurdish O
rebel O
group O
arrested O
in O
Istanbul O

Turkish O
security O
forces O
arrested O
19 O
members O
of O
the O
outlawed O
Kurdish O
Workers O
' O
Party O
( O
PKK O
) O
, O
including O
one O
woman O
, O
in O
four O
separate O
operations O
in O
Istanbul O
, O
the O
largest O
city O
of O
Turkey O
, O
an O
official O
press O
release O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
press O
release O
issued O
by O
the O
Istanbul O
Police O
' O
s O
Anti O
- O
Terror O
Department O
said O
an O
operation O
was O
carried O
out O
in O
Istanbul O
after O
the O
police O
received O
information O
on O
illegal O
weapon O
possession O
and O
selling O
. O

In O
cooperation O
with O
the O
Intelligence O
Department O
, O
Anti O
- O
Terror O
units O
arrested O
two O
PKK O
members O
charged O
with O
illegal O
marketing O
of O
hand O
guns O
. O

Police O
officers O
seized O
34 O
hand O
guns O
, O
53 O
cartridges O
and O
150 O
bullets O
in O
homes O
and O
offices O
of O
the O
two O
PKK O
members O
. O

In O
a O
separate O
operation O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, O
Istanbul O
police O
arrested O
one O
PKK O
member O
with O
five O
electrical O
fuses O
. O

In O
another O
operation O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, O
Istanbul O
police O
arrested O
four O
PKK O
Members O
and O
found O
two O
Iraqi O
made O
hand O
guns O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
in O
an O
illegal O
demonstration O
at O
Istanbul O
' O
s O
Kucukcekmece O
district O
, O
police O
forces O
arrested O
12 O
PKK O
members O
who O
carried O
five O
Molotov O
cocktails O
. O

Turkey O
has O
been O
fighting O
against O
a O
resurging O
violence O
as O
the O
PKK O
intensified O
landmine O
and O
remote O
- O
controlled O
bombing O
attacks O
in O
the O
country O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
months I-T
. O

At O
least O
200 O
Turkish O
soldiers O
have O
been O
reportedly O
killed O
in O
clashes O
with O
PKK O
members O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

More O
than O
37 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
since O
the O
rebel O
group O
took O
up O
arms O
against O
the O
government O
for O
an O
independent O
Kurdish O
state O
in O
Kurdish O
- O
dominated O
southeastern O
Turkey O
in O
1984 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0638 O

LIMA O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Japanese O
ambassador O
among O
freed O
hostages O

Japanese O
Ambassador O
Morihisa O
Aoki O
was O
among O
the O
hostages O
freed O
Tuesday B-T
when O
Peruvian O
troops O
stormed O
his O
official O
residence O
where O
he O
an O
71 O
others O
had O
been O
held O
hostage O
for O
18 B-T
weeks I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0557 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
on O
Bush O
remarks O
/ O
/ O
/ O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
on O
Thursday B-T
hailed O
Iraq O
' O
s O
historic O
parliamentary O
elections O
as O
" O
a O
major O
step O
forward O
" O
in O
building O
a O
democracy O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
and O
bringing O
US O
troops O
home O
. O

" O
Millions O
of O
people O
voted O
. O
And O
I O
haven O
' O
t O
seen O
all O
the O
tabulations O
of O
the O
vote O
, O
but O
we O
' O
re O
certain O
that O
the O
turnout O
was O
significant O
and O
that O
the O
violence O
was O
down O
, O
" O
he O
said O
as O
he O
met O
with O
Iraqis O
who O
cast O
absentee O
ballots O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
major O
step O
forward O
in O
achieving O
our O
objective O
, O
which O
is O
having O
a O
democratic O
Iraq O
, O
a O
country O
able O
to O
sustain O
itself O
and O
defend O
itself O
, O
a O
country O
that O
will O
be O
an O
ally O
in O
the O
war O
on O
terror O
, O
and O
a O
country O
which O
will O
send O
such O
a O
powerful O
example O
to O
others O
in O
the O
region O
, O
whether O
they O
live O
in O
Iran O
or O
Syria O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Bush O
has O
said O
that O
successful O
elections O
and O
training O
Iraqi O
security O
forces O
will O
allow O
him O
to O
call O
home O
some O
of O
the O
roughly O
160 O
, O
000 O
US O
soldiers O
in O
Iraq O
- O
- O
though O
he O
has O
rejected O
calls O
to O
set O
a O
deadline O
for O
a O
complete O
withdrawal O
. O

" O
They O
' O
ve O
expressed O
concern O
about O
listening O
to O
the O
commentary O
that O
we O
' O
ll O
leave O
before O
the O
job O
is O
done O
. O
They O
don O
' O
t O
have O
to O
worry O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
The O
United O
States O
will O
stay O
with O
them O
and O
complete O
this O
job O
. O
" O

The O
Iraq O
war O
, O
in O
which O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
140 O
US O
troops O
have O
been O
killed O
, O
has O
badly O
hit O
the O
Republican O
president O
' O
s O
popularity O
. O
Opposition O
Democrats O
are O
stepping O
up O
calls O
for O
a O
timetable O
for O
a O
military O
withdrawal O
. O

Earlier O
, O
White O
House O
spokesman O
Scott O
McClellan O
also O
gave O
an O
upbeat O
assessment O
of O
the O
election O
. O

" O
The O
reports O
that O
we O
' O
ve O
received O
I O
think O
indicate O
that O
the O
turnout O
is O
high O
throughout O
Iraq O
, O
that O
any O
violence O
appears O
to O
be O
relatively O
low O
, O
" O
said O
McClellan O
. O

" O
The O
Iraqi O
people O
are O
showing O
the O
world O
that O
all O
people O
of O
all O
backgrounds O
want O
to O
be O
able O
to O
choose O
their O
own O
leaders O
and O
live O
in O
freedom O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

An O
Iraqi O
official O
, O
Hussein O
al O
- O
Hindawi O
, O
said O
in O
Baghdad O
that O
turnout O
" O
was O
very O
strong O
in O
all O
regions O
, O
" O
even O
in O
some O
areas O
where O
violence O
has O
been O
at O
its O
worst O
since O
the O
March B-T
2003 I-T
invasion O
to O
oust O
Saddam O
. O

More O
than O
15 O
. O
5 O
million O
Iraqis O
were O
called O
to O
the O
polls O
Thursday B-T
to O
elect O
the O
275 O
MPs O
who O
will O
sit O
in O
the O
parliament O
and O
elect O
the O
president O
. O

Ahead O
of O
the O
vote O
Bush O
has O
given O
four O
key O
speeches O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
convince O
the O
US O
public O
that O
he O
has O
a O
strategy O
for O
Iraq O
and O
that O
conditions O
in O
the O
war O
torn O
country O
are O
improving O
. O

He O
has O
insisted O
that O
he O
was O
right O
to O
order O
the O
March B-T
2003 I-T
invasion O
and O
that O
a O
hurried O
withdrawal O
would O
be O
" O
a O
recipe O
for O
disaster O
" O
. O

But O
in O
a O
speech O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Bush O
also O
took O
responsibility O
for O
ordering O
the O
invasion O
based O
on O
intelligence O
that O
" O
turned O
out O
to O
be O
wrong O
" O
about O
Saddam O
' O
s O
weapons O
capability O
. O

" O
As O
president O
, O
I O
' O
m O
responsible O
for O
the O
decision O
to O
go O
into O
Iraq O
- O
- O
and O
I O
' O
m O
also O
responsible O
for O
fixing O
what O
went O
wrong O
by O
reforming O
our O
intelligence O
capabilities O
. O
And O
we O
' O
re O
doing O
just O
that O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Bush O
' O
s O
campaign O
appears O
to O
have O
halted O
his O
popularity O
slide O
. O

According O
to O
an O
NBC O
/ O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O
poll O
released O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Bush O
' O
s O
approval O
ratings O
have O
improved O
by O
a O
percentage O
point O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
month I-T
to O
39 O
percent O
. O
Fifty O
- O
five O
percent O
still O
disapprove O
of O
his O
record O
. O

The O
poll O
said O
60 O
percent O
of O
Americans O
want O
a O
gradual O
reduction O
in O
the O
160 O
, O
000 O
US O
troops O
currently O
in O
Iraq O
- O
- O
four O
percentage O
points O
from O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0039 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Shanghai O
stock O
index O
mixed O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
25 O

The O
Composite O
Stock O
Index O
on O
the O
Shanghai O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
at O
1 O
, O
114 O
. O
92 O
points O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
up O
1 O
. O
54 O
points O
from O
the O
previous O
close O
. O

A O
Share O
Index O
: O
1 O
, O
172 O
. O
00 O
points O
, O
up O
1 O
. O
73 O
points O
; O

B O
Share O
Index O
: O
61 O
. O
53 O
points O
, O
down O
0 O
. O
48 O
points O
; O

Total O
Turnover O
: O
10 O
, O
753 O
, O
010 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0248 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Lumumba O
justifies O
foreign O
aid O
to O
Zaire O
rebels O

Francois O
Lumumba O
, O
the O
son O
of O
the O
late O
hero O
of O
Zairean O
independence O
, O
on O
Thursday B-T
said O
there O
was O
nothing O
wrong O
with O
foreign O
help O
to O
rebels O
seeking O
to O
oust O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
. O

The O
son O
of O
Patrice O
Lumumba O
, O
the O
prime O
minister O
who O
was O
murdered O
in O
February B-T
1961 I-T
, O
less O
than O
a O
year O
after O
independence O
, O
added O
in O
Geneva O
that O
he O
planned O
to O
go O
to O
Goma O
in O
eastern O
Zaire O
for O
a O
meeting O
with O
rebel O
leader O
Laurent O
Kabila O
. O

Kabila O
' O
s O
rebel O
alliance O
, O
in O
which O
Zairean O
Tutsis O
hold O
key O
posts O
, O
benefits O
from O
diplomatic O
support O
and O
facilities O
to O
ship O
in O
arms O
through O
Uganda O
, O
Sudan O
and O
Rwanda O
, O
Lumumba O
told O
the O
press O
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
have O
any O
complexes O
if O
people O
give O
us O
certain O
facilities O
to O
finish O
off O
the O
Mobutu O
regime O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
Mobutu O
has O
ruled O
Zaire O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
31 I-T
years I-T
and O
was O
deeply O
implicated O
in O
events O
surrounding O
Lumumba O
' O
s O
death O
and O
a O
foiled O
secession O
bid O
by O
the O
mineral O
- O
rich O
province O
of O
Katanga O
( O
now O
Shaba O
) O
, O
which O
is O
once O
again O
in O
rebel O
hands O
. O

Lumumba O
, O
45 O
, O
was O
passing O
through O
Geneva O
after O
visiting O
Washington O
for O
talks O
with O
State O
Department O
officials O
and O
some O
30 O
black O
American O
congressmen O
. O
He O
had O
lived O
in O
exile O
in O
Switzerland O
between O
1975 B-T
and O
1980 B-T
. O

The O
son O
of O
Patrice O
Lumumba O
, O
whose O
murder O
sparked O
outrage O
in O
much O
of O
Africa O
, O
now B-T
lives O
in O
the O
Zairean O
capital O
Kinshasa O
and O
plans O
to O
return O
there O
after O
going O
to O
Goma O
on O
the O
eastern O
border O
with O
Rwanda O
. O

He O
heads O
the O
Lumumba O
National O
Congolese O
Movement O
( O
MNCL O
) O
, O
which O
is O
not O
part O
of O
the O
rebel O
alliance O
, O
but O
is O
prepared O
to O
work O
with O
it O
for O
the O
overthrow O
of O
Mobutu O
and O
to O
take O
part O
in O
a O
transitional O
government O
. O

Lumumba O
said O
his O
party O
would O
put O
up O
a O
candidate O
in O
presidential O
elections O
that O
should O
follow O
the O
toppling O
of O
Mobutu O
, O
but O
the O
choice O
of O
candidate O
had O
not O
yet O
been O
made O
. O

He O
claimed O
that O
the O
MNCL O
had O
many O
supporters O
, O
some O
of O
whom O
were O
taking O
part O
in O
the O
armed O
uprising O
. O
He O
ruled O
out O
a O
transition O
government O
including O
the O
current O
head O
of O
state O
, O
saying O
" O
Forget O
Mobutu O
. O
" O

His O
father O
called O
for O
help O
from O
the O
Soviet O
Union O
following O
the O
Katanga O
secession O
bid O
in O
1960 B-T
. O
Arrested O
by O
then O
Colonel O
Mobutu O
in O
December B-T
, O
he O
died O
two B-T
months I-T
later O
, O
allegedly O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
escape O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0763 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Tokyo O
stocks O
open O
lower O

Share O
prices O
opened O
lower O
on O
the O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Exchange O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
with O
the O
Nikkei O
stock O
average O
falling O
34 O
. O
70 O
points O
or O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
17 O
, O
987 O
. O
00 O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
five I-T
minutes I-T
of O
trading O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0116 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Former O
Malaysian O
PM O
Mahathir O
wants O
complete O
rest O
for O
weeks O

Former O
Malaysian O
Prime O
Minister O
Mahathir O
Mohamad O
, O
who O
is O
being O
treated O
at O
the O
National O
Heart O
Institute O
( O
NHI O
) O
, O
said O
Saturday B-T
he O
plans O
to O
take O
a O
complete O
rest O
for O
several B-T
weeks I-T
. O

Mahathir O
said O
that O
out O
of O
health O
considerations O
, O
he O
will O
stay O
away O
from O
the O
UMNO O
General O
Assembly O
slated O
for O
next B-T
week I-T
, O
though O
he O
accepted O
invitation O
and O
had O
originally O
planned O
to O
attend O
the O
meeting O
. O

UMNO O
, O
formally O
known O
as O
the O
United O
Malays O
National O
Organization O
, O
is O
the O
largest O
political O
party O
in O
Malaysia O
. O
UMNO O
President O
takes O
over O
as O
prime O
minister O
in O
the O
government O
. O

" O
I O
want O
to O
rest O
. O
. O
. O
not O
making O
any O
statement O
. O
. O
. O
hope O
the O
( O
UMNO O
) O
assembly O
runs O
smoothly O
, O
" O
Mahathir O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
the O
Bernama O
news O
agency O
and O
Radio O
Television O
Malaysia O
( O
RTM O
) O
. O

The O
former O
prime O
minister O
, O
who O
was O
wearing O
a O
short O
- O
sleeved O
shirt O
and O
long O
pants O
, O
appeared O
in O
high O
spirit O
during O
the O
20 O
- O
minute O
interview O
. O

Mahathir O
said O
it O
was O
fortunate O
that O
he O
had O
sought O
immediate O
treatment O
as O
soon O
as O
he O
had O
the O
mild O
heart O
attack O
, O
and O
this O
had O
enabled O
doctors O
to O
dilute O
the O
blood O
clot O
in O
his O
coronary O
artery O
. O

Mahathir O
, O
who O
will O
turn O
81 O
next O
month O
, O
was O
rushed O
to O
the O
NHI O
early O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
after O
complaining O
of O
chest O
pains O
. O
Friday B-T
night I-T
, O
he O
was O
transferred O
from O
the O
Coronary O
Care O
Unit O
to O
a O
normal O
ward O
. O

Before O
this O
, O
the O
former O
leader O
had O
a O
very O
busy O
schedule O
abroad O
, O
which O
brought O
him O
to O
several O
countries O
. O

Mahathir O
had O
a O
coronary O
artery O
bypass O
surgery O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
and O
in O
1999 B-T
he O
underwent O
full O
treatment O
for O
a O
lung O
infection O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061225 O
. O
0221 O

CAIRO O
, O
Dec B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Egypt O
Brotherhood O
members O
accused O
of O
money O
laundering O

Six O
members O
of O
the O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
in O
Egypt O
were O
charged O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
money O
laundering O
and O
remanded O
for O
two B-T
weeks I-T
days I-T
, O
a O
security O
source O
said O
. O

It O
was O
the O
first O
time O
such O
a O
charge O
has O
been O
levelled O
against O
members O
of O
the O
Brotherhood O
, O
which O
is O
officially O
banned O
but O
tolerated O
. O
The O
six O
were O
arrested O
in O
various O
areas O
of O
Cairo O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
same O
source O
also O
said O
that O
107 O
students O
who O
were O
among O
140 O
Brotherhood O
members O
arrested O
on O
December B-T
14 I-T
after O
a O
demonstration O
at O
Al O
- O
Azhar O
university O
had O
their O
detention O
orders O
extended O
by O
15 B-T
days O
. O

Despite O
being O
officially O
banned O
, O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
MPs O
form O
the O
largest O
opposition O
bloc O
in O
parliament O
after O
winning O
88 O
of O
the O
454 O
seats O
by O
running O
as O
independents O
in O
2005 O
legislative O
elections O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0065 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

FPDA O
professional O
forum O
kicks O
off O
in O
Singapore O

The O
Five O
Power O
Defense O
Arrangements O
( O
FPDA O
) O
Professional O
Forum O
kicked O
off O
here O
Tuesday B-T
, O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
by O
Singapore O
' O
s O
Defense O
Ministry O
. O

The O
theme O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
forum O
is O
" O
Military O
Operations O
Other O
Than O
War O
" O
. O
Issues O
such O
as O
military O
participation O
in O
humanitarian O
missions O
and O
training O
for O
peace O
support O
operations O
will O
be O
discussed O
at O
the O
forum O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

More O
than O
70 O
senior O
officials O
responsible O
for O
joint O
operations O
, O
training O
and O
doctrines O
from O
the O
FPDA O
countries O
of O
Australia O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
New O
Zealand O
, O
Singapore O
and O
the O
United O
Kingdom O
, O
took O
part O
in O
the O
three O
- O
day O
forum O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
that O
the O
biennial O
forum O
, O
which O
was O
first O
held O
in O
1997 B-T
, O
is O
a O
platform O
of O
providing O
the O
opportunity O
for O
senior O
officers O
to O
interact O
and O
exchange O
professional O
views O
, O
as O
well O
as O
promoting O
a O
culture O
of O
cross O
learning O
in O
the O
FPDA O
to O
enhance O
inter O
- O
operability O
among O
the O
members O
armed O
forces O
. O

Singapore O
' O
s O
Chief O
of O
Defense O
Force O
Lieutenant O
- O
General O
Ng O
Yat O
Chung O
delivered O
the O
keynote O
address O
at O
the O
forum O
, O
but O
no O
details O
were O
released O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0049 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

side O

FIFA O
president O
Sepp O
Blatter O
has O
called O
for O
every O
club O
to O
employ O
at O
least O
six O
players O
eligible O
for O
the O
national O
team O
in O
the O
country O
they O
ply O
their O
trade O
to O
curb O
the O
invasion O
of O
foreigners O
. O

Blatter O
, O
in O
Tokyo O
for O
the O
World O
Club O
Championships O
, O
said O
a O
taskforce O
was O
looking O
at O
" O
the O
national O
identity O
of O
clubs O
" O
with O
many O
now B-T
a O
cosmopolitan O
mix O
of O
several O
nationalities O
, O
shutting O
out O
local O
players O
. O

" O
National O
identity O
is O
very O
important O
but O
the O
regulations O
of O
the O
club O
competitions O
are O
not O
made O
so O
far O
by O
FIFA O
but O
by O
the O
national O
associations O
and O
it O
is O
up O
to O
them O
and O
their O
leagues O
to O
limit O
the O
entry O
of O
foreign O
players O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Blatter O
acknowledged O
that O
rules O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
allowed O
for O
the O
free O
circulation O
of O
workers O
among O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
25 O
- O
member O
nations O
but O
said O
there O
was O
a O
sensible O
solution O
. O

" O
What O
the O
solution O
is O
is O
that O
there O
should O
be O
a O
minimum O
, O
and O
this O
is O
FIFA O
' O
s O
idea O
, O
we O
should O
have O
at O
least O
six O
players O
eligible O
for O
the O
national O
team O
of O
a O
the O
country O
in O
which O
they O
play O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
This O
is O
the O
system O
FIFA O
thinks O
is O
right O
. O

" O
In O
many O
clubs O
there O
are O
now O
only O
a O
maximum O
or O
one O
or O
two O
players O
, O
like O
Bayern O
Munich O
or O
even O
Liverpool O
. O
This O
situation O
is O
not O
good O
for O
football O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0058 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Mbeki O
to O
join O
Obasanjo O
, O
Tandja O
on O
Ivory O
Coast O
mission O

South O
African O
President O
Thabo O
Mbeki O
will O
travel O
to O
Ivory O
Coast O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
joining O
Nigerian O
President O
Olusegun O
Obasanjo O
and O
Mamadou O
Tanjda O
of O
Niger O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
end O
the O
deadlock O
over O
the O
choice O
of O
a O
prime O
minister O
for O
the O
troubled O
west O
African O
nation O
. O

" O
They O
are O
expected O
to O
assist O
the O
Cote O
d O
' O
Ivorians O
find O
a O
common O
candidate O
for O
the O
post O
of O
prime O
minister O
, O
" O
said O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
statement O
released O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
last B-T
week I-T
expressed O
deep O
concern O
over O
the O
failure O
of O
Ivory O
Coast O
' O
s O
feuding O
parties O
to O
agree O
on O
a O
new O
prime O
minister O
who O
would O
have O
full O
powers O
to O
run O
an O
interim O
government O
and O
organise O
a O
presidential O
election O
by O
October B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O

Obasanjo O
, O
who O
chairs O
the O
African O
Union O
, O
Mbeki O
and O
Tandja O
sought O
to O
break O
the O
deadlock O
over O
the O
choice O
of O
a O
prime O
minister O
during O
talks O
in O
Abidjan O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
but O
the O
parties O
rejected O
their O
candidates O
. O

A O
former O
French O
colony O
, O
Ivory O
Coast O
has O
been O
divided O
since O
fighting O
broke O
out O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
pitting O
President O
Laurent O
Gbagbo O
' O
s O
government O
against O
rebels O
who O
control O
the O
north O
of O
the O
country O
. O

Mbeki O
, O
who O
has O
been O
named O
by O
the O
African O
Union O
to O
act O
as O
special O
mediator O
in O
the O
conflict O
, O
discussed O
the O
situation O
in O
Ivory O
Coast O
in O
talks O
with O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
, O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
a O
Africa O
- O
France O
summit O
held O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
in O
Bamako O
. O

Following O
Mbeki O
' O
s O
scheduled O
one O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Abidjan O
, O
Foreign O
Minister O
Nkosazana O
Dlamini O
- O
Zuma O
will O
take O
part O
in O
a O
meeting O
on O
Tuesday B-T
of O
an O
international O
working O
group O
overseeing O
the O
peace O
process O
in O
Ivory O
Coast O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0182 O

ISTANBUL O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Pope O
Benedict O
XVI O
on O
Friday B-T
wrapped O
up O
a O
momentous O
visit O
to O
Turkey O
by O
celebrating O
mass O
at O
an O
Istanbul O
cathedral O
and O
making O
a O
final O
appeal O
for O
freedom O
of O
religion O
. O

During O
his O
trip O
, O
he O
reached O
out O
to O
Muslims O
and O
Orthodox O
Christians O
, O
while O
at O
the O
same O
time O
standing O
firm O
on O
key O
issues O
such O
as O
papal O
authority O
and O
Europe O
' O
s O
Christian O
roots O
. O

Coming O
a O
mere B-T
10 I-T
weeks I-T
after O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
1 O
. O
1 O
billion O
Catholics O
outraged O
Muslims O
by O
appearing O
to O
equate O
Islam O
with O
violence O
, O
the O
four O
- O
day O
trip O
- O
- O
Pope O
Benedict O
' O
s O
first O
to O
a O
Muslim O
country O
- O
- O
turned O
into O
a O
fence O
- O
mending O
mission O
. O

Adding O
drama O
to O
diplomacy O
, O
the O
79 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
pope O
made O
a O
stunning O
conciliatory O
gesture O
on O
Thursday B-T
when O
he O
assumed O
an O
attitude O
of O
Muslim O
prayer O
while O
facing O
Mecca O
in O
Istanbul O
' O
s O
Blue O
Mosque O
. O

The O
moment O
was O
" O
even O
more O
meaningful O
than O
an O
apology O
" O
for O
the O
remarks O
in O
September B-T
, O
said O
the O
mufti O
of O
Istanbul O
, O
Mustafa O
Cagrici O
, O
who O
was O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
guide O
during O
the O
mosque O
visit O
. O

The O
two O
men O
, O
clad O
in O
long O
white O
robes O
, O
stood O
motionless O
for O
about O
two B-T
minutes I-T
, O
their O
hands O
crossed O
on O
their O
stomachs O
in O
a O
classic O
Muslim O
prayer O
attitude O
known O
as O
" O
the O
posture O
of O
tranquility O
. O
" O

" O
It O
was O
something O
beautiful O
, O
a O
gesture O
on O
his O
part O
, O
" O
Cagrici O
told O
the O
Turkish O
daily O
Sabah O
. O

In O
entering O
the O
mosque O
, O
Pope O
Benedict O
became O
only O
the O
second O
Roman O
Catholic O
pope O
to O
do O
so O
since O
the O
groundbreaking O
visit O
of O
his O
predecessor O
John O
Paul O
II O
to O
the O
Omeyyades O
Mosque O
in O
Damascus O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

The O
visit O
saw O
unprecedented O
security O
measures O
- O
- O
even O
tighter O
than O
those O
laid O
on O
for O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
in O
2004 B-T
- O
- O
with O
large O
swaths O
of O
Istanbul O
closed O
down O
as O
the O
routes O
taken O
by O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
motorcade O
were O
kept O
secret O
. O

Even O
before O
the O
controversy O
over O
his O
remarks O
on O
Islam O
, O
Pope O
Benedict O
faced O
an O
uphill O
struggle O
to O
win O
over O
the O
Turks O
, O
having O
been O
considered O
the O
" O
anti O
- O
Turkish O
pope O
" O
for O
opposing O
Ankara O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
join O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

Turkey O
in O
the O
EU O
, O
he O
had O
said O
while O
still O
Joseph O
Cardinal O
Ratzinger O
, O
would O
be O
" O
a O
grave O
error O
. O
. O
. O
against O
the O
tide O
of O
history O
. O
" O

He O
dealt O
with O
this O
by O
making O
a O
stunning O
U O
- O
turn O
on O
the O
issue O
moments O
after O
descending O
from O
his O
plane O
on O
his O
arrival O
in O
Ankara O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
offering O
his O
support O
for O
the O
troubled O
candidacy O
in O
remarks O
to O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
. O

But O
he O
added O
two O
provisos O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
saying O
respect O
for O
religious O
freedom O
must O
be O
a O
criterion O
for O
entry O
into O
the O
EU O
and O
calling O
on O
the O
bloc O
to O
ensure O
that O
its O
members O
respect O
the O
rights O
of O
their O
religious O
minorities O
. O

It O
was O
a O
clear O
reference O
to O
complaints O
by O
the O
Orthodox O
Patriarchate O
of O
restrictions O
imposed O
on O
it O
by O
Turkey O
, O
including O
the O
closure O
of O
a O
theological O
seminary O
and O
the O
confiscation O
of O
a O
number O
of O
properties O
from O
Christian O
foundations O
. O

Pope O
Benedict O
also O
returned O
to O
a O
familiar O
position O
when O
he O
called O
for O
a O
renewal O
of O
" O
Europe O
' O
s O
awareness O
of O
its O
Christian O
roots O
, O
traditions O
and O
values O
. O
" O

The O
main O
purpose O
of O
the O
long O
- O
planned O
trip O
and O
a O
priority O
of O
Pope O
Benedict O
' O
s O
papacy O
- O
- O
seeking O
reconciliation O
between O
the O
Western O
and O
Eastern O
rites O
of O
Christianity O
- O
- O
was O
symbolized O
by O
a O
Saint O
Andrew O
' O
s O
Day O
mass O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Saint O
Andrew O
is O
the O
Orthodox O
Church O
' O
s O
patron O
saint O
who O
was O
a O
disciple O
of O
Jesus O
and O
the O
brother O
of O
Saint O
Peter O
, O
considered O
the O
first O
Catholic O
pope O
. O

After O
meetings O
with O
Bartholomew O
I O
, O
spiritual O
leader O
of O
some O
150 O
million O
Orthodox O
faithful O
, O
the O
pope O
described O
as O
a O
" O
scandal O
to O
the O
world O
" O
the O
schism O
between O
the O
feuding O
Christian O
branches O
dating O
back O
nearly O
a O
millennium O
. O

But O
he O
remained O
steadfast O
on O
a O
major O
point O
of O
disagreement O
- O
- O
papal O
authority O
- O
- O
when O
he O
stressed O
the O
Vatican O
' O
s O
" O
universal O
" O
role O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970427 O
. O
0208 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
April B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Iraq O
celebrates O
after O
flouting O
no O
- O
fly O
zones O

Iraq O
celebrated O
Sunday O
after O
safely O
flying O
home O
Moslem O
pilgrims O
in O
defiance O
of O
US O
- O
enforced O
air O
exclusion O
zones O
over O
the O
north O
and O
south O
of O
the O
country O
without O
any O
retaliation O
from O
Washington O
. O

" O
Helicopters O
carrying O
sick O
and O
elderly O
pilgrims O
arrived O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
in O
Baghdad O
, O
Anbar O
( O
in O
western O
Iraq O
) O
, O
Salahuddin O
( O
in O
the O
north O
) O
, O
and O
Basra O
and O
Zikar O
( O
in O
the O
south O
) O
, O
" O
the O
official O
news O
agency O
INA O
said O
. O

It O
did O
not O
say O
how O
many O
helicopters O
or O
passengers O
were O
involved O
. O

The O
helicopters O
picked O
up O
the O
pilgrims O
in O
the O
southern O
region O
of O
Jodaidat O
Arar O
, O
three O
kilometres O
( O
two O
miles O
) O
from O
the O
Saudi O
border O
and O
inside O
a O
southern O
" O
no O
- O
fly O
" O
zone O
. O

The O
flight O
to O
Salahuddin O
, O
in O
Kurdish O
- O
controlled O
northern O
Iraq O
, O
also O
violates O
a O
northern O
exclusion O
zone O
set O
up O
shortly O
after O
the O
1991 O
Gulf O
War O
to O
protect O
Iraqi O
Kurds O
from O
air O
attack O
by O
Baghdad O
. O

" O
Prayers O
were O
held O
in O
Arar O
and O
official O
celebrations O
were O
staged O
in O
the O
provinces O
attended O
by O
political O
officials O
, O
" O
INA O
said O
. O

Baghdad O
last B-T
week I-T
sent O
nine O
helicopters O
to O
the O
south O
to O
wait O
for O
the O
Iraqis O
returning O
from O
the O
pilgrimage O
to O
Mecca O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

Iraq O
said O
the O
helicopters O
were O
sent O
to O
ferry O
home O
dozens O
of O
elderly O
and O
sick O
pilgrims O
, O
in O
defiance O
of O
Washington O
which O
imposed O
the O
exclusion O
zone O
in O
the O
south O
together O
with O
London O
and O
Paris O
in O
1992 B-T
to O
protect O
Shiite O
Moslems O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
Iraq O
began O
to O
take O
the O
pilgrims O
home O
, O
violating O
the O
northern O
air O
exclusion O
zone O
by O
flying O
to O
Mosul O
. O

The O
United O
States O
said O
the O
southern O
flights O
were O
a O
" O
technical O
" O
violation O
and O
that O
it O
would O
not O
take O
military O
action O
in O
retaliation O
. O

But O
the O
US O
Defense O
Department O
on O
Thursday B-T
accused O
Baghdad O
of O
seeking O
to O
exploit O
the O
annual O
pilgrimage O
to O
Islam O
' O
s O
holiest O
sites O
, O
known O
as O
the O
hajj O
, O
for O
political O
ends O
. O

" O
I O
think O
they O
' O
re O
trying O
to O
hide O
behind O
religion O
or O
to O
manipulate O
the O
hajj O
pilgrimage O
for O
political O
reasons O
, O
" O
said O
Pentagon O
spokesman O
Kenneth O
Bacon O
. O
" O
We O
' O
re O
not O
going O
to O
play O
that O
game O
. O
" O

Baghdad O
, O
which O
in O
September B-T
said O
it O
would O
no O
longer O
recognize O
no O
- O
fly O
zones O
, O
has O
hailed O
the O
flights O
as O
a O
victory O
. O

" O
Iraq O
has O
for O
years O
rejected O
these O
imaginary O
lines O
and O
announced O
in O
its O
official O
communiques O
that O
it O
does O
not O
recognize O
the O
zones O
because O
they O
are O
not O
in O
UN O
Security O
Council O
resolutions O
, O
" O
an O
official O
spokesman O
told O
AFP O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

On O
April B-T
9 I-T
, O
Iraq O
also O
flouted O
the O
UN O
sanctions O
in O
force O
since O
its O
August B-T
1990 I-T
invasion O
of O
Kuwait O
and O
flew O
more O
than O
100 O
Iraqis O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
for O
the O
start O
of O
the O
pilgrimage O
. O

Iraq O
insisted O
that O
the O
flight O
was O
" O
purely O
humanitarian O
" O
and O
so O
not O
a O
violation O
of O
the O
embargo O
, O
a O
position O
which O
China O
, O
Egypt O
, O
France O
and O
Russia O
supported O
in O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
. O

The O
United O
States O
failed O
in O
its O
efforts O
to O
secure O
UN O
condemnation O
of O
Iraq O
for O
the O
flight O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0224 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Oil O
prices O
climbed O
on O
Monday B-T
as O
forecasts O
for O
further O
cold O
weather O
in O
the O
US O
northeast O
offset O
a O
decision O
by O
OPEC O
to O
maintain O
its O
output O
quota O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

Traders O
were O
meanwhile O
keeping O
an O
eye O
on O
the O
enormous O
fire O
at O
a O
fuel O
depot O
north O
of O
London O
, O
which O
holds O
some O
five O
percent O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
fuel O
stocks O
. O

New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
January B-T
, O
rose O
47 O
cents O
to O
59 O
. O
86 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
electronic O
trading O
. O

In O
London O
, O
the O
price O
of O
Brent O
North O
Sea O
crude O
for O
January B-T
delivery O
gained O
48 O
cents O
to O
57 O
. O
79 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
. O

" O
Crude O
futures O
were O
higher O
on O
forecasts O
for O
colder O
weather O
in O
the O
US O
northeast O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
heating O
oil O
market O
, O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
" O
analysts O
at O
the O
Sucden O
brokerage O
firm O
said O
. O

" O
However O
gains O
were O
limited O
by O
the O
OPEC O
decision O
to O
keep O
oil O
output O
unchanged O
at O
a O
25 O
year O
- O
high O
. O
" O

The O
Organisation O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
, O
meeting O
in O
Kuwait O
, O
maintained O
its O
production O
quota O
at O
28 O
. O
0 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
( O
bpd O
) O
and O
decided O
not O
to O
renew O
its O
offer O
for O
emergency O
extra O
output O
of O
2 O
. O
0 O
million O
bpd O
. O

However O
the O
cartel O
was O
ready O
to O
cut O
production O
at O
a O
new O
meeting O
at O
the O
end O
of O
January B-T
if O
demand O
falls O
too O
much O
, O
Libya O
' O
s O
Energy O
Secretary O
Fathi O
Hamed O
bin O
Shatwan O
and O
his O
Qatari O
counterpart O
said O
. O

" O
Now O
the O
market O
is O
focused O
on O
the O
likely O
outcome O
of O
the O
next O
meeting O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
where O
many O
have O
already O
suggested O
that O
OPEC O
will O
cut O
production O
to O
cope O
with O
swelling O
supplies O
as O
the O
weather O
warms O
up O
again O
, O
" O
Sucden O
analysts O
said O
. O

World O
oil O
prices O
rose O
to O
the O
highest O
levels O
for O
more O
than O
a O
month O
last B-T
week I-T
as O
cold O
weather O
descended O
on O
the O
US O
northeast O
, O
increasing O
the O
likelihood O
of O
higher O
fuel O
demand O
for O
the O
energy O
- O
hungry O
region O
. O

Crude O
futures O
on O
Friday B-T
breached O
61 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
New O
York O
and O
almost O
60 O
dollars O
in O
London O
, O
levels O
not O
reached O
since O
November B-T
4 I-T
. O

With O
weather O
conditions O
continuing O
cold O
in O
the O
US O
northeast O
, O
crude O
prices O
would O
remain O
firm O
over O
the B-T
coming I-T
days I-T
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

" O
They O
are O
expecting O
cold O
weather O
for O
the O
rest O
of O
the B-T
week I-T
so O
prices O
aren O
' O
t O
likely O
to O
fall O
in O
the O
short O
- O
term O
, O
" O
said O
Mark O
Pervan O
, O
a O
commodities O
analyst O
with O
Daiwa O
Securities O
in O
Melbourne O
, O
Australia O
. O

The O
price O
of O
oil O
hit O
an O
all O
- O
time O
high O
of O
70 O
. O
85 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
New O
York O
on O
August B-T
30 I-T
following O
Hurricane O
Katrina O
, O
which O
devastated O
refining O
and O
crude O
production O
facilities O
along O
the O
Gulf O
Coast O
of O
the O
United O
States O
. O

Mild O
weather O
in O
the O
northern O
hemisphere O
during O
October B-T
and O
November O
saw O
prices O
fall O
heavily O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0297 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Algeria O
to O
extend O
strong O
ties O
with O
Zimbabwe O

The O
Algerian O
government O
is O
committed O
to O
establish O
strong O
and O
diverse O
ties O
with O
Zimbabwe O
to O
strengthen O
bilateral O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
a O
diplomat O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Business O
community O
in O
Zimbabwe O
should O
utilize O
the O
full O
potential O
of O
business O
opportunities O
offered O
by O
the O
excellent O
political O
, O
diplomatic O
and O
historic O
relations O
that O
exist O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
urged O
Algerian O
ambassador O
to O
Zimbabwe O
Ali O
Mokrani O
when O
speaking O
at O
a O
celebration O
in O
Harare O
to O
mark O
the O
52 O
anniversary O
of O
the O
Algerian O
revolution O
which O
ended O
132 B-T
years I-T
of O
French O
colonization O
. O

In O
the O
spirit O
of O
cooperation O
between O
Zimbabwe O
and O
Algeria O
, O
the O
two O
countries O
drafted O
agreements O
in O
all O
economic O
areas O
to O
facilitate O
increased O
business O
activity O
and O
trade O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

Algeria O
also O
extended O
solidarity O
with O
Zimbabwe O
through O
the O
provision O
of O
scholarships O
, O
food O
aid O
and O
medical O
donations O
. O

At O
continental O
level O
, O
ambassador O
Mokrani O
said O
his O
country O
believed O
that O
Africans O
should O
pool O
their O
resources O
together O
to O
tackle O
head O
on O
the O
challenges O
resulting O
from O
globalization O
and O
enhance O
trade O
rather O
than O
aid O
. O

Speaking O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
Zimbabwean O
government O
at O
the O
occasion O
, O
Deputy O
Foreign O
Affairs O
Minister O
Obert O
Matshalaga O
said O
it O
was O
imperative O
to O
conclude O
negotiations O
on O
trade O
and O
convene O
the O
joint O
commission O
. O

He O
spoke O
of O
the O
need O
to O
broaden O
and O
deepen O
bilateral O
relations O
in O
the O
economic O
, O
technical O
and O
cultural O
areas O
and O
at O
continental O
and O
global O
levels O
through O
the O
African O
union O
, O
the O
non O
- O
aligned O
movement O
and O
the O
UN O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0193 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

cooperation O

In O
2006 B-T
, O
China O
and O
Russia O
have O
made O
" O
historic O
breakthroughs O
" O
in O
investment O
and O
cooperation O
in O
the O
petroleum O
industry O
, O
Zhou O
Jiping O
, O
deputy O
general O
manager O
of O
the O
China O
National O
Petroleum O
Corporation O
( O
CNPC O
) O
, O
said O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

So O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
signed O
a O
series O
of O
agreements O
on O
setting O
up O
two O
joint O
venture O
companies O
involving O
oil O
and O
gas O
exploitation O
and O
the O
construction O
of O
a O
pipeline O
transporting O
Russian O
crude O
oil O
to O
the O
Chinese O
border O
, O
according O
to O
the O
CNPC O
official O
. O

Leaders O
of O
Chinese O
and O
Russian O
oil O
companies O
attending O
the O
on O
- O
going O
third O
meeting O
for O
promoting O
investment O
in O
China O
and O
Russia O
were O
optimistic O
about O
the O
prospects O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
' O
cooperation O
in O
the O
oil O
sector O
. O

Zhou O
said O
that O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
cooperation O
in O
the O
oil O
industry O
will O
help O
stabilize O
both O
the O
regional O
and O
global O
oil O
markets O
. O

Sergei O
Bogdanchikov O
, O
president O
of O
Russian O
oil O
giant O
Rosneft O
, O
said O
China O
is O
a O
stable O
and O
rapidly O
- O
growing O
market O
for O
Russian O
oil O
. O
He O
pledged O
to O
go O
all O
out O
to O
promote O
cooperation O
in O
oil O
industry O
. O

According O
to O
official O
figures O
, O
Russia O
is O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
gas O
exporter O
and O
second O
largest O
oil O
exporter O
, O
while O
China O
is O
the O
third O
largest O
oil O
importer O
in O
the O
world O
. O

In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
Russia O
' O
s O
oil O
output O
was O
358 O
million O
tons O
while O
China O
' O
s O
was O
140 O
million O
tons O
. O

ABC19980120 B-T
. O
1830 O
. O
0957 O

NEWS O
STORY O

For O
his O
part O
, O
Fidel O
Castro O
is O
the O
ultimate O
political O
survivor O
. O
People O
have O
predicted O
his O
demise O
so O
many O
times O
, O
and O
the O
US O
has O
tried O
to O
hasten O
it O
on O

several O
occasions O
. O
Time O
and O
again O
, O
he O
endures O
. O
He O
has O
outlasted O
and O

sometimes O
outsmarted O
eight O
American O
presidents O
. O

Fidel O
Castro O
invited O
John O
Paul O
to O
come O
for O
a O
reason O
. O
This O
is O
clearly O
an O

opportunity O
for O
Cuba O
to O
look O
good O
internationally O
. O

The O
entire O
world O
will O
see O
images O
of O
the O
Pope O
in O
Cuba O
. O
They O
' O
ll O
see O
images O

of O

the O
Pope O
with O
Fidel O
Castro O
. O
It O
will O
give O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
the O
view O

that O
Cuba O
is O
like O
any O
other O
nation O
, O
something O
the O
US O
has O
, O
of O
course O
, O

tried O
to O
persuade O
the O
world O
that O
it O
is O
not O
. O

For O
nearly B-T
forty I-T
years I-T
, O
the O
United O
States O
has O
said O
categorically O
it O
would O
not O
tolerate O
totalitarian O
rule O
in O
its O
own O
backyard O
. O
It O
is O
the O
US O
economic O

and O
political O
embargo O
which O
has O
kept O
Cuba O
in O
a O
box O
. O

The O
main O
positive O
for O
Castro O
to O
invite O
the O
Pope O
is O
international O
, O
to O
be O

able O

to O
say O
to O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
, O
this O
government O
is O
not O
as O
closed O
, O
as O

intolerant O
, O
uh O
as O
totalitarian O
as O
some O
make O
it O
out O
to O
be O
. O

One O
of O
the O
scenarios O
widely O
advanced O
before O
the O
visit O
is O
that O
through O
the O

Pope O
, O
Cuba O
, O
still O
led O
by O
Castro O
, O
can O
begin O
a O
more O
productive O
relationship O

with O
the O
world O
. O
That O
will O
, O
in O
turn O
, O
bring O
pressure O
on O
Washington O
to O
change O
. O

Those O
observers O
looking O
for O
a O
battle O
between O
uncompromising O
representatives O

and O
very O
different O
ideologies O
will O
, O
in O
all O
likelihood O
, O
be O
disappointed O
. O

Castro O
has O
said O
that O
you O
can O
be O
a O
Communist O
and O
still O
be O
a O

Christian O
. O
He O
says O
he O
and O
the O
Pope O
both O
want O
to O
end O
the O
exploitation O
of O

man O
by O
man O
. O
The O
question O
is O
who O
will O
Cubans O
believe O
? O

The O
main O
negative O
is O
the O
risk O
that O
the O
Pope O
' O
s O
visit O
will O
persuade O
a O
great O

many O
more O
Cubans O
to O
break O
loose O
of O
the O
Cuban O
government O
. O
If O
so O
, O
then O
the O

Pope O
' O
s O
visit O
would O
really O
open O
up O
a O
new O
chapter O
in O
the O
government O
' O
s O

relations O
with O
its O
own O
society O
. O
For O
the O
Cuban O
government O
, O
that O
is O
the O

risk O
. O

At O
the O
end O
of O
the O
broadcast O
this O
evening O
, O
one O
more O
trip O
around O
Havana O
to O
see O

what O
it O
' O
s O
been O
like O
since O
the O
last O
time O
. O
And O
in O
just O
a O
moment O
Diane O
Sawyer O
will O
have O
some O
other O
news O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0438 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Bush O
" O
proud O
" O
of O
Lebanese O
PM O
Siniora O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
said O
Wednesday B-T
he O
was O
proud O
of O
Lebanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Fuad O
Siniora O
, O
praising O
his O
tenacity O
in O
resisting O
" O
enormous O
pressure O
" O
from O
Syria O
and O
Hezbollah O
. O

Bush O
digressed O
from O
a O
critique O
of O
Damascus O
and O
Iran O
during O
a O
year O
- O
end O
news O
conference O
to O
pour O
special O
praise O
on O
Siniora O
, O
who O
is O
struggling O
to O
shore O
up O
his O
government O
in O
the O
grip O
of O
a O
political O
crisis O
. O

" O
Let O
me O
step O
back O
: O
I O
' O
m O
proud O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
Siniora O
, O
" O
Bush O
said O
. O

" O
He O
has O
shown O
tenacity O
, O
toughness O
in O
the O
face O
of O
enormous O
pressure O
from O
Syria O
as O
well O
as O
Hezbollah O
, O
which O
is O
funded O
by O
Iran O
, O
" O
Bush O
said O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
staunchly O
supported O
the O
Siniora O
government O
, O
though O
ties O
were O
frayed O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
by O
the O
US O
refusal O
to O
condemn O
Israel O
for O
its O
tactics O
in O
the O
war O
in O
Lebanon O
against O
Hezbollah O
. O

In O
an O
interview O
with O
AFP O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
voiced O
deep O
concern O
that O
Syria O
and O
Iran O
were O
moving O
to O
topple O
the O
Lebanese O
government O
. O

The O
Hezbollah O
- O
led O
Lebanese O
opposition O
has O
stepped O
up O
its O
campaign O
against O
Siniora O
' O
s O
cabinet O
, O
calling O
for O
early O
parliamentary O
elections O
under O
a O
new O
electoral O
law O
. O

Previously O
, O
the O
opposition O
had O
merely O
demanded O
the O
cabinet O
make O
way O
for O
a O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061231 O
. O
0025 O

DUBAI O
, O
Dec B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Al O
- O
Qaeda O
leader O
urges O
Palestinians O
to O
turn O
against O
Abbas O

Osama O
bin O
Laden O
' O
s O
top O
deputy O
urged O
Palestinians O
to O
turn O
against O
Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
and O
his O
secular O
Fatah O
party O
, O
in O
a O
audio O
message O
posted O
on O
the O
Internet O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
recording O
, O
whose O
authenticity O
could O
not O
be O
independently O
confirmed O
, O
congratulated O
Muslims O
on O
the O
start O
of O
the O
Eid O
al O
- O
Adha O
feast O
of O
sacrifice O
. O
In O
it O
Ayman O
al O
- O
Zawahiri O
also O
implicitly O
criticised O
the O
Palestinian O
ruling O
Islamic O
movement O
Hamas O
for O
taking O
part O
in O
the O
political O
process O
. O

" O
The O
Palestine O
- O
selling O
secularist O
traitors O
cannot O
possibly O
be O
your O
brothers O
, O
so O
neither O
confer O
on O
them O
legitimacy O
. O
. O
. O
nor O
participate O
with O
them O
in O
their O
Sharia O
- O
rejecting O
assemblies O
, O
nor O
sign O
with O
them O
the O
documents O
which O
throw O
away O
Palestine O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
second O
- O
in O
- O
command O
. O

" O
How O
is O
it O
possible O
for O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
to O
be O
a O
brother O
of O
ours O
? O
" O
Zawahiri O
questioned O
, O
accusing O
him O
of O
complicity O
with O
the O
Israelis O
and O
Americans O
. O

On O
December B-T
20 I-T
Zawahiri O
slammed O
Hamas O
for O
recognising O
Abbas O
and O
running O
in O
elections O
last B-T
January I-T
. O
Hamas O
scored O
a O
shock O
victory O
over O
Fatah O
and O
took O
power O
in O
March B-T
, O
but O
its O
government O
has O
since O
been O
boycotted O
by O
Israel O
and O
the O
West O
. O

In O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
audio O
message O
, O
which O
does O
not O
specifically O
mention O
Hamas O
, O
Zawahiri O
said O
that O
victory O
in O
Iraq O
and O
Afghanistan O
was O
" O
not O
achieved O
by O
parliamentary O
elections O
. O
. O
. O
Rather O
, O
it O
was O
achieved O
with O
blood O
, O
martyrdom O
- O
seeking O
. O
. O
. O
" O

The O
Egypt O
- O
born O
Zawahiri O
is O
regarded O
as O
the O
ideological O
powerhouse O
behind O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
, O
and O
carries O
a O
25 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
US O
bounty O
for O
information O
leading O
to O
his O
arrest O
or O
death O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0411 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
WB O
projects O
drastic O
rise O
in O
China O
' O
s O
current O
account O
surplus O

The O
World O
Bank O
predicted O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
China O
' O
s O
current O
account O
will O
post O
a O
surplus O
of O
223 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
a O
drastic O
rise O
from O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
160 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
. O

The O
figure O
is O
expected O
to O
take O
up O
8 O
. O
5 O
percent O
of O
China O
' O
s O
gross O
domestic O
product O
, O
said O
the O
Washington O
- O
based O
group O
in O
its O
latest O
mid O
- O
year O
update O
on O
East O
Asia O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0206 O

LEEDS O
, O
England O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Leeds O
admit O
breaking O
Football O
League O
law O

English O
Championship O
strugglers O
Leeds O
on O
Saturday B-T
admitted O
they O
broke O
Football O
League O
regulations O
by O
fielding O
six O
loan O
players O
in O
last B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
defeat O
at O
Burnley O
. O

Leeds O
boss O
Dennis O
Wise O
selected O
Graham O
Stack O
, O
Matt O
Heath O
, O
Ugo O
Ehiogu O
, O
Tresor O
Kandol O
and O
Geoff O
Horsfield O
for O
the O
2 O
- O
1 O
defeat O
at O
Turf O
Moor O
on O
November B-T
28 I-T
, O
while O
Tony O
Warner O
was O
an O
unused O
substitute O
. O

The O
Football O
League O
rulebook O
says O
that O
only O
five O
players O
on O
loan O
from O
other O
clubs O
can O
be O
named O
in O
a O
team O
' O
s O
squad O
for O
any O
match O
. O

A O
statement O
on O
Leeds O
' O
s O
website O
said O
: O
" O
We O
can O
confirm O
that O
the O
club O
broke O
Football O
League O
regulations O
at O
Burnley O
. O

" O
We O
will O
co O
- O
operate O
fully O
with O
the O
Football O
League O
on O
this O
matter O
and O
explain O
the O
extenuating O
circumstances O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0407 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
US O
call O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Lebanon O
grappled O
with O
fresh O
political O
turmoil O
Tuesday B-T
as O
it O
mourned O
the O
killing O
of O
prominent O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
journalist O
and O
MP O
Gibran O
Tueni O
, O
while O
the O
United O
States O
ratcheted O
up O
the O
pressure O
on O
Damascus O
. O

On O
the O
eve O
of O
his O
funeral O
emotions O
ran O
high O
in O
downtown O
Beirut O
as O
hundreds O
of O
people O
massed O
outside O
the O
glass O
tower O
housing O
Tueni O
' O
s O
top O
- O
selling O
An O
- O
Nahar O
newspaper O
for O
the O
second O
night O
running O
to O
pay O
tribute O
to O
their O
hero O
. O

" O
Tueni O
is O
alive O
in O
us O
, O
" O
shouted O
the O
mostly O
young O
crowds O
after O
calls O
by O
the O
ruling O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
majority O
in O
parliament O
urging O
them O
to O
mobilise O
for O
a O
national O
funeral O
on O
Wednesday B-T
for O
the O
48 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
press O
magnate O
. O

The O
coalition O
, O
a O
cross O
- O
section O
of O
Muslim O
and O
Christian O
politicians O
, O
called O
for O
an O
emergency O
parliament O
session O
to O
debate O
the O
future O
of O
pro O
- O
Syrian O
President O
Emile O
Lahoud O
after O
blaming O
former O
powerbroker O
Damascus O
for O
Tueni O
' O
s O
killing O
. O

" O
We O
urge O
parliament O
to O
hold O
an O
emergency O
session O
to O
discuss O
the O
dangerous O
situation O
generated O
by O
the O
police O
state O
that O
prevails O
at O
the O
highest O
level O
, O
namely O
the O
head O
of O
state O
, O
" O
they O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

They O
accused O
Lahoud O
' O
s O
backers O
in O
Damascus O
, O
who O
pressed O
for O
a O
three O
- O
year O
extension O
of O
his O
mandate O
in O
September B-T
2004 I-T
, O
for O
the O
new O
bloodshed O
. O

" O
By O
assassinating O
Gibran O
Tueni O
, O
the O
Syrian O
regime O
. O
. O
. O
has O
renewed O
its O
war O
on O
Lebanon O
. O
" O

Tueni O
was O
killed O
in O
a O
massive O
car O
bomb O
blast O
Monday B-T
just O
a O
day O
after O
his O
return O
from O
France O
where O
he O
had O
been O
spending O
time O
for O
fear O
of O
an O
attempt O
on O
his O
life O
, O
and O
302 O
days O
after O
the O
assassination O
of O
former O
billionaire O
prime O
minister O
Rafiq O
Hariri O
. O

The O
United O
States O
, O
which O
has O
joined O
world O
condemnation O
of O
the O
murder O
, O
on O
Tuesday B-T
urged O
the O
United O
Nations O
to O
turn O
the O
heat O
on O
Damascus O
. O

" O
We O
believe O
it O
' O
s O
important O
, O
when O
the O
Security O
Council O
discusses O
this O
report O
, O
that O
they O
continue O
to O
keep O
the O
pressure O
, O
and O
increase O
the O
pressure O
, O
on O
Syria O
, O
" O
White O
House O
spokesman O
Scott O
McClellan O
told O
reporters O
. O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
was O
set O
to O
examine O
the O
second O
report O
in O
two B-T
months I-T
released O
by O
German O
magistrate O
Detlev O
Mehlis O
on O
the O
Hariri O
murder O
, O
after O
investigators O
heard O
testimony O
from O
five O
senior O
Syrian O
officials O
. O

The O
latest O
report O
said O
there O
was O
fresh O
evidence O
further O
implicating O
senior O
Syrian O
and O
Lebanese O
officers O
in O
the O
Beirut O
bomb O
blast O
that O
killed O
Hariri O
. O

The O
government O
also O
faced O
political O
divisions O
after O
five O
ministers O
from O
Shiite O
groups O
loyal O
to O
Damascus O
refused O
to O
join O
a O
vote O
calling O
for O
an O
international O
probe O
into O
the O
wave O
of O
bombings O
and O
assassinations O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Fuad O
Siniora O
struggled O
to O
form O
his O
24 O
- O
member O
cabinet O
in O
July B-T
- O
- O
the O
first O
elected O
government O
since O
Syria O
pulled O
its O
last O
troops O
from O
Lebanon O
in O
April B-T
under O
intense O
domestic O
and O
international O
pressure O
. O

It O
includes O
ministers O
from O
the O
Shiite O
movements O
Amal O
and O
Hezbollah O
- O
- O
a O
fundamentalist O
group O
with O
its O
own O
guerrillas O
that O
Washington O
regards O
as O
a O
terrorist O
organization O
- O
- O
that O
wield O
large O
grassroot O
support O
across O
Lebanon O
. O

Their O
support O
for O
the O
government O
is O
necessary O
to O
maintain O
the O
fragile O
coalition O
and O
has O
prompted O
calls O
from O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
politicians O
on O
Amal O
and O
Hezbollah O
ministers O
to O
reconsider O
their O
decision O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
Lebanese O
unity O
. O

But O
pro O
- O
Hezbollah O
Foreign O
Minister O
Fawzi O
Salloukh O
already O
put O
the O
decision O
into O
action O
by O
failing O
to O
show O
up O
at O
his O
office O
Tuesday B-T
and O
cancelling O
a O
meeting O
with O
a O
top O
UN O
official O
. O

Tueni O
was O
instrumental O
in O
the O
campaign O
to O
end O
30 B-T
years I-T
of O
Syrian O
political O
and O
military O
domination O
of O
Lebanon O
and O
has O
been O
hailed O
as O
a O
" O
martyr O
" O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
fragile O
regained O
independence O
. O

Thousands O
of O
tearful O
and O
defiant O
mourners O
filed O
into O
St O
Nicholas O
Church O
in O
the O
Christian O
neighborhood O
of O
Ashrafiyeh O
to O
offer O
their O
condolences O
to O
Tueni O
' O
s O
father O
, O
Ghassan O
, O
a O
respected O
former O
cabinet O
minister O
and O
veteran O
diplomat O
, O
and O
his O
widow O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
doubt O
that O
Syria O
is O
behind O
all O
the O
crimes O
committed O
in O
Lebanon O
( O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
year I-T
) O
to O
impose O
anew O
its O
domination O
over O
the O
country O
, O
" O
said O
22 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
law O
student O
Nayla O
Anid O
. O

Israeli O
Defence O
Minister O
Shaul O
Mofaz O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
warned O
that O
Syria O
could O
try O
to O
stir O
up O
tension O
on O
the O
Lebanon O
- O
Israel O
border O
to O
divert O
attention O
from O
the O
Hariri O
probe O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0456 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Overseas O
Hong O
Kong O
people O
need O
not O
rush O
home O
before O
handover O
: O
China O

China O
has O
told O
Hong O
Kong O
people O
living O
abroad O
with O
foreign O
passports O
they O
need O
not O
race O
home O
before O
the O
transfer O
of O
power O
on O
July B-T
1 I-T
to O
retain O
permanent O
residency O
in O
the O
territory O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
China O
' O
s O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
Macau O
Affairs O
Office O
said O
emigrants O
who O
have O
taken O
foreign O
nationality O
would O
be O
able O
to O
retain O
their O
permanent O
residency O
if O
they O
return O
to O
the O
territory O
within O
18 B-T
months I-T
of O
the O
handover O
. O

Those O
who O
reside O
in O
, O
or O
return O
to O
, O
the O
territory O
before O
July B-T
1 I-T
would O
also O
be O
granted O
right O
of O
abode O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
released O
through O
the O
official O
Xinhua O
news O
agency O
late B-T
Sunday I-T
. O

The O
Chinese O
government O
hoped O
that O
the O
future O
government O
of O
the O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
( O
SAR O
) O
, O
as O
Hong O
Kong O
will O
be O
known O
under O
Chinese O
rule O
, O
would O
work O
out O
detailed O
regulations O
" O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
" O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

China O
has O
been O
seeking O
Britain O
' O
s O
opinion O
on O
the O
subject O
, O
he O
added O
. O

The O
question O
of O
right O
of O
abode O
has O
been O
on O
the O
agenda O
of O
the O
Sino O
- O
British O
Joint O
Liaison O
Group O
for O
some O
time O
. O
But O
last B-T
month I-T
a O
meeting O
of O
the O
body O
, O
a O
joint O
forum O
to O
discuss O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
transitional O
matters O
, O
failed O
to O
reach O
agreement O
on O
the O
subject O
. O

The O
statement O
followed O
similar O
comments O
by O
Wang O
Fengchao O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
Macau O
Affairs O
Office O
, O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
on O
April B-T
4 I-T
. O

During O
a O
visit O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Wang O
attempted O
to O
answer O
questions O
about O
the O
thorny O
issue O
of O
nationality O
. O

Wang O
said O
these O
" O
back O
- O
flow O
immigrants O
" O
would O
enjoy O
right O
of O
abode O
" O
no O
matter O
when O
they O
return O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
. O
" O

That O
would O
be O
the O
case O
as O
long O
as O
these O
people O
do O
not O
declare O
that O
they O
are O
foreign O
nationals O
to O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
immigration O
department O
, O
he O
added O
. O

China O
does O
not O
accept O
the O
concept O
of O
dual O
nationality O
for O
its O
nationals O
, O
but O
has O
said O
Hong O
Kong O
Chinese O
who O
hold O
foreign O
passports O
may O
retain O
them O
for O
use O
merely O
as O
travel O
documents O
. O

Foreigners O
who O
had O
been O
previously O
living O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
could O
assert O
their O
right O
of O
abode O
, O
provided O
they O
do O
so O
within O
a O
" O
set O
time O
limit O
" O
after O
the O
handover O
, O
Wang O
said O
. O
The O
time O
limit O
would O
be O
set O
by O
the O
future O
SAR O
government O
, O
he O
said O
. O

There O
were O
fears O
that O
Hong O
Kong O
people O
currently O
working O
or O
studying O
abroad O
would O
have O
to O
rush O
back O
before O
the O
July B-T
1 I-T
handover O
or O
risk O
losing O
their O
right O
of O
abode O
. O

This O
highly O
prized O
status O
allows O
them O
to O
live O
and O
work O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
without O
a O
work O
permit O
. O

Wang O
warned O
, O
however O
, O
that O
China O
refused O
to O
recognise O
foreign O
passports O
held O
by O
Hongkongers O
who O
had O
not O
declared O
foreign O
citizenship O
. O

Millions O
of O
Hongkongers O
have O
foreign O
passports O
, O
many O
of O
them O
acquired O
secretly O
to O
provide O
the O
holder O
with O
an O
escape O
route O
if O
the O
handover O
goes O
wrong O
. O

Wang O
said O
that O
such O
passports O
could O
not O
be O
used O
for O
gaining O
consular O
protection O
if O
the O
holder O
ran O
foul O
of O
the O
law O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
or O
mainland O
China O
. O

These O
rules O
also O
apply O
to O
local O
residents O
who O
hold O
British O
passports O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Around O
half O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
6 O
. O
4 O
million O
population O
have O
British O
National O
Overseas O
passports O
, O
which O
can O
be O
used O
for O
visa O
- O
free O
travel O
but O
specifically O
refuse O
the O
holder O
the O
right O
of O
abode O
in O
Britain O
. O

Another O
50 O
, O
000 O
heads O
of O
household O
and O
their O
families O
were O
granted O
full O
British O
passports O
under O
a O
nationality O
scheme O
designed O
as O
a O
safety O
net O
for O
key O
Hong O
Kong O
professionals O
, O
introduced O
after O
China O
' O
s O
1989 O
crackdown O
on O
pro O
- O
democracy O
activists O
in O
Tiananmen O
Square O
. O

Even O
those O
with O
the O
full O
British O
passports O
will O
not O
be O
considered O
British O
by O
Chinese O
authorities O
, O
Wang O
said O
. O

Wang O
stressed O
that O
, O
in O
China O
' O
s O
eyes O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
residents O
cannot O
declare O
" O
a O
change O
of O
nationality O
" O
by O
holding O
any O
British O
passport O
, O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0299 O

BELGRADE O
, O
Serbia O
- O
Montenegro O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Serbia O
registers O
6 O
. O
1 O
percent O
GDP O
growth O
in O
first O
half O
2005 O

Serbia O
registered O
a O
6 O
. O
1 O
- O
percent O
growth O
of O
the O
Gross O
Domestic O
Product O
( O
GDP O
) O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
against O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
a O
government O
official O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
GDP O
growth O
was O
primarily O
a O
result O
of O
a O
major O
growth O
of O
retail O
trade O
and O
wholesale O
, O
mobile O
telephony O
and O
the O
financial O
sector O
, O
said O
Andra O
Milojic O
, O
assistant O
director O
of O
the O
Serbian O
Statistics O
Bureau O
. O

In O
2004 B-T
, O
Serbia O
' O
s O
GDP O
rose O
9 O
. O
3 O
percent O
in O
fixed O
prices O
( O
starting O
year B-T
2002 I-T
) O
to O
1300 O
billion O
dinars O
( O
26 O
. O
5 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

In O
fixed O
prices O
, O
GDP O
represents O
a O
sum O
of O
gross O
added O
values O
at O
the O
sectoral O
level O
within O
the O
classification O
of O
activities O
calculated O
in O
fixed O
prices O
, O
plus O
taxes O
and O
minus O
product O
subsidies O
in O
fixed O
prices O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0218 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
open O
lower O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
opened O
lower O
on O
Wednesday B-T
as O
America O
' O
s O
midterm O
election O
results O
became O
known O
. O

In O
the O
opening O
trading O
, O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
was O
down O
15 O
. O
80 O
, O
to O
12 O
, O
140 O
. O
97 O
. O
The O
Standard O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
lost O
0 O
. O
34 O
to O
1 O
, O
382 O
. O
50 O
, O
and O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
fell O
11 O
. O
96 O
to O
2 O
, O
363 O
. O
92 O
. O

Crude O
oil O
prices O
rose O
slightly O
on O
Wednesday B-T
amid O
supply O
concerns O
in O
Nigeria O
, O
the O
largest O
African O
oil O
producer O
. O

While O
the O
Democrats O
won O
control O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
12 B-T
years I-T
in O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
mid O
- O
term O
legislative O
elections O
, O
the O
Senate O
race O
is O
still O
too O
close O
to O
call O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0017 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0017 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Amdahl O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Computer O
Firm O
' O
s O
Earnings O

@ O
Fell O
37 O
% O
in O
Third O
Quarter O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

AMH O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

COMPUTERS O
AND O
INFORMATION O
TECHNOLOGY O
( O
CPR O
) O

Amdahl O
Corp O
. O
, O
a O
maker O
of O
mainframe O
computers O
, O
reported O
a O
sharp O
decline O
in O
net O
income O
for O
its O
third B-T
quarter I-T
, O
citing O
pricecutting O
by O
competitors O
and O
adverse O
effects O
from O
a O
strong O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
. O

Net O
income O
fell O
37 O
% O
to O
$ O
32 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
30 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
52 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
48 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
ago I-T
period I-T
. O

Revenue O
rose O
15 O
% O
to O
$ O
534 O
. O
3 O
million O
from O
$ O
464 O
. O
7 O
million O
. O

Amdahl O
' O
s O
results O
were O
somewhat O
worse O
than O
expected O
. O

Jay O
Stevens O
, O
an O
analyst O
with O
Dean O
Witter O
Reynolds O
, O
said O
he O
expected O
the O
Sunnyvale O
, O
Calif O
. O
, O
company O
to O
earn O
35 O
cents O
a O
share O
for O
the B-T
quarter I-T
and O
said O
the O
firm O
' O
s O
weaker O
profit O
was O
partly O
the O
result O
of O
increased O
competition O
from O
International O
Business O
Machines O
Corp O
. O
, O
Amdahl O
' O
s O
principal O
competitor O
for O
mainframe O
sales O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0291 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
acknowledges O
key O
al O
Qaeda O
member O
' O
s O
escape O
from O
Afghani O
prison O

The O
US O
military O
on O
Wednesday B-T
acknowledged O
that O
a O
top O
al O
Qaeda O
member O
escaped O
from O
a O
US O
detention O
facility O
in O
Afghanistan O
in O
the B-T
late I-T
summer I-T
. O

Omar O
al O
- O
Faruq O
, O
one O
of O
the O
top O
aides O
of O
al O
Qaeda O
leader O
Osama O
bin O
Laden O
, O
were O
among O
four O
captives O
ran O
away O
from O
the O
US O
prison O
in O
Bagram O
Air O
Base O
in O
Afghanistan O
in O
July B-T
, O
Jean O
Offutt O
, O
a O
US O
military O
spokeswoman O
at O
Fort O
Bliss O
, O
Texas O
, O
confirmed O
. O

His O
escape O
has O
been O
kept O
in O
secret O
by O
the O
US O
military O
until O
Tuesday B-T
when O
military O
prosecutors O
said O
they O
were O
unable O
to O
bring O
al O
- O
Farouq O
to O
a O
trial O
of O
a O
prisoner O
abuse O
case O
in O
Afghanistan O
at O
Fort O
Bliss O
as O
a O
witness O
. O

Offutt O
said O
the O
US O
military O
have O
beefed O
up O
security O
at O
Bagram O
since O
the O
escape O
, O
but O
gave O
no O
explanation O
for O
why O
the O
US O
military O
had O
been O
hiding O
the O
information O
for O
so O
long O
. O

Omar O
al O
- O
Farouq O
, O
a O
Kuwaiti O
national O
, O
was O
believed O
to O
be O
a O
senior O
lieutenant O
of O
Osama O
bin O
Laden O
and O
a O
top O
global O
operative O
for O
al O
Qaeda O
. O

In O
1998 B-T
, O
he O
was O
sent O
to O
Southeast O
Asia O
by O
Osama O
bin O
Laden O
to O
expand O
al O
Qaeda O
' O
s O
operations O
in O
the O
region O
and O
has O
been O
implicated O
in O
several O
bomb O
attacks O
in O
Indonesia O
. O

He O
was O
captured O
in O
Indonesia O
in O
2002 B-T
and O
turned O
over O
to O
US O
authorities O
. O

The O
Bagram O
prison O
detains O
hundreds O
of O
terror O
suspects O
since O
US O
forces O
overthrew O
the O
Taliban O
regime O
in O
late B-T
2001 I-T
, O
including O
several O
senior O
al O
Qaeda O
members O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0225 O

CAIRO O
, O
Dec B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Egypt O
reports O
two O
new O
human O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O

Two O
Egyptians O
were O
taken O
to O
hospital O
Saturday O
after O
testing O
positive O
for O
the O
deadly O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
the O
central O
Nile O
delta O
region O
, O
the O
health O
ministry O
said O
. O

The O
latest O
cases O
brings O
to O
17 O
the O
total O
number O
of O
Egyptians O
infected O
, O
including O
seven O
who O
were O
killed O
by O
the O
virus O
. O

The O
two O
Egyptians O
from O
the O
village O
of O
Hanut O
in O
the O
Gharbiya O
governorate O
contracted O
the O
disease O
after O
coming O
into O
contact O
with O
infected O
ducks O
they O
had O
been O
rearing O
in O
their O
homes O
, O
according O
to O
a O
ministry O
statement O
carried O
by O
the O
official O
MENA O
agency O
. O

All O
the O
birds O
in O
the O
house O
and O
in O
neighbouring O
homes O
were O
slaughtered O
and O
the O
area O
disinfected O
, O
MENA O
said O
. O

Egypt O
- O
- O
the O
Arab O
world O
' O
s O
most O
populous O
state O
- O
- O
is O
on O
a O
major O
route O
for O
migratory O
birds O
and O
has O
seen O
the O
third O
highest O
number O
of O
H5N1 O
cases O
after O
Indonesia O
and O
China O
according O
to O
Dr O
David O
Nabarro O
, O
the O
UN O
official O
charged O
with O
battling O
bird O
flu O
. O

The O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
bird O
flu O
was O
first O
diagnosed O
in O
birds O
in O
Egypt O
in O
February O
, O
and O
the O
first O
case O
in O
humans O
was O
announced O
on O
March B-T
18 I-T
. O

In O
its O
most O
aggressive O
form O
, O
the O
H5N1 O
strain O
has O
killed O
154 O
people O
worldwide O
, O
according O
to O
the O
World O
Health O
Organisation O
( O
WHO O
) O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0285 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Pakistan O
' O
s O
airports O
on O
" O
high O
vigilance O
" O
for O
terror O
threat O

Pakistan O
has O
placed O
two O
airports O
in O
southwest O
Balochistan O
province O
on O
red O
alert O
and O
the O
remaining O
34 O
airports O
on O
the O
state O
of O
high O
vigilance O
following O
intelligence O
reports O
about O
threats O
of O
terrorist O
attacks O
, O
the O
local O
newspaper O
Dawn O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
red O
alert O
put O
on O
the O
airports O
in O
the O
provincial O
capital O
Quetta O
and O
Gwadar O
indicates O
a O
high O
risk O
of O
terror O
attacks O
, O
a O
security O
source O
said O
. O

The O
alert O
was O
raised O
to O
" O
red O
" O
after O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
terrorist O
attack O
on O
an O
army O
training O
camp O
in O
Dargai O
which O
left O
42 O
soldiers O
dead O
, O
sending O
a O
wave O
of O
panic O
throughout O
the O
country O
. O

A O
senior O
official O
of O
the O
Airport O
Security O
Force O
( O
ASF O
) O
said O
the O
" O
high O
vigilance O
" O
level O
was O
between O
the O
levels O
of O
" O
red O
and O
high O
alert O
" O
. O

Because O
of O
the O
state O
of O
" O
high O
vigilance O
" O
, O
all O
passes O
have O
been O
canceled O
and O
security O
checks O
have O
been O
strengthened O
at O
all O
airports O
, O
including O
the O
Islamabad O
International O
Airport O
. O

Vehicles O
entering O
the O
airport O
' O
s O
premises O
are O
being O
screened O
by O
security O
personnel O
and O
passengers O
and O
other O
people O
are O
being O
closely O
watched O
. O

The O
high O
alert O
was O
announced O
by O
the O
federal O
government O
following O
reports O
that O
five O
terrorists O
considered O
to O
be O
accomplices O
of O
the O
Dargai O
suicide O
bomber O
, O
were O
out O
to O
strike O
" O
somewhere O
in O
the O
country O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061216 O
. O
0426 O

GAZA O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Clashes O
between O
Hamas O
and O
Fatah O
members O
in O
Gaza O

Supporters O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
ruling O
party O
Hamas O
clashed O
Sunday B-T
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
with O
members O
of O
the O
presidential O
guard O
loyal O
to O
Fatah O
- O
backed O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
, O
witnesses O
and O
security O
officials O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0108 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

False O
fire O
alarm O
at O
Japan O
' O
s O
troubled O
nuclear O
plant O

A O
false O
fire O
alarm O
went O
off O
at O
a O
state O
- O
run O
nuclear O
fuel O
reprocessing O
plant O
northeast O
of O
Tokyo O
Saturday O
, O
nearly B-T
four I-T
weeks I-T
after O
it O
leaked O
radioactive O
substances O
following O
a O
fire O
and O
explosion O
. O

The O
alarm O
sounded O
at O
about O
noon O
at O
a O
facility O
for O
mixing O
nuclear O
waste O
with O
asphalt O
at O
the O
plant O
in O
Tokai O
Mura O
, O
about O
115 O
kilometres O
( O
70 O
miles O
) O
from O
Tokyo O
, O
the O
Power O
Reactor O
and O
Nuclear O
Fuel O
Development O
Corp O
. O
( O
Donen O
) O
said O
. O

No O
smoke O
or O
fire O
was O
detected O
as O
Donen O
officials O
checked O
the O
facility O
. O
There O
were O
no O
signs O
of O
a O
fire O
on O
video O
recordings O
by O
surveillance O
cameras O
nor O
was O
there O
a O
rise O
in O
the O
temperature O
or O
abnormal O
radioactive O
emission O
. O

The O
cause O
of O
the O
false O
alarm O
was O
being O
investigated O
, O
the O
officials O
said O
. O

On O
March B-T
11 I-T
, O
a O
total O
of O
37 O
workers O
were O
exposed O
to O
low O
- O
level O
radiation O
following O
the O
fire O
and O
blast O
at O
the O
facility O
, O
in O
what O
was O
labeled O
Japan O
' O
s O
worst O
nuclear O
accident O
in O
terms O
of O
people O
affected O
. O

At O
the O
facility O
, O
liquid O
nuclear O
waste O
is O
immobilized O
by O
dehydration O
and O
mixed O
with O
asphalt O
. O
The O
treated O
substance O
is O
then O
packed O
into O
drums O
. O

A O
press O
report O
said O
the O
reprocessing O
plant O
would O
remain O
shut O
until O
at O
least O
2001 O
as O
Donen O
needs O
time O
to O
incorporate O
new O
reprocessing O
technology O
for O
radioactive O
waste O
, O
the O
Kyodo O
news O
agency O
said O
. O

The O
long O
- O
term O
closure O
of O
the O
facility O
deals O
a O
heavy O
blow O
to O
Donen O
because O
reprocessing O
spent O
nuclear O
fuel O
is O
a O
major O
source O
of O
income O
for O
the O
state O
- O
run O
company O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0267 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Everton O
seek O
action O
against O
Mourinho O
over O
Johnson O
diving O
' O
smear O
' O

Everton O
have O
decided O
to O
file O
a O
formal O
complaint O
to O
the O
Football O
Association O
over O
what O
they O
regard O
as O
a O
defamatory O
attack O
on O
striker O
Andy O
Johnson O
by O
Chelsea O
boss O
Jose O
Mourinho O
. O

The O
Merseyside O
club O
have O
already O
indicated O
that O
they O
are O
considering O
legal O
action O
over O
Mourinho O
' O
s O
criticism O
of O
Johnson O
' O
s O
alleged O
diving O
, O
which O
he O
made O
after O
Chelsea O
' O
s O
3 O
- O
2 O
win O
at O
Goodison O
Park O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Mourinho O
was O
enraged O
by O
an O
incident O
in O
which O
Johnson O
jumped O
over O
Chelsea O
goalkeeper O
Hilario O
as O
they O
both O
went O
for O
the O
ball O
and O
tumbled O
after O
landing O
. O

" O
He O
' O
s O
dangerous O
for O
the O
opponents O
because O
you O
cannot O
trust O
him O
, O
" O
Mourinho O
said O
of O
Johnson O
. O

That O
infuriated O
Everton O
manager O
David O
Moyes O
, O
who O
argued O
that O
his O
forward O
had O
been O
taking O
evasive O
action O
to O
ensure O
he O
did O
not O
clatter O
into O
the O
goalkeeper O
. O

Everton O
had O
called O
on O
Mourinho O
to O
retract O
his O
remarks O
but O
the O
lack O
of O
a O
response O
from O
Stamford O
Bridge O
prompted O
them O
to O
make O
things O
official O
with O
spokesman O
Ian O
Ross O
confirming O
: O
" O
We O
will O
now B-T
make O
a O
formal O
complaint O
to O
the O
FA O
over O
Jose O
Mourinho O
' O
s O
remarks O
regarding O
Andrew O
Johnson O
. O
" O

Everton O
' O
s O
move O
means O
the O
FA O
will O
have O
to O
review O
Mourinho O
' O
s O
post O
- O
match O
interviews O
and O
decide O
whether O
he O
has O
a O
disciplinary O
case O
to O
answer O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0133 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
' O
s O
Xu O
Kun O
wins O
men O
' O
s O
50m O
Pistol O
gold O

Xu O
Kun O
of O
China O
won O
the O
Asian O
Games O
men O
' O
s O
50m O
Pistol O
individual O
gold O
medal O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
even O
as O
team O
- O
mate O
and O
world O
number O
two O
Tan O
Zongliang O
struggled O
to O
finish O
fifth O
. O

Rashid O
Yunusmetov O
of O
Kazakhstan O
took O
the O
silver O
and O
Kim O
Jong O
Su O
of O
North O
Korea O
the O
bronze O
at O
the O
Lusail O
ranges O
. O

China O
had O
also O
won O
the O
team O
event O
in O
the O
same O
competition O
earlier O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
now B-T
have O
14 O
gold O
medals O
from O
the O
20 O
shooting O
events O
contested O
so O
far O
. O

Tan O
' O
s O
hopes O
of O
winning O
a O
third O
gold O
medal O
in O
Doha O
after O
securing O
the O
10m O
Air O
Pistol O
team O
and O
individual O
titles O
evaporated O
after O
he O
shot O
poorly O
in O
the O
second O
round O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061210 O
. O
0512 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Marius O
Schattner O

Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
will O
seek O
to O
bolster O
European O
support O
for O
Israel O
during O
a O
trip O
to O
Berlin O
and O
Rome O
this O
week O
amid O
fears O
here O
that O
the O
United O
States O
, O
its O
main O
ally O
, O
may O
soon O
shift O
course O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
. O

Olmert O
will O
meet O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
in O
Berlin O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
his O
Italian O
counterpart O
Romano O
Prodi O
the O
following O
day O
in O
Rome O
. O

It O
is O
Olmert O
' O
s O
first O
visit O
to O
the O
two O
countries O
since O
taking O
office O
last B-T
May I-T
. O
Following O
his O
meeting O
with O
Prodi O
, O
Olmert O
is O
to O
be O
received O
at O
the O
Vatican O
by O
Pope O
Benedict O
XVI O
. O

Israel O
is O
ready O
to O
recognize O
a O
" O
European O
role O
" O
in O
reviving O
the O
peace O
process O
- O
- O
dormant O
for O
six B-T
years I-T
since O
the O
outbreak O
of O
the O
second O
Palestinian O
intifada O
- O
- O
provided O
Europe O
continues O
to O
boycott O
the O
Hamas O
- O
led O
Palestinian O
government O
, O
Olmert O
spokeswoman O
Miri O
Eisin O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
Germany O
, O
Italy O
and O
Europe O
in O
general O
have O
a O
role O
to O
play O
to O
advance O
the O
peace O
process O
, O
" O
Eisin O
said O
. O
" O
But O
there O
cannot O
be O
any O
recognition O
of O
the O
Hamas O
government O
as O
long O
as O
this O
movement O
does O
not O
recognize O
Israel O
and O
does O
not O
give O
up O
its O
mission O
to O
destroy O
it O
. O
" O

The O
so O
- O
called O
Middle O
East O
Quartet O
- O
- O
composed O
of O
the O
EU O
, O
United O
States O
, O
Russia O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
- O
- O
has O
demanded O
that O
Hamas O
renounce O
violence O
, O
recognize O
Israel O
and O
agree O
to O
abide O
by O
past O
peace O
deals O
, O
before O
resuming O
direct O
aid O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
government O
. O

Another O
senior O
Israel O
official O
, O
speaking O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
, O
said O
Olmert O
would O
ask O
Berlin O
and O
Rome O
" O
to O
stand O
against O
trivial O
peace O
initiatives O
, O
" O
a O
veiled O
reference O
to O
a O
recent O
proposal O
by O
Spanish O
Prime O
Minister O
Jose O
Luis O
Rodriguez O
Zapatero O
. O

That O
initiative O
, O
which O
was O
not O
well O
received O
by O
Israel O
, O
called O
for O
an O
immediate O
suspension O
of O
violence O
between O
Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
a O
prisoner O
exchange O
and O
an O
international O
peace O
conference O
. O

Eisin O
said O
Olmert O
will O
ask O
the O
European O
heavyweights O
to O
back O
economic O
sanctions O
against O
Iran O
if O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
continues O
its O
nuclear O
program O
, O
which O
Tehran O
says O
is O
for O
civilian O
purposes O
but O
which O
the O
West O
fears O
is O
a O
cover O
for O
atomic O
weapons O
ambitions O
. O

Israel O
, O
widely O
considered O
the O
Middle O
East O
' O
s O
sole O
if O
undeclared O
nuclear O
power O
, O
considers O
Iran O
its O
arch O
- O
foe O
because O
of O
repeated O
statements O
by O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
that O
the O
Jewish O
state O
should O
be O
wiped O
off O
the O
map O
. O

Italy O
is O
due O
to O
take O
over O
in O
February B-T
the O
leadership O
of O
the O
UN O
peacekeeping O
force O
in O
Lebanon O
, O
which O
was O
beefed O
up O
after O
the O
34 O
- O
day O
war O
between O
Israel O
and O
Hezbollah O
in O
July B-T
and O
August B-T
. O

As O
part O
of O
the O
UN O
force O
, O
German O
navy O
ships O
have O
been O
patrolling O
the O
Lebanese O
coast O
to O
prevent O
any O
arms O
smuggling O
into O
the O
country O
. O

Olmert O
' O
s O
trip O
comes O
on O
the O
heels O
of O
an O
influential O
US O
report O
that O
urged O
Washington O
to O
boost O
its O
efforts O
to O
resolve O
the O
Arab O
- O
Israeli O
conflict O
, O
saying O
it O
was O
key O
to O
achieving O
American O
goals O
in O
the O
region O
, O
including O
Iraq O
. O

Olmert O
has O
rejected O
the O
link O
, O
but O
the O
report O
has O
raised O
fears O
that O
the O
Jewish O
state O
' O
s O
main O
and O
most O
powerful O
ally O
could O
change O
direction O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
as O
a O
result O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0086 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

UBS O
Hong O
Kong O
Open O
champion O
Colin O
Montgomerie O
did O
his O
best O
to O
console O
a O
tearful O
James O
Kingston O
on O
Sunday B-T
after O
the O
South O
African O
threw O
away O
a O
one O
- O
shot O
lead O
on O
the O
last O
hole O
. O

" O
I O
must O
say O
that O
everyone O
' O
s O
heart O
goes O
out O
to O
James O
Kingston O
there O
, O
" O
said O
the O
eight O
- O
time O
European O
Order O
of O
Merit O
winner O
, O
who O
carded O
rounds O
of O
of O
69 B-T
, I-T
66 I-T
, O
66 B-T
and O
70 O
to O
win O
by O
a O
shot O
after O
Kingston O
' O
s O
double O
- O
bogey O
on O
18 O
. O

" O
That O
should O
have O
been O
a O
play O
- O
off O
at O
worst O
to O
be O
honest O
and O
then O
we O
would O
have O
had O
more O
drama O
coming O
down O
that O
last O
hole O
. O

" O
We O
all O
feel O
for O
him O
. O
Every O
golfer O
who O
plays O
the O
game O
feels O
for O
someone O
who O
doubles O
the O
last O
to O
lose O
. O
It O
has O
happened O
before O
and O
unfortunately O
it O
will O
happen O
again O
but O
on O
this O
occasion O
I O
am O
glad O
that O
I O
managed O
to O
take O
the O
spoils O
after O
that O
. O
" O

' O
Monty O
' O
birdied O
four O
, O
10 B-T
and O
14 B-T
but O
bogeyed O
11 O
to O
be O
one O
shot O
back O
from O
Kingston O
, O
who O
was O
10 O
under O
par O
and O
leading O
by O
a O
shot O
until O
the O
final O
hole O
. O

It O
was O
Kingston O
' O
s O
second O
meltdown O
in O
as O
many O
years O
on O
the O
same O
hole O
after O
he O
bogeyed O
the O
last O
in O
2004 B-T
to O
finish O
joint O
second O
behind O
Miguel O
Angel O
Jimenez O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
amazing O
, O
five O
minutes O
afterwards O
he O
put O
his O
arm O
around O
me O
and O
said O
well O
done O
. O
He O
must O
have O
been O
nervous O
on O
the O
last O
hole O
- O
- O
it O
' O
s O
a O
very O
difficult O
hole O
, O
a O
very O
difficult O
drive O
and O
I O
think O
that O
' O
s O
what O
hurt O
him O
, O
" O
said O
Montgomerie O
. O

Montgomerie O
said O
he O
thought O
Kingston O
already O
had O
it O
won O
- O
- O
but O
he O
was O
delighted O
to O
have O
avoided O
a O
play O
- O
off O
. O

" O
He O
bogeyed O
16 O
but O
had O
par O
on O
17 O
so O
I O
was O
expecting O
to O
lose O
. O
I O
was O
expecting O
to O
congratulate O
the O
winner O
when O
he O
came O
in O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Scot O
, O
42 O
. O

" O
My O
play O
- O
off O
record O
is O
terrible O
so O
I O
was O
glad O
we O
didn O
' O
t O
have O
one O
. O
I O
' O
ve O
been O
in O
nine O
play O
- O
offs O
and O
I O
think O
I O
' O
ve O
only O
won O
one O
- O
- O
against O
Ernie O
Els O
in O
Sun O
City O
, O
so O
I O
hardly O
got O
out O
alive O
! O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0073 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

5th O
LD O
Writethru O
: O
Iranian O
military O
plane O
crashes O
, O
36 O
killed O
: O
TV O

An O
Iranian O
military O
aircraft O
Antonov O
- O
74 O
crashed O
at O
Tehran O
' O
s O
airport O
early B-T
Monday I-T
, O
killing O
36 O
people O
including O
30 O
members O
of O
the O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
, O
state O
television O

reported O
. O

Some O
30 O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
members O
and O
six O
crews O
on O
board O
were O
killed O
, O
and O
another O
two O
had O
survived O
and O
were O
immediately O
hospitalized O
, O
a O
statement O
by O
the O
force O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
and O
corrected O
previous O
casualty O
number O
. O

Earlier O
, O
the O
television O
had O
said O
the O
number O
of O
victims O
was O
38 O
. O

However O
, O
Gen O
. O
Eskandar O
Moemeni O
, O
a O
deputy O
police O
chief O
, O
told O
reporters O
that O
the O
death O
toll O
had O
increased O
to O
39 O
after O
three O
wounded O
people O
died O
in O
the O
hospital O
. O

Due O
to O
the O
chaos O
of O
statistic O
among O
different O
units O
, O
it O
' O
s O
not O
immediately O
clear O
which O
number O
was O
correct O
. O

The O
Antonov O
- O
74 O
plane O
, O
belonging O
to O
the O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
, O
crashed O
shortly O
after O
taking O
off O
from O
Mehrabad O
airport O
, O
said O
the O
television O
. O

The O
plane O
was O
heading O
toward O
Shiraz O
in O
the O
south O
of O
Iran O
when O
the O
disaster O
took O
place O
, O
it O
said O
. O

According O
to O
a O
detailed O
report O
from O
local O
Fars O
news O
agency O
, O
Reza O
Jafarzadeh O
, O
the O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Iranian O
civil O
aviation O
organization O
, O
said O
the O
plane O
" O
crash O
at O
the O
end O
of O
runway O
at O
7 O
: O
30 O
local O
time O
( O
0400 O
GMT O
) O
. O
" O

From O
the O
latest O
report O
of O
the O
official O
IRNA O
news O
agency O
, O
a O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
source O
said O
the O
plane O
caught O
fire O
in O
one O
of O
its O
engines O
immediately O
after O
leaving O
the O
runway O
. O

The O
television O
report O
said O
some O
high O
- O
ranking O
officers O
of O
the O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
were O
among O
the O
dead O
, O
but O
the O
IRNA O
, O
citing O
the O

Revolutionary O
Guards O
source O
, O
said O
the O
plane O
carried O
no O
military O
commander O
. O

For O
the B-T
recent I-T
years I-T
, O
Iran O
has O
witnessed O
a O
high O
rate O
of O
air O
crashes O
due O
to O
lack O
of O
spare O
parts O
and O
inadequate O
maintenance O
of O
aircraft O
. O

An O
Iranian O
C O
- O
130 O
aircraft O
, O
bound O
for O
the O
Gulf O
seaport O
city O
of O
Bandar O
Abbas O
, O
crashed O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
, O
in O
a O
residential O
area O
and O
hit O
a O
10 O
- O
story O
apartment O
block O
, O
killing O
108 O
people O
. O

On O
Jan B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, O
a O
small O
Falcon O
jet O
of O
the O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
crashed O
in O
Iran O
' O
s O
northwestern O
border O
province O
of O
West O
Azarbaijan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0321 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Los O
Angeles O
investors O
bid O
on O
major O
U O
. O
S O
. O
media O
group O

Two O
Los O
Angeles O
investors O
submitted O
a O
bid O
Wednesday B-T
to O
buy O
one O
of O
the O
largest O
media O
groups O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
which O
publishes O
major O
newspapers O
like O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Times O
, O
the O
Chicago O
Tribune O
and O
New O
York O
' O
s O
Newsday O
. O

Affiliates O
of O
Billionaire O
Eli O
Broad O
and O
prominent O
investor O
Ron O
Burkle O
' O
s O
companies O
" O
have O
submitted O
a O
competitive O
bid O
for O
acquisition O
of O
the O
entire O
Tribune O
company O
" O
, O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Times O
reported O
at O
its O
website O
, O
quoting O
a O
source O
familiar O
with O
the O
offer O
. O

How O
much O
the O
two O
businessmen O
would O
be O
willing O
to O
pay O
for O
the O
Chicago O
- O
based O
media O
company O
and O
the O
details O
about O
their O
offer O
remained O
unclear O
, O
but O
they O
have O
said O
for O
months O
that O
they O
wanted O
a O
local O
group O
to O
take O
control O
of O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Times O
, O
according O
to O
the O
newspaper O
. O

The O
offer O
came O
a O
day O
after O
it O
was O
reported O
that O
the O
Times O
' O
editor O
Dean O
Baquet O
would O
leave O
his O
post O
because O
of O
a O
long O
- O
standing O
dispute O
with O
the O
paper O
' O
s O
Chicago O
parent O
company O
over O
proposed O
staff O
reductions O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
famous O
Hollywood O
entertainment O
mogul O
David O
Geffen O
has O
also O
expressed O
interest O
in O
acquiring O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Times O
. O
Geffen O
was O
not O
known O
to O
have O
submitted O
an O
offer O
so O
far O
. O

All O
three O
of O
the O
potential O
buyers O
have O
said O
in O
the O
past O
that O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Times O
would O
benefit O
from O
their O
stewardship O
because O
they O
would O
be O
willing O
to O
accept O
lower O
profits O
and O
invest O
in O
news O
coverage O
. O

Tribune O
executives O
earlier O
said O
they O
preferred O
to O
keep O
the O
Times O
as O
part O
of O
their O
media O
conglomerate O
, O
which O
includes O
10 O
other O
daily O
newspapers O
and O
25 O
television O
stations O
across O
the O
company O
. O

However O
, O
the O
company O
last B-T
week I-T
opened O
itself O
to O
bids O
on O
individual O
newspapers O
after O
it O
received O
a O
series O
of O
low O
bids O
from O
several O
private O
equity O
firms O
for O
the O
company O
. O

Local O
groups O
and O
individuals O
have O
expressed O
interest O
in O
acquiring O
Tribune O
papers O
after O
the O
company O
announced O
in O
late B-T
September I-T
that O
it O
would O
seek O
a O
sale O
or O
breakup O
of O
the O
company O
. O

The O
company O
faces O
many O
of O
the O
challenges O
confronting O
the O
traditional O
media O
industry O
, O
as O
the O
circulation O
of O
newspapers O
has O
been O
on O
the O
decline O
and O
advertisers O
have O
been O
shifting O
their O
spending O
to O
the O
Internet O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0078 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Daewoo O
goes O
global O
with O
new O
models O
and O
stronger O
research O
team O
by O
Judy O
Lee O

South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Daewoo O
Motors O
Co O
. O
said O
Monday B-T
it O
would O
beef O
up O
its O
presence O
in O
the O
world O
market O
with O
three O
new O
passenger O
car O
models O
this B-T
year I-T
and O
more O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
to O
help O
it O
overcome O
domestic O
blues O
. O

" O
Daewoo O
' O
s O
strengthening O
globalization O
drive O
is O
in O
line O
with O
a O
worsening O
slump O
in O
the O
local O
market O
, O
" O
said O
a O
Daewoo O
spokesman O
, O
Kim O
Hyung O
- O
Soo O
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
third O
largest O
auto O
maker O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
Daewoo O
would O
double O
its O
research O
team O
, O
which O
now B-T
has O
5 O
, O
400 O
people O
worldwide O
, O
by O
2000 B-T
to O
better O
cope O
with O
rapid O
changes O
in O
consumer O
demand O
. O

The O
company O
runs O
auto O
design O
and O
technology O
centers O
in O
Britain O
and O
Germany O
. O

" O
Starting O
in O
western O
Europe O
, O
three O
new O
models O
would O
penetrate O
into O
60 O
countries O
worldwide O
from O
June B-T
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
three O
new O
entrants O
into O
the O
global O
market O
are O
Leganza O
with O
a O
2 O
, O
000 O
- O
cc O
engine O
, O
Nubira O
with O
engine O
capacities O
of O
1 O
, O
800 O
cc O
and O
1 O
, O
500 O
cc O
and O
Lanos O
with O
a O
1 O
, O
500 O
- O
cc O
engine O
. O

Daewoo O
plans O
to O
introduce O
two O
or O
three O
new O
models O
targetting O
the O
world O
market O
every B-T
year I-T
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
years I-T
, O
using O
" O
global O
sourcing O
, O
global O
technology O
and O
global O
testing O
, O
" O
the O
company O
said O
in O
the O
statement O
. O

Company O
officials O
declined O
to O
give O
futher O
details O
on O
the O
plans O
. O

Daewoo O
Motors O
, O
a O
flagship O
of O
Daewoo O
Business O
Group O
, O
chalked O
up O
a O
69 O
percent O
rise O
in O
exports O
last B-T
year I-T
in O
line O
with O
its O
push O
to O
expand O
production O
facilities O
and O
marketing O
overseas O
. O

The O
company O
shipped O
471 O
, O
104 O
vehicles O
abroad O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
compared O
with O
280 O
, O
508 O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
with O
exports O
to O
eastern O
Europe O
alone O
jumping O
242 O
percent O
in O
1996 B-T
. O

Thanks O
to O
brisk O
exports O
, O
Daewoo O
, O
unlike O
its O
stronger O
domestic O
rivals O
, O
posted O
an O
increase O
in O
net O
profits O
totalling O
51 O
. O
9 O
billion O
won O
( O
58 O
million O
dollars O
) O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
up O
from O
10 O
. O
5 O
billion O
won O
in O
1995 B-T
. O

Its O
estimated O
revenue O
for O
1996 B-T
amounted O
to O
4 O
. O
5 O
trillion O
won O
, O
up O
from O
3 O
. O
4 O
trillion O
won O
in O
the B-T
previous I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
company O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
largest O
auto O
maker O
, O
Hyundai O
Motor O
Co O
. O
saw O
its O
1996 O
net O
profit O
plunge O
45 O
percent O
to O
86 O
. O
8 O
billion O
won O
, O
while O
the O
second O
largest O
Kia O
Motors O
Corp O
. O
recorded O
a O
40 O
percent O
fall O
in O
net O
profit O
to O
7 O
. O
04 O
billion O
won O
. O

Their O
profit O
slumps O
were O
compounded O
by O
fierce O
price O
competiton O
in O
a O
shrinking O
domestic O
market O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

Daewoo O
, O
which O
is O
due O
to O
drum O
up O
its O
production O
capacity O
from O
the O
current O
1 O
. O
58 O
million O
units O
a B-T
year I-T
to O
two O
million O
units O
at O
home O
and O
abroad O
by O
2000 B-T
, O
predicted O
6 O
. O
8 O
trillion O
won O
in O
sales O
and O
70 O
billion O
won O
in O
net O
profit O
for O
1997 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0222 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

GM O
' O
s O
third O
quarter O
loss O
reduces O
to O
91 O
million O
dollars O

General O
Motors O
Corp O
. O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
it O
had O
made O
losses O
of O
91 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
the B-T
July I-T
- I-T
to I-T
- I-T
September I-T
quarter I-T
, O
24 O
million O
dollars O
less O
than O
previously O
estimated O
. O

On O
October B-T
25 I-T
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
biggest O
automaker O
reported O
a O
loss O
of O
115 O
million O
dollars O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

" O
The O
reduction O
in O
net O
loss O
is O
attributable O
to O
additional O
loan O
sales O
that O
had O
not O
been O
previously O
reported O
" O
by O
its O
financing O
arm O
General O
Motors O
Acceptance O
Corp O
. O
, O
the O
automaker O
said O
in O
a O
filing O
with O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Securities O
and O
Exchange O
Commission O
. O

The O
automaker O
' O
s O
third B-T
quarter I-T
loss O
amounted O
to O
16 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
a O
loss O
of O
1 O
. O
66 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
or O
2 O
. O
94 O
dollars O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the B-T
same I-T
quarter I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

For O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
General O
Motors O
' O
revenues O
totaled O
48 O
. O
89 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
compared O
with O
47 O
. O
18 O
billion O
dollars O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0010 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
Nomura O
to O
lead O
manage O
one O
billion O
dollar O
fund O
raising O
effort O

MIF O
Asia O
Ltd O
. O
, O
the O
financing O
arm O
of O
Japanese O
trading O
giant O
Marubeni O
Corp O
. O
, O
has O
mandated O
Nomura O
Singapore O
Ltd O
. O
to O
lead O
- O
manage O
its O
one O
- O
billion O
- O
US O
- O
dollar O
fund O
raising O
program O
here O
. O

The O
program O
allows O
MIF O
Asia O
to O
issue O
fixed O
and O
floating O
notes O
of O
different O
maturities O
- O
- O
with O
different O
coupon O
rates O
- O
- O
up O
to O
a O
total O
of O
one O
billion O
dollars O
, O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
from O
MIF O
Asia O
received O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

MIF O
Asia O
has O
received O
in O
- O
principle O
approval O
to O
list O
the O
notes O
issued O
under O
the O
program O
on O
the O
Stock O
Exchange O
of O
Singapore O
. O
Subscribers O
to O
the O
notes O
are O
expected O
to O
be O
investors O
, O
mainly O
financial O
institutions O
and O
fund O
managers O
, O
from O
Asia O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
MIF O
Asia O
, O
incorporated O
in O
Singapore O
in O
1995 B-T
and O
registered O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
as O
an O
overseas O
company O
in O
the B-T
same I-T
year I-T
, O
would O
use O
the O
funds O
raised O
for O
its O
non O
- O
Singapore O
- O
dollar O
- O
denominated O
financial O
activities O
. O

Marubeni O
set O
up O
MIF O
Asia O
as O
part O
of O
its O
global O
financial O
network O
to O
integrate O
the O
four O
major O
financial O
markets O
of O
Japan O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Europe O
and O
Asia O
. O

MIF O
Asia O
provides O
financial O
services O
to O
Marubeni O
' O
s O
subsidiaries O
and O
affiliates O
in O
Asia O
and O
conducts O
investment O
- O
related O
activities O
such O
as O
portfolio O
investments O
in O
Asian O
money O
and O
capital O
markets O
. O

Apart O
from O
Nomura O
Singapore O
, O
there O
are O
14 O
other O
dealers O
for O
the O
note O
program O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0116 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0116 O
. O

International O
: O

@ O
Polly O
Peck O
of O
U O
. O
K O
. O

@ O
To O
Buy O
51 O
% O
Stake O

@ O
In O
Japanese O
Firm O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Urban O
C O
. O
Lehner O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

J O
. O
SNE O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

HOME O
ELECTRONICS O
, O
FURNISHINGS O
, O
APPLIANCES O
( O
HMF O
) O

TOKYO O

Polly O
Peck O
International O
Inc O
. O
' O
s O
agreement O
to O
acquire O
51 O
% O
of O
Sansui O
Electric O
Co O
. O
proves O
that O
foreign O
companies O
can O
acquire O
Japanese O
companies O
- O
- O
if O
the O
alternative O
for O
the O
Japanese O
company O
is O
extinction O
. O

Polly O
Peck O
, O
a O
fast O
- O
growing O
British O
conglomerate O
, O
will O
pay O
15 O
. O
6 O
billion O
yen O
( O
$ O
110 O
million O
) O
for O
39 O
million O
new O
shares O
of O
Sansui O
, O
a O
well O
- O
known O
maker O
of O
high O
- O
fidelity O
audio O
equipment O
that O
failed O
to O
adjust O
to O
changing O
market O
conditions O
. O

Japanese O
government O
officials O
, O
eager O
to O
rebut O
foreign O
criticism O
of O
Japanese O
investments O
overseas O
, O
hailed O
the O
transaction O
as O
proof O
foreigners O
can O
make O
similar O
investments O
in O
Japan O
. O

Polly O
Peck O
' O
s O
chairman O
, O
Asil O
Nadir O
, O
echoed O
the O
official O
Japanese O
view O
of O
the O
accord O
, O
which O
was O
announced O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
The O
myths O
that O
Japan O
is O
not O
open O
to O
concerns O
from O
outside O
has O
, O
I O
think O
, O
been O
demolished O
at O
a O
stroke O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Nadir O
said O
. O

But O
analysts O
say O
Sansui O
is O
a O
special O
case O
. O

It O
expects O
to O
post O
a O
loss O
of O
6 O
. O
4 O
billion O
yen O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
ending O
tomorrow B-T
and O
its O
liabilities O
currently B-T
exceed O
its O
assets O
by O
about O
13 O
. O
8 O
billion O
yen O
. O

" O
If O
you O
find O
sound O
, O
healthy O
companies O
in O
Japan O
, O
they O
are O
not O
for O
sale O
, O
" O
said O
George O
Watanabe O
, O
a O
management O
- O
consultant O
at O
Tokyo O
- O
based O
Asia O
Advisory O
Services O
Inc O
. O

Statistics O
on O
acquisitions O
by O
foreigners O
vary O
in O
detail O
, O
because O
unlike O
Sansui O
, O
which O
is O
listed O
on O
the O
Tokyo O
and O
Osaka O
stock O
exchanges O
, O
most O
of O
the O
Japanese O
companies O
acquired O
by O
foreigners O
are O
privately O
held O
. O

But O
by O
all O
accounts O
foreign O
companies O
have O
bought O
only O
a O
relative O
handful O
of O
Japanese O
companies O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
while O
Japanese O
companies O
have O
acquired O
hundreds O
of O
foreign O
companies O
. O

Nor O
do O
analysts O
expect O
the O
Sansui O
deal O
to O
touch O
off O
a O
fresh O
wave O
of O
foreign O
purchases O
. O

If O
the O
strong O
yen O
and O
the O
high O
stock O
prices O
of O
Japanese O
companies O
were O
n O
' O
t O
deterrents O
enough O
, O
webs O
of O
cross O
- O
shareholdings O
between O
friendly O
Japanese O
companies O
and O
fiercely O
independent O
Japanese O
corporate O
attitudes O
repel O
most O
would O
- O
be O
acquirers O
. O

Usually O
when O
a O
Japanese O
company O
is O
ready O
to O
sell O
, O
it O
has O
few O
alternatives O
remaining O
, O
and O
the O
grim O
demeanors O
of O
Sansui O
' O
s O
directors O
at O
a O
joint O
news O
conference O
here O
left O
little O
doubt O
that O
this O
was O
not O
the O
company O
' O
s O
finest O
hour O
. O

Sansui O
was O
once O
one O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
premier O
makers O
of O
expensive O
, O
high O
- O
quality O
stereo O
gear O
for O
audiophiles O
. O

But O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
the O
market O
has O
moved O
toward O
less O
expensive O
" O
mini O
- O
component O
" O
sets O
, O
miniaturized O
amplifiers O
and O
receivers O
and O
software O
players O
that O
could O
be O
stacked O
on O
top O
of O
each O
other O
. O

Some O
of O
Sansui O
' O
s O
fellow O
audio O
- O
specialty O
companies O
, O
such O
as O
Aiwa O
Co O
. O
and O
Pioneer O
Electric O
Corp O
. O
, O
responded O
to O
the O
challenge O
by O
quickly O
bringing O
out O
mini O
- O
component O
products O
of O
their O
own O
, O
by O
moving O
heavily O
into O
the O
booming O
compact O
disk O
businesses O
or O
by O
diversifying O
into O
other O
consumer O
- O
electronics O
fields O
, O
including O
laser O
disks O
or O
portable O
cassette O
players O
. O

Sansui O
was O
late O
into O
the O
mini O
- O
component O
business O
and O
failed O
to O
branch O
into O
other O
new O
businesses O
. O

As O
the O
yen O
soared O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
Sansui O
' O
s O
deepening O
financial O
problems O
became O
a O
vicious O
circle O
. O

While O
competitors O
moved O
production O
offshore O
in O
response O
to O
the O
sagging O
competitiveness O
of O
Japanese O
factories O
, O
Sansui O
lacked O
the O
money O
to O
build O
new O
plants O
in O
Southeast O
Asia O
. O

" O
Our O
company O
has O
not O
been O
able O
to O
cope O
very O
effectively O
with O
" O
changes O
in O
the O
marketplace O
, O
said O
Ryosuke O
Ito O
, O
Sansui O
' O
s O
president O
. O

But O
even O
a O
Japanese O
company O
that O
looks O
like O
a O
dog O
may O
turn O
out O
to O
be O
a O
good O
investment O
for O
a O
foreign O
concern O
, O
some O
management O
consultants O
maintain O
. O

Yoshihisa O
Murasawa O
, O
a O
management O
consultant O
for O
Booz O
- O
Allen O
amp O
Hamilton O
( O
Japan O
) O
Inc O
. O
, O
said O
his O
firm O
will O
likely O
be O
recommending O
acquisitions O
of O
Japanese O
companies O
more O
often O
to O
foreign O
clients O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

" O
Attitudes O
{ O
toward O
being O
acquired O
} O
are O
still O
negative O
, O
but O
they O
' O
re O
becoming O
more O
positive O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Murasawa O
said O
. O

" O
In O
some O
industries O
, O
like O
pharmaceuticals O
, O
acquisitions O
make O
sense O
. O
" O

Whether O
Polly O
Peck O
' O
s O
acquisition O
makes O
sense O
remains O
to O
be O
seen O
, O
but O
at O
the O
news O
conference O
, O
Mr O
. O
Nadir O
brimmed O
with O
self O
- O
confidence O
that O
he O
can O
turn O
Sansui O
around O
. O

Sansui O
, O
he O
said O
, O
is O
a O
perfect O
fit O
for O
Polly O
Peck O
' O
s O
electronics O
operations O
, O
which O
make O
televisions O
, O
videocassette O
recorders O
, O
microwaves O
and O
other O
products O
on O
an O
" O
original O
equipment O
maker O
" O
basis O
for O
sale O
under O
other O
companies O
' O
brand O
names O
. O

He O
said O
Polly O
Peck O
will O
greatly O
expand O
Sansui O
' O
s O
product O
line O
, O
using O
Sansui O
' O
s O
engineers O
to O
design O
the O
new O
products O
, O
and O
will O
move O
Sansui O
' O
s O
production O
of O
most O
products O
other O
than O
sophisticated O
audio O
gear O
offshore O
into O
Polly O
Peck O
' O
s O
own O
factories O
. O

" O
Whatever O
capital O
it O
( O
Sansui O
) O
needs O
so O
it O
can O
compete O
and O
become O
a O
totally O
global O
entity O
capable O
of O
competing O
with O
the O
best O
in O
the O
world O
, O
that O
capital O
will O
be O
injected O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Nadir O
said O
. O

And O
while O
Polly O
Peck O
is O
n O
' O
t O
jettisoning O
the O
existent O
top O
- O
management O
structure O
of O
Sansui O
, O
it O
is O
bringing O
in O
a O
former O
Toshiba O
Corp O
. O
executive O
as O
executive O
vice O
president O
and O
chief O
operating O
officer O
. O

Such O
risk O
taking O
is O
an O
everyday O
matter O
for O
the O
brash O
Mr O
. O
Nadir O
, O
who O
is O
25 O
% O
owner O
of O
Polly O
Peck O
as O
well O
as O
its O
chairman O
. O

He O
took O
Polly O
Peck O
, O
once O
a O
small O
fabric O
wholesaler O
, O
and O
used O
it O
at O
as O
a O
base O
to O
build O
a O
conglomerate O
that O
has O
been O
doubling O
its O
profits O
annually O
since O
1980 B-T
. O

In O
September B-T
, O
it O
announced O
plans O
to O
acquire O
the O
tropical O
- O
fruit O
business O
of O
RJR O
Nabisco O
Inc O
. O
' O
s O
Del O
Monte O
foods O
unit O
for O
# O
557 O
million O
( O
$ O
878 O
million O
) O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
Polly O
Peck O
posted O
a O
38 O
% O
jump O
in O
pretax O
profit O
for O
the O
first O
half O
to O
# O
54 O
. O
8 O
million O
from O
# O
39 O
. O
8 O
million O
on O
a O
63 O
% O
rise O
in O
sales O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Joann O
S O
. O
Lublin O
in O
London O
contributed O
to O
this O
article O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0025 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

spokesman O

Iran O
will O
give O
" O
destructive O
" O
response O
if O
its O
nuclear O
program O
is O
attacked O
by O
Israel O
, O
a O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
vowed O
here O
Sunday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0093 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Ld O
: O
US O
president O
arrives O
in O
Beijing O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
arrived O
here O
Saturday B-T
evening I-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
China O
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
. O

Bush O
' O
s O
presidential O
plane O
Air O
Force O
One O
touched O
down O
around O
18 O
: O
40 O
at O
Beijing O
' O
s O
Capital O
Airport O
, O
where O
the O
US O
president O
was O
greeted O
by O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Li O
Zhaoxing O
, O
Chinese O
Ambassador O
to O
the O
United O
States O
Zhou O
Wenzhong O
and O
US O
Ambassador O
to O
China O
Clark O
T O
. O
Randt O
. O

Also O
arriving O
aboard O
the O
presidential O
plane O
were O
Bush O
' O
s O
wife O
Laura O
Bush O
, O
US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
and O
US O
National O
Security O
Adviser O
Stephen O
Hadley O
. O

Two O
young O
Chinese O
women O
presented O
bouquets O
to O
Bush O
and O
his O
wife O
at O
the O
airport O
. O

This O
is O
Bush O
' O
s O
third O
China O
trip O
as O
US O
president O
since O
2001 B-T
and O
also O
his O
first O
China O
visit O
in O
his O
second B-T
term I-T
of I-T
presidency I-T
. O
He O
will O
stay O
for O
nearly B-T
40 I-T
hours I-T
here I-T
. O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
and O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
are O
to O
meet O
with O
President O
Bush O
, O
and O
they O
will O
discuss O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
issues O
. O

" O
The O
two O
sides O
will O
have O
an O
in O
- O
depth O
exchange O
of O
views O
on O
China O
- O
US O
relations O
and O
major O
regional O
and O
international O
issues O
, O
" O
said O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Liu O
Jianchao O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
We O
expect O
that O
Bush O
' O
s O
visit O
will O
increase O
consensus O
, O
step O
up O
mutual O
trust O
, O
expand O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
and O
promote O
Sino O
- O
US O
constructive O
and O
cooperative O
relations O
in O
the B-T
21st I-T
century I-T
in O
an O
all O
- O
round O
way O
, O
" O
Liu O
told O
a O
regular O
news O
briefing O
. O

Bush O
described O
Sino O
- O
US O
relationship O
as O
a O
complex O
and O
important O
one O
. O
While O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
got O
increasing O
trade O
and O
dialogue O
and O
cooperation O
, O
there O
is O
still O
work O
to O
be O
done O
on O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
, O
currency O
and O
market O
access O
, O
said O
Bush O
in O
a O
round O
- O
table O
interview O
with O
Asian O
reporters O
at O
the O
White O
House O
prior O
to O
his O
Asian O
tour O
. O

But O
Bush O
acknowledged O
that O
the O
United O
States O
and O
China O
" O
do O
have O
good O
cooperation O
" O
on O
trade O
, O
and O
can O
also O
work O
together O
in O
the O
war O
on O
terror O
, O
on O
advancing O
the O
Doha O
Round O
multilateral O
trade O
talks O
and O
in O
the O
areas O
of O
energy O
and O
fighting O
avian O
flu O
. O

China O
is O
the O
third O
leg O
of O
Bush O
' O
s O
four O
- O
nation O
Asian O
tour O
. O
He O
visited O
Japan O
and O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
and O
attended O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
in O
Busan O
of O
the O
ROK O
. O
He O
will O
also O
visit O
Mongolia O
after O
his O
China O
tour O
. O

Bush O
attended O
the O
APEC O
economic O
leaders O
' O
meeting O
in O
Shanghai O
in O
October B-T
, O
2001 O
, O
and O
paid O
a O
two O
- O
day O
working O
visit O
to O
China O
in O
February B-T
2002 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0552 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
market O
close O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Wall O
Street O
' O
s O
main O
stock O
indexes O
pushed O
to O
new O
highs O
Friday B-T
for O
a B-T
second I-T
straight I-T
day I-T
after O
a O
tame O
report O
on O
consumer O
inflation O
boosted O
hopes O
for O
lower O
interest O
rates O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

The O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
climbed O
28 O
. O
76 O
points O
( O
0 O
. O
23 O
percent O
) O
to O
12 O
, O
444 O
. O
52 O
, O
its O
second O
consecutive O
all O
- O
time O
record O
close O
, O
after O
hitting O
an O
intraday O
high O
of O
12 O
, O
486 O
. O
30 O
. O

The O
tech O
- O
heavy O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
advanced O
3 O
. O
35 O
points O
( O
0 O
. O
14 O
percent O
) O
to O
2 O
, O
457 O
. O
20 O
a O
day O
after O
closing O
at O
its O
highest O
level O
since O
February B-T
2001 I-T
. O

The O
Standard O
and O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
broad O
- O
market O
index O
edged O
up O
1 O
. O
60 O
points O
( O
0 O
. O
11 O
percent O
) O
to O
1 O
, O
427 O
. O
09 O
, O
a O
fresh O
six O
- O
year O
high O
. O

Markets O
opened O
stronger O
and O
pared O
their O
gains O
late O
in O
the O
session O
as O
investors O
locked O
in O
gains O
at O
the O
conclusion O
of O
a O
strong B-T
week I-T
. O

Ahead O
of O
the O
opening O
, O
the O
Labor O
Department O
reported O
that O
its O
consumer O
price O
index O
( O
CPI O
) O
was O
flat O
in O
November B-T
, O
including O
the O
" O
core O
" O
index O
that O
excludes O
food O
and O
energy O
, O
despite O
expectations O
of O
a O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
increase O
in O
both O
figures O
. O

Analysts O
said O
this O
eases O
pressure O
on O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
to O
increase O
interest O
rates O
and O
could O
mean O
a O
lowering O
of O
rates O
in O
the O
coming B-T
months I-T
. O

" O
Today O
' O
s O
data O
certainly O
reinforce O
our O
view O
that O
the O
next O
move O
from O
the O
Fed O
will O
be O
to O
ease O
, O
and O
we O
are O
sticking O
with O
our O
timeframe O
for O
a O
cut O
at O
the O
tail O
end O
of O
the O
first B-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
, O
" O
said O
Marc O
Levesque O
, O
chief O
economics O
strategist O
at O
TD O
Securities O
. O

" O
The O
economy O
has O
slowed O
, O
and O
it O
now B-T
looks O
as O
inflation O
pressures O
are O
cooling O
down O
- O
- O
a O
trend O
that O
is O
also O
starting O
to O
materialize O
in O
the O
data O
on O
wages O
and O
unit O
labor O
costs O
. O
" O

A O
separate O
report O
showed O
US O
industrial O
production O
rising O
a O
better O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

The O
latest O
reports O
were O
part O
of O
a O
string O
of O
positive O
economic O
surprises O
, O
suggesting O
inflation O
is O
easing O
but O
growth O
is O
holding O
up O
. O

" O
The O
economy O
is O
doing O
very O
well O
, O
much O
better O
than O
anybody O
thought O
. O
The O
consumer O
is O
still O
strong O
and O
inflation O
is O
moving O
in O
the O
right O
direction O
, O
" O
said O
Marc O
Pado O
at O
Cantor O
Fitzgerald O
. O

Pado O
said O
the O
market O
was O
also O
helped O
by O
" O
window O
dressing O
" O
in O
which O
portfolio O
managers O
buy O
top O
- O
performing O
stocks O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
quarter I-T
to O
show O
they O
are O
holding O
them O
at O
the O
close O
. O

" O
People O
needed O
to O
buy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Also O
helping O
sentiment O
was O
a O
rise O
in O
other O
global O
markets O
, O
especially O
in O
Asia O
, O
after O
the O
Tankan O
survey O
of O
Japanese O
business O
sentiment O
rose O
to O
a O
two O
- O
year O
high O
. O

Among O
the O
gainers O
on O
Wall O
Street O
, O
Adobe O
Systems O
leapt O
2 O
. O
00 O
dollars O
, O
or O
4 O
. O
9 O
percent O
, O
to O
42 O
. O
81 O
dollars O
after O
the O
software O
group O
reported O
a O
16 O
percent O
increase O
in O
net O
profits O
. O

General O
Electric O
, O
the O
conglomerate O
often O
seen O
as O
a O
bellwether O
of O
the O
economy O
, O
advanced O
1 O
. O
15 O
dollars O
to O
37 O
. O
36 O
. O

Home O
Depot O
fell O
eight O
cents O
to O
39 O
. O
89 O
after O
the O
home O
improvement O
retailer O
announced O
a O
share O
buyback O
program O
. O

Elsewhere O
, O
computer O
maker O
Dell O
lost O
34 O
cents O
to O
26 O
. O
53 O
after O
announcing O
a O
further O
delay O
of O
its O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
results O
due O
to O
a O
regulatory O
inquiry O
. O

Bonds O
fell O
, O
giving O
back O
early O
gains O
. O
The O
yield O
on O
the O
10 O
- O
year O
US O
Treasury O
bond O
rose O
to O
4 O
. O
597 O
percent O
from O
4 O
. O
595 O
percent O
Thursday B-T
, O
while O
that O
on O
the O
30 O
- O
year O
bond O
increased O
to O
4 O
. O
718 O
percent O
against O
4 O
. O
716 O
percent O
. O
Bond O
yields O
and O
prices O
move O
in O
opposite O
directions O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0146 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bryan O
twins O
win O
battle O
over O
former O
world O
No O
. O
l O
pair O

Reigning O
world O
number O
one O
Bob O
and O
Mike O
Bryan O
recovered O
from O
their O
lacklustre O
tournament O
opener O
in O
their O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
Red O
Group O
match O
at O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
, O
crashing O
former O
top O
- O
ranked O
pair O
Mark O
Knowles O
and O
Daniel O
Nestor O
6 O
- O
4 O
, O
6 O
- O
4 O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
fifth O
- O
seeded O
Leander O
Paes O
of O
India O
and O
Nedad O
Zimonjic O
from O
Serbia O
and O
Montenegro O
claimed O
their O
second O
win O
in O
Shanghai O
, O
defeating O
seventh O
- O
seeded O
Australian O
duo O
Wayne O
Arthurs O
and O
Paul O
Hanley O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
3 O
) O
, O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
6 O
) O
in O
two B-T
hours I-T
. O

The O
Bryan O
twins O
, O
two O
- O
time O
defending O
champions O
here O
at O
the O
year O
- O
ending O
event O
of O
men O
' O
s O
professional O
tennis O
, O
took O
just O
one O
hour O
, O
16 O
minutes O
and O
39 O
seconds O
to O
reannounce O
their O
dominance O
on O
doubles O
court O
and O
lowered O
the O
fourth O
seeds O
Knowles O
and O
Nestor O
' O
s O
hope O
of O
making O
semifinals O
through O
the O
round O
- O
robin O
. O

In O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
play O
, O
both O
of O
the O
pairs O
have O
lost O
their O
first O
match O
in O
full O
sets O
. O
And O
according O
to O
the O
competition O
system O
made O
special O
at O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Masters O
, O
eight O
elite O
pairs O
were O
devided O
into O
Red O
and O
Gold O
Groups O
with O
the O
top O
two O
paired O
finishers O
qualify O
for O
the O
semis O
. O

Knowles O
and O
Nestor O
have O
come O
to O
Shanghai O
on O
a O
wave O
of O
success O
, O
winning O
back O
to O
back O
titles O
in O
Vienna O
and O
Madrid O
Masters O
and O
going O
on O
to O
reach O
the O
final O
at O
the O
Paris O
Masters O
just O
over O
a B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
. O

Unstoppable O
winning O
streak O
of O
the O
Bahamian O
and O
Canadian O
pairing O
, O
however O
, O
was O
thus O
snapped O
by O
the O
Bryan O
brothers O
, O
who O
are O
the O
US O
Open O
champions O
and O
have O
appeared O
in O
11 O
tournament O
finals O
this B-T
year I-T
alone O
. O

En O
route O
to O
their O
comeback O
victory O
, O
the O
Bryans O
declined O
to O
give O
any O
chances O
to O
their O
aged O
opponents O
, O
taking O
the O
second O
round O
- O
robin O
match O
on O
8 O
aces O
. O

The O
twin O
duo O
from O
the O
United O
States O
, O
looking O
to O
become O
the O
first O
team O
to O
win O
three O
straight O
doubles O
titles O
at O
the O
season O
- O
end O
champions O
since O
Peter O
Fleming O
and O
John O
McEnroe O
won O
the O
title O
in O
seven O
straight O
years O
from O
1978 O
- O
84 O
. O

Also O
they O
are O
the O
second O
team O
in O
50 B-T
years I-T
to O
reach O
the O
final O
in O
all O
four O
Grand O
Slams O
. O
The O
other O
pair O
who O
set O
the O
record O
are O
Paes O
and O
Indian O
Mahesh O
Bhupathi O
in O
1999 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0360 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
EMBARGOED O
, O
RELEASABLE O
Tuesday O
at O
0001 O
/ O
/ O
/ O

British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
has O
failed O
to O
influence O
United O
States O
President O
George O
W O
Bush O
' O
s O
foreign O
policy O
, O
a O
top O
foreign O
affairs O
think O
- O
tank O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

A O
briefing O
paper O
from O
Chatham O
House O
also O
said O
that O
the O
" O
terrible O
mistake O
" O
of O
the O
2003 O
Iraq O
invasion O
, O
led O
by O
the O
United O
States O
but O
strongly O
backed O
by O
Britain O
, O
would O
resonate O
long O
after O
Blair O
leaves O
office O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
The O
root O
failure O
of O
Tony O
Blair O
' O
s O
foreign O
policy O
has O
been O
its O
inability O
to O
influence O
the O
Bush O
administration O
in O
any O
significant O
way O
despite O
the O
sacrifice O
- O
- O
military O
, O
political O
and O
financial O
- O
- O
that O
the O
United O
Kingdom O
has O
made O
, O
" O
said O
the O
paper O
, O
penned O
by O
outgoing O
director O
Victor O
Bulmer O
- O
Thomas O
. O

He O
added O
that O
Iraq O
was O
a O
foreign O
policy O
" O
watershed O
" O
which O
, O
like O
the O
1956 O
Suez O
crisis O
, O
would O
alter O
the O
relationship O
with O
the O
United O
States O
for O
many B-T
years I-T
to O
come O
. O

" O
The O
post O
9 O
/ O
11 O
decision O
to O
invade O
Iraq O
was O
a O
terrible O
mistake O
and O
the O
current O
debacle O
will O
have O
policy O
repercussions O
for O
many B-T
years I-T
to O
come O
, O
" O
the O
paper O
added O
. O

Blair O
stands O
accused O
by O
the O
report O
of O
over O
- O
estimating O
the O
extent O
of O
his O
influence O
in O
Washington O
. O

" O
The O
bilateral O
relationship O
with O
the O
United O
States O
may O
be O
' O
special O
' O
to O
Britain O
, O
but O
the O
US O
has O
never O
described O
it O
as O
more O
than O
' O
close O
' O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

While O
Bush O
' O
s O
announcement O
that O
the O
United O
States O
would O
accept O
a O
two O
- O
state O
solution O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
was O
" O
seized O
upon O
" O
by O
those O
close O
to O
Blair O
, O
the O
report O
says O
, O
there O
is O
" O
no O
evidence O
" O
that O
this O
was O
linked O
to O
British O
pressure O
. O

It O
adds O
that O
, O
while O
Blair O
' O
s O
political O
capital O
in O
Washington O
was O
not O
as O
great O
as O
he O
thought O
, O
there O
were O
questions O
about O
whether O
he O
used O
what O
influence O
he O
had O
to O
greatest O
advantage O
. O

" O
Anecdotal O
evidence O
also O
suggests O
that O
the O
prime O
minister O
did O
not O
make O
full O
use O
of O
the O
opportunities O
that O
were O
presented O
to O
him O
, O
" O
the O
paper O
says O
. O

Blair O
had O
" O
learnt O
the O
hard O
way O
" O
that O
" O
loyalty O
in O
international O
politics O
counts O
for O
very O
little O
" O
, O
it O
added O
. O

On O
Iraq O
, O
Bulmer O
- O
Thomas O
said O
it O
was O
a O
" O
terrible O
mistake O
" O
to O
rely O
on O
arguing O
that O
Saddam O
Hussein O
had O
weapons O
of O
mass O
destruction O
to O
justify O
the O
war O
. O

His O
paper O
added O
that O
the O
" O
jury O
is O
still O
out O
" O
on O
whether O
Blair O
knew O
such O
claims O
were O
" O
overblown O
or O
even O
fabricated O
" O
. O

Blair O
' O
s O
successor O
will O
have O
to O
develop O
closer O
relations O
with O
Europe O
and O
will O
not O
be O
able O
to O
offer O
" O
unconditional O
support O
" O
for O
US O
foreign O
policy O
, O
the O
paper O
said O
. O

The O
US O
is O
also O
likely O
to O
urge O
Britain O
to O
develop O
closer O
relations O
with O
Europe O
in O
future B-T
, O
it O
adds O
. O

" O
What O
US O
governments O
want O
is O
a O
European O
Union O
that O
can O
make O
a O
real O
contribution O
to O
the O
international O
political O
and O
security O
agenda O
, O
and O
any O
European O
government O
with O
the O
diplomatic O
skills O
to O
deliver O
EU O
support O
will O
be O
hugely O
appreciated O
, O
" O
it O
says O
. O

Responding O
to O
the O
paper O
, O
Blair O
' O
s O
Downing O
Street O
office O
pointed O
to O
progress O
in O
foreign O
policy O
fields O
such O
as O
tackling O
poverty O
in O
Africa O
and O
climate O
change O
which O
it O
highlights O
. O

" O
International O
relations O
are O
not O
a O
matter O
of O
quid O
pro O
quo O
, O
" O
a O
spokeswoman O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0052 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Authorities O
suspend O
operations O
at O
Philippines O
' O
second O
oldest O
bank O

The O
Central O
Bank O
of O
the O
Philippines O
declared O
a O
supsension O
of O
operations O
at O
Monte O
de O
Piedad O
bank O
from O
Wednesday B-T
to O
allow O
the O
country O
' O
s O
second O
oldest O
bank O
to O
be O
rehabilitated O
. O

Central O
Bank O
deputy O
governor O
Alberto O
Reyes O
said O
that O
the O
decision O
was O
aimed O
at O
preventing O
a O
run O
on O
the O
bank O
following O
heavy O
withdrawals O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
days O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
not O
a O
closure O
. O
The O
temporary O
stoppage O
in O
the O
operation O
of O
the O
bank O
is O
in O
fact O
a O
best O
alternative O
, O
" O
Reyes O
told O
journalists O
. O

Monte O
de O
Piedad O
, O
formerly O
controlled O
by O
the O
Roman O
Catholic O
church O
, O
ran O
into O
financial O
trouble O
after O
thousands O
of O
borrowers O
from O
a O
1 O
. O
8 O
- O
billion O
- O
peso O
( O
69 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
) O
fund O
for O
small O
transport O
operators O
failed O
to O
repay O
their O
loans O
. O

The O
fund O
was O
part O
of O
the O
church O
' O
s O
" O
pro O
- O
poor O
" O
programs O
. O

The O
archdiocese O
of O
Manila O
sold O
a O
controlling O
stake O
of O
the O
bank O
, O
founded O
in O
1882 B-T
, O
to O
ethnic O
Chinese O
businessman O
Vicente O
Tan O
in O
1995 B-T
. O

According O
to O
bank O
officials O
, O
Monte O
de O
Piedad O
needs O
about O
3 O
. O
1 O
billion O
pesos O
( O
119 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
fresh O
capital O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0408 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nine O
killed O
in O
Thailand O
' O
s O
restive O
deep O
South O

Nine O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
nine O
others O
injured O
in O
a O
violent O
militant O
attack O
in O
Thailand O
' O
s O
southern O
Narathiwat O
province O
early O
Wednesday B-T
. O

A O
group O
of O
suspected O
Muslim O
separatists O
raided O
two O
houses O
in O
the O
province O
' O
s O
Rangae O
district O
at O
one O
O B-T
' I-T
clock I-T
Wednesday I-T
morning I-T
. O
They O
shot O
into O
houses O
with O
M O
- O
70 O
rifles O
, O
killing O
nine O
villagers O
and O
injuring O
nine O
others O
, O
local O
police O
said O
. O

At O
least O
two O
villagers O
were O
believed O
to O
be O
followers O
of O
the O
militants O
. O
They O
lobbied O
other O
villagers O
that O
it O
is O
the O
Thai O
authorities O
who O
had O
launched O
the O
attack O
. O

A O
large O
numbers O
villagers O
from O
the O
district O
and O
nearby O
areas O
have O
congregated O
on O
the O
road O
, O
blocking O
police O
and O
the O
army O
from O
entering O
inside O
. O

Fearing O
clashes O
with O
local O
people O
, O
the O
security O
force O
were O
still O
waiting O
for O
instructions O
from O
the O
army O
commander O
. O

More O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
died O
since O
January B-T
last I-T
year I-T
in O
near O
- O
daily O
attacks O
in O
the O
strip O
near O
the O
Malaysian O
border O
. O
Authorities O
and O
experts O
blame O
the O
attacks O
on O
a O
web O
of O
Islamic O
separatists O
, O
local O
corruption O
and O
organized O
crime O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0345 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
welcomes O
new O
TV O
rights O
plan O
from O
English O
Premier O
League O

The O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
on O
Thursday B-T
welcomed O
new O
commitments O
from O
the O
English O
Premier O
League O
regarding O
the O
sale O
of O
its O
match O
broadcast O
rights O
. O

The O
EU O
' O
s O
executive O
body O
, O
the O
European O
Commission O
, O
said O
it O
has O
received O
" O
improved O
commitments O
" O
from O
the O
Premier O
League O
which O
makes O
it O
possible O
to O
finally O
resolve O
the O
three O
- O
year O
- O
long O
dispute O
by O
spring O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
league O
pledges O
that O
from O
2007 O
onwards O
live O
TV O
broadcast O
rights O
of O
its O
matches O
will O
" O
be O
sold O
in O
six O
balanced O
packages O
with O
no O
one O
bidder O
being O
allowed O
to O
buy O
all O
six O
packages O
, O
" O
the O
commission O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Packages O
will O
be O
sold O
to O
the O
highest O
stand O
- O
alone O
bidder O
for O
each O
package O
, O
and O
bids O
other O
than O
simple O
stand O
- O
alone O
bids O
will O
be O
disregarded O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
deal O
will O
break O
BSkyB O
' O
s O
exclusive O
ownership O
of O
live O
TV O
rights O
for O
England O
' O
s O
top O
class O
football O
games O
, O
which O
the O
company O
has O
enjoyed O
for O
13 B-T
years I-T
. O

The O
commission O
will O
select O
a O
trustee O
to O
monitor O
the O
auction O
, O
who O
will O
then O
report O
to O
the O
commission O
whether O
all O
rules O
have O
been O
followed O
. O

The O
commission O
will O
now B-T
prepare O
a O
draft O
decision O
making O
the O
Premier O
League O
' O
s O
revised O
commitments O
legally O
binding O
. O
This O
will O
be O
sent O
to O
the O
competition O
authorities O
of O
the O
EU O
member O
states O
for O
consultation O
before O
the O
commission O
issues O
a O
final O
decision O
by O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
2006 I-T
. O

" O
I O
am O
pleased O
to O
bring O
this O
long O
running O
case O
closer O
to O
a O
satisfactory O
outcome O
, O
" O
European O
Competition O
Commissioner O
Neelie O
Kroes O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
commitments O
offered O
by O
the O
Premier O
League O
should O
ensure O
that O
the O
media O
rights O
are O
sold O
in O
a O
fair O
and O
transparent O
manner O
and O
give O
British O
football O
fans O
greater O
choice O
and O
better O
value O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0310 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

accident O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Public O
Security O
on O
Tuesday B-T
urged O
police O
to O
learn O
from O
a O
fatal O
bus O
crash O
in O
northeast O
China O
and O
launch O
safety O
inspections O
of O
schoolbuses O
. O

Eight O
children O
were O
killed O
when O
a O
bus O
carrying O
50 O
students O
veered O
off O
a O
bridge O
and O
plunged O
into O
a O
frozen O
river O
last B-T
Tuesday I-T
in O
Zhoujia O
township O
of O
Shuangcheng O
City O
, O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
. O
Thirty O
- O
nine O
others O
were O
injured O
. O

In O
a O
circular O
issued O
by O
the O
ministry O
, O
local O
police O
bureaus O
were O
required O
to O
launch O
immediate O
examinations O
of O
all O
vehicles O
and O
drivers O
involved O
in O
school O
transport O
. O

All O
vehicles O
and O
drivers O
must O
be O
registered O
with O
the O
local O
education O
authorities O
, O
and O
those O
with O
potential O
safety O
risks O
must O
be O
removed O
from O
service O
immediately O
, O
according O
to O
the O
circular O
. O

Vehicles O
in O
service O
must O
bear O
identical O
signs O
, O
and O
overloading O
, O
excessive O
speeding O
and O
drink O
- O
driving O
or O
driving O
with O
fatigue O
will O
incur O
penalties O
. O

Provincial O
and O
city O
- O
level O
police O
bureaus O
must O
dispatch O
inspection O
teams O
led O
by O
officials O
in O
public O
security O
and O
transportation O
departments O
. O

Negligence O
in O
inspections O
would O
be O
punished O
, O
said O
the O
circular O
. O

According O
to O
previous O
reports O
, O
the O
driver O
involved O
in O
the O
accident O
has O
been O
arrested O
, O
and O
an O
official O
with O
the O
local O
traffic O
police O
has O
been O
sacked O
and O
accused O
of O
negligence O
for O
ignoring O
public O
complaints O
about O
illegal O
operation O
of O
buses O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0088 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Singapore O
shares O
end O
sharply O
higher O

The O
shares O
prices O
in O
Singapore O
closed O
sharply O
higher O
on O
Tuesday B-T
with O
the O
benchmark O
Straits O
Times B-T
Index O
( O
STI O
) O
rising O
31 O
. O
5 O
points O
to O
end O
at O
2802 O
. O
9 O
points O
. O

The O
overall O
volume O
stood O
at O
1 O
. O
3292 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
2262 O
billion O
Singapore O
dollars O
( O
about O
788 O
. O
5 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

Gainers O
led O
losers O
by O
380 O
to O
227 O
with O
another O
730 O
unchanged O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
STI O
fell O
41 O
. O
8 O
points O
to O
end O
at O
2771 O
. O
4 O
points O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0065 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

revaluation O

China O
' O
s O
banks O
will O
be O
exposed O
to O
greater O
credit O
risk O
against O
the O
backdrop O
of O
the O
yuan O
' O
s O
accelerating O
appreciation O
, O
said O
Li O
Lihui O
, O
president O
of O
the O
Bank O
of O
China O
( O
BOC O
) O
. O

He O
said O
credit O
risks O
were O
increasing O
due O
to O
the O
revaluation O
which O
would O
raise O
export O
costs O
and O
dampen O
competitiveness O
in O
the O
international O
market O
, O
resulting O
in O
the O
failure O
of O
enterprises O
with O
low O
profitability O
. O

" O
Enterprises O
may O
fail O
to O
repay O
loans O
if O
they O
go O
bankrupt O
, O
" O
said O
Li O
. O

The O
value O
of O
the O
yuan O
against O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
hit O
a O
new O
high O
Thursday B-T
, O
with O
the O
central O
parity O
rate O
at O
7 O
. O
8697 O
yuan O
to O
the O
dollar O
, O
breaking O
the O
7 O
. O
87 O
mark O
. O

Li O
said O
most O
of O
the O
commercial O
banks O
in O
China O
had O
strengthened O
credit O
risk O
management O
. O
The O
analysis O
showed O
the O
country O
' O
s O
enterprises O
would O
grow O
sustainably O
despite O
greater O
exposure O
to O
foreign O
exchange O
risks O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0121 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Abbas O
, O
Hamas O
agree O
on O
new O
PM O
candidate O
: O
sources O

Palestinian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
has O
accepted O
a O
candidate O
nominated O
by O
the O
Hamas O
movement O
to O
lead O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
, O
the O
Islamic O
Online O
website O
reported O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
quoting O
well O
- O
informed O
sources O
. O

The O
nominee O
was O
Mohammed O
Shbair O
, O
former O
president O
of O
the O
Islamic O
University O
in O
Gaza O
, O
who O
is O
close O
to O
Hamas O
but O
not O
a O
member O
. O

The O
website O
did O
not O
elaborate O
on O
the O
sources O
, O
but O
said O
they O
were O
close O
to O
Abbas O
. O

The O
report O
also O
quoted O
Nezzar O
Rayan O
, O
a O
senior O
Hamas O
official O
in O
Gaza O
, O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
ruling O
Hamas O
movement O
had O
agreed O
with O
Abbas O
on O
a O
new O
prime O
minister O
. O

But O
Rayan O
did O
not O
clarify O
who O
would O
be O
the O
new O
one O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Hamas O
spokesman O
Ismail O
Radwan O
told O
reporters O
that O
his O
movement O
had O
nominated O
a O
prime O
minister O
candidate O
close O
to O
Hamas O
and O
confirmed O
that O
Abbas O
has O
accepted O
the O
candidate O
. O

Shbair O
, O
60 O
, O
was O
famous O
for O
his O
academic O
activities O
and O
had O
been O
the O
president O
of O
the O
Hamas O
- O
dominated O
Islamic O
University O
for O
13 B-T
years I-T
. O

Abbas O
and O
Prime O
Minister O
Ismail O
Haneya O
have O
been O
engaged O
in O
talks O
for O
months O
to O
form O
a O
unity O
government O
to O
replace O
incumbent O
Hamas O
- O
led O
one O
to O
end O
the O
current O
political O
and O
economic O
crises O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
. O

After O
a O
general O
agreement O
to O
form O
a O
unity O
government O
, O
a O
committee O
tasked O
with O
outlining O
the O
government O
held O
its O
first O
meeting O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O
Senior O
members O
of O
both O
Hamas O
and O
Fatah O
were O
present O
at O
the O
meeting O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0155 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

South O
Korean O
teenager O
Park O
Tae O
- O
Hwan O
took O
aim O
at O
a O
second O
Asian O
Games O
gold O
medal O
here O
Tuesday B-T
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
400m O
freestyle O
, O
setting O
up O
a O
final O
clash O
with O
his O
biggest O
rival O
Zhang O
Lin O
of O
China O
. O

Nineteen O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Zhang O
, O
who O
lost O
to O
Park O
in O
the O
50m O
freestyle O
two B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
, O
was O
the O
fastest O
qualifier O
for O
the O
final O
and O
is O
out O
for O
revenge O
against O
the O
17 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
sensation O
from O
Seoul O
. O

" O
There O
is O
not O
much O
between O
us O
. O
I O
have O
beaten O
him O
before O
, O
" O
said O
Zhang O
, O
who O
will O
also O
face O
his O
rival O
again O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
the O
1 O
, O
500m O
freestyle O
. O

China O
- O
Japan O
clashes O
will O
dominate O
the O
eight O
finals O
Tuesday B-T
with O
China O
' O
s O
coach O
Zhang O
Yadong O
eyeing O
at O
least O
four O
titles O
. O

In O
the O
women O
' O
s O
breaststroke O
Ji O
Liping O
, O
the O
50m O
winner O
three B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
, O
is O
hoping O
once O
again O
to O
best O
Japanese O
challenger O
Asami O
Kitajima O
over O
100 O
metres O
. O
Another O
Chinese O
medal O
hope O
is O
13 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Wang O
Qun O
, O
who O
took O
bronze O
over O
one O
lap O
. O

Wang O
is O
being O
groomed O
for O
the O
2008 O
Beijing O
Olympics O
as O
the O
new O
Luo O
Xuejuan O
, O
the O
22 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
100m O
breaststroke O
Olympic O
champion O
who O
was O
left O
out O
of O
the O
Asian O
Games O
squad O
. O

In O
the O
men O
' O
s O
backstroke O
Japan O
' O
s O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Junichi O
Miyashita O
was O
the O
fastest O
qualifier O
but O
will O
be O
up O
against O
China O
' O
s O
favourite O
Ouyang O
Kunpeng O
in O
the O
final O
. O

In O
the O
men O
' O
s O
50m O
butterfly O
Japan O
and O
China O
go O
head O
to O
head O
again O
with O
Asian O
record O
holder O
Zhou O
Jiawei O
staking O
a O
claim O
for O
gold O
with O
the O
fastest O
time O
in O
the O
heats O
from O
teammate O
Wang O
Dong O
and O
Ryo O
Takayasu O
from O
Japan O
. O

China O
' O
s O
Pang O
Jiayang O
is O
looking O
for O
her O
third O
gold O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
50m O
freestyle O
after O
her O
200m O
freestyle O
and O
4x400m O
relay O
victories O
. O

Pang O
, O
21 O
, O
the O
Olympic O
relay O
silver O
medallist O
, O
is O
up O
against O
compatriot O
Xu O
Yanwei O
, O
who O
shared O
the O
100m O
relay O
gold O
and O
won O
an O
individual O
silver O
in O
the O
100m O
butterfly O
. O

In O
the O
relays O
, O
Japan O
look O
stronger O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
4x100 O
metre O
freestyle O
but O
China O
' O
s O
women O
have O
the O
edge O
going O
into O
the B-T
4x200 I-T
freestyle O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0401 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

trade O
, O
economic O
cooperation O
zones O
in O
Africa O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
said O
here O
Saturday B-T
that O
China O
will O
establish O
three O
to O
five O
trade O
and O
economic O
cooperation O
zones O
in O
Africa O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

Hu O
made O
the O
remarks O
while O
addressing O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
of O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
( O
FOCAC O
) O
. O

President O
Hu O
, O
41 O
heads O
of O
state O
or O
government O
and O
senior O
officials O
of O
48 O
African O
countries O
that O
have O
diplomatic O
ties O
with O
China O
, O
including O
Prime O
Minister O
of O
Ethiopia O
which O
co O
- O
chairs O
FOCAC O
, O
Alpha O
Oumar O
Konare O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Commission O
of O
the O
African O
Union O
( O
AU O
) O
and O
representatives O
from O
regional O
and O
international O
organizations O
, O
attended O
the O
landmark O
gathering O
highlighting O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
. O
" O

Prior O
to O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
, O
a O
grand O
welcoming O
ceremony O
was O
held O
at O
the O
Great O
Hall O
of O
the O
People O
. O

The O
summit O
has O
been O
widely O
acclaimed O
as O
the O
most O
important O
and O
largest O
meeting O
between O
Chinese O
and O
African O
leaders O
since O
the O
founding O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
China O
in O
1949 B-T
. O

At O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
, O
China O
and O
African O
countries O
will O
review O
the O
development O
of O
China O
- O
Africa O
relationship O
and O
blueprint O
the O
future O
cooperation O
. O

FOCAC O
is O
a O
mechanism O
for O
collective O
dialogue O
and O
cooperation O
jointly O
established O
by O
China O
and O
Africa O
to O
cope O
with O
new O
challenges O
and O
facilitate O
common O
development O
. O

Since O
the O
FOCAC O
launch O
in O
2000 B-T
, O
three O
ministerial O
conferences O
have O
been O
held O
in O
Beijing O
and O
Addis O
Ababa O
, O
with O
an O
action O
plan O
discussed O
and O
passed O
, O
laying O
out O
cooperation O
programs O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
from O
2007 O
to O
2009 O
under O
the O
FOCAC O
framework O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0007 O

MANILA O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Karl O
Wilson O

The O
Philippines O
is O
naturally O
prone O
to O
disasters O
but O
rising O
poverty O
and O
climate O
change O
are O
making O
the O
problem O
steadily O
worse O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

Despite O
repeated O
disasters O
, O
many O
people O
are O
too O
poor O
to O
leave O
dangerous O
areas O
, O
they O
say O
. O

Some O
30 O
, O
000 O
people O
fled O
the O
Mayon O
volcano O
when O
it O
started O
rumbling O
in O
August B-T
only O
to O
return O
when O
the O
activity O
subsided O
. O
But O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
typhoon O
- O
triggered O
mudslides O
swept O
hundreds O
of O
these O
people O
to O
their O
deaths O
. O

Roger O
- O
Mark O
De O
Souza O
of O
the O
Washington O
- O
based O
Population O
Reference O
Bureau O
said O
the O
danger O
from O
natural O
disasters O
here O
has O
risen O
markedly O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
. O

" O
The O
risk O
to O
human O
life O
from O
natural O
disasters O
in O
the O
Philippines O
has O
increased O
dramatically O
over O
the O
past O
generation O
, O
" O
he O
said O
in O
a O
recent O
report O
. O

" O
From O
1971 B-T
to O
2000 O
, O
natural O
disasters O
killed O
34 O
, O
000 O
people O
but O
from O
1990 O
to B-T
2000 I-T
, I-T
natural O
disasters O
killed O
or O
disrupted O
the O
lives O
of O
35 O
million O
people O
. O
" O

Each O
year O
an O
average O
of O
20 O
tropical O
storms O
sweep O
in O
from O
the O
Pacific O
, O
hammering O
the O
central O
or O
northern O
islands O
of O
the O
country O
. O

Sitting O
on O
the O
eadge O
of O
the O
" O
Pacific O
Ring O
of O
Fire O
, O
" O
the O
Southeast O
Asian O
archipelago O
nation O
is O
also O
vulnerable O
to O
earthquakes O
, O
at O
least O
six O
a O
day O
, O
and O
volcanic O
erruptions O
from O
its O
18 O
active O
volcanoes O
. O

It O
all O
makes O
for O
a O
deadly O
mix O
making O
the O
Philippines O
one O
of O
the O
most O
disaster O
- O
prone O
countries O
on O
earth O
, O
according O
to O
the O
International O
Red O
Cross O
. O

In O
a O
country O
where O
more O
than O
50 O
percent O
of O
the O
population O
are O
living O
on O
less B-T
than I-T
two I-T
dollars I-T
a I-T
day I-T
, O
the O
human O
cost O
of O
such O
disasters O
is O
enormous O
. O

Senator O
Richard O
Gordon O
, O
who O
also O
heads O
the O
Philippine O
Red O
Cross O
, O
said O
that O
unless O
the O
cycle O
of O
poverty O
is O
tackled O
" O
these O
disasters O
will O
just O
go O
on O
repeating O
themselves O
. O
" O

For O
all O
the O
stark O
images O
from O
the O
devastation O
wrought O
by O
typhoon O
Durian O
, O
the O
scenes O
were O
troublingly O
familiar O
. O

In O
the O
eastern O
island O
of O
Leyte O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
1 O
, O
800 O
were O
killed O
when O
a O
mudslide O
caused O
by O
heavy O
rains O
obliterated O
the O
farming O
community O
of O
Guinsaugon O
. O

The O
International O
Red O
Cross O
has O
estimated O
that O
some O
5 O
. O
9 O
million O
Filipinos O
were O
killed O
or O
injured O
as O
a O
result O
of O
natural O
or O
man O
- O
made O
calamities O
in O
the B-T
10 I-T
years I-T
to I-T
2001 I-T
. O

In O
its O
2005 O
Disaster O
report O
the O
IRC O
said O
the O
impact O
of O
natural O
disasters O
" O
aggravate O
pre O
- O
existing O
poverty O
, O
creating O
a O
downward O
spiral O
of O
vulnerability O
, O
arresting O
development O
. O
" O

Leoncio O
Amadore O
, O
one O
of O
the O
Philippines O
' O
foremost O
meteorologists O
, O
believes O
that O
climate O
change O
is O
also O
contributing O
to O
the O
severity O
of O
the O
typhoons O
now B-T
hitting O
the O
Philippines O
. O

" O
The O
combination O
of O
strong O
typhoons O
, O
excessive O
rain O
and O
landslides O
has O
caused O
a O
great O
deal O
of O
death O
and O
destruction O
in O
the O
Philippines O
. O

" O
If O
we O
do O
not O
act O
urgently O
, O
climate O
change O
will O
further O
intensify O
the O
severity O
of O
extreme O
weather O
events O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0122 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Gaza O
to O
get O
electricity O
supply O
from O
Egypt O
: O
company O

Palestinian O
and O
Egyptian O
officials O
will O
sign O
a O
final O
deal O
to O
provide O
Gaza O
Strip O
with O
Egyptian O
electricity O
instead O
of O
some O
Israeli O
power O
, O
a O
Gaza O
power O
company O
announced O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
Gaza O
Electricity O
Distribution O
Company O
( O
GEDC O
) O
made O
the O
announcement O
in O
a O
statement O
issued O
by O
its O
general O
director O
Sulaiman O
Abu O
Samhadana O
. O

According O
to O
the O
deal O
, O
a O
switching O
station O
would O
be O
built O
in O
southern O
Gaza O
Strip O
border O
town O
of O
Rafah O
to O
receive O
150 O
megawatt O
of O
Egyptian O
power O
as O
the O
first O
phase O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

The O
first O
phase O
costs O
about O
22 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
, O
adding O
the O
four O
- O
phase O
project O
would O
provide O
Gaza O
with O
800 B-T
megawatt O
when O
it O
is O
completed O
. O
It O
would O
be O
built O
completely O
in O
one B-T
year I-T
if O
Israel O
did O
not O
put O
obstacles O
. O

The O
proposed O
Gaza O
switching O
plant O
would O
be O
connected O
with O
an O
Egyptian O
station O
in O
al O
- O
Ariesh O
city O
with O
60 O
km O
- O
long O
cables O
. O
Fixing O
the O
cables O
will O
cost O
about O
100 O
millions O
of O
Egyptian O
Pound O
( O
17 O
. O
39 O
million O
dollars O
) O
. O

On O
June B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
three I-T
days I-T
after O
Palestinian O
militants O
kidnapped O
an O
Israeli O
soldier O
, O
Israeli O
F O
- O
16 O
warplanes O
have O
shelled O
the O
only O
power O
plant O
in O
Gaza O
that O
produced O
almost O
45 O
percent O
of O
Gaza O
electricity O
, O
leaving O
the O
poor O
strip O
powerless O
for O
three B-T
months I-T
until O
Egyptians O
have O
recently O
re O
- O
operated O
the O
Gaza O
station O
. O

Through O
10 O
cables O
, O
Israel O
provides O
Gaza O
with O
the O
remaining O
electricity O
. O

Abu O
Samhadana O
said O
the O
project O
will O
cover O
the O
shortage O
of O
power O
in O
Gaza O
for O
decades O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0196 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Kenya O
' O
s O
flag O
carrier O
boosts O
domestic O
flights O

Kenya O
' O
s O
flag O
carrier O
Kenya O
Airways O
has O
announced O
it O
will O
introduce O
larger O
aircraft O
daily O
from O
Nairobi O
to O
the O
port O
city O
of O
Mombasa O
except O
Thursdays B-T
and I-T
Sundays I-T
from I-T
next I-T
week I-T
. O

The O
airline O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
here O
Tuesday B-T
that O
it O
had O
put O
measures O
in O
place O
to O
cater O
for O
the O
capacity O
demand O
on O
its O
domestic O
operations O
to O
bolster O
domestic O
tourism O
. O

Kenya O
Airways O
Head O
of O
Marketing O
and O
Corporate O
Communications O
Michael O
Okwiri O
said O
that O
passengers O
would O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
fly O
aboard O
the O
larger O
Boeing O
767 O
, O
which O
has O
216 O
seats O
compared O
to O
the O
regular O
737 O
that O
has O
116 O
seats O
on O
the O
early O
morning O
flights O
, O
an O
86 O
percent O
increase O
in O
capacity O
on O
these O
key O
early O
flights O
. O

Okwiri O
said O
the O
new O
development O
has O
been O
occasioned O
by O
numerous O
conferences O
in O
Mombasa O
which O
he O
said O
would O
develop O
domestic O
travel O
. O

" O
The O
local O
tourism O
scene O
has O
seen O
phenomenal O
growth O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
couple I-T
of I-T
months I-T
and O
we O
want O
to O
support O
this O
route O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
increase O
in O
the O
number O
of O
international O
visitors O
to O
Kenya O
has O
spurred O
a O
greater O
interest O
in O
the O
tourism O
sector O
with O
the O
airports O
registering O
the O
highest O
number O
of O
traffic O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
five I-T
years I-T
. O

CNN19980126 B-T
. O
1600 O
. O
1104 O

NEWS O
STORY O

Major O
job O
cuts O
at O
AT O
and O
T O
. O

The O
long O
distance O
giant O
slashing O
up O
to O
eighteen O
thousand O
jobs O
, O
freezing O
executive O

salaries O
and O
shaking O
up O
management O
. O

The O
changes O
are O
part O
of O
a O
one O
point O
six O

billion O
dollar O
cost O
cutting O
initiative O
to O
revitalize O
its O
position O
in O
the O
telecommunications O
business O
. O

Earlier O
AT O
and O
T O
also O
announced O
an O
eighteen O
percent O
drop O
in O
profits O
for O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
sales O
force O
applauded O
the O
shake O
up O
. O

It O
' O
s O
not O
something O
we O
' O
re O
not O
used O
to O
in O
the O
industry O
. O

But O
I O
think O
right O
now B-T
, O
for O
AT O
and O
T O
and O
the O
people O
here O
, O
it O
' O
s O
fairly O
intense O
as O
you O
might O
w O
- O
well O
imagine O
. O

I O
mean O
look O
at O
the O
stock O
. O

You O
know O
, O
since O
he O
' O
s O
been O
here O
the O
stock O
skyrocketed O
so O
, O

Yeah O
I O
think O
he O
' O
s O
doing O
the O
right O
thing O
. O

I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
a O
good O
thing O
that O
they O
' O
re O
finally O
going O
to O
be O
downsizing O
you O
know O
some O
management O
because O
there O
is O
a O
whole O
lot O
of O
waste O
. O

Good O
news O
for O
AT O
and O
T O
today B-T
. O

I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
excellent O
for O
the O
company O
. O

But O
investors O
are O
approaching O
the O
changes O
with O
caution O
shares O
of O
AT O
and O
T O
down O
nearly O
four O
at O
sixty O
- O
one O
and O
a O
half O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0022 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0022 O
. O

Jim O
Pattison O
to O
Seek O

@ O
Control O
of O
Innopac O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

T O
. O
INA O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

VANCOUVER O
, O
British O
Columbia O

Jim O
Pattison O
Industries O
Ltd O
. O
, O
one O
of O
a O
group O
of O
closely O
held O
companies O
owned O
by O
entrepreneur O
James O
Pattison O
, O
said O
it O
" O
intends O
to O
seek O
control O
" O
of O
30 O
% O
- O
owned O
Innopac O
Inc O
. O
, O
a O
Toronto O
packaging O
concern O
. O

Jim O
Pattison O
Industries O
, O
a O
holding O
company O
with O
annual O
sales O
of O
about O
C O
$ O
1 O
. O
9 O
billion O
, O
largely O
from O
car O
dealerships O
and O
grocery O
stores O
, O
did O
n O
' O
t O
elaborate O
on O
the O
statement O
, O
and O
a O
company O
official O
declined O
further O
comment O
. O

The O
company O
said O
it O
currently B-T
holds O
about O
4 O
. O
2 O
million O
of O
Innopac O
' O
s O
13 O
. O
8 O
million O
common O
shares O
outstanding O
, O
which O
have O
an O
aggregate O
market O
value O
of O
about O
137 O
. O
8 O
million O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
US O
$ O
117 O
. O
3 O
million O
) O
. O

Separately O
, O
Innopac O
reported O
a O
fourth B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
loss O
of O
about O
C O
$ O
2 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
or O
18 O
Canadian O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
reflecting O
inventory O
write O
- O
downs O
. O

The O
results O
made O
net O
income O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
ended O
Aug B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
C O
$ O
2 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
20 O
Canadian O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
down O
from O
C O
$ O
9 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
70 O
Canadian O
cents O
a O
share O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Revenue O
was O
C O
$ O
291 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
up O
from O
C O
$ O
252 O
million O
in O
1988 B-T
. O

Martin O
Fabi O
, O
Innopac O
' O
s O
president O
and O
chief O
executive O
, O
said O
Innopac O
viewed O
Mr O
. O
Pattison O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
seek O
control O
as O
a O
" O
very O
positive O
" O
move O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
happy O
that O
he O
feels O
positively O
about O
our O
company O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Mr O
. O
Fabi O
wouldn O
' O
t O
say O
directly O
whether O
Mr O
. O
Pattison O
has O
disclosed O
potential O
terms O
for O
his O
planned O
bid O
for O
control O
. O

Among O
other O
things O
, O
Innopac O
is O
involved O
in O
recycling O
polystyrene O
foam O
products O
that O
are O
often O
used O
by O
fast O
food O
chains O
, O
such O
as O
McDonald O
' O
s O
Corp O
. O
, O
for O
food O
packaging O
. O

A O
joint O
venture O
involving O
units O
of O
Innopac O
and O
Mobil O
Corp O
. O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
opened O
the O
first O
U O
. O
S O
. O
polystyrene O
recycling O
plant O
, O
in O
Leominster O
, O
Mass O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0069 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

report O

The O
former O
chief O
executive O
of O
Deutsche O
Boerse O
, O
Werner O
Seifert O
, O
is O
to O
publish O
a O
book O
attacking O
the O
hedge O
fund O
investors O
who O
forced O
him O
to O
quit O
as O
head O
of O
the O
German O
stock O
exchange O
in O
May B-T
, O
the O
Financial O
Times O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

However O
, O
senior O
Deutsche O
Boerse O
figures O
believe O
that O
the O
book O
, O
to O
be O
published O
under O
the O
title O
" O
Invasion O
of O
the O
Locusts O
" O
, O
could O
contravene O
the O
terms O
of O
Seifert O
' O
s O
10 O
- O
million O
- O
euro O
( O
12 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
) O
pay O
- O
off O
, O
possibly O
triggering O
legal O
action O
against O
him O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

In O
a O
spectacular O
boardroom O
coup O
in O
May B-T
, O
hedge O
funds O
, O
including O
London O
- O
based O
TCI O
, O
ousted O
Seifert O
over O
his O
plans O
for O
the O
Frankfurt O
stock O
exchange O
to O
take O
over O
the O
London O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O

In O
the O
book O
, O
to O
be O
subtitled O
" O
Intrigues O
, O
Power O
Battles O
and O
Market O
Manipulation O
" O
, O
Seifert O
offers O
a O
chronological O
narrative O
of O
the O
LSE O
bid O
battle O
, O
as O
well O
as O
a O
broader O
critical O
analysis O
directed O
against O
the O
growing O
power O
of O
such O
investors O
and O
the O
consequences O
for O
companies O
, O
FT O
said O
, O
quoting O
sources O
involved O
in O
the O
project O
. O

The O
" O
locusts O
" O
of O
the O
title O
refers O
to O
the O
term O
the O
former O
head O
of O
the O
Social O
Democrat O
SPD O
party O
, O
Franz O
Muentefering O
, O
used O
for O
such O
investors O
, O
who O
bought O
up O
companies O
in O
Germany O
stripped O
them O
of O
their O
assets O
and O
then O
moved O
on O
. O

The O
newspaper O
said O
Seifert O
believed O
the O
scope O
of O
the O
book O
falls O
outside O
the O
gagging O
order O
that O
Deutsche O
Boerse O
tried O
to O
impose O
on O
him O
in O
exchange O
for O
his O
pay O
- O
off O
. O

But O
FT O
quoted O
a O
company O
director O
as O
saying O
the O
book O
was O
a O
" O
scandal O
" O
and O
that O
the O
stock O
exchange O
operator O
would O
seek O
to O
prevent O
or O
at O
least O
delay O
publication O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0174 O

HELSINKI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russia O
, O
EU O
make O
breakthrough O
on O
terms O
of O
Siberian O
overflights O

Russia O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
on O
Friday B-T
made O
a O
breakthrough O
in O
resolving O
a O
20 O
- O
year O
dispute O
over O
the O
fees O
Moscow O
charges O
foreign O
airlines O
for O
permission O
to O
fly O
over O
Siberia O
. O

European O
carriers O
pay O
more O
than O
330 O
million O
euros O
( O
about O
400 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
annually O
in O
Siberian O
over O
- O
flight O
charges O
. O

At O
the O
ongoing O
EU O
- O
Russia O
summit O
in O
Helsinki O
, O
Russia O
agreed O
to O
totally O
phase O
out O
the O
charges O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2013 I-T
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
than I-T
previous I-T
agreed I-T
. O

" O
( O
The O
deal O
) O
opens O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
opportunities O
for O
strengthening O
EU O
- O
Russia O
relations O
, O
in O
particular O
in O
the O
transport O
field O
, O
" O
said O
EU O
Transport O
Commissioner O
Jacques O
Barrot O
. O

" O
The O
agreement O
will O
significantly O
improve O
the O
competitive O
situation O
of O
our O
European O
airlines O
and O
ease O
their O
operations O
between O
Europe O
and O
the O
growing O
markets O
in O
Asia O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

An O
agreement O
on O
the O
matter O
is O
to O
be O
signed O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
EU O
- O
Russia O
summit O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
EU O
has O
long O
lobbied O
Russia O
to O
put O
an O
end O
to O
the O
charges O
imposed O
on O
European O
airlines O
on O
all O
flights O
to O
Asia O
, O
which O
must O
fly O
over O
Siberia O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0366 O

BUDAPEST O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hungarian O
film O
wins O
Dutch O
grand O
prix O

A O
Hungarian O
film O
won O
the O
grand O
prix O
of O
the O
27th O
Noordeljik O
Film O
Festival O
in O
the O
Netherlands O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
Porcelain O
Doll O
, O
" O
directed O
by O
Peter O
Gardos O
, O
is O
based O
on O
three O
short O
stories O
, O
focusing O
on O
death O
, O
resurrection O
and O
vulnerability O
in O
the O
history O
of O
the O
20th B-T
century I-T
. O

Adapted O
from O
Star O
Farm O
, O
a O
book O
of O
short O
stories O
by O
Hungarian O
writer O
Ervin O
Lazar O
, O
the O
three O
distinct O
fairy O
tales O
of O
" O
Porcelain O
Doll O
" O
concern O
the O
supernatural O
occurrences O
that O
arise O
when O
a O
community O
of O
Hungarian O
farmers O
is O
visited O
by O
the O
forces O
of O
state O
power O
. O

The O
film O
had O
its O
world O
premiere O
at O
the O
Moscow O
Film O
Festival O
in O
June B-T
, O
and O
was O
given O
the O
Russian O
film O
critics O
' O
award O
. O
It O
has O
also O
received O
the O
Gene O
Moskowitz O
Award O
of O
foreign O
critics O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0278 O

DAMASCUS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Syrian O
PM O
condemns O
Amman O
hotel O
attacks O

Syrian O
Prime O
Minister O
Mohammad O
Naji O
Ottri O
on O
Thursday B-T
sent O
a O
cable O
of O
condolences O
to O
his O
Jordanian O
counterpart O
Adnan O
Badran O
, O
condemning O
the O
terrorist O
acts O
that O
rocked O
three O
hotels O
in O
Amman O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
. O

Ottri O
denounced O
this O
" O
heinous O
crime O
" O
that O
claimed O
life O
of O
innocent O
persons O
and O
targeted O
security O
and O
stability O
in O
that O
country O
and O
condemned O
those O
who O
stand O
behind O
such O
" O
ugly O
acts O
" O
, O
the O
official O
SANA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

" O
Syria O
expresses O
solidarity O
with O
the O
brotherly O
Jordan O
in O
facing O
the O
machine O
of O
blind O
terrorism O
, O
" O
Ottri O
said O
, O
extending O
his O
sincerest O
condolences O
to O
the O
victims O
' O
families O
and O
wishing O
the O
wounded O
quick O
recovery O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Speaker O
of O
Syria O
' O
s O
People O
' O
s O
Assembly O
( O
Parliament O
) O
Mahmoud O
al O
- O
Abrash O
sent O
a O
condolence O
cable O
to O
his O
Jordanian O
counterpart O
, O
condemning O
the O
bombings O
. O

At O
least O
57 O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
more O
than O
110 O
others O
wounded O
in O
the O
blasts O
that O
struck O
the O
Grand O
Hyatt O
, O
the O
Radisson O
SAS O
and O
the O
Days O
Inn O
hotels O
in O
downtown O
Amman O
. O

The O
al O
- O
Qaida O
terror O
group O
in O
Iraq O
claimed O
responsibility O
on O
Thursday B-T
for O
the O
three O
suicide O
bombings O
in O
an O
internet O
statement O
, O
but O
the O
authenticity O
of O
the O
statement O
could O
not O
be O
verified O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0114 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thai O
bourse O
up O
0 O
. O
58 O
points O

The O
Stock O
Exchange O
of O
Thailand O
( O
SET O
) O
index O
on O
Thursday B-T
moved O
up O
0 O
. O
58 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
669 O
. O
76 O
points O
. O

Some O
1 O
. O
36 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
8 O
. O
45 O
billion O
baht O
( O
201 O
. O
19 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
changed O
hands O
. O

SET O
index O
lost O
5 O
. O
07 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
669 O
. O
18 O
points O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0177 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cabinet O
approves O
draft O
of O
regulations O
on O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O

China O
' O
s O
State O
Council O
held O
an O
executive O
meeting O
Wednesday B-T
, O
to O
examine O
and O
approve O
in O
principle O
the O
draft O
of O
the O
regulations O
on O
the O
administration O
of O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
. O

The O
formulation O
of O
the O
regulations O
is O
aimed O
to O
meet O
the O
requirements O
of O
China O
' O
s O
opening O
to O
the O
outside O
world O
and O
economic O
growth O
as O
well O
as O
to O
strengthen O
and O
improve O
the O
supervision O
and O
administration O
over O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
and O
for O
the O
stable O
operation O
of O
the O
whole O
banking O
industry O
in O
the O
country O
, O
according O
to O
the O
meeting O
. O

The O
meeting O
, O
which O
was O
chaired O
by O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
, O
also O
studied O
the O
issue O
of O
readjusting O
and O
regrouping O
state O
- O
owned O
companies O
. O

The O
participants O
agreed O
that O
the O
country O
has O
made O
major O
breakthroughs O
in O
reforming O
the O
managerial O
system O
of O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
. O
They O
called O
the O
readjustment O
and O
regrouping O
of O
state O
- O
owned O
firms O
" O
a O
major O
task O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
reform O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0009 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Non O
- O
performing O
loans O
volume O
could O
rebound O
, O
official O
of O
CBRC O

The O
non O
- O
performing O
loan O
volume O
in O
China O
' O
s O
banking O
industry O
could O
rebound O
despite O
its O
recent O
decline O
, O
says O
a O
senior O
official O
with O
the O
China O
Banking O
Regulatory O
Commission O
( O
CBRC O
) O
. O

Jiang O
Dingzhi O
, O
vice O
- O
chairman O
of O
the O
China O
' O
s O
banking O
industry O
watchdog O
, O
told O
the O
10th O
Annual O
CEO O
Forum O
sponsored O
by O
Business O
Weekly O
that O
reforms O
of O
commercial O
banks O
should O
be O
deepened O
to O
establish O
a O
mature O
corporate O
governing O
structure O
. O

The O
volume O
of O
non O
- O
performing O
loans O
was O
still O
large O
and O
under O
greater O
pressure O
of O
rebounding O
, O
said O
Jiang O
. O

According O
to O
CBRC O
statistics O
, O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
September I-T
, O
non O
- O
performing O
loans O
in O
major O
commercial O
banks O
were O
1 O
. O
2 O
trillion O
yuan O
( O
150 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
46 O
. O
9 O
billion O
yuan O
less O
than O
the O
beginning O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
non O
- O
performing O
loan O
ratio O
had O
dropped O
by O
1 O
. O
3 O
percentage O
points O
from O
the O
beginning O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
to O
7 O
. O
6 O
percent O
. O

Jiang O
said O
that O
although O
there O
was O
surplus O
of O
capital O
fluidity O
as O
a O
whole O
, O
financing O
demand O
in O
some O
industries O
still O
exceeded O
supply O
. O

He O
suggested O
that O
financing O
innovation O
in O
China O
' O
s O
banking O
industry O
should O
be O
accelerated O
. O

The O
CBRC O
would O
approve O
commercial O
banks O
with O
good O
pricing O
and O
risk O
controls O
to O
manage O
new O
credit O
products O
, O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0013 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

APEC O
ministers O
stress O
anti O
- O
corruption O
, O
transparency O
standards O

APEC O
ministers O
said O
here O
Wednesday B-T
that O
APEC O
' O
s O
goal O
of O
economic O
prosperity O
could O
not O
be O
achieved O
unless O
corruption O
, O
both O
in O
the O
domestic O
economies O
and O
in O
international O
business O
transactions O
, O
was O
effectively O
addressed O
and O
those O
individuals O
guilty O
of O
corruption O
were O
denied O
a O
safe O
haven O
. O

In O
a O
joint O
statement O
issued O
on O
the O
conclusion O
of O
the O
two O
- O
day O
17th O
APEC O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
Wednesday B-T
, O
ministers O
from O
the O
21 O
member O
economies O
of O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
said O
corruption O
is O
one O
of O
the O
largest O
barriers O
to O
APEC O
' O
s O
road O
to O
free O
trade O
, O
further O
economic O
development O
and O
greater O
prosperity O
. O

They O
reaffirmed O
that O
they O
would O
continue O
to O
look O
for O
avenues O
to O
effectively O
address O
this O
important O
issue O
within O
APEC O
and O
in O
other O
fora O
. O

They O
commended O
the O
APEC O
Anti O
- O
Corruption O
and O
Transparency O
( O
ACT O
) O
Task O
Force O
for O
beginning O
its O
important O
work O
. O

The O
ministers O
stressed O
the O
importance O
of O
capacity O
building O
programs O
and O
encouraged O
member O
economies O
to O
develop O
and O
submit O
capacity O
building O
projects O
in O
support O
of O
APEC O
works O
in O
transparency O
as O
well O
as O
in O
anti O
- O
corruption O
. O

The O
APEC O
Budget O
Management O
Committee O
( O
BMC O
) O
has O
approved O
85 O
projects O
designed O
to O
strengthen O
the O
infrastructure O
and O
capacity O
of O
developing O
areas O
of O
the O
regional O
economy O
, O
worth O
5 O
. O
5 O
million O
US O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
and O
a O
further O
2 O
. O
2 O
million O
dollars O
will O
be O
available O
for O
projects O
later O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
a O
committee O
official O
announced O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
APEC O
ministers O
encouraged O
all O
member O
economies O
to O
take O
all O
appropriate O
steps O
toward O
effective O
ratification O
and O
implementation O
of O
relevant O
conventions O
. O
They O
urged O
all O
member O
economies O
to O
submit O
brief O
annual O
progress O
reports O
to O
the O
ACT O
Task O
Force O
on O
their O
APEC O
anti O
- O
corruption O
commitments O
, O
including O
a O
more O
concrete O
roadmap O
for O
accelerating O
the O
implementation O
and O
tracking O
progress O
. O

The O
minister O
pledged O
to O
intensify O
regional O
cooperation O
to O
deny O
a O
safe O
haven O
to O
officials O
and O
individuals O
guilty O
of O
corruption O
, O
and O
encouraged O
greater O
cooperation O
in O
the O
areas O
of O
mutual O
legal O
assistance O
, O
extradition O
, O
asset O
recovery O
, O
and O
forfeiture O
of O
the O
proceeds O
of O
corruption O
. O

They O
agreed O
to O
continue O
APEC O
' O
s O
collective O
efforts O
to O
promote O
good O
governance O
, O
integrity O
, O
and O
transparency O
. O

The O
ministers O
reiterated O
the O
importance O
of O
fulfilling O
the O
APEC O
Transparency O
Standards O
and O
the O
area O
- O
specific O
Transparency O
Standards O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0392 O

PORT O
- O
AU O
- O
PRINCE O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Haitian O
parliament O
boosts O
police O
firepower O

The O
Haitian O
Chamber O
of O
Deputies O
has O
authorized O
some O
units O
of O
the O
national O
police O
to O
carry O
light O
weapons O
in O
addition O
to O
their O
sidearms O
, O
parliamentary O
sources O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
move O
is O
a O
reaction O
to O
rising O
violence O
, O
especially O
in O
Haiti O
' O
s O
urban O
areas O
. O
Eight O
policemen O
have O
been O
gunned O
down O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
. O

The O
parliamentary O
list O
of O
authorized O
weapons O
includes O
submachine O
guns O
and O
assault O
rifles O
. O
Until O
now B-T
, O
police O
have O
carried O
only O
Smith O
and O
Wesson O
. O
38 O
- O
caliber O
handguns O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0370 O

MONTEVIDEO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
to O
establish O
logistics O
support O
base O
in O
Valencia O
, O
Spain O

The O
United O
Nations O
will O
create O
a O
logistics O
support O
base O
in O
Valencia O
, O
Spain O
, O
for O
peacekeeping O
missions O
, O
Spain O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Jose O
Luis O
Rodriguez O
Zapatero O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
At O
the O
new O
base O
, O
the O
United O
Nations O
will O
carry O
out O
logistical O
support O
activities O
such O
as O
electronic O
communication O
with O
peacekeeping O
missions O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
" O
as O
well O
as O
do O
information O
technology O
and O
communications O
work O
, O
Zapatero O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
. O

Spain O
would O
invest O
about O
12 O
million O
euros O
( O
14 O
, O
4 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
to O
develop O
the O
project O
, O
which O
will O
create O
nearly O
300 O
direct O
jobs O
, O
Zapatero O
said O
, O
after O
meeting O
with O
outgoing O
UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Zapatero O
said O
in O
a O
briefing O
that O
he O
was O
satisfied O
and O
proud O
about O
the O
creation O
of O
such O
logistics O
center O
which O
, O
he O
said O
, O
will O
have O
enormous O
consequences O
for O
the O
area O
around O
Valencia O
, O
and O
which O
shows O
his O
government O
' O
s O
full O
commitment O
to O
the O
UN O
and O
to O
world O
peace O
. O

The O
decision O
to O
create O
the O
support O
base O
for O
peace O
missions O
must O
be O
approved O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
by O
the O
UN O
General O
Assembly O
. O

The O
Spanish O
prime O
minister O
was O
among O
the O
leaders O
attending O
the O
16th O
Ibero O
- O
American O
Summit O
, O
which O
opened O
on O
Friday B-T
in O
Uruguay O
, O
a O
gathering O
of O
Spain O
, O
Portugal O
and O
their O
former O
colonies O
across O
the O
Americas O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0343 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

India O
won O
the O
Asian O
Games O
women O
' O
s O
field O
hockey O
bronze O
medal O
with O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
South O
Korea O
at O
the O
Al O
- O
Rayyan O
stadium O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Mamta O
Kharb O
scored O
the O
winner O
in O
the B-T
16th I-T
minute I-T
by O
deflecting O
in O
a O
penalty O
corner O
as O
India O
avenged O
the O
3 O
- O
2 O
defeat O
by O
the O
Koreans O
in O
the O
seven O
- O
nation O
preliminary O
league O
. O

South O
Korea O
, O
beaten O
by O
China O
in O
the O
final O
in O
Busan O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
were O
thwarted O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
half I-T
by O
the O
Indian O
defence O
, O
especially O
goalkeeper O
Dipika O
Gongala O
and O
full O
- O
back O
Subhadra O
Pradhan O
. O

The O
Indian O
girls O
made O
up O
for O
the O
disappointing O
display O
by O
their O
male O
counterparts O
who O
will O
return O
from O
the O
Asian O
Games O
without O
a O
medal O
for O
the O
first O
time O
. O

India O
must O
now O
wait O
for O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
China O
- O
Japan O
gold O
medal O
clash O
later O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
know O
if O
they O
have O
earned O
a O
direct O
entry O
into O
the O
2008 O
Beijing O
Olympics O
along O
with O
the O
finalists O
. O

According O
to O
the O
new O
qualification O
rules O
of O
the O
International O
Hockey O
Federation O
, O
India O
will O
go O
through O
if O
Japan O
wins O
the O
final O
. O

If O
Olympic O
hosts O
China O
win O
, O
the O
additional O
spot O
will O
be O
given O
to O
a O
team O
from O
the O
Oceania O
region O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Malaysia O
finished O
fifth O
with O
a O
5 O
- O
0 O
rout O
of O
Taiwan O
. O
Siti O
Othman O
scored O
two O
goals O
and O
Nurairah O
Khushaini O
, O
Chitra O
Arumugam O
and O
Nadia O
Rahman O
one O
each O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0260 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Baghdad O

A O
suicide O
car O
bombing O
attack O
killed O
four O
US O
soldiers O
south O
of O
Baghdad O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
US O
military O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
Four O
Task O
Force O
Baghdad O
soldiers O
were O
killed O
when O
a O
suicide O
car O
bomber O
attacked O
their O
checkpoint O
( O
Monday B-T
) O
along O
a O
road O
south O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
, O
adding O
the O
incident O
is O
under O
investigation O
. O

Names O
of O
the O
soldiers O
also O
were O
withheld O
pending O
notification O
of O
their O
families O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

The O
Task O
Force O
Baghdad O
is O
responsible O
for O
security O
in O
the O
capital O
Baghdad O
and O
the O
surrounding O
area O
. O

The O
death O
toll O
has O
brought O
to O
over O
2 O
, O
050 O
the O
number O
of O
US O
military O
personnel O
who O
have O
died O
in O
Iraq O
since O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invation O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
, O
according O
to O
media O
reports O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0036 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
machinery O
orders O
up O
9 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
February O

Japan O
' O
s O
private O
sector O
machinery O
orders O
in O
February B-T
rose O
9 O
. O
9 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
, O
after O
growing O
14 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
previous I-T
month I-T
, O
the O
Economic O
Planning O
Agency O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

Compared O
with O
the B-T
previous I-T
month I-T
, O
the O
February O
orders O
dropped O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
, O
the O
agency O
said O
. O

The O
data O
, O
excluding O
shipbuilding O
and O
power O
generation O
orders O
which O
tend O
to O
fluctuate O
widely O
, O
are O
considered O
leading O
indicators O
of O
corporate O
capital O
spending O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0321 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Gatlin O
, O
Felix O
capture O
Jesse O
Owens O
awards O

World O
200 O
- O
meter O
champions O
Justin O
Gatlin O
and O
Allyson O
Felix O
were O
named O
winners O
of O
the O
2005 O
Jesse O
Owens O
Award O
by O
USA O
Track O
and O
Field O
in O
Indianapolis O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Gatlin O
, O
who O
swept O
both O
100m O
and O
200m O
in O
the O
World O
Outdoor O
Athletics O
Championships O
in O
Helsinki O
, O
captured O
the O
award O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
year I-T
in O
a O
row O
. O

" O
To O
win O
this O
award O
again O
is O
simply O
amazing O
, O
" O
said O
Gatlin O
who O
won O
the O
100m O
in O
9 B-T
. I-T
88 I-T
seconds I-T
, O
winning O
by O
. O
17 O
of O
a O
second O
in O
the O
largest O
margin O
in O
World O
Championships O
history O
. O

Gatlin O
thus O
matched O
Maurice O
Greene O
from O
1999 B-T
as O
the O
only O
men O
to O
complete O
a O
100 O
- O
200 O
world O
sprint O
title O
sweep O
. O

Felix O
, O
19 O
, O
won O
every O
race O
she O
entered O
and O
claimed O
her O
first O
world O
title O
in O
the O
200m O
in O
22 B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
seconds I-T
, O
beating O
a O
field O
that O
included O
Olympic O
champion O
Veronica O
Campbell O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
humbled O
to O
be O
chosen O
for O
this O
recognition O
, O
" O
Felix O
said O
. O

Felix O
, O
the O
only O
teen O
to O
claim O
a O
world O
sprint O
crown O
, O
also O
won O
the O
US O
outdoor O
title O
in O
a O
world B-T
- I-T
leading I-T
22 I-T
. I-T
13 I-T
seconds I-T
. O
She O
had O
the O
three O
fastest O
times O
in O
the O
world O
this B-T
year I-T
at O
200m O
and O
five O
of O
the O
top O
seven O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0046 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesia O
denies O
pursuing O
security O
pact O
with O
Australia O

Indonesia O
Friday B-T
dismissed O
a O
report O
that O
it O
would O
sign O
a O
security O
pact O
with O
Australia O
during O
the O
bilateral O
meeting O
scheduled O
Monday B-T
on O
the O
resort O
island O
of O
Lombok O
. O

" O
The O
security O
cooperation O
agreement O
that O
we O
are O
about O
to O
sign O
( O
with O
Australia O
) O
is O
not O
a O
security O
pact O
, O
" O
Foreign O
Minister O
Hassan O
Wirajuda O
said O
at O
a O
news O
conference O
at O
his O
office O
here O
. O

The O
security O
cooperation O
framework O
covers O
mutual O
respect O
of O
the O
sovereignty O
and O
territorial O
integrity O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
In O
the O
security O
agreement O
, O
Australia O
puts O
its O
firm O
stance O
over O
the O
sovereignty O
of O
all O
Indonesian O
territories O
, O
including O
Papua O
, O
in O
a O
written O
statement O
, O
" O
the O
minister O
said O
. O

The O
draft O
of O
the O
agreement O
also O
covers O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
security O
areas O
, O
including O
the O
fight O
against O
terrorism O
, O
smuggling O
and O
trafficking O
in O
people O
; O
aviation O
safety O
; O
natural O
disaster O
emergency O
response O
and O
nuclear O
energy O
. O

The O
draft O
agreement O
is O
different O
from O
the O
security O
pact O
both O
countries O
signed O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
in O
which O
both O
countries O
agreed O
to O
help O
each O
other O
in O
case O
of O
attacks O
by O
another O
country O
, O
said O
Wirajuda O
. O

The O
1995 O
security O
pact O
was O
revoked O
in O
1999 B-T
, O
when O
Indonesia O
- O
Australia O
ties O
fell O
to O
the O
lowest O
due O
to O
the O
presence O
of O
Australian O
forces O
in O
East O
Timor O
, O
once O
one O
of O
Indonesian O
provinces O
that O
seceded O
from O
the O
Jakarta O
rule O
that B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0271 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
King O
Abdullah O
says O
Jordan O
won O
' O
t O
be O
blackmailed O

Jordan O
' O
s O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
said O
in O
a O
televised O
speech O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
that O
his O
kingdom O
will O
not O
be O
" O
blackmailed O
" O
by O
terrorism O
after O
three O
deadly O
bombings O
ripped O
through O
three O
hotels O
in O
downtown O
Amman O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0193 O

NANNING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Pirate O
CD O
maker O
and O
smuggler O
sentenced O
to O
life O
in O
south O
China O

A O
pirate O
CD O
maker O
and O
smuggler O
was O
sentenced O
to O
jail O
for O
life O
by O
an O
intermediate O
people O
' O
s O
court O
in O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Guangxi O
Zhuang O
Autonomous O
Region O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
court O
also O
ordered O
that O
4 O
million O
yuan O
( O
500 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
of O
Lin O
Yuehua O
' O
s O
personal O
property O
be O
confiscated O
. O

Lin O
was O
the O
boss O
of O
a O
CD O
piracy O
and O
smuggling O
operation O
, O
the O
largest O
one O
which O
has O
been O
so O
far O
uncovered O
in O
China O
. O
His O
eleven O
accomplices O
were O
also O
given O
jail O
sentences O
ranging O
from O
two O
to O
fifteen B-T
years I-T
. O

The O
twelve O
were O
convicted O
of O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
violation O
and O
smuggling O
. O

The O
court O
said O
Lin O
and O
his O
men O
bought O
five O
advanced O
CD O
production O
lines O
worth O
more O
than O
ten O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
and O
established O
a O
company O
abroad O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
mass O
producing O
pirate O
DVDs O
and O
VCDs O
. O

The O
gang O
then O
smuggled O
the O
pirated O
audio O
and O
video O
products O
into O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
. O

From O
Dec B-T
. I-T
2002 I-T
to O
May B-T
2005 I-T
, O
Lin O
' O
s O
company O
smuggled O
into O
China O
over O
30 O
million O
discs O
worth O
188 O
million O
yuan O
( O
about O
23 O
. O
5 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
the O
court O
said O
in O
its O
verdict O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0113 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

- O
politics O
- O
nuclear O
, O
ADDS O
EU O
reax O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Iran O
' O
s O
hardline O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
launched O
a O
fresh O
attack O
against O
Israel O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
dismissing O
the O
Holocaust O
as O
a O
" O
myth O
" O
and O
saying O
the O
Jewish O
state O
should O
be O
moved O
as O
far O
away O
as O
Alaska O
. O

And O
with O
just O
a B-T
week I-T
to O
go O
before O
scheduled O
talks O
with O
the O
European O
Union O
- O
- O
which O
is O
seeking O
guarantees O
Tehran O
will O
not O
acquire O
atomic O
weapons O
- O
- O
the O
outspoken O
president O
vowed O
he O
would O
not O
compromise O
" O
one O
iota O
" O
on O
its O
nuclear O
programme O
. O

" O
They O
have O
invented O
a O
myth O
that O
Jews O
were O
massacred O
and O
place O
this O
above O
God O
, O
religions O
and O
the O
prophets O
, O
" O
the O
controversial O
right O
- O
winger O
declared O
in O
a O
speech O
carried O
live O
on O
state O
television O
. O

" O
If O
somebody O
in O
their O
country O
questions O
God O
, O
nobody O
says O
anything O
, O
but O
if O
somebody O
denies O
the O
myth O
of O
the O
massacre O
of O
Jews O
, O
the O
Zionist O
loudspeakers O
and O
the O
governments O
in O
the O
pay O
of O
Zionism O
will O
start O
to O
scream O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Our O
proposal O
is O
this O
: O
give O
a O
piece O
of O
your O
land O
in O
Europe O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Canada O
or O
Alaska O
so O
they O
( O
the O
Jews O
) O
can O
create O
their O
own O
state O
. O
" O

His O
comments O
drew O
swift O
condemnation O
from O
the O
European O
Union O
and O
Iran O
' O
s O
arch O
- O
enemy O
Israel O
. O

Ahmadinejad O
, O
a O
hardcore O
Islamic O
revolutionary O
who O
won O
a O
shock O
election O
victory O
in O
June B-T
, O
has O
already O
sparked O
international O
outrage O
over O
a O
string O
of O
anti O
- O
Israeli O
outbursts O
. O

In O
October B-T
he O
said O
Israel O
" O
must O
be O
wiped O
off O
the O
map O
" O
, O
and O
last B-T
week I-T
said O
Israel O
was O
a O
" O
tumour O
" O
that O
should O
be O
moved O
to O
Germany O
or O
Austria O
- O
- O
comments O
that O
were O
also O
condemned O
by O
the O
United O
Nations O
Security O
Council O
. O

But O
his O
latest O
comments O
remove O
any O
doubt O
that O
he O
also O
backs O
revisionist O
historians O
- O
- O
often O
branded O
in O
the O
West O
as O
neo O
- O
Nazis O
- O
- O
who O
maintain O
Nazi O
Germany O
' O
s O
systematic O
slaughter O
of O
an O
estimated O
six O
million O
Jews O
between O
1933 B-T
and O
1945 B-T
never O
took O
place O
. O

" O
Why O
, O
under O
the O
pretext O
of O
this O
massacre O
, O
have O
you O
come O
to O
the O
heart O
of O
Palestine O
and O
the O
Islamic O
world O
. O
. O
. O
, O
why O
have O
you O
created O
an O
artificial O
Zionist O
regime O
? O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
a O
sharp O
response O
, O
Israeli O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Mark O
Regev O
told O
AFP O
that O
Ahmadinejad O
' O
s O
comments O
reflected O
a O
" O
perverse O
vision O
of O
the O
world O
held O
by O
this O
regime O
and O
underline O
the O
danger O
should O
such O
an O
extremist O
regime O
have O
a O
nuclear O
capacity O
in O
the O
future O
. O
" O

" O
We O
hope O
these O
extremist O
comments O
by O
the O
Iranian O
president O
will O
make O
the O
international O
community O
open O
its O
eyes O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Israel O
has O
consistently O
called O
for O
international O
action O
to O
prevent O
Iran O
from O
acquiring O
nuclear O
weapons O
, O
with O
its O
chief O
of O
staff O
Dan O
Halutz O
claiming O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
Tehran O
would O
have O
all O
the O
necessary O
knowledge O
to O
build O
a O
warhead O
within O
three B-T
months I-T
. O

The O
EU O
also O
condemned O
Ahmadinejad O
' O
s O
remarks O
. O

" O
The O
comments O
are O
wholly O
unacceptable O
and O
we O
condemn O
them O
unreservedly O
. O
They O
have O
no O
place O
in O
civilised O
political O
debate O
, O
" O
said O
Britain O
' O
s O
Minister O
for O
Europe O
Douglas O
Alexander O
, O
whose O
country O
currently O
holds O
the O
EU O
presidency O
. O

The O
EU O
big O
- O
three O
- O
- O
Britain O
, O
France O
and O
Germany O
- O
- O
are O
expected O
to O
meet O
Iranian O
officials O
on O
December B-T
21 I-T
in O
a O
bid O
to O
kick O
- O
start O
stalled O
diplomacy O
over O
Tehran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
drive O
. O

But O
Ahmadinejad O
spelled O
out O
that O
Iran O
was O
not O
ready O
to O
give O
in O
to O
demands O
to O
limit O
its O
work O
on O
the O
nuclear O
fuel O
cycle O
- O
- O
a O
process O
the O
regime O
insists O
is O
only O
directed O
to O
making O
electricity O
but O
which O
can O
also O
be O
extended O
to O
make O
weapons O
. O

" O
Be O
certain O
that O
we O
will O
not O
back O
away O
one O
iota O
from O
our O
legitimate O
nuclear O
rights O
, O
" O
said O
Ahmadinejad O
, O
who O
was O
speaking O
to O
thousands O
of O
people O
in O
the O
southeastern O
province O
of O
Sistan O
- O
Baluchestan O
. O

" O
We O
have O
experienced O
your O
attitude O
and O
we O
will O
no O
longer O
be O
duped O
by O
your O
lying O
propoganda O
. O
" O

The O
EU O
, O
backed O
by O
the O
United O
States O
, O
is O
now B-T
pinning O
its O
hopes O
for O
a O
compromise O
under O
which O
Iran O
' O
s O
enrichment O
work O
would O
be O
carried O
out O
in O
Russia O
, O
although O
this O
has O
also O
been O
rejected O
by O
Tehran O
. O

The O
UN O
nuclear O
watchdog O
, O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
, O
has O
still O
not O
ruled O
- O
- O
after O
an O
almost O
three O
- O
year O
investigation O
- O
- O
on O
whether O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
programme O
is O
peaceful O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0150 O

YINING O
, O
URUMQI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Activity O
centers O
help O
Uygur O
children O
face O
up O
to O
AIDS O

Before O
stepping O
on O
to O
the O
stage O
, O
10 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Amina O
( O
not O
her O
real O
name O
) O
looks O
back O
at O
her O
singing O
teacher O
. O
Reassured O
, O
the O
Uygur O
girl O
strides O
toward O
the O
center O
of O
the O
stage O
. O

Nervously O
, O
the O
third O
grader O
began O
singing O
before O
the O
audience O
of O
1 O
, O
000 O
, O
including O
her O
fellow O
students O
. O
It O
is O
a O
traditional O
Uygur O
ballad O
to O
thank O
parents O
, O
but O
the O
girl O
changes O
the O
lyrics O
, O
thanking O
her O
grandparents O
. O

She O
was O
raised O
at O
her O
grandparents O
' O
home O
from O
the O
age O
of O
nine B-T
months I-T
. O
Her O
father O
was O
a O
drug O
addict O
who O
contracted O
HIV O
and O
her O
mother O
divorced O
him O
and O
remarried O
, O
leaving O
the O
child O
with O
her O
grandparents O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ll O
never O
forget O
you O
, O
my O
grandparents O
, O
" O
she O
sings O
in O
Uygur O
, O
the O
language O
of O
the O
largest O
ethnic O
group O
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
underdeveloped O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
. O

The O
performance O
of O
song O
, O
dance O
and O
drama O
is O
put O
on O
by O
children O
from O
Yining O
city O
' O
s O
Kardun O
town O
, O
an O
area O
plagued O
by O
drugs O
and O
a O
rising O
number O
of O
HIV O
cases O
, O
to O
mark O
the O
19th O
World O
AIDS O
Day O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

There O
are O
800 O
people O
reported O
to O
be O
living O
with O
HIV O
in O
the O
town O
, O
including O
more O
than O
100 O
under O
the O
age O
of O
18 O
, O
local O
government O
statistics O
show O
. O

The O
city O
is O
the O
only O
area O
recording O
a O
rise O
in O
HIV O
cases O
in O
the O
region O
, O
an O
overwhelmingly O
Muslim O
region O
with O
an O
estimated O
60 O
, O
000 O
infections O
, O
one O
- O
tenth O
of O
China O
' O
s O
AIDS O
cases O
. O

Like O
Amina O
, O
the O
performers O
are O
from O
a O
community O
- O
based O
children O
' O
s O
activity O
center O
supported O
by O
Save O
the O
Children O
, O
a O
UK O
- O
based O
non O
- O
governmental O
organization O
for O
child O
welfare O
. O

The O
center O
, O
a O
single O
- O
storey O
white O
brick O
house O
, O
is O
a O
few O
minutes O
walk O
from O
many O
homes O
. O
For O
Amina O
, O
it O
is O
a O
place O
where O
she O
can O
find O
friends O
to O
play O
with O
, O
draw O
, O
watch O
movies O
, O
and O
forget O
her O
sadness O
. O

To O
protect O
children O
from O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
the O
center O
teaches O
them O
about O
drug O
taking O
, O
AIDS O
and O
how O
to O
treat O
people O
living O
with O
HIV O
without O
prejudice O
. O

Other O
activities O
like O
group O
discussions O
and O
art O
sessions O
teach O
the O
children O
about O
the O
dangers O
of O
drugs O
and O
the O
risks O
AIDS O
. O

Among O
scores O
of O
paintings O
hanging O
on O
the O
wall O
, O
there O
is O
one O
drawn O
by O
Amina O
: O
a O
needle O
under O
a O
big O
red O
cross O
that O
symbolizes O
the O
little O
girl O
' O
s O
wish O
to O
eliminate O
drugs O
. O

Adults O
are O
also O
invited O
to O
join O
the O
activities O
. O
A O
non O
- O
discriminatory O
environment O
is O
crucial O
to O
people O
tested O
HIV O
positive O
and O
their O
families O
. O
Adults O
' O
attitudes O
play O
a O
key O
role O
in O
the O
process O
as O
they O
influence O
others O
, O
particularly O
their O
kids O
. O

" O
These O
activities O
give O
children O
infected O
with O
the O
HIV O
virus O
or O
living O
with O
HIV O
positive O
families O
comfort O
and O
hope O
, O
" O
said O
Zhao O
Qi O
, O
a O
health O
official O
of O
Save O
the O
Children O
' O
s O
China O
program O
. O

She O
recalled O
a O
10 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
boy O
who O
refused O
to O
go O
to O
school O
when O
he O
learned O
his O
mother O
had O
contracted O
HIV B-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O
He O
cried O
, O
locked O
himself O
in O
his O
room O
and O
refused O
to O
talk O
with O
her O
. O

He O
was O
later O
called O
to O
take O
part O
in O
a O
center O
- O
supported O
research O
program O
to O
interview O
vulnerable O
children O
, O
including O
children O
with O
one O
or O
both O
parents O
HIV O
positive O
. O

" O
I O
learned O
that O
my O
mother O
was O
uncomfortable O
and O
regretful O
and O
I O
had O
added O
to O
her O
pain O
, O
" O
the O
boy O
wrote O
in O
his O
interview O
record O
. O
After O
that O
, O
he O
talked O
with O
his O
mother O
and O
asked O
for O
her O
forgiveness O
. O

In O
a O
dozen O
provinces O
around O
the O
country O
, O
Save O
the O
Children O
has O
set O
up O
more O
than O
40 O
children O
' O
s O
activity O
centers O
to O
create O
a O
protective O
and O
developmental O
environment O
for O
children O
, O
a O
concept O
welcomed O
by O
local O
governments O
. O

For O
China O
, O
home O
to O
an O
estimated O
number O
of O
650 O
, O
000 O
people O
living O
with O
the O
HIV O
virus O
, O
" O
a O
small O
percentage O
point O
rise O
in O
the O
spread O
of O
HIV O
would O
translate O
into O
alarming O
infection O
figures O
" O
, O
says O
Zhao O
. O
" O
Teaching O
children O
to O
be O
aware O
of O
AIDS O
is O
critical O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0486 O

CLEVELAND O
, O
Ohio O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Indians O
reportedly O
sign O
veteran O
hurler O
Byrd O

The O
Cleveland O
Indians O
, O
in O
search O
of O
a O
replacement O
for O
Kevin O
Millwood O
, O
have O
agreed O
to O
terms O
with O
veteran O
righthanded O
pitcher O
Paul O
Byrd O
on O
a O
two O
- O
year O
deal O
, O
ESPN O
reported O
on O
its O
website O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
deal O
is O
worth O
14 O
. O
25 O
million O
dollars O
, O
ESPN O
reported O
, O
and O
Byrd O
, O
who O
turned O
35 O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
can O
receive O
up O
to O
22 O
million O
dollars O
if O
the O
Indians O
exercise O
their O
club O
option O
for O
the B-T
2008 I-T
season I-T
. O

Originally O
a O
fourth O
- O
round O
pick O
of O
Cleveland O
in O
1991 B-T
, O
Byrd O
is O
coming O
off O
a O
productive O
season O
for O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Angels O
of O
Anaheim O
, O
during O
which O
he O
went O
12 O
- O
11 O
with O
a O
3 O
. O
74 O
ERA O
in O
31 O
starts O
for O
the O
American O
League O
West O
champions O
. O

Byrd O
, O
who O
has O
made O
a O
career O
out O
of O
changing O
speeds O
and O
arm O
angles O
, O
struck O
out O
102 O
in O
204 O
1 O
/ O
3 O
innings O
but O
walked O
just O
28 O
. O

He O
effectively O
is O
stepping O
into O
the O
hole O
in O
the O
Indians O
' O
rotation O
vacated O
by O
Millwood O
, O
who O
went O
9 O
- O
11 O
with O
a O
league O
- O
best O
2 O
. O
86 O
ERA O
last B-T
season I-T
but O
is O
expected O
to O
leave O
via O
free O
agency O
. O

In O
parts O
of O
10 O
major O
league O
seasons O
with O
five O
different O
teams O
, O
Byrd O
has O
a O
career O
record O
of O
72 O
- O
64 O
with O
a O
4 B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
ERA I-T
. O
A O
former O
All O
- O
Star O
, O
Byrd O
' O
s O
best O
season O
came O
with O
Kansas O
City O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
when O
he O
went O
17 O
- O
11 O
with O
a O
3 B-T
. I-T
90 I-T
ERA I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0143 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

OIC O
economic O
standing O
committee O
to O
meet O
in O
Istanbul O

The O
22nd O
meeting O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
for O
Economic O
and O
Commercial O
Cooperation O
( O
COMCEC O
) O
of O
the O
Organization O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Conference O
( O
OIC O
) O
will O
be O
held O
in O
Turkey O
' O
s O
largest O
city O
of O
Istanbul O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
- I-T
24 I-T
, O
local O
media O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Projects O
and O
issues O
regarding O
the O
improvement O
of O
economic O
and O
commercial O
cooperation O
among O
OIC O
member O
states O
will O
be O
debated O
during O
the O
meeting O
, O
the O
semi O
- O
official O
Anatolia O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Moreover O
, O
second O
round O
of O
the O
trade O
negotiations O
within O
the O
context O
of O
Framework O
Agreement O
Trade O
Preferential O
System O
( O
TPSOIC O
) O
will O
take O
place O
during O
the O
meeting O
, O
it O
added O
. O

Ministers O
of O
economy O
from O
OIC O
member O
states O
as O
well O
as O
observer O
countries O
are O
expected O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
meeting O
, O
which O
will O
be O
under O
the O
chairmanship O
of O
Turkish O
President O
Ahmet O
Necdet O
Sezer O
. O

COMCEC O
is O
one O
of O
the O
three O
standing O
committees O
established O
by O
the O
Third O
Islamic O
Summit O
Conference O
held O
in O
Mecca O
and O
Taif O
in O
1981 B-T
. O

The O
committee O
, O
which O
was O
under O
the O
presidency O
of O
Turkey O
since O
1984 B-T
, O
is O
mainly O
responsible O
for O
the O
development O
and O
coordination O
of O
multilateral O
economic O
and O
commercial O
cooperation O
between O
the O
member O
states O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0106 O

BUCHAREST O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
A O
MiG O
- O
21 O
crashes O
in O
Romania O

A O
MiG O
- O
21 O
fighter O
jet O
crashed O
in O
western O
Romania O
' O
s O
Arad O
county O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
at O
about O
13 O
: O
00 O
local O
time O
( O
GMT O
11 O
: O
00 O
) O
, O
according O
to O
a O
local O
Reality O
TV O
report O
. O
More O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0197 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

children O
trampled O
to O
death O

The O
Chinese O
government O
will O
tighten O
safety O
provisions O
in O
elementary O
and O
secondary O
schools O
after O
six O
children O
were O
trampled O
to O
death O
at O
a O
school O
in O
east O
China O
. O

Local O
education O
departments O
should O
conduct O
thorough O
inspections O
of O
corridors O
and O
stairways O
and O
check O
school O
buildings O
, O
canteens O
, O
dormitories O
and O
bathrooms O
, O
Education O
Minister O
Zhou O
Ji O
said O
Monday B-T
at O
a O
teleconference O
on O
the O
school O
administration O
. O

Six O
middle O
school O
students O
, O
five O
boys O
and O
a O
girl O
aged O
12 O
and O
13 B-T
, O
died O
and O
39 O
were O
injured O
in O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Jiangxi O
Province O
on O
Saturday B-T
evening I-T
. O

" O
The O
root O
of O
the O
accident O
lies O
in O
the O
school O
' O
s O
faulty O
management O
, O
" O
Zhou O
said O
. O
" O
The O
accident O
has O
taught O
us O
a O
hard O
lesson O
, O
and O
exposed O
serious O
safety O
risks O
in O
schools O
. O
" O

The O
ministry O
would O
evaluate O
the O
work O
of O
school O
principals O
, O
who O
played O
a O
key O
role O
in O
safety O
and O
had O
ultimate O
responsibility O
for O
safety O
administration O
, O
Zhou O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Vice O
Minister O
of O
Health O
Jiang O
Zuojun O
told O
the O
meeting O
that O
school O
hygiene O
standards O
were O
" O
alarming O
" O
. O

" O
More O
than O
70 O
percent O
of O
public O
health O
incidents O
occur O
in O
schools O
and O
more O
than O
80 O
percent O
involve O
the O
spread O
of O
infections O
diseases O
, O
" O
Jiang O
said O
. O

Sanitary O
conditions O
at O
most O
schools O
in O
rural O
China O
were O
bad O
, O
and O
threatened O
food O
and O
drinking O
water O
safety O
. O
" O
Food O
poisoning O
and O
diseases O
caused O
by O
unsanitary O
water O
occur O
frequently O
, O
" O
Jiang O
said O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
18 O
children O
fell O
ill O
after O
eating O
lunch O
in O
a O
kindergarten O
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
and O
earlier O
in O
October B-T
56 I-T
children O
between O
three O
and O
six B-T
years I-T
old O
fell O
ill O
after O
eating O
at O
a O
nursery O
school O
in O
southern O
China O
' O
s O
Jiangxi O
province O
. O

Principals O
who O
failed O
to O
meet O
the O
standards O
of O
their O
posts O
would O
be O
demoted O
and O
those O
whose O
dereliction O
of O
duty O
or O
misconduct O
caused O
accidents O
will O
be O
seriously O
punished O
, O
Zhou O
Ji O
said O
. O

The O
local O
government O
of O
Jiujiang O
City O
, O
where O
the O
tragedy O
occurred O
, O
appears O
to O
be O
holding O
the O
school O
responsible O
for O
the O
incident O
. O
The O
school O
principal O
has O
been O
detained O
by O
the O
local O
authorities O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
a O
primary O
school O
principal O
in O
southwest O
China O
was O
sacked O
over O
a O
food O
poisoning O
incident O
in O
late B-T
September I-T
that O
affected O
92 O
pupils O
, O
including O
23 O
who O
were O
hospitalized O
. O

Schools O
should O
hold O
high O
qualifications O
in O
selecting O
principals O
and O
teachers O
, O
State O
Councilor O
Chen O
Zhili O
said O
. O

Jiang O
called O
for O
more O
communication O
and O
coordination O
between O
health O
and O
education O
departments O
to O
strengthen O
disease O
prevention O
and O
outbreak O
monitoring O
in O
schools O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Education O
Ministry O
, O
China O
has O
more O
than O
450 O
, O
000 O
elementary O
and O
secondary O
schools O
with O
more O
than O
210 O
million O
students O
and O
over O
120 O
, O
000 O
kindergartens O
with O
22 O
million O
children O
. O

Zhou O
also O
called O
for O
immediate O
measures O
to O
eliminate O
safety O
risks O
involving O
food O
poisoning O
, O
student O
fights O
and O
other O
mass O
incidents O
. O

Chen O
urged O
more O
investment O
in O
schools O
in O
rural O
areas O
to O
improve O
their O
infrastructure O
and O
raising O
the O
professional O
ethics O
of O
teachers O
. O

Creating O
a O
safe O
and O
harmonious O
campus O
for O
students O
should O
be O
the O
major O
task O
of O
schools O
so O
that O
the O
young O
Chinese O
can O
develop O
healthily O
and O
in O
an O
all O
- O
round O
way O
, O
Chen O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061217 O
. O
0017 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Three O
US O
servicemen O
killed O
in O
Iraq O

Three O
US O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
Iraq O
by O
a O
roadside O
bomb O
while O
on O
a O
routine O
patrol O
, O
the O
US O
military O
announced O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
three O
soldiers O
died O
and O
a O
fourth O
was O
wounded O
when O
the O
bomb O
exploded O
near O
one O
of O
their O
vehicles O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
the O
army O
said O
. O

The O
latest O
deaths O
bring O
the O
number O
of O
US O
fatalities O
in O
Iraq O
since O
the O
March B-T
2003 I-T
invasion O
to O
2 O
, O
944 O
according O
to O
an O
AFP O
count O
based O
on O
Pentagon O
figures O
. O
In O
December B-T
alone O
, O
at O
least O
61 O
have O
died O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061231 O
. O
0071 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Dec B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

France O
reaffirms O
support O
for O
Lebanon O
govt O

French O
Defence O
Minister O
Michele O
Alliot O
- O
Marie O
on O
Sunday B-T
stressed O
Paris O
' O
s O
support O
for O
the O
government O
of O
Lebanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Fuad O
Siniora O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
the O
crisis O
- O
wracked O
nation O
. O

" O
I O
have O
come O
to O
reaffirm O
France O
' O
s O
support O
for O
the O
legitimate O
government O
of O
Lebanon O
, O
" O
she O
told O
reporters O
after O
meeting O
her O
Lebanese O
counterpart O
Elias O
Murr O
. O

Alliot O
- O
Marie O
also O
stressed O
Paris O
' O
s O
backing O
for O
the O
Beirut O
government O
to O
" O
exercise O
its O
sovereignty O
completely O
" O
, O
and O
that O
the O
Lebanese O
army O
play O
" O
a O
role O
across O
all O
its O
territory O
" O
. O

Lebanon O
is O
undergoing O
a O
political O
crisis O
with O
opposition O
led O
by O
Shiite O
movement O
Hezbollah O
seeking O
to O
bring O
down O
Siniora O
' O
s O
government O
and O
install O
a O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
. O

The O
French O
minister O
, O
who O
arrived O
in O
Beirut O
on O
Saturday B-T
for O
a O
48 O
- O
hour O
visit O
, O
was O
also O
to O
meet O
Siniora O
before O
heading O
to O
south O
Lebanon O
for O
New B-T
Year I-T
' O
s O
Eve O
with O
the O
French O
contingent O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
Interim O
Force O
in O
Lebanon O
( O
UNIFIL O
) O
. O

The O
French O
UNIFIL O
troops O
are O
stationed O
20 O
kilometres O
( O
12 O
miles O
) O
east O
of O
the O
port O
city O
of O
Tyre O
, O
at O
Deir O
Kifa O
. O

With O
a O
1 O
, O
600 O
- O
strong O
force O
of O
" O
blue O
helmets O
" O
, O
France O
is O
the O
second O
largest O
contributor O
to O
UNIFIL O
, O
beefed O
up O
after O
the O
UN O
- O
brokered O
truce O
between O
Lebanon O
and O
Hezbollah O
took O
effect O
on O
August B-T
14 I-T
. O

France O
will O
transfer O
command O
of O
the O
11 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
force O
to O
Italy O
, O
the O
main O
contributor O
with O
2 O
, O
300 O
soldiers O
, O
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
weeks I-T
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0141 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0141 O
. O

Du O
Pont O
Posts O

@ O
19 O
% O
Profit O
Rise O

@ O
For O
3rd O
Quarter O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Richard O
Koenig O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

DD O
VO O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

CHEMICALS O
, O
PLASTICS O
( O
CHM O
) O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

Du O
Pont O
Co O
. O
reported O
that O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
profit O
grew O
a O
robust O
19 O
% O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
on O
the O
strength O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
operations O
in O
various O
chemicals O
and O
fibers O
, O
and O
in O
petroleum O
. O

Du O
Pont O
also O
raised O
its O
quarterly O
dividend O
to O
$ O
1 O
. O
20 O
a O
share O
from O
$ O
1 O
. O
05 O
, O
a O
change O
that O
will O
increase O
the O
annualized O
payout O
to O
shareholders O
by O
some O
$ O
140 O
million O
. O

Du O
Pont O
, O
unlike O
companies O
hurt O
badly O
by O
sharp O
price O
declines O
for O
basic O
chemicals O
and O
plastics O
, O
is O
benefiting O
from O
its O
broad O
range O
of O
businesses O
. O

The O
profit O
gain O
was O
made O
despite O
a O
weakening O
in O
the O
housing O
market O
, O
for O
which O
the O
company O
is O
a O
supplier O
, O
and O
a O
strengthening O
in O
the O
dollar O
, O
which O
lowers O
the O
value O
of O
overseas O
earnings O
when O
they O
are O
translated O
into O
dollars O
. O

The O
Wilmington O
, O
Del O
. O
, O
company O
reported O
net O
of O
$ O
547 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
36 O
a O
share O
, O
which O
was O
in O
line O
with O
Wall O
Street O
estimates O
. O

In O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
period I-T
, O
the O
company O
earned O
$ O
461 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
91 O
a O
share O
. O

Sales O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
quarter I-T
were O
$ O
8 O
. O
59 O
billion O
, O
up O
9 O
. O
4 O
% O
from O
$ O
7 O
. O
85 O
billion O
. O

The O
dividend O
increase O
was O
Du O
Pont O
' O
s O
second O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
an O
affirmation O
of O
statements O
by O
top O
executives O
that O
they O
intend O
to O
increase O
rewards O
to O
shareholders O
. O

" O
We O
have O
n O
' O
t O
benefited O
the O
shareholder O
as O
much O
as O
we O
need O
to O
, O
" O
said O
Edgar O
Woolard O
Jr O
. O
, O
Du O
Pont O
' O
s O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
officer O
, O
in O
an O
interview O
several B-T
months I-T
before O
he O
entered O
his O
current B-T
position O
in O
April B-T
. O

The O
largest O
beneficiary O
will O
be O
Seagram O
Co O
. O
, O
which O
owns O
about O
23 O
% O
of O
Du O
Pont O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
Seagram O
, O
the O
Montreal O
wine O
and O
spirits O
concern O
controlled O
by O
the O
Bronfman O
family O
, O
said O
the O
company O
will O
post O
additional O
pretax O
profit O
of O
about O
$ O
33 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
because O
of O
the O
additional O
Du O
Pont O
dividends O
. O

Du O
Pont O
also O
announced O
plans O
for O
a O
3 O
- O
for O
- O
1 O
stock O
split O
, O
although O
the O
initial O
higher O
dividend O
will O
be O
paid O
on O
pre O
- O
split O
shares O
. O

Du O
Pont O
' O
s O
stock O
rose O
$ O
2 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
to O
close O
at O
$ O
117 O
. O
375 O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
yesterday B-T
. O

Seagram O
closed O
at O
$ O
84 O
. O
75 O
, O
up O
12 O
. O
5 O
cents O
a O
share O
in O
Big O
Board O
trading O
. O

Leading O
the O
gains O
for O
Du O
Pont O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
quarter I-T
was O
its O
industrial O
products O
segment O
, O
where O
profit O
soared O
to O
$ O
155 O
million O
from O
$ O
99 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

The O
company O
benefited O
from O
continued O
strong O
demand O
and O
higher O
selling O
prices O
for O
titanium O
dioxide O
, O
a O
white O
pigment O
used O
in O
paints O
, O
paper O
and O
plastics O
. O

James O
Fallon O
, O
a O
New O
Providence O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
, O
marketing O
consultant O
to O
the O
chemicals O
industry O
, O
says O
Du O
Pont O
still O
holds O
an O
edge O
in O
making O
the O
pigment O
because O
the O
company O
was O
" O
first O
in O
with O
the O
technology O
" O
to O
lower O
costs O
. O

He O
said O
Du O
Pont O
holds O
about O
23 O
% O
of O
the O
world O
- O
wide O
market O
, O
the O
largest O
single O
share O
, O
at O
a O
time O
when O
growing O
uses O
for O
the O
pigment O
have O
kept O
it O
in O
tight O
supply O
, O
although O
others O
are O
now O
adding O
low O
- O
cost O
production O
capacity O
. O

Profit O
climbed O
to O
$ O
98 O
million O
from O
$ O
71 O
million O
in O
the O
petroleum O
segment O
, O
as O
Du O
Pont O
' O
s O
Conoco O
Inc O
. O
oil O
company O
was O
helped O
by O
crude O
oil O
prices O
higher O
than O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
and O
by O
higher O
natural O
gas O
prices O
and O
volume O
. O

In O
the O
diversifed O
businesses O
segment O
, O
which O
includes O
herbicides O
, O
profit O
grew O
to O
$ O
64 O
million O
from O
$ O
27 O
million O
. O

A O
spokesman O
said O
herbicide O
use O
in O
some O
areas O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
was O
delayed O
earlier B-T
in I-T
the I-T
year I-T
by O
heavy O
rains O
, O
thus O
increasing O
sales O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

In O
the O
fibers O
segment O
, O
profit O
rose O
to O
$ O
180 O
million O
from O
$ O
155 O
million O
, O
a O
gain O
Du O
Pont O
attributed O
to O
higher O
demand O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
for O
most O
textile O
products O
. O

Two O
segments O
posted O
lower O
earnings O
for O
the B-T
quarter I-T
. O

Profit O
from O
coal O
fell O
to O
$ O
41 O
million O
from O
$ O
58 O
million O
, O
partly O
because O
of O
a O
miners O
' O
strike O
. O

And O
profit O
from O
polymers O
dropped O
to O
$ O
107 O
million O
from O
$ O
122 O
million O
amid O
what O
Du O
Pont O
called O
lower O
demand O
and O
selling O
prices O
in O
certain O
packaging O
and O
industrial O
markets O
. O

For O
the B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
Du O
Pont O
earned O
$ O
2 O
billion O
, O
or O
$ O
8 O
. O
46 O
a O
share O
, O
up O
18 O
% O
from O
$ O
1 O
. O
69 O
billion O
, O
or O
$ O
7 O
. O
03 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Sales O
increased O
10 O
% O
to O
$ O
26 O
. O
54 O
billion O
from O
$ O
24 O
. O
05 O
billion O
. O

The O
increased O
dividend O
will O
be O
paid O
Dec B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
to O
holders O
of O
record O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
. O

The O
stock O
split O
, O
which O
is O
subject O
to O
holder O
approval O
, O
would O
be O
paid O
on O
a O
still O
unspecified O
date O
in O
January B-T
to O
holders O
of O
record O
Dec B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0011 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
another O
quake O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Two O
moderate O
earthquakes O
struck O
the O
Indonesian O
island O
of O
Sulawesi O
Wednesday B-T
but O
there O
were O
no O
immediate O
reports O
of O
damage O
or O
casualties O
, O
geologists O
said O
. O

An O
earthquake O
measuring O
5 O
. O
2 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
hit O
at O
10 O
: O
54 O
am O
( O
0254 O
GMT O
) O
. O
It O
was O
centred O
130 O
kilometres O
( O
80 O
miles O
) O
west O
of O
Kendari O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
Southeast O
Sulawesi O
province O
, O
and O
some O
33 O
kilometres O
underground O
, O
the O
meteorological O
office O
said O
. O

The O
tremor O
was O
felt O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Kolaka O
, O
36 O
kilometres O
southeast O
of O
the O
epicentre O
. O

An O
earlier O
earthquake O
of O
5 O
. O
6 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
hit O
at O
6 O
: O
56 O
am O
and O
was O
centred O
210 O
kilometres O
north O
- O
northeast O
of O
Manado O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
North O
Sulawesi O
province O
. O

The O
tremor O
was O
felt O
in O
Manado O
and O
on O
the O
nearby O
Sangihe O
islands O
. O
It O
came O
after O
another O
undersea O
earthquake O
Tuesday B-T
off O
the O
coast O
of O
Taiwan O
set O
off O
a O
brief O
tsunami O
alert O
. O
The O
quake O
left O
two O
people O
dead O
in O
Taiwan O
. O

The O
Indonesian O
archipelago O
sits O
on O
the O
Pacific O
Ring O
of O
Fire O
where O
continental O
plates O
meet O
, O
causing O
frequent O
seismic O
and O
volcanic O
activity O
. O

Indonesia O
was O
the O
nation O
worst O
hit O
by O
the O
earthquake O
- O
triggered O
Asian O
tsunami O
in O
December B-T
2004 I-T
, O
which O
killed O
some O
168 O
, O
000 O
people O
in O
Aceh O
province O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0017 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
finish O
higher O
at O
midday O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
23 O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
rose O
138 O
. O
60 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
93 O
percent O
, O
to O
finish O
the O
morning O
session O
at O
15 O
, O
024 O
. O
25 O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. I-T

WSJ891102 O
- O
0055 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0055 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Oshkosh O
Truck O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Firm O
Says O
Net O
Fell O
Sharply O

@ O
In O
Its O
Fiscal O
Fourth O
Quarter O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

OTRKB O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Oshkosh O
Truck O
Corp O
. O
, O
Oshkosh O
, O
Wis O
. O
, O
estimated O
earnings O
for O
its O
fourth B-T
quarter I-T
ended O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
fell O
50 O
% O
to O
75 O
% O
below O
the O
year O
- O
earlier O
$ O
4 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
51 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

The O
truck O
maker O
said O
the O
significant O
drop O
in O
net O
income O
will O
result O
in O
lower O
earnings O
for O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
. O

In O
fiscal B-T
1988 I-T
, O
the O
company O
earned O
$ O
17 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
92 O
a O
share O
, O
on O
revenue O
of O
$ O
352 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

Oshkosh O
Truck O
attributed O
the O
downturn O
in O
its O
earnings O
to O
higher O
start O
- O
up O
costs O
of O
its O
new O
chassis O
division O
, O
a O
softer O
motor O
- O
home O
market O
and O
higher O
administrative O
costs O
of O
compliance O
with O
government O
contractor O
regulations O
. O

The O
company O
said O
it O
is O
in O
the O
process O
of O
phasing O
out O
John O
Deere O
, O
its O
current O
source O
of O
production O
for O
midsized O
motor O
home O
chassis O
. O

In O
anticipation O
of O
the O
start O
- O
up O
of O
its O
new O
factory O
, O
the O
company O
said O
a O
larger O
- O
than O
- O
normal O
chassis O
supply O
has O
been O
built O
to O
carry O
it O
through O
the O
transition O
period O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0092 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russian O
prime O
minister O
ends O
China O
visit O

Russian O
Prime O
Minister O
Mikhail O
Yefimovich O
Fradkov O
left O
Beijing O
on O
Friday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
ending O
his O
official O
visit O
to O
China O
. O

During O
his O
stay O
in O
Beijing O
, O
Fradkov O
and O
his O
Chinese O
counterpart O
Wen O
Jiabao O
held O
the O
10th O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
Prime O
Ministers O
' O
Meeting O
. O

At O
the O
invitation O
of O
Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
, O
Fradkov O
paid O
an O
official O
visit O
to O
China O
November O
3 O
- O
4 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0381 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

WADA O
makes O
changes O
for O
2007 O

Alcohol O
is O
allowed O
for O
billiards O
players O
and O
chess O
mavens O
can O
use O
beta O
- O
blockers O
, O
but O
substances O
that O
work O
the O
same O
as O
masking O
agents O
are O
forbidden O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

Those O
are O
among O
the O
changes O
adopted O
by O
the O
World O
Anti O
- O
Doping O
Agency O
( O
WADA O
) O
in O
changes O
to O
its O
2007 O
prohibition O
list O
summarized O
in O
a O
release O
by O
the O
US O
Anti O
- O
Doping O
Agency O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

While O
the O
cue O
- O
stick O
crew O
can O
drink O
all O
they O
like O
and O
the O
check O
mates O
can O
keep O
their O
cool O
, O
WADA O
extended O
its O
reach O
by O
adding O
a O
term O
to O
masking O
agent O
that O
outlaws O
" O
other O
substances O
with O
similar O
biological O
effect O
" O
. O

That O
means O
that O
if O
a O
substance O
serves O
the O
same O
masking O
purpose O
as O
a O
banned O
substance O
, O
it O
also O
is O
banned O
even O
if O
not O
on O
the O
banned O
list O
. O

Most O
sport O
supporters O
would O
need O
a O
medical O
dictionary O
to O
figure O
out O
the O
bulk O
of O
the O
changes O
such O
as O
salbutamol O
, O
salmeterol O
, O
terbutaline O
and O
formoterol O
being O
allowed O
by O
inhalation O
with O
a O
theraputic O
use O
filing O
. O

Several O
stimulants O
were O
added O
to O
the O
2007 O
ban O
list O
including O
benzylpiperazine O
, O
4 O
- O
phenylpiracetam O
( O
carphedon O
) O
and O
tuaminoheptane O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0308 O

MONROVIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Johnson O
- O
Sirleaf O
set O
to O
be O
Africa O
' O
s O
first O
female O
president O

Harvard O
- O
trained O
Iron O
Lady O
Ellen O
Johnson O
- O
Sirleaf O
appeared O
to O
be O
Africa O
' O
s O
first O
elected O
female O
president O
as O
results O
from O
90 O
. O
8 O
percent O
of O
the O
polling O
stations O
on O
Thursday B-T
gave O
her O
a O
commanding O
advantage O
over O
football O
great O
George O
Weah O
in O
Liberia O
' O
s O
post O
- O
war O
presidential O
runoff O
. O

The O
66 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
grandmother O
and O
former O
finance O
minister O
had O
59 O
. O
1 O
percent O
of O
the O
votes O
while O
the O
39 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
former O
FIFA O
player O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
had O
40 O
. O
9 O
percent O
, O
Frances O
Johnson O
- O
Morris O
, O
chairwoman O
of O
the O
National O
Elections O
Commission O
, O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
. O

Voter O
turnout O
was O
59 O
. O
8 O
percent O
from O
2 O
, O
719 O
of O
the O
3 O
, O
070 O
polling O
stations O
across O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
west O
African O
country O
, O
she O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
elated O
that O
the O
Liberian O
people O
have O
placed O
their O
trust O
in O
us O
, O
but O
we O
will O
not O
make O
any O
official O
statement O
until O
the O
final O
results O
are O
announced O
, O
" O
Morris O
Dukuley O
, O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Harvard O
- O
trained O
economist O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

" O
We O
are O
waiting O
for O
the O
final O
results O
and O
from O
there O
, O
we O
will O
tell O
you O
what O
next O
, O
" O
Dukuley O
said O
. O

The O
camp O
of O
Weah O
, O
who O
rose O
from O
the O
slumps O
by O
dropping O
out O
of O
high O
school O
to O
take O
up O
a O
football O
career O
and O
became O
a O
millionaire O
, O
was O
not O
available O
for O
comments O
now B-T
, O
but O
Weah O
himself O
claimed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
election O
was O
marred O
by O
fraud O
and O
accused O
Johnson O
- O
Morris O
of O
bias O
against O
him O
. O

At O
a O
news O
conference O
, O
he O
claimed O
that O
more O
than O
35 O
pre O
- O
marked O
ballot O
papers O
intended O
to O
be O
stuffed O
in O
ballot O
boxes O
in O
favor O
of O
his O
challenger O
, O
were O
intercepted O
by O
his O
supporter O
as O
evidence O
to O
prove O
his O
claims O
. O

Johnson O
- O
Morris O
said O
that O
the O
electoral O
body O
had O
received O
a O
formal O
complaint O
from O
Weah O
and O
investigation O
into O
fraud O
allegation O
of O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
runoff O
got O
underway O
. O
" O
Hearings O
have O
been O
held O
today B-T
into O
the O
case O
filed O
by O
George O
Weah O
and O
the O
CDC O
( O
his O
party O
) O
and O
ruling O
is O
now B-T
being O
prepared O
by O
our O
legal O
department O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

The O
28 O
- O
member O
multinational O
delegation O
jointly O
organized O
by O
National O
Democratic O
Institute O
and O
the O
Carter O
Center O
released O
its O
preliminary O
report O
on O
Thursday B-T
on O
the O
runoff O
, O
the O
first O
since O
the O
end O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
14 O
- O
year O
civil O
war O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

" O
Overall O
, O
election O
day O
was O
calm O
and O
peaceful O
with O
few O
reported O
incidents O
of O
violence O
, O
" O
they O
said O
. O
" O
Liberians O
across O
the O
country O
expressed O
to O
observers O
their O
strong O
desire O
for O
peace O
and O
reconciliation O
, O
and O
their O
commitment O
to O
the O
democratic O
process O
as O
the O
means O
of O
choosing O
their O
leaders O
. O
" O

They O
recommended O
that O
the O
electoral O
body O
" O
ensure O
that O
all O
election O
disputes O
are O
handled O
expeditiously O
upon O
submission O
of O
complaints O
, O
and O
in O
an O
impartial O
manner O
. O
" O
" O
Rulings O
should O
be O
announced O
as O
quickly O
as O
possible O
, O
with O
immediate O
redress O
and O
effective O
remedies O
provided O
as O
appropriate O
, O
" O
they O
noted O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
both O
parties O
should O
" O
continue O
to O
instruct O
their O
party O
members O
and O
supporters O
to O
do O
the O
same O
and O
to O
refrain O
from O
violence O
. O
Both O
parties O
should O
refrain O
from O
inflammatory O
rhetoric O
or O
premature O
celebrations O
. O
" O

Analysts O
fear O
the O
worst O
that O
angry O
supporters O
of O
Weah O
, O
mostly O
youth O
, O
might O
turn O
to O
violence O
over O
the O
fraud O
allegations O
if O
he O
lost O
to O
Liberia O
' O
s O
foremost O
female O
politician O
. O
Weah O
and O
Johnson O
- O
Sirleaf O
obtained O
28 O
. O
3 O
percent O
and O
19 O
. O
8 O
percent O
respectively O
in O
the O
first O
round O
. O

Liberia O
, O
founded O
in O
1847 B-T
by O
freed O
American O
slaves O
, O
experienced O
a O
bloody O
civil O
war O
from O
1989 B-T
to O
2003 O
in O
which O
an O
estimated O
250 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
about O
eight O
percent O
of O
its O
population O
, O
died O
and O
about O
one O
million O
made O
refugees O
. O

The O
issues O
the O
winner O
will O
have O
to O
contend O
with O
are O
reconciliation O
among O
Liberians O
and O
reconstruction O
of O
basic O
social O
services O
such O
as O
schools O
, O
health O
care O
facilities O
, O
roads O
, O
safe O
drinking O
water O
, O
electricity O
as O
well O
as O
reintegrating O
thousands O
of O
ex O
- O
combatants O
and O
the O
creation O
of O
job O
opportunities O
. O

Illiteracy O
rate O
in O
the O
west O
African O
state O
stands O
at O
about O
85 O
percent O
and O
unemployment O
is O
put O
at O
80 O
percent O
. O
The O
country O
also O
owes O
an O
external O
debt O
around O
3 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
. O

And O
the O
election O
is O
seen O
as O
the O
last O
hope O
of O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
, O
blessed O
with O
diamond O
, O
gold O
, O
timber O
, O
iron O
ore O
and O
rubber O
as O
well O
as O
fertile O
soil O
, O
for O
a O
brighter O
future O
provided O
the O
outcome O
is O
accepted O
by O
all O
Liberians O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0385 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

An O
inquiry O
into O
illegal O
payments O
in O
English O
football O
is O
to O
target O
17 O
transfers O
that O
need O
further O
investigation O
, O
Former O
Metropolitan O
Police O
commissioner O
Lord O
Stevens O
confirmed O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Lord O
Stevens O
, O
who O
was O
investigating O
a O
total O
of O
362 O
transfers O
, O
did O
not O
give O
details O
of O
the O
questionable O
deals O
as O
he O
delivered O
his O
" O
observations O
and O
recommendations O
" O
into O
alleged O
so O
- O
called O
bungs O
after O
a O
nine O
- O
month O
inquiry O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

But O
he O
revealed O
that O
certain O
elements O
had O
been O
passed O
on O
to O
the O
police O
. O

Lord O
Stevens O
revealed O
that O
" O
eight O
major O
agents O
" O
had O
not O
co O
- O
operated O
but O
he O
refused O
to O
identify O
the O
people O
involved O
. O

As O
a O
result O
, O
his O
Quest O
team O
have O
been O
asked O
to O
look O
into O
a O
specific O
number O
of O
deals O
which O
took O
place O
between O
January B-T
1 I-T
2004 I-T
and O
January B-T
31 I-T
2006 I-T
, O
under O
a O
new O
mandate O
. O

" O
This O
is O
no O
witch O
hunt O
. O
This O
is O
no O
whitewash O
, O
" O
Lord O
Stevens O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
. O

" O
The O
reason O
why O
we O
are O
not O
naming O
names O
is O
the O
inquiry O
is O
ongoing O
. O
I O
know O
you O
would O
like O
us O
to O
name O
and O
shame O
but O
I O
can O
' O
t O
do O
it O
at O
the B-T
present I-T
stage I-T
. O

" O
The O
game O
, O
in O
relation O
to O
the O
majority O
of O
what O
we O
have O
seen O
, O
is O
clean O
but O
the O
accounting O
processes O
and O
monitoring O
of O
the O
clubs O
is O
in O
a O
mess O
. O
" O

Lord O
Stevens O
stressed O
all O
of O
his O
38 O
recommendations O
must O
be O
adopted O
to O
safeguard O
the O
integrity O
of O
the O
game O
. O

These O
include O
the O
creation O
of O
a O
body O
to O
handle O
the O
audit O
of O
transfers O
rather O
than O
the O
Football O
Association O
( O
FA O
) O
. O

" O
Every O
one O
of O
these O
recommendations O
must O
be O
implemented O
as O
they O
are O
essential O
to O
the O
future O
and O
reputation O
of O
this O
game O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Failure O
to O
do O
so O
will O
result O
in O
the O
game O
remaining O
under O
attack O
and O
its O
remaining O
members O
subject O
to O
allegations O
and O
innuendo O
. O

" O
The O
FA O
and O
the O
compliance O
unit O
does O
not O
have O
the O
credibility O
of O
the O
public O
or O
the O
clubs O
, O
" O
Lord O
Stevens O
said O
. O

" O
The O
proposed O
regulation O
and O
compliance O
unit O
must O
be O
established O
with O
expertise O
and O
independence O
to O
take O
on O
this O
work O
. O

" O
Part O
of O
the O
FA O
' O
s O
problems O
has O
been O
the O
lack O
of O
forensic O
investigators O
and O
accountants O
. O
The O
work O
must O
be O
preventative O
. O
" O

Lord O
Stevens O
criticised O
the O
lack O
of O
assistance O
he O
had O
received O
from O
some O
agents O
during O
the O
course O
of O
his O
team O
' O
s O
investigation O
. O

" O
Agents O
failure O
to O
respond O
has O
resulted O
in O
delays O
to O
this O
inquiry O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
We O
will O
be O
providing O
the O
Premier O
League O
with O
a O
number O
of O
incidences O
where O
mandated O
processes O
have O
not O
been O
followed O
. O

" O
The O
frequency O
of O
these O
instances O
show O
the O
clubs O
neither O
anticipate O
nor O
are O
concerned O
by O
the O
strictures O
imposed O
by O
the O
FA O
. O

" O
It O
is O
my O
view O
this O
further O
erodes O
the O
reputation O
of O
the O
game O
and O
those O
involved O
in O
it O
. O

" O
Such O
scant O
disregard O
for O
the O
rules O
and O
regulations O
of O
this O
great O
game O
is O
unacceptable O
. O
" O

Lord O
Stevens O
called O
on O
cooperation O
from O
the O
FA O
and O
world O
football O
' O
s O
governing O
body O
FIFA O
. O

" O
It O
is O
very O
important O
indeed O
we O
have O
the O
co O
- O
operation O
of O
FIFA O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
changing O
time O
for O
football O
and O
it O
is O
about O
time O
. O
The O
health O
of O
the O
game O
depends O
on O
it O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0005 O

JAKARTA O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Fresh O
political O
clashes O
break O
out O
in O
Java O

Fresh O
violence O
between O
supporters O
of O
rival O
political O
parties O
erupted O
in O
four O
separate O
towns O
in O
Java O
province O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
injuring O
at O
least O
20 O
people O
, O
party O
officials O
and O
reports O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

In O
Solo O
, O
PPP O
supporters O
clashed O
with O
security O
members O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
leaving O
at O
least O
20 O
people O
injured O
while O
in O
nearby O
Klaten O
, O
a O
Golkar O
convoy O
was O
pelted O
by O
stones O
by O
pro O
- O
PPP O
villagers O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
the O
Media O
Indonesia O
daily O
said O
. O

In O
Temanggung O
district O
, O
southeast O
of O
Pekalongan O
, O
a O
convoy O
of O
PPP O
supporters O
clashed O
with O
members O
of O
two O
youth O
groups O
affiliated O
with O
the O
ruling O
Golkar O
party O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
another O
PPP O
official O
there O
said O
. O

In O
Pekalongan O
a O
town O
on O
the O
province O
' O
s O
coast O
rocked O
by O
political O
violence O
since O
March B-T
, O
a O
mob O
damaged O
a O
government O
office O
in O
the O
early O
hours O
of O
Sunday B-T
but O
there O
were O
no O
casualties O
, O
an O
official O
of O
the O
Moslem O
- O
led O
United O
Development O
Party O
( O
PPP O
) O
said O
. O

" O
It O
is O
the O
people O
, O
our O
supporters O
, O
not O
PPP O
members O
, O
who O
attacked O
the O
district O
assistant O
' O
s O
office O
, O
" O
the O
deputy O
chairman O
of O
the O
Pekalongan O
PPP O
chapter O
Nursianto O
( O
Eds O
: O
one O
name O
) O
said O
by O
telephone O
. O

Hundreds O
of O
people O
, O
mostly O
riding O
motorcycles O
, O
attacked O
the O
office O
, O
11 O
kilometres O
( O
7 O
miles O
) O
west O
of O
Pekalongan O
in O
the B-T
early I-T
hours I-T
, O
pelting O
it O
with O
stones O
, O
breaking O
window O
panes O
and O
doors O
, O
the O
Jayakarta O
daily O
said O
. O

The O
daily O
said O
the O
mob O
had O
been O
part O
of O
a O
larger O
one O
which O
had O
toured O
the O
town O
in O
vehicles O
, O
yelling O
pro O
- O
PPP O
slogans O
, O
after O
attending O
a O
prayer O
session O
late O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

" O
There O
have O
been O
reports O
of O
arrests O
but O
I O
have O
not O
been O
able O
to O
confirm O
them O
, O
" O
Nursianto O
. O

The O
Pekalongan O
police O
declined O
comment O
saying O
the O
situation O
was O
" O
under O
control O
" O
and O
" O
calm O
. O
" O

In O
a O
separate O
incident O
, O
a O
rowdy O
convoy O
of O
PPP O
supporters O
returning O
from O
a O
party O
meeting O
in O
Ambarawa O
in O
the O
Semarang O
district O
was O
pelted O
with O
stones O
in O
the O
Kaloran O
sub O
- O
district O
of O
neighbouring O
Temanggung O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Temanggung O
PPP O
chapter O
spokesman O
Parjiono O
( O
Eds O
: O
one O
name O
) O
, O
said O
the O
attack O
was O
by O
members O
of O
two O
youth O
groups O
affiliated O
to O
Golkar O
. O

PPP O
supporters O
on O
motorcycles O
toured O
the O
area O
around O
Solo O
on O
Saturday B-T
clashing O
with O
security O
members O
after O
they O
attempted O
to O
break O
through O
a O
security O
barricade O
in O
town O
. O

Violence O
has O
swept O
several O
Java O
towns O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
month I-T
, O
much O
of O
it O
connected O
to O
rivalry O
between O
the O
PPP O
and O
President O
Suharto O
' O
s O
Golkar O
party O
, O
ahead O
of O
the O
general O
elections O
on O
May B-T
29 I-T
with O
campaigning O
due O
to O
start O
on O
April B-T
27 I-T
. O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
three O
official O
political O
parties O
- O
- O
Golkar O
, O
the O
PPP O
and O
the O
Indonesian O
Democracy O
Party O
( O
PDI O
) O
- O
- O
are O
contesting O
the O
May B-T
29 I-T
parliamentary O
election O
. O

Golkar O
has O
been O
widely O
criticised O
for O
using O
government O
facilities O
and O
officials O
to O
gain O
support O
in O
general O
elections O
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
six O
million O
civil O
servants O
are O
ordered O
to O
vote O
for O
Golkar O
, O
with O
pressure O
also O
applied O
on O
their O
wives O
, O
husbands O
and O
children O
to O
vote O
for O
the O
ruling O
party O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0466 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thailand O
wins O
more O
gold O
in O
Fespic O
Games O

Thailand O
' O
s O
Pichet O
Krungget O
Monday B-T
shattered O
American O
Matt O
Parry O
' O
s O
world O
record O
of O
14 O
. O
78 O
seconds O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
100 O
- O
meters O
wheelchair O
event O
at O
the O
9th O
Far O
East O
South O
Pacific O
Games O
for O
the O
Disabled O
( O
FESPIC O
) O
in O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
. O

The O
2004 O
Athens O
Paralympic O
gold O
medallist O
' O
s O
record O
of O
14 O
. O
76 O
seconds O
erased O
the O
old O
mark O
the O
American O
set O
at O
the O
1998 O
Paralympic O
Games O
in O
Atlanta O
. O

The O
silver O
medal O
went O
to O
China O
' O
s O
Yu O
Shiran O
, O
while O
the O
bronze O
was O
won O
by O
Hong O
Suk O
- O
man O
of O
South O
Korea O
. O

The O
31 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Pichet O
is O
the O
second O
Thai O
to O
brake O
a O
record O
at O
the O
FESPIC O
Games O
following O
Prawat O
Wahorum O
' O
s O
mark O
of O
10 O
' O
40 O
" O
48 O
for O
the O
men O
' O
s O
5 O
, O
000 O
- O
meters O
wheelchair O
event O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
wheelchair O
- O
bound O
Pichet O
now B-T
must O
honor O
his O
promise O
to O
organize O
an O
open O
- O
air O
movie O
show O
. O

" O
Before O
I O
came O
here O
I O
made O
a O
wish O
that O
I O
will O
host O
an O
outdoor O
movie O
show O
for O
one B-T
night I-T
. O
I O
guess O
I O
have O
to O
keep O
my O
promise O
when O
I O
get O
back O
home O
, O
but O
I O
still O
have O
more O
events O
to O
complete O
, O
" O
said O
Pichet O
, O
who O
will O
also O
contest O
four O
more O
events O
- O
- O
the O
men O
' O
s O
200m O
, O
400m O
, O
4x100m O
and O
4x400m O
. O

" O
I O
tried O
to O
go O
out O
there O
pressure O
free O
. O
Breaking O
the O
world O
record O
is O
an O
extra O
, O
" O
said O
the O
2005 O
Asean O
Para O
Games O
champion O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
event O
, O
Thailand O
' O
s O
Peth O
Rungsri O
won O
two O
more O
gold O
medals O
from O
athletics O
and O
broke O
two O
Games O
records O
. O
He O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
wheelchair O
200m O
in O
33 B-T
. I-T
52 I-T
seconds I-T
, O
bettering O
Japan O
' O
s O
Yasunari O
Yaezawa O
' O
s O
record O
of O
36 O
. O
88 O
, O
and O
also O
clocked O
19 O
. O
25 O
seconds O
in O
the O
100m O
wheelchair O
event O
to O
break O
the O
old O
mark O
of O
19 O
. O
62 O
seconds O
set O
by O
Yasunari O
. O

Thailand O
won O
three O
more O
gold O
medals O
through O
Suphachai O
Koysab O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
wheelchair O
100m O
event O
, O
Jirawat O
Meesuk O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
200m O
wheelchair O
and O
Jakkit O
Punthong O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
long O
jump O
. O

Thailand O
collected O
another O
five O
gold O
medals O
from O
the O
swimming O
event O
and O
one O
gold O
medal O
each O
in O
the O
weightlifting O
, O
judo O
and O
tennis O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0150 O

JINAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
replaces O
Japan O
as O
E O
. O
China O
province O
' O
s O
No O
. O
2 O
trade O
partner O

The O
United O
States O
has O
become O
the O
second O
largest O
trade O
partner O
of O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Shandong O
Province O
, O
replacing O
Japan O
, O
a O
geographically O
close O
and O
long O
- O
time O
partner O
of O
the O
coastal O
province O
, O
according O
to O
local O
customs O
. O

Trade O
between O
Shandong O
Province O
and O
U O
. O
S O
. O
reached O
9 O
. O
72 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
by O
the O
end O
of O
October B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
with O
a O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
rise O
of O
40 O
. O
7 O
percent O
, O
statistics O
from O
Qingdao O
Customs O
show O
. O

From O
January B-T
to O
October B-T
, O
Shandong O
' O
s O
foreign O
trade O
amounted O
to O
62 O
. O
44 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
, O
up O
27 O
. O
8 O
percent O
compared O
to O
the O
same O
period O
during O
the B-T
previous I-T
year I-T
, O
exceeding O
the O
whole O
year O
' O
s O
trade O
volume O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

The O
import O
volume O
topped O
24 O
. O
89 O
billion O
dollars O
and O
the O
exports O
reached O
37 O
. O
55 O
billion O
, O
rising O
21 O
. O
2 O
percent O
and O
32 O
. O
6 O
percent O
respectively O
. O

The O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
remained O
Shandong O
' O
s O
largest O
trade O
partner O
with O
a O
trade O
volume O
of O
12 O
. O
82 O
billion O
dollar O
, O
a O
quarter O
of O
Shandong O
' O
s O
total O
in O
January B-T
- I-T
October I-T
period I-T
, O
Japan O
slipped O
to O
the O
No O
. O
3 O
partner O
. O

Export O
of O
machinery O
, O
electronics O
, O
textiles O
and O
farm O
products O
saw O
robust O
growth O
, O
rising O
56 O
. O
1 O
percent O
, O
12 O
. O
4 O
percent O
and O
21 O
percent O
respectively O
in O
October B-T
. O

Foreign O
- O
invested O
enterprises O
, O
as O
a O
province O
' O
s O
major O
engine O
in O
export O
and O
import O
, O
contributed O
more O
than O
half O
of O
Shandong O
' O
s O
total O
trade O
volume O
, O
while O
private O
firms O
saw O
their O
foreign O
trade O
rising O
72 O
. O
3 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0512 O

ANKARA O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Turkey O
releases O
leaders O
of O
pro O
- O
Kurdish O
party O

A O
Turkish O
state O
security O
court O
Monday B-T
ordered O
the O
release O
of O
13 O
leaders O
of O
the O
pro O
- O
Kurdish O
People O
' O
s O
Democracy O
Party O
( O
Hadep O
) O
who O
have O
been O
in O
jail O
since O
last B-T
June I-T
, O
a O
party O
official O
said O
. O

" O
Party O
leader O
Murat O
Bozlak O
and O
12 O
other O
party O
administrators O
were O
released O
at O
the O
end O
of O
today B-T
' O
s O
hearing O
, O
" O
Hadep O
official O
and O
former O
MP O
Sirri O
Sakik O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
delayed O
but O
positive O
step O
towards O
internal O
peace O
and O
we O
are O
happy O
about O
this O
, O
" O
Sakik O
said O
. O

Bozlak O
and O
the O
other O
party O
leaders O
were O
arrested O
at O
the O
end O
of O
a O
party O
congress O
here O
on O
June B-T
23 I-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
which O
became O
the O
scene O
of O
the O
desecration O
of O
the O
Turkish O
flag O
by O
a O
Kurdish O
youth O
. O

The O
trial O
of O
the O
Kurdish O
youth O
, O
who O
is O
still O
under O
arrest O
, O
and O
the O
released O
Hadep O
leaders O
will O
continue O
in O
May B-T
, O
Sakik O
said O
. O

" O
But O
the O
release O
of O
the O
party O
officials O
might O
be O
an O
indication O
that O
they O
will O
be O
acquitted O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Television O
footage O
showing O
the O
huge O
Turkish O
flag O
being O
thrown O
onto O
the O
floor O
by O
the O
masked O
youth O
at O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Hadep O
congress O
caused O
public O
outrage O
. O

The O
Ankara O
state O
security O
prosecutor O
has O
demanded O
capital O
punishment O
for O
the O
youth O
, O
Faysal O
Akcan O
, O
who O
has O
confessed O
to O
the O
incident O
. O

The O
prosecutor O
has O
also O
sought O
22 O
- O
year O
prison O
sentences O
for O
Bozlak O
and O
23 O
other O
Hadep O
officials O
on O
charges O
of O
" O
setting O
up O
an O
armed O
gang O
. O
" O

Bozlak O
said O
at O
the O
previous O
hearing O
last B-T
Friday I-T
that O
he O
and O
the O
other O
party O
leaders O
were O
not O
responsible O
for O
the O
flag O
' O
s O
desecration O
, O
adding O
Hadep O
" O
denounces O
such O
actions O
. O
" O

" O
It O
is O
now B-T
becoming O
clear O
that O
accusations O
against O
the O
Hadep O
officials O
are O
baseless O
, O
" O
Sakik O
said O
. O

Hadep O
failed O
to O
enter O
parliament O
in O
Turkey O
' O
s O
general O
elections O
in O
December B-T
1995 I-T
as O
it O
received O
about O
4 O
. O
5 O
percent O
of O
the O
national O
vote O
, O
well O
short O
of O
the O
required O
10 O
percent O
threshold O
. O

During O
the O
election O
campaign O
, O
Hadep O
had O
said O
it O
supported O
the O
rights O
of O
the O
Kurds O
, O
but O
that O
it O
was O
not O
a O
separatist O
group O
. O

The O
party O
grew O
out O
of O
the O
defunct O
pro O
- O
Kurdish O
Democracy O
Party O
, O
which O
was O
banned O
three B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
on O
the O
grounds O
of O
cooperation O
with O
the O
outlawed O
Kurdistan O
Workers O
' O
Party O
( O
PKK O
) O
. O

The O
PKK O
has O
been O
waging O
a O
separatist O
war O
in O
southeastern O
Turkey O
since O
1984 B-T
and O
more O
than O
23 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
violence O
in O
the O
region O
since O
then O
. O

Four O
former O
Democracy O
Party O
deputies O
were O
sentenced O
in O
1995 B-T
to O
15 O
years O
in O
prison O
for O
collaboration O
with O
the O
PKK O
. O
They O
include O
Leyla O
Zana O
, O
who O
was O
named O
winner O
in O
1995 B-T
of O
the O
Sakharov O
prize O
for O
freedom O
of O
expression O
by O
the O
European O
Parliament O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0057 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Indonesia O
says O
aid O
workers O
have O
priority O
for O
Internet O
use O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
head O
telecommunications O
official O
Thursday B-T
called O
on O
people O
to O
limit O
Internet O
use O
to O
give O
priority O
to O
aid O
workers O
in O
disaster O
areas O
. O

Indonesia O
and O
many O
other O
countries O
in O
the O
region O
have O
had O
little O
or O
no O
Internet O
access O
since O
a O
quake O
off O
Taiwan O
on O
Tuesday B-T
damaged O
underwater O
fibre O
- O
optic O
cables O
. O

" O
I O
call O
for O
everyone O
to O
cut O
down O
international O
bandwidth O
usage O
and O
give O
the O
chance O
to O
the O
ones O
needing O
it O
most O
, O
" O
post O
and O
telecommunications O
director O
general O
Gatot O
Dewobroto O
said O
on O
ElShinta O
radio O
. O

" O
There O
are O
many O
NGOs O
in O
disaster O
areas O
such O
as O
in O
Aceh O
who O
are O
depending O
so O
much O
on O
the O
Internet O
for O
their O
communications O
. O
They O
are O
the O
ones O
feeling O
the O
most O
impact O
, O
" O
Dewobroto O
said O
. O

Aid O
workers O
have O
been O
rushing O
supplies O
to O
help O
the O
hundreds O
of O
thousands O
of O
people O
displaced O
by O
floods O
in O
northern O
Sumatra O
. O

Indonesian O
Internet O
service O
providers O
( O
ISPs O
) O
were O
meanwhile O
working O
to O
bypass O
the O
damaged O
cables O
by O
using O
a O
satellite O
connection O
. O

But O
regulations O
which O
prohibit O
use O
of O
foreign O
satellites O
in O
Indonesia O
unless O
reciprocal O
rights O
are O
granted O
could O
be O
a O
problem O
, O
said O
Sylvia O
Sumarlin O
, O
head O
of O
the O
Indonesian O
Internet O
Service O
Providers O
' O
Association O
. O

" O
It O
would O
be O
wise O
if O
the O
government O
could O
permit O
the O
providers O
to O
gain O
the O
rights O
to O
use O
other O
satellites O
, O
in O
addition O
to O
their O
existing O
rights O
to O
use O
existing O
satellites O
, O
" O
she O
told O
The O
Jakarta O
Post O
. O

Indonesian O
ISPs O
mostly O
use O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
based O
satellites O
, O
she O
said O
. O

" O
This O
is O
an O
emergency O
, O
if O
the O
government O
fails O
to O
do O
so O
and O
sticks O
to O
the O
existing O
regulation O
, O
it O
will O
only O
worsen O
the O
situation O
as O
it O
will O
take O
at O
least O
a O
month O
for O
a O
multilateral O
agreement O
on O
foreign O
satellites O
to O
be O
reached O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Sumarlin O
told O
the O
Post O
her O
association O
was O
still O
calculating O
the O
potential O
damage O
caused O
by O
the O
service O
disruption O
. O

Indonesia O
has O
a O
relatively O
low O
rate O
of O
Internet O
access O
, O
with O
an O
estimated O
16 O
million O
users O
out O
of O
a O
population O
of O
220 O
million O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0010 O

HARBIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

contamination O

Water O
supply O
will O
be O
stopped O
for O
four B-T
days I-T
as O
of O
Tuesday B-T
evening I-T
in O
this O
capital O
city O
of O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
due O
to O
possible O
river O
contamination O
caused O
by O
a O
recent O
chemical O
plant O
explosion O
, O
the O
local O
government O
announced O
. O

The O
unexpected O
stoppage O
of O
water O
supply O
has O
sparked O
a O
dashing O
purchase O
of O
drinking O
water O
in O
the O
city O
of O
3 O
million O
people O
, O
and O
bottled O
water O
, O
various O
beverages O
and O
even O
boxed O
milk O
were O
sold O
out O
by O
Tuesday B-T
morning I-T
in O
some O
supermarkets O
and O
food O
stores O
. O

The O
municipal O
government O
of O
Harbin O
said O
in O
two O
separate O
statements O
on O
Monday B-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
city O
' O
s O
water O
supply O
system O
will O
be O
shut O
down O
for O
about O
four B-T
days I-T
as O
of O
8 B-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Tuesday B-T
, O
for O
fears O
that O
a O
chemical O
plant O
blast O
on O
November B-T
13 I-T
may O
have O
caused O
a O
leakage O
of O
poisonous O
substances O
into O
the O
Songhua O
River O
, O
which O
supplies O
water O
to O
Harbin O
. O

The O
blast O
took O
place O
at O
noon O
in O
a O
workshop O
of O
the O
No O
. O
101 O
Chemical O
Plant O
of O
Jilin O
Petrochemical O
Company O
based O
in O
Jilin O
City O
, O
Jilin O
Province O
that O
borders O
Heilongjiang O
, O
leaving O
five O
dead O
, O
one O
missing O
and O
more O
than O
60 O
others O
injured O
. O

The O
plant O
is O
only O
a O
few O
hundred O
meters O
away O
from O
the O
river O
. O

Environment O
monitoring O
bureaus O
said O
no O
abnormal O
signs O
have O
been O
detected O
in O
the O
Harbin O
section O
of O
the O
river O
, O
which O
flows O
through O
the O
central O
part O
of O
the O
city O
, O
but O
conceded O
that O
there O
was O
the O
possibility O
of O
contamination O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
from O
the O
upper O
reaches O
. O

Harbin O
is O
located O
at O
the O
middle O
reaches O
of O
the O
1 O
, O
840 O
- O
km O
river O
, O
which O
originates O
in O
Jilin O
. O

The O
Harbin O
authority O
has O
ordered O
all O
bathhouses O
and O
car O
- O
wash O
facilities O
to O
stop O
operations O
during O
the B-T
four I-T
days I-T
and O
instructed O
the O
city O
' O
s O
administration O
of O
industry O
and O
commerce O
, O
price O
bureau O
and O
police O
to O
strengthen O
surveillance O
over O
the O
market O
and O
maintain O
social O
order O
. O

It O
also O
advised O
urban O
residents O
, O
enterprises O
and O
government O
organizations O
to O
get O
well O
prepared O
for O
the O
water O
cutoff O
. O

Anxious O
residents O
began O
to O
throng O
supermarkets O
and O
shops O
on O
Monday B-T
to O
buy O
whatever O
they O
could O
lay O
their O
hands O
on O
. O

" O
People O
started O
to O
pour O
in O
for O
a O
large O
quantity O
of O
water O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
, O
some O
even O
paid O
5 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
625 O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
just O
one O
purchase O
, O
" O
said O
a O
salesperson O
at O
a O
local O
chain O
store O
of O
Metro O
Group O
. O

Vehicles O
kept O
queuing O
up O
in O
front O
of O
a O
food O
and O
beverage O
wholesale O
shop O
despite O
the O
manager O
' O
s O
announcement O
that O
water O
has O
been O
sold O
out O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0128 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Asia O
- O
Pacific O
regional O
seminar O
on O
water O
management O
held O
in O
Singapore O

An O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
regional O
seminar O
on O
sustainable O
water O
management O
, O
organized O
by O
the O
Germany O
- O
Singapore O
Environmental O
Technology O
Agency O
( O
GSETA O
) O
, O
opened O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

With O
the O
participation O
of O
some O
70 O
experts O
and O
government O
officials O
from O
Germany O
, O
Singapore O
and O
15 O
other O
economies O
in O
the O
region O
, O
the O
three O
- O
day O
meeting O
focuses O
on O
the O
latest O
developments O
, O
technological O
advances O
, O
best O
practices O
and O
upcoming O
challenges O
faced O
in O
sustainable O
water O
and O
waste O
water O
management O
. O

" O
The O
need O
to O
implement O
sound O
environmental O
and O
water O
policies O
is O
a O
key O
priority O
for O
all O
countries O
, O
especially O
since O
the O
world O
population O
continues O
to O
grow O
rapidly O
and O
natural O
resources O
become O
more O
limited O
, O
" O
Singapore O
Minister O
for O
the O
Environment O
and O
Water O
Resources O
Yaacob O
Ibrahim O
said O
at O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
. O

He O
added O
that O
long O
- O
term O
integrated O
water O
management O
and O
planning O
, O
technology O
, O
as O
well O
as O
getting O
the O
public O
engaged O
in O
water O
conservation O
, O
are O
important O
factors O
in O
ensuring O
sustainable O
use O
of O
water O
around O
the O
world O
. O

Established O
in O
1991 B-T
by O
the O
governments O
of O
Germany O
and O
Singapore O
, O
the O
GSETA O
has O
organized O
16 O
regional O
activities O
relating O
to O
various O
environmental O
issues O
with O
the O
aim O
of O
transferring O
environmental O
know O
- O
how O
and O
expertise O
into O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0189 O

PARIS O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Rough O
diamond O

Tati O
, O
the O
distinctly O
downmarket O
Paris O
department O
store O
, O
took O
an O
audacious O
step O
upwards O
Wednesday B-T
by O
opening O
a O
jewellery O
shop O
in O
the O
French O
capital O
' O
s O
top O
gems O
district O
. O

The O
chain O
store O
, O
whose O
distinctive O
pink O
and O
blue O
logo O
is O
synonymous O
with O
cheap O
and O
cheerful O
, O
opened O
its O
latest O
boutique O
just O
round O
the O
corner O
from O
Place O
Vendome O
, O
mecca O
for O
diamond O
and O
gold O
trinkets O
for O
the O
super O
- O
rich O
. O

Tati O
' O
s O
offerings O
start O
at O
a O
modest O
20 O
francs O
( O
3 O
dollars O
) O
for O
a O
gold O
- O
plated O
heart O
, O
while O
its O
top O
- O
of O
- O
the O
- O
range O
solitaire O
ring O
should O
just O
about O
reach O
into O
neighbouring O
shops O
' O
price O
league O
at O
30 O
, O
000 O
francs O
. O

" O
You O
have O
to O
go O
fishing O
where O
the O
other O
fishermen O
are O
; O
it O
' O
s O
a O
sign O
there O
are O
fish O
to O
be O
had O
, O
" O
said O
manager O
Laurent O
Fargeon O
, O
whose O
company O
snapped O
up O
the O
swank O
address O
when O
an O
airline O
moved O
out O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0499 O

MOSTAR O
, O
Bosnia O
- O
Hercegovina O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Italian O
SFOR O
colonel O
found O
dead O
in O
suspected O
suicide O

An O
Italian O
colonel O
serving O
with O
the O
NATO O
- O
led O
Stabilisation O
Force O
( O
SFOR O
) O
in O
Bosnia O
was O
found O
dead O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
at O
an O
SFOR O
base O
in O
this O
southern O
city O
, O
a O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Colonel O
Roberto O
Petrucci O
, O
57 O
, O
was O
shot O
with O
a O
bullet O
fired O
from O
his O
own O
gun O
, O
SFOR O
spokesman O
Mike O
Fabbro O
told O
AFP O
, O
adding O
that O
suicide O
was O
suspected O
. O

Petrucci O
had O
served O
with O
the O
Italian O
army O
' O
s O
artillery O
school O
at O
Bracciano O
near O
Rome O
and O
arrived O
in O
Bosnia O
in O
late B-T
January I-T
, O
Fabbro O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0142 O

HARBIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Saturday O

The O
front O
of O
the O
pollution O
slick O
on O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Songhua O
River O
is O
expected O
to O
arrive O
at O
Jiamusi O
city O
, O
downstream O
from O
Harbin O
, O
which O
just O
passed O
a O
four O
- O
day O
water O
crisis O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
local O
environment O
authorities O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
80 O
- O
km O
- O
long O
toxic O
spill O
resulted O
from O
a O
blast O
at O
an O
upstream O
Jilin O
Petrochemical O
Company O
chemical O
plant O
under O
the O
China O
National O
Petroleum O
Corp O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
in O
Jilin O
, O
Jilin O
Province O
. O

Experts O
estimated O
that O
around O
100 O
tons O
of O
pollutants O
containing O
benzene O
flew O
into O
the O
Songhua O
River O
, O
which O
supplies O
the O
most O
water O
to O
Harbin O
, O
capital O
of O
neighboring O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
. O

Jiamusi O
, O
the O
second O
largest O
city O
with O
a O
population O
of O
more O
than O
2 O
million O
in O
Heilongjiang O
, O
relies O
on O
groundwater O
50 O
to O
70 O
meters O
deep O
for O
drinking O
water O
. O

The O
city O
has O
started O
an O
emergency O
plan O
to O
monitor O
the O
water O
quality O
of O
the O
Songhua O
River O
. O

Harbin O
, O
a O
city O
of O
3 O
. O
8 O
million O
people O
, O
was O
forced O
to O
shut O
down O
its O
water O
supply O
system O
from O
the B-T
early I-T
morning I-T
last I-T
Wednesday I-T
to O
6 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
of O
last B-T
Sunday I-T
. O

By O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
water O
supply O
in O
most O
parts O
of O
the O
city O
had O
become O
normal O
and O
met O
drinking O
standards O
. O

Benzene O
is O
a O
clear O
, O
colorless O
, O
highly O
refractive O
flammable O
liquid O
derived O
from O
petroleum O
and O
used O
in O
or O
to O
manufacture O
a O
wide O
variety O
of O
chemical O
products O
, O
including O
detergents O
, O
insecticides O
, O
and O
motor O
fuels O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0422 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
Navy O
petty O
officer O
accused O
of O
rape O
in O
Japan O

A O
US O
Navy O
petty O
officer O
has O
been O
taken O
into O
custody O
by O
US O
military O
authorities O
in O
Japan O
after O
a O
local O
Japanese O
woman O
charged O
he O
raped O
and O
assaulted O
her O
, O
US O
television O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Fox O
News O
said O
the O
woman O
allegedly O
was O
assaulted O
at O
the O
enlisted O
quarters O
for O
US O
navy O
personnel O
in O
Yokosuka O
, O
Japan O
. O

The O
victim O
was O
taken O
to O
an O
army O
hospital O
where O
she O
was O
treated O
for O
a O
broken O
collarbone O
, O
cuts O
and O
abrasions O
, O
the O
report O
said O
, O
citing O
US O
military O
officials O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0103 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepali O
gov O
' O
t O
, O
UNHCR O
conduct O
Bhutanese O
refugees O
census O

The O
United O
Nations O
High O
Commission O
for O
Refugees O
( O
UNHCR O
) O
and O
the O
Nepali O
government O
began O
conducting O
census O
of O
the O
approximately O
106 O
, O
000 O
Bhutanese O
refugees O
in O
eastern O
Nepal O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
UN O
refugee O
agency O
, O
the O
joint O
government O
- O
UN O
census O
started O
earlier O
Wednesday B-T
at O
10 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
local O
time O
( O
0415 O
GMT O
) O
from O
the O
Beldagi O
- O
1 O
camp O
in O
Illam O
district O
. O

The O
census O
will O
be O
collecting O
all O
relevant O
details O
from O
refugees O
living O
in O
the O
seven O
camps O
in O
Jhapa O
and O
Morang O
districts O
. O

According O
to O
a O
statement O
from O
the O
UNHCR O
, O
the O
census O
team O
was O
made O
up O
of O
UNHCR O
- O
trained O
persons O
who O
will O
conduct O
the O
interviews O
in O
close O
co O
- O
operation O
and O
collaboration O
with O
the O
officials O
of O
the O
Nepali O
government O
to O
both O
count O
and O
update O
basic O
bio O
- O
data O
and O
profile O
of O
the O
refugees O
. O

The O
refugee O
agency O
' O
s O
newly O
developed O
progress O
software O
will O
be O
used O
to O
log O
an O
accurate O
record O
of O
the O
number O
of O
refugees O
and O
to O
collect O
other O
related O
information O
. O

Previously O
, O
UNHCR O
representative O
in O
Nepal O
, O
Abraham O
Abraham O
, O
said O
that O
a O
reliable O
census O
data O
would O
help O
the O
Nepal O
government O
and O
UNHCR O
to O
provide O
better O
protection O
, O
security O
and O
support O
to O
the O
refugees O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
improved O
documentation O
on O
" O
who O
is O
who O
" O
and O
" O
who O
is O
where O
" O
to O
be O
able O
to O
respond O
to O
individual O
needs O
. O

Some O
106 O
, O
000 O
Bhutanese O
refugees O
have O
been O
living O
in O
seven O
camps O
in O
eastern O
Nepal O
for O
the B-T
last I-T
16 I-T
years I-T
. O

As O
many O
as O
15 O
rounds O
of O
bilateral O
talks O
held O
between O
the O
two O
governments O
have O
failed O
to O
yield O
any O
results O
so O
far O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0067 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0067 O
. O

Who O
' O
s O
News O
: O

@ O
Citadel O
Names O
Walbrecher O

@ O
As O
Chief O
Executive O
Officer O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CDL O
WNEWS O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

GLENDALE O
, O
Calif O
. O

William O
C O
. O
Walbrecher O
Jr O
. O
, O
an O
executive O
at O
San O
Francisco O
- O
based O
1st O
Nationwide O
Bank O
, O
was O
named O
president O
and O
chief O
executive O
officer O
of O
Citadel O
Holding O
Corp O
. O
and O
its O
principal O
operating O
unit O
, O
Fidelity O
Federal O
Bank O
. O

The O
appointment O
takes O
effect O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
. O

He O
succeeds O
James O
A O
. O
Taylor O
, O
who O
stepped O
down O
as O
chairman O
, O
president O
and O
chief O
executive O
in O
March B-T
for O
health O
reasons O
. O

Edward O
L O
. O
Kane O
succeeded O
Mr O
. O
Taylor O
as O
chairman O
. O

Separately O
, O
Citadel O
posted O
a O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
loss O
of O
$ O
2 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
or O
68 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
versus O
net O
income O
of O
$ O
5 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
61 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

The O
latest O
results O
include O
some O
unusual O
write O
- O
downs O
, O
which O
had O
an O
after O
- O
tax O
impact O
of O
$ O
4 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

Those O
included O
costs O
associated O
with O
the O
potential O
Valley O
Federal O
Savings O
and O
Loan O
Association O
acquisition O
, O
which O
was O
terminated O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
1989 I-T
. O

In O
addition O
, O
operating O
results O
were O
hit O
by O
an O
increase O
in O
loan O
and O
real O
estate O
loss O
reserves O
. O

In O
American O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
, O
Citadel O
shares O
closed O
yesterday B-T
at O
$ O
45 O
. O
75 O
, O
down O
25 O
cents O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0119 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
LD O
: O
White O
mice O
to O
test O
food O
for O
2008 O
Beijing O
Olympics O

White O
mice O
will O
be O
used O
to O
test O
the O
safety O
of O
food O
prepared O
for O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
athletes O
, O
say O
Beijing O
officials O
. O

Milk O
, O
alcohol O
, O
salad O
, O
rice O
, O
oil O
, O
salt O
and O
seasonings O
will O
be O
tested O
by O
white O
mice O
24 B-T
hours I-T
before O
being O
used O
in O
cooking O
or O
served O
to O
athletes O
, O
said O
Zhao O
Xinsheng O
with O
the O
Beijing O
Municipal O
Health O
Inspection O
Bureau O
. O

He O
told O
a O
meeting O
that O
mice O
would O
develop O
adverse O
reactions O
to O
poisoning O
within O
17 B-T
hours I-T
, O
quicker O
than O
test O
methods O
like O
bacterial O
cultures O
. O

Most O
food O
for O
athletes O
would O
be O
Western O
style O
, O
complemented O
by O
Chinese O
dishes O
, O
said O
Zhen O
Xiaozhen O
, O
from O
the O
Beijing O
Organizing O
Committee O
of O
the O
Olympic O
Games O
medical O
team O
, O
at O
the O
meeting O
on O
Olympics O
hygiene O
safety O
. O

Zhao O
said O
all O
the O
food O
would O
be O
securely O
stored O
, O
and O
all O
food O
arriving O
at O
the O
Olympic O
restaurants O
would O
be O
recorded O
by O
control O
headquarters O
. O

Moreover O
, O
food O
deliveries O
would O
be O
vetted O
by O
public O
security O
personnel O
and O
quarantine O
departments O
and O
transported O
by O
special O
vehicles O
and O
staff O
. O

The O
vehicles O
would O
be O
equipped O
with O
global O
positioning O
systems O
and O
food O
packages O
would O
be O
secured O
during O
transport O
, O
said O
an O
official O
with O
the O
Beijing O
Municipal O
Public O
Security O
Bureau O
. O

Food O
storage O
areas O
would O
be O
fitted O
with O
alarms O
, O
video O
cameras O
and O
fire O
controls O
, O
and O
kitchens O
guarded O
around O
the O
clock O
. O

Starting O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
health O
inspectors O
would O
receive O
training O
in O
Western O
food O
management O
and O
inspection O
techniques O
, O
said O
Liang O
Jin O
with O
the O
inspection O
bureau O
. O

To O
ensure O
food O
safety O
, O
experts O
also O
suggested O
eliminating O
some O
foods O
from O
the O
menu O
for O
Olympic O
athletes O
to O
avoid O
doping O
problems O
. O

Yang O
Shumin O
of O
the O
China O
Doping O
Control O
Center O
said O
that O
Olympic O
restaurants O
should O
not O
serve O
food O
such O
as O
animal O
livers O
because O
they O
might O
contain O
traces O
of O
drugs O
or O
additives O
consumed O
by O
the O
animal O
. O

Nowadays O
lots O
of O
fowl O
and O
livestock O
are O
fed O
with O
additives O
that O
contain O
blacklisted O
hormones O
, O
he O
said O
, O
noting O
that O
athletes O
who O
accidentally O
ate O
this O
kind O
of O
food O
might O
test O
positive O
in O
anti O
- O
doping O
urine O
tests O
. O

The O
organizing O
committee O
should O
set O
strict O
standards O
for O
food O
suppliers O
regarding O
feed O
for O
fowls O
and O
livestock O
, O
banning O
them O
from O
using O
any O
additives O
which O
could O
cause O
doping O
problems O
, O
Yang O
told O
a O
meeting O
on O
Olympic O
food O
safety O
in O
July B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0339 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Guatemala O
fire O
death O
toll O
rises O
to O
18 O

The O
death O
toll O
in O
the O
fire O
that O
raged O
through O
Guatemala O
' O
s O
largest O
open O
- O
air O
market O
on O
Monday B-T
has O
risen O
to O
18 O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
reaching O
here O
. O

The O
fire O
broke O
out O
in O
an O
area O
of O
illegal O
fireworks O
stands O
in O
the O
El O
Granero O
Market O
, O
set O
up O
temporarily O
near O
a O
section O
of O
the O
permanent O
market O
shops O
, O
fire O
department O
spokesman O
Ricardo O
Lemus O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

Witnesses O
said O
the O
fire O
was O
touched O
off O
by O
a O
burning O
cigarette O
, O
but O
officials O
said O
the O
cause O
of O
the O
blaze O
was O
still O
under O
investigation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0275 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Foreign O
capital O
encouraged O
to O
go O
west O

China O
plans O
to O
encourage O
about O
10 O
, O
000 O
foreign O
companies O
and O
eastern O
- O
based O
businesses O
to O
go O
west O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
years I-T
, O
a O
Ministry O
of O
Commerce O
official O
said O
. O

Li O
Zhiqun O
, O
director O
of O
the O
ministry O
' O
s O
foreign O
investment O
management O
department O
said O
the O
ministry O
would O
take O
measures O
to O
push O
forward O
the O
go O
- O
west O
campaign O
. O

The O
government O
would O
give O
strong O
support O
to O
development O
zones O
in O
central O
and O
west O
China O
as O
well O
as O
infrastructure O
construction O
, O
Li O
told O
a O
recent O
forum O
in O
Beijing O
. O

He O
said O
the O
government O
hopes O
foreign O
investors O
to O
pour O
more O
funds O
into O
the O
high O
- O
tech O
, O
energy O
- O
saving O
and O
environmental O
protection O
sectors O
. O
Modern O
agriculture O
and O
services O
are O
also O
on O
the O
list O
. O

Multinational O
corporations O
are O
also O
encouraged O
to O
set O
up O
regional O
headquarters O
, O
research O
and O
development O
centers O
as O
well O
as O
training O
centers O
in O
west O
China O
. O

China O
has O
been O
the O
largest O
recipient O
of O
foreign O
direct O
investment O
among O
the O
developing O
countries O
for O
15 B-T
straight I-T
years I-T
. O

Government O
statistics O
show O
that O
some O
90 O
percent O
of O
the O
foreign O
investment O
enterprises O
are O
located O
in O
east O
China O
, O
which O
worsens O
the O
unbalanced O
development O
between O
the O
west O
and O
the O
east O
, O
analysts O
say O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0252 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
Colombia O
sign O
trade O
promotion O
agreement O

The O
United O
States O
and O
Colombia O
signed O
a O
trade O
promotion O
agreement O
Wednesday B-T
, O
eliminating O
tariffs O
and O
other O
barriers O
to O
trade O
in O
goods O
and O
services O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

Still O
, O
the O
agreement O
, O
signed O
at O
InterAmerican O
Development O
Bank O
in O
Washington O
by O
Deputy O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trade O
Representative O
John O
Veroneau O
and O
Colombian O
Commerce O
Minister O
Jorge O
Humberto O
Botero O
, O
will O
require O
a O
final O
approval O
by O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Congress O
. O

" O
The O
agreement O
will O
deepen O
and O
strengthen O
our O
trade O
ties O
by O
providing O
new O
opportunities O
for O
U O
. O
S O
. O
businesses O
, O
manufacturers O
, O
farmers O
and O
ranchers O
to O
export O
their O
goods O
and O
services O
to O
one O
of O
Latin O
America O
' O
s O
most O
robust O
economies O
, O
" O
said O
Veroneau O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
For O
Colombia O
, O
this O
agreement O
will O
provide O
permanent O
access O
to O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
market O
, O
which O
will O
aid O
in O
sustaining O
real O
growth O
, O
creating O
more O
jobs O
, O
and O
attracting O
new O
investment O
, O
" O
Veroneau O
said O
. O

Colombia O
is O
currently O
the O
31st O
largest O
U O
. O
S O
. O
goods O
trading O
partner O
. O
In O
2005 B-T
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
goods O
exports O
to O
Colombia O
totaled O
nearly O
5 O
. O
5 O
billion O
dollars O
. O
Two O
- O
way O
goods O
trade O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
during O
2005 B-T
amounted O
to O
14 O
. O
3 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
according O
to O
the O
statement O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
that O
many O
products O
from O
Colombia O
already O
enter O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
market O
duty O
- O
free O
under O
the O
Andean O
Trade O
Preference O
Act O
( O
ATPA O
) O
which O
expires O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O
This O
new O
agreement O
helps O
Colombia O
to O
expand O
its O
current O
access O
and O
lock O
in O
duty O
- O
free O
treatment O
for O
Colombian O
products O
. O

Building O
on O
ATPA O
, O
the O
agreement O
will O
ensure O
that O
U O
. O
S O
. O
products O
exported O
to O
Colombia O
likewise O
benefit O
from O
duty O
- O
free O
treatment O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970420 O
. O
0167 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

British O
press O
whacks O
Tories O
harder O
than O
Labour O

Britain O
' O
s O
newspapers O
- O
- O
tabloid O
and O
quality O
alike O
- O
- O
have O
already O
cast O
their O
vote O
in O
the O
May B-T
1 I-T
elections O
, O
ganging O
up O
on O
Prime O
Minister O
John O
Major O
' O
s O
Tory O
party O
and O
backing O
Labour O
party O
leader O
Tony O
Blair O
. O

According O
to O
CMS O
Precis O
, O
a O
media O
monitoring O
company O
, O
an O
analysis O
of O
favourable O
, O
unfavourable O
and O
neutral O
articles O
published O
on O
each O
of O
the O
two O
main O
parties O
over O
the B-T
last I-T
three I-T
weeks I-T
reveals O
harsher O
treatment O
for O
the O
government O
than O
the O
opposition O
. O

Unlike O
its O
predecessors O
, O
Blair O
' O
s O
" O
New O
Labour O
" O
party O
has O
won O
wide O
print O
support O
while O
the O
Conservatives O
have O
seen O
their O
traditional O
backers O
walk O
away O
. O

The O
bastions O
of O
left O
- O
wing O
journalism O
, O
The O
Guardian O
and O
The O
Mirror O
, O
now B-T
have O
The O
Sun O
in O
their O
pro O
- O
Blair O
camp O
. O
The O
Times O
hesitates O
, O
The O
Daily O
Express O
vacillates O
and O
the O
pin O
- O
striped O
businessman O
' O
s O
staid O
companion O
, O
The O
Financial O
Times O
, O
seems O
on O
the O
point O
of O
making O
Blair O
the O
star O
of O
its O
pink O
pages O
. O

While O
the O
Tories O
still O
retain O
a O
number O
of O
" O
friendly O
" O
newspapers O
, O
such O
as O
The O
Daily O
Telegraph O
, O
their O
image O
and O
their O
elections O
messages O
are O
generally O
taking O
a O
cruel O
beating O
in O
the O
14 O
million O
newspapers O
Britain O
sells O
every B-T
day I-T
. O

Perhaps O
the O
hardest O
blow O
was O
the O
loss O
of O
the O
once O
ferociously O
Conservative O
Sun O
newspaper O
, O
with O
a O
circulation O
of O
four O
million O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
biggest O
- O
selling O
paper O
. O

Owned O
by O
Rupert O
Murdoch O
, O
the O
Australian O
- O
born O
US O
media O
magnate O
, O
the O
paper O
trumpeted O
on O
page O
one O
its O
switch O
to O
Blair O
, O
who O
Murdoch O
sees O
as O
a O
keen O
advocate O
of O
the O
policies O
espoused O
by O
former O
Tory O
prime O
minister O
Margaret O
Thatcher O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
front O
page O
of O
The O
Times O
, O
another O
paper O
in O
Murdoch O
' O
s O
stable O
, O
the O
officially O
Conservative O
stance O
seemed O
overlooked O
when O
the O
story O
started O
" O
The O
government O
' O
s O
European O
policy O
was O
in O
confusion O
last B-T
night I-T
. O
. O
. O
" O

In O
fact O
, O
the O
desire O
of O
many O
of O
the O
pro O
- O
Tory O
papers O
to O
see O
a O
more O
anti O
- O
European O
position O
from O
the O
government O
has O
resulted O
in O
much O
attention O
on O
splits O
in O
Major O
' O
s O
party O
. O

" O
Battle O
for O
Britain O
" O
was O
how O
The O
Daily O
Mail O
headlined O
a O
story O
on O
the O
divisions O
, O
urging O
Eurosceptics O
to O
come O
forward O
and O
stand O
up O
to O
Major O
. O

Blair O
was O
ready O
to O
capitalise O
on O
the O
issue O
, O
with O
a O
recent O
contribution O
- O
- O
in O
The O
Sun O
- O
- O
titled O
: O
" O
My O
Love O
for O
the O
pound O
by O
Tony O
Blair O
- O
Sun O
Exclusive O
! O
" O

In O
an O
April B-T
16 I-T
editorial O
, O
the O
paper O
said O
: O
" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
want O
our O
laws O
, O
our O
taxes O
and O
our O
interest O
rates O
imposed O
on O
us O
by O
unelected O
foreigners O
. O
. O
. O
If O
Labour O
can O
acknowledge O
that O
fact O
, O
they O
will O
govern O
from O
a O
position O
of O
even O
greater O
strength O
. O
" O

It O
is O
in O
that O
leftward O
step O
by O
Conservative O
papers O
and O
the O
move O
to O
the O
right O
by O
Tony O
Blair O
that O
many O
observers O
see O
a O
waltz O
that O
is O
going O
to O
carry O
both O
partners O
right O
up O
to O
the O
polling O
date O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0009 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesian O
Merapi O
volcano O
calms O
down O
after O
spewing O
hot O
clouds O

Mt O
. O
Merapi O
in O
Indonesia O
' O
s O
Java O
island O
calmed O
down O
Tuesday B-T
morning I-T
after O
spewing O
hot O
clouds O
up O
to O
three O
kilometers O
down O
from O
its O
peak O
Monday B-T
night I-T
. O

The O
local O
government O
in O
Sleman O
district O
had O
called O
on O
people O
living O
on O
the O
volcano O
' O
s O
slope O
to O
increase O
their O
awareness O
for O
possible O
more O
hot O
clouds O
and O
floods O
of O
cold O
lava O
. O

" O
Merapi O
is O
still O
in O
the O
status O
of O
alert O
, O
and O
we O
are O
still O
monitoring O
its O
development O
, O
" O
Sleman O
district O
head O
Ibnu O
Subiyanto O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
national O
Antara O
news O
agency O
as O
saying O
. O

In O
April B-T
, O
thousands O
of O
people O
living O
in O
the O
slopes O
of O
the O
mountain O
, O
located O
in O
the O
border O
area O
between O
Yogyakarta O
and O
Central O
Java O
provinces O
, O
were O
evacuated O
as O
it O
spewed O
volcanic O
materials O
and O
hot O
clouds O
up O
to O
six O
kilometers O
away O
from O
its O
peak O
. O

Two O
were O
killed O
in O
the O
last O
eruption O
. O

Indonesia O
sits O
astride O
the O
" O
Ring O
of O
Fire O
, O
" O
a O
series O
of O
volcanoes O
and O
fault O
lines O
stretching O
from O
the O
Western O
Hemisphere O
through O
Japan O
and O
Southeast O
Asia O
to O
New O
Zealand O
. O

It O
has O
more O
active O
volcanoes O
than O
any O
other O
nation O
. O

The O
eruption O
of O
Mt O
. O
Merapi O
in O
1994 B-T
, O
killed O
60 O
people O
. O
About O
1 O
, O
300 O
people O
were O
killed O
when O
it O
erupted O
in O
1930 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0497 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Dalai O
Lama O
brings O
hopeful O
message O
on O
Tibet O
before O
White O
House O
meeting O
( O
pictures O
) O
( O
ADDS O
details O
) O

Tibet O
' O
s O
exiled O
spiritual O
leader O
, O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
, O
opened O
an O
international O
gathering O
of O
legislators O
here O
Wednesday B-T
with O
a O
hopeful O
message O
about O
the O
future O
of O
his O
Himalayan O
homeland O
. O

China O
, O
whose O
invasion O
of O
Tibet O
caused O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
to O
flee O
to O
India O
in O
the B-T
1950s I-T
, O
" O
is O
changing O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
rapt O
audience O
overflowing O
a O
US O
congressional O
chamber O
. O

" O
A O
growing O
number O
of O
Chinese O
show O
concern O
, O
in O
some O
cases O
a O
spirit O
of O
solidarity O
" O
with O
Tibetans O
, O
he O
said O
, O
opening O
a O
World O
Parliamentarians O
Convention O
on O
Tibet O
that O
drew O
delegates O
from O
27 O
countries O
. O
" O
There O
is O
real O
hope O
. O
" O

Speaking O
without O
notes O
and O
in O
English O
for O
30 B-T
minutes I-T
, O
the O
Buddhist O
monk O
cut O
a O
smiling O
saffron O
- O
and O
- O
burgundy O
figure O
in O
a O
room O
usually O
dominated O
by O
pinstripes O
. O

He O
was O
to O
meet O
later O
in O
the O
day O
with O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
and O
Vice O
President O
Al O
Gore O
at O
the O
White O
House O
, O
which O
will O
surely O
draw O
consternation O
from O
Beijing O
. O

Organizers O
said O
he O
would O
seek O
greater O
US O
support O
for O
the O
six O
million O
Tibetans O
now B-T
living O
under O
what O
Western O
governments O
and O
human O
rights O
groups O
describe O
as O
increasingly O
heavy O
- O
handed O
and O
abusive O
Chinese O
rule O
. O

China O
' O
s O
official O
media O
reserve O
their O
most O
colorful O
insults O
for O
Taiwan O
leaders O
and O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
alike O
, O
routinely O
accusing O
both O
of O
" O
trying O
to O
split O
the O
( O
Chinese O
) O
motherland O
. O
" O

During O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
' O
s O
recent O
six O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Taiwan O
, O
one O
official O
Chinese O
newspaper O
accused O
the O
Buddhist O
monk O
and O
the O
Taiwan O
authorities O
of O
conniving O
together O
to O
divide O
China O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
indicated O
that O
he O
would O
likely O
open O
an O
office O
in O
Taiwan O
, O
which O
China O
views O
as O
a O
renegade O
province O
, O
within O
a B-T
month I-T
: O
" O
It O
is O
finalized O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
I O
feel O
indirectly O
that O
I O
' O
m O
helping O
the O
Chinese O
government O
, O
" O
the O
61 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
cleric O
said O
. O
" O
Stability O
under O
a O
weapon O
isn O
' O
t O
genuine O
stability O
- O
- O
genuine O
stability O
comes O
from O
satisfaction O
. O
" O

China O
would O
likely O
dispute O
both O
those O
assertions O
, O
and O
a O
newsletter O
from O
the O
Chinese O
embassy O
here O
left O
little O
doubt O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
it O
wants O
to O
thwart O
international O
support O
for O
1989 B-T
Nobel O
laureate O
and O
his O
followers O
. O

An O
eight O
- O
page O
embassy O
document O
described O
substantial O
economic O
advances O
in O
Tibet O
under O
Chinese O
rule O
and O
attacked O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
' O
s O
own O
human O
rights O
record O
, O
saying O
" O
the O
laws O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
used O
in O
Tibet O
were O
the O
cruelest O
in O
the O
world O
. O
" O

The O
conference O
this B-T
week I-T
is O
hosted O
by O
the O
International O
Campaign O
for O
Tibet O
and O
Tibet O
' O
s O
parliament O
in O
exile O
. O

The O
Dalai O
Lama O
was O
also O
expected O
to O
meet O
with O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Madeleine O
Albright O
. O
He O
earlier O
held O
private O
talks O
with O
members O
of O
Congress O
. O

China O
' O
s O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Army O
invaded O
Tibet O
in O
1951 B-T
. O
The O
Dalai O
Lama O
was O
forced O
into O
exile O
in O
1959 B-T
after O
a O
failed O
Tibetan O
uprising O
against O
Beijing O
' O
s O
rule O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0079 O

AMMAN O
, O
Dec B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Abbas O
spokesman O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
has O
indefinitely O
postponed O
a O
visit O
to O
Jordan O
that O
had O
been O
scheduled O
for O
Sunday B-T
, O
Palestinian O
ambassador O
Atallah O
Khairy O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
President O
Abbas O
is O
determined O
to O
attend O
the O
Christmas O
celebrations O
in O
Bethlehem O
in O
accordance O
with O
the O
tradition O
set O
by O
the O
late O
Yasser O
Arafat O
, O
" O
Khairy O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

Abbas O
' O
s O
spokesman O
Nabil O
Abu O
Rudeina O
told O
reporters O
in O
Ramallah O
that O
the O
Palestinian O
president O
planned O
to O
travel O
to O
Jordan O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Abbas O
had O
been O
due O
to O
hold O
talks O
with O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
after O
deadly O
clashes O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
between O
his O
secular O
Fatah O
faction O
and O
the O
ruling O
Islamist O
movement O
Hamas O
following O
his O
call O
last B-T
weekend I-T
for O
early O
elections O
. O

Abdullah O
hosted O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
during O
the O
latter O
' O
s O
surprise O
visit O
to O
Jordan O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0180 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Boat O
carrying O
immigrants O
sinks O
in O
Aegean O

A O
boat O
carrying O
25 O
people O
to O
Europe O
sank O
in O
the O
Aegean O
Sea O
near O
Izmir O
province O
in O
western O
Turkey O
on O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
, O
local O
Cihan O
News O
Agency O
reported O
. O

The O
boat O
was O
reportedly O
carrying O
25 O
illegal O
immigrants O
, O
fourteen O
of O
them O
were O
rescued O
by O
the O
Turkish O
Coast O
Guard O
while O
three O
others O
, O
who O
managed O
to O
swim O
ashore O
, O
were O
seized O
in O
the O
Ulamis O
quarter O
of O
Izmir O
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

The O
Turkish O
Coast O
Guard O
could O
not O
find O
the O
missing O
eight O
immigrants O
and O
the O
search O
for O
them O
continues O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

those O
captured O
illegal O
immigrants O
from O
Somalia O
and O
Palestine O
were O
transferred O
to O
the O
Foreigners O
Office O
of O
the O
Izmir O
Security O
Authority O
to O
await O
deportation O
, O
added O
the O
report O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0329 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Denmark O
, O
allies O
brace O
for O
human O
rights O
clash O
with O
China O
by O
Jacques O
Boyer O

Denmark O
will O
fight O
to O
the O
last O
to O
muster O
maximum O
support O
for O
its O
draft O
resolution O
condemning O
human O
rights O
violations O
in O
China O
despite O
threats O
from O
Beijing O
, O
diplomats O
said O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
Danish O
delegation O
will O
present O
a O
draft O
resolution O
before O
the O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
on O
Thursday B-T
and O
the O
53 O
member O
countries O
will O
vote O
on O
the O
text O
next O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Denmark O
had O
been O
expected O
to O
present O
its O
resolution O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
but O
diplomats O
said O
it O
was O
waiting O
until O
the B-T
last I-T
minute I-T
in O
the O
hope O
of O
winning O
as O
much O
support O
as O
possible O
. O

" O
We O
are O
seeking O
to O
get O
as O
many O
co O
- O
sponsors O
as O
possible O
. O
There O
is O
no O
reason O
to O
present O
it O
today B-T
, O
" O
one O
diplomat O
said O
. O
The O
deadline O
for O
proposing O
the O
resolution O
is O
1600 O
GMT O
Thursday B-T
. O

Denmark O
stepped O
in O
Saturday B-T
and O
announced O
it O
would O
put O
forward O
the O
motion O
critical O
of O
China O
after O
the O
European O
Union O
failed O
to O
agree O
on O
a O
joint O
position O
for O
the O
annual O
human O
rights O
debate O
. O

The O
EU O
has O
previously O
sponsored O
a O
critical O
resolution O
on O
China O
each B-T
year I-T
since O
the O
Tiananmen O
Square O
massacre O
in O
Beijing O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
but O
France O
this B-T
year I-T
blocked O
a O
common O
EU O
stance O
. O

Paris O
was O
supported O
by O
Germany O
, O
Italy O
, O
Spain O
and O
Greece O
, O
drawing O
fire O
for O
putting O
trade O
considerations O
first O
. O

While O
enthusiastically O
praising O
France O
and O
its O
allies O
, O
China O
warned O
Tuesday B-T
that O
any O
country O
supporting O
the O
resolution O
would O
harm O
its O
relations O
with O
the O
Asian O
giant O
. O

" O
Supporting O
this O
resolution O
will O
not O
be O
beneficial O
to O
any O
nation O
' O
s O
ties O
with O
China O
, O
" O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Shen O
Guofang O
said O
. O

But O
Danish O
Foreign O
Minister O
Niels O
Helveg O
Petersen O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
Denmark O
would O
not O
be O
swayed O
by O
Chinese O
warnings O
of O
retaliation O
, O
nor O
by O
Beijing O
' O
s O
sudden O
announcement O
that O
it O
would O
sign O
the O
UN O
convention O
on O
economic O
, O
social O
and O
cultural O
rights O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

Petersen O
added O
that O
the O
divisions O
in O
Europe O
on O
the O
subject O
, O
which O
he O
said O
were O
the O
first O
in O
seven B-T
years I-T
with O
regard O
to O
China O
, O
constituted O
" O
a O
serious O
setback O
for O
the O
European O
Union O
' O
s O
common O
foreign O
policy O
. O
" O

At O
least O
11 O
EU O
members O
as O
well O
as O
the O
United O
States O
and O
several O
other O
countries O
have O
already O
decided O
to O
co O
- O
sponsor O
the O
draft O
resolution O
, O
but O
diplomats O
said O
the O
resolution O
had O
little O
chance O
of O
being O
adopted O
. O

They O
said O
no O
Asian O
country O
was O
expected O
to O
back O
the O
text O
after O
the O
defection O
of O
Japan O
, O
and O
African O
and O
South O
American O
countries O
are O
also O
expected O
to O
hold O
back O
. O

All O
previous O
resolutions O
have O
been O
defeated O
as O
a O
result O
of O
intense O
lobbying O
by O
Beijing O
, O
which O
presents O
the O
debate O
as O
a O
clash O
between O
North O
and O
South O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0357 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
April B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

State O
prosecutor O
reaches O
decision O
on O
Netanyahu O

Israel O
' O
s O
state O
prosecutor O
Edna O
Arbel O
said O
Friday B-T
she O
has O
already O
decided O
on O
whether O
to O
press O
corruption O
charges O
against O
Prime O
Minister O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
over O
a O
botched O
appointment O
of O
attorney O
general O
. O

Arbel O
told O
public O
radio O
that O
her O
decision O
, O
due O
to O
be O
announced O
on O
Sunday B-T
night I-T
, O
had O
been O
" O
very O
difficult O
to O
take O
. O
" O
The O
grounds O
for O
the O
decision O
will O
be O
drafted O
and O
passed O
on O
to O
new O
attorney O
general O
Eliakim O
Rubinstein O
for O
approval O
. O

" O
The O
prosecutor O
' O
s O
office O
has O
enough O
proof O
to O
reach O
a O
conclusion O
and O
we O
do O
not O
need O
any O
more O
investigation O
, O
" O
the O
53 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
state O
prosecutor O
said O
in O
a O
separate O
radio O
interview O
. O

" O
The O
differences O
between O
the O
first O
version O
of O
the O
affair O
as O
presented O
on O
Israeli O
television O
and O
the O
conclusions O
of O
the O
police O
inquiry O
will O
be O
clear O
. O
The O
media O
pressure O
made O
the O
inquiry O
more O
difficult O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

The O
conclusions O
" O
will O
speak O
for O
themselves O
, O
" O
said O
Arbel O
, O
while O
Rubinstein O
said O
he O
agreed O
. O

She O
said O
earlier O
the O
same O
day O
that O
there O
were O
" O
different O
opinions O
, O
but O
no O
real O
divergences O
" O
in O
her O
office O
on O
police O
recommendations O
that O
Netanyahu O
be O
indicted O
for O
fraud O
and O
breach O
of O
trust O
. O

Police O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
they O
had O
recommended O
the O
charges O
against O
Netanyahu O
over O
the O
short O
- O
lived O
appointment O
in O
January B-T
of O
Likud O
activist O
Roni O
Bar O
- O
On O
as O
attorney O
general O
. O

Internal O
Security O
Minister O
Avigdor O
Kahalani O
said O
investigators O
also O
recommended O
legal O
action O
against O
Justice O
Minister O
Tzahi O
Hanegbi O
, O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
chief O
of O
staff O
Avigdor O
Lieberman O
and O
the O
head O
of O
the O
Shas O
party O
, O
Arieh O
Deri O
. O

Police O
suspect O
Deri O
of O
" O
attempted O
blackmail O
" O
by O
conditioning O
his O
support O
in O
a O
key O
government O
vote O
over O
the O
peace O
process O
with O
the O
Palestinians O
on O
Bar O
- O
0n O
' O
s O
appointment O
. O

In O
exchange O
for O
his O
support O
, O
Bar O
- O
On O
was O
slated O
to O
lift O
fraud O
and O
bribery O
charges O
facing O
the O
Shas O
leader O
. O
Rubinstein O
was O
named O
in O
Bar O
- O
On O
' O
s O
place O
in O
February B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0079 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
Middle O
East O
news O
advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
8 O

The O
following O
are O
some O
of O
major O
Mideast O
news O
stories O
due O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
News O
Agency O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
security O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
after O
a O
genocide O
trial O
of O
ousted O
President O
Saddam O
Hussein O
resumed O
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
Palestinian O
- O
Israeli O
conflict O
after O
an O
Israeli O
tank O
shell O
killed O
18 O
Palestinians O
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
latest O
developments O
of O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
file O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0161 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
before O
Dec O
. O
11 O

China O
will O
allow O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
to O
conduct O
Renminbi O
business O
for O
Chinese O
citizens O
before O
Dec B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
in O
line O
with O
its O
commitments O
to O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
, O
said O
Song O
Dahan O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Legislative O
Affairs O
Office O
of O
China O
' O
s O
State O
Council O
, O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
government O
would O
also O
remove O
regional O
restrictions O
and O
other O
limits O
on O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
, O
giving O
them O
the O
same O
treatment O
as O
Chinese O
banks O
, O
said O
Song O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
on O
China O
' O
s O
new O
regulations O
on O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
. O

According O
to O
the O
regulations O
issued O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Chinese O
branches O
of O
foreign O
banks O
remain O
banned O
from O
engaging O
in O
Renminbi O
services O
with O
Chinese O
citizens O
unless O
an O
individual O
, O
with O
the O
approval O
of O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
body O
, O
makes O
a O
fixed O
deposit O
of O
a O
minimum O
one O
million O
yuan O
( O
127 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
government O
will O
encourage O
and O
guide O
foreign O
banks O
to O
transform O
their O
branches O
into O
or O
set O
up O
incorporated O
banks O
registered O
in O
China O
, O
which O
will O
enjoy O
the O
benefits O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
banking O
sector O
, O
said O
Song O
. O

He O
said O
that O
the O
banks O
would O
be O
supervised O
by O
the O
Chinese O
banking O
authorities O
to O
minimize O
risks O
and O
ensure O
domestic O
financial O
stability O
. O

Foreign O
banks O
with O
Chinese O
corporate O
status O
can O
issue O
Renminbi O
credit O
cards O
, O
said O
Wang O
Zhaoxing O
, O
assistant O
chairman O
of O
the O
China O
Banking O
Regulatory O
Commission O
( O
CBRC O
) O
. O

He O
also O
encouraged O
foreign O
financial O
institutions O
with O
good O
credit O
to O
buy O
shares O
of O
Chinese O
commercial O
banks O
. O

" O
The O
opening O
of O
China O
' O
s O
banking O
sector O
is O
comprehensive O
and O
all O
directional O
, O
" O
said O
Wang O
. O

Since O
joining O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
in O
2001 B-T
, O
the O
country O
has O
seen O
the O
number O
of O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
growing O
and O
their O
business O
scope O
expanding O
, O
said O
Song O
. O

China O
has O
fully O
opened O
its O
foreign O
exchange O
business O
to O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
and O
allowed O
111 O
foreign O
financial O
institutions O
to O
offer O
Renminbi O
services O
for O
Chinese O
and O
foreign O
enterprises O
in O
25 O
cities O
. O

The O
CBRC O
data O
show O
the O
assets O
of O
foreign O
- O
funded O
banks O
in O
China O
totaled O
105 O
. O
1 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
September B-T
, O
accounting O
for O
1 O
. O
9 O
percent O
of O
all O
banking O
institutions O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Since O
2001 B-T
, O
China O
has O
taken O
a O
series O
of O
measures O
to O
gradually O
open O
its O
financial O
markets O
, O
including O
the O
introduction O
of O
the O
QFII O
( O
qualified O
foreign O
institutional O
investors O
) O
scheme O
in O
2003 B-T
to O
allow O
foreign O
institutional O
investors O
such O
as O
UBS O
, O
Deutsche O
Bank O
and O
Citigroup O
Global O
Markets O
Limited O
to O
engage O
in O
the O
securities O
sector O
on O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
. O

In O
order O
to O
cope O
with O
competition O
from O
foreign O
banks O
, O
the O
country O
has O
initiated O
reforms O
of O
its O
state O
- O
owned O
banks O
which O
had O
high O
non O
- O
performing O
loan O
ratios O
. O

Three O
of O
its O
four O
largest O
state O
- O
owned O
commercial O
banks O
are O
now O
listed O
on O
the O
stock O
market O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0627 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Morricone O
says O
Oscar O
is O
' O
nice O
surprise O
' O

Italian O
composer O
Ennio O
Morricone O
, O
who O
is O
to O
receive O
an O
honorary O
Oscar O
in O
February B-T
, O
on O
Thursday B-T
said O
the O
award O
was O
" O
a O
nice O
surprise O
" O
which O
made O
him O
happy O
. O

Morricone O
is O
the O
man O
behind O
the O
memorable O
music O
used O
in O
1960s O
spaghetti O
westerns O
such O
as O
" O
The O
Good O
, O
the O
Bad O
and O
the O
Ugly O
" O
and O
classic O
movies O
such O
as O
" O
Cinema O
Paradiso O
" O
and O
has O
composed O
more O
than O
300 O
scores O
in O
a O
career O
spanning O
45 B-T
years I-T
. O

The O
Academy O
of O
Motion O
Picture O
Arts O
and O
Sciences O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
he O
will O
be O
presented O
with O
the O
award O
at O
the O
2007 O
Oscars O
in O
Hollywood O
on O
February B-T
25 I-T
. O

" O
I O
am O
stunned O
but O
happy O
because O
the O
Oscar O
is O
coming O
my O
way O
while O
I O
am O
still O
fully O
active O
in O
my O
profession O
, O
" O
the O
78 O
- O
year O
old O
said O
. O

" O
In O
my O
life O
, O
I O
' O
ve O
never O
sought O
the O
centre O
stage O
. O
I O
have O
never O
asked O
a O
director O
to O
be O
allowed O
to O
work O
with O
him O
and O
I O
' O
ve O
never O
asked O
anybody O
to O
promote O
me O
, O
especially O
not O
in O
America O
. O
The O
Oscar O
is O
a O
nice O
surprise O
. O
I O
had O
stopped O
thinking O
about O
it O
, O
" O
said O
Morricone O
, O
who O
is O
to O
conduct O
a O
Christmas B-T
concert O
in O
Milan O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Morricone O
made O
a O
name O
for O
himself O
by O
composing O
the O
music O
for O
Sergio O
Leone O
' O
s O
spaghetti O
western O
" O
For O
a O
Fistful O
of O
Dollars O
" O
. O
He O
went O
on O
to O
write O
the O
scores O
of O
classics O
such O
as O
" O
The O
Good O
, O
the O
Bad O
and O
the O
Ugly O
, O
" O
, O
" O
Once O
upon O
a O
Time O
in O
America O
" O
and O
" O
Cinema O
Paradiso O
" O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0127 O

CHANGCHUN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

NE O
China O
province O
earmarks O
emergency O
funds O
against O
bird O
flu O

Northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Jilin O
Province O
has O
decided O
to O
invest O
10 O
million O
yuan O
( O
about O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
bird O
flu O
prevention O
and O
control O
, O
said O
a O
senior O
local O
official O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
province O
set O
up O
the O
fund O
to O
better O
ensure O
the O
success O
of O
prevention O
, O
supervision O
and O
emergency O
operations O
related O
to O
the O
bird O
flu O
, O
said O
Li O
Bin O
, O
deputy O
governor O
of O
the O
province O
, O
which O
borders O
the O
bird O
flu O
- O
afflicted O
Inner O
Mongolia O
Autonomous O
Region O
and O
Liaoning O
Province O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
local O
governments O
at O
different O
levels O
will O
also O
appropriate O
relevant O
funds O
ranging O
from O
200 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
24 O
, O
691 O
US O
dollars O
) O
to O
500 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
61 O
, O
728 O
US O
dollars O
) O
for O
the O
campaign O
, O
Li O
said O
. O

" O
We O
must O
try O
our O
best O
to O
prevent O
the O
outbreak O
of O
the O
highly O
pathogenic O
bird O
flu O
in O
Jilin O
, O
" O
said O
the O
vice O
governor O
, O
urging O
the O
local O
governments O
at O
all O
levels O
to O
take O
effective O
measures O
to O
keep O
the O
disease O
out O
of O
the O
province O
. O

Since O
the O
outbreak O
of O
bird O
flu O
among O
birds O
in O
its O
neighbouring O
regions O
, O
Jilin O
has O
taken O
a O
series O
of O
measures O
, O
including O
poultry O
vaccination O
and O
monitoring O
, O
to O
prevent O
outbreak O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
as O
well O
as O
human O
infection O
of O
the O
virus O
. O

WSJ_20130321_1145 O

March B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2013 I-T

The O
Terminal O
Cancer O
Patient O
Who O
Won O
a O
Marathon O

In O
competitions O
against O
the O
clock O
, O
some O
athletes O
display O
an O
ability O
to O
seize O
control O
. O
Think O
of O
the O
Clark O
- O
Kent O
- O
to O
- O
Superman O
routines O
that O
John O
Elway O
and O
Michael O
Jordan O
often O
pulled O
in O
the O
final O
seconds O
. O

But O
Iram O
Leon O
stands O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
his O
own O
race O
against O
time O
. O
Lodged O
in O
his O
brain O
is O
an O
untreatable O
and O
inoperable O
cancerous O
tumor O
that O
statistics O
suggest O
will O
kill O
him O
before O
he O
is O
40 O
, O
eight B-T
years I-T
from O
now B-T
. O
Medical O
science O
is O
advancing O
at O
a O
rate O
that O
doesn O
' O
t O
preclude O
the O
development O
of O
a O
treatment O
, O
but O
it O
' O
s O
not O
clear O
if O
it O
will O
come O
in O
time O
. O

" O
No O
one O
knows O
what O
technology O
will O
be O
available O
in O
five B-T
years I-T
, O
" O
said O
Allan O
Friedman O
, O
Duke O
University O
Hospital O
neurosurgeon O
in O
chief O
, O
who O
in O
2011 B-T
removed O
as O
much O
of O
Leon O
' O
s O
brain O
tumor O
as O
possible O
. O

The O
torment O
of O
enduring O
that O
wait O
can O
paste O
a O
cancer O
patient O
to O
the O
couch O
, O
a O
surrender O
heavily O
associated O
with O
deadlier O
outcomes O
. O
Some O
seek O
escape O
in O
their O
careers O
, O
but O
that O
is O
no O
longer O
an O
option O
for O
Leon O
, O
who O
early B-T
this I-T
year I-T
was O
forced O
to O
step O
down O
as O
a O
juvenile O
probation O
officer O
in O
Travis O
County O
, O
Texas O
, O
a O
position O
he O
had O
held O
for O
almost B-T
seven I-T
years I-T
. O
His O
thinking O
is O
no O
longer O
clear O
, O
said O
Leon O
, O
adding O
, O
" O
I O
was O
making O
too O
many O
mistakes O
on O
the O
stand O
. O
" O

But O
Leon O
can O
still O
run O
. O
Two B-T
years I-T
after O
his O
brain O
- O
cancer O
diagnosis O
, O
he O
recently O
ran O
a O
sub O
- O
five O
- O
minute O
mile O
for O
the O
first O
time O
since O
high O
school O
. O
What O
has O
startled O
the O
medical O
community O
even O
more O
is O
what O
Leon O
did O
this B-T
month I-T
in O
Beaumont O
, O
Texas O
. O
He O
won O
the O
Gusher O
Marathon O
, O
finishing O
in O
3 B-T
: I-T
07 I-T
: I-T
35 I-T
. O
That O
was O
one O
second O
slower O
than O
his O
personal O
record O
in O
the O
26 O
. O
2 O
- O
mile O
event O
, O
set O
days B-T
before O
he O
underwent O
brain O
surgery O
in O
early B-T
2011 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0143 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Power O
blackout O
enters O
fourth O
night O
in O
western O
Germany O

Thousands O
of O
people O
in O
western O
Germany O
spent O
their O
fourth O
night O
without O
electricity O
after O
this B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
record O
snowfall O
damaged O
power O
lines O
throughout O
the O
region O
, O
authorities O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

As O
many O
as O
35 O
, O
000 O
people O
in O
the O
towns O
of O
Steinfurt O
and O
Borghorst O
had O
their O
power O
cut O
again O
after O
a O
pylon O
toppled O
, O
bringing O
others O
down O
with O
it O
. O
The O
region O
is O
expected O
to O
have O
its O
electricity O
supply O
switched O
back O
on O
next B-T
Tuesday I-T
. O

Some O
20 O
, O
000 O
residents O
of O
Ochtrup O
will O
receive O
power O
from O
portable O
generators O
. O
Most O
farms O
in O
the O
area O
are O
being O
powered O
in O
this O
way O
. O
The O
blackout O
in O
the O
town O
has O
lasted O
four B-T
days I-T
, O
since O
the O
pylons O
along O
a O
three O
km O
stretch O
fell O
down O
under O
the O
weight O
of O
ice O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
German O
news O
agency O
DPA O
said O
. O

Power O
had O
been O
restored O
to O
200 O
, O
000 O
people O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
in O
North O
Rhine O
- O
Westphalia O
, O
said O
the O
most O
populous O
state O
' O
s O
Interior O
Ministry O
. O

The O
weight O
of O
thick O
ice O
and O
snow O
, O
rarely O
seen O
in O
more B-T
than I-T
100 I-T
years I-T
, O
damaged O
about O
50 O
electric O
poles O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
throwing O
much O
of O
the O
region O
around O
the O
city O
of O
Muenster O
into O
darkness O
. O

Police O
said O
that O
treacherous O
road O
conditions O
had O
caused O
2 O
, O
000 O
accidents O
leaving O
some O
140 O
people O
injured O
and O
a O
damage O
bill O
which O
is O
expected O
to O
cost O
millions O
. O

Power O
companies O
blamed O
the O
extreme O
weather O
conditions O
for O
the O
blackouts O
, O
rejecting O
any O
responsibility O
for O
the O
damage O
. O

The O
government O
is O
likely O
to O
summon O
executives O
of O
electricity O
companies O
and O
civil O
- O
defense O
experts O
to O
explain O
the O
matter O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0109 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Federer O
makes O
Masters O
final O
with O
perfect O
win O
over O
Gaudio O
( O
updated O
) O

Top O
seed O
Roger O
Federer O
made O
an O
easy O
through O
to O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
final O
of O
the O
ATP O
tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
as O
the O
Swiss O
crushed O
Argentina O
' O
s O
Gaston O
Gaudio O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
without O
losing O
a O
game O
. O

It O
' O
s O
the O
first O
time O
back O
to O
the O
1970s O
that O
a O
year O
- O
ending O
match O
of O
world O
tennis O
ending O
up O
in O
less O
than O
an O
hour O
and O
with O
a O
score O
of O
6 O
- O
0 O
, O
6 O
- O
0 O
. O

Federer O
, O
holding O
a O
4 O
- O
0 O
record O
against O
Gaudio O
and O
having O
won O
his O
last O
13 O
matches O
against O
Argentine O
opponents O
before O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
match O
, O
won O
on O
5 B-T
aces I-T
, O
22 O
winners O
and O
9 O
out O
of O
11 O
net O
points O
against O
16 O
unforced O
errors O
in O
the B-T
semifinal I-T
match I-T
less I-T
than I-T
50 I-T
minutes I-T
. O

Gaudio O
, O
seeded O
7th O
on O
a O
rank O
of O
ninth O
in O
the O
world O
for O
the O
4 O
. O
45 O
million O
US O
dollars O
season O
- O
ending O
event O
, O
cracked O
just O
3 O
winners O
throughout O
the O
match O
while O
making O
9 O
double O
- O
faults O
and O
22 O
unforced O
errors O
. O

Committing O
4 O
double O
- O
faults O
in O
a O
game O
, O
Gaudio O
was O
broken O
by O
the O
world O
number O
one O
Federer O
in O
as O
early O
as O
the O
second O
game O
and O
his O
first O
serve O
into O
the O
match O
, O
which O
set O
the O
tune O
of O
the O
match O
. O

Before O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
match O
against O
Gaudio O
, O
the O
two O
- O
time O
defending O
champion O
Federer O
had O
kept O
in O
low O
as O
he O
was O
pulled O
into O
deciders O
in O
his O
Red O
Group O
opener O
against O
12th O
- O
ranked O
David O
Nalbandian O
on O
Sunday B-T
and O
was O
even O
forced O
tiebreaker O
when O
facing O
the O
world O
No O
. O
7 O
Ivan O
Ljubicic O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

But O
all O
the O
embarrassments O
could O
not O
be O
found O
on O
the O
in O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
semis O
. O
He O
proved O
himself O
without O
any O
weaknesses O
, O
especially O
his O
backhand O
which O
was O
suspected O
to O
be O
his O
weaker O
side O
and O
again O
prolonged O
his O
near O
- O
perfect O
record O
at O
the O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
. O

Federer O
has O
built O
upon O
an O
imposing O
16 O
- O
1 O
record O
at O
the O
Masters O
Cup O
, O
with O
his O
only O
loss O
came O
to O
Lleyton O
Hewitt O
in O
the O
Shanghai O
2002 O
semifinals O
. O

It O
seemed O
a O
task O
impossible O
for O
anybody O
, O
not O
just O
the O
26 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Gaudio O
, O
to O
win O
over O
Federer O
who O
has O
been O
beaten O
by O
no O
man O
since O
June B-T
. O

With O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
victory O
, O
Federer O
reached O
his O
third O
consecutive O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
final O
and O
extended O
his O
winning O
streak O
to O
35 O
matches O
, O
the O
fifth O
- O
longest O
winning O
streak O
in O
the O
Open O
Era O
and O
a O
span O
that O
takes O
in O
five O
titles O
including O
two O
grand O
slam O
titles O
. O

And O
the O
Shanghai O
match O
was O
the O
first O
in O
six B-T
weeks I-T
for O
the O
superlative O
Swiss O
, O
who O
has O
already O
clinched O
the O
world O
No O
. O
1 O
year O
- O
end O
ranking O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
year I-T
in O
succession O
. O
He O
last O
competed O
in O
Bangkok O
, O
winning O
his O
11th O
title O
of O
the O
season O
on O
October B-T
2 I-T
. O

After O
American O
veteran O
Andre O
Agassi O
and O
second O
seed O
Rafael O
Nadal O
pulled O
out O
due O
to O
injuries O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
Federer O
, O
who O
overcame O
the O
effects O
of O
the O
ankle O
ligament O
injury O
scare O
, O
has O
been O
left O
the O
only O
top O
- O
five O
player O
in O
the O
elite O
field O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051202 O
. O
0108 O

CHENNAI O
, O
India O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

Incessant O
rain O
and O
thundershowers O
wiped O
out O
the O
morning O
session O
of O
the O
second O
day O
' O
s O
play O
in O
the O
first O
cricket O
Test O
between O
India O
and O
Sri O
Lanka O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

With O
the O
Chepauk O
outfield O
waterlogged O
and O
little O
chance O
of O
the O
sun O
breaking O
through O
to O
dry O
the O
ground O
, O
there O
was O
unlikely O
to O
be O
any O
play O
on O
the B-T
second I-T
day I-T
after O
the O
first O
day O
was O
washed O
out O
. O

Umpires O
Daryl O
Harper O
and O
Mark O
Benson O
may O
call O
off O
play O
during O
the O
scheduled O
lunch O
break O
at O
11 O
: O
30 O
am O
( O
0600 O
GMT O
) O
if O
the O
weather O
does O
not O
improve O
. O

Cyclone O
Baaz O
, O
which O
was O
hovering O
in O
the O
Bay O
of O
Bengal O
, O
weakened O
into O
a O
depression O
late O
on O
Friday B-T
but O
brought O
rain O
through O
the B-T
night I-T
to O
leave O
this O
southern O
metropolis O
drenched O
. O

Bad O
weather O
has O
already O
deprived O
Chennai O
of O
its O
last B-T
three O
international O
matches O
. O

India O
' O
s O
one O
- O
day O
internationals O
against O
New O
Zealand O
in O
2003 B-T
and O
South O
Africa O
last B-T
fortnight I-T
were O
abandoned O
without O
a O
ball O
being O
bowled O
. O

The O
second O
Test O
against O
Australia O
in O
October B-T
last I-T
year I-T
was O
drawn O
after O
the O
final O
day O
' O
s O
play O
was O
washed O
out O
with O
India O
on O
the O
doorstep O
of O
victory O
. O

Local O
cricket O
officials O
, O
fearing O
another O
rain O
- O
affected O
match O
, O
chose O
to O
sell O
only O
daily O
tickets O
for O
the O
Sri O
Lanka O
Test O
. O

The O
three O
- O
Test O
series O
is O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
first O
on O
Indian O
soil O
in O
eight B-T
years I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0377 O

MADRID O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Spanish O
coast O
guards O
arrest O
36 O
illegal O
immigrants O
off O
Spanish O
coast O

The O
Spanish O
coast O
guards O
on O
Wednesday B-T
arrested O
36 O
illegal O
immigrants O
, O
including O
three O
women O
and O
two O
minors O
, O
on O
a O
boat O
off O
the O
coast O
of O
Granada O
in O
southeast O
Spain O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
. O

One O
of O
the O
children O
was O
suffering O
from O
severe O
hypothermia O
and O
was O
taken O
to O
hospital O
in O
Granadan O
town O
Motril O
. O
The O
rest O
of O
the O
detainees O
were O
taken O
to O
a O
police O
reception O
center O
in O
Motril O
, O
where O
they O
would O
receive O
humanitarian O
aid O
from O
the O
Red O
Cross O
Organization O
. O

The O
coast O
guards O
have O
arrested O
2 O
, O
669 O
undocumented O
immigrants O
off O
the O
coast O
of O
Granada O
so O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
In O
November B-T
alone O
, O
the O
coast O
guards O
have O
already O
detained O
201 O
immigrants O
, O
the O
majority O
of O
whom O
came O
from O
Africa O
to O
seek O
a O
better O
life O
in O
Spain O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0132 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israeli O
forces O
fire O
heavy O
artillery O
at O
targets O
in O
northern O
Gaza O

Israeli O
army O
forces O
fired O
heavy O
artillery O
at O
targets O
in O
the O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
late O
Tuesday B-T
, O
Palestinian O
security O
sources O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
sources O
said O
that O
the O
Israeli O
troops O
shelled O
at O
least O
15 O
artillery O
barrages O
into O
an O
open O
area O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
, O
but O
no O
casualties O
or O
damage O
were O
reported O
. O

Israel O
Radio O
confirmed O
that O
the O
artillery O
shelling O
came O
in O
response O
to O
an O
anti O
- O
tank O
missile O
launched O
from O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
into O
Israel O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Israeli O
army O
troops O
arrested O
some O
9 O
Palestinians O
throughout O
the O
West O
Bank O
areas O
in O
a O
predawn O
arrest O
campaign O
, O
most O
of O
the O
arrested O
were O
members O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
. O

Palestinian O
sources O
said O
that O
Israeli O
army O
jeeps O
stormed O
the O
city O
of O
Ramallah O
and O
arrested O
three O
Hamas O
members O
in O
the O
city O
and O
nearby O
al O
- O
Bereeh O
. O

Israeli O
jeeps O
also O
incurred O
into O
the O
city O
of O
Hebron O
and O
arrested O
three O
other O
Hamas O
members O
in O
the O
Karma O
village O
in O
southern O
Hebron O
and O
the O
Israeli O
soldiers O
seized O
computer O
sets O
and O
mobile O
phones O
from O
the O
detainees O
' O
houses O
, O
eyewitnesses O
said O
. O

Some O
ten O
Israeli O
armored O
vehicles O
also O
stormed O
the O
village O
of O
Allar O
in O
Tulkarem O
and O
seized O
the O
house O
of O
a O
wanted O
Islamic O
Jihad O
member O
Mohammed O
Amer O
, O
witnesses O
said O
, O
adding O
the O
soldiers O
arrested O
Amer O
' O
s O
20 O
- O
years O
- O
old O
sister O
and O
took O
her O
to O
unknown O
place O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0474 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Iraq O
Shiite O
leader O
opposes O
US O
troop O
pullout O

The O
leader O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
largest O
Shiite O
party O
urged O
senior O
US O
officials O
Monday B-T
not O
to O
withdraw O
US O
troops O
from O
his O
country O
but O
to O
transfer O
more O
military O
authority O
to O
the O
government O
in O
Baghdad O
. O

Abdel O
Aziz O
al O
- O
Hakim O
, O
head O
of O
the O
pro O
- O
Iranian O
Supreme O
Council O
of O
Islamic O
Revolution O
in O
Iraq O
( O
SCIRI O
) O
, O
told O
reporters O
he O
had O
" O
frank O
and O
transparent O
" O
talks O
with O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
on O
the O
future O
US O
role O
in O
Iraq O
. O

Iraq O
' O
s O
government O
" O
asked O
for O
American O
forces O
to O
remain O
in O
Iraq O
while O
transferring O
more O
authority O
to O
Iraqi O
officials O
and O
forces O
to O
enable O
them O
to O
deal O
with O
terrorism O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Hakim O
also O
heads O
the O
Iranian O
- O
backed O
United O
Iraqi O
Alliance O
, O
a O
conservative O
Shiite O
coalition O
which O
is O
the O
largest O
bloc O
in O
Iraq O
' O
s O
parliament O
, O
but O
he O
insisted O
he O
was O
carrying O
no O
message O
from O
the O
Iranians O
for O
Washington O
. O

The O
cleric O
was O
due O
to O
meet O
later O
Monday B-T
with O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
as O
the O
US O
leader O
mulls O
a O
major O
shift O
in O
US O
policy O
on O
Iraq O
. O

Bush O
and O
Rice O
met O
last B-T
week I-T
in O
Jordan O
with O
Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
, O
who O
also O
demanded O
that O
his O
government O
take O
over O
greater O
responsibility O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
security O
some B-T
three I-T
- I-T
and I-T
- I-T
a I-T
- I-T
half I-T
years I-T
after O
US O
forces O
toppled O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

Since O
his O
Republican O
party O
lost O
control O
of O
Congress O
in O
elections O
last B-T
month I-T
that O
were O
dominated O
by O
voter O
unhappiness O
over O
the O
war O
in O
Iraq O
, O
Bush O
has O
been O
under O
intense O
pressure O
to O
unveil O
a O
plan O
for O
gradually O
reducing O
the O
US O
military O
role O
there O
. O

He O
is O
due O
to O
receive O
on O
Wednesday B-T
a O
much O
- O
awaited O
report O
from O
the O
congressionally O
- O
mandated O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
, O
which O
is O
expected O
to O
call O
for O
a O
withdrawal O
of O
almost O
all O
US O
combat O
troops O
from O
Iraq O
by O
early O
2008 O
, O
while O
leaving O
some O
soldiers O
behind O
for O
training O
and O
support O
of O
Iraqi O
forces O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0275 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
U O
. O
S O
. O
defense O
secretary O
steps O
down O
, O
Bush O
says O

U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
Defense O
Secretary O
Donald O
Rumsfeld O
was O
stepping O
down O
, O
one B-T
day I-T
after O
Democrats O
won O
control O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
in O
the O
midterm O
elections O
. O

Bush O
made O
the O
announcement O
during O
a O
press O
conference O
at O
the O
White O
House O
. O

Former O
CIA O
Director O
Robert O
Gates O
would O
succeed O
Rumsfeld O
, O
he O
said O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0090 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0090 O
. O

Dividend O
News O
: O

@ O
CMS O
Energy O
Corp O
. O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CMS O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

CMS O
ENERGY O
Corp O
. O
said O
management O
would O
recommend O
to O
its O
board O
today B-T
that O
its O
common O
stock O
dividend O
be O
reinstated O
at O
a O
" O
modest O
level O
" O
later B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Dearborn O
, O
Mich O
. O
, O
energy O
company O
stopped O
paying O
a O
dividend O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
1984 I-T
because O
of O
troubles O
at O
its O
Midland O
nuclear O
plant O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
CMS O
reported O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
of O
$ O
68 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
83 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
up O
from O
$ O
66 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
81 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0162 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tickets O
for O
2006 O
Masters O
to O
sell O
40 O
% O
off O
to O
this O
year O
' O
s O
buyers O

Tennis O
fans O
that O
purchased O
tickets O
for O
this B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
will O
be O
given O
the O
option O
to O
buy O
tickets O
for O
the O
2006 O
event O
at O
a O
discounted O
rate O
, O
said O
Wednesday B-T
the O
organizers O
. O

It O
' O
s O
announced O
in O
a O
statement O
released O
by O
the O
organizing O
committee O
that O
the O
price O
will O
be O
40 O
% O
off O
on O
tickets O
for O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
championship O
at O
the O
Qi O
Zhong O
Stadium O
, O
which O
was O
carried O
out O
as O
a O
compensation O
for O
fans O
after O
big O
names O
withdrew O
from O
the O
ATP O
year O
- O
ending O
tournament O
. O

The O
organizers O
also O
confirmed O
that O
ticket O
prices O
in O
2006 B-T
will O
remain O
the O
same O
as O
2005 O
. O

Replacement O
tickets O
will O
only O
be O
in O
the O
same O
section O
of O
the O
stadium O
as O
the O
original O
ticket O
. O
Tennis O
fans O
are O
advised O
to O
retain O
their O
ticket O
stubs O
as O
proof O
of O
purchase O
. O
Any O
application O
for O
a O
discounted O
ticket O
without O
the O
ticket O
stub O
will O
not O
be O
honored O
. O

Wang O
Liqun O
, O
deputy O
director O
for O
the O
event O
jointly O
held O
by O
the O
International O
Tennis O
Federation O
( O
ITF O
) O
, O
the O
world O
governing O
body O
, O
and O
the O
ATP O
, O
had O
promised O
Tuesday B-T
that O
tennis O
fans O
will O
be O
compensated O
for O
the O
withdrawals O
and O
absentees O
of O
tennis O
masters O
. O

" O
Fans O
who O
have O
already O
bought O
tickets O
for O
this O
tournament O
will O
be O
able O
to O
enjoy O
a O
discount O
next B-T
year I-T
in O
the O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
with O
no O
price O
raising O
, O
" O
said O
Wang O
. O

By O
the O
same O
token O
, O
the O
ATP O
has O
also O
promised O
that O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
to I-T
six I-T
months I-T
, O
some O
of O
the O
top O
- O
notch O
or O
first O
- O
class O
tennis O
players O
will O
come O
to O
Shanghai O
to O
meet O
fans O
and O
endorsers O
. O

The O
Masters O
Cup O
, O
which O
is O
always O
at O
risk O
of O
absenteeism O
as O
it O
comes O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
season I-T
, O
has O
been O
without O
five O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
leading O
six O
players O
after O
only O
the B-T
second I-T
day I-T
. O

World O
No O
. O
2 O
Rafael O
Nadal O
Monday B-T
announced O
his O
pulling O
out O
with O
a O
left O
foot O
injury O
before O
his O
Masters O
debut O
even O
started O
, O
and O
minutes O
later O
Andre O
Agassi O
further O
long O
line O
of O
withdrawals O
at O
the O
ATP O
season O
- O
ending O
event O
, O
blaming O
a O
bad O
ankle O
sprain O
sustained O
playing O
racquetball O
. O

The O
loss O
, O
having O
severely O
diminished O
the O
tournament O
' O
s O
status O
as O
the O
showcase O
for O
the O
finest O
talent O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
game O
, O
had O
seen O
third O
- O
ranked O
Andy O
Roddick O
pulling O
out O
before O
the O
tournament O
with O
a O
back O
problem O
and O
Australian O
Open O
winner O
Marat O
Safin O
with O
a O
knee O
injury O
. O

Lleyton O
Hewitt O
, O
ranked O
fourth O
, O
remained O
in O
Sydney O
with O
his O
wife O
, O
actress O
Rebecca O
Cartwright O
, O
who O
is O
expecting O
the O
couple O
' O
s O
first O
child O
within O
two B-T
weeks I-T
. O

Top O
- O
ranked O
Roger O
Federer O
was O
left O
the O
only O
top O
- O
five O
player O
in O
the O
elite O
field O
, O
but O
the O
two O
- O
time O
defending O
champion O
might O
not O
go O
the O
distance O
with O
a O
sore O
right O
ankle O
. O

" O
We O
certainly O
feel O
regret O
, O
and O
the O
regret O
actually O
comes O
from O
not O
only O
the O
fans O
, O
but O
the O
organizing O
committee O
and O
also O
the O
ATP O
, O
" O
said O
another O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
tournament O
Qin O
Weichang O
Tuesday B-T
evening I-T
. O

As O
an O
immediate O
action O
from O
the O
organizers O
for O
apologizing O
to O
fans O
, O
Nadal O
went O
on O
court O
Monday B-T
night I-T
between O
matches O
and O
to O
the O
media O
center O
to O
say O
sorry O
for O
his O
withdrawal O
. O
Also O
the O
19 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Spaniard O
spared O
40 O
minutes O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
to O
meet O
with O
his O
fans O
, O
which O
drew O
about O
500 O
to O
attend O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0009 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
worried O
about O
hindrance O
of O
earthquake O
relief O
by O
winter O
weather O

The O
onset O
of O
winter O
conditions O
in O
the O
earthquake O
areas O
of O
Pakistan O
has O
severely O
hampered O
the O
relief O
operations O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
and O
other O
humanitarian O
organizations O
, O
resulting O
in O
the O
grounding O
of O
some O
helicopters O
and O
the O
cancellation O
of O
some O
road O
deliveries O
. O

" O
This O
development O
shows O
why O
it O
is O
very O
important O
for O
us O
to O
do O
more O
and O
quickly O
too O
as O
we O
keep O
the O
focus O
on O
the O
relief O
phase O
, O
" O
said O
the O
UN O
' O
s O
chief O
of O
Emergency O
Operations O
, O
Andrew O
MacLeod O
, O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O
" O
It O
also O
shows O
why O
Operation O
Winter O
Race O
still O
remains O
so O
important O
. O
" O

Operation O
Winter O
Race O
has O
been O
designed O
to O
provide O
urgently O
needed O
shelter O
to O
thousands O
of O
people O
between O
5 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
and O
7 O
, O
000 O
feet O
of O
altitude O
before O
the O
onset O
of O
winter B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
UN O
. O
It O
has O
so O
far O
resulted O
in O
the O
construction O
of O
more O
than O
19 O
, O
000 O
shelter O
units O
by O
the O
military O
and O
another O
40 O
, O
000 O
by O
the O
humanitarian O
community O
and O
Pakistan O
civil O
society O
. O

" O
Even O
as O
winter O
threatens O
people O
' O
s O
health O
and O
safety O
, O
the O
race O
is O
not O
lost O
- O
it O
is O
just O
more O
difficult O
. O
We O
need O
ongoing O
and O
additional O
support O
in O
the O
next O
few O
days O
so O
we O
could O
reach O
as O
many O
of O
the O
remaining O
vulnerable O
people O
as O
possible O
, O
" O
the O
UN O
Emergency O
Operations O
chief O
said O
. O

Since O
the O
earthquake O
struck O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, O
the O
UN O
and O
its O
partners O
in O
the O
NGO O
and O
humanitarian O
community O
have O
been O
racing O
against O
time O
to O
provide O
food O
, O
shelter O
, O
clothing O
and O
medicine O
to O
the O
estimated O
3 O
. O
5 O
million O
affected O
people O
. O

But O
rain O
and O
snow O
in O
some O
parts O
of O
the O
earthquake O
zone O
coupled O
with O
significant O
drops O
in O
temperature O
have O
made O
the O
relief O
operations O
particularly O
difficult O
and O
increased O
the O
numbers O
seeking O
medical O
assistance O
for O
weather O
related O
ailments O
. O
Some O
roads O
have O
been O
closed O
completely O
and O
others O
have O
been O
declared O
unsafe O
. O

" O
Even O
as O
sufficient O
pledges O
have O
been O
made O
for O
recovery O
and O
reconstruction O
, O
relief O
is O
still O
less O
than O
50 O
percent O
funded O
. O
And O
now O
, O
and O
winter O
and O
nature O
are O
reminding O
us O
: O
' O
Concentrate O
on O
relief O
in O
order O
to O
save O
lives O
, O
reconstruct O
later O
. O
' O
" O
Andrew O
MacLeod O
stressed O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0168 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0168 O
. O

Two O
Rival O
Bidders O

@ O
Extend O
Offers O

@ O
To O
Buy O
Connaught O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Suzanne O
McGee O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CSESF O
F O
. O
INM O
Z O
. O
CIG O
CHIR O
EUROP O
RHPOY O
CANDA O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

MEDICAL O
AND O
BIOTECHNOLOGY O
( O
MTC O
) O

TORONTO O

Two O
rival O
bidders O
for O
Connaught O
BioSciences O
extended O
their O
offers O
to O
acquire O
the O
Toronto O
- O
based O
vaccine O
manufacturer O
Friday B-T
. O

Institut O
Merieux O
S O
. O
A O
. O
, O
which O
offered O
942 O
million O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
US O
$ O
801 O
. O
2 O
million O
) O
, O
or O
C O
$ O
37 O
a O
share O
for O
Connaught O
, O
said O
it O
would O
extend O
its O
bid O
, O
due O
to O
expire O
last B-T
Thursday I-T
, O
to O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
. O

A O
C O
$ O
30 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
bid O
by O
Ciba O
- O
Geigy O
Ltd O
. O
, O
a O
pharmaceutical O
company O
based O
in O
Basel O
, O
Switzerland O
, O
and O
California O
- O
based O
Chiron O
Corp O
. O
, O
a O
bioresearch O
concern O
, O
was O
extended O
to O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
. O

It O
had O
been O
due O
to O
expire O
Friday B-T
evening I-T
. O

Merieux O
previously O
said O
it O
would O
ensure O
its O
bid O
remained O
open O
pending O
a O
final O
decision O
by O
Canadian O
regulators O
on O
whether O
to O
approve O
the O
takeover O
. O

Merieux O
, O
a O
vaccine O
and O
bioresearch O
firm O
based O
in O
Lyon O
, O
France O
, O
is O
controlled O
50 O
. O
1 O
% O
by O
state O
- O
owned O
Rhone O
Poulenc O
S O
. O
A O
. O

The O
Canadian O
government O
previously O
said O
Merieux O
' O
s O
bid O
did O
n O
' O
t O
offer O
enough O
" O
net O
benefit O
" O
to O
Canada O
to O
be O
approved O
, O
and O
gave O
Merieux O
an O
until O
mid B-T
- I-T
November I-T
to O
submit O
additional O
information O
. O

Merieux O
officials O
said O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
they O
are O
" O
highly O
confident O
" O
the O
offer O
will O
be O
approved O
once O
it O
submits O
details O
of O
its O
proposed O
investments O
to O
federal O
regulators O
. O

Both O
offers O
are O
conditional O
on O
regulatory O
approvals O
and O
enough O
shares O
being O
tendered O
to O
give O
the O
bidders O
a O
majority O
of O
Connaught O
' O
s O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

Institut O
Merieux O
, O
which O
already O
holds O
a O
12 O
. O
5 O
% O
stake O
in O
Connaught O
, O
said O
that O
at O
the O
close O
of O
business O
Thursday B-T
, O
5 O
, O
745 O
, O
188 O
shares O
of O
Connaught O
and O
C O
$ O
44 O
. O
3 O
million O
face O
amount O
of O
debentures O
, O
convertible O
into O
1 O
, O
826 O
, O
596 O
common O
shares O
, O
had O
been O
tendered O
to O
its O
offer O
. O

At O
the O
close O
of O
business O
Thursday B-T
, O
Ciba O
- O
Geigy O
and O
Chiron O
said O
11 O
, O
580 O
common O
shares O
had O
been O
tendered O
to O
their O
offer O
. O

At O
last O
report O
, O
Connaught O
had O
21 O
. O
8 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

Separately O
, O
the O
Ontario O
Supreme O
Court O
said O
it O
will O
postpone O
indefinitely O
a O
ruling O
on O
the O
lawsuit O
launched O
by O
the O
University O
of O
Toronto O
against O
Connaught O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
Merieux O
bid O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
prepared O
by O
lawyers O
for O
the O
university O
and O
Connaught O
, O
the O
parties O
said O
they O
agreed O
that O
as O
a O
result O
of O
reaching O
a O
C415 O
million O
research O
accord O
, O
" O
It O
is O
unnecessary O
that O
there O
be O
a O
judgment O
on O
the O
merits O
{ O
of O
the O
case O
} O
at O
this O
time O
. O
" O

Lawyers O
for O
the O
two O
sides O
weren O
' O
t O
immediately O
available O
for O
comment O
. O

The O
university O
had O
sought O
an O
injunction O
blocking O
Connaught O
' O
s O
board O
from O
recommending O
or O
supporting O
an O
offer O
for O
the O
company O
by O
Merieux O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0441 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
Il O
promotes O
123 O
generals O
, O
monitors O
say O

North O
Korean O
leader O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
Il O
has O
promoted O
123 O
new O
generals O
in O
a O
move O
seen O
here O
as O
one O
of O
the O
final O
steps O
to O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
his O
formal O
assumption O
of O
power O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
monitors O
here O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0175 O

CHANGSHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Starting O
line O
- O
up O
of O
China O
against O
Iraq O
at O
Asian O
Cup O
qualifiers O

Following O
is O
the O
line O
- O
up O
of O
China O
national O
football O
team O
against O
Iraq O
at O
an O
Asian O
Cup O
qualifier O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
: O

Goalkeeper O
: O
Li O
Leilei O

Defenders O
: O
Sun O
Xiang O
, O
Xu O
Yunlong O
, O
Zhang O
Yaokun O
, O
Cao O
Yang O

Midfielders O
: O
Zheng O
Zhi O
, O
Wang O
Dong O
, O
Du O
Zhenyu O
, O
Zhao O
Junzhe O

Forwards O
: O
Li O
Jinyu O
, O
Han O
Peng O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0161 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

India O
to O
deploy O
troops O
in O
Bihar O
after O
leader O
' O
s O
indictment O
: O
daily O

India O
will O
send O
paramilitary O
troops O
to O
Bihar O
state O
because O
of O
fears O
of O
a O
backlash O
to O
the O
possible O
prosecution O
of O
its O
chief O
minister O
, O
The O
Statesman O
newspaper O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
daily B-T
quoting O
home O
ministry O
sources O
said O
the O
troops O
would O
be O
deployed O
in O
the O
eastern O
state O
because O
of O
worries O
that O
political O
turmoil O
could O
lead O
to O
violence O
in O
Bihar O
. O

An O
Indian O
government O
spokesman O
, O
however O
, O
denied O
that O
federal O
forces O
were O
being O
sent O
to O
Bihar O
. O

The O
state O
government O
has O
been O
pressing O
the O
Indian O
government O
for O
police O
assistance O
" O
to O
deal O
with O
leftwing O
extremists O
operating O
in O
certain O
parts O
of O
Bihar O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
official O
said O
New O
Delhi O
had O
sent O
police O
reinforcements O
more O
than O
a B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
to O
Bihar O
. O
" O
It O
has O
got O
nothing O
to O
do O
with O
the O
current O
situation O
, O
" O
he O
claimed O
. O

The O
Central O
Bureau O
of O
Investigation O
( O
CBI O
) O
Sunday O
said O
it O
would O
prosecute O
state O
Chief O
Minister O
Laloo O
Prasad O
Yadav O
in O
a O
multi O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
financial O
scandal O
. O

Yadav O
, O
who O
is O
also O
the O
president O
of O
the O
largest O
party O
in O
India O
' O
s O
ruling O
coalition O
, O
has O
refused O
to O
quit O
his O
post O
and O
has O
warned O
his O
supporters O
would O
" O
take O
the O
issue O
to O
the O
streets O
. O
" O

India O
' O
s O
main O
opposition O
Bharatiya O
Janata O
Party O
( O
Indian O
People O
' O
s O
Party O
) O
and O
other O
rivals O
of O
Yadav O
have O
called O
a O
general O
shutdown O
on O
May B-T
3 I-T
in O
Bihar O
to O
demand O
his O
ouster O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0089 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Israel O
PM O
orders O
resumption O
of O
Gaza O
strikes O

Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
ordered O
the O
army O
Wednesday B-T
to O
resume O
strikes O
on O
militants O
in O
Gaza O
after O
a O
rocket O
attack O
wounded O
two O
Israeli O
teenagers O
despite O
a O
month O
- O
long O
truce O
, O
his O
office O
said O
. O

After O
meeting O
with O
his O
security O
officials O
, O
Olmert O
ordered O
the O
defense O
establishment O
" O
to O
act O
locally O
against O
Qassam O
rocket O
launching O
cells O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
homemade O
rockets O
fired O
by O
Palestinian O
militants O
in O
Gaza O
. O

" O
At O
the O
same O
time O
Israel O
will O
continue O
to O
respect O
the O
ceasefire O
and O
work O
with O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
in O
order O
. O
. O
. O
for O
them O
. O
. O
. O
to O
take O
immediate O
steps O
to O
stop O
the O
Qassam O
fire O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

The O
statement O
seemed O
to O
indicate O
that O
Israel O
would O
not O
launch O
a O
ground O
operation O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
but O
carry O
out O
air O
strikes O
against O
rocket O
launching O
cells O
, O
as O
called O
for O
by O
Defense O
Minister O
Amir O
Peretz O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0072 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Dollar O
steady O
in O
Tokyo O
despite O
strong O
Japanese O
GDP O

The O
US O
dollar O
dipped O
against O
the O
yen O
Friday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
, O
but O
its O
losses O
were O
slight O
considering O
a O
Japanese O
government O
report O
saying O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economy O
grew O
more O
than O
expected O
in O
the B-T
July I-T
- I-T
September I-T
period I-T
. O

At O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
0800 O
GMT O
) O
, O
the O
dollar O
traded O
at O
117 O
. O
81 O
- O
83 O
yen O
, O
compared O
with O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
quotes O
of O
118 O
. O
15 O
- O
25 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
and O
117 O
. O
64 O
- O
66 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
. O

The O
dollar O
moved O
between O
117 O
. O
65 O
yen O
and O
118 O
. O
19 O
yen O
during O
the O
day O
, O
most O
frequently O
trading O
at O
117 O
. O
75 O
yen O
. O

The O
euro O
was O
quoted O
at O
1 O
. O
1700 O
- O
1702 O
dollar O
and O
137 O
. O
84 O
- O
88 O
yen O
, O
against O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
quotes O
of O
1 O
. O
1682 O
- O
1692 O
dollar O
and O
138 O
. O
08 O
- O
18 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
and O
1 O
. O
1767 O
- O
1769 O
dollar O
and O
138 O
. O
43 O
- O
47 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
. O

The O
dollar O
weakened O
slightly O
against O
the O
yen O
after O
the O
report O
showed O
early O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
that O
Japan O
' O
s O
economy O
grew O
at O
an O
annualized O
rate O
of O
1 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
beating O
a O
consensus O
market O
forecast O
of O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
. O

But O
dealers O
said O
yen O
buying O
seen O
in O
response O
to O
the O
GDP O
data O
was O
not O
more O
than O
position O
- O
squaring O
following O
overnight O
solid O
gains O
for O
the O
dollar O
. O

Dealers O
believe O
demand O
for O
the O
dollar O
is O
highly O
likely O
to O
persist O
as O
the O
currency O
has O
attracted O
bargain O
hunters O
even O
with O
few O
fresh O
buying O
incentives O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0195 O

CHANGSHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

against O
bird O
flu O

Experts O
of O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
said O
Thursday B-T
that O
public O
awareness O
of O
the O
deadly O
bird O
flu O
virus O
is O
crucial O
. O

" O
Public O
education O
and O
awareness O
is O
very O
important O
, O
" O
Dr O
. O
Julie O
Hall O
, O
WHO O
' O
s O
epidemic O
alert O
and O
response O
coordinator O
in O
China O
told O
Xinhua O
in O
Changsha O
, O
capital O
of O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Hunan O
province O
, O
after O
they O
concluded O
an O
investigation O
into O
three O
pneumonia O
cases O
. O

The O
public O
should O
be O
aware O
of O
the O
symptoms O
and O
be O
able O
to O
report O
quickly O
so O
that O
infections O
can O
be O
reduced O
and O
the O
areas O
can O
be O
disinfected O
if O
a O
bird O
flu O
outbreak O
occurs O
, O
she O
said O
. O

However O
, O
experts O
said O
the O
subtype O
H5 O
of O
avian O
influenza O
virus O
is O
still O
a O
rare O
disease O
in O
humans O
. O
" O
It O
takes O
considerable O
effort O
for O
this O
virus O
to O
jump O
from O
animals O
to O
humans O
, O
requiring O
very O
close O
contact O
with O
infected O
live O
animals O
. O
Man O
cannot O
catch O
the O
disease O
from O
well O
- O
cooked O
poultry O
, O
" O
said O
Dr O
. O
Hall O
. O

A O
joint O
expert O
team O
of O
WHO O
and O
China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
( O
MOH O
) O
arrived O
in O
Hunan O
on O
Monday B-T
to O
probe O
three O
suspicious O
pneumonia O
cases O
. O

" O
This O
has O
been O
a O
very O
constructive O
, O
very O
positive O
visit O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
We O
believe O
the O
authorities O
here O
have O
worked O
tremendously O
hard O
to O
detect O
these O
cases O
. O
" O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
confirmed O
two O
human O
bird O
flu O
cases O
in O
the O
country O
Wednesday B-T
. O
The O
two O
confirmed O
cases O
involve O
a O
nine O
- O
year O
- O
old O
boy O
in O
Xiangtan O
County O
of O
Hunan O
and O
a O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
farmer O
in O
Zongyang O
County O
of O
Anhui O
Province O
. O
The O
boy O
' O
s O
sister O
died O
of O
pneumonia O
- O
like O
symptoms O
last B-T
month I-T
and O
was O
suspected O
to O
have O
contracted O
bird O
flu O
. O

Roy O
Wadia O
, O
WHO O
spokesman O
in O
Beijing O
, O
said O
it O
is O
not O
surprising O
to O
see O
confirmed O
human O
cases O
reported O
in O
China O
, O
which O
indicates O
the O
importance O
and O
urgency O
of O
fighting O
the O
highly O
pathogenic O
virus O
. O

China O
is O
facing O
a O
tremendous O
challenge O
in O
controlling O
the O
disease O
in O
animals O
as O
well O
as O
strenghtening O
the O
early O
detection O
for O
any O
possible O
human O
cases O
, O
said O
Dr O
. O
Hall O
. O

Key O
areas O
for O
strenghening O
include O
raising O
public O
awareness O
, O
trying O
to O
reduce O
panic O
, O
and O
encouraging O
people O
to O
report O
and O
seek O
health O
care O
if O
they O
have O
contact O
with O
sick O
poultry O
, O
the O
expert O
said O
. O

WHO O
will O
help O
with O
the O
revision O
of O
a O
national O
guidline O
for O
prevention O
and O
control O
of O
the O
disease O
. O
" O
Seeing O
the O
experiences O
in O
Hunan O
and O
Anhui O
province O
, O
we O
believe O
there O
is O
a O
very O
good O
foundation O
here O
in O
China O
for O
early O
response O
and O
early O
detection O
of O
cases O
, O
" O
Dr O
. O
Hall O
said O
. O

She O
said O
WHO O
will O
continue O
to O
assist O
China O
in O
curbing O
the O
epidemic O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0228 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

governments O

Environmental O
law O
enforcement O
has O
hit O
obstacles O
in O
parts O
of O
China O
and O
certain O
local O
government O
officials O
have O
been O
half O
- O
hearted O
in O
dealing O
with O
pollution O
, O
said O
a O
Chinese O
environmental O
official O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Some O
large O
state O
- O
owned O
companies O
and O
listed O
companies O
ignored O
environmental O
rules O
and O
local O
governments O
disregarded O
initiatives O
to O
rectify O
their O
performance O
, O
said O
Lu O
Xinyuan O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
environmental O
supervision O
bureau O
of O
the O
State O
Environmental O
Protection O
Administration O
( O
SEPA O
) O
. O

Lu O
cited O
a O
case O
in O
Liupanshui O
city O
, O
in O
southwest O
China O
' O
s O
Guizhou O
Province O
, O
where O
a O
vice O
mayor O
was O
held O
responsible O
for O
making O
false O
environmental O
reports O
to O
inspectors O
from O
State O
Council O
departments O
. O

On O
Sept B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, O
the O
vice O
mayor O
told O
the O
inspection O
team O
" O
there O
are O
no O
coal O
chemical O
companies O
in O
the O
city O
" O
, O
when O
more O
than O
30 O
coke O
chemical O
or O
other O
chemical O
companies O
were O
operating O
in O
Liupanshui O
. O

Lu O
said O
the O
vice O
mayor O
broke O
the O
Law O
on O
Civil O
Servants O
which O
forbids O
public O
servants O
from O
making O
false O
reports O
. O

Environmental O
problems O
were O
also O
striking O
industrial O
parks O
. O
Most O
of O
the O
20 O
industrial O
parks O
inspected O
had O
failed O
to O
carry O
out O
environmental O
assessments O
before O
construction O
. O

Central O
departments O
would O
send O
more O
inspectors O
this B-T
month I-T
to O
investigate O
local O
environmental O
protection O
, O
but O
Lu O
declined O
to O
identify O
the O
areas O
to O
be O
investigated O
. O

Major O
industrial O
pollutants O
climbed O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
compared O
with O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
driven O
by O
fast O
economic O
growth O
and O
high O
emissions O
of O
sulfur O
dioxide O
, O
figures O
from O
the O
SEPA O
showed O
. O

Twelve O
billion O
tons O
of O
wastewater O
was O
discharged O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
up O
2 O
. O
4 O
percent O
from O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
while O
sulfur O
dioxide O
emissions O
were O
up O
4 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0016 O

RANGOON O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Authorities O
maintain O
security O
in O
run O
- O
up O
to O
Burmese O
new O
years O

Burma O
' O
s O
military O
authorities O
maintained O
extra O
security O
in O
the O
capital O
Wednesday B-T
ahead O
of O
Burmese O
new O
year O
festivities O
, O
when O
huge O
crowds O
will O
hit O
the O
streets O
just O
after O
widespread O
communal O
unrest O
. O

Government O
offices O
are O
building O
makeshift O
platforms O
, O
known O
as O
" O
pandals O
, O
" O
by O
streets O
to O
stage O
entertainment O
and O
to O
throw O
water O
at O
passers O
- O
by O
during O
the O
new O
year O
festival O
from O
April B-T
13 I-T
to O
April B-T
17 I-T
. O

But O
some O
key O
ministries O
have O
begun O
to O
dismantle O
platforms O
outside O
their O
offices O
that O
had O
already O
been O
assembled O
, O
indicating O
concern O
about O
crowd O
control O
during O
the O
normally O
rowdy O
public O
festival O
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

Tanks O
were O
stationed O
near O
the O
mayor O
' O
s O
office O
, O
one O
of O
the O
three O
main O
pandals O
where O
senior O
officials O
and O
diplomats O
are O
welcomed O
to O
mingle O
, O
be O
blessed O
with O
water O
and O
view O
the O
performers O
and O
floats O
in O
various O
contests O
. O

Unrest O
broke O
out O
in O
the O
central O
city O
of O
Mandalay O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
when O
Buddhist O
monks O
attacked O
Moslem O
properties O
that O
left O
a O
dozen O
mosques O
destroyed O
. O

Some O
150 O
monks O
have O
been O
disrobed O
, O
and O
10 O
members O
of O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
' O
s O
National O
League O
for O
Democracy O
( O
NLD O
) O
have O
been O
detained O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
attacks O
, O
a O
Mandalay O
resident O
told O
AFP O
. O

Among O
those O
detained O
was O
Htin O
Gyaw O
, O
one O
of O
the O
NLD O
candidates O
elected O
in O
1990 B-T
to O
a O
parliament O
never O
convened O
by O
the O
junta O
because O
the O
opposition O
party O
would O
have O
held O
over O
80 O
percent O
of O
the O
seats O
. O

Analysts O
say O
the O
military O
government O
has O
been O
targeting O
prominent O
NLD O
members O
recently O
in O
a O
wave O
of O
arrests O
under O
various O
charges O
. O

Only O
sporadic O
incidents O
have O
been O
reported O
in O
Rangoon O
recently B-T
, O
but O
more O
than O
100 O
monks O
were O
picked O
up O
for O
questioning O
last B-T
month I-T
after O
a O
flurry O
of O
stonings O
and O
vandalism O
aimed O
at O
mosques O
and O
Moslem O
houses O
. O

First O
degree O
security O
alerts O
were O
said O
to O
have O
been O
imposed O
in O
Rangoon O
, O
Mandalay O
, O
Sittwe O
and O
two O
other O
cities O
. O

Committees O
of O
senior O
monks O
, O
Islamic O
elders O
and O
government O
authorities O
have O
been O
formed O
to O
head O
off O
further O
troubles O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

But O
tensions O
remained O
among O
the O
country O
' O
s O
400 O
, O
000 O
monks O
, O
as O
grievances O
against O
the O
authorities O
, O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
behind O
the O
attacks O
have O
yet O
to O
be O
resolved O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

WSJ900813 O
- O
0157 O

900813 O
- O
0157 O
. O

Iraqi O
Chief O
Links O

Kuwait O
Pullout O

To O
Israeli O
Move O

- O
- O
- O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Rejects O
the O
Initiative O
, O

Aimed O
at O
Rallying O
Arabs O
, O

And O
Readies O
Blockade O

- O
- O
- O
- O

By O
Gerald O
F O
. O
Seib O
and O
Walter O
S O
. O
Mossberg O

Staff O
Reporters O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

08 B-T
/ I-T
13 I-T
/ I-T
90 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O
, O
PAGE O
A3 O

MDEST O
FORGN O

MONETARY O
NEWS O
, O
FOREIGN O
EXCHANGE O
, O
TRADE O
( O
MON O
) O

PETROLEUM O
( O
PET O
) O

FOOD O
PRODUCTS O
( O
FOD O
) O

EXECUTIVE O
( O
EXE O
) O

STATE O
DEPARTMENT O
( O
STD O
) O

DEFENSE O
DEPARTMENT O
( O
DEF O
) O

WASHINGTON O
- O
- O
Iraq O
' O
s O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
his O
options O
for O
ending O
the O
Persian O
Gulf O
crisis O
growing O
increasingly O
unpleasant O
, O
assumed O
the O
role O
of O
embattled O
Arab O
hero O
in O
offering O
his O
first O
rough O
proposal O
for O
a O
negotiated O
end O
to O
the O
confrontation O
. O

The O
Iraqi O
leader O
, O
in O
an O
" O
initiative O
" O
designed O
as O
much O
to O
rally O
Arab O
public O
opinion O
as O
to O
launch O
meaningful O
negotiations O
, O
announced O
yesterday B-T
that O
he O
will O
withdraw O
his O
troops O
from O
Kuwait O
only O
if O
Israel O
withdraws O
from O
the O
West O
Bank O
and O
Syria O
from O
Lebanon O
. O
He O
apparently O
hopes O
to O
lure O
support O
from O
Arabs O
who O
have O
spurned O
him O
so O
far O
by O
suggesting O
that O
Iraq O
will O
use O
its O
occupation O
of O
Kuwait O
as O
a O
lever O
to O
solve O
the O
Arab O
world O
' O
s O
most O
frustrating O
problem O
, O
the O
23 O
- O
year O
Israeli O
occupation O
of O
land O
claimed O
by O
Palestinians O
. O

Even O
as O
Saddam O
Hussein O
was O
searching O
for O
a O
ploy O
to O
ease O
his O
isolation O
, O
though O
, O
the O
international O
pressure O
against O
him O
clicked O
up O
another O
notch O
. O
The O
White O
House O
yesterday B-T
disclosed O
that O
Kuwait O
' O
s O
ousted O
government O
has O
formally O
asked O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
to O
enforce O
the O
total O
trade O
embargo O
the O
United O
Nations O
has O
imposed O
on O
Iraq O
, O
allowing O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
other O
nations O
to O
immediately O
begin O
stopping O
ships O
carrying O
Iraqi O
goods O
. O

Secretary O
of O
State O
James O
Baker O
, O
speaking O
on O
ABC O
News O
' O
" O
This O
Week O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Kuwaiti O
request O
gives O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
other O
countries O
" O
a O
legal O
basis O
for O
stopping O
the O
export O
of O
oil O
and O
that O
sort O
of O
thing O
. O
" O
The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
maintains O
that O
under O
the O
U O
. O
N O
. O
charter O
, O
the O
Kuwaiti O
request O
triggers O
steps O
for O
the O
collective O
enforcement O
of O
international O
sanctions O
. O

Mr O
. O
Baker O
declined O
to O
use O
the O
word O
blockade O
, O
but O
said O
that O

" O
interdiction O
" O
of O
Iraqi O
shipments O
would O
begin O
" O
almost O
instantly O
. O
" O
In O
a O
statement O
, O
the O
White O
House O
said O
it O
would O
do O
" O
whatever O
is O
necessary O
" O
to O
ensure O
compliance O
with O
the O
sanctions O
. O

Other O
Bush O
administration O
officials O
said O
that O
the O
international O
naval O
force O
in O
the O
area O
- O
- O
consisting O
of O
American O
, O
British O
, O
French O
, O
Canadian O
, O
Soviet O
, O
German O
and O
Australian O
ships O
- O
- O
may O
be O
used O
both O
to O
stop O
oil O
exports O
from O
leaving O
Iraq O
and O
Kuwait O
and O
to O
stop O
shipments O
of O
food O
and O

other O
goods O
from O
going O
in O
. O
President O
Bush O
implied O
as O
much O
yesterday B-T
when O
reporters O
asked O
whether O
the O
interdiction O
would O
apply O
to O
food O
. O
The O
president O
responded O
, O
" O
Everything O
, O
everything O
. O
" O
While O
shying O
away O
from O
actually O
using O
the O
word O
" O
blockade O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Bush O
acknowledged O
that O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
others O
were O
trying O
to O
block O
shipping O
to O
Iraq O
. O
" O
No O
point O
getting O
into O
all O
these O
semantics O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
The O
main O
thing O
is O
to O
stop O
the O
oil O
from O
coming O
out O
of O
there O
. O
" O

The O
naval O
interdiction O
force O
is O
part O
of O
an O
overall O
American O
strategy O
that O
officials O
say O
is O
designed O
to O
leave O
the O
Iraqi O
leader O
with O
only O
the O
stark O
choice O
of O
backing O
out O
of O
Kuwait O
or O
launching O
new O
attacks O
to O
change O
his O
situation O
. O

Though O
they O
insist O
they O
are O
n O
' O
t O
trying O
to O
lure O
Saddam O
Hussein O
into O
an O
attack O
, O
officials O
hope O
that O
if O
he O
strikes O
again O
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
its O
allies O
will O
have O
such O
an O
impressive O
force O
in O
place O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
that O
they O
will O
be O
able O
to O
crush O
him O
in O

retaliation O
. O

Iraq O
' O
s O
first O
option O
, O
of O
course O
, O
may O
be O
simply O
to O
sit O
tight O
and O
hope O
it O
can O
endure O
a O
trade O
embargo O
longer O
than O
the O
West O
can O
live O
without O
Iraqi O
and O
Kuwaiti O
oil O
. O
Speaking O
on O
the O
ABC O
program O
, O
Abdul O
Amir O
al O
- O
Anbari O
, O
Iraq O
' O
s O
ambassador O
to O
the O
U O
. O
N O
. O
, O
asserted O
that O
an O
embargo O
on O
Iraq O
could O
plunge O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
into O
a O
" O
depression O
" O
and O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
into O
an O
economic O
" O
crisis O
. O
" O

Iraq O
clearly O
is O
trying O
to O
woo O
back O
more O
Arab O
support O
in O
case O
the O
conflict O
drags O
on O
, O
hoping O
that O
its O
neighbors O
eventually O
will O
help O
it O
survive O
a O
prolonged O
war O
of O
economic O
attrition O
with O
the O
West O
. O
So O
Saddam O
Hussein O
on O
Friday B-T
tried O
to O
scare O
other O
Arab O
leaders O
into O
supporting O
him O
by O
calling O
on O

Arabs O
to O
rise O
up O
in O
a O
holy O
war O
against O
leaders O
who O
invited O
American O
and O
other O
Western O
soldiers O
into O
Saudi O
Arabia O
to O
protect O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
kingdom O
. O

Then O
yesterday B-T
, O
he O
tried O
to O
entice O
Arab O
leaders O
with O
his O
proposal O
for O
a O
diplomatic O
solution O
linking O
his O
occupation O
of O
Kuwait O
with O
Israel O
' O
s O
occupation O
of O
the O
West O
Bank O
. O
The O
proposal O
also O
called O
for O
replacing O
American O
and O
other O
Western O
troops O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
with O
Arab O
forces O
. O
The O
Bush O
administration O
immediately O
said O
it O
" O
categorically O
" O
rejects O
the O
proposals O
. O
And O
President O
Bush O
yesterday B-T
, O
asked O
whether O
he O
was O
at O
least O
glad O
Iraq O
is O
discussing O
negotiations O
, O
replied O
: O
" O
I O
do O
n O
' O
t O
see O
anything O
to O
be O
pleasing O
in O
there O
at O
all O
. O
" O

American O
strategists O
are O
calculating O
, O
though O
, O
that O
the O
trade O
sanctions O
- O
- O
enforced O
by O
an O
effective O
though O
perhaps O
undeclared O
naval O
blockade O
- O
- O
will O
hold O
tightly O
enough O
to O
convince O
Iraq O
that O
it O
will O
lose O
in O
the O
long O
run O
by O
simply O
standing O
pat O
. O

At O
that O
point O
, O
rather O
than O
go O
through O
the O
humiliation O
of O
backing O
out O
of O
Kuwait O
, O
the O
Iraqis O
might O
well O
conclude O
that O
they O
need O
to O
lash O
out O
in O
some O
way O
to O
shake O
things O
up O
. O
In O
that O
event O
, O
Saddam O
Hussein O
appears O
to O
have O
three O
choices O
. O

The O
first O
would O
be O
to O
launch O
the O
much O
- O
feared O
direct O
invasion O
of O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
hoping O
to O
seize O
some O
Saudi O
oil O
fields O
and O
improve O
his O
bargaining O
position O
. O
But O
that O
option O
is O
growing O
less O
and O
less O
likely O
as O
thousands O
of O
American O
, O
British O
, O
Egyptian O
, O
Syrian O
and O
Moroccan O
forces O
assemble O
in O
and O
around O
Saudi O
Arabia O
to O
protect O
the O
kingdom O
. O
The O
Saudis O
even O
have O
in O
their O
possession O
48 O
Kuwaiti O
jet O
fighters O
, O
virtually O
the O
entire O
Kuwaiti O
air O
force O
, O
which O
managed O
to O
escape O
the O
Iraqi O
invasion O
, O
Saudi O
officials O
said O
. O
The O
Saudi O
" O
window O
of O
vulnerability O
. O
. O
. O
is O
closing O
very O
fast O
, O
" O
Prince O
Bandar O
bin O
Sultan O
, O
the O
Saudi O
ambassador O
to O
Washington O
, O
said O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
. O

The O
second O
possibility O
would O
be O
to O
start O
a O
fight O
with O
Israel O
, O
in O
hopes O
that O
all O
Arabs O
would O
have O
to O
move O
behind O
Iraq O
in O
a O
fight O
against O
their O
common O
Israeli O
enemy O
. O
In O
such O
an O
event O
, O
Saddam O
Hussein O
also O
might O
calculate O
, O
the O
Saudis O
would O
be O
under O
pressure O
to O
kick O
out O
U O
. O
S O
. O
troops O
because O
of O
America O
' O
s O
close O
ties O
with O
Israel O
. O

Iraq O
could O
start O
hostilities O
with O
Israel O
either O
through O
a O
direct O
attack O
or O
by O
attacking O
Jordan O
. O
Israel O
has O
publicly O
declared O
that O
it O
will O
respond O
to O
an O
Iraqi O
attack O
on O
Jordan O
because O
it O
wo O
n O
' O
t O
allow O
Iraq O
' O
s O
dangerous O
army O
to O
take O
control O
of O
Jordan O
' O
s O
long O
border O
with O
Israel O
. O

Iraq O
' O
s O
third O
attack O
option O
would O
be O
to O
start O
an O
undeclared O
war O
on O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
other O
Western O
nations O
through O
terrorism O
. O

Two O
Middle O
East O
terrorists O
with O
records O
of O
successful O
attacks O
against O
Western O
targets O
, O
Abu O
Nidal O
and O
Abu O
Abbas O
, O
have O
ties O
to O
Baghdad O
. O
And O
even O
terrorist O
groups O
that O
opposed O
Iraq O
in O
its O
war O
with O
Iran O
show O
signs O
of O
swinging O
behind O
Saddam O
Hussein O
now O
that O
he O
is O
in O
a O
confrontation O
with O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
And O
Iraq O
still O
has O
thousands O
of O
Americans O
and O
other O
Westerners O
under O
its O
control O
in O
Iraq O
and O
Kuwait O
. O
They O
are O
n O
' O
t O
being O
allowed O
to O
leave O
and O
could O
become O
hostages O
. O

If O
Iraq O
chooses O
a O
simple O
war O
of O
nerves O
and O
economic O
attrition O
, O
the O
Bush O
administration O
knows O
a O
long O
stalemate O
could O
try O
the O
patience O
of O
the O
American O
public O
and O
the O
West O
in O
general O
, O
and O
could O
open O
the O
possibility O
that O
moderate O
Arabs O
- O
- O
even O
including O
Saudi O
Arabia O
- O
- O
might O
drop O
out O
of O
the O
effort O
against O
Iraq O
and O
accept O
some O
deal O
from O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

But O
U O
. O
S O
. O
officials O
have O
sized O
up O
Saddam O
Hussein O
as O
a O
man O
who O
, O
despite O
some O
recklessness O
, O
will O
back O
down O
if O
he O
must O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
guy O
who O
is O
impulsive O
, O
and O
therefore O
capable O
of O
big O
miscalculations O
, O
" O
says O
one O
senior O
administration O
official O
involved O
in O
managing O
the O
crisis O
. O
The O
official O
adds O
, O
though O
, O

that O
" O
at O
the O
same O
time O
, O
we O
think O
he O
is O
someone O
who O
is O
capable O
of O
rational O
judgments O
when O
it O
comes O
to O
power O
. O
And O
when O
he O
finds O
something O
is O
unprofitable O
, O
then O
one O
can O
see O
certain O
accommodations O
. O
" O

Thus O
, O
administration O
aides O
will O
be O
trying O
to O
calculate O
whether O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
proposed O
diplomatic O
formula O
for O
getting O
out O
of O
Kuwait O
represents O
the O
first O
sign O
he O
is O
searching O
for O
a O
way O
out O
or O
simply O
is O
a O
public O
relations O
stunt O
. O

There O
are O
disagreements O
among O
experts O
about O
how O
much O
pressure O
will O
be O
needed O
to O
make O
Saddam O
Hussein O
decide O
he O
' O
s O
up O
against O
the O
wall O
and O
whether O
simple O
economic O
pressure O
will O
ever O
be O
enough O
. O
The O
biggest O
worry O
is O
that O
if O
he O
decides O
he O
needs O
a O
way O
out O
of O
his O
predicament O
but O
does O
n O
' O
t O
see O
a O
face O
- O
saving O
method O
, O
he O
could O
lash O
out O
in O
dangerous O
and O
unpredictable O
ways O
. O

U O
. O
S O
. O
officials O
claim O
they O
already O
see O
signs O
Saddam O
Hussein O
is O
getting O
nervous O
. O
In O
the O
first O
days O
after O
President O
Bush O
announced O
the O
dispatching O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
troops O
, O
they O
note O
, O
the O
Iraqi O
leader O
made O
several O
nationwide O
addresses O
indirectly O
- O
- O
having O
them O
read O
by O
a O
television O
announcer O
. O
" O
That O
shows O
he O
' O
s O
nervous O
about O
pinpointing O
his O
location O
, O
either O
because O
he O
' O
s O
afraid O
we O
' O
ll O
find O
him O
, O
or O
that O
internal O
enemies O
will O
, O
" O
says O
one O
U O
. O
S O
. O
official O
. O

The O
unpredictability O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
leader O
is O
a O
principal O
reason O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
is O
going O
to O
such O
great O
lengths O
to O
build O
a O
mammoth O
force O
in O
and O
around O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O
Pentagon O
officials O
say O
the O
goal O
is O
to O
put O
40 O
, O
000 O
troops O
in O
the O
region O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
month I-T
. O
But O
the O
administration O
is O
n O
' O
t O
putting O
any O
upper O
limit O
on O
how O
high O
the O
force O
could O
go O
after O
that O
, O
calculating O
that O
it O
would O
be O
a O
mistake O
to O
underestimate O
and O
an O
advantage O
to O
keep O
Saddam O
Hussein O
guessing O
. O
U O
. O
S O
. O
commanders O
in O
charge O
of O
planning O
for O
Middle O
East O
crises O
have O
indicated O
in O
the O
past O
that O
they O
were O
capable O
of O
deploying O
as O
many O
as O
300 O
, O
000 O

troops O
. O

And O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
is O
taking O
similar O
steps O
to O
ensure O
that O
its O
naval O
force O
is O
adequate O
to O
carry O
out O
a O
blockade O
of O
Iraq O
and O
support O
a O
war O
if O
necessary O
. O
Over B-T
the I-T
weekend I-T
, O
Pentagon O
officials O
confirmed O
reports O
that O
a O
fourth O
U O
. O
S O
. O
aircraft O
carrier O
- O
- O
the O
John O
F O
. O
Kennedy O
- O
- O
and O
its O
powerful O
group O
of O
support O
ships O
could O
head O
for O
the O
Middle O
East O
within O
a O
few O
days O
. O
Three O
other O
carriers O
and O
their O
escort O
vessels O
already O
are O
stationed O
within O
striking O
distance O
of O
Iraq O
or O
are O
steaming O
toward O
the O
area O
. O

But O
unless O
the O
military O
situation O
changes O
drastically O
, O
military O
officials O
say O
, O
the O
most O
likely O
plan O
will O
be O
for O
the O
Kennedy O
to O
eventually O
replace O
the O
carrier O
Dwight O
D O
. O
Eisenhower O
, O
which O
has O
been O
on O
patrol O
since O
March B-T
and O
was O
scheduled O
to O
return O
to O
port O
before O
hostilities O
erupted O
in O
Kuwait O
. O

- O
- O
- O
Andy O
Pasztor O
contributed O
to O
this O
article O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051202 O
. O
0102 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Coal O
mine O
blast O
kills O
16 O
in O
southwest O
China O

A O
coal O
mine O
blast O
has O
killed O
16 O
miners O
in O
southwestern O
China O
, O
the O
latest O
disaster O
to O
strike O
the O
country O
' O
s O
notoriously O
dangerous O
mining O
industry O
, O
state O
media O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
gas O
explosion O
took O
place O
early O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
at O
the O
Zhonghe O
Coal O
Mine O
in O
Shuicheng O
county O
, O
Liupanshui O
city O
, O
Guizhou O
province O
, O
while O
31 O
miners O
were O
working O
in O
the O
shaft O
, O
the O
China O
News O
Service O
website O
reported O
. O

In O
another O
mine O
accident O
, O
42 O
workers O
remained O
trapped O
in O
a O
flooded O
coal O
shaft O
in O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Henan O
province O
, O
the O
state O
- O
run O
Xinhua O
news O
agency O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
news O
came O
as O
the O
death O
toll O
from O
last B-T
Sunday I-T
' O
s O
explosion O
at O
the O
Dongfeng O
coal O
mine O
near O
Qitaihe O
in O
the O
northeastern O
Heilongjiang O
province O
rose O
to O
169 O
. O

China O
' O
s O
mines O
, O
many O
of O
them O
illegal O
, O
are O
considered O
the O
most O
dangerous O
in O
the O
world O
, O
especially O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
with O
demand O
for O
raw O
materials O
escalating O
to O
help O
fuel O
China O
' O
s O
rapid O
economic O
growth O
. O

Only O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
16 O
miners O
were O
killed O
in O
a O
gas O
explosion O
at O
the O
Shagou O
colliery O
, O
also O
in O
Liupanshui O
city O
. O

More O
than O
6 O
, O
000 O
miners O
died O
in O
accidents O
in O
China O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
previously O
released O
government O
figures O
. O
Independent O
estimates O
say O
the O
real O
figure O
could O
be O
as O
high O
as O
20 O
, O
000 O
. O

Victims O
' O
relatives O
often O
accuse O
management O
of O
having O
little O
regard O
for O
safety O
standards O
and O
of O
systematically O
exploiting O
workers O
for O
quick O
profits O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0321 O

LIMA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

14 O
countries O
, O
UN O
to O
watch O
Bolivia O
' O
s O
elections O

Observers O
from O
14 O
countries O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
will O
watch O
the O
upcoming O
general O
elections O
in O
Bolivia O
, O
Foreign O
Minister O
Armando O
Loaiza O
said O
Wednesday B-T
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Some O
140 O
observers O
from O
" O
friendly O
nations O
, O
" O
including O
members O
of O
the O
Organization O
of O
American O
States O
( O
OAS O
) O
and O
from O
the O
United O
Nations O
( O
UN O
) O
would O
watch O
the O
Dec B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
elections O
at O
Bolivia O
' O
s O
polling O
stations O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

The O
OAS O
mission O
, O
headed O
by O
Horacio O
Serpa O
, O
Colombia O
' O
s O
former O
presidential O
candidate O
, O
has O
already O
arrived O
in O
La O
Pas O
, O
the O
administrative O
capital O
of O
Bolivia O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
voters O
are O
also O
expected O
to O
elect O
regional O
governors O
and O
decide O
if O
there O
should O
be O
a O
citizens O
' O
assembly O
to O
decide O
on O
a O
new O
political O
reform O
package O
in O
the O
poorest O
country O
in O
South O
America O
. O

The O
elections O
are O
a O
result O
of O
a O
parliament O
decision O
made O
in O
July B-T
following O
growing O
civil O
unrest O
and O
political O
opposition O
which O
caused O
the O
resignation O
of O
then O
- O
President O
Carlos O
Mesa O
and O
the O
temporary O
appointment O
of O
Eduardo O
Rodriguez O
in O
June B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0075 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

HK O
stocks O
close O
lower O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
30 O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
went O
down O
91 O
. O
62 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
61 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
14 O
, O
937 O
. O
14 O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970420 O
. O
0195 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

VIP O
welcome O
hints O
at O
top O
NKorean O
defector O
' O
s O
future O
in O
the O
South O

The O
red O
carpet O
welcome O
accorded O
to O
North O
Koreas O
' O
s O
top O
defecter O
Hwang O
Jang O
- O
Yop O
on O
his O
arrival O
in O
the O
South O
Sunday O
provides O
hints O
about O
how O
he O
will O
spend O
the O
months B-T
to O
come O
, O
analysts O
said O
here O
. O

Unlike O
most O
defector O
arrivals O
, O
which O
routinely O
degenerate O
into O
fights O
between O
TV O
cameramen O
and O
security O
officers O
for O
access O
to O
the O
dazed O
, O
ill O
- O
dressed O
North O
Koreans O
, O
Hwang O
, O
the O
North O
' O
s O
top O
ideologue O
, O
could O
have O
been O
a O
foreign O
minister O
. O

Dressed O
in O
an O
impeccable O
three O
- O
piece O
dark O
suit O
, O
he O
waved O
elder O
- O
statesmanlike O
from O
the O
top O
of O
the O
red O
- O
carpeted O
stairs O
drawn O
up O
to O
his O
Air O
Philippines O
flight O
, O
after O
Philippine O
military O
officials O
had O
disembarked O
. O

The O
greying O
74 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
author O
of O
the O
North O
' O
s O
failed O
Juche O
( O
self O
- O
reliance O
) O
ideology O
was O
then O
escorted O
with O
bows O
to O
the O
VIP O
lounge O
of O
the O
military O
airport O
, O
presented O
with O
bouquets O
of O
flowers O
, O
and O
offered O
the O
microphone O
. O

With O
whirring O
TV O
cameras O
sending O
his O
message O
live O
nationwide O
, O
he O
soberly O
thanked O
his O
hosts O
for O
helping O
him O
in O
his O
" O
quest O
" O
- O
- O
a O
mission O
to O
seek O
peace O
between O
the O
North O
and O
the O
South O
. O

The O
few O
questions O
shouted O
by O
a O
tightly O
- O
controlled O
journalists O
' O
pool O
, O
were O
quickly O
silenced O
by O
security O
men O
, O
but O
only O
after O
the O
dapperly O
- O
dressed O
Hwang O
had O
told O
them O
he O
considered O
himself O
a O
seeker O
of O
peace O
, O
not O
a O
defector O
. O

Then O
, O
speech O
over O
, O
instead O
of O
being O
bundled O
into O
a O
bus O
- O
- O
the O
usual O
fate O
of O
defectors O
- O
- O
Hwang O
entered O
a O
sleek O
black O
limousine O
to O
ride O
in O
convoy O
with O
motorcycle O
outriders O
to O
an O
unknown O
destination O
. O

An O
ambulance O
followed O
. O

Yonhap O
News O
Agency O
said O
Hwang O
was O
expected O
to O
be O
invited O
to O
meet O
with O
South O
Korean O
President O
Kim O
Young O
- O
Sam O
at O
the O
presidential O
Blue O
House O
, O
but O
gave O
no O
date O
, O
details O
and O
no O
sources O
for O
its O
report O
. O

Security O
sources O
said O
that O
under O
the O
agreement O
hammered O
out O
with O
China O
where O
he O
defected O
on O
February B-T
12 I-T
, O
Hwang O
would O
remain O
incommunicado O
, O
probably O
for O
a B-T
month I-T
or O
more O
, O
in O
a O
safehouse O
somewhere O
in O
Seoul O
. O

Security O
was O
a O
top O
priority O
, O
they O
said O
, O
an O
obvious O
reference O
to O
attempts O
by O
armed O
North O
Korean O
agents O
' O
attempts O
to O
recapture O
Hwang O
in O
Beijing O
, O
and O
to O
sometimes O
lethal O
attacks O
by O
agents O
here O
against O
defectors O
in O
the O
South O
. O

Hwang O
' O
s O
bullet O
- O
proof O
vest O
showed O
as O
he O
climbed O
into O
his O
limousine O
. O

Reports O
, O
repeatedly O
denied O
by O
the O
top O
intelligence O
Agency O
for O
National O
Security O
Planning O
( O
NSPA O
) O
, O
that O
Hwang O
was O
carrying O
" O
a O
list O
" O
of O
North O
Korean O
agents O
in O
the O
South O
ratchetted O
up O
concerns O
for O
his O
safety O
. O

The O
NSPA O
and O
foreign O
ministry O
officials O
have O
said O
Hwang O
has O
so O
far O
devoted O
the O
67 B-T
days I-T
since O
his O
defection O
- O
- O
a O
month O
in O
Beijing O
and O
another O
month O
in O
a O
secret O
hideout O
in O
the O
Philippines O
- O
- O
to O
writing O
, O
reading O
, O
walking O
and O
worrying O
about O
his O
family O
. O

He O
slept O
a O
scant O
four O
hours O
a O
night O
, O
ate O
frugal O
meals O
and O
no O
breakfast O
, O
and O
- O
- O
fluent O
in O
Russian O
and O
Japanese O
- O
- O
kept O
up O
with O
the O
news O
and O
preferred O
to O
read O
children O
' O
s O
fairy O
stories O
before O
sleeping O
, O
they O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0132 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Asian O
megacities O
to O
increase O
from O
nine O
to O
20 O
by O
2025 O

The O
number O
of O
Asian O
cities O
with O
populations O
of O
more O
than O
10 O
million O
, O
or O
" O
megacities O
, O
" O
is O
projected O
to O
increase O
from O
nine O
to O
20 O
by O
2025 O
as O
the O
region O
continues O
to O
face O
the O
spectre O
of O
urban O
migration O
, O
the O
Asian O
Development O
Bank O
( O
ADB O
) O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
continent O
' O
s O
urban O
population O
is O
forecast O
to O
double O
from O
the O
current O
1 O
. O
1 O
billion O
to O
2 O
. O
5 O
billion O
by O
2025 B-T
, O
by O
which O
time O
Asia O
will O
be O
home O
to O
half O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
people O
, O
the O
Manila O
- O
based O
bank O
said O
in O
its O
annual O
report O
released O
here O
. O

Such O
growth O
is O
expected O
to O
lead O
to O
more O
pollution O
, O
traffic O
jams O
, O
water O
shortages O
, O
increased O
crime O
and O
the O
proliferation O
of O
slum O
areas O
, O
ADB O
said O
, O
and O
urged O
proper O
management O
of O
megacities O
to O
avert O
an O
urban O
catastrophe O
. O

Megacities O
would O
need O
up O
to O
40 O
billion O
dollars O
annually O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
decade I-T
" O
to O
provide O
services O
at O
levels O
sufficient O
to O
sustain O
productivity O
, O
and O
achieve O
improvements O
in O
the O
quality O
of O
life O
. O
" O

A O
large O
proportion O
of O
these O
funds O
would O
go O
to O
improvements O
in O
transport O
and O
communication O
, O
energy O
, O
and O
water O
supply O
and O
sanitation O
, O
the O
bank O
said O
. O

To O
raise O
this O
amount O
, O
" O
traditional O
ways O
of O
financing O
capital O
costs O
and O
recovering O
current O
costs O
will O
have O
to O
be O
supplemented O
" O
by O
funding O
from O
the O
private O
sector O
, O
increased O
property O
tax O
collection O
and O
access O
by O
local O
government O
to O
the O
capital O
markets O
. O

" O
Although O
funding O
may O
not O
be O
sufficient O
at O
present O
, O
it O
is O
crucial O
for O
megacities O
to O
anticipate O
the O
needs O
of O
infrastructure O
and O
service O
provision O
now B-T
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

Beijing O
, O
Bombay O
, O
Calcutta O
, O
Jakarta O
, O
Osaka O
, O
Seoul O
, O
Shanghai O
, O
Tianjin O
and O
Tokyo O
have O
been O
classified O
by O
the O
bank O
as O
megacities O
. O

Eleven O
more O
are O
candidates O
for O
megacity O
status O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
28 I-T
years I-T
- O
- O
Bangalore O
, O
Bangkok O
, O
Dhaka O
, O
Hyderabad O
, O
Karachi O
, O
Lahore O
, O
Madras O
, O
Manila O
, O
New O
Delhi O
, O
Shenyang O
and O
Rangoon O
, O
the O
bank O
said O
. O

" O
Of O
the O
total O
projected O
20 O
megacities O
, O
half O
will O
have O
populations O
of O
20 O
million O
or O
more O
and O
10 O
will O
be O
in O
South O
Asia O
, O
" O
the O
bank O
said O
. O

" O
While O
megacities O
can O
be O
expected O
to O
dominate O
the O
economic O
transformation O
of O
Asia O
, O
the O
quality O
of O
life O
for O
their O
residents O
will O
be O
very O
much O
related O
to O
the O
quality O
of O
their O
management O
, O
" O
ADB O
added O
, O
endorsing O
moves O
to O
privatize O
services O
such O
as O
water O
and O
sewerage O
systems O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0112 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
soldier O
killed O
north O
of O
Baghdad O

One O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldier O
has O
been O
killed O
and O
two O
others O
wounded O
when O
a O
roadside O
bomb O
struck O
their O
vehicle O
in O
Diyala O
province O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
said O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
A O
Task O
Force O
Lightning O
Soldier O
assigned O
to O
3rd O
Brigade O
Combat O
Team O
, O
1st O
Cavalry O
Division O
, O
was O
killed O
and O
two O
others O
were O
wounded O
when O
an O
improvised O
explosive O
device O
detonated O
near O
their O
vehicle O
while O
they O
were O
conducting O
operations O
in O
Diyala O
Province O
Saturday O
, O
" O
the O
military O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
the O
military O
said O
that O
two O
more O
U O
. O
S O
. O
marines O
died O
from O
wounds O
sustained O
due O
to O
" O
enemy O
action O
" O
in O
separate O
incidents O
in O
Iraq O
' O
s O
volatile O
Anbar O
province O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Since O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
led O
war O
in O
Iraq O
broke O
out O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
, O
about O
2 O
, O
875 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
, O
according O
to O
media O
count O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0137 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
suffers O
first O
post O
- O
war O
failure O
in O
life O
insurance O
sector O
by O
Shingo O
Ito O

Japan O
' O
s O
Finance O
Ministry O
ordered O
the O
troubled O
Nissan O
Mutual O
Life O
Insurance O
Co O
. O
Friday B-T
to O
suspend O
most O
of O
its O
operations O
, O
marking O
the O
first O
insolvency O
of O
a O
Japanese O
life O
insurer O
since O
World O
War O
II O
. O

Finance O
Minister O
Hiroshi O
Mitsuzuka O
said O
the O
order O
followed O
a O
report O
from O
the O
company O
outlining O
difficulties O
in O
restructuring O
its O
business O
following O
huge O
losses O
suffered O
during O
the O
" O
bubble O
" O
economy O
of O
the O
late B-T
1980s I-T
. O

With O
accumulated O
losses O
of O
about O
200 O
billion O
yen O
( O
1 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
, O
the O
company O
itself O
decided O
on O
the O
action O
at O
a O
board O
meeting O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
. O

" O
Our O
action O
to O
order O
the O
suspension O
followed O
its O
decision O
, O
and O
the O
decision O
was O
made O
at O
its O
own O
discretion O
, O
" O
the O
finance O
minister O
said O
. O

Mitsuzuka O
said O
the O
ministry O
would O
take O
step O
" O
to O
protect O
policy O
holders O
" O
and O
was O
preparing O
measures O
to O
assume O
control O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
assets O
. O

Among O
the O
measures O
, O
the O
ministry O
is O
arranging O
to O
transfer O
contracts O
to O
other O
insurance O
companies O
to O
prevent O
a O
credit O
crisis O
. O

" O
The O
order O
of O
suspension O
is O
to O
ensure O
the O
credibility O
of O
the O
industry O
and O
to O
dispel O
policy O
- O
holder O
concerns O
, O
" O
Mitsuzuka O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
. O

Asked O
about O
the O
possibility O
of O
similar O
cases O
, O
Mitsuzuka O
said O
: O
" O
We O
expect O
this O
case O
to O
be O
the O
first O
and O
last O
in O
the O
insurance O
industry O
. O
" O

Nissan O
Mutual O
president O
Hiroshi O
Yonemoto O
said O
the O
net O
loss O
in O
the B-T
12 I-T
months I-T
to O
last O
March O
was O
estimated O
at O
52 O
. O
5 O
billion O
yen O
, O
the O
company O
' O
s O
first O
net O
loss O
ever O
. O
He O
added O
that O
unrealised O
losses O
totalled O
about O
100 O
billion O
yen O
on O
securities O
holdings O
and O
a O
further O
43 O
. O
6 O
billion O
yen O
on O
properties O
and O
loans O
. O

" O
We O
had O
thought O
we O
could O
handle O
the O
situation O
through O
restructuring O
efforts O
, O
but O
the O
situation O
did O
not O
allow O
us O
to O
, O
" O
Yonemoto O
said O
. O

Nissan O
Mutual O
is O
Japan O
' O
s O
19th O
- O
largest O
life O
insurer O
with O
5 O
, O
000 O
employees O
and O
close O
ties O
with O
Nissan O
Motor O
Ltd O
. O
and O
Hitachi O
Ltd O
. O

Yonemoto O
said O
he O
would O
seek O
continued O
support O
from O
Nissan B-T
after O
transferring O
existing O
contracts O
to O
other O
life O
insurers O
. O

" O
We O
have O
explored O
a O
variety O
of O
options O
including O
a O
merger O
but O
under O
current O
legislation O
, O
this O
was O
the O
only O
option O
we O
could O
choose O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
, O
Mitsuzuka O
said O
the O
suspension O
followed O
difficulties O
stemming O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
high O
- O
yielding O
pension O
policies O
and O
a O
subsequent O
downturn O
in O
share O
prices O
, O
causing O
a O
deterioration O
in O
returns O
. O

To O
protect O
policy O
- O
holders O
, O
Mitsuzuka O
appointed O
the O
Japan O
Life O
Insurance O
Association O
to O
control O
and O
manage O
its O
assets O
and O
liabilities O
. O

The O
suspension O
of O
business O
covers O
the O
handling O
of O
policy O
cancellations O
, O
entering O
into O
new O
contracts O
and O
lending O
to O
policy O
- O
holders O
. O
But O
Mitsuzuka O
said O
the O
company O
would O
be O
allowed O
to O
keep O
making O
payments O
to O
policy O
- O
holders O
and O
continue O
other O
operations O
to O
ensure O
payouts O
are O
met O
when O
they O
fall O
due O
. O

Mitsuzuka O
also O
said O
he O
would O
ask O
associated O
industries O
and O
a O
policy O
holders O
' O
protection O
fund O
set O
up O
by O
the O
insurance O
sector O
last B-T
year I-T
to O
help O
clean O
up O
the O
mess O
. O
The O
protection O
fund O
is O
supposed O
to O
disburse O
up O
to O
200 O
billion O
yen O
in O
assistance O
to O
the O
life O
insurance O
industry O
. O

" O
There O
is O
unlikely O
to O
be O
a O
similar O
case O
to O
Nissan O
Mutual O
Life O
, O
" O
Mitsuzuka O
said O
, O
noting O
that O
other O
Japanese O
life O
insurance O
companies O
have O
been O
able O
to O
restructure O
their O
business O
activities O
despite O
difficult O
conditions O
. O

Makoto O
Fukuda O
, O
head O
of O
the O
finance O
ministry O
' O
s O
insurance O
department O
, O
said O
Nissan O
Mutual O
Life O
' O
s O
accumuluated O
losses O
were O
about O
200 O
billion O
yen O
, O
exacerbated O
by O
recent O
declines O
in O
share O
prices O
. O
As O
a O
result O
, O
he O
said O
, O
unrealised O
gains O
on O
securities O
holdings O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
March I-T
were O
zero O
. O

Speaking O
a O
separate O
news O
conference O
, O
Fukuda O
said O
heavy O
selling O
of O
high O
- O
yielding O
pension O
funds O
caused O
an O
" O
abnormal O
situation O
" O
in O
the O
company O
' O
s O
financial O
condition O
. O
" O
This O
product O
has O
no O
problem O
but O
it O
is O
a O
problem O
with O
the O
way O
it O
was O
sold O
by O
the O
company O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Fukuda O
also O
said O
that O
the O
company O
' O
s O
mutual O
ownership O
probably O
prevented O
it O
from O
boosting O
equity O
to O
deal O
with O
its O
difficulties O
. O

While O
the O
life O
insurance O
association O
has O
the O
authority O
to O
work O
out O
the O
bail O
- O
out O
scheme O
, O
he O
said O
Hitachi O
and O
Nissan O
Motor O
might O
participate O
. O

" O
We O
cannot O
say O
that O
the O
Hitachi O
- O
Nissan O
group O
is O
entirely O
irrelevant O
, O
as O
they O
have O
been O
sending O
managers O
to O
Nissan O
Life O
, O
" O
Fukuda O
said O
. O

Fukuda O
said O
his O
ministry O
had O
" O
no O
immediate O
plan O
to O
inject O
public O
funds O
to O
bail O
out O
Nissan O
Life O
" O
but O
added O
that O
it O
planned O
to O
protect O
employees O
and O
launch O
an O
investigation O
into O
the O
present O
financial O
condition O
of O
Nissan O
Life O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0148 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israeli O
president O
says O
coming O
elections O
a O
true O
referendum O

Israeli O
President O
Moshe O
Katsav O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
upcoming O
general O
elections O
due O
in O
March B-T
will O
be O
a O
true O
referendum O
on O
Israel O
' O
s O
political O
path O
. O

" O
This O
time O
, O
it O
is O
the O
true O
referendum O
, O
" O
Katsav O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
Israel O
Radio O
. O
" O
We O
must O
reach O
a O
decision O
in O
the O
debate O
that O
has O
been O
going O
on O
for O
38 B-T
years I-T
since O
the O
Six O
- O
Day O
War O
. O
" O

" O
The O
parties O
must O
present O
the O
voters O
with O
clear O
, O
responsible O
positions O
on O
all O
the O
issues O
that O
are O
on O
the O
balance O
, O
including O
the O
state O
' O
s O
permanent O
borders O
, O
" O
Katsav O
added O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Vice O
Premier O
Shimon O
Peres O
on O
Saturday B-T
confirmed O
reports O
that O
he O
was O
approached O
by O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
' O
s O
new O
party O
, O
and O
said O
he O
would O
decide O
whether O
to O
join O
it O
in O
the O
coming O
days O
. O

" O
The O
only O
thing O
before O
my O
eyes O
is O
the O
country O
' O
s O
interest O
, O
and O
the O
chances O
to O
bring O
about O
peace O
, O
" O
Peres O
told O
Israel O
Radio O
. O
" O
There O
are O
no O
personal O
considerations O
in O
my O
decision O
. O
" O

The O
82 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
politician O
said O
he O
would O
make O
a O
final O
decision O
on O
the O
matter O
in O
the O
coming B-T
days O
. O

Sharon O
officially O
asked O
Katsav O
to O
dissolve O
parliament O
on O
Monday B-T
. O
After O
quitting O
the O
center O
- O
right O
Likud O
party O
he O
co O
- O
founded O
decades B-T
ago I-T
, O
Sharon O
announced O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
new O
centrist O
party O
named O
Kadima O
( O
Forward O
) O
. O

President O
Katsav O
has O
issued O
a O
decree O
to O
call O
a O
snap O
election O
, O
scheduled O
for O
March B-T
28 I-T
, O
which O
is O
widely O
expected O
to O
reshape O
Israel O
' O
s O
political O
landscape O
. O

Prospects O
of O
reviving O
long O
- O
stalled O
peace O
talks O
with O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
economy O
and O
social O
welfare O
are O
to O
be O
in O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
March B-T
ballot O
, O
said O
analysts O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0111 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
close O
higher O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
29 O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
went O
up O
141 O
. O
40 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
76 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
18 O
, O
780 O
. O
93 O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0079 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0079 O
. O

Di O
Giorgio O
Corp O
. O
Seeks O

@ O
To O
Sell O
Certain O
Units O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

DIG O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

SAN O
FRANCISCO O

Di O
Giorgio O
Corp O
. O
said O
it O
' O
s O
continuing O
talks O
with O
potential O
buyers O
of O
certain O
units O
, O
but O
has O
reached O
no O
agreement O
on O
any O
deals O
. O

Di O
Giorgio O
, O
a O
food O
wholesaler O
and O
building O
products O
maker O
, O
is O
seeking O
alternatives O
to O
an O
unsolicited O
$ O
32 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
tender O
offer O
of O
DIG O
Acquisition O
Corp O
. O
, O
a O
unit O
of O
Rose O
Partners O
Limited O
Partnership O
. O

DIG O
is O
the O
vehicle O
being O
used O
to O
pursue O
to O
acquisition O
. O

Robert O
Mellor O
, O
Di O
Giorgio O
' O
s O
executive O
vice O
president O
, O
said O
the O
company O
stands O
to O
reap O
more O
money O
through O
the O
sale O
of O
individual O
units O
to O
others O
than O
by O
accepting O
DIG O
' O
s O
offer O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0023 O

MELBOURNE O
, O
Australia O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

G20 O
meeting O
notes O
world O
economy O
remains O
positive O

Group O
20 O
( O
G20 O
) O
finance O
ministers O
and O
central O
bank O
governors O
finished O
their O
8th O
meeting O
here O
Sunday B-T
, O
noting O
the O
outlook O
of O
the O
world O
economy O
remains O
positive O
, O
while O
the O
global O
economic O
growth O
is O
expected O
to O
slow O
slightly O
from O
the O
rapid O
pace O
of O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
years I-T
. O

Attendants O
at O
the O
two O
- O
day O
meeting O
, O
under O
the O
theme O
of O
" O
Building O
and O
Sustaining O
Prosperity O
, O
" O
discussed O
world O
economic O
conditions O
, O
energy O
security O
, O
demographic O
change O
, O
climate O
change O
and O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
and O
the O
World O
Bank O
' O
s O
reforms O
. O

Since O
above O
average O
growth O
in O
the O
global O
economy O
has O
seen O
spare O
capacity O
decline O
, O
which O
has O
increased O
the O
risks O
to O
inflation O
, O
countries O
need O
to O
continue O
the O
normalization O
of O
monetary O
policy O
, O
they O
said O
in O
a O
final O
communique O
issued O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

On O
energy O
security O
, O
the O
attendants O
said O
global O
demand O
for O
energy O
and O
minerals O
commodities O
is O
set O
to O
increase O
significantly O
over O
the O
coming O
decades O
driven O
by O
a O
strong O
world O
economy O
, O
rising O
incomes O
, O
and O
ongoing O
industrialization O
and O
urbanization O
in O
many O
economies O
. O

" O
We O
agreed O
that O
enhancing O
global O
trade O
by O
strengthening O
markets O
, O
and O
ensuring O
sustainability O
by O
promoting O
investment O
and O
encouraging O
efficiency O
, O
are O
the O
best O
ways O
to O
deliver O
lasting O
resource O
security O
, O
" O
they O
said O
in O
the O
communique O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
police O
numbers O
doubled O
at O
barricades O
around O
the O
meeting O
venue O
in O
case O
of O
a O
possible O
fresh O
attack O
by O
the O
protesters O
Sunday B-T
. O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
2 O
, O
000 O
- O
3 O
, O
000 O
protesters O
held O
demonstrations O
against O
the O
meeting O
and O
clashed O
with O
police O
. O

A O
number O
of O
police O
officers O
were O
injured O
and O
one O
of O
them O
was O
taken O
to O
hospital O
with O
a O
suspected O
broken O
wrist O
. O

The O
Group O
20 O
is O
an O
informal O
forum O
which O
first O
met O
in O
December B-T
1999 I-T
following O
the O
Asian O
financial O
crisis O
. O
The O
group O
members O
represent O
around O
85 O
percent O
of O
global O
gross O
domestic O
product O
, O
80 O
percent O
of O
world O
trade O
and O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
population O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0198 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nalbandian O
beats O
Ljubicic O
to O
reach O
semis O
at O
Masters O

Argentina O
' O
s O
David O
Nalbandian O
breezed O
past O
unformed O
Ivan O
Ljubicic O
for O
a O
second O
berth O
to O
the O
semifinals O
of O
the O
season O
- O
ending O
ATP O
tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
, O
beating O
the O
Croatian O
6 O
- O
2 O
, O
6 O
- O
2 O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
sluggish O
Ljubicic O
, O
who O
failed O
to O
show O
any O
of O
his O
tennis O
as O
that O
in O
latest O
matches O
, O
returned O
the O
serve O
from O
Nalbandian O
out O
of O
rebound O
to O
end O
up O
his O
misery O
in O
just O
one B-T
hour I-T
and O
seven O
minutes O
. O

Committing O
7 O
unforced O
errors O
besides O
11 O
forced O
ones O
, O
the O
Croatian O
was O
down O
5 O
- O
0 O
shortly O
into O
the O
match O
. O

With O
the O
victory O
, O
the O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Nalbandian O
, O
who O
converted O
five O
out O
of O
total O
six O
break O
points O
into O
winners O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
joined O
world O
number O
one O
Roger O
Federer O
and O
top O
Russian O
Nikolay O
Davydenko O
to O
qualify O
for O
the O
semis O
at O
the O
4 O
. O
45 O
million O
US O
dollars O
event O
. O

Ljubicic O
, O
who O
enjoyed O
his O
best O
season O
by O
winning O
two O
ATP O
titles O
in O
eight O
finals O
and O
broke O
into O
top O
ten O
for O
first O
time O
, O
cracked O
five O
aces O
throughout O
the O
match O
but O
failed O
to O
hold O
his O
nerve O
against O
the O
steady O
- O
handed O
Nalbandian O
. O

The O
26 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
sensation O
of O
the O
late O
- O
season O
, O
who O
hardly O
upset O
the O
superlative O
Swiss O
Federer O
in O
his O
Red O
Group O
opener O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
had O
earned O
a O
place O
in O
Shanghai O
thanks O
to O
his O
autumn O
efforts O
, O
including O
the O
indoor O
title O
win O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
month I-T
in O
Metz O
and O
Vienna O
as O
well O
as O
the O
final O
encounters O
in O
both O
the O
Masters O
Series O
Madrid O
and O
Paris O
two B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0091 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
trade O
chief O
pushes O
for O
balance O
in O
farm O
talks O

US O
Trade O
Representative O
Rob O
Portman O
Saturday O
said O
India O
must O
help O
in O
solving O
the O
standoff O
in O
farm O
talks O
to O
conclude O
the O
current O
round O
of O
global O
trade O
negotiations O
, O
Indo O
- O
Asian O
News O
Service O
reported O
. O

" O
Unless O
we O
solve O
this O
problem O
of O
agriculture O
and O
non O
- O
agriculture O
market O
access O
, O
it O
would O
not O
be O
possible O
to O
move O
this O
round O
including O
a O
reduction O
in O
industrial O
tariff O
, O
" O
Portman O
told O
a O
meeting O
with O
Indian O
industry O
here O
. O

" O
But O
unless O
the O
European O
Union O
comes O
out O
with O
a O
proposal O
to O
reduce O
its O
tariff O
, O
it O
would O
be O
difficult O
to O
move O
ahead O
in O
the O
round O
, O
" O
he O
told O
members O
of O
the O
Federation O
of O
Indian O
Chambers O
of O
Commerce O
and O
Industry O
( O
FICCI O
) O
. O

Portman O
, O
on O
a O
two O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
India O
, O
said O
New O
Delhi O
must O
reduce O
agriculture O
tariff O
for O
greater O
market O
access O
to O
developed O
countries O
like O
the O
United O
States O
, O
even O
while O
admitting O
that O
unless O
European O
Union O
cuts O
subsidies O
, O
the O
talks O
will O
remain O
inconclusive O
. O

His O
visit O
came O
ahead O
of O
a O
crucial O
meeting O
of O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
next B-T
month I-T
and O
in O
the O
backdrop O
of O
the O
deadlock O
in O
negotiations O
at O
Geneva O
and O
London O
last B-T
week I-T
to O
conclude O
the O
Doha O
round O
of O
global O
trade O
talks O
. O

Indian O
Commerce O
Minister O
Kamal O
Nath O
said O
the O
India O
and O
the O
United O
States O
had O
agreed O
to O
double O
bilateral O
trade O
to O
40 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
by O
2008 B-T
. O

India O
currently B-T
exports O
merchandise O
worth O
14 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
to O
the O
United O
States O
and O
imports O
goods O
worth O
7 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
. O

In O
the O
30 O
- O
minute O
talks O
, O
discussions O
also O
veered O
around O
the O
upcoming O
Ministerial O
of O
the O
WTO O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
to O
conclude O
the O
next O
round O
of O
trade O
talks O
that O
have O
so O
far O
been O
deadlocked O
over O
rigid O
positions O
of O
developing O
and O
developed O
countries O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0047 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0047 O
. O

Travelers O
Profit O
Rose O

@ O
11 O
% O
in O
Third O
Quarter O

@ O
Despite O
Hugo O
Claims O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

TIC O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

HARTFORD O
, O
Conn O
. O

Travelers O
Corp O
. O
' O
s O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
rose O
11 O
% O
, O
even O
though O
claims O
stemming O
from O
Hurricane O
Hugo O
reduced O
results O
$ O
40 O
million O
. O

Net O
advanced O
to O
$ O
94 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
89 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
85 O
million O
, O
or O
83 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
including O
net O
realized O
investment O
gains O
of O
$ O
31 O
million O
, O
up O
from O
$ O
10 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

But O
revenue O
declined O
to O
$ O
3 O
billion O
from O
$ O
3 O
. O
2 O
billion O
. O

Travelers O
estimated O
that O
the O
California O
earthquake O
last B-T
month I-T
will O
result O
in O
a O
fourth B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
pre O
- O
tax O
charge O
of O
less O
than O
$ O
10 O
million O
. O

The O
insurer O
' O
s O
earnings O
from O
commercial O
property O
/ O
casualty O
lines O
fell O
59 O
% O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
quarter I-T
, O
while O
it O
lost O
$ O
7 O
. O
2 O
million O
in O
its O
personal O
property O
/ O
casualty O
business O
, O
compared O
with O
earnings O
of O
$ O
6 O
. O
1 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

Travelers O
' O
s O
employee O
benefits O
group O
, O
which O
includes O
its O
group O
health O
insurance O
operations O
, O
posted O
earnings O
of O
$ O
24 O
million O
, O
compared O
with O
a O
loss O
of O
$ O
3 O
million O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
net O
was O
$ O
306 O
million O
, O
compared O
with O
a O
loss O
of O
$ O
195 O
million O
in O
the B-T
1988 I-T
period I-T
. O

The O
year B-T
- I-T
ago I-T
results O
included O
a O
$ O
415 O
million O
charge O
in O
the B-T
1988 I-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
for O
underperforming O
real O
estate O
and O
mortgage O
loans O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051211 O
. O
0341 O

ATHENS O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

charges O

Coastguard O
officials O
at O
the O
main O
Greek O
port O
of O
Piraeus O
have O
arrested O
the O
Bulgarian O
second O
engineer O
of O
a O
British O
- O
flagged O
tanker O
sought O
on O
manslaughter O
charges O
, O
the O
Greek O
merchant O
marine O
ministry O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

Vladimir O
Bankov O
, O
39 O
, O
will O
be O
taken O
to O
a O
prosecutor O
in O
the O
northern O
city O
of O
Salonika O
under O
a O
local O
warrant O
issued O
in O
2000 B-T
, O
a O
ministry O
source O
told O
AFP O
. O

Bankov O
, O
a O
second O
engineer O
on O
board O
the O
British O
- O
flagged O
Zim O
Shenzhen O
, O
is O
accused O
of O
premeditated O
manslaughter O
, O
the O
source O
said O
. O

The O
ministry O
did O
not O
provide O
any O
further O
details O
on O
the O
crime O
case O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0308 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Postal O
charge O
increases O
approved O
by O
Chinese O
government O

The O
Chinese O
government O
has O
approved O
price O
rises O
by O
the O
State O
Post O
Bureau O
for O
mail O
and O
postcard O
deliveries O
. O

The O
State O
Development O
and O
Reform O
Commission O
( O
SDRC O
) O
and O
the O
State O
Post O
Bureau O
announced O
the O
price O
hikes O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
. O

China O
' O
s O
law O
on O
pricing O
requires O
government O
departments O
to O
hold O
hearings O
on O
price O
hikes O
for O
any O
public O
services O
, O
but O
the O
postal O
prices O
would O
not O
be O
subject O
to O
a O
hearing O
, O
said O
an O
SDRC O
official O
. O

The O
cost O
of O
posting O
a O
postcard O
rose O
from O
0 O
. O
6 O
yuan O
( O
0 O
. O
08 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
to O
0 O
. O
8 O
yuan O
, O
while O
the O
local O
rate O
for O
a O
letter O
rose O
from O
0 O
. O
6 O
yuan O
to O
0 O
. O
8 O
yuan O
per O
20 O
grams O
for O
the O
first O
100 O
grams O
and O
1 O
. O
2 O
yuan O
for O
each O
additional O
100 O
grams O
. O

For O
ordinary O
domestic O
letters O
, O
the O
price O
rose O
from O
0 O
. O
8 O
yuan O
to O
1 O
. O
2 O
yuan O
per O
20 O
grams O
for O
the O
first O
100 O
grams O
. O
Charges O
for O
each O
additional O
100 O
grams O
remain O
two O
yuan O
. O

Figures O
provided O
by O
the O
SDRC O
show O
the O
per O
capita O
cost O
of O
the O
increase O
is O
0 O
. O
33 O
yuan O
per O
year O
, O
so O
a O
hearing O
would O
have O
been O
unreasonable O
, O
the O
official O
said O
. O

The O
increase O
is O
aimed O
at O
alleviating O
the O
service O
' O
s O
financial O
problems O
and O
paving O
the O
way O
for O
its O
transformation O
into O
a O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprise O
, O
an O
SDRC O
spokesperson O
had O
said O
earlier O
. O

Postal O
charges O
were O
last O
raised O
in O
1998 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0286 O

SKOPJE O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

to O
EU O
members O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Macedonian O
leaders O
cracked O
open O
the O
champagne O
Saturday B-T
to O
celebrate O
a O
decision O
by O
European O
Union O
leaders O
to O
bring O
their O
country O
closer O
to O
membership O
of O
the O
bloc O
, O
describing O
the O
move O
as O
recognition O
for O
recent O
reforms O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
big O
day O
for O
us O
, O
we O
received O
recognition O
for O
everything O
we O
have O
done O
in O
the O
recent B-T
past I-T
, O
" O
Prime O
Minister O
Vlado O
Buckovski O
told O
the O
state O
- O
owned O
Mia O
news O
agency O
after O
winning O
a O
green O
light O
to O
open O
accession O
negotiations O
with O
Brussels O
. O

" O
The O
path O
is O
paved O
now B-T
and O
we O
know O
that O
we O
have O
real O
friends O
( O
in O
the O
EU O
) O
that O
value O
all O
our O
efforts O
. O
I O
congratulate O
all O
citizens O
of O
Macedonia O
for O
such O
a O
great O
success O
, O
" O
Buckovski O
said O
. O

In O
a O
separate O
address O
to O
the O
nation O
, O
President O
Branko O
Crvenkovski O
said O
the O
decision O
to O
give O
Macedonia O
candidate O
status O
" O
also O
brings O
a O
huge O
obligation O
to O
continue O
with O
even O
more O
devotion O
along O
the O
same O
road O
towards O
the O
goal O
. O
" O

" O
Macedonia O
has O
strength O
, O
knowledge O
, O
the O
will O
and O
determination O
to O
achieve O
its O
strategic O
goal O
, O
" O
Crvenkovski O
said O
. O

Fulfiling O
a O
promise O
given O
publicly O
a B-T
while I-T
ago I-T
, O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
representative O
in O
Skopje O
, O
Erwan O
Fouere O
invited O
Buckovski O
, O
Crvenkovski O
and O
other O
Macedonian O
top O
officials O
into O
a O
popular O
cafe O
in O
downtown O
Skopje O
and O
toasted O
them O
with O
Irish O
whiskey O
. O

At O
the O
celebration O
Buckovski O
gave O
bouquets O
of O
red O
roses O
to O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ilinka O
Mitreva O
and O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
in O
charge O
of O
European O
integration O
Radmila O
Secerinska O
, O
saying O
the O
two O
women O
were O
the O
most O
responsible O
for O
the O
success O
. O

The O
Macedonian O
government O
met O
in O
extraordinary O
session O
to O
define O
an O
" O
action O
plan O
" O
of O
further O
steps O
necessary O
ahead O
of O
the O
beginning O
of O
talks O
on O
membership O
, O
although O
EU O
leaders O
did O
not O
set O
a O
date O
for O
negotiations O
to O
start O
. O

Ahead O
of O
the O
session O
, O
Buckovski O
opened O
a O
large O
bottle O
of O
champagne O
to O
celebrate O
the O
decision O
with O
members O
of O
his O
cabinet O
. O

" O
Today B-T
we O
got O
a O
visa O
for O
our O
European O
path O
. O
Macedonia O
finally O
leaves O
the O
Balkan O
road O
paved O
with O
cobblestones O
and O
joins O
a O
highway O
that O
leads O
to O
Europe O
, O
" O
Buckovski O
said O
. O

" O
The O
European O
Union O
showed O
it O
believed O
in O
Macedonia O
' O
s O
story O
. O
Today B-T
it O
is O
clear O
that O
Europe O
needs O
Macedonia O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Agron O
Buxhaku O
, O
a O
top O
official O
of O
the O
ethnic O
Albanian O
Democratic O
Union O
of O
Integration O
, O
party O
allied O
in O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
with O
Crvenkovski O
' O
s O
social O
democrats O
, O
said O
Macedonia O
had O
made O
a O
significant O
breakthrough O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
very O
important O
step O
for O
the O
country O
that O
should O
mobilize O
all O
of O
us O
to O
fully O
achieve O
democratic O
standards O
and O
economic O
reforms O
, O
" O
Buxhaku O
said O
. O

Leader O
of O
the O
strongest O
Macedonian O
opposition O
party O
VMRO O
- O
DPMNE O
, O
Nikola O
Gruevski O
, O
welcomed O
the O
decision O
, O
but O
called O
the O
government O
to O
increase O
efforts O
" O
for O
the O
good O
of O
all O
citizens O
. O
" O

The O
news O
from O
Brussels O
had O
been O
long O
awaited O
in O
Skopje O
. O
Following O
overnight O
special O
programs O
waiting O
for O
the O
announcement O
, O
electronic O
media O
on O
Saturday B-T
devoted O
their O
news O
programs O
to O
reports O
and O
reactions O
. O

" O
I O
have O
been O
dreaming O
of O
this O
moment O
for O
almost B-T
15 I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
since O
Macedonia O
gained O
independence O
in O
1991 B-T
, O
Ljupka O
Nikolovska O
, O
a O
45 O
- O
year O
old O
teacher O
, O
jubilantly O
said O
. O

Few O
thousand O
people O
defied O
heavy O
snow O
and O
gathered O
Saturday B-T
evening I-T
in O
Skopje O
' O
s O
main O
square O
to O
join O
celebration O
and O
listened O
some O
of O
Macedonia O
' O
s O
most O
popular O
music O
stars O
. O

The O
joyful O
street O
party O
ended O
in O
fireworks O
, O
but O
the O
celebration O
was O
expected O
to O
continue O
in O
restaurants O
and O
cafes O
that O
were O
exceptionally O
allowed O
to O
work O
overnight O
instead O
of O
having O
to O
close O
by O
midnight O
as O
usual O
. O

Macedonians O
were O
also O
given O
an O
opportunity O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
to O
make O
telephone O
calls O
to O
any O
EU O
country O
at O
price O
of O
a O
local O
call O
- O
- O
telecommunication O
companies O
' O
contribution O
to O
the O
national O
- O
wide O
celebration O
. O

The O
tiny O
ex O
- O
Yugoslav O
republic O
has O
been O
praised O
for O
its O
concerted O
effort O
to O
implement O
reforms O
following O
the O
end O
of O
the O
ethnic O
Albanian O
uprising O
in O
2001 O
which O
threatened O
to O
spiral O
into O
all O
- O
out O
civil O
war O
. O

The O
embassy O
of O
the O
United O
States O
in O
Skopje O
welcomed O
the O
EU O
leaders O
' O
decision O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
European O
Council O
decision O
sends O
a O
positive O
message O
not O
only O
to O
Macedonia O
, O
but O
to O
all O
countries O
of O
the O
western O
Balkans O
, O
thereby O
enhancing O
regional O
stability O
, O
" O
the O
US O
embassy O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0438 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepal O
to O
host O
Himalaya O
tourism O
meeting O
in O
December O

The O
Nepali O
secretary O
for O
culture O
, O
tourism O
and O
civil O
aviation O
Madhav O
Prasad O
Ghimire O
has O
kicked O
off O
preparations O
for O
the O
forthcoming O
Himalaya O
Tourism O
Conference O
2006 O
on O
December B-T
11 I-T
- I-T
12 I-T
in O
Kathmandu O
. O

Organized O
by O
the O
Nepal O
Mountaineering O
Association O
in O
collaboration O
with O
the O
Nepal O
Tourism O
Board O
, O
International O
Center O
for O
Integrated O
Mountain O
Development O
, O
World O
Wildlife O
Fund O
, O
Nepal O
and O
Himalaya O
Environmental O
Trust O
, O
the O
international O
event O
will O
coincide O
with O
the O
celebration O
of O
the O
golden O
jubilee O
of O
the O
first O
ascent O
of O
Mt O
. O
Manaslu O
and O
Mt O
. O
Lhotse O
, O
a O
leading O
newspaper O
, O
The O
Himalayan O
Times O
, O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

According O
to O
Ghimire O
, O
with O
the O
peace O
process O
in O
place O
, O
it O
was O
important O
to O
inform O
the O
international O
community O
that O
Nepal O
was O
a O
safe O
destination O
to O
travel O
. O

Outlining O
the O
main O
objectives O
of O
the O
conference O
, O
he O
told O
reporters O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
it O
was O
firstly O
to O
revive O
and O
promote O
mountain O
tourism O
in O
the O
country O
and O
secondly O
, O
to O
discuss O
ways O
to O
reduce O
the O
negative O
impact O
of O
tourism O
on O
the O
environment O
and O
preserve O
the O
mountain O
culture O
. O

The O
third O
main O
objective O
was O
to O
extend O
the O
benefits O
of O
tourism O
which O
was O
confined O
to O
urban O
areas O
to O
seep O
down O
to O
rural O
areas O
as O
well O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0408 O

CAPE O
CANAVERAL O
, O
Florida O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

NASA O
waves O
off O
first O
Florida O
shuttle O
landing O
try O

NASA O
opted O
not O
to O
bring O
down O
the O
space O
shuttle O
Discovery O
on O
a O
first O
Florida O
landing O
attempt O
Friday B-T
due O
to O
bad O
weather O
conditions O
, O
the O
space O
agency O
announced O
. O

The O
US O
space O
agency O
left O
open O
the O
possibility O
that O
after O
another B-T
90 I-T
minutes I-T
conditions O
will O
have O
changed O
to O
allow O
a O
descent O
to O
Florida O
' O
s O
Kennedy O
Space O
Center O
. O

If O
not O
, O
the O
shuttle O
can O
still O
possibly O
land O
at O
one O
of O
two O
other O
sites O
Friday B-T
: O
Edwards O
Air O
Force O
Base O
in O
California O
and O
the O
White O
Sands O
test O
facility O
in O
New O
Mexico O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0218 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
may O
cut O
three O
brigades O
in O
Iraq O
early O
next O
year O
: O
report O

The O
US O
Defense O
Department O
tentatively O
plans O
to O
reduce O
the O
number O
of O
US O
forces O
in O
Iraq O
in O
early B-T
2006 I-T
by O
as O
many O
as O
three O
combat O
brigades O
, O
but O
will O
keep O
at O
least O
one O
brigade O
" O
on O
call O
" O
in O
Kuwait O
in O
case O
more O
troops O
are O
needed O
quickly O
, O
several O
senior O
military O
officers O
said O
. O

The O
Pentagon O
made O
the O
tentative O
plan O
based O
on O
the O
assumption O
that O
there O
would O
not O
be O
any O
major O
surprises O
in O
Iraq O
, O
The O
Washington O
Post O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Pentagon O
authorities O
have O
set O
a O
series O
of O
" O
decision O
points O
" O
during O
2006 O
to O
consider O
further O
force O
cuts O
that O
, O
under O
a O
" O
moderately O
optimistic O
" O
scenario O
, O
would O
drop O
the O
total O
number O
of O
troops O
from O
more O
than O
150 O
, O
000 O
now O
to O
fewer O
than O
100 O
, O
000 O
, O
including O
10 O
combat O
brigades O
, O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
officers O
were O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

Military O
commanders O
continued O
to O
favor O
a O
gradual O
, O
phased O
reduction O
, O
saying O
that O
too O
rapid O
a O
departure O
would O
sacrifice O
strategic O
gains O
made O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
30 I-T
months I-T
and O
provide O
a O
propaganda O
windfall O
to O
insurgents O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
current B-T
number O
of O
US O
forces O
in O
Iraq O
represented O
an O
increase O
of O
more O
than O
15 O
, O
000 O
troops O
over O
a O
base O
level O
this B-T
year I-T
of O
about O
138 O
, O
000 O
, O
including O
17 O
combat O
brigades O
. O
The O
equivalent O
of O
another O
brigade O
' O
s O
worth O
of O
combat O
power O
was O
added O
this B-T
fall I-T
to O
bolster O
security O
for O
the O
Oct B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
constitutional O
referendum O
and O
the O
coming O
Dec B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
vote O
on O
a O
new O
national O
government O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0474 O

NICOSIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cypriots O
need O
more O
information O
on O
euro O
: O
EU O
commissioner O

EU O
Economic O
and O
Monetary O
Affairs O
Commissioner O
Joaquin O
Almunia O
on O
Wednesday B-T
called O
on O
the O
Cypriot O
government O
to O
make O
the O
people O
well O
informed O
and O
prepared O
before O
they O
adopt O
the O
euro O
. O

" O
There O
is O
some O
demand O
for O
more O
information O
about O
the O
euro O
, O
about O
the O
consequences O
of O
joining O
the O
euro O
, O
" O
Almunia O
told O
reporters O
upon O
his O
arrival O
. O

He O
said O
that O
his O
trip O
was O
a O
good O
opportunity O
to O
establish O
agreements O
between O
all O
the O
sectors O
involved O
to O
avoid O
that O
the O
introduction O
of O
the O
euro O
will O
create O
problems O
in O
price O
. O

He O
also O
said O
that O
the O
Cypriot O
economy O
is O
" O
doing O
quite O
well O
regarding O
growth O
. O
" O

" O
Regarding O
micro O
- O
economic O
figures O
, O
I O
think O
that O
the O
situation O
is O
positive O
and O
the O
evolution O
that O
we O
analyzing O
and O
monitoring O
is O
going O
to O
the O
right O
direction O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Almunia O
arrived O
in O
Cyprus O
for O
a O
conference O
on O
changeover O
of O
the O
euro O
. O
Cyprus O
is O
planning O
to O
enter O
the O
euro O
zone O
in O
2008 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0333 O

VIENNA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

IAEA O
report O
demands O
Iran O
do O
more O
to O
clarify O
nulcear O
plans O

Chief O
of O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
( O
IAEA O
) O
Mohamed O
ElBaradei O
presented O
a O
report O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
saying O
the O
Iranian O
government O
has O
improved O
its O
cooperation O
with O
the O
IAEA O
on O
its O
nuclear O
issue O
but O
still O
needs O
to O
do O
more O
to O
clarify O
its O
nuclear O
plans O
. O

The O
report O
, O
presented O
to O
the O
35 O
members O
of O
the O
IAEA O
governing O
board O
in O
Vienna O
, O
said O
Iran O
is O
still O
denying O
access O
to O
sensitive O
sites O
and O
information O
of O
its O
nuclear O
plans O
, O
officials O
close O
to O
the O
UN O
watchdog O
said O
. O

" O
Iran O
' O
s O
full O
transparency O
is O
indispensable O
and O
overdue O
, O
" O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
IAEA O
has O
been O
given O
nuclear O
documents O
that O
Iran O
got O
from O
people O
linked O
to O
the O
black O
market O
set O
up O
by O
Abdul O
Kadir O
Khan O
, O
the O
father O
of O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
nuclear O
bomb O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
report O
urged O
Iran O
to O
provide O
more O
information O
and O
documentation O
related O
to O
the O
procurement O
of O
dual O
use O
equipment O
and O
allow O
visits O
to O
locations O
linked O
to O
sites O
such O
as O
Lavizan O
, O
which O
was O
closed O
before O
IAEA O
inspectors O
could O
go O
there O
. O

The O
United O
States O
accuses O
Iran O
of O
developing O
nuclear O
weapons O
secretly O
, O
a O
charge O
rejected O
by O
Tehran O
as O
politically O
motivated O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
has O
rejected O
a O
Russian O
proposal O
for O
talks O
with O
Iran O
in O
Moscow O
due O
to O
Teheran O
' O
s O
resumption O
of O
uranium O
conversion O
in O
its O
Isfahan O
plant O
. O

The O
governing O
board O
of O
the O
IAEA O
is O
to O
meet O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
in O
Vienna O
for O
renewed O
discussions O
of O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
policies O
, O
including O
whether O
the O
case O
should O
be O
brought O
before O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
. O

Iran O
' O
s O
chief O
nuclear O
negotiator O
Ali O
Larijani O
said O
earlier O
that O
he O
assumed O
ElBaradei O
would O
deliver O
a O
" O
rational O
and O
clear O
report O
" O
on O
Iran O
because O
the O
IAEA O
was O
" O
taking O
positive O
steps O
" O
recently O
on O
the O
Iranian O
nuclear O
issue O
. O

However O
, O
Larijani O
warned O
that O
Iran O
would O
" O
resort O
to O
other O
means O
" O
if O
the O
EU O
" O
wants O
to O
waste O
opportunities O
" O
by O
prompting O
a O
resolution O
against O
Iran O
at O
the O
IAEA O
meeting O
. O

Iran O
resumed O
uranium O
conversion O
activities O
, O
a O
preparatory O
step O
for O
uranium O
enrichment O
, O
in O
early B-T
August I-T
, O
a O
move O
that O
scuttled O
nuclear O
negotiations O
with O
the O
EU O
which O
started O
after O
Tehran O
suspended O
all O
activities O
related O
to O
uranium O
enrichment O
in O
November B-T
2004 I-T
. O

In O
response O
, O
the O
IAEA O
in O
late B-T
September I-T
urged O
Tehran O
to O
re O
- O
suspend O
all O
enrichment O
- O
related O
activities O
in O
a O
EU O
- O
drafted O
resolution O
, O
saying O
Iran O
' O
s O
refusal O
will O
risk O
a O
referral O
of O
its O
case O
to O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0018 O

DAR O
ES O
SALAAM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

African O
trade O
ministers O
to O
meet O
in O
Tanzania O

Trade O
ministers O
from O
over O
50 O
African O
countries O
are O
scheduled O
to O
meet O
in O
Arusha O
of O
northern O
Tanzania O
next B-T
week I-T
to O
prepare O
for O
the O
coming O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
convention O
. O

According O
to O
reports O
reaching O
here O
from O
Arusha O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
ministerial O
meeting O
will O
be O
held O
on O
next B-T
Wednesday I-T
when O
participants O
are O
expected O
to O
work O
out O
a O
common O
stand O
for O
the O
sixth O
WTO O
ministerial O
meeting O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
of O
China O
in O
mid O
- O
December B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Arusha O
meeting O
will O
be O
organized O
by O
the O
African O
Union O
, O
the O
WTO O
and O
the O
Netherlands O
- O
based O
Common O
Fund O
for O
Commodity O
. O

High O
on O
the O
agenda O
of O
the O
Arusha O
ministerial O
meeting O
will O
be O
issues O
concerning O
commodities O
which O
are O
the O
backbone O
of O
the O
economy O
of O
the O
majority O
of O
sub O
- O
Saharan O
African O
countries O
. O

WTO O
Director O
- O
General O
Pascal O
Lamy O
and O
Chairman O
of O
the O
Common O
Fund O
for O
Commodity O
Ali O
Mchumo O
will O
attend O
the O
Arusha O
ministerial O
meeting O
which O
will O
be O
opened O
by O
Tanzanian O
President O
Benjamin O
William O
Mkapa O
. O

The O
forthcoming O
Hong O
Kong O
round O
of O
the O
WTO O
ministerial O
meeting O
is O
expected O
to O
settle O
the O
issues O
that O
will O
shape O
the O
final O
accord O
of O
the O
Doha O
Development O
Agenda O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0387 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

right O
- O
to O
- O
die O
campaigner O

The O
Italian O
Catholic O
Church O
on O
Friday B-T
said O
right O
- O
to O
- O
die O
campaigner O
Piergiorgio O
Welby O
cannot O
have O
a O
religious O
funeral O
because O
his O
assisted O
death O
was O
against O
Church O
teaching O
, O
Italian O
television O
reported O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0685 O

HAMBURG O
, O
Germany O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

CSKA O
look O
to O
slip O
past O
hapless O
Hamburg O

Goal O
- O
shy O
CSKA O
Moscow O
' O
s O
Champions O
League O
fate O
is O
out O
of O
their O
hands O
as O
they O
head O
into O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
group O
G O
match O
against O
SV O
Hamburg O
. O

CSKA O
, O
who O
have O
scored O
just O
two O
goals O
in O
their O
five O
games O
, O
are O
two O
points O
behind O
Arsenal O
and O
FC O
Porto O
, O
who O
defeated O
them O
2 O
- O
0 O
in O
their O
last O
match O
, O
and O
the O
2005 O
UEFA O
Cup O
champions O
must O
defeat O
German O
side O
Hamburg O
to O
have O
any O
chance O
of O
reaching O
the B-T
last I-T
16 I-T
. O

If O
CSKA O
win O
and O
there O
is O
a O
winner O
in O
the O
Arsenal O
and O
Porto O
match O
the O
Russians O
will O
progress O
but O
a O
draw O
in O
the O
other O
match O
in O
Portugal O
will O
see O
them O
eliminated O
. O

For O
1983 O
European O
champions O
Hamburg O
pride O
is O
at O
stake O
after O
five O
straight O
defeats O
in O
Europe O
' O
s O
flagship O
competition O
. O

Hamburg O
are O
in O
this O
competition O
for O
the O
first O
time O
since O
2001 B-T
after O
finishing O
third O
in O
the O
Bundesliga O
last O
season O
but O
it O
has O
been O
an O
immediately O
forgettable O
campaign O
. O

Along O
with O
Levski O
Sofia O
, O
the O
Germans O
, O
second O
from O
bottom O
of O
the O
Bundesliga O
, O
are O
the O
only O
team O
yet O
to O
register O
a O
point O
in O
this O
season O
' O
s O
Champions O
League O
. O

" O
We O
know O
it O
has O
been O
a O
disappointing O
season O
but O
all O
we O
can O
do O
is O
try O
to O
make O
things O
better O
from O
now O
on O
, O
" O
said O
Hamburg O
coach O
Thomas O
Doll O
. O

" O
My O
future O
has O
been O
talked O
about O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
so O
I O
do O
not O
think O
I O
need O
to O
add O
anything O
else O
. O
" O

If O
Hamburg O
, O
who O
have O
won O
just O
once O
in O
15 B-T
league O
matches O
, O
fail O
to O
get O
even O
a O
draw O
against O
CSKA O
they O
will O
become O
only O
the O
seventh O
team O
in O
Champions O
League O
history O
to O
end O
up O
without O
a O
point O
in O
the O
group O
stage O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0395 O

RIO O
DE O
JANEIRO O
, O
Oct B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

President O

Visiting O
Portugal O
' O
s O
President O
Anibal O
Cavaco O
Silva O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
excellent O
Portugal O
- O
Brazil O
relations O
will O
continue O
through O
the O
second O
administration O
of O
Brazil O
' O
s O
President O
Luiz O
Inacio O
Lula O
da O
Silva O
. O

Cavoco O
Silva O
said O
the O
two O
countries O
' O
entrepreneurs O
are O
in O
very O
close O
contact O
and O
mutual O
investments O
have O
been O
growing O
. O

" O
Entrepreneurs O
from O
Brazil O
see O
Portugal O
not O
only O
as O
a O
10 O
- O
million O
- O
inhabitant O
country O
, O
but O
also O
a O
country O
that O
takes O
part O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
, O
which O
has O
over O
500 O
million O
consumers O
with O
high O
purchasing O
power O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Cavaco O
Silva O
made O
the O
remarks O
in O
Brazilian O
city O
Sao O
Paulo O
after O
he O
attended O
the O
16th O
Ibero O
- O
American O
Summit O
in O
the O
Uruguayan O
capital O
of O
Montevideo O
. O

He O
noted O
that O
the O
relations O
between O
the O
EU O
and O
the O
South O
American O
Common O
Market O
( O
Mercosur O
) O
was O
one O
of O
the O
most O
frequently O
raised O
topics O
at O
the O
summit O
, O
and O
he O
had O
promised O
to O
try O
to O
unblock O
the O
free O
trade O
agreement O
between O
the O
two O
groups O
when O
Portugal O
takes O
over O
EU O
Presidency O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
half I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O

" O
We O
count O
on O
Brazil O
because O
it O
can O
help O
overcome O
difficulties O
that O
exist O
in O
the O
relationship O
between O
Mercosur O
and O
Europe O
, O
" O
Cavaco O
Silva O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0436 O

BONN O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Bonn O
" O
verifying O
" O
Tehran O
ambassador O
rebuff O

The O
German O
foreign O
ministry O
on O
Wednesday B-T
said O
it O
would O
not O
make O
a O
statement O
before O
" O
verifying O
" O
Iran O
' O
s O
decision O
not O
to O
allow O
the O
German O
and O
Danish O
ambassadors O
to O
return O
to O
Tehran O
. O

" O
It O
is O
too O
early O
for O
a O
reaction O
, O
" O
said O
ministry O
spokesman O
Horst O
Freitag O
. O
" O
We O
are O
trying O
to O
clear O
up O
the O
situation O
. O
" O

He O
would O
not O
say O
whether O
German O
authorities O
had O
contacted O
Tehran O
to O
discuss O
the O
matter O
. O

The O
ambassadors O
, O
plus O
counterparts O
from O
other O
EU O
countries O
, O
were O
withdrawn O
after O
a O
German O
court O
ruled O
that O
senior O
Iranian O
officials O
were O
involved O
in O
the O
1992 B-T
murder O
of O
four O
Iranian O
Kurds O
in O
a O
Berlin O
restaurant O
. O

Iran O
earlier O
said O
it O
was O
halting O
all O
dialogue O
with O
the O
European O
Union O
. O
It O
also O
ruled O
out O
the O
early O
return O
of O
German O
and O
Danish O
ambassadors O
in O
retaliation O
for O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
latest O
measures O
against O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
. O

The O
foreign O
ministry O
announced O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
it O
would O
break O
off O
" O
all O
talks O
on O
human O
rights O
, O
terrorism O
and O
arms O
control O
. O
" O

On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
EU O
foreign O
ministers O
in O
Luxembourg O
banned O
ministerial O
visits O
to O
or O
from O
Iran O
over O
Tehran O
' O
s O
alleged O
involvement O
in O
the O
1992 O
killings O
. O

In O
Paris O
, O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Jacques O
Rummelhardt O
said O
EU O
governments O
were O
holding O
discussion O
on O
how O
to O
react O
to O
Iran O
' O
s O
decision O
. O

He O
said O
that O
in O
principle O
the O
ambassadors O
should O
" O
return O
normally O
to O
their O
posts O
. O
" O

" O
If O
they O
are O
being O
labelled O
persona O
non O
grata O
, O
that O
is O
something O
else O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0207 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Manchester O
United O
beat O
Portsmouth O
to O
move O
atop O
in O
Premiership O

Manchester O
United O
moved O
atop O
of O
the O
English O
Premiership O
with O
three O
points O
clear O
on O
Saturday B-T
after O
they O
beat O
Portsmouth O
3 O
- O
0 O
at O
the O
Old O
Trafford O
. O

Chelsea O
, O
however O
, O
can O
pull O
level O
on O
points O
with O
them O
at O
the O
top O
of O
the O
table O
provided O
that O
they O
beat O
Tottenham O
at O
White O
Hart O
Lane O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Thanks O
to O
a O
brace O
from O
inspired O
Dirk O
Kuyt O
, O
the O
resurgent O
Liverpool O
chalked O
up O
their O
fourth O
successive O
win O
after O
comfortably O
overcoming O
Reading O
2 O
- O
0 O
at O
Anfield O
, O
while O
Darren O
Bent O
scored O
his O
seventh O
goal O
of O
the O
season O
to O
give O
Charlton O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
home O
win O
over O
Manchester O
City O
. O

Watford O
secured O
their O
first O
win O
of O
the O
season O
as O
they O
capitalised O
on O
some O
woeful O
defensive O
lapse O
from O
Middlesbrough O
to O
score O
a O
2 O
- O
0 O
home O
win O
. O

Louis O
Saha O
opened O
the O
scoring O
from O
the O
penalty O
spot O
after O
only O
three B-T
minutes I-T
to O
set O
the O
tone O
of O
the O
thrashing O
which O
celebrated O
Sir O
Alex O
Ferguson O
' O
s O
20 B-T
years I-T
as O
manager O
in O
style O
. O

Cristiano O
Ronaldo O
then O
scored O
a O
superb O
free O
- O
kick O
, O
while O
David O
James O
denied O
Gary O
Neville O
three O
times O
in O
the O
match O
. O

Niko O
Kranjcar O
missed O
a O
great O
chance O
for O
Pompey O
before O
Nemanja O
Vidic O
headed O
his O
first O
goal O
at O
Old O
Trafford O
. O

Ferguson O
celebrates O
two O
decades O
at O
the O
helm O
on O
Monday B-T
- O
and O
must O
be O
extremely O
satisfied O
with O
the O
calibre O
and O
form O
of O
his O
current B-T
crop O
of O
players O
. O

Wigan O
scored O
their O
third O
consecutive O
win O
on O
when O
they O
beat O
hosts O
Bolton O
1 O
- O
0 O
thanks O
to O
Lee O
McCulloch O
' O
s O
goal O
. O

A O
dour O
first O
half O
saw O
few O
chances O
and O
little O
entertainment O
, O
but O
the O
second O
period O
was O
much O
more O
worthy O
of O
a O
derby O
. O

And O
with O
11 O
minutes O
left O
, O
McCulloch O
fired O
home O
with O
his O
right O
foot O
from O
18 O
yards O
after O
a O
clever O
Wigan O
build O
- O
up O
. O

Claus O
Jensen O
' O
s O
deflected O
second O
- O
half O
strike O
awarded O
Fulham O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
victory O
over O
visiting O
Everton O
. O

The O
sole O
goal O
of O
the O
Premiership O
game O
came O
in O
the O
65th O
minute O
when O
Jensen O
' O
s O
angled O
shot O
from O
20 O
yards O
flew O
off O
Tim O
Cahill O
and O
beyond O
Everton O
keeper O
Tim O
Howard O
. O

It O
completed O
the O
transformation O
of O
a O
game O
Everton O
had O
completely O
dominated O
for O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
. O

In O
a O
later O
game O
, O
Danny O
Webber O
scored O
Sheffield O
United O
' O
s O
first O
Premiership O
away O
goal O
of O
the O
season O
as O
the O
Blades O
leapfrogged O
Newcastle O
and O
out O
of O
the O
bottom O
three O
. O

The O
precious O
goal O
arrived O
in O
the O
68th O
minute O
as O
Webber O
stooped O
to O
head O
home O
Nick O
Montgomery O
' O
s O
cross O
to O
inflict O
the O
Magpies O
' O
third O
home O
League O
defeat O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0030 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
reax O
from O
opposition O
, O
Iraqi O
expats O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Australia O
, O
which O
opposes O
capital O
punishment O
, O
said O
Saturday B-T
it O
respected O
Iraq O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
execute O
former O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
calling O
it O
a O
" O
significant O
moment O
" O
for O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
. O

" O
No O
matter O
what O
one O
might O
think O
about O
the O
death O
penalty O
, O
and O
the O
government O
of O
Iraq O
is O
aware O
of O
the O
Australian O
government O
' O
s O
position O
on O
capital O
punishment O
, O
we O
must O
also O
respect O
the O
right O
of O
sovereign O
states O
to O
pass O
judgement O
relating O
to O
crimes O
committed O
against O
their O
people O
, O
within O
their O
jurisdictions O
, O
" O
Foreign O
Minister O
Alexander O
Downer O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
He O
has O
been O
brought O
to O
justice O
, O
following O
a O
process O
of O
fair O
trial O
and O
appeal O
, O
something O
he O
denied O
to O
countless O
thousands O
of O
victims O
of O
his O
regime O
. O
" O

Australia O
contributed O
troops O
to O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
of O
Iraq O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
which O
led O
to O
the O
ouster O
of O
Saddam O
. O
It O
still O
has O
about O
1 O
, O
300 O
troops O
involved O
in O
operations O
in O
the O
area O
. O

Downer O
said O
it O
was O
a O
credit O
to O
the O
people O
of O
Iraq O
that O
Saddam O
has O
been O
granted O
a O
fair O
trial O
for O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
involving O
the O
execution O
in O
1982 O
of O
148 O
Shiite O
men O
and O
boys O
in O
the O
village O
of O
Dujail O
. O

" O
The O
people O
of O
Iraq O
now B-T
know O
that O
their O
brutal O
dictator O
will O
never O
come O
back O
to O
lead O
them O
, O
" O
the O
foreign O
minister O
said O
. O

" O
While O
many O
will O
continue O
to O
grieve O
over O
their O
personal O
loss O
under O
his O
rule O
, O
his O
death O
marks O
an O
important O
step O
in O
consigning O
his O
tyrannical O
regime O
to O
the O
judgement O
of O
history O
and O
pursuing O
a O
process O
of O
reconciliation O
now B-T
and O
in O
the O
future O
. O
" O

The O
Australian O
government O
, O
along O
with O
its O
coalition O
allies O
, O
would O
continue O
to O
" O
support O
the O
struggle O
of O
the O
vast O
majority O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
people O
to O
preserve O
and O
build O
upon O
the O
progress O
which O
has O
been O
achieved O
, O
where O
even O
the O
cruellest O
of O
dictators O
can O
be O
tried O
and O
brought O
to O
justice O
" O
, O
said O
Downer O
. O

But O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
opposition O
Labor O
party O
, O
Kevin O
Rudd O
, O
called O
the O
government O
' O
s O
support O
for O
Saddam O
' O
s O
execution O
hypocritical O
, O
given O
it O
regularly O
seeks O
clemency O
for O
Australian O
nationals O
facing O
the O
death O
penalty O
overseas O
. O

" O
It O
is O
not O
possible O
in O
our O
view O
to O
be O
selective O
in O
the O
application O
of O
this O
policy O
, O
" O
Rudd O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Sydney O
resident O
Issam O
Abdulla O
, O
who O
fled O
Iraq O
more O
than O
20 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
said O
he O
had O
" O
no O
feeling O
at O
all O
" O
about O
the O
former O
dictator O
' O
s O
death O
, O
saying O
it O
had O
come O
too O
late O
to O
remedy O
his O
homeland O
' O
s O
spiralling O
violence O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
not O
making O
me O
happy O
but O
it O
' O
s O
making O
me O
feel O
sorry O
why O
all O
this O
has O
happened O
, O
" O
said O
the O
55 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
. O

" O
The O
damage O
is O
done O
. O
" O

However O
other O
Iraqis O
living O
in O
Australia O
, O
some O
of O
whom O
said O
they O
had O
lost O
family O
during O
Saddam O
' O
s O
reign O
, O
welcomed O
the O
news O
, O
making O
plans O
to O
celebrate O
late O
into O
the O
night O
in O
the O
Sydney O
suburb O
of O
Auburn O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0200 O

VIENNA O
, O
Dec B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quote O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
United O
Nations O
nuclear O
watchdog O
agency O
will O
press O
ahead O
with O
its O
investigation O
of O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
program O
, O
IAEA O
chief O
Mohamed O
ElBaradei O
said O
after O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
imposed O
sanctions O
on O
Tehran O
. O

The O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
" O
will O
implement O
the O
relevant O
parts O
of O
the O
UNSC O
( O
UN O
Security O
Council O
) O
resolution O
that O
relates O
to O
its O
work O
, O
" O
Elbaradei O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
posted O
on O
the O
IAEA O
' O
s O
web O
site O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0116 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

The O
trial O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
former O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
resumes O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
mounting O
pressure O
for O
the O
process O
to O
accelerate O
after O
two O
earlier O
adjournments O
limited O
court O
time O
to O
just O
two O
brief O
sessions O
. O

Officials O
close O
to O
the O
court O
are O
hoping O
that O
this O
time O
a O
full B-T
four I-T
days I-T
of O
hearings O
is O
possible O
before O
the O
court O
adjourns O
again O
in O
time O
for O
Iraq O
' O
s O
parliamentary O
elections O
on O
December B-T
15 I-T
. O

Several O
witnesses O
are O
set O
to O
appear O
in O
the O
trial O
of O
Saddam O
and O
seven O
of O
his O
deputies O
for O
the O
massacre O
of O
148 O
people O
from O
the O
Shiite O
village O
of O
Dujail O
in O
1982 B-T
, O
for O
which O
all O
the O
accused O
could O
face O
the O
death O
penalty O
. O

With O
the O
trial O
yet O
to O
hit O
its O
stride O
, O
no O
witness O
has O
yet O
given O
testimony O
in O
person O
in O
the O
court O
. O
Amid O
fears O
over O
their O
security O
, O
tribunal O
sources O
say O
some O
witnesses O
could O
appear O
masked O
or O
hidden O
to O
protect O
their O
anonymity O
. O

Saddam O
' O
s O
lawyers O
, O
who O
now O
include O
former O
US O
attorney O
general O
Ramsey O
Clark O
and O
former O
Qatari O
justice O
minister O
Najib O
al O
- O
Nuaimi O
are O
looking O
to O
force O
further O
delays O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
give O
the O
defense O
more O
time O
to O
prepare O
its O
case O
. O

They O
hope O
to O
schedule O
a O
court O
briefing O
" O
to O
discuss O
key O
issues O
in O
the O
case O
like O
the O
legality O
of O
court O
, O
independence O
of O
court O
and O
the O
impartiality O
of O
judges O
, O
" O
said O
Clark O
. O

The O
whole O
process O
, O
which O
is O
closely O
watched O
around O
the O
world O
and O
was O
called O
the O
" O
Trial O
of O
the O
Century O
" O
by O
one O
Iraqi O
paper O
, O
has O
had O
a O
slow O
beginning O
with O
a O
brief O
opening O
session O
on O
October B-T
19 I-T
, O
followed O
by O
a O
40 O
day O
delay O
and O
then O
a O
two O
hour O
session O
on O
November B-T
28 I-T
, O
and O
then O
a O
week O
- O
long O
adjournment O
. O

The O
trial O
has O
been O
plagued O
by O
a O
range O
of O
problems O
since O
its O
inception O
, O
including O
minor O
ones O
like O
intermittent O
sound O
in O
the O
first O
session O
and O
a O
broken O
elevator O
in O
the O
second O
session O
, O
to O
the O
more O
serious O
issues O
of O
security O
. O

Between O
the B-T
first I-T
two I-T
sessions I-T
, O
police O
announced O
they O
discovered O
a O
plot O
to O
assassinate O
the O
court O
' O
s O
top O
investigative O
judge O
, O
while O
two O
of O
the O
defense O
lawyers O
were O
assassinated O
. O

The O
latest O
delay O
came O
after O
Taha O
Yassin O
Ramadan O
, O
a O
close O
associate O
of O
Saddam O
and O
his O
former O
vice O
president O
, O
refused O
to O
use O
the O
lawyer O
the O
court O
appointed O
after O
his O
advocate O
was O
shot O
dead O
. O

The O
trial O
takes O
place O
in O
an O
unfinished O
palace O
once O
used O
as O
the O
headquarters O
for O
Saddam O
' O
s O
Baath O
party O
inside O
the O
Green O
Zone O
and O
amid O
very O
heavy O
security O
. O
Attendees O
receive O
full O
body O
X O
- O
rays O
and O
are O
not O
allowed O
to O
bring O
their O
own O
paper O
and O
pens O
. O

The O
previous O
session O
was O
dominated O
by O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
complaint O
to O
the O
judge O
that O
his O
American O
guards O
had O
taken O
away O
his O
pen O
and O
paper O
. O
When O
the O
judge O
said O
he O
would O
tell O
them O
to O
return O
it O
, O
Saddam O
exploded O
into O
a O
nationalist O
speech O
. O

" O
Don O
' O
t O
tell O
them O
, O
order O
them O
. O
You O
are O
an O
Iraqi O
, O
you O
have O
sovereignty O
, O
they O
are O
in O
your O
country O
, O
they O
are O
foreigners O
, O
they O
are O
invaders O
, O
" O
said O
Saddam O
. O

But O
the O
chief O
judge O
, O
Rizkar O
Mohammed O
Amin O
, O
a O
Kurd O
, O
has O
largely O
taken O
these O
outbursts O
in O
his O
stride O
. O

Aside O
from O
Saddam O
and O
Ramadan O
, O
the O
defendants O
include O
Barzan O
al O
- O
Tikriti O
, O
Saddam O
' O
s O
half O
brother O
and O
head O
of O
intelligence O
at O
the O
time O
of O
the O
massacre O
, O
and O
Awad O
Ahmed O
al O
- O
Bandar O
, O
head O
judge O
of O
the O
revolutionary O
court O
. O

There O
are O
also O
four O
little O
known O
Baath O
officials O
who O
worked O
in O
Dujail O
at O
the O
time O
of O
the O
massacre O
, O
which O
took O
place O
after O
an O
assassination O
attempt O
against O
Saddam O
' O
s O
convoy O
. O
All O
have O
pleaded O
not O
guilty O
. O

As O
the O
defense O
complains O
they O
have O
not O
had O
enough O
time O
to O
prepare O
for O
the O
case O
, O
there O
is O
growing O
frustration O
among O
Iraqis O
, O
especially O
among O
Shiites O
and O
Kurds O
who O
suffered O
the O
most O
under O
Saddam O
, O
at O
the O
constant O
delays O
. O

Both O
Iraqi O
and O
US O
officials O
have O
accused O
the O
defence O
team O
of O
playing O
for O
time O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
derail O
the O
landmark O
trial O
, O
but O
the O
judges O
are O
under O
strong O
international O
pressure O
to O
ensure O
that O
Saddam O
enjoys O
the O
justice O
he O
is O
accused O
of O
denying O
his O
compatriots O
for O
so O
long O
. O

In O
the O
last O
session O
, O
the O
court O
was O
shown O
testimony O
from O
wheelchair O
- O
bound O
Waddah O
Ismail O
al O
- O
Sheikh O
, O
a O
former O
intelligence O
official O
, O
who O
implicated O
Barzan O
in O
the O
Dujail O
massacre O
. O
The O
official O
died O
after O
the O
recording O
was O
made O
. O

Iraqi O
officials O
have O
said O
they O
chose O
to O
start O
with O
the O
Dujail O
case O
because O
it O
is O
relatively O
straightforward O
and O
well O
documented O
. O

But O
critics O
charge O
the O
case O
was O
chosen O
because O
it O
lacked O
the O
potential O
of O
the O
other O
cases O
for O
stirring O
up O
political O
controversy O
for O
Washington O
which O
backed O
Saddam O
' O
s O
regime O
through O
the B-T
1980s I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0088 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

with O
S O
. O
China O
in O
marine O
fishery O

HAIKOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 O
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Seychellois O
President O
James O
Alix O
Michel O
showed O
great O
interest O
in O
cooperation O
with O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Hainan O
Province O
in O
marine O
fishery O
after O
visiting O
the O
Hainan O
Provincial O
Fisheries O
Research O
Institute O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Li O
Xiangmin O
, O
director O
of O
the O
research O
institute O
briefed O
the O
president O
on O
the O
development O
of O
the O
fishery O
industry O
of O
Hainan O
, O
expressing O
his O
hope O
to O
cooperate O
with O
Seychelles O
in O
fishery O
. O

Michel O
said O
Seychelles O
is O
an O
island O
country O
, O
and O
has O
lots O
of O
similarities O
with O
Hainan O
in O
natural O
resources O
. O

There O
is O
a O
big O
potential O
for O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
, O
especially O
in O
fishery O
, O
he O
said O
. O

He O
expressed O
his O
hope O
for O
further O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
so O
as O
to O
benefit O
from O
each O
other O
. O

Michel O
visited O
the O
aquatic O
products O
breeding O
base O
and O
showed O
great O
interest O
in O
its O
sea O
- O
water O
breeding O
and O
cultivation O
. O

Hainan O
' O
s O
marine O
fishery O
boasts O
professional O
experts O
, O
advanced O
technologies O
and O
successful O
experience O
, O
said O
Michel O
, O
expressing O
his O
confidence O
in O
future O
cooperation O
in O
sea O
water O
breeding O
and O
cultivation O
. O

The O
president O
also O
visited O
the O
permanent O
site O
of O
the O
Boao O
Forum O
for O
Asia O
. O

James O
Alix O
Michel O
on O
Monday B-T
arrived O
at O
Haikou O
, O
capital O
city O
of O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Hainan O
Province O
, O
and O
started O
a O
3 O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Hainan O
. O

Michel O
kicked O
off O
his O
state O
visit O
to O
China O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
and O
attended O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
held O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
to O
5 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0227 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

British O
troops O
to O
continue O
to O
stay O
in O
Iraq O
: O
FM O

British O
Foreign O
Secretary O
Margaret O
Beckett O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
British O
troops O
would O
continue O
to O
stay O
in O
Iraq O
as O
long O
as O
they O
are O
required O
. O

Speaking O
at O
the O
Royal O
United O
Services O
Institute O
, O
a O
defense O
think O
tank O
in O
London O
, O
Beckett O
said O
" O
the O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
is O
one O
which O
is O
dangerous O
and O
volatile O
. O
" O

" O
We O
are O
at O
a O
critical O
juncture O
which O
the O
fate O
of O
that O
country O
hangs O
in O
the O
balance O
. O
There O
is O
the O
very O
real O
risk O
of O
even O
greater O
instability O
and O
bloodshed O
than O
we O
have O
already O
seen O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

British O
troops O
would O
" O
stay O
as O
long O
as O
that O
government O
asks O
us O
to O
do O
so O
. O
" O
she O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
" O
we O
will O
leave O
when O
they O
are O
confident O
that O
they O
can O
take O
the O
role O
of O
security O
in O
the O
country O
on O
their O
own O
shoulders O
. O
" O

Beckett O
warned O
against O
any O
" O
precipitate O
" O
moves O
to O
withdraw O
British O
troops O
from O
Iraq O
. O

" O
I O
ask O
those O
who O
are O
calling O
for O
more O
precipitate O
action O
to O
consider O
the O
consequences O
of O
such O
action O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
We O
would O
be O
leaving O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
without O
the O
means O
to O
prevent O
a O
further O
escalation O
in O
the O
violence O
, O
without O
the O
tools O
to O
enforce O
the O
rule O
of O
law O
and O
without O
the O
authority O
to O
prevent O
their O
country O
from O
turning O
into O
a O
base O
for O
terrorism O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
We O
must O
not O
let O
that O
happen O
. O
" O

Currently O
, O
Britain O
has O
some O
7 O
, O
200 O
troops O
deployed O
in O
southern O
Iraq O
, O
most O
in O
the O
southern O
Basra O
area O
and O
about O
800 O
in O
Maysan O
province O
. O
Since O
2003 B-T
, O
the O
number O
of O
British O
troops O
killed O
in O
Iraq O
has O
increased O
to O
121 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0151 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Pakistani O
foreign O
minister O
to O
visit O
Afghanistan O
next O
month O

Pakistani O
Foreign O
Minister O
Khursheed O
Mahmood O
Kasuri O
would O
pay O
an O
official O
visit O
to O
Afghan O
capital O
Kabul O
early B-T
next I-T
month I-T
, O
Afghanistan O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Minister O
Rangin O
Dadfar O
Spanta O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
His O
Excellency O
Mr O
. O
Kasuri O
is O
going O
to O
visit O
Kabul O
from O
7th B-T
to I-T
9th I-T
December I-T
, O
" O
Spanta O
told O
newsmen O
here O
. O

The O
agenda O
of O
his O
talks O
with O
Afghan O
officials O
would O
cover O
holding O
the O
peace O
Jirga O
or O
grand O
assembly O
, O
and O
boosting O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
all O
fields O
including O
the O
war O
on O
terror O
, O
he O
added O
. O

President O
Hamid O
Karzai O
and O
his O
Pakistani O
counterpart O
Pervez O
Musharaf O
reached O
an O
agreement O
in O
front O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
Bush O
to O
hold O
a O
grand O
assembly O
of O
the O
elders O
and O
chieftains O
of O
the O
two O
neighboring O
countries O
in O
order O
to O
find O
a O
viable O
solution O
to O
militancy O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0302 O

ADDIS O
ABABA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ethiopian O
parliament O
votes O
for O
independent O
commission O
to O
look O
into O
recent O
riots O

Ethiopia O
' O
s O
House O
of O
People O
' O
s O
Representatives O
on O
Monday B-T
ruled O
that O
recent O
riots O
in O
the O
capital O
Addis O
Ababa O
and O
some O
other O
cities O
in O
the O
country O
should O
be O
looked O
into O
by O
an O
independent O
inquiry O
commission O
. O

The O
lower O
house O
of O
parliament O
settled O
on O
the O
establishment O
of O
an O
independent O
inquiry O
commission O
with O
majority O
vote O
after O
thorough O
discussions O
on O
a O
report O
presented O
to O
it O
by O
federal O
police O
commissioner O
Workineh O
Gebeyehu O
. O

The O
police O
report O
said O
the O
recent O
riotings O
were O
" O
well O
- O
organized O
" O
by O
the O
largest O
opposition O
Coalition O
for O
Unity O
and O
Democracy O
( O
CUD O
) O
. O

The O
ruling O
came O
during O
the O
parliament O
' O
s O
first O
extraordinary O
session O
with O
334 O
votes O
for O
, O
one O
vote O
against O
and O
72 O
abstentions O
. O

According O
to O
the O
ruling O
, O
the O
commission O
to O
be O
established O
will O
look O
into O
the O
cause O
of O
the O
riotings O
as O
well O
as O
into O
whether O
the O
measures O
taken O
by O
security O
forces O
were O
excessive O
. O

The O
commission O
will O
also O
take O
up O
the O
task O
of O
determining O
the O
casualties O
and O
property O
damage O
incurred O
, O
said O
the O
ruling O
. O

During O
the O
street O
violence O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
, O
in O
which O
police O
clashed O
with O
CUD O
supporters O
, O
at O
least O
46 O
people O
died O
. O
Between O
Friday B-T
and O
Saturday O
police O
released O
4 O
, O
138 O
people O
, O
but O
many O
were O
still O
in O
custody O
. O

The O
violence O
began O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
amid O
protests O
over O
a O
disputed O
May O
15 O
parliamentary O
elections O
. O

CUD O
has O
been O
boycotting O
the O
lower O
House O
of O
People O
' O
s O
Representatives O
( O
HPR O
) O
, O
saying O
it O
wants O
a O
solution O
to O
the O
contested O
results O
of O
the O
parliamentary O
elections O
. O

The O
final O
election O
results O
indicate O
that O
the O
ruling O
Ethiopian O
People O
' O
s O
Revolutionary O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
EPRDF O
) O
, O
which O
has O
ruled O
the O
country O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
14 I-T
years I-T
, O
has O
won O
327 O
seats O
of O
the O
547 O
- O
seat O
HPR O
, O
enough O
to O
form O
the O
federal O
government O
. O

CUD O
and O
another O
opposition O
party O
, O
the O
United O
Ethiopian O
Democratic O
Force O
( O
UEDF O
) O
, O
were O
in O
second O
and O
third O
places O
with O
109 B-T
and O
52 O
seats O
respectively O
. O

The O
two O
opposition O
parties O
accuse O
the O
ruling O
party O
of O
massive O
electoral O
fraud O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0260 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Greek O
stocks O
close O
lower O

Greek O
stocks O
eased O
slightly O
on O
Wednesday B-T
as O
investors O
took O
profits O
after O
the O
Athens O
Stock O
Exchange O
hit O
new O
five O
- O
year O
highs O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
traders O
here O
said O
. O

The O
composite O
index O
fell O
0 O
. O
38 O
percent O
to O
end O
at O
3 O
, O
491 O
. O
56 O
points O
with O
turnover O
a O
heavy O
238 O
. O
7 O
million O
euros O
( O
281 O
. O
4 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
FTSE O
/ O
ASE O
20 O
index O
for O
blue O
chip O
and O
heavy O
traded O
stocks O
eased O
0 O
. O
43 O
percent O
, O
while O
the O
FTSE O
/ O
ASE O
MID O
40 O
index O
and O
the O
FTSE O
/ O
ASE O
SmallCap O
80 O
index O
fell O
0 O
. O
05 O
percent O
and O
0 O
. O
06 O
percent O
respectively O
. O

Broadly O
, O
decliners O
led O
advancers O
by O
176 B-T
to O
91 O
with O
another O
66 O
issues O
unchanged O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0312 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xavier O
B O
sample O
tests O
positive O
for O
steroid O

Middlesbrough O
defender O
Abel O
Xavier O
has O
again O
tested O
positive O
for O
a O
banned O
substance O
in O
the O
B O
sample O
of O
his O
original O
test O
, O
a O
UEFA O
spokesman O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
spokesman O
said O
: O
" O
The O
B O
sample O
has O
confirmed O
the O
original O
findings O
. O
" O

The O
32 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
, O
who O
was O
tested O
after O
Boro O
' O
s O
UEFA O
Cup O
game O
at O
Xanthi O
, O
is O
set O
to O
face O
a O
Uefa O
hearing O
on O
17 B-T
November I-T
and O
could O
be O
banned O
for O
a B-T
year I-T
. O

Xavier O
has O
denied O
any O
wrongdoing O
and O
said O
last B-T
month I-T
: O
" O
I O
am O
convinced O
there O
is O
a O
harmless O
explanation O
. O
" O

And O
the O
Portuguese O
star O
has O
been O
suspended O
from O
all O
competitions O
while O
an O
investigation O
takes O
place O
. O

Reports O
have O
suggested O
the O
banned O
substance O
found O
in O
Xavier O
' O
s O
test O
was O
the O
anabolic O
steroid O
dianabol O
. O
UEFA O
guidelines O
recommend O
a O
ban O
of O
12 B-T
months I-T
for O
a O
first O
doping O
offence O
. O

If O
Xavier O
is O
found O
guilty O
of O
taking O
a O
performance O
- O
enhancing O
drug O
he O
would O
be O
the O
first O
Premiership O
player O
to O
do O
so O
, O
although O
others O
have O
been O
found O
guilty O
of O
using O
recreational O
drugs O
. O

They O
include O
former O
Chelsea O
players O
Adrian O
Mutu O
and O
Mark O
Bosnich O
, O
who O
tested O
positive O
for O
cocaine O
, O
and O
Lee O
Bowyer O
and O
Chris O
Armstrong O
, O
who O
tested O
positive O
for O
cannabis O
. O

Current O
Tottenham O
midfielder O
Edgar O
Davids O
was O
banned O
for O
four B-T
months I-T
in O
2001 B-T
for O
taking O
the O
steroid O
nandrolone O
when O
he O
was O
a O
Juventus O
player O
. O

Middlesbrough O
manager O
Steve O
McClaren O
, O
who O
signed O
former O
Everton O
and O
Liverpool O
defender O
Xavier O
as O
a O
short O
- O
term O
replacement O
for O
Michael O
Reiziger O
in O
the O
summer B-T
, O
is O
supporting O
the O
player O
. O

" O
He O
is O
protesting O
his O
innocence O
vehemently O
at O
the O
moment O
, O
" O
said O
McClaren O
, O
who O
has O
said O
Xavier O
is O
elsewhere O
in O
Europe O
preparing O
for O
his O
UEFA O
hearing O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0554 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
United O
States O
expressed O
outrage O
Monday B-T
at O
the O
murder O
of O
an O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
newspaper O
chief O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
called O
it O
an O
" O
act O
of O
terrorism O
" O
aimed O
at O
perpetuating O
Damascus O
' O
dominance O
of O
its O
neighbor O
. O

Washington O
said O
the O
car O
bomb O
that O
killed O
Gibran O
Tueni O
highlighted O
the O
need O
to O
enforce O
UN O
demands O
that O
Syria O
stop O
interfering O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
cooperate O
in O
the O
probe O
of O
February B-T
' O
s O
killing O
of O
former O
Lebanese O
premier O
Rafiq O
Hariri O
. O

Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
she O
was O
" O
outraged O
" O
by O
the O
assassination O
of O
Tueni O
, O
which O
she O
called O
" O
a O
vicious O
act O
of O
terror O
against O
a O
Lebanese O
patriot O
and O
a O
voice O
of O
freedom O
. O
" O

" O
Together O
we O
in O
the O
international O
community O
will O
confront O
and O
defeat O
those O
who O
seek O
to O
terrorize O
and O
subjugate O
a O
proud O
, O
independent O
Lebanon O
, O
" O
Rice O
said O
. O
" O
Syrian O
interference O
in O
Lebanon O
continues O
, O
and O
it O
must O
end O
completely O
, O
" O
Rice O
added O
. O

US O
officials O
said O
it O
was O
too O
early O
to O
pin O
the O
powerful O
bomb O
that O
killed O
Tueni O
, O
a O
newly O
elected O
member O
of O
parliament O
, O
and O
three O
other O
people O
in O
a O
Beirut O
suburb O
directly O
on O
Syria O
. O

But O
they O
expressed O
little O
doubt O
about O
the O
motive O
. O

" O
I O
think O
that O
his O
murder O
is O
another O
act O
of O
terrorism O
aimed O
at O
trying O
to O
subjugate O
Lebanon O
to O
Syrian O
domination O
, O
" O
White O
House O
spokesman O
Scott O
McClellan O
told O
reporters O
accompanying O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
to O
Philadelphia O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
clear O
this O
savage O
attack O
is O
clearly O
intended O
to O
intimidate O
those O
in O
Lebanon O
who O
would O
courageously O
and O
openly O
speak O
their O
minds O
, O
" O
McClellan O
said O
. O
" O
It O
' O
s O
also O
a O
violent O
and O
direct O
assault O
on O
freedom O
of O
press O
in O
Lebanon O
. O

" O
The O
attack O
is O
a O
reminder O
that O
all O
of O
us O
in O
the O
international O
community O
must O
continue O
to O
insist O
on O
enforcing O
the O
Security O
Council O
resolutions O
aimed O
at O
ending O
Syria O
' O
s O
interference O
in O
Lebanon O
once O
and O
for O
all O
. O
" O

The O
bombing O
followed O
the O
handover O
of O
a O
report O
by O
UN O
chief O
investigator O
Detlev O
Mehlis O
to O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
his O
probe O
into O
the O
murder O
of O
Hariri O
, O
an O
attack O
blamed O
on O
Syria O
. O

The O
State O
Department O
would O
not O
say O
whether O
the O
United O
States O
supported O
a O
call O
by O
the O
Lebanese O
government O
for O
a O
similar O
UN O
inquiry O
into O
the O
Tueni O
killing O
as O
well O
as O
the O
murders O
of O
other O
Syrian O
opponents O
in O
Lebanon O
. O

" O
We O
will O
certainly O
look O
at O
that O
idea O
, O
work O
with O
the O
people O
of O
Lebanon O
, O
the O
government O
of O
Lebanon O
and O
all O
those O
who O
want O
to O
see O
accountability O
for O
this O
crime O
and O
for O
past O
crimes O
, O
" O
said O
deputy O
spokesman O
Adam O
Ereli O
. O

He O
said O
Rice O
discussed O
the O
Tueni O
killing O
Monday O
by O
phone O
with O
Foreign O
Minister O
Philippe O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
of O
France O
, O
which O
has O
helped O
Washington O
spearhead O
the O
move O
to O
end O
Syrian O
influence O
in O
Lebanon O
. O

" O
The O
secretary O
and O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
discussed O
the O
importance O
of O
accountability O
for O
this O
crime O
( O
and O
) O
continued O
support O
for O
the O
Mehlis O
investigation O
, O
" O
Ereli O
told O
reporters O
at O
the O
State O
Department O
. O

" O
We O
will O
continue O
to O
work O
with O
the O
French O
and O
others O
, O
and O
the O
Lebanese O
, O
in O
order O
to O
make O
sure O
that O
not O
only O
do O
we O
know O
what O
happened O
to O
Mr O
. O
Tueni O
, O
but O
that O
we O
all O
act O
effectively O
to O
preserve O
Lebanese O
sovereignty O
and O
independence O
. O
" O

But O
US O
officials O
said O
they O
were O
still O
discussing O
whether O
to O
expand O
the O
scope O
of O
the O
Mehlis O
probe O
to O
include O
the O
other O
killings O
, O
perhaps O
set O
up O
a O
new O
body O
or O
come O
up O
with O
some O
other O
solution O
. O

" O
The O
modalities O
of O
that O
are O
going O
to O
be O
a O
point O
of O
discussion O
with O
us O
, O
with O
the O
Lebanese O
, O
with O
the O
Security O
Council O
, O
" O
Ereli O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0455 O

LUANDA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mediator O
in O
Angola O
' O
s O
Cabinda O
calls O
for O
adhesion O
to O
peace O
process O

The O
President O
of O
the O
Cabinda O
Forum O
for O
Dialogue O
( O
FCD O
) O
, O
Antnio O
Bento O
Bembe O
has O
called O
for O
the O
adhesion O
to O
the O
peace O
process O
underway O
in O
the O
region O
. O

According O
to O
Angola O
Press O
Agency O
ANGOP O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
FCD O
president O
appealed O
for O
the O
contribution O
of O
people O
with O
good O
faith O
for O
the O
consolidation O
of O
peace O
in O
the O
heroic O
province O
. O

" O
The O
time O
is O
for O
reconciliation O
; O
let O
us O
forget O
the O
past O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
considered O
positive O
the O
first O
phase O
of O
implementing O
the O
Memorandum O
of O
Peace O
, O
defending O
with O
the O
fact O
that O
95 O
percent O
of O
the O
troops O
have O
already O
been O
stationed O
. O

Cabinda O
, O
which O
produces O
60 O
percent O
of O
Angola O
' O
s O
oil O
, O
is O
a O
sliver O
of O
land O
sandwiched O
between O
the O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
and O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
. O

An O
armed O
conflict O
for O
secession O
led O
by O
the O
Front O
for O
the O
Liberation O
of O
the O
Enclave O
of O
Cabinda O
( O
FLEC O
) O
has O
occurred O
in O
the O
territory O
since O
Angola O
' O
s O
independence O
in O
1975 B-T
. O
In O
2004 B-T
, O
FLEC O
, O
the O
Church O
and O
others O
set O
up O
the O
FCD O
to O
enter O
into O
dialogue O
with O
the O
Angolan O
central O
government O
for O
peace O
in O
Cabinda O
. O

The O
Angolan O
government O
and O
FCD O
signed O
the O
memorandum O
of O
understanding O
for O
peace O
on O
August B-T
1 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

Bembe O
said O
that O
at O
the O
moment O
his O
board O
is O
working O
for O
the O
closing O
of O
the O
first O
phase O
, O
which O
will O
end O
with O
the O
integration O
of O
FLEC O
soldiers O
in O
the O
Angolan O
Armed O
Forces O
and O
in O
the O
National O
Police O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0088 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
court O
trying O
former O
Iraqi O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
on O
Tuesday B-T
called O
a O
10 O
- O
minute O
break O
to O
sort O
out O
a O
technical O
problem O
over O
how O
a O
woman O
witness O
could O
best O
testify O
without O
her O
voice O
being O
identified O
. O

The O
woman O
sat O
in O
court O
behind O
a O
green O
curtain O
and O
began O
to O
give O
her O
testimony O
relayed O
with O
her O
voice O
disguised O
for O
security O
reasons O
, O
but O
defence O
lawyers O
protested O
and O
charged O
that O
her O
testimony O
was O
incomprehensible O
. O

Judge O
Rizkar O
Mohammed O
Amin O
then O
ruled O
that O
the O
audio O
feed O
to O
journalists O
in O
the O
tribunal O
' O
s O
press O
box O
be O
cut O
, O
allowing O
a O
woman O
- O
- O
identified O
only O
as O
witness O
A O
- O
- O
to O
speak O
without O
her O
voice O
being O
identified O
. O

" O
Cut O
the O
audio O
to O
the O
outside O
and O
let O
the O
witness O
speak O
with O
her O
normal O
voice O
, O
" O
said O
Amin O
. O

Journalists O
following O
the O
court O
hearing O
are O
sat O
behind O
a O
glass O
window O
, O
but O
Amin O
then O
ordered O
a O
10 O
- O
minute O
break O
to O
decide O
how O
best O
the O
woman O
could O
speak O
. O

" O
Everyone O
has O
to O
hear O
, O
" O
Amin O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0147 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roadside O
bomb O
kills O
two O
Iraqi O
soldiers O
north O
of O
Baghdad O

A O
roadside O
bomb O
hit O
an O
Iraqi O
army O
patrol O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
killing O
two O
soldiers O
, O
a O
local O
source O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

" O
The O
explosion O
occurred O
in O
Baiji O
, O
around O
200 O
km O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
. O
Another O
seven O
Iraqi O
soldiers O
were O
wounded O
in O
the O
blast O
, O
" O
the O
source O
from O
the O
US O
- O
Iraqi O
Joint O
Coordination O
Center O
in O
Tikrit O
said O
. O

Insurgents O
frequently O
target O
US O
and O
Iraqi O
military O
patrols O
with O
car O
bombs O
and O
roadside O
bombs O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
topple O
the O
US O
- O
backed O
government O
formed O
in O
April B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0153 O

MOSCOW O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Russian O
Chechnya O
negotiator O
calls O
for O
calm O
, O
attacks O
Kulikov O

Russia O
' O
s O
top O
negotiator O
in O
Chechnya O
, O
Ivan O
Rybkin O
, O
opened O
new O
peace O
talks O
Wednesday B-T
despite O
a O
series O
of O
bombings O
and O
criticised O
Interior O
Minister O
Anatoly O
Kulikov O
for O
his O
attack O
on O
the O
Chechen O
separatist O
leadership O
. O

Rybkin O
, O
the O
secretary O
of O
the O
Russian O
Security O
Council O
, O
said O
Kulikov O
' O
s O
comments O
on O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
bombing O
of O
a O
railway O
station O
in O
Pyatigorsk O
, O
southern O
Russia O
, O
were O
an O
attempt O
to O
disrupt O
the O
eight O
- O
month O
peace O
process O
. O

" O
However O
many O
stars O
they O
have O
on O
their O
shoulders O
, O
people O
should O
not O
choke O
on O
their O
own O
ambitions O
. O
. O
. O
. O
Those O
who O
fight O
organised O
crime O
should O
not O
break O
up O
the O
peace O
process O
and O
make O
political O
statements O
, O
" O
Rybkin O
said O
on O
arrival O
in O
the O
Chechen O
capital O
Grozny O
, O
Interfax O
reported O
. O

On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
Kulikov O
announced O
that O
two O
Chechen O
women O
had O
been O
arrested O
for O
the O
bombing O
in O
Pyatigorsk O
, O
which O
killed O
two O
people O
and O
hospitalised O
15 O
, O
and O
declared O
that O
the O
bombing O
showed O
the O
Chechen O
government O
was O
not O
in O
charge O
. O

The O
women O
have O
been O
transferred O
to O
prison O
in O
Moscow O
, O
Russian O
news O
agencies O
said O
. O

The O
Chechen O
government O
denied O
any O
involvement O
in O
the O
bombing O
, O
accusing O
the O
Russian O
security O
forces O
of O
carrying O
it O
out O
to O
disrupt O
negotiations O
, O
which O
began O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
21 O
- O
month O
war O
last B-T
August I-T
. O

Rybkin O
was O
met O
at O
Grozny O
airport O
by O
the O
chief O
Chechen O
negotiator O
, O
first O
deputy O
prime O
minister O
Movladi O
Udugov O
, O
the O
head O
of O
the O
Chechen O
YUNKO O
oil O
company O
, O
and O
other O
officials O
, O
ITAR O
- O
TASS O
said O
. O

Interfax O
reported O
earlier O
that O
Rybkin O
would O
meet O
with O
President O
Aslan O
Maskhadov O
. O

Boris O
Berezovsky O
, O
deputy O
secretary O
of O
the O
Russian O
Security O
Council O
, O
accompanied O
Rybkin O
. O

Meanwhile O
President O
Boris O
Yeltsin O
, O
on O
holiday O
in O
the O
Black O
Sea O
resort O
of O
Sochi O
, O
met O
with O
Kulikov O
. O

The O
Chechens O
, O
who O
declared O
independence O
in O
1991 B-T
, O
drove O
out O
Russian O
troops O
in O
the O
war O
, O
which O
killed O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
people O
and O
left O
the O
tiny O
republic O
in O
ruins O
. O

Moscow O
continues O
to O
insist O
Chechnya O
is O
part O
of O
Russia O
and O
talks O
on O
future O
relations O
and O
economic O
aid O
for O
Chechnya O
have O
bogged O
down O
over O
the B-T
last I-T
few I-T
months I-T
. O
Throughout O
the O
war O
, O
Kulikov O
was O
one O
of O
the O
key O
backers O
of O
a O
military O
solution O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0574 O

VATICAN O
CITY O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Two O
Chinese O
scientists O
to O
join O
Vatican O
academy O

Pope O
John O
Paul O
II O
on O
Friday B-T
appointed O
two O
Chinese O
scientists O
- O
- O
one O
from O
Taiwan O
, O
the O
other O
from O
the O
mainland O
- O
- O
to O
the O
Pontifical O
Academy O
of O
Sciences O
. O

The O
two O
are O
Chin O
Ningyang O
, O
74 O
, O
from O
Hefei O
in O
China O
, O
the O
1957 O
Nobel O
Physics O
Prize O
winner O
and O
son O
of O
a O
mathematics O
professor O
at O
Beijing O
university O
. O

Chin O
emigrated O
to O
the O
United O
States O
in O
1945 B-T
, O
but O
resumed O
contacts O
with O
China O
in O
1972 B-T
. O

Since O
1986 B-T
he O
has O
taught O
both O
in O
the O
United O
States O
and O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
. O
He O
is O
also O
a O
member O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Academy O
of O
Sciences O
. O

Te O
- O
Tzu O
Chang O
, O
70 O
, O
graduated O
in O
the O
United O
States O
and O
is O
well O
- O
known O
among O
scientists O
for O
his O
genetical O
research O
which O
revolutionized O
rice O
production O
in O
Third O
World O
countries O
. O

He O
was O
born O
in O
Shanghai O
but O
lives O
in O
Taiwan O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0206 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
' O
s O
Li O
Yan O
wins O
Asiad O
cycling O
points O
gold O

China O
' O
s O
Li O
Yan O
won O
the O
Asian O
Games O
women O
' O
s O
cycling O
points O
gold O
medal O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Lee O
Min O
Hye O
took O
silver O
with O
Nontasin O
Chanpeng O
of O
Thailand O
winning O
bronze O
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0099 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0099 O
. O

Letters O
to O
the O
Editor O
: O

@ O
Innovators O
Overlooked O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

MUTUAL O
AND O
MONEY O
- O
MARKET O
FUNDS O
( O
FND O
) O

I O
was O
pleased O
to O
note O
that O
your O
Oct B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
Centennial O
Journal O
item O
recognized O
the O
money O
- O
fund O
concept O
as O
one O
of O
the O
significant O
events O
of O
the O
past O
century O
. O

Actually O
, O
about B-T
two I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
the O
Journal O
listed O
the O
creation O
of O
the O
money O
fund O
as O
one O
of O
the O
10 O
most O
significant O
events O
in O
the O
world O
of O
finance O
in O
the B-T
20th I-T
century I-T
. O

But O
the O
Reserve O
Fund O
, O
America O
' O
s O
first O
money O
fund O
, O
was O
not O
named O
, O
nor O
were O
the O
creators O
of O
the O
money O
- O
fund O
concept O
, O
Harry O
Brown O
and O
myself O
. O

We O
innovated O
telephone O
redemptions O
, O
daily O
dividends O
, O
total O
elimination O
of O
share O
certificates O
and O
the O
constant O
$ O
1 O
pershare O
pricing O
, O
all O
of O
which O
were O
painfully O
thought O
out O
and O
not O
the O
result O
of O
some O
inadvertence O
on O
the O
part O
of O
the O
SEC O
. O

BRUCE O
R O
. O
BENT O

President O

The O
Reserve O
Fund O

New O
York O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0308 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chile O
rejoins O
CAN O
after O
30 O
years O

Chile O
on O
Friday B-T
rejoined O
the O
Andean O
Community O
of O
Nations O
( O
CAN O
) O
some B-T
30 I-T
years I-T
after O
its O
1976 O
exit O
, O
although O
it O
still O
remains O
an O
associate O
rather O
than O
a O
full O
member O
at O
the O
moment O
. O

Chile O
' O
s O
foreign O
minister O
, O
Alejandro O
Foxley O
, O
said O
his O
country O
will O
work O
hard O
for O
regional O
integration O
. O

The O
foreign O
ministers O
of O
the O
CAN O
nations O
, O
Bolivia O
, O
Ecuador O
, O
Peru O
and O
Colombia O
, O
agreed O
on O
Chile O
' O
s O
reentry O
into O
the O
group O
, O
at O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
third O
foreign O
ministers O
' O
meeting O
of O
the O
Community O
of O
South O
American O
Nations O
in O
Chile O
' O
s O
capital O
Santiago O
. O

A O
CAN O
committee O
will O
decide O
in O
180 B-T
days I-T
exactly O
how O
Chile O
will O
take O
part O
in O
the O
Andean O
Integration O
System O
' O
s O
bodies O
and O
institutions O
. O

Chile O
was O
a O
founder O
member O
of O
CAN O
but O
left O
it O
in O
1976 B-T
following O
a O
squabble O
over O
foreign O
investment O
law O
provisions O
. O

Venezuela O
left O
CAN O
at O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
in O
order O
to O
be O
qualified O
as O
a O
full O
member O
of O
the O
trading O
block O
, O
Common O
Market O
of O
the O
South O
( O
Mercosur O
) O
. O
All O
CAN O
members O
, O
including O
Chile O
, O
are O
associate O
members O
of O
Mercosur O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0263 O

MAR O
DEL O
PLATA O
, O
Argentina O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Demonstrations O
at O
Summit O
of O
Americas O
turns O
violent O

Demonstrations O
against O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
turned O
violent O
in O
the O
southern O
Argentine O
city O
of O
Mar O
Del O
Plata O
on O
Friday B-T
when O
protesters O
threw O
rocks O
at O
the O
police O
and O
smashed O
windows O
of O
buildings O
. O

The O
demonstrators O
, O
chanting O
slogans O
such O
as O
" O
Bush O
, O
gets O
out O
of O
Argentina O
, O
" O
" O
Bush O
is O
a O
fascist O
, O
" O
set O
fire O
on O
a O
shop O
and O
burned O
a O
US O
flag O
. O
Throngs O
of O
police O
fired O
tear O
gas O
at O
the O
demonstrators O
. O

Xinhua O
correspondent O
saw O
that O
a O
policeman O
was O
hit O
by O
rocks O
and O
was O
put O
on O
an O
ambulance O
. O

The O
clash O
took O
place O
only O
several O
blocks O
away O
from O
the O
hotel O
where O
the O
Summit O
of O
the O
Americas O
is O
held O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0333 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Czech O
to O
explore O
Zimbabwean O
tourism O
market O
: O
diplomat O

Czech O
Ambassador O
to O
Zimbabwe O
Vaclav O
Jilek O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
he O
would O
meet O
Zimbabwe O
' O
s O
tourism O
authorities O
to O
find O
ways O
of O
exploring O
untapped O
opportunities O
that O
exist O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

Jilek O
said O
he O
would O
help O
Zimbabwe O
' O
s O
travel O
agencies O
build O
strong O
ties O
with O
their O
Czech O
counterparts O
, O
setting O
the O
stage O
for O
mutual O
cooperation O
. O

He O
said O
Zimbabwe O
boasts O
a O
number O
of O
attractive O
sites O
such O
as O
the O
mighty O
Victoria O
Falls O
and O
the O
Great O
Zimbabwe O
, O
which O
had O
the O
potential O
to O
attract O
thousands O
of O
visitors O
from O
Czech O
every B-T
year I-T
. O
" O
The O
recently O
held O
International O
Travel O
Expo O
in O
Harare O
was O
an O
eye O
- O
opener O
and O
I O
have O
since O
been O
talking O
to O
different O
players O
on O
how O
best O
we O
can O
cooperate O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Czechs O
, O
like O
their O
European O
counterparts O
in O
the O
United O
Kingdom O
and O
France O
, O
are O
high O
spenders O
and O
usually O
travel O
in O
small O
groups O
and O
stay O
longer O
, O
he O
said O
, O
but O
owing O
to O
poor O
marketing O
strategies O
, O
the O
country O
has O
continued O
to O
register O
low O
arrivals O
from O
the O
Eastern O
European O
country O
. O

Zimbabwe O
has O
, O
since O
the O
land O
reform O
program O
in O
2000 B-T
, O
experienced O
a O
decline O
in O
tourist O
arrivals O
mainly O
from O
its O
traditional O
markets O
in O
Europe O
and O
America O
because O
of O
negative O
media O
coverage O
that O
portrayed O
the O
southern O
African O
country O
as O
an O
unsafe O
tourist O
destination O
. O

This O
prompted O
the O
government O
to O
adopt O
a O
Look O
East O
policy O
, O
which O
has O
of O
late O
paid O
dividends O
while O
efforts O
are O
also O
underway O
to O
revive O
the O
traditional O
markets O
. O

According O
to O
statistics O
from O
the O
Zimbabwe O
Tourism O
Authority O
( O
ZTA O
) O
, O
the O
country O
has O
already O
recorded O
an O
increase O
in O
arrivals O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
totaling O
1 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
compared O
with O
about O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0015 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0015 O
. O

Marketing O
Brief O
- O
- O
Sony O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Japanese O
Concern O
Completes O

@ O
Offer O
for O
Columbia O
Pictures O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

SNE O
KPE O
GPEC O
WCI O
TL O

RECREATION O
, O
ENTERTAINMENT O
, O
TOYS O
, O
MOVIES O
, O
PHOTOGRAPHY O
, O
SPORTS O
( O
REC O
) O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

MEDIA O
, O
PUBLISHING O
, O
BROADCASTING O
, O
ELECTRONIC O
PUBLISHING O
( O
MED O
) O

Sony O
Corp O
. O
completed O
its O
tender O
offer O
for O
Columbia O
Pictures O
Entertainment O
Inc O
. O
, O
with O
Columbia O
shareholders O
tendering O
99 O
. O
3 O
% O
of O
all O
common O
shares O
outstanding O
by O
the O
Tuesday B-T
deadline O
. O

Sony O
Columbia O
Acquisition O
Corp O
. O
, O
formed O
for O
the O
Columbia O
deal O
, O
will O
formally O
take O
ownership O
of O
the O
movie O
studio O
later O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
a O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Sony O
is O
paying O
$ O
27 O
a O
share O
, O
or O
$ O
3 O
. O
55 O
billion O
, O
cash O
and O
is O
assuming O
$ O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
of O
long O
- O
term O
debt O
. O

Still O
unresolved O
is O
Sony O
' O
s O
effort O
to O
hire O
producers O
Jon O
Peters O
and O
Peter O
Guber O
to O
run O
the O
studio O
. O

Sony O
' O
s O
planned O
acquisition O
of O
Guber O
/ O
Peters O
Entertainment O
Co O
. O
for O
$ O
200 O
million O
is O
scheduled O
to O
close O
Monday B-T
. O

Guber O
/ O
Peters O
has O
been O
locked O
in O
litigation O
with O
Warner O
Communications O
Inc O
. O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
get O
out O
of O
an O
exclusive O
production O
contract O
with O
Warner O
. O

Both O
sides O
are O
in O
talks O
to O
settle O
the O
dispute O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0110 O

PHNOM O
PENH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cambodian O
Prince O
Ranariddh O
turns O
to O
head O
minor O
party O

Prince O
Norodom O
Ranariddh O
, O
the O
recently B-T
ousted O
president O
of O
Cambodia O
' O
s O
co O
- O
ruling O
Funcinpec O
Party O
, O
here O
Thursday B-T
gave O
up O
his O
efforts O
to O
establish O
a O
new O
party O
, O
and O
turned O
to O
preside O
the O
rarely O
- O
known O
Khmer O
Front O
Party O
in O
anticipation O
of O
the O
upcoming O
communal O
and O
general O
elections O
. O

" O
I O
must O
merge O
with O
other O
party O
to O
compete O
in O
the O
communal O
election O
in O
April B-T
2007 I-T
and O
the O
general O
election O
in O
2008 B-T
, O
because O
the O
Interior O
Ministry O
has O
delayed O
my O
proposal O
to O
establish O
a O
new O
party O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
at O
its O
headquarters O
. O

" O
They O
raised O
the O
so O
- O
called O
technical O
points O
to O
delay O
the O
registration O
of O
my O
party O
. O
There O
is O
no O
technical O
reason O
, O
but O
political O
reason O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

In O
response O
, O
Sak O
Sitha O
, O
political O
party O
expert O
at O
the O
Interior O
Ministry O
told O
Xinhua O
by O
phone O
that O
he O
would O
not O
explain O
about O
this O
case O
and O
he O
had O
not O
seen O
the O
prince O
' O
s O
requests O
yet O
. O

Additionally O
, O
Khiev O
Sopheak O
, O
spokesman O
of O
the O
Interior O
Ministry O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
that O
he O
could O
not O
understand O
the O
prince O
' O
s O
choice O
. O

The O
old O
party O
should O
be O
dissolved O
if O
it O
merged O
with O
another O
party O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Suth O
Dina O
, O
former O
president O
of O
Khmer O
Front O
Party O
, O
told O
reporters O
that O
he O
and O
other O
party O
members O
were O
very O
happy O
to O
hand O
over O
the O
party O
to O
Ranariddh O
. O

" O
We O
all O
approved O
of O
handing O
over O
this O
party O
to O
him O
in O
order O
to O
strengthen O
the O
royalist O
regime O
in O
Cambodia O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
Khmer O
Front O
Party O
revised O
its O
by O
- O
law O
and O
changed O
its O
name O
to O
the O
Norodom O
Ranariddh O
Party O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Ranariddh O
, O
son O
of O
former O
king O
Sihanouk O
who O
inaugurated O
Funcinpec O
, O
said O
that O
people O
would O
vote O
for O
him O
because O
they O
knew O
him O
when O
he O
President O
of O
Funcinpec O
. O

" O
I O
am O
now O
the O
opposition O
party O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
Sam O
Rainsy O
Party O
and O
Funcinpec O
currently O
shared O
the O
power O
with O
the O
ruling O
Cambodian O
People O
' O
s O
Party O
headed O
by O
Prime O
Minister O
Hun O
Sen O
. O

" O
I O
am O
strong O
at O
the O
grass O
root O
level O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
Norodom O
Ranariddh O
Party O
would O
care O
about O
freedom O
of O
expression O
, O
democracy O
, O
defense O
of O
royalist O
regime O
and O
territory O
, O
free O
multi O
- O
party O
system O
as O
well O
as O
respect O
for O
Cambodian O
Constitution O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Ranariddh O
was O
expelled O
from O
Funicipec O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
by O
his O
brother O
in O
- O
law O
Keo O
Puth O
Rasmey O
, O
Former O
Cambodian O
Ambassador O
to O
Germany O
, O
because O
he O
spent O
too O
much O
time O
abroad O
to O
care O
about O
the O
party O
and O
could O
not O
cooperate O
with O
Hun O
Sen O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0789 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
called O
on O
Russia O
Monday B-T
to O
cooperate O
fully O
with O
investigations O
into O
the O
mysterious O
radioactive O
poisoning O
of O
a O
former O
spy O
and O
critic O
of O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
been O
very O
clear O
with O
the O
Russia O
government O
that O
all O
of O
these O
issues O
need O
to O
be O
investigated O
and O
investigated O
thoroughly O
, O
" O
Rice O
told O
AFP O
in O
an O
exclusive O
interview O
. O

" O
We O
think O
total O
cooperation O
on O
this O
is O
necessary O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

The O
former O
spy O
, O
Alexander O
Litvinenko O
, O
died O
last B-T
month I-T
in O
London O
after O
being O
contaminated O
with O
the O
radioactive O
substance O
polonium O
- O
210 O
. O

Investigations O
have O
since O
found O
traces O
of O
the O
substance O
in O
locations O
around O
London O
that O
were O
visited O
by O
Litvinenko O
after O
he O
met O
with O
two O
Russian O
contacts O
. O

German O
police O
subsequently O
found O
traces O
of O
the O
polonium O
in O
Hamburg O
, O
where O
one O
of O
the O
contacts O
, O
Dmitry O
Kovtun O
, O
stopped O
on O
his O
way O
from O
Moscow O
to O
London O
for O
the O
meeting O
. O

Hamburg O
prosecutors O
have O
opened O
a O
criminal O
investigation O
against O
Kovtun O
for O
apparently O
bringing O
the O
radioactive O
substance O
into O
the O
country O
from O
Russia O
and O
said O
they O
considered O
him O
" O
more O
a O
perpetrator O
than O
a O
victim O
. O
" O

Litvinenko O
' O
s O
widow O
said O
at O
the O
weekend B-T
she O
was O
convinced O
he O
was O
killed O
by O
a O
Russian O
" O
hit O
squad O
" O
because O
of O
his O
criticism O
of O
Putin O
and O
Russia O
' O
s O
handling O
of O
the O
war O
in O
Chechnya O
. O

Russia O
has O
strongly O
denied O
any O
role O
in O
Litvinenko O
' O
s O
murder O
. O

" O
Everybody O
ought O
to O
try O
to O
get O
to O
the O
bottom O
of O
it O
, O
because O
it O
has O
dimensions O
which O
are O
quite O
troubling O
given O
there O
are O
traces O
of O
( O
polonium O
) O
showing O
up O
in O
lots O
of O
different O
places O
, O
" O
Rice O
said O
. O

Rice O
, O
who O
first O
entered O
government O
as O
a O
policy O
expert O
on O
the O
Soviet O
Union O
in O
the B-T
1980s I-T
, O
has O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
voiced O
concern O
about O
anti O
- O
democratic O
developments O
in O
Putin O
' O
s O
Russia O
, O
including O
a O
string O
of O
politically O
motivated O
murders O
and O
the O
growing O
power O
of O
the O
Kremlin O
and O
its O
allies O
over O
the O
media O
and O
economy O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0341 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chile O
reaffirms O
sovereignty O
over O
disputed O
sea O
territories O

Chile O
reiterated O
Thursday B-T
it O
will O
continue O
exercising O
sovereignty O
and O
jurisdiction O
over O
a O
disputed O
area O
in O
the O
Pacific O
Ocean O
, O
defying O
a O
recent O
bill O
approved O
by O
Peru O
' O
s O
Congress O
that O
seeks O
to O
redraw O
maritime O
borders O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ve O
just O
handed O
over O
to O
the O
Peruvian O
Ambassador O
to O
Chile O
a O
diplomatic O
note O
of O
our O
country O
, O
" O
said O
Chilean O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ignacio O
Walker O
ahead O
of O
a O
cabinet O
meeting O
. O

The O
note O
reiterated O
" O
what O
already O
is O
known O
to O
all O
, O
in O
the O
sense O
that O
we O
will O
strictly O
abide O
by O
international O
law O
, O
exercising O
sovereignty O
and O
jurisdiction O
over O
what O
is O
Chilean O
territory O
, O
" O
said O
the O
minister O
. O

Earlier B-T
Thursday I-T
, O
the O
Peruvian O
Congress O
approved O
a O
bill O
that O
claims O
sovereignty O
over O
a O
sea O
area O
covering O
35 O
, O
000 O
square O
kilometers O
of O
the O
Pacific O
Ocean O
along O
the O
South O
American O
coastline O
, O
which O
currently B-T
belongs O
to O
Chile O
. O

From O
1879 B-T
to O
1883 O
, O
Chile O
fought O
the O
War O
of O
Pacific O
against O
Peru O
and O
Bolivia O
, O
winning O
Bolivia O
' O
s O
only O
sea O
outlet O
Antofagasta O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Chilean O
government O
, O
Chile O
' O
s O
border O
with O
Peru O
was O
already O
resolved O
in O
the O
1952 B-T
and O
1954 O
treaties O
. O
But O
Peru O
claimed O
that O
it O
never O
signed O
any O
maritime O
demarcation O
pact O
with O
Chile O
. O
Relations O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
been O
strained O
recently O
due O
to O
the O
sea O
border O
dispute O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Chilean O
President O
Ricardo O
Lagos O
reaffirmed O
that O
" O
Chile O
will O
continue O
claiming O
sovereignty O
over O
its O
maritime O
territory O
. O
" O

Following O
the O
decision O
by O
the O
Peruvian O
Congress O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
security O
has O
been O
tightened O
around O
the O
premises O
of O
the O
Peruvian O
Embassy O
in O
Santiago O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0158 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Passengers O
via O
Xiamen O
- O
Jinmen O
line O
to O
top O
500 O
, O
000 O
in O
2005 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 O
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Passengers O
via O
the O
shipping O
line O
from O
Xiamen O
, O
a O
coastal O
city O
of O
Fujian O
Province O
that O
sees O
Taiwan O
across O
the O
sea O
, O
to O
Jinmen O
, O
will O
top O
500 O
, O
000 O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

According O
to O
statistics O
of O
the O
Port O
of O
Xiamen O
, O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
ten I-T
months I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
passengers O
via O
this O
line O
reached O
438 O
, O
113 O
person O
- O
times O
, O
up O
32 O
. O
4 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
. O

On O
Jan B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2001 I-T
, O
the O
passenger O
shipping O
line O
between O
Xiamen O
and O
Jinmen O
opened O
to O
direct O
passenger O
traffic O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
of O
Taiwan O
strait O
. O

During O
these B-T
years I-T
, O
this O
line O
has O
become O
a O
golden O
traffic O
line O
, O
which O
facilitates O
people O
going O
across O
the O
strait O
, O
according O
to O
Zhou O
Qinghai O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
Administration O
Department O
of O
the O
Xiamen O
Municipal O
Port O
Authorities O
. O

Statistics O
show O
that O
passenger O
throughput O
grew O
from O
20 O
, O
835 O
in O
2001 B-T
to O
406 O
, O
883 O
person O
- O
times O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
a O
jump O
of O
almost O
twenty O
times O
. O

Zhou O
said O
this O
line O
became O
more O
popular O
when O
the O
annual O
cross O
- O
Strait O
mechanical O
and O
electronic O
products O
trade O
fair O
held O
in O
April B-T
and O
when O
Lien O
Chan O
, O
then O
chairman O
of O
Taiwan O
' O
s O
Kuomintang O
party O
and O
James O
Soong O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
People O
First O
Party O
visited O
the O
mainland O
in O
the O
first O
half O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

July B-T
witnessed O
a O
record O
- O
breaking O
passenger O
throughput O
of O
50 O
, O
813 O
person O
- O
times O
for O
a B-T
single I-T
month I-T
. O

At O
present O
there O
are O
12 O
voyages O
a O
day O
on O
the O
line O
, O
and O
the O
Port O
of O
Xiamen O
has O
an O
annual O
capacity O
of O
transporting O
one O
million O
people O
. O

Ever O
since O
April B-T
1997 I-T
, O
experimental O
direct O
sailing O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
of O
the O
Taiwan O
strait O
has O
made O
Port O
of O
Xiamen O
one O
of O
most O
important O
ports O
to O
undertake O
mainland O
- O
Taiwan O
shipping O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0264 O

DHAKA O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
opposition O
, O
diplomat O
reax O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Four O
members O
of O
Bangladesh O
' O
s O
interim O
government O
quit O
on O
Monday B-T
in O
protest O
at O
the O
president O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
deploy O
the O
army O
to O
restore O
order O
ahead O
of O
January B-T
' O
s O
elections O
. O

The O
resignations O
came O
despite O
assurances O
from O
President O
Iajuddin O
Ahmed O
that O
calling O
in O
the O
military O
would O
not O
harm O
the O
democratic O
process O
in O
the O
country O
, O
paralysed O
for O
weeks O
by O
opposition O
protests O
and O
bloody O
clashes O
. O

" O
We O
have O
sent O
our O
resignation O
letter O
to O
the O
president O
, O
because O
we O
think O
that O
no O
situation O
has O
been O
created O
in O
the O
country O
that O
warranted O
an O
army O
deployment O
, O
" O
interim O
cabinet O
member O
Sultana O
Kamal O
said O
. O

The O
president O
ordered O
the O
deployment O
late O
on O
Saturday B-T
in O
a O
bid O
to O
restore O
order O
and O
counter O
opposition O
threats O
to O
conduct O
non O
- O
stop O
protests O
to O
force O
electoral O
reforms O
. O

The O
opposition O
, O
led O
by O
the O
Awami O
League O
, O
have O
alleged O
the O
January B-T
23 I-T
polls O
will O
be O
rigged O
in O
favour O
of O
the O
outgoing O
Bangladesh O
National O
Party O
( O
BNP O
) O
. O

At O
least O
34 O
people O
have O
also O
died O
in O
pre O
- O
election O
violence O
in O
the O
impoverished O
and O
politically O
polarised O
south O
Asian O
nation O
. O

Kamal O
said O
all O
the O
president O
' O
s O
10 O
advisors O
, O
or O
cabinet O
members O
, O
had O
opposed O
the O
president O
' O
s O
move O
to O
deploy O
the O
armed O
forces O
. O

" O
But O
he O
did O
not O
care O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
The O
deployment O
of O
the O
army O
is O
against O
the O
democratic O
process O
. O
. O
. O
it O
can O
provoke O
the O
political O
parties O
and O
create O
obstacles O
to O
holding O
a O
free O
and O
fair O
election O
. O
" O

The O
four O
cabinet O
members O
who O
quit O
included O
a O
former O
army O
chief O
, O
a O
former O
senior O
bureaucrat O
, O
a O
former O
foreign O
secretary O
and O
a O
human O
rights O
lawyer O
. O

" O
The O
resignation O
of O
four O
advisers O
proves O
that O
a O
free O
and O
neutral O
election O
is O
impossible O
under O
President O
Iajuddin O
Ahmed O
, O
" O
said O
senior O
Awami O
League O
official O
Tofail O
Ahmed O
. O

" O
The O
president O
has O
been O
serving O
the O
outgoing O
Bangladesh O
Nationalist O
Party O
( O
BNP O
) O
. O
I O
think O
unless O
he O
is O
removed O
as O
the O
head O
the O
caretaker O
government O
, O
we O
can O
not O
expect O
free O
and O
fair O
elections O
. O
" O

The O
opposition O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
vowed O
its O
protests O
would O
continue O
, O
even O
as O
thousands O
of O
troops O
fanned O
out O
across O
the O
capital O
and O
the O
country O
. O

" O
We O
will O
hold O
protest O
rallies O
to O
press O
our O
demand O
for O
creating O
a O
level O
- O
playing O
field O
for O
the O
upcoming O
elections O
, O
" O
opposition O
spokesman O
Abdul O
Jalil O
said O
. O

" O
We O
will O
continue O
our O
movement O
until O
the O
caretaker O
government O
implements O
all O
our O
demands O
. O
" O

Awami O
League O
leader O
Sheikh O
Hasina O
Wajed O
said O
Sunday B-T
that O
the O
situation O
in O
the O
country O
did O
not O
warrant O
the O
army O
' O
s O
deployment O
. O

But O
in O
a O
televised O
speech O
to O
the O
nation O
late B-T
Sunday I-T
, O
the O
president O
sought O
to O
justify O
his O
move O
by O
saying O
the O
armed O
forces O
had O
been O
deployed O
by O
previous O
governments O
. O

He O
also O
said O
he O
merely O
wanted O
to O
" O
ensure O
security O
and O
to O
create O
a O
congenial O
and O
peaceful O
atmosphere O
" O
. O

Soldiers O
have O
been O
deployed O
in O
Dhaka O
- O
- O
particularly O
around O
the O
presidential O
palace O
- O
- O
as O
well O
as O
in O
all O
districts O
and O
towns O
and O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
ports O
. O

" O
So O
far O
we O
have O
deployed O
nearly O
16 O
, O
000 O
army O
troops O
, O
1 O
, O
000 O
navy O
and O
500 O
airforce O
personnel O
, O
" O
armed O
forces O
spokesman O
, O
Colonel O
Anisur O
Rahman O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
If O
the O
situation O
demands O
, O
the O
troops O
will O
move O
to O
sub O
- O
district O
towns O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

British O
High O
Commissioner O
Anwar O
Choudhury O
said O
the O
resignations O
would O
create O
uncertainty O
in O
the O
present O
political O
situation O
ahead O
of O
next B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
general O
election O
, O
according O
to O
the O
private O
UNB O
news O
agency O
. O

" O
The O
resignation O
is O
unexpected O
. O
This O
is O
not O
a O
good O
development O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
. O

Analyst O
Ataur O
Rahman O
, O
a O
professor O
of O
political O
science O
in O
Dhaka O
University O
, O
said O
the O
walk O
- O
out O
was O
a O
" O
major O
blow O
" O
to O
the O
interim O
government O
. O

" O
It O
opens O
up O
a O
serious O
crack O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
caretaker O
government O
system O
. O
It O
deepens O
the O
country O
' O
s O
political O
crisis O
and O
now B-T
raises O
questions O
about O
the O
democratic O
process O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0030 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
Congress O
passes O
bill O
to O
normalize O
trade O
with O
Vietnam O

The O
US O
Congress O
early O
Saturday B-T
gave O
its O
final O
approval O
to O
a O
bill O
to O
restore O
normal O
trade O
ties O
with O
Vietnam O
. O

The O
bill O
granting O
" O
permanent O
normal O
trade O
relations O
" O
( O
PNTR O
) O
status O
to O
Vietnam O
was O
part O
of O
a O
large O
omnibus O
measure O
approved O
by O
the O
Senate O
79 O
- O
9 O
during O
an O
all O
- O
night O
session O
. O

The O
US O
House O
of O
Representatives O
voted O
for O
it O
212 B-T
- I-T
184 I-T
late I-T
Friday I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0093 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
activist O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Southeast O
Asia O
' O
s O
new O
campaign O
for O
the O
Myanmar O
junta O
to O
release O
opposition O
leader O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
is O
unlikely O
to O
be O
successful O
any O
time O
soon O
, O
United O
Nations O
envoy O
Razali O
Ismail O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

Razali O
welcomed O
the O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
Nations O
( O
ASEAN O
) O
decision O
to O
send O
their O
own O
envoy O
to O
the O
military O
- O
run O
state O
to O
check O
on O
the O
progress O
of O
promised O
democratic O
reforms O
and O
push O
for O
the O
release O
of O
political O
prisoners O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
wonderful O
decision O
and O
it O
' O
s O
good O
that O
the O
ASEAN O
countries O
have O
been O
able O
to O
persuade O
Myanmar O
to O
make O
this O
visit O
and O
I O
hope O
it O
will O
be O
a O
very O
meaningful O
visit O
which O
will O
clarify O
all O
aspects O
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

But O
Razali O
, O
the O
representative O
of O
UN O
chief O
Kofi O
Annan O
, O
warned O
that O
Malaysian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Syed O
Hamid O
Albar O
was O
unlikely O
to O
achieve O
any O
coups O
when O
he O
carries O
out O
his O
mission O
to O
Yangon O
, O
expected O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

" O
There O
is O
a O
lot O
of O
expectation O
that O
commitments O
given O
by O
Myanmar O
to O
ASEAN O
will O
be O
lived O
up O
to O
and O
. O
. O
. O
the O
release O
of O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
is O
one O
of O
the O
commitments O
given O
, O
" O
he O
said O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
a O
peace O
forum O
here O
. O

" O
But O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
it O
' O
s O
something O
that O
can O
happen O
just O
like O
that O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
We O
' O
ll O
have O
to O
allow O
the O
leaders O
of O
the O
military O
regime O
there O
to O
work O
something O
out O
, O
but O
it O
' O
s O
not O
going O
to O
happen O
instantaneously O
. O
" O

Razali O
said O
the O
fact O
that O
Myanmar O
' O
s O
ruling O
generals O
had O
agreed O
to O
the O
visit O
was O
positive O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
hopeful O
that O
the O
foreign O
minister O
of O
Malaysia O
will O
be O
able O
to O
express O
the O
collective O
sense O
of O
impatience O
and O
concern O
about O
the O
Myanmar O
issue O
discrediting O
ASEAN O
, O
and O
hopefully O
this O
will O
have O
an O
impact O
on O
the O
Myanmar O
leaders O
to O
want O
to O
do O
something O
. O
" O

Razali O
said O
that O
although O
he O
has O
not O
been O
able O
to O
visit O
the O
country O
since O
March B-T
2004 I-T
, O
the O
United O
Nations O
was O
" O
happy O
" O
to O
continue O
its O
efforts O
to O
engage O
with O
Myanmar O
. O

But O
he O
stressed O
that O
the O
world O
body O
would O
increasingly O
depend O
on O
regional O
nations O
to O
exert O
whatever O
influence O
they O
could O
on O
their O
neighbour O
, O
which O
has O
earned O
pariah O
status O
for O
refusing O
to O
end O
four O
decades O
of O
military O
rule O
. O

ASEAN O
aired O
its O
new O
stand O
on O
Myanmar O
at O
this B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
summit O
in O
the O
Malaysian O
capital O
, O
demanding O
progress O
on O
political O
reforms O
and O
the O
release O
of O
opposition O
leader O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
who O
has O
spent O
10 O
of O
the O
last B-T
16 I-T
years I-T
in O
detention O
. O

Myanmar O
' O
s O
regime O
earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
confirmed O
that O
the O
current O
house O
arrest O
restrictions O
against O
her O
had O
been O
extended O
by O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

Debbie O
Stothard O
, O
from O
the O
pressure O
group O
Alternative O
ASEAN O
Network O
on O
Burma O
, O
welcomed O
the O
regional O
bloc O
' O
s O
" O
long O
overdue O
" O
change O
of O
tack O
, O
which O
was O
a O
major O
departure O
from O
its O
policy O
of O
non O
- O
interference O
in O
other O
members O
' O
affairs O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
not O
going O
to O
be O
an O
easy O
job O
but O
we O
are O
hoping O
that O
if O
Syed O
Hamid O
Albar O
is O
backed O
by O
the O
rest O
of O
ASEAN O
then O
the O
regime O
will O
respect O
what O
he O
' O
s O
representing O
and O
what O
needs O
to O
be O
done O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Stothard O
said O
that O
rather O
than O
just O
securing O
the O
release O
of O
political O
prisoners O
, O
ASEAN O
should O
demand O
a O
genuine O
reconciliation O
dialogue O
between O
the O
pro O
- O
democracy O
opposition O
, O
ethnic O
leaders O
and O
the O
regime O
. O

Otherwise O
, O
when O
the O
mood O
turned O
sour O
in O
Myanmar O
the O
generals O
would O
simply O
retrace O
their O
steps O
and O
haul O
all O
their O
opponents O
back O
to O
jail O
. O

" O
Burma O
( O
Myanmar O
) O
has O
a O
habit O
of O
recycling O
political O
prisoners O
. O
They O
have O
this O
revolving O
door O
where O
they O
release O
people O
after O
a O
lot O
of O
pressure O
and O
re O
- O
imprison O
them O
later O
on O
when O
they O
think O
no O
one O
else O
is O
looking O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0199 O

TIRANA O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Prodi O
gets O
warm O
welcome O
in O
Vlore O
, O
offers O
condolences O

Italian O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
made O
a O
flying O
visit O
to O
the O
rebel O
- O
held O
southern O
Albanian O
town O
of O
Vlore O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
telling O
townspeople O
that O
he O
" O
shared O
their O
pain O
, O
" O
witnesses O
said O
. O

Speaking O
from O
a O
balcony O
of O
the O
town O
hall O
, O
Prodi O
told O
thousands O
of O
residents O
: O
" O
I O
salute O
the O
people O
of O
Vlore O
. O
I O
offer O
my O
condolences O
to O
the O
families O
who O
have O
lost O
their O
loved O
ones O
and O
I O
share O
their O
pain O
. O
" O

The O
Italian O
leader O
, O
accompanied O
by O
Albanian O
Prime O
Minister O
Bashkim O
Fino O
, O
was O
then O
whisked O
to O
Tirana O
aboard O
an O
Italian O
military O
helicopter O
for O
a O
meeting O
with O
authoritarian O
President O
Sali O
Berhisa O
. O

Italy O
leads O
a O
6 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
multinational O
force O
being O
sent O
to O
Albania O
to O
secure O
routes O
for O
humanitarian O
supplies O
pouring O
into O
the O
country O
wracked O
by O
weeks O
of O
anarchy O
. O

The O
unrest O
blew O
into O
a O
full O
- O
scale O
armed O
uprising O
in O
the O
south O
, O
with O
the O
port O
town O
of O
Vlore O
at O
its O
hub O
. O

Prodi O
told O
reporters O
: O
" O
Italy O
has O
an O
important O
mission O
to O
reconstruct O
Albania O
. O
" O
He O
said O
the O
aim O
of O
the O
mission O
, O
codenamed O
Alba O
, O
was O
peaceful O
, O
noting O
: O
" O
Alba O
means O
dawn O
but O
it O
also O
means O
renaissance O
. O
" O

He O
said O
his O
government O
would O
provide O
additional O
" O
technical O
and O
financial O
assistance O
" O
to O
Vlore O
, O
and O
that O
an O
Italian O
consulate O
would O
be O
set O
up O
in O
the O
town O
. O
" O
It O
is O
only O
the O
beginning O
of O
aid O
to O
Albania O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Three O
Italian O
military O
helicopters O
landed O
the O
two O
officials O
and O
their O
entourage O
earlier O
for O
a O
90 O
- O
minute O
visit O
to O
the O
town O
, O
during O
which O
they O
held O
talks O
with O
town O
leaders O
, O
journalists O
contacted O
by O
telephone O
from O
Tirana O
said O
. O

The O
premiers O
met O
around O
200 O
representatives O
of O
the O
town O
, O
including O
relatives O
of O
refugees O
who O
drowned O
when O
their O
overcrowded O
boat O
collided O
with O
an O
Italian O
naval O
vessel O
, O
an O
incident O
which O
sparked O
a O
wave O
of O
anti O
- O
Italian O
feeling O
in O
Albania O
. O

Italy O
has O
received O
about O
13 O
, O
000 O
desperate O
Albanian O
refugee O
" O
boat O
people O
" O
who O
fled O
the O
lawlessness O
in O
the O
country O
, O
large O
parts O
of O
which O
are O
controlled O
by O
armed O
gangs O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0153 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
European O
Central O
Bank O
said O
Friday B-T
it O
had O
sold O
23 O
tonnes O
of O
gold O
in O
line O
with O
an O
existing O
international O
central O
banks O
' O
gold O
agreement O
. O

" O
On O
November B-T
30 I-T
, O
the O
ECB O
completed O
gold O
sales O
amounting O
to O
23 O
tonnes O
of O
gold O
. O
These O
sales O
are O
in O
full O
conformity O
with O
the O
central O
banks O
' O
gold O
agreement O
dated O
September B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
of O
which O
the O
ECB O
is O
a O
signatory O
, O
" O
the O
bank O
said O
in O
a O
brief O
statement O
. O

The O
ECB O
did O
not O
provide O
any O
further O
details O
. O

The O
2004 O
gold O
agreement O
, O
signed O
by O
the O
ECB O
, O
the O
12 O
national O
central O
banks O
of O
the O
euro O
area O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
central O
banks O
of O
Switzerland O
and O
Sweden O
, O
limits O
combined O
gold O
sales O
to O
a O
maximum O
500 O
tonnes O
per O
year O
over O
a O
five O
- O
year O
period O
, O
or O
a O
maximum O
2 O
, O
500 O
tonnes O
over O
all O
of O
the O
five B-T
years I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0099 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

European O
shares O
fall O
at O
open O
: O
London O
FTSE O
down O
0 O
. O
16 O
percent O

European O
stock O
markets O
declined O
in O
early O
trading O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
with O
London O
' O
s O
FTSE O
100 O
index O
of O
leading O
shares O
losing O
0 O
. O
16 O
percent O
to O
reach O
6 O
, O
188 O
. O
70 O
points O
. O

In O
Frankfurt O
the O
DAX O
30 O
index O
shed O
0 O
. O
21 O
percent O
to O
6 O
, O
573 O
. O
37 O
points O
and O
in O
Paris O
the O
CAC O
40 O
lost O
0 O
. O
27 O
percent O
in O
value O
to O
5 O
, O
499 O
. O
43 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0413 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
meeting O
of O
the O
five O
permanent O
members O
of O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
plus O
Germany O
is O
planned O
for O
Tuesday B-T
to O
discuss O
a O
United O
Nations O
resolution O
on O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
programme O
, O
Russian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Sergei O
Lavrov O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
contradicting O
an O
earlier O
statement O
. O

" O
As O
a O
result O
of O
the O
work O
and O
efforts O
undertaken O
among O
others O
by O
Russia O
, O
the O
meeting O
of O
political O
directors O
of O
the O
six O
( O
countries O
) O
will O
take O
place O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
" O
Lavrov O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
news O
agencies O
. O

Earlier O
, O
Lavrov O
had O
been O
quoted O
by O
the O
news O
agencies O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
meeting O
had O
been O
cancelled O
due O
to O
differences O
between O
the O
six O
countries O
. O

The O
so O
- O
called O
P5 O
- O
plus O
- O
one O
group O
- O
- O
Britain O
, O
China O
, O
France O
, O
Germany O
, O
Russia O
and O
the O
United O
States O
- O
- O
has O
been O
trying O
for O
weeks B-T
to O
agree O
on O
what O
sanctions O
to O
impose O
on O
Iran O
for O
its O
refusal O
to O
comply O
with O
an O
earlier O
UN O
resolution O
requiring O
it O
to O
freeze O
a O
uranium O
enrichment O
program O
. O

Shortly O
after O
Lavrov O
made O
his O
first O
statement O
the O
French O
foreign O
ministry O
also O
said O
a O
meeting O
was O
still O
planned O
for O
early B-T
next I-T
week I-T
. O

While O
all O
six O
states O
have O
agreed O
in O
principle O
to O
impose O
some O
sanctions O
until O
Iran O
agrees O
to O
suspend O
the O
enrichment O
and O
enter O
into O
negotiations O
on O
its O
nuclear O
program O
, O
Russia O
and O
China O
have O
balked O
at O
the O
terms O
of O
a O
draft O
resolution O
drawn O
up O
by O
Britain O
, O
France O
and O
Germany O
. O

The O
United O
States O
and O
its O
European O
allies O
are O
seeking O
sanctions O
under O
Chapter O
7 O
of O
the O
UN O
charter O
, O
which O
legally O
obliges O
all O
UN O
members O
to O
comply O
with O
the O
punitive O
measures O
. O

A O
draft O
resolution O
circulated O
by O
Britain O
, O
France O
and O
Germany O
would O
have O
barred O
trade O
with O
Iran O
in O
goods O
related O
to O
its O
nuclear O
and O
ballistic O
missile O
programs O
and O
slapped O
financial O
and O
travel O
restrictions O
on O
persons O
and O
agencies O
involved O
in O
the O
sectors O
. O

But O
Russia O
and O
to O
a O
lesser O
extent O
China O
, O
which O
have O
extensive O
economic O
and O
energy O
ties O
with O
Iran O
, O
have O
tried O
to O
water O
down O
the O
resolution O
, O
while O
Washington O
, O
which O
fears O
that O
Tehran O
is O
trying O
to O
develop O
a O
nuclear O
weapons O
programme O
, O
hoped O
to O
beef O
it O
up O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0277 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
Parliament O
nods O
EU O
- O
wide O
airline O
blacklist O

The O
European O
Parliament O
has O
overwhelmingly O
approved O
the O
introduction O
of O
a O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
- O
wide O
blacklist O
of O
unsafe O
airlines O
, O
in O
a O
package O
of O
measures O
to O
bolster O
air O
safety O
on O
the O
continent O
. O

Under O
the O
proposed O
regulation O
, O
airlines O
, O
whether O
they O
are O
based O
in O
the O
EU O
or O
not O
, O
which O
fail O
to O
meet O
certain O
safety O
requirements O
will O
be O
subject O
to O
an O
operating O
ban O
throughout O
the O
EU O
, O
the O
parliament O
said O
in O
a O
press O
release O
. O

Passengers O
will O
be O
informed O
of O
the O
blacklist O
and O
will O
have O
the O
right O
to O
compensation O
should O
the O
carrier O
they O
have O
made O
reservation O
with O
be O
included O
in O
the O
blacklist O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
EU O
deputies O
voted O
by O
577 O
in O
favor O
and O
16 O
against O
the O
measures O
, O
which O
also O
include O
proposals O
to O
boost O
EU O
aviation O
authorities O
powers O
in O
areas O
such O
as O
licensing O
pilots O
. O

The O
blacklist O
will O
be O
drawn O
up O
by O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
executive O
body O
the O
European O
Commission O
after O
consulting O
member O
states O
and O
air O
carriers O
concerned O
will O
have O
the O
opportunity O
of O
being O
heard O
. O
The O
list O
will O
be O
published O
on O
the O
Internet O
and O
in O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
official O
journal O
. O

At O
least O
every O
three B-T
months I-T
, O
the O
commission O
should O
verify O
whether O
it O
is O
appropriate O
to O
update O
the O
list O
, O
either O
adding O
or O
removing O
air O
carriers O
from O
it O
. O

EU O
transport O
commissioner O
Jacques O
Barrot O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
such O
a O
blacklist O
could O
be O
in O
place O
by O
as O
early O
as O
January B-T
2006 I-T
, O
as O
there O
is O
already O
broad O
agreement O
between O
the O
commission O
, O
the O
European O
Parliament O
and O
national O
authorities O
on O
this O
issue O
. O

Transport O
ministers O
of O
EU O
member O
countries O
are O
expected O
to O
adopt O
the O
regulation O
on O
December B-T
5 I-T
and O
the O
list O
could O
be O
made O
public O
early O
in O
the B-T
new I-T
year I-T
. O

Currently O
there O
is O
a O
patchwork O
of O
rules O
on O
suspect O
airlines O
in O
Europe O
. O
France O
and O
Belgium O
have O
this B-T
year I-T
introduced O
blacklists O
of O
banned O
airlines O
, O
following O
Britain O
and O
Switzerland O
which O
already O
have O
such O
lists O
. O

The O
incoherence O
of O
current O
rules O
was O
highlighted O
in O
May B-T
when O
a O
Turkish O
airline O
, O
suspended O
by O
four O
European O
countries O
, O
simply O
redirected O
its O
flights O
to O
Belgium O
which O
had O
no O
ban O
. O

A O
European O
Commission O
spokesman O
responsible O
for O
transport O
said O
Wednesday B-T
airlines O
blacklisted O
have O
the O
right O
to O
appeal O
the O
decision O
by O
the O
EU O
executive O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0572 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

White O
House O
hails O
Zaire O
talks O
as O
the O
road O
to O
democratic O
regime O

The O
White O
House O
hailed O
the O
Zairean O
peace O
talks O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
as O
major O
progress O
toward O
ending O
the O
civil O
war O
and O
paving O
the O
way O
toward O
democratic O
rule O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
very O
significant O
step O
forward O
in O
our O
goal O
of O
attempting O
to O
mediate O
a O
resolution O
of O
the O
conflict O
between O
the O
two O
factions O
, O
" O
White O
House O
spokesman O
Michael O
McCurry O
said O
. O

Zairean O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
will O
meet O
with O
rebel O
leader O
Laurent O
Kabila O
Friday B-T
for O
their O
first O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
talks O
on O
board O
a O
South O
African O
ship O
in O
a O
deal O
brokered O
by O
the O
US O
mediator O
, O
UN O
Ambassador O
William O
Richardson O
. O

" O
Our O
hope O
, O
of O
course O
, O
is O
that O
discussions O
can O
lead O
to O
some O
cease O
- O
fire O
, O
to O
a O
suspension O
of O
the O
violence O
that O
has O
led O
to O
the O
displacement O
of O
so O
many O
refugees O
and O
so O
many O
deaths O
of O
innocent O
civilians O
in O
Zaire O
, O
" O
McCurry O
said O
. O

Kabila O
' O
s O
rebels O
have O
captured O
more O
than O
half O
the O
country O
since O
they O
launched O
their O
offensive O
over O
six B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
to O
topple O
Mobutu O
, O
who O
has O
ruled O
Zaire O
for O
32 B-T
years I-T
. O

McCurry O
added O
that O
the O
United O
States O
also O
hopes O
" O
these O
discussions O
will O
begin O
the O
transitional O
process O
that O
can O
lead O
to O
a O
government O
that O
will O
be O
elected O
in O
free O
and O
fair O
elections O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0393 O

GENEVA O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

More O
relief O
workers O
leave O
Darfur O

Some O
124 O
nongovernmental O
and O
United O
Nations O
employees O
have O
left O
Darfur O
in O
the O
latest O
evacuation O
of O
relief O
workers O
from O
Sudan O
' O
s O
turmoil O
- O
torn O
region O
, O
the O
Swiss O
humanitarian O
group O
Terre O
des O
Hommes O
( O
TDH O
) O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
decision O
that O
' O
s O
been O
pushed O
back O
for O
some B-T
time I-T
and O
carries O
heavy O
consequences O
for O
populations O
enduring O
the O
planet O
' O
s O
most O
serious O
humanitarian O
crisis O
, O
" O
the O
group O
' O
s O
relief O
director O
Ignacio O
Packer O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
about O
the O
relief O
workers O
flown O
out O
of O
Darfur O
Sunday O
. O

Violent O
incidents O
have O
been O
on O
the O
rise O
lately O
in O
Darfur O
, O
a O
vast O
western O
region O
of O
Sudan O
where O
the O
humanitarian O
situation O
has O
steadily O
deteriorated O
. O
At O
least O
200 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
died O
of O
the O
combined O
effect O
of O
war O
and O
famine O
since O
fighting O
there O
erupted O
almost O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
the O
UN O
says O
, O
although O
others O
offer O
far O
higher O
tolls O
. O

TDH O
, O
which O
evacuated O
5 O
employees O
Sunday B-T
, O
has O
suspended O
its O
Darfur O
operations O
until O
January B-T
, O
although O
it O
retains O
a O
skeleton O
staff O
in O
the O
region O
. O

" O
The O
violence O
is O
peaking O
, O
" O
the O
group O
warned O
, O
as O
it O
denounced O
attacks O
by O
government O
- O
backed O
Arab O
militias O
in O
Darfur O
. O
" O
Incidents O
and O
attacks O
are O
multiplying O
against O
displaced O
people O
and O
humanitarian O
personnel O
. O
" O

The O
evacuations O
follow O
the O
exodus O
from O
Darfur O
of O
250 O
employees O
of O
international O
non O
- O
governmental O
organisations O
, O
announced O
Friday B-T
by O
the O
relief O
agency O
Oxfam O
International O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0109 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sri O
Lankan O
gov O
' O
t O
budget O
not O
election O
related O
: O
official O

Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
government O
budget O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
2006 I-T
would O
be O
a O
" O
pro O
poor O
, O
pro O
- O
growth O
" O
budget O
and O
not O
election O
related O
, O
the O
Finance O
Minister O
Sarath O
Amunugama O
said O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
budget O
is O
to O
be O
presented O
in O
parliament O
on O
Tuesday B-T
amidst O
protests O
by O
the O
main O
opposition O
United O
National O
Party O
( O
UNP O
) O
. O

Amunugama O
said O
the O
Sri O
Lankan O
economy O
was O
now O
ready O
to O
take O
off O
from O
6 O
percent O
growth O
and O
with O
the O
country O
' O
s O
per O
capita O
income O
of O
1 O
, O
034 O
US O
dollars O
, O
Sri O
Lanka O
now B-T
had O
a O
place O
in O
the O
list O
of O
countries O
with O
" O
lower O
end O
of O
middle O
range O
income O
. O
" O

Referring O
to O
the O
pledges O
by O
both O
main O
candidates O
in O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
presidential O
poll O
to O
achieve O
8 O
to O
10 O
percent O
growth O
, O
Amunugama O
said O
the O
foundation O
has O
been O
laid O
for O
such O
growth O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
year I-T
. O

" O
Our O
emphasis O
will O
be O
on O
developing O
education O
, O
health O
, O
social O
benefits O
and O
better O
infrastructure O
, O
" O
Amunugama O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
preparation O
of O
the O
budget O
commenced O
long O
before O
the O
announcement O
of O
the O
presidential O
poll O
. O

" O
The O
elections O
were O
not O
talked O
about O
when O
preparations O
began O
and O
it O
went O
through O
the O
normal O
routine O
process O
, O
" O
Amunugama O
said O
. O

The O
UNP O
charges O
that O
the O
budget O
would O
provide O
undue O
advantage O
to O
the O
ruling O
party O
candidate O
, O
the O
incumbent O
Prime O
Minister O
Mahinda O
Rajapakse O
. O

The O
main O
opposition O
challenger O
and O
UNP O
leader O
Ranil O
Wickremesinghe O
met O
President O
Chandrika O
Kumaratunga O
asking O
to O
delay O
the O
presentation O
of O
the O
budget O
until O
after O
the O
election O
. O

The O
UNP O
spokesman O
Tissa O
Attanayake O
told O
reporters O
here O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
government O
move O
was O
undemocratic O
and O
illegal O
but O
his O
party O
would O
not O
stage O
a O
boycott O
of O
the O
parliamentary O
session O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0226 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
RMB O
breaks O
7 O
. O
85 O
mark O
against O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O

The O
value O
of O
the O
Renminbi O
( O
RMB O
) O
against O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
hit O
a O
new O
high O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
with O
the O
central O
parity O
rate O
at O
7 O
. O
8402 O
yuan O
to O
one O
dollar O
, O
breaking O
the O
7 O
. O
85 O
mark O
. O

This O
signifies O
RMB O
value O
has O
risen O
by O
5 O
. O
31 O
percent O
after O
China O
' O
s O
reform O
of O
the O
exchange O
rate O
system O
on O
July B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0337 O

SOFIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sofia O
seeks O
long O
- O
term O
settlement O
with O
Russian O
gas O

Bulgaria O
is O
negotiating O
with O
the O
Russian O
natural O
gas O
monopoly O
Gazprom O
for O
a O
long O
- O
term O
agreement O
on O
gas O
supply O
and O
transit O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Economy O
and O
Energy O
Minister O
Rumen O
Ovcharov O
told O
the O
parliament O
' O
s O
Energy O
Committee O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
reported O
BTA O
. O

He O
stressed O
that O
Sofia O
seeks O
strategic O
partnership O
with O
Gazprom O
in O
order O
to O
ensure O
sufficient O
amounts O
of O
natural O
gas O
for O
Bulgaria O
. O
If O
the O
effective O
agreements O
, O
which O
will O
expire O
in O
2010 B-T
, O
are O
not O
renegotiated O
, O
gas O
prices O
will O
increase O
at O
least O
40 O
percent O
after O
that B-T
year I-T
and O
gas O
transit O
via O
Bulgaria O
will O
be O
reduced O
, O
he O
said O
. O

He O
refuted O
media O
predictions O
about O
a O
remarkable O
price O
raise O
of O
Russian O
natural O
gas O
at O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O

Ovcharov O
noted O
that O
his O
country O
does O
not O
have O
many O
opportunities O
to O
diversify O
its O
gas O
supply O
sources O
. O

At O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
month I-T
, O
the O
minister O
will O
report O
to O
the O
leadership O
of O
Bulgaria O
' O
s O
ruling O
coalition O
on O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
talks O
. O
A O
decision O
will O
then O
be O
made O
whether O
to O
sign O
new O
long O
- O
term O
agreements O
or O
to O
go O
by O
the O
current O
agreements O
. O

Under O
the O
contract O
for O
gas O
supply O
from O
Russia O
to O
Bulgaria O
signed O
in O
1998 B-T
, O
the O
Balkan O
country O
pays O
some O
257 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cube O
meters O
of O
gas O
and O
receives O
83 O
dollars O
for O
transit O
. O
Though O
the O
agreement O
has O
a O
term O
until O
2010 B-T
, O
the O
two O
countries O
are O
expected O
to O
start O
talks O
to O
review O
the O
terms O
of O
supply O
. O

More O
than O
97 O
percent O
of O
gas O
consumed O
in O
Bulgaria O
comes O
from O
Russia O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0208 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Lebanese O
PM O
vows O
to O
remain O
in O
office O
to O
prevent O
civil O
war O

Lebanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Fouad O
Siniora O
said O
he O
would O
remain O
in O
office O
to O
prevent O
the O
outbreak O
of O
a O
civil O
war O
as O
political O
parties O
were O
turning O
the O
country O
into O
a O
battlefield O
for O
regional O
conflicts O
, O
local O
Daily O
Star O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
We O
have O
turned O
Lebanon O
into O
a O
battlefield O
for O
regional O
conflicts O
. O
. O
. O
This O
logic O
is O
suicidal O
, O
" O
Siniora O
told O
Al O
- O
Arabiya O
television O
news O
channel O
in O
an O
interview O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
premier O
vowed O
to O
prevent O
civil O
war O
from O
breaking O
out O
again O
in O
Lebanon O
, O
which O
is O
still O
reeling O
from O
the O
devastating O
1975 O
- O
1990 O
civil O
war O
between O
rival O
sects O
battling O
each O
other O
with O
the O
support O
of O
an O
array O
of O
foreign O
powers O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

" O
We O
want O
to O
avoid O
discord O
. O
My O
presence O
here O
( O
in O
the O
government O
) O
, O
and O
that O
of O
many O
others O
will O
prevent O
discord O
and O
civil O
war O
because O
even O
if O
there O
is O
war O
. O
. O
. O
in O
the O
end O
, O
we O
will O
have O
to O
sit O
back O
together O
" O
to O
settle O
disputes O
through O
dialogue O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
still O
have O
hope O
, O
and O
continue O
to O
seek O
that O
there O
will O
be O
no O
street O
protests O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
We O
are O
constantly O
working O
to O
prevent O
the O
outbreak O
of O
any O
clashes O
. O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Lebanon O
, O
long O
been O
divided O
between O
opponents O
and O
supporters O
of O
Syria O
, O
saw O
a O
political O
crisis O
blew O
up O
in O
full O
force O
following O
the O
resignation O
of O
six O
pro O
- O
Syrian O
ministers O
from O
Hezbollah O
and O
its O
allies O
, O
hours O
after O
all O
- O
party O
roundtable O
talks O
collapsed O
and O
the O
assassination O
of O
an O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
minister O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
Shiite O
group O
and O
its O
pro O
- O
Syrian O
allies O
had O
been O
demanding O
a O
greater O
say O
in O
the O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
forces O
- O
dominated O
government O
led O
by O
Siniora O
. O
They O
have O
warned O
of O
street O
protests O
if O
the O
demand O
was O
not O
met O
. O

The O
militant O
Lebanese O
Hezbollah O
on O
Sunday B-T
renewed O
their O
threats O
of O
" O
surprise O
" O
street O
protests O
aimed O
at O
toppling O
Siniora O
' O
s O
government O
, O
one B-T
day I-T
after O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
cabinet O
approved O
a O
plan O
for O
setting O
up O
an O
international O
tribunal O
to O
try O
suspects O
in O
the O
assassination O
of O
former O
Prime O
Minister O
Rafik O
Hariri O
, O
overriding O
objections O
from O
Hezbollah O
and O
other O
pro O
- O
Syrian O
factions O
. O

The O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
ruling O
parliamentary O
majority O
led O
by O
Siniora O
has O
accused O
Hezbollah O
and O
Amal O
movement O
, O
the O
main O
pro O
- O
Syrian O
and O
pro O
- O
Iranian O
Shiite O
groups O
, O
of O
doing O
Damascus O
' O
s O
and O
Tehran O
' O
s O
bidding O
and O
seeking O
to O
undermine O
the O
formation O
of O
the O
tribunal O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0010 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

global O
energy O
demand O
to O
soar O
by O
more O
than O
50 O
percent O
by O
2030 O
: O
IEA O

The O
global O
energy O
demand O
will O
soar O
by O
more O
than O
50 O
percent O
by O
2030 B-T
, O
amounting O
to O
16 O
. O
3 O
billion O
tons O
of O
oil O
, O
the O
International O
Energy O
Agency O
( O
IEA O
) O
said O
Monday B-T
in O
its O
2005 O
World O
Energy O
Outlook O
. O

By O
2030 B-T
, O
the O
global O
demand O
for O
oil O
and O
coal O
will O
increase O
by O
1 O
. O
4 O
percent O
every B-T
year I-T
, O
while O
the O
annual O
demand O
for O
natural O
gas O
will O
grow O
by O
2 O
. O
1 O
percent O
. O
If O
the O
energy O
output O
does O
not O
largely O
increase O
by O
that O
time O
, O
the O
price O
of O
energy O
will O
rise O
sharply O
, O
estimated O
the O
IEA O
. O

There O
are O
adequate O
oil O
and O
natural O
gas O
reserves O
to O
meet O
such O
demand O
in O
the O
world O
, O
especially O
in O
north O
Africa O
and O
the O
Middle O
East O
. O
However O
, O
some O
new O
investments O
of O
17 O
trillion O
euros O
( O
20 O
trillion O
US O
dollars O
) O
will O
be O
urgently O
needed O
to O
transfer O
the O
energy O
supply O
to O
the O
consumer O
market O
, O
the O
IEA O
said O
. O

Under O
the O
IEA O
' O
s O
reference O
scenario O
, O
along O
with O
the O
increasing O
output O
of O
oil O
, O
the O
international O
oil O
price O
will O
decrease O
to O
35 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
by O
2010 B-T
. O
Nevertheless O
, O
the O
price O
will O
rise O
back O
to O
39 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
by O
2030 B-T
, O
10 O
dollars O
higher O
than O
the O
price O
the O
IEA O
had O
estimated O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

The O
Outlook O
also O
added O
that O
the O
global O
refining O
industry O
would O
face O
new O
challenges O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
due O
to O
the O
drop O
of O
surplus O
production O
capacity O
and O
weakness O
of O
production O
flexibility O
resulting O
from O
the O
lack O
of O
investment O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0275 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Uzbekistan O
eyes O
on O
more O
than O
15 O
golds O
from O
Doha O
Asiad O

Uzbekistan O
expected O
to O
win O
at O
least O
15 O
golds O
from O
the O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
slated O
for O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
. O

Bahodir O
Husan O
Hodjaev O
, O
chef O
de O
mission O
of O
the O
Uzbekistan O
delegation O
, O
said O
they O
are O
confident O
of O
winning O
more O
golds O
this O
time O
than O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
Busan O
. O

" O
Last O
time O
we O
finished O
fifth O
with O
15 O
golds O
in O
Busan O
, O
and O
this O
time O
I O
believe O
we O
can O
win O
more O
golds O
" O
said O
Hodjaev O
. O

" O
Wrestling O
and O
boxing O
are O
our O
medal O
hopeful O
sports O
. O
Besides O
them O
we O
are O
expected O
to O
do O
well O
in O
athletics O
, O
chess O
and O
Gymnastics O
, O
" O
added O
he O
. O

Uzbekistan O
has O
a O
long O
and O
distinguished O
sporting O
history O
. O
Gymnast O
Oksana O
Chusovitina O
, O
now O
31 O
, O
is O
the O
only O
female O
gymnast O
in O
history O
to O
have O
competed O
in O
four O
Olympic O
Games O
. O
She O
finished O
second O
in O
the O
vault O
at O
the O
2005 O
World O
Championships O
. O

In O
athletics O
, O
javelin O
thrower O
Sergey O
Voynov O
won O
the O
1998 O
Asian O
Games O
title O
and O
was O
third O
in O
Busan B-T
four I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

Uzbeckistan O
finished O
fifth O
on O
medal O
tally O
with O
15 O
golds O
, O
12 O
silvers O
and O
24 O
bronzes O
in O
the O
Busan O
Asiad O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0177 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

( O
China O
Sports O
) O
Qatar O
' O
s O
Chinese O
chess O
queen O
Zhu O
feels O
no O
pressure O

By O
Sportswriters O
Wang O
Zijiang O
and O
Zhao O
Renwei O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Forget O
Liu O
Xiang O
. O
The O
most O
popular O
Asian O
Games O
athlete O
picked O
by O
Chinese O
netizens O
is O
not O
even O
on O
the O
Chinese O
team O
. O

Zhu O
Chen O
, O
former O
Chinese O
women O
' O
s O
world O
chess O
champion O
who O
will O
represent O
her O
adopted O
country O
Qatar O
in O
the O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
games O
, O
has O
beaten O
the O
Chinese O
Olympic O
hurdles O
champion O
in O
an O
online O
popularity O
vote O
. O

The O
30 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
chess O
beauty O
, O
who O
married O
to O
Qatari O
Grandmaster O
Mohammed O
Al O
- O
Modiahki O
in O
2000 B-T
, O
changed O
her O
citizenship O
to O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
gulf O
country O
in O
early O
2006 B-T
in O
a O
controversial O
transfer O
. O

In O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
telephone O
interview O
with O
Xinhua O
, O
Zhu O
said O
she O
felt O
relaxed O
representing O
Qatar O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
have O
a O
specific O
goal O
for O
the O
Asian O
Games O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
Nobody O
pushes O
you O
as O
in O
China O
. O
I O
just O
want O
to O
have O
a O
normal O
performance O
. O
" O

Zhu O
, O
who O
grabbed O
her O
first O
world O
crown O
in O
1988 B-T
at O
the O
World O
Under O
- O
12 O
Girls O
Championship O
, O
has O
won O
the O
world O
titles O
at O
all O
levels O
, O
taking O
the O
World O
Junior O
Girls O
Chess O
Championship O
in O
1994 B-T
and O
1996 B-T
and O
the O
World O
Chess O
Championship O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

Zhu O
, O
born O
in O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Zhejiang O
Province O
, O
has O
been O
living O
in O
a O
two O
- O
storied O
house O
in O
Doha O
with O
his O
husband O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
years I-T
. O
To O
prepare O
for O
the O
games O
, O
she O
left O
their O
two O
- O
year O
- O
old O
daughter O
to O
her O
parents O
' O
care O
in O
China O
. O

" O
I O
sent O
her O
back O
two B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
because O
I O
am O
very O
busy O
with O
training O
and O
I O
don O
' O
t O
feel O
well O
sometimes O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
The O
other O
reason O
is O
that O
my O
parents O
missed O
her O
very O
much O
. O
She O
was O
brought O
up O
by O
my O
parents O
and O
my O
uncle O
and O
all O
of O
them O
cried O
when O
she O
moved O
here O
. O
" O

Zhu O
said O
that O
she O
is O
getting O
well O
along O
with O
her O
parents O
- O
in O
- O
law O
in O
Doha O
and O
has O
accustomed O
to O
living O
in O
the O
Arab O
country O
. O

" O
My O
parents O
- O
in O
- O
law O
are O
very O
nice O
to O
me O
. O
They O
are O
both O
very O
open O
- O
minded O
. O
In O
general O
, O
all O
the O
Qatari O
people O
are O
very O
friendly O
. O
The O
only O
thing O
I O
cannot O
understand O
when O
I O
first O
came O
here O
is O
their O
slow O
- O
rhythm O
life O
. O
They O
do O
everything O
in O
a O
slow O
pace O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Zhu O
gets O
up O
late O
everyday O
, O
trains O
with O
her O
husband O
every B-T
afternoon I-T
for O
four B-T
to I-T
five I-T
hours I-T
a I-T
day I-T
. O
She O
enjoys O
the O
leisure O
life O
by O
walking O
on O
the O
seaside O
, O
swimming O
and O
fishing O
. O

" O
I O
also O
learned O
a O
little O
scuba O
- O
diving O
. O
We O
have O
barbecue O
in O
the O
farm O
. O
I O
don O
' O
t O
feel O
bored O
here O
even O
though O
the O
life O
here O
is O
not O
as O
colorful O
as O
in O
China O
. O
" O

Nicknamed O
" O
Chess O
Beauty O
Queen O
" O
by O
Chinese O
fans O
, O
Zhu O
has O
felt O
pressure O
of O
age O
. O
" O
As O
a O
30 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
chess O
player O
, O
I O
feel O
pressure O
. O
Everybody O
will O
get O
old O
, O
no O
exception O
with O
chess O
players O
. O
" O

Zhu O
hopes O
that O
her O
appearance O
in O
the O
Asian O
Games O
for O
Qatar O
will O
give O
the O
country O
a O
boost O
in O
the O
mind O
sport O
. O

" O
There O
are O
not O
many O
people O
playing O
chess O
in O
Qatar O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
Fortunately O
, O
the O
royal O
family O
of O
Qatar O
likes O
sports O
. O
They O
have O
put O
a O
lot O
of O
heart O
and O
resources O
in O
hosting O
the O
Asian O
Games O
and O
tennis O
, O
golf O
and O
table O
tennis O
tournaments O
. O
They O
will O
also O
stage O
chess O
competitions O
next B-T
year I-T
. O
" O

Zhu O
said O
she O
will O
bring O
her O
daughter O
back O
to O
Qatar O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
after O
the O
Asian O
Games O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
difficult O
to O
juggle O
between O
chess O
and O
family O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
But O
I O
always O
remind O
myself O
that O
my O
family O
, O
including O
my O
parents O
, O
my O
daughter O
and O
my O
husband O
, O
is O
more O
important O
than O
playing O
chess O
. O
I O
want O
to O
spend O
more O
time O
with O
my O
daughter O
. O
" O

Zhu O
' O
s O
switch O
of O
allegiance O
had O
caused O
resentment O
from O
a O
few O
Chinese O
, O
who O
called O
her O
" O
traitor O
" O
, O
but O
her O
immense O
popularity O
remains O
undented O
. O

" O
I O
know O
there O
are O
many O
people O
missing O
me O
and O
looking O
out O
for O
me O
. O
Their O
support O
is O
always O
important O
. O
I O
am O
very O
thankful O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Zhu O
said O
that O
she O
still O
enjoys O
playing O
chess O
, O
which O
is O
part O
of O
her O
life O
. O

" O
Maybe O
I O
will O
play O
in O
the O
Chinese O
Chess O
League O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
although O
playing O
in O
China O
will O
put O
me O
under O
a O
lot O
of O
pressure O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0054 O

HANOI O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Employees O
stage O
work O
stoppage O
at O
Vietnam O
Nike O
supplier O

About O
800 O
employees O
staged O
a O
work O
stoppage O
for O
several O
hours O
at O
a O
Nike O
supplier O
in O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
to O
protest O
their O
contracts O
, O
a O
factory O
manager O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Park O
Hyun O
Tae O
, O
general O
director O
at O
Korean O
- O
owned O
Sam O
Yang O
Company O
told O
AFP O
that O
" O
there O
was O
some O
small O
struggle O
" O
at O
the O
plant O
, O
but O
denied O
press O
reports O
of O
a O
massive O
strike O
involving O
more O
than O
3 O
, O
000 O
workers O
. O

All O
workers O
had O
returned O
to O
work O
Monday B-T
, O
he O
said O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Lao O
Dong O
newspaper O
, O
workers O
on O
April B-T
25 I-T
walked O
off O
the O
job O
to O
protest O
labour O
conditions O
and O
accused O
management O
of O
behaving O
" O
arrogantly O
" O
in O
contract O
negotiations O
. O

The O
officia O
labour O
newspaper O
also O
reported O
that O
when O
workers O
demanded O
a O
meeting O
with O
management O
, O
they O
were O
instead O
locked O
into O
a O
dining O
hall O
. O

Park O
, O
who O
was O
reached O
by O
telephone O
, O
flatly O
denied O
the O
press O
reports O
, O
and O
said O
that O
labour O
representatives O
met O
with O
management O
in O
a O
boardroom O
to O
discuss O
their O
grievances O
. O

Labour O
officials O
said O
Sam O
Yang O
was O
strong O
- O
arming O
employees O
into O
signing O
the O
contracts O
, O
according O
to O
Lao O
Dong O
. O
Sam O
Yang O
does O
not O
have O
unions O
, O
and O
each O
worker O
signs O
an O
individual O
contract O
. O

Park O
acknowledged O
that O
management O
was O
negotiating O
new O
labour O
contracts O
with O
workers O
, O
but O
denied O
heavy O
handed O
methods O
. O

" O
Nobody O
here O
makes O
less O
than O
the O
45 O
dollar O
a O
month O
minimum O
, O
and O
we O
proposed O
an O
8 O
. O
6 O
percent O
wage O
increase O
after O
one B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Nike O
officials O
could O
not O
be O
reached O
for O
comment O
. O

The O
incident O
at O
Sam O
Yang O
is O
the O
latest O
headache O
for O
Nike O
, O
whose O
suppliers O
in O
Vietnam O
have O
been O
embroiled O
in O
a O
number O
of O
labour O
problems O
. O

In O
April B-T
1996 I-T
Sam O
Yang O
hit O
the O
news O
when O
a O
Korean O
supervisor O
slapped O
15 O
Vietnamese O
workers O
on O
the O
side O
of O
the O
head O
with O
a O
shoe O
upper O
as O
punishment O
for O
poor O
quality O
. O

In O
order O
to O
make O
sure O
its O
suppliers O
toe O
the O
line O
, O
Nike O
appointed O
a O
dedicated O
labour O
practices O
manager O
in O
Vietnam O
to O
help O
oversee O
the O
roughly O
35 O
, O
000 O
workers O
turning O
out O
products O
made O
exclusively O
for O
Nike O
. O

But O
problems O
have O
continued O
. O
In O
March B-T
a O
Taiwanese O
supervisor O
at O
Nike O
supplier O
Pou O
Chen O
Shoe O
Factory O
was O
suspended O
after O
forcing O
56 O
women O
to O
run O
around O
the O
factory O
floor O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
Nike O
' O
s O
director O
of O
communications O
for O
the O
Asia O
Pacific O
Region O
Martha O
Benson O
flew O
into O
Vietnam O
from O
Hong O
Kong O
just O
days B-T
after O
a O
New O
York O
- O
based O
Labour O
activist O
group O
highlighted O
low O
pay O
and O
instances O
of O
corporal O
punishment O
at O
two O
of O
Nike O
' O
s O
subcontracters O
in O
Southern O
Vietnam O
. O

" O
We O
have O
had O
production O
managers O
who O
are O
Nike O
employees O
working O
in O
the O
factories O
( O
in O
Vietnam O
) O
since O
day O
one O
. O
But O
we O
recognise O
the O
need O
to O
increase O
the O
level O
of O
oversight O
, O
especially O
in O
working O
conditions O
and O
labour O
practices O
" O
Benson O
told O
AFP O
by O
telephone O
from O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
at O
the O
time O
. O
fb O
/ O
djw O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0648 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Pakistani O
convicted O
in O
US O
for O
aiding O
Sikh O
militants O
in O
India O

A O
Pakistani O
man O
was O
convicted O
Wednesday B-T
for O
providing O
financial O
support O
to O
a O
Sikh O
militant O
group O
in O
India O
and O
could O
face O
up O
to O
45 O
years O
in O
prison O
. O

The O
federal O
jury O
in O
New O
York O
returned O
the O
verdict O
on O
Khalid O
Awan O
following O
two B-T
weeks I-T
of O
trial O
, O
the O
US O
Department O
of O
Justice O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Awan O
, O
who O
lives O
in O
New O
York O
, O
was O
accused O
of O
providing O
money O
and O
financial O
services O
to O
the O
Khalistan O
Commando O
Force O
( O
KCF O
) O
, O
a O
Sikh O
militant O
group O
fighting O
for O
a O
separate O
state O
in O
the O
Punjab O
region O
of O
India O
. O

The O
group O
is O
branded O
a O
terrorist O
organization O
by O
Washington O
. O

Held O
on O
federal O
credit O
card O
fraud O
charges O
, O
Awan O
reportedly O
made O
telephone O
calls O
to O
Paramjit O
Singh O
Panjwar O
, O
the O
KCF O
leader O
and O
one O
of O
10 O
" O
most O
wanted O
fugitives O
" O
in O
India O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

" O
Awan O
faces O
a O
maximum O
sentence O
of O
45 B-T
years I-T
in O
prison O
, O
" O
it O
said O
, O
ahead O
of O
the O
sentencing O
scheduled O
on O
March B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2007 I-T
. O

Among O
evidence O
presented O
in O
court O
were O
statements O
by O
Awan O
admitting O
that O
he O
sent O
hundreds O
of O
thousands O
of O
dollars O
to O
KCF O
. O

" O
The O
war O
on O
terror O
is O
a O
global O
battle O
, O
" O
said O
US O
attorney O
Mauskopf O
Mauskopf O
of O
the O
Eastern O
District O
of O
New O
York O
. O
" O
We O
will O
not O
permit O
individuals O
in O
our O
jurisdiction O
to O
finance O
terrorist O
groups O
responsible O
for O
murder O
and O
violence O
in O
any O
part O
of O
the O
world O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0072 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

French O
rail O
services O
resume O
after O
strike O

French O
rail O
services O
on O
Thursday B-T
returned O
to O
normal O
after O
trade O
unions O
scrapped O
a O
plan O
for O
a O
prolonged O
nationwide O
strike O
over O
pay O
, O
pensions O
and O
the O
possible O
privatization O
of O
state O
railway O
company O
SNCF O
. O

The O
unions O
accepted O
the O
offer O
of O
an O
interim O
pay O
rise O
of O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
pending O
wage O
talks O
in O
January B-T
, O
and O
a O
promise O
that O
each O
employee O
will O
receive O
a O
bonus O
of O
at O
least O
120 O
euros O
. O

President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
pledged O
on O
Tuesday B-T
not O
to O
privatise O
SNCF O
, O
a O
move O
to O
fend O
off O
a O
prolonged O
strike O
that O
could O
further O
tarnish O
France O
' O
s O
image O
after O
three B-T
weeks I-T
of O
rioting O
in O
the O
suburbs O
. O

The O
strike O
, O
which O
began O
on O
Monday B-T
evening I-T
, O
left O
only O
one O
in O
three O
international O
high O
- O
speed O
trains O
( O
TGV O
) O
running O
at O
its O
peak O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Eurostar O
linking O
London O
and O
Thalys O
linking O
Brussels O
had O
four O
out O
of O
five O
trains O
running O
. O
Train O
service O
to O
Italy O
, O
Spain O
and O
Switzerland O
were O
also O
affected O
. O
Overnight O
trains O
between O
Paris O
and O
Barcelona O
were O
canceled O
Monday B-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
over O
, O
" O
SNCF O
Chairman O
Louis O
Gallois O
told O
France O
2 O
television O
. O

The O
strike O
had O
cost O
SNCF O
up O
to O
30 O
million O
euros O
( O
35 O
. O
3 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
said O
Galloise O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0548 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Dollar O
holds O
steady O
as O
US O
growth O
trimmed O

The O
dollar O
held O
steady O
against O
the O
euro O
and O
other O
currencies O
on O
foreign O
exchange O
markets O
Thursday B-T
despite O
a O
slight O
downward O
revision O
to O
third O
quarter O
US O
economic O
growth O
. O

At O
22 O
: O
00 O
GMT O
, O
the O
euro O
was O
changing O
hands O
at O
1 O
. O
3173 O
dollars O
, O
showing O
scarcely O
any O
change O
from O
1 O
. O
3175 O
dollars O
late O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
US O
currency O
lost O
some O
ground O
to O
the O
Japanese O
yen O
, O
however O
, O
as O
it O
declined O
to O
118 O
. O
32 O
yen O
compared O
with O
118 O
. O
45 O
yen O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Although O
the O
government O
revised O
down O
third O
quarter O
US O
gross O
domestic O
product O
( O
GDP O
) O
to O
a O
2 O
. O
0 O
percent O
growth O
rate O
from O
a O
prior O
estimate O
of O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
traders O
said O
the O
markets O
are O
looking O
forward O
to O
the O
economic O
prospects O
for O
2007 B-T
. O

And O
while O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
economy O
has O
slowed O
considerably B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
they O
said O
the O
market O
is O
hopeful O
that O
the O
US O
economy O
will O
glide O
to O
a O
so O
- O
called O
soft O
- O
landing O
in O
the O
months O
ahead O
rather O
than O
pitching O
into O
a O
deeper O
slowdown O
. O

" O
US O
GDP O
data O
played O
little O
role O
as O
headline O
growth O
rates O
slowed O
slightly O
but O
price O
measures O
edged O
up O
, O
" O
said O
Jamie O
Coleman O
at O
IFR O
Markets O
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
' O
s O
preferred O
measure O
of O
inflation O
, O
the O
core O
PCE O
, O
remained O
unrevised O
at O
the O
high O
rate O
of O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

An O
index O
of O
future O
US O
economic O
activity O
released O
Thursday B-T
suggested O
the O
expansion O
will O
continue O
, O
but O
at O
a O
sluggish O
pace O
, O
giving O
some O
support O
to O
the O
dollar O
, O
traders O
said O
. O

The O
Conference O
Board O
said O
its O
index O
of O
leading O
economic O
indicators O
rose O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
November B-T
, O
the O
same O
increase O
as O
in O
October B-T
. O
The O
report O
was O
in O
line O
with O
Wall O
Street O
forecasts O
. O

The O
leading O
index O
now B-T
stands O
at O
138 O
. O
2 O
from O
a O
1996 B-T
base O
of O
100 O
. O

" O
The O
slower O
economy O
of O
the O
second O
half O
of O
2006 O
might O
continue O
into O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O
But O
it O
may O
not O
get O
any O
slower O
, O
" O
said O
Conference O
Board O
economist O
Ken O
Goldstein O
. O

Traders O
appeared O
to O
largely O
brush O
off O
an O
unexpected O
decline O
in O
the O
Philadelphia O
Fed O
Index O
, O
an O
industrial O
activity O
gauge O
, O
which O
dropped O
4 O
. O
3 O
percent O
in O
December B-T
against O
a O
gain O
of O
5 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
prior I-T
month I-T
. O

Some O
of O
the O
report O
' O
s O
components O
were O
stronger O
than O
the O
headline O
reading O
suggested O
, O
however O
, O
as O
the O
index O
' O
s O
new O
orders O
, O
shipments O
and O
employment O
readings O
improved O
. O

The O
Swiss O
franc O
was O
quoted O
at O
1 O
. O
2165 O
dollars O
, O
compared O
with O
1 O
. O
2177 O
dollars O
late O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
British O
pound O
meanwhile O
was O
priced O
at O
1 O
. O
9612 O
dollars O
, O
against O
1 O
. O
9647 O
a O
day O
earlier O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0441 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cairo O
int O
' O
l O
film O
festival O
kicks O
off O

The O
30th O
Cairo O
International O
Film O
Festival B-T
kicked O
off O
on O
Tuesday B-T
with O
the O
opening O
film O
of O
Brazil O
' O
s O
" O
Two O
Sons O
of O
Francisco O
" O
at O
the O
star O
- O
studded O
gala O
. O

" O
Welcome O
to O
Egypt O
to O
enjoy O
the O
sunshine O
, O
especially O
in O
the O
winter O
, O
and O
( O
we O
) O
hope O
there O
is O
sunshine O
deep O
in O
everyone O
' O
s O
heart O
, O
" O
said O
Omar O
El O
Sherif O
, O
honorary O
president O
of O
the O
festival O
, O
at O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
at O
the O
Nile O
- O
side O
Cairo O
Opera O
House O
. O

Egyptian O
Culture O
Minister O
Farouq O
Hosni O
inaugurated O
the O
festival O
, O
where O
a O
narrative O
film O
about O
the B-T
festival I-T
and O
its O
30th O
edition O
was O
screened O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
a O
special O
documentary O
about O
late O
Egyptian O
Nobel O
Laureate O
Naguib O
Mahfouz O
was O
also O
screened O
in O
honor O
of O
the O
great O
Arab O
writer O
. O

The O
ceremony O
awarded O
British O
actress O
Jacqueline O
Bisset O
, O
the O
leading O
role O
in O
many O
films O
such O
as O
" O
Domino O
" O
and O
" O
New O
Year O
' O
s O
Day O
, O
" O
and O
American O
actor O
Danny O
Glover O
, O
who O
starred O
in O
films O
like O
" O
Places O
in O
the O
Heart O
" O
and O
" O
Mandela O
, O
" O
as O
well O
as O
Argentinean O
director O
Luis O
Puenzo O
, O
whose O
film O
won O
in O
1985 O
" O
Best O
Foreign O
Film O
" O
in O
the O
Oscars O
and O
the O
Golden O
Globe O
. O

Among O
those O
honored O
were O
Egyptian O
stars O
Yousra O
, O
Mahmoud O
Abdel O
- O
Aziz O
and O
musician O
Omar O
Khayrat O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
festival O
will O
be O
unique O
, O
said O
Ezzat O
Abu O
Ouf O
, O
the O
new O
head O
of O
the O
festival O
. O
" O
This O
year O
' O
s O
session O
will O
witness O
the O
return O
of O
the O
Film O
Market O
, O
which O
used O
to O
attract O
many O
companies O
from O
around O
the O
world O
. O
" O

The O
main O
international O
competition O
of O
this O
year O
' O
s O
festival O
will O
include O
19 O
films O
from O
16 O
countries O
, O
including O
three O
Egyptian O
films O
and O
a O
Chinese O
film O
" O
The O
Road O
" O
directed O
by O
Zhang O
Jiarui O
. O

There O
will O
be O
more O
than O
65 O
films O
screened O
as O
official O
out O
- O
of O
- O
competition O
films O
, O
which O
will O
be O
the O
main O
attraction O
for O
the O
general O
public O
, O
while O
Saudi O
Arabia O
and O
Oman O
will O
present O
their O
very O
first O
feature O
films O
at O
the O
Arab O
film O
competition O
section O
. O

The O
guest O
of O
honor O
, O
Latin O
America O
, O
will O
present O
a O
peculiar O
, O
yet O
intriguing O
group O
of O
films O
at O
the O
festival O
which O
will O
last O
until O
Dec B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0112 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
considers O
ending O
Sunni O
reconciliation O
efforts O
in O
Iraq O
: O
report O

US O
officials O
are O
looking O
into O
ending O
reconciliation O
efforts O
with O
Sunni O
insurgents O
as O
part O
of O
the O
ongoing O
review O
of O
US O
policy O
in O
Iraq O
, O
the O
Washington O
Post O
reported O
Friday B-T
, O
citing O
anonymous O
government O
officials O
. O

The O
proposal O
, O
presented O
by O
the O
State O
Department O
, O
follows O
an O
internal O
review O
that O
says O
US O
efforts O
to O
reach O
out O
to O
Sunni O
dissidents O
have O
failed O
, O
the O
Post O
reported O
. O

Such O
efforts O
may O
even O
have O
backfired O
and O
alienated O
Iraqi O
Shiites O
, O
the O
review O
said O
. O

US O
policy O
up O
to O
now B-T
has O
been O
to O
support O
a O
unified O
Iraq O
based O
on O
its O
three O
main O
communities O
- O
- O
the O
Shiites O
, O
the O
Sunnis O
and O
the O
Kurds O
. O
Washington O
would O
not O
drop O
the O
goal O
, O
but O
instead O
would O
let O
the O
Iraqis O
take O
leadership O
in O
reconciliation O
efforts O
, O
the O
Post O
reported O
. O

US O
ambassador O
in O
Iraq O
Zalmay O
Khalilzad O
and O
top O
military O
commanders O
believe O
that O
bringing O
Sunni O
insurgents O
into O
the O
political O
process O
is O
key O
to O
stabilizing O
the O
country O
, O
and O
strongly O
oppose O
the O
effort O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Post O
. O

Sunnis O
, O
favored O
during O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
regime O
and O
for O
centuries O
the O
backbone O
of O
the O
ruling O
elite O
and O
middle O
class O
, O
make O
up O
about O
20 O
percent O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
population O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0327 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Africa O
suffers O
huge O
losses O
from O
gold O
theft O
: O
report O

South O
Africa O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
gold O
producer O
, O
suffers O
losses O
as O
huge O
as O
2 O
billion O
rand O
( O
278 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
each O
year O
due O
to O
gold O
theft O
from O
mines O
, O
a O
report O
revealed O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
Chamber O
of O
Mines O
said O
that O
a O
report O
, O
compiled O
by O
the O
Institute O
of O
Security O
Studies O
, O
confirmed O
that O
about O
1 O
. O
8 O
billion O
rand O
to O
2 O
billion O
rand O
worth O
of O
gold O
is O
stolen O
every B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
report O
, O
focusing O
on O
the O
theft O
of O
precious O
metals O
from O
South O
African O
mines O
and O
refineries O
, O
also O
showed O
that O
theft O
of O
platinum O
and O
other O
precious O
metals O
was O
a O
problem O
, O
the O
SAPA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
chamber O
said O
gold O
production O
in O
South O
Africa O
in O
2005 B-T
was O
300 O
tons O
, O
42 O
tons O
less O
than O
the O
2004 O
production O
. O

Johannesburg O
- O
based O
newspaper O
The O
Star O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
South O
African O
police O
have O
arrested O
60 O
armed O
" O
gold O
mine O
pirates O
" O
who O
hijacked O
gold O
ores O
in O
shafts O
as O
deep O
as O
2 O
kilometers O
below O
the O
surface O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970426 O
. O
0027 O

HANOI O
, O
April B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Vietnam O
to O
tighten O
security O
on O
" O
state O
secrets O
" O

Prime O
Minister O
Vo O
Van O
Kiet O
has O
issued O
a O
directive O
calling O
on O
all O
levels O
of O
government O
to O
tighten O
vigilance O
against O
revealing O
state O
secrets O
, O
reports O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
April B-T
24 I-T
directive O
, O
portions O
of O
which O
were O
published O
in O
all O
daily O
Vietnamese O
- O
language O
newspapers O
, O
" O
the O
situation O
of O
revealing O
state O
secrets O
in O
a O
number O
of O
offices O
and O
localities O
is O
still O
serious O
, O
" O
the O
Communist O
party O
' O
s O
official O
mouthpiece O
Nhan O
Dan O
said O
. O

The O
paper O
quoted O
the O
government O
as O
saying O
that O
since O
1991 B-T
when O
the O
ordinance O
on O
Protection O
of O
State O
Secrets O
was O
issued O
much O
progress O
had O
been O
made O
, O
but O
there O
were O
" O
cases O
of O
abusing O
regulations O
on O
state O
secret O
protection O
. O
" O

Vietnam O
has O
nebulous O
laws O
on O
state O
security O
and O
press O
freedom O
that O
give O
the O
government O
a O
free O
hand O
in O
restricting O
the O
media O
. O
The O
laws O
allow O
for O
criminal O
prosecution O
and O
harsh O
prison O
terms O
for O
those O
who O
reveal O
state O
secrets O
or O
damage O
national O
interests O
. O

The O
directive O
did O
not O
provide O
any O
list O
or O
description O
of O
what O
was O
included O
under O
state O
secrets O
. O

Instead O
it O
called O
on O
" O
ministries O
, O
offices O
of O
ministerial O
level O
, O
government O
offices O
and O
People O
' O
s O
Committees O
of O
provinces O
and O
cities O
under O
central O
authority O
to O
submit O
lists O
of O
state O
secrets O
to O
be O
approved O
by O
the O
prime O
minister O
before O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
1997 I-T
, O
" O
the O
paper O
said O
. O

The O
directive O
also O
said O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Culture O
and O
Information O
needed O
to O
regulate O
news O
reporting O
in O
the O
press O
in O
order O
" O
to O
ensure O
both O
the O
spread O
of O
information O
to O
the O
public O
and O
the O
correct O
implementation O
of O
regulations O
on O
preserving O
state O
secrets O
. O
" O

The O
government O
has O
closed O
several O
newspapers O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
to O
punish O
them O
for O
their O
reporting O
. O
Though O
there O
are O
more O
than O
500 O
journals O
and O
periodicals O
, O
the O
Vietnamese O
media O
is O
state O
- O
owned O
and O
subject O
to O
severe O
limitations O
on O
freedom O
of O
speech O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
the O
ministry O
of O
culture O
and O
information O
and O
the O
State O
Bank O
issued O
a O
circular O
aimed O
at O
curbing O
and O
controlling O
local O
media O
coverage O
of O
the O
banking O
industry O
, O
which O
included O
a O
list O
of O
information O
considered O
as O
state O
secrets O
in O
that O
industry O
. O

Information O
is O
tightly O
controlled O
in O
Vietnam O
, O
and O
statistics O
jealously O
guarded O
. O
Economic O
data O
considered O
routine O
in O
other O
countries O
, O
such O
as O
the O
size O
of O
the O
government O
budget O
deficit O
, O
are O
not O
publicly O
known O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
several O
local O
journalists O
were O
investigated O
for O
revealing O
" O
national O
secrets O
in O
violation O
of O
Article O
97 O
of O
the O
criminal O
code O
, O
" O
after O
reporting O
possible O
mishandling O
of O
aircraft O
purchases O
by O
Vietnam O
Airlines O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0043 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

this O
fall O

The O
number O
of O
Chinese O
students O
pursuing O
Masters O
or O
Ph O
. O
D O
studies O
in O
American O
universities O
has O
gone O
up O
this B-T
fall I-T
, O
the O
first O
increase O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

20 O
percent O
more O
Chinese O
postgraduate O
students O
enrolled O
in O
the O
United O
States O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
making O
China O
second O
only O
to O
India O
, O
which O
saw O
growth O
of O
32 O
percent O
, O
according O
to O
a O
survey O
conducted O
by O
the O
American O
Council O
of O
Graduate O
Schools O
cited O
by O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
Beijing O
Morning O
Post O
. O

Chinese O
postgraduate O
enrollment O
was O
5 O
percent O
down O
in O
2005 O
compared O
with O
the B-T
previous I-T
year I-T
, O
said O
the O
newspaper O
. O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Secretary O
of O
Education O
Margaret O
Spellings O
and O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Dina O
H O
. O
Powell O
headed O
the O
first O
ever O
high O
- O
profile O
delegation O
of O
colleges O
and O
university O
presidents O
on O
a O
visit O
to O
China O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
aiming O
to O
attract O
more O
Chinese O
students O
to O
study O
in O
the O
United O
States O
. O

Delivering O
a O
speech O
at O
Beijing O
Normal O
University O
on O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
Spellings O
said O
" O
For O
decades O
, O
we O
have O
attracted O
more O
students O
from O
China O
than O
almost O
any O
other O
country O
in O
the O
world O
. O
" O

There O
were O
over O
62 O
, O
000 O
Chinese O
students O
studying O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
according O
to O
Spellings O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
number O
of O
student O
and O
exchange O
visas O
the O
United O
States O
issued O
to O
international O
students O
reached O
an O
all O
- O
time O
high O
of O
nearly O
600 O
, O
000 O
, O
she O
said O
, O
adding O
student O
visas O
were O
up O
15 O
percent O
. O

Foreign O
students O
have O
complained O
that O
, O
following O
Sept B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, O
getting O
a O
visa O
to O
the O
United O
States O
was O
hard O
to O
come O
and O
usually O
took O
a O
long O
time O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
been O
working O
hard O
to O
make O
the O
visa O
process O
smoother O
, O
easier O
and O
more O
transparent O
, O
" O
Spellings O
said O
. O

She O
said O
more O
than O
97 O
percent O
of O
qualified O
students O
could O
obtain O
their O
visas O
in O
a O
few O
days O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
statistics O
show O
that O
more O
than O
10 O
, O
000 O
American O
students O
came O
to O
China O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
a O
36 O
percent O
growth O
compared O
with O
2004 O
. O

Asia O
remains O
the O
largest O
source O
of O
total O
U O
. O
S O
. O
international O
enrollments O
, O
accounting O
for O
58 O
percent O
. O
With O
76 O
, O
503 O
students O
in O
the O
United O
States O
in O
2005 O
/ O
06 O
, O
India O
is O
the O
leading O
country O
followed O
by O
China O
with O
62 O
, O
582 O
students O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0541 O

GAZA O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
GRAPHIC O
+ O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Violence O
flared O
in O
Gaza O
Monday B-T
despite O
a O
fragile O
truce O
between O
rival O
Palestinian O
factions O
, O
as O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
, O
locked O
in O
a O
dangerous O
standoff O
with O
the O
ruling O
Hamas O
movement O
, O
vowed O
to O
press O
ahead O
with O
his O
controversial O
plans O
for O
early O
elections O
. O

A O
member O
of O
Abbas O
' O
s O
Fatah O
party O
was O
killed O
after O
gunmen O
fired O
on O
a O
welfare O
agency O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
in O
an O
attack O
that O
also O
wounded O
five O
other O
people O
, O
medics O
said O
. O

Until O
the O
attack O
, O
a O
shaky O
late O
- O
night O
ceasefire O
appeared O
to O
be O
holding O
between O
the O
two O
rival O
groups O
battling O
for O
power O
in O
the O
volatile O
Palestinian O
territories O
, O
although O
sporadic O
gunfire O
rang O
out O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

Nine O
Fatah O
members O
, O
including O
senior O
official O
Sofiane O
Abu O
Zaida O
, O
and O
five O
Hamas O
loyalists O
were O
kidnapped O
during O
the O
day O
in O
the O
north O
of O
the O
coastal O
strip O
, O
according O
to O
officials O
and O
witnesses O
. O

Zaida O
was O
later O
released O
after O
about O
two B-T
hours I-T
, O
and O
the O
others O
released O
shortly O
after O
that O
, O
a O
mediator O
said O
. O

" O
The O
mediation O
to O
free O
all O
Fatah O
and O
Hamas O
hostages O
was O
successful O
and O
allowed O
security O
to O
improve O
and O
tensions O
to O
stop O
, O
" O
said O
Islamic O
Jihad O
mediator O
Daud O
Shihab O
. O

Abbas O
won O
support O
for O
his O
election O
plan O
from O
visiting O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
, O
who O
appealed O
to O
the O
international O
community O
to O
back O
the O
moderate O
Palestinian O
president O
and O
called O
for O
an O
initiative O
to O
put O
the O
Middle O
East O
peace O
process O
back O
on O
track O
. O

Abbas O
described O
the O
situation O
in O
the O
territories O
as O
a O
" O
grave O
internal O
crisis O
" O
after O
an O
explosion O
of O
deadly O
violence O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
following O
his O
high O
- O
stakes O
political O
challenge O
to O
Hamas O
. O

" O
I O
have O
called O
for O
early O
presidential O
and O
parliamentary O
elections O
so O
that O
the O
people O
can O
decide O
on O
the O
base O
of O
an O
acceptable O
program O
to O
preserve O
their O
national O
interests O
. O
. O
. O
and O
put O
an O
end O
to O
the O
siege O
and O
crisis O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

But O
he O
said O
the O
door O
was O
still O
open O
to O
forming O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
after O
Hamas O
vowed O
to O
boycott O
any O
elections O
, O
describing O
Abbas O
' O
s O
move O
as O
a O
coup O
and O
tantamount O
to O
a O
call O
for O
civil O
war O
. O

Abbas O
, O
who O
has O
been O
at O
loggerheads O
with O
Hamas O
since O
it O
trounced O
his O
Fatah O
party O
in O
January B-T
elections O
, O
also O
appealed O
for O
an O
end O
to O
the O
street O
violence O
. O

" O
Any O
bullet O
shot O
anywhere O
is O
a O
loss O
for O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
and O
is O
not O
in O
our O
interest O
. O
" O

Blair O
, O
standing O
alongside O
Abbas O
at O
a O
Ramallah O
news O
conference O
, O
called O
for O
an O
initiative O
to O
support O
the O
Palestinians O
and O
move O
toward O
a O
two O
- O
state O
solution O
for O
the O
Middle O
East O
conflict O
. O

" O
I O
hope O
therefore O
that O
we O
will O
be O
in O
a O
position O
over O
these O
coming O
weeks O
to O
put O
together O
an O
initiative O
that O
allows O
us O
both O
to O
give O
that O
support O
, O
in O
particular O
for O
reconstruction O
and O
development O
, O
and O
to O
alleviate O
the O
suffering O
and O
plight O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
, O
" O
Blair O
said O
. O

" O
But O
also O
crucially O
that O
gives O
us O
a O
political O
framework O
within O
which O
we O
can O
move O
forward O
on O
that O
two O
- O
state O
solution O
. O
" O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
critical O
moment O
, O
" O
he O
said O
after O
later O
holding O
talks O
in O
Jerusalem O
with O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
. O
" O
It O
' O
s O
never O
been O
more O
important O
that O
we O
try O
to O
make O
progress O
. O
" O

A O
senior O
Palestinian O
official O
told O
AFP O
that O
the O
initiative O
announced O
by O
Blair O
would O
be O
worked O
out O
in O
coordination O
with O
the O
United O
States O
and O
be O
unveiled O
by O
US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
during O
her O
expected O
visit O
to O
the O
region O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Palestinian O
territories O
have O
been O
plunged O
into O
their O
deepest O
ever O
financial O
crisis O
because O
of O
a O
Western O
aid O
freeze O
imposed O
after O
Hamas O
came O
to O
power O
in O
March B-T
. O

Abbas O
has O
said O
elections O
were O
the O
way O
to O
resolve O
the O
turf O
war O
with O
Hamas O
, O
boycotted O
internationally O
because O
of O
its O
failure O
to O
recognize O
Israel O
, O
renounce O
violence O
and O
agree O
to O
past O
peace O
deals O
. O

But O
he O
did O
not O
set O
a O
date O
and O
election O
officials O
said O
they O
would O
need O
110 B-T
days I-T
to O
organize O
a O
ballot O
once O
Abbas O
issues O
an O
official O
decree O
. O

The O
surge O
in O
unrest O
drew O
urgent O
appeals O
for O
restraint O
from O
across O
the O
globe O
. O

Arab O
League O
chief O
Amr O
Mussa O
called O
the O
situation O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
" O
extremely O
dangerous O
" O
and O
called O
for O
an O
emergency O
meeting O
of O
foreign O
ministers O
next O
Sunday B-T
aimed O
at O
ending O
the O
fighting O
. O

Israel O
- O
- O
which O
pulled O
out O
its O
troops O
and O
settlers O
from O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
in O
2005 B-T
but O
maintains O
control O
over O
its O
borders O
- O
- O
said O
that O
Abbas O
should O
be O
supported O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
doubt O
that O
we O
have O
to O
support O
the O
moderates O
favorable O
to O
negotiations O
among O
the O
Palestinians O
. O
. O
. O
and O
that O
everything O
should O
be O
done O
to O
reinforce O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
, O
" O
Olmert O
said O
after O
talks O
with O
Blair O
. O

Washington O
also O
rallied O
behind O
the O
Palestinian O
president O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
We O
support O
president O
Abbas O
in O
trying O
to O
work O
through O
this O
current O
impasse O
, O
" O
said O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Sean O
McCormack O
. O

" O
President O
Abbas O
is O
doing O
what O
he O
can O
, O
taking O
the O
steps O
that O
he O
thinks O
are O
prudent O
, O
to O
try O
to O
resolve O
this O
situation O
, O
" O
McCormack O
said O
. O

" O
And O
we O
certainly O
hope O
that O
the O
steps O
that O
he O
is O
taking O
can O
lead O
to O
a O
reduction O
in O
the O
violence O
. O
" O

SJMN91 O
- O
06338157 O

06338157 O

Photo O
; O
PHOTO O
: O
Sununu O
; O
( O
Photo O
ran O
in O
PM O
editions O
only O
) O

US O
; O
GOVERNMENT O
; O
OFFICIAL O
; O
RESIGN O
; O
CONTROVERSY O

One O
of O
President O
Bush O
' O
s O
sons O
has O
informed O
White O
House O
Chief O
of O
Staff O
John O

Sununu O
that O
he O
has O
lost O
much O
of O
his O
support O
among O
Republicans O
, O
prompting O
an O

intense O
effort O
by O
Sununu O
to O
hold O
on O
to O
his O
job O
by O
demonstrating O
his O
GOP O

backing O
, O
White O
House O
and O
Republican O
sources O
said O
Monday B-T
. O
; O
Sununu O
was O
told O

Wednesday B-T
by O
Bush O
' O
s O
son O
, O
George O
, O
that O
he O
had O
alienated O
members O
of O
the O
Cabinet O
, O

the O
White O
House O
staff O
and O
the O
Republican O
political O
community O
, O
creating O
a O

situation O
that O
puts O
his O
effectiveness O
in O
significant O
doubt O
, O
the O
sources O
said O
. O

Front O

SUNUNU O
BATTLES O
TO O
KEEP O
HIS O
JOB O

The O
message O
to O
the O
chief O
of O
staff O
was O
meant O
to O
be O
taken O
as O
a O
suggestion O

that O
Sununu O
offer O
to O
resign O
, O
one O
highly O
placed O
source O
said O
. O
Instead O
, O
Sununu O

sought O
to O
prove O
to O
the O
president O
that O
his O
supporters O
outnumber O
his O
critics O
and O

that O
he O
should O
remain O
in O
his O
post O
. O
; O
One O
senior O
official O
Monday B-T
described O
the O

White O
House O
as O
" O
a O
collection O
of O
small O
groups O
of O
aides O
holding O
their O
breaths O
, O
" O

waiting O
to O
see O
whether O
Sununu O
survives O
. O
One O
GOP O
source O
, O
reporting O
on O
a O
call O

from O
the O
chief O
of O
staff O
to O
a O
Republican O
leader O
, O
said O
Sununu O
lamented O
that O
" O
the O

noose O
is O
tightening O
around O
my O
neck O
, O
and O
I O
need O
your O
help O
. O
" O
; O
Another O
highly O

placed O
source O
said O
the O
president O
' O
s O
son O
met O
with O
Sununu O
last B-T
week I-T
after O
holding O

a O
series O
of O
conversations O
about O
the O
structure O
of O
the O
White O
House O
staff O
and O
of O

the O
campaign O
with O
other O
Bush O
loyalists O
and O
GOP O
activists O
. O
The O
source O
said O
the O

younger O
Bush O
" O
sketched O
out O
for O
Sununu O
" O
problems O
the O
president O
is O
encountering O

because O
of O
the O
chief O
of O
staff O
' O
s O
tenure O
. O
; O
" O
He O
was O
told O
. O
. O
. O
the O
handwriting O

was O
on O
the O
wall O
, O
" O
the O
source O
said O
Monday B-T
. O
; O
That O
, O
the O
source O
said O
, O
was O
when O

Sununu O
started O
calling O
congressional O
Republicans O
and O
asking O
them O
to O
tell O
Bush O

that O
the O
conservative O
wing O
of O
the O
party O
, O
in O
particular O
, O
would O
object O
if O
he O

were O
fired O
. O
; O
Officials O
said O
the O
president O
himself O
met O
with O
Sununu O
Sunday B-T
. O
A O

source O
said O
the O
outcome O
of O
that O
session O
was O
unclear O
. O

ANN O
DEVROY O
, O
Washington O
Post O

USA O

Washington O

Morning O
Final O

SJ O

San O
Jose O
Mercury O
News O

911203 O

Tuesday O

December O

4A O

1991 O

WEST O

PHOTO O

CA O

326 O

Tuesday B-T
, I-T
December I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1991 I-T

00338157 O
, O
SJ1 O

Copyright O
1991 O
, O
San O
Jose O
Mercury O
News O

1 O

ENG O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0204 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O
auto O
show O
closes O
with O
record O
turnout O

The O
Beijing O
auto O
exhibition O
2006 O
closed O
Monday B-T
with O
a O
record O
turnout O
of O
almost O
600 O
, O
000 O
visitors O
in O
10 B-T
days I-T
, O
the O
organizers O
said O
. O

Nearly O
550 O
, O
000 O
people O
visited O
the O
main O
venue O
at O
the O
China O
International O
Exhibition O
Center O
, O
while O
another O
50 O
, O
000 O
visited O
the O
auto O
parts O
show O
at O
the O
National O
Agricultural O
Exhibition O
Center O
. O

The O
event O
, O
which O
has O
been O
held O
biennially O
since O
1990 B-T
, O
also O
drew O
6 O
, O
376 O
journalists O
, O
including O
1 O
, O
135 O
from O
outside O
China O
. O

INCREASING O
lNTERNATIONAL O
INFLUENCE O

The O
rising O
importance O
of O
the O
Beijing O
auto O
show O
was O
reflected O
by O
the O
unprecedented O
presence O
of O
major O
international O
carmakers O
. O

More O
than O
1 O
, O
500 O
businesses O
from O
over O
20 O
countries O
and O
regions O
, O
including O
big O
names O
in O
the O
international O
auto O
industries O
, O
were O
represented O
. O

Foreign O
carmakers O
brought O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
572 O
cars O
to O
the O
show O
. O
Ten O
models O
, O
including O
Toyota O
' O
s O
Corolla O
and O
Maybach O
' O
s O
ultra O
- O
luxury O
62S O
, O
made O
their O
global O
debuts O
in O
Beijing O
. O

After O
years O
of O
dynamic O
growth O
, O
China O
is O
the O
world O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
auto O
market O
after O
the O
United O
States O
. O

Both O
its O
production O
and O
sales O
of O
automobiles O
are O
expected O
to O
surpass O
seven O
million O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
latest O
estimate O
of O
the O
China O
Association O
of O
Automobile O
Manufacturers O
. O

Though O
that O
is O
still O
less O
than O
half O
of O
the O
16 O
. O
5 O
million O
cars O
expected O
to O
be O
sold O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
China O
could O
overtake O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
as O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
carmaker O
in O
10 B-T
years I-T
, O
Nick O
Reilly O
, O
General O
Motors O
Asia O
and O
Pacific O
head O
, O
told O
a O
Detroit O
newspaper O
. O

CHINESE O
BRANDS O
STEALS O
THE O
SHOW O

This B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Beijing O
auto O
show O
also O
saw O
an O
impressive O
turnout O
of O
home O
- O
grown O
brands O
, O
a O
reflection O
of O
their O
growing O
strength O
in O
the O
fast O
expanding O
auto O
market O
. O

According O
to O
the O
organizers O
, O
Chinese O
brands O
accounted O
for O
one O
third O
of O
the O
vehicles O
on O
show O
, O
the O
most O
in O
the O
history O
of O
the O
event O
. O

FAW O
, O
which O
produced O
China O
' O
s O
first O
truck O
and O
car O
in O
the B-T
1950s I-T
, O
brought O
29 O
vehicles O
, O
including O
19 O
of O
its O
joint O
venture O
brand O
partners O
such O
as O
Volkswagen O
and O
Toyota O
, O
and O
10 O
of O
its O
own O
. O

The O
most O
eye O
- O
catching O
is O
a O
new O
Red O
Flag O
( O
Hongqi O
) O
model O
dubbed O
HQ3 O
. O
Using O
a O
4 O
. O
3 O
liter O
engine O
, O
it O
takes O
only O
7 O
. O
3 O
seconds O
for O
HQ3 O
to O
accelerate O
to O
100 O
kilometers O
per O
hour O
. O

The O
car O
is O
also O
equipped O
with O
a O
sophisticated O
infrared O
night O
vision O
system O
that O
can O
detect O
obstacles O
from O
250 O
meters O
away O
. O

Dongfeng O
Motor O
, O
another O
major O
Chinese O
manufacturer O
, O
came O
with O
15 O
models O
, O
half O
of O
them O
Dongfeng O
' O
s O
own O
brands O
. O
They O
include O
a O
full O
range O
of O
cars O
, O
multi O
- O
purpose O
vehicles O
, O
small O
utility O
vehicles O
, O
racing O
cars O
and O
hybrid O
sedans O
. O

Geely O
, O
a O
minor O
Chinese O
carmaker O
which O
recently O
entered O
into O
agreement O
with O
the O
Manganese O
Bronze O
Holdings O
Plc O
. O
of O
the O
United O
Kingdom O
to O
produce O
London O
' O
s O
iconic O
black O
cabs O
, O
is O
displaying O
over O
a O
dozen O
new O
models O
. O

Also O
on O
show O
is O
Geely O
' O
s O
first O
concept O
car O
, O
and O
another O
from O
its O
subsidiary O
, O
Shanghai O
Maple O
Automobile O
. O

Other O
Chinese O
carmakers O
, O
the O
Shanghai O
Automotive O
Industry O
Corp O
. O
, O
Great O
Wall O
, O
Chery O
and O
others O
all O
brought O
their O
Chinese O
brand O
models O
. O

Chinese O
brands O
account O
for O
about O
a O
quarter O
of O
China O
' O
s O
auto O
sales O
. O
While O
consolidating O
their O
share O
in O
low O
- O
end O
products O
, O
they O
are O
moving O
into O
more O
lucrative O
markets O
dominated O
by O
foreign O
carmakers O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0236 O

CHANGSHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
draws O
with O
Bulgaria O
0 O
- O
0 O
in O
friendly O
( O
updated O
) O

China O
were O
held O
to O
a O
goalless O
draw O
with O
East O
European O
side O
Bulgaria O
in O
an O
international O
soccer O
friendly O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

China O
boss O
Zhu O
Guanghu O
' O
s O
wish O
of O
ending O
the O
winless O
record O
against O
European O
teams O
failed O
again O
due O
to O
the O
weaknesses O
in O
both O
the O
midfield O
and O
the O
forward O
line O
in O
a O
match O
lacking O
excitement O
. O

" O
As O
you O
see O
I O
have O
sent O
several O
young O
players O
in O
this O
match O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
preparing O
for O
2008 O
Olympics O
and O
they O
did O
a O
good O
job O
, O
" O
said O
Zhu O
after O
the O
match O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
really O
a O
problem O
that O
we O
haven O
' O
t O
scored O
in O
five O
matches O
against O
European O
sides O
. O
We O
packed O
the O
backline O
and O
gave O
them O
big O
pressure O
, O
but O
was O
not O
good O
when O
we O
got O
the O
ball O
and O
began O
the O
counter O
attack O
. O
That O
' O
s O
what O
we O
have O
to O
solve O
. O
" O

China O
dominated O
the O
first O
half O
in O
front O
of O
a O
slack O
Bulgaria O
squad O
made O
up O
of O
second O
- O
thought O
players O
chosen O
by O
1994 O
World O
Cup O
hero O
Dimitar O
Penev O
, O
packing O
the O
guest O
' O
s O
half O
with O
short O
passes O
and O
long O
range O
drives O
. O

After O
several O
long O
range O
efforts O
from O
Cao O
Yang O
, O
Chen O
Tao O
and O
Sun O
Xiang O
, O
midfielder O
Wang O
Liang O
created O
the O
best O
chance O
for O
the O
hosts O
before O
the O
interval O
with O
a O
superb O
25m O
curve O
after O
rounding O
down O
a O
defender O
, O
which O
was O
merely O
tipped O
over O
by O
a O
full O
- O
stretched O
Zdravko O
Zdravkov O
. O

Skipper O
Li O
Weifeng O
went O
close O
on O
87 B-T
minutes I-T
to O
head O
wide O
a O
Wang O
Liang O
' O
s O
fine O
corner O
, O
which O
was O
the O
only O
highlight O
of O
the O
second O
half O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
good O
match O
anyway O
. O
The O
significance O
for O
both O
teams O
is O
not O
about O
which O
one O
beats O
the O
other O
, O
but O
as O
an O
exercise O
for O
the O
2010 O
World O
Cup O
as O
we O
both O
failed O
to O
qualify O
for O
2006 O
, O
" O
commented O
Penev O
. O

China O
had O
suffered O
four O
consecutive O
defeats O
against O
European O
teams O
like O
Spain O
, O
Ireland O
, O
Germany O
and O
Serbia O
and O
Montenegro O
this O
year O
before O
this O
match O
without O
scoring O
a O
goal O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0406 O

WELLINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Wide O
- O
scale O
search O
for O
NZ O
missing O
glider O

Seven O
more O
helicopters O
have O
joined O
the O
search O
Thursday B-T
for O
a O
powered O
glider O
with O
two O
people O
aboard O
that O
went O
missing O
during O
a O
competition O
in O
South O
New O
Zealand O
late O
Wednesday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

They O
joined O
four O
fixed O
- O
wing O
aircraft O
and O
a O
helicopter O
which O
resumed O
searching O
at O
first O
light O
for O
the O
glider O
, O
four O
hours O
after O
taking O
off O
from O
Omarama O
, O
about O
119 O
km O
northwest O
of O
Oamaru O
. O

Rescue O
Co O
- O
ordination O
Center O
New O
Zealand O
( O
RCCNZ O
) O
said O
four O
fixed O
- O
wing O
aircraft O
are O
scouring O
the O
search O
area O
as O
widely O
and O
quickly O
as O
possible O
while O
the O
helicopters O
search O
at O
a O
lower O
and O
more O
detailed O
level O
. O

Several O
glider O
pilots O
and O
trained O
observers O
are O
among O
the O
air O
search O
personnel O
. O

Visibility O
remains O
good O
in O
the O
search O
area O
but O
worsening O
weather O
conditions O
are O
forecast O
for O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

Police O
continue O
to O
search O
the O
numerous O
airstrips O
in O
the O
area O
and O
are O
asking O
locals O
to O
check O
their O
properties O
for O
any O
sign O
of O
the O
missing O
glider O
or O
the O
two O
people O
on O
board O
. O

Ground O
- O
based O
search O
and O
rescue O
teams O
were O
ready O
to O
move O
if O
required O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0027 O

GANSU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
11 O
dead O
in O
NW O
China O
colliery O
gas O
blast O

Eleven O
people O
were O
confirmed O
dead O
in O
a O
coal O
mine O
gas O
blast O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Gansu O
Province O
, O
said O
local O
work O
safety O
bureau O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0011 O

BUENOS O
AIRES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Caribbean O
, O
L O
. O
American O
states O
to O
unite O
Chinese O
friendship O
societies O

Some O
20 O
countries O
in O
Latin O
America O
and O
the O
Caribbean O
will O
unite O
their O
Chinese O
friendship O
societies O
into O
a O
new O
regional O
federation O
for O
friendship O
with O
China O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
Guillermo O
Penfold O
, O
head O
of O
the O
Foundation O
to O
Develop O
Relations O
with O
the O
Chinese O
People O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Penfold O
made O
the O
announcement O
here O
at O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
of O
the O
third O
conference O
of O
the O
Caribbean O
- O
and O
Latin O
America O
- O
China O
Friendship O
Societies O
. O

The O
two O
- O
day O
meeting O
is O
taking O
place O
at O
the O
headquarters O
of O
Banco O
de O
la O
Nacion O
in O
Buenos O
Aires O
, O
Argentina O
' O
s O
capital O
. O

About O
30 O
friendship O
societies O
from O
these O
countries O
were O
to O
formally O
launch O
the O
new O
federation O
at O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
session O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Some O
70 O
delegates O
will O
approve O
the O
new O
organization O
' O
s O
charter O
. O
They O
will O
also O
reaffirm O
the O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
and O
their O
support O
for O
China O
' O
s O
Anti O
- O
Secession O
Law O
. O

Present O
at O
the O
ceremony O
were O
former O
Argentine O
President O
Raul O
Alfonsin O
and O
Cheng O
Siwei O
, O
vice O
- O
chairman O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
China O
' O
s O
National O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
and O
head O
of O
the O
China O
- O
Latin O
America O
Friendship O
Association O
. O

Cheng O
said O
that O
China O
and O
the O
countries O
of O
the O
Caribbean O
and O
Latin O
America O
are O
enjoying O
good O
relations O
both O
in O
government O
- O
to O
- O
government O
and O
people O
- O
to O
- O
people O
aspects O
. O

Thanking O
the O
friendly O
associations O
for O
enhancing O
bilateral O
friendship O
, O
Cheng O
said O
good O
ties O
between O
China O
and O
those O
nations O
had O
promoted O
the O
fast O
development O
of O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
politics O
, O
economy O
, O
business O
, O
culture O
, O
education O
and O
science O
. O

The O
associations O
met O
last O
time O
in O
Bogota O
, O
capital O
of O
Colombia O
, O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0214 O

OTTAWA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Wild O
ducks O
found O
with O
avian O
flu O
viruses O
in O
Canada O

Thirty O
- O
six O
wild O
ducks O
in O
Canada O
have O
tested O
positive O
for O
H5 O
and O
H7 O
strains O
of O
avian O
influenza O
viruses O
after O
two O
farms O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
west O
part O
were O
found O
infected O
with O
H5 O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
ducks O
, O
taken O
from O
an O
area O
along O
the O
border O
between O
Nova O
Scotia O
and O
New O
Brunswick O
in O
the O
Atlantic O
coast O
, O
are O
among O
710 O
birds O
tested O
as O
part O
of O
a O
national O
wild O
bird O
surveillance O
program O
, O
Canadian O
Press O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

Additional O
testing O
needs O
to O
be O
done O
to O
identify O
which O
strains O
of O
H5 O
viruses O
were O
found O
. O

Health O
officials O
say O
it O
is O
unlikely O
the O
viruses O
are O
the O
same O
as O
the O
virulent O
H5N1 O
strain O
causing O
widespread O
outbreaks O
among O
birds O
in O
southeast O
Asia O
which O
has O
caused O
68 O
human O
deaths O
. O

Cases O
of O
H5 O
and O
H7 O
viruses O
have O
been O
found O
in O
Canada O
' O
s O
British O
Columbia O
, O
Manitoba O
and O
Quebec O
provinces O
recently B-T
. O
Earlier B-T
this I-T
week I-T
, O
a O
low O
pathogenic O
North O
American O
strain O
of O
H5 O
viruses O
was O
found O
on O
two O
poultry O
farms O
in O
British O
Columbia O
, O
leading O
to O
the O
culling O
of O
more O
than O
110 O
, O
000 O
birds O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0100 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

lambastes O
" O
selling O
of O
official O
posts O
" O

Buying O
and O
selling O
government O
posts O
and O
official O
titles O
have O
become O
one O
of O
the O
main O
corruption O
in O
China O
, O
said O
a O
former O
head O
of O
the O
CPC O
' O
s O
organization O
department O
. O

Zhang O
Quanjing O
, O
who O
headed O
the O
department O
for O
five B-T
years I-T
until O
1999 B-T
, O
said O
, O
" O
It O
' O
s O
appalling O
to O
hear O
that O
a O
Chinese O
official O
killed O
his O
superior O
in O
order O
to O
get O
a O
higher O
post O
, O
" O
Zhang O
told O
the O
Southern O
Weekly O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

Zhang O
, O
who O
was O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
high O
- O
level O
appointments O
, O
said O
since O
1982 B-T
a O
new O
generation O
of O
higher O
- O
educated O
, O
less O
ideological O
officials O
have O
replaced O
the O
older O
cadres O
who O
had O
earned O
their O
jobs O
fighting O
for O
the O
socialist O
cause O
. O

" O
The O
older O
senior O
officials O
who O
survived O
wartime O
were O
different O
than O
the O
younger O
officials O
who O
tend O
to O
think O
about O
themselves O
and O
are O
mainly O
after O
power O
, O
salary O
, O
status O
, O
housing O
and O
medical O
care O
. O
This O
thinking O
triggers O
jealousy O
and O
encourages O
the O
buying O
of O
official O
posts O
to O
get O
promoted O
, O
" O
the O
South O
China O
' O
s O
Guangzhou O
- O
based O
newspaper O
quoted O
Zhang O
as O
saying O
. O

Zhang O
said O
more O
open O
hiring O
practices O
by O
the O
party O
' O
s O
disciplinary O
and O
organization O
bodies O
would O
help O
stop O
the O
practice O
of O
buying O
or O
selling O
government O
posts O
. O

In O
2005 B-T
, O
334 O
CPC O
officials O
were O
criticized O
for O
seeking O
illegal O
promotions O
and O
97 O
were O
punished O
according O
to O
organizational O
or O
disciplinary O
rules O
, O
statistics O
show O
. O

Zhang O
said O
the O
public O
has O
helped O
crack O
down O
on O
official O
misconduct O
. O
By O
visiting O
or O
writing O
letters O
whistle O
blowers O
have O
reported O
a O
large O
number O
of O
official O
corruption O
cases O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
. O

In O
July B-T
, O
eight O
CPC O
officials O
were O
punished O
, O
some O
with O
long O
jail O
terms O
, O
for O
buying O
or O
selling O
government O
jobs O
. O

Cao O
Yongbao O
, O
former O
Deputy O
Secretary O
of O
Liangshan O
Prefectural O
Committee O
of O
the O
CPC O
in O
Southwest O
China O
' O
s O
Sichuan O
Province O
was O
expelled O
from O
the O
Party O
and O
sentenced O
to O
13 O
years O
in O
jail O
. O

In O
an O
infamous O
scandal O
involving O
officials O
of O
Chenzhou O
, O
Central O
China O
' O
s O
Hunan O
Province O
, O
buying O
and O
selling O
government O
posts O
was O
so O
popular O
that O
Li O
Dalun O
, O
the O
former O
secretary O
of O
the O
Chenzhou O
municipal O
CPC O
committee O
, O
was O
found O
to O
have O
accepted O
13 O
. O
25 O
million O
yuan O
( O
about O
1 O
. O
65 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
bribes O
that O
included O
free O
overseas O
tours O
and O
free O
overseas O
education O
for O
his O
family O
members O
. O

" O
Officials O
who O
do O
this O
must O
be O
severely O
criticized O
, O
" O
said O
Wu O
Guangzheng O
, O
secretary O
of O
the O
CPC O
Central O
Commission O
for O
Discipline O
Inspection O
earlier O
in O
a O
speech O
. O

" O
We O
need O
to O
be O
tough O
on O
people O
who O
buy O
and O
sell O
official O
posts O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Government O
department O
with O
too O
many O
officials O
is O
also O
a O
big O
problem O
" O
Zhang O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
departments O
should O
be O
streamlined O
with O
fewer O
officials O
who O
are O
more O
efficient O
. O

He O
suggested O
that O
China O
' O
s O
provincial O
governments O
should O
reduce O
the O
number O
of O
official O
posts O
to O
one O
governor O
and O
two O
vice O
- O
governors O
. O

" O
Fewer O
official O
posts O
would O
shift O
the O
attention O
of O
officials O
from O
thinking O
about O
getting O
a O
promotion O
to O
the O
actual O
doing O
their O
work O
, O
" O
Zhang O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0259 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Palestinian O
election O
gets O
Danish O
aid O

The O
Danish O
minister O
of O
foreign O
affairs O
promises O
an O
aid O
package O
to O
help O
Palestinians O
carry O
out O
their O
January O
parliamentary O
election O
, O
Ritzau O
news O
bureau O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Aid O
for O
the O
upcoming O
Palestinian O
election O
was O
on O
the O
agenda O
when O
Minister O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
Per O
Stig O
Moeller O
met O
with O
the O
Palestinian O
president O
, O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
, O
in O
Ramallah O
on O
the O
West O
Bank O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

In O
addition O
to O
approximately O
600 O
, O
000 O
euros O
in O
aid O
to O
the O
independent O
election O
commission O
, O
Moeller O
promised O
that O
Denmark O
would O
send O
election O
observers O
and O
offer O
assistance O
to O
the O
media O
. O

Assisting O
the O
fledgling O
Palestinian O
democracy O
was O
the O
goal O
of O
the O
program O
, O
according O
to O
Moeller O
, O
which O
would O
also O
encourage O
women O
to O
exercise O
their O
democratic O
rights O
. O

" O
The O
goal O
is O
that O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
get O
a O
democracy O
, O
that O
includes O
a O
president O
and O
only O
one O
army O
, O
but O
several O
political O
parties O
, O
" O
said O
Moeller O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0086 O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Du O
' O
s O
late O
goal O
sends O
China O
into O
men O
' O
s O
soccer O
final O
at O
EAG O

A O
last O
- O
gasp O
header O
by O
defender O
Du O
Wei O
earned O
China O
a O
2 O
- O
1 O
victory O
over O
Japan O
Saturday B-T
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
soccer O
semifinals O
at O
the O
East O
Asian O
Games O
. O

China O
will O
face O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
final O
. O
The O
DPR O
Koreans O
downed O
South O
Korea O
2 O
- O
0 O
in O
the O
other O
semifinal O
. O

Just O
as O
the O
match O
looked O
set O
for O
a O
1 O
- O
1 O
draw O
in O
regulation O
time O
, O
Du O
rose O
unmarked O
in O
the O
penalty O
box O
to O
head O
home O
a O
free O
- O
kick O
from O
midfielder O
Sun O
Xiang O
one O
minute O
into O
injury O
time O
. O

China O
opened O
the O
scoring O
in O
the B-T
41st I-T
minute I-T
with O
a O
header O
by O
striker O
Gao O
Lin O
, O
but O
the O
Japanese O
grabbed O
the O
equalizer O
through O
Shingo O
Akamine O
' O
s O
header O
15 B-T
minutes I-T
after O
halftime O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
group O
stage O
, O
DPR O
Korea O
defeated O
China O
3 O
- O
1 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0220 O

ROME O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

International O
conference O
to O
review O
rural O
development O
: O
FAO O

An O
international O
conference O
is O
being O
staged O
to O
review O
agrarian O
reform O
and O
rural O
development O
that O
could O
contribute O
to O
poverty O
alleviation O
, O
the O
UN O
Food O
and O
Agriculture O
Organization O
( O
FAO O
) O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
International O
Conference O
on O
Agrarian O
Reform O
and O
Rural O
Development O
( O
ICARRD O
) O
will O
take O
place O
in O
Porto O
Alegre O
, O
Brazil O
, O
on O
March B-T
2 I-T
- I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
FAO O
, O
three O
out O
of O
four O
people O
suffering O
from O
hunger O
live O
in O
rural O
areas O
and O
depend O
on O
natural O
resources O
such O
as O
land O
and O
water O
for O
their O
survival O
. O

" O
If O
we O
want O
to O
reduce O
hunger O
and O
poverty O
in O
the O
world O
, O
we O
must O
go O
to O
the O
root O
causes O
of O
the O
problem O
, O
" O
said O
Parviz O
Koohafkan O
, O
executive O
secretary O
of O
the O
conference O
. O

" O
In O
the O
poor O
rural O
zones O
, O
one O
of O
the O
main O
problems O
is O
the O
lack O
of O
secure O
access O
to O
factors O
of O
production O
, O
particularly O
land O
and O
water O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
main O
objective O
of O
the O
conference O
is O
to O
analyze O
agrarian O
reform O
and O
rural O
development O
experiences O
in O
different O
countries O
, O
and O
to O
identify O
policies O
, O
practices O
and O
lessons O
learnt O
that O
can O
bring O
about O
a O
new O
rural O
development O
paradigm O
based O
on O
social O
inclusion O
, O
environmental O
sustainability O
and O
livelihood O
security O
for O
the O
poor O
. O

Porto O
Alegre O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
Rio O
Grande O
do O
Sul O
, O
is O
known O
for O
hosting O
the O
World O
Social O
Forum O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0224 O

LAGOS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Small O
plane O
crashes O
in O
northern O
Nigeria O
, O
two O
killed O

A O
privately O
- O
owned O
small O
plane O
on O
Monday B-T
crashed O
in O
the O
northern O
Nigerian O
city O
of O
Kaduna O
shortly O
after O
take O
- O
off O
, O
killing O
two O
people O
on O
board O
, O
officials O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

" O
The O
incident O
happened O
at O
about O
10 O
: O
30 O
( O
0930 O
GMT O
) O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
in O
Kaduna O
airport O
soon O
after O
the O
aircraft O
took O
off O
. O
Two O
people O
on O
board O
, O
the O
pilot O
and O
a O
lady O
, O
were O
killed O
, O
" O
said O
Sam O
Adurogboye O
, O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Nigerian O
Civil O
Aviation O
Authority O
. O

The O
crash O
cause O
of O
the O
Abuja O
- O
bound O
plane O
is O
still O
not O
clear O
, O
Adurogboye O
said O
. O

He O
said O
the O
plane O
had O
been O
in O
operation O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
eight I-T
years I-T
and O
had O
just O
returned O
to O
Nigeria O
on O
Saturday B-T
after O
regular O
maintenance O
in O
Britain O
. O

The O
pilot O
held O
a O
US O
license O
and O
the O
plane O
was O
registered O
in O
that O
country O
but O
operated O
in O
Nigeria O
, O
he O
added O
. O

A O
Boeing O
- O
737 O
plane O
crashed O
on O
the O
outskirts O
of O
Lagos O
, O
Nigeria O
' O
s O
largest O
city O
on O
October B-T
22 I-T
three O
minutes O
after O
take O
- O
off O
, O
killing O
all O
117 O
on O
board O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0001 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0001 O
. O

Ralston O
Profit O

@ O
Declined O
47 O
% O

@ O
In O
4th O
Quarter O

@ O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Richard O
Gibson O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

RAL O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

FOOD O
PRODUCTS O
( O
FOD O
) O

Ralston O
Purina O
Co O
. O
reported O
a O
47 O
% O
decline O
in O
fourth B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
earnings O
, O
reflecting O
restructuring O
costs O
as O
well O
as O
a O
more O
difficult O
pet O
food O
market O
. O

The O
St O
. O
Louis O
company O
earned O
$ O
45 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
65 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
$ O
84 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
24 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Sales O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
period I-T
were O
$ O
1 O
. O
76 O
billion O
, O
a O
13 O
% O
increase O
from O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
$ O
1 O
. O
55 O
billion O
. O

For O
the B-T
year I-T
ended O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, O
Ralston O
earned O
$ O
422 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
6 O
. O
44 O
a O
share O
, O
up O
8 O
. O
9 O
% O
from O
$ O
387 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
5 O
. O
63 O
a O
share O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
results O
included O
a O
gain O
of O
$ O
70 O
. O
2 O
million O
on O
the O
disposal O
of O
seafood O
operations O
. O

Sales O
for O
the B-T
full I-T
year I-T
were O
$ O
6 O
. O
6 O
billion O
, O
up O
13 O
% O
from O
$ O
5 O
. O
8 O
billion O
. O

Ralston O
said O
its O
restructuring O
costs O
include O
the O
phase O
- O
out O
of O
a O
battery O
facility O
in O
Greenville O
, O
N O
. O
C O
. O
, O
the O
recent B-T
closing O
of O
a O
Hostess O
cake O
bakery O
in O
Cincinnati O
and O
a O
reduction O
in O
staff O
throughout O
the O
company O
. O

The O
battery O
plant O
, O
which O
makes O
rechargeable O
nickel O
cadmium O
and O
carbon O
zinc O
products O
, O
will O
be O
closed O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
year I-T
or I-T
so I-T
, O
a O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Ralston O
attributed O
its O
fourth B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
slump O
partly O
to O
higher O
costs O
of O
ingredients O
in O
the O
pet O
food O
business O
as O
well O
as O
competitive O
pressures O
, O
which O
required O
higher O
advertising O
spending O
. O

For O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
pet O
food O
volume O
was O
flat O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

Its O
cereal O
division O
realized O
higher O
operating O
profit O
on O
volume O
increases O
, O
but O
also O
spent O
more O
on O
promotion O
. O

The O
Continental O
Baking O
business O
benefited O
from O
higher O
margins O
on O
bread O
and O
on O
increased O
cake O
sales O
, O
it O
added O
. O

Ralston O
said O
its O
Eveready O
battery O
unit O
was O
hurt O
by O
continuing O
economic O
problems O
in O
South O
America O
. O

Ralston O
shares O
closed O
yesterday B-T
at O
$ O
80 O
. O
50 O
, O
off O
$ O
1 O
, O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0525 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Iraq O
flies O
Mecca O
pilgrims O
home O
through O
both O
exclusion O
zones O
by O
Farouk O
Choukri O

Iraqi O
helicopters O
started O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
fly O
home O
Moslem O
pilgrims O
from O
the O
Saudi O
border O
, O
violating O
US O
- O
patrolled O
exclusion O
zones O
in O
the O
south O
and O
north O
of O
the O
country O
, O
the O
official O
news O
agency O
INA O
said O
. O

A O
first O
helicopter O
carrying O
" O
sick O
, O
elderly O
or O
weary O
" O
pilgrims O
took O
off O
from O
the O
southern O
border O
region O
of O
Jodaidat O
Arar O
to O
the O
town O
of O
Mosul O
in O
northern O
Iraq O
, O
it O
said O
, O
without O
giving O
the O
number O
of O
passengers O
. O

" O
The O
operation O
to O
transport O
pilgrims O
to O
other O
governorates O
will O
continue O
, O
" O
the O
agency O
added O
. O
A O
second O
group O
of O
returning O
pilgrims O
was O
expected O
at O
Jodaidat O
Arar O
, O
three O
kilometres O
( O
two O
miles O
) O
from O
the O
border O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Official O
Baghdad O
Radio O
and O
Youth O
TV O
, O
which O
is O
run O
by O
President O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
son O
Uday O
, O
interrupted O
its O
programmes O
to O
announce O
the O
news O
of O
the O
first O
flight O
and O
played O
patriotic O
songs O
. O

Baghdad O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
sent O
nine O
helicopters O
to O
the O
south O
, O
already O
violating O
the O
" O
no O
- O
fly O
" O
zone O
, O
to O
wait O
for O
the O
Iraqis O
returning O
from O
the O
pilgrimage O
to O
Mecca O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

The O
flight O
to O
Mosul O
also O
violates O
a O
northern O
exclusion O
zone O
set O
up O
shortly O
after O
the O
1991 O
Gulf O
War O
to O
protect O
Iraqi O
Kurds O
from O
air O
attack O
by O
Baghdad O
. O

Iraq O
said O
the O
helicopters O
were O
sent O
to O
ferry O
home O
dozens O
of O
elderly O
and O
sick O
pilgrims O
, O
in O
defiance O
of O
Washington O
which O
imposed O
the O
exclusion O
zone O
in O
the O
south O
together O
with O
London O
and O
Paris O
since O
1992 B-T
. O

The O
United O
States O
said O
the O
southern O
flights O
were O
a O
" O
technical O
" O
violation O
and O
that O
it O
would O
not O
take O
military O
action O
in O
retaliation O
. O

But O
the O
US O
Defense O
Department O
on O
Thursday B-T
accused O
Baghdad O
of O
seeking O
to O
exploit O
the O
annual O
pilgrimage O
to O
Islam O
' O
s O
holiest O
sites O
, O
known O
as O
the O
hajj O
, O
for O
political O
ends O
. O

" O
I O
think O
they O
' O
re O
trying O
to O
hide O
behind O
religion O
or O
to O
manipulate O
the O
hajj O
pilgrimage O
for O
political O
reasons O
, O
" O
said O
Pentagon O
spokesman O
Kenneth O
Bacon O
. O
" O
We O
' O
re O
not O
going O
to O
play O
that O
game O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
stressed O
we O
' O
re O
not O
going O
to O
interfere O
with O
their O
efforts O
to O
bring O
pilgrims O
back O
from O
the O
hajj O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
And O
we O
' O
ve O
also O
made O
it O
very O
clear O
that O
we O
continue O
to O
enforce O
the O
no O
- O
fly O
, O
no O
- O
drive O
zone O
which O
is O
designed O
to O
prevent O
the O
Iraqis O
from O
accumulating O
military O
power O
in O
the O
southern O
part O
of O
their O
country O
. O
" O

Baghdad O
, O
which O
in O
September B-T
said O
it O
would O
no O
longer O
recognize O
no O
- O
fly O
zones O
set O
up O
in O
the O
south O
to O
protect O
Shiite O
Moslems O
and O
the O
north O
for O
the O
Kurds O
, O
has O
hailed O
the O
flights O
as O
a O
victory O
. O

" O
Iraq O
has O
for O
years O
rejected O
these O
imaginary O
lines O
and O
announced O
in O
its O
official O
communiques O
that O
it O
does O
not O
recognize O
the O
zones O
because O
they O
are O
not O
in O
UN O
Security O
Council O
resolutions O
, O
" O
an O
official O
spokesman O
told O
AFP O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

On O
April B-T
9 I-T
, O
Iraq O
also O
flouted O
the O
UN O
sanctions O
in O
force O
since O
its O
August B-T
1990 I-T
invasion O
of O
Kuwait O
and O
flew O
more O
than O
100 O
Iraqis O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
for O
the O
start O
of O
the O
pilgrimage O
. O

Iraq O
insisted O
that O
the O
flight O
was O
" O
purely O
humanitarian O
" O
and O
so O
not O
a O
violation O
of O
the O
embargo O
, O
a O
position O
which O
China O
, O
Egypt O
, O
France O
and O
Russia O
supported O
in O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
. O

The O
United O
States O
failed O
in O
its O
efforts O
to O
secure O
UN O
condemnation O
of O
Iraq O
for O
the O
flight O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0105 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
Germany O
' O
s O
Merkel O
elected O
first O
woman O
chancellor O

Angela O
Merkel O
, O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
Christian O
Democrats O
, O
was O
elected O
Tuesday B-T
by O
the O
German O
parliament O
as O
new O
chancellor O
, O
the O
first O
woman O
chancellor O
in O
Germany O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0297 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

By O
- O
elections O
ruled O
out O
in O
Malawi O
: O
report O

The O
Malawi O
Electoral O
Commission O
( O
MEC O
) O
has O
declared O
that O
there O
will O
be O
no O
by O
- O
elections O
this B-T
year I-T
because O
the O
electoral O
process O
can O
not O
be O
concluded O
in O
months B-T
, O
Nation O
Online O
of O
Malawi O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
declaration O
came O
when O
political O
parties O
are O
busy O
with O
campaigning O
for O
vacant O
constituencies O
for O
possible O
by O
- O
elections O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
Honestly O
speaking O
, O
people O
should O
forget O
by O
- O
elections O
this B-T
year I-T
because O
apart O
from O
shortage O
of O
commissioners O
, O
the O
electoral O
process O
is O
long O
and O
cannot O
be O
finished O
within O
two B-T
months I-T
, O
" O
said O
MEC O
spokesperson O
Fegus O
Lipenga O
. O

Lipenga O
said O
that O
even O
if O
President O
Bingu O
wa O
Mutharika O
can O
appoint O
commissioners O
now B-T
, O
there O
still O
will O
be O
no O
by O
- O
elections O
immediately O
because O
they O
have O
to O
be O
briefed O
on O
the O
operations O
of O
the O
commission O
before O
they O
start O
working O
. O

He O
also O
said O
the O
commissioners O
then O
have O
to O
decide O
on O
the O
date O
of O
by O
- O
elections O
which O
would O
be O
followed O
by O
official O
opening O
of O
the O
campaign O
period O
of O
about O
two O
months O
. O
" O
Then O
there O
is O
also O
the O
issue O
of O
registration O
and O
a O
cost O
proposal O
has O
to O
be O
sent O
to O
the O
Treasury O
so O
that O
they O
can O
release O
money O
which O
also O
takes O
time O
. O
So O
you O
can O
see O
that O
it O
is O
not O
easy O
to O
conduct O
by O
- O
elections O
within O
two B-T
or I-T
three I-T
months I-T
from O
now B-T
, O
" O
Lipenga O
said O
. O

Mzuzu O
University O
political O
analyst O
Noel O
Mbowela O
said O
the O
failure O
to O
hold O
the O
by O
- O
elections O
in O
time O
when O
a O
vacancy O
falls O
infringes O
rights O
of O
the O
people O
in O
the O
affected O
constituency O
to O
be O
represented O
in O
the O
parliament O
. O

Mbowela O
also O
criticized O
the O
system O
of O
allowing O
the O
president O
to O
choose O
electoral O
commissioners O
. O
He O
asked O
the O
executive O
branch O
to O
treat O
vacancies O
in O
the O
National O
Assembly O
as O
a O
matter O
of O
urgency O
and O
make O
sure O
that O
they O
are O
filled O
quickly O
. O

The O
failure O
to O
hold O
by O
- O
elections O
would O
affect O
many O
aspiring O
candidates O
and O
political O
parties O
who O
hoped O
the O
polls O
would O
be O
held O
and O
have O
already O
spent O
a O
lot O
of O
money O
on O
campaigning O
. O

Malawi O
' O
s O
constitutional O
court O
Tuesday B-T
ruled O
that O
the O
parliamentary O
speaker O
could O
declare O
scores O
of O
disputed O
seats O
vacant O
, O
making O
possible O
the O
ouster O
of O
President O
Wa O
Mutharika O
. O

Wa O
Mutharika O
' O
s O
ruling O
Democratic O
Progressive O
Party O
( O
DPP O
) O
might O
stand O
to O
lose O
70 O
members O
of O
the O
parliament O
in O
the O
139 O
- O
seat O
assembly O
following O
the O
court O
' O
s O
ruling O
on O
seats O
occupied O
by O
lawmakers O
who O
defected O
last B-T
year I-T
to O
join O
the O
DPP O
, O
enabling O
it O
to O
become O
the O
governing O
party O
. O

APW19980219 O
. O
0476 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
19 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
08 I-T
: I-T
02 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w1151 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Cambodia O
- O
Britain O
- O
Host O
02 O
- O
19 O
0690 O

BC O
- O
Cambodia O
- O
Britain O
- O
Hostage O

Cambodian O
resistance O
general O
looking O
for O
remains O
of O
missing O
Briton O

UR O
By O
DON O
PATHAN O
QC O

UR O
Associated O
Press O
Writer O
QC O

O O
' O
SMACH O
, O
Cambodia O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
The O
top O
commander O
of O
a O
Cambodian O

resistance O
force O
said O
Thursday B-T
he O
has O
sent O
a O
team O
to O
recover O
the O

remains O
of O
a O
British O
mine O
removal O
expert O
kidnapped O
and O
presumed O

killed O
by O
Khmer O
Rouge O
guerrillas O
almost B-T
two I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

Gen O
. O
Nhek O
Bunchhay O
, O
a O
loyalist O
of O
ousted O
Cambodian O
Prime O

Minister O
Prince O
Norodom O
Ranariddh O
, O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
The O

Associated O
Press O
at O
his O
hilltop O
headquarters O
that O
he O
hopes O
to O
recover O
the O
remains O
of O
Christopher O
Howes O
within O
the B-T
next I-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
. O

Howes O
had O
been O
working O
for O
the O
Britain O
- O
based O
Mines O
Advisory O

Group O
when O
he O
was O
abducted O
with O
his O
Cambodian O
interpreter O
Houn O

Hourth O
in O
March B-T
1996 I-T
. O
There O
were O
many O
conflicting O
accounts O
of O
his O

fate O
. O

Howes O
' O
team O
was O
clearing O
mines O
17 O
kilometers O
( O
10 O
miles O
) O
from O

Angkor O
Wat O
, O
the O
fabled O
11th O
century O
temple O
that O
is O
Cambodia O
' O
s O
main O

tourist O
attraction O
, O
when O
it O
was O
attacked O
. O

In O
January B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
British O
police O
officers O
who O
had O
been O
searching O
for O
Howes O
concluded O
he O
had O
probably O
been O
killed O
soon O

after O
being O
captured O
. O

The O
Foreign O
Office O
said O
it O
had O
informed O
the O
family O
of O
Howes O
, O
37 O

years O
old O
when O
he O
was O
kidnapped O
, O
that O
he O
probably O
died O
within O
weeks B-T

or B-T
months I-T
of O
his O
capture O
on O
March B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
1996 I-T
. O

` O
` O
Obviously O
, O
it O
is O
deeply O
discouraging O
for O
the O
family O
after O
22 B-T

months B-T
, O
but O
there O
is O
no O
proof O
of O
life O
. O
But O
there O
is O
no O
evidence O
in O

either O
direction O
_ O
that O
there O
is O
proof O
of O
life O
or O
death O
, O
' O
' O
said O
a O

Foreign O
Office O
spokesman O
, O
speaking O
with O
customary O
anonymity O
. O
` O
` O
We O

will O
continue O
to O
do O
everything O
we O
can O
to O
establish O
what O
has O
happened O
. O
' O
' O

Thai O
military O
officials O
who O
monitor O
Cambodian O
affairs O
said O
privately O
Thursday B-T
that O
Britain O
, O
through O
its O
embassies O
in O
Thailand O

and O
Cambodia O
, O
has O
been O
pushing O
hard O
to O
resolve O
the O
Howes O
case O
as O

the O
second O
anniversary O
of O
his O
abduction O
nears O
. O

Nhek O
Bunchhay O
, O
who O
had O
been O
closely O
involved O
in O
the O
search O
for O

Howes O
before O
having O
to O
flee O
the O
Cambodian O
capital O
after O
a O
coup O

d O
' O
etat O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
appeared O
confident O
he O
would O
find O
Howes O
' O
remains O
. O

He O
said O
he O
received O
information O
from O
Khmer O
Rouge O
guerrillas O
on O

where O
the O
body O
had O
been O
buried O
, O
and O
recently O
ordered O
10 O
of O
his O
men O

from O
a O
force O
of O
500 O
near O
Khmer O
Rouge O
headquarters O
in O
Anlong O
Veng O
to O
conduct O
the O
search O
. O

If O
and O
when O
the O
remains O
are O
found O
, O
he O
said O
, O
they O
would O
be O
turned O

over O
to O
the O
British O
Embassy O
, O
apparently O
meaning O
they O
would O
be O
sent O

across O
the O
border O
into O
Thailand O
and O
onward O
to O
Bangkok O
. O

Nhek O
Bunchhay O
said O
he O
now B-T
believed O
Howes O
had O
been O
killed O
within O

a B-T
week I-T
of O
his O
capture O
by O
a O
Khmer O
Rouge O
faction O
loyal O
to O
Pol O
Pot O
, O

then O
the O
guerrilla O
group O
' O
s O
leader O
. O
Pol O
Pot O
is O
considered O

responsible O
for O
the O
radical O
policies O
that O
led O
to O
the O
deaths O
of O
as O

many O
as O
1 O
. O
7 O
million O
Cambodians O
when O
the O
communist O
group O
held O
power O

in O
the B-T
late I-T
1970s I-T
. O

At O
the O
time O
Howes O
was O
captured O
, O
the O
Khmer O
Rouge O
were O
a O
more O
or O

less O
united O
guerrilla O
force O
with O
more O
than O
10 O
, O
000 O
men O
under O
arms O
. O

But O
the O
group O
began O
to O
fall O
apart O
in O
mid B-T
- I-T
1996 I-T
after O
the O
defection O

of O
one O
of O
its O
top O
leaders O
, O
Ieng O
Sary O
. O
Other O
commanders O
, O
and O

thousands O
of O
guerrillas O
, O
followed O
him O
. O

A O
small O
hardcore O
group O
under O
Pol O
Pot O
continued O
to O
hold O
out O
at O

their O
headquarters O
at O
Anlong O
Veng O
in O
northern O
Cambodia O
near O
the O

Thai O
border O
. O

But O
in O
June B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
remaining O
leadership O
had O
a O
falling O

out O
, O
and O
Pol O
Pot O
was O
arrested O
. O

In O
July B-T
last I-T
year I-T
in O
Phnom O
Penh O
, O
Cambodia O
' O
s O
capital O
, O
Second O

Prime O
Minister O
Hun O
Sen O
staged O
a O
successful O
coup O
d O
' O
etat O
against O

First O
Prime O
Minister O
Prince O
Norodom O
Ranariddh O
. O
Ranariddh O
' O
s O

loyalists O
, O
including O
Nhek O
Bunchhay O
, O
his O
top O
military O
commander O
, O

went O
into O
hiding O
or O
fled O
the O
capital O
. O

Nhek O
Bunchhay O
, O
evading O
an O
intensive O
manhunt O
, O
made O
his O
way O
to O

O O
' O
Smach O
, O
the O
last O
major O
outpost O
held O
by O
Ranariddh O
' O
s O
forces O
. O
His O
men O

have O
held O
the O
stronghold O
_ O
which O
is O
on O
the O
border O
just O
opposite O
the O

Thai O
province O
of O
Surin O
_ O
against O
repeated O
intense O
attacks O
by O
Hun O

Sen O
' O
s O
troops O
. O
They O
have O
been O
aided O
by O
Khmer O
Rouge O
guerrillas O
from O

Anlong O
Veng O
, O
who O
have O
formed O
an O
alliance O
with O
Ranariddh O
' O
s O

resistance O
forces O
to O
oppose O
Hun O
Sen O
. O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Cambodia O
- O
Britain O
- O
Hostage O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
ASIA O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
AFRI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
INDI O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
02 O
- O
19 O
- O
98 O
0802EST O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0101 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

New O
Labor O
leader O
vows O
to O
pull O
party O
out O
of O
Sharon O
' O
s O
coalition O

The O
newly O
elected O
Labor O
Party O
leader O
Amir O
Peretz O
reiterated O
his O
intention O
Thursday B-T
to O
pull O
the O
party O
out O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
' O
s O
coalition O
government O
, O
local O
newspaper O
Haaretz O
reported O
. O

" O
We O
will O
notify O
the O
prime O
minister O
that O
we O
want O
to O
leave O
. O
We O
want O
to O
leave O
. O
. O
. O
certainly O
out O
of O
a O
desire O
to O
turn O
the O
Labor O
Party O
into O
an O
alternative O
that O
intends O
to O
take O
power O
in O
the O
next O
elections O
, O
" O
Peretz O
said O
. O

" O
Amir O
will O
discuss O
with O
the O
prime O
minister O
an O
agreed O
date O
for O
an O
election O
, O
" O
said O
Yuli O
Tamir O
, O
a O
Labor O
legislator O
and O
Peretz O
supporter O
. O

Analysts O
believe O
that O
Labor O
' O
s O
leaving O
will O
propel O
the O
country O
into O
political O
disarray O
and O
raise O
the O
likelihood O
of O
early O
general O
elections O
set O
for O
November B-T
2006 I-T
. O

Israeli O
trade O
union O
chief O
Amir O
Peretz O
was O
unexpectedly O
elected O
new O
leader O
of O
the O
dovish O
centre O
- O
left O
Labor O
Party O
in O
an O
election O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
defeating O
Vice O
Premier O
Shimon O
Peres O
who O
brought O
Labor O
in O
Sharon O
' O
s O
cabinet O
to O
push O
for O
Israeli O
withdrawal O
from O
Gaza O
which O
was O
completed O
on O
Sept O
. O
12 O
. O

Shortly O
after O
6 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
local O
time O
( O
0400 O
GMT O
) O
, O
amid O
cheering O
from O
Peretz O
' O
s O
supporters O
, O
Labor O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Eitan O
Cabel O
announced O
at O
the O
party O
' O
s O
headquarters O
in O
Tel O
Aviv O
that O
Peretz O
had O
won O
with O
42 O
. O
35 O
percent O
of O
the O
votes O
, O
while O
Peres O
was O
backed O
by O
39 O
. O
96 O
percent O
of O
voters O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0089 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
more O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Sudan O
' O
s O
top O
leadership O
, O
including O
President O
Omar O
el O
- O
Beshir O
, O
bears O
responsibility O
for O
widespread O
atrocities O
committed O
in O
the O
troubled O
western O
Darfur O
region O
, O
a O
leading O
human O
rights O
watchdog O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

Beshir O
and O
15 O
other O
current O
and O
former O
senior O
officials O
in O
the O
Khartoum O
government O
, O
military O
commanders O
and O
local O
administrators O
should O
be O
subjected O
to O
UN O
sanctions O
and O
probed O
for O
war O
crimes O
and O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
in O
Darfur O
, O
Human O
Rights O
Watch O
( O
HRW O
) O
said O
. O

" O
The O
Sudanese O
government O
at O
the O
highest O
levels O
is O
responsible O
for O
widespread O
and O
systematic O
abuses O
in O
Darfur O
, O
" O
HRW O
said O
in O
a O
report O
entitled O
" O
Entrenching O
Impunity O
: O
Government O
Responsibility O
for O
International O
Crimes O
in O
Darfur O
. O
" O

" O
Senior O
Sudanese O
officials O
. O
. O
. O
must O
be O
held O
accountable O
for O
the O
campaign O
of O
ethnic O
cleansing O
in O
Darfur O
, O
" O
said O
HRW O
' O
s O
Africa O
director O
Peter O
Takirambudde O
. O

The O
New O
York O
- O
based O
group O
called O
for O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
and O
individual O
nations O
to O
take O
stronger O
measures O
to O
atrocities O
there O
and O
boost O
the O
African O
Union O
( O
AU O
) O
military O
mission O
in O
the O
region O
. O

And O
it O
called O
on O
the O
International O
Criminal O
Court O
( O
ICC O
) O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
first O
permanent O
war O
crimes O
tribunal O
, O
to O
investigate O
Sudan O
' O
s O
entire O
leadership O
for O
possible O
prosecution O
for O
the O
abuses O
. O

It O
named O
Beshir O
, O
Sudan O
' O
s O
Second O
Vice O
President O
Ali O
Osman O
Taha O
, O
Defense O
Minister O
Abduraheem O
Hussein O
, O
armed O
forces O
chief O
of O
staff O
Abbas O
Arabi O
and O
intelligence O
chief O
Salah O
Abdallah O
Ghosh O
as O
among O
those O
suspect O
of O
orchestrating O
repression O
in O
Darfur O
. O

They O
" O
should O
be O
investigated O
for O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
and O
war O
crimes O
, O
either O
as O
a O
matter O
of O
individual O
criminal O
responsibility O
or O
command O
responsibility O
, O
" O
HRW O
said O
in O
the O
nearly O
90 O
- O
page O
report O
. O

War O
broke O
out O
in O
Darfur O
in O
2003 B-T
when O
rebel O
groups O
began O
fighting O
what O
they O
say O
is O
the O
political O
and O
economic O
marginalisation O
of O
the O
region O
' O
s O
black O
African O
tribes O
by O
the O
Arab O
- O
led O
regime O
in O
Khartoum O
. O

As O
many O
as O
300 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
died O
and O
more O
than O
two O
million O
fled O
their O
homes O
in O
what O
UN O
aid O
agencies O
have O
dubbed O
the O
world O
' O
s O
worst O
humanitarian O
crisis O
with O
reports O
of O
rapes O
, O
extrajudicial O
killings O
and O
other O
atrocities O
rampant O
. O

Much O
of O
the O
abuse O
is O
blamed O
on O
Khartoum O
' O
s O
proxy O
militias O
- O
- O
the O
so O
- O
called O
" O
Janjaweed O
" O
- O
- O
but O
in O
its O
report O
, O
HRW O
placed O
responsibility O
higher O
, O
citing O
witness O
accounts O
from O
refugees O
and O
interviews O
with O
Sudanese O
soldiers O
and O
officials O
. O

Based O
on O
those O
accounts O
, O
HRW O
said O
: O
" O
the O
looting O
and O
destruction O
of O
villages O
was O
not O
just O
condoned O
by O
government O
officials O
, O
it O
was O
methodically O
organized O
, O
with O
troops O
and O
militia O
members O
permitted O
to O
take O
land O
, O
livestock O
and O
other O
civilian O
property O
. O
" O

Although O
the O
Sudanese O
army O
itself O
appears O
to O
have O
ended O
operations O
in O
Darfur O
, O
the O
Janjaweed O
are O
still O
active O
and O
despite O
promises O
to O
rein O
them O
in O
, O
Khartoum O
has O
done O
little O
to O
end O
the O
abuses O
of O
its O
proxies O
, O
it O
said O
. O

" O
The O
Sudanese O
leadership O
continues O
to O
implement O
policies O
that O
permit O
continuing O
attacks O
on O
civilians O
and O
perpetuate O
a O
climate O
of O
fear O
and O
intimidation O
through O
structural O
and O
institutional O
abuse O
, O
" O
HRW O
said O
. O

" O
( O
It O
) O
has O
shown O
no O
sign O
that O
it O
is O
prepared O
to O
fundamentally O
change O
its O
policies O
, O
" O
the O
report O
said O
. O

" O
If O
the O
ongoing O
abuses O
in O
Darfur O
are O
to O
be O
stopped O
, O
and O
if O
the O
ethnic O
cleansing O
is O
to O
be O
reversed O
, O
then O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
, O
regional O
bodies O
and O
other O
governments O
must O
sharply O
increase O
their O
sanctions O
on O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
for O
human O
rights O
crimes O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0135 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Pakistan O
calls O
Saddam O
hanging O
a O
" O
sad O
event O
" O

Pakistan O
, O
a O
key O
US O
ally O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
described O
the O
execution O
of O
former O
Iraqi O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
as O
a O
" O
sad O
event O
" O
and O
expressed O
hope O
that O
it O
would O
not O
further O
exacerbate O
the O
security O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
. O

" O
The O
execution O
of O
former O
president O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
which O
can O
only O
be O
described O
as O
a O
sad O
event O
, O
is O
another O
poignant O
reminder O
of O
the O
violence O
that O
continues O
to O
grip O
Iraq O
, O
" O
the O
foreign O
ministry O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
that O
this O
event O
would O
not O
further O
exacerbate O
the O
security O
situation O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

It O
said O
Pakistan O
desired O
peace O
, O
stability O
and O
reconciliation O
in O
Iraq O
. O

" O
It O
remains O
our O
earnest O
hope O
to O
see O
peace O
, O
stability O
and O
reconciliation O
so O
that O
the O
people O
of O
Iraq O
regain O
control O
of O
their O
affairs O
in O
a O
secure O
environment O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0490 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
market O
closings O
/ O
/ O
/ O

European O
stock O
markets O
closed O
higher O
Friday B-T
, O
boosted O
by O
a O
strong O
signal O
of O
business O
confidence O
in O
Germany O
, O
the O
eurozone O
' O
s O
biggest O
economy O
, O
and O
a O
positive O
opening O
on O
Wall O
Street O
. O

The O
London O
FTSE O
100 O
index O
added O
0 O
. O
66 O
percent O
at O
5 O
, O
531 O
. O
6 O
points O
, O
the O
Frankfurt O
DAX O
jumped O
1 O
. O
09 O
percent O
to O
5 O
, O
353 O
. O
66 O
and O
in O
Paris O
the O
CAC O
40 O
rose O
0 O
. O
67 O
percent O
to O
4 O
, O
704 O
. O
41 O
. O

The O
DJ O
Euro O
Stoxx O
50 O
index O
of O
leading O
eurozone O
shares O
climbed O
0 O
. O
98 O
percent O
to O
3 O
, O
556 O
. O
76 O
. O

The O
euro O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
rose O
to O
1 O
. O
2004 O
dollars O
. O

Germany O
' O
s O
Ifo O
business O
climate O
index O
rose O
to O
99 O
. O
6 O
in O
December B-T
, O
its O
highest O
reading O
in O
five B-T
years I-T
and O
ahead O
of O
market O
expectations O
, O
which O
fuelled O
hopes O
that O
the O
European O
economic O
recovery O
was O
indeed O
under O
way O
. O

" O
This O
increase O
is O
all O
the O
more O
favourable O
because O
it O
shows O
a O
perfect O
balance O
between O
the O
positive O
analysis O
of O
the O
current O
situation O
, O
and O
the O
optimistic O
anticipations O
for O
the O
future O
, O
" O
said O
Alexandre O
Bourgeois O
, O
an O
economist O
at O
Natexis O
Banques O
Populaires O
in O
Paris O
. O

On O
Wall O
Street O
, O
US O
stocks O
were O
lifted O
with O
bullish O
comments O
from O
General O
Motors O
and O
weaker O
oil O
prices O
. O
The O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
was O
up O
32 O
. O
70 O
points O
at O
10 O
, O
914 O
. O
10 O
, O
while O
the O
tech O
- O
heavy O
Nasdaq O
was O
1 O
. O
38 O
points O
lower O
at O
2 O
, O
259 O
. O
25 O
. O

Back O
in O
London O
, O
financials O
provided O
the O
main O
boost O
for O
blue O
chips O
, O
with O
the O
sector O
in O
demand O
after O
recent O
trading O
updates O
- O
- O
with O
Northern O
Rock O
up O
3 O
. O
35 O
percent O
at O
925 O
. O
5 O
, O
Alliance O
and O
Leicester O
ahead O
1 O
. O
75 O
percent O
at O
959 O
and O
HBOS O
1 O
. O
48 O
percent O
higher O
at O
962 O
. O

Fund O
management O
group O
Amvescap O
topped O
the O
leaders O
board O
, O
however O
, O
up O
3 O
. O
69 O
percent O
at O
436 O
pence O
, O
after O
it O
was O
upgraded O
to O
" O
overweight O
" O
from O
" O
equal O
- O
weight O
" O
by O
Morgan O
Stanley O
. O

Elsewhere O
, O
shares O
in O
Centrica O
added O
2 O
. O
10 O
percent O
at O
243 O
. O
50 O
pence O
after O
an O
inline O
trading O
update O
from O
the O
gas O
distributor O
. O

In O
Frankfurt O
, O
index O
heavyweight O
E O
. O
ON O
was O
among O
the O
main O
gainers O
on O
the O
DAX O
, O
rising O
3 O
. O
11 O
percent O
to O
85 O
. O
30 O
euros O
, O
amid O
a O
report O
RAG O
is O
determined O
to O
take O
over O
the O
rest O
of O
MDAX O
- O
listed O
speciality O
chemicals O
company O
Degussa O
by O
acquiring O
E O
. O
ON O
' O
s O
43 O
percent O
stake O
. O

Suez O
was O
the O
largest O
gainer O
among O
Paris O
blue O
chips O
, O
closing O
up O
3 O
. O
38 O
percent O
at O
26 O
. O
03 O
euros O
, O
after O
Morgan O
Stanley O
resumed O
coverage O
with O
an O
" O
overweight O
" O
rating O
and O
a O
30 O
- O
euro O
share O
price O
target O
. O

French O
companies O
with O
stakes O
in O
pay O
- O
TV O
services O
gained O
amid O
unconfirmed O
reports O
that O
Vivendi O
will O
take O
a O
minority O
stake O
in O
TPS O
. O
Lagardere O
, O
with O
an O
interest O
in O
the O
CanalSatellite O
unit O
of O
Vivendi O
' O
s O
Canal O
Plus O
, O
rose O
2 O
. O
71 O
percent O
to O
64 O
. O
45 O
euros O
, O
while O
Vivendi O
added O
1 O
. O
18 O
percent O
at O
26 O
. O
63 O
. O

TPS O
part O
- O
owner O
TF1 O
rose O
0 O
. O
51 O
percent O
to O
23 O
. O
48 O
, O
while O
its O
partner O
, O
second O
liner O
M6 O
, O
was O
0 O
. O
81 O
percent O
higher O
at O
23 O
. O
65 O
. O

Elsewhere O
in O
Europe O
, O
the O
Swiss O
Market O
Index O
climbed O
0 O
. O
44 O
percent O
to O
7 O
, O
491 O
. O
03 O
. O

The O
Amsterdam O
AEX O
added O
0 O
. O
95 O
percent O
at O
436 O
. O
17 O
, O
the O
Brussels O
Bel O
- O
20 O
advanced O
1 O
. O
49 O
percent O
to O
3 O
, O
495 O
. O
28 O
, O
the O
Madrid O
Ibex O
- O
35 O
took O
on O
0 O
. O
68 O
percent O
at O
10 B-T
, I-T
555 I-T
. I-T
3 I-T
and O
the O
Milan O
SP O
/ O
Mib O
gained O
0 O
. O
76 O
percent O
at O
35 O
, O
286 O
. O
0 O
. O

Earlier O
in O
Asia O
, O
Tokyo O
' O
s O
Nikkei O
- O
225 O
index O
lost O
0 O
. O
53 O
percent O
at O
15 O
, O
173 O
. O
07 O
points O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
successive I-T
fall I-T
, O
as O
a O
firmer O
yen O
led O
to O
a O
further O
dumping O
of O
exporter O
shares O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Hang O
Seng O
Index O
lost O
0 O
. O
19 O
percent O
at O
15 O
, O
029 O
. O
81 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0022 O

GAZA O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Pro O
- O
Abbas O
officer O
wounded O
in O
Gaza O
Strip O
ambush O

A O
colonel O
in O
the O
Preventive O
Security O
force O
loyal O
to O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
was O
wounded O
in O
a O
shooting O
ambush O
in O
the O
southern O
Gaza O
Strip O
early B-T
Saturday I-T
, O
witnesses O
and O
emergency O
services O
said O
. O

Colonel O
Hassan O
Gardua O
was O
driving O
to O
work O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Rafah O
hard O
by O
the O
Egyptian O
border O
when O
the O
gunman O
or O
gunmen O
opened O
fire O
on O
his O
vehicle O
. O

The O
attack O
came O
on O
the B-T
fourth I-T
day I-T
of O
a O
fragile O
ceasefire O
between O
Abbas O
' O
s O
secular O
Fatah O
faction O
and O
the O
Islamist O
movement O
Hamas O
which O
leads O
the O
government O
. O

The O
truce O
, O
which O
came O
after O
four B-T
days I-T
of O
streetfighting O
in O
Gaza O
killed O
14 O
people O
and O
wounded O
dozens O
, O
had O
already O
suffered O
minor O
breaches O
. O

A O
civilian O
died O
on O
Thursday B-T
night I-T
in O
eastern O
Gaza O
City O
in O
clashes O
between O
Hamas O
and O
a O
powerful O
local O
clan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0319 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
badminton O
head O
coach O
delighted O
with O
new O
schedule O

Chinese O
badminton O
team O
' O
s O
head O
coach O
Li O
Yongbo O
looked O
delighted O
as O
he O
knew O
on O
Monday B-T
the O
competition O
at O
the O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
had O
been O
rescheduled O
. O

The O
Chinese O
team O
arrived O
at O
Doha O
International O
Airport O
at O
7 B-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Monday B-T
. O
Several B-T
hours I-T
later O
, O
Li O
was O
told O
by O
the O
umpire O
that O
the O
team O
semifinals O
and O
finals O
would O
not O
be O
played O
in O
the O
same O
day O
, O
but O
in O
two B-T
days O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
very O
happy O
to O
know O
that O
. O
It O
' O
s O
good O
news O
, O
" O
said O
Li O
, O
who O
had O
blasted O
at O
the O
former O
schedule O
as O
a O
" O
big O
joke O
" O
. O

The O
previous O
schedule O
had O
put O
the O
team O
semifinals O
and O
finals O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
. O
Li O
had O
said O
bluntly O
that O
it O
was O
" O
the O
most O
unreasonable O
schedule O
" O
he O
had O
ever O
seen O
. O

" O
Badminton O
competition O
demands O
physical O
strength O
, O
" O
said O
the O
head O
coach O
. O
" O
For O
Chinese O
players O
, O
two O
matches O
a O
day O
is O
too O
hard O
to O
stand O
, O
let O
alone O
playing O
the O
singles O
and O
doubles O
events O
the B-T
next I-T
day I-T
. O
" O

To O
Li O
' O
s O
delight O
, O
the O
team O
semifinals O
will O
take O
place O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
and O
finals O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
. O
He O
believed O
his O
16 O
- O
member O
contingent O
would O
fine O
- O
tune O
in O
two B-T
days O
. O

China O
is O
the O
biggest O
winner O
at O
the O
2004 O
Athens O
Olympics O
and O
2005 O
Madrid O
World O
Championships O
as O
the O
dream O
team O
collected O
three O
and O
four O
golds O
respectively O
. O

The O
traditional O
powerhouse O
, O
however O
, O
took O
only O
two O
out O
of O
seven O
golds O
at O
the O
Busan O
Asian O
Games O
in O
2002 B-T
. O
Four B-T
years I-T
around O
, O
Chinese O
shuttlers O
will O
vie O
for O
at O
least O
three O
titles O
, O
said O
Li O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0177 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Slight O
progress O
achieved O
on O
issue O
of O
captive O
Israeli O
soldier O
: O
Hamas O

A O
leader O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
in O
Gaza O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
there O
was O
a O
slight O
progress O
made O
on O
the O
issue O
of O
free O
the O
Israeli O
soldier O
held O
by O
Palestinian O
militant O
groups O
, O
adding O
that O
more O
talks O
were O
still O
needed O
. O

Osama O
al O
- O
Muzini O
here O
said O
that O
the O
" O
Israeli O
occupation O
is O
softening O
stance O
gradually O
, O
" O
however O
, O
" O
there O
were O
many O
points O
need O
to O
be O
agreed O
upon O
. O
" O

Meanwhile O
, O
al O
- O
Muzini O
revealed O
that O
Israel O
has O
accepted O
the O
principle O
of O
prisoners O
- O
exchange O
which O
had O
been O
rejected O
at O
the O
beginning O
. O

He O
explained O
that O
Israel O
refuses O
the O
coincidence O
principle O
, O
saying O
that O
" O
Until O
recently B-T
, O
Israel O
used O
to O
demand O
unconditional O
release O
of O
Corporal O
Gilad O
Shalit O
, O
but O
now B-T
it O
had O
agreed O
to O
release O

Palestinian O
prisoners O
in O
exchange O
of O
him O
. O
" O

Corporal O
Gilad O
Shalit O
was O
captured O
by O
three O
militant O
groups O
, O
led O
by O
Hamas O
, O
in O
a O
cross O
- O
border O
raid O
last B-T
June I-T
. O
The O
captors O
demand O
to O
swap O
him O
for O
a O
number O
of O
Palestinian O
prisoners O
held O
in O
Israel O
. O

However O
, O
Al O
- O
Muzini O
denied O
recent O
reports O
that O
the O
deal O
to O
release O
Shalit O
was O
very O
close O
. O
" O
It O
is O
true O
a O
good O
progress O
has O
been O
made O
but O
this O
achievement O
is O
still O
limited O
and O
the O
swap O
is O
still O
in O
its O

early B-T
phase I-T
. O
" O

He O
also O
denied O
that O
Hamas O
has O
handed O
lists O
of O
the O
prisoners O
it O
wished O
to O
get O
them O
released O
. O
" O
There O
is O
still O
long O
time O
before O
this O

phase O
is O
reached O
, O
" O
added O
al O
- O
Muzini O
. O

Declining O
to O
specify O
a O
time O
limit O
for O
the O
swap O
, O
al O
- O
Muzini O
accused O
Israel O
of O
trying O
to O
get O
advantage O
of O
time O
and O
end O
the O
issue O
without O
losses O
. O

Mentioning O
a O
Hamas O
delegation O
in O
Cairo O
, O
Al O
- O
Muzini O
said O
that O
the O
talks O
between O
Hamas O
and O
Egyptian O
officials O
focused O
on O
the O
soldier O
' O
s O
issue O
, O
forming O
a O
Palestinian O
national O
unity O
government O
and O
ending O
international O
siege O
on O
the O
Hamas O
- O
led O
administration O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0285 O

TUNIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
WSIS O
wraps O
up O
with O
agreement O
on O
Internet O
governance O

The O
second O
phase O
of O
the O
World O
Summit O
on O
the O
Information O
Society O
( O
WSIS O
) O
wrapped O
up O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
with O
an O
agreement O
on O
Internet O
governance O
and O
vows O
to O
benefit O
all O
people O
with O
information O
technology O
. O

Following O
a O
series O
of O
meetings O
, O
delegates O
from O
over O
170 O
countries O
adopted O
the O
Tunis O
Agenda O
for O
the O
Information O
Society O
and O
the O
Tunis O
Commitment O
on O
the B-T
final I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
summit O
, O
which O
kicked O
off O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
The O
most O
important O
thing O
of O
the O
Tunis O
summit O
is O
raising O
the O
awareness O
of O
the O
information O
and O
communication O
technologies O
( O
ICT O
) O
, O
" O
Yoshio O
Utsumi O
, O
secretary O
general O
of O
the O
International O
Telecommunication O
Union O
( O
ITU O
) O
told O
reporters O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
summit O
. O

Internet O
Governance O

There O
has O
been O
a O
long O
debate O
over O
the O
management O
of O
the O
Internet O
as O
the O
United O
States O
wants O
to O
keep O
its O
control O
and O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
want O
to O
share O
it O
. O

After O
eleven B-T
hours I-T
of O
bargains O
, O
negotiators O
agreed O
in O
the O
agenda O
that O
the O
international O
management O
of O
the O
Internet O
should O
be O
multilateral O
and O
transparent O
, O
calling O
on O
UN O
chief O
Kofi O
Annan O
to O
establish O
a O
new O
forum O
- O
- O
the O
Internet O
Governance O
Forum O
( O
IGF O
) O
, O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
to O
continue O
discussions O
on O
Internet O
issues O
. O

The O
forum O
, O
to O
be O
convened O
in O
spring B-T
2006 I-T
in O
Greece O
, O
will O
involve O
governments O
, O
stakeholders O
and O
civil O
society O
for O
further O
discussions O
on O
Internet O
governance O
, O
spam O
, O
cyber O
crime O
, O
privacy O
and O
other O
net O
- O
related O
issues O
. O

The O
IGF O
is O
a O
major O
step O
forward O
toward O
the O
Internet O
management O
, O
said O
officials O
of O
the O
ITU O
, O
a O
UN O
agency O
specialized O
with O
global O
telecommunication O
services O
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
win O
- O
win O
deal O
, O
" O
Tim O
Kelly O
, O
head O
of O
the O
policy O
and O
strategy O
unit O
of O
the O
ITU O
, O
told O
reporters O
, O
adding O
all O
governments O
are O
ensured O
to O
have O
equal O
footing O
over O
the O
issue O
. O

" O
All O
governments O
should O
have O
an O
equal O
role O
and O
responsibility O
, O
for O
international O
Internet O
governance O
and O
for O
ensuring O
the O
stability O
, O
security O
and O
continuity O
of O
the O
Internet O
, O
" O
said O
the O
agenda O
. O

It O
also O
called O
for O
" O
enhanced O
cooperation O
in O
the O
future O
, O
to O
enable O
governments O
, O
on O
an O
equal O
footing O
, O
to O
carry O
out O
their O
roles O
and O
responsibilities O
, O
in O
international O
public O
policy O
issues O
pertaining O
to O
the O
Internet O
. O
" O

Since O
1998 B-T
, O
under O
the O
authorization O
of O
the O
US O
Commerce O
Department O
, O
Washington O
has O
controlled O
the O
Domain O
Name O
System O
( O
DNS O
) O
, O
a O
key O
part O
of O
the O
running O
of O
the O
Internet O
, O
through O
Internet O
Corporation O
Assigned O
Names O
and O
Numbers O
( O
ICANN O
) O
, O
a O
non O
- O
profit O
company O
based O
in O
California O
. O

The O
United O
States O
said O
it O
was O
happy O
because O
it O
still O
controls O
while O
other O
countries O
embraced O
the O
wording O
of O
final O
documents O
, O
which O
promised O
equal O
role O
and O
responsibility O
concerning O
Internet O
governance O
. O

" O
We O
did O
not O
change O
anything O
about O
the O
role O
of O
the O
US O
government O
, O
" O
David O
Gross O
, O
coordinator O
of O
international O
communication O
and O
information O
policy O
in O
the O
State O
Department O
, O
said O
after O
the O
negotiations O
late O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O
" O
It O
' O
s O
very O
significant O
. O
" O

However O
, O
Yet O
Benhamou O
, O
a O
member O
of O
the O
French O
delegation O
, O
said O
that O
he O
saw O
it O
differently O
. O

" O
What O
the O
US O
did O
not O
want O
was O
international O
cooperation O
on O
core O
resources O
of O
the O
Internet O
, O
" O
Benhamou O
said O
, O
adding O
the O
agreement O
showed O
, O
for O
the O
first O
time O
, O
that O
" O
there O
is O
sovereignty O
in O
the O
Internet O
space O
. O
" O

Financial O
Mechanism O

Addressing O
the O
digital O
divide O
, O
the O
Tunis O
Commitment O
underlined O
the O
importance O
of O
removing O
barriers O
to O
bridge O
the O
digital O
gap O
, O
" O
in O
particular O
, O
in O
developing O
countries O
. O
" O

The O
summit O
welcomed O
a O
voluntary O
Digital O
Solidarity O
Fund O
( O
DSF O
) O
as O
" O
an O
innovative O
financial O
mechanism O
" O
to O
transform O
the O
digital O
gap O
into O
digital O
opportunities O
for O
developing O
world O
. O

The O
fund O
, O
which O
was O
launched O
in O
Geneva O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
gained O
recognition O
in O
the O
Tunis O
Agenda O
as O
one O
means O
of O
finance O
. O

So O
far O
, O
the O
DSF O
has O
raised O
7 O
million O
euros O
( O
about O
8 O
. O
2 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Opening O
the O
Tunis O
phase O
of O
WSIS O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Annan O
called O
on O
nations O
to O
show O
political O
will O
to O
bridge O
the O
digital O
divide O
. O

But O
money O
remains O
a O
contentious O
issue O
, O
with O
many O
rich O
countries O
being O
cautious O
about O
providing O
more O
aid O
, O
arguing O
that O
developing O
nations O
should O
be O
looking O
at O
attracting O
more O
private O
investment O
. O

" O
The O
challenge O
to O
the O
developing O
world O
is O
now O
to O
make O
sure O
they O
have O
the O
infrastructure O
, O
rules O
, O
legal O
processes O
and O
market O
systems O
to O
attract O
the O
investment O
of O
the O
technologies O
that O
we O
see O
on O
display O
at O
the O
summit O
, O
" O
US O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
Commerce O
Michael O
Gallagher O
said O
. O

Senegalese O
President O
Abdoulaye O
Wade O
, O
who O
spearheaded O
the O
fund O
said O
the O
fund O
will O
also O
benefit O
the O
West O
since O
millions O
of O
dollars O
could O
then O
be O
spent O
on O
buying O
ICT O
infrastructure O
and O
equipment O
from O
Western O
companies O
. O

The O
Tunis O
summit O
completed O
a O
two O
- O
year O
process O
of O
the O
WSIS O
, O
which O
outlined O
the O
vision O
of O
an O
information O
society O
, O
in O
which O
everyone O
has O
access O
to O
the O
ICTs O
at O
the O
first O
phase O
held O
in O
December B-T
2003 I-T
in O
Geneva O
and O
marched O
toward O
concrete O
actions O
to O
bridge O
the O
digital O
gap O
. O

" O
It O
is O
not O
the O
end O
, O
just O
the O
beginning O
, O
" O
Utsumi O
said O
, O
adding O
" O
the O
summit O
itself O
ended O
, O
but O
many O
, O
many O
meetings O
, O
action O
and O
partnership O
programs O
must O
start O
. O
" O

He O
stressed O
the O
importance O
of O
follow O
- O
up O
implementation O
of O
the O
Tunis O
commitment O
and O
Tunis O
Agenda O
to O
achieve O
the O
UN O
goal O
of O
bringing O
ICTs O
for O
all O
in O
an O
open O
and O
inclusive O
information O
society O
by O
2015 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0084 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

discuss O
sustainable O
development O

Leaders O
of O
the O
21 O
member O
economies O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
began O
their O
annual O
meeting O
in O
Hanoi O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
facilitate O
free O
trade O
and O
promote O
sustainable O
development O
in O
the O
region O
. O

The O
closed O
- O
door O
meeting O
opened O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
at O
Hanoi O
' O
s O
National O
Convention O
Center O
after O
a O
welcome O
ceremony O
for O
the O
leaders O
by O
Vietnamese O
President O
Nguyen O
Minh O
Triet O
at O
the O
entrance O
of O
the O
center O
. O

The O
leaders O
were O
sitting O
in O
a O
round O
- O
table O
manner O
in O
the O
meeting O
room O
, O
according O
to O
a O
video O
tape O
footage O
shown O
to O
the O
press O
at O
the O
international O
media O
center O
. O

During O
the O
two O
hour O
- O
long O
informal O
retreat O
, O
the O
leaders O
discussed O
issues O
relating O
to O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
and O
the O
Doha O
Development O
Agenda O
( O
DDA O
) O
, O
and O
issues O
on O
Regional O
Trade O
Agreements O
and O
Free O
Trade O
Areas O
, O
said O
a O
press O
release O
issued O
after O
the O
meeting O
. O

They O
also O
discussed O
and O
endorsed O
the O
Hanoi O
Action O
Plan O
to O
implement O
the O
Busan O
Roadmap O
for O
realizing O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
of O
free O
and O
open O
trade O
and O
investment O
in O
the O
region O
, O
and O
issued O
a O
statement O
on O
the O
Doha O
round O
of O
WTO O
negotiations O
. O

" O
We O
reaffirm O
our O
collective O
and O
individual O
commitments O
to O
concluding O
an O
ambitious O
and O
balanced O
WTO O
Doha O
agreement O
, O
" O
the O
leaders O
said O
in O
the O
statement O
. O
" O
We O
are O
ready O
to O
break O
the O
current O
deadlock O
: O
each O
of O
us O
is O
committed O
to O
moving O
beyond O
our O
current O
positions O
in O
key O
areas O
of O
the O
( O
Doha O
) O
Round O
. O
" O

The O
endorsed O
Hanoi O
Action O
Plan O
will O
help O
translate O
the O
Busan O
Roadmap O
into O
reality O
by O
elaborating O
concrete O
actions O
for O
APEC O
member O
economies O
to O
take O
in O
five O
areas O
including O
the O
promotion O
of O
high O
- O
quality O
regional O
trade O
arrangements O
and O
free O
trade O
agreements O
. O

Immediately O
after O
the O
retreat O
, O
the O
leaders O
had O
a O
one O
- O
hour O
dialogue O
with O
the O
APEC O
Business O
Advisory O
Council O
. O

Speaking O
at O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
dialogue O
, O
Triet O
described O
the O
leaders O
' O
discussions O
as O
" O
profound O
" O
and O
" O
rich O
. O
" O

Later O
on O
Saturday B-T
evening I-T
, O
the O
leaders O
and O
spouses O
will O
attend O
a O
formal O
dinner O
and O
cultural O
performance O
in O
the O
National O
Convention O
Center O
, O
hosted O
by O
Vietnamese O
president O
and O
his O
spouse O
. O

A O
trip O
to O
the O
Temple O
of O
Literature O
, O
a O
site O
of O
interest O
in O
Hanoi O
, O
was O
arranged O
for O
the O
spouses O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
. O

The O
annual O
meeting O
of O
Pacific O
- O
Rim O
leaders O
is O
a O
forum O
of O
the O
highest O
level O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
, O
drawing O
the O
presence O
of O
such O
prominent O
figures O
as O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
, O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
and O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Shinzo O
Abe O
. O

The O
leaders O
will O
meet O
again O
on O
Sunday B-T
for O
the O
second O
retreat O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
, O
where O
they O
will O
discuss O
matters O
concerning O
human O
security O
, O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
, O
APEC O
reform O
and O
other O
issues O
. O

A O
Hanoi O
Declaration O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
issued O
after O
they O
wrap O
up O
the O
two B-T
day I-T
' O
s O
meeting O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Founded O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
APEC O
is O
a O
major O
regional O
forum O
acting O
as O
the O
primary O
regional O
vehicle O
for O
promoting O
open O
trade O
and O
practical O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
. O

It O
represents O
the O
most O
economically O
dynamic O
region O
in O
the O
world O
, O
with O
its O
21 O
member O
economies O
accounting O
for O
more O
than O
one O
third O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
population O
, O
approximately O
60 O
percent O
of O
world O
GDP O
, O
about O
47 O
percent O
of O
world O
trade O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0469 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
RMB O
breaks O
7 O
. O
84 O
mark O
against O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O

The O
value O
of O
the O
Renminbi O
( O
RMB O
) O
against O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
hit O
a O
new O
high O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
with O
the O
central O
parity O
rate O
at O
7 O
. O
8394 O
yuan O
to O
one O
dollar O
, O
breaking O
the O
7 O
. O
84 O
mark O
. O

This O
signifies O
RMB O
value O
has O
risen O
by O
5 O
. O
32 O
percent O
after O
China O
' O
s O
reform O
of O
the O
exchange O
rate O
system O
on O
July B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0285 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
urges O
Syria O
, O
Iran O
not O
to O
interfere O
in O
Lebanon O

The O
United O
States O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
it O
rejects O
the O
interference O
of O
internal O
affairs O
of O
Lebanon O
by O
Syria O
and O
Iran O
and O
said O
such O
efforts O
should O
be O
stopped O
. O

" O
And O
we O
certainly O
would O
reject O
any O
efforts O
on O
the O
part O
of O
outside O
governments O
to O
try O
and O
interfere O
or O
influence O
" O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
political O
process O
, O
State O
Department O
deputy O
spokesman O
Tom O
Casey O
said O
at O
a O
briefing O
. O

" O
And O
you O
certainly O
know O
we O
' O
ve O
spoken O
to O
and O
continue O
to O
speak O
to O
the O
fact O
that O
the O
Syrian O
government O
continues O
its O
interference O
into O
Lebanese O
affairs O
. O
We O
definitely O
want O
to O
see O
that O
stopped O
, O
" O
Casey O
said O
. O

The O
United O
States O
does O
not O
want O
to O
see O
any O
other O
outside O
actors O
, O
including O
Iran O
, O
interfering O
in O
the O
legitimate O
decision O
- O
making O
of O
the O
Lebanese O
political O
system O
, O
Casey O
added O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
accused O
Syrian O
officials O
of O
involving O
in O
the O
murder O
of O
former O
Lebanese O
prime O
minister O
Rafik O
Hariri O
. O
Syria O
has O
denied O
it O
has O
any O
links O
to O
the O
killing O
of O
Hariri O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
also O
accused O
Iran O
of O
providing O
support O
for O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
Hezbollah O
, O
a O
group O
branded O
by O
the O
United O
States O
as O
terrorist O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0271 O

DURRES O
, O
Albania O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

First O
French O
soldiers O
disembark O
in O
Albania O
, O
meet O
Italians O
by O
Stephane O
Bentura O

The O
first O
French O
soldiers O
of O
an O
international O
force O
in O
Albania O
disembarked O
here O
at O
dawn O
Sunday B-T
and O
met O
up O
with O
an O
advanced O
Italian O
unit O
, O
while O
the O
main O
body O
of O
troops O
for O
" O
Operation O
Alba O
" O
is O
due O
to O
arrive O
in O
the B-T
week I-T
ahead I-T
. O

A O
40 O
- O
strong O
team O
from O
several O
special O
forces O
units O
came O
ashore O
from O
the O
troop O
transport O
ship O
Champlain O
, O
which O
had O
sailed O
from O
the O
Italian O
port O
of O
Brindisi O
. O
A O
further O
80 O
troops O
remained O
aboard O
in O
reserve O
. O

About O
20 O
four O
- O
wheel O
- O
drive O
vehicles O
were O
unloaded O
onto O
the O
dilapidated O
quayside O
of O
Albania O
' O
s O
main O
port O
, O
some O
40 O
kilometres O
( O
25 O
miles O
) O
from O
the O
capital O
Tirana O
. O

Lieutenant O
Colonel O
Jean O
- O
Marc O
Lebout O
, O
who O
is O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
French O
operation O
, O
said O
he O
had O
been O
greeted O
by O
several O
officials O
from O
the O
Albanian O
defence O
ministry O
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
feel O
in O
a O
hostile O
environment O
, O
" O
Lebout O
said O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
humanitarian O
mission O
. O
We O
' O
re O
here O
to O
prepare O
the O
ground O
for O
our O
colleagues O
' O
arrival O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Two B-T
hours I-T
after O
the O
French O
landed O
, O
an O
Italian O
military O
vehicle O
drove O
up O
to O
the O
port O
to O
make O
contact O
. O

" O
The O
situation O
is O
very O
calm O
here O
. O
The O
population O
is O
very O
self O
- O
disciplined O
, O
they O
want O
tranquility O
, O
" O
said O
Lieutenant O
Colonel O
Michele O
Tunzi O
, O
of O
an O
Italian O
paratroop O
unit O
. O

The O
advanced O
Italian O
units O
landed O
on O
Albanian O
soil O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
about O
20 O
arriving O
by O
sea O
and O
the O
same O
number O
flying O
in O
to O
Tirana O
airport O
. O

Italian O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
here O
held O
along O
with O
his O
Albanian O
counterpart O
Bashkim O
Fino O
that O
Operation O
Alba O
would O
end O
one B-T
month I-T
after O
elections O
are O
held O
sometime O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
June I-T
. O

Prodi O
said O
: O
" O
Our O
aim O
is O
to O
leave O
as O
soon O
as O
we O
have O
helped O
reconstruct O
the O
state O
, O
that O
is O
one O
month O
after O
the O
democratic O
elections O
we O
are O
asking O
for O
. O
" O

He O
confirmed O
that O
most O
of O
the O
troops O
in O
the O
operation O
were O
to O
arrive O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Prodi O
also O
visited O
the O
port O
of O
Vlore O
in O
the O
south O
, O
where O
the O
Albanian O
insurrection O
began O
. O
From O
the O
balcony O
of O
the O
local O
government O
offices O
he O
called O
for O
a O
minute O
' O
s O
silence O
for O
the O
four O
dead O
and O
83 O
missing O
from O
a O
refugee O
boat O
that O
sank O
after O
colliding O
with O
an O
Italian O
warship O
on O
March B-T
28 I-T
. O

" O
Alba O
( O
Italian O
for O
dawn O
) O
is O
not O
just O
the O
start O
of O
a O
new O
day O
, O
but O
also O
that O
of O
the O
new O
Albania O
, O
" O
he O
said O
to O
applause O
. O
" O
Next B-T
week I-T
we O
will O
all O
be O
busy O
working O
together O
for O
the O
rebirth O
of O
Albania O
. O
" O

A O
spokesman O
for O
the O
French O
army O
information O
service O
said O
the O
advance O
party O
was O
made O
up O
of O
highly O
- O
mobile O
troops O
whose O
task O
was O
to O
prepare O
for O
the O
arrival O
of O
the O
troop O
ship O
Orage O
, O
due O
here O
Tuesday B-T
with O
450 O
marines O
on O
board O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
question O
of O
giving O
in O
to O
the O
slightest O
threat O
or O
the O
least O
blackmail O
, O
" O
spokesman O
Major O
Herve O
Gourmelon O
said O
. O

" O
It O
would O
be O
more O
stupidity O
than O
hostility O
if O
a O
group O
attacked O
the O
force O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

France O
is O
expected O
to O
provide O
up O
to O
1 O
, O
000 O
troops O
to O
the O
UN O
- O
approved O
multinational O
force O
in O
Albania O
. O

Their O
principal O
task O
will O
be O
to O
secure O
the O
port O
and O
the O
road O
linking O
it O
to O
Tirana O
. O

The O
mission O
, O
which O
will O
total O
around O
6 O
, O
000 O
troops O
, O
is O
intended O
to O
facilitate O
aid O
shipments O
to O
the O
most O
vulnerable O
sections O
of O
the O
population O
. O

The O
biggest O
contributor O
will O
be O
Italy O
with O
around O
2 O
, O
500 O
men O
. O

Italy O
which O
occupied O
Albania O
between O
April B-T
1939 I-T
and O
the O
end O
of O
World O
War O
II O
declaring O
its O
king O
, O
Victor O
Emmanuel O
III O
, O
king O
of O
Albania O
, O
has O
traditionally O
close O
ties O
with O
its O
neighbor O
, O
only O
70 O
kilometers O
( O
45 O
miles O
) O
across O
the O
Adriatic O
Sea O
. O

Although O
the O
force O
is O
only O
mandated O
to O
secure O
aid O
channels O
, O
Lieutenant O
Colonel O
Thimi O
Hudhra O
- O
- O
one O
of O
the O
Albanian O
military O
staff O
sent O
to O
meet O
the O
French O
troops O
- O
- O
said O
he O
was O
counting O
on O
the O
troops O
of O
Operation O
Alba O
to O
restore O
order O
in O
his O
country O
. O

" O
We O
have O
already O
got O
together O
three O
or O
four O
units O
totalling O
2 O
, O
500 O
men O
in O
Tirana O
to O
work O
with O
the O
international O
force O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
force O
is O
not O
going O
to O
start O
disarming O
civilians O
who O
seized O
weapons O
during O
the O
Albanian O
insurgency O
however O
. O

Despite O
the O
apparent O
absence O
of O
hostility O
in O
Durres O
and O
the O
north O
, O
question O
marks O
remain O
over O
the O
reception O
the O
force O
will O
get O
in O
the O
south O
, O
much O
of O
which O
is O
in O
rebel O
hands O
. O

Greece O
, O
Italy O
and O
Romania O
are O
expected O
to O
deploy O
troops O
to O
the O
south O
, O
while O
Spanish O
troops O
will O
be O
sent O
to O
the O
north O
and O
the O
French O
will O
remain O
in O
Durres O
and O
Tirana O
. O

In O
Greece O
' O
s O
northern O
city O
of O
Salonika O
, O
General O
Manoussos O
Preveroudakis O
, O
commander O
- O
in O
- O
chief O
of O
the O
Greek O
army O
, O
said O
the O
Greek O
contingent O
was O
ready O
after O
inspecting O
the O
troops O
. O

He O
said O
that O
" O
all O
the O
instructions O
have O
been O
given O
" O
to O
the O
force O
of O
about O
680 O
men O
who O
will O
be O
deployed O
in O
Tirana O
and O
Vlore O
. O

Greek O
Defence O
Minister O
Akis O
Tsohatzopoulos O
said O
the O
soldiers O
would O
travel O
to O
Tirana O
in O
a O
C O
- O
130 O
transport O
plane O
. O

An O
authoritative O
Greek O
source O
said O
most O
of O
the O
contingent O
, O
made O
up O
entirely O
of O
career O
soldiers O
, O
would O
leave O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Other O
contingents O
will O
be O
supplied O
by O
Austria O
, O
Denmark O
and O
Turkey O
, O
but O
it O
is O
not O
yet O
clear O
where O
they O
will O
be O
posted O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0030 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0030 O
. O

Shoney O
' O
s O
to O
Report O

@ O
Write O
- O
Off O
in O
Quarter O

@ O
Totaling O
$ O
2 O
. O
5 O
Million O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

SHN O

NASHVILLE O
, O
Tenn O
. O

Shoney O
' O
s O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
will O
report O
a O
write O
- O
off O
of O
$ O
2 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
seven O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
for O
its O
fourth B-T
quarter I-T
ended O
yesterday B-T
. O

The O
restaurant O
operator O
cited O
transaction O
costs O
from O
its O
1988 B-T
recapitalization O
as O
a O
result O
of O
a O
$ O
160 O
million O
restructuring O
of O
its O
bank O
debt O
. O

The O
write O
- O
off O
will O
be O
reported O
as O
an O
extraordinary O
item O
in O
the O
company O
' O
s O
1989 B-T
operating O
results O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
the O
effective O
interest O
rate O
on O
the O
$ O
410 O
million O
of O
total O
remaining O
bank O
debt O
after O
the O
restructuring O
is O
10 O
. O
66 O
% O
. O

The O
combined O
effect O
of O
these O
changes O
is O
expected O
to O
save O
the O
company O
about O
$ O
4 O
million O
in O
interest O
expenses O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
or O
six O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

Shoney O
' O
s O
said O
the O
latest O
restructuring O
affected O
bank O
indebtedness O
that O
was O
incurred O
to O
finance O
$ O
585 O
million O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
$ O
728 O
million O
recapitalization O
that O
took O
place O
in O
1988 B-T
. O

The O
company O
has O
made O
payments O
of O
$ O
175 O
million O
against O
the O
original O
$ O
585 O
million O
of O
bank O
debt O
incurred O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
recapitalization O
. O

These O
payments O
consisted O
of O
$ O
54 O
million O
in O
scheduled O
payments O
and O
$ O
121 O
million O
in O
prepayments O
, O
funded O
by O
$ O
82 O
. O
8 O
million O
from O
operating O
cash O
flow O
, O
zero O
- O
coupon O
subordinated O
debt O
and O
assets O
sales O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0053 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

elections O

Egypt O
' O
s O
Electoral O
Commission O
has O
announced O
the O
final O
results O
of O
the O
first O
phase O
of O
the O
three O
- O
stage O
parliamentary O
elections O
, O
the O
Egyptian O
Gazette O
daily O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Thirty O
- O
one O
seats O
were O
decided O
by O
the O
ballot O
held O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
with O
the O
ruling O
National O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
NDP O
) O
garnering O
26 O
seats O
, O
the O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
four O
seats O
, O
and O
another O
going O
to O
an O
independent O
, O
according O
to O
the O
commission O
. O

The O
run O
- O
off O
for O
133 O
seats O
was O
held O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
the O
NDP O
, O
led O
by O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
, O
won O
42 O
seats O
, O
the O
commission O
announced O
late B-T
Wednesday I-T
. O

The O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
, O
Egypt O
' O
s O
de O
facto O
largest O
opposition O
group O
, O
won O
30 O
seats O
, O
the O
independents O
won O
54 O
and O
opposition O
parties O
won O
eight O
, O
it O
added O
. O

The O
first O
phase O
of O
Egypt O
' O
s O
three O
- O
stage O
parliamentary O
election O
was O
held O
in O
82 O
constituencies O
across O
eight O
governorates O
, O
including O
the O
capital O
Cairo O
. O

The O
second O
and O
third O
stages O
will O
be O
held O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
and O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
respectively I-T
. O
Any O
run O
- O
offs O
, O
if O
necessary O
, O
will O
be O
held O
six B-T
days I-T
after O
each O
round O
of O
voting O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0536 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

JP O
Morgan O
net O
drops O
in O
first O
quarter O

JP O
Morgan O
net O
profits O
fell O
3 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
424 O
million O
dollars O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
from O
439 O
million O
dollars O
in O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
bank O
announced O
Thursday B-T
. O

Net O
profit O
per O
share O
was O
2 O
. O
04 O
dollars O
against O
2 B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

Sales O
rose O
to O
1 O
. O
83 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
from O
1 O
. O
74 O
billion O
. O

JP O
Morgan O
Chairman O
Douglas O
Warner O
said O
the O
company O
' O
s O
" O
good O
" O
first O
quarter O
result O
was O
based O
on O
higher O
revenues O
and O
increasing O
global O
diversification O
, O
noting O
that O
client O
activity O
" O
remains O
strong O
" O
into O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
Finance O
and O
Advisory O
unit O
' O
s O
revenues O
increased O
eight O
percent O
to O
451 O
million O
dollars O
, O
mainly O
as O
a O
result O
of O
higher O
debt O
and O
equity O
underwriting O
revenues O
. O

Market O
making O
revenues O
fell O
38 O
million O
dollars O
733 O
million O
with O
revenues O
in O
emerging O
markets O
, O
equities O
, O
and O
foreign O
exchange O
up O
strongly O
, O
while O
fixed O
income O
revenues O
in O
developed O
markets O
fell O
from O
the O
" O
high O
" O
levels O
of O
1996 B-T
, O
Warner O
said O
. O

Asset O
Management O
and O
Servicing O
revenues O
increased O
nine O
percent O
to O
375 O
million O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0145 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

ISS O
crew O
play O
golf O
during O
space O
walk O

The O
14th O
crew O
of O
the O
International O
Space O
Station O
( O
ISS O
) O
played O
golf O
during O
a O
nearly O
six O
- O
hour O
space O
walk O
in O
a O
Russian O
program O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
a O
Mission O
Control O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Russian O
cosmonaut O
Mikhail O
Tyurin O
and O
U O
. O
S O
. O
astronaut O
Michael O
Lopez O
- O
Alegria O
opened O
the O
hatches O
and O
begun O
their O
walk O
at O
0020 O
GMT O
on O
Thursday B-T
after O
a O
60 O
- O
minute O
delay O
for O
technical O
reasons O
, O
said O
Valery O
Lyndin O
, O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Mission O
Control O
Center O
near O
Moscow O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Itar O
- O
Tass O
news O
agency O
, O
the O
pair O
spent O
in O
outer O
space O
five O
hours O
38 O
minutes O
instead O
of O
the O
planned O
five O
hours O
47 O
minutes O
, O
Lyndin O
said O
. O

" O
Most O
of O
the O
program O
has O
been O
fulfilled O
, O
" O
Lyndin O
said O
. O
They O
played O
golf O
, O
installed O
a O
neutron O
telescope O
on O
the O
exterior O
of O
the O
Zvezda O
service O
module O
, O
took O
a O
picture O
of O
an O
antenna O
of O
the O
Kurs O
docking O
system O
and O
replaced O
a O
WAL O
2 O
antenna O
. O

German O
astronaut O
Thomas O
Reiter O
assisted O
the O
space O
walk O
from O
the O
ISS O
. O

Tyurin O
hit O
a O
ball O
with O
a O
golf O
club O
manufactured O
by O
the O
Canadian O
firm O
Element O
21 O
Golf O
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
chiefs O
said O
that O
they O
wanted O
to O
mark O
by O
the O
space O
" O
game O
of O
golf O
" O
the O
35 B-T
anniversary I-T
of O
the O
first O
" O
golf O
strike O
" O
made O
by O
American O
astronaut O
Alan O
Shepard O
on O
the O
moon O
surface O
. O

Tyurin O
' O
s O
strike O
, O
which O
has O
entered O
the O
Guinness O
Book O
of O
Records O
, O
was O
only O
a O
two O
- O
minute O
event O
, O
but O
preparations O
for O
it O
were O
long O
. O
Lopez O
- O
Allegria O
helped O
him O
in O
fixing O
a O
device O
with O
a O
spring O
that O
sent O
the O
ball O
in O
a O
needed O
direction O
. O

The O
technical O
director O
of O
the O
Golf O
project O
, O
Alexander O
Alexandrov O
, O
told O
reporters O
that O
the O
golf O
ball O
would O
travel O
" O
miles O
and O
miles O
" O
in O
space O
, O
while O
Shepard O
' O
s O
ball O
flew O
only O
22 O
feet O
. O

Unlike O
usual O
golf O
balls O
weighing O
35 O
grams O
, O
the O
space O
ball O
weighs O
only O
three O
grams O
. O

Under O
the O
contract O
, O
the O
golf O
club O
and O
remaining O
balls O
will O
be O
returned O
to O
the O
Earth O
in O
a O
Soyuz O
spacecraft O
in O
the O
spring O
and O
turned O
over O
to O
the O
customers O
. O

Besides O
the O
golf O
, O
Tyurin O
and O
Lopez O
- O
Allegria O
examined O
the O
antenna O
of O
the O
Kurs O
system O
for O
problems O
that O
arose O
during O
the O
docking O
of O
Russia O
' O
s O
supply O
ship O
Progress O
with O
the O
ISS O
in O
late B-T
October I-T
. O
They O
tried O
to O
retract O
the O
antenna O
, O
but O
failed O
to O
do O
so O
. O

The O
pair O
moved O
a O
WAL O
2 O
antenna O
to O
a O
more O
convenient O
place O
that O
will O
be O
used O
during O
the O
docking O
of O
the O
European O
craft O
ATV O
, O
the O
launch O
of O
which O
is O
scheduled O
for O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
2008 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0768 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Oil O
prices O
steady O
in O
Asia O
after O
gains O
on O
OPEC O
production O
cuts O

Oil O
prices O
were O
steady O
in O
Asian O
trade O
Friday B-T
after O
sharp O
overnight O
gains O
on O
news O
the O
Organization O
of O
the O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
would O
cut O
output O
further O
to O
shore O
up O
the O
market O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

At O
10 O
: O
15 O
am O
( O
0215 O
GMT O
) O
, O
New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
January B-T
delivery O
, O
was O
up O
four O
cents O
to O
62 O
. O
55 O
US O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
from O
New O
York O
trade O
where O
it O
had O
risen O
1 O
. O
14 O
dollars O
to O
62 O
. O
51 O
dollars O
on O
the O
OPEC O
lead O
. O

Brent O
North O
Sea O
crude O
for O
January B-T
delivery O
was O
steady O
at O
62 O
. O
12 O
dollars O
. O

OPEC O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
cut O
output O
by O
500 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
( O
bpd O
) O
from O
February B-T
showed O
the O
oil O
cartel O
' O
s O
resolve O
to O
maintain O
crude O
prices O
at O
60 O
dollars O
and O
above O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

" O
The O
indication O
from O
OPEC O
is O
they O
are O
determined O
to O
defend O
the O
60 O
- O
dollar O
price O
level O
, O
" O
said O
Victor O
Shum O
, O
an O
analyst O
with O
energy O
consultancy O
Purvin O
and O
Gertz O
. O

OPEC O
ministers O
meeting O
in O
Nigeria O
on O
Thursday B-T
announced O
the O
latest O
round O
of O
production O
cuts O
which O
follows O
a O
reduction O
of O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
bpd O
from O
November B-T
onwards O
. O

" O
The O
market O
reacted O
bullishly O
to O
OPEC O
' O
s O
decision O
, O
" O
said O
Phil O
Flynn O
at O
Alaron O
Trading O
. O
" O
Some O
people O
doubted O
that O
it O
would O
take O
the O
decision O
and O
OPEC O
proved O
that O
it O
is O
very O
serious O
in O
keeping O
prices O
in O
control O
. O
" O

Flynn O
said O
that O
the O
decision O
to O
start O
the O
cuts O
in O
February B-T
" O
eased O
some O
concerns O
about O
cutting O
into O
the O
bulk O
of O
winter O
. O
" O

The O
announcement O
of O
a O
second O
cut O
in O
two B-T
months I-T
followed O
warnings O
that O
a O
further O
reduction O
could O
spark O
sharply O
higher O
prices O
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
months I-T
, O
the O
peak O
time O
for O
oil O
demand O
during O
the O
northern O
hemisphere O
winter B-T
. O

" O
The O
key O
point O
for O
us O
is O
the O
risk O
for O
OPEC O
to O
over O
- O
tighten O
the O
market O
, O
" O
Barclays O
Capital O
analyst O
Kevin O
Norrish O
said O
. O

" O
Oil O
inventories O
have O
eroded O
substantially O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
, O
especially O
in O
the O
US O
, O
and O
in O
a O
market O
going O
through O
such O
a O
rapid O
degree O
of O
tightening O
we O
do O
not O
think O
OPEC O
should O
have O
cut O
so O
much O
. O
" O

The O
US O
Department O
of O
Energy O
in O
its O
latest O
report O
said O
crude O
oil O
reserves O
fell O
4 O
. O
3 O
million O
barrels O
to O
335 O
. O
4 O
million O
in O
the B-T
week I-T
ended O
December B-T
8 I-T
, O
much O
more O
than O
the O
decline O
of O
1 O
. O
3 O
million O
barrels O
expected O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0029 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
toll O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
suicide O
bomber O
killed O
13 O
Iraqis O
queuing O
at O
a O
police O
recruitment O
centre O
in O
central O
Baghdad O
on O
Thursday B-T
and O
wounded O
12 O
more O
, O
security O
and O
medicals O
sources O
said O
. O

The O
bomber O
, O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
wearing O
an O
explosive O
vest O
, O
struck O
at O
sunrise O
outside O
a O
police O
academy O
in O
a O
street O
in O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
capital O
that O
has O
been O
barred O
to O
traffic O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Before O
the O
traffic O
ban O
had O
been O
put O
into O
place O
, O
the O
police O
academy O
near O
Palestine O
Street O
in O
the O
Rusafa O
District O
, O
had O
come O
under O
attacks O
three O
times O
by O
car O
bomb O
, O
mortar O
and O
a O
suicide O
bomber O
. O

Ten O
police O
recruits O
were O
killed O
instantly O
and O
another O
three O
died O
of O
their O
injuries O
after O
being O
taken O
to O
the O
al O
- O
Kindi O
hospital O
, O
a O
medical O
source O
said O
. O

In O
October B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
a O
bomber O
in O
a O
suicide O
vest O
killed O
17 O
people O
when O
he O
blew O
himself O
up O
on O
a O
bus O
dropping O
police O
cadets O
off O
at O
the O
academy O
. O

Since O
then O
security O
has O
been O
improved O
in O
the O
area O
, O
which O
is O
near O
the O
main O
interior O
ministry O
headquarters O
, O
but O
the O
city O
of O
Baghdad O
remains O
in O
the O
grip O
of O
mounting O
insurgent O
and O
sectarian O
violence O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0140 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Oil O
prices O
fall O
, O
though O
Brent O
crude O
holds O
above O
64 O
dollars O

World O
oil O
prices O
dropped O
on O
Monday B-T
after O
striking O
two O
- O
month O
high O
points O
the O
previous O
week O
on O
supply O
concerns O
. O

In O
London O
, O
Brent O
North O
Sea O
crude O
for O
January B-T
delivery O
slid O
52 O
cents O
to O
64 O
. O
10 O
dollars O
in O
electronic O
trading O
. O

New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
January B-T
, O
lost O
45 O
cents O
to O
62 O
. O
98 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
electronic O
deals O
before O
the O
official O
opening O
of O
the O
US O
market O
. O

World O
oil O
prices O
had O
risen O
sharply O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
mainly O
owing O
to O
data O
that O
revealed O
falls O
in O
US O
energy O
stocks O
and O
expectations O
that O
the O
Organization O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
will O
decide O
later O
this B-T
month I-T
to O
cut O
further O
its O
oil O
output O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0336 O

RIYADH O
, O
Nov B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israel O
' O
s O
new O
Labor O
leader O
could O
help O
peace O
: O
Saudi O
King O

Saudi O
Arabia O
' O
s O
King O
Abdullah O
said O
the O
new O
Israeli O
Labour O
leader O
Amir O
Peretz O
may O
help O
unite O
Israel O
' O
s O
" O
peace O
camp O
" O
and O
promote O
talks O
with O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
the O
official O
Saudi O
Press O
Agency O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
The O
emergence O
of O
Amir O
Peretz O
as O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
Israeli O
Labour O
party O
may O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
a O
breakthrough O
and O
lead O
to O
unification O
of O
the O
dispersed O
peace O
camp O
in O
Israel O
, O
" O
SPA O
quoted O
Abdullah O
as O
saying O
. O

Peretz O
emerged O
as O
the O
winner O
during O
a O
leadership O
election O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, O
replacing O
the O
veteran O
Labor O
chief O
Shimon O
Peres O
. O

Peretz O
, O
who O
had O
promised O
to O
pull O
Labour O
out O
of O
a O
coalition O
government O
headed O
by O
Ariel O
Sharon O
, O
pledged O
to O
restart O
talks O
with O
Palestinians O
if O
Labour O
wins O
parliamentary O
elections O
in O
March B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0146 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesian O
shares O
close O
lower O

Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Jakarta O
Stock O
Exchange O
ended O
lower O
Thursday B-T
with O
the O
composite O
index O
down O
1 O
. O
29 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
668 O
. O
8 O
points O
. O

Turnovers O
totaled O
1 O
. O
9 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
2 O
. O
3 O
trillion O
rupiah O
( O
246 O
. O
6 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

Gainers O
beat O
losers O
69 O
to O
61 O
, O
with O
80 O
other O
issues O
left O
unchanged O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0168 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israeli O
anti O
- O
rocket O
defense O
system O
decided O
soon O

Israeli O
Deputy O
Defense O
Minister O
Ephraim O
Sneh O
said O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
that O
Israel O
would O
decide O
within O
weeks B-T
what O
anti O
- O
rocket O
defense O
system O
to O
erect O
in O
areas O
bordering O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
Israel O
' O
s O
local O
newspaper O
Jerusalem O
Post O
reported O
on O
its O
website O
. O

Sneh O
said O
that O
the O
Israeli O
government O
was O
examining O
four O
different O
systems O
produced O
both O
in O
Israel O
and O
abroad O
, O
but O
their O
efficiency O
was O
as O
yet O
unproven O
. O

Sneh O
made O
the O
announcement O
hours O
after O
an O
Israeli O
civilian O
was O
critically O
wounded O
in O
a O
Qassam O
rocket O
hit O
on O
a O
factory O
in O
Sderot O
, O
a O
city O
in O
south O
Israel O
. O

Since O
Monday B-T
, O
more O
than O
25 O
Qassam O
rockets O
have O
landed O
in O
the O
Negev O
, O
seven O
in O
Sderot O
and O
one O
which O
scored O
a O
direct O
hit O
on O
a O
home O
, O
that O
caused O
extensive O
damage O
, O
in O
a O
nearby O
kibbutz O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Israel O
Defense O
Forces O
Chief O
of O
General O
Staff O
Lt O
. O
- O
Gen O
. O
Dan O
Halutz O
also O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
Israel O
was O
not O
" O
coming O
to O
terms O
" O
with O
Qassam O
rocket O
fire O
, O
however O
, O
he O
was O
not O
currently O
in O
favor O
of O
launching O
a O
massive O
ground O
operation O
into O
Gaza O
to O
stop O
the O
daily O
rocket O
attacks O
on O
towns O
in O
the O
western O
Negev O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0159 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nuclear O
industry O
research O
base O
launched O
in O
Shanghai O

The O
China O
Nuclear O
Industry O
Group O
( O
CNIG O
) O
set O
up O
Sunday B-T
a O
research O
base O
for O
nuclear O
power O
, O
instruments O
for O
civilian O
use O
, O
and O
military O
industry O
, O
in O
Shanghai O
, O
according O
to O
sources O
with O
CNIG O
. O

Located O
in O
Shanghai O
Caohejin O
high O
- O
tech O
development O
zone O
, O
the O
research O
base O
covers O
21 O
, O
000 O
square O
meters O
of O
floor O
space O
, O
and O
will O
combine O
the O
functions O
of O
management O
, O
service O
and O
trade O
. O

An O
official O
with O
CNIG O
said O
that O
China O
' O
s O
nuclear O
industry O
has O
embraced O
a O
crucial O
development O
opportunity O
, O
with O
nuclear O
power O
, O
nuclear O
fuel O
and O
nuclear O
applications O
to O
be O
the O
three O
pillars O
. O

By O
the B-T
year I-T
2020 I-T
, O
the O
installed O
capacity O
of O
China O
' O
s O
nuclear O
power O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
40 O
million O
kilowatts O
, O
accounting O
for O
25 O
percent O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
total O
. O

In O
the O
coming O
five B-T
years I-T
, O
the O
market O
scale O
for O
nuclear O
applications O
will O
reach O
100 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
about O
12 O
. O
5 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Wang O
Shoujun O
, O
CNIG O
deputy O
general O
manager O
, O
said O
that O
in O
the B-T
2006 I-T
- I-T
2010 I-T
period I-T
, O
his O
group O
will O
complete O
integration O
and O
research O
of O
the O
meters O
matched O
with O
the O
nuclear O
industry O
to O
provide O
more O
home O
- O
made O
products O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
nuclear O
power O
construction O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0663 O

BRASILIA O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Brazil O
and O
Russia O
agreed O
Thursday B-T
to O
develop O
cooperation O
in O
military O
, O
trade O
, O
space O
and O
energy O
affairs O
during O
a O
visit O
by O
Russia O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Minister O
Sergei O
Lavrov O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Reporters O
peppered O
Lavrov O
and O
his O
Brazilian O
counterpart O
, O
Celso O
Amorim O
, O
with O
questions O
about O
a O
proposed O
purchase O
of O
Russian O
- O
made O
military O
helicopters O
at O
a O
joint O
news O
conference O
. O

Amorim O
would O
only O
say O
there O
had O
been O
a O
discussion O
of O
whether O
the O
helicopters O
would O
be O
bought O
already O
assembled O
or O
be O
assembled O
in O
Brazil O
, O
and O
whether O
they O
would O
have O
Brazilian O
components O
. O

The O
newspaper O
Folha O
de O
Sao O
Paulo O
reported O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
the O
deal O
involves O
30 O
Russian O
military O
attack O
and O
transport O
helicopters O
, O
worth O
400 O
million O
dollars O
and O
sought O
by O
the O
Brazilian O
government O
to O
fight O
smuggling O
and O
drug O
trafficking O
. O

Russia O
recently B-T
sold O
arms O
and O
aircraft O
to O
Venezuela O
, O
but O
Lavrov O
denied O
that O
his O
country O
was O
pursuing O
a O
career O
as O
a O
weapons O
supplier O
in O
Latin O
America O
. O

" O
We O
are O
not O
selling O
them O
to O
any O
country O
that O
violates O
international O
laws O
, O
" O
Lavrov O
said O
. O

The O
top O
diplomats O
of O
the O
two O
resource O
- O
rich O
countries O
also O
discussed O
biofuels O
, O
an O
area O
of O
expertise O
for O
Brazil O
, O
and O
signed O
an O
agreement O
to O
protect O
technology O
in O
their O
planned O
cooperation O
in O
space O
projects O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0495 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
wants O
China O
put O
on O
the O
spot O
over O
rights O

The O
United O
States O
wants O
China O
put O
on O
the O
spot O
over O
its O
suspect O
human O
rights O
record O
at O
the O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
' O
s O
annual O
meeting O
here O
, O
US O
rights O
envoy O
John O
Shattuck O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

Shattuck O
was O
in O
Geneva O
to O
lobby O
against O
a O
Chinese O
motion O
to O
block O
a O
resolution O
criticising O
its O
human O
rights O
record O
, O
which O
would O
in O
effect O
block O
the O
53 O
- O
state O
Commission O
' O
s O
annual O
meeting O
from O
discussing O
it O
. O

" O
No O
country O
, O
no O
matter O
how O
large O
, O
no O
matter O
how O
strongly O
it O
feels O
about O
the O
subject O
, O
should O
be O
able O
to O
block O
consideration O
by O
the O
commission O
of O
its O
rights O
record O
, O
" O
said O
Shattuck O
, O
US O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
State O
for O
Human O
Rights O
. O

China O
, O
as O
in O
previous B-T
years I-T
, O
has O
lodged O
a O
non O
- O
action O
motion O
to O
block O
criticism O
at O
the O
forum O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
For O
this O
reason O
, O
we O
are O
concerned O
by O
the O
efforts O
of O
the O
government O
of O
China O
to O
foreclose O
discussion O
through O
a O
non O
- O
action O
motion O
on O
the O
resolution O
, O
" O
the O
US O
official O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0120 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Taiwan O
share O
prices O
close O
down O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
17 O

Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Taiwan O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
lower O
Thursday B-T
, O
with O
the O
weighted O
index O
moved O
down O
25 O
. O
26 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
6 O
, O
020 O
. O
94 O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
reaching O
here O
from O
Taipei O
. O

The O
bourse O
opened O
at O
the O
day O
' O
s O
high O
of O
6 O
, O
063 O
. O
09 O
and O
hit O
a O
low O
of O
5 O
, O
994 O
. O
91 O
during O
trading O
. O
A O
total O
of O
2 O
. O
75 O
billion O
shares O
changed O
hands O
on O
a O
market O
turnover O
of O
73 O
. O
23 O
billion O
Taiwan O
dollars O
( O
2 O
. O
18 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Only O
one O
of O
the O
eight O
major O
stock O
categories O
gained O
ground O
, O
with O
paper O
and O
pulp O
issues O
moving O
up O
at O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

Seven O
of O
the O
eight O
major O
stock O
categories O
lost O
ground O
, O
with O
banking O
and O
financial O
shares O
moving O
down O
the O
most O
at O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
, O
followed O
by O
construction O
issues O
and O
foodstuff O
issues O
both O
at O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
. O

Plastics O
and O
chemicals O
shares O
moved O
down O
at O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
, O
textile O
stocks O
at O
0 O
. O
4 O
percent O
, O
and O
cement O
stocks O
and O
machinery O
and O
electronics O
shares O
both O
at O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
. O

Losers O
outnumbered O
gainers O
560 O
to O
442 O
, O
with O
186 O
stocks O
remaining O
unchanged O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0085 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0085 O
. O

Westinghouse O

@ O
Sees O
Big O
Gains O

@ O
For O
Next O
Year O

@ O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
Boost O
in O
Operating O
Margins O
, O

@ O
Double O
- O
Digit O
Per O
- O
Share O

@ O
Growth O
Forecast O
by O
Firm O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Gregory O
Stricharchuk O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

WX O

ELECTRICAL O
COMPONENTS O
AND O
EQUIPMENT O
( O
ELQ O
) O

NEW O
YORK O

Westinghouse O
Electric O
Corp O
. O
, O
capitalizing O
on O
a O
major O
restructuring O
program O
, O
expects O
operating O
margins O
of O
more O
than O
10 O
% O
and O
double O
- O
digit O
per O
- O
share O
earnings O
growth O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
top O
officers O
told O
securities O
analysts O
here O
. O

John O
C O
. O
Marous O
, O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
officer O
, O
also O
said O
the O
company O
expects O
sales O
from O
continuing O
businesses O
to O
rise O
8 O
. O
5 O
% O
annually O
through O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

In O
1988 B-T
, O
the O
company O
earned O
$ O
822 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
5 O
. O
66 O
a O
share O
, O
on O
sales O
of O
$ O
12 O
. O
49 O
billion O
. O

Since O
1983 B-T
, O
Westinghouse O
has O
shed O
70 O
businesses O
that O
it O
did O
n O
' O
t O
expect O
to O
produce O
10 O
% O
operating O
margins O
while O
acquiring O
55 O
businesses O
. O

In O
the B-T
past I-T
20 I-T
months I-T
alone O
, O
Paul O
E O
. O
Lego O
, O
president O
and O
chief O
operating O
officer O
, O
said O
the O
divestiture O
of O
$ O
300 O
million O
of O
slow O
- O
growth O
, O
low O
- O
profit O
businesses O
has O
been O
more O
than O
offset O
by O
$ O
600 O
million O
in O
profitable O
acquisitions O
. O

Westinghouse O
expects O
to O
meet O
its O
corporate O
goals O
despite O
a O
softening O
in O
the O
economy O
. O

Even O
if O
the O
gross O
national O
product O
is O
either O
flat O
or O
in O
the O
growth O
range O
of O
2 O
% O
to O
2 O
. O
5 O
% O
, O
" O
we O
can O
handle O
that O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Marous O
said O
. O

GNP O
is O
the O
total O
value O
of O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
output O
of O
goods O
and O
services O
. O

A O
bright O
spot O
is O
the O
company O
' O
s O
power O
- O
generation O
business O
, O
which O
is O
experiencing O
a O
surge O
of O
growth O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
years B-T
. O

Mr O
. O
Marous O
said O
the O
business O
will O
achieve O
higher O
sales O
this B-T
year I-T
than O
the O
company O
' O
s O
target O
goal O
of O
8 O
. O
5 O
% O
. O

While O
Westinghouse O
hasn O
' O
t O
had O
a O
nuclear O
power O
plant O
order O
from O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
utility O
in O
about B-T
a I-T
decade I-T
, O
excess O
capacity O
is O
beginning O
to O
shrink O
. O

Mr O
. O
Lego O
said O
the O
company O
foresees O
the O
need O
for O
a O
major O
boost O
in O
new O
- O
generation O
capability O
throughout O
the B-T
1990s I-T
. O

Westinghouse O
also O
is O
well O
positioned O
to O
sell O
steam O
turbine O
and O
gas O
turbine O
plants O
to O
independent O
power O
producers O
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
ability O
to O
respond O
to O
energy O
needs O
world O
- O
wide O
will O
be O
enhanced O
through O
a O
recently B-T
announced O
venture O
with O
Mitsubishi O
Heavy O
Industries O
, O
Mr O
. O
Lego O
said O
. O

He O
said O
the O
independent O
power O
segment O
could O
grow O
to O
provide O
as O
much O
as O
50 O
% O
of O
near O
- O
term O
generation O
capacity O
, O
adding O
: O
" O
We O
expect O
to O
supply O
a O
significant O
share O
of O
this O
market O
. O
" O

Westinghouse O
also O
expects O
its O
international O
sales O
to O
soon B-T
grow O
to O
25 O
% O
of O
total O
corporate O
sales O
from O
20 O
% O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
company O
is O
negotiating O
with O
the O
Soviets O
to O
build O
a O
Thermo O
King O
truck O
- O
refrigeration O
plant O
that O
would O
produce O
about O
10 O
, O
000 O
units O
annually O
. O

Mr O
. O
Marous O
said O
Westinghouse O
would O
own O
70 O
% O
of O
the O
facility O
. O

The O
deal O
, O
which O
will O
involve O
an O
initial O
$ O
20 O
million O
investment O
, O
was O
struck O
with O
a O
handshake O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Company O
officials O
also O
said O
that O
any O
gain O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
Westinghouse O
' O
s O
55 O
% O
stake O
in O
its O
transmission O
and O
distribution O
venture O
with O
the O
Swiss O
firm O
of O
Asea O
Brown O
Boveri O
will O
be O
offset O
by O
a O
restructuring O
charge O
in O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
executives O
did O
n O
' O
t O
disclose O
the O
size O
of O
the O
expected O
gain O
. O

Capital O
expenditure O
in O
1990 B-T
will O
rise O
slightly O
, O
Mr O
. O
Marous O
said O
, O
from O
an O
estimated O
$ O
470 O
million O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0026 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0026 O
. O

Marketing O
Brief O
- O
- O
Heritage O
Media O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Firm O
to O
Buy O
Rest O
of O
Shares O

@ O
Of O
POP O
Radio O
in O
a O
Swap O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

HTG O
POPX O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

Heritage O
Media O
Corp O
. O
, O
New O
York O
, O
said O
it O
offered O
to O
buy O
the O
shares O
of O
POP O
Radio O
Corp O
. O
it O
does O
n O
' O
t O
already O
own O
in O
a O
stock O
swap O
. O

Heritage O
, O
which O
owns O
51 O
% O
of O
POP O
' O
s O
3 O
. O
6 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
, O
said O
it O
will O
exchange O
one O
share O
of O
a O
new O
preferred O
stock O
for O
each O
POP O
common O
share O
it O
does O
n O
' O
t O
already O
own O
. O

Depending O
upon O
how O
many O
warrants O
and O
options O
are O
exercised O
prior O
to O
completion O
of O
the O
transaction O
, O
Heritage O
would O
issue O
between O
1 O
. O
8 O
million O
and O
2 O
. O
35 O
million O
preferred O
shares O
, O
a O
Heritage O
spokesman O
estimated O
. O

In O
national O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
trading O
yesterday B-T
, O
POP O
plunged O
$ O
4 O
to O
$ O
14 O
. O
75 O
. O

The O
preferred O
stock O
, O
which O
would O
have O
a O
dividend O
rate O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
76 O
a O
year O
, O
would O
be O
convertible O
into O
Heritage O
common O
at O
a O
rate O
of O
four O
common O
shares O
for O
each O
preferred O
. O

New O
York O
- O
based O
POP O
Radio O
provides O
, O
through O
a O
national O
, O
in O
- O
store O
network O
, O
a O
customized O
music O
, O
information O
and O
advertising O
service O
which O
simulates O
live O
radio O
. O

Heritage O
owns O
and O
operates O
television O
and O
radio O
stations O
and O
in O
- O
store O
advertising O
and O
promotion O
programs O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0391 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Amsterdam O
orders O
prostitution O
windows O
shut O

A O
large O
amount O
of O
the O
window O
prostitution O
in O
Amsterdam O
' O
s O
famous O
red O
light O
district O
will O
be O
shut O
down O
as O
the O
city O
gets O
tougher O
on O
criminal O
activities O
, O
Dutch O
news O
agency O
ANP O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
Amsterdam O
city O
council O
said O
investigations O
had O
revealed O
about O
one O
- O
third O
of O
the O
prostitution O
sector O
is O
allegedly O
involved O
in O
money O
laundering O
. O

Prostitution O
is O
legal O
in O
the O
Netherlands O
and O
Amsterdam O
' O
s O
red O
light O
district O
is O
well O
known O
for O
the O
prostitutes O
that O
offer O
their O
services O
from O
behind O
glowing O
windows O
to O
their O
" O
customers O
. O
" O

A O
total O
of O
33 O
permits O
for O
the O
sex O
windows O
were O
revoked O
. O
About O
100 O
of O
the O
350 O
prostitution O
windows O
in O
the O
Dutch O
capital O
' O
s O
red O
light O
district O
will O
be O
forced O
to O
close O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

However O
, O
the O
operators O
of O
the O
sex O
windows O
can O
still O
appeal O
against O
the O
city O
council O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
withdraw O
their O
permits O
. O

Under O
a O
law O
introduced O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
the O
Amsterdam O
city O
council O
can O
investigate O
the O
operational O
management O
in O
the O
sex O
industry O
so O
as O
to O
prevent O
authorities O
from O
unintentionally O
supporting O
criminal O
activities O
by O
issuing O
permits O
and O
subsidies O
. O

It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
that O
the O
city O
council O
used O
the O
new O
regulations O
. O
Amsterdam O
now B-T
intends O
to O
investigate O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
city O
' O
s O
sex O
industry O
, O
including O
its O
brothels O
. O

Hotels O
, O
cafes O
and O
restaurants O
will O
also O
be O
investigated O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0097 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

for O
nuke O
program O
: O
ISNA O

Iranian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
his O
country O
wants O
to O
have O
100 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
for O
enriching O
uranium O
, O
the O
Iranian O
Students O
News O
Agency O
( O
ISNA O
) O
reported O
. O

" O
We O
intend O
to O
have O
100 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
and O
, O
God O
willing O
, O
Iran O
will O
be O
able O
to O
meet O
its O
needs O
in O
nuclear O
fuel O
by O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
Ahmadinejad O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
Iranian O
president O
said O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
Iran O
intended O
to O
launch O
60 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
in O
its O
nuclear O
program O
. O

Iran O
has O
so O
far O
built O
two O
cascades O
of O
164 O
centrifuges O
each O
for O
uranium O
enrichment O
, O
which O
can O
be O
used O
to O
make O
nuclear O
fuel O
or O
, O
in O
much O
higher O
grades O
, O
the O
core O
of O
an O
atom O
bomb O
. O

Iranian O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Mohammad O
- O
Ali O
Hosseini O
confirmed O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
Iran O
' O
s O
plan O
to O
install O
3 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
for O
uranium O
enrichment O
by O
March B-T
2007 I-T
. O

Asked O
whether O
Tehran O
would O
execute O
its O
plan O
to O
install O
3 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
current I-T
Iranian I-T
year I-T
, O
which O
will O
end O
on O
March B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2007 I-T
, O
the O
spokesman O
answered O
that O
" O
Iranian O
officials O
and O
experts O
are O
still O
seeking O
to O
carry O
out O
this O
( O
plan O
) O
. O
" O

The O
United O
States O
has O
been O
seeking O
to O
impose O
sanctions O
on O
Iran O
through O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
on O
the O
grounds O
that O
Tehran O
is O
developing O
a O
nuclear O
- O
weapon O
program O
under O
the O
guise O
of O
a O
civilian O
- O
use O
program O
. O

However O
, O
Iran O
has O
insisted O
that O
its O
nuclear O
program O
is O
for O
peaceful O
purposes O
and O
voiced O
hope O
for O
talks O
on O
the O
nuclear O
standoff O
. O
But O
the O
Islamic O
Republic O
rejected O
a O
prerequisite O
of O
suspending O
nuclear O
work O
for O
such O
talks O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0102 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
' O
s O
economy O
expected O
to O
grow O
9 O
. O
5 O
percent O
in O
2007 O
: O
think O
tank O

China O
' O
s O
economy O
is O
expected O
to O
grow O
by O
9 O
. O
5 O
percent O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
realizing O
the O
government O
' O
s O
goal O
of O
achieving O
" O
steady O
but O
fast O
" O
growth O
, O
state O
media O
reported O
Tuesday B-T
, O
citing O
a O
top O
government O
think O
tank O
. O

The O
slowdown O
from O
this O
year O
' O
s O
estimated O
10 O
. O
5 O
percent O
will O
be O
led O
by O
a O
cooling O
in O
investment O
and O
a O
less O
brisk O
world O
economy O
affecting O
China O
' O
s O
exports O
, O
the O
Shanghai O
Securities O
News O
said O
, O
citing O
the O
State O
Information O
Center O
. O

The O
report O
forecast O
the O
country O
' O
s O
export O
to O
rise O
by O
15 O
percent O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
about O
10 O
percentage O
points O
lower O
than O
the O
figure O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
acceleration O
of O
fixed O
- O
asset O
investment O
, O
which O
has O
been O
fueled O
by O
high O
liquidity O
and O
companies O
' O
reinvestments O
of O
large O
profits O
, O
will O
ease O
slightly O
next B-T
year I-T
to O
20 O
percent O
growth O
as O
the O
government O
keeps O
tightening O
, O
it O
said O
. O

However O
, O
the O
negative O
impacts O
of O
the O
slowdown O
in O
investment O
and O
export O
growth O
could O
be O
compensated O
to O
some O
extent O
by O
rising O
domestic O
consumption O
bolstered O
by O
residents O
' O
anticipation O
of O
rising O
incomes O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0373 O

MADRID O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Spanish O
league O
result O

Spanish O
league O
results O
on O
Saturday B-T
: O

Valencia O
1 O
( O
Vicente O
74 O
) O
Athletic O
Bilbao O
1 O
( O
Etxeberria O
57 O
) O

Real O
Sociedad O
v O
Villarreal O
- O
late O
kickoff O

Sunday O

Atletico O
Madrid O
v O
Alaves O
, O
Deportivo O
La O
Coruna O
v O
Cadiz O
, O
Getafe O
v O
Racing O
Santander O
, O
Osasuna O
v O
Mallorca O
, O
Real O
Betis O
v O
Espanyol O
, O
Real O
Zaragoza O
v O
Celta O
Vigo O
, O
Malaga O
v O
Real O
Madrid O
, O
Barcelona O
v O
Sevilla O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0705 O

PERTH O
, O
Australia O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Australia O
win O
toss O
and O
elect O
to O
bat O
in O
first O
Test O

Australia O
won O
the O
toss O
and O
elected O
to O
bat O
in O
the O
first O
Test O
against O
South O
Africa O
at O
the O
Western O
Australian O
Cricket O
Association O
Ground O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

For O
South O
Africa O
, O
star O
allrounder O
Jacques O
Kallis O
was O
left O
out O
of O
the O
side O
after O
failing O
a O
last O
- O
minute O
fitness O
test O
on O
his O
injured O
left O
elbow O
. O
It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
in O
two B-T
years I-T
that O
Kallis O
has O
missed O
a O
Test O
match O
. O

" O
Though O
Jacques O
made O
significant O
progress O
, O
it O
was O
not O
enough O
to O
make O
him O
eligible O
for O
selection O
in O
the O
Test O
match O
, O
" O
team O
physiotherapist O
Shane O
Jabbar O
said O
. O

Captain O
Graeme O
Smith O
said O
the O
team O
was O
upbeat O
, O
despite O
Kallis O
' O
loss O
. O

" O
The O
team O
is O
pretty O
confident O
, O
it O
hasn O
' O
t O
unsettled O
us O
much O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Jacques O
Rudolph O
was O
brought O
in O
as O
the O
number O
three O
batsman O
with O
captain O
Graeme O
Smith O
and O
AB O
de O
Villiers O
to O
open O
the O
batting O
for O
the O
Proteas O
. O

Australia O
have O
named O
seamer O
Nathan O
Bracken O
in O
their O
bowling O
attack O
. O

Light O
drizzle O
was O
falling O
at O
the O
ground O
but O
was O
forecast O
to O
clear O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

The O
wicket O
, O
known O
for O
its O
pace O
, O
had O
a O
light O
cover O
of O
grass O
and O
the O
overcast O
conditions O
were O
expected O
to O
be O
good O
for O
bowling O
. O

Teams O
: O

South O
Africa O
: O
Graeme O
Smith O
( O
c O
) O
, O
AB O
de O
Villiers O
, O
Jacques O
Rudolph O
, O
Herschelle O
Gibbs O
, O
Ashwell O
Prince O
, O
Justin O
Kemp O
, O
Mark O
Boucher O
, O
Shaun O
Pollock O
, O
Charl O
Langeveldt O
, O
Makhaya O
Ntini O
, O
Andre O
Nel O
, O
Garnett O
Kruger O
( O
12th O
man O
) O
. O

Australia O
: O
Ricky O
Ponting O
( O
c O
) O
, O
Matthew O
Hayden O
, O
Justin O
Langer O
, O
Brad O
Hodge O
, O
Mike O
Hussey O
, O
Andrew O
Symonds O
, O
Adam O
Gilchrist O
, O
Shane O
Warne O
, O
Brett O
Lee O
, O
Nathan O
Bracken O
, O
Glenn O
McGrath O
, O
Stuart O
Clark O
( O
12th O
man O
) O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0115 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Gaza O

Two O
Palestinian O
Islamic O
Hamas O
militants O
were O
killed O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
after O
an O
Israeli O
aircraft O
targeted O
a O
group O
of O
militants O
by O
one O
missile O
east O
of O
Jabalia O
refugee O
camp O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
medics O
confirmed O
. O

Eyewitnesses O
said O
that O
an O
Israeli O
army O
reconnaissance O
drone O
fired O
one O
missile O
at O
two O
Islamic O
Hamas O
militants O
east O
of O
Jabalia O
refugee O
camp O
as O
they O
were O
trying O
to O
launch O
a O
homemade O
rocket O
from O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
at O
Israel O
. O

Medics O
said O
that O
two O
brothers O
, O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Eessa O
and O
25 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Ali O
arrived O
dead O
at O
Kamal O
Odwan O
Hospital O
near O
Jabalia O
. O
No O
more O
injuries O
were O
reported O
. O

In O
central O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
another O
group O
of O
Islamic O
Jihad O
( O
Holy O
War O
) O
militants O
had O
escaped O
a O
possible O
death O
after O
another O
Israeli O
aircraft O
targeted O
their O
car O
, O
said O
eyewitnesses O
, O
adding O
that O
they O
jumped O
from O
the O
car O
before O
the O
rocket O
hit O
it O
. O

The O
Israeli O
army O
has O
intensified O
its O
ground O
and O
air O
offensive O
on O
Gaza O
Strip O
since O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
, O
killing O
at O
least O
44 O
Palestinians O
and O
wounding O
more O
than O
150 O
others O
. O

Israeli O
said O
the O
aim O
of O
the O
offensives O
is O
to O
prevent O
Palestinian O
militants O
from O
launching O
homemade O
rockets O
from O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
at O
Israel O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0174 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

withdrawals O

Tennis O
fans O
will O
be O
compensated O
for O
the O
withdrawals O
and O
absentees O
of O
tennis O
masters O
at O
the O
season O
- O
ending O
Masters O
Cup O
, O
said O
senior O
officials O
from O
the O
organizing O
committee O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
Fans O
who O
have O
already O
bought O
tickets O
for O
this O
tournament O
will O
be O
able O
to O
enjoy O
a O
discount O
next B-T
year I-T
in O
the O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
with O
no O
price O
raising O
, O
" O
said O
Wang O
Liqun O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
organizing O
committee O
for O
the O
year O
- O
end O
event O
jointly O
held O
by O
the O
International O
Tennis O
Federation O
( O
ITF O
) O
, O
the O
world O
governing O
body O
, O
and O
the O
ATP O
. O

By O
the O
same O
token O
, O
the O
ATP O
has O
also O
promised O
that O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
to I-T
six I-T
months I-T
, O
some O
of O
the O
top O
- O
notch O
or O
first O
- O
class O
tennis O
players O
will O
come O
to O
Shanghai O
to O
meet O
fans O
and O
endorsers O
. O

" O
In O
this O
way O
, O
we O
hope O
that O
we O
are O
able O
, O
to O
a O
certain O
degree O
, O
to O
compensate O
for O
the O
regret O
, O
" O
added O
Wang O
who O
promised O
that O
details O
about O
the O
compensation O
wpuld O
come O
out O
in O
one B-T
or I-T
two I-T
days O
. O

The O
Masters O
Cup O
, O
which O
is O
always O
at O
risk O
of O
absenteeism O
as O
it O
comes O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
season I-T
, O
has O
been O
without O
five O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
leading O
six O
players O
after O
only O
the B-T
second I-T
day I-T
. O

World O
No O
. O
2 O
Rafael O
Nadal O
Monday B-T
announced O
his O
pulling O
out O
with O
a O
left O
foot O
injury O
before O
his O
Masters O
debut O
even O
started O
, O
and O
minutes O
later O
Andre O
Agassi O
further O
long O
line O
of O
withdrawals O
at O
the O
ATP O
season O
- O
ending O
event O
, O
blaming O
a O
bad O
ankle O
sprain O
sustained O
playing O
racquetball O
. O

The O
loss O
, O
having O
severely O
diminished O
the O
tournament O
' O
s O
status O
as O
the O
showcase O
for O
the O
finest O
talent O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
game O
, O
had O
seen O
third O
- O
ranked O
Andy O
Roddick O
pulling O
out O
before O
the O
tournament O
with O
a O
back O
problem O
and O
Australian O
Open O
winner O
Marat O
Safin O
with O
a O
knee O
injury O
. O

Lleyton O
Hewitt O
, O
ranked O
fourth O
, O
remained O
in O
Sydney O
with O
his O
wife O
, O
actress O
Rebecca O
Cartwright O
, O
who O
is O
expecting O
the O
couple O
' O
s O
first O
child O
within O
two B-T
weeks I-T
. O

Top O
- O
ranked O
Roger O
Federer O
was O
left O
the O
only O
top O
- O
five O
player O
in O
the O
elite O
field O
, O
but O
the O
two O
- O
time O
defending O
champion O
might O
not O
go O
the O
distance O
with O
a O
sore O
right O
ankle O
. O

" O
We O
certainly O
feel O
regret O
, O
and O
the O
regret O
actually O
comes O
from O
not O
only O
the O
fans O
, O
but O
the O
organizing O
committee O
and O
also O
the O
ATP O
, O
" O
said O
another O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
tournament O
Qin O
Weichang O
Tuesday B-T
evening I-T
. O

As O
an O
immediate O
action O
from O
the O
organizers O
for O
apologizing O
to O
fans O
, O
Nadal O
went O
on O
court O
Monday B-T
night I-T
between O
matches O
and O
to O
the O
media O
center O
to O
say O
sorry O
for O
his O
withdrawal O
. O
Also O
the O
19 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Spaniard O
spared O
40 O
minutes O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
to O
meet O
with O
his O
fans O
, O
which O
drew O
about O
500 O
to O
attend O
. O

The O
organizing O
committee O
and O
the O
ATP O
had O
a O
press O
conference O
Monday B-T
night I-T
, O
apologizing O
to O
the O
media O
and O
public O
for O
the O
situation O
with O
two O
tennis O
masters O
pulling O
out O
. O

" O
With O
both O
Raf O
( O
Rafael O
Nadal O
) O
and O
Andre O
( O
Agassi O
) O
being O
injured O
in O
the O
one B-T
day I-T
is O
extraordinary O
. O
As O
we O
know O
, O
this O
comes O
on O
the O
back O
of O
three O
other O
significant O
withdrawals O
, O
" O
said O
Monday B-T
Brad O
Drewett O
, O
the O
vice O
president O
of O
ATP O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
in O
many O
ways O
what O
I O
describe O
as O
the O
perfect O
storm O
, O
" O
added O
the O
former O
tennis O
player O
, O
who O
' O
s O
also O
here O
the O
tournament O
director O
for O
the O
year O
- O
ending O
event O
of O
ATP O
. O

Since O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
ATP O
World O
Championships O
and O
now O
the O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
, O
up O
until O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
There O
had O
been O
a O
total O
of O
two O
withdrawals O
in O
15 B-T
years I-T
before O
Monday B-T
night I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0091 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Colombo O
stocks O
close O
down O

Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Colombo O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
lower O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
with O
the O
key O
Colombo O
All O
Share O
Price O
Index O
decreasing O
by O
15 O
. O
14 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
2 O
, O
564 O
. O
81 O
points O
. O

The O
highly O
capitalized O
Milanka O
Price O
Index O
also O
decreased O
by O
34 O
. O
58 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
3 O
, O
334 O
. O
13 O
points O
. O

A O
total O
turnover O
of O
385 O
million O
rupees O
( O
about O
3 O
. O
85 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
was O
recorded O
during O
the B-T
day I-T
with O
a O
volume O
of O
14 O
million O
shares O
being O
traded O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0198 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Minister O

China O
' O
s O
urban O
centers O
need O
to O
create O
13 O
million O
new O
jobs O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
Minister O
of O
Labor O
and O
Social O
Security O
Tian O
Chengping O
. O

At O
least O
24 O
million O
urban O
residents O
will O
be O
looking O
for O
jobs O
each O
year O
in O
the O
coming O
several O
years O
but O
there O
are O
likely O
to O
be O
only O
11 O
million O
openings O
, O
said O
Tian O
, O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
the O
the O
Study O
Times O
, O
a O
newspaper O
affiliated O
to O
the O
Party O
School O
of O
the O
Central O
Committee O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
. O

Tian O
predicts O
that O
ten O
million O
new O
laborers O
will O
flock O
to O
urban O
areas O
every B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
number O
of O
university O
and O
college O
graduates O
who O
cannot O
find O
jobs O
is O
also O
on O
steadily O
rising O
. O
Tian O
said O
1 O
. O
24 O
million O
university O
and O
college O
graduates O
who O
graduated O
this B-T
year I-T
did O
not O
have O
a O
job O
when O
they O
completed O
their O
studies O
. O

Job O
security O
is O
being O
affected O
by O
the O
closure O
and O
bankruptcy O
of O
some O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
( O
SOE O
) O
. O
Tian O
said O
3 O
. O
5 O
million O
employees O
of O
the O
SOE O
could O
be O
laid O
off O
between O
2006 B-T
and O
2008 B-T
. O

He O
said O
the O
number O
of O
SOE O
employees O
dropped O
from O
71 O
million O
to O
just O
over O
40 O
million O
between O
1998 B-T
to O
2005 O
. O

More O
than O
19 O
million O
laid O
- O
off O
SOE O
workers O
have O
been O
reemployed O
with O
many O
of O
them O
finding O
jobs O
in O
the O
private O
sector O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Most O
of O
the O
urban O
unemployed O
are O
located O
in O
the O
underdeveloped O
western O
and O
central O
areas O
of O
the O
country O
. O
They O
are O
mostly O
in O
their O
40 O
' O
s O
and O
50 O
' O
s O
and O
lack O
technical O
skills O
. O
Meanwhile O
many O
factories O
are O
in O
dire O
need O
of O
skilled O
workers O
. O

To O
tackle O
the O
problems O
, O
the O
government O
plans O
to O
develop O
labor O
- O
intensive O
industries O
and O
sectors O
, O
such O
as O
the O
service O
industry O
, O
private O
sector O
and O
medium O
and O
small O
enterprises O
, O
Tian O
said O
. O

The O
government O
will O
also O
expand O
occupational O
education O
to O
train O
more O
skilled O
workers O
and O
open O
more O
training O
classes O
to O
help O
the O
unemployed O
to O
start O
their O
own O
business O
. O

The O
residency O
registration O
system O
is O
also O
expected O
to O
be O
reformed O
, O
to O
ensure O
the O
free O
flow O
of O
labor O
and O
provide O
equal O
employment O
services O
to O
local O
and O
rural O
laborers O
, O
said O
Tian O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0078 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Wall O
Street O
surge O
triggers O
Asian O
buying O
by O
David O
Williams O

A O
surge O
on O
Wall O
Street O
triggered O
a O
wave O
of O
buying O
across O
Asia O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
with O
some O
markets O
also O
benefitting O
from O
favourable O
domestic O
data O
while O
others O
reported O
mild O
profit O
taking O
. O

Wall O
Street O
on O
Tuesday B-T
experienced O
its O
second O
largest O
point O
gain O
on O
record O
following O
the O
release O
of O
better O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
quarterly O
corporate O
results O
. O

The O
Dow O
Jones O
industrial O
average O
jumped O
173 O
. O
38 O
points O
, O
or O
2 O
. O
6 O
percent O
, O
to O
6 O
, O
833 O
. O
59 O
. O
The O
record O
was O
set O
October B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1987 I-T
when O
the O
Dow O
soared O
186 O
. O
84 O
points O
. O

The O
surge O
pulled O
up O
bourses O
in O
Sydney O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
Jakarta O
while O
improving O
sentiment O
in O
Tokyo O
. O
Most O
other O
stock O
markets O
in O
the O
region O
benefitted O
largely O
from O
bargain O
hunting O
on O
domestic O
factors O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

Japanese O
share O
prices O
closed O
1 O
. O
0 O
percent O
higher O
with O
the O
key O
barometer O
of O
the O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Exchange O
up O
191 O
. O
02 O
points O
at O
18 O
, O
735 O
. O
47 O
, O
due O
to O
strong O
underlying O
sentiment O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

" O
The O
market O
was O
heartened O
by O
the O
rally O
on O
Wall O
Street O
as O
well O
as O
the O
yen O
' O
s O
continued O
weakness O
of O
the O
dollar O
, O
" O
said O
Yasuo O
Ueki O
, O
a O
broker O
at O
Nikko O
Securities O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
. O

Hong O
Kong O
share O
prices O
were O
up O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
in O
morning O
trade O
following O
the O
Wall O
Street O
gains O
, O
with O
the O
key O
Hang O
Seng O
Index O
gaining O
165 O
. O
95 O
points O
to O
close O
the O
morning O
session O
at O
12 O
, O
746 O
. O
80 O
. O

Herman O
Chu O
, O
senior O
dealing O
manager O
at O
Anglo O
Chinese O
Securities O
, O
said O
" O
there O
was O
strong O
buying O
following O
Wall O
Street O
' O
s O
sharp O
rise O
, O
" O
adding O
that O
the O
index O
came O
off O
its O
highs O
as O
it O
approached O
resistance O
at O
12 O
, O
800 O
points O
. O

" O
This O
is O
seen O
as O
a O
very O
strong O
resistance O
level O
and O
it O
' O
s O
not O
good O
to O
push O
any O
more O
at O
the O
moment O
. O
If O
I O
were O
an O
investor O
I O
would O
be O
taking O
short O
- O
term O
profit O
at O
these O
levels O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Chu O
said O
attention O
would O
probably O
switch O
to O
blue O
chips O
after O
the O
next O
US O
Federal O
Reserve O
Board O
meeting O
in O
late B-T
May I-T
, O
which O
would O
remove O
much O
of O
the O
interest O
rate O
uncertainty O
overhanging O
the O
market O
. O

In O
Jakarta O
, O
the O
stock O
exchange O
index O
rose O
3 O
. O
70 O
points O
to O
close O
morning O
trade O
at O
649 O
. O
95 O
points O
. O

" O
We O
seem O
to O
be O
getting O
a O
bit O
of O
a O
run O
on O
the O
back O
of O
New O
York O
, O
" O
a O
sales O
representative O
with O
a O
Japanese O
brokerage O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
people O
were O
hunting O
for O
bargains O
among O
some O
stocks O
. O

Australian O
share O
prices O
rose O
1 O
. O
0 O
percent O
due O
to O
the O
Wall O
Street O
rally O
, O
the O
release O
of O
data O
showing O
a O
four O
- O
year O
low O
inflation O
rate O
and O
an O
agreement O
on O
moderate O
wage O
rises O
for O
much O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
workforce O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

The O
Australian O
Stock O
Exchange O
' O
s O
main O
indicator O
, O
the O
all O
ordinaries O
index O
, O
closed O
23 O
. O
8 O
points O
up O
at O
2 O
, O
471 O
. O
4 O
. O

The O
inflation O
data O
and O
wages O
deal O
" O
points O
the O
market O
to O
feeling O
better O
about O
the O
possibility O
the O
Reserve O
Bank O
could O
shave O
interest O
rates O
, O
" O
said O
Grant O
Williams O
, O
broker O
at O
Reynolds O
and O
Co O
. O

Share O
prices O
in O
other O
regional O
bourses O
rallied O
mostly O
on O
technical O
factors O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

Stock O
market O
indices O
closed O
0 O
. O
7 O
percent O
higher O
in O
Seoul O
and O
1 O
. O
9 O
percent O
firmer O
in O
Manila O
on O
technical O
factors O
and O
ended O
1 O
. O
7 O
percent O
up O
in O
Taipei O
due O
to O
high O
hopes O
for O
dividend O
payouts O
from O
eletrical O
issues O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

In O
Bangkok O
, O
the O
key O
SET O
index O
was O
up O
just O
0 O
. O
05 O
point O
at O
691 O
. O
21 O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
morning I-T
trade O
with O
investors O
sidelined O
ahead O
of O
key O
monthly O
economic O
data O
due O
for O
release O
Thursday B-T
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

Among O
the O
losers O
, O
Singapore O
' O
s O
blue O
- O
chip O
share O
index O
closed O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
lower O
at O
midday O
Wednesday B-T
on O
profit O
- O
taking O
but O
bargain O
- O
hunting O
on O
selected O
stocks O
capped O
overall O
falls O
. O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
stock O
market O
benchmark O
, O
the O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
Stock O
Exchange O
' O
s O
100 O
- O
share O
weighted O
composite O
index O
, O
shed O
5 O
. O
48 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
115 O
. O
02 O
in O
early O
trade O
. O

Dealers O
said O
the O
US O
rally O
had O
litle O
impact O
on O
the O
Malaysian O
market O
which O
was O
depressed O
due O
to O
rumours O
of O
a O
cabinet O
reshuffle O
and O
reports O
of O
a O
rift O
between O
Prime O
Minister O
Mahathir O
Mohamad O
and O
a O
Malay O
ruler O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0568 O

GENEVA O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Swiss O
parliament O
probes O
CIA O
flights O

The O
Swiss O
parliament O
opened O
an O
inquiry O
into O
flights O
over O
the O
tiny O
landlocked O
nation O
by O
CIA O
- O
chartered O
aircraft O
thought O
to O
be O
carrying O
suspected O
terrorists O
, O
a O
parliamentary O
commission O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Over O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
, O
the O
commission O
is O
to O
probe O
how O
much O
the O
government O
knew O
about O
the O
flights O
, O
what O
steps O
it O
took O
and O
the O
level O
of O
Swiss O
intelligence O
involvement O
. O

" O
The O
opening O
of O
this O
inquiry O
was O
decided O
by O
the O
delegation O
of O
adminstrative O
commissions O
during O
its O
meeting O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
" O
the O
delegation O
said O
. O

With O
a O
host O
of O
European O
countries O
concerned O
over O
possible O
implication O
in O
Washington O
' O
s O
" O
war O
on O
terror O
" O
, O
questions O
have O
been O
raised O
about O
32 O
flights O
by O
US O
- O
registered O
aircraft O
in O
Swiss O
airspace O
between O
early B-T
2003 I-T
and O
December B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

On O
November B-T
27 I-T
, O
the O
Swiss O
government O
demanded O
explanations O
from O
Washington O
about O
27 O
overflights O
of O
its O
territory O
by O
US O
planes O
in O
2003 B-T
and O
2004 B-T
. O

The O
Swiss O
foreign O
ministry O
said O
it O
had O
demanded O
explanations O
from O
US O
authorities O
several O
times O
about O
suspected O
CIA O
flights O
, O
most O
recently O
on O
November B-T
15 I-T
through O
the O
Swiss O
embassy O
in O
Washington O
. O

The O
US O
embassy O
in O
Bern O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
US O
State O
Department O
had O
still O
not O
responded O
. O

The O
European O
Parliament O
on O
Wednesday B-T
agreed O
to O
launch O
an O
investigation O
into O
allegations O
of O
CIA O
prisons O
after O
a O
probe O
by O
the O
Council O
of O
Europe O
rights O
and O
democracy O
group O
concluded O
that O
preliminary O
evidence O
suggested O
the O
United O
States O
illegally O
abducted O
and O
detained O
individuals O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0022 O

KANDAHAR O
, O
Afghanistan O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
- O
Afghan O
forces O
kill O
four O
insurgents O
, O
capture O
10 O

US O
- O
led O
coalition O
and O
Afghan O
troops O
killed O
four O
Taliban O
militants O
and O
arrested O
10 O
suspected O
" O
terrorists O
" O
in O
separate O
raids O
in O
insurgency O
- O
hit O
Afghanistan O
, O
the O
US O
military O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
forces O
" O
seized O
an O
enemy O
weapons O
cache O
containing O
mines O
and O
explosives O
" O
in O
an O
operation O
near O
Sperwan O
Ghar O
in O
the O
troubled O
southern O
province O
of O
Kandahar O
, O
it O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

During O
the O
raid O
late O
on O
Sunday B-T
" O
four O
insurgents O
were O
killed O
and O
three O
coalition O
force O
soldiers O
wounded O
" O
, O
it O
said O
. O

" O
A O
coalition O
air O
strike O
and O
indirect O
fire O
supported O
the O
operation O
, O
" O
it O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
there O
were O
no O
military O
or O
civilian O
deaths O
. O

Coalition O
troops O
backed O
by O
Afghan O
army O
soldiers O
also O
detained O
10 O
" O
suspected O
terrorists O
" O
including O
an O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
- O
linked O
militant O
in O
the O
eastern O
province O
of O
Kunar O
early B-T
Monday I-T
, O
the O
coalition O
said O
in O
another O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
operation O
resulted O
in O
the O
capture O
of O
a O
known O
transporter O
of O
weapons O
and O
explosives O
who O
is O
linked O
to O
foreign O
fighter O
movements O
in O
the O
region O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

The O
man O
, O
whose O
name O
and O
nationality O
were O
not O
disclosed O
, O
was O
also O
responsible O
for O
facilitating O
suicide O
bombings O
which O
have O
increased O
in O
Afghanistan O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
militant O
was O
" O
responsible O
for O
facilitating O
suicide O
and O
improvised O
explosive O
device O
attacks O
against O
the O
Afghan O
population O
, O
Afghan O
national O
security O
forces O
, O
and O
coalition O
forces O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

" O
Credible O
information O
led O
the O
combined O
force O
to O
believe O
the O
transporter O
and O
his O
associates O
were O
at O
the O
compound O
, O
" O
which O
the O
rebels O
shared O
with O
women O
and O
children O
, O
it O
said O
. O

There O
were O
no O
civilian O
casualties O
during O
the O
raid O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
Taliban O
, O
whose O
regime O
was O
toppled O
in O
a O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
have O
dramatically O
stepped O
up O
insurgent O
attacks O
on O
foreign O
and O
Afghan O
security O
forces O
. O

Some O
4 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
many O
of O
them O
militants O
but O
also O
troops O
and O
civilians O
, O
have O
died O
in O
Taliban O
- O
led O
violence O
this B-T
year I-T
alone O
, O
making O
it O
Afghanistan O
' O
s O
bloodiest O
year O
since O
2001 B-T
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0113 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0113 O
. O

World O
Markets O
: O

@ O
London O
Shares O
Decline O
Sharply O
as O
Resignation O

@ O
By O
Lawson O
, O
New O
York O
Slump O
Weigh O
on O
Market O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
A O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O
News O
Roundup O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

FREST O
CANDA O
EUROP O
JAPAN O

COMMODITY O
NEWS O
, O
FARM O
PRODUCTS O
( O
CMD O
) O

STOCK O
MARKET O
, O
OFFERINGS O
( O
STK O
) O

PRECIOUS O
METALS O
, O
STONES O
, O
GOLD O
, O
SILVER O
( O
PCS O
) O

London O
share O
prices O
closed O
sharply O
lower O
Friday B-T
in O
active O
trading O
after O
Chancellor O
of O
the O
Exchequer O
Nigel O
Lawson O
' O
s O
resignation O
slapped O
the O
market O
and O
Wall O
Street O
' O
s O
rapid O
initial O
sell O
- O
off O
knocked O
it O
down O
. O

London O
shares O
were O
depressed O
initially O
by O
overnight B-T
losses O
in O
New O
York O
and O
by O
the O
drop O
in O
sterling O
after O
Mr O
. O
Lawson O
' O
s O
resignation O
. O

It O
showed O
some O
early O
resilience O
after O
central O
bank O
support O
firmed O
sterling O
, O
but O
the O
weight O
of O
Wall O
Street O
late O
in O
London O
trading O
, O
and O
signs O
of O
further O
weakness O
in O
the O
British O
pound O
, O
proved O
a O
hefty O
load O
to O
bear O
. O

New O
York O
stocks O
recovered O
some O
of O
their O
losses O
after O
the O
London O
market O
closed O
. O

The O
Financial O
Times O
100 O
- O
share O
index O
shed O
47 O
. O
3 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
2082 O
. O
1 O
, O
down O
4 O
. O
5 O
% O
from O
the B-T
previous I-T
Friday I-T
and O
6 O
. O
8 O
% O
from O
Oct B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, O
when O
Wall O
Street O
' O
s O
plunge O
helped O
spark O
the O
current B-T
weakness O
in O
London O
. O

The O
30 O
- O
share O
index O
settled O
42 O
. O
0 O
points O
lower O
at O
1678 O
. O
5 O
. O

Volume O
was O
840 O
. O
8 O
million O
shares O
, O
up O
from O
443 O
. O
6 O
million O
Thursday B-T
and O
the B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
most O
active O
session O
. O

Dealers O
said O
the O
turnover O
, O
largely O
confined O
to O
the O
100 O
- O
share O
index O
stocks O
, O
partly O
reflected O
the O
flurry O
of O
activity O
typical O
at O
the O
close O
of O
a O
two B-T
- I-T
week I-T
trading O
account O
and O
the O
start O
of O
a O
new O
account O
. O

But O
they O
said O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
focus O
on O
the O
top O
- O
tier O
stocks O
telegraphed O
active O
overseas O
selling O
and O
showed O
the O
broad O
- O
based O
fears O
over O
the O
status O
of O
the O
U O
. O
K O
. O
economy O
and O
Britain O
' O
s O
currency O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
upheaval O
in O
Prime O
Minister O
Margaret O
Thatcher O
' O
s O
cabinet O
. O

A O
senior O
dealer O
with O
Warburg O
Securities O
noted O
British O
Gas O
, O
the O
most O
active O
blue O
- O
chip O
stock O
at O
20 O
million O
shares O
traded O
, O
was O
affected O
by O
the O
political O
implications O
of O
Mr O
. O
Lawson O
' O
s O
departure O
and O
Mrs O
. O
Thatcher O
' O
s O
cabinet O
shuffle O
. O

He O
attributed O
the O
unusually O
high O
volume O
to O
broad O
- O
based O
selling O
on O
fears O
that O
the O
Thatcher O
government O
may O
be O
in O
turmoil O
and O
Britain O
' O
s O
Labor O
Party O
positioned O
to O
regain O
control O
of O
the O
government O
and O
renew O
efforts O
at O
nationalization O
. O

British O
Gas O
shed O
8 O
. O
5 O
pence O
a O
share O
to O
close O
at O
185 O
pence O
( O
$ O
2 O
. O
90 O
) O
. O

Other O
dealers O
added O
that O
the O
blue O
- O
chip O
stocks O
in O
general O
were O
hit O
by O
profit O
- O
taking O
over O
concerns O
that O
London O
shares O
will O
continue O
posting O
declines O
and O
the O
uncertainty O
over O
sterling O
given O
that O
Mr O
. O
Lawson O
' O
s O
successor O
, O
John O
Major O
, O
had O
only O
been O
in O
the O
job O
one B-T
day I-T
. O

Besides O
British O
Gas O
, O
British O
Steel O
skidded O
1 O
. O
74 O
to O
123 O
. O
5 O
on O
turnover O
of O
11 O
million O
shares O
. O

British O
Petroleum O
fell O
5 O
to O
286 O
on O
14 O
million O
shares O
traded O
. O

Dealers O
said O
the O
multinational O
oil O
company O
was O
pressured O
by O
recent O
brokerage O
recommendations O
urging O
investors O
to O
switch O
into O
Shell O
Trading O
amp O
Transport O
. O

Shell O
eased O
1 O
to O
416 O
on O
turnover O
of O
4 O
. O
8 O
million O
shares O
. O

Among O
the O
other O
actively O
traded O
blue O
- O
chip O
issues O
, O
Imperial O
Chemical O
Industries O
dropped O
11 O
to O
# O
10 O
. O
86 O
, O
Hanson O
skidded O
9 O
. O
5 O
to O
200 O
. O
5 O
, O
and O
British O
Telecom O
fell O
10 O
to O
250 O
. O

In O
Tokyo O
, O
stocks O
closed O
lower O
but O
above O
intraday O
lows O
in O
active O
trading O
. O

The O
Nikkei O
index O
was O
pressured O
down O
by O
profit O
- O
taking O
triggered O
by O
sharp O
advances O
made O
through O
this B-T
week I-T
and O
fell O
151 O
. O
20 O
points O
to O
35527 O
. O
29 O
. O

In O
early O
trading O
in O
Tokyo O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
Nikkei O
index O
fell O
148 O
. O
85 O
points O
to O
35378 O
. O
44 O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
Tokyo O
stock O
price O
index O
of O
first O
section O
issues O
was O
down O
15 O
. O
82 O
at O
2681 O
. O
76 O
. O

First O
- O
section O
volume O
was O
estimated O
at O
1 O
. O
3 O
billion O
shares O
, O
up O
from O
886 O
million O
shares O
Thursday B-T
. O

An O
official O
at O
Wako O
Securities O
said O
brokerages O
' O
excessive O
expectations O
about O
recent B-T
advances O
in O
Tokyu O
Group O
shares O
and O
real O
estate O
issues O
were O
dashed O
Friday B-T
. O

Dealers O
placed O
heavy O
buy O
orders O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
to O
start O
the O
first O
trading O
day B-T
for O
November B-T
transactions O
. O

But O
they O
failed O
to O
sell O
these O
stocks O
to O
client O
investors O
, O
who O
were O
cautious O
about O
the O
sharp O
gains O
these O
issues O
made O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
Wako O
official O
said O
. O

Fund O
managers O
said O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
profittaking O
was O
a O
natural O
result O
of O
the B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
" O
abnormal O
fever O
" O
in O
buying O
real O
estate O
, O
shipbuilding O
, O
steel O
and O
construction O
shares O
. O

Frankfurt O
prices O
closed O
lower O
again O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
fourth O
decline O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
five I-T
days I-T
and O
the O
culmination O
of O
a B-T
week I-T
that O
saw O
the O
DAX O
index O
lose O
4 O
% O
. O

The O
DAX O
dropped O
19 O
. O
69 O
points O
Friday B-T
to O
1462 O
. O
93 O
. O

Traders O
said O
the O
continued O
turbulence O
in O
other O
markets O
, O
coupled O
with O
the O
drop O
in O
London O
following O
the O
Lawson O
resignation O
, O
were O
responsible O
. O

Traders O
said O
that O
selling O
pressure O
wasn O
' O
t O
enormous O
and O
that O
the O
DAX O
dropped O
Friday B-T
more O
on O
a O
lack O
of O
any O
substantial O
buying O
interest O
. O

They O
said O
contributing O
to O
the O
downward O
drift O
was O
the O
fact O
that O
many O
professional O
traders O
had O
chosen O
to O
square O
positions O
ahead O
of O
the B-T
weekend I-T
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
the O
whole O
uncertainty O
about O
what O
' O
s O
happening O
around O
us O
, O
" O
said O
Valentin O
Von O
Korff O
, O
a O
trader O
at O
Credit O
Suisse O
First O
Boston O
in O
Frankfurt O
. O

" O
If O
you O
take O
away O
the O
outside O
influences O
, O
the O
market O
itself O
looks O
very O
cheap O
. O

What O
' O
s O
happening O
here O
is O
n O
' O
t O
justified O
by O
the O
fundamentals O
. O
" O

Traders O
said O
the O
market O
remains O
extremely O
nervous O
because O
of O
the O
wild O
swings O
seen O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

That O
' O
s O
leaving O
small O
investors O
with O
cold O
feet O
, O
they O
said O
, O
and O
prompting O
institutions O
to O
take O
a O
reserved O
stance O
on O
the O
sidelines O
as O
well O
, O
at O
least O
until O
the O
market O
in O
New O
York O
settles O
down O
somewhat O
. O

Elsewhere O
, O
share O
prices O
closed O
lower O
in O
Paris O
, O
Zurich O
, O
Amsterdam O
, O
Brussels O
and O
Stockholm O
, O
and O
were O
mixed O
in O
Milan O
. O

The O
British O
shakeup O
was O
widely O
cited O
for O
the O
declines O
. O

Share O
prices O
also O
closed O
lower O
in O
Sydney O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Singapore O
, O
Taipei O
, O
Manila O
, O
Wellington O
and O
Seoul O
. O

Concern O
about O
declines O
in O
other O
markets O
, O
especially O
New O
York O
, O
caused O
selling O
pressure O
. O

Here O
are O
price O
trends O
on O
the O
world O
' O
s O
major O
stock O
markets O
, O
as O
calculated O
by O
Morgan O
Stanley O
Capital O
International O
Perspective O
, O
Geneva O
. O

To O
make O
them O
directly O
comparable O
, O
each O
index O
is O
based O
on O
the O
close O
of O
1969 O
equaling O
100 O
. O

The O
percentage O
change O
is O
since O
year B-T
- I-T
end I-T
. O

@ O
% O
This O

@ O
Oct O
25 O
Oct O
24 O
Year O

@ O
U O
. O
S O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
315 O
. O
2 O
316 O
. O
4 O
+ O
23 O
. O
1 O

@ O
Britain O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
646 O
. O
4 O
643 O
. O
1 O
+ O
18 O
. O
4 O

@ O
Canada O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
426 O
. O
9 O
426 O
. O
4 O
+ O
16 O
. O
3 O

@ O
Japan O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
1547 O
. O
1 O
1550 O
. O
9 O
+ O
8 O
. O
9 O

@ O
France O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
518 O
. O
6 O
521 O
. O
2 O
+ O
17 O
. O
1 O

@ O
Germany O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
236 O
. O
7 O
241 O
. O
0 O
+ O
13 O
. O
8 O

@ O
Hong O
Kong O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
2049 O
. O
2 O
2068 O
. O
9 O
+ O
1 O
. O
0 O

@ O
Switzerland O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
212 O
. O
6 O
216 O
. O
5 O
+ O
23 O
. O
0 O

@ O
Australia O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
326 O
. O
0 O
329 O
. O
4 O
+ O
12 O
. O
3 O

@ O
World O
index O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
532 O
. O
4 O
533 O
. O
4 O
+ O
7 O
. O
7 O

@ O
Weekly O
Percentage O
Leaders O

Last O
week O
' O
s O
best O
and O
worst O
performing O
stocks O
among O
those O
issues O
that O
make O
up O
80 O
% O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
stock O
market O
capitalization O
( O
in O
local O
currency O
) O

@ O
ISSUE O
( O
COUNTRY O
) O
CLOSE O
% O
CHG O

@ O
WINNING O
ISSUES O

@ O
Bell O
Resources O
( O
Australia O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
1 O
. O
02 O
+ O
32 O
. O
5 O

@ O
Bond O
Media O
( O
Australia O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
0 O
. O
31 O
+ O
24 O
. O
0 O

@ O
Godo O
Shusei O
( O
Japan O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
2380 O
. O
0 O
+ O
19 O
. O
0 O

@ O
Fonciere O
Lvonnaise O
( O
France O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
858 O
. O
0 O
+ O
18 O
. O
8 O

@ O
Pegasus O
Gold O
( O
Canada O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
14 O
. O
0 O
+ O
16 O
. O
7 O

@ O
Tokyu O
Corp O
. O
( O
Japan O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
2740 O
. O
0 O
+ O
15 O
. O
6 O

@ O
SAT O
Telecom O
( O
France O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
1605 O
. O
0 O
+ O
15 O
. O
5 O

@ O
Echo O
Bay O
Mines O
( O
Canada O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
18 O
. O
625 O
+ O
13 O
. O
7 O

@ O
Nippon O
Express O
( O
Japan O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
1770 O
. O
0 O
+ O
13 O
. O
5 O

@ O
UAC O
( O
Singapore O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
2380 O
. O
0 O
+ O
19 O
. O
0 O

@ O
LOSING O
ISSUES O

@ O
MacCarthy O
amp O
Stone O
( O
England O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
0 O
. O
74 O
- O
29 O
. O
5 O

@ O
Campeau O
( O
Canada O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
7 O
. O
375 O
- O
24 O
. O
4 O

@ O
Interchase O
Corp O
. O
( O
Australia O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
0 O
. O
72 O
- O
20 O
. O
0 O

@ O
LTV O
( O
U O
. O
S O
. O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
1 O
. O
5 O
- O
20 O
. O
0 O

@ O
Norske O
Credibank O
( O
Norway O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
81 O
. O
0 O
- O
18 O
. O
6 O

@ O
Laing O
( O
John O
) O
( O
England O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
1 O
. O
96 O
- O
18 O
. O
0 O

@ O
Computer O
Assoc O
Intl O
( O
U O
. O
S O
. O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
12 O
. O
0 O
- O
17 O
. O
9 O

@ O
Beverly O
Enterprises O
( O
U O
. O
S O
. O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
5 O
. O
625 O
- O
16 O
. O
7 O

@ O
McDermott O
Intl O
( O
U O
. O
S O
. O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
19 O
. O
0 O
- O
16 O
. O
5 O

@ O
Lex O
Services O
( O
England O
) O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
. O
2 O
. O
41 O
- O
16 O
. O
3 O

Source O
: O
Morgan O
Stanley O
Capital O
Intl O
. O

Perspective O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0223 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Dec B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Iran O
on O
Saturday O
vowed O
it O
would O
defy O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
impose O
sanctions O
by O
pressing O
ahead O
with O
its O
nuclear O
programme O
and O
drastically O
increasing O
uranium O
enrichment O
capacities O
. O

Foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Mohammad O
Ali O
Hosseini O
said O
that O
Iran O
would O
carry O
out O
its O
plan O
to O
install O
and O
make O
operational O
3 O
, O
000 O
uranium O
- O
enriching O
centrifuges O
at O
a O
key O
nuclear O
plant O
, O
in O
defiance O
of O
the O
resolution O
. O

Such O
a O
move O
would O
be O
an O
important O
step O
for O
Iran O
towards O
enriching O
uranium O
on O
an O
industrial O
scale O
. O
So O
far O
it O
has O
two O
cascades O
of O
164 O
centrifuges O
at O
its O
uranium O
enrichment O
plant O
in O
the O
central O
city O
of O
Natanz O
. O

" O
This O
new O
resolution O
will O
not O
be O
an O
impediment O
to O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
progress O
, O
" O
Hosseini O
said O
, O
in O
a O
statement O
published O
by O
Iranian O
official O
media O
minutes O
after O
the O
resolution O
was O
unanimously O
agreed O
. O

" O
The O
Iranian O
nation O
, O
relying O
on O
national O
abilities O
and O
within O
the O
framework O
of O
the O
nuclear O
Non O
- O
Proliferation O
Treaty O
and O
its O
undeniable O
rights O
, O
will O
go O
ahead O
with O
its O
peaceful O
nuclear O
plans O
. O
" O

He O
said O
this O
would O
involve O
" O
making O
operational O
the O
3 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
unit O
in O
Natanz O
, O
in O
a O
continuation O
of O
Iran O
' O
s O
peaceful O
nuclear O
activities O
under O
the O
supervision O
of O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
( O
IAEA O
) O
. O
" O

Iran O
has O
maintained O
that O
it O
wants O
to O
install O
the O
new O
centrifuges O
by O
March O
and O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
has O
said O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
will O
be O
able O
to O
celebrate O
its O
" O
nuclearisation O
" O
around O
that O
time O
. O

After O
weeks O
of O
diplomatic O
wrangling O
, O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
on O
Saturday O
adopted O
the O
resolution O
which O
imposes O
restrictions O
on O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
industry O
and O
ballistic O
missile O
programme O
. O

Western O
countries O
have O
sought O
to O
agree O
the O
sanctions O
in O
response O
to O
Tehran O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
suspend O
uranium O
enrichment O
, O
a O
process O
which O
they O
fear O
could O
be O
used O
to O
make O
a O
nuclear O
bomb O
. O

Enriched O
uranium O
can O
be O
used O
both O
to O
make O
nuclear O
fuel O
and O
also O
, O
in O
highly O
enriched O
form O
, O
the O
explosive O
core O
of O
a O
nuclear O
bomb O
. O
Iran O
insists O
its O
atomic O
drive O
is O
peaceful O
. O

" O
The O
Islamic O
Republic O
of O
Iran O
finds O
the O
adoption O
of O
the O
new O
resolution O
to O
be O
illegal O
and O
beyond O
the O
duties O
of O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
and O
contrary O
to O
the O
rules O
of O
the O
UN O
charter O
, O
" O
said O
Hosseini O
. O

The O
spokesman O
lashed O
out O
at O
its O
arch O
enemy O
United O
States O
as O
well O
as O
Britain O
for O
exploiting O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
while O
at O
the O
same O
time O
" O
expanding O
their O
own O
nuclear O
arsenal O
. O
" O

" O
This O
illegal O
action O
by O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Britain O
on O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
will O
solidify O
Iranians O
' O
will O
to O
guard O
their O
independence O
, O
national O
sovereignty O
and O
preserve O
their O
rights O
for O
the O
future O
of O
Iran O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Hosseini O
however O
did O
not O
give O
details O
of O
any O
retaliation O
that O
Iran O
could O
itself O
impose O
to O
hit O
back O
at O
sanctions O
. O
Top O
nuclear O
negotiator O
Ali O
Larijani O
has O
warned O
of O
" O
painful O
measures O
" O
in O
the O
case O
of O
sanctions O
. O

But O
senior O
Iranian O
lawmakers O
warned O
on O
Saturday O
that O
parliament O
could O
hit O
back O
at O
the O
Security O
Council O
sanctions O
against O
Tehran O
by O
blocking O
United O
Nations O
inspections O
of O
its O
nuclear O
facilities O
. O

A O
bill O
to O
suspend O
inspections O
of O
Iran O
' O
s O
atomic O
sites O
by O
the O
UN O
nuclear O
watchdog O
has O
already O
been O
prepared O
by O
parliament O
and O
passed O
by O
its O
security O
and O
foreign O
affairs O
committee O
. O

" O
The O
committee O
has O
approved O
a O
bill O
, O
whereby O
Iran O
will O
seriously O
revise O
the O
nature O
of O
its O
relationship O
with O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
, O
" O
speaker O
Gholam O
Ali O
Hadad O
Adel O
told O
state O
television O
. O

" O
We O
will O
have O
no O
other O
option O
but O
to O
bring O
this O
bill O
before O
parliament O
for O
debate O
, O
if O
Iran O
comes O
under O
pressure O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Iran O
in O
February O
stopped O
applying O
the O
additional O
protocol O
to O
the O
nuclear O
Non O
- O
Proliferation O
Treaty O
, O
which O
allows O
extensive O
access O
to O
atomic O
sites O
, O
after O
the O
Security O
Council O
adopted O
a O
resolution O
urging O
Tehran O
to O
freeze O
enrichment O
. O

However O
, O
up O
until O
now B-T
it O
has O
still O
been O
allowing O
regular O
UN O
inspections O
of O
its O
atomic O
sites O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0672 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Four O
found O
dead O
in O
burning O
apartment O
in O
Italy O

Four O
people O
including O
a O
three O
- O
year O
- O
old O
child O
were O
found O
dead O
, O
apparently O
stabbed O
, O
in O
northern O
Italy O
on O
Monday B-T
night I-T
by O
firefighters O
called O
to O
a O
burning O
apartment O
building O
, O
ANSA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Firefighters O
found O
the O
bodies O
of O
three O
women O
and O
the O
child O
, O
some O
of O
them O
bearing O
what O
may O
have O
been O
knife O
wounds O
, O
inside O
the O
flaming O
building O
in O
Erba O
, O
near O
Lake O
Como O
north O
of O
the O
city O
of O
Milan O
, O
the O
agency O
said O
. O

An O
injured O
man O
was O
also O
found O
at O
the O
scene O
and O
was O
taken O
to O
hospital O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0004 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

participation O
' O
incidents O
decline O

China O
is O
sending O
more O
policemen O
to O
its O
rural O
regions O
following O
a O
government O
call O
to O
build O
a O
peaceful O
countryside O
, O
a O
senior O
public O
official O
said O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

More O
than O
30 O
, O
000 O
police O
stations O
have O
been O
built O
in O
rural O
regions O
as O
the O
government O
streamlines O
its O
larger O
police O
stations O
and O
redeploys O
more O
police O
officers O
to O
" O
frontier O
grass O
roots O
" O
rural O
regions O
, O
said O
Public O
Security O
Vice O
- O
Minister O
Liu O
Jinguo O
. O

Police O
have O
been O
researching O
the O
public O
security O
situation O
in O
villages O
, O
safeguarding O
social O
order O
and O
taking O
preventive O
measures O
against O
possible O
security O
incidents O
, O
he O
said O
at O
a O
meeting O
of O
the O
Central O
Committee O
for O
Comprehensive O
Management O
of O
Public O
Security O
. O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Public O
Security O
claimed O
that O
17 O
, O
900 O
incidents O
involving O
mass O
participation O
were O
handled O
nationwide O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
down O
22 O
. O
1 O
percent O
from O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
overall O
stable O
in O
terms O
of O
public O
security O
in O
the O
rural O
areas O
" O
, O
he O
said O
, O
though O
he O
warned O
China O
' O
s O
fast O
urbanization O
poses O
public O
security O
concerns O
in O
areas O
bordering O
urban O
and O
rural O
regions O
and O
in O
relatively O
developed O
countryside O
. O

The O
number O
of O
criminal O
cases O
investigated O
by O
police O
around O
the O
country O
also O
fell O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
the B-T
year I-T
by O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
3 O
. O
34 O
million O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0445 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

WTO O
calls O
calls O
for O
' O
urgency O
' O
in O
talks O
on O
Chinese O
accession O

World O
Trade O
Organisation O
( O
WTO O
) O
chief O
Renato O
Ruggiero O
called O
here O
Monday B-T
for O
a O
new O
" O
sense O
of O
urgency O
" O
on O
the O
issue O
of O
China O
' O
s O
entry O
to O
the O
global O
trade O
body O
, O
amid O
signs O
of O
real O
progress O
towards O
a O
final O
agreement O
. O

During O
a O
meeting O
with O
Foreign O
Trade O
Minister O
Wu O
Yi O
, O
which O
was O
held O
in O
an O
" O
extremely O
positive O
atmosphere O
, O
" O
Ruggiero O
stressed O
that O
both O
sides O
must O
take O
advantage O
of O
breakthroughs O
made O
during O
March B-T
talks O
on O
China O
' O
s O
WTO O
accession O
in O
Geneva O
. O

" O
March B-T
has O
been O
a O
success O
, O
but O
now B-T
we O
have O
to O
build O
on O
the O
momentum O
with O
a O
sense O
of O
urgency O
in O
order O
to O
accelerate O
negotiations O
, O
" O
the O
WTO O
director O
general O
said O
. O

The O
breakthroughs O
in O
the O
March B-T
talks O
were O
China O
' O
s O
undertaking O
to O
grant O
individual O
overseas O
firms O
import O
- O
export O
rights O
three B-T
years I-T
after O
joining O
the O
WTO O
, O
and O
its O
pledge O
to O
abide O
by O
all O
WTO O
rules O
on O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
from O
the O
moment O
of O
its O
accession O
. O

However O
, O
according O
to O
WTO O
spokesman O
Keith O
Rockwell O
, O
Ruggiero O
also O
stressed O
the O
need O
for O
greater O
flexibilty O
from O
China O
over O
issues O
such O
as O
market O
access O
, O
especially O
in O
the O
services O
and O
agricultural O
sectors O
. O

" O
The O
director O
general O
said O
that O
movement O
on O
market O
access O
was O
something O
the O
other O
WTO O
members O
would O
really O
insist O
on O
, O
" O
Rockwell O
said O
. O

According O
to O
sources O
close O
to O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
talks O
, O
Wu O
Yi O
accepted O
the O
need O
for O
greater O
flexibility O
, O
but O
insisted O
that O
the O
WTO O
members O
take O
into O
account O
China O
' O
s O
current B-T
level O
of O
economic O
development O
. O

The O
next O
round O
of O
Geneva O
talks O
will O
be O
held O
in O
May B-T
, O
when O
hot O
topics O
will O
include O
non O
- O
discrimination O
against O
foreign O
firms O
, O
transparency O
and O
price O
controls O
. O

Despite O
the O
difficulties O
presented O
by O
these O
issues O
, O
Rockwell O
said O
the O
current O
atmosphere O
was O
overwhelmingly O
optimistic O
. O

" O
There O
is O
now B-T
acknowledgement O
from O
all O
parties O
that O
an O
agreement O
can O
be O
made O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

It O
now B-T
appears O
clear O
that O
the O
WTO O
is O
willing O
to O
grant O
China O
a O
transition O
period O
- O
- O
but O
only O
in O
certain O
sectors O
- O
- O
to O
come O
into O
line O
with O
particular O
WTO O
requirements O
. O

" O
The O
question O
now O
is O
how O
long O
a O
transition O
period O
and O
in O
which O
sectors O
, O
" O
Rockwell O
said O
. O

In O
a O
speech O
at O
Beijing O
University O
earlier O
Monday B-T
, O
Ruggiero O
admitted O
that O
even O
with O
the O
exisiting O
positive O
feeling O
, O
tough O
negotiations O
remained O
ahead O
. O

" O
Much O
of O
the O
important O
work O
- O
- O
and O
the O
toughest O
issues O
- O
- O
have O
been O
left O
to O
the O
end O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
while O
warning O
Beijing O
that O
WTO O
membership O
was O
crucial O
to O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
future O
. O

" O
An O
outward O
- O
looking O
China O
cannot O
afford O
to O
stand O
on O
the O
sidelines O
while O
others O
write O
the O
rules O
of O
the O
game O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
China O
' O
s O
entry O
into O
the O
global O
trading O
system O
is O
about O
more O
than O
trade O
, O
it O
is O
about O
China O
' O
s O
future O
role O
as O
a O
world O
economic O
leader O
. O
" O

China O
tried O
in O
vain O
to O
be O
a O
founding O
member O
of O
the O
WTO O
in O
1995 B-T
. O
Before O
that O
, O
it O
had O
been O
seeking O
admission O
to O
the O
WTO O
' O
s O
predecessor O
, O
the O
General O
Agreement O
on O
Tariffs O
and O
Trade O
( O
GATT O
) O
since O
1986 B-T
. O

" O
We O
want O
China O
to O
be O
a O
WTO O
member O
, O
but O
only O
under O
the O
right O
terms O
and O
conditions O
, O
" O
Rockwell O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
with O
27 O
other O
nations O
waiting O
for O
admission O
, O
China O
could O
not O
be O
allowed O
to O
set O
any O
precedents O
. O

" O
If O
the O
rules O
are O
altered O
to O
suit O
one O
entrant O
, O
other O
countries O
will O
obviously O
want O
the O
same O
. O
" O

Following O
his O
talks O
with O
Wu O
Yi O
, O
Ruggiero O
also O
met O
with O
Vice O
Premier O
Li O
Lanqing O
. O
He O
is O
scheduled O
to O
hold O
talks O
with O
Premier O
Li O
Peng O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
before O
leaving O
Beijing O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0027 O

PERTH O
, O
Australia O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Brilliant O
Warne O
claims O
new O
wickets O
record O

Australian O
leg O
- O
spinner O
Shane O
Warne O
outstripped O
Dennis O
Lillee O
' O
s O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
record O
for O
most O
wickets O
in O
a O
calendar O
year O
on O
Saturday B-T
when O
he O
claimed O
his O
85th O
and O
86th O
in O
the O
first O
Test O
against O
South O
Africa O
. O

Warne O
bowled O
opener O
A O
. O
B O
. O
de O
Villiers O
for O
68 O
before O
trapping O
Ashwell O
Prince O
lbw O
for O
28 B-T
, O
moving O
past O
compatriot O
Lillee O
' O
s O
1981 O
haul O
of O
85 O
. O

" O
If O
I O
had O
the O
choice O
of O
picking O
someone O
to O
beat O
the O
record O
, O
I O
would O
' O
ve O
picked O
Warney O
, O
" O
Lillee O
said O
earlier O
. O
" O
I O
just O
think O
he O
' O
s O
a O
sensational O
player O
. O

" O
He O
' O
s O
the O
best O
leg O
- O
spinner O
I O
' O
ve O
ever O
seen O
, O
by O
a O
mile O
, O
and O
he O
' O
s O
probably O
the O
best O
bowler O
as O
well O
. O
" O

Warne O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
leading O
Test O
wicket O
- O
taker O
with O
647 O
in O
133 O
matches O
, O
began O
the O
year O
with O
a O
five O
- O
wicket O
haul O
in O
the O
final O
Test O
against O
Pakistan O
at O
the O
Sydney O
Cricket O
Ground O
in O
January B-T
on O
the O
way O
to O
a O
3 O
- O
0 O
series O
whitewash O
. O

The O
36 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
then O
picked O
up O
17 O
victims O
in O
a O
three O
- O
Test O
tour O
of O
New O
Zealand O
, O
but O
it O
was O
the O
2 O
- O
1 O
Ashes O
defeat O
in O
England O
that O
brought O
him O
within O
reach O
of O
the O
record O
. O

He O
took O
40 O
wickets O
in O
the O
five O
- O
Test O
series O
at O
19 B-T
. I-T
92 I-T
and O
added O
an O
average O
of O
27 O
. O
66 O
with O
the O
bat O
for O
good O
measure O
. O

Warne O
then O
claimed O
six O
ICC O
World O
XI O
wickets O
in O
the O
one O
- O
off O
Test O
match O
at O
the O
SCG O
and O
16 O
West O
Indian O
scalps O
before O
the O
South O
Africa O
series O
. O

He O
has O
eclipsed O
his O
previous O
best O
years O
of O
72 O
wickets O
in O
1993 B-T
- O
- O
in O
just O
his O
second O
season O
of O
Test O
cricket O
- O
- O
and O
70 O
in O
1994 B-T
and O
2004 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0305 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

German O
stocks O
close O
lower O

German O
stocks O
ended O
lower O
on O
Tuesday B-T
on O
the O
Frankfurt O
market O
. O

The O
30 O
- O
share O
DAX O
Index O
lost O
6 O
. O
35 O
percent O
to O
6 O
, O
387 O
. O
38 O
points O
. O

The O
MDAX O
index O
of O
medium O
- O
sized O
companies O
was O
down O
0 O
. O
21 O
percent O
to O
8 O
, O
877 O
. O
6 O
points O
. O

The O
TecDAX O
index O
of O
technologies O
and O
science O
firms O
lost O
0 O
. O
65 O
percent O
to O
706 O
. O
71 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0224 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Spurs O
dismiss O
King O
contract O
problems O

English O
premier O
league O
club O
Tottenham O
have O
dismissed O
reports O
saying O
captain O
Ledley O
King O
had O
rejected O
a O
fresh O
deal O
, O
insisting O
that O
they O
have O
yet O
to O
offer O
him O
a O
new O
contract O
. O

The O
25 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
' O
s O
current O
contract O
runs O
until O
2008 B-T
and O
Spurs O
sporting O
director O
Damien O
Comolli O
said O
: O
" O
We O
initiated O
talks O
with O
Ledley O
and O
his O
advisors O
. O

" O
Our O
discussions O
are O
in O
the O
early O
stages O
and O
will O
continue O
in O
private O
. O

" O
It O
is O
totally O
inaccurate O
to O
say O
that O
he O
has O
rejected O
any O
offer O
, O
we O
haven O
' O
t O
made O
one O
. O
" O

King O
plays O
in O
central O
defence O
for O
Spurs O
but O
was O
employed O
in O
a O
holding O
midfield O
role O
for O
England O
against O
Argentina O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

He O
had O
the O
task O
of O
man O
- O
marking O
playmaker O
Juan O
Riquelme O
and O
revealed O
the O
game O
proved O
a O
steep O
learning O
curve O
. O

" O
It O
was O
difficult O
for O
me O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
They O
have O
got O
players O
who O
like O
to O
drop O
into O
the O
hole O
and O
at O
times O
I O
found O
it O
hard O
. O

" O
Riquelme O
is O
a O
top O
- O
class O
player O
and O
there O
were O
times O
he O
drifted O
out O
wide O
, O
dragged O
me O
out O
- O
and O
left O
spaces O
for O
other O
players O
to O
move O
into O
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
learning O
process O
. O
I O
don O
' O
t O
play O
there O
often O
so O
every O
game O
is O
a O
learning O
curve O
and O
it O
is O
a O
good O
lesson O
being O
up O
against O
some O
of O
the O
best O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0192 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russia O
, O
Sri O
Lanka O
sign O
WTO O
accession O
deal O

Russia O
and O
Sri O
Lanka O
on O
Friday B-T
signed O
an O
agreement O
on O
the O
completion O
of O
bilateral O
talks O
on O
Russia O
' O
s O
entry O
into O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
capital O
Colombo O
, O
Russian O
news O
agencies O
reported O
. O

Russian O
Economic O
Development O
and O
Trade O
Minister O
German O
Gref O
and O
Sri O
Lankan O
Minister O
of O
Trade O
, O
Commerce O
and O
Consumer O
Affairs O
Jeyaraj O
Fernandopulle O
signed O
the O
document O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
two O
sides O
, O
Russian O
WTO O
negotiator O
Andrei O
Kushnirenko O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
. O

Sri O
Lanka O
initially O
was O
a O
member O
of O
a O
working O
group O
on O
Russia O
' O
s O
accession O
to O
the O
WTO O
. O
It O
was O
also O
one O
of O
a O
number O
of O
countries O
that O
did O
not O
make O
any O
demands O
on O
Russia O
and O
thus O
did O
not O
hold O
any O
bilateral O
negotiations O
earlier O
. O

As O
Russia O
' O
s O
bilateral O
accession O
talks O
are O
coming O
to O
an O
end O
, O
Sri O
Lanka O
expressed O
the O
hope O
to O
conclude O
an O
appropriate O
agreement O
, O
mainly O
to O
strengthen O
the O
terms O
of O
tea O
exports O
, O
which O
accounts O
for O
96 O
percent O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
exports O
to O
Russia O
. O

Russia O
still O
has O
to O
sign O
bilateral O
protocols O
with O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Costa O
Rica O
, O
with O
whom O
the O
talks O
have O
been O
technically O
concluded O
. O

According O
to O
Russian O
presidential O
aide O
Sergei O
Prikhodko O
, O
Russia O
is O
expected O
to O
sign O
an O
agreement O
with O
the O
United O
States O
on O
its O
entry O
into O
the O
WTO O
on O
Sunday B-T
in O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
capital O
Haoni O
, O
where O
the O
14th O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Informal O
Meeting O
is O
held O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0451 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Stocks O
close O
higher O
in O
Argentina O
, O
Brazil O
, O
lower O
in O
Mexico O

Latin O
America O
' O
s O
three O
major O
stock O
markets O
closed O
mixed O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
Buenos O
Aires O
stock O
market O
closed O
with O
the O
Merval O
index O
up O
0 O
. O
81 O
percent O
at O
1 O
, O
907 O
. O
57 O
points O
. O
The O
trade O
volume O
was O
16 O
. O
451 O
million O
dollars O
. O

In O
Sao O
Paulo O
, O
Latin O
America O
' O
s O
biggest O
bourse O
, O
the O
leading O
Bovespa O
index O
closed O
at O
41 O
, O
043 O
points O
, O
up O
0 O
. O
31 O
percent O
. O
The O
trade O
volume O
was O
983 O
million O
dollars O
. O

Mexico O
City O
' O
s O
IPC O
stock O
index O
drooped O
by O
0 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
close O
at O
24 O
, O
344 O
. O
95 O
points O
. O
A O
total O
of O
140 O
. O
8 O
million O
shares O
were O
traded O
at O
398 O
. O
9 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0190 O

DHAKA O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Trial O
of O
alleged O
Bangladesh O
1975 O
coup O
plotters O
abruptly O
adjourned O

The O
trial O
of O
the O
alleged O
plotters O
of O
a O
1975 O
coup O
in O
which O
Bangladesh O
' O
s O
founding O
leader O
Sheikh O
Mujibur O
Rahman O
was O
killed O
was O
opened O
and O
then O
abruptly O
adjourned O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
surprise O
move O
came O
when O
a O
defence O
lawyer O
tabled O
a O
motion O
of O
" O
no O
confidence O
" O
against O
the O
judge O
on O
the B-T
first I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
hearing O
. O
The O
motion O
will O
now O
be O
ruled O
on O
by O
the O
High O
Court O
. O

The O
court O
was O
adjourned O
about O
two B-T
hours I-T
into O
the O
trial O
, O
and O
the O
court O
set O
April B-T
29 I-T
for O
the O
next O
hearing O
. O

Sheikh O
Mujib O
, O
also O
father O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
Sheikh O
Hasina O
Wajed O
, O
was O
slain O
with O
most O
of O
his O
family O
in O
the O
August B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1975 I-T
coup O
. O
For O
more B-T
than I-T
20 I-T
years I-T
, O
no O
action O
was O
taken O
against O
the O
coup O
- O
leaders O
, O
until O
Sheikh O
Hasina O
swept O
his O
Awami O
League O
back O
into O
power O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Defence O
lawyer O
Mahbubur O
Rahman O
, O
a O
MP O
of O
the O
main O
opposition O
Bangladesh O
Nationalist O
Party O
, O
moved O
the O
no O
- O
confidence O
motion O
after O
trial O
judge O
Kazi O
Golam O
Rasul O
rejected O
an O
appeal O
to O
suspend O
the O
trial O
. O

Rahman O
wanted O
time O
to O
first O
petition O
the O
High O
Court O
against O
the O
indictment O
of O
his O
client O
Zobaida O
Rashid O
, O
wife O
of O
one O
of O
the O
alleged O
key O
plotters O
retired O
colonel O
Abdur O
Rashid O
. O

But O
Rasul O
refused O
the O
request O
saying O
the O
High O
Court O
could O
issue O
an O
order O
to O
stay O
the O
proceedings O
at O
any O
time O
during O
the O
hearing O
. O

" O
After O
receiving O
any O
such O
order O
from O
the O
High O
Court O
, O
the O
trial O
of O
the O
court O
would O
be O
immediately O
stopped O
and O
therefore O
there O
is O
no O
reason O
to O
wait O
for O
a O
order O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Legal O
experts O
said O
the O
High O
Court O
was O
likely O
to O
issue O
a O
stay O
order O
to O
hear O
the O
defence O
petition O
and O
may O
transfer O
the O
case O
to O
another O
court O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0161 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Gaza O

Egypt O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ahmed O
Abul O
Gheit O
Saturday B-T
welcomed O
the O
adoption O
of O
a O
resolution O
in O
the O
previous O
day O
by O
the O
United O
Nations O
General O
Assembly O
deploring O
the O
Israeli O
military O
offensive O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
the O
official O
MENA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
adoption O
of O
the O
resolution O
, O
which O
calls O
for O
the O
Israeli O
troops O
' O
immediate O
withdrawal O
from O
Gaza O
, O
reflects O
a O
world O
desire O
to O
expose O
Israeli O
practices O
against O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
, O
Abul O
Gheit O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

While O
expressing O
satisfaction O
with O
the O
European O
Union O
' O
s O
support O
for O
the O
resolution O
, O
Abu O
Gheit O
also O
expressed O
his O
deep O
regret O
for O
the O
United O
States O
' O
opposition O
to O
the O
resolution O
even O
though O
it O
included O
a O
direct O
appeal O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
side O
to O
halt O
firing O
missiles O
at O
Israel O
, O
MENA O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Abul O
Gheit O
reiterated O
Egypt O
' O
s O
denunciation O
of O
a O
recent B-T
Israeli O
offensive O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
' O
s O
Beit O
Hanoun O
town O
that O
killed O
some O
19 O
Palestinian O
civilians O
. O

He O
said O
that O
he O
was O
astonished O
to O
find O
that O
some O
powers O
still O
allow O
Israel O
to O
act O
as O
it O
pleased O
and O
go O
on O
with O
its O
policy O
of O
violating O
international O
law O
and O
human O
rights O
after O
the O
deadly O
attack O
on O
Palestinians O
. O

The O
Arabs O
resorted O
to O
the O
UN O
General O
Assembly O
and O
asked O
for O
protection O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
after O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
failed O
to O
adopt O
a O
draft O
resolution O
due O
to O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
veto O
, O
Abul O
Gheit O
said O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
General O
Assembly O
on O
Friday B-T
overwhelmingly O
adopted O
the O
resolution O
by O
a O
vote O
of O
156 O
to O
7 O
with O
six O
abstentions O
. O

The O
resolution O
asked O
the O
UN O
secretary O
- O
general O
to O
set O
up O
a O
UN O
probe O
into O
the O
Beit O
Hanoun O
incident O
in O
which O
19 O
Palestinians O
were O
killed O
, O
including O
many O
children O
and O
women O
, O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
. O

It O
called O
on O
the O
international O
community O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
diplomatic O
Quartet O
on O
the O
Middle O
East O
peace O
process O
- O
- O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
Russia O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
United O
Nations O
- O
to O
help O
stabilize O
the O
situation O
and O
restart O
the O
peace O
process O
. O

The O
25 O
- O
member O
European O
Union O
joined O
the O
Arab O
states O
in O
voting O
positively O
after O
a O
last O
- O
minute O
effort O
to O
soften O
the O
tone O
of O
the O
text O
, O
while O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Israel O
and O
Australia O
were O
among O
those O
who O
voted O
against O
it O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0205 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
wins O
men O
' O
s O
Double O
Trap O
team O
gold O

China O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
Double O
Trap O
team O
gold O
medal O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
pick O
up O
their O
17th O
shooting O
title O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
here O
. O

India O
took O
the O
silver O
and O
Taiwan O
the O
bronze O
at O
the O
Lusail O
ranges O
. O

The O
Chinese O
team O
of O
Hu O
Binyuan O
, O
Wang O
Nan O
and O
Liu O
Anlong O
finished O
with O
424 O
points O
, O
15 O
ahead O
of O
the O
Indian O
trio O
of O
Rajyavardhan O
Rathore O
, O
Ronjan O
Sodhi O
and O
Vikram O
Bhatnagar O
. O

Hu O
, O
the O
world O
number O
two O
, O
is O
also O
expected O
to O
pick O
up O
the O
individual O
gold O
medal O
to O
be O
decided O
later O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0232 O

MAPUTO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mozambican O
suspected O
of O
killing O
Maputo O
prison O
director O
escapes O

A O
Mozambican O
man O
suspect O
of O
murdering O
Jorge O
Microsse O
, O
director O
of O
Maputo O
central O
prison O
, O
has O
escaped O
from O
the O
city O
' O
s O
police O
headquarters O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
suspect O
, O
known O
by O
the O
nickname O
" O
Todinho O
" O
, O
escaped O
before O
dawn O
Monday B-T
along O
with O
four O
other O
inmates O
. O

Although O
the O
police O
have O
so O
far O
refused O
to O
confirm O
or O
deny O
Todinho O
' O
s O
escape O
, O
an O
official O
Interior O
Ministry O
statement O
confirmed O
that O
five O
people O
had O
escaped O
from O
the O
police O
cells O
of O
the O
Maputo O
city O
command O
, O
in O
the O
small O
hours O
of O
Monday B-T
morning I-T
. O

Eight O
policemen O
, O
including O
sergeants O
and O
officers O
, O
have O
been O
detained O
, O
accused O
of O
negligence O
in O
allowing O
the O
escape O
to O
happen O
. O

Todinho O
had O
been O
waiting O
trial O
for O
the O
Oct B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
murder O
of O
Microsse O
, O
who O
shortly O
before O
his O
death O
said O
he O
was O
the O
target O
of O
death O
threats O
because O
of O
his O
pledge O
to O
crackdown O
on O
corruption O
in O
the O
prison O
system O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970419 O
. O
0167 O

ZAGREB O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Results O
of O
elections O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
expected O
later O
Saturday O

Results O
for O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
UN O
- O
organised O
elections O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
, O
the O
last O
Serb O
- O
held O
part O
of O
Croatia O
, O
are O
due O
to O
be O
announced O
later O
on O
Saturday B-T
a O
UN O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Spokesman O
Yuri O
Chizik O
told O
AFP O
that O
the O
results O
of O
the O
local O
, O
regional O
and O
upper O
house O
elections O
would O
be O
announced O
during O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

According O
to O
Croatian O
radio O
, O
the O
results O
will O
be O
announced O
simultaneously O
in O
the O
UN O
headquarters O
in O
Vukovar O
, O
the O
main O
town O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
, O
and O
in O
Zagreb O
. O

Polling O
in O
the O
elections O
began O
Sunday B-T
but O
in O
the O
face O
of O
problems O
with O
delayed O
ballot O
papers O
and O
incomplete O
electoral O
lists O
, O
the O
UN O
administration O
extended O
the O
vote O
until O
Monday B-T
, O
and O
in O
one O
polling O
station O
until O
Tuesday B-T
. O

They O
also O
relaxed O
voting O
rules O
to O
allow O
people O
not O
on O
the O
electoral O
lists O
to O
vote O
provided O
they O
had O
a O
Croatian O
identity O
card O
. O

The O
UN O
said O
that O
it O
was O
confident O
that O
, O
after O
the O
initial O
problems O
, O
everyone O
who O
wanted O
to O
vote O
was O
able O
to O
do O
so O
. O

Eastern O
Slavonia O
was O
captured O
by O
rebel O
Serbs O
during O
bitter O
fighting O
in O
1991 B-T
. O
Under O
a O
1995 O
peace O
plan O
, O
it O
is O
due O
to O
return O
to O
Croatian O
control O
by O
January B-T
next I-T
year I-T
at O
the O
latest O
, O
and O
the O
elections O
were O
a O
key O
step O
in O
that O
process O
. O

The O
announcement O
of O
the O
results O
was O
delayed O
by O
the O
need O
to O
collect O
ballots O
cast O
by O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
Croats O
force O
out O
of O
the O
region O
by O
the O
Serbs O
in O
1991 B-T
- O
- O
in O
the O
process O
known O
as O
" O
ethnic O
cleansing O
" O
- O
- O
and O
now B-T
living O
in O
other O
parts O
of O
the O
country O
. O

Once O
the O
area O
has O
returned O
to O
Croatian O
control O
they O
will O
be O
entitled O
to O
return O
to O
their O
original O
homes O
. O

UN O
administrator O
Jacques O
Klein O
is O
expected O
to O
meet O
Croatian O
President O
Franjo O
Tudjman O
later O
Saturday B-T
to O
discuss O
the O
elections O
, O
the O
post O
- O
election O
period O
and O
what O
happens O
when O
the O
current O
UN O
mandate O
ends O
, O
Chizik O
said O
. O

Currently O
, O
the O
mandate O
for O
the O
UN O
administration O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
( O
UNTAES O
) O
is O
due O
to O
end O
on O
July B-T
15 I-T
after O
one B-T
and I-T
a I-T
half I-T
years I-T
. O

However O
, O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
has O
said O
that O
a O
further O
UN O
presence O
, O
as O
yet O
undefined O
, O
will O
remain O
in O
the O
region O
until O
January B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0503 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Paris O
mayor O
calls O
for O
PSG O
hooligan O
ban O

The O
mayor O
of O
Paris O
, O
Bertrand O
Delanoe O
, O
on O
Monday B-T
called O
on O
Interior O
Minister O
Nicolas O
Sarkozy O
to O
take O
steps O
to O
bar O
hundreds O
of O
potential O
troublemakers O
from O
attending O
this B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
UEFA O
Cup O
tie O
between O
Paris O
Saint O
Germain O
and O
Panathinaikos O
. O

Delanoe O
was O
speaking O
amid O
fears O
of O
a O
repeat O
of O
ugly O
scenes O
that O
followed O
PSG O
' O
s O
4 O
- O
2 O
UEFA O
Cup O
loss O
to O
Israeli O
side O
Hapoel O
Tel O
Aviv O
on O
November B-T
23 I-T
. O

A O
black O
off O
- O
duty O
police O
officer O
shot O
dead O
a O
PSG O
supporter O
and O
seriously O
injured O
another O
as O
he O
tried O
to O
shield O
a O
Hapoel O
Tel O
Aviv O
fan O
from O
a O
mob O
of O
around O
150 O
PSG O
supporters O
. O

Delanoe O
said O
that O
PSG O
" O
should O
lead O
by O
example O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
violence O
, O
racism O
and O
anti O
- O
semitism O
" O
but O
that O
it O
was O
" O
100 O
percent O
the O
responsibility O
of O
the O
Interior O
Ministry O
" O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
problem O
, O
and O
they O
could O
start O
by O
preventing O
potential O
troublemakers O
from O
attending O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
' O
s O
game O
. O

Panathinaikos O
have O
also O
had O
their O
problems O
on O
and O
off O
the O
pitch O
with O
Greek O
police O
detaining O
62 O
of O
their O
fans O
, O
some O
of O
whom O
were O
found O
in O
possession O
of O
weapons O
and O
cannabis O
, O
after O
clashing O
with O
rivals O
Olympiakos O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0089 O

FORT O
DAVIS O
, O
Texas O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Police O
optimistic O
about O
peaceful O
end O
to O
Texas O
standoff O
by O
Francis O
Temman O

Negotiations O
were O
moving O
forward O
between O
police O
and O
a O
handful O
of O
armed O
separatists O
near O
this O
remote O
west O
Texas O
community O
, O
authorities O
said O
. O

" O
Things O
are O
looking O
very O
positive O
, O
" O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
Mike O
Cox O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Texas O
Department O
of O
Public O
Safety O
. O
" O
We O
are O
optimistic O
that O
there O
is O
going O
to O
be O
a O
peaceful O
outcome O
. O
" O

The O
separatists O
in O
the O
negotiation O
are O
demanding O
that O
they O
be O
treated O
as O
diplomats O
, O
CNN O
television O
reported O
. O

Police O
believe O
that O
at O
least O
13 O
people O
are O
holed O
up O
in O
a O
small O
house O
they O
call O
their O
" O
embassy O
" O
on O
the O
property O
of O
Richard O
McLaren O
, O
the O
self O
- O
proclaimed O
leader O
of O
the O
" O
Republic O
of O
Texas O
. O
" O

The O
group O
, O
which O
includes O
one O
woman O
but O
no O
children O
, O
claims O
the O
United O
States O
illegally O
annexed O
the O
state O
in O
1845 B-T
. O

" O
We O
do O
know O
they O
have O
weapons O
, O
" O
Cox O
said O
. O

At O
least O
75 O
officers O
from O
the O
Texas O
Department O
of O
Public O
Safety O
, O
the O
US O
Border O
Patrol O
, O
the O
Federal O
Bureau O
of O
Investigation O
and O
a O
special O
assault O
unit O
have O
surrounded O
McLaren O
' O
s O
property O
at O
the O
Davis O
Mountain O
resort O
near O
Fort O
Davis O
. O

Since O
the O
standoff O
began O
three B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
, O
authorities O
have O
declined O
to O
say O
exactly O
how O
many O
officers O
are O
here O
. O
But O
a O
grocery O
store O
owner O
at O
Fort O
Davis O
said O
he O
has O
sold O
enough O
food O
to O
feed O
some O
300 O
men O
. O

The O
forces O
are O
deployed O
some O
1 O
. O
5 O
kilometers O
( O
one O
mile O
) O
from O
the O
" O
embassy O
. O
" O
The O
police O
command O
post O
is O
some O
seven O
kilometers O
( O
4 O
. O
3 O
miles O
) O
away O
, O
not O
far O
from O
a O
firehouse O
occupied O
by O
the O
separatists O
on O
Sunday B-T
and O
seized O
by O
police O
Monday B-T
. O

Tensions O
rose O
on O
Monday B-T
when O
Texas O
Attorney O
General O
Dan O
Morales O
announced O
that O
three O
members O
of O
the O
group O
had O
been O
charged O
with O
" O
organized O
criminal O
activity O
, O
" O
and O
that O
three O
others O
face O
kidnapping O
charges O
. O

McLaren O
and O
several O
other O
Republic O
of O
Texas O
members O
were O
wanted O
on O
state O
and O
federal O
contempt O
of O
court O
charges O
. O

On O
Sunday B-T
, O
a O
separatist O
" O
commando O
" O
held O
a O
husband O
and O
wife O
hostage O
for O
some B-T
12 I-T
hours I-T
in O
a O
bid O
to O
free O
Robert O
Scheidt O
, O
one O
of O
their O
comrades O
jailed O
on O
weapons O
charges O
. O

The O
couple O
, O
Joe O
and O
Margaret O
Rowe O
, O
was O
exchanged O
Monday B-T
for O
Scheidt O
. O
Joe O
Rowe O
was O
treated O
for O
minor O
injuries O
. O

Shortly O
after O
mid O
- O
day O
Tuesday B-T
, O
McLaren O
placed O
a O
package O
outside O
the O
residence O
containing O
" O
legal O
documents O
" O
for O
his O
attorney O
, O
Terence O
O O
' O
Rourke O
. O
O O
' O
Rourke O
, O
who O
was O
barred O
from O
entering O
the O
residence O
by O
police O
, O
said O
he O
has O
talked O
to O
McLaren O
by O
telephone O
. O

" O
He O
' O
s O
willing O
to O
die O
for O
what O
he O
believes O
in O
, O
" O
O O
' O
Rourke O
said O
of O
his O
client O
. O
But O
he O
said O
: O
" O
He O
doesn O
' O
t O
need O
to O
be O
a O
martyr O
. O
" O

Authorities O
spent O
hours O
retrieving O
the O
documents O
with O
the O
help O
of O
an O
armored O
vehicle O
because O
the O
area O
around O
the O
" O
embassy O
" O
was O
reportedly O
studded O
with O
explosives O
. O

" O
It O
wasn O
' O
t O
a O
major O
planned O
operation O
, O
" O
Cox O
said O
. O
" O
We O
' O
ve O
got O
some O
felony O
warrants O
to O
serve O
and O
we O
' O
re O
going O
to O
serve O
them O
. O
" O

Around O
120 O
residents O
of O
nearby O
properties O
have O
been O
asked O
by O
police O
to O
leave O
their O
homes O
. O
Those O
who O
sought O
to O
return O
Tuesday B-T
were O
barred O
by O
a O
police O
roadblock O
across O
the O
only O
street O
into O
the O
community O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
for O
their O
personal O
safety O
, O
" O
Cox O
said O
. O

The O
Red O
Cross O
has O
set O
up O
a O
shelter O
for O
residents O
in O
a O
gym O
at O
Fort O
Davis O
, O
and O
members O
of O
the O
Texas O
National O
Guard O
have O
set O
up O
tents O
to O
shield O
law O
enforcement O
officials O
and O
their O
equipment O
- O
- O
which O
now B-T
includes O
two O
armored O
vehicles O
- O
- O
from O
the O
blinding O
Texas O
sun O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0327 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
end O
higher O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
ended O
higher O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
as O
crude O
oil O
prices O
dived O
to O
near O
59 O
dollars O
. O

In O
the O
closing O
trading O
, O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
was O
up O
23 O
. O
45 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
19 O
percent O
, O
to O
12 O
, O
131 O
. O
88 O
. O
The O
Standard O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
gained O
3 O
. O
52 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
25 O
percent O
, O
at O
1 O
, O
384 O
. O
42 O
, O
and O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
rose O
16 O
. O
66 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
70 O
percent O
, O
at O
2 O
, O
406 O
. O
38 O
. O
. O

Crude O
oil O
prices O
fell O
to O
near O
59 O
dollars O
on O
Monday B-T
amid O
warm O
winter O
concern O
, O
after O
the O
International O
Energy O
Agency O
cut O
its O
oil O
product O
demand O
growth O
forecast O
for O
2006 O
. O

Crude O
futures O
have O
fallen O
more O
than O
25 O
percent O
from O
its O
record O
78 O
. O
40 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
mid O
- O
July O
. O
Low O
energy O
prices O
would O
boost O
corporate O
profits O
and O
consumer O
spending O
, O
which O
accounts O
for O
about O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economic O
activity O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0150 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
enhances O
quarantine O
work O
to O
safeguard O
normal O
fowl O
trade O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
recently B-T
issued O
a O
circular O
requiring O
local O
departments O
to O
enhance O
quarantine O
and O
supervision O
of O
the O
poultry O
trade O
. O

Millions O
of O
chickens O
, O
ducks O
, O
geese O
and O
other O
poultry O
have O
been O
culled O
after O
bird O
flu O
outbreaks O
were O
reported O
in O
Xinjiang O
uygur O
autonomous O
region O
, O
Liaoning O
, O
Hubei O
, O
Anhui O
and O
Hunan O
provinces O
. O

The O
circular O
requires O
veterinary O
and O
quarantine O
departments O
at O
all O
levels O
to O
improve O
their O
quick O
- O
response O
mechanisms O
and O
enhance O
supervision O
over O
feeding O
, O
slaughtering O
and O
stockpiling O
of O
poultry O
. O

Unqualified O
and O
unlicensed O
poultry O
processors O
are O
to O
be O
closed O
immediately O
. O
The O
processing O
, O
sale O
, O
transport O
and O
consumption O
of O
sick O
fowl O
are O
forbidden O
, O
the O
circular O
said O
. O

The O
ministry O
emphasized O
the O
blockade O
, O
culling O
, O
inoculation O
and O
disposal O
work O
in O
epidemic O
zones O
, O
saying O
the O
trade O
of O
poultry O
from O
non O
- O
affected O
zones O
should O
not O
be O
hampered O
so O
as O
to O
safeguard O
normal O
market O
order O
. O

The O
blockade O
areas O
should O
not O
be O
expanded O
without O
warrant O
, O
and O
special O
effort O
should O
be O
made O
to O
prevent O
the O
entry O
of O
infected O
birds O
from O
overseas O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
ministry O
demanded O
firm O
action O
be O
taken O
against O
illegal O
activities O
such O
as O
falsifying O
quarantine O
certificates O
, O
arbitrary O
fee O
and O
fine O
collection O
by O
quarantine O
officials O
. O

The O
circular O
asked O
all O
relevant O
departments O
to O
enhance O
information O
exchange O
and O
coordination O
, O
so O
as O
to O
ensure O
the O
prevention O
and O
control O
of O
the O
highly O
pathogenic O
bird O
flu O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0209 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sri O
Lankan O
gov O
' O
t O
to O
clarify O
rebel O
' O
s O
position O
on O
truce O

The O
Sri O
Lankan O
government O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
it O
had O
asked O
the O
Norwegian O
peace O
facilitators O
and O
the O
Nordic O
truce O
monitors O
to O
clarify O
Tamil O
Tiger O
rebels O
' O
position O
on O
truce O
in O
the O
light O
of O
comments O
made O
by O
the O
rebel O
leader O
in O
his O
annual O
policy O
speech O
. O

" O
We O
have O
asked O
both O
the O
Norwegian O
government O
and O
the O
SLMM O
( O
Sri O
Lanka O
Monitoring O
Mission O
) O
to O
clarify O
the O
stand O
on O
the O
cease O
- O
fire O
, O
" O
Keheliya O
Rambukwella O
, O
the O
minister O
of O
Policy O
Planning O
and O
the O
government O
' O
s O
defense O
spokesman O
told O
reporters O
. O

The O
leader O
of O
the O
Liberation O
Tigers O
of O
Tamil O
Eelam O
( O
LTTE O
) O
, O
Velupillai O
Prabakaran O
in O
his O
speech O
delivered O
Monday B-T
said O
that O
the O
government O
' O
s O
use O
of O
military O
power O
in O
the O
Tamil O
regions O
has O
rendered O
the O
2002 O
cease O
- O
fire O
agreement O
( O
CFA O
) O
brokered O
by O
the O
Norwegians O
" O
defunct O
" O
. O

Prabakaran O
also O
said O
that O
the O
government O
' O
s O
action O
" O
has O
effectively O
buried O
the O
CFA O
. O
" O

The O
rebel O
leader O
said O
the O
actions O
of O
the O
majority O
Sinhala O
governments O
had O
led O
the O
rebels O
with O
only O
one O
option O
: O
an O
independent O
state O
for O
the O
Tamil O
people O
. O
He O
appealed O
to O
the O
international O
community O
to O
" O
recognize O
our O
freedom O
struggle O
. O
" O

Rambukwella O
said O
despite O
the O
rebel O
leader O
' O
s O
pronouncement O
to O
resume O
the O
independence O
struggle O
after O
six B-T
years I-T
of O
peace O
negotiations O
, O
the O
government O
was O
committed O
to O
furthering O
the O
process O
of O
negotiations O
and O
would O
keep O
the O
window O
opened O
for O
the O
LTTE O
to O
return O
to O
talks O
. O

The O
LTTE O
leader O
' O
s O
policy O
speech O
has O
renewed O
fears O
of O
full O
scale O
war O
resuming O
in O
the O
island O
' O
s O
Northern O
and O
Eastern O
provinces O
. O

Norway O
' O
s O
peace O
effort O
began O
in O
2000 B-T
saw O
the O
LTTE O
and O
the O
government O
meeting O
face O
to O
face O
eight O
times O
for O
negotiations O
since O
2002 B-T
. O

The O
process O
became O
marred O
by O
high O
cost O
of O
violence O
with O
the O
government O
, O
saying O
that O
over O
3 O
, O
000 O
people O
died O
in O
the O
conflict O
between O
December B-T
2005 I-T
and O
October B-T
2006 I-T
. O

More O
than O
60 O
, O
000 O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
since O
the O
LTTE O
launched O
its O
separatist O
campaign O
in O
the O
mid B-T
- I-T
1980s I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0616 O

INDIANAPOLIS O
, O
Indiana O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Pacers O
banish O
Jackson O
for O
bad O
conduct O

Stephen O
Jackson O
was O
suspended O
by O
the O
Indiana O
Pacers O
for O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
game O
at O
Chicago O
after O
a O
heated O
exchange O
with O
coach O
Rick O
Carlisle O
, O
the O
National O
Basketball O
Association O
club O
announced O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
veteran O
guard O
' O
s O
banishment O
came O
for O
conduct O
detrimental O
to O
the O
team O
in O
a O
107 O
- O
105 O
loss O
Saturday B-T
at O
Cleveland O
. O
He O
was O
replaced O
by O
Darrell O
Armstrong O
2 O
: O
46 O
before O
the O
end O
of O
the O
first O
half O
and O
let O
Carlisle O
know O
he O
was O
unhappy O
about O
it O
. O

" O
I O
substituted O
for O
( O
Jackson O
) O
and O
he O
came O
to O
the O
bench O
and O
an O
exchange O
ensued O
that O
I O
felt O
was O
inappropriate O
, O
detrimental O
to O
the O
team O
, O
so O
I O
made O
a O
decision O
to O
remove O
him O
from O
the O
bench O
, O
" O
Carlisle O
said O
. O

" O
As O
of O
right O
now B-T
, O
this O
is O
a O
one O
- O
game O
situation O
. O
I O
expect O
that O
this O
is O
an O
incident O
that O
is O
isolated O
and O
will O
be O
dealt O
with O
as O
such O
. O
" O

Notorious O
for O
his O
role O
in O
the O
riot O
at O
Detroit B-T
two I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
Jackson O
was O
arrested O
for O
allegedly O
firing O
a O
gun O
outside O
an O
Indianapolis O
strip O
club O
in O
October B-T
. O

Jackson O
is O
averaging O
12 O
. O
3 O
points O
and O
3 O
. O
4 O
assists O
in O
22 O
games O
with O
the O
Pacers O
this O
season O
, O
his O
third O
with O
the O
team O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0372 O

SKOPJE O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Macedonia O
pleads O
for O
French O
support O
over O
EU O
candidacy O

Macedonia O
' O
s O
president O
on O
Wednesday B-T
sent O
a O
letter O
to O
his O
French O
counterpart O
pleading O
for O
Paris O
to O
reverse O
its O
stance O
against O
the O
former O
Yugoslav O
republic O
gaining O
official O
EU O
candidacy O
. O

" O
The O
citizens O
of O
Macedonia O
believe O
in O
Europe O
and O
believe O
in O
France O
. O
Candidacy O
would O
be O
a O
huge O
opportunity O
, O
but O
an O
obligation O
as O
well O
, O
" O
President O
Branko O
Crvenkovski O
said O
in O
the O
letter O
to O
France O
' O
s O
Jacques O
Chirac O
. O

Crvenkovski O
made O
the O
appeal O
ahead O
of O
a O
summit O
Thursday B-T
of O
EU O
leaders O
in O
Brussels O
, O
at O
which O
the O
tiny O
Balkan O
state O
was O
hoping O
to O
be O
granted O
the O
official O
status O
of O
a O
candidate O
for O
EU O
membership O
. O

France O
has O
emerged O
as O
the O
most O
vocal O
opponent O
of O
Macedonia O
' O
s O
official O
candidacy O
as O
the O
25 O
- O
nation O
bloc O
struggles O
to O
reach O
an O
agreement O
over O
its O
2007 O
- O
2013 O
budget O
plans O
. O

In O
his O
letter O
, O
the O
Macedonian O
president O
said O
Skopje O
" O
fully O
understands O
" O
the O
problems O
that O
Brussels O
faces O
, O
but O
added O
he O
believed O
that O
giving O
his O
country O
the O
status O
would O
represent O
a O
" O
victory O
" O
for O
Europe O
. O

" O
I O
am O
addressing O
you O
as O
the O
president O
of O
France O
, O
a O
state O
that O
has O
always O
actively O
supported O
. O
. O
. O
Macedonia O
on O
its O
path O
towards O
Europe O
, O
" O
Crvenkovski O
told O
Chirac O
in O
the O
letter O
. O

" O
Your O
personal O
contribution O
has O
been O
an O
integral O
part O
of O
my O
country O
to O
get O
to O
the O
place O
where O
it O
belongs O
- O
- O
in O
the O
European O
family O
" O
of O
nations O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Macedonia O
does O
not O
fear O
for O
its O
future O
and O
expects O
the O
European O
Council O
in O
Brussels O
to O
confirm O
all O
of O
our O
achievements O
by O
giving O
us O
candidate O
status O
for O
EU O
membership O
, O
" O
said O
Crvenkovski O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
pace O
of O
reforms O
in O
the O
country O
since O
the O
end O
of O
an O
ethnic O
Albanian O
uprising O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

French O
Foreign O
Minister O
Philippe O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
has O
said O
Paris O
was O
questioning O
Macedonia O
' O
s O
candidacy O
because O
it O
would O
" O
send O
a O
signal O
to O
the O
public O
. O
. O
. O
that O
we O
are O
heading O
for O
more O
enlargement O
" O
. O

French O
and O
Dutch O
voters O
rejected O
the O
European O
Union O
' O
s O
carefully O
prepared O
constitution O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
plunging O
the O
bloc O
into O
its O
deepest O
political O
crisis O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0104 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Sri O
Lanka O
army O
chief O
seeks O
talks O
with O
Tigers O
amid O
blasts O

Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
new O
army O
chief O
took O
command O
Tuesday B-T
with O
a O
call O
for O
talks O
with O
Tamil O
Tiger O
rebels O
to O
defuse O
tension O
in O
the O
northern O
town O
of O
Jaffna O
after O
14 O
soldiers O
were O
killed O
in O
two O
blasts O
. O

Lieutenant O
General O
Sarath O
Fonseka O
said O
he O
wanted O
to O
re O
- O
establish O
communication O
links O
with O
the O
Liberation O
Tigers O
of O
Tamil O
Eelam O
( O
LTTE O
) O
to O
prevent O
attacks O
against O
government O
forces O
. O

Fonseka O
' O
s O
maiden O
press O
conference O
after O
assuming O
command O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
120 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
army O
was O
delayed O
for O
nearly O
half O
an O
hour O
after O
suspected O
Tiger O
rebels O
blew O
up O
an O
army O
tractor O
, O
killing O
seven O
security O
personnel O
. O

He O
played O
down O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
blast O
, O
the O
second O
since O
Sunday B-T
when O
another O
seven O
soldiers O
perished O
in O
an O
identical O
attack O
, O
and O
sounded O
a O
conciliatory O
line O
in O
sharp O
contrast O
to O
his O
military O
reputation O
as O
a O
hawk O
. O

" O
There O
has O
been O
a O
communication O
gap O
between O
us O
and O
the O
LTTE O
, O
" O
Fonseka O
said O
. O
" O
The O
LTTE O
has O
said O
they O
did O
not O
carry O
out O
the O
attacks O
. O
We O
don O
' O
t O
have O
100 O
percent O
evidence O
, O
but O
we O
think O
they O
did O
it O
. O

" O
If O
they O
did O
not O
do O
it O
, O
who O
else O
could O
have O
done O
it O
. O
And O
we O
need O
to O
stop O
them O
. O
" O

" O
It O
is O
important O
to O
establish O
contact O
with O
the O
LTTE O
to O
ensure O
that O
the O
peace O
process O
will O
not O
collapse O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
Tigers O
and O
the O
government O
had O
not O
maintained O
direct O
contact O
at O
field O
level O
for O
several B-T
months I-T
. O

Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
peace O
broker O
Norway O
has O
tried O
but O
failed O
to O
arrange O
a O
top O
- O
level O
meeting O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
to O
strengthen O
the O
February B-T
2002 I-T
truce O
. O

Fonseka O
said O
he O
did O
not O
believe O
that O
the O
escalation O
of O
violence O
in O
the O
island O
' O
s O
former O
rebel O
stronghold O
of O
Jaffna O
would O
lead O
to O
fresh O
hostilities O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
this O
is O
a O
build O
- O
up O
to O
a O
war O
. O
Even O
if O
the O
attacks O
are O
indeed O
by O
the O
LTTE O
we O
know O
it O
is O
by O
a O
small O
group O
and O
we O
can O
deal O
with O
it O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0623 O

MONS O
, O
Belgium O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Belgian O
police O
renew O
searches O
after O
more O
human O
remains O
surface O
by O
Bertrand O
Pinon O

Police O
prepared O
for O
new O
efforts O
Saturday O
to O
track O
down O
a O
suspected O
serial O
killer O
after O
the O
discovery O
of O
more O
dumped O
human O
body O
parts O
near O
this O
southern O
Belgian O
town O
. O

The O
latest O
remains O
, O
comprising O
a O
thigh O
, O
an O
arm O
, O
a O
forearm O
and O
a O
hand O
, O
were O
found O
in O
three O
bags O
Friday B-T
by O
municipal O
workers O
cleaning O
drains O
in O
a O
residential O
area O
of O
Havre O
, O
a O
suburb O
of O
Mons O
, O
public O
prosecutor O
Pierre O
Honore O
said O
. O

The O
macabre O
find O
brought O
to O
15 O
the O
total O
number O
of O
garbage O
bags O
to O
turn O
up O
in O
the O
area O
since O
March B-T
22 I-T
. O
All O
the O
others O
contained O
neatly O
- O
severed O
female O
body O
parts O
, O
except O
for O
one O
stuffed O
with O
clothing O
. O

They O
add O
up O
to O
between O
four O
and O
six O
suspected O
victims O
of O
a O
murderer O
being O
dubbed O
the O
" O
killer O
of O
Mons O
. O
" O
Only O
one O
so O
far O
has O
been O
identified O
, O
thanks O
to O
a O
tattoo O
. O

She O
was O
Martine O
Bohn O
, O
a O
43 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
French O
prostitute O
living O
locally O
, O
whose O
torso O
had O
already O
been O
fished O
out O
of O
a O
river O
in O
July B-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

Honore O
said O
late B-T
Friday I-T
that O
like O
the O
earlier O
remains O
, O
the O
limbs O
would O
be O
sent O
for O
analysis O
by O
forensic O
experts O
in O
Liege O
. O

The O
police O
probe O
would O
be O
intensified O
Saturday B-T
, O
he O
added O
. O

The O
chain O
of O
finds O
began O
on O
March B-T
22 I-T
with O
nine O
garbage O
bags O
in O
the O
suburb O
of O
Couesmes O
, O
containing O
the O
limbs O
of O
three O
women O
. O
Another O
bag O
, O
holding O
the O
upper O
part O
of O
a O
torso O
, O
turned O
up O
nearby O
two B-T
days I-T
later O
. O

Two O
supermarket O
bags O
containing O
a O
foot O
, O
an O
ankle O
and O
the O
head O
of O
a O
woman O
aged O
between O
35 B-T
and O
40 O
were O
found O
in O
Havre O
on O
April B-T
12 I-T
. O

Honore O
' O
s O
department O
has O
also O
been O
in O
contact O
with O
French O
prosecutors O
just O
over O
the O
border O
in O
Valenciennes O
, O
to O
see O
if O
there O
is O
any O
link O
with O
the O
pelvis O
of O
a O
still O
- O
unidentified O
woman O
' O
s O
body O
found O
in O
January B-T
1996 I-T
at O
Chateau O
l O
' O
Abbaye O
, O
northern O
France O
. O

The O
search O
for O
a O
pattern O
in O
the O
killer O
' O
s O
operations O
has O
uncovered O
a O
dark O
twist O
in O
his O
choice O
of O
dumping O
grounds O
for O
the O
bags O
. O

Apparently O
playing O
a O
cat O
- O
and O
- O
mouse O
game O
, O
the O
killer O
has O
left O
the O
remains O
of O
his O
victims O
in O
places O
with O
suggestive O
names O
: O
Rue O
du O
Depot O
( O
Dump O
) O
near O
the O
River O
Haine O
( O
Hate O
) O
, O
on O
Chemin O
de O
l O
' O
Inquietude O
( O
Worry O
) O
and O
the O
banks O
of O
the O
River O
Trouille O
( O
Jitters O
) O
. O

The O
latest O
finds O
were O
in O
an O
area O
known O
as O
La O
Poudriere O
, O
or O
the O
Powder O
- O
keg O
. O

Belgian O
police O
are O
under O
heavy O
pressure O
to O
solve O
the O
killings O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
strong O
parliamentary O
criticism O
of O
bungled O
investigations O
into O
missing O
children O
kidnapped O
by O
a O
suspected O
paedophile O
ring O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Jean O
- O
Luc O
Dehaene O
Friday B-T
promised O
disciplinary O
axction O
against O
those O
responsible O
for O
mishandling O
the O
cases O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0118 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

China O
anti O
- O
drugs O
war O
confirms O
narcotics O
pandemic O
by O
Giles O
Hewitt O

China O
' O
s O
new O
crackdown O
on O
drugs O
has O
confirmed O
how O
narcotics O
abuse O
has O
spread O
rapidly O
across O
the O
country O
, O
snaring O
the O
young O
and O
fanning O
violent O
crime O
and O
the O
spread O
of O
AIDS O
, O
press O
reports O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

While O
public O
security O
authorities O
have O
hailed O
the O
success O
of O
the O
campaign O
launched O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
predominant O
feeling O
is O
one O
of O
concern O
at O
the O
extent O
of O
drug O
trafficking O
and O
abuse O
. O

" O
The O
situation O
ahead O
of O
us O
is O
extremely O
serious O
, O
" O
Public O
Security O
Minister O
Tao O
Siju O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
in O
the O
latest O
edition O
of O
the O
bi O
- O
monthly O
magazine O
, O
Democracy O
and O
the O
Legal O
System O
. O

Pointing O
to O
a O
sharp O
increase O
in O
drug O
trafficking O
cases O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
Tao O
warned O
that O
the O
smuggling O
gangs O
were O
becoming O
" O
increasingly O
sophisticated O
, O
well O
organised O
and O
armed O
. O
" O

China O
currently O
has O
some O
520 O
, O
000 O
registered O
drug O
addicts O
, O
but O
even O
Tao O
admitted O
that O
the O
figure O
was O
nowhere O
near O
the O
actual O
number O
. O

" O
Drugs O
are O
not O
only O
a O
threat O
to O
public O
security O
, O
but O
also O
to O
society O
as O
a O
whole O
, O
" O
Tao O
said O
, O
pointing O
out O
that O
between O
60 B-T
and O
70 O
percent O
of O
HIV O
carriers O
in O
China O
had O
contracted O
the O
virus O
from O
sharing O
needles O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
a O
report O
carried O
by O
the O
Xinhua O
news O
agency O
on O
Thursday B-T
demonstrated O
the O
pandemic O
nature O
of O
China O
' O
s O
drug O
problem O
, O
which O
only O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
was O
almost O
exclusively O
restricted O
to O
the O
southwestern O
province O
of O
Yunnan O
, O
bordering O
the O
heroin O
- O
producing O
Golden O
Triangle O
region O
. O

On O
April B-T
15 I-T
, O
a O
major O
trans O
- O
provincial O
drug O
- O
trafficking O
cartel O
was O
broken O
up O
in O
the O
the O
new O
western O
municipality O
of O
Chongqing O
, O
with O
six O
suspects O
arrested O
and O
3 O
. O
33 O
kilograms O
( O
7 O
. O
3 O
pounds O
) O
of O
heroin O
seized O
. O

The O
ongoing O
campaign O
also O
resulted O
in O
the O
arrest O
of O
all O
members O
of O
an O
11 O
- O
strong O
trafficking O
gang O
in O
Beijing O
, O
together O
with O
5 O
. O
8 O
kilograms O
( O
12 O
. O
76 O
pounds O
) O
of O
heroin O
. O

In O
the O
northern O
province O
of O
Shanxi O
, O
one O
of O
China O
' O
s O
most O
- O
wanted O
drug O
traffickers O
was O
arrested O
on O
April B-T
1 I-T
in O
the O
city O
of O
Datong O
after O
eight B-T
years I-T
on O
the O
run O
. O

Police O
said O
50 O
drug O
- O
related O
crimes O
had O
been O
uncovered O
this B-T
month I-T
in O
Datong O
alone O
, O
resulting O
in O
the O
arrest O
of O
64 O
suspects O
. O

In O
Yunnan O
, O
some O
588 O
kilograms O
( O
1 O
, O
295 O
pounds O
) O
of O
heroin O
were O
seized O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Xinhua O
also O
carried O
a O
statement O
from O
the O
Public O
Security O
Ministry O
confirming O
the O
arrival O
of O
the O
Western O
designer O
drug O
, O
Ecstasy O
, O
which O
is O
known O
here O
as O
the O
" O
rocking O
head O
pill O
. O
" O

" O
It O
is O
dangerous O
to O
health O
and O
harmful O
to O
social O
stability O
, O
" O
it O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
drug O
had O
surfaced O
in O
major O
cities O
like O
Shanghai O
, O
Beijing O
, O
Shenyang O
and O
Shenzhen O
. O

In O
Shanghai O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
police O
arrested O
five O
drug O
traffickers O
and O
confiscated O
a O
total O
of O
6 O
. O
3 O
kilograms O
( O
13 O
. O
86 O
pounds O
) O
of O
heroin O
and O
60 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
7 O
, O
200 O
dollars O
) O
in O
cash O
. O

The O
current O
anti O
- O
drug O
campaign O
is O
slated O
to O
last O
until O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
September I-T
. O

The O
China O
Youth O
Daily O
on O
Thursday B-T
said O
the O
rise O
in O
drug O
abuse O
was O
especially O
serious O
among O
teenagers O
, O
and O
warned O
that O
not O
nearly O
enough O
was O
being O
done O
in O
schools O
to O
educate O
young O
people O
about O
the O
dangers O
of O
narcotics O
. O

" O
Schools O
only O
seem O
to O
act O
once O
their O
students O
are O
found O
to O
be O
taking O
drugs O
, O
whereas O
they O
should O
be O
looking O
to O
take O
more O
preventative O
measures O
, O
" O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

According O
to O
the O
report O
, O
46 O
percent O
of O
the O
drug O
addicts O
uncovered O
last B-T
year I-T
in O
the O
southern O
city O
of O
Guangzhou O
were O
less O
than O
18 O
years O
old O
. O

" O
Surveys O
in O
schools O
have O
shown O
that O
many O
students O
would O
be O
willing O
to O
experiment O
with O
drugs O
out O
of O
curiosity O
, O
" O
it O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0229 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Danish O
foreign O
minister O
condemns O
Amman O
bombings O

Danish O
Minister O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
Per O
Stig O
Moeller O
on O
Friday B-T
condemned O
the O
bombings O
against O
three O
hotels O
in O
Amman O
, O
Jordan O
, O
Ritzau O
News O
Bureau O
reported O
. O

" O
Once O
again O
, O
we O
see O
that O
terrorists O
have O
brought O
their O
contempt O
for O
human O
life O
to O
bear O
on O
innocent O
people O
, O
" O
Moeller O
said O
. O
" O
These O
kinds O
of O
acts O
can O
in O
no O
way O
be O
justified O
. O
" O

Moeller O
said O
that O
the O
bombings O
would O
not O
prevent O
him O
from O
visiting O
Jordan O
on O
Sunday B-T
as O
part O
of O
a O
series O
of O
visits O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
. O

Moeller O
pointed O
out O
that O
terrorists O
had O
become O
increasingly O
more O
brazen O
in O
their O
methods O
. O

" O
And O
that O
highlights O
the O
importance O
of O
continuing O
to O
strengthen O
international O
cooperation O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
terror O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
foreign O
minister O
also O
said O
that O
Jordan O
was O
one O
of O
the O
Middle O
- O
Eastern O
countries O
that O
was O
doing O
most O
to O
implement O
reforms O
. O

" O
It O
is O
characteristic O
that O
terror O
attacks O
have O
been O
targeted O
against O
reformers O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
such O
as O
Jordan O
. O
Therefore O
it O
is O
vital O
that O
we O
continue O
to O
expand O
our O
cooperation O
and O
dialogue O
with O
Middle O
- O
Eastern O
countries O
, O
" O
Moeller O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0249 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Hidayat O
takes O
gold O
over O
arch O
rival O
Lin O

Olympic O
champion O
Taufik O
Hidayat O
from O
Indonesia O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
Asian O
Games O
singles O
badminton O
gold O
medal O
over O
arch O
rival O
Lin O
Dan O
of O
China O
21 O
- O
15 O
, O
22 O
- O
20 O
here O
Saturday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0010 O

YUANPING O
, O
Shanxi O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
coal O
mine O

Rescuers O
on O
Monday B-T
were O
still O
searching O
for O
the O
30 O
miners O
trapped O
in O
a O
coal O
mine O
explosion O
which O
had O
claimed O
17 O
lives O
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Shanxi O
Province O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

About O
90 O
rescuers O
in O
eight O
teams O
went O
down O
more O
than O
300 O
meters O
to O
search O
for O
the O
trapped O
miners O
, O
while O
others O
were O
busy O
moving O
exhaust O
fans O
, O
cables O
, O
timber O
and O
other O
materials O
into O
the O
mine O
. O

Officials O
with O
the O
rescue O
headquarters O
said O
the O
resumption O
of O
ventilation O
and O
power O
supply O
is O
vital O
for O
rescue O
operation O
. O

Initial O
investigations O
suggest O
that O
human O
errors O
were O
blamed O
for O
the O
fatal O
accident O
. O

The O
mine O
should O
have O
been O
evacuated O
since O
gas O
had O
accumulated O
to O
a O
dangerous O
level O
on O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
after O
exhaust O
fans O
stopped O
working O
due O
to O
power O
failure O
. O
However O
, O
power O
supply O
resumed O
without O
safety O
measures O
and O
caused O
the O
explosion O
. O

According O
to O
the O
rescue O
headquarters O
, O
393 O
workers O
were O
working O
in O
the O
mine O
when O
the O
blast O
took O
place O
, O
and O
346 O
miners O
escaped O
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
at O
11 B-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Sunday B-T
in O
the O
Jiaojiazhai O
Coal O
Mine O
of O
Xuangang O
Company O
under O
Datong O
Coal O
Mine O
Group O
, O
in O
Xinzhou O
, O
a O
central O
- O
north O
city O
of O
Shanxi O
Province O
. O

All O
the O
victims O
are O
miners O
of O
Datong O
Coal O
Mine O
Group O
. O

The O
Shanxi O
government O
on O
Monday B-T
ordered O
all O
the O
coal O
mines O
in O
the O
coal O
- O
rich O
province O
to O
operate O
in O
accord O
with O
work O
safety O
regulations O
, O
saying O
any O
one O
who O
violate O
regulations O
will O
be O
punished O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0150 O

LIBREVILLE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Opposition O
hold O
large O
- O
scale O
rally O
in O
Gabonese O
capital O

The O
Gabonese O
opposition O
held O
here O
a O
large O
- O
scale O
rally O
Saturday B-T
, O
gathering O
support O
for O
Pierre O
Mambounbou O
, O
who O
was O
defeated O
in O
last O
elections O
and O
vowed O
to O
replace O
Africa O
' O
s O
longest O
serving O
leader O
Bongo O
Ondimba O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
polls O
. O

Several O
thousands O
of O
people O
, O
dressed O
in O
red O
T O
- O
shirts O
, O
symbolic O
for O
Union O
of O
Gabonese O
People O
Party O
, O
accumulated O
in O
the O
capital O
' O
s O
Rio O
district O
in O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
dancing O
and O
singing O
to O
show O
their O
support O
for O
Mambounbou O
. O

" O
We O
need O
change O
, O
Gabon O
needs O
change O
. O
Bongo O
has O
been O
president O
for O
nearly B-T
40 I-T
years I-T
, O
it O
' O
s O
too O
long O
and O
there O
' O
s O
not O
much O
change O
in O
our O
country O
, O
" O
said O
Demar O
, O
a O
crane O
driver O
in O
Libreville O
. O

Despite O
of O
the O
challenges O
from O
other O
four O
candidates O
, O
Bongo O
is O
widely O
expected O
to O
win O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
elections O
that O
are O
seen O
as O
a O
one O
- O
sided O
contest O
which O
will O
prolong O
his O
38 O
years O
rule O
in O
Gabon O
. O

Gabon O
is O
one O
of O
the O
few O
countries O
in O
central O
Africa O
that O
has O
never O
- O
- O
since O
its O
independence O
from O
France O
- O
- O
been O
affected O
by O
an O
armed O
conflict O
. O

It O
is O
a O
small O
country O
with O
only O
about O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
people O
, O
yet O
Gabon O
' O
s O
people O
has O
one O
of O
the O
highest O
per O
capita O
incomes O
in O
Africa O
, O
largely O
due O
to O
the O
country O
' O
s O
substantial O
revenues O
from O
petroleum O
exports O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0486 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

US O
envoy O
predicts O
high O
turnout O
in O
Iraq O
election O

The O
US O
State O
Department O
' O
s O
coordinator O
on O
Iraq O
predicted O
Monday B-T
a O
high O
turnout O
in O
this B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
parliamentary O
election O
and O
said O
pre O
- O
poll O
violence O
had O
dropped O
sharply O
in O
recent B-T
days O
. O

Washington O
also O
does O
not O
expect O
a O
new O
Iraqi O
government O
to O
ask O
for O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
US O
troops O
" O
any O
time O
in O
the B-T
near I-T
future I-T
, O
" O
James O
Jeffrey O
told O
a O
briefing O
at O
the O
Foreign O
Press O
Center O
here O
. O

Jeffrey O
spoke O
ahead O
of O
the O
election O
Thursday B-T
for O
Iraq O
' O
s O
first O
permanent O
legislature O
of O
the O
post O
- O
Saddam O
Hussein O
era O
, O
a O
milestone O
US O
officials O
hope O
will O
undermine O
the O
Iraqi O
insurgency O
and O
allow O
American O
troops O
to O
pull O
out O
. O

Dismissing O
concern O
that O
minority O
Sunni O
Muslims O
would O
stay O
away O
from O
the O
polls O
, O
Jeffrey O
said O
, O
" O
I O
do O
believe O
that O
there O
will O
be O
a O
very O
high O
turnout O
from O
all O
groups O
in O
the O
country O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
, O
but O
cannot O
guarantee O
, O
that O
violence O
will O
be O
down O
, O
but O
I O
believe O
that O
even O
if O
the O
level O
of O
violence O
were O
to O
spike O
, O
that O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
. O
. O
. O
will O
in O
large O
numbers O
go O
and O
vote O
. O
" O

Jeffrey O
gave O
no O
figure O
for O
predicted O
turnout O
. O
About O
59 O
percent O
of O
eligible O
Iraqis O
cast O
ballots O
last B-T
January I-T
for O
an O
interim O
parliament O
, O
and O
64 O
percent O
voted O
in O
the O
October B-T
15 I-T
referendum O
on O
a O
new O
constitution O
. O

The O
US O
envoy O
said O
that O
unlike O
the O
runup O
to O
January B-T
' O
s O
ballot O
, O
" O
the O
level O
of O
violence O
has O
dropped O
my O
almost O
any O
measure O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
days I-T
and O
we O
hope O
that O
that O
trend O
continues O
. O
" O

He O
gave O
no O
backup O
data O
but O
speculated O
this O
" O
might O
indicate O
that O
, O
particularly O
in O
some O
of O
the O
Sunni O
Arab O
areas O
, O
people O
are O
making O
a O
major O
commitment O
to O
vote O
, O
including O
among O
circles O
close O
to O
the O
insurgency O
. O
" O

Iraqi O
parties O
have O
started O
to O
make O
rumblings O
about O
a O
timetable O
for O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
US O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
, O
currently O
numbering O
some O
160 O
, O
000 O
for O
the O
election O
but O
expected O
to O
drop O
by O
20 O
, O
000 O
afterward O
. O

Jeffrey O
repeated O
the O
US O
line O
that O
American O
forces O
would O
leave O
if O
asked O
but O
said O
, O
" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
think O
that O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
, O
or O
a O
Iraqi O
government O
, O
will O
take O
that O
step O
any O
time O
in O
the B-T
near I-T
future I-T
. O
" O

US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
, O
who O
spent O
a O
day O
in O
Iraq O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
was O
briefed O
by O
Sunni O
and O
other O
groups O
on O
the O
security O
situation O
, O
including O
" O
the O
interest O
in O
an O
eventual O
transfer O
" O
to O
local O
security O
forces O
, O
Jeffrey O
said O
. O

" O
But O
this O
was O
underlined O
very O
, O
very O
strongly O
- O
- O
nowhere O
more O
strongly O
than O
by O
Sunni O
Arabs O
- O
- O
they O
( O
US O
forces O
) O
should O
not O
be O
withdrawn O
until O
there O
are O
capable O
Iraqi O
troops O
that O
can O
move O
in O
and O
take O
care O
of O
the O
security O
situation O
. O
" O

Jeffrey O
said O
if O
some O
Iraqis O
such O
as O
the O
faction O
led O
by O
Shiite O
firebrand O
cleric O
Moqtada O
Sadr O
sought O
a O
timetable O
for O
the O
US O
withdrawal O
, O
" O
there O
are O
many O
other O
groups O
that O
reject O
that O
. O
" O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0084 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0084 O
. O

Financing O
Business O
: O

@ O
Blockbuster O
Entertainment O
Corp O
. O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

BV O

BOND O
MARKET O
NEWS O
( O
BON O
) O

BLOCKBUSTER O
ENTERTAINMENT O
CORP O
. O
said O
it O
raised O
$ O
92 O
million O
from O
an O
offering O
of O
liquid O
yield O
option O
notes O
. O

The O
gross O
proceeds O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
the O
notes O
, O
which O
will O
be O
due O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
will O
be O
used O
to O
reduce O
existing O
debt O
and O
for O
general O
corporate O
purposes O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

The O
debt O
reduction O
is O
expected O
to O
save O
the O
Fort O
Lauderdale O
, O
Fla O
. O
home O
video O
concern O
about O
$ O
2 O
million O
a O
year O
in O
interest O
expense O
. O

The O
zero O
- O
coupon O
subordinated O
notes O
have O
no O
periodic O
interest O
payments O
. O

Each O
note O
is O
being O
offered O
at O
$ O
308 O
. O
32 O
per O
$ O
1 O
, O
000 O
principal O
amount O
at O
maturity O
, O
representing O
an O
8 O
% O
yield O
to O
maturity O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
each O
note O
can O
be O
converted O
into O
Blockbuster O
Entertainment O
common O
stock O
at O
a O
rate O
of O
13 O
. O
851 O
shares O
per O
note O
. O

Merrill O
Lynch O
Capital O
Markets O
Inc O
. O
is O
the O
sole O
underwriter O
for O
the O
offering O
. O

The O
notes O
will O
have O
a O
principal O
amount O
of O
$ O
300 O
million O
at O
maturity O
. O

Blockbuster O
shares O
closed O
yesterday B-T
at O
$ O
18 O
. O
75 O
, O
down O
$ O
1 O
. O
125 O
, O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
trading O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0403 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Scientists O
discover O
new O
gene O
linked O
with O
schizophrenia O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
A O
new O
gene O
has O
been O
identified O
to O
link O
with O
higher O
risk O
of O
schizophrenia O
and O
depression O
, O
scientists O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Schizophrenia O
and O
related O
mood O
disorders O
are O
thought O
to O
arise O
from O
a O
combination O
of O
genetic O
and O
environmental O
factors O
, O
but O
researchers O
have O
had O
difficulty O
identifying O
the O
specific O
genes O
involved O
. O

Earlier O
studies O
have O
found O
a O
gene O
called O
DISC1 O
, O
operating O
in O
a O
way O
that O
may O
contribute O
to O
the O
disorder O
, O
may O
make O
people O
susceptible O
to O
schizophrenia O
. O
However O
, O
the O
function O
of O
its O
encoded O
protein O
has O
been O
unclear O
. O

The O
new O
research O
, O
appearing O
in O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
issue O
of O
the O
journal O
Science O
, O
presented O
genetic O
and O
biochemical O
evidence O
suggesting O
that O
the O
DISC1 O
protein O
interacts O
with O
an O
enzyme O
called O
phosphodiesterase O
4B O
( O
PDE4B O
) O
, O
which O
in O
turn O
influences O
the O
activity O
of O
the O
signaling O
molecule O
cAMP O
. O

This O
signaling O
system O
has O
previously O
been O
implicated O
in O
learning O
, O
memory O
and O
mood O
in O
other O
experimental O
systems O
, O
which O
is O
consistent O
with O
the O
idea O
that O
alterations O
in O
the O
system O
may O
contribute O
to O
schizophrenia O
, O
according O
to O
the O
researchers O
. O

Damage O
to O
the O
gene O
PDE4B O
is O
also O
seen O
to O
increase O
the O
risk O
of O
developing O
mental O
illness O
. O
In O
addition O
, O
the O
researchers O
have O
discovered O
that O
DISC1 O
acts O
as O
a O
regulator O
for O
PDE4B O
, O
creating O
a O
' O
pathway O
' O
between O
the O
two O
genes O
. O

" O
The O
new O
genetic O
link O
we O
have O
made O
to O
PDE4B O
and O
how O
that O
links O
back O
to O
DISC1 O
sheds O
much O
needed O
light O
on O
these O
debilitating O
disorders O
. O
It O
also O
suggests O
a O
new O
way O
of O
thinking O
about O
developing O
better O
and O
effective O
medicines O
, O
" O
said O
David O
Porteous O
, O
a O
professor O
at O
the O
University O
of O
Edinburgh O
, O
Britain O
, O
who O
led O
the O
study O
. O

The O
new O
discovery O
may O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
lead O
to O
the O
eventual O
development O
of O
new O
drugs O
to O
treat O
mental O
health O
problems O
, O
the O
researchers O
said O
. O

" O
Our O
insights O
into O
the O
important O
role O
that O
the O
proteins O
PDE4B O
and O
DISC1 O
may O
play O
in O
the O
mis O
- O
function O
of O
the O
brain O
that O
leads O
to O
schizophrenia O
will O
lead O
our O
thinking O
in O
the O
development O
of O
new O
treatments O
for O
this O
disorder O
, O
" O
said O
Peter O
Hutson O
, O
co O
- O
author O
of O
the O
study O
from O
the O
drug O
maker O
Merck O
Sharp O
Dohme O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0312 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Malaysian O
opposition O
calls O
on O
politician O
to O
resign O

A O
Malaysian O
opposition O
leader O
Friday B-T
called O
for O
the O
resignation O
of O
a O
high O
- O
ranking O
Malaysian O
politician O
charged O
with O
attempting O
to O
take O
undeclared O
currency O
out O
of O
Australia O
. O

Muhammad O
bin O
Muhammad O
Taib O
, O
chief O
minister O
of O
Malaysia O
' O
s O
central O
state O
of O
Selangor O
, O
was O
earlier O
Friday B-T
ordered O
by O
an O
Australian O
court O
to O
attend O
a O
three O
- O
day O
committal O
hearing O
beginning O
August B-T
19 I-T
. O

Muhammad O
, O
51 O
, O
who O
was O
not O
required O
to O
attend O
the O
court O
hearing O
Friday B-T
, O
was O
charged O
with O
failing O
to O
declare O
the O
equivalent O
of O
2 O
. O
4 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
981 O
, O
000 O
US O
) O
in O
December B-T
1996 I-T
. O

Under O
Australian O
law O
it O
is O
an O
offence O
to O
carry O
more O
than O
5 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
in O
cash O
into O
or O
out O
of O
the O
country O
without O
declaring O
it O
. O

Parliamentary O
opposition O
Lim O
Kit O
Siang O
called O
on O
Muhammad O
to O
" O
resign O
or O
take O
immediate O
long O
leave O
until O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
court O
proceedings O
in O
August B-T
. O
" O

" O
If O
Muhammad O
loves O
Malaysia O
, O
he O
should O
resign O
as O
Selangor O
chief O
minister O
to O
end O
the O
enormous O
embarassment O
he O
is O
causing O
the O
nation O
with O
endless O
international O
reports O
about O
his O
vast O
wealth O
, O
" O
Lim O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
Malaysia O
must O
not O
be O
put O
through O
another O
four B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
agony O
and O
international O
embarrassment O
over O
his O
2 O
. O
4 O
- O
million O
- O
ringgit O
cash O
caper O
in O
Brisbane O
and O
frequent O
reports O
about O
his O
Australian O
properties O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
The O
reports O
not O
only O
embarass O
Malaysia O
but O
reinforces O
international O
perceptions O
that O
the O
anti O
- O
corruption O
agency O
( O
ACA O
) O
is O
impotent O
when O
faced O
with O
corruption O
in O
high O
political O
places O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Muhammad O
had O
said O
the O
undeclared O
money O
was O
entrusted O
to O
him O
by O
his O
three O
brothers O
to O
buy O
property O
in O
Brisbane O
' O
s O
Gold O
Coast O
but O
Australian O
newspaper O
alleged O
he O
owned O
multi O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
properties O
in O
the O
country O
. O

ACA O
officials O
on O
Tuesday B-T
flew O
to O
Brisbane O
to O
probe O
allegations O
of O
Muhammad O
' O
s O
property O
investments O
in O
Australia O
including O
a O
two O
- O
million O
- O
ringgit O
( O
800 O
, O
000 O
- O
dollar O
) O
house O
and O
various O
properties O
. O

Muhammad O
was O
about O
to O
board O
a O
flight O
to O
New O
Zealand O
on O
December B-T
23 I-T
last I-T
year I-T
when O
a O
customs O
official O
opened O
his O
suitcase O
and O
allegedly O
discovered O
the O
cash O
in O
Malaysian O
, O
Singaporean O
and O
New O
Zealand O
currency O
. O

Muhammad O
, O
who O
is O
also O
the O
vice O
- O
president O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
Mahathir O
Mohamad O
' O
s O
ruling O
UMNO O
party O
, O
came O
into O
the O
limelight O
six B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
when O
he O
incurred O
the O
wrath O
of O
the O
Selangor O
sultan O
by O
secretly O
marrying O
his O
second O
daughter O
, O
Princess O
Zahariah O
Sallahuddin O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0611 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

vote O

The O
US O
House O
of O
Representatives O
backed O
a O
resolution O
Friday B-T
asserting O
that O
the O
Palestinain O
Islamist O
movement O
Hamas O
should O
not O
be O
allowed O
to O
participate O
in O
Palestinian O
elections O
. O

The O
resolution O
, O
which O
said O
that O
Hamas O
should O
not O
be O
permitted O
to O
participate O
in O
Palestinian O
polls O
until O
it O
recognizes O
" O
Israel O
' O
s O
right O
to O
exist O
as O
a O
Jewish O
state O
, O
" O
was O
approved O
by O
a O
voice O
vote O
of O
397 O
to O
17 O
with O
seven O
abstentions O
. O

Hamas O
scored O
a O
resounding O
victory O
Friday B-T
in O
local O
elections O
in O
the O
main O
West O
Bank O
cities O
in O
what O
was O
one O
of O
the O
clearest O
indicators O
of O
the O
Palestinain O
Islamist O
movement O
' O
s O
strength O
ahead O
of O
January B-T
' O
s O
parliamentary O
contest O
. O

According O
to O
preliminary O
results O
provided O
by O
a O
senior O
election O
official O
, O
Hamas O
was O
savouring O
victory O
in O
three O
of O
the O
West O
Bank O
' O
s O
four O
major O
cities O
, O
while O
rival O
Fatah O
was O
left O
licking O
its O
wounds O
following O
a O
week O
of O
violence O
and O
bitter O
divisions O
which O
nearly O
split O
the O
dominant O
party O
. O

The O
results O
are O
expected O
to O
bode O
well O
for O
Hamas O
ahead O
of O
the O
January B-T
25 I-T
parliamentary O
election O
. O

The O
US O
congressional O
resolution O
also O
urged O
Hamas O
- O
- O
which O
is O
designated O
a O
terrorist O
group O
by O
the O
US O
State O
Department O
- O
- O
to O
" O
permanently O
disarm O
and O
dismantle O
their O
terrorist O
infrastructure O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0206 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
first O
ever O
space O
textbook O
declassified O
and O
published O

The O
formerly O
classified O
manuscript O
written O
by O
the O
father O
of O
China O
' O
s O
space O
and O
missile O
industry O
has O
been O
published O
. O

Qian O
Xuesen O
' O
s O
manuscript O
entitled O
" O
A O
General O
Introduction O
to O
the O
Missile O
" O
hit O
the O
shelves O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Friday B-T
, I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
after O
Qian O
first O
used O
it O
to O
teach O
156 O
university O
students O
, O
China O
' O
s O
first O
generation O
of O
space O
scientists O
. O

" O
The O
manuscript O
was O
China O
' O
s O
first O
textbook O
on O
space O
and O
missiles O
but O
it O
was O
defined O
as O
a O
classified O
document O
in O
1956 B-T
, O
" O
said O
Shi O
Lei O
, O
vice O
president O
of O
the O
China O
Astronautic O
Publishing O
House O
, O
the O
book O
' O
s O
publisher O
. O

" O
Although O
the O
content O
of O
' O
A O
General O
Introduction O
to O
Missile O
' O
was O
passed O
on O
by O
word O
of O
mouth O
between O
different O
generations O
of O
Chinese O
space O
scientists O
, O
few O
people O
ever O
saw O
the O
manuscript O
, O
" O
Shi O
said O
. O

" O
The O
publishing O
of O
the O
book O
marks O
the O
50th O
anniversary O
of O
China O
' O
s O
space O
industry O
and O
the O
95th O
anniversary O
of O
Qian O
' O
s O
birth O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Born O
in O
1911 B-T
in O
the O
eastern O
Chinese O
city O
of O
Hangzhou O
, O
Qian O
Xuesen O
, O
or O
Tsien O
Hsue O
- O
sen O
, O
left O
for O
the O
United O
States O
after O
winning O
a O
scholarship O
in O
1936 B-T
. O
He O
earned O
a O
doctorate O
and O
became O
a O
professor O
at O
the O
California O
Institute O
of O
Technology O
. O
In O
October B-T
1955 I-T
, O
Qian O
and O
his O
family O
returned O
to O
Beijing O
. O

He O
led O
the O
development O
of O
China O
' O
s O
first O
nuclear O
- O
armed O
ballistic O
missiles O
and O
worked O
on O
its O
first O
satellite O
, O
launched O
in O
1970 B-T
. O

Qian O
retired O
in O
1991 B-T
. O
His O
research O
formed O
the O
basis O
for O
the O
Long O
March O
CZ O
- O
2F O
rocket O
that O
carried O
China O
' O
s O
astronaut O
Yang O
Liwei O
into O
orbit O
. O

An O
autographed O
copy O
by O
Qian O
was O
given O
to O
the O
National O
Museum O
of O
China O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0296 O

ABU O
DHABI O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Investors O
race O
for O
world O
' O
s O
biggest O
Islamic O
bank O
by O
Nadim O
Kawash O

United O
Arab O
Emirates O
( O
UAE O
) O
investors O
are O
racing O
to O
subscribe O
in O
the O
world O
' O
s O
biggest O
Islamic O
bank O
that O
is O
to O
be O
set O
up O
by O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
Gulf O
states O
, O
dealers O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Many O
of O
them O
have O
sold O
shares O
in O
other O
institutions O
to O
secure O
cash O
for O
their O
stake O
in O
the O
Emirates O
Islamic O
Bank O
( O
EISB O
) O
, O
which O
will O
be O
based O
in O
Abu O
Dhabi O
and O
partly O
owned O
by O
the O
UAE O
government O
, O
they O
said O
. O

" O
I O
have O
been O
flooded O
with O
queries O
about O
the O
date O
of O
the O
subscription O
, O
which O
I O
expect O
to O
begin O
within O
a B-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
, O
" O
said O
Bassam O
al O
- O
Ramahi O
, O
deputy O
manager O
of O
the O
Emirates O
Commercial O
Centre O
, O
a O
leading O
brokerage O
house O
. O

" O
Many O
dealers O
are O
selling O
their O
shares O
to O
get O
cash O
to O
contribute O
to O
the O
bank O
. O
I O
am O
sure O
that O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
capital O
will O
be O
far O
oversubscribed O
because O
the O
government O
participation O
gives O
confidence O
to O
investors O
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

Bankers O
said O
the O
central O
bank O
had O
already O
approved O
the O
project O
and O
it O
would O
be O
launched O
once O
its O
statute O
is O
finalized O
. O
The O
state O
- O
owned O
Abu O
Dhabi O
Investment O
Authority O
and O
other O
official O
institutions O
are O
among O
the O
key O
shareholders O
. O

The O
project O
had O
initially O
been O
called O
the O
Abu O
Dhabi O
Islamic O
Bank O
and O
was O
confined O
to O
investors O
from O
the O
emirate O
. O
But O
it O
was O
changed O
to O
cover O
the O
whole O
UAE O
following O
applications O
by O
other O
emirates O
to O
set O
up O
similar O
banks O
. O

The O
official O
daily O
Al O
- O
Bayan O
said O
the O
bank O
would O
have O
a O
paid O
- O
up O
capital O
of O
1 O
. O
2 O
billion O
dirhams O
( O
326 O
million O
dollars O
) O
and O
an O
authorised O
capital O
of O
three O
billion O
dirhams O
( O
817 O
million O
dollars O
) O
. O

" O
Our O
expectations O
are O
that O
subscription O
would O
reach O
double O
the O
authorised O
capital O
in O
a O
short O
period O
of O
time O
given O
the O
large O
liquidity O
in O
the O
market O
. O
This O
could O
prompt O
shareholders O
to O
raise O
the O
paid O
- O
up O
capital O
, O
" O
Ramahi O
said O
. O

The O
venture O
will O
be O
the O
biggest O
Islamic O
bank O
in O
the O
world O
in O
terms O
of O
capital O
. O
The O
Cairo O
- O
based O
Faisal O
Bank O
is O
currently O
the O
top O
Islamic O
bank O
. O

EISB O
is O
the O
second O
Islamic O
bank O
in O
the O
UAE O
after O
the O
Dubai O
Islamic O
Bank O
, O
at O
present O
the O
second O
biggest O
in O
the O
world O
, O
with O
a O
capital O
of O
135 O
. O
6 O
million O
dollars O
. O

Al O
- O
Bayan O
did O
not O
specify O
the O
size O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
shareholding O
in O
EISB O
but O
bankers O
expect O
it O
to O
be O
less O
than O
50 O
percent O
. O
They O
said O
investors O
from O
other O
Gulf O
Arab O
states O
would O
be O
given O
a O
limited O
access O
to O
the O
project O
. O

" O
This O
project O
it O
highly O
feasible O
and O
I O
am O
certain O
there O
will O
be O
a O
rush O
by O
investors O
, O
" O
said O
Zuhair O
Kaswani O
, O
another O
UAE O
stockbroker O
. O

" O
The O
UAE O
has O
a O
large O
number O
of O
banks O
but O
the O
market O
here O
and O
in O
other O
regional O
states O
can O
accommodate O
more O
given O
the O
expanding O
business O
opportunities O
. O
As O
you O
see O
, O
most O
banks O
are O
making O
high O
profits O
every B-T
year I-T
. O
" O

The O
UAE O
, O
a O
major O
OPEC O
oil O
- O
producer O
, O
has O
19 O
national O
banks O
and O
28 O
foreign O
units O
, O
with O
assets O
of O
around O
46 O
billion O
dollars O
. O
It O
has O
suspended O
permits O
for O
new O
foreign O
commercial O
banks O
but O
allowed O
opening O
of O
representative O
offices O
. O

EISB O
was O
planned O
after O
several O
other O
Middle O
East O
banks O
opened O
Islamic O
banking O
units O
to O
take O
advantage O
of O
the O
growing O
demand O
for O
such O
operations O
. O

" O
There O
are O
two O
main O
factors O
for O
the O
expected O
success O
of O
the O
EISB O
project O
. O
The O
first O
is O
that O
there O
is O
a O
growing O
tendency O
by O
the O
public O
to O
invest O
in O
Islamic O
banks O
for O
religious O
reasons O
, O
" O
Ramahi O
said O
. O

" O
The O
second O
factor O
is O
purely O
economic O
. O
Most O
Islamic O
banks O
here O
are O
now O
ensuring O
higher O
returns O
for O
investors O
compared O
with O
commercial O
banks O
. O
" O

Islamic O
banks O
do O
not O
deal O
in O
interest O
which O
is O
prohibited O
in O
Islam O
as O
usury O
. O
Their O
main O
activities O
cover O
financing O
of O
projects O
and O
charging O
a O
percentage O
of O
the O
profits O
as O
well O
as O
trading O
in O
property O
, O
cars O
and O
other O
items O
. O

CNN_20130322_248 O

March B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2013 I-T

FAA O
to O
close O
149 O
regional O
airport O
control O
towers O
, O
spare O
40 O
others O

The O
FAA O
on O
Friday B-T
announced O
it O
will O
close O
149 O
regional O
airport O
control O
towers O
because O
of O
forced O
spending O
cuts O
- O
- O
sparing O
40 O
others O
that O
the O
FAA O
had O
been O
expected O
to O
shutter O
. O

A O
four B-T
- I-T
week I-T
, O
phased O
closure O
of O
the O
149 O
control O
towers O
will O
begin O
on O
April B-T
7 I-T
, O
the O
FAA O
said O
. O

The O
FAA O
had O
been O
expected O
to O
announce O
the O
closure O
of O
189 O
low O
- O
or O
moderate O
- O
volume O
towers O
staffed O
by O
contractors O
. O
Before O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
announcement O
, O
it O
said O
it O
would O
consider O
keeping O
a O
tower O
open O
if O
the O
airport O
convinces O
the O
agency O
it O
is O
in O
the O
" O
national O
interest O
" O
to O
do O
so O
. O

By O
congressional O
mandate O
, O
the O
FAA O
must O
cut O
nearly O
$ O
600 O
million O
from O
its O
nearly O
$ O
48 O
billion O
budget O
this B-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
. O
Because O
the O
majority O
of O
its O
47 O
, O
000 O
employees O
are O
air O
traffic O
controllers O
, O
it O
is O
impossible O
to O
cut O
its O
budget O
without O
affecting O
controllers O
, O
the O
agency O
says O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0370 O

ABUJA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

AU O
extends O
Darfur O
peacekeeping O
force O
' O
s O
mandate O
for O
6 O
months O

The O
African O
Union O
( O
AU O
) O
is O
to O
extend O
the O
mandate O
of O
its O
peacekeeping O
force O
in O
Sudan O
' O
s O
Darfur O
region O
for O
six B-T
months I-T
, O
an O
AU O
delegate O
said O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
delegate O
, O
who O
is O
participating O
in O
the O
AU O
' O
s O
peace O
and O
security O
council O
meeting O
in O
Nigerian O
capital O
Abuja O
, O
said O
the O
commander O
of O
the O
AU O
force O
would O
be O
appointed O
by O
the O
AU O
after O
consultations O
with O
the O
United O
Nations O
and O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
, O
which O
has O
declined O
the O
deployment O
of O
UN O
peacekeepers O
in O
Darfur O
. O

The O
AU O
Peace O
and O
Security O
Council O
agreed O
in O
September B-T
to O
extend O
the O
mandate O
of O
its O
forces O
in O
Darfur O
to O
the O
end O
of O
this O
year O
with O
the O
helps O
to O
be O
provided O
by O
the O
UN O
and O
the O
international O
society O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0153 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Lebanese O
leaders O
resume O
" O
ice O
- O
breaking O
" O
talks O
amid O
debates O

Lebanon O
' O
s O
top O
politicians O
resumed O
all O
- O
party O
talks O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
discuss O
the O
demand O
by O
Hezbollah O
guerillas O
and O
its O
allies O
for O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
. O

The O
round O
- O
table O
talks O
kicked O
off O
on O
Monday B-T
amid O
an O
abyss O
between O
Hezbollah O
and O
the O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
parliamentary O
majority O
who O
threatened O
to O
stage O
mass O
protests O
. O

After O
the O
Monday B-T
talks I-T
, O
Lebanese O
parliament O
Speaker O
Nabih O
Berri O
, O
who O
hosts O
the O
talks O
in O
central O
Beirut O
, O
said O
that O
the O
atmosphere O
at O
the O
first O
session O
had O
been O
positive O
. O

The O
participants O
had O
succeeded O
in O
" O
breaking O
the O
ice O
" O
and O
agreed O
on O
a O
" O
media O
truce O
" O
to O
stop O
attacking O
each O
other O
by O
media O
reports O
. O

" O
It O
is O
necessary O
to O
reach O
a O
solution O
because O
we O
cannot O
stay O
in O
this O
situation O
. O
Everyone O
is O
keen O
to O
unite O
in O
order O
to O
resolve O
issues O
, O
" O
Berri O
added O
. O

All O
major O
political O
leaders O
attended O
the O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
dialogue O
amid O
tight O
security O
, O
except O
for O
Hezbollah O
leader O
Sayyed O
Hassan O
Nasrallah O
for O
safety O
reasons O
, O
who O
was O
represented O
by O
cabinet O
minister O
Mohammed O
Fneish O
as O
well O
as O
parliament O
members O
Mohammed O
Raad O
and O
Hussein O
Hajj O
Hassan O
. O

Hezbollah O
is O
calling O
for O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
to O
" O
face O
up O
to O
the O
challenges O
with O
which O
Lebanon O
is O
confronted O
" O
. O

Nasrallah O
has O
said O
he O
wants O
his O
Shiite O
party O
, O
which O
has O
two O
ministers O
in O
the O
cabinet O
dominated O
by O
the O
ruling O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
parliamentary O
majority O
, O
and O
allies O
to O
comprise O
one O
- O
third O
of O
the O
cabinet O
. O
That O
effectively O
means O
that O
Hezbollah O
and O
its O
allies O
could O
veto O
key O
decisions O
. O

A O
two O
- O
thirds O
vote O
in O
the O
cabinet O
is O
needed O
to O
pass O
decisions O
that O
are O
not O
made O
by O
consensus O
. O
A O
resignation O
of O
one O
- O
third O
of O
the O
cabinet O
automatically O
brings O
down O
the O
government O
. O

Nasrallah O
has O
threatened O
that O
if O
talks O
fail O
, O
Hezbollah O
would O
" O
go O
to O
the O
streets O
" O
to O
demand O
a O
unity O
government O
and O
call O
for O
early O
parliamentary O
elections O
. O

In O
response O
to O
Nasrallah O
' O
s O
warning O
, O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
Christian O
leader O
Samir O
Geagea O
said O
his O
camp O
was O
ready O
to O
stage O
counter O
- O
protests O
. O

The O
dialogue O
, O
launched O
in O
early O
March B-T
, O
had O
been O
scheduled O
for O
July B-T
25 I-T
. O
But O
the O
outbreak O
of O
the O
34 O
- O
day O
Israel O
- O
Hezbollah O
conflict O
on O
July B-T
12 I-T
has O
prevented O
the O
resumption O
of O
the O
talks O
. O

During O
the O
previous O
sessions O
, O
the O
political O
leaders O
failed O
to O
reach O
consensus O
on O
the O
future O
of O
Lebanese O
president O
Emile O
Lahoud O
, O
a O
staunch O
Syrian O
supporter O
, O
and O
the O
disarmament O
of O
Hezbollah O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
there O
were O
bombings O
to O
target O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
figures O
and O
commercial O
centers O
in O
Christian O
areas O
, O
killing O
two O
prominent O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
journalists O
and O
a O
politician O
. O

The O
largest O
explosion O
was O
in O
Feb B-T
. I-T
2005 I-T
, O
killing O
former O
Prime O
Minister O
Rafik O
Hariri O
and O
22 O
others O
in O
central O
Beirut O
. O

Anti O
- O
Syrian O
groups O
have O
accused O
Damascus O
of O
backing O
the O
bombings O
, O
an O
accusation O
denied O
by O
Syria O
which O
later O
was O
forced O
to O
withdraw O
its O
army O
from O
Lebanon O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0031 O

HEFEI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Isolation O
on O
bird O
flu O
epidemic O
ends O
in O
east O
China O
city O

Isolation O
on O
bird O
flu O
epidemic O
in O
Tianchang O
, O
a O
city O
in O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Anhui O
Province O
, O
was O
relieved O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
local O
government O
has O
announced O
after O
a O
21 O
- O
day O
quarantine O
check O
. O

A O
bird O
flu O
outbreak O
took O
place O
in O
the O
city O
on O
October B-T
20 I-T
, O
killing O
550 O
poultry O
, O
and O
the O
city O
has O
made O
tremendous O
efforts O
in O
the O
treatment O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
outbreak O
, O
blockade O
and O
disinfection O
of O
affected O
areas O
. O

A O
final O
check O
jointly O
organized O
by O
the O
Anhui O
Provincial O
government O
and O
Chuzhou O
city O
government O
on O
Monday B-T
confirmed O
the O
city O
has O
met O
the O
standards O
set O
by O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
and O
is O
therefore O
in O
a O
position O
to O
end O
epidemic O
isolation O
. O

Live O
poultry O
markets O
10 O
kilometers O
in O
circumference O
from O
the O
affected O
region O
have O
also O
reopened O
after O
a O
three O
- O
week O
closure O
. O

But O
the O
city O
government O
said O
it O
will O
continue O
to O
strictly O
monitor O
the O
formerly O
affected O
areas O
in O
Liangying O
village O
, O
where O
the O
epidemic O
broke O
out O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
. O
Thousands O
of O
live O
poultry O
had O
been O
killed O
ever O
since O
and O
all O
poultry O
farms O
have O
vaccinated O
their O
livestock O
. O

Tianchang O
, O
seated O
on O
the O
course O
of O
migratory O
birds O
' O
migration O
route O
between O
Siberia O
in O
the O
north O
and O
Australia O
in O
the O
south O
, O
is O
a O
midway O
rest O
place O
for O
one O
million O
migratory O
birds O
every B-T
year I-T
. O
All O
monitoring O
stations O
in O
the O
city O
are O
monitoring O
migratory O
birds O
' O
activities O
round O
- O
the O
- O
clock O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0174 O

GAO O
, O
Mali O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Mali O
' O
s O
nomadic O
election O
campaign O
hits O
the O
home O
stretch O
by O
Serge O
Daniel O

Mali O
' O
s O
political O
parties O
are O
hitting O
the O
dusty O
roads O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
legislative O
elections O
, O
wooing O
voters O
with O
" O
victory O
caravans O
. O
" O

It O
is O
an O
appropriate O
way O
to O
campaign O
in O
a O
desert O
country O
more O
than O
twice O
the O
size O
of O
France O
, O
and O
which O
had O
35 O
years O
of O
single O
- O
party O
rule O
until O
its O
first O
free O
elections O
in O
1992 B-T
. O

Though O
it O
is O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
poorest O
nations O
, O
Mali O
- O
- O
home O
to O
nine O
million O
people O
- O
- O
has O
recently O
acquired O
a O
reputation O
as O
one O
of O
Africa O
' O
s O
most O
democratic O
states O
. O

Thirty B-T
- I-T
five I-T
years I-T
of O
one O
- O
party O
rule O
ended O
in O
1992 B-T
with O
the O
election O
of O
Alpha O
Oumar O
Konare O
, O
who O
is O
one O
of O
10 O
registered O
candidates O
for O
presidential O
elections O
to O
be O
held O
in O
May B-T
. O

Sunday B-T
will O
see O
the O
first O
round O
of O
the O
legislative O
polls O
, O
to O
be O
followed O
by O
a O
run O
- O
off O
on O
April B-T
27 I-T
. O
More O
than O
1 O
, O
500 O
candidates O
are O
in O
the O
running O
nationwide O
, O
representing O
at O
least O
34 O
of O
Mali O
' O
s O
62 O
political O
parties O
. O

Cars O
, O
motorcycles O
and O
bicycles O
make O
up O
the O
various O
campaign O
caravans O
that O
are O
criss O
- O
crossing O
northern O
Mali O
with O
loudspeakers O
blaring O
the O
virtues O
of O
their O
respective O
candidates O
. O

Most O
evident O
are O
the O
governing O
Alliance O
for O
Democracy O
in O
Mali O
, O
which O
took O
76 O
of O
the O
129 O
seats O
contested O
in O
1992 B-T
, O
and O
the O
Bloc O
for O
Democracy O
and O
African O
Integration O
. O

" O
For O
us O
, O
an O
election O
is O
not O
won O
with O
a O
platform O
, O
but O
with O
the O
ability O
of O
the O
parties O
to O
mobilize O
their O
supporters O
, O
" O
one O
candidate O
said O
. O

The O
mood O
is O
even O
livelier O
than O
it O
was O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
the O
north O
, O
the O
stronghold O
of O
a O
long O
- O
running O
Tuareg O
insurgency O
that O
formally O
ended O
in O
1992 B-T
. O

Wooing O
voters O
, O
candidates O
are O
giving O
away O
T O
- O
shirts O
and O
rice O
. O
Some O
village O
chiefs O
have O
found O
themselves O
the O
recipients O
of O
motorcycles O
and O
sheep O
. O

It O
is O
not O
rare O
to O
see O
in O
villages O
the O
heads O
of O
donkeys O
sacrificed O
in O
anticipation O
of O
a O
candidate O
' O
s O
victory O
at O
the O
polls O
. O

Merchants O
are O
delighted O
, O
saying O
they O
would O
not O
mind O
an O
election O
every B-T
month I-T
because O
of O
the O
extra O
business O
that O
campaigning O
has O
brought O
to O
them O
. O

Happy O
too O
are O
the O
marabouts O
, O
the O
Moslem O
monks O
of O
North O
Africa O
, O
whose O
advice O
is O
regularly O
sought O
out O
by O
candidates O
. O

In O
Gao O
, O
some O
1 O
, O
000 O
kilometers O
( O
600 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
the O
capital O
Bamako O
, O
election O
officials O
say O
289 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
registered O
to O
cast O
ballots O
at O
450 O
polling O
stations O
. O

Seventy O
of O
the O
polling O
stations O
will O
be O
mobile O
, O
bringing O
democracy O
to O
the O
voters O
where O
they O
live O
and O
work O
. O

" O
We O
are O
ready O
, O
" O
said O
Bakayoko O
( O
eds O
: O
one O
name O
) O
, O
the O
chief O
returning O
officer O
in O
Gao O
. O

To O
deal O
with O
bandits O
, O
who O
are O
blamed O
for O
recent O
thefts O
of O
four O
- O
wheel O
- O
drive O
vehicles O
, O
a O
special O
security O
unit O
has O
been O
set O
up O
to O
assit O
the O
national O
election O
commission O
. O

It O
is O
tasked O
with O
guarding O
ballot O
papers O
, O
see O
- O
through O
ballot O
boxes O
and O
indelible O
ink O
as O
they O
are O
distributed O
over O
the O
countryside O
. O

In O
far O
- O
off O
places O
with O
names O
like O
Bourem O
, O
Menaka O
and O
Djebock O
, O
voting O
will O
take O
place O
" O
under O
supervision O
, O
" O
officials O
said O
. O

" O
The O
aim O
is O
to O
deter O
any O
interference O
by O
armed O
bandits O
, O
so O
that O
the O
return O
of O
peace O
is O
genuine O
in O
the O
north O
, O
" O
one O
official O
told O
AFP O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061217 O
. O
0084 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
Anwar O
signals O
political O
return O
, O
warns O
of O
Islam O
debate O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
ex O
- O
deputy O
premier O
Anwar O
Ibrahim O
Sunday O
said O
debates O
over O
Islam O
' O
s O
role O
in O
the O
nation O
had O
become O
divisive O
and O
" O
worrying O
" O
, O
in O
statements O
marking O
his O
full O
- O
time O
return O
to O
politics O
here O
. O

The O
comments O
from O
Anwar O
, O
who O
also O
said O
he O
will O
contest O
the O
next O
elections O
, O
come O
amidst O
growing O
tensions O
between O
Malaysia O
' O
s O
majority O
Muslim O
Malays O
and O
minority O
Chinese O
and O
Indians O
. O

" O
The O
worrying O
thing O
is O
the O
Muslims O
feel O
their O
position O
and O
their O
power O
, O
including O
the O
religious O
courts O
, O
are O
being O
eroded O
, O
" O
Anwar O
told O
reporters O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
a O
forum O
of O
Muslim O
scholars O
and O
activists O
. O

" O
The O
non O
- O
Muslims O
feel O
that O
they O
are O
being O
marginalised O
and O
discriminated O
against O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Malaysia O
is O
seen O
as O
a O
moderate O
Muslim O
- O
majority O
nation O
, O
but O
race O
relations O
have O
been O
strained O
by O
a O
series O
of O
controversial O
court O
cases O
involving O
the O
rights O
of O
Muslims O
and O
non O
- O
Muslims O
, O
and O
questions O
over O
which O
group O
takes O
precedence O
. O

The O
government O
has O
banned O
activists O
from O
discussing O
religious O
rights O
and O
called O
on O
the O
media O
to O
stop O
highlighting O
race O
- O
related O
issues O
. O

" O
We O
have O
come O
to O
the O
stage O
where O
it O
is O
considered O
to O
be O
unhealthy O
, O
" O
Anwar O
said O
, O
asked O
about O
debates O
on O
the O
perceived O
Islamisation O
of O
Malaysia O
. O

" O
The O
position O
by O
the O
prime O
minister O
and O
the O
government O
to O
deny O
the O
rights O
of O
non O
- O
Muslims O
. O
. O
. O
or O
deny O
an O
open O
public O
discourse O
on O
the O
subjects O
. O
. O
. O
have O
exacerbated O
the O
entire O
problem O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Anwar O
, O
59 O
, O
has O
criss O
- O
crossed O
betweeen O
Malaysia O
and O
overseas O
destinations O
since O
his O
release O
from O
prison O
in O
2004 B-T
on O
sodomy O
and O
corruption O
charges O
, O
including O
the O
United O
States O
, O
where O
he O
was O
a O
professor O
with O
Georgetown O
University O
. O

But O
Anwar O
, O
who O
returned O
permanently O
to O
Malaysia O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
said O
he O
had O
finished O
his O
tenure O
and O
announced O
his O
full O
- O
time O
return O
to O
politics O
here O
. O

Asked O
if O
he O
will O
contest O
elections O
to O
be O
a O
member O
of O
parliament O
in O
late B-T
2008 I-T
, O
he O
replied O
: O
" O
Of O
course O
. O
It O
' O
s O
my O
right O
, O
which O
they O
used O
the O
courts O
to O
deny O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0209 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Injured O
Roslin O
to O
miss O
Doha O
' O
s O
Asiad O

Malaysian O
shuttler O
Roslin O
Hashim O
was O
confirmed O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
miss O
the O
upcoming O
Asia O
Games O
slated O
here O
for O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
due O
to O
an O
elbow O
injury O
. O

Roslin O
is O
nursing O
an O
elbow O
injury O
sustained O
at O
the O
Holland O
Open O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
and O
he O
will O
be O
replaced O
by O
Wong O
Choon O
Han O
for O
the O
men O
' O
s O
singles O
event O
, O
Abdullah O
Sani O
Karim O
, O
chef O
de O
mission O
of O
the O
Malaysian O
delegation O
told O
Xinhua O
by O
telephone O
. O

Malaysia O
king O
Sultan O
Mizan O
Zainal O
Abidin O
, O
who O
was O
scheduled O
to O
compete O
in O
the O
equestrian O
event O
of O
the O
Doha O
Asiad O
, O
also O
quit O
the O
Games O
due O
to O
a O
royal O
ceremony O
at O
home O
. O

Sultan O
Mizan O
will O
be O
coronated O
as O
the O
13th O
Yang O
di O
- O
Pertuan O
Agong O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0662 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
Roman O
Catholic O
Archdiocese O
of O
Portland O
in O
the O
northwest O
US O
state O
of O
Oregon O
has O
settled O
with O
around O
150 O
people O
claiming O
they O
were O
abused O
by O
priests O
, O
authorities O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

Oregon O
District O
Court O
Judge O
Michael O
Hogan O
, O
who O
mediated O
in O
the O
case O
, O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
those O
seeking O
damages O
had O
dropped O
their O
lawsuits O
after O
agreeing O
settlement O
with O
church O
authorities O
. O

No O
figure O
for O
the O
settlement O
was O
revealed O
and O
parties O
in O
the O
case O
have O
been O
forbidden O
from O
discussing O
the O
deal O
in O
public O
. O

The O
Portland O
Archdiocese O
filed O
for O
bankruptcy O
protection O
in O
2004 B-T
as O
it O
staggered O
under O
a O
135 O
million O
- O
dollar O
lawsuit O
claiming O
sexual O
abuse O
by O
members O
of O
its O
clergy O
. O

The O
Roman O
Catholic O
Church O
in O
the O
United O
States O
has O
been O
rocked O
by O
clergy O
pedophilia O
scandals O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
. O

Several O
priests O
have O
been O
convicted O
and O
four O
dioceses O
have O
gone O
bankrupt O
after O
being O
ordered O
to O
pay O
huge O
civil O
penalties O
and O
interest O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
the O
Roman O
Catholic O
Archdiocese O
of O
Los O
Angeles O
said O
it O
had O
agreed O
to O
pay O
60 O
million O
dollars O
to O
settle O
accusations O
by O
45 O
people O
that O
they O
were O
sexually O
abused O
by O
priests O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0496 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

oil O
- O
for O
- O
food O
scam O

The O
Indian O
government O
was O
braced O
for O
a O
storm O
in O
parliament O
Monday B-T
after O
fresh O
allegations O
that O
the O
former O
foreign O
minister O
and O
the O
ruling O
Congress O
party O
were O
involved O
in O
a O
scam O
to O
profit O
from O
a O
UN O
oil O
- O
for O
- O
food O
deal O
in O
Iraq O
. O

" O
We O
will O
be O
adopting O
an O
aggressive O
posture O
" O
during O
the O
coming O
week O
in O
parliament O
, O
Vijay O
Kumar O
Malhotra O
, O
a O
leader O
of O
the O
main O
opposition O
Bharatiya O
Janata O
Party O
( O
BJP O
) O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
We O
will O
insist O
on O
Natwar O
Singh O
' O
s O
resignation O
from O
the O
union O
cabinet O
and O
Sonia O
Gandhi O
' O
s O
resignation O
as O
chairperson O
of O
the O
National O
Advisory O
Council O
, O
" O
a O
body O
that O
provides O
an O
interface O
between O
the O
government O
and O
civil O
society O
, O
Malhotra O
said O
. O

Malhotra O
' O
s O
comments O
followed O
new O
revelations O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
by O
a O
former O
Indian O
ambassador O
and O
Congress O
insider O
that O
former O
foreign O
minister O
Natwar O
Singh O
and O
the O
Congress O
party O
got O
special O
vouchers O
to O
purchase O
oil O
cheaply O
from O
Baghdad O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

In O
an O
interview O
with O
India O
Today O
magazine O
, O
Anil O
Matherani O
, O
India O
' O
s O
former O
envoy O
to O
Croatia O
, O
said O
the O
Iraqis O
had O
rewarded O
Singh O
with O
an O
oil O
allotment O
for O
his O
" O
personal O
service O
. O
" O

Matherani O
, O
who O
said O
the O
comments O
were O
not O
for O
publication O
and O
taken O
out O
of O
context O
, O
worked O
closely O
with O
Natwar O
Singh O
in O
the O
Congress O
party O
before O
being O
posted O
as O
ambassador O
to O
Croatia O
. O
He O
was O
recalled O
to O
Delhi O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
after O
his O
revelations O
. O

" O
The O
fact O
of O
the O
matter O
is O
that O
both O
allottees O
. O
. O
. O
in O
my O
view O
are O
exactly O
the O
same O
. O
. O
. O
one O
has O
been O
( O
given O
) O
to O
Natwar O
and O
the O
other O
one O
to O
the O
Congress O
party O
, O
" O
Matherani O
told O
the O
national O
news O
weekly O
. O

Singh O
led O
a O
four O
- O
member O
team O
to O
Iraq O
in O
2001 B-T
that O
included O
Matherani O
. O

" O
One O
( O
was O
) O
for O
Natwar O
' O
s O
personal O
services O
. O
Don O
' O
t O
forget O
that O
he O
has O
been O
the O
one O
who O
has O
been O
espousing O
Iraq O
' O
s O
cause O
. O
" O

The O
comments O
caused O
a O
furore O
in O
parliament O
late O
Friday B-T
and O
the O
opposition O
demanded O
afresh O
that O
Singh O
be O
dumped O
from O
his O
current B-T
role O
as O
cabinet O
minister O
without O
portfolio O
that O
was O
assigned O
during O
an O
investigation O
into O
oil O
- O
for O
- O
food O
allegations O
made O
in O
a O
United O
Nations O
report O
. O

Singh O
was O
also O
sacked O
from O
his O
post O
in O
the O
Congress O
Steering O
Committee O
, O
the O
party O
' O
s O
highest O
decision O
- O
making O
body O
overnight O
, O
a O
decision O
taken O
in O
a O
meeting O
chaired O
by O
Congress O
party O
chief O
Sonia O
Gandhi O
, O
a O
Congress O
party O
spokesman O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

It O
came O
after O
Singh O
, O
who O
has O
consistently O
denied O
any O
wrongdoing O
, O
refused O
to O
resign O
from O
his O
cabinet O
post O
Sunday B-T
. O

In O
October B-T
, O
former O
US O
Federal O
Reserve O
chairman O
Paul O
Volcker O
said O
in O
a O
report O
to O
the O
UN O
that O
former O
Iraqi O
president O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
regime O
manipulated O
the O
oil O
- O
for O
- O
food O
programme O
to O
extract O
about O
1 O
. O
8 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
surcharges O
and O
bribes O
. O

Volcker O
named O
Singh O
as O
a O
beneficiary O
of O
four O
million O
barrels O
of O
Iraqi O
oil O
allotted O
to O
Zurich O
- O
based O
firm O
Masefield O
AG O
. O

Congress O
, O
India O
' O
s O
oldest O
political O
party O
, O
is O
also O
listed O
as O
a O
beneficiary O
of O
a O
separate O
allotment O
of O
four O
million O
barrels O
of O
oil O
as O
part O
of O
the O
transactions O
. O

Singh O
has O
consistently O
denied O
any O
wrongdoing O
, O
as O
has O
the O
Congress O
party O
. O

But O
the O
opposition O
, O
whose O
earlier O
campaign O
to O
embarrass O
the O
government O
in O
parliament O
through O
a O
discussion O
and O
vote O
fell O
through O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
seemed O
determined O
to O
capitalise O
on O
the O
opportunity O
presented O
by O
Matherani O
' O
s O
revelations O
. O

Political O
analysts O
described O
the O
crisis O
as O
the O
biggest O
challenge O
yet O
for O
the O
Manmohan O
Singh O
- O
led O
government O
which O
completed O
one B-T
year I-T
in O
office O
in O
May B-T
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
very O
, O
very O
big O
problem O
for O
the O
government O
, O
" O
said O
T O
. O
R O
. O
Ramachandran O
, O
bureau O
chief O
of O
the O
Tribune O
newspaper O
. O

" O
The O
target O
( O
for O
the O
opposition O
) O
has O
shifted O
from O
Natwar O
Singh O
to O
Sonia O
Gandhi O
. O
Congress O
strategists O
are O
trying O
their O
best O
to O
deflect O
the O
flak O
from O
her O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Another O
analyst O
Rashid O
Kidwai O
, O
who O
has O
written O
a O
biography O
of O
Sonia O
Gandhi O
, O
said O
the O
controversy O
had O
snowballed O
into O
a O
major O
crisis O
through O
" O
inept O
handling O
. O
" O

" O
I O
do O
not O
think O
the O
party O
realised O
the O
gravity O
of O
the O
situation O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0051 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UK O
to O
strengthen O
trade O
ties O
with O
China O
: O
official O

The O
United O
Kingdom O
( O
UK O
) O
will O
seek O
a O
closer O
tie O
with O
China O
in O
its O
bid O
to O
make O
the O
country O
one O
of O
the O
leading O
business O
partner O
in O
the O
world O
of O
economic O
globalization O
, O
a O
senior O
trade O
official O
has O
said O
. O

" O
China O
, O
with O
its O
massive O
influence O
in O
global O
trade O
, O
is O
of O
great O
importance O
to O
UK O
' O
s O
trade O
and O
industry O
, O
which O
is O
trying O
to O
attract O
a O
new O
wave O
of O
high O
- O
value O
investment O
, O
" O
Alistair O
Darling O
, O
Britain O
' O
s O
secretary O
of O
sate O
for O
trade O
and O
industry O
, O
said O
in O
the B-T
weekend I-T
before O
his O
visit O
to O
China O
. O

Darling O
, O
who O
will O
visit O
Beijing O
, O
Shanghai O
and O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
is O
on O
his O
first O
ever O
trip O
to O
China O
' O
s O
mainland O
. O
He O
, O
who O
will O
lead O
a O
15 O
- O
strong O
delegation O
, O
said O
that O
Sino O
- O
British O
trade O
ties O
will O
be O
strengthened O
through O
mutual O
investment O
, O
not O
only O
trade O
. O

The O
UK O
, O
whose O
manufacturing O
industry O
has O
shrunk O
much O
during O
its O
economic O
structure O
readjustment O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
decades I-T
, O
finds O
that O
it O
has O
opportunities O
in O
helping O
China O
in O
fields O
like O
environment O
protection O
and O
power O
plant O
building O
. O

The O
British O
trade O
and O
industry O
leader O
said O
that O
globalization O
provides O
a O
tremendous O
opportunity O
for O
both O
UK O
and O
China O
in O
which O
both O
countries O
could O
cooperate O
to O
curb O
climate O
change O
and O
improve O
bilateral O
trade O
. O

Darling O
was O
appointed O
Secretary O
of O
State O
for O
Trade O
and O
Industry O
, O
replacing O
Alan O
Johnson O
in O
the O
government O
reshuffle O
in O
May B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0266 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
congressman O
pleads O
guilty O
to O
bribe O
charges O

A O
US O
congressman O
pleaded O
guilty O
Monday B-T
to O
bribe O
charges O
that O
he O
sold O
his O
home O
to O
a O
defense O
contractor O
at O
an O
inflated O
price O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

In O
a O
court O
hearing O
in O
San O
Diego O
, O
California O
, O
the O
63 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Republican O
congressman O
Randy O
" O
Duke O
" O
Cunningham O
answered O
" O
yes O
" O
when O
asked O
by O
US O
District O
Judge O
Larry O
Burns O
if O
he O
had O
accepted O
bribes O
from O
someone O
in O
exchange O
for O
his O
performance O
of O
official O
duties O
. O

He O
now B-T
faces O
a O
maximum O
of O
ten B-T
years I-T
in O
jail O
and O
a O
fine O
. O

Prosecutors O
said O
two B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
Cunningham O
and O
his O
wife O
sold O
their O
home O
for O
over O
1 O
. O
6 O
million O
US O
dollars O
to O
a O
defense O
contractor O
named O
Mitchell O
Wade O
and O
then O
used O
the O
proceeds O
from O
the O
sale O
to O
buy O
a O
2 O
. O
55 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
mansion O
. O

A B-T
year I-T
later O
, O
Wade O
put O
Cunningham O
' O
s O
old O
home O
back O
on O
the O
market O
and O
sold O
it O
for O
less O
than O
a O
million O
dollars O
. O

Wade O
also O
let O
Cunningham O
live O
rent O
- O
free O
on O
his O
yacht O
while O
his O
firm O
, O
MZM O
Inc O
. O
, O
donated O
generously O
to O
Cunningham O
' O
s O
political O
campaigns O
. O

By O
bribing O
Cunningham O
, O
Wade O
and O
MZM O
won O
several O
valuable O
defense O
contracts O
, O
since O
the O
congressman O
sits O
on O
the O
House O
Appropriations O
Subcommittee O
which O
controls O
defense O
budgets O
. O

Cunningham O
, O
a O
former O
Vietnam O
War O
pilot O
who O
has O
been O
in O
Congress O
since O
1991 B-T
, O
announced O
in O
July B-T
that O
he O
wouldn O
' O
t O
seek O
re O
- O
election O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

He O
drew O
little O
notice O
outside O
his O
San O
Diego O
- O
area O
district O
before O
a O
local O
newspaper O
reported O
last B-T
June I-T
that O
he O
sold O
the O
home O
to O
Wade O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0059 O

SEOUL O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Ukrainian O
economy O
to O
grow O
10 O
percent O
every O
year O
: O
Yushchenko O

Ukraine O
' O
s O
President O
Viktor O
Yushchenko O
told O
South O
Korean O
business O
leaders O
Tuesday B-T
his O
country O
would O
be O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
fastest O
growing O
economies O
in O
a B-T
year I-T
or I-T
two I-T
, O
expanding O
10 O
percent O
every B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
Within O
a B-T
year I-T
or I-T
two I-T
, O
Ukraine O
will O
be O
regarded O
as O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
fastest O
growing O
economies O
, O
" O
Yushchenko O
told O
them O
, O
calling O
for O
investment O
in O
his O
country O
. O

" O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
economy O
will O
be O
stabilized O
shortly O
and O
grow O
more O
than O
10 O
percent O
every B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
he O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
Yonhap O
news O
agency O
. O

Stressing O
that O
international O
ratings O
have O
been O
upgraded O
from O
stable O
to O
positive O
, O
Yushchenko O
said O
Ukraine O
has O
emerged O
as O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
recipients O
of O
foreign O
investment O
. O

He O
suggested O
the O
two O
countries O
engage O
in O
joint O
projects O
including O
in O
nuclear O
energy O
, O
aerospace O
and O
the O
defence O
industry O
. O

" O
Especially O
, O
there O
is O
a O
lot O
of O
interest O
in O
the O
fields O
of O
aerospace O
and O
the O
defence O
industry O
, O
" O
Yushchenko O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
later O
Tuesday B-T
, O
noting O
that O
the O
two O
countries O
signed O
two O
agreements O
in O
those O
sectors O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
very O
significant O
development O
in O
bilateral O
ties O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

At O
a O
summit O
with O
President O
Roh O
Moo O
- O
Hyun O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
Yushchenko O
said O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
experience O
in O
scrapping O
its O
nuclear O
arsenal O
could O
be O
helpful O
in O
defusing O
the O
standoff O
over O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
nuclear O
weapons O
programmes O
. O

" O
The O
Ukranian O
side O
proposed O
to O
share O
the O
experience O
of O
its O
nuclear O
disarmament O
with O
the O
Korean O
side O
, O
" O
a O
joint O
statement O
said O
. O

Ukraine O
abandoned O
nuclear O
weapons O
in O
the B-T
1990s I-T
in O
return O
for O
a O
collective O
security O
guarantee O
and O
economic O
assistance O
. O

Roh O
and O
Yushchenko O
welcomed O
the O
resumption O
of O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
in O
Beijing O
this B-T
week I-T
and O
called O
for O
" O
substantive O
progress O
" O
in O
the O
dismantling O
of O
North O
Korean O
nuclear O
weapons O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

Yushchenko O
arrived O
here O
Monday B-T
for O
a O
two O
- O
day O
state O
visit O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0214 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
second O
weightlifter O
from O
Myanmar O
has O
tested O
positive O
for O
drugs O
and O
has O
been O
stripped O
of O
her O
medal O
and O
disqualified O
from O
the O
Asian O
Games O
, O
the O
Olympic O
Council O
of O
Asia O
announced O
Monday B-T
. O

She O
was O
named O
as O
Oo O
Mya O
Sanda O
, O
29 O
, O
who O
won O
the O
silver O
medal O
in O
the O
75kg O
category O
. O

Oo O
tested O
positive O
for O
a O
metabolite O
of O
an O
anabolic O
agent O
that O
helps O
athletes O
build O
muscle O
bulk O
and O
also O
hastens O
the O
recovery O
period O
after O
training O
. O
She O
waived O
her O
right O
to O
have O
her O
" O
B O
" O
sample O
tested O
. O

It O
means O
that O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Kim O
Soon O
now B-T
gets O
the O
silver O
and O
Indonesia O
' O
s O
Sinta O
Darmariani O
is O
promoted O
from O
fourth O
to O
third O
. O
China O
' O
s O
Cao O
Lei O
won O
gold O
. O

Fellow O
Myanmar O
competitor O
Kyi O
Kyi O
Than O
, O
who O
failed O
to O
win O
a O
medal O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
48kg O
category O
, O
was O
disqualified O
on O
Saturday B-T
for O
failing O
a O
drugs O
test O
. O

Uzbek O
weightlifters O
Elmira O
Ramileva O
and O
Alexander O
Urinov O
, O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
69kg O
and O
men O
' O
s O
105kg O
categories O
respectively O
, O
were O
tossed O
out O
of O
the O
Games O
on O
Sunday B-T
for O
doping O
offences O
. O

Despite O
drugs O
again O
blighting O
a O
major O
sporting O
event O
, O
Olympic O
Council O
of O
Asia O
director O
general O
Husain O
al O
- O
Musallem O
said O
given O
there O
had O
been O
more O
than O
800 O
drugs O
tests O
here O
so O
far O
, O
four O
positives O
was O
not O
a O
bad O
percentage O
. O

" O
We O
have O
conducted O
more O
than O
800 O
tests O
and O
the O
percentage O
of O
positives O
is O
not O
high O
compared O
to O
other O
big O
events O
like O
this O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
People O
complain O
about O
weightlifting O
, O
but O
weightlifting O
is O
a O
good O
sport O
. O
There O
are O
just O
some O
individual O
cheaters O
, O
or O
they O
have O
been O
given O
the O
wrong O
advice O
. O

" O
We O
are O
fighting O
the O
cheaters O
. O
Hopefully O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
we O
can O
eliminate O
all O
cheaters O
. O
" O

Despite O
the O
positive O
drugs O
tests O
, O
Musallem O
said O
the O
Games O
were O
" O
in O
a O
good O
state O
" O
. O

" O
Before O
, O
the O
positive O
cases O
were O
high O
and O
the O
testing O
levels O
low O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
In O
Busan B-T
four I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
we O
had O
under O
1 O
, O
000 O
tests O
and O
around O
10 O
positive O
tests O
, O
while O
the O
number O
of O
sports O
was O
less O
and O
there O
was O
no O
pre O
- O
competition O
testing O
. O

" O
In O
these O
Games O
, O
we O
will O
carry O
out O
1 O
, O
200 O
urine O
tests O
and O
around O
50 O
blood O
tests O
. O
We O
also O
carried O
out O
86 O
pre O
- O
competition O
tests O
. O
" O

Musallem O
said O
the O
OCA O
had O
initiated O
a O
drugs O
awareness O
programme O
in O
2004 B-T
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
the O
Games O
. O

" O
Asia O
is O
divided O
into O
five O
regions O
, O
and O
we O
organised O
two O
- O
day O
briefings O
for O
NOC O
officials O
( O
in O
the O
respective O
regions O
) O
about O
the O
doping O
programme O
, O
" O
including O
information O
on O
banned O
drugs O
and O
how O
to O
access O
that O
information O
. O

Musallem O
added O
that O
the O
OCA O
' O
s O
own O
website O
would O
shortly O
launch O
a O
multilingual O
guide O
to O
the O
list O
of O
banned O
substances O
currently O
only O
available O
in O
English O
, O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
avoid O
any O
confusion O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0073 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

program O
: O
ISNA O

Iranian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
his O
country O
wants O
to O
have O
100 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
for O
enriching O
uranium O
, O
the O
Iranian O
Student O
' O
s O
News O
Agency O
( O
ISNA O
) O
reported O
. O

" O
We O
intend O
to O
have O
100 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
and O
, O
God O
willing O
, O
Iran O
will O
be O
able O
to O
meet O
its O
needs O
in O
nuclear O
fuel O
by O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
Ahmadinejad O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
current B-T
Iranian I-T
year I-T
ends O
on O
March B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O

The O
Iranian O
president O
had O
said O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
Iran O
intended O
to O
launch O
60 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
in O
its O
nuclear O
program O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0363 O

VIENNA O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Mozart O
piano O
score O
discovered O
in O
Salzburg O

A O
hitherto O
unknown O
piano O
score O
extremely O
likely O
to O
be O
by O
the O
young O
Wolfgang O
Amadeus O
Mozart O
has O
been O
discovered O
in O
the O
composer O
' O
s O
birthplace O
Salzburg O
, O
Austrian O
broadcaster O
ORF O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
score O
' O
s O
facsimile O
will O
be O
officially O
presented O
and O
played O
by O
clavichordist O
Florian O
Birsak O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
it O
said O
. O

Some B-T
time I-T
ago I-T
, O
the O
archives O
of O
the O
city O
' O
s O
episcopal O
office O
were O
offered O
unsigned O
keyboard O
works O
, O
including O
an O
" O
Allegro O
di O
Wolfgango O
Mozart O
" O
. O
Detailed O
tests O
led O
experts O
to O
conclude O
that O
the O
piece O
was O
indeed O
written O
by O
the O
master O
, O
when O
he O
was O
between O
six B-T
and I-T
10 I-T
years I-T
old I-T
. O

A O
second O
score O
in O
the O
collection O
could O
also O
be O
by O
Mozart O
. O

Mozart O
was O
born O
250 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
and O
Austria O
has O
been O
abuzz O
with O
events O
marking O
the O
occasion O
all B-T
year I-T
long I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0358 O

CARACAS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Venezuela O
, O
China O
sign O
satellite O
launch O
agreement O

Venezuela O
on O
Tuesday B-T
signed O
an O
agreement O
to O
purchase O
a O
satellite O
from O
China O
as O
part O
of O
a O
plan O
to O
guarantee O
its O
telecommunications O
autonomy O
, O
the O
Venezuelan O
government O
said O
. O

At O
the O
signing O
ceremony O
at O
the O
Presidential O
Palace O
in O
Caracas O
, O
Venezuelan O
President O
Hugo O
Chavez O
thanked O
China O
for O
the O
scientific O
and O
technological O
support O
, O
saying O
the O
satellite O
will O
help O
Venezuela O
develop O
its O
own O
industries O
of O
telecommunications O
, O
movies O
and O
TV O
, O
culture O
and O
education O
. O

The O
satellite O
, O
named O
after O
Simon O
Bolivar O
, O
the O
famous O
South O
American O
independence O
hero O
, O
will O
be O
send O
into O
orbit O
in O
2008 B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
Venezuelan O
Ministry O
of O
Science O
and O
Technology O
. O

The O
satellite O
will O
provide O
telecommunications O
services O
to O
all O
parts O
of O
Venezuela O
, O
including O
scarcely O
populated O
areas O
that O
have O
never O
been O
reached O
by O
commercial O
communications O
firms O
. O

The O
ministry O
said O
the O
satellite O
will O
also O
help O
in O
the O
early O
detection O
of O
natural O
disasters O
and O
be O
used O
to O
broadcast O
educational O
and O
information O
programs O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0414 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Yankees O
sign O
Japanese O
pitcher O
Igawa O
to O
five O
- O
year O
deal O

The O
New O
York O
Yankees O
unveiled O
Major O
League O
Baseball O
' O
s O
latest O
Japanese O
import O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
announcing O
they O
have O
signed O
lefthanded O
pitcher O
Kei O
Igawa O
to O
a O
five O
- O
year O
contract O
. O

The O
move O
comes O
less B-T
than I-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
after O
New O
York O
' O
s O
American O
League O
East O
rivals O
Boston O
signed O
Daisuke O
Matsuzaka O
to O
a O
six O
- O
year O
, O
52 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
deal O
. O

Financial O
terms O
were O
not O
disclosed O
, O
but O
the O
Yomiuri O
Shimbun O
reported O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
that O
Igawa O
' O
s O
contract O
is O
worth O
20 O
million O
dollars O
. O

Igawa O
, O
27 O
, O
became O
the O
fifth O
Japanese O
player O
to O
come O
to O
the O
major O
leagues O
this O
offseason O
, O
joining O
Matsuzaka O
, O
Red O
Sox O
lefthander O
Hideki O
Okajima O
, O
Tampa O
Bay O
Devil O
Rays O
infielder O
Akinori O
Iwamura O
and O
Pittsburgh O
Pirates O
righthander O
Masumi O
Kuwata O
. O

The O
Yankees O
earned O
exclusive O
negotiation O
rights O
with O
Igawa O
after O
posting O
a O
winning O
bid O
of O
26 O
million O
dollars O
on O
November B-T
28 I-T
. O

They O
had O
until O
midnight O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
reach O
a O
contract O
agreement O
with O
Igawa O
, O
who O
otherwise O
would O
have O
returned O
to O
his O
Japanese O
club O
, O
the O
Hanshin O
Tigers O
. O

Igawa O
will O
likely O
join O
a O
starting O
rotation O
which O
already O
includes O
Mike O
Mussina O
, O
Andy O
Pettitte O
, O
Chien O
- O
Ming O
Wang O
and O
Carl O
Pavano O
. O
The O
Yankees O
reportedly O
are O
looking O
to O
trade O
43 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
lefthander O
Randy O
Johnson O
, O
who O
has O
underachieved O
in O
his O
two O
seasons O
in O
New O
York O
. O

Igawa O
went O
14 O
- O
9 O
with O
a O
2 O
. O
97 O
ERA O
for O
the O
Tigers O
last O
season O
. O
He O
recorded O
197 O
strikeouts O
to O
lead O
the O
Central O
League O
in O
strikeouts O
for O
the O
third O
time O
in O
eight B-T
seasons I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0219 O

BAMAKO O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

/ O
/ O
/ O

Leaders O
at O
a O
Franco O
- O
African O
summit O
have O
warned O
against O
some O
developments O
in O
world O
trade O
that O
are O
" O
too O
liberal O
" O
, O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
told O
reporters O
on O
Sunday B-T
at O
a O
closing O
news O
conference O
. O

" O
We O
all O
warned O
against O
certain O
evolutions O
that O
are O
too O
liberal O
, O
which O
risk O
bringing O
satisfaction O
to O
rich O
countries O
and O
emerging O
countries O
in O
trade O
issues O
and O
notably O
agriculture O
, O
to O
the O
detriment O
of O
the O
poorest O
countries O
, O
" O
Chirac O
said O
. O

The O
148 O
- O
strong O
World O
Trade O
Organisation O
will O
at O
a O
December B-T
13 I-T
- I-T
18 I-T
ministerial O
meeting O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
push O
for O
an O
agreement O
paving O
the O
way O
for O
a O
global O
trade O
pact O
to O
take O
effect O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

Four B-T
years I-T
of O
talks O
have O
largely O
stalled O
over O
the O
degree O
to O
which O
rich O
countries O
offer O
financial O
support O
to O
their O
agriculture O
sectors O
. O
France O
is O
the O
biggest O
recipient O
of O
EU O
farm O
subsidies O
. O

The O
French O
leader O
, O
who O
gathered O
here O
with O
more O
than O
20 O
African O
counterparts O
, O
plus O
officials O
from O
across O
the O
continent O
, O
also O
urged O
the O
international O
community O
to O
double O
public O
aid O
for O
development O
. O

" O
We O
must O
, O
in O
general O
, O
double O
and O
bring O
to O
150 O
billion O
( O
dollars O
) O
a O
year O
public O
assistance O
for O
development O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
. O

But O
he O
said O
this O
could O
not O
be O
achieved O
via O
state O
budgets O
alone O
, O
and O
insisted O
on O
the O
importance O
of O
innovative O
financing O
" O
to O
raise O
this O
sum O
thanks O
to O
an O
international O
tax O
, O
of O
one O
form O
or O
another O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
vital O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0043 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

( O
Beijing O
Olympics O
) O
Tickets O
for O
Beijing O
Olympics O
affordable O
for O
ordinary O
people O

The O
Beijing O
Organizing O
Committee O
for O
the O
Olympic O
Games O
( O
BOCOG O
) O
Wednesday B-T
revealed O
details O
of O
the O
most O
affordable O
ticketing O
program O
in O
recent O
Olympic O
history O
. O

Fifty O
- O
eight O
percent O
of O
the O
tickets O
for O
sale O
will O
be O
priced O
at O
or O
lower O
than O
RMB O
100 O
yuans O
( O
about O
13 O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O
Among O
them O
, O
a O
significant O
portion O
will O
be O
available O
to O
students O
at O
less O
than O
RMB O
10 O
( O
about O
one O
dollar O
and O
30 O
cents O
) O
. O

In O
mapping O
out O
the O
program O
, O
BOCOG O
has O
evaluated O
the O
ticketing O
policies O
of O
previous O
Olympic O
Games O
and O
other O
major O
international O
meets O
, O
conducted O
consultations O
with O
experts O
in O
the O
field O
and O
made O
thorough O
marketing O
research O
. O

Throughout O
the O
process O
, O
the O
Organizing O
Committee O
has O
carried O
out O
its O
commitment O
to O
ensure O
the O
greatest O
number O
of O
people O
to O
enjoy O
the O
Olympic O
enthusiasm O
and O
to O
devote O
themselves O
to O
the O
national O
drive O
for O
a O
harmonious O
society O
. O

Therefore O
, O
the O
ticketing O
program O
reflects O
both O
the O
spirit O
of O
the O
Olympic O
Games O
and O
the O
hope O
of O
the O
host O
country O
, O
said O
BOCOG O
officials O
. O

Under O
the O
ticketing O
policy O
, O
prices O
for O
preliminaries O
range O
from O
RMB O
30 O
( O
about O
four O
US O
dollars O
) O
to O
RMB O
300 O
( O
about O
40 O
dollars O
) O
, O
while O
the O
finals O
will O
be O
priced O
at O
RMB O
60 O
( O
about O
eight O
dollars O
) O
to O
RMB O
1 O
, O
000 O
( O
about O
130 O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
lowest O
tickets O
for O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
will O
be O
priced O
at O
RMB O
200 O
( O
about O
26 O
dollars O
) O
, O
with O
the O
highest O
at O
RMB O
5 O
, O
000 O
( O
about O
650 O
dollars O
) O
, O
and O
the O
cheapest O
for O
the O
closing O
ceremony O
will O
be O
at O
RMB O
150 O
( O
about O
20 O
dollars O
) O
, O
with O
the O
highest O
at O
RMB O
3 O
, O
000 O
( O
about O
400 O
dollars O
) O
. O

In O
line O
with O
the O
Olympic O
Education O
Program O
, O
BOCOG O
has O
also O
allocated O
a O
number O
of O
special O
tickets O
to O
encourage O
attendance O
from O
among O
China O
' O
s O
youth O
. O
Those O
tickets O
for O
preliminaries O
will O
be O
available O
for O
students O
at O
RMB O
5 O
( O
less O
than O
one O
US O
dollar O
) O
and O
for O
finals O
at O
RMB O
10 O
( O
about O
one O
dollar O
and O
30 O
cents O
) O
. O

About O
14 O
percent O
of O
the O
tickets O
available O
will O
be O
reserved O
for O
the O
Chinese O
students O
. O

Tickets O
will O
become O
available O
in O
China O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0080 O

MOGADISHU O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
, O
ADDS O
WFP O
suspends O
air O
operations O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Heavy O
fighting O
resumed O
in O
central O
Somalia O
Wednesday B-T
after O
retreating O
Islamist O
fighters O
opened O
fire O
on O
a O
force O
of O
government O
and O
Ethiopian O
troops O
, O
officials O
and O
residents O
said O
, O
as O
the O
conflict O
in O
the O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
nation O
entered O
its O
second B-T
week I-T
. O

Hours O
after O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
failed O
to O
agree O
on O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
foreign O
troops O
, O
Islamists O
fighters O
in O
trenches O
near O
the O
town O
of O
Jowhar O
opened O
fire O
to O
stop O
Somali O
- O
Ethiopian O
troops O
from O
advancing O
further O
southwards O
. O

" O
Very O
heavy O
fighting O
has O
erupted O
outside O
Jowhar O
. O
The O
Islamic O
forces O
say O
they O
will O
keep O
fighting O
, O
" O
said O
Mohamed O
Abdi O
Ali O
, O
a O
resident O
of O
the O
town O
about O
90 O
kilometres O
( O
55 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
the O
Islamist O
- O
controled O
capital O
of O
Mogadishu O
. O

" O
Ethiopians O
have O
not O
started O
using O
planes O
yet O
, O
but O
we O
do O
not O
rule O
that O
out O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

" O
Our O
Islamist O
fighters O
are O
showing O
strength O
, O
they O
are O
in O
their O
defensive O
positions O
. O
God O
willing O
we O
will O
drive O
back O
the O
Ethiopian O
invaders O
, O
" O
said O
Islamist O
commander O
Sheikh O
Takow O
. O

Fighting O
first O
erupted O
December B-T
20 I-T
after O
the O
Islamists O
, O
who O
controled O
most O
of O
the O
country O
, O
demanded O
the O
departure O
of O
Ethiopian O
troops O
supporting O
the O
UN O
- O
backed O
, O
but O
feeble O
government O
. O

Somalia O
has O
been O
wracked O
by O
conflict O
since O
the O
1991 O
ouster O
of O
dictator O
Mohamed O
Siad O
Barre O
. O

The O
government O
Wednesday B-T
predicted O
Jowhar O
would O
fall O
as O
the O
allied O
Somali O
- O
Ethiopian O
forces O
consolidate O
their O
grip O
across O
the O
country O
' O
s O
central O
and O
southern O
region O
with O
Islamic O
forces O
retreating O
. O

" O
We O
expect O
to O
capture O
the O
town O
in O
the O
coming O
hours O
, O
" O
said O
government O
spokesman O
Abdirahman O
Dinari O
. O

Fleeing O
residents O
said O
rival O
sides O
deployed O
heavy O
artillery O
on O
the B-T
eighth I-T
day I-T
of O
duels O
that O
occurred O
50 O
kilometres O
( O
31 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
Jowhar O
. O

" O
This O
fighting O
is O
very O
heavy O
, O
I O
have O
never O
heard O
such O
weapons O
used O
in O
Somalia O
, O
my O
wife O
and O
children O
are O
asking O
me O
to O
take O
them O
from O
the O
village O
because O
of O
the O
heavy O
artillery O
and O
mortar O
shells O
, O
" O
said O
one O
resident O
, O
Hasan O
Doyow O
Nur O
. O

The O
Islamists O
have O
retreated O
from O
their O
frontlines O
and O
accused O
Ethiopian O
forces O
of O
massacring O
civilians O
in O
the O
name O
of O
killing O
foreign O
fighters O
believed O
to O
be O
supporting O
the O
movement O
. O

Witnesses O
said O
columns O
of O
Islamist O
forces O
had O
retreated O
to O
the O
heavily O
- O
fortified O
capital O
Mogadishu O
, O
where O
ruling O
clerics O
vowed O
to O
dig O
in O
for O
a O
long O
- O
lasting O
war O
with O
Ethiopian O
troops O
. O

The O
Islamists O
said O
it O
was O
a O
" O
tactical O
retreat O
" O
that O
was O
forced O
by O
Addis O
Ababa O
' O
s O
air O
assault O
on O
their O
positions O
. O

The O
sustained O
clashes O
over O
the O
past O
week O
forced O
the O
UN O
World O
Food O
Programme O
to O
suspend O
its O
air O
operations O
and O
pull O
out O
its O
air O
- O
support O
staff O
. O

" O
The O
WFP O
on O
Tuesday B-T
temporarily O
relocated O
two O
MI8 O
helicopters O
and O
25 O
humanitarian O
workers O
from O
Kismayo O
to O
Nairobi O
, O
" O
WFP O
spokesman O
Peter O
Smerdon O
told O
AFP O
Wednesday O
. O

" O
The O
air O
operation O
had O
also O
become O
difficult O
because O
of O
an O
airspace O
ban O
into O
Somalia O
declared O
by O
the O
transitional O
federal O
government O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Therefore O
the O
helicopter O
operations O
and O
food O
airdrop O
from O
Antonov O
12 O
into O
southern O
Somalia O
are O
currently O
suspended O
because O
of O
the O
airspace O
restriction O
, O
" O
Smerdon O
said O
. O

He O
emphasized O
the O
agency O
had O
suspended O
air O
but O
not O
land O
operations O
. O

On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
Ethiopian O
Prime O
Meles O
Zenawi O
said O
his O
forces O
had O
killed O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
rival O
fighters O
, O
including O
Eritreans O
, O
forcing O
the O
Islamists O
to O
" O
full O
retreat O
" O
, O
but O
added O
he O
was O
not O
aiming O
to O
take O
over O
Mogadishu O
. O

In O
New O
York O
, O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
late O
Tuesday B-T
failed O
to O
agree O
on O
calling O
for O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
foreign O
forces O
from O
Somalia O
with O
key O
powers O
pressing O
for O
a O
ceasefire O
and O
a O
resumption O
of O
dialogue O
between O
warring O
Somali O
parties O
. O

Washington O
, O
which O
accuses O
the O
Islamists O
of O
links O
to O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
, O
put O
its O
weight O
behind O
Addis O
Ababa O
, O
but O
called O
on O
its O
regional O
anti O
- O
terrorism O
ally O
to O
exercise O
" O
maximum O
restraint O
. O
" O

Regional O
peacemaker O
Kenya O
, O
which O
helped O
form O
the O
Somali O
government O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
asked O
Ethiopia O
to O
cease O
military O
operations O
, O
as O
it O
announced O
plans O
to O
organise O
a O
regional O
meeting O
to O
discuss O
the O
escalation O
of O
the O
conflict O
in O
Somalia O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0147 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mechanical O
failure O
suspends O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
unique O
Peak O
Tram O
service O

A O
mechanical O
failure O
struck O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
landmark O
Peak O
Tram O
during O
rush O
tourist O
hours O
Saturday B-T
, O
bringing O
the O
service O
to O
suspension O
and O
upsetting O
hundreds O
of O
travelers O
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
about O
10 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0200 O
GMT O
) O
Saturday B-T
when O
about O
100 O
tourists O
rode O
the O
centenarian O
tram O
from O
the O
mid O
- O
levels O
in O
Central O
District O
to O
the O
500 O
- O
meter O
height O
Victoria O
Peak O
. O

The O
trapped O
tourists O
had O
to O
walk O
from O
the O
mountainside O
to O
the O
tram O
' O
s O
starting O
terminal O
after O
it O
failed O
to O
restart O
. O
No O
one O
was O
hurt O
. O

It O
took O
engineers O
six O
hours O
to O
fix O
the O
tram O
system O
and O
the O
Peak O
Tram O
company O
resumed O
service O
at O
about O
4 B-T
: I-T
20 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0820 O
GMT O
) O
. O

Transport O
authority O
organized O
extra O
buses O
to O
help O
tourists O
climb O
to O
the O
peak O
for O
a O
bird O
' O
s O
- O
eye O
sightseeing O
of O
the O
Victoria O
Harbor O
and O
entire O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

The O
transport O
authority O
demanded O
the O
Peak O
Tram O
company O
to O
submit O
a O
report O
on O
the O
accident O
. O

Built O
in O
1888 B-T
, O
the O
Peak O
Tram O
was O
one O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
must O
- O
see O
tourist O
areas O
for O
its O
picturesque O
landscape O
and O
unique O
angel O
of O
view O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0332 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

South O
Korea O
in O
Asiad O
volleyball O

Defending O
champion O
China O
crushed O
Vietnam O
Thursday B-T
in O
straight O
sets O
at O
the O
women O
' O
s O
volleyball O
tournament O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
open O
its O
campaign O
for O
the O
seventh O
Asian O
Games O
title O
since O
1978 B-T
. O

The O
reigning O
Olympic O
champion O
, O
in O
desperate O
need O
of O
a O
victory O
after O
a O
disappointing O
fifth O
- O
place O
finish O
at O
the O
2006 O
World O
Championship O
in O
Japan O
, O
fielded O
a O
full O
- O
strength O
squad O
led O
by O
captain O
Feng O
Kun O
. O

The O
Chinese O
spiker O
handed O
out O
a O
volleyball O
lesson O
to O
the O
Vietnamese O
peers O
with O
devastating O
spikes O
and O
powerful O
servings O
, O
ending O
the O
one O
- O
sided O
match O
25 O
- O
18 O
, O
25 O
- O
9 O
and O
25 O
- O
10 O
in O
less B-T
than I-T
one I-T
hour I-T
. O

Chen O
Zhonghe O
, O
China O
' O
s O
head O
coach O
, O
was O
satisfied O
with O
his O
team O
, O
but O
kept O
a O
low O
- O
key O
on O
his O
expectations O
at O
the O
games O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
challenge O
for O
China O
to O
play O
weaker O
teams O
. O
So O
, O
I O
asked O
my O
players O
to O
go O
all O
out O
in O
this O
match O
and O
they O
didn O
' O
t O
let O
me O
down O
, O
" O
said O
Chen O
. O

" O
But O
at O
the O
first O
set O
, O
we O
had O
some O
serving O
errors O
, O
which O
left O
a O
12 O
- O
12 O
tie O
to O
Vietnam O
and O
that O
' O
s O
what O
I O
hadn O
' O
t O
expected O
, O
" O
said O
Chen O
. O
" O
Every O
match O
is O
the O
key O
match O
for O
us O
and O
now B-T
, O
we O
are O
concentrating O
on O
the O
preparations O
for O
the O
matches O
later O
. O
" O

In O
the O
following O
match O
of O
the O
day O
, O
South O
Korea O
rallied O
from O
two O
sets O
down O
to O
upset O
arch O
rival O
Chinese O
Taipei O
3 O
- O
2 O
, O
revenging O
the O
2 O
- O
3 O
loss O
to O
the O
latter O
at O
the O
World O
Championship O
. O

Due O
to O
a O
slow O
start O
and O
a O
string O
of O
service O
errors O
, O
South O
Korean O
, O
silver O
medalist O
of O
the O
Busan O
Asiad O
, O
lost O
the O
opening O
two O
sets O
21 O
- O
25 O
and O
20 B-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, O
but O
came O
back O
to O
life O
and O
controlled O
the O
rhythm O
of O
the O
match O
' O
s O
rest O
time O
, O
pulling O
it O
back O
25 O
- O
23 O
, O
25 B-T
- I-T
19 I-T
and O
15 B-T
- I-T
9 I-T
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
happy O
with O
the O
victory O
, O
but O
I O
' O
m O
not O
satisfied O
with O
my O
players O
at O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
match O
. O
They O
moved O
too O
slowly O
, O
" O
said O
Kim O
Myeong O
Soo O
, O
head O
coach O
of O
South O
Korea O
. O
" O
We O
should O
focus O
on O
the O
next O
match O
against O
powerful O
China O
now O
. O
That O
is O
what O
I O
care O
about O
. O
" O

Lin O
Kuang O
Hung O
, O
head O
coach O
of O
Chinese O
Taipei O
, O
blamed O
the O
poor O
physical O
conditions O
and O
excessive O
serving O
and O
receiving O
errors O
of O
his O
team O
for O
the O
dramatic O
loss O
. O

" O
The O
World O
Championship O
cost O
us O
dear O
and O
left O
little O
time O
for O
the O
recovery O
, O
" O
said O
Lin O
. O
" O
However O
, O
we O
should O
learn O
from O
the O
never O
- O
give O
- O
up O
spirit O
of O
the O
Koreans O
. O
" O

In O
another O
two O
matches O
of O
the O
day O
, O
Busan O
Asiad O
' O
s O
bronze O
medalist O
Japan O
powered O
to O
a O
straight O
- O
set O
victory O
over O
Mongolia O
, O
while O
Thailand O
overshadowed O
Tajikstan B-T
3 I-T
- I-T
0 I-T
. O

Nine O
teams O
split O
into O
two O
groups O
to O
battle O
for O
the O
women O
' O
s O
volleyball O
championship O
, O
with O
China O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Chinese O
Taipei O
and O
Vietnam O
playing O
in O
Group O
A O
and O
Kazakhstan O
, O
Japan O
, O
Thailand O
, O
Tajikistan O
and O
Mongolia O
in O
Group O
B O
. O

Japan O
, O
South O
Korea O
and O
Chinese O
Taipei O
were O
generally O
regarded O
as O
the O
major O
opponents O
of O
China O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0185 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Israeli O
army O
demolishes O
Palestinian O
homes O
, O
two O
shot O
in O
clashes O

Israeli O
troops O
on O
Thursday B-T
demolished O
a O
second O
home O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
village O
of O
Surif O
on O
the O
West O
Bank O
where O
a O
curfew O
is O
in O
force O
in O
connection O
with O
last B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
Tel O
Aviv O
suicide O
bombing O
, O
the O
army O
said O
. O

A O
first O
home O
was O
destroyed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
belonging O
to O
Ibrahim O
Ghanimat O
, O
a O
member O
of O
a O
cell O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
HAMAS O
) O
accused O
of O
causing O
the O
deaths O
of O
11 O
Israelis O
in O
a O
series O
of O
attacks O
. O

The O
demolition O
sparked O
clashes O
with O
troops O
during O
which O
two O
villagers O
were O
shot O
and O
wounded O
as O
protesters O
took O
to O
the O
streets O
in O
violation O
of O
the O
curfew O
, O
hospital O
sources O
said O
. O

The O
army O
sent O
in O
the O
bulldozers O
again O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
tear O
down O
the O
home O
of O
Abdel O
Rahman O
Ghanimat O
, O
who O
like O
his O
namesake O
has O
been O
linked O
to O
the O
Islamic O
suicide O
bomber O
who O
killed O
three O
Israeli O
women O
in O
Tel O
Aviv O
on O
March B-T
21 I-T
. O

The O
curfew O
on O
Surif O
, O
a O
town O
of O
15 O
, O
000 O
inhabitants O
, O
was O
imposed O
after O
the O
army O
discovered O
the O
body O
of O
a O
kidnapped O
Israeli O
soldier O
, O
Sergeant O
Sharon O
Edry O
, O
in O
the O
village O
last B-T
Thursday I-T
. O

The O
HAMAS O
radicals O
were O
arrested O
on O
suspicion O
of O
involvement O
in O
Edry O
' O
s O
murder O
and O
the O
10 O
other O
deaths O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0085 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Bulgaria O
captured O
their O
first O
medal O
in O
20 B-T
years I-T
by O
beating O
Serbia O
and O
Montenegro O
to O
finish O
third O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
world O
volleyball O
championships O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
Bulgarian O
men O
, O
who O
have O
not O
won O
a O
medal O
since O
the O
1986 O
worlds O
, O
coasted O
to O
a O
close O
22 B-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
23 I-T
, O
25 O
- O
23 O
victory O
over O
the O
2000 O
Olympic O
champions O
. O

" O
We O
are O
very O
happy O
, O
because O
after O
20 B-T
years I-T
we O
received O
this O
medal O
. O
It O
doesn O
' O
t O
matter O
( O
whether O
it O
' O
s O
gold O
or O
silver O
) O
, O
it O
' O
s O
the O
bronze O
, O
but O
it O
' O
s O
very O
important O
for O
us O
, O
" O
said O
Bulgarian O
captain O
Plamen O
Konstantinov O
. O

" O
Life O
is O
interesting O
, O
because O
yesterday B-T
it O
was O
the O
most O
disappointing O
day O
and O
today B-T
is O
the O
happiest O
day O
for O
us O
. O
We O
found O
power O
to O
win O
this O
game O
after O
yesterday B-T
' O
s O
match O
. O
" O

Bulgaria O
' O
s O
coach O
Martin O
Stoev O
said O
his O
team O
had O
bigger O
motivation O
than O
the O
Serbians O
, O
because O
they O
had O
not O
won O
a O
medal O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
20 I-T
years I-T
. O

" O
The O
Serbians O
won O
the O
Olympic O
gold O
medal O
, O
and O
they O
have O
medals O
from O
the O
European O
championships O
and O
the O
world O
championships O
. O
We O
didn O
' O
t O
win O
anything O
in O
the O
last B-T
20 I-T
years I-T
. O
That O
' O
s O
why O
we O
had O
better O
motivation O
for O
today B-T
, O
" O
said O
Stoev O
. O

It O
was O
Bulgaria O
' O
s O
fourth O
bronze O
medal O
in O
the O
world O
championships O
, O
following O
medals O
in O
1949 B-T
, O
1952 B-T
and O
1986 B-T
. O
They O
also O
won O
the O
silver O
medal O
in O
1970 B-T
. O

It O
was O
Serbia O
and O
Montenegro O
' O
s O
last O
international O
tournament O
as O
a O
united O
team O
, O
since O
the O
countries O
declared O
their O
independence O
in O
June B-T
after O
a O
referendum O
in O
Montenegro O
. O

" O
We O
came O
here O
with O
a O
big O
wish O
to O
have O
the O
best O
possible O
way O
to O
say O
goodbye O
to O
big O
international O
competitions O
with O
the O
name O
of O
Serbia O
and O
Montenegro O
. O
Also O
I O
think O
some O
of O
the O
players O
who O
will O
say O
goodbye O
to O
the O
national O
team O
deserved O
to O
win O
the O
medal O
, O
" O
said O
Serbian O
coach O
Igor O
Kolakovic O
. O

" O
Unfortunately O
we O
weren O
' O
t O
strong O
enough O
to O
win O
the O
medal O
before O
we O
left O
the O
competition O
. O
" O

It O
was O
the O
last O
tournament O
for O
Vladimir O
Grbic O
, O
the O
elder O
brother O
of O
Bulgarian O
captain O
Nikola O
Grbic O
, O
who O
announced O
his O
retirement O
before O
the O
championships O
. O

" O
This O
was O
his O
last O
tournament O
for O
the O
national O
team O
, O
" O
admitted O
the O
captain O
. O
" O
I O
also O
have O
to O
think O
about O
it O
, O
because O
I O
will O
become O
a O
father O
in O
a B-T
month I-T
. O
It O
' O
s O
a O
completely O
new O
situation O
for O
me O
. O
" O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0006 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0006 O
. O

Upjohn O
Offers O

@ O
Plan O
to O
Reduce O

@ O
Its O
Work O
Force O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Bradley O
A O
. O
Stertz O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

UPJ O

DRUG O
MANUFACTURERS O
( O
DRG O
) O

KALAMAZOO O
, O
Mich O
. O

Upjohn O
Co O
. O
said O
it O
will O
offer O
an O
early O
retirement O
package O
to O
as O
many O
as O
1 O
, O
100 O
employees O
in O
a O
cost O
- O
cutting O
move O
expected O
to O
result O
in O
a O
fourth B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
charge O
. O

Upjohn O
officials O
said O
they O
could O
n O
' O
t O
estimate O
the O
size O
of O
the O
charge O
until O
they O
determine O
which O
employees O
, O
and O
how O
many O
, O
will O
participate O
in O
the O
retirement O
plan O
. O

But O
the O
pharmaceutical O
company O
said O
it O
" O
anticipates O
the O
long O
- O
term O
savings O
resulting O
from O
the O
plan O
' O
s O
implementation O
will O
more O
than O
offset O
short O
- O
term O
costs O
. O
" O

The O
program O
, O
available O
to O
Upjohn O
employees O
55 O
years O
old O
or O
older O
, O
could O
increase O
an O
individual O
' O
s O
retirement O
benefits O
10 O
% O
to O
20 O
% O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Upjohn O
is O
offering O
a O
one O
- O
time O
retirement O
bonus O
equal O
to O
six O
months O
of O
base O
pay O
. O

Chairman O
Theodore O
Cooper O
called O
the O
program O
part O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
two B-T
- I-T
year I-T
strategy O
to O
implement O
budget O
constraints O
and O
" O
an O
effective O
headcount O
- O
control O
program O
. O
" O

But O
some O
analysts O
questioned O
how O
much O
of O
an O
impact O
the O
retirement O
package O
will O
have O
, O
because O
few O
jobs O
will O
end O
up O
being O
eliminated O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
cosmetic O
move O
, O
" O
said O
Jonathan O
S O
. O
Gelles O
of O
Wertheim O
Schroder O
amp O
Co O
. O

According O
to O
Upjohn O
' O
s O
estimates O
, O
only O
50 O
% O
to O
60 O
% O
of O
the O
1 O
, O
100 O
eligible O
employees O
will O
take O
advantage O
of O
the O
plan O
. O

Upjohn O
further O
estimated O
that O
about O
50 O
% O
of O
the O
employees O
who O
leave O
for O
early O
retirement O
may O
be O
replaced O
. O

As O
a O
result O
, O
Upjohn O
will O
likely O
trim O
only O
about O
275 O
to O
350 O
of O
its O
more O
than O
21 O
, O
000 O
jobs O
world O
- O
wide O
. O

In O
composite O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
yesterday B-T
, O
Upjohn O
shares O
rose O
87 O
. O
5 O
cents O
to O
$ O
38 O
. O
875 O
apiece O
. O

An O
Upjohn O
spokesman O
said O
he O
had O
" O
heard O
nothing O
" O
to O
suggest O
the O
early O
retirement O
package O
was O
spurred O
by O
shareholder O
pressure O
or O
a O
potential O
bidder O
for O
the O
company O
, O
which O
occasionally O
has O
been O
the O
target O
of O
takeover O
speculation O
. O

The O
company O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
adopted O
a O
shareholder O
- O
rights O
plan O
to O
ward O
off O
unwanted O
suitors O
. O

The O
spokesman O
said O
it O
is O
the O
first O
early O
retirement O
plan O
offered O
under O
its O
two O
- O
year O
cost O
- O
control O
strategy O
. O

Earlier B-T
staff O
- O
reduction O
moves O
have O
trimmed O
about O
300 O
jobs O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0513 O

PRETORIA O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Virgin O
and O
Air O
France O
bid O
to O
buy O
S O
. O
Africa O
' O
s O
Sun O
Air O

Air O
France O
, O
Malaysia O
Air O
and O
Britain O
' O
s O
Virgin O
Atlantic O
Airways O
are O
among O
eight O
finalist O
bidders O
for O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
domestic O
Sun O
Air O
, O
Public O
Enterprises O
Minister O
Stella O
Sigcau O
told O
journalists O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
other O
finalists O
, O
out O
of O
an O
original O
16 O
bidders O
, O
include O
various O
groupings O
representing O
combinations O
of O
domestic O
airlines O
, O
trade O
unions O
, O
financial O
institutions O
and O
black O
business O
consortiums O
, O
the O
minister O
said O
. O

Virgin O
has O
teamed O
up O
with O
six O
black O
empowerment O
groups O
, O
including O
the O
National O
Empowerment O
Corporation O
( O
NEC O
) O
, O
which O
last O
year O
made O
headlines O
by O
purchasing O
a O
controlling O
share O
in O
Johnnic O
, O
the O
subsidiary O
investment O
firm O
of O
mining O
giant O
Anglo O
American O
. O

Air O
France O
and O
Air O
Malaysia O
have O
launched O
independent O
bids O
without O
local O
partners O
for O
Sun O
Air O
, O
a O
para O
- O
statal O
company O
created O
during O
the O
apartheid O
era B-T
. O

President O
Nelson O
Mandela O
' O
s O
government O
launched O
an O
ambition O
privatisation O
programme O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
which O
culminated O
in O
the O
selling O
of O
a O
partial O
share O
of O
national O
Telkom O
to O
a O
group O
including O
Telekom O
Malaysia O
and O
Texas O
- O
based O
SBC O
Communications O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0194 O

CAIRO O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Former O
Italian O
beauty O
queen O
claims O
to O
be O
last O
wife O
of O
Faruq O

A O
former O
Italian O
beauty O
queen O
has O
claimed O
she O
was O
married O
to O
Egypt O
' O
s O
deposed O
King O
Faruq O
, O
drawing O
immediate O
denials O
here O
Saturday B-T
from O
an O
Egyptian O
historian O
and O
an O
authority O
on O
the O
late O
monarch O
. O

" O
She O
definitely O
was O
not O
his O
wife O
. O
His O
mistress O
or O
a O
girlfriend O
but O
not O
his O
wife O
. O
I O
am O
one O
billion O
percent O
sure O
of O
that O
, O
" O
Magdi O
Farag O
told O
AFP O
. O

The O
government O
weekly O
Akhbar O
al O
- O
Yom O
, O
in O
a O
dispatch O
from O
Rome O
, O
quoted O
the O
former O
Miss O
Naples O
identified O
as O
Irma O
Capucci O
Minitolo O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
as O
saying O
" O
I O
was O
the O
wife O
of O
King O
Faruq O
. O
" O

" O
We O
exchanged O
private O
vows O
with O
God O
as O
our O
witness O
. O
. O
. O
but O
we O
could O
not O
register O
our O
wedding O
officially O
. O
In O
Paris O
the O
king O
introduced O
me O
to O
his O
friends O
as O
his O
wife O
and O
said O
he O
will O
marry O
me O
officially O
once O
I O
converted O
to O
Islam O
, O
" O
she O
told O
Akhbar O
Al O
- O
Yom O
. O

Irma O
said O
she O
was O
currently O
writing O
her O
memoirs O
to O
set O
the O
record O
straight O
about O
her O
" O
matrimony O
" O
with O
Faruq O
, O
who O
was O
reputed O
to O
like O
the O
good O
life O
and O
the O
company O
of O
beautiful O
women O
. O

Irma O
said O
she O
first O
met O
Faruq O
in O
Naples O
where O
her O
father O
ran O
the O
rowing O
club O
which O
boasted O
nobility O
among O
its O
members O
. O
She O
was O
only O
7 O
and O
was O
chosen O
to O
present O
the O
royal O
couple O
with O
a O
bouquet O
of O
flowers O
. O
They O
met O
again O
in O
the O
Italian O
resort O
of O
Capri O
when O
she O
was O
15 B-T
and O
it O
was O
love O
at O
first O
sight O
. O

" O
I O
hit O
the O
ceiling O
when O
I O
saw O
it O
when O
I O
read O
this O
report O
, O
" O
said O
Farag O
, O
a O
historian O
who O
specialises O
in O
modern O
Egypt O
and O
widely O
considered O
an O
authority O
on O
the O
royal O
family O
. O

Farag O
admitted O
that O
Irma O
and O
Faruq O
were O
linked O
. O
" O
I O
have O
many O
photographs O
of O
her O
and O
the O
king O
. O
But O
he O
never O
married O
after O
he O
was O
sent O
into O
exile O
. O
" O
Akhbar O
Al O
- O
Yom O
also O
printed O
several O
pictures O
showing O
Faruq O
and O
Irma O
. O

" O
There O
are O
many O
impostors O
in O
this O
game O
. O
I O
meet O
at O
least O
two O
each B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
Farag O
said O
. O

He O
identified O
one O
of O
them O
as O
Egyptian O
Fuad O
Shedid O
, O
whom O
claims O
to O
be O
the O
illegitimate O
son O
of O
Faruq O
from O
a O
Jewish O
mistress O
. O

" O
Shedid O
is O
very O
fat O
and O
smokes O
cigars O
like O
King O
Faruq O
. O
He O
makes O
sure O
he O
gets O
invited O
to O
low O
- O
level O
embassies O
and O
goes O
to O
restaurants O
where O
he O
pretends O
he O
' O
s O
the O
king O
' O
s O
son O
and O
gets O
away O
by O
not O
paying O
the O
bill O
. O
" O

" O
After O
all O
these B-T
years I-T
people O
are O
still O
trying O
to O
cash O
on O
him O
( O
Faruq O
) O
. O
This O
is O
a O
shame O
, O
" O
Farag O
said O
. O

The O
monarchy O
was O
toppled O
in O
1952 B-T
and O
Faruq O
went O
into O
exile O
in O
Italy O
, O
where O
he O
died O
in O
1965 B-T
. O

He O
married O
twice O
, O
repudiating O
his O
first O
wife O
Farida O
and O
later O
married O
Nariman O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0180 O

URUMQI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

27 O
foreign O
drug O
traffickers O
arrested O
in O
Xinjiang O
this O
year O

Twenty O
- O
seven O
foreign O
drug O
traffickers O
have O
been O
arrested O
this B-T
year I-T
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
amid O
China O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
prevent O
the O
influx O
of O
heroin O
from O
the O
" O
Golden O
Crescent O
" O
area O
of O
central O
Asia O
. O

The O
27 O
people O
came O
from O
Pakistan O
, O
Afghanistan O
and O
Africa O
, O
said O
Jin O
Peng O
, O
an O
anti O
- O
drug O
smuggling O
official O
with O
the O
region O
' O
s O
public O
security O
department O
. O

The O
regional O
police O
have O
cracked O
13 O
drug O
trafficking O
cases O
involving O
53 O
. O
1 O
kilograms O
of O
heroin O
since O
last B-T
January I-T
, O
nearly O
three O
times O
the O
total O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
Jin O
. O

As O
Xinjiang O
is O
promoting O
trade O
with O
its O
eight O
neighboring O
countries O
, O
drugs O
from O
the O
Golden O
Crescent O
which O
includes O
parts O
of O
Pakistan O
, O
Afghanistan O
and O
Iran O
are O
" O
pouring O
" O
into O
China O
across O
the O
5 O
, O
400 O
kilometer O
- O
long O
border O
, O
Jin O
said O
. O

" O
Drug O
trafficking O
gangs O
have O
created O
channels O
and O
set O
up O
a O
drug O
purchase O
, O
transport O
, O
storage O
and O
trade O
network O
in O
China O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Low O
prices O
and O
the O
high O
purity O
of O
the O
heroin O
has O
also O
encouraged O
drug O
traffickers O
to O
take O
the O
risk O
, O
Jin O
said O
. O

A O
two O
- O
week O
class O
began O
in O
the O
cities O
and O
prefectures O
of O
Urumqi O
, O
Kashi O
and O
Ili O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
to O
educate O
policemen O
, O
custom O
officers O
, O
train O
staff O
and O
postmen O
about O
drug O
smuggling O
. O

In O
April B-T
2005 I-T
, O
China O
launched O
a O
People O
' O
s O
War O
on O
Drugs O
, O
calling O
on O
the O
public O
to O
help O
rehabilitate O
drug O
addicts O
and O
offering O
rewards O
for O
information O
that O
led O
to O
the O
arrest O
of O
traffickers O
. O

The O
Chinese O
government O
also O
announced O
plans O
to O
support O
opium O
replacement O
planting O
abroad O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
first O
bill O
on O
drug O
control O
which O
was O
introduced O
to O
the O
legislature O
in O
August B-T
. O

The O
draft O
law O
also O
stipulates O
that O
Chinese O
police O
should O
share O
information O
with O
other O
countries O
and O
international O
organizations O
and O
enhance O
collaboration O
in O
drug O
smuggling O
investigations O
. O

Southeast O
Asia O
' O
s O
Golden O
Triangle O
, O
an O
area O
along O
the O
Mekong O
River O
delta O
, O
including O
Myanmar O
, O
Laos O
and O
northern O
Thailand O
, O
has O
been O
blamed O
for O
most O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
drug O
- O
related O
problems O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0161 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0161 O
. O

Montedison O
Bid O
for O
Erbamont O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

MNT O
ERB O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

DRUG O
MANUFACTURERS O
( O
DRG O
) O

NEW O
YORK O

Italian O
chemical O
giant O
Montedison O
S O
. O
p O
. O
A O
. O
, O
through O
its O
Montedison O
Acquisition O
N O
. O
V O
. O
indirect O
unit O
, O
began O
its O
$ O
37 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
tender O
offer O
for O
all O
the O
common O
shares O
outstanding O
of O
Erbamont O
N O
. O
V O
. O
, O
a O
maker O
of O
pharmaceuticals O
incorporated O
in O
the O
Netherlands O
. O

The O
offer O
, O
advertised O
in O
today B-T
' O
s O
editions O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O
, O
is O
scheduled O
to O
expire O
at O
the O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
November I-T
. O

Montedison O
currently B-T
owns O
about O
72 O
% O
of O
Erbamont O
' O
s O
common O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

The O
offer O
is O
being O
launched O
pursuant O
to O
a O
previously B-T
announced O
agreement O
between O
the O
companies O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0367 O

WELLINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

NZ O
economy O
heads O
for O
a O
fall O
: O
OECD O
report O

New O
Zealand O
' O
s O
economy O
could O
be O
heading O
for O
a O
hard O
fall O
, O
a O
report O
by O
the O
organization O
for O
Economic O
Cooperation O
and O
Development O
( O
OECD O
) O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

New O
Zealand O
local O
media O
NZPA O
quoted O
the O
report O
of O
the O
Paris O
- O
based O
organization O
as O
saying O
" O
the O
economic O
growth O
rate O
was O
expected O
to O
fall O
to O
2 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
down O
from O
4 O
. O
4 O
percent O
last B-T
year I-T
. O
" O

Monetary O
tightening O
by O
Reserve O
Bank O
Governor O
Alan O
Bollard O
had O
failed O
slow O
domestic O
demand O
growth O
, O
the O
OECD O
economic O
report O
said O
. O

The O
OECD O
paper O
examined O
the O
rise O
in O
house O
prices O
, O
and O
current O
valuations O
against O
a O
range O
of O
benchmarks O
. O
It O
also O
reviewed O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
correction O
of O
housing O
prices O
and O
real O
activity O
. O

Bollard O
last B-T
month I-T
issued O
a O
severe O
warning O
of O
imbalances O
and O
" O
significant O
excesses O
" O
developing O
in O
the O
economy O
. O

The O
report O
said O
New O
Zealand O
was O
an O
OECD O
country O
where O
the O
cost O
of O
housing O
and O
rent O
had O
risen O
much O
more O
rapidly O
than O
incomes O
. O

In O
its O
May B-T
economic O
outlook O
, O
the O
OECD O
said O
New O
Zealand O
was O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
top O
performers O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
years I-T
. O

While O
the O
economy O
was O
slowing O
down O
as O
higher O
interest O
rates O
took O
effect O
, O
it O
was O
heading O
for O
a O
soft O
landing O
, O
said O
the O
OECD O
report O
. O

New O
Zealand O
Finance O
Minister O
Michael O
Cullen O
said O
Wednesday B-T
the O
latest O
OECD O
report O
on O
New O
Zealand O
should O
" O
silence O
the O
clamor O
for O
tax O
cuts O
. O
" O

" O
I O
agree O
with O
the O
OECD O
that O
the O
current O
account O
deficit O
poses O
a O
potential O
risk O
to O
this O
outlook O
and O
that O
continued O
careful O
fiscal O
management O
is O
necessary O
to O
mitigate O
that O
risk O
, O
" O
said O
Cullen O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0053 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Four O
Iraqis O
killed O
in O
two O
bomb O
attacks O
in O
Baghdad O

Four O
Iraqis O
, O
including O
a O
police O
commando O
, O
were O
killed O
and O
seven O
others O
wounded O
in O
two O
roadside O
bomb O
attacks O
in O
Baghdad O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
a O
police O
source O
said O
. O

" O
A O
roadside O
bomb O
struck O
a O
police O
commando O
patrol O
at O
about O
8 O
: O
30 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
( O
0530 O
GMT O
) O
in O
Saidiyah O
district O
in O
southern O
Baghdad O
, O
killing O
a O
commando O
member O
and O
wounding O
three O
others O
, O
" O
Ahmed O
Abdullah O
from O
Baghdad O
police O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

" O
Another O
roadside O
bomb O
exploded O
at O
about O
9 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0600 O
GMT O
) O
in O
the O
Camp O
Sarah O
area O
in O
southeastern O
Baghdad O
shortly O
after O
an O
Iraqi O
army O
convoy O
passed O
by O
, O
" O
Abdullah O
said O
. O

The O
blast O
destroyed O
a O
civilian O
car O
, O
killing O
three O
people O
and O
wounding O
four O
others O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Insurgents O
frequently O
target O
the O
fledgling O
Iraqi O
security O
troops O
, O
accusing O
them O
of O
collaborating O
with O
the O
US O
occupation O
forces O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0031 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Farmers O
in O
Shanghai O
enjoy O
two O
- O
digit O
rise O
in O
income O

The O
per O
- O
capita O
disposable O
income O
of O
farmers O
in O
Shanghai O
increased O
by O
10 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
quarters I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
thanks O
largely O
to O
accruement O
in O
housing O
rents O
, O
proceedings O
from O
land O
transfers O
and O
various O
forms O
of O
social O
welfare O
. O

Farmers O
' O
income O
in O
Shanghai O
, O
the O
economic O
hub O
of O
the O
country O
, O
went O
up O
10 O
. O
3 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
to O
6 O
, O
998 O
yuan O
( O
863 O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
the B-T
January I-T
- I-T
September I-T
period I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
municipal O
rural O
work O
commission O
. O

The O
growth O
rate O
was O
0 O
. O
7 O
percentage O
points O
higher O
than O
the O
year O
- O
earlier O
level O
, O
the O
source O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
Shanghai O
continued O
to O
rank O
first O
among O
China O
' O
s O
provincial O
regions O
in O
terms O
of O
farmers O
' O
income O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
10 I-T
years I-T
or I-T
so I-T
, O
the O
source O
added O
. O

Officials O
with O
the O
commission O
owed O
the O
fast O
growth O
in O
farmers O
' O
income O
to O
the O
fact O
that O
more O
farmers O
began O
to O
work O
in O
enterprises O
which O
offer O
the O
farmers O
higher O
pay O
, O
in O
addition O
to O
the O
rise O
in O
housing O
rents O
and O
proceedings O
from O
land O
transfers O
. O

The O
income O
growth O
was O
also O
attributed O
to O
increasing O
social O
welfare O
, O
including O
pension O
and O
funds O
for O
education O
and O
poverty O
relief O
as O
well O
as O
that O
for O
the O
handicapped O
and O
the O
low O
- O
income O
earners O
. O

Suburbs O
, O
covering O
more O
than O
90 O
percent O
of O
Shanghai O
' O
s O
total O
land O
area O
, O
have O
become O
a O
major O
propeller O
of O
the O
local O
economy O
, O
the O
commission O
said O
. O

The O
rural O
areas O
realized O
200 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
24 O
. O
6 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
value O
- O
added O
output O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
quarters I-T
, O
up O
19 O
. O
4 O
percent O
from O
the O
same O
period O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061225 O
. O
0285 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Herewith O
a O
corrected O
repetition O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Japanese O
core O
consumer O
prices O
rose O
by O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
November B-T
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
, O
the O
government O
said O
Tuesday B-T
as O
deflationary O
pressure O
eases O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Consumer O
prices O
in O
November B-T
as O
a O
whole O
, O
including O
volatile O
prices O
of O
fresh O
food O
, O
rose O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
, O
preliminary O
figures O
from O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Internal O
Affairs O
showed O
. O

The O
December B-T
core O
consumer O
price O
index O
( O
CPI O
) O
for O
Tokyo O
alone O
- O
- O
the O
leading O
indicator O
for O
national O
price O
trends O
- O
- O
rose O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0286 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

IOM O
to O
help O
internally O
displaced O
Sudanese O
return O
home O

The O
International O
Organization O
for O
Migration O
( O
IOM O
) O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
it O
had O
begun O
the O
registration O
of O
internally O
displaced O
Sudanese O
living O
in O
Khartoum O
who O
wants O
to O
return O
home O
after O
a O
peace O
agreement O
ended O
a O
21 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
civil O
war O
in O
the O
south O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
issued O
in O
Nairobi O
, O
the O
organization O
said O
the O
registrations O
which O
will O
continue O
till O
next B-T
February I-T
, O
will O
allow O
the O
first O
rounds O
of O
organized O
returns O
to O
communities O
in O
southern O
Sudan O
, O
most O
likely O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

About O
100 O
, O
000 O
households O
with O
an O
average O
size O
of O
six O
people O
per O
family O
are O
expected O
to O
register O
. O

" O
As O
well O
as O
registering O
those O
IDPs O
( O
internally O
displaced O
persons O
) O
in O
Khartoum O
state O
who O
want O
to O
return O
home O
, O
IOM O
is O
also O
providing O
information O
and O
material O
assistance O
to O
the O
displaced O
, O
including O
facilitating O
transportation O
to O
destinations O
in O
the O
south O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

" O
The O
Government O
of O
South O
Sudan O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
have O
agreed O
that O
150 O
, O
000 O
people O
displaced O
in O
the O
north O
will O
be O
assisted O
through O
organized O
returns O
, O
with O
the O
IOM O
facilitating O
the O
transportation O
of O
35 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
" O
it O
added O
. O

Another O
estimated O
48 O
, O
000 O
southern O
Sudanese O
IDPs O
, O
currently O
in O
southern O
Darfur O
and O
other O
states O
, O
will O
be O
assisted O
to O
go O
back O
home O
by O
the O
IOM O
between O
now B-T
and O
next B-T
July I-T
. O

An O
estimated O
4 O
million O
Sudanese O
are O
still O
displaced O
within O
their O
country O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
conflict O
in O
the O
south O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0312 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nigeria O
aims O
to O
export O
more O
gas O
to O
increase O
revenues O

Nigeria O
aims O
to O
export O
more O
gas O
to O
increase O
revenues O

ABUJA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
The O
Nigerian O
government O
has O
planned O
to O
export O
more O
liquefied O
natural O
gas O
( O
LNG O
) O
to O
capture O
significant O
market O
shares O
in O
the O
world O
to O
increase O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
revenues O
, O
a O
senior O
petroleum O
official O
said O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Funsho O
Kupolokun O
, O
group O
managing O
director O
of O
the O
Nigerian O
National O
Petroleum O
Corporation O
, O
told O
reporters O
that O
" O
the O
strategy O
being O
adopted O
to O
capture O
the O
market O
will O
focus O
on O
growing O
the O
LNG O
market O
and O
gas O
export O
pipelines O
. O
" O

He O
said O
a O
project O
carried O
out O
by O
the O
Nigeria O
Liquefied O
Natural O
Gas O
Limited O
( O
NLNG O
) O
" O
has O
attracted O
over O
3 O
. O
6 O
billion O
( O
U O
. O
S O
. O
) O
dollars O
revenues O
to O
the O
country O
, O
" O
adding O
that O
part O
of O
the O
money O
had O
been O
reinvested O
for O
further O
growth O
and O
the O
country O
' O
s O
gas O
sector O
. O

According O
to O
him O
, O
the O
NLNG O
will O
contribute O
a O
whopping O
20 O
percent O
of O
Nigeria O
' O
s O
gross O
domestic O
product O
( O
GDP O
) O
by O
2007 O
. O

Kupolokun O
said O
Train O
5 O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
LNG O
project O
was O
commissioned O
in O
December B-T
2005 I-T
and O
the O
Train O
6 O
was O
slated O
for O
being O
commissioned O
in O
2008 B-T
, O
with O
the O
growth O
forecast O
for O
the O
NLNG O
capacity O
of O
about O
30 O
million O
tons O
annually O
by O
2012 B-T
. O

He O
said O
the O
West O
African O
Gas O
Pipeline O
project O
would O
be O
commissioned O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O

The O
official O
also O
disclosed O
that O
two O
additional O
regional O
pipelines O
were O
under O
evaluation O
including O
the O
supply O
to O
Equatorial O
Guinea O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0446 O

SAN O
FRANCISCO O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

FBI O
focusing O
on O
lawyer O
as O
leak O
source O
in O
BALCO O
case O
: O
report O

FBI O
agents O
are O
focusing O
upon O
defense O
attorney O
Troy O
Ellerman O
as O
the O
source O
of O
leaks O
of O
grand O
jury O
testimony O
linking O
Barry O
Bonds O
and O
other O
top O
athletes O
to O
steroids O
, O
Yahoo O
Sports O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

Larry O
McCormack O
, O
who O
worked O
as O
an O
investigator O
on O
the O
BALCO O
steroids O
case O
, O
told O
the O
website O
that O
Ellerman O
has O
been O
the O
subject O
of O
an O
FBI O
probe O
. O
McCormack O
said O
he O
was O
based O
in O
the O
same O
office O
as O
Ellerman O
at O
the O
time O
of O
the O
leaks O
. O

McCormack O
told O
he O
performed O
investigative O
work O
on O
behalf O
of O
BALCO O
founder O
Victor O
Conte O
and O
said O
he O
told O
the O
FBI O
Ellerman O
relayed O
confidential O
grand O
jury O
information O
to O
a O
San O
Francisco O
Chronicle O
reporter O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

" O
I O
felt O
it O
was O
wrong O
, O
" O
McCormack O
said O
of O
the O
leaks O
. O
" O
I O
said O
it O
was O
wrong O
from O
the O
get O
- O
go O
. O
" O

Grand O
jury O
testimony O
, O
which O
was O
to O
remain O
secret O
, O
was O
published O
in O
the O
Chronicle O
and O
the O
words O
of O
Barry O
Bonds O
, O
Jason O
Giambi O
and O
sprinter O
Tim O
Montgomery O
were O
used O
to O
link O
them O
to O
the O
steroid O
scandal O
. O

The O
Chronicle O
reporters O
, O
Mark O
Fainaru O
- O
Wada O
and O
Lance O
Williams O
, O
wrote O
a O
book O
on O
the O
BALCO O
scandal O
. O
They O
face O
longer O
prison O
sentences O
for O
refusing O
to O
reveal O
the O
source O
of O
the O
leaked O
testimony O
than O
any O
served O
by O
the O
five O
men O
convicted O
in O
the O
BALCO O
scandal O
. O

Michael O
Rains O
, O
the O
attorney O
representing O
Bonds O
, O
told O
Yahoo O
he O
does O
not O
believe O
Ellerman O
leaked O
grand O
jury O
information O
or O
transcripts O
, O
saying O
Ellerman O
would O
not O
have O
had O
access O
to O
some O
information O
reported O
by O
the O
Chronicle O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0310 O

KABUL O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
INSERTS O
Taliban O
claim O
of O
responsibility O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
bomb O
exploded O
Friday B-T
near O
the O
building O
where O
Afghanistan O
' O
s O
parliament O
will O
meet O
next B-T
week I-T
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
three B-T
decades I-T
, O
killing O
an O
apparent O
suicide O
attacker O
and O
wounding O
two O
passers O
- O
by O
. O

The O
bomb O
was O
in O
a O
car O
and O
exploded O
about O
500 O
metres O
( O
1 O
, O
650 O
feet O
) O
from O
the O
building O
where O
parliament O
is O
scheduled O
to O
open O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
killing O
the O
driver O
who O
appeared O
to O
be O
a O
suicide O
bomber O
, O
a O
government O
official O
said O
. O

The O
bloodied O
and O
shredded O
remains O
of O
the O
dead O
man O
were O
flung O
about O
50 O
metres O
off O
the O
road O
, O
which O
was O
strewn O
with O
metal O
and O
glass O
shards O
of O
the O
destroyed O
vehicle O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
a O
suicide O
attack O
that O
was O
not O
able O
to O
make O
it O
to O
a O
potential O
target O
- O
- O
we O
believe O
it O
exploded O
prematurely O
, O
" O
interior O
ministry O
spokesman O
Yousuf O
Stanizai O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
The O
bomb O
was O
placed O
in O
a O
pressure O
cooker O
. O
The O
driver O
has O
been O
killed O
and O
two O
passers O
- O
by O
were O
wounded O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
blaming O
the O
attack O
on O
the O
" O
enemies O
of O
Afghanistan O
" O
- O
- O
a O
term O
used O
to O
refer O
to O
insurgents O
, O
including O
from O
the O
Taliban O
government O
ousted O
in O
2001 B-T
in O
a O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
. O

A O
Norwegian O
vehicle O
in O
the O
NATO O
- O
led O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
that O
patrols O
the O
heavily O
fortified O
capital O
was O
slightly O
damaged O
in O
the O
blast O
, O
ISAF O
said O
. O

It O
was O
unclear O
if O
the O
ISAF O
convoy O
was O
the O
target O
of O
the O
blast O
, O
a O
spokesman O
said O
. O
ISAF O
patrols O
in O
the O
city O
were O
hit O
by O
two O
suicide O
blasts O
on O
November B-T
14 I-T
which O
killed O
a O
German O
soldier O
and O
eight O
Afghans O
. O
Police O
blamed O
Taliban O
insurgents O
and O
their O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
allies O
. O

A O
purported O
spokesman O
for O
the O
toppled O
Taliban O
said O
one O
of O
the O
movement O
' O
s O
fighters O
had O
carried O
out O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
attack O
, O
which O
he O
claimed O
had O
been O
intended O
for O
the O
parliament O
building O
. O

" O
The O
attack O
was O
carried O
out O
by O
one O
of O
our O
mujahedin O
( O
holy O
warriors O
) O
, O
" O
Mohammed O
Hanif O
said O
by O
telephone O
. O

" O
The O
actual O
target O
was O
the O
parliament O
building O
but O
when O
he O
saw O
lots O
of O
security O
outside O
, O
he O
changed O
his O
target O
to O
the O
NATO O
convoy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Another O
man O
who O
often O
contacts O
the O
media O
claiming O
to O
be O
a O
Taliban O
spokesman O
warned O
earlier O
that O
the O
parliament O
, O
elected O
in O
September B-T
in O
the O
first O
general O
legislative O
election O
since O
1969 B-T
, O
would O
become O
a O
target O
of O
the O
insurgency O
. O

" O
The O
parliament O
has O
been O
made O
up O
by O
invader O
Americans O
. O
They O
want O
to O
impose O
it O
on O
Afghans O
, O
" O
said O
Qari O
Mohammad O
Yousuf O
Ahmadi O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ll O
attack O
them O
as O
we O
attack O
the O
government O
and O
invading O
American O
infidels O
, O
" O
he O
said O
by O
telephone O
. O

The O
United O
States O
launched O
the O
attack O
that O
removed O
the O
Taliban O
from O
power O
after O
the O
hardliners O
refused O
to O
hand O
over O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
leader O
Osama O
bin O
Laden O
for O
the O
September B-T
11 I-T
attacks O
on O
New O
York O
and O
Washington O
. O

Taliban O
rebels O
are O
mostly O
active O
in O
southern O
and O
eastern O
Afghanistan O
with O
the O
insurgency O
leaving O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
500 O
people O
dead O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
There O
has O
been O
an O
upsurge O
in O
Taliban O
- O
blamed O
suicide O
attacks O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
weeks I-T
, O
with O
about O
10 O
since O
late B-T
September I-T
. O

The O
violence O
has O
cast O
a O
shadow O
on O
the O
war O
- O
scarred O
country O
' O
s O
attempts O
to O
moves O
towards O
democracy O
, O
a O
key O
step O
being O
the O
election O
for O
the O
parliament O
to O
meet O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Presidential O
spokesman O
Karim O
Rahimi O
said O
there O
may O
be O
some O
" O
disturbances O
" O
related O
to O
the O
sitting O
of O
the O
new O
parliament O
but O
this O
would O
not O
affect O
the O
quest O
for O
democracy O
. O

" O
We O
believe O
that O
the O
process O
that O
the O
majority O
of O
the O
people O
of O
Afghanistan O
have O
chosen O
- O
- O
going O
towards O
democracy O
, O
having O
a O
parliament O
- O
- O
that O
will O
continue O
, O
despite O
some O
problems O
. O
This O
will O
not O
stop O
progress O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051207 O
. O
0327 O

TALLINN O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Estonia O
protests O
further O
alleged O
air O
space O
violation O
by O
Russia O

Estonia O
has O
protested O
to O
the O
Russian O
authorities O
after O
a O
Russian O
military O
plane O
breached O
the O
Baltic O
state O
' O
s O
air O
space O
in O
the O
fifth O
such O
violation O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
officials O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
A O
Russian O
military O
transport O
An O
- O
26 O
entered O
Estonian O
airspace O
without O
permission O
Tuesday B-T
, O
" O
the O
Estonian O
defence O
forces O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
plane O
, O
flying O
towards O
Kaliningrad O
, O
entered O
Estonian O
airspace O
near O
the O
island O
of O
Vaindloo O
in O
the O
Gulf O
of O
Finland O
. O
" O

The O
Russian O
plane O
, O
which O
posed O
no O
threat O
to O
civilian O
air O
traffic O
, O
was O
picked O
up O
on O
the O
radar O
of O
the O
Estonian O
Air O
Sovereignty O
Centre O
and O
left O
the O
Baltic O
state O
' O
s O
air O
space O
after O
it O
was O
contacted O
by O
Estonian O
officials O
. O

Kaliningrad O
is O
a O
heavily O
militarised O
Russian O
enclave O
which O
lies O
to O
the O
south O
of O
the O
three O
Baltic O
states O
of O
Estonia O
, O
Latvia O
and O
Lithuania O
, O
which O
joined O
NATO O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

NATO O
member O
countries O
take O
turns O
patrolling O
the O
skies O
of O
the O
Baltic O
states O
, O
which O
were O
incorporated O
into O
the O
Soviet O
Union O
after O
World O
War O
II O
and O
regained O
independence O
in O
1991 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0207 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Palestinians O
slam O
Israeli O
call O
to O
end O
UN O
mandate O
in O
Gaza O

Senior O
Palestinian O
officials O
on O
Tuesday B-T
slammed O
an O
Israeli O
call O
to O
suspend O
activities O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
Relief O
and O
Works O
Agency O
( O
UNRWA O
) O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

Hatem O
Abdel O
Qader O
, O
a O
Palestinian O
legislator O
, O
told O
reporters O
that O
Israel O
attempts O
to O
end O
the O
UNRWA O
' O
s O
mandate O
to O
remove O
the O
issue O
of O
refugees O
and O
their O
right O
of O
return O
. O

He O
said O
the O
international O
community O
should O
pay O
close O
attention O
to O
the O
issue O
of O
Palestinian O
refugees O
and O
work O
to O
alleviate O
their O
sufferings O
. O

Israeli O
Foreign O
Minister O
Silvan O
Shalom O
called O
on O
the O
UNRWA O
to O
transfer O
its O
mandate O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
National O
Authority O
and O
end O
its O
activities O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Sami O
Mushasha O
, O
a O
spokesperson O
for O
the O
UNRWA O
in O
Jerusalem O
, O
said O
Shalom O
' O
s O
request O
was O
a O
personal O
one O
and O
the O
UNRWA O
has O
rejected O
his O
request O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0222 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

British O
output O
prices O
fall O
by O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
March O

A O
surprise O
fall O
in O
factory O
gate O
prices O
here O
in O
the B-T
month I-T
of O
March O
may O
mask O
inflationary O
pressures O
in O
Britain O
' O
s O
dominant O
service O
sector O
, O
economists O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

British O
output O
prices O
, O
or O
the O
price O
of O
goods O
at O
the O
factory O
gate O
, O
showed O
their O
sharpest O
fall O
since O
September B-T
1986 I-T
in O
March B-T
, O
when O
they O
fell O
by O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
from O
the O
figure O
for O
February B-T
. O
Output O
prices O
rose O
by O
1 O
. O
0 O
percent O
on O
a O
12 O
- O
month O
comparison O
, O
official O
figures O
showed O
. O

These O
figures O
were O
slightly O
lower O
than O
analysts O
had O
expected O
. O
The O
market O
median O
forecast O
was O
for O
output O
prices O
to O
rise O
by O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
over O
the B-T
month I-T
and O
to O
rise O
by O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
on O
a O
12 O
- O
month O
comparison O
. O

Economist O
at O
the O
HSBC O
James O
Capel O
trading O
house O
, O
Adam O
Cole O
, O
said O
that O
the O
data O
- O
- O
which O
is O
only O
applicable O
to O
the O
manufacturing O
sector O
- O
- O
covers O
just O
20 O
percent O
of O
the O
British O
economy O
. O

" O
The O
weakness O
of O
the O
manufacturing O
sector O
has O
been O
well O
documented O
, O
while O
it O
is O
the O
strength O
of O
the O
service O
sector O
which O
is O
giving O
cause O
for O
concern O
with O
regard O
to O
the O
build O
up O
of O
inflationary O
pressures O
, O
" O
Cole O
said O
. O

British O
inflation O
figures O
will O
be O
published O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O
Economists O
said O
that O
they O
would O
also O
pay O
close O
attention O
to O
average O
earnings O
and O
unemployment O
data O
which O
was O
due O
to O
be O
published O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Input O
prices O
, O
or O
the O
cost O
of O
raw O
materials O
for O
industry O
, O
showed O
their O
sharpest O
fall O
since O
December B-T
1986 I-T
and O
fell O
by O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
in O
March B-T
from O
the O
figure O
for O
February B-T
. O
On O
a O
12 O
- O
month O
comparison O
, O
input O
prices O
fell O
by O
7 O
. O
7 O
percent O
. O

The O
fall O
in O
prices O
was O
higher O
than O
analysts O
had O
forecast O
. O
The O
market O
median O
forecast O
was O
for O
input O
prices O
to O
rise O
by O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
over O
the B-T
month I-T
and O
to O
fall O
by O
6 O
. O
5 O
percent O
on O
a O
12 O
- O
month O
comparison O
. O

In O
February B-T
, O
factory O
- O
gate O
prices O
had O
risen O
by O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
on O
a O
12 O
- O
month O
comparison O
. O
Input O
prices O
fell O
by O
6 O
. O
5 O
percent O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0598 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
calls O
for O
action O
to O
restore O
democracy O

Burmese O
opposition O
leader O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
on O
Tuesday B-T
urged O
the O
international O
community O
to O
denounce O
the O
escalating O
human O
rights O
violations O
in O
Burma O
and O
restore O
the O
democracy O
snatched O
away O
by O
the O
ruling O
military O
junta O
. O

" O
There O
are O
hardly O
any O
human O
rights O
which O
have O
not O
been O
violated O
by O
this O
military O
regime O
. O
And O
we O
need O
strong O
action O
from O
the O
international O
community O
to O
put O
an O
end O
to O
these O
constant O
violations O
of O
basic O
human O
rights O
, O
" O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
said O
. O

She O
further O
asked O
the O
international O
community O
to O
implement O
a O
general O
assembly O
resolution O
, O
calling O
for O
the O
restoration O
of O
democracy O
in O
Burma O
. O

" O
Our O
political O
rights O
are O
getting O
fewer O
and O
fewer O
by O
the B-T
day I-T
. O
There O
are O
more O
restrictions O
, O
more O
repression O
, O
the O
autorities O
seem O
determined O
to O
crush O
any O
kind O
of O
political O
movement O
, O
" O
the O
opposition O
leader O
said O
in O
a O
video O
message O
, O
smuggled O
out O
of O
Burma O
and O
delivered O
to O
the O
53rd O
session O
of O
the O
annual O
session O
of O
the O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
meeting O
in O
Geneva O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
is O
expected O
to O
present O
a O
resolution O
condemning O
Burma O
to O
the O
commission O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
UN O
special O
rapporteur O
on O
human O
rights O
in O
Burma O
denounced O
arbitrary O
executions O
, O
torture O
, O
forced O
labour O
, O
deportation O
, O
rape O
and O
the O
general O
climate O
of O
fear O
under O
Burma O
' O
s O
ruling O
junta O
. O

The O
junta O
in O
1990 B-T
cancelled O
the O
election O
victory O
of O
the O
opposition O
National O
League O
for O
Democracy O
led O
by O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
. O

The O
opposition O
leader O
accused O
the O
government O
of O
persecuting O
its O
opponents O
, O
their O
sympathisers O
and O
their O
families O
through O
economic O
pressure O
and O
carrying O
out O
arrests O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
trumped O
up O
charges O
. O

For O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
months I-T
, O
all O
of O
her O
visitors O
have O
been O
filtered O
by O
the O
military O
and O
she O
said O
access O
is O
often O
denied O
to O
diplomats O
and O
foreign O
journalists O
. O

Aung O
Sang O
Suu O
Kyi O
urged O
the O
United O
Nations O
to O
ensure O
that O
the O
UN O
human O
rights O
rapporteur O
to O
Burma O
should O
be O
authorised O
to O
travel O
to O
the O
country O
and O
she O
further O
called O
for O
the O
establishment O
of O
a O
human O
rights O
surveillance O
group O
. O

Lastly O
, O
she O
called O
on O
Thai O
authorities O
to O
welcome O
refugees O
driven O
out O
by O
the O
Burmese O
army O
' O
s O
offensive O
against O
ethnic O
minorities O
carried O
out O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

She O
is O
anxious O
that O
the O
UN O
High O
Commissioner O
for O
Refugees O
should O
have O
access O
to O
the O
approximately O
100 O
, O
000 O
refugees O
that O
the O
Thai O
authorities O
are O
preparing O
to O
send O
back O
to O
Burma O
following O
an O
agreement O
with O
the O
ruling O
military O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0235 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
African O
rand O
steady O

The O
South O
African O
rand O
was O
steady O
in O
late O
trade O
on O
Monday B-T
despite O
a O
weaker O
euro O
, O
supported O
by O
two O
- O
way O
trade O
and O
a O
stronger O
gold O
price O
which O
was O
at O
a O
18 O
- O
year O
high O
. O

At O
15 O
: O
40 O
( O
1340 O
GMT O
) O
, O
the O
rand O
was O
bid O
at O
6 O
. O
5160 O
per O
dollar O
from O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
close O
of O
6 O
. O
4940 O
and O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
close O
of O
6 O
. O
5011 O
. O

It O
was O
bid O
at O
7 O
. O
6386 O
to O
the O
euro O
from O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
close O
of O
7 O
. O
6163 O
and O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
close O
of O
7 O
. O
6875 O
and O
at O
11 O
. O
1090 O
against O
sterling O
from O
a O
previous O
11 O
. O
1052 O
and O
Thursday B-T
' I-T
s I-T
11 I-T
. I-T
2023 I-T
. O

Traders O
said O
that O
gold O
, O
which O
seems O
once O
again O
to O
be O
eyeing O
the O
key O
500 O
US O
dollars O
per O
ounce O
level O
, O
would O
lend O
support O
to O
the O
local O
currency O
. O

At O
15 O
: O
40 O
( O
1340 O
GMT O
) O
, O
gold O
was O
quoted O
at O
495 O
. O
60 O
dollars O
a O
troy O
ounce O
, O
having O
earlier O
traded O
at O
an O
18 O
- O
year O
high O
of O
499 O
. O
14 O
dollars O
per O
ounce O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0143 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0143 O
. O

Dividend O
News O
: O

@ O
AEP O
Industries O
Inc O
. O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

AEPI O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

AEP O
INDUSTRIES O
Inc O
. O
directors O
authorized O
a O
3 O
- O
for O
- O
2 O
split O
of O
the O
common O
, O
payable O
Dec B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
to O
stock O
of O
record O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
. O

The O
split O
was O
aimed O
at O
boosting O
the O
stock O
' O
s O
liquidity O
, O
said O
Brendan O
Barba O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Moonachie O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
, O
maker O
of O
plastic O
film O
products O
. O

After O
the O
split O
, O
the O
company O
will O
have O
more O
than O
4 O
. O
7 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

In O
national O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
trading O
yesterday B-T
, O
AEP O
shares O
closed O
at O
$ O
21 O
. O
25 O
, O
down O
50 O
cents O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0135 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
father O
" O
prolongs O
" O
son O
' O
s O
life O
by O
organ O
donation O

A O
father O
from O
Shenzhen O
has O
donated O
all O
of O
his O
dying O
son O
' O
s O
organs O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
make O
his O
son O
' O
s O
life O
more O
meaningful O
and O
memorable O
. O

When O
17 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Xia O
Chao O
Ming O
was O
diagnosed O
with O
an O
incurable O
galloping O
tumor O
in O
his O
head O
, O
his O
48 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
father O
Xia O
Yueyan O
decided O
to O
donate O
his O
son O
' O
s O
organs O
. O
Initially O
, O
the O
shocked O
family O
could O
not O
agree O
but O
Xia O
' O
s O
perseverance O
and O
persuasion O
finally O
made O
them O
change O
their O
minds O
. O

" O
His O
eyes O
will O
still O
be O
shining O
and O
we O
will O
feel O
his O
heart O
beating O
if O
his O
organs O
remain O
alive O
somewhere O
in O
this O
world O
after O
his O
death O
" O
, O
Xia O
Yueyan O
said O
. O

Xia O
added O
that O
his O
son O
' O
s O
life O
would O
be O
more O
meaningful O
and O
" O
prolonged O
" O
as O
more O
people O
would O
remember O
him O
. O

The O
Xia O
family O
left O
their O
farmland O
in O
Yuanjiang O
of O
China O
' O
s O
central O
Hunan O
province O
and O
opened O
a O
small O
restaurant O
in O
Shenzhen O
just O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O
Xia O
Yueyan O
decided O
to O
donate O
his O
son O
' O
s O
organs O
to O
the O
Shenzhen O
branch O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
Society O
and O
entered O
his O
son O
' O
s O
name O
on O
the O
donation O
agreement O
after O
a O
long O
conversation O
with O
him O
. O

Xia O
Chaoming O
agreed O
to O
his O
father O
' O
s O
decision O
and O
said O
it O
was O
the O
right O
thing O
to O
do O
as O
he O
could O
not O
do O
enough O
to O
pay O
back O
his O
parents O
and O
society O
. O

Many O
people O
sent O
money O
to O
Xia O
' O
s O
family O
after O
media O
exposure O
and O
were O
declined O
. O
" O
Money O
is O
irrelevant O
. O
We O
are O
donating O
the O
organs O
not O
selling O
them O
" O
, O
Xia O
said O
. O

China O
is O
suffering O
a O
serious O
shortage O
of O
human O
organ O
donations O
as O
many O
Chinese O
believe O
that O
their O
body O
are O
their O
parents O
' O
flesh O
and O
blood O
and O
few O
are O
willing O
to O
donate O
their O
organs O
after O
death O
. O

According O
to O
a O
recent O
report O
, O
about O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
patients O
in O
China O
need O
organ O
transplants O
each B-T
year I-T
, O
but O
only O
around O
10 O
, O
000 O
operations O
can O
be O
carried O
out O
due O
to O
organ O
shortages O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0174 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0174 O
. O

Crossland O
Savings O
Stock O
Plunges O
as O
Firm O

@ O
Recommends O
Suspension O
of O
Dividends O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Udayan O
Gupta O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CRL O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

FINANCIAL O
, O
ACCOUNTING O
, O
LEASING O
( O
FIN O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

NEW O
YORK O

Crossland O
Savings O
Bank O
' O
s O
stock O
plummeted O
after O
management O
recommended O
a O
suspension O
of O
dividend O
payments O
on O
both O
its O
common O
and O
preferred O
stock O
because O
Crossland O
may O
not O
meet O
the O
new O
government O
capital O
criteria O
effective O
Dec B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
. O

In O
composite O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
Friday B-T
, O
Crossland O
closed O
at O
$ O
5 O
. O
25 O
, O
down O
$ O
1 O
. O
875 O
, O
a O
26 O
% O
decline O
. O

A O
spokesman O
said O
the O
savings O
bank O
may O
not O
qualify O
for O
the O
capital O
requirements O
because O
, O
under O
the O
proposed O
guidelines O
, O
its O
$ O
380 O
million O
of O
preferred O
stock O
does O
n O
' O
t O
meet O
the O
" O
core O
capital O
" O
criteria O
outlined O
under O
the O
new O
Financial O
Institutions O
Reform O
, O
Recovery O
and O
Enforcement O
Act O
of O
1989 B-T
. O

He O
added O
that O
final O
guidelines O
to O
be O
published O
in O
early B-T
November I-T
will O
determine O
whether O
the O
bank O
is O
in O
compliance O
. O

Crossland O
said O
it O
retained O
three O
investment O
bankers O
to O
assist O
it O
in O
developing O
and O
implementing O
a O
financial O
restructuring O
plan O
. O

It O
would O
n O
' O
t O
identify O
the O
bankers O
. O

Additionally O
, O
Crossland O
reported O
a O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
loss O
of O
$ O
175 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
13 O
. O
44 O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
net O
income O
of O
$ O
27 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
16 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

A O
major O
factor O
in O
the O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
loss O
was O
the O
write O
- O
down O
of O
$ O
143 O
. O
6 O
million O
of O
goodwill O
. O

The O
spokesman O
said O
that O
the O
proposed O
guidelines O
caused O
Crossland O
to O
revise O
its O
business O
objectives O
and O
, O
consequently O
, O
to O
write O
down O
the O
asset O
value O
of O
some O
previous O
acquisitions O
. O

Crossland O
recorded O
an O
additional O
$ O
20 O
million O
in O
loan O
loss O
reserves O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

Net O
interest O
income O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
declined O
to O
$ O
35 O
. O
6 O
million O
from O
$ O
70 O
. O
1 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

However O
, O
non O
- O
interest O
income O
rose O
to O
$ O
23 O
. O
5 O
million O
from O
$ O
22 O
million O
. O

Third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
loan O
originations O
dropped O
sharply O
to O
$ O
663 O
million O
from O
$ O
1 O
billion O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

Standard O
amp O
Poor O
' O
s O
Corp O
. O
lowered O
the O
rating O
on O
Crossland O
' O
s O
preferred O
stock O
to O
double O
- O
C O
from O
single O
- O
B O
- O
minus O
and O
placed O
it O
on O
CreditWatch O
for O
possible O
further O
downgrade O
. O

It O
also O
placed O
on O
CreditWatch O
for O
possible O
downgrade O
other O
securities O
, O
including O
the O
double O
- O
B O
- O
minus O
/ O
B O
rating O
of O
Crossland O
' O
s O
certificates O
of O
deposit O
and O
the O
single O
- O
B O
rating O
of O
its O
senior O
subordinated O
capital O
notes O
. O

About O
$ O
518 O
million O
of O
debt O
is O
affected O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0066 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Macquarie O
makes O
formal O
offer O
for O
LSE O

Australian O
investment O
group O
Macquarie O
Bank O
made O
a O
formal O
cash O
offer O
of O
580 O
pence O
per O
share O
for O
the O
London O
Stock O
Exchange O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
valuing O
the O
LSE O
at O
about O
1 O
. O
5 O
billion O
pounds O
( O
2 O
. O
2 O
billion O
euros O
, O
2 O
. O
7 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
LSE O
had O
rejected O
an O
informal O
offer O
from O
Macquarie O
Bank O
which O
valued O
the O
stock O
market O
operator O
at O
1 O
. O
48 O
billion O
pounds O
, O
describing O
it O
as O
" O
derisory O
" O
. O

Thursday B-T
' O
s O
offer O
was O
made O
before O
a O
December B-T
15 I-T
deadline O
set O
by O
the O
British O
Takeover O
Panel O
for O
Macquarie O
Bank O
to O
make O
a O
formal O
bid O
or O
walk O
away O
. O

Macquarie O
said O
that O
if O
its O
bid O
succeeded O
, O
the O
LSE O
would O
continue O
to O
be O
regulated O
solely O
by O
the O
Financial O
Services O
Authority O
. O
The O
exchange O
would O
continue O
to O
be O
managed O
in O
London O
. O

The O
Australian O
group O
said O
one B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
that O
it O
had O
approached O
the O
LSE O
, O
the O
biggest O
equity O
market O
in O
Europe O
, O
over O
bid O
talks O
and O
indicated O
that O
it O
would O
be O
prepared O
to O
offer O
580 O
pence O
per O
share O
in O
cash O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0028 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Iraq O
makes O
second O
stage O
of O
15th O
ASIAD O
soccer O
with O
Jordan O
, O
Syria O
and O
Kyrgyzstan O

Jordan O
slashed O
a O
pounding O
13 O
- O
0 O
victory O
over O
Macao O
of O
China O
and O
Iraq O
drew O
0 O
- O
0 O
with O
Syria O
here O
Friday B-T
in O
the O
final O
preliminary O
round O
of O
the O
soccer O
tournament O
in O
the O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
. O

Iraq O
and O
Jordan O
, O
with O
seven O
and O
five O
points O
respectively O
, O
have O
become O
the O
winners O
of O
two O
groups O
to O
qualify O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
stage I-T
. O

Syria O
, O
together O
with O
Kyrgyzstan O
which O
tied O
with O
Tajikistan O
2 O
- O
2 O
earlier O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
is O
also O
able O
to O
stay O
in O
Doha O
as O
runner O
- O
up O
of O
Gruop O
B O
. O

According O
to O
the O
newest O
rule O
issued O
by O
the O
Asian O
Games O
organizer O
, O
the O
runners O
- O
up O
are O
to O
take O
the O
berths O
of O
the O
next O
round O
in O
the O
tournament O
because O
Turkmenistan O
and O
Yemen O
had O
withdrawn O
from O
the O
Games O
. O

Despite O
finishing O
on O
the O
same O
points O
with O
Jordan O
and O
Kyrgyzstan O
in O
Group O
A O
, O
Tajikistan O
fall O
out O
on O
goal O
difference O
due O
to O
Kyrgyzstan O
' O
s O
three O
- O
goal O
superiority O
. O

However O
, O
as O
the O
best O
third O
- O
placer O
, O
the O
middle O
Asian O
side O
still O
saw O
a O
glimpse O
of O
hope O
if O
Iran O
was O
banned O
from O
the O
game O
. O

According O
to O
news O
reaching O
here O
, O
the O
Federation O
of O
International O
Football O
Association O
( O
FIFA O
) O
announced O
a O
decision O
earlier O
to O
suspend O
the O
Iran O
Association O
from O
all O
international O
games O
. O

Till O
now B-T
, O
no O
official O
advice O
has O
been O
received O
from O
the O
Asian O
Football O
Conference O
about O
Iran O
' O
s O
suspension O
or O
what O
changes O
would O
be O
made O
to O
competition O
, O
said O
the O
official O
website O
of O
the O
15th O
Asian O
Games O
. O

In O
another O
uneventful O
game O
in O
Group O
A O
, O
Singapore O
drew O
with O
Indonesia O
1 O
- O
1 O
and O
both O
were O
eliminated O
form O
the O
competition O
. O

The O
eight O
teams O
must O
play O
this O
preliminary O
round O
because O
they O
had O
not O
competed O
in O
the O
2002 O
Asian O
Games O
soccer O
tournament O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0126 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

French O
minister O
praises O
China O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
prevent O
bird O
flu O

China O
' O
s O
approach O
to O
its O
fight O
against O
the O
bird O
flu O
is O
" O
resolute O
and O
comprehensive O
" O
, O
said O
Xavier O
Bertrand O
, O
the O
French O
Minister O
of O
Health O
and O
Solidarity O
, O
Tuesday O
during O
his O
two O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Shanghai O
. O

" O
The O
Chinese O
government O
has O
a O
very O
full O
, O
clear O
understanding O
on O
the O
importance O
of O
containing O
the O
pandemic O
and O
the O
general O
public O
here O
have O
not O
shown O
an O
unnecessary O
sign O
of O
panic O
, O
" O
Bertrand O
said O
. O

He O
said O
both O
Chinese O
and O
French O
governments O
have O
taken O
prudent O
measures O
in O
preventing O
bird O
flu O
, O
adding O
that O
China O
has O
made O
great O
efforts O
to O
share O
information O
with O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
. O

Bertrand O
was O
invited O
by O
the O
Chinese O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
to O
kick O
off O
his O
first O
official O
visit O
to O
China O
on O
Nov B-T
21 I-T
. O
During O
the O
two O
- O
day O
visit O
, O
he O
discussed O
a O
range O
of O
issues O
on O
the O
topic O
of O
bird O
flu O
prevention O
and O
control O
with O
his O
Chinese O
counterpart O
Gao O
Qiang O
. O

" O
China O
and O
France O
have O
a O
long O
history O
of O
cooperation O
in O
the O
medical O
field O
and O
the O
two O
sides O
will O
continue O
to O
promote O
medical O
exchanges O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
" O
Bertrand O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0240 O

BONN O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Kinkel O
slams O
Ankara O
after O
criticism O
of O
deadly O
fire O

German O
Foreign O
Minister O
Klaus O
Kinkel O
has O
blasted O
Ankara O
for O
its O
fierce O
criticism O
of O
Germany O
following O
a O
fire O
there O
in O
which O
three O
Turkish O
people O
died O
that O
was O
initially O
blamed O
on O
racists O
. O

Kinkel O
told O
the O
weekly O
Welt O
am O
Sonntag O
to O
be O
published O
Sunday B-T
that O
" O
megaphone O
diplomacy O
conducted O
in O
the O
gutter O
" O
could O
only O
" O
destroy O
relations O
nurtured O
over O
a O
long O
period O
. O
" O

He O
also O
called O
on O
Ankara O
not O
to O
exacerbate O
difficulties O
in O
German O
- O
Turkish O
relations O
. O

The O
Turkish O
press O
and O
government O
reacted O
furiously O
to O
the O
fire O
, O
which O
occurred O
on O
March B-T
31 I-T
in O
the O
western O
city O
of O
Krefeld O
, O
plunging O
Turkish O
- O
German O
relations O
to O
a O
new O
low O
. O

A O
41 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
, O
her O
19 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
daughter O
and O
17 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
son O
were O
killed O
in O
the O
blaze O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
an O
angry O
exchange O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
reached O
a O
peak O
when O
Turkish O
Interior O
Minister O
Meral O
Aksener O
accused O
Germany O
of O
trying O
to O
" O
burn O
" O
Turks O
out O
of O
the O
country O
. O

However O
investigators O
found O
no O
evidence O
of O
a O
racist O
or O
political O
motive O
for O
the O
deadly O
blaze O
, O
and O
on O
Friday B-T
the O
woman O
' O
s O
husband O
, O
Aziz O
Demir O
, O
42 O
, O
was O
arrested O
and O
charged O
over O
the O
incident O
. O

Police O
said O
he O
was O
apparently O
angry O
that O
his O
wife O
was O
planning O
a O
divorce O
. O

Kinkel O
stressed O
that O
Turkey O
and O
Germany O
were O
" O
very O
important O
partners O
for O
each O
other O
" O
and O
said O
that O
Turks O
were O
living O
in O
Germany O
as O
" O
well O
- O
regarded O
fellow O
citizens O
. O
" O

" O
We O
are O
a O
country O
that O
likes O
foreigners O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

German O
legislators O
also O
criticised O
Ankara O
. O

Cornelia O
Schmalz O
- O
Jacobsen O
, O
a O
deputy O
of O
the O
Free O
Democratic O
Party O
, O
warned O
that O
Turkey O
' O
s O
" O
premature O
" O
judgement O
could O
have O
negative O
consequences O
for O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

In O
an O
interview O
in O
the O
daily O
Neue O
Osnabruecker O
Zeitung O
on O
Saturday B-T
she O
said O
that O
politicians O
should O
" O
watch O
their O
language O
. O
" O

Cem O
Ozdemir O
, O
a O
member O
of O
parliament O
for O
the O
opposition O
Greens O
party O
who O
is O
of O
Turkish O
origin O
, O
told O
the O
weekly O
Bild O
am O
Sonntag O
that O
Ankara O
' O
s O
reaction O
" O
not O
only O
damages O
official O
relations O
between O
Germany O
and O
Turkey O
" O
but O
also O
" O
puts O
pressure O
on O
daily O
life O
" O
between O
members O
of O
the O
two O
communities O
. O

nyt_20130321_cyprus O

2013 B-T
- I-T
03 I-T
- I-T
21 I-T

For O
Euro O
Zone O
, O
a O
Cyprus O
Exit O
Would O
Have O
Little O
Impact O

A O
Cyprus O
exit O
from O
the O
euro O
union O
, O
if O
it O
comes O
to O
that O
, O
would O
have O
a O
devastating O
effect O
on O
the O
country O
' O
s O
citizens O
, O
who O
are O
among O
the O
most O
indebted O
in O
the O
euro O
zone O
. O
And O
for O
European O
unity O
and O
diplomacy O
, O
the O
Cyprus O
debacle O
has O
already O
been O
at O
least O
a O
short O
- O
term O
disaster O
. O

ut O
for O
the O
broader O
financial O
system O
in O
Europe O
, O
the O
losses O
resulting O
from O
a O
Cypriot O
banking O
collapse O
and O
the O
country O
' O
s O
return O
to O
its O
former O
currency O
would O
be O
minimal O
compared O
with O
the O
havoc O
that O
Greece O
would O
have O
created O
had O
it O
not O
been O
bailed O
out O
. O

And O
that O
, O
economists O
and O
investors O
contend O
, O
is O
why O
Germany O
and O
its O
Dutch O
stalking O
horse O
, O
Jeroen O
Dijsselbloem O
, O
the O
president O
of O
the O
Eurogroup O
of O
finance O
ministers O
, O
were O
so O
adamant O
that O
depositors O
- O
large O
and O
small O
, O
Cypriot O
and O
Russian O
- O
contribute O
5 O
. O
8 O
billion O
euros O
( O
$ O
7 O
. O
5 O
billion O
) O
toward O
the O
10 O
billion O
euro O
bailout O
of O
Cyprus O
' O
s O
largest O
banks O
. O

Greece O
may O
well O
have O
been O
too O
big O
to O
fail O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
but O
Cyprus O
, O
which O
creates O
less O
than O
one O
- O
half O
percent O
of O
the O
euro O
zone O
' O
s O
gross O
domestic O
product O
, O
is O
certainly O
not O
. O

From O
a O
financial O
standpoint O
, O
what O
is O
most O
noteworthy O
is O
that O
the O
combined O
debt O
of O
the O
Cypriot O
people O
, O
companies O
and O
government O
is O
2 O
. O
6 O
times O
the O
size O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
gross O
domestic O
product O
. O
Only O
Ireland O
, O
still O
struggling O
to O
recover O
from O
the O
banking O
collapse O
that O
required O
an O
international O
bailout O
in O
2010 B-T
, O
has O
a O
higher O
debt O
- O
to O
- O
G O
. O
D O
. O
P O
. O
ratio O
among O
euro O
zone O
countries O
. O

As O
debts O
in O
Europe O
mount O
in O
inverse O
proportion O
to O
the O
ability O
of O
its O
citizens O
, O
companies O
and O
governments O
to O
make O
good O
on O
them O
, O
the O
view O
is O
forming O
in O
Berlin O
and O
Brussels O
that O
a O
signal O
must O
be O
sent O
that O
citizens O
and O
investors O
must O
start O
accepting O
losses O
for O
the O
euro O
zone O
to O
survive O
in O
the O
long O
run O
. O

" O
There O
have O
been O
too O
many O
bailouts O
in O
Europe O
; O
it O
' O
s O
time O
to O
remove O
the O
air O
bags O
, O
" O
said O
Stephen O
Jen O
, O
a O
former O
economist O
at O
the O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
who O
runs O
a O
hedge O
fund O
in O
London O
. O
" O
This O
is O
not O
a O
Lehman O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
disastrous O
chain O
reaction O
touched O
off O
by O
the O
collapse O
of O
Lehman O
Brothers O
in O
2008 B-T
. O

Eric O
Dor O
is O
a O
French O
economist O
who O
has O
studied O
the O
mechanics O
of O
how O
a O
country O
might O
remove O
itself O
from O
the O
monetary O
union O
. O
By O
his O
calculations O
, O
the O
euro O
zone O
- O
through O
its O
central O
banking O
system O
and O
its O
national O
banks O
- O
has O
just O
27 O
billion O
euros O
in O
outstanding O
credit O
exposure O
to O
Cyprus O
. O
That O
is O
a O
mere O
rounding O
error O
compared O
with O
the O
euro O
zone O
G O
. O
D O
. O
P O
. O
of O
9 O
. O
4 O
trillion O
euros O
. O

Estimates O
of O
the O
potential O
cost O
if O
Greece O
had O
been O
forced O
into O
a O
disorderly O
euro O
exit O
have O
ranged O
from O
200 O
billion O
euros O
to O
800 O
billion O
euros O
, O
given O
the O
larger O
exposure O
that O
the O
European O
Central O
Bank O
and O
European O
banks O
had O
to O
the O
country O
. O

" O
This O
explains O
why O
Germany O
and O
others O
are O
putting O
so O
much O
pressure O
on O
Cyprus O
, O
" O
said O
Mr O
. O
Dor O
, O
head O
of O
research O
at O
the O
Ieseg O
School O
of O
Management O
in O
Lille O
, O
France O
. O
" O
They O
are O
saying O
we O
can O
take O
the O
risk O
of O
pushing O
Cyprus O
out O
of O
the O
euro O
zone O
, O
and O
that O
Europe O
can O
take O
the O
losses O
without O
going O
broke O
. O
" O

Mr O
. O
Dor O
notes O
that O
the O
current O
euro O
zonewide O
system O
of O
insuring O
bank O
deposits O
up O
to O
100 O
, O
000 O
euros O
was O
put O
in O
place O
after O
the O
financial O
panic O
that O
followed O
the O
Lehman O
collapse O
. O
Those O
deposits O
are O
supposed O
to O
be O
insured O
by O
national O
governments O
. O

So O
when O
the O
president O
of O
Cyprus O
admitted O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
his O
country O
did O
not O
have O
the O
money O
to O
backstop O
the O
30 O
billion O
euros O
of O
guaranteed O
bank O
deposits O
- O
a O
figure O
greater O
than O
the O
Cypriot O
economy O
itself O
- O
a O
crucial O
bond O
of O
trust O
between O
a O
government O
and O
its O
citizens O
was O
snapped O
. O

" O
It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
ever O
that O
the O
leader O
of O
a O
euro O
zone O
country O
has O
admitted O
that O
he O
could O
not O
afford O
to O
pay O
the O
guarantee O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Dor O
said O
. O

A O
hasty O
expulsion O
from O
the O
euro O
zone O
would O
make O
the O
savings O
of O
the O
Cypriot O
people O
all O
the O
more O
evanescent O
, O
once O
they O
are O
converted O
back O
into O
Cypriot O
pounds O
, O
the O
currency O
Cyprus O
used O
before O
adopting O
the O
euro O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0102 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Police O
swoop O
in O
Paris O
region O
nets O
20 O
to O
30 O

Between O
20 B-T
and O
30 O
people O
were O
arrested O
early B-T
Monday I-T
in O
the O
Paris O
region O
under O
an O
investigation O
into O
the O
funding O
of O
Islamist O
extremists O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Investigators O
believe O
some O
of O
the O
detainees O
are O
active O
in O
organised O
crime O
and O
have O
carried O
out O
armed O
robberies O
to O
raise O
money O
for O
Islamist O
groups O
, O
the O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
suspects O
were O
under O
surveillance O
for O
several B-T
weeks I-T
and O
were O
detained O
after O
evidence O
emerged O
that O
" O
violent O
actions O
" O
were O
being O
planned O
, O
the O
officials O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0035 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tokyo O
stocks O
end O
higher O

Japan O
' O
s O
key O
stock O
index O
rose O
for O
the O
eighth O
straight O
trading O
day B-T
Monday I-T
to O
set O
a O
new O
five O
- O
year O
closing O
high O
as O
export O
- O
oriented O
high O
- O
tech O
and O
auto O
maker O
issues O
attracted O
buying O
on O
the O
dollar O
' O
s O
rise O
to O
near O
the O
120 O
yen O
line O
. O

The O
225 O
- O
issue O
Nikkei O
Stock O
Average O
rose O
202 O
. O
65 O
points O
, O
or O
1 O
. O
37 O
percent O
, O
to O
14 O
, O
986 O
. O
94 O
, O
its O
highest O
close O
since O
15 O
, O
168 O
. O
68 O
was O
registered O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2000 I-T
. O

The O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Price O
Index O
of O
all O
First O
Section O
issues O
on O
the O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Exchange O
climbed O
13 O
. O
76 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
90 O
percent O
, O
to O
1 O
, O
543 O
. O
43 O
, O
setting O
its O
highest O
finish O
since O
1 O
, O
543 O
. O
63 O
was O
marked O
on O
Aug B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2000 I-T
. O

Mizuho O
Trust O
Banking O
was O
the O
day O
' O
s O
volume O
leader O
, O
down O
6 O
yen O
to O
383 O
yen O
. O

Softbank O
was O
the O
most O
heavily O
traded O
issue O
by O
value O
. O
It O
rose O
470 O
yen O
to O
9 O
, O
830 O
yen O
. O

Trading O
volume O
on O
the O
TSE O
' O
s O
main O
section O
came O
to O
2 O
, O
046 O
. O
45 O
million O
shares O
against O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
2 O
, O
264 O
. O
31 O
million O
shares O
. O

Export O
- O
related O
issues O
gained O
and O
bank O
, O
oil O
and O
mining O
issues O
were O
the O
major O
decliners O
. O

Advancing O
issues O
outnumbered O
decliners O
975 O
to O
595 O
, O
with O
93 O
shares O
ending O
unchanged O
. O

The O
TSE O
' O
s O
Second O
Section O
index O
rose O
39 O
. O
27 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
86 O
percent O
, O
to O
4 O
, O
602 O
. O
64 O
on O
a O
volume O
of O
142 O
. O
00 O
million O
shares O
. O
In O
Osaka O
, O
the O
near O
- O
term O
December O
Nikkei O
225 O
index O
futures O
contract O
surged O
190 O
points O
to O
14 O
, O
970 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0634 O

WEST O
PALM O
BEACH O
, O
Florida O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Williams O
sisters O
did O
not O
break O
contract O
: O
lawyer O

The O
Williams O
sisters O
did O
not O
breach O
a O
2001 O
contract O
for O
an O
unplayed O
tennis O
tournament O
because O
the O
promise O
to O
play O
was O
a O
letter O
signed O
by O
their O
father O
and O
not O
the O
tennis O
stars O
, O
their O
lawyer O
said O
at O
the O
close O
of O
a O
trial O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
contract O
which O
my O
clients O
entered O
into O
, O
" O
Malcolm O
Cunningham O
told O
a O
jury O
of O
eight O
at O
the O
close O
of O
a O
nine O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
lawsuit O
brought O
by O
two O
promoters O
for O
breach O
of O
contract O
. O
The O
first O
trial O
was O
annulled O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
jury O
withdrew O
and O
was O
expected O
to O
arrive O
at O
a O
verdict O
as O
soon O
as O
Thursday B-T
. O

At O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
lawsuit O
is O
a O
written O
promise O
their O
father O
, O
Richard O
Williams O
, O
signed O
for O
the O
appearance O
of O
his O
daughters O
Venus O
and O
Serena O
in O
a O
2001 O
tournament O
, O
billed O
as O
the O
battle O
of O
the O
sexes O
. O
The O
event O
never O
took O
place O
and O
the O
plaintiffs O
say O
the O
Williams O
sisters O
reneged O
on O
their O
promise O
. O

Cunningham O
maintained O
that O
what O
the O
promoters O
' O
s O
lawyers O
called O
a O
" O
valid O
and O
binding O
contract O
" O
was O
simply O
a O
letter O
of O
introduction O
to O
the O
private O
company O
that O
handles O
the O
sisters O
' O
business O
. O

The O
so O
- O
called O
contract O
, O
the O
lawyer O
told O
the O
jury O
, O
" O
was O
signed O
by O
Richard O
Williams O
, O
not O
Venus O
Williams O
, O
not O
Serena O
Williams O
. O
. O
. O
this O
letter O
is O
not O
a O
contract O
. O
" O

He O
went O
on O
to O
say O
that O
the O
Williams O
sisters O
signed O
their O
own O
contracts O
and O
that O
neither O
was O
aware O
of O
what O
their O
father O
had O
done O
. O

" O
There O
' O
s O
simply O
no O
evidence O
here O
that O
Venus O
and O
Serena O
Williams O
did O
something O
wrong O
here O
. O
They O
simply O
did O
not O
know O
, O
" O
Cunningham O
said O
. O

A O
lawyer O
for O
the O
promoters O
, O
who O
claim O
they O
lost O
nine O
million O
dollars O
by O
cancelling O
the O
tournament O
, O
maintained O
the O
tennis O
stars O
' O
father O
was O
involved O
with O
all O
aspects O
of O
his O
daughters O
' O
careers O
. O

Richard O
Williams O
negotiated O
their O
contracts O
and O
signed O
documents O
in O
their O
names O
, O
said O
John O
Romano O
who O
showed O
the O
jury O
a O
video O
in O
which O
Williams O
said O
his O
daughters O
were O
aware O
of O
all O
his O
business O
deals O
. O

Romano O
also O
showed O
tax O
returns O
filed O
by O
Williams O
showing O
he O
was O
paid O
two O
million O
dollars O
by O
his O
daughters O
for O
his O
training O
and O
administrative O
services O
. O

" O
An O
income O
tax O
return O
didn O
' O
t O
authorize O
Richard O
Williams O
" O
to O
make O
deals O
on O
behalf O
of O
his O
daughters O
, O
replied O
Cunningham O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0089 O

PAPEETE O
, O
April B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Black O
pearl O
is O
jewel O
in O
the O
Polynesian O
crown O

Exports O
of O
French O
Polynesian O
black O
pearls O
rose O
46 O
percent O
in O
1996 B-T
against O
the O
previous O
to O
become O
the O
jewel O
of O
the O
French O
territory O
' O
s O
economy O
, O
officials O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
750 O
million O
francs O
( O
135 O
million O
dollars O
) O
earned O
from O
the O
pearls O
made O
up O
90 O
percent O
of O
the O
value O
of O
French O
Polynesia O
' O
s O
exports O
, O
according O
to O
the O
territorial O
economy O
minister O
, O
Georges O
Puchon O
. O

He O
added O
that O
a O
tripling O
of O
the O
pearl O
industry O
exports O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
10 I-T
years I-T
could O
bring O
the O
trade O
account O
into O
surplus O
. O
The O
territory O
currently B-T
exports O
about O
850 O
million O
francs O
worth O
of O
goods O
but O
imports O
around O
five O
billion O
francs O
of O
goods O
. O

Japan O
takes O
around O
two O
thirds O
of O
the O
pearls O
, O
with O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
Singapore O
the O
other O
main O
markets O
. O

Some O
87 O
, O
000 O
black O
pearls O
from O
the O
Tuamotu O
and O
Gambier O
islands O
were O
to O
be O
put O
on O
show O
in O
Papeete O
on O
Friday B-T
and O
Saturday O
before O
being O
auctioned O
. O
Around O
145 O
lots O
will O
be O
offered O
to O
around O
50 O
foreign O
wholesalers O
and O
jewelers O
and O
30 O
local O
buyers O
. O

Producers O
hope O
to O
make O
35 O
million O
francs O
from O
the O
auction O
, O
against O
17 O
million O
francs O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0124 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Malaysia O
stock O
market O
closes O
higher O

Share O
prices O
on O
Malaysia O
stock O
market O
closed O
higher O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

At O
the O
closing O
bell O
, O
the O
benchmark O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
Composite O
Index O
( O
KLCI O
) O
gained O
4 O
. O
01 O
points O
to O
1007 O
. O
29 O
. O

The O
Second O
Board O
Index O
dropped O
0 O
. O
74 O
of O
a O
point O
to O
87 O
. O
03 O
, O
the O
Industrial O
Index O
rose O
23 O
. O
43 O
points O
to O
2119 O
. O
66 O
and O
Mesdaq O
edged O
down O
0 O
. O
29 O
of O
a O
point O
to O
115 O
. O
50 O
. O

Losers O
led O
gainers O
419 O
to O
389 O
while O
322 O
counters O
traded O
unchanged O
. O

Volume O
stood O
at O
984 O
. O
13 O
million O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
274 O
billion O
ringgit O
( O
344 O
. O
32 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
up O
from O
875 O
. O
15 O
million O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
22 O
billion O
ringgit O
( O
330 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061210 O
. O
0248 O

KHARTOUM O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
on O
AU O
observers O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Twenty O
- O
two O
civilians O
were O
killed O
in O
a O
weekend O
attack O
in O
western O
Sudan O
which O
the O
government O
blamed O
on O
Darfur O
rebels O
and O
which O
threatened O
to O
deepen O
the O
crisis O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
region O
. O

The O
latest O
violence O
erupted O
as O
US O
envoy O
in O
Sudan O
Andrew O
Natsios O
stepped O
up O
efforts O
to O
persuade O
Khartoum O
to O
accept O
a O
joint O
African O
Union O
- O
UN O
peacekeeping O
force O
for O
Darfur O
. O

African O
Union O
spokesman O
Nureddin O
Mezni O
said O
22 O
civilians O
were O
killed O
and O
10 O
wounded O
on O
Saturday B-T
when O
gunmen O
ambushed O
a O
vehicle O
in O
Sirba O
, O
40 O
kilometres O
( O
25 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
Geneina O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
West O
Darfur O
state O
. O

Mezni O
did O
not O
identify O
the O
attackers O
but O
said O
an O
investigation O
would O
be O
launched O
into O
the O
attack O
. O

The O
governor O
of O
West O
Darfur O
said O
the O
attack O
was O
carried O
out O
by O
rebel O
groups O
who O
refused O
to O
sign O
the O
May B-T
peace O
agreement O
reached O
between O
Khartoum O
and O
the O
main O
faction O
of O
the O
Sudan O
Liberation O
Movement O
. O

" O
The O
raid O
was O
perpetrated O
by O
the O
rebels O
from O
the O
National O
Redemption O
Front O
, O
who O
are O
committed O
to O
a O
military O
escalation O
, O
" O
interim O
governor O
Mohammed O
Yusef O
al O
- O
Tulib O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O
state O
- O
run O
SUNA O
news O
agency O
. O

He O
also O
provided O
a O
lower O
casualty O
toll O
of O
15 O
dead O
and O
14 O
wounded O
, O
saying O
the O
attack O
targeted O
a O
bus O
carrying O
34 O
civilians O
near O
the O
border O
with O
Chad O
. O

Eight O
AU O
observers O
, O
who O
were O
sent O
to O
investigate O
the O
incident O
, O
and O
their O
helicopter O
crew O
were O
held O
for O
24 B-T
hours I-T
by O
an O
angry O
crowd O
near O
Sirba O
, O
the O
African O
body O
said O
. O

Local O
residents O
insisted O
the O
AU O
team O
take O
pictures O
of O
the O
bodies O
and O
prevented O
them O
from O
flying O
out O
. O
The O
observers O
were O
eventually O
released O
unharmed O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
Our O
team O
was O
freed O
, O
" O
Mezni O
told O
AFP O
. O

The O
incident O
comes O
as O
the O
fragile O
alliance O
between O
Khartoum O
and O
the O
dominant O
faction O
of O
the O
SLM O
was O
closer O
than O
ever O
to O
breaking O
point O
. O

According O
to O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
at O
least O
200 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
died O
from O
the O
combined O
effects O
of O
war O
and O
famine O
since O
the O
fighting O
erupted O
in O
February B-T
2003 I-T
. O
Some O
sources O
put O
the O
toll O
much O
higher O
. O

The O
African O
Union O
, O
whose O
7 O
, O
000 O
military O
observers O
in O
Darfur O
have O
struggled O
to O
contain O
the O
nearly O
four O
- O
year O
- O
old O
violence O
, O
said O
two O
civilians O
were O
killed O
on O
Saturday B-T
in O
El O
- O
Fasher O
, O
the O
largest O
town O
in O
Darfur O
. O

The O
latest O
incident O
in O
El O
- O
Fasher O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
North O
Darfur O
state O
and O
the O
main O
base O
for O
AU O
troops O
, O
came O
a O
week B-T
after O
five O
people O
were O
killed O
in O
fighting O
between O
SLM O
former O
rebels O
and O
pro O
- O
government O
forces O
. O

SLM O
chief O
Minni O
Minnawi O
threatened O
to O
quit O
the O
government O
over O
what O
he O
said O
were O
repeated O
attacks O
by O
the O
Janjaweed O
militia O
abetted O
by O
the O
regime O
of O
President O
Omar O
al O
- O
Beshir O
. O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
in O
August B-T
adopted O
a O
resolution O
calling O
for O
the O
deployment O
of O
20 O
, O
000 O
UN O
peacekeepers O
in O
Darfur O
, O
but O
Beshir O
has O
so O
far O
rejected O
such O
an O
option O
as O
well O
as O
proposals O
for O
a O
" O
hybrid O
" O
AU O
- O
UN O
force O
. O

Natsios O
arrived O
in O
Khartoum O
on O
Saturday B-T
in O
a O
bid O
to O
soften O
Khartoum O
' O
s O
stance O
on O
peacekeepers O
and O
met O
Foreign O
Minister O
Lam O
Akol O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
Natsios O
came O
with O
the O
idea O
that O
Sudan O
had O
a O
uncompromising O
stance O
and O
hadn O
' O
t O
accepted O
everything O
that O
was O
decided O
in O
Abuja O
, O
" O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Ali O
Sadek O
told O
reporters O
after O
the O
meeting O
. O

" O
So O
we O
explained O
that O
have O
indeed O
accepted O
that O
the O
command O
of O
the O
African O
force O
be O
decided O
in O
consultation O
with O
the O
government O
, O
the O
AU O
and O
the O
UN O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
in O
reference O
to O
an O
AU O
meeting O
held O
earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
in O
Abuja O
. O

The O
spokesman O
said O
Khartoum O
had O
also O
accepted O
the O
principle O
of O
some O
logistical O
UN O
support O
to O
African O
Union O
forces O
in O
Darfur O
. O

During O
his O
trip O
, O
Natsios O
is O
expected O
to O
visit O
the O
southern O
city O
of O
Malakal O
- O
- O
where O
violent O
clashes O
broke O
out O
last B-T
month I-T
- O
- O
as O
well O
as O
the O
disputed O
central O
territory O
of O
Abyei O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0287 O

LJUBLJANA O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

OSCE O
fails O
to O
agree O
joint O
declaration O

The O
55 O
member O
states O
of O
the O
OSCE O
failed O
Tuesday O
to O
agree O
a O
joint O
declaration O
at O
a O
ministerial O
meeting O
here O
, O
instead O
issuing O
a O
statement O
by O
the O
current B-T
holder O
of O
its O
rotating O
presidency O
, O
Slovenia O
. O

The O
statement O
was O
issued O
by O
the O
conference O
chairman O
, O
Slovenian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Dimitrij O
Rupel O
. O

The O
move O
followed O
Russia O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
acknowledge O
a O
1999 O
commitment O
to O
withdraw O
troops O
from O
Georgia O
and O
Moldova O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0293 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
Mideast O
news O
summary O
at O
2200 O
GMT O
, O
Nov O
. O
8 O

A O
lawyer O
for O
ousted O
Iraqi O
president O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
codefendants O
was O
killed O
and O
another O
injured O
when O
gunmen O
opened O
fire O
at O
their O
car O
in O
Baghdad O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
police O
said O
. O

" O
Unknown O
gunmen O
opened O
fire O
at O
a O
car O
carrying O
the O
two O
defense O
lawyers O
in O
al O
- O
Adil O
district O
in O
western O
Baghdad O
, O
killing O
Adel O
Muhammed O
Abbas O
and O
wounding O
Thamir O
Hmoud O
Hadi O
, O
" O
police O
officer O
Col O
. O
Ali O
Muhmoud O
told O
Xinhua O
. O
( O
Iraq O
- O
Saddam O
- O
Lawyers O
- O
2nd O
Lead O
) O

KHARTOUM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
A O
British O
aid O
worker O
working O
for O
the O
International O
Aid O
Services O
( O
IAS O
) O
was O
ambushed O
and O
shot O
dead O
by O
armed O
men O
in O
southern O
Sudan O
, O
a O
spokesman O
of O
IAS O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Andreas O
Zetterlund O
said O
three O
members O
of O
its O
staff O
aboard O
a O
vehicle O
were O
ambushed O
Saturday B-T
by O
a O
group O
of O
armed O
men O
while O
they O
were O
traveling O
from O
Kaya O
in O
Uganda O
to O
Yei O
, O
a O
town O
in O
southern O
Sudan O
. O
( O
Sudan O
- O
Attack O
) O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Iran O
on O
Tuesday B-T
rejected O
a O
recent O
statement O
issued O
by O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
which O
urges O
Tehran O
to O
fully O
suspend O
activities O
related O
to O
uranium O
enrichment O
before O
the O
two O
sides O
resume O
the O
stalled O
bilateral O
nuclear O
talks O
. O

Iranian O
chief O
nuclear O
negotiator O
Ali O
Larijani O
Tuesday B-T
rejected O
the O
EU O
call O
to O
stop O
the O
uranium O
conversion O
facilities O
and O
condemned O
the O
EU O
for O
having O
gone O
extremes O
and O
adopting O
journalistic O
hype O
toward O
the O
Iranian O
nuclear O
issue O
, O
the O
official O
IRNA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O
( O
Iran O
- O
Nuclear O
) O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Mahmoud O
al O
- O
Zahar O
, O
a O
prominent O
leader O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
on O
Tuesday B-T
called O
on O
ruling O
Fatah O
movement O
to O
step O
down O
from O
the O
authority O
if O
its O
unable O
to O
solve O
its O
internal O
problems O
. O

Al O
- O
Zahar O
told O
reporters O
that O
Fatah O
movement O
is O
not O
responsible O
for O
all O
Palestinians O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
pursuit O
of O
a O
Palestinian O
state O
is O
not O
strictly O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
that O
movement O
. O
( O
Palestinians O
- O
Hamas O
) O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Visiting O
UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
international O
organization O
is O
interested O
in O
pushing O
forward O
the O
Middle O
East O
peace O
process O
at O
all O
tracks O
. O

Annan O
, O
who O
arrived O
here O
late B-T
Monday I-T
, O
made O
the O
remarks O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
after O
talks O
with O
Egyptian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ahmed O
Abul O
Gheit O
. O
( O
Egypt O
- O
Annan O
- O
Mideast O
) O

DAMASCUS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
A O
senior O
Syrian O
official O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
country O
would O
keep O
its O
firm O
stances O
and O
deal O
with O
mounting O
international O
pressure O
against O
Damascus O
in O
an O
objective O
and O
flexible O
way O
. O

Information O
Minister O
Mahdi O
Dakhlullah O
made O
the O
remarks O
to O
reporters O
in O
a O
statement O
following O
a O
weekly O
cabinet O
session O
. O

" O
The O
pressure O
against O
Syria O
is O
due O
to O
its O
rejection O
of O
occupation O
, O
aggression O
and O
hegemony O
policies O
in O
this O
region O
and O
in O
any O
part O
of O
the O
world O
, O
" O
Dakhlullah O
told O
the O
reporters O
. O
( O
Syria O
- O
Pressure O
) O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
targeted O
killings O
of O
wanted O
Palestinian O
militants O
will O
continue O
. O

Sharon O
made O
the O
position O
clear O
at O
a O
meeting O
of O
the O
Knesset O
( O
parliament O
) O
Foreign O
Affairs O
and O
Defense O
Committee O
. O
( O
Israel O
- O
Palestinians O
- O
Target O
) O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0214 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Iraq O
' O
s O
Maliki O
arrives O
in O
Amman O
for O
talks O
with O
Bush O

Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
arrived O
here O
Wednesday B-T
for O
talks O
with O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
on O
ways O
to O
halt O
violence O
in O
his O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0150 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

IDF O
chief O
of O
staff O
rejects O
findings O
of O
inquiry O
on O
soldiers O
' O
capture O

Israel O
Defense O
Forces O
( O
IDF O
) O
Chief O
of O
Staff O
Dan O
Halutz O
on O
Sunday B-T
rejected O
some O
of O
conclusions O
formulated O
by O
a O
commission O
of O
inquiry O
investigating O
the O
abduction O
of O
two O
IDF O
soldiers O
on O
the O
Lebanese O
border O
in O
July B-T
, O
which O
led O
to O
a O
recent B-T
war O
with O
Hezbollah O
. O

During O
a O
meeting O
of O
the O
IDF O
General O
Staff O
, O
Halutz O
said O
that O
some O
of O
criticisms O
by O
the O
commission O
, O
headed O
by O
Major O
General O
Doron O
Almog O
, O
were O
baseless O
. O

Almog O
lashed O
criticism O
at O
the O
policy O
of O
restraint O
employed O
by O
the O
IDF O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
saying O
that O
it O
failed O
to O
curb O
the O
growing O
forces O
of O
Hezbollah O
on O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
border O
with O
Israel O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
IDF O
Galilee O
Division O
Commander O
Brigadier O
General O
Gal O
Hirsch O
decided O
to O
resign O
from O
his O
position O
amid O
criticism O
of O
his O
performance O
prior O
to O
and O
during O
the O
month O
- O
long O
war O
with O
Hezbollah O
. O

Hirsch O
hinted O
in O
his O
letter O
of O
resignation O
to O
Halutz O
that O
his O
superiors O
should O
take O
responsibility O
for O
failures O
made O
during O
the O
war O
, O
causing O
speculation O
that O
the O
comments O
may O
be O
aimed O
at O
Halutz O
himself O
. O

Hirsch O
also O
said O
that O
he O
had O
acted O
appropriately O
before O
and O
during O
the O
war O
, O
and O
he O
has O
decided O
to O
leave O
the O
army O
because O
of O
the O
anguish O
caused O
to O
his O
family O
by O
recent O
events O
. O

" O
I O
believe O
that O
placing O
divisional O
commanders O
at O
the O
focus O
of O
the O
investigation O
of O
the O
fighting O
was O
a O
grave O
error O
, O
" O
Hirsch O
wrote O
in O
the O
letter O
. O

" O
I O
believe O
that O
it O
would O
be O
right O
to O
conclude O
that O
concrete O
responsibility O
for O
the O
errors O
, O
the O
missteps O
, O
and O
the O
failures O
, O
falls O
not O
only O
on O
the O
forward O
units O
and O
their O
commanders O
- O
- O
there O
is O
responsibility O
that O
truly O
should O
be O
taken O
by O
senior O
echelons O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Almog O
, O
who O
is O
expected O
to O
present O
his O
findings O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
to O
Defense O
Minister O
Amir O
Peretz O
, O
has O
said O
recently O
that O
he O
insisted O
that O
Hirsch O
be O
dismissed O
from O
the O
IDF O
over O
his O
responsibility O
for O
the O
abduction O
. O

In O
the O
aftermath O
of O
the O
war O
, O
there O
have O
been O
public O
calls O
for O
resignations O
of O
Israeli O
political O
and O
military O
leaders O
, O
including O
Halutz O
, O
Peretz O
and O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0534 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Shanghai O
police O
raid O
home O
of O
another O
underground O
priest O

Shanghai O
police O
have O
raided O
the O
home O
of O
a O
second O
underground O
Catholic O
priest O
carting O
away O
money O
and O
religious O
items O
, O
a O
US O
- O
based O
pressure O
group O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
Cardinal O
Kung O
Foundation O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
faxed O
here O
that O
six O
public O
security O
officials O
searched O
the O
home O
of O
Father O
Zen O
Caijun O
on O
March B-T
29 I-T
for O
five B-T
hours I-T
and O
took O
away O
cash O
, O
a O
video O
casette O
recorder O
, O
religious O
videos O
and O
other O
electrical O
goods O
. O

" O
The O
raid O
consisting O
of O
six O
policemen O
started O
in O
the O
late O
evening O
March B-T
29 I-T
until O
early B-T
morning I-T
of I-T
March I-T
30 I-T
, O
lasting O
about O
five B-T
hours I-T
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
no O
reason O
was O
given O
for O
the O
search O
and O
no O
receipt O
issued O
for O
the O
goods O
seized O
. O

An O
official O
of O
the O
municipal O
religious O
affairs O
bureau O
said O
that O
they O
knew O
of O
the O
incident O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
secretive O
matter O
. O
We O
cannot O
talk O
about O
this O
to O
the O
public O
because O
it O
involves O
many O
different O
opinions O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

A O
public O
security O
bureau O
official O
said O
the O
police O
were O
unable O
to O
comment O
on O
the O
statement O
. O

But O
Shanghai O
police O
did O
say O
that O
on O
March B-T
24 I-T
they O
had O
taken O
similar O
action O
against O
Bishop O
Joseph O
Fan O
Zhongliang O
, O
coadjutor O
of O
the O
underground O
Roman O
Catholic O
Church O
. O
They O
declined O
to O
provide O
details O
. O

The O
Stamford O
, O
Conneticut O
- O
based O
Cardinal O
Kung O
Foundation O
said O
police O
took O
away O
20 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
2 O
, O
500 O
dollars O
) O
, O
bibles O
, O
rosaries O
, O
religious O
medals O
and O
books O
. O

Fan O
, O
79 O
, O
is O
coadjutor O
bishop O
in O
the O
absence O
of O
the O
Vatican O
- O
appointed O
Bishop O
of O
Shanghai O
, O
Cardinal O
Ignatius O
Kung O
, O
who O
left O
Shanghai O
in O
1988 B-T
to O
seek O
medical O
treatment O
in O
the O
United O
States O
where O
he O
remains O
today O
. O

The O
Roman O
Catholic O
Church O
was O
driven O
underground O
after O
the O
Chinese O
government O
formed O
its O
own O
Chinese O
Catholic O
Patriotic O
Association O
in O
1957 B-T
. O
The O
official O
church O
is O
still O
seeking O
Vatican O
recognition O
. O

On O
Sunday B-T
, O
US O
House O
of O
Representatives O
Speaker O
Newt O
Gringrich O
and O
Australian O
Prime O
Minister O
John O
Howard O
attended O
Easter B-T
service O
at O
an O
official O
protestant O
church O
in O
Shanghai O
. O

Gringrich O
said O
it O
was O
a O
" O
wonderful O
thing O
to O
be O
able O
in O
Shanghai O
to O
be O
celebrating O
the O
resurrection O
of O
Christ O
and O
to O
worship O
with O
Chinese O
, O
Australian O
and O
with O
others O
. O
" O

" O
And O
I O
think O
it O
is O
a O
good O
sign O
, O
we O
want O
to O
encourage O
that O
kind O
of O
openess O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0206 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

World O
Bank O
offers O
assistance O
to O
Indonesia O
for O
overcoming O
bird O
flu O

Paul O
Wolfowitz O
, O
president O
of O
the O
World O
Bank O
and O
former O
US O
ambassador O
to O
Indonesia O
, O
has O
offered O
assistance O
to O
Indonesia O
to O
overcome O
bird O
flu O
epidemic O
that O
has O
so O
far O
killed O
14 O
people O
in O
the O
country O
. O

" O
President O
Susilo O
Bambang O
Yudhoyono O
on O
Saturday B-T
received O
a O
telephone O
call O
from O
World O
Bank O
president O
Paul O
Wolfowitz O
who O
conveyed O
' O
Happy O
Idul O
Fitri O
' O
greetings O
and O
congratulated O
him O
on O
his O
first O
anniversary O
as O
president O
. O
The O
two O
later O
discussed O
two O
issues O
namely O
cooperation O
to O
overcome O
bird O
flu O
and O
reconstruction O
process O
in O
Aceh O
, O
" O
presidential O
spokesman O
Dino O
Patti O
Djalal O
said O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

President O
Yudhoyono O
welcomed O
the O
offer O
of O
assistance O
among O
others O
compensation O
for O
farmers O
whose O
poultry O
would O
be O
culled O
to O
prevent O
the O
spread O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
, O
Antara O
news O
agency O
quoted O
the O
spokesman O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
It O
will O
be O
followed O
up O
. O
Of O
course O
there O
will O
be O
compensation O
and O
other O
things O
. O
It O
is O
still O
being O
studied O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
bird O
flu O
virus O
H5N1 O
is O
reported O
to O
have O
killed O
63 O
people O
in O
four O
countries O
and O
has O
led O
to O
the O
culling O
of O
150 O
million O
poultry O
across O
the O
world O
. O

Regarding O
Aceh O
reconstruction O
Dino O
said O
President O
Yudhoyono O
had O
explained O
to O
Wolfowitz O
that O
the O
Indonesian O
government O
was O
focusing O
efforts O
especially O
on O
development O
of O
infrastructural O
facilities O
and O
houses O
for O
refugees O
now B-T
still O
in O
camps O
. O

Over O
220 O
, O
000 O
people O
were O
killed O
after O
the O
province O
was O
hit O
by O
the O
December B-T
26 I-T
tsunami O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970419 O
. O
0152 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Hopes O
of O
Mobutu O
- O
Kabila O
talks O
stumble O
over O
rebel O
demands O
by O
Mario O
Fiorito O

Hopes O
of O
direct O
talks O
between O
Zairean O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
and O
rebel O
leader O
Laurent O
Kabila O
receded O
Saturday B-T
, O
as O
demands O
that O
Mobutu O
quit O
immediately O
enraged O
his O
entourage O
and O
damaged O
prospects O
of O
a O
face O
- O
saving O
exit O
. O

Mobutu O
' O
s O
special O
advisor O
said O
Friday B-T
the O
president O
had O
agreed O
in O
principle O
to O
meet O
Kabila O
at O
the O
request O
of O
South O
African O
President O
Nelson O
Mandela O
. O

But O
, O
as O
the O
rebels O
insist O
the O
only O
negotiations O
they O
will O
agree O
to O
must O
be O
on O
the O
manner O
of O
his O
departure O
, O
and O
given O
the O
differences O
on O
a O
ceasefire O
that O
still O
divide O
the O
warring O
sides O
, O
the O
chances O
of O
an O
encounter O
appear O
remote O
. O

Mobutu O
' O
s O
aide O
, O
Honore O
Ngbanda O
Nzambo O
, O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
Friday B-T
that O
Mobutu O
had O
accepted O
Mandela O
' O
s O
invitation O
for O
talks O
, O
but O
practical O
details O
on O
time O
and O
date O
remained O
to O
be O
sorted O
out O
. O

Later O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
Zairean O
government O
called O
for O
a O
" O
complete O
and O
immediate O
cessation O
of O
hostilities O
. O
" O

Mandela O
' O
s O
spokesman O
was O
more O
confident O
, O
saying O
Mobutu O
could O
meet O
Kabila O
in O
Cape O
Town O
" O
in O
the O
first O
part O
of O
next B-T
week I-T
, O
probably O
on O
Monday B-T
or I-T
Tuesday I-T
. O
" O

However O
, O
that O
supposes O
a O
sudden O
climbdown O
on O
the O
part O
of O
Kabila O
who O
, O
with O
his O
forces O
already O
in O
control O
of O
half O
the O
nation O
and O
most O
of O
its O
vast O
mineral O
resources O
, O
can O
call O
the O
shots O
. O

Kabila O
has O
not O
yet O
confirmed O
that O
he O
will O
meet O
Mobutu O
, O
who O
the O
rebels O
have O
continually O
called O
on O
to O
resign O
throughout O
their O
six O
- O
month O
campaign O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
rebel O
" O
foreign O
minister O
" O
Bizima O
Kahara O
restated O
that O
position O
, O
saying O
" O
Mobutu O
must O
quit O
power O
" O
and O
" O
no O
ceasefire O
is O
possible O
before O
the O
end O
of O
the O
war O
, O
" O
nor O
would O
the O
rebels O
ever O
share O
power O
. O

" O
We O
will O
not O
stop O
hostilities O
, O
we O
want O
an O
end O
to O
the O
war O
. O
We O
cannot O
sign O
a O
ceasefire O
with O
mercenaries O
, O
" O
he O
added O
, O
stating O
that O
both O
negotiations O
and O
the O
military O
option O
were O
open O
to O
the O
rebels O
. O

Ngbanda O
rejected O
any O
suggestion O
that O
Mobutu O
should O
relinquish O
his O
32 O
- O
year O
rule O
or O
go O
into O
exile O
, O
but O
said O
there O
was O
agreement O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
on O
free O
and O
fair O
elections O
open O
to O
all O
, O
including O
the O
president O
. O

Cancer O
- O
stricken O
Mobutu O
, O
66 O
, O
has O
resolutely O
clung O
to O
power O
despite O
the O
rebel O
onslaught O
and O
announced O
he O
may O
stand O
if O
presidential O
elections O
are O
held O
. O

Given O
his O
long O
autocratic O
hold O
on O
power O
, O
the O
rebel O
demands O
- O
- O
coupled O
with O
hints O
from O
capitals O
around O
the O
world O
that O
he O
should O
resign O
- O
- O
must O
be O
hurting O
Mobutu O
' O
s O
pride O
. O

Kabila O
meanwhile O
continues O
to O
threaten O
to O
take O
Kinshasa O
by O
June B-T
, O
but O
says O
he O
will O
spare O
the O
lives O
of O
expatriates O
, O
as O
if O
hinting O
they O
could O
be O
hostages O
. O
The O
rebels O
say O
they O
are O
200 O
kilometres O
( O
125 O
miles O
) O
from O
the O
capital O
, O
although O
diplomats O
put O
them O
further O
away O
. O

" O
What O
difference O
is O
there O
for O
Zaire O
between O
Mobutu O
and O
Kabila O
, O
" O
a O
diplomat O
here O
asked O
Saturday B-T
. O

" O
Kabila O
must O
understand O
that O
routing O
the O
Zairean O
army O
is O
one O
thing O
, O
it O
is O
not O
difficult O
, O
but O
colliding O
with O
the O
powerful O
machinery O
of O
the O
international O
community O
is O
another O
matter O
altogether O
. O
" O

The O
diplomat O
, O
speaking O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
, O
also O
voiced O
a O
rumour O
that O
has O
already O
surfaced O
in O
Kinshasa O
- O
- O
the O
presence O
of O
a O
total O
of O
4 O
, O
000 O
Belgian O
, O
British O
, O
French O
and O
US O
soldiers O
in O
neighbouring O
countries O
to O
evacuate O
foreign O
nationals O
if O
necessary O
. O

" O
He O
( O
Kabila O
) O
should O
ask O
wy O
the O
West O
has O
placed O
so O
many O
of O
your O
best O
troops O
around O
Zaire O
. O
. O
. O
to O
evacuate O
less O
than O
3 O
, O
000 O
people O
. O
" O

Kabila O
himself O
was O
due O
to O
hold O
a O
public O
meeting O
on O
Saturday B-T
in O
Lubumbashi O
, O
Zaire O
' O
s O
second O
city O
and O
its O
economic O
hub O
, O
which O
was O
captured O
by O
the O
rebels O
10 B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
, O
the O
rebels O
' O
Voice O
of O
People O
radio O
station O
reported O
. O

At O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
morning I-T
, O
local O
people O
were O
starting O
to O
converge O
on O
foot O
on O
the O
stadium O
, O
still O
named O
after O
Mobutu O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0035 O

SEOUL O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
reported O
torture O
deaths O
/ O
/ O
/ O

North O
Koreans O
who O
risk O
imprisonment O
and O
torture O
to O
flee O
the O
impoverished O
Stalinist O
state O
also O
face O
repatriation O
if O
caught O
by O
China O
and O
a O
hostile O
reception O
if O
they O
reach O
South O
Korea O
, O
rights O
activists O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

Marcus O
Noland O
and O
Andrei O
Lankov O
, O
two O
of O
the O
co O
- O
authors O
of O
a O
new O
report O
, O
urged O
Beijing O
and O
Seoul O
to O
alleviate O
the O
plight O
of O
the O
refugees O
, O
estimated O
to O
number O
between O
tens O
to O
hundreds O
of O
thousands O
. O

" O
Everybody O
wants O
North O
Koreans O
to O
die O
quietly O
without O
making O
too O
much O
noise O
, O
" O
said O
Lankov O
, O
a O
professor O
at O
Seoul O
' O
s O
Kookmin O
University O
. O

With O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
on O
scrapping O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
nuclear O
programme O
set O
to O
resume O
Monday B-T
, O
Noland O
said O
it O
was O
understandable O
the O
nuclear O
issue O
received O
attention O
. O

But O
human O
rights O
issues O
would O
also O
have O
to O
be O
dealt O
with O
eventually O
if O
the O
North O
were O
to O
integrate O
with O
the O
world O
, O
and O
silence O
did O
not O
encourage O
better O
behavour O
by O
Pyongyang O
. O

" O
People O
have O
treated O
North O
Korea O
with O
kid O
gloves O
and O
the O
result O
has O
been O
a O
missile O
test O
and O
a O
nuclear O
test O
, O
" O
Noland O
, O
a O
senior O
fellow O
of O
the O
Institute O
for O
International O
Economics O
in O
Washington O
, O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
. O

The O
report O
by O
the O
US O
Committee O
for O
Human O
Rights O
in O
North O
Korea O
is O
based O
on O
interviews O
with O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
300 O
refugees O
hiding O
in O
China O
. O

Noland O
said O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
" O
systematic O
denial O
of O
human O
, O
civil O
and O
political O
rights O
combined O
with O
economic O
incompetence O
" O
and O
food O
shortages O
were O
the O
cause O
of O
the O
refugee O
crisis O
. O

But O
China O
' O
s O
response O
was O
" O
harassment O
, O
arrest O
and O
forced O
return O
- O
- O
as O
many O
as O
200 O
a O
week O
in O
some O
periods O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
report O
urges O
China O
to O
honour O
its O
international O
obligations O
to O
refugees O
and O
to O
stop O
maintaining O
- O
- O
despite O
" O
incontrovertible O
evidence O
" O
to O
the O
contrary O
- O
- O
that O
the O
North O
Koreans O
are O
economic O
migrants O
. O

" O
Its O
obstinacy O
has O
blocked O
what O
would O
otherwise O
be O
a O
massive O
international O
response O
in O
the O
form O
of O
assistance O
and O
protection O
. O
" O

The O
report O
urges O
Beijing O
to O
allow O
the O
establishment O
of O
temporary O
refugee O
resettlement O
camps O
, O
together O
with O
third O
- O
country O
commitments O
to O
accept O
the O
North O
Koreans O
for O
permanent O
resettlement O
. O

It O
says O
almost O
10 O
percent O
of O
interviewees O
had O
previously O
been O
in O
prison O
or O
labour O
camps O
and O
a O
majority O
of O
the O
ex O
- O
prisoners O
had O
witnessed O
hunger O
- O
related O
deaths O
or O
deaths O
due O
to O
torture O
. O

A O
few O
also O
reported O
cases O
of O
infanticide O
involving O
mixed O
- O
race O
babies O
of O
women O
who O
became O
pregnant O
while O
in O
China O
. O

The O
report O
terms O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
" O
increasingly O
unwelcoming O
" O
attitude O
to O
the O
refugees O
as O
" O
shamefully O
" O
ambivalent O
despite O
the O
tiny O
numbers O
who O
finally O
reach O
the O
South O
- O
- O
around O
10 O
, O
000 O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
half I-T
- I-T
century I-T
. O

Noland O
said O
Seoul O
should O
insist O
that O
its O
embassies O
and O
consulates O
do O
their O
utmost O
to O
help O
refugees O
, O
who O
often O
take O
tortuous O
journeys O
via O
Mongolia O
, O
Thailand O
, O
Vietnam O
and O
other O
countries O
. O

It O
should O
also O
consider O
reinstating O
substantial O
financial O
payments O
to O
refugees O
to O
prevent O
them O
falling O
prey O
to O
criminal O
trafficking O
gangs O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Seoul O
feared O
jeopardising O
its O
" O
sunshine O
" O
engagement O
policy O
with O
the O
North O
and O
also O
saw O
refugees O
as O
an O
economic O
burden O
, O
Lankov O
said O
. O
Those O
who O
were O
accepted O
faced O
discrimination O
and O
problems O
finding O
jobs O
. O

But O
Lankov O
argued O
that O
they O
should O
be O
seen O
as O
the O
" O
advance O
guard O
" O
of O
the O
inevitable O
eventual O
reunification O
of O
the O
peninsula O
after O
the O
North O
' O
s O
system O
collapsed O
. O

" O
The O
experience O
of O
living O
with O
them O
will O
be O
very O
helpful O
when O
living O
with O
not O
10 O
, O
000 O
but O
24 O
million O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0624 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

British O
mercenary O
returns O
home O
from O
Papua O
New O
Guinea O

British O
mercenary O
boss O
Tim O
Spicer O
, O
freed O
in O
Papua O
New O
Guinea O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
his O
trial O
for O
illegal O
firearms O
possession O
Tuesday B-T
, O
arrived O
back O
in O
Britain O
late B-T
Wednesday I-T
. O

" O
It O
feels O
great O
to O
be O
home O
, O
" O
said O
Spicer O
at O
London O
' O
s O
Heathrow O
airport O
, O
adding O
he O
would O
be O
holding O
a O
press O
conference O
Thursday B-T
. O

Spicer O
, O
carrying O
only O
hand O
luggage O
and O
a O
book O
, O
was O
met O
by O
a O
driver O
in O
a O
limousine O
and O
was O
understood O
to O
be O
on O
his O
way O
to O
a O
reunion O
with O
his O
wife O
Catherine O
and O
children O
, O
Sam O
, O
Jessica O
and O
Francesca O
at O
their O
home O
in O
south O
London O
. O

The O
inquiry O
into O
the O
PNG O
government O
' O
s O
hiring O
of O
Spicer O
' O
s O
Sandline O
International O
mercenary O
group O
heard O
allegations O
Thursday B-T
that O
Spicer O
was O
detained O
by O
PNG O
soldiers O
because O
he O
was O
planning O
to O
commit O
atrocities O
on O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
island O
of O
Bougainville O
. O

Brigadier O
General O
Jerry O
Singirok O
, O
sacked O
commander O
of O
the O
PNG O
Defence O
Force O
who O
made O
the O
accusations O
, O
sparked O
a O
military O
rebellion O
last B-T
month I-T
by O
demanding O
the O
sacking O
of O
prime O
minister O
Sir O
Julius O
Chan O
for O
hiring O
Sandline O
for O
50 O
million O
kina O
( O
36 O
million O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
tensions O
spilled O
over O
into O
several B-T
days I-T
of O
unrest O
on O
the O
streets O
of O
Port O
Moresby O
. O

Chan O
has O
since O
stepped O
aside O
while O
a O
commission O
of O
inquiry O
under O
Justice O
Warwick O
Andrew O
investigates O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0254 O

VATICAN O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Pope O
distressed O
over O
' O
unlawful O
' O
Chinese O
ordination O

Pope O
Benedict O
XVI O
learned O
with O
" O
deep O
distress O
" O
of O
the O
" O
unlawful O
" O
ordination O
of O
a O
Chinese O
bishop O
without O
papal O
approval O
, O
the O
Vatican O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

China O
' O
s O
state O
- O
run O
Catholic O
Church O
on O
Thursday B-T
ordained O
Wang O
Renlei O
, O
36 O
, O
as O
Bishop O
of O
Xuzhou O
in O
the O
eastern O
province O
of O
Jiangsu O
. O
He O
became O
the O
fourth O
bishop O
ordained O
in O
China O
this B-T
year I-T
without O
the O
blessing O
of O
the O
Vatican O
. O

The O
ordination O
" O
is O
the O
last O
of O
these O
unlawful O
ordinations O
of O
bishops O
which O
have O
been O
tormenting O
the O
Catholic O
Church O
in O
China O
for O
dozens O
of O
years O
" O
, O
the O
Vatican O
' O
s O
statement O
said O
. O

" O
( O
They O
) O
create O
divisions O
within O
the O
diocesan O
community O
and O
trouble O
the O
religious O
sentiments O
of O
many O
priests O
and O
worshippers O
. O
" O

These O
" O
extremely O
serious O
" O
acts O
are O
the O
consequence O
" O
of O
a O
vision O
of O
the O
Church O
which O
does O
not O
correspond O
to O
the O
Catholic O
doctrine O
and O
which O
is O
opposed O
to O
the O
fundamental O
principles O
of O
its O
hierarchical O
structure O
" O
, O
the O
statement O
continued O
. O

The O
ordination O
was O
announced O
at O
the O
start O
of O
the B-T
week I-T
by O
China O
' O
s O
Catholic O
Church O
. O

The O
Vatican O
warned O
of O
severe O
sanctions O
in O
canonical O
law O
for O
such O
ordinations O
but O
did O
not O
say O
whether O
Xuzhou O
' O
s O
case O
fell O
into O
this O
category O
. O

It O
praised O
the O
majority O
of O
Chinese O
priests O
and O
believers O
for O
maintaining O
strong O
faith O
links O
with O
Rome O
. O

China O
' O
s O
millions O
of O
Catholics O
are O
divided O
between O
a O
" O
patriotic O
" O
church O
, O
with O
around O
four O
million O
faithful O
, O
and O
a O
clandestine O
church O
following O
the O
Vatican O
, O
with O
around O
10 O
million O
believers O
. O

The O
ordination O
of O
three O
Chinese O
bishops O
without O
Vatican O
approval O
in O
the B-T
spring I-T
led O
the O
pope O
to O
denounce O
a O
" O
serious O
violation O
of O
religious O
freedom O
" O
. O
This O
was O
despite O
discussions O
between O
Beijing O
and O
the O
Vatican O
aimed O
at O
normalising O
bilateral O
relations O
, O
which O
were O
broken O
off O
in O
the B-T
early I-T
1950s I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061231 O
. O
0058 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Cricket O
: O
McGrath O
has O
plenty O
still O
to O
offer O
, O
says O
Clark O

Stuart O
Clark O
has O
urged O
his O
retiring O
mentor O
Glenn O
McGrath O
to O
help O
the O
Australian O
team O
with O
his O
vast O
playing O
experience O
when O
he O
quits O
the O
game O
. O

McGrath O
and O
Shane O
Warne O
will O
play O
their O
final O
Test O
matches O
in O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
fifth O
Ashes O
Test O
against O
England O
at O
the O
Sydney O
Cricket O
Ground O
, O
although O
McGrath O
, O
36 O
, O
plans O
to O
continue O
until O
the O
one O
- O
day O
World O
Cup O
in O
the O
Caribbean O
before O
calling O
it O
quits O
. O

Clark O
has O
been O
a O
revelation O
in O
his O
first O
eight O
Test O
matches O
taking O
42 O
wickets O
, O
half O
of O
them O
in O
the O
Ashes O
series O
. O

The O
seam O
bowler O
believes O
McGrath O
would O
be O
too O
useful O
a O
resource O
to O
be O
lost O
to O
Australian O
cricket O
once O
he O
retires O
. O

Clark O
said O
he O
learned O
the O
art O
of O
fast O
bowling O
from O
studying O
McGrath O
at O
close O
hand O
. O

The O
two O
have O
been O
team O
- O
mates O
at O
club O
, O
state O
and O
national O
level O
and O
have O
similar O
bowling O
actions O
. O
They O
also O
share O
the O
ability O
to O
find O
good O
bounce O
and O
movement O
off O
the O
seam O
, O
and O
maintain O
accuracy O
. O

" O
He O
' O
s O
retiring O
from O
Australian O
cricket O
but O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
he O
' O
ll O
be O
lost O
to O
Australian O
cricket O
, O
" O
Clark O
told O
reporters O
here O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
There O
' O
s O
a O
lot O
of O
knowledge O
in O
that O
13 O
- O
year O
career O
so O
we O
' O
ll O
be O
doing O
everything O
we O
can O
, O
whether O
it O
' O
s O
for O
Australia O
or O
for O
NSW O
, O
to O
be O
keeping O
him O
around O
the O
team O
. O
" O

Clark O
said O
McGrath O
and O
Warne O
were O
irreplaceable O
, O
but O
he O
was O
focused O
on O
forming O
a O
strong O
, O
lasting O
new O
ball O
partnership O
with O
Brett O
Lee O
. O

Lee O
and O
Clark O
bowled O
impressively O
in O
the O
fourth O
Test O
, O
where O
their O
combined O
11 O
wickets O
helped O
Australia O
beat O
England O
by O
an O
innings O
and O
99 O
runs O
. O

" O
Partnerships O
in O
bowling O
work O
like O
batting O
, O
if O
you O
get O
a O
good O
one O
it O
can O
lead O
the O
whole O
team O
into O
a O
good O
position O
in O
any O
Test O
match O
, O
" O
Clark O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0316 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
LD O
: O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economy O
grows O
at O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
third O
quarter O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economy O
grew O
at O
an O
annual O
rate O
of O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
the O
July O
- O
to O
- O
September O
period O
, O
better O
than O
the O
initially O
estimated O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
pace O
, O
the O
Commerce O
Department O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
rate O
of O
expansion O
in O
gross O
domestic O
product O
was O
stronger O
than O
the O
1 O
. O
8 O
percent O
pace O
that O
economists O
had O
forecast O
, O
but O
less O
than O
half O
the O
blistering O
5 O
. O
6 O
percent O
rate O
recorded O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
growth O
was O
slowest O
since O
a O
1 O
. O
8 O
percent O
growth O
rate O
in O
final B-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
when O
the O
economy O
was O
suffering O
fallout O
from O
the O
devastating O
Gulf O
Coast O
hurricanes O
. O

GDP O
measures O
the O
value O
of O
all O
goods O
and O
services O
produced O
within O
the O
United O
States O
and O
is O
considered O
the O
best O
barometer O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
fitness O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0085 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0085 O
. O

International O
: O

@ O
Navigation O
Mixte O
Chairman O
Says O
Board O

@ O
Rejected O
Paribas O
Bid O
to O
Raise O
Its O
Stake O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
E O
. O
S O
. O
Browning O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

F O
. O
CNM O
F O
. O
CFP O
G O
. O
ALL O
F O
. O
SGF O
F O
. O
CLC O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

FOOD O
PRODUCTS O
( O
FOD O
) O

TRANSPORTATION O
, O
TRUCK O
AND O
SHIP O
LINES O
, O
RAILROADS O
( O
TRA O
) O

INSURANCE O
( O
INS O
) O

PARIS O

Cie O
. O
de O
Navigation O
Mixte O
Chairman O
Marc O
Fournier O
said O
his O
board O
unanimously O
rejected O
as O
too O
low O
the O
$ O
1 O
. O
77 O
billion O
bid O
by O
Cie O
. O

Financiere O
de O
Paribas O
to O
bring O
its O
stake O
in O
Navigation O
Mixte O
to O
66 O
. O
7 O
% O
. O

At O
a O
news O
conference O
, O
Mr O
. O
Fournier O
accused O
Paribas O
of O
planning O
to O
pay O
for O
the O
takeover O
by O
selling O
parts O
of O
the O
company O
, O
whose O
interests O
include O
insurance O
, O
banking O
, O
tuna O
canning O
, O
sugar O
and O
orange O
juice O
. O

The O
chairman O
said O
his O
board O
members O
, O
including O
representatives O
of O
West O
German O
insurance O
giant O
Allianz O
AG O
and O
French O
banks O
Credit O
Lyonnais O
and O
Societe O
Generale O
, O
hold O
nearly O
50 O
% O
of O
Navigation O
Mixte O
' O
s O
capital O
. O

Mr O
. O
Fournier O
said O
that O
as O
Navigation O
Mixte O
chairman O
, O
he O
is O
prohibited O
by O
takeover O
regulations O
from O
organizing O
his O
own O
defense O
or O
doing O
anything O
besides O
managing O
current O
company O
business O
. O

But O
sources O
said O
he O
will O
be O
urging O
his O
allies O
to O
boost O
their O
stakes O
in O
Navigation O
Mixte O
, O
which O
is O
being O
traded O
in O
London O
and O
is O
to O
resume O
trading O
in O
Paris O
Tuesday B-T
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
he O
is O
expected O
to O
seek O
legal O
and O
regulatory O
means O
of O
blocking O
or O
delaying O
Paribas O
' O
s O
bid O
. O

For O
the O
moment O
, O
the O
sources O
said O
, O
he O
has O
decided O
against O
seeking O
a O
white O
knight O
or O
organizing O
a O
counterbid O
for O
Paribas O
. O

Mr O
. O
Fournier O
said O
Navigation O
Mixte O
' O
s O
1989 B-T
unconsolidated O
, O
or O
parent O
- O
company O
, O
profit O
is O
likely O
to O
be O
4 O
. O
7 O
billion O
francs O
( O
$ O
754 O
. O
4 O
million O
) O
, O
up O
from O
633 O
. O
8 O
million O
francs O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

That O
is O
due O
mostly O
to O
payments O
from O
Allianz O
for O
most O
of O
the O
50 O
% O
stake O
it O
has O
agreed O
to O
acquire O
in O
Navigation O
Mixte O
' O
s O
insurance O
business O
. O

Mr O
. O
Fournier O
said O
the O
exceptional O
gain O
would O
mean O
nearly O
twice O
as O
high O
a O
dividend O
this B-T
year I-T
as O
last B-T
. O

If O
holders O
avoid O
tendering O
to O
Paribas O
, O
he O
added O
, O
they O
can O
expect O
strong O
dividends O
again O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

Analysts O
noted O
that O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
20 I-T
years I-T
, O
Mr O
. O
Fournier O
has O
built O
his O
company O
through O
astute O
stock O
- O
market O
activity O
and O
has O
warded O
off O
at O
least O
three O
takeover O
attempts O
. O

This O
time O
, O
however O
, O
some O
analysts O
think O
he O
could O
face O
a O
real O
battle O
. O

" O
Without O
some O
unexpected O
" O
coup O
de O
theatre O
" O
, O
I O
do O
n O
' O
t O
see O
what O
will O
block O
the O
Paribas O
bid O
, O
" O
said O
Philippe O
de O
Cholet O
, O
analyst O
at O
the O
brokerage O
Cholet O
- O
Dupont O
amp O
Cie O
. O

Mr O
. O
de O
Cholet O
said O
Mr O
. O
Fournier O
' O
s O
biggest O
hope O
was O
to O
somehow O
persuade O
regulatory O
authorities O
to O
block O
the O
bid O
. O

Paribas O
still O
needs O
the O
go O
- O
ahead O
from O
the O
Commission O
des O
Operations O
de O
Bourse O
, O
a O
government O
regulatory O
agency O
, O
but O
analysts O
said O
that O
is O
considered O
likely O
. O

Mr O
. O
Fournier O
also O
noted O
that O
Navigation O
Mixte O
joined O
Paribas O
' O
s O
core O
of O
shareholders O
when O
Paribas O
was O
denationalized O
in O
1987 B-T
, O
and O
said O
it O
now B-T
holds O
just O
under O
5 O
% O
of O
Paribas O
' O
s O
shares O
. O

Once O
he O
realized O
that O
Paribas O
' O
s O
intentions O
weren O
' O
t O
friendly O
, O
he O
said O
, O
but O
before O
the O
bid O
was O
launched O
, O
he O
sought O
approval O
to O
boost O
his O
Paribas O
stake O
above O
10 O
% O
. O

The O
petition O
is O
still O
pending O
, O
but O
Mr O
. O
Fournier O
downplayed O
the O
likelihood O
of O
his O
organizing O
a O
takeover O
bid O
of O
his O
own O
for O
the O
much O
- O
larger O
Paribas O
. O

One O
big O
question O
now O
is O
the O
likely O
role O
of O
Mr O
. O
Fournier O
' O
s O
allies O
. O

Mr O
. O
Fournier O
said O
the O
large O
institutions O
that O
hold O
nearly O
50 O
% O
of O
Navigation O
Mixte O
' O
s O
capital O
all O
strongly O
support O
him O
, O
but O
some O
analysts O
said O
they O
aren O
' O
t O
so O
sure O
. O

Allianz O
, O
for O
example O
, O
has O
said O
in O
official O
comments O
so O
far O
that O
it O
will O
remain O
neutral O
. O

Paribas O
is O
Allianz O
' O
s O
lead O
French O
bank O
. O

Paribas O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
it O
intends O
to O
bid O
to O
boost O
its O
stake O
in O
Navigation O
Mixte O
to O
66 O
. O
7 O
% O
, O
from O
the O
18 O
. O
7 O
% O
it O
already O
owns O
. O

The O
purchase O
of O
the O
additional O
48 O
% O
stake O
is O
expected O
to O
cost O
more O
than O
11 O
billion O
francs O
( O
$ O
1 O
. O
77 O
billion O
) O
. O

Paribas O
says O
it O
will O
offer O
1 O
, O
850 O
francs O
( O
$ O
296 O
. O
95 O
) O
each O
for O
Navigation O
Mixte O
shares O
that O
enjoy O
full O
dividend O
rights O
, O
and O
1 O
, O
800 O
francs O
each O
for O
a O
block O
of O
shares O
issued O
July B-T
1 I-T
, O
which O
will O
receive O
only O
partial O
dividends O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Alternatively O
, O
it O
is O
to O
offer O
three O
Paribas O
shares O
for O
one O
Navigation O
Mixte O
share O
. O

The O
Paribas O
offer O
values O
Navigation O
Mixte O
at O
about O
23 O
billion O
francs O
, O
depending O
on O
how O
many O
of O
Navigation O
Mixte O
' O
s O
warrants O
are O
converted O
into O
shares O
during O
the O
takeover O
battle O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0102 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambia O
remains O
ban O
on O
importation O
of O
turkeys O

Turkeys O
lovers O
in O
Zambia O
will O
miss O
out O
on O
their O
favorite O
meat O
this B-T
festive I-T
season I-T
because O
Zambia O
' O
s O
ban O
stays O
, O
The O
Post O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
Department O
of O
Veterinary O
and O
Livestock O
Development O
decided O
in O
March B-T
this I-T
year I-T
to O
ban O
the O
importation O
and O
movement O
of O
live O
birds O
and O
poultry O
products O
following O
reports O
of O
avian O
influenza O
in O
Nigeria O
and O
the O
possibility O
of O
the O
disease O
spreading O
to O
other O
African O
countries O
. O

Poultry O
Association O
of O
Zambia O
executive O
director O
Mathew O
Ngosa O
said O
the O
ban O
on O
the O
importation O
of O
poultry O
products O
still O
stands O
. O

Ngosa O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
that O
Zambia O
is O
not O
able O
to O
contain O
the O
potential O
outbreak O
of O
bird O
flue O
and O
so O
it O
needs O
to O
be O
protective O
. O

" O
We O
are O
not O
likely O
to O
have O
new O
stocks O
for O
the B-T
festive I-T
season I-T
until O
management O
resolves O
some O
important O
issues O
with O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
and O
Cooperatives O
, O
" O
a O
supermarket O
attendant O
said O
. O

The O
Shoprite O
attendant O
said O
usually O
it O
imports O
several O
tons O
of O
turkey O
and O
other O
birds O
from O
South O
Africa O
and O
Brazil O
for O
special O
occasions O
such O
as O
Christmas B-T
and O
the B-T
festive I-T
season I-T
. O

APW19980213 O
. O
1320 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
13 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
14 I-T
: I-T
35 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2122 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
f O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Australia O
- O
India O
- O
Qanta O
02 O
- O
13 O
0223 O

BC O
- O
Australia O
- O
India O
- O
Qantas O
, O
0225 O

Qantas O
to O
run O
daily O
flights O
between O
Australia O
and O
India O

CANBERRA O
, O
Australia O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Qantas O
will O
almost O
double O
its O
flights O

between O
Australia O
and O
India O
by O
August B-T
in O
the O
search O
for O
new O
markets O

untouched O
by O
the O
crippling O
Asian O
financial O
crisis O
. O

This O
move O
comes O
barely O
a B-T
month I-T
after O
Qantas O
suspended O
a O
number O

of O
services O
between O
Australia O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Thailand O
and O
Malaysia O
in O

the O
wake O
of O
the O
Asian O
economic O
crisis O
. O

The O
airline O
has O
also O
cut O
all O
flights O
to O
South O
Korea O
. O

Qantas O
plans O
daily O
flights O
between O
Sydney O
and O
Bombay O
, O
up O
from O

the O
current B-T
four O
flights O
a O
week O
, O
to O
boost O
business O
and O
tourism O
ties O

with O
India O
, O
the O
airline O
announced O
Friday B-T
. O

In O
a O
joint O
statement O
with O
Tourism O
Minister O
Andrew O
Thomson O
, O
it O

said O
two O
new O
flights O
would O
leave O
Bombay O
on O
Monday B-T
and O
Tuesday B-T

nights B-T
from O
March B-T
30 I-T
, O
with O
the O
third O
departing O
each B-T
Thursday I-T
from O

August B-T
6 I-T
. O

This O
will O
add O
nearly O
700 O
seats O
a O
week O
on O
the O
route O
. O

Thomson O
, O
in O
India O
to O
talk O
to O
tourism O
leaders O
, O
said O
the O
flights O

would O
provide O
extra O
support O
to O
the O
growing O
tourism O
market O
. O

Qantas O
' O
India O
manager O
Khursheed O
Lam O
said O
the O
airline O
was O
working O
closely O
with O
the O
Australian O
Tourist O
Commission O
to O
develop O
greater O

awareness O
of O
Australia O
in O
the O
Indian O
market O
. O

Qantas O
will O
also O
appoint O
a O
Bombay O
- O
based O
public O
relations O

consultant O
. O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Australia O
- O
India O
- O
Qantas O
; O
CT O
: O
f O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
INDI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
02 O
- O
13 O
- O
98 O
1435EST O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0167 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0167 O
. O

Conseco O
to O
Redeem O
Preferred O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CNC O

BUYBACKS O
, O
REDEMPTIONS O
, O
SWAP O
OFFERS O
( O
BBK O
) O

CARMEL O
, O
Ind O
. O

Conseco O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
is O
calling O
for O
the O
redemption O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
of O
all O
the O
800 O
, O
000 O
remaining O
shares O
outstanding O
of O
its O
$ O
1 O
. O
875 O
Series O
A O
convertible O
preferred O
stock O
at O
$ O
26 O
. O
805 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
insurance O
concern O
said O
all O
conversion O
rights O
on O
the O
stock O
will O
terminate O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
. O

Until O
then B-T
, O
Conseco O
said O
the O
stock O
remains O
convertible O
into O
common O
stock O
at O
the O
rate O
of O
1 O
. O
439 O
shares O
of O
common O
stock O
for O
each O
share O
of O
preferred O
stock O
, O
which O
is O
equivalent O
to O
a O
conversion O
price O
of O
$ O
17 O
. O
50 O
a O
common O
share O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
trading O
Friday B-T
, O
Conseco O
closed O
at O
$ O
19 O
. O
50 O
, O
down O
25 O
cents O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0046 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
Ld O
Writethru O
: O
Suicide O
bombing O
kills O
9 O
Afghans O
in O
restaurant O

A O
suicide O
bombing O
killed O
nine O
Afghans O
and O
injured O
over O
20 O
others O
Sunday B-T
in O
the O
center O
of O
Urgon O
district O
of O
Paktika O
province O
in O
eastern O
Afghanistan O
, O
an O
official O
of O
Interior O
Ministry O
told O
Xinhua O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

" O
The O
incident O
occurred O
in O
a O
restaurant O
, O
which O
local O
officials O
frequently O
visited O
, O
" O
the O
official O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
provincial O
governor O
Akram O
Khapalwak O
told O
Xinhua O
that O
the O
blast O
, O
which O
happened O
at O
around O
10 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
, O
killed O
seven O
people O
and O
wounded O
20 O
others O
. O

Barmal O
district O
chief O
Mohammad O
Mubin O
, O
who O
was O
there O
by O
chance O
, O
and O
a O
police O
chief O
were O
among O
the O
injured O
, O
he O
added O
. O

However O
, O
locals O
said O
10 O
persons O
were O
killed O
and O
about O
30 O
others O
injured O
in O
the O
explosion O
. O

All O
bazaars O
and O
shops O
in O
the O
center O
of O
Urgon O
have O
been O
shut O
down O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
blast O
and O
local O
police O
have O
launched O
an O
investigation O
into O
the O
incident O
. O

It O
is O
not O
very O
clear O
what O
motivation O
is O
behind O
the O
blast O
, O
but O
a O
man O
named O
Mullah O
Abdul O
Samad O
, O
who O
claimed O
himself O
as O
a O
local O
Taliban O
commander O
, O
said O
a O
Taliban O
fighter O
carried O
out O
the O
attack O
. O

He O
claimed O
a O
number O
of O
Afghan O
soldiers O
were O
killed O
and O
injured O
in O
the O
explosion O
. O

Paktika O
has O
been O
a O
hotbed O
of O
Taliban O
and O
other O
militants O
, O
who O
attack O
government O
and O
foreign O
targets O
frequently O
. O

A O
suicide O
bombing O
killed O
Paktika O
governor O
Abdul O
Hakim O
Taniwal O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, O
and O
the O
Taliban O
claimed O
responsibility O
. O

Due O
to O
rising O
Taliban O
- O
linked O
violence O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
Afghanistan O
has O
plunged O
into O
the O
worst O
spate O
of O
bloodshed O
since O
the O
Taliban O
regime O
was O
toppled O
down O
nearly O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

Over O
3 O
, O
800 O
people O
, O
mostly O
Taliban O
militants O
, O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
this O
volatile O
country O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
Among O
the O
fatalities O
are O
over O
150 O
foreign O
soldiers O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0003 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Paddy O
production O
to O
decrease O
in O
Nepal O

The O
paddy O
production O
in O
Nepal O
is O
expected O
to O
decrease O
by O
around O
nine O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
due O
to O
drought O
during O
the O
period O
of O
plantation O
, O
local O
Nepal O
Samacharpatra O
daily B-T
reported O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
paddy O
production O
will O
decrease O
by O
8 O
. O
9 O
percent O
as O
per O
the O
field O
survey O
carried O
out O
by O
officials O
at O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
and O
Cooperative O
( O
MoAC O
) O
and O
World O
Food O
Organization O
( O
WFO O
) O
, O
the O
vernacular O
newspaper O
reported O
quoting O
MoAC O
sources O
. O

" O
The O
production O
will O
decrease O
by O
more O
than O
500 O
, O
000 O
metric O
tons O
in O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
2006 I-T
/ I-T
07 I-T
against O
total O
production O
of O
4 O
. O
2 O
million O
tons O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
2005 O
/ O
06 O
, O
" O
MoAC O
sources O
said O
. O

The O
MoAC O
and O
WFO O
team O
had O
visited O
various O
places O
of O
the O
country O
and O
met O
government O
officials O
, O
political O
parties O
, O
farmers O
and O
officials O
working O
on O
natural O
calamities O
to O
acquire O
the O
information O
regarding O
paddy O
production O
. O

Ganesh O
Kumar O
K O
. O
C O
. O
, O
secretary O
at O
the O
MoAC O
, O
said O
that O
the O
ministry O
would O
talk O
with O
the O
donor O
agencies O
to O
save O
the O
country O
from O
possible O
food O
crisis O
due O
to O
lack O
of O
adequate O
food O
security O
. O

WSJ_20130322_804 O

March B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2013 I-T

Health O
Insurers O
Warn O
on O
Premiums O

Health O
insurers O
are O
privately O
warning O
brokers O
that O
premiums O
for O
many O
individuals O
and O
small O
businesses O
could O
increase O
sharply O
next B-T
year I-T
because O
of O
the O
health O
- O
care O
overhaul O
law O
, O
with O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
biggest O
firm O
projecting O
that O
rates O
could O
more O
than O
double O
for O
some O
consumers O
buying O
their O
own O
plans O
. O

The O
projections O
, O
made O
in O
sessions O
with O
brokers O
and O
agents O
, O
provide O
some O
of O
the O
most O
concrete O
evidence O
yet O
of O
how O
much O
insurance O
companies O
might O
increase O
prices O
when O
major O
provisions O
of O
the O
law O
kick O
in O
next B-T
year I-T
- O
a O
subject O
of O
rigorous O
debate O
. O

The O
projected O
increases O
are O
at O
odds O
with O
what O
the O
Obama O
Administration O
says O
consumers O
should O
be O
expecting O
overall O
in O
terms O
of O
cost O
. O
The O
Department O
of O
Health O
and O
Human O
Services O
says O
that O
the O
law O
will O
" O
make O
health O
- O
care O
coverage O
more O
affordable O
and O
accessible O
, O
" O
pointing O
to O
a O
2009 B-T
analysis O
by O
the O
Congressional O
Budget O
Office O
that O
says O
average O
individual O
premiums O
, O
on O
an O
apples O
- O
to O
- O
apples O
basis O
, O
would O
be O
lower O
. O

The O
gulf O
between O
the O
pricing O
talk O
from O
some O
insurers O
and O
the O
government O
projections O
suggests O
how O
complicated O
the O
law O
' O
s O
effects O
will O
be O
. O
Carriers O
will O
be O
filing O
proposed O
prices O
with O
regulators O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
months I-T
. O

Part O
of O
the O
murkiness O
stems O
from O
the O
role O
of O
government O
subsidies O
. O
Federal O
subsidies O
under O
the O
health O
law O
will O
help O
lower O
- O
income O
consumers O
defray O
costs O
, O
but O
they O
are O
generally O
not O
included O
in O
insurers O
' O
premium O
projections O
. O
Many O
consumers O
will O
be O
getting O
more O
generous O
plans O
because O
of O
new O
requirements O
in O
the O
law O
. O
The O
effects O
of O
the O
law O
will O
vary O
widely O
, O
and O
insurers O
and O
other O
analysts O
agree O
that O
some O
consumers O
and O
small O
businesses O
will O
likely O
see O
premiums O
go O
down O
. O

Starting O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
law O
will O
block O
insurers O
from O
refusing O
to O
sell O
coverage O
or O
setting O
premiums O
based O
on O
people O
' O
s O
health O
histories O
, O
and O
will O
reduce O
their O
ability O
to O
set O
rates O
based O
on O
age O
. O
That O
can O
raise O
coverage O
prices O
for O
younger O
, O
healthier O
consumers O
, O
while O
reining O
them O
in O
for O
older O
, O
sicker O
ones O
. O
The O
rules O
can O
also O
affect O
small O
businesses O
, O
which O
sometimes O
pay O
premiums O
tied O
to O
employees O
' O
health O
status O
and O
claims O
history O
. O

APW19980301 O
. O
0720 O

NEWS O
STORY O

03 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
14 I-T
: I-T
11 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w1219 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

u O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Israel O
- O
Lebanon O
03 O
- O
01 O
0570 O

BC O
- O
Israel O
- O
Lebanon O

Political O
momentum O
gathers O
for O
Israeli O
pullout O
from O
Lebanon O

UR O
Eds O
: O
INCORPORATES O
Israel O
- O
Syria O
; O
ADDS O
background O
and O
additional O

comment O
Sunday O
QL O

JERUSALEM O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Top O
Israeli O
officials O
sent O
strong O
new O
signals O

Sunday B-T
that O
Israel O
wants O
to O
withdraw O
from O
southern O
Lebanon O
, O
where O
a O

costly O
war O
of O
attrition O
has O
been O
steadily O
claiming O
soldiers O
' O
lives O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
told O
his O
Cabinet O
on O
Sunday B-T

that O
Israel O
was O
willing O
to O
withdraw O
from O
southern O
Lebanon O
provided O

Israel O
' O
s O
northern O
frontier O
could O
be O
secured O
. O

` O
` O
If O
the O
Lebanese O
government O
will O
cooperate O
with O
us O
in O
making O

appropriate O
security O
arrangements O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
, O
we O
will O
be O

happy O
to O
get O
out O
of O
Lebanon O
in O
the O
framework O
of O
implementation O
of O

U O
. O
N O
. O
Resolution O
425 O
, O
' O
' O
Netanyahu O
told O
his O
ministers O
. O

That O
1978 B-T
resolution O
calls O
for O
Israel O
' O
s O
unconditional O
withdrawal O

from O
the O
self O
- O
declared O
security O
zone O
it O
occupies O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
, O

and O
for O
the O
deployment O
of O
the O
Lebanese O
army O
and O
U O
. O
N O
. O
forces O
to O
ensure O
security O
along O
the O
Lebanese O
- O
Israeli O
border O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
Netanyahu O
said O
he O
had O
` O
` O
no O
qualms O
' O
' O
about O

implementing O
the O
U O
. O
N O
. O
resolution O
, O
as O
long O
as O
Israel O
had O
` O
` O
the O

necessary O
security O
safeguards O
. O
' O
' O

Cabinet O
minister O
Michael O
Eitan O
said O
Sunday B-T
that O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O

remarks O
marked O
a O
substantive O
change O
in O
Israel O
' O
s O
position O
. O

` O
` O
We O
will O
defend O
our O
north O
from O
the O
international O
border O
, O
' O
' O
said O

Eitan O
, O
the O
science O
minister O
. O
` O
` O
No O
one O
wants O
to O
stay O
in O
Lebanon O
; O

thus O
we O
think O
it O
better O
to O
withdraw O
. O
' O
' O

Uri O
Lubrani O
, O
Israel O
' O
s O
top O
official O
for O
Lebanon O
affairs O
, O
also O
suggested O
Israel O
was O
willing O
to O
modify O
its O
political O
goals O
in O

Lebanon O
. O

` O
` O
This O
is O
a O
new O
thing O
. O
. O
. O
it O
means O
that O
we O
are O
willing O
to O
talk O

today B-T
_ O
full O
stop O
_ O
about O
security O
, O
' O
' O
Lubrani O
told O
Israel O
' O
s O
Channel O

One O
. O
` O
` O
We O
have O
gotten O
off O
the O
issue O
of O
peace O
, O
off O
the O
issue O
of O

normalization O
. O
' O
' O

As O
the O
death O
toll O
in O
Lebanon O
has O
mounted O
, O
the O
Israeli O
government O

has O
been O
faced O
with O
a O
growing O
grassroots O
movement O
calling O
for O

Israel O
' O
s O
unilateral O
withdrawal O
from O
Lebanon O
. O

Since O
1985 B-T
_ O
when O
the O
Israelis O
created O
a O
security O
buffer O
zone O

southern O
Lebanon O
_ O
nearly O
200 O
Israeli O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O

fighting O
Hezbollah O
and O
other O
guerrillas O
. O
Last B-T
week I-T
, O
Hezbollah O

fighters O
killed O
three O
Israeli O
soldiers O
and O
seriously O
wounded O
six O

others O
. O

The O
Israelis O
suffered O
a O
record O
39 O
deaths O
in O
southern O
Lebanon O

last B-T
year I-T
. O
In O
addition O
, O
73 O
soldiers O
were O
killed O
en O
route O
to O
Lebanon O

when O
two O
military O
helicopters O
crashed O
last B-T
February I-T
. O

The O
Maariv O
newspaper O
said O
Sunday B-T
that O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
comments O
last B-T

week B-T
were O
in O
response O
to O
signals O
from O
Syria O
that O
it O
wants O
to O
renew O

the O
long O
- O
stalled O
peace O
talks O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

The O
newspaper O
, O
quoting O
` O
` O
secret O
reports O
, O
' O
' O
said O
Syria O
had O
indicated O
its O
interest O
in O
resuming O
talks O
in O
remarks O
made O
last B-T
week I-T

by O
the O
Syrian O
ambassador O
to O
Washington O
, O
Walid O
Mualem O
, O
in O
a O
lecture O

to O
a O
closed O
forum O
in O
Baltimore O
. O

Two O
top O
aides O
to O
Netanyahu O
, O
political O
adviser O
Uzi O
Arad O
and O

Cabinet O
Secretary O
Danny O
Naveh O
, O
left O
for O
Europe O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O

apparently O
to O
investigate O
the O
Syrian O
issue O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

Israel O
- O
Syrian O
talks O
have O
been O
cut O
off O
for O
nearly B-T
two I-T
years I-T
. O

Defense O
Minister O
Yitzhak O
Mordechai O
was O
the O
first O
senior O
Israeli O

official O
to O
refer O
to O
U O
. O
N O
. O
resolution O
425 O
in O
a O
speech O
six B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
, O

saying O
at O
the O
time B-T
he O
was O
willing O
to O
withdraw O
troops O
in O
exchange O

for O
guarantees O
that O
Israel O
would O
not O
be O
attacked O
. O

UR O
( O
pvs O
- O
dh O
- O
lk O
) O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Israel O
- O
Lebanon O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
03 O
- O
01 O
- O
98 O
1411EST O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0151 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
state O
councilor O
meets O
ROK O
guest O

Chinese O
State O
Councilor O
Chen O
Zhili O
met O
with O
Oh O
Myung O
, O
deputy O
prime O
minister O
and O
minister O
of O
science O
and O
technology O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
, O
at O
the O
Diaoyutai O
State O
Guesthouse O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Chen O
had O
an O
exchange O
of O
views O
with O
the O
guest O
on O
issues O
of O
common O
concern O
at O
a O
friendly O
atmosphere O
. O

Chen O
said O
, O
China O
and O
ROK O
have O
a O
traditional O
friendship O
as O
neighboring O
countries O
. O
The O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
politics O
, O
economy O
, O
science O
and O
technology O
, O
education O
and O
culture O
has O
scored O
remarkable O
achievements O
. O

The O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
science O
and O
technology O
is O
reciprocal O
and O
enjoys O
a O
bright O
prospect O
, O
Chen O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
two O
sides O
should O
join O
hands O
to O
push O
the O
cooperation O
to O
a O
higher O
stage O
of O
development O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0549 O

BLANTYRE O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
quotes O
, O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Southern O
African O
nations O
Tuesday B-T
mulled O
ways O
to O
rope O
high O
- O
risk O
groups O
into O
the O
fight O
against O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
in O
the O
world O
' O
s O
worst O
- O
affected O
region O
as O
they O
started O
a O
three O
- O
day O
meeting O
in O
Malawi O
. O

The O
meeting O
will O
hammer O
out O
a O
" O
comprehensive O
strategy O
on O
how O
to O
accelerate O
prevention O
and O
we O
are O
addressing O
key O
drivers O
of O
the O
epidemic O
in O
terms O
of O
prevention O
, O
" O
Stephen O
Sianga O
, O
an O
official O
from O
the O
Southern O
African O
Development O
Community O
( O
SADC O
) O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
Yes O
, O
the O
problem O
of O
sexual O
workers O
and O
gays O
is O
there O
. O
. O
. O
why O
stigmatise O
this O
group O
as O
our O
strategy O
is O
multi O
- O
pronged O
and O
we O
want O
to O
cover O
all O
risk O
groups O
? O
" O
said O
Sianga O
, O
who O
is O
in O
charge O
of O
social O
and O
human O
development O
at O
the O
SADC O
secretariat O
. O

Southern O
Africa O
is O
the O
epicentre O
of O
the O
pandemic O
accounting O
for O
a O
third O
of O
the O
global O
HIV O
infections O
. O

It O
is O
also O
grappling O
with O
the O
heaviest O
death O
toll O
from O
AIDS O
. O
A O
total O
of O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
out O
of O
the O
worldwide O
toll O
of O
2 O
. O
8 O
million O
people O
died O
from O
AIDS O
- O
related O
illnesses O
last B-T
year I-T
in O
southern O
Africa O
. O

Roy O
Hauya O
, O
director O
of O
policy O
and O
programmes O
at O
Malawi O
' O
s O
National O
AIDS O
Commission O
, O
told O
AFP O
the O
meeting O
would O
also O
try O
to O
come O
up O
with O
a O
strategy O
on O
male B-T
circumcision I-T
. O

" O
We O
want O
to O
determine O
what O
role O
circumcision O
can O
play O
to O
accelerate O
prevention O
. O
. O
. O
as O
a O
region O
we O
are O
not O
experienced O
in O
programming O
male O
circumcision O
, O
" O
as O
a O
tool O
to O
control O
the O
spread O
of O
HIV O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
There O
is O
evidence O
that O
in O
regions O
where O
the O
majority O
of O
men O
are O
circumcised O
, O
HIV O
infection O
is O
lower O
than O
in O
regions O
where O
circumcision O
is O
not O
practiced O
. O
" O

Five O
southern O
African O
countries O
hard O
- O
hit O
by O
the O
AIDS O
pandemic O
- O
- O
Botswana O
, O
Lesotho O
, O
Swaziland O
, O
Tanzania O
and O
Zambia O
- O
- O
are O
in O
talks O
with O
the O
UN O
AIDS O
agency O
on O
making O
circumcision O
more O
accessible O
to O
men O
. O

The O
new O
strategy O
follows O
the O
results O
of O
a O
three O
- O
year O
study O
in O
a O
South O
African O
township O
- O
- O
Orange O
Farm O
near O
Johannesburg O
- O
- O
that O
showed O
that O
circumcision O
reduced O
the O
risk O
of O
contracting O
HIV O
by O
60 O
percent O
. O

Less O
than O
20 O
percent O
of O
men O
are O
said O
to O
be O
circumcised O
in O
southern O
Africa O
where O
HIV O
prevalence O
is O
the O
highest O
. O

Malawi O
' O
s O
Health O
Minister O
Marjorie O
Ngaunje O
set O
the O
tone O
for O
the O
meeting O
by O
saying O
: O
" O
To O
make O
advances O
in O
prevention O
, O
we O
must O
begin O
to O
tackle O
honestly O
the O
difficult O
questions O
that O
the O
epidemic O
raises O
. O
. O
. O
addressing O
positively O
the O
needs O
of O
sex O
workers O
and O
of O
men O
who O
have O
sex O
with O
men O
. O
" O

She O
said O
the O
fight O
against O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
" O
will O
take O
a O
better O
turn O
if O
we O
stop O
doing O
business O
as O
usual O
. O
. O
. O
we O
must O
address O
the O
real O
drivers O
of O
the O
epidemic O
and O
target O
groups O
that O
are O
most O
vulnerable O
. O
" O

Omotayo O
Olaniyan O
, O
African O
Union O
regional O
delegate O
to O
the O
SADC O
, O
told O
the O
meeting O
that O
poor O
provision O
of O
services O
for O
sex O
workers O
and O
drug O
users O
had O
allowed O
HIV O
to O
take O
root O
in O
society O
' O
s O
most O
vulnerable O
populations O
. O

Olaniyan O
said O
young O
people O
and O
women O
were O
also O
vulnerable O
to O
infection O
due O
to O
poverty O
and O
their O
lack O
of O
control O
over O
their O
sex O
lives O
in O
male O
- O
dominated O
societies O
. O

" O
These O
are O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
acceleration O
of O
the O
spread O
of O
HIV O
, O
" O
Olaniyan O
said O
. O

He O
said O
southern O
Africa O
was O
the O
" O
epicentre O
" O
of O
the O
pandemic O
, O
since O
one O
third O
- O
- O
or O
32 O
percent O
- O
- O
of O
all O
people O
with O
HIV O
worldwide O
lived O
in O
the O
region O
and O
34 O
percent O
of O
all O
deaths O
arising O
from O
AIDS O
in O
2006 B-T
occurred O
in O
southern O
Africa O
. O

" O
You O
will O
agree O
with O
me O
that O
these O
are O
not O
acceptable O
developments O
. O
. O
. O
it O
is O
a O
well O
known O
fact O
that O
we O
are O
not O
yet O
winning O
the O
war O
against O
HIV O
and O
AIDS O
. O
" O

SADC O
groups O
Angola O
, O
Botswana O
, O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
, O
Lesotho O
, O
Madagascar O
, O
Malawi O
, O
Mauritius O
, O
Mozambique O
, O
Namibia O
, O
South O
Africa O
, O
Swaziland O
, O
Tanzania O
, O
Zambia O
and O
Zimbabwe O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0483 O

RIO O
DE O
JANEIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sao O
Paulo O
presents O
lowest O
unemployment O
rate O
in O
October O

Brazil O
' O
s O
largest O
metropolitan O
region O
Sao O
Paulo O
registered O
its O
lowest O
unemployment O
rate O
in O
October B-T
since O
1996 B-T
, O
a O
monthly O
Employment O
and O
Unemployment O
Survey O
( O
PED O
) O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
survey O
was O
carried O
out O
by O
Sao O
Paulo O
state O
' O
s O
research O
institute O
Seade O
and O
the O
Inter O
- O
Union O
Department O
of O
Statistics O
and O
Social O
- O
Economic O
Studies O
. O

The O
current O
unemployment O
rate O
was O
14 O
. O
6 O
percent O
, O
against O
16 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
. O
Unemployment O
has O
been O
in O
a O
falling O
trend O
since O
June B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O
In O
September B-T
, O
the O
PED O
released O
an O
jobless O
rate O
of O
15 O
. O
3 O
percent O
. O

Around O
94 O
, O
000 O
job O
positions O
were O
created O
in O
October B-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O
A O
total O
of O
67 O
, O
000 O
citizens O
found O
work O
, O
which O
brought O
the O
number O
of O
unemployed O
in O
Sao O
Paulo O
down O
to O
1 O
. O
47 O
million O
workers O
, O
while O
27 O
, O
000 O
people O
entered O
the O
region O
' O
s O
labor O
market O
. O

The O
survey O
showed O
that O
the O
positive O
results O
were O
closely O
related O
to O
the O
performance O
in O
the O
service O
sector O
, O
which O
provided O
50 O
percent O
of O
occupations O
in O
the O
metro O
region O
, O
and O
created O
68 O
, O
000 O
positions O
in O
October B-T
, O
up O
1 O
. O
5 O
percent O
from O
September B-T
. O

The O
PED O
said O
local O
industry O
created O
10 O
, O
000 O
jobs O
, O
while O
the O
retail O
market O
contributed O
23 O
, O
000 O
, O
caused O
by O
the O
rise O
in O
sales O
as O
the O
year O
- O
end O
holiday O
approaches O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0067 O

PORT O
VILA O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Holiday O
in O
Vanuatu O
to O
mark O
ordination O
of O
first O
indigenous O
bishop O
by O
Patrick O
Decloitre O

Vanuatu O
' O
s O
President O
Jean O
- O
Marie O
Leye O
has O
declared O
Saturday O
a O
public O
holiday O
to O
celebrate O
the O
ordination O
of O
the O
first O
indigenous O
Roman O
Catholic O
bishop O
here O
, O
the O
State O
House O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Michel O
Visi O
, O
42 O
, O
the O
first O
Melanesian O
bishop O
in O
this O
southwestern O
Pacific O
island O
state O
' O
s O
history O
, O
was O
appointed O
last B-T
December I-T
by O
Pope O
John O
Paul O
II O
. O

Visi O
, O
from O
Ambae O
island O
, O
250 O
kilometers O
( O
155 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
here O
, O
takes O
over O
from O
American O
Francis O
Lambert O
who O
at O
75 O
must O
retire O
. O

The O
new O
Vanuatu O
bishop O
, O
who O
studied O
in O
seminaries O
in O
neighbouring O
New O
Caledonia O
and O
at O
Fiji O
' O
s O
Pacific O
Regional O
Seminary O
, O
where O
he O
was O
rector O
, O
obtained O
a O
canon O
law O
degree O
in O
Canada O
. O

He O
will O
now B-T
be O
in O
charge O
of O
a O
diocese O
, O
with O
14 O
priests O
, O
covering O
the O
80 O
scattered O
islands O
in O
this O
Y O
- O
shaped O
archipelago O
. O
He O
is O
the O
first O
indigenous O
bishop O
since O
Vanuatu O
' O
s O
catholic O
mission O
arrived O
here O
more B-T
than I-T
110 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

" O
I O
prepared O
myself O
, O
especially O
I O
made O
a O
30 O
- O
day O
retreat O
in O
Australia O
with O
the O
Jesuits O
. O
I O
think O
the O
mission O
of O
a O
bishop O
requires O
a O
lot O
of O
tranquility O
in O
heart O
and O
mind O
, O
" O
Visi O
told O
AFP O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
the O
historic O
event O
. O

More O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
people O
are O
converging O
on O
the O
capital O
from O
outlying O
islands O
and O
more O
than O
200 O
visitors O
, O
including O
the O
Wellington O
- O
based O
nuncio O
Archbishop O
Thomas O
White O
, O
are O
journeying O
from O
overseas O
. O

The O
two O
- O
day O
celebrations O
, O
which O
are O
to O
start O
Saturday B-T
with O
the O
official O
ordination O
, O
are O
set O
in O
Port O
Vila O
' O
s O
largest O
open O
ground O
, O
the O
Independence O
Park O
. O

Vanuatu O
' O
s O
linguistic O
and O
religious O
legacy O
is O
strongly O
related O
to O
the O
presence O
of O
missionaries O
who O
early O
last B-T
century I-T
were O
among O
the O
first O
permanent O
white O
settlers O
in O
these O
islands O
. O

The O
nation O
, O
with O
its O
170 O
, O
000 O
inhabitants O
on O
some O
80 O
inhabited O
islands O
, O
defines O
itself O
in O
its O
constitution O
as O
a O
Christian O
country O
. O

Churches O
are O
grouped O
into O
a O
council O
with O
the O
largest O
members O
being O
Roman O
Catholic O
, O
with O
around O
22 O
, O
000 O
believers O
, O
Presbyterian O
and O
Anglican O
churches O
. O

However O
, O
as O
always O
here O
, O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
celebrations O
will O
be O
a O
harmonious O
mix O
of O
liturgy O
and O
traditional O
tribal O
dances O
, O
once O
labelled O
" O
evil O
" O
and O
banned O
by O
the O
missionaries O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061216 O
. O
0139 O

JAIPUR O
, O
India O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Indian O
cricket O
board O
expels O
former O
chief O
Dalmiya O

Former O
world O
cricket O
chief O
Jagmohan O
Dalmiya O
was O
on O
Saturday B-T
expelled O
from O
the O
Indian O
cricket O
board O
on O
charges O
of O
misappropriation O
of O
funds O
. O

The O
former O
Indian O
cricket O
chief O
is O
accused O
of O
mishandling O
funds O
of O
around O
890 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
relating O
to O
the O
1996 O
World O
Cup O
which O
India O
hosted O
jointly O
with O
Pakistan O
and O
Sri O
Lanka O
. O

Dalmiya O
, O
credited O
with O
turning O
the O
gentlemen O
' O
s O
game O
into O
a O
lucrative O
global O
sport O
, O
has O
been O
given O
the O
right O
to O
appeal O
after O
three B-T
years I-T
for O
inclusion O
in O
the O
board O
, O
media O
committee O
member O
Rajiv O
Shukla O
said O
. O

Shukla O
said O
the O
resolution O
was O
moved O
by O
board O
president O
Sharad O
Pawar O
, O
who O
suggested O
to O
expelling O
him O
and O
barring O
him O
from O
holding O
any O
positions O
in O
any O
cricket O
body O
. O

Dalmiya O
is O
currently O
the O
president O
of O
Cricket O
Association O
of O
Bengal O
and O
National O
Cricket O
Club O
of O
Kolkata O
. O
Only O
these O
two O
bodies O
opposed O
the O
move O
while O
the O
remaining O
associations O
supported O
it O
. O

Dalmiya O
, O
who O
was O
organising O
secretary O
of O
that O
event O
, O
later O
served O
as O
the O
president O
of O
the O
International O
Cricket O
Council O
for O
three B-T
years I-T
from O
1997 B-T
to O
2000 O
. O

Since O
1983 B-T
, O
he O
had O
been O
the O
most O
powerful O
figure O
in O
the O
Indian O
board O
until O
his O
faction O
was O
thrown O
out O
by O
Pawar O
, O
a O
political O
heavyweight O
and O
federal O
agriculture O
minister O
, O
in O
a O
bitter O
election O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Dalmiya O
denied O
the O
charges O
, O
saying O
he O
had O
submitted O
a O
report O
which O
the O
disciplinary O
committee O
did O
not O
even O
read O
. O

" O
They O
did O
not O
even O
read O
it O
. O
They O
are O
all O
biased O
. O
There O
is O
no O
misappropriation O
. O
It O
is O
only O
their O
misinterpretation O
, O
" O
the O
Press O
Trust O
of O
India O
news O
agency O
quoted O
him O
as O
saying O
. O

But O
board O
vice O
- O
president O
Shashank O
Manohar O
said O
that O
Dalmiya O
had O
been O
given O
a O
fair O
chance O
. O

" O
He O
was O
heard O
by O
a O
full O
house O
. O
But O
whatever O
he O
said O
carried O
no O
weight O
. O
We O
gave O
him O
a O
fair O
chance O
, O
" O
Manohar O
said O
after O
a O
special O
general O
meeting O
here O
. O

Dalmiya O
was O
credited O
with O
bringing O
the O
World O
Cup O
to O
the O
Indian O
sub O
- O
continent O
which O
has O
held O
the O
event O
twice O
in O
1987 B-T
and O
1996 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0372 O

TUNIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

efforts O

Tunisian O
President O
Zine O
El O
Abidine O
Ben O
Ali O
on O
Monday B-T
urged O
Israel O
to O
respond O
to O
the O
international O
peace O
efforts O
to O
make O
the O
Middle O
East O
a O
peaceful O
, O
secure O
and O
stable O
region O
. O

Israel O
' O
s O
withdrawal O
from O
Gaza O
is O
a O
right O
step O
forward O
, O
Ben O
Ali O
said O
in O
a O
letter O
to O
the O
United O
Nations O
on O
the O
occasion O
of O
the O
International O
Day O
of O
Solidarity O
with O
the O
Palestinian O
People O
. O

He O
hoped O
that O
Israel O
' O
s O
pullout O
from O
Gaza O
would O
be O
the O
beginning O
of O
its O
withdrawal O
from O
all O
the O
occupied O
Palestinian O
territories O
so O
that O
Middle O
East O
peoples O
can O
live O
in O
peace O
with O
one O
another O
. O

The O
president O
called O
on O
all O
relevant O
parties O
, O
especially O
the O
mediating O
Quartet O
to O
implement O
the O
roadmap O
peace O
plan O
in O
earnest O
and O
push O
forward O
the O
Middle O
East O
peace O
process O
in O
accordance O
with O
relevant O
UN O
resolutions O
. O

Ben O
Ali O
also O
reiterated O
support O
for O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
restore O
their O
national O
dignity O
and O
establish O
an O
independent O
state O
of O
their O
own O
. O

A O
UN O
resolution O
adopted O
in O
1977 O
designated O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
as O
the O
International O
Day O
of O
Solidarity O
with O
the O
Palestinian O
People O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0030 O

WELLINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

New O
Zealand O
to O
join O
international O
anti O
- O
doping O
treaty O

New O
Zealand O
is O
set O
to O
adopt O
the O
International O
Convention O
Against O
Doping O
in O
Sport O
as O
part O
of O
its O
commitment O
to O
eliminating O
the O
use O
of O
performance O
- O
enhancing O
drugs O
in O
sport O
, O
a O
minister O
announced O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
convention O
was O
tabled O
in O
Parliament O
Wednesday B-T
and O
it O
is O
hoped O
that O
New O
Zealand O
will O
become O
a O
party O
to O
the O
international O
agreement O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

" O
New O
Zealand O
is O
recognized O
internationally O
as O
a O
world O
leader O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
the O
use O
of O
performance O
enhancing O
drugs O
in O
sport O
and O
being O
party O
to O
this O
convention O
reflects O
our O
strong O
and O
unwavering O
commitment O
in O
this O
area O
, O
" O
said O
Sport O
and O
Recreation O
Minister O
Trevor O
Mallard O
. O

He O
said O
the O
use O
of O
doping O
in O
sport O
is O
a O
major O
challenge O
to O
the O
international O
sporting O
community O
, O
and O
threatens O
everything O
we O
respect O
and O
value O
in O
sport O
- O
honesty O
, O
ethics O
, O
fairness O
, O
health O
, O
respect O
, O
and O
courage O
. O

Parties O
to O
the O
convention O
commit O
to O
implementing O
measures O
consistent O
with O
the O
World O
Anti O
- O
Doping O
Code O
, O
which O
harmonises O
anti O
- O
doping O
policy O
and O
practice O
and O
provides O
standards O
in O
areas O
such O
as O
testing O
programs O
, O
sanctions O
, O
appeals O
and O
laboratory O
practices O
. O

They O
must O
also O
adopt O
measures O
, O
where O
appropriate O
, O
to O
restrict O
the O
availability O
of O
prohibited O
substances O
by O
tackling O
their O
production O
, O
movement O
, O
importation O
, O
distribution O
, O
sale O
and O
trafficking O
. O

It O
is O
hoped O
that O
the O
convention O
will O
be O
in O
force O
by O
the O
time O
of O
the O
February B-T
2006 I-T
Winter I-T
Olympics O
in O
Turin O
, O
Italy O
. O
This O
will O
require O
that O
at O
least O
30 O
countries O
join O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
December I-T
2005 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0336 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Suez O
- O
GDF O
merger O
gets O
EU O
conditional O
approval O

French O
energy O
groups O
Gad O
de O
France O
and O
Suez O
won O
European O
Union O
conditional O
approval O
on O
Tuesday B-T
for O
their O
merger O
, O
which O
would O
create O
Europe O
' O
s O
second O
- O
largest O
utility O
and O
maintain O
national O
control O
of O
the O
French O
power O
market O
. O

The O
deal O
would O
result O
in O
a O
group O
with O
a O
combined O
market O
capitalization O
of O
nearly O
80 O
billion O
euros O
( O
102 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
, O
putting O
the O
new O
entity O
behind O
EDF O
of O
France O
but O
ahead O
of O
E O
. O
ON O
, O
the O
German O
energy O
giant O
. O

Suez O
and O
GDF O
got O
the O
go O
- O
ahead O
after O
they O
agreed O
to O
give O
up O
control O
of O
Belgian O
natural O
gas O
companies O
and O
a O
heating O
network O
in O
France O
, O
the O
European O
Commission O
said O
in O
Strasbourg O
, O
France O
. O

" O
Our O
intervention O
in O
this O
case O
is O
part O
of O
our O
action O
to O
ensure O
that O
there O
is O
effective O
competition O
in O
the O
newly O
- O
liberalized O
energy O
markets O
to O
the O
benefit O
of O
consumers O
and O
business O
, O
" O
EU O
Competition O
Commissioner O
Neelie O
Kroes O
said O
. O

France O
brokered O
the O
merger O
in O
February B-T
to O
prevent O
a O
bid O
for O
Suez O
by O
Enel O
of O
Italy O
, O
prompting O
criticism O
that O
it O
was O
breaking O
EU O
free O
- O
market O
rules O
by O
shutting O
the O
energy O
market O
to O
outsiders O
. O

Inside O
France O
, O
the O
government O
has O
struggled O
to O
push O
the O
merger O
because O
it O
requires O
reducing O
the O
state O
' O
s O
stake O
in O
GDF O
, O
- O
a O
move O
opposed O
by O
unions O
and O
socialist O
politicians O
who O
promised O
to O
make O
the O
deal O
an O
issue O
in O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
presidential O
election O
. O

A O
law O
allowing O
the O
French O
government O
to O
cut O
its O
stake O
in O
the O
company O
from O
70 O
percent O
to O
one O
- O
third O
, O
ahead O
of O
the O
merger O
, O
was O
formally O
passed O
by O
parliament O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0048 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0048 O
. O

Sun O
Microsystems O
Debentures O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

SUNW O

BOND O
MARKET O
NEWS O
( O
BON O
) O

MOUNTAIN O
VIEW O
, O
Calif O
. O

Sun O
Microsystems O
Inc O
. O
, O
a O
computer O
maker O
, O
announced O
the O
effectiveness O
of O
its O
registration O
statement O
for O
$ O
125 O
million O
of O
6 O
3 O
/ O
8 O
% O
convertible O
subordinated O
debentures O
due O
Oct B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1999 I-T
. O

The O
company O
said O
the O
debentures O
are O
being O
issued O
at O
an O
issue O
price O
of O
$ O
849 O
for O
each O
$ O
1 O
, O
000 O
principal O
amount O
and O
are O
convertible O
at O
any O
time O
prior O
to O
maturity O
at O
a O
conversion O
price O
of O
$ O
25 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
debentures O
are O
available O
through O
Goldman O
, O
Sachs O
amp O
Co O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0484 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Israel O
puts O
off O
Gaza O
- O
West O
Bank O
bus O
link O
over O
rocket O
fire O

Israel O
has O
put O
off O
opening O
a O
bus O
link O
between O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
and O
the O
West O
Bank O
because O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
' O
s O
failure O
to O
stop O
militants O
from O
firing O
rockets O
on O
the O
country O
, O
its O
army O
chief O
of O
staff O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
Israel O
has O
no O
intention O
of O
allowing O
the O
passage O
of O
convoys O
between O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
and O
the O
West O
Bank O
while O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
does O
not O
act O
to O
stop O
the O
firing O
of O
the O
Qassam O
( O
homemade O
) O
rockets O
, O
" O
General O
Dan O
Halutz O
was O
quoted O
by O
parliamentary O
sources O
as O
saying O
. O

Under O
an O
agreement O
in O
principle O
reached O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
last B-T
month I-T
brokered O
by O
US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
, O
the O
service O
was O
to O
have O
begun O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
announcement O
comes O
as O
no O
suprise O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
Israel O
froze O
negotiations O
on O
the O
details O
, O
with O
a O
spokesman O
for O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
saying O
: O
" O
There O
will O
be O
no O
discussions O
about O
these O
convoys O
as O
long O
as O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
fails O
to O
respect O
its O
commitments O
to O
fight O
against O
terrorism O
. O
" O

The O
security O
cabinet O
took O
the O
decision O
on O
December B-T
6 I-T
, O
a O
day O
after O
a O
suicide O
bomber O
from O
the O
radical O
Palestinian O
movement O
Islamic O
Jihad O
killed O
five O
Israelis O
at O
the O
entrance O
to O
a O
shopping O
mall O
. O

Under O
the O
deal O
, O
Israel O
should O
also O
allow O
convoys O
of O
trucks O
to O
travel O
between O
Gaza O
and O
the O
West O
Bank O
from O
January B-T
15 I-T
. O

At O
the O
time O
, O
a O
senior O
security O
official O
quoted O
by O
the O
Haaretz O
daily O
attributed O
the O
decision O
to O
halt O
the O
negotiations O
to O
Israeli O
concerns O
about O
the O
monitoring O
of O
travellers O
crossing O
the O
Rafah O
border O
between O
Gaza O
and O
Egypt O
since O
it O
reopened O
late O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
alleging O
that O
" O
hostile O
elements O
" O
had O
entered O
the O
territory O
. O

The O
Palestinians O
have O
been O
pushing O
for O
residents O
of O
Gaza O
and O
the O
West O
Bank O
to O
be O
allowed O
to O
travel O
back O
and O
forth O
, O
while O
Israel O
was O
insisting O
on O
limiting O
movement O
to O
Gazans O
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
Israel O
wants O
to O
ban O
travel O
by O
men O
between O
the O
ages O
of O
16 O
and O
35 B-T
. O

The O
Israeli O
media O
have O
said O
a O
working O
document O
proposed O
by O
the O
United O
States O
talks O
of O
five O
, O
five O
- O
bus O
convoys O
making O
the O
trip O
each B-T
day I-T
, O
transporting O
1 O
, O
800 O
Palestinians O
. O
In O
contrast O
, O
Israel O
wants O
only O
one O
such O
convoy O
, O
limiting O
the O
number O
to O
250 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0001 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesia O
hires O
Russian O
planes O
to O
douse O
forest O
fires O

Two O
amphibious O
Russian O
aircraft O
have O
arrived O
in O
Indonesia O
' O
s O
South O
Sumatra O
province O
to O
help O
fight O
haze O
- O
causing O
fires O
in O
the O
west O
of O
the O
country O
, O
a O
report O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
two O
BE O
- O
200 O
aircraft O
, O
which O
will O
be O
used O
to O
douse O
the O
land O
- O
clearing O
fires O
lit O
on O
Kalimantan O
and O
Sumatra O
islands O
, O
will O
strengthen O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
fire O
- O
fighting O
air O
fleet O
, O
which O
consists O
of O
five O
BO O
- O
105 O
helicopters O
owned O
by O
the O
Indonesian O
Air O
Force O
, O
Navy O
and O
police O
, O
reported O
major O
national O
newspaper O
The O
Jakarta O
Post O
. O

The O
Indonesian O
House O
of O
Representatives O
has O
approved O
100 O
billion O
rupiah O
( O
10 O
. O
52 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
to O
fight O
the O
fires O
, O
which O
have O
caused O
choking O
haze O
to O
blanket O
the O
west O
of O
the O
country O
, O
along O
with O
Singapore O
, O
Malaysia O
and O
parts O
of O
southern O
Thailand O
. O

The O
lease O
for O
the O
aircraft O
was O
signed O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
by O
officials O
from O
the O
Russian O
Emergencies O
Ministry O
and O
the O
Indonesian O
National O
Disasters O
Coordination O
Agency O
( O
Bakornas O
) O
. O

Kirill O
Barsky O
, O
Russia O
' O
s O
deputy O
chief O
of O
mission O
here O
, O
said O
the O
country O
was O
happy O
to O
help O
Indonesia O
fight O
the O
haze O
. O

Barsky O
expressed O
confidence O
the O
two O
aircraft O
supported O
by O
29 O
crew O
would O
be O
capable O
of O
extinguishing O
forest O
fires O
over O
large O
areas O
. O

" O
We O
' O
re O
optimistic O
about O
getting O
the O
best O
results O
because O
of O
the O
experienced O
crew O
members O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
planes O
' O
crew O
had O
fought O
similar O
fires O
in O
Africa O
several B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
and O
had O
just O
finished O
dealing O
with O
blazes O
in O
Portugal O
, O
he O
said O
. O

APW19980227 O
. O
0468 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
07 I-T
: I-T
56 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2373 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Russia O
- O
Kalashnikov O
' O
sM O
1stLd O
02 O
- O
27 O
0148 O

BC O
- O
Russia O
- O
Kalashnikov O
' O
s O
Museum O
, O
1st O
Ld O

Moscow O
mayor O
donates O
funds O
to O
build O
Kalashnikov O
museum O

UR O
Eds O
: O
SUBS O
3rd O
graf O
to O
conform O
to O
AP O
style O
. O
QL O

MOSCOW O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
The O
mayor O
of O
Moscow O
has O
allocated O
funds O
to O
help O

build O
a O
museum O
in O
honor O
of O
Mikhail O
Kalashnikov O
, O
the O
Russian O
who O

gave O
his O
name O
to O
the O
world O
' O
s O
most O
widely O
wielded O
weapon O
, O
according O

to O
a O
news O
agency O
report O
Friday B-T
. O

Kalashnikov O
designed O
the O
AK O
- O
47 O
automatic O
rifle O
, O
famed O
for O
its O

reliability O
and O
effectiveness O
. O
Together O
with O
its O
derivatives O
, O
the O

Kalashnikov O
rifle O
has O
been O
used O
by O
the O
police O
and O
armies O
of O
55 O

countries O
and O
an O
assortment O
of O
guerrillas O
, O
terrorists O
and O
just O

plain O
thugs O
around O
the O
globe O
. O

Seventy O
- O
five O
million O
copies O
of O
the O
rifle O
have O
been O
built O
since O

it O
entered O
production O
in O
February B-T
1947 I-T
, O
making O
it O
history O
' O
s O
most O

widely O
distributed O
weapon O
. O

UR O
The O
ITAR O
- O
Tass O
, O
4th O
graf O
pvs O

( O
pvs O
/ O
ji O
) O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Russia O
- O
Kalashnikov O
' O
s O
Museum O
, O
1st O
Ld O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
AFRI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
INDI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ASIA O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
02 O
- O
27 O
- O
98 O
0756EST O

AFP_ENG_20051207 O
. O
0459 O

GAZA O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
injured O
, O
ADDS O
reax O
/ O
/ O
/ O

One O
militant O
was O
killed O
and O
nine O
other O
Palestinians O
wounded O
Wednesday B-T
in O
an O
Israeli O
air O
strike O
on O
a O
vehicle O
in O
the O
Rafah O
region O
of O
the O
southern O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
military O
sources O
and O
witnesses O
said O
. O

Military O
sources O
said O
that O
the O
target O
of O
the O
attack O
, O
Mahmud O
al O
- O
Arqan O
, O
had O
been O
working O
with O
members O
of O
the O
radical O
Islamic O
Jihad O
movement O
which O
was O
behind O
a O
suicide O
bombing O
on O
a O
shopping O
mall O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
strike O
comes O
after O
Defence O
Minister O
Shaul O
Mofaz O
gave O
the O
green O
light O
to O
the O
resumption O
of O
targeted O
killing O
operations O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
bombing O
at O
the O
mall O
in O
Netanya O
which O
killed O
five O
Israelis O
and O
following O
a O
series O
of O
rocket O
attacks O
on O
Israeli O
soil O
fired O
from O
Gaza O
. O

Palestinian O
sources O
confirmed O
the O
dead O
man O
' O
s O
identity O
, O
saying O
Arqan O
was O
a O
member O
of O
the O
Popular O
Resistance O
Committees O
, O
an O
umbrella O
organisation O
which O
has O
previously O
carried O
out O
rocket O
attacks O
against O
Israel O
. O

The O
Israeli O
military O
sources O
said O
that O
Arqan O
had O
been O
responsible O
for O
a O
range O
of O
attacks O
, O
including O
sniper O
attacks O
and O
the O
firing O
of O
anti O
- O
tank O
missiles O
. O

Two O
of O
the O
injured O
were O
travelling O
in O
the O
vehicle O
with O
Arqan O
while O
the O
other O
seven O
were O
passers O
- O
by O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Popular O
Resistance O
Committees O
, O
Abu O
Abir O
, O
said O
that O
the O
movement O
would O
avenge O
Arqan O
' O
s O
death O
. O

After O
the O
raid O
, O
dozens O
of O
the O
group O
' O
s O
followers O
gathered O
outside O
Rafah O
hospital O
where O
the O
victims O
were O
being O
treated O
, O
firing O
their O
rifles O
into O
the O
air O
and O
chanting O
for O
his O
death O
to O
be O
avenged O
. O

Chief O
Palestinian O
negotiator O
Saeb O
Erakat O
" O
strongly O
condemned O
" O
the O
attack O
, O
describing O
it O
to O
AFP O
as O
a O
" O
crime O
which O
is O
part O
of O
a O
framework O
of O
an O
Israeli O
escalation O
. O
" O

The O
latest O
death O
brought O
the O
overall O
toll O
since O
the O
start O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
uprising O
in O
September B-T
2000 I-T
to O
4 O
, O
899 O
. O
More O
than O
three O
- O
quarters O
of O
the O
victims O
have O
been O
Palestinian O
. O

Before O
the O
air O
strike O
, O
both O
the O
Israeli O
military O
and O
Palestinian O
security O
forces O
had O
carried O
out O
a O
series O
of O
arrests O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
of O
Islamic O
Jihad O
activists O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
Netanya O
blast O
. O

Palestinian O
security O
sources O
said O
they O
had O
arrested O
three O
Jihad O
members O
in O
the O
Tulkarem O
area O
of O
the O
northern O
West O
Bank O
while O
Israel O
said O
its O
forces O
had O
arrested O
another O
Jihad O
activist O
in O
the O
Balata O
refugee O
camp O
near O
Nablus O
. O

The O
father O
and O
three O
brothers O
of O
the O
21 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
bomber O
were O
detained O
on O
Tuesday B-T
by O
the O
Israeli O
army O
at O
the O
family O
home O
in O
a O
village O
in O
the O
northern O
West O
Bank O
which O
is O
seen O
as O
a O
stronghold O
of O
Jihad O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
issued O
late B-T
Tuesday I-T
, O
Jihad O
criticised O
Palestinian O
leader O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
for O
describing O
the O
attack O
as O
an O
act O
of O
terrorism O
and O
called O
on O
him O
to O
stop O
arresting O
its O
members O
and O
sympathisers O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0114 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0114 O
. O

Chip O
by O
Intel O

@ O
Contains O
Flaw O

@ O
In O
Calculating O

@ O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
` O
Bugs O
' O
Could O
Stall O
Makers O

@ O
Of O
Certain O
Computers O
; O

@ O
Most O
Users O
Unaffected O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Stephen O
Kreider O
Yoder O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

INTC O
IBM O
CPQ O

SEMICONDUCTORS O
, O
INTEGRATED O
CHIPS O
( O
SEM O
) O

COMPUTERS O
AND O
INFORMATION O
TECHNOLOGY O
( O
CPR O
) O

Intel O
Corp O
. O
' O
s O
most O
powerful O
computer O
chip O
has O
flaws O
that O
could O
delay O
several O
computer O
makers O
' O
marketing O
efforts O
, O
but O
the O
" O
bugs O
" O
are O
n O
' O
t O
expected O
to O
hurt O
Intel O
and O
most O
computer O
makers O
. O

Computer O
experts O
familiar O
with O
the O
flaws O
, O
found O
in O
Intel O
' O
s O
80486 O
chip O
, O
say O
the O
defects O
do O
n O
' O
t O
affect O
the O
average O
user O
and O
are O
likely O
to O
be O
cleared O
up O
before O
most O
computers O
using O
the O
chip O
as O
their O
" O
brains O
" O
appear O
on O
the O
market O
sometime B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Intel O
said O
that O
last B-T
week I-T
a O
customer O
discovered O
two O
flaws O
in O
its O
80486 O
microprocessor O
chip O
' O
s O
" O
floating O
- O
point O
unit O
" O
, O
a O
set O
of O
circuits O
that O
do O
certain O
calculations O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
Intel O
began O
notifying O
customers O
about O
the O
bugs O
which O
cause O
the O
chip O
to O
give O
wrong O
answers O
for O
some O
mathematical O
calculations O
. O

But O
while O
International O
Business O
Machines O
Corp O
. O
and O
Compaq O
Computer O
Corp O
. O
say O
the O
bugs O
will O
delay O
products O
, O
most O
big O
computer O
makers O
said O
the O
flaws O
do O
n O
' O
t O
affect O
them O
. O

" O
Bugs O
like O
this O
are O
just O
a O
normal O
part O
of O
product O
development O
, O
" O
said O
Richard O
Archuleta O
, O
director O
of O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
Co O
. O
' O
s O
advanced O
systems O
development O
. O

Hewlett O
announced O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
it O
planned O
to O
ship O
a O
computer O
based O
on O
the O
486 O
chip O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

" O
These O
bugs O
do O
n O
' O
t O
affect O
our O
schedule O
at O
all O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Likewise O
, O
AST O
Research O
Inc O
. O
and O
Sun O
Microsystems O
Inc O
. O
said O
the O
bugs O
wo O
n O
' O
t O
delay O
their O
development O
of O
486 O
- O
based O
machines O
. O

" O
We O
have O
n O
' O
t O
modified O
our O
schedules O
in O
any O
way O
, O
" O
said O
a O
Sun O
spokesman O
. O

To O
switch O
to O
another O
vendor O
' O
s O
chips O
, O
" O
would O
not O
definitely O
be O
an O
option O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Nonetheless O
, O
concern O
about O
the O
chip O
may O
have O
been O
responsible O
for O
a O
decline O
of O
87 O
. O
5 O
cents O
in O
Intel O
' O
s O
stock O
to O
$ O
32 O
a O
share O
yesterday B-T
in O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
trading O
, O
on O
volume O
of O
3 O
, O
609 O
, O
800 O
shares O
, O
and O
partly O
responsible O
for O
a O
drop O
in O
Compaq O
' O
s O
stock O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Yesterday B-T
, O
Compaq O
plunged O
further O
, O
closing O
at O
$ O
100 O
a O
share O
, O
off O
$ O
8 O
. O
625 O
a O
share O
, O
on O
volume O
of O
2 O
, O
633 O
, O
700 O
shares O
. O

Most O
of O
Compaq O
' O
s O
decline O
is O
being O
attributed O
to O
a O
third O
- O
quarter O
earnings O
report O
that O
came O
in O
at O
the O
low O
end O
of O
analysts O
' O
expectations O
. O

Intel O
said O
it O
had O
corrected O
the O
problems O
and O
would O
start O
producing O
bugless O
chips O
next B-T
week I-T
. O

" O
We O
should O
not O
be O
seeing O
any O
more O
, O
" O
said O
Bill O
Rash O
, O
Intel O
' O
s O
director O
for O
the O
486 O
chip O
. O

What O
' O
s O
more O
, O
the O
bugs O
only O
emerge O
on O
esoteric O
applications O
such O
as O
computer O
- O
aided O
design O
and O
scientific O
calculations O
, O
he O
said O
, O
and O
then O
very O
seldom O
. O

" O
These O
errata O
do O
not O
affect O
business O
programs O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
bugs O
will O
cause O
problems O
in O
" O
specific O
and O
rare O
circumstances O
that O
will O
not O
occur O
in O
typical O
applications O
" O
such O
as O
word O
- O
processing O
and O
spreadsheets O
, O
said O
Michael O
Slater O
, O
editor O
of O
the O
Microprocessor O
Report O
, O
an O
industry O
newsletter O
. O

Sun O
, O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
and O
others O
say O
Intel O
isn O
' O
t O
wholly O
to O
blame O
for O
the O
snafu O
. O

The O
real O
culprits O
, O
they O
said O
, O
are O
computer O
makers O
such O
as O
IBM O
that O
have O
jumped O
the O
gun O
to O
unveil O
486 O
- O
based O
products O
. O

" O
The O
reason O
this O
is O
getting O
so O
much O
visibility O
is O
that O
some O
started O
shipping O
and O
announced O
early O
availability O
, O
" O
said O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
' O
s O
Mr O
. O
Archuleta O
. O

" O
You O
can O
do O
that O
but O
you O
' O
re O
taking O
a O
risk O
. O

Those O
companies O
are O
paying O
the O
price O
for O
taking O
the O
risk O
. O
" O

In O
late B-T
September I-T
, O
IBM O
began O
shipping O
a O
plug O
- O
in O
card O
that O
converts O
its O
PS O
/ O
2 O
model O
70 O
- O
A21 O
from O
a O
80386 O
machine O
to O
an O
80486 O
machine O
. O

An O
IBM O
spokeswoman O
said O
the O
company O
told O
customers O
Monday B-T
about O
the O
bugs O
and O
temporarily O
stopped O
shipping O
the O
product O
. O

IBM O
has O
no O
plans O
to O
recall O
its O
add O
- O
on O
cards O
, O
the O
spokeswoman O
said O
, O
and O
could O
probably O
circumvent O
the O
bugs O
without O
long O
product O
delays O
. O

" O
We O
do O
n O
' O
t O
look O
at O
this O
as O
a O
major O
problem O
for O
us O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Compaq O
, O
which O
said O
it O
discovered O
the O
bugs O
, O
still O
plans O
to O
announce O
new O
486 O
products O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
. O

Because O
of O
the O
glitch O
, O
however O
, O
the O
company O
said O
it O
does O
n O
' O
t O
know O
when O
its O
machine O
will O
be O
commercially O
available O
. O

That O
' O
s O
a O
break O
from O
Compaq O
tradition O
, O
because O
the O
company O
does O
n O
' O
t O
announce O
products O
until O
they O
' O
re O
actually O
at O
the O
dealers O
. O

The O
problem O
is O
being O
ballyhooed O
, O
experts O
say O
, O
because O
the O
486 O
is O
Intel O
' O
s O
future O
flagship O
. O

Intel O
' O
s O
microprocessors O
are O
the O
chips O
of O
choice O
in O
many O
of O
today O
' O
s O
personal O
computers O
and O
the O
80486 O
microprocessor O
is O
the O
spearhead O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
guard O
that O
spot O
in O
the O
next O
generation O
of O
machines O
. O

" O
Although O
these O
sorts O
of O
bugs O
are O
not O
at O
all O
uncommon O
, O
the O
486 O
is O
an O
extremely O
high O
- O
profile O
product O
, O
" O
said O
Mr O
. O
Slater O
, O
the O
newsletter O
editor O
. O

Intel O
' O
s O
80486 O
chip O
is O
the O
Corvette O
of O
Intel O
' O
s O
microprocessors O
, O
a O
super O
- O
fast O
, O
super O
- O
expensive O
chip O
that O
only O
the O
most O
power O
- O
hungry O
computer O
users O
are O
likely O
to O
buy O
for O
at O
least O
several O
years O
. O

Unveiled O
last B-T
April I-T
, O
the O
chip O
crams O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
transistors O
on O
a O
sliver O
of O
silicon O
, O
more O
than O
four O
times O
as O
many O
as O
on O
Intel O
' O
s O
earlier O
model O
, O
80386 O
. O

Intel O
clocks O
the O
chip O
' O
s O
speed O
at O
15 O
million O
instructions O
per O
second O
, O
or O
MIPs O
. O

That O
' O
s O
four O
times O
as O
fast O
as O
the O
386 O
. O

Machines O
using O
the O
486 O
are O
expected O
to O
challenge O
higher O
- O
priced O
work O
stations O
and O
minicomputers O
in O
applications O
such O
as O
so O
- O
called O
servers O
, O
which O
connect O
groups O
of O
computers O
together O
, O
and O
in O
computer O
- O
aided O
design O
. O

But O
while O
the O
chip O
' O
s O
speed O
in O
processing O
power O
is O
dazzling O
, O
it O
' O
s O
real O
strength O
lies O
in O
its O
software O
inheritance O
. O

The O
486 O
is O
the O
descendant O
of O
a O
long O
series O
of O
Intel O
chips O
that O
began O
dominating O
the O
market O
ever O
since O
IBM O
picked O
the O
16 O
- O
bit O
8088 O
chip O
for O
its O
first O
personal O
computer O
. O
( O
A O
16 O
- O
bit O
microprocessor O
processes O
16 O
pieces O
of O
data O
at O
a O
time O
and O
is O
slower O
than O
newer O
, O
32 O
- O
bit O
chips O
. O
) O
Since O
then O
, O
Intel O
has O
cornered O
a O
large O
part O
of O
the O
market O
with O
successive O
generations O
of O
16 O
- O
bit O
and O
32 O
- O
bit O
chips O
, O
all O
of O
which O
can O
run O
software O
written O
for O
previous O
models O
. O

That O
' O
s O
what O
will O
keep O
computer O
makers O
coming O
in O
spite O
of O
the O
irritation O
of O
bugs O
. O

Big O
personal O
computer O
makers O
and O
many O
makers O
of O
engineering O
workstations O
are O
developing O
486 O
- O
based O
machines O
, O
which O
are O
expected O
to O
reach O
the O
market O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Of O
the O
big O
computer O
makers O
, O
only O
Apple O
Computer O
Co O
. O
bases O
its O
machines O
on O
Motorola O
chips O
instead O
. O

" O
The O
486 O
is O
going O
to O
have O
a O
big O
impact O
on O
the O
industry O
, O
" O
said O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
' O
s O
Mr O
. O
Archuleta O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
going O
to O
be O
the O
leading O
edge O
technology O
in O
personal O
computers O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
years I-T
. O

This O
bug O
is O
not O
going O
to O
have O
any O
affect O
on O
that O
at O
all O
. O
" O

- O
- O
- O

Andy O
Zipser O
in O
Dallas O
contributed O
to O
this O
article O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0166 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

General O
blames O
Gbagbo O
allies O
for O
air O
strike O
on O
French O
troops O

The O
former O
commander O
of O
French O
forces O
in O
Ivory O
Coast O
has O
implicated O
senior O
allies O
of O
President O
Laurent O
Gbagbo O
in O
a O
deadly O
air O
strike O
on O
French O
forces O
in O
the O
country O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
an O
official O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

General O
Henri O
Poncet O
, O
who O
is O
separately O
being O
probed O
over O
the O
killing O
of O
an O
Ivorian O
man O
in O
French O
military O
custody O
, O
told O
an O
investigating O
magistrate O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
two O
Gbagbo O
allies O
may O
have O
ordered O
the O
bombing O
, O
the O
official O
said O
. O

They O
are O
Kadet O
Bertin O
, O
Gbagbo O
' O
s O
special O
advisor O
on O
defence O
and O
security O
, O
and O
Colonel O
Edouard O
Seka O
Yapo O
, O
former O
chief O
of O
the O
Ivory O
Coast O
air O
force O
, O
according O
to O
the O
official O
, O
who O
is O
close O
to O
the O
investigation O
. O

The O
attack O
on O
a O
French O
military O
base O
in O
the O
central O
rebel O
- O
held O
town O
of O
Bouake O
, O
on O
November B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
left O
nine O
French O
soldiers O
dead O
. O

In O
retaliation O
, O
France O
destroyed O
the O
totality O
of O
the O
west O
African O
country O
' O
s O
small O
air O
force O
, O
provoking O
a O
wave O
of O
serious O
anti O
- O
French O
riots O
led O
by O
Gbagbo O
partisans O
in O
the O
main O
city O
Abidjan O
. O

French O
prosecutors O
separately O
announced O
on O
Wednesday B-T
the O
opening O
of O
an O
investigation O
into O
complaints O
filed O
by O
20 O
French O
nationals O
repatriated O
during O
the O
violence O
. O

Ivory O
Coast O
, O
once O
one O
of O
Africa O
' O
s O
most O
prosperous O
states O
, O
has O
been O
divided O
into O
a O
rebel O
- O
held O
north O
and O
government O
controlled O
south O
since O
a O
failed O
coup O
in O
September B-T
2002 I-T
. O

France O
has O
deployed O
a O
4 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
peacekeeping O
force O
to O
the O
country O
, O
which O
was O
under O
Poncet O
' O
s O
command O
until O
June B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0136 O

LANZHOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

First O
international O
forum O
on O
Chinese O
" O
father O
of O
philosophy O
" O
opens O

The O
first O
international O
forum O
on O
Lao O
Tzu O
, O
known O
as O
China O
' O
s O
" O
father O
of O
philosophy O
" O
, O
opened O
Tuesday B-T
in O
Lanzhou O
, O
capital O
of O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Gansu O
province O
. O

Under O
the O
theme O
" O
Nature O
, O
Science O
and O
Harmony O
" O
, O
the O
forum O
would O
focus O
on O
the O
essence O
and O
relevancy O
to O
modern O
life O
of O
Lao O
Tzu O
' O
s O
culture O
based O
on O
his O
work O
Tao O
Te O
Ching O
, O
said O
Gao O
Zhanxiang O
, O
a O
member O
of O
the O
National O
Committee O
of O
the O
CPPCC O
and O
chairman O
of O
Chinese O
Culture O
Promotion O
Association O
. O

The O
forum O
was O
attended O
by O
120 O
experts O
and O
scholars O
from O
more O
than O
40 O
countries O
and O
regions O
who O
made O
a O
declaration O
on O
the O
status O
, O
influence O
and O
future O
development O
of O
Lao O
Tzu O
' O
s O
culture O
, O
Gao O
said O
. O

Lao O
Tzu O
, O
the O
first O
philosopher O
in O
Chinese O
history O
and O
father O
of O
Taoism O
, O
was O
born O
2 B-T
, I-T
500 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
the O
Zhou O
Dynasty O
( O
11th O
Century O
B O
. O
C O
- O
- O
221 O
B O
. O
C O
. O
) O
, O
said O
Zhang O
Bingyu O
, O
an O
official O
in O
charge O
of O
foreign O
affairs O
. O

" O
The O
reason O
for O
holding O
the O
forum O
in O
Gansu O
was O
that O
Lao O
Tzu O
was O
said O
to O
have O
flown O
up O
to O
heaven O
from O
Linzhao O
town O
of O
Gansu O
, O
making O
it O
a O
kind O
of O
pilgrimage O
center O
for O
Taoism O
, O
" O
Zhang O
said O
. O

Tao O
Te O
Ching O
, O
the O
universal O
Taoist O
text O
book O
written O
in O
only O
5 O
, O
000 O
ancient O
Chinese O
characters O
, O
contained O
the O
quintessential O
spirit O
of O
Chinese O
thought O
and O
philosophy O
, O
Zhang O
said O
. O

It O
had O
been O
translated O
into O
dozens O
of O
languages O
and O
studied O
by O
thousands O
of O
scholars O
all O
over O
the O
world O
, O
Zhang O
said O
. O

The O
Lao O
Tzu O
' O
only O
work O
had O
more O
than O
250 O
different O
editions O
and O
hundreds O
of O
millions O
of O
copies O
in O
circulation O
, O
second O
only O
to O
the O
Bible O
, O
according O
to O
UNESCO O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0420 O

SAN O
FRANCISCO O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Singapore O
group O
to O
acquire O
US O
shipper O
in O
825 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
deal O

Singapore O
- O
based O
Neptune O
Orient O
Lines O
said O
Sunday B-T
it O
would O
acquire O
US O
shipping O
group O
APL O
Limited O
in O
a O
deal O
valued O
at O
825 O
million O
dollars O
, O
creating O
the O
largest O
trans O
- O
Pacific O
shipping O
line O
. O

Neptune O
Orient O
said O
it O
would O
acquire O
all O
24 O
. O
6 O
million O
outstanding O
shares O
of O
APL O
stock O
at O
33 O
. O
50 O
dollars O
per O
share O
, O
in O
an O
all O
- O
cash O
deal O
. O

The O
deal O
, O
subject O
to O
US O
regulatory O
approval O
, O
would O
create O
a O
global O
shipping O
giant O
with O
some O
four O
billion O
dollars O
in O
revenues O
, O
and O
a O
fleet O
of O
113 O
vessels O
, O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
from O
the O
two O
companies O
. O

The O
new O
firm O
will O
be O
in O
the O
top O
six O
global O
firms O
in O
container O
shipping O
, O
and O
the O
biggest O
in O
the O
Pacific O
, O
according O
to O
company O
officials O
. O

Under O
the O
deal O
, O
APL O
, O
the O
number O
two O
US O
firm O
, O
will O
retain O
its O
name O
and O
brand O
in O
the O
marketplace O
and O
will O
continue O
operations O
headed O
by O
its O
existing O
management O
in O
Oakland O
, O
California O
. O

" O
This O
merger O
in O
no O
way O
lessens O
APL O
' O
s O
commitment O
to O
the O
US O
flag O
and O
American O
seafaring O
labor O
, O
" O
said O
APL O
president O
Timothy O
Rhein O
. O

APL O
officials O
said O
a O
separate O
US O
- O
owned O
company O
would O
manage O
the O
fleet O
, O
to O
ensure O
the O
vessels O
qould O
qualify O
for O
US O
subsidies O
under O
the O
Maritime O
Security O
Program O
and O
to O
be O
eligible O
for O
US O
military O
shipments O
. O

Lua O
Cheng O
Eng O
, O
deputy O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
of O
Neptune O
, O
said O
the O
merger O
would O
allow O
cost O
savings O
of O
130 O
million O
dollars O
for O
the O
two O
firms O
. O

Neptune O
said O
the O
purchase O
will O
be O
funded O
by O
lines O
of O
credit O
from O
commercial O
banks O
and O
internal O
resources O
. O
Neptune O
is O
being O
advised O
by O
Goldman O
Sachs O
while O
APL O
is O
being O
advised O
by O
J O
. O
P O
. O
Morgan O
. O
The O
deal O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
finalized O
later B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

APL O
is O
a O
leader O
in O
trans O
- O
Pacific O
and O
intra O
- O
Asia O
shipping O
, O
while O
Neptune O
specializes O
in O
lines O
from O
Europe O
to O
the O
Far O
East O
trade O
using O
the O
Suez O
canal O
, O
as O
well O
as O
from O
the O
Far O
East O
to O
United O
States O
. O

Neptune O
is O
Singapore O
' O
s O
largest O
shipper O
and O
a O
global O
transportation O
firm O
; O
APL O
is O
the O
second O
- O
largest O
US O
shipper O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0109 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Jakarta O
stocks O
end O
lower O

Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Jakarta O
Stock O
Exchange O
ended O
lower O
Thursday B-T
with O
the O
composite O
index O
down O
9 O
. O
12 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
043 O
. O
69 O
points O
. O

Turnovers O
totaled O
801 O
. O
37 O
million O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
01 O
trillion O
rupiah O
( O
101 O
. O
11 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Decliners O
beat O
advancers O
70 O
to O
31 O
while O
64 O
other O
issues O
left O
unchanged O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0432 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

elections O

The O
Democrats O
have O
captured O
15 O
seats O
from O
the O
Republicans O
in O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
midterm O
legislative O
elections O
, O
the O
CNN O
reported O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0389 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Security O
Council O
extends O
mandate O
of O
UN O
mission O
in O
Sierra O
Leone O

The O
Security O
Council O
on O
Friday B-T
agreed O
a O
one O
- O
year O
extension O
of O
the O
mandate O
of O
the O
UN O
mission O
in O
Sierra O
Leone O
to O
help O
the O
Freetown O
government O
consolidate O
peace O
and O
prepare O
general O
elections O
due O
next B-T
July I-T
. O

The O
15 O
- O
member O
council O
also O
unanimously O
passed O
a O
resolution O
endorsing O
departing O
UN O
chief O
Kofi O
Annan O
' O
s O
call O
for O
boosting O
by O
15 O
officers O
the O
298 O
- O
strong O
UN O
mission O
for O
the O
January B-T
1 O
- O
October O
31 O
2007 O
period O
to O
help O
Sierra O
Leone O
' O
s O
security O
sector O
carry O
out O
its O
election O
- O
related O
responsibilities O
. O

The O
resolution O
extends O
the O
mandate O
of O
the O
mission O
known O
as O
the O
UN O
Integrated O
Office O
in O
Sierra O
Leone O
( O
UNIOSIL O
) O
until O
December B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2007 I-T
. O

It O
calls O
on O
all O
parties O
in O
Sierra O
Leone O
" O
to O
demonstrate O
their O
full O
commitment O
to O
the O
democratic O
process O
and O
to O
ensure O
that O
the O
2007 O
presidential O
and O
parliamentary O
elections O
are O
peaceful O
, O
transparent O
and O
free O
and O
fair O
. O
" O

With O
some O
17 O
, O
500 O
troops O
at O
the O
peak O
of O
the O
brutal O
civil O
war O
which O
officially O
ended O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
the O
UN O
deployed O
in O
Sierra O
Leone O
what O
was O
then O
the O
largest O
UN O
peacekeeping O
operation O
in O
the O
world O
. O

The O
UN O
troops O
were O
withdrawn O
last B-T
December I-T
and O
replaced O
by O
UNIOSIL O
. O

In O
his O
latest O
report O
on O
Sierra O
Leone O
, O
Annan O
, O
who O
is O
stepping O
down O
on O
December B-T
31 I-T
after O
10 B-T
years I-T
at O
the O
helm O
of O
the O
world O
body O
, O
said O
the O
security O
situation O
there O
" O
remained O
stable O
, O
but O
still O
fragile O
" O
. O

He O
cited O
the O
" O
high O
level O
of O
youth O
unemployment O
, O
the O
poor O
social O
and O
economic O
conditions O
of O
the O
people O
and O
the O
general O
public O
perception O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
mismanagement O
of O
public O
resources O
" O
as O
the O
most O
serious O
threats O
to O
the O
country O
' O
s O
" O
tenuous O
stability O
" O
. O

Annan O
, O
who O
visited O
Sierra O
Leone O
last B-T
July I-T
, O
described O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
elections O
as O
" O
a O
major O
milestone O
, O
which O
should O
help O
define O
an O
exit O
strategy O
for O
UNIOSIL O
. O
" O

To O
avoid O
resumption O
of O
hostilities O
, O
the O
UN O
is O
providing O
help O
from O
its O
Peacebuilding O
Commission O
, O
a O
panel O
tasked O
with O
helping O
fragile O
countries O
make O
the O
difficult O
transition O
from O
war O
to O
peace O
. O

Sierra O
Leone O
endured O
a O
decade O
- O
long O
civil O
war O
which O
was O
brought O
to O
an O
end O
in O
2002 B-T
with O
the O
help O
of O
Britain O
and O
UN O
peacekeepers O
. O

More O
than O
17 O
, O
000 O
foreign O
troops O
disarmed O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
rebels O
and O
militia O
fighters O
in O
the O
biggest O
UN O
peacekeeping O
success O
in O
Africa O
for O
many O
years O
after O
debacles O
in O
the B-T
1990s I-T
in O
Angola O
, O
Rwanda O
and O
Somalia O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0252 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Malaysia O
on O
Tuesday B-T
launched O
its O
first O
self O
- O
cleaning O
public O
toilets O
in O
a O
vibrant O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
shopping O
district O
in O
a O
move O
to O
dispel O
complaints O
its O
facilities O
are O
grim O
and O
dirty O
. O

Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Najib O
Razak O
said O
the O
new O
and O
improved O
toilets O
with O
their O
multiple O
facilities O
would O
be O
a O
welcome O
sight O
for O
visitors O
as O
the O
country O
prepares O
for O
a O
major O
tourism O
campaign O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

Najib O
, O
who O
visited O
the O
outdoor O
loo O
with O
officials O
in O
tow O
, O
said O
clean O
toilets O
were O
a O
measure O
of O
a O
country O
' O
s O
level O
of O
civilisation O
. O

" O
People O
say O
toilets O
represent O
the O
level O
of O
development O
of O
a O
country O
, O
" O
Najib O
said O
in O
his O
speech O
at O
the O
launch O
. O

" O
The O
adequate O
number O
of O
toilets O
, O
quality O
and O
maintenance O
of O
public O
washrooms O
are O
a O
benchmark O
of O
the O
infrastructural O
development O
of O
a O
country O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
new O
toilets O
are O
air O
- O
conditioned O
and O
have O
an O
automatic O
seat O
cleaner O
that O
will O
wash O
, O
scrub O
and O
dry O
the O
pan O
after O
every O
use O
. O

It O
also O
has O
a O
baby O
change O
station O
and O
seats O
for O
children O
to O
wait O
as O
parents O
answer O
the O
call O
of O
nature O
. O

The O
toilets O
, O
which O
cost O
one O
ringgit O
( O
0 O
. O
28 O
dollars O
) O
to O
use O
, O
also O
flush O
automatically O
and O
have O
facilities O
for O
the O
disabled O
. O

The O
government O
is O
aiming O
to O
install O
some O
23 O
of O
the O
toilets O
around O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
, O
especially O
in O
major O
shopping O
districts O
and O
tourist O
sites O
, O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O

" O
I O
think O
this O
is O
a O
very O
good O
effort O
, O
especially O
to O
help O
the O
disabled O
people O
, O
" O
said O
holidaymaker O
Spencer O
Kaurin O
, O
a O
retired O
school O
teacher O
from O
Oslo O
. O

" O
I O
usually O
go O
to O
the O
toilet O
at O
the O
hotel O
before O
I O
leave O
for O
town O
because O
the O
toilets O
, O
even O
in O
shopping O
complexes O
, O
are O
very O
dirty O
, O
" O
said O
Kaurin O
, O
who O
has O
visited O
Malaysia O
some O
15 O
times O
. O

" O
People O
don O
' O
t O
seem O
to O
know O
how O
to O
use O
the O
toilet O
. O
. O
. O
It O
seems O
to O
be O
a O
problem O
of O
mentality O
of O
people O
just O
not O
caring O
enough O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Malaysians O
and O
tourists O
alike O
complain O
many O
users O
do O
not O
flush O
and O
that O
they O
step O
on O
toilet O
seats O
, O
leaving O
dirty O
shoe O
prints O
behind O
. O

Toilets O
also O
lack O
basic O
hygiene O
items O
such O
as O
toilet O
paper O
and O
soap O
. O

Malaysia O
in O
August B-T
hosted O
a O
national O
toilet O
expo O
hoping O
to O
revolutionise O
the O
way O
its O
citizens O
use O
lavatories O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0527 O

CAMP O
PENDLETON O
BASE O
, O
California O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
, O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Four O
US O
Marines O
are O
to O
face O
murder O
charges O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
killing O
of O
24 O
Iraqi O
civilians O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Haditha O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
military O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
four O
soldiers O
are O
among O
eight O
Marines O
who O
are O
to O
be O
prosecuted O
for O
their O
role O
in O
the O
killings O
on O
November B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
most O
serious O
war O
crimes O
case O
involving O
US O
soldiers O
since O
the O
invasion O
of O
Iraq O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

The O
charges O
were O
announced O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
at O
the O
Marines O
' O
Camp O
Pendleton O
base O
outside O
San O
Diego O
, O
in O
southern O
California O
, O

Prosecutors O
allege O
Marines O
went O
on O
a O
killing O
spree O
on O
November B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
, O
shooting O
unarmed O
men O
, O
women O
and O
children O
after O
a O
comrade O
, O
Miguel O
Terrazaz O
, O
was O
killed O
by O
a O
roadside O
bomb O
while O
on O
patrol O
in O
Haditha O
. O

Defence O
lawyers O
have O
said O
the O
Marines O
followed O
established O
war O
- O
time O
rules O
of O
engagement O
and O
the O
deaths O
occurred O
after O
the O
soldiers O
became O
embroiled O
in O
a O
furious O
firefight O
with O
insurgents O
. O

Among O
those O
accused O
of O
murder O
are O
Staff O
Sergeant O
Frank O
Wuterich O
, O
who O
led O
the O
troops O
from O
Kilo O
Company O
3rd O
Battalion O
1st O
Marine O
Regiment O
on O
the O
patrol O
. O

Wuterich O
is O
charged O
with O
13 O
counts O
of O
murder O
- O
- O
12 O
individual O
counts O
and O
a O
separate O
charge O
relating O
to O
the O
death O
of O
six O
people O
. O

Others O
accused O
of O
murder O
are O
Sergeant O
Sanick O
Dela O
Cruz O
, O
who O
faces O
five O
counts O
of O
murder O
, O
Lance O
Corporal O
Justin O
Sharratt O
, O
who O
faces O
three O
murder O
charges O
and O
Lance O
Corporal O
Stephen O
Tatum O
, O
who O
is O
charged O
with O
two O
murders O
and O
four O
counts O
of O
unlawful O
killing O
. O

Four O
other O
Marines O
are O
accused O
of O
failing O
to O
properly O
report O
or O
investigate O
the O
killings O
. O

Lawyers O
for O
Wuterich O
have O
said O
their O
client O
was O
following O
established O
procedure O
. O
" O
What O
Sergeant O
Wuterich O
is O
guilty O
of O
is O
serving O
this O
nation O
honorably O
and O
reasonably O
acting O
as O
he O
felt O
he O
was O
trained O
to O
do O
, O
" O
said O
attorney O
Mark O
Zaid O
. O

Initial O
reports O
of O
the O
incident O
from O
the O
Marines O
said O
15 O
people O
had O
died O
in O
a O
roadside O
bombing O
. O
But O
an O
investigation O
published O
by O
Time O
magazine O
in O
March B-T
contradicted O
the O
official O
version O
of O
events O
. O

Colonel O
Stewart O
Navarre O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
Thursday B-T
that O
the O
Marines O
' O
initial O
release O
was O
false O
. O

" O
We O
now B-T
know O
with O
certainty O
the O
press O
release O
was O
incorrect O
, O
and O
that O
none O
of O
the O
civilians O
were O
killed O
by O
the O
IED O
explosion O
, O
" O
Navarre O
said O
. O

Witnesses O
and O
relatives O
accused O
Marines O
of O
killing O
Iraqis O
indiscriminately O
, O
accusations O
which O
led O
to O
two O
separate O
military O
investigations O
. O

The O
first O
investigation O
focused O
on O
the O
events O
in O
Haditha O
itself O
while O
a O
second O
looked O
at O
whether O
military O
commanders O
attempted O
a O
cover O
- O
up O
. O

The O
probe O
into O
events O
on O
the O
ground O
has O
found O
that O
10 O
of O
the O
victims O
were O
women O
and O
children O
who O
died O
after O
being O
shot O
at O
close O
range O
. O

The O
investigations O
also O
discovered O
that O
five O
unarmed O
men O
travelling O
in O
a O
taxi O
were O
shot O
dead O
as O
they O
approached O
the O
scene O
. O

The O
Haditha O
investigation O
is O
unrelated O
to O
a O
separate O
case O
involving O
seven O
Marines O
and O
a O
Navy O
medic O
accused O
of O
kidnapping O
and O
executing O
an O
Iraqi O
civilian O
in O
Hamdania O
, O
west O
of O
Baghdad O
on O
April B-T
26 I-T
. O

Four O
soldiers O
in O
the O
case O
have O
pleaded O
guilty O
to O
lesser O
charges O
while O
the O
remaining O
defendants O
are O
expected O
to O
face O
trial O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Haditha O
and O
Hamdania O
investigations O
are O
part O
of O
a O
string O
of O
incidents O
involving O
the O
deaths O
of O
Iraqi O
civilians O
that O
have O
tarnished O
the O
reputation O
of O
US O
forces O
since O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
war O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0330 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

unconstitutional O
" O

Lebanese O
Parliament O
Speaker O
Nabih O
Berri O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
any O
cabinet O
meeting O
was O
" O
unconstitutional O
" O
after O
the O
resignation O
of O
all O
Shiite O
ministers O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

" O
Any O
( O
cabinet O
) O
session O
held O
now O
is O
unconstitutional O
because O
it O
would O
be O
in O
breach O
of O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
national O
pact O
, O
" O
Berri O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
Dubai O
- O
based O
satellite O
channel O
Al O
- O
Arabiya O
. O

The O
pro O
- O
Syrian O
speaker O
was O
referring O
to O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
extraordinary O
cabinet O
session O
which O
approved O
a O
UN O
draft O
for O
the O
establishment O
of O
an O
international O
tribunal O
to O
try O
Lebanese O
former O
Premier O
Rafik O
Hariri O
' O
s O
assassination O
. O

Berri O
noted O
that O
the O
Lebanese O
constitution O
guarantees O
a O
representation O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
different O
religious O
communities O
in O
the O
government O
. O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, O
five O
Shiite O
ministers O
, O
including O
two O
representing O
Hezbollah O
, O
resigned O
from O
the O
24 O
- O
member O
cabinet O
headed O
by O
Prime O
Minister O
Foaud O
Siniora O
. O

Two B-T
days I-T
later O
, O
Lebanese O
Environment O
Minister O
Yaacoub O
Sarraf O
, O
a O
Christian O
but O
an O
ally O
of O
Lebanese O
President O
Emile O
Lahoud O
, O
also O
quit O
from O
the O
cabinet O
. O

Their O
resignations O
came O
after O
the O
country O
' O
s O
top O
leaders O
failed O
to O
reach O
agreement O
on O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0077 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Congress O
refuses O
compromise O
with O
Indian O
coalition O

India O
' O
s O
Congress O
( O
I O
) O
party O
said O
Thursday B-T
it O
would O
not O
back O
down O
after O
withdrawing O
support O
from O
the O
beleaguered O
ruling O
coalition O
but O
would O
do O
its O
best O
to O
avoid O
fresh O
elections O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
question O
of O
any O
compromise O
, O
" O
Congress O
spokesman O
Vithal O
Gadgil O
told O
AFP O
. O
" O
We O
have O
withdrawn O
our O
support O
to O
the O
government O
, O
and O
there O
is O
no O
question O
of O
withdrawing O
the O
withdrawal O
. O

" O
Our O
stand O
is O
there O
should O
be O
a O
Congress O
- O
led O
coalition O
. O
" O

The O
10 O
- O
month O
government O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
H O
. O
D O
. O
Deve O
Gowda O
was O
reduced O
to O
a O
minority O
after O
the O
Congress O
withdrew O
its O
parliamentary O
backing O
on O
March B-T
30 I-T
and O
then O
staked O
its O
own O
claim O
to O
form O
a O
government O
. O

It O
wants O
the O
United O
Front O
, O
which O
faces O
a O
vote O
of O
confidence O
in O
parliament O
on O
April B-T
11 I-T
, O
to O
step O
aside O
and O
back O
a O
Congress O
government O
. O

Gadgil O
, O
however O
, O
said O
the O
faction O
- O
ridden O
Congress O
was O
opposed O
to O
fresh O
elections O
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
want O
elections O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
We O
will O
try O
our O
best O
to O
see O
that O
elections O
don O
' O
t O
take O
place O
. O
That O
is O
why O
we O
have O
told O
the O
United O
Front O
if O
you O
want O
to O
prove O
your O
credentials O
, O
back O
a O
Congress O
- O
led O
coalition O
. O
" O

Gadgil O
' O
s O
comments O
followed O
reports O
that O
Congress O
president O
Sitaram O
Kesri O
was O
under O
pressure O
to O
compromise O
after O
failing O
to O
split O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
and O
woo O
some O
of O
its O
partners O
to O
its O
side O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0122 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Pakistan O
passenger O
bus O
plunges O
into O
river O
, O
killing O
several O
people O

A O
passenger O
coaster O
plunged O
into O
a O
river O
in O
the O
earthquake O
- O
hit O
Pakistan O
- O
controlled O
Kashmir O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
killing O
several O
people O
, O
according O
to O
a O
TV O
report O
. O

Geo O
TV O
reported O
that O
around O
50 O
people O
were O
traveling O
in O
the O
coaster O
when O
the O
accident O
happened O
at O
Chalbani O
town O
, O
some O
8 O
kilometers O
from O
Muzaffarabad O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
Pakistan O
- O
controlled O
Kashmir O
. O

The O
TV O
earlier O
reported O
that O
10 O
people O
died O
in O
the O
hospital O
. O

The O
coaster O
fell O
down O
in O
the O
Neelam O
river O
when O
it O
was O
taking O
a O
turn O
on O
a O
bridge O
. O

The O
coaster O
has O
the O
seating O
capacity O
of O
25 O
people O
, O
but O
some O
45 O
to O
50 O
people O
were O
on O
board O
when O
the O
accident O
occurred O
. O

Ambulances O
of O
the O
aid O
groups O
, O
busy O
in O
the O
quake O
- O
relief O
activities O
in O
the O
region O
, O
rushed O
to O
the O
site O
of O
the O
accident O
and O
started O
shifting O
the O
injured O
to O
local O
hospitals O
. O

Reports O
said O
that O
majority O
of O
the O
passengers O
were O
local O
survivors O
in O
the O
Oct B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
devastating O
earthquake O
and O
were O
going O
to O
Muzaffarabad O
to O
meet O
relatives O
, O
who O
are O
living O
in O
tents O
established O
for O
survivors O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0174 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Arafat O
determined O
to O
crush O
first O
Palestinian O
public O
sector O
strike O
by O
Hisham O
Abdallah O

Palestinian O
leader O
Yasser O
Arafat O
appeared O
determined O
Wednesday B-T
to O
crush O
the O
first O
labor O
dispute O
against O
his O
self O
- O
rule O
government O
, O
using O
arrests O
and O
threats O
of O
dismissal O
to O
force O
thousands O
of O
striking O
West O
Bank O
teachers O
back O
to O
work O
. O

After O
ordering O
the O
roundup O
of O
23 O
strike O
leaders O
Monday B-T
, O
Arafat O
' O
s O
Palestinian O
Authority O
reportedly O
arrested O
several O
more O
teachers O
overnight O
and O
deployed O
police O
around O
schools O
Wednesday B-T
to O
ensure O
they O
remained O
open O
. O

Teachers O
in O
Nablus O
, O
where O
the O
strike O
for O
higher O
pay O
and O
better O
working O
conditions O
had O
closed O
virtually O
all O
public O
schools O
since O
April B-T
5 I-T
, O
told O
AFP O
that O
they O
had O
returned O
to O
work O
Wednesday B-T
under O
threat O
of O
dismissal O
. O

" O
We O
were O
threatened O
by O
education O
ministry O
officials O
and O
security O
officers O
that O
if O
we O
didn O
' O
t O
hold O
classs O
today B-T
we O
would O
be O
fired O
, O
" O
said O
one O
returning O
teacher O
on O
condition O
he O
not O
be O
identified O
. O

But O
in O
Ramallah O
, O
teachers O
refused O
to O
go O
back O
to O
work O
and O
despite O
the O
presence O
of O
large O
numbers O
of O
police O
and O
preventive O
security O
agents O
at O
school O
exits O
, O
pupils O
refused O
to O
remain O
in O
their O
classrooms O
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

Palestinian O
sources O
said O
around O
10 O
more O
teachers O
were O
detained O
in O
Ramallah O
overnight O
, O
although O
this O
could O
not O
be O
immediately O
confirmed O
. O
Police O
also O
confiscated O
the O
film O
of O
a O
cameraman O
trying O
to O
video O
one O
schoolyard O
. O

Schools O
also O
remained O
closed O
in O
Bethlehem O
, O
officials O
said O
, O
but O
teachers O
returned O
to O
work O
at O
some O
schools O
in O
Hebron O
and O
Jericho O
, O
and O
classes O
were O
reported O
nearly O
normal O
in O
the O
other O
self O
- O
rule O
towns O
of O
Tulkarem O
and O
Qalqilya O
. O

More O
than O
10 O
, O
000 O
teachers O
launched O
their O
strike O
at O
the O
start O
of O
the B-T
month I-T
to O
press O
demands O
for O
a O
200 O
percent O
pay O
hike O
and O
for O
the O
reinstatement O
of O
19 O
teachers O
dismissed O
over O
a O
warning O
strike O
held O
the B-T
previous I-T
month I-T
. O

Arafat O
met O
with O
strike O
leaders O
on O
Saturday B-T
and O
rejected O
their O
pay O
demands O
, O
saying O
that O
repeated O
Israeli O
security O
closures O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
year I-T
had O
caused O
great O
economic O
hardship O
and O
made O
such O
salary O
increases O
impossible O
. O

When O
the O
teachers O
voted O
to O
continue O
the O
strike O
despite O
Arafat O
' O
s O
appeal O
, O
police O
stepped O
in O
and O
arrested O
key O
leaders O
of O
the O
walk O
- O
out O
, O
which O
had O
closed O
80 O
percent O
of O
West O
Bank O
schools O
and O
kept O
more O
than O
200 O
, O
000 O
pupils O
out O
of O
class O
. O

The O
official O
teachers O
' O
union O
, O
affiliated O
with O
Arafat O
' O
s O
Palestine O
Liberation O
Organization O
, O
has O
condemned O
the O
strike O
and O
said O
the O
coordinating O
committee O
leading O
the O
action O
was O
an O
illegal O
offshoot O
. O

The O
strike O
has O
also O
drawn O
criticism O
from O
a O
broad O
range O
of O
Palestinian O
officials O
, O
including O
some O
independent O
members O
of O
the O
legislative O
council O
who O
say O
economic O
problems O
and O
the O
current O
stalemate O
in O
the O
peace O
process O
with O
Israel O
make O
this O
the O
wrong O
time O
for O
divisive O
protest O
actions O
. O

" O
The O
difficult O
situation O
for O
our O
people O
now B-T
cannot O
tolerate O
that O
the O
education O
of O
hundreds O
of O
thousands O
of O
students O
be O
disrupted O
, O
" O
said O
Salah O
Tamari O
, O
a O
legislative O
council O
member O
, O
on O
Voice O
of O
Palestine O
radio O
. O

But O
civil O
rights O
groups O
expressed O
alarm O
at O
the O
latest O
illustration O
of O
Arafat O
' O
s O
heavy O
- O
handed O
response O
to O
dissent O
against O
his O
three O
- O
year O
- O
old O
self O
- O
rule O
administration O
. O

" O
The O
teachers O
' O
arrests O
make O
us O
more O
worried O
about O
the O
status O
of O
democracy O
and O
freedom O
of O
expression O
in O
Palestinian O
society O
, O
" O
said O
Riziq O
Shuqair O
of O
the O
Ramallah O
- O
based O
human O
rights O
movement O
Al O
- O
Haq O
. O

The O
group O
sent O
Arafat O
a O
letter O
Wednesday B-T
calling O
for O
the O
release O
of O
the O
jailed O
strikers O
. O

" O
This O
is O
not O
only O
a O
message O
for O
teachers O
but O
is O
a O
message O
from O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
to O
everyone O
: O
' O
If O
you O
protest O
, O
we O
will O
crush O
you O
, O
' O
" O
said O
one O
Nablus O
worker O
who O
asked O
not O
to O
be O
identified O
. O

Teachers O
earn O
an O
average O
of O
300 O
dollars O
a O
month O
, O
while O
the O
monthly O
cost O
of O
living O
for O
a O
Palestinian O
family O
is O
estimated O
at O
750 O
dollars O
. O

They O
complain O
that O
teachers O
' O
wages O
are O
lower O
than O
those O
in O
other O
government O
ministries O
, O
which O
they O
say O
Arafat O
has O
bloated O
with O
high O
- O
paid O
cronies O
. O

The O
PA O
faces O
a O
budget O
deficit O
totalling O
more O
than O
100 O
million O
dollars O
, O
largely O
due O
to O
the O
impact O
of O
the O
security O
closures O
imposed O
following O
anti O
- O
Israeli O
attacks O
. O

The O
closures O
prevent O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
Palestinian O
laborers O
from O
reaching O
their O
jobs O
in O
Israel O
, O
costing O
the O
occupied O
territories O
several O
million O
dollars O
a O
day O
in O
lost O
revenues O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0240 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
wholesale O
prices O
drop O
by O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
October O

Wholesale O
prices O
in O
the O
United O
States O
fell O
by O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, O
tying O
with O
the O
record O
decline O
set O
in O
the B-T
same I-T
month I-T
of I-T
2001 I-T
, O
the O
Labor O
Department O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
big O
drop O
in O
wholesale O
prices O
, O
a O
gauge O
of O
inflation O
at O
the O
factory O
gate O
, O
followed O
a O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
fall O
in O
September B-T
and O
was O
sharper O
than O
the O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
decline O
expected O
by O
analysts O
. O

Just O
as O
in O
September B-T
, O
the O
big O
drop O
in O
October B-T
was O
led O
by O
falling O
energy O
prices O
. O

The O
core O
inflation O
at O
the O
wholesale O
level O
, O
which O
excludes O
volatile O
energy O
and O
food O
, O
dropped O
by O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, O
marking O
the O
biggest O
monthly O
fall O
in O
13 B-T
years I-T
. O

The O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
drop O
in O
core O
inflation O
followed O
an O
increase O
of O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
September B-T
, O
and O
reflected O
big O
declines O
in O
prices O
for O
new O
cars O
and O
sport O
utility O
vehicles O
. O

While O
excluding O
new O
car O
prices O
, O
core O
inflation O
would O
have O
risen O
by O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
. O

The O
retreat O
in O
core O
inflation O
was O
a O
welcome O
development O
because O
it O
means O
inflation O
pressures O
are O
easing O
. O
Policymakers O
at O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
are O
hoping O
that O
the O
slowing O
economy O
can O
help O
keep O
inflation O
in O
control O
, O
according O
to O
analysts O
. O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economy O
grew O
at O
an O
annual O
rate O
of O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
compared O
to O
a O
rate O
of O
2 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
and O
a O
brisk O
5 O
. O
6 O
percent O
rate O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0250 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

gov O
' O
t O
: O
President O
Hu O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
said O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
China O
is O
willing O
to O
work O
together O
with O
the O
new O
German O
government O
to O
push O
forward O
the O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

During O
his O
meeting O
with O
designated O
chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
, O
Hu O
congratulated O
her O
on O
becoming O
the O
first O
woman O
chancellor O
in O
the O
German O
history O
, O
and O
spoke O
highly O
of O
her O
long O
- O
term O
contributions O
to O
the O
development O
of O
Sino O
- O
German O
relations O
. O

Developing O
Sino O
- O
German O
relations O
conforms O
to O
the O
fundamental O
interests O
of O
the O
two O
peoples O
, O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
China O
will O
keep O
high O
- O
level O
exchanges O
and O
contacts O
with O
Germany O
and O
make O
joint O
efforts O
with O
the O
new O
German O
government O
to O
expand O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
all O
fields O
. O

Merkel O
said O
that O
the O
new O
German O
government O
will O
stick O
to O
the O
policy O
toward O
China O
, O
which O
has O
been O
upheld O
since O
former O
chancellor O
Helmut O
Kohl O
took O
power O
. O

The O
new O
government O
will O
strengthen O
political O
dialogues O
with O
China O
and O
explore O
new O
areas O
for O
bilateral O
cooperation O
, O
she O
added O
. O

Hu O
arrived O
here O
Thursday B-T
after O
a O
state O
visit O
to O
Britain O
. O
Germany O
is O
the O
second O
leg O
of O
his O
four O
- O
nation O
European O
- O
Asian O
tour O
, O
which O
will O
also O
take O
him O
to O
Spain O
and O
South O
Korea O
. O
He O
is O
also O
scheduled O
to O
attend O
the O
13th O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
Meeting O
in O
Busan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0370 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Lincoln O
Memorial O
in O
Washington O
closed O
after O
suspicious O
items O
found O

The O
well O
- O
known O
Lincoln O
Memorial O
in O
Washington O
D O
. O
C O
. O
has O
been O
closed O
to O
tourists O
after O
suspicious O
items O
were O
found O
, O
CNN O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

A O
U O
. O
S O
. O
government O
official O
said O
an O
envelope O
with O
the O
word O
" O
anthrax O
" O
on O
it O
was O
found O
at O
the O
memorial O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0423 O

PESHAWAR O
, O
Pakistan O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
suspected O
militant O
died O
Friday B-T
when O
explosives O
he O
was O
carrying O
on O
a O
motorcycle O
blew O
up O
in O
a O
high O
- O
security O
zone O
of O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
northwestern O
city O
of O
Peshawar O
, O
police O
said O
. O

The O
blast O
happened O
in O
a O
garrison O
area O
of O
the O
border O
town O
, O
within O
a O
kilometre O
( O
just O
over O
half O
a O
mile O
) O
of O
the O
US O
consulate O
and O
military O
intelligence O
buildings O
, O
police O
chief O
Habibur O
Rehman O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
A O
lone O
motorcyclist O
aged O
about O
32 O
years O
old O
was O
driving O
in O
the O
area O
then O
there O
was O
a O
loud O
explosion O
and O
he O
died O
. O
The O
ID O
card O
found O
from O
his O
says O
he O
was O
a O
resident O
of O
Peshawar O
, O
" O
Rehman O
said O
. O

The O
police O
chief O
said O
it O
was O
" O
difficult O
to O
say O
at O
this O
moment O
whether O
it O
was O
a O
suicide O
bombing O
" O
, O
although O
provincial O
police O
chief O
Riffat O
Pasha O
indicated O
it O
was O
not O
. O

" O
It O
appears O
that O
he O
was O
taking O
explosives O
somewhere O
else O
. O
It O
was O
a O
sensitive O
area O
- O
- O
he O
was O
within O
a O
one O
kilometre O
radius O
of O
the O
US O
Consulate O
and O
military O
intelligence O
, O
" O
Rehman O
added O
. O

Pasha O
said O
the O
police O
had O
established O
the O
identity O
of O
the O
bomber O
, O
but O
would O
not O
give O
details O
saying O
that O
he O
did O
not O
want O
to O
compromise O
investigations O
. O

The O
bomb O
was O
fitted O
to O
the O
motorcycle O
with O
the O
intention O
of O
leaving O
it O
somewhere O
to O
explode O
, O
he O
said O
. O
It O
was O
also O
a O
low O
- O
intensity O
device O
so O
the O
damage O
was O
limited O
. O

Another O
local O
police O
official O
said O
the O
explosion O
took O
place O
close O
to O
a O
high O
- O
security O
residential O
area O
for O
the O
officials O
of O
Inter O
- O
Services O
Intelligence O
( O
ISI O
) O
, O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
feared O
spy O
agency O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0090 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UK O
medical O
device O
developer O
bases O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
office O
in O
HK O

SunTech O
Medical O
Inc O
, O
one O
of O
the O
world O
leaders O
in O
blood O
pressure O
monitoring O
products O
and O
technology O
, O
announced O
here O
Monday B-T
the O
opening O
of O
its O
Hong O
Kong O
office O
. O

As O
SunTech O
' O
s O
first O
Asian O
venture O
, O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
operation O
will O
be O
responsible O
for O
providing O
a O
full O
range O
of O
sales O
and O
marketing O
support O
to O
its O
distributors O
throughout O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
, O
according O
to O
Anthony O
Nixon O
, O
the O
Regional O
Director O
of O
SunTech O
Medical O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

" O
Sales O
operations O
associated O
with O
our O
medical O
devices O
have O
previously O
been O
based O
only O
in O
the O
UK O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O
As O
our O
business O
grows O
in O
this O
region O
, O
it O
has O
become O
strategically O
important O
to O
establish O
a O
base O
here O
in O
order O
to O
be O
immediately O
available O
and O
responsive O
to O
the O
needs O
of O
our O
customers O
, O
both O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
the O
rest O
of O
this O
region O
, O
" O
Anthony O
Nixon O
said O
. O

Commenting O
on O
the O
choice O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
as O
its O
regional O
hub O
, O
Nixon O
said O
, O
" O
We O
firmly O
believe O
that O
Hong O
Kong O
is O
the O
epicenter O
for O
Asian O
market O
development O
. O
Chinese O
mainland O
' O
s O
rise O
as O
a O
major O
consumer O
and O
manufacturer O
further O
prompted O
SunTech O
Medical O
to O
operate O
directly O
in O
this O
booming O
market O
. O
The O
business O
- O
friendly O
environment O
and O
the O
great O
ease O
of O
setting O
up O
and O
operating O
a O
business O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
are O
among O
the O
city O
' O
s O
many O
advantages O
. O
" O

Founded O
in O
1984 B-T
, O
SunTech O
Medical O
is O
a O
wholly O
owned O
subsidiary O
of O
SunTech O
Medical O
Group O
Limited O
which O
is O
a O
privately O
- O
owned O
British O
company O
. O
It O
develops O
and O
markets O
clinical O
grade O
blood O
pressure O
measurement O
devices O
and O
operates O
from O
bases O
in O
the O
Research O
Triangle O
Park O
, O
North O
Carolina O
and O
Oxford O
, O
UK O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0361 O

BERLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

issue O
of O
parliamentary O
mandate O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Germany O
is O
" O
prepared O
in O
principle O
" O
to O
send O
Tornado O
reconnaissance O
planes O
to O
Afghanistan O
in O
response O
to O
a O
request O
from O
NATO O
but O
a O
decision O
has O
not O
been O
made O
, O
a O
deputy O
foreign O
minister O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
We O
are O
prepared O
in O
principle O
to O
provide O
intelligence O
capacity O
of O
this O
kind O
, O
" O
Gernot O
Erler O
told O
Deutschlandfunk O
radio O
. O

Erler O
said O
that O
sending O
the O
planes O
would O
require O
a O
change O
to O
the O
parliamentary O
mandate O
covering O
German O
forces O
already O
deployed O
in O
Afghanistan O
, O
but O
his O
ministry O
later O
clarified O
that O
this O
was O
" O
not O
necessarily O
" O
the O
case O
and O
the O
request O
was O
still O
being O
studied O
. O

Press O
reports O
say O
Germany O
has O
been O
asked O
to O
send O
five O
or O
six O
Tornadoes O
, O
which O
could O
be O
used O
in O
missions O
across O
Afghanistan O
, O
including O
in O
the O
south O
where O
fighting O
is O
fiercest O
. O

Germany O
currently B-T
has O
2 O
, O
700 O
troops O
serving O
in O
the O
NATO O
- O
led O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
( O
ISAF O
) O
in O
Afghanistan O
but O
has O
resisted O
pressure O
to O
redeploy O
any O
of O
them O
from O
the O
relatively O
stable O
calm O
north O
to O
trouble O
spots O
in O
the O
south O
and O
east O
. O

Other O
NATO O
member O
states O
have O
urged O
Germany O
to O
send O
troops O
to O
the O
south O
to O
help O
overstretched O
forces O
face O
up O
to O
the O
increasingly O
militant O
Taliban O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0614 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Mitsubushi O
to O
form O
auto O
metal O
sheet O
processing O
unit O
in O
Thailand O

Japanese O
trading O
house O
Mitsubishi O
Corp O
. O
plans O
to O
set O
up O
a O
joint O
venture O
in O
Thailand O
in O
May B-T
to O
process O
and O
market O
auto O
metal O
sheets O
in O
the O
country O
, O
a O
company O
spokesman O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

MC O
Metal O
Service O
Asia O
Co O
Ltd O
. O
, O
capitalised O
at O
830 O
million O
yen O
( O
6 O
. O
5 O
million O
dollars O
) O
, O
will O
be O
owned O
51 O
percent O
by O
Mitsubishi O
and O
the O
remaining O
49 O
percent O
by O
Thai O
MC O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
. O
an O
affiliate O
of O
the O
major O
trading O
company O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Total O
investment O
in O
the O
venture O
is O
estimated O
at O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
yen O
, O
including O
the O
construction O
of O
a O
plant O
near O
Bangkok O
, O
with O
production O
starting O
in O
December B-T
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
new O
plant O
will O
have O
annual O
capacity O
of O
80 O
, O
000 O
tonnes O
, O
equivalent O
to O
400 O
, O
000 O
passenger O
car O
units O
. O

The O
venture O
plans O
to O
sell O
the O
product O
to O
Thai O
production O
units O
of O
Japanese O
carmakers O
such O
as O
Toyota O
Motor O
Corp O
. O
and O
Nissan O
Motor O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
. O

It O
also O
plans O
to O
supply O
other O
carmakers O
which O
have O
plans O
to O
start O
operations O
in O
Thailand O
, O
including O
Ford O
Motor O
Co O
. O
and O
General O
Motors O
Corp O
. O
, O
the O
spokesman O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0065 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
informs O
UNEP O
, O
UNDP O
of O
Songhua O
River O
Pollution O

China O
on O
Saturday B-T
informed O
the O
United O
Nations O
Environment O
Program O
( O
UNEP O
) O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
Development O
Program O
( O
UNDP O
) O
of O
the O
major O
pollution O
in O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Songhua O
River O
. O

Both O
the O
headquarters O
and O
their O
respective O
representative O
offices O
in O
China O
of O
the O
two O
UN O
agencies O
have O
been O
informed O
of O
the O
accident O
as O
well O
as O
measures O
the O
Chinese O
government O
has O
taken O
to O
tackle O
the O
pollution O
problem O
, O
said O
China O
' O
s O
State O
Environmental O
Protection O
Administration O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
Chinese O
government O
has O
also O
informed O
Russia O
of O
the O
pollution O
, O
which O
could O
affect O
its O
neighbor O
when O
the O
pollution O
slick O
flows O
into O
the O
Heilongjiang O
River O
bordering O
China O
and O
Russia O
. O
The O
government O
also O
pledges O
its O
utmost O
to O
reduce O
pollution O
beyond O
China O
' O
s O
borders O

The O
pollution O
slick O
, O
stretching O
more O
than O
80 O
km O
, O
is O
flowing O
pass O
Harbin O
, O
the O
capital O
city O
of O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
, O
and O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
Heilongjiang O
River O
in O
a O
matter O
of O
12 B-T
days O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0087 O

TEHRAN O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Iran O
halts O
dialogue O
on O
human O
rights O
, O
terrorism O
, O
arms O
with O
EU O

Iran O
has O
decided O
to O
halt O
talks O
with O
the O
EU O
on O
human O
rights O
, O
terrorism O
and O
arms O
control O
in O
retaliation O
for O
Europe O
' O
s O
suspension O
of O
a O
" O
critical O
dialogue O
, O
" O
the O
foreign O
ministry O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0093 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

One O
Israeli O
, O
three O
Palestinians O
wounded O
in O
Nablus O
clashes O

An O
Israeli O
officer O
and O
three O
Palestinian O
militants O
were O
wounded O
in O
clashes O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
early B-T
Tuesday I-T
, O
Palestinian O
and O
Israeli O
security O
sources O
reported O
. O

Palestinian O
sources O
said O
Israeli O
troops O
stormed O
the O
refugee O
camp O
of O
Balata O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
city O
of O
Nablus O
, O
where O
Palestinian O
militants O
threw O
a O
bomb O
at O
one O
of O
the O
Israeli O
jeeps O
, O
wounding O
the O
officer O
. O

Israeli O
soldiers O
fired O
back O
at O
the O
militants O
haphazardly O
, O
wounding O
three O
, O
among O
them O
a O
15 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
teenager O
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

Palestinian O
medics O
at O
the O
Rafidia O
hospital O
said O
the O
teenager O
was O
inside O
his O
home O
in O
the O
refugee O
camp O
when O
he O
was O
wounded O
, O
adding O
that O
he O
was O
taken O
to O
hospital O
for O
a O
serious O
wound O
in O
the O
chest O
. O

Israel O
army O
radio O
reported O
that O
the O
wounded O
Israeli O
officer O
sustained O
light O
injury O
and O
was O
transferred O
to O
hospital O
for O
treatment O
. O

Israeli O
troops O
also O
arrested O
some O
20 O
Palestinians O
in O
an O
overnight O
operation O
throughout O
the O
West O
Bank O
cities O
, O
mainly O
in O
Ramallah O
, O
Nablus O
, O
Jenin O
and O
Hebron O
, O
claiming O
that O
they O
were O
wanted O
militants O
affiliated O
to O
several O
Palestinian O
factions O
. O

In O
Jenin O
, O
Israeli O
soldiers O
raided O
the O
village O
of O
Kherbet O
Marka O
and O
arrested O
Ahmed O
Mousa O
, O
20 O
, O
brother O
of O
Zayed O
Mousa O
, O
a O
wanted O
militant O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
. O

Israeli O
troops O
are O
continuing O
their O
military O
operation O
against O
Palestinian O
militants O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
after O
an O
Islamic O
Jihad O
( O
Holy O
War O
) O
suicide O
bomber O
from O
Jenin O
killed O
five O
Israelis O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

Palestinian O
sources O
said O
hundreds O
of O
Palestinians O
were O
arrested O
during O
the O
operation O
and O
the O
majority O
of O
the O
arrested O
are O
members O
of O
Hamas O
and O
Jihad O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0110 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Major O
German O
stocks O
open O
higher O

German O
stocks O
opened O
higher O
Wednesday B-T
on O
the O
Frankfurt O
market O
. O

The O
30 O
- O
share O
DAX O
Index O
climbed O
0 O
. O
44 O
percent O
to O
6 O
, O
309 O
points O
. O

The O
TecDAX O
index O
of O
technologies O
and O
science O
firms O
gained O
0 O
. O
92 O
percent O
to O
686 O
points O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0011 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
US O
military O
experiences O
worst O
month O
in O
Iraq O
since O
January O

The O
deaths O
of O
six O
more O
US O
soldiers O
in O
Iraq O
Monday B-T
raised O
the O
US O
military O
death O
toll O
for O
October B-T
to O
93 O
, O
making O
it O
the O
worst O
month O
for O
US O
troops O
since O
January B-T
, O
the O
US O
military O
said O
. O

The O
US O
death O
toll O
for O
the O
Iraq O
war O
just O
broke O
the O
2 O
, O
000 O
mark O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

Pentagon O
spokesman O
Lawrence O
DiRita O
attributed O
the O
increased O
deaths O
to O
" O
an O
adversary O
that O
continues O
to O
develop O
some O
sophistication O
on O
very O
deadly O
and O
increasingly O
precise O
standoff O
weapons O
. O
" O

Among O
the O
six O
soldiers O
who O
died O
Monday B-T
, O
four O
were O
killed O
by O
a O
makeshift O
bomb O
in O
the O
Yusufiyah O
district O
, O
southwest O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
and O
two O
other O
soldiers O
were O
killed O
in O
an O
explosion O
while O
on O
patrol O
near O
the O
Anaconda O
base O
, O
on O
the O
outskirts O
of O
Balad O
, O
north O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
the O
military O
said O
. O

The B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
casualties O
included O
the O
highest O
ranking O
army O
officer O
killed O
in O
action O
since O
the O
start O
of O
the O
war O
, O
Colonel O
William O
Wood O
, O
who O
died O
Sunday B-T
when O
an O
improvised O
bomb O
hit O
his O
vehicle O
near O
al O
- O
Amiriyah O
, O
west O
of O
Baghdad O
. O

That O
made O
October O
, O
which O
saw O
Iraqis O
voting O
for O
a O
constitution O
and O
putting O
Saddam O
Hussein O
on O
trial O
, O
the O
worst B-T
month I-T
for O
US O
forces O
since O
January B-T
, O
when O
107 O
US O
soldiers O
were O
killed O
, O
more O
than O
30 O
of O
them O
in O
a O
helicopter O
crash O
. O

Only O
during O
two B-T
other I-T
months I-T
since O
the O
war O
began O
has O
the O
US O
military O
seen O
a O
higher O
toll O
: O
137 O
in O
November B-T
2004 I-T
and O
135 O
in O
April B-T
2004 I-T
, O
according O
to O
Pentagon O
figures O
. O
The O
tolls O
included O
combat O
and O
non O
- O
combat O
deaths O
. O

The O
Iraqi O
insurgents O
have O
been O
using O
bigger O
, O
deadlier O
bombs O
and O
with O
new O
techniques O
, O
such O
as O
" O
shaped O
" O
explosive O
charges O
capable O
of O
blowing O
through O
armored O
US O
vehicles O
since O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

In O
the O
southern O
Iraqi O
city O
of O
Basra O
, O
a O
car O
bomb O
hit O
a O
police O
patrol O
Monday B-T
evening I-T
, O
killing O
at O
least O
20 O
people O
, O
including O
five O
policemen O
, O
and O
wounding O
40 O
or O
so O
others O
. O

The O
bomb O
was O
so O
powerful O
that O
it O
damaged O
six O
cars O
and O
destroyed O
10 O
shops O
nearby O
when O
Basra O
' O
s O
bustling O
Algiers O
Street O
area O
was O
packed O
with O
festive O
crowds O
enjoying O
the O
cool O
evening O
during O
the B-T
holy I-T
fasting I-T
month I-T
of I-T
Ramadan I-T
. O

Under O
the O
control O
of O
the O
British O
troops O
, O
the O
second O
largest O
Iraqi O
city O
was O
comparatively O
quiet O
after O
the O
war O
started O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
. O

Public O
safety O
has O
deteriorated O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
in O
Basra O
largely O
because O
of O
feuding O
among O
rival O
Shiite O
militias O
. O

Earlier O
, O
US O
military O
commanders O
have O
warned O
that O
Sunni O
insurgents O
will O
step O
up O
their O
attacks O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
the O
Dec B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
election O
, O
when O
Iraqis O
will O
choose O
their O
first O
full O
- O
term O
parliament O
since O
the O
collapse O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
regime O
. O

To O
guard O
against O
such O
attacks O
, O
the O
military O
has O
raised O
the O
number O
of O
American O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
to O
157 O
, O
000 O
- O
- O
among O
the O
highest O
levels O
of O
the O
Iraq O
war O
. O

DiRita O
said O
US O
forces O
are O
looking O
for O
new O
ways O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
modified O
bombs O
. O

" O
We O
' O
re O
getting O
more O
intelligence O
that O
' O
s O
allowing O
us O
to O
stop O
more O
of O
these O
things O
, O
find O
more O
of O
them O
. O
So O
we O
' O
re O
learning O
from O
them O
and O
the O
enemy O
is O
learning O
from O
us O
, O
and O
it O
' O
s O
going O
to O
be O
that O
way O
for O
as O
long O
as O
there O
is O
an O
insurgency O
, O
" O
DiRita O
said O
. O

Realigned O
Iraqi O
parties O
and O
coalitions O
have O
fully O
geared O
up O
for O
the O
Dec B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
parliamentary O
elections O
, O
which O
many O
analysts O
believe O
will O
lead O
to O
considerable O
changes O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
political O
landscape O
. O

Registration O
ended O
on O
Friday B-T
with O
21 O
coalitions O
and O
230 O
political O
parties O
and O
entities O
set O
to O
run O
. O

Five O
groups O
are O
widely O
expected O
to O
dominate O
the O
race O
- O
- O
the O
Shiite O
list O
, O
the O
Kurdish O
bloc O
, O
two O
Sunni O
Arab O
parties O
and O
a O
secular O
coalition O
led O
by O
former O
Prime O
Minister O
Iyad O
Allawi O
. O

The O
order O
in O
which O
parties O
appear O
on O
the O
lengthy O
ballot O
paper O
will O
be O
drawn O
by O
lot O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O
Prime O
Minister O
Ibrahim O
Jaafari O
said O
up O
to O
1 O
million O
Iraqis O
living O
abroad O
may O
not O
be O
able O
to O
vote O
due O
to O
the O
cost O
and O
a O
tight O
schedule O
. O

The O
new O
four O
- O
year O
- O
term O
parliament O
will O
have O
275 O
seats O
, O
of O
which O
230 O
are O
distributed O
among O
18 O
provinces O
by O
proportional O
representation O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Iraqi O
Electoral O
Commission O
. O

The O
remaining O
45 O
seats O
will O
be O
allocated O
for O
parties O
which O
fail O
to O
win O
seats O
in O
any O
one O
province O
but O
garner O
enough O
votes O
nationwide O
for O
at O
least O
one O
seat O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0533 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
press O
conference O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

British O
police O
probing O
the O
killings O
of O
five O
prostitutes O
in O
Ipswich O
said O
they O
would O
make O
an O
announcement O
at O
2215 O
GMT O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

As O
a O
legal O
deadline O
approached O
to O
either O
charge O
or O
release O
two O
suspects O
being O
held O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
enquiry O
, O
unconfirmed O
reports O
said O
that O
police O
would O
also O
hold O
a O
news O
conference O
. O

Two O
men O
aged O
37 O
and O
48 O
were O
being O
questioned O
over O
the O
murders O
of O
five O
sex O
workers O
whose O
bodies O
were O
found O
in O
the O
countryside O
around O
the O
eastern O
port O
town O
over O
a O
10 O
- O
day O
period O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
but O
no O
- O
one O
has O
yet O
been O
charged O
. O

By O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
, O
police O
must O
charge O
or O
release O
a O
man O
they O
had O
arrested O
on O
Monday B-T
. O
Police O
have O
not O
named O
him O
but O
media O
reports O
have O
said O
he O
is O
37 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
supermarket O
worker O
Tom O
Stephens O
. O

A O
second O
man O
, O
whom O
the O
media O
named O
as O
Steve O
Wright O
, O
48 O
, O
of O
Ipswich O
in O
Suffolk O
county O
, O
was O
also O
being O
questioned O
over O
the O
deaths O
and O
can O
be O
held O
until O
Saturday B-T
at O
the O
latest O
after O
being O
arrested O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Earlier O
, O
it O
emerged O
that O
officers O
working O
on O
the O
case O
had O
compared O
notes O
with O
a O
neighboring O
force O
trying O
to O
resolve O
sex O
worker O
murders O
dating O
back O
to O
1992 O
. O

In O
Norwich O
, O
north O
of O
Ipswich O
in O
the O
county O
of O
Norfolk O
, O
mystery O
still O
shrouds O
the O
stranglings O
of O
Natalie O
Pearman O
, O
16 O
, O
in O
1992 B-T
, O
and O
Michelle O
Bettles O
, O
22 O
, O
who O
died O
10 B-T
years I-T
later O
. O
Kellie O
Pratt O
, O
29 O
, O
vanished O
from O
Norwich O
' O
s O
red O
- O
light O
district O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

Inspector O
Jamie O
Ayers O
of O
Norfolk O
Police O
said O
that O
the O
three O
cases O
were O
still O
open O
, O
but O
that O
a O
senior O
police O
officer O
had O
now O
been O
assigned O
to O
each O
one O
. O

" O
We O
carry O
on O
searching O
and O
if O
there O
is O
any O
help O
that O
we O
can O
possibly O
give O
to O
Suffolk O
we O
will O
endeavour O
to O
do O
our O
best O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

According O
to O
The O
Sun O
newspaper O
, O
which O
cited O
unnamed O
police O
sources O
, O
Wright O
was O
not O
cooperating O
fully O
with O
the O
inquiry O
. O

" O
At O
the O
moment O
Wright O
isn O
' O
t O
playing O
ball O
with O
us O
. O
He O
is O
exercising O
his O
legal O
right O
not O
to O
answer O
questions O
, O
" O
the O
source O
told O
the O
tabloid O
daily O
. O

Police O
have O
said O
the O
two O
men O
were O
suspected O
of O
murdering O
all O
five O
women O
, O
whose O
bodies O
were O
found O
around O
Ipswich O
between O
December B-T
2 I-T
and I-T
December I-T
12 I-T
, O
but O
have O
formally O
declined O
to O
name O
them O
or O
say O
whether O
they O
knew O
each O
other O
. O

The O
murdered O
women O
are O
Gemma O
Adams O
, O
25 O
, O
Tania O
Nicol O
, O
19 O
, O
Anneli O
Alderton O
, O
24 O
, O
Paula O
Clennell O
, O
24 O
, O
and O
Annette O
Nicholls O
, O
29 O
. O
Adams O
and O
Nicol O
were O
found O
in O
a O
stream O
while O
the O
other O
three O
were O
found O
in O
woodlands O
. O

The O
cases O
have O
triggered O
comparisons O
with O
the O
" O
Yorkshire O
Ripper O
" O
Peter O
Sutcliffe O
, O
convicted O
of O
the O
murders O
of O
13 O
women O
between O
1975 B-T
and O
1980 B-T
, O
and O
Jack O
the O
Ripper O
, O
who O
killed O
five O
east O
London O
prostitutes O
in O
1888 B-T
. O

Cause O
of O
death O
has O
only O
been O
established O
in O
two O
of O
the O
five O
deaths O
in O
Ipswich O
- O
- O
Clennell O
died O
of O
" O
compression O
to O
the O
neck O
" O
and O
Alderton O
died O
from O
" O
asphyxiation O
" O
. O

None O
of O
the O
corpses O
showed O
signs O
of O
having O
been O
subjected O
to O
significant O
trauma O
or O
serious O
sexual O
assault O
before O
dying O
. O

Almost O
500 O
officers O
are O
working O
on O
what O
has O
become O
one O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
biggest O
- O
ever O
manhunts O
, O
with O
350 O
drafted O
in O
from O
31 O
police O
forces O
around O
the O
country O
, O
including O
Northern O
Ireland O
. O

As O
police O
investigations O
continued O
, O
Britain O
' O
s O
Attorney O
General O
, O
Lord O
Goldsmith O
, O
warned O
the O
country O
' O
s O
newspapers O
and O
broadcasters O
to O
show O
restraint O
in O
reporting O
the O
prostitutes O
' O
killings O
. O

In O
particular O
he O
urged O
them O
to O
beware O
of O
prejudicing O
a O
future O
trial O
, O
by O
refraining O
from O
speculation O
about O
suspects O
or O
material O
which O
" O
asserts O
or O
assumes O
, O
expressly O
or O
implicitly O
" O
a O
person O
' O
s O
guilt O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0146 O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
beats O
South O
Korea O
78 O
- O
67 O
in O
men O
' O
s O
basketball O
in O
EAG O

Yi O
Jianlian O
' O
s O
25 O
points O
led O
China O
to O
a O
78 O
- O
67 O
victory O
over O
South O
Korea O
in O
men O
' O
s O
basketball O
at O
the O
East O
Asian O
Games O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
2 O
. O
12 O
- O
meter O
center O
also O
had O
a O
team O
high O
of O
15 O
rebounds O
and O
7 O
blocks O
for O
the O
team O
' O
s O
sixth O
straight O
victory O
and O
forward O
Jiao O
Jian O
added O
15 O
points O
and O
8 O
rebounds O
. O

" O
We O
played O
quite O
a B-T
good I-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
" O
said O
Yi O
. O
" O
We O
focused O
on O
playing O
inside O
and O
the O
game O
became O
easy O
for O
us O
. O
" O

The O
Chinese O
used O
a O
8 B-T
- I-T
2 I-T
run O
of O
its O
own O
to O
start O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
and O
finished O
it O
with O
a O
12 O
- O
4 O
run O
, O
which O
widen O
its O
advantage O
to O
57 O
- O
48 O
. O

Point O
guard O
Lee O
Kwang O
Jae O
led O
the O
South O
Korea O
with O
22 O
points O
and O
Yang O
Hee O
Jong O
added O
12 O
. O

China O
, O
who O
had O
entered O
the O
final O
stage O
with O
12 O
points O
, O
is O
to O
compete O
with O
its O
last O
rival O
Hong O
Kong O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0316 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chile O
freezes O
trade O
negotiations O
with O
Peru O
amid O
waters O
dispute O

Chile O
suspended O
trade O
negotiations O
with O
Peru O
on O
Friday B-T
on O
account O
of O
a O
law O
passed O
by O
Peru O
that O
claims O
sovereignty O
over O
35 O
, O
000 O
square O
km O
of O
offshore O
waters O
which O
Chile O
says O
belong O
to O
it O
, O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
said O
. O

Carlos O
Furche O
, O
head O
of O
international O
economic O
relations O
for O
the O
ministry O
said O
, O
" O
we O
have O
considered O
it O
prudent O
to O
postpone O
negotiations O
for O
a O
better O
time O
, O
even O
though O
they O
were O
at O
a O
very O
advanced O
stage O
. O
" O

He O
cited O
the O
" O
well O
- O
known O
difficulties O
" O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
as O
the O
reason O
for O
the O
freeze O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
Peru O
' O
s O
Congress O
unanimously O
approved O
a O
bill O
that O
claims O
sovereignty O
over O
a O
sea O
area O
covering O
35 O
, O
000 O
square O
km O
of O
the O
Pacific O
Ocean O
along O
the O
South O
American O
coastline O
, O
which O
is O
now B-T
controlled O
by O
Chile O
. O
Peruvian O
President O
Alejandro O
Toledo O
immediately O
signed O
it O
into O
law O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Chilean O
President O
Ricardo O
Lagos O
Friday B-T
pledged O
a O
diplomatic O
resolution O
to O
the O
dispute O
and O
chastised O
the O
media O
for O
sensationalizing O
. O

" O
The O
diplomatic O
channels O
are O
open O
and O
we O
have O
to O
do O
the O
diplomatic O
thing O
, O
" O
Lagos O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
media O
had O
fuelled O
the O
conflict O
unnecessarily O
. O

Regarding O
the O
issue O
, O
Peruvian O
President O
Toledo O
said O
at O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
fourth O
Summit O
of O
the O
Americas O
that O
" O
the O
ball O
is O
in O
play O
and O
we O
' O
re O
clear O
of O
our O
rights O
. O
. O
. O
but O
this O
mustn O
' O
t O
damage O
our O
relationship O
with O
Chile O
. O
" O

Chile O
and O
Peru O
have O
strong O
business O
ties O
and O
many O
companies O
have O
cross O
- O
border O
investments O
, O
especially O
in O
mining O
, O
the O
backbone O
of O
both O
economies O
, O
but O
their O
relations O
are O
marred O
by O
mutual O
distrust O
that O
has O
its O
roots O
in O
a O
19th B-T
century I-T
war O
in O
which O
Peru O
lost O
a O
swath O
of O
mineral O
- O
rich O
southern O
coast O
to O
Chile O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Chilean O
government O
, O
Chile O
' O
s O
border O
with O
Peru O
was O
already O
resolved O
in O
the O
1952 B-T
and O
1954 O
treaties O
. O
But O
Peru O
claimed O
that O
it O
never O
signed O
any O
maritime O
demarcation O
pact O
with O
Chile O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0155 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
, O
ADDS O
supervisory O
board O
source O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Deutsche O
Boerse O
, O
operator O
of O
the O
German O
stock O
exchange O
, O
did O
not O
make O
an O
" O
informal O
" O
tie O
- O
up O
offer O
to O
rival O
group O
Euronext O
, O
which O
operates O
the O
Paris O
, O
Brussels O
, O
Amsterdam O
and O
Lisbon O
exchanges O
, O
a O
supervisory O
board O
member O
told O
AFP O
on O
Friday B-T
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

" O
There O
was O
nothing O
like O
that O
. O
If O
there O
had O
been O
, O
the O
supervisory O
board O
would O
have O
been O
informed O
, O
" O
the O
source O
said O
. O

Indeed O
, O
Deutsche O
Boerse O
' O
s O
newly O
installed O
management O
team O
would O
likely O
wait O
before O
embarking O
on O
any O
tie O
- O
up O
projects O
, O
it O
said O
. O

" O
At O
present O
, O
management O
' O
s O
top O
priority O
is O
to O
remunerate O
shareholders O
. O
" O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
Deutsche O
Boerse O
announced O
that O
it O
expected O
to O
reach O
its O
goal O
of O
paying O
out O
800 O
million O
euros O
( O
960 O
million O
dollars O
) O
to O
shareholders O
, O
most O
of O
them O
investment O
funds O
, O
by O
way O
of O
share O
buy O
- O
backs O
and O
dividends O
. O
And O
the O
group O
plans O
to O
dish O
out O
a O
total O
1 O
. O
5 O
billion O
euros O
to O
shareholders O
by O
2007 B-T
. O

The O
French O
daily O
Le O
Figaro O
had O
reported O
in O
its O
Friday B-T
edition O
that O
the O
operator O
of O
the O
Frankfurt O
stock O
exchange O
had O
made O
an O
overture O
to O
Euronext O
last B-T
weekend I-T
with O
a O
view O
to O
a O
possible O
tie O
- O
up O
. O

For O
its O
part O
, O
Deutsche O
Boerse O
declined O
to O
comment O
. O

" O
I O
can O
' O
t O
make O
a O
statement O
on O
that O
specific O
article O
, O
" O
a O
Deutsche O
Boerse O
spokesman O
said O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
already O
said O
that O
we O
' O
re O
open O
to O
cooperation O
on O
condition O
it O
is O
in O
the O
interest O
of O
Deutsche O
Boerse O
, O
" O
he O
added O
, O
noting O
that O
talks O
were O
held O
regularly O
in O
the O
sector O
. O

The O
German O
group O
has O
tried O
on O
several O
occasions O
to O
tie O
the O
knot O
with O
the O
London O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O
But O
its O
latest O
tie O
- O
up O
attempt O
ended O
in O
spectacular O
failure O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
with O
the O
ouster O
of O
the O
chief O
executive O
Werner O
Seifert O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0428 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
rise O
as O
economy O
grows O
faster O
than O
expected O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
rose O
Wednesday B-T
as O
the O
economy O
grew O
by O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
third B-T
quarter I-T
, O
a O
better O
performance O
than O
expected O
. O

In O
midday O
trading O
, O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
went O
up O
84 O
. O
12 O
, O
to O
12 O
, O
220 O
. O
57 O
. O
The O
Standard O
and O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
gained O
11 O
. O
22 O
to O
1 O
, O
397 O
. O
94 O
, O
and O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
increased O
19 O
. O
56 O
to O
2 O
, O
432 O
. O
17 O
. O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economy O
grew O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
July I-T
- I-T
September I-T
period I-T
, O
a O
better O
performance O
than O
the O
estimated O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
rate O
, O
the O
Commerce O
Department O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
growth O
rate O
in O
Gross O
Domestic O
Product O
( O
GDP O
) O
was O
considerably O
stronger O
than O
the O
1 O
. O
8 O
percent O
rate O
that O
economists O
had O
forecast O
, O
and O
less O
than O
half O
the O
blistering O
5 O
. O
6 O
percent O
rate O
recorded O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0340 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
Koo O
and O
Tan O
win O
gold O
in O
doubles O
badminton O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
Koo O
Kien O
Keat O
and O
Tan O
Boon O
Heong O
won O
Asian O
Games O
gold O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
doubles O
badminton O
defeating O
Indonesia O
' O
s O
Luluk O
Hadiyanto O
and O
Alvent O
Yulianto O
Chandra O
. O

The O
Malaysian O
underdogs O
were O
in O
complete O
control O
against O
the O
fifth O
seeds O
winning O
21 O
- O
13 O
, O
21 O
- O
14 O
in O
just O
27 B-T
minutes I-T
. O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
third O
seeds O
Markis O
Kido O
and O
Hendra O
Setiawan O
shared O
bronze O
with O
Jung O
Jae O
Sung O
and O
Lee O
Yong O
Dae O
, O
the O
second O
seeds O
from O
South O
Korea O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0242 O

SOFIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bulgaria O
sees O
bases O
deal O
with O
US O
next O
spring O
: O
defense O
chief O

Bulgaria O
hopes O
to O
reach O
a O
deal O
with O
the O
United O
States O
on O
the O
deployment O
of O
US O
troops O
at O
Bulgaria O
' O
s O
military O
bases O
by O
spring O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
Bulgarian O
Defense O
Minister O
Vesselin O
Bliznakov O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
I O
hope O
all O
the O
details O
will O
be O
agreed O
and O
we O
can O
have O
a O
deal O
maybe O
in O
February B-T
or O
March O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
Lyubomir O
Ivanov O
, O
Bulgaria O
' O
s O
chief O
negotiator O
and O
ambassador O
to O
NATO O
, O
said O
the O
two O
countries O
had O
agreed O
to O
jointly O
use O
the O
Novo O
Selo O
shooting O
range O
and O
the O
Bezmer O
airport O
, O
both O
in O
central O
Bulgaria O
. O

Washington O
aims O
to O
pull O
about O
70 O
, O
000 O
troops O
out O
of O
Germany O
and O
Asia O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
decade I-T
and O
is O
planning O
to O
create O
small O
, O
flexible O
bases O
in O
Eastern O
Europe O
. O

Bulgaria O
joined O
US O
- O
led O
NATO O
last B-T
year I-T
along O
with O
six O
other O
Eastern O
European O
nations O
. O
The O
United O
States O
is O
also O
in O
talks O
with O
Romania O
over O
the O
use O
of O
its O
military O
bases O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0010 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0010 O
. O

CNW O
Acquisition O
Completed O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CNW O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

TRANSPORTATION O
, O
TRUCK O
AND O
SHIP O
LINES O
, O
RAILROADS O
( O
TRA O
) O

CHICAGO O

CNW O
Corp O
. O
said O
the O
final O
step O
in O
the O
acquisition O
of O
the O
company O
has O
been O
completed O
with O
the O
merger O
of O
CNW O
with O
a O
subsidiary O
of O
Chicago O
amp O
North O
Western O
Holdings O
Corp O
. O

As O
reported O
, O
CNW O
agreed O
to O
be O
acquired O
by O
a O
group O
of O
investors O
led O
by O
Blackstone O
Capital O
Partners O
Limited O
Partnership O
for O
$ O
50 O
a O
share O
, O
or O
about O
$ O
950 O
million O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0310 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
shifts O
to O
daylight O
savings O
time O

Most O
areas O
of O
the O
United O
States O
shift O
Sunday O
to O
daylight O
savings O
time O
, O
with O
clocks O
moving O
one O
hour O
ahead O
. O

The O
change O
was O
to O
take O
place O
in O
the O
eastern O
zone O
at O
2 O
: O
00 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
( O
0700 O
GMT O
) O
. O
Some O
areas O
of O
the O
country O
exercise O
local O
options O
not O
to O
join O
the O
summer O
time O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0210 O

GENEVA O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

2006 O

Natural O
and O
man O
- O
made O
catastrophes O
caused O
global O
economic O
losses O
of O
about O
40 O
billion O
dollars O
( O
30 O
billion O
euros O
) O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
but O
less O
than O
a O
third O
was O
covered O
by O
insurance O
, O
the O
reinsurance O
company O
Swiss O
Re O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T

Thirty B-T
thousand O
people O
worldwide O
were O
estimated O
to O
have O
lost O
their O
lives O
in O
catastrophes O
over O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
company O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
on O
preliminary O
estimates O
of O
losses O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

Typhoons O
and O
earthquakes O
hit O
mainly O
at O
newly O
industrialising O
countries O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
where O
insured O
values O
are O
relatively O
low O
, O
and O
so O
the O
impact O
on O
the O
industry O
was O
" O
quite O
mild O
" O
the O
company O
said O
. O

Only O
15 O
billion O
dollars O
' O
worth O
of O
the O
40 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
losses O
were O
covered O
by O
insurance O
, O
it O
added O
. O

" O
After O
years O
of O
record O
losses O
, O
property O
insurers O
appear O
to O
be O
getting O
off O
lightly O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
" O
Swiss O
Re O
said O
. O

" O
Catastrophe O
losses O
of O
only O
15 O
billion O
dollars O
will O
allow O
them O
to O
replenish O
their O
risk O
capital O
, O
depleted O
by O
record O
payments O
for O
hurricane O
damage O
in O
2005 B-T
and O
2004 O
, O
" O
it O
added O
. O

Reinsurers O
were O
hit O
with O
costs O
in O
excess O
of O
75 O
billion O
dollars O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
Swiss O
Re O
' O
s O
German O
peer O
, O
Munich O
Re O
. O

Hurricane O
Katrina O
, O
which O
pummelled O
the O
southern O
United O
States O
and O
caused O
widespread O
flooding O
in O
New O
Orleans O
, O
accounted O
for O
around O
45 O
billion O
dollars O
alone O
, O
according O
to O
estimates O
released O
by O
Munich O
Re O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
. O

In O
2006 B-T
, O
three O
events O
racked O
up O
losses O
for O
insurance O
companies O
over O
one O
billion O
dollars O
; O
two O
tornados O
in O
the O
United O
States O
and O
one O
typhoon O
in O
Japan O
, O
according O
to O
Swiss O
Re O
. O

Over O
the B-T
last I-T
20 I-T
years I-T
, O
this O
makes O
2006 O
the O
third O
- O
lowest O
year O
for O
insurance O
losses O
after O
1997 B-T
and O
1988 B-T
, O
it O
added O
. O

The O
United O
States O
had O
a O
quiet O
hurricane O
season B-T
, O
Europe O
suffered O
no O
expensive O
catastrophes O
, O
and O
nor O
was O
any O
major O
industrialised O
region O
hit O
by O
earthquakes O
. O
Very O
expensive O
man O
- O
made O
disasters O
such O
as O
major O
air O
crashes O
or O
large O
- O
scale O
fires O
were O
also O
conspicuous O
by O
their O
absence O
, O
the O
company O
noted O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0205 O

GUANGZHOU O
, O
South O
China O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Olympic O
gold O
medalist O
Taufik O
quits O
China O
Open O
badminton O

Athens O
Olympic O
champion O
Taufik O
Hidayat O
of O
Indonesia O
quit O
the O
250 O
, O
000 O
- O
dollar O
China O
Open O
badminton O
championships O
which O
started O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Taufik O
, O
who O
also O
claimed O
the O
title O
at O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
world O
championships O
, O
did O
not O
appear O
at O
this O
afternoon O
' O
s O
first O
round O
match O
and O
was O
then O
automatically O
out O
of O
the O
tournament O
. O

A O
coach O
from O
the O
Indonesian O
team O
said O
that O
Taufik O
' O
s O
right O
foot O
hurt O
. O
But O
an O
organizer O
said O
that O
although O
Taufik O
, O
the O
fourth O
seed O
, O
had O
registered O
for O
competing O
in O
the O
China O
Open O
, O
he O
did O
not O
arrive O
in O
Guangzhou O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
at O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Open O
, O
Taufik O
was O
unceremoniously O
bundled O
out O
of O
the O
mens O
singles O
in O
the O
third O
round O
by O
Malaysian O
Wong O
Choong O
- O
hann O
. O

In O
today B-T
' O
s O
other O
matches O
, O
third O
- O
seeded O
Bao O
Chunlai O
from O
China O
cruised O
through O
, O
beating O
Persson O
Joachim O
of O
Denmark O
15 O
- O
2 O
, O
15 O
- O
1 O
, O
while O
world O
No O
. O
1 O
Lin O
Dan O
from O
China O
, O
second O
- O
seeded O
Jonassen O
of O
Denmark O
enjoyed O
byes O
. O

More O
than O
237 O
atheltes O
from O
13 O
countries O
and O
regions O
participated O
in O
the O
tournament O
here O
. O

ed980111 B-T
. O
1130 O
. O
0089 O

NEWS O
STORY O

The O
lights O
are O
out O
and O
the O
heat O
is O
off O
and O
those O
vital O
signs O
are O
not O
likely O
to O
change O
much O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
several I-T
days I-T
for O
p O
- O
people O
in O
parts O
of O
the O
northeastern O
US O
and O
eastern O
Canada O
. O

A O
powerful O
ice O
storm O
continues O
to O
maintain O
its O
grip O
. O

Yesterday B-T
New O
York O
governor O
George O
Pataki O
toured O
five O
counties O
that O
have O
been O
declared O
under O
a O
state O
of O
emergency O
. O
He O
added O
one O
more O
today B-T
. O

Helicopters O
are O
flying O
over O
northern O
New O
York O
today B-T
trying O
to O
locate O
people O
stranded O
without O
food O
, O
heat O
or O
medicine O
. O

In O
Maine O
, O
about O
a O
half O
million O
people O
still O
don O
' O
t O
have O
power O
and O
they O
' O
re O
going O
to O
have O
to O
live O
without O
it O
for O
a B-T
while I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0096 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Singapore O
shares O
end O
further O
higher O

The O
shares O
prices O
in O
Singapore O
closed O
further O
higher O
on O
Thursday B-T
with O
the O
benchmark O
Strait O
Times O
Index O
( O
STI O
) O
rising O
7 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
2 O
, O
261 O
. O
5 O
points O
. O

The O
overall O
volume O
stood O
at O
654 O
million O
shares O
worth O
697 O
. O
9 O
million O
Singapore O
dollars O
( O
about O
410 O
. O
5 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Losers O
led O
gainers O
by O
252 O
to O
235 O
with O
another O
648 O
remained O
unchanged O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
benchmark O
Strait O
Times O
Index O
rose O
14 O
points O
to O
end O
at O
2 O
, O
254 O
. O
5 O
points O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0039 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

university O
graduates O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Personnel O
on O
Saturday B-T
began O
its O
annual O
national O
employment O
service O
for O
millions O
of O
university O
graduates O
, O
with O
more O
than O
480 O
, O
000 O
positions O
up O
for O
grabs O
online O
and O
at O
job O
fairs O
around O
the O
country O
. O

A O
total O
of O
121 O
local O
human O
resources O
departments O
and O
job O
service O
websites O
and O
26 O
, O
000 O
employment O
units O
will O
take O
part O
in O
126 B-T
job O
fairs O
across O
the O
country O
including O
those O
held O
over O
the O
Internet O
. O

Employment O
experts O
will O
be O
invited O
to O
university O
campuses O
and O
job O
fairs O
to O
offer O
job O
seeking O
tips O
to O
students O
due O
to O
graduate O
next B-T
July I-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
ministry O
, O
the O
most O
sought O
- O
after O
positions O
are O
in O
marketing O
, O
administration O
, O
computer O
science O
, O
machinery O
, O
architecture O
, O
finance O
, O
chemistry O
, O
human O
resources O
, O
foreign O
languages O
and O
medicine O
. O

Statistics O
show O
that O
4 O
. O
13 O
million O
students O
graduated O
from O
higher O
education O
institutions O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
750 O
, O
000 O
more O
than O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

About O
1 O
. O
24 O
million O
Chinese O
college O
students O
will O
graduate O
next B-T
year I-T
without O
immediate O
job O
offers O
. O

The O
ministry O
encourages O
university O
graduates O
to O
work O
in O
the O
rural O
areas O
in O
West O
China O
region O
with O
favorable O
policies O
such O
as O
guaranteed O
salaries O
and O
medical O
care O
, O
and O
subsidies O
for O
those O
who O
go O
to O
undeveloped O
and O
remote O
rural O
areas O
, O

Statistics O
show O
China O
is O
facing O
a O
severe O
employment O
crisis O
with O
34 O
. O
5 O
million O
people O
expected O
to O
come O
on O
to O
the O
labor O
market O
from O
2006 B-T
to O
2010 O
. O

About O
25 O
million O
new O
job O
- O
seekers O
would O
enter O
the O
market O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
of O
whom O
11 O
million O
might O
find O
jobs O
in O
the O
urban O
areas O
, O
leaving O
14 O
million O
unemployed O
. O

The O
unemployed O
in O
China O
are O
mainly O
composed O
by O
laid O
- O
off O
workers O
, O
college O
graduates O
, O
redundant O
rural O
laborers O
and O
those O
returned O
from O
overseas O
study O
, O
or O
" O
haigui O
" O
which O
means O
a O
" O
sea O
turtle O
" O
- O
- O
a O
Chinese O
pun O
for O
overseas O
returnees O
. O

A O
random O
sample O
survey O
of O
1 O
, O
500 O
Chinese O
returned O
from O
recent O
overseas O
study O
shows O
that O
more O
than O
35 O
percent O
of O
them O
have O
employment O
problems O
, O
said O
Lin O
Zeyan O
, O
researcher O
with O
the O
human O
resources O
study O
training O
center O
of O
the O
Development O
Research O
Center O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
. O

Lin O
said O
their O
job O
difficulties O
are O
mainly O
resulted O
from O
their O
high O
expectations O
of O
salaries O
as O
they O
want O
their O
huge O
overseas O
educational O
investment O
pay O
off O
by O
finding O
a O
" O
lucrative O
" O
job O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0203 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Applications O
for O
importing O
ROK O
poultry O
suspended O
in O
HK O

The O
Hong O
Kong O
Center O
for O
Food O
Safety O
announced O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
processing O
of O
applications O
for O
importing O
poultry O
and O
poultry O
products O
from O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
would O
be O
suspended O
with O
immediate O
effect O
. O

" O
The O
decision O
was O
taken O
following O
confirmation O
of O
an O
outbreak O
of O
avian O
influenza O
H5N1 O
in O
a O
poultry O
farm O
there O
, O
" O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
center O
said O
. O

" O
We O
will O
seek O
further O
information O
about O
the O
case O
from O
the O
relevant O
authorities O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Hong O
Kong O
imported O
some O
900 O
tons O
of O
frozen O
poultry O
meat O
/ O
offal O
from O
ROK O
from O
January B-T
to O
August B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0062 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Indonesian O
president O
to O
meet O
Putin O
for O
trade O
talks O

Indonesian O
President O
Susilo O
Bambang O
Yudhoyono O
is O
to O
meet O
his O
Russian O
counterpart O
Vladimir O
Putin O
in O
Moscow O
on O
Friday B-T
for O
talks O
on O
trade O
links O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

" O
The O
priority O
in O
negotiations O
will O
be O
questions O
of O
increasing O
the O
turnover O
and O
diversification O
of O
trade O
cooperation O
, O
" O
a O
Kremlin O
official O
said O
ahead O
of O
the O
meeting O
. O

Trade O
turnover O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
rose O
from O
366 O
. O
3 O
million O
dollars O
( O
276 O
million O
euros O
) O
in O
2004 B-T
to O
551 O
. O
2 O
million O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
and O
amounted O
to O
300 O
. O
9 O
million O
dollars O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
of I-T
2006 I-T
, O
the O
official O
said O
. O

Ten O
documents O
are O
set O
to O
be O
signed O
during O
Yudhoyono O
' O
s O
visit O
, O
the O
Kremlin O
official O
said O
, O
including O
cooperation O
in O
nuclear O
energy O
, O
space O
technology O
, O
arms O
sales O
and O
tourism O
. O

The O
Kommersant O
daily O
cited O
officials O
as O
saying O
that O
Indonesia O
intends O
to O
buy O
Russian O
arms O
, O
mainly O
submarines O
and O
fighter O
jets O
, O
and O
will O
be O
given O
one O
billion O
dollars O
( O
755 O
million O
euros O
) O
in O
credit O
to O
do O
this O
. O

" O
The O
most O
important O
document O
is O
set O
to O
be O
an O
agreement O
on O
the O
development O
of O
military O
technical O
cooperation O
for O
2007 O
- O
2010 O
, O
" O
Kommersant O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
Indonesia O
was O
particularly O
interested O
in O
buying O
two O
Amur O
submarines O
. O

Yudhoyono O
was O
impressed O
by O
the O
Russian O
military O
technology O
he O
saw O
on O
display O
at O
the O
Indo O
Defence O
2006 O
arms O
fair O
that O
took O
place O
in O
Jakarta O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
Kommersant O
said O
. O

Indonesia O
, O
once O
a O
major O
purchaser O
of O
Soviet O
weaponry O
, O
bought O
fighter O
jets O
, O
military O
helicopters O
, O
armoured O
personnel O
carriers O
and O
Kalashnikov O
assault O
rifles O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
Kommersant O
added O
. O

Indonesia O
and O
Russia O
will O
also O
sign O
an O
agreement O
for O
Russian O
energy O
firms O
Gazprom O
and O
Lukoil O
to O
take O
part O
in O
oil O
and O
gas O
projects O
on O
the O
island O
of O
Borneo O
and O
for O
Russia O
to O
build O
Indonesia O
' O
s O
first O
nuclear O
reactor O
, O
Kommersant O
said O
. O

Yudhoyono O
has O
already O
visited O
the O
northern O
Russian O
city O
of O
Saint O
Petersburg O
during O
his O
visit O
and O
on O
Friday B-T
is O
set O
to O
address O
a O
business O
forum O
and O
receive O
an O
honorary O
diploma O
from O
a O
Russian O
foreign O
ministry O
academy O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0130 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Masters O

David O
Nalbandian O
came O
out O
the O
first O
Argentine O
to O
reach O
the O
final O
of O
a O
year O
- O
ending O
championship O
for O
31 B-T
years I-T
after O
the O
eighth O
seed O
beat O
top O
Russian O
Nikolay O
Davydenko O
in O
straight O
sets O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
in O
the O
semifinals O
of O
the O
ATP O
tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
. O

Last O
time O
a O
tennis O
player O
from O
Argentina O
being O
a O
finalist O
is O
in O
1974 B-T
when O
Guillermo O
Vilas O
won O
the O
title O
. O

With O
the O
victory O
of O
6 O
- O
0 O
, O
7 O
- O
5 O
in O
1 B-T
hour I-T
26 I-T
minutes I-T
and O
43 O
seconds O
, O
Nalbandian O
set O
up O
a O
final O
matchup O
with O
world O
number O
one O
Roger O
Federer O
as O
the O
superlative O
Swiss O
made O
short O
work O
of O
his O
semifinal O
clash O
against O
seventh O
seed O
Gaston O
Gaudio O
6 O
- O
0 O
, O
6 O
- O
0 O
earlier O
the O
night O
. O

The O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
cracked O
2 O
aces O
, O
none O
of O
double O
- O
fault O
and O
21 O
winners O
against O
13 O
unforced O
errors O
for O
the O
win O
. O

Davydenko O
, O
who O
has O
taken O
the O
place O
of O
Marat O
Safin O
to O
be O
the O
highest O
ranked O
Russian O
in O
the O
world O
and O
playing O
on O
his O
debut O
in O
the O
season O
- O
ending O
event O
, O
had O
been O
attempting O
to O
become O
the O
first O
Russian O
reaching O
the O
final O
since O
Yevgeny O
Kafelnikov O
was O
runner O
- O
up O
at O
the O
ATP O
Tour O
World O
Championship O
in O
1997 B-T
. O

The O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
, O
however O
, O
made O
29 O
unforced O
errors O
throughout O
the O
match O
though O
winning O
4 O
aces O
and O
17 O
winners O
. O

Davydenko O
, O
who O
had O
made O
his O
Masters O
Cup O
debut O
on O
Monday B-T
by O
defeating O
all O
- O
time O
great O
Andre O
Agassi O
6 O
- O
4 O
, O
6 O
- O
2 O
in O
his O
first O
round O
robin O
match O
, O
held O
a O
chance O
of O
coming O
back O
in O
the O
middle O
of O
the O
second O
set O
when O
he O
broke O
Nalbandian O
in O
the O
sixth O
game O
, O
beating O
his O
Argentine O
opponent O
to O
no O
answers O
. O

But O
Nalbandian O
, O
ranked O
12th O
in O
the O
world O
, O
soon O
broke O
back O
after O
the O
seventh O
- O
ranked O
Davydenko O
wasted O
three O
game O
points O
on O
his O
own O
serve O
. O

Again O
the O
Argentine O
made O
a O
successful O
break O
in O
the O
eleventh O
game O
before O
turning O
two O
match O
points O
into O
win O
in O
the O
following O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0080 O

LAGOS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Five O
airlines O
grounded O
in O
Nigeria O

The O
Nigerian O
Civil O
Aviation O
Authority O
( O
NCAA O
) O
has O
suspended O
airline O
operating O
certificates O
of O
five O
domestic O
carriers O
to O
sanitize O
the O
ailing O
aviation O
industry O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
affected O
airlines O
are O
Sosoliso O
, O
IRS O
, O
Space O
World O
, O
Fresh O
Air O
and O
Dasab O
. O
The O
NCAA O
revoked O
ADC O
' O
s O
certificate O
on O
October B-T
30 I-T
after O
its O
B737 O
- O
200 O
aircraft O
crashed O
in O
Abuja B-T
one I-T
day I-T
earlier I-T
, O
killing O
98 O
people O
. O

The O
NCAA O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
withdrew O
the O
certificates O
for O
what O
it O
described O
as O
their O
" O
flouting O
safety O
rules O
, O
( O
and O
) O
operation O
of O
one O
airplane O
. O
" O

Sosoliso O
was O
specifically O
accused O
of O
using O
bad O
tires O
in O
the O
fleet O
of O
its O
aircraft O
which O
recorded O
an O
air O
crash O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
which O
killed O
108 O
people O
, O
including O
more O
than O
60 O
teenage O
students O
. O

Managing O
Director O
of O
Sosoliso O
Airlines O
Oscar O
Ikwuemesi O
confirmed O
the O
suspension O
, O
but O
explaining O
that O
the O
airline O
' O
s O
management O
was O
meeting O
with O
the O
NCAA O
to O
resolve O
the O
problem O
. O

The O
affected O
airlines O
' O
billboards O
had O
been O
removed O
from O
their O
counters O
at O
the O
domestic O
wing O
of O
the O
Murtala O
Muhammed O
Airport O
, O
Lagos O
. O

Aviation O
Minister O
Femi O
Fani O
- O
Kayode O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
at O
his O
maiden O
interactive O
forum O
with O
journalists O
that O
he O
was O
going O
to O
be O
firm O
in O
the O
area O
of O
aviation O
safety O
, O
adding O
that O
he O
would O
give O
the O
aviation O
regulatory O
body O
" O
all O
the O
necessary O
backing O
to O
sanitize O
the O
industry O
. O
" O

Fani O
- O
Kayode O
said O
he O
was O
happy O
that O
the O
NCAA O
autonomy O
bill O
had O
been O
signed O
into O
law O
by O
President O
Olusegun O
Obasanjo O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O
He O
, O
however O
, O
reiterated O
that O
more O
domestic O
carriers O
would O
be O
giving O
internationally O
lucrative O
routes O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
airlines O
would O
only O
grow O
if O
they O
were O
given O
choice O
routes O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0188 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Four O
explosions O
rock O
Baghdad O
' O
s O
Sadr O
City O

Four O
explosions O
, O
including O
a O
car O
bomb O
at O
the O
55th O
Square O
, O
in O
Baghdad O
' O
s O
Shiite O
slum O
of O
Sadr O
City O
, O
took O
place O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
an O
Interior O
Ministry O
source O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0369 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Three O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
killed O
in O
western O
Iraq O

Three O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
, O
including O
two O
marines O
, O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
Iraq O
' O
s O
western O
province O
of O
Anbar O
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

One O
marine O
, O
assigned O
to O
Regimental O
Combat O
Team O
5 O
, O
died O
Saturday B-T
from O
wounds O
sustained O
due O
to O
enemy O
action O
while O
operating O
in O
Anbar O
province O
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

A O
second O
marine O
from O
the O
same O
combat O
team O
, O
died O
Sunday B-T
from O
wounds O
sustained O
due O
to O
the O
same O
reason O
, O
the O
statement O
added O
. O

One O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldier O
assigned O
to O
1st O
Brigade O
, O
1st O
Armored O
Division O
was O
also O
killed O
Sunday B-T
by O
enemy O
fire O
while O
operating O
in O
Anbar O
province O
, O
the O
military O
said O
. O

Since O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
led O
war O
in O
Iraq O
broke O
out O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
, O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
820 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
the O
country O
, O
according O
to O
media O
count O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0170 O

ROME O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Italian O
first O
division O
league O
top O
scorers O

Following O
are O
the O
top O
scorers O
of O
the O
Italian O
first O
division O
league O
after O
the O
soccer O
matches O
played O
on O
Sunday B-T
: O

8 O
Christian O
Rigano O
( O
Messina O
) O

6 O
Eugenio O
Corini O
( O
Palermo O
) O

Amauri O
( O
Palermo O
) O

Rolando O
Bianchi O
( O
Reggina O
) O

5 O
Mario O
Frick O
( O
Siena O
) O

Giorgio O
Corona O
( O
Catania O
) O

Adrian O
Mutu O
( O
Fiorentina O
) O

Cristiano O
Doni O
( O
Atalanta O
Bergamo O
) O

Igor O
Budan O
( O
Parma O
) O

Fabio O
Quagliarella O
( O
Sampdoria O
) O

Tommaso O
Rocchi O
( O
Lazio O
) O

David O
Di O
Michele O
( O
Palermo O
) O

Gionatha O
Spinesi O
( O
Catania O
) O

4 O
Nicola O
Ventola O
( O
Atalanta O
Bergamo O
) O

Francesco O
Totti O
( O
AS O
Roma O
) O

Hernan O
Crespo O
( O
Inter O
Milan O
) O

Dejan O
Stankovic O
( O
Inter O
Milan O
) O

Massimo O
Oddo O
( O
Lazio O
) O

Luca O
Toni O
( O
Fiorentina O
) O

Vincenzo O
Iaquinta O
( O
Udinese O
) O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0052 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O
youth O
are O
heavier O
, O
suffer O
poorer O
eyesight O
: O
survey O

The O
eyesight O
of O
young O
students O
in O
Beijing O
gets O
worse O
as O
their O
school O
careers O
advance O
according O
to O
a O
recent O
survey O
, O
which O
shows O
that O
86 O
percent O
of O
students O
in O
colleges O
and O
31 O
percent O
in O
primary O
schools O
have O
poor O
eyesight O
. O

Tong O
Zhiyan O
, O
an O
official O
with O
the O
Beijing O
sports O
administration O
, O
said O
the O
city O
' O
s O
rate O
of O
young O
with O
poor O
eyesight O
and O
who O
are O
overweight O
continues O
to O
grow O
and O
is O
the O
worst O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Tong O
said O
governments O
and O
schools O
should O
take O
measures O
to O
curb O
the O
deterioration O
of O
eyesight O
and O
the O
weight O
of O
students O
. O

A O
total O
of O
32 O
, O
879 O
people O
between O
the O
ages O
of O
three O
and O
69 O
were O
surveyed O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

The O
2005 O
survey O
found O
22 O
. O
1 O
percent O
of O
Beijingers O
were O
" O
very O
" O
physically O
fit O
, O
up O
4 O
. O
2 O
percentage O
points O
from O
2000 B-T
, O
and O
27 O
. O
2 O
percent O
were O
classified O
as O
" O
good O
, O
" O
a O
drop O
of O
0 O
. O
3 O
percentage O
points O
since O
2000 B-T
. O

A O
nationwide O
survey O
on O
student O
health O
conducted O
by O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Education O
in O
2004 B-T
found O
that O
80 O
percent O
of O
Chinese O
college O
students O
suffered O
from O
poor O
eyesight O
and O
that O
the O
older O
the O
students O
, O
the O
poorer O
their O
sight O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0096 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
issues O
porky O
gold O
bars O
to O
commemorate O
Year O
of O
the O
Pig O

China O
Gold O
Coin O
Corporation O
issued O
a O
series O
of O
gold O
bars O
made O
of O
99 O
. O
99 O
percent O
gold O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
commemorate O
the O
forthcoming B-T
Year I-T
of O
the O
Pig O
. O

The O
total O
volume O
of O
gold O
bars O
being O
issued O
in O
China O
this B-T
year I-T
is O
3 O
, O
000 O
kg O
, O
at O
a O
price O
of O
175 O
yuan O
per O
gram O
in O
Bejing O
, O
the O
first O
city O
to O
issue O
them O
to O
the O
public O
. O
They O
can O
be O
bought O
in O
weights O
of O
1000g O
, O
500g O
, O
200g O
, O
100g O
and O
50g O
. O

Sales O
of O
the O
gold O
bars O
are O
expected O
to O
be O
boosted O
due O
to O
the O
Year O
of O
the O
Pig O
being O
the O
last B-T
year I-T
in O
the O
12 O
- O
year O
rotation O
of O
the O
Chinese O
lunar O
calendar O
making O
it O
a O
lucky O
and O
rich B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
traditional O
superstition O
. O

Add O
to O
the O
fact O
that O
out O
of O
the O
five O
Chinese O
elements O
- O
metal O
, O
wood O
, O
water O
, O
fire O
and O
earth O
- O
2007 O
is O
the O
year O
of O
metal O
, O
or O
gold O
, O
and O
people O
are O
expected O
to O
snaffle O
up O
the O
pig O
bars O
. O

China O
first O
issued O
the O
gold O
bars O
to O
commemorate O
the O
lunar O
new O
year O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
the B-T
Year I-T
of O
the O
Sheep O
. O
The O
wooly O
gold O
bars O
were O
sold O
for O
92 O
yuan O
per O
gram O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0334 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Korea O
' O
s O
Busan O
to O
use O
APEC O
to O
become O
international O
convention O
city O

South O
Korea O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
city O
, O
Busan O
, O
is O
aiming O
to O
become O
an O
international O
convention O
host O
city O
through O
the O
successful O
hosting O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
, O
city O
planners O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

Busan O
, O
also O
the O
country O
' O
s O
largest O
port O
city O
, O
was O
designated O
by O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Culture O
and O
Tourism O
as O
an O
international O
convention O
city O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
and O
city O
authorities O
plan O
to O
update O
infrastructure O
to O
make O
Busan O
even O
more O
attractive O
for O
conventions O
. O
The O
new O
status O
allows O
the O
city O
to O
receive O
central O
government O
assistance O
and O
legal O
support O
. O

" O
Conventions O
are O
a O
high O
- O
value O
- O
added O
business O
that O
can O
also O
help O
transform O
the O
city O
' O
s O
image O
from O
a O
bustling O
port O
to O
one O
where O
people O
can O
hold O
meetings O
while O
taking O
the O
time O
to O
enjoy O
scenic O
vistas O
, O
" O
a O
Busan O
city O
official O
said O
. O

He O
added O
that O
if O
the O
city O
can O
play O
host O
to O
the O
leaders O
of O
21 O
economies O
and O
countless O
officials O
and O
reporters O
, O
as O
well O
as O
host O
sideline O
events O
, O
it O
can O
hold O
any O
convention O
in O
the O
world O
. O

Other O
experts O
said O
the O
city O
has O
great O
growth O
potential O
, O
with O
attractive O
beaches O
in O
Haeundae O
and O
Gwangalli O
, O
as O
well O
as O
parks O
including O
Yongdusan O
and O
Taejongdae O
and O
the O
Eulsukdo O
Migratory O
Bird O
Sanctuary O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
to O
splash O
new O
green O
space O
o O
the O
urban O
landscape O
, O
three O
new O
parks O
have O
been O
opened O
to O
celebrate O
the O
hosting O
of O
the O
2005 O
APEC O
summit O
. O
They O
are O
the O
Dongbaek O
Park O
, O
APEC O
Naru O
Park O
and O
Peace O
Park O
. O

The O
city O
, O
which O
is O
one O
of O
the O
five O
busiest O
ports O
in O
the O
world O
, O
has O
an O
international O
airport O
for O
easy O
access O
and O
is O
linked O
to O
Seoul O
by O
air O
and O
the O
KTX O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
bullet O
train O
service O
. O

The O
city O
boasts O
first O
- O
class O
hotels O
in O
both O
the O
downtown O
area O
and O
Haeundae O
district O
and O
at O
the O
Busan O
Exhibition O
and O
Convention O
Center O
( O
BEXCO O
) O
. O
BEXCO O
has O
an O
exhibition O
space O
of O
26 O
, O
508 O
square O
meters O
and O
an O
additional O
13 O
, O
233 O
square O
meters O
for O
outdoor O
displays O
. O

The O
facility O
has O
a O
convention O
hall O
that O
can O
hold O
5 O
, O
800 O
people O
and O
has O
played O
host O
to O
various O
international O
events O
, O
including O
the O
official O
draw O
for O
the O
2002 O
FIFA O
World O
Cup O
held O
in O
South O
Korea O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
the O
new O
Nurimaru O
APEC O
House O
is O
expected O
to O
become O
a O
tourist O
attraction O
and O
valuable O
asset O
in O
terms O
of O
getting O
people O
to O
hold O
conferences O
in O
the O
city O
. O
The O
structure O
near O
Haeundae O
Beach O
, O
the O
venue O
for O
the O
second O
summit O
session O
for O
APEC O
leaders O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, O
has O
a O
striking O
view O
of O
the O
ocean O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0391 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
with O
late O
match O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Fiorentina O
edged O
struggling O
Treviso O
1 O
- O
0 O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
move O
up O
to O
second O
in O
Italy O
' O
s O
Serie O
A O
. O

Stefano O
Fiore O
headed O
the O
only O
goal O
six O
minutes O
into O
the O
second O
half O
as O
the O
Florence O
club O
returned O
to O
winning O
ways O
after O
their O
2 O
- O
1 O
defeat O
at O
home O
to O
leaders O
Juventus O
last B-T
week I-T
which O
ended O
their O
six O
- O
match O
unbeaten O
run O
. O

Fiore O
' O
s O
winner O
saved O
the O
blushes O
of O
Serie O
A O
' O
s O
leading O
scorer O
Luca O
Toni O
whose O
first O
half O
penalty O
was O
saved O
by O
Adriano O
Zancope O
. O

After O
their O
15 O
matches O
played O
, O
Fiorentina O
have O
32 O
points O
, O
seven O
less O
than O
Juventus O
who O
entertain O
Cagliari O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Treviso O
, O
promoted O
from O
Serie O
B O
last O
season O
, O
could O
drop O
to O
bottom O
of O
the O
table O
on O
Sunday B-T
if O
fellow O
strugglers O
Lecce O
take O
at O
least O
a O
point O
from O
their O
fixture O
away O
to O
Udinese O
. O

Fiorentina O
were O
awarded O
a O
penalty O
on O
the B-T
half I-T
hour I-T
when O
Alberto O
Giuliatto O
fouled O
Alessandro O
Gamberini O
as O
a O
free O
- O
kick O
came O
into O
the O
area O
. O

Toni O
, O
who O
has O
scored O
16 O
goals O
this O
season O
, O
stepped O
up O
only O
to O
see O
his O
spot O
- O
kick O
tipped O
away O
by O
Zancope O
' O
s O
outstretched O
fingers O
. O

But O
the O
home O
side O
made O
the O
breakthrough O
in O
the B-T
51st I-T
minute I-T
. O

Giampaolo O
Pazzini O
exchanged O
passes O
with O
Christian O
Brocchi O
before O
floating O
a O
cross O
to O
the O
back O
post O
from O
the O
right O
and O
Fiore O
headed O
in O
from O
close O
range O
. O

Treviso O
had O
a O
golden O
opportunity O
to O
equalise O
for O
the O
visitors O
shortly O
afterwards O
but O
Dino O
Fava O
blasted O
wildly O
over O
the O
bar O
from O
a O
good O
position O
. O

Siena O
climbed O
two O
places O
up O
to O
12th O
after O
defeating O
Tuscan O
rivals O
Empoli O
1 O
- O
0 O
in O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
early O
match O
. O

Albanian O
striker O
Erjon O
Bogdani O
scored O
the O
only O
goal O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
minute I-T
, O
sliding O
in O
to O
stab O
home O
Simone O
Vergassola O
' O
s O
low O
left O
- O
wing O
cross O
. O

Empoli O
' O
s O
fourth O
straight O
defeat O
left O
them O
in O
13th O
place O
on O
17 O
points O
, O
one O
behind O
Siena O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0191 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Newcastle O
beat O
Portsmouth O
1 O
- O
0 O

Antoine O
Sibierski O
scored O
his O
first O
Premiership O
goal O
of O
the O
season O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
award O
Newcastle O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
Portsmouth O
. O

The O
home O
side O
were O
on O
top O
from O
the O
start O
and O
were O
unfortunate O
to O
see O
Obafemi O
Martins O
' O
first O
- O
half O
goal O
ruled O
out O
for O
a O
marginal O
offside O
decision O
. O

Newcastle O
saw O
more O
chances O
go O
astray O
before O
Charles O
N O
' O
Zogbia O
crossed O
for O
substitute O
Sibierski O
to O
slot O
home O
in O
the B-T
69th I-T
minute I-T
. O

Portsmouth O
offered O
little O
going O
forward O
and O
only O
some O
fine O
saves O
from O
David O
James O
stopped O
the O
Magpies O
adding O
more O
. O

The O
win O
was O
still O
a O
welcome O
one O
for O
Newcastle O
boss O
Glenn O
Roeder O
as O
, O
for O
all O
his O
side O
' O
s O
heroics O
in O
the O
UEFA O
Cup O
, O
their O
domestic O
form O
had O
been O
a O
serious O
cause O
for O
concern O
. O

This O
was O
their O
first O
victory O
on O
home O
turf O
in O
the O
league O
since O
the B-T
opening I-T
day I-T
of I-T
the I-T
season I-T
- O
and O
Sibierski O
' O
s O
goal O
was O
only O
their O
ninth O
in O
14 O
top O
- O
flight O
games O
. O

They O
were O
never O
going O
to O
get O
it O
all O
their O
own O
way O
here O
either O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0480 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Chile O
president O
defends O
decision O
to O
deny O
Pinochet O
state O
funeral O

Chilen O
President O
Michelle O
Bachelet O
on O
Monday B-T
defended O
her O
decision O
to O
deny O
ex O
- O
dictator O
Augusto O
Pinochet O
a O
state O
funeral O
, O
saying O
the O
move O
was O
made O
for O
the O
good O
of O
the O
country O
. O

" O
In O
any O
society O
, O
in O
any O
country O
, O
when O
there O
are O
not O
norms O
, O
or O
predetermined O
laws O
for O
a O
particular O
situation O
, O
it O
is O
up O
to O
the O
leaders O
, O
the O
government O
, O
to O
make O
decisions O
in O
the O
best O
interests O
of O
the O
people O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
Over O
the O
past O
several O
hours O
we O
have O
seen O
divisive O
acts O
that O
we O
don O
' O
t O
like O
, O
but O
as O
a O
society O
and O
as O
a O
country O
we O
have O
to O
have O
the O
ethical O
strength O
to O
overcome O
this O
challenge O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Bachelet O
, O
together O
with O
her O
parents O
, O
suffered O
torture O
during O
the O
Pinochet O
regime O
. O
Pinochet O
, O
91 O
, O
died O
Sunday B-T
a I-T
week I-T
after O
suffering O
a O
heart O
attack O
, O
escaping O
years O
of O
charges O
against O
his O
17 O
- O
year O
regime O
of O
human O
rights O
violations O
, O
including O
torture O
and O
murder O
. O

After O
Bachelet O
' O
s O
decision O
that O
the O
ex O
- O
dictator O
would O
be O
buried O
with O
military O
honors O
, O
rather O
than O
a O
state O
funeral O
and O
without O
a O
period O
of O
national O
mourning O
, O
Pinochet O
' O
s O
relatives O
said O
representatives O
from O
the O
government O
would O
not O
be O
welcome O
at O
the O
late O
dictator O
' O
s O
burial O
service O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
want O
acts O
of O
hypocrisy O
, O
out O
of O
respect O
to O
my O
mother O
and O
my O
family O
" O
Marco O
Antonio O
Hiart O
, O
the O
youngest O
of O
Pinochet O
' O
s O
five O
children O
, O
told O
Chilean O
television O
, O
as O
he O
blasted O
the O
government O
for O
failing O
, O
in O
his O
view O
, O
to O
accord O
his O
father O
the O
honor O
befitting O
a O
former O
leader O
. O

Pinochet O
' O
s O
body O
lied O
in O
Santiago O
' O
s O
Military O
School O
Monday B-T
. O
Defense O
Minister O
Viviane O
Blanlot O
had O
been O
expected O
represent O
the O
government O
at O
the O
ex O
- O
dictator O
' O
s O
funeral O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
death O
of O
the O
former O
general O
, O
whose O
US O
- O
backed O
coup O
in O
1973 O
toppled O
the O
Socialist O
government O
of O
Salvador O
Allende O
, O
struck O
a O
chord O
in O
this O
country O
where O
many O
suffered O
under O
his O
regime O
while O
supporters O
hailed O
him O
as O
Chile O
' O
s O
savior O
from O
communism O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0016 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

India O
disowns O
criticisms O
of O
Saudis O
after O
Mecca O
blaze O

India O
has O
disowned O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
' O
s O
allegations O
that O
Indian O
pilgrims O
who O
died O
in O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
Mecca O
disaster O
could O
have O
been O
saved O
, O
newspapers O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
Hindustan O
Times O
said O
the O
foreign O
ministry O
had O
rejected O
the O
allegations O
by O
India O
' O
s O
Consul O
General O
Afzal O
Amanullah O
in O
Jeddah O
following O
a O
blaze O
on O
April B-T
15 I-T
which O
left O
at O
least O
343 O
dead O
. O

Amanullah O
claimed O
Indian O
pilgrims O
had O
been O
locked O
in O
their O
camp O
by O
their O
Saudi O
guides O
, O
condemning O
them O
to O
their O
fate O
. O
More O
than O
100 O
Indians O
are O
believed O
to O
have O
died O
in O
the O
fire O
. O

But O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
said O
the O
consul O
general O
views O
appeared O
to O
be O
based O
on O
" O
information O
provided O
by O
a O
few O
of O
the O
injured O
relating O
to O
the O
conduct O
of O
an O
individual O
gatekeeper O
. O
" O

He O
said O
no O
pilgrims O
had O
made O
a O
complaint O
about O
a O
locked O
gate O
to O
an O
investigating O
team O
from O
India O
and O
it O
would O
be O
" O
premature O
to O
approportion O
blame O
. O
" O

He O
added O
: O
" O
No O
broad O
generalisations O
about O
the O
tragic O
accident O
can O
be O
drawn O
on O
this O
basis O
. O
" O

Saudi O
officials O
say O
the O
fire O
killed O
at O
least O
343 O
people O
and O
left O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
500 O
wounded O
during O
the O
annual O
Moslem O
pilgrimage O
to O
Mecca O
known O
as O
the O
hajj O
. O

A O
preliminary O
Indian O
investigation O
, O
however O
, O
has O
indicated O
600 O
may O
have O
died O
. O
Most O
of O
the O
victims O
were O
from O
Asian O
countries O
, O
notably O
India O
and O
Pakistan O
. O

The O
Saudi O
authorities O
said O
the O
blaze O
, O
which O
incinerated O
70 O
, O
000 O
tents O
, O
was O
started O
accidently O
by O
the O
explosion O
of O
a O
gas O
canister O
used O
for O
cooking O
in O
the O
Pakistani O
pilgrims O
' O
camp O
. O

Amanullah O
reportedly O
said O
there O
had O
been O
time O
to O
save O
the O
pilgrims O
, O
adding O
: O
" O
You O
do O
not O
prevent O
your O
own O
pilgrims O
from O
rushing O
out O
to O
safety O
. O
You O
do O
not O
confine O
them O
to O
a O
small O
space O
and O
certain O
death O
. O
" O

The O
Hindustan O
Times O
said O
the O
foreign O
ministry O
announcement O
had O
been O
made O
" O
apparently O
in O
deference O
to O
Saudi O
clout O
. O
" O

The O
Asian O
Age O
, O
in O
an O
unsourced O
front O
page O
article O
, O
accused O
the O
Indian O
government O
of O
a O
" O
soft O
approach O
" O
, O
arguing O
India O
did O
not O
want O
to O
offend O
Saudi O
Arabia O
since O
many O
of O
its O
nationals O
worked O
there O
and O
it O
also O
relied O
on O
Saudi O
oil O
supplies O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0524 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Denmark O
defies O
Beijing O
with O
resolution O
slamming O
rights O
abuses O
by O
Jacques O
Boyer O

Denmark O
, O
backed O
by O
the O
United O
States O
and O
13 O
other O
countries O
, O
filed O
a O
resolution O
Thursday B-T
denouncing O
Chinese O
human O
rights O
abuses O
, O
despite O
threats O
from O
Beijing O
and O
deep O
European O
divisions O
over O
the O
issue O
. O

Danish O
Ambassador O
Tyge O
Lehmann O
waited O
until O
literally O
the B-T
last I-T
minute I-T
before O
presenting O
the O
resolution O
to O
the O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
in O
Geneva O
at O
1559 B-T
GMT O
in O
order O
to O
muster O
maximum O
support O
. O

The O
53 O
- O
members O
of O
the O
commission O
will O
vote O
on O
the O
text O
next O
Tuesday B-T
, O
but O
diplomats O
believed O
that O
, O
as O
on O
all O
previous O
occasions O
, O
the O
anti O
- O
China O
resolution O
would O
be O
defeated O
through O
skillful O
Chinese O
lobbying O
. O

Denmark O
' O
s O
motion O
received O
support O
from O
nine O
fellow O
EU O
members O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Norway O
, O
Switzerland O
, O
and O
Iceland O
. O

But O
, O
for O
the O
first O
time O
, O
France O
, O
Germany O
, O
Italy O
, O
Spain O
and O
Greece O
all O
withdrew O
their O
support O
, O
ending O
EU O
unity O
on O
the O
issue O
. O

Australia O
, O
which O
had O
co O
- O
sponsored O
the O
anti O
- O
China O
resolution O
for O
six B-T
years I-T
without O
success O
, O
was O
also O
among O
the O
countries O
withholding O
support O
for O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
motion O
. O

" O
Governments O
not O
confortable O
with O
not O
showing O
solidarity O
have O
promised O
to O
support O
the O
resolution O
as O
such O
and O
to O
move O
to O
defeat O
the O
non O
- O
action O
motion O
, O
" O
Lehman O
said O
. O

However O
, O
diplomats O
said O
the O
resolution O
had O
little O
chance O
of O
being O
adopted O
. O

China O
has O
faced O
a O
similar O
resolution O
every B-T
year I-T
since O
the O
1989 O
Tiananmen O
Square O
massacre O
. O

Denmark O
stepped O
in O
Saturday B-T
and O
announced O
it O
would O
put O
forward O
the O
motion O
after O
the O
European O
Union O
failed O
to O
agree O
on O
a O
joint O
position O
on O
the O
annual O
human O
rights O
debate O
. O

China O
had O
stepped O
up O
the O
pressure O
on O
Denmark O
in O
a O
last O
- O
gasp O
effort O
to O
prevent O
the O
Danish O
- O
sponsored O
resolution O
from O
being O
presented O
. O

" O
This O
motion O
will O
be O
like O
Denmark O
lifting O
a O
rock O
only O
to O
drop O
it O
on O
its O
own O
head O
, O
" O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Shen O
Guofang O
warned O
earlier O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
It O
will O
be O
a O
heavy O
loss O
for O
Denmark O
as O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
pack O
usually O
suffers O
the O
brunt O
of O
the O
attack O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Diplomats O
said O
no O
Asian O
country O
was O
willing O
to O
back O
the O
text O
after O
the O
defection O
of O
Japan O
, O
and O
African O
and O
South O
American O
countries O
also O
held O
back O
. O

Lehmann O
said O
he O
hoped O
all O
the O
countries O
who O
had O
withheld O
support O
would O
return O
to O
back O
the O
motion O
next O
Tuesday B-T
. O

All O
previous O
resolutions O
have O
been O
defeated O
as O
a O
result O
of O
intense O
lobbying O
by O
Beijing O
, O
which O
presents O
the O
debate O
as O
a O
clash O
between O
North O
and O
South O
. O

Denmark O
' O
s O
motion O
criticised O
violations O
of O
fundamental O
liberties O
and O
called O
for O
the O
respect O
of O
all O
human O
rights O
, O
impartial O
administration O
of O
justice O
, O
the O
release O
of O
political O
prisoners O
and O
the O
protection O
of O
Tibetans O
' O
cultural O
, O
ethnic O
, O
linguistic O
and O
religious O
identity O
. O

In O
Beijing O
, O
the O
Danish O
embassy O
confirmed O
that O
it O
and O
other O
EU O
member O
missions O
had O
been O
summoned O
by O
the O
Chinese O
foreign O
ministry O
for O
a O
dressing O
down O
over O
their O
support O
for O
the O
resolution O
. O

" O
They O
explained O
their O
objections O
and O
we O
explained O
our O
position O
, O
" O
Danish O
Ambassador O
Christopher O
Bo O
Bramsen O
said O
. O

Arguing O
that O
Beijing O
had O
taken O
major O
steps O
in O
improving O
human O
rights O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
decades I-T
, O
Shen O
accused O
western O
nations O
of O
turning O
a O
blind O
eye O
to O
China O
' O
s O
progress O
. O

" O
Some O
are O
also O
blind O
to O
human O
rights O
abuses O
in O
their O
own O
countries O
, O
and O
yet O
they O
still O
seek O
to O
impose O
their O
values O
on O
others O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Highlighting O
the O
social O
and O
cultural O
differences O
between O
countries O
, O
Shen O
said O
the O
only O
way O
to O
resolve O
human O
rights O
disputes O
was O
through O
dialogue O
based O
on O
the O
principles O
of O
mutual O
respect O
and O
equality O
. O

Defending O
Canberra O
' O
s O
decision O
not O
to O
support O
the O
draft O
, O
Australian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Alexander O
Downer O
said O
Australia O
was O
only O
interested O
in O
effective O
action O
on O
human O
rights O
. O

" O
The O
only O
way O
we O
believe O
that O
in O
our O
human O
rights O
diplomacy O
with O
China O
we O
can O
be O
remotely O
effective O
is O
by O
establishing O
some O
kind O
of O
dialogue O
, O
" O
Downer O
said O
, O
pointing O
to O
a O
Sino O
- O
Australian O
agreement O
to O
hold O
a O
formal O
bilateral O
dialogue O
on O
the O
issue O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0238 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Madagascar O
invites O
Chinese O
businesses O
: O
president O

Madagascan O
President O
Marc O
Ravalomanana O
Friday B-T
said O
he O
hopes O
more O
Chinese O
companies O
enter O
Madagascar O
to O
expand O
cooperation O
with O
local O
businesses O
in O
infrastructure O
construction O
, O
agriculture O
, O
personnel O
training O
, O
health O
care O
and O
environment O
protection O
. O

In O
a O
meeting O
with O
his O
Chinese O
counterpart O
Hu O
Jintao O
in O
Beijing O
, O
the O
president O
referred O
to O
China O
as O
an O
important O
partner O
and O
sincere O
friend O
. O

Madagascar O
faces O
an O
arduous O
task O
in O
boosting O
national O
development O
and O
is O
implementing O
a O
new O
blueprint O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Hu O
said O
China O
and O
Madagascar O
have O
maintained O
close O
high O
- O
level O
contacts O
and O
initiated O
cooperation O
in O
infrastructure O
construction O
and O
agriculture O
. O

The O
Chinese O
president O
expressed O
hope O
that O
the O
two O
governments O
establish O
a O
more O
effective O
communication O
and O
coordination O
mechanism O
in O
order O
to O
hold O
timely O
discussions O
on O
ways O
to O
boost O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

" O
We O
should O
implement O
trade O
and O
economic O
cooperation O
projects O
we O
have O
agreed O
upon O
and O
tap O
potentials O
for O
further O
cooperation O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
it O
is O
also O
important O
to O
cement O
multilateral O
cooperation O
. O
" O
China O
supports O
the O
active O
role O
Madagascar O
has O
played O
in O
the O
Indian O
Ocean O
regional O
affairs O
, O
" O
said O
Hu O
. O

Ravalomanana O
arrived O
in O
Beijing O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
for O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
slated O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 O
- O
5 O
. O

So O
far O
, O
47 O
delegations O
of O
the O
48 O
African O
countries O
that O
have O
diplomatic O
ties O
with O
China O
, O
including O
41 O
heads O
of O
state O
or O
government O
, O
have O
arrived O
for O
the O
summit O
featuring O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
" O
. O

China O
and O
Madagascar O
forged O
diplomatic O
relations O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
1972 I-T
. O
Bilateral O
trade O
amounted O
to O
197 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0560 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
, O
2005 O

Amnesty O
labels O
conviction O
of O
would O
- O
be O
Bush O
assassin O
' O
flawed O
' O

Amnesty O
International O
challenged O
Wednesday B-T
the O
conviction O
of O
an O
Arab O
- O
American O
man O
for O
conspiring O
to O
assassinate O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
, O
saying O
the O
court O
had O
failed O
to O
take O
into O
account O
torture O
allegations O
. O

A O
US O
jury O
last B-T
month I-T
found O
Ahmed O
Omar O
Abu O
Ali O
, O
24 O
, O
guilty O
on O
nine O
counts O
, O
including O
conspiracy O
to O
kill O
Bush O
, O
conspiracy O
to O
hijack O
a O
plane O
and O
offering O
to O
aid O
Osama O
bin O
Laden O
' O
s O
terror O
network O
. O

Amnesty O
argued O
the O
verdict O
was O
flawed O
because O
the O
jury O
was O
not O
allowed O
to O
hear O
evidence O
supporting O
claims O
by O
Abu O
Ali O
that O
his O
videotaped O
confession O
, O
on O
which O
the O
prosecution O
relied O
almost O
exclusively O
, O
had O
been O
obtained O
following O
torture O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

Abu O
Ali O
said O
he O
was O
flogged O
and O
beaten O
by O
security O
service O
agents O
under O
the O
Saudi O
interior O
ministry O
and O
forced O
to O
confess O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
seriously O
concerning O
that O
the O
trial O
of O
Abu O
Ali O
may O
set O
a O
precedent O
in O
US O
courts O
by O
which O
statements O
obtained O
by O
torture O
and O
ill O
- O
treatment O
are O
accepted O
as O
evidence O
, O
" O
said O
Susan O
Lee O
, O
Amnesty O
Internationals O
Americas O
Programme O
Director O
. O

Judge O
Gerald O
Bruce O
Lee O
, O
in O
the O
federal O
court O
in O
Washington O
, O
ruled O
that O
only O
evidence O
that O
related O
directly O
to O
Abu O
Ali O
' O
s O
interrogation O
would O
be O
admissible O
, O
thus O
denying O
the O
defence O
the O
opportunity O
to O
present O
relevant O
contextual O
evidence O
. O

" O
Equality O
of O
arms O
before O
the O
court O
is O
a O
fundamental O
principle O
of O
fair O
trial O
standards O
, O
" O
said O
Lee O
. O

" O
The O
apparent O
absence O
of O
this O
fundamental O
right O
in O
Abu O
Ali O
' O
s O
trial O
, O
especially O
where O
it O
considerably O
weakens O
a O
defendant O
' O
s O
ability O
to O
prove O
that O
his O
confession O
was O
obtained O
through O
torture O
, O
has O
cast O
a O
dark O
shadow O
over O
the O
fairness O
of O
the O
trial O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

Sentencing O
is O
scheduled O
for O
February B-T
17 I-T
, O
with O
the O
defendant O
facing O
a O
possible O
life O
sentence O
. O

The O
indictment O
against O
him O
said O
Abu O
Ali O
and O
another O
conspirator O
discussed O
two O
options O
for O
assassinating O
Bush O
- O
- O
either O
shooting O
him O
the O
street O
or O
using O
a O
car O
bomb O
. O

Born O
in O
Texas O
, O
Abu O
Ali O
' O
s O
parents O
were O
Jordanian O
. O
The O
family O
lived O
in O
Falls O
Church O
, O
Virginia O
, O
a O
Washington O
suburb O
, O
until O
Abu O
Ali O
went O
to O
study O
at O
the O
Islamic O
University O
of O
Medina O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

He O
was O
detained O
in O
Medina O
in O
a O
sweep O
following O
bomb O
attacks O
in O
Riyadh O
on O
May B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2003 I-T
that O
left O
34 O
dead O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0135 O

IPSWICH O
, O
England O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Police O
grappled O
Wednesday B-T
with O
the O
grisly O
task O
of O
identifying O
two O
new O
bodies O
found O
near O
a O
quiet O
English O
town O
gripped O
by O
fears O
of O
a O
prostitute O
serial O
killer O
, O
as O
the O
death O
toll O
rose O
to O
five O
. O

Detectives O
stepped O
up O
the O
search O
for O
forensic O
evidence O
after O
the O
discovery O
Tuesday B-T
near O
Ipswich O
of O
two O
corpses O
believed O
to O
be O
those O
of O
missing O
prostitutes O
Paula O
Clennell O
, O
24 O
, O
and O
29 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Annette O
Nicholls O
. O

The O
finds O
bring O
to O
five O
the O
number O
of O
bodies O
found O
in O
less B-T
than I-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
near O
the O
eastern O
port O
town O
. O

They O
have O
evoked O
thoughts O
of O
one O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
most O
notorious O
serial O
killers O
, O
east O
London O
' O
s O
elusive O
Jack O
the O
Ripper O
, O
who O
murdered O
five O
prostitutes O
in O
1888 B-T
and O
was O
linked O
to O
several O
other O
killings O
. O

They O
have O
also O
revived O
more O
recent O
memories O
of O
Peter O
Sutcliffe O
, O
the O
" O
Yorkshire O
Ripper O
" O
, O
who O
preyed O
on O
prostitutes O
and O
murdered O
13 O
women O
and O
attacked O
seven O
others O
between O
1975 B-T
and O
1980 B-T
. O

All O
the O
corpses O
have O
been O
found O
in O
the O
countryside O
around O
Ipswich O
, O
some O
80 O
miles O
( O
130 O
kilometres O
) O
northeast O
of O
London O
, O
prompting O
one O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
biggest O
ever O
murder O
inquiries O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
most O
unprecedented O
inquiry O
. O
Nothing O
like O
this O
has O
ever O
happened O
, O
" O
said O
Alastair O
McWhirter O
, O
chief O
constable O
, O
or O
head O
, O
of O
Suffolk O
Police O
. O

" O
If O
you O
think O
back O
to O
the O
Yorkshire O
Ripper O
, O
the O
murders O
there O
took O
place O
over O
a O
long O
period O
of O
time O
. O
. O
. O
We O
' O
re O
responding O
to O
it O
effectively O
and O
as O
well O
as O
we O
possibly O
can O
. O
" O

The O
corpses O
of O
the O
first O
two O
murdered O
prostitutes O
, O
Gemma O
Adams O
, O
25 O
, O
and O
19 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Tania O
Nicol O
, O
who O
both O
went O
missing O
from O
Ipswich O
' O
s O
red O
light O
district O
, O
were O
found O
on O
December B-T
2 I-T
and O
9 O
respectively O
. O

Police O
confirmed O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
strangled O
body O
of O
a O
third O
woman O
found O
in O
woods O
Sunday O
was O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Anneli O
Alderton O
. O

Later B-T
that I-T
day I-T
, O
a O
member O
of O
the O
public O
found O
a O
fourth O
body O
and O
a O
police O
helicopter O
crew O
member O
called O
out O
to O
survey O
the O
scene O
spotted O
the O
fifth O
shortly O
afterwards O
. O

The O
streets O
of O
Ipswich O
were O
virtually O
deserted O
overnight O
- O
- O
the O
30 O
or O
so O
prostitutes O
who O
usually O
work O
the O
red O
light O
district O
seemed O
to O
heed O
police O
advice O
to O
stay O
indoors O
, O
while O
the O
streets O
were O
all O
but O
empty O
of O
revellers O
during O
the O
normally O
busy O
Christmas O
party O
season O
. O

Pairs O
of O
police O
officers O
carried O
out O
patrols O
to O
reassure O
local O
people O
for O
the O
second O
night O
running O
, O
while O
motorists O
were O
being O
stopped O
and O
questioned O
. O

Suffolk O
Police O
, O
a O
rural O
force O
more O
used O
to O
dealing O
with O
illegal O
raves O
than O
fast O
- O
moving O
murder O
cases O
, O
has O
faced O
questions O
from O
the O
media O
about O
whether O
it O
is O
equipped O
to O
cope O
. O

But O
senior O
officers O
insist O
they O
are O
handling O
it O
well O
and O
have O
requested O
assistance O
from O
forces O
around O
Britain O
, O
as O
well O
as O
enlisting O
a O
behavioural O
analyst O
to O
help O
them O
understand O
who O
might O
have O
committed O
the O
crimes O
. O

Detective O
Chief O
Superintendent O
Stewart O
Gull O
, O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
investigation O
, O
told O
BBC O
television O
that O
an O
extra O
70 O
officers O
would O
be O
drafted O
in O
Wednesday B-T
to O
help O
the O
100 O
police O
already O
working O
on O
the O
case O
. O

He O
has O
described O
it O
as O
" O
almost O
a O
crime O
in O
action O
" O
, O
adding O
that O
" O
the O
facts O
speak O
for O
themselves O
" O
in O
terms O
of O
similarities O
between O
the O
killings O
. O

The O
two O
latest O
bodies O
, O
which O
remain O
where O
they O
were O
found O
, O
were O
likely O
to O
be O
identified O
formally O
Wednesday B-T
, O
although O
Gull O
was O
cautious O
in O
formally O
confirming O
this O
would O
happen O
. O

No O
other O
prostitutes O
are O
currently O
reported O
missing O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0327 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
starts O
annual O
civil O
servant O
recruitment O
exam O

China O
started O
a O
nationwide O
examination O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
recruit O
civil O
servant O
for O
the O
Central O
Government O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
with O
42 O
people O
competing O
for O
each O
job O
on O
average O
. O

The O
exam O
is O
held O
simultaneously O
in O
31 O
provinces O
, O
municipalities O
and O
autonomous O
regions O
nationwide O
where O
more O
than O
530 O
, O
000 O
people O
will O
compete O
for O
about O
12 O
, O
700 O
jobs O
, O
said O
a O
spokesman O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Personnel O
, O
the O
exam O
organizer O
. O

The O
ministry O
said O
the O
exam O
includes O
two O
sessions O
, O
with O
the O
administrative O
aptitude O
test O
( O
AAT O
) O
in O
the O
morning O
and O
the O
essay O
test O
in O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
exam O
schedule O
. O

Since O
1994 B-T
, O
China O
has O
organized O
13 O
consecutive O
civil O
servant O
recruitment O
examinations O
for O
departments O
of O
the O
central O
authorities O
and O
regional O
units O
of O
these O
departments O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0069 O

MANILA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
demands O
custody O
of O
marine O
convicted O
in O
Philippines O
rape O
case O

The O
United O
States O
has O
demanded O
interim O
custody O
of O
a O
US O
marine O
sentenced O
to O
40 O
years O
in O
jail O
for O
raping O
a O
Filipina O
woman O
, O
the O
Philippines O
foreign O
department O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
US O
embassy O
in O
Manila O
filed O
a O
diplomatic O
note O
invoking O
the O
right O
of O
the O
US O
military O
authorities O
to O
exercise O
custody O
of O
the O
marine O
in O
keeping O
with O
the O
provisions O
of O
the O
Visiting O
Forces O
Agreement O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0450 O

SAO O
PAULO O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

A O
former O
shoeshine O
boy O
who O
rose O
from O
abject O
poverty O
, O
Brazil O
' O
s O
President O
Luiz O
Inacio O
Lula O
da O
Silva O
, O
61 O
, O
has O
given O
up O
his O
once O
fiery O
leftist O
rhetoric O
but O
not O
his O
image O
as O
a O
champion O
of O
the O
underdog O
. O

The O
bearded O
leader O
will O
take O
office O
on O
Monday B-T
after O
his O
overwhelming O
reelection O
with O
more O
than O
60 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
on O
October B-T
29 I-T
, O
thanks O
largely O
to O
support O
from O
the O
millions O
of O
Brazilians O
who O
survive O
on O
less O
than O
two O
dollars O
a O
day O
. O

His O
electoral O
victory O
in O
the O
run O
- O
off O
marked O
a O
clear O
rebound O
since O
claims O
of O
campaign O
dirty O
tricks O
had O
thwarted O
his O
bid O
to O
win O
reelection O
in O
the O
first O
round O
of O
voting O
on O
October B-T
1 I-T
, O
when O
he O
fell O
1 O
. O
4 O
percentage O
points O
short O
of O
the O
simple O
majority O
needed O
for O
outright O
victory O
. O

At O
campaign O
rallies O
, O
he O
showed O
great O
pride O
in O
his O
humble O
background O
, O
reminding O
cheering O
crowds O
that O
unlike O
his O
opponent O
, O
a O
trained O
doctor O
, O
he O
has O
no O
university O
degree O
. O

Born O
on O
October B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
1945 I-T
, O
in O
the O
dirt O
- O
poor O
northeast O
of O
Brazil O
, O
Lula O
learned O
to O
read O
when O
he O
was O
10 B-T
. O

As O
a O
child O
, O
he O
worked O
as O
a O
shoeshine O
boy O
and O
a O
peanut O
vendor O
before O
getting O
a O
job O
as O
a O
metal O
worker O
at O
the O
age O
of O
14 O
. O
He O
lost O
a O
finger O
in O
a O
work O
accident O
in O
the B-T
1960s I-T
. O

A O
trade O
unionist O
and O
strike O
leader O
, O
he O
came O
to O
symbolize O
opposition O
to O
the O
military O
dictatorship O
in O
the B-T
1970s I-T
and O
early O
1980s B-T
. O
He O
founded O
the O
leftist O
Workers O
Party O
( O
PT O
) O
in O
February B-T
1980 I-T
. O

In O
1986 B-T
, O
he O
was O
elected O
to O
Congress O
, O
and O
three B-T
years I-T
later O
he O
launched O
his O
first O
bid O
for O
the B-T
presidency I-T
. O
He O
tried O
again O
in O
1994 B-T
and O
1998 B-T
before O
winning O
by O
a O
landslide O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

His O
victory O
was O
in O
part O
attributed O
to O
the O
fact O
that O
he O
dramatically O
toned O
down O
his O
once O
fiery O
leftist O
speech O
and O
moved O
the O
PT O
closer O
to O
the O
political O
center O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
know O
how O
many O
elections O
I O
' O
ve O
lost O
to O
get O
to O
where O
I O
am O
now O
, O
" O
Lula O
said O
in O
an O
October O
interview O
. O
" O
But O
I O
do O
know O
how O
many O
insults O
and O
prejudices O
I O
' O
ve O
had O
to O
overcome O
to O
get O
there O
. O

" O
That O
' O
s O
why O
my O
only O
objective O
now B-T
is O
to O
show O
that O
I O
' O
m O
more O
competent O
than O
many O
of O
the O
people O
who O
' O
ve O
been O
runnning O
this O
country O
. O
" O

He O
insists O
Brazil O
has O
made O
great O
strides O
forward O
since O
he O
took O
office O
, O
saying O
poverty O
has O
gone O
down O
19 O
percent O
since O
he O
took O
office O
. O

His O
government O
pumped O
billions O
of O
dollars O
into O
social O
projects O
, O
including O
an O
ambitious O
program O
that O
subsidizes O
11 O
million O
impoverished O
families O
, O
and O
which O
has O
gained O
widespread O
popularity O
. O

His O
electoral O
triumph O
four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
rocked O
financial O
markets O
that O
feared O
he O
would O
lead O
the O
country O
to O
economic O
ruin O
. O
Lula O
eventually O
gained O
the O
markets O
' O
trust O
, O
as O
he O
kept O
the O
economy O
stable O
and O
achieved O
the O
budget O
surplus O
required O
by O
agreements O
with O
the O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
. O

" O
In O
four B-T
years I-T
, O
I O
have O
learned O
a O
lot O
, O
" O
he O
says O
. O

His O
popularity O
plummeted O
in O
2005 B-T
amid O
a O
wave O
of O
corruption O
scandals O
involving O
members O
of O
his O
cabinet O
and O
his O
party O
. O
He O
quickly O
bounced O
back O
, O
but O
a O
new O
scandal O
that O
erupted O
two B-T
weeks I-T
before O
the O
first O
round O
of O
voting O
again O
eroded O
his O
support O
, O
which O
has O
surged O
once O
more O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
. O

Lula O
fired O
top O
government O
and O
party O
officials O
, O
and O
insists O
he O
had O
no O
prior O
knowledge O
of O
the O
wrongdoing O
. O

He O
has O
distanced O
himself O
from O
the O
brand O
of O
radicalism O
advocated O
by O
Venezuelan O
President O
Hugo O
Chavez O
, O
who O
in O
his O
recent O
address O
to O
the O
UN O
General O
Assembly O
called O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
" O
the O
devil O
. O
" O

An O
avowed O
admirer O
of O
the O
Cuban O
revolution O
, O
he O
nonetheless O
recently O
criticized O
Cuba O
' O
s O
ailing O
President O
Fidel O
Castro O
. O

" O
I O
only O
regret O
that O
Fidel O
Castro O
did O
not O
carry O
out O
a O
process O
of O
political O
opening O
, O
" O
he O
recently O
told O
the O
Folha O
de O
Sao O
Paulo O
daily B-T
. O

" O
I O
think O
that O
our O
( O
Cuban O
) O
comrades O
missed O
their O
chance O
to O
move O
closer O
to O
democracy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Lula O
is O
married O
and O
has O
three O
children O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0299 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
consumer O
prices O
up O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
March O

US O
consumer O
prices O
rose O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
March B-T
, O
following O
a O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
increase O
in O
February B-T
, O
the O
Labor O
Department O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Analysts O
widely O
had O
forecast O
a O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
rise O
in O
the O
department O
' O
s O
consumer O
price O
index O
( O
CPI O
) O
. O

The O
CPI O
core O
rate O
, O
which O
excludes O
volatile O
food O
and O
energy O
prices O
, O
rose O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

Over O
the B-T
past I-T
12 I-T
months I-T
ending O
in O
March B-T
, O
the O
CPI O
has O
climbed O
2 O
. O
8 O
percent O
and O
core O
prices O
have O
risen O
2 O
. O
5 O
percent O
. O

For O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
months I-T
of O
1997 B-T
, O
the O
CPI O
was O
up O
1 O
. O
8 O
percent O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051221 O
. O
0178 O

JENIN O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

URGENT O
Local O
Hamas O
chief O
shot O
dead O
in O
West O
Bank O

A O
local O
leader O
of O
the O
radical O
Palestinian O
movement O
Hamas O
was O
shot O
dead O
Wednesday B-T
by O
Israeli O
soldiers O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
city O
of O
Jenin O
, O
medical O
sources O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0405 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mexico O
' O
s O
president O
- O
elect O
names O
last O
cabinet O
ministers O

Mexico O
' O
s O
president O
- O
elect O
Felipe O
Calderon O
, O
of O
the O
ruling O
National O
Action O
Party O
( O
PAN O
) O
, O
named O
on O
Thursday B-T
the O
last O
four O
cabinet O
ministers O
who O
will O
assist O
him O
in O
his O
six O
- O
year O
term O
to O
start O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

Calderon O
named O
Eduardo O
Medina O
Mora O
as O
Attorney O
General O
, O
Genaro O
Garcia O
Luna O
as O
Public O
Security O
Minister O
, O
Guillermo O
Galvan O
Galvan O
as O
Minister O
of O
National O
Defense O
and O
Mariano O
Francisco O
Sainez O
Mendoza O
as O
Navy O
Minister O
. O

Twelve O
other O
cabinet O
ministers O
were O
appointed O
earlier B-T
this I-T
week I-T
. O

The O
appointment O
of O
Francisco O
Javier O
Ramirez O
Acuna O
as O
Interior O
Minister O
sparked O
controversy O
as O
there O
have O
been O
allegations O
of O
heavy O
- O
handed O
policing O
during O
his O
previous O
term O
as O
governor O
of O
the O
western O
Mexican O
state O
of O
Jalisco O
. O

Human O
rights O
groups O
have O
accused O
Ramirez O
of O
turning O
a O
blind O
eye O
to O
allegations O
of O
abusive O
and O
aggressive O
tactics O
by O
Jalisco O
police O
. O

His O
most O
prominent O
appointment O
, O
Finance O
Minister O
Agustin O
Carstens O
, O
was O
former O
number O
three O
at O
the O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
. O

Only O
one O
official O
was O
ratified O
in O
his O
post O
: O
Tourism O
Minister O
Rodolfo O
Elizondo O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0387 O

QUITO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ecuador O
begins O
WTO O
process O
against O
EU O
over O
banana O
tariff O

The O
Ecuadorian O
government O
on O
Thursday B-T
sent O
a O
letter O
to O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
to O
appeal O
against O
the O
European O
Union O
' O
s O
tariff O
on O
imported O
bananas O
. O

The O
letter O
said O
the O
EU O
tariff O
of O
176 O
euros O
per O
ton O
, O
which O
took O
effect O
on O
Jan B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
had O
reduced O
Ecuador O
' O
s O
market O
share O
in O
Europe O
by O
6 O
. O
4 O
percent O
, O
though O
the O
total O
tonnage O
of O
bananas O
has O
increased O
. O

The O
letter O
is O
the O
first O
step O
of O
an O
arbitration O
process O
. O
WTO O
procedures O
usually O
give O
two O
conflicting O
sides O
two B-T
months I-T
to O
reach O
a O
compromise O
before O
a O
group O
of O
referees O
are O
authorized O
to O
arbitrate O
. O

The O
EU O
has O
already O
reduced O
its O
tariffs O
from O
the O
initial O
230 O
dollars O
per O
ton O
when O
faced O
with O
similar O
arbitrage O
processes O
. O

According O
to O
statistics O
of O
Ecuador O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
banana O
exporter O
sold O
bananas O
worth O
nearly O
1 O
. O
1 O
billion O
dollars O
to O
Europe O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
up O
6 O
percent O
from O
the B-T
previous I-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0262 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
LD O
: O
U O
. O
S O
. O
helicopters O
fire O
into O
Baghdad O
' O
s O
Sadr O
City O
, O
2 O
wounded O

Two O
U O
. O
S O
. O
helicopters O
opened O
fire O
on O
a O
funeral O
in O
Sadr O
City O
in O
eastern O
Baghdad O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
wounding O
two O
people O
, O
an O
Interior O
Ministry O
official O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

Residents O
in O
Sadr O
City O
attended O
a O
funeral O
for O
victims O
who O
were O
killed O
in O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
deadliest O
bombings O
and O
some O
people O
fired O
into O
the O
air O
when O
two O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Apache O
helicopters O
flow O
over O
, O
the O
official O
said O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

The O
choppers O
fired O
into O
the O
crowd O
, O
wounding O
two O
people O
, O
the O
official O
said O
, O
adding O
it O
seemed O
to O
be O
an O
accident O
, O
not O
clash O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
Doha O
- O
based O
al O
- O
Jazeera O
English O
channel O
reported O
that O
armed O
clashes O
erupted O
on O
Friday B-T
evening I-T
between O
U O
. O
S O
. O
forces O
and O
Shiite O
militiamen O
in O
Shiite O
stronghold O
of O
Sadr O
City O
in O
eastern O
Baghdad O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
at O
least O
200 O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
more O
than O
250 O
others O
were O
injured O
in O
four O
coordinated O
bombings O
in O
Shiite O
neighborhood O
of O
Sadr O
City O
. O

It O
was O
the O
deadliest O
bombing O
attacks O
since O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
led O
invasion O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0181 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0181 O
. O

Dutch O
Firm O
Seeks O

@ O
To O
Buy O
Up O
to O
25 O
% O

@ O
Of O
Nashua O
' O
s O
Stock O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Lawrence O
Ingrassia O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

NSH O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

BUYBACKS O
, O
REDEMPTIONS O
, O
SWAP O
OFFERS O
( O
BBK O
) O

NASHUA O
, O
N O
. O
H O
. O

Nashua O
Corp O
. O
, O
rumored O
a O
potential O
takeover O
target O
for O
six B-T
months I-T
, O
said O
that O
a O
Dutch O
company O
has O
sought O
U O
. O
S O
. O
approval O
to O
buy O
up O
to O
25 O
% O
of O
Nashua O
' O
s O
shares O
. O

Nashua O
immediately O
responded O
by O
strengthening O
a O
poison O
- O
pill O
plan O
and O
saying O
it O
will O
buy O
back O
up O
to O
one O
million O
of O
its O
shares O
, O
or O
10 O
. O
4 O
% O
of O
the O
9 O
. O
6 O
million O
outstanding O
. O

Nashua O
, O
whose O
major O
business O
is O
selling O
copiers O
, O
facsimile O
machines O
and O
related O
supplies O
, O
said O
Reiss O
amp O
Co O
. O
B O
. O
V O
. O
of O
the O
Netherlands O
filed O
a O
request O
with O
the O
Federal O
Trade O
Commission O
under O
the O
Hart O
- O
Scott O
- O
Rodino O
Act O
for O
permission O
to O
buy O
more O
than O
$ O
15 O
million O
of O
Nashua O
' O
s O
stock O
but O
less O
than O
25 O
% O
. O

Previously O
, O
an O
affiliate O
of O
Unicorp O
Canada O
disclosed O
a O
stake O
of O
less O
than O
5 O
% O
in O
Nashua O
, O
according O
to O
Daniel O
M O
. O
Junius O
, O
Nashua O
' O
s O
treasurer O
. O

Nashua O
' O
s O
stock O
has O
fluctuated O
sharply O
on O
takeover O
speculation O
, O
rising O
to O
a O
high O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
of O
$ O
42 O
. O
875 O
a O
share O
in O
June B-T
from O
$ O
29 O
. O
75 O
in O
March B-T
. O

But O
the O
company O
has O
had O
weak O
results O
so O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
with O
earnings O
declining O
43 O
% O
to O
$ O
13 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
43 O
a O
share O
, O
on O
a O
4 O
% O
decline O
in O
revenue O
to O
$ O
713 O
. O
5 O
million O
through O
the O
first B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

Its O
stock O
has O
slumped O
recently B-T
, O
closing O
unchanged O
Friday B-T
at O
$ O
29 O
a O
share O
in O
composite O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
; O
at O
that O
price O
, O
the O
company O
has O
a O
market O
value O
of O
about O
$ O
278 O
. O
4 O
million O
. O

Nashua O
announced O
the O
Reiss O
request O
after O
the O
market O
closed O
. O

Mr O
. O
Junius O
said O
Nashua O
' O
s O
" O
intention O
is O
to O
remain O
an O
independent O
public O
company O
. O
" O

The O
company O
said O
it O
amended O
its O
shareholder O
rights O
plan O
by O
reducing O
to O
10 O
% O
from O
20 O
% O
the O
level O
of O
ownership O
by O
an O
outsider O
that O
would O
trigger O
the O
issuance O
to O
other O
holders O
of O
rights O
to O
buy O
additional O
shares O
of O
Nashua O
common O
at O
half O
price O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
the O
company O
' O
s O
board O
authorized O
the O
purchase O
of O
up O
to O
an O
additional O
one O
million O
shares O
. O

Under O
a O
program O
approved O
by O
the O
company O
in O
1987 B-T
that O
did O
n O
' O
t O
specify O
a O
share O
amount O
, O
Nashua O
had O
purchased O
481 O
, O
000 O
shares O
through O
Sept B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
. O

Alex O
Henderson O
, O
an O
analyst O
at O
Prudential O
- O
Bache O
Securities O
, O
said O
that O
while O
Nashua O
' O
s O
performance O
this B-T
year I-T
has O
been O
" O
atrocious O
, O
" O
the O
company O
nonetheless O
is O
attractive O
as O
a O
" O
classic O
breakup O
candidate O
because O
there O
' O
s O
no O
similarity O
between O
its O
{ O
four O
} O
businesses O
. O
" O

He O
estimated O
the O
breakup O
value O
at O
$ O
55 O
a O
share O
. O

In O
addition O
to O
selling O
Japanese O
- O
made O
photocopiers O
and O
facsimile O
machines O
in O
Europe O
and O
copier O
supplies O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
Nashua O
has O
three O
other O
major O
businesses O
: O
labels O
and O
tapes O
, O
data O
storage O
disks O
for O
computers O
and O
mail O
- O
order O
photofinishing O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0018 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Philippines O
to O
deploy O
7 O
, O
000 O
policemen O
for O
ASEAN O
summit O

The O
Philippines O
will O
deploy O
some O
7 O
, O
000 O
policemen O
for O
the O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
( O
ASEAN O
) O
Summit O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Cebu O
City O
, O
the O
police O
chief O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Police O
forces O
will O
secure O
the O
arrival O
and O
the O
departure O
of O
all O
the O
delegates O
of O
the O
summit O
in O
December B-T
, O
Philippine O
National O
Police O
( O
PNP O
) O
Chief O
Oscar O
Calderon O
told O
reporters O
in O
a O
press O
conference O
at O
Camp O
Crame O
, O
PNP O
headquarters O
in O
the O
capital O
. O

Calderon O
said O
that O
the O
police O
could O
not O
rule O
out O
the O
possibility O
that O
international O
and O
local O
terrorist O
groups O
might O
take O
advantage O
of O
the O
event O
. O

" O
But O
with O
the O
preparations O
we O
' O
ve O
been O
conducting O
, O
there O
will O
be O
no O
threat O
. O
And O
as O
of O
now O
, O
there O
is O
no O
threat O
. O
Cebu O
is O
safe O
like O
Metro O
Manila O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
second O
largest O
city O
of O
the O
country O
. O

The O
Philippines O
is O
now O
the O
yearly O
chairman O
country O
of O
ASEAN O
and O
the O
host O
of O
the O
12th O
ASEAN O
Summit O
and O
its O
related O
meetings O
scheduled O
in O
early B-T
December I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0108 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
asks O
Malaysia O
to O
probe O
assault O
cases O
against O
Chinese O
citizens O

China O
has O
asked O
Malaysia O
to O
conduct O
immediate O
investigation O
into O
and O
punish O
offenders O
involved O
in O
the O
assault O
and O
humiliation O
of O
Chinese O
citizens O
in O
Malaysia O
, O
a O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
and O
Embassy O
in O
Malaysia O
have O
expressed O
grave O
concern O
about O
reports O
of O
Chinese O
citizens O
being O
assaulted O
and O
humiliated O
in O
Malaysia O
, O
and O
made O
strong O
representations O
to O
the O
Malaysian O
government O
, O
demanding O
immediate O
investigation O
into O
and O
stern O
punishment O
of O
the O
offenders O
, O
said O
spokesman O
Liu O
Jianchao O
. O

Among O
the O
cases O
, O
a O
woman O
, O
believed O
to O
be O
a O
Chinese O
national O
, O
was O
forced O
to O
do O
squats O
in O
front O
of O
a O
woman O
in O
police O
uniform O
in O
a O
room O
with O
some O
lookers O
. O
The O
scene O
was O
videotaped O
and O
shown O
to O
Malaysian O
ministers O
and O
parliament O
members O
as O
evidence O
, O
Malaysian O
national O
news O
agency O
Bernama O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Malaysian O
Prime O
Minister O
Abdullah O
Ahmad O
Badawi O
had O
reportedly O
asked O
the O
police O
authorities O
not O
to O
" O
hide O
" O
any O
facts O
in O
the O
probe O
into O
the O
videofootage O
. O
Malaysian O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Najib O
Razak O
also O
said O
that O
Malaysia O
would O
carry O
out O
a O
thorough O
investigation O
into O
the O
video O
evidence O
and O
would O
not O
protect O
the O
perpetrators O
, O
according O
to O
Bernama O
. O

" O
The O
Chinese O
government O
has O
always O
considered O
it O
important O
to O
protect O
the O
legitimate O
rights O
and O
interests O
of O
Chinese O
citizens O
from O
being O
violated O
, O
" O
Liu O
said O
at O
a O
routine O
press O
conference O
. O

The O
Chinese O
side O
has O
noticed O
the O
promise O
of O
senior O
Malaysian O
officials O
to O
investigate O
the O
cases O
earnestly O
, O
Liu O
said O
. O

He O
stressed O
" O
China O
will O
continue O
to O
urge O
Malaysia O
to O
investigate O
and O
deal O
with O
these O
cases O
in O
a O
serious O
and O
just O
manner O
and O
bring O
the O
trouble O
makers O
to O
justice O
so O
as O
to O
really O
protect O
the O
dignity O
and O
safety O
of O
Chinese O
citizens O
and O
prevent O
such O
cases O
from O
recurring O
. O
" O

In O
response O
to O
a O
question O
on O
Malaysian O
Minister O
of O
Interior O
Azmi O
Khalid O
' O
s O
possible O
visit O
to O
China O
, O
Liu O
said O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
been O
discussing O
details O
for O
the O
" O
important O
visit O
" O
on O
an O
date O
that O
is O
proper O
for O
both O
sides O
. O

China O
welcomes O
Khalid O
to O
come O
for O
a O
visit O
, O
which O
will O
play O
a O
positive O
role O
in O
pushing O
forward O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
certain O
fields O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
announced O
last B-T
Thursday I-T
that O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
will O
pay O
an O
official O
visit O
to O
Malaysia O
in O
mid O
- O
December O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0645 O

MANILA O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

US O
Fed O
hike O
may O
halt O
peso O
rally O
: O
Philippines O
central O
bank O

A O
strong O
rally O
by O
the O
Philippine O
peso O
may O
be O
nearing O
its O
end O
after O
the O
US O
Federal O
Reserve O
raised O
its O
benchmark O
interest O
rates O
by O
another O
25 O
basis O
points O
, O
Filipino O
central O
bank O
chief O
Amando O
Tetangco O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
US O
Federal O
Open O
Market O
Committee O
voted O
unanimously O
Tuesday B-T
to O
raise O
the O
benchmark O
federal O
funds O
target O
rate O
by O
a O
quarter O
- O
percentage O
point O
to O
4 O
. O
25 O
percent O
, O
its O
highest O
level O
since O
May B-T
2001 I-T
. O

" O
Its O
immediate O
implication O
for O
the O
Philippines O
is O
on O
interest O
rate O
differential O
and O
the O
possible O
downward O
effect O
on O
the O
domestic O
currency O
, O
" O
Tetangco O
told O
reporters O
. O

The O
peso O
, O
which O
traded O
at O
53 O
. O
695 O
to O
the O
dollar O
on O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
has O
been O
hovering O
at O
two O
- O
and O
- O
a O
- O
half O
- O
year O
highs O
against O
the O
dollar O
in O
recent O
sessions O
, O
boosted O
by O
brisk O
remittances O
from O
the O
millions O
of O
Filipinos O
who O
work O
abroad O
. O

Tetangco O
said O
the O
US O
Fed O
move O
was O
not O
likely O
to O
push O
Philippine O
consumer O
prices O
to O
rise O
sharply O
. O

He O
said O
the O
US O
rate O
increase O
was O
expected O
but O
did O
not O
say O
whether O
the O
Philippine O
central O
bank O
will O
follow O
suit O
. O

" O
The O
monetary O
board O
will O
make O
a O
full O
assessment O
that O
would O
include O
the O
inflation O
outlook O
, O
liquidity O
growth O
, O
external O
sector O
developments O
and O
other O
relevant O
factors O
when O
it O
meets O
tomorrow B-T
, O
" O
Tetangco O
said O
. O

The O
central O
bank O
has O
raised O
its O
overnight O
interest O
rates O
three O
times O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
by O
a O
total O
of O
75 O
basis O
points O
to O
7 O
. O
50 O
percent O
for O
borrowing O
and O
9 O
. O
75 O
percent O
for O
lending O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0132 O

TEHRAN O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Record O
238 O
candidates O
sign O
up O
for O
Iran O
' O
s O
presidential O
vote O

A O
record O
238 O
people O
have O
signed O
up O
to O
contest O
next B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
presidential O
election O
in O
Iran O
, O
but O
only O
a O
small O
number O
are O
expected O
to O
be O
approved O
, O
the O
interior O
ministry O
announced O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
ministry O
said O
it O
forwarded O
the O
list O
of O
hopefuls O
- O
- O
including O
several O
women O
- O
- O
to O
the O
12 O
- O
member O
Council O
of O
the O
Guardians O
, O
which O
will O
vet O
them O
to O
ensure O
they O
meet O
legal O
and O
ideological O
requirements O
. O

Once O
a O
list O
of O
eligible O
candidates O
is O
released O
, O
they O
can O
launch O
a O
12 O
- O
day O
campaign O
for O
the O
May B-T
23 I-T
polls O
, O
Interior O
Minister O
Ali O
Mohammad O
Besharati O
said O
. O
Campaigning O
will O
have O
to O
stop O
24 O
hours O
before O
the O
election O
. O

The O
names O
of O
the O
hopefuls O
have O
not O
been O
published O
, O
but O
, O
according O
to O
newspapers O
, O
nine O
women O
have O
signed O
up O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
a O
presidential O
election O
since O
the O
1979 O
Islamic O
revolution O
. O

The O
Iranian O
constitution O
is O
vague O
on O
whether O
or O
not O
women O
can O
run O
for O
president O
, O
and O
it O
is O
up O
to O
the O
council O
to O
decide O
based O
on O
its O
interpretation O
of O
the O
law O
. O

The O
council O
, O
composed O
of O
six O
senior O
clergymen O
and O
six O
jurists O
, O
has O
a O
duty O
to O
ensure O
laws O
and O
their O
implementation O
conform O
to O
the O
constitution O
and O
Islamic O
regulations O
. O

However O
, O
the O
overwhelming O
majority O
of O
the O
hopefuls O
are O
expected O
to O
be O
rejected O
, O
as O
the O
constitution O
states O
the O
president O
should O
be O
a O
political O
and O
religious O
authority O
. O

The O
two O
main O
candidates O
are O
parliamentary O
speaker O
Ali O
Akbar O
Nategh O
- O
Nuri O
, O
who O
is O
backed O
by O
the O
ruling O
clergy O
, O
and O
former O
culture O
minister O
Mohammad O
Khatami O
, O
supported O
by O
Islamic O
moderates O
and O
leftwingers O
. O
Both O
are O
clerics O
. O

It O
will O
be O
the O
seventh O
presidential O
election O
in O
Iran O
since O
the O
revolution O
. O
President O
Akbar O
Hashemi O
Rafsanjani O
has O
served O
two O
four O
- O
year O
terms O
and O
is O
not O
allowed O
to O
run O
again O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0150 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Matsuzakaya O
profit O
soars O
62 O
. O
9 O
percent O

Japanese O
department O
store O
operator O
Matsuzakaya O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
. O
Friday B-T
said O
its O
parent O
company O
pre O
- O
tax O
earnings O
leapt O
62 O
. O
9 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
to O
5 O
. O
5 O
billion O
yen O
( O
45 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
to I-T
February I-T
. O

The O
Nagoya O
- O
based O
company O
said O
consolidated O
sales O
climbed O
1 O
. O
7 O
percent O
to O
435 O
. O
6 O
billion O
yen O
in O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
, O
forecasting O
an O
even O
higher O
profit O
of O
5 O
. O
8 O
billion O
yen O
for O
the B-T
current I-T
year I-T
on O
increased O
sales O
of O
444 O
billion O
yen O
. O

" O
Although O
demand O
from O
corporate O
clients O
was O
sluggish O
, O
sales O
of O
women O
' O
s O
clothing O
and O
personal O
effects O
showed O
steady O
gains O
, O
" O
a O
statement O
said O
. O

" O
We O
can O
expect O
new O
demand O
as O
a O
result O
of O
deregulation O
and O
administrative O
reforms O
in O
the B-T
current I-T
year I-T
. O
But O
concerns O
remains O
over O
stagnant O
personal O
spending O
following O
the O
April B-T
1 I-T
consumption O
tax O
hike O
. O
" O

Sales O
of O
clothing O
rose O
1 O
. O
8 O
percent O
to O
180 O
. O
3 O
billion O
yen O
and O
sales O
of O
personal O
effects O
edged O
up O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
to O
37 O
. O
3 O
billion O
yen O
. O
Sales O
of O
household O
utensils O
fell O
4 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
45 O
. O
3 O
billion O
yen O
. O

Sales O
of O
foodstuffs O
rose O
1 O
. O
7 O
percent O
to O
to O
89 O
. O
1 O
billion O
yen O
and O
sales O
of O
sundry O
goods O
were O
up O
2 O
. O
7 O
percent O
at O
65 O
. O
3 O
billion O
yen O
. O
Revenue O
from O
restaurant O
and O
coffee O
shop O
businesses O
rose O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
to O
10 O
. O
0 O
billion O
yen O
with O
other O
sales O
up O
47 O
. O
1 O
percent O
at O
8 O
. O
1 O
billion O
yen O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0655 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

10 O
Vietnamese O
arrested O
in O
China O
while O
trying O
to O
sneak O
into O
Hong O
Kong O

Ten O
Vietnamese O
men O
have O
been O
arrested O
in O
southern O
China O
while O
trying O
to O
sneak O
into O
Hong O
Kong O
to O
look O
for O
jobs O
, O
it O
was O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
10 O
Vietnamese O
, O
aged O
between O
20 B-T
and O
40 O
, O
were O
held O
in O
coastal O
Wuchuan O
city O
in O
Guangdong O
province O
, O
while O
preparing O
to O
sail O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
branch O
of O
China O
News O
Service O
said O
. O

They O
told O
Chinese O
authorities O
that O
they O
paid O
10 O
billion O
dong O
( O
800 O
US O
dollars O
) O
to O
human O
smugglers O
to O
take O
them O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
where O
they O
were O
promised O
work O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
Vietnamese O
illegal O
immigrant O
left O
Nan O
Dinh O
in O
north O
Vietnam O
for O
Hong O
Kong O
on O
April B-T
12 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0473 O

GUANGZHOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Schools O
must O
not O
expel O
juvenile O
students O
, O
violent O
TV O
banned O

South O
China O
' O
s O
Guangdong O
Province O
is O
mulling O
legislation O
to O
ban O
schools O
from O
expelling O
students O
during O
the O
nine O
- O
year O
compulsory O
education O
period O
. O

Poor O
grades O
, O
puppy O
love O
or O
skipping O
classes O
will O
no O
longer O
be O
a O
sufficient O
pretext O
for O
schools O
to O
kick O
out O
primary O
and O
junior O
high O
school O
students O
, O
according O
to O
the O
draft O
law O
on O
juvenile O
delinquency O
prevention O
being O
deliberated O
in O
Guangzhou O
, O
the O
provincial O
capital O
. O

Though O
no O
official O
figures O
are O
available O
regarding O
the O
percentage O
of O
students O
expelled O
, O
it O
is O
common O
knowledge O
that O
some O
Chinese O
schools O
kick O
out O
children O
with O
poor O
grades O
in O
order O
to O
improve O
their O
performance O
and O
compete O
more O
successfully O
with O
other O
schools O
, O
said O
Wang O
Xudong O
, O
an O
official O
with O
the O
Guangdong O
Provincial O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
, O
the O
provincial O
legislature O
. O

If O
a O
school O
wants O
to O
expel O
a O
child O
for O
consistently O
bad O
behavior O
, O
it O
will O
have O
to O
file O
records O
with O
the O
local O
education O
authority O
within O
15 B-T
days I-T
of O
the O
date O
of O
dismissal O
, O
according O
to O
Wang O
. O

" O
The O
legislation O
will O
prevent O
schools O
from O
giving O
up O
too O
soon O
on O
unruly O
students O
, O
and O
help O
decrease O
juvenile O
delinquency O
, O
" O
said O
Xu O
Daosheng O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Civil O
Affairs O
and O
Judicial O
Commission O
of O
the O
Provincial O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
. O

Expelling O
a O
problematic O
kid O
from O
school O
just O
makes O
it O
more O
likely O
that O
he O
or O
she O
will O
become O
a O
juvenile O
delinquent O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
draft O
also O
bans O
violence O
, O
horror O
and O
atrocities O
from O
Guangdong O
radio O
and O
television O
programs O
. O
No O
crime O
- O
related O
video O
content O
can O
be O
screened O
from O
7 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
to O
11 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
, O
and O
no O
overseas O
animation O
content O
is O
allowed O
from O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
to O
8 O
p O
. O
m O
. O

The O
draft O
will O
be O
reviewed O
by O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
Provincial O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0062 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

delays O

Sections O
of O
five O
Beijing O
and O
eight O
Tianjin O
highways O
are O
currently O
closed O
after O
thick O
fog O
smothered O
north O
China O
from O
Sunday B-T
night I-T
. O

The O
highway O
from O
Beijing O
to O
Shenyang O
, O
capital O
of O
China O
' O
s O
northeastern O
Liaoning O
Province O
, O
didn O
' O
t O
reopen O
until O
9 O
: O
33 O
a O
. O
m O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
closure O
of O
highways O
caused O
congestion O
and O
a O
slow O
crawl O
of O
vehicles O
on O
National O
Route O
107 O
, O
said O
an O
official O
from O
the O
Dujiakan O
toll O
station O
. O

Passengers O
for O
Baoding O
and O
Shijiazhuang O
, O
the O
two O
largest O
cities O
in O
northern O
Hebei O
province O
, O
were O
waiting O
in O
Liuliqiao O
bus O
station O
on O
Monday B-T
morning I-T
for O
their O
buses O
- O
- O
delayed O
by O
the O
closure O
of O
the O
highway O
- O
- O
to O
leave O
. O

The O
Beijing O
Municipal O
Observatory O
and O
neighbouring O
Tianjin O
Municipal O
Observatory O
issued O
yellow O
fog O
warnings O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

City O
roads O
were O
also O
affected O
by O
fog O
, O
with O
police O
called O
out O
repeatedly O
to O
deal O
with O
congestion O
and O
accidents O
. O

Visibility O
was O
reported O
to O
be O
as O
low O
as O
500 O
meters O
in O
Beijing O
. O

Visibility O
is O
between O
300 O
meters O
and O
600 O
meters O
on O
average O
and O
as O
low O
as O
10 O
meters O
on O
some O
road O
sections O
, O
said O
Zhao O
Jinghong O
, O
a O
weather O
forecaster O
with O
Tianjin O
Municipal O
Observatory O
. O

Visibility O
at O
Beijing O
Capital O
International O
Airport O
fell O
to O
600 O
meters O
, O
resulting O
in O
some O
flight O
delays O
, O
especially O
flights O
for O
eastern O
Shandong O
Province O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Beijing O
Municipal O
Observatory O
. O

The O
airport O
has O
launched O
an O
emergency O
fog O
plan O
to O
avoid O
mass O
congestion O
at O
the O
airport O
. O
It O
increases O
intervals O
between O
flights O
and O
reminds O
travelers O
to O
check O
times O
before O
going O
to O
the O
airport O
, O
said O
an O
airport O
official O
. O

There O
was O
some O
air O
pollution O
on O
Monday B-T
. O
People O
should O
scale O
back O
outdoor O
activities O
and O
go O
out O
with O
a O
respirator O
, O
said O
the O
local O
environmental O
bureau O
. O

The O
price O
of O
tomatoes O
rose O
from O
1 O
yuan O
to O
1 O
. O
8 O
yuan O
per O
kilo O
as O
vegetables O
from O
Shandong O
and O
Henan O
provinces O
, O
two O
major O
sources O
for O
Beijing O
' O
s O
dinner O
tables O
, O
were O
kept O
out O
of O
the O
city O
by O
the O
fog O
. O

There O
were O
30 O
percent O
more O
faucitis O
, O
rhinitis O
and O
respiratory O
infection O
patients O
than O
usual O
at O
major O
Tianjin O
hospitals O
. O

High O
humidity O
and O
little O
wind O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
week I-T
has O
caused O
the O
fog O
, O
said O
He O
Lifu O
, O
a O
meteorologist O
with O
the O
National O
Meteorology O
Center O
. O

Cold O
air O
late O
on O
Monday B-T
night I-T
will O
bring O
fairly O
strong O
winds O
to O
north O
China O
and O
disperse O
the O
fog O
, O
the O
Beijing O
Municipal O
Observatory O
said O
. O

Visibility O
in O
parts O
of O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Shandong O
and O
Jiangsu O
provinces O
, O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Beijing O
and O
Tianjin O
municipalities O
and O
northeastern O
China O
' O
s O
Liaoning O
Province O
was O
a O
mere O
200 O
meters O
. O

More O
than O
40 O
flights O
from O
Taoxian O
airport O
in O
Shenyang O
, O
capital O
of O
Liaoning O
, O
were O
delayed O
Sunday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0057 O

OSLO O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
production O
levels O
, O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
Norwegian O
oil O
company O
Statoil O
is O
to O
take O
over O
the O
oil O
and O
gas O
activities O
of O
Norsk O
Hydro O
and O
create O
the O
largest O
offshore O
production O
group O
, O
the O
two O
groups O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
new O
company O
will O
be O
62 O
. O
5 O
percent O
state O
- O
owned O
and O
given O
a O
new O
name O
, O
which O
was O
not O
disclosed O
. O

Both O
companies O
' O
boards O
as O
well O
as O
the O
government O
have O
approved O
the O
takeover O
, O
which O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
completed O
by O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O

The O
merged O
entity O
will O
have O
a O
combined O
production O
of O
1 O
. O
9 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
in O
2007 B-T
and O
proven O
oil O
and O
gas O
reserves O
of O
6 O
. O
3 O
billion O
barrels O
of O
oil O
equivalents O
. O

" O
This O
is O
the O
start O
of O
a O
new O
era O
. O
We O
are O
creating O
a O
global O
energy O
company O
and O
strengthening O
Norway O
' O
s O
oil O
and O
gas O
industry O
, O
" O
Prime O
Minister O
Jens O
Stoltenberg O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
government O
sees O
the O
recommended O
merger O
as O
industrially O
and O
strategically O
well O
founded O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
state O
is O
expected O
to O
eventually O
raise O
its O
stake O
to O
67 O
percent O
. O

Norsk O
Hydro O
will O
continue O
to O
operate O
as O
an O
aluminium O
company O
under O
its O
existing O
name O
. O

Norway O
is O
the O
world O
' O
s O
third O
largest O
oil O
exporter O
, O
behind O
Russia O
and O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

phy O
/ O
po O
/ O
wai O

" O
By O
combining O
forces O
, O
the O
new O
company O
will O
be O
a O
highly O
competent O
and O
financially O
strong O
Norwegian O
- O
based O
energy O
champion O
, O
well O
positioned O
to O
ensure O
continued O
domestic O
excellence O
and O
pursue O
international O
business O
opportunities O
for O
long O
- O
term O
growth O
, O
" O
said O
Jan O
Reinaas O
and O
Jannik O
Lindbaek O
, O
the O
chairmen O
of O
the O
Board O
of O
Directors O
of O
Hydro O
and O
Statoil O
, O
respectively O
, O
in O
a O
joint O
statement O
. O
" O
The O
industry O
faces O
an O
increasingly O
challenging O
international O
landscape O
. O
To O
merge O
now B-T
makes O
perfect O
sense O
. O
" O

Hydro O
will O
continue O
as O
a O
leading O
, O
focused O
global O
aluminium O
company O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0342 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Nearly O
700 O
' O
gay O
marriages O
' O
in O
England O
and O
Wales O
next O
week O

Nearly O
700 O
" O
gay O
marriages O
" O
will O
take O
place O
in O
England O
and O
Wales O
next B-T
week I-T
when O
arrangements O
for O
new O
civil O
partnerships O
come O
into O
force O
, O
official O
statistics O
released O
Friday B-T
showed O
. O

Some O
687 O
same O
- O
sex O
couples O
will O
take O
part O
in O
ceremonies O
to O
legally O
recognise O
their O
relationships O
next O
Wednesday B-T
, O
when O
England O
and O
Wales O
lift O
the O
veil O
on O
" O
gay O
marriage O
" O
, O
the O
General O
Register O
Office O
( O
GRO O
) O
said O
. O

The O
central O
London O
borough O
of O
Westminster O
leads O
the O
way O
with O
20 O
all O
- O
male O
ceremonies O
. O

The O
Civil O
Partnership O
Act O
comes O
into O
force O
on O
Monday B-T
in O
Northern O
Ireland O
and O
Tuesday B-T
in O
Scotland O
but O
no O
projected O
figures O
for O
first O
- O
day O
ceremonies O
were O
available O
, O
the O
equivalent O
bodies O
there O
told O
AFP O
. O

The O
new O
legislation O
, O
which O
allows O
gay O
couples O
to O
obtain O
the O
same O
rights O
as O
heterosexual O
couples O
in O
areas O
such O
as O
employment O
, O
pension O
and O
inheritance O
, O
came O
into O
force O
on O
December B-T
5 I-T
. O

To O
form O
a O
civil O
partnership O
, O
a O
couple O
must O
first O
register O
their O
intent O
, O
undergo O
a O
compulsory O
waiting O
period O
then O
go O
to O
a O
register O
office O
or O
other O
authorised O
place O
. O

There O
they O
sign O
an O
official O
civil O
partnership O
document O
in O
front O
of O
a O
registrar O
and O
two O
witnesses O
. O
The O
ceremony O
is O
much O
like O
a O
civil O
wedding O
although O
the O
term O
" O
gay O
marriage O
" O
has O
no O
legal O
force O
and O
same O
- O
sex O
ceremonies O
are O
not O
allowed O
in O
church O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0044 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

APEC O
ministers O
endorse O
Hanoi O
Action O
Plan O
for O
free O
trade O
, O
Investment O

Miniters O
and O
representatives O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
here O
Thursday B-T
endorsed O
the O
Hanoi O
Action O
Plan O
for O
further O
free O
and O
open O
trade O
and O
investment O
. O

The O
plan O
was O
endorsed O
at O
the O
two O
- O
day O
ministerial O
meeting O
closed O
here O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
at O
the O
newly O
built O
Hanoi O
National O
Convention O
Center O
, O
announced O
the O
cochairman O
of O
the O
meeting O
, O
Vietnamese O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
Foreign O
Minister O
Pham O
Gia O
Khiem O
at O
a O
news O
briefing O
after O
the O
meeting O
. O

The O
document O
, O
initiated O
by O
APEC O
senior O
officials O
, O
together O
with O
others O
, O
will O
submit O
for O
approval O
to O
the O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
to O
be O
held O
here O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
. O

The O
ministers O
and O
representatives O
at O
the O
meeting O
reaffirmed O
APEC O
' O
s O
commitment O
to O
achieve O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
in O
2010 B-T
/ I-T
2020 I-T
and O
recognized O
that O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
remain O
important O
for O
APEC O
today B-T
' O
s O
fast O
changing O
trade O
and O
investment O
environment O
. O

They O
endorsed O
the O
Hanoi O
Action O
Plan O
to O
implement O
the O
Busan O
Roadmap O
, O
which O
was O
agreed O
in O
2005 B-T
to O
accelerate O
progress O
towards O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
. O

Under O
the O
Plan O
, O
member O
economies O
of O
APEC O
will O
take O
concrete O
actions O
in O
five O
key O
areas O
, O
in O
particular O
, O
the O
support O
for O
the O
multilateral O
trading O
system O
and O
the O
promotion O
of O
high O
- O
quality O
regional O
trade O
arrangements O
and O
free O
trade O
agreements O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0147 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
lead O
: O
Earthquake O
shakes O
Turkey O
' O
s O
Malatya O
province O

An O
earthquake O
with O
a O
magnitude O
of O
5 O
. O
3 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
shook O
Turkey O
' O
s O
central O
province O
of O
Malatya O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

No O
casualty O
was O
reported O
. O

Semi O
- O
official O
Anatolia O
News O
Agency O
quoted O
officials O
of O
an O
observatory O
center O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
quake O
occurred O
at O
17 B-T
: I-T
56 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
1556 O
GMT O
) O
and O
that O
the O
epicenter O
of O
the O
quake O
was O
at O
the O
Poturge O
town O
of O
Malatya O
. O

Malatya O
Governor O
Osman O
Derya O
Kadioglu O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
that O
there O
were O
no O
reports O
of O
any O
casualties O
or O
damage O
after O
the O
quake O
which O
was O
felt O
in O
Malatya O
and O
surrounding O
provinces O
. O

Earthquakes O
are O
frequent O
in O
Turkey O
. O
A O
strong O
quake O
hit O
western O
Turkey O
in O
1999 B-T
, O
leaving O
more O
than O
18 O
, O
000 O
people O
dead O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0432 O

SHENYANG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
Colliery O
flood O
traps O
8 O
in O
northeast O
China O

Eight O
people O
were O
trapped O
when O
a O
colliery O
was O
flooded O
in O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Liaoning O
Province O
, O
the O
local O
government O
confirmed O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
accident O
was O
reported O
at O
the O
Dahenan O
Colliery O
in O
Huazi O
Township O
in O
Dengta O
, O
a O
city O
about O
50 O
kilometers O
south O
of O
the O
provincial O
capital O
Shenyang O
. O

A O
spokesman O
of O
the O
provincial O
work O
safety O
administration O
said O
reports O
of O
the O
flood O
were O
received O
at O
11 B-T
: I-T
30 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
and O
it O
was O
not O
clear O
whether O
the O
victims O
were O
still O
alive O
. O

He O
did O
not O
give O
the O
exact O
time O
of O
the O
accident O
. O

Rescue O
work O
is O
underway O
and O
a O
team O
of O
reporters O
from O
Xinhua O
' O
s O
Liaoning O
provincial O
bureau O
are O
on O
their O
way O
to O
the O
site O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0089 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0089 O
. O

Financing O
Business O
: O

@ O
Healthdyne O
Inc O
. O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

HDYN O

STOCK O
MARKET O
, O
OFFERINGS O
( O
STK O
) O

INITIAL O
STOCK O
OFFERINGS O
( O
INI O
) O

HEALTHDYNE O
Inc O
. O
, O
Atlanta O
, O
said O
its O
subsidiary O
, O
Home O
Nutritional O
Services O
Inc O
. O
, O
registered O
with O
the O
Securities O
and O
Exchange O
Commission O
an O
initial O
public O
offering O
of O
four O
million O
shares O
of O
common O
. O

The O
in O
- O
home O
health O
care O
services O
provider O
said O
it O
will O
sell O
1 O
. O
8 O
million O
of O
the O
new O
shares O
, O
while O
Home O
Nutritional O
Services O
will O
sell O
the O
remaining O
2 O
. O
2 O
million O
. O

The O
company O
estimates O
the O
offering O
price O
at O
between O
$ O
14 O
and O
$ O
16 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
company O
said O
it O
expects O
to O
use O
the O
proceeds O
to O
repay O
certain O
bank O
debt O
and O
for O
general O
corporate O
purposes O
, O
including O
establishing O
new O
operating O
centers O
and O
possible O
acquisitions O
. O

Home O
Nutritional O
currently B-T
has O
10 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

It O
will O
have O
11 O
. O
8 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
after O
the O
offering O
, O
with O
Healthdyne O
owning O
about O
65 O
% O
of O
the O
total O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0301 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
, O
India O
boost O
Africa O
' O
s O
growth O
: O
World O
Bank O

Africa O
is O
reaping O
the O
fruits O
of O
a O
new O
" O
Silk O
Road O
" O
to O
the O
fast O
- O
growing O
Asian O
economies O
, O
notably O
through O
a O
sharp O
rise O
in O
trade O
and O
investments O
by O
China O
and O
India O
, O
a O
new O
study O
by O
the O
World O
Bank O
has O
found O
. O

According O
to O
the O
study O
, O
" O
Africa O
' O
s O
Silk O
Road O
: O
China O
and O
India O
' O
s O
New O
Economic O
Frontier O
, O
" O
27 O
percent O
of O
African O
exports O
are O
sold O
in O
Asia O
, O
up O
from O
14 O
percent O
in O
2000 B-T
or O
three O
times O
the O
amount O
in O
1990 B-T
. O

Europe O
, O
Africa O
' O
s O
leading O
trade O
partner O
since O
the O
early O
independence O
days O
, O
has O
lost O
ground O
with O
a O
50 O
percent O
fall O
between O
2000 B-T
and O
2005 B-T
in O
the O
share O
of O
African O
exports O
to O
European O
Union O
members O
, O
said O
a O
report O
of O
the O
study O
released O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Approximately O
47 O
percent O
of O
Africa O
' O
s O
exports O
to O
Asia O
comprise O
oil O
and O
natural O
gas O
, O
which O
represent O
12 O
percent O
of O
Africa O
' O
s O
overall O
exports O
to O
the O
world O
. O
The O
leading O
non O
- O
oil O
mineral O
and O
metal O
products O
include O
gold O
, O
silver O
, O
platinum O
, O
iron O
, O
aluminum O
, O
iron O
ore O
, O
copper O
, O
and O
pearls O
. O

The O
study O
finds O
that O
existing O
Chinese O
and O
Indian O
investment O
in O
Africa O
is O
concentrated O
on O
raw O
materials O
, O
notably O
in O
the O
mining O
and O
oil O
sectors O
. O

However O
, O
the O
two O
Asian O
countries O
" O
are O
fast O
diversifying O
outside O
the O
natural O
resources O
sector O
into O
the O
apparel O
, O
food O
processing O
, O
retail O
, O
fisheries O
, O
commercial O
real O
estate O
, O
labor O
- O
intensive O
light O
manufacturing O
and O
the O
services O
sector O
in O
ways O
that O
could O
help O
Africa O
move O
away O
from O
over O
- O
reliance O
on O
a O
few O
export O
commodities O
which O
has O
left O
the O
continent O
so O
vulnerable O
to O
economic O
shocks O
, O
" O
said O
the O
report O
. O

China O
and O
India O
' O
s O
foreign O
direct O
investments O
in O
Africa O
, O
although O
more O
modest O
than O
trade O
flows O
, O
are O
also O
growing O
very O
rapidly O
, O
the O
" O
Silk O
Road O
" O
study O
reveals O
, O
drawing O
parallels O
with O
the O
Silk O
Road O
used O
by O
traders O
from O
100 O
B O
. O
C O
. O

" O
This O
new O
Silk O
Road O
presents O
a O
significant O
, O
and O
to O
date O
, O
rare O
opportunity O
to O
accelerate O
Africa O
' O
s O
growth O
, O
expand O
intra O
- O
African O
trade O
and O
hasten O
the O
continent O
' O
s O
integration O
into O
the O
global O
economy O
, O
" O
said O
Harry O
Broadman O
, O
World O
Bank O
' O
s O
economic O
advisor O
in O
the O
African O
region O
and O
the O
author O
of O
the O
study O

The O
study O
finds O
that O
in O
both O
Africa O
and O
Asia O
there O
are O
strong O
complementary O
relationships O
between O
foreign O
direct O
investment O
( O
FDI O
) O
and O
trade O
. O

" O
Chinese O
and O
Indian O
firms O
operating O
in O
Africa O
have O
been O
playing O
a O
significant O
role O
in O
facilitating O
these O
linkages O
between O
FDI O
and O
trade O
on O
the O
African O
continent O
, O
" O
said O
the O
report O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0189 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

process O

The O
Association O
of O
Muslim O
Scholars O
on O
Friday B-T
called O
on O
Sunni O
Arab O
politicians O
to O
withdraw O
from O
the O
government O
and O
parliament O
after O
the O
authorities O
issued O
an O
arrest O
warrant O
for O
the O
most O
prominent O
Sunni O
cleric O
, O
Harith O
al O
- O
Dhari O
. O

" O
A O
call O
on O
the O
political O
groups O
to O
withdraw O
from O
the O
parliament O
and O
the O
government O
, O
which O
it O
has O
proved O
that O
is O
not O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
, O
" O
the O
Association O
spokesman O
, O
Abul O
Salam O
al O
- O
Kubaisi O
, O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
The O
warrant O
was O
issued O
to O
cover O
the O
acts O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
security O
forces O
that O
kill O
dozens O
of O
Iraqis O
every O
day O
, O
" O
Kubaisi O
said O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
, O
Iraqi O
Interior O
Minister O
Jawad O
al O
- O
Bolani O
said O
that O
al O
- O
Dhari O
, O
was O
trying O
to O
" O
spread O
division O
and O
strife O
among O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
and O
will O
be O
chased O
by O
our O
security O
agencies O
. O
" O

The O
arrest O
warrant O
was O
issued O
days O
after O
al O
- O
Dhari O
was O
accused O
by O
Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
Al O
- O
Maliki O
of O
" O
inciting O
sectarian O
and O
ethnic O
sedition O
. O
" O

Dhari O
, O
65 O
, O
who O
is O
safe O
from O
arrest O
in O
neighboring O
Jordan O
, O
reported O
the O
pan O
Arab O
al O
- O
Jazeera O
television O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
adding O
that O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
is O
" O
provoking O
crises O
" O
with O
him O
to O
cover O
its O
failure O
in O
facing O
up O
the O
militias O
loyal O
to O
government O
Shiite O
political O
parties O
. O

Dhari O
, O
the O
secretary O
general O
of O
the O
Association O
of O
Muslim O
Scholars O
, O
described O
the O
arrest O
warrant O
of O
the O
Shiite O
- O
dominated O
government O
as O
" O
illegal O
" O
and O
that O
he O
would O
return O
to O
Iraq O
at O
the O
appropriate O
time O
. O

However O
, O
government O
spokesman O
Ali O
al O
- O
Dabbagh O
said O
in O
the O
day O
that O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
has O
not O
ordered O
an O
arrest O
warrant O
for O
Dhari O
, O
but O
it O
was O
only O
to O
open O
a O
criminal O
investigation O
into O
his O
activities O
. O

" O
There O
is O
an O
investigation O
warrant O
related O
to O
the O
activities O
of O
Sheikh O
Dhari O
and O
they O
are O
not O
final O
, O
" O
Dabbagh O
told O
state O
- O
run O
Iraqia O
television O
. O

" O
Iraqi O
government O
issued O
an O
arrest O
warrant O
is O
not O
accurate O
. O
We O
confirm O
that O
this O
news O
were O
out O
of O
context O
, O
" O
Dabbagh O
said O
. O

Al O
- O
Dhari O
is O
the O
top O
leader O
for O
Iraq O
' O
s O
Sunni O
minority O
and O
reportedly O
is O
an O
outspoken O
critic O
of O
Al O
- O
Maliki O
' O
s O
Shiite O
- O
dominated O
government O
. O

He O
often O
travels O
abroad O
and O
it O
is O
not O
clear O
whether O
he O
is O
in O
the O
country O
when O
the O
arrest O
warrant O
was O
issued O
late B-T
Thursday I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0240 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

costs O
: O
report O

U O
. O
S O
. O
federal O
regulators O
will O
unveil O
" O
significant O
changes O
" O
in O
the O
coming B-T
weeks I-T
to O
make O
it O
less O
costly O
for O
companies O
to O
obey O
rules O
aimed O
at O
ensuring O
the O
accuracy O
of O
their O
financial O
reports O
, O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Regulators O
" O
will O
unveil O
significant O
changes O
" O
aimed O
at O
ensuring O
internal O
- O
control O
audits O
are O
" O
top O
down O
, O
risk O
- O
based O
and O
focused O
on O
what O
truly O
matters O
" O
in O
ensuring O
the O
accuracy O
of O
corporate O
financial O
results O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Securities O
and O
Exchange O
Commission O
( O
SEC O
) O
Chairman O
Christopher O
Cox O
. O

The O
changes O
apply O
to O
a O
provision O
of O
the O
Sarbanes O
- O
Oxley O
corporate O
- O
reform O
law O
known O
as O
Section O
404 O
, O
which O
requires O
companies O
to O
review O
their O
internal O
controls O
on O
financial O
reporting O
and O
then O
to O
have O
those O
controls O
tested O
by O
outside O
auditors O
. O

Business O
groups O
have O
pressed O
the O
SEC O
and O
Congress O
for O
such O
changes O
, O
complaining O
that O
the O
way O
Section O
404 O
is O
interpreted O
is O
overly O
broad O
and O
requires O
them O
to O
spend O
too O
much O
time O
and O
money O
, O
documenting O
things O
that O
have O
nothing O
to O
do O
with O
the O
integrity O
of O
their O
financial O
statements O
. O

Critics O
also O
said O
that O
Section O
404 O
is O
partly O
responsible O
for O
discouraging O
foreign O
companies O
from O
listing O
their O
shares O
on O
U O
. O
S O
. O
exchanges O
. O

Speaking O
before O
the O
International O
Organization O
of O
Securities O
Commissioners O
in O
London O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
Cox O
said O
that O
the O
changes O
" O
will O
provide O
guidance O
for O
both O
companies O
and O
their O
auditors O
to O
permit O
common O
- O
sense O
reliance O
on O
past O
work O
, O
and O
on O
the O
work O
of O
others O
. O
" O

The O
goal O
is O
to O
reduce O
the O
compliance O
costs O
, O
while O
increasing O
the O
benefits O
provided O
by O
the O
annual O
reviews O
, O
he O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0329 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

9th O
day O
in O
France O

Two O
warehouses O
in O
Seine O
- O
Saint O
- O
Denis O
, O
two O
other O
buildings O
in O
the O
suburb O
of O
Val O
d O
' O
Oise O
, O
and O
over O
120 O
vehicles O
nationwide O
were O
set O
ablaze O
in O
France O
as O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
worst O
unrest O
in O
decades O
dragged O
into O
the O
ninth O
day O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Firemen O
rushed O
to O
Val O
d O
' O
Oise O
to O
extinguish O
blazes O
on O
more O
than O
ten O
cars O
and O
two O
buildings O
, O
while O
flames O
flared O
up O
Friday B-T
in O
several O
other O
locations O
despite O
heavy O
police O
deployment O
. O

At O
least O
78 O
people O
have O
been O
captured O
overnight O
on O
Thursday B-T
around O
the O
suburban O
regions O
of O
Paris O
, O
the O
French O
National O
Police O
General O
Direction O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Days O
of O
arson O
attacks O
also O
put O
the O
authorities O
on O
fire O
. O
The O
French O
Communist O
Party O
on O
Friday B-T
urged O
Interior O
Minister O
Nicolas O
Sarkozy O
to O
step O
down O
, O
saying O
his O
policy O
is O
" O
a O
total O
failure O
. O
" O

" O
The O
interior O
minister O
' O
s O
policy O
, O
recycling O
ideas O
of O
the O
far O
- O
right O
is O
more O
than O
a O
total O
failure O
: O
it O
stirs O
all O
the O
tensions O
and O
generates O
the O
results O
strictly O
contrary O
to O
what O
it O
pretends O
to O
obtain O
, O
" O
the O
party O
said O
. O

The O
party O
also O
called O
on O
the O
French O
government O
to O
recognize O
its O
failure O
in O
public O
and O
decide O
a O
radical O
change O
of O
its O
public O
security O
policy O
. O

While O
determined O
to O
restore O
order O
and O
justice O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Dominique O
de O
Villepin O
has O
acknowledged O
that O
people O
living O
in O
high O
- O
immigrant O
areas O
need O
security O
, O
recognition O
, O
hope O
, O
respect O
and O
future O
, O
promising O
further O
help O
with O
the O
youths O
in O
those O
areas O
in O
seeking O
jobs O
. O

The O
government O
has O
also O
presented O
an O
initial O
report O
on O
an O
investigation O
into O
the O
deaths O
of O
the O
two O
teenagers O
, O
identified O
respectively O
as O
Bouna O
Traore O
, O
15 O
, O
born O
in O
Mauritania O
, O
and O
Zyed O
Benna O
, O
17 O
, O
of O
Tunisian O
origin O
. O

Violence O
was O
sparkled O
by O
the O
accidental O
deaths O
of O
the O
two O
teenagers O
last B-T
week I-T
in O
Seine O
- O
Saint O
- O
Denis O
in O
northeast O
Paris O
, O
an O
area O
which O
is O
home O
to O
many O
poor O
Muslim O
immigrants O
from O
North O
Africa O
. O

The O
two O
victims O
scaled O
the O
wall O
of O
an O
electrical O
relay O
station O
to O
flee O
a O
police O
identity O
check O
and O
were O
electrocuted O
near O
a O
transformer O
. O

Young O
people O
in O
the O
suburban O
areas O
went O
on O
a O
rampage O
at O
the O
two O
deaths O
, O
while O
some O
others O
from O
the O
high O
- O
immigration O
neighborhoods O
joined O
in O
, O
protesting O
unemployment O
and O
other O
problems O
. O

Riots O
first O
began O
in O
Seine O
- O
Saint O
- O
Denis O
, O
and O
have O
spread O
to O
areas O
surrounding O
Paris O
before O
flaring O
up O
also O
in O
Marseille O
, O
Dijon O
and O
in O
Normandy O
- O
- O
and O
even O
in O
central O
parts O
of O
the O
capital O
itself O
. O

Heavy O
police O
deployment O
has O
seemed O
to O
be O
doing O
little O
help O
in O
quenching O
out O
the O
flames O
. O
Some O
1 O
, O
300 O
police O
officers O
have O
been O
sent O
to O
Seine O
- O
Saint O
- O
Denis O
, O
the O
place O
worst O
hit O
by O
the O
violence O
. O

According O
to O
police O
estimates O
, O
over O
1 O
, O
260 O
vehicles O
have O
so O
far O
been O
torched O
and O
more O
than O
200 O
people O
arrested O
amid O
fears O
that O
the O
country O
' O
s O
racial O
and O
social O
divisions O
were O
fueling O
the O
violence O
, O
the O
worst O
seen O
since O
a O
1968 O
student O
revolt O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0277 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Merkel O
pledges O
to O
meet O
eurozone O
budget O
deficit O
rule O
by O
2007 O

German O
chancellor O
- O
designate O
Angela O
Merkel O
pledged O
here O
Thursday B-T
to O
bring O
Germany O
' O
s O
budget O
deficit O
down O
by O
2007 O
to O
meet O
the O
3 O
- O
percent O
rule O
that O
the O
European O
Union O
stipulated O
for O
the O
12 O
- O
nation O
euro O
- O
zone O
. O

" O
It O
is O
not O
just O
meeting O
the O
. O
. O
. O
criteria O
- O
this O
is O
a O
question O
of O
justice O
for O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
" O
said O
Merkel O
in O
a O
speech O
to O
business O
leaders O
. O

Germany O
has O
violated O
the O
3 O
percent O
of O
gross O
domestic O
product O
( O
GDP O
) O
euro O
- O
zone O
budget O
deficit O
rule O
for O
a B-T
fourth I-T
year I-T
in O
a O
row O
in O
2005 B-T
and O
many O
experts O
expect O
further O
violation O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

Merkel O
said O
her O
government O
would O
make O
35 O
billion O
euros O
( O
42 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
of O
spending O
cuts O
in O
the O
coming B-T
months I-T
, O
but O
adding O
the O
need O
to O
reach O
the O
goal O
" O
rests O
on O
assumptions O
for O
which O
we O
have O
to O
do O
something O
first O
" O
and O
" O
rests O
on O
the O
assumption O
that O
we O
will O
have O
1 O
. O
8 O
percent O
growth O
and O
the O
hope O
that O
we O
will O
end O
the O
spiral O
of O
losing O
1 O
, O
000 O
full O
- O
time O
jobs O
per O
day O
" O
. O

Merkel O
' O
s O
Christian O
Democratic O
Union O
( O
CDU O
) O
/ O
CSU O
alliance O
and O
outgoing O
Chancellor O
Gerhard O
Schroeder O
' O
s O
Social O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
SPD O
) O
are O
negotiating O
on O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
grand O
coalition O
government O
with O
Merkel O
as O
the O
next O
chancellor O
. O
A O
new O
government O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
in O
place O
later O
this B-T
month I-T
. O

The O
German O
government O
said O
last B-T
month I-T
that O
Germany O
' O
s O
GDP O
will O
grow O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
less O
than O
the O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
it O
predicted O
in O
its O
last O
official O
forecast O
in O
April B-T
. O
It O
also O
lowered O
its O
projection O
for O
growth O
this B-T
year I-T
to O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
from O
1 O
percent O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0302 O

NICOSIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cyprus O
expresses O
deep O
concern O
over O
increasing O
violence O
in O
Gaza O

The O
Cypriot O
government O
expressed O
its O
deep O
concern O
on O
Thursday B-T
over O
the O
increasing O
violence O
in O
Gaza O
Strip O
after O
the O
killing O
of O
more O
than O
60 O
Palestinians O
by O
Israeli O
troops O
. O

" O
The O
Government O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
is O
deeply O
concerned O
with O
the O
increased O
violence O
in O
Gaza O
, O
" O
the O
Cypriot O
Foreign O
Ministry O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
indiscriminate O
Israeli O
military O
strike O
on O
civilian O
targets O
which O
resulted O
in O
the O
loss O
of O
several O
lives O
including O
women O
and O
children O
is O
against O
international O
humanitarian O
law O
and O
cannot O
be O
justified O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
added O
. O

The O
Cypriot O
government O
called O
on O
both O
parties O
to O
refrain O
and O
adopt O
a O
spirit O
of O
moderation O
and O
responsibility O
, O
underlining O
that O
violence O
would O
further O
impede O
the O
efforts O
over O
restarting O
the O
peace O
process O
. O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
Israel O
launched O
a O
large O
- O
scale O
military O
operation O
, O
dubbed O
" O
Autumn O
Clouds O
" O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
with O
the O
aim O
of O
stemming O
rocket O
attacks O
on O
southern O
Israel O
from O
the O
Palestinian O
side O
. O
More O
than O
60 O
Palestinians O
were O
killed O
and O
more O
than O
250 O
others O
wounded O
during O
the O
Israeli O
operation O
. O

Only O
one B-T
day I-T
after O
Israel O
announced O
the O
end O
of O
the O
operation O
, O
the O
Israeli O
tank O
shells O
struck O
houses O
in O
the O
northern O
Gaza O
town O
of O
Beit O
Hanoun O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
killing O
at O
least O
18 O
civilians O
and O
wounding O
dozens O
of O
others O
. O

The O
attack O
was O
the O
deadliest O
on O
Palestinian O
civilians O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
several I-T
years I-T
, O
prompting O
a O
wave O
of O
strong O
censure O
across O
the O
Arab O
world O
and O
the O
international O
community O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0150 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Schwarzenegger O
says O
US O
will O
benefit O
from O
China O
' O
s O
progress O

Governor O
of O
the O
US O
state O
of O
California O
Arnold O
Schwarzenegger O
said O
here O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
United O
States O
and O
the O
world O
will O
benefit O
from O
China O
' O
s O
progress O
and O
scientific O
and O
technological O
advances O
. O

Schwarzenegger O
said O
in O
a O
speech O
at O
prestigious O
Tsinghua O
University O
in O
Beijing O
that O
China O
' O
s O
economy O
has O
become O
an O
engine O
of O
human O
progress O
, O
lifting O
millions O
of O
people O
out O
of O
poverty O
. O

" O
I O
often O
read O
that O
China O
' O
s O
economy O
is O
likely O
to O
become O
the O
largest O
in O
the O
world O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
Schwarzenegger O
said O
, O
noting O
that O
this O
is O
terrific O
. O

Some O
in O
his O
country O
fear O
that O
China O
' O
s O
development O
will O
overtake O
the O
Unites O
States O
' O
development O
, O
he O
said O
. O
" O
But O
I O
believe O
the O
United O
States O
and O
the O
world O
will O
benefit O
from O
China O
' O
s O
scientific O
and O
technological O
advances O
, O
" O
he O
noted O
, O
saying O
the O
US O
- O
China O
economic O
relations O
will O
become O
even O
closer O
in O
the B-T
years I-T
ahead I-T
. O

" O
We O
should O
welcome O
China O
' O
s O
investment O
in O
US O
firms O
. O
" O
That O
would O
show O
that O
China O
has O
faith O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
Austrian O
- O
born O
actor O
- O
turned O
- O
politician O
, O
who O
is O
very O
familiar O
to O
Chinese O
audiences O
as O
a O
movie O
hero O
, O
also O
educated O
Tsinghua O
students O
on O
the O
importance O
of O
seizing O
dreams O
. O
He O
used O
his O
own O
experiences O
, O
from O
bodybuilding O
to O
movie O
star O
to O
governor O
of O
one O
of O
the O
most O
important O
US O
states O
, O
to O
tell O
Chinese O
youth O
to O
make O
unswerving O
efforts O
to O
achieve O
their O
dreams O
. O

Wu O
Xiao O
' O
ai O
from O
the O
university O
' O
s O
medical O
school O
told O
Xinhua O
after O
the O
speech O
that O
Schwarzenegger O
' O
s O
life O
experiences O
were O
very O
" O
admiring O
" O
and O
his O
speech O
today B-T
was O
very O
" O
encouraging O
" O
. O

Schwarzenegger O
also O
voiced O
concerns O
for O
Tsinghua O
student O
Zhou O
Guang O
' O
s O
brother O
, O
who O
was O
injured O
in O
a O
car O
crash O
and O
is O
very O
depressed O
. O
Zhou O
said O
his O
brother O
is O
a O
fan O
of O
Schwarzenegger O
, O
hoping O
that O
Schwarzenegger O
would O
write O
some O
words O
for O
his O
brother O
to O
encourage O
him O
to O
regain O
faith O
. O

Schwarzenegger O
said O
immediately O
after O
hearing O
Zhou O
' O
s O
request O
that O
he O
would O
like O
to O
phone O
Zhou O
' O
s O
brother O
to O
express O
his O
concerns O
. O

When O
learning O
that O
it O
is O
not O
convenient O
to O
conduct O
a O
phone O
talks O
with O
Zhou O
' O
s O
brother O
, O
the O
governor O
' O
s O
assistant O
delivered O
Schwarzenegger O
' O
s O
name O
card O
to O
Zhou O
, O
and O
Schwarzenegger O
said O
he O
will O
send O
Zhou O
a O
card O
to O
encourage O
Zhou O
' O
s O
brother O
before O
leaving O
China O
. O

Schwarzenegger O
and O
his O
economic O
and O
trade O
delegation O
will O
leave O
here O
Wednesday B-T
evening I-T
for O
Shanghai O
, O
China O
' O
s O
economic O
hub O
in O
east O
China O
, O
to O
continue O
their O
China O
trip O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0647 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

contracts O

The O
death O
of O
Turkmenistan O
' O
s O
authoritarian O
leader O
Saparmurat O
Niyazov O
left O
wild O
speculations O
over O
his O
possible O
successor O
and O
fears O
that O
Russia O
might O
lose O
exclusive O
gas O
exploitation O
contracts O
, O
Russian O
media O
wrote O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
His O
death O
launched O
a O
vicious O
fight O
for O
power O
in O
Turkmenistan O
and O
, O
what O
is O
more O
important O
, O
a O
new O
stage O
of O
struggles O
between O
Russia O
, O
China O
, O
the O
European O
Union O
and O
other O
interested O
parties O
for O
Turkmen O
gas O
, O
" O
the O
Kommersant O
daily O
wrote O
. O

Succession O
forecasts O
were O
hazy O
at O
best O
, O
with O
Niyazov O
- O
- O
known O
as O
Turkmenbashi O
, O
or O
Leader O
of O
all O
Turkmens O
, O
and O
self O
- O
proclaimed O
president O
for O
life O
- O
- O
having O
stamped O
out O
not O
only O
opposition O
but O
every O
possible O
rival O
to O
his O
authority O
, O
newspapers O
noted O
in O
unison O
. O

However O
, O
Gurbanguly O
Berdymukhammedov O
, O
appointed O
acting O
president O
Thursday B-T
, O
was O
a O
likely O
pretender O
, O
the O
Izvestia O
daily O
pointed O
out O
, O
adding O
that O
" O
he O
was O
considered O
an O
eminence O
grise O
in O
the O
country O
, O
and O
Turkmenbashi O
, O
normally O
quick O
to O
anger O
, O
treated O
him O
with O
care O
. O
" O

Turkmenistan O
' O
s O
constitution O
bars O
an O
interim O
president O
from O
nominating O
himself O
for O
the O
top O
post O
, O
but O
" O
this O
norm O
can O
be O
overlooked O
if O
necessary O
. O
" O

Chief O
of O
Niyazov O
' O
s O
presidential O
guard O
, O
Akmurad O
Redjepov O
, O
was O
another O
possible O
candidate O
, O
as O
" O
he O
enjoyed O
Niyazov O
' O
s O
special O
trust O
and O
support O
, O
" O
Izvestia O
wrote O
. O

Niyazov O
' O
s O
own O
son O
Murad O
, O
currently O
a O
businessman O
living O
in O
Austria O
, O
had O
neither O
, O
but O
" O
experts O
say O
Murad O
not O
only O
knows O
the O
political O
elite O
very O
well O
, O
but O
also O
made O
contacts O
with O
the O
opposition O
leaders O
, O
" O
the O
daily O
said O
. O

" O
As O
we O
are O
talking O
about O
a O
typical O
Eastern O
despotic O
system O
, O
it O
would O
be O
wrong O
to O
absolutely O
discard O
the O
possibility O
of O
family O
succession O
to O
the O
throne O
, O
" O
the O
Vremya O
Novostei O
daily O
echoed O
. O

However O
, O
Moscow O
' O
s O
particular O
concern O
lay O
with O
the O
lucrative O
gas O
contracts O
granted O
Russia O
' O
s O
gas O
giant O
Gazprom O
by O
Niyazov O
, O
and O
which O
could O
now O
be O
threatened O
, O
Russian O
media O
warned O
. O

Russia O
was O
willing O
to O
overlook O
the O
many O
faults O
of O
Niyazov O
' O
s O
regime O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
Turkmen O
gas O
, O
turning O
a O
blind O
eye O
" O
to O
the O
build O
- O
up O
of O
a O
Stalin O
- O
like O
regime O
combined O
with O
a O
Saddam O
- O
kind O
of O
an O
Eastern O
despotism O
, O
" O
even O
up O
to O
ignoring O
the O
plight O
of O
Turkmenistan O
' O
s O
ethnic O
Russians O
, O
the O
state O
Rossiyskaya O
Gazeta O
wrote O
. O

" O
The O
reason O
for O
our O
diplomats O
' O
melancholic O
aloofness O
is O
not O
hard O
to O
understand O
- O
- O
Russia O
' O
s O
gas O
interests O
made O
us O
tolerate O
both O
Turkmenbashi O
and O
his O
dictatorship O
. O
Much O
the O
same O
as O
the O
United O
States O
tolerated O
Nicaragua O
' O
s O
dictator O
Somosa O
, O
who O
allowed O
the O
United O
Fruit O
Company O
a O
most O
comfortable O
existence O
, O
" O
the O
daily O
wrote O
. O

Niyazov O
in O
his O
turn O
pledged O
to O
treat O
Russia O
as O
a O
preferential O
partner O
, O
even O
while O
raising O
gas O
prices O
up O
to O
100 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
meters O
, O
Kommersant O
recalled O
. O

However O
, O
now B-T
the O
price O
was O
likely O
to O
stay O
the O
same O
, O
while O
" O
political O
pledges O
to O
stay O
loyal O
to O
Russia O
and O
not O
to O
participate O
in O
various O
other O
pipeline O
projects O
and O
transit O
to O
the O
EU O
are O
gone O
with O
Turkmenbashi O
, O
" O
the O
daily O
warned O
. O

Moreover O
, O
Niyazov O
' O
s O
death O
could O
seriously O
destabilise O
the O
country O
, O
analysts O
noted O
. O

" O
All O
this O
region O
is O
basically O
the O
region O
of O
collapsing O
states O
, O
which O
are O
very O
weak O
and O
unstable O
. O
Russia O
and O
other O
countries O
would O
have O
to O
try O
to O
fill O
the O
security O
vacuum O
so O
that O
the O
region O
would O
not O
explode O
and O
become O
another O
sore O
, O
" O
Sergei O
Karaganov O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
foreign O
and O
defense O
policy O
council O
, O
said O
as O
quoted O
by O
Izvestia O
. O

" O
A O
dictator O
' O
s O
death O
is O
always O
a O
trial O
for O
his O
people O
. O
Sometimes O
a O
worse O
trial O
than O
his O
life O
had O
been O
, O
" O
Rossiyskaya O
Gazeta O
quipped O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0667 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
holds O
tete O
- O
a O
- O
tete O
with O
North O
Korea O
by O
Carole O
Landry O

US O
officials O
, O
still O
hoping O
to O
bring O
North O
Korea O
to O
the O
peace O
table O
, O
held O
a O
meeting O
with O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
envoys O
in O
New O
York O
Tuesday O
to O
keep O
discussions O
on O
the O
proposal O
afloat O
. O

The O
State O
Department O
said O
the O
meeting O
in O
New O
York O
touched O
on O
joint O
efforts O
to O
account O
for O
the O
remains O
of O
Americans O
missing O
from O
the O
Korean O
war O
, O
missile O
nonproliferation O
and O
the O
establishment O
of O
liaison O
offices O
. O

But O
the O
decision O
to O
hold O
the O
meeting O
marked O
a O
surprising O
twist O
as O
US O
officials O
had O
insisted O
bilateral O
talks O
would O
be O
scheduled O
only O
once O
Pyongyang O
had O
given O
its O
response O
to O
proposed O
peace O
negotiations O
. O

Senior O
US O
and O
South O
Korean O
envoys O
left O
New O
York O
Monday B-T
after O
waiting O
six B-T
days I-T
for O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
emissaries O
to O
deliver O
a O
response O
to O
a O
proposal O
to O
begin O
talks O
on O
a O
peace O
treaty O
to O
replace O
the O
1953 O
armistice O
agreement O
. O

US O
officials O
maintained O
that O
it O
was O
not O
seeking O
to O
sideline O
South O
Korea O
from O
the O
talks O
that O
have O
stalled O
over O
North O
Korean O
demands O
for O
more O
food O
aid O
. O

" O
We O
never O
negotiate O
this O
issue O
without O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
, O
" O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Nicholas O
Burns O
said O
. O

Under O
the O
proposal O
made O
one B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
by O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
and O
his O
South O
Korean O
counterpart O
Kim O
Young O
- O
Sam O
, O
the O
two O
Koreas O
would O
enter O
into O
negotiations O
on O
a O
peace O
treaty O
with O
the O
United O
States O
and O
China O
acting O
as O
guarantors O
. O

The O
State O
Department O
insisted O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
peace O
offer O
remained O
on O
the O
table O
and O
said O
US O
officials O
will O
remain O
in O
New O
York O
to O
continue O
discussions O
. O

" O
The O
ball O
is O
in O
their O
court O
and O
the O
ball O
will O
remain O
there O
until O
they O
tell O
us O
otherwise O
, O
" O
Burns O
said O
. O

The O
bilateral O
meeting O
was O
meant O
to O
prepare O
talks O
scheduled O
for O
May B-T
12 I-T
to O
discuss O
US O
claims O
that O
North O
Korea O
is O
exporting O
missile O
technology O
to O
Syria O
and O
Iran O
. O

The O
United O
States O
and O
North O
Korea O
also O
discussed O
" O
technical O
problems O
" O
in O
the O
way O
of O
opening O
up O
liaison O
offices O
in O
each O
other O
' O
s O
capitals O
, O
Burns O
said O
. O

US O
and O
South O
Korean O
officials O
also O
held O
informal O
contacts O
with O
the O
North O
Koreans O
to O
discuss O
the O
proposed O
peace O
negotiations O
. O

Burns O
said O
the O
North O
Koreans O
continue O
to O
make O
appeals O
for O
food O
aid O
but O
he O
reiterated O
the O
US O
view O
that O
the O
humanitarian O
assistance O
should O
not O
be O
a O
condition O
for O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
acceptance O
of O
the O
offer O
. O

He O
argued O
that O
North O
Korea O
was O
in O
need O
of O
urgent O
assistance O
, O
asking O
rhetorically O
: O
" O
Why O
would O
we O
want O
to O
link O
food O
aid O
to O
talks O
that O
are O
moving O
at O
the O
speed O
of O
molasses O
? O
" O
. O

North O
Korea O
' O
s O
food O
crisis O
will O
be O
a O
key O
topic O
at O
a O
meeting O
here O
Friday B-T
between O
Clinton O
and O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Ryutaro O
Hashimoto O
at O
the O
White O
House O
. O

Japan O
has O
refused O
to O
give O
food O
aid O
to O
North O
Korea O
, O
citing O
abductions O
of O
Japanese O
nationals O
in O
the B-T
1970s I-T
including O
a O
13 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
girl O
who O
went O
missing O
in O
1977 B-T
. O

The O
United O
States O
in O
February B-T
offered O
10 O
million O
dollars O
of O
aid O
and O
committed O
another O
15 O
million O
dollars O
last B-T
week I-T
in O
an O
apparent O
bid O
to O
induce O
North O
Korea O
to O
come O
to O
the O
table O
for O
peace O
talks O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
World O
Food O
Program O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
launched O
a O
new O
appeal O
for O
126 O
million O
dollars O
in O
assistance O
to O
North O
Korea O
, O
where O
UN O
officials O
have O
forecast O
famine O
by O
mid O
- O
year O
if O
there O
is O
no O
help O
. O

Severe O
floods O
wiped O
out O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
harvests O
in O
1995 B-T
and O
1996 B-T
, O
bringing O
food O
shortages O
stemming O
from O
the O
regime O
' O
s O
economic O
collapse O
close O
to O
starvation O
levels O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0689 O

MINSK O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Belarus O
political O
prisoner O
kept O
from O
father O
' O
s O
funeral O
: O
family O

A O
political O
prisoner O
convicted O
to O
two O
years O
in O
jail O
for O
" O
public O
insult O
" O
to O
Belarus O
' O
s O
iron O
- O
fisted O
leader O
Alexander O
Lukashenko O
was O
denied O
a O
requested O
one O
- O
day O
leave O
to O
attend O
his O
father O
' O
s O
funeral O
, O
his O
family O
said O
. O

Valery O
Levonevsky O
, O
leader O
of O
the O
entrepreneurs O
' O
strike O
committee O
, O
was O
only O
allowed O
to O
phone O
home O
to O
voice O
his O
condolences O
, O
his O
son O
Vladimir O
told O
AFP O
late O
Thursday B-T
, O
saying O
the O
jail O
administration O
justified O
their O
decision O
by O
" O
repeated O
violations O
of O
regime O
" O
by O
Levonevsky O
. O

" O
I O
understand O
that O
my O
father O
is O
in O
jail O
for O
political O
reasons O
, O
but O
this O
is O
inhuman O
- O
- O
not O
to O
let O
him O
attend O
his O
father O
' O
s O
funeral O
, O
" O
Vladimir O
said O
. O

According O
to O
lawyer O
Garry O
Pogonyailo O
, O
it O
is O
up O
to O
the O
jail O
' O
s O
administrators O
to O
grant O
a O
leave O
in O
case O
of O
exceptional O
circumstances O
, O
" O
and O
as O
practice O
shows O
, O
normally O
those O
criminals O
that O
are O
not O
dangerous O
are O
allowed O
to O
go O
to O
funerals O
. O
" O

" O
But O
since O
Levonevsky O
is O
a O
political O
prisoner O
, O
the O
attitude O
is O
very O
different O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Levonevsky O
was O
convicted O
last B-T
September I-T
on O
charge O
of O
insult O
to O
Lukashenko O
, O
which O
the O
court O
saw O
in O
a O
leaflet O
calling O
on O
Belarusians O
to O
" O
come O
and O
say O
if O
you O
are O
against O
somebody O
vacationing O
in O
Austria O
, O
skiing O
and O
living O
as O
he O
pleases O
on O
your O
money O
. O
" O

Lukashenko O
has O
earned O
stinging O
criticism O
from O
the O
West O
for O
suppressing O
liberties O
and O
cracking O
down O
on O
his O
political O
opponents O
during O
ten B-T
years I-T
at O
the O
helm O
of O
the O
former O
Soviet O
republic O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0094 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

By O
Huang O
Xingwei O

Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Rim O
ministers O
pledged O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
take O
concerted O
measures O
to O
facilitate O
free O
trade O
and O
combat O
avian O
influenza O
, O
terrorism O
and O
corruption O
. O

After O
wrapping O
up O
a O
two O
- O
day O
ministerial O
meeting O
, O
the O
ministers O
endorsed O
a O
joint O
statement O
, O
saying O
the O
6th O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
Ministerial O
Conference O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
next O
month O
would O
be O
a O
" O
critical O
step O
" O
in O
achieving O
the O
successful O
conclusion O
of O
the O
Doha O
Development O
Agenda O
( O
DDA O
) O
negotiations O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2006 I-T
with O
an O
ambitious O
and O
overall O
balanced O
outcome O
. O

The O
ministerial O
meeting O
was O
held O
prior O
to O
the O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
in O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
southeastern O
port O
city O
of O
Busan O
slated O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

APEC O
MINISTERS O
COMMITTED O
TO O
STRENGTHENING O
MULTILATERAL O
TRADING O
SYSTEM O

" O
Significant O
progress O
" O
must O
be O
made O
at O
Hong O
Kong O
conference O
in O
resolving O
considerable O
divergence O
, O
and O
a O
clear O
roadmap O
for O
completing O
the O
Doha O
Round O
in O
2006 B-T
must O
be O
established O
, O
" O
said O
the O
joint O
statement O
which O
will O
be O
submitted O
to O
the O
APEC O
economic O
leaders O
. O

The O
ministers O
recommended O
that O
their O
leaders O
adopt O
a O
stand O
- O
alone O
statement O
on O
the O
DDA O
negotiations O
that O
" O
provided O
strong O
political O
leadership O
and O
commitment O
necessary O
to O
produce O
a O
sound O
platform O
for O
successfully O
concluding O
the O
negotiations O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
" O
. O

The O
APEC O
ministers O
" O
reaffirmed O
their O
deep O
commitment O
to O
the O
multilateral O
trading O
system O
and O
their O
support O
for O
the O
WTO O
" O
and O
agreed O
that O
" O
APEC O
economies O
would O
continue O
to O
make O
contributions O
towards O
the O
successful O
outcome O
of O
the O
WTO O
DDA O
negotiations O
" O
. O

Attempt O
to O
unlock O
the O
tangle O
in O
the O
WTO O
negotiations O
would O
dominate O
the O
APEC O
summit O
amid O
mounting O
gloom O
over O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
trade O
talks O
. O

The O
statement O
urged O
all O
other O
WTO O
members O
to O
show O
flexibility O
needed O
to O
move O
forward O
the O
negotiations O
by O
and O
beyond O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
talks O
. O

APEC O
COMMITTED O
TO O
ACHIEVING O
BOGOR O
GOALS O

The O
APEC O
ministers O
also O
reaffirmed O
their O
commitment O
to O
achieving O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
of O
free O
and O
open O
trade O
and O
investment O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
by O
2010 B-T
for O
developed O
members O
and O
2020 O
for O
developing O
members O
as O
stipulated O
in O
the O
Bogor O
Declaration O
. O

The O
ministers O
expressed O
the O
need O
of O
APEC O
to O
adapt O
its O
focus O
accordingly O
and O
to O
continue O
to O
deliver O
concrete O
and O
business O
relevant O
outcomes O
in O
the B-T
years I-T
ahead O
to O
realize O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
. O

The O
Bogor O
Goals O
, O
named O
after O
the O
city O
in O
Indonesia O
where O
they O
were O
declared O
in O
1994 B-T
, O
specify O
APEC O
objectives O
for O
eliminating O
developed O
members O
' O
trade O
and O
investment O
barriers O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
and O
those O
of O
developing O
members O
by O
2020 B-T
. O

Ban O
Ki O
- O
moon O
, O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
minister O
of O
foreign O
affairs O
and O
trade O
who O
chaired O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
APEC O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
, O
said O
considerable O
progress O
has O
been O
made O
toward O
APEC O
' O
s O
central O
Bogor O
Goals O
. O

" O
The O
results O
of O
the O
mid O
- O
term O
stocktaking O
of O
progress O
toward O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
show O
that O
APEC O
has O
made O
great O
strides O
in O
liberalizing O
trade O
and O
investment O
during O
the B-T
past I-T
16 I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
after O
concluding O
the O
ministerial O
meeting O
. O

" O
The O
ministers O
agreed O
that O
, O
while O
the O
APEC O
agenda O
should O
be O
revitalized O
to O
keep O
pace O
with O
the O
new O
international O
trade O
environment O
, O
APEC O
must O
ensure O
that O
the O
achievement O
of O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
, O
" O
said O
the O
joint O
statement O
issued O
following O
the O
APEC O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
. O

In O
order O
to O
accelerate O
progress O
toward O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
, O
the O
ministers O
also O
emphasized O
the O
Busan O
Roadmap O
to O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
, O
which O
outlines O
key O
priorities O
and O
frameworks O
, O
such O
as O
support O
for O
the O
multilateral O
trading O
system O
, O
strengthening O
collective O
and O
individual O
actions O
, O
promotions O
of O
high O
- O
quality O
regional O
trade O
agreements O
and O
free O
trade O
agreements O
( O
RTAs O
/ O
FTAs O
) O
, O
the O
Busan O
Business O
Agenda O
, O
said O
the O
joint O
statement O
. O

The O
ministers O
also O
reaffirmed O
their O
deep O
commitment O
to O
the O
multilateral O
trading O
system O
and O
their O
support O
for O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
. O

" O
APEC O
economies O
would O
continue O
to O
make O
contribution O
toward O
the O
successful O
outcome O
of O
the O
WTO O
DDA O
negotiations O
and O
that O
the O
APEC O
Geneva O
Caucus O
must O
redouble O
its O
collective O
efforts O
to O
advance O
the O
negotiations O
in O
all O
areas O
of O
the O
Doha O
Development O
Agenda O
, O
" O
the O
ministers O
said O
. O

The O
APEC O
ministers O
agreed O
that O
high O
- O
quality O
Regional O
Trade O
Agreements O
/ O
Free O
Trade O
Agreements O
maximized O
the O
contribution O
of O
those O
agreements O
to O
APEC O
- O
wide O
progress O
toward O
the O
Bogor O
Goals O
. O

Ministers O
agreed O
that O
APEC O
would O
develop O
by O
2008 O
comprehensive O
model O
measures O
as O
many O
commonly O
accepted O
RTA O
/ O
FTA O
chapters O
as O
possible O
for O
trade O
facilitation O
, O
said O
the O
joint O
statement O
. O

APEC O
MINISTERS O
URGE O
TO O
EFFECTIVELY O
RESPOND O
TO O
BIRD O
FLU O

In O
the O
joint O
statement O
, O
the O
ministers O
vowed O
to O
accelerate O
APEC O
' O
s O
ongoing O
work O
on O
infectious O
disease O
threats O
such O
as O
avian O
influenza O
. O

The O
ministers O
expressed O
the O
concern O
the O
threat O
that O
the O
highly O
pathogenic O
avian O
influenza O
posed O
to O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
as O
well O
as O
to O
the O
world O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

" O
They O
agreed O
it O
was O
critical O
to O
ensure O
that O
APEC O
was O
prepared O
for O
and O
had O
the O
capacity O
to O
effectively O
respond O
to O
infectious O
diseases O
at O
the O
individual O
, O
regional O
and O
international O
levels O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

They O
approved O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
proposal O
to O
host O
an O
APEC O
ministerial O
meeting O
on O
avian O
influenza O
in O
2006 B-T
and O
called O
for O
active O
participation O
in O
the O
APEC O
symposium O
on O
containing O
contagious O
diseases O
to O
be O
held O
in O
China O
in O
April B-T
2006 I-T
. O

The O
ministers O
also O
called O
on O
cooperating O
with O
specialized O
international O
organizations O
, O
such O
as O
the O
WTO O
, O
the O
Food O
and O
Agricultural O
Organization O
and O
the O
World O
Organization O
for O
Animal O
Health O
, O
to O
prevent O
spread O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
. O

Moreover O
, O
ministers O
called O
for O
support O
to O
strengthen O
their O
regional O
and O
international O
surveillance O
and O
responses O
systems O
, O
according O
to O
the O
statement O
. O

" O
Ministers O
endorsed O
the O
initiative O
on O
Preparing O
for O
and O
Mitigating O
and O
Influenza O
Pandemic O
, O
with O
the O
aim O
of O
strengthened O
collective O
action O
and O
individual O
commitment O
on O
a O
multi O
- O
sectoral O
basis O
to O
prepare O
for O
and O
respond O
to O
an O
influenza O
pandemic O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

They O
also O
agreed O
on O
the O
recommendations O
of O
the O
cross O
- O
sectoral O
APEC O
Symposium O
on O
Response O
to O
Outbreak O
of O
Avian O
Influenza O
and O
Preparedness O
for O
a O
Human O
Health O
Emergency O
held O
in O
San O
Francisco O
in O
this O
July O
, O
which O
sought O
to O
minimize O
the O
threats O
to O
animal O
and O
human O
health O
, O
including O
the O
threat O
of O
transmission O
from O
animal O
to O
human O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
economic O
consequences O
of O
avian O
and O
other O
pandemic O
influenza O
. O

The O
ministers O
also O
instructed O
all O
APEC O
fora O
to O
continue O
to O
work O
cooperatively O
with O
APEC O
' O
s O
Health O
Task O
Force O
and O
Task O
force O
on O
Emergency O
Preparedness O
to O
achieve O
this O
goal O
. O

They O
also O
stressed O
the O
importance O
of O
timely O
and O
accurate O
reporting O
and O
capacity O
building O
efforts O
to O
enable O
adequate O
, O
systematic O
and O
well O
- O
coordinated O
prevention O
. O
( O
more O
) O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0320 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Downed O
US O
pilot O
officially O
listed O
as O
dead O

Crashed O
US O
pilot O
Major O
Troy O
Gilbert O
whose O
F O
- O
16 O
fighter O
went O
down O
in O
Iraq O
last B-T
week I-T
was O
officially O
listed O
as O
killed O
in O
action O
by O
the O
US O
air O
force O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
pilot O
had O
been O
described O
as O
" O
duty O
status O
and O
whereabouts O
unknown O
" O
but O
following O
DNA O
tests O
made O
on O
remains O
found O
at O
the O
crash O
site O
this O
was O
changed O
to O
" O
killed O
in O
action O
" O
, O
the O
military O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

US O
military O
spokesman O
Lieutenant O
Colonel O
Christopher O
Garver O
, O
said O
: O
" O
Based O
on O
the O
remains O
found O
, O
the O
air O
force O
is O
confident O
of O
its O
classification O
. O
. O
. O
We O
have O
some O
remains O
now B-T
from O
the O
crash O
site O
but O
we O
are O
still O
looking O
for O
more O
. O
" O

Gilbert O
was O
supporting O
US O
ground O
troops O
some O
32 O
kilometers O
( O
20 O
miles O
) O
northwest O
of O
Baghdad O
on O
November B-T
27 I-T
when O
his O
plane O
crashed O
for O
reasons O
that O
are O
currently O
under O
investigation O
. O

It O
took O
ground O
forces O
several O
hours O
to O
reach O
the O
crash O
site O
at O
which O
an O
insurgent O
presence O
was O
detected O
by O
other O
US O
aircraft O
. O

A O
US O
military O
official O
told O
AFP O
at O
the O
time O
that O
the O
major O
' O
s O
body O
was O
missing O
and O
was O
presumed O
to O
have O
been O
taken O
by O
insurgents O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970427 O
. O
0490 O

LUXEMBOURG O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

EU O
seeks O
to O
make O
China O
hold O
its O
promises O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
by O
Angus O
MacKinnon O

Plans O
to O
step O
up O
the O
European O
Union O
' O
s O
ties O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
after O
this O
transfer O
to O
Chinese O
rule O
on O
July B-T
1 I-T
will O
be O
discussed O
for O
the O
first O
time O
at O
a O
meeting O
of O
EU O
foreign O
ministers O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

On O
the O
table O
will O
be O
a O
report O
from O
the O
European O
Commission O
setting O
out O
how O
the O
EU O
should O
go O
about O
defending O
its O
extensive O
interests O
in O
the O
territory O
- O
- O
the O
bloc O
' O
s O
10th O
largest O
trading O
partner O
- O
- O
and O
its O
role O
in O
ensuring O
that O
Beijing O
honours O
its O
commitments O
to O
respect O
its O
autonomy O
. O

At O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
commission O
' O
s O
strategy O
, O
drawn O
up O
by O
British O
commissioner O
Sir O
Leon O
Brittan O
, O
is O
a O
commitment O
to O
continue O
dealing O
directly O
with O
Hong O
Kong O
after O
the O
Chinese O
takeover O
and O
to O
actively O
developing O
ties O
in O
those O
areas O
, O
such O
as O
trade O
, O
where O
it O
will O
have O
autonomy O
from O
Beijing O
. O

Other O
areas O
earmarked O
for O
more O
" O
formal O
and O
structured O
" O
cooperation O
include O
investment O
, O
customs O
cooperation O
and O
the O
battle O
against O
fraud O
. O

Confidence O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
future O
depends O
on O
its O
new O
status O
as O
a O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
( O
SAR O
) O
of O
China O
not O
leading O
to O
an O
erosion O
of O
the O
rule O
of O
law O
or O
key O
rights O
such O
as O
free O
speech O
, O
the O
right O
to O
assembly O
and O
form O
political O
parties O
and O
data O
protection O
, O
the O
commission O
report O
noted O
. O

Primary O
responsibility O
for O
ensuing O
that O
the O
SAR O
lives O
up O
to O
its O
tasks O
lies O
with O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
government O
and O
Chinese O
authorities O
, O
but O
the O
EU O
also O
had O
a O
role O
to O
play O
in O
monitoring O
events O
. O

" O
The O
EU O
should O
ensure O
permanent O
vigilance O
and O
keep O
a O
watching O
brief O
on O
developments O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
" O
the O
report O
states O
. O

To O
ensure O
this O
happens O
, O
the O
commission O
is O
proposing O
to O
draw O
up O
an O
annual O
report O
on O
the O
economic O
, O
political O
and O
human O
rights O
situation O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
. O
The O
reports O
would O
not O
only O
ensure O
regular O
discussion O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
but O
would O
also O
provide O
the O
basis O
for O
discussions O
in O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
political O
dialogue O
with O
Beijing O
. O

The O
report O
also O
called O
for O
high O
- O
level O
visits O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
to O
be O
given O
priority O
after O
the O
handover O
. O
" O
Hong O
Kong O
depends O
on O
confidence O
and O
alertness O
in O
the O
international O
community O
is O
an O
important O
guarantee O
to O
sustain O
this O
confidence O
, O
" O
Brittan O
said O
. O

More O
controversially O
, O
the O
commission O
called O
on O
EU O
governments O
to O
guarantee O
that O
Hong O
Kong O
will O
be O
assessed O
on O
its O
own O
merits O
when O
a O
decision O
is O
made O
about O
whether O
its O
population O
will O
need O
visas O
to O
visit O
Europe O
. O

" O
The O
benefits O
which O
easy O
travel O
gives O
to O
developing O
economic O
and O
other O
contacts O
, O
and O
the O
importance O
of O
demonstrating O
confidence O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
future O
, O
suggest O
that O
freer O
access O
to O
the O
EU O
would O
be O
in O
the O
interests O
of O
both O
the O
EU O
and O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
. O
" O

Although O
Britain O
has O
the O
biggest O
connections O
with O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
it O
is O
not O
the O
only O
one O
with O
a O
vested O
interest O
in O
its O
future O
prosperity O
. O
France O
, O
Germany O
, O
the O
Netherlands O
and O
Italy O
all O
have O
annual O
trade O
with O
the O
colony O
in O
excess O
of O
two O
billion O
dollars O
. O

The O
construction O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
new O
airport O
alone O
has O
involved O
some O
115 O
European O
companies O
and O
there O
are O
some O
250 O
European O
business O
which O
have O
regional O
headquarters O
there O
. O

There O
are O
also O
an O
average O
of O
50 O
, O
000 O
EU O
citizens O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
at O
any O
one O
time O
, O
including O
32 O
, O
000 O
who O
are O
permanently O
settled O
there O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0194 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

De O
Larosiere O
urged O
to O
remain O
at O
the O
helm O
of O
EBRD O

Major O
shareholders O
in O
the O
European O
Bank O
for O
Reconstruction O
and O
Development O
( O
EBRD O
) O
have O
urged O
Jacques O
de O
Larosiere O
to O
accept O
their O
offer O
to O
continue O
as O
president O
of O
the O
bank O
for O
another B-T
four I-T
years I-T
. O

Britain O
' O
s O
Overseas O
Development O
Minister O
, O
Baroness O
Chalker O
, O
on O
Tuesday B-T
added O
her O
voice O
to O
those O
who O
are O
pressing O
de O
Larosiere O
to O
remain O
at O
the O
helm O
of O
the O
bank O
after O
his O
term O
of O
office O
expires O
in O
September B-T
. O

" O
You O
have O
transformed O
the O
bank O
and O
shareholders O
are O
deeply O
indebted O
to O
you O
. O
When O
the O
Governors O
meet O
in O
Kiev O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
we O
very O
much O
hope O
that O
you O
will O
be O
there O
, O
in O
your O
second O
term O
as O
President O
, O
" O
Baroness O
Chalker O
told O
the O
annual O
meeting O
of O
the O
EBRD O
. O

De O
Larosiere O
, O
67 O
, O
has O
been O
asked O
by O
the O
EBRD O
' O
s O
board O
of O
governors O
to O
serve O
a O
second O
four O
- O
year O
term O
, O
but O
says O
he O
has O
not O
made O
up O
his O
mind O
, O
and O
will O
give O
an O
answer O
in O
May B-T
. O

Together O
with O
the O
outgoing O
vice O
- O
president O
, O
Wall O
Street O
banker O
Ron O
Freeman O
, O
de O
Larosiere O
was O
able O
to O
repair O
the O
damage O
from O
a O
scandal O
which O
, O
in O
1993 B-T
, O
forced O
the O
resignation O
of O
the O
EBRD O
' O
s O
first O
president O
, O
Jacques O
Attali O
, O
criticized O
for O
his O
lavish O
spending O
. O

Under O
the O
Frenchman O
' O
s O
presidency O
, O
the O
bank O
, O
set O
up O
in O
1991 B-T
to O
assist O
the O
transition O
to O
a O
market O
economy O
in O
the O
former O
Communist O
states O
of O
Europe O
, O
has O
frozen O
its O
operating O
costs O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
in O
collaboration O
with O
Freeman O
, O
who O
has O
worked O
doggedly O
to O
ensure O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
money O
goes O
only O
to O
projects O
which O
meet O
sound O
banking O
principles O
, O
de O
Larosiere O
has O
massively O
expanded O
its O
portfolio O
of O
loans O
and O
equity O
investments O
. O

The O
succession O
of O
these O
two O
top O
posts O
is O
the O
main O
uncertainty O
hanging O
over O
the O
future O
of O
this O
multilateral O
institution O
, O
which O
has O
become O
an O
essential O
partner O
for O
the O
private O
sector O
in O
the O
former O
Communist O
states O
of O
eastern O
and O
central O
Europe O
and O
the O
ex O
- O
Soviet O
Union O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
United O
States O
praised O
the O
two O
men O
, O
and O
underlined O
the O
importance O
of O
finding O
a O
good O
successor O
to O
Freeman O
, O
who O
announced O
last B-T
week I-T
he O
would O
step O
down O
in O
June B-T
to O
return O
to O
his O
old O
employer O
, O
Salomon O
Brothers O
. O

The O
Assistant O
Secretary O
for O
International O
Affairs O
at O
the O
US O
Treasury O
, O
David O
Lipton O
, O
expressed O
his O
" O
appreciation O
for O
what O
President O
de O
Larosiere O
and O
Ron O
Freeman O
have O
accomplished O
in O
this O
institution O
. O
" O

Belgian O
finance O
minister O
Philippe O
Maystadt O
, O
for O
his O
part O
, O
said O
that O
Freeman O
' O
s O
departure O
was O
" O
a O
further O
important O
argument O
in O
favour O
of O
a O
second O
term O
of O
office O
for O
Mr O
de O
Larosiere O
, O
representing O
stability O
and O
continuity O
at O
the O
head O
of O
the O
bank O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0161 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bulgarian O
PM O

Bulgaria O
expects O
to O
expand O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
with O
China O
and O
hopes O
for O
more O
Chinese O
investment O
, O
visiting O
Bulgarian O
Prime O
Minister O
Sergei O
Stanishev O
said O
during O
a O
tour O
of O
Shanghai O
. O

Stanishev O
said O
in O
a O
meeting O
with O
Han O
Zheng O
, O
acting O
party O
chief O
and O
Mayor O
of O
Shanghai O
, O
that O
his O
major O
missions O
included O
looking O
for O
new O
approaches O
to O
cement O
trade O
cooperation O
and O
increasing O
mutual O
investment O
. O

Stanishev O
also O
gave O
a O
speech O
on O
EU O
Enlargement O
and O
Bulgaria O
' O
s O
Contribution O
to O
the O
EU O
at O
the O
prestigious O
Fudan O
University O
. O

The O
Prime O
Minister O
said O
he O
expected O
Bulgaria O
to O
contribute O
to O
the O
security O
and O
stability O
of O
southeast O
Europe O
after O
its O
accession O
to O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

Stanishev O
arrived O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Sunday B-T
where O
he O
held O
talks O
with O
Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
, O
and O
met O
with O
China O
' O
s O
top O
legislator O
Wu O
Bangguo O
and O
Vice O
President O
Zeng O
Qinghong O
. O

Both O
sides O
agreed O
to O
take O
active O
measures O
to O
enhance O
trade O
cooperation O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0735 O

PERTH O
, O
Australia O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Australia O
96 O
- O
1 O
against O
South O
Africa O
at O
lunch O
in O
first O
Test O

Australia O
were O
96 O
- O
1 O
at O
lunch O
on O
the B-T
first I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
first O
cricket O
Test O
against O
South O
Africa O
at O
the O
WACA O
Ground O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

Brief O
score O
: O
Australia O
96 O
for O
one O
( O
Ricky O
Ponting O
57 O
not O
out O
, O
Justin O
Langer O
33 O
not O
out O
; O
Ntini O
1 O
- O
34 O
) O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0160 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Abbas O
condemns O
Israel O
blast O
as O
act O
of O
' O
terrorism O
' O

Palestinian O
leader O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
condemned O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
suicide O
bomb O
attack O
in O
the O
Israeli O
city O
of O
Netanya O
as O
an O
act O
of O
" O
terrorism O
" O
and O
vowed O
to O
bring O
the O
perpetrators O
to O
justice O
. O

" O
We O
severely O
condemn O
this O
terrorist O
operation O
in O
Netanya O
, O
" O
a O
statement O
from O
his O
office O
said O
. O

" O
President O
Abbas O
has O
ordered O
all O
the O
security O
services O
to O
catch O
whoever O
is O
responsible O
for O
this O
attack O
and O
bring O
them O
to O
justice O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0327 O

LAGOS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nigerian O
government O
promotes O
agriculture O
in O
north O

The O
Nigerian O
government O
approved O
measures O
to O
promote O
agricultural O
production O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
vast O
north O
, O
a O
senior O
official O
has O
said O
. O

Nigerian O
Agriculture O
and O
Rural O
Development O
Minister O
Adamu O
Bello O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
government O
had O
approved O
run O
- O
off O
water O
harvesting O
projects O
for O
irrigation O
and O
cattle O
rearing O
in O
northern O
states O
of O
Sokoto O
, O
Jigawa O
and O
Yobe O
. O

The O
projects O
were O
funded O
from O
the O
debt O
relief O
gains O
under O
the O
Millennium O
Development O
Goals O
, O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
run O
- O
off O
water O
harvesting O
structures O
would O
bring O
about O
40 O
million O
cubic O
meters O
of O
flood O
water O
for O
irrigation O
and O
domestic O
use O
. O

The O
minister O
explained O
that O
the O
projects O
would O
encourage O
the O
production O
of O
meat O
, O
milk O
and O
cheese O
as O
well O
as O
increase O
farmers O
' O
income O
and O
minimize O
poverty O
in O
the O
benefiting O
states O
. O

The O
federal O
government O
was O
working O
toward O
addressing O
the O
threats O
of O
environmental O
degradation O
and O
other O
severe O
stress O
facing O
the O
country O
' O
s O
land O
and O
water O
resources O
, O
he O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0141 O

NANNING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Wild O
fruit O
poisons O
43 O
children O
in O
S O
. O
China O
county O

Forty O
- O
two O
pupils O
from O
a O
rural O
primary O
school O
and O
a O
pre O
- O
school O
boy O
in O
south O
China O
are O
recovering O
after O
suffering O
food O
poisoning O
caused O
by O
wild O
fruit O
, O
said O
a O
hospital O
source O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
local O
government O
said O
the O
children O
in O
Guangxi O
Zhuang O
Autonomous O
Region O
suffered O
nausea O
and O
dizziness O
after O
eating O
the O
fruit O
on O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
and O
all O
were O
taken O
to O
hospital O
. O

All O
children O
are O
from O
Shuichong O
Primary O
School O
in O
Hepu O
County O
' O
s O
Shankou O
Township O
and O
the O
younger O
boy O
was O
in O
a O
safe O
condition O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Test O
results O
showed O
they O
were O
poisoned O
by O
the O
fruit O
of O
the O
jatropha O
curcal O
, O
a O
shrub O
that O
is O
used O
to O
produce O
biological O
diesel O
oil O
and O
mainly O
distributed O
in O
south O
China O
. O

The O
fruit O
of O
the O
plant O
is O
poisonous O
and O
can O
cause O
dizziness O
, O
vomiting O
, O
diarrhea O
or O
shock O
. O

An O
emergency O
safety O
campaign O
was O
launched O
by O
all O
primary O
and O
middle O
schools O
in O
the O
county O
to O
avoid O
a O
recurrence O
of O
such O
incidents O
, O
said O
Wang O
Yi O
, O
deputy O
head O
of O
the O
county O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0662 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
, O
ADDS O
company O
quotes O
, O
analysts O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Australian O
flag O
- O
carrier O
Qantas O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
that O
it O
had O
chosen O
Boeing O
' O
s O
787 O
long O
- O
haul O
airliner O
as O
the O
" O
cornerstone O
" O
for O
a O
major O
renewal O
of O
its O
fleet O
, O
snubbing O
rival O
Airbus O
for O
a O
deal O
expected O
to O
be O
worth O
some O
20 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
. O

The O
Qantas O
board O
said O
it O
would O
acquire O
115 O
of O
the O
new O
Boeing O
787 O
Dreamliners O
, O
rather O
than O
the O
Airbus B-T
350s I-T
. O

Qantas O
said O
it O
was O
ordering O
65 O
of O
the O
twin O
- O
engine O
, O
wide O
- O
body O
aircraft O
for O
delivery O
from O
2008 O
for O
use O
by O
Qantas O
and O
its O
budget O
offshoot O
Jetstar O
, O
which O
is O
due O
to O
begin O
international O
operations O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

The O
airline O
also O
took O
purchase O
rights O
for O
an O
additional O
50 O
787 O
' O
s O
to O
account O
for O
future O
growth O
of O
its O
fleet O
. O

The O
decision O
was O
a O
blow O
for O
Airbus O
, O
which O
had O
been O
pushing O
its O
fuel O
efficient O
A350 O
to O
Qantas O
. O

Qantas O
Chief O
Executive O
Geoff O
Dixon O
said O
the O
tender O
had O
been O
" O
very O
competitive O
, O
with O
excellent O
options O
proposed O
by O
both O
Boeing O
and O
Airbus O
" O
. O

" O
The O
Boeing O
787 O
provides O
breakthrough O
technology O
, O
enabling O
us O
to O
fly O
further O
to O
more O
point O
- O
to O
- O
point O
destinations O
throughout O
the O
world O
at O
a O
cost O
equivalent O
to O
operating O
larger O
aircraft O
like O
the O
Boeing O
747 O
- O
400 O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
The O
Boeing O
787 O
is O
ideal O
for O
operating O
to O
Asia O
, O
as O
well O
the O
USA O
and O
Europe O
, O
and O
with O
300 O
seats O
, O
will O
enable O
both O
Qantas O
and O
Jetstar O
to O
closely O
target O
markets O
without O
compromising O
efficiency O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Its O
new O
technology O
engines O
, O
cutting O
- O
edge O
airframe O
and O
increased O
seat O
count O
also O
offer O
a O
significant O
reduction O
in O
costs O
. O
. O
. O
compared O
to O
the O
current O
Boeing O
767 O
. O
" O

Dixon O
said O
one O
of O
Qantas O
' O
priorities O
in O
choosing O
Boeing O
was O
the O
need O
to O
have O
Jetstar O
to O
be O
ready O
for O
international O
operations O
by O
early B-T
2007 I-T
" O
with O
the O
fastest O
possible O
transition O
to O
new O
technology O
, O
more O
efficient O
aircraft O
. O
" O

Jetstar O
would O
begin O
its O
overseas O
operations O
with O
an O
interim O
fleet O
of O
four O
A330 O
- O
200 O
aircraft O
and O
move O
to O
a O
fleet O
of O
10 O
new O
Boeing O
787s O
with O
delivery O
of O
the O
first O
aircraft O
scheduled O
for O
August B-T
2008 I-T
. O

Qantas O
Chairwoman O
Margaret O
Jackson O
said O
the O
purchase O
of O
the O
new O
aircraft O
would O
be O
funded O
from O
operating O
cash O
flow O
. O

" O
These O
new O
aircraft O
are O
vital O
for O
our O
continued O
growth O
in O
the O
face O
of O
increasing O
competition O
in O
the B-T
years I-T
ahead O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
They O
will O
cater O
for O
international O
capacity O
growth O
and O
new O
routes O
, O
as O
well O
as O
replacing O
the O
Qantas O
Groups O
fleet O
of O
wide O
- O
body O
Boeing O
767 O
- O
300s O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Center O
for O
Asia O
Pacific O
Aviation O
chief O
executive O
Peter O
Harbison O
said O
both O
Boeing O
and O
Airbus O
were O
likely O
to O
have O
proposed O
incentives O
to O
win O
the O
orders O
. O

Airbus O
had O
been O
a O
strong O
competitor O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
, O
offering O
perks O
like O
full O
pilot O
training O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Qantas O
has O
already O
approved O
orders O
for O
12 O
of O
Airbus O
' O
s O
new O
super O
jumbo O
A380s B-T
, O
with O
the O
company O
planning O
to O
fly O
the O
aircraft O
on O
the O
Australia O
- O
US O
route O
after O
delivery O
in O
late B-T
2006 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061224 O
. O
0147 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

UAE O
funds O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
and O
Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
sparked O
hope O
for O
the O
stalled O
Middle O
East O
peace O
process O
Sunday B-T
by O
meeting O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
six B-T
months I-T
, O
but O
observers O
warned O
against O
expecting O
too O
much O
from O
the O
encounter O
. O

The O
two O
leaders O
met O
at O
Olmert O
' O
s O
residence O
in O
Jerusalem O
late B-T
Saturday I-T
, O
kissing O
and O
warmly O
shaking O
hands O
after O
a O
two O
- O
hour O
dinner O
followed O
by O
one O
- O
on O
- O
one O
talks O
. O

" O
The O
two O
leaders O
expressed O
their O
will O
to O
cooperate O
, O
as O
true O
partners O
, O
in O
an O
effort O
to O
advance O
the O
peace O
process O
" O
and O
reiterated O
support O
for O
reaching O
" O
a O
solution O
of O
two O
states O
living O
side O
by O
side O
in O
peace O
and O
security O
, O
" O
Olmert O
' O
s O
office O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
late B-T
Saturday I-T
. O

The O
two O
leaders O
' O
long O
- O
awaited O
encounter O
- O
- O
their O
first O
since O
an O
informal O
meeting O
in O
Jordan O
in O
late O
June O
- O
- O
sparked O
hope O
that O
the O
peace O
process O
could O
be O
nudged O
from O
the O
slumber O
in O
which O
it O
has O
been O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
six I-T
years I-T
. O

" O
Our O
intention O
is O
to O
begin O
ongoing O
negotiations O
in O
order O
to O
advance O
the O
peace O
process O
that O
we O
want O
so O
much O
, O
" O
Olmert O
said O
Sunday B-T
at O
the O
opening O
of O
a O
weekly O
cabinet O
meeting O
. O

In O
a O
phone O
call O
with O
Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
, O
also O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
Olmert O
said O
his O
meeting O
with O
Abbas O
" O
could O
mark O
an O
opening O
for O
a O
better O
future O
, O
" O
his O
office O
said O
. O

" O
The O
ice O
has O
been O
broken O
, O
" O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Shimon O
Peres O
said O
. O
The O
meeting O
" O
again O
opened O
the O
way O
to O
negotiations O
. O
" O

But O
while O
Israeli O
officials O
played O
up O
the O
importance O
of O
the O
encounter O
, O
observers O
on O
both O
sides O
said O
it O
lacked O
in O
concrete O
measures O
and O
warned O
against O
inflated O
expectations O
. O

" O
It O
was O
a O
first O
step O
, O
but O
we O
won O
' O
t O
know O
if O
it O
' O
s O
important O
before O
we O
see O
the O
results O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
" O
Ali O
al O
- O
Jarbawi O
, O
a O
political O
science O
professor O
at O
the O
Birzeit O
University O
in O
Ramallah O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O
" O
The O
Palestinian O
people O
are O
looking O
for O
results O
, O
not O
meetings O
. O
" O

As O
part O
of O
the O
measures O
agreed O
on O
during O
the O
encounter O
the O
Israeli O
cabinet O
voted O
unanimously O
Sunday B-T
to O
release O
up O
to O
100 O
million O
dollars O
in O
customs O
duties O
that O
it O
has O
been O
withholding O
from O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
since O
the O
Islamist O
Hamas O
movement O
formed O
a O
cabinet O
in O
March B-T
. O

Hamas O
is O
considered O
a O
terrorist O
organization O
by O
Israel O
and O
the O
West O
, O
which O
froze O
all O
direct O
aid O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
government O
after O
it O
took O
power O
. O

Observers O
said O
that O
the O
meeting O
was O
meant O
to O
strengthen O
Abbas O
at O
a O
time O
when O
he O
is O
facing O
off O
against O
Hamas O
in O
an O
intense O
power O
struggle O
, O
which O
boiled O
over O
into O
deadly O
armed O
clashes O
last B-T
week I-T
between O
rival O
Palestinian O
factions O
after O
the O
Palestinian O
president O
called O
for O
early O
elections O
. O

Olmert O
said O
Sunday B-T
that O
he O
agreed O
to O
release O
the O
money O
" O
in O
order O
to O
help O
in O
humanitarian O
aid O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
who O
suffer O
among O
other O
things O
due O
to O
the O
failing O
conduct O
of O
their O
government O
which O
is O
not O
part O
of O
the O
international O
community O
. O
" O

The O
United O
Arab O
Emirates O
is O
to O
transfer O
30 O
million O
dollars O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
" O
to O
help O
reduce O
the O
suffering O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
, O
" O
the O
official O
WAM O
news O
agency O
said O
. O

But O
Israel O
did O
not O
agree O
to O
release O
prisoners O
- O
- O
an O
important O
gesture O
sought O
by O
Abbas O
. O

" O
Olmert O
did O
not O
give O
Abu O
Mazen O
anything O
real O
, O
" O
said O
Khani O
al O
- O
Masri O
, O
an O
analyst O
in O
Ramallah O
. O

Wrote O
the O
Israeli O
newspaper O
Maariv O
: O
" O
The O
biggest O
achievement O
of O
Abu O
Mazen O
yesterday O
at O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
residence O
in O
Jerusalem O
lay O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
flag O
that O
was O
raised O
in O
his O
honor O
above O
the O
entrance O
. O
" O

" O
He O
received O
a O
lot O
of O
promises O
and O
a O
little O
money O
. O
. O
. O
The O
only O
asset O
that O
Abu O
Mazen O
can O
broadcast O
to O
his O
people O
today B-T
is O
a O
little O
optimism O
. O
" O

Hamas O
likewise O
said O
the O
encounter O
did O
not O
amount O
to O
anything O
concrete O
. O

" O
This O
meeting O
was O
meant O
to O
throw O
sand O
in O
our O
eyes O
. O
. O
. O
an O
exercise O
in O
public O
relations O
, O
" O
said O
Wasfi O
Kabha O
, O
the O
Hamas O
minister O
for O
prisoner O
affairs O
. O
" O
Both O
Abu O
Mazen O
and O
Olmert O
are O
facing O
internal O
crises O
and O
they O
held O
this O
meeting O
just O
to O
say O
there O
is O
hope O
to O
resume O
the O
negotiations O
. O
" O

And O
the O
radical O
Islamic O
Jihad O
group O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
it O
was O
a O
waste O
of O
time O
that O
" O
is O
not O
helping O
the O
Palestinian O
interests O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0450 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambian O
gov O
' O
t O
works O
out O
budget O
plan O
for O
next O
three O
years O

The O
Zambian O
government O
released O
on O
Wednesday B-T
a O
budget O
plan O
, O
the O
Medium O
Term O
Expenditure O
Framework O
( O
MTEF O
) O
, O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
2007 I-T
to O
2009 O
to O
project O
revenues O
and O
outline O
expenditures O
for O
the O
period O
. O

Speaking O
at O
the O
launch O
of O
the O
plan O
, O
Secretary O
to O
the O
Treasury O
Evans O
Chibiliti O
said O
the O
three O
- O
year O
plan O
would O
focus O
on O
consolidating O
the O
macro O
- O
economic O
stability O
achieved O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
few I-T
years I-T
. O

" O
In O
this O
regard O
implementation O
of O
prudent O
fiscal O
and O
monetary O
policies O
will O
continue O
, O
particularly O
by O
limiting O
government O
borrowing O
, O
" O
Chibiliti O
said O
. O

He O
said O
government O
plans O
to O
strengthen O
tax O
administration O
and O
resource O
mobilization O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
three O
- O
year O
budget O
plan O
has O
also O
incorporated O
the O
implementation O
of O
the O
decentralization O
policy O
which O
aims O
at O
empowering O
local O
authorities O
to O
control O
their O
own O
resources O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Finance O
Minister O
N O
' O
gandu O
Magande O
said O
the O
government O
projects O
to O
raise O
about O
32 O
trillion O
kwacha O
( O
about O
8 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
revenue O
and O
grants O
between O
2007 B-T
and O
2009 B-T
while O
the O
expenditure O
is O
projected O
at O
34 O
. O
3 O
trillion O
kwacha O
( O
about O
8 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
over O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
. O

The O
minister O
said O
the O
government O
hopes O
to O
achieve O
economic O
growth O
of O
six O
percent O
a B-T
year I-T
and O
to O
bring O
down O
inflation O
to O
no O
more O
than O
five O
percent O
from O
the O
current O
level O
of O
eight O
percent O
. O

Magande O
said O
the O
government O
will O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
years I-T
focus O
on O
infrastructure O
development O
which O
includes O
construction O
of O
road O
, O
schools O
, O
houses O
and O
water O
and O
sanitation O
facilities O
. O

The O
draft O
plan O
will O
be O
released O
for O
public O
consultation O
and O
contribution O
, O
said O
the O
minister O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0555 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

government O

Cabinet O
ministers O
of O
the O
Shiite O
Amal O
- O
Hezbollah O
coalition O
on O
Monday B-T
suspended O
their O
participation O
in O
the O
Lebanese O
government O
after O
it O
voted O
to O
call O
for O
international O
probes O
into O
murders O
of O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
critics O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0186 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Austria O
, O
Lithuania O
/ O
/ O
/ O

British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
was O
praised O
abroad O
and O
vilified O
at O
home O
on O
Saturday B-T
for O
clinching O
an O
EU O
budget O
deal O
, O
while O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
was O
applauded O
as O
a O
key O
mediator O
. O

Acting O
as O
EU O
president O
until O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
month I-T
, O
Blair O
sealed O
agreement O
overnight O
on O
a O
tighter O
2007 O
- O
2013 O
spending O
package O
with O
a O
mechanism O
to O
review O
and O
perhaps O
modernise O
it O
during O
the B-T
seven I-T
- I-T
year I-T
term I-T
. O

But O
it O
was O
his O
decision O
, O
under O
heavy O
domestic O
fire O
, O
to O
give O
up O
more O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
beloved O
multi O
- O
billion O
euro O
annual O
rebate O
which O
drew O
most O
comment O
. O

" O
The O
British O
presidency O
deserves O
praise O
for O
its O
constructive O
role O
in O
a O
complicated O
negotiation O
and O
for O
the O
courage O
it O
showed O
in O
giving O
up O
part O
of O
its O
rebate O
, O
" O
Greek O
Prime O
Minister O
Costas O
Caramanlis O
said O
. O

European O
Commission O
head O
Jose O
Manuel O
Barroso O
was O
disappointed O
that O
the O
deal O
, O
which O
represents O
1 O
. O
045 O
percent O
of O
gross O
national O
income O
, O
was O
not O
as O
big O
as O
his O
EU O
executive O
team O
had O
sought O
, O
but O
hailed O
Blair O
nonetheless O
. O

" O
I O
was O
not O
always O
agreeing O
with O
my O
good O
friend O
Prime O
Minister O
Blair O
. O
. O
. O
but O
honestly O
this O
was O
a O
very O
successful O
presidency O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
. O

French O
Foreign O
Minister O
Philippe O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
said O
Blair O
had O
shown O
strength O
. O

" O
He O
is O
a O
British O
prime O
minister O
who O
preferred O
an O
internal O
battle O
on O
an O
idea O
of O
the O
EU O
, O
rather O
than O
to O
quietly O
do O
his O
job O
as O
a O
simple O
British O
prime O
minister O
, O
" O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
said O
. O

" O
He O
has O
been O
intelligent O
, O
courageous O
. O
He O
challenged O
a O
clear O
advantage O
amid O
a O
difficult O
domestic O
political O
climate O
. O
" O

The O
budget O
freed O
up O
important O
funds O
for O
the O
new O
member O
states O
, O
many O
of O
them O
former O
communist O
countries O
, O
and O
indeed O
part O
of O
the O
rebate O
Blair O
gave O
up O
will O
be O
headed O
east O
from O
2007 O
. O

" O
The O
budget O
proposals O
from O
EU O
presidency O
country O
Britain O
improved O
for O
Estonia O
with O
each O
round O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
the O
solution O
, O
" O
Estonian O
Prime O
Minister O
Andrus O
Ansip O
said O
. O

" O
We O
can O
leave O
the O
EU O
summit O
with O
the O
knowledge O
that O
we O
have O
enough O
money O
to O
lift O
the O
economic O
and O
social O
life O
even O
more O
rapidly O
to O
the O
level O
of O
older O
EU O
member O
states O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Slovak O
Prime O
Minister O
Mikulas O
Dzurinda O
agreed O
: O
" O
The O
result O
is O
better O
than O
we O
had O
hoped O
. O
" O

Lithuanian O
Prime O
Minister O
Algirdas O
Brazauskas O
said O
Vilnius O
was O
" O
happy O
" O
, O
adding O
that O
it O
would O
receive O
some O
440 O
million O
euros O
more O
a B-T
year I-T
than O
at O
present O
for O
a O
total O
of O
8 O
. O
7 O
billion O
over O
the O
life O
of O
the O
budget O
. O

Austrian O
Finance O
Minister O
Karl O
- O
Heinz O
Grasser O
said O
he O
was O
" O
very O
pleased O
" O
with O
an O
" O
exceptional O
" O
deal O
, O
which O
maintained O
Vienna O
, O
London O
' O
s O
successor O
as O
EU O
president O
from O
January B-T
1 I-T
, O
" O
in O
the O
right O
middle O
ground O
" O
with O
its O
net O
contribution O
increasing O
only O
moderately O
. O

But O
in O
Britain O
, O
the O
press O
flayed O
Blair O
over O
his O
" O
surrender O
" O
. O

" O
Blair O
' O
s O
the O
seven O
billion O
pound O
loser O
, O
" O
declared O
the O
mass O
- O
circulation O
Sun O
, O
as O
it O
savaged O
" O
the O
feeble O
premier O
" O
for O
compromising O
on O
the O
rebate O
won O
by O
then O
Conservative O
prime O
minister O
Margaret O
Thatcher O
in O
1984 B-T
. O

The O
right O
- O
wing O
Daily O
Mail O
struck O
a O
similar O
note O
, O
talking O
of O
" O
Blair O
' O
s O
surrender O
" O
and O
" O
spectacular O
U O
- O
turn O
" O
arguing O
that O
" O
in O
return O
for O
the O
gigantic O
cash O
handover O
, O
he O
was O
set O
to O
get O
virtually O
nothing O
. O
" O

The O
conservative O
Daily O
Telegraph O
said O
he O
" O
had O
performed O
his O
biggest O
climbdown O
over O
Europe O
" O
by O
giving O
up O
part O
of O
the O
rebate O
" O
without O
winning O
any O
commitment O
from O
France O
on O
early O
reform O
of O
farm O
subsidies O
" O
. O

Most O
praise O
however O
was O
reserved O
for O
Angela O
Merkel O
, O
Germany O
' O
s O
first O
woman O
chancellor O
taking O
part O
in O
her O
first O
summit O
, O
for O
her O
behind O
- O
the O
- O
scenes O
diplomacy O
, O
shuttling O
between O
her O
partners O
. O

Merkel O
played O
an O
" O
important O
role O
" O
, O
Sweden O
' O
s O
Svenska O
Dagbladet O
daily O
said O
in O
its O
online O
edition O
. O
" O
She O
agreed O
to O
a O
higher O
budget O
level O
, O
and O
therefore O
to O
paying O
more O
, O
so O
Blair O
could O
gather O
his O
' O
Christmas O
presents O
' O
for O
those O
who O
were O
dissatisfied O
. O
" O

France O
' O
s O
Le O
Figaro O
went O
further O
. O
" O
It O
appeared O
as O
if O
without O
her O
Europe O
would O
have O
found O
itself O
in O
a O
new O
political O
crisis O
. O
" O

Major O
Spanish O
daily O
El O
Pais O
said O
she O
had O
played O
a O
key O
role O
. O

" O
Merkel O
played O
an O
essential O
part O
in O
reducing O
the O
gap O
separating O
Blair O
and O
a O
Chirac O
who O
seemed O
inflexible O
, O
" O
it O
wrote O
. O

French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
, O
who O
appeared O
to O
have O
come O
away O
with O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
farm O
aid O
system O
he O
so O
staunchly O
defended O
virtually O
intact O
, O
was O
largely O
criticised O
. O

Czech O
daily O
Lidove O
Noviny O
said O
France O
, O
once O
" O
Europe O
' O
s O
motor O
" O
, O
had O
become O
its O
" O
nightmare O
" O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0034 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

BOCOG O
sets O
up O
Olympic O
lecturer O
team O

The O
Beijing O
Organizing O
Committee O
for O
the O
Games O
of O
the O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
( O
BOCOG O
) O
has O
launched O
its O
Olympic O
lecturers O
team O
to O
cope O
with O
increasing O
demand O
for O
knowledge O
about O
the O
Olympics O
. O

The O
team O
is O
composed O
of O
heads O
of O
relevant O
BOCOG O
departments O
and O
its O
key O
staff O
members O
, O
who O
will O
serve O
as O
a O
bridge O
linking O
BOCOG O
and O
all O
walks O
of O
life O
, O
urging O
them O
to O
actively O
spread O
Olympic O
knowledge O
, O
listen O
to O
the O
voice O
of O
the O
community O
and O
answer O
the O
inquiries O
. O

In O
August B-T
2005 I-T
, O
a O
small O
group O
was O
set O
up O
to O
give O
lectures O
on O
the O
Olympics O
, O
with O
up O
to O
200 O
Olympic O
- O
themed O
lectures O
held O
so O
far O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0052 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Israel O
court O
says O
targeted O
killings O
' O
legal O
' O
in O
some O
cases O

Israel O
' O
s O
Supreme O
Court O
on O
Thursday B-T
ruled O
that O
the O
legality O
of O
targeted O
strikes O
against O
suspected O
Palestinian O
militants O
should O
be O
determined O
on O
a O
case O
- O
by O
- O
case O
, O
army O
radio O
reported O
. O

" O
We O
cannot O
determine O
in O
advance O
that O
all O
targetted O
killings O
are O
contrary O
to O
international O
law O
. O
At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
it O
is O
not O
possible O
that O
all O
such O
liquidations O
are O
in O
line O
with O
international O
law O
, O
" O
the O
radio O
quoted O
the O
ruling O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
legality O
of O
all O
targeted O
killings O
must O
be O
examined O
on O
a O
case O
by O
case O
basis O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0039 O

BOMBAY O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Indian O
political O
crisis O
to O
make O
bourses O
cautious O

India O
' O
s O
stock O
markets O
will O
remain O
cautious O
next O
week O
, O
when O
the O
country O
' O
s O
10 O
- O
month O
coalition O
government O
is O
to O
face O
a O
crucial O
confidence O
vote O
in O
parliament O
, O
analysts O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

On O
the O
Bombay O
Stock O
Exchange O
( O
BSE O
) O
, O
India O
' O
s O
oldest O
and O
largest O
, O
the O
barometer O
30 O
- O
share O
sensitive O
index O
shed O
113 O
. O
16 O
points O
or O
three O
percent O
during O
a B-T
week I-T
of O
sharp O
swings O
, O
to O
close O
on O
Friday B-T
at O
3 O
, O
550 O
. O
37 O
points O
. O

The O
broadbased O
100 O
- O
share O
national O
index O
was O
down O
by O
45 O
. O
22 O
points O
or O
2 O
. O
85 O
percent O
and O
closed O
at O
1 O
, O
539 O
. O
75 O
points O
. O

India O
was O
thrown O
into O
a O
political O
crisis O
March B-T
30 I-T
when O
the O
Congress O
( O
I O
) O
party O
withdrew O
its O
parliamentary O
support O
to O
the O
United O
Front O
government O
led O
by O
Prime O
Minister O
H O
. O
D O
. O
Deve O
Gowda O
. O

Hit O
by O
the O
unexpected O
development O
, O
panicky O
Indian O
stock O
market O
speculators O
sold O
heavily O
the O
next O
day O
, O
pulling O
the O
BSE O
sensex O
down O
by O
more O
than O
eight O
percent O
in O
a O
single O
day O
. O

Prices O
recovered O
moderately O
during O
the B-T
week I-T
as O
domestic O
and O
foreign O
institutional O
investors O
bought O
at O
low O
, O
attractive O
price O
levels O
. O

Analysts O
and O
stock O
brokers O
said O
trading O
sentiment O
would O
be O
cautious O
when O
the O
market O
opens O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
Everybody O
will O
be O
waiting O
for O
the O
confidence O
vote O
on O
Friday B-T
. O
The O
political O
situation O
is O
the O
key O
sentiment O
for O
the O
markets O
now O
, O
" O
said O
stock O
broker O
Ajit O
Ambani O
. O

Ambani O
said O
no O
fresh O
buying O
support O
was O
expected O
. O
" O
I O
do O
not O
expect O
any O
big O
jump O
or O
fall O
in O
prices O
next B-T
week I-T
. O
Prices O
are O
likely O
to O
be O
at O
current O
levels O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Average O
daily O
business O
volumes O
were O
up O
to O
190 O
million O
dollars O
from O
171 O
million O
dollars O
the B-T
previous I-T
week I-T
. O

In O
trading O
, O
the O
Associated O
Cement O
Co O
. O
lost O
103 O
. O
25 O
rupees O
to O
1 O
, O
367 O
. O
75 O
rupees O
, O
Bombay O
Dyeing O
fell O
10 O
. O
50 O
rupees O
to O
111 O
. O
25 O
rupees O
, O
while O
Glaxo O
lost O
3 O
. O
75 O
rupees O
to O
273 O
. O
25 O
rupees O
. O

Reliance O
Industries O
fell O
16 O
. O
25 O
rupees O
to O
268 O
. O
75 O
rupees O
, O
State O
Bank O
of O
India O
fell O
37 O
. O
50 O
rupees O
to O
271 O
. O
50 O
rupees O
, O
Tata O
Engineering O
was O
down O
eight O
rupees O
to O
367 O
rupees O
, O
and O
Tata O
Steel O
fell O
by O
14 O
rupees O
to O
163 O
. O
75 O
rupees O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0289 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Arab O
League O
pledges O
continued O
efforts O
to O
resume O
Somali O
negotiations O

The O
Cairo O
- O
based O
Arab O
League O
( O
AL O
) O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
it O
would O
continue O
its O
efforts O
to O
help O
resume O
Somali O
parties O
' O
negotiations O
on O
the O
crisis O
they O
are O
facing O
. O

AL O
Secretary O
General O
Amr O
Moussa O
promised O
in O
press O
statements O
to O
exert O
further O
AL O
efforts O
to O
resume O
negotiations O
till O
the O
Somali O
crisis O
was O
resolved O
. O

Although O
Somali O
negotiations O
are O
facing O
difficulties O
due O
to O
conflicting O
stances O
, O
the O
AL O
has O
kept O
contacts O
to O
stop O
the O
Somali O
crisis O
from O
any O
possible O
escalation O
and O
have O
Somali O
factions O
return O
to O
negotiations O
, O
Moussa O
said O
. O

He O
added O
that O
talks O
could O
resume O
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
as O
the O
AL O
keeps O
in O
touch O
with O
the O
Somali O
government O
and O
the O
Islamic O
Courts O
Union O
( O
ICU O
) O
to O
resume O
negotiations O
. O

Moussa O
further O
noted O
that O
the O
AL O
delegation O
to O
the O
Somali O
crisis O
negotiations O
will O
meet O
and O
discuss O
a O
demand O
for O
a O
fact O
- O
finding O
commission O
proposed O
by O
some O
Somali O
parties O
, O
before O
discussions O
on O
all O
aspects O
of O
the O
Somali O
question O
. O

Somalia O
was O
plunged O
into O
lawlessness O
in O
1991 B-T
after O
the O
ousting O
of O
strongman O
Mohamed O
Siad O
Barre O
and O
the O
nation O
of O
some O
10 O
million O
population O
was O
then O
divided O
into O
a O
patchwork O
of O
fiefdoms O
governed O
by O
unruly O
warlords O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0201 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nairobi O
world O
conference O
to O
focus O
on O
sport O
, O
environment O

The O
linkages O
between O
sport O
, O
peace O
and O
the O
environment O
will O
be O
the O
main O
focus O
at O
the O
Sixth O
World O
Conference O
on O
Sport O
and O
Environment O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Nairobi O
from O
November B-T
9 I-T
to O
11 O
, O
the O
United O
Nations O
Environment O
Program O
( O
UNEP O
) O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
conference O
, O
one O
of O
the O
key O
activities O
under O
UNEP O
' O
s O
long O
term O
strategy O
on O
sport O
and O
environment O
, O
will O
be O
attended O
by O
300 O
heads O
of O
National O
Olympic O
Committees O
, O
international O
sport O
organizations O
, O
UN O
agencies O
as O
well O
as O
sport O
stars O
, O
according O
to O
a O
UNEP O
statement O
. O

The O
three O
- O
day O
meeting O
, O
organized O
by O
the O
International O
Olympic O
Committee O
and O
UNEP O
, O
will O
review O
the O
environmental O
activities O
of O
the O
Olympic O
Movement O
and O
other O
sport O
stakeholders O
. O
Within O
the O
course O
of O
the O
conference O
the O
participants O
will O
take O
part O
in O
panel O
discussion O
on O
key O
themes O
relating O
to O
sports O
, O
peace O
, O
environment O
and O
sustainable O
development O
. O

This O
edition O
follows O
on O
from O
the O
one O
held O
in O
Turin O
, O
Italy O
, O
in O
December B-T
2003 I-T
, O
where O
delegates O
from O
all O
five O
continents O
shared O
experiences O
and O
ideas O
on O
sustainable O
development O
in O
and O
through O
sport O
, O
and O
how O
it O
could O
be O
better O
promoted O
and O
achieved O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0029 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Iraq O
' O
s O
first O
Kurdish O
head O
of O
state O
Jalal O
Talabani O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
he O
would O
not O
seek O
a O
second O
presidential O
mandate O
if O
the O
post O
remained O
largely O
ceremonial O
following O
this B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
watershed O
general O
election O
. O

" O
In O
keeping O
with O
the O
new O
constitution O
, O
the O
president O
of O
the O
republic O
does O
not O
have O
the O
power O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
management O
of O
state O
and O
therefore O
I O
would O
not O
agree O
to O
become O
an O
honorary O
president O
, O
" O
said O
Talabani O
. O

" O
I O
refuse O
to O
present O
my O
candidacy O
in O
such O
circumstances O
, O
" O
he O
added O
in O
a O
statement O
released O
overnight O
. O

Iraq O
goes O
to O
the O
polls O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
elect O
its O
first O
full O
- O
term O
parliament O
since O
the O
2003 O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
and O
the O
fall O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

" O
The O
president O
of O
the O
republic O
must O
be O
a O
real O
president O
, O
active O
in O
the O
leadership O
of O
the O
state O
, O
for O
the O
simple O
reason O
that O
Iraqis O
expect O
a O
lot O
from O
him O
, O
" O
said O
Talabani O
. O

" O
They O
address O
numerous O
demands O
to O
him O
, O
they O
call O
on O
him O
to O
end O
injustice O
and O
to O
help O
them O
solve O
their O
problems O
. O
If O
the O
president O
is O
honorary O
, O
he O
cannot O
respond O
to O
these O
demands O
. O
" O

The O
72 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Talabani O
leads O
the O
main O
Kurdish O
coalition O
contesting O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
election O
, O
an O
alliance O
of O
his O
Patriotic O
Union O
of O
Kurdistan O
and O
Massud O
Barzani O
' O
s O
Kurdistan O
Democratic O
Party O
. O

The O
first O
task O
of O
the O
elected O
275 O
members O
of O
parliaments O
will O
be O
to O
appoint O
, O
by O
a O
two O
- O
thirds O
majority O
, O
a O
president O
and O
two O
vice O
- O
presidents O
. O

The O
presidency O
council O
will O
then O
have O
15 B-T
days I-T
to O
name O
a O
prime O
minister O
, O
who O
will O
form O
a O
cabinet O
to O
be O
put O
to O
parliament O
for O
approval O
. O

The O
constitution O
, O
adopted O
at O
a O
referendum O
in O
October B-T
, O
limits O
the O
powers O
of O
the O
four O
- O
year O
head O
of O
state O
in O
order O
to O
guard O
against O
any O
return O
to O
the O
decades O
of O
authoritarian O
dictatorship O
during O
the O
Saddam O
Hussein O
era O
. O

A O
strong O
man O
who O
hates O
to O
be O
made O
a O
fool O
of O
, O
Talabani O
publicly O
reprimanded O
Shiite O
Prime O
Minister O
Ibrahim O
Jaafari O
, O
accusing O
him O
of O
violating O
Iraqi O
law O
and O
exceeding O
his O
authority O
by O
taking O
decisions O
without O
consulting O
the O
president O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0730 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Hong O
Kong O
gold O
opens O
higher O

Hong O
Kong O
gold O
prices O
opened O
higher O
Tuesday B-T
at O
629 O
. O
00 O
- O
629 O
. O
50 O
US O
dollars O
an O
ounce O
, O
up O
from O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
close O
of O
628 O
. O
40 O
- O
628 O
. O
90 O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0199 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
throughout O
, O
CONTAINS O
pool O
copy O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Known O
only O
as O
" O
Witness O
A O
" O
, O
a O
Shiite O
woman O
gave O
chilling O
testimony O
Tuesday B-T
of O
how O
she O
was O
jailed O
for O
four B-T
years I-T
and O
beaten O
by O
intelligence O
agents O
at O
the O
mesmerising O
trial O
of O
Iraqi O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

Speaking O
with O
her O
voice O
disguised O
and O
sitting O
behind O
a O
heavy O
beige O
curtain O
, O
to O
protect O
her O
identity O
from O
journalists O
in O
the O
press O
box O
, O
her O
testimony O
got O
off O
to O
a O
tearful O
start O
as O
she O
recalled O
events O
in O
the B-T
early I-T
1980s I-T
. O

Aged O
16 O
when O
she O
was O
rounded O
up O
by O
Saddam O
' O
s O
forces O
in O
the O
Shiite O
village O
of O
Dujail O
, O
she O
said O
she O
was O
taken O
first O
to O
intelligence O
headquarters O
before O
being O
flung O
into O
Iraq O
' O
s O
notorious O
Abu O
Ghraib O
prison O
. O

" O
My O
youth O
. O
. O
. O
was O
destroyed O
, O
" O
said O
the O
woman O
recalling O
the O
legacy O
of O
her O
experiences O
. O
Today B-T
she O
described O
herself O
as O
a O
housewife O
. O

Saddam O
, O
for O
decades O
one O
of O
the O
most O
feared O
leaders O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
before O
being O
ousted O
by O
invading O
US O
- O
led O
troops O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
is O
on O
trial O
with O
seven O
henchmen O
for O
the O
massacre O
of O
148 O
people O
from O
the O
Shiite O
village O
of O
Dujail O
in O
1982 B-T
. O

He O
and O
his O
seven O
deputies O
, O
who O
have O
pleaded O
not O
guilty O
, O
face O
the O
death O
penalty O
by O
hanging O
if O
convicted O
over O
the O
killings O
, O
which O
followed O
an O
assassination O
bid O
against O
Iraq O
' O
s O
former O
strongman O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
the O
village O
. O

Taken O
to O
an O
operation O
room O
at O
intelligence O
headquarters O
, O
the O
woman O
said O
a O
man O
ordered O
her O
to O
remove O
her O
clothes O
before O
pistol O
whipping O
her O
and O
lashing O
her O
with O
cables O
. O
In O
all O
six O
witneses O
were O
to O
testify O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
He O
said O
take O
off O
your O
clothes O
. O
He O
hit O
me O
with O
the O
pistol O
and O
I O
was O
forced O
to O
take O
off O
my O
clothes O
and O
he O
lifted O
my O
legs O
upward O
and O
he O
hit O
me O
with O
cables O
and O
asked O
me O
to O
talk O
, O
" O
she O
was O
translated O
as O
saying O
. O

Just O
metres O
away O
on O
the O
other O
side O
of O
the O
court O
room O
, O
relayed O
television O
footage O
showed O
a O
silent O
Saddam O
sitting O
in O
the O
dock O
, O
his O
eyes O
blinking O
. O

" O
They O
lifted O
my O
legs O
upwards O
and O
they O
tied O
my O
hands O
and O
they O
would O
beat O
me O
with O
cables O
and O
hit O
me O
with O
electric O
shocks O
- O
- O
how O
can O
you O
describe O
that O
? O
" O
said O
the O
witness O
at O
a O
later O
point O
. O

" O
I O
cannot O
discribe O
what O
was O
there O
, O
" O
she O
said O
of O
her O
time O
in O
Abu O
Ghraib O
, O
where O
she O
recalled O
how O
men O
were O
forced O
to O
strip O
naked O
and O
run O
in O
front O
of O
women O
. O

In O
at O
times O
confused O
testimony O
in O
which O
she O
repeatedly O
invoked O
God O
, O
she O
said O
that O
at O
least O
three O
of O
her O
toenails O
fell O
off O
because O
she O
was O
forced O
to O
walk O
in O
the O
desert O
. O

Presiding O
judge O
Rizkar O
Mohammed O
Amin O
repeatedly O
asked O
her O
not O
to O
deviate O
from O
the O
topic O
and O
relate O
her O
evidence O
directly O
to O
Saddam O
. O

" O
Your O
honour O
he O
is O
the O
president O
of O
the O
country O
, O
he O
is O
the O
protector O
of O
the O
people O
, O
when O
the O
people O
are O
tortured O
and O
imprisoned O
, O
who O
ordered O
that O
? O
" O
she O
said O
at O
one O
such O
prompting O
. O

Amin O
at O
one O
point O
said O
her O
evidence O
was O
different O
from O
in O
December B-T
2004 I-T
and O
asked O
to O
know O
why O
but O
she O
gave O
no O
answer O
. O

She O
was O
cross O
- O
examined O
by O
both O
the O
prosecution O
and O
defence O
, O
who O
wanted O
to O
see O
the O
woman O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
. O
The O
proceedings O
were O
then O
closed O
off O
to O
journalists O
and O
the O
heavy O
curtain O
pushed O
to O
one O
side O
. O

A O
defence O
lawyer O
asked O
her O
if O
she O
had O
had O
her O
photo O
taken O
at O
Abu O
Ghraib O
, O
in O
an O
apparent O
reference O
to O
photos O
that O
emerged O
during O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
US O
military O
prison O
abuse O
scandal O
of O
Iraqi O
detainees O
at O
the O
same O
prison O
. O
She O
replied O
" O
No O
. O
" O

After O
a O
recess O
for O
lunch O
, O
another O
woman O
, O
" O
Witness O
B O
" O
, O
began O
to O
give O
evidence O
to O
the O
court O
, O
an O
AFP O
correspondent O
said O
. O

Born O
in O
1937 B-T
, O
the O
second O
witness O
was O
arrested O
and O
held O
for O
four B-T
months I-T
along O
with O
her O
husband O
and O
seven O
children O
in O
1981 B-T
, O
the B-T
year I-T
before O
the O
Dujail O
massacre O
. O

APW19980213 O
. O
1310 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
13 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
14 I-T
: I-T
26 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2112 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Australia O
- O
Republic O
4thLd O
- O
Writethru O
02 O
- O
13 O
0603 O

BC O
- O
Australia O
- O
Republic O
, O
4th O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
, O
0602 O

Constitutional O
convention O
votes O
for O
republic O
, O
against O
links O
to O

British O
monarchy O
QL O

UR O
Eds O
: O
ADDS O
2 O
grafs O
at O
end O
with O
reaction O
from O
former O
prime O
minister O

Paul O
Keating O
QL O

UR O
AP O
Photo O
CANB101 O
, O
102 O
, O
103 O
QL O

UR O
By O
ALAN O
THORNHILL O
QC O

UR O
Associated O
Press O
Writer O
QC O

CANBERRA O
, O
Australia O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Turning O
its O
back O
on O
210 B-T
years I-T
of O

loyalty O
to O
the O
British O
royal O
family O
, O
a O
constitutional O
convention O

voted O
overwhelmingly O
Friday B-T
to O
make O
Australia O
a O
republic O
under O
its O

own O
president O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
John O
Howard O
, O
a O
monarchist O
himself O
, O
promised O
to O
put O
the O
question O
to O
a O
national O
referendum O
next B-T
year I-T
after O

convention O
delegates O
voted O
89 O
- O
52 O
for O
a O
republic O
, O
with O
11 O

abstentions O
. O

Spontaneous O
applause O
echoed O
through O
the O
chamber O
and O
public O

galleries O
as O
the O
crucial O
vote O
passed O
by O
a O
wide O
margin O
. O

` O
` O
I O
want O
a O
referendum O
, O
' O
' O
Howard O
said O
. O
` O
` O
The O
Australian O
people O

are O
owed O
the O
opportunity O
of O
expressing O
an O
opinion O
on O
this O
. O
' O
' O

` O
` O
It O
would O
be O
a O
travesty O
in O
common O
sense O
terms O
of O
Australian O

democracy O
for O
that O
proposition O
not O
to O
be O
put O
to O
the O
Australian O

people O
, O
' O
' O
Howard O
said O
. O

Even O
in O
his O
own O
Cabinet O
, O
Howard O
is O
becoming O
increasingly O
isolated O
with O
his O
monarchist O
stance O
. O
Treasurer O
Peter O
Costello O
, O

Environment O
Minister O
Robert O
Hill O
and O
Attorney O
General O
Daryl O

Williams O
all O
voted O
to O
support O
the O
republic O
Friday B-T
. O

` O
` O
This O
convention O
will O
be O
seen O
as O
a O
turning O
point O
in O
our O

history O
, O
' O
' O
Australian O
Republican O
Movement O
spokeswoman O
Mary O

Delahunty O
said O
. O

Pro O
- O
republicans O
hope O
to O
have O
an O
Australian O
president O
by O
the O

opening O
of O
the O
2000 B-T
Olympics O
and O
the O
100th O
anniversary O
of O

Australian O
federation O
. O

Calling O
for O
an O
amended O
constitution O
with O
a O
new O
preamble O
, O
to O
be O
written O
by O
Australian O
poets O
, O
republican O
Janet O
Holmes O
a O
Court O
said O
, O

` O
` O
We O
need O
the O
smell O
of O
eucalyptus O
in O
this O
, O
and O
the O
feel O
of O
red O

dust O
. O
' O
' O

Monarchists O
hope O
to O
defeat O
the O
republic O
at O
the O
referendum O
. O

` O
` O
The O
phony O
war O
has O
finished O
and O
the O
real O
referendum O
campaign O

has O
clearly O
begun O
, O
' O
' O
Australians O
for O
a O
Constitutional O
Monarchy O

executive O
director O
Kerry O
Jones O
said O
. O

` O
` O
Well O
may O
we O
say O
` O
God O
save O
the O
Queen O
, O
' O
for O
nothing O
will O
save O

the O
republic O
, O
' O
' O
outraged O
monarchist O
delegate O
David O
Mitchell O
said O
. O

` O
` O
The O
idea O
of O
a O
republic O
will O
fall O
to O
dust O
through O
the O
grace O
of O

almighty O
God O
. O
' O
' O

Polls O
have O
shown O
public O
support O
for O
a O
republic O
increasing O
, O

rising O
from O
about O
35 O
percent O
several B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
to O
about O
51 O
percent O

this B-T
year I-T
, O
as O
pro O
- O
monarchist O
sentiment O
diminishes O
. O

Australia O
has O
been O
independent O
since O
1901 B-T
, O
but O
like O
many O

Commonwealth O
nations O
it O
still O
recognizes O
the O
British O
monarch O
as O
its O

head O
of O
state O
. O

Howard O
said O
Queen O
Elizabeth O
II O
is O
taking O
a O
great O
interest O
in O
the O

convention O
. O

` O
` O
She O
is O
, O
I O
can O
assure O
you O
, O
from O
what O
I O
' O
ve O
been O
told O
, O
she O
' O
s O
following O
the O
thing O
very O
closely O
and O
taking O
the O
view O
it O
' O
s O
our O

business O
. O

` O
` O
It O
' O
s O
no O
secret O
that O
she O
' O
s O
indicated O
to O
me O
. O
. O
. O
she O
is O
a O
20th O

century O
democrat O
, O
understands O
that O
the O
role O
of O
the O
crown O
in O

Australia O
rests O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
the O
Australian O
people O
as O
it O
has O
for O

almost B-T
a I-T
hundred I-T
years I-T
. O
' O
' O

The O
model O
for O
a O
republic O
, O
adopted O
over O
bitter O
objections O
from O

those O
advocating O
direct O
election O
of O
a O
president O
, O
is O
for O

presidential O
nominations O
to O
be O
made O
with O
public O
input O
and O
the O

winning O
candidate O
decided O
by O
a O
two O
- O
thirds O
majority O
of O
Parliament O
. O

Former O
prime O
minister O
Paul O
Keating O
, O
who O
put O
the O
republic O
issue O

in O
the O
spotlight O
in O
his O
unsuccessful O
1996 B-T
campaign O
for O
re O
- O
election O
, O

welcomed O
the O
result O
. O

` O
` O
This O
is O
an O
important O
step O
along O
the O
path O
towards O
Australia O

claiming O
its O
full O
sovereignty O
, O
and O
due O
recognition O
that O
the O

monarchy O
can O
no O
longer O
serve O
us O
appropriately O
, O
' O
' O
Keating O
said O
. O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Australia O
- O
Republic O
, O
4th O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
AFRI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
INDI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
02 O
- O
13 O
- O
98 O
1426EST O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0548 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Denktash O
ready O
to O
meet O
Clerides O

Turkish O
Cypriot O
leader O
Rauf O
Denktash O
said O
Wednesday B-T
he O
was O
prepared O
to O
meet O
his O
Greek O
Cypriot O
counterpart O
, O
Glafcos O
Clerides O
, O
to O
try O
and O
forge O
a O
solution O
to O
the O
Cyprus O
question O
, O
but O
warned O
he O
would O
not O
let O
his O
community O
be O
" O
colonised O
" O
by O
the O
Greek O
majority O
. O

Speaking O
to O
journalists O
after O
talks O
with O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
, O
Denktash O
said O
he O
was O
optimistic O
about O
UN O
plans O
to O
try O
and O
get O
the O
leaders O
of O
the O
feuding O
communities O
on O
the O
divided O
island O
together O
for O
a O
June B-T
meeting O
. O

But O
he O
stressed O
that O
his O
base O
position O
going O
into O
any O
talks O
would O
rule O
out O
any O
notion O
of O
Greek O
supremacy O
over O
the O
Turkish O
- O
held O
north O
of O
the O
Mediterranean O
island O
. O

" O
I O
have O
been O
inviting O
Mr O
. O
Clerides O
to O
come O
to O
the O
negotiating O
table O
and O
to O
discuss O
a O
bizonal O
, O
bicommunal O
federation O
resting O
on O
the O
partnership O
of O
two O
politically O
equal O
communities O
( O
. O
. O
. O
) O
and O
they O
have O
been O
running O
away O
from O
it O
all O
this O
time O
, O
" O
Denktash O
said O
. O

" O
He O
( O
Clerides O
) O
has O
attempted O
to O
change O
the O
agenda O
by O
making O
a O
unilateral O
application O
to O
the O
EU O
, O
and O
pretending O
that O
this O
application O
is O
an O
application O
by O
Cyprus O
, O
when O
it O
is O
an O
application O
by O
Greek O
Cypriots O
only O
. O
So O
naturally O
we O
cannot O
accept O
that O
kind O
of O
tactics O
, O
" O
the O
Turkish O
Cypriot O
leader O
said O
. O

Cyprus O
has O
been O
divided O
since O
Turkey O
invaded O
the O
northern O
third O
of O
the O
island O
in O
1974 B-T
after O
a O
military O
coup O
in O
Nicosia O
aimed O
at O
uniting O
the O
island O
with O
Greece O
. O

Denktash O
' O
s O
breakaway O
Turkish O
- O
Cypriot O
northern O
state O
declared O
in O
1983 B-T
is O
recognized O
only O
by O
Ankara O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0209 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
by O
Abe O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Japan O
urged O
Russia O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
be O
" O
responsible O
" O
but O
said O
it O
was O
confident O
it O
would O
receive O
gas O
supplies O
as O
planned O
after O
Moscow O
took O
control O
of O
the O
massive O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
project O
from O
British O
and O
Japanese O
companies O
. O

Japan O
, O
which O
has O
few O
natural O
resources O
of O
its O
own O
, O
is O
the O
primary O
market O
for O
the O
gas O
from O
the O
22 O
billion O
- O
dollar O
project O
off O
Russia O
' O
s O
east O
coast O
, O
which O
would O
have O
been O
the O
world O
' O
s O
biggest O
privately O
financed O
energy O
project O
. O

" O
We O
want O
the O
Russian O
side O
to O
take O
responsible O
policies O
, O
" O
Chief O
Cabinet O
Secretary O
Yasuhisa O
Shiozaki O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
in O
Tokyo O
. O

" O
Our O
country O
relies O
on O
energy O
resources O
from O
abroad O
. O
It O
is O
important O
to O
see O
the O
project O
go O
ahead O
smoothly O
to O
secure O
energy O
resources O
and O
provide O
stable O
supply O
, O
" O
said O
Shiozaki O
, O
the O
government O
spokesman O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
, O
Russia O
' O
s O
state O
- O
run O
Gazprom O
secured O
control O
of O
the O
project O
and O
agreed O
to O
pay O
7 O
. O
45 O
billion O
dollars O
to O
the O
consortium O
led O
by O
Anglo O
- O
Dutch O
giant O
Royal O
Dutch O
Shell O
. O

Shell O
and O
its O
two O
Japanese O
partners O
, O
trading O
houses O
Mitsui O
and O
Co O
. O
and O
Mitsubishi O
Corp O
. O
will O
become O
minority O
owners O
. O

The O
project O
had O
been O
halted O
when O
Russia O
accused O
the O
companies O
of O
environmental O
violations O
, O
a O
move O
widely O
seen O
by O
foreign O
investors O
as O
a O
way O
for O
the O
government O
to O
muscle O
in O
and O
take O
control O
. O

But O
Prime O
Minister O
Shinzo O
Abe O
welcomed O
the O
latest O
deal O
. O

" O
It O
means O
a O
lot O
that O
Japan O
secured O
the O
energy O
supply O
from O
Russia O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
I O
would O
like O
to O
use O
diplomacy O
to O
diversify O
the O
sources O
of O
energy O
and O
ensure O
stable O
supply O
, O
" O
Abe O
said O
. O

Japan O
' O
s O
oil O
supply O
comes O
almost O
exclusively O
from O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
whose O
turbulence O
is O
a O
constant O
worry O
for O
businesses O
and O
policymakers O
here O
. O

" O
The O
signed O
contract O
ensures O
a O
stable O
supply O
for O
Japan O
' O
s O
domestic O
demands O
, O
which O
I O
highly O
value O
, O
" O
Akira O
Amari O
, O
Minister O
of O
Economy O
, O
Trade O
, O
and O
Industry O
, O
said O
of O
the O
Gazprom O
deal O
. O

" O
The O
Japanese O
government O
has O
been O
sending O
Russia O
its O
requests O
through O
diplomatic O
routes O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Japan O
had O
previously O
warned O
Russia O
that O
a O
failure O
to O
receive O
gas O
from O
the O
project O
would O
set O
back O
overall O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

Asked O
whether O
Russia O
made O
the O
environmental O
allegations O
to O
gain O
control O
of O
the O
project O
, O
Amari O
said O
: O
" O
I O
feel O
that O
way O
but O
I O
cannot O
assert O
it O
in O
my O
position O
( O
as O
trade O
minister O
) O
. O
" O

Russia O
was O
infuriated O
when O
the O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
announced O
a O
doubling O
of O
costs O
for O
the O
project O
. O
Under O
the O
original O
production O
sharing O
agreement O
, O
the O
state O
was O
only O
to O
receive O
a O
share O
of O
the O
profits O
after O
the O
group O
recouped O
its O
investment O
. O

The O
two O
Japanese O
companies O
said O
in O
a O
joint O
statement O
that O
they O
will O
" O
make O
utmost O
efforts O
to O
ensure O
liquified O
energy O
gas O
supply O
as O
scheduled O
to O
existing O
customers O
in O
Japan O
, O
South O
Korea O
and O
the O
west O
coast O
of O
the O
United O
States O
. O
" O

" O
In O
addition O
, O
Gazprom O
and O
the O
three O
existing O
shareholders O
reaffirmed O
to O
do O
our O
best O
to O
solve O
the O
issue O
of O
the O
approval O
and O
license O
, O
" O
they O
said O
in O
a O
joint O
statement O
, O
in O
an O
indirect O
reference O
to O
the O
environmental O
allegations O
. O

Risk O
assessment O
agency O
Standard O
and O
Poor O
' O
s O
said O
the O
share O
transfer O
would O
not O
affect O
the O
ratings O
of O
Mitsubishi O
Corp O
. O
and O
Mitsui O
- O
- O
and O
that O
if O
anything O
they O
would O
benefit O
. O

" O
Difficulties O
in O
negotiations O
with O
the O
Russian O
government O
had O
increased O
uncertainty O
over O
Mitsubishi O
and O
Mitsui O
and O
Co O
' O
s O
investment O
in O
the O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
project O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

The O
risks O
" O
may O
recede O
due O
to O
Gazprom O
' O
s O
participation O
in O
the O
project O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0342 O

BERLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

EU O
enlargement O
positive O
for O
German O
economy O
: O
study O

European O
Union O
enlargement O
has O
had O
a O
positive O
effect O
on O
the O
German O
economy O
so O
far O
, O
boosting O
gross O
domestic O
product O
by O
around O
one O
percentage O
point O
, O
and O
the O
benefits O
are O
likely O
to O
continue O
as O
the O
bloc O
expands O
further O
, O
a O
study O
showed O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

A O
study O
commissioned O
by O
the O
German O
Economy O
Mininstry O
showed O
that O
Germany O
, O
the O
eurozone O
' O
s O
largest O
economy O
, O
had O
already O
largely O
profited O
from O
the O
extension O
of O
the O
EU O
from O
15 B-T
to O
25 O
nations O
in O
May B-T
2004 I-T
. O

" O
And O
the O
study O
shows O
that O
the O
upcoming O
membership O
of O
Bulgaria O
and O
Romania O
will O
also O
have O
a O
slightly O
positive O
effect O
on O
overall O
economic O
developments O
in O
Germany O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
positive O
effect O
of O
the O
fifth O
round O
of O
enlargement O
, O
which O
will O
be O
completed O
with O
the O
entry O
of O
Bulgaria O
and O
Romania O
, O
represents O
around O
one O
percent O
of O
German O
GDP O
in O
the O
long O
term O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
two O
central O
European O
states O
are O
set O
to O
become O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
26th O
and O
27th O
members O
on O
January B-T
1 I-T
. O

" O
From O
a O
long O
- O
term O
perspective O
, O
Germany O
' O
s O
potential O
in O
terms O
of O
foreign O
trade O
is O
not O
yet O
exhausted O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
said O
. O

Economic O
immigration O
of O
citizens O
from O
most O
of O
new O
EU O
states O
had O
increased O
since O
May B-T
2004 I-T
but O
" O
has O
fallen O
short O
of O
forecasts O
, O
" O
largely O
as O
a O
result O
of O
interim O
regulations O
limiting O
such O
influxes O
, O
it O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0756 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

concerns O

Hong O
Kong O
share O
prices O
opened O
0 O
. O
21 O
percent O
lower O
Tuesday B-T
following O
Wall O
Street O
' O
s O
pullback O
overnight O
after O
the O
US O
Federal O
Reserve O
warned O
yet O
again O
of O
inflation O
risks O
despite O
acknowledging O
that O
the O
economy O
has O
weakened O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
statement O
, O
which O
accompanied O
the O
Fed O
' O
s O
widely O
expected O
decision O
to O
keep O
its O
benchmark O
interest O
rate O
unchanged O
at O
5 O
. O
25 O
percent O
, O
is O
being O
interpreted O
to O
mean O
that O
the O
central O
bank O
might O
raise O
rates O
again O
if O
inflation O
accelerates O
, O
disappointing O
investors O
who O
had O
been O
looking O
for O
signals O
for O
a O
rate O
cut O
. O

The O
Hang O
Seng O
Index O
opened O
down O
39 O
. O
50 O
points O
at O
18 O
, O
867 O
. O
67 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0561 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

South O
African O
cricket O
championship O
scores O

Scores O
after O
first O
day O
of O
South O
African O
four O
- O
day O
cricket O
championship O
matches O
on O
Thursday B-T
: O

At O
Newlands O
, O
Cape O
Town O

Cape O
Cobras O
v O
Highveld O
Lions O

Lions O
287 O
- O
3 O
in O
94 O
overs O
( O
N O
. O
McKenzie O
135 O
, O
J O
. O
Ontong O
120 O
no O
; O
M O
. O
Zondeki O
2 O
- O
31 O
) O

At O
Goodyear O
Park O
, O
Bloemfontein O

Free O
State O
Eagles O
v O
KwaZulu O
- O
Natal O
Dolphins O

Eagles O
262 O
- O
3 O
in O
90 O
. O
1 O
overs O
( O
H O
. O
Dippenaar O
71 O
no O
, O
M O
. O
van O
Wyk O
57 O
no O
) O

At O
SuperSport O
Park O
, O
Centurion O

Northern O
Titans O
v O
Eastern O
Cape O
Warriors O

Warriors O
268 O
- O
8 O
in O
85 O
overs O
( O
M O
. O
Goodwin O
77 O
, O
A O
. O
Jacobs O
70 O
; O
J O
. O
Morkel O
4 O
- O
47 O
) O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0091 O

Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Tel O
: O
Nicosia O
( O
357 O
) O
22 O
- O
758 O
- O
826 O

Middle O
East O
news O
highlights O
on O
Tuesday B-T
: O

+ O
Lebanon O
in O
crisis O
after O
latest O
killing O

+ O
UN O
Security O
Council O
studies O
report O

on O
Hariri O
murder O

+ O
Iraqis O
living O
abroad O
start O
voting O

+ O
Palestinians O
, O
Israelis O
in O
gunbattle O

AMMAN O
: O
Iraqis O
living O
in O
15 O
nations O
start O
voting O
ahead O
of O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
general O
election O
( O
Iraq O
- O
vote O
- O
foreign O
) O

BAGHDAD O
: O
Iraq O
marks O
the O
second O
anniversary O
of O
the O
capture O
of O
ex O
- O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
who O
was O
found O
at O
the O
bottom O
of O
a O
hole O
on O
a O
farm O
by O
US O
troops O
. O

- O
Five O
- O
day O
public O
holiday O
begins O
as O
part O
of O
security O
measures O
seeking O
to O
minimise O
bloodshed O
for O
Iraq O
' O
s O
watershed O
general O
election O
on O
Thursday B-T

- O
US O
ambassador O
Zalmay O
Khalilzad O
holds O
news O
conference O
( O
1130 O
GMT O
) O

- O
Abdel O
Aziz O
al O
- O
Hakim O
, O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
powerful O
United O
Iraqi O
Alliance O
list O
, O
gathers O
together O
Shiite O
tribal O
leaders O
in O
a O
final O
campaign O
bid O
ahead O
of O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
election O
. O

- O
Monitoring O
developments O
after O
deadline O
set O
by O
kidnappers O
to O
kill O
four O
Western O
peace O
activists O
held O
in O
Iraq O
expires O
. O

BANGKOK O
: O
Jordan O
' O
s O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
begins O
a O
two O
- O
day O
private O
visit O
Thailand O
, O
followed O
by O
an O
official O
one O
- O
day O
visit O
( O
Thailand O
- O
Jordan O
- O
royal O
) O

BEIRUT O
: O
Lebanon O
is O
facing O
new O
political O
turmoil O
after O
the O
killing O
of O
a O
leading O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
journalist O
, O
with O
five O
Shiite O
ministers O
protesting O
a O
government O
decision O
to O
call O
for O
an O
international O
probe O
into O
a O
wave O
of O
attacks O
( O
Lebanon O
- O
attack O
) O

- O
The O
family O
of O
slain O
MP O
and O
newspaper O
boss O
Gibran O
Tueni O
receive O
condolences O
ahead O
of O
his O
funeral O
Wednesday B-T
, O
while O
schools O
are O
closed O
. O

- O
Anti O
- O
Syria O
political O
parties O
and O
figures O
gather O
at O
An O
- O
Nahar O
newspaper O
offices O
. O

CAIRO O
: O
The O
new O
Egyptian O
parliament O
holds O
its O
first O
session O
a B-T
week I-T
after O
the O
final O
round O
of O
month O
- O
long O
polls O
that O
saw O
the O
ruling O
party O
keep O
its O
grip O
on O
power O
and O
Islamists O
make O
spectacular O
gains O
( O
Egypt O
- O
politics O
) O

DUBAI O
: O
Dubai O
film O
festival O
( O
to O
17 O
) O

KUWAIT O
CITY O
: O
Organisation O
of O
Arab O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
meets O
, O
a O
day O
after O
OPEC O
decided O
to O
maintain O
its O
current O
output O
. O
( O
OAPEC O
- O
oil O
) O
. O

NABLUS O
, O
West O
Bank O
: O
Fourteen O
Palestinians O
and O
two O
Israeli O
soldiers O
wounded O
in O
armed O
clashes O
on O
streets O
of O
Nablus O
( O
Mideast O
- O
unrest O
) O
. O

RAMALLAH O
, O
West O
Bank O
: O
Central O
committee O
of O
ruling O
Fatah O
faction O
meets O
in O
bid O
to O
settle O
on O
a O
final O
list O
for O
January B-T
' O
s O
parliamentary O
election O
( O
0900 O
GMT O
) O
. O

TEHRAN O
: O
Press O
conference O
by O
Iranian O
government O
spokesman O
Gholam O
Hossein O
Elham O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
: O
UN O
Security O
Council O
to O
examine O
a O
new O
report O
which O
pointed O
to O
fresh O
evidence O
further O
implicating O
senior O
Syrian O
officers O
in O
the O
murder O
of O
Lebanese O
ex O
- O
premier O
Rafiq O
Hariri O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0255 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Shanghai O
posts O
big O
- O
margin O
growth O
in O
trade O
with O
Africa O

Shanghai O
recorded O
7 O
. O
48 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
trade O
with O
Africa O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
10 I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
a O
growth O
of O
35 O
. O
1 O
percent O
from O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
local O
customs O
sources O
said O
. O

The O
total O
included O
1 O
. O
33 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
exports O
, O
up O
19 O
. O
8 O
percent O
, O
and O
6 O
. O
15 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
up O
38 O
. O
9 O
percent O
. O

From O
January B-T
to O
October B-T
, O
Shanghai O
' O
s O
external O
trade O
amounted O
to O
350 O
. O
27 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
up O
22 O
. O
4 O
percent O
over O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
of I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

Over O
the B-T
10 I-T
months I-T
, O
Shanghai O
' O
s O
imports O
of O
primary O
products O
declined O
due O
largely O
to O
price O
hikes O
for O
raw O
materials O
on O
international O
markets O
. O

The O
city O
imported O
2 O
. O
94 O
million O
tons O
of O
plastic O
in O
primary O
form O
, O
down O
2 O
. O
3 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
, I-T
2 I-T
. I-T
44 I-T
million O
tons O
of O
rolled O
steel O
, O
down O
22 O
. O
3 O
percent O
, O
and O
485 O
, O
000 O
tons O
of O
unprocessed O
copper O
and O
copper O
products O
, O
down O
43 O
. O
6 O
percent O
. O

According O
to O
the O
local O
customs O
sources O
, O
foreign O
- O
funded O
businesses O
made O
up O
223 O
. O
83 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
or O
63 O
. O
9 O
percent O
, O
of O
Shanghai O
' O
s O
total O
foreign O
trade O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0270 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Diaoyu O
Island O
group O
in O
HK O
sets O
mid O
- O
May O
for O
protest O
date O

A O
Hong O
Kong O
group O
said O
Wednesday B-T
it O
planned O
to O
make O
a O
landing O
next B-T
month I-T
on O
the O
Diaoyu O
Islands O
, O
an O
archipelago O
claimed O
by O
China O
, O
Japan O
and O
Taiwan O
. O

The O
group O
, O
which O
backs O
China O
' O
s O
claim O
, O
announced O
the O
protest O
after O
Japanese O
supporters O
of O
Tokyo O
' O
s O
claim O
said O
they O
wanted O
to O
land O
there O
in O
May B-T
. O

The O
protestors O
, O
called O
the O
Protect O
the O
Diaoyu O
Islands O
Committee O
, O
are O
led O
by O
members O
of O
the O
Democratic O
Party O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
largest O
political O
group O
. O

Tsang O
Kin O
- O
shing O
, O
a O
legislator O
, O
said O
a O
group O
of O
40 O
people O
would O
fly O
from O
Hong O
Kong O
to O
Taipei O
and O
team O
up O
with O
around O
100 O
others O
from O
Taiwan O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

They O
would O
then O
set O
sail O
from O
a O
northern O
port O
in O
Taiwan O
to O
the O
archipelago O
, O
hoping O
to O
land O
there O
on O
May B-T
18 I-T
" O
and O
camp O
there O
for O
four O
to O
five O
days O
, O
" O
Tsang O
said O
. O

He O
added O
" O
there O
is O
a O
possibility O
that O
we O
will O
meet O
them O
( O
the O
Japanese O
) O
. O
" O

" O
We O
will O
do O
our O
utmost O
to O
refrain O
from O
violence O
. O
We O
intend O
to O
ask O
them O
whether O
they O
have O
applied O
for O
a O
visa O
from O
China O
in O
order O
to O
be O
there O
. O
" O

The O
islands O
, O
believed O
to O
lie O
in O
an O
oil O
- O
rich O
area O
of O
the O
East O
China O
Sea O
, O
are O
known O
to O
Chinese O
as O
the O
Diaoyus O
and O
to O
Japanese O
as O
the O
Senkakus O
. O

The O
three O
- O
way O
dispute O
over O
ownership O
was O
revived O
last B-T
July I-T
after O
an O
ultra O
- O
right O
- O
wing O
Japanese O
group O
erected O
a O
lighthouse O
on O
one O
of O
the O
islands O
as O
a O
symbol O
of O
Tokyo O
' O
s O
claim O
, O
sparking O
anti O
- O
Japanese O
sentiment O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Taiwan O
and O
China O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0172 O

RIYADH O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Saudi O
beheaded O
for O
murder O

A O
Saudi O
man O
convicted O
of O
murder O
was O
beheaded O
by O
the O
sword O
on O
Tuesday B-T
in O
the O
capital O
of O
the O
Gulf O
Arab O
monarchy O
, O
the O
interior O
ministry O
announced O
. O

The O
ministry O
, O
in O
a O
statement O
carried O
by O
state O
news O
agency O
SPA O
, O
said O
Mosfer O
bin O
Mubrak O
al O
- O
Qahtani O
had O
shot O
dead O
a O
fellow O
Saudi O
, O
wounded O
a O
number O
of O
other O
people O
, O
and O
damaged O
homes O
and O
cars O
. O

The O
beheading O
in O
Riyadh O
brings O
to O
at O
least O
36 O
the O
number O
of O
executions O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
this O
year O
. O
At O
least O
83 O
were O
put O
to O
death O
in O
2005 B-T
and O
35 O
the O
year O
before O
. O

Executions O
are O
generally O
carried O
out O
in O
public O
in O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
kingdom O
, O
which O
applies O
a O
strict O
form O
of O
Islamic O
law O
. O
The O
death O
penalty O
is O
applied O
for O
murder O
, O
rape O
, O
apostasy O
, O
armed O
robbery O
and O
drug O
trafficking O
. O

AP_20130322 O

March B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2013 I-T

105 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Kids O
Died O
From O
Flu O
, O
CDC O
Says O

The O
flu O
season O
is O
winding O
down O
, O
and O
it O
has O
killed O
105 O
children O
so O
far O
- O
about O
the O
average O
toll O
. O

The O
season O
started O
about O
a B-T
month I-T
earlier O
than O
usual O
, O
sparking O
concerns O
it O
might O
turn O
into O
the O
worst O
in O
a B-T
decade I-T
. O
It O
ended O
up O
being O
very O
hard O
on O
the O
elderly O
, O
but O
was O
moderately O
severe O
overall O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Centers O
for O
Disease O
Control O
and O
Prevention O
. O

Six O
of O
the O
pediatric O
deaths O
were O
reported O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
week I-T
, O
and O
it O
' O
s O
possible O
there O
will O
be O
more O
, O
said O
the O
CDC O
' O
s O
Dr O
. O
Michael O
Jhung O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Roughly O
100 O
children O
die O
in O
an O
average O
flu O
season O
. O
One O
exception O
was O
the O
swine O
flu O
pandemic O
of O
2009 B-T
- O
2010 B-T
, O
when O
348 O
children O
died O
. O

The O
CDC O
recommends O
that O
all O
children O
ages O
6 O
months O
and O
older O
be O
vaccinated O
against O
flu O
each B-T
season I-T
, O
though O
only O
about O
half O
get O
a O
flu O
shot O
or O
nasal O
spray O
. O

All O
but O
four O
of O
the O
children O
who O
died O
were O
old O
enough O
to O
be O
vaccinated O
, O
but O
90 O
percent O
of O
them O
did O
not O
get O
vaccinated O
, O
CDC O
officials O
said O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
vaccine O
was O
considered O
effective O
in O
children O
, O
though O
it O
didn O
' O
t O
work O
very O
well O
in O
older O
people O
. O
And O
the O
dominant O
flu O
strain O
early O
in O
the O
season O
was O
one O
that O
tends O
to O
cause O
more O
severe O
illness O
. O

The O
government O
only O
does O
a O
national O
flu O
death O
count O
for O
children O
. O
But O
it O
does O
track O
hospitalization O
rates O
for O
people O
65 O
and O
older O
, O
and O
those O
statistics O
have O
been O
grim O
. O

In O
that O
group O
, O
177 O
out O
of O
every O
100 O
, O
000 O
were O
hospitalized O
with O
flu O
- O
related O
illness O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
several I-T
months I-T
. O
That O
' O
s O
more O
than O
2 O
1 O
/ O
2 O
times O
higher O
than O
any O
other O
recent B-T
season I-T
. O

This O
flu O
season O
started O
in O
early B-T
December I-T
, O
a B-T
month I-T
earlier O
than O
usual O
, O
and O
peaked O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
year I-T
. O
Since O
then O
, O
flu O
reports O
have O
been O
dropping O
off O
throughout O
the O
country O
. O

" O
We O
appear O
to O
be O
getting O
close O
to O
the O
end O
of O
flu O
season O
, O
" O
Jhung O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0182 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

contries O
" O
of O
great O
importance O
" O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Senior O
Chinese O
diplomats O
said O
Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
' O
s O
impending O
visit O
to O
five O
countries O
in O
Europe O
and O
Asia O
will O
further O
improve O
the O
mutual O
understanding O
and O
trust O
between O
China O
and O
the O
five O
countries O
, O
highlighting O
the O
visit O
as O
" O
of O
great O
significance O
" O
. O

According O
to O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
' O
s O
announcement O
, O
Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
will O
pay O
official O
visits O
to O
France O
, O
Slovakia O
, O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
, O
Portugal O
and O
Malaysia O
from O
Dec B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
to O
15 O
, O
and O
he O
will O
also O
attend O
the O
ninth O
Summit O
between O
China O
and O
the O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
Nations O
( O
ASEAN O
) O
, O
the O
ninth O
ASEAN O
plus O
China O
, O
Japan O
and O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
Summit O
and O
the O
First O
East O
Asian O
Summit O
in O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
. O

Zhao O
Jun O
, O
director O
of O
the O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
' O
s O
European O
Department O
at O
a O
briefing O
on O
Wen O
' O
s O
visit O
here O
Wednesday B-T
called O
the O
visit O
to O
the O
four O
European O
countries O
" O
another O
big O
event O
" O
after O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Europe O
in O
November B-T
. O

China O
and O
France O
have O
maintained O
good O
momentum O
of O
development O
in O
the O
all O
- O
round O
strategic O
partnership O
and O
the O
political O
mutual O
trust O
continues O
to O
grow O
as O
the O
two O
state O
leaders O
realized O
their O
first O
annual O
mutual O
visit O
in O
2004 B-T
and O
met O
twice O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
Zhao O
said O
. O

The O
latest O
Chinese O
official O
statistics O
show O
that O
China O
and O
France O
have O
achieved O
a O
breakthrough O
in O
economic O
and O
trade O
cooperation O
with O
the O
two O
- O
way O
trade O
volume O
valued O
at O
17 O
. O
58 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
, O
up O
31 O
. O
3 O
percent O
over O
the O
same O
time O
of O
previous O
year O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

From O
Jan B-T
. I-T
to O
Oct B-T
. I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
bilateral O
trade O
volume O
reached O
16 O
. O
64 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
, O
up O
17 O
. O
3 O
percent O
over O
the O
same O
time O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

Great O
successes O
were O
also O
scored O
in O
the O
Chinese O
culture O
year O
in O
France O
and O
French O
culture O
year B-T
in O
China O
, O
Zhao O
said O
, O
noting O
relevant O
activities O
remarkably O
helped O
the O
two O
peoples O
to O
expand O
mutual O
understanding O
and O
friendship O
. O

" O
We O
are O
satisfied O
with O
the O
current O
comprehensive O
growth O
of O
Sino O
- O
French O
relations O
" O
, O
Zhao O
stressed O
, O
adding O
that O
Wen O
will O
hold O
talks O
with O
French O
Prime O
Minister O
Dominique O
de O
Villepin O
, O
meet O
with O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
and O
President O
of O
the O
French O
national O
Assembly O
Jean O
- O
Louis O
Debre O
, O
deliver O
an O
important O
speech O
in O
Paris O
, O
visit O
French O
and O
European O
aviation O
and O
space O
companies O
and O
sign O
a O
series O
of O
important O
agreements O
of O
cooperation O
. O

In O
response O
to O
a O
reporter O
' O
s O
question O
on O
Wen O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Slovakia O
, O
Zhao O
recognized O
that O
the O
joint O
statement O
signed O
between O
China O
and O
Slovakia O
in O
2003 B-T
marked O
a O
landmark O
for O
the O
growth O
of O
bilateral O
relations O
in O
the O
new O
era O
. O

Political O
mutual O
trust O
is O
further O
boosted O
, O
bilateral O
economic O
and O
trade O
cooperation O
has O
scored O
remarkable O
growth O
and O
exchanges O
in O
the O
fields O
of O
science O
and O
technology O
, O
culture O
, O
education O
, O
sports O
and O
tourism O
continue O
to O
increase O
, O
Zhao O
said O
, O
highlighting O
that O
Wen O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Slovakia O
will O
be O
the O
first O
by O
a O
Chinese O
leader O
since O
Slovakia O
gained O
independence O
in O
1993 B-T
. O

" O
Premier O
Wen O
will O
exchange O
views O
with O
Slovak O
leaders O
on O
furthering O
China O
- O
Slovakia O
friendly O
and O
cooperative O
ties O
and O
issues O
of O
common O
concern O
, O
and O
the O
two O
sides O
will O
also O
sign O
some O
bilateral O
documents O
" O
, O
Zhao O
said O
. O

When O
touching O
on O
the O
China O
- O
Czech O
relations O
, O
Zhao O
said O
that O
Czech O
President O
Vaclav O
Klaus O
and O
Czech O
Prime O
Minister O
Jiri O
Paroubek O
' O
s O
respective O
successful O
visits O
to O
China O
last O
and O
this B-T
year I-T
witnessed O
increased O
bilateral O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
in O
various O
fields O
and O
helped O
enhance O
the O
scale O
and O
level O
of O
bilateral O
cooperation O
. O

China O
will O
join O
in O
hands O
with O
Czech O
to O
push O
forward O
bilateral O
relations O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
the O
Five O
Principles O
of O
Peaceful O
Coexistence O
, O
Zhao O
said O
, O
noting O
that O
Wen O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Czech O
will O
also O
be O
the O
first O
visit O
by O
a O
Chinese O
leader O
since O
the O
country O
claimed O
independence O
in O
1993 B-T
. O

" O
Premier O
Wen O
will O
exchange O
views O
with O
Czech O
leaders O
on O
promoting O
bilateral O
ties O
and O
issues O
of O
common O
concern O
and O
sign O
some O
bilateral O
documents O
" O
, O
Zhao O
added O
. O

The O
relations O
between O
China O
and O
Portugal O
have O
developed O
smoothly O
since O
they O
forged O
diplomatic O
ties O
in O
1979 B-T
, O
Zhao O
said O
. O

" O
Wen O
is O
the O
first O
Chinese O
premier O
to O
visit O
Portugal O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
13 I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
high O
- O
level O
contacts O
would O
enhance O
mutual O
understanding O
, O
trust O
, O
and O
cooperation O
. O

During O
his O
stay O
in O
Portugal O
, O
Wen O
is O
expected O
to O
hold O
talks O
with O
Prime O
Minister O
Jose O
Socrates O
, O
and O
meet O
President O
Jorge O
Sampaio O
and O
Parliament O
Speaker O
Jaime O
Gama O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
two O
sides O
would O
also O
sign O
some O
cooperative O
documents O
covering O
politics O
, O
trade O
, O
judiciary O
, O
education O
and O
public O
health O
. O

Wen O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Malaysia O
and O
his O
attending O
to O
the O
ten O
plus O
one O
, O
ten O
plus O
three O
and O
East O
- O
Asian O
summits O
would O
be O
an O
important O
diplomatic O
move O
by O
Chinese O
leaders O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
and O
would O
achieve O
good O
results O
, O
said O
Cui O
Tiankai O
, O
director O
of O
the O
ministry O
' O
s O
Asian O
Department O
. O

Malaysia O
is O
China O
' O
s O
friendly O
neighbor O
and O
an O
important O
member O
of O
the O
ASEAN O
, O
and O
Wen O
' O
s O
visit O
is O
of O
significance O
to O
furthering O
bilateral O
good O
- O
neighborly O
relationship O
and O
the O
strategic O
partnership O
between O
China O
and O
the O
ASEAN O
, O
he O
noted O
. O

According O
to O
Cui O
, O
Wen O
will O
meet O
Supreme O
head O
of O
state O
Sultan O
Tuanku O
Syed O
Sirajuddin O
Syed O
Putra O
Jamalullail O
and O
Prime O
Minister O
Abdullah O
Ahmad O
Badawi O
, O
exchanging O
views O
on O
bilateral O
cooperation O
, O
the O
relationship O
between O
China O
and O
the O
ASEAN O
, O
as O
well O
as O
regional O
and O
international O
issues O
of O
common O
concern O
. O

Wen O
will O
deliver O
speeches O
when O
attending O
the O
regional O
summits O
, O
he O
said O
, O
noting O
the B-T
year I-T
of I-T
2006 I-T
will O
be O
the O
15th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
establishment O
of O
the O
dialogue O
partners O
between O
China O
and O
the O
ASEAN O
, O
and O
the O
ten O
plus O
one O
meeting O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
is O
particularly O
important O
, O
he O
said O
. O

China O
will O
sum O
up O
the O
experience O
over O
the O
past B-T
15 I-T
years I-T
and O
put O
forward O
its O
own O
proposals O
to O
further O
cooperation O
, O
he O
noted O
, O
stressing O
that O
China O
will O
push O
cooperation O
on O
bird O
flu O
control O
during O
the O
meeting O
. O

As O
for O
the O
ten O
plus O
three O
summit O
, O
Cui O
said O
, O
China O
will O
give O
a O
positive O
appraisal O
for O
the O
achievements O
of O
East O
- O
Asian O
cooperation O
and O
advocate O
building O
up O
an O
East O
- O
Asian O
community O
and O
supporting O
ASEAN O
' O
s O
leading O
role O
in O
the O
community O
. O

The O
first O
East O
- O
Asian O
summit O
will O
be O
attended O
by O
ten O
ASEAN O
members O
, O
China O
, O
Japan O
, O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
, O
India O
, O
Australia O
and O
New O
Zealand O
. O
The O
participants O
will O
exchange O
views O
on O
international O
and O
regional O
political O
and O
economic O
issues O
. O

" O
China O
would O
like O
to O
have O
dialogue O
with O
the O
other O
participants O
on O
major O
regional O
issues O
to O
push O
forward O
cooperation O
and O
achieve O
common O
prosperity O
in O
Asia O
and O
other O
regions O
, O
" O
Cui O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0235 O

HELSINKI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Helsinki O
launches O
" O
Finland O
on O
the O
web O
" O
campaign O

National O
" O
Finland O
on O
the O
web O
" O
campaign O
was O
launched O
on O
Monday B-T
in O
Finland O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
increase O
citizens O
' O
knowledge O
of O
the O
Internet O
. O

The O
campaign O
" O
Finland O
on O
the O
web O
" O
is O
part O
of O
the O
Finnish O
Government O
Information O
Society O
Programme O
and O
it O
is O
organized O
in O
close O
cooperation O
with O
companies O
, O
municipalities O
, O
regional O
councils O
and O
various O
state O
organizations O
. O

During O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
- I-T
11 I-T
, O
libraries O
and O
citizens O
' O
service O
centers O
of O
over O
280 O
municipalities O
in O
Finland O
will O
participate O
in O
this O
event O
and O
provide O
e O
- O
services O
training O
for O
free O
. O

The O
event O
targets O
especially O
the O
working O
- O
age O
population O
and O
the O
elderly O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0170 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UPDATE O
- O
2 O
: O
Russia O
' O
s O
Chechnya O
votes O
to O
elect O
parliament O
amid O
tight O
security O

Amid O
tight O
security O
, O
Chechens O
voted O
on O
Sunday B-T
to O
elect O
a O
parliament O
that O
officials O
say O
will O
enable O
the O
war O
- O
ravaged O
region O
to O
function O
as O
a O
normal O
part O
of O
the O
Russian O
state O
after O
years O
of O
conflict O
. O

The O
fourth O
vote O
in O
the O
region O
since O
2003 B-T
, O
which O
came O
after O
two O
presidential O
elections O
and O
one O
constitutional O
referendum O
, O
this O
parliamentary O
poll O
will O
give O
Chechnya O
a O
full O
set O
of O
government O
bodies O
. O

A O
total O
of O
600 O
, O
000 O
voters O
were O
registered O
in O
Chechnya O
for O
the O
polls O
, O
which O
will O
elect O
58 O
deputies O
to O
the O
two O
- O
chamber O
parliament O
- O
- O
the O
Republican O
Council O
( O
upper O
house O
) O
and O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Assembly O
( O
lower O
house O
) O
. O
The O
election O
has O
drawn O
342 O
candidates O
from O
eight O
parties O
. O

Polling O
stations O
opened O
at O
8 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0500 O
GMT O
) O
amid O
heightened O
security O
in O
this O
volatile O
region O
, O
where O
separatist O
rebels O
have O
frequently O
targeted O
security O
forces O
as O
well O
as O
civilians O
in O
bombing O
attacks O
for O
much O
of O
the O
past B-T
decade I-T
, O
Russian O
news O
agencies O
reported O
. O

The O
Interior O
Ministry O
deployed O
24 O
, O
000 O
police O
and O
troops O
to O
provide O
security O
and O
metal O
detectors O
were O
set O
up O
at O
polling O
stations O
to O
guard O
against O
weapons O
and O
explosives O
, O
the O
Itar O
- O
Tass O
news O
agency O
said O
. O

Chechen O
President O
Alu O
Alkhanov O
pronounced O
the O
poll O
valid O
about O
four O
hours O
into O
voting O
, O
citing O
reports O
of O
voter O
turnout O
reaching O
the O
threshold O
for O
validity O
. O

" O
Based O
on O
reports O
we O
have O
received O
from O
the O
heads O
of O
districts O
and O
territorial O
election O
commissions O
, O
I O
can O
officially O
announce O
that O
the O
Chechen O
parliamentary O
elections O
are O
valid O
, O
" O
Alkhanov O
said O
. O

The O
polls O
closed O
at O
6 O
: O
00 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
1500 O
GMT O
) O
and O
Chechen O
Elections O
Commission O
Chairman O
Ismail O
Baikhanov O
put O
the O
turnout O
at O
57 O
percent O
. O

Preliminary O
results O
will O
be O
announced O
by O
Monday B-T
noon O
but O
official O
results O
will O
only O
be O
available O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
next I-T
week I-T
, O
Baikhanov O
said O
. O

President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
has O
called O
the O
election O
a O
" O
milestone O
" O
that O
will O
boost O
stability O
in O
the O
republic O
and O
the O
whole O
North O
Caucasus O
region O
. O

About O
20 O
observers O
from O
international O
groups O
including O
the O
Council O
of O
Europe O
and O
the O
Commonwealth O
of O
Independent O
States O
visited O
polling O
stations O
to O
monitor O
the O
vote O
. O

Alkhanov O
met O
with O
international O
observers O
for O
the O
election O
Sunday B-T
, O
saying O
the O
election O
will O
" O
confirm O
Chechnya O
' O
s O
path O
of O
construction O
, O
peace O
and O
cooperation O
with O
those O
who O
share O
these O
guidelines O
. O
" O

" O
Democratic O
processes O
in O
the O
republic O
will O
become O
more O
dynamic O
, O
as O
we O
will O
have O
the O
power O
body O
crowning O
the O
republican O
statehood O
, O
" O
Alkhanov O
said O
. O

Alkhanov O
wanted O
the O
new O
parliament O
to O
convene O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
to O
adopt O
laws O
. O
" O
We O
plan O
to O
hold O
the O
first O
meeting O
between O
Dec B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Many O
in O
the O
war O
- O
ravaged O
region O
expected O
the O
new O
parliament O
to O
focus O
on O
ending O
the O
violence O
. O

" O
We O
have O
a O
goal O
of O
termination O
of O
the O
warfare O
. O
Our O
mission O
will O
be O
complete O
when O
shooting O
ceases O
and O
abductions O
stop O
, O
" O
Chechnya O
' O
s O
First O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Ramzan O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0057 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sex O
fairs O
gaining O
popularity O
in O
China O
despite O
dissenting O
voices O

Encouraged O
by O
the O
success O
of O
the O
fourth O
Guangzhou O
Sex O
Culture O
Expo O
, O
held O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
family O
planning O
officials O
from O
Liaoning O
, O
Beijing O
and O
Shanghai O
have O
promised O
to O
follow O
suit O
. O

Altogether O
500 O
, O
000 O
visitors O
visited O
the O
expo O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
6 I-T
, O
ten O
times O
the O
number O
for O
the O
first O
such O
event O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

An O
official O
with O
the O
State O
Population O
and O
Family O
Planning O
Commission O
heralded O
the O
expo O
as O
an O
opportunity O
for O
the O
general O
public O
to O
learn O
about O
sex O
, O
health O
and O
science O
. O

Population O
and O
family O
planning O
officials O
from O
Liaoning O
, O
Beijing O
and O
Shanghai O
attending O
a O
symposium O
on O
population O
in O
Beijing O
, O
said O
they O
would O
travel O
to O
Guangdong O
to O
visit O
the O
fair O
. O
They O
hope O
to O
sponsor O
similar O
sex O
fairs O
in O
their O
own O
areas O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

Foreign O
participants O
attending O
the O
symposium O
said O
the O
fourth O
Guangzhou O
sex O
fair O
helps O
promote O
sexual O
awareness O
and O
a O
code O
of O
sexual O
conduct O
. O

" O
The O
fair O
reflects O
the O
development O
of O
Chinese O
society O
and O
is O
laudable O
, O
" O
they O
said O
. O

Beijing O
and O
Shanghai O
had O
planned O
to O
organize O
sex O
expos O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
but O
the O
events O
were O
called O
off O
because O
of O
negative O
publicity O
. O

Though O
Chinese O
attitudes O
towards O
sex O
have O
become O
more O
liberal O
in O
recent B-T
decades I-T
, O
many O
people O
are O
still O
conservative O
about O
sex O
. O

When O
the O
fourth O
Guangzhou O
sex O
culture O
expo O
opened O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, O
some O
netizens O
dismissed O
it O
as O
" O
morally O
decadent O
" O
or O
a O
" O
legalized O
sex O
show O
" O
. O

" O
Culture O
is O
simply O
a O
cloak O
for O
a O
sexual O
display O
, O
" O
said O
one O
netizen O
. O

" O
Why O
do O
we O
have O
to O
mimic O
westerners O
with O
their O
obsession O
about O
sex O
, O
" O
said O
another O
netizen O
, O
" O
conservative O
attitudes O
about O
sex O
are O
fitting O
and O
proper O
for O
Asian O
people O
and O
part O
of O
the O
graciousness O
of O
oriental O
life O
" O
. O

Zhu O
Jiaming O
, O
from O
the O
China O
Sexology O
Society O
, O
denied O
that O
sex O
culture O
festivals O
were O
vulgar O
and O
said O
that O
such O
opinions O
were O
backward O
. O

" O
Sex O
is O
an O
objective O
reality O
for O
all O
human O
beings O
. O
We O
have O
to O
stay O
up O
with O
the O
times O
, O
" O
said O
Zhu O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0023 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0023 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
RMS O
International O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Financing O
Sources O
, O
Waivers O

@ O
On O
Debt O
Are O
Being O
Sought O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

RMS O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

RMS O
International O
Inc O
. O
, O
Hasbrouk O
Heights O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
, O
facing O
a O
cash O
- O
flow O
squeeze O
, O
said O
it O
is O
seeking O
other O
financing O
sources O
and O
waivers O
from O
debenture O
holders O
. O

The O
company O
said O
that O
because O
of O
softening O
sales O
it O
isn O
' O
t O
in O
compliance O
with O
requirements O
that O
it O
maintain O
$ O
3 O
million O
in O
working O
capital O
. O

RMS O
distributes O
electronic O
devices O
and O
produces O
power O
supplies O
and O
plastic O
literature O
displays O
. O

RMS O
said O
it O
had O
a O
loss O
of O
$ O
158 O
, O
666 O
, O
or O
10 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
compared O
with O
a O
year B-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
loss O
of O
$ O
26 O
, O
956 O
, O
or O
two O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

Sales O
rose O
to O
$ O
3 O
million O
from O
$ O
2 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

For O
the B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
the O
company O
reported O
a O
net O
loss O
of O
$ O
608 O
, O
413 O
, O
or O
39 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
year B-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
net O
income O
of O
$ O
967 O
, O
809 O
, O
or O
62 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

Sales O
rose O
to O
$ O
9 O
. O
8 O
million O
from O
$ O
8 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0434 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Ukraine O
- O
Russia O
gas O
dispute O
not O
to O
be O
politicised O
: O
Putin O

A O
dispute O
between O
Russia O
and O
Ukraine O
over O
gas O
supplies O
to O
the O
strategic O
transit O
country O
should O
not O
be O
politicised O
, O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
said O
Friday B-T
after O
a O
telephone O
discussion O
with O
Ukrainian O
counterpart O
Viktor O
Yushchenko O
. O

" O
We O
are O
in O
agreement O
on O
not O
politicising O
the O
question O
of O
gas O
, O
" O
Putin O
said O
, O
quoted O
by O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
. O

Yushchenko O
had O
assured O
Putin O
that O
he O
would O
not O
allow O
" O
the O
politicisation O
of O
this O
question O
and O
I O
agree O
with O
him O
, O
" O
the O
Russian O
leader O
said O
. O

" O
A O
market O
exists O
and O
all O
our O
partners O
should O
benefit O
from O
equal O
conditions O
. O
Economic O
matters O
are O
one O
thing O
, O
politics O
another O
, O
" O
Putin O
said O
. O

Analysts O
have O
detected O
in O
the O
current O
dispute O
Moscow O
' O
s O
disapproval O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
" O
orange O
revolution O
" O
, O
which O
set O
Kiev O
on O
a O
pro O
- O
Western O
course O
. O

The O
Russian O
energy O
giant O
Gazprom O
has O
said O
the O
dispute O
threatens O
supplies O
through O
Ukraine O
to O
other O
European O
countries O
, O
the O
main O
transit O
route O
for O
Russian O
gas O
supplies O
to O
Europe O
. O

The O
dispute O
centres O
on O
a O
demand O
by O
Gazprom O
that O
Ukraine O
pay O
market O
prices O
for O
gas O
supplies O
to O
Ukrainian O
consumers O
, O
rather O
than O
sticking O
to O
the O
current O
barter O
arrangement O
whereby O
Ukraine O
gets O
cut O
- O
price O
gas O
in O
exchange O
for O
providing O
transit O
to O
other O
countries O
. O

Gazprom O
chairman O
Alexei O
Miller O
said O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
supplies O
to O
the O
Ukrainian O
market O
could O
be O
cut O
altogether O
if O
Kiev O
did O
not O
agree O
to O
the O
company O
' O
s O
terms O
by O
January B-T
1 I-T
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0108 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0108 O
. O

GM O
Hughes O

@ O
Profit O
Fell O
22 O
% O

@ O
In O
Third O
Period O

@ O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
GMAC O
Net O
Slipped O
3 O
. O
1 O
% O
; O

@ O
Electronic O
Data O
Systems O

@ O
Says O
Earnings O
Rose O
16 O
% O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Neal O
Templin O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

GM O
GME O
GMH O

AUTOMOBILES O
( O
AUT O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

General O
Motors O
Corp O
. O
' O
s O
big O
defense O
and O
automotive O
electronics O
unit O
, O
GM O
Hughes O
Electronics O
, O
said O
net O
income O
fell O
22 O
% O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
reflecting O
declining O
military O
spending O
and O
slumping O
GM O
vehicle O
production O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
net O
at O
GM O
' O
s O
finance O
arm O
, O
General O
Motors O
Acceptance O
Corp O
. O
, O
fell O
3 O
. O
1 O
% O
. O

By O
contrast O
, O
Electronic O
Data O
Systems O
Corp O
. O
, O
GM O
' O
s O
data O
processing O
subsidiary O
, O
boosted O
net O
16 O
% O
. O

GM O
closed O
down O
$ O
1 O
. O
875 O
at O
$ O
44 O
. O
875 O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
trading O
yesterday B-T
. O

Earnings O
for O
GM O
common O
stock O
, O
reflecting O
the O
performance O
of O
GM O
' O
s O
core O
automotive O
operations O
, O
will O
be O
disclosed O
this B-T
morning I-T
. O

GM O
Class O
H O
, O
which O
represents O
a O
dividend O
interest O
in O
Hughes O
earnings O
, O
closed O
at O
$ O
29 O
, O
up O
25 O
cents O
in O
Big O
Board O
composite O
trading O
. O

GM O
Class O
E O
, O
which O
represents O
a O
dividend O
interest O
in O
EDS O
profit O
, O
fell O
75 O
cents O
to O
$ O
52 O
. O
25 O
on O
the O
Big O
Board O
. O

The O
earnings O
drop O
at O
GM O
Hughes O
Electronics O
is O
a O
sign O
of O
tough O
times O
at O
both O
the O
defense O
operations O
of O
Hughes O
Aircraft O
Co O
. O
and O
GM O
' O
s O
North O
American O
automotive O
operations O
, O
which O
are O
a O
primary O
customer O
for O
the O
Delco O
Electronics O
Corp O
. O
side O
of O
the O
GM O
Hughes O
unit O
. O

Profit O
at O
the O
unit O
fell O
to O
$ O
110 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
or O
37 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
142 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
45 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
largely O
because O
of O
a O
$ O
24 O
million O
one O
- O
time O
charge O
associated O
with O
Hughes O
' O
s O
previously O
announced O
plan O
to O
reduce O
employment O
by O
at O
least O
6 O
, O
000 O
people O
by O
year B-T
end I-T
. O

Even O
excluding O
the O
charge O
, O
however O
, O
net O
fell O
5 O
% O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
GM O
' O
s O
North O
American O
vehicle O
production O
fell O
8 O
. O
4 O
% O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
, O
which O
hurt O
Delco O
Electronic O
' O
s O
earnings O
, O
a O
company O
spokesman O
said O
. O

That O
decline O
was O
reflected O
in O
revenue O
for O
the O
GM O
Hughes O
unit O
, O
which O
edged O
down O
to O
$ O
2 O
. O
58 O
billion O
from O
$ O
2 O
. O
63 O
billion O
. O

In O
the B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
GM O
Hughes O
net O
fell O
6 O
. O
6 O
% O
to O
$ O
486 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
48 O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
521 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
58 O
a O
share O
. O

Revenue O
rose O
3 O
. O
5 O
% O
to O
$ O
8 O
. O
47 O
billion O
from O
$ O
8 O
. O
18 O
billion O
. O

At O
GMAC O
, O
net O
dropped O
3 O
. O
1 O
% O
to O
$ O
234 O
. O
5 O
million O
from O
$ O
241 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

The O
finance O
unit O
attributed O
the O
decline O
to O
higher O
borrowing O
costs O
compared O
with O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

GMAC O
said O
its O
automotive O
financing O
and O
leasing O
business O
rose O
35 O
% O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
largely O
because O
of O
dealer O
and O
customer O
incentives O
used O
to O
boost O
sales O
. O

GMAC O
profits O
are O
combined O
with O
earnings O
from O
the O
rest O
of O
GM O
' O
s O
operations O
and O
attributed O
to O
the O
company O
' O
s O
traditional O
common O
stock O
. O

In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
GMAC O
' O
s O
earnings O
fell O
8 O
% O
to O
$ O
859 O
. O
5 O
million O
from O
$ O
930 O
. O
2 O
million O
. O

At O
EDS O
, O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
profit O
jumped O
16 O
% O
to O
a O
record O
$ O
110 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
93 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
95 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
79 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

Revenue O
rose O
12 O
% O
to O
$ O
1 O
. O
37 O
billion O
from O
$ O
1 O
. O
22 O
billion O
. O

In O
the B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
EDS O
earned O
$ O
315 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
62 O
a O
share O
, O
up O
13 O
% O
from O
$ O
280 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
30 O
a O
share O
. O

Revenue O
rose O
14 O
% O
to O
$ O
4 O
. O
03 O
billion O
from O
$ O
3 O
. O
54 O
billion O
. O

Revenue O
from O
non O
- O
GM O
accounts O
was O
45 O
% O
of O
EDS O
' O
s O
total O
business O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
compared O
with O
40 O
% O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

The O
company O
has O
said O
it O
wants O
to O
boost O
non O
- O
GM O
revenue O
to O
at O
least O
50 O
% O
of O
its O
total O
business O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
1990 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0043 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
moves O
to O
allay O
unease O
over O
lending O
curbs O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
Tuesday B-T
moved O
to O
clear O
up O
confusion O
over O
new O
bank O
lending O
curbs O
which O
have O
depressed O
the O
stock O
market O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
week I-T
. O

Bank O
Negara O
deputy O
governor O
Fong O
Weng O
Phak O
admitted O
" O
monetary O
measures O
are O
always O
difficult O
to O
implement O
but O
it O
is O
unfortunate O
that O
people O
have O
over O
- O
reacted O
without O
understanding O
or O
rationalising O
" O
the O
policies O
. O

" O
The O
measures O
are O
not O
meant O
to O
curtail O
or O
squeeze O
the O
economy O
but O
to O
reallocate O
financial O
resources O
to O
the O
more O
productive O
manufacturing O
and O
services O
sectors O
, O
" O
Fong O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
. O

The O
key O
index O
on O
the O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
Stock O
Exchange O
recovered O
1 O
. O
4 O
percent O
at O
the O
close O
of O
morning O
trade O
Tuesday B-T
, O
from O
its O
Monday B-T
close O
. O
During O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
trading O
, O
the O
index O
plunged O
6 O
. O
6 O
percent O
following O
Bank O
Negara O
' O
s O
announcement O
on O
March B-T
28 I-T
of O
new O
credit O
- O
tightening O
measures O
. O

The O
central O
bank O
limited O
lending O
to O
the O
property O
sector O
to O
20 O
percent O
of O
banks O
' O
total O
outstanding O
loans O
, O
excluding O
homes O
costing O
60 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
and O
below O
, O
infrastructure O
projects O
and O
industrial O
facilities O
. O

In O
the O
area O
of O
share O
financing O
, O
it O
maintained O
a O
15 O
percent O
lending O
cap O
for O
commercial O
banks O
but O
broadened O
the O
definition O
to O
include O
loans O
to O
holding O
companies O
and O
investment O
firms O
which O
use O
credit O
to O
finance O
share O
trading O
. O

" O
We O
know O
there O
shall O
always O
be O
grey O
areas O
and O
loopholes O
but O
we O
think O
it O
' O
s O
timely O
to O
implement O
these O
preemptive O
measures O
before O
the O
asset O
inflation O
bubble O
bust O
, O
" O
Fong O
said O
. O

Clarifying O
the O
rules O
, O
Fong O
said O
the O
limits O
exclude O
a O
wide O
segment O
of O
the O
property O
sector O
, O
including O
" O
owner O
- O
occupied O
" O
houses O
, O
apartments O
, O
shophouses O
, O
hotels O
, O
theme O
parks O
, O
holiday O
resorts O
, O
as O
well O
as O
equipment O
and O
machinery O
. O

Lending O
for O
initial O
public O
offers O
for O
manufacturing O
and O
infrastructure O
companies O
and O
stock O
options O
for O
employees O
would O
not O
be O
covered O
under O
the O
measures O
. O

Guarantees O
given O
by O
merchant O
banks O
for O
profits O
of O
companies O
seeking O
to O
list O
on O
the O
local O
bourse O
- O
- O
part O
of O
the O
securities O
commission O
' O
s O
requirements O
- O
- O
are O
also O
exempted O
from O
the O
credit O
curbs O
. O

" O
We O
do O
not O
want O
banks O
who O
have O
exceeded O
the O
limits O
to O
pull O
back O
the O
existing O
credit O
lines O
but O
to O
trim O
exposure O
to O
the O
two O
sectors O
. O
As O
their O
loan O
base O
expands O
, O
the O
ratio O
will O
fall O
, O
" O
Fong O
said O
. O

Banks O
are O
expected O
to O
submit O
by O
April B-T
15 I-T
proposals O
to O
reduce O
lending O
to O
the O
two O
sectors O
and O
dialogues O
have O
been O
held O
with O
bank O
executives O
to O
clarify O
doubts O
, O
he O
added O
. O

" O
The O
number O
of O
banks O
who O
have O
exceeded O
the O
limits O
is O
not O
large O
. O
This O
is O
not O
an O
industry O
- O
wide O
issue O
. O
We O
have O
the O
luxury O
of O
time O
to O
implement O
these O
measures O
while O
the O
economy O
is O
still O
strong O
, O
" O
Fong O
said O
. O

" O
The O
fate O
of O
the O
economy O
and O
the O
banking O
sector O
is O
intertwined O
. O
It O
is O
not O
right O
for O
us O
to O
do O
nothing O
after O
seeing O
the O
experience O
of O
other O
countries O
, O
" O
he O
added O
, O
alluding O
to O
neighbouring O
Thailand O
, O
recently O
rocked O
by O
a O
financial O
crisis O
triggered O
by O
bad O
property O
debts O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0271 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
judge O
halts O
Guantanamo O
trial O
of O
Aussie O
: O
report O

A O
US O
federal O
judge O
has O
halted O
the O
war O
crimes O
trial O
of O
an O
Australian O
terror O
suspect O
detained O
in O
the O
US O
naval O
base O
at O
Guantanamo O
Bay O
, O
Cuba O
, O
the O
New O
York O
Times O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

In O
her O
ruling O
, O
US O
District O
Judge O
Colleen O
Kollar O
- O
Kotelly O
suspended O
for O
several O
months O
the O
US O
military O
' O
s O
plan O
to O
resume O
the O
trial O
of O
David O
Hicks O
, O
the O
Aussie O
charged O
with O
fighting O
for O
the O
Taliban O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

The O
move O
follows O
a O
request O
made O
by O
his O
lawyers O
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

Kollar O
- O
Kotelly O
cited O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
' O
s O
decision O
last B-T
week I-T
to O
review O
the O
legality O
of O
the O
military O
commissions O
being O
used O
to O
try O
Guantanamo O
detainees O
with O
war O
crimes O
. O

The O
court O
ruling O
concerns O
the O
case O
of O
Salim O
Ahmed O
Hamdan O
, O
who O
was O
a O
driver O
for O
Osama O
bin O
Laden O
and O
has O
been O
accused O
of O
participating O
in O
terrorist O
activities O
. O

After O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
agreed O
to O
consider O
the O
issue O
, O
the O
Pentagon O
said O
it O
would O
nonetheless O
go O
forward O
with O
plans O
to O
try O
Hicks O
under O
the O
same O
procedure O
. O

The O
military O
commission O
which O
sits O
at O
Guantanamo O
had O
been O
scheduled O
to O
hear O
motions O
in O
the O
Hicks O
case O
beginning O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

However O
, O
Kollar O
- O
Kotelly O
' O
s O
ruling O
halted O
the O
process O
. O
She O
also O
ordered O
that O
Hicks O
' O
s O
trial O
should O
be O
postponed O
until O
after O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
rules O
in O
the O
Hamdan O
case O
, O
which O
is O
expected O
in O
June B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Hicks O
and O
Hamdan O
, O
along O
with O
seven O
other O
Guantanamo O
detainees O
, O
have O
been O
charged O
with O
war O
crimes O
. O

The O
Kollar O
- O
Kotelly O
ruling O
means O
, O
in O
effect O
, O
that O
none O
of O
the O
proceedings O
can O
go O
forward O
until O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
resolves O
the O
issue O
of O
the O
legality O
of O
the O
military O
commissions O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
another O
US O
district O
judge O
ruled O
that O
the O
commissions O
violated O
both O
domestic O
laws O
and O
international O
conventions O
. O

However O
, O
in O
July B-T
2005 I-T
, O
a O
three O
- O
judge O
appeal O
court O
, O
including O
John O
Roberts O
before O
he O
became O
the O
chief O
justice O
of O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
in O
October B-T
, O
overturned O
that O
ruling O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0521 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
to O
give O
15 O
million O
dollars O
in O
aid O
to O
North O
Korea O
by O
Sarah O
Jackson O
- O
Han O

The O
United O
States O
will O
provide O
15 O
million O
dollars O
in O
emergency O
aid O
to O
North O
Korea O
to O
help O
feed O
young O
children O
in O
the O
famished O
communist O
country O
, O
the O
State O
Department O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
new O
aid O
- O
- O
50 O
, O
000 O
tonnes O
of O
US O
corn O
to O
be O
given O
through O
the O
UN O
World O
Food O
Programme O
( O
WFP O
) O
- O
- O
is O
targeted O
at O
nursery O
school O
- O
and O
kindergarten O
- O
aged O
children O
, O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Nicholas O
Burns O
said O
. O

" O
I O
think O
we O
' O
re O
talking O
about O
food O
arriving O
as O
quickly O
as O
a O
couple O
of O
months O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
first O
two O
ships O
bearing O
10 O
million O
dollars O
in O
US O
food O
aid O
pledged O
in O
February B-T
would O
arrive O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
of I-T
May I-T
. O

The O
aid O
, O
valued O
at O
about O
15 O
million O
dollars O
and O
announced O
after O
a O
series O
of O
high O
- O
level O
US O
visits O
to O
East O
Asia O
, O
brings O
total O
US O
emergency O
assistance O
to O
North O
Korea O
to O
33 O
. O
4 O
million O
dollars O
since O
1995 B-T
, O
when O
flooding O
damaged O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
already O
low O
food O
supplies O
. O

One O
US O
official O
, O
who O
asked O
not O
to O
be O
named O
, O
said O
the O
US O
pledge O
was O
sharply O
lower O
than O
the O
amount O
of O
aid O
Pyongyang O
requested O
. O

No O
reaction O
was O
immediately O
available O
from O
the O
WFP O
. O

" O
There O
are O
roughly O
2 O
. O
4 O
million O
children O
under O
the O
age O
of O
six O
who O
we O
believe O
are O
adversely O
affected O
" O
by O
the O
food O
shortage O
, O
Burns O
said O
. O
" O
We O
think O
the O
food O
situation O
will O
reach O
a O
critical O
stage O
this B-T
spring I-T
with O
children O
severely O
at O
risk O
. O
" O

On O
April B-T
7 I-T
, O
the O
United O
Nations O
launched O
an O
urgent O
appeal O
for O
126 O
million O
dollars O
to O
help O
North O
Korea O
, O
citing O
a O
sharp O
deterioration O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
. O
The O
WFP O
estimates O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
grain O
shortfall O
for O
1997 B-T
at O
1 O
. O
8 O
million O
to O
2 O
. O
3 O
metric O
tonnes O
. O

Burns O
denied O
any O
link O
between O
the O
emergency O
aid O
and O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
expected O
announcement O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
it O
will O
take O
part O
in O
four O
- O
party O
talks O
aimed O
at O
reaching O
a O
permanent O
peace O
treaty O
between O
the O
two O
Koreas O
. O

" O
We O
view O
the O
issue O
of O
food O
for O
children O
as O
a O
humanitarian O
issue O
only O
, O
" O
Burns O
said O
. O

Analysts O
here O
regard O
the O
aid O
nonetheless O
as O
part O
of O
a O
package O
deal O
aimed O
at O
baiting O
the O
heavily O
armed O
, O
tightly O
closed O
country O
out O
of O
its O
international O
isolation O
. O

Senior O
diplomats O
from O
North O
Korea O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
and O
the O
United O
States O
were O
to O
meet O
Wednesday B-T
in O
New O
York O
to O
hear O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
answer O
to O
a O
year O
- O
old O
US O
and O
South O
Korean O
proposal O
for O
the O
four O
- O
way O
peace O
talks O
. O

The O
four O
- O
way O
talks O
, O
with O
China O
and O
the O
United O
States O
acting O
as O
intermediaries O
, O
are O
aimed O
at O
hammering O
out O
a O
peace O
agreement O
to O
replace O
the O
1953 O
armistice O
that O
ended O
the O
Korean O
War O
. O

Seeking O
to O
address O
a O
longstanding O
US O
concern O
, O
North O
Korea O
has O
also O
just O
agreed O
to O
meet O
US O
official O
in O
New O
York O
from O
May B-T
12 I-T
- I-T
13 I-T
for O
a O
new O
round O
of O
talks O
aimed O
at O
curbing O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
suspected O
missile O
exports O
. O

US O
officials O
have O
long O
expressed O
concern O
about O
suspected O
North O
Korean O
missile O
exports O
to O
the O
Middle O
East O
and O
pressed O
Pyongyang O
to O
continue O
discussions O
on O
the O
issue O
begun O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
in O
Berlin O
. O

Some O
37 O
, O
000 O
American O
troops O
are O
still O
stationed O
in O
South O
Korea O
, O
locked O
in O
a O
tense O
and O
bitter O
truce O
with O
the O
North O
since O
the O
shooting O
war O
between O
them O
ended O
44 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0037 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hushen O
index O
up O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
30 O

The O
Hushen O
300 O
Index O
reflecting O
the O
whole O
fluctuation O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Shanghai O
and O
Shenzhen O
stock O
exchanges O
closed O
at O
873 O
. O
83 O
points O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
up O
2 O
. O
52 O
points O
from O
the O
previous O
close O
. O

About O
one O
fifth O
of O
the O
total O
shares O
listed O
in O
the O
two O
markets O
have O
been O
chosen O
as O
samples O
of O
the O
Hushen O
300 O
Index O
, O
accounting O
for O
60 O
percent O
of O
the O
market O
value O
in O
China O
' O
s O
stock O
market O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061231 O
. O
0214 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

festivities O

New O
Year O
' O
s O
Eve O
fireworks O
displays O
, O
concerts O
and O
other O
outdoor O
parties O
were O
scrapped O
on O
Sunday B-T
in O
several O
British O
cities O
amid O
security O
fears O
over O
heavy O
storms O
, O
disappointing O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
revelers O
. O

Celebrations O
overnight O
Sunday B-T
in O
the O
Northern O
Irish O
capital O
of O
Belfast O
and O
the O
Scottish O
city O
of O
Glasgow O
as O
well O
as O
the O
northern O
English O
cities O
of O
Newcastle O
and O
Liverpool O
were O
all O
canceled O
because O
of O
the O
bad O
weather O
. O

Up O
to O
10 O
, O
000 O
people O
had O
been O
due O
to O
watch O
soul O
singer O
Beverley O
Knight O
and O
rock O
band O
The O
Thrills O
in O
the O
streets O
outside O
Belfast O
' O
s O
City O
Hall O
, O
but O
the O
city O
council O
called O
off O
the O
events O
for O
safety O
reasons O
. O

Officials O
in O
Glasgow O
dropped O
plans O
for O
a O
massive O
outdoor O
street O
party O
in O
central O
George O
Square O
where O
around O
25 O
, O
000 O
people O
had O
been O
expected O
to O
dance O
and O
sing O
along O
with O
Fratellis O
and O
Sandi O
Thom O
as O
well O
as O
watch O
a O
fireworks O
show O
. O

With O
high O
winds O
and O
rain O
forecast O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
Glasgow O
City O
Council O
urged O
partygoers O
to O
stay O
away O
from O
the O
Hogmanay O
or O
New O
Year O
' O
s O
party O
, O
traditionally O
the O
biggest O
event O
in O
the O
Scottish O
calendar O
. O

A O
pyrotechnics O
extravaganza O
in O
Newcastle O
, O
the O
culmination O
of O
the O
city O
' O
s O
month O
- O
long O
Winter B-T
Festival I-T
, O
was O
also O
dropped O
. O

" O
Obviously O
the O
safety O
of O
the O
public O
comes O
first O
, O
" O
said O
Newcastle O
councillor O
Pauline O
Allen O
. O

Fireworks O
planned O
for O
Liverpool O
' O
s O
St O
George O
' O
s O
Plateau O
were O
called O
off O
and O
the O
event O
will O
now B-T
take O
place O
on O
Friday B-T
, I-T
January I-T
5 I-T
. O

New O
Year O
' O
s O
fireworks O
displays O
in O
the O
British O
capital O
London O
were O
still O
planned O
, O
according O
to O
Mayor O
Ken O
Livingstone O
. O

London O
' O
s O
New O
Year O
' O
s O
Day O
Parade O
of O
marching O
bands O
, O
clowns O
, O
vintage O
cars O
, O
traction O
engines O
and O
carnival O
queens O
- O
- O
expected O
to O
attract O
up O
to O
400 O
, O
000 O
spectators O
- O
- O
will O
definitely O
go O
ahead O
, O
organizers O
added O
. O

Forecasters O
said O
gusts O
of O
up O
to O
80 O
miles O
( O
130 O
kilometres O
) O
per O
hour O
were O
expected O
off O
the O
coast O
of O
Cumbria O
, O
northwest O
England O
. O

Days O
of O
fierce O
storms O
have O
already O
caused O
a O
number O
of O
casualties O
. O
An O
18 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
died O
and O
her O
two O
19 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
friends O
were O
injured O
when O
a O
tree O
crashed O
onto O
a O
mobile O
home O
in O
Staffordshire O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0371 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Stocks O
close O
lower O
in O
Mexico O
, O
Argentina O
, O
Brazil O

Latin O
America O
' O
s O
three O
major O
stock O
markets O
closed O
lower O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Mexico O
City O
' O
s O
IPC O
stock O
index O
dropped O
by O
0 O
. O
22 O
percent O
to O
close O
at O
24 O
, O
266 O
. O
03 O
points O
. O
A O
total O
of O
116 O
million O
shares O
were O
traded O
at O
339 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
. O

The O
Buenos O
Aires O
stock O
market O
closed O
with O
the O
Merval O
index O
down O
1 O
. O
38 O
percent O
at O
1 O
, O
891 O
. O
51 O
points O
. O
The O
trade O
volume O
was O
16 O
. O
91 O
million O
dollars O
. O

In O
Sao O
Paulo O
, O
Latin O
America O
' O
s O
biggest O
bourse O
, O
the O
leading O
Bovespa O
index O
closed O
at O
41 O
, O
161 O
points O
, O
down O
0 O
. O
31 O
percent O
. O
The O
trade O
volume O
was O
1 O
. O
48 O
billion O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0105 O

TAIYUAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Ld O
: O
Fatal O
coal O
mine O
accident O
reported O
in O
north O
China O
, O
25 O
dead O

Twenty O
- O
five O
people O
have O
been O
confirmed O
dead O
and O
nine O
others O
are O
still O
missing O
in O
a O
deadly O
coal O
mine O
accident O
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Shanxi O
Province O
. O

Thirty O
- O
six O
miners O
were O
working O
underground O
when O
privately O
made O
explosives O
stored O
in O
a O
pit O
of O
the O
Nanshan O
Colliery O
in O
Wangyu O
Village O
of O
Lingshi O
County O
, O
caught O
fire O
at O
7 B-T
: I-T
40 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Sunday B-T
, O
sources O
with O
rescue O
headquarters O
confirmed O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
Lingshi O
county O
government O
received O
its O
first O
report O
of O
the O
accident O
at O
4 B-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Monday B-T
. O

Two O
miners O
survived O
but O
25 O
others O
were O
suffocated O
by O
the O
quantities O
of O
poisonous O
gas O
released O
by O
the O
explosives O
, O
according O
to O
rescuers O
. O

Efforts O
to O
find O
the O
missing O
are O
still O
under O
way O
. O

Also O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
death O
toll O
in O
another O
deadly O
accident O
in O
this O
coal O
- O
rich O
province O
climbed O
to O
35 O
, O
with O
12 O
others O
missing O
in O
the O
pit O
of O
Jiaojiazhai O
Colliery O
in O
Xinzhou O
, O
where O
a O
gas O
blast O
trapped O
47 O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0215 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

nuke O
program O

Iranian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
vowed O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
install O
up O
to O
60 O
, O
000 O
centrifuges O
ultimately O
to O
enrich O
uranium O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0024 O

MELBOURNE O
, O
Australia O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

CCTV O
' O
s O
advertising O
revenues O
hit O
new O
high O
as O
Olympics O
nears O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
The O
bidding O
for O
advertising O
on O
China O
Central O
Television O
( O
CCTV O
) O
in O
2007 O
concluded O
on O
Saturday B-T
with O
the O
network O
' O
s O
revenues O
hitting O
6 O
. O
79 O
billion O
yuan O
, O
up O
16 O
percent O
over O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Procter O
Gamble O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
consumer O
goods O
giant O
topped O
the O
bidding O
list O
for O
the B-T
fourth I-T
year I-T
running O
, O
at O
420 O
million O
yuan O
, O
CCTV O
announced O
. O

The O
annual O
bidding O
has O
been O
hailed O
as O
the O
barometer O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
performance O
. O

" O
Enterprises O
can O
foresee O
the O
economic O
trend O
in O
the O
coming B-T
year I-T
from O
the O
participating O
brands O
, O
" O
said O
Yao O
Jingyuan O
, O
chief O
economist O
with O
the O
National O
Bureau O
of O
Statistics O

Olympic O
- O
related O
commercials O
notched O
up O
a O
combined O
value O
of O
370 O
million O
yuan O
. O

" O
Since O
the O
Olympic O
Games O
will O
not O
open O
until O
2008 B-T
, O
it O
is O
imperative O
for O
enterprises O
to O
enhance O
their O
brand O
image O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
" O
said O
Zhang O
Weiying O
, O
professor O
with O
the O
Guanghua O
School O
of O
Management O
at O
Beijing O
University O
. O

Chinese O
banks O
and O
car O
manufacturers O
also O
featured O
high O
up O
on O
the O
bidding O
list O
in O
anticipation O
of O
fiercer O
competition O
from O
foreign O
companies O
next B-T
year I-T
after O
the O
industries O
are O
opened O
up O
to O
overseas O
investors O
. O

" O
CCTV O
' O
s O
advertising O
charges O
have O
been O
rising O
in O
recent O
years B-T
as I-T
the O
Chinese O
economy O
maintains O
robust O
growth O
, O
said O
Sun O
Xianhong O
, O
vice O
chairman O
of O
Meng O
Niu O
Dairy O
, O
also O
a O
competitive O
bidder O

" O
Enterprises O
are O
devoting O
more O
attention O
to O
advertising O
, O
with O
long O
- O
term O
effects O
influencing O
their O
decision O
- O
making O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0190 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
toll O
, O
ADDS O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Iraqis O
turned O
out O
in O
droves O
Thursday B-T
in O
a O
landmark O
poll O
to O
choose O
a O
new O
government O
many O
hope O
will O
restore O
stability O
to O
a O
nation O
wracked O
by O
violence O
and O
sectarian O
feuding O
since O
the O
fall O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

Despite O
a O
massive O
security O
lockdown O
, O
two O
men O
were O
killed O
in O
attacks O
in O
northern O
Iraq O
while O
mortar O
strikes O
in O
Baghdad O
, O
including O
one O
in O
the O
heavily O
fortified O
Green O
Zone O
claimed O
by O
an O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
- O
linked O
group O
, O
injured O
four O
civilians O
and O
a O
US O
marine O
. O

" O
The O
most O
important O
thing O
is O
for O
Iraqis O
to O
express O
themselves O
with O
ballots O
, O
not O
blasts O
, O
" O
said O
Prime O
Minister O
Ibrahim O
Jaafari O
. O

Turnout O
quickened O
throughout O
the O
day O
, O
with O
voting O
strong O
in O
the O
Shiite O
south O
and O
in O
Sunni O
Arab O
districts O
where O
people O
queued O
up O
to O
cast O
their O
ballots O
, O
in O
stark O
contrast O
to O
their O
overwhelming O
boycott O
of O
an O
election O
in O
January B-T
. O

Strict O
security O
measures O
brought O
Iraq O
to O
a O
halt O
as O
15 O
. O
5 O
million O
Iraqis O
were O
called O
to O
vote O
for O
a O
four O
- O
year O
, O
275 O
- O
member O
parliament O
, O
with O
top O
candidates O
pledging O
to O
restore O
stability O
and O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
an O
exit O
of O
foreign O
troops O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
national O
celebration O
for O
all O
Iraqis O
, O
" O
said O
President O
Jalal O
Talabani O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
first O
Kurdish O
head O
of O
state O
. O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
, O
whose O
approval O
ratings O
slumped O
over O
the O
mounting O
US O
death O
toll O
in O
Iraq O
, O
said O
Iraqi O
democracy O
would O
serve O
as O
a O
" O
model O
" O
for O
the O
Middle O
East O
. O

The O
vote O
, O
the O
third O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
marks O
a O
new O
beginning O
following O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
to O
oust O
Saddam O
, O
two O
transitional O
governments O
and O
the O
adoption O
of O
a O
constitution O
in O
October B-T
. O

Iraqis O
poured O
into O
the O
streets O
and O
walked O
to O
polling O
stations O
because O
of O
a O
vehicle O
ban O
aimed O
at O
curbing O
car O
bomb O
attacks O
. O

In O
the O
capital O
and O
in O
the O
restive O
Sunni O
city O
of O
Fallujah O
, O
disabled O
men O
in O
wheelchairs O
and O
on O
crutches O
joined O
neighbours O
to O
cast O
their O
ballots O
, O
with O
many O
demanding O
stability O
and O
the O
restoration O
of O
public O
services O
such O
as O
electricity O
and O
water O
. O

In O
the O
holy O
city O
of O
Najaf O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
main O
southern O
city O
of O
Basra O
, O
residents O
were O
already O
celebrating O
the O
victory O
of O
the O
main O
religious O
Shiite O
United O
Iraqi O
Alliance O
coalition O
. O

A O
total O
of O
7 O
, O
655 O
candidates O
and O
307 O
political O
entities O
, O
nearly O
triple O
the O
number O
that O
stood O
in O
January B-T
, O
are O
running O
, O
with O
turnout O
among O
the O
ousted O
Sunni O
minority O
expected O
to O
be O
much O
higher O
this O
time O
. O

" O
The O
next O
parliament O
will O
represent O
all O
Iraqis O
, O
" O
said O
Vice O
President O
Abdel O
Abdel O
Mehdi O
, O
tipped O
by O
many O
as O
the O
next O
prime O
minister O
. O

Ministers O
praised O
the O
security O
operation O
intended O
to O
prevent O
the O
suicide O
attacks O
that O
killed O
almost O
40 O
people O
during O
January B-T
' O
s O
election O
, O
the O
first O
free O
vote O
in O
Iraq O
in O
half O
a O
century O
. O

" O
The O
security O
situation O
in O
most O
of O
the O
provinces O
is O
good O
, O
if O
not O
to O
say O
excellent O
, O
" O
announced O
Interior O
Minister O
Bayan O
Jabr O
Solagh O
. O

The O
leading O
secular O
Shiite O
candidate O
, O
former O
prime O
minister O
Iyad O
Allawi O
, O
complained O
however O
that O
his O
supporters O
had O
been O
attacked O
and O
killed O
during O
the O
campaign O
. O

A O
top O
British O
general O
said O
the O
election O
gave O
London O
" O
growing O
confidence O
" O
that O
a O
transition O
of O
security O
powers O
, O
allowing O
foreign O
troops O
to O
leave O
Iraq O
, O
would O
begin O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
of I-T
2006 I-T
. O

" O
We O
ought O
to O
be O
just O
grateful O
that O
today B-T
is O
going O
so O
well O
and O
will O
bring O
us O
that O
much O
nearer O
to O
the O
day O
that O
the O
job O
gets O
done O
and O
we O
can O
come O
home O
, O
" O
General O
Nick O
Houghton O
told O
the O
BBC O
. O

Roughly O
2 O
, O
150 O
US O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
since O
the O
2003 O
invasion O
, O
which O
Bush O
admitted O
Wednesday O
had O
been O
based O
on O
wrong O
intelligence O
. O
An O
estimated O
30 O
, O
000 O
Iraqi O
civilians O
have O
been O
killed O
. O

Suicide O
attacks O
, O
shootings O
and O
kidnapping O
have O
become O
standard O
fare O
in O
a O
deadly O
insurgency O
driven O
by O
Sunni O
Arab O
nationalism O
and O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
extremists O
. O

Adjourned O
for O
the O
election O
, O
Saddam O
' O
s O
trial O
on O
charges O
of O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
threatened O
to O
exacerbate O
already O
high O
ethnic O
tensions O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Following O
purported O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
threats O
to O
" O
ruin O
the O
' O
democratic O
' O
wedding O
" O
, O
virtually O
all O
Iraq O
' O
s O
190 O
, O
000 O
police O
and O
army O
were O
mobilized O
, O
with O
US O
- O
led O
troops O
providing O
perimeter O
security O
for O
voting O
stations O
. O

Civilians O
were O
banned O
from O
carrying O
weapons O
and O
driving O
to O
polling O
stations O
that O
opened O
at O
7 O
: O
00 O
am O
( O
0400 O
GMT O
) O
and O
were O
to O
close O
at O
5 O
: O
00 O
pm O
. O

Shiites O
and O
Kurds O
who O
dominated O
the O
transitional O
administration O
, O
are O
looking O
to O
a O
full O
- O
term O
parliament O
as O
a O
chance O
to O
cement O
their O
grip O
on O
power O
after O
decades O
of O
oppression O
. O

The O
Sunni O
minority O
is O
keen O
to O
prevent O
a O
government O
dominated O
by O
religious O
Shiites O
and O
a O
break O
- O
up O
of O
Iraq O
into O
autonomous O
Kurdish O
and O
Shiite O
zones O
. O

" O
The O
Shiites O
have O
more O
seats O
than O
they O
deserve O
and O
because O
of O
this O
there O
has O
been O
state O
terrorism O
and O
killings O
, O
" O
charged O
Mekky O
Latif O
, O
an O
election O
observer O
in O
Fallujah O
. O

The O
first O
task O
of O
the O
new O
parliament O
will O
be O
to O
appoint O
a O
president O
and O
two O
vice O
presidents O
. O
The O
presidential O
council O
will O
then O
have O
15 B-T
days I-T
to O
name O
a O
prime O
minister O
, O
who O
has O
30 B-T
days I-T
to O
form O
a O
cabinet O
with O
parliamentary O
approval O
. O

On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
US O
Senator O
Richard O
Lugar O
warned O
however O
that O
an O
operational O
government O
might O
not O
be O
finalised O
until O
April B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0466 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
chief O
says O
recovery O
accelerating O

Bank O
of O
Japan O
governor O
Yasuo O
Matsushita O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
recovery O
was O
gathering O
pace O
and O
described O
the O
dollar O
' O
s O
recent O
surge O
against O
the O
yen O
as O
" O
steep O
. O
" O

Speaking O
at O
a O
lecture O
in O
Tokyo O
, O
the O
central O
bank O
governor O
said O
the O
recovery O
was O
" O
becoming O
firmer O
" O
with O
the O
increase O
in O
consumption O
taxes O
from O
three O
percent O
to O
five O
percent O
on O
April B-T
1 I-T
unlikely O
to O
thwart O
the O
upturn O
. O

Matsushita O
also O
said O
that O
drastic O
restructuring O
measures O
announced O
by O
the O
troubled O
Nippon O
Credit O
Bank O
Ltd O
. O
earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
showed O
that O
Japanese O
banks O
were O
being O
" O
aggressive O
" O
in O
resolving O
their O
debt O
problems O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0018 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

conference O

Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
is O
hosting O
a O
ceremony O
at O
the O
Great O
Hall O
of O
the O
People O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
to O
welcome O
the O
African O
guests O
attending O
the O
high O
- O
level O
dialogue O
and O
second O
conference O
of O
Chinese O
and O
African O
entrepreneurs O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0100 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Canada O
and O
Russia O
split O
titles O
at O
Cup O
of O
China O

Canada O
' O
s O
Emanuel O
Sandhu O
clinched O
the O
title O
of O
the O
men O
' O
s O
single O
skating O
at O
Cup O
of O
China O
ISU O
Grand O
Prix O
of O
Figure O
Skating O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Sandhu O
collected O
a O
total O
of O
212 O
. O
66 O
points O
for O
the O
win O
. O

Sandhu O
continued O
his O
victory O
after O
his O
home O
win O
on O
Skate O
Canada O
International O
this O
year O
. O
Ranked O
fourth O
after O
short O
program O
, O
he O
made O
an O
error O
- O
free O
performance O
to O
the O
first O
position O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
very O
satisfied O
with O
my O
performance O
today B-T
, O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
I O
can O
make O
it O
better O
, O
" O
said O
Sandhu O
. O

World O
champion O
Stephane O
Lambiel O
failed O
to O
win O
gold O
following O
two O
errors O
, O
sitting O
second O
with O
203 O
. O
60 O
. O

Russian O
Andrei O
Griazev O
, O
winner O
at O
Junior O
Championships O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
settled O
for O
the O
third O
, O
earning O
200 O
. O
60 O
points O
. O

Li O
Chengjiang O
, O
China O
' O
s O
medal O
hopeful O
, O
slided O
from O
second O
after O
short O
program O
to O
eighth O
after O
stumbles O
and O
falls O
. O

Yao O
Bin O
, O
coach O
of O
China O
' O
s O
skating O
team O
, O
shook O
head O
during O
Li O
' O
s O
performance O
. O
" O
He O
didn O
' O
t O
even O
give O
his O
half O
best O
today B-T
, O
" O
said O
Yao O
. O

Two O
other O
gold O
medals O
both O
went O
to O
Russia O
. O
Irina O
Slutskaya O
grabbed O
the O
women O
' O
s O
singles O
gold O
with O
196 O
. O
12 O
points O
, O
while O
European O
champion O
Slutskaya O
put O
up O
a O
flawless O
performance O
to O
Mario O
Takes O
a O
Walk O
and O
got O
her O
personal O
best O
196 O
. O
12 O
, O
enlarging O
her O
gap O
with O
rival O
skaters O
to O
nearly O
20 O
points O
. O

" O
I O
like O
all O
parts O
of O
the O
music O
, O
" O
said O
Slutskaya O
. O
" O
When O
I O
was O
on O
ice O
, O
I O
felt O
like O
I O
am O
a O
flamenco O
dancer O
. O
" O

World O
junior O
champion O
Mao O
Asada O
of O
Japan O
also O
made O
a O
brilliant O
debut O
at O
senior O
figure O
skating O
Grand O
Prix O
. O
The O
15 O
- O
year O
old O
, O
who O
fell O
on O
the O
first O
jump O
in O
the O
match O
, O
managed O
to O
recover O
with O
clear O
spins O
and O
jumps O
highlighted O
with O
a O
triple O
Axels O
, O
which O
gained O
her O
a O
total O
of O
176 O
. O
60 O
to O
stand O
on O
the O
podium O
. O

" O
I O
made O
some O
mistakes O
during O
the O
competition O
, O
" O
said O
Asada O
, O
" O
but O
silver O
medal O
is O
a O
good O
start O
, O
next O
time O
I O
will O
make O
it O
. O
" O

Asada O
' O
s O
compatriot O
Shizuka O
Arakawa O
, O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
world O
champion O
, O
won O
the O
bronze O
with O
173 O
. O
60 O
. O

Also O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
Russian O
top O
ice O
dancing O
pair O
Tatiana O
Navaka O
/ O
Roman O
Kostomarov O
won O
the O
ice O
dancing O
title O
. O

The O
two O
- O
time O
world O
champions O
, O
skating O
to O
" O
Carmen O
Suite O
" O
by O
G O
. O
Bizet O
, O
earned O
continuous O
cheers O
from O
the O
audience O
during O
their O
routine O
. O
The O
pair O
held O
on O
to O
their O
lead O
in O
compulsory O
and O
original O
dancing O
in O
previous B-T
two I-T
days I-T
, O
and O
ended O
with O
a O
total O
score O
of O
197 O
. O
07 O
, O
leaving O
the O
runner O
- O
up O
nearly O
11 O
pints O
behind O
. O

Galit O
Chait O
/ O
Sergei O
Sakhnovski O
from O
Israel O
ended O
second O
with O
186 O
. O
14 O
, O
followed O
by O
Canadian O
Megan O
Wing O
/ O
Aaron O
Lowe O
with O
163 O
. O
36 O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0163 O

JAKARTA O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Indonesian O
activists O
in O
subversion O
case O
get O
six O
and O
four O
year O
sentences O

An O
Indonesian O
court O
in O
East O
Java O
Tuesday B-T
handed O
down O
six O
and O
four B-T
year I-T
jail O
sentences O
for O
two O
pro O
- O
democracy O
activists O
accused O
of O
subversion O
, O
their O
lawyer O
said O
. O

The O
Surabaya O
, O
East O
Java O
, O
district O
court O
handed O
the O
sentences O
to O
Dita O
Indahsari O
and O
Coen O
Husein O
Pontoh O
from O
the O
small O
pro O
- O
democracy O
group O
People O
' O
s O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
PRD O
) O
, O
for O
inciting O
labor O
riots O
in O
the O
province O
. O

" O
The O
two O
were O
very O
calm O
, O
even O
smiling O
, O
when O
the O
sentences O
were O
read O
out O
since O
they O
knew O
that O
they O
would O
be O
found O
guilty O
as O
this O
trial O
has O
been O
so O
politicized O
, O
" O
one O
of O
their O
lawyers O
, O
Nurbadria O
( O
eds O
: O
one O
name O
) O
, O
told O
AFP O
by O
phone O
from O
Surabaya O
. O

Nurbadria O
said O
chief O
judge O
Amrin O
Boer O
found O
Dita O
, O
24 O
, O
and O
Coen O
, O
27 O
, O
guilty O
of O
inciting O
labor O
riots O
, O
and O
also O
of O
being O
members O
of O
the O
unrecognized O
PRD O
. O
Both O
are O
appealing O
their O
sentences O
, O
she O
added O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
surprised O
, O
this O
was O
a O
political O
trial O
and O
the O
judges O
were O
not O
free O
, O
" O
said O
Trimulya O
Suryadi O
, O
another O
lawyer O
for O
the O
pair O
. O

PRD O
is O
an O
umbrella O
group O
of O
labor O
, O
student O
and O
farmer O
activists O
. O

Nurbadria O
said O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
court O
session O
was O
attended O
by O
hundreds O
of O
people O
, O
and O
heavily O
secured O
by O
police O
who O
checked O
the O
identities O
of O
all O
the O
court O
attendees O
. O
No O
incidents O
were O
reported O
during O
the O
session O
. O

Dita O
' O
s O
sentence O
was O
longer O
because O
the O
court O
found O
her O
guilty O
of O
inciting O
more O
labor O
riots O
and O
strikes O
than O
Coen O
, O
Nurbadria O
said O
. O
The O
prosecutor O
had O
earlier O
asked O
for O
eight B-T
years I-T
for O
Dita O
and O
six O
for O
Coen O
. O

Subversion O
carries O
a O
maximum O
penalty O
of O
death O
. O

Dita O
and O
Coen O
were O
detained O
shortly O
after O
a O
mass O
labor O
strike O
nearby O
Surabaya O
in O
early B-T
July I-T
. O

Police O
violently O
broke O
up O
the O
march O
of O
some O
4 O
, O
000 O
workers O
from O
10 O
factories O
in O
the O
industrial O
area O
of O
Tandes O
, O
Surabaya O
, O
as O
two O
workers O
' O
groups O
were O
trying O
to O
join O
forces O
and O
walk O
to O
another O
factory O
. O

The O
demonstrators O
were O
demanding O
a O
75 O
percent O
raise O
in O
their O
daily O
wage O
from O
4 O
, O
000 O
rupiah O
to O
7 O
, O
000 O
rupiah O
( O
1 O
. O
70 O
dollars O
to O
three O
dollars O
. O
) O

The O
subversion O
trial O
of O
another O
11 O
PRD O
members O
has O
been O
underway O
since O
December B-T
in O
two O
Jakarta O
courts O
, O
with O
prosecutors O
demanding O
sentences O
of O
between O
12 B-T
and O
15 B-T
years I-T
. O

The O
11 O
were O
were O
detained O
soon O
after O
mass O
riots O
in O
Jakarta O
on O
July B-T
27 I-T
. O
The O
riots O
were O
sparked O
by O
an O
attack O
on O
the O
headquarters O
of O
the O
Indonesian O
Democracy O
Party O
( O
PDI O
) O
, O
until O
then O
under O
the O
control O
of O
toppled O
leader O
Megawati O
Sukarnoputri O
, O
by O
a O
rival O
faction O
backed O
by O
troops O
. O

The O
popular O
Megawati O
was O
ousted O
as O
PDI O
chairwoman O
by O
a O
government O
- O
backed O
faction O
in O
June B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0345 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Northern O
Ireland O
holds O
Portugal O
1 O
- O
1 O

Warren O
Feeney O
capitalized O
on O
a O
rare O
international O
start O
by O
scoring O
Northern O
Ireland O
' O
s O
goal O
in O
their O
1 O
- O
1 O
draw O
against O
Portugal O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
Luton O
Town O
striker O
, O
who O
had O
not O
started O
for O
over O
three B-T
years I-T
and O
was O
a O
sub O
for O
the O
last O
seven O
games O
, O
scored O
with O
a O
looping O
header O
in O
the B-T
53rd I-T
minute I-T
. O

World O
Cup O
finalists O
Portugal O
had O
led O
through O
a O
Stephen O
Craigan O
own O
goal O
five O
minutes O
before O
half O
- O
time O
when O
the O
Motherwell O
defender O
diverted O
a O
Ronaldo O
cross O
past O
keeper O
Maik O
Taylor O
. O

Northern O
Ireland O
did O
well O
to O
battle O
back O
against O
Luiz O
Filipe O
Scolari O
' O
s O
side O
and O
the O
result O
allowed O
them O
to O
end O
the B-T
year I-T
on O
a O
positive O
note O
. O

Back O
- O
to O
- O
back O
defeats O
against O
Wales O
and O
Austria O
in O
the O
World O
Cup O
qualifiers O
had O
taken O
some O
of O
the O
gloss O
off O
the O
famous O
victory O
against O
England O
. O

However O
, O
they O
bounced O
back O
against O
a O
side O
ranked O
eighth O
in O
the O
world O
thanks O
to O
Feeney O
' O
s O
equaliser O
. O

Given O
manager O
Lawrie O
Sanchez O
was O
without O
a O
number O
of O
key O
players O
, O
he O
could O
claim O
a O
moral O
victory O
. O

There O
were O
good O
performances O
from O
goalkeeper O
Maik O
Taylor O
and O
midfielder O
Steve O
Davis O
and O
Portugal O
knew O
they O
had O
been O
in O
a O
game O
. O

The O
Belfast O
fans O
were O
also O
able O
to O
celebrate O
the O
appearance O
of O
Irish O
League O
star O
Peter O
Thompson O
. O

The O
Linfield O
striker O
, O
with O
18 O
goals O
this O
season O
, O
came O
on O
as O
a O
substitute O
for O
James O
Quinn O
with O
14 O
minutes O
left O
. O

Dean O
Shiels O
of O
Hibernian O
also O
won O
his O
first O
cap O
, O
coming O
on O
just O
before O
the O
end O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0130 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0130 O
. O

Sun O
Microsystems O
Inc O
. O

@ O
Posts O
1st O
- O
Quarter O
Net O

@ O
Totaling O
$ O
5 O
. O
2 O
Million O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

SUNW O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

COMPUTERS O
AND O
INFORMATION O
TECHNOLOGY O
( O
CPR O
) O

MOUNTAIN O
VIEW O
, O
Calif O
. O

Sun O
Microsystems O
Inc O
. O
, O
snapping O
back O
to O
profitability O
after O
its O
first O
quarterly O
loss O
as O
a O
public O
firm O
, O
said O
it O
earned O
$ O
5 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
seven O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
. O

Sun O
, O
a O
maker O
of O
computer O
workstations O
, O
reported O
sales O
of O
$ O
538 O
. O
5 O
million O
for O
the B-T
quarter I-T
ended O
Sept B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, O
up O
39 O
% O
from O
$ O
388 O
. O
5 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

In O
the B-T
1988 I-T
period I-T
, O
the O
company O
earned O
$ O
20 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
or O
26 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

Sun O
' O
s O
results O
were O
slightly O
better O
than O
expectations O
. O

Earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
company O
said O
it O
expected O
to O
break O
even O
for O
the B-T
quarter I-T
on O
sales O
of O
$ O
530 O
million O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
, O
Scott O
McNealy O
, O
Sun O
' O
s O
chief O
executive O
officer O
, O
said O
the O
company O
' O
s O
performance O
was O
hampered O
by O
problems O
tied O
to O
the O
introduction O
of O
a O
major O
new O
family O
of O
computers O
in O
April B-T
. O

One O
of O
those O
new O
computers O
, O
called O
Sparcstation O
1 O
, O
accounted O
for O
nearly O
half O
of O
the O
28 O
, O
000 O
systems O
Sun O
shipped O
in O
the B-T
quarter I-T
, O
he O
said O
. O

More O
than O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
systems O
shipped O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
were O
products O
introduced O
in O
April B-T
. O

But O
problems O
in O
manufacturing O
, O
forecasting O
demand O
and O
getting O
the O
bugs O
out O
of O
a O
new O
management O
information O
system O
made O
it O
extremely O
difficult O
for O
Sun O
to O
meet O
demand O
for O
its O
newest O
computers O
well O
into O
the B-T
summer I-T
. O

These O
problems O
also O
resulted O
in O
Sun O
reporting O
a O
$ O
20 O
. O
3 O
million O
loss O
for O
its B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
ended O
June B-T
30 I-T
. O

Mr O
. O
McNealy O
said O
the O
issues O
that O
hurt O
Sun O
' O
s O
performance O
earlier O
this B-T
year I-T
are O
now O
" O
largely O
" O
behind O
the O
firm O
, O
and O
he O
indicated O
that O
Sun O
' O
s O
profitability O
should O
increase O
throughout O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
. O

Sun O
also O
reported O
a O
record O
backlog O
of O
orders O
. O

While O
this O
indicates O
continued O
strong O
demand O
for O
the O
company O
' O
s O
desk O
- O
top O
computers O
, O
Sun O
faces O
increasing O
competition O
from O
Digital O
Equipment O
Corp O
. O
and O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
Co O
. O
Recently B-T
, O
analysts O
have O
said O
Sun O
also O
is O
vulnerable O
to O
competition O
from O
International O
Business O
Machines O
Corp O
. O
, O
which O
plans O
to O
introduce O
a O
group O
of O
workstations O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
and O
Next O
Inc O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0394 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

years O

China O
will O
train O
15 O
, O
000 O
African O
professionals O
, O
send O
100 O
senior O
agricultural O
experts O
to O
Africa O
, O
and O
set O
up O
10 O
special O
agricultural O
technology O
demonstration O
centers O
in O
Africa O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
made O
the O
remarks O
here O
Saturday B-T
when O
addressing O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
of O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0123 O

TAIYUAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

north O
China O

Four O
county O
- O
level O
officials O
from O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Shanxi O
Province O
have O
been O
dismissed O
from O
their O
posts O
in O
the O
Party O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
three O
coal O
mine O
accidents O
that O
claimed O
65 O
lives O
, O
according O
to O
the O
provincial O
government O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
Committee O
of O
Taiyuan O
, O
the O
provincial O
capital O
, O
has O
removed O
Wang O
Qinghe O
from O
the O
post O
of O
deputy O
secretary O
of O
the O
CPC O
Committee O
of O
Wangbolin O
District O
in O
Taiyuan O
. O
Ning O
Keqiang O
was O
deprived O
of O
his O
membership O
of O
the O
district O
CPC O
committee O
following O
two O
mine O
accidents O
that O
left O
21 O
miners O
dead O
in O
late B-T
October I-T
and O
early B-T
this I-T
month I-T
. O

The O
Jinzhong O
City O
CPC O
Committee O
has O
removed O
Gong O
Qi O
from O
the O
post O
of O
deputy O
secretary O
of O
the O
CPC O
Committee O
of O
Lingshi O
County O
and O
Feng O
Kaicheng O
was O
deprived O
of O
his O
membership O
of O
the O
county O
CPC O
committee O
for O
a O
coal O
mine O
fire O
that O
claimed O
34 O
lives O
this B-T
month I-T
. O

The O
Shanxi O
Provincial O
CPC O
Committee O
has O
also O
suggested O
that O
the O
four O
people O
should O
be O
removed O
from O
their O
administrative O
posts O
, O
said O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
provincial O
government O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Wang O
is O
the O
acting O
head O
of O
Wangbolin O
District O
and O
Ning O
is O
Wang O
' O
s O
deputy O
. O
Gong O
is O
the O
head O
of O
Lingshi O
County O
government O
and O
Feng O
is O
the O
deputy O
. O

These O
four O
people O
were O
removed O
from O
their O
posts O
in O
the O
Party O
according O
to O
regulations O
that O
stipulate O
officials O
in O
charge O
should O
be O
punished O
for O
fatal O
accidents O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Local O
governments O
are O
responsible O
for O
managing O
and O
supervising O
coal O
mining O
businesses O
and O
other O
production O
activities O
in O
areas O
under O
their O
jurisdiction O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
four O
people O
will O
face O
further O
punishments O
once O
investigations O
into O
the O
three O
accident O
are O
concluded O
, O
according O
to O
the O
spokesman O
. O

Explosive O
blast O
that O
occurred O
in O
the O
Pagou O
Coal O
Mine O
in O
Taiyuan O
' O
s O
Wanbolin O
District O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
left O
11 O
miners O
dead O
. O
Preliminary O
investigations O
show O
that O
the O
mine O
was O
operating O
illegally O
because O
its O
production O
safety O
and O
coal O
mining O
certificates O
expired O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
December I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

A O
coal O
mine O
in O
Jijiagou O
Village O
, O
also O
based O
in O
Wanbolin O
District O
, O
was O
flooded O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, O
killing O
10 O
miners O
. O
The O
owner O
of O
the O
coal O
mine O
ran O
away O
after O
the O
flooding O
. O
Investigators O
said O
that O
the O
coal O
mine O
was O
operating O
illegally O
without O
a O
production O
permit O
. O

A O
fatal O
fire O
occurred O
in O
the O
Nanshan O
Coal O
Mine O
in O
Lingshi O
County O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, O
claiming O
34 O
lives O
. O
The O
production O
licence O
of O
the O
Nanshan O
Coal O
Mine O
expired O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
last I-T
year I-T
and O
rescuers O
found O
it O
had O
neither O
a O
gas O
monitoring O
system O
nor O
a O
life O
- O
saving O
appliance O
in O
the O
shaft O
. O
The O
mine O
contractor O
escaped O
after O
the O
accident O
and O
is O
still O
at O
large O
. O

This O
is O
the O
second O
time O
within O
six B-T
months I-T
that O
county O
- O
level O
officials O
have O
been O
dismissed O
for O
fatal O
coal O
mine O
accidents O
in O
Shanxi O
Province O
. O

The O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
Zuoyun O
County O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
approved O
the O
resignations O
filed O
by O
Zhang O
Mingsheng O
, O
former O
head O
of O
the O
county O
government O
, O
and O
his O
deputy O
Shi O
Lu O
, O
who O
was O
in O
charge O
of O
local O
coal O
production O
, O
in O
June B-T
. O

Zhang O
was O
also O
removed O
from O
the O
post O
of O
deputy O
secretary O
of O
the O
Zuoyun O
County O
committee O
of O
the O
CPC O
, O
and O
Shi O
was O
deprived O
of O
his O
membership O
of O
the O
CPC O
county O
committee O
after O
mine O
management O
attempted O
to O
cover O
up O
the O
fatal O
accident O
by O
reporting O
that O
only O
five O
miners O
were O
trapped O
. O

Shanxi O
provincial O
government O
has O
ordered O
safety O
check O
- O
ups O
in O
local O
coal O
mines O
starting O
from O
Friday B-T
and O
mines O
with O
an O
annual O
output O
of O
90 O
, O
000 O
tons O
and O
lower O
will O
be O
closed O
within O
20 B-T
days I-T
if O
they O
are O
found O
not O
to O
meet O
safety O
requirements O
. O

China O
has O
issued O
specific O
new O
punishments O
for O
government O
officials O
to O
tackle O
production O
safety O
problems O
. O

Government O
officials O
will O
face O
warnings O
, O
demotions O
, O
dismissal O
and O
prosecution O
for O
production O
safety O
transgressions O
, O
according O
to O
new O
rules O
issued O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
interim O
rules O
, O
jointly O
issued O
by O
China O
' O
s O
State O
Administration O
of O
Work O
Safety O
( O
SAWS O
) O
and O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Supervision O
, O
define O
25 O
types O
of O
punishable O
acts O
by O
government O
officials O
and O
18 O
types O
by O
executives O
of O
state O
- O
owned O
businesses O
, O
ranging O
from O
approving O
projects O
that O
do O
not O
meet O
safety O
requirements O
, O
failure O
to O
address O
unsafe O
production O
activities O
and O
covering O
up O
production O
accidents O
, O
to O
executives O
allowing O
their O
businesses O
to O
continue O
to O
operate O
after O
their O
licenses O
have O
been O
revoked O
or O
they O
have O
been O
ordered O
to O
stop O
production O
. O

In O
September B-T
, O
China O
reported O
a O
26 O
. O
1 O
- O
percent O
rise O
in O
coal O
mine O
accidents O
over O
October B-T
and O
a O
44 O
. O
4 O
- O
percent O
rise O
in O
coal O
mine O
fatalities O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0328 O

BUSAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tight O
security O
control O
enforced O
for O
APEC O
meetings O
in O
Busan O

South O
Korea O
has O
mounted O
a O
37 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
team O
for O
security O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
being O
held O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
to O
19 O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
coastal O
city O
of O
Busan O
. O

The O
South O
Korean O
military O
and O
police O
security O
personnel O
have O
mapped O
out O
a O
set O
of O
comprehensive O
measures O
to O
counter O
the O
possible O
airborne O
and O
sea O
- O
based O
terror O
attacks O
during O
the O
summit O
, O
according O
to O
an O
APEC O
forum O
security O
official O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
security O
team O
has O
launched O
guard O
operations O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
land O
, O
sea O
and O
air O
routes O
. O

Around O
the O
Busan O
Exhibition O
and O
Convention O
Center O
where O
a O
series O
of O
APEC O
meetings O
will O
be O
held O
, O
police O
are O
on O
high O
alert O
and O
have O
strengthened O
security O
. O

An O
11 O
- O
strong O
mounted O
police O
team O
started O
patrols O
as O
of O
Saturday B-T
. O
The O
team O
will O
patrol O
around O
the O
center O
from O
9 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
to I-T
6 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
until I-T
the I-T
end I-T
of I-T
meeting I-T
. O

According O
to O
an O
official O
of O
the O
Busan O
Police O
Bureau O
, O
the O
advantage O
of O
the O
mounted O
police O
is O
that O
the O
policemen O
can O
enter O
into O
places O
where O
cars O
and O
other O
motor O
vehicles O
cannot O
reach O
. O
In O
addition O
, O
they O
can O
help O
maintain O
orders O
with O
a O
higher O
point O
of O
view O
in O
case O
a O
riot O
happens O
. O

The O
official O
said O
an O
airborne O
early O
warning O
system O
and O
anti O
- O
submarine O
aircraft O
provide O
defense O
against O
hostile O
infiltration O
. O
And O
the O
early O
- O
warning O
aircraft O
will O
launch O
round O
- O
the O
- O
clock O
patrol O
of O
the O
territorial O
sky O
of O
the O
country O
during O
the O
APEC O
Summit O
scheduled O
from O
Nov O
. O
18 O
to O
19 O
. O

All O
conference O
- O
related O
venues O
and O
facilities O
will O
be O
covered O
by O
air O
patrols O
using O
F O
- O
16 O
fighters O
, O
and O
vessels O
sailing O
near O
the O
port O
are O
to O
be O
cordoned O
off O
seven O
kilometers O
away O
from O
the O
summit O
venue O
. O

Officials O
at O
the O
Construction O
and O
Transportation O
Ministry O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
they O
will O
enforce O
no O
- O
fly O
zone O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
to O
21 O
within O
a O
5 O
. O
6 O
kilometer O
radius O
of O
the O
summit O
venues O
and O
major O
accommodation O
facilities O
. O

High O
- O
speed O
patrol O
boats O
with O
thermal O
detection O
camera O
are O
also O
in O
operation O
. O

To O
prevent O
the O
entrance O
of O
terrorist O
suspects O
who O
may O
come O
in O
disguise O
as O
tourists O
, O
all O
passengers O
using O
Busan O
' O
s O
Gimhae O
International O
Airport O
are O
required O
to O
open O
up O
their O
luggage O
for O
thorough O
inspection O
. O

Officials O
at O
Busan O
Customs O
said O
they O
have O
deployed O
265 O
personnel O
around O
seaports O
to O
prevent O
any O
smuggling O
materials O
and O
launched O
around O
- O
the O
- O
clock O
watches O
by O
installing O
105 O
closed O
circuit O
televisions O
. O

At O
Incheon O
Airport O
, O
passengers O
are O
even O
required O
to O
take O
off O
their O
shoes O
for O
security O
checks O
, O
and O
staff O
members O
there O
said O
" O
it O
' O
s O
merely O
a O
routine O
work O
. O
" O

A O
total O
of O
3 O
, O
000 O
volunteers O
will O
be O
deployed O
at O
73 O
stations O
of O
two O
subways O
for O
help O
maintain O
security O
. O
Big O
department O
stores O
and O
shopping O
malls O
will O
be O
closed O
during O
the O
APEC O
summit O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0125 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
vice O
premier O
meets O
Japanese O
guests O

Chinese O
Vice O
Premier O
Wu O
Yi O
met O
with O
a O
delegation O
from O
the O
Kansai O
region O
of O
Japan O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
delegation O
is O
headed O
by O
Fusae O
Ota O
, O
governor O
of O
Osaka O
- O
Fu O
, O
Keiji O
Yamada O
, O
governor O
of O
Kyoto O
- O
Fu O
and O
Toshizo O
Ido O
, O
governor O
of O
Hyogo O
- O
Ken O
. O

Wu O
expressed O
her O
appreciation O
for O
Kansai O
' O
s O
friendly O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
with O
China O
. O
She O
said O
China O
and O
Japan O
, O
as O
close O
neighbors O
, O
are O
strongly O
compatible O
in O
economy O
and O
enjoy O
broad O
fields O
for O
cooperation O
. O

" O
To O
develop O
Sino O
- O
Japanese O
long O
- O
term O
stable O
good O
- O
neighborly O
relations O
is O
in O
the O
fundemental O
interests O
of O
the O
people O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
" O
, O
Wu O
said O
. O

She O
noted O
that O
Japanese O
leaders O
' O
stubborn O
visits O
to O
Yasukuni O
Shrine O
, O
which O
honors O
14 O
Class O
- O
A O
war O
criminals O
, O
had O
caused O
severe O
difficulties O
for O
Sino O
- O
Japanese O
ties O
. O

" O
Their O
acts O
severely O
hurt O
the O
feeling O
of O
the O
Chinese O
people O
and O
undermined O
the O
political O
foundation O
of O
Sino O
- O
Japanese O
ties O
" O
, O
she O
said O
. O

Under O
the O
current O
situation O
, O
the O
two O
countries O
should O
cherish O
the O
traditional O
friendship O
of O
the O
people O
of O
both O
countries O
, O
enhance O
exchanges O
and O
mutual O
understanding O
, O
and O
facilitate O
cooperation O
. O

She O
expressed O
the O
hope O
that O
the O
Kansai O
region O
will O
make O
full O
play O
of O
its O
advantages O
to O
expand O
friendly O
exchanges O
with O
China O
in O
terms O
of O
economy O
, O
trade O
, O
culture O
and O
personnel O
exchanges O
, O
and O
contribute O
more O
to O
the O
improvement O
of O
bilateral O
ties O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0059 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israeli O
FM O
vows O
to O
rehabilitate O
Likud O
party O

Israeli O
Foreign O
Minister O
Silvan O
Shalom O
, O
who O
has O
announced O
bid O
for O
the O
Likud O
party O
leadership O
, O
vowed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
restore O
the O
Likud O
party O
to O
glory O
if O
he O
is O
elected O
, O
local O
newspaper O
Ha O
' O
aretz O
reported O
. O

" O
The O
Likud O
is O
in O
crisis O
and O
we O
cannot O
sweep O
under O
the O
carpet O
, O
" O
said O
Shalom O
, O
asserting O
that O
he O
is O
the O
only O
one O
who O
can O
rehabilitate O
the O
three O
- O
decade O
old O
party O
and O
win O
the O
March O
general O
elections O
. O

Shalom O
made O
his O
vow O
one B-T
day I-T
after O
officially O
launching O
his O
bid O
for O
the O
Likud O
leadership O
, O
which O
was O
vacated O
after O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
quit O
the O
party O
he O
co O
- O
founded O
and O
formed O
a O
new O
centrist O
party O
named O
Kadima O
( O
Forward O
) O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

" O
I O
call O
on O
the O
people O
in O
my O
party O
to O
stay O
in O
Likud O
and O
to O
vote O
for O
me O
in O
the O
primaries O
and O
to O
lead O
the O
state O
, O
" O
said O
Shalom O
, O
indicating O
that O
he O
would O
invite O
Sharon O
and O
the O
Labor O
party O
to O
join O
any O
government O
under O
his O
leadership O
. O

Besides O
Shalom O
, O
two O
other O
heavyweights O
, O
former O
premier O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
and O
Defense O
Minister O
Shaul O
Mofaz O
, O
are O
also O
vying O
for O
the O
chairmanship O
. O

Questioning O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
lead O
in O
the O
race O
, O
Shalom O
said O
the O
former O
premier O
was O
defeated O
by O
Labor O
candidate O
Ehud O
Barak O
in O
the O
1999 O
elections O
. O

Shalom O
called O
himself O
a O
centrist O
and O
stabilizing O
option O
, O
saying O
that O
he O
had O
been O
behind O
much O
of O
the O
rehabilitation O
of O
the O
Likud O
after O
the O
1999 B-T
defeat O
. O

Israel O
will O
hold O
general O
elections O
on O
March B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
in O
which O
three O
major O
parties O
, O
the O
center O
- O
right O
Likud O
, O
center O
- O
left O
Labor O
and O
Sharon O
' O
s O
Kadima O
will O
compete O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0115 O

SARAJEVO O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Pope O
to O
honour O
Turin O
firemen O
for O
Shroud O
rescue O

Pope O
John O
Paul O
II O
is O
to O
honour O
three O
Turin O
firemen O
who O
risked O
their O
lives O
to O
save O
the O
Shroud O
of O
Turin O
when O
a O
weekend O
fire O
ravaged O
the O
Italian O
city O
' O
s O
cathedral O
, O
a O
Vatican O
spokesman O
announced O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
pontiff O
had O
decided O
to O
honour O
the O
city O
' O
s O
fire O
chief O
and O
two O
firemen O
on O
his O
return O
to O
Italy O
from O
Sarajevo O
, O
spokesman O
Joaquim O
Navarro O
said O
. O

The O
fire O
Saturday B-T
partially O
destroyed O
the O
Guarini O
chapel O
which O
normally O
houses O
the O
Shroud O
, O
revered O
for O
centuries O
by O
Christians O
as O
the O
cloth O
which O
wrapped O
the O
body O
of O
Christ O
after O
the O
crucifixion O
. O

The O
linen O
cloth O
had O
been O
removed O
from O
the O
chapel O
while O
restoration O
work O
was O
in O
progress O
, O
and O
temporarily O
placed O
behind O
the O
nearby O
central O
altar O
in O
the O
St O
John O
the O
Baptist O
cathedral O
. O

Two O
firemen O
braved O
the O
inferno O
in O
the O
adjacent O
chapel O
to O
reach O
the O
relic O
, O
and O
used O
sledgehammers O
to O
smash O
a O
thick O
protective O
screen O
before O
carrying O
the O
priceless O
cloth O
from O
the O
cathedral O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
pope O
, O
who O
held O
an O
open O
- O
air O
mass O
in O
Sarajevo O
' O
s O
main O
football O
stadium O
early B-T
Sunday I-T
, O
was O
to O
return O
to O
Italy O
in O
the B-T
evening I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0699 O

LA O
PAZ O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
detail O
, O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Campaigning O
ended O
in O
Bolivia O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
ahead O
of O
a O
weekend O
election O
pitting O
a O
former O
president O
against O
a O
leftist O
indigenous O
leader O
who O
wants O
to O
end O
eradication O
of O
the O
plant O
that O
produces O
cocaine O
. O

Opinion O
polls O
ahead O
of O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
election O
, O
closely O
watched O
by O
Washington O
, O
gave O
a O
few O
points O
advantage O
to O
Evo O
Morales O
, O
46 O
, O
whose O
campaign O
has O
been O
marked O
by O
anti O
- O
US O
slogans O
, O
pledges O
to O
increase O
state O
controls O
over O
the O
key O
gas O
industry O
and O
a O
promise O
to O
defend O
coca O
plantations O
. O

If O
he O
manages O
to O
defeat O
former O
president O
Jorge O
Quiroga O
, O
45 O
, O
he O
would O
become O
the O
first O
indigenous O
president O
of O
the O
impoverished O
South O
American O
country O
. O

But O
he O
appears O
unlikely O
to O
win O
the O
50 O
percent O
of O
the O
ballots O
needed O
for O
an O
outright O
victory O
, O
in O
which O
case O
the O
decision O
will O
be O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
the O
new O
Congress O
that O
will O
also O
be O
elected O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
One O
vote O
, O
two O
votes O
are O
important O
, O
" O
Morales O
told O
his O
supporters O
in O
Cochabamba O
. O
" O
A O
little O
more O
effort O
, O
more O
participation O
to O
free O
Bolivia O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
, O
" O
he O
urged O
. O

Eight O
candidates O
are O
in O
the O
running O
, O
but O
the O
scene O
appears O
to O
be O
set O
for O
a O
battle O
between O
Morales O
and O
Quiroga O
, O
a O
US O
- O
educated O
technocrat O
who O
was O
president O
for O
a O
year O
after O
Hugo O
Banzer O
, O
then O
stricken O
by O
cancer O
, O
stepped O
down O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

Opinion O
polls O
put O
support O
for O
Morales O
at O
35 O
percent O
, O
with O
Quiroga O
getting O
28 O
to O
29 O
percent O
and O
the O
other O
candidates O
trailing O
far O
behind O
. O

Quiroga O
has O
gone O
so O
far O
as O
to O
call O
Morales O
a O
" O
narco O
" O
trafficker O
. O

US O
officials O
are O
keeping O
a O
keen O
eye O
on O
the O
election O
in O
a O
region O
that O
has O
seen O
several O
left O
- O
leaning O
leaders O
rise O
to O
power O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
. O

And O
Washington O
has O
made O
no O
bones O
about O
its O
concern O
over O
Morales O
' O
pledge O
to O
end O
US O
- O
funded O
programs O
to O
eradicate O
coca O
, O
from O
which O
traffickers O
extract O
cocaine O
for O
US O
drug O
users O
. O

However O
, O
Indians O
have O
chewed O
coca O
leaf O
, O
a O
mild O
stimulant O
in O
its O
natural O
form O
, O
for O
thousands O
of O
years O
. O
It O
is O
used O
in O
indigenous O
rituals O
and O
as O
medication O
against O
altitude O
sickness O
in O
the O
Andean O
country O
. O

" O
We O
expect O
whatever O
government O
comes O
next O
in O
Bolivia O
to O
honor O
those O
commitments O
that O
they O
have O
made O
to O
fight O
the O
production O
and O
transport O
of O
illegal O
drugs O
, O
" O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Sean O
McCormack O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
outcome O
of O
the O
presidential O
election O
would O
only O
be O
decided O
on O
January B-T
22 I-T
, O
if O
no O
candidate O
garners O
50 O
percent O
of O
the O
votes O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
157 O
- O
seat O
Congress O
would O
then O
elect O
the O
new O
president O
, O
and O
is O
not O
bound O
to O
pick O
the O
front O
- O
runner O
. O

With O
electoral O
campaigning O
officially O
ending O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
the O
candidates O
made O
a O
last O
- O
ditch O
effort O
to O
win O
the O
votes O
of O
as O
many O
as O
21 O
percent O
of O
still O
undecided O
voters O
. O

Morales O
has O
capitalized O
on O
his O
popularity O
as O
the O
leader O
of O
a O
growing O
movement O
to O
wrest O
Bolivia O
' O
s O
natural O
gas O
reserves O
from O
foreign O
control O
. O
He O
played O
a O
key O
role O
in O
protests O
that O
forced O
two O
presidents O
out O
of O
office O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

Quiroga O
, O
for O
his O
part O
, O
promised O
jobs O
, O
universal O
health O
care O
, O
better O
prices O
for O
Bolivia O
' O
s O
natural O
gas O
and O
the O
writing O
off O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
huge O
foreign O
debt O
. O

Quiroga O
supporters O
claim O
a O
Morales O
presidency O
would O
scare O
off O
private O
investors O
and O
lead O
to O
the O
loss O
of O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
jobs O
. O

But O
the O
Morales O
camp O
claims O
that O
the O
pro O
free O
- O
market O
Quiroga O
would O
auction O
off O
the O
country O
and O
strengthen O
the O
power O
of O
oil O
multinationals O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0293 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Interview O
: O
UN O
climate O
chief O
regrets O
America O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
ratify O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
, O
applauds O
China O
' O
s O
environment O
policy O

The O
UN O
Framework O
Convention O
on O
Climate O
Change O
( O
UNFCCC O
) O
Executive O
Secretary O
Yvo O
de O
Boer O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
that O
he O
felt O
regretful O
about O
America O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
ratify O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
, O
while O
praising O
China O
for O
its O
efforts O
to O
reduce O
greenhouse O
gas O
emission O
. O

" O
I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
a O
great O
pity O
that O
America O
decided O
not O
to O
ratify O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
, O
" O
said O
de O
Boer O
, O
who O
is O
currently O
attending O
the O
UNFCCC O
in O
Nairobi O
, O
in O
an O
exclusive O
interview O
with O
Xinhua O
. O

The O
United O
States O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
emitter O
of O
green O
house O
gases O
, O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
there O
would O
be O
no O
change O
in O
its O
rejection O
of O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
on O
global O
warming O
until O
at O
least O
the O
end O
of O
American O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
' O
s O
second O
term O
, O
due O
to O
be O
in O
January B-T
, I-T
2009 I-T
. O

Bush O
has O
incurred O
the O
wrath O
of O
environmentalists O
and O
ecological O
experts O
by O
abandoning O
the O
1997 O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
, O
which O
aims O
to O
reduce O
the O
emission O
of O
climate O
change O
- O
causing O
greenhouse O
gases O
, O
saying O
it O
would O
hurt O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economy O
. O

" O
I O
do O
not O
have O
any O
expectations O
that O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
will O
return O
or O
ratify O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
, O
" O
said O
de O
Boer O
, O
who O
was O
appointed O
to O
the O
current O
post O
by O
UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Aug B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O
He O
said O
America O
' O
s O
greenhouse O
gas O
emissions O
are O
so O
high O
that O
it O
would O
be O
virtually O
impossible O
for O
it O
to O
meet O
the O
targets O
under O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
. O

De O
Boer O
at O
the O
same O
time O
applauded O
China O
for O
its O
environment O
policy O
, O
saying O
that O
China O
is O
already O
doing O
quite O
a O
lot O
in O
addressing O
the O
question O
of O
climate O
change O
. O

" O
China O
has O
very O
ambitious O
strategy O
and O
also O
has O
plans O
to O
reduce O
emission O
from O
electricity O
sector O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
UN O
conference O
on O
climate O
change O
kicked O
off O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
with O
participating O
parties O
exploring O
an O
international O
framework O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
issue O
of O
global O
warming O
after O
2012 B-T
, O
the O
last B-T
year I-T
covered O
by O
the O
current O
gas O
emission O
rules O
under O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
. O

" O
The O
discussion O
on O
that O
has O
just O
begun O
, O
" O
said O
de O
Boer O
, O
" O
there O
was O
a O
decision O
at O
the O
meeting O
in O
Montreal O
last B-T
year I-T
to O
start O
two O
dialogues O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O
One O
is O
an O
ad O
hoc O
working O
group O
which O
talks O
about O
future O
industrial O
country O
targets O
, O
and O
the O
other O
is O
a O
broad O
dialogue O
on O
the O
future O
. O
" O

" O
All O
the O
countries O
have O
been O
saying O
that O
we O
urgently O
need O
to O
develop O
environment O
policy O
beyond O
2012 O
. O
In O
fact O
today B-T
there O
were O
presentations O
from O
the O
EU O
, O
from O
Japan O
, O
from O
Norway O
, O
all O
indicating O
that O
they O
are O
ready O
to O
take O
on O
far O
more O
stringent O
emission O
reductions O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
1997 O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
requires O
35 O
industrialized O
countries O
to O
reduce O
their O
emissions O
by O
at O
least O
5 O
. O
2 O
percent O
from O
1990 O
levels O
by O
2012 B-T
. O

A O
UN O
report O
last B-T
week I-T
indicated O
that O
many O
countries O
were O
struggling O
to O
meet O
their O
targets O
. O

PRI19980216 B-T
. O
2000 O
. O
0170 O

NEWS O
STORY O

The O
British O
government O
has O
formally O
called O
for O
Sinn O
Fein O
, O
the O
IRA O
' O
s O

political O
wing O
, O
to O
be O
expelled O
from O
the O
multiparty O
peace O
talks O
on O
northern O

Ireland O
. O
The O
move O
had O
been O
widely O
expected O
after O
northern O
Ireland O
police O

said O
they O
believe O
the O
IRA O
was O
behind O
two O
killings O
in O
Belfast O
last B-T
week I-T
. O
Sinn O

Fein O
chairman O
Mitchell O
McLaughlin O
says O
the O
party O
will O
challenge O
the O
move O
by O

legal O
means O
if O
they O
have O
to O
. O

We O
' O
re O
going O
to O
fight O
it O
. O
And O
uh O
we O
' O
ve O
already O
challenged O
, O
very O
strongly O
, O
the O
uh O
the O
terms O

in O
which O
this O
has O
been O
presented O
. O
But O
we O
' O
re O
challenging O
it O
on O
the O
ground O
that O
uh O

the O
RUC O
uh O
have O
offered O
an O
opinion O
, O
and O
this O
opinion O
is O
going O
to O
be O
used O
as O
a O
mechanism O
for O
ejecting O
us O
from O
the O
talks O
, O
and O
uh O
that O
' O
s O
a O
very O

serious O
. O

Any O
decision O
to O
expel O
Sinn O
Fein O
must O
be O
agreed O
jointly O
by O
the O
governments O

of O
both O
Britain O
and O
the O
Irish O
Republic O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051221 O
. O
0194 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Indonesian O
militant O
group O
to O
safeguard O
churches O

Members O
of O
a O
Muslim O
group O
notorious O
for O
its O
anti O
- O
vice O
raids O
on O
nightclubs O
will O
help O
safeguard O
churches O
over O
Christmas B-T
in O
Indonesia O
amid O
fears O
that O
extremists O
may O
strike O
, O
a O
report O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
Islamic O
Defenders O
' O
Front O
( O
FPI O
) O
will O
join O
other O
groups O
including O
youths O
from O
the O
country O
' O
s O
largest O
Muslim O
organisation O
Nahdlatul O
Ulama O
, O
to O
help O
guard O
churches O
on O
Christmas O
Eve O
, O
said O
senior O
member O
Alawi O
Usman O
. O

" O
We O
will O
be O
involved O
directly O
to O
show O
that O
relations O
between O
religious O
communities O
are O
good O
, O
" O
he O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O
state O
Antara O
news O
agency O
. O
He O
said O
group O
members O
, O
many O
of O
whom O
wear O
white O
Islamic O
skullcaps O
and O
turbans O
, O
would O
be O
advised O
against O
staying O
too O
close O
to O
churches O
they O
were O
guarding O
as O
they O
could O
be O
suspected O
by O
police O
as O
potential O
trouble O
- O
makers O
. O
" O
They O
are O
free O
to O
wear O
or O
to O
take O
off O
their O
FPI O
paraphernalia O
, O
" O
Usman O
said O
. O

The O
FPI O
has O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
made O
a O
number O
of O
high O
- O
profile O
attacks O
on O
Jakarta O
nightspots O
which O
it O
accused O
of O
harboring O
sex O
workers O
and O
drug O
dealers O
. O

Its O
leader O
Habib O
Mohammad O
Rizieq O
Shihab O
was O
jailed O
for O
seven B-T
months I-T
in O
2003 B-T
in O
connection O
with O
the O
raids O
. O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
intelligence O
agency O
warned O
earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
that O
information O
indicated O
extremists O
may O
be O
planning O
attacks O
over O
the O
Christmas O
- O
New O
Year O
period O
in O
large O
cities O
across O
the O
world O
' O
s O
most O
populous O
Muslim O
nation O
. O

Nineteen O
people O
were O
killed O
when O
Islamic O
extremists O
launched O
a O
coordinated O
nationwide O
bombing O
campaign O
targeting O
churches O
and O
priests O
on O
Christmas B-T
Eve O
in O
2000 B-T
. O
The O
campaign O
was O
the O
first O
major O
attack O
to O
be O
blamed O
on O
the O
al O
- O
Qaeda O
- O
linked O
Jemaah O
Islamiyah O
regional O
network O
. O

Since O
then O
the O
group O
has O
launched O
a O
string O
of O
bloody O
attacks O
, O
including O
the O
2002 O
Bali O
bombings O
which O
killed O
202 O
people O
, O
mostly O
western O
holidaymakers O
. O

Jakarta O
police O
have O
said O
they O
will O
deploy O
18 O
, O
000 O
officers O
over O
the B-T
period I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
intelligence O
chief O
also O
warned O
Tuesday B-T
that O
extremists O
were O
planning O
to O
kidnap O
high O
- O
ranking O
officials O
in O
an O
apparent O
shift O
away O
from O
bombings O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0160 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
catching O
up O
with O
leading O
countries O
in O
basic O
science O
research O

China O
is O
catching O
up O
with O
the O
forerunners O
in O
basic O
science O
research O
, O
with O
an O
increasing O
number O
of O
theses O
and O
journals O
complied O
by O
Chinese O
scientists O
being O
referenced O
by O
the O
Science O
Citation O
Index O
( O
SCI O
) O
, O
according O
to O
China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Science O
and O
Technology O
( O
MOST O
) O
. O

China O
was O
ranked O
fifth O
in O
the O
world O
in O
terms O
of O
the O
number O
of O
its O
journals O
cited O
by O
the O
SCI O
in O
2004 B-T
and O
2005 O
, O
up O
from O
15th O
place O
in O
1991 B-T
, O
MOST O
statistics O
showed O
. O

" O
The O
number O
of O
our O
theses O
and O
journals O
cited O
by O
the O
SCI O
is O
an O
important O
indicator O
of O
the O
success O
of O
our O
research O
progress O
in O
basic O
science O
fields O
, O
" O
said O
Zhang O
Xianen O
, O
the O
director O
of O
MOST O
' O
s O
scientific O
research O
department O
. O

" O
The O
greater O
number O
of O
Chinese O
scientists O
winning O
international O
prizes O
and O
occupying O
senior O
positions O
in O
major O
international O
research O
organizations O
also O
proves O
that O
China O
is O
catching O
up O
with O
leading O
countries O
in O
the O
field O
of O
science O
and O
technology O
, O
" O
Zhang O
said O
. O

In O
the B-T
last I-T
two I-T
years I-T
, O
14 O
Chinese O
scientists O
have O
won O
international O
prizes O
including O
the O
Fresnel O
Prize O
awarded O
by O
the O
European O
Physical O
Society O
, O
and O
40 O
Chinese O
have O
been O
granted O
memberships O
to O
international O
academic O
organizations O
and O
science O
academies O
of O
other O
countries O
, O
he O
said O
. O

MOST O
statistics O
show O
that O
there O
were O
115 O
, O
400 O
basic O
science O
researchers O
in O
China O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
46 O
. O
5 O
percent O
higher O
than O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

The O
Chinese O
government O
has O
promised O
to O
increase O
the O
country O
' O
s O
investment O
in O
basic O
science O
research O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
build O
a O
" O
self O
- O
innovative O
" O
country O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0081 O

HOHHOT O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Serial O
rapist O
- O
killer O
stands O
on O
trial O
in O
Inner O
Mongolia O

A O
man O
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Inner O
Mongolia O
Autonomous O
Region O
went O
on O
trail O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
accused O
of O
raping O
and O
killing O
nine O
women O
and O
girls O
over O
a B-T
period I-T
of I-T
ten I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
results O
will O
be O
announced O
in O
two B-T
or I-T
three I-T
days I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
Intermediate O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
of O
Hohhot O
City O
, O
the O
regional O
capital O
. O

Zhao O
Zhihong O
, O
34 O
, O
was O
allegedly O
involved O
in O
21 O
cases O
of O
murder O
, O
rape O
, O
robbery O
and O
larceny O
between O
1996 B-T
and O
2005 B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Procuratorate O
of O
Hohhot O
. O

His O
victims O
are O
said O
to O
have O
included O
a O
college O
student O
, O
a O
government O
employee O
, O
a O
female O
taxi O
driver O
and O
a O
12 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
girl O
. O

When O
he O
was O
arrested O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
Zhao O
had O
been O
working O
in O
a O
private O
kindergarten O
in O
Hohhot O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
two I-T
years I-T
, O
doing O
manual O
repairs O
and O
working O
as O
a O
driver O
. O
None O
of O
the O
kindergarten O
pupils O
or O
personnel O
were O
among O
his O
victims O
. O

Regional O
police O
offered O
a O
reward O
of O
200 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
25 O
, O
300 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
for O
information O
leading O
to O
his O
capture O
. O

Police O
said O
that O
Zhao O
, O
a O
native O
of O
Liangcheng O
County O
in O
Inner O
Mongolia O
, O
was O
originally O
a O
carpenter O
in O
a O
village O
of O
Liangcheng O
. O
He O
later O
moved O
to O
Hohhot O
. O

From O
there O
, O
he O
drifted O
all O
over O
Inner O
Mongolia O
. O
He O
is O
accused O
of O
crimes O
in O
Hohhot O
, O
Togtoh O
County O
, O
Tumd O
Zuoqi O
Banner O
and O
Ulanqab O
City O
. O

Zhao O
had O
been O
sentenced O
to O
six O
- O
month O
jail O
for O
larceny O
in O
Hohhot O
in O
October B-T
, I-T
2003 I-T
. O

An O
earlier O
attempt O
to O
prosecute O
Zhao O
failed O
because O
of O
a O
lack O
of O
evidence O
. O

VOA19980331 B-T
. O
1700 O
. O
1533 O

NEWS O
STORY O

The O
US O
government O
recently O
announced O
new O
regulations O
designed O
to O
change O

the O
way O
transplant O
organs O
are O
made O
available O
to O
sick O
patients O
. O
Under O
the O
new O

guidelines O
, O
donor O
organs O
will O
be O
made O
available O
to O
the O
sickest O
people O

first O
, O
wherever O
they O
live O
in O
the O
country O
. O
Currently O
, O
transplant O
organs O
are O
rationed O
through O
a O
regional O
system O
of O
distribution O
. O

The O
private O
group O
that O
runs O
the O
current O
system O
, O
United O
Network O
for O
Organ O

Sharing O
, O
or O
UNOS O
, O
objects O
to O
the O
new O
regulations O
. O
UNOS O
says O
the O
regulations O

put O
the O
federal O
government O
in O
charge O
of O
deciding O
who O
gets O
transplants O
and O

that O
many O
hospital O
transplant O
centers O
would O
be O
forced O
to O
close O
. O

Health O
and O
Human O
Services O
Secretary O
Do O
- O
Donna O
Shalala O
says O
patients O
who O
need O

an O
organ O
transplant O
should O
not O
have O
to O
take O
a O
chance O
that O
an O
organ O
will O
become O

available O
in O
their O
local O
area O
, O
nor O
should O
patients O
have O
to O
travel O
to O
transplant O
centers O
far O
from O
their O
homes O
to O
improve O
their O
chances O
of O
getting O

an O
organ O
. O
UNOS O
spokeswoman O
Donna O
Henry O
Wright O
says O
the O
new O
policy O
would O
not O
necessarily O
be O
more O
fair O
or O
effective O
because O
allowances O
are O
already O
made O
for O
the O
most O

needy O
patients O
. O

The O
sickest O
patients O
are O
already O
treated O
first O
. O
There O
are O
not O
huge O
waiting O
uh O

disparit O
- O
waiting O
time O
disparities O
amongst O
the O
very O
uh O
sickest O
patients O
. O

It O
' O
s O
between O
two O
to O
six O
days O
for O
every O
one O
uh O
of O
the O
sickest O
patients O
across O
the O

country O
. O
um O
So O
it O
' O
s O
a O
- O
it O
' O
s O
a O
fallacy O
that O
they O
' O
re O
doing O
this O
because O
um O
the O
sickest O

patients O
are O
n O
' O
t O
being O
served O
. O

Doctor O
James O
Burdick O
, O
the O
Professor O
of O
Transplant O
Surgery O
at O
Johns O
Hopkins O

University O
Hospital O
in O
Baltimore O
, O
Maryland O
, O
and O
former O
President O
of O
UNOS O
, O

said O
the O
current O
system O
has O
evolved O
over O
several B-T
years I-T
and O
it O
works O
well O
. O

You O
may O
, O
in O
a B-T
year I-T
or I-T
two I-T
, O
save O
a O
few O
more O
lives O
if O
you O
do O
sickest O
first O
. O

But O
the O
number O
of O
patients O
waiting O
then O
begins O
to O
increase O
, O
um O
and O
, O
in O
fact O
, O
um O
over O

the B-T
years I-T
many O
more O
patients O
who O
are O
about O
to O
die O
of O
liver O
tra O
- O
uh O
without O
a O
liver O

transplant O
would O
accumulate O
. O

If O
you O
do O
the O
uh O
alternative O
extreme O
, O
you O
do O
n O
' O
t O
save O
as O
many O
lives O
in O
the B-T

early B-T
years I-T
, O
by O
a O
small O
fraction O
. O
Our O
system O
is O
balanced O
, O
it O
' O
s O
right O
in O
the O

middle O
. O
And O
, O
therefore O
, O
it O
works O
very O
well O
. O

Nationwide O
, O
there O
are O
about O
ten O
thousand O
patients O
waiting O
for O
liver O
transplants O

each B-T
year I-T
and O
only O
four O
thousand O
organs O
become O
available O
for O
transplants O
. O

Secretary O
Shalala O
says O
UNOS O
five B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
, O
or O
gave O
them O
five B-T
months I-T
to O
develop O
a O
new O
plan O
to O
distribute O
livers O
which O
are O
in O
the O
shortest O
supply O
. O

This O
is O
VOA O
Today O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0201 O

SOFIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Legendary O
Lechkov O
elected O
as O
1st O
vice O
president O
of O
BFU O

Former O
Bulgarian O
international O
Yordan O
Lechkov O
, O
also O
mayor O
of O
central O
Bulgarian O
city O
Sliven O
, O
was O
elected O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
the O
first O
vice O
president O
of O
the O
Bulgarian O
Football O
Union O
( O
BFU O
) O
. O

A O
14 O
- O
member O
Executive O
Committee O
of O
BFU O
on O
Tuesday B-T
with O
a O
majority O
elected O
Lechkov O
the O
first O
vice O
president O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
genaral O
soccerl O
organisation O
. O
Mihail O
Kasabov O
and O
Stefan O
Ormandzhiev O
were O
also O
seated O
on O
the O
vice O
presidential O
chairs O
. O

According O
to O
the O
decision O
made O
by O
the O
Executive O
Committee O
, O
Lechkov O
will O
take O
charge O
on O
contacts O
and O
work O
with O
the O
local O
soccer O
groups O
. O

Lechkov O
said O
that O
he O
was O
determined O
to O
unite O
the O
power O
of O
the O
government O
, O
court O
system O
and O
parliament O
to O
find O
out O
a O
way O
to O
raise O
the O
level O
of O
the O
professional O
and O
amateur O
teams O
all O
over O
the O
country O
. O

Legendary O
Lechkov O
was O
born O
in O
1967 B-T
at O
Straldzha O
, O
Bulgaria O
. O
He O
was O
the O
biggest O
hero O
in O
the O
World O
Cup O
1994 O
, O
who O
led O
Bulgaria O
to O
the O
historic O
4th O
place O
in O
the O
United O
States O
. O

After O
a O
brilliant O
career O
Lechkov O
was O
elected O
mayor O
of O
Sliven O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
and O
is O
very O
popular O
among O
the O
local O
citizens O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0156 O

KIEV O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ukrainian O
prosecutors O
deliver O
Gongadze O
case O
to O
supreme O
court O

Ukrainian O
prosecutors O
have O
delivered O
a O
criminal O
case O
concerning O
the O
murder O
of O
journalist O
Heorhiy O
Gongadze O
to O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Supreme O
Court O
, O
a O
court O
spokesman O
confirmed O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
case O
was O
brought O
against O
three O
former O
police O
officers O
, O
charged O
with O
committing O
the O
murder O
of O
Gongadze O
, O
and O
the O
prosecutors O
requested O
the O
court O
determine O
where O
to O
hear O
the O
charges O
. O

The O
three O
suspects O
were O
Valeriy O
Kostenko O
, O
Mykola O
Protasov O
and O
Oleksandr O
Popovych O
. O
A O
fourth O
suspect O
, O
Oleksiy O
Pukach O
, O
has O
absconded O
. O

The O
Internet O
jounalist O
Gongadze O
, O
famous O
for O
his O
reports O
of O
high O
- O
level O
corruption O
when O
Leonid O
Kuchma O
held O
the O
presidency O
, O
was O
slain O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

The O
former O
president O
Kuchma O
has O
denied O
accusations O
of O
his O
masterminding O
the O
murder O
. O

Gongadze O
' O
s O
death O
triggered O
nationwide O
demonstrations O
against O
the O
former O
Kuchma O
government O
, O
leading O
to O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Orange O
Revolution O
after O
which O
the O
opposition O
leader O
Viktor O
Yushchenko O
came O
to O
power O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0154 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Singapore O
, O
Australia O
participate O
in O
joint O
exercise O

Singapore O
and O
Australia O
armed O
forces O
participated O
in O
a O
four O
- O
day O
joint O
exercise O
, O
which O
concluded O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
according O
to O
Ministry O
of O
Defence O
( O
MINDEF O
) O

The O
MINDEF O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
the O
exercise O
underscored O
the O
close O
defence O
ties O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
and O
provides O
a O
good O
opportunity O
for O
the O
two O
armed O
forces O
to O
enhance O
professional O
interaction O
and O
mutual O
understanding O
. O

The O
Singapore O
Armed O
Forces O
( O
SAF O
) O
Chemical O
, O
Biological O
, O
Radiological O
and O
Explosives O
( O
CBRE O
) O
Defence O
Group O
participated O
in O
the O
exercise O
, O
code O
named O
" O
Ex O
LION O
BRIDGE O
" O
, O
with O
troops O
from O
the O
Australian O
Defence O
Force O
Incident O
Response O
Regiment O
( O
ADF O
- O
IRR O
) O
. O

This O
annual O
exercise O
was O
the O
third O
series O
, O
which O
conducts O
alternately O
in O
Singapore O
and O
Australia O
. O

About O
120 O
soldiers O
participated O
in O
the O
exercise O
, O
comprising O
a O
series O
of O
response O
missions O
, O
aimed O
at O
enhancing O
inter O
- O
operability O
between O
the O
two O
armed O
forces O
when O
responding O
to O
terrorist O
attacks O
that O
involve O
the O
use O
of O
improvised O
explosive O
devices O
with O
chemical O
, O
biological O
and O
radiological O
components O
, O
according O
to O
the O
statement O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0198 O

BUCHAREST O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Growing O
number O
of O
Israelis O
asking O
for O
Romanian O
citizenship O
: O
envoy O

There O
is O
a O
growing O
number O
of O
Israeli O
citizens O
who O
are O
asking O
for O
Romanian O
citizenship O
, O
the O
national O
Rompres O
news O
agency O
reported O
on O
Saturday B-T
quoting O
Romania O
' O
s O
Ambassador O
to O
Israel O
Mariana O
Stoica O
as O
saying O
. O

According O
to O
Stoica O
, O
the O
applicants O
are O
Jews O
originating O
from O
Romania O
who O
wish O
to O
re O
- O
acquire O
Romanian O
citizenship O
or O
second O
generation O
offspring O
of O
people O
born O
in O
Romania O
and O
who O
wish O
to O
get O
Romanian O
citizenship O
. O

The O
main O
motivation O
for O
this O
growing O
number O
of O
applications O
consists O
in O
Romania O
becoming O
European O
Union O
member O
state O
starting O
on O
January B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2007 I-T
, O
underlined O
the O
Romanian O
diplomat O
, O
adding O
that O
" O
This O
a O
sufficiently O
serious O
reason O
for O
them O
, O
to O
become O
citizens O
of O
an O
EU O
member O
country O
. O
" O

On O
the O
other O
hand O
, O
she O
pointed O
out O
that O
" O
there O
is O
an O
enhanced O
interest O
in O
investing O
in O
Romania O
and O
, O
in O
this O
case O
, O
it O
is O
a O
very O
good O
idea O
to O
hold O
Romanian O
citizenship O
" O
. O

" O
Third O
reason O
is O
that O
a O
great O
number O
of O
young O
people O
whose O
parents O
are O
of O
Romanian O
origin O
go O
to O
study O
in O
Romania O
, O
especially O
Medicine O
and O
Economics O
, O
" O
said O
the O
ambassador O
. O

According O
to O
the O
latest O
population O
figures O
, O
more O
than O
110 O
, O
000 O
of O
Israel O
' O
s O
six O
million O
residents O
are O
from O
Romania O
, O
those O
Romanian O
jews O
arrived O
in O
Israel O
mostly O
in O
1948 B-T
- I-T
1951 I-T
. O
Dual O
nationality O
is O
allowed O
now B-T
in O
Romania O
as O
well O
as O
in O
Isreal O
. O

PRI19980213 B-T
. O
2000 O
. O
0313 O

NEWS O
STORY O

Officials O
in O
California O
are O
warning O
residents O
that O
oncoming O
rains O
will O
cause O
dangerous O
and O
unpredictable O
landslides O
. O
From O
member O
station O
KQED O
, O
Auncil O

Martinez O
reports O
. O

Experts O
say O
the O
ground O
is O
so O
saturated O
it O
cannot O
absorb O
any O
more O
water O
. O
So O

that O
means O
soil O
will O
fall O
off O
in O
chunks O
and O
destroy O
anything O
in O
its O
path O
. O

In O
Los O
Angeles O
that O
lesson O
was O
brought O
home O
today B-T
when O
tons O
of O
earth O
cascaded O
down O
a O
hillside O
, O
ripping O
two O
houses O
from O
their O
foundations O
. O
No O
one O
was O
hurt O
, O
but O
firefighters O
ordered O
the O
evacuation O
of O
nearby O
homes O
and O
said O
they O
' O
ll O
monitor O
the O
shifting O
ground O
. O
In O
the O
northern O
California O
town O
of O
Rio O
Nido O
, O

officials O
say O
a O
football O
field O
sized O
slab O
of O
hillside O
could O
still O
break O
loose O
at O

any B-T
time I-T
and O
destroy O
an O
entire O
neighborhood O
. O
And O
in O
San O
Francisco O
, O
a O
mansion O

overlooking O
the O
Pacific O
Ocean O
and O
the O
Golden O
Gate O
Bridge O
is O
slipping O
toward O

the O
sea O
. O
Forecasters O
say O
the O
picture O
will O
get O
worse O
because O
more O
rains O
are O

on O
the O
way O
. O
For O
NPR O
news O
, O
I O
' O
m O
Auncil O
Martinez O
reporting O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061210 O
. O
0227 O

DUBLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Ireland O
' O
s O
1916 O
' O
Alamo O
' O
to O
be O
national O
monument O

A O
dilapidated O
building O
in O
Dublin O
where O
leaders O
of O
a O
doomed O
Irish O
nationalist O
rebellion O
surrendered O
to O
their O
British O
rulers O
is O
to O
become O
a O
national O
monument O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Bertie O
Ahern O
said O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
Taoiseach O
said O
number O
16 O
Moore O
Street O
was O
of O
significant O
national O
importance O
as O
the O
" O
last O
stand O
" O
of O
the O
ill O
- O
fated O
" O
1916 O
Rising O
" O
against O
the O
British O
. O

The O
house O
- O
- O
which O
sits O
on O
the O
site O
of O
Ireland O
' O
s O
most O
famous O
street O
market O
- O
- O
had O
been O
due O
to O
be O
part O
of O
a O
multi O
- O
million O
euro O
refurbishment O
but O
a O
campaign O
to O
preserve O
it O
has O
been O
receiving O
increasing O
support O
. O

Ahern O
said O
that O
from O
a O
historical O
, O
social O
and O
political O
standpoint O
, O
the O
house O
was O
of O
significant O
national O
importance O
as O
the O
" O
last O
stand O
" O
and O
should O
be O
given O
the O
country O
' O
s O
highest O
conservation O
tag O
. O

The O
building O
was O
dubbed O
the O
" O
Alamo O
" O
after O
the O
US O
fort O
which O
played O
a O
key O
role O
in O
the O
Texan O
war O
of O
independence O
against O
Mexico O
when O
Texan O
insurgents O
made O
their O
last O
stand O
and O
few O
survived O
. O

In O
the O
1916 B-T
Rising O
, O
Irish O
rebels O
took O
over O
the O
nearby O
General O
Post O
Office O
( O
GPO O
) O
building O
in O
O O
' O
Connell O
Street O
- O
- O
Dublin O
' O
s O
main O
thoroughfare O
. O

They O
retreated O
to O
the O
nearby O
Moore O
Street O
building O
when O
the O
British O
shelled O
the O
GPO O
and O
set O
it O
on O
fire O
. O

Leaders O
including O
Padraig O
Pearse O
, O
Joseph O
Mary O
Plunkett O
, O
Sean O
MacDermott O
and O
Thomas O
Clarke O
, O
met O
in O
the O
building O
around O
the O
bed O
of O
the O
wounded O
James O
Connolly O
and O
decided O
to O
surrender O
to O
save O
further O
bloodshed O
. O

Within O
weeks B-T
, O
all O
were O
executed O
by O
firing O
squad O
. O

Ahern O
made O
the O
announcement O
while O
attending O
the O
annual O
commemoration O
in O
Castletown O
in O
southeast O
Ireland O
of O
another O
executed O
patriot O
, O
Liam O
Mellows O
, O
who O
died O
in O
the O
1922 O
civil O
war O
that O
eventually O
led O
to O
Irish O
independence O
. O

A O
museum O
commemorating O
the O
Rising O
was O
also O
being O
considered O
for O
the O
GPO O
, O
he O
added O
. O

He O
said O
he O
wanted O
to O
see O
a O
" O
spirit O
of O
generosity O
" O
permeate O
modern O
Ireland O
' O
s O
study O
of O
its O
history O
. O

" O
This O
is O
our O
national O
inheritance O
. O
It O
is O
incumbent O
on O
all O
who O
value O
our O
democracy O
to O
join O
in O
suitably O
recognising O
the O
bravery O
, O
dignity O
and O
sacrifice O
of O
our O
forebearers O
, O
" O
Ahern O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0619 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Santer O
' O
s O
intervention O
fuels O
Euro O
- O
sceptic O
impulse O
in O
British O
election O
by O
Alex O
Perry O

In O
what O
was O
widely O
interpreted O
as O
intervention O
in O
the O
British O
election O
campaign O
, O
a O
speech O
by O
European O
Commission O
President O
Jacques O
Santer O
attacking O
Euro O
- O
scepticism O
was O
roundly O
condemned O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
Conservatives O
leapt O
on O
Santer O
' O
s O
speech O
, O
delivered O
in O
English O
in O
Amsterdam O
to O
the O
Dutch O
Association O
of O
European O
Journalists O
, O
in O
which O
he O
called O
Euro O
- O
sceptics O
" O
prophets O
of O
doom O
" O
. O

Foreign O
Secretary O
Malcom O
Rifkind O
said O
he O
" O
passionately O
welcomed O
" O
the O
speech O
as O
highlighting O
Conservative O
reservations O
about O
European O
intergration O
. O

One O
Conservative O
party O
source O
said O
Santer O
' O
s O
speech O
was O
" O
manna O
from O
Heaven O
" O
allowing O
the O
Conservatives O
to O
highlight O
their O
own O
Euro O
- O
scepticism O
and O
attack O
opposition O
party O
Labour O
, O
which O
they O
claim O
would O
surrender O
Britain O
' O
s O
interests O
to O
Europe O
after O
the O
May B-T
1 I-T
poll I-T
. O

" O
If O
it O
is O
right O
for O
Britain O
, O
I O
will O
keep O
my O
feet O
on O
the O
brakes O
, O
" O
said O
Tory O
Prime O
Minister O
John O
Major O
. O
" O
( O
Labour O
leader O
Tony O
) O
Blair O
would O
go O
to O
the O
( O
Intergovernmental O
Conference O
in O
) O
Amsterdam O
and O
put O
his O
foot O
on O
the O
accelerator O
to O
a O
federal O
Europe O
. O
" O

Labour O
called O
Santer O
' O
s O
speech O
" O
ill O
- O
judged O
and O
unwise O
" O
, O
and O
attempted O
to O
promote O
their O
own O
Euro O
- O
scepticism O
by O
noting O
that O
Santer O
' O
s O
appointment O
had O
been O
approved O
by O
Major O
in O
1994 B-T
. O

" O
Santer O
should O
be O
in O
no O
doubt O
that O
a O
Labour O
government O
will O
make O
decisions O
based O
on O
British O
needs O
in O
the O
British O
interests O
under O
the O
strong O
leadership O
of O
Tony O
Blair O
, O
" O
said O
Labour O
' O
s O
economics O
spokesman O
Gordon O
Brown O
. O

In O
his O
speech O
, O
Santer O
said O
: O
" O
We O
have O
only O
one O
option O
: O
to O
move O
on O
. O
But O
it O
will O
not O
silence O
the O
prophets O
of O
doom O
. O
" O

Although O
he O
did O
not O
directly O
refer O
to O
Britain O
, O
his O
speech O
was O
interpreted O
as O
a O
direct O
attack O
on O
British O
Euro O
- O
scepticism O
. O
Press O
reports O
here O
said O
Santer O
had O
dropped O
a O
reference O
to O
a O
Conservative O
campaign O
advertisment O
in O
which O
Blair O
was O
depicted O
as O
a O
puppet O
sitting O
on O
German O
Chancellor O
Helmut O
Kohl O
' O
s O
knees O
. O

Meanwhile O
centrist O
Liberal O
Democrats O
leader O
Paddy O
Ashdown O
was O
the O
only O
party O
leader O
to O
endorse O
further O
European O
integration O
, O
saying O
he O
was O
in O
favour O
of O
a O
federal O
Europe O
. O

And O
Labour O
, O
in O
its O
latest O
attack O
on O
the O
Tories O
, O
depicted O
Major O
and O
the O
Chancellor O
of O
the O
Exchequer O
Kenneth O
Clarke O
as O
film O
stars O
Stan O
Laurel O
and O
Oliver O
Hardy O
to O
illustrate O
an O
Organisation O
of O
Economic O
and O
Development O
report O
on O
per O
capita O
income O
which O
said O
Britain O
had O
sunk O
to O
21st O
in O
the O
world O
. O

" O
Another O
fine O
mess O
" O
read O
the O
caption O
, O
echoing O
Hardy O
' O
s O
catchphrase O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0129 O

HEBRON O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

New O
clashes O
in O
Hebron O
after O
police O
free O
settlers O
who O
killed O
Palestinian O

Hundreds O
of O
Palestinians O
clashed O
with O
Israeli O
troops O
here O
Wednesday B-T
following O
the O
funeral O
of O
one O
of O
three O
men O
killed O
in O
rioting O
the O
previous O
day O
in O
the O
divided O
West O
Bank O
city O
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

The O
clashes O
came O
after O
Israeli O
police O
released O
two O
Jewish O
settlers O
whose O
slaying O
of O
a O
Palestinian O
man O
in O
central O
Hebron O
Tuesday O
sparked O
several O
hours O
of O
deadly O
clashes O
between O
protestors O
and O
troops O
. O

Police O
officials O
said O
investigators O
accepted O
the O
account O
of O
the O
settlers O
, O
religious O
students O
in O
their O
20s O
, O
that O
they O
opened O
fire O
with O
automatic O
weapons O
in O
self O
- O
defense O
after O
being O
attacked O
by O
tear O
gas O
as O
they O
walked O
near O
Hebron O
' O
s O
Jewish O
enclave O
. O

A O
second O
Palestinian O
was O
wounded O
in O
the O
shooting O
. O

At O
least O
three O
Palestinians O
, O
including O
a O
policeman O
, O
were O
wounded O
by O
rubber O
bullets O
fired O
by O
soldiers O
after O
the O
protestors O
began O
pelting O
them O
with O
stones O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
new O
clashes O
broke O
out O
after O
1 O
, O
500 O
Palestinians O
turned O
out O
for O
the O
funeral O
of O
Nadir O
Said O
, O
24 O
, O
one O
of O
two O
men O
killed O
by O
Israeli O
rubber O
bullets O
in O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
unrest O
. O

Mourners O
called O
for O
revenge O
and O
chanted O
" O
No O
more O
settlers O
" O
as O
they O
carried O
Said O
' O
s O
body O
wrapped O
in O
a O
Palestinian O
flag O
to O
his O
grave O
. O

Palestinian O
police O
deployed O
large O
numbers O
of O
men O
around O
the B-T
Jewish I-T
quarter I-T
in O
a O
bid O
to O
prevent O
new O
clashes O
as O
the O
mourners O
and O
other O
protestors O
fanned O
out O
towards O
the O
Israeli O
lines O
. O

But O
hundreds O
of O
youths O
skirted O
the O
police O
positions O
to O
confront O
the O
troops O
. O

In O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
unrest O
, O
hundreds O
of O
Palestinians O
threw O
stones O
and O
firebombs O
at O
Israeli O
troops O
guarding O
the O
Jewish O
enclave O
, O
where O
400 O
settlers O
live O
surrounded O
by O
120 O
, O
000 O
Arabs O
. O

Two O
Palestinians O
were O
killed O
and O
some O
100 O
wounded O
by O
rubber O
bullets O
as O
the O
troops O
battled O
the O
protestors O
. O
Five O
soldiers O
were O
hurt O
by O
stones O
. O

It O
was O
the O
deadliest O
day O
of O
clashes O
since O
almost O
daily O
violent O
protests O
erupted O
after O
Israel O
broke O
ground O
for O
a O
new O
Jewish O
settlement O
in O
disputed O
east O
Jerusalem O
on O
March B-T
18 I-T
. O

In O
all O
, O
five O
Palestinians O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
the O
battles O
and O
hundreds O
injured O
. O
Three O
Israelis O
were O
killed O
by O
a O
Palestinian O
suicide O
bomber O
in O
Tel O
Aviv O
on O
March B-T
21 I-T
. O

Hebron O
has O
long O
been O
a O
flashpoint O
for O
Arab O
- O
Israeli O
violence O
. O

Four O
- O
fifths O
of O
the O
city O
passed O
to O
Palestinian O
rule O
in O
January B-T
under O
a O
breakthrough O
agreement O
which O
many O
hoped O
would O
give O
new O
life O
to O
a O
peace O
process O
in O
deep O
trouble O
since O
the O
nationalist O
right O
- O
wing O
took O
power O
in O
Israel O
in O
June B-T
. O

But O
Israeli O
troops O
continue O
to O
guard O
the O
enclaves O
where O
the O
Jewish O
settlers O
live O
. O
The O
Israeli O
- O
controlled O
zone O
was O
under O
curfew O
Wednesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0064 O

CANBERRA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Australian O
stock O
market O
closes O
higher O

The O
Australian O
stock O
exchange O
market O
closed O
higher O
Friday B-T
as O
the O
benchmark O
S O
/ O
ASX200 O
added O
42 O
points O
to O
4 O
, O
671 O
. O
1 O
while O
the O
all O
ordinaries O
lifted O
40 O
. O
5 O
points O
to O
4 O
, O
610 O
. O
6 O
. O

Market O
turnover O
was O
955 O
. O
6 O
million O
shares O
worth O
3 O
. O
45 O
billion O
Australian O
dollars O
( O
2 O
. O
53 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
with O
598 O
stocks O
rising O
, O
402 O
falling O
and O
328 O
unchanged O
. O

In O
the O
resources O
sector O
, O
BHP O
Billiton O
surged O
45 O
cents O
or O
2 O
. O
1 O
percent O
to O
21 O
. O
85 O
dollars O
. O

Among O
the O
banking O
stocks O
, O
the O
Commonwealth O
Bank O
firmed O
30 O
cents O
to O
42 O
. O
00 O
dollars O
, O
Westpac O
rose O
one O
cent O
to O
22 O
. O
24 O
dollars O
, O
ANZ O
was O
steady O
at O
24 O
. O
05 O
dollars O
but O
the O
National O
Australia O
Bank O
backpedaled O
16 O
cents O
to O
33 O
. O
45 O
dollars O
. O

In O
the O
media O
sector O
, O
News O
Corp O
lost O
19 O
cents O
to O
20 O
. O
71 O
dollars O
. O

Telecommunications O
giant O
Telstra O
put O
on O
11 O
cents O
to O
4 O
. O
12 O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0483 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Trading O
on O
CompuServe O
halted O
on O
Wall O
Street O

Wall O
Street O
trading O
on O
the O
computer O
online O
service O
CompuServe O
was O
suspended O
Wednesday B-T
ahead O
of O
an O
expected O
announcement O
later O
in O
the O
day O
, O
a O
stock O
exchange O
spokesman O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0104 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Taiwan O
share O
prices O
close O
down O
0 O
. O
19 O
percent O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
24 O

Taiwan O
share O
prices O
ended O
down O
0 O
. O
19 O
percent O
with O
a O
thicker O
traded O
volume O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
according O
to O
sources O
reaching O
here O
from O
Taipei O
. O

The O
weighted O
index O
, O
a O
key O
barometer O
of O
Taiwan O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
went O
down O
11 O
. O
63 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
6 O
, O
111 O
. O
89 O
. O

The O
bourse O
opened O
at O
6 O
, O
122 O
. O
97 O
and O
fluctuated O
between O
6 B-T
, I-T
143 I-T
. I-T
87 I-T
and O
6 B-T
, I-T
104 I-T
. I-T
11 I-T
during O
trading O
. O

A O
total O
of O
3 O
. O
19 O
billion O
shares O
changed O
hands O
on O
a O
market O
turnover O
of O
77 O
. O
84 O
billion O
new O
Taiwan O
dollars O
( O
2 O
. O
33 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
up O
from O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
turnover O
of O
77 O
. O
48 O
billion O
new O
Taiwan O
dollars O
( O
2 O
. O
31 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Three O
of O
the O
eight O
major O
stock O
categories O
gained O
ground O
, O
with O
textile O
stocks O
moving O
up O
at O
1 O
. O
5 O
percent O
and O
machinery O
and O
electronics O
shares O
and O
construction O
issues O
both O
gaining O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
. O

The O
other O
five O
major O
stock O
categories O
lost O
ground O
, O
with O
banking O
and O
financial O
shares O
moving O
down O
the O
most O
at O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
, O
followed O
by O
plastics O
and O
chemicals O
shares O
and O
paper O
and O
pulp O
issues O
both O
at O
0 O
. O
4 O
percent O
, O
and O
cement O
stocks O
and O
foodstuff O
issues O
both O
at O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
. O

Gainers O
outnumbered O
losers O
509 O
to O
444 O
, O
with O
236 O
stocks O
remaining O
unchanged O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0035 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0035 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Jayark O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Firm O
Agrees O
to O
Buy O
Kofcoh O

@ O
For O
Cash O
, O
Debt O
and O
Stock O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

JAYA O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

Jayark O
Corp O
. O
agreed O
to O
pay O
$ O
4 O
million O
in O
cash O
, O
$ O
2 O
million O
of O
12 O
% O
convertible O
debentures O
, O
and O
1 O
. O
6 O
million O
common O
shares O
to O
acquire O
closely O
held O
Kofcoh O
Imports O
Inc O
. O

In O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
trading O
Friday B-T
, O
Jayark O
was O
quoted O
at O
87 O
. O
5 O
cents O
bid O
, O
down O
15 O
. O
625 O
cents O
. O

At O
the O
market O
price O
, O
the O
transaction O
has O
a O
total O
indicated O
value O
of O
$ O
7 O
. O
4 O
million O
. O

Kofcoh O
is O
a O
New O
York O
holding O
company O
for O
Rosalco O
Inc O
. O
, O
which O
imports O
furniture O
and O
other O
items O
. O

David O
L O
. O
Koffman O
, O
president O
and O
chief O
executive O
officer O
of O
Jayark O
, O
holds O
about O
40 O
% O
of O
Kofcoh O
, O
Jayark O
said O
. O

Jayark O
, O
New O
York O
, O
distributes O
and O
rents O
audio O
- O
visual O
equipment O
and O
prints O
promotional O
ads O
for O
retailers O
. O

In O
the B-T
quarter I-T
ended O
July B-T
31 I-T
, O
Jayark O
had O
an O
average O
of O
5 O
. O
6 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

The O
transaction O
is O
subject O
to O
approval O
by O
a O
panel O
of O
disinterested O
directors O
, O
the O
company O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
shareholder O
approval O
is O
n O
' O
t O
needed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0139 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Snow O
storm O
claims O
two O
in O
India O
- O
controlled O
Kashmir O

A O
heavy O
snow O
storm O
claimed O
two O
lives O
Sunday B-T
at O
a O
mountain O
pass O
in O
India O
- O
controlled O
Kashmir O
, O
Indo O
- O
Asian O
News O
Service O
reported O
. O

Eyewitnesses O
said O
two O
among O
forty O
people O
were O
swept O
away O
by O
snow O
storm O
and O
killed O
when O
they O
were O
trying O
to O
cross O
the O
Zojilla O
Pass O
in O
the O
Himalaya O
Mountains O
, O
the O
local O
police O
said O
. O

The O
police O
sent O
a O
team O
to O
search O
the O
bodies O
. O

The O
national O
highway O
linking O
the O
region O
' O
s O
winter O
capital O
Srinagar O
to O
mountainous O
region O
Leh O
has O
been O
closed O
for O
all O
vehicular O
traffic O
since O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
due O
to O
snowfall O
but O
some O
people O
chose O
to O
walk O
all O
the O
way O
across O
the O
Zojilla O
Pass O
. O

The O
local O
authorities O
have O
instructed O
the O
police O
to O
stop O
these O
trekkers O
as O
crossing O
the O
pass O
on O
foot O
is O
highly O
dangerous O
in O
the O
extreme O
cold O
weather O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0669 O

LIMA O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

All O
hostage O
- O
takers O
killed O
as O
siege O
ended O
: O
police O
source O

All O
hostage O
- O
takers O
were O
killed O
as O
security O
forces O
ended O
the O
18 O
- O
week O
- O
old O
hostage O
drama O
at O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
Tuesday B-T
, O
a O
police O
source O
told O
AFP O
. O

About O
20 O
members O
of O
the O
Marxist O
Tupac O
Amaru O
Revolutionary O
Movement O
( O
MRTA O
) O
, O
most O
of O
them O
younger O
than O
20 O
, O
had O
been O
holding O
the O
residence O
and O
72 O
prominent O
hostages O
since O
December B-T
17 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0044 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

results O

A O
former O
rebel O
jailed O
by O
Jakarta O
has O
won O
a O
landslide O
victory O
in O
the O
first O
direct O
elections O
for O
governor O
of O
Aceh O
province O
, O
according O
to O
official O
results O
Friday B-T
which O
confirmed O
earlier O
forecasts O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051120 O
. O
0249 O

BRASILIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Brazil O
to O
open O
dictatorship O
- O
era O
secret O
files O

Brazilian O
President O
Luiz O
Inacio O
Lula O
da O
Silva O
has O
ordered O
the O
country O
' O
s O
intelligence O
service O
, O
ABIN O
, O
to O
publish O
dictatorship O
- O
era O
secret O
files O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
official O
Agencia O
Brasil O
news O
agency O
reported O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
report O
said O
that O
Lula O
signed O
a O
decree O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
instructing O
the O
ABIN O
to O
turn O
over O
all O
intelligence O
files O
from O
the O
1964 O
- O
85 O
military O
dictatorship O
to O
the O
National O
Archive O
by O
Dec B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
. O

The O
secret O
police O
can O
only O
withhold O
documents O
that O
would O
endanger O
lives O
or O
the O
viability O
of O
the O
Brazilian O
state O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

Lula O
' O
s O
order O
reversed O
the O
2002 O
decree O
, O
signed O
by O
Lula O
' O
s O
predecessor O
Fernando O
Henrique O
Cardoso O
in O
the O
closing O
hours O
of O
his O
presidency B-T
, O
which O
had O
sealed O
the O
documents O
for O
50 B-T
years I-T
. O

Brazil O
' O
s O
Defense O
Ministry O
claimed O
in O
2003 B-T
that O
all O
such O
files O
were O
destroyed O
, O
but O
after O
the O
Brazilian O
newspaper O
Correio O
Brazilense O
published O
in O
2004 O
photos O
of O
a O
naked O
man O
, O
an O
alleged O
political O
prisoner O
, O
holding O
his O
head O
in O
his O
hands O
, O
the O
Ministry O
admitted O
it O
had O
lied O
. O

The O
publication O
triggered O
a O
campaign O
to O
make O
public O
the O
documents O
by O
the O
human O
rights O
groups O
which O
want O
to O
find O
out O
who O
was O
arrested O
by O
the O
secret O
police O
, O
whether O
they O
were O
tortured O
and O
what O
happened O
to O
their O
bodies O
, O
so O
as O
to O
enable O
their O
relatives O
to O
recover O
their O
remains O
. O

The O
military O
has O
long O
tried O
to O
block O
the O
publication O
of O
the O
documents O
, O
citing O
a O
1979 O
amnesty O
which O
prevents O
anyone O
from O
prosecuting O
either O
former O
- O
leftist O
guerrillas O
or O
the O
military O
. O

Human O
rights O
activists O
say O
some O
officials O
still O
in O
power O
could O
be O
implicated O
by O
the O
documents O
being O
released O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0344 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Vaccine O
for O
uterine O
cancer O
more O
active O
in O
pre O
- O
teens O
: O
study O

An O
experimental O
vaccine O
developed O
by O
GlaxoSmithKline O
that O
targets O
two O
viruses O
responsible O
for O
70 O
percent O
of O
uterine O
cancer O
cases O
triggers O
twice O
the O
immune O
response O
in O
girls O
aged O
10 O
to O
14 O
than O
in O
those O
aged O
15 O
to O
24 O
, O
the O
British O
pharmaceutical O
firm O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
results O
of O
phase O
3 O
clinical O
trials O
were O
presented O
at O
an O
annual O
conference O
on O
infectious O
diseases O
under O
way O
this B-T
weekend I-T
in O
Washington O
. O

They O
indicate O
that O
the O
vaccine O
Cervarix O
could O
offer O
more O
durable O
and O
efficient O
protection O
, O
if O
it O
is O
given O
to O
the O
young O
, O
well O
ahead O
of O
their O
becoming O
sexually O
active O
. O

" O
Vaccination O
of O
pre O
- O
teen O
/ O
adolescent O
girls O
against O
cancer O
- O
causing O
HPV O
( O
Human O
Papillomavirus O
) O
before O
onset O
of O
sexual O
activity O
will O
be O
an O
important O
part O
of O
the O
overall O
strategy O
for O
cervical O
cancer O
prevention O
, O
" O
said O
Anna O
- O
Barbara O
Moscicki O
, O
a O
pediatrics O
professor O
from O
the O
University O
of O
California O
. O

The O
two O
viruses O
are O
responsible O
for O
70 O
percent O
of O
cases O
of O
uterine O
cancer O
. O
More O
than O
500 O
, O
000 O
cases O
of O
this O
disease O
are O
diagnosed O
in O
the O
world O
each B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
clinical O
trials O
conducted O
by O
Glaxo O
in O
Europe O
and O
Russia O
involved O
158 O
girls O
aged O
between O
10 B-T
and O
14 B-T
and O
458 O
women O
aged O
between O
15 B-T
and O
25 B-T
. O
Each O
of O
them O
received O
three O
doses O
of O
the O
vaccine O
over O
a B-T
period I-T
of I-T
six I-T
months I-T
. O

Cervarix O
, O
which O
has O
not O
been O
introduced O
to O
the O
market O
yet O
, O
is O
one O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
most O
important O
new O
drugs O
. O

GlaxoSmithKline O
' O
s O
American O
competitor O
Merck O
is O
waiting O
for O
the O
green O
light O
to O
start O
marketing O
its O
own O
vaccine O
called O
Gardasil O
. O

The O
conference O
organized O
by O
American O
Society O
for O
Microbiology O
has O
brought O
together O
some O
9 O
, O
000 O
researchers O
from O
about O
80 O
countries O
of O
the O
world O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0544 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
detail O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Augusto O
Pinochet O
, O
who O
ruled O
Chile O
with O
an O
iron O
fist O
1973 O
- O
1990 O
, O
came O
to O
symbolize O
Latin O
American O
military O
repression O
and O
was O
linked O
to O
thousands O
of O
tortures O
, O
abductions O
and O
deaths O
. O

He O
was O
in O
serious O
condition O
at O
the O
Military O
Hospital O
after O
heart O
surgery O
in O
Santiago O
Sunday B-T
. O

Pinochet O
, O
91 O
, O
has O
avoided O
trial O
on O
any O
charge O
, O
with O
his O
lawyers O
arguing O
that O
" O
mild O
dementia O
" O
prevents O
him O
from O
defending O
himself O
. O

Now O
frail O
, O
Pinochet O
once O
cut O
an O
and O
awe O
- O
inspiring O
figure O
in O
dark O
glasses O
and O
an O
imposing O
Prussian O
- O
style O
military O
tunic O
and O
cape O
. O

" O
Not O
a O
leaf O
moves O
without O
my O
knowledge O
, O
" O
Pinochet O
said O
, O
as O
thousands O
of O
Chileans O
were O
tortured O
, O
executed O
and O
forced O
into O
exile O
following O
the O
1973 B-T
coup O
against O
elected O
Socialist O
president O
Salvador O
Allende O
. O

The O
Pinochet O
era O
deeply O
divides O
Chile O
even O
today B-T
. O

Some O
Chileans O
hail O
him O
for O
replacing O
socialism O
with O
free O
- O
market O
policies O
, O
despite O
his O
international O
renown O
for O
military O
abuses O
. O

Others O
say O
the O
pain O
of O
the O
dictatorship O
will O
continue O
until O
Pinochet O
is O
convicted O
or O
exonerated O
in O
court O
. O

During O
his O
rule O
, O
some O
3 O
, O
000 O
people O
were O
executed O
or O
disappeared O
from O
custody O
and O
presumed O
killed O
, O
according O
to O
an O
official O
count O
. O

He O
faces O
more O
than O
250 O
charges O
for O
alleged O
rights O
abuses O
, O
including O
masterminding O
the O
infamous O
" O
Caravan O
of O
Death O
" O
that O
killed O
75 O
regime O
opponents O
after O
he O
seized O
power O
. O

Born O
in O
the O
port O
city O
of O
Valparaiso O
on O
November B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1915 I-T
, O
Pinochet O
never O
finished O
his O
school O
studies O
. O
He O
was O
expelled O
at O
15 O
for O
misconduct O
but O
joined O
the O
Military O
School O
in O
1933 B-T
, O
rising O
slowly O
through O
the O
ranks O
. O

In O
1947 B-T
, O
Pinochet O
, O
then O
a O
captain O
, O
ran O
a O
camp O
for O
detainees O
from O
the O
banned O
communist O
party O
. O

In O
one O
of O
the O
ironies O
of O
history O
, O
Allende O
himself O
appointed O
Pinochet O
to O
head O
the O
military O
just O
one B-T
month I-T
before O
the O
coup O
. O

Four O
generals O
took O
charge O
and O
Pinochet O
grabbed O
the O
first O
turn O
as O
leader O
of O
what O
was O
to O
be O
a O
rotating O
junta O
, O
saying O
: O
" O
I O
am O
a O
man O
without O
ambitions O
. O
" O
A B-T
year I-T
later I-T
he O
decreed O
one O
- O
man O
rule O
. O

Pinochet O
throttled O
labor O
unions O
and O
dissolved O
Congress O
. O
Soon O
outcry O
over O
repeated O
human O
rights O
violations O
turned O
him O
into O
an O
international O
pariah O
. O

Nobel O
Prize O
winner O
from O
Chicago O
University O
, O
the O
late O
Milton O
Friedman O
, O
visited O
Pinochet O
in O
Santiago O
and O
persuaded O
him O
to O
impose O
a O
free O
- O
market O
recipe O
offered O
by O
a O
group O
of O
Chilean O
economists O
trained O
at O
Chicago O
. O

Immediately O
, O
draconian O
policies O
to O
slash O
inflation O
and O
privatize O
state O
companies O
left O
millions O
of O
Chileans O
jobless O
. O

After O
a O
brief O
boom O
, O
the O
free O
- O
market O
economy O
crashed O
1981 O
- O
1982 O
. O
Pinochet O
was O
for O
the O
first O
time O
vulnerable O
, O
as O
students O
, O
businessmen O
and O
union O
leaders O
were O
emboldened O
to O
protest O
. O

On O
September B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1986 I-T
Pinochet O
escaped O
a O
guerrilla O
ambush O
that O
killed O
five O
bodyguards O
. O
The O
failed O
assassination O
led O
to O
a O
new O
crackdown O
. O

Many O
died O
when O
troops O
fired O
on O
street O
protesters O
and O
police O
made O
random O
mass O
arrests O
in O
Santiago O
' O
s O
slums O
. O

In O
1988 B-T
Pinochet O
lost O
a O
plebiscite O
on O
another B-T
eight I-T
years I-T
in O
office O
. O
In O
1990 B-T
, O
he O
handed O
power O
to O
Patricio O
Aylwin O
, O
the O
first O
democratically O
elected O
president O
since O
Allende O
. O

Pinochet O
' O
s O
1980 O
constitution O
made O
him O
head O
of O
the O
armed O
forces O
until O
1998 B-T
and O
senator O
for O
life O
. O

On O
his O
91st B-T
birthday I-T
a I-T
week I-T
ago I-T
, O
Pinochet O
said O
he O
held O
" O
no O
grudge O
against O
anyone O
, O
" O
despite O
all O
the O
" O
persecutions O
and O
injustices O
" O
against O
him O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0125 O

SHENZHEN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Fruit O
show O
adds O
market O
value O
to O
Chinese O
farm O
produce O

The O
three O
- O
day O
China O
International O
Fruit O
, O
Vegetable O
and O
Technology O
Trade O
Show O
concluded O
in O
Shenzhen O
, O
a O
booming O
special O
economic O
zone O
in O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Guangdong O
Province O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
raising O
market O
value O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
high O
- O
quality O
farm O
produce O
. O

Among O
dozens O
of O
varieties O
of O
fruits O
on O
show O
, O
the O
" O
Pingliang O
Golden O
Apple O
" O
from O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Gansu O
Province O
became O
the O
biggest O
winner O
. O
A O
total O
of O
12 O
sales O
contracts O
worth O
over O
16 O
million O
dollars O
were O
signed O
for O
the O
fruit O
at O
the O
fair O
. O

The O
annual O
show O
was O
co O
- O
organized O
by O
China O
Fruits O
Marketing O
Association O
( O
CFMA O
) O
, O
China O
Vegetable O
Marketing O
Association O
, O
Agropress O
from O
Switzerland O
and O
China O
Entry O
- O
exit O
Inspection O
and O
Quarantine O
Association O
. O

The O
show O
has O
attracted O
over O
48 O
, O
000 O
visitors O
, O
including O
6 O
, O
000 O
Chinese O
professionals O
and O
2 O
, O
000 O
from O
abroad O
, O
according O
to O
Meng O
Xuanli O
, O
manager O
of O
Domestic O
Department O
of O
the O
organizing O
committee O
. O

Meng O
roughly O
estimated O
that O
contracts O
worth O
85 O
million O
US O
dollars O
were O
signed O
on O
the O
venue O
of O
the O
show O
. O

" O
The O
Pingliang O
apple O
used O
to O
be O
sold O
by O
farmers O
in O
local O
markets O
only O
. O
We O
wish O
that O
our O
apples O
could O
not O
only O
become O
a O
famous O
brand O
in O
domestic O
market O
, O
but O
also O
turn O
popular O
across O
the O
border O
, O
" O
said O
Ma O
Xuejun O
, O
mayor O
of O
Pingliang O
. O

Fruits O
like O
honey O
melon O
from O
overseas O
also O
interested O
many O
visitors O
. O
" O
Thanks O
to O
the O
new O
zero O
- O
tariff O
policy O
for O
Taiwan O
fruits O
' O
entry O
into O
the O
mainland O
market O
, O
we O
hope O
to O
sell O
more O
of O
our O
products O
here O
, O
" O
says O
Wu O
Jia O
- O
Hsiung O
, O
general O
manager O
of O
the O
Taiwan O
- O
based O
Chia O
Kei O
Ni O
Industries O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0248 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

via O
modern O
media O

China O
' O
s O
famous O
Shaolin O
Temple O
is O
planning O
to O
cull O
outstanding O
Kungfu O
players O
worldwide O
via O
television O
, O
internet O
and O
mobile O
phones O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
better O
promote O
its O
1 O
, O
500 O
- O
year O
martial O
art O
heritage O
and O
fame O
. O

" O
Our O
efforts O
will O
reach O
more O
people O
and O
be O
more O
effective O
by O
using O
modern O
technologies O
and O
media O
channels O
, O
" O
said O
Shi O
Yongxin O
, O
abbot O
with O
the O
temple O
, O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
8 O
- O
month O
grand O
competition O
, O
to O
be O
shown O
on O
television O
across O
China O
through O
satellite O
transmission O
as O
of O
March B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
will O
allow O
Chinese O
audiences O
to O
vote O
for O
their O
favorite O
Kungfu O
exercisers O
through O
the O
website O
or O
mobile O
phone O
messages O
. O

The O
top O
108 O
winners O
are O
expected O
to O
have O
the O
chance O
to O
play O
a O
part O
in O
a O
movie O
and O
TV O
series O
depicting O
martial O
arts O
and O
monks O
of O
Shaolin O
, O
according O
to O
Fu O
Min O
, O
general O
manager O
with O
the O
Shaolin O
Temple O
Culture O
Communication O
Co O
. O
, O
Ltd O
, O
which O
is O
owned O
by O
the O
temple O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
more O
people O
around O
the O
world O
will O
enjoy O
, O
practice O
and O
benefit O
from O
Chinese O
Kungfu O
, O
" O
said O
Shi O
. O

The O
movie O
and O
TV O
series O
, O
both O
named O
" O
Legends O
of O
Monk O
Warriors O
from O
Shaolin O
Temple O
, O
" O
will O
be O
based O
on O
a O
true O
story O
of O
the O
temple O
and O
is O
expected O
to O
attract O
top O
international O
actors O
and O
film O
industry O
professionals O
to O
work O
on O
the O
production O
, O
with O
an O
estimated O
cost O
of O
200 O
million O
yuan O
( O
nearly O
25 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Shaolin O
monks O
have O
made O
world O
tours O
in O
recently B-T
years I-T
to O
perform O
martial O
arts O
, O
attracting O
over O
30 O
, O
000 O
fervent O
fans O
and O
attention O
from O
local O
media O
, O
according O
to O
Shi O
. O

The O
senior O
abbot O
, O
who O
has O
visited O
some O
30 O
countries O
, O
said O
he O
always O
uses O
mobile O
phones O
, O
digital O
cameras O
, O
portable O
computers O
and O
e O
- O
mails O
. O

" O
Modern O
technologies O
facilitate O
my O
communication O
with O
the O
world O
and O
help O
me O
to O
better O
manage O
the O
temple O
, O
" O
said O
Shi O
. O

The O
temple O
, O
which O
has O
been O
running O
its O
own O
website O
for O
years O
, O
is O
planning O
to O
open O
another O
one O
in O
English O
to O
promote O
its O
cooperation O
with O
the O
world O
. O

Established O
about O
1 B-T
, I-T
500 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Henan O
Province O
, O
Shaolin O
is O
famed O
for O
the O
great O
combination O
of O
martial O
arts O
style O
and O
Chan O
, O
a O
sect O
of O
Buddhism O
, O
that O
features O
long O
meditation O
sessions O
for O
purifying O
the O
mind O
. O

Shaolin O
Kungfu O
is O
an O
important O
component O
part O
of O
the O
Chinese O
culture O
and O
has O
played O
a O
key O
role O
in O
the O
development O
of O
Chinese O
civilization O
. O

" O
Instead O
of O
fading O
gradually O
in O
the O
high O
- O
tech O
era O
, O
the O
Chinese O
martial O
arts O
have O
created O
a O
peculiar O
platform O
in O
the O
modern O
world O
, O
" O
said O
Fu O
. O

The O
establishment O
of O
the O
cultural O
communication O
company O
is O
to O
scientifically O
research O
and O
develop O
the O
temple O
' O
s O
cultural O
heritages O
and O
promote O
its O
fame O
in O
the O
world O
, O
according O
to O
the O
manager O
. O

Fu O
, O
also O
a O
monk O
of O
Shaolin O
, O
used O
to O
study O
in O
the O
United O
States O
for O
media O
communication O
and O
speaks O
good O
English O
. O

" O
With O
the O
help O
of O
technologies O
and O
modern O
media O
, O
the O
ancient O
temple O
will O
face O
a O
more O
vigorous O
development O
era O
, O
" O
said O
Shi O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0316 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bush O
, O
Howard O
discuss O
Iraq O
, O
APEC O
meeting O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
on O
Friday B-T
had O
a O
telephone O
discussion O
with O
Australian O
Prime O
Minister O
John O
Howard O
over O
Iraq O
' O
s O
upcoming O
elections O
and O
the O
agenda O
for O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
informal O
economic O
leaders O
' O
meeting O
scheduled O
for O
November B-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
, O
the O
White O
House O
said O
. O

" O
The O
two O
leaders O
compared O
notes O
on O
Iraq O
' O
s O
upcoming O
elections O
and O
progress O
in O
the O
training O
of O
Iraqi O
security O
forces O
. O
They O
exchanged O
views O
on O
the O
upcoming O
US O
- O
Australia O
defense O
and O
foreign O
policy O
ministerial O
( O
meeting O
) O
, O
" O
US O
national O
security O
council O
spokesman O
Fred O
Jones O
said O
. O

" O
They O
reviewed O
the O
agenda O
for O
the O
APEC O
meeting O
in O
Busan O
, O
Korea O
on O
November B-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
, O
including O
initiatives O
on O
avian O
flu O
, O
trade O
liberalization O
and O
energy O
cooperation O
, O
" O
said O
Jones O
. O

" O
The O
president O
looks O
forward O
to O
continuing O
his O
conversation O
with O
prime O
minister O
Howard O
when O
they O
see O
each O
other O
at O
the O
APEC O
leaders O
' O
meeting O
this O
time O
next B-T
week I-T
, O
" O
said O
the O
spokesman O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
been O
in O
good O
relations O
with O
Australia O
which O
supports O
the O
US O
- O
led O
war O
on O
Iraq O
and O
has O
1 O
, O
400 O
troops O
deployed O
in O
Iraq O
. O
Howard O
visited O
the O
White O
House O
in O
July B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0093 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENTChina O
quake O
kills O
three O

An O
earthquake O
measuring O
6 O
. O
6 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
hit O
the O
northwest O
Chinese O
region O
of O
Xinjiang O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
killing O
three O
people O
, O
the O
State O
Seismological O
Bureau O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0091 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Dollar O
trades O
in O
lower O
- O
117 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
hovered O
at O
the O
lower O
- O
117 O
yen O
level O
on O
Monday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
. O

At O
5 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
, O
the O
dollar O
was O
quoted O
at O
117 O
. O
40 O
- O
43 O
yen O
compared O
with O
117 O
. O
40 O
- O
50 O
yen O
at O
4 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Friday B-T
in O
London O
and O
117 O
. O
61 O
- O
64 O
yen O
at O
5 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Friday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
. O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
currency O
traded O
between O
117 O
. O
13 O
yen O
and O
117 O
. O
57 O
yen O
during O
the B-T
day I-T
, O
changing O
hands O
most O
often O
at O
117 O
. O
38 O
yen O
. O

The O
euro O
was O
quoted O
at O
1 O
. O
2858 O
- O
2861 O
dollars O
and O
150 O
. O
98 O
- O
151 O
. O
02 O
yen O
against O
1 O
. O
2860 O
- O
2870 O
dollars O
and O
151 O
. O
05 O
- O
10 O
yen O
at O
4 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Friday B-T
in O
London O
and O
1 O
. O
2857 O
- O
2860 O
dollars O
and O
151 O
. O
24 O
- O
28 O
yen O
at O
5 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Friday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0186 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0186 O
. O

Service O
Corp O
. O
Earnings O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

SRV O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

HOUSTON O

Service O
Corp O
. O
International O
said O
it O
expects O
to O
report O
net O
income O
of O
15 O
cents O
a O
share O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
company O
said O
it O
expects O
to O
release O
third O
- O
quarter O
results O
in O
mid B-T
- I-T
November I-T
. O

The O
funeral O
home O
and O
cemetery O
operator O
changed O
from O
a O
fiscal O
year O
to O
a O
calendar O
year O
in O
December B-T
. O

In O
the B-T
comparable I-T
year I-T
- I-T
ago I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
second B-T
quarter I-T
ended O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, O
Service O
Corp O
. O
had O
a O
loss O
of O
about O
$ O
12 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
26 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
on O
revenue O
of O
$ O
175 O
. O
4 O
million O
. O

Results O
for O
that B-T
quarter I-T
included O
a O
$ O
30 O
million O
, O
or O
40 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
write O
- O
down O
associated O
with O
the O
consolidation O
of O
a O
facility O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0186 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Gold O
price O
higher O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
16 O

The O
gold O
price O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
rose O
35 O
HK O
dollars O
at O
4 O
, O
351 O
HK O
dollars O
a O
tael O
Wednesday B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
Bank O
of O
China O
( O
Hong O
Kong O
) O
. O

The O
gold O
price O
is O
equivalent O
to O
471 O
. O
33 O
US O
dollars O
a O
troy O
ounce O
, O
up O
3 O
. O
79 O
US O
dollars O
at O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
exchange O
rate O
of O
one O
US O
dollar O
against O
7 O
. O
7490 O
HK O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0369 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Party O
offers O
peace O
and O
prosperity O
through O
" O
yogic O
flying O
" O

Britain O
' O
s O
Natural O
Law O
Party O
( O
NLP O
) O
, O
which O
is O
putting O
forward O
300 O
candidates O
in O
the O
May B-T
1 I-T
elections O
, O
issued O
its O
campaign O
manifesto O
on O
Friday B-T
with O
answers O
to O
such O
pressing O
problems O
as O
crime O
, O
unemployment O
and O
indigestion O
. O

Transcendental O
meditation O
and O
" O
yogic O
flying O
" O
hold O
the O
key O
to O
creating O
" O
heaven O
on O
earth O
" O
and O
a O
" O
happy O
, O
prosperous O
and O
trouble O
- O
free O
country O
, O
" O
said O
the O
party O
which O
in O
1992 B-T
won O
64 O
, O
000 O
votes O
nationwide O
, O
but O
no O
seats O
. O

By O
voting O
NLP O
candidates O
for O
parliament O
, O
Britain O
would O
obey O
a O
natural O
law O
based O
on O
scientific O
research O
, O
instead O
of O
the O
old O
, O
tired O
policies O
of O
the O
traditional O
parties O
right O
, O
left O
and O
center O
, O
said O
party O
leader O
Doctor O
Geoffrey O
Clements O
( O
PhD O
, O
physics O
) O
. O

" O
Last B-T
week I-T
the O
manifestos O
for O
the O
old O
parties O
were O
launched O
that O
showed O
nothing O
new O
was O
being O
offered O
. O
We O
cannot O
afford O
to O
let O
this O
situation O
continue O
, O
" O
Clements O
told O
a O
London O
press O
conference O
simultaneously O
relayed O
around O
the O
country O
. O

" O
When O
we O
look O
around O
at O
the O
galaxies O
and O
the O
Earth O
they O
are O
governed O
by O
natural O
law O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
But O
what O
is O
absent O
in O
this O
country O
is O
that O
same O
natural O
law O
. O
" O

This O
, O
said O
Clements O
, O
is O
the O
essence O
of O
the O
Natural O
Law O
Party O
: O
combining O
the O
need O
of O
the O
individual O
and O
of O
society O
through O
transcendental O
meditation O
and O
yogic O
flying O
which O
, O
practiced O
20 O
minutes O
morning B-T
and O
evening O
, O
leads O
to O
a O
" O
bubbling O
bliss O
of O
intense O
coherence O
. O

" O
It O
increases O
the O
functioning O
and O
intelligence O
of O
the O
mind O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
not O
a O
superficial O
party O
, O
" O
said O
deputy O
leader O
Peter O
Warburton O
. O
" O
There O
is O
depth O
in O
our O
goals O
. O
" O

Yogic O
flying O
is O
when O
you O
sit O
on O
the O
floor O
in O
the O
lotus O
position O
, O
meditate O
yourself O
into O
a O
lighter O
and O
lighter O
state O
, O
then O
sort O
of O
, O
well O
, O
bounce O
up O
and O
down O
. O

APW19980306 O
. O
1001 O

NEWS O
STORY O

03 B-T
/ I-T
06 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
13 I-T
: I-T
19 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2188 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

u O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Iraq O
3rdLd O
- O
Writethru O
03 O
- O
06 O
0642 O

BC O
- O
Iraq O
, O
3rd O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O

American O
Ritter O
resumes O
inspections O
in O
Iraq O

UR O
Eds O
: O
AMs O
; O
RECASTS O
throughout O
with O
Ritter O
inspecting O
three O
sensitive O

sites O
; O
UN O
quotes O
QL O

UR O
By O
LEON O
BARKHO O
QC O

UR O
Associated O
Press O
Writer O
QC O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Iraq O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
An O
American O
leader O
of O
a O
U O
. O
N O
. O
weapons O

inspection O
team O
resumed O
work O
in O
Iraq O
Friday B-T
, O
nearly B-T
two I-T
months I-T

after O
his O
team O
was O
effectively O
blocked O
. O

Scott O
Ritter O
led O
his O
team O
on O
a O
10 B-T
- I-T
hour I-T
tour O
of O
three O
suspected O

weapons O
sites O
classified O
as O
` O
` O
sensitive O
' O
' O
by O
the O
Iraqi O
authorities O
, O

U O
. O
N O
. O
spokesman O
Alan O
Dacey O
said O
. O

` O
` O
All O
sites O
were O
inspected O
to O
the O
satisfaction O
of O
the O
inspection O

team O
and O
with O
full O
cooperation O
of O
Iraqi O
authorities O
, O
' O
' O
Dacey O
said O
. O

At O
least O
one O
of O
the O
sensitive O
sites O
was O
a O
barracks O
of O
the O
elite O

Republican O
Guard O
, O
a O
well O
- O
placed O
source O
told O
The O
Associated O
Press O
. O

Previously B-T
the O
Iraqis O
have O
resisted O
attempts O
to O
inspect O
such O

quarters O
. O

The O
U O
. O
N O
. O
Security O
Council O
has O
charged O
the O
inspectors O
with O

verifying O
that O
Iraq O
has O
destroyed O
its O
long O
- O
range O
missiles O
and O

weapons O
of O
mass O
destruction O
. O

It O
was O
the O
first O
time O
that O
Ritter O
, O
who O
arrived O
Thursday B-T
with O

some O
50 O
inspectors O
for O
a O
tour O
likely O
to O
last O
over B-T
a I-T
week I-T
, O
had O
been O
allowed O
to O
carry O
out O
an O
inspection O
since O
Jan B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
. O

Then O
the O
Baghdad O
government O
stopped O
providing O
Ritter O
' O
s O
team O
with O

escorts O
, O
making O
it O
impossible O
for O
him O
to O
enter O
any O
site O
. O
Iraq O

alleged O
Ritter O
was O
an O
American O
spy O
whose O
team O
had O
a O

disproportionately O
high O
number O
of O
Americans O
and O
Britons O
. O

The O
official O
Iraqi O
News O
Agency O
, O
which O
gives O
the O
daily O
tally O
of O

inspections O
, O
did O
not O
mention O
Ritter O
by O
name O
, O
but O
said O
Friday B-T
that O

team O
no O
. O
225 O
_ O
which O
Ritter O
heads O
_ O
made O
surprise O
visits O
to O
a O

number O
of O
sites O
and O
was O
assisted O
by O
aerial O
surveillance O
. O

Five O
other O
U O
. O
N O
. O
inspection O
teams O
visited O
a O
total O
of O
nine O
other O

sites O
, O
the O
agency O
reported O
. O

An O
Iraqi O
official O
, O
speaking O
on O
customary O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
, O

said O
Ritter O
would O
not O
try O
to O
visit O
any O
of O
the O
eight O
presidential O

sites O
that O
Baghdad O
had O
placed O
off O
- O
limits O
to O
U O
. O
N O
. O
weapons O

inspectors O
. O

The O
official O
said O
these O
sites O
could O
only O
be O
visited O
by O
a O
special O

team O
of O
U O
. O
N O
. O
monitors O
and O
diplomats O
as O
laid O
down O
by O
the O
Feb B-T
. I-T
23 I-T

accord O
signed O
by O
U O
. O
N O
. O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
and O
Iraqi O
Deputy O

Prime O
Minister O
Tariq O
Aziz O
. O

Ritter O
' O
s O
return O
is O
seen O
as O
something O
of O
a O
test O
of O
that O

agreement O
, O
under O
which O
Iraq O
agreed O
to O
give O
inspectors O
full O
access O

to O
eight O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
presidential O
palaces O
. O

The O
United O
States O
had O
moved O
additional O
troops O
and O
a O
naval O
armada O

into O
the O
Gulf O
and O
said O
it O
would O
strike O
Iraq O
unless O
it O
gave O
the O
U O
. O
N O
. O

arms O
inspectors O
unfettered O
access O
to O
all O
potential O
weapons O
sites O
, O

including O
Saddam O
' O
s O
palaces O
. O
Iraq O
had O
argued O
the O
presidential O
sites O

should O
be O
off O
limits O
as O
symbols O
of O
sovereignty O
. O

A O
Pentagon O
spokesman O
said O
Thursday B-T
that O
the O
38 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
troops O

in O
the O
Gulf O
will O
remain O
until O
Iraq O
complies O
with O
the O
U O
. O
N O
. O
Security O

Council O
agreement O
over O
weapons O
inspections O
. O

` O
` O
We O
are O
going O
to O
maintain O
our O
forces O
in O
the O
region O
for O
the O

foreseeable O
future O
, O
' O
' O
said O
spokesman O
Kenneth O
Bacon O
. O

The O
U O
. O
N O
. O
- O
Iraq O
accord O
was O
worked O
out O
by O
U O
. O
N O
. O
Secretary O
- O
General O

Kofi O
Annan O
, O
who O
appointed O
a O
retired O
Indian O
diplomat O
on O
Thursday B-T
as O

his O
special O
representative O
to O
Iraq O
. O
Prakash O
Shah O
, O
58 O
, O
a O
former O

Indian O
ambassador O
to O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
is O
part O
of O
an O
effort O
by O

Annan O
to O
expand O
contacts O
with O
the O
Iraqi O
leadership O
. O

Palace O
inspections O
are O
not O
expected O
to O
start O
until O
the O
new O

agreement O
' O
s O
procedures O
are O
in O
place O
. O
U O
. O
N O
. O
officials O
in O
New O
York O
on O

Friday B-T
finished O
drafting O
the O
rules O
, O
in O
consultation O
with O
Iraqi O

diplomats O
. O
The O
procedures O
are O
due O
to O
go O
before O
the O
Security O
Council O

next B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
Security O
Council O
has O
said O
it O
will O
not O
lift O
the O
sweeping O

sanctions O
imposed O
on O
Iraq O
after O
its O
1990 B-T
invasion O
of O
Kuwait O
until O

the O
U O
. O
N O
. O
inspectors O
certify O
that O
Baghdad O
has O
eliminated O
its O
weapons O

of O
mass O
destruction O
. O

UR O
lb O
- O
jbm O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Iraq O
, O
3rd O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
03 O
- O
06 O
- O
98 O
1319EST O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0524 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Climber O
killed O
abseiling O
on O
Britain O
' O
s O
highest O
peak O

A O
climber O
who O
fell O
while O
abseiling O
on O
Britain O
' O
s O
highest O
mountain O
has O
died O
from O
his O
injuries O
, O
police O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
man O
was O
climbing O
with O
a O
friend O
on O
Observation O
Gully O
near O
the O
summit O
of O
4 O
, O
406 O
- O
foot O
( O
1 O
, O
300 O
- O
meter O
) O
Ben O
Nevis O
in O
Scotland O
when O
he O
fell O
. O
The O
second O
man O
also O
suffered O
" O
serious O
injuries O
. O
" O

The O
pair O
were O
airlifted O
to O
hospital O
in O
Fort O
William O
where O
the O
first O
climber O
died O
from O
his O
injuries O
, O
a O
police O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Neither O
climber O
was O
named O
by O
police O
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0040 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0040 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
QVC O
Network O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Acquisition O
of O
CVN O
Cos O
. O

@ O
Is O
Completed O
by O
Company O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

QVCN O
CAVN O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

MEDIA O
, O
PUBLISHING O
, O
BROADCASTING O
, O
ELECTRONIC O
PUBLISHING O
( O
MED O
) O

RETAILING O
( O
RET O
) O

QVC O
Network O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
completed O
its O
acquisition O
of O
CVN O
Cos O
. O
for O
about O
$ O
423 O
million O
. O

QVC O
agreed O
to O
pay O
$ O
19 O
and O
one O
- O
eighth O
QVC O
share O
for O
each O
of O
CVN O
' O
s O
20 O
million O
fully O
diluted O
shares O
. O

The O
acquisition O
brings O
together O
the O
two O
largest O
competitors O
to O
Home O
Shopping O
Network O
Inc O
. O
, O
which O
now B-T
reaches O
more O
viewers O
than O
any O
other O
company O
in O
the O
video O
shopping O
industry O
. O

Among O
them O
, O
Home O
Shopping O
, O
QVC O
and O
CVN O
already O
control O
most O
of O
that O
young O
and O
fast O
- O
growing O
market O
, O
which O
last B-T
year I-T
had O
sales O
of O
about O
$ O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0063 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Dollar O
hits O
2 O
- O
month O
low O
in O
lower O
116 O
yen O
level O
in O
Tokyo O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
hit O
a O
two O
- O
month O
low O
in O
the O
lower O
116 O
yen O
level O
Friday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
as O
concern O
among O
market O
participants O
on O
the O
outlook O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economy O
weighed O
on O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
currency O
. O

At O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
, O
the O
dollar O
was O
quoted O
at O
116 O
. O
32 O
- O
35 O
yen O
, O
compared O
with O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
4 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
quote O
of O
116 O
. O
10 O
- O
20 O
yen O
in O
London O
. O

It O
moved O
between O
116 O
. O
18 O
yen O
, O
its O
lowest O
level O
in O
Tokyo O
since O
Sept B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, O
and O
116 O
. O
49 O
yen O
during O
the O
day O
, O
most O
frequently O
at O
116 O
. O
40 O
yen O
. O

Both O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
Japanese O
financial O
markets O
were O
closed O
Thursday B-T
for O
holidays O
. O

The O
euro O
was O
quoted O
at O
1 O
. O
2969 O
- O
2972 O
dollars O
and O
150 O
. O
88 O
- O
92 O
yen O
against O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
4 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
quotes O
of O
1 O
. O
2945 O
- O
2955 O
dollars O
and O
150 O
. O
35 O
- O
40 O
yen O
in O
London O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051209 O
. O
0130 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Japan O
coach O
Zico O
said O
his O
side O
were O
prepared O
to O
face O
five O
- O
time O
world O
champions O
and O
his O
home O
country O
Brazil O
in O
the O
group O
stage O
of O
the O
World O
Cup O
finals O
in O
Germany O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
A O
team O
that O
has O
qualified O
for O
the O
World O
Cup O
finals O
must O
be O
prepared O
for O
any O
situation O
whatsoever O
, O
" O
Zico O
told O
Japanese O
television O
in O
Leipzig O
after O
the O
World O
Cup O
draw O
there O
. O
" O
I O
thought O
about O
the O
possibility O
of O
fighting O
Brazil O
. O

" O
For O
us O
, O
it O
is O
easier O
to O
encounter O
Brazil O
in O
the O
first O
round O
. O
It O
is O
better O
than O
fighting O
them O
after O
winning O
through O
to O
the O
second O
round O
, O
" O
said O
the O
former O
Brazilian O
World O
Cup O
hero O
, O
who O
attended O
the O
draw O
Friday B-T
with O
Japanese O
Football O
Association O
president O
Saburo O
Kawabuchi O
. O

Japan O
, O
the O
Asian O
champions O
, O
were O
drawn O
into O
Group O
F O
, O
which O
also O
included O
Croatia O
and O
Australia O
. O

" O
It O
was O
not O
so O
bad O
, O
" O
Kawabuchi O
said O
of O
the O
result O
. O
" O
We O
did O
not O
wish O
to O
be O
in O
Group O
C O
with O
the O
Netherlands O
and O
Argentina O
. O
We O
ended O
up O
in O
a O
medium O
group O
. O

" O
Coach O
Zico O
told O
me O
with O
a O
smile O
that O
we O
would O
be O
alright O
. O
Emotionally O
, O
it O
might O
be O
a O
bit O
tough O
for O
him O
to O
fight O
his O
home O
country O
, O
" O
the O
FA O
president O
said O
. O

" O
But O
it O
will O
be O
the O
last O
match O
in O
the O
group O
and O
we O
had O
better O
qualify O
for O
the O
final O
tournament O
in O
the O
first O
two O
matches O
before O
facing O
Brazil O
, O
" O
the O
FA O
president O
said O
. O

Japan O
sprang O
a O
surprise O
at O
the O
Confederations O
Cup O
last B-T
June I-T
when O
they O
battled O
to O
a O
2 O
- O
2 O
draw O
against O
Brazil O
before O
fading O
in O
the O
group O
round O
. O

Zico O
took O
over O
Japan O
after O
they O
reached O
the O
last O
- O
16 O
round O
at O
the O
2002 O
World O
Cup O
finals O
on O
home O
turf O
under O
Frenchman O
Philippe O
Troussier O
. O
He O
has O
vowed O
to O
do O
better O
at O
Germany B-T
2006 I-T
. O

Zico O
described O
Australia O
, O
who O
have O
qualified O
for O
the O
finals O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
32 B-T
years I-T
, O
as O
a O
" O
highly O
motivated O
team O
" O
under O
Dutch O
coach O
Guus O
Hiddink O
. O

" O
They O
are O
well O
guided O
. O
It O
will O
be O
very O
important O
for O
us O
to O
win O
the O
first O
match O
and O
boost O
the O
morale O
of O
my O
players O
, O
" O
Zico O
said O
. O
Japan O
will O
face O
Australia O
in O
their O
opening O
match O
on O
June B-T
12 I-T
. O

Zico O
said O
he O
had O
few O
worries O
about O
Croatia O
, O
who O
beat O
Japan O
1 O
- O
0 O
in O
their O
winless O
World O
Cup O
finals O
debut O
at O
France B-T
1998 I-T
. O
Croatia O
finished O
third O
in O
that O
tournament O
. O

" O
We O
have O
fought O
Serbia O
- O
Montenegro O
and O
Slovakia O
and O
we O
are O
used O
to O
such O
a O
European O
team O
, O
" O
Zico O
said O
. O

Japanese O
supporters O
were O
delighted O
at O
the O
result O
of O
the O
draw O
, O
and O
many O
spent O
all O
night O
at O
sports O
bars O
to O
see O
the O
draw O
live O
on O
television O
in O
the B-T
early I-T
morning I-T
local O
time O
. O

" O
It O
will O
be O
great O
to O
fight O
Brazil O
in O
terms O
of O
competition O
, O
" O
a O
young O
man O
told O
public O
broadcaster O
NHK O
. O
And O
a O
young O
woman O
said O
, O
" O
We O
will O
definitely O
win O
the O
first O
match O
. O
I O
wish O
for O
miracles O
thereafter O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0251 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

( O
China O
- O
Africa O
) O
Beijing O
Summit O
to O
adopt O
declaration O
, O
action O
plan O

Two O
historic O
documents O
, O
a O
declaration O
and O
an O
action O
plan O
for O
2007 B-T
- I-T
2009 I-T
, O
are O
expected O
to O
be O
adopted O
at O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
( O
FOCAC O
) O
, O
due O
to O
conclude O
on O
Sunday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

Two O
- O
session O
roundtables O
of O
Chinese O
and O
African O
leaders O
will O
be O
held O
at O
the O
Great O
Hall O
of O
the O
People O
Sunday B-T
, O
with O
the O
morning O
session O
chaired O
by O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
and O
the O
afternoon O
session O
chaired O
by O
Ethiopian O
Prime O
Minister O
Ato O
Meles O
Zenawi O
. O

On O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
roundtable O
meetings O
, O
the O
High O
- O
level O
Dialogue O
and O
2nd O
Conference O
of O
Chinese O
and O
African O
Entrepreneurs O
will O
close O
on O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O
Chinese O
Vice O
Premier O
Zeng O
Peiyan O
is O
expected O
to O
meet O
some O
African O
ministers O
attending O
the O
conference O
. O

As O
the O
African O
leaders O
hold O
discussions O
, O
their O
spouses O
will O
watch O
performances O
at O
the O
theater O
of O
Beijing O
Exhibition O
Center O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
. O

The O
action O
plan O
and O
declaration O
will O
be O
announced O
in O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
as O
the O
summit O
concludes O
. O
Later O
on O
, O
Chinese O
, O
Ethiopia O
and O
Egyptian O
foreign O
ministers O
will O
jointly O
meet O
the O
press O
. O

Chinese O
and O
African O
entrepreneurs O
will O
sign O
a O
batch O
of O
deals O
on O
Sunday B-T
evening I-T
. O

The O
landmark O
Beijing O
Summit O
opened O
here O
Saturday B-T
morning I-T
. O
President O
Hu O
, O
41 O
heads O
of O
state O
or O
government O
and O
senior O
officials O
of O
48 O
African O
countries O
that O
have O
diplomatic O
ties O
with O
China O
, O
as O
well O
as O
representatives O
from O
regional O
and O
international O
organizations O
attended O
the O
landmark O
gathering O
highlighting O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
" O
. O

Addressing O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
, O
Hu O
announced O
a O
package O
of O
major O
assistance O
, O
investment O
, O
trade O
and O
other O
key O
cooperation O
projects O
with O
Africa O
in O
an O
effort O
to O
forge O
a O
new O
type O
of O
strategic O
partnership O
. O

Later O
Saturday B-T
, O
the O
high O
- O
level O
dialogue O
and O
entrepreneurs O
conference O
opened O
at O
the O
Great O
Hall O
of O
the O
People O
, O
where O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
proposed O
China O
and O
Africa O
fully O
tap O
cooperation O
potential O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0339 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Shaheen O
' O
s O
Asiad O
withdrawal O
leaves O
host O
fans O
no O
track O
star O

Men O
' O
s O
3000m O
steeplechase O
world O
record O
holder O
Saif O
Saaeed O
Shaheen O
made O
a O
shock O
withdrawal O
Thursday B-T
from O
the O
15th O
Asian O
Games O
, O
which O
leaves O
the O
Qatari O
fans O
no O
chance O
of O
seeing O
the O
athletics O
star O
of O
their O
own O
. O

Shaheen O
set O
the O
current O
3000m O
steeplechase O
world O
record O
of O
7 O
: O
53 O
. O
63 O
in O
2004 B-T
and O
won O
the O
world O
title O
twice O
for O
Qatar O
in O
2003 B-T
and O
2005 O
respectively O
. O

He O
made O
history O
this B-T
year I-T
by O
winning O
double O
in O
the O
3000m O
steeplechase O
and O
the O
5000m O
at O
the O
World O
Cup O
in O
Athens O
. O
He O
is O
the O
most O
favored O
candidate O
in O
both O
of O
the O
events O
at O
Asiad O
if O
not O
for O
the O
sudden O
exit O
. O

Shaheen O
set O
the O
Asian O
record O
of O
7 O
: O
56 O
. O
63 O
in O
the O
5000m O
and O
also O
won O
the O
3000m O
title O
at O
the O
Asian O
Indoor O
Athletics O
Championships O
in O
Pattaya O
City O
of O
Thailand O
. O

Shaheen O
' O
s O
title O
roster O
is O
void O
of O
only O
the O
Asian O
and O
Olympic O
champions O
. O
His O
opportunity O
to O
win O
in O
Athens B-T
2004 I-T
was O
deprived O
for O
Kenya O
Olympic O
Committee O
' O
s O
insistence O
of O
a O
three O
- O
year O
delay O
for O
his O
nationality O
transformation O
to O
Qatar O
in O
2003 B-T
. O
The O
pullout O
of O
Doha O
2006 O
postponed O
Shaheen O
' O
s O
bid O
of O
winning O
the O
Asian O
title O
. O

Shaheen O
' O
s O
rise O
began O
in O
1999 B-T
when O
he O
was O
running O
for O
Kenya O
by O
winning O
the O
world O
youth O
steeplechase O
title O
. O
In O
2001 B-T
, O
he O
lowered O
the O
world O
junior O
3000m O
steeplechase O
record O
to O
7 O
: O
58 O
. O
66 O
. O
He O
won O
the O
Kenya O
national O
3000m O
steeplechase O
title O
in O
2002 B-T
and O
then O
grabbed O
the O
Commonwealth O
Games O
gold O
in O
Manchester O
the O
same O
year O
. O

The O
absence O
of O
Shaheen O
also O
leaves O
opportunities O
for O
the O
other O
athletes O
, O
including O
his O
countrymen O
Gamal O
Belal O
Salem O
of O
Qatar O
, O
who O
ranked O
third O
in O
Asian O
steeplechase O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
and O
the O
2005 O
world O
youth O
steeplechase O
champion O
Tareq O
Mubarak O
Salem O
of O
Bahrain O
. O

At O
the O
IAAF O
Super O
Grand O
Prix O
in O
Doha O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
Shaheen O
set O
the O
second O
fastest O
time O
in O
history O
over O
the B-T
2000m I-T
steeplechase I-T
, O
clocking O
5 O
: O
14 O
. O
57 O
. O

China O
' O
s O
Liu O
Xiang O
is O
now O
the O
only O
world O
record O
holder O
in O
athletics O
who O
will O
compete O
in O
Doha O
. O
Liu O
broke O
Briton O
Colin O
Jackson O
' O
s O
110m O
hurdles O
record O
when O
he O
ran O
12 O
. O
88 O
seconds O
in O
Lausanne O
in O
July B-T
2006 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0211 O

KIEV O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
parliament O
sacks O
pro O
- O
West O
foreign O
minister O

The O
pro O
- O
Russian O
majority O
in O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
parliament O
on O
Friday B-T
sacked O
Foreign O
Minister O
Boris O
Tarasyuk O
, O
a O
key O
pro O
- O
Western O
politician O
and O
major O
proponent O
of O
NATO O
accession O
for O
this O
ex O
- O
Soviet O
republic O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0041 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Ld O
: O
APEC O
ministerial O
meeting O
concludes O
in O
Hanoi O

Trade O
, O
foreign O
ministers O
and O
representatives O
from O
the O
21 O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
member O
economies O
wrapped O
up O
their O
two O
- O
day O
gathering O
here O
Thursday B-T
, O
agreeing O
to O
continue O
the O
support O
for O
WTO O
negotiations O
and O
facilitate O
trade O
in O
the O
region O
. O

" O
The O
ministerial O
meeting O
has O
concluded O
successfully O
, O
" O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
Foreign O
Minister O
Pham O
Gia O
Khiem O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
after O
the O
meeting O
. O

Khiem O
said O
the O
delegates O
spent O
a O
lot O
of O
time O
discussing O
the O
need O
to O
resume O
the O
stalled O
Doha O
round O
of O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
negotiations O
, O
and O
endorsed O
the O
Hanoi O
Action O
Plan O
to O
implement O
the O
Busan O
roadmap O
for O
realization O
of O
the O
1994 O
Bogor O
goals O
of O
free O
and O
open O
trade O
and O
investment O
in O
the O
region O
. O

The O
meeting O
also O
devoted O
a O
lot O
of O
time O
to O
discussing O
the O
reform O
of O
APEC O
to O
make O
it O
more O
dynamic O
and O
efficient O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Documents O
endorsed O
by O
the O
ministers O
and O
representatives O
will O
be O
submitted O
to O
the O
APEC O
economic O
leaders O
for O
approval O
during O
their O
meeting O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
. O

Sharing O
the O
view O
that O
the O
support O
for O
the O
WTO O
negotiations O
continues O
to O
be O
APEC O
' O
s O
top O
priority O
, O
the O
delegates O
after O
discussions O
agreed O
on O
the O
draft O
of O
a O
stand O
- O
alone O
statement O
on O
the O
Doha O
round O
, O
which O
they O
will O
propose O
to O
the O
economic O
leaders O
to O
issue O
. O

Anti O
- O
corruption O
and O
human O
security O
, O
including O
anti O
- O
terrorism O
and O
health O
security O
, O
were O
also O
discussed O
during O
the O
meeting O
, O
according O
to O
a O
joint O
statement O
issued O
afterward O
. O

Founded O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
APEC O
is O
a O
major O
regional O
forum O
acting O
as O
the O
primary O
regional O
vehicle O
for O
promoting O
open O
trade O
and O
practical O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
. O

It O
represents O
the O
most O
economically O
dynamic O
region O
in O
the O
world O
, O
with O
its O
21 O
member O
economies O
accounting O
for O
more O
than O
one O
third O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
population O
, O
approximately O
60 O
percent O
of O
world O
GDP O
, O
about O
47 O
percent O
of O
world O
trade O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061210 O
. O
0104 O

PHNOM O
PENH O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Cambodian O
military O
police O
chief O
named O
head O
of O
football O
federation O

The O
Cambodian O
Football O
Federation O
has O
re O
- O
elected O
a O
close O
ally O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
Hun O
Sen O
as O
its O
president O
, O
despite O
claims O
of O
political O
interference O
in O
choosing O
the O
sport O
' O
s O
national O
chief O
. O

Newly O
- O
elected O
Sao O
Sokha O
, O
a O
military O
police O
chief O
, O
on O
Sunday B-T
vowed O
to O
work O
to O
improve O
the O
quality O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
football O
team O
after O
he O
was O
chosen O
unanimously O
on O
Saturday B-T
by O
the O
11 O
- O
member O
executive O
committee O
. O

He O
was O
first O
brought O
in O
as O
the O
new O
president O
of O
the O
Cambodian O
Football O
Federation O
in O
an O
April O
election O
, O
but O
the O
world O
football O
governing O
body O
FIFA O
claimed O
political O
interference O
marred O
those O
elections O
. O

FIFA O
also O
threatened O
to O
suspend O
its O
250 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
in O
annual O
funding O
to O
Cambodia O
' O
s O
national O
football O
program O
, O
which O
has O
struggled O
to O
gain O
international O
respect O
after O
numerous O
scandals O
and O
a O
dismal O
record O
of O
losses O
. O

" O
We O
have O
nothing O
now O
, O
but O
we O
have O
to O
boost O
and O
encourage O
our O
players O
, O
to O
have O
more O
players O
and O
more O
supporters O
, O
" O
Sao O
Sokha O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
When O
there O
are O
more O
players O
, O
more O
supporters O
and O
more O
matches O
, O
we O
will O
have O
more O
experience O
and O
we O
can O
choose O
the O
best O
quality O
players O
for O
our O
nation O
and O
for O
international O
competitions O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

He O
said O
that O
Rene O
Z O
. O
Adad O
, O
representative O
for O
the O
Asian O
Football O
Confederation O
, O
had O
observed O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
election O
, O
and O
labelled O
them O
" O
democratic O
and O
good O
" O
. O

Cambodia O
is O
currently O
ranked O
184 O
out O
of O
205 O
countries O
by O
FIFA O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0217 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Day O
5 O
roundup O
: O
Liu O
Xiang O
- O
mania O
sweeps O
Macao O

By O
Sportswriter O
Cao O
Jianjie O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Liu O
Xiang O
' O
s O
coach O
pled O
on O
a O
television O
network O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
asking O
overzealous O
supporters O
to O
leave O
the O
Olympic O
champion O
alone O
. O

Liu O
' O
s O
gold O
medal O
in O
the O
110m O
hurdles O
was O
one O
of O
26 O
won O
by O
China O
on O
Wednesday B-T
at O
the O
East O
Asian O
Games O
( O
EAG O
) O
. O

China O
remains O
a O
runaway O
leader O
with O
74 O
golds O
, O
with O
Japan O
in O
a O
distant O
second O
place O
with O
10 O
, O
one O
over O
arch O
rival O
South O
Korea O
. O

The O
22 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Liu O
defended O
his O
EAG O
title O
in O
13 B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
seconds I-T
, O
beating O
teammate O
Shi O
Dongpeng O
( O
13 O
. O
36 O
) O
and O
Japan O
' O
s O
Kota O
Kumamoto O
( O
13 O
. O
89 O
) O
. O

Liu O
became O
one O
of O
China O
' O
s O
biggest O
celebrities O
when O
he O
tied O
the O
world O
record O
of O
12 O
. O
91 O
seconds O
and O
won O
the O
gold O
medal O
in O
the O
Athens O
Olympics O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Liu O
soon O
felt O
the O
weight O
of O
being O
famous O
. O

" O
We O
are O
very O
grateful O
to O
our O
supporters O
, O
" O
Liu O
' O
s O
mentor O
Sun O
Haiping O
said O
on O
Macao O
' O
s O
television O
TDM O
. O
" O
But O
overzealous O
fans O
disrupt O
his O
training O
and O
distract O
him O
from O
the O
ultimate O
goal O
: O
the O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
. O

" O
So O
, O
please O
, O
please O
let O
him O
do O
his O
job O
. O
" O

Spectators O
in O
the O
Macao O
Stadium O
looked O
on O
races O
indifferently O
until O
Liu O
showed O
up O
. O
Girls O
shrieked O
when O
the O
big O
screen O
flashed O
a O
shot O
of O
Liu O
taking O
off O
his O
trousers O
. O

Liu O
cleared O
all O
the O
hurdles O
smoothly O
and O
slowed O
at O
the O
finish O
. O

His O
winning O
clocking O
was O
0 O
. O
16 O
seconds O
behind O
his O
top O
time O
this B-T
year I-T
and O
a O
further O
0 O
. O
08 O
behind O
this B-T
season I-T
' O
s O
best O
12 O
. O
97 O
set O
by O
Frenchman O
Ladji O
Doucoure O
, O
who O
beat O
Liu O
into O
second O
place O
in O
the O
world O
championships O
. O

Liu O
said O
he O
fared O
well O
in O
this O
season O
, O
in O
which O
he O
competed O
in O
18 B-T
meets O
. O

" O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
fall O
out O
of O
the O
top O
three O
in O
the O
international O
meets O
I O
entered O
and O
has O
won O
all O
the O
domestic O
races O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

China O
also O
won O
nine O
athletics O
titles O
on O
Wednesday B-T
: O
the O
men O
' O
s O
20m O
walk O
( O
Yu O
Chaohong O
, O
1 O
: O
23 O
: O
51 O
) O
, O
high O
jump O
( O
Huang O
Haiqiang O
, O
2 O
. O
23m O
) O
; O
the O
women O
' O
s O
200m O
( O
Chen O
Lisha O
, O
23 O
. O
78 O
seconds O
) O
, O
400m O
hurdles O
( O
Huang O
Xiaoxiao O
, O
55 O
. O
33 O
seconds O
) O
, O
pole O
vault O
( O
Zhao O
Yingying O
, O
4 O
. O
40m O
) O
, O
800m O
( O
Liu O
Qing O
, O
2 O
: O
00 O
. O
11 O
) O
, O
discus O
( O
Song O
Aimin O
, O
64 O
. O
32m O
) O
, O
20km O
walk O
( O
Wang O
Liping O
, O
1 O
: O
34 O
. O
01 O
) O
and O
javelin O
( O
Ma O
Ning O
, O
61 O
. O
95m O
) O
. O

South O
Korean O
Kim O
Kun O
- O
woo O
took O
the O
grueling O
decathlon O
by O
totaling O
7 O
, O
754 O
points O
, O
while O
his O
compatriot O
Lee O
Jae O
- O
hun O
clocked O
1 O
: O
48 O
. O
60 O
for O
the O
men O
' O
s O
800m O
crown O
. O

Japan O
nabbed O
three O
golds O
as O
Shinji O
Takahira O
stormed O
home O
first O
in O
20 B-T
. I-T
88 I-T
seconds I-T
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
200m O
, O
Takayuki O
Koike O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
400m O
hurdles O
in O
50 B-T
. I-T
85 I-T
and O
Kumiko O
Ikeda O
leapt O
6 O
. O
54m O
for O
the O
women O
' O
s O
long O
jump O
gold O
. O

Japan O
expected O
a O
gold O
rush O
from O
the O
swimming O
pool O
, O
but O
the O
first O
day O
didn O
' O
t O
see O
that O
happen O
. O

Chinese O
swimmers O
made O
it O
six O
out O
of O
eight O
with O
Japan O
taking O
the O
remaining O
three O
golds O
. O

Olympic O
champion O
Luo O
Xuejuan O
easily O
won O
the O
women O
' O
s O
50m O
backstroke O
in O
31 B-T
. I-T
67 I-T
seconds I-T
, O
one O
second O
ahead O
of O
runner O
- O
up O
Sayaka O
Nakamura O
from O
Japan O
. O

Chinese O
Zhang O
Lin O
bettered O
the O
men O
' O
s O
1 O
, O
500m O
freestyle O
Asian O
record O
by O
9 B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
seconds I-T
as O
he O
touched O
the O
pad O
first O
in O
15 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
. I-T
27 I-T
. O

China O
also O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
4x200m O
relay O
, O
men O
' O
s O
100m O
breaststroke O
( O
Zeng O
Qiliang O
) O
, O
women O
' O
s O
200m O
butterfly O
( O
Li O
Jie O
) O
and O
women O
' O
s O
100m O
freestyle O
( O
Pang O
Jiaying O
) O
. O

Japan O
' O
s O
golds O
came O
from O
Yuta O
Shoji O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
200 O
individual O
medley O
, O
and O
Aya O
Terakawa O
and O
Tajanu O
Ugarasgu O
who O
finished O
joint O
first O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
200m O
backstroke O
. O

China O
dominated O
the O
final O
- O
day O
gymnastics O
competition O
by O
sweeping O
seven O
golds O
from O
the O
men O
' O
s O
pommel O
horse O
, O
rings O
, O
vault O
, O
parallel O
bars O
and O
women O
' O
s O
uneven O
bars O
, O
balance O
and O
floor O
exercise O
. O

DPR O
Korea O
picked O
two O
golds O
with O
Macao O
, O
South O
Korea O
and O
Chinese O
Taipei O
picking O
one O
apiece O
. O

In O
shooting O
, O
China O
nailed O
the O
women O
' O
s O
rifle O
prone O
event O
( O
Shan O
Hong O
) O
and O
men O
' O
s O
25m O
rapid O
fire O
pistol O
( O
Zhang O
Penghui O
) O
, O
with O
DPR O
Korean O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
su O
pocketing O
men O
' O
s O
10m O
air O
pistol O
top O
honor O
. O

China O
female O
weightlifter O
Cao O
Lei O
lifted O
the O
women O
' O
s O
69kg O
- O
class O
gold O
and O
South O
Korean O
Lee O
Ung O
- O
jo O
topped O
the O
men O
' O
s O
94kg O
- O
division O
field O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0021 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

conference O

Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
delivered O
a O
speech O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
at O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
of O
High O
- O
level O
Dialogue O
and O
the O
Second O
Conference O
of O
Chinese O
and O
African O
Entrepreneurs O
, O
urging O
business O
communities O
of O
both O
sides O
to O
cement O
cooperation O
for O
common O
prosperity O
. O

A O
total O
of O
27 O
presidents O
and O
6 O
prime O
ministers O
from O
Africa O
attended O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
of O
the O
conference O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0129 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepali O
king O
leaves O
for O
SAARC O
summit O
in O
Dhaka O

Nepali O
King O
Gyanendra O
left O
Kathmandu O
for O
Dhaka O
, O
capital O
of O
Bangladesh O
, O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
participate O
in O
the B-T
13th I-T
summit O
of O
the O
South O
Asian O
Association O
for O
Regional O
Cooperation O
( O
SAARC O
) O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Dhaka O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
and O
13 B-T
. O

The O
King O
is O
scheduled O
to O
address O
the O
summit O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
and O
meet O
heads O
of O
state O
or O
government O
of O
the O
SAARC O
member O
countries O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
summit O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
. O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, O
the O
King O
will O
leave O
Dhaka O
for O
Riyadh O
on O
way O
to O
Tunis O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
World O
Summit O
on O
the O
Information O
Society O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Tunis O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
to O
18 O
, O
the O
ministry O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
King O
will O
also O
inspect O
the O
Nepalese O
Peace O
Keeping O
contingent O
serving O
in O
the O
United O
Nations O
Operation O
in O
Burundi O
. O

While O
returning O
home O
, O
the O
King O
will O
visit O
the O
United O
Republic O
of O
Tanzania O
, O
the O
Republic O
of O
Kenya O
, O
the O
Republic O
of O
South O
Africa O
and O
the O
Arab O
Republic O
of O
Egypt O
, O
the O
ministry O
noted O
. O

The O
King O
is O
scheduled O
to O
return O
home O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, O
the O
ministry O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0315 O

BANJUL O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

journalist O
' O
s O
murder O

Gambia O
' O
s O
main O
press O
union O
renewed O
a O
call B-T
Thursday I-T
at O
the O
start O
of O
a O
conference O
on O
media O
freedom O
in O
Africa O
for O
foreign O
investigators O
to O
probe O
the O
murder O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
of O
a O
journalist O
in O
the O
west O
African O
state O
. O

Deyda O
Hydara O
, O
who O
was O
AFP O
' O
s O
correspondent O
in O
Gambia O
and O
also O
worked O
with O
the O
media O
watchdog O
Reporters O
Sans O
Frontieres O
( O
RSF O
) O
, O
was O
an O
outspoken O
critic O
of O
tough O
media O
laws O
that O
authorize O
jail O
terms O
for O
journalists O
who O
violate O
press O
laws O
and O
heavy O
fines O
for O
their O
publishers O
. O

He O
was O
gunned O
down O
late O
at O
night O
on O
December B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
while O
driving O
colleagues O
home O
from O
a O
party O
at O
the O
offices O
of O
The O
Point O
, O
the O
newspaper O
he O
co O
- O
edited O
. O

The O
Banjul O
media O
conference O
, O
being O
held O
Thursday B-T
through O
Saturday B-T
, O
was O
organized O
by O
the O
Gambian O
Press O
Union O
and O
was O
to O
include O
a O
tribute O
to O
the O
slain O
Hydara O
as O
well O
as O
to O
Norbert O
Zongo O
, O
another O
investigative O
journalist O
who O
was O
shot O
and O
burned O
in O
his O
car O
in O
Burkina O
Faso O
on O
December B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1998 I-T
. O

" O
We O
call O
on O
the O
government O
to O
allow O
the O
intervention O
of O
outside O
investigators O
to O
investigate O
in O
the O
case O
of O
Deyda O
Hydara O
, O
" O
GPU O
president O
Madi O
Ceesay O
said O
, O
opening O
the O
meeting O
attended O
by O
media O
representatives O
from O
across O
west O
Africa O
as O
well O
as O
members O
of O
Hydara O
' O
s O
family O
. O

Neither O
Hydara O
' O
s O
murder O
of O
that O
of O
Zongo O
, O
who O
was O
deep O
into O
a O
probe O
seven B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
into O
the O
dealings O
of O
relatives O
and O
associates O
of O
President O
Blaise O
Compaore O
when O
he O
and O
three O
friends O
were O
attacked O
on O
a O
lonely O
road O
, O
have O
been O
cleared O
up O
. O

A O
representative O
of O
Paris O
- O
based O
Reporters O
Sans O
Frontieres O
was O
unable O
to O
travel O
to O
the O
conference O
because O
the O
Gambian O
embassy O
in O
France O
failed O
to O
issue O
a O
visa O
in O
time O
, O
the O
group O
said O
. O

Despite O
RSF O
' O
s O
daily O
calls O
to O
the O
embassy O
, O
no O
explanation O
was O
given O
for O
the O
delay O
, O
it O
added O
. O

RSF O
in O
June B-T
joined O
the O
Gambian O
Press O
Union O
in O
condemning O
an O
official O
report O
into O
Hydara O
' O
s O
murder O
. O
It O
said O
it O
was O
" O
sickened O
" O
by O
the O
report O
by O
Gambia O
' O
s O
National O
Intelligence O
Agency O
, O
denouncing O
an O
official O
" O
smear O
campaign O
" O
. O

The O
23 O
- O
page O
report O
described O
Hydara O
as O
" O
an O
instigator O
who O
stirred O
up O
the O
anger O
of O
a O
number O
of O
people O
through O
critical O
reports O
in O
his O
newspaper O
, O
" O
The O
Point O
, O
of O
which O
he O
was O
co O
- O
founder O
. O

The O
Gambian O
Press O
Union O
' O
s O
president O
on O
Thursday B-T
reminded O
his O
audience O
of O
various O
attacks O
on O
media O
workers O
in O
the O
former O
British O
colony O
. O

" O
In O
the O
last B-T
ten I-T
years I-T
we O
have O
been O
operating O
in O
a O
very O
hostile O
environment O
, O
" O
said O
Ceesay O
. O

RSF O
said O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
it O
" O
deeply O
" O
regretted O
being O
unable O
to O
attend O
the O
conference O
" O
to O
express O
our O
solidarity O
with O
Gambia O
' O
s O
independent O
press O
, O
which O
has O
suffered O
so O
much O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
but O
we O
reaffirm O
our O
commitment O
to O
see O
justice O
done O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0133 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
EMBARGO O
, O
RELEASABLE O
at O
0001 O
GMT O
Friday O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Britain O
considered O
abandoning O
its O
nuclear O
deterrent O
as O
it O
cast O
around O
for O
ways O
to O
raise O
money O
during O
a O
humiliating O
economic O
crisis O
30 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
newly O
declassified O
papers O
revealed O
Friday B-T
. O

In O
1976 B-T
, O
the O
value O
of O
the O
pound O
sterling O
against O
the O
dollar O
began O
a O
slide O
which O
led O
ministers O
to O
ask O
the O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
( O
IMF O
) O
for O
a O
loan O
in O
September B-T
. O

A O
3 O
. O
9 O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
( O
2 O
. O
9 O
- O
billion O
- O
euro O
) O
package O
was O
eventually O
agreed O
, O
but O
the O
image O
of O
Britain O
going O
" O
cap O
in O
hand O
" O
to O
the O
IMF O
did O
lasting O
damage O
to O
the O
kingdom O
' O
s O
image O
around O
the O
world O
. O

Officials O
and O
politicians O
considered O
several O
courses O
of O
action O
to O
ease O
the O
economic O
pressure O
, O
according O
to O
papers O
released O
by O
the O
National O
Archives O
in O
London O
, O
under O
rules O
which O
allow O
them O
to O
be O
made O
public O
after O
30 B-T
years I-T
. O

In O
a O
note O
marked O
" O
top O
secret O
" O
, O
Sir O
John O
Hunt O
, O
who O
as O
cabinet O
secretary O
was O
a O
highly O
influential O
civil O
servant O
at O
the O
heart O
of O
government O
, O
mooted O
defence O
cuts O
as O
one O
possible O
solution O
if O
negotiations O
with O
the O
IMF O
broke O
down O
. O

He O
wrote O
that O
he O
was O
against O
losing O
British O
troops O
stationed O
in O
West O
Germany O
to O
protect O
western O
Europe O
from O
the O
Soviet O
Union O
. O

" O
It O
would O
be O
preferable O
, O
rather O
than O
cutting O
BAOR O
( O
the O
British O
Army O
of O
the O
Rhine O
) O
, O
to O
look O
again O
at O
our O
eastern O
Atlantic O
contribution O
which O
involves O
no O
treaty O
commitment O
and O
/ O
or O
the O
deterrent O
, O
" O
he O
said O
in O
the O
December B-T
1976 I-T
note O
. O

" O
The O
Americans O
would O
strongly O
resist O
the O
former O
. O

" O
But O
abandoning O
the O
deterrent O
, O
or O
at O
least O
scrapping O
its O
improvement O
, O
would O
cause O
much O
less O
concern O
to O
our O
allies O
. O
" O

Hunt O
warned O
that O
any O
such O
move O
" O
would O
be O
seen O
as O
proof O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
definitive O
disappearance O
as O
a O
major O
military O
power O
" O
. O

In O
September B-T
that I-T
year I-T
, O
Callaghan O
had O
raised O
the O
possibility O
that O
Britain O
would O
face O
pressure O
to O
withdraw O
troops O
from O
West O
Germany O
in O
a O
telephone O
conversation O
with O
Gerald O
Ford O
, O
then O
president O
of O
the O
United O
States O
. O

According O
to O
a O
transcript O
, O
Callaghan O
told O
Ford O
he O
was O
" O
deeply O
concerned O
" O
about O
what O
was O
happening O
to O
the O
pound O
. O

" O
If O
our O
sterling O
balances O
go O
and O
there O
is O
no O
protection O
, O
I O
can O
only O
say O
to O
you O
, O
Gerry O
, O
that O
we O
would O
be O
faced O
with O
political O
decisions O
that O
would O
change O
our O
whole O
attitude O
as O
a O
Western O
partner O
, O
" O
Callaghan O
said O
. O

He O
added O
that O
Britain O
was O
spending O
600 O
million O
pounds O
a O
year O
in O
West O
Germany O
and O
that O
some O
might O
question O
why O
this O
should O
continue O
, O
given O
the O
domestic O
situation O
. O

" O
We O
are O
putting O
great O
things O
at O
risk O
if O
this O
pressure O
on O
sterling O
continues O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Britain O
had O
around O
56 O
, O
000 O
Army O
, O
10 O
, O
000 O
Royal O
Air O
Force O
and O
28 O
, O
000 O
civilian O
personnel O
committed O
to O
European O
mutual O
defence O
at O
the O
time O
. O

Callaghan O
also O
sought O
support O
from O
the O
then O
West O
German O
chancellor O
Helmut O
Schmidt O
in O
a O
telephone O
conversation O
in O
November B-T
1976 I-T
. O

Schmidt O
compared O
the O
economic O
position O
to O
" O
a O
Churchillian O
situation O
in O
1940 B-T
" O
. O

According O
to O
a O
transcript O
, O
the O
British O
premier O
responded O
: O
" O
In O
1940 B-T
, O
we O
got O
hope O
because O
the O
Japanese O
attacked O
Pearl O
Harbour O
and O
it O
enabled O
us O
to O
see O
that O
in O
the O
end O
we O
would O
be O
triumphant O
. O

" O
Now B-T
we O
' O
ve O
got O
to O
have O
the O
same O
sort O
of O
hope O
. O
" O

The O
first O
document O
gives O
historical O
perspective O
to O
the O
debate O
currently O
raging O
in O
Britain O
over O
the O
new O
generation O
of O
the O
Trident O
nuclear O
deterrent O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
announced O
plans O
for O
new O
nuclear O
submarines O
at O
a O
cost O
of O
up O
to O
20 O
billion O
pounds O
( O
39 O
. O
5 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
and O
a O
parliamentary O
vote O
on O
the O
plans O
is O
due O
in O
March B-T
2007 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0202 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepali O
guerrillas O
, O
UN O
representative O
discuss O
arms O
management O

The O
United O
Nations O
Secretary O
General O
' O
s O
personal O
representative O
to O
Nepal O
, O
Ian O
Martin O
, O
held O
discussion O
with O
the O
guerrillas O
' O
leadership O
on O
arms O
management O
process O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
hour O
- O
long O
meeting O
was O
focused O
on O
the O
technicalities O
of O
setting O
up O
cantonments O
and O
arms O
storages O
as O
agreed O
between O
the O
Seven O
- O
Party O
Alliance O
( O
SPA O
) O
and O
the O
guerrillas O
recently O
. O

The O
guerrillas O
' O
top O
leader O
Prachanda O
and O
some O
other O
guerrillas O
' O
leaders O
were O
present O
during O
the O
discussion O
. O

The O
meeting O
came O
two B-T
days I-T
after O
a O
landmark O
peace O
deal O
between O
the O
ruling O
SPA O
and O
the O
guerrillas O
on O
the O
management O
of O
arms O
under O
the O
inspection O
of O
UN O
. O

As O
per O
the O
agreement O
, O
the O
guerrillas O
' O
armed O
forces O
would O
be O
settled O
in O
seven O
cantonments O
around O
the O
country O
along O
with O
three O
tributary O
cantonments O
around O
each O
main O
cantonment O
and O
the O
guerrillas O
' O
weapons O
will O
be O
stored O
under O
" O
single O
lock O
" O
system O
with O
close O
inspection O
by O
UN O
teams O
while O
equal O
number O
of O
weapons O
of O
the O
Nepali O
Army O
will O
also O
be O
locked O
up O
. O

According O
to O
the O
guerrillas O
, O
their O
armed O
forces O
are O
more O
than O
35 O
, O
000 O
and O
they O
have O
seven O
divisions O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
UN O
mission O
chief O
Martin O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
organized O
at O
the O
UN O
office O
in O
Kathmandu O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
that O
his O
team O
would O
start O
trilateral O
negotiations O
from O
Friday B-T
to O
finalize O
the O
technicalities O
of O
management O
of O
arms O
and O
armies O
. O

He O
said O
the O
government O
and O
the O
guerrillas O
should O
come O
up O
with O
a O
detailed O
agreement O
to O
make O
easier O
the O
process O
of O
arms O
management O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0037 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0037 O
. O

International O
Brief O
- O
- O
Erbamont O
N O
. O
V O
. O
: O

@ O
Montedison O
Agrees O
to O
Buy O

@ O
Rest O
of O
Stock O
for O
$ O
37 O
Each O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

MNT O
ERB O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

Montedison O
S O
. O
p O
. O
A O
. O
definitively O
agreed O
to O
buy O
all O
of O
the O
publicly O
held O
shares O
of O
Erbamont O
N O
. O
V O
. O
for O
$ O
37 O
each O
. O

Montedison O
now B-T
owns O
about O
72 O
% O
of O
Erbamont O
' O
s O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

The O
companies O
said O
the O
accord O
was O
unanimously O
approved O
by O
a O
special O
committee O
of O
Erbamont O
directors O
unaffiliated O
with O
Montedison O
. O

Under O
the O
pact O
, O
Montedision O
will O
make O
a O
$ O
37 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
tender O
offer O
for O
Erbamont O
stock O
outstanding O
. O

The O
tender O
offer O
will O
be O
followed O
by O
the O
sale O
of O
all O
of O
Erbamont O
' O
s O
assets O
, O
subject O
to O
all O
of O
its O
liabilities O
, O
to O
Montedison O
. O

Erbamont O
will O
then O
be O
liquidated O
, O
with O
any O
remaining O
Erbamont O
holders O
receiving O
a O
distribution O
of O
$ O
37 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
companies O
said O
the O
transaction O
is O
being O
structured O
this O
way O
because O
the O
laws O
of O
the O
Netherlands O
Antilles O
, O
under O
which O
Erbamont O
is O
organized O
, O
do O
n O
' O
t O
provide O
for O
merger O
transactions O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0189 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0189 O
. O

Security O
Pacific O
Corp O
. O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

SPC O
LJC O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

BANKS O
( O
BNK O
) O

LOS O
ANGELES O

Security O
Pacific O
Corp O
. O
has O
set O
its O
sights O
on O
buying O
its O
second O
bank O
holding O
company O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Security O
said O
it O
signed O
a O
letter O
of O
intent O
to O
purchase O
La O
Jolla O
Bancorp O
, O
agreeing O
to O
pay O
$ O
15 O
of O
its O
own O
stock O
for O
each O
share O
of O
La O
Jolla O
. O

Based O
on O
the O
current B-T
number O
of O
La O
Jolla O
shares O
, O
that O
gives O
the O
transaction O
a O
value O
of O
$ O
104 O
million O
. O

La O
Jolla O
is O
the O
parent O
company O
of O
La O
Jolla O
Bank O
amp O
Trust O
Co O
. O
, O
which O
has O
12 O
branches O
in O
San O
Diego O
County O
. O

As O
of O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, O
the O
bank O
had O
assets O
of O
$ O
511 O
million O
and O
deposits O
of O
$ O
469 O
million O
, O
Security O
Pacific O
said O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
Security O
Pacific O
, O
which O
is O
among O
the O
10 O
largest O
bank O
holding O
companies O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
completed O
the O
acquisition O
of O
San O
Diego O
- O
based O
Southwest O
Bancorp O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0235 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cooperation O

Senior O
officials O
from O
China O
and O
48 O
African O
countries O
concluded O
a O
two O
- O
day O
meeting O
in O
the O
Chinese O
capital O
Thursday B-T
, O
having O
made O
final O
preparations O
for O
the O
upcoming O
high O
- O
profile O
Beijing O
Summit O
scheduled O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
. O

The O
Senior O
Officials O
Meeting O
has O
been O
the O
fifth O
in O
the O
framework O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
( O
FOCAC O
) O
, O
a O
mechanism O
for O
collective O
dialogue O
and O
cooperation O
jointly O
established O
by O
China O
and O
Africa O
to O
cope O
with O
new O
challenges O
and O
facilitate O
common O
development O
. O

China O
will O
announce O
a O
package O
of O
major O
assistance O
, O
investment O
, O
trade O
and O
other O
key O
cooperation O
projects O
with O
Africa O
at O
the O
summit O
, O
said O
Chinese O
Vice O
Commerce O
Minister O
Wei O
Jianguo O
at O
the O
Senior O
Officials O
Meeting O
. O

Considering O
the O
wishes O
of O
African O
friends O
, O
the O
Chinese O
government O
has O
decided O
to O
offer O
more O
cooperation O
projects O
to O
Africa O
to O
deepen O
mutual O
benefit O
and O
cooperation O
and O
realize O
common O
development O
, O
Wei O
said O
. O

During O
the O
Senior O
Officials O
Meeting O
, O
delegates O
from O
China O
and O
African O
countries O
reviewed O
the O
preparation O
work O
for O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
and O
the O
FOCAC O
Ministerial O
Conference O
, O
and O
further O
exchanged O
views O
on O
the O
documents O
to O
be O
passed O
at O
the O
summit O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
15 O
African O
leaders O
arrived O
in O
Beijing O
Thursday B-T
, O
including O
presidents O
of O
Zambia O
, O
Ghana O
and O
Kenya O
, O
and O
nine O
others O
had O
arrived O
earlier O
for O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
. O

During O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
' O
s O
talks O
with O
James O
Alix O
Michel O
, O
president O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Seychelles O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
Hu O
said O
" O
the O
China O
- O
Seychelles O
relation O
has O
become O
a O
model O
for O
equal O
treatment O
and O
mutual O
assistance O
between O
big O
and O
small O
countries O
" O
, O
and O
China O
will O
continue O
to O
boost O
the O
international O
community O
to O
pay O
more O
attention O
to O
the O
development O
issue O
of O
Seychelles O
and O
other O
small O
- O
island O
developing O
countries O
. O

In O
a O
meeting O
with O
Sudanese O
President O
Omer O
Hassan O
Ahmed O
El O
- O
Bashir O
, O
Hu O
said O
China O
hopes O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
can O
strengthen O
dialogue O
with O
each O
concerned O
party O
on O
the O
Darfur O
conflict O
and O
try O
to O
maintain O
stability O
in O
the O
region O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
can O
find O
an O
appropriate O
settlement O
, O
maintain O
stability O
, O
and O
constantly O
improves O
the O
humanitarian O
conditions O
in O
the O
region O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
, O
noting O
China O
will O
continue O
to O
make O
contributions O
to O
an O
early O
realization O
of O
peace O
and O
stability O
in O
Darfur O
. O

" O
We O
are O
willing O
to O
deepen O
mutual O
understanding O
and O
trust O
, O
widen O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
economy O
, O
trade O
, O
culture O
, O
education O
and O
health O
, O
and O
strengthen O
coordination O
and O
cooperation O
between O
China O
and O
Botswana O
in O
international O
affairs O
to O
maintain O
the O
common O
interests O
of O
developing O
countries O
, O
" O
Hu O
told O
Botswana O
President O
Festus O
Mogaein O
in O
a O
meeting O
the B-T
same I-T
day I-T
. O

China O
' O
s O
capital O
has O
been O
dressed O
up O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
the O
historic O
summit O
, O
with O
traditional O
Chinese O
red O
lanterns O
and O
billboards O
featuring O
typical O
images O
of O
Africa O
and O
posters O
proclaiming O
Sino O
- O
African O
" O
friendship O
, O
cooperation O
, O
development O
and O
peace O
" O
in O
English O
and O
French O
on O
major O
streets O
in O
downtown O
Beijing O
. O

On O
the O
sideline O
the O
of O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
, O
the O
Chinese O
government O
is O
also O
cranking O
up O
a O
campaign O
to O
promote O
African O
culture O
among O
citizens O
, O
with O
two O
exhibitions O
opening O
here O
Thursday B-T
, O
one O
of O
coins O
and O
stamps O
from O
48 O
African O
countries O
and O
the O
other O
of O
African O
handicraft O
, O
to O
showcase O
African O
landscapes O
, O
places O
of O
historical O
interest O
and O
relations O
with O
China O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
good O
opportunity O
for O
ordinary O
Chinese O
to O
have O
a O
glimpse O
of O
Africa O
, O
" O
said O
Cheng O
Hui O
, O
an O
avid O
collector O
who O
provided O
some O
of O
the O
handicraft O
pieces O
on O
show O
. O
" O
Many O
Africans O
are O
born O
to O
be O
artists O
. O
Even O
items O
from O
2 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
still O
make O
vogue O
artwork O
today B-T
. O
" O

Johnson O
Weru O
from O
Kenya O
said O
the O
exhibition O
made O
him O
feel O
at O
home O
and O
would O
help O
enhance O
friendship O
and O
understanding O
between O
the O
Africans O
and O
the O
Chinese O
. O

So O
far O
over O
1 O
, O
200 O
Chinese O
and O
overseas O
journalists O
have O
been O
registered O
for O
the O
covering O
of O
the O
summit O
, O
including O
118 O
African O
reporters O
that O
have O
arrived O
in O
Beijing O
. O
About O
300 O
African O
reporters O
are O
also O
gearing O
up O
for O
the O
Third O
Ministerial O
Conference O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
and O
the O
summit O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
. O

Seeing O
comfortable O
environment O
, O
convenient O
communication O
equipment O
, O
broadband O
, O
IDD O
telephone O
, O
bulletin O
boards O
, O
many O
African O
reporters O
coming O
to O
China O
for O
the O
summit O
said O
they O
feel O
like O
working O
at O
home O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0195 O

ARUSHA O
, O
Tanzania O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

AU O
adopts O
commodity O
declaration O
before O
WTO O
rounder O

The O
African O
Union O
( O
AU O
) O
on O
Wednesday B-T
adopted O
an O
Arusha O
Declaration O
and O
Plan O
of O
Action O
on O
Commodities O
to O
coordinate O
member O
states O
stance O
on O
the O
coming O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
' O
s O
( O
WTO O
) O
Hong O
Kong O
round O
of O
negotiations O
. O

The O
AU O
demonstrated O
determination O
to O
develop O
and O
implement O
a O
common O
African O
strategy O
on O
commodities O
and O
the O
regional O
bloc O
called O
upon O
international O
community O
and O
the O
continent O
' O
s O
partners O
to O
provide O
adequate O
and O
sustainable O
support O
to O
Africa O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
fully O
utilize O
its O
commodities O
for O
its O
own O
development O
. O

Participants O
of O
the O
Arusha O
meeting O
of O
trade O
ministers O
of O
AU O
member O
countries O
agreed O
that O
fair O
, O
equitable O
and O
stable O
prices O
for O
African O
commodities O
play O
a O
key O
role O
in O
poverty O
alleviation O
and O
in O
the O
improvement O
of O
living O
conditions O
for O
Africa O
' O
s O
rural O
population O
. O

Commodity O
production O
constitutes O
the O
largest O
source O
of O
revenue O
and O
employment O
for O
African O
countries O
. O

In O
many O
African O
countries O
65 O
percent O
of O
the O
total O
exports O
originate O
from O
the O
commodity O
sector O
and O
approximately O
half O
of O
the O
countries O
in O
Africa O
derive O
over O
80 O
percent O
of O
their O
merchandise O
export O
income O
from O
commodities O
. O

In O
quite O
a O
few O
African O
countries O
three O
or O
four O
commodities O
represent O
the O
main O
source O
of O
export O
earnings O
, O
government O
revenue O
and O
employment O
. O

The O
trade O
ministers O
endorsed O
the O
draft O
declaration O
worked O
out O
by O
their O
senior O
aides O
prior O
to O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
ministerial O
, O
stressing O
that O
it O
is O
commodity O
dependence O
characterized O
by O
low O
productivity O
, O
low O
added O
value O
, O
low O
product O
quality O
and O
low O
competitiveness O
that O
hinders O
the O
achievement O
of O
the O
required O
level O
of O
economic O
growth O
and O
poverty O
alleviation O
. O

The O
Arusha O
declaration O
welcomes O
a O
WTO O
consideration O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
of O
effective O
and O
expeditious O
reduction O
in O
subsidies O
by O
developed O
countries O
in O
cotton O
, O
sugar O
and O
all O
other O
commodity O
products O
of O
interest O
to O
developing O
countries O
apart O
from O
announcing O
that O
the O
African O
countries O
need O
flexibility O
and O
policy O
space O
under O
the O
WTO O
multilateral O
trade O
rules O
to O
choose O
the O
most O
effective O
strategy O
appropriate O
to O
the O
African O
situation O
. O

From O
1977 B-T
to O
2001 O
, O
however O
, O
the O
combined O
UNCTAD O
price O
index O
for O
all O
commodities O
declined O
by O
as O
much O
as O
53 O
percent O
in O
real O
terms O
and O
the O
combined O
current O
price O
index O
of O
commodities O
has O
not O
surpassed O
the O
1995 B-T
level O
despite O
recent O
improvement O
, O
according O
to O
the O
aides O
who O
proposed O
further O
South O
- O
South O
cooperation O
. O

" O
South O
- O
South O
trade O
has O
the O
potential O
for O
mutually O
beneficial O
exchanges O
between O
Africa O
and O
developing O
countries O
in O
other O
regions O
, O
" O
said O
the O
declaration O
. O
" O
Indeed O
there O
are O
encouraging O
prospects O
that O
South O
- O
South O
trade O
provides O
a O
' O
window O
of O
opportunity O
' O
for O
African O
countries O
to O
increase O
their O
earnings O
from O
commodity O
exports O
. O
" O

The O
forthcoming O
Hong O
Kong O
round O
of O
the O
WTO O
ministerial O
meeting O
or O
otherwise O
known O
as O
the O
Doha O
Development O
Round O
is O
expected O
to O
settle O
the O
issues O
that O
will O
shape O
the O
final O
accord O
of O
the O
Doha O
Development O
Agenda O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0438 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bush O
, O
al O
- O
Maliki O
to O
meet O
Thursday O
: O
media O

A O
summit O
between O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
and O
Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
was O
put O
off O
until O
Thursday B-T
, O
local O
media O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
postponement O
was O
announced O
shortly O
after O
Bush O
arrived O
in O
Jordan O
Wednesday O
evening O
for O
talks O
with O
Jordan O
' O
s O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
and O
al O
- O
Maliki O
. O

Bush O
and O
al O
- O
Maliki O
are O
expected O
to O
discuss O
the O
worsening O
security O
situation O
and O
ways O
to O
stem O
mounting O
violence O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
. O

The O
Bush O
- O
Abdullah O
II O
meeting O
will O
proceed O
as O
scheduled O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0316 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
path O
of O
peaceful O
development O
unswerving O
: O
President O
Hu O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
said O
here O
Thursday B-T
that O
China O
will O
adhere O
to O
the O
path O
of O
peaceful O
development O
characterized O
by O
peace O
, O
opening O
up O
and O
cooperation O
. O

" O
China O
' O
s O
development O
will O
be O
achieved O
through O
striving O
for O
a O
peaceful O
international O
environment O
and O
its O
development O
will O
promote O
world O
peace O
in O
return O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
at O
a O
banquet O
hosted O
by O
the O
Asian O
- O
Pacific O
Committee O
of O
the O
German O
Business O
. O

" O
China O
will O
steadfastly O
adhere O
to O
the O
road O
of O
peaceful O
development O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

He O
said O
China O
will O
stick O
to O
its O
basic O
policy O
of O
reform O
and O
opening O
up O
and O
will O
honor O
its O
commitments O
to O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
made O
upon O
the O
entry O
into O
the O
global O
trading O
body O
. O

China O
will O
continue O
to O
improve O
its O
foreign O
- O
related O
economic O
structures O
, O
strengthen O
the O
protection O
of O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
, O
foster O
a O
stable O
and O
transparent O
foreign O
- O
related O
economic O
management O
system O
, O
create O
a O
fair O
and O
foreseeable O
legal O
environment O
, O
raise O
the O
level O
of O
freedom O
and O
convenience O
for O
trade O
and O
investment O
so O
as O
to O
create O
a O
better O
environment O
for O
investment O
, O
said O
Hu O
. O

China O
will O
stick O
to O
the O
policies O
of O
harmonious O
development O
at O
home O
and O
peaceful O
development O
internationally O
, O
which O
is O
conducive O
to O
building O
a O
harmonious O
world O
with O
everlasting O
peace O
and O
common O
prosperity O
, O
he O
said O
. O

On O
China O
' O
s O
relations O
with O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
, O
Hu O
said O
that O
this O
year O
marks O
the O
30th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
establishment O
of O
diplomatic O
ties O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
. O

The O
development O
of O
a O
comprehensive O
strategic O
partnership O
between O
China O
and O
the O
EU O
conforms O
to O
the O
fundamental O
interests O
of O
both O
sides O
, O
he O
noted O
. O

The O
trade O
and O
economic O
cooperation O
between O
China O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
developing O
country O
, O
and O
the O
EU O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
bloc O
of O
developed O
countries O
, O
conducted O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
equality O
and O
mutual O
benefit O
is O
conducive O
to O
the O
healthy O
development O
of O
economic O
globalization O
as O
well O
as O
the O
multi O
- O
polarization O
of O
the O
world O
, O
Hu O
noted O
. O

China O
is O
ready O
to O
develop O
China O
- O
EU O
relations O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
mutual O
respect O
, O
equality O
and O
mutual O
benefit O
and O
build O
an O
even O
closer O
partnership O
. O

Germany O
, O
the O
largest O
economy O
in O
the O
EU O
and O
an O
important O
driving O
force O
for O
European O
integration O
, O
has O
over O
the B-T
years I-T
offered O
vigorous O
support O
and O
commitments O
to O
closer O
China O
- O
EU O
cooperation O
and O
has O
thus O
made O
important O
contributions O
to O
the O
development O
of O
China O
- O
EU O
relations O
. O

Hu O
hoped O
that O
Germany O
would O
continue O
to O
play O
its O
positive O
role O
within O
the O
EU O
and O
make O
new O
contributions O
to O
the O
all O
- O
round O
development O
of O
China O
- O
EU O
ties O
. O

The O
Chinese O
president O
arrived O
here O
Thursday B-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
state O
visit O
to O
Germany O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0281 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Pakistan O
dismisses O
Indian O
alarm O
over O
situation O
along O
Kashmir O
border O
( O
bon O
pour O
tous O
) O

Pakistan O
' O
s O
defence O
ministry O
Sunday B-T
dismissed O
Indian O
reports O
of O
an O
alarming O
increase O
in O
cross O
border O
firing O
in O
the O
disputed O
Kashmir O
state O
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
ploy O
to O
divert O
attention O
" O
from O
the O
turbulence O
in O
Indian O
- O
held O
Kashmir O
, O
a O
ministry O
official O
said O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
unusual O
situation O
" O
as O
skirmishes O
have O
routinely O
occurred O
along O
the O
Line O
of O
Control O
dividing O
Pakistani O
- O
and O
Indian O
- O
held O
sections O
of O
the O
disputed O
Himalayan O
state O
, O
the O
defence O
ministry O
sources O
said O
. O

Pakistan O
controls O
the O
northern O
third O
of O
Kashmir O
while O
the O
rest O
is O
administered O
by O
New O
Delhi O
. O

Officials O
in O
Jammu O
, O
the O
winter O
capital O
of O
the O
Indian O
held O
part O
of O
the O
state O
, O
earlier O
said O
Indian O
troops O
were O
placed O
on O
high O
alert O
along O
the O
Kashmir O
frontier O
as O
they O
traded O
fire O
with O
Pakistani O
forces O
for O
the B-T
fourth I-T
successive I-T
day I-T
Sunday I-T
. O

One O
official O
alleged O
that O
Pakistani O
troops O
" O
using O
heavy O
artillery O
stepped O
up O
attacks O
on O
Indian O
villages O
near O
the O
Kargil O
sector O
. O
" O

" O
We O
have O
retaliated O
. O
No O
one O
was O
injured O
( O
Sunday O
) O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Two O
Indians O
, O
including O
a O
child O
, O
were O
reported O
killed O
and O
eight O
others O
injured O
Saturday B-T
in O
the O
shooting O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
. O

India O
and O
Pakistan O
dispute O
the O
ownership O
of O
the O
state O
. O
The O
two O
countries O
have O
fought O
two O
of O
their O
three O
wars O
over O
Kashmir O
. O

A O
Kashmiri O
separatist O
movement O
in O
Indian O
- O
held O
territory O
has O
claimed O
some O
20 O
, O
000 O
lives O
since O
1989 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0332 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Malawi O
court O
throws O
out O
president O
' O
s O
plea O
for O
appeal O
in O
referral O
case O

Malawi O
' O
s O
Constitutional O
Court O
sitting O
in O
Blantyre O
was O
on O
Monday B-T
a O
source O
of O
bad O
news O
for O
President O
Bingu O
wa O
Mutharika O
and O
his O
ruling O
Democratic O
Progressive O
Party O
( O
DPP O
) O
as O
it O
threw O
out O
his O
plea O
for O
appeal O
in O
the O
Section O
65 O
referral O
case O
, O
Nation O
Online O
of O
Malawi O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Mutharika O
was O
asking O
the O
court O
for O
a O
chance O
to O
appeal O
against O
its O
interpretation O
made O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
of O
the O
controversial O
Section O
65 O
of O
the O
Constitution O
that O
does O
not O
allow O
lawmakers O
to O
cross O
the O
floor O
in O
Parliament O
. O

The O
ruling O
effectively O
leaves O
about O
85 O
members O
of O
parliament O
( O
MPs O
) O
in O
the O
line O
of O
fire O
as O
the O
speaker O
of O
parliament O
can O
now B-T
unleash O
the O
constitutional O
provision O
on O
those O
legislators O
deemed O
to O
have O
crossed O
the O
floor O
. O

The O
three O
- O
man O
panel O
of O
judges O
- O
- O
comprising O
Healey O
Potani O
, O
Edward O
Twea O
and O
Frank O
Kapanda O
- O
- O
told O
the O
packed O
court O
that O
after O
examining O
the O
affidavit O
sworn O
by O
Solicitor O
- O
General O
Alexander O
Maluza O
, O
it O
found O
that O
the O
plea O
for O
appeal O
had O
no O
basis O
. O

" O
The O
decision O
by O
the O
speaker O
will O
depend O
on O
the O
facts O
before O
him O
. O
MPs O
have O
the O
right O
to O
come O
to O
the O
court O
on O
their O
own O
right O
, O
according O
to O
Section O
63 O
, O
part O
3 O
of O
the O
Constitution O
, O
" O
said O
Twea O
, O
who O
delivered O
the O
10 O
- O
minute O
ruling O
on O
behalf O
of O
his O
colleagues O
. O

Twea O
said O
Mutharika O
' O
s O
argument O
that O
the O
application O
for O
the O
appeal O
would O
help O
avoid O
unnecessary O
costs O
- O
- O
if O
by O
- O
elections O
are O
held O
following O
the O
speaker O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
invoke O
the O
section O
- O
- O
lacked O
merit O
and O
that O
it O
only O
served O
to O
show O
that O
the O
president O
lacks O
confidence O
in O
the O
court O
. O

" O
The O
court O
, O
therefore O
, O
denies O
the O
stay O
. O
. O
. O
This O
application O
must O
fail O
in O
its O
totality O
, O
" O
said O
Twea O
. O

Just O
as O
the O
judges O
went O
backdoor O
, O
cheers O
of O
jubilation O
by O
opposition O
members O
, O
notably O
from O
the O
Malawi O
Congress O
Party O
( O
MCP O
) O
and O
the O
United O
Democratic O
Front O
( O
UDF O
) O
, O
spiced O
by O
hand O
- O
clapping O
and O
waving O
, O
filled O
the O
court O
room O
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

Two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
the O
constitutional O
court O
ruled O
that O
the O
parliamentary O
speaker O
could O
declare O
scores O
of O
disputed O
seats O
vacant O
, O
making O
possible O
ouster O
of O
President O
wa O
Mutharika O
. O

The O
Constitutional O
Court O
sitting O
in O
Blantyre O
said O
Section O
65 O
of O
the O
Constitution O
is O
valid O
and O
not O
inconsistent O
with O
other O
provisions O
of O
the O
Constitution O
. O
This O
means O
the O
Speaker O
of O
Parliament O
Louis O
Chimango O
can O
now O
make O
his O
ruling O
on O
petitions O
by O
the O
opposition O
UDF O
and O
MCP O
to O
declare O
seats O
of O
some O
MPs O
vacant O
, O
arguing O
they O
had O
crossed O
the O
floor O
according O
to O
the O
parties O
' O
understanding O
of O
Section O
65 O
( O
1 O
) O
of O
the O
Constitution O
. O

Wa O
Mutharika O
' O
s O
ruling O
party O
stands O
to O
lose O
70 O
members O
of O
parliament O
in O
the O
139 O
- O
seat O
assembly O
following O
the O
ruling O
on O
seats O
occupied O
by O
defecting O
MPs O
, O
who O
defected O
from O
the O
then O
ruling O
UDF O
last B-T
year I-T
to O
join O
the O
DPP O
, O
enabling O
it O
to O
become O
the O
governing O
party O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0149 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thousands O
flee O
homes O
in O
Kenya O
slum O
fighting O

Thousands O
of O
Kenyans O
are O
fleeing O
their O
homes O
in O
a O
fourth B-T
day I-T
of O
slum O
gang O
violence O
that O
has O
left O
at O
least O
eight O
people O
dead O
, O
witnesses O
and O
police O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
fighting O
between O
the O
proscribed O
Mungiki O
sect O
and O
the O
local O
vigilante O
group O
" O
Taliban O
" O
began O
Sunday B-T
as O
they O
competed O
for O
control O
of O
the O
illegal O
liquor O
market O
. O

Police O
spokesman O
Gideon O
Kibunja O
said O
the O
death O
toll O
rose O
to O
eight O
late O
Wednesday B-T
when O
a O
gang O
member O
was O
beaten O
to O
death O
. O
However O
, O
Kibunja O
said O
riot O
police O
had O
taken O
control O
of O
most O
of O
the O
slum O
and O
were O
urging O
people O
to O
return O
home O
. O

Kibunja O
said O
four O
people O
were O
hacked O
to O
death O
in O
skirmishes O
in O
Mathare O
slum O
between O
the O
outlawed O
Mungiki O
and O
Taliban O
groups O
while O
police O
then O
shot O
two O
people O
as O
they O
attempted O
to O
contain O
the O
battles O
that O
erupted O
over O
protection O
money O
the O
gangs O
levied O
on O
brewers O
of O
an O
illegal O
drink O
. O

" O
We O
have O
arrested O
some O
members O
of O
the O
sect O
and O
this O
would O
continue O
until O
calm O
would O
be O
restored O
, O
" O
Kibunja O
said O
by O
telephone O
. O

Hundreds O
of O
people O
were O
expected O
to O
sleep O
outdoors O
because O
their O
homes O
were O
destroyed O
in O
parts O
of O
the O
slum O
where O
fighting O
between O
the O
two O
rival O
gangs O
and O
Kenyan O
police O
had O
taken O
place O
. O

" O
At O
the O
moment O
the O
situation O
is O
under O
control O
. O
The O
police O
have O
normalized O
the O
situation O
and O
calm O
seemed O
to O
have O
returned O
last B-T
night I-T
, O
" O
Kibunja O
said O
. O

Moses O
Odhiambo O
, O
a O
slum O
dweller O
, O
said O
he O
was O
forced O
to O
relocate O
his O
family O
after O
his O
house O
was O
torched O
, O
saying O
he O
was O
afraid O
to O
return O
home O
due O
to O
insecurity O
. O

" O
I O
cannot O
return O
home O
if O
what O
I O
saw O
last B-T
night I-T
is O
anything O
to O
go O
about O
. O
The O
gang O
struck O
at O
night O
because O
they O
fear O
daylight O
due O
to O
police O
patrol O
, O
but O
in O
the B-T
night I-T
the O
police O
are O
nowhere O
to O
be O
seen O
giving O
the O
gangs O
advantage O
to O
roam O
around O
, O
" O
Odhiambo O
said O
. O

Police O
has O
imposed O
a O
dusk O
- O
to O
- O
dawn O
curfew O
on O
the O
slum O
but O
many O
residents O
camped O
outside O
Nairobi O
' O
s O
military O
air O
base O
overnight O
and O
many O
people O
continue O
to O
leave O
the O
area O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0289 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Hu O
Jintao O
expounds O
China O
' O
s O
stance O
on O
win O
- O
win O
cooperation O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
on O
Thursday B-T
expounded O
China O
' O
s O
stance O
on O
win O
- O
win O
cooperation O
by O
urging O
the O
APEC O
member O
economies O
to O
increase O
mutual O
understanding O
through O
communications O
and O
to O
strengthen O
cooperation O
while O
seeking O
greater O
mutual O
understanding O
. O

Delivering O
a O
speech O
entitled O
" O
An O
Open O
Mind O
for O
Win O
- O
Win O
Cooperation O
" O
at O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
CEO O
Summit O
in O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
southeastern O
port O
city O
of O
Busan O
, O
the O
Chinese O
president O
said O
that O
building O
a O
harmonious O
world O
with O
an O
open O
mind O
is O
a O
basic O
prerequisite O
to O
win O
- O
win O
cooperation O
. O

Hu O
arrived O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
Busan O
, O
the O
second O
largest O
city O
in O
South O
Korea O
, O
to O
attend O
the O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
scheduled O
on O
Friday B-T
and O
Saturday B-T
with O
the O
main O
theme O
of O
this B-T
year O
- O
- O
" O
Toward O
One O
Community O
: O
Meet O
the O
Challenge O
, O
Make O
the O
Change O
. O
" O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
three O
- O
day O
APEC O
CEO O
summit O
was O
kicked O
off O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
. O

The O
summit O
is O
an O
annual O
event O
that O
gives O
business O
leaders O
from O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
to O
participate O
in O
highly O
interactive O
discussions O
on O
regional O
and O
global O
economic O
and O
trade O
issues O
with O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
, O
economists O
, O
policy O
makers O
and O
fellow O
business O
leaders O
. O

The O
theme O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
APEC O
CEO O
Summit O
is O
: O
" O
Entrepreneurship O
and O
Prosperity O
: O
Building O
a O
Successful O
Partnership O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Region O
. O
" O

Hu O
also O
termed O
" O
deepening O
mutual O
trust O
and O
expanding O
trade O
and O
economic O
exchanges O
" O
as O
a O
solid O
foundation O
for O
win O
- O
win O
cooperation O
. O

China O
encourages O
well O
- O
established O
Chinese O
businesses O
to O
go O
global O
and O
, O
within O
the O
framework O
of O
market O
rules O
and O
laws O
and O
in O
the O
principle O
of O
reciprocity O
, O
mutual O
benefit O
and O
complementarity O
, O
participate O
in O
international O
economic O
and O
technological O
cooperation O
and O
competition O
, O
Hu O
added O
. O

" O
Setting O
store O
by O
dialogue O
and O
consultation O
, O
and O
seeking O
a O
proper O
settlement O
of O
disputes O
is O
also O
an O
important O
avenue O
to O
win O
- O
win O
cooperation O
, O
" O
the O
Chinese O
president O
said O
. O

He O
also O
described O
strengthening O
solidarity O
and O
coordination O
, O
and O
maintaining O
security O
and O
stability O
as O
an O
effective O
guarantee O
for O
win O
- O
win O
cooperation O
. O

Non O
- O
traditional O
security O
issues O
, O
such O
as O
terrorism O
, O
financial O
risks O
and O
natural O
disasters O
, O
are O
posing O
a O
threat O
to O
the O
very O
existence O
and O
development O
of O
mankind O
, O
Hu O
said O
. O

STRENGTHEN O
DIALOGUE O
AND O
COOPERATION O
TO O
MAINTAIN O
WORLD O
ENERGY O
SECURITY O

The O
Chinese O
president O
pledged O
to O
strengthen O
energy O
dialogue O
and O
cooperation O
with O
all O
countries O
, O
to O
jointly O
maintain O
world O
energy O
security O
and O
stability O
. O

" O
To O
achieve O
balanced O
and O
orderly O
growth O
in O
the O
world O
economy O
, O
the O
international O
community O
must O
handle O
well O
the O
energy O
issue O
, O
" O
Hu O
told O
some O
800 O
APEC O
business O
leaders O
. O

Since O
2004 B-T
, O
the O
Chinese O
president O
said O
, O
the O
surge O
of O
oil O
prices O
in O
the O
international O
market O
has O
affected O
the O
economic O
growth O
of O
the O
world O
economy O
, O
developing O
countries O
in O
particular O
. O

" O
The O
most O
critical O
thing O
is O
for O
all O
countries O
to O
work O
together O
for O
stability O
of O
the O
world O
energy O
market O
, O
and O
to O
fuel O
the O
sustained O
growth O
of O
the O
world O
economy O
with O
sufficient O
, O
safe O
, O
economical O
and O
clean O
energy O
resources O
, O
" O
the O
Chinese O
president O
said O
. O

It O
is O
also O
important O
to O
take O
a O
long O
- O
term O
perspective O
, O
intensify O
energy O
development O
, O
deepen O
energy O
cooperation O
, O
increase O
energy O
efficiency O
, O
and O
facilitate O
the O
development O
and O
use O
of O
new O
energy O
resource O
, O
Hu O
added O
. O

The O
Chinese O
president O
also O
briefed O
the O
APEC O
business O
leaders O
on O
China O
' O
s O
energy O
strategy O
. O

" O
The O
core O
of O
China O
' O
s O
energy O
strategy O
has O
been O
clearly O
defined O
. O
We O
will O
strengthen O
policy O
guidance O
for O
energy O
conservation O
and O
high O
efficiency O
, O
give O
priority O
to O
energy O
conservation O
and O
rely O
on O
domestic O
resources O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

" O
While O
focusing O
on O
developing O
coal O
resources O
, O
we O
will O
develop O
diverse O
energy O
resources O
, O
and O
put O
in O
place O
a O
system O
that O
supplies O
stable O
, O
economical O
and O
clean O
energy O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
development O
of O
nuclear O
, O
wind O
and O
bio O
- O
power O
in O
China O
has O
just O
started O
, O
and O
there O
is O
great O
potential O
for O
future O
development O
, O
Hu O
noted O
. O

Though O
China O
' O
s O
demand O
for O
energy O
has O
somewhat O
increased O
due O
to O
its O
steady O
economic O
growth O
, O
its O
consumption O
volume O
in O
per O
capita O
is O
not O
high O
, O
the O
Chinese O
president O
pointed O
out O
. O

" O
China O
is O
a O
major O
energy O
consumer O
. O
But O
it O
is O
also O
a O
major O
energy O
producer O
, O
" O
Hu O
told O
the O
business O
leaders O
. O

Since O
the B-T
1990s I-T
, O
China O
has O
always O
met O
over O
90 O
percent O
of O
its O
overall O
energy O
needs O
on O
its O
own O
. O
As O
a O
country O
with O
coal O
dominating O
its O
energy O
structure O
, O
China O
still O
has O
huge O
potential O
for O
domestic O
supply O
. O

Hu O
also O
briefed O
the O
APEC O
business O
leaders O
on O
China O
' O
s O
energy O
conservation O
. O

" O
We O
always O
work O
to O
combine O
energy O
development O
with O
conservation O
, O
and O
give O
top O
priority O
to O
conservation O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Hu O
told O
the O
business O
leaders O
that O
China O
has O
introduced O
a O
mid O
- O
and O
long O
- O
term O
energy O
conservation O
program O
, O
with O
the O
objective O
of O
saving O
3 O
percent O
of O
energy O
every B-T
year I-T
by O
2020 B-T
, O
or O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
tons O
of O
standard O
coal O
in O
total O
savings O
. O

MAKING O
FURTHER O
CONTRIBUTIONS O
TO O
A O
SUSTAINED O
EXPANSION O
OF O
GLOBAL O
TRADE O

Hu O
also O
said O
that O
China O
will O
make O
further O
contributions O
to O
a O
sustained O
expansion O
of O
global O
trade O
by O
changing O
the O
mode O
of O
foreign O
trade O
growth O
, O
increasing O
import O
and O
enhancing O
the O
protection O
of O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
. O

He O
said O
although O
China O
has O
a O
trade O
surplus O
with O
some O
regions O
, O
it O
has O
a O
deficit O
with O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
, O
Hu O
said O
. O

Among O
China O
' O
s O
top O
10 O
sources O
of O
trade O
deficit O
of O
2004 B-T
, O
six O
are O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
, O
and O
the O
deficit O
totaled O
127 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
. O

" O
It O
is O
not O
true O
that O
China O
is O
seeking O
a O
big O
surplus O
in O
foreign O
trade O
. O
As O
a O
matter O
of O
fact O
, O
the O
enormous O
domestic O
demand O
and O
the O
broad O
internal O
market O
are O
the O
perpetual O
driving O
force O
behind O
China O
' O
s O
economic O
development O
, O
" O
Hu O
told O
the O
business O
leaders O
. O

Hu O
also O
pointed O
out O
that O
global O
trade O
imbalance O
should O
be O
viewed O
from O
a O
dialectical O
perspective O
and O
in O
the O
context O
of O
world O
economic O
development O
. O

" O
International O
trade O
expansion O
has O
helped O
optimize O
the O
allocation O
of O
global O
resources O
, O
and O
promoted O
world O
economic O
development O
as O
well O
as O
the O
well O
- O
being O
of O
the O
people O
of O
all O
countries O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

Among O
the O
CEOs O
to O
attend O
the O
APEC O
CEO O
Summit O
are O
Citigroup O
Chairman O
William O
Rhodes O
, O
Microsoft O
Vice O
President O
Craig O
Mundie O
and O
Chevron O
Managing O
Director O
Samuel O
Snyder O
, O
along O
with O
top O
executives O
from O
Toyota O
, O
China O
Unicom O
and O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Li O
and O
Fung O
Ltd O
. O

CHINA O
' O
S O
DEVELOPMENT O
NOT O
TO O
POSE O
THREAT O
TO O
OTHERS O

Hu O
said O
China O
' O
s O
development O
will O
not O
stand O
in O
the O
way O
of O
anyone O
, O
nor O
will O
it O
pose O
any O
threat O
to O
anyone O
. O

" O
Instead O
, O
it O
will O
only O
do O
good O
to O
peace O
, O
stability O
and O
prosperity O
of O
the O
world O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

" O
China O
is O
becoming O
an O
important O
driving O
force O
behind O
the O
economic O
growth O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
and O
the O
world O
as O
a O
whole O
, O
" O
Hu O
added O
. O

China O
' O
s O
economic O
development O
not O
only O
benefits O
the O
Chinese O
people O
, O
but O
also O
provides O
the O
whole O
world O
with O
more O
investment O
opportunities O
and O
a O
bigger O
market O
, O
he O
added O
. O

" O
We O
will O
continue O
to O
take O
economic O
development O
as O
our O
central O
task O
and O
top O
priority O
, O
concentrate O
on O
development O
, O
and O
work O
hard O
to O
achieve O
our O
goals O
and O
, O
at O
the O
same O
time O
, O
make O
our O
own O
contributions O
to O
regional O
and O
global O
economic O
developments O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

China O
will O
continue O
to O
purse O
the O
basic O
state O
policy O
of O
opening O
- O
up O
, O
conduct O
extensive O
international O
cooperation O
, O
steadily O
improve O
its O
investment O
environment O
, O
open O
its O
market O
, O
and O
endeavor O
to O
achieve O
mutual O
benefit O
and O
win O
- O
win O
results O
with O
the O
whole O
world O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Since O
its O
inception O
in O
1989 B-T
in O
response O
to O
the O
growing O
interdependence O
among O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
economies O
, O
APEC O
has O
become O
a O
formidable O
regional O
forum O
acting O
as O
the O
primary O
regional O
vehicle O
for O
promoting O
open O
trade O
and O
practical O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
. O

APEC O
accounts O
for O
more O
than O
one O
- O
third O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
population O
( O
2 O
. O
6 O
billion O
people O
) O
, O
about O
60 O
percent O
of O
world O
GDP O
and O
nearly O
half O
of O
world O
trade O
. O

It O
represents O
the O
most O
economically O
dynamic O
region O
in O
the O
world O
, O
having O
generated O
nearly O
70 O
percent O
of O
global O
economic O
growth O
in O
its O
first B-T
10 I-T
years I-T
. O

APEC O
currently B-T
has O
21 O
members O
: O
Australia O
, O
Brunei O
, O
Canada O
, O
Chile O
, O
China O
, O
China O
' O
s O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Chinese O
Taipei O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Japan O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Mexico O
, O
New O
Zealand O
, O
Papua O
New O
Guinea O
, O
Peru O
, O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Russia O
, O
Singapore O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Thailand O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Vietnam O
. O

The O
chairmanship O
rotates O
among O
its O
members O
, O
with O
South O
Korea O
holding O
the O
chair O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0292 O

AFGOYE O
, O
Somalia O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
residents O
confirmation O
, O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Ethiopian O
- O
backed O
government O
troops O
on O
Thursday B-T
entered O
northern O
Mogadishu O
hours O
after O
Islamists O
abandoned O
the O
city O
they O
had O
controlled O
for O
six B-T
months I-T
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
premier O
and O
residents O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
already O
inside O
Mogadishu O
in O
some O
areas O
, O
" O
Prime O
Minister O
Ali O
Mohamed O
Gedi O
told O
reporters O
in O
Afgoye O
township O
, O
about O
20 O
kilometres O
( O
13 O
miles O
) O
west O
of O
the O
capital O
. O

Mogadishu O
residents O
in O
the O
Suuqaholaha O
district O
confirmed O
the O
troops O
had O
entered O
into O
the O
city O
from O
the O
north O
, O
where O
one O
said O
that O
crowds O
cheered O
the O
government O
forces O
he O
saw O
accompanied O
by O
Ethiopian O
soldiers O
. O

" O
I O
saw O
government O
troops O
in O
north O
Mogadishu O
. O
They O
have O
fully O
entered O
the O
town O
. O
People O
were O
cheering O
and O
shouting O
that O
' O
Welcome O
our O
government O
' O
, O
" O
said O
Nur O
Dirie O
, O
another O
resident O

" O
I O
am O
telling O
you O
that O
I O
also O
saw O
Ethiopian O
forces O
enter O
, O
( O
they O
) O
are O
now B-T
in O
Suuqaholaha O
. O
They O
are O
eating O
banana O
and O
mangoes O
and O
I O
saw O
them O
do O
that O
, O
" O
Dirie O
added O
. O

" O
They O
have O
come O
, O
the O
Ethiopian O
troops O
! O
" O
exclaimed O
Saney O
Mumin O
, O
a O
resident O
said O
. O

" O
I O
counted O
50 O
Ethiopian O
armed O
vehicles O
. O
They O
are O
now O
Masnah O
military O
camp O
( O
in O
northern O
Mogadishu O
) O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

" O
I O
have O
seen O
some O
government O
troops O
who O
are O
uniformed O
enter O
parts O
of O
Suuqaholaha O
and O
El O
- O
arsid O
neighbourhood O
, O
" O
said O
Aweys O
Ibrahim O
, O
a O
resident O
of O
northern O
Mogadishu O
. O

" O
I O
never O
saw O
Ethiopians O
, O
but O
only O
government O
. O
" O

Mogadishu O
residents O
said O
the O
government O
forces O
had O
approached O
the O
city O
from O
the O
north O
, O
northwest O
and O
west O
, O
effective O
surrounding O
the O
capital O
by O
the O
land O
approaches O
. O

In O
Afgoye O
, O
Gedi O
started O
talks O
with O
elders O
and O
other O
local O
leaders O
, O
amid O
fears O
that O
the O
Islamists O
were O
planning O
to O
launch O
a O
guerrilla O
war O
, O
an O
AFP O
correspondent O
accompanying O
him O
reported O
. O

Gedi O
, O
who O
was O
carried O
by O
an O
Ethiopian O
helicopter O
, O
said O
he O
had O
no O
plans O
to O
meet O
Islamic O
Courts O
Union O
officials O
. O

Gedi O
arrived O
in O
this O
township O
accompanied O
by O
cabinet O
minister O
Hussein O
Aidid O
and O
police O
comissioner O
Ali O
Madobe O
, O
both O
former O
warlords O
who O
were O
routed O
from O
Mogadishu O
by O
the O
Islamists O
in O
June B-T
. O

Fighters O
backing O
the O
government O
took O
control O
of O
the O
international O
airport O
, O
the O
sea O
port O
and O
the O
presidential O
palace O
once O
Islamists O
had O
conducted O
a O
latest O
" O
tactical O
withdrawal O
" O
after O
Ethiopian O
troops O
and O
aircraft O
began O
attacking O
them O
on O
December B-T
20 I-T
. O

Relief O
workers O
said O
the O
Islamist O
leadership O
told O
them O
that O
their O
gunmen O
had O
been O
forced O
to O
split O
up O
into O
clan O
- O
based O
militia O
similar O
to O
those O
run O
by O
the O
warlords O
who O
held O
Mogadishu O
until O
they O
were O
routed O
in O
June B-T
and O
the O
Islamic O
Courts O
Union O
' O
s O
power O
spread O
over O
the O
south O
and O
centre O
of O
the O
country O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0172 O

VIENNA O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Muslims O
face O
discrimination O
in O
Europe O
: O
report O

Muslims O
in O
Europe O
face O
discrimination O
in O
education O
, O
employment O
and O
housing O
and O
are O
often O
victims O
of O
verbal O
abuse O
and O
physical O
attacks O
, O
a O
monitoring O
group O
reported O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
The O
report O
makes O
it O
clear O
that O
Muslims O
. O
. O
. O
frequently O
suffer O
different O
forms O
of O
discrimination O
which O
reduce O
their O
employment O
opportunities O
, O
and O
affect O
their O
educational O
achievement O
, O
" O
the O
director O
of O
the O
European O
Monitoring O
Centre O
on O
Racism O
and O
Xenophobia O
( O
EUMC O
) O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
" O
Muslims O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
: O
Discrimination O
and O
Islamophobia O
" O
report O
, O
published O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
said O
incidents O
against O
Muslims O
were O
" O
under O
- O
documented O
and O
under O
- O
reported O
" O
and O
called O
on O
European O
Union O
countries O
to O
improve O
their O
methods O
for O
reporting O
racist O
crimes O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0120 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0120 O
. O

Cineplex O
Chairman O
Drabinsky O
Considers O

@ O
Bid O
of O
$ O
666 O
Million O
to O
Acquire O
Company O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Suzanne O
McGee O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CPX O
MCA O
RANKY O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

RECREATION O
, O
ENTERTAINMENT O
, O
TOYS O
, O
MOVIES O
, O
PHOTOGRAPHY O
, O
SPORTS O
( O
REC O
) O

TORONTO O

Cineplex O
Odeon O
Corp O
. O
directors O
said O
the O
company O
' O
s O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
, O
Garth O
Drabinsky O
, O
is O
considering O
bidding O
780 O
. O
6 O
million O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
US O
$ O
666 O
million O
) O
to O
acquire O
the O
company O
. O

The O
board O
said O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
and O
Vice O
Chairman O
Myron O
Gottlieb O
are O
negotiating O
financing O
before O
offering O
C O
$ O
16 O
. O
40 O
a O
share O
to O
acquire O
all O
of O
Cineplex O
' O
s O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

The O
directors O
added O
that O
the O
two O
executives O
have O
n O
' O
t O
reached O
a O
final O
decision O
to O
proceed O
with O
a O
bid O
and O
that O
until O
an O
offer O
is O
made O
the O
board O
will O
continue O
seeking O
higher O
offers O
from O
other O
bidders O
. O

The O
directors O
said O
if O
Messrs O
. O

Drabinsky O
and O
Gottlieb O
mail O
an O
offer O
to O
shareholders O
by O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, O
it O
will O
reimburse O
them O
a O
maximum O
of O
C O
$ O
8 O
. O
5 O
million O
for O
expenses O
related O
to O
a O
bid O
. O

" O
We O
consider O
that O
his O
bid O
is O
an O
acceptable O
bid O
, O
" O
said O
Sandra O
Kolber O
, O
spokeswoman O
for O
the O
independent O
directors O
' O
committee O
appointed O
last B-T
May I-T
to O
solicit O
and O
review O
bids O
for O
the O
company O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
a O
dispute O
between O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
and O
Cineplex O
' O
s O
major O
shareholder O
, O
MCA O
Inc O
. O

MCA O
and O
Cineplex O
' O
s O
other O
major O
shareholder O
, O
Montreal O
- O
based O
financier O
Charles O
Bronfman O
and O
his O
associates O
, O
have O
agreed O
to O
tender O
their O
holdings O
to O
an O
offer O
by O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
unless O
a O
higher O
offer O
is O
made O
by O
another O
bidder O
. O

MCA O
holds O
half O
of O
Cineplex O
' O
s O
equity O
and O
33 O
% O
of O
its O
voting O
rights O
through O
restricted O
voting O
shares O
, O
while O
Bronfman O
interests O
hold O
about O
24 O
% O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
equity O
. O

Ms O
. O
Kolber O
said O
the O
committee O
had O
received O
other O
bids O
. O

She O
declined O
to O
identify O
other O
bidders O
but O
said O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
' O
s O
offer O
" O
is O
all O
cash O
, O
and O
it O
' O
s O
for O
all O
of O
the O
company O
. O
" O

Several O
Cineplex O
analysts O
have O
speculated O
that O
outside O
bids O
received O
by O
the O
committee O
were O
either O
disappointingly O
low O
or O
for O
only O
part O
of O
the O
company O
. O

" O
All O
this O
has O
really O
established O
is O
that O
MCA O
and O
the O
Bronfmans O
have O
agreed O
on O
a O
price O
at O
which O
they O
can O
be O
bought O
out O
, O
" O
said O
Jeffery O
Logsdon O
, O
an O
analyst O
with O
Crowell O
, O
Weedon O
in O
Los O
Angeles O
. O

" O
If O
a O
bid O
materializes O
at O
that O
price O
, O
shareholders O
will O
have O
every O
reason O
to O
be O
glad O
, O
but O
the O
question O
of O
financing O
still O
remains O
. O
" O

Last B-T
April I-T
, O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
and O
a O
group O
of O
financial O
backers O
planned O
to O
acquire O
up O
to O
30 O
. O
2 O
% O
of O
Cineplex O
for O
C O
$ O
17 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
from O
Bronfman O
associates O
. O

Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
, O
who O
would O
have O
had O
the O
right O
to O
vote O
those O
shares O
for O
two B-T
years I-T
, O
said O
the O
purchase O
, O
subsequently O
rejected O
by O
regulators O
, O
was O
aimed O
at O
consolidating O
his O
control O
of O
the O
company O
. O

MCA O
strongly O
opposed O
the O
Drabinsky O
group O
' O
s O
move O
. O

The O
directors O
did O
n O
' O
t O
indicate O
the O
source O
of O
financing O
for O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
' O
s O
new O
proposal O
, O
but O
said O
MCA O
and O
the O
Bronfman O
associates O
agreed O
in O
principle O
to O
buy O
for O
$ O
57 O
million O
and O
then O
lease O
back O
to O
Cineplex O
its O
18 O
- O
screen O
theater O
complex O
in O
Universal O
City O
, O
Calif O
. O
, O
if O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
succeeds O
in O
an O
offer O
. O

" O
This O
is O
being O
done O
at O
the O
suggestion O
of O
{ O
Mr O
. O

Drabinsky O
} O
and O
to O
accommodate O
him O
, O
to O
facilitate O
his O
financing O
arrangements O
, O
" O
Ms O
. O
Kolber O
said O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
the O
directors O
said O
if O
a O
bid O
by O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
is O
successful O
, O
Cineplex O
expects O
Rank O
Organisation O
PLC O
to O
acquire O
the O
51 O
% O
of O
Cineplex O
' O
s O
Film O
House O
unit O
it O
doesn O
' O
t O
own O
, O
and O
provide O
Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
with O
additional O
loan O
financing O
. O

Michael O
Gifford O
, O
Rank O
' O
s O
chief O
executive O
, O
said O
the O
British O
theater O
chain O
' O
s O
total O
involvement O
" O
would O
n O
' O
t O
exceed O
$ O
100 O
million O
" O
but O
declined O
to O
give O
a O
breakdown O
between O
the O
loan O
financing O
and O
the O
proposed O
Film O
House O
purchase O
. O

Cineplex O
shareholders O
responded O
coolly O
to O
yesterday B-T
' O
s O
announcement O
. O

In O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
Cineplex O
closed O
at O
$ O
11 O
, O
down O
25 O
cents O
, O
with O
more O
than O
a O
million O
shares O
changing O
hands O
. O

On O
the O
Toronto O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
Cineplex O
closed O
at O
C O
$ O
12 O
. O
875 O
, O
off O
37 O
. O
5 O
Canadian O
cents O
, O
well O
below O
the O
C O
$ O
16 O
. O
40 O
level O
. O

" O
Where O
' O
s O
the O
bid O
? O
" O
asked O
Pierre O
Panet O
- O
Raymond O
, O
an O
analyst O
and O
broker O
with O
Toronto O
securities O
dealer O
McDermid O
St O
. O
Lawrence O
Ltd O
. O
Mr O
. O
Panet O
- O
Raymond O
said O
he O
does O
n O
' O
t O
think O
Messrs O
. O

Drabinsky O
and O
Gottlieb O
are O
" O
anywhere O
close O
" O
to O
arranging O
financing O
and O
that O
investors O
will O
need O
a O
solid O
offer O
before O
the O
stock O
begins O
to O
rise O
again O
. O

Mr O
. O
Drabinsky O
could O
n O
' O
t O
be O
reached O
for O
comment O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0239 O

VAL O
GARDENA O
, O
Italy O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

URGENT O
Grugger O
wins O
World O
Cup O
Super O
- O
G O
in O
Italy O

Austria O
' O
s O
Hans O
Grugger O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
Super O
- O
G O
race O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
ahead O
of O
Canadian O
Erik O
Guay O
and O
Ambrosi O
Hoffmann O
of O
Switzerland O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0041 O

URUMQI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Special O
loan O
support O
provided O
to O
help O
fight O
bird O
flu O
in O
Xinjiang O

China O
Development O
Bank O
( O
CDB O
) O
Xinjiang O
Branch O
announced O
Thursday B-T
that O
it O
had O
provided O
Urumqi O
, O
one O
of O
the O
two O
counties O
reported O
with O
bird O
flu O
case O
in O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
, O
northwest O
China O
, O
with O
5 O
million O
yuan O
( O
616 O
, O
500 O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
emergency O
loan O
to O
combat O
the O
avian O
pandemic O
there O
. O

Hao O
Gang O
, O
deputy O
head O
of O
the O
office O
with O
the O
CDB O
Xinjiang O
Branch O
, O
said O
they O
were O
also O
discussing O
details O
of O
providing O
emergency O
loans O
to O
Zepu O
County O
, O
the O
other O
county O
in O
Xinjiang O
also O
spotted O
with O
bird O
flu O
case O
, O
with O
representatives O
of O
the O
relevant O
county O
departments O
. O

By O
August B-T
, O
CDB O
has O
granted O
260 O
million O
yuan O
of O
short O
- O
term O
emergency O
loans O
across O
China O
since O
the B-T
latter I-T
half I-T
of I-T
2003 I-T
, O
when O
it O
began O
granting O
loan O
support O
to O
meet O
a O
urgent O
demand O
cropping O
up O
in O
infrastructure O
, O
basic O
industries O
, O
backbone O
industries O
and O
its O
supportive O
projects O
following O
various O
kinds O
of O
emergencies O
. O

The O
Chinese O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
( O
MOA O
) O
Tuesday O
disclosed O
that O
China O
' O
s O
National O
Avian O
Flu O
Reference O
Laboratory O
had O
found O
the O
deadly O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
the O
dead O
fowls O
sent O
from O
some O
family O
farms O
in O
Zepu O
and O
Urumqi O
counties O
, O
both O
in O
southern O
Xinjiang O
. O

In O
the O
two O
counties O
hit O
by O
the O
bird O
flu O
pandemic O
, O
322 O
, O
500 O
domestic O
fowls O
within O
a O
radius O
of O
three O
km O
have O
been O
culled O
, O
and O
poultry O
and O
products O
markets O
within O
10 O
kms O
have O
been O
closed O
, O
said O
the O
ministry O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0222 O

NANJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

River O

Provinces O
and O
municipalities O
along O
the O
Yangtze O
River O
should O
cooperate O
to O
modernize O
the O
world O
' O
s O
third O
longest O
river O
, O
said O
Chinese O
Vice O
Premier O
Huang O
Ju O
. O

The O
improved O
shipping O
capacity O
of O
the O
river O
, O
which O
links O
west O
, O
central O
and O
east O
China O
, O
would O
contribute O
greatly O
to O
social O
and O
economic O
development O
, O
said O
Huang O
in O
a O
written O
instruction O
on O
the O
waterway O
construction O
. O

The O
Yangtze O
River O
runs O
through O
the O
Shanghai O
and O
Chongqing O
municipalities O
, O
as O
well O
as O
Sichuan O
, O
Yunnan O
, O
Hubei O
, O
Hunan O
, O
Jiangxi O
, O
Anhui O
and O
Jiangsu O
provinces O
. O

The O
government O
will O
invest O
15 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
875 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
the O
2006 B-T
- I-T
2010 I-T
period O
to O
build O
the O
Yangtze O
waterway O
, O
the O
Communications O
Ministry O
announced O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
money O
will O
be O
mainly O
used O
for O
waterway O
management O
, O
port O
construction O
, O
shipbuilding O
standardization O
and O
shipping O
security O
projects O
. O

The O
turnover O
of O
containers O
at O
ports O
along O
the O
Yangtze O
River O
was O
estimated O
to O
grow O
by O
30 O
percent O
, O
according O
to O
the O
ministry O
. O

China O
' O
s O
fast O
economic O
growth O
, O
shortages O
of O
energy O
and O
resources O
and O
increasing O
environmental O
pressure O
have O
made O
water O
transport O
a O
favored O
choice O
because O
of O
the O
low O
cost O
, O
low O
energy O
consumption O
, O
low O
pollution O
and O
high O
handling O
capacity O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0290 O

GLASGOW O
, O
Dec B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Martin O
Stirling O

Celtic O
captain O
Neil O
Lennon O
could O
be O
facing O
a O
lengthy O
suspension O
after O
being O
sent O
off O
during O
his O
side O
' O
s O
1 O
- O
0 O
victory O
at O
home O
to O
Falkirk O
. O

The O
Northern O
Irish O
midfielder O
was O
giving O
his O
marching O
orders O
for O
allegedly O
head O
- O
butting O
the O
Bairns O
' O
on O
- O
loan O
Arsenal O
striker O
Anthony O
Stokes O
- O
ironically O
after O
winning O
an O
injury O
time O
penalty O
. O

Following O
the O
red O
card O
from O
referee O
Iain O
Brines O
, O
Lennon O
flung O
his O
captain O
' O
s O
armband O
onto O
the O
pitch O
before O
facing O
up O
to O
assistant O
referee O
Neil O
Brand O
, O
who O
had O
flagged O
to O
draw O
attention O
to O
the O
clash O
between O
him O
and O
Stokes O
, O
and O
screamed O
his O
displeasure O
at O
the O
official O
. O

He O
then O
kicked O
the O
ground O
as O
he O
marched O
up O
the O
tunnel O
. O

In O
addition O
to O
an O
automatic O
one O
game O
suspension O
, O
Lennon O
could O
face O
a O
further O
punishment O
after O
Celtic O
manager O
Gordon O
Strachan O
revealed O
the O
referee O
would O
include O
Lennon O
' O
s O
angry O
departure O
in O
his O
report O
. O

" O
We O
were O
both O
called O
to O
the O
referee O
' O
s O
room O
but O
I O
was O
only O
there O
to O
listen O
. O
I O
won O
' O
t O
say O
what O
went O
on O
as O
that O
is O
up O
to O
the O
referee O
and O
it O
will O
be O
in O
his O
report O
, O
" O
said O
Strachan O
. O

" O
It O
was O
a O
stupid O
incident O
but O
I O
' O
m O
not O
saying O
Neil O
was O
stupid O
and O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
actually O
see O
what O
happened O
. O

" O
To O
be O
honest O
I O
don O
' O
t O
know O
why O
he O
became O
too O
agitated O
as O
we O
had O
won O
the O
penalty O
and O
were O
winning O
. O

" O
But O
he O
' O
s O
not O
been O
called O
a O
diver O
too O
often O
in O
his O
career O
as O
he O
' O
s O
not O
really O
the O
type O
of O
player O
to O
be O
driving O
into O
the O
opposition O
' O
s O
box O
so O
I O
think O
the O
Falkirk O
players O
' O
response O
to O
the O
referee O
' O
s O
decision O
upset O
him O
. O
" O

Strachan O
also O
revealed O
the O
Falkirk O
player O
involved O
in O
the O
incident O
had O
backed O
Lennon O
. O

" O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
see O
the O
sending O
off O
so O
other O
people O
will O
need O
to O
fill O
me O
in O
but O
by O
all O
accounts O
from O
what O
I O
am O
hearing O
from O
some O
of O
the O
other O
coaches O
the O
two O
boys O
met O
with O
their O
heads O
together O
, O
" O
said O
the O
former O
Aberdeen O
, O
Manchester O
United O
and O
Scotland O
midfielder O
. O

" O
But O
the O
word O
I O
' O
m O
hearing O
from O
the O
Falkirk O
dressing O
room O
is O
the O
boy O
Stokes O
says O
he O
hardly O
touched O
him O
and O
it O
was O
not O
a O
sending O
off O
. O
I O
can O
only O
take O
his O
word O
for O
it O
. O
" O

Strachan O
himself O
had O
looked O
to O
have O
been O
raging O
at O
the O
referee O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
send O
Lennon O
off O
but O
denied O
he O
was O
having O
a O
go O
at O
Brines O
. O

" O
I O
was O
agitated O
but O
I O
was O
agitated O
at O
some O
of O
the O
things O
we O
were O
doing O
as O
well O
, O
so O
there O
was O
nothing O
to O
it O
, O
" O
said O
Strachan O
. O

Despite O
the O
controversial O
end O
to O
the O
match O
, O
the O
victory O
- O
courtesy O
of O
a O
superb O
strike O
from O
Danish O
midfielder O
Thomas O
Gravesen O
- O
stretched O
Celtic O
' O
s O
lead O
at O
the O
top O
of O
the O
Scottish O
Premier O
League O
to O
16 O
points O
. O

The O
only O
goal O
, O
in O
what O
was O
an O
evenly O
balanced O
match O
, O
arrived O
in O
the B-T
24th I-T
minute I-T
with O
a O
stunning O
strike O
from O
the O
former O
Real O
Madrid O
midfielder O
. O

Gravesen O
won O
the O
ball O
on O
the O
edge O
of O
Falkirk O
' O
s O
box O
and O
sent O
a O
curling O
right O
- O
foot O
shot O
from O
20 O
- O
yards O
beyond O
Australian O
goalkeeper O
Scott O
Higgins O
into O
the O
top O
corner O
of O
the O
net O
. O

In O
injury O
time O
Celtic O
won O
a O
penalty O
after O
Lennon O
appeared O
to O
be O
fouled O
by O
Kenny O
Milne O
- O
sparking O
a O
furious O
reaction O
from O
the O
Falkirk O
players O
who O
believed O
the O
Northern O
Irishman O
had O
dived O
. O

Lennon O
reacted O
and O
appeared O
to O
push O
his O
head O
into O
the O
face O
of O
Stokes O
and O
referee O
Brines O
showed O
him O
a O
straight O
red O
card O
. O

After O
all O
that O
Kenny O
Miller O
, O
who O
had O
replaced O
Polish O
striker O
Maciej O
Zurawski O
in O
the B-T
72nd I-T
minute I-T
, O
missed O
from O
the O
spot O
, O
smashing O
the O
ball O
off O
the O
post O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
Rangers O
defeated O
Aberdeen O
2 O
- O
1 O
at O
Pittodrie O
to O
leapfrog O
the O
Dons O
into O
second O
place O
. O

First O
half O
goals O
from O
Spanish O
striker O
Nacho O
Novo O
and O
Czech O
midfielder O
Libor O
Sionko O
gave O
Paul O
Le O
Guen O
' O
s O
side O
all O
three O
points O
despite O
Stevie O
Lovell O
' O
s O
late O
consolation O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061216 O
. O
0438 O

GAZA O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
identity O
of O
victim O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
member O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
presidential O
guard O
was O
killed O
and O
several O
others O
injured O
Sunday B-T
in O
a O
clash O
with O
supporters O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
ruling O
party O
Hamas O
, O
medical O
and O
security O
officials O
said O
. O

A O
security O
official O
said O
Hamas O
members O
tried O
to O
storm O
a O
southern O
Gaza O
training O
camp O
for O
the O
presidential O
guard O
, O
which O
Hamas O
has O
accused O
of O
targeting O
prime O
minister O
Ismail O
Haniya O
on O
Thursday B-T
by O
firing O
on O
his O
convoy O
. O

One O
of O
Haniya O
' O
s O
bodyguards O
was O
killed O
and O
one O
of O
his O
sons O
injured O
in O
the O
crossfire O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
security O
official O
said O
one O
member O
of O
the O
guard O
was O
killed O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
clash O
, O
which O
involved O
automatic O
weapons O
and O
rocket O
- O
propelled O
grenades O
. O

Witnesses O
told O
AFP O
there O
were O
explosions O
and O
intense O
exchanges O
of O
gunfire O
. O
Hamas O
officials O
were O
not O
immediately O
available O
for O
comment O
. O

Fatah O
- O
backed O
Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
called O
Saturday B-T
for O
early O
elections O
to O
resolve O
the O
political O
standoff O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
, O
but O
Hamas O
rejected O
the O
move O
as O
a O
" O
coup O
d O
' O
etat O
" O
. O

The O
Palestinians O
have O
been O
suffering O
from O
an O
aid O
freeze O
as O
the O
West O
considers O
Hamas O
to O
be O
a O
terrorist O
organisation O
. O
The O
ruling O
Islamists O
have O
refused O
to O
agree O
to O
renounce O
violence O
, O
recognise O
Israel O
and O
accept O
past O
peace O
deals O
. O

A O
Palestinian O
boy O
was O
shot O
dead O
and O
at O
least O
18 O
others O
wounded O
late B-T
Saturday I-T
as O
thousands O
of O
armed O
loyalists O
from O
both O
sides O
, O
some O
of O
them O
masked O
, O
took O
to O
the O
streets O
of O
Gaza O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0159 O

BARCELONA O
, O
SPAIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
, O
Mediterranean O
leaders O
to O
re O
- O
launch O
Barcelona O
Process O

Leaders O
from O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
and O
Mediterranean O
states O
are O
gathering O
in O
Spanish O
city O
Barcelona O
on O
Sunday B-T
for O
a O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
which O
would O
try O
to O
re O
- O
launch O
the O
Barcelona O
Process O
. O

In O
spite O
of O
ambitious O
declarations O
signed O
in O
Barcelona O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
there O
is O
little O
tangible O
progress O
of O
the O
so O
- O
called O
Barcelona O
Process O
in O
its O
first B-T
10 I-T
years I-T
. O

According O
to O
EU O
officials O
, O
the O
summit O
will O
seek O
to O
overcome O
divisions O
between O
the O
two O
shores O
of O
the O
Mediterranean O
and O
agree O
a O
" O
Declaration O
on O
a O
shared O
vision O
" O
and O
a O
five O
- O
year O
work O
program O
. O

The O
EU O
leaders O
also O
try O
to O
focus O
two O
controversial O
issues O
: O
terrorism O
and O
immigration O
. O
The O
code O
of O
conduct O
on O
combating O
terrorism O
is O
likely O
to O
be O
the O
topic O
most O
hotly O
debated O
. O
Meanwhile O
, O
the O
EU O
also O
try O
to O
seek O
promises O
from O
its O
Arabic O
neighbors O
to O
prevent O
illegal O
immigration O
. O

The O
EU O
is O
determined O
to O
secure O
a O
solemn O
commitment O
from O
its O
partners O
on O
a O
document O
taking O
up O
the O
United O
Nations O
' O
definition O
of O
terrorism O
and O
closing O
all O
legal O
loopholes O
available O
to O
terrorists O
. O

This O
remains O
a O
sensitive O
issue O
for O
certain O
Arab O
governments O
, O
especially O
in O
the O
context O
of O
the O
Israeli O
- O
Palestinian O
conflict O
. O

The O
EU O
is O
also O
keen O
to O
place O
the O
issue O
of O
migration O
at O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
EuroMed O
partnership O
in O
future O
at O
the O
risk O
of O
facing O
resistance O
from O
certain O
partners O
. O
Failing O
concrete O
results O
, O
the O
EU O
hopes O
the O
summit O
will O
define O
a O
" O
shared O
vision O
" O
to O
give O
" O
fresh O
impetus O
" O
to O
the O
issue O
. O

However O
, O
with O
nearly O
all O
Arabic O
leaders O
, O
including O
Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
, O
Syrian O
President O
Bashar O
al O
- O
Assad O
, O
Moroccan O
King O
Mohamed O
VI O
and O
Jordan O
' O
s O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
, O
absent O
from O
the O
meeting O
, O
major O
announcements O
are O
unlikely O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0284 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

O O
' O
Neal O
may O
miss O
2 O
- O
4 O
weeks O
with O
sprained O
ankle O

Shaquille O
O O
' O
Neal O
may O
miss O
two O
to O
four B-T
weeks I-T
with O
a O
sprained O
right O
ankle O
during O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
team O
loss O
to O
Indiana O
in O
Miami O
. O

O O
' O
Neal O
, O
who O
flew O
with O
his O
team O
to O
Milwaukee O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
learned O
results O
of O
an O
MRI O
exam O
performed O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
. O

The O
12 O
- O
time O
All O
- O
Star O
was O
getting O
in O
position O
for O
an O
offensive O
rebound O
when O
he O
stepped O
on O
Ron O
Artest O
' O
s O
foot O
and O
rolled O
the O
ankle O
midway O
through O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
of O
the O
Heat O
' O
s O
102 O
- O
105 O
loss O
. O
X O
- O
rays O
did O
not O
reveal O
a O
fracture O
, O
but O
O O
' O
Neal O
left O
the O
arena O
on O
crutches O
. O

The O
Heat O
will O
turn O
to O
Alonzo O
Mourning O
to O
start O
at O
center O
, O
with O
undrafted O
rookie O
Earl O
Barron O
the O
likely O
choice O
to O
be O
the O
first O
center O
off O
the O
bench O
. O

" O
You O
never O
want O
one O
of O
your O
best O
players O
going O
down O
with O
an O
injury O
, O
" O
Van O
Gundy O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O
" O
It O
' O
s O
all O
also O
part O
of O
the O
game O
. O
We O
' O
re O
already O
dealing O
with O
three O
veteran O
guys O
out O
, O
now B-T
a O
fourth O
veteran O
guy O
out O
, O
so O
some O
of O
these O
young O
guys O
are O
going O
to O
have O
to O
step O
up O
and O
play O
. O
" O

James O
Posey O
will O
probably O
miss O
a O
few O
more O
games O
because O
of O
an O
injured O
thumb O
, O
reserve O
forward O
Shandon O
Anderson O
has O
been O
sidelined O
by O
back O
spasms O
and O
isn O
' O
t O
traveling O
with O
the O
team O
and O
backup O
center O
Michael O
Doleac O
hasn O
' O
t O
made O
his O
season O
debut O
yet O
because O
of O
an O
injured O
calf O
. O

O O
' O
Neal O
averaged O
15 O
points O
and O
six O
rebounds O
in O
Miami O
' O
s O
first O
two O
games O
. O
He O
missed O
nine O
regular O
- O
season O
games O
and O
two O
playoff O
games O
last B-T
year I-T
because O
of O
various O
injuries O
. O
The O
Heat O
went O
8 O
- O
3 O
without O
O O
' O
Neal O
last B-T
season I-T
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0069 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0069 O
. O

Young O
' O
s O
Market O
Co O
. O
to O
Merge O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

LOS O
ANGELES O

Young O
' O
s O
Market O
Co O
. O
, O
a O
wholesaler O
of O
spirits O
, O
wines O
and O
other O
goods O
, O
said O
it O
will O
merge O
with O
a O
new O
corporation O
formed O
by O
the O
Underwood O
family O
, O
which O
controls O
Young O
' O
s O
. O

Under O
terms O
of O
the O
agreement O
, O
shareholders O
other O
than O
the O
Underwoods O
will O
receive O
$ O
3 O
, O
500 O
a O
share O
at O
closing O
, O
which O
is O
expected O
in O
December B-T
. O

The O
Underwood O
family O
said O
that O
holders O
of O
more O
than O
a O
majority O
of O
the O
stock O
of O
the O
company O
have O
approved O
the O
transaction O
by O
written O
consent O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0040 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0040 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Intelogic O
Trace O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Shareholder O
Sells O
18 O
% O
Stake O

@ O
In O
$ O
9 O
. O
9 O
Million O
Buy O
- O
Back O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

IT O
DPC O

BUYBACKS O
, O
REDEMPTIONS O
, O
SWAP O
OFFERS O
( O
BBK O
) O

Intelogic O
Trace O
Inc O
. O
, O
San O
Antonio O
, O
Texas O
, O
said O
it O
bought O
2 O
. O
7 O
million O
shares O
, O
or O
about O
18 O
% O
, O
of O
its O
common O
stock O
from O
an O
unaffiliated O
shareholder O
for O
$ O
3 O
. O
625 O
a O
share O
, O
or O
$ O
9 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

The O
move O
boosts O
Intelogic O
Chairman O
Asher O
Edelman O
' O
s O
stake O
to O
20 O
% O
from O
16 O
. O
2 O
% O
and O
may O
help O
prevent O
Martin O
Ackerman O
from O
making O
a O
run O
at O
the O
computer O
- O
services O
concern O
. O

Mr O
. O
Ackerman O
already O
is O
seeking O
to O
oust O
Mr O
. O
Edelman O
as O
chairman O
of O
Datapoint O
Corp O
. O
, O
an O
Intelogic O
affiliate O
. O

The O
action O
followed O
by O
one B-T
day I-T
an O
Intelogic O
announcement O
that O
it O
will O
retain O
an O
investment O
banker O
to O
explore O
alternatives O
" O
to O
maximize O
shareholder O
value O
, O
" O
including O
the O
possible O
sale O
of O
the O
company O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
yesterday B-T
, O
Intelogic O
shares O
rose O
37 O
. O
5 O
cents O
to O
close O
at O
$ O
2 O
. O
75 O
. O

Mr O
. O
Edelman O
declined O
to O
specify O
what O
prompted O
the O
recent O
moves O
, O
saying O
they O
are O
meant O
only O
to O
benefit O
shareholders O
when O
" O
the O
company O
is O
on O
a O
roll O
. O
" O

He O
added O
, O
" O
This O
has O
nothing O
to O
do O
with O
Marty O
Ackerman O
and O
it O
is O
not O
designed O
, O
particularly O
, O
to O
take O
the O
company O
private O
. O
" O

But O
Mr O
. O
Ackerman O
said O
the O
buy O
- O
back O
, O
and O
the O
above O
- O
market O
price O
paid O
, O
prove O
that O
Mr O
. O
Edelman O
is O
running O
scared O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0127 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

German O
government O
expresses O
confidence O
in O
Siemens O
directors O

German O
Economy O
Minister O
Michael O
Glos O
said O
in O
a O
newspaper O
interview O
Monday B-T
that O
he O
had O
full O
confidence O
in O
the O
management O
of O
engineering O
giant O
Siemens O
, O
currently O
at O
the O
centre O
of O
a O
bribery O
and O
embezzlement O
probe O
. O

" O
I O
still O
have O
every O
confidence O
in O
Siemens O
' O
management O
, O
" O
Glos O
told O
the O
daily O
Frankfurter O
Allgemeine O
Zeitung O
. O

But O
he O
added O
: O
" O
The O
case O
of O
Siemens O
is O
very O
unfortunate O
and O
clearly O
shows O
that O
many O
control O
instruments O
either O
weren O
' O
t O
installed O
or O
didn O
' O
t O
function O
. O
" O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
prosecutors O
launched O
a O
massive O
probe O
at O
Siemens O
, O
raiding O
the O
offices O
and O
homes O
of O
a O
number O
of O
Siemens O
employees O
amid O
suspicions O
of O
embezzlement O
, O
bribery O
and O
tax O
evasion O
. O

Prosecutors O
allege O
that O
the O
employees O
concerned O
are O
suspected O
of O
collaborating O
to O
open O
slush O
fund O
accounts O
abroad O
and O
of O
operating O
a O
system O
to O
embezzle O
company O
money O
. O

Prosecutors O
put O
the O
sum O
held O
in O
the O
accounts O
at O
200 O
million O
euros O
( O
262 O
million O
dollars O
) O
and O
some O
of O
that O
money O
may O
have O
been O
used O
as O
bribes O
to O
obtain O
contracts O
abroad O
. O

A O
number O
of O
arrest O
warrants O
were O
issued O
against O
seven O
current O
and O
former O
employees O
, O
two O
of O
whom O
have O
since O
been O
released O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
Munich O
prosecutor O
' O
s O
office O
announced O
that O
Thomas O
Ganswindt O
, O
former O
head O
of O
Siemens O
' O
information O
and O
communications O
unit O
, O
had O
been O
detained O
as O
part O
of O
the O
investigation O
. O

In O
a O
weekend O
newspaper O
interview O
, O
Siemens O
supervisory O
board O
chief O
Heinrich O
von O
Pierer O
said O
he O
had O
no O
intention O
of O
stepping O
down O
over O
the O
deepening O
scandal O
. O

" O
I O
will O
not O
resign O
. O
For O
me O
, O
the O
question O
doesn O
' O
t O
arise O
, O
because O
I O
have O
nothing O
to O
feel O
guilty O
about O
, O
" O
von O
Pierer O
told O
the O
Welt O
am O
Sonntag O
newspaper O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0152 O

BONN O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
German O
growth O
of O
2 O
. O
25 O
- O
2 O
. O
75 O
percent O
seen O
in O
1997 O
- O
98 O

The O
German O
economy O
will O
grow O
by O
2 O
. O
25 O
percent O
in O
1997 B-T
and O
2 O
. O
75 O
percent O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
six O
leading O
economic O
institutes O
said O
in O
their O
spring O
report O
published O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
institutes O
' O
prediction O
is O
in O
line O
with O
government O
estimates O
. O

Germany O
' O
s O
gross O
domestic O
product O
( O
GDP O
) O
grew O
by O
1 O
. O
4 O
percent O
in O
1996 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0131 O

CHANGSHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

case O

Experts O
from O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
and O
China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Public O
Health O
praised O
the O
Hunan O
Provincial O
Children O
' O
s O
Hospital O
here O
Tuesday B-T
for O
its O
successful O
cure O
of O
a O
suspicious O
case O
of O
pneumonia O
. O

A O
nine B-T
year I-T
old O
boy O
and O
his O
sister O
developed O
symptoms O
of O
pneumonia O
in O
xianggang O
county O
, O
central O
- O
south O
Hunan O
province O
, O
last B-T
month I-T
after O
eating O
a O
chicken O
that O
had O
died O
of O
bird O
flu O
. O
A O
36 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
male O
was O
also O
diagnosed O
with O
pneumonia O
at O
around O
the O
same O
time O
. O
Only O
the O
boy O
and O
the O
man O
survived O
. O

Both O
brother O
and O
sister O
were O
sent O
to O
the O
Hunan O
Provincial O
Children O
' O
s O
Hospital O
. O
The O
twelve O
- O
year O
- O
old O
girl O
died O
on O
her O
second B-T
day I-T
in O
the O
hospital O
. O
Her O
brother O
surnamed O
He O
, O
left O
hospital O
on O
November B-T
12 I-T
. O

" O
We O
must O
congratulate O
the O
hospital O
on O
curing O
the O
nine O
- O
year O
- O
old O
boy O
. O
That O
is O
really O
an O
exciting O
piece O
of O
news O
, O
" O
said O
Julie O
Hall O
, O
WHO O
' O
s O
permanent O
inspector O
in O
Beijing O
, O
who O
led O
a O
five O
- O
member O
panel O
to O
Hunan O
. O

Hall O
said O
the O
panel O
together O
with O
Chinese O
experts O
from O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Public O
Health O
will O
collect O
disease O
samples O
and O
data O
from O
the O
other O
two O
pneumonia O
patients O
. O

" O
We O
will O
upload O
the O
treatment O
and O
some O
related O
information O
into O
the O
database O
of O
the O
WHO O
for O
further O
studies O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Public O
Health O
reported O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
that O
the O
pneumonia O
among O
the O
three O
had O
unknown O
causes O
, O
and O
that O
H5N1 O
virus O
could O
not O
be O
ruled O
out O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0337 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Lebanese O
leaders O
condemn O
killing O
of O
industry O
minister O

Lebanese O
political O
and O
religionary O
leaders O
Tuesday B-T
voiced O
condemnation O
on O
the O
assassination O
of O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
Industry O
Minister O
Pierre O
Gemayel O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
. O

Gemayel O
was O
killed O
by O
a O
gunshot O
on O
the O
head O
when O
his O
convoy O
was O
attacked O
on O
a O
street O
in O
Jedeide O
, O
about O
15 O
km O
northeast O
from O
Beirut O
. O

Following O
the O
killing O
of O
34 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Gemayel O
, O
who O
was O
also O
a O
Christian O
leader O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
son O
of O
former O
president O
Amin O
Gemayel O
, O
Lebanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Fouad O
Seniora O
said O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
that O
the O
murder O
of O
the O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
minister O
" O
will O
not O
terrorize O
us O
" O
and O
" O
we O
will O
not O
let O
the O
criminal O
killers O
control O
our O
fate O
. O
" O

The O
prime O
minister O
called O
for O
unity O
in O
the O
deeply O
divided O
country O
and O
pledged O
that O
his O
government O
will O
take O
up O
all O
its O
responsibilities O
to O
protect O
the O
interests O
of O
the O
people O
. O

He O
said O
that O
the O
country O
was O
more O
determined O
to O
set O
up O
the O
international O
tribunal O
for O
assassinations O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
killing O
of O
Gemayel O
. O

The O
Gemayel O
assassination O
" O
increases O
our O
determination O
to O
see O
the O
creation O
of O
the O
international O
tribunal O
" O
to O
try O
suspects O
in O
the O
2005 B-T
murder O
of O
former O
premier O
Rafiq O
Hariri O
, O
said O
Seniora O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Lebanese O
President O
Emile O
Lahoud O
called O
on O
the O
Lebanese O
people O
to O
unite O
and O
start O
dialogue O
to O
overcome O
political O
stalemate O
. O

Lahoud O
described O
the O
killing O
of O
Gemayel O
as O
" O
a O
conspiracy O
that O
started O
with O
the O
assassination O
of O
former O
premier O
Rafiq O
Hariri O
. O
" O

Former O
Prime O
Minister O
Rafik O
Hariri O
, O
also O
a O
prominent O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
political O
figure O
, O
was O
killed O
in O
a O
suicide O
bombing O
in O
February B-T
2005 I-T
, O
which O
led O
to O
rising O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
waves O
and O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
Syrian O
troops O
from O
Lebanon O
. O

Nabih O
Berri O
, O
the O
parliament O
speaker O
, O
said O
the O
murder O
of O
Gemayel O
was O
an O
action O
against O
the O
Lebanese O
state O
and O
government O
by O
undermining O
stability O
and O
security O
of O
the O
country O
. O

Berri O
also O
expressed O
deep O
condolence O
to O
family O
of O
the O
deceased O
, O
vowing O
to O
do O
all O
he O
could O
to O
hunt O
down O
those O
behind O
the O
killing O
of O
Gemayel O
and O
other O
officials O
in O
Lebanon O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Lebanese O
Sunni O
Mufti O
Sheikh O
Mohammad O
Rasheed O
Qabbani O
also O
denounced O
the O
assassination O
of O
Gemayel O
. O

" O
The O
assassination O
of O
Pierre O
Gemayel O
amid O
circumstances O
of O
tension O
and O
defiance O
currently O
being O
observed O
in O
the O
country O
was O
a O
severe O
blow O
to O
all O
those O
who O
wished O
that O
the O
situations O
could O
not O
reach O
to O
this O
extent O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Describing O
Gemayel O
as O
one O
of O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
national O
figures O
, O
Free O
Patriotic O
Movement O
leader O
Michel O
Aoun O
, O
a O
Christian O
opposition O
leader O
, O
also O
denounced O
the O
assassination O
crime O
. O

Gemayel O
was O
the O
fifth O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
figure O
to O
be O
killed O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
years I-T
. O

Lebanon O
has O
witnessed O
a O
series O
of O
blasts O
since O
February B-T
2005 I-T
when O
former O
premier O
Rafik O
Hariri O
was O
killed O
in O
a O
deadly O
bombing O
attack O
. O
The O
most O
recent O
assassination O
was O
the O
killing O
of O
journalist O
Gebran O
Tueni O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0198 O

MADRID O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

quarter O
profits O

Spain O
' O
s O
largest O
airline O
Iberia O
netted O
372 O
. O
6 O
million O
euros O
( O
436 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
profits O
, O
a O
multi O
- O
fold O
increase O
over O
the O
same O
period O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
national O
carrier O
' O
s O
report O
released O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
eye O
- O
catching O
surge O
against O
87 O
. O
9 O
million O
euros O
( O
103 O
million O
dollars O
) O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
was O
largely O
linked O
to O
extraordinary O
gains O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
its O
stake O
in O
travel O
reservations O
company O
Amadeus O
. O

The O
report O
put O
Iberia O
' O
s O
revenue O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
at O
1 O
. O
98 O
billion O
euros O
( O
2 O
. O
32 O
billion O
dollar O
) O
, O
up O
from O
1 O
. O
29 O
billion O
euros O
( O
1 O
. O
51 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
key O
occupation O
rate O
hit O
a O
record O
high O
in O
October B-T
, O
when O
its O
passenger O
load O
factor O
reached O
80 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
representing O
a O
rise O
of O
3 O
percentage O
points O
from O
the O
same B-T
month I-T
of I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
rise O
was O
backed O
by O
solid O
increases O
in O
passenger O
occupation O
rates O
at O
Iberia O
' O
s O
intercontinental O
flights O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0377 O

HEBRON O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Deadly O
violence O
flares O
after O
disappointing O
Israeli O
- O
US O
peace O
summit O
by O
Samih O
Chahin O

Two O
Palestinians O
were O
killed O
Tuesday B-T
in O
clashes O
with O
Israeli O
settlers O
and O
soldiers O
in O
Hebron O
after O
an O
Israeli O
- O
US O
summit O
meeting O
failed O
to O
offer O
hope O
for O
a O
quick O
end O
to O
the O
Mideast O
peace O
crisis O
. O

The O
violence O
began O
when O
two O
Israeli O
settlers O
killed O
a O
Palestinian O
with O
submachinegun O
fire O
in O
Hebron O
' O
s O
central O
market O
after O
they O
said O
the O
man O
attacked O
them O
with O
tear O
gas O
spray O
, O
police O
said O
. O

The O
settlers O
were O
detained O
by O
Israeli O
police O
. O

Several O
hundred O
angry O
Palestinians O
responded O
to O
the O
killing O
by O
throwing O
stones O
and O
firebombs O
at O
Israeli O
soldiers O
, O
drawing O
volleys O
of O
rubber O
bullets O
that O
killed O
a O
second O
man O
and O
wounded O
more O
than O
80 O
, O
one O
critically O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Palestinian O
hospital O
officials O
said O
they O
had O
also O
received O
Palestinians O
with O
wounds O
from O
live O
ammunition O
fired O
by O
Israeli O
soldiers O
, O
apparently O
after O
they O
were O
targetted O
by O
dozens O
of O
firebombs O
during O
several O
hours O
of O
rioting O
. O

Qassem O
Rashad O
Kamel O
Arafa O
, O
24 O
, O
was O
pronounced O
dead O
at O
a O
Hebron O
hospital O
with O
several O
of O
the O
settlers O
' O
bullets O
in O
his O
chest O
. O
A O
second O
man O
was O
killed O
by O
a O
rubber O
bullet O
which O
entered O
his O
brain O
while O
a O
third O
man O
was O
in O
critical O
condition O
on O
a O
life O
support O
system O
in O
a O
Jerusalem O
hospital O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
Israeli O
army O
reported O
four O
soldiers O
had O
been O
hurt O
by O
stones O
. O

" O
We O
were O
just O
walking O
through O
the O
market O
when O
suddenly O
the O
settler O
began O
shooting O
, O
" O
said O
one O
witness O
who O
asked O
not O
to O
be O
identified O
. O

A O
third O
settler O
was O
arrested O
by O
Israeli O
forces O
after O
firing O
his O
gun O
at O
stonethrowers O
, O
a O
police O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
army O
sent O
in O
reinforcements O
and O
imposed O
a O
curfew O
on O
the O
fifth O
of O
Hebron O
still O
under O
its O
control O
following O
the O
transfer O
of O
most O
of O
the O
flashpoint O
West O
Bank O
city O
to O
Palestinian O
rule O
in O
January B-T
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Palestinian O
police O
tried O
ineffectively O
to O
prevent O
protestors O
from O
entering O
the O
Israeli O
area O
during O
the O
clashes O
, O
but O
Israeli O
security O
officials O
complained O
that O
not O
enough O
was O
done O
to O
curb O
the O
rioters O
. O

Palestinian O
West O
Bank O
security O
chief O
Jibril O
Rajub O
lashed O
out O
in O
return O
at O
the O
400 O
settlers O
who O
live O
in O
army O
- O
guarded O
enclaves O
amid O
Hebron O
' O
s O
120 O
, O
000 O
Arab O
residents O
. O

" O
This O
is O
an O
organized O
crime O
encouraged O
by O
the O
Israeli O
government O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
following O
Arafa O
' O
s O
funeral O
. O

" O
What O
happened O
today O
shows O
there O
can O
be O
no O
coexistence O
between O
us O
and O
Israeli O
settlers O
, O
who O
are O
here O
against O
our O
will O
and O
against O
all O
laws O
. O
This O
is O
terrorism O
itself O
. O
" O

The O
violence O
followed O
talks O
in O
Washington O
Monday O
between O
Prime O
Minister O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
and O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
organized O
as O
part O
of O
a O
US O
push O
to O
resolve O
the O
crisis O
caused O
by O
Israel O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
begin O
work O
last B-T
month I-T
on O
a O
new O
Jewish O
settlement O
at O
Abu O
Ghneim O
in O
disputed O
east O
Jerusalem O
. O

Netanyahu O
defiantly O
rebuffed O
demands O
he O
halt O
settlement O
activity O
to O
restore O
Palestinian O
confidence O
in O
the O
peace O
process O
and O
insisted O
the O
only O
way O
back O
to O
negotiations O
was O
through O
a O
Palestinian O
clampdown O
on O
the O
violence O
which O
erupted O
following O
construction O
at O
Abu O
Ghneim O
. O

" O
The O
construction O
will O
carry O
on O
, O
whether O
it O
is O
the O
Har O
Homa O
suburb O
or O
in O
the O
territories O
" O
of O
the O
West O
Bank O
and O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
Netanyahu O
said O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
Palestinian O
President O
Yasser O
Arafat O
said O
the O
Hebron O
killing O
was O
" O
an O
immediate O
result O
of O
the O
policies O
of O
Mr O
Netanyahu O
. O
" O

" O
I O
hope O
he O
is O
happy O
to O
have O
this O
blood O
on O
his O
hands O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Arafat O
said O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
halt O
settlement O
expansion O
" O
means O
that O
he O
doesn O
' O
t O
want O
peace O
. O
" O

The O
Palestinian O
frustrations O
were O
echosed O
by O
US O
officials O
, O
with O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Nicholas O
Burns O
saying O
the O
peace O
process O
was O
in O
" O
a O
very O
difficult O
impasse O
, O
a O
critical O
point O
. O
" O

Palestinians O
spoke O
in O
despairing O
terms O
of O
the O
situation O
. O

" O
We O
all O
thought O
the O
prime O
minister O
would O
find O
ways O
in O
Washington O
to O
give O
the O
people O
of O
the O
area O
the O
feeling O
that O
peace O
is O
prevailing O
, O
but O
on O
the O
contrary O
he O
kept O
to O
his O
ways O
of O
deception O
and O
distorting O
facts O
, O
" O
Kanafani O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
extemely O
upset O
by O
this O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

But O
Palestinian O
officials O
said O
they O
would O
still O
send O
a O
high O
- O
level O
delegation O
to O
Washington O
this B-T
week I-T
as O
requested O
by O
Clinton O
to O
pursue O
efforts O
to O
save O
the O
peace O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0082 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Rape O
case O
not O
to O
affect O
US O
- O
Philippine O
military O
ties O
: O
AFP O
chief O

The O
chief O
of O
Armed O
Forces O
of O
the O
Philippines O
( O
AFP O
) O
Monday B-T
expressed O
confidence O
that O
the O
rape O
case O
involving O
six O
US O
servicemen O
would O
not O
affect O
future O
military O
exercises O
between O
Philippine O
and O
US O
forces O
. O

" O
They O
( O
exercises O
) O
would O
not O
be O
affected O
, O
" O
AFP O
chief O
Generoso O
Senga O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
after O
swearing O
in O
the O
new O
sets O
of O
officers O
of O
the O
Air O
Material O
Wing O
Savings O
and O
Loan O
Association O
Inc O
. O

Senga O
said O
he O
is O
also O
confident O
that O
the O
Visiting O
Forces O
Agreement O
would O
not O
be O
affected O
by O
the O
case O
. O
The O
agreement O
states O
that O
Philippine O
authorities O
shall O
have O
the O
jurisdiction O
over O
US O
personnel O
with O
offenses O
committed O
within O
the O
Philippines O
. O

" O
The O
agreement O
will O
stay O
as O
an O
agreement O
until O
the O
parties O
withdraw O
from O
the O
agreement O
. O
That O
' O
s O
a O
case O
that O
' O
s O
covered O
by O
the O
agreement O
so O
that O
will O
not O
damage O
the O
agreement O
, O
" O
the O
AFP O
chief O
said O
. O

At O
least O
20 O
exercises O
are O
being O
held O
yearly O
by O
US O
and O
Philippine O
troops O
under O
the O
Mutual O
Defense O
Treaty O
of O
1951 O
and O
the O
Visiting O
Forces O
Agreement O
of O
1998 B-T
, O
which O
governs O
the O
conduct O
of O
US O
forces O
while O
on O
training O
in O
the O
Philippines O
. O

The O
six O
US O
marine O
servicemen O
were O
on O
rest O
and O
recreation O
after O
a O
joint O
training O
at O
the O
former O
US O
naval O
base O
in O
Subic O
Bay O
when O
they O
allegedly O
raped O
a O
22 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Filipina O
from O
Zamboanga O
City O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0036 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0036 O
. O

Investor O
Group O
Makes O

@ O
Bid O
for O
Dataproducts O
; O

@ O
Liquidation O
Is O
Sought O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

DPC O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

WOODLAND O
HILLS O
, O
Calif O
. O

A O
unit O
of O
DPC O
Acquisition O
Partners O
launched O
a O
$ O
10 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
tender O
offer O
for O
the O
shares O
outstanding O
of O
Dataproducts O
Corp O
. O
, O
and O
said O
it O
would O
seek O
to O
liquidate O
the O
computer O
- O
printer O
maker O
" O
as B-T
soon I-T
as I-T
possible I-T
, O
" O
even O
if O
a O
merger O
is O
n O
' O
t O
consummated O
. O

DPC O
Acquisition O
is O
controlled O
by O
Crescott O
Investment O
Associates O
, O
Wilson O
Investment O
Group O
, O
Kernel O
Corp O
. O
and O
Catalyst O
Partners O
. O

The O
investor O
group O
owns O
1 O
, O
534 O
, O
600 O
Dataproducts O
common O
shares O
, O
or O
a O
7 O
. O
6 O
% O
stake O
. O

The O
offer O
is O
based O
on O
several O
conditions O
, O
including O
obtaining O
financing O
. O

DPC O
Acquisition O
said O
it O
had O
received O
the O
reasonable O
assurance O
of O
Chase O
Manhattan O
Bank O
N O
. O
A O
. O
that O
the O
financing O
can O
be O
obtained O
. O

In O
a O
filing O
with O
the O
Securities O
and O
Exchange O
Commission O
, O
DPC O
Acquisition O
said O
it O
expects O
it O
will O
need O
about O
$ O
215 O
million O
to O
buy O
the O
shares O
and O
pay O
related O
fees O
and O
expenses O
. O

DPC O
Acquisition O
added O
that O
it O
has O
not O
begun O
discussions O
with O
financing O
sources O
, O
and O
said O
it O
expected O
to O
repay O
the O
amounts O
borrowed O
through O
proceeds O
of O
the O
liquidation O
. O

Dataproducts O
officials O
declined O
to O
comment O
, O
and O
said O
they O
had O
not O
yet O
seen O
a O
suit O
filed O
in O
federal O
court O
by O
DPC O
Acquisition O
that O
seeks O
to O
nullify O
a O
standstill O
agreement O
between O
DPC O
Acquisition O
and O
Dataproducts O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
DPC O
Acquisition O
made O
a O
$ O
15 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
offer O
for O
Dataproducts O
, O
which O
the O
Dataproducts O
board O
said O
it O
rejected O
because O
the O
$ O
283 O
. O
7 O
million O
offer O
was O
not O
fully O
financed O
. O

Dataproducts O
has O
since O
started O
a O
restructuring O
, O
and O
has O
said O
it O
is O
not O
for O
sale O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0114 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Iraqi O
PM O
pledges O
to O
arrest O
kidnappers O
of O
ministry O
employees O

Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
pledged O
Wednesday B-T
to O
arrest O
all O
those O
carried O
out O
kidnappings O
in O
Baghdad O
within O
the O
" O
open O
battle O
with O
terrorists O
. O
" O

" O
We O
feel O
sorry O
to O
what O
happened O
yesterday B-T
, O
but O
I O
pledge O
that O
we O
will O
trail O
those O
who O
put O
their O
hands O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
the O
devil O
, O
" O
Maliki O
told O
a O
gathering O
at O
a O
Baghdad O
university O
. O

" O
This O
is O
an O
open O
battle O
with O
terrorists O
whatever O
their O
names O
are O
, O
" O
Maliki O
said O
during O
his O
visit O
to O
the O
university O
after O
mass O
abduction O
of O
the O
Higher O
Education O
Ministry O
employees O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
state O
- O
run O
television O
reported O
Tuesday B-T
that O
gunmen O
wearing O
Iraqi O
police O
commando O
uniform O
stormed O
the O
ministry O
' O
s O
Research O
Directorate O
building O
in O
the O
Nidhal O
Street O
in O
Karradah O
district O
, O
kidnapping O
scores O
of O
male O
employees O
. O

" O
It O
is O
not O
enough O
for O
us O
to O
release O
some O
captives O
, O
but O
also O
we O
are O
keen O
to O
bring O
those O
kidnappers O
to O
justice O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Maliki O
also O
said O
that O
he O
rejects O
any O
sectarian O
and O
political O
activities O
in O
the O
Iraqi O
universities O
. O

The O
Iraqi O
Higher O
Education O
Minister O
, O
Abed O
Thiyab O
al O
- O
Ajili O
, O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
number O
of O
hostages O
was O
more O
than O
100 O
, O
including O
male O
employees O
and O
visitors O
. O

However O
, O
the O
Interior O
Ministry O
sources O
said O
the O
number O
of O
hostages O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
the O
kidnappers O
was O
exaggerated O
. O

Late O
Tuesday B-T
, O
at O
least O
15 O
hostages O
of O
the O
mass O
kidnapping O
were O
released O
, O
local O
security O
and O
education O
sources O
said O
. O

According O
to O
the O
released O
hostages O
, O
there O
were O
only O
some O
40 O
people O
had O
been O
held O
hostages O
by O
the O
unidentified O
gunmen O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0050 O

TAIYUAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

sustainable O
economy O

Chinese O
Vice O
- O
Premier O
Zeng O
Peiyan O
urged O
China O
' O
s O
major O
coal O
- O
producing O
province O
of O
Shanxi O
to O
turn O
its O
economy O
to O
a O
sustainable O
development O
track O
. O

During O
his O
inspection O
of O
the O
province O
from O
Thursday B-T
through O
Friday B-T
, O
Zeng O
expressed O
his O
appreciation O
of O
Shanxi O
' O
s O
contribution O
to O
China O
' O
s O
economic O
achievements O
and O
urged O
the O
province O
to O
develop O
a O
recycling O
economy O
. O

Zeng O
stressed O
that O
Shanxi O
, O
which O
boasts O
rich O
resources O
and O
favourable O
industry O
infrastructure O
, O
should O
speed O
up O
industrial O
restructuring O
in O
accordance O
with O
the O
requirement O
of O
building O
a O
resource O
efficient O
and O
environment O
- O
friendly O
society O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0224 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Doha O
vows O
to O
host O
best O
ever O
Asian O
Games O

Doha O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
it O
would O
deliver O
the O
the O
best O
ever O
Asian O
Games O
. O

" O
I O
am O
proud O
of O
the O
phenomenal O
success O
the O
committee O
has O
achieved O
so O
far O
in O
preparations O
for O
the O
Games O
, O
" O
Abdulla O
Khalid O
Al O
Qahtani O
, O
director O
general O
of O
the O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
Organizing O
Committee O
( O
DAGOC O
) O
, O
said O
in O
a O
press O
conference O

" O
We O
are O
fulfilling O
the O
challenge O
of O
hosting O
the O
Games O
with O
pride O
and O
determination O
while O
setting O
an O
example O
in O
the O
region O
. O

" O
Our O
eventual O
successful O
hosting O
the O
best O
ever O
Asian O
Games O
becomes O
more O
real O
everyday O
which O
is O
a O
reflection O
of O
the O
effort O
and O
hard O
work O
put O
in O
by O
everyone O
involved O
. O
" O

Qatar O
is O
expecting O
about O
10 O
, O
500 O
athletes O
and O
officials O
from O
45 O
countries O
and O
regions O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
39 O
- O
event O
Games O
, O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
it O
will O
be O
the O
biggest O
sporting O
event O
in O
Asia O
. O

International O
Olympic O
Committee O
President O
Jacques O
Rogge O
, O
who O
arrived O
in O
Doha O
on O
Tuesday B-T
for O
a O
charity O
event O
, O
also O
showed O
the O
confidence O
with O
the O
DAGOC O
' O
s O
work O
. O

" O
The O
organizing O
committee O
has O
made O
a O
fast O
progress O
in O
their O
preparation O
and O
everything O
is O
going O
smoothly O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
am O
sure O
Doha O
will O
bring O
you O
an O
excellent O
Asian O
Games O
next B-T
year I-T
. O
" O

According O
to O
Al O
Qahtani O
, O
developments O
across O
all O
the O
programs O
have O
been O
immense O
and O
the O
DAGOC O
are O
determined O
to O
make O
Doha O
2006 O
not O
only O
a O
memorable O
experience O
for O
participants O
and O
visitors O
, O
but O
to O
ensure O
that O
there O
is O
a O
lasting O
legacy O
in O
the O
facilities O
, O
skills O
and O
enthusiasm O
the O
nation O
can O
contribute O
to O
world O
sport O
and O
the O
region O
they O
were O
proudly O
a O
part O
of O
. O

Until O
now B-T
, O
several O
stadiums O
are O
under O
construction O
, O
while O
some O
are O
being O
refurbished O
, O
including O
the O
Sports O
City O
, O
a O
key O
place O
for O
the O
Games O
which O
embraced O
the O
newly O
completed O
Khalifa O
Stadium O
, O
a O
state O
- O
of O
- O
the O
- O
art O
50 O
, O
000 O
capacity O
sporting O
arena O
where O
the O
opening O
and O
closing O
ceremonies O
are O
to O
be O
held O
. O

The O
Games O
Village O
, O
which O
will O
become O
a O
home O
away O
from O
home O
for O
athletes O
, O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
completed O
by O
April B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O
Most O
of O
the O
venues O
are O
85 O
percent O
complete O
and O
should O
be O
ready O
by O
end O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
2006 O
Asian O
Games O
will O
begin O
on O
December B-T
1 I-T
in O
Doha O
, O
thus O
making O
Qatar O
the O
smallest O
country O
in O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
continent O
to O
host O
an O
Asian O
Games O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0307 O

RIGA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Afghanistan O

NATO O
has O
agreed O
to O
consider O
the O
idea O
of O
setting O
up O
a O
contact O
group O
, O
initiated O
by O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
, O
on O
Afghanistan O
, O
NATO O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Jaap O
de O
Hoop O
Scheffer O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
I O
, O
the O
secretary O
general O
of O
NATO O
, O
has O
been O
tasked O
to O
think O
about O
and O
put O
forward O
proposals O
for O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
contact O
group O
for O
Afghanistan O
, O
" O
de O
Hoop O
Scheffer O
told O
reporters O
shortly O
after O
the O
conclusion O
of O
the O
NATO O
summit O
. O

He O
said O
that O
the O
contact O
group O
would O
not O
only O
be O
relevant O
to O
NATO O
, O
but O
to O
all O
the O
other O
international O
organizations O
active O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

Wrapping O
a O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
which O
started O
on O
Tuesday B-T
evening I-T
, O
NATO O
leaders O
issued O
a O
declaration O
earlier O
Wednesday B-T
, O
saying O
that O
its O
door O
remains O
open O
for O
European O
countries O
, O
and O
encouraged O
the O
accession O
efforts O
by O
Albania O
, O
Croatia O
and O
Macedonia O
. O

" O
We O
reaffirm O
that O
NATO O
remains O
open O
to O
new O
European O
members O
under O
Article O
10 O
of O
the O
North O
Atlantic O
Treaty O
, O
" O
said O
the O
leaders O
in O
their O
Riga O
Summit O
Declaration O
. O

But O
they O
emphasized O
that O
actual O
accession O
will O
be O
strictly O
performance O
- O
based O
. O

" O
At O
our O
next O
summit O
in O
2008 B-T
, O
the O
alliance O
intends O
to O
extend O
further O
invitations O
to O
those O
countries O
who O
meet O
NATO O
' O
s O
performance O
- O
based O
standards O
and O
are O
able O
to O
contribute O
to O
Euro O
- O
Atlantic O
security O
and O
stability O
, O
" O
said O
the O
declaration O
. O

NATO O
' O
s O
ongoing O
enlargement O
process O
has O
been O
an O
historic O
success O
in O
advancing O
stability O
, O
peace O
and O
cooperation O
in O
Europe O
, O
and O
the O
vision O
of O
a O
Europe O
, O
which O
is O
whole O
, O
free O
, O
and O
at O
peace O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
leaders O
welcomed O
the O
efforts O
of O
Albania O
, O
Croatia O
, O
and O
Macedonia O
to O
prepare O
themselves O
for O
the O
responsibilities O
and O
obligations O
for O
membership O
. O

The O
three O
Balkan O
states O
are O
recognized O
by O
NATO O
as O
formal O
aspirant O
countries O
. O

On O
the B-T
last I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
, O
leaders O
of O
the O
26 O
- O
member O
bloc O
also O
invited O
Bosnia O
- O
Herzegovina O
, O
Montenegro O
and O
Serbia O
to O
join O
its O
Partnership O
for O
Peace O
( O
PfP O
) O
program O
. O

The O
PfP O
, O
launched O
in O
1994 B-T
, O
is O
a O
program O
of O
practical O
bilateral O
cooperation O
between O
individual O
partner O
countries O
and O
NATO O
. O
It O
allows O
partner O
countries O
to O
build O
up O
an O
individual O
relationship O
with O
NATO O
, O
choosing O
their O
own O
priorities O
for O
cooperation O
. O
A O
total O
of O
20 O
countries O
have O
joined O
the O
program O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0181 O

TIRANA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Three O
released O
Guantanamo O
detainees O
arrive O
in O
Albania O

Three O
men O
released O
from O
Guantanamo O
Bay O
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
navy O
base O
in O
Cuba O
, O
have O
arrived O
in O
Albania O
, O
a O
government O
spokesman O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
They O
have O
arrived O
, O
that O
is O
all O
, O
" O
Neritan O
Sejamini O
told O
reporters O
without O
revealing O
any O
other O
details O
. O

Albania O
admitted O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
it O
would O
take O
from O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
three O
detainees O
released O
from O
the O
controversial O
base O
which O
has O
been O
used O
to O
hold O
terror O
suspects O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0226 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
LD O
: O
U O
. O
S O
. O
warplane O
crash O
in O
northwest O
of O
Baghdad O

A O
U O
. O
S O
. O
fighter O
jet O
crashed O
northwest O
of O
Baghdad O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
one O
pilot O
on O
board O
, O
al O
- O
Jazeera O
TV O
channel O
reported O
. O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
confirmed O
the O
incident O
in O
a O
brief O
statement O
, O
saying O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Air O
force O
jet O
, O
F O
- O
16 O
carrying O
one O
pilot O
crashed O
in O
northwest O
of O
Baghdad O
at O
about O
1 B-T
: I-T
35 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
1035 O
GMT O
) O
. O

The O
F O
- O
16 O
CG O
was O
providing O
support O
for O
the O
coalition O
ground O
forces O
when O
it O
went O
down O
in O
an O
area O
located O
32 O
km O
northwest O
of O
Baghdad O
in O
the O
volatile O
Anbar O
province O
, O
added O
the O
statement O
. O

However O
, O
the O
statement O
did O
not O
say O
what O
cause O
the O
crash O
or O
the O
fate O
of O
the O
pilot O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0334 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Researchers O
develop O
novel O
treatment O
for O
sickle O
cell O
disease O

Virginia O
Commonwealth O
University O
researchers O
have O
developed O
a O
unique O
anti O
- O
sickling O
agent O
that O
may O
one O
day O
be O
effective O
in O
treating O
sickle O
cell O
disease O
, O
a O
painful O
and O
debilitating O
genetic O
blood O
disorder O
, O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
released O
by O
the O
university O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
research O
team O
has O
shown O
that O
5 O
- O
HMF O
, O
a O
pure O
compound O
developed O
by O
the O
team O
, O
has O
a O
high O
affinity O
for O
sickle O
cell O
hemoglobin O
and O
holds O
promise O
for O
the O
treatment O
of O
sickle O
cell O
disease O
. O

" O
Our O
findings O
suggest O
that O
this O
anti O
- O
sickling O
agent O
may O
lead O
to O
new O
drug O
treatments O
and O
may O
one B-T
day I-T
help O
those O
suffering O
with O
sickle O
cell O
disease O
. O
This O
molecule O
, O
5 O
- O
HMF O
, O
is O
the O
most O
promising O
molecule O
to O
treat O
sickle O
cell O
anemia O
to O
come O
from O
our O
research O
group O
in O
more O
than O
30 O
years O
, O
" O
said O
Donald O
Abraham O
of O
the O
Department O
of O
Medicinal O
Chemistry O
in O
VCU O
' O
s O
School O
of O
Pharmacy O
, O

Sickle O
cell O
disease O
is O
caused O
by O
an O
abnormality O
in O
the O
hemoglobin O
molecule O
. O
Normal O
red O
blood O
cells O
carrying O
hemoglobin O
are O
smooth O
, O
round O
and O
flexible O
and O
can O
travel O
easily O
throughout O
blood O
vessels O
. O
However O
, O
sickle O
cells O
are O
stiff O
, O
abnormally O
shaped O
, O
red O
blood O
cells O
that O
do O
not O
flow O
freely O
through O
blood O
vessels O
. O
The O
sickle O
cells O
also O
may O
clot O
together O
causing O
a O
blockage O
to O
form O
which O
results O
in O
pain O
and O
potentially O
dangerous O
complications O
that O
can O
compromise O
a O
patient O
' O
s O
organs O
. O

According O
to O
Abraham O
, O
the O
5 O
- O
HMF O
agent O
binds O
to O
hemoglobin O
to O
increase O
the O
oxygen O
affinity O
of O
both O
normal O
and O
sickle O
hemoglobin O
. O
In O
a O
patient O
with O
sickle O
cell O
disease O
, O
the O
binding O
action O
of O
5 O
- O
HMF O
would O
allow O
sickle O
cells O
to O
move O
more O
smoothly O
throughout O
the O
blood O
vessels O
of O
the O
body O
and O
prevent O
blockages O
from O
forming O
. O

The O
United O
States O
Patent O
and O
Trademark O
Office O
recently O
issued O
VCU O
a O
Notice O
of O
Allowance O
for O
a O
patent O
relating O
to O
a O
method O
of O
treating O
sickle O
cell O
disease O
with O
5 O
- O
HMF O
compound O
. O
A O
Notice O
of O
Allowance O
is O
a O
written O
notification O
that O
a O
patent O
application O
has O
cleared O
an O
internal O
review O
and O
it O
has O
been O
approved O
for O
issuance O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0277 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Assad O
says O
Mehlis O
commission O
should O
" O
correct O
its O
mistakes O
" O

Syrian O
President O
Bashar O
al O
- O
Assad O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
he O
expects O
the O
UN O
commission O
of O
enquiry O
into O
the O
murder O
of O
former O
Lebanese O
prime O
minister O
Rafiq O
Hariri O
to O
" O
correct O
its O
mistakes O
. O
" O

" O
In O
the O
first O
place O
we O
expect O
this O
enquiry O
to O
be O
professional O
and O
the O
commission O
to O
correct O
the O
mistakes O
it O
made O
earlier O
in O
order O
to O
form O
a O
report O
that O
is O
fair O
and O
objective O
, O
" O
al O
- O
Assad O
said O
on O
France O
3 O
television O
. O

The O
Syrian O
leader O
was O
speaking O
as O
investogators O
began O
questioning O
five O
Syrian O
officials O
at O
UN O
headquarters O
in O
Vienna O
as O
part O
of O
the O
international O
enquiry O
led O
by O
German O
magistrate O
Detlev O
Mehlis O
. O

The O
identities O
of O
the O
five O
have O
not O
been O
made O
public O
, O
but O
officials O
have O
said O
that O
Assaf O
Shawkat O
, O
Assad O
' O
s O
brother O
- O
in O
- O
law O
and O
head O
of O
military O
intelligence O
, O
is O
not O
among O
them O
. O

" O
There O
were O
witnesses O
who O
gave O
false O
testimony O
. O
Recently O
there O
has O
been O
a O
Syrian O
witness O
who O
admitted O
he O
was O
forced O
to O
provide O
evidence O
that O
backed O
up O
a O
particular O
point O
of O
view O
. O
. O
. O
. O
That O
gives O
us O
cause O
for O
concern O
, O
" O
al O
- O
Assad O
said O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
state O
television O
in O
Syria O
showed O
an O
interview O
with O
Syrian O
witness O
Hussam O
Taher O
Hussam O
who O
said O
he O
had O
provided O
evidence O
to O
the O
commission O
under O
duress O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
proof O
that O
Syria O
was O
involved O
( O
in O
the O
assassination O
) O
. O
There O
is O
no O
criminal O
proof O
, O
and O
it O
was O
not O
in O
the O
interests O
of O
Syria O
to O
commit O
such O
an O
act O
, O
" O
Assad O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0087 O

THE O
HAGUE O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Dutch O
temp O
agency O
company O
Vedior O
to O
take O
over O
Norwegian O
Corridor O

The O
Dutch O
temporary O
employment O
company O
Vedior O
announced O
Monday B-T
that O
it O
will O
take O
over O
Norwegian O
recruitment O
specialist O
Corridor O
for O
an O
undisclosed O
sum O
. O

Corridor O
specializes O
in O
the O
recruitment O
and O
supply O
of O
temporary O
and O
permanent O
staff O
within O
accounting O
and O
finance O
, O
sales O
and O
marketing O
, O
IT O
and O
administrative O
sectors O
and O
reported O
2005 O
sales O
of O
6 O
. O
8 O
million O
euros O
( O
8 O
. O
9 O
million O
dollars O
) O
. O

Vedior O
said O
it O
will O
take O
a O
majority O
stake O
in O
the O
company O
while O
Corridors O
existing O
management O
will O
keep O
a O
minority O
interest O
and O
will O
continue O
to O
develop O
the O
company O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0478 O

MONTREAL O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

NHL O
ponders O
divisional O
realignment O
: O
report O

National O
Hockey O
League O
commissioner O
Gary O
Bettman O
is O
looking O
at O
realigning O
the O
league O
' O
s O
divisions O
and O
altering O
its O
schedule O
makeup O
, O
The O
Sports O
Network O
of O
Canada O
reported O
on O
its O
website B-T
Friday I-T
. O

Citing O
unnamed O
sources O
, O
TSN O
said O
the O
overhaul O
being O
considered O
would O
see O
the O
six O
current O
divisions O
reduced O
to O
four O
with O
each O
division O
having O
seven O
or O
eight O
teams O
rather O
than O
five O
. O

Six O
club O
executives O
, O
one O
from O
each O
current O
division O
, O
met O
with O
Bettman O
in O
New O
York O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
to O
discuss O
the O
matter O
and O
take O
information O
to O
other O
clubs O
in O
their O
division O
for O
feedback O
. O

Twenty O
of O
30 O
teams O
would O
have O
to O
back O
such O
a O
move O
in O
order O
to O
make O
it O
happen O
next B-T
season I-T
. O
That O
could O
happen O
at O
a O
board O
meeting O
during O
the O
NHL O
All O
- O
Star O
Game O
in O
Dallas O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

New O
scheduling O
plans O
would O
see O
teams O
play O
division O
foes O
six O
times O
, O
rivals O
from O
the O
same O
conference O
three O
or O
four O
times O
and O
non O
- O
conference O
clubs O
once O
. O

The O
Eastern O
and O
Western O
conferences O
would O
each O
stay O
with O
15 O
teams O
, O
with O
the O
top O
two O
teams O
in O
each O
division O
taking O
the O
four O
top O
playoff O
seeds O
and O
the O
teams O
with O
the O
next O
four O
highest O
point O
totals O
also O
qualifying O
in O
each O
conference O
. O

The O
Columbus O
Blue O
Jackets O
and O
Atlanta O
Thrashers O
would O
switch O
conferences O
, O
with O
Columbus O
moving O
to O
the O
East O
and O
joining O
a O
division O
with O
Toronto O
, O
Montreal O
, O
Ottawa O
, O
Boston O
, O
Buffalo O
and O
Pittsburgh O
, O
which O
might O
be O
relocating O
after O
a O
new O
arena O
plan O
fell O
apart O
. O

That O
would O
leave O
the O
New O
York O
Rangers O
and O
Islanders O
, O
New O
Jersey O
, O
Washington O
, O
Philadelphia O
, O
Carolina O
, O
Tampa O
Bay O
and O
Florida O
in O
the O
other O
Eastern O
division O
. O

The O
Western O
Conference O
would O
have O
an O
eight O
- O
team O
division O
with O
clubs O
in O
the O
Pacific O
and O
Mountain O
time O
zones O
, O
including O
Vancouver O
, O
Calgary O
, O
Edmonton O
, O
San O
Jose O
, O
Anaheim O
, O
Los O
Angeles O
, O
Colorado O
and O
Phoenix O
. O

That O
would O
leave O
seven O
teams O
for O
the O
remaining O
division O
- O
Dallas O
, O
Minnesota O
, O
St O
. O
Louis O
, O
Chicago O
, O
Detroit O
, O
Atlanta O
and O
Nashville O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0073 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

water O
pollution O

Foreign O
Minister O
Li O
Zhaoxing O
informed O
Russian O
Ambassador O
to O
China O
Sergey O
Razov O
here O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
of O
the O
situation O
with O
the O
Songhua O
River O
' O
s O
water O
pollution O
and O
measures O
taken O
by O
the O
Chinese O
government O
to O
tackle O
the O
issue O
. O

The O
Songhua O
River O
in O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
, O
suffered O
major O
water O
pollution O
as O
a O
result O
of O
a O
blast O
that O
had O
occurred O
in O
the O
China O
National O
Petroleum O
Corporation O
( O
CNPC O
) O
Jilin O
Petrochemical O
company O
on O
Nov O
. O
13 O
. O
The O
polluted O
water O
in O
Songhua O
River O
is O
expected O
to O
flow O
into O
the O
Heilongjiang O
River O
( O
also O
called O
Amur O
River O
in O
Russia O
) O
on O
the O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
border O
. O

Li O
Zhaoxing O
, O
on O
be O
half O
of O
the O
Chinese O
government O
, O
expressed O
his O
regret O
over O
the O
possible O
harms O
to O
be O
done O
to O
the O
Russian O
people O
by O
the O
major O
environmental O
pollution O
accident O
, O
saying O
China O
fully O
understands O
and O
attaches O
great O
importance O
to O
the O
concerns O
of O
the O
Russian O
side O
, O
and O
that O
Chinese O
leaders O
have O
time O
and O
again O
made O
important O
directions O
to O
tackle O
the O
problem O

After O
the O
water O
pollution O
incident O
occurred O
, O
China O
has O
repeatedly O
informed O
its O
neighbor O
of O
the O
details O
of O
the O
pollution O
incident O
, O
including O
various O
lab O
test O
results O
such O
as O
the O
pollutant O
' O
s O
species O
and O
density O
and O
the O
location O
of O
polluted O
stretches O
. O

The O
two O
sides O
have O
agreed O
to O
open O
up O
a O
hotline O
between O
environmental O
departments O
for O
still O
better O
contacts O
and O
communication O
over O
the O
water O
pollution O
problem O
, O
and O
China O
informs O
Russia O
of O
the O
latest O
developments O
daily O
, O
the O
Chinese O
forign O
minister O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0452 O

BELGRADE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

NATO O
to O
open O
liaison O
office O
in O
Belgrade O

The O
North O
Atlantic O
Treaty O
Organization O
( O
NATO O
) O
would O
open O
a O
liaison O
office O
in O
Belgrade O
in O
mid O
December B-T
, O
a O
senior O
Serbian O
official O
said O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
The O
opening O
of O
the O
NATO O
liaison O
office O
in O
Belgrade O
is O
doubly O
important O
in O
the O
sphere O
of O
multilateral O
cooperation O
, O
exchange O
of O
experiences O
and O
better O
mutual O
communication O
and O
understanding O
, O
" O
said O
Snezana O
Samardzic O
- O
Markovic O
, O
Serbian O
assistant O
defense O
minister O
for O
the O
defense O
policy O
. O

Samardzic O
- O
Markovic O
told O
the O
press O
that O
the O
Serbian O
government O
has O
decided O
to O
open O
this O
office O
and O
that O
it O
was O
offered O
to O
NATO O
officials O
that O
this O
office O
is O
located O
in O
the O
Defense O
Ministry O
. O

Early O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
NATO O
' O
s O
heads O
of O
state O
decided O
at O
a O
summit O
in O
Riga O
to O
invite O
Serbia O
to O
join O
the O
Partnership O
for O
Peace O
program O
along O
with O
Bosnia O
- O
Herzegovina O
and O
Montenegro O
. O

The O
Partnership O
for O
Peace O
, O
which O
was O
created O
by O
NATO O
in O
1994 B-T
, O
was O
a O
program O
designed O
to O
facilitate O
cooperation O
with O
partner O
countries O
to O
extend O
the O
zone O
of O
peace O
and O
stability O
in O
Europe O
. O

According O
to O
the O
official O
Tanjug O
news O
agency O
, O
NATO O
plans O
to O
open O
its O
office O
in O
Belgrade O
probably O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
. O

The O
opening O
ceremony O
will O
be O
attended O
by O
high O
NATO O
officials O
headed O
by O
its O
Deputy O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Alessandro O
Minuto O
Rizzo O
, O
the O
news O
agency O
reported O
, O
citing O
diplomatic O
sources O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0004 O

TAIPEI O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Taipei O
shares O
end O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
lower O

Share O
prices O
in O
Taiwan O
closed O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
lower O
Wednesday B-T
due O
to O
dwindling O
buying O
interest O
among O
investors O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

The O
Taiwan O
Stock O
Exchange O
weighted O
price O
index O
fell O
106 O
. O
78 O
points O
to O
8 O
, O
485 O
. O
66 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0017 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATE O
rates O
, O
ADDS O
quotes O
and O
Asian O
currencies O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
yen O
hit O
a O
32 O
- O
month O
low O
against O
the O
dollar O
and O
sank O
to O
an O
all O
- O
time O
trough O
against O
the O
euro O
Monday O
as O
G7 O
powers O
including O
Japan O
appeared O
unfazed O
by O
the O
currency O
' O
s O
decline O
at O
a O
weekend O
meeting O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

Contrary O
to O
reports O
ahead O
of O
the O
Group O
of O
Seven O
gathering O
in O
London O
, O
there O
was O
no O
specific O
discussion O
of O
the O
yen O
' O
s O
recent O
slide O
, O
Japanese O
Finance O
Minister O
Sadakazu O
Tanigaki O
said O
. O

Speaking O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
two O
- O
day O
meeting O
of O
finance O
ministers O
and O
central O
bankers O
from O
the O
world O
' O
s O
seven O
richest O
nations O
, O
Tanigaki O
said O
the O
yen O
' O
s O
depreciation O
against O
the O
US O
currency O
merely O
reflected O
" O
current O
fundamentals O
" O
. O

With O
US O
Treasury O
Secretary O
John O
Snow O
also O
denying O
earlier O
reports O
he O
would O
raise O
the O
issue O
of O
the O
yen O
' O
s O
weakness O
at O
the O
meeting O
, O
dealers O
took O
the O
comments O
as O
the O
green O
light O
to O
drive O
the O
Japanese O
unit O
down O
to O
new O
lows O
. O

The O
dollar O
rose O
to O
121 O
. O
34 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
afternoon O
trade O
from O
120 O
. O
56 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
late O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
highest O
since O
late B-T
March I-T
2003 I-T
. O

The O
euro O
fell O
to O
1 O
. O
1693 O
dollars O
from O
1 O
. O
1716 O
dollars O
as O
a O
backdrop O
of O
rising O
US O
interest O
rates O
continued O
to O
support O
the O
US O
unit O
. O

The O
euro O
also O
hit O
the O
highest O
level O
since O
its O
launch O
in O
1999 B-T
against O
the O
Japanese O
unit O
, O
climbing O
to O
141 O
. O
91 O
yen O
. O
It O
later O
stood O
at O
141 O
. O
87 O
in O
late O
Tokyo O
trade O
, O
up O
from O
141 O
. O
30 O
in O
New O
York O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
The O
dollar O
remains O
strong O
, O
" O
said O
Kikuko O
Takeda O
, O
currency O
analyst O
at O
Bank O
of O
Tokyo O
- O
Mitsubishi O
. O

" O
Amid O
on O
- O
going O
interest O
rate O
differentials O
, O
the O
weaker O
yen O
was O
re O
- O
confirmed O
at O
the O
G7 O
meeting O
and O
the O
market O
is O
prone O
to O
sell O
the O
yen O
given O
lower O
interest O
rates O
in O
Japan O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Saturday B-T
' O
s O
G7 O
statement O
said O
that O
" O
exchange O
rates O
should O
reflect O
economic O
fundamentals O
( O
whilst O
) O
. O
. O
. O
excess O
volatility O
and O
disorderly O
movements O
in O
exchange O
rates O
are O
undesirable O
for O
economic O
growth O
" O
. O

Analysts O
said O
the O
yen O
was O
likely O
to O
extend O
its O
losses O
against O
the O
dollar O
but O
just O
how O
far O
was O
still O
unclear O
. O

The O
currency O
market O
showed O
little O
reaction O
to O
a O
firm O
performance O
by O
Tokyo O
share O
prices O
and O
the O
release O
of O
a O
quarterly O
survey O
by O
Japan O
' O
s O
finance O
ministry O
showing O
strong O
growth O
in O
capital O
expenditure O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

" O
Judging O
from O
fundamentals O
. O
. O
. O
including O
strong O
share O
prices O
and O
relatively O
positive O
economic O
data O
, O
the O
recent B-T
fall I-T
of O
the O
yen O
is O
apparently O
overdone O
, O
" O
said O
Commerzbank O
currency O
watcher O
Ryohei O
Muramatsu O
. O

" O
However O
, O
the O
falling O
momentum O
of O
the O
yen O
is O
so O
strong O
that O
market O
participants O
disregard O
news O
that O
is O
positive O
for O
the O
yen O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

" O
The O
next O
target O
of O
the O
yen O
looks O
to O
be O
around O
122 O
. O
50 O
yen O
against O
the O
dollar O
and O
142 O
. O
50 O
yen O
against O
the O
euro O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

In O
early O
afternoon O
trading O
, O
the O
dollar O
rose O
to O
41 O
. O
4350 O
Thai O
baht O
from O
41 O
. O
2300 O
on O
Friday B-T
and O
to O
1 O
, O
038 O
. O
6 O
South O
Korean O
won O
from O
1 O
, O
033 O
. O
5 O
. O

The O
dollar O
fell O
to O
54 O
. O
130 O
Philippine O
pesos O
from O
54 B-T
. I-T
180 I-T
, O
to O
9 O
, O
998 O
Indonesian O
rupiah O
from O
10 O
, O
030 O
, O
to O
1 O
. O
6898 O
Singapore O
dollars O
from O
1 O
. O
6914 O
and O
to O
33 O
. O
491 O
Taiwan O
dollars O
from O
33 O
. O
546 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0571 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
' O
s O
clean O
sweeps O
all O
10 O
Asiad O
diving O
gold O

Lin O
Yue O
and O
Wang O
Xin O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
and O
women O
' O
s O
10m O
platform O
golds O
here O
Thursday B-T
, O
handing O
China O
a O
record O
clean O
sweep O
of O
all O
10 O
titles O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
. O

Lin O
, O
15 O
, O
beat O
teamamte O
Zhou O
Luxin O
into O
silver O
with O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
Kim O
Chon O
Man O
taking O
bronze O
, O
while O
Wang O
, O
14 O
, O
edged O
compatriot O
Chen O
Ruolin O
and O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
Hong O
In O
Sun O
. O

It O
was O
the O
first O
time O
in O
the O
history O
of O
the O
Games O
that O
one O
country O
has O
taken O
all O
10 O
medals O
. O
China O
also O
won O
six O
silver O
. O

" O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
do O
very O
well O
in O
the O
first O
several O
dives O
tonight O
, O
" O
said O
Lin O
. O
" O
I O
made O
some O
small O
mistakes O
but O
in O
the O
latter O
dives O
I O
did O
well O
. O

" O
I O
have O
practised O
for O
this O
for O
a O
long O
time O
. O
These O
are O
my O
first O
Asian O
Games O
and O
I O
am O
trying O
to O
increase O
my O
degrees O
of O
difficulty O
as O
well O
as O
the O
quality O
of O
my O
dives O
. O
I O
will O
learn O
from O
our O
former O
world O
champions O
and O
Olympic O
champions O
. O
" O

China O
is O
a O
world O
force O
in O
diving O
and O
Olympic O
diving O
champion O
Guo O
Jingjing O
on O
Tuesday B-T
became O
the O
most O
successful O
female O
diver O
in O
Asian O
Games O
history O
. O

Guo O
, O
who O
has O
already O
announced O
she O
will O
retire O
after O
the O
Beijing O
Olympics O
, O
took O
the O
women O
' O
s O
3 O
- O
metre O
synchronized O
springboard O
title O
here O
with O
Li O
Ting O
to O
add O
to O
the O
three O
golds O
from O
previous O
Asian O
Games O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0301 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Iraqi O
PM O
defends O
government O
on O
campaign O
trail O

Outgoing O
Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Ibrahim O
Jaafari O
on O
Monday B-T
defended O
his O
10 O
- O
month O
record O
in O
government O
, O
just O
three B-T
days I-T
before O
a O
general O
election O
that O
could O
see O
him O
lose O
the O
top O
cabinet O
job O
. O

Jaafari O
, O
who O
has O
been O
criticised O
by O
rivals O
for O
a O
weak O
administration O
that O
has O
failed O
to O
quell O
violence O
, O
said O
his O
mandate O
had O
improved O
Iraq O
' O
s O
security O
services O
and O
enshrined O
the O
principle O
of O
a O
peaceful O
change O
of O
power O
. O

" O
Despite O
the O
short O
mandate O
which O
has O
been O
our O
lot O
, O
with O
God O
' O
s O
help O
we O
have O
had O
security O
, O
economic O
and O
political O
successes O
, O
" O
said O
the O
premier O
, O
a O
devout O
Shiite O
and O
leader O
of O
the O
Dawa O
party O
. O

Jaafari O
was O
sworn O
in O
last B-T
May I-T
. O
His O
predecessor O
as O
interim O
prime O
minister O
, O
Iyad O
Allawi O
, O
has O
accused O
the O
current O
administration O
of O
exacerbating O
sectarian O
divisions O
and O
marching O
the O
country O
to O
the O
brink O
of O
civil O
war O
. O

" O
Praise O
be O
to O
God O
, O
Iraq O
is O
today O
stronger O
after O
overcoming O
so O
many O
obstacles O
, O
" O
said O
Jaafari O
, O
recalling O
35 O
years O
of O
political O
and O
economic O
instability O
, O
and O
international O
isolation O
under O
former O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

" O
We O
inherited O
a O
difficult O
situation O
with O
disorganised O
security O
services O
and O
we O
have O
now O
completed O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
our O
objectives O
for O
the O
manning O
and O
equipment O
of O
these O
forces O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
Baghdad O
news O
conference O
. O

" O
On O
the O
political O
level O
, O
the O
principle O
of O
a O
peaceful O
transfer O
of O
power O
has O
become O
a O
reality O
and O
we O
are O
ready O
to O
re O
- O
assume O
power O
if O
that O
is O
what O
the O
people O
decide O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

His O
government O
created O
59 O
, O
000 O
jobs O
in O
the O
education O
ministry O
alone O
and O
brought O
back O
4 O
, O
000 O
staff O
to O
their O
former O
positions O
at O
the O
information O
ministry O
, O
Jaafari O
said O
before O
expressing O
hopes O
for O
a O
peaceful O
election O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

In O
a O
direct O
response O
to O
complaints O
from O
Allawi O
against O
institutional O
abuses O
among O
Shiite O
- O
dominated O
security O
forces O
and O
torture O
in O
prisons O
, O
Jaafari O
pointed O
the O
finger O
at O
his O
secular O
rival O
. O

" O
The O
towns O
of O
Fallujah O
and O
Najaf O
continue O
to O
bleed O
from O
the O
effects O
of O
actions O
" O
taken O
by O
Allawi O
' O
s O
administration O
. O

As O
prime O
minister O
from O
June B-T
2004 I-T
to O
April B-T
2005 I-T
, O
Allawi O
' O
s O
unflinching O
support O
for O
US O
military O
campaigns O
against O
Sunni O
and O
Shiite O
insurgents O
in O
Fallujah O
and O
Najaf O
left O
him O
few O
friends O
in O
those O
cities O
. O

Jaafari O
also O
hit O
out O
against O
accusations O
of O
human O
rights O
abuses O
and O
pointed O
out O
that O
he O
had O
brought O
Sunnis O
into O
his O
government O
saying O
" O
Iraq O
can O
only O
rebuild O
itself O
with O
their O
participation O
. O

" O
The O
new O
Iraq O
excludes O
none O
of O
its O
sons O
. O

" O
My O
government O
avoided O
any O
sectarianism O
, O
" O
he O
concluded O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0123 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Seoul O
shares O
close O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
higher O

Share O
prices O
rose O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
on O
the O
Korea O
Stock O
Exchange O
Monday B-T
as O
local O
institutional O
investors O
went O
on O
a O
buying O
spree O
ahead O
of O
a O
planned O
rise O
in O
the O
foreign O
shareholding O
ceiling O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
composite O
index O
gained O
7 O
. O
48 O
points O
to O
finish O
at O
694 O
. O
90 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061208 O
. O
0027 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
stocks O
higher O
as O
job O
growth O
improves O
; O
Dow O
up O
0 O
. O
24 O
percent O

US O
stocks O
ended O
higher O
Friday B-T
after O
a O
government O
report O
showed O
an O
improving O
job O
market O
last B-T
month I-T
as O
employers O
added O
a O
better O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
132 O
, O
000 O
nonfarm O
positions O
. O

The O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
ended O
up O
29 O
. O
08 O
points O
( O
0 O
. O
24 O
percent O
) O
at O
12 O
, O
307 O
. O
49 O
just O
after O
the O
closing O
bell O
. O

The O
tech O
- O
dominated O
Nasdaq O
composite O
gained O
9 O
. O
67 O
points O
( O
0 O
. O
40 O
percent O
) O
to O
2 O
, O
437 O
. O
36 O
while O
the O
broad O
- O
market O
Standard O
and O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
added O
2 O
. O
55 O
points O
( O
0 O
. O
18 O
percent O
) O
to O
a O
preliminary O
close O
of O
1 O
, O
409 O
. O
84 O
. O

The O
Labor O
Department O
said O
that O
US O
employers O
added O
132 O
, O
000 O
jobs O
in O
November B-T
in O
a O
report O
that O
suggested O
overall O
economic O
growth O
remains O
on O
track O
days O
before O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
meets O
to O
deliberate O
interest O
rates O
. O

Merger O
speculation O
rose O
as O
Merrill O
Lynch O
banking O
analysts O
meanwhile O
said O
in O
a O
research O
report O
that O
they O
believe O
Bank O
of O
America O
is O
" O
very O
interested O
" O
in O
acquiring O
Barclays O
bank O
of O
Britain O
. O

The O
banking O
analysts O
said O
such O
a O
potential O
deal O
would O
be O
profitable O
even O
if O
Bank O
of O
America O
had O
to O
pay O
a O
25 O
- O
to O
- O
30 O
percent O
premium O
to O
acquire O
Barclays O
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
comment O
on O
market O
rumors O
or O
speculation O
, O
" O
said O
Scott O
Silvestri O
, O
a O
Bank O
of O
America O
spokesman O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0061 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0061 O
. O

Labatt O
Plans O
to O
Place O

@ O
New O
Preferred O
Shares O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

T O
. O
LBT O

LONDON O
, O
Ontario O

John O
Labatt O
Ltd O
. O
said O
it O
plans O
a O
private O
placement O
of O
150 O
million O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
US O
$ O
127 O
. O
5 O
million O
) O
in O
preferred O
shares O
, O
to O
be O
completed O
around B-T
Nov I-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

Proceeds O
will O
be O
used O
to O
reduce O
short O
- O
term O
debt O
at O
the O
beer O
and O
food O
concern O
, O
said O
Robert O
Vaux O
, O
vice O
president O
, O
finance O
. O

The O
preferred O
shares O
will O
carry O
a O
floating O
annual O
dividend O
equal O
to O
72 O
% O
of O
the O
30 O
- O
day O
bankers O
' O
acceptance O
rate O
until O
Dec B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, I-T
1994 I-T
. O

Thereafter O
, O
the O
rate O
will O
be O
renegotiated O
. O

Mr O
. O
Vaux O
said O
that O
if O
no O
agreement O
is O
reached O
, O
other O
buyers O
will O
be O
sought O
by O
bid O
or O
auction O
. O

The O
shares O
are O
redeemable O
after O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
1994 I-T
. O

Mr O
. O
Vaux O
said O
the O
share O
issue O
is O
part O
of O
a O
strategy O
to O
strengthen O
Labatt O
' O
s O
balance O
sheet O
in O
anticipation O
of O
acquisitions O
to O
be O
made O
during O
the B-T
next I-T
12 I-T
to I-T
18 I-T
months I-T
. O

Labatt O
' O
s O
has O
no O
takeover O
bids O
outstanding O
currently B-T
, O
he O
said O
. O

Lead O
underwriter O
to O
the O
issue O
is O
Toronto O
Dominion O
Securities O
Inc O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0233 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

this O
is O
a O
test O

this O
is O
a O
test O
file O
. O
this O
is O
a O
test O
file O
. O
this O
is O
a O
test O
file O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0133 O

SEOUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Seoul O
stock O
market O
ends O
higher O

The O
benchmark O
Korea O
Composite O
Stock O
Price O
Index O
( O
KOSPI O
) O
added O
11 O
. O
08 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
422 O
. O
55 O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
volume O
of O
KOSPI O
was O
moderate O
at O
247 O
million O
shares O
worth O
3 O
. O
46 O
trillion O
won O
( O
3 O
. O
7 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
tech O
- O
rich O
KOSDAQ O
index O
gained O
4 O
. O
26 O
points O
to O
617 O
. O
19 O
with O
a O
volume O
of O
671 O
. O
025 O
million O
shares O
worth O
2 O
. O
275 O
trillion O
won O
( O
2 O
. O
445 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
local O
currency O
ended O
at O
930 O
. O
50 O
won O
to O
one O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
, O
up O
0 O
. O
30 O
won O
from O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
close O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0125 O

NANNING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Int O
' O
l O
contracts O
with O
total O
investment O
of O
5 O
. O
845 O
bln O
USD O
inked O
at O
China O
- O
ASEAN O
Expo O

Businessmen O
have O
signed O
132 O
international O
cooperation O
projects O
involving O
investment O
of O
5 O
. O
845 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
by O
the O
press O
time O
at O
the O
ongoing O
Third O
China O
- O
ASEAN O
Expo O
, O
up O
10 O
. O
47 O
percent O
from O
the O
figures O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Expo O
. O

The O
statistics O
was O
released O
by O
the O
Expo O
' O
s O
Organizing O
Committee O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Participants O
of O
the O
Third O
China O
- O
ASEAN O
Expo O
also O
endorsed O
301 O
domestic O
cooperation O
projects O
involving O
55 O
. O
374 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
6 O
. O
9 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
of O
investment O
, O
up O
10 O
. O
36 O
percent O
from O
the O
figure O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Third O
China O
- O
ASEAN O
Expo O
was O
held O
here O
from O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
to O
Nov O
. O
3 O
, O
attracting O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
000 O
companies O
from O
China O
and O
ASEAN O
countries O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0423 O

ZAGREB O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Croatian O
ruling O
party O
wins O
35 O
percent O
in O
capital O
: O
preliminary O
results O

The O
ruling O
Croatian O
Democratic O
Union O
( O
HDZ O
) O
has O
won O
35 O
. O
94 O
percent O
in O
the O
elections O
for O
Zagreb O
city O
council O
, O
a O
key O
battlefield O
with O
the O
opposition O
, O
according O
to O
preliminary O
results O
announced O
early B-T
Monday I-T
. O

The O
figures O
were O
slightly O
down O
from O
its O
share O
of O
the O
vote O
after O
local O
elections O
in O
1995 B-T
when O
it O
won O
36 O
. O
55 O
percent O
. O

Electoral O
commission O
chairman O
Ivan O
Mrkonjic O
said O
that O
with O
about O
half O
the O
votes O
counted O
, O
the O
opposition O
Social O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
SDP O
) O
in O
coalition O
with O
the O
tiny O
Croatian O
People O
' O
s O
Party O
( O
HNS O
) O
had O
won O
23 O
. O
87 O
percent O
, O
a O
small O
rise O
on O
1995 B-T
. O

The O
Croatian O
Social O
and O
Liberal O
Party O
( O
HSLS O
) O
had O
won O
12 O
. O
24 O
percent O
, O
as O
against O
12 O
. O
87 O
percent O
it O
won O
two B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

In O
elections O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
the O
opposition O
won O
control O
of O
the O
city O
council O
after O
which O
Tudjman O
four O
times O
vetoed O
their O
choice O
of O
mayor O
, O
drawing O
international O
condemnation O
. O

Final O
results O
for O
the O
local O
, O
regional O
and O
upper O
house O
polls O
were O
expected O
Monday B-T
or I-T
Tuesday I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0429 O

VIENNA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Oil O
prices O
down O
may O
cause O
OPEC O
further O
output O
cut O

The O
Organization O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
( O
OPEC O
) O
' O
s O
weekly O
average O
crude O
oil O
prices O
dropped O
0 O
. O
17 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
to O
54 O
. O
89 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
cartel O
' O
s O
secretariat O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Following O
its O
decision O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
to O
slash O
oil O
output O
by O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
OPEC O
' O
s O
oil O
prices O
fluctuated O
within O
a O
narrow O
range O
of O
54 O
. O
16 O
to O
55 O
. O
74 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
five I-T
weeks I-T
, O
and O
daily O
oil O
prices O
hit O
the O
lowest O
of O
53 O
. O
37 O
dollars O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
. O

Market O
analysts O
believed O
, O
the O
narrow O
range O
of O
OPEC O
' O
s O
oil O
prices O
fluctuation O
indicated O
that O
OPEC O
had O
achieved O
its O
purpose O
of O
arresting O
the O
sharp O
fall O
in O
oil O
prices O
through O
output O
cut O
. O

In O
the O
meantime O
, O
plentiful O
inventories O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
crude O
oil O
and O
the O
calm O
winter O
in O
the O
Northern O
Hemisphere O
helped O
to O
ease O
worry O
about O
oil O
supply O
in O
the O
market O
. O

They O
forecast O
that O
the O
international O
oil O
prices O
would O
continue O
to O
hover O
until O
the O
Northern O
Hemisphere O
' O
s O
cold O
airflow O
set O
in O
, O
or O
OPEC O
cut O
the O
output O
again O
. O

The O
possibility O
of O
OPEC O
' O
s O
another O
cut O
increased O
. O

Saudi O
Oil O
Minister O
Ali O
al O
- O
Nuaimi O
warned O
recently O
that O
OPEC O
would O
cut O
production O
again O
at O
its O
December B-T
meeting O
, O
should O
the O
recent O
production O
cuts O
fail O
to O
balance O
the O
market O
. O

OPEC O
' O
s O
rotating O
President O
Edmund O
Daukoru O
, O
who O
is O
also O
Nigeria O
' O
s O
Oil O
Minister O
, O
last B-T
Friday I-T
expressed O
his O
worry O
about O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
overhigh O
crude O
oil O
stock O
, O
and O
said O
that O
OPEC O
would O
be O
likely O
to O
cut O
its O
output O
at O
least O
by O
500 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
at O
December B-T
meeting O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0243 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
to O
grant O
market O
economy O
status O
to O
Ukraine O

The O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
is O
to O
grant O
market O
economy O
status O
to O
Ukraine O
during O
the O
first O
EU O
- O
Ukraine O
summit O
, O
to O
be O
held O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
Kiev O
, O
the O
European O
Commission O
( O
EC O
) O
said O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
Tomorrow B-T
I O
look O
forward O
to O
informing O
President O
Yushchenko O
of O
our O
intention O
to O
grant O
Market O
Economy O
Status O
to O
Ukraine O
, O
" O
said O
EC O
President O
Jose O
Manuel O
Barroso O
before O
he O
left O
for O
Kiev O
to O
attend O
the O
summit O
. O

In O
a O
press O
release O
, O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
executive O
said O
three O
agreements O
were O
to O
be O
signed O
at O
the O
one O
- O
day O
summit O
- O
a O
memorandum O
of O
understanding O
on O
energy O
cooperation O
, O
and O
agreements O
on O
Galileo O
and O
Aviation O
. O

" O
The O
summit O
is O
expected O
to O
announce O
that O
Ukraine O
has O
now O
met O
the O
technical O
criteria O
for O
the O
granting O
of O
Market O
Economy O
Status O
, O
" O
said O
the O
press O
release O
. O

According O
to O
the O
EC O
, O
the O
EU O
would O
reiterate O
its O
strong O
support O
for O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
early O
accession O
to O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
, O
and O
encourage O
the O
government O
to O
address O
the O
last O
remaining O
issues O
in O
this O
regard O
, O
so O
that O
work O
can O
start O
on O
deepening O
economic O
integration O
between O
the O
EU O
and O
Ukraine O
through O
the O
creation O
of O
a O
Free O
Trade O
Area O
. O

British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
, O
whose O
country O
is O
holding O
the O
EU O
presidency O
, O
Barroso O
and O
EU O
foreign O
policy O
chief O
Javier O
Solana O
will O
attend O
the O
summit O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0326 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
African O
wheelchair O
basketball O
coach O
confident O
for O
Beijing O

New O
South O
African O
wheelchair O
basketball O
team O
coach O
Viv O
Sierra O
came O
through O
the B-T
opening I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
Wheelchair O
Basketball O
Challenge O
on O
Thursday B-T
confident O
that O
the O
core O
of O
his O
squad O
for O
the O
2008 O
Beijing O
Paralympics O
is O
in O
place O
. O

Sierra O
watched O
the O
opening O
match O
of O
the O
Wheelchair O
Basketball O
between O
local O
league O
outfit O
the O
Pumas O
and O
a O
visiting O
Angola O
team O
, O
which O
the O
Pumas O
won O
72 O
- O
40 O
, O
at O
the O
Vodacom O
Mandeville O
Indoor O
Center O
in O
Johannesburg O
on O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
. O

Thereafter O
Sierra O
oversaw O
the O
first O
of O
two O
national O
trial O
matches O
he O
has O
arranged O
during O
the O
Challenge O
as O
part O
of O
his O
final O
selection O
process O
for O
the O
Paralympics O
. O

The O
second O
trial O
match O
will O
take O
place O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
after O
which O
Sierra O
will O
announce O
his O
final O
squad O
of O
15 O
players O
for O
Beijing O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ve O
got O
a O
fairly O
good O
idea O
of O
my O
squad O
. O
I O
know O
the O
core O
of O
the O
team O
. O
Players O
like O
Marius O
Papenfuss O
, O
Justin O
Govender O
, O
and O
the O
oversees O
- O
based O
players O
like O
Richard O
Nortje O
, O
David O
Curle O
and O
Nick O
Taylor O
basically O
pick O
themselves O
, O
" O
Sierra O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O
SAPA O
news O
agency O
. O

" O
But O
this O
tournament O
will O
give O
me O
a O
good O
chance O
to O
look O
at O
some O
of O
the O
guys O
I O
think O
are O
fighting O
for O
places O
, O
" O
Sierra O
said O
. O

As O
the O
newly O
- O
elected O
coach O
of O
the O
South O
African O
wheelchair O
basketball O
team O
, O
Sierra O
said O
he O
will O
use O
this O
event O
to O
bring O
a O
different O
focus O
to O
the O
national O
side O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
looking O
for O
team O
players O
, O
not O
individual O
stars O
. O
That O
' O
s O
what O
I O
want O
in O
order O
to O
build O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
two I-T
years I-T
for O
Beijing O
. O
We O
' O
ve O
certainly O
got O
the O
players O
. O
It O
' O
s O
now B-T
just O
a O
question O
of O
getting O
them O
to O
play O
a O
particular O
style O
that O
works O
for O
them O
as O
a O
team O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0048 O

MUSAYYIB O
, O
Iraq O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Nine O
bodies O
found O
south O
of O
Baghdad O

Police O
have O
discovered O
nine O
bodies O
of O
Iraqi O
civilians O
shot O
dead O
near O
Mussayab O
, O
south O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
police O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
victims O
had O
all O
been O
shot O
at O
close O
range O
and O
were O
men O
in O
their O
30s O
, O
added O
police O
. O

Iraq O
has O
seen O
a O
spike O
of O
violence O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
legislative O
elections O
on O
December B-T
15 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0189 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

bird O
flu O
. O
" O

" O
We O
have O
conquered O
the O
SARS O
epidemic O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
and O
we O
will O
surely O
conquer O
the O
bird O
flu O
virus O
, O
" O
said O
Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
here O
Thursday B-T
when O
inspecting O
workshops O
of O
bird O
flu O
human O
vaccine O
and O
medicine O
. O

Accompanied O
by O
Vice O
Premiers O
Wu O
Yi O
and O
Hui O
Liangyu O
, O
Wen O
came O
to O
the O
Beijing O
Kexing O
Biological O
Product O
Company O
on O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
for O
inspection O
of O
China O
' O
s O
research O
on O
bird O
flu O
human O
vaccine O
. O

Kexing O
company O
, O
the O
first O
in O
the O
world O
to O
develop O
SARS O
vaccines O
, O
is O
now B-T
taking O
joint O
effort O
with O
the O
Chinese O
Center O
for O
Disease O
Control O
and O
Prevention O
to O
research O
bird O
flu O
human O
vaccine O
. O

Chinese O
scientists O
have O
developed O
human O
vaccines O
for O
the O
bird O
flu O
and O
will O
carry O
out O
clinical O
tests O
in O
days O
. O

Millions O
of O
chickens O
, O
ducks O
, O
geese O
and O
other O
poultry O
have O
been O
culled O
after O
bird O
flu O
outbreaks O
were O
reported O
in O
Xinjiang O
, O
Liaoning O
, O
Hubei O
, O
Anhui O
and O
Hunan O
provinces O
. O

China O
' O
s O
health O
authorities O
have O
confirmed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
the O
first O
two O
human O
infection O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
the O
country O
, O
and O
enhanced O
efforts O
to O
prevent O
and O
control O
the O
epidemic O
. O

The O
two O
confirmed O
cases O
involve O
a O
nine O
- O
year O
- O
old O
boy O
in O
Xiangtan O
County O
of O
Hunan O
Province O
and O
a O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
farmer O
in O
Zongyang O
County O
of O
Anhui O
Province O
. O
The O
boy O
has O
been O
discharged O
from O
hospital O
. O
The O
woman O
died O
on O
November B-T
10 I-T
. O

When O
coming O
to O
the O
vaccine O
workshop O
, O
Wen O
watched O
carefully O
the O
whole O
process O
of O
vaccine O
manufacture O
and O
packing O
, O
frequently O
asking O
questions O
about O
the O
progress O
of O
vaccine O
research O
and O
development O
, O
technical O
characteristics O
and O
producing O
capacity O
. O

" O
The O
public O
pay O
great O
attention O
to O
the O
vaccine O
safety O
problem O
, O
which O
should O
not O
be O
overlooked O
, O
" O
Wen O
told O
company O
leaders O
. O

Later O
Wen O
paid O
a O
visit O
to O
the O
institute O
researching O
and O
manufacturing O
medicines O
for O
treatment O
of O
human O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
. O
He O
said O
he O
was O
happy O
to O
know O
that O
progress O
has O
been O
made O
in O
researching O
such O
medicine O
. O

" O
Currently O
China O
' O
s O
bird O
flu O
prevention O
and O
control O
situation O
is O
severe O
, O
" O
said O
Wen O
after O
his O
inspection O
tour O
. O

" O
Prevention O
of O
human O
infection O
of O
bird O
flu O
and O
safeguarding O
people O
' O
s O
health O
and O
safety O
are O
the O
focus O
of O
the O
prevention O
work O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
efficient O
prevention O
and O
control O
work O
of O
highly O
pathogenic O
bird O
flu O
epidemic O
depends O
on O
science O
and O
technology O
, O
he O
said O
. O

China O
has O
made O
important O
breakthroughs O
in O
researching O
fowl O
- O
use O
vaccines O
and O
substantive O
progress O
in O
researching O
human O
- O
use O
vaccines O
and O
medicines O
, O
he O
said O
. O

He O
called O
for O
new O
progress O
in O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
, O
medicine O
research O
and O
production O
, O
as O
well O
as O
in O
monitoring O
migratory O
birds O
. O

China O
hastened O
to O
fight O
bird O
flu O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
when O
a O
cabinet O
meeting O
chaired O
by O
Premier O
Wen O
decided O
to O
set O
aside O
2 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
248 O
million O
dollars O
) O
to O
check O
the O
spreading O
of O
the O
virus O
. O
On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
China O
announced O
plans O
to O
vaccinate O
its O
more O
than O
14 O
billion O
farm O
birds O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0219 O

CAIRO O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Egypt O
dismisses O
theory O
that O
concrete O
was O
used O
in O
pyramids O

Egypt O
' O
s O
antiquities O
supremo O
Zahi O
Hawass O
on O
Sunday B-T
derided O
new O
studies O
according O
to O
which O
an O
early O
form O
of O
concrete O
rather O
than O
natural O
limestone O
was O
used O
to O
build O
the O
great O
pyramids O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
really O
silly O
. O
It O
was O
limestone O
, O
it O
' O
s O
been O
studied O
before O
by O
hundreds O
of O
chemists O
, O
" O
Hawass O
, O
who O
heads O
the O
Supreme O
Council O
of O
Antiquities O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

French O
Professor O
Gilles O
Hug O
, O
from O
the O
Office O
of O
National O
Aerospatial O
Studies O
and O
Research O
) O
and O
Egyptian O
- O
born O
Michel O
Barsoum O
, O
a O
professor O
at O
Philadelphia O
' O
s O
Drexel O
University O
analysed O
the O
mineralogy O
of O
samples O
from O
the O
Giza O
pyramids O
. O

They O
found O
that O
what O
would O
be O
the O
earliest O
known O
occurrence O
of O
concrete O
was O
used O
and O
not O
only O
limestone O
from O
the O
nearby O
quarries O
, O
explaining O
in O
part O
the O
mystery O
of O
how O
the O
Egyptians O
were O
able O
to O
erect O
such O
colossal O
structures O
. O

" O
The O
sophistication O
and O
endurance O
of O
this O
ancient O
concrete O
technology O
is O
simply O
astounding O
, O
" O
said O
the O
article O
printed O
in O
the O
December B-T
issue O
of O
the O
Journal O
of O
the O
American O
Ceramic O
Society O
. O

But O
Hawass O
dismissed O
the O
study O
and O
questioned O
the O
origin O
of O
the O
samples O
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
know O
the O
origin O
of O
these O
samples O
. O
. O
. O
We O
certainly O
never O
gave O
permission O
for O
anyone O
to O
take O
samples O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
This O
well O
- O
worn O
theory O
keeps O
coming O
up O
for O
publicity O
purposes O
. O
" O

Mark O
Lehner O
, O
a O
leading O
Egyptologist O
, O
also O
received O
the O
latest O
research O
supporting O
the O
concrete O
theory O
with O
caution O
. O
" O
Where O
did O
these O
samples O
come O
from O
is O
the O
first O
important O
question O
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

The O
theory O
that O
the O
great O
pyramids O
were O
built O
using O
man O
- O
made O
agglomerated O
stone O
was O
first O
put O
forward O
in O
the O
early O
eighties O
by O
French O
chemist O
Joseph O
Davidovits O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051120 O
. O
0256 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Landmine O
explosions O
kill O
1 O
, O
injuring O
6 O
in O
central O
Nepal O

At O
least O
one O
security O
man O
died O
and O
six O
others O
were O
injured O
in O
two O
separate O
land O
mine O
explosions O
on O
Sunday B-T
in O
central O
Nepal O
, O
a O
local O
police O
office O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
At O
least O
one O
security O
man O
died O
and O
another O
was O
injured O
when O
a O
security O
patrol O
overran O
an O
anti O
- O
government O
guerrillas O
planted O
land O
mine O
in O
Dayagaun O
area O
of O
Kavre O
district O
, O
some O
50 O
km O
east O
of O
Kathmandu O
, O
" O
the O
district O
police O
office O
of O
Kavre O
said O
in O
a O
press O
statement O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
five O
others O
of O
the O
same O
patrol O
team O
were O
injured O
in O
another O
explosion O
at O
Chaukidanda O
area O
of O
the O
district O
, O
the O
press O
statement O
said O
. O

At O
the O
same O
day O
, O
security O
forces O
and O
guerrillas O
clashed O
at O
Sapsu O
Khola O
area O
of O
Khotang O
district O
, O
some O
200 O
km O
east O
of O
Kathmandu O
. O

" O
However O
, O
in O
the O
45 O
- O
minute O
long O
clash O
, O
no O
casualties O
were O
reported O
on O
either O
side O
, O
" O
said O
Ramesh O
Thapa O
Magar O
, O
chief O
of O
Indra O
Dhwoj O
Army O
Battalion O
. O

Over O
12 O
, O
000 O
Nepalese O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
since O
the O
anti O
- O
government O
insurgency O
took O
place O
in O
the O
Himalayan O
kingdom O
in O
February B-T
1996 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051207 O
. O
0417 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Likud O
meeting O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Israel O
' O
s O
beleaguered O
right O
- O
wing O
Likud O
suffered O
a O
new O
blow O
Wednesday B-T
when O
its O
acting O
chairman O
, O
cabinet O
minister O
Tzahi O
Hanegbi O
, O
announced O
his O
defection O
to O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
' O
s O
new O
Kadima O
party O
. O

Hanegbi O
, O
a O
minister O
without O
portfolio O
, O
became O
the O
sixth O
minister O
to O
follow O
Sharon O
out O
of O
Likud O
as O
part O
of O
the O
continuing O
turmoil O
in O
Israeli O
politics O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
a O
March B-T
general O
election O
. O

" O
My O
heart O
was O
telling O
me O
to O
stay O
in O
Likud O
but O
my O
head O
told O
me O
otherwise O
and O
so O
therefore O
I O
am O
today B-T
announcing O
my O
resignation O
from O
Likud O
after O
representing O
the O
party O
for O
the B-T
last I-T
17 I-T
years I-T
in O
the O
Knesset O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
. O

" O
Prime O
minister O
, O
I O
am O
with O
you O
, O
" O
Hanegbi O
said O
. O
" O
Israel O
can O
place O
its O
trust O
in O
Ariel O
Sharon O
, O
who O
has O
always O
fought O
mercilessly O
against O
terrorism O
and O
has O
never O
compromised O
on O
Israel O
' O
s O
security O
. O
" O

Hanegbi O
said O
he O
would O
stand O
down O
as O
an O
MP O
immediately O
but O
would O
remain O
in O
the O
cabinet O
. O

The O
move O
came O
amid O
reports O
that O
police O
are O
to O
recommend O
Hanegbi O
' O
s O
prosecution O
on O
charges O
of O
cronyism O
during O
his O
time O
as O
environment O
minister O
. O

While O
the O
other O
five O
Likud O
ministers O
to O
have O
joined O
Sharon O
were O
seen O
as O
close O
allies O
of O
the O
premier O
, O
Hanegbi O
was O
regarded O
as O
an O
opponent O
of O
his O
controversial O
decision O
to O
pull O
troops O
and O
settlers O
out O
of O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

As O
interim O
head O
of O
the O
Likud O
central O
committee O
, O
the O
party O
' O
s O
main O
governing O
body O
, O
Hanegbi O
was O
to O
have O
played O
a O
key O
role O
in O
organising O
the O
leadership O
election O
to O
replace O
Sharon O
due O
on O
December B-T
19 I-T
. O

Senior O
Likud O
officials O
met O
at O
party O
headquarters O
in O
Tel O
Aviv O
on O
Wednesday B-T
evening I-T
to O
discuss O
their O
next O
move O
, O
with O
the O
head O
of O
the O
party O
' O
s O
faction O
in O
parliament O
, O
Gideon O
Saar O
, O
touted O
as O
a O
possible O
replacement O
for O
Hanegbi O
. O

The O
defection O
will O
be O
seen O
as O
another O
major O
blow O
to O
Likud O
which O
won O
38 O
out O
of O
the O
120 O
seats O
in O
the O
Knesset O
at O
the O
last O
election O
but O
is O
now B-T
set O
to O
win O
only O
a O
dozen O
, O
according O
to O
an O
opinion O
poll O
in O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
Haaretz O
newspaper O
. O

The O
survey O
found O
Kadima O
was O
on O
course O
to O
emerge O
as O
the O
largest O
party O
with O
39 O
seats O
after O
the O
March B-T
28 I-T
election O
, O
comfortably O
ahead O
of O
the O
centre O
- O
left O
Labour O
with O
22 O
. O

The O
findings O
demonstrate O
how O
Kadima O
has O
been O
able O
to O
shatter O
the O
mould O
of O
Israeli O
politics O
, O
which O
had O
been O
essentially O
a O
two O
- O
party O
system O
, O
since O
its O
formation O
on O
November B-T
21 I-T
. O

Apart O
from O
the O
Likud O
defectors O
, O
Sharon O
has O
also O
won O
the O
endorsement O
of O
the O
former O
Labour O
leader O
Shimon O
Peres O
. O

Sharon O
decided O
to O
break O
from O
the O
party O
he O
was O
instrumental O
in O
founding O
32 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
fed O
up O
with O
battling O
hardliners O
who O
refused O
to O
forgive O
him O
for O
pulling O
out O
of O
Gaza O
after O
a O
38 O
- O
year O
occupation O
. O

In O
a O
speech O
Wednesday B-T
by O
the O
tomb O
of O
the O
Jewish O
state O
' O
s O
first O
prime O
minister O
, O
David O
Ben O
Gurion O
, O
the O
current O
premier O
indicated O
that O
Israel O
must O
be O
ready O
for O
more O
pullouts O
from O
the O
West O
Bank O
. O

" O
In O
order O
to O
achieve O
peace O
, O
we O
are O
ready O
to O
give O
up O
some O
of O
what O
is O
rightfully O
ours O
, O
" O
Sharon O
said O
during O
a O
ceremony O
in O
the O
southern O
Negev O
desert O
. O

Former O
premier O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
, O
who O
is O
favourite O
to O
regain O
the O
Likud O
leadership O
, O
insisted O
security O
and O
military O
strength O
would O
bring O
peace O
to O
Israel O
as O
he O
took O
a O
swipe O
at O
his O
arch O
- O
rival O
Sharon O
. O

" O
Our O
peace O
is O
dependent O
on O
our O
strength O
. O
. O
. O
and O
not O
on O
endless O
( O
territorial O
) O
retreats O
, O
" O
he O
said O
in O
his O
first O
press O
conference O
since O
Sharon O
' O
s O
split O
. O

Before O
news O
emerged O
of O
Hanegbi O
' O
s O
switch O
, O
there O
were O
widespread O
reports O
that O
police O
were O
about O
to O
submit O
a O
file O
on O
the O
minister O
to O
the O
state O
prosecutor O
which O
contained O
enough O
evidence O
to O
justify O
pursuing O
a O
case O
through O
the O
courts O
. O

Police O
opened O
an O
investigation O
in O
August B-T
last I-T
year I-T
after O
a O
report O
by O
state O
comptroller O
Eliezer O
Goldberg O
found O
Hanegbi O
had O
" O
trampled O
on O
the O
law O
" O
by O
appointing O
dozens O
of O
political O
supporters O
to O
posts O
while O
environment O
minister O
. O

Asked O
about O
the O
reports O
of O
an O
imminent O
prosecution O
, O
Hanegbi O
dismissed O
them O
as O
" O
newspaper O
speculation O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0284 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Iran O
' O
s O
FM O
in O
Pakistan O
this O
week O
, O
nuclear O
programme O
on O
agenda O

Iranian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Manouchehr O
Mottaki O
will O
visit O
Pakistan O
this B-T
week I-T
for O
talks O
with O
Pakistani O
leaders O
likely O
to O
touch O
on O
Tehran O
' O
s O
controversial O
nuclear O
programme O
, O
an O
official O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

Mottaki O
- O
- O
who O
was O
due O
to O
arrive O
in O
Pakistan O
on O
Wednesday B-T
- O
- O
will O
be O
making O
his O
first O
visit O
to O
the O
country O
since O
August B-T
when O
he O
was O
named O
to O
his O
post O
, O
foreign O
ministry O
spokeswoman O
Tasnim O
Aslam O
told O
a O
weekly O
press O
briefing O
. O

" O
The O
visit O
offers O
a O
useful O
opportunity O
to O
review O
bilateral O
relations O
and O
intensify O
cooperation O
in O
areas O
of O
mutual O
interest O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Mottaki O
was O
also O
expected O
to O
discuss O
Iran O
' O
s O
controversial O
nuclear O
programme O
with O
Pakistani O
officials O
, O
she O
said O
. O

" O
Yes O
I O
think O
that O
will O
be O
( O
on O
the O
agenda O
) O
. O
We O
will O
discuss O
bilateral O
issues O
, O
we O
will O
discuss O
regional O
and O
international O
issues O
and O
this O
will O
probably O
figure O
in O
the O
meetings O
, O
" O
Aslam O
said O
. O

Mottaki O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Pakistan O
comes O
ahead O
of O
December B-T
21 I-T
talks O
between O
Iran O
and O
the O
so O
- O
called O
European O
Union O
3 O
- O
- O
Britain O
, O
France O
and O
Germany O
- O
- O
on O
its O
disputed O
nuclear O
programme O
. O

EU O
- O
Iran O
talks O
collapsed O
in O
August B-T
when O
Tehran O
ended O
its O
suspension O
of O
uranium O
conversion O
, O
a O
first O
step O
towards O
enrichment O
, O
and O
the O
planned O
talks O
are O
aimed O
at O
determining O
if O
negotiations O
can O
resume O
. O

Nuclear O
- O
armed O
Pakistan O
has O
figured O
in O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
' O
s O
investigation O
of O
Iran O
' O
s O
atomic O
fuel O
reactor O
programme O
. O

Pakistan O
in O
May B-T
sent O
parts O
from O
used O
nuclear O
centrifuges O
to O
the O
IAEA O
to O
allow O
the O
agency O
to O
compare O
microscopic O
traces O
of O
uranium O
on O
them O
with O
those O
found O
on O
devices O
in O
Iran O
. O

The O
IAEA O
confirmed O
in O
August B-T
that O
the O
particles O
found O
at O
a O
key O
nuclear O
site O
in O
Iran O
were O
from O
Pakistani O
centrifuges O
, O
which O
were O
passed O
to O
Tehran O
by O
the O
disgraced O
Pakistani O
nuclear O
scientist O
Abdul O
Qadeer O
Khan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0247 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
warns O
of O
climate O
change O
threat O
as O
conference O
opens O
in O
Kenya O

A O
series O
of O
climate O
change O
meetings O
opened O
at O
the O
UN O
Office O
in O
Nairobi O
, O
Kenya O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
participants O
warning O
that O
climate O
change O
is O
fast O
proving O
to O
be O
one O
of O
the O
greatest O
challenges O
in O
the O
history O
of O
humankind O
. O

Thousands O
of O
participants O
to O
the O
meetings O
, O
dubbed O
as O
" O
the O
United O
Nations O
Climate O
Change O
Conference O
- O
- O
Nairobi O
2006 O
" O
, O
called O
for O
collective O
action O
to O
tackle O
the O
threat O
. O

" O
Climate O
change O
is O
rapidly O
emerging O
as O
one O
of O
the O
most O
serious O
threats O
that O
humanity O
may O
ever O
face O
, O
" O
said O
the O
newly O
- O
elected O
President O
of O
the O
conference O
, O
Kenyan O
Environment O
Minister O
Kivutha O
Kibwana O
at O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
. O

The O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
- I-T
17 I-T
conference O
, O
including O
the O
12th O
Conference O
of O
the O
189 O
Parties O
to O
the O
United O
Nations O
Framework O
Convention O
on O
Climate O
Change O
( O
UNFCCC O
) O
and O
the O
2nd O
meeting O
of O
the O
166 O
Parties O
to O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
and O
other O
side O
events O
, O
is O
the O
first O
UN O
climate O
summit O
held O
in O
sub O
- O
Saharan O
Africa O
. O

Kibwana O
warned O
that O
global O
warming O
threatened O
the O
development O
goals O
for O
billions O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
poorest O
people O
. O

" O
We O
face O
a O
genuine O
danger O
that O
recent O
gains O
in O
poverty O
reduction O
will O
be O
thrown O
into O
reverse O
in O
coming B-T
decades I-T
, O
particularly O
for O
the O
poorest O
communities O
on O
the O
continent O
of O
Africa O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
conference O
president O
went O
on O
to O
say O
that O
for O
these O
communities O
, O
scarce O
resources O
that O
would O
otherwise O
be O
channeled O
into O
essential O
projects O
to O
further O
economic O
development O
would O
instead O
be O
used O
for O
other O
emergencies O
, O
such O
as O
health O
care O
crises O
, O
water O
shortages O
and O
food O
stock O
failures O
. O

He O
called O
on O
parties O
meeting O
in O
Nairobi O
to O
work O
together O
to O
ensure O
that O
real O
action O
is O
achieved O
on O
the O
issue O
of O
adaptation O
to O
climate O
change O
. O

" O
Past O
and O
current O
greenhouse O
gas O
emission O
levels O
have O
already O
committed O
us O
to O
at O
least O
some O
level O
of O
temperature O
increase O
, O
and O
therefore O
a O
certain O
level O
of O
adaptation O
measures O
will O
be O
needed O
as O
a O
result O
, O
" O
Kibwana O
said O
. O

The O
UNFCCC O
' O
s O
Executive O
Secretary O
Yvo O
de O
Boer O
called O
for O
specific O
activities O
to O
be O
agreed O
within O
the O
five O
- O
year O
work O
plan O
on O
impacts O
, O
vulnerability O
and O
adaptation O
. O

" O
We O
expect O
countries O
to O
take O
decisions O
in O
Nairobi O
that O
will O
enhance O
action O
on O
adaptation O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Another O
key O
outcome O
expected O
of O
the O
conference O
is O
agreement O
on O
how O
to O
manage O
the O
UNFCCC O
' O
s O
Adaptation O
Fund O
. O
The O
fund O
is O
financed O
by O
a O
share O
of O
proceeds O
generated O
by O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
' O
s O
clean O
development O
mechanism O
( O
CDM O
) O
. O

The O
CDM O
permits O
industrialized O
countries O
which O
are O
members O
of O
the O
protocol O
to O
invest O
in O
sustainable O
development O
projects O
in O
developing O
countries O
, O
and O
thereby O
generate O
tradable O
emission O
credits O
. O

" O
Ministers O
meeting O
in O
Nairobi O
have O
an O
opportunity O
to O
reach O
agreement O
on O
critical O
elements O
of O
the O
governance O
and O
management O
of O
the O
Adaptation O
Fund O
, O
" O
the O
UN O
top O
climate O
change O
official O
said O
. O

Kibwana O
called O
on O
the O
meeting O
to O
address O
the O
key O
obstacles O
faced O
by O
the O
least O
developed O
countries O
, O
in O
particular O
those O
in O
Africa O
, O
in O
participating O
successfully O
in O
the O
CDM O
. O

He O
added O
that O
after O
a O
successful O
start O
in O
May B-T
2006 I-T
in O
Bonn O
, O
discussion O
on O
future O
action O
to O
mitigate O
climate O
change O
would O
continue O
in O
Nairobi O
. O

One O
track O
is O
for O
negotiating O
commitments O
beyond O
2012 B-T
for O
countries O
under O
the O
Kyoto O
Protocol O
, O
the O
other O
deals O
with O
talks O
under O
the O
UNFCCC O
on O
the O
future O
of O
the O
climate O
change O
process O
, O
with O
a O
focus O
on O
how O
to O
advance O
development O
in O
a O
sustainable O
way O
and O
on O
how O
to O
realize O
the O
full O
potential O
of O
market O
- O
based O
opportunities O
. O

" O
We O
need O
an O
equitable O
and O
effective O
future O
climate O
change O
regime O
that O
enables O
us O
to O
stabilize O
atmospheric O
concentrations O
of O
greenhouse O
gases O
while O
at O
the O
same O
time O
allowing O
economic O
development O
to O
proceed O
in O
a O
sustainable O
manner O
, O
" O
Kibwana O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0070 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Russian O
ex O
- O
PM O
suffering O
' O
unknown O
' O
illness O

Russian O
doctors O
treating O
former O
prime O
minister O
Yegor O
Gaidar O
have O
detected O
symptoms O
that O
" O
do O
not O
correspond O
to O
any O
known O
illness O
" O
but O
cannot O
say O
for O
sure O
that O
he O
was O
a O
victim O
of O
poisoning O
, O
Gaidar O
' O
s O
office O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
The O
sudden O
development O
of O
the O
illness O
, O
the O
multi O
- O
faceted O
nature O
of O
the O
symptoms O
. O
. O
. O
do O
not O
correspond O
to O
any O
known O
illness O
, O
" O
although O
" O
doctors O
cannot O
unequivocally O
diagnose O
poisoning O
, O
" O
the O
office O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051207 O
. O
0065 O

SEOUL O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
government O
action O
, O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
South O
Korean O
goverment O
threatened O
Wednesday B-T
to O
invoke O
emergency O
powers O
to O
avert O
a O
strike O
by O
Korean O
Air O
pilots O
. O

The O
warning O
came O
after O
pilots O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
largest O
airline O
said O
they O
would O
strike O
from O
shortly O
after O
midnight O
Wednesday B-T
unless O
they O
reached O
a O
last O
- O
minute O
compromise O
in O
pay O
bargaining O
with O
management O
. O

The O
government O
issued O
a O
statement O
urging O
pilots O
to O
cancel O
the O
strike O
and O
resolve O
the O
dispute O
with O
their O
management O
through O
negotiations O
. O

" O
Otherwise O
, O
we O
will O
take O
stong O
measures O
such O
as O
our O
emergency O
arbitration O
rights O
, O
" O
it O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
We O
have O
kept O
the O
door O
open O
for O
dialogue O
with O
management O
, O
" O
said O
an O
official O
of O
the O
union O
that O
represents O
1 O
, O
344 O
of O
Korean O
Air O
' O
s O
1 O
, O
986 O
pilots O
. O

They O
are O
demanding O
a O
6 O
. O
5 O
percent O
increase O
in O
wages O
and O
a O
50 O
percent O
rise O
in O
bonuses O
. O
Of O
the O
1 O
, O
126 O
pilots O
who O
voted O
, O
897 O
supported O
the O
strike O
, O
the O
union O
said O
. O

The O
pilots O
earlier O
rejected O
a O
proposal O
by O
the O
government O
' O
s O
arbitration O
body O
for O
a O
2 O
. O
5 O
percent O
increase O
in O
wages O
and O
a O
50 O
percent O
rise O
in O
bonuses O
. O

Korean O
Air O
officials O
said O
the O
pilots O
had O
been O
given O
enough O
incentives O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
including O
special O
allowances O
amounting O
to O
11 O
. O
4 O
percent O
of O
their O
annual O
pay O
. O

Due O
to O
mounting O
fuel O
costs O
, O
Korean O
Air O
suffered O
a O
net O
loss O
of O
42 O
. O
5 O
billion O
won O
( O
40 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
the O
second B-T
quarter I-T
to O
June B-T
but O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
net O
profit O
jumped O
59 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
to O
154 O
. O
2 O
billion O
won O
, O
helped O
by O
growth O
in O
passenger O
demand O
and O
lower O
costs O
. O

In O
August B-T
pilots O
at O
Korean O
Air O
called O
off O
threatened O
strike O
action O
after O
a O
compromise O
over O
improved O
working O
conditions O
was O
reached O
with O
management O
. O

At O
rival O
Asiana O
Airlines O
, O
the O
government O
invoked O
rarely O
- O
used O
emergency O
powers O
and O
mobilized O
riot O
police O
to O
end O
a O
25 O
- O
day O
stoppage O
by O
pilots O
in O
August B-T
. O

" O
Korean O
Air O
' O
s O
stoppage O
will O
seriously O
hurt O
our O
exports O
and O
credibility O
abroad O
, O
" O
Construction O
and O
Transportation O
Minister O
Choo O
Byung O
- O
Jik O
said O
. O

The O
goverment O
estimates O
that O
a O
strike O
by O
Korean O
Air O
pilots O
could O
cause O
18 O
. O
7 O
billion O
won O
( O
18 O
. O
1 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
losses O
to O
the O
airline O
and O
50 O
billion O
won O
to O
the O
country O
. O

Korean O
Air O
accounts O
for O
40 O
. O
6 O
percent O
of O
international O
passenger O
services O
and O
48 O
. O
1 O
percent O
of O
international O
cargo O
services O
out O
of O
South O
Korea O
. O

bbc_20130322_1150 O

2013 B-T
- I-T
03 I-T
- I-T
22 I-T

Last O
1953 O
Everest O
team O
member O
George O
Lowe O
dies O
, O
aged O
89 O

The O
last O
surviving O
member O
of O
the O
team O
which O
first O
conquered O
Everest O
in O
1953 B-T
has O
died O
in O
a O
Derbyshire O
nursing O
home O
. O

George O
Lowe O
, O
89 O
, O
died O
in O
Ripley O
on O
Wednesday B-T
after O
a O
long O
- O
term O
illness O
, O
with O
his O
wife O
Mary O
by O
his O
side O
. O

New O
Zealand O
- O
born O
Mr O
Lowe O
was O
part O
of O
the O
team O
that O
helped O
Sir O
Edmund O
Hillary O
and O
Tenzing O
Norgay O
to O
the O
summit O
in O
1953 B-T
. O

Family O
friend O
and O
historian O
Dr O
Huw O
Lewis O
- O
Jones O
paid O
tribute O
to O
a O
" O
gentle O
soul O
and O
fine O
climber O
" O
who O
shunned O
the O
limelight O
. O

Mr O
Lowe O
also O
took O
part O
in O
the O
trans O
- O
Antarctic O
expedition O
of O
1957 B-T
- O
58 B-T
, O
which O
made O
the O
first O
successful O
overland O
crossing O
of O
Antarctica O
via O
the O
South O
Pole O
. O

He O
later O
made O
expeditions O
to O
Greenland O
, O
Greece O
and O
Ethiopia O
. O

Speaking O
to O
the O
BBC O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
Mr O
Lowe O
said O
of O
his O
Antarctic O
adventure O
: O
" O
We O
estimated O
we O
could O
do O
it O
in O
100 B-T
days I-T
, O
and O
we O
got O
across O
on O
the B-T
99th I-T
day I-T
. O

" O
There O
was O
a O
great O
feeling O
of O
euphoria O
from O
everyone O
. O
It O
had O
a O
multiplying O
effect O
. O

" O
We O
were O
pleased O
that O
England O
and O
New O
Zealand O
knew O
about O
it O
, O
and O
we O
thought O
that O
' O
s O
where O
it O
would O
stop O
. O
" O

He O
also O
talked O
about O
his O
" O
second O
job O
" O
as O
the O
group O
' O
s O
cameraman O
, O
and O
having O
to O
wear O
four O
pairs O
of O
gloves O
to O
work O
the O
clockwork O
camera O
. O

" O
When O
there O
were O
dramas O
, O
there O
was O
a O
split O
problem O
. O
Do O
you O
take O
part O
in O
the O
urgency O
- O
or O
do O
you O
record O
it O
? O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Dr O
Lewis O
- O
Jones O
, O
the O
former O
curator O
at O
the O
Scott O
Polar O
Research O
Institute O
at O
the O
University O
of O
Cambridge O
, O
who O
first O
met O
Mr O
Lowe O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
called O
him O
a O
" O
hero O
" O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
often O
use O
that O
word O
but O
then O
it O
is O
not O
very O
often O
that O
you O
get O
to O
meet O
one O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

A O
book O
of O
memoirs O
and O
photographs O
from O
the O
climb O
by O
Mr O
Lowe O
, O
which O
he O
worked O
on O
with O
Dr O
Lewis O
- O
Jones O
, O
is O
due O
to O
be O
published O
in O
May B-T
. O

He O
said O
: O
" O
Lowe O
was O
a O
brilliant O
, O
kind O
fellow O
who O
never O
sought O
the O
limelight O
. O
. O
. O
and O
60 B-T
years I-T
on O
from O
Everest O
his O
achievements O
deserve O
wider O
recognition O
. O

" O
He O
was O
involved O
in O
two O
of O
the O
most O
important O
explorations O
of O
the O
20th B-T
Century I-T
. O
. O
. O
yet O
remained O
a O
humble O
, O
happy O
man O
right O
to O
the O
end O
. O
. O
. O
an O
inspirational O
lesson O
to O
us O
all O
. O
" O

Before O
retiring O
in O
1984 B-T
, O
Mr O
Lowe O
worked O
as O
an O
Inspector O
of O
Schools O
with O
the O
Department O
of O
Education O
and O
Sciences O
, O
and O
he O
leaves O
three O
sons O
from O
a O
previous O
marriage O
. O

The O
last O
British O
climbing O
member O
of O
the O
1953 O
team O
, O
Mike O
Westmacott O
, O
died O
last B-T
June I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0206 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Photo O
exhibition O
on O
Sun O
Yat O
- O
sen O
' O
s O
life O
held O
in O
Pakistan O

A O
photo O
exhibition O
to O
mark O
the O
140th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
birth O
of O
Sun O
Yat O
- O
sen O
, O
one O
of O
the O
forefathers O
of O
modern O
China O
, O
opened O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
exhibition O
was O
organized O
by O
the O
Chinese O
Embassy O
to O
Pakistan O
and O
Pakistan O
National O
Council O
of O
the O
Arts O
. O

Some O
200 O
people O
including O
representatives O
of O
the O
overseas O
Chinese O
, O
Chinese O
students O
in O
Pakistan O
and O
Pakistani O
friends O
were O
present O
at O
the O
occasion O
in O
Pakistan O
National O
Art O
Gallery O
. O

Speaking O
on O
the O
occasion O
, O
Cultural O
Counsellor O
of O
the O
Chinese O
Embassy O
Shan O
Baoxiang O
recalled O
the O
glorious O
life O
of O
Sun O
and O
his O
great O
achievements O
made O
in O
the O
past O
for O
realizing O
independence O
, O
democracy O
and O
prosperity O
of O
China O
. O

Shan O
Baoxiang O
said O
that O
Dr O
. O
Sun O
Yat O
- O
sen O
is O
respected O
by O
the O
Chinese O
people O
as O
the O
forerunner O
of O
the O
Chinese O
Revolution O
. O
His O
life O
had O
also O
been O
a O
story O
of O
struggles O
and O
self O
- O
sacrifices O
. O

Shan O
said O
that O
Dr O
. O
Sun O
Yat O
- O
sen O
brought O
democracy O
to O
China O
, O
which O
still O
heavily O
influences O
the O
Chinese O
government O
today B-T
, O
from O
which O
the O
Chinese O
people O
are O
still O
benefiting O
. O

He O
added O
that O
without O
Sun O
' O
s O
efforts O
and O
ideological O
contributions O
, O
we O
will O
not O
have O
been O
able O
to O
stand O
here O
with O
you O
and O
talking O
about O
our O
deep O
- O
rooted O
friendships O
. O

On O
displayed O
at O
the O
exhibition O
are O
84 O
sheets O
of O
photos O
introducing O
Sun O
' O
s O
glory O
life O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0299 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

India O
' O
s O
tottering O
government O
given O
more O
breathing O
time O

India O
' O
s O
Congress O
( O
I O
) O
party O
Thursday B-T
gave O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
government O
until O
Friday B-T
to O
sack O
Prime O
Minister O
H O
. O
D O
. O
Deve O
in O
return O
for O
its O
support O
in O
a O
vote O
of O
confidence O
. O

Congress O
spokesman O
Ved O
Prakash O
said O
: O
" O
We O
have O
told O
the O
United O
Front O
( O
government O
) O
that O
if O
it O
does O
not O
come O
to O
a O
viable O
solution O
before O
11 B-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0530 O
GMT O
) O
tomorrow O
the O
Congress O
will O
vote O
against O
it O
. O

" O
Then O
the O
government O
will O
fall O
. O
" O

Prakash O
' O
s O
comments O
came O
after O
final O
peace O
talks O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
failed O
Thursday B-T
. O

Prakash O
, O
however O
, O
said O
a O
rapprochement O
could O
not O
be O
ruled O
out O
until O
the B-T
last I-T
minute I-T
. O

The O
Congress O
last B-T
month I-T
withdrew O
its O
parliamentary O
backing O
to O
the O
minority O
centre O
- O
left O
alliance O
, O
accusing O
the O
government O
of O
misrule O
. O

It O
said O
Deve O
Gowda O
should O
be O
sacked O
and O
announced O
it O
wanted O
to O
form O
its O
own O
coalition O
. O
Neither O
group O
, O
however O
, O
is O
strong O
enough O
to O
govern O
without O
outside O
backing O
. O

Prakash O
added O
: O
" O
In O
politics O
, O
you O
cannot O
say O
anything O
has O
failed O
until O
the O
very O
end O
. O
There O
are O
still O
lots O
of O
possibilities O
and O
scope O
for O
compromise O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0190 O

NAGANO O
, O
Japan O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Japanese O
wondergirl O
skater O
Mao O
Asada O
is O
heading O
to O
Russia O
to O
defend O
the O
Grand O
Prix O
Final O
after O
winning O
the O
NHK O
Trophy O
Friday B-T
with O
the O
highest O
ever O
score O
for O
a O
woman O
. O

Japanese O
rivals O
Fumie O
Suguri O
and O
Yukari O
Nakano O
, O
who O
won O
the O
NHK O
event O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
delighted O
the O
home O
fans O
by O
finishing O
second O
and O
third O
respectively O
. O

Asada O
, O
16 O
, O
collected O
199 O
. O
52 O
points O
in O
the O
Japanese O
competition O
, O
having O
marked O
130 O
. O
02 O
points O
in O
the O
free O
skating O
section O
and O
69 O
. O
50 O
from O
the O
short O
program O
. O

The O
overall O
point O
score O
edged O
above O
198 O
. O
06 O
points O
won O
by O
two O
- O
time O
world O
champion O
Irina O
Slutskaya O
of O
Russia O
at O
the O
2005 O
Cup O
of O
Russia O
. O

" O
I O
was O
so O
happy O
because O
this O
is O
my O
first O
victory O
this B-T
season I-T
, O
" O
Asada O
said O
. O
" O
About O
the O
total O
score O
. O
. O
. O
it O
was O
a O
surprise O
and O
I O
was O
happy O
to O
see O
that O
. O
" O

Asada O
gained O
her O
international O
prominence O
by O
beating O
Slutskaya O
to O
win O
the O
Grand O
Prix O
Final O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Asada O
, O
the O
crowd O
' O
s O
all O
- O
out O
favorite O
, O
kicked O
off O
her O
free O
skating O
program O
with O
a O
wobbly O
landing O
from O
a O
triple O
axel O
, O
but O
her O
performance O
improved O
after O
that O
. O

" O
I O
thought O
I O
could O
ride O
the O
wave O
if O
I O
could O
succeed O
the O
triple O
axel O
. O
Today B-T
, O
I O
landed O
but O
kind O
of O
wobbled O
a O
bit O
. O
But O
it O
was O
not O
a O
failure O
and O
I O
was O
on O
my O
wave O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
The O
rest O
of O
the O
programs O
had O
jumps O
that O
I O
felt O
confident O
about O
. O
I O
was O
able O
to O
do O
as O
I O
wanted O
, O
and O
I O
was O
relieved O
by O
that O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

There O
was O
considerable O
pressure O
on O
the O
high O
school O
student O
, O
who O
needed O
to O
win O
the O
competition O
to O
advance O
to O
the O
Grand O
Prix O
Final O
in O
Saint O
Petersburg O
later B-T
this I-T
month I-T
. O
The O
NHK O
Trophy O
is O
the O
last O
in O
the O
six O
- O
round O
qualifying O
series O
for O
the O
Final O
. O

" O
This O
was O
the O
first O
time O
that O
I O
was O
put O
in O
a O
high O
- O
pressure O
situation O
like O
this O
. O
I O
was O
nervous O
but O
I O
came O
out O
OK O
. O
Maybe O
I O
grew O
up O
a O
little O
, O
" O
said O
Asada O
, O
a O
driving O
force O
behind O
Japan O
' O
s O
figure O
skating O
craze O
. O

" O
I O
want O
to O
keep O
this O
momentum O
going O
into O
the O
finals O
. O
I O
hope O
I O
can O
do O
( O
a O
triple O
axel O
) O
there O
, O
" O
Asada O
said O
. O

Second O
- O
placed O
Suguri O
, O
25 O
, O
the O
world O
silver O
medallist O
who O
also O
came O
in O
second O
at O
Skate O
Canada O
this O
season O
, O
said O
she O
had O
struggled O
with O
fitness O
for O
the O
home O
competition O
. O

" O
New O
generations O
of O
skaters O
are O
growing O
, O
even O
girls O
who O
are O
10 O
years O
younger O
than O
I O
. O
I O
must O
to O
work O
more O
in O
order O
to O
survive O
, O
" O
said O
Suguri O
, O
who O
won O
a O
total O
179 O
. O
31 O
points O
, O
scoring O
117 O
. O
39 O
in O
free O
skating O
and O
61 O
. O
92 O
from O
her O
short O
program O
. O

" O
Maybe O
I O
failed O
to O
build O
my O
stamina O
, O
and O
it O
might O
have O
shown O
at O
the O
end O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
I O
want O
to O
learn O
from O
new O
ideas O
from O
new O
girls O
. O
" O

Nakano O
, O
who O
failed O
to O
defend O
her O
title O
, O
said O
she O
was O
disappointed O
about O
repeated O
mistakes O
, O
particularly O
in O
her O
free O
skating O
, O
but O
that O
she O
would O
work O
to O
sharpen O
the O
accuracy O
of O
her O
jumps O
and O
spins O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0486 O

KINSHASA O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

UN O
airlifts O
1 O
, O
800 O
Angolan O
refugees O
home O
from O
DR O
Congo O

The O
UN O
refugee O
agency O
has O
begun O
to O
fly O
home O
1 O
, O
800 O
Angolan O
refugees O
who O
have O
lived O
in O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
for O
many B-T
years I-T
, O
it O
announced O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
Some O
50 O
of O
them O
left O
( O
Monday B-T
) I-T
afternoon I-T
on O
the O
first O
flight O
from O
Kinshasa O
to O
Mbanza O
Kongo O
, O
in O
the O
north O
of O
Angola O
, O
" O
said O
a O
statement O
from O
the O
office O
in O
the O
DRC O
capital O
of O
the O
UN O
High O
Commissioner O
for O
Refugees O
( O
UNHCR O
) O
. O

Until O
December B-T
30 I-T
, O
there O
will O
be O
three O
daily O
flights O
carrying O
a O
total O
of O
about O
150 O
Angolans O
who O
have O
volunteered O
for O
repatriation O
, O
with O
a O
Christmas B-T
break O
between O
December B-T
24 I-T
and O
25 B-T
, O
the O
agency O
said O
. O

Refugee O
flights O
are O
costly O
, O
but O
the O
UNHCR O
said O
that O
" O
return O
transport O
by O
air O
is O
currently O
the O
only O
possible O
option O
due O
to O
the O
condition O
of O
roads O
and O
bridges O
that O
are O
inaccessible O
in O
the O
rainy O
season B-T
" O
. O

Angolan O
refugees O
moved O
into O
the O
DRC O
during O
the O
course O
of O
a O
civil O
war O
that O
ravaged O
their O
southern O
African O
country O
from O
independence O
in O
1975 O
until O
2002 B-T
, O
but O
the O
UNHCR O
said O
that O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
52 O
, O
000 O
of O
them O
should O
be O
home O
. O

The O
Angolan O
government O
paid O
for O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
first O
airlift O
, O
the O
UNHCR O
said O
. O

Voluntary O
repatriations O
began O
after O
the O
DRC O
, O
Angola O
and O
the O
UN O
agency O
signed O
a O
tripartite O
accord O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
the B-T
year I-T
a O
regional O
war O
that O
had O
raged O
across O
the O
vast O
central O
African O
country O
came O
to O
an O
end O
. O
During O
that O
conflict O
, O
Angola O
was O
one O
of O
three O
countries O
to O
send O
troops O
to O
support O
Kinshasa O
against O
rebels O
backed O
by O
Rwanda O
and O
Uganda O
. O

The O
refugees O
are O
being O
flown O
either O
to O
Mbanza O
Kongo O
or O
to O
Uige O
in O
northern O
Angola O
and O
the O
UNHCR O
allows O
them O
to O
take O
40 O
kilograms O
( O
88 O
pounds O
) O
of O
luggage O
, O
and O
gives O
them O
either O
cash O
subsidies O
or O
assistance O
packages O
of O
food O
and O
items O
like O
cooking O
utensils O
, O
depending O
on O
their O
destination O
. O

The O
latest O
registered O
number O
of O
Angolan O
refugees O
in O
the O
DRC O
was O
145 O
, O
000 O
, O
among O
224 O
, O
000 O
refugees O
from O
neighbouring O
countries O
. O
The O
UNHCR O
also O
estimates O
that O
410 O
, O
000 O
DRC O
refugees O
live O
abroad O
, O
mainly O
in O
Tanzania O
, O
Zambia O
and O
Congo O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0077 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

60 O
, O
000 O
Afghans O
registered O
so O
far O
in O
Pakistan O
: O
UNHCR O

More O
than O
60 O
, O
000 O
Afghans O
in O
Pakistan O
have O
so O
far O
been O
registered O
since O
the O
largest O
ever O
registration O
has O
been O
started O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, O
the O
UN O
refugee O
agency O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Pakistan O
had O
launched O
the O
registration O
process O
in O
collaboration O
with O
the O
United O
Nations O
High O
Commissioner O
for O
Refugees O
( O
UNHCR O
) O
and O
the O
process O
would O
be O
completed O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
Pakistan O
news O
agency O
NNI O
reported O
. O

Senior O
Regional O
Public O
Information O
Officer O
of O
UNHCR O
Vivian O
Tan O
said O
that O
UNHCR O
is O
trying O
to O
give O
identification O
to O
Afghan O
refugees O
and O
their O
registration O
process O
would O
be O
completed O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
year I-T
. O

She O
said O
it O
is O
a O
wrong O
perception O
that O
process O
of O
registration O
of O
Afghan O
refugees O
will O
be O
used O
for O
expelling O
Afghan O
refugee O
from O
Pakistan O
. O

She O
said O
that O
the O
basic O
purpose O
of O
the O
registration O
process O
is O
to O
protect O
Afghan O
refugees O
from O
harassment O
as O
after O
the O
registration O
Afghan O
refugees O
could O
legally O
stay O
for O
three B-T
years I-T
in O
Pakistan O
and O
they O
could O
obtain O
passports O
and O
identity O
cards O
to O
prove O
their O
identification O
. O

She O
said O
that O
it O
is O
true O
that O
Afghan O
refugees O
are O
afraid O
of O
the O
registration O
process O
and O
they O
do O
not O
want O
to O
do O
so O
but O
the O
UNHCR O
is O
trying O
to O
convince O
them O
for O
registration O
. O

She O
said O
that O
it O
is O
true O
that O
the O
UNHCR O
is O
lacking O
fund O
for O
completion O
of O
the O
registration O
process O
but O
the O
donors O
have O
pledged O
to O
provide O
more O
funds O
. O

She O
said O
that O
1 O
million O
Afghan O
refugees O
have O
been O
staying O
in O
74 O
camps O
in O
Pakistan O
, O
mostly O
in O
North O
West O
Frontier O
Province O
( O
NWFP O
) O
and O
southwestern O
Balochistan O
province O
. O

She O
said O
that O
they O
would O
ask O
Pakistan O
government O
to O
set O
up O
more O
registration O
centers O
outside O
Islamabad O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
meeting O
is O
scheduled O
to O
be O
held O
in O
December B-T
to O
review O
the O
registration O
process O
. O

She O
said O
, O
" O
We O
are O
giving O
them O
12 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
per O
person O
going O
back O
to O
Afghanistan O
with O
a O
traveling O
allowance O
of O
four O
to O
37 O
dollars O
according O
to O
their O
distance O
. O
" O

It O
is O
true O
that O
most O
of O
the O
Afghan O
refugees O
are O
coming O
back O
to O
Pakistan O
but O
there O
is O
no O
way O
to O
document O
the O
record O
of O
these O
people O
, O
said O
Van O
. O

" O
We O
have O
always O
stressed O
the O
need O
of O
development O
in O
Afghanistan O
so O
that O
these O
people O
could O
stay O
in O
their O
country O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0054 O

NANJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
new O
Schmidt O
telescope O
' O
s O
test O
observation O
successful O

Tests O
on O
China O
' O
s O
Schmidt O
telescope O
, O
which O
is O
designed O
to O
detect O
near O
- O
earth O
objects O
( O
NEO O
) O
that O
could O
threaten O
the O
planet O
were O
successful O
. O

The O
telescope O
, O
measuring O
one O
meter O
in O
diameter O
, O
was O
tested O
by O
scientists O
at O
the O
Mount O
Zijin O
Observatory O
under O
the O
Chinese O
Academy O
of O
Sciences O
, O
in O
the O
suburb O
of O
Huai O
' O
an O
city O
of O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Jiangsu O
Province O
. O

It O
is O
the O
fist O
telescope O
in O
China O
specialized O
in O
NEO O
observation O
and O
one O
of O
only O
six O
, O
one O
- O
meter O
NEO O
observation O
telescopes O
in O
the O
world O
, O
said O
Yang O
Jiexing O
, O
a O
researcher O
with O
the O
observatory O
. O

Near O
- O
earth O
objects O
are O
comets O
and O
asteroids O
that O
have O
been O
nudged O
by O
the O
gravitational O
pull O
and O
may O
collide O
with O
earth O
. O

Using O
the O
most O
sensitive O
CCD O
( O
Charge O
- O
Coupled O
Device O
) O
detectors O
, O
the O
telescope O
can O
take O
pictures O
of O
the O
high O
- O
orbit O
satellites O
, O
spatial O
debris O
, O
nebula O
and O
variable O
stars O
. O

After O
the O
test O
observation O
, O
the O
telescope O
will O
help O
astronomers O
document O
all O
NEOs O
, O
including O
unknown O
ones O
, O
for O
further O
study O
, O
and O
enable O
astronomers O
to O
know O
in O
advance O
whether O
an O
NEO O
poses O
a O
threat O
to O
the O
earth O
, O
said O
Yang O
. O

Once O
the O
danger O
is O
found O
, O
astronomers O
will O
exchange O
the O
information O
within O
the O
global O
observation O
network O
, O
Yang O
said O
. O

A O
global O
observation O
network O
has O
been O
set O
up O
to O
prevent O
the O
NEOs O
from O
colliding O
with O
earth O
. O

So O
far O
, O
more O
than O
800 O
near O
- O
earth O
asteroids O
have O
been O
discovered O
by O
scientists O
, O
including O
nearly O
100 O
with O
a O
diameter O
of O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
meters O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0154 O

TAIPEI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Taiwan O
to O
start O
first O
ever O
" O
three O
- O
in O
- O
one O
" O
election O
to O
saving O
money O

The O
" O
Central O
Election O
Commission O
" O
of O
the O
Taiwan O
authorities O
on O
Tuesday B-T
announced O
a O
candidate O
list O
for O
the O
island O
' O
s O
election O
of O
county O
heads O
, O
county O
councilors O
and O
village O
heads O
. O

It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
for O
the O
island O
to O
put O
the O
election O
of O
county O
heads O
, O
county O
councilors O
and O
village O
heads O
in O
one O
election O
. O

The O
election O
will O
be O
held O
in O
December B-T
. O

The O
so O
called O
" O
three O
- O
in O
- O
one O
" O
election O
aims O
to O
economize O
election O
costs O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Taiwan O
authorities O
. O

Statistics O
offered O
by O
the O
" O
Central O
Election O
Commission O
" O
showed O
that O
the O
Taiwan O
authorities O
spent O
more O
than O
13 O
. O
1 O
billion O
New O
Taiwan O
dollars O
( O
409 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
holding O
a O
total O
of O
21 O
elections O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
ten I-T
years I-T
. O

Although O
three O
elections O
integrated O
in O
one O
, O
the O
island O
' O
s O
election O
atmosphere O
is O
still O
crazy O
. O
News O
of O
the O
election O
, O
candidate O
introductions O
and O
election O
analysis O
are O
frequently O
seen O
on O
local O
newspapers O
and O
TV O
programs O
. O
Candidates O
' O
photos O
and O
posters O
with O
their O
competition O
slogans O
were O
put O
up O
along O
the O
streets O
. O

There O
are O
also O
reports O
of O
corruption O
. O
At O
present O
, O
12 O
candidates O
are O
sued O
for O
being O
suspected O
of O
taking O
bribes O
for O
more O
votes O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0202 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
International O
News O
Advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
28 O

Following O
are O
some O
of O
the O
major O
international O
news O
stories O
scheduled O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

- O
- O
Exit O
polls O
show O
that O
opposition O
candidate O
Manuel O
Zelaya O
leads O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
presidential O
election O
in O
Honduras O
, O
winning O
more O
than O
50 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
. O

- O
- O
Ice O
on O
the O
wings O
of O
the O
West O
Caribbean O
Airways O
( O
WCA O
) O
airplane O
had O
caused O
the O
Colombian O
company O
' O
s O
plane O
to O
crash O
in O
Venezuela O
, O
killing O
the O
160 O
people O
on O
board O
on O
Aug B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
Colombian O
media O
said O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

- O
- O
Jordan O
has O
a O
new O
cabinet O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
which O
faces O
the O
tasks O
of O
fighting O
against O
terrorism O
and O
improving O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economy O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0364 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambia O
soccer O
squad O
formed O
for O
CECAFA O

Zambian O
national O
team O
coach O
has O
named O
a O
19 O
- O
member O
squad O
for O
the O
Confederation O
of O
East O
and O
Central O
African O
Football O
Association O
( O
CECAFA O
) O
championship O
that O
will O
start O
this B-T
month I-T
in O
Ethiopia O
. O

According O
to O
the O
list O
released O
here O
Wednesday B-T
by O
Football O
Association O
of O
Zambia O
( O
FAZ O
) O
Patrick O
Phiri O
has O
blended O
experience O
and O
new O
talent O
in O
his O
team O
, O
bringing O
in O
players O
from O
both O
the O
Under O
20 O
and O
Under O
23 O
. O

The O
championship O
that O
will O
also O
feature O
Malawi O
and O
the O
host O
Ethiopia O
will O
run O
from O
November B-T
25 I-T
to O
December B-T
10 I-T
. O

FAZ O
spokesperson O
Joseph O
Nkole O
said O
: O
" O
We O
are O
taking O
this O
championship O
seriously O
because O
it O
would O
help O
our O
players O
to O
prepare O
for O
the O
Ghana O
2008 O
Africa O
Cup O
qualifiers O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O
" O

Nkole O
said O
FAZ O
decided O
to O
include O
the O
Under O
20 O
players O
in O
the O
team O
to O
shape O
them O
up O
for O
the O
Africa O
Youth O
Championship O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0308 O

LAGOS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sea O
pirates O
raid O
police O
station O
in O
south O
Nigeria O

A O
group O
of O
sea O
pirates O
have O
raided O
a O
police O
station O
in O
southern O
Nigeria O
and O
carted O
away O
arms O
and O
salaries O
of O
local O
government O
workers O
, O
the O
official O
News O
Agency O
of O
Nigeria O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

An O
eyewitness O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
that O
about O
a O
dozen O
of O
pirates O
stormed O
Bori O
Divisional O
Police O
Station O
in O
southern O
state O
of O
Rivers O
on O
early B-T
Sunday I-T
morning I-T
and O
shot O
sporadically O
to O
scare O
away O
policemen O
on O
duty O
before O
looting O
. O

The O
pirates O
also O
took O
away O
funds O
belonging O
to O
the O
local O
government O
and O
burnt O
their O
bus O
before O
escaping O
in O
a O
boat O
, O
the O
witness O
added O
. O

Confirming O
the O
event O
, O
police O
public O
relation O
officer O
Ireju O
Barasua O
said O
that O
a O
special O
police O
team O
had O
been O
deployed O
to O
the O
station O
and O
investigations O
had O
been O
started O
. O

She O
appealed O
to O
the O
public O
to O
be O
vigilant O
and O
assist O
the O
police O
with O
useful O
information O
on O
the O
movement O
of O
strange O
persons O
and O
criminal O
activities O
in O
the O
area O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0024 O

BANGKOK O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

I O
was O
a O
youthful O
Don O
Juan O
, O
says O
Thai O
PM O

Thai O
Prime O
Minister O
Chaowalit O
Yongchaiyudh O
, O
who O
recently O
divulged O
that O
he O
had O
been O
married O
three O
times O
, O
has O
admitted O
to O
being O
a O
womanizer O
in O
his O
youth O
, O
The O
Nation O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Chaowalit O
denied O
allegations O
of O
having O
been O
married O
to O
a O
fourth O
woman O
without O
the O
knowledge O
of O
the O
Thai O
public O
, O
but O
told O
reporters O
he O
had O
enjoyed O
a O
number O
of O
short O
term O
affairs O
as O
a O
young O
man O
. O

" O
I O
had O
a O
lot O
of O
those O
kind O
of O
affairs O
. O
It O
was O
like O
a O
moon O
being O
surrounded O
by O
stars O
. O
I O
could O
not O
help O
it O
if O
I O
was O
a O
womanizer O
when O
I O
was O
young O
, O
" O
the O
newspaper O
quoted O
him O
as O
saying O
. O

Speculation O
over O
Chaowalit O
' O
s O
marital O
history O
has O
been O
rife O
in O
the O
Thai O
press O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
after O
an O
interview O
with O
his O
second O
wife O
, O
whose O
existence O
was O
largely O
unknown O
to O
the O
general O
public O
, O
was O
published O
in O
a O
leading O
newspaper O
. O

Chaowalit O
and O
his O
second O
wife O
were O
married O
for O
three B-T
years I-T
in O
the O
1960s O
after O
he O
divorced O
from O
his O
first O
wife O
. O

The O
prime O
minister O
said O
the O
revelations O
had O
not O
caused O
any O
anguish O
to O
his O
current O
wife O
, O
who O
knew O
all O
about O
his O
colorful O
past O
. O

Asked O
to O
describe O
his O
second O
wife O
by O
reporters O
, O
Chaowlait O
responded O
: O
" O
All O
women O
are O
the O
same O
- O
- O
they O
are O
all O
lovely O
. O
" O

NYT19980212 O
. O
0019 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
12 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
01 I-T
: I-T
58 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

A4195 O
Cx1f O
taf O
- O
z O

u O
a O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
NY O
- O
LAUNDRY O
- O
MURDER O
- O
NYT O
02 O
- O
12 O
0207 O

BC O
- O
NY O
- O
LAUNDRY O
- O
MURDER O
- O
NYT O

WOMAN O
KILLED O
AT O
BROOKLYN O
LAUNDROMAT O

( O
lh O
) O
QL O

UR O
c O
. O
1998 O
N O
. O
Y O
. O
Times O
News O
Service O
LR O
QC O
QL O

NEW O
YORK O
_ O
A O
Brooklyn O
woman O
who O
was O
watching O
her O
clothes O
dry O
in O

a O
laundromat O
was O
killed O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
when O
two O
would O
- O
be O
robbers O

emptied O
their O
pistols O
into O
the O
store O
, O
the O
police O
said O
. O

The O
men O
appeared O
in O
the O
store O
at O
469 O
Vermont O
St O
. O
in O
Brownsville O

around B-T
7 I-T
: I-T
15 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
, O
after O
the O
victim O
, O
Linda O
Sanders O
, O
35 O
, O
had O
finished O

her O
cleaning O
and O
was O
waiting O
for O
her O
clothes O
to O
dry O
, O
detectives O

said O
. O

` O
` O
It O
looks O
as O
though O
they O
panicked O
, O
' O
' O
a O
detective O
, O
speaking O
on O

condition O
of O
anonymity O
, O
said O
of O
the O
robbers O
. O
` O
` O
They O
intended O
to O
rob O

the O
place O
. O
There O
were O
four O
or O
five O
people O
inside O
, O
and O
they O
just O
started O
firing O
. O
' O
' O

Ms O
. O
Sanders O
was O
hit O
several O
times O
and O
was O
pronounced O
dead O
at O
the O

scene O
. O
The O
other O
customers O
fled O
, O
and O
the O
police O
said O
it O
did O
not O
appear O
that O
anyone O
else O
was O
injured O
. O

The O
men O
took O
no O
money O
from O
their O
victim O
or O
from O
the O

establishment O
, O
said O
Detective O
Joseph O
Pentangelo O
, O
a O
Police O

Department O
spokesman O
. O

Victor O
Miranda O
, O
who O
lives O
in O
Ms O
. O
Sanders O
' O
apartment O
building O
at O

405 O
Williams O
Ave O
. O
, O
said O
the O
laundry O
machines O
in O
the O
building O
were O
removed O
a B-T
few I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
to O
make O
room O
for O
management O
offices O
. O

NYT O
- O
02 O
- O
12 O
- O
98 O
0158EST O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0104 O

BAKU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Azerbaijan O
starts O
parliamentary O
elections O
amid O
opposition O
protests O

Some O
4 O
. O
66 O
million O
registered O
voters O
in O
Azerbaijan O
Saturday B-T
went O
to O
the O
polls O
amid O
opposition O
protests O
. O

The O
oppositions O
said O
the O
elections O
to O
choose O
the O
125 O
- O
seat O
Milli O
Majlis O
, O
or O
national O
assembly O
, O
have O
been O
marked O
by O
" O
harassment O
" O
as O
a O
leading O
opposition O
party O
' O
s O
campaign O
leader O
has O
been O
kept O
under O
arrest O
for O
a B-T
third I-T
day I-T
. O

Faramaz O
Javadov O
, O
campaign O
manager O
for O
the O
Democratic O
Party O
, O
was O
reportedly O
arrested O
in O
a O
raid O
on O
the O
party O
' O
s O
election O
headquarters O
on O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
. O

Opposition O
parties O
of O
the O
country O
, O
including O
Javadov O
' O
s O
Democratic O
Party O
, O
which O
are O
united O
in O
the O
the O
Azadlyq O
( O
Freedom O
) O
Bloc O
, O
have O
promised O
demonstrations O
if O
any O
fraud O
is O
detected O
. O

Pledging O
a O
fair O
and O
transparent O
vote O
, O
an O
Interior O
Ministry O
spokesman O
said O
Javadov O
was O
arrested O
when O
police O
were O
searching O
his O
offices O
after O
a O
tip O
- O
off O
about O
illegal O
weapons O
. O

" O
Faramaz O
Javadov O
put O
up O
resistance O
and O
he O
was O
therefore O
arrested O
for O
obstructing O
police O
. O
" O
said O
the O
spokesman O
. O

The O
government O
of O
President O
Ilham O
Aliyev O
has O
introduced O
a O
package O
of O
anti O
- O
fraud O
measures O
, O
including O
applying O
special O
ink O
on O
voters O
' O
fingers O
to O
prevent O
multiple O
voting O
in O
the O
elections O
which O
have O
drawn O
much O
attention O
from O
western O
countries O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
voting O
process O
in O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
nation O
of O
eight O
million O
people O
will O
also O
be O
watched O
by O
about O
2 O
, O
000 O
Azeri O
monitors O
, O
as O
well O
as O
1 O
, O
291 O
foreign O
observers O
. O

The O
polls O
will O
be O
closed O
at O
1500 O
GMT O
and O
preliminary O
results O
are O
expected O
to O
come O
out O
within O
24 B-T
hours I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0227 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

humans O

The O
Beijing O
- O
based O
vaccine O
producer O
Sinovac O
Biotech O
, O
the O
first O
in O
the O
world O
to O
develop O
SARS O
vaccine O
, O
said O
Friday B-T
it O
has O
made O
preparations O
to O
produce O
human O
- O
use O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
in O
mass O
quantity O
. O

Sinovac O
has O
installed O
a O
special O
production O
line O
for O
the O
human O
- O
use O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
, O
said O
Yin O
Weidong O
. O
general O
manager O
of O
the O
company O
, O
which O
is O
working O
with O
the O
Chinese O
Center O
for O
Disease O
Control O
and O
Prevention O
to O
research O
bird O
flu O
human O
vaccine O
. O

" O
We O
have O
applied O
for O
human O
clinical O
trials O
for O
the O
vaccine O
with O
the O
Chinese O
State O
Food O
and O
Drug O
Administration O
and O
the O
vaccine O
can O
be O
put O
into O
production O
once O
the O
clinical O
trials O
complete O
, O
" O
said O
Yin O
, O
adding O
the O
price O
of O
the O
vaccine O
could O
be O
lower O
than O
the O
commonly O
- O
used O
flu O
vaccines O
. O

Chinese O
scientists O
have O
developed O
a O
bird O
flue O
vaccine O
for O
human O
use O
and O
will O
carry O
out O
clinical O
tests O
in O
days O
. O

" O
Tests O
show O
that O
the O
vaccine O
is O
highly O
safe O
, O
" O
said O
Yin O
. O

Founded O
in O
2001 B-T
, O
Sinovac O
, O
known O
in O
China O
as O
Beijing O
Kexing O
Bioproducts O
Limited O
Company O
, O
focuses O
on O
manufacturing O
and O
marketing O
human O
- O
use O
vaccines O
and O
related O
products O
for O
infectious O
diseases O
such O
as O
Hepatitis O
A O
and O
Hepatitis O
B O
, O
influenza O
and O
SARS O
. O

The O
company O
was O
designated O
to O
cooperate O
with O
the O
state O
disease O
control O
and O
prevention O
center O
to O
carry O
out O
the O
research O
and O
development O
for O
human O
- O
use O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
, O
to O
be O
used O
for O
preventing O
the O
disease O
among O
humans O
, O
since O
the O
epidemic O
among O
birds O
was O
first O
found O
in O
March B-T
2004 I-T
. O

" O
We O
get O
the O
virus O
samples O
from O
the O
lab O
of O
the O
influenza O
center O
under O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
and O
the O
research O
is O
going O
on O
well O
, O
" O
said O
Yin O
. O

" O
If O
the O
bird O
flu O
virus O
mutates O
, O
we O
can O
develop O
new O
vaccines O
in O
four B-T
months I-T
, O
" O
said O
Yin O
. O

Millions O
of O
chickens O
, O
ducks O
, O
geese O
and O
other O
poultry O
have O
been O
culled O
after O
bird O
flu O
outbreaks O
were O
reported O
in O
Xinjiang O
, O
Inner O
Mongolia O
, O
Liaoning O
, O
Hunan O
, O
Hubei O
, O
and O
Anhui O
provinces O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

China O
' O
s O
health O
authorities O
have O
confirmed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
the O
first O
two O
human O
infection O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
the O
country O
, O
and O
enhanced O
efforts O
to O
prevent O
and O
control O
the O
epidemic O
. O

Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
inspected O
the O
workshops O
of O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
and O
medicine O
for O
human O
use O
in O
Sinovac O
on O
Thursday B-T
and O
called O
for O
new O
progress O
on O
the O
research O
and O
development O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
. O

nyt_20130322_strange_computer O

2013 B-T
- I-T
03 I-T
- I-T
22 I-T

A O
Strange O
Computer O
Promises O
Great O
Speed O

Our O
digital B-T
age O
is O
all O
about O
bits O
, O
those O
precise O
ones O
and O
zeros O
that O
are O
the O
stuff O
of O
modern O
computer O
code O
. O

But O
a O
powerful O
new O
type O
of O
computer O
that O
is O
about O
to O
be O
commercially O
deployed O
by O
a O
major O
American O
military O
contractor O
is O
taking O
computing O
into O
the O
strange O
, O
subatomic O
realm O
of O
quantum O
mechanics O
. O
In O
that O
infinitesimal O
neighborhood O
, O
common O
sense O
logic O
no O
longer O
seems O
to O
apply O
. O
A O
one O
can O
be O
a O
one O
, O
or O
it O
can O
be O
a O
one O
and O
a O
zero O
and O
everything O
in O
between O
all O
at O
the O
same O
time O
. O

It O
sounds O
preposterous O
, O
particularly O
to O
those O
familiar O
with O
the O
yes O
/ O
no O
world O
of O
conventional O
computing O
. O
But O
academic O
researchers O
and O
scientists O
at O
companies O
like O
Microsoft O
, O
I O
. O
B O
. O
M O
. O
and O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
have O
been O
working O
to O
develop O
quantum O
computers O
. O

Now B-T
, O
Lockheed O
Martin O
which O
bought O
an O
early O
version O
of O
such O
a O
computer O
from O
the O
Canadian O
company O
D O
- O
Wave O
Systems O
two B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
is O
confident O
enough O
in O
the O
technology O
to O
upgrade O
it O
to O
commercial O
scale O
, O
becoming O
the O
first O
company O
to O
use O
quantum O
computing O
as O
part O
of O
its O
business O
. O

Skeptics O
say O
that O
D O
- O
Wave O
has O
yet O
to O
prove O
to O
outside O
scientists O
that O
it O
has O
solved O
the O
myriad O
challenges O
involved O
in O
quantum O
computation O
. O

But O
if O
it O
performs O
as O
Lockheed O
and O
D O
- O
Wave O
expect O
, O
the O
design O
could O
be O
used O
to O
supercharge O
even O
the O
most O
powerful O
systems O
, O
solving O
some O
science O
and O
business O
problems O
millions O
of O
times O
faster O
than O
can O
be O
done O
today B-T
. O

Ray O
Johnson O
, O
Lockheeds O
chief O
technical O
officer O
, O
said O
his O
company O
would O
use O
the O
quantum O
computer O
to O
create O
and O
test O
complex O
radar O
, O
space O
and O
aircraft O
systems O
. O
It O
could O
be O
possible O
, O
for O
example O
, O
to O
tell O
instantly O
how O
the O
millions O
of O
lines O
of O
software O
running O
a O
network O
of O
satellites O
would O
react O
to O
a O
solar O
burst O
or O
a O
pulse O
from O
a O
nuclear O
explosion O
something O
that O
can O
now B-T
take O
weeks B-T
, O
if O
ever O
, O
to O
determine O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0389 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Five O
police O
killed O
on O
drug O
patrol O
in O
Mexico O

Five O
police O
officers O
were O
killed O
in O
an O
ambush O
by O
drug O
gangs O
in O
the O
western O
Mexican O
state O
of O
Michoacan O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
state O
prosecutors O
said O
. O

An O
investigative O
officer O
and O
four O
police O
officers O
were O
shot O
dead O
when O
conducting O
a O
routine O
patrol O
in O
the O
mountain O
town O
of O
Aguililla O
where O
farmers O
grow O
opium O
poppies O
and O
marijuana O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
state O
prosecutor O
said O
. O

The O
victims O
' O
bodies O
were O
found O
bullet O
- O
riddled O
. O

The O
incident O
happened O
close O
to O
Tumbuscatio O
, O
where O
Mexican O
soldiers O
killed O
one O
drug O
trafficker O
and O
arrested O
two O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
and O
seized O
a O
vast O
cache O
of O
weapons O
. O

Drug O
violence O
has O
surged O
in O
western O
Mexican O
states O
like O
Michoacan O
and O
Guerrero O
recently O
, O
despite O
efforts O
by O
the O
government O
of O
President O
Vicente O
Fox O
to O
break O
the O
gangs O
. O

Since O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
30 O
police O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
drug O
- O
related O
violence O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0121 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Some O
2 O
. O
8 O
tons O
of O
drugs O
seized O
in O
southeastern O
Iran O
in O
three O
days O

Iranian O
anti O
- O
drug O
police O
have O
seized O
some O
2 O
. O
8 O
tons O
of O
illicit O
drugs O
in O
the O
southeastern O
city O
of O
Zahedan O
during O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
days I-T
, O
the O
official O
IRNA O
news O
agency O
reported O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
massive O
haul O
, O
including O
2 O
, O
000 O
kg O
of O
opium O
, O
400 O
kg O
of O
hashish O
, O
400 O
kg O
of O
heroin O
and O
some O
narcotics O
, O
were O
seized O
when O
police O
searched O
suspected O
vehicles O
in O
the O
city O
during O
a O
drug O
- O
busting O
operation O
, O
a O
police O
officer O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
IRNA O
as O
saying O
. O

Over O
100 O
weapons O
were O
also O
confiscated O
during O
the O
operation O
and O
39 O
drug O
traffickers O
arrested O
, O
the O
officer O
added O
. O

Zahedan O
is O
the O
capital O
city O
of O
the O
Sistan O
- O
Baluchestan O
province O
, O
which O
shares O
a O
1 O
, O
100 O
- O
km O
border O
with O
Pakistan O
and O
Afghanistan O
. O

Drug O
addiction O
and O
transportation O
has O
been O
a O
serious O
social O
problem O
in O
Iran O
, O
a O
country O
sitting O
in O
the O
crossroad O
linking O
drug O
producing O
Afghanistan O
and O
Pakistan O
and O
markets O
in O
the O
Persian O
Gulf O
states O
, O
central O
Asia O
, O
western O
Europe O
and O
other O
regions O
. O

According O
to O
official O
statistics O
, O
there O
are O
at O
least O
2 O
million O
drug O
addicts O
in O
Iran O
. O

The O
country O
also O
accounts O
for O
80 O
percent O
of O
the O
opium O
and O
90 O
percent O
of O
the O
morphine O
intercepted O
worldwide O
, O
according O
to O
the O
International O
Narcotics O
Control O
Board O
. O

The O
Islamic O
Republic O
spends O
5 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
annually O
on O
anti O
- O
drug O
programs O
, O
and O
over O
3 O
, O
100 O
police O
have O
lost O
their O
lives O
in O
clashes O
with O
drug O
smugglers O
during O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
decades I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0253 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Annan O
calls O
for O
strong O
action O
to O
eliminate O
violence O
against O
women O

UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
called O
on O
states O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
take O
strong O
action O
to O
eliminate O
violence O
against O
women O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
on O
Friday B-T
marked O
the O
International O
Day O
for O
the O
Elimination O
of O
Violence O
against O
Women O
with O
calls O
for O
states O
to O
take O
legal O
action O
against O
the O
global O
scourge O
, O
for O
societies O
to O
change O
a O
mindset O
that O
permits O
such O
abuse O
, O
and O
for O
women O
themselves O
to O
stand O
up O
and O
speak O
out O
against O
a O
culture O
of O
shame O
. O

In O
a O
message O
on O
the O
Day O
, O
Annan O
pointed O
out O
that O
" O
violence O
against O
women O
remains O
pervasive O
worldwide O
. O
" O

" O
It O
is O
the O
most O
atrocious O
manifestation O
of O
the O
systemic O
discrimination O
and O
inequality O
women O
continue O
to O
face O
, O
in O
law O
and O
in O
their O
everyday O
lives O
, O
around O
the O
world O
. O
It O
occurs O
in O
every O
region O
, O
country O
, O
and O
culture O
, O
regardless O
of O
income O
, O
class O
, O
race O
or O
ethnicity O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Noting O
that O
leaders O
at O
September B-T
' O
s O
UN O
World O
Summit O
pledged O
to O
redouble O
efforts O
to O
eliminate O
all O
forms O
of O
violence O
against O
women O
and O
the O
girls O
, O
he O
stressed O
that O
this O
required O
a O
change O
of O
the O
mindset O
, O
still O
all O
too O
common O
and O
deep O
- O
seated O
, O
that O
violence O
against O
women O
is O
acceptable O
. O

" O
That O
means O
leadership O
in O
showing O
, O
by O
example O
, O
that O
when O
it O
comes O
to O
violence O
against O
women O
and O
girls O
, O
there O
are O
no O
grounds O
for O
tolerance O
and O
no O
tolerable O
excuses O
, O
" O
the O
Secretary O
- O
General O
declared O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0093 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Seoul O
shares O
close O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
lower O

Share O
prices O
fell O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
on O
the O
Korea O
Stock O
Exchange O
Tuesday B-T
, O
hit O
by O
reports O
of O
financial O
problems O
at O
Jinro O
group O
subsidiaries O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
composite O
index O
closed O
down O
9 O
. O
38 O
points O
at O
687 O
. O
96 O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0053 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0053 O
. O

Bethlehem O
Steel O

@ O
Net O
Fell O
54 O
% O

@ O
In O
3rd O
Period O

@ O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
Higher O
Costs O
, O
Less O
Volume O

@ O
Are O
Cited O
; O
2 O
Others O
Post O

@ O
Lower O
Operating O
Profits O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Clare O
Ansberry O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

BS O
AS O
NII O

STEEL O
MANUFACTURERS O
( O
STL O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Bethlehem O
Steel O
Corp O
. O
, O
hammered O
by O
higher O
costs O
and O
lower O
shipments O
to O
key O
automotive O
and O
service O
- O
center O
customers O
, O
posted O
a O
54 O
% O
drop O
in O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
profit O
. O

Separately O
, O
two O
more O
of O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
top O
steelmakers O
- O
- O
Armco O
Inc O
. O
and O
National O
Intergroup O
Inc O
. O
- O
- O
reported O
lower O
operating O
earnings O
in O
their O
steel O
businesses O
, O
marking O
what O
is O
generally O
believed O
to O
be O
the O
end O
of O
a O
two B-T
- I-T
year I-T
boom O
in O
the O
industry O
. O

Wall O
Street O
analysts O
expect O
the O
disappointing O
trend O
to O
continue O
into O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
and O
through O
at O
least O
the O
first B-T
two I-T
quarters I-T
of I-T
1990 I-T
, O
when O
the O
industry O
will O
increasingly O
see O
the O
effect O
of O
price O
erosion O
in O
major O
product O
lines O
, O
such O
as O
rolled O
sheet O
used O
for O
cars O
, O
appliances O
and O
construction O
. O

" O
It O
does O
n O
' O
t O
bode O
well O
for O
coming B-T
quarters I-T
, O
" O
said O
John O
Jacobson O
, O
who O
follows O
the O
steel O
industry O
for O
AUS O
Consultants O
. O

In O
fact O
, O
he O
thinks O
several O
steelmakers O
will O
report O
actual O
losses O
through O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
1990 I-T
. O

Bethlehem O
, O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
steelmaker O
, O
earned O
$ O
46 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
54 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

The O
figures O
include O
$ O
15 O
million O
in O
costs O
related O
to O
a O
blast O
furnace O
outage O
and O
$ O
8 O
million O
in O
losses O
from O
unauthorized O
work O
outages O
at O
the O
company O
' O
s O
coal O
operations O
. O

In O
the O
year B-T
- I-T
ago I-T
period I-T
, O
Bethlehem O
earned O
$ O
101 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
27 O
a O
share O
, O
including O
a O
$ O
3 O
. O
8 O
million O
gain O
from O
early O
retirement O
of O
debt O
. O

Third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
sales O
dropped O
11 O
% O
to O
$ O
1 O
. O
27 O
billion O
from O
$ O
1 O
. O
43 O
billion O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

In O
composite O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
Bethlehem O
shares O
rose O
50 O
cents O
to O
$ O
17 O
. O
375 O
. O

Of O
all O
the O
major O
steelmakers O
, O
Bethlehem O
would O
seem O
to O
be O
the O
most O
vulnerable O
to O
a O
slowdown O
. O

It O
hasn O
' O
t O
diversified O
beyond O
steel O
, O
nor O
has O
it O
linked O
up O
with O
a O
joint O
venture O
partner O
to O
share O
costs O
and O
risks O
. O

However O
, O
in O
spite O
of O
the O
difficult O
industrywide O
environment O
of O
high O
cost O
and O
low O
volume O
, O
Bethlehem O
" O
had O
pretty O
good O
earnings O
numbers O
, O
" O
said O
Michelle O
Galanter O
Applebaum O
, O
an O
analyst O
with O
Salomon O
Brothers O
Inc O
. O
Ms O
. O
Applebaum O
had O
estimated O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
earnings O
of O
55 O
cents O
a O
shhha55 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
ents O
a O
share O
, O
but O
ssa O
share O
, O
but O
said O
the O
losses O
for O
the O
unusual O
items O
were O
larger O
than O
expected O
. O

Still O
, O
Bethlehem O
' O
s O
core O
basic O
steel O
operations O
experienced O
a O
steep O
drop O
in O
operating O
profit O
to O
$ O
58 O
. O
6 O
million O
from O
$ O
186 O
. O
4 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
, O
when O
the O
industry O
enjoyed O
strong O
demand O
and O
pricing O
. O

The O
company O
said O
its O
shipments O
declined O
as O
a O
result O
of O
a O
reduction O
in O
inventories O
by O
service O
centers O
, O
a O
lackluster O
automotive O
market O
and O
increasing O
competitive O
pressures O
in O
the O
construction O
market O
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
production O
costs O
, O
compared O
with O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
, O
were O
boosted O
by O
higher O
raw O
material O
and O
employment O
costs O
, O
which O
resulted O
from O
the O
company O
' O
s O
new O
labor O
pact O
effective O
June B-T
1 I-T
. O

" O
We O
anticipate O
that O
steel O
market O
conditions O
will O
exhibit O
a O
further O
moderate O
decline O
in O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
as O
the O
automotive O
sector O
remains O
weak O
and O
customers O
continue O
to O
adjust O
inventories O
, O
" O
said O
Bethlehem O
Chairman O
Walter O
F O
. O
Williams O
. O

He O
noted O
, O
however O
, O
that O
the O
company O
' O
s O
order O
entry O
has O
increased O
from O
the O
low O
levels O
of O
the B-T
early I-T
summer I-T
, O
following O
the O
end O
of O
labor O
negotiations O
. O

steel O
business O
, O
said O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
dropped O
8 O
% O
to O
$ O
33 O
million O
, O
or O
35 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
36 O
million O
, O
or O
39 O
cents O
a O
share O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
ago I-T
quarter I-T
. O

Sales O
dropped O
to O
$ O
441 O
. O
1 O
million O
from O
$ O
820 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
because O
the O
company O
no O
longer O
consolidates O
its O
Eastern O
Steel O
division O
, O
which O
is O
now B-T
a O
joint O
venture O
with O
Kawasaki O
Steel O
Corp O
. O

Along O
with O
reduced O
volume O
, O
analysts O
said O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
fifth O
largest O
steelmaker O
was O
hurt O
by O
holding O
higher O
- O
cost O
inventory O
when O
raw O
material O
costs O
of O
such O
key O
products O
as O
nickel O
dropped O
. O

Operating O
profit O
dropped O
46 O
% O
in O
its O
specialty O
flat O
- O
rolled O
steel O
segment O
. O

Moreover O
, O
the O
company O
said O
higher O
sales O
and O
shipments O
to O
service O
centers O
from O
its O
Armco O
Steel O
Co O
. O
joint O
venture O
failed O
to O
offset O
weakness O
in O
the O
automotive O
market O
, O
higher O
production O
costs O
and O
a O
poorer O
product O
mix O
. O

Armco O
shares O
closed O
unchanged O
at O
$ O
10 O
. O
625 O
in O
composite O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O

National O
Intergroup O
, O
which O
owns O
50 O
% O
of O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
sixth O
largest O
steelmaker O
- O
- O
National O
Steel O
Corp O
. O
- O
- O
posted O
net O
income O
for O
the O
fiscal B-T
second I-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
of O
$ O
8 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
or O
33 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
a O
net O
loss O
of O
$ O
50 O
. O
3 O
million O
. O

Sales O
increased O
in O
the O
quarter B-T
ended O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
to O
$ O
747 O
. O
8 O
million O
from O
$ O
623 O
. O
5 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

The B-T
latest I-T
period I-T
includes O
gains O
of O
$ O
9 O
. O
1 O
million O
from O
early O
retirement O
of O
debt O
and O
tax O
loss O
carry O
- O
forward O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
results O
were O
hurt O
by O
$ O
41 O
. O
3 O
million O
in O
restructuring O
charges O
. O

National O
Intergroup O
stock O
closed O
at O
$ O
15 O
, O
unchanged O
in O
composite O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O

The O
company O
noted O
that O
its O
Fox O
- O
Meyer O
Drug O
Co O
. O
, O
Ben O
Franklin O
Stores O
Inc O
. O
and O
Permian O
Corp O
. O
operations O
showed O
improvements O
as O
a O
result O
of O
restructuring O
moves O
. O

However O
, O
its O
equity O
in O
the O
net O
income O
of O
National O
Steel O
declined O
to O
$ O
6 O
. O
3 O
million O
from O
$ O
10 O
. O
9 O
million O
as O
a O
result O
of O
softer O
demand O
and O
lost O
orders O
following O
prolonged O
labor O
talks O
and O
a O
threatened O
strike O
. O

National O
Intergroup O
is O
negotiating O
for O
the O
sale O
of O
its O
50 O
% O
interest O
in O
National O
Steel O
to O
concentrate O
more O
fully O
on O
drug O
distribution O
operations O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0067 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Two O
people O
killed O
in O
two O
roadside O
bombs O
in O
central O
Baghdad O

Two O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
five O
others O
wounded O
when O
two O
roadside O
bombs O
went O
off O
at O
central O
Baghdad O
district O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
a O
well O
- O
informed O
police O
source O
said O
. O

" O
Two O
roadside O
bombs O
detonated O
at O
about O
1 B-T
: I-T
40 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
1040 O
GMT O
) O
in O
the O
Fanarah O
district O
near O
the O
Taiyran O
Square O
, O
killing O
two O
civilians O
and O
wounding O
five O
others O
, O
" O
the O
source O
said O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

In O
an O
earlier O
incident O
, O
the O
death O
toll O
of O
a O
suicide O
bomb O
attack O
at O
a O
police O
commando O
recruitment O
center O
in O
western O
Baghdad O
rose O
to O
35 O
, O
with O
up O
to O
60 O
others O
wounded O
, O
the O
source O
said O
. O

Violence O
rages O
in O
Iraq O
as O
sectarian O
killings O
, O
car O
bombings O
and O
roadside O
bombings O
claim O
lives O
of O
dozens O
of O
Iraqis O
on O
the O
daily O
basis O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0225 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
Netcom O
and O
Spanish O
Telefonica O
form O
joint O
venture O
for O
PCCW O

China O
Netcom O
Group O
Corp O
announced O
on O
Monday B-T
an O
agreement O
with O
Spain O
' O
s O
Telefonica O
SA O
to O
form O
a O
joint O
venture O
which O
will O
hold O
controlling O
shares O
in O
PCCW O
, O
a O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
based O
phone O
operator O
. O

Telefonica O
will O
purchase O
an O
eight O
percent O
stake O
in O
PCCW O
which O
would O
increase O
the O
shares O
of O
the O
joint O
venture O
in O
PCCW O
to O
27 O
. O
94 O
percent O
, O
said O
China O
Netcom O
Group O
in O
a O
press O
release O
. O

China O
Netcom O
Group O
, O
Telefonica O
and O
PCCW O
have O
signed O
a O
strategic O
alliance O
which O
will O
enable O
the O
three O
companies O
to O
fully O
cooperate O
in O
mobile O
services O
and O
voice O
communication O
. O

China O
Netcom O
Group O
said O
that O
Telefonica O
was O
a O
well O
- O
known O
international O
telecom O
operator O
and O
its O
entry O
into O
PCCW O
would O
help O
to O
enhance O
the O
value O
of O
PCCW O
and O
guarantee O
better O
returns O
to O
the O
shareholders O
. O

China O
Netcom O
Group O
acquired O
a O
20 O
percent O
stake O
in O
the O
enlarged O
share O
capital O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
listed O
PCCW O
last B-T
year I-T
for O
one O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
at O
5 O
. O
90 O
HK O
dollars O
per O
share O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0680 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Washington O
blames O
casualties O
in O
Lima O
on O
rebels O

The O
United O
States O
blamed O
leftist O
hostage O
- O
takers O
Tuesday B-T
for O
what O
it O
said O
were O
" O
some O
casualties O
" O
suffered O
as O
Peruvian O
security O
forces O
ended O
the O
siege O
at O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
in O
Lima O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0340 O

BELFAST O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Britain O

A O
senior O
figure O
of O
Sinn O
Fein O
, O
the O
political O
wing O
of O
the O
Irish O
Republican O
Army O
( O
IRA O
) O
, O
has O
been O
expelled O
from O
the O
party O
after O
admitting O
he O
had O
been O
a O
spy O
for O
the O
British O
government O
, O
a O
party O
spokesman O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0411 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Bogus O
Segolene O
Royal O
haunts O
Second O
Life O

An O
avatar O
made O
up O
to O
look O
like O
French O
presidential O
candidate O
Segolene O
Royal O
has O
made O
an O
appearance O
in O
the O
popular O
virtual O
world O
of O
Second O
Life O
, O
though O
it O
is O
not O
piloted O
by O
the O
politician O
or O
her O
any O
of O
her O
supporters O
. O

Vincent O
Feltesse O
, O
the O
head O
of O
the O
" O
new O
technologies O
division O
" O
of O
Royal O
' O
s O
Socialist O
party O
, O
told O
AFP O
the O
character O
- O
- O
known O
as O
Segolene O
RoyalE O
- O
- O
had O
been O
spotted O
some B-T
time I-T
ago I-T
but O
nothing O
had O
been O
done O
to O
stop O
it O
. O

" O
That O
' O
s O
just O
par O
for O
the O
course O
for O
the O
' O
net O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
added O
that O
, O
while O
the O
behaviour O
of O
the O
avatar O
was O
" O
sophomoric O
" O
and O
not O
approved O
of O
by O
the O
party O
, O
it O
would O
go O
unhindered O
" O
as O
long O
as O
it O
' O
s O
not O
an O
initiative O
controlled O
by O
a O
PR O
agency O
. O
" O

A O
French O
free O
newspaper O
, O
Metro O
, O
on O
Wednesday B-T
conducted O
an O
interview O
with O
the O
character O
. O

Second O
Life O
, O
a O
vast O
online O
world O
created O
by O
a O
San O
Francisco O
technology O
company O
called O
Linden O
Lab O
, O
counts O
around O
two O
million O
" O
residents O
" O
, O
or O
virtual O
characters O
whose O
likenesses O
are O
made O
up O
by O
members O
. O

The O
computerised O
environment O
has O
attracted O
several O
real O
- O
world O
companies O
, O
including O
car O
manufacturers O
and O
sports O
clothing O
makers O
, O
which O
created O
3 O
- O
D O
stores O
. O

It O
also O
has O
a O
branch O
of O
the O
French O
far O
- O
right O
group O
the O
National O
Front O
, O
which O
was O
opened O
by O
its O
youth O
movement O
to O
promote O
the O
presidential O
candidacy O
of O
its O
leader O
, O
Jean O
- O
Marie O
Le O
Pen O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0485 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

London O
mayor O
Ken O
Livingstone O
never O
meant O
to O
offend O
Jewish O
people O
by O
comparing O
a O
Jewish O
reporter O
to O
a O
Nazi O
concentration O
guard O
, O
his O
lawyer O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

His O
remarks O
to O
a O
journalist O
from O
London O
' O
s O
Evening O
Standard O
newspaper O
were O
instead O
triggered O
by O
his O
dislike O
of O
Associated O
Newspapers O
, O
which O
owns O
the O
title O
and O
its O
national O
sister O
paper O
the O
Daily O
Mail O
, O
and O
its O
alleged O
support O
for O
anti O
- O
Semitism O
, O
lawyer O
Tony O
Child O
said O
. O

The O
anti O
- O
Semitism O
claims O
- O
- O
made O
by O
Livingstone O
during O
a O
February B-T
22 I-T
response O
to O
the O
controversy O
- O
- O
refer O
to O
a O
leaving O
party O
thrown O
for O
an O
outgoing O
Daily O
Mail O
editor O
in O
which O
some O
guests O
were O
reportedly O
dressed O
as O
Nazis O
. O

He O
also O
referred O
to O
the O
Daily O
Mail O
' O
s O
support O
for O
facism O
and O
its O
opposition O
to O
allowing O
Jews O
fleeing O
European O
pogroms O
to O
come O
to O
Britain O
in O
the B-T
1930s I-T
. O

" O
What O
Mr O
. O
Livingstone O
was O
doing O
when O
he O
made O
the O
statement O
which O
has O
led O
to O
this O
hearing O
is O
to O
reflect O
his O
long O
- O
held O
and O
, O
it O
' O
s O
accepted O
, O
honestly O
held O
political O
view O
of O
the O
Mail O
group O
, O
" O
Child O
told O
a O
disciplinary O
hearing O
in O
central O
London O
. O

" O
An O
apology O
may O
be O
relevant O
to O
mitigation O
, O
but O
a O
lack O
of O
an O
apology O
cannot O
determine O
liability O
. O
" O

Livingstone O
, O
who O
was O
not O
at O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
hearing O
, O
is O
facing O
charges O
that O
he O
failed O
to O
treat O
others O
with O
respect O
or O
had O
brought O
his O
office O
into O
disrepute O
. O

If O
found O
guilty O
, O
he O
could O
be O
banned O
from O
office O
for O
five B-T
years I-T
, O
ordered O
to O
make O
an O
apology O
, O
suspended O
, O
made O
to O
undergo O
training O
or O
be O
censured O
. O

When O
Evening O
Standard O
reporter O
Oliver O
Finegold O
approached O
Livingstone O
at O
a O
public O
function O
in O
February B-T
, O
the O
mayor O
asked O
him O
whether O
he O
had O
ever O
been O
a O
" O
German O
war O
criminal O
" O
. O

On O
hearing O
that O
Finegold O
was O
Jewish O
, O
Livingstone O
likened O
him O
to O
a O
Nazi O
concentration O
camp O
guard O
. O

The O
publicised O
remarks O
led O
to O
calls O
from O
Jewish O
groups O
, O
concentration O
camp O
survivors O
and O
politicians O
, O
including O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
, O
for O
an O
apology O
, O
but O
none O
has O
been O
forthcoming O
. O

Despite O
once O
being O
the O
newspaper O
' O
s O
restaurant O
critic O
, O
there O
is O
no O
love O
lost O
between O
Livingstone O
and O
the O
Evening O
Standard O
, O
which O
the O
mayor O
believes O
has O
waged O
a O
lengthy O
hate O
campaign O
against O
him O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0389 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

URGENT O
Saddam O
trial O
adjourned O
until O
Wednesday O

The O
trial O
of O
ousted O
Iraqi O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
was O
adjourned O
Monday B-T
until O
Wednesday B-T
, O
an O
AFP O
correspondent O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0183 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
lead O
: O
Woman O
suicide O
bomber O
confesses O
to O
bomb O
attack O

The O
woman O
suicide O
bomber O
in O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
Amman O
hotel O
bombing O
attacks O
confessed O
that O
she O
was O
told O
to O
carry O
out O
the O
bombing O
, O
the O
official O
Jordanian O
television O
reported O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Sajida O
Mubarak O
Atrous O
al O
- O
Rishawi O
, O
an O
Iraqi O
national O
, O
appeared O
on O
the O
television O
with O
explosives O
strapped O
around O
her O
waist O
. O

The O
35 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
confessed O
to O
failing O
in O
her O
mission O
of O
carrying O
out O
the O
attack O
, O
which O
killed O
at O
least O
57 O
people O
in O
Radisson O
, O
Grand O
Hyatt O
and O
Days O
Inn O
hotels O
in O
the O
Jordanian O
capital O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
and O
wounded O
over O
110 O
others O
. O

She O
said O
she O
was O
told O
by O
her O
husband O
, O
Ali O
Hussein O
Ali O
al O
- O
Shamari O
who O
was O
identified O
as O
one O
of O
another O
three O
Iraqi O
suicide O
bombers O
, O
to O
wear O
an O
explosive O
belt O
, O
but O
she O
failed O
to O
blow O
herself O
up O
when O
accompanying O
her O
husband O
to O
attack O
Radisson O
Hotel O
. O

The O
other O
two O
were O
identified O
as O
Rawad O
Jassem O
Mohammed O
Abed O
and O
Safaa O
Mohammed O
Ali O
. O

Earlier O
reports O
said O
the O
woman O
was O
sister O
of O
a O
senior O
aide O
of O
Abu O
Musab O
al O
- O
Zarqawi O
, O
leader O
of O
al O
- O
Qaida O
in O
Iraq O
. O
The O
aide O
was O
killed O
by O
US O
- O
Iraqi O
forces O
in O
Iraq O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

Al O
- O
Shamari O
and O
his O
wife O
were O
disguised O
as O
guests O
to O
a O
wedding O
party O
held O
in O
Radisson O
Hotel O
before O
the O
attack O
, O
Jordanian O
authorities O
said O
. O

Al O
- O
Qaida O
terror O
group O
in O
Iraq O
has O
claimed O
responsibility O
for O
the O
blasts O
in O
an O
Internet O
statement O
. O

In O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
bloodshed O
, O
Jordan O
has O
vowed O
to O
hunt O
down O
the O
attackers O
and O
those O
behind O
the O
blasts O
. O
Scores O
of O
suspects O
have O
been O
rounded O
up O
by O
Jordanian O
police O
across O
the O
country O
and O
investigations O
are O
underway O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0613 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

fund O
loss O

China O
has O
ordered O
local O
governments O
to O
make O
up O
shortfalls O
in O
their O
social O
security O
funds O
after O
it O
found O
7 O
. O
1 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
900 O
million O
dollars O
) O
had O
been O
misappropriated O
, O
state O
media O
reported O
Monday B-T
. O

Deputy O
Minister O
of O
Labor O
and O
Social O
Security O
Liu O
Yongfu O
was O
quoted O
by O
state O
newspapers O
as O
saying O
local O
governments O
should O
recover O
the O
embezzled O
funds O
but O
must O
compensate O
for O
the O
losses O
if O
they O
fail O
to O
do O
so O
. O

" O
For O
the O
funds O
that O
have O
been O
lost O
and O
unable O
to O
be O
recovered O
, O
the O
( O
local O
) O
governments O
have O
to O
compensate O
, O
" O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

Local O
governments O
must O
also O
submit O
plans O
to O
recover O
misused O
funds O
from O
illegal O
investments O
to O
the O
ministry O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
Liu O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Daily O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
As O
the O
supervising O
government O
department O
. O
. O
. O
the O
ministry O
takes O
major O
responsibility O
. O
And O
we O
must O
learn O
a O
lesson O
and O
make O
timely O
corrections O
, O
" O
Liu O
said O
. O

The O
ministry O
will O
also O
look O
into O
building O
a O
mechanism O
to O
improve O
transparency O
by O
requiring O
local O
governments O
regularly O
report O
on O
the O
use O
of O
social O
security O
funds O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
National O
Audit O
Office O
said O
it O
has O
unearthed O
a O
total O
of O
7 O
. O
1 O
billion O
yuan O
in O
social O
security O
funds O
that O
have O
been O
misappropriated O
. O

Most O
of O
the O
misused O
funds O
was O
used O
for O
construction O
of O
government O
buildings O
or O
other O
property O
projects O
, O
unauthorized O
overseas O
investment O
and O
loans O
to O
companies O
, O
it O
said O
. O

" O
We O
have O
to O
strengthen O
reform O
and O
make O
efforts O
to O
prevent O
similar O
incidents O
from O
happening O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
was O
cited O
in O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Daily O
as O
saying O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
a O
local O
official O
in O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Liaoning O
province O
was O
found O
to O
have O
embezzled O
11 O
. O
5 O
million O
yuan O
in O
rural O
pension O
funds O
in O
illegal O
stock O
investments O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Liaoshen O
Evening O
News O
. O

The O
official O
surnamed O
Fu O
was O
sentenced O
to O
three O
years O
in O
jail O
by O
a O
local O
court O
, O
it O
said O
. O

Corruption O
involving O
national O
social O
security O
funds O
has O
become O
the O
focus O
of O
attention O
since O
it O
was O
revealed O
that O
about O
3 O
. O
2 O
billion O
yuan O
worth O
of O
funds O
in O
Shanghai O
had O
been O
misappropriated O
by O
officials O
in O
the O
real O
estate O
market O
. O

The O
biggest O
political O
corruption O
scandal O
in O
more O
than O
a O
decade O
brought O
down O
Shanghai O
' O
s O
top O
Communist O
Party O
official O
Chen O
Liangyu O
in O
late B-T
September I-T
and O
scores O
of O
officials O
and O
businessmen O
have O
been O
implicated O
since O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061217 O
. O
0099 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Controversy O
hits O
South O
African O
cricket O

South O
African O
cricket O
, O
already O
reeling O
after O
the O
national O
team O
collapsed O
to O
84 O
all O
out O
in O
the O
first O
Test O
against O
India O
, O
found O
itself O
enmeshed O
in O
front O
page O
controversy O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
Sunday B-T
Times I-T
reported O
that O
vice O
- O
captain O
and O
star O
all O
- O
rounder O
Jacques O
Kallis O
refused O
to O
sing O
the O
national O
anthem O
, O
while O
the O
Afrikaans O
newspaper O
Rapport O
published O
strong O
criticism O
of O
the O
sport O
' O
s O
officials O
by O
spin O
bowler O
Nicky O
Boje O
, O
who O
retired O
suddenly O
when O
he O
was O
due O
to O
join O
the O
team O
for O
the O
Test O
. O

Cricket O
South O
Africa O
( O
SA O
) O
will O
discuss O
with O
Kallis O
what O
the O
player O
describes O
as O
" O
good O
and O
valid O
personal O
reasons O
" O
why O
he O
does O
not O
sing O
the O
national O
anthem O
when O
it O
is O
played O
before O
international O
matches O
. O

The O
Sunday B-T
Times I-T
published O
an O
e O
- O
mail O
from O
Kallis O
to O
a O
member O
of O
the O
public O
who O
had O
queried O
why O
he O
did O
not O
sing O
the O
anthem O
. O
Kallis O
wrote O
: O
" O
It O
is O
my O
choice O
whether O
I O
sing O
or O
do O
not O
sing O
the O
anthem O
. O
I O
certainly O
do O
not O
have O
to O
explain O
my O
reasons O
to O
anyone O
, O
especially O
you O
. O
I O
do O
have O
good O
and O
valid O
personal O
reasons O
and O
I O
intend O
to O
keep O
it O
that O
way O
. O
" O

Kallis O
refused O
to O
elaborate O
on O
his O
comments O
but O
Cricket O
SA O
chief O
executive O
Gerald O
Majola O
said O
the O
issue O
would O
be O
discussed O
with O
the O
player O
after O
the O
Test O
. O

National O
symbols O
are O
a O
particularly O
sensitive O
issue O
in O
South O
Africa O
with O
a O
new O
anthem O
and O
new O
flag O
introduced O
when O
the O
country O
achieved O
majority O
rule O
in O
1994 B-T
. O

Majola O
said O
Cricket O
SA O
" O
insists O
on O
having O
the O
SA O
anthem O
sung O
. O
" O
He O
listed O
several O
reasons O
, O
including O
the O
enhancement O
and O
encouragement O
of O
nation O
- O
building O
and O
because O
it O
was O
" O
a O
bridge O
between O
the O
players O
and O
the O
spectators O
, O
unifying O
their O
support O
of O
their O
nation O
and O
of O
each O
other O
. O
" O

Majola O
said O
these O
reasons O
had O
been O
explained O
to O
the O
players O
and O
there O
had O
been O
no O
request O
from O
any O
player O
not O
to O
sing O
the O
anthem O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Boje O
told O
Rapport O
he O
felt O
he O
had O
been O
harshly O
treated O
by O
the O
selectors O
. O
" O
At O
some O
stage O
you O
have O
to O
ask O
yourself O
where O
you O
are O
going O
and O
where O
your O
loyalties O
lie O
. O
Mine O
are O
no O
longer O
with O
the O
Proteas O
. O
" O

Boje O
, O
who O
will O
continue O
to O
play O
domestic O
cricket O
for O
the O
Eagles O
franchise O
, O
said O
an O
unhealthy O
situation O
had O
developed O
in O
South O
African O
cricket O
. O

He O
said O
he O
believed O
several O
players O
would O
opt O
to O
play O
their O
cricket O
in O
other O
countries O
if O
they O
were O
not O
selected O
for O
the O
2007 O
World O
Cup O
in O
the O
West O
Indies O
. O

" O
With O
the O
uncertainty O
over O
places O
and O
the O
scramble O
to O
be O
part O
of O
the O
group O
it O
seems O
as O
though O
certain O
players O
are O
playing O
for O
themselves O
and O
their O
own O
places O
- O
and O
that O
is O
unhealthy O
for O
SA O
cricket O
, O
" O
said O
Boje O
. O

Former O
Test O
off O
- O
spinner O
Pat O
Symcox O
joined O
the O
criticism O
when O
he O
said O
South O
African O
captain O
Graeme O
Smith O
was O
so O
busy O
dealing O
with O
non O
- O
cricket O
issues O
that O
he O
did O
not O
have O
time O
to O
concentrate O
on O
his O
game O
. O

Smith O
, O
who O
has O
been O
in O
woeful O
form O
, O
was O
out O
for O
five B-T
Saturday I-T
at O
the O
start O
of O
his O
team O
' O
s O
slide O
to O
84 O
all O
out O
, O
their O
lowest O
total O
since O
the O
country O
returned O
to O
international O
cricket O
in O
1991 B-T
. O

Although O
cricket O
officials O
have O
denied O
there O
is O
conflict O
in O
the O
national O
team O
set O
- O
up O
, O
there O
was O
a O
public O
rift O
between O
Smith O
and O
selection O
convenor O
Haroon O
Lorgat O
shortly O
before O
the O
third O
one O
- O
day O
international O
in O
Cape O
Town O
where O
Lorgat O
insisted O
on O
a O
late O
change O
to O
the O
team O
when O
Smith O
was O
walking O
out O
for O
the O
toss O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0002 O

DALLAS O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Sore O
ankle O
no O
problem O
for O
Nowitzki O
as O
NBA O
Mavericks O
romp O

Dirk O
Nowitzki O
scored O
20 O
points O
and O
grabbed O
12 O
rebounds O
despite O
playing O
on O
a O
sore O
left O
ankle O
to O
spark O
the O
Dallas O
Mavericks O
past O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Clippers O
115 O
- O
83 O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

Josh O
Howard O
scored O
25 O
points O
and O
Devean O
George O
scored O
a O
season O
- O
high O
21 O
points O
with O
5 O
- O
of O
- O
6 O
3 O
- O
point O
accuracy O
as O
the O
Mavericks O
hit O
15 O
- O
of O
- O
27 O
from O
beyond O
the O
3 O
- O
point O
arc O
for O
their O
sixth O
victory O
in O
a O
row O
. O

Nowitzki O
left O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
game O
against O
Seattle O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
after O
hurting O
his O
left O
ankle O
and O
had O
been O
questionable O
, O
but O
the O
7 O
- O
foot O
German O
star O
answered O
all O
soubts O
by O
shooting O
7 O
- O
for O
- O
15 O
, O
3 O
- O
of O
- O
5 O
in O
3 O
- O
pointers O
, O
in O
26 B-T
minutes I-T
. O

Dallas O
led O
by O
as O
many O
as O
43 O
points O
in O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
over O
the O
Clippers O
, O
who O
lost O
their O
six O
game O
in O
a O
row O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0233 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Iranian O
supreme O
leader O
says O
no O
limit O
on O
cooperation O
with O
Iraq O

Iranian O
Supreme O
Leader O
Seyed O
Ali O
Khamenei O
said O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
there O
was O
no O
limit O
for O
Iran O
on O
the O
development O
of O
cooperation O
with O
Iraq O
, O
the O
official O
IRNA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

" O
Iran O
is O
proud O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
progress O
, O
security O
, O
independence O
and O
national O
strength O
and O
there O
is O
no O
limit O
on O
the O
development O
of O
cooperation O
with O
Iraq O
, O
" O
Khamenei O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
at O
a O
meeting O
with O
visiting O
Iraqi O
President O
Jalal O
Talabani O
. O

Khamenei O
said O
Iran O
and O
Iraq O
enjoyed O
long O
- O
standing O
religious O
, O
cultural O
and O
historical O
affinity O
, O
stressing O
that O
Iran O
was O
pleased O
with O
the O
political O
process O
for O
the O
establishment O
of O
a O
democratic O
government O
in O
Iraq O
. O

Khamenei O
called O
on O
the O
Iraqi O
nation O
to O
" O
leave O
behind O
the O
current O
ordeal O
" O
and O
foster O
national O
solidarity O
in O
order O
to O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
setting O
a O
timetable O
for O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
occupation O
forces O
. O

" O
Iraqi O
people O
will O
be O
exposed O
to O
the O
US O
pressure O
if O
the O
government O
and O
Iraqi O
people O
fail O
to O
strengthen O
their O
unity O
, O
" O
Khamenei O
said O
. O

For O
his O
part O
, O
Talabani O
expressed O
pleasure O
with O
his O
visit O
to O
Iran O
, O
terming O
the O
bilateral O
relations O
as O
strategic O
, O
according O
to O
IRNA O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
Talabani O
also O
met O
Chairman O
of O
the O
Expediency O
Council O
Akbar O
Hashemi O
Rafsanjani O
. O

Leading O
a O
ranking O
delegation O
, O
Talabani O
arrived O
in O
the O
Iranian O
capital O
Tehran O
on O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
. O
The O
Iraqi O
president O
held O
close O
- O
door O
official O
talks O
with O
his O
Iranian O
counterpart O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
soon O
after O
arrival O
. O

Iran O
and O
Iraq O
fought O
a O
lengthy O
war O
from O
1980 B-T
to O
1988 O
, O
during O
which O
altogether O
more O
than O
500 O
, O
000 O
people O
were O
killed O
. O

The O
downfall O
of O
former O
Iraqi O
President O
Saddam O
Hussein O
paved O
the O
way O
to O
the O
normalization O
of O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
once O
hostile O
neighbors O
. O

Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Ibrahim O
Jaafari O
paid O
a O
landmark O
official O
visit O
to O
Iran O
in O
mid O
- O
July O
, O
opening O
a O
new O
chapter O
in O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0146 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesia O
tries O
to O
stop O
flow O
of O
funds O
for O
terrorists O

Although O
a O
channel O
to O
flow O
fund O
from O
overseas O
for O
terrorist O
cell O
in O
Indonesia O
has O
been O
cut O
, O
the O
Indonesian O
police O
would O
persistently O
track O
down O
the O
other O
possible O
ways O
to O
flow O
funds O
for O
the O
cell O
here O
, O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
totally O
stop O
the O
channeling O
of O
finance O
to O
the O
cell O
in O
the O
world O
most O
populated O
Muslim O
country O
, O
Police O
chief O
General O
Sutanto O
said O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Sutanto O
said O
that O
the O
police O
would O
hunt O
and O
capture O
curriers O
of O
funds O
as O
well O
as O
cooperate O
with O
banking O
sectors O
to O
freeze O
the O
money O
. O

He O
said O
that O
terrorist O
cell O
in O
overseas O
had O
sent O
money O
to O
terrorist O
cells O
here O
to O
finance O
explosions O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
to O
continuously O
able O
to O
stop O
the O
flow O
of O
their O
funds O
. O
We O
will O
capture O
their O
curriers O
and O
cooperate O
with O
banks O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

To O
prevent O
from O
the O
authority O
' O
s O
surveilance O
, O
the O
terrorists O
in O
overseas O
had O
ignored O
to O
send O
their O
funds O
through O
bank O
, O
but O
currier O
, O
Sutanto O
said O
. O

" O
After O
sending O
fund O
with O
currier O
, O
terrorist O
changes O
the O
currier O
with O
other O
person O
for O
the O
other O
sending O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Sutanto O
claimed O
that O
currently O
the O
terrorist O
cells O
in O
the O
country O
were O
facing O
financial O
problem O
, O
as O
they O
had O
raised O
funds O
through O
selling O
of O
mobile O
phone O
vouchers O
and O
robbing O
gold O
store O
. O

A O
key O
terrorist O
suspect O
Imam O
Samudra O
and O
other O
terrorist O
fellows O
robbed O
a O
gold O
store O
in O
West O
java O
province O
to O
finance O
Bali O
bombings O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

Abdullah O
Sonanta O
, O
who O
channeled O
fund O
from O
a O
terrorist O
cell O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
was O
captured O
in O
June B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
his O
arrest O
has O
disrupted O
the O
funding O
from O
the O
cell O
, O
said O
Sutanto O
. O

Sonata O
was O
a O
member O
of O
group O
of O
Azhari O
Husin O
, O
the O
mastermind O
of O
major O
suicide O
bombings O
in O
the O
country O
and O
shot O
death O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
in O
a O
villa O
in O
East O
Java O
province O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0016 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0016 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Octel O
Communications O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
Co O
. O
Raises O

@ O
Stake O
to O
8 O
. O
5 O
% O
of O
Common O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

HWP O
OCTL O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
Co O
. O
said O
it O
raised O
its O
stake O
in O
Octel O
Communications O
Corp O
. O
to O
8 O
. O
5 O
% O
of O
the O
common O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

In O
a O
Securities O
and O
Exchange O
Commission O
filing O
, O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
said O
it O
now O
holds O
1 O
, O
384 O
, O
119 O
Octel O
common O
shares O
, O
including O
100 O
, O
000 O
shares O
bought O
from O
Aug B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
to O
Oct B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
for O
$ O
23 O
. O
31 O
to O
$ O
24 O
. O
25 O
a O
share O
. O

Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
, O
a O
Palo O
Alto O
, O
Calif O
. O
, O
computer O
company O
, O
said O
it O
acquired O
the O
stock O
" O
to O
develop O
and O
maintain O
a O
strategic O
partnership O
in O
which O
each O
company O
remains O
independent O
while O
working O
together O
to O
market O
and O
sell O
their O
products O
. O
" O

Octel O
said O
the O
purchase O
was O
expected O
. O

Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
affirmed O
it O
does O
n O
' O
t O
plan O
to O
obtain O
control O
of O
Octel O
, O
a O
Milpitas O
, O
Calif O
. O
, O
maker O
of O
voice O
- O
processing O
systems O
. O

According O
to O
the O
filing O
, O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
acquired O
730 O
, O
070 O
common O
shares O
from O
Octel O
as O
a O
result O
of O
an O
Aug B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1988 I-T
, O
stock O
purchase O
agreement O
. O

That O
accord O
also O
called O
for O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
to O
buy O
730 O
, O
070 O
Octel O
shares O
in O
the O
open O
market O
within O
18 B-T
months I-T
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
acquired O
a O
two B-T
- I-T
year I-T
option O
to O
buy O
an O
extra O
10 O
% O
, O
of O
which O
half O
may O
be O
sold O
directly O
to O
Hewlett O
- O
Packard O
by O
Octel O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0245 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

French O
economy O
stagnates O
unexpectedly O
in O
3rd O
quarter O

The O
French O
economy O
came O
to O
a O
halt O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
stagnating O
from O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
when O
it O
climbed O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
French O
national O
statistics O
office O
Insee O
announced O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

France O
' O
s O
gross O
domestic O
product O
registered O
no O
growth O
compared O
with O
the O
April O
- O
June O
period O
, O
casting O
doubt O
on O
a O
government O
target O
of O
economic O
growth O
of O
2 O
. O
3 O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
Insee O
data O
showed O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Industrial O
production O
had O
fallen O
in O
September B-T
by O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
compared O
with O
August B-T
after O
a O
rise O
of O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
August B-T
from I-T
July I-T
. O

The O
drop O
tracked O
the O
fortunes O
of O
the O
auto O
industry O
. O
PSA O
peugeot O
Citroen O
, O
Europe O
' O
s O
second O
- O
biggest O
carmaker O
, O
cut O
its O
profit O
target O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
for O
the O
second O
time O
since O
July B-T
, O
as O
European O
sales O
slumped O
for O
models O
such O
as O
307 O
compact O
and O
the O
407 O
midsized O
sedan O
. O

The O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
raised O
its O
forecast O
for O
French O
growth O
next B-T
year I-T
to O
2 O
. O
3 O
percent O
, O
with O
an O
estimate O
of O
2 O
. O
5 O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
In O
2005 B-T
, O
the O
growth O
was O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0587 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

WTO O
chief O
presents O
compromise O
on O
agriculture O
at O
trade O
talks O

WTO O
Director O
General O
Pascal O
Lamy O
has O
put O
forward O
a O
compromise O
text O
on O
eliminating O
agricultural O
export O
subsidies O
in O
a O
last O
- O
minute O
bid O
to O
overcome O
a O
stalemate O
at O
trade O
talks O
here O
. O

The O
text O
, O
presented O
to O
WTO O
ministers O
late O
Friday B-T
and O
seen O
by O
AFP O
, O
seeks O
to O
assure O
the O
European O
Union O
that O
whatever O
concessions O
it O
makes O
on O
farm O
trade O
will O
be O
matched O
by O
parallel O
moves O
from O
the O
United O
States O
and O
other O
developed O
countries O
. O

The O
EU O
has O
come O
under O
intense O
pressure O
from O
all O
sides O
at O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
talks O
here O
to O
offer O
deeper O
cuts O
in O
trade O
- O
distorting O
farm O
subsidies O
and O
import O
tariffs O
but O
has O
steadfastly O
refused O
to O
change O
its O
position O
. O

The O
deadlock O
threatens O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
conference O
, O
called O
to O
spur O
movement O
toward O
a O
global O
trade O
liberalization O
accord O
and O
which O
ends O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
text O
calls O
for O
" O
detailed O
modalities O
that O
ensure O
the O
parallel O
elimination O
of O
all O
forms O
of O
export O
subsidies O
and O
disciplines O
on O
all O
export O
measures O
with O
equivalent O
effect O
. O
" O

As O
to O
a O
date O
by O
which O
such O
government O
support O
will O
be O
scrapped O
, O
the O
document O
mentions O
within O
brackets O
both O
the B-T
year I-T
2010 I-T
and O
" O
by O
x B-T
years I-T
after O
implementation O
" O
of O
the O
overall O
accord O
. O

That O
agreement O
, O
which O
would O
emerge O
from O
the O
current O
Doha O
Round O
of O
negotiations O
, O
would O
probably O
not O
take O
effect O
until O
2008 B-T
under O
the O
best O
of O
circumstances O
, O
trade O
analysts O
said O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
has O
refused O
to O
agree O
to O
a O
date O
by O
which O
export O
subsidies O
would O
be O
abolished O
on O
grounds O
that O
the O
United O
States O
has O
not O
made O
an O
equivalent O
commitment O
on O
its O
export O
credits O
and O
food O
aid O
program O
, O
which O
the O
EU O
sees O
as O
trade O
distorting O
. O

The O
EU O
is O
also O
pressing O
Australia O
, O
New O
Zealand O
and O
Canada O
to O
reform O
their O
state O
trading O
monopolies O
. O

On O
the O
issue O
of O
market O
access O
, O
the O
proposal O
says O
WTO O
members O
would O
adopt O
" O
four O
bands O
for O
structuring O
tariff O
cuts O
. O
" O
Such O
a O
system O
would O
give O
greater O
flexibility O
to O
governments O
to O
tailor O
tariff O
cuts O
to O
specific O
products O
. O

It O
says O
in O
essence O
that O
governments O
wishing O
to O
maintain O
high O
tariffs O
on O
" O
sensitive O
products O
, O
" O
those O
that O
are O
of O
special O
economic O
importance O
, O
would O
be O
obliged O
to O
offer O
exporters O
a O
comparably O
higher O
access O
quota O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0305 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

About O
60 O
, O
000 O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
turn O
private O
in O
10 O
years O

From O
1996 B-T
to O
2005 O
, O
about O
60 O
, O
000 O
state O
- O
owned O
industrial O
corporations O
have O
been O
changed O
into O
private O
ones O
, O
according O
to O
a O
report O
recently O
released O
by O
the O
International O
Finance O
Corporation O
( O
IFC O
) O
. O

By O
2005 B-T
, O
about O
50 O
percent O
of O
state O
- O
owned O
industrial O
corporations O
have O
been O
privatized O
, O
and O
26 O
percent O
have O
been O
merged O
or O
liquidated O
, O
said O
the O
IFC O
. O

In O
1996 B-T
, O
China O
had O
about O
114 O
, O
000 O
state O
- O
owned O
industrial O
corporations O
, O
and O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
the O
figure O
dropped O
to O
27 O
, O
000 O
. O
Over O
70 O
percent O
have O
been O
partly O
or O
completely O
privatized O
, O
the O
IFC O
said O
. O

In O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
the O
reform O
process O
of O
China O
' O
s O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
has O
been O
accelerating O
, O
now B-T
covering O
almost O
all O
types O
of O
industrial O
enterprises O
. O

The O
ownership O
of O
those O
corporations O
has O
been O
changed O
in O
various O
ways O
, O
including O
bankruptcy O
, O
going O
public O
, O
auctioning O
and O
being O
sold O
to O
domestic O
or O
overseas O
business O
persons O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0026 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Africa O
' O
s O
leasing O
volume O
grows O
to O
6 O
. O
3 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
2005 O

Africa O
' O
s O
leasing O
volume O
has O
grown O
to O
6 O
. O
3 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
in O
2005 O
from O
3 O
. O
7 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
World O
' O
s O
Leasing O
Year O
Book O
2005 O
. O

South O
Africa O
has O
the O
largest O
leasing O
industry O
in O
the O
continent O
with O
4 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
which O
is O
about O
73 O
percent O
of O
the O
African O
leasing O
volume O
. O

Three O
other O
largest O
leasing O
countries O
are O
Egypt O
with O
660 O
million O
dollars O
, O
Morocco O
550 O
million O
dollars O
and O
Nigeria O
440 O
million O
dollars O
. O

East O
Africa O
accounts O
for O
only O
100 O
million O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

A O
lease O
is O
a O
usage O
agreement O
between O
the O
equipment O
owner O
( O
lessor O
) O
and O
user O
of O
the O
equipment O
( O
lessee O
) O
. O

Uganda O
' O
s O
Dfcu O
Bank O
' O
s O
business O
development O
manager O
David O
Mulinde O
was O
quoted O
by O
local O
media O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
saying O
that O
the O
lease O
industry O
is O
characterized O
by O
high O
concentration O
of O
equipment O
in O
the O
transport O
, O
construction O
and O
manufacturing O
sectors O
. O

He O
said O
the O
region O
' O
s O
average O
lease O
transactions O
are O
between O
10 B-T
, O
000 O
dollars O
and O
250 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0314 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Hanbo O
founder O
moved O
from O
jail O
to O
hospital O
by O
Zeno O
Park O

The O
ailing O
founder O
of O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
failed O
Hanbo O
Group O
was O
moved O
from O
his O
jail O
to O
hospital O
after O
a O
reported O
stroke O
Tuesday B-T
as O
prosecutors O
investigated O
a O
loans O
- O
for O
- O
kickbacks O
scandal O
surrounding O
the O
conglomerate O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Hanbo O
founder O
Chung O
Tae O
- O
Soo O
was O
taken O
to O
hospital O
following O
a O
deterioration O
in O
his O
health O
, O
prison O
authorities O
said O
. O

" O
The O
jailed O
Hanbo O
chief O
was O
sent O
out O
for O
a O
medical O
check O
at O
a O
private O
hospital O
, O
" O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Seoul O
Detention O
Center O
told O
AFP O
. O

Chung O
, O
who O
suffers O
from O
diabetes O
, O
has O
had O
high O
blood O
pressure O
since O
he O
was O
jailed O
on O
January B-T
31 I-T
on O
charges O
of O
embezzlement O
, O
tax O
evasion O
and O
bribery O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
jailed O
tycoon O
suffered O
a O
stroke O
and O
paralysis O
, O
the O
South O
' O
s O
Yonhap O
News O
Agency O
reported O
. O

Hanbo O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
14th O
largest O
conglomerate O
, O
collapsed O
in O
January B-T
under O
5 O
. O
8 O
billion O
dollars O
of O
debt O
, O
leading O
to O
allegations O
that O
it O
obtained O
loans O
without O
sufficient O
collateral O
in O
return O
for O
kickbacks O
. O

The O
73 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
was O
one O
of O
11 O
figures O
jailed O
, O
including O
four O
lawmakers O
and O
one O
former O
cabinet O
minister O
, O
for O
their O
alleged O
involvement O
in O
the O
massive O
loans O
- O
for O
- O
kickbacks O
scandal O
. O

" O
Chung O
' O
s O
condition O
has O
worsened O
since O
he O
faced O
a O
gruelling O
parliamentary O
hearing O
from O
his O
jail O
on O
April B-T
7 I-T
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
, O
giving O
no O
further O
details O
. O

Press O
reports O
Tuesday B-T
said O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
parliamentary O
speaker O
was O
resisting O
prosecutors O
' O
demands O
he O
be O
questioned O
on O
allegations O
he O
also O
received O
money O
from O
Hanbo O
. O

Speaker O
Kim O
Soo O
- O
Han O
was O
asked O
to O
appear O
at O
the O
Prosecutor O
General O
' O
s O
Office O
after O
an O
Inter O
- O
Parliamentary O
Union O
meeting O
being O
hosted O
in O
Seoul O
ends O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
Yonhap O
and O
other O
news O
reports O
said O
. O

But O
Kim O
refused O
to O
respond O
to O
the O
summons O
, O
citing O
his O
status O
as O
head O
of O
the O
legislature O
, O
Kim O
' O
s O
aide O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
We O
have O
not O
been O
notified O
by O
the O
prosecution O
( O
of O
the O
reported O
summoning O
) O
but O
it O
would O
amount O
to O
challenging O
the O
authority O
of O
the O
legislature O
to O
investigate O
the O
speaker O
, O
" O
said O
Ku O
Bon O
- O
Tae O
, O
head O
of O
the O
speaker O
' O
s O
secretariat O
. O

The O
speaker O
reportedly O
resented O
the O
prosecutor O
' O
s O
move O
, O
saying O
: O
" O
They O
may O
drag O
me O
into O
a O
questioning O
room O
but O
I O
will O
never O
present O
myself O
at O
the O
prosecutor O
' O
s O
office O
. O
" O

The O
prosecutors O
then O
offered O
to O
question O
him O
away O
from O
the O
prosecutor O
' O
s O
office O
to O
spare O
the O
speaker O
the O
embarassment O
of O
appearing O
in O
public O
before O
cameras O
, O
Yonhap O
said O
. O

It O
was O
not O
clear O
whether O
he O
would O
appear O
and O
Senior O
Prosecutor O
Kim O
Sang O
- O
Hee O
declined O
to O
comment O
on O
the O
reports O
. O

The O
speaker O
has O
been O
accused O
of O
receiving O
50 O
million O
won O
( O
56 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
) O
from O
Hanbo O
in O
political O
funds O
. O

The O
prosecution O
has O
been O
investigating O
politicians O
reportedly O
on O
a O
list O
of O
alleged O
beneficiaries O
of O
money O
from O
Hanbo O
. O

The O
reported O
summoning O
of O
the O
speaker O
came O
after O
the O
chairman O
of O
the O
ruling O
New O
Korea O
Party O
, O
Lee O
Hoe O
- O
Chang O
, O
accused O
the O
prosecution O
of O
investigating O
politicians O
indiscriminately O
. O

" O
It O
is O
not O
desirable O
for O
the O
prosecution O
to O
investigate O
( O
politicians O
) O
as O
if O
it O
were O
taking O
revenge O
on O
political O
circles O
, O
" O
Lee O
said O
. O

The O
prosecution O
authorities O
have O
come O
under O
attack O
from O
parliament O
for O
allegedly O
covering O
up O
the O
Hanbo O
loans O
- O
for O
- O
kickbacks O
scandal O
. O

The O
prosecution O
had O
said O
earlier O
aside O
from O
the O
four O
already O
arrested O
, O
it O
had O
no O
plans O
to O
investigate O
other O
politicians O
who O
allegedly O
took O
customary O
" O
rice O
cake O
expenditures O
" O
or O
cash O
gifts O
with O
no O
clear O
strings O
attatched O
. O

The O
prosecution O
' O
s O
sudden O
toughening O
of O
policy O
toward O
politicians O
triggered O
charges O
of O
political O
conspiracy O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0429 O

THE O
HAGUE O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Original O
Venus O
singer O
dies O

Mariska O
Veres O
, O
singer O
for O
the O
Dutch O
group O
Shocking O
Blue O
who O
had O
a O
worldwide O
hit O
with O
their O
song O
" O
Venus O
" O
in O
1970 B-T
, O
died O
Saturday O
aged O
59 O
, O
Dutch O
media O
reported O
. O

Veres O
died O
from O
cancer O
. O
In O
1970 B-T
" O
Venus O
" O
reached O
the O
top O
of O
the O
American O
music O
charts O
but O
Shocking O
Blue O
did O
not O
have O
any O
other O
success O
that O
matched O
their O
big O
hit O
. O
The O
group O
split O
up O
in O
1974 B-T
. O

Their O
song O
" O
Venus O
" O
would O
go O
on O
to O
make O
it O
to O
number O
one O
in O
the O
American O
Billboard O
chart O
two O
more O
times O
: O
in O
1981 B-T
by O
cover O
band O
Stars O
on O
45 B-T
and O
in O
1986 B-T
in O
a O
version O
by O
girlband O
Bananarama O
. O

In O
the B-T
late I-T
1980s O
Shocking O
Blue O
also O
served O
as O
an O
inspiration O
for O
grunge O
band O
Nirvana O
who O
covered O
the O
band O
' O
s O
song O
" O
Love O
Buzz O
" O
on O
their O
1989 O
debut O
album O
Bleach O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0146 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Iran O
shows O
new O
generation O
of O
anti O
- O
helicopter O
weapons O

Iran O
' O
s O
Islamic O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
Corps O
( O
IRGC O
) O
on O
Saturday B-T
tried O
new O
generation O
of O
anti O
- O
helicopter O
weapons O
and O
other O
military O
hardware O
during O
the O
ongoing O
military O
maneuvers O
, O
the O
official O
IRNA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Different O
types O
of O
improved O
anti O
- O
helicopter O
, O
anti O
- O
armor O
and O
anti O
- O
personnel O
weapons O
had O
been O
used O
by O
the O
Iranian O
troops O
, O
General O
Mohammad O
- O
Reza O
Zahedi O
, O
commander O
of O
the O
IRGC O
' O
s O
ground O
forces O
, O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
. O

The O
combat O
capability O
of O
these O
anti O
- O
helicopter O
weapons O
had O
been O
doubled O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
and O
they O
could O
be O
used O
against O
all O
types O
of O
helicopters O
, O
Zahedi O
said O
. O

Iran O
' O
s O
new O
generation O
of O
anti O
- O
personnel O
bullets O
, O
which O
had O
been O
used O
in O
the O
war O
games O
, O
could O
penetrate O
the O
most O
advanced O
bullet O
- O
proof O
vests O
, O
Zahedi O
said O
. O

The O
IRGC O
forces O
were O
using O
modern O
equipment O
and O
tactics O
to O
encounter O
enemies O
' O
combat O
power O
, O
the O
Iranian O
general O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
IRGC O
ground O
forces O
' O
weapons O
could O
reach O
as O
far O
as O
1 O
, O
400 O
km O
into O
hypothetical O
enemy O
' O
s O
territory O
. O

Zahedi O
said O
the O
war O
games O
were O
intended O
to O
show O
the O
Iranian O
military O
' O
s O
ability O
to O
defend O
the O
country O
against O
any O
attack O
and O
thereby O
discourage O
enemies O
from O
inimical O
contemplation O
. O

The O
IRGC O
' O
s O
10 O
- O
day O
maneuvers O
, O
dubbed O
" O
The O
Great O
Prophet O
2 O
, O
" O
began O
on O
Thursday B-T
and O
are O
to O
be O
carried O
out O
in O
the O
Gulf O
waters O
, O
the O
Sea O
of O
Oman O
and O
14 O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
provinces O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0148 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
FM O
, O
commerce O
minister O
to O
attend O
APEC O
ministerial O
meeting O

Chinese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Li O
Zhaoxing O
and O
Commerce O
Minister O
Bo O
Xilai O
will O
attend O
the O
17th O
APEC O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
to O
16 O
in O
Busan O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
, O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Liu O
Jianchao O
announced O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
two O
ministers O
will O
make O
preparations O
for O
the O
13th O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
which O
will O
be O
attended O
by O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
after O
he O
concludes O
his O
state O
visit O
to O
Britain O
, O
Germany O
, O
Spain O
and O
the O
ROK O
. O

APEC O
, O
which O
has O
21 O
members O
, O
is O
the O
most O
important O
forum O
of O
economic O
cooperation O
in O
the O
Asian O
- O
Pacific O
region O
. O
Aiming O
to O
promote O
multilateral O
trade O
system O
and O
eliminate O
trade O
barriers O
within O
the O
region O
, O
APEC O
has O
become O
an O
active O
force O
that O
helps O
make O
regional O
trade O
and O
investment O
more O
liberal O
and O
convenient O
, O
promote O
regional O
economic O
and O
technological O
cooperation O
and O
economic O
development O
. O

According O
to O
Liu O
, O
the O
upcoming O
ministerial O
meeting O
will O
give O
priority O
to O
regional O
trade O
planning O
, O
economic O
and O
technological O
cooperation O
, O
trade O
and O
energy O
security O
, O
bird O
flu O
prevention O
and O
control O
, O
and O
anti O
- O
corruption O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0370 O

CARACAS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

IDB O
loans O
750 O
mln O
US O
dollars O
for O
Venezuelan O
hydropower O
project O

The O
Inter O
- O
American O
Development O
Bank O
( O
IDB O
) O
on O
Tuesday B-T
said O
a O
750 O
- O
million O
- O
US O
- O
dollar O
loan O
had O
been O
granted O
for O
the O
construction O
of O
the O
Tocoma O
hydropower O
project O
in O
Venezuela O
. O

The O
Washington O
- O
based O
multi O
- O
lateral O
funding O
body O
said O
the O
money O
would O
fund O
programs O
in O
engineering O
, O
administration O
, O
environmental O
and O
social O
management O
. O

The O
loan O
is O
the O
biggest O
ever O
granted O
since O
Luis O
Alberto O
Moreno O
assumed O
the O
presidency O
of O
the O
IDB O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
. O

The O
IDB O
said O
in O
a O
release O
that O
it O
had O
approved O
the O
loan O
on O
the O
basis O
that O
the O
project O
would O
improve O
Venezuela O
' O
s O
power O
supply O
and O
economic O
competitiveness O
, O
creating O
a O
more O
environmentally O
sustainable O
power O
source O
for O
economic O
development O
, O
compared O
with O
the O
existing O
alternatives O
. O

The O
Tocoma O
project O
, O
the O
fourth O
one O
in O
the O
Lower O
Caroni O
River O
Valley O
, O
with O
an O
installed O
capacity O
of O
2 O
, O
160 O
megawatts O
, O
costs O
a O
total O
of O
3 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0180 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Incident O
involving O
NATO O
troops O
kills O
Afghan O
civilian O

An O
incident O
involving O
a O
convoy O
of O
the O
NATO O
- O
led O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
( O
ISAF O
) O
killed O
an O
Afghan O
civilian O
and O
injured O
four O
others O
near O
Kabul O
of O
Afghanistan O
, O
an O
ISAF O
statement O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

A O
civilian O
van O
was O
observed O
driving O
" O
suspiciously O
" O
near O
the O
convoy O
on O
the O
Bagram O
road O
, O
north O
of O
Kabul O
, O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
, O
it O
said O
, O
adding O
" O
ISAF O
troops O
signaled O
for O
the O
vehicle O
to O
stop O
and O
fired O
a O
number O
of O
bullets O
. O
" O

" O
The O
driver O
subsequently O
lost O
control O
of O
the O
van O
and O
unfortunately O
crashed O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
, O
adding O
one O
civilian O
was O
killed O
and O
four O
others O
injured O
as O
a O
result O
. O

The O
vague O
statement O
didn O
' O
t O
say O
whether O
the O
civilians O
killed O
and O
injured O
were O
the O
van O
' O
s O
occupants O
or O
just O
passers O
- O
by O
, O
nor O
said O
whether O
the O
bullets O
were O
shot O
toward O
the O
vehicle O
or O
just O
warning O
ones O
. O

It O
is O
also O
unclear O
whether O
the O
driver O
lost O
control O
of O
the O
vehicle O
because O
he O
was O
shot O
or O
only O
out O
of O
scare O
. O

However O
, O
local O
daily O
newspaper O
Outlook O
quoted O
Alishal O
Paktiawal O
, O
criminal O
director O
of O
Kabul O
police O
, O
as O
saying O
ISAF O
troops O
" O
shot O
dead O
one O
civilian O
and O
wounded O
four O
others O
, O
one O
of O
them O
seriously O
" O
in O
the O
incident O
. O

The O
killed O
one O
, O
a O
resident O
from O
the O
eastern O
Laghman O
province O
, O
was O
working O
at O
a O
health O
facility O
in O
Bagram O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
base O
, O
about O
50 O
km O
north O
of O
Kabul O
, O
it O
added O
. O

The O
ISAF O
statement O
said O
the O
casualties O
were O
quickly O
taken O
to O
a O
military O
hospital O
in O
Kabul O
for O
treatment O
, O
and O
a O
senior O
U O
. O
S O
. O
commander O
Benjamin O
C O
. O
Freakley O
had O
demanded O
a O
" O
detailed O
and O
thorough O
investigation O
" O
into O
the O
incident O
. O

The O
investigation O
is O
currently O
ongoing O
and O
the O
Afghan O
government O
will O
be O
informed O
of O
the O
results O
as O
soon O
as O
they O
are O
available O
, O
it O
added O
. O

Similar O
incidents O
have O
happened O
in O
Afghanistan O
from B-T
time I-T
to I-T
time I-T
before I-T
. O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, O
an O
ISAF O
patrol O
killed O
two O
adult O
civilians O
and O
injured O
a O
child O
in O
the O
southern O
Helmand O
province O
as O
their O
van O
approached O
the O
patrol O
fast O
and O
failed O
to O
stop O
when O
hand O
signals O
were O
given O
. O

On O
Aug B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, O
ISAF O
fired O
bullets O
toward O
two O
boys O
on O
a O
motorbike O
, O
killing O
one O
of O
them O
, O
in O
Kandahar O
city O
, O
capital O
of O
the O
southern O
Kandahar O
province O
, O
shortly O
after O
a O
deadly O
suicide O
bombing O
, O
as O
they O
ignored O
ISAF O
' O
s O
warning O
to O
stop O
. O

Civilian O
casualties O
have O
damaged O
the O
image O
of O
ISAF O
and O
reduced O
their O
popularity O
among O
Afghans O
. O

In O
a O
much O
more O
severe O
case O
, O
a O
NATO O
air O
strike O
killed O
up O
to O
80 O
civilians O
in O
a O
village O
of O
Panjwai O
district O
of O
Kandahar O
province O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, O
according O
to O
locals O
. O

However O
, O
ISAF O
recently O
said O
a O
joint O
Afghan O
and O
NATO O
investigation O
found O
31 O
civilians O
were O
killed O
in O
the O
incident O
, O
which O
has O
caused O
huge O
rage O
among O
locals O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0143 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bush O
reaffirms O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
, O
says O
Chinese O
FM O
spoksman O

United O
States O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
has O
reaffirmed O
his O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
and O
his O
stance O
in O
opposition O
to O
Taiwan O
independence O
, O
said O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Liu O
Jianchao O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

At O
a O
regular O
press O
conference O
Liu O
made O
the O
above O
remarks O
in O
response O
to O
a O
question O
on O
Bush O
' O
s O
just O
- O
concluded O
visit O
to O
China O
. O

President O
Bush O
enunciated O
his O
support O
to O
the O
one O
- O
China O
position O
when O
talking O
on O
the O
Taiwan O
issue O
with O
Chinese O
leaders O
, O
Liu O
said O
, O
and O
Bush O
also O
voiced O
his O
opposition O
to O
any O
unilateral O
actions O
aimed O
to O
change O
the O
status O
- O
quo O
across O
Taiwan O
strait O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0071 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israel O
to O
display O
patience O
and O
restraint O
: O
PM O

Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
on O
Sunday B-T
said O
that O
Israel O
would O
display O
" O
patience O
and O
restraint O
" O
in O
the O
face O
of O
Palestinian O
breaching O
of O
a O
cease O
- O
fire O
that O
went O
into O
effect O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
local O
media O
said O
. O

Speaking O
at O
a O
high O
school O
in O
the O
Bedouin O
town O
of O
Rahat O
, O
Olmert O
said O
that O
Israel O
must O
give O
the O
truce O
a O
chance O
and O
pledged O
that O
" O
the O
government O
of O
Israel O
will O
not O
miss O
this O
opportunity O
for O
calm O
. O
" O

" O
I O
hope O
the O
ceasefire O
will O
take O
effect O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
as O
well O
, O
although O
it O
currently O
does O
not O
apply O
there O
; O
however O
, O
responsibility O
and O
good O
will O
may O
lead O
to O
the O
beginning O
of O
serious O
, O
open O
and O
direct O
negotiations O
between O
us O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
" O
Olmert O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
prime O
minister O
added O
that O
" O
In O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
the O
Israeli O
and O
Palestinian O
offices O
have O
been O
in O
constant O
contact O
, O
and O
there O
are O
understandings O
; O
but O
these O
must O
mature O
in O
negotiations O
, O
and O
I O
hope O
this O
will O
happen O
soon O
. O
" O

" O
Although O
there O
are O
still O
breaches O
from O
the O
other O
side O
, O
I O
ordered O
troops O
to O
show O
restraint O
and O
to O
give O
the O
ceasefire O
a O
chance O
, O
" O
Olmert O
said O
. O

Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
factions O
in O
Gaza O
officially O
began O
the O
cease O
- O
fire O
at O
6 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
following O
an O
agreement O
reached O
between O
Palestinian O
National O
Authority O
Chairman O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
factions O
. O

Abbas O
made O
a O
phone O
call O
to O
Olmert O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
inform O
him O
of O
the O
deal O
and O
Olmert O
accepted O
the O
offer O
of O
cease O
- O
fire O
. O

However O
, O
three O
Qassam O
rockets O
hit O
Israel O
in O
the O
first O
few O
hours O
after O
the O
truce O
went O
into O
effect O
, O
causing O
no O
damage O
or O
injuries O
. O

One O
of O
the O
rockets O
hit O
Sderot O
, O
another O
fell O
in O
an O
open O
area O
north O
of O
the O
western O
Negev O
town O
, O
and O
the O
third O
landed O
close O
to O
a O
local O
kibbutz O
. O
The O
military O
wings O
of O
Hamas O
and O
Islamic O
Jihad O
claimed O
responsibility O
for O
the O
continued O
Qassam O
rocket O
fire O
on O
Israel O
. O

Abbas O
on O
Sunday B-T
ordered O
heads O
of O
Palestinian O
security O
forces O
to O
ensure O
that O
Gaza O
militants O
respect O
the O
truce O
, O
Palestinian O
officials O
said O
. O

Defense O
Minister O
Amir O
Peretz O
said O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
that O
any O
attempt O
to O
fire O
into O
Israeli O
territories O
would O
be O
considered O
a O
breach O
of O
the O
cease O
- O
fire O
and O
treated O
with O
severity O
. O
According O
to O
Peretz O
, O
Israel O
is O
interested O
in O
quiet O
, O
but O
would O
not O
accept O
attacks O
on O
its O
citizens O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0018 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0018 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Benjamin O
Franklin O
Federal O
SampL O
: O

@ O
Thrift O
Plans O
to O
Restructure O

@ O
After O
Loss O
in O
Third O
Quarter O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

BENJ O

Benjamin O
Franklin O
Federal O
Savings O
amp O
Loan O
Association O
said O
it O
plans O
to O
restructure O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
a O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
loss O
of O
$ O
7 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
01 O
a O
share O
, O
reflecting O
an O
$ O
11 O
million O
addition O
to O
loan O
- O
loss O
reserves O
. O

The O
Portland O
, O
Ore O
. O
, O
thrift O
said O
the O
restructuring O
should O
help O
it O
meet O
new O
capital O
standards O
from O
the O
Financial O
Institution O
Reform O
, O
Recovery O
and O
Enforcement O
Act O
. O

A B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
, O
Benjamin O
Franklin O
had O
profit O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
23 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

In O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
trading O
yesterday B-T
, O
Benjamin O
Franklin O
rose O
25 O
cents O
to O
$ O
4 O
. O
25 O
. O

The O
company O
said O
the O
restructuring O
' O
s O
initial O
phase O
will O
feature O
a O
gradual O
reduction O
in O
assets O
and O
staff O
positions O
. O

The O
plan O
may O
include O
selling O
branches O
, O
consolidating O
or O
eliminating O
departments O
, O
and O
winding O
down O
or O
disposing O
of O
unprofitable O
units O
within B-T
18 I-T
months I-T
. O

Initially O
, O
the O
company O
said O
it O
will O
close O
its O
commercial O
real O
- O
estate O
lending O
division O
, O
and O
stop O
originating O
new O
leases O
at O
its O
commercial O
lease O
subsidiary O
. O

Details O
of O
the O
restructuring O
wo O
n O
' O
t O
be O
made O
final O
until O
regulators O
approve O
the O
regulations O
mandated O
by O
the O
new O
federal O
act O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0262 O

BOGOTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Possible O
volcano O
eruption O
triggers O
evacuation O
in O
Colombia O

About O
1 O
, O
500 O
people O
living O
on O
the O
slopes O
of O
a O
volcano O
in O
southwest O
Colombia O
were O
ordered O
to O
evacuate O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
it O
has O
shown O
signs O
of O
an O
imminent O
eruption O
. O

Local O
authorities O
on O
Monday B-T
issued O
a O
mandatory O
evacuation O
order O
following O
a O
warning O
issued O
by O
Colombia O
' O
s O
Geology O
and O
Mines O
Institute O
that O
the O
Galeras O
volcano O
, O
which O
lies O
540 O
km O
southwest O
of O
Bogota O
, O
is O
probable O
to O
erupt O
" O
within O
days B-T
or I-T
weeks I-T
. O
" O

In O
addition O
, O
another O
7 O
, O
500 O
people O
living O
near O
the O
volcano O
have O
been O
asked O
to O
leave O
their O
homes O
voluntarily O
. O

The O
last O
eruption O
of O
the O
volcano O
, O
which O
occurred O
in O
1993 B-T
, O
killed O
nine O
people O
, O
including O
five O
scientists O
who O
had O
descended O
into O
the O
crater O
to O
sample O
gases O
at O
the O
moment O
it O
blew O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0191 O

CHANGSHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
, O
says O
offcial O

Police O
are O
searching O
for O
two O
senior O
managers O
of O
the O
Xinpo O
Coal O
Mine O
after O
they O
fled O
following O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
fatal O
gas O
explosion O
in O
Central O
China O
' O
s O
Hunan O
Province O
, O
local O
government O
official O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Li O
Quanfa O
and O
Li O
Quansheng O
, O
head O
and O
vice O
head O
of O
the O
coal O
mine O
respectively O
, O
are O
accused O
of O
neglecting O
work O
safety O
supervision O
, O
said O
Li O
Ming O
, O
vice O
mayor O
of O
Leiyang O
City O
, O
where O
the O
mine O
is O
located O
. O

More O
than O
40 O
rescuers O
are O
searching O
for O
five O
missing O
miners O
, O
who O
likely O
did O
not O
survive O
the O
explosion O
, O
said O
Li O
. O

Another O
five O
injured O
were O
in O
a O
stable O
condition O
, O
according O
to O
the O
vice O
mayor O
. O

The O
gas O
explosion O
, O
which O
killed O
four O
miners O
, O
took O
place O
at O
around O
9 O
: O
00 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
on O
Wednesday B-T
in O
the O
Xinpo O
Coal O
Mine O
, O
where O
17 O
miners O
were O
working O
underground O
. O
Eight O
of O
them O
were O
rescued O
while O
the O
nine O
others O
were O
trapped O
. O

Rescuers O
have O
retrieved O
the O
bodies O
of O
four O
of O
the O
miners O
. O

Most O
of O
the O
victims O
were O
villagers O
from O
the O
town O
of O
Simenzhou O
, O
where O
the O
mine O
is O
situated O
and O
families O
of O
the O
four O
dead O
have O
each O
been O
compensated O
220 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
25 O
, O
425 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
said O
Li O
. O

The O
cause O
of O
the O
accident O
remains O
unclear O
. O
The O
privately O
- O
owned O
coal O
mine O
produced O
30 O
, O
000 O
tons O
of O
coal O
annually O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0413 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

elections O
: O
poll O

One B-T
week I-T
before I-T
next I-T
Tuesday I-T
' O
s O
midterm O
Congressional O
elections O
, O
Iraq O
and O
terrorism O
top O
the O
list O
of O
issues O
that O
American O
voters O
consider O
" O
extremely O
important O
, O
" O
a O
new O
poll O
released O
on O
Wednesday B-T
showed O
. O

The O
CNN O
poll O
, O
conducted O
from O
Friday B-T
through O
Sunday B-T
, O
found O
that O
49 O
percent O
of O
those O
surveyed O
said O
they O
consider O
Iraq O
" O
extremely O
important O
" O
in O
deciding O
how O
to O
vote O
. O

Terrorism O
followed O
closely O
, O
at O
46 O
percent O
, O
and O
the O
third O
- O
biggest O
issue O
was O
ethics O
in O
government O
, O
with O
37 O
percent O
of O
respondents O
saying O
they O
consider O
it O
extremely O
important O
. O

The O
importance O
of O
economy O
dropped O
in O
the O
poll O
, O
which O
found O
only O
33 O
percent O
of O
those O
canvassed O
said O
it O
was O
important O
in O
their O
decision O
how O
to O
vote O
. O

The O
poll O
of O
837 O
registered O
voters O
had O
a O
margin O
of O
sampling O
error O
at O
plus O
or O
minus O
three O
percentage O
points O
. O

Another O
poll O
released O
on O
Wednesday B-T
suggested O
that O
Democrats O
continued O
to O
have O
a O
significant O
advantage O
heading O
into O
the O
midterms O
. O

The O
NBC O
News O
/ O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O
poll O
found O
that O
Democrats O
held O
a O
15 O
- O
point O
lead O
over O
Republicans O
in O
voters O
' O
preference O
for O
control O
of O
Congress O
- O
52 O
percent O
against O
37 O
percent O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
' O
s O
approval O
rating O
remained O
below O
40 O
percent O
. O

The O
poll O
, O
which O
was O
taken O
of O
1 O
, O
010 O
registered O
voters O
from O
Friday B-T
through O
Monday B-T
and O
had O
a O
margin O
of O
error O
of O
plus O
or O
minus O
3 O
. O
1 O
percentage O
points O
, O
also O
found O
more O
than O
60 O
percent O
of O
those O
respondents O
felt O
less O
confident O
that O
the O
war O
in O
Iraq O
would O
come O
to O
a O
successful O
conclusion O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0171 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

state O
in O
six O
months O

Arab O
League O
( O
AL O
) O
chief O
Amr O
Moussa O
on O
Saturday B-T
welcomed O
proposal O
by O
exiled O
Hamas O
chief O
Khaled O
Meshaal O
to O
establish O
a O
Palestinian O
state O
based O
on O
the O
1967 O
borders O
in O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

" O
Meshaal O
' O
s O
proposal O
is O
in O
line O
with O
the O
basics O
of O
the O
Arab O
peace O
initiative O
, O
" O
Moussa O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
after O
meeting O
with O
Meshaal O
at O
the O
AL O
headquarters O
here O
. O

Visiting O
exiled O
Hamas O
leader O
Khaled O
Meshaal O
warned O
earlier O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
Palestinian O
authorities O
could O
collapse O
and O
there O
would O
be O
a O
third O
intifada O
( O
uprising O
) O
if O
the O
international O
community O
couldn O
' O
t O
work O
out O
a O
political O
solution O
to O
a O
Palestinian O
state O
based O
on O
the O
1967 O
borders O
within O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

Moussa O
said O
the O
proposal O
" O
is O
very O
important O
" O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
Hamas O
official O
underlined O
the O
need O
to O
have O
a O
time O
ceiling O
for O
the O
proposal O
to O
flesh O
out O
. O

" O
The O
timeframe O
is O
very O
important O
. O
Previous O
failures O
were O
due O
to O
the O
lack O
of O
timeframes O
, O
" O
Moussa O
said O
. O

For O
his O
part O
, O
Meshaal O
said O
Palestinians O
are O
capable O
of O
achieving O
their O
demand O
of O
establishing O
a O
state O
, O
adding O
that O
" O
we O
can O
achieve O
this O
with O
Arab O
and O
Muslim O
support O
and O
we O
expect O
that O
we O
can O
reap O
the O
fruit O
of O
our O
efforts O
" O
. O

On O
breaking O
the O
siege O
imposed O
on O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
Moussa O
said O
that O
it O
has O
already O
been O
broken O
with O
30 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
from O
Kuwait O
arriving O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
( O
PA O
) O
coffers O
. O

Contacts O
are O
continuing O
with O
Arab O
countries O
to O
send O
agreed O
sums O
of O
money O
to O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Meshaal O
, O
who O
is O
now B-T
in O
exile O
in O
Syria O
, O
said O
Arab O
countries O
are O
committed O
to O
paying O
52 O
million O
dollars O
every B-T
month I-T
to O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
. O

" O
The O
Palestinians O
must O
restore O
their O
rights O
or O
else O
chaos O
would O
be O
rampant O
in O
the O
region O
and O
the O
PA O
might O
disappear O
altogether O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Regarding O
the O
recognition O
of O
Israel O
, O
Moussa O
said O
recognition O
should O
be O
mutual O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0191 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
pullback O

Britain O
is O
pulling O
together O
a O
coalition O
to O
fight O
the O
Taliban O
and O
al O
- O
Qaida O
insurgency O
in O
southern O
Afghanistan O
after O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
partial O
US O
pullback O
, O
the O
Guardian O
newspaper O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Britain O
is O
set O
to O
take O
over O
NATO O
' O
s O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
( O
ISAF O
) O
in O
Afghanistan O
in O
early O
2006 B-T
, O
when O
the O
United O
States O
plans O
to O
withdraw O
4 O
, O
000 O
soldiers O
from O
a O
parallel O
force O
fighting O
the O
rebels O
. O

Talks O
to O
create O
a O
counter O
- O
rebel O
force O
were O
allegedly O
taking O
place O
with O
several O
countries O
, O
including O
Australia O
, O
Canada O
and O
New O
Zealand O
. O

British O
Armed O
Forces O
Minister O
Adam O
Ingram O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
elite O
paratroopers O
were O
already O
training O
for O
possible O
operations O
in O
Afghanistan O
' O
s O
lawless O
Helmand O
province O
. O

As O
many O
as O
2 O
, O
000 O
more O
British O
troops O
are O
expected O
to O
be O
sent O
to O
Afghanistan O
next B-T
year I-T
to O
increase O
the O
UK O
' O
s O
forces O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
to O
almost O
5 O
, O
000 O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

" O
We O
are O
not O
talking O
war O
fighting O
. O
But O
there O
is O
potential O
for O
armed O
conflict O
in O
some O
areas O
, O
" O
an O
unnamed O
military O
source O
told O
the O
newspaper O
, O
adding O
" O
the O
reality O
is O
that O
there O
are O
warlords O
, O
drug O
traffickers O
, O
al O
- O
Qaida O
, O
al O
- O
Qaida O
wannabes O
and O
Taliban O
. O
" O

The O
report O
came O
amid O
demands O
from O
critics O
for O
Britain O
to O
seek O
an O
exit O
strategy O
from O
Afghanistan O
, O
where O
there O
is O
no O
sign O
of O
a O
letup O
in O
the O
bloodshed O
with O
a O
German O
ISAF O
soldier O
reported O
to O
be O
one O
of O
the O
latest O
killed O
in O
car O
bomb O
attacks O
by O
Taliban O
fighters O
. O

The O
report O
was O
also O
published O
against O
the O
backdrop O
of O
NATO O
' O
s O
announcement O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
it O
had O
agreed O
to O
the O
US O
- O
proposed O
closer O
cooperation O
in O
Afghanistan O
between O
ISAF O
peacekeeping O
force O
and O
the O
US O
- O
led O
coalition O
fighting O
insurgents O
. O

The O
agreement O
is O
a O
step O
towards O
ending O
a O
dispute O
sparked O
last B-T
year I-T
when O
France O
, O
Germany O
and O
others O
rejected O
a O
US O
proposal O
for O
an O
outright O
merger O
of O
the O
two O
forces O
under O
overall O
NATO O
command O
. O

NATO O
' O
s O
9 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
ISAF O
peacekeeping O
force O
is O
present O
in O
the O
relatively O
stable O
north O
, O
west O
and O
in O
the O
capital O
Kabul O
. O
The O
push O
to O
the O
south O
will O
bring O
its O
numbers O
up O
to O
15 O
, O
000 O
by O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
with O
further O
expansion O
to O
the O
east O
also O
planned O
. O

NATO O
took O
over O
command O
of O
ISAF O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
two B-T
years I-T
after O
US O
- O
led O
forces O
overthrew O
the O
Taliban O
government O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0614 O

LIMA O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Peru O
hostages O
in O
good O
physical O
health O
: O
doctor O

A O
cardiologist O
who O
visited O
the O
72 O
hostages O
held O
in O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
here O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
those O
with O
heart O
problems O
were O
in O
good O
physical O
shape O
. O

" O
I O
would O
say O
that O
the O
patients O
in O
my O
area O
of O
specialty O
, O
cardiovascular O
medicine O
, O
are O
all O
being O
well O
treated O
, O
" O
Dr O
. O
Miguel O
Sanchez O
told O
Peruvian O
radio O
. O

Sanchez O
, O
a O
former O
hostage O
who O
has O
entered O
the O
compound O
periodically O
since O
the O
crisis O
began O
December B-T
17 I-T
, O
spoke O
as O
the O
hostages O
completed O
their O
118th O
day O
as O
captives O
of O
the O
Tupac O
Amaru O
Revolutionary O
Movement O
( O
MRTA O
) O
. O

Two O
of O
the O
hostages O
who O
suffer O
from O
heart O
problems O
are O
Bolivia O
' O
s O
ambassador O
to O
Peru O
, O
Jorge O
Gumucio O
, O
and O
Moises O
Pantoja O
, O
former O
president O
of O
the O
Peruvian O
Supreme O
Court O
. O

Sanchez O
spent O
three O
hours O
with O
the O
hostages O
Monday B-T
and O
said O
that O
the O
only O
problem O
he O
noticed O
is O
that O
some O
of O
them O
appear O
to O
have O
put O
on O
weight O
. O

But O
others O
have O
taken O
to O
exercise O
and O
" O
now O
are O
in O
much O
better O
physical O
shape O
than O
before O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
Peruvian O
President O
Alberto O
Fujimori O
met O
with O
top O
hostage O
mediator O
Archbishop O
Juan O
Luis O
Cipriani O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
find O
a O
solution O
to O
the O
crisis O
. O

" O
There O
are O
small O
advances O
towards O
a O
good O
end O
, O
" O
Cipriani O
said O
. O

The O
MRTA O
wants O
the O
government O
to O
free O
some O
400 O
imprisoned O
comrades O
, O
and O
wants O
improved O
prison O
conditions O
. O
Fujimori O
said O
he O
will O
release O
no O
prisoners O
. O

The O
last O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
meeting O
between O
the O
government O
and O
the O
rebels O
came O
March B-T
12 I-T
, O
after O
which O
negotiations O
broke O
off O
when O
the O
rebel O
commando O
said O
that O
security O
forces O
were O
digging O
a O
tunnel O
into O
the O
residence O
. O

Since O
then O
, O
mediators O
have O
shuttled O
between O
the O
government O
palace O
and O
the O
residence O
, O
trying O
to O
gain O
concessions O
from O
the O
two O
sides O
to O
end O
the O
crisis O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0388 O

MOSCOW O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Yeltsin O
sacks O
transport O
minister O

Russian O
President O
Boris O
Yeltsin O
on O
Monday B-T
sacked O
his O
transport O
minister O
, O
Anatoly O
Zaitsev O
, O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
reported O
, O
quoting O
informed O
sources O
. O

Yeltsin O
issued O
a O
decree O
to O
fire O
Zaitsev O
, O
who O
had O
assumed O
the O
post O
in O
August B-T
1996 I-T
. O
He O
is O
to O
be O
replaced O
by O
his O
deputy O
, O
Nikolai O
Aksenenko O
. O

Zaitsev O
, O
57 O
, O
is O
on O
the O
board O
of O
a O
company O
that O
plans O
to O
build O
a O
high O
- O
speed O
rail O
link O
between O
Moscow O
and O
Saint O
Petersburg O
, O
a O
multi O
- O
billion O
dollar O
project O
that O
has O
drawn O
wide O
criticism O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
years I-T
. O

Between O
1988 B-T
and O
1996 B-T
, O
Zaitsev O
ran O
the O
Oktiyabrskaya O
railway O
between O
the O
two O
cities O
. O

Also O
Monday B-T
, O
Yeltsin O
accepted O
the O
resignation O
, O
tendered O
on O
April B-T
5 I-T
, O
of O
the O
head O
of O
Russia O
' O
s O
top O
tax O
authority O
, O
Vitaly O
Artyukhov O
, O
Interfax O
quoted O
the O
same O
sources O
as O
saying O
. O

Artyukhov O
had O
been O
in O
his O
post O
since O
February B-T
1996 I-T
. O

Tax O
collection O
is O
a O
serious O
problem O
in O
Russia O
, O
where O
last B-T
year I-T
only O
60 O
percent O
of O
taxes O
owing O
were O
paid O
. O
So O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
only O
50 O
percent O
of O
tax O
targets O
have O
been O
achieved O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0249 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Zairean O
premier O
fights O
to O
save O
his O
job O
by O
Michael O
Adler O

New O
Zairean O
premier O
Etienne O
Tshisekedi O
fought O
to O
save O
his O
job O
Friday B-T
, O
rebuffed O
by O
rebels O
in O
the O
east O
and O
assailed O
by O
his O
political O
opponents O
at O
home O
just O
two B-T
days I-T
after O
taking O
up O
the O
post O
. O

Opposition O
parties O
were O
expected O
to O
meet O
here O
Friday B-T
to O
discuss O
whether O
to O
replace O
him O
as O
prime O
minister O
, O
according O
to O
newspaper O
reports O
, O
after O
he O
angered O
just O
about O
everybody O
in O
sight O
in O
that O
short O
period O
. O

With O
rebels O
advancing O
on O
two O
more O
key O
towns O
and O
peace O
talks O
due O
to O
start O
in O
South O
Africa O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
, O
this O
latest O
political O
crisis O
could O
not O
have O
come O
at O
a O
worse O
time O
for O
Zaire O
. O

Tshisekedi O
, O
a O
long O
- O
time O
opponent O
of O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
, O
made O
it O
clear O
in O
his O
first B-T
day I-T
in O
office O
Thursday B-T
that O
he O
would O
take O
up O
and O
finish O
his O
old O
political O
battles O
with O
the O
head O
of O
state O
. O

He O
snubbed O
Mobutu O
by O
not O
giving O
a O
single O
job O
in O
his O
24 O
- O
member O
government O
to O
supporters O
of O
the O
president O
, O
and O
then O
compounded O
that O
by O
offering O
six O
to O
Laurent O
- O
Desire O
Kabila O
' O
s O
rebels O
, O
including O
defence O
. O

He O
praised O
the O
rebels O
for O
defending O
the O
national O
interest O
by O
fighting O
corruption O
, O
but O
dismissed O
the O
planned O
peace O
talks O
in O
South O
Africa O
between O
rebel O
and O
Mobutu O
officials O
this B-T
weekend I-T
as O
pointless O
. O

Tshisekedi O
also O
dismissed O
the O
current O
transitional O
parliament O
, O
saying O
it O
should O
be O
replaced O
by O
a O
legislature O
conceived O
in O
1992 B-T
but O
never O
ratified O
by O
Mobutu O
. O

He O
then O
announced O
his O
government O
line O
- O
up O
without O
getting O
prior O
approval O
from O
Mobutu O
, O
contrary O
to O
the O
1994 O
constitution O
, O
which O
he O
also O
rejects O
. O

His O
overtures O
to O
Kabila O
' O
s O
rebels O
were O
snubbed O
. O
They O
had O
earlier O
warned O
him O
not O
to O
assume O
the O
premiership O
and O
insisted O
they O
would O
not O
work O
for O
any O
government O
while O
Mobutu O
was O
president O
. O

Press O
reports O
in O
Kinshasa O
said O
the O
" O
family O
" O
of O
oppposition O
parties O
, O
the O
Political O
Conclave O
Force O
( O
FPC O
) O
, O
was O
ready O
to O
meet O
Friday B-T
to O
decide O
whether O
to O
replace O
him O
. O

Under O
the O
1994 O
constitution O
, O
the O
opposition O
suggests O
the O
prime O
minister O
, O
who O
must O
be O
approved O
by O
Mobutu O
. O
In O
turn O
the O
premier O
must O
name O
a O
government O
that O
includes O
supporters O
of O
the O
president O
. O

In O
Pretoria O
, O
the O
domestic O
SAPA O
news O
agency O
quoted O
unnamed O
diplomats O
as O
saying O
the O
peace O
talks O
would O
likely O
begin O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

SAPA O
said O
officials O
were O
locked O
in O
" O
delicate O
discussions O
" O
to O
prepare O
for O
the O
talks O
between O
Mobutu O
' O
s O
envoy O
Honore O
Ngbanda O
Nzambo O
and O
representatives O
of O
Kabila O
. O

Nzambo O
arrived O
Thursday B-T
while O
the O
rebel O
delegation O
led O
by O
Bizima O
Karaha O
, O
in O
charge O
of O
international O
relations O
in O
the O
rebel O
alliance O
, O
was O
reported O
to O
have O
left O
Goma O
in O
eastern O
Zaire O
. O

South O
African O
officials O
on O
Friday B-T
would O
not O
confirm O
the O
rebels O
' O
arrival O
, O
nor O
whether O
the O
talks O
would O
start O
Sunday B-T
. O

Kabila O
' O
s O
Alliance O
of O
Democratic O
Forces O
for O
the O
Liberation O
of O
Congo O
- O
Zaire O
will O
be O
able O
to O
negotiate O
from O
a O
position O
of O
strength O
with O
troops O
advancing O
toward O
the O
key O
Zairean O
towns O
of O
Lubumbashi O
and O
Mbuji O
Mayi O
. O

Since O
they O
began O
their O
offensive O
in O
mid O
October B-T
, O
they O
have O
seized O
more O
than O
one O
quarter O
of O
Zaire O
, O
including O
the O
third O
city O
Kisangani O
, O
and O
pledged O
to O
march O
into O
Kinshasa O
by O
June B-T
. O

Zairean O
soldiers O
were O
reported O
to O
have O
begun O
looting O
and O
shooting O
early O
Friday B-T
in O
Mbuji O
Mayi O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
diamond O
- O
rich O
Eastern O
Kasai O
province O
. O

So O
far O
in O
the O
six O
- O
month O
Zairean O
conflict O
, O
government O
soldiers O
have O
gone O
on O
the O
rampage O
before O
fleeing O
without O
a O
fight O
. O
Tensions O
in O
Mbuji O
Mayi O
have O
been O
high O
in O
expectation O
of O
an O
imminent O
rebel O
attack O
. O

Rebel O
forces O
are O
also O
reported O
to O
be O
closing O
in O
on O
Lubumbashi O
, O
Zaire O
' O
s O
second O
city O
and O
the O
capital O
of O
the O
mining O
- O
rich O
Shaba O
province O
. O

In O
New O
York O
overnight O
, O
the O
United O
Nations O
called O
on O
Kabila O
to O
" O
stop O
the O
killing O
" O
and O
let O
humanitarian O
aid O
organizations O
work O
unhindered O
to O
aid O
the O
several O
hundred O
thousand O
refugees O
left O
helpless O
by O
the O
civil O
war O
. O

The O
United O
States O
separately O
called O
on O
Kabile O
to O
assist O
in O
repatriation O
of O
refugees O
, O
and O
to O
reconsider O
his O
rejection O
of O
the O
invitation O
to O
join O
the O
new O
government O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0167 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

London O
shares O
follow O
Wall O
Street O
higher O

Shares O
here O
rose O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
on O
the O
wings O
of O
an O
overnight O
rally O
on O
Wall O
Street O
, O
which O
reversed O
early O
losses O
to O
close O
50 O
points O
higher O
than O
at O
the O
previous O
close O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
FT O
- O
SE O
100 O
index O
of O
leading O
shares O
rose O
by O
22 O
. O
7 O
points O
to O
4 O
, O
292 O
points O
. O

In O
Paris O
, O
the O
CAC O
- O
40 O
index O
opened O
34 O
. O
72 O
points O
higher O
at O
2 O
, O
613 O
. O
72 O
points O
. O

Despite O
the O
rise O
in O
share O
prices O
, O
London O
traders O
said O
that O
market O
sentiment O
remained O
cautious O
because O
of O
the O
strength O
of O
the O
pound O
sterling O
, O
which O
, O
they O
fear O
, O
might O
hit O
future O
profits O
of O
British O
exporters O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
they O
fear O
that O
British O
and O
US O
interest O
rates O
will O
be O
raised O
in O
the O
short O
or O
medium O
term O
. O

Key O
institutional O
investors O
have O
decided O
to O
stay O
away O
from O
the O
market O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
general O
elections O
that O
will O
be O
held O
on O
May B-T
1 I-T
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

Oil O
stocks O
rose O
after O
positive O
broker O
comment O
encouraged O
heavy O
buying O
on O
Wall O
Street O
. O
Shares O
in O
British O
Petroleum O
( O
BP O
) O
rose O
by O
two O
pence O
to O
684 O
. O
5 O
pence O
and O
Shell O
oil O
stocks O
rose O
by O
11 O
pence O
to O
1 O
, O
050 O
. O
5 O
pence O
. O

Banking O
shares O
rose O
after O
dealers O
predicted O
there O
would O
be O
further O
consolidation O
in O
the O
world O
' O
s O
banking O
system O
. O
Abbey O
National O
shares O
rose O
by O
10 O
pence O
to O
781 O
pence O
, O
NatWest O
bank O
stocks O
rose O
by O
seven O
pence O
to O
710 O
. O
5 O
pence O
and O
Lloyds O
TSB O
shares O
rose O
by O
five O
pence O
to O
507 O
. O
5 O
pence O
. O

Shares O
in O
British O
drinks O
groups O
fell O
after O
a O
slump O
in O
whisky O
sales O
in O
Britain O
. O
Shares O
in O
Allied O
Domecq O
, O
which O
produces O
the O
Teachers O
whisky O
brand O
, O
fell O
by O
one O
pence O
to O
443 O
pence O
and O
Guinness O
shares O
fell O
by O
0 O
. O
5 O
pence O
to O
495 O
. O
5 O
pence O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0497 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Mobutu O
uses O
troops O
to O
dismiss O
PM O
and O
appoint O
general O
by O
Michael O
Adler O

Zairean O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
used O
his O
troops O
Wednesday B-T
to O
stop O
a O
demonstration O
backing O
Prime O
Minister O
Etienne O
Tshisekedi O
, O
even O
arresting O
him O
briefly O
, O
and O
then O
replaced O
him O
with O
an O
army O
general O
. O

Security O
forces O
under O
the O
command O
of O
Mobutu O
' O
s O
son O
, O
Major O
Mobutu O
Kongolo O
, O
detained O
Tshisekedi O
around O
midday O
( O
1000 O
GMT O
) O
Wednesday B-T
as O
he O
attempted O
to O
enter O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
office O
building O
to O
begin O
running O
his O
new O
government O
. O

A B-T
few I-T
hours I-T
later O
in O
flashes O
on O
state O
radio O
and O
television O
the O
government O
announced O
that O
Mobutu O
had O
named O
the O
defense O
minister O
in O
the O
outgoing O
government O
, O
General O
Likulia O
Bolongo O
, O
to O
be O
prime O
minister O
. O

Mobutu O
declared O
a O
state O
of O
emergency O
Tuesday B-T
and O
is O
now B-T
running O
the O
government O
by O
decree O
, O
thus O
short O
- O
circuiting O
the O
constitutional O
debate O
which O
had O
pitted O
him O
in O
a O
power O
struggle O
with O
Tshisekedi O
since O
he O
appointed O
the O
long O
- O
term O
opposition O
leader O
premier O
a B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
. O

Zairean O
journalist O
Michel O
Ladi O
Luya O
told O
AFP O
Wednesday B-T
that O
Mobutu O
was O
clearly O
trying O
to O
assert O
his O
authority O
in O
Kinshasa O
, O
and O
the O
rest O
of O
Zaire O
he O
controls O
, O
as O
he O
is O
on O
the O
defensive O
against O
rebels O
who O
have O
seized O
the O
wealthy O
eastern O
third O
of O
the O
central O
African O
state O
. O

" O
He O
is O
trying O
to O
save O
his O
skin O
, O
by O
showing O
the O
the O
regime O
has O
not O
yet O
lost O
, O
" O
Ladi O
Luya O
said O
. O
" O
He O
feared O
an O
uprising O
of O
the O
people O
if O
he O
did O
not O
" O
put O
on O
this O
show O
of O
force O
. O

US O
officials O
were O
saying O
in O
Washington O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
Mobutu O
is O
finished O
and O
should O
quit O
but O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
said O
rebels O
led O
by O
Laurent O
Kabila O
will O
not O
be O
able O
to O
capture O
the O
rest O
of O
Zaire O
. O

In O
any O
case O
, O
Mobutu O
needs O
to O
show O
some O
strength O
if O
he O
is O
to O
hope O
win O
something O
in O
talks O
that O
have O
already O
started O
between O
his O
regime O
and O
the O
rebels O
. O

Officials O
from O
Tshisekedi O
' O
s O
Union O
for O
Democracy O
and O
Social O
Progess O
( O
UNDP O
) O
party O
told O
AFP O
Wednesday B-T
that O
they O
would O
continue O
to O
demonstrate O
but O
did O
not O
say O
what O
their O
strategy O
would O
be O
. O
They O
said O
they O
saw O
themselves O
as O
allies O
, O
albeit O
non O
- O
violent O
, O
of O
Kabila O
. O

In O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
demonstration O
, O
troops O
sealed O
off O
access O
to O
the O
parliament O
office O
building O
, O
and O
Tshisekedi O
' O
s O
car O
was O
stopped O
at O
a O
crossroads O
about O
one O
kilometre O
( O
half O
a O
mile O
) O
away O
, O
with O
thousands O
of O
people O
gathered O
around O
it O
. O

He O
got O
out O
of O
the O
light O
brown O
Peugeot O
405 O
and O
was O
walking O
towards O
the O
office O
building O
when O
he O
was O
arrested O
. O
At O
first O
he O
was O
surrounded O
by O
some O
30 O
armed O
civil O
guard O
troops O
who O
were O
protecting O
him O
. O
Behind O
him O
stretched O
the O
huge O
crowd O
. O

But O
troops O
from O
the O
elite O
Special O
Presidential O
Divison O
( O
DSP O
) O
plowed O
into O
the O
crowd O
in O
armored O
cars O
, O
hitting O
Tshisekedi O
' O
s O
car O
, O
and O
troops O
behind O
them O
fired O
tear O
gas O
. O
The O
crowd O
began O
to O
disperse O
and O
the O
civil O
guards O
who O
were O
with O
Tshisekedi O
fled O
. O

Tshisekedi O
, O
making O
the O
V O
victory O
sign O
with O
his O
fingers O
, O
still O
advanced O
however O
and O
a O
line O
of O
troops O
guarding O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
offices O
shot O
in O
the O
air O
as O
he O
approached O
. O

He O
kept O
coming O
, O
along O
with O
some O
50 O
supporters O
, O
and O
troops O
finally O
grabbed O
him O
, O
threw O
him O
into O
a O
four O
- O
wheel O
drive O
jeep O
and O
took O
him O
away O
. O

Earlier O
, O
soldiers O
charged O
and O
tear O
- O
gassed O
a O
crowd O
of O
around O
1 O
, O
000 O
people O
who O
had O
gathered O
outside O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
house O
to O
accompany O
him O
to O
his O
offices O
in O
a O
planned O
mass O
march O
. O

Tshisekedi O
has O
angered O
both O
opposition O
parties O
and O
pro O
- O
Mobutu O
groups O
by O
declaring O
Mobutu O
' O
s O
regime O
illegitimate O
. O

Mobutu O
Kongolo O
brought O
Tshisekedi O
, O
after O
he O
had O
been O
detained O
home O
to O
his O
residence O
, O
an O
official O
said O
. O

CNN19980223 B-T
. O
1130 O
. O
0960 O

NEWS O
STORY O

Despite O
the O
recent B-T
possibility O
of O
military O
conflict O
with O
Iraq O
, O
oil O
prices O
have O
been O
falling O
, O
that O
' O
s O
because O
of O
a O
worldwide O
glut O
of O
oil O
. O

Now B-T
with O
a O
diplomatic O
solution O
to O
the O
crisis O
seemingly O
at O
hand O
, O
get O
set O
for O
oil O
prices O
from O
the O
Brent O
north O
sea O
variety O
to O
light O
swede O
crude O
to O
fall O
further O
. O

Oil O
prices O
have O
come O
down O
from O
the B-T
middle I-T
of I-T
October I-T
from O
a O
twenty O
- O
two O
dollar O
barrel O
level O
down O
to O
the O
fourteen O
dollars O
we O
' O
re O
seeing O
today B-T
. O

that O
' O
s O
built O
up O
a O
heck O
of O
a O
momentum O
and O
that O
momentum O
will O
look O
to O
increase O
. O

ah O
next O
up O
is O
that O
thirteen O
dollar O
a O
barrel O
level O
we O
saw O
in O
the B-T
winter I-T
of I-T
nineteen I-T
ninety I-T
- I-T
four I-T
. O

Weakened O
oil O
prices O
have O
already O
made O
life O
easier O
for O
motorists O
at O
the O
gas O

pump O
. O

Gas O
prices O
fell O
nearly O
two O
cents O
a O
gallon O
over O
the B-T
last I-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
. O
That O
according O
to O
the O
Lundberg O
survey O
of O
ten O
thousand O
gas O
stations O
nationwide O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0377 O

VIENNA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

IAEA O
chief O
voices O
support O
for O
resuming O
talks O
on O
DPRK O
nuclear O
issue O

Mohamed O
ElBaradei O
, O
director O
- O
general O
of O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
( O
IAEA O
) O
, O
on O
Thursday B-T
welcomed O
the O
positive O
signals O
sent O
by O
relevant O
parties O
about O
the O
resumption O
of O
talks O
on O
the O
nuclear O
issue O
of O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
. O

In O
an O
address O
to O
the O
Board O
of O
Governors O
of O
IAEA O
, O
ElBaradei O
said O
that O
the O
nuclear O
weapon O
test O
launched O
last B-T
month I-T
by O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
DPRK O
) O
underscored O
" O
the O
importance O
and O
urgency O
of O
finding O
a O
negotiated O
solution O
to O
the O
current O
situation O
regarding O
the O
DPRK O
' O
s O
nuclear O
program O
. O
" O

" O
The O
resumption O
of O
dialogue O
between O
all O
concerned O
parties O
is O
indispensable O
and O
urgent O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

He O
also O
stressed O
that O
the O
DPRK O
' O
s O
test O
was O
" O
a O
matter O
of O
deep O
regret O
and O
concern O
" O
and O
constituted O
a O
" O
serious O
challenge O
" O
to O
the O
current O
international O
nuclear O
non O
- O
proliferation O
regime O
. O

At O
present O
, O
he O
noted O
, O
the O
IAEA O
stood O
ready O
to O
work O
with O
the O
DPRK O
and O
all O
concerned O
parties O
toward O
a O
solution O
to O
assure O
the O
international O
community O
that O
all O
nuclear O
activities O
in O
the O
DPRK O
would O
be O
" O
exclusively O
for O
peaceful O
purposes O
. O
" O

As O
to O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
issue O
, O
ElBaradei O
said O
that O
due O
to O
Iran O
' O
s O
limited O
cooperation O
with O
IAEA O
, O
the O
IAEA O
was O
unable O
to O
move O
forward O
in O
its O
efforts O
to O
confirm O
the O
absence O
of O
undeclared O
nuclear O
material O
and O
activities O
in O
Iran O
. O

He O
described O
Iran O
' O
s O
recent O
decision O
to O
allow O
IAEA O
experts O
to O
inspect O
two O
nuclear O
sites O
as O
" O
steps O
in O
the O
right O
direction O
. O
" O

The O
IAEA O
chief O
expressed O
his O
hope O
that O
through O
dialogue O
between O
Iran O
and O
its O
partners O
, O
conditions O
would O
be O
created O
to O
achieve O
a O
comprehensive O
solution O
that O
addresses O
the O
respective O
concerns O
of O
all O
parties O
. O

At O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
meeting O
, O
the O
IAEA O
Board O
of O
Governors O
decided O
that O
it O
would O
temporarily O
not O
provide O
technical O
assistance O
to O
Iran O
' O
s O
Arak O
heavy O
water O
nuclear O
reactor O
program O
. O

Christopher O
Hill O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
assistant O
secretary O
of O
state O
, O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
after O
a O
whirlwind O
one O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Beijing O
that O
he O
believed O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
dedicated O
to O
resolving O
the O
unclear O
issue O
on O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
would O
probably O
resume O
in O
mid O
- O
December O
. O

The O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
, O
launched O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
were O
suspended O
last B-T
November I-T
when O
Pyongyang O
walked O
out O
in O
protest O
against O
financial O
sanctions O
imposed O
by O
Washington O
. O

After O
carrying O
out O
a O
nuclear O
test O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, O
the O
DPRK O
government O
agreed O
to O
return O
to O
the O
talks O
which O
also O
involve O
China O
, O
Japan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Russia O
and O
the O
United O
States O
, O
but O
did O
not O
say O
a O
specific O
date O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0356 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

French O
force O
fires O
Taliban O
units O
with O
laser O
- O
guided O
bomb O

A O
French O
Mirage O
2000 O
- O
D O
warplane O
used O
a O
laser O
- O
guided O
bomb O
against O
Taliban O
units O
in O
the O
south O
of O
Afghanistan O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, O
the O
defense O
ministry O
in O
Paris O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
Mirage O
' O
s O
action O
was O
part O
of O
the O
Serpentaire O
air O
support O
mission O
, O
and O
the O
target O
on O
the O
ground O
was O
designated O
by O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
British O
troops O
engaged O
with O
Taliban O
fighters O
, O
the O
ministry O
said O
. O

In O
the B-T
past I-T
four I-T
months I-T
, O
French O
aircraft O
have O
opened O
fire O
eight O
times O
in O
Afghanistan O
, O
it O
said O
. O

They O
are O
part O
of O
France O
' O
s O
contribution O
to O
Operation O
" O
Enduring O
Freedom O
" O
and O
support O
for O
the O
NATO O
- O
led O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
( O
ISAF O
) O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0297 O

CAIRO O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Ancient O
pharaonic O
sarcophagus O
seized O
in O
Egypt O

Egyptian O
authorities O
have O
foiled O
an O
attempt O
to O
smuggle O
a O
priceless O
limestone O
pharaonic O
sarcophagus O
containing O
a O
wooden O
statue O
out O
of O
the O
country O
, O
a O
government O
daily O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
discovery O
was O
made O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Ihnassiya O
in O
Beni O
Sueif O
province O
, O
125 O
kilometers O
( O
65 O
miles O
) O
south O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
Al O
- O
Akhbar O
newspaper O
said O
. O

Ihnassiya O
is O
the O
site O
of O
the O
ancient O
city O
of O
Henen O
- O
nesut O
, O
later O
known O
as O
Herakleopolis O
, O
which O
rose O
to O
importance O
in O
the O
9th O
- O
10th O
Dynasty O
when O
its O
rulers O
controlled O
large O
parts O
of O
Egypt O
. O

According O
to O
Al O
- O
Akhbar O
, O
the O
authorities O
acted O
on O
a O
tip O
- O
off O
about O
tomb O
thieves O
in O
the O
area O
and O
carried O
out O
a O
raid O
. O
They O
arrested O
an O
unspecified O
number O
of O
people O
trying O
to O
remove O
the O
coffin O
by O
night B-T
. O

The O
uncovered O
coffin O
contained O
a O
wooden O
sculpture O
with O
colorful O
pharaonic O
decorations O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0324 O

DAMASCUS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Syria O
criticizes O
UN O
envoy O
over O
allegation O
of O
weapons O
smuggle O

Syria O
criticized O
on O
Wednesday B-T
the O
top O
UN O
diplomat O
on O
Lebanese O
ties O
with O
Syria O
Terje O
Roed O
- O
Larsen O
over O
his O
recent O
allegations O
that O
Damascus O
continues O
to O
smuggle O
weapons O
into O
Lebanon O
, O
the O
official O
SANA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
allegations O
were O
" O
an O
attempt O
to O
again O
escalate O
atmospheres O
in O
the O
region O
and O
further O
deteriorate O
Syria O
' O
s O
relation O
with O
Lebanon O
more O
than O
ever O
, O
" O
said O
Syria O
' O
s O
foreign O
ministry O
in O
a O
letter O
to O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
and O
President O
of O
the O
Security O
Council O
. O

It O
added O
that O
Larsen O
' O
s O
allegations O
also O
seek O
to O
divert O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
attention O
away O
into O
" O
marginal O
issues O
rather O
than O
following O
up O
its O
main O
duties O
through O
concentration O
on O
non O
- O
essential O
and O
insignificant O
issues O
and O
neglecting O
the O
sensitive O
issues O
which O
destabilize O
safety O
and O
stability O
of O
Lebanon O
. O
" O

" O
Mr O
. O
Larsen O
also O
ignored O
Israeli O
flagrant O
continued O
violations O
of O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
sovereignty O
, O
airspace O
and O
waters O
and O
national O
soil O
, O
" O
said O
the O
letter O
. O

It O
stressed O
that O
" O
the O
statements O
issued O
by O
Lebanese O
official O
circles O
, O
including O
Ministers O
of O
Defense O
and O
Foreign O
Affairs O
and O
Army O
Commander O
, O
had O
denied O
as O
unfounded O
Mr O
. O
Larsen O
' O
s O
allegations O
and O
were O
a O
strong O
blow O
to O
the O
credibility O
of O
the O
report O
and O
its O
writer O
. O
" O

" O
Such O
reports O
which O
are O
full O
of O
fallacies O
and O
selectivity O
could O
only O
lead O
to O
weakening O
the O
credibility O
of O
the O
peoples O
in O
the O
region O
in O
the O
honesty O
of O
some O
UN O
envoys O
, O
" O
said O
the O
letter O
. O

Syria O
has O
pledged O
to O
increase O
border O
security O
to O
stop O
flow O
of O
weapons O
into O
the O
Lebanese O
Hezbollah O
guerrillas O
in O
accordance O
with O
UN O
resolution O
1701 O
which O
brokered O
a O
truce O
between O
the O
militant O
group O
and O
Israel O
after O
a O
34 O
- O
day O
- O
long O
war O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0072 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vietnam O
, O
Bulgaria O
to O
boost O
all O
- O
round O
cooperation O

Vietnam O
and O
Bulgaria O
have O
agreed O
to O
foster O
their O
comprehensive O
cooperation O
, O
especially O
in O
the O
fields O
of O
trade O
, O
health O
and O
tourism O
, O
their O
top O
leaders O
said O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

After O
their O
talks O
on O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
, O
Vietnamese O
Prime O
Minister O
Nguyen O
Tan O
Dung O
and O
his O
visiting O
Bulgarian O
counterpart O
Sergey O
Stanishev O
witnessed O
the O
signing O
of O
three O
bilateral O
cooperation O
deals O
on O
economy O
, O
tourism O
and O
healthcare O
. O

Earlier O
, O
they O
discussed O
directions O
and O
measures O
to O
bring O
the O
friendly O
ties O
and O
comprehensive O
cooperation O
, O
especially O
that O
on O
trade O
and O
economy O
, O
to O
a O
new O
height O
, O
and O
other O
issues O
of O
common O
concern O
. O

Stanishev O
' O
s O
visit O
, O
taking O
place O
at O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
accession O
to O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
, O
and O
Bulgaria O
' O
s O
upcoming O
entry O
to O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
will O
contribute O
to O
deepening O
and O
broadening O
the O
Vietnam O
- O
Bulgaria O
cooperative O
relations O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
mutual O
benefit O
and O
development O
, O
Dung O
said O
at O
a O
press O
briefing O
after O
the O
talks O
. O

He O
thanked O
Bulgaria O
for O
its O
assistance O
to O
Vietnam O
during O
his O
country O
' O
s O
national O
liberalization O
and O
construction O
process O
. O

Stanishev O
, O
starting O
his O
three O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
to O
Vietnam O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
said O
the O
two O
countries O
should O
beef O
up O
their O
cooperation O
, O
especially O
on O
energy O
, O
agriculture O
, O
and O
education O
and O
training O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0118 O

LIVERPOOL O
, O
England O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Gazza O
arrested O
after O
hotel O
fight O

Former O
England O
star O
Paul O
Gascoigne O
has O
been O
arrested O
after O
allegedly O
assaulting O
a O
photographer O
outside O
a O
Liverpool O
hotel O
. O

The O
incident O
happened O
hours O
after O
Gazza O
was O
sacked O
as O
manager O
of O
Nationwide O
Conference O
North O
side O
Kettering O
Town O
after O
just O
39 B-T
days I-T
in O
charge O
, O
with O
team O
bosses O
complaining O
about O
his O
drinking O
. O

Gazza O
was O
to O
be O
questioned O
by O
police O
later O
Tuesday B-T
in O
connection O
with O
an O
incident O
at O
the O
Hope O
Street O
Hotel O
in O
Liverpool O
. O

A O
Merseyside O
Police O
spokesman O
said O
: O
" O
A O
38 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
man O
was O
arrested O
following O
reports O
of O
an O
alleged O
assault O
outside O
the O
Hope O
Street O
Hotel O
at O
around O
11 O
. O
30pm O
last B-T
night I-T
. O

" O
He O
is O
currently O
in O
custody O
at O
a O
police O
station O
in O
the O
city O
and O
will O
be O
interviewed O
by O
detectives O
later O
today B-T
. O
" O

Gascoigne O
, O
38 O
, O
had O
visited O
the O
city O
to O
speak O
at O
a O
fund O
- O
raiser O
for O
a O
drug O
and O
alcohol O
rehabilitation O
centre O
. O

The O
Sun O
newspaper O
reported O
that O
freelance O
photographer O
Steve O
Farrell O
, O
nursing O
a O
cut O
eye O
, O
complained O
to O
police O
that O
he O
had O
been O
assaulted O
as O
he O
was O
on O
the O
street O
outside O
the O
hotel O
alongside O
other O
snappers O
. O

Earlier O
Monday B-T
, O
Kettering O
Town O
chairman O
Imraan O
Ladak O
had O
decided O
to O
remove O
Gascoigne O
as O
manager O
. O

Ladak O
said O
he O
spoke O
to O
Gascoigne O
after O
37 O
separate O
incidents O
since O
he O
became O
manager O
. O

He O
said O
Gascoigne O
was O
" O
under O
the O
influence O
of O
alcohol O
before O
, O
during O
and O
after O
several O
first O
- O
team O
games O
and O
training O
sessions O
" O
. O

The O
one O
- O
time O
Newcastle O
, O
Spurs O
, O
Lazio O
and O
Rangers O
midfielder O
admitted O
drinking O
a O
double O
brandy O
before O
one O
game O
, O
but O
insisted O
he O
had O
been O
" O
stitched O
up O
" O
. O

Confronted O
with O
claims O
that O
he O
had O
been O
under O
the O
influence O
of O
drink O
at O
a O
recent O
match O
, O
Gascoigne O
told O
Sky O
Sports O
News O
: O
" O
So O
what O
? O
I O
tell O
you O
the O
truth O
, O
I O
had O
a O
double O
brandy O
before O
the O
game O
. O

" O
Before O
it O
used O
to O
be O
four O
bottles O
of O
whisky O
. O
It O
' O
s O
not O
any O
more O
. O
" O

He O
added O
: O
" O
As O
far O
as O
I O
' O
m O
concerned O
I O
' O
m O
not O
sacked O
because O
I O
never O
signed O
a O
contract O
. O
" O

He O
was O
also O
dismissive O
of O
Ladak O
' O
s O
knowledge O
of O
the O
game O
, O
describing O
him O
as O
" O
a O
doctor O
" O
who O
was O
a O
" O
control O
freak O
" O
. O

" O
He O
told O
me O
he O
' O
s O
been O
watching O
football O
for O
20 B-T
years I-T
, O
five O
days O
a O
week O
, O
and O
knows O
how O
football O
should O
be O
played O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Well O
, O
the O
guy O
can O
' O
t O
trap O
a O
bag O
of O
cement O
as O
far O
as O
I O
' O
m O
concerned O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0124 O

URUMQI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

coming O
five O
years O

China O
is O
launching O
a O
water O
supply O
project O
to O
ensure O
safe O
drinking O
water O
for O
the O
80 O
million O
rural O
population O
who O
are O
suffering O
from O
serious O
shortage O
of O
water O
supply O
and O
disqualified O
drinking O
water O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Water O
Resources O
. O

China O
will O
step O
up O
construction O
of O
water O
supply O
projects O
at O
the O
country O
' O
s O
towns O
and O
villages O
and O
further O
popularize O
the O
utilization O
of O
tap O
water O
in O
the O
rural O
areas O
between O
2006 B-T
and O
2010 O
, O
said O
Pang O
Jinwu O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
ministry O
' O
s O
planning O
department O
. O

To O
ensure O
safe O
drinking O
water O
for O
the O
rural O
people O
, O
the O
country O
will O
give O
priority O
to O
the O
treatment O
of O
disqualified O
water O
supply O
in O
the O
rural O
areas O
which O
are O
afflicted O
with O
high O
content O
of O
fluorine O
, O
arsenic O
and O
various O
kinds O
of O
pollutants O
, O
official O
said O
. O

And O
effective O
measures O
will O
be O
taken O
to O
control O
the O
spread O
of O
water O
- O
borne O
schistosomiasis O
, O
he O
added O
. O

According O
to O
the O
official O
, O
China O
invested O
20 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
2 O
. O
4 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
between O
2001 B-T
and O
2005 O
in O
efforts O
to O
provide O
clean O
drinking O
water O
for O
60 O
million O
people O
in O
rural O
areas O
. O

At O
present O
, O
more O
than O
300 O
million O
people O
in O
rural O
areas O
still O
have O
no O
access O
to O
qualified O
drinking O
water O
, O
the O
official O
said O
, O
adding O
the O
aim O
of O
providing O
safe O
drinking O
water O
supply O
for O
rural O
people O
will O
be O
achieved O
by O
2020 B-T
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0159 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0159 O
. O

Poughkeepsie O
Savings O

@ O
Abandons O
Plan O
to O
Sell O

@ O
South O
Carolina O
Offices O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

PKPS O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

POUGHKEEPSIE O
, O
N O
. O
Y O
. O

Poughkeepsie O
Savings O
Bank O
said O
a O
plan O
to O
sell O
its O
South O
Carolina O
branch O
offices O
to O
First O
Citizens O
Bank O
, O
of O
Columbia O
, O
S O
. O
C O
. O
, O
fell O
through O
. O

Poughkeepsie O
also O
expects O
to O
post O
a O
one O
- O
time O
charge O
of O
$ O
8 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
resulting O
in O
a O
net O
loss O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
charge O
represents O
a O
write O
- O
down O
of O
the O
goodwill O
associated O
with O
Poughkeepsie O
' O
s O
investment O
in O
the O
banks O
it O
is O
trying O
to O
sell O
and O
its O
North O
Carolina O
branches O
as O
well O
. O

The O
thrift O
announced O
the O
plan O
Aug B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
. O

Among O
other O
reasons O
, O
high O
fees O
regulators O
imposed O
on O
certain O
transfers O
of O
thrift O
deposits O
to O
commercial O
banks O
" O
substantially O
altered O
the O
economics O
of O
the O
transaction O
for O
both O
parties O
, O
" O
Poughkeepsie O
said O
. O

Additionally O
, O
the O
bank O
is O
increasing O
its O
loan O
- O
loss O
reserves O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
by O
$ O
8 O
. O
5 O
million O
before O
taxes O
. O

In O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
Poughkeepsie O
Savings O
had O
net O
income O
of O
$ O
2 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
77 O
cents O
a O
share O
. O

Poughkeepsie O
said O
it O
is O
continuing O
to O
try O
to O
sell O
itself O
, O
under O
a O
June B-T
agreement O
with O
a O
dissident O
- O
shareholder O
group O
. O

The O
bank O
also O
said O
its O
effort O
would O
continue O
past O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
deadline O
set O
in O
that O
agreement O
and O
that O
the O
litigation O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
might O
resume O
as O
a O
result O
. O

The O
thrift O
and O
the O
holders O
had O
suspended O
their O
lawsuits O
as O
part O
of O
the O
agreement O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0096 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
NPC O
vice O
- O
chairman O
meets O
Togolese O
guests O

China O
appreciates O
Togo O
' O
s O
support O
to O
the O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
as O
well O
as O
the O
human O
rights O
issue O
, O
said O
Xu O
Jialu O
, O
vice O
- O
chairman O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
China O
' O
s O
National O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
( O
NPC O
) O
, O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

In O
a O
meeting O
with O
Kpatcha O
Gnassingbe O
, O
minister O
delegate O
in O
the O
Presidency O
in O
charge O
of O
Defence O
and O
Veterans O
, O
Xu O
said O
China O
and O
Togo O
enjoy O
profound O
friendship O
and O
fruitful O
cooperation O
in O
various O
fields O
. O

China O
is O
ready O
to O
further O
enhance O
friendly O
cooperation O
with O
Togo O
in O
various O
fields O
, O
said O
Xu O
. O

Kpatcha O
said O
Togo O
values O
the O
relations O
with O
China O
, O
and O
will O
, O
as O
always O
, O
support O
China O
in O
the O
Taiwan O
issue O
and O
other O
international O
and O
regional O
affairs O
. O

Kpatcha O
hoped O
that O
his O
visit O
would O
be O
conducive O
to O
promoting O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
nations O
, O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
push O
forward O
the O
Togo O
- O
China O
friendly O
ties O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0089 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

WAC O
takes O
China O
' O
s O
trademark O
office O
to O
court O

The O
Washington O
Apple O
Commission O
( O
WAC O
) O
has O
taken O
the O
Chinese O
Trademark O
Review O
and O
Adjudication O
Board O
to O
court O
after O
its O
application O
to O
register O
a O
trademark O
was O
rejected O
. O

The O
application O
was O
rejected O
because O
the O
trademark O
contains O
the O
word O
Washington O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
the O
United O
States O
. O

But O
WAC O
said O
Washington O
is O
also O
a O
person O
' O
s O
name O
and O
, O
historically O
speaking O
, O
was O
used O
earlier O
as O
a O
personal O
name O
than O
as O
a O
geographical O
name O
. O

According O
to O
Chinese O
trademark O
law O
, O
well O
- O
known O
foreign O
geographical O
names O
must O
not O
be O
used O
as O
trademarks O
, O
but O
exceptions O
can O
be O
made O
for O
geographical O
names O
that O
have O
other O
meanings O
. O

The O
Trademark O
Review O
and O
Adjudication O
Board O
, O
which O
is O
responsible O
for O
handling O
trademark O
disputes O
, O
claimed O
Washington O
is O
better O
known O
in O
China O
as O
the O
capital O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
than O
as O
a O
person O
' O
s O
name O
, O
and O
so O
cannot O
be O
considered O
an O
exception O
. O

WAC O
said O
its O
trademark O
, O
which O
has O
already O
been O
registered O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
is O
known O
the O
world O
over O
and O
that O
it O
has O
no O
intention O
of O
monopolizing O
the O
geographical O
name O
. O
It O
contends O
that O
the O
trademark O
will O
not O
have O
a O
negative O
impact O
on O
competition O
. O

Washington O
State O
is O
one O
of O
the O
major O
apple O
- O
producing O
areas O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O

The O
Intermediate O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
has O
not O
yet O
handed O
down O
its O
decision O
on O
the O
case O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0333 O

BRASILIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Brazil O
to O
warm O
up O
for O
World O
Cup O
in O
Switzerland O

Brazil O
will O
be O
based O
at O
a O
luxury O
lakeside O
hotel O
in O
Switzerland O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
next O
year O
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
finals O
in O
Germany O
, O
the O
Brazilian O
Football O
Confederation O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
four O
- O
time O
world O
champions O
will O
prepare O
for O
the O
defence O
of O
their O
crown O
in O
Weggis O
, O
on O
the O
shores O
of O
Lake O
Lucerne O
, O
from O
May B-T
22 I-T
to O
June B-T
4 I-T
and O
will O
have O
exclusive O
use O
of O
the O
hotel O
, O
the O
CBF O
said O
on O
its O
official O
website O
. O

The O
tournament O
starts O
on O
June B-T
9 I-T
. O

The O
CBF O
did O
not O
say O
whether O
Brazil O
had O
fixed O
up O
any O
friendly O
internationals O
during O
the B-T
period I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0159 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
, O
China O
to O
enhance O
cooperation O
on O
product O
safety O

China O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
signed O
a O
Memorandum O
of O
Understand O
( O
MOU O
) O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
set O
up O
a O
consultation O
and O
cooperation O
mechanism O
on O
product O
safety O
. O

Both O
sides O
have O
agreed O
to O
exchange O
information O
and O
establish O
a O
series O
of O
joint O
initiatives O
to O
help O
safeguard O
consumers O
' O
health O
and O
safety O
. O

" O
The O
MOU O
is O
a O
voluntary O
agreement O
between O
legislators O
on O
food O
and O
non O
- O
food O
product O
safety O
, O
which O
aims O
to O
promote O
common O
interests O
and O
enhance O
the O
safety O
of O
products O
traded O
between O
the O
regions O
, O
" O
said O
a O
press O
release O
of O
the O
European O
Commission O
. O

The O
agreement O
will O
also O
help O
in O
reaching O
solutions O
to O
any O
trade O
problems O
and O
in O
forging O
a O
common O
view O
on O
safety O
standards O
, O
it O
added O
. O

China O
is O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
trading O
partner O
, O
accounting O
for O
8 O
. O
8 O
percent O
of O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
total O
trade O
in O
2004 B-T
. O
Food O
products O
and O
consumer O
goods O
such O
as O
electrical O
appliances O
, O
toys O
, O
household O
items O
and O
clothing O
, O
make O
up O
a O
large O
proportion O
of O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
imports O
from O
China O
. O

In O
the O
area O
of O
non O
- O
food O
consumer O
goods O
, O
the O
agreement O
focuses O
on O
developing O
and O
improving O
communication O
channels O
between O
the O
EU O
and O
China O
authorities O
in O
order O
to O
raise O
the O
overall O
level O
of O
product O
safety O
. O

In O
2004 B-T
, O
the O
EU O
imported O
over O
2 O
billion O
euros O
( O
about O
2 O
. O
4 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
worth O
of O
Chinese O
agricultural O
goods O
and O
food O
, O
while O
exporting O
over O
1 O
billion O
euros O
( O
about O
1 O
. O
2 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
worth O
of O
such O
products O
to O
China O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0108 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

New O
Chinese O
historic O
sites O
granted O
certificates O
of O
world O
heritage O

A O
batch O
of O
Chinese O
historic O
sites O
, O
including O
the O
historic O
center O
of O
Macao O
, O
were O
granted O
the O
certificates O
of O
world O
heritage O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Chinese O
State O
Councilor O
Chen O
Zhili O
, O
Edmund O
Ho O
Hau O
Wah O
, O
chief O
executive O
of O
the O
Macao O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
( O
SAR O
) O
and O
Koichiro O
Matsuura O
, O
director O
- O
general O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
Educational O
, O
Scientific O
and O
Cultural O
Organization O
( O
UNESCO O
) O
attended O
the O
certificate O
awarding O
ceremony O
in O
Beijing O
. O

The O
historic O
center O
of O
Macao O
was O
added O
to O
the O
World O
Heritage O
List O
at O
the O
29th O
session O
of O
the O
World O
Heritage O
Committee O
, O
held O
in O
Durban O
, O
South O
Africa O
, O
in O
July B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
heritage O
in O
Macao O
comprises O
about O
two O
dozen O
monuments O
, O
including O
the O
Buddhist O
Ma O
Kok O
Temple O
, O
the O
Catholic O
Holy O
House O
of O
Mercy O
, O
the O
Old O
City O
Walls O
, O
the O
Fortress O
Hill O
and O
a O
number O
of O
churches O
. O

The O
relics O
, O
most O
are O
still O
in O
use O
, O
have O
witnessed O
the O
earliest O
pervasion O
of O
Western O
religious O
culture O
in O
the O
oriental O
continent O
as O
well O
as O
its O
ensuing O
coexistence O
with O
the O
local O
culture O
. O

The O
other O
sites O
awarded O
the O
certificates O
include O
the O
capital O
cities O
and O
tombs O
of O
the O
ancient O
Koguryo O
Kingdom O
of O
China O
, O
the O
three O
imperial O
mausoleums O
dedicated O
to O
first O
and O
second O
emperors O
and O
the O
two O
empresses O
of O
the O
Qing O
Dynasty O
( O
1644 O
- O
1911 O
) O
, O
as O
well O
as O
to O
the O
ancestors O
of O
the O
emperors O
, O
all O
in O
Shenyang O
, O
capital O
of O
Liaoning O
Province O
, O
and O
the O
Shenyang O
Imperial O
Palace O
of O
the O
early O
Qing O
Dynasty O
. O

These O
sites O
were O
added O
to O
the O
World O
Heritage O
List O
at O
the O
28th O
conference O
of O
the O
World O
Heritage O
Committee O
in O
July B-T
2004 I-T
in O
Suzhou O
, O
a O
scenic O
city O
in O
Jiangsu O
Province O
, O
east O
China O
. O

Joining O
UNESCO O
' O
s O
Convention O
Concerning O
the O
Protection O
of O
the O
World O
Cultural O
and O
Natural O
Heritage O
in O
1985 B-T
, O
China O
now B-T
has O
31 O
sites O
on O
the O
World O
Heritage O
List O
, O
the O
third O
most O
next O
to O
Italy O
and O
Spain O
, O
and O
it O
is O
now B-T
playing O
an O
active O
role O
in O
protecting O
the O
world O
heritages O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0469 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
detail O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
United O
States O
said O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
Cuban O
regime O
must O
take O
steps O
toward O
democracy O
before O
Washington O
would O
consider O
any O
" O
deepening O
" O
of O
bilateral O
relations O
, O
responding O
to O
Raul O
Castro O
' O
s O
invitation O
to O
come O
to O
the O
negotiating O
table O
. O

" O
The O
dialogue O
that O
needs O
to O
take O
place O
is O
one O
between O
the O
Cuban O
regime O
and O
the O
Cuban O
people O
about O
the O
democratic O
future O
of O
the O
island O
, O
" O
Janelle O
Hironimus O
, O
a O
State O
Department O
spokeswoman O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
As O
we O
have O
consistently O
stated O
, O
any O
deepening O
of O
our O
engagement O
with O
Cuba O
depends O
on O
that O
dialogue O
and O
the O
Cuban O
regime O
' O
s O
willingness O
to O
take O
concrete O
steps O
toward O
a O
political O
opening O
and O
a O
transition O
to O
democracy O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Raul O
Castro O
, O
Cuba O
' O
s O
defense O
minister O
and O
interim O
leader O
since O
his O
ailing O
brother O
Fidel O
underwent O
surgery O
in O
July B-T
, O
said O
in O
a O
speech O
to O
troops O
earlier O
Saturday B-T
: O
" O
Let O
me O
take O
this O
opportunity O
to O
express O
our O
willingness O
to O
settle O
the O
long O
US O
- O
Cuba O
disagreement O
at O
the O
negotiating O
table O
. O
" O

" O
Of O
course O
, O
that O
is O
, O
as O
long O
as O
they O
accept O
that O
we O
are O
a O
country O
that O
does O
not O
tolerate O
any O
reduction O
of O
its O
independence O
, O
and O
based O
on O
the O
principles O
of O
equality O
, O
reciprocity O
, O
non O
- O
interference O
and O
mutual O
respect O
, O
" O
he O
told O
Communist O
Party O
and O
military O
leaders O
at O
Cuba O
' O
s O
first O
military O
parade O
in O
a B-T
decade I-T
. O

" O
Until O
that O
happens O
, O
after O
almost O
half B-T
a I-T
century I-T
, O
we O
are O
prepared O
to O
wait O
patiently O
for O
the O
moment O
when O
common O
sense O
takes O
root O
in O
the O
halls O
of O
power O
in O
Washington O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
parade O
marked O
the O
50th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
armed O
forces O
and O
capped O
belated O
80th O
birthday O
celebrations O
for O
Fidel O
Castro O
, O
Cuba O
' O
s O
leader O
since O
1959 B-T
. O

The O
speech O
by O
Raul O
Castro O
, O
coming O
in O
the O
vacuum O
of O
Fidel O
Castro O
' O
s O
public O
disappearance O
since O
his O
intestinal O
surgery O
in O
July B-T
, O
seemed O
to O
confirm O
a O
desire O
to O
ease O
the O
traditionally O
strained O
tensions O
with O
Washington O
. O

The O
policy O
of O
willingness O
to O
talk O
with O
the O
United O
States O
if O
respected O
as O
an O
equal O
is O
standing O
Cuban O
policy O
. O

But O
Raul O
Castro O
' O
s O
timing O
and O
mention O
of O
the O
negotiating O
table O
- O
- O
as O
Cuba O
is O
consolidating O
its O
changing O
of O
the O
communist O
guard O
- O
- O
suggests O
some O
growing O
autonomy O
on O
his O
part O
. O

A B-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
after O
taking O
the O
reins O
of O
government O
from O
his O
brother O
on O
July B-T
31 I-T
, O
Raul O
Castro O
hinted O
at O
some O
openness O
to O
dialogue O
with O
the O
United O
States O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
the O
Communist O
Party O
newspaper O
Granma O
, O
suggesting O
ties O
might O
be O
normalized O
on O
equal O
terms O
. O

But O
the O
US O
had O
shot O
back O
that O
it O
was O
not O
talking O
to O
" O
Fidel O
light O
. O
" O

Since O
Fidel O
Castro O
' O
s O
illness O
removed O
him O
from O
the O
scene O
, O
the O
United O
States O
has O
made O
numerous O
appeals O
for O
Cuba O
to O
open O
up O
to O
democracy O
. O

Cuba O
, O
Latin O
America O
' O
s O
only O
one O
- O
party O
communist O
regime O
, O
and O
the O
United O
States O
do O
not O
have O
full O
diplomatic O
relations O
. O
Each O
maintains O
an O
Interests O
Section O
, O
a O
diplomatic O
office O
, O
in O
the O
other O
' O
s O
capital O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
maintained O
a O
trade O
embargo O
against O
Cuba O
since O
1962 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0370 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sri O
Lanka O
wildlife O
officials O
told O
to O
guard O
against O
bird O
flu O

The O
Department O
of O
Wildlife O
Conservation O
( O
DWLC O
) O
of O
Sri O
Lanka O
has O
urged O
wildlife O
officials O
to O
guard O
against O
possible O
detection O
of O
signs O
of O
bird O
- O
flu O
as O
the O
bird O
- O
migration O
season O
began O
, O
Daily O
News O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
DWLC O
in O
cooperation O
with O
the O
Sri O
Lankan O
Animal O
Production O
and O
Health O
Department O
conducted O
a O
workshop O
recently O
to O
help O
wildlife O
workers O
learn O
about O
bird O
flu O
and O
possible O
methods O
through O
which O
the O
virus O
could O
enter O
the O
country O
. O

Birds O
fly O
into O
tropical O
countries O
to O
escape O
harsh O
winters O
and O
take O
refuge O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
wetlands O
such O
as O
Bundala O
, O
Kumana O
and O
Anawilundawa O
. O
These O
national O
parks O
are O
habitats O
to O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
fauna O
. O

The O
workshop O
studied O
different O
possible O
aspects O
of O
the O
virus O
affecting O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
birdlife O
with O
migratory O
birds O
joining O
local O
waterfowl O
in O
catchment O
areas O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0613 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

UN O
turns O
spotlight O
on O
sexual O
abuse O
by O
peacekeepers O

UN O
chief O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Monday B-T
opened O
a O
high O
- O
level O
conference O
here O
that O
turned O
the O
spotlight O
on O
continuing O
sexual O
exploitation O
and O
abuses O
by O
a O
minority O
of O
UN O
peacekeepers O
serving O
around O
the O
world O
. O

" O
Acts O
of O
sexual O
exploitation O
and O
abuse O
by O
both O
civilian O
and O
uniformed O
UN O
personnel O
continue O
, O
" O
the O
outgoing O
secretary O
general O
told O
a O
gathering O
of O
more O
than O
100 O
senior O
leaders O
from O
the O
world O
body O
, O
non O
- O
governmental O
organizations O
, O
UN O
member O
states O
, O
academics O
and O
victim O
advocates O
. O

" O
There O
have O
been O
crimes O
such O
as O
rape O
, O
paedophilia O
and O
human O
trafficking O
. O
My O
message O
of O
zero O
tolerance O
has O
still O
not O
got O
through O
to O
those O
who O
need O
to O
hear O
it O
- O
- O
from O
managers O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
to O
all O
our O
other O
personnel O
. O
" O

Monday B-T
' O
s O
conference O
came O
close O
on O
the O
heels O
of O
a O
BBC O
expose O
that O
found O
allegations O
of O
child O
prostitution O
and O
rape O
involving O
the O
UN O
peacekeeping O
missions O
in O
Haiti O
and O
Liberia O
. O

In O
an O
interview O
with O
the O
BBC O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
UN O
Assistant O
Secretary O
General O
for O
peacekeeping O
operations O
Jane O
Holl O
Lute O
conceded O
that O
the O
abuse O
reported O
in O
Haiti O
" O
is O
going O
on O
. O
. O
. O
and O
I O
don O
' O
t O
challenge O
the O
facts O
as O
they O
were O
presented O
" O
. O

She O
insisted O
, O
however O
, O
that O
the O
United O
Nations O
was O
working O
to O
deal O
with O
cases O
of O
abuse O
by O
peacekeepers O
, O
telling O
the O
broadcaster O
that O
the O
UN O
had O
" O
accepted O
our O
responsibility O
for O
dealing O
comprehensively O
with O
this O
. O
" O

Monday B-T
, O
participants O
at O
the O
one O
- O
day O
conference O
approved O
a O
statement O
in O
which O
they O
reaffirmed O
their O
determination O
to O
prevent O
future O
acts O
of O
sexual O
exploitation O
and O
abuse O
by O
UN O
and O
non O
- O
governmental O
organization O
( O
NGO O
) O
personnel O
. O

They O
specifically O
committed O
themselves O
to O
implementing O
10 O
key O
goals O
, O
including O
developing O
organization O
- O
specific O
strategies O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
problem O
, O
incorporating O
standards O
on O
induction O
materials O
and O
training O
courses O
for O
their O
personnel O
and O
preventing O
perpetrators O
of O
abuse O
from O
being O
" O
( O
re O
- O
) O
hired O
or O
( O
re O
- O
) O
deployed O
. O
" O

Other O
goals O
include O
taking O
appropriate O
action O
to O
" O
protect O
persons O
from O
retaliation O
" O
where O
allegations O
of O
sexual O
abuse O
are O
reported O
, O
investigate O
allegation O
" O
in O
a O
timely O
and O
professional O
manner O
" O
and O
providing O
" O
basic O
emergency O
assistance O
to O
complainants O
" O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0314 O

MADRID O
, O
April B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

James O
Baker O
on O
Western O
Sahara O
mission O

Former O
US O
secretary O
of O
state O
James O
Baker O
will O
meet O
the O
leader O
of O
Western O
Sahara O
' O
s O
Polisario O
Front O
in O
Algeria O
on O
April B-T
26 I-T
, O
as O
part O
of O
a O
bid O
to O
resolve O
the O
dispute O
over O
the O
former O
Spanish O
colony O
, O
a O
Western O
Saharan O
source O
said O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

Baker O
, O
66 O
, O
was O
named O
UN O
special O
envoy O
for O
Western O
Sahara O
in O
March B-T
and O
charged O
with O
relaunching O
the O
peace O
process O
there O
. O

The O
meeting O
with O
Mohamed O
Abdelaziz O
in O
Tindouf O
, O
southwest O
Algeria O
, O
will O
be O
his O
first O
visit O
to O
the O
region O
since O
his O
nomination O
. O

Baker O
will O
also O
visit O
refugee O
camps O
housing O
Western O
Saharan O
refugees O
, O
the O
source O
told O
AFP O
. O

Spain O
withdrew O
from O
Western O
Sahara O
in O
1976 B-T
, O
prompting O
Morocco O
and O
Mauritania O
to O
claim O
sovereignty O
over O
the O
area O
while O
the O
nationalist O
Polisario O
Front O
, O
supported O
by O
Algeria O
, O
unleashed O
an O
independence O
war O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
has O
proposed O
a O
referendum O
on O
whether O
the O
territory O
should O
become O
part O
of O
Morocco O
or O
an O
independent O
state O
. O

However O
the O
plebiscite O
has O
been O
repeatedly O
postponed O
since O
1992 B-T
, O
because O
the O
two O
sides O
cannot O
agree O
on O
criteria O
for O
determining O
who O
has O
the O
right O
to O
vote O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0171 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Singapore O
recruits O
students O
as O
crime O
prevention O
ambassadors O

The O
Singapore O
police O
are O
recruiting O
students O
as O
young O
crime O
prevention O
ambassadors O
as O
part O
of O
efforts O
to O
reduce O
crime O
involving O
the O
youth O
. O

" O
To O
reduce O
youth O
crime O
, O
particularly O
shop O
theft O
and O
rioting O
, O
the O
National O
Crime O
Prevention O
Council O
( O
NCPC O
) O
has O
been O
engaging O
students O
to O
act O
as O
Student O
Crime O
Prevention O
Ambassadors O
( O
CPAs O
) O
, O
" O
Senior O
Minister O
of O
State O
for O
Law O
and O
Home O
Affairs O
Ho O
Peng O
Kee O
said O
at O
the O
launch O
of O
the O
annual O
Festive O
Season O
Crime O
Prevention O
campaign O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

He O
said O
that O
the O
aim O
is O
to O
teach O
students O
crime O
prevention O
strategies O
and O
they O
in O
turn O
can O
become O
mentors O
for O
fellow O
students O
. O

NCPC O
believes O
that O
peer O
influence O
exerts O
a O
strong O
influence O
on O
youths O
, O
guiding O
them O
to O
make O
sound O
choices O
in O
life O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Starting O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
a O
new O
program O
will O
be O
rolled O
out O
at O
32 O
schools O
, O
teaching O
National O
Police O
Cadet O
Corps O
( O
NPCC O
) O
trainees O
to O
stop O
crime O
. O

" O
It O
consists O
of O
a O
3 O
- O
year O
program O
where O
NPCC O
Cadets O
would O
acquire O
crime O
prevention O
skills O
and O
knowledge O
and O
embark O
on O
school O
and O
community O
projects O
under O
the O
supervision O
of O
both O
the O
school O
officers O
and O
the O
police O
liaison O
officers O
from O
the O
NPCs O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
" O
this O
program O
serves O
to O
strengthen O
the O
link O
between O
the O
police O
and O
the O
schools O
, O
establishing O
NPCC O
as O
a O
platform O
for O
its O
youths O
to O
become O
efficient O
crime O
prevention O
police O
youth O
ambassadors O
. O
" O

Pointing O
out O
that O
over O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
there O
have O
been O
increases O
in O
incidents O
of O
housebreaking O
, O
robbery O
, O
snatch O
theft O
and O
handphone O
theft O
, O
he O
stressed O
that O
crime O
prevention O
is O
everybody O
' O
s O
business O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0057 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israel O
considers O
releasing O
jailed O
Fatah O
leader O
: O
lawyer O

Khader O
Shqirat O
, O
lawyer O
of O
the O
jailed O
Fatah O
leader O
Marwan O
al O
- O
Barghouti O
, O
said O
on O
Sunday B-T
that O
Israel O
is O
considering O
releasing O
Barghouti O
after O
he O
won O
the O
Fatah O
primaries O
. O

Shqirat O
told O
reporters O
that O
Barghouti O
' O
s O
victory O
in O
Fatah O
' O
s O
internal O
elections O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
city O
of O
Ramallah O
last B-T
week I-T
would O
make O
Israel O
seriously O
consider O
his O
release O
. O

Israeli O
Army O
Radio O
quoted O
senior O
Israeli O
security O
sources O
as O
saying O
that O
Israel O
' O
s O
military O
and O
security O
establishments O
are O
mulling O
on O
the O
issue O
of O
releasing O
Barghouti O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Yosi O
Belin O
, O
an O
Israeli O
party O
head O
, O
called O
on O
the O
Israeli O
government O
to O
release O
Barghouti O
, O
saying O
that O
his O
victory O
among O
the O
young O
generation O
in O
Fatah O
could O
help O
both O
Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
to O
achieve O
a O
permanent O
peace O
. O

Barghouti O
' O
s O
wife O
Fadwa O
told O
reporters O
that O
Shqirat O
will O
visit O
her O
husband O
in O
his O
Israeli O
jail O
and O
inform O
him O
of O
the O
good O
news O
that O
he O
had O
won O
the O
primaries O
. O

Barghouti O
, O
a O
top O
Fatah O
leader O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
and O
member O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
Legislative O
Council O
( O
PLC O
) O
, O
was O
arrested O
in O
April B-T
2002 I-T
in O
Ramallah O
by O
Israeli O
army O
in O
its O
Defensive O
Shield O
operation O
. O

An O
Israeli O
court O
convicted O
Barghouti O
of O
leading O
the O
armed O
Intifada O
( O
Uprising O
) O
against O
Israel O
in O
which O
several O
Israelis O
were O
killed O
, O
and O
sentenced O
him O
to O
life O
imprisonment O
. O

VOA19980303 B-T
. O
1600 O
. O
2745 O

NEWS O
STORY O

While O
the O
expansion O
of O
the O
Internet O
has O
been O
a O
blessing O
for O
researchers O
, O

students O
and O
the O
just O
plain O
curious O
, O
the O
new O
opportunities O
mentioned O
by O
Mr O
. O

Gates O
are O
also O
being O
used O
by O
some O
rather O
unsavory O
characters O
. O
A O
new O
report O

says O
there O
has O
been O
a O
dramatic O
rise O
in O
the O
growth O
of O
hate O
groups O
in O
the O

United O
States O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
year I-T
. O
And O
many O
of O
them O
are O
using O
the O
Internet O
to O
spread O
their O
messages O
of O
racial O
superiority O
. O

VOA O
' O
s O
Jim O
Teple O
has O
details O
from O
our O
southeast O
news O
bureau O
. O

The O
Southern O
Poverty O
Law O
Center O
, O
a O
civil O
rights O
monitoring O
group O
based O
in O

Montgomery O
, O
Alabama O
, O
has O
long O
monitored O
such O
groups O
as O
the O
Ku O
Klux O
Klan O
. O

More B-T
recently I-T
it O
has O
followed O
the O
growth O
of O
the O
militia O
movement O
and O
church O

groups O
that O
preach O
a O
message O
of O
white O
supremacy O
and O
anti O
- O
semitism O
. O

The O
new O
study O
written O
by O
Mark O
Potach O
, O
who O
edits O
the O
Southern O
Poverty O
Law O

Center O
' O
s O
Intelligence O
Report O
, O
warns O
that O
such O
groups O
grew O
rapidly O
last B-T

year B-T
, O
mostly O
by O
recruiting O
younger O
members O
. O
Mr O
. O
Potach O
says O
the O
growth O
is O

surprising O
since O
membership O
in O
hate O
groups O
usually O
declines O
during O
periods O
of O
economic O

prosperity O
. O

We O
in O
fact O
have O
seen O
hate O
group O
numbers O
dropping O
through O
the B-T
nineties I-T
, O
uh O
but O

this B-T
year I-T
they O
jumped O
up O
uh O
twenty O
percent O
, O
quite O
a O
dramatic O
rise O
. O

Mark O
Potach O
says O
over O
four O
hundred O
hate O
groups O
have O
been O
identified O
and O
many O
are O
becoming O
increasingly O
successful O
at O
recruiting O
younger O
members O
through O
the O

use O
of O
Internet O
web O
pages O
and O
the O
promotion O
of O
racist O
rock O
music O
. O

The O
Internet O
has O
certainly O
helped O
uh O
hate O
mongers O
to O
organize O
and O
uh O
to O
feel O
that O

they O
are O
part O
of O
a O
larger O
community O
, O
even O
if O
uh O
they O
are O
essentially O
uh O
, O
you O

know O
, O
angry O
people O
sitting O
in O
their O
bedrooms O
uh O
all O
alone O
. O

Uh O
, O
in O
addition O
, O
white O
power O
racist O
music O
has O
become O
uh O
quite O

popular O
in O
certain O
sectors O
. O
Uh O
, O
there O
are O
over O
fifty O
thousand O
CDs O
a B-T
year I-T

sold O
with O
uh O
lyrics O
that O
are O
quite O
uh O
unbelievable O
. O

Many O
of O
these O
new O
members O
are O
joining O
chapters O
of O
the O
so O
called O
Christian O

Identity O
Movement O
which O
cites O
Biblical O
scripture O
as O
a O
foundation O
for O
a O

belief O
in O
white O
supremacy O
and O
anti O
- O
semitism O
. O
Mark O
Potach O
says O
such O
members O
are O
also O
intensely O
attracted O
to O
apocalyptical O
fantasies O
. O

The O
approach O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
two I-T
thousand I-T
has O
many O
of O
these O
groups O
in O
a O
kind O
of O

millennial O
frenzy O
. O
Uh O
, O
uh O
a O
- O
they O
believe O
, O
or O
at O
least O
many O
of O
them O
believe O
, O

uh O
that O
they O
are O
approaching O
the O
Battle O
of O
Armageddon O
in O
which O
they O
will O
be O
pitted O
against O
the O
uh O
kind O
of O
Satanic O
forces O
trying O
to O
take O
over O
the O
world O
. O

Mr O
. O
Potach O
notes O
older O
, O
more O
traditional O
groups O
like O
the O
Ku O
Klux O
Klan O
are O
also O
opening O
new O
chapters O
, O
thanks O
in O
part O
to O
their O
ability O
to O
use O
new O

technologies O
like O
the O
Internet O
. O
The O
Federal O
Bureau O
of O
Investigation O
says O

it O
received O
more O
than O
eight O
thousand O
reports O
of O
hate O
group O
crimes O
last B-T

year B-T
. O
Law O
enforcement O
authorities O
say O
such O
reports O
are O
likely O
to O
increase O

as O
police O
departments O
are O
now B-T
beginning O
to O
more O
accurately O
report O
hate O

crimes O
than O
they O
have O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
. O

Jim O
Teple O
, O
VOA O
News O
, O
Miami O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0278 O

OTTAWA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Former O
Canadian O
prime O
minister O
challenges O
sponsorship O
scandal O
inquiry O

Former O
Canadian O
prime O
minister O
Jean O
Chretien O
on O
Wednesday B-T
filed O
an O
expected O
challenge O
against O
a O
judicial O
inquiry O
which O
blamed O
him O
for O
a O
notorious O
corruption O
scandal O
. O

Justice O
John O
Gomery O
was O
biased O
against O
him O
and O
Gomery O
' O
s O
conclusion O
was O
not O
backed O
up O
by O
the O
information O
given O
at O
the O
inquiry O
, O
Chretien O
said O
in O
his O
appeal O
. O

Wednesday O
is O
the O
last B-T
day I-T
of O
a O
30 O
- O
day O
limit O
that O
Chretien O
could O
file O
the O
challenge O
in O
a O
Federal O
Court O
since O
the O
release O
of O
the O
Gomery O
report O
. O
In O
his O
initial O
investigation O
report O
released O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
Gomery O
confirmed O
a O
system O
of O
illegal O
kickbacks O
and O
contributions O
that O
funneled O
millions O
of O
dollars O
to O
the O
federal O
Liberal O
Party O
in O
Quebec O
. O

He O
described O
Chretien O
as O
the O
architect O
of O
the O
program O
, O
and O
his O
chief O
of O
staff O
Jean O
Pelletier O
as O
the O
man O
who O
implemented O
it O
. O
And O
Prime O
Minister O
Paul O
Martin O
, O
then O
Chretien O
' O
s O
finance O
minister O
, O
was O
exonerated O
of O
any O
wrongdoing O
over O
the O
scandal O
. O

Chretien O
' O
s O
appeal O
came O
when O
Martin O
launched O
his O
Quebec O
election O
campaign O
on O
Wednesday B-T
with O
a O
star O
candidate O
astronaut O
Marc O
Garneau O
who O
was O
asking O
Quebecers O
to O
turn O
the O
page O
on O
the O
sponsorship O
scandal O
. O

The O
Liberal O
popularity O
in O
Quebec O
was O
hit O
most O
hard O
by O
the O
scandal O
which O
led O
to O
the O
defeat O
of O
Martin O
' O
s O
minority O
government O
on O
Monday B-T
by O
a O
non O
- O
confidence O
vote O
in O
the O
House O
of O
Commons O
. O

However O
, O
Chretien O
' O
s O
associates O
said O
that O
the O
timing O
of O
the O
appeal O
was O
linked O
to O
the O
time O
limit O
yet O
has O
nothing O
to O
do O
with O
the O
election O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0085 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

11 O
Palestinians O
, O
three O
Israeli O
police O
officers O
wound O
in O
Jenin O

Some O
11 O
Palestinians O
and O
three O
Israeli O
border O
police O
officers O
were O
injured O
during O
heavy O
clashes O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
city O
of O
Jenin O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
, O
sources O
from O
both O
sides O
said O
. O

Palestinian O
security O
sources O
said O
large O
Israeli O
troop O
containing O
some O
eighty O
tanks O
stormed O
the O
city O
' O
s O
center O
early O
Wednesday B-T
accompanied O
by O
dozens O
of O
jeeps O
and O
military O
vehicles O
. O

The O
Israeli O
army O
imposed O
a O
curfew O
at O
the O
area O
while O
the O
operation O
was O
taking O
place O
, O
they O
added O
. O

Palestinian O
medical O
sources O
confirmed O
that O
11 O
armed O
men O
were O
injured O
in O
the O
clashes O
. O

Israeli O
army O
radio O
said O
that O
three O
Israelis O
policemen O
sustained O
light O
wounds O
Wednesday B-T
in O
an O
exchange O
of O
fire O
with O
armed O
Palestinians O
during O
an O
operation O
to O
detain O
suspect O
militants O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Jenin O
. O

Violent O
gunfights O
promptly O
ensued O
at O
the O
scene O
involving O
Israeli O
forces O
and O
Palestinian O
gunmen O
, O
according O
to O
witnesses O
. O

As O
Israeli O
soldiers O
fanned O
out O
through O
Jabal O
Abu O
Dheir O
, O
Al O
Marah O
, O
Jenin O
Refugee O
Camp O
, O
the O
industrial O
area O
and O
the O
Eastern O
neighborhoods O
, O
they O
encountered O
arms O
fire O
from O
Palestinian O
armed O
men O
, O
the O
witnesses O
clarified O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Israeli O
army O
forces O
operating O
northeast O
of O
Tulkarem O
recovered O
a O
handgun O
, O
two O
hunting O
rifles O
and O
ammunition O
, O
and O
detained O
the O
homeowner O
early B-T
Wednesday I-T
, O
Israel O
radio O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0283 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Bombings O
kill O
153 O
in O
Baghdad O
, O
indefinite O
curfew O
imposed O

A O
series O
of O
coordinated O
bombings O
killed O
153 O
people O
in O
a O
Shiite O
militia O
stronghold O
in O
eastern O
Baghdad O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
prompting O
the O
authorities O
to O
impose O
an O
indefinite O
curfew O
. O

A O
further O
201 O
people O
were O
also O
injured O
when O
four O
car O
bombs O
in O
short O
succession O
struck O
55th O
Square O
, O
al O
- O
Sadrain O
Square O
, O
the O
popular O
Hai O
market O
and O
Mudhafar O
Square O
in O
Sadr O
City O
on O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
a O
well O
- O
informed O
Interior O
Ministry O
official O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

The O
anonymous O
official O
denied O
the O
earlier O
report O
that O
Mudhafar O
Square O
was O
hit O
by O
a O
mortar O
round O
. O

There O
are O
additional O
two O
car O
bombings O
near O
the O
Shiite O
district O
, O
causing O
no O
casualties O
, O
the O
official O
added O
. O

Shortly O
after O
the O
bloodbath O
, O
some O
13 O
mortar O
rounds O
shelled O
a O
Sunni O
district O
in O
northern O
Baghdad O
in O
retaliation O
, O
leaving O
at O
least O
10 O
people O
wounded O
. O

Sadr O
City O
in O
eastern O
Baghdad O
is O
a O
stronghold O
for O
thousands O
of O
followers O
of O
radical O
Shiite O
cleric O
Muqtada O
al O
- O
Sadr O
. O
The O
revered O
cleric O
' O
s O
militia O
Mahdi O
Army O
is O
often O
accused O
of O
getting O
involved O
in O
the O
sectarian O
violence O
, O
in O
which O
thousands O
of O
people O
have O
been O
kidnapped O
and O
tortured O
and O
their O
bodies O
dumped O
. O

Angry O
residents O
and O
armed O
militiamen O
flooded O
the O
streets O
to O
protest O
the O
bloody O
attacks O
, O
denouncing O
Sunni O
militants O
behind O
it O
. O
Some O
people O
warned O
the O
latest O
carnage O
was O
likely O
to O
inflame O
sectarian O
passions O
and O
pushed O
the O
country O
closed O
to O
a O
full O
- O
scale O
civil O
war O
. O

The O
Interior O
Ministry O
has O
imposed O
an O
indefinite O
curfew O
on O
Baghdad O
, O
Iraqi O
state O
- O
run O
television O
reported O
. O

The O
Iraqiya O
channel O
quoted O
an O
Interior O
Ministry O
official O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
curfew O
began O
at O
8 O
: O
00 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
1700 O
GMT O
) O
Thursday B-T
and O
all O
people O
and O
vehicles O
must O
stay O
off O
the O
streets O
of O
the O
city O
until O
further O
notice O
. O

In O
other O
violence O
, O
gunmen O
attacked O
a O
Shiite O
ministry O
in O
central O
Baghdad O
, O
prompting O
fierce O
clashes O
with O
security O
guards O
. O

" O
Up O
to O
30 O
gunmen O
attacked O
the O
Health O
Ministry O
in O
Bab O
al O
- O
Mu O
' O
adham O
area O
at O
about O
2 B-T
: I-T
30 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
1130 O
GMT O
) O
, O
prompting O
fierce O
clashes O
with O
Iraqi O
army O
and O
police O
forces O
, O
" O
an O
Interior O
Ministry O
source O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
immediate O
police O
report O
on O
casualties O
, O
" O
the O
source O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
there O
were O
some O
people O
being O
taken O
to O
nearby O
hospitals O
. O

Deputy O
Minister O
Hakim O
al O
- O
Zamily O
told O
the O
Iraqi O
state O
- O
run O
television O
Iraqiya O
that O
since O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
the O
ministry O
building O
has O
been O
shelled O
by O
mortar O
rounds O
and O
machine O
- O
gun O
fire O
. O

Recently O
, O
the O
Iraqi O
Health O
Ministry O
controlled O
by O
al O
- O
Sadr O
are O
frequently O
targeted O
. O
Zamily O
himself O
survived O
assassination O
attempt O
on O
Monday B-T
when O
gunmen O
attacked O
his O
convoy O
in O
Bab O
al O
- O
Mu O
' O
adham O
area O
, O
killing O
two O
of O
his O
bodyguards O
. O

A O
day O
before O
that O
, O
Ammar O
Assafar O
, O
another O
ministry O
deputy O
was O
kidnapped O
when O
gunmen O
wearing O
police O
uniforms O
stormed O
his O
house O
in O
Baghdad O
' O
s O
northern O
district O
of O
Adhamiyah O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
militants O
in O
police O
uniforms O
stormed O
a O
building O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
High O
Education O
Ministry O
in O
central O
Baghdad O
, O
kidnapping O
about O
100 O
people O
, O
some O
of O
whom O
were O
released O
later O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0076 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Fiscal O
deficit O
of O
Philippines O
drops O
greatly O
in O
first O
10 O
months O

The O
fiscal O
deficit O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
10 I-T
months I-T
this I-T
year I-T
of O
the O
Philippine O
government O
reached O
56 O
. O
3 O
billion O
pesos O
( O
1 O
. O
12 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
lower O
than O
115 O
. O
5 O
billion O
pesos O
( O
2 O
. O
23 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
incurred O
during O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
Philippine O
Central O
Bank O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
lower O
deficit O
was O
a O
result O
of O
better O
revenue O
performance O
and O
lower O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
spending O
due O
to O
the O
non O
- O
approval O
of O
the O
2006 O
proposed O
budget O
bill O
, O
said O
the O
central O
bank O
. O

Moreover O
, O
the O
first O
ten B-T
months I-T
' O
deficit O
is O
just O
45 O
percent O
of O
the O
full O
year O
target O
of O
125 O
billion O
pesos O
( O
2 O
. O
5 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

From O
January B-T
to O
October O
, O
government O
revenues O
were O
up O
by O
19 O
percent O
compared O
to O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
with O
collections O
of O
the O
Bureau O
of O
Internal O
Revenue O
and O
the O
Bureau O
of O
Customs O
reaching O
522 O
. O
8 O
billion O
pesos O
10 O
. O
5 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
and O
159 O
. O
8 O
billion O
pesos O
( O
3 O
. O
2 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
respectively O
. O

The O
Philippine O
government O
is O
cutting O
its O
fiscal O
deficit O
as O
part O
of O
its O
fiscal O
reform O
package O
which O
is O
aimed O
at O
reaching O
zero O
deficit O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
the B-T
year I-T
President O
Gloria O
Macapagal O
Arroyo O
' O
s O
presidential O
term O
expires O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0406 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

4 O
Vietnamese O
traffickers O
arrested O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
The O
Vietnamese O
police O
have O
just O
arrested O
a O
drug O
seller O
from O
a O
central O
province O
and O
three O
of O
his O
customers O
from O
Hanoi O
capital O
, O
confiscating O
2 O
. O
8 O
kg O
of O
heroin O
, O
800 O
amphetamine O
and O
some O
8 O
, O
500 O
US O
dollars O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
police O
arrested O
the O
three O
middle O
- O
aged O
men O
from O
the O
capital O
city O
' O
s O
rural O
districts O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
after O
detecting O
the O
drugs O
hidden O
in O
their O
car O
, O
newspaper O
Young O
People O
said O
. O

The O
men O
confessed O
that O
they O
bought O
them O
from O
a O
man O
named O
Vi O
Van O
May O
from O
Nghe O
An O
province O
. O
When O
local O
police O
approached O
May B-T
' O
s O
house O
in O
Ky O
Son O
district O
on O
the B-T
morning I-T
of I-T
Nov I-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, O
he O
embraced O
two O
of O
his O
little O
children O
and O
a O
grenade O
in O
the O
house O
. O

May O
did O
not O
surrender O
to O
the O
police O
until O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
of I-T
Nov I-T
. I-T
17 I-T
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
Vietnamese O
authorities O
reported O
12 O
, O
068 O
drug O
- O
related O
crimes O
, O
seized O
239 O
. O
4 O
kg O
of O
heroin O
, O
and O
arrested O
18 O
, O
260 O
people O
involved O
. O
Under O
the O
country O
' O
s O
laws O
, O
anyone O
possessing O
, O
trading O
or O
trafficking O
heroin O
of O
0 O
. O
6 O
kg O
or O
above O
can O
be O
sentenced O
to O
death O
or O
life O
in O
prison O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0603 O

BONN O
, O
April B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Schroeder O
would O
lead O
the O
SPD O
to O
victory O
over O
Kohl O
, O
poll O
shows O

Gerhard O
Schroeder O
would O
lead O
the O
social O
democratic O
SPD O
party O
to O
victory O
if O
he O
were O
selected O
to O
face O
Chancellor O
Helmut O
Kohl O
in O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
general O
elections O
, O
according O
to O
an O
opinion O
poll O
published O
Saturday B-T
. O

Schroeder O
, O
who O
heads O
the O
state O
government O
in O
Lower O
Saxony O
, O
would O
win O
56 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
against O
33 O
percent O
for O
Kohl O
, O
the O
poll O
, O
conducted O
by O
the O
DIMAP O
institute O
and O
published O
by O
the O
daily O
Bild O
, O
indicated O
. O

With O
Oskar O
Lafontaine O
as O
its O
champion O
, O
the O
SPD O
would O
lose O
with O
40 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
against O
45 O
percent O
for O
Kohl O
' O
s O
CDU O
Christian O
- O
Democratic O
Union O
, O
according O
to O
the O
poll O
in O
which O
1 O
, O
100 O
people O
were O
questioned O
. O

Kohl O
would O
win O
by O
an O
even O
bigger O
margin O
- O
47 O
percent O
- O
against O
an O
SPD O
led O
by O
Rudolf O
Scharping O
, O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
SPD O
' O
s O
parliamentary O
group O
whom O
only O
36 O
percent O
of O
those O
questioned O
said O
they O
would O
back O
. O

The O
SPD O
leadership O
said O
on O
April B-T
3 I-T
that O
Kohl O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
run O
for O
chancellor O
again O
would O
not O
affect O
its O
decision O
to O
wait O
until O
next B-T
year I-T
to O
pick O
its O
own O
candidate O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
top O
post O
. O

Asked O
how O
they O
would O
vote O
if O
the O
elections O
took O
place O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
41 O
percent O
of O
those O
polled O
said O
they O
would O
vote O
SPD O
( O
plus O
one O
percent O
) O
and O
35 O
percent O
said O
they O
would O
back O
the O
CDU O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0297 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Annan O
to O
speak O
on O
bird O
flu O

UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
is O
scheduled O
to O
deliver O
his O
first O
major O
speech O
on O
avian O
flu O
Thursday B-T
, O
UN O
spokesman O
Stephane O
Dujarric O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
. O

In O
that O
speech O
which O
is O
to O
be O
delivered O
at O
the O
Time O
Global O
Health O
Summit O
in O
New O
York O
, O
the O
Secretary O
- O
General O
is O
expected O
to O
describe O
the O
highly O
complex O
challenges O
involved O
, O
and O
outline O
a O
set O
of O
key O
priorities O
for O
the O
UN O
system O
and O
the O
international O
community O
as O
a O
whole O
- O
- O
actions O
needed O
in O
seeking O
to O
avert O
, O
and O
preparing O
for O
the O
possibility O
of O
, O
a O
human O
pandemic O
, O
Dujarric O
said O
. O

" O
Annan O
will O
describe O
the O
coordination O
mechanism O
set O
up O
by O
the O
UN O
family O
to O
address O
the O
threat O
, O
and O
call O
for O
collective O
action O
among O
all O
partners O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0247 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
Chinese O
president O
to O
visit O
US O
early O
next O
year O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
will O
pay O
a O
visit O
to O
the O
United O
States O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
sources O
close O
to O
the O
talks O
between O
Hu O
and O
visiting O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
, O
who O
offered O
an O
invitation O
, O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0308 O

KHARTOUM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sudanese O
government O
disregards O
Washington O
' O
s O
warning O
on O
Darfur O

The O
Sudanese O
government O
on O
Tuesday B-T
brushed O
aside O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
warning O
on O
its O
Darfur O
issues O
by O
saying O
that O
they O
did O
not O
know O
the O
plan O
referred O
in O
the O
warning O
. O

Ali O
al O
- O
Sadig O
, O
the O
spokesman O
of O
the O
Sudanese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
, O
told O
reporters O
that O
his O
government O
knew O
neither O
Plan O
A O
nor O
Plan O
B O
, O
which O
were O
talked O
about O
by O
Andrew O
Natsios O
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Special O
Envoy O
to O
Sudan O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
Natsios O
warned O
that O
the O
United O
States O
and O
other O
countries O
would O
resort O
to O
what O
he O
called O
" O
Plan O
B O
" O
if O
Khartoum O
refused O
to O
change O
its O
position O
on O
the O
peacekeeping O
issue O
in O
Darfur O
by O
Jan B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

" O
On O
Jan B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
either O
we O
see O
change O
or O
we O
go O
to O
Plan O
B O
, O
" O
Natsios O
told O
reporters O
at O
the O
State O
Department O
, O
without O
elaborating O
the O
details O
. O

Describing O
Natsios O
' O
statement O
as O
" O
inappropriate O
and O
not O
helpful O
for O
resolving O
the O
problem O
in O
Darfur O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
that O
" O
The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
envoy O
ignored O
the O
fact O
that O
agreements O
had O
been O
reached O
at O
the O
joint O
meeting O
of O
the O
UN O
, O
the O
AU O
, O
the O
Arab O
League O
and O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
in O
Addis O
Ababa O
on O
Thursday B-T
on O
most O
of O
the O
questions O
it O
discussed O
. O
" O

He O
reiterated O
that O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
would O
only O
accept O
a O
UN O
presence O
within O
the O
AU O
Mission O
in O
Darfur O
in O
the O
form O
of O
experts O
and O
technicians O
as O
well O
as O
the O
technical O
assistance O
that O
the O
AU O
force O
needs O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0196 O

ROME O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Italian O
lower O
house O
approves O
govt O
' O
s O
2007 O
budget O

Italian O
lower O
house O
on O
Sunday B-T
approved O
the O
government O
' O
s O
planned O
2007 O
budget O
, O
which O
included O
heavily O
protested O
tax O
increases O
and O
spending O
cuts O
. O

The O
budget O
, O
which O
suggested O
15 O
billion O
euros O
of O
spending O
cuts O
, O
passed O
by O
311 O
votes O
to O
251 O
, O
one B-T
day I-T
after O
the O
government O
won O
a O
confidence O
vote O
on O
a O
series O
of O
measures O
tied O
to O
the O
budget O
, O
which O
must O
be O
approved O
by O
the O
Senate O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

Italian O
Premier O
Romano O
Prodi O
, O
who O
narrowly O
beat O
former O
premier O
Silvio O
Berlusconi O
in O
April B-T
' O
s O
general O
election O
, O
has O
been O
struggling O
to O
gain O
support O
among O
some O
of O
its O
allies O
for O
the O
budget O
, O
which O
is O
aimed O
at O
promoting O
growth O
and O
bringing O
the O
Italian O
deficit O
to O
within O
3 O
percent O
of O
GDP O
by O
next B-T
year I-T
to O
meet O
Rome O
' O
s O
EU O
commitments O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0551 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
mulling O
Darfur O
no O
- O
fly O
zone O
at O
urging O
of O
Blair O

The O
United O
States O
and O
Britain O
are O
considering O
the O
imposition O
of O
a O
no O
- O
fly O
zone O
over O
Sudan O
' O
s O
war O
- O
torn O
Darfur O
region O
if O
the O
Khartoum O
government O
does O
not O
allow O
a O
UN O
- O
led O
peacekeeping O
force O
into O
the O
area O
, O
the O
State O
Department O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Blair O
raised O
the O
no O
- O
fly O
zone O
option O
during O
a O
meeting O
here O
last B-T
week I-T
with O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
amid O
growing O
frustration O
with O
Sudan O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
comply O
with O
agreements O
on O
the O
peacekeepers O
, O
department O
spokesman O
Sean O
McCormack O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0195 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Zaire O
premier O
says O
army O
can O
defend O
capital O
against O
rebels O

Zaire O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Likulia O
Bolongo O
has O
called O
on O
residents O
of O
Kinshasa O
to O
denounce O
all O
suspect O
people O
, O
saying O
the O
army O
can O
defend O
the O
city O
against O
rebels O
but O
needs O
public O
support O
. O

In O
a O
television O
interview O
late B-T
Monday I-T
, O
General O
Likulia O
declared O
that O
the O
Zairean O
armed O
forces O
, O
the O
FAZ O
, O
was O
able O
to O
hold O
the O
city O
against O
rebels O
who O
have O
swept O
across O
the O
eastern O
half O
of O
the O
country O
, O
but O
needed O
" O
the O
support O
of O
the O
people O
" O
. O

He O
claimed O
that O
inhabitants O
of O
all O
the O
towns O
conquered O
by O
Laurent O
Kabila O
' O
s O
guerrillas O
since O
October B-T
were O
putting O
up O
" O
strong O
resistance O
to O
the O
rebels O
" O
, O
but O
denounced O
wide O
divisions O
among O
Zairean O
politicians O
which O
had O
weakened O
the O
strength O
of O
the O
armed O
forces O
. O

Likulia O
also O
renewed O
Zairean O
charges O
that O
" O
certain O
neighbouring O
countries O
" O
had O
sent O
regular O
troops O
to O
fight O
for O
the O
mainly O
Tutsi O
rebel O
alliance O
, O
claiming O
that O
Kabila O
was O
dependent O
on O
help O
from O
these O
forces O
. O
Zaire O
has O
previously O
accused O
Uganda O
, O
Rwanda O
and O
Burundi O
of O
involvement O
, O
charges O
denied O
by O
all O
these O
countries O
. O

On O
peace O
talks O
which O
have O
been O
under O
way O
in O
South O
Africa O
, O
Likulia O
said O
he O
was O
" O
confident O
" O
they O
would O
achieve O
a O
settlement O
. O

" O
But O
if O
they O
collapse O
, O
the O
FAZ O
is O
ready O
to O
end O
a O
truce O
and O
resume O
fighting O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Frequently O
, O
Zaire O
' O
s O
rag O
- O
tag O
army O
has O
looted O
and O
fled O
towns O
ahead O
of O
rebel O
advances O
and O
Kabila O
' O
s O
men O
now B-T
control O
more O
than O
half O
the O
country O
, O
including O
the O
mineral O
- O
rich O
southeastern O
provinces O
crucial O
to O
the O
economy O
. O

Likulia O
said O
he O
would O
talk O
to O
the O
transitional O
parliament O
, O
the O
High O
Council O
of O
the O
Republic O
, O
on O
the O
situation O
in O
the O
country O
, O
where O
" O
the O
state O
coffers O
are O
empty O
" O
, O
but O
for O
notes O
with O
a O
face O
value O
of O
between O
100 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
and O
one O
million O
new O
zaires O
. O

180 O
, O
000 O
new O
zaires O
are O
worth O
one O
dollar O
, O
but O
the O
biggest O
note O
in O
circulation O
is O
the O
50 O
, O
000 O
new O
zaire O
bill O
, O
because O
Zaireans O
refuse O
to O
take O
other O
notes O
arguing O
that O
they O
will O
worsen O
inflation O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
United O
States O
urged O
Zairean O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
and O
Kabila O
to O
hold O
talks O
in O
South O
Africa O
, O
lamenting O
the O
difficulty O
in O
arranging O
the O
meeting O
. O

It O
is O
" O
important O
for O
the O
rebels O
and O
the O
government O
to O
respond O
favorably O
to O
the O
South O
African O
proposal O
" O
for O
a O
summit O
, O
said O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Nicholas O
Burns O
. O

Obstacles O
to O
holding O
the O
meeting O
were O
" O
quite O
disappointing O
, O
because O
we O
think O
the O
only O
way O
that O
any O
progress O
is O
going O
to O
be O
made O
in O
the O
current O
civil O
war O
in O
Zaire O
" O
is O
through O
such O
dialogue O
, O
Burns O
said O
. O

Washington O
will O
give O
" O
all O
necessary O
support O
" O
to O
the O
efforts O
of O
the O
South O
African O
government O
and O
the O
UN O
special O
envoy O
Mohamed O
Sahnoun O
to O
arrange O
the O
direct O
talks O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
question O
was O
raised O
during O
a O
meeting O
early O
Monday B-T
between O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Madeleine O
Albright O
and O
South O
African O
Vice O
President O
Thabo O
Mbeki O
. O

Sahnoun O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
there O
is O
" O
still O
a O
small O
hope O
to O
concretize O
the O
meeting O
. O
" O
He O
told O
AFP O
that O
both O
parties O
" O
continue O
to O
say O
they O
' O
re O
ready O
" O
to O
meet O
. O

Last O
Thursday B-T
, O
Sahnoun O
and O
South O
African O
Vice O
Minister O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
Aziz O
Pahad O
, O
peace O
mediators O
in O
the O
ongoing O
conflict O
, O
announced O
in O
Cape O
Town O
that O
the O
two O
foes O
had O
agreed O
to O
meet O
. O

But O
Saturday B-T
, O
Kabila O
toughened O
his O
position O
, O
saying O
he O
only O
would O
meet O
Mobutu O
to O
discuss O
the O
conditions O
for O
the O
president O
' O
s O
departure O
, O
while O
the O
head O
of O
state O
refuses O
to O
stand O
down O
. O

The O
rebels O
have O
seized O
all O
key O
cities O
apart O
from O
the O
capital O
Kinshasa O
and O
are O
seeking O
to O
oust O
Mobutu O
, O
ruler O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
32 I-T
years I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0057 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
rolled O
out O
red O
carpet O
on O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
at O
the O
Great O
Hall O
of O
the O
People O
in O
downtown O
Beijing O
, O
to O
welcome O
five O
presidents O
of O
African O
countries O
, O
who O
were O
here O
for O
a O
two O
- O
day O
China O
- O
Africa O
summit O
. O

Hu O
met O
, O
on O
separate O
occasions O
, O
with O
five O
African O
presidents O
, O
including O
Denis O
Sassou O
- O
Nguesso O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
, O
Yoweri O
Museveni O
of O
Uganda O
, O
Alhaji O
Ahmed O
Tejan O
Kabbah O
of O
Sierra O
Leone O
, O
Paul O
Kagame O
of O
Rwanda O
and O
John O
Agyekum O
Kufuor O
of O
Ghana O
. O

Hu O
extolled O
the O
upcoming O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
( O
FOCAC O
) O
, O
saying O
it O
is O
a O
great O
undertaking O
in O
the O
history O
of O
China O
- O
Africa O
relations O
. O

At O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
slated O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
, O
leaders O
of O
China O
and O
African O
countries O
will O
review O
the O
development O
of O
China O
- O
Africa O
relationship O
and O
blueprint O
the O
future O
cooperation O
, O
Hu O
said O
. O

The O
Chinese O
president O
said O
the O
summit O
will O
have O
a O
significant O
impact O
on O
enhancing O
mutual O
understanding O
and O
trust O
between O
China O
and O
African O
leaders O
, O
deepening O
traditional O
friendship O
, O
bolstering O
pragmatic O
cooperation O
and O
promoting O
South O
- O
South O
cooperation O
. O

He O
also O
expressed O
China O
' O
s O
appreciation O
to O
the O
five O
countries O
for O
their O
adherence O
to O
the O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
and O
" O
precious O
support O
" O
to O
China O
in O
international O
affairs O
. O

Presidents O
of O
the O
five O
countries O
said O
China O
, O
which O
has O
been O
offering O
consistent O
and O
firm O
political O
and O
economic O
support O
to O
Africa O
, O
was O
seen O
as O
a O
favorable O
partner O
by O
African O
people O
. O

The O
presidents O
agreed O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
, O
with O
its O
significant O
impact O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
relations O
, O
were O
warmly O
supported O
by O
the O
governments O
and O
people O
of O
their O
countries O
, O
saying O
they O
hope O
African O
countries O
and O
China O
make O
full O
use O
of O
the O
summit O
and O
draw O
up O
future O
cooperative O
plans O
to O
achieve O
common O
development O
. O

While O
meeting O
Sassou O
- O
Nguesso O
, O
Hu O
said O
the O
friendly O
cooperation O
between O
China O
and O
the O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
has O
been O
going O
on O
smoothly O
since O
the O
two O
countries O
established O
strategic O
partnership O
more O
than O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
been O
exploring O
new O
ways O
to O
serve O
our O
mutual O
best O
interest O
and O
to O
create O
a O
win O
- O
win O
situation O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Sassou O
- O
Nguesso O
, O
who O
was O
elected O
African O
Union O
( O
AU O
) O
chairman O
for O
the O
2006 O
session O
at O
the O
sixth O
AU O
summit O
in O
the O
Sudanese O
capital O
Khartoum O
in O
January B-T
, O
spoke O
positively O
of O
his O
country O
' O
s O
relations O
with O
China O
, O
saying O
the O
two O
sides O
are O
putting O
into O
practice O
their O
consensus O
for O
cooperation O
. O

During O
a O
meeting O
with O
Museveni O
, O
Hu O
said O
bilateral O
ties O
will O
be O
consolidated O
through O
strengthening O
friendly O
exchanges O
and O
exploring O
cooperation O
potential O
, O
noting O
the O
two O
countries O
share O
mutual O
trust O
and O
close O
cooperation O
, O
vowing O
China O
is O
willing O
to O
push O
forward O
mutual O
friendship O
to O
a O
new O
level O
. O

Museveni O
said O
China O
had O
granted O
important O
support O
when O
Uganda O
strove O
for O
national O
independence O
, O
and O
offered O
assistance O
in O
Uganda O
' O
s O
economic O
development O
. O
He O
said O
Uganda O
hopes O
to O
expand O
cooperation O
with O
China O
in O
fields O
of O
railway O
, O
energy O
, O
processing O
of O
agricultural O
produce O
and O
tourism O
. O

When O
meeting O
with O
Kabbah O
, O
Hu O
said O
the O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
developed O
smoothly O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
equality O
, O
mutual O
respect O
and O
trust O
. O

Kabbah O
said O
Sierra O
Leone O
is O
under O
economic O
reconstruction O
and O
willing O
to O
see O
cooperation O
with O
China O
in O
trade O
, O
investment O
, O
infrastructure O
building O
and O
health O
. O

In O
his O
meeting O
with O
Kagame O
, O
Hu O
said O
he O
believed O
the O
friendly O
cooperative O
relations O
between O
China O
and O
Rwanda O
would O
advance O
in O
a O
healthy O
and O
rapid O
manner O
. O

Kagame O
recognized O
the O
effective O
cooperation O
between O
Rwanda O
and O
China O
in O
agriculture O
, O
fishery O
, O
sanitation O
and O
the O
construction O
of O
public O
utilities O
. O
Bilateral O
coordination O
in O
international O
affairs O
was O
favorable O
, O
he O
said O
. O

When O
meeting O
with O
Kufuor O
, O
Hu O
said O
China O
wishes O
to O
enhance O
cooperation O
with O
Ghana O
in O
areas O
of O
infrastructure O
construction O
, O
telecommunications O
and O
human O
resources O
. O

The O
high O
quality O
of O
the O
road O
and O
other O
projects O
that O
the O
Chinese O
side O
helped O
construct O
in O
Ghana O
has O
received O
applause O
from O
the O
Ghanaian O
people O
, O
who O
wish O
to O
enhance O
cooperation O
with O
China O
in O
trade O
, O
investment O
, O
power O
development O
, O
information O
networks O
and O
road O
construction O
, O
so O
as O
to O
fulfill O
win O
- O
win O
and O
mutual O
benefit O
, O
said O
Kufuor O
. O

Forty O
eight O
African O
countries O
that O
have O
diplomatic O
relations O
with O
China O
are O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
focusing O
on O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
. O
" O
Since O
FOCAC O
was O
established O
in O
2000 B-T
, O
economic O
and O
trade O
cooperation O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
has O
entered O
a O
new O
era O
, O
with O
comprehensive O
, O
rapid O
and O
stable O
development O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0787 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Indonesia O
jails O
Muslim O
militant O
over O
Australian O
embassy O
bombing O

An O
Indonesian O
court O
has O
sentenced O
a O
Muslim O
militant O
to O
three O
years O
in O
jail O
for O
storing O
explosives O
used O
in O
the O
2004 B-T
suicide O
bombing O
of O
the O
Australian O
embassy O
here O
, O
a O
court O
clerk O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Twelve O
people O
, O
including O
the O
bomber O
, O
were O
killed O
when O
an O
explosives O
- O
laden O
van O
exploded O
in O
front O
of O
the O
mission O
on O
September B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
. O

Judges O
at O
the O
state O
court O
in O
Surabaya O
, O
East O
Java O
, O
sentenced O
Ahmad O
Arif O
Hermansyah O
, O
27 O
, O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
a O
court O
clerk O
who O
identified O
himself O
only O
as O
Bambang O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
The O
panel O
of O
judges O
found O
him O
guilty O
of O
having O
intentionally O
assisted O
acts O
of O
terrorism O
and O
withholding O
information O
on O
act O
of O
terrorism O
, O
" O
Bambang O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
defendant O
and O
his O
lawyers O
had O
filed O
an O
appeal O
. O

The O
sentence O
was O
two O
years O
lighter O
than O
what O
the O
prosecution O
had O
recommended O
. O

Prosecutors O
had O
accused O
the O
defendant O
of O
agreeing O
to O
store O
a O
cardboard O
box O
for O
a O
friend O
, O
who O
was O
tried O
separately O
, O
but O
failing O
to O
ask O
what O
it O
contained O
. O

Prosecutors O
said O
it O
contained O
explosives O
later O
used O
in O
the O
embassy O
attack O
. O
They O
also O
told O
the O
court O
the O
defendant O
had O
been O
an O
active O
member O
of O
the O
Jemaah O
Islamiyah O
militant O
network O
in O
1997 B-T
. O

Jemaah O
Islamiyah O
is O
accused O
of O
being O
behind O
a O
series O
of O
bombings O
and O
other O
attacks O
in O
Indonesia O
and O
the O
region O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
years I-T
, O
including O
the O
2002 O
Bali O
bombings O
which O
killed O
202 O
people O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0323 O

NICOSIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

confirmed O

Cyprus O
Government O
Spokesman O
Christodoulos O
Pashiardis O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
proximity O
talks O
in O
Helsinki O
concerning O
Turkish O
obligations O
towards O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
and O
Cyprus O
has O
not O
yet O
be O
confirmed O
. O

Pashiardis O
made O
the O
remarks O
to O
the O
press O
after O
a O
cabinet O
meeting O
, O
as O
Finland O
, O
the O
rotating O
EU O
presidency O
, O
is O
working O
on O
a O
draft O
proposal O
, O
providing O
for O
opening O
of O
Turkish O
occupied O
port O
of O
Famagusta O
under O
the O
EU O
administration O
for O
24 B-T
months I-T
in O
combination O
with O
the O
opening O
of O
Turkish O
ports O
to O
ships O
carrying O
the O
Cypriot O
flag O
and O
the O
transfer O
of O
Varosha O
to O
the O
UN O
. O

For O
the O
purpose O
, O
it O
has O
been O
focusing O
on O
preparing O
the O
ground O
for O
a O
possible O
meeting O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
in O
Helsinki O
between O
Cyprus O
and O
Turkey O
. O

Pashiardis O
told O
the O
press O
that O
the O
return O
of O
Famagusta O
is O
the O
prime O
issue O
. O
" O
Without O
the O
return O
of O
Famagusta O
to O
its O
lawful O
inhabitants O
, O
there O
is O
no O
room O
or O
possibility O
for O
the O
Finnish O
initiative O
to O
be O
successful O
. O
" O

Asked O
if O
Nicosia O
objects O
to O
the O
presence O
of O
Turkish O
Cypriots O
at O
the O
possible O
talks O
in O
Helsinki O
, O
Pashiardis O
replied O
that O
if O
there O
is O
finally O
an O
invitation O
, O
the O
presence O
of O
any O
Turkish O
Cypriot O
will O
be O
merely O
to O
make O
an O
impression O
. O

" O
Only O
the O
Turkish O
army O
has O
a O
say O
and O
it O
will O
be O
present O
in O
the O
Helsinki O
negotiations O
with O
a O
representative O
of O
the O
Turkish O
government O
, O
" O
said O
Pashiardis O
. O

Cyprus O
has O
been O
divided O
since O
1974 B-T
when O
Turkey O
militarily O
intervened O
and O
occupied O
the O
north O
of O
Cyprus O
following O
a O
coup O
by O
a O
group O
of O
Greek O
officers O
. O

Turkey O
, O
a O
country O
aspiring O
to O
become O
an O
EU O
member O
state O
, O
does O
not O
recognize O
the O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
and O
has O
failed O
so O
far O
to O
implement O
the O
EU O
- O
Turkey O
Customs O
Union O
Protocol O
, O
which O
provides O
for O
opening O
of O
its O
ports O
and O
airports O
to O
Cyprus O
. O

The O
EU O
formally O
launched O
talks O
with O
Turkey O
over O
the O
country O
' O
s O
accession O
last B-T
October I-T
. O
The O
negotiations O
are O
expected O
to O
last O
at O
least O
a O
decade O
and O
Ankara O
is O
required O
to O
meet O
a O
number O
of O
criteria O
spelled O
out O
by O
the O
EU O
before O
entry O
. O

The O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
, O
which O
entered O
the O
EU O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
whole O
island O
in O
May B-T
2004 I-T
, O
is O
able O
to O
block O
Turkey O
' O
s O
entry O
talks O
with O
its O
veto O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0369 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

DEMOCRATS O
WIN O
CONTROL O
OF O
SENATE O
: O
AP O

DEMOCRATS O
WIN O
CONTROL O
OF O
SENATE O
: O
AP O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0255 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Raptors O
cruise O
past O
Indiana O

Chris O
Bosh O
scored O
17 O
points O
and O
grabbed O
11 O
rebounds O
on O
Sunday B-T
as O
Toronto O
cruised O
past O
Indiana O
92 O
- O
83 O
at O
Air O
Canada O
Center O
in O
Toronto O
. O

Italian O
Andrea O
Bargnani O
contributed O
14 O
points O
while O
Jorge O
Garbajosa O
and O
Jose O
Calderon O
added O
13 O
each O
for O
the O
Raptors O
, O
who O
have O
won O
two O
of O
three O
since O
dropping O
six O
straight O
games O
. O

Danny O
Granger O
and O
Stephen O
Jackson O
both O
scored O
18 O
points O
and O
Jermaine O
O O
' O
Neal O
poured O
in O
15 O
points O
with O
11 O
rebounds O
for O
the O
Pacers O
, O
who O
have O
lost O
two O
of O
their O
last O
three O
. O

Jamaal O
Tinsley O
also O
netted O
15 O
points O
on O
6 O
- O
of O
- O
11 O
shooting O
with O
four O
assists O
in O
defeat O
, O
while O
Al O
Harrington O
chipped O
in O
11 O
points O
with O
14 O
rebounds O
. O

Toronto O
, O
who O
shot O
43 O
. O
5 O
percent O
( O
37 O
- O
of O
- O
85 O
) O
from O
the O
floor O
, O
went O
on O
a O
19 O
- O
9 O
run O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
and O
ended O
the O
frame O
with O
seven O
consecutive O
points O
. O

Indiana O
shot O
a O
dismal O
37 O
. O
2 O
percent O
from O
the O
field O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0315 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

New O
York O
crude O
oil O
futures O
fall O
below O
56 O
dollars O

New O
York O
crude O
oil O
futures O
fell O
below O
56 O
dollars O
Friday B-T
as O
concern O
over O
supply O
eased O
. O

New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
December B-T
, O
which O
expired O
Friday B-T
, O
fell O
45 O
cents O
to O
close O
at O
55 O
. O
81 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
, O
the O
lowest O
settlement O
price O
since O
June B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
, O
after O
hitting O
54 O
. O
86 O
dollars O
. O

In O
London O
, O
Brent O
North O
Sea O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
January B-T
gained O
45 O
cents O
to O
settle O
at O
58 O
. O
99 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
. O

This O
winter O
in O
northeast O
United O
States O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
consumer O
of O
heating O
fuel O
, O
is O
warmer O
than O
normal O
till O
now B-T
. O
Moreover O
, O
the O
weather O
in O
northeast O
would O
be O
warmer O
than O
normal O
from O
December B-T
until O
February B-T
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
National O
Weather O
Service O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O
The O
warmer O
winter O
could O
boost O
the O
distillate O
stockpiles O
and O
weaken O
the O
fuel O
prices O
. O

The O
Paris O
- O
based O
International O
Energy O
Agency O
lowered O
its O
forecast O
of O
oil O
product O
demand O
growth O
last B-T
Friday I-T
. O
The O
global O
average O
daily O
demand O
in O
2006 O
may O
reached O
84 O
. O
5 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
, O
an O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
increase O
on O
the B-T
previous I-T
year I-T
, O
instead O
of O
its O
previous O
forecast O
of O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0312 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
International O
News O
Advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
4 O

Following O
are O
some O
of O
the O
major O
international O
news O
stories O
scheduled O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

- O
- O
EU O
ignorant O
of O
CIA O
secret O
prisons O
: O
EU O
commissioner O
. O

- O
- O
Peruvian O
congress O
approves O
bill O
on O
maritime O
territory O
. O

- O
- O
Arms O
seized O
in O
outskirts O
of O
Mar O
del O
Plata O
ahead O
of O
the B-T
4th I-T
Summit O
of O
the O
Americas O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0321 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
international O
news O
advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
23 O

The O
following O
are O
some O
of O
the O
major O
international O
news O
stories O
scheduled O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

- O
- O
Hu O
Jintao O
delivers O
speech O
in O
India O
. O

- O
- O
Chinese O
president O
arrived O
in O
Islamabad O
. O

- O
- O
WTO O
chief O
calls O
for O
relaunch O
of O
Doah O
Round O
talks O
. O

- O
- O
Uruguay O
legislators O
ratify O
protocol O
of O
Mercosur O
Parliament O
. O

- O
- O
Argentina O
condemns O
assassination O
of O
Lebanese O
minister O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0099 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hong O
Kong O
shares O
close O
fresh O
high O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
7 O

Hong O
Kong O
share O
prices O
closed O
fresh O
high O
on O
Tuesday B-T
but O
the O
speed O
is O
slowing O
down O
, O
with O
the O
benchmark O
Hang O
Seng O
Index O
going O
up O
only O
7 O
. O
03 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
04 O
percent O
to O
18943 O
. O
58 O
, O
breaking O
the O
previous O
record O
of O
18 O
, O
936 O
. O
69 O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
Index O
opened O
166 O
. O
33 O
points O
higher O
to O
19102 O
. O
88 O
and O
reached O
an O
all O
- O
time O
high O
at O
19 O
, O
161 O
. O
38 O
during O
the O
trading O
, O
but O
can O
not O
keep O
the O
momentum O
and O
fell O
back O
at O
closing O
with O
a O
turnover O
of O
51 O
. O
72 O
billion O
HK O
dollars O
( O
6 O
. O
56 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

Market O
heavyweights O
China O
Mobile O
fell O
2 O
. O
47 O
percent O
to O
67 O
. O
05 O
HK O
dollars O
, O
while O
HSBC O
went O
up O
0 O
. O
53 O
percent O
to O
151 O
. O
20 O
HK O
dollars O
. O

Hong O
Kong O
property O
companies O
performed O
well O
on O
the O
news O
of O
bank O
interests O
cut O
this B-T
morning I-T
, O
with O
Cheung O
Kong O
up O
2 O
. O
07 O
percent O
to O
88 O
. O
75 O
HK O
dollars O
, O
Henderson O
Land O
up O
3 O
. O
81 O
percent O
to O
46 O
. O
3 O
HK O
dollars O
and O
SHK O
PPT O
up O
3 O
. O
34 O
percent O
to O
91 O
. O
3 O
HK O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0199 O

TIRANA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Overseas O
visitors O
to O
Albania O
hit O
record O
in O
summer O

A O
record O
number O
of O
overseas O
visitors O
came O
to O
Albania O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
summer I-T
, O
reaching O
well O
over O
550 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
an O
Albanian O
official O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Eris O
Hozha O
, O
director O
of O
the O
National O
Tourism O
Organization O
, O
explained O
that O
the O
increasing O
numbers O
of O
visitors O
are O
attracted O
by O
Albania O
' O
s O
well O
reserved O
cultural O
heritage O
. O

" O
Albania O
is O
home O
to O
the O
internationally O
renowned O
archeological O
sites O
, O
such O
as O
the O
Butrint O
National O
Park O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Stone O
City O
of O
Gjirokastra O
and O
its O
2500 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
city O
of O
Berati O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
Berati O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
granted O
World O
Heritage O
site O
status O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

He O
said O
that O
after O
the O
new O
terminal O
at O
the O
Tirana O
International O
Airport O
is O
completed O
in O
early B-T
2007 I-T
, O
an O
even O
greater O
number O
of O
visitors O
will O
come O
to O
Albania O
. O

Albania O
is O
a O
small O
, O
mountainous O
country O
, O
boasting O
some O
of O
the O
wildest O
mountain O
scenery O
in O
Europe O
. O
It O
has O
a O
least O
built O
- O
up O
coastline O
of O
150 O
miles O
in O
the O
Mediterranean O
region O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0676 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

CITIC O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
backed O
long O
- O
term O
debt O
assigned O
Baa3 O
rating O
by O
Moody O
' O
s O

International O
rating O
agency O
Moody O
' O
s O
Investors O
Service O
said O
Thursday B-T
it O
has O
assigned O
a O
medium O
grade O
rating O
to O
long O
- O
term O
foreign O
currency O
debt O
of O
a O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
listed O
China O
- O
owned O
firm O
. O

Moody O
' O
s O
assigned O
a O
" O
Baa O
3 O
" O
rating O
to O
long O
- O
term O
foreign O
currency O
debt O
guaranteed O
by O
China O
International O
Trust O
and O
Investment O
Corp O
. O
Hong O
Kong O
( O
Holdings O
) O
Ltd O
, O
which O
owns O
CITIC O
Pacific O
Ltd O
. O

It O
said O
that O
the O
rating O
reflected O
" O
the O
critical O
position O
" O
of O
CITIC O
Hong O
Kong O
in O
the O
group O
structure O
of O
the O
Beijing O
- O
based O
China O
International O
Trust O
and O
Investment O
Corp O
. O

CITIC O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
role O
within O
the O
group O
' O
s O
structure O
underpins O
its O
credit O
strength O
, O
Moody O
' O
s O
said O
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0016 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0016 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Ogden O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Ogden O
Estimates O
Unit O
Had O

@ O
Jump O
in O
Third O
- O
Period O
Net O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

OG O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Ogden O
Projects O
Inc O
. O
said O
net O
income O
jumped O
to O
$ O
6 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
or O
18 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
Fairfield O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
, O
company O
, O
which O
is O
92 O
% O
- O
owned O
by O
Ogden O
Corp O
. O
, O
New O
York O
, O
had O
net O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
four O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

Revenue O
soared O
to O
$ O
101 O
. O
7 O
million O
from O
$ O
39 O
. O
5 O
million O
. O

Ogden O
Projects O
, O
whose O
shares O
began O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
in O
August B-T
, O
closed O
yesterday B-T
at O
$ O
26 O
. O
875 O
, O
down O
75 O
cents O
. O

The O
stock O
began O
trading O
this B-T
summer I-T
at O
$ O
14 O
apiece O
. O

Ogden O
Projects O
, O
which O
has O
interests O
in O
solid O
- O
waste O
recovery O
and O
hazardous O
- O
waste O
cleanup O
, O
said O
it O
has O
13 O
facilities O
in O
operation O
, O
up O
from O
seven O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Ogden O
Corp O
. O
, O
which O
also O
has O
interests O
in O
building O
maintenance O
and O
management O
, O
reported O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
of O
$ O
27 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
67 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
more O
than O
twice O
the O
$ O
13 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
34 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier O
. O

Revenue O
rose O
33 O
% O
to O
$ O
378 O
. O
1 O
million O
from O
$ O
283 O
. O
8 O
million O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0556 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
April B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

UN O
Security O
Council O
denounces O
Libyan O
violation O
of O
air O
embargo O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
Friday B-T
denounced O
Libya O
for O
a O
" O
clear O
violation O
" O
of O
a O
UN O
air O
embargo O
for O
carrying O
passengers O
from O
Libya O
for O
the O
annual O
hajj O
, O
or O
pilgrimage O
to O
Mecca O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
read O
by O
council O
president O
Antonio O
Monteiro O
of O
Portugal O
, O
the O
council O
noted O
that O
arrangements O
had O
been O
made O
for O
Libyan O
worshippers O
to O
travel O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
without O
violating O
the O
embargo O
. O

But O
diplomats O
here O
said O
no O
additional O
action O
is O
planned O
against O
Tripoli O
. O

Libya O
violated O
the O
embargo O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
consecutive I-T
year I-T
Friday I-T
by O
bringing O
105 O
pilgrims O
, O
including O
members O
of O
Libya O
' O
s O
official O
delegation O
, O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
on O
a O
Libyan O
Arab O
Airways O
flight O
. O

The O
plane O
returned O
to O
Libya O
the B-T
next I-T
morning I-T
. O

Libya O
also O
violated O
the O
flight O
embargo O
in O
1995 B-T
and O
1996 B-T
to O
transport O
pilgrims O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
and O
for O
some O
trips O
by O
its O
leader O
, O
Colonel O
Moamer O
Kadhafi O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
imposed O
an O
international O
embargo O
on O
Libya O
in O
April B-T
1992 I-T
for O
its O
refusal O
to O
hand O
over O
two O
Libyans O
suspected O
of O
involvement O
in O
the O
bombing O
of O
a O
Pan O
Am O
plane O
over O
Lockerbie O
, O
Scotland O
in O
1988 B-T
which O
killed O
270 O
people O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0202 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Abbas O
, O
Haneya O
slam O
Israel O
' O
s O
new O
round O
of O
Gaza O
offensive O

Palestinian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
and O
Prime O
Minister O
Ismail O
Haneya O
slammed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
separately O
a O
fresh O
Israeli O
raid O
into O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
where O
six O
Palestinians O
were O
killed O
and O
dozens O
wounded O
. O

Abbas O
described O
the O
Israeli O
operations O
as O
" O
a O
circle O
of O
dangerous O
and O
ignoble O
series O
because O
Israel O
is O
considering O
systematic O
operations O
in O
Gaza O
Strip O
without O
any O
reason O
. O
" O

Israeli O
army O
confirmed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
that O
the O
Israel O
Defense O
Force O
( O
IDF O
) O
is O
conducting O
a O
large O
- O
scale O
operation O
in O
Beit O
Hanoun O
, O
northern O
town O
of O
the O
Gaza O
Stripe O
. O

Six O
Palestinians O
had O
been O
reported O
as O
being O
killed O
and O
over O
20 O
others O
injured O
in O
the O
operation O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Haneya O
also O
condemned O
the O
Israeli O
operation O
in O
Gaza O
at O
a O
news O
conference O
held O
outside O
his O
office O
in O
Gaza O
. O

He O
said O
that O
the O
Israeli O
operation O
came O
as O
part O
of O
a O
pressure O
campaign O
exerted O
against O
the O
Hamas O
- O
led O
government O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
. O

Attributing O
the O
action O
to O
the O
inclusion O
of O
an O
ultra O
- O
nationalist O
politician O
into O
Israel O
' O
s O
government O
, O
Haneya O
said O
that O
" O
The O
massacre O
committed O
today B-T
in O
Beit O
Hanoun O
is O
a O
result O
of O
the O
Israeli O
government O
' O
s O
move O
to O
include O
a O
radical O
minister O
. O
" O

He O
warned O
that O
the O
inclusion O
of O
Avigdor O
Lieberman O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
extreme O
- O
right O
party O
Yisrael O
Beiteinu O
, O
into O
the O
Israeli O
cabinet O
" O
would O
affect O
the O
nature O
of O
the O
Israeli O
escalation O
against O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
. O
" O

On O
Monday B-T
evening I-T
, O
Israeli O
Knesset O
( O
parliament O
) O
voted O
and O
approved O
the O
addition O
of O
extreme O
- O
right O
party O
Yisrael O
Beiteinu O
into O
the O
government O
coalition O
, O
drawing O
criticisms O
from O
Israel O
' O
s O
left O
parties O
and O
Palestinian O
side O
. O

Haneya O
also O
called O
on O
the O
international O
community O
and O
the O
Arab O
League O
to O
intervene O
immediately O
and O
put O
an O
end O
to O
the O
Israeli O
offensive O
, O
while O
urging O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
to O
unite O
and O
shelve O
their O
differences O
. O

The O
Islamic O
Jihad O
( O
Holy O
War O
) O
movement O
also O
condemned O
the O
Israeli O
military O
operations O
in O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
saying O
the O
Israeli O
army O
" O
tries O
to O
recover O
its O
dignity O
lost O
in O
the O
recent O
war O
in O
Lebanon O
. O
" O

Islamic O
Jihad O
' O
s O
leader O
in O
Gaza O
, O
Khaled O
al O
- O
Batsh O
, O
told O
reporters O
that O
Israel O
" O
was O
seeking O
a O
fake O
victory O
in O
Gaza O
. O
" O

He O
also O
said O
the O
operations O
" O
are O
a O
gift O
to O
the O
ultra O
- O
nationalist O
bigot O
Avigdor O
Lieberman O
who O
joined O
the O
government O
to O
expand O
aggression O
and O
terrorism O
. O
" O

Meanwhile O
, O
Chief O
Palestinian O
negotiator O
Saeb O
Erekat O
said O
the O
Israeli O
escalation O
" O
became O
intolerable O
. O
" O

Calling O
on O
the O
international O
community O
to O
bear O
responsibility O
and O
intervene O
, O
Erekat O
said O
that O
the O
Palestinian O
National O
Authority O
( O
PNA O
) O
had O
repeatedly O
called O
for O
the O
European O
countries O
' O
intervention O
, O
but O
the O
Israeli O
aggression O
, O
however O
, O
continued O
. O

Erekat O
expressed O
hope O
the O
Middle O
East O
Quartet O
would O
move O
to O
revive O
the O
peace O
process O
between O
Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
adding O
the O
release O
of O
the O
Israeli O
soldier O
and O
forming O
a O
new O
Palestinian O
government O
would O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
Israeli O
- O
Palestinian O
negotiations O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0034 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Israeli O
woman O
killed O
by O
Palestinian O
rocket O
attack O
: O
TV O

An O
Israeli O
woman O
was O
killed O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Sderot O
by O
a O
rocket O
attack O
from O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Israel O
' O
s O
Channel O
2 O
television O
reported O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061231 O
. O
0046 O

ATHENS O
, O
Dec B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Saddam O
- O
related O
bomb O
scare O
forces O
Greek O
plane O
landing O

A O
Greek O
aircraft O
bound O
for O
New O
York O
made O
a O
dawn O
emergency O
landing O
Sunday B-T
in O
Ireland O
after O
a O
telephone O
caller O
said O
there O
was O
a O
bomb O
on O
board O
" O
for O
Saddam O
( O
Hussein O
) O
" O
, O
the O
dead O
Iraqi O
dictator O
. O

The O
plane O
, O
belonging O
to O
Olympic O
Airlines O
, O
had O
left O
Athens O
for O
the O
United O
States O
with O
183 O
passengers O
and O
12 O
crew O
and O
landed O
at O
Shannon O
in O
the O
west O
of O
Ireland O
. O

Those O
aboard O
disembarked O
and O
were O
taken O
to O
a O
hotel O
while O
the O
aircraft O
, O
an O
Airbus O
340 O
, O
was O
searched O
. O

" O
Unknown O
individuals O
speaking O
English O
with O
an O
Arab O
accent O
warned O
of O
the O
presence O
of O
a O
bomb O
on O
the O
plane O
, O
saying O
it O
was O
' O
for O
Saddam O
' O
" O
, O
an O
airline O
spokesman O
said O
, O
adding O
two O
calls O
had O
been O
received O
at O
Athens O
airport O
early B-T
Suday I-T
morning I-T
. O

The O
airline O
told O
the O
aircraft O
to O
land O
at O
the O
nearest O
airport O
and O
it O
touched O
down O
at O
Shannon O
at O
4 O
: O
20 O
am O
( O
0420GMT O
) O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0034 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

India O
disowns O
' O
Saudi O
bungling O
' O
claim O
after O
Mecca O
blaze O

India O
has O
disowned O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
' O
s O
allegations O
that O
Saudi O
bungling O
led O
to O
the O
deaths O
of O
some O
Indian O
pilgrims O
in O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
Mecca O
disaster O
, O
newspapers O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
Hindustan O
Times O
said O
the O
foreign O
ministry O
had O
rejected O
the O
allegations O
by O
India O
' O
s O
Consul O
General O
Afzal O
Amanullah O
in O
Jeddah O
following O
a O
blaze O
on O
April B-T
15 I-T
which O
left O
at O
least O
343 O
dead O
. O

Amanullah O
claimed O
Indian O
pilgrims O
had O
been O
locked O
in O
their O
camp O
by O
their O
Saudi O
guides O
, O
condemning O
them O
to O
their O
fate O
. O
More O
than O
100 O
Indians O
are O
believed O
to O
have O
died O
in O
the O
fire O
. O

But O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
said O
the O
consul O
general O
views O
appeared O
to O
be O
based O
on O
" O
information O
provided O
by O
a O
few O
of O
the O
injured O
relating O
to O
the O
conduct O
of O
an O
individual O
gatekeeper O
. O
" O

He O
said O
no O
pilgrims O
had O
made O
a O
complaint O
about O
a O
locked O
gate O
to O
an O
investigating O
team O
from O
India O
and O
it O
would O
be O
" O
premature O
to O
approportion O
blame O
. O
" O

He O
added O
: O
" O
No O
broad O
generalisations O
about O
the O
tragic O
accident O
can O
be O
drawn O
on O
this O
basis O
. O
" O

Saudi O
officials O
say O
the O
fire O
killed O
at O
least O
343 O
people O
and O
left O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
500 O
wounded O
during O
the O
annual O
Moslem O
pilgrimage O
to O
Mecca O
known O
as O
the O
hajj O
. O

A O
preliminary O
Indian O
investigation O
, O
however O
, O
has O
indicated O
600 O
may O
have O
died O
. O
Most O
of O
the O
victims O
were O
from O
Asian O
countries O
, O
notably O
India O
and O
Pakistan O
. O

The O
Saudi O
authorities O
said O
the O
blaze O
, O
which O
incinerated O
70 O
, O
000 O
tents O
, O
was O
started O
accidently O
by O
the O
explosion O
of O
a O
gas O
canister O
used O
for O
cooking O
in O
the O
Pakistani O
pilgrims O
' O
camp O
. O

Amanullah O
reportedly O
said O
there O
had O
been O
time O
to O
save O
the O
pilgrims O
, O
adding O
: O
" O
You O
do O
not O
prevent O
your O
own O
pilgrims O
from O
rushing O
out O
to O
safety O
. O
You O
do O
not O
confine O
them O
to O
a O
small O
space O
and O
certain O
death O
. O
" O

The O
Hindustan O
Times O
said O
the O
foreign O
ministry O
announcement O
had O
been O
made O
" O
apparently O
in O
deference O
to O
Saudi O
clout O
. O
" O

The O
Asian O
Age O
, O
in O
an O
unsourced O
front O
page O
article O
, O
accused O
the O
Indian O
government O
of O
a O
" O
soft O
approach O
" O
, O
arguing O
India O
did O
not O
want O
to O
offend O
Saudi O
Arabia O
since O
many O
of O
its O
nationals O
worked O
there O
and O
it O
also O
relied O
on O
Saudi O
oil O
supplies O
. O

The O
newspaper O
added O
that O
many O
returning O
pilgrims O
also O
accused O
their O
guides O
of O
" O
fleecing O
" O
them O
of O
their O
money O
. O

But O
Maqbool O
Dar O
, O
an O
Indian O
home O
minister O
who O
was O
on O
the O
pilgrimage O
and O
who O
is O
to O
brief O
Indian O
Prime O
Minister O
Inder O
Kumar O
Gujral O
on O
the O
tragedy O
, O
told O
the O
paper O
that O
there O
had O
been O
" O
excellent O
arrangements O
" O
by O
the O
authorities O
at O
the O
hajj O
. O

Relatives O
of O
the O
Indian O
victims O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
are O
reportedly O
due O
to O
be O
paid O
100 O
, O
000 O
rupees O
( O
around O
2 O
, O
800 O
dollars O
) O
in O
compensation O
by O
the O
government O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0148 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

report O

China O
' O
s O
economy O
will O
continue O
to O
grow O
at O
around O
9 O
. O
5 O
percent O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
with O
fixed O
asset O
investment O
up O
20 O
percent O
on O
2006 B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
latest O
report O
from O
the O
State O
Information O
Center O
( O
SIC O
) O
. O

According O
to O
the O
SIC O
, O
a O
think O
tank O
under O
the O
National O
Development O
and O
Reform O
Commission O
, O
the O
three O
main O
engines O
driving O
Chinese O
economic O
growth O
- O
- O
exports O
, O
consumption O
and O
investment O
- O
- O
will O
all O
slow O
down O
a O
little O
. O

Fixed O
asset O
investment O
is O
expected O
to O
hit O
13 O
. O
45 O
trillion O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
68 O
trillion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
up O
20 O
percent O
, O
but O
6 O
. O
5 O
percentage O
points O
lower O
than O
the O
figure O
predicted O
for O
2006 B-T
. O

China O
' O
s O
fixed O
asset O
investment O
rose O
to O
7 O
. O
19 O
trillion O
yuan O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
up O
27 O
. O
3 O
percent O
from O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
National O
Bureau O
of O
Statistics O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
volume O
of O
retail O
sales O
will O
reach O
8 O
. O
59 O
trillion O
yuan O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
a O
nominal O
growth O
of O
12 O
. O
5 O
percent O
, O
but O
again O
1 O
. O
1 O
percentage O
points O
lower O
than O
the O
predicted O
whole O
- O
year O
growth O
rate O
for O
2006 B-T
. O

Exports O
will O
jump O
15 O
percent O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
which O
is O
9 O
. O
5 O
percentage O
points O
slower O
than O
in O
2006 B-T
. O
The O
trade O
surplus O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
177 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
30 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
more O
than O
in O
2006 B-T
. O

To O
achieve O
a O
balance O
in O
international O
payments O
, O
the O
think O
tank O
suggested O
adjusting O
the O
tax O
system O
and O
speeding O
up O
the O
standardization O
of O
corporate O
income O
tax O
for O
domestic O
and O
overseas O
- O
funded O
companies O
. O

It O
said O
that O
China O
could O
use O
its O
ample O
foreign O
reserves O
to O
buy O
in O
reserves O
of O
strategic O
resources O
like O
crude O
oil O
and O
major O
metal O
products O
when O
prices O
on O
the O
international O
market O
are O
low O
. O

The O
SIC O
also O
suggested O
the O
government O
institute O
heavier O
taxes O
on O
fossil O
energy O
such O
as O
coal O
, O
oil O
and O
natural O
gas O
, O
in O
order O
to O
improve O
energy O
efficiency O
. O

China O
should O
follow O
a O
slightly O
more O
stringent O
monetary O
policy O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
restricting O
newly O
increased O
loans O
to O
three O
trillion O
yuan O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

Sizzling O
fixed O
asset O
investment O
needed O
to O
be O
curbed O
, O
but O
more O
work O
should O
also O
be O
done O
to O
regulate O
investment O
structure O
, O
and O
government O
should O
put O
more O
money O
into O
public O
service O
sectors O
like O
education O
, O
public O
sanitation O
, O
resource O
conservation O
and O
environmental O
protection O
. O

China O
' O
s O
11th O
five O
- O
year O
plan O
( O
2006 O
- O
2010 O
) O
projects O
continued O
high O
economic O
growth O
based O
on O
higher O
domestic O
consumption O
. O

According O
to O
the O
latest O
statistics O
, O
China O
' O
s O
consumer O
price O
index O
, O
the O
key O
inflation O
indicator O
, O
rose O
by O
1 O
. O
4 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
in O
October B-T
, O
0 O
. O
2 O
percentage O
points O
higher O
than O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0021 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0021 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Ratners O
Group O
PLC O
: O

@ O
Bid O
for O
Another O
Jeweler O

@ O
Is O
Raised O
to O
$ O
62 O
. O
1 O
Million O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

RATNY O
WEIS O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

Ratners O
Group O
PLC O
, O
a O
fast O
- O
growing O
, O
acquisition O
- O
minded O
London O
- O
based O
jeweler O
, O
raised O
its O
price O
for O
Seattle O
- O
based O
specialty O
jeweler O
Weisfield O
' O
s O
Inc O
. O
to O
$ O
57 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
, O
or O
$ O
62 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
from O
$ O
50 O
a O
share O
, O
or O
$ O
55 O
million O
, O
after O
another O
concern O
said O
it O
would O
be O
prepared O
to O
outbid O
Ratners O
' O
s O
initial O
offer O
. O

The O
other O
concern O
was O
n O
' O
t O
identified O
. O

Ratners O
' O
s O
chairman O
, O
Gerald O
Ratner O
, O
said O
the O
deal O
remains O
of O
" O
substantial O
benefit O
to O
Ratners O
. O
" O

In O
London O
at O
mid B-T
- I-T
afternoon I-T
yesterday I-T
, O
Ratners O
' O
s O
shares O
were O
up O
2 O
pence O
( O
1 O
. O
26 O
cents O
) O
, O
at O
260 O
pence O
( O
$ O
1 O
. O
64 O
) O
. O

The O
sweetened O
offer O
has O
acceptances O
from O
more O
than O
50 O
% O
of O
Weisfield O
' O
s O
shareholders O
, O
and O
it O
is O
scheduled O
for O
completion O
by O
Dec B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
. O

The O
acquisition O
of O
87 O
- O
store O
Weisfield O
' O
s O
raises O
Ratners O
' O
s O
U O
. O
S O
. O
presence O
to O
450 O
stores O
. O

About O
30 O
% O
of O
Ratners O
' O
s O
profit O
already B-T
is O
derived O
from O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0238 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Korean O
, O
Japanese O
FMs O
to O
hold O
meeting O
on O
sidelines O
of O
APEC O
forum O

South O
Korean O
and O
Japanese O
foreign O
ministers O
are O
to O
hold O
bilateral O
meeting O
later O
Monday B-T
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
, O
according O
to O
a O
schedule O
distributed O
by O
the O
South O
Korean O
Ministry O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
and O
Trade O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

It O
will O
be O
their O
first O
meeting O
since O
Japanese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Taro O
Asao O
took O
office O
in O
late B-T
October I-T
. O

During O
their O
meeting O
, O
South O
Korean O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ban O
Ki O
- O
moon O
and O
Asao O
are O
expected O
to O
discuss O
bilateral O
relations O
which O
had O
been O
in O
a O
cold O
water O
since O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Junichiro O
Koizumi O
paid O
a O
visit O
to O
a O
controversial O
shrine O
in O
October B-T
. O

On O
Oct B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, O
Koizumi O
paid O
his O
fifth O
homage O
to O
the O
Yasukuni O
Shrine O
which O
honors O
2 O
million O
Japanese O
war O
dead O
, O
including O
14 O
Class O
A O
criminals O
of O
the O
World O
War O
II O
. O

South O
Korean O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ban O
initially O
hinted O
at O
canceling O
his O
planned O
visit O
to O
Tokyo O
in O
protest O
against O
Koizumi O
' O
s O
shrine O
visit O
but O
later O
went O
ahead O
with O
the O
trip O
in O
late B-T
October I-T
, O
citing O
the O
need O
for O
" O
unavoidable O
diplomatic O
activities O
. O
" O

The O
Ban O
- O
Aso O
meeting O
, O
to O
be O
held O
at O
the O
BEXCO O
( O
Busan O
Exhibition O
and O
Convention O
) O
center O
on O
late B-T
Monday I-T
afternoon I-T
, O
comes O
ahead O
of O
a O
summit O
meeting O
between O
South O
Korean O
President O
Roh O
Moo O
- O
hyun O
and O
Koizumi O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
two O
diplomats O
are O
also O
to O
have O
dinner O
meeting O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
APEC O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
is O
scheduled O
to O
be O
held O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
Wednesday B-T
at O
BEXCO O
, O
before O
the O
holding O
of O
the O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
in O
Busan O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0256 O

AUGUSTA O
, O
Georgia O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Mourners O
Saturday B-T
paid O
a O
last O
tribute O
to O
" O
Godfather O
of O
Soul O
" O
James O
Brown O
, O
whose O
body O
lay O
in O
state O
at O
a O
public O
funeral O
ceremony O
in O
his O
hometown O
deep O
in O
the O
US O
South O
. O

Fans O
of O
the O
towering O
music O
icon O
filed O
silently O
past O
the O
open O
, O
white O
- O
lined O
casket O
set O
among O
huge O
wreaths O
at O
the O
center O
of O
the O
James O
Brown O
Arena O
in O
Augusta O
, O
Georgia O
. O

The O
Reverend O
Al O
Sharpton O
, O
a O
civil O
rights O
advocate O
, O
former O
presidential O
contender O
and O
close O
friend O
of O
Brown O
, O
was O
scheduled O
to O
participate O
later O
in O
the O
day O
in O
what O
was O
dubbed O
a O
" O
Homecoming O
Celebration O
. O
" O

The O
event O
was O
was O
the O
final O
tribute O
for O
Brown O
, O
who O
was O
honored O
on O
Thursday B-T
at O
the O
famed O
Apollo O
Theater O
in O
New O
York O
' O
s O
Harlem O
neighborhood O
, O
and O
at O
a O
private O
ceremony O
relatives O
held O
in O
Augusta O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Brown O
, O
who O
shaped O
American O
rhythm O
- O
and O
- O
blues O
, O
funk O
and O
disco O
genres O
for O
a B-T
half I-T
- I-T
century I-T
and O
was O
a O
charter O
inductee O
into O
the O
Rock O
and O
Roll O
Hall O
of O
Fame O
, O
died O
of O
complications O
from O
pneumonia O
in O
the O
state O
capital O
Atlanta O
on O
Christmas B-T
Day I-T
. O
He O
was O
73 O
. O

Born O
in O
the O
small O
South O
Carolina O
town O
of O
Barnwell O
in O
1933 B-T
, O
Brown O
moved O
at O
the O
age O
of O
four O
to O
Augusta O
, O
where O
he O
grew O
up O
in O
a O
brothel O
run O
by O
his O
aunt O
. O

For O
the B-T
past I-T
days I-T
, O
mournful O
and O
adoring O
fans O
have O
flocked O
to O
a O
statue O
of O
Brown O
leaving O
flowers O
, O
records O
and O
messages O
at O
its O
feet O
. O

The O
bronze O
statue O
, O
depicting O
Brown O
microphone O
- O
in O
- O
hand O
and O
shrouded O
in O
an O
American O
flag O
, O
stands O
in O
a O
square O
named O
after O
the O
famous O
singer O
. O

Augusta O
recently B-T
adopted O
" O
We O
Feel O
Good O
" O
as O
its O
city O
motto O
- O
- O
a O
play O
on O
Brown O
' O
s O
1965 O
hit O
" O
I O
Got O
You O
( O
I O
Feel O
Good O
) O
. O
" O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0043 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0043 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
StatesWest O
Airlines O
: O

@ O
Offer O
for O
Mesa O
Withdrawn O
; O

@ O
Firm O
to O
Continue O
Pursuit O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

SWAL O
MESA O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

StatesWest O
Airlines O
, O
Phoenix O
, O
Ariz O
. O
, O
said O
it O
withdrew O
its O
offer O
to O
acquire O
Mesa O
Airlines O
because O
the O
Farmington O
, O
N O
. O
M O
. O
, O
carrier O
did O
n O
' O
t O
respond O
to O
its O
offer O
by O
the O
close O
of O
business O
yesterday B-T
, O
a O
deadline O
StatesWest O
had O
set O
for O
a O
response O
. O

However O
, O
StatesWest O
is O
n O
' O
t O
abandoning O
its O
pursuit O
of O
the O
much O
- O
larger O
Mesa O
. O

StatesWest O
, O
which O
has O
a O
7 O
. O
25 O
% O
stake O
in O
Mesa O
, O
said O
it O
may O
purchase O
more O
Mesa O
stock O
or O
make O
a O
tender O
offer O
directly O
to O
Mesa O
shareholders O
. O

StatesWest O
had O
proposed O
acquiring O
Mesa O
for O
$ O
7 O
a O
share O
and O
one O
share O
of O
a O
new O
series O
of O
StatesWest O
6 O
% O
convertible O
preferred O
stock O
it O
values O
at O
$ O
3 O
a O
share O
. O

Earlier O
, O
Mesa O
had O
rejected O
a O
general O
proposal O
from O
StatesWest O
to O
combine O
the O
two O
carriers O
in O
some O
way O
. O

StatesWest O
serves O
10 O
cities O
in O
California O
, O
Arizona O
and O
Nevada O
. O

Mesa O
flies O
to O
42 O
cities O
in O
New O
Mexico O
, O
Arizona O
, O
Wyoming O
, O
Colorado O
and O
Texas O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0254 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Relief O
agency O
steps O
up O
emergency O
operations O
in O
Somalia O

The O
International O
Committee O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
( O
ICRC O
) O
on O
Wednesday B-T
launched O
emergency O
operations O
to O
help O
hundreds O
of O
thousands O
of O
people O
affected O
by O
severe O
floods O
in O
Somalia O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
issued O
in O
Nairobi O
, O
the O
relief O
agency O
said O
it O
was O
stepping O
up O
its O
emergency O
operation O
to O
assist O
more O
than O
300 O
, O
00 O
people O
affected O
by O
floods O
in O
southern O
Somalia O
. O

" O
The O
year O
2006 B-T
has I-T
been O
catastrophic O
for O
the O
Somali O
people O
. O
After O
the O
worst O
drought O
in O
a O
decade O
, O
they O
are O
now B-T
facing O
torrential O
rain O
, O
" O
said O
Pascal O
Hundt O
, O
head O
of O
the O
ICRC O
delegation O
in O
Somalia O
. O

" O
Families O
are O
pushed O
to O
the O
limit O
of O
their O
capabilities O
, O
trying O
to O
survive O
under O
such O
extreme O
climate O
conditions O
. O
What O
they O
need O
most O
is O
drinking O
water O
, O
shelter O
and O
food O
, O
" O
Hundt O
added O
. O

The O
ICRC O
started O
airlifting O
tarpaulins O
to O
assist O
324 O
, O
000 O
people O
in O
Jubba O
, O
Gedo O
and O
Hiraan O
regions O
, O
where O
floods O
have O
swept O
farmlands O
, O
disrupted O
food O
supplies O
and O
cut O
off O
villages O
, O
claiming O
at O
least O
52 O
lives O
and O
affecting O
nearly O
a O
million O
people O
. O

The O
World O
Food O
Program O
( O
WFP O
) O
on O
Monday B-T
launched O
a O
three O
- O
month O
regional O
air O
operation O
with O
fixed O
- O
wing O
aircraft O
and O
helicopters O
to O
transport O
humanitarian O
workers O
and O
aid O
to O
regions O
in O
Somalia O
and O
Kenya O
that O
have O
been O
cut O
off O
by O
the O
floods O
. O

" O
We O
are O
particularly O
concerned O
about O
the O
situation O
in O
Somalia O
. O
The O
floods O
compound O
what O
was O
already O
one O
of O
the O
most O
horrendous O
humanitarian O
situations O
in O
the O
world O
. O
The O
country O
has O
endured O
15 B-T
years I-T
of O
armed O
conflict O
; O
it O
lacks O
basic O
health O
services O
and O
infrastructure O
, O
" O
Hundt O
said O
. O

The O
rain O
has O
also O
dislodged O
landmines O
seeded O
in O
Somalia O
' O
s O
long O
- O
running O
strife O
, O
posing O
additional O
hazards O
. O

The O
UN O
Children O
' O
s O
Fund O
( O
UNICEF O
) O
estimated O
that O
it O
would O
need O
well O
over O
7 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
Somalia O
alone O
to O
provide O
aid O
to O
a O
projected O
1 O
million O
flood O
victims O
. O

The O
floods O
which O
also O
affect O
Kenya O
and O
Ethiopia O
began O
in O
late B-T
October I-T
and O
intensified O
food O
insecurity O
brought O
about O
by O
the O
drought O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

In O
many O
areas O
, O
the O
soil O
was O
so O
dry O
that O
it O
could O
not O
even O
absorb O
rainwater O
. O
The O
few O
crops O
that O
survived O
the O
drought O
are O
now O
destroyed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0355 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
Japan O
, O
EU O
, O
Norway O
open O
conference O
on O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
peace O

Officials O
from O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Japan O
, O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
and O
Norway O
opened O
a O
two O
- O
day O
conference O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
regarding O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
fragile O
peace O
process O
. O

" O
This O
is O
basically O
the O
main O
forum O
that O
we O
' O
re O
using O
to O
discuss O
strategies O
that O
the O
international O
community O
can O
pursue O
to O
be O
able O
to O
encourage O
the O
peace O
process O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
, O
" O
State O
Department O
deputy O
spokesman O
Tom O
Casey O
said O
at O
a O
briefing O
. O

" O
We O
will O
be O
looking O
to O
see O
what O
we O
can O
do O
to O
help O
move O
that O
process O
forward O
. O
And O
we O
think O
it O
' O
s O
important O
for O
the O
people O
of O
Sri O
Lanka O
that O
peace O
process O
does O
move O
forward O
and O
ultimately O
leads O
to O
a O
resolution O
of O
the O
long O
- O
standing O
situation O
in O
that O
country O
, O
" O
Casey O
said O
. O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Undersecretary O
of O
State O
Nicholas O
Burns O
and O
Richard O
Boucher O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
assistant O
secretary O
of O
state O
for O
South O
Asia O
, O
will O
join O
officials O
from O
the O
EU O
, O
Japan O
and O
Norway O
at O
the O
conference O
, O
Casey O
added O
. O

The O
Tamil O
Tigers O
have O
been O
fighting O
for O
a O
separate O
homeland O
for O
3 O
. O
2 O
million O
ethnic O
Tamils O
living O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
, O
accusing O
the O
majority O
Sinhalese O
population O
of O
discriminating O
them O
. O
Although O
neither O
side O
has O
officially O
withdrawn O
from O
the O
truce O
signed O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
over O
3 O
, O
200 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
the O
ongoing O
violence O
since O
December B-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0377 O

BERLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
Mars O
project O
, O
figures O
/ O
/ O
/ O

European O
ministers O
meeting O
at O
a O
two O
- O
day O
conference O
of O
the O
European O
Space O
Agency O
( O
ESA O
) O
have O
agreed O
to O
prioritise O
European O
satellite O
launchers O
over O
cheaper O
options O
in O
other O
countries O
, O
ESA O
officials O
told O
AFP O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
ministers O
adopted O
a O
five O
- O
year O
programme O
, O
which O
will O
cost O
about O
8 O
. O
255 O
billion O
euros O
( O
9 O
. O
710 O
million O
dollars O
) O
and O
includes O
an O
Earth O
surveillance O
project O
that O
is O
focused O
on O
both O
security O
and O
the O
environment O
, O
they O
said O
. O

The O
decisions O
prove O
" O
the O
will O
and O
the O
desire O
to O
take O
Europe O
further O
" O
in O
space O
research O
, O
an O
area O
that O
has O
become O
" O
strategic O
" O
, O
Dutch O
Economy O
Minister O
Laurens O
Jan O
Brinkhorst O
, O
told O
the O
press O
. O

The O
" O
European O
preference O
" O
will O
mean O
that O
the O
17 O
member O
countries O
of O
ESA O
will O
give O
priority O
to O
launchers O
developed O
by O
the O
agency O
, O
such O
as O
the O
Ariane O
5 O
and O
its O
smaller O
cousin O
Vega O
, O
which O
is O
expected O
to O
make O
its O
first O
flight O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O

Russia O
' O
s O
Soyuz O
launcher O
is O
to O
be O
used O
as O
a O
medium O
- O
sized O
option O
when O
launched O
from O
the O
ESA O
centre O
in O
French O
Guyana O
from O
2008 B-T
- I-T
2009 I-T
. O

The O
European O
Space O
Agency O
had O
been O
seeking O
to O
persuade O
member O
states O
to O
give O
preference O
to O
Europe O
- O
produced O
launchers O
, O
rather O
than O
cheaper O
alternatives O
in O
Russia O
and O
India O
, O
in O
order O
to O
support O
technology O
developed O
on O
the O
continent O
. O

European O
operators O
will O
have O
recourse O
to O
non O
- O
European O
satellite O
launchers O
only O
if O
the O
price O
in O
Europe O
is O
more O
than O
25 O
percent O
higher O
than O
an O
alternative O
elsewhere O
, O
or O
if O
their O
technical O
needs O
cannot O
be O
met O
in O
Europe O
, O
according O
to O
the O
principle O
accepted O
by O
ministers O
, O
official O
said O
. O

" O
It O
is O
going O
to O
reinforce O
the O
coherence O
of O
the O
ESA O
member O
states O
' O
policies O
on O
satellites O
. O
We O
are O
increasingly O
going O
to O
develop O
European O
standards O
, O
" O
ESA O
director O
Jean O
- O
Jacques O
Dordain O
said O
. O

In O
other O
measures O
adopted O
at O
the O
meeting O
, O
ministers O
agreed O
to O
continue O
financing O
the O
International O
Space O
Station O
, O
which O
faced O
an O
uncertain O
future O
. O
The O
project O
is O
to O
receive O
650 O
million O
euros O
( O
766 O
million O
dollars O
) O
until O
2008 B-T
, O
the O
sources O
said O
. O

Ministers O
also O
agreed O
to O
increase O
their O
budget O
payments O
for O
space O
research O
by O
2 O
. O
5 O
percent O
per O
year O
until O
2010 B-T
to O
take O
account O
of O
inflation O
. O
The O
ESA O
budget O
for O
space O
research O
is O
500 O
million O
euros O
and O
is O
paid O
for O
by O
all O
member O
states O
of O
ESA O
. O

The O
ExoMars O
mission O
, O
which O
is O
aimed O
at O
sending O
a O
robot O
in O
search O
of O
traces O
of O
past O
or O
present O
life O
on O
Mars O
in O
2011 B-T
, O
was O
given O
additional O
funding O
at O
the O
meeting O
. O

" O
Europe O
will O
land O
on O
Mars O
in O
2011 B-T
, O
" O
Dordain O
said O
. O

The O
ministers O
also O
gave O
their O
backing O
to O
a O
project O
to O
prepare O
for O
ESA O
to O
have O
a O
stake O
in O
a O
future O
inhabitable O
moon O
base O
. O
They O
approved O
a O
total O
724 O
million O
euros O
for O
this O
and O
the O
ExoMars O
mission O
. O

The O
only O
project O
that O
was O
shelved O
was O
ESA O
' O
s O
planned O
participation O
in O
the O
so O
- O
called O
Russian O
space O
aircraft O
project O
Clipper O
. O

Dordain O
said O
it O
was O
however O
only O
a O
delay O
and O
ESA O
could O
return O
to O
the O
issue O
later O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0014 O

WELLINGTON O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

NZ O
wins O
right O
to O
fish O
Antarctic O
waters O
but O
worried O
about O
illegal O
trade O

New O
Zealand O
has O
won O
the O
legal O
right O
to O
fish O
in O
Antarctic O
waters O
but O
a O
senior O
cabinet O
minister O
Tuesday B-T
said O
the O
country O
was O
worried O
about O
illegal O
fishing O
spreading O
in O
the O
region O
. O

Associate O
Minister O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
and O
Trade O
Simon O
Upton O
said O
there O
had O
been O
reports O
of O
large O
- O
scale O
illegal O
fishing O
of O
Antarctic O
toothfish O
in O
waters O
south O
of O
South O
Africa O
. O

" O
More O
than O
40 O
vessels O
are O
reported O
as O
having O
caught O
over O
30 O
, O
000 O
tonnes O
of O
the O
high O
value O
toothfish O
, O
" O
he O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Fishing O
in O
these O
waters O
was O
subject O
to O
regulation O
by O
the O
Hobart O
- O
based O
Convention O
for O
the O
Conservation O
of O
Antarctic O
Marine O
Living O
Resources O
, O
which O
, O
for O
the O
first O
time O
, O
has O
agreed O
to O
let O
New O
Zealand O
fish O
for O
toothfish O
in O
the O
Ross O
Sea O
this O
year O
. O

New O
Zealand O
would O
be O
bound O
by O
strict O
limitations O
set O
by O
the O
convention O
, O
Upton O
said O
. O

Unregulated O
fishing O
on O
the O
scale O
reportedly O
taking O
place O
off O
the O
coast O
of O
South O
Africa O
threatened O
the O
fragile O
Antarctic O
ecosystem O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
It O
may O
pose O
a O
threat O
to O
the O
waters O
south O
of O
New O
Zealand O
, O
if O
reports O
that O
this O
fishing O
is O
continuing O
to O
spread O
westwards O
into O
French O
and O
Australian O
Antarctic O
waters O
, O
are O
borne O
out O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0214 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Fulham O
beat O
Everton O
1 O
- O
0 O
in O
English O
Premiership O

Claus O
Jensen O
' O
s O
deflected O
second O
- O
half O
strike O
awarded O
Fulham O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
victory O
over O
visiting O
Everton O
in O
the O
English O
Premiership O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
sole O
goal O
of O
the O
game O
came O
in O
the O
65th O
minute O
when O
Jensen O
' O
s O
angled O
shot O
from O
20 O
yards O
flew O
off O
Tim O
Cahill O
and O
beyond O
Everton O
keeper O
Tim O
Howard O
. O

It O
completed O
the O
transformation O
of O
a O
game O
Everton O
had O
completely O
dominated O
for O
the B-T
first I-T
half I-T
. O

Andrew O
Johnson O
missed O
two O
good O
chances O
and O
also O
saw O
clear O
penalty O
appeals O
ignored O
when O
he O
tumbled O
under O
a O
challenge O
from O
Fulham O
' O
s O
Ian O
Pearce O
. O

It O
continued O
Everton O
' O
s O
miserable O
sequence O
of O
40 B-T
years I-T
without O
a O
win O
at O
Fulham O
and O
maintained O
Chris O
Coleman O
' O
s O
side O
' O
s O
steady O
start O
to O
the O
season O
. O

Everton O
named O
an O
unchanged O
side O
after O
the O
creditable O
draw O
at O
Arsenal O
, O
while O
Fulham O
were O
able O
to O
recall O
captain O
Luis O
Boa O
Morte O
after O
he O
recovered O
from O
a O
fractured O
cheekbone O
. O

And O
the O
Merseysiders O
controlled O
the O
first O
45 O
minutes O
, O
with O
England O
striker O
Johnson O
a O
central O
figure O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0340 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Paris O
busts O
stereotypes O
with O
new O
tourist O
ads O
aimed O
at O
Britons O

A O
dip O
in O
arrivals O
from O
Britain O
, O
its O
biggest O
tourist O
market O
, O
has O
pushed O
Paris O
to O
re O
- O
think O
the O
way O
it O
packages O
itself O
and O
throw O
off O
some O
of O
the O
sniffy O
stereotypes O
it O
has O
been O
saddled O
with O
. O

On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
tourist O
board O
for O
the O
Paris O
region O
launched O
a O
new O
ad O
campaign O
aimed O
at O
Britons O
that O
, O
far O
from O
flaunting O
its O
well O
- O
known O
monuments O
and O
museums O
, O
seeks O
to O
portray O
the O
French O
capital O
as O
an O
energetic O
, O
youthful O
and O
trendy O
city O
. O

The O
970 O
, O
000 O
- O
euro O
( O
1 O
. O
3 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
) O
billboard O
and O
postcard O
campaign O
" O
is O
to O
show O
Londoners O
that O
Paris O
isn O
' O
t O
a O
stuffy O
museum O
city O
, O
but O
that O
it O
is O
a O
vibrant O
destination O
brimming O
with O
exiting O
events O
that O
are O
worth O
visiting O
regularly O
, O
" O
the O
board O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
ads O
can O
be O
seen O
on O
a O
new O
website O
( O
www O
. O
cestsoparis O
. O
com O
) O
, O
and O
include O
, O
for O
instance O
, O
a O
picture O
of O
the O
inside O
of O
the O
Versaille O
palace O
with O
partying O
young O
things O
letting O
loose O
in O
the O
MTV O
style O
of O
Sofia O
Coppola O
' O
s O
recent O
" O
Marie O
Antoinette O
" O
movie O
under O
the O
tag O
: O
" O
At O
Versaille O
, O
you O
' O
re O
treated O
like O
royalty O
. O
" O

The O
site O
also O
features O
a O
page O
of O
actors O
in O
pantomime O
poses O
meant O
to O
convey O
common O
French O
gestures O
, O
such O
as O
the O
" O
Gallic O
shrug O
" O
or O
showing O
when O
someone O
is O
" O
fed O
up O
" O
. O

At O
stake O
is O
a O
strategy O
to O
boost O
the O
number O
of O
British O
tourists O
, O
especially O
those O
from O
London O
. O
Britons O
already O
account O
for O
one O
in O
five O
visitors O
to O
Paris O
, O
but O
their O
flow O
dropped O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
to O
3 O
. O
2 O
million O
people O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0069 O

CANBERRA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Australian O
stock O
market O
closes O
lower O

The O
Australian O
stock O
exchange O
market O
closed O
lower O
Thursday B-T
as O
the O
benchmark O
S O
/ O
ASX200 O
lost O
7 O
. O
0 O
points O
to O
5 O
, O
409 O
. O
4 O
, O
while O
the O
all O
ordinaries O
dipped O
6 O
. O
5 O
points O
to O
5 O
, O
377 O
. O
1 O
. O

Market O
turnover O
was O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
5 O
. O
47 O
billion O
Australian O
dollars O
( O
4 O
. O
22 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
with O
584 O
stocks O
down O
, O
578 O
up O
and O
315 O
unchanged O
. O

Among O
the O
resources O
stocks O
, O
BHP O
Billiton O
advanced O
8 O
cents O
to O
27 O
. O
60 O
dollars O
, O
Rio O
Tinto O
improved O
9 O
cents O
to O
79 O
. O
20 O
dollars O
. O

Among O
the O
banking O
stocks O
, O
the O
National O
Australia O
Bank O
softened O
24 O
cents O
to O
38 O
. O
20 O
dollars O
, O
the O
Commonwealth O
Bank O
rose O
12 O
cents O
to O
47 O
. O
81 O
dollars O
, O
and O
the O
ANZ O
lifted O
5 O
cents O
to O
29 O
. O
59 O
dollars O
. O

In O
the O
media O
sector O
, O
News O
Corp O
slid O
53 O
cents O
to O
27 O
. O
67 O
dollars O
. O

Telecommunications O
giant O
Telstra O
slumped O
4 O
cents O
to O
3 O
. O
88 O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0206 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
mainland O
calls O
for O
weekend O
charter O
flights O
with O
Taiwan O

A O
Chinese O
mainland O
official O
has O
called O
for O
weekend O
charter O
flights O
between O
the O
mainland O
and O
Taiwan O
, O
following O
the O
realization O
of O
charter O
flights O
on O
major O
festivals O
. O

A O
mainland O
spokesman O
on O
Wednesday B-T
also O
called O
for O
normalizing O
charter O
flights O
on O
major O
festivals O
, O
including O
the O
Spring B-T
Festival I-T
and O
Mid O
- O
Autumn O
Festival O
, O
instead O
of O
negotiations O
on O
each O
occasion O
. O

Li O
Weiyi O
, O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Taiwan O
Affairs O
Office O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
, O
said O
the O
expansion O
of O
charter O
flights O
was O
necessary O
to O
facilitate O
the O
cross O
- O
Straits O
traffic O
of O
people O
in O
Taiwan O
and O
the O
mainland O
. O

He O
said O
the O
mainland O
hoped O
to O
realize O
comprehensive O
and O
direct O
cross O
- O
Straits O
air O
traffic O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
. O

He O
said O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
three B-T
Spring I-T
Festival I-T
charter O
flights O
, O
airliners O
would O
provide O
better O
services O
to O
Taiwan O
businessmen O
on O
the O
mainland O
. O

As O
of O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
October I-T
, O
a O
total O
of O
71 O
, O
027 O
Taiwan O
- O
funded O
projects O
were O
approved O
by O
the O
mainland O
, O
while O
the O
total O
actual O
use O
of O
Taiwan O
capital O
reached O
43 O
. O
46 O
billion O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0282 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Many O
of O
the O
EU O
countries O
hoping O
to O
sign O
up O
to O
the O
euro O
are O
making O
progress O
in O
meeting O
economic O
conditions O
but O
must O
do O
more O
on O
inflation O
or O
spending O
deficits O
, O
the O
European O
Central O
Bank O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Compared O
with O
a O
so O
- O
called O
convergence O
report O
published O
two B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
the O
ECB O
found O
in O
its O
2006 O
study O
that O
" O
many O
of O
the O
countries O
under O
review O
have O
made O
progress O
with O
economic O
convergence O
" O
. O

However O
, O
" O
in O
some O
countries O
there O
have O
also O
been O
setbacks O
" O
, O
the O
guardian O
of O
the O
euro O
wrote O
. O

In O
order O
to O
be O
able O
to O
adopt O
the O
euro O
, O
candidate O
countries O
must O
fulfil O
a O
total O
five O
different O
convergence O
criteria O
, O
most O
importantly O
with O
regard O
to O
inflation O
and O
to O
strict O
budgetary O
discipline O
. O

The O
2006 O
convergence O
report O
examined O
nine O
countries O
with O
respect O
to O
their O
fulfilment O
of O
the O
different O
criteria O
for O
euro O
entry O
: O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
, O
Estonia O
, O
Cyprus O
, O
Latvia O
, O
Hungary O
, O
Malta O
, O
Poland O
, O
Slovakia O
and O
Sweden O
. O

Two O
other O
countries O
, O
Slovenia O
and O
Lithuania O
, O
had O
already O
been O
the O
object O
of O
a O
convergence O
report O
in O
May B-T
this I-T
year I-T
and O
so O
were O
not O
included O
in O
the O
latest O
report O
. O

Slovenia O
is O
scheduled O
to O
adopt O
the O
euro O
from O
January B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2007 I-T
. O

Of O
the O
nine O
countries O
examined O
this O
time O
round O
, O
four O
had O
inflation O
rates O
below O
the O
reference O
value O
of O
2 O
. O
8 O
percent O
, O
namely O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
, O
Cyprus O
, O
Poland O
and O
Sweden O
, O
the O
ECB O
found O
. O

" O
However O
, O
in O
some O
countries O
with O
inflation O
above O
the O
reference O
value O
, O
significant O
increases O
in O
inflation O
have O
been O
recorded O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
" O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
largest O
deviations O
were O
seen O
in O
Estonia O
, O
Latvia O
and O
Slovakia O
, O
it O
found O
. O

With O
regard O
to O
the O
budgetary O
situation O
, O
five O
countries O
currently O
had O
so O
- O
called O
excessive O
deficits O
- O
- O
public O
deficits O
in O
excess O
of O
3 O
. O
0 O
percent O
of O
output O
- O
- O
namely O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
, O
Hungary O
, O
Malta O
, O
Poland O
and O
Slovakia O
. O

Furthermore O
, O
" O
further O
fiscal O
consolidation O
is O
required O
in O
most O
of O
the O
countries O
under O
review O
, O
" O
the O
ECB O
said O
. O

The O
ECB O
did O
not O
give O
any O
recommendation O
as O
to O
the O
possible O
date O
when O
the O
euro O
aspirants O
might O
adopt O
the O
euro O
. O

The O
EU O
Commission O
in O
Brussels O
published O
its O
own O
separate O
report O
at O
the O
same O
time O
, O
in O
which O
it O
found O
that O
none O
of O
the O
prospective O
euro O
candidates O
fulfilled O
all O
of O
the O
necessary O
criteria O
. O

The O
ECB O
does O
not O
only O
look O
at O
the O
different O
economic O
criteria O
, O
but O
also O
examines O
the O
legal O
framework O
within O
the O
countries O
wanting O
to O
adopt O
the O
euro O
, O
particularly O
with O
regard O
to O
central O
bank O
independence O
. O

On O
this O
front O
, O
the O
bank O
expressed O
" O
particular O
concern O
about O
recent O
growing O
signs O
of O
pressure O
being O
put O
on O
the O
decision O
- O
making O
bodies O
of O
some O
member O
states O
' O
national O
central O
banks O
, O
which O
would O
be O
inconsistent O
with O
the O
spirit O
of O
the O
( O
Maastricht O
) O
Treaty O
as O
regards O
central O
bank O
independence O
" O
. O

The O
ECB O
said O
it O
was O
" O
closely O
monitor O
any O
developments O
" O
in O
this O
area O
" O
prior O
to O
any O
final O
positive O
assessment O
" O
with O
regard O
to O
euro O
membership O
. O

The O
bank O
did O
not O
name O
any O
specific O
country O
. O
But O
ECB O
chief O
Jean O
- O
Claude O
Trichet O
publicly O
expressed O
concern O
earlier O
this B-T
year I-T
about O
the O
independence O
of O
the O
Polish O
central O
bank O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0308 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Georgian O
FM O
visits O
Moscow O
to O
mend O
ties O

Georgian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Gela O
Bezhuashvili O
met O
with O
his O
Russian O
counterpart O
, O
Sergei O
Lavrov O
, O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
mend O
ties O
between O
the O
two O
neighbors O
that O
have O
dipped O
to O
a O
new O
low O
since O
the O
Caucasus O
nation O
' O
s O
brief O
detention O
of O
Russian O
officers O
in O
late B-T
September I-T
. O

" O
We O
are O
not O
meeting O
in O
the B-T
best I-T
period I-T
in O
our O
relations O
. O
I O
expect O
that O
there O
will O
be O
more O
clarity O
as O
a O
result O
of O
this O
meeting O
about O
what O
we O
are O
to O
do O
to O
put O
right O
what O
is O
an O
unhealthy O
situation O
, O
" O
Lavrov O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
as O
saying O
at O
the O
start O
of O
talks O
with O
Bezhuashvili O
. O

Moscow O
, O
infuriated O
by O
the O
arrest O
of O
four O
Russian O
officers O
in O
Georgia O
, O
has O
imposed O
an O
economic O
blockade O
on O
the O
Caucasus O
nation O
by O
cutting O
transport O
and O
postal O
links O
and O
deported O
Georgians O
accused O
of O
staying O
in O
Russian O
illegally O
. O

Speaking O
after O
talks O
with O
Lavrov O
, O
which O
Bezhuashvili O
described O
as O
" O
very O
useful O
, O
" O
the O
Georgian O
minister O
said O
Russian O
sanctions O
against O
Georgia O
were O
raised O
at O
the O
meeting O
. O
" O
We O
certainly O
did O
. O
How O
could O
I O
not O
have O
brought O
up O
this O
issue O
. O
" O

He O
also O
said O
Georgian O
President O
Mikhail O
Saakashvili O
expected O
to O
meet O
with O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
during O
a O
planned O
summit O
of O
the O
Commonwealth O
of O
Independent O
States O
in O
Minsk O
, O
capital O
of O
Belarus O
, O
later O
this B-T
month I-T
. O

Relations O
between O
Moscow O
and O
Tbilisi O
have O
been O
strained O
by O
tensions O
over O
Georgia O
' O
s O
breakaway O
regions O
of O
South O
Ossetia O
and O
Abkhazia O
and O
the O
country O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
join O
NATO O
since O
Saakashvili O
came O
to O
power O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

Bezhuashvili O
said O
current O
Georgian O
- O
Russian O
relations O
were O
not O
normal O
, O
but O
added O
: O
" O
Our O
openness O
gives O
us O
reasons O
to O
think O
that O
we O
will O
be O
able O
to O
put O
the O
situation O
on O
a O
normal O
course O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0229 O

CHANGSHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Backgrounder O
: O
major O
warship O
visits O
between O
China O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O

ZHANJIANG O
, O
GUANGDONG O
PROVINCE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
The O
USS O
Juneau O
( O
LPD O
10 O
) O
on O
Wednesday B-T
arrived O
in O
Zhanjiang O
, O
a O
port O
city O
of O
South O
China O
' O
s O
Guangdong O
Province O
, O
for O
an O
upcoming O
search O
- O
and O
- O
rescue O
exercise O
with O
the O
Chinese O
navy O
. O

Warship O
visits O
constitute O
an O
important O
part O
of O
military O
exchanges O
. O
The O
following O
were O
major O
warship O
visits O
between O
China O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

- O
- O
November B-T
1986 I-T

A O
U O
. O
S O
. O
navy O
fleet O
composed O
of O
three O
warships O
visited O
Qingdao O
, O
a O
port O
city O
in O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Shandong O
Province O
. O
It O
was O
the O
first O
visit O
to O
China O
by O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
warships O
since O
the O
founding O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
China O
in O
1949 B-T
. O

- B-T
- I-T
April I-T
1989 I-T

" O
Zhenghe O
" O
Training O
Ship O
of O
Chinese O
navy O
visited O
the O
Pearl O
Harbor O
, O
the O
headquarters O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Pacific O
Fleet O
, O
marking O
the O
first O
visit O
of O
the O
Chinese O
warship O
to O
the O
United O
States O
. O

- O
- O
May B-T
1989 I-T

The O
" O
Blue O
Ridge O
" O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Navy O
, O
together O
with O
other O
two O
warships O
, O
visited O
Shanghai O
, O
establishing O
warship O
visit O
mechanism O
between O
China O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

- O
- O
March B-T
1997 I-T

China O
' O
s O
guided O
missile O
destroyer O
" O
Harbin O
" O
and O
the O
warship O
" O
Pearl O
River O
" O
visited O
Haiwaii O
and O
California O
' O
s O
San O
Diego O
. O
It O
was O
the O
first O
time O
that O
the O
Chinese O
warship O
visited O
the O
mainland O
of O
the O
United O
States O
. O

- O
- O
November B-T
2002 I-T

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
navy O
' O
s O
missile O
destroyer O
" O
Foster O
" O
visited O
Qingdao O
, O
a O
sign O
of O
resumption O
of O
Sino O
- O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
exchanges O
. O
The O
exchange O
halted O
in O
2001 B-T
when O
a O
Chinese O
fighter O
aircraft O
was O
damaged O
by O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
surveillance O
plane O
over O
the O
South O
China O
Sea O
. O

- O
- O
September O
, O
2006 O

China O
' O
s O
missile O
destroyer O
" O
Qingdao O
" O
and O
fuel O
tanker O
" O
Hongze O
Lake O
" O
visited O
Haiwaii O
and O
California O
' O
s O
San O
Diego O
. O
They O
participated O
in O
the O
first O
- O
phase O
of O
the O
first O
- O
ever O
search O
- O
and O
- O
rescue O
exercise O
between O
China O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0330 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Major O
European O
stock O
markets O
end O
lower O

The O
major O
European O
stock O
markets O
closed O
down O
on O
Wednesday B-T
as O
a O
drop O
in O
the O
price O
of O
crude O
hit O
oil O
companies O
and O
the O
FTSE O
100 O
closed O
down O
0 O
. O
18 O
percent O
and O
other O
markets O
took O
similar O
trend O
. O

In O
London O
, O
leading O
shares O
closed O
lower O
, O
led O
by O
weak O
mining O
stocks O
and O
drug O
distributor O
Alliance O
Unichem O
on O
concerns O
over O
its O
merger O
with O
Boots O
and O
the O
FTSE O
100 O
index O
was O
quoted O
9 O
. O
6 O
points O
lower O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
at O
5 O
, O
430 O
. O

Early O
losses O
in O
the O
oil O
sector O
were O
tempered O
after O
crude O
prices O
jumped O
back O
above O
57 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
. O

Some O
investors O
took O
UK O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
, O
the O
Bank O
of O
England O
' O
s O
latest O
Inflation O
Report O
as O
a O
sign O
interest O
rates O
could O
dip O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

In O
Paris O
, O
French O
shares O
fell O
, O
tracking O
declines O
in O
most O
of O
Europe O
' O
s O
main O
markets O
as O
a O
drop O
in O
the O
price O
of O
crude O
hit O
oil O
companies O
and O
the O
CAC O
40 O
index O
was O
quoted O
31 O
. O
02 O
points O
lower O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
68 O
percent O
, O
at O
4 O
, O
512 O
. O
13 O
. O

Vivendi O
Universal O
, O
which O
lost O
2 O
. O
3 O
percent O
to O
25 O
. O
10 O
euros O
was O
the O
leading O
slider O
. O
Insurer O
Axa O
and O
car O
group O
Peugeot O
also O
declined O
. O

On O
the O
plus O
side O
, O
Vinci O
, O
Pernod O
- O
Ricard O
, O
Thales O
and O
EADS O
attracted O
the O
most O
support O
. O

In O
Frankfurt O
, O
German O
shares O
fell O
on O
the O
day O
, O
led O
lower O
by O
RWE O
after O
the O
utility O
reported O
earnings O
that O
disappointed O
the O
market O
, O
with O
Frankfurt O
' O
s O
benchmark O
DAX O
index O
lost O
29 O
. O
15 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
57 O
percent O
, O
to O
5 O
, O
081 O
. O
46 O
. O

RWE O
lost O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
56 O
. O
53 O
euros O
, O
reversing O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
gains O
that O
had O
been O
driven O
by O
optimism O
about O
it O
earnings O
report O
. O

Sporting O
goods O
producer O
Adidas O
- O
Salomon O
, O
and O
chip O
firm O
Infineon O
also O
declined O
. O

Commerzbank O
gained O
for O
a B-T
fourth I-T
day I-T
after O
announcing O
it O
planned O
a O
takeover O
. O

In O
the O
currency O
market O
, O
the O
US O
dollar O
inched O
up O
over O
the O
euro O
, O
ending O
the O
day O
at O
1 O
. O
1692 O
dollars O
to O
a O
euro O
from O
1 O
. O
1698 O
, O
and O
the O
dollar O
also O
closed O
slightly O
higher O
over O
Japanese O
yen O
at O
one O
dollar O
to O
118 O
. O
96 O
yen O
from O
118 O
. O
90 O
yen O
. O

The O
greenback O
went O
higher O
over O
the O
British O
sterling O
, O
ending O
at O
1 O
. O
7180 O
dollars O
to O
a O
pound O
from O
1 O
. O
7354 O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0571 O

LUBUMBASHI O
, O
Zaire O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Rebels O
agree O
Friday O
' O
s O
meeting O
with O
Mobutu O

Rebel O
leader O
Laurent O
Kabila O
has O
agreed O
to O
historic O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
talks O
with O
Zaire O
' O
s O
embattled O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
aboard O
a O
South O
African O
naval O
vessel O
Friday B-T
, O
rebel O
officials O
told O
AFP O
. O

Sources O
close O
to O
the O
negotiators O
made O
the O
comments O
Wednesday B-T
in O
this O
rebel O
- O
held O
city O
, O
Zaire O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
, O
after O
US O
envoy O
Bill O
Richardson O
announced O
in O
the O
capital O
Kinshasa O
that O
Mobutu O
would O
attend O
the O
talks O
. O

" O
I O
am O
pleased O
to O
announce O
that O
President O
Mobutu O
and O
Mr O
. O
Kabila O
have O
agreed O
to O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
talks O
, O
" O
Richardson O
said O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
historic O
occasion O
that O
hopefully O
will O
lead O
to O
a O
peaceful O
transition O
in O
Zaire O
. O

" O
There O
are O
no O
pre O
- O
conditions O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0340 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Pinochet O
released O
on O
bail O
, O
while O
on O
death O
bed O

A O
Santiago O
court O
Monday B-T
released O
Pinochet O
on O
bail O
from O
house O
arrest O
, O
although O
the O
ailing O
former O
leader O
is O
gravely O
ill O
in O
hospital O
after O
suffering O
a O
massive O
heart O
attack O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
. O

The O
release O
order O
follows O
charges O
against O
Pinochet O
, O
91 O
, O
in O
connection O
with O
two O
murders O
by O
the O
" O
Caravan O
of O
Death O
, O
" O
a O
band O
of O
soldiers O
who O
conducted O
extrajudicial O
killings O
in O
the O
months B-T
after O
the O
1973 B-T
coup O
that O
brought O
him O
to O
power O
. O

In O
2002 B-T
, O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
dropped O
an O
earlier O
attempt O
to O
try O
Pinochet O
on O
the O
" O
Caravan O
of O
Death O
" O
case O
, O
arguing O
that O
mild O
dementia O
hindered O
his O
ability O
to O
defend O
himself O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0019 O

HOHHOT O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Gas O
spill O
kills O
two O
in O
Inner O
Mongolia O

Two O
people O
were O
gassed O
to O
death O
and O
two O
others O
hospitalized O
Thursday B-T
while O
exhausting O
a O
heating O
pipeline O
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Inner O
Mongolia O
Autonomous O
Region O
, O
the O
local O
government O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
at O
around O
4 O
: O
00 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
in O
Haibowan O
district O
in O
the O
city O
of O
Wuhai O
, O
the O
city O
' O
s O
work O
safety O
supervision O
authority O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

They O
said O
the O
workers O
were O
injecting O
water O
into O
the O
pipeline O
to O
exhaust O
gas O
and O
were O
suffocated O
by O
an O
obvious O
gas O
spill O
. O
The O
two O
other O
injured O
workers O
are O
being O
treated O
at O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Hospital O
in O
Wuhai O
. O

The O
pipeline O
belongs O
to O
the O
city O
' O
s O
heating O
power O
corporation O
and O
cause O
of O
the O
accident O
is O
under O
investigation O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0367 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Hammers O
sack O
Pardew O

Struggling O
English O
Premiership O
side O
West O
Ham O
on O
Monday B-T
sacked O
manager O
Alan O
Pardew O
. O

The O
club O
are O
in O
18th O
place O
in O
the O
Premiership O
after O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
4 O
- O
0 O
thrashing O
at O
Bolton O
with O
only O
three O
points O
separating O
them O
from O
bottom O
club O
Watford O
. O

The O
Hammers O
have O
lost O
five O
of O
their O
last O
six O
Premiership O
games O
including O
both O
matches O
since O
Icelandic O
businessman O
Eggert O
Magnusson O
became O
chairman O
a B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0026 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepali O
Election O
Commission O
urges O
early O
issuance O
of O
interim O
constitution O

As O
Nepal O
is O
gearing O
up O
for O
the O
election O
to O
constituent O
assembly O
( O
CA O
) O
, O
the O
first O
time O
in O
history O
, O
the O
Election O
Commission O
( O
EC O
) O
has O
to O
face O
many O
difficulties O
in O
the O
absence O
of O
needed O
legislations O
for O
holding O
the O
election O
by O
mid O
- O
June B-T
2007 I-T
. O

Although O
the O
government O
and O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
Nepal O
( O
CPN O
) O
( O
formerly O
known O
as O
guerrillas O
) O
have O
expressed O
their O
commitment O
to O
hold O
the O
CA O
election O
by O
set O
date O
, O
they O
are O
yet O
to O
finalize O
the O
interim O
constitution O
, O
under O
which O
other O
needed O
laws O
are O
to O
be O
formulated O
. O

" O
We O
need O
two O
Acts O
- O
- O
Election O
Commission O
Act O
and O
Electoral O
Role O
Act O
immediately O
to O
carry O
out O
our O
activities O
legally O
. O
But O
, O
these O
Acts O
can O
not O
be O
formulated O
without O
interim O
constitution O
, O
" O
Bhojraj O
Pokharel O
, O
chief O
election O
commissioner O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

The O
first O
Act O
gives O
us O
mandate O
to O
conduct O
CA O
election O
and O
the O
second O
one O
describes O
what O
kind O
of O
people O
can O
vote O
in O
the O
election O
, O
he O
said O
, O
noting O
the O
existing O
EC O
Act O
is O
based O
on O
the O
constitution O
of O
1990 B-T
, O
which O
has O
no O
provision O
on O
conducting O
CA O
election O
. O

However O
, O
the O
political O
parties O
' O
failure O
to O
issue O
an O
interim O
constitution O
on O
scheduled O
time O
is O
delaying O
the O
formulation O
of O
needed O
Acts O
, O
he O
said O
. O
Both O
the O
government O
and O
CPN O
pledged O
to O
issue O
the O
new O
constitution O
by O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, O
which O
has O
not O
been O
materialized O
yet O
. O

He O
said O
the O
EC O
would O
feel O
comfortable O
to O
carry O
out O
its O
activities O
if O
the O
above O
two O
Acts O
were O
formulated O
by O
mid O
- O
December O
. O
" O
We O
will O
start O
preparing O
voters O
' O
list O
after O
that O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Pokharel O
said O
the O
EC O
is O
now B-T
making O
assessments O
of O
required O
resources O
to O
conduct O
the O
poll O
and O
interacting O
with O
all O
stakeholders O
including O
political O
parties O
and O
civil O
society O
members O
on O
how O
to O
successfully O
conduct O
the O
poll O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0125 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0125 O
. O

Control O
Data O
Says O
It O
May O
Repurchase O

@ O
Debt O
Soon O
, O
Seeks O
Alliances O
With O
Others O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Richard O
Gibson O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CDA O

COMPUTERS O
AND O
INFORMATION O
TECHNOLOGY O
( O
CPR O
) O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

MINNEAPOLIS O

Control O
Data O
Corp O
. O
, O
which O
just O
months B-T
ago I-T
was O
hemorrhaging O
financially O
, O
thinks O
it O
will O
be O
healthy O
enough O
soon B-T
to O
consider O
repurchasing O
public O
debt O
. O

Moreover O
, O
the O
company O
, O
whose O
go O
- O
it O
- O
alone O
approach O
nearly O
proved O
fatal O
, O
now B-T
sees O
alliances O
with O
others O
as O
the O
way O
back O
to O
prosperity O
in O
what O
it O
calls O
" O
the O
data O
solutions O
" O
business O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
saying O
everything O
is O
hunky O
- O
dory O
, O
but O
we O
have O
completed O
the O
transition O
, O
" O
Robert O
M O
. O
Price O
, O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
, O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
. O

" O
Transition O
" O
is O
a O
reference O
to O
the O
company O
' O
s O
five B-T
- I-T
year I-T
restructuring O
effort O
. O

During O
that B-T
time I-T
, O
Control O
Data O
had O
losses O
of O
more O
than O
$ O
1 O
billion O
. O

Now O
, O
following O
asset O
sales O
that O
shrank O
revenue O
by O
more O
than O
one O
- O
third O
this B-T
year I-T
alone O
, O
Control O
Data O
is O
flush O
with O
cash O
. O

So O
its O
senior O
executives O
are O
talking O
openly O
about O
possibly O
buying O
back O
some O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
$ O
172 O
. O
5 O
million O
in O
subordinated O
convertible O
debentures O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
We O
' O
d O
like O
to O
continue O
to O
reduce O
debt O
, O
" O
President O
Lawrence O
Perlman O
said O
. O

Noting O
that O
the O
company O
is O
offering O
to O
buy O
back O
$ O
154 O
. O
2 O
million O
in O
senior O
notes O
paying O
12 O
3 O
/ O
4 O
% O
, O
he O
said O
the O
response O
will O
help O
determine O
future O
debt O
- O
reduction O
efforts O
. O

The O
offer O
was O
automatically O
triggered O
by O
the O
recent B-T
sale O
of O
Control O
Data O
' O
s O
Imprimis O
disk O
- O
drive O
business O
to O
Seagate O
Technology O
Inc O
. O

Mr O
. O
Perlman O
, O
who O
is O
also O
acting O
chief O
financial O
officer O
and O
the O
odds O
- O
on O
favorite O
to O
become O
the O
next O
chief O
executive O
, O
said O
the O
company O
is O
achieving O
" O
modest O
positive O
cash O
flow O
from O
operations O
, O
and O
we O
expect O
that O
to O
continue O
into O
1990 B-T
. O
" O

He O
said O
the O
company O
has O
no O
intention O
of O
tapping O
its O
short O
- O
term O
bank O
lines O
" O
for O
a B-T
good I-T
part I-T
of I-T
1990 I-T
. O
" O

Sometime O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
Control O
Data O
will O
" O
develop O
a O
new O
bank O
relationship O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Perlman O
said O
. O

In O
recent B-T
months I-T
a O
group O
of O
lenders O
, O
led O
by O
Bank O
of O
America O
, O
has O
extended O
Control O
Data O
up O
to O
$ O
90 O
million O
in O
revolving O
loans O
through O
January B-T
, O
as O
well O
as O
$ O
115 O
million O
in O
standby O
letters O
of O
credit O
. O

Loan O
covenants O
require O
that O
the O
company O
achieve O
specified O
levels O
of O
operating O
earnings O
and O
meet O
a O
rolling O
four O
- O
quarter O
profitability O
test O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
Control O
Data O
reported O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
earnings O
of O
$ O
9 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
23 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
on O
revenue O
of O
$ O
763 O
million O
. O

Through O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
the O
company O
had O
a O
loss O
of O
$ O
484 O
million O
, O
largely O
reflecting O
the O
closing O
of O
its O
supercomputer O
unit O
. O

While O
a O
few O
assets O
are O
still O
being O
shopped O
- O
- O
including O
the O
sports O
and O
entertainment O
ticketing O
portion O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
Ticketron O
unit O
- O
- O
Mr O
. O
Price O
said O
future O
restructuring O
would O
be O
a O
question O
of O
strategy O
. O

" O
We O
do O
n O
' O
t O
need O
the O
cash O
. O
" O

Ticketron O
' O
s O
automated O
wagering O
business O
, O
which O
operates O
lotteries O
in O
a O
half O
dozen O
states O
, O
is O
not O
for O
sale O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

Rather O
, O
Mr O
. O
Perlman O
said O
, O
Control O
Data O
intends O
to O
bid O
for O
the O
coming O
Minnesota O
lottery O
contract O
and O
is O
seeking O
new O
applications O
for O
the O
technology O
overseas O
, O
where O
" O
there O
is O
great O
interest O
in O
games O
of O
skill O
. O
" O

He O
would O
n O
' O
t O
elaborate O
. O

Control O
Data O
' O
s O
semiconductor O
business O
, O
VTC O
Inc O
. O
, O
continues O
to O
lose O
money O
, O
the O
executives O
acknowledged O
, O
but O
they O
said O
they O
consider O
some O
of O
the O
technology O
vital O
to O
national O
defense O
and O
so O
are O
reluctant O
to O
dispose O
of O
it O
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
strategy O
for O
keeping O
its O
computer O
products O
business O
profitable O
- O
- O
it O
recently B-T
achieved O
profitability O
after O
several B-T
quarters I-T
of O
losses O
- O
- O
calls O
for O
a O
narrow O
focus O
and O
a O
lid O
on O
expenses O
. O

Partly O
, O
costs O
will O
be O
held O
down O
through O
strategic O
technology O
alliances O
, O
management O
said O
. O

Control O
Data O
recently B-T
announced O
an O
agreement O
with O
MIPS O
Computer O
Systems O
Inc O
. O
to O
jointly O
develop O
machines O
with O
simplified O
operating O
software O
. O

James O
E O
. O
Ousley O
, O
computer O
products O
group O
president O
, O
said O
such O
arrangements O
could O
help O
slash O
Control O
Data O
' O
s O
computer O
research O
and O
development O
costs O
in O
half O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
1990 I-T
. O

He O
disclosed O
that O
before O
Control O
Data O
scrapped O
its O
ETA O
Systems O
Inc O
. O
supercomputer O
business O
this B-T
past I-T
spring I-T
, O
those O
costs O
were O
running O
at O
nearly O
35 O
% O
of O
group O
revenue O
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
four O
of O
six O
design O
projects O
were O
spiked O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Asked O
how O
the O
company O
hopes O
to O
expand O
its O
computer O
hardware O
business O
, O
Mr O
. O
Ousley O
said O
it O
sees O
good O
opportunities O
in O
systems O
integration O
. O

" O
We O
think O
we O
' O
re O
getting O
only O
10 O
% O
of O
the O
integration O
dollars O
our O
customers O
are O
spending O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
We O
' O
re O
in O
environments O
that O
are O
going O
to O
spend O
a O
lot O
of O
money O
on O
that O
. O
" O

Control O
Data O
mainframes O
are O
designed O
for O
numerically O
intensive O
computing O
users O
, O
such O
as O
the O
scientific O
, O
engineering O
and O
academic O
communities O
. O

Utilities O
management O
is O
a O
major O
commercial O
niche O
. O

Reviewing O
the O
company O
' O
s O
scrape O
with O
disaster O
, O
Mr O
. O
Price O
conceded O
it O
had O
tried O
to O
do O
too O
much O
on O
its O
own O
. O

" O
Absolutely O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

But O
while O
its O
stock O
is O
selling O
at O
about O
half O
Control O
Data O
' O
s O
estimated O
breakup O
value O
, O
neither O
Messrs O
. O

Perlman O
nor O
Price O
said O
he O
spends O
much O
time O
considering O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
hostile O
takeover O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
been O
listed O
as O
a O
candidate O
for O
so O
long O
it O
' O
s O
not O
worth O
worrying O
about O
, O
" O
said O
Mr O
. O
Price O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970412 O
. O
0041 O

BANGKOK O
, O
April B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Burmese O
democrat O
MP O
gets O
four O
years O
prison O
sentence O

An O
elected O
MP O
of O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
' O
s O
National O
League O
for O
Democracy O
( O
NLD O
) O
has O
been O
sentenced O
to O
four O
years O
in O
prison O
for O
alleged O
medical O
malpractice O
, O
a O
senior O
party O
official O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

Doctor O
Than O
Aung O
, O
an O
MP O
for O
a O
Rangoon O
township O
was O
sentenced O
Friday B-T
for O
running O
an O
unlicensed O
clinic O
and O
causing O
the O
death O
of O
a O
patient O
through O
negligence O
. O
He O
has O
been O
sent O
to O
the O
capital O
' O
s O
notorious O
Insein O
prison O
. O

Speaking O
by O
telephone O
from O
Rangoon O
, O
NLD O
joint O
vice O
- O
chairman O
, O
Tin O
Oo O
said O
the O
negligence O
charge O
was O
" O
fabricated O
" O
and O
noted O
that O
Than O
Aung O
had O
been O
a O
practising O
doctor O
for O
25 B-T
years I-T
. O

" O
He O
' O
s O
a O
member O
of O
the O
NLD O
and O
a O
member O
of O
parliament O
. O
The O
authorities O
are O
continuing O
to O
act O
oppressively O
against O
our O
league O
, O
" O
he O
said O
of O
the O
verdict O
. O

The O
NLD O
swept O
the O
last O
general O
elections O
to O
be O
held O
in O
military O
- O
run O
Burma O
in O
1990 B-T
, O
the O
results O
of O
which O
were O
never O
recognised O
by O
the O
ruling O
junta O
, O
the O
State O
Law O
and O
Order O
Restoration O
Council O
( O
SLORC O
) O
. O

The O
sentencing O
of O
Than O
Aung O
follows O
lighter O
treatment O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
of O
another O
NLD O
MP O
and O
doctor O
, O
Than O
Nyein O
, O
who O
was O
released O
from O
custody O
and O
ordered O
to O
pay O
a O
small O
fine O
for O
operating O
a O
clinic O
without O
a O
license O
. O

Observers O
in O
the O
Burmese O
capital O
speculated O
that O
he O
was O
granted O
favourable O
treatment O
because O
he O
was O
brother O
- O
in O
- O
law O
of O
Lieutenant O
General O
Khin O
Nyunt O
, O
the O
SLORC O
first O
secretary O
and O
military O
intelligence O
chief O
. O

The O
cases O
of O
the O
two O
NLD O
doctors O
are O
the O
first O
time O
that O
members O
of O
the O
pro O
- O
democracy O
party O
have O
been O
granted O
a O
formal O
trial O
, O
with O
opportunity O
to O
have O
defence O
witnesses O
. O

Previously O
, O
NLD O
members O
found O
guilty O
of O
even O
a O
minor O
law O
violation O
have O
been O
given O
arbitrary O
sentences O
ranging O
from O
three O
to O
seven O
years O
. O

Tin O
Oo O
declined O
to O
speculate O
on O
whether O
Than O
Nyein O
had O
been O
granted O
leniency O
because O
of O
the O
family O
connection O
, O
but O
noted O
that O
the O
judicial O
system O
in O
Burma O
" O
is O
not O
independent O
and O
according O
to O
due O
process O
of O
law O
. O
" O

He O
said O
that O
the O
NLD O
would O
appeal O
against O
the O
sentencing O
of O
Than O
Aung O
to O
the O
high O
court O
, O
and O
if O
necessary O
, O
to O
the O
supreme O
court O
and O
to O
the O
chairman O
of O
the O
SLORC O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0435 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Zairean O
premier O
forms O
government O

Zairean O
Prime O
Minister O
General O
Likulia O
Bolongo O
on O
Friday B-T
announced O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
" O
national O
salvation O
" O
government O
which O
includes O
two O
generals O
. O

Generals O
were O
appointed O
to O
the O
posts O
of O
interior O
and O
defense O
minister O
while O
former O
foreign O
minister O
Gerard O
Kamanda O
Wa O
Kamanda O
was O
reappointed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0336 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
, O
EU O
urged O
to O
take O
ambitious O
steps O
at O
HK O
trade O
talks O

British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
called O
on O
the O
United O
States O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
Monday B-T
night I-T
to O
take O
" O
bold O
" O
and O
" O
ambitious O
" O
steps O
to O
make O
the O
international O
trade O
negotiations O
next B-T
month I-T
a O
success O
. O

In O
his O
speech O
at O
the O
Lord O
Mayor O
' O
s O
Banquet O
at O
the O
Guildhall O
in O
central O
London O
in O
honor O
of O
the O
past O
mayor O
, O
Blair O
said O
the O
EU O
and O
US O
should O
" O
break O
the O
logjam O
" O
which O
threatens O
the O
talks O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
by O
making O
concessions O
on O
agricultural O
subsidies O
and O
tariffs O
. O

In O
return O
, O
he O
said O
, O
developing O
countries O
must O
open O
up O
to O
foreign O
investment O
. O

Terrorism O
also O
tops O
his O
speech O
. O
In O
Blair O
' O
s O
view O
, O
reducing O
world O
poverty O
would O
help O
fight O
terrorism O
. O

" O
In O
a O
modern O
world O
there O
is O
no O
security O
or O
prosperity O
at O
home O
unless O
we O
deal O
with O
the O
global O
challenges O
of O
conflict O
, O
terrorism O
, O
climate O
change O
and O
poverty O
. O
Self O
interest O
and O
mutual O
interest O
are O
inextricably O
linked O
. O
National O
interests O
can O
best O
be O
advanced O
through O
collective O
action O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
urged O
the O
world O
to O
calculate O
not O
just O
" O
the O
human O
misery O
of O
the O
poor O
themselves O
" O
, O
but O
the O
loss O
of O
developed O
countries O
, O
" O
the O
aid O
, O
the O
lost O
opportunity O
to O
trade O
, O
the O
short O
- O
term O
consequences O
of O
the O
multiple O
conflicts O
; O
the O
long O
- O
term O
consequences O
on O
the O
attitude O
to O
the O
wealthy O
world O
of O
injustice O
and O
abject O
deprivation O
amongst O
the O
poor O
. O
" O

The O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
meeting O
is O
scheduled O
on O
December B-T
13 I-T
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
with O
growing O
fears O
that O
the O
pledge O
on O
poverty O
by O
Group O
of O
Eight O
leaders O
at O
Gleneagles O
in O
July B-T
may O
not O
result O
in O
a O
meaningful O
deal O
. O

Despite O
offers O
from O
major O
players O
like O
the O
US O
and O
the O
EU O
to O
consider O
reductions O
in O
agricultural O
subsidies O
and O
tariffs O
in O
order O
to O
open O
up O
markets O
to O
poorer O
nations O
, O
negotiators O
have O
so O
far O
held O
back O
from O
the O
kind O
of O
breakthrough O
sought O
by O
anti O
- O
poverty O
campaigners O
. O

" O
We O
need O
a O
comprehensive O
, O
ambitious O
agreement O
to O
cut O
barriers O
to O
trade O
in O
the O
three O
key O
areas O
: O
agriculture O
, O
non O
- O
agricultural O
market O
access O
, O
and O
services O
, O
" O
Blair O
said O
. O

The O
British O
leader O
suggested O
that O
specific O
measures O
to O
help O
the O
poorest O
countries O
should O
include O
doubling O
investment O
in O
infrastructure O
and O
eliminating O
all O
export O
subsidies O
, O
while O
rules O
applied O
to O
exports O
from O
the O
poorest O
developing O
countries O
be O
simplified O
. O

The O
Hong O
Kong O
meeting O
comes O
at O
the O
end O
of O
Blair O
' O
s O
year O
- O
long O
presidency O
of O
the O
G8 O
as O
well O
as O
the O
six O
- O
month O
presidency O
of O
the O
EU O
. O
And O
Blair O
is O
trying O
hard O
for O
a O
trade O
deal O
at O
the O
meeting O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0344 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

talks O

Chief O
negotiator O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
to O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
urged O
here O
Wednesday B-T
all O
parties O
to O
have O
more O
patience O
in O
the O
new O
round O
of O
talks O
. O

The O
path O
is O
still O
" O
open O
" O
for O
all O
sides O
to O
implement O
the O
joint O
statement O
through O
consultations O
, O
Song O
Min O
- O
soon O
told O
reporters O
when O
leaving O
the O
hotel O
to O
attend O
the O
fifth O
round O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
, O
which O
opened O
in O
Beijing O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
. O

The O
fifth O
- O
round O
talks O
will O
lay O
the O
groundwork O
for O
carrying O
out O
the O
first O
joint O
statement O
among O
the O
parties O
, O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
three I-T
days I-T
, O
all O
parties O
will O
exchange O
views O
and O
hold O
consultations O
in O
this O
regard O
. O

Song O
admitted O
that O
differences O
exist O
among O
the O
parties O
, O
but O
all O
sides O
will O
find O
out O
methods O
to O
narrow O
the O
differences O
. O

The O
ROK O
delegation O
will O
hold O
bilateral O
consultations O
with O
other O
delegations O
respectively O
on O
Wednesday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
Song O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0052 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Palestinian O
militants O
continue O
launching O
rockets O
at O
Israel O

Palestinian O
militant O
groups O
continued O
on O
Saturday B-T
launching O
homemade O
rockets O
from O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
at O
Israel O
as O
a O
revenge O
for O
killing O
their O
fellow O
members O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

Israel O
Radio O
reported O
that O
two O
rockets O
landed O
at O
an O
Israeli O
army O
base O
near O
the O
Erez O
Crossing O
early O
Saturday B-T
, O
causing O
two O
explosions O
, O
but O
no O
injuries O
had O
been O
reported O
. O

Al O
Aqsa O
Martyrs O
Brigades O
, O
armed O
wing O
of O
the O
ruling O
Fatah O
movement O
, O
has O
claimed O
responsibility O
for O
the O
rocket O
attack O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
residents O
of O
central O
Israel O
have O
expressed O
fear O
that O
militants O
would O
fire O
rockets O
from O
the O
West O
Bank O
at O
their O
towns O
, O
and O
called O
the O
Israeli O
army O
to O
station O
early O
alarming O
system O
in O
their O
areas O
. O

Heads O
of O
local O
councils O
in O
areas O
between O
the O
West O
Bank O
and O
Tel O
Aviv O
in O
central O
Israel O
met O
with O
Israeli O
Defense O
Minister O
Shaoul O
Mofaz O
and O
asked O
for O
taking O
serious O
measures O
against O
firing O
rockets O
, O
said O
the O
radio O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
Israeli O
troops O
arrested O
three O
Palestinian O
militants O
from O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
who O
were O
said O
to O
be O
on O
their O
way O
to O
the O
West O
Bank O
to O
start O
lunching O
homemade O
rockets O
at O
central O
Israel O
. O

The O
three O
are O
members O
of O
Sallah O
el O
Dein O
Brigades O
, O
the O
armed O
wing O
of O
the O
Popular O
Resistance O
Committees O
that O
was O
active O
during O
five B-T
years I-T
of O
the O
Palestinian O
Intifada O
( O
uprising O
) O
in O
carrying O
armed O
attacks O
against O
Israel O
. O

Israel O
and O
the O
United O
States O
have O
repeatedly O
asked O
Palestinian O
leader O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
to O
rein O
on O
militants O
and O
prevent O
them O
from O
launching O
homemade O
rockets O
at O
Israel O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0337 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Brussels O
warns O
France O
on O
textile O
aid O

France O
must O
inform O
the O
European O
Commission O
of O
how O
it O
plans O
to O
recover O
some O
500 O
million O
francs O
of O
illegal O
state O
aid O
to O
textile O
producers O
and O
could O
face O
action O
in O
the O
European O
Court O
if O
it O
fails O
to O
do O
so O
, O
commission O
officials O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
warning O
came O
the O
day O
after O
Brussels O
rejected O
a O
French O
plan O
to O
boost O
employment O
in O
its O
textile O
industries O
by O
cutting O
payroll O
taxes O
, O
judging O
the O
scheme O
to O
be O
an O
indirect O
state O
subsidy O
that O
would O
give O
French O
companies O
an O
unfair O
competitive O
edge O
over O
other O
EU O
producers O
. O

French O
Industry O
Minister O
Frank O
Borotra O
has O
said O
he O
has O
no O
intention O
of O
asking O
companies O
to O
pay O
back O
an O
amount O
equivalent O
to O
what O
they O
gained O
from O
the O
scheme O
. O

Some O
500 O
French O
companies O
have O
received O
aid O
with O
a O
value O
above O
100 O
, O
000 O
ecus O
( O
114 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
) O
- O
- O
the O
threshold O
at O
which O
the O
approval O
of O
Brussels O
is O
required O
for O
any O
state O
subsidy O
. O

The O
commission O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
when O
it O
rejected O
the O
textile O
plan O
that O
it O
would O
consider O
a O
broader O
job O
- O
creating O
scheme O
on O
condition O
this O
was O
not O
confined O
to O
one O
sector O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0046 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Annan O
pays O
surprise O
visit O
to O
Iraq O

Urgent O
: O
Annan O
pays O
surprise O
visit O
to O
Iraq O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
paid O
a O
surprise O
visit O
to O
Iraq O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051202 O
. O
0007 O

LAKE O
LOUISE O
, O
Canada O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Italy O
' O
s O
Recchia O
crashes O
during O
Lake O
Louise O
downhill O

Italy O
' O
s O
Lucia O
Recchia O
crashed O
at O
high O
speed O
in O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
women O
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
downhill O
and O
was O
airlifted O
to O
hospital O
. O

Starting O
from O
the O
18th O
spot O
, O
the O
26 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Recchia O
apparently O
lost O
a O
ski O
and O
hit O
a O
gate O
shortly O
after O
starting O
her O
run O
, O
then O
before O
crashed O
through O
the O
safety O
netting O
on O
the O
side O
of O
the O
course O
. O

She O
was O
put O
on O
a O
stretcher O
and O
airlifted O
off O
the O
mountain O
by O
helicopter O
to O
a O
waiting O
ambulance O
. O

Recchia O
was O
conscious O
as O
ski O
patrol O
and O
medical O
staff O
assisted O
her O
on O
the O
mountain O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0232 O

TEHRAN O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Iranian O
war O
veterans O
hold O
overnight O
sit O
- O
in O
in O
front O
of O
German O
embassy O

Dozens O
of O
war O
veterans O
disabled O
by O
chemical O
weapon O
attacks O
during O
the O
1980 O
- O
1988 O
war O
against O
Iraq O
staged O
a O
sit O
- O
in O
Thursday B-T
in O
front O
of O
the O
German O
embassy O
here O
to O
protest O
alleged O
chemical O
aid O
to O
Baghdad O
by O
German O
firms O
. O

They O
began O
their O
protest O
on O
Wednesday B-T
along O
with O
thousands O
of O
other O
people O
, O
and O
some O
200 O
people O
stayed O
camped O
outside O
the O
mission O
overnight O
. O

The O
veterans O
, O
who O
included O
patients O
who O
left O
hospital O
for O
the O
protest O
, O
set O
up O
a O
canvas O
awning O
on O
the O
pavement O
in O
front O
of O
the O
embassy O
compound O
to O
shelter O
them O
from O
rain O
. O

They O
are O
also O
protesting O
a O
German O
court O
ruling O
accusing O
the O
Iranian O
government O
in O
the O
1992 B-T
murder O
of O
four O
Kurdish O
dissidents O
in O
Berlin O
. O
The O
veterans O
have O
vowed O
to O
stay O
there O
until O
Bonn O
appologizes O
to O
Tehran O
for O
the O
" O
insult O
. O
" O

A O
giant O
poster O
of O
a O
young O
man O
with O
his O
face O
badly O
deformed O
by O
a O
chemical O
attack O
has O
been O
set O
up O
along O
the O
front O
gate O
of O
the O
compound O
as O
a O
proof O
of O
" O
German O
crimes O
" O
against O
Iran O
. O

The O
veterans O
came O
forward O
after O
the O
Iranian O
authorities O
accused O
24 O
German O
companies O
of O
providing O
Iraq O
with O
chemical O
weapons O
technology O
in O
the B-T
1980s I-T
, O
saying O
they O
were O
preparing O
to O
sue O
them O
. O

Bonn O
says O
several O
German O
pharmaceutical O
companies O
helped O
Iraq O
to O
build O
agricultural O
plants O
, O
but O
that O
the O
factories O
were O
later O
modified O
to O
produce O
chemical O
weapons O
. O

The O
state O
Foundation O
for O
the O
War O
Disabled O
has O
brought O
a O
number O
of O
disabled O
veterans O
from O
hospitals O
and O
dropped O
them O
off O
in O
front O
of O
the O
mission O
, O
which O
is O
tightly O
protected O
by O
Iranian O
security O
forces O
. O

A O
make O
- O
shift O
hospital O
has O
been O
set O
up O
in O
the O
area O
to O
care O
for O
the O
patients O
while O
they O
continue O
with O
their O
protest O
, O
Iran O
' O
s O
official O
IRNA O
news O
agency O
said O
. O

Several O
rallies O
have O
already O
been O
held O
in O
front O
of O
the O
German O
embassy O
in O
Tehran O
and O
in O
other O
Iranian O
cities O
since O
the O
Berlin O
court O
verdict O
was O
announced O
a B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051207 O
. O
0175 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

French O
transplant O
woman O
pleads O
for O
privacy O

The O
38 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
French O
woman O
who O
received O
the O
world O
' O
s O
first O
facial O
transplant O
pleaded O
with O
the O
media O
to O
let O
her O
to O
recover O
in O
peace O
from O
the O
high O
- O
risk O
operation O
, O
in O
an O
interview O
published O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
I O
feel O
very O
well O
, O
" O
she O
told O
the O
French O
newspaper O
Le O
Parisien O
. O
" O
Everything O
is O
fine O
, O
but O
I O
would O
like O
to O
send O
out O
a O
message O
: O
I O
have O
just O
had O
an O
operation O
, O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
my O
health O
, O
I O
need O
to O
live O
these O
moments O
in O
peace O
and O
quiet O
. O
" O

" O
At O
the O
moment O
, O
I O
feel O
shaken O
up O
. O
I O
also O
want O
my O
family O
to O
be O
left O
out O
of O
all O
this O
. O
They O
didn O
' O
t O
ask O
to O
be O
thrown O
into O
the O
spotlight O
, O
" O
she O
told O
the O
paper O
by O
telephone O
from O
the O
university O
hospital O
in O
the O
eastern O
city O
of O
Lyon O
. O

She O
also O
said O
she O
thanked O
the O
whole O
team O
- O
- O
" O
from O
the O
cleaning O
lady O
to O
the O
nurses O
" O
- O
- O
who O
made O
the O
operation O
possible O
. O
" O
They O
are O
all O
wonderful O
. O
" O

The O
mother O
of O
two O
from O
the O
town O
of O
Valenciennes O
in O
northern O
France O
, O
lost O
both O
lips O
, O
her O
nose O
and O
chin O
after O
she O
was O
mauled O
by O
her O
dog O
in O
May B-T
, O
and O
was O
unable O
to O
speak O
or O
eat O
properly O
. O

Doctors O
transplanted O
a O
nose O
, O
chin O
and O
mouth O
taken O
from O
a O
brain O
- O
dead O
donor O
on O
to O
her O
lower O
face O
at O
a O
university O
hospital O
in O
the O
northern O
French O
town O
of O
Amiens O
on O
October B-T
27 I-T
, O
a O
world O
first O
for O
an O
operation O
that O
carries O
high O
medical O
risks O
. O

She O
is O
currently O
under O
medical O
observation O
in O
Lyon O
by O
Professor O
Jean O
- O
Michel O
Dubernard O
, O
a O
transplant O
pioneer O
who O
carried O
out O
the O
world O
' O
s O
first O
double O
hand O
graft O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

Reports O
- O
- O
denied O
by O
her O
medical O
team O
- O
- O
that O
the O
woman O
was O
injured O
during O
a O
suicide O
attempt O
, O
have O
raised O
questions O
about O
her O
psychological O
ability O
to O
cope O
with O
the O
aftermath O
of O
the O
operation O
, O
which O
has O
drawn O
intense O
media O
attention O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0015 O

CHANGCHUN O
, O
Northeast O
China O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Fourth O
Vasaloppet O
China O
int O
' O
l O
ski O
race O
to O
be O
held O
in O
NE O
China O

The O
fourth O
Vasaloppet O
China O
international O
cross O
- O
country O
ski O
race O
is O
to O
be O
held O
in O
January B-T
2006 I-T
in O
Changchun O
City O
, O
capital O
of O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Jilin O
Province O
, O
an O
official O
of O
the O
organizing O
committee O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
We O
are O
busy O
preparing O
for O
the O
ski O
race O
these B-T
days I-T
, O
" O
Gong O
Wenbin O
, O
an O
official O
of O
the O
organizing O
committee O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
in O
an O
exclusive O
interview O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
event O
, O
known O
as O
Vasaloppet O
China O
, O
will O
enter O
its O
fourth O
edition O
in O
Changchun O
after O
it O
was O
brought O
to O
China O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

" O
Three O
experts O
of O
the O
International O
Ski O
Federation O
( O
FIS O
) O
came O
to O
Changchun O
in O
October B-T
this B-T
year I-T
to O
help O
reconstruct O
the O
skiing O
lanes O
for O
the O
competition O
, O
" O
Gong O
said O
. O

" O
The O
construction O
of O
the O
new O
design O
is O
underway O
. O
" O

With O
the O
theme O
of O
cultural O
exchanges O
, O
the O
fourth O
Vasaloppet O
China O
aims O
to O
promote O
relationship O
and O
strengthen O
exchanges O
between O
China O
and O
Sweden O
, O
Gong O
said O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
a O
snow O
sculpture O
show O
and O
a O
special O
ski O
race O
for O
the O
disabled O
will O
be O
held O
during O
the O
event O
. O

Vasaloppet O
, O
a O
long O
distance O
cross O
- O
country O
ski O
race O
, O
is O
held O
annually O
in O
Sweden O
and O
has O
a O
long O
history O
of O
more O
than O
80 O
years O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0219 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Pierce O
and O
Mauresmo O
to O
fight O
for O
title O
of O
WTA O
Championships O

Mary O
Pierce O
and O
her O
French O
fellow O
Amelie O
Mauresmo O
will O
meet O
each O
other O
on O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
final O
after O
both O
winning O
their O
semifinals O
in O
the O
WTA O
Tour O
Championships O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Pierce O
beat O
top O
- O
ranked O
American O
Lindsay O
Davenport O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
5 O
) O
, O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
6 O
) O
, O
while O
Mauresmo O
defeated O
defending O
champion O
Russian O
Maria O
Sharapova O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
1 O
) O
and O
6 O
- O
3 O
. O

No O
French O
player O
has O
ever O
won O
the O
championships O
, O
although O
Pierce O
was O
runner O
- O
up O
in O
1997 B-T
and O
Mauresmo O
finished O
second O
in O
2003 B-T
. O
Pierce O
had O
10 O
aces O
in O
a O
2 O
- O
6 O
, O
6 O
- O
4 O
, O
6 O
- O
2 O
round O
- O
robin O
victory O
over O
Mauresmo O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Sharapova O
appeared O
listless O
against O
Mauresmo O
, O
falling O
to O
4 O
- O
7 O
in O
semifinals O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
The O
18 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Russian O
hasn O
' O
t O
reached O
a O
final O
since O
June B-T
when O
she O
won O
a O
Wimbledon O
warmup O
at O
Birmingham O
. O

She O
has O
been O
bothered O
by O
a O
strained O
right O
chest O
muscle O
since O
August B-T
, O
and O
it O
hurt O
during O
the O
match O
. O

" O
I O
couldn O
' O
t O
serve O
very O
big O
, O
especially O
in O
the O
second O
set O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
That O
' O
s O
not O
very O
good O
when O
you O
' O
re O
playing O
a O
top O
player O
in O
the O
semifinals O
. O
Without O
the O
injury O
, O
I O
felt O
like O
I O
was O
in O
control O
and O
that O
still O
gives O
me O
a O
lot O
of O
confidence O
for O
next B-T
year I-T
. O
" O

Sharapova O
broke O
Mauresmo O
to O
open O
the O
match O
, O
built O
a O
5 O
- O
2 O
lead O
, O
then O
double O
- O
faulted O
away O
the O
tiebreaker O
after O
committing O
five O
forehand O
errors O
- O
- O
among O
her O
39 O
unforced O
errors O
. O

" O
At O
5 O
- O
2 O
down O
, O
I O
felt O
I O
could O
still O
come O
back O
, O
" O
Mauresmo O
said O
. O
" O
I O
only O
had O
one O
bad O
game O
on O
my O
own O
service O
. O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
know O
she O
got O
injured O
. O
Maybe O
that O
' O
s O
why O
she O
didn O
' O
t O
manage O
to O
put O
her O
first O
serves O
in O
on O
big O
moments O
. O
" O

Sharapova O
saved O
one O
match O
point O
and O
held O
trailing O
5 O
- O
3 O
, O
then O
led O
30 O
- O
love O
in O
the O
next O
game O
. O
But O
she O
made O
four O
consecutive O
errors O
to O
end O
the O
match O
, O
sending O
a O
backhand O
wide O
on O
the O
final O
point O
. O

She O
made O
a O
lowly O
19 O
percent O
of O
her O
second O
serves O
, O
while O
Mauresmo O
' O
s O
first O
- O
serve O
percentage O
was O
81 O
. O

Pierce O
led O
4 O
- O
0 O
before O
Davenport O
won O
three O
straight O
points O
. O
The O
American O
closed O
to O
5 O
- O
4 O
on O
a O
big O
forehand O
, O
but O
trailed O
6 O
- O
4 O
on O
a O
netted O
forehand O
. O
Davenport O
used O
her O
big O
serve O
to O
get O
to O
6 O
- O
5 O
before O
Pierce O
won O
the O
first O
tiebreaker O
on O
a O
net O
cord O
forehand O
. O

There O
were O
no O
service O
breaks O
in O
the O
back O
- O
and O
- O
forth O
second O
set O
. O
Davenport O
used O
a O
100 O
- O
mph O
ace O
to O
go O
up O
6 O
- O
5 O
, O
but O
her O
forehand O
error O
in O
the O
next O
game O
allowed O
Pierce O
to O
force O
the O
second O
tiebreaker O
. O

" O
I O
made O
a O
few O
errors O
in O
each O
tie O
break O
like O
one O
shot O
in O
each O
tie O
break O
I O
would O
love O
to O
take O
back O
, O
" O
said O
Davenport O
. O
" O
And O
the B-T
year I-T
is O
over O
. O
" O

Pierce O
was O
5 O
- O
5 O
in O
tiebreaks O
this B-T
year I-T
coming O
in O
. O
In O
11 O
previous O
meetings O
, O
they O
had O
never O
played O
a O
tiebreaker O
. O

The O
two O
players O
combined O
to O
serve O
seven O
love O
games O
, O
with O
Pierce O
connecting O
on O
70 O
percent O
of O
her O
first O
serves O
and O
firing O
10 O
aces O
to O
Davenport O
' O
s O
12 O
. O

Davenport O
hit O
nine O
more O
winners O
than O
Pierce O
, O
but O
had O
24 O
unforced O
errors O
to O
Pierce O
' O
s O
10 O
. O

Davenport O
is O
assured O
of O
ending O
the B-T
year I-T
at O
No O
. O
1 O
for O
the O
fourth O
time O
in O
her O
career O
despite O
not O
winning O
a O
Grand O
Slam O
title O
. O
She O
was O
runner O
- O
up O
at O
the O
Australian O
Open O
and O
Wimbledon O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0072 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Jihad O
recruiter O
gets O
life O
sentence O
in O
Indonesia O

An O
Islamic O
teacher O
believed O
to O
have O
recruited O
suicide O
bombers O
was O
convicted O
of O
terrorism O
by O
an O
Indonesian O
court O
Wednesday B-T
and O
sentenced O
to O
a O
lifetime O
jail O
term O
. O

Subur O
Sugiarto O
, O
33 O
, O
is O
proven O
guilty O
of O
the O
primary O
charges O
of O
sheltering O
the O
country O
' O
s O
top O
terror O
fugitive O
Noordin O
Moh O
Top O
, O
the O
tightly O
- O
guarded O
District O
Court O
in O
the O
Central O
Java O
capital O
of O
Semarang O
heard O
. O

Malaysian O
- O
born O
Noordin O
is O
the O
suspected O
brains O
behind O
a O
series O
of O
bombings O
that O
killed O
more O
than O
230 O
people O
since O
2002 B-T
. O

Sugiarto O
, O
alias O
Abu O
Mujahid O
, O
is O
also O
convicted O
of O
illegal O
arms O
possession O
. O

He O
was O
arrested O
in O
January B-T
and O
brought O
to O
trials O
along O
with O
three O
other O
militants O
. O

Police O
believed O
that O
Sugiarto O
was O
the O
key O
aide O
of O
Noordin O
, O
whose O
hunting O
remains O
fruitless O
so O
far O
. O

He O
has O
allegedly O
recruited O
people O
to O
launch O
suicide O
bombings O
, O
including O
three O
young O
men O
from O
Central O
Java O
and O
West O
Java O
who O
carried O
out O
triple O
suicide O
attacks O
on O
Bali O
island O
last B-T
October I-T
, O
in O
which O
19 O
people O
were O
killed O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0011 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Aniston O
sues O
photographer O
for O
trying O
to O
take O
topless O
photos O

US O
actress O
Jennifer O
Aniston O
has O
filed O
suit O
against O
a O
photographer O
for O
allegedly O
illegally O
using O
a O
telephoto O
lens O
to O
take O
snapshots O
of O
her O
when O
she O
was O
topless O
in O
her O
own O
home O
. O

The O
suit O
filed O
in O
Los O
Angeles O
Superior O
Court O
Friday B-T
alleges O
that O
Peter O
Brandt O
used O
" O
a O
powerful O
telephoto O
lens O
" O
to O
capture O
images O
of O
Aniston O
last B-T
month I-T
" O
in O
the O
privacy O
of O
her O
home O
, O
" O
where O
she O
could O
only O
be O
observed O
" O
from O
a O
great O
distance O
through O
invasive O
, O
intrusive O
and O
unlawful O
measures O
. O
" O

Attorneys O
for O
the O
actress O
charge O
Brandt O
then O
offered O
to O
sell O
the O
photos O
to O
various O
media O
organizations O
. O

Aniston O
is O
seeking O
damages O
and O
an O
injunction O
stopping O
Brandt O
- O
- O
and O
any O
organization O
that O
bought O
the O
photos O
from O
him O
- O
- O
from O
using O
them O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0168 O

KISANGANI O
, O
Zaire O
, O
April B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Villagers O
stone O
UNHCR O
vehicles O

Villagers O
near O
the O
Zairean O
city O
of O
Kisangani O
threw O
stones O
Friday B-T
at O
vehicles O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
Filipo O
Grandi O
, O
coordinator O
in O
eastern O
Zaire O
for O
the O
UN O
High O
Commissioner O
for O
Refugees O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

Grandi O
said O
local O
residents O
attacked O
the O
UN O
vehicles O
to O
protest O
at O
the O
presence O
of O
Rwandan O
Hutu O
refugees O
in O
their O
area O
, O
saying O
the O
situation O
remained O
extremely O
tense O
although O
an O
uneasy O
calm O
had O
been O
restored O
. O

Witnesses O
said O
the O
incident O
was O
sparked O
by O
the O
killings O
of O
seven O
local O
villagers O
20 O
kilometres O
( O
12 O
miles O
) O
from O
Kisangani O
, O
deaths O
blamed O
by O
locals O
on O
the O
refugees O
. O

" O
Local O
people O
blocked O
the O
vehicles O
on O
the O
town O
' O
s O
left O
bank O
( O
of O
the O
Zaire O
river O
) O
to O
protest O
against O
the O
presence O
of O
refugees O
and O
thus O
of O
humanitarian O
organisations O
. O
Our O
teams O
were O
trapped O
in O
the O
vehicles O
as O
they O
were O
stoned O
, O
" O
Grandi O
said O
. O

He O
added O
that O
UN O
officials O
would O
investigate O
the O
claims O
that O
local O
people O
had O
been O
killed O
by O
the O
refugees O
. O
At O
the O
end O
of O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
several O
villagers O
were O
killed O
near O
refugee O
camps O
, O
sparking O
the O
looting O
of O
several O
UN O
World O
Food O
Programme O
trucks O
in O
retaliation O
. O

Between O
80 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
and O
100 O
, O
000 O
Hutu O
refugees O
have O
been O
sheltering O
in O
camps O
south O
of O
Kisangani O
, O
which O
was O
taken O
on O
March B-T
15 I-T
by O
Zairean O
rebels O
fighting O
the O
regime O
of O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
. O

They O
had O
fled O
westwards O
from O
camps O
near O
the O
Rwandan O
border O
as O
the O
rebels O
swept O
across O
the O
eastern O
half O
of O
the O
country O
, O
taking O
a O
string O
of O
key O
towns O
, O
and O
took O
refuge O
in O
tropical O
forests O
where O
relief O
workers O
could O
not O
get O
aid O
to O
them O
. O

The O
UNHCR O
had O
planned O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
start O
a O
huge O
airlift O
operation O
to O
help O
the O
refugees O
on O
their O
way O
back O
to O
Rwanda O
, O
but O
this O
was O
delayed O
at O
least O
until O
Saturday B-T
. O

Local O
rebel O
authorities O
failed O
to O
give O
the O
green O
light O
because O
of O
fears O
that O
an O
outbreak O
of O
cholera O
among O
the O
refugees O
could O
spread O
among O
the O
local O
population O
. O
However O
, O
the O
UNHCR O
said O
there O
was O
no O
risk O
and O
that O
only O
people O
in O
good O
health O
would O
initially O
be O
repatriated O
. O

More O
than O
a O
million O
Rwandan O
Hutus O
fled O
their O
small O
neighbouring O
country O
in O
1994 B-T
as O
Rwandan O
Tutsi O
rebels O
won O
a O
civil O
war O
in O
which O
at O
least O
500 O
, O
000 O
Tutsis O
and O
moderate O
Hutus O
were O
massacred O
by O
the O
Hutu O
former O
army O
and O
militia O
groups O
. O

Among O
the O
refugees O
are O
armed O
Hutus O
held O
to O
be O
responsible O
for O
the O
Rwandan O
genocide O
. O
Many O
Rwandans O
, O
however O
, O
have O
returned O
home O
to O
their O
country O
, O
now O
dominated O
by O
the O
Tutsi O
minority O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0114 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0114 O
. O

OTC O
Focus O
: O

@ O
Sell O
Programs O

@ O
Are O
Hurting O

@ O
Market O
Makers O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Sonja O
Steptoe O
and O
Craig O
Smith O

@ O
Staff O
Reporters O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

STOCK O
MARKET O
, O
OFFERINGS O
( O
STK O
) O

STOCK O
INDEXES O
( O
NDX O
) O

SECURITIES O
INDUSTRY O
( O
SCR O
) O

NEW O
YORK O

Market O
makers O
in O
Nasdaq O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
stocks O
are O
adding O
their O
voices O
to O
the O
swelling O
chorus O
of O
complaints O
about O
program O
trading O
. O

Their O
motivation O
, O
however O
, O
has O
a O
strong O
practical O
aspect O
: O
Program O
trading O
is O
hazardous O
to O
their O
paychecks O
. O

The O
most O
controversial O
form O
of O
program O
trading O
, O
stock O
- O
index O
arbitrage O
, O
is O
" O
making O
it O
tough O
for O
traders O
to O
make O
money O
, O
" O
declares O
Robert O
Antolini O
, O
head O
of O
OTC O
trading O
at O
Donaldson O
, O
Lufkin O
amp O
Jenrette O
. O

Stock O
- O
index O
arbitrage O
- O
- O
the O
computer O
- O
guided O
buying O
and O
selling O
of O
stocks O
with O
offsetting O
trades O
in O
stock O
- O
index O
futures O
to O
profit O
from O
fleeting O
price O
discrepancies O
- O
- O
affects O
the O
OTC O
market O
directly O
through O
the O
31 O
stocks O
included O
in O
Standard O
amp O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
- O
stock O
index O
. O

The O
SampP O
500 O
is O
often O
used O
in O
arbitrage O
strategies O
. O

The O
portion O
of O
OTC O
volume O
attributable O
to O
program O
trading O
isn O
' O
t O
known O
, O
as O
it O
is O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
where O
it O
amounted O
to O
more O
than O
13 O
% O
in O
September B-T
. O

Estimates O
from O
traders O
put O
it O
at O
less O
than O
5 O
% O
of O
Nasdaq O
' O
s O
average O
daily O
volume O
of O
roughly O
133 O
million O
shares O
. O

Other O
market O
- O
maker O
gripes O
: O
Program O
trading O
also O
causes O
the O
Nasdaq O
Composite O
Index O
to O
lose O
ground O
against O
other O
segments O
of O
the O
stock O
market O
. O

Because O
of O
program O
trading O
it O
is O
more O
difficult O
to O
trade O
many O
OTC O
stocks O
without O
sharp O
price O
moves O
, O
a O
condition O
known O
as O
illiquidity O
. O

Moreover O
, O
the O
price O
volatility O
that O
is O
amplified O
by O
program O
trading O
is O
undercutting O
efforts O
to O
woo O
individual O
investors O
back O
to O
an O
OTC O
market O
that O
sorely O
misses O
them O
. O

Some O
of O
these O
problems O
are O
neither O
new O
nor O
unique O
to O
the O
OTC O
market O
. O

But O
the O
big O
, O
often O
tumultuous O
slide O
in O
stock O
prices O
this B-T
month I-T
has O
turned O
some O
of O
those O
who O
have O
been O
profiting O
from O
the O
practice O
against O
it O
. O

Peter O
DaPuzzo O
, O
head O
of O
retail O
equity O
trading O
at O
Shearson O
Lehman O
Hutton O
, O
acknowledges O
that O
he O
wasn O
' O
t O
troubled O
by O
program O
trading O
when O
it O
began O
in O
the O
pre O
- O
crash O
bull O
market O
because O
it O
added O
liquidity O
and O
people O
were O
pleased O
to O
see O
stock O
prices O
rising O
. O

" O
We O
were O
n O
' O
t O
as O
concerned O
until O
they O
became O
sell O
programs O
, O
" O
says O
Mr O
. O
DaPuzzo O
, O
who O
now B-T
thinks O
it O
adds O
unnecessary O
volatility O
. O

Shearson O
Lehman O
, O
however O
, O
executes O
program O
trades O
for O
clients O
. O

Merrill O
Lynch O
, O
Goldman O
Sachs O
and O
Kidder O
Peabody O
, O
in O
addition O
to O
Shearson O
, O
do O
program O
- O
trade O
OTC O
stocks O
. O

Shearson O
, O
Merrill O
Lynch O
and O
Goldman O
Sachs O
say O
they O
do O
so O
only O
for O
customers O
, O
however O
. O

Kidder O
Peabody O
does O
program O
trading O
for O
its O
own O
as O
well O
as O
clients O
' O
accounts O
. O

Of O
course O
, O
there O
were O
sell O
programs O
in O
past B-T
years I-T
, O
too O
, O
but O
they O
seem O
to O
hurt O
market O
makers O
more O
painfully O
these B-T
days I-T
. O

That O
' O
s O
largely O
because O
of O
defensive O
measures O
they O
adopted O
after O
the O
1987 B-T
crash O
, O
when O
individual O
investors O
fled O
the O
market O
and O
trading O
activity O
dwindled O
. O

Market O
makers O
, O
to O
cut O
costs O
, O
slashed O
inventories O
of O
stocks O
they O
keep O
on O
hand O
to O
sell O
investors O
when O
other O
holders O
are O
n O
' O
t O
selling O
. O

And O
to O
protect O
their O
reduced O
capital O
investment O
from O
eroding O
further O
, O
market O
makers O
became O
quicker O
to O
lower O
price O
quotes O
when O
sell O
programs O
are O
in O
progress O
. O

On O
days O
when O
prices O
are O
tumbling O
, O
they O
must O
be O
willing O
to O
buy O
shares O
from O
sellers O
when O
no O
one O
else O
will O
. O

In O
such O
an O
environment O
, O
market O
makers O
can O
suffer O
huge O
losses O
both O
on O
trades O
made O
that O
day O
at O
steadily O
dropping O
prices O
and O
in O
the O
value O
of O
their O
inventories O
of O
shares O
. O

" O
It O
makes O
no O
sense O
for O
us O
to O
put O
money O
at O
risk O
when O
you O
know O
you O
' O
re O
going O
to O
lose O
, O
" O
says O
Mr O
. O
Antolini O
, O
of O
Donaldson O
Lufkin O
. O

But O
this O
skittishness O
, O
Mr O
. O
Antolini O
says O
, O
is O
creating O
liquidity O
problems O
in O
certain O
OTC O
stocks O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
harder O
to O
sell O
stocks O
when O
the O
sell O
programs O
come O
in O
because O
some O
market O
makers O
do O
n O
' O
t O
want O
to O
{ O
take O
the O
orders O
} O
. O

No O
one O
has O
big O
positions O
and O
no O
one O
wants O
to O
take O
big O
risks O
. O
" O

Joseph O
Hardiman O
, O
president O
of O
the O
National O
Association O
of O
Securities O
Dealers O
, O
which O
oversees O
trading O
on O
Nasdaq O
, O
agrees O
that O
program O
trading O
is O
hurting O
the O
market O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
bring O
back O
small O
investors O
. O

But O
, O
he O
observes O
, O
while O
makers O
suffer O
losses O
when O
program O
trading O
drags O
the O
market O
down O
, O
they O
also O
make O
money O
when O
program O
trading O
pushes O
the O
prices O
higher O
. O

" O
Sometimes O
{ O
traders O
} O
lose O
sight O
of O
that O
, O
" O
he O
says O
. O

The O
OTC O
stocks O
in O
the O
SampP O
500 O
include O
Nasdaq O
' O
s O
biggest O
, O
such O
as O
Apple O
Computer O
, O
MCI O
Communications O
, O
Tele O
- O
Communications O
and O
Liz O
Claiborne O
. O

These O
big O
stocks O
greatly O
influence O
the O
Nasdaq O
Composite O
Index O
. O

When O
the O
computers O
say O
" O
sell O
, O
" O
the O
composite O
tumbles O
as O
well O
as O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
. O

The O
problem O
, O
market O
makers O
say O
, O
is O
that O
while O
the O
industrial O
average O
and O
the O
SampP O
500 O
usually O
recover O
as O
buy O
programs O
kick O
in O
, O
the O
Nasdaq O
Composite O
frequently O
is O
left O
behind O
. O

Eight B-T
trading I-T
days I-T
after O
Oct B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, O
the B-T
day I-T
before O
the O
stock O
market O
plunge O
, O
for O
instance O
, O
the O
Nasdaq O
Composite O
had O
fallen O
4 O
. O
3 O
% O
, O
compared O
with O
3 O
. O
3 O
% O
for O
the O
SampP O
500 O
, O
3 O
. O
5 O
% O
for O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
Composite O
Index O
and O
3 O
. O
6 O
% O
for O
the O
industrial O
average O
. O

This O
gap O
eventually O
closes O
, O
but O
slowly O
. O

Three B-T
days I-T
later O
, O
as O
of O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
close O
, O
the O
Nasdaq O
Composite O
was O
down O
6 O
% O
, O
compared O
with O
5 O
. O
9 O
% O
for O
the O
industrial O
average O
, O
5 O
. O
7 O
% O
for O
the O
SampP O
500 O
and O
5 O
. O
8 O
% O
for O
the O
Big O
Board O
Composite O
. O

The O
main O
reason O
for O
this O
lag O
is O
that O
individual O
investors O
own O
65 O
% O
of O
the O
OTC O
market O
' O
s O
capitalization O
, O
according O
to O
Mr O
. O
Hardiman O
, O
much O
more O
than O
on O
the O
Big O
Board O
. O

Such O
investors O
tend O
to O
be O
more O
cautious O
than O
institutional O
investors O
are O
about O
re O
- O
entering O
the O
market O
after O
massive O
selloffs O
, O
market O
makers O
say O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Friday O
' O
s O
Market O
Activity O

The O
Nasdaq O
Composite O
Index O
tumbled O
5 O
. O
39 O
, O
or O
1 O
. O
2 O
% O
to O
452 O
. O
76 O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

For O
the B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
index O
dropped O
3 O
. O
8 O
% O
. O

Weakness O
in O
big O
technology O
stocks O
hurt O
the O
composite O
as O
well O
as O
the O
Nasdaq O
100 O
Index O
, O
which O
fell O
1 O
. O
4 O
% O
, O
or O
6 O
. O
43 O
, O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
to O
437 O
. O
68 O
. O

The O
Nasdaq O
Financial O
Index O
lost O
about O
1 O
% O
, O
or O
3 O
. O
95 O
, O
to O
448 O
. O
80 O
. O

Friday B-T
' O
s O
trading O
volume O
totaled O
132 O
. O
8 O
million O
shares O
. O

The O
average O
daily O
share O
turnover O
for O
October B-T
is O
almost O
148 O
million O
shares O
. O

LIN O
Broadcasting O
surged O
4 O
5 O
/ O
8 O
to O
112 O
5 O
/ O
8 O
; O
LIN O
and O
BellSouth O
sweetened O
their O
merger O
agreement O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
keep O
shareholders O
from O
tendering O
their O
shares O
to O
McCaw O
Cellular O
Communications O
. O

McCaw O
, O
which O
dropped O
2 O
1 O
/ O
2 O
to O
37 O
3 O
/ O
4 O
, O
has O
offered O
$ O
125 O
a O
share O
for O
a O
majority O
of O
LIN O
' O
s O
shares O
. O

The O
revised O
LIN O
- O
BellSouth O
agreement O
boosts O
the O
dollar O
amount O
of O
the O
special O
dividend O
LIN O
promises O
to O
pay O
shareholders O
. O

LIN O
now B-T
plans O
to O
dole O
out O
$ O
42 O
a O
share O
in O
cash O
, O
up O
from O
the O
earlier O
$ O
20 O
amount O
. O

Intel O
eased O
1 O
/ O
8 O
to O
31 O
7 O
/ O
8 O
. O

The O
semiconductor O
concern O
said O
the O
interruption O
in O
shipment O
of O
its O
80486 O
computer O
chip O
will O
be O
brief O
and O
have O
little O
impact O
on O
the O
company O
' O
s O
earnings O
. O

The O
stock O
fell O
7 O
/ O
8 O
Thursday B-T
amid O
concerns O
over O
problems O
discovered O
with O
the O
chip O
. O

Intel O
told O
analysts O
that O
the O
company O
will O
resume O
shipments O
of O
the O
chips O
within O
two B-T
to I-T
three I-T
weeks I-T
. O

Weisfield O
' O
s O
rocketed O
9 O
1 O
/ O
2 O
to O
39 O
after O
the O
jewelry O
store O
operator O
said O
it O
is O
in O
preliminary O
discussions O
, O
with O
a O
party O
it O
would O
n O
' O
t O
identify O
, O
regarding O
the O
possible O
acquisition O
of O
the O
company O
. O

Starpointe O
Savings O
Bank O
rose O
3 O
to O
20 O
after O
the O
Federal O
Deposit O
Insurance O
Corp O
. O
approved O
Dime O
Savings O
Bank O
of O
New O
York O
' O
s O
$ O
21 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
acquisition O
of O
Starpointe O
. O

Kirschner O
Medical O
fell O
4 O
to O
15 O
. O

The O
company O
said O
its O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
earnings O
will O
probably O
be O
lower O
than O
the O
16 O
cents O
a O
share O
it O
reported O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
despite O
a O
rise O
in O
the O
company O
' O
s O
revenue O
. O

Kirschner O
earned O
$ O
376 O
, O
000 O
on O
revenue O
of O
$ O
14 O
. O
5 O
million O
in O
the B-T
1988 I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
company O
blamed O
a O
number O
of O
factors O
for O
the O
earnings O
decline O
, O
including O
softer O
sales O
of O
joint O
- O
implants O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0068 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Two O
people O
killed O
in O
two O
roadside O
bombs O
in O
central O
Baghdad O

Two O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
five O
others O
wounded O
when O
two O
roadside O
bombs O
went O
off O
at O
central O
Baghdad O
district O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
a O
well O
- O
informed O
police O
source O
said O
. O

" O
Two O
roadside O
bombs O
detonated O
at O
about O
1 B-T
: I-T
40 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
1040 O
GMT O
) O
in O
the O
Fanarah O
district O
near O
the O
Taiyran O
Square O
, O
killing O
two O
civilians O
and O
wounding O
five O
others O
, O
" O
the O
source O
said O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

In O
an O
earlier O
incident O
, O
the O
death O
toll O
of O
a O
suicide O
bomb O
attack O
at O
a O
police O
commando O
recruitment O
center O
in O
western O
Baghdad O
rose O
to O
35 O
, O
with O
up O
to O
60 O
others O
wounded O
, O
the O
source O
said O
. O

Violence O
rages O
in O
Iraq O
as O
sectarian O
killings O
, O
car O
bombings O
and O
roadside O
bombings O
claim O
lives O
of O
dozens O
of O
Iraqis O
on O
the O
daily O
basis O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0362 O

ABUJA O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

By O
Helen O
Vesperini O

The O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
virus O
is O
destroying O
family O
life O
across O
Africa O
, O
international O
health O
experts O
warned O
Tuesday O
as O
they O
met O
in O
the O
Nigerian O
capital O
Abuja O
. O

" O
The O
family O
has O
been O
made O
fragile O
in O
Africa O
because O
of O
poverty O
and O
because O
of O
AIDS O
, O
" O
Rima O
Salah O
, O
deputy O
executive O
director O
of O
the O
UN O
children O
' O
s O
agency O
UNICEF O
, O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
Our O
interventions O
focus O
on O
treating O
individuals O
and O
ignore O
the O
cornerstone O
of O
African O
society O
, O
the O
family O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

Delegates O
to O
the O
14th O
International O
Conference O
on O
AIDS O
and O
Sexually O
Transmitted O
Infections O
in O
Africa O
( O
ICASA O
) O
said O
that O
while O
the O
family O
should O
be O
a O
strong O
unit O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
AIDS O
, O
it O
was O
being O
undermined O
. O

In O
poor O
families O
where O
the O
two O
parents O
had O
difficulty O
in O
making O
ends O
meet O
, O
the O
death O
of O
even O
one O
parent O
from O
AIDS O
places O
an O
intolerable O
economic O
strain O
on O
the O
household O
. O

If O
both O
parents O
die O
, O
the O
children O
are O
left O
to O
fend O
for O
themselves O
and O
take O
charge O
of O
younger O
brothers O
and O
sisters O
. O

Girls O
with O
little O
education O
who O
find O
themselves O
catapulted O
into O
the O
role O
of O
head O
of O
household O
may O
have O
no O
option O
other O
than O
turning O
to O
prostitution O
to O
support O
their O
brothers O
and O
sisters O
, O
putting O
themselves O
at O
risk O
of O
being O
infected O
if O
they O
are O
not O
already O
. O

" O
Children O
being O
affected O
is O
a O
major O
social O
crisis O
. O
. O
. O
in O
terms O
of O
taking O
care O
of O
them O
and O
in O
terms O
of O
family O
stability O
" O
, O
Michel O
Sidibe O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
UNAIDS O
, O
the O
body O
that O
groups O
together O
ten O
UN O
agencies O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
AIDS O
. O

Husbands O
infect O
their O
wives O
and O
mothers O
infect O
their O
children O
. O

Even O
though O
the O
technology O
to O
prevent O
mother O
- O
to O
- O
child O
transmission O
exists O
, O
the O
necessary O
measures O
can O
only O
be O
implemented O
if O
pregnant O
women O
attend O
ante O
- O
natal O
consultations O
. O
Such O
consultations O
are O
unheard O
of O
in O
large O
swathes O
of O
rural O
sub O
- O
Saharan O
Africa O
. O

Cliff O
, O
a O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Nigerian O
living O
with O
AIDS O
told O
delegates O
how O
, O
as O
a O
teenager O
, O
he O
had O
been O
told O
he O
could O
only O
catch O
the O
disease O
through O
" O
serial O
relationships O
with O
prostitutes O
" O
. O

He O
became O
infected O
. O
He O
was O
kicked O
out O
of O
the O
navy O
after O
his O
HIV O
- O
positive O
status O
became O
known O
and O
, O
ashamed O
to O
stay O
in O
his O
home O
village O
, O
ran O
away O
to O
Abuja O
. O

Now O
his O
wife O
and O
two O
- O
year O
old O
son O
are O
also O
infected O
. O

Even O
though O
half O
of O
mother O
- O
to O
- O
child O
transmissions O
occur O
during O
delivery O
, O
his O
wife O
was O
told O
that O
as O
long O
as O
she O
avoided O
breast O
- O
feeding O
any O
child O
she O
bore O
would O
be O
free O
of O
the O
virus O
. O

" O
When O
my O
son O
was O
one B-T
year I-T
old O
he O
was O
declared O
HIV O
- O
positive O
" O
, O
Cliff O
said O
, O
adding O
: O
" O
I O
often O
feel O
tears O
coming O
to O
my O
eyes O
when O
I O
see O
him O
" O
. O

Sub O
- O
Saharan O
Africa O
, O
the O
region O
the O
worst O
affected O
by O
the O
pandemic O
, O
was O
home O
to O
an O
estimated O
two O
million O
HIV O
- O
positive O
children O
in O
late B-T
2005 I-T
. O

Some O
poverty O
- O
stricken O
parents O
may O
hesitate O
to O
take O
antiretrovirals O
, O
even O
now B-T
that O
their O
prices O
have O
been O
slashed O
across O
the O
continent O
, O
because O
the O
money O
they O
do O
have O
to O
spend O
on O
the O
drugs O
means O
less O
food O
is O
available O
to O
feed O
the O
family O
. O

For O
Jim O
Kim O
, O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
' O
s O
outgoing O
head O
of O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
the O
fact O
that O
mothers O
now B-T
have O
access O
to O
antiretrovirals O
, O
which O
can O
, O
if O
the O
patient O
has O
access O
to O
adequate O
food O
, O
prolong O
life O
by O
up B-T
to I-T
15 I-T
years I-T
, O
is O
already O
a O
positive O
step O
. O

" O
If O
we O
can O
prevent O
mother O
- O
to O
- O
child O
transmission O
and O
treat O
children O
then O
we O
' O
re O
going O
to O
be O
able O
to O
allow O
( O
infected O
) O
mothers O
to O
raise O
their O
children O
to O
the O
age O
of O
15 O
" O
, O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

CNN19980213 B-T
. O
2130 O
. O
0155 O

NEWS O
STORY O

President O
Clinton O
says O
he O
is O
committed O
to O
a O
possible O
strike O
against O
Iraq O
, O

despite O
objections O
from O
other O
countries O
. O

Steve O
Hurst O
has O
that O
. O

The O
US O
military O
buildup O
in O
the O
Persian O
gulf O
continues O
apace O
, O
more O

planes O
headed O
from O
the O
united O
states O
and O
senior O
officials O
say O
Iraq O
' O
s O

president O
Saddam O
Hussein O
can O
expect O
punishing O
air O
strikes O
to O
continue O
well O

into O
the B-T
future I-T
if O
he O
does O
n O
' O
t O
stop O
building O
biological O
and O
chemical O

weapons O
. O

Saddam O
will O
know O
by O
our O
actions O
and O
our O
warning O
that O
we O
will O
be O
prepared O
to O
act O
again O
if O
we O
have O
evidence O
he O
is O
trying O
to O
rebuild O
his O
weapons O
of O
mass O

destruction O
capabilities O
. O

In O
a O
bit O
of O
television O
diplomacy O
, O
Iraq O
' O
s O
deputy O
foreign O
minister O
responded O

from O
Baghdad O
in O
less B-T
than I-T
one I-T
hour I-T
, O
saying O
Washington O
would O
break O

international O
law O
by O
attacking O
without O
UN O
approval O
. O

The O
united O
states O
is O
not O
authorized O
to O
use O
force O
before O
going O
to O
the O

council O
. O

President O
Clinton O
, O
meantime O
, O
glossed O
over O
stern O
warnings O
from O
Moscow O
on O

Thursday B-T
that O
US O
air O
strikes O
against O
Iraq O
could O
do O
serious O
harm O
to O

relations O
with O
the O
Kremlin O
. O

We O
' O
re O
trying O
to O
find O
a O
diplomatic O
solution O
. O

And O
I O
hope O
that O
, O
whatever O
happens O
today B-T
, O
that O
our O
relationships O
with O
Russia O

will O
continue O
to O
be O
productive O
and O
constructive O
and O
strong O
, O
because O
that O
' O
s O

very O
important O
to O
the O
future O
of O
our O
peoples O
. O

One O
contrary O
view O
of O
the O
issue O
presented O
itself O
to O
the O
president O
as O
he O

arrived O
in O
Philadelphia O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

Nevertheless O
, O
the O
president O
said O
Washington O
would O
use O
force O
if O
diplomacy O

fails O
to O
force O
Saddam O
Hussein O
to O
back O
down O
. O

The O
Russian O
foreign O
minister O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
sought O
to O
soften O
the O
harsh O
words O

of O
his O
military O
counterpart O
, O
saying O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
Russia O
now B-T
feels O
the O

US O
must O
hold O
off O
at O
least O
until O
UN O
secretary O
general O
Kofi O
Annan O
visits O

Baghdad O
in O
a O
last O
- O
ditch O
effort O
at O
diplomacy O
. O

Annan O
has O
no O
trip O
planned O
so O
far O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
secretary O
of O
state O
Madeleine O
Albright O
, O
Berger O
and O
defense O

secretary O
William O
Cohen O
announced O
plans O
to O
travel O
to O
an O
unnamed O
city O

in O
the O
US O
heartland O
next B-T
week I-T
, O
to O
explain O
to O
the O
American O
people O
just O
why O

military O
force O
will O
be O
necessary O
if O
diplomacy O
fails O
. O

Steve O
Hurst O
, O
CNN O
, O
the O
state O
department O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0048 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
, O
background O
, O
closing O
shares O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Shares O
in O
Australian O
flag O
carrier O
Qantas O
jumped O
more O
than O
four O
percent O
Monday B-T
amid O
expectations O
a O
takeover O
consortium O
is O
finally O
ready O
to O
formally O
table O
a O
multi O
- O
billion O
dollar O
offer O
for O
the O
airline O
. O

The O
consortium O
, O
led O
by O
Australia O
' O
s O
biggest O
investment O
bank O
Macquarie O
and O
US O
- O
based O
private O
equity O
firm O
, O
Texas O
Pacific O
Group O
, O
has O
reportedly O
finalised O
the O
debt O
financing O
package O
for O
the O
bid O
. O

The O
Australian O
Financial O
Review O
reported O
the O
offer O
, O
worth O
up O
to O
10 O
. O
9 O
billion O
dollars O
( O
8 O
. O
4 O
billion O
US O
) O
, O
could O
be O
unveiled O
as O
early O
as O
Tuesday B-T
, O
more B-T
than I-T
three I-T
weeks I-T
after O
Qantas O
revealed O
the O
initial O
approach O
. O

After O
intense O
speculation O
about O
the O
bid O
' O
s O
structure O
, O
Bell O
Potter O
private O
client O
advisor O
Stuart O
Smith O
said O
the O
market O
responded O
positively O
to O
the O
prospect O
of O
seeing O
details O
. O

Qantas O
shares O
closed O
up O
21 O
cents O
or O
4 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
5 O
. O
26 O
dollars O
on O
the O
Australian O
Stock O
Exchange O
after O
briefly O
hitting O
a O
record O
intra O
- O
day O
high O
of O
5 O
. O
30 O
dollars O
. O

Macquarie O
Bank O
closed O
up O
1 O
. O
30 O
at O
73 O
. O
10 O
dollars O
. O

The O
Australian O
Financial O
Review O
, O
citing O
unnamed O
sources O
, O
said O
the O
bid O
would O
be O
pitched O
at O
more O
than O
5 O
. O
50 O
dollars O
a O
Qantas O
share O
. O

It O
said O
Macquarie O
and O
Texas O
Pacific O
planned O
to O
sell O
bonds O
backed O
by O
Qantas O
' O
fleet O
of O
217 O
planes O
to O
finance O
more O
than O
half O
the O
debt O
incurred O
if O
the O
bid O
proceeds O
. O

The O
newspaper O
said O
Canberra O
was O
struggling O
to O
formulate O
a O
policy O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
bid O
, O
torn O
between O
its O
commitment O
to O
free O
- O
market O
economics O
and O
protecting O
a O
national O
icon O
. O

Government O
backbencher O
Bruce O
Baird O
said O
the O
value O
of O
protectionist O
measures O
designed O
to O
shore O
up O
Qantas O
' O
position O
against O
rivals O
such O
as O
Singapore O
Airlines O
and O
Emirates O
would O
be O
questioned O
if O
the O
bid O
was O
successful O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
sure O
the O
protection O
it O
has O
got O
from O
Singapore O
Airlines O
is O
one O
of O
the O
things O
that O
makes O
it O
attractive O
. O
Maybe O
we O
have O
fatted O
the O
calf O
too O
much O
for O
market O
day O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
government O
has O
ruled O
out O
changing O
the O
law O
to O
prevent O
Qantas O
being O
broken O
up O
and O
says O
it O
will O
maintain O
rules O
limiting O
overall O
foreign O
ownership O
of O
the O
airline O
at O
49 O
percent O
and O
capping O
single O
stakes O
available O
to O
foreign O
firms O
at O
25 O
percent O
. O

But O
Baird O
signalled O
other O
trade O
barriers O
protecting O
Qantas O
could O
be O
up O
for O
review O
if O
a O
takeover O
meant O
the O
airline O
became O
" O
just O
another O
multinational O
organisation O
" O
. O

Singapore O
Airlines O
vice O
- O
president O
TK O
Mun O
said O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
that O
the O
airline O
remained O
keen O
to O
complete O
with O
Qantas O
on O
the O
lucrative O
Australia O
- O
US O
route O
even O
though O
Canberra O
rejected O
its O
application O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

Mun O
said O
Singapore O
Airlines O
was O
closely O
watching O
the O
takeover O
bid O
and O
potential O
implications O
for O
the O
trans O
- O
Pacific O
route O
. O

" O
The O
subject O
is O
very O
much O
alive O
; O
nothing O
is O
forever O
, O
" O
Mun O
told O
Australian O
Associated O
Press O
. O

Qantas O
earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
said O
it O
expected O
profits O
to O
lift O
up O
to O
30 O
percent O
in O
the O
2006 B-T
/ I-T
07 O
financial O
year O
if O
fuel O
prices O
remain O
near O
current O
levels O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0158 O

NIMBA O
, O
Liberia O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Liberians O
urged O
to O
sustain O
food O
security O
initiatives O

UN O
peacekeeping O
troops O
in O
Liberia O
from O
Bangladesh O
called O
on O
Liberians O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
to O
mitigate O
the O
effects O
of O
14 B-T
years I-T
of O
civil O
war O
and O
sustain O
ongoing O
initiatives O
towards O
achieving O
self O
- O
sufficiency O
in O
food O
production O
. O

" O
Liberians O
must O
move O
towards O
a O
brighter O
future O
of O
self O
- O
dependence O
, O
" O
Col O
. O
Abdul O
Haque O
, O
commander O
of O
the O
10th O
Battalion O
of O
the O
Bangladeshi O
peacekeeping O
troops O
, O
told O
Liberians O
at O
the O
inaugural O
harvesting O
of O
mechanized O
rice O
farms O
in O
Ganta O
, O
a O
once O
embattled O
town O
in O
Nimba O
county O
, O
about O
300 O
km O
north O
of O
the O
Liberian O
capital O
Monrovia O
. O

The O
inaugural O
harvesting O
was O
part O
of O
two B-T
days I-T
of O
festivities O
in O
commemoration O
of O
the O
World O
Food O
Day O
organized O
by O
the O
Liberian O
government O
. O

Under O
the O
slogan O
" O
Mechanized O
Farming O
is O
the O
Key O
to O
Agriculture O
Success O
, O
" O
Bangladeshi O
peacekeepers O
have O
been O
assisting O
the O
farmers O
to O
start O
mechanized O
farming O
at O
viable O
project O
sites O
abandoned O
during O
the O
civil O
crisis O
. O
A O
modest O
amount O
of O
lands O
have O
been O
redeveloped O
and O
cultivated O
for O
seed O
rice O
multiplication O
by O
the O
farmers O
through O
the O
assistance O
of O
the O
peacekeepers O
who O
provided O
tractors O
, O
fuel O
and O
training O
. O

Liberian O
Agriculture O
Minister O
Chris O
Toe O
hailed O
the O
peacekeepers O
' O
efforts O
, O
saying O
that O
the O
initiative O
would O
lead O
the O
way O
to O
food O
security O
in O
the O
country O
. O
He O
assured O
, O
" O
As O
the O
economy O
improves O
and O
with O
available O
resources O
, O
there O
would O
be O
marked O
improvement O
within O
the O
agriculture O
sector O
within O
five B-T
years I-T
. O
" O

" O
Next O
year O
we O
will O
triple O
the O
amount O
of O
lands O
and O
the O
government O
will O
buy O
each O
bag O
of O
seed O
rice O
that O
would O
be O
produced O
by O
the O
farms O
, O
" O
Toe O
told O
farmers O
. O

Food O
insecurity O
in O
the O
country O
is O
a O
challenge O
the O
Liberian O
government O
is O
committed O
to O
cope O
with O
through O
its O
own O
initiatives O
and O
with O
the O
support O
from O
development O
partners O
, O
Toe O
said O
. O

According O
to O
a O
commerce O
ministry O
' O
s O
estimate O
, O
food O
imports O
in O
Liberia O
account O
for O
more O
than O
50 O
percent O
, O
among O
which O
rice O
imports O
take O
up O
over O
50 O
percent O
. O

The O
World O
Food O
Day O
was O
set O
by O
the O
United O
Nations O
on O
October B-T
16 I-T
, O
but O
last B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
global O
celebration O
of O
the O
World O
Food O
Day O
was O
postponed O
in O
Liberia O
by O
a B-T
month I-T
to O
accommodate O
mass O
participation O
. O

Officials O
of O
the O
government O
, O
nongovernmental O
organizations O
and O
the O
diplomatic O
community O
, O
as O
well O
as O
Liberian O
President O
Ellen O
Johnson O
- O
Sirleaf O
and O
UN O
Special O
Envoy O
Alan O
Doss O
, O
gathered O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Ganta O
for O
the O
festivities O
and O
were O
impressed O
by O
the O
huge O
turnout O
and O
the O
variety O
of O
produce O
hundreds O
of O
farmers O
put O
on O
display O
from O
around O
country O
. O

Johnson O
- O
Sirleaf O
said O
to O
farmers O
, O
" O
Do O
not O
see O
this O
as O
a O
one O
- O
day O
event O
. O
See O
it O
as O
a O
kickoff O
to O
continue O
the O
work O
. O
" O

In O
view O
of O
the O
need O
for O
smaller O
countries O
to O
gain O
maximum O
benefits O
from O
increased O
investment O
in O
agriculture O
, O
Doss O
called O
for O
a O
" O
level O
playing O
field O
" O
in O
global O
trade O
by O
appealing O
to O
industrialized O
nations O
to O
do O
away O
with O
barrels O
that O
hinder O
fair O
trade O
to O
the O
disadvantage O
of O
smaller O
nations O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0340 O

NICOSIA O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Iran O
' O
s O
exiled O
opposition O
calls O
boycott O
of O
presidential O
polls O

Iran O
' O
s O
main O
opposition O
group O
called O
Monday B-T
for O
a O
boycott O
of O
next B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
presidential O
elections O
in O
Iran O
, O
calling O
it O
an O
" O
illegitimate O
mascarade O
. O
" O

The O
National O
Council O
of O
Resistance O
of O
Iran O
( O
NCRI O
) O
said O
that O
" O
this O
vote O
, O
like O
all O
the O
other O
mascarades O
of O
this O
theocracy O
, O
is O
completely O
illegitimate O
, O
" O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
received O
by O
AFP O
in O
Nicosia O
. O

Massud O
Radjavi O
, O
head O
of O
the O
Paris O
- O
based O
NCRI O
and O
chief O
of O
the O
armed O
opposition O
group O
People O
' O
s O
Mujahedeen O
, O
called O
the O
May B-T
23 I-T
polls O
a O
" O
political O
funeral O
and O
the O
inevitable O
sweeping O
aside O
" O
of O
outgoing O
president O
Ali O
Akbar O
Hashemi O
Rafsanjani O
. O

" O
This O
event O
is O
the O
most O
import O
schism O
that O
will O
affect O
the O
regime O
in O
its O
terminal O
stage O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0079 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Dexia O
bank O
to O
vote O
against O
Euronext O
- O
NYSE O
merger O

Dexia O
bank O
, O
a O
big O
shareholder O
in O
pan O
- O
European O
stock O
market O
operator O
Euronext O
, O
will O
vote O
against O
a O
merger O
between O
the O
operator O
and O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
chief O
executive O
Axel O
Miller O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

He O
told O
the O
French O
financial O
newspaper O
Les O
Echos O
: O
" O
We O
will O
vote O
against O
the O
trans O
- O
Atlantic O
merger O
project O
. O
" O

This O
was O
because O
the O
bank O
felt O
that O
the O
NYSE O
would O
eventually O
dominate O
the O
new O
entity O
and O
because O
the O
merger O
ran O
counter O
to O
Euronext O
' O
s O
original O
vision O
of O
a O
pan O
- O
European O
stock O
market O
. O

" O
It O
would O
be O
sort O
of O
like O
the O
birth O
of O
America O
Next O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Euronext O
groups O
the O
stock O
markets O
in O
Paris O
, O
Brussels O
, O
Amsterdam O
and O
Lisbon O
, O
and O
the O
Liffe O
financial O
futures O
market O
in O
London O
, O
and O
its O
shareholders O
are O
to O
vote O
Tuesday B-T
on O
the O
planned O
merger O
with O
the O
NYSE O
. O

Miller O
also O
objected O
that O
" O
under O
the O
cover O
of O
an O
open O
market O
, O
the O
United O
States O
is O
demonstrating O
regulatory O
hegemony O
. O
" O

He O
forecast O
that O
other O
members O
of O
a O
pact O
of O
Euronext O
shareholders O
that O
disbanded O
last B-T
week I-T
would O
also O
vote O
against O
the O
deal O
, O
but O
stressed O
he O
could O
speak O
only O
for O
his O
company O
. O

On O
June B-T
1 I-T
, O
the O
boards O
of O
the O
two O
markets O
signed O
an O
agreement O
in O
principle O
under O
which O
the O
NYSE O
was O
valued O
at O
22 O
billion O
euros O
( O
28 O
. O
8 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
and O
Euronext O
at O
about O
10 O
. O
5 O
billion O
euros O
. O

The O
marriage O
was O
presented O
as O
a O
" O
merger O
of O
equals O
" O
. O
But O
a O
report O
, O
strongly O
critical O
of O
the O
deal O
, O
published O
by O
an O
association O
of O
financial O
interests O
in O
France O
called O
Paris O
Europlace O
, O
said O
that O
the O
marriage O
amounted O
to O
a O
takeover O
by O
the O
NYSE O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0061 O

FALLUJAH O
, O
Iraq O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sniper O
hunts O
two O
US O
soldiers O
west O
of O
Baghdad O

An O
insurgent O
sniper O
hunted O
two O
US O
soldiers O
in O
the O
flashpoint O
city O
of O
Fallujah O
, O
west O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
a O
witness O
said O
. O

" O
A O
sniper O
opened O
fire O
at O
a O
US O
military O
patrol O
in O
Souq O
al O
- O
Qadiem O
district O
, O
and O
picked O
off O
two O
soldiers O
before O
he O
fled O
the O
scene O
, O
" O
Abdul O
- O
Rahman O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

" O
Another O
insurgent O
hurled O
a O
grenade O
at O
a O
US O
patrol O
in O
the O
city O
damaging O
a O
US O
Humvee O
, O
but O
it O
was O
not O
known O
whether O
there O
was O
any O
casualty O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

US O
troops O
returned O
fire O
and O
cordoned O
off O
the O
area O
and O
searched O
for O
the O
attackers O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Fallujah O
, O
some O
50 O
km O
west O
of O
Baghdad O
in O
the O
restive O
Anbar O
province O
, O
has O
witnessed O
frequent O
attacks O
against O
US O
and O
Iraqi O
forces O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0009 O

MELBOURNE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Police O
injured O
in O
clashes O
with O
protesters O
during O
G20 O
meeting O

A O
number O
of O
police O
officers O
were O
injured O
during O
clashes O
with O
protesters O
at O
several O
places O
near O
the O
venue O
of O
a O
meeting O
of O
the O
Group O
20 O
( O
G20 O
) O
, O
which O
is O
being O
held O
Saturday B-T
in O
Melbourne O
, O
Australia O
' O
s O
second O
largest O
city O
. O

One O
police O
officer O
was O
taken O
to O
hospital O
with O
a O
suspected O
broken O
wrist O
when O
police O
tried O
to O
push O
back O
protesters O
who O
tried O
to O
break O
barricades O
surrounding O
the O
Grand O
Hyatt O
hotel O
in O
central O
Melbourne O
, O
where O
finance O
ministers O
and O
central O
bank O
governors O
from O
19 O
countries O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
are O
gathering O
. O

They O
will O
discuss O
issues O
including O
world O
economic O
conditions O
, O
energy O
security O
, O
demographic O
change O
, O
climate O
change O
and O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
and O
the O
World O
Bank O
' O
s O
reforms O
. O

The O
protesters O
are O
about O
2 O
, O
700 O
people O
from O
an O
alliance O
of O
left O
- O
wing O
groups O
, O
anti O
- O
war O
activists O
, O
environmentalists O
and O
religious O
organizations O
. O

Some O
protesters O
were O
seen O
throwing O
garbage O
bins O
at O
police O
. O

Some O
protesters O
tried O
to O
pull O
down O
the O
barricades O
and O
police O
responded O
by O
striking O
the O
barricades O
, O
yelling O
at O
the O
protesters O
to O
back O
off O
. O

The O
G20 O
is O
an O
informal O
forum O
which O
first O
met O
in O
December B-T
in O
1999 B-T
following O
the O
Asian O
financial O
crisis O
. O
It O
brings O
together O
Argentina O
, O
Australia O
, O
Brazil O
, O
Canada O
, O
China O
, O
France O
, O
Germany O
, O
India O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Italy O
, O
Japan O
, O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
, O
Mexico O
, O
Russia O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
South O
Africa O
, O
Turkey O
, O
the O
United O
Kingdom O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
is O
also O
a O
member O
. O

The O
group O
' O
s O
members O
represent O
around O
85 O
percent O
of O
global O
gross O
domestic O
, O
product O
, O
80 O
percent O
of O
world O
trade O
and O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
population O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0278 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Iraq O
on O
brink O
of O
disintegration O
: O
think O
- O
tank O

Iraq O
faces O
" O
complete O
disintegration O
into O
failed O
state O
chaos O
" O
a O
respected O
think O
- O
tank O
warned O
Tuesday B-T
, O
urging O
the O
United O
States O
to O
adopt O
a O
radical O
change O
of O
strategy O
to O
end O
the O
crisis O
. O

The O
stark O
analysis O
from O
the O
International O
Crisis O
Group O
came O
as O
a O
Pentagon O
report O
confirmed O
that O
violence O
in O
Iraq O
has O
hit O
record O
levels O
and O
two B-T
weeks I-T
after O
a O
bipartisan O
US O
panel O
branded O
the O
situation O
" O
grave O
and O
deteriorating O
. O
" O

The O
ICG O
' O
s O
new O
report O
endorsed O
the O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
' O
s O
criticisms O
of O
White O
House O
strategy O
, O
but O
warned O
the O
recommendations O
of O
former O
secretary O
of O
state O
James O
Baker O
' O
s O
panel O
would O
not O
be O
enough O
to O
stem O
the O
bloodshed O
. O

In O
particular O
, O
the O
Crisis O
Group O
criticised O
the O
US O
insistence O
on O
supporting O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
' O
s O
coalition O
government O
, O
and O
called O
instead O
for O
the O
international O
community O
to O
open O
talks O
with O
all O
Iraq O
' O
s O
warring O
parties O
. O

" O
The O
Iraqi O
government O
and O
security O
forces O
cannot O
be O
treated O
as O
privileged O
allies O
to O
be O
bolstered O
; O
they O
are O
simply O
one O
among O
many O
parties O
to O
the O
conflict O
, O
" O
the O
ICG O
said O
. O

" O
The O
( O
Baker O
) O
report O
characterises O
the O
government O
as O
a O
' O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
' O
that O
is O
' O
broadly O
representative O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
' O
: O
it O
is O
nothing O
of O
the O
sort O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

The O
ICG O
said O
Baker O
' O
s O
report O
" O
calls O
for O
expanding O
forces O
that O
are O
complicit O
in O
the O
current O
dirty O
war O
and O
for O
speeding O
up O
the O
transfer O
of O
responsibility O
to O
a O
government O
that O
has O
done O
nothing O
to O
stop O
it O
. O
" O

Rather O
than O
blindly O
backing O
Maliki O
' O
s O
beleaguered O
regime O
, O
the O
ICG O
said O
, O
Washington O
and O
other O
international O
and O
regional O
actors O
should O
adopt O
" O
a O
new O
forceful O
multilateral O
approach O
that O
puts O
real O
pressure O
on O
all O
Iraqi O
parties O
. O
" O

The O
five O
permanent O
members O
of O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
and O
Iraq O
' O
s O
six O
neighbours O
should O
become O
an O
" O
international O
support O
group O
" O
for O
the O
country O
. O

" O
But O
its O
purpose O
cannot O
be O
to O
support O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
. O
It O
must O
support O
Iraq O
, O
which O
means O
pressing O
the O
government O
, O
along O
with O
all O
other O
Iraqi O
constituents O
, O
to O
make O
the O
necessary O
compromises O
, O
" O
the O
ICG O
said O
. O

Such O
advice O
will O
not O
go O
down O
well O
in O
the O
White O
House O
, O
where O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
has O
held O
talks O
with O
a O
range O
of O
policy O
experts O
and O
Iraqi O
officials O
in O
preparation O
for O
announcing O
a O
change O
of O
strategy O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

But O
the O
US O
leader O
has O
ruled O
out O
working O
with O
Iraq O
' O
s O
neighbours O
Iran O
and O
Syria O
, O
whom O
he O
accuses O
of O
fomenting O
the O
violence O
, O
and O
has O
given O
his O
backing O
to O
Maliki O
, O
describing O
him O
as O
" O
the O
right O
man O
for O
the O
job O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0304 O

KUWAIT O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Kuwaiti O
crude O
oil O
prices O
end O
rising O
trend O

Kuwaiti O
crude O
oil O
prices O
have O
seen O
a O
halt O
of O
rising O
trend O
by O
dropping O
to O
53 O
. O
62 O
U O
. O
S O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
( O
dpb O
) O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
93 O
cents O
lower O
than O
that O
of O
last B-T
Friday I-T
, O
local O
media O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Kuwaiti O
crude O
oil O
prices O
rose O
by O
80 B-T
and O
96 O
cents O
per O
barrel O
on O
last B-T
Monday I-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
, O
or O
on O
Nov O
. O
6 O
and O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, O
to O
reach O
52 O
. O
88 O
dpb O
and O
53 O
. O
84 O
dpb O
respectively O
. O

The O
rising O
trend O
emerged O
when O
the O
prices O
surged O
up O
by O
59 O
cents O
to O
54 O
. O
55 O
dpb O
on O
Friday B-T
from O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
53 O
. O
96 O
dpb O
. O

Local O
media O
attributed O
the O
week O
- O
long O
rising O
trend O
of O
oil O
prices O
to O
the O
effect O
of O
Kuwait O
' O
s O
output O
slash O
which O
began O
on O
Nov O
. O
1 O
. O

Global O
crude O
oil O
prices O
hovered O
below O
59 O
dollars O
recently O
amid O
warm O
winter O
concern O
, O
which O
negatively O
affected O
the O
Kuwaiti O
prices O
, O
said O
local O
analysts O
. O

With O
a O
self O
- O
boasted O
proven O
oil O
reserves O
of O
about O
101 O
. O
5 O
billion O
barrels O
, O
Kuwait O
now B-T
produces O
2 O
. O
3 O
million O
barrels O
of O
crude O
oil O
per O
day O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061112 O
. O
0203 O

SANTIAGO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

26 O
soldiers O
die O
in O
Chile O
after O
bus O
falls O
off O
cliff O
into O
river O

Twenty O
- O
six O
soldiers O
died O
on O
Sunday B-T
when O
a O
minibus O
carrying O
31 O
people O
fell O
off O
a O
15 O
- O
meter O
cliff O
into O
a O
river O
in O
Chile O
' O
s O
eighth O
region O
, O
515 O
km O
south O
of O
Chilean O
capital O
Santiago O
, O
Chilean O
radio O
said O
. O

The O
vehicle O
was O
carrying O
the O
Chacabuco O
military O
band O
from O
the O
city O
of O
Concepcion O
to O
Canete O
, O
a O
town O
in O
Arauco O
province O
, O
for O
a O
civic O
event O
. O

The O
minivan O
driver O
lost O
control O
of O
the O
vehicle O
close O
to O
the O
Quelen O
Quelen O
Bridge O
, O
on O
Route B-T
160 I-T
. O
The O
bus O
landed O
in O
the O
Tucapel O
River O
, O
and O
swiftly O
sank O
. O

Fire O
crews O
and O
the O
Special O
Operations O
Group O
of O
Chilean O
police O
force O
, O
the O
Carabinieri O
, O
rescued O
five O
people O
and O
took O
them O
to O
the O
Concepcion O
Regional O
Hospital O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051203 O
. O
0004 O

GAZA O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

URGENT O
Israeli O
troops O
kill O
two O
Palestinians O
in O
Gaza O
Strip O

Israeli O
soldiers O
shot O
dead O
two O
Palestinians O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
early B-T
Saturday I-T
, O
Palestinian O
security O
officials O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0207 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Arafat O

By O
Saud O
Abu O
Ramadan O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Two B-T
years I-T
after O
late O
Palestinian O
leader O
Yasser O
Arafat O
' O
s O
leaving O
from O
the O
world O
, O
pictures O
of O
him O
reoccurred O
in O
the O
Gaza O
streets O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
a O
day O
before O
a O
two O
- O
year O
anniversary O
for O
his O
death O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
showing O
the O
Palestinians O
' O
yearning O
for O
the O
late O
leader O
. O

Abu O
Ibrahim O
Salama O
, O
a O
65 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Gazan O
man O
, O
pointed O
a O
huge O
Arafat O
picture O
hanging O
in O
front O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
Legislative O
Council O
( O
PLC O
) O
building O
and O
said O
, O
" O
Where O
are O
you O
? O
Where O
are O
your O
days O
? O
If O
you O
were O
here O
, O
our O
life O
would O
be O
better O
. O
" O

In O
the O
overpopulated O
poor O
enclave O
, O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
many O
Palestinians O
like O
Salama O
still O
miss O
their O
historic O
and O
symbolic O
leader O
Yasser O
Arafat O
and O
believe O
that O
if O
he O
was O
alive O
, O
they O
would O
not O
live O
in O
such O
a O
miserable O
situation O
. O

Ahmed O
Abu O
Ghazza O
, O
a O
29 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
fan O
of O
Arafat O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
that O
" O
When O
Arafat O
was O
alive O
, O
we O
were O
also O
under O
siege O
and O
Israeli O
daily O
offensives O
, O
but O
our O
life O
was O
going O
well O
. O
" O

He O
attributed O
it O
to O
Arafat O
' O
s O
political O
skills O
and O
tactics O
, O
saying O
that O
" O
if O
he O
( O
Arafat O
) O
was O
still O
alive O
, O
Hamas O
would O
never O
win O
in O
any O
legislative O
elections O
, O
because O
Arafat O
would O
never O
let O
them O
win O
. O
" O

Palestinians O
faced O
formidable O
difficulties O
following O
Hamas O
won O
the O
legislative O
elections O
in O
January B-T
and O
thus O
given O
the O
mandate O
to O
form O
the O
current O
Hamas O
- O
led O
government O
in O
late B-T
March I-T
. O

Hamas O
regime O
was O
boycotted O
by O
Israel O
and O
the O
international O
community O
from O
the O
very O
beginning O
because O
the O
former O
' O
s O
adherence O
to O
destruction O
of O
Israel O
. O

The O
international O
boycott O
and O
siege O
pushed O
the O
fledging O
Hamas O
government O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
into O
dual O
plights O
of O
economy O
and O
politics O
. O

However O
, O
the O
Palestinians O
were O
not O
immediately O
conscious O
of O
the O
significance O
of O
Arafat O
until O
they O
witnessed O
deteriorating O
life O
conditions O
day O
by O
day B-T
after O
his O
pass O
- O
away O
. O

Palestinian O
observers O
believe O
that O
it O
because O
the O
Palestinians O
were O
too O
busy O
with O
other O
affairs O
to O
ponder O
the O
result O
of O
Arafat O
' O
s O
leaving O
from O
the O
Palestinian O
life O
. O

They O
said O
, O
since O
Arafat O
' O
s O
death O
in O
a O
French O
Hospital O
near O
Paris O
in O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
the O
Palestinians O
have O
been O
experienced O
too O
many O
changes O
, O
including O
electing O
a O
new O
leader O
to O
succeed O
Arafat O
, O
municipal O
elections O
, O
the O
Israeli O
unilateral O
disengagement O
plan O
, O
the O
legislative O
elections O
and O
a O
new O
government O
led O
by O
Hamas O
. O

But O
as O
time O
went O
by O
, O
the O
Palestinians O
began O
to O
be O
aware O
of O
what O
they O
lost O
with O
the O
death O
of O
Arafat O
, O
who O
was O
then O
given O
high O
evaluations O
and O
praises O
by O
the O
Palestinians O
from O
all O
circles O
. O

Chief O
Palestinian O
negotiator O
Saeb O
Erekat O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
" O
We O
really O
don O
' O
t O
want O
to O
turn O
the O
date O
of O
pass O
- O
away O
of O
the O
eternal O
leader O
Yasser O
Arafat O
into O
an O
anniversary O
only O
, O
because O
Arafat O
should O
be O
remembered O
all O
the O
time O
. O
" O

He O
said O
that O
" O
Yasser O
Arafat O
had O
passed O
away O
, O
while O
massacres O
are O
committed O
everyday O
against O
our O
people O
. O
Yasser O
Arafat O
passed O
away O
, O
while O
our O
internal O
situation O
remains O
as O
difficult O
as O
it O
is O
, O
while O
Palestinian O
blood O
has O
been O
shed O
by O
Palestinian O
hands O
. O
" O

Apart O
from O
Arafat O
' O
s O
importance O
in O
politics O
, O
his O
personal O
enchantment O
also O
attracted O
a O
handful O
of O
adherents O
. O

Mohamed O
Ishtayya O
, O
a O
former O
minister O
of O
housing O
loyal O
to O
Arafat O
told O
Xinhua O
that O
" O
When O
I O
met O
him O
for O
the O
first O
time O
, O
I O
really O
felt O
so O
proud O
, O
because O
he O
gave O
me O
the O
impression O
that O
he O
knows O
me O
for O
a O
long O
time O
. O
" O

He O
added O
that O
" O
after O
I O
worked O
with O
him O
closely O
, O
I O
found O
that O
he O
can O
name O
almost O
everyone O
he O
met O
before O
even O
if O
they O
had O
met O
several B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O
" O

" O
This O
is O
Yasser O
Arafat O
, O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
Palestinians O
that O
everyone O
is O
missing O
. O
Even O
in O
Israel O
, O
Israelis O
believe O
that O
he O
was O
the O
only O
man O
who O
could O
make O
peace O
with O
them O
, O
" O
he O
concluded O
with O
pride O
. O

A O
day O
before O
the O
two O
- O
year O
anniversary O
of O
Arafat O
' O
s O
death O
, O
the O
desperate O
Palestinians O
, O
who O
are O
living O
in O
economic O
and O
political O
crisis O
for O
months B-T
, O
expressed O
their O
missing O
for O
the O
late O
Palestinian O
leader O
. O

" O
I O
think O
Arafat O
was O
not O
only O
an O
elected O
president O
of O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
but O
also O
a O
leader O
with O
a O
special O
charisma O
, O
" O
said O
Ahmed O
al O
- O
Jammali O
, O
a O
storekeeper O
in O
Gaza O
City O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0015 O

DAR O
ES O
SALAAM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

WTO O
calls O
for O
EAC O
trade O
policy O
review O

The O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
has O
called O
for O
a O
trade O
policy O
review O
by O
the O
East O
African O
Community O
( O
EAC O
) O
, O
according O
to O
local O
press O
reports O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

English O
broadsheet O
The O
Guardian O
quoted O
a O
WTO O
Secretariat O
' O
s O
trade O
policy O
review O
released O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
as O
urging O
Kenya O
, O
Tanzania O
and O
Uganda O
to O
improve O
their O
multilateral O
commitments O
on O
both O
goods O
and O
services O
so O
as O
to O
increase O
their O
attractiveness O
to O
investment O
and O
business O
. O

The O
WTO O
review O
expressed O
concerns O
to O
the O
multiple O
and O
sometimes O
overlapping O
regional O
trade O
arrangements O
of O
the O
three O
EAC O
member O
countries O
. O

Apart O
from O
their O
own O
Customs O
Union O
, O
Kenya O
and O
Uganda O
are O
also O
members O
of O
the O
Common O
Market O
for O
Eastern O
and O
Southern O
African O
( O
COMESA O
) O
while O
Tanzania O
is O
a O
member O
of O
the O
Southern O
African O
Development O
Community O
( O
SADC O
) O
and O
is O
also O
a O
signatory O
to O
the O
Agreement O
on O
the O
Global O
System O
of O
Trade O
Preferences O
Among O
Developing O
Countries O
( O
GSTP O
) O
. O

COMESA O
is O
a O
preferential O
trading O
bloc O
that O
was O
formed O
in O
December B-T
1994 I-T
to O
replace O
the O
Preferential O
Trade O
Area O
that O
had O
existed O
since O
1981 B-T
. O
Tanzania O
quit O
COMESA O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

SADC O
, O
yet O
to O
become O
a O
full O
- O
fledged O
customs O
union O
, O
is O
a O
regional O
economic O
integration O
union O
that O
was O
formed O
in O
April B-T
1980 I-T
when O
it O
was O
known O
as O
the O
Southern O
African O
Development O
Coordination O
Conference O
. O

The O
WTO O
review O
noted O
that O
though O
the O
EAC O
member O
states O
are O
free O
to O
negotiate O
bilateral O
trade O
arrangement O
, O
their O
overlapping O
arrangements O
have O
caused O
problems O
in O
such O
aspects O
as O
difficulties O
in O
identifying O
origins O
of O
products O
for O
taxability O
, O
in O
that O
COMESA O
and O
SADC O
are O
governed O
by O
different O
protocols O
. O

The O
East O
African O
Legislative O
Assembly O
( O
EALA O
) O
is O
scheduled O
to O
debate O
in O
early B-T
December I-T
multiple O
membership O
with O
regional O
trading O
blocs O
so O
as O
to O
solve O
an O
eligibility O
dispute O
. O

The O
EALA O
, O
the O
legislative O
arm O
of O
the O
East O
African O
Community O
, O
will O
start O
trading O
bloc O
membership O
debate O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
when O
the O
East O
African O
parliament O
for O
Kenya O
, O
Tanzania O
and O
Uganda O
meets O
in O
Arusha O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0100 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
giant O
enters O
HK O
market O
for O
paper O
- O
free O
commerce O

The O
US O
company O
EDS O
on O
Thursday B-T
signed O
a O
deal O
giving O
it O
a O
stake O
in O
a O
Hong O
Kong O
firm O
that O
is O
developing O
the O
use O
of O
electronic O
transactions O
between O
companies O
, O
a O
statement O
said O
. O

Under O
the O
deal O
, O
EDS O
will O
become O
an O
equal O
partner O
with O
three O
other O
major O
shareholders O
in O
Transportation O
Community O
Network O
Ltd O
. O
, O
which O
is O
promoting O
the O
use O
of O
paperless O
transactions O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
through O
its O
operator O
Cargonet O
. O

EDS O
and O
CargoNet O
also O
agreed O
on O
a O
" O
strategic O
alliance O
" O
to O
develop O
the O
sector O
among O
trade O
and O
transport O
companies O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
the O
neighbouring O
province O
of O
Guangdong O
, O
the O
two O
firms O
said O
in O
a O
joint O
statement O
. O

Electronic O
commerce O
service O
is O
regarded O
as O
the O
latest O
area O
of O
growth O
in O
computer O
networking O
. O

Under O
it O
, O
companies O
negotiate O
, O
conclude O
and O
conduct O
transactions O
entirely O
by O
computer O
, O
something O
that O
offers O
a O
potentially O
huge O
saving O
in O
costs O
. O

Companies O
carry O
out O
this O
business O
via O
a O
data O
centre O
operated O
by O
the O
information O
service O
provider O
, O
which O
makes O
its O
money O
by O
charging O
customers O
a O
subscription O
fee O
. O

" O
After O
launching O
in O
1995 B-T
and O
achieving O
a O
significant O
client O
base O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
CargoNet O
is O
poised O
for O
major O
growth O
in O
1997 B-T
, O
" O
CargoNet O
chairman O
Richard O
Pearson O
said O
. O

" O
The O
whole O
field O
of O
electronic O
commerce O
is O
evolving O
rapidly O
, O
and O
EDS O
' O
commitment O
and O
support O
will O
help O
maintain O
a O
decisive O
technological O
lead O
. O
" O

EDS O
, O
a O
provider O
of O
information O
services O
, O
is O
an O
independent O
, O
publicly O
- O
owned O
company O
listed O
in O
New O
York O
and O
London O
. O

It O
had O
income O
of O
14 O
. O
4 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
with O
a O
payroll O
of O
100 O
, O
000 O
. O

A O
spokeswoman O
for O
CargoNet O
said O
she O
was O
unable O
to O
provide O
any O
financial O
details O
of O
the O
agreement O
signed O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
other O
major O
shareholders O
in O
Transportation O
Community O
Network O
are O
three O
local O
firms O
: O
HIT O
Holdings O
Ltd O
. O
; O
Kenwa O
Communication O
Cp O
. O
Ltd O
. O
; O
and O
CSSL O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0158 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Oct B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Marathon O
star O
Tergat O
foresees O
" O
world O
class O
battle O
" O
in O
London O

World O
marathon O
record O
holder O
Paul O
Tergat O
thinks O
next O
year O
' O
s O
London O
Marathon O
will O
provide O
an O
opportunity O
for O
a O
new O
world O
- O
class O
battle O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
I O
am O
looking O
forward O
to O
facing O
a O
great O
competition O
on O
a O
fast O
course O
. O
Everybody O
wants O
to O
be O
there O
, O
" O
Tergat O
was O
quoted O
by O
newspaper O
Kenya O
Times O
as O
saying O
. O

According O
to O
the O
newspaper O
, O
the O
World O
Food O
Program O
' O
s O
ambassador O
against O
hunger O
and O
patron O
of O
the O
IAAF O
' O
s O
" O
Athletes O
for O
a O
Better O
World O
" O
charity O
project O
, O
gave O
a O
special O
press O
conference O
in O
Milan O
in O
which O
he O
spoke O
about O
his O
dramatic O
win O
in O
the O
2005 O
New O
York O
Marathon O
and O
his O
future O
running O
career O
. O

The O
former O
five O
- O
time O
world O
cross O
country O
champion O
said O
he O
is O
looking O
forward O
to O
future O
challenges O
including O
the O
next O
London O
Marathon O
on O
April B-T
23 I-T
, O
2006 O
which O
will O
feature O
a O
rematch O
with O
Hendrick O
Ramaala O
, O
and O
another O
encounter O
with O
Haile O
Gebrselassie O
who O
ran O
2 O
: O
06 O
: O
20 O
in O
Amsterdam O
on O
October B-T
16 I-T
, O
the O
fastest O
time O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Kenyan O
marathon O
star O
also O
took O
a O
chance O
to O
look O
back O
at O
his O
New O
York O
achievement O
. O

In O
one O
of O
the O
most O
memorable O
marathon O
finishes O
in O
history O
on O
November B-T
6 I-T
, O
he O
just O
managed O
to O
defeat O
defending O
champion O
Ramaala O
of O
South O
Africa O
after O
a O
breathtaking O
neck O
and O
neck O
battle O
which O
ended O
with O
his O
2 O
: O
09 O
: O
30 O
victory O
. O

" O
I O
am O
recovering O
from O
a O
grueling O
race O
which O
was O
really O
a O
dramatic O
and O
painful O
experience O
" O
, O
said O
Tergat O
. O

" O
It O
was O
a O
psychological O
fight O
in O
the O
final O
60 O
meters O
. O
The O
final O
five O
miles O
run O
on O
a O
hilly O
course O
were O
very O
tough O
. O
The O
key O
for O
my O
success O
in O
the O
final O
sprint O
was O
my O
mind O
which O
enabled O
me O
to O
beat O
Ramaala O
into O
the O
finish O
line O
. O
It O
is O
from O
my O
mind O
that O
I O
found O
the O
strength O
to O
win O
this O
dramatic O
race O
. O
I O
never O
lost O
faith O
in O
my O
capabilities O
. O
" O

" O
When O
Hendrick O
Ramaala O
and O
Alberico O
Di O
Cecco O
launched O
their O
attacks O
to O
break O
away O
from O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
field O
I O
did O
not O
follow O
them O
but O
focused O
on O
running O
my O
own O
race O
. O
" O

Asked O
if O
it O
was O
more O
important O
for O
him O
to O
set O
a O
world O
record O
in O
Berlin O
or O
to O
win O
in O
New O
York O
, O
he O
said O
: O
" O
Berlin O
was O
very O
special O
for O
me O
. O
It O
was O
my O
first O
win O
in O
the O
marathon O
after O
some O
defeats O
in O
my O
first O
attempts O
over O
the O
distance O
and O
I O
broke O
the O
world O
record O
running O
2 B-T
: I-T
04 I-T
: I-T
55 I-T
. O
" O

" O
In O
New O
York O
, O
I O
came O
back O
from O
some O
hamstring O
problems O
after O
my O
eighth O
place O
in O
London O
Marathon O
, O
to O
take O
the O
second O
win O
of O
my O
marathon O
career O
at O
the O
end O
of O
an O
exciting O
and O
thrilling O
battle O
. O
I O
knew O
that O
millions O
of O
Kenyans O
watched O
me O
in O
New O
York O
via O
TV O
, O
so O
this O
win O
was O
very O
important O
for O
them O
. O
" O

Tergat O
also O
said O
he O
is O
not O
thinking O
yet O
about O
retirement O
. O
" O
I O
want O
to O
continue O
for O
some B-T
years I-T
. O
But O
at O
the O
moment O
it O
is O
unlikely O
that O
I O
will O
run O
at O
the O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
in O
Beijing O
. O
But O
I O
can O
' O
t O
rule O
it O
out O
. O
It O
depends O
on O
my O
fitness O
. O
What O
motivates O
me O
is O
passion O
for O
running O
. O
It O
is O
not O
a O
question O
of O
age O
but O
of O
mind O
which O
is O
the O
key O
for O
my O
success O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0176 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

this O
year O

China O
' O
s O
foreign O
trade O
of O
electronic O
and O
machinery O
products O
is O
expected O
to O
hit O
780 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
growing O
25 O
percent O
year O
on O
year B-T
, O
the O
International O
Business O
Daily O
quoted O
an O
official O
with O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Commerce O
as O
saying O
. O

Li O
Minglin O
, O
director O
of O
the O
Machinery O
and O
Electronic O
Product O
Import O
and O
Export O
Department O
under O
the O
ministry O
, O
also O
predicted O
China O
' O
s O
process O
trade O
this B-T
year I-T
to O
hit O
690 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
, O
up O
25 O
percent O
. O

As O
a O
main O
driving O
force O
of O
China O
' O
s O
foreign O
trade O
, O
the O
trade O
of O
electronic O
and O
machinery O
products O
will O
continue O
to O
grow O
stably O
, O
thanks O
to O
a O
domestic O
investment O
rise O
and O
further O
opening O
of O
the O
Chinese O
market O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Although O
China O
' O
s O
export O
of O
electronic O
and O
machinery O
products O
is O
growing O
robustly O
, O
unstable O
factors O
such O
as O
fluctuations O
in O
the O
international O
trade O
structure O
, O
raw O
material O
supply O
shortages O
and O
a O
Renminbi O
exchange O
rate O
change O
will O
have O
a O
negative O
impact O
, O
he O
said O
. O

China O
' O
s O
innovation O
capacity O
in O
this O
area O
is O
still O
weak O
, O
lacking O
independent O
property O
rights O
and O
core O
technologies O
, O
he O
said O
. O

In O
the B-T
next I-T
five I-T
years I-T
, O
China O
will O
optimize O
its O
industrial O
structure O
and O
encourage O
the O
export O
of O
machinery O
and O
electronic O
products O
with O
high O
technology O
and O
independent O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
, O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0100 O

SUVA O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Fiji O
agrees O
to O
more O
ethnic O
seats O
in O
new O
parliament O

Fiji O
' O
s O
political O
leaders O
agreed O
Wednesday B-T
to O
retain O
more O
ethnic O
- O
based O
seats O
than O
open O
seats O
in O
parliament O
under O
a O
new O
constitution O
being O
negotiated O
here O
. O

The O
decision O
was O
reached O
unanimously O
by O
a O
25 O
- O
member O
parliamentary O
select O
committee O
appointed O
to O
negotiate O
consensus O
on O
a O
new O
charter O
to O
replace O
the O
post O
- O
coup O
document O
widely O
seen O
as O
racist O
. O

By O
agreeing O
to O
a O
majority O
of O
ethnically O
elected O
seats O
, O
the O
review O
committee O
has O
rejected O
the O
guiding O
principle O
of O
a O
three O
- O
man O
commission O
which O
reviewed O
and O
reported O
on O
constitutional O
reform O
. O

The O
commission O
headed O
by O
Sir O
Paul O
Reeves O
, O
former O
governor O
general O
of O
New O
Zealand O
, O
had O
recommended O
45 O
open O
or O
nationally O
elected O
seats O
as O
opposed O
to O
25 O
ethnically O
elected O
seats O
in O
a O
70 O
- O
member O
new O
Parliament O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
late O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
committee O
said O
it O
had O
agreed O
to O
" O
the O
principle O
of O
retaining O
a O
larger O
percentage O
of O
communal O
seats O
and O
a O
smaller O
percentage O
of O
open O
seats O
. O
" O

Details O
would O
be O
worked O
out O
later O
, O
the O
committee O
said O
. O

The O
select O
committee O
last B-T
week I-T
endorsed O
a O
multi O
- O
racial O
cabinet O
under O
a O
new O
constitution O
in O
what O
Indian O
leaders O
immediately O
hailed O
as O
one O
of O
Fiji O
' O
s O
most O
significant O
political O
concessions O
since O
the O
1987 O
coups O
. O

Fijian O
provincial O
councils O
have O
recently O
been O
vocal O
in O
their O
rejection O
of O
the O
Reeves O
Report O
recommendation O
and O
want O
instead O
a O
majority O
of O
seats O
to O
be O
contested O
on O
an O
ethnic O
roll O
. O

Constitutional O
talks O
were O
adjourned O
until O
Monday B-T
to O
allow O
for O
a O
two O
- O
day B-T
meeting O
of O
the O
Great O
Council O
of O
Chiefs O
beginning O
Thursday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0048 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japan O
, O
DPRK O
talk O
over O
abduction O
issue O
, O
wartime O
compensation O

No O
conclusion O
has O
been O
reached O
yet O
in O
the O
one O
- O
on O
- O
one O
meeting O
between O
the O
delegations O
of O
Japan O
and O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
DPRK O
) O
, O
and O
they O
pledged O
to O
continue O
the O
talks O
, O
said O
head O
of O
the O
DPRK O
delegation O
Song O
Il O
- O
Ho O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
two O
sides O
started O
their O
bilateral O
talks O
in O
the O
Chinese O
capital O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
, O
aiming O
to O
settle O
the O
abduction O
issue O
and O
Japan O
' O
s O
wartime O
compensation O
to O
the O
DPRK O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Before O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
session I-T
, O
Song O
, O
also O
vice O
director O
of O
the O
Asian O
Affairs O
Department O
of O
the O
DPRK O
Foreign O
Ministry O
, O
told O
reporters O
they O
would O
possibly O
talk O
about O
the O
abduction O
issue O
in O
the O
afternoon O
. O

The O
meeting O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
is O
to O
" O
solve O
problems O
, O
" O
said O
Song O
, O
demanding O
that O
the O
Japanese O
government O
do O
something O
about O
its O
compensation O
for O
the O
past O
problems O
. O

After O
the B-T
morning I-T
session I-T
, O
Song O
told O
reporters O
that O
both O
sides O
stated O
their O
positions O
during O
the O
opening O
session O
in O
a O
" O
good O
" O
atmosphere O
. O

Akitaka O
Saiki O
, O
head O
of O
the O
Japanese O
delegation O
and O
deputy O
head O
of O
the O
Foreign O
Ministry O
' O
s O
Asian O
and O
Oceanian O
Affairs O
Bureau O
, O
said O
the O
two O
sides O
had O
" O
serious O
exchanges O
on O
items O
of O
mutual O
concern O
. O
" O

Diplomatic O
sources O
here O
said O
the O
talks O
are O
expected O
to O
last O
at O
least O
two B-T
days O
. O

Prior O
to O
the O
two O
- O
way O
talks O
between O
Japan O
and O
the O
DPRK O
, O
Li O
Bin O
, O
Chinese O
ambassador O
for O
Korean O
Peninsula O
Affairs O
, O
met O
with O
Akitaka O
Saiki O
Wednesday B-T
evening I-T
. O
They O
exchanged O
views O
on O
how O
to O
proceed O
in O
the O
next O
round O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
on O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
nuclear O
issue O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0177 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chechen O
PM O
recovers O
from O
kidney O
operation O
: O
report O

Chechen O
Prime O
Minister O
Sergei O
Abramov O
, O
who O
underwent O
a O
kidney O
surgery O
after O
a O
car O
accident O
two B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
, O
is O
in O
normal O
condition O
and O
" O
feels O
well O
" O
, O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
quoted O
his O
aide O
as O
reporting O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

" O
No O
one O
has O
any O
doubt O
any O
more O
that O
the O
operation O
was O
successful O
. O
Abramov O
feels O
well O
. O
However O
, O
the O
doctors O
have O
decided O
to O
ban O
access O
to O
his O
room O
to O
any O
outsiders O
" O
except O
his O
wife O
and O
aide O
, O
Abramov O
' O
s O
aide O
Tamerlan O
Mingayev O
said O
. O

According O
to O
the O
aide O
, O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
24 I-T
hours I-T
dozens O
of O
people O
, O
including O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
friends O
, O
colleagues O
and O
representatives O
of O
the O
Chechen O
government O
, O
the O
Federation O
Council O
, O
the O
State O
Duma O
and O
other O
bodies O
, O
have O
come O
to O
the O
hospital O
, O
wishing O
to O
see O
Abramov O
and O
to O
ask O
about O
his O
health O
. O

" O
Abramov O
is O
already O
trying O
to O
sit O
up O
in O
bed O
, O
" O
Mingayev O
said O
. O
Abramov O
didn O
' O
t O
hit O
his O
head O
during O
the O
accident O
and O
didn O
' O
t O
suffer O
any O
cranial O
or O
brain O
injury O
. O
He O
can O
cope O
with O
everything O
else O
, O
the O
aide O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

In O
an O
earlier O
interview O
with O
Interfax O
, O
Chechen O
Health O
Minister O
Shakhid O
Akhmadov O
, O
who O
had O
arrived O
at O
the O
Central O
Clinic O
Hospital O
, O
also O
said O
the O
surgery O
had O
been O
successful O
and O
that O
Abramov O
was O
out O
of O
danger O
. O

The O
Chechen O
prime O
minister O
was O
seriously O
injured O
in O
a O
traffic O
accident O
in O
Moscow O
on O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
. O
The O
accident O
occured O
when O
the O
car O
, O
in O
which O
Abramov O
was O
riding O
on O
his O
way O
to O
the O
airport O
for O
a O
flight O
to O
Chechnya O
, O
collided O
with O
a O
truck O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Chechen O
administration O
in O
Moscow O
, O
Ziyad O
Sabsabi O
, O
ruled O
out O
the O
possibility O
of O
an O
assassination O
attempt O
on O
Abramov O
, O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
Chechen O
republic O
is O
expected O
to O
hold O
a O
parliamentary O
elections O
on O
November B-T
27 I-T
. O
Abramov O
was O
appointed O
prime O
minister O
of O
the O
Russian O
republic O
in O
March B-T
2004 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0497 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Former O
Zairean O
PM O
Kengo O
flees O
country O
: O
spokesman O

Former O
Zairean O
Prime O
Minister O
Kengo O
wa O
Dondo O
has O
fled O
the O
country O
and O
the O
government O
is O
thinking O
of O
charging O
him O
with O
treason O
, O
government O
spokesman O
Kin O
Kiey O
Mulumba O
told O
reporters O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
spokesman O
said O
that O
Zaire O
' O
s O
war O
chest O
funds O
were O
empty O
and O
that O
the O
government O
believed O
Kengo O
was O
responsible O
. O

Officials O
were O
thinking O
of O
issuing O
an O
international O
arrest O
warrant O
against O
Kengo O
, O
he O
said O
, O
commenting O
: O
" O
We O
would O
like O
to O
get O
that O
money O
back O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0658 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

China O
' O
s O
Yao O
leads O
West O
vote O
getters O
for O
all O
- O
star O
game O

China O
' O
s O
Yao O
Ming O
is O
the O
leading O
Western O
Conference O
vote O
- O
getter O
with O
729 O
, O
178 O
votes O
after O
the O
first O
returns O
of O
the O
2006 O
NBA O
all O
- O
star O
balloting O
programme O
, O
announced O
Thursday B-T
. O

Tracy O
McGrady O
leads O
forwards O
in O
voting O
from O
fans O
around O
the O
world O
who O
are O
responsible O
for O
picking O
the O
starters O
for O
the O
55th O
NBA O
All O
- O
Star O
Game O
, O
which O
will O
be O
played O
in O
Houston O
on O
February B-T
19 I-T
. O

The O
Rockets O
( O
8 O
- O
12 O
) O
are O
in O
last O
place O
in O
the O
Southwest O
Division O
due O
in O
part O
to O
a O
back O
injury O
that O
has O
forced O
McGrady O
to O
miss O
eight O
games O
. O

Yao O
is O
a O
three O
- O
time O
All O
- O
Star O
averaging O
a O
career O
- O
high O
19 O
. O
5 O
points O
and O
9 O
. O
10 O
rebounds O
and O
McGrady O
is O
averaging O
24 O
. O
0 O
points O
, O
7 O
. O
3 O
rebounds O
and O
4 O
. O
7 O
assists O
. O

A O
five O
- O
time O
All O
- O
Star O
, O
McGrady O
has O
garnered O
600 O
, O
507 O
votes O
and O
is O
followed O
by O
Minnesota O
' O
s O
Kevin O
Garnett O
with O
469 O
, O
497 O
. O

Kobe O
Bryant O
of O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Lakers O
is O
the O
top O
vote O
- O
getter O
among O
Western O
Conference O
guards O
with O
664 O
, O
744 O
with O
reigning O
league O
Most O
Valuable O
Player O
Steve O
Nash O
second O
with O
562 O
, O
846 O
. O

Cleveland O
forward O
LeBron O
James O
is O
the O
leader O
among O
Eastern O
Conference O
players O
with O
665 O
, O
849 O
votes O
, O
19 O
, O
764 O
more O
than O
Miami O
Heat O
center O
Shaquille O
O O
' O
Neal O
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0072 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0072 O
. O

Kimberly O
- O
Clark O
Corp O
. O

@ O
Net O
Income O
Rose O
20 O
% O

@ O
In O
the O
Third O
Quarter O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

KMB O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

PULP O
, O
PAPER O
, O
PACKAGING O
( O
ALL O
TYPES O
) O
( O
PUL O
) O

DALLAS O

Despite O
continuing O
problems O
in O
its O
newsprint O
business O
, O
Kimberly O
- O
Clark O
Corp O
. O
posted O
a O
20 O
% O
gain O
in O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
. O

The O
consumer O
- O
products O
and O
newsprint O
company O
said O
net O
rose O
to O
$ O
108 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
35 O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
90 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
12 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

Sales O
rose O
6 O
. O
2 O
% O
to O
$ O
1 O
. O
45 O
billion O
from O
$ O
1 O
. O
37 O
billion O
. O

After O
a B-T
flat I-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
tied O
largely O
to O
lower O
newsprint O
earnings O
, O
Kimberly O
- O
Clark O
attributed O
the O
gain O
to O
improved O
results O
in O
its O
consumer O
businesses O
in O
North O
America O
, O
Brazil O
and O
Korea O
. O

Those O
gains O
came O
from O
higher O
prices O
, O
particularly O
for O
disposable O
diapers O
and O
tissue O
products O
, O
and O
from O
increased O
sales O
, O
primarily O
for O
feminine O
- O
care O
products O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

Newsprint O
results O
continued O
to O
be O
depressed O
, O
the O
company O
added O
, O
because O
of O
industrywide O
price O
discounting O
. O

The O
quarter O
- O
to O
- O
quarter O
comparison O
was O
also O
enhanced O
by O
charges O
taken O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
period I-T
, O
including O
$ O
11 O
million O
related O
to O
the O
modernization O
of O
a O
pulp O
and O
newsprint O
mill O
in O
Alabama O
. O

In O
the B-T
1989 I-T
period I-T
also O
, O
interest O
expense O
and O
tax O
rates O
were O
lower O
than O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
profit O
rose O
10 O
% O
to O
$ O
313 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
3 O
. O
89 O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
283 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
3 O
. O
53 O
a O
share O
. O

Sales O
rose O
6 O
. O
7 O
% O
to O
$ O
4 O
. O
27 O
billion O
from O
$ O
4 O
billion O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
, O
Kimberly O
- O
Clark O
closed O
at O
$ O
66 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
, O
up O
$ O
1 O
. O
50 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0096 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

corrected O
repetition O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Indonesia O
is O
aiming O
for O
zero O
human O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
next B-T
year I-T
as O
its O
strategy O
of O
poultry O
vaccination O
and O
increasing O
public O
awareness O
appears O
to O
be O
paying O
off O
, O
officials O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Indonesia O
has O
the O
highest O
number O
of O
fatalities O
from O
the O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
bird O
flu O
, O
with O
57 O
deaths O
from O
74 O
confirmed O
cases O
. O
The O
most O
recent O
fatality O
was O
that O
of O
a O
35 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
on O
November B-T
28 I-T
. O

Mass O
vaccination O
of O
poultry O
had O
proved O
successful O
in O
slowing O
down O
infection O
rates O
, O
said O
Bayu O
Krisnamurthi O
, O
head O
of O
the O
national O
committee O
for O
control O
of O
avian O
influenza O
. O

" O
We O
are O
aiming O
for O
zero O
cases O
of O
human O
infection O
by O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
Krisnamurthi O
told O
reporters O
. O

The O
vast O
majority O
of O
human O
cases O
have O
occurred O
after O
contact O
with O
infected O
poultry O
. O

" O
International O
organisations O
such O
as O
the O
FAO O
( O
UN O
Food O
and O
Agriculture O
Organization O
) O
are O
now O
more O
convinced O
that O
vaccination O
, O
the O
method O
that O
we O
have O
chosen O
, O
has O
started O
to O
show O
good O
results O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Particularly O
after O
the O
latest O
cases O
in O
China O
and O
Vietnam O
, O
it O
is O
proven O
that O
mass O
culling O
does O
not O
guarantee O
that O
the O
environment O
is O
free O
from O
the O
virus O
. O
" O

Vietnam O
has O
reported O
no O
new O
human O
cases O
since O
November B-T
2005 I-T
, O
but O
animal O
outbreaks O
have O
been O
reported O
in O
three O
provinces O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
week I-T
. O

Krisnamurthi O
said O
the O
ratio O
of O
confirmed O
to O
suspected O
cases O
had O
dropped O
significantly O
since O
the O
bird O
flu O
committee O
was O
established O
in O
March B-T
. O

" O
This O
is O
important O
because O
it O
means O
people O
' O
s O
awareness O
of O
the O
disease O
has O
increased O
. O
People O
are O
more O
willing O
to O
report O
and O
be O
examined O
by O
doctors O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Indonesia O
has O
not O
reported O
any O
new O
cases O
of O
human O
infection O
since O
November B-T
28 I-T
. O
Since O
October B-T
, O
14 O
provinces O
have O
not O
reported O
any O
new O
outbreaks O
among O
poultry O
. O

" O
Unfortunately O
this O
does O
not O
guarantee O
that O
( O
the O
province O
) O
is O
bird O
flu O
free O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Aceh O
province O
, O
not O
among O
the O
14 O
, O
had O
reported O
an O
outbreak O
after O
six B-T
months I-T
without O
a O
case O
. O

Krisnamurthi O
also O
announced O
a O
substantial O
increase O
in O
spending O
on O
prevention O
of O
bird O
flu O
and O
pandemic O
preparedness O
. O

International O
funding O
would O
nearly O
double O
, O
from O
35 O
million O
dollars O
this B-T
year I-T
to O
65 O
. O
54 O
million O
dollars O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
while O
government O
spending O
would O
rise O
from O
56 O
million O
to O
61 O
million O
. O

He O
acknowledged O
that O
some O
areas O
, O
in O
particular O
the O
vaccination O
program O
, O
remained O
under O
- O
funded O
. O

" O
We O
have O
60 O
to O
70 O
million O
doses O
of O
vaccine O
for O
2007 B-T
. O
That O
is O
about O
10 O
percent O
of O
what O
we O
need O
to O
effectively O
vaccinate O
chickens O
raised O
in O
backyard O
farms O
. O
" O

For O
2007 B-T
, O
Indonesia O
would O
maintain O
its O
priorities O
of O
continuing O
with O
public O
awareness O
campaigns O
and O
moving O
to O
restructure O
the O
poultry O
industry O
. O

" O
We O
see O
the O
importance O
is O
not O
only O
to O
face O
bird O
flu O
, O
but O
also O
to O
prepare O
the O
industry O
for O
any O
other O
animal O
- O
sourced O
diseases O
in O
the O
future B-T
, I-T
" O
said O
Krisnamurthi O
. O

Scientists O
fear O
the O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
the O
virus O
could O
mutate O
to O
become O
easily O
transmissible O
among O
people O
, O
which O
could O
in O
turn O
lead O
to O
a O
global O
flu O
pandemic O
with O
a O
potential O
death O
toll O
of O
millions O
. O

H5N1 O
has O
killed O
more O
than O
150 O
people O
worldwide O
since O
late B-T
2003 I-T
, O
and O
triggered O
the O
mass O
slaughter O
of O
tens O
of O
millions O
of O
poultry O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0005 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
infrastructure O
projects O
to O
create O
1 O
. O
9 O
mln O
jobs O

The O
infrastructure O
projects O
the O
government O
will O
begin O
to O
implement O
in O
January B-T
2006 I-T
are O
expected O
to O
absorb O
1 O
. O
9 O
million O
work O
force O
, O
Manpower O
and O
Transmigration O
Minister O
Fahmi O
Idris O
said O
. O

After O
the O
completion O
of O
a O
number O
of O
infrastructure O
projects O
such O
as O
roads O
, O
bridges O
and O
their O
supporting O
facilities O
, O
some O
1 O
. O
9 O
million O
of O
the O
work O
force O
would O
find O
employment O
, O
Antara O
news O
agency O
Wednesday B-T
quoted O
the O
minister O
as O
saying O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Some O
800 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
joined O
the O
ranks O
of O
the O
unemployed O
in O
various O
sectors O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
Fahmi O
. O

On O
the O
other O
hand O
, O
the O
government O
would O
deregulate O
and O
eliminate O
bureaucracy O
in O
many O
sectors O
to O
improve O
the O
business O
climate O
. O
For O
example O
, O
the O
government O
would O
lower O
terminal O
and O
container O
handling O
charges O
at O
sea O
ports O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
government O
would O
also O
shorten O
the O
procedures O
investors O
have O
to O
follow O
to O
begin O
their O
business O
in O
Indonesia O
. O
So O
far O
it O
takes O
more O
than O
100 O
days O
for O
investors O
to O
obtain O
their O
operating O
licenses O
. O
This O
lead O
- O
time O
would O
be O
cut O
to O
a O
few B-T
weeks I-T
. O

The O
government O
also O
plans O
to O
annul O
regional O
government O
regulations O
that O
are O
hampering O
investment O
, O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0158 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesia O
sees O
0 O
. O
86 O
pct O
inflation O
in O
October O

Inflation O
in O
Indonesia O
was O
recorded O
at O
0 O
. O
86 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
as O
the O
government O
is O
moving O
closer O
to O
achieving O
a O
single O
- O
digit O
figure O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
a O
report O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
consumer O
price O
index O
( O
CPI O
) O
in O
all O
commodity O
groups O
rose O
in O
October B-T
, O
the O
Central O
Statistics O
Agency O
said O
in O
its O
latest O
report O
. O

The O
CPI O
in O
foodstuff O
was O
up O
by O
2 O
. O
17 O
percent O
, O
in O
food O
, O
beverages O
, O
cigarettes O
and O
tobacco O
0 O
. O
64 O
percent O
, O
in O
housing O
, O
water O
, O
electricity O
, O
gas O
and O
fuel O
0 O
. O
26 O
percent O
, O
in O
clothes O
1 O
percent O
, O
in O
health O
services O
0 O
. O
29 O
percent O
, O
in O
education O
, O
tourism O
and O
sports O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
and O
in O
transportation O
, O
communication O
and O
financial O
services O
0 O
. O
46 O
percent O
. O

The O
agency O
also O
reported O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
inflation O
eased O
to O
6 O
. O
29 O
percent O
and O
cumulative O
inflation O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
10 I-T
months I-T
of O
2006 O
stayed O
low O
at O
4 O
. O
96 O
percent O
. O

The O
government O
has O
forecast O
2006 O
inflation O
of O
below O
8 O
percent O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0138 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
State O
Post O
Bureau O
to O
cooperate O
with O
Alibaba O
in O
e O
- O
commerce O

China O
' O
s O
State O
Post O
Bureau O
( O
SPB O
) O
will O
provide O
delivery O
services O
and O
on O
- O
line O
payment O
support O
to O
e O
- O
commerce O
giant O
Alibaba O
. O
com O
. O

Under O
a O
framework O
agreement O
, O
the O
express O
mail O
service O
( O
EMS O
) O
under O
China O
' O
s O
largest O
deliverer O
, O
would O
be O
recommended O
by O
Alibaba O
' O
s O
on O
- O
line O
payment O
platform O
Alipay O
to O
its O
customers O
. O

Alibaba O
president O
Ma O
Yun O
said O
the O
cooperation O
would O
help O
solve O
the O
problem O
of O
delivery O
that O
bottlenecks O
the O
country O
' O
s O
burgeoning O
e O
- O
commerce O
. O

Most O
commodities O
traded O
on O
- O
line O
in O
China O
are O
delivered O
by O
regular O
mail O
, O
small O
and O
medium O
- O
sized O
express O
companies O
or O
standard O
EMS O
services O
, O
which O
are O
either O
too O
slow O
or O
too O
costly O
, O
especially O
for O
long O
- O
distance O
deals O
. O

The O
SPB O
will O
develop O
a O
special O
EMS O
service O
, O
40 O
percent O
cheaper O
than O
the O
standard O
service O
, O
for O
on O
- O
line O
traders O
at O
Taobao O
. O
com O
, O
an O
Alibaba O
subsidiary O
and O
the O
country O
' O
s O
most O
popular O
consumer O
- O
to O
- O
consumer O
marketplace O
, O
said O
director O
Yuan O
Guoli O
of O
the O
SPB O
' O
s O
delivery O
bureau O
, O
without O
revealing O
details O
. O

The O
" O
special O
EMS O
service O
" O
will O
be O
piloted O
in O
Hangzhou O
, O
capital O
of O
the O
southern O
Zhejiang O
Province O
, O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
before O
being O
expanded O
to O
nationwide O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

Industry O
insiders O
say O
the O
strategic O
partnership O
could O
reduce O
the O
costs O
of O
delivery O
through O
large O
- O
scale O
negotiation O
, O
and O
prevent O
e O
- O
commerce O
fraud O
as O
the O
EMS O
would O
check O
the O
delivered O
commodities O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
on O
- O
line O
buyers O
can O
remit O
the O
payments O
through O
post O
bureaus O
to O
their O
Alipay O
accounts O
instead O
of O
solely O
relying O
on O
bank O
cards O
as O
they O
do O
now B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
agreement O
. O

The O
agreement O
follows O
moves O
by O
the O
SPB O
to O
set O
up O
an O
on O
- O
line O
bookstore O
and O
philatelic O
center O
at O
Taobao O
. O
com O
, O
and O
a O
simultaneous O
issue O
of O
greeting O
cards O
and O
special O
stamps O
for O
the O
New O
Year O
on O
the O
website O
and O
at O
the O
bureau O
' O
s O
outlets O
on O
Nov O
. O
1 O
. O

Founded O
in O
2003 B-T
with O
an O
investment O
of O
450 O
million O
yuan O
( O
56 O
. O
25 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
Taobao O
. O
com O
has O
six O
million O
registered O
users O
. O

By O
June B-T
30 I-T
, O
about O
a O
quarter O
of O
China O
' O
s O
123 O
million O
Internet O
users O
were O
regularly O
engaged O
in O
on O
- O
line O
shopping O
, O
50 O
percent O
more O
than O
the O
same O
time O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
China O
Internet O
Network O
Information O
Center O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0148 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israeli O
warplanes O
attack O
Hezbollah O
target O
in O
south O
Lebanon O

Israeli O
warplanes O
attacked O
a O
suspected O
Hezbollah O
target O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
local O
newspaper O
Ha O
' O
aretz O
reported O
. O

Witnesses O
were O
quoted O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
Israeli O
jets O
fired O
rockets O
at O
the O
post O
near O
the O
border O
village O
of O
Abayseh O
, O
just O
north O
of O
the O
Lebanon O
- O
Israel O
border O
. O

There O
was O
no O
immediate O
word O
on O
casualties O
. O

The O
air O
strikes O
broke O
a O
tense O
calm O
along O
the O
Israel O
- O
Lebanon O
border O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
after O
the O
Hezbollah O
attacks O
sent O
Israelis O
to O
bomb O
shelters O
across O
the O
north O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

At O
least O
four O
Hezbollah O
gunmen O
were O
killed O
on O
Monday B-T
trying O
to O
kidnap O
soldiers O
from O
outposts O
of O
the O
Israel O
Defence O
Forces O
( O
IDF O
) O
on O
the O
Lebanese O
border O
, O
and O
seven O
Israeli O
soldiers O
and O
four O
civilians O
were O
wounded O
in O
the O
series O
of O
clashes O
. O

This O
was O
considered O
the O
broadest O
Hezbollah O
attacks O
since O
Israeli O
army O
withdrew O
from O
south O
Lebanon O
more O
than O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

Hours O
before O
the O
Tuesday B-T
air O
strike O
, O
IDF O
Chief O
of O
Staff O
Dan O
Halutz O
said O
that O
Israel O
has O
a O
" O
very O
diverse O
basket O
" O
of O
military O
means O
at O
the O
ready O
. O

" O
We O
are O
ready O
with O
a O
basket O
of O
operations O
. O
The O
basket O
of O
means O
in O
our O
hands O
is O
very O
diverse O
, O
and O
we O
will O
know O
how O
to O
use O
it O
with O
judgment O
, O
" O
Halutz O
said O
. O

As O
an O
armed O
group O
in O
Lebanon O
, O
Hezbollah O
played O
an O
important O
role O
in O
fighting O
Israel O
, O
which O
ended O
its O
22 B-T
years I-T
of O
occupation O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
in O
May B-T
2000 I-T
. O

Defying O
a O
UN O
Security O
Council O
resolution O
in O
September B-T
2004 I-T
to O
disarm O
, O
the O
pro O
- O
Iranian O
group O
vowed O
to O
keep O
fighting O
Israel O
and O
defending O
Lebanon O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0089 O

SEOUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Korea O
, O
UAE O
to O
sign O
agreement O
on O
military O
cooperation O

South O
Korea O
and O
the O
United O
Arab O
Emirates O
( O
UAE O
) O
are O
expected O
to O
sign O
a O
military O
agreement O
this B-T
week I-T
to O
strengthen O
their O
cooperation O
, O
the O
South O
Korean O
Defense O
Ministry O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

South O
Korean O
Vice O
Defense O
Minister O
Hwang O
Kyu O
- O
sik O
, O
who O
left O
for O
the O
UAE O
on O
Tuesday B-T
on O
a O
four O
- O
day O
trip O
, O
will O
sign O
an O
agreement O
with O
UAE O
officials O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
ministry O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
agreement O
would O
help O
increase O
exchanges O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
' O
militaries O
as O
well O
as O
their O
defense O
- O
related O
industries O
. O

Hwang O
was O
also O
expected O
to O
discuss O
ways O
to O
expand O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
exports O
of O
weapons O
to O
the O
UAE O
during O
his O
visit O
, O
the O
ministry O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0255 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Norway O
' O
s O
dual O
role O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
peace O
talks O
under O
fire O

Norway O
' O
s O
role O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
has O
come O
under O
fire O
during O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
election O
campaign O
, O
Norwegian O
Broadcasting O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
( O
NRK O
) O
. O

Norway O
is O
both O
facilitating O
the O
peace O
talks O
between O
Colombo O
and O
the O
rebel O
Liberation O
Tigers O
of O
Tamil O
Eelam O
( O
LTTE O
) O
as O
well O
as O
leading O
the O
international O
observer O
force O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
. O

" O
It O
is O
unfortunate O
that O
Norway O
is O
both O
mediating O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
in O
the O
civil O
war O
, O
and O
at O
the O
same O
time O
heading O
the O
observer O
force O
which O
is O
supposed O
to O
criticize O
those O
who O
break O
the O
ceasefire O
, O
" O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Sri O
Lanka O
Democracy O
Forum O
said O
to O
NRK O
. O

" O
Norway O
will O
consider O
withdrawing O
from O
the O
leadership O
of O
the O
international O
observer O
force O
, O
" O
said O
Norway O
' O
s O
International O
Development O
Minister O
Erik O
Solheim O
. O

He O
underlined O
, O
however O
, O
that O
such O
a O
move O
must O
be O
taken O
in O
close O
cooperation O
with O
the O
two O
sides O
in O
the O
conflict O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0176 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Axed O
South O
African O
deputy O
president O
declines O
comment O
on O
rape O
investigation O

Former O
South O
African O
deputy O
president O
Jacob O
Zuma O
Tuesday O
declined O
to O
comment O
on O
an O
ongoing O
investigation O
against O
him O
led O
by O
the O
National O
Prosecuting O
Authority O
( O
NPA O
) O
over O
allegations O
of O
rape O
, O
saying O
that O
he O
would O
reserve O
comment O
until O
after O
the O
investigation O
had O
been O
completed O
. O

A O
number O
of O
media O
reports O
had O
speculated O
that O
Zuma O
would O
announce O
his O
resignation O
as O
deputy O
president O
of O
the O
ruling O
ANC O
on O
Tuesday B-T
should O
he O
be O
charged O
formally O
. O

A O
media O
release O
issued O
by O
lawyer O
Michael O
Hulley O
on O
behalf O
of O
Zuma O
said O
that O
they O
' O
d O
been O
advised O
by O
members O
of O
the O
South O
African O
Police O
Service O
that O
the O
investigation O
into O
the O
alleged O
rape O
remained O
incomplete O
, O
and O
that O
more O
time O
was O
warranted O
in O
order O
to O
complete O
the O
investigation O
under O
the O
direction O
of O
the O
NPA O
. O

" O
We O
acknowledge O
that O
the O
SAPS O
are O
the O
appropriate O
agency O
to O
deal O
with O
allegations O
of O
such O
a O
serious O
nature O
and O
that O
they O
should O
be O
allowed O
to O
complete O
their O
work O
free O
from O
interference O
and O
speculation O
. O

" O
In O
the O
circumstances O
, O
Zuma O
, O
out O
of O
respect O
for O
due O
process O
, O
will O
reserve O
any O
further O
comment O
on O
the O
matter O
until O
such O
time O
as O
the O
SAPS O
have O
completed O
their O
work O
. O
" O

" O
We O
feel O
that O
such O
an O
approach O
is O
in O
keeping O
with O
the O
integrity O
with O
which O
the O
police O
have O
dealt O
with O
the O
investigation O
, O
in O
contrast O
with O
that O
of O
some O
media O
organizations O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
National O
Prosecuting O
Authority O
( O
NPA O
) O
received O
a O
docket O
from O
the O
police O
on O
allegations O
last B-T
week I-T
. O
It O
has O
to O
decide O
whether O
Zuma O
should O
be O
prosecuted O
. O

Immediate O
comment O
from O
the O
NPA O
on O
Zuma O
' O
s O
statement O
was O
not O
available O
. O

According O
to O
various O
media O
reports O
, O
a O
31 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
said O
she O
was O
raped O
at O
Zuma O
' O
s O
house O
in O
Forest O
Town O
, O
Johannesburg O
, O
in O
early B-T
November I-T
. O

Zuma O
has O
denied O
the O
rape O
allegation O
. O
He O
goes O
to O
court O
in O
July B-T
next I-T
year I-T
to O
defend O
himself O
against O
charges O
of O
corruption O
, O
which O
he O
has O
also O
denied O
. O

Many O
of O
Zuma O
' O
s O
supporters O
believe O
there O
is O
a O
campaign O
against O
him O
to O
stop O
him O
becoming O
the O
next O
president O
of O
the O
African O
National O
Congress O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0005 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

4th O
Ld O
: O
Two O
bomb O
blasts O
in O
southern O
Pakistan O
kill O
at O
least O
four O

At O
least O
four O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
several O
others O
injured O
on O
Tuesday B-T
morning I-T
in O
two O
bomb O
blasts O
in O
the O
southern O
Pakistani O
port O
city O
of O
Karachi O
, O
according O
to O
local O
TV O
reports O
. O

One O
blast O
occurred O
near O
the O
Pakistan O
Industrial O
Development O
Corporation O
( O
PIDC O
) O
. O
Another O
blast O
occurred O
outside O
a O
foreign O
food O
restaurant O
, O
said O
the O
Karachi O
police O
chief O
Mushtaq O
Shah O
. O

Two O
five O
- O
star O
hotels O
are O
located O
close O
to O
the O
bomb O
blast O
site O
. O

Shah O
said O
that O
investigation O
into O
the O
blast O
has O
started O
. O
Police O
have O
sealed O
the O
blast O
site O
. O

Several O
cars O
were O
also O
damaged O
and O
widows O
of O
the O
nearby O
building O
shattered O
. O

Ambulances O
rushed O
to O
the O
site O
to O
take O
the O
injured O
to O
hospitals O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0246 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Declining O
birth O
rate O
puts O
brakes O
on O
population O
growth O
in O
Netherlands O

Population O
growth O
in O
the O
Netherlands O
is O
curbed O
both O
by O
declining O
birth O
rate O
and O
increasing O
number O
of O
emigrants O
, O
Statistics O
Netherlands O
( O
CBS O
) O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

New O
births O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
2005 O
fell O
to O
142 O
, O
000 O
, O
4 O
, O
000 O
less O
than O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
of I-T
2004 I-T
, O
while O
89 O
, O
000 O
people O
moved O
out O
of O
the O
country O
in O
the O
same O
period O
, O
an O
increase O
of O
the O
same O
margin O
than O
a B-T
year I-T
before O
. O

The O
population O
increased O
by O
less O
than O
25 O
, O
000 O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
2005 B-T
. O
This O
is O
7 O
, O
000 O
less O
than O
in O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
of I-T
2004 I-T
, O
CBS O
figures O
show O
. O

Population O
growth O
started O
slowing O
down O
in O
2000 B-T
. O
In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
that B-T
year I-T
the O
number O
of O
inhabitants O
increased O
by O
over O
90 O
, O
000 O
. O

The O
birth O
rate O
is O
expected O
to O
decrease O
even O
further O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
years I-T
, O
said O
the O
CBS O
. O

It O
is O
expected O
that O
190 O
, O
000 O
children O
will O
be O
born O
in O
the B-T
whole I-T
year I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
whereas O
some O
207 O
, O
000 O
children O
were O
born O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
2000 I-T
. O
The O
number O
of O
births O
is O
expected O
to O
drop O
below O
180 O
, O
000 O
by O
2010 B-T
. O

A O
major O
cause O
of O
the O
decline O
is O
the O
falling O
birth O
rate O
in O
the B-T
early I-T
1970s I-T
, O
which O
means O
the O
number O
of O
women O
aged O
around O
30 O
is O
decreasing O
. O
Then O
there O
is O
the O
downward O
effect O
of O
the O
unfavorable O
economic O
situation O
, O
said O
the O
CBS O
. O

There O
are O
more O
and O
more O
children O
whose O
parents O
remain O
unmarried O
. O
In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
2005 B-T
, O
one O
in O
three O
children O
was O
extra O
- O
marital O
, O
compared O
to O
one O
in O
six B-T
10 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O
Almost O
half O
of O
all O
first O
children O
born O
in O
2005 B-T
were O
born O
outside O
marriage O
. O

On O
Jan B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
there O
were O
a O
quarter O
of O
a O
million O
unmarried O
couples O
with O
children O
. O
Ten B-T
years I-T
earlier O
there O
were O
less B-T
than I-T
100 I-T
, I-T
000 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970427 O
. O
0116 O

PARIS O
, O
April B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Air O
France O
Europe O
guarantees O
60 O
% O
of O
flights O
despite O
strike O

The O
management O
of O
Air O
France O
Europe O
said O
it O
could O
guarantee O
60 O
percent O
of O
flights O
Sunday B-T
, O
despite O
a O
decision O
by O
pilots O
to O
extend O
a O
strike O
until O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
most O
severe O
disruption O
was O
expected O
on O
flights O
from O
Paris O
' O
Orly O
airport O
to O
the O
three O
main O
southern O
cities O
of O
Nice O
, O
Marseille O
and O
Toulouse O
. O

Almost O
all O
these O
flights O
were O
cancelled O
on O
Friday B-T
and O
Saturday B-T
, O
but O
AFE O
said O
" O
some O
" O
would O
be O
running O
Sunday B-T
. O

All O
flights O
from O
Paris O
' O
Charles O
de O
Gaulle O
airport O
would O
be O
running O
as O
usual O
, O
as O
well O
as O
flights O
between O
provincial O
towns O
. O

The O
strike O
was O
called O
in O
protest O
over O
the O
conditions O
of O
the O
carrier O
' O
s O
merger O
with O
state O
- O
owned O
Air O
France O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0033 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Australian O
shares O
close O
down O
0 O
. O
43 O
percent O
on O
resource O
selling O

Australian O
share O
prices O
closed O
down O
0 O
. O
43 O
percent O
Thursday B-T
, O
retreating O
from O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
record O
highs O
as O
investors O
sold O
resource O
stocks O
after O
metal O
prices O
fell O
in O
overnight O
trading O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

They O
said O
profit O
taking O
also O
weighed O
on O
the O
local O
market O
while O
rises O
in O
banking O
stocks O
provided O
support O
. O

The O
benchmark O
SP O
/ O
ASX O
200 O
fell O
24 O
. O
3 O
points O
to O
5 O
, O
583 O
. O
5 O
from O
yesterday B-T
' O
s O
record O
high O
of O
5 O
, O
607 O
. O
8 O
, O
while O
the O
broader O
All O
Ordinaries O
Index O
shed O
25 O
. O
2 O
points O
to O
5 O
, O
561 O
. O
7 O
, O
from O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
record O
high O
of O
5 O
, O
586 O
. O
9 O
. O

APW19980501 O
. O
0480 O

NEWS O
STORY O

05 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
09 I-T
: I-T
13 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2844 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
w O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
SETTING O
- O
THE O
- O
STAGEsked O
05 O
- O
01 O
0665 O

SETTING O
- O
THE O
- O
STAGE O
sked O

MALAYSIA O

Setting O
the O
stage O
for O
Net O
convergence O
, O
NEW O
STRAITS O
TIMES O
- O
MANAGEMENT O
TIMES O

QL O

xfdws O
SETTING O
- O
THE O
- O
STAGE O
sked O

Emerging O
Markets O
Datafile O

April O
30 O
, O
1998 O

NEW O
STRAITS O
TIMES O
- O
MANAGEMENT O
TIMES O

ENGLISH O

COPYRIGHT O
1998 O
BY O
WORLDSOURCES O
, O
INC O
. O
, O
A O
JOINT O
VENTURE O
OF O
FDCH O
, O

INC O
. O
AND O
WORLD O
TIMES O
, O
INC O
. O
NO O
PORTION O
OF O
THE O
MATERIALS O
CONTAINED O

HEREIN O
MAY O
BE O
USED O

IN O
ANY O
MEDIA O
WITHOUT O
ATTRIBUTION O
TO O
WORLDSOURCES O
, O
INC O
. O

MALAYSIA O
' O
S O
aggressive O
move O
into O
the O
information O
age O
could O
not O
come O
in O
a O
more O
opportune O
time B-T
. O

With O
the O
convergence O
of O
communications O
and O
information O

technologies O
( O
IT O
) O
coupled O
with O
the O
coming O
of O
age O
for O
the O
Internet O

and O
its O
related O
technologies O
, O
the O
stage O
is O
set O
for O
Malaysians O
to O
seize O
the O
chance O
to O
transform O
into O
a O
knowledge O
society O
and O
become O

worthy O
opponents O
/ O
players O
in O
the O
global O
market O
space O
. O

The O
Internet O
, O
the O
global O
network O
of O
computers O
, O
is O
now O
far O
reaching O
into O
the O
country O
- O
extending O
its O
embrace O
to O
include O
every O

nook O
and O
cranny O
of O
the O
nation O
- O
opening O
doors O
to O
not O
only O
a O
diverse O

range O
of O
information O
sources O
but O
also O
an O
exhaustive O
list O
of O

possibilities O
to O
create O
new O
applications O
which O
add O
value O
to O

people O
' O
s O
lives O
. O

In O
the O
business O
world O
, O
the O
Internet O
- O
through O
intranet O
and O

extranet O
solutions O
- O
has O
become O
an O
invaluable O
tool O
for O
companies O
to O

harness O
so O
as O
to O
gain O
a O
competitive O
edge O
. O

The O
solutions O
are O
also O
vital O
components O
in O
developing O
the O

borderless O
marketing O
flagship O
application O
which O
is O
a O
vital O
element O

for O
spearheading O
the O
development O
of O
the O
Multimedia O
Super O
Corridor O

( O
MSC O
) O
project O
. O

The O
application O
will O
create O
the O
necessary O
framework O
and O

infrastructure O
to O
support O
electronic O
commerce O
( O
e O
- O
commerce O
) O

initiatives O
in O
the O
country O
. O

However O
, O
it O
is O
important O
to O
note O
that O
installing O
or O
implementing O

Internet O
technologies O
for O
technology O
' O
s O
sake O
would O
not O
ensure O

instant O
success O
. O

For O
e O
- O
commerce O
to O
flourish O
with O
full O
- O
blown O
end O
- O
to O
- O
end O
business O

transactions O
, O
strategic O
planning O
which O
incorporates O
both O
business O

and O
technology O
plans O
that O
are O
complementary O
is O
necessary O
for O
an O

organisation O
to O
see O
feasible O
returns O
on O
investment O
. O

Intranets O
, O
through O
the O
use O
of O
Internet O
technology O
, O
are O
positioned O
as O
a O
platform O
for O
companies O
to O
optimise O
, O
expand O
and O

transform O
new O
channels O
of O
business O
. O

When O
strategically O
implemented O
, O
an O
intranet O
solution O
will O
provide O
the O
ability O
to O
mediate O
mission O
- O
critical O
, O
decision O
support O

functions O
in O
organisations O
. O
It O
will O
also O
help O
further O
improve O

communications O
and O
collaboration O
at O
all O
levels O
in O
an O
organisation O
. O

With O
intranets O
in O
place O
, O
it O
is O
only O
logical O
for O
organisations O
to O

respectively O
link O
the O
network O
to O
other O
companies O
' O
for O
extended O

business O
purposes O
through O
extranets O
. O

While O
this O
will O
enable O
the O
sharing O
of O
information O
among O

enterprises O
, O
security O
issues O
such O
as O
firewalls O
and O
encryption O
as O

well O
as O
access O
and O
control O
procedures O
, O
and O
the O
trust O
levels O
that O

enterprises O
have O
with O
each O
other O
will O
emerge O
and O
there O
will O
be O
a O

need O
to O
address O
them O
. O

Other O
than O
usage O
in O
business O
, O
Internet O
technology O
is O
also O
beginning O
to O
infiltrate O
the O
lifestyle O
domain O
. O
` O
` O
Smart O
homes O
' O
' O
have O
emerged O
bringing O
a O
wealth O
of O
information O
and O
entertainment O
to O

families O
over O
telecommunications O
lines O
. O

The O
art O
of O
socialising O
is O
also O
experiencing O
a O
change O
where O

Net O
/ O
virtual O
relationships O
are O
fast O
overtaking O
or O
becoming O
parallel O

with O
the O
normal O
human O
relationships O
. O

Whether O
this O
would O
prove O
positive O
or O
otherwise O
towards O
society O

in O
the B-T
future I-T
is O
yet O
to O
be O
seen O
. O

All O
in O
all O
, O
the O
Internet O
has O
a O
lot O
to O
offer O
. O
However O
, O
its O
value O

and O
benefits O
are O
only O
as O
good O
as O
how O
we O
use O
it O
. O

Copyright O
1998 O
NEW O
STRAITS O
TIMES O
- O
MANAGEMENT O
TIMES O
all O
rights O

reserved O
as O
distributed O
by O
WorldSources O
, O
Inc O
. O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
SETTING O
- O
THE O
- O
STAGE O
sked O
; O
CT O
: O
w O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
05 O
- O
01 O
- O
98 O
0913EDT O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0142 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Afghanistan O
eager O
to O
earn O
prestige O
when O
coming O
back O
to O
sports O
family O

By O
sportswriter O
Liu O
Yang O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
History O
was O
made O
in O
2004 B-T
when O
the O
six O
- O
member O
Afghanistan O
team O
entered O
the O
Athens O
Olympic O
Games O
. O
Two B-T
years I-T
later O
, O
Afghanistan O
is O
eager O
to O
earn O
prestige O
from O
the O
sports O
world O
in O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
. O

" O
After O
being O
a O
long O
time O
away O
from O
the O
sports O
family O
, O
now B-T
we O
are O
entering O
the O
family O
again O
, O
" O
Din O
Mohammad O
Safi O
, O
the O
Chef O
de O
Mission O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

The O
flag O
- O
raising O
ceremony O
for O
Afghanistan O
delegation O
was O
held O
in O
the O
Athletes O
' O
Village O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
We O
lost O
some O
prestige O
during O
the O
war O
. O
We O
came O
back O
here O
to O
earn O
the O
prestige O
of O
the O
sports O
world O
. O
And O
we O
want O
to O
find O
what O
we O
lost O
in O
the O
past O
, O
" O
he O
said O
after O
the O
ceremony O
. O

The O
south O
Asian O
country O
Afghanistan O
, O
with O
a O
population O
of O
26 O
million O
, O
could O
not O
achieve O
so O
much O
success O
in O
the O
international O
sports O
due O
to O
its O
political O
unsettle O
and O
wars O
within O
the O
country O
. O

Roia O
Zamani O
won O
bronze O
for O
Afghanistan O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
72kg O
taekwondo O
at O
the O
2002 O
Busan O
Asian O
Games O
. O

" O
Afghanistan O
TV O
stations O
also O
came O
to O
Doha O
to O
broadcast O
the O
competitions O
, O
and O
the O
Afghan O
people O
are O
quite O
enthusiastic O
with O
the O
Asian O
Games O
, O
" O
Safi O
said O
. O

" O
Winning O
or O
losing O
is O
not O
important O
for O
our O
delegation O
. O
We O
want O
to O
learn O
from O
the O
Asian O
Games O
, O
and O
be O
a O
part O
of O
the O
sports O
family O
. O
" O

It O
has O
a O
long O
tradition O
of O
sports O
as O
Afghanistan O
first O
competed O
in O
the O
Berlin O
Olympic O
Games O
in O
1936 B-T
. O
Its O
best O
result O
came O
from O
wrestler O
Mohammed O
Ebrahimis O
who O
finished O
fifth O
at O
Tokyo O
Olympiard O
in O
1964 B-T
. O

In O
the O
Athens O
Games O
, O
Afghanistan O
sent O
women O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
the O
100m O
track O
event O
and O
judo O
but O
did O
not O
win O
any O
medal O
. O

For O
a O
country O
devastated O
by O
the O
wars O
, O
Afghanistan O
needs O
the O
helping O
hands O
from O
the O
sports O
family O
. O

" O
Our O
young O
people O
need O
the O
sports O
to O
change O
their O
life O
and O
we O
have O
asked O
for O
help O
from O
some O
sports O
federations O
. O
" O

" O
China O
is O
the O
sports O
powerhouse O
in O
Asia O
, O
and O
we O
have O
contacted O
our O
embassy O
in O
Doha O
, O
hoping O
China O
to O
send O
some O
coaches O
to O
our O
country O
, O
" O
Safi O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0352 O

CARACAS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Road O
accident O
kills O
19 O
in O
central O
Venezuela O

Nineteen O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
several O
others O
injured O
in O
a O
bus O
- O
truck O
collision O
in O
central O
Venezuela O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
said O
Venezuelan O
Deputy O
Director O
for O
Land O
Transportation O
Ivan O
Noguera O
. O

Noguera O
told O
reporters O
that O
the O
cause O
of O
the O
crash O
, O
which O
happened O
on O
a O
highway O
across O
a O
valley O
in O
the O
Miranda O
state O
, O
had O
not O
been O
finally O
determined O
. O
But O
he O
said O
the O
heavy O
rainfall O
hours O
before O
the O
accident O
could O
be O
blamed O
for O
the O
tragedy O
. O

Firemen O
, O
the O
National O
Guard O
and O
other O
rescuers O
were O
sent O
to O
the O
spot O
of O
the O
collision O
. O

According O
to O
a O
local O
fire O
brigade O
officer O
working O
at O
the O
scene O
, O
signs O
on O
the O
spot O
showed O
that O
because O
of O
overspeeding O
the O
bus O
lost O
control O
and O
swerved O
into O
the O
opposite O
lane O
, O
colliding O
with O
the O
truck O
carrying O
Coca O
Cola O
products O
. O

The O
people O
injured O
in O
the O
accident O
have O
been O
hospitalized O
. O
Police O
are O
conducting O
further O
investigation O
into O
the O
accident O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0043 O

HANOI O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Hanoi O
sets O
up O
commission O
for O
new O
trans O
- O
Vietnamese O
highway O

Hanoi O
has O
set O
up O
a O
commission O
to O
oversee O
the O
construction O
of O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
second O
main O
road O
artery O
linking O
the O
north O
to O
the O
south O
of O
the O
country O
, O
a O
report O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
first O
of O
the O
Southeast O
Asian O
country O
' O
s O
major O
infrastructure O
projects O
will O
be O
completed O
through O
a O
mass O
moblisation O
of O
Vietnamese O
workers O
. O

The O
12 O
- O
member O
road O
commission O
is O
headed O
by O
Prime O
Minsiter O
Vo O
Van O
Kiet O
and O
which O
includes O
several O
ministers O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
major O
project O
which O
will O
use O
the O
labour O
of O
milllions O
of O
people O
, O
" O
Kiet O
was O
Saturday B-T
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O
daily O
Vietnam O
News O
. O

The O
" O
Truong O
Son O
" O
highway O
will O
be O
built O
parallel O
to O
the O
existing O
main O
road O
which O
runs O
along O
the O
country O
' O
s O
coast O
and O
is O
exposed O
to O
floods O
and O
typhoons O
. O

The O
new O
1 O
, O
800 O
- O
kilometer O
( O
1 O
, O
125 O
- O
mile O
) O
road O
will O
follow O
some O
of O
the O
route O
of O
the O
famous O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
trail O
which O
was O
the O
major O
supply O
route O
of O
the O
communist O
forces O
fighting O
the O
Americans O
during O
the O
Vietnam O
war O
. O

It O
will O
link O
the O
capital O
Hanoi O
with O
the O
southern O
hub O
of O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
and O
will O
initially O
have O
two O
lanes O
which O
will O
later O
be O
expanded O
to O
four O
and O
then O
to O
six O
in O
some O
places O
after O
2002 B-T
. O

The O
feasability O
study O
for O
the O
project O
is O
expected O
to O
begin O
in O
June B-T
and O
work O
should O
start O
next B-T
year I-T
. O
The O
total O
cost O
of O
the O
project O
will O
could O
come O
to O
as O
much O
as O
5 O
. O
5 O
billion O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0193 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

IEA O
revises O
down O
forecast O
for O
growth O
of O
oil O
demand O
in O
2005 O
, O
2006 O

The O
International O
Energy O
Agency O
( O
IEA O
) O
said O
Thursday B-T
that O
it O
has O
revised O
down O
its O
forecast O
for O
the O
growth O
of O
world O
oil O
demand O
this B-T
year I-T
and O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

In O
2005 B-T
, O
global O
demand O
for O
oil O
would O
rise O
by O
1 O
. O
5 O
percent O
to O
83 O
. O
3 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
, O
and O
by O
2 O
. O
0 O
percent O
to O
85 O
. O
0 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
the O
IEA O
said O
. O

It O
has O
lowered O
its O
forecast O
for O
the O
growth O
of O
global O
oil O
demand O
by O
70 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
to O
1 O
. O
20 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
for O
2005 B-T
and O
by O
90 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
to O
1 O
. O
66 O
million O
barrels O
for O
2006 B-T
. O

" O
With O
crude O
and O
product O
prices O
now O
below O
pre O
- O
hurricane O
levels O
and O
refinery O
and O
crude O
capacity O
returning O
, O
the O
market O
appears O
to O
have O
weathered O
the O
storm O
, O
" O
said O
the O
IEA O
in O
its O
monthly O
report O
. O

" O
But O
while O
spot O
prices O
are O
below O
their O
peaks O
, O
it O
must O
not O
be O
forgotten O
that O
just O
a O
few O
months O
ago O
60 O
- O
dollar O
per O
barrel O
crude O
prices O
reflected O
extreme O
market O
tightness O
. O
Moreover O
there O
is O
potential O
for O
further O
tightness O
to O
emerge O
, O
particularly O
if O
the O
weather O
( O
in O
the O
northern O
hemisphere O
) O
turns O
cold O
and O
recent O
buoyant O
economic O
growth O
continues O
, O
" O
said O
the O
report O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0259 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

ties O

U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
on O
Friday B-T
reiterated O
his O
support O
for O
Congressional O
approval O
at O
a O
earliest O
time O
of O
his O
country O
' O
s O
Permanent O
Normal O
Trade O
Relations O
( O
PNTR O
) O
with O
Vietnam O
. O

The O
visiting O
U O
. O
S O
. O
president O
said O
this O
when O
meeting O
with O
Vietnamese O
State O
President O
Nguyen O
Minh O
Triet O
. O
A O
bill O
on O
the O
PNTR O
was O
voted O
down O
at O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
House O
of O
Representatives O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
Vietnam O
relationship O
is O
multi O
- O
faceted O
and O
forward O
looking O
, O
said O
a O
joint O
statement O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
issued O
after O
the O
two O
leaders O
' O
talks O
. O

The O
two O
leaders O
reiterated O
their O
efforts O
to O
ensure O
that O
bilateral O
relations O
are O
stable O
, O
constructive O
, O
broad O
- O
based O
, O
and O
conducted O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
equality O
and O
mutual O
benefit O
. O

The O
two O
presidents O
also O
discussed O
the O
growing O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
to O
address O
regional O
and O
global O
concerns O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

They O
pledged O
to O
increase O
cooperation O
to O
halt O
the O
proliferation O
of O
weapons O
of O
mass O
destruction O
and O
related O
technology O
and O
materials O
in O
accordance O
with O
international O
and O
national O
laws O
and O
each O
country O
' O
s O
capacities O
. O

The O
two O
presidents O
also O
discussed O
the O
cooperation O
on O
the O
health O
issue O
and O
agreed O
to O
further O
strengthen O
cooperation O
on O
combating O
bird O
flu O
and O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
and O
the O
settlement O
of O
environmental O
contamination O
near O
former O
dioxin O
storage O
sites O
. O

They O
expressed O
satisfaction O
with O
progress O
on O
resolving O
outstanding O
issues O
from O
the O
Vietnam O
War O
, O
and O
agreed O
that O
the O
two O
sides O
would O
continue O
cooperation O
in O
this O
respect O
. O

Triet O
reaffirmed O
his O
government O
' O
s O
continued O
efforts O
to O
assist O
the O
United O
States O
to O
ensure O
the O
fullest O
possible O
accounting O
for O
Americans O
who O
remain O
missing O
in O
action O
, O
through O
both O
joint O
and O
enhanced O
unilateral O
actions O
. O

Bush O
invited O
Triet O
to O
visit O
the O
United O
States O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
and O
the O
Vietnamese O
president O
accepted O
the O
invitation O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

Bush O
arrived O
in O
Vietnam O
on O
Friday B-T
for O
a O
four O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
to O
the O
country O
. O
He O
will O
also O
attend O
the O
14th O
APEC O
( O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
) O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
on O
Saturday B-T
and I-T
Sunday I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0284 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Philippines O
lodges O
formal O
protest O
over O
Chinese O
vessels O

The O
Philippine O
foreign O
ministry O
summoned O
Beijing O
' O
s O
ambassador O
to O
Manila O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
protest O
at O
the O
presence O
of O
armed O
Chinese O
vessels O
in O
the O
disputed O
Spratlys O
, O
an O
official O
said O
. O

" O
I O
formally O
gave O
him O
the O
details O
of O
the O
reported O
sightings O
, O
" O
said O
Delia O
Rosal O
, O
executive O
director O
of O
the O
department O
' O
s O
Asia O
and O
Pacific O
Affairs O
, O
after O
meeting O
China O
' O
s O
envoy O
, O
Guan O
Dengming O
. O

" O
I O
( O
conveyed O
to O
) O
him O
the O
Philippine O
concern O
about O
this O
incident O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

The O
Philippine O
military O
reported O
to O
Ramos O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
three O
armed O
" O
frigate O
- O
type O
" O
Chinese O
vessels O
were O
spotted O
by O
Air O
Force O
reconnaisance O
aircraft O
Friday B-T
off O
Philippine O
- O
garrisoned O
Kota O
and O
Panata O
islands O
in O
the O
disputed O
South O
China O
Sea O
chain O
. O

The O
Philippines O
and O
China O
are O
among O
six O
countries O
which O
claim O
the O
supposedly O
oil O
- O
rich O
South O
China O
Sea O
chain O
in O
whole O
or O
part O
, O
the O
others O
being O
Brunei O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Taiwan O
and O
Vietnam O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0042 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0042 O
. O

Anheuser O
- O
Busch O
, O
Slugging O
It O
Out O
, O
Plans O
Beer O
Price O
Cuts O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
James O
P O
. O
Miller O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

BUD O

BEVERAGES O
( O
BVG O
) O

MARKETING O
, O
ADVERTISING O
( O
MKT O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Anheuser O
- O
Busch O
Cos O
. O
said O
it O
plans O
to O
aggressively O
discount O
its O
major O
beer O
brands O
, O
setting O
the O
stage O
for O
a O
potentially O
bruising O
price O
war O
as O
the O
maturing O
industry O
' O
s O
growth O
continues O
to O
slow O
. O

Anheuser O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
brewer O
and O
U O
. O
S O
. O
market O
leader O
, O
has O
historically O
been O
reluctant O
to O
engage O
in O
price O
- O
cutting O
as O
a O
means O
of O
boosting O
sales O
volume O
. O

With O
the O
passing O
of O
the O
heady O
days B-T
of O
swelling O
industry O
sales O
, O
however O
, O
the O
once O
- O
sporadic O
and O
brief O
forays O
into O
discounting O
are O
becoming O
standard O
competitive O
weapons O
in O
the O
beer O
industry O
. O

Over O
the O
summer B-T
, O
Anheuser O
competitors O
offered O
more O
and O
deeper O
discounts O
than O
industry O
observers O
have O
seen O
for O
a O
long O
time O
. O

Some O
experts O
now B-T
predict O
Anheuser O
' O
s O
entry O
into O
the O
fray O
means O
near O
- O
term O
earnings O
trouble O
for O
all O
the O
industry O
players O
. O

The O
St O
. O
Louis O
company O
said O
major O
rivals O
, O
Philip O
Morris O
Co O
. O
' O
s O
Miller O
Brewing O
unit O
and O
Adolph O
Coors O
Co O
. O
" O
have O
been O
following O
a O
policy O
of O
continuous O
and O
deep O
discounting O
for O
at B-T
least I-T
the I-T
past I-T
18 I-T
months I-T
" O
on O
their O
premium O
brands O
, O
pricing O
their O
product O
as O
much O
as O
25 O
cents O
a O
12 O
- O
pack O
below O
Anheuser O
' O
s O
Budweiser O
label O
in O
many O
markets O
. O

Anheuser O
said O
it O
' O
s O
discounting O
policy O
basically O
would O
involve O
matching O
such O
moves O
by O
rivals O
on O
a O
market O
- O
by O
- O
market O
basis O
. O

Anheuser O
- O
Busch O
announced O
its O
plan O
at O
the O
same O
time O
it O
reported O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
rose O
a O
lower O
- O
than O
- O
anticipated O
5 O
. O
2 O
% O
to O
$ O
238 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
or O
83 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
226 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
78 O
cents O
. O

Third O
- O
period O
sales O
were O
$ O
2 O
. O
49 O
billion O
, O
up O
from O
last O
year O
' O
s O
$ O
2 O
. O
34 O
billion O
. O

Anheuser O
said O
its O
new O
strategy O
- O
- O
started O
in O
some O
markets O
last B-T
month I-T
and O
expected O
to O
be O
applied O
soon O
in O
selected O
markets O
nationwide O
- O
- O
will O
mean O
lower O
- O
than O
- O
anticipated O
earnings O
for O
the B-T
last I-T
half I-T
of I-T
1989 I-T
and O
for O
1990 B-T
. O

The O
projection O
sent O
Anheuser O
shares O
plunging O
$ O
4 O
. O
375 O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
yesterday B-T
. O

The O
stock O
closed O
at O
$ O
38 O
. O
50 O
on O
heavy O
volume O
of O
about O
3 O
. O
5 O
million O
shares O
. O

Shares O
of O
Coors O
, O
the O
company O
' O
s O
sole O
publicly O
traded O
major O
competitor O
, O
fell O
$ O
1 O
. O
50 O
apiece O
to O
$ O
19 O
. O
125 O
in O
national O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
trading O
, O
apparently O
on O
investor O
concerns O
over O
potential O
fallout O
from O
the O
coming O
pricing O
struggle O
. O

Anheuser O
noted O
that O
" O
beer O
industry O
sales O
volume O
is O
1989 B-T
is O
following O
the O
trend O
that O
has O
characterized O
the B-T
last I-T
half I-T
of I-T
the I-T
' I-T
80s I-T
, O
with O
sales O
volume O
being O
essentially O
flat O
" O
while O
consolidation O
creates O
fewer O
, O
bigger O
players O
. O

" O
We O
cannot O
permit O
a O
further O
slowing O
in O
our O
volume O
trend O
, O
" O
Anheuser O
said O
, O
adding O
it O
will O
take O
" O
appropriate O
competitive O
pricing O
actions O
to O
support O
our O
long O
- O
term O
market O
share O
growth O
strategy O
" O
for O
the O
premium O
brands O
. O

Anheuser O
said O
it O
continues O
to O
hold O
to O
its O
earlier O
- O
announced O
goal O
of O
a O
50 O
% O
U O
. O
S O
. O
market O
share O
by O
the B-T
mid I-T
- I-T
1990s I-T
. O

Beneath O
the O
tepid O
news O
- O
release O
jargon O
lies O
a O
powerful O
threat O
from O
the O
brewing O
giant O
, O
which O
last O
year O
accounted O
for O
about O
41 O
% O
of O
all O
U O
. O
S O
. O
beer O
sales O
and O
is O
expected O
to O
see O
that O
grow O
to O
42 O
. O
5 O
% O
in O
the B-T
current I-T
year I-T
. O

" O
Anheuser O
is O
the O
biggest O
guy O
in O
the O
bar O
, O
and O
he O
just O
decided O
to O
join O
in O
the O
barroom O
brawl O
, O
" O
said O
Joseph O
J O
. O
Doyle O
, O
an O
analyst O
with O
Smith O
Barney O
, O
Harris O
Upham O
amp O
Co O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
going O
to O
get O
bloody O
. O
" O

Jerry O
Steinman O
, O
publisher O
of O
Beer O
Marketers O
Insights O
, O
a O
trade O
newsletter O
, O
said O
Anheuser O
' O
s O
announcement O
means O
" O
everybody O
else O
in O
the O
industry O
is O
going O
to O
have O
a O
difficult O
time O
reaching O
their O
profit O
objectives O
. O
" O

Prudential O
- O
Bache O
Securities O
Inc O
. O
analyst O
George O
E O
. O
Thompson O
downplayed O
the O
importance O
of O
the O
announcement O
, O
and O
called O
any O
comparison O
between O
the O
coming O
beer O
- O
industry O
tiff O
and O
the O
seemingly O
unending O
" O
cola O
wars O
, O
" O
unwarranted O
. O

Mr O
. O
Thompson O
calls O
discounting O
" O
a O
loser O
' O
s O
game O
for O
anyone O
without O
a O
dominant O
market O
share O
, O
" O
and O
projected O
that O
Anheuser O
' O
s O
statement O
of O
intent O
could O
simply O
be O
a O
means O
of O
warning O
competitors O
to O
ease O
up O
on O
price O
- O
cutting O
or O
face O
a O
costly O
and O
fruitless O
battle O
. O

Mr O
. O
Thompson O
noted O
that O
the O
disappointing O
earnings O
, O
which O
fell O
five O
cents O
a O
share O
short O
of O
his O
own O
projections O
, O
contributed O
to O
the O
sell O
- O
off O
by O
an O
edgy O
and O
currently O
unforgiving O
investing O
public O
. O

But O
Smith O
Barney O
' O
s O
Mr O
. O
Doyle O
, O
who O
yesterday B-T
trimmed O
his O
1990 B-T
Anheuser O
earnings O
projection O
to O
$ O
2 O
. O
95 O
a O
share O
from O
$ O
3 O
. O
10 O
, O
called O
the O
market O
' O
s O
reaction O
" O
justified O
. O
" O

While O
the O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
earnings O
were O
a O
" O
moderate O
disappointment O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
" O
the O
real O
bad O
news O
is O
the O
intensity O
of O
price O
competition O
" O
in O
the O
premium O
- O
beer O
sector O
. O

According O
to O
Mr O
. O
Steinman O
, O
the O
newsletter O
publisher O
, O
Anheuser O
' O
s O
market O
share O
is O
nearly O
twice O
that O
of O
its O
nearest O
competitor O
, O
Miller O
Brewing O
, O
which O
had O
a O
21 O
. O
2 O
% O
stake O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

It O
' O
s O
followed O
by O
Stroh O
Brewery O
Co O
. O
, O
which O
has O
agreed O
to O
sell O
its O
assets O
to O
Coors O
. O

Both O
Coors O
and O
Stroh O
have O
recently O
been O
ceding O
market O
share O
to O
Miller O
and O
Anheuser O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0131 O

FOSHAN O
, O
Guangdong O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

modern O
ROK O

China O
and O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
share O
great O
similarities O
in O
cultural O
background O
and O
some O
Chinese O
classic O
culture O
can O
be O
found O
intact O
in O
modern O
ROK O
, O
said O
Bae O
Jhong O
- O
shin O
, O
vice O
minister O
of O
culture O
and O
tourism O
of O
the O
ROK O
. O

He O
made O
the O
remarks O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
at O
the O
ongoing O
7th O
Asia O
Art O
Festival O
, O
which O
opened O
on O
Friday B-T
in O
Foshan O
, O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Guangdong O
Province O
. O

The O
ROK O
culture O
has O
exerted O
much O
impact O
on O
the O
Chinese O
youth O
who O
tend O
to O
imitate O
the O
hairstyles O
, O
dressing O
styles O
and O
even O
life O
styles O
from O
imported O
ROK O
TV O
series O
. O
Some O
Chinese O
media O
called O
this O
phenomenon O
" O
the O
blowing O
of O
a O
strong O
Korean O
wind O
" O
in O
China O
. O

Chinese O
traditional O
virtues O
like O
benevolence O
, O
loyalty O
in O
marriage O
and O
respect O
for O
the O
older O
generations O
are O
also O
shown O
in O
the O
ROK O
society O
today B-T
, O
said O
Bae O
. O

He O
said O
in O
history O
the O
ROK O
conducted O
many O
cultural O
exchange O
activities O
with O
its O
close O
neighbor O
China O
, O
and O
both O
countries O
share O
similar O
values O
. O
The O
ROK O
has O
also O
been O
deeply O
influenced O
by O
Chinese O
classic O
culture O
, O
and O
some O
of O
the O
elements O
can O
be O
neatly O
shown O
in O
the O
current O
ROK O
society O
, O
he O
added O
. O

The O
ROK O
people O
began O
to O
import O
books O
, O
Confucius O
thoughts O
and O
advanced O
technologies O
from O
China O
some O
two B-T
thousand I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
and O
gradually O
the O
two O
countries O
have O
reached O
consensus O
in O
many O
aspects O
of O
culture O
. O
Bae O
said O
that O
the O
ROK O
people O
attach O
great O
importance O
to O
teenage O
education O
on O
filial O
piety O
, O
which O
means O
to O
respect O
the O
older O
generations O
. O
Teenage O
education O
on O
traditional O
values O
is O
also O
one O
of O
the O
measures O
they O
are O
taking O
to O
combat O
cultural O
westernization O
, O
which O
most O
Asian O
countries O
are O
faced O
with O
. O

" O
Most O
countries O
are O
faced O
with O
heated O
global O
competition O
of O
culture O
and O
arts O
, O
" O
Bae O
said O
. O
" O
How O
to O
integrate O
into O
cultural O
globalization O
while O
preserving O
local O
arts O
is O
the O
problem O
we O
are O
trying O
to O
resolve O
. O
" O

Bae O
said O
the O
ROK O
TV O
series O
have O
also O
absorbed O
some O
elite O
western O
culture O
and O
properly O
integrated O
them O
into O
the O
local O
life O
. O
" O
That O
' O
s O
one O
of O
the O
reasons O
why O
our O
TV O
series O
are O
quite O
popular O
in O
China O
and O
some O
other O
Asian O
countries O
, O
" O
explained O
Bae O
. O

A O
total O
of O
22 O
artistic O
troupes O
from O
21 O
Asian O
countries O
will O
present O
their O
performance O
in O
the O
seven O
- O
day O
Asia O
Art O
Festival O
, O
while O
a O
forum O
is O
also O
held O
here O
for O
Asian O
cultural O
ministers O
to O
discuss O
prospective O
cultural O
cooperation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0116 O

CHONGQING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

environment O

Urbanites O
suffer O
the O
phobia O
that O
the O
whole O
world O
has O
deserted O
them O
only O
because O
they O
forget O
to O
bring O
their O
cellphones O
. O
Trendies O
, O
though O
not O
necessarily O
high O
earners O
, O
buy O
a O
new O
handset O
every B-T
three I-T
months I-T
. O
Cellphones O
embedded O
with O
diamonds O
are O
sold O
at O
210 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
each O
( O
25 O
, O
900 O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

In O
booming O
China O
, O
cellphone O
is O
not O
just O
a O
communication O
device O
, O
but O
also O
a O
luxury O
and O
a O
symbol O
of O
one O
' O
s O
status O
and O
taste O
, O
said O
Sun O
Yuanming O
, O
a O
sociologist O
with O
the O
Chongqing O
Municipal O
Academy O
of O
Social O
Sciences O
. O

Ministry O
of O
Information O
Industry O
says O
the O
Chinese O
were O
throwing O
away O
70 O
million O
cellphones O
a O
year O
by O
mid B-T
2004 I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
latest O
data O
available O
. O

Piles O
of O
deserted O
cellphones O
- O
- O
most O
of O
which O
worked O
perfectly O
though O
weren O
' O
t O
stylish O
enough O
- O
- O
have O
overloaded O
the O
resource O
- O
thirsty O
Chinese O
economy O
and O
threatened O
its O
environment O
with O
massive O
electronic O
waste O
, O
whose O
proper O
disposal O
remains O
a O
problem O
. O

On O
top O
of O
it O
, O
to O
buy O
a O
trendy O
cellphone O
every O
three B-T
months I-T
is O
not O
a O
piece O
of O
cake O
even O
for O
many O
extravagant O
consumers O
. O

" O
I O
saved O
for O
six B-T
months I-T
and O
was O
even O
ready O
to O
cut O
my O
meals O
to O
buy O
that O
cellphone O
. O
It O
cost O
5 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
616 O
US O
dollars O
) O
but O
is O
worth O
it O
- O
- O
it O
has O
a O
superb O
lens O
and O
make O
very O
good O
videos O
, O
" O
said O
a O
junior O
clerk O
at O
a O
Beijing O
bank O
, O
surnamed O
Yu O
. O

This O
is O
already O
his O
third O
cellphone O
in O
two B-T
years I-T
, O
though O
Yu O
makes O
less O
than O
4 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
493 O
US O
dollars O
) O
a O
month O
, O
nearly O
two O
thirds O
of O
which O
has O
to O
repay O
his O
housing O
loan O
. O

" O
Most O
customers O
are O
more O
interested O
in O
the O
accessory O
functions O
of O
cellphones O
: O
whether O
they O
play O
MP3 O
, O
shoot O
videos O
or O
have O
the O
latest O
games O
, O
" O
said O
Liu O
, O
a O
sales O
clerk O
at O
a O
Beijing O
- O
based O
store O
. O

Three B-T
years I-T
after O
the O
first O
camera O
phone O
debuted O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
China O
' O
s O
mobile O
communication O
market O
is O
in O
full O
bloom O
with O
novel O
cellphone O
brands O
and O
diverse O
functions O
. O

" O
In O
most O
American O
and O
European O
markets O
, O
a O
cellphone O
is O
just O
a O
communication O
device O
and O
it O
doesn O
' O
t O
matter O
much O
how O
it O
looks O
. O
In O
China O
and O
some O
other O
Asian O
countries O
, O
however O
, O
a O
phone O
has O
to O
be O
fashionable O
to O
catch O
the O
buyers O
' O
eyes O
, O
" O
said O
Liu O
. O

Nearly O
60 O
percent O
of O
China O
' O
s O
mobile O
subscribers O
are O
in O
the O
market O
for O
a O
new O
cellphone O
; O
12 O
. O
8 O
percent O
of O
them O
buy O
a O
new O
handset O
every O
six O
to O
12 O
months O
and O
24 O
. O
4 O
percent O
buy O
one O
every B-T
12 I-T
to I-T
24 I-T
months I-T
, O
according O
to O
a O
recent O
survey O
by O
China O
Center O
of O
Information O
Industry O
Development O
( O
CCID O
) O
. O

At O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2004 I-T
, O
there O
were O
25 O
. O
7 O
mobile O
phones O
for O
every O
100 O
Chinese O
, O
which O
exceeded O
the O
world O
average O
, O
statistics O
released O
at O
the O
2005 O
China O
Mobile O
Telecommunications O
Terminal O
Development O
Forum O
showed O
. O

It O
also O
predicted O
that O
the O
number O
of O
mobile O
phone O
subscribers O
in O
China O
would O
top O
380 O
million O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
and O
soar O
to O
520 O
million O
by O
2008 B-T
and O
600 O
million O
by O
2010 B-T
. O

Incompatibility O
between O
different O
brands O
and O
even O
between O
different O
cellphones O
from O
the O
same O
manufacturer O
simply O
produces O
more O
waste O
. O

Suppose O
each O
subscriber O
buys O
a O
new O
cellphone O
every B-T
three I-T
years I-T
, O
and O
each O
cellphone O
is O
equipped O
with O
two O
batteries O
and O
one O
charger O
, O
an O
average O
200 O
million O
batteries O
and O
100 O
million O
chargers O
become O
wastes O
every B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
In O
fact O
, O
most O
people O
absent O
- O
mindedly O
put O
their O
outdated O
cellphones O
away O
- O
- O
after O
all O
, O
it O
' O
s O
not O
easy O
to O
throw O
away O
something O
that O
used O
to O
cost O
dearly O
, O
" O
said O
Sun O
Yuanming O
, O
a O
Chongqing O
- O
based O
sociologist O
. O
" O
But O
the O
proper O
disposal O
of O
these O
e O
- O
wastes O
remains O
a O
problem O
in O
the O
long O
run O
. O
" O

Lithium O
batteries O
and O
chargers O
contain O
copper O
, O
aluminium O
and O
plastics O
that O
are O
not O
degradable O
and O
threaten O
the O
environment O
, O
says O
Wang O
Xiaoming O
, O
an O
expert O
with O
Beijing O
Environmental O
Protection O
Bureau O
. O
" O
Besides O
, O
deserted O
cellphones O
also O
contain O
precious O
metal O
. O
It O
' O
d O
be O
a O
huge O
waste O
if O
the O
valuable O
materials O
are O
not O
recalled O
for O
reuse O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0274 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Proportion O
of O
private O
companies O
in O
China O
' O
s O
exports O
to O
rise O

Private O
sector O
in O
China O
would O
keep O
on O
growing O
and O
its O
proportion O
in O
the O
national O
exports O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
35 O
percent O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
said O
sources O
with O
All O
- O
China O
Federation O
of O
Industry O
and O
Commerce O
( O
ACFIC O
) O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
private O
businesses O
achieved O
about O
20 O
percent O
of O
China O
' O
s O
exports O
and O
it O
has O
a O
strong O
momentum O
of O
growth O
, O
show O
statistics O
with O
ACFIC O
. O

According O
to O
the O
statistics O
with O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Commerce O
, O
China O
' O
s O
total O
exports O
were O
762 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
57 O
. O
3 O
percent O
of O
which O
are O
made O
by O
foreign O
companies O
in O
China O
. O

The O
proportions O
of O
private O
businesses O
in O
exports O
of O
electronic O
and O
machinery O
products O
as O
well O
as O
hi O
- O
tech O
products O
are O
growing O
fast O
and O
will O
reach O
50 O
percent O
and O
20 O
percent O
respectively O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
said O
the O
federation O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
China O
' O
s O
total O
investment O
abroad O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
60 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
2006 B-T
- I-T
2010 I-T
period I-T
, O
more O
than O
half O
of O
which O
would O
come O
from O
the O
private O
sector O
, O
according O
to O
the O
federation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0102 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

British O
pubs O
to O
get O
longer O
opening O
hours O

About O
one O
- O
third O
of O
the O
pubs O
, O
clubs O
and O
shops O
in O
England O
and O
Wales O
licensed O
to O
sell O
alcohol O
are O
to O
get O
longer O
opening O
hours O
, O
a O
research O
conducted O
by O
the O
British O
Broadcasting O
Corporation O
( O
BBC O
) O
suggested O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Britain O
' O
s O
new O
licensing O
laws O
which O
allow O
pubs O
to O
apply O
for O
24 O
- O
hour O
drinking O
in O
some O
areas O
come O
into O
force O
at O
midnight O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Researchers O
found O
60 O
, O
326 O
outlets O
will O
now O
be O
able O
to O
sell O
alcohol O
longer O
. O
But O
so O
far O
only O
359 O
pubs O
and O
clubs O
get O
24 O
- O
hour O
licences O
. O

Licensing O
Minister O
James O
Purnell O
said O
the O
new O
laws O
would O
be O
coupled O
with O
the O
" O
toughest O
ever O
crackdown O
on O
alcohol O
fuelled O
violence O
. O
" O

A O
rise O
in O
the O
number O
of O
arrests O
could O
be O
a O
measure O
of O
the O
success O
of O
powers O
in O
the O
Licensing O
Act O
, O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
premises O
which O
sell O
to O
underage O
youngsters O
including O
supermarkets O
will O
be O
putting O
their O
licence O
at O
risk O
. O

" O
There O
should O
be O
a O
very O
clear O
principle O
here O
- O
- O
that O
if O
people O
are O
not O
causing O
harm O
to O
others O
, O
government O
should O
get O
out O
of O
their O
personal O
lives O
, O
" O
said O
Purnell O
. O

The O
survey O
results O
come O
after O
ministers O
warned O
that O
the O
introduction O
of O
more O
relaxed O
licensing O
laws O
on O
Thursday B-T
is O
likely O
to O
lead O
to O
an O
increase O
in O
alcohol O
related O
arrests O
. O

But O
Mark O
Hastings O
from O
the O
British O
Beer O
and O
Pub O
Association O
welcomed O
the O
changes O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
been O
saying O
for O
a O
long O
time O
that O
the O
result O
of O
this O
change O
would O
be O
a O
relatively O
modest O
increase O
in O
overall O
licensing O
hours O
, O
that O
24 O
- O
hour O
opening O
was O
an O
urban O
myth O
, O
and O
certainly O
24 O
- O
hour O
drinking O
would O
be O
an O
urban O
myth O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
What O
we O
' O
re O
actually O
seeing O
is O
that O
at O
last O
in O
this O
country O
adults O
are O
going O
to O
be O
treated O
like O
grown O
- O
ups O
and O
given O
a O
little O
bit O
of O
choice O
about O
having O
a O
social O
life O
beyond O
11 O
o O
' O
clock O
at O
night O
, O
" O
Hastings O
noted O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0153 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
to O
take O
measures O
to O
protect O
foreign O
citizens O
: O
FM O
spokesman O

The O
Chinese O
government O
is O
taking O
effective O
measures O
to O
ensure O
the O
safety O
of O
foreigners O
and O
foreign O
organizations O
in O
China O
, O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Liu O
Jianchao O
told O
a O
regular O
press O
conference O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Liu O
was O
commenting O
on O
a O
warning O
on O
the O
US O
embassy O
website O
that O
it O
had O
received O
credible O
information O
that O
a O
terrorist O
threat O
may O
exist O
against O
official O
US O
government O
facilities O
in O
Guangzhou O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Guangdong O
province O
. O

" O
China O
' O
s O
public O
security O
departments O
organized O
a O
meeting O
as O
soon O
as O
it O
received O
the O
message O
from O
the O
US O
embassy O
. O
" O
Liu O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
China O
is O
taking O
the O
report O
seriously O
and O
will O
respond O
responsibly O
. O

The O
US O
embassy O
published O
the O
warning O
on O
its O
website O
on O
November B-T
13 I-T
. O
The O
website O
also O
indicated O
that O
the O
threat O
may O
also O
exist O
for O
places O
where O
Americans O
are O
known O
to O
congregate O
or O
visit O
, O
including O
clubs O
, O
restaurants O
, O
places O
of O
worship O
, O
schools O
or O
outdoor O
recreation O
events O
. O

Liu O
emphasized O
that O
the O
Chinese O
government O
always O
attaches O
great O
importance O
to O
the O
safety O
of O
foreign O
nationals O
and O
organizations O
in O
China O
. O

" O
The O
Chinese O
government O
has O
taken O
effective O
measures O
and O
will O
continue O
such O
efforts O
to O
guarantee O
personal O
safety O
of O
foreign O
citizens O
here O
. O
" O
Liu O
said O
, O
" O
I O
believe O
that O
with O
these O
measures O
and O
increased O
awareness O
of O
self O
protection O
, O
foreign O
citizens O
will O
continue O
to O
enjoy O
living O
, O
working O
, O
traveling O
and O
studying O
in O
China O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0224 O

ABUJA O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
from O
Kuwait O
, O
Venezuela O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

OPEC O
oil O
ministers O
agree O
on O
the O
need O
to O
restrict O
their O
oil O
production O
but O
have O
not O
decided O
on O
the O
timing O
of O
an O
output O
cut O
, O
Algeria O
' O
s O
energy O
minister O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
I O
think O
there O
is O
a O
consensus O
for O
a O
reduction O
but O
we O
don O
' O
t O
know O
if O
it O
is O
going O
to O
be O
applied O
straight O
away O
or O
later O
, O
" O
Chakib O
Khelil O
told O
reporters O
. O

OPEC O
ministers O
were O
meeting O
in O
the O
Nigerian O
capital O
Abuja O
to O
discuss O
their O
production O
policy O
. O
A O
formal O
decision O
was O
expected O
later O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
Libyan O
representative O
to O
the O
11 O
- O
member O
group O
, O
Shukri O
Ghanem O
, O
said O
that O
OPEC O
would O
decide O
to O
keep O
its O
production O
target O
of O
26 O
. O
3 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
( O
bpd O
) O
unchanged O
. O

" O
My O
impression O
is O
that O
there O
will O
be O
no O
cut O
today O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
If O
there O
is O
a O
need O
( O
to O
cut O
) O
, O
we O
will O
do O
it O
, O
but O
not O
today B-T
. O
" O

The O
Organisation O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
, O
whose O
members O
produce O
about O
one O
third O
of O
global O
oil O
supplies O
, O
decided O
in O
October B-T
at O
a O
meeting O
in O
Doha O
, O
Qatar O
to O
cut O
their O
output O
by O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
bpd O
. O

" O
We O
are O
satisfied O
with O
what O
' O
s O
going O
on O
. O
The O
decision O
of O
Doha O
was O
great O
, O
I O
think O
. O
The O
market O
is O
stable O
now B-T
, O
" O
said O
Kuwaiti O
Energy O
Minister O
Sheikh O
Ali O
Jarrah O
al O
- O
Sabah O
. O

OPEC O
decided O
to O
cut O
production O
by O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
bpd O
in O
October B-T
to O
stem O
falling O
oil O
prices O
, O
which O
had O
dropped O
from O
about O
a O
high O
of O
78 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
July B-T
to O
about O
58 O
dollars O
at O
the O
time O
of O
the O
meeting O
. O

Indonesian O
Energy O
Minister O
Purnomo O
Yusgiantoro O
suggested O
that O
the O
group O
would O
meet O
again O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
possibly O
to O
take O
a O
decision O
to O
cut O
production O
. O

" O
The O
market O
is O
stable O
. O
I O
may O
propose O
to O
have O
some O
kind O
of O
meeting O
before O
the O
entering O
of O
the O
Spring O
session O
, O
before O
March B-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
Because O
you O
know O
in O
Spring B-T
, O
demand O
is O
slowing O
. O
" O

World O
oil O
futures O
climbed O
on O
Thursday B-T
ahead O
of O
the O
meeting O
. O

New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
January B-T
, O
rose O
30 O
cents O
to O
61 O
. O
67 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
electronic O
deals O
before O
the O
official O
opening O
of O
the O
US O
market O
. O

In O
London O
, O
Brent O
North O
Sea O
crude O
for O
January B-T
delivery O
gained O
23 O
cents O
to O
61 O
. O
56 O
dollars O
in O
electronic O
trading O
. O

In O
assessing O
their O
production O
policy O
, O
OPEC O
members O
are O
mindful O
that O
the O
coming B-T
winter I-T
months I-T
in O
the O
northern O
hemisphere O
are O
the O
peak O
oil O
period O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

Analysts O
have O
warned O
that O
a O
cut O
could O
send O
prices O
back O
to O
uncomfortably O
high O
levels O
, O
which O
OPEC O
would O
want O
to O
avoid O
. O

Nevertheless O
, O
Venezuelan O
Energy O
Minister O
Rafael O
Ramirez O
repeated O
his O
call O
for O
a O
further O
cut O
of O
500 O
, O
000 O
bpd O
, O
adding O
that O
compliance O
to O
the O
reduction O
in O
October B-T
should O
be O
observed O
. O

" O
We O
want O
to O
get O
out O
of O
the O
market O
500 O
, O
000 O
bpd O
from O
the O
existing O
level O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Actual O
production O
has O
been O
cut O
less O
than O
announced O
in O
October B-T
, O
analysts O
say O
, O
with O
the O
real O
reduction O
estimated O
at O
between O
500 O
, O
000 O
- O
800 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
because O
of O
over O
- O
production O
by O
some O
members O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0106 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Singapore O
shares O
end O
higher O

The O
shares O
prices O
in O
Singapore O
closed O
higher O
on O
Thursday B-T
with O
the O
benchmark O
Straits O
Times B-T
Index O
( O
STI O
) O
rising O
10 O
. O
3 O
points O
to O
end O
at O
2 O
, O
745 O
. O
6 O
points O
. O

The O
overall O
volume O
stood O
at O
1 O
. O
541 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
1802 O
billion O
Singapore O
dollars O
( O
about O
755 O
. O
4 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

Gainers O
led O
losers O
by O
319 O
to O
276 O
with O
another O
715 O
unchanged O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
STI O
fell O
13 O
. O
9 O
points O
to O
end O
at O
2735 O
. O
3 O
points O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0391 O

PHNOM O
PENH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Phnom O
Penh O
well O
- O
prepared O
for O
influx O
of O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
visitors O
on O
Water O
Festival O

Dragon O
boat O
races O
, O
fireworks O
and O
other O
celebrations O
are O
expected O
to O
attract O
around O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
visitors O
into O
the O
Cambodian O
capital O
around O
the O
Water O
Festival O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
to O
6 O
, O
and O
the O
municipal O
government O
has O
been O
fully O
mobilized O
to O
embrace O
the O
annual O
heat O
, O
local O
media O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Pa O
Socheatvong O
, O
Phnom O
Penh O
' O
s O
Deputy O
Governor O
, O
estimated O
that O
the O
population O
of O
the O
city O
will O
double O
during O
the B-T
festival I-T
, O
but O
said O
the O
government O
has O
got O
well O
- O
prepared O
for O
the O
rush O
. O

" O
I O
think O
we O
have O
arranged O
enough O
toilets O
for O
the O
crowds O
of O
people O
and O
boat O
races O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
he O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
Cambodian O
Daily O
as O
saying O
. O

Some O
50 O
provisional O
toilets O
, O
along O
with O
the O
already O
- O
installed O
30 O
permanent O
public O
toilets O
, O
will O
be O
more O
than O
enough O
to O
handle O
private O
problems O
of O
the O
incoming O
visitors O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
some O
2 O
, O
300 O
policemen O
, O
660 O
armed O
forces O
and O
800 O
official O
security O
guards O
will O
be O
deployed O
to O
ensure O
the O
order O
during O
the O
celebrations O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
of O
Jian O
Hua O
Daily O
. O

The O
police O
have O
made O
a O
detailed O
plan O
to O
keep O
the O
city O
bustling O
but O
safe O
, O
it O
added O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
the O
municipal O
government O
has O
established O
seven O
technical O
groups O
respectively O
in O
charge O
of O
security O
, O
health O
, O
information O
, O
fireworks O
supervision O
, O
boat O
management O
, O
decoration O
and O
secretariat O
, O
so O
as O
to O
improve O
its O
overall O
control O
of O
the O
activities O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
of O
the O
Commercial O
Daily O
. O

Major O
roads O
will O
be O
blocked O
against O
motor O
vehicles O
during O
the B-T
festival I-T
in O
order O
to O
avoid O
traffic O
jam O
, O
it O
said O
. O

Dragon O
boat O
races O
are O
the O
most O
hilarious O
celebration O
of O
the O
festival O
, O
for O
which O
more O
than O
20 O
, O
000 O
participants O
have O
arrived O
to O
play O
over O
400 O
boats O
on O
the O
Mekong O
River O
. O

The O
Water O
Festival O
is O
one O
of O
the O
most O
important O
festivals O
in O
Cambodia O
, O
for O
which O
people O
celebrate O
ebb O
tide O
and O
ensuing O
re O
- O
surface O
of O
land O
. O
Additionally O
, O
water O
is O
also O
a O
symbol O
of O
life O
and O
birth O
in O
the O
eyes O
of O
the O
Cambodians O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0215 O

SANAA O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Yemeni O
ruling O
parties O
in O
lead O
in O
violence O
- O
hit O
elections O
by O
Acil O
Tabbara O

Yemen O
' O
s O
two O
ruling O
parties O
looked O
set O
Monday B-T
to O
win O
the O
country O
' O
s O
first O
legislative O
elections O
since O
its O
1994 O
civil O
war O
, O
as O
police O
announced O
that O
16 O
people O
were O
killed O
in O
polling O
- O
day O
violence O
. O

International O
observers O
described O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
polls O
as O
generally O
fair O
despite O
the O
clashes O
, O
the O
worst O
of O
which O
was O
a O
shooting O
in O
southern O
Yemen O
in O
which O
eight O
people O
died O
. O

The O
interior O
ministry O
also O
hailed O
the O
smooth O
running O
of O
the O
elections O
, O
saying O
it O
had O
expected O
far O
worse O
violence O
in O
a O
country O
where O
practically O
all O
men O
carry O
firearms O
. O

" O
From O
a O
technical O
point O
of O
view O
, O
everything O
went O
smoothly O
, O
with O
only O
minor O
problems O
, O
" O
one O
of O
the O
116 O
international O
observers O
in O
Yemen O
said O
. O

" O
It O
can O
be O
compared O
to O
the O
best O
elections O
in O
the O
Arab O
world O
, O
for O
instance O
those O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
and O
then O
Lebanon O
or O
Jordan O
, O
" O
the O
Western O
observer O
added O
, O
asking O
not O
to O
be O
named O
. O

Yemen O
is O
the O
only O
country O
on O
the O
Arab O
peninsula O
to O
have O
a O
parliament O
elected O
by O
universal O
suffrage O
. O

The O
General O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
( O
GPC O
) O
of O
President O
Ali O
Abdallah O
Saleh O
said O
early O
results O
showed O
it O
would O
scoop O
most O
of O
the O
301 O
parliamentary O
seats O
, O
with O
its O
erstwhile O
coalition O
partner O
Al O
- O
Islah O
winning O
70 O
seats O
. O

The O
fundamentalist O
Al O
- O
Islah O
announced O
Monday B-T
that O
its O
chief O
, O
tribal O
leader O
Sheikh O
Abdallah O
al O
- O
Ahmar O
, O
had O
been O
elected O
, O
while O
unofficial O
sources O
said O
Saleh O
' O
s O
eldest O
son O
Ahmad O
had O
won O
his O
first O
seat O
for O
the O
GPC O
in O
the O
capital O
Sanaa O
. O

Competition O
between O
the O
GPC O
and O
Al O
- O
Islah O
, O
who O
fought O
a O
bitter O
election O
campaign O
, O
was O
especially O
tight O
in O
the O
main O
southern O
city O
of O
Aden O
where O
the O
two O
parties O
will O
win O
seats O
for O
the O
first O
time O
. O

Southern O
Yemen O
was O
formerly O
ruled O
by O
the O
Yemeni O
Socialist O
Party O
( O
YSP O
) O
which O
boycotted O
the O
elections O
, O
complaining O
of O
a O
lack O
of O
national O
reconciliation O
. O

Final O
results O
are O
not O
expected O
to O
be O
announced O
before O
Monday B-T
or I-T
Tuesday I-T
. O

Yemeni O
voters O
were O
not O
deterred O
by O
the O
violence O
and O
turned O
out O
in O
force O
, O
the O
government O
said O
, O
putting O
the O
turnout O
at O
80 O
percent O
. O

The O
Western O
observer O
, O
however O
, O
estimated O
the O
national O
average O
turnout O
at O
about O
65 O
percent O
, O
dropping O
to O
50 O
percent O
in O
some O
areas O
of O
southern O
Yemen O
. O

The O
worst O
violence O
came O
in O
Abyan O
province O
in O
south O
Yemen O
, O
where O
a O
soldier O
sprayed O
a O
polling O
station O
with O
gunfire O
, O
killing O
six O
other O
soldiers O
and O
two O
party O
officials O
. O

In O
Maarib O
in O
eastern O
Yemen O
, O
independent O
candidate O
Saad O
al O
- O
Qardahi O
died O
during O
a O
clash O
, O
police O
said O
without O
giving O
further O
details O
. O

Five O
people O
were O
killed O
in O
Aamran O
and O
Al O
- O
Jawf O
north O
of O
Sanaa O
in O
fights O
between O
GPC O
and O
Al O
- O
Islah O
supporters O
, O
while O
two O
civilians O
died O
in O
an O
ambush O
by O
tribal O
rivals O
in O
Dammar O
, O
around O
100 O
kilometres O
( O
62 O
miles O
) O
south O
of O
the O
capital O
. O

Even O
before O
Sunday B-T
three I-T
people O
had O
been O
killed O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
elections O
in O
impoverished O
Yemen O
, O
where O
60 O
million O
firearms O
circulate O
among O
the O
16 O
million O
strong O
population O
. O

Interior O
Minister O
Hussein O
Arab O
said O
voting O
day O
had O
gone O
better O
than O
expected O
. O

" O
The O
authorities O
were O
expecting O
many O
more O
incidents O
, O
as O
the O
elections O
in O
Yemen O
did O
not O
please O
everyone O
, O
" O
the O
minister O
said O
late B-T
Sunday I-T
. O

It O
was O
Yemen O
' O
s O
first O
legislative O
polls O
since O
the O
civil O
war O
when O
government O
troops O
crushed O
an O
attempt O
spearheaded O
by O
the O
YSP O
to O
re O
- O
establish O
the O
former O
Marxist O
republic O
of O
South O
Yemen O
, O
which O
merged O
with O
the O
north O
in O
1990 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0201 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Experts O
: O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
space O
cooperation O
" O
beneficial O
, O
win O
- O
win O
" O

China O
and O
Russia O
pledged O
to O
deepen O
long O
- O
term O
cooperative O
relations O
in O
the O
space O
sector O
, O
with O
focus O
on O
joint O
development O
of O
large O
projects O
, O
which O
will O
bring O
about O
mutual O
benefits O
and O
win O
- O
win O
results O
, O
said O
the O
space O
experts O
. O

According O
to O
the O
joint O
communique O
issued O
at O
the O
10th O
regular O
meeting O
between O
Chinese O
and O
Russian O
prime O
ministers O
, O
the O
two O
sides O
agreed O
to O
" O
explore O
the O
possibility O
of O
cooperation O
in O
the O
moon O
and O
deep O
space O
exploration O
" O
as O
well O
as O
joint O
development O
of O
large O
space O
projects O
. O

The O
progress O
and O
achievements O
China O
has O
made O
in O
the O
space O
sector O
is O
indispensable O
to O
the O
signing O
of O
the O
long O
- O
term O
space O
cooperation O
program O
between O
China O
and O
Russia O
, O
said O
Wu O
Guoting O
, O
researcher O
with O
the O
China O
Space O
Technology O
Institute O
, O
in O
a O
interview O
with O
Xinhua O
. O

Russia O
proposed O
to O
cooperate O
with O
China O
on O
lunar O
and O
deep O
space O
probe O
projects O
, O
which O
demonstrates O
its O
confidence O
on O
the O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
space O
cooperation O
, O
he O
said O
. O

China O
is O
still O
at O
the O
initial O
stage O
in O
the O
lunar O
and O
outer O
space O
probe O
and O
the O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
cooperation O
in O
the O
sector O
will O
speed O
up O
China O
' O
s O
pace O
in O
space O
exploration O
and O
avoid O
many O
detours O
, O
said O
Pan O
Houren O
, O
a O
researcher O
with O
the O
Space O
Science O
and O
Application O
Research O
Center O
of O
the O
Chinese O
Academy O
of O
Sciences O
. O

Wang O
Yongzhi O
, O
chief O
designer O
of O
China O
' O
s O
manned O
- O
space O
project O
, O
urged O
to O
expand O
space O
cooperation O
scale O
, O
particularly O
in O
the O
joint O
development O
of O
the O
large O
space O
projects O
, O
adding O
it O
will O
benefit O
space O
development O
on O
both O
sides O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0473 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

European O
Commission O
chief O
Jose O
Manuel O
Barroso O
slammed O
new O
EU O
budget O
proposals O
by O
the O
bloc O
' O
s O
British O
presidency O
as O
" O
unacceptable O
" O
and O
unfair O
to O
its O
poorer O
new O
member O
states O
. O

Speaking O
shortly O
after O
the O
new O
plans O
were O
unveiled O
in O
London O
, O
he O
slammed O
them O
as O
a O
" O
minimalist O
" O
proposal O
which O
could O
only O
fund O
a O
" O
mini O
Europe O
" O
rather O
than O
the O
EU O
including O
10 O
new O
mostly O
ex O
- O
communist O
states O
which O
joined O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
As O
it O
is O
the O
UK O
presidency O
proposal O
is O
unacceptable O
. O
It O
is O
simply O
not O
realistic O
. O
This O
proposal O
amounts O
to O
a O
budget O
for O
a O
' O
mini O
Europe O
' O
, O
not O
the O
strong O
Europe O
that O
we O
need O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
It O
has O
not O
yet O
struck O
the O
right O
balance O
between O
the O
member O
states O
. O
In O
particular O
the O
propsals O
needs O
to O
become O
fairer O
for O
new O
member O
states O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
British O
proposals O
are O
aimed O
at O
breaking O
a O
budget O
deadlock O
in O
time O
for O
an O
EU O
summit O
in O
Brussels O
next B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
main O
stumbling O
blocks O
have O
been O
Britain O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
surrender O
its O
long O
- O
cherished O
rebate O
, O
and O
French O
resistance O
to O
calls O
for O
reform O
of O
generous O
farm O
subsidies O
. O

In O
the O
new O
proposals O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
' O
s O
government O
pledged O
to O
forgo O
eight O
billion O
euros O
of O
its O
EU O
rebate O
in O
2007 B-T
- I-T
13 I-T
to O
help O
cover O
the O
cost O
of O
enlargement O
. O
In O
addition O
funds O
for O
the O
new O
EU O
member O
states O
would O
be O
cut O
. O

Barroso O
said O
there O
was O
a O
contradiction O
between O
wanting O
the O
EU O
to O
play O
a O
bigger O
global O
role O
while O
cutting O
its O
funding O
. O

" O
Some O
people O
say O
. O
. O
. O
' O
we O
need O
a O
Europe O
with O
ambition O
in O
terms O
of O
trade O
, O
in O
terms O
of O
dimension O
, O
in O
terms O
of O
competitiveness O
' O
. O
But O
afterwards O
when O
it O
comes O
to O
the O
financial O
means O
there O
is O
no O
ambition O
at O
all O
. O

" O
There O
is O
a O
contradiction O
there O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0254 O

PARIS O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Lebanese O
jet O
- O
setter O
buys O
Tapie O
yacht O
: O
report O

A O
Lebanese O
multi O
- O
millionairess O
has O
anonymously O
purchased O
a O
yacht O
formerly O
owned O
by O
disgraced O
politician O
Bernard O
Tapie O
, O
a O
French O
newspaper O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Mouna O
al O
Ayoub O
, O
ex O
- O
wife O
of O
a O
close O
friend O
of O
Saudi O
Arabia O
' O
s O
King O
Fahd O
, O
has O
bought O
the O
four O
- O
master O
" O
Phocea O
" O
for O
36 O
. O
5 O
million O
francs O
( O
6 O
. O
3 O
million O
francs O
) O
, O
according O
to O
the O
daily O
Le O
Figaro O
. O

The O
administrators O
selling O
off O
the O
bankrupt O
former O
soccer O
boss O
' O
s O
assets O
announced O
a O
few B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
that O
the O
74 O
- O
metre O
( O
250 O
foot O
) O
yacht O
was O
being O
sold O
to O
Tranquil O
Ltd O
, O
a O
company O
based O
in O
the O
British O
Virgin O
Islands O
. O

Le O
Figaro O
said O
the O
company O
was O
a O
front O
for O
the O
Lebanese O
jet O
- O
setter O
, O
who O
it O
said O
had O
homes O
in O
Paris O
and O
Majorca O
, O
and O
lived O
for O
18 B-T
years I-T
with O
her O
husband O
in O
a O
Riyadh O
palace O
. O

Despite O
its O
price O
tag O
, O
the O
" O
Phocea O
" O
is O
in O
one O
sense O
a O
consolation O
prize O
compared O
to O
a O
105 O
- O
metre O
vessel O
, O
the O
" O
Lady O
Mouna O
, O
" O
which O
she O
used O
to O
sail O
in O
, O
but O
which O
belongs O
to O
her O
ex O
- O
husband O
. O

Tapie O
is O
currently O
serving O
an O
eight O
- O
month O
jail O
term O
over O
a O
football O
match O
- O
rigging O
scandal O
. O

Ironically O
, O
on O
Tuesday B-T
he O
was O
allowed O
out O
of O
jail O
under O
day O
- O
release O
terms O
to O
work O
for O
a O
shipbuilding O
firm O
run O
by O
a O
former O
colleague O
- O
- O
which O
previously O
did O
maintenance O
work O
on O
his O
own O
former O
yacht O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0157 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Congress O
elections O
not O
affect O
Pakistan O
- O
U O
. O
S O
. O
relations O
: O
FM O

Pakistani O
Foreign O
Minister O
Khurshid O
Mahmood O
Kasuri O
has O
said O
that O
the O
outcome O
of O
recent O
elections O
in O
the O
United O
States O
would O
not O
affect O
Pakistan O
- O
U O
. O
S O
. O
relations O
. O

In O
an O
interview O
with O
state O
- O
run O
Pakistan O
Television O
( O
PTV O
) O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
foreign O
minister O
said O
Pakistan O
enjoyed O
special O
relations O
with O
the O
United O
States O
whose O
policy O
toward O
Pakistan O
had O
bipartisan O
support O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Congress O
. O

He O
said O
that O
the O
policy O
of O
both O
the O
parties O
, O
the O
Republicans O
and O
Democrats O
, O
was O
based O
on O
the O
9 O
/ O
11 O
Commission O
Report O
, O
which O
stressed O
the O
centrality O
and O
importance O
of O
Pakistan O
for O
regional O
and O
international O
peace O
and O
security O
. O

He O
added O
the O
new O
Speaker O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
Nancy O
Pelosi O
, O
and O
other O
leaders O
of O
Democratic O
Party O
during O
their O
election O
campaign O
had O
stressed O
the O
necessity O
of O
faithful O
implementing O
the O
9 O
/ O
11 O
Commission O
' O
s O
recommendations O
. O

" O
This O
ensured O
continuing O
support O
to O
Pakistan O
, O
" O
said O
Kasuri O
. O

Kasuri O
said O
due O
to O
its O
strategic O
location O
and O
the O
vital O
role O
it O
played O
in O
regional O
peace O
and O
security O
, O
Pakistan O
remained O
an O
important O
country O
not O
just O
for O
the O
United O
States O
but O
also O
for O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
China O
, O
Russia O
, O
Japan O
, O
the O
Islamic O
World O
as O
well O
as O
other O
countries O
of O
the O
world O
. O

He O
added O
that O
Pakistan O
was O
following O
a O
policy O
of O
constant O
engagement O
with O
important O
countries O
. O
It O
was O
, O
therefore O
, O
immaterial O
who O
controlled O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Congress O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Kasuri O
said O
the O
numerous O
Congressional O
delegations O
that O
visited O
Pakistan O
and O
with O
whom O
he O
interacted O
, O
contained O
top O
leaders O
from O
both O
the O
parties O
. O

He O
said O
former O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
Clinton O
, O
the O
best O
known O
leader O
of O
the O
Democratic O
Party O
, O
had O
recently O
invited O
President O
Musharraf O
to O
attend O
Clinton O
Global O
Initiative O
in O
New O
York O
where O
he O
was O
the O
only O
leader O
from O
Asia O
. O

This O
was O
indicative O
of O
importance O
of O
Pakistan O
and O
of O
President O
Musharraf O
in O
the O
eyes O
of O
leaders O
of O
both O
Republican O
and O
Democratic O
parties O
, O
he O
said O
. O

On O
the O
recent O
visit O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Assistance O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Richard O
Boucher O
, O
Kasuri O
categorically O
denied O
the O
reports O
that O
he O
carried O
a O
secret O
message O
to O
Pakistan O
. O

He O
rubbished O
the O
reports O
that O
any O
country O
could O
dictate O
to O
Pakistan O
. O
The O
foreign O
minister O
stressed O
that O
Pakistan O
did O
what O
it O
found O
to O
be O
in O
its O
best O
national O
interest O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0215 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
trade O
higher O

U O
. O
S O
. O
stocks O
traded O
higher O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
after O
U O
. O
S O
. O
leading O
indicators O
of O
economic O
activity O
increased O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
. O

In O
the O
midday O
trading O
, O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
was O
up O
3 O
. O
70 O
, O
to O
12 O
, O
346 O
. O
26 O
. O
The O
Standard O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
gained O
2 O
. O
19 O
to O
1 O
, O
403 O
. O
39 O
, O
and O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
climbed O
7 O
. O
44 O
to O
2 O
, O
453 O
. O
30 O
. O

The O
Conference O
Board O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
leading O
indicators O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economic O
activity O
increased O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, O
suggesting O
slow O
growth O
will O
continue O
through O
the B-T
winter I-T
and I-T
into I-T
the I-T
spring I-T
. O

" O
The O
impact O
of O
a O
slower O
housing O
market O
on O
consumers O
and O
slower O
profit O
growth O
on O
business O
isn O
' O
t O
completely O
offset O
by O
lower O
gas O
prices O
and O
a O
rising O
stock O
market O
, O
" O
said O
Ken O
Goldstein O
, O
labor O
economist O
at O
the O
Conference O
Board O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0324 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

German O
stocks O
end O
lower O

German O
stocks O
ended O
lower O
Wednesday B-T
in O
the O
Frankfurt O
Stock O
Exchange O
for O
the O
first O
day O
in O
six O
. O

The O
30 O
- O
share O
benchmark O
DAX O
Index O
fell O
0 O
. O
57 O
percent O
to O
5 O
, O
081 O
. O
46 O
points O
with O
19 O
stocks O
falling O
. O

The O
fall O
was O
led O
by O
Europe O
' O
s O
third O
- O
largest O
utility O
RWE O
AG O
after O
reporting O
poor O
earnings O
. O
RWE O
fell O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
56 O
. O
55 O
euros O
. O

The O
index O
of O
medium O
- O
sized O
firms O
, O
MDAX O
, O
slipped O
0 O
. O
31 O
percent O
to O
6 O
, O
976 O
. O
49 O
points O
. O

The O
index O
of O
high O
- O
tech O
stocks O
, O
TecDAX O
, O
was O
down O
0 O
. O
86 O
percent O
to O
574 O
. O
82 O
points O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0721 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
tightens O
oversight O
of O
state O
pension O
funds O

China O
' O
s O
national O
social O
security O
fund O
will O
oversee O
nine O
provincial O
governments O
' O
pension O
programs O
in O
a O
move O
aimed O
at O
centralising O
control O
of O
retirement O
plans O
and O
stopping O
corruption O
, O
state O
press O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
China O
Daily O
said O
the O
new O
arrangement O
follows O
supplements O
worth O
10 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
3 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
doled O
out O
from O
central O
government O
coffers O
to O
supplement O
the O
provinces O
' O
own O
pension O
holdings O
. O

The O
National O
Council O
for O
the O
Social O
Securities O
Fund O
, O
which O
will O
oversee O
the O
program O
, O
has O
promised O
a O
minimum O
of O
3 O
. O
5 O
percent O
annual O
investment O
return O
and O
said O
it O
would O
also O
shoulder O
any O
losses O
in O
the O
five O
- O
year O
arrangement O
. O

The O
management O
overhaul O
is O
a O
response O
to O
the O
far O
- O
reaching O
graft O
scandal O
that O
involved O
city O
officials O
in O
the O
misuse O
of O
Shanghai O
' O
s O
1 O
. O
25 O
billion O
dollar O
pension O
fund O
, O
with O
money O
there O
being O
spent O
on O
speculative O
property O
and O
highway O
projects O
. O

The O
financial O
scandal O
, O
which O
first O
emerged O
in O
July B-T
, O
ensnared O
scores O
of O
senior O
Shanghai O
officials O
and O
felled O
the O
city O
' O
s O
top O
politician O
, O
Chen O
Liangyu O
. O

It O
is O
believed O
the O
new O
system O
will O
help O
ensure O
transparency O
in O
the O
management O
and O
supervision O
of O
social O
security O
funds O
. O

" O
The O
move O
is O
aimed O
at O
ensuring O
the O
pension O
fund O
( O
is O
) O
invested O
and O
managed O
more O
efficiently O
and O
safely O
, O
" O
the O
report O
quoted O
Xiang O
Huaicheng O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
council O
and O
a O
former O
finance O
minister O
as O
saying O
. O

China O
' O
s O
National O
Audit O
Office O
said O
in O
a O
report O
in O
November B-T
that O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
a O
total O
of O
7 O
. O
1 O
billion O
yuan O
of O
pension O
funds O
had O
gone O
missing O
. O

The O
National O
Council O
for O
Social O
Securities O
Fund O
currently B-T
manages O
roughly O
220 O
billion O
yuan O
of O
China O
' O
s O
pensions O
. O

The O
country O
also O
has O
about O
100 O
billion O
yuan O
in O
local O
pension O
funds O
, O
mostly O
corporate O
annuities O
, O
that O
have O
been O
contributed O
to O
by O
companies O
as O
employee O
retirement O
benefits O
apart O
from O
basic O
social O
security O
. O

Provincial O
and O
municipal O
governments O
currently O
decide O
how O
those O
pensions O
are O
invested O
and O
usually O
do O
not O
employ O
professional O
asset O
managers O
or O
custodians O
. O

As O
a O
result O
, O
a O
substantial O
portion O
of O
the O
money O
is O
held O
in O
investments O
such O
as O
real O
estate O
projects O
and O
long O
- O
term O
loans O
without O
public O
accountability O
and O
subject O
to O
low O
liquidity O
and O
high O
risk O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051120 O
. O
0037 O

DHAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

by O
Pan O
Xiaozhu O

Entire O
capital O
city O
Dhaka O
and O
its O
surrounding O
areas O
have O
been O
brought O
under O
" O
terror O
alert O
" O
following O
an O
intelligence O
report O
about O
possible O
militant O
bomb O
attacks O
ahead O
of O
opposition O
' O
s O
planned O
grand O
rally O
in O
the O
city O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
intelligence O
report O
, O
the O
banned O
Islamist O
outfit O
the O
Jamaatul O
Mujahideen O
Bangladesh O
( O
JMB O
) O
blamed O
for O
country O
- O
wide O
bomb O
blasts O
on O
Aug B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
which O
left O
three O
people O
killed O
and O
over O
150 O
others O
injured O
, O
has O
again O
planned O
for O
a O
series O
of O
bomb O
attacks O
in O
the O
capital O
city O
. O

Different O
groups O
of O
the O
said O
militant O
outfit O
are O
trying O
to O
dispatch O
a O
huge O
quantity O
of O
high O
explosive O
to O
Dhaka O
through O
land O
or O
riverine O
routes O
. O

The O
JMB O
is O
also O
trying O
to O
gather O
its O
some O
highly O
trained O
cadres O
along O
with O
the O
members O
of O
" O
suicide O
squad O
" O
to O
accomplish O
their O
mission O
. O

The O
JMB O
might O
go O
for O
blasting O
high O
- O
powered O
explosives O
in O
Dhaka O
to O
eliminate O
opposition O
and O
ruling O
party O
leaders O
, O
high O
officials O
including O
judges O
and O
also O
general O
people O
. O

In O
this O
regard O
, O
being O
directed O
by O
the O
high O
- O
ups O
of O
the O
government O
, O
a O
security O
blanket O
has O
been O
rolled O
down O
the O
capital O
city O
since O
Saturday B-T
evening I-T
where O
surveillance O
was O
also O
increased O
at O
all O
the O
entrance O
and O
exit O
points O
by O
setting O
up O
additional O
check O
posts O
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
the O
security O
forces O
including O
the O
para O
- O
military O
the O
Bangladesh O
Rifles O
( O
BDR O
) O
and O
Rapid O
Action O
Battalion O
( O
RAB O
) O
have O
been O
put O
on O
high O
alert O
across O
the O
country O
to O
prevent O
any O
possible O
terrorist O
activity O
by O
the O
suicide O
bombers O
of O
JMB O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
14 O
opposition O
political O
parties O
headed O
by O
Awami O
League O
has O
planned O
a O
huge O
anti O
- O
government O
showdown O
at O
a O
grand O
rally O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
in O
the O
capital O
where O
opposition O
leader O
Sheikh O
Hasina O
will O
announce O
a O
comprehensive O
road O
map O
to O
realize O
their O
demands O
for O
bringing O
reforms O
to O
caretaker O
administration O
and O
the O
Election O
Commission O
to O
hold O
influence O
- O
free O
and O
neutral O
polls O
under O
a O
non O
- O
partism O
caretaker O
government O
. O

Political O
sources O
said O
the O
Awami O
League O
- O
led O
14 O
parties O
are O
likely O
to O
issue O
a O
one O
- O
month O
ultimatum O
for O
the O
government O
from O
the O
grand O
rally O
to O
concede O
to O
their O
demands O
. O

The O
opposition O
planed O
to O
gather O
2 O
. O
5 O
million O
people O
on O
the O
day O
in O
the O
capital O
. O
Leaders O
of O
the O
opposition O
threatened O
that O
agitation O
would O
spread O
out O
across O
the O
country O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
if O
the O
government O
obstructed O
people O
from O
joining O
the O
grand O
gathering O
. O

The O
government O
has O
decided O
to O
take O
all O
the O
necessary O
security O
arrangements O
with O
the O
deployment O
of O
15 O
, O
000 O
security O
personnel O
including O
RAB O
, O
BDR O
, O
police O
and O
armed O
police O
to O
ensure O
smooth O
holding O
of O
the O
planned O
grand O
rally O
of O
the O
opposition O
. O

Against O
the O
backdrop O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
August O
- O
21 O
grenade O
attack O
on O
Awami O
League O
' O
s O
rally O
in O
the O
capital O
in O
which O
22 O
leaders O
and O
activists O
of O
the O
party O
were O
killed O
and O
hundreds O
others O
injured O
, O
the O
law O
enforcers O
will O
make O
a O
fool O
- O
proof O
security O
over O
the O
city O
to O
avoid O
any O
untoward O
incident O
. O

In O
face O
of O
the O
escalating O
of O
terrorist O
bomb O
attacks O
, O
the O
government O
is O
going O
to O
start O
a O
joint O
operation O
to O
be O
called O
" O
Clean O
Militant O
Operation O
" O
across O
the O
country O
with O
the O
members O
of O
the O
army O
, O
BDR O
, O
RAB O
, O
police O
and O
Ansar O
( O
militia O
) O
to O
wage O
a O
campaign O
against O
the O
members O
of O
different O
banned O
Islamist O
militant O
organizations O
, O
especially O
JMB O
, O
with O
a O
view O
to O
wiping O
them O
out O
, O
according O
to O
The O
Independent O
Sunday O
. O

The O
Special O
Branch O
of O
police O
and O
Criminal O
Investigation O
Department O
of O
police O
will O
take O
special O
measures O
to O
ensure O
security O
for O
VIPs O
like O
the O
ministers O
, O
state O
ministers O
, O
deputy O
ministers O
and O
secretaries O
of O
different O
ministries O
and O
departments O
. O

The O
operation O
will O
start O
from O
this B-T
week I-T
as O
part O
of O
a O
short O
- O
term O
plan O
of O
the O
government O
and O
will O
continue O
for O
one B-T
month I-T
. O

The O
government O
will O
decide O
on O
how O
to O
implement O
the O
mid O
- O
term O
and O
long O
- O
term O
plans O
to O
net O
the O
members O
of O
the O
militant O
groups O
, O
who O
are O
scattered O
across O
the O
country O
. O

Around O
400 O
JMB O
cadres O
have O
been O
arrested O
from O
different O
parts O
of O
the O
country O
since O
August O
- O
17 O
country O
- O
wide O
bomb O
blasts O
. O
The O
law O
enforcers O
, O
however O
, O
have O
failed O
to O
arrest O
the O
masterminds O
of O
the O
bombing O
. O

Praful O
C O
Patel O
, O
vice O
president O
of O
World O
Bank O
, O
the O
main O
development O
partner O
of O
Bangladesh O
, O
recently O
advised O
the O
government O
of O
Bangladesh O
to O
nab O
the O
bomb O
attackers O
at O
any O
cost O
. O
If O
the O
government O
fails O
to O
arrest O
them O
, O
the O
WB O
reportedly O
will O
not O
come O
up O
with O
necessary O
assistance O
for O
the O
development O
projects O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0447 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
open O
higher O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
28 O

Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
went O
up O
207 O
. O
17 O
points O
, O
or O
1 O
. O
08 O
percent O
, O
to O
open O
at O
18 O
, O
996 O
. O
84 O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0278 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Africa O
' O
s O
Mbeki O
congratulates O
Liberian O
new O
woman O
president O

South O
African O
President O
Thabo O
Mbeki O
has O
personally O
telephoned O
Ellen O
Johnson O
Sirleaf O
to O
congratulate O
on O
her O
election O
as O
the O
first O
woman O
president O
of O
Liberia O
as O
well O
as O
of O
Africa O
. O

Mbeki O
said O
the O
election O
process O
in O
Liberia O
, O
in O
spite O
of O
a O
hard O
- O
fought O
and O
even O
bitter O
contest O
, O
had O
shown O
the O
world O
that O
democracy O
and O
free O
elections O
were O
becoming O
the O
norm O
on O
the O
continent O
, O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
issued O
by O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Ministry O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

He O
appealed O
to O
all O
concerned O
to O
accept O
the O
confirmed O
outcome O
of O
the O
election O
, O
to O
concentrate O
on O
national O
unity O
and O
development O
, O
and O
to O
pursue O
any O
remaining O
disputes O
through O
the O
available O
machinery O
set O
up O
for O
the O
purpose O
. O

Mbeki O
also O
expressed O
the O
hope O
that O
Liberia O
would O
achieve O
stability O
after O
a O
bitter O
and O
debilitating O
civil O
war O
, O
the O
ministry O
said O
. O

" O
The O
government O
and O
people O
of O
South O
Africa O
join O
Liberians O
and O
the O
international O
community O
in O
celebrating O
your O
election O
as O
the O
first O
democratically O
elected O
woman O
head O
of O
state O
in O
Africa O
, O
" O
he O
told O
Johnson O
Sirleaf O
. O

" O
Your O
election O
is O
indeed O
a O
victory O
not O
only O
for O
Liberian O
women O
in O
particular O
, O
but O
also O
represents O
a O
beacon O
of O
hope O
for O
women O
in O
Africa O
and O
the O
world O
in O
general O
. O
It O
most O
eloquently O
makes O
the O
unequivocal O
statement O
that O
, O
indeed O
, O
a O
new O
dawn O
has O
arrived O
for O
African O
women O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Liberia O
, O
a O
country O
with O
a O
unique O
and O
compelling O
history O
, O
could O
be O
assured O
of O
the O
continued O
support O
of O
the O
government O
and O
people O
of O
South O
Africa O
in O
its O
government O
- O
led O
efforts O
to O
pursue O
a O
sustainable O
reconstruction O
and O
development O
program O
and O
to O
play O
a O
positive O
role O
in O
the O
New O
Partnership O
for O
Africa O
' O
s O
Development O
, O
not O
only O
in O
its O
own O
region O
but O
in O
Africa O
generally O
, O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0461 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Hudson O
ends O
Sunderland O
' O
s O
undefeated O
run O

Mark O
Hudson O
scored O
the O
only O
goal O
as O
hosts O
Crystal O
Palace O
ended O
Sunderland O
' O
s O
seven O
- O
match O
unbeaten O
run O
with O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
victory O
in O
the O
Championship O
at O
Selhurst O
Park O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Defeat O
left O
the O
Black O
Cats O
in O
11th O
place O
but O
only O
three O
points O
off O
the O
play O
- O
off O
places O
as O
they O
seek O
a O
return O
to O
the O
Premiership O
at O
the O
first O
attempt O
following O
last O
season O
' O
s O
relegation O
from O
English O
football O
' O
s O
top O
- O
flight O
. O

Sunderland O
, O
managed O
by O
former O
Manchester O
United O
and O
Republic O
of O
Ireland O
captain O
Roy O
Keane O
, O
had O
plenty O
of O
possession O
but O
failed O
to O
take O
their O
chances O
and O
Hudson O
' O
s O
half O
- O
volley O
strike O
four O
minutes O
before O
half O
- O
time O
saw O
Palace O
take O
all O
three O
points O
. O

Victory O
saw O
the O
Londoners O
climb O
further O
away O
from O
danger O
, O
the O
Eagles O
now B-T
nine O
points O
clear O
of O
the O
relegation O
zone O
ahead O
of O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
matches O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0318 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Philippine O
, O
US O
carriers O
near O
decision O
on O
international O
accounting O
rate O

The O
Philippines O
and O
the O
United O
States O
are O
near O
a O
decision O
on O
changing O
the O
accounting O
rate O
for O
long O
- O
distance O
telephone O
calls O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
it O
was O
announced O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Art O
Samson O
, O
senior O
vice O
- O
president O
of O
Philippine O
Long O
Distance O
and O
Telephone O
Co O
. O
( O
PLDT O
) O
, O
said O
PLDT O
and O
the O
US O
firm O
, O
American O
Telephone O
and O
Telegraph O
( O
AT O
et O
T O
) O
, O
may O
reach O
a O
decision O
this B-T
month I-T
on O
lowering O
the O
accounting O
rate O
over O
five B-T
years I-T
. O

Samson O
said O
the O
negotiations O
would O
likely O
result O
in O
an O
agreement O
to O
lower O
the O
US O
- O
Philippine O
telephone O
rates O
from O
the O
present O
one O
dollar O
a O
minute O
to O
about O
38 O
cents O
. O

Samson O
said O
they O
may O
agree O
to O
a O
10 O
to O
15 O
percent O
reduction O
every B-T
year I-T
until O
the O
38 O
- O
cent O
rate O
is O
reached O
. O

The O
US O
Federal O
Communications O
Commission O
( O
FCC O
) O
and O
the O
Philippine O
National O
Telecommunications O
Commission O
( O
NTC O
) O
set O
the O
parameters O
for O
the O
PLDT O
- O
AT O
et O
T O
talks O
which O
will O
be O
a O
benchmark O
for O
all O
other O
US O
and O
Philippine O
carriers O
. O

The O
FCC O
has O
been O
pressing O
other O
countries O
to O
lower O
the O
accounting O
rate O
of O
long O
- O
distance O
calls O
between O
them O
and O
the O
United O
States O
in O
order O
to O
bring O
down O
the O
cost O
borne O
by O
US O
consumers O
. O

However O
the O
NTC O
has O
said O
this O
will O
threaten O
the O
viability O
of O
Philippine O
telephone O
companies O
since O
they O
rely O
on O
international O
calls O
for O
most O
of O
their O
profits O
. O

The O
NTC O
has O
said O
several O
new O
telephone O
companies O
that O
have O
sprung O
up O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
following O
the O
deregulation O
of O
the O
industry O
would O
be O
particularly O
hit O
since O
they O
had O
expected O
their O
international O
operations O
to O
subsidize O
local O
expansion O
. O

As O
part O
of O
an O
effort O
to O
make O
Philippine O
carriers O
less O
dependent O
on O
international O
services O
, O
the O
NTC O
is O
considering O
proposals O
to O
raise O
long O
- O
distance O
domestic O
rates O
. O

The O
NTC O
is O
also O
considering O
a O
system O
of O
metering O
all O
telephone O
calls O
, O
instead O
of O
the O
flat O
rate O
that O
most O
Filipinos O
are O
charged O
. O

Samson O
said O
PLDT O
relies O
on O
international O
calls O
for O
56 O
percent O
of O
its O
income O
but O
that O
this O
will O
eventually O
go O
down O
to O
33 O
percent O
when O
the O
rates O
are O
changed O
. O

PLDT O
president O
Antonio O
Cojuangco O
said O
in O
a O
speech O
at O
the O
PLDT O
annual O
stockholders O
meeting O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
company O
had O
already O
prepared O
for O
the O
rate O
change O
. O

Cojuangco O
said O
PLDT O
, O
which O
has O
1 O
. O
52 O
million O
telephone O
lines O
, O
would O
add O
another O
1 O
. O
7 O
million O
lines O
and O
change O
to O
a O
purely O
digital O
system O
by O
2000 B-T
. O

PLDT O
posted O
a O
net O
income O
of O
6 O
. O
44 O
billion O
pesos O
( O
247 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
up O
8 O
. O
8 O
percent O
from O
its O
1995 O
figure O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0025 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0025 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Philip O
Morris O
Cos O
. O
: O

@ O
Defense O
Measure O
Is O
Adopted O

@ O
By O
Foods O
, O
Tobacco O
Concern O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

MO O

TOBACCO O
PRODUCTS O
( O
TOB O
) O

FOOD O
PRODUCTS O
( O
FOD O
) O

Philip O
Morris O
Cos O
. O
, O
New O
York O
, O
adopted O
a O
defense O
measure O
designed O
to O
make O
a O
hostile O
takeover O
prohibitively O
expensive O
. O

The O
giant O
foods O
, O
tobacco O
and O
brewing O
company O
said O
it O
will O
issue O
common O
- O
share O
purchase O
rights O
to O
shareholders O
of O
record O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
. O

Under O
certain O
circumstances O
, O
the O
rights O
would O
entitle O
Philip O
Morris O
holders O
to O
buy O
shares O
of O
either O
the O
company O
or O
its O
acquirer O
for O
half O
price O
. O

The O
board O
is O
n O
' O
t O
aware O
of O
any O
attempts O
to O
take O
over O
Philip O
Morris O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

As O
of O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, O
Philip O
Morris O
had O
926 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

In O
composite O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
Philip O
Morris O
shares O
closed O
yesterday B-T
at O
$ O
43 O
. O
50 O
each O
, O
down O
$ O
1 O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0342 O

BOGOTA O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Hostage O
release O
under O
way O
in O
Colombian O
prison O
seige O

The O
11 O
hostages O
who O
have O
been O
held O
by O
rioting O
inmates O
in O
a O
prison O
in O
Valledupar O
, O
Colombia O
, O
since O
April B-T
3 I-T
were O
released O
Sunday B-T
under O
a O
deal O
negotiated O
with O
the O
prisoners O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0280 O

NICOSIA O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

UN O
Security O
Council O
to O
meet O
on O
Cyprus O

UN O
Security O
Council O
permanent O
members O
are O
to O
hold O
a O
special O
session O
Tuesday B-T
on O
efforts O
to O
relaunch O
direct O
peace O
talks O
on O
this O
divided O
island O
, O
a O
UN O
official O
announced O
Thursday B-T
. O

Gustave O
Feissel O
, O
the O
UN O
representative O
in O
Nicosia O
, O
said O
that O
" O
senior O
persons O
" O
from O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Britain O
, O
France O
and O
Russia O
would O
take O
part O
in O
the O
meeting O
. O

Diplomats O
said O
David O
Cavanaugh O
, O
who O
is O
in O
charge O
of O
Southeast O
Europe O
at O
the O
US O
State O
Department O
, O
Britain O
' O
s O
special O
envoy O
Sir O
David O
Hannay O
and O
senior O
French O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
Claude O
Martin O
would O
be O
among O
those O
taking O
part O
. O

" O
It O
will O
provide O
a O
good O
opportunity O
to O
review O
the O
situation O
. O
. O
. O
and O
coordinate O
their O
own O
approach O
to O
the O
effort O
and O
support O
" O
the O
Security O
Council O
, O
he O
told O
reporters O
after O
a O
meeting O
with O
President O
Glafcos O
Clerides O
. O

Feissel O
told O
reporters O
that O
the O
permanent O
members O
- O
- O
Britain O
, O
China O
, O
France O
, O
Russia O
and O
the O
United O
States O
- O
- O
would O
be O
briefed O
" O
about O
what O
we O
have O
been O
doing O
and O
where O
things O
are O
. O
" O

Clerides O
, O
who O
heads O
the O
Greek O
- O
Cypriot O
community O
, O
and O
Turkish O
- O
Cypriot O
leader O
Rauf O
Denktash O
have O
been O
" O
willing O
and O
able O
to O
be O
available O
whenever O
I O
thought O
we O
ought O
to O
get O
together O
, O
so O
I O
think O
their O
attitude O
has O
been O
good O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
aims O
to O
bring O
together O
the O
two O
leaders O
, O
who O
have O
not O
met O
since O
October B-T
1994 I-T
, O
by O
mid O
- O
1997 O
. O

Feissel O
welcomed O
the O
Greek O
- O
Cypriot O
side O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
suspend O
overflights O
by O
Greek O
warplanes O
during O
war O
games O
early O
next B-T
month I-T
as O
a O
goodwill O
gesture O
during O
his O
shuttle O
mediation O
between O
Clerides O
and O
Denktash O
. O

" O
I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
a O
good O
step O
, O
it O
shows O
that O
there O
is O
an O
effort O
being O
made O
to O
create O
the O
best O
possible O
climate O
to O
facilitate O
what O
we O
are O
in O
the O
process O
of O
doing O
, O
" O
the O
official O
said O
. O

UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
last B-T
week I-T
appointed O
Diego O
Cordovez O
, O
an O
Ecuadoran O
diplomat O
who O
helped O
negotiate O
the O
Soviet O
withdrawal O
from O
Afghanistan O
, O
as O
his O
special O
adviser O
on O
Cyprus O
. O

The O
island O
has O
been O
divided O
since O
1974 B-T
when O
Turkish O
mainland O
troops O
invaded O
and O
occupied O
the O
northern O
third O
of O
Cyprus O
in O
response O
to O
a O
coup O
in O
Nicosia O
aimed O
at O
uniting O
the O
country O
with O
Greece O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970420 O
. O
0013 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Armed O
Chinese O
police O
take O
control O
of O
southern O
town O
: O
reports O

More O
than O
2 O
, O
000 O
Chinese O
armed O
police O
and O
soldiers O
have O
taken O
over O
a O
town O
in O
southern O
China O
after O
a O
revolt O
there O
against O
plans O
to O
switch O
it O
to O
another O
municipality O
, O
reports O
here O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
armed O
police O
surrounded O
the O
town O
of O
Wuyin O
, O
in O
southern O
Guangdong O
province O
, O
Saturday B-T
after O
townsfolk O
injured O
and O
threw O
out O
members O
of O
an O
official O
working O
group O
sent O
in O
to O
solve O
the O
long O
- O
running O
row O
over O
the O
boundary O
change O
. O

The O
villagers O
, O
mainly O
ethnic O
Chiu O
Chow O
, O
are O
angered O
by O
the O
plan O
to O
switch O
jurisdiction O
of O
Wuying O
to O
Kaxi O
municipality O
, O
mainly O
peopled O
by O
another O
Chinese O
minority O
group O
, O
the O
Hakka O
, O
according O
to O
a O
report O
in O
the O
China O
- O
backed O
Wen O
wei O
Po O
published O
here O
. O

Around O
10 O
, O
000 O
people O
in O
Wuyin O
turned O
out O
for O
a O
protest O
recently B-T
, O
calling O
on O
the O
authorities O
to O
allow O
them O
to O
remain O
within O
the O
boundaries O
of O
Luhe O
municipality O
. O

The O
argument O
has O
been O
raging O
since O
1960 B-T
when O
the O
authorities O
first O
mooted O
the O
idea O
of O
change O
the O
jurisdiction O
of O
Wuyin O
which O
has O
rich O
natural O
resources O
. O

A O
similar O
confrontation O
happened O
in O
1991 B-T
, O
but O
no O
- O
one O
was O
injured O
. O

The O
Kaxi O
area O
is O
poorer O
and O
the O
Hakka O
people O
are O
considered O
China O
' O
s O
gypsies O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Oriental O
Daily O
News O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
86 O
percent O
of O
people O
in O
Wuyin O
oppose O
the O
proposed O
boundary O
change O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0238 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

German O
chancellor O
rejects O
sending O
troops O
to O
Afghan O
hotspots O

German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
on O
Monday B-T
ruled O
out O
sending O
German O
troops O
to O
the O
more O
volatile O
regions O
in O
southern O
Afghanistan O
despite O
growing O
international O
pressure O
. O

" O
Germany O
has O
a O
strong O
presence O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O
We O
have O
taken O
responsibility O
for O
the O
North O
, O
" O
Merkel O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
after O
meeting O
New O
Zealand O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Helen O
Clark O
in O
Berlin O
. O

" O
We O
have O
a O
mandate O
that O
allows O
us O
in O
emergencies O
to O
help O
in O
the O
south O
but O
we O
believe O
this O
mandate O
should O
not O
be O
altered O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

About O
2 O
, O
800 O
German O
soldiers O
were O
stationed O
in O
the O
relatively O
stable O
northern O
part O
of O
Afghanistan O
, O
though O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Britain O
have O
been O
urging O
Berlin O
to O
send O
soldiers O
to O
the O
more O
dangerous O
southern O
part O
. O

NATO O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Jaap O
de O
Hoop O
Scheffer O
said O
in O
a O
recent O
commentary O
in O
the O
Berliner O
Zeitung O
newspaper O
that O
individual O
NATO O
members O
should O
allow O
commanders O
to O
deploy O
the O
troops O
anywhere O
in O
the O
country O
. O

" O
We O
need O
to O
better O
configure O
our O
forces O
in O
Afghanistan O
, O
" O
Scheffer O
wrote O
. O
" O
That O
also O
means O
removing O
the O
limitations O
individual O
nations O
have O
placed O
on O
their O
troops O
. O
" O

About O
31 O
, O
000 O
NATO O
troops O
from O
37 O
countries O
are O
serving O
in O
the O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
( O
ISAF O
) O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

Germany O
currently B-T
has O
around O
9 O
, O
000 O
troops O
deployed O
around O
the O
world O
on O
peacekeeping O
missions O
, O
including O
Afghanistan O
, O
the O
Middle O
East O
and O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
( O
DRC O
) O
in O
Africa O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0148 O

MANAGUA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Preliminary O
results O
show O
leftist O
leader O
leads O
Nicaragua O
vote O

Leftist O
Sandinista O
leader O
Daniel O
Ortega O
, O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Cold O
War O
foe O
, O
is O
heading O
for O
victory O
in O
Nicaragua O
' O
s O
presidential O
elections O
, O
with O
a O
partial O
count O
on O
Monday B-T
giving O
him O
a O
lead O
strong O
enough O
to O
return O
to O
power O
. O

With O
around O
15 O
percent O
of O
polling O
stations O
counted O
, O
Ortega O
had O
40 O
percent O
of O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
votes O
, O
which O
would O
secure O
him O
a O
first O
- O
round O
win O
. O

Trailing O
behind O
was O
Eduardo O
Montealegre O
, O
of O
the O
Nicaraguan O
Liberal O
Alliance O
, O
who O
got O
about O
33 O
percent O
of O
votes O
counted O
. O

Ortega O
needs O
at O
least O
35 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
and O
an O
advantage O
of O
5 O
percentage O
points O
over O
his O
closest O
rival O
to O
avoid O
a O
runoff O
in O
December B-T
. O

The O
race O
, O
16 B-T
years I-T
after O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
backed O
rebellion O
helped O
force O
him O
from O
office O
, O
was O
Ortega O
' O
s O
fifth O
consecutive O
presidential O
campaign O
. O

Ortega O
' O
s O
victory O
, O
if O
confirmed O
by O
final O
results O
, O
would O
give O
Venezuelan O
President O
Hugo O
Chavez O
a O
strong O
ally O
in O
the O
region O
. O

Montealegre O
, O
who O
was O
Washington O
' O
s O
favored O
candidate O
, O
refused O
to O
concede O
defeat O
and O
insisted O
he O
would O
force O
a O
runoff O
vote O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

" O
In O
a O
democracy O
, O
that O
is O
unacceptable O
. O
. O
. O
We O
are O
going O
to O
a O
second O
round O
, O
" O
he O
told O
supporters O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0514 O

CAMP O
PENDLETON O
, O
California O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

civilians O

Two O
US O
Marines O
are O
to O
face O
murder O
charges O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
killing O
of O
24 O
Iraqi O
civilians O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Haditha O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
defense O
lawyers O
and O
relatives O
of O
the O
men O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

Sergeant O
Frank O
Wuterich O
is O
to O
face O
13 O
counts O
of O
murder O
, O
his O
lawyer O
said O
, O
while O
Lance O
Corporal O
Justin O
Sharratt O
has O
been O
told O
he O
will O
face O
three O
murder O
charges O
, O
his O
father O
told O
reporters O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0148 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Malaysia O
to O
strengthen O
bilateral O
relations O
with O
Zimbabwe O
: O
envoy O

Malaysia O
is O
committed O
to O
strengthening O
bilateral O
relations O
with O
Zimbabwe O
, O
especially O
in O
the O
area O
of O
agriculture O
, O
outgoing O
Malaysian O
ambassador O
to O
Zimbabwe O
Shaharuddin O
Som O
said O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

He O
said O
this O
while O
addressing O
journalists O
after O
paying O
a O
courtesy O
call O
on O
Vice O
President O
Joseph O
Msika O
to O
bid O
him O
farewell O
at O
the O
end O
of O
his O
four O
- O
year O
tour O
of O
duty O
. O

" O
Zimbabwe O
is O
one O
of O
the O
countries O
that O
we O
are O
seeking O
to O
enhance O
cooperation O
with O
. O
We O
are O
looking O
at O
various O
areas O
of O
cooperation O
, O
especially O
agriculture O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

During O
the O
meeting O
, O
Som O
, O
who O
is O
expected O
to O
leave O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
month I-T
, O
also O
assured O
the O
vice O
president O
of O
Malaysia O
' O
s O
support O
for O
the O
country O
, O
especially O
in O
addressing O
colonial O
imbalances O
. O

Malaysia O
and O
Zimbabwe O
enjoy O
strong O
economic O
relations O
that O
encompass O
areas O
such O
as O
agriculture O
, O
transport O
and O
communications O
and O
information O
technology O
. O

Zimbabwe O
has O
benefited O
immensely O
from O
the O
experiences O
of O
Malaysia O
in O
developing O
small O
and O
medium O
scale O
enterprises O
. O

The O
Zimbabwean O
government O
has O
adopted O
a O
deliberate O
policy O
to O
move O
away O
from O
traditional O
markets O
in O
the O
West O
and O
establish O
new O
ones O
in O
the O
East O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
soured O
relations O
with O
the O
former O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
land O
reform O
program O
, O
which O
the O
country O
embarked O
on O
in O
2000 B-T
to O
rectify O
imbalances O
emanating O
from O
the O
colonial O
era O
. O

Former O
Malaysian O
prime O
minister O
Mahathir O
Mohammed O
was O
in O
the O
country O
last B-T
week I-T
on O
a O
three O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
, O
which O
saw O
him O
meeting O
President O
Robert O
Mugabe O
and O
delivering O
a O
lecture O
on O
civil O
service O
reforms O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970406 O
. O
0247 O

MOSCOW O
, O
April B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Chechen O
president O
to O
complete O
hajj O

Aslan O
Maskhadov O
, O
the O
president O
of O
the O
breakaway O
Russian O
republic O
of O
Chechnya O
, O
is O
planning O
a O
pilgrimage O
to O
Mecca O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
Russian O
television O
reported O
Sunday B-T
. O

Maskhadov O
' O
s O
hajj O
, O
which O
will O
also O
take O
him O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
' O
s O
second O
holy O
city O
Medina O
, O
will O
be O
his O
first O
foreign O
trip O
since O
he O
was O
elected O
president O
in O
January B-T
. O

Interfax O
news O
agency O
said O
Maskhadov O
wanted O
to O
meet O
Arab O
leaders O
during O
his O
trip O
and O
" O
draw O
their O
attention O
to O
the O
difficult O
situation O
Chechnya O
is O
in O
. O
" O

The O
president O
also O
planned O
to O
warn O
Arab O
states O
not O
to O
give O
money O
to O
every O
Chechen O
envoy O
who O
asks O
for O
it O
. O
" O
This O
money O
is O
then O
used O
to O
finance O
different O
armed O
gangs O
whose O
aim O
is O
to O
undermine O
the O
Chechen O
state O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Maskhadov O
did O
not O
specify O
who O
he O
meant O
. O

The O
president O
, O
who O
plans O
to O
also O
drum O
up O
financial O
aid O
for O
his O
republic O
, O
ruined O
by O
21 B-T
months I-T
of O
war O
against O
Moscow O
forces O
, O
did O
not O
say O
when O
he O
would O
leave O
, O
but O
Interfax O
said O
April B-T
11 I-T
was O
a O
probable O
date O
. O

The O
Chechen O
and O
Moscow O
authorities O
have O
agreed O
to O
reach O
an O
understanding O
on O
the O
status O
of O
Chechnya O
by O
2001 B-T
. O
While O
Chechens O
already O
consider O
that O
they O
have O
de O
facto O
independence O
, O
Moscow O
still O
views O
Chechnya O
as O
a O
part O
of O
Russia O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0119 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vietnam O
' O
s O
stock O
market O
index O
ends O
higher O

Vietnam O
' O
s O
stock O
market O
index O
, O
VN O
- O
Index O
rose O
16 O
. O
47 O
points O
, O
or O
2 O
. O
67 O
percent O
, O
to O
633 O
. O
05 O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
with O
241 O
. O
052 O
billion O
Vietnamese O
dong O
( O
VND O
) O
( O
15 O
. O
16 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
worth O
of O
shares O
and O
investment O
certificates O
being O
traded O
. O

A O
total O
of O
2 O
, O
669 O
, O
710 O
shares O
worth O
221 O
. O
183 O
billion O
VND O
( O
13 O
. O
91 O
million O
dollars O
) O
, O
and O
667 O
, O
780 O
investment O
fund O
certificates O
totaling O
19 O
. O
868 O
billion O
VND O
( O
1 O
. O
25 O
million O
dollars O
) O
changed O
hands O
at O
the O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
Securities O
Trading O
Center O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O
Meanwhile O
, O
no O
bonds O
were O
traded O
. O

Vietnam O
currently B-T
has O
57 O
kinds O
of O
listed O
shares O
, O
372 O
kinds O
of O
listed O
bonds O
, O
mostly O
government O
bonds O
, O
and O
one O
listed O
investment O
fund O
totaling O
over O
67 O
, O
324 O
billion O
VND O
( O
over O
4 O
. O
23 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0178 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Woman O
suicide O
bomber O
confesses O
to O
bomb O
attack O

The O
woman O
suicide O
bomber O
in O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
Amman O
hotel O
bombing O
attacks O
confessed O
that O
she O
was O
told O
to O
carry O
out O
the O
suicide O
attack O
, O
the O
official O
Jordanian O
TV O
channel O
reported O
Sunday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0341 O

ULAN O
BATOR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mongolian O
president O
vows O
to O
boost O
bilateral O
ties O
with O
China O

Mongolian O
President O
Nambaryn O
Enkhbayar O
, O
who O
will O
start O
a O
week O
- O
long O
visit O
to O
China O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
said O
here O
that O
his O
country O
is O
willing O
to O
promote O
bilateral O
relations O
with O
China O
. O

" O
Mongolia O
' O
s O
major O
foreign O
policy O
is O
to O
boost O
bilateral O
relations O
with O
China O
and O
Russia O
. O
Mongolia O
attaches O
importance O
to O
ties O
with O
China O
, O
" O
Enkhbayar O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
Xinhua O
before O
his O
trip O
to O
China O
. O

" O
The O
political O
relationship O
between O
Mongolia O
and O
China O
has O
developed O
healthily O
, O
" O
he O
noted O
. O

He O
also O
said O
the O
bilateral O
economic O
and O
trade O
cooperation O
had O
seen O
rapid O
development O
and O
that O
his O
government O
is O
implementing O
big O
projects O
funded O
by O
Chinese O
loans O
. O

Enkhbayar O
said O
that O
during O
his O
visit O
, O
the O
two O
sides O
would O
discuss O
how O
to O
expand O
cooperation O
in O
economy O
, O
trade O
and O
other O
fields O
. O

He O
expressed O
his O
hope O
that O
China O
will O
participate O
and O
invest O
in O
Mongolia O
' O
s O
infrastructure O
construction O
, O
such O
as O
railway O
, O
road O
and O
power O
facilities O
. O

According O
to O
Enkhbayar O
, O
a O
delegation O
of O
Mongolian O
entrepreneurs O
will O
accompany O
him O
to O
China O
and O
will O
hold O
talks O
with O
their O
Chinese O
counterparts O
in O
the O
hope O
of O
attracting O
more O
Chinese O
investment O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0042 O

OSAKA O
, O
Japan O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Brazil O
sweep O
Germany O
3 O
- O
0 O
in O
women O
' O
s O
volleyball O
championship O

Brazil O
rocked O
Germany O
in O
three O
straight O
sets O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
in O
2006 O
women O
' O
s O
volleyball O
World O
Championship O
. O

It O
took O
Brazil O
70 O
minutes O
to O
gain O
their O
eighth O
victory O
in O
the O
tournament O
with O
25 O
- O
16 O
, O
25 B-T
- I-T
22 I-T
and O
25 B-T
- I-T
15 I-T
. O

Sheila O
Castro O
scored O
11 O
points O
for O
Brazil O
while O
Welissa O
Gonzaga O
had O
13 O
and O
Fabiana O
Claudino O
10 O
. O

Captain O
Angelina O
Grun O
scored O
nine O
points O
to O
lead O
the O
Germany O
team O
, O
Birgit O
Thumm O
and O
Corina O
Ssuschke O
each O
contributed O
five O
points O
. O

Brazil O
will O
face O
Russia O
on O
Sunday B-T
to O
decide O
the O
top O
team O
of O
the O
group O
. O
Both O
teams O
, O
who O
kept O
an O
unbeaten O
record O
in O
the O
tournament O
until O
now B-T
, O
had O
gained O
the O
berth O
for O
the O
semifinal O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0270 O

TAIYUAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Six O
coal O
mine O
blast O
victims O
discharged O
from O
hospital O
in O
N O
. O
China O

Six O
victims O
in O
a O
colliery O
gas O
blast O
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
coal O
- O
rich O
province O
of O
Shanxi O
left O
hospital O
on O
Tuesday B-T
after O
treatment O
. O

The O
other O
two O
survivors O
are O
still O
in O
hospital O
because O
of O
serious O
injuries O
, O
said O
Xinli O
hospital O
in O
the O
city O
of O
Linfen O
. O

Investigators O
said O
a O
power O
failure O
earlier O
on O
Sunday B-T
afternoon I-T
and O
an O
ensuing O
gas O
explosion O
after O
the O
electricity O
restored O
10 O
minutes O
later O
caused O
the O
accident O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
so O
scared O
. O
I O
' O
ll O
never O
do O
this O
job O
any O
more O
. O
" O
said O
Li O
Hongjun O
, O
a O
hospitalized O
miner O
. O

The O
electricity O
often O
breaks O
down O
in O
the O
colliery O
. O
Nobody O
asked O
the O
miners O
to O
get O
out O
of O
the O
well O
when O
the O
power O
was O
cut O
off O
, O
said O
Li O
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
at O
around O
6 O
: O
40 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
at O
Luweitan O
Colliery O
in O
Yaodu O
district O
in O
Linfen O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O
Twenty O
- O
four O
people O
were O
dead O
and O
eight O
injured O
. O

Luweitan O
colliery O
is O
designed O
to O
produce O
150 O
, O
000 O
tons O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
but O
its O
production O
permit O
and O
safety O
license O
have O
both O
expired O
. O

Police O
have O
detained O
the O
mine O
owner O
but O
its O
general O
manager O
is O
on O
the O
run O
. O

Three O
days O
of O
colliery O
disasters O
in O
four O
provinces O
have O
left O
85 O
Chinese O
workers O
dead O
since O
Saturday B-T
. O

Chinese O
coal O
mines O
suffer O
frequent O
explosions O
, O
flooding O
and O
cave O
- O
ins O
, O
claiming O
about O
6 O
, O
000 O
lives O
a B-T
year I-T
. O

Unsafe O
small O
coal O
mines O
account O
for O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
total O
fatalities O
in O
mine O
accidents O
, O
government O
figures O
show O
. O

APW19980227 O
. O
0494 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
08 I-T
: I-T
17 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2399 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Russia O
- O
Ukraine O
1stLd O
- O
Writethru O
02 O
- O
27 O
0647 O

BC O
- O
Russia O
- O
Ukraine O
, O
1st O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O

Russia O
, O
Ukraine O
sign O
plan O
, O
Yeltsin O
claims O
progress O
in O
major O

disputes O
QL O

UR O
Eds O
: O
UPDATES O
throughout O
with O
joint O
statement O
of O
two O
presidents O
, O

UPGRADES O
attribution O
, O
CORRECTS O
in O
graf O
14 O
that O
An O
- O
70 O
is O
cargo O

plane O
. O
QL O

UR O
By O
ANNA O
DOLGOV O
QC O

UR O
Associated O
Press O
Writer O
QC O

MOSCOW O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Presidents O
Leonid O
Kuchma O
of O
Ukraine O
and O
Boris O

Yeltsin O
of O
Russia O
signed O
an O
economic O
cooperation O
plan O
Friday B-T
, O
and O

Yeltsin O
claimed O
they O
resolved O
even O
more O
nagging O
problems O
. O

Russia O
and O
Ukraine O
share O
similar O
cultures O
and O
languages O
, O
and O

Ukraine O
was O
ruled O
from O
Moscow O
for O
centuries B-T
. O
But O
while O
the O
two O

Slavic O
neighbors O
see O
themselves O
as O
natural O
partners O
, O
their O

relations O
since O
the O
breakup O
of O
the O
Soviet O
Union O
have O
been O
bedeviled O

by O
a O
number O
of O
disputes O
_ O
Black O
Sea O
naval O
bases O
, O
border O
problems O

and O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
natural O
gas O
debts O
. O

` O
` O
We O
have O
covered O
the O
entire O
list O
of O
questions O
and O
discussed O
how O

we O
will O
be O
tackling O
them O
, O
' O
' O
Yeltsin O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O

ITAR O
- O
Tass O
news O
agency O
. O
` O
` O
I O
must O
say O
there O
are O
no O
unsettled O
problems O

any O
more O
. O
We O
have O
solved O
them O
all O
. O
' O
' O

But O
his O
sweeping O
statement O
contained O
no O
details O
, O
and O
gave O
no O

indication O
of O
how O
the O
disputes O
could O
be O
resolved O
. O
Their O
solution O

would O
require O
a O
compromise O
between O
the O
two O
nations O
' O
parliaments O
. O

A O
major O
dispute O
concerns O
a O
broad O
political O
treaty O
calling O
for O

border O
demarcation O
, O
which O
the O
two O
presidents O
signed O
last B-T
May I-T
. O

In O
effect O
, O
the O
treaty O
amounts O
to O
Russian O
recognition O
of O

Ukraine O
' O
s O
sovereignty O
and O
borders O
, O
and O
the O
Ukrainian O
parliament O
has O
already O
ratified O
it O
. O
However O
, O
Russia O
has O
stalled O
ratification O
, O

trying O
to O
tie O
it O
to O
an O
agreement O
that O
would O
permit O
the O
Russian O
navy O

to O
use O
a O
naval O
base O
on O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
Crimean O
peninsula O
for O
at B-T
least I-T
20 I-T

more B-T
years I-T
. O

In O
their O
joint O
statement O
issued O
after O
the O
talks O
, O
Yeltsin O
and O

Kuchma O
called O
for O
the O
fastest O
possible O
ratification O
of O
the O
treaty O
, O

saying O
it O
would O
create O
a O
` O
` O
strong O
legal O
foundation O
' O
' O
for O
bilateral O

ties O
and O
help O
stability O
in O
Europe O
. O

Kuchma O
assured O
Yeltsin O
that O
Ukraine O
would O
not O
join O
NATO O
, O

Yeltsin O
' O
s O
spokesman O
Sergei O
Yastrzhembsky O
said O
, O
according O
to O
the O

Interfax O
news O
agency O
. O
The O
Russian O
leadership O
has O
staunchly O
opposed O

the O
western O
alliance O
' O
s O
expansion O
into O
Eastern O
Europe O
. O

In O
their O
joint O
statement O
, O
released O
by O
the O
Kremlin O
, O
the O
two O

leaders O
also O
pledged O
to O
consult O
each O
other O
regularly O
on O
their O

approaches O
to O
relations O
with O
NATO O
and O
, O
in O
particular O
, O
their O
action O

within O
the O
framework O
of O
NATO O
' O
s O
Partnership O
for O
Peace O
program O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
Russian O
officials O
assailed O
Ukraine O
for O
holding O
joint O

naval O
exercises O
with O
NATO O
in O
the O
Black O
Sea O
_ O
an O
area O
Moscow O

considers O
its O
own O
turf O
. O

Kuchma O
has O
said O
repeatedly O
that O
Ukraine O
would O
remain O
neutral O
for O

the O
foreseeable O
future O
. O

Yeltsin O
and O
Kuchma O
also O
called O
for O
developing O
the O
stagnant O

relations O
between O
the O
members O
of O
the O
Commonwealth O
of O
Independent O

States O
, O
a O
loose O
coalition O
of O
former O
Soviet O
republics O
. O
In O
the B-T
past I-T
, O

Russia O
has O
often O
claimed O
that O
Ukraine O
was O
undermining O
efforts O
at O

closer O
cooperation O
within O
the O
CIS O
. O

A O
major O
goal O
of O
Kuchma O
' O
s O
four B-T
- I-T
day I-T
state O
visit O
was O
the O
signing O
of O

a O
10 O
- O
year O
economic O
program O
aimed O
at O
doubling O
the O
two O
nations O
' O
trade O

turnover O
, O
which O
fell O
to O
dlrs O
14 O
billion O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
down O
dlrs O
2 O
. O
5 O

billion O
from O
1996 B-T
. O

The O
two O
presidents O
on O
Friday B-T
signed O
the O
plan O
, O
which O
calls O
for O

cooperation O
in O
the O
metallurgy O
, O
fuel O
, O
energy O
, O
aircraft O
building O
, O

missile O
, O
space O
and O
chemical O
industries O
. O
A O
major O
project O
is O
joint O

manufacturing O
of O
An O
- O
70 O
cargo O
planes O
, O
the O
Kremlin O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
program O
also O
calls O
for O
coordination O
of O
economic O
reforms O
and O

joint O
improvement O
of O
social O
programs O
in O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
where O

many O
people O
have O
become O
impoverished O
during O
the O
chaotic O
post O
- O
Soviet O

transition O
to O
capitalism O
. O

Kuchma O
also O
planned O
to O
visit O
Russian O
gas O
giant O
Gazprom O
, O
most O

likely O
to O
discuss O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
dlrs O
1 O
. O
2 O
billion O
debt O
to O
the O
company O
. O

( O
pvs O
/ O
vi O
/ O
ji O
) O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Russia O
- O
Ukraine O
, O
1st O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
AFRI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
INDI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ASIA O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
02 O
- O
27 O
- O
98 O
0817EST O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0223 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Palestinian O
leadership O
urges O
early O
elections O

The O
executive O
committee O
of O
the O
Palestine O
Liberation O
Organization O
recommended O
Saturday B-T
that O
Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
call O
early O
parliamentary O
and O
presidential O
elections O
to O
resolve O
a O
spiraling O
political O
crisis O
, O
committee O
members O
said O
. O

" O
The O
exectuive O
committee O
, O
chaired O
by O
Abbas O
, O
decided O
to O
call O
on O
Abbas O
to O
hold O
early O
parliamentary O
and O
presidential O
elections O
, O
" O
executive O
committee O
member O
Saleh O
Rafaat O
told O
AFP O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0024 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

first O
photography O
auction O

The O
iconic O
photograph O
of O
China O
' O
s O
most O
prestigious O
charity O
program O
- O
Project O
Hope O
- O
was O
the O
most O
expensive O
picture O
sold O
at O
China O
' O
s O
first O
photography O
auction O
held O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
1991 O
photograph O
, O
popularly O
known O
as O
Big O
Eyes O
, O
captures O
the O
innocent O
eyes O
of O
a O
girl O
and O
is O
credited O
with O
persuading O
millions O
of O
Chinese O
to O
donate O
to O
Project O
Hope O
which O
helps O
school O
drop O
- O
outs O
in O
rural O
areas O
to O
return O
to O
class O
. O

Bidding O
on O
the O
51 O
cm O
by O
34 O
. O
8 O
cm O
photograph O
by O
Xie O
Hailong O
opened O
at O
240 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
30 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O
It O
finally O
sold O
for O
308 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
38 O
, O
500 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
the O
highest O
price O
paid O
at O
the O
Beijing O
auction O
, O
where O
more O
than O
130 O
photographs O
were O
sold O
. O

Xie O
said O
he O
would O
donate O
the O
proceeds O
to O
help O
pay O
for O
the O
construction O
of O
a O
Project O
Hope O
primary O
school O
in O
Tibet O
. O

Many O
of O
the O
other O
photographs O
sold O
for O
10 O
times O
more O
than O
their O
reserve O
prices O
. O

" O
Photographs O
worth O
collecting O
should O
be O
of O
special O
significance O
and O
be O
a O
record O
of O
history O
, O
" O
said O
Xu O
Jianing O
, O
an O
official O
with O
the O
auction O
house O
- O
- O
Huachen O
Auctions O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0326 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Iran O
on O
Monday B-T
warned O
Israel O
of O
" O
heavy O
consequences O
" O
if O
its O
nuclear O
installations O
were O
attacked O
by O
the O
Jewish O
state O
, O
after O
a O
former O
Israeli O
premier O
suggested O
Israel O
should O
take O
an O
aggressive O
stance O
toward O
Iran O
. O

" O
The O
Islamic O
republic O
is O
a O
tough O
target O
and O
there O
would O
be O
heavy O
consequences O
, O
" O
said O
Ali O
Larijani O
, O
secretary O
of O
Iran O
' O
s O
Supreme O
National O
Security O
Council O
. O

He O
was O
speaking O
after O
former O
Israeli O
prime O
minister O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
said O
Israel O
needed O
to O
" O
act O
in O
the O
spirit O
" O
of O
the O
late O
premier O
Menachem O
Begin O
, O
who O
ordered O
an O
air O
strike O
on O
Iraq O
' O
s O
Osirak O
nuclear O
reactor O
in O
1981 B-T
. O

" O
I O
view O
the O
development O
of O
the O
Iranian O
nuclear O
( O
programme O
) O
as O
a O
paramount O
threat O
and O
as O
a O
real O
danger O
to O
the O
future O
of O
the O
state O
of O
Israel O
, O
" O
Netanyahu O
told O
the O
Yediot O
Aharonot O
newspaper O
. O

" O
Israel O
needs O
to O
do O
everything O
to O
prevent O
Iran O
from O
developing O
a O
nuclear O
threat O
against O
it O
, O
" O
said O
Netanyahu O
. O

But O
Larijani O
said O
Iran O
, O
which O
maintains O
its O
nuclear O
programme O
is O
peaceful O
, O
was O
not O
afraid O
of O
an O
attack O
. O

" O
Comparing O
Iran O
and O
Iraq O
is O
an O
error O
, O
because O
Iran O
is O
not O
an O
easy O
target O
. O
You O
should O
not O
pay O
attention O
to O
such O
rude O
comments O
by O
Israeli O
officials O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
. O

Iran O
' O
s O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Hamid O
Reza O
Asefi O
also O
said O
Iran O
' O
s O
response O
to O
such O
an O
attack O
would O
be O
" O
devastating O
and O
unbearable O
" O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
, O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
arch O
rival O
, O
said O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
Israel O
would O
never O
allow O
its O
arch O
- O
enemy O
Iran O
to O
come O
into O
possession O
of O
nuclear O
weapons O
. O

Iranian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
caused O
an O
international O
backlash O
in O
October B-T
when O
he O
called O
for O
the O
Jewish O
state O
to O
be O
" O
wiped O
off O
the O
map O
" O
. O

The O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
( O
IAEA O
) O
in O
September B-T
found O
Iran O
in O
non O
- O
compliance O
with O
the O
nuclear O
Non O
- O
Proliferation O
Treaty O
, O
paving O
the O
way O
for O
the O
matter O
to O
be O
referred O
to O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
if O
Iran O
does O
not O
halt O
nuclear O
fuel O
work O
and O
cooperate O
fully O
with O
an O
IAEA O
investigation O
. O

Iran O
has O
insisted O
that O
its O
nuclear O
programme O
is O
merely O
designed O
to O
meet O
domestic O
energy O
needs O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0081 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

percent O
for O
2006 O

The O
Bank O
of O
France O
on O
Wednesday B-T
estimated O
that O
fourth O
quarter O
gross O
domestic O
product O
will O
grow O
by O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
from O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
unchanged O
from O
its O
previous O
estimate O
a B-T
month I-T
ago I-T
. O

It O
foresees O
GDP O
for O
the B-T
full I-T
year I-T
rising O
by O
2 O
. O
0 O
percent O
, O
also O
unchanged O
from O
its O
previous O
estimate O
. O
This O
would O
be O
at O
the O
low O
end O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
forecast O
range O
of O
2 O
. O
0 O
- O
2 O
. O
5 O
percent O
. O

In O
its O
monthly O
report O
, O
the O
central O
bank O
also O
said O
its O
business O
climate O
indicator O
stood O
at O
106 O
in O
November B-T
, O
unchanged O
from O
October B-T
. O

The O
national O
statistics O
institute O
INSEE O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
French O
economy O
should O
expand O
by O
2 O
. O
1 O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
thanks O
to O
a O
rebound O
in O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
, O
and O
appeared O
likely O
to O
resist O
a O
slowdown O
in O
global O
momentum O
expected O
in O
early B-T
2007 I-T
. O

INSEE O
economist O
Eric O
Dubois O
said O
the O
stagnation O
in O
the O
French O
economy O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
was O
a O
surprise O
and O
should O
be O
corrected O
by O
growth O
of O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
final I-T
three I-T
months I-T
of O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
powered O
by O
a O
pickup O
in O
the O
manufacturing O
industry O
. O

INSEE O
in O
early O
October B-T
predicted O
French O
growth O
in O
2006 O
of O
2 O
. O
3 O
percent O
. O

In O
its O
twice O
- O
yearly O
forecast O
late B-T
last I-T
month I-T
the O
Organisation O
for O
Economic O
Cooperation O
and O
Development O
foresaw O
growth O
in O
France O
this B-T
year I-T
of I-T
2 I-T
. I-T
1 I-T
percent I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0070 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Voting O
underway O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
, O
turnout O
rates O
mixed O

Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
presidential O
election O
Thursday B-T
was O
marked O
by O
low O
polling O
in O
the O
Tamil O
minority O
north O
and O
eastern O
areas O
while O
high O
and O
brisk O
voting O
was O
recorded O
in O
the O
Sinhala O
majority O
dominated O
south O
, O
election O
officials O
and O
polls O
monitors O
said O
. O

After O
five B-T
hours I-T
of O
voting O
, O
only O
516 O
people O
had O
voted O
in O
the O
northern O
capital O
of O
Jaffna O
. O
The O
city O
was O
observing O
a O
protest O
shutdown O
with O
less O
people O
seen O
on O
the O
streets O
. O

There O
was O
no O
polling O
in O
the O
Tamil O
Tiger O
held O
areas O
with O
not O
a O
single O
voter O
turning O
out O
to O
vote O
in O
the O
polling O
stations O
, O
polls O
monitors O
said O
. O

The O
Liberation O
Tigers O
of O
Tamil O
Eelam O
( O
LTTE O
) O
urged O
the O
Tamil O
minority O
to O
stay O
away O
from O
the O
poll O
, O
claiming O
that O
they O
had O
no O
faith O
in O
both O
leading O
candidates O
, O
the O
incumbent O
Prime O
Minister O
Mahinda O
Rajapakse O
and O
the O
opposition O
leader O
Ranil O
Wickremesinghe O
. O

In O
the O
eastern O
province O
, O
the O
polling O
has O
been O
good O
in O
the O
Muslim O
dominated O
pockets O
while O
the O
Tamil O
community O
was O
showing O
less O
enthusiasm O
, O
officials O
added O
. O

Two O
more O
explosions O
rocked O
the O
polling O
stations O
in O
the O
eastern O
Batticaloa O
town O
following O
two O
explosions O
on O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
, O
police O
said O
. O
At O
least O
two O
policemen O
were O
injured O
in O
the O
attacks O
. O

In O
the O
Muslim O
dominated O
town O
of O
Kalmunai O
, O
the O
opposition O
parties O
complained O
of O
intimidation O
of O
voters O
. O

In O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
country O
, O
in O
areas O
dominated O
by O
the O
Sinhala O
majority O
, O
over O
50 O
percent O
polling O
had O
taken O
place O
on O
average O
by O
noon O
. O

Over O
13 O
. O
3 O
million O
Sri O
Lankans O
were O
eligible O
to O
vote O
in O
the O
election O
to O
appoint O
a O
President O
for O
a O
six O
- O
year O
term O
. O

And O
10 O
, O
486 O
polling O
stations O
are O
open O
throughout O
the O
island O
from O
07 O
: O
00 O
to O
16 O
: O
00 O
local O
time O
( O
0100 O
to O
1000 O
GMT O
) O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0142 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

security O

Chechen O
voters O
started O
casting O
their O
ballots O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
to O
elect O
a O
parliament O
as O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
police O
and O
security O
forces O
fanned O
out O
to O
ensure O
a O
smooth O
ballot O
in O
the O
war O
- O
ravaged O
region O
. O

A O
total O
of O
600 O
, O
000 O
voters O
have O
been O
registered O
in O
Chechnya O
for O
the O
polls O
, O
which O
will O
elect O
58 O
deputies O
to O
the O
bicameral O
parliament O
- O
- O
the O
18 O
- O
seat O
Republican O
Council O
( O
upper O
house O
) O
and O
the O
40 O
- O
seat O
People O
' O
s O
Assembly O
( O
lower O
house O
) O
. O
The O
election O
has O
drawn O
342 O
candidates O
from O
eight O
parties O
. O

Polling O
stations O
opened O
at O
8 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0500 O
GMT O
) O
amid O
heightened O
security O
in O
the O
volatile O
region O
, O
where O
separatist O
rebels O
have O
frequently O
targeted O
security O
forces O
as O
well O
as O
civilians O
in O
bombing O
attacks O
for O
much O
of O
the O
past B-T
decade I-T
, O
Russian O
news O
agencies O
reported O
. O

The O
Interior O
Ministry O
has O
deployed O
24 O
, O
000 O
police O
and O
troops O
to O
provide O
security O
on O
the O
election O
day O
, O
the O
Itar O
- O
Tass O
news O
agency O
said O
. O

A O
regional O
Interior O
Ministry O
official O
told O
Itar O
- O
Tass O
that O
no O
breach O
of O
order O
or O
incidents O
had O
occurred O
by O
1 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
1000 O
GMT O
) O
. O

" O
Metal O
detectors O
have O
been O
set O
up O
at O
the O
entrance O
to O
each O
polling O
station O
to O
prevent O
weapons O
and O
explosives O
from O
being O
carried O
into O
the O
building O
, O
" O
a O
ministry O
official O
told O
Itar O
- O
Tass O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
the O
election O
. O

Chechen O
President O
Alu O
Alkhanov O
pronounced O
the O
poll O
valid O
about O
four O
hours O
into O
voting O
, O
citing O
reports O
of O
voter O
turnout O
reaching O
the O
threshold O
for O
validity O
. O

" O
Based O
on O
reports O
we O
have O
received O
from O
the O
heads O
of O
districts O
and O
territorial O
election O
commissions O
, O
I O
can O
officially O
announce O
that O
the O
Chechen O
parliamentary O
elections O
are O
valid O
, O
" O
Alkhanov O
told O
Interfax O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Voter O
turnout O
had O
exceeded O
25 O
percent O
by O
2 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
1100 O
GMT O
) O
and O
the O
voting O
was O
proceeding O
quietly O
, O
said O
Alkhanov O
. O

The O
polls O
will O
close O
at O
3 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
1500 O
GMT O
) O
and O
preliminary O
results O
are O
expected O
no O
earlier O
than O
Monday B-T
. O

President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
has O
called O
the O
parliamentary O
election O
a O
" O
milestone O
" O
that O
will O
boost O
stability O
in O
the O
republic O
and O
the O
whole O
North O
Caucasus O
region O
. O

About O
20 O
observers O
from O
international O
groups O
including O
the O
Council O
of O
Europe O
and O
the O
Commonwealth O
of O
Independent O
States O
visited O
polling O
stations O
to O
monitor O
the O
vote O
. O

Alkhanov O
met O
with O
international O
observers O
Sunday B-T
, O
saying O
the O
election O
will O
" O
confirm O
Chechnya O
' O
s O
path O
of O
construction O
, O
peace O
and O
cooperation O
with O
those O
who O
share O
these O
guidelines O
. O
" O

" O
Democratic O
processes O
in O
the O
republic O
will O
become O
more O
dynamic O
, O
as O
we O
will O
have O
the O
power O
body O
crowning O
the O
republican O
statehood O
, O
" O
Alkhanov O
said O
. O

Chechnya O
' O
s O
First O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Ramzan O
Kadyrov O
wanted O
the O
parliament O
to O
focus O
on O
ending O
war O
in O
the O
republic O
. O

" O
We O
have O
a O
goal O
of O
termination O
of O
the O
warfare O
. O
Our O
mission O
will O
be O
complete O
when O
shooting O
ceases O
and O
abductions O
stop O
, O
" O
Kadyrov O
said O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0030 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0030 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Hadson O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Company O
Expects O
to O
Report O

@ O
Deficit O
for O
Third O
Quarter O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

HAD O

Hadson O
Corp O
. O
said O
it O
expects O
to O
report O
a O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
loss O
of O
$ O
17 O
million O
to O
$ O
19 O
million O
because O
of O
special O
reserves O
and O
continued O
low O
natural O
- O
gas O
prices O
. O

The O
Oklahoma O
City O
energy O
and O
defense O
concern O
said O
it O
will O
record O
a O
$ O
7 O
. O
5 O
million O
reserve O
for O
its O
defense O
group O
, O
including O
a O
$ O
4 O
. O
7 O
million O
charge O
related O
to O
problems O
under O
a O
fixed O
- O
price O
development O
contract O
and O
$ O
2 O
. O
8 O
million O
in O
overhead O
costs O
that O
wo O
n O
' O
t O
be O
reimbursed O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Hadson O
said O
it O
will O
write O
off O
about O
$ O
3 O
. O
5 O
million O
in O
costs O
related O
to O
international O
exploration O
leases O
where O
exploration O
efforts O
have O
been O
unsuccessful O
. O

The O
company O
also O
cited O
interest O
costs O
and O
amortization O
of O
goodwill O
as O
factors O
in O
the O
loss O
. O

A B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
, O
net O
income O
was O
$ O
2 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
six O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
on O
revenue O
of O
$ O
169 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0352 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

South O
African O
lifespans O
cut O
short O
by O
AIDS O

South O
Africa O
, O
which O
has O
the O
world O
' O
s O
second O
heaviest O
caseload O
of O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
has O
seen O
average O
life O
expectancy O
fall O
by O
13 B-T
years I-T
since O
1990 B-T
to O
51 O
, O
a O
new O
study O
has O
said O
. O

A O
survey O
by O
the O
Medical O
Research O
Council O
and O
Actuarial O
Society O
of O
South O
Africa O
, O
based O
on O
epidemiological O
and O
demographic O
data O
, O
said O
life O
expectancy O
this B-T
year I-T
was O
" O
estimated O
to O
be O
49 O
years O
for O
males O
and O
53 B-T
years I-T
for O
females O
" O
or O
an O
average O
of O
51 O
. O

" O
By O
2005 O
, O
the O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
pandemic O
has O
already O
taken O
about O
13 B-T
years I-T
off O
life O
expectancy O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

Senior O
MRC O
Researcher O
Debbie O
Bradshaw O
said O
life O
expectancy O
in O
South O
Africa O
was O
on O
average O
64 B-T
years I-T
in O
1990 B-T
and O
had O
now O
dropped O
to O
51 O
. O

A O
mathematical O
AIDS O
model O
was O
used O
to O
determine O
how O
much O
the O
disease O
contributed O
to O
the O
decline O
in O
population O
figures O
. O

South O
Africa O
is O
second O
to O
India O
as O
the O
country O
with O
the O
highest O
number O
of O
HIV O
- O
infected O
people O
in O
the O
world O
. O

Around O
5 O
. O
5 O
million O
people O
in O
a O
population O
of O
47 O
million O
are O
living O
with O
HIV O
or O
AIDS O
. O

The O
government O
has O
come O
under O
fire O
for O
delays O
in O
rolling O
out O
lifesaving O
antiretroviral O
drugs O
. O

According O
to O
government O
figures O
for O
September B-T
, O
213 O
, O
000 O
infected O
people O
now B-T
benefit O
from O
a O
government O
- O
funded O
antiretroviral O
plan O
, O
and O
11 O
, O
000 O
more O
join O
each O
month O
. O

The O
study O
said O
that O
without O
the O
ARV O
programme O
" O
the O
decrease O
in O
life O
expectancy O
would O
be O
nearly B-T
19 I-T
years I-T
by O
2015 B-T
, O
with O
an O
average O
life O
expectancy O
of O
less O
than O
48 O
years O
. O

Based O
on O
a O
scenario O
developed O
by O
researchers O
that O
by O
2015 O
50 O
percent O
of O
those O
needing O
treatment O
will O
be O
receiving O
it O
, O
the O
impact O
of O
AIDS O
deaths O
could O
slow O
down O
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
years I-T
. O

" O
With O
the O
programme O
, O
the O
difference O
is O
expected O
to O
reduce O
below O
16 B-T
years I-T
, O
giving O
a O
life O
expectancy O
of O
50 B-T
years I-T
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0085 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

TV O

Visiting O
exiled O
Hamas O
leader O
Khaled O
Meshaal O
warned O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
Palestinian O
authorities O
could O
collapse O
and O
there O
would O
be O
a O
third O
intifada O
( O
uprising O
) O
if O
the O
international O
community O
couldn O
' O
t O
find O
a O
political O
vision O
to O
a O
Palestinian O
state O
based O
on O
the O
1967 O
borders O
within O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

Meshaal O
, O
who O
arrived O
here O
on O
an O
unannounced O
visit O
on O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
, O
made O
the O
remarks O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
broadcast O
live O
on O
the O
Doha O
- O
based O
al O
- O
Jazeera O
Arabic O
channel O
. O

The O
international O
community O
has O
six B-T
months I-T
to O
work O
out O
a O
real O
political O
solution O
for O
a O
Palestinian O
state O
, O
and O
such O
a O
state O
should O
be O
based O
on O
the O
1967 O
borders O
, O
said O
Meshaal O
, O
now B-T
exiled O
in O
the O
Syrian O
capital O
Damascus O
. O

There O
is O
a O
historic O
opportunity O
for O
such O
a O
political O
solution O
, O
but O
if O
the O
demands O
are O
not O
met O
, O
the O
Palestinians O
will O
seal O
off O
all O
political O
files O
and O
start O
a O
third O
intifada O
, O
he O
warned O
. O

Meshaal O
also O
warned O
that O
there O
would O
be O
more O
Palestinian O
resistance O
groups O
like O
Hamas O
, O
which O
is O
bent O
on O
Israel O
' O
s O
destruction O
, O
without O
such O
political O
vision O
to O
a O
Palestinian O
state O
within O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

The O
first O
intifada O
witnessed O
a O
series O
of O
violent O
incidents O
between O
the O
Palestinians O
and O
Israel O
between O
1987 B-T
and O
1990 B-T
. O

The O
second O
intifada O
, O
or O
called O
the O
al O
- O
Aqsa O
intifada O
, O
is O
the O
wave O
of O
violence O
that O
began O
in O
September B-T
2000 I-T
. O
The O
second O
intifada O
never O
ended O
officially O
, O
but O
the O
relative O
success O
of O
the O
Sharm O
el O
- O
Sheikh O
Summit O
and O
the O
low O
levels O
of O
violence O
during O
2005 B-T
, O
were O
considered O
by O
many O
to O
mark O
its O
effective O
end O
. O

The O
Sharm O
el O
- O
Sheikh O
Summit O
occurred O
in O
February B-T
2005 I-T
when O
four O
leaders O
of O
Egypt O
, O
Jordan O
, O
Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
met O
in O
Egypt O
' O
s O
Red O
Sea O
resort O
in O
order O
to O
declare O
their O
wish O
to O
work O
towards O
the O
end O
of O
the O
four O
- O
year O
intifada O
. O

The O
four O
leaders O
were O
Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
, O
Jordanian O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
, O
then O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
and O
Palestinian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0091 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Japan O
on O
Friday B-T
created O
a O
full O
- O
fledged O
defense O
ministry O
for O
the O
first O
time O
since O
World O
War O
II O
, O
when O
the O
United O
States O
stripped O
the O
defeated O
country O
of O
its O
right O
to O
a O
military O
. O

The O
upper O
house O
voted O
by O
a O
majority O
, O
with O
support O
from O
the O
main O
opposition O
Democratic O
Party O
, O
to O
create O
the O
defense O
agency O
. O
The O
lower O
house O
had O
earlier O
passed O
the O
bill O
, O
meaning O
it O
becomes O
law O
, O
a O
parliamentary O
official O
said O
. O

Post O
- O
war O
Japan O
has O
had O
a O
" O
Defense O
Agency O
" O
with O
lower O
standing O
than O
full O
- O
fledged O
ministries O
as O
the O
1947 O
constitution O
declared O
the O
country O
to O
be O
pacifist O
. O

Despite O
calling O
its O
troops O
the O
" O
Self O
- O
Defense O
Forces O
" O
, O
Japan O
has O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
biggest O
military O
budgets O
at O
4 O
. O
81 O
trillion O
yen O
( O
41 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
a B-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0189 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

German O
new O
car O
registrations O
up O
in O
November O

Automobile O
sales O
in O
Germany O
rose O
sharply O
in O
November B-T
, O
reinforcing O
expectations O
for O
full O
- O
year O
growth O
, O
the O
VDA O
auto O
industry O
federation O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
number O
of O
new O
car O
registrations O
- O
- O
a O
key O
yardstick O
of O
domestic O
demand O
in O
the O
sector O
- O
- O
jumped O
by O
18 O
percent O
to O
326 O
, O
000 O
vehicles O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
VDA O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

And O
that O
put O
the O
industry O
on O
target O
for O
a O
three O
- O
percent O
rise O
in O
sales O
to O
3 O
. O
4 O
million O
vehicles O
for O
the O
whole O
of O
2006 O
, O
the O
VDA O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0007 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

France O
' O
s O
Royal O
wins O
Socialists O
' O
presidential O
candidate O

Segolene O
Royal O
from O
France O
' O
s O
Socialist O
Party O
( O
PS O
) O
won O
a O
resounding O
victory O
in O
the O
party O
' O
s O
primary O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
taking O
her O
closer O
toward O
becoming O
France O
' O
s O
first O
female O
president O
, O
PS O
spokesman O
Stephane O
Le O
Foll O
said O
. O

In O
a O
ballot O
of O
some O
220 O
, O
000 O
Socialist O
Party O
( O
PS O
) O
members O
, O
Royal O
won O
slightly O
over O
60 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
, O
well O
over O
the O
50 O
percent O
of O
votes O
needed O
to O
avoid O
a O
second O
round O
in O
the O
primary O
against O
her O
two O
experienced O
rivals O
, O
Dominique O
Strauss O
- O
Kahn O
and O
Laurent O
Fabius O
. O

There O
will O
be O
only O
one O
round O
of O
voting O
and O
Segolene O
Royal O
will O
be O
the O
presidential O
candidate O
of O
the O
Socialist O
Party O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
said O
Le O
Foll O
. O

According O
to O
preliminary O
results O
, O
Strauss O
- O
Kahn O
collected O
20 O
. O
8 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
and O
Fabius O
18 O
. O
5 O
percent O
. O

The O
figures O
may O
change O
slightly O
when O
the O
results O
of O
overseas O
French O
voters O
are O
added O
, O
but O
no O
big O
change O
is O
expected O
. O

Royal O
, O
who O
voted O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
in O
the O
western O
town O
of O
Melle O
, O
acknowledged O
victory O
shortly O
before O
midnight O
. O

" O
I O
would O
like O
to O
express O
all O
the O
happiness O
I O
am O
feeling O
. O
I O
am O
living O
this O
moment O
of O
happiness O
with O
intensity O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Royal O
, O
who O
represents O
Poitou O
- O
Charentes O
regional O
council O
, O
a O
rural O
district O
in O
western O
France O
, O
and O
who O
is O
largely O
untested O
in O
electoral O
politics O
, O
emerged O
as O
a O
national O
candidate O
last B-T
year I-T
amid O
a O
blizzard O
of O
publicity O
. O

Royal O
, O
mother O
of O
four O
children O
and O
partner O
of O
the O
PS O
leader O
Francois O
Hollande O
, O
would O
lead O
the O
opposition O
Socialist O
Party O
challenge O
at O
April B-T
' O
s O
election O
, O
standing O
a O
strong O
chance O
of O
becoming O
France O
' O
s O
first O
woman O
president O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0390 O

ROME O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Pressure O
mounts O
to O
get O
multi O
- O
national O
force O
into O
Albania O

International O
pressure O
mounted O
Wednesday B-T
to O
deploy O
the O
Italian O
- O
led O
, O
5 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
multi O
- O
national O
force O
to O
Albania O
on O
the O
ground O
" O
quickly O
, O
" O
as O
food O
stocks O
there O
dwindle O
to O
dangerously O
low O
levels O
. O

" O
It O
has O
to O
be O
done O
quickly O
, O
" O
the O
head O
of O
the O
Organization O
of O
Security O
and O
Cooperation O
in O
Europe O
( O
OSCE O
) O
humanitarian O
mission O
to O
Albania O
, O
Franz O
Vranitzky O
, O
said O
after O
talks O
in O
Rome O
with O
Italian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Lamberto O
Dini O
. O

Albanian O
Prime O
Minister O
Bashkim O
Fino O
, O
speaking O
after O
a O
meeting O
with O
his O
Italian O
counterpart O
Romano O
Prodi O
in O
the O
rebel O
- O
held O
southern O
Albanian O
town O
of O
Gjirokaster O
, O
said O
: O
" O
Albania O
is O
ready O
, O
the O
other O
countries O
are O
ready O
, O
we O
must O
not O
waste O
any O
more O
time O
. O
Each O
day O
lost O
damages O
Albania O
. O
" O

However O
Dini O
said O
the O
force O
' O
s O
deployment O
, O
which O
" O
not O
yet O
been O
decided O
, O
will O
be O
decided O
in O
common O
. O
" O

Their O
comments O
came O
before O
a O
meeting O
in O
Rome O
of O
the O
countries O
which O
will O
supply O
the O
force O
' O
s O
troops O
, O
whose O
mission O
is O
to O
protect O
humanitarian O
aid O
channels O
in O
the O
chaos O
- O
torn O
country O
. O

In O
Brussels O
, O
EU O
Humanitarian O
Aid O
Commissioner O
Emma O
Bonino O
added O
to O
the O
calls O
, O
warning O
that O
food O
supplies O
in O
Albania O
had O
reached O
alarming O
levels O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
famine O
yet O
but O
we O
are O
are O
concerned O
that O
stocks O
have O
been O
reduced O
below O
safety O
levels O
, O
" O
she O
told O
the O
European O
Parliament O
' O
s O
foreign O
affairs O
committee O
. O

Bonino O
said O
EU O
food O
and O
medical O
aid O
could O
be O
sent O
to O
Albania O
quickly O
using O
logistical O
structures O
established O
in O
the O
former O
Yugoslavia O
. O
" O
But O
only O
if O
we O
can O
solve O
the O
protection O
problem O
. O
" O

The O
proposed O
international O
force O
' O
s O
role O
would O
be O
strictly O
confined O
to O
protecting O
the O
humanitarian O
convoys O
, O
Bonino O
noted O
. O
" O
There O
is O
no O
mandate O
for O
disarming O
rebels O
or O
anything O
else O
of O
that O
nature O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
The O
United O
Nations O
have O
given O
us O
three B-T
months I-T
, O
" O
Vranitzky O
, O
Austria O
' O
s O
former O
chancellor O
, O
told O
journalists O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
soldiers O
should O
be O
on O
the O
ground O
" O
in O
the O
space O
of O
10 B-T
or I-T
14 I-T
days O
. O
" O

Italy O
is O
expected O
to O
provide O
2 O
, O
000 O
soldiers O
; O
France O
said O
Tuesday B-T
it O
was O
sending O
1 O
, O
000 O
; O
Greece O
has O
promised O
up O
to O
700 O
troops O
; O
Turkey O
, O
500 O
; O
Romania O
, O
400 O
. O
Hungary O
on O
Wednesday B-T
ruled O
out O
sending O
troops O
, O
but O
Slovenia O
, O
Spain O
and O
Portugal O
are O
considering O
doing O
so O
. O

The O
force O
' O
s O
mission O
, O
approved O
by O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
March B-T
28 I-T
, O
involves O
securing O
roads O
, O
junctions O
, O
warehouses O
and O
aid O
depots O
, O
as O
well O
as O
in O
distributing O
the O
aid O
. O

Military O
sources O
in O
Rome O
said O
it O
was O
unlikely O
Italian O
troops O
would O
be O
sent O
into O
southern O
Albania O
, O
where O
rebels O
are O
most O
active O
, O
although O
Dini O
said O
" O
there O
were O
clear O
signals O
Tuesday B-T
that O
Italian O
forces O
would O
be O
well O
- O
received O
. O
" O

Last B-T
Friday I-T
, O
a O
collision O
between O
an O
Italian O
warship O
and O
an O
Albanian O
refugee O
boat O
killed O
four O
people O
and O
left O
83 O
missing O
. O

Albania O
itself O
would O
set O
up O
a O
volunteer O
force O
of O
3 O
, O
000 O
" O
well O
armed O
" O
and O
" O
well O
paid O
" O
soldiers O
to O
support O
the O
European O
soldiers O
, O
Albanian O
Deputy O
Defence O
Minister O
Alfred O
Moisiu O
told O
AFP O
in O
Tirana O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Vranitzky O
also O
told O
journalists O
" O
we O
have O
a O
chance O
to O
avoid O
" O
the O
errors O
committed O
in O
the O
former O
Yugoslavia O
, O
where O
there O
was O
an O
initial O
lack O
of O
international O
coordination O
. O

" O
If O
we O
' O
re O
not O
in O
agreement O
this O
time O
, O
it O
will O
be O
impossible O
to O
convince O
the O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
and O
the O
World O
Bank O
to O
give O
us O
their O
support O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

" O
Albania O
has O
need O
of O
aid O
, O
of O
restoring O
public O
order O
, O
of O
economic O
reconstruction O
and O
in O
restoring O
confidence O
in O
its O
political O
system O
, O
" O
Vranitzky O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0336 O

CANA O
, O
Lebanon O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Top O
Arab O
actor O
pays O
tribute O
to O
Cana O
victims O

Adel O
Imam O
, O
the O
best O
- O
known O
comedy O
actor O
of O
the O
Arab O
world O
, O
paid O
tribute O
Tuesday B-T
to O
the O
105 O
Lebanese O
killed O
by O
Israeli O
shelling O
in O
Cana O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
. O

Dressed O
in O
a O
dark O
suit O
, O
the O
normally O
razor O
- O
sharp O
Egyptian O
comic O
was O
at O
a O
loss O
for O
words O
as O
he O
prayed O
and O
placed O
flowers O
on O
the O
graves O
of O
the O
victims O
in O
Cana O
village O
. O

" O
I O
am O
incapable O
of O
saying O
anything O
standing O
here O
before O
these O
tombs O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
, O
before O
greeting O
victims O
' O
relatives O
who O
turned O
out O
to O
see O
him O
. O

Adel O
Imam O
has O
been O
in O
Lebanon O
since O
April B-T
16 I-T
to O
perform O
his O
latest O
play O
, O
Az O
Zaim O
( O
The O
Leader O
) O
, O
a O
satire O
on O
Arab O
politics O
. O

Lebanon O
marked O
the O
first O
anniversary O
on O
Friday B-T
of O
Israel O
' O
s O
shelling O
of O
a O
UN O
compound O
in O
Cana O
which O
killed O
105 O
civilians O
taking O
shelter O
there O
during O
the O
Jewish O
state O
' O
s O
Grapes O
of O
Wrath O
operation O
against O
Hezbollah O
guerrillas O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0014 O

CANBERRA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Australian O
PM O
condemns O
Jordan O
bomb O
attacks O

Australian O
Prime O
Minister O
John O
Howard O
on O
Thursday B-T
condemned O
the O
bomb O
attacks O
on O
three O
hotels O
in O
Jordan O
in O
which O
at O
least O
57 O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
up O
to O
300 O
wounded O
. O

Howard O
said O
the O
attacks O
showed O
that O
terrorists O
had O
no O
regard O
for O
their O
victims O
, O
in O
this O
case O
mainly O
Muslim O
Jordanians O
. O

" O
We O
have O
to O
again O
remind O
ourselves O
that O
terrorism O
is O
the O
enemy O
of O
all O
civilized O
societies O
, O
" O
he O
told O
Sky O
News O
television O
. O

" O
This O
was O
carried O
out O
in O
an O
Islamic O
country O
, O
the O
target O
, O
albeit O
three O
hotels O
frequented O
by O
westerners O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
indiscriminate O
. O
It O
just O
shows O
that O
nobody O
can O
assume O
that O
they O
' O
re O
immune O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Australian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Alexander O
Downer O
" O
unequivocally O
" O
condemned O
the O
bombings O
, O
which O
he O
described O
as O
" O
appalling O
. O
" O

" O
This O
was O
a O
cowardly O
and O
indiscriminate O
attack O
on O
innocent O
people O
as O
they O
were O
going O
about O
their O
lives O
peacefully O
in O
Amman O
, O
" O
he O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
It O
reminds O
us O
yet O
again O
that O
terrorism O
remains O
a O
serious O
threat O
, O
and O
that O
no O
country O
is O
immune O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
And O
it O
underlines O
the O
importance O
of O
strong O
international O
cooperation O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
terror O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
extend O
my O
deepest O
sympathies O
to O
the O
loved O
ones O
of O
those O
killed O
and O
to O
those O
injured O
in O
this O
despicable O
act O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0147 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

McGinley O
confirmed O
for O
Royal O
Trophy O

Ryder O
Cup O
hero O
Paul O
McGinley O
has O
been O
unveiled O
as O
the O
second O
European O
team O
player O
for O
the O
inaugural O
Royal O
Trophy O
tournament O
against O
Asia O
in O
Bangkok O
, O
Thailand O
in O
January B-T
. O

The O
Irish O
ace O
, O
winner O
of O
the O
European O
Tour O
' O
s O
season O
- O
ending O
Volvo O
Masters O
in O
Valderrama O
, O
Spain O
, O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
has O
given O
a O
massive O
boost O
to O
the O
pioneering O
event O
by O
confirming O
he O
will O
take O
part O
. O
He O
joins O
the O
winner O
of O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
HSBC O
Champions O
in O
Shanghai O
, O
David O
Howell O
, O
as O
confirmed O
players O
for O
the O
European O
team O
. O

" O
I O
know O
from O
my O
Ryder O
Cup O
experiences O
what O
a O
thrill O
it O
is O
to O
represent O
Europe O
at O
team O
golf O
, O
" O
said O
McGinley O
. O
" O
The O
Royal O
Trophy O
is O
a O
new O
and O
very O
exciting O
challenge O
and O
I O
' O
m O
delighted O
to O
be O
involved O
. O
I O
' O
m O
looking O
forward O
to O
going O
head O
to O
head O
with O
the O
best O
golfers O
in O
Asia O
and O
to O
fighting O
for O
Europe O
under O
Seve O
' O
s O
leadership O
. O
" O

European O
captain O
Seve O
Ballesteros O
hailed O
McGinley O
' O
s O
confirmation O
. O
" O
Paul O
is O
one O
of O
the O
very O
best O
players O
in O
Europe O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Spanish O
legend O
. O
" O
He O
has O
been O
in O
great O
form O
this B-T
season I-T
and O
is O
a O
proven O
winner O
in O
team O
golf O
. O
He O
will O
be O
a O
huge O
asset O
to O
our O
European O
team O
. O
" O

McGinley O
will O
always O
be O
remembered O
as O
the O
man O
who O
holed O
the O
winning O
putt O
in O
the O
2002 O
Ryder O
Cup O
against O
the O
United O
States O
at O
the O
Belfry O
in O
England O
. O
His O
10 O
- O
footer O
on O
the O
18th O
green O
secured O
a O
half O
with O
Jim O
Furyk O
and O
with O
it O
the O
famous O
trophy O
for O
Europe O
. O

He O
continued O
his O
Ryder O
Cup O
heroics O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
scoring O
two O
- O
and O
- O
a O
- O
half O
points O
out O
of O
three O
, O
including O
a O
final O
- O
day O
singles O
victory O
over O
Stewart O
Cink O
, O
as O
Europe O
retained O
the O
trophy O
in O
record O
- O
breaking O
fashion O
at O
Oakland O
Hills O
, O
Michigan O
. O

The O
Royal O
Trophy O
, O
to O
be O
held O
on O
January B-T
5 I-T
- I-T
8 I-T
at O
Thailand O
' O
s O
world O
- O
class O
Amata O
Spring O
Country O
Club O
, O
has O
been O
sanctioned O
by O
the O
Asian O
, O
Japan O
and O
European O
Tours O
. O

Each O
team O
will O
comprise O
eight O
players O
, O
led O
by O
a O
non O
- O
playing O
captain O
, O
competing O
in O
a O
series O
of O
16 O
matches O
involving O
foursomes O
, O
four O
- O
ball O
and O
singles O
. O

Six O
players O
on O
each O
team O
will O
be O
chosen O
according O
to O
each O
Tour O
' O
s O
Order O
of O
Merit O
table O
and O
the O
world O
rankings O
, O
with O
the O
two O
remaining O
players O
on O
each O
side O
being O
captain O
' O
s O
picks O
. O

McGinley O
finished O
the B-T
year I-T
as O
the O
second O
- O
highest O
European O
player O
in O
the O
European O
Order O
of O
Merit O
standings O
after O
a O
season O
that O
saw O
him O
claim O
runner O
- O
up O
spot O
in O
both O
the O
BMW O
Championship O
and O
HSBC O
World O
Match O
Play O
Championship O
before O
ending O
the O
2005 O
Tour O
on O
a O
high O
with O
a O
remarkable O
victory O
at O
Valderrama O
. O

Five O
- O
time O
major O
winner O
Ballesteros O
, O
whose O
charisma O
and O
competitiveness O
were O
critical O
in O
turning O
the O
Ryder O
Cup O
into O
the O
most O
compelling O
viewing O
in O
world O
golf O
, O
will O
spearhead O
the O
European O
challenge O
as O
non O
- O
playing O
captain O
. O

Masahiro O
" O
Massy O
" O
Kuramoto O
, O
one O
of O
Asia O
' O
s O
most O
decorated O
golfers O
with O
30 O
Japan O
Tour O
titles O
to O
his O
name O
, O
will O
captain O
the O
Asian O
team O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0041 O

ALGIERS O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Paper O
reports O
new O
massacre O
of O
42 O
people O
in O
Algeria O

A O
total O
42 O
people O
were O
slain O
in O
a O
village O
in O
the O
Medea O
region O
south O
of O
the O
capital O
overnight O
Tuesday B-T
to O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
daily O
El O
Watan O
newspaper O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0716 O

WELLINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Australia O
make O
322 O
- O
5 O
batting O
first O
against O
New O
Zealand O

Australia O
made O
322 O
- O
5 O
in O
their O
50 O
overs O
after O
Andrew O
Symonds O
scored O
a O
magnificent O
156 O
against O
New O
Zealand O
in O
the O
second O
match O
of O
the O
Chappell O
- O
Hadlee O
one O
- O
day O
cricket O
series O
at O
Westpac O
Stadium O
here O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Symonds O
teamed O
up O
with O
Michael O
Clarke O
( O
82 O
not O
out O
) O
to O
put O
on O
220 O
runs O
for O
the O
fifth O
wicket O
. O

For O
New O
Zealand O
, O
Kyle O
Mills O
took O
2 O
- O
60 O
with O
all O
the O
bowlers O
suffering O
from O
Symonds O
' O
onslaught O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0332 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Japan O
' O
s O
Nakamura O
wins O
women O
' O
s O
200m O
backstroke O
gold O
medal O

Japan O
' O
s O
Reiko O
Nakamura O
won O
the O
women O
' O
s O
200m O
backstroke O
gold O
medal O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
here O
Sunday B-T
in O
a O
time O
of O
2 O
: O
10 O
. O
33 O
. O

Zhao O
Jing O
of O
China O
took O
the O
silver O
with O
Takami O
Igarashi O
of O
Japan O
winning O
bronze O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0059 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
soldier O
killed O
in O
Baghdad O

One O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldier O
was O
killed O
in O
a O
small O
arms O
fire O
in O
Baghdad O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
said O
Thursday B-T
in O
a O
statement O
. O

According O
to O
the O
statement O
, O
the O
latest O
killing O
bring O
the O
number O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
killed O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
seven O
. O

Late O
on O
Wednesday B-T
the O
military O
said O
that O
two O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
were O
killed O
at O
approximately O
11 B-T
: I-T
30 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0830 O
GMT O
) O
on O
Tuesday B-T
when O
their O
vehicle O
was O
struck O
by O
a O
roadside O
bomb O
in O
northwest O
of O
Baghdad O
. O

Before O
that O
, O
four O
more O
soldiers O
, O
including O
three O
marines O
, O
were O
killed O
in O
Iraq O
' O
s O
western O
Anbar O
province O
, O
said O
the O
military O
. O

Since O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
led O
war O
in O
Iraq O
broke O
out O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
, O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
850 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
, O
according O
to O
media O
count O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0459 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Dollar O
rises O
against O
allcomers O
, O
save O
Swiss O
franc O

The O
dollar O
firmed O
except O
against O
the O
Swiss O
franc O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
dealers O
saying O
the O
greenback O
had O
risen O
on O
technical O
factors O
and O
because O
US O
interest O
rates O
were O
relatively O
high O
. O

In O
Frankfurt O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
most O
economists O
said O
that O
the O
central O
council O
of O
the O
Bundesbank O
was O
expected O
to O
hold O
its O
key O
rates O
at O
a O
meeting O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
dollar O
opened O
weakly O
against O
the O
Japanese O
yen O
but O
then O
rallied O
. O
The O
initial O
weakness O
was O
in O
reaction O
to O
the O
Tankan O
report O
by O
the O
bank O
of O
Japan O
implying O
that O
industrial O
confidence O
was O
improving O
. O

At O
James O
Capel O
economist O
Ian O
Morris O
explained O
that O
the O
dollar O
had O
then O
rallied O
because O
US O
interest O
rates O
were O
higher O
than O
Japanese O
rates O
. O

Analysts O
said O
that O
they O
did O
not O
expect O
the O
Japanese O
central O
bank O
to O
increase O
its O
rates O
and O
noted O
that O
the O
bank O
itself O
expected O
confidence O
to O
falter O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
months I-T
. O

The O
lira O
rose O
against O
the O
mark O
on O
technical O
factors O
but O
was O
unlikely O
to O
maintain O
this O
position O
because O
" O
Italian O
manufacturing O
industry O
is O
suffering O
and O
this O
is O
likely O
to O
cause O
the O
bank O
of O
Italy O
to O
ease O
its O
rates O
, O
" O
Morris O
said O
. O

Sterling O
fell O
because O
of O
uncertainty O
surrounding O
a O
general O
election O
on O
May B-T
1 I-T
and O
because O
of O
fears O
that O
inflation O
might O
emerge O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

Morris O
said O
that O
British O
interest O
rates O
would O
be O
increased O
after O
the O
election O
but O
that O
the O
market O
would O
judge O
this O
to O
be O
too O
little O
, O
too O
late O
. O

The O
dollar O
was O
being O
priced O
at O
1 O
. O
6714 O
marks O
from O
1 O
. O
6698 O
here O
late O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
at O
122 O
. O
70 O
yen O
from O
122 O
. O
53 O
, O
1 O
. O
4280 O
Swiss O
francs O
from O
1 B-T
. I-T
4395 I-T
and O
5 O
. O
6286 O
French O
francs O
from O
5 B-T
. I-T
6247 I-T
. O

The O
mark O
was O
at O
3 O
. O
3673 O
French O
francs O
from O
3 O
. O
3681 O
, O
992 O
. O
0 O
lire O
from O
998 O
. O
0 O
, O
84 O
. O
60 O
pesetas O
from O
84 O
. O
69 O
, O
0 O
. O
8608 O
Swiss O
francs O
from O
0 B-T
. I-T
8629 I-T
and O
73 O
. O
42 O
yen O
from O
73 O
. O
48 O
. O

Sterling O
was O
at O
1 O
. O
6445 O
dollars O
from O
1 O
. O
6495 O
, O
2 O
. O
7492 O
marks O
from O
2 O
. O
7544 O
, O
201 O
. O
84 O
yen O
from O
2202 O
. O
11 O
, O
2 O
. O
3643 O
Swiss O
francs O
from O
2 B-T
. I-T
3745 I-T
and O
9 O
. O
2559 O
French O
francs O
from O
9 O
. O
2779 O
. O

The O
price O
of O
gold O
firmed O
to O
350 O
. O
75 O
dollars O
an O
ounce O
from O
350 O
. O
25 O
dollars O
. O

The O
three O
- O
month O
British O
interbank O
rate O
fell O
to O
6 O
. O
437 O
percent O
from O
6 O
. O
468 O
percent O
and O
the O
three O
- O
month O
eurodollar O
rate O
was O
unchanged O
at O
5 O
. O
687 O
percent O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0575 O

CHICAGO O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Chicago O
Fed O
faces O
congressional O
scrutiny O
over O
alleged O
rule O
breach O

The O
Chicago O
Federal O
Reserve O
, O
one O
of O
12 O
regional O
bracnhes O
of O
the O
US O
central O
bank O
, O
is O
facing O
congressional O
scrutiny O
over O
charges O
that O
its O
president O
broke O
rules O
by O
inviting O
an O
outside O
consultant O
to O
attend O
secret O
briefing O
sessions O
on O
interest O
rate O
policies O
. O

Representative O
Henry O
Gonzalez O
said O
Chicago O
Fed O
President O
Michael O
Moskow O
violated O
Fed O
rules O
by O
inviting O
Northwestern O
University O
economist O
Martin O
Eichenbaum O
to O
sit O
in O
at O
two O
briefing O
sessions O
in O
January B-T
and O
February O
. O

Aides O
of O
Gonzalez O
, O
a O
Democrat O
from O
Texas O
who O
is O
a O
long O
- O
time O
critic O
of O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
Board O
, O
slammed O
the O
move O
as O
a O
waste O
of O
money O
since O
the O
Chicago O
Fed O
employs O
23 O
economists O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
policy O
- O
making O
Open O
Market O
Committee O
, O
of O
which O
Moskow O
is O
a O
voting O
member O
, O
moved O
to O
hike O
the O
federal O
funds O
rate O
to O
5 O
. O
5 O
percent O
from O
5 O
. O
25 O
percent O
, O
sparking O
a O
stock O
market O
sell O
- O
off O
. O

" O
If O
someone O
knows O
what O
the O
members O
are O
going O
to O
do O
at O
the O
FOMC O
( O
Federal O
Open O
Market O
Committee O
) O
meeting O
, O
it O
is O
highly O
exploitable O
and O
extremely O
valuable O
information O
, O
" O
an O
aide O
to O
Gonzalez O
involved O
in O
the O
probe O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
There O
was O
no O
breach O
of O
confidentiality O
, O
" O
Moskow O
said O
in O
a O
terse O
statement O
. O

The O
Chicago O
Fed O
said O
Eichenbaum O
attended O
two O
policy O
briefings O
in O
January B-T
and O
February B-T
and O
was O
' O
bound O
by O
a O
strict O
coinfidentiality O
agreement O
. O
" O

" O
We O
have O
since O
taken O
steps O
to O
assure O
than O
only O
employees O
with O
specific O
clearance O
will O
participate O
in O
future O
Federal O
Reserve O
Bank O
of O
Chicago O
monetary O
policy O
briefings O
, O
" O
a O
Fed O
statement O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0091 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

moon O
mission O
in O
10 O
to O
15 O
years O
: O
official O

China O
expects O
to O
build O
up O
its O
capacity O
for O
manned O
space O
mission O
and O
building O
up O
a O
space O
station O
within O
10 B-T
to I-T
15 I-T
years I-T
, O
said O
Hu O
Shixiang O
, O
deputy O
commander O
of O
China O
' O
s O
manned O
spaceflight O
project O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

He O
made O
the O
remarks O
while O
meeting O
with O
chief O
editors O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
based O
press O
. O

Hu O
said O
, O
China O
has O
been O
developing O
a O
new O
variety O
of O
rocket O
with O
a O
carrying O
capacity O
three O
times O
as O
much O
as O
the O
present O
ones O
for O
achieving O
the O
two O
targets O
. O

China O
plans O
to O
achieve O
extravehicular O
activity O
by O
astronauts O
and O
locking O
of O
spacecraft O
by O
2012 B-T
, O
basis O
for O
establishing O
the O
future O
space O
station O
and O
even O
the O
moon O
probing O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
30 O
- O
strong O
Delegation O
of O
Shenzhou O
- O
VI O
Manned O
Space O
Mission O
arrived O
here O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
and O
attended O
a O
variety O
show O
for O
welcoming O
the O
delegation O
at O
Hong O
Kong O
Stadium O
in O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

Hu O
said O
China O
is O
a O
country O
treasuring O
friendly O
relations O
with O
neighboring O
countries O
. O
The O
probing O
of O
space O
is O
the O
common O
target O
of O
the O
whole O
mankind O
and O
China O
would O
like O
to O
join O
with O
people O
from O
other O
countries O
in O
peaceful O
use O
of O
the O
outerspace O
and O
peaceful O
development O
of O
the O
mankind O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0403 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
rural O
women O
worry O
about O
children O
' O
s O
education O
the O
most O

China O
' O
s O
rural O
women O
worry O
about O
their O
children O
' O
s O
education O
the O
most O
, O
followed O
by O
their O
livelihood O
and O
health O
, O
according O
to O
a O
national O
survey O
. O

The O
All O
- O
China O
Women O
' O
s O
Federation O
carried O
out O
the O
survey O
on O
the O
status O
of O
rural O
women O
' O
s O
rights O
protection O
with O
6 O
, O
596 O
questionnaires O
distributed O
in O
416 O
villages O
in O
eight O
provinces O
as O
well O
as O
53 O
migrant O
worker O
residences O
in O
four O
major O
cities O
. O

The O
survey O
showed O
35 O
. O
8 O
percent O
of O
respondents O
worried O
about O
their O
children O
' O
s O
education O
, O
34 O
. O
5 O
percent O
about O
making O
a O
living O
and O
14 O
percent O
about O
their O
health O
. O

The O
survey O
also O
showed O
rural O
women O
wanted O
women O
' O
s O
federations O
to O
help O
in O
better O
safeguarding O
women O
' O
s O
rights O
, O
advice O
on O
improving O
their O
living O
standard O
and O
poverty O
relief O
assistance O
. O

Mo O
Wenxiu O
, O
vice O
chairwoman O
of O
the O
federation O
and O
vice O
director O
of O
the O
survey O
group O
, O
said O
, O
" O
We O
found O
rural O
women O
' O
s O
legal O
awareness O
enhanced O
, O
as O
81 O
. O
1 O
percent O
respondents O
knew O
the O
Law O
on O
Women O
' O
s O
Rights O
Protection O
. O
" O

The O
survey O
showed O
77 O
percent O
rural O
women O
and O
68 O
. O
7 O
percent O
of O
female O
migrant O
workers O
said O
they O
knew O
of O
or O
had O
accepted O
legal O
aid O
or O
judicial O
assistance O
. O

NYT19980402 O
. O
0453 O

NEWS O
STORY O

04 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
22 I-T
: I-T
52 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

A0786 O
ampCx1f O
taf O
- O
z O

u O
a O
ampCx13 O
ampCx11 O
BC O
- O
NJ O
- O
WOMEN O
- O
MURDER O
- O
PROBE O
04 O
- O
02 O
0319 O

BC O
- O
NJ O
- O
WOMEN O
- O
MURDER O
- O
PROBE O
- O
NYT O

TASK O
FORCE O
TO O
STUDY O
CASES O
OF O
14 O
SLAIN O
WOMEN O

( O
lb O
) O
ampQL O

ampUR O
By O
DAVID O
M O
. O
HERSZENHORN O
ampLR O
ampQC O
ampQL O

ampUR O
c O
. O
1998 O
N O
. O
Y O
. O
Times O
News O
Service O
ampLR O
ampQC O
ampQL O

NEWARK O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
_ O
A O
new O
Essex O
County O
task O
force O
began O
delving O

Thursday B-T
into O
the O
slayings O
of O
14 O
black O
women O
over O
the B-T
last I-T
five I-T

years B-T
in O
the O
Newark O
area O
, O
as O
law O
- O
enforcement O
officials O
acknowledged O

that O
they O
needed O
to O
work O
harder O
to O
solve O
the O
cases O
of O
murdered O

women O
. O

The O
police O
and O
prosecutors O
said O
they O
had O
identified O
different O

suspects O
in O
six O
of O
the O
cases O
and O
had O
yet O
to O
find O
any O
pattern O

linking O
the O
killings O
or O
the O
victims O
, O
several O
of O
whom O
were O
believed O

to O
be O
prostitutes O
. O

State O
, O
county O
and O
local O
law O
- O
enforcement O
officials O
have O
expressed O

concerns O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
about O
a O
possible O
pattern O
of O
murdered O

women O
and O
a O
disproportionate O
number O
of O
unsolved O
cases O
. O

Citing O
an O
example O
, O
Sgt O
. O
Derek O
Glenn O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Newark O

Police O
Department O
, O
said O
that O
of O
nine O
women O
who O
had O
been O
killed O
last B-T

year B-T
, O
suspects O
had O
been O
arrested O
in O
only O
four O
cases O
. O
But O
over O
all O
, O

arrests O
were O
made O
in O
more O
than O
60 O
percent O
of O
murder O
cases O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Eight O
of O
the O
14 O
killings O
since O
1993 B-T
were O
already O
under O

investigation O
by O
the O
Newark O
Police O
Department O
, O
Glenn O
said O
. O
Of O
the O

eight O
victims O
, O
three O
were O
stabbed O
, O
two O
were O
strangled O
, O
two O
were O
beaten O
to O
death O
and O
one O
was O
asphyxiated O
, O
he O
said O
, O
and O
these O

different O
methods O
of O
killing O
and O
other O
evidence O
seem O
to O
indicate O

that O
the O
eight O
cases O
are O
not O
related O
. O

But O
with O
the O
task O
- O
force O
investigation O
just O
getting O
under O
way O
, O

officials O
have O
been O
careful O
not O
to O
draw O
any O
firm O
conclusions O
, O

leaving O
open O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
serial O
killer O
in O
some O
of O
the O

cases O
. O
There O
have O
been O
no O
arrests O
in O
any O
of O
the O
slayings O
. O

` O
` O
I O
have O
n O
' O
t O
seen O
a O
pattern O
yet O
, O
' O
' O
said O
Patricia O
Hurt O
, O
the O
Essex O

County O
prosecutor O
, O
who O
created O
the O
task O
force O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O
` O
` O
The O

type O
of O
lifestyle O
these O
women O
have O
is O
extremely O
dangerous O
, O
' O
' O
she O

said O
. O

NYT O
- O
04 O
- O
02 O
- O
98 O
2252EST O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0347 O

CARACAS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

election O
" O
good O
" O

Venezuelan O
Vice O
President O
Jose O
Vecente O
Rangel O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
congressional O
elections O
will O
go O
ahead O
despite O
boycott O
from O
three O
opposition O
parties O
, O
saying O
the O
opposition O
' O
s O
withdrawal O
was O
" O
good O
. O
" O

" O
The O
opposition O
says O
this O
election O
isn O
' O
t O
clean O
. O
It O
' O
s O
the O
cleanest O
in O
Venezuela O
' O
s O
history O
, O
but O
they O
have O
interests O
opposed O
to O
the O
National O
Electoral O
Council O
, O
" O
Rangel O
told O
local O
press O
. O
" O
The O
Democratic O
Action O
party O
has O
withdrawn O
. O
. O
. O
very O
good O
! O
" O

Rangal O
' O
s O
remarks O
came O
after O
three O
opposition O
parties O
- O
- O
the O
Democratic O
Action O
, O
the O
Project O
Venezuela O
and O
the O
Social O
Christian O
Party O
, O
or O
Copei O
, O
announced O
their O
pulling O
out O
from O
the O
elections O
. O

The O
opposition O
said O
the O
National O
Electoral O
Council O
favored O
the O
ruling O
party O
candidates O
and O
has O
failed O
to O
correct O
the O
errors O
in O
the O
voter O
registry O
. O

" O
Imagine O
what O
it O
means O
for O
a O
party O
like O
Democratic O
Action O
to O
say O
that O
today O
. O
. O
. O
under O
these O
conditions O
, O
we O
cannot O
participate O
in O
the O
electoral O
process O
, O
" O
said O
Henry O
Ramos O
of O
the O
Democratic O
Action O
, O
the O
largest O
opposition O
party O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Polling O
firms O
said O
the O
ruling O
Fifth O
Republic O
Movement O
of O
President O
Hugo O
Chavez O
will O
win O
a O
sweeping O
victory O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
elections O
. O
If O
the O
ruling O
party O
reaches O
its O
goal O
of O
getting O
a O
two O
- O
thirds O
majority O
, O
it O
can O
begin O
to O
make O
constitutional O
reforms O
. O

Analysts O
said O
one O
of O
the O
possible O
reforms O
might O
be O
lifting O
the O
restriction O
limiting O
presidents O
to O
two O
six O
- O
year O
terms O
. O
Chavez O
' O
s O
term O
will O
not O
expire O
until O
2012 B-T
if O
he O
is O
re O
- O
elected O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

Venezuela O
' O
s O
opposition O
parties O
, O
including O
the O
three O
parties O
that O
boycotted O
the O
upcoming O
elections O
, O
now B-T
hold O
a O
total O
of O
79 O
seats O
in O
the O
165 O
- O
seat O
National O
Assembly O
, O
while O
the O
rest O
86 O
seats O
are O
taken O
by O
pro O
- O
Chavez O
lawmakers O
. O

Sunday B-T
' O
s O
election O
will O
be O
the O
first O
time O
when O
both O
Democratic O
Action O
and O
Copei O
have O
no O
candidates O
since O
1958 B-T
- O
- O
when O
Venezuela O
' O
s O
last O
military O
dictatorship O
ended O
. O
Venezuelans O
will O
elect O
167 O
deputies O
to O
the O
National O
Assembly O
for O
five O
- O
year O
terms O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0019 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Indonesian O
police O
ask O
churches O
to O
dig O
bomb O
disposal O
holes O

Police O
in O
the O
Indonesian O
district O
of O
Solo O
said O
Friday B-T
they O
had O
ordered O
churches O
in O
the O
area O
to O
dig O
holes O
into O
which O
suspected O
bombs O
could O
be O
tossed O
, O
amid O
fears O
of O
Christmas O
attacks O
. O

The O
police O
chief O
in O
Central O
Java O
' O
s O
Solo O
told O
church O
officials O
to O
dig O
holes O
one O
metre O
( O
yard O
) O
cubed O
outside O
their O
buildings O
, O
local O
policeman O
Supran O
Yoga O
said O
. O

" O
This O
is O
in O
anticipation O
of O
bombings O
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

The O
Koran O
Tempo O
newspaper O
also O
said O
police O
would O
scour O
all O
61 O
churches O
in O
Solo O
, O
located O
about O
500 O
kilometres O
( O
300 O
miles O
) O
southeast O
of O
the O
capital O
Jakarta O
, O
looking O
for O
bombs O
before O
services O
on O
Christmas B-T
Eve O
. O

Raids O
were O
carried O
out O
on O
several O
houses O
in O
Solo O
after O
the O
triple O
suicide O
bombings O
on O
the O
resort O
island O
of O
Bali O
on O
October B-T
1 I-T
, O
which O
killed O
20 O
bystanders O
. O

Malaysian O
bomb O
- O
maker O
Azahari O
Husin O
, O
who O
was O
tracked O
down O
and O
killed O
by O
police O
in O
November B-T
, O
as O
well O
as O
his O
on O
- O
the O
- O
run O
compatriot O
Noordin O
Mohammad O
Top O
, O
were O
both O
linked O
to O
the O
bombings O
and O
are O
believed O
to O
have O
spent O
time O
in O
Solo O
. O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
intelligence O
agency O
warned O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
information O
indicated O
extremists O
may O
be O
planning O
attacks O
over O
the O
Christmas O
- O
New O
Year O
period O
in O
large O
cities O
across O
the O
sprawling O
archipelago O
. O

Jakarta O
police O
have O
said O
they O
will O
deploy O
18 O
, O
000 O
officers O
across O
the O
capital O
during O
that O
time O
. O

Nineteen O
people O
were O
killed O
when O
Islamic O
extremists O
launched O
a O
coordinated O
nationwide O
bombing O
campaign O
targeting O
churches O
and O
priests O
on O
Christmas B-T
Eve O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

The O
attacks O
were O
blamed O
on O
the O
Al O
Qaeda O
- O
linked O
Jemaah O
Islamiyah O
( O
JI O
) O
network O
, O
which O
has O
also O
been O
blamed O
for O
a O
string O
of O
deadly O
attacks O
in O
Indonesia O
since O
then O
, O
including O
the O
2002 O
Bali O
bombing O
, O
which O
left O
202 O
people O
dead O
. O

Azahari O
and O
Top O
were O
believed O
to O
be O
JI O
members O
but O
experts O
say O
the O
pair O
may O
have O
split O
off O
to O
form O
an O
even O
more O
hardline O
group O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051207 O
. O
0424 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Nepalese O
king O
rings O
the O
changes O

King O
Gyanendra O
of O
Nepal O
reshuffled O
his O
cabinet O
on O
Wednesday B-T
shortly O
after O
returning O
from O
a O
foreign O
trip O
during O
which O
Maoist O
rebels O
and O
opposition O
parties O
lined O
up O
against O
him O
. O

" O
His O
Majesty O
the O
King O
has O
reshuffled O
the O
present O
22 O
- O
member O
Council O
of O
Ministers O
to O
35 O
members O
, O
" O
said O
a O
statement O
from O
the O
royal O
palace O
read O
out O
on O
Nepali O
television O
. O

The O
king O
brought O
in O
several O
new O
faces O
and O
dropped O
senior O
ministers O
including O
those O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
home O
and O
finance O
ministries O
. O

His O
announcement O
came O
days B-T
after O
his O
return O
from O
a O
three O
- O
week O
trip O
to O
Africa O
and O
amid O
growing O
criticism O
from O
opposition O
parties O
angered O
by O
his O
failure O
to O
restore O
democracy O
in O
the O
Himalayan O
kingdom O
. O

Maoist O
rebels O
, O
who O
have O
been O
fighting O
for O
a O
communist O
republic O
in O
Nepal O
since O
1996 B-T
, O
on O
Friday B-T
extended O
their O
three O
- O
month O
unilateral O
ceasefire O
by O
one B-T
month I-T
. O

The O
Maoists O
and O
seven O
mainstream O
opposition O
parties O
agreed O
last B-T
month I-T
to O
form O
an O
anti O
- O
royal O
alliance O
to O
restore O
democracy O
, O
setting O
out O
a O
12 O
- O
point O
plan O
and O
calling O
for O
an O
end O
to O
fighting O
and O
for O
elections O
held O
under O
UN O
auspices O
. O

Under O
the O
agreement O
, O
the O
Maoists O
would O
lay O
down O
their O
arms O
under O
UN O
or O
other O
international O
supervision O
while O
a O
new O
constitution O
was O
drafted O
. O

Nepal O
has O
been O
shaken O
by O
repeated O
strikes O
and O
protests O
since O
the O
king O
assumed O
total O
control O
in O
February B-T
, O
a O
move O
he O
justified O
by O
saying O
the O
government O
had O
failed O
to O
quell O
the O
Maoist O
revolt O
. O

The O
violence O
and O
the O
royal O
takeover O
has O
brought O
international O
condemnation O
for O
both O
sides O
as O
well O
as O
reviews O
of O
military O
and O
humanitarian O
aid O
from O
several O
countries O
, O
including O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Britain O
and O
India O
. O

The O
Maoist O
conflict O
has O
killed O
more O
than O
12 O
, O
500 O
people O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0113 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
holds O
major O
human O
rights O
exhibition O
in O
Beijing O

A O
major O
human O
rights O
exhibition O
kicked O
off O
in O
China O
' O
s O
capital O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
showcasing O
the O
country O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
protect O
human O
rights O
. O

The O
ten O
- O
day O
exhibition O
, O
the O
largest O
of O
its O
kind O
ever O
held O
in O
Beijing O
, O
features O
more O
than O
700 O
pictures O
, O
250 O
legal O
documents O
, O
330 O
books O
on O
human O
rights O
and O
24 O
diagrams O
, O
which O
" O
truthfully O
record O
China O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
promote O
and O
safeguard O
the O
people O
' O
s O
right O
to O
life O
and O
right O
to O
develop O
and O
, O
more O
broadly O
, O
their O
political O
, O
economic O
, O
social O
and O
cultural O
rights O
, O
" O
organizers O
said O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
the O
exhibition O
will O
give O
people O
a O
more O
comprehensive O
and O
objective O
understanding O
of O
human O
rights O
in O
China O
, O
a O
clearer O
picture O
of O
how O
human O
rights O
have O
developed O
in O
the O
Chinese O
context O
and O
more O
confidence O
in O
China O
' O
s O
commitment O
to O
human O
rights O
as O
it O
builds O
a O
socialist O
harmonious O
society O
, O
" O
said O
Cai O
Wu O
, O
director O
of O
the O
Information O
Office O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
, O
at O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
of O
the O
exhibition O
at O
the O
Museum O
of O
Nationalities O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
marks O
the O
40th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
UN O
International O
Covenant O
on O
Civil O
and O
Political O
Rights O
and O
the O
International O
Covenant O
on O
Economic O
, O
Social O
and O
Cultural O
Rights O
. O
It O
is O
also O
15 B-T
years I-T
since O
China O
issued O
its O
first O
white O
paper O
on O
human O
rights O
. O

" O
The O
exhibition O
reflects O
China O
' O
s O
recognition O
of O
and O
respect O
for O
the O
UN O
bill O
on O
human O
rights O
and O
basic O
international O
human O
rights O
principles O
, O
" O
Cai O
said O
. O

" O
Adhering O
to O
the O
principle O
of O
respecting O
and O
safeguarding O
human O
rights O
, O
and O
promoting O
the O
progress O
of O
human O
rights O
, O
are O
important O
governing O
concepts O
in O
China O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
believe O
the O
exhibition O
will O
help O
promote O
human O
rights O
in O
China O
and O
boost O
exchanges O
between O
China O
and O
the O
outside O
world O
, O
" O
said O
Dong O
Yunhu O
, O
vice O
chairman O
of O
the O
China O
Society O
for O
Human O
Rights O
Studies O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0181 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thai O
deputy O
PM O
recommends O
actions O
against O
Thaksin O
over O
lottery O

Thailand O
' O
s O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
Finance O
Minister O
Pridiyathorn O
Devakula O
Monday O
recommended O
legal O
actions O
against O
former O
prime O
Minister O
Thaksin O
Shinawatra O
, O
his O
Cabinet O
members O
and O
senior O
officials O
over O
the O
two O
and O
three O
- O
digit O
lottery O
. O

Pridiyathorn O
asked O
the O
National O
Counter O
Corruption O
Commission O
and O
the O
Assets O
Examination O
Committee O
to O
take O
the O
actions O
on O
ground O
that O
Thaksin O
and O
others O
had O
allegedly O
committed O
malfeasance O
and O
negligence O
. O

The O
deputy O
premier O
said O
at O
the O
press O
conference O
here O
that O
the O
Finance O
Ministry O
' O
s O
reports O
are O
based O
on O
the O
Council O
of O
State O
' O
s O
ruling O
on O
November B-T
which O
ruled O
that O
the O
government O
' O
s O
decision O
the O
two O
and O
three O
- O
digit O
lottery O
violates O
in O
2003 B-T
the O
Government O
Lottery O
Act O
1974 O
. O

Pridiyathorn O
said O
that O
the O
first O
group O
of O
those O
subject O
to O
the O
charges O
are O
senior O
officials O
at O
the O
Government O
Lottery O
Office O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0071 O

DAR O
ES O
SALAAM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tanzanian O
electoral O
body O
removes O
10 O
, O
000 O
voters O
from O
register O

Tanzania O
' O
s O
National O
Electoral O
Commission O
has O
removed O
more O
than O
10 O
, O
000 O
people O
from O
the O
country O
' O
s O
permanent O
voters O
register O
. O

These O
people O
therefore O
will O
not O
be O
eligible O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
general O
elections O
slated O
for O
December B-T
14 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

Sisti O
Cariah O
, O
IT O
manager O
of O
the O
electoral O
body O
, O
told O
local O
media O
that O
some O
of O
these O
people O
were O
either O
under O
- O
age O
or O
not O
bona O
fide O
citizens O
while O
others O
had O
either O
passed O
away O
or O
were O
in O
prison O
. O

The O
National O
Electoral O
Commission O
removed O
these O
people O
after O
a O
general O
review O
and O
the O
electoral O
body O
promised O
to O
accept O
some O
4 O
, O
000 O
of O
- O
age O
voters O
who O
were O
not O
eligible O
for O
the O
general O
elections O
originally O
scheduled O
for O
October B-T
30 I-T
. O

This B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
general O
elections O
, O
the O
third O
multi O
- O
party O
polls O
in O
the O
country O
since O
1995 B-T
, O
will O
be O
held O
on O
December B-T
14 I-T
which O
is O
already O
rendered O
a O
public O
holiday O
through O
a O
special O
presidential O
decree O
to O
facilitate O
voting O
. O

The O
general O
elections O
had O
to O
be O
postponed O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
death O
of O
a O
presidential O
running O
mate O
from O
the O
Chama O
Cha O
Demokrasia O
na O
Maendeleo O
( O
CHADEMA O
) O
party O
on O
October B-T
26 I-T
. O

The O
CHADEMA O
presidential O
running O
mate O
, O
Jumbe O
Rajab O
Jumbe O
, O
died O
of O
heart O
attack O
on O
October B-T
26 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0361 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Police O
trumpeter O
asks O
human O
rights O
committee O
to O
save O
his O
dreadlocks O

A O
rasta O
- O
loving O
policeman O
who O
faces O
disciplinary O
action O
for O
wearing O
his O
hair O
in O
dreadlocks O
, O
has O
taken O
his O
case O
to O
the O
South O
African O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
, O
officials O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

D O
. O
P O
. O
Sass O
, O
a O
trumpet O
player O
in O
a O
police O
band O
, O
faces O
suspension O
or O
dismissal O
for O
sporting O
long O
, O
twisted O
tresses O
, O
but O
has O
protested O
the O
ruling O
on O
the O
grounds O
that O
it O
infringes O
on O
his O
religious O
freedoms O
, O
the O
SAPA O
news O
agency O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Sass O
became O
a O
follower O
of O
Rastafarianism O
( O
also O
known O
as O
' O
rasta O
' O
) O
, O
a O
philosophical O
movement O
originating O
in O
Jamaica O
and O
the O
Antilles O
, O
a O
year O
after O
joining O
the O
police O
in O
1992 B-T
, O
the O
commission O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Police O
admit O
their O
regulations O
contradict O
Sass O
' O
religious O
rights O
, O
but O
say O
the O
measures O
are O
necessary O
in O
order O
to O
maintain O
standards O
of O
neatness O
and O
integrity O
, O
the O
commission O
added O
. O

In O
a O
similar O
case O
, O
a O
Cape O
Town O
high O
school O
student O
appealed O
to O
the O
commission O
after O
his O
school O
refused O
to O
allow O
him O
to O
write O
exams O
because O
he O
would O
not O
hide O
his O
dreadlocks O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0449 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Kofi O
Annan O
urges O
rapid O
action O
on O
Zaire O
refugee O
repatriation O
by O
Tani O
Freedman O

UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
urged O
the O
rapid O
repatriation O
of O
up O
to O
100 O
, O
000 O
Rwandan O
refugees O
stranded O
and O
sick O
in O
camps O
in O
eastern O
Zaire O
, O
saying O
imminent O
action O
was O
needed O
to O
save O
lives O
. O

Annan O
, O
in O
a O
statement O
issued O
in O
Geneva O
before O
he O
returned O
to O
New O
York O
after O
a O
24 O
- O
hour O
visit O
, O
called O
on O
an O
" O
all O
parties O
to O
stop O
fighting O
and O
allow O
the O
unimpeded O
delivery O
of O
humanitarian O
assistance O
to O
the O
civilian O
population O
caught O
in O
the O
conflict O
. O
" O

UN O
refugee O
chief O
Sadako O
Ogata O
, O
who O
discussed O
the O
refugee O
crisis O
with O
Annan O
, O
also O
called O
on O
the O
Kisangani O
authorities O
to O
" O
take O
urgent O
action O
to O
airlift O
Rwandan O
refugees O
home O
, O
" O
insisting O
that O
delays O
would O
lead O
to O
more O
deaths O
and O
that O
repatriation O
was O
the O
only O
solution O
for O
these O
people O
. O

A O
first O
batch O
of O
Rwandan O
refugees O
was O
supposed O
to O
be O
airlifted O
out O
of O
Kisangani O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
but O
Zairean O
Tutsi O
rebels O
who O
control O
the O
city O
blocked O
the O
move O
. O

They O
apparently O
fear O
that O
cholera O
plaguing O
the O
Kasese O
and O
Biaro O
camps O
south O
of O
Kisangani O
, O
which O
shelter O
some O
80 O
, O
000 O
individuals O
, O
would O
contaminate O
the O
city O
. O
Relief O
workers O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
claiming O
the O
cholera O
outbreak O
is O
containable O
, O
said O
there O
was O
no O
such O
risk O
. O

They O
want O
to O
begin O
a O
major O
operation O
to O
fly O
refugees O
from O
Kisangani O
more O
than O
500 O
kilometres O
( O
300 O
miles O
) O
southeastwards O
to O
Goma O
, O
on O
the O
border O
with O
Rwanda O
, O
for O
repatriation O
, O
the O
but O
the O
exercise O
has O
been O
postponed O
indefinately O
. O
Goma O
is O
the O
" O
capital O
" O
of O
rebel O
- O
held O
eastern O
Zaire O
. O

" O
I O
hope O
repatriation O
and O
air O
- O
bridge O
operations O
will O
start O
very O
soon O
to O
save O
the O
lives O
of O
the O
vulnerable O
women O
and O
children O
needing O
better O
care O
, O
" O
Annan O
said O
. O

Outbreaks O
of O
violence O
over O
the B-T
last I-T
four I-T
days I-T
among O
the O
local O
population O
, O
including O
the O
looting O
Monday B-T
of O
a O
relief O
train O
carrying O
120 O
tonnes O
of O
food O
south O
of O
Kisangani O
, O
have O
interrupted O
aid O
agency O
operations O
in O
the O
camps O
. O

" O
Since O
Friday B-T
a O
series O
of O
security O
incidents O
, O
including O
the O
looting O
of O
foodstocks O
, O
has O
blocked O
our O
access O
to O
the O
camps O
. O
Today B-T
the O
military O
told O
us O
that O
we O
would O
not O
be O
allowed O
in O
the O
camps O
because O
of O
a O
security O
operation O
in O
the O
area O
, O
" O
Ogata O
said O
. O

" O
This O
is O
not O
good O
enough O
. O
We O
must O
have O
access O
and O
we O
must O
begin O
the O
airlift O
. O
Every O
day O
' O
s O
delay O
means O
more O
lives O
lost O
. O
Repatriation O
is O
the O
only O
solution O
for O
these O
people O
, O
the O
only O
way O
to O
guarantee O
their O
safety O
. O
" O

The O
UNHCR O
is O
calling O
for O
security O
guarantees O
for O
its O
staff O
to O
carry O
out O
their O
urgent O
humanitarian O
work O
in O
the O
camps O
and O
to O
help O
defuse O
tensions O
between O
the O
refugees O
and O
the O
local O
population O
which O
is O
clamouring O
to O
benefit O
from O
humanitarian O
agency O
assistance O
. O

In O
Goma O
, O
UNHCR O
spokesman O
Filipo O
Grandi O
on O
Monday B-T
told O
AFP O
that O
" O
the O
( O
rebel O
) O
military O
authorities O
have O
asked O
humanitarian O
organizations O
to O
stop O
all O
their O
operations O
in O
the O
camps O
until O
further O
notice O
. O

" O
No O
agency O
can O
go O
to O
the O
left O
bank O
" O
of O
the O
Zaire O
river O
, O
to O
which O
they O
need O
access O
to O
reach O
the O
camps O
, O
Grandi O
added O
. O
" O
We O
are O
extremely O
concerned O
about O
the O
deterioration O
in O
the O
security O
situation O
, O
which O
has O
prevented O
humanitarian O
agencies O
from O
providing O
help O
to O
the O
camps O
and O
nearby O
villages O
for O
the O
third O
time O
in O
four B-T
days O
. O
" O

Last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
attack O
on O
UNHCR O
vehicles O
led O
to O
the O
first O
suspension O
of O
assistance O
, O
which O
resumed O
on O
the B-T
weekend I-T
. O

The O
refugees O
went O
on O
a O
five O
- O
month O
trekking O
odyssey O
following O
the O
launch O
of O
the O
rebels O
' O
offensive O
against O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
' O
s O
army O
in O
October B-T
. O

They O
escaped O
to O
Zaire O
following O
the O
civil O
war O
in O
Rwanda O
in O
1994 B-T
in O
which O
Tutsi O
rebels O
toppled O
the O
governing O
Hutu O
regime O
after O
Hutu O
extremists O
massacred O
half O
a O
million O
Tutsis O
and O
moderate O
Hutus O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0182 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

facilitate O
bilateral O
investment O

China O
and O
Russia O
signed O
eight O
agreements O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
boost O
bilateral O
investment O
, O
trade O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
. O

The O
signing O
of O
the O
agreements O
, O
covering O
sectors O
such O
as O
trade O
, O
energy O
, O
car O
production O
and O
development O
of O
infrastructure O
, O
marked O
the O
beginning O
of O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
Investment O
Promotion O
Week O
. O

Two O
of O
the O
eight O
agreements O
relate O
to O
joint O
mining O
exploration O
. O
The O
other O
agreements O
include O
the O
setting O
up O
of O
a O
car O
assembly O
factory O
, O
a O
glass O
factory O
and O
wood O
processing O
facilities O
. O

The O
contracted O
investment O
volume O
from O
the O
Chinese O
side O
is O
800 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
. O

Addressing O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
, O
Chinese O
Vice O
Premier O
Wu O
Yi O
said O
the O
China O
- O
Russia O
trade O
volume O
was O
expected O
to O
reach O
60 O
billion O
to O
80 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
and O
China O
' O
s O
total O
investment O
volume O
in O
Russia O
will O
reach O
its O
target O
of O
12 O
billion O
dollars O
before O
2020 B-T
. O

Zhang O
Xiaoqiang O
, O
Vice O
Director O
with O
the O
State O
Development O
and O
Reform O
Commission O
, O
said O
the O
two O
countries O
' O
cooperation O
in O
energy O
would O
increase O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

Speaking O
at O
a O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
trade O
forum O
in O
Beijing O
, O
Zhang O
said O
the O
energy O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
had O
entered O
a O
new O
phase O
, O
especially O
the O
joint O
oil O
exploration O
project O
in O
Veninsky O
Block O
of O
Sakhalin O
region O
and O
the O
joint O
operation O
of O
Udmurtneft O
Petroliem O
Company O
. O

The O
government O
encourages O
Chinese O
firms O
to O
engage O
more O
in O
the O
joint O
exploration O
of O
ores O
of O
iron O
, O
zinc O
, O
lead O
, O
and O
copper O
in O
regions O
such O
as O
Chita O
Oblist O
, O
and O
Tuva O
Republic O
, O
Zhang O
said O
. O

Trade O
volume O
between O
China O
and O
Russia O
reached O
29 O
. O
1 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
. O
In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
bilateral O
trade O
volume O
totaled O
24 O
. O
64 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
up O
18 O
. O
8 O
percent O
on O
the B-T
previous I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Sino O
- O
Russian O
Investment O
Promotion O
Week O
will O
feature O
13 O
promotional O
activities O
aimed O
at O
boosting O
bilateral O
investment O
, O
as O
part O
of O
the O
" O
Year O
of O
Russia O
" O
in O
China O
which O
is O
scheduled O
to O
conclude O
on O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
. O

More O
than O
200 O
activities O
were O
held O
during O
the O
" O
Year O
of O
Russia O
" O
, O
which O
helped O
strengthen O
the O
traditional O
friendship O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
and O
push O
forward O
the O
China O
- O
Russia O
strategic O
partnership O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0067 O

SEOUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Korean O
, O
Japanese O
FMs O
to O
meet O
on O
sidelines O
of O
APEC O
meeting O
: O
report O

South O
Korean O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ban O
Ki O
- O
moon O
will O
hold O
one O
- O
on O
- O
one O
talks O
with O
his O
Japanese O
counterpart O
Taro O
Aso O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
upcoming O
Asia O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
, O
reported O
South O
Korean O
Yonhap O
News O
Agency O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Yonhap O
quoted O
a O
source O
from O
the O
government O
as O
saying O
that O
Ban O
and O
Taro O
agreed O
to O
meet O
during O
a O
telephone O
conversation O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
. O

But O
the O
exact O
date O
of O
the O
meeting O
has O
not O
been O
fixed O
. O
The O
APEC O
summit O
meetings O
are O
to O
take O
place O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
week I-T
of I-T
this I-T
month I-T
in O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
southern O
port O
city O
of O
Busan O
. O

" O
They O
will O
exchange O
views O
on O
bilateral O
ties O
including O
ways O
of O
addressing O
the O
current O
strained O
relations O
, O
" O
the O
unnamed O
official O
was O
quoted O
by O
Yonhap O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
two O
neighbors O
' O
relations O
have O
been O
strained O
since O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Junichiro O
Koizumi O
visited O
Yasukuni O
Shrine O
, O
which O
honors O
2 O
million O
Japanese O
war O
dead O
, O
including O
14 O
Class O
A O
Criminals O
of O
the O
World O
War O
II O
. O

The O
South O
Korean O
government O
, O
political O
parties O
and O
non O
- O
governmental O
groups O
have O
made O
strong O
reactions O
to O
the O
latest O
shrine O
visit O
, O
the O
fifth O
since O
Koizumi O
took O
office O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

The O
ties O
between O
South O
Korea O
and O
Japan O
did O
not O
turn O
better O
although O
Ban O
made O
a O
trip O
to O
Japan O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

Public O
anger O
in O
South O
Korea O
even O
deepened O
as O
Koizumi O
brought O
in O
some O
hawkish O
officials O
, O
including O
Shinzo O
Abe O
as O
chief O
Cabinet O
secretary O
and O
Taro O
Aso O
as O
foreign O
minister O
, O
in O
his O
latest O
cabinet O
reshuffle O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

It O
is O
still O
unclear O
whether O
South O
Korean O
President O
Roh O
Moo O
- O
hyun O
will O
hold O
a O
summit O
with O
Koizumi O
during O
the O
APEC O
event O
, O
the O
official O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0246 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Researchers O
say O
dogs O
susceptible O
to O
" O
mad O
cow O
" O
disease O

Government O
researchers O
found O
six B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
that O
dogs O
were O
susceptible O
to O
a O
form O
of O
bovine O
spongiform O
encephalopathy O
( O
BSE O
) O
, O
or O
" O
mad O
cow O
" O
disease O
, O
from O
eating O
contaminated O
pet O
food O
, O
press O
reports O
Monday O
said O
. O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
, O
Fisheries O
and O
Food O
, O
commenting O
on O
the O
report O
in O
The O
Independant O
, O
confirmed O
the O
results O
of O
the O
1992 B-T
study O
were O
never O
published O
and O
that O
no O
follow O
- O
up O
was O
done O
. O

At O
the O
time O
, O
government O
scientists O
had O
studied O
the O
brains O
of O
444 O
hunting O
hounds O
that O
had O
died O
after O
showing O
signs O
of O
distress O
associated O
with O
BSE O
, O
and O
found O
abnormalities O
called O
fibrils O
, O
tiny O
fibres O
first O
noticed O
by O
scientists O
studying O
scrapie O
, O
a O
spongiform O
encephalopathy O
in O
sheep O
. O

The O
presence O
of O
fibrils O
, O
said O
the O
scientists O
, O
confirmed O
that O
some O
of O
the O
brains O
showed O
signs O
of O
a O
canine O
equivalent O
of O
mad O
cow O
disease O
. O

Consultant O
microbiologist O
Stephen O
Dealler O
, O
a O
leading O
critic O
of O
government O
handling O
of O
the O
BSE O
crisis O
, O
said O
it O
was O
" O
incredible O
that O
this O
experiment O
was O
known O
about O
before O
the O
last O
general O
election O
. O
" O

The O
test O
results O
were O
reported O
verbally O
to O
the O
Government O
' O
s O
advisers O
on O
BSE O
in O
1992 B-T
, O
he O
said O
, O
but O
then O
chairman O
of O
the O
Spongiform O
Encephalopathy O
Advisory O
Committee O
, O
David O
Tyrell O
, O
said O
the O
dog O
study O
should O
not O
be O
taken O
further O
. O

A O
ministry O
spokesman O
said O
the O
study O
was O
halted O
because O
no O
danger O
to O
public O
health O
had O
been O
ascertained O
. O

" O
You O
can O
be O
absolutely O
certain O
that O
the O
presence O
of O
scrapie O
associated O
fibrils O
shows O
these O
dogs O
had O
the O
disease O
, O
" O
said O
Dealler O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
Norwegian O
scientists O
said O
they O
thought O
an O
11 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
golden O
retriever O
had O
died O
from O
spongiform O
encephalopathy O
, O
and O
linked O
the O
dog O
' O
s O
death O
to O
pet O
food O
made O
from O
cattle O
remains O
imported O
from O
Britain O
. O

But O
British O
health O
sources O
said O
it O
was O
unlikely O
the O
Norwegian O
dog O
could O
have O
picked O
up O
the O
disease O
after O
September B-T
1990 I-T
when O
bovine O
offal O
was O
banned O
from O
pet O
food O
in O
Britian O
. O

Cats O
, O
however O
, O
are O
known O
to O
be O
affected O
by O
spongiform O
encephalopathy O
and O
at O
least O
75 O
of O
them O
have O
already O
died O
from O
the O
feline O
version O
of O
the O
disease O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0346 O

ANKARA O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Turkish O
defence O
minister O
' O
s O
Israel O
visit O
postponed O

A O
planned O
trip O
by O
Turkish O
Defence O
Minister O
Turhan O
Tayan O
to O
Israel O
has O
been O
postponed O
to O
a O
later O
date O
as O
it O
coincides O
with O
Israeli O
Foreign O
Minister O
David O
Levy O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Ankara O
, O
Turkish O
diplomats O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

According O
to O
a O
schedule O
announced O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
Tayan O
would O
visit O
Israel O
between O
April B-T
7 I-T
and O
9 O
and O
Levy O
would O
be O
in O
the O
Turkish O
capital O
on O
April B-T
8 I-T
and O
9 O
. O

" O
Tayan O
' O
s O
visit O
will O
now O
be O
rescheduled O
for O
late B-T
April I-T
or I-T
early I-T
May I-T
, O
" O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
told O
AFP O
. O

Turkey O
and O
Israel O
, O
whose O
relations O
remained O
dormant O
during O
decades O
of O
the O
Arab O
- O
Israeli O
conflict O
, O
boosted O
their O
ties O
to O
a O
strategic O
level O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

They O
signed O
two O
major O
pacts O
on O
military O
and O
defence O
industry O
cooperation O
despite O
condemnation O
by O
radical O
Arab O
or O
Moslem O
states O
like O
Iran O
, O
Syria O
and O
Iraq O
. O

In O
the O
largest O
- O
scale O
defence O
industry O
deal O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
a O
630 O
million O
agreement O
, O
under O
which O
a O
consortium O
led O
by O
Israel O
Aircraft O
Industries O
will O
upgrade O
Turkey O
' O
s O
aging O
fleet O
of O
54 O
F O
- O
4E O
Phantom O
aircraft O
, O
took O
effect O
last B-T
November I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0403 O

PRETORIA O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Rare O
black O
gibbon O
born O
at O
Pretoria O
zoo O

A O
rare O
black O
gibbon O
has O
been O
born O
at O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
national O
zoo O
in O
Pretoria O
, O
the O
zoo O
announced O
Thursday B-T
. O

Some O
31 O
, O
000 O
black O
gibbons O
disappear O
each B-T
year I-T
, O
making O
it O
" O
extremely O
important O
. O
. O
. O
to O
coordinate O
their O
breeding O
programmes O
, O
" O
the O
National O
Zoological O
Gardens O
of O
South O
Africa O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
tiny O
primates O
known O
for O
their O
agility O
were O
once O
common O
in O
China O
, O
but O
their O
numbers O
have O
dwindled O
steadily O
because O
of O
hunting O
and O
deforestation O
. O
They O
are O
now O
found O
only O
in O
the O
far O
south O
of O
China O
and O
east O
of O
the O
Mekong O
River O
in O
Southeast O
Asia O
, O
the O
zoo O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Since O
1992 B-T
, O
the O
Pretoria O
zoo O
has O
been O
home O
to O
the O
only O
pair O
of O
black O
gibbons O
in O
Africa O
. O
A O
total O
of O
53 O
specimens O
of O
the O
vanishing O
species O
are O
in O
captivity O
around O
the O
world O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0143 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0143 O
. O

RJR O
Is O
Selling O

@ O
Candy O
Brands O

@ O
For O
$ O
370 O
Million O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Peter O
Waldman O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

RJR O
Z O
. O
NES O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

FOOD O
PRODUCTS O
( O
FOD O
) O

RJR O
Nabisco O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
agreed O
to O
sell O
its O
Baby O
Ruth O
, O
Butterfinger O
and O
Pearson O
candy O
businesses O
to O
Nestle O
S O
. O
A O
. O
' O
s O
Nestle O
Foods O
unit O
for O
$ O
370 O
million O
. O

The O
sale O
, O
at O
a O
higher O
price O
than O
some O
analysts O
had O
expected O
, O
helps O
the O
food O
and O
tobacco O
giant O
raise O
funds O
to O
pay O
debt O
and O
boosts O
Nestle O
' O
s O
7 O
% O
share O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
candy O
market O
to O
about O
12 O
% O
. O

The O
candy O
businesses O
had O
sales O
of O
about O
$ O
154 O
million O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
which O
was O
roughly O
12 O
% O
of O
total O
revenue O
for O
RJR O
' O
s O
Planters O
LifeSavers O
unit O
, O
according O
to O
a O
memorandum O
distributed O
by O
RJR O
' O
s O
owner O
, O
Kohlberg O
Kravis O
Roberts O
amp O
Co O
. O
, O
to O
bankers O
last B-T
December I-T
. O

The O
Nestle O
acquisition O
includes O
a O
candy O
plant O
in O
Franklin O
Park O
, O
Ill O
. O
, O
which O
employs O
about O
800 O
workers O
. O

The O
sale O
, O
which O
had O
been O
expected O
, O
is O
part O
of O
KKR O
' O
s O
program O
to O
pay O
down O
$ O
5 O
billion O
of O
a O
$ O
6 O
billion O
bridge O
loan O
by O
February B-T
. O

Roughly O
$ O
2 O
billion O
of O
that O
debt O
has O
already O
been O
repaid O
from O
previous O
asset O
sales O
, O
and O
RJR O
expects O
to O
use O
another O
$ O
2 O
billion O
from O
the O
pending O
, O
two O
- O
part O
sale O
of O
most O
of O
its O
Del O
Monte O
unit O
. O

That O
sale O
, O
however O
, O
could O
still O
fall O
through O
if O
financing O
problems O
develop O
. O

Thus O
, O
it O
remains O
crucial O
for O
RJR O
to O
obtain O
top O
dollar O
for O
its O
smaller O
assets O
like O
the O
candy O
brands O
. O

Louis O
Gerstner O
Jr O
. O
, O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
officer O
of O
New O
York O
- O
based O
RJR O
, O
called O
the O
sale O
a O
" O
significant O
step O
" O
in O
the O
company O
' O
s O
divestiture O
program O
, O
as O
well O
as O
a O
" O
a O
strategic O
divestiture O
. O
" O

Since O
KKR O
bought O
RJR O
in O
February B-T
for O
$ O
25 O
billion O
of O
debt O
, O
it O
has O
agreed O
to O
sell O
nearly O
$ O
5 O
billion O
of O
RJR O
assets O
. O

RJR O
' O
s O
executives O
have O
said O
they O
will O
dispense O
with O
certain O
brands O
, O
in O
particular O
, O
that O
are O
n O
' O
t O
leaders O
in O
their O
markets O
. O

" O
RJR O
Nabisco O
and O
Planters O
LifeSavers O
will O
concentrate O
more O
on O
our O
own O
core O
businesses O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Gerstner O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Baby O
Ruth O
and O
Butterfinger O
are O
both O
among O
the O
top O
- O
selling O
15 O
chocolate O
bars O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
but O
RJR O
' O
s O
overall O
share O
of O
the O
roughly O
$ O
5 O
. O
1 O
billion O
market O
is O
less O
than O
5 O
% O
. O

Nestle O
' O
s O
share O
of O
7 O
% O
before O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
purchases O
is O
far O
below O
the O
shares O
of O
market O
leaders O
Hershey O
Foods O
Corp O
. O
and O
Mars O
Inc O
. O
, O
which O
have O
about O
40 O
% O
and O
36 O
% O
of O
the O
market O
, O
respectively O
. O

" O
This O
means O
Nestle O
is O
now O
in O
the O
candybar O
business O
in O
a O
big O
way O
, O
" O
said O
Lisbeth O
Echeandia O
, O
publisher O
of O
Orlando O
, O
Fla O
. O
- O
based O
Confectioner O
Magazine O
. O

" O
For O
them O
, O
it O
makes O
all O
kinds O
of O
sense O
. O

They O
' O
ve O
been O
given O
a O
mandate O
from O
Switzerland O
" O
to O
expand O
their O
U O
. O
S O
. O
chocolate O
operations O
. O

Nestle O
S O
. O
A O
. O
is O
based O
in O
Vevey O
, O
Switzerland O
. O

The O
new O
candy O
bars O
, O
" O
make O
an O
important O
contribution O
to O
our O
Nestle O
Foods O
commitment O
to O
this O
very O
important O
strategic O
unit O
, O
" O
said O
C O
. O
Alan O
MacDonald O
, O
president O
of O
Nestle O
Foods O
in O
Purchase O
, O
N O
. O
Y O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0188 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Philippines O
considers O
change O
of O
ASEAN O
summit O
venue O
from O
unfinished O
convention O
center O

Despite O
repeated O
denials O
from O
Philippine O
government O
that O
there O
is O
no O
change O
of O
venue O
for O
the O
upcoming O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
Nations O
( O
ASEAN O
) O
to O
be O
held O
in O
December B-T
in O
Cebu O
, O
a O
presidential O
palace O
official O
admitted O
Thursday B-T
that O
a O
change O
of O
venue O
for O
the O
summit O
is O
under O
consideration O
by O
President O
Gloria O
Macapagal O
Arroyo O
. O

A O
ranking O
palace O
official O
, O
speaking O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
, O
said O
the O
government O
might O
go O
for O
Plan O
B O
which O
would O
transfer O
the O
venue O
of O
the O
summit O
from O
the O
unfinished O
Cebu O
International O
Convention O
Center O
( O
CICC O
) O
to O
a O
Shangri O
- O
La O
hotel O
. O

The O
source O
said O
this O
was O
discussed O
during O
the O
cabinet O
meeting O
in O
Malacanang O
last B-T
Tuesday I-T
. O

" O
This O
is O
what O
the O
cabinet O
have O
discussed O
because O
the O
construction O
of O
the O
CICC O
has O
not O
yet O
been O
completed O
, O
" O
the O
official O
said O
. O

The O
official O
said O
under O
a O
worst O
- O
case O
scenario O
, O
the O
government O
will O
activate O
Plan O
C O
, O
which O
will O
move O
the O
meeting O
to O
Manila O
from O
Cebu O
. O
But O
it O
' O
s O
too O
late O
as O
delegates O
have O
already O
booked O
and O
paid O
for O
their O
hotel O
accommodations O
in O
Cebu O
. O

ASEAN O
member O
- O
states O
, O
delegates O
and O
foreign O
media O
have O
expressed O
concern O
over O
the O
delay O
of O
completion O
of O
the O
convention O
center O
as O
meetings O
will O
formally O
start O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
to O
be O
followed O
by O
the O
summit O
meetings O
from O
Dec B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
to O
13 O
. O

Leaders O
from O
Brunei O
, O
Cambodia O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Laos O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Myanmar O
, O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Singapore O
, O
Thailand O
and O
Vietnam O
will O
be O
joined O
by O
their O
counterparts O
from O
China O
, O
Japan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Australia O
, O
India O
and O
New O
Zealand O
for O
an O
East O
Asian O
regional O
summit O
meeting O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
ASEAN O
summit O
. O

Other O
officials O
from O
Timor O
- O
Leste O
, O
France O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
will O
also O
be O
present O
in O
the O
meeting O
. O

The O
construction O
on O
the O
huge O
center O
, O
estimated O
to O
cost O
800 O
million O
pesos O
( O
16 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
which O
began O
in O
April B-T
, O
was O
originally O
scheduled O
to O
be O
completed O
this B-T
month I-T
. O

A O
police O
chief O
in O
charge O
of O
security O
for O
the O
summit O
meetings O
has O
first O
told O
foreign O
media O
that O
the O
venue O
of O
the O
summit O
will O
be O
transferred O
to O
Shangrila O
hotel O
from O
the O
unfinished O
CICC O
. O
But O
government O
officials O
maintained O
that O
meetings O
will O
still O
be O
held O
at O
the O
convention O
center O
. O

The O
publisher O
of O
local O
daily O
" O
The O
Philippine O
Star O
" O
, O
Max O
Solliven O
, O
has O
criticized O
the O
local O
government O
of O
Cebu O
for O
hasting O
the O
construction O
of O
the O
convention O
center O
at O
the O
cost O
of O
safety O
while O
urging O
the O
government O
to O
transfer O
the O
venue O
of O
the O
summit O
to O
a O
safer O
place O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0429 O

TYRE O
, O
Lebanon O
, O
April B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Twenty O
- O
six O
Israeli O
soldiers O
killed O
in O
Lebanon O
in O
12 O
months O
: O
toll O

At O
least O
26 O
Israeli O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
since O
the O
Jewish O
state O
' O
s O
offensive O
against O
Hezbollah O
guerrillas O
in O
the O
region O
in O
April B-T
1996 I-T
, O
security O
sources O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Attacks O
against O
the O
Israeli O
- O
occupied O
" O
security O
zone O
" O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
, O
mainly O
by O
the O
Iranian O
- O
backed O
Hezbollah O
, O
have O
also O
killed O
13 O
members O
of O
the O
Israeli O
- O
backed O
South O
Lebanon O
Army O
( O
SLA O
) O
militia O
, O
said O
the O
sources O
. O

At O
least O
83 O
Israeli O
soldiers O
have O
been O
injured O
in O
the O
attacks O
along O
with O
34 O
members O
of O
the O
SLA O
. O

The O
Islamic O
Resistance O
, O
Hezbollah O
' O
s O
military O
wing O
, O
has O
launched O
383 O
attacks O
on O
the O
buffer O
strip O
since O
last B-T
April I-T
' O
s O
Israeli O
offensive O
- O
- O
dubbed O
Operation O
Grapes O
of O
Wrath O
- O
- O
according O
to O
the O
security O
service O
toll O
. O

A O
total O
of O
24 O
Hezbollah O
fighters O
were O
killed O
in O
the O
attacks O
, O
it O
added O
. O

Israeli O
shelling O
in O
response O
to O
Hezbollah O
attacks O
killed O
three O
Lebanese O
civilians O
and O
wounded O
36 O
others O
during O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
. O

Israel O
' O
s O
17 O
- O
day O
offensive O
, O
launched O
to O
stamp O
out O
Hezbollah O
rocket O
attacks O
on O
northern O
Israel O
, O
killed O
175 O
people O
and O
injured O
350 O
others O
, O
mostly O
civilians O
, O
and O
also O
caused O
an O
estimated O
500 O
million O
dollars O
of O
damage O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
. O

A O
five O
- O
nation O
ceasefire O
monitoring O
committee O
set O
up O
under O
the O
terms O
of O
the O
April B-T
26 I-T
truce O
agreement O
ending O
the O
Israeli O
offensive O
has O
met O
14 O
times O
, O
and O
has O
received O
12 O
complaints O
from O
Lebanon O
and O
eight O
from O
Israel O
. O

Israel O
has O
occupied O
a O
" O
security O
zone O
" O
in O
south O
Lebanon O
since O
1985 B-T
to O
protect O
its O
northern O
border O
from O
attacks O
by O
anti O
- O
Israeli O
fighters O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0141 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Germany O
' O
s O
incoming O
FM O
rules O
out O
change O
in O
Iraq O
policy O

Germany O
will O
not O
change O
its O
Iraq O
policy O
under O
future O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
, O
designated O
Foreign O
Minister O
Frank O
- O
Walter O
Steinmeier O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
I O
believe O
there O
won O
' O
t O
be O
any O
fundamental O
changes O
, O
" O
Steinmeier O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
German O
public O
television O
broadcaster O
ARD O
. O

The O
grand O
coalition O
government O
of O
the O
Social O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
SPD O
) O
and O
the O
Christian O
Democratic O
Union O
and O
the O
Christian O
Social O
Union O
( O
CDU O
/ O
CSU O
) O
had O
agreed O
there O
would O
be O
no O
major O
changes O
on O
the O
Iraq O
policy O
, O
the O
future O
foreign O
minister O
said O
. O

Outgoing O
Chancellor O
Gerhard O
Schroeder O
has O
refused O
to O
send O
any O
troops O
to O
join O
the O
US O
force O
to O
Iraq O
before O
and O
after O
the O
Iraq O
war O
broke O
out O
in O
early B-T
2003 I-T
. O

Merkel O
, O
who O
is O
to O
be O
elected O
chancellor O
by O
parliament O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, O
has O
indicated O
she O
would O
repair O
special O
partnership O
with O
the O
United O
States O
, O
which O
had O
been O
impaired O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
over O
Iraq O
and O
other O
issues O
. O

Steinmeier O
told O
ARD O
that O
he O
would O
make O
some O
efforts O
to O
improve O
relations O
with O
the O
United O
States O
. O

" O
To O
do O
nothing O
would O
surely O
not O
be O
good O
advice O
, O
" O
said O
Steinmeier O
. O

However O
, O
Steinmeier O
ruled O
out O
any O
major O
changes O
in O
transatlantic O
ties O
. O

" O
People O
are O
intelligent O
enough O
and O
know O
enough O
on O
the O
other O
side O
of O
the O
Atlantic O
to O
see O
that O
we O
are O
pulling O
our O
weight O
in O
global O
engagement O
and O
responsibilities O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
future O
foreign O
minister O
noted O
that O
the O
transatlantic O
partnership O
and O
European O
integration O
are O
the O
two O
pillars O
of O
German O
foreign O
policy O
under O
the O
new O
government O
. O

Steinmeier O
, O
Schroeder O
' O
s O
close O
partner O
in O
the O
SPD O
, O
will O
be O
sworn O
in O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0358 O

RIO O
DE O
JANEIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japan O
make O
quarters O
in O
beach O
soccer O
World O
Cup O

Japan O
' O
s O
national O
beach O
soccer O
team O
became O
the O
second O
Group O
A O
team O
to O
qualify O
for O
the O
quarter O
- O
finals O
of O
the O
sport O
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
, O
held O
on O
Copacabana O
beach O
in O
Brazilian O
city O
Rio O
de O
Janeiro O
, O
though O
the O
team O
lost O
5 O
- O
8 O
to O
Poland O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Japan O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Poland O
are O
equal O
on O
points O
, O
each O
with O
one O
win O
and O
two O
losses O
. O
Japan O
scraped O
through O
on O
goal O
- O
difference O
. O

Japan O
, O
which O
qualified O
as O
second O
in O
Group O
A O
, O
will O
play O
France O
, O
the O
top O
team O
of O
Group O
B O
, O
in O
a O
repeat O
of O
one O
of O
the O
sport O
' O
s O
semi O
- O
final O
matches O
, O
which O
was O
held O
on O
the O
same O
beach O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970412 O
. O
0123 O

FREETOWN O
, O
April B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Liberian O
security O
officials O
seize O
navy O
craft O

Liberian O
security O
officials O
seized O
a O
craft O
belonging O
to O
the O
Sierra O
Leone O
Navy O
Friday B-T
after O
it O
was O
found O
to O
be O
carrying O
drugs O
, O
a O
Sierra O
Leone O
military O
spokesman O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
spokesman O
said O
seven O
baskets O
of O
marijuana O
were O
hidden O
in O
the O
hull O
of O
the O
vessel O
when O
it O
berthed O
in O
the O
Freeport O
of O
Monrovia O
. O

The O
vessel O
had O
travelled O
directly O
to O
Monrovia O
from O
Freetown O
carrying O
food O
and O
other O
logistics O
. O

A O
Sierra O
Leone O
naval O
officer O
is O
now B-T
in O
detention O
and O
being O
questioned O
by O
military O
police O
of O
the O
West O
African O
Peacekeeping O
Force O
( O
ECOMOG O
) O
. O
His O
name O
and O
rank O
have O
not O
been O
disclosed O
. O

The O
military O
spokesman O
here O
described O
the O
incident O
as O
a O
" O
major O
embarrassment O
" O
but O
he O
did O
not O
say O
what O
charges O
were O
likely O
to O
be O
brought O
against O
the O
detained O
officer O
. O

ECOMOG O
Field O
Commander O
Major O
- O
general O
Victor O
Malu O
quoted O
by O
Liberian O
radio O
said O
" O
this O
is O
not O
the O
first O
time O
that O
officers O
have O
betrayed O
the O
confidence O
" O
placed O
in O
them O
. O

The O
arrested O
officer O
, O
diplomatic O
sources O
said O
, O
claimed O
to O
have O
been O
given O
the O
baskets O
by O
a O
woman O
trader O
in O
Freetown O
who O
told O
him O
that O
the O
consignment O
was O
foofoo O
- O
a O
starchy O
but O
edible O
foodstuff O
made O
up O
of O
pounded O
cassava O
- O
to O
deliver O
to O
a O
friend O
in O
Monrovia O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0230 O

LHASA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
last O
guaranteed O
jobs O
axed O
, O
Tibetan O
graduates O
face O
market O

A O
university O
degree O
is O
no O
longer O
a O
passport O
to O
a O
steady O
job O
in O
Tibet O
, O
the O
last O
Chinese O
locality O
to O
axe O
guaranteed O
jobs O
for O
college O
graduates O
. O

Despite O
the O
impact O
on O
the O
students O
, O
experts O
say O
the O
move O
will O
ultimately O
improve O
personnel O
training O
in O
Tibet O
and O
adapt O
it O
to O
the O
needs O
of O
the O
local O
job O
market O
. O

About O
2 O
, O
730 O
three O
- O
year O
college O
graduates O
- O
- O
those O
who O
don O
' O
t O
get O
a O
bachelor O
' O
s O
degree O
upon O
graduation O
- O
- O
became O
the O
first O
group O
of O
Tibetan O
students O
to O
face O
the O
job O
market O
this B-T
summer I-T
, O
and O
about O
700 O
of O
them O
were O
still O
looking O
for O
work O
, O
Purbu O
Cering O
, O
an O
official O
with O
the O
regional O
education O
department O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

Guaranteed O
jobs O
for O
all O
Tibetan O
graduates O
will O
be O
phased O
out O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
new O
regulations O
issued O
by O
the O
regional O
government O
in O
May B-T
to O
break O
the O
" O
iron O
rice O
bowl O
" O
of O
jobs O
assigned O
by O
the O
government O
. O

Tibet O
staged O
its O
first O
ever O
recruitment O
fair O
for O
college O
students O
last B-T
week I-T
in O
Lhasa O
, O
with O
53 O
companies O
offering O
more O
than O
700 O
openings O
for O
sales O
representatives O
, O
secretaries O
, O
IT O
engineers O
, O
tour O
guides O
and O
hotel O
staff O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
hard O
to O
adapt O
to O
the O
changes O
, O
" O
said O
Tibetan O
University O
graduate O
Lhamo O
Cering O
as O
she O
passes O
around O
her O
CV O
. O

Lhamo O
Cering O
has O
failed O
to O
secure O
a O
job O
since O
her O
graduation O
four B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
. O
" O
I O
' O
ve O
got O
to O
learn O
to O
be O
more O
sociable O
. O
" O

But O
Soinam O
Toinzhub O
, O
a O
senior O
student O
, O
said O
he O
loves O
the O
changes O
because O
" O
instead O
of O
being O
assigned O
a O
job O
, O
students O
are O
given O
more O
opportunities O
" O
. O

The O
regional O
capital O
Lhasa O
has O
offered O
training O
to O
prepare O
the O
first O
- O
time O
job O
seekers O
for O
the O
competition O
, O
said O
Dang O
Feng O
, O
an O
official O
with O
the O
city O
' O
s O
labor O
and O
social O
security O
bureau O
. O

He O
said O
about O
356 O
graduates O
in O
Lhasa O
, O
about O
one O
third O
of O
this O
year O
' O
s O
total O
, O
are O
still O
looking O
for O
jobs O
. O

Employment O
was O
never O
an O
issue O
during O
the O
era O
of O
central O
planning O
, O
when O
only O
one O
percent O
of O
secondary O
students O
gained O
entry O
to O
university O
and O
the O
government O
assigned O
everyone O
a O
job O
. O

That O
system O
changed O
in O
1988 B-T
with O
the O
first O
graduate O
job O
fair O
at O
the O
Temple O
of O
Heaven O
in O
Beijing O
. O
The O
last O
guaranteed O
job O
was O
axed O
in O
most O
Chinese O
cities O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

Ministry O
of O
Education O
statistics O
show O
4 O
. O
13 O
million O
college O
students O
graduated O
this B-T
year I-T
, I-T
three I-T
quarters I-T
of O
a O
million O
more O
than O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
number O
of O
college O
graduates O
in O
2007 B-T
will O
be O
close O
to O
five O
million O
, O
about O
1 O
. O
24 O
million O
of O
whom O
will O
have O
no O
immediate O
job O
offers O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0198 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Africa O
may O
amend O
law O
to O
fight O
money O
laundering O
, O
terrorism O

The O
South O
African O
government O
may O
amend O
a O
financial O
intelligence O
law O
to O
give O
it O
more O
stringency O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
money O
laundering O
and O
the O
financing O
of O
international O
terrorism O
. O

The O
review O
of O
the O
Financial O
Intelligence O
Center O
Act O
( O
FICA O
) O
could O
enable O
the O
Financial O
Intelligence O
Center O
to O
have O
wider O
supervisory O
powers O
, O
Safety O
and O
Security O
Minister O
Charles O
Nqakula O
said O
at O
Parliament O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
South O
African O
media O
reported O
. O

The O
Financial O
Intelligence O
Center O
is O
an O
affiliate O
of O
the O
international O
Financial O
Action O
Task O
Force O
( O
FATF O
) O
, O
of O
which O
South O
Africa O
is O
currently O
holding O
the O
presidency O
. O

Since O
its O
inception O
in O
February B-T
2003 I-T
, O
the O
center O
had O
received O
33 O
, O
435 O
reports O
of O
suspicious O
financial O
transactions O
from O
reporting O
institutions O
, O
which O
included O
banks O
and O
other O
financial O
institutions O
, O
Nqakula O
said O
. O

Nqakula O
, O
also O
chairman O
of O
the O
justice O
, O
crime O
prevention O
and O
security O
( O
JCPS O
) O
cluster O
of O
ministries O
, O
said O
the O
review O
of O
the O
law O
would O
be O
part O
of O
the O
cluster O
' O
s O
attempts O
to O
strengthen O
counter O
- O
measures O
against O
money O
laundering O
and O
the O
funding O
of O
international O
terrorism O
, O
reported O
the O
SAPA O
news O
agency O
. O

The O
act O
currently O
provides O
for O
the O
reporting O
of O
" O
suspicious O
transactions O
" O
by O
financial O
and O
other O
institutions O
to O
the O
center O
for O
investigation O
. O

These O
suspicious O
acts O
include O
money O
transfers O
exceeding O
100 O
, O
000 O
rand O
( O
about O
15 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
) O
and O
the O
purchase O
of O
specialized O
goods O
including O
expensive O
cars O
. O

This O
information O
, O
however O
, O
may O
not O
be O
used O
as O
evidence O
in O
court O
, O
which O
Deputy O
Justice O
Minister O
Johnny O
de O
Langa O
said O
was O
rather O
pointless O
. O

" O
It O
is O
all O
good O
and O
well O
to O
let O
everyone O
report O
but O
if O
you O
don O
' O
t O
have O
the O
power O
to O
follow O
up O
, O
to O
check O
, O
to O
verify O
then O
it O
' O
s O
absolutely O
toothless O
, O
" O
he O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

He O
said O
the O
decision O
to O
extend O
the O
powers O
was O
still O
under O
debate O
but O
if O
the O
act O
was O
amended O
the O
center O
could O
become O
an O
effective O
tool O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
organized O
crime O
. O

In O
a O
drive O
to O
expand O
the O
intelligence O
gathering O
capabilities O
in O
Africa O
, O
South O
Africa O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
hosted O
a O
financial O
intelligence O
workshop O
attended O
by O
14 O
Eastern O
and O
Southern O
African O
countries O
, O
according O
to O
the O
government O
' O
s O
news O
service O
BuaNews O
. O

" O
It O
is O
our O
hope O
that O
the O
seed O
would O
have O
been O
planted O
during O
the O
sessions O
to O
build O
a O
solid O
foundation O
toward O
the O
establishment O
on O
the O
African O
continent O
of O
regimes O
to O
counter O
all O
financial O
transactions O
that O
relate O
to O
organized O
crime O
and O
terrorism O
, O
" O
Nqakula O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0021 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Astronomers O
claim O
spotting O
birth O
of O
tiniest O
solar O
system O

Using O
a O
combination O
of O
ground O
- O
based O
and O
orbiting O
telescopes O
, O
astronomers O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
they O
have O
discovered O
the O
possible O
birth O
of O
a O
tiny O
solar O
system O
around O
a O
failed O
star O
. O

The O
failed O
star O
, O
called O
brown O
dwarf O
by O
astronomers O
, O
is O
less O
than O
one O
- O
hundredth O
the O
mass O
of O
the O
Sun O
. O
It O
is O
the O
smallest O
known O
star O
- O
like O
object O
to O
harbor O
what O
appears O
to O
be O
a O
planet O
- O
forming O
disk O
of O
rocky O
and O
gaseous O
debris O
. O

The O
brown O
dwarf O
, O
Cha O
110913 O
- O
773444 O
, O
is O
located O
500 O
light O
years O
away O
in O
the O
constellation O
Chamaeleon O
. O
One O
day O
the O
debris O
around O
it O
could O
evolve O
into O
tiny O
planets O
and O
create O
a O
solar O
system O
in O
miniature O
, O
said O
a O
research O
team O
led O
by O
Kevin O
Luhman O
, O
an O
assistant O
professor O
at O
the O
Pennsylvania O
State O
University O
. O

The O
finding O
will O
appear O
in O
the O
Dec B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
issue O
of O
Astrophysical O
Journal O
Letters O
. O

" O
The O
similarity O
in O
the O
disk O
fractions O
of O
stars O
and O
brown O
dwarfs O
is O
consistent O
with O
a O
common O
formation O
mechanism O
and O
indicates O
that O
the O
raw O
materials O
for O
planet O
formation O
are O
available O
around O
brown O
dwarfs O
as O
often O
as O
around O
stars O
, O
" O
the O
researchers O
said O
in O
the O
paper O
. O

The O
fact O
that O
a O
brown O
dwarf O
this O
small O
could O
be O
in O
the O
midst O
of O
creating O
a O
solar O
system O
challenges O
the O
very O
definition O
of O
star O
, O
planet O
, O
moon O
and O
solar O
system O
. O

" O
Our O
goal O
is O
to O
determine O
the O
smallest O
' O
sun O
' O
with O
evidence O
for O
planet O
formation O
, O
" O
said O
Luhman O
. O

" O
Here O
we O
have O
a O
sun O
that O
is O
so O
small O
it O
is O
the O
size O
of O
a O
planet O
. O
The O
question O
then O
becomes O
, O
what O
do O
we O
call O
any O
little O
bodies O
that O
might O
be O
born O
from O
this O
disk O
: O
planets O
or O
moons O
? O
" O

If O
this O
protoplanetary O
disk O
does O
form O
into O
planets O
, O
the O
whole O
system O
would O
be O
a O
miniaturized O
version O
of O
our O
solar O
system O
- O
- O
with O
the O
central O
" O
sun O
, O
" O
the O
planets O
, O
and O
their O
orbits O
all O
roughly O
100 O
times O
smaller O
, O
he O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
team O
detected O
the O
brown O
dwarf O
with O
NASA O
' O
s O
Spitzer O
Space O
Telescope O
, O
the O
Hubble O
Space O
Telescope O
, O
and O
two O
telescopes O
in O
the O
Chilean O
Andes O
, O
the O
Blanco O
telescope O
of O
the O
Cerro O
Tololo O
Inter O
- O
American O
Observatory O
and O
the O
Gemini O
South O
telescope O
. O

" O
There O
are O
two O
camps O
when O
it O
comes O
to O
defining O
planets O
versus O
brown O
dwarfs O
, O
" O
said O
team O
member O
Giovanni O
Fazio O
of O
the O
Harvard O
- O
Smithsonian O
Center O
for O
Astrophysics O
. O

" O
Some O
go O
by O
size O
, O
and O
others O
go O
by O
how O
the O
object O
formed O
. O
For O
instance O
, O
this O
new O
object O
would O
be O
called O
a O
planet O
based O
on O
its O
size O
, O
but O
a O
brown O
dwarf O
based O
on O
how O
it O
formed O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0118 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zimbabwe O
to O
participate O
at O
travel O
showcases O
in O
China O

The O
Zimbabwe O
Tourism O
Authority O
( O
ZTA O
) O
will O
participate O
in O
two O
major O
international O
events O
this B-T
month I-T
as O
part O
of O
its O
continuous O
efforts O
to O
market O
the O
country O
as O
a O
prime O
tourist O
destination O
and O
revive O
the O
fortunes O
of O
the O
flagging O
tourism O
sector O
, O
an O
official O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

ZTA O
marketing O
and O
communications O
director O
, O
Givemore O
Chidzidzi O
said O
they O
would O
be O
participating O
at O
the O
World O
Travel O
Market O
( O
WTM O
) O
in O
London O
from O
November B-T
14 I-T
to O
17 O
and O
at O
the O
China O
International O
Travel O
Market O
( O
CITM O
) O
in O
southwestern O
city O
Kunming O
from O
24 B-T
to I-T
27 I-T
of I-T
this I-T
month I-T
. O

" O
We O
have O
at O
least O
15 O
companies O
that O
will O
participate O
on O
the O
Zimbabwean O
stand O
at O
the O
WTM O
and O
we O
will O
also O
be O
seeking O
to O
consolidate O
our O
presence O
at O
the O
mega O
show O
in O
China O
, O
" O
Chidzidzi O
said O
. O

He O
said O
Zimbabwe O
would O
have O
to O
be O
more O
aggressive O
and O
tactful O
in O
its O
marketing O
campaign O
in O
China O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
more O
competitors O
coming O
on O
stream O
from O
Europe O
, O
which O
has O
been O
recently O
granted O
an O
Approved O
Destinations O
Status O
( O
ADS O
) O
by O
the O
Asian O
country O
. O

" O
We O
have O
to O
be O
more O
aggressive O
now B-T
because O
tourists O
from O
China O
are O
simply O
not O
going O
to O
come O
because O
we O
have O
the O
ADS O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Zimbabwe O
was O
granted O
the O
ADS O
by O
China O
in O
2003 B-T
to O
become O
one O
of O
the O
eight O
African O
countries O
that O
the O
Chinese O
government O
approves O
for O
its O
citizens O
to O
travel O
to O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Chidzidzi O
said O
the O
delegation O
to O
Kunming O
would O
travel O
to O
Guangzhou O
, O
Beijing O
and O
Shanghai O
after O
the O
CITM O
to O
conduct O
sales O
calls O
with O
their O
Chinese O
counterparts O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
the O
delegates O
held O
a O
workshop O
in O
Shanghai O
during O
which O
they O
met O
and O
discussed O
business O
with O
Chinese O
tour O
operators O
. O

Chidzidzi O
said O
they O
would O
also O
take O
the O
opportunity O
presented O
by O
the O
CITM O
to O
make O
a O
follow O
up O
on O
the O
31 O
Chinese O
buyers O
who O
participated O
at O
the O
2005 O
Zimbabwe O
Travel O
Expo O
held O
in O
Harare O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0244 O

ABUJA O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
GRAPHIC O
+ O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

OPEC O
members O
meeting O
in O
Nigeria O
this B-T
week I-T
decided O
to O
restrict O
their O
output O
but O
expand O
their O
club O
, O
sending O
strong O
signals O
that O
the O
cartel O
is O
targeting O
high O
prices O
and O
a O
tighter O
grip O
on O
world O
oil O
resources O
. O

At O
a O
gathering O
in O
Abuja O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
ministers O
from O
the O
11 O
member O
countries O
opted O
to O
cut O
their O
production O
by O
another O
500 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
from O
February O
and O
accepted O
African O
producer O
Angola O
as O
a O
new O
member O
from O
January B-T
1 I-T
. O

The O
first O
decision O
sent O
oil O
prices O
immediately O
higher O
; O
the O
second O
portends O
further O
expansion O
, O
with O
the O
admission O
of O
another O
African O
producer O
, O
Sudan O
, O
possible O
in O
March B-T
. O

Despite O
protestations O
from O
the O
Saudi O
Arabian O
Oil O
Minister O
Ali O
al O
- O
Nuaimi O
that O
the O
cartel O
was O
not O
targeting O
prices O
, O
analysts O
were O
united O
in O
their O
opinion O
that O
OPEC O
members O
had O
lined O
up O
to O
defend O
60 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
. O

At O
this O
level O
, O
oil O
prices O
are O
about O
three O
times O
higher O
than O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
but O
OPEC O
appears O
confident O
that O
the O
world O
economy O
will O
continue O
to O
grow O
and O
inflationary O
pressures O
stay O
contained O
. O

" O
They O
' O
ve O
drawn O
a O
line O
in O
the O
sand O
at O
60 O
dollars O
, O
" O
said O
an O
analyst O
at O
investment O
bank O
Investec O
, O
Bruce O
Evers O
. O

The O
decision O
to O
cut O
output O
was O
driven O
by O
fears O
of O
oversupply O
, O
mainly O
because O
of O
forecasts O
of O
higher O
non O
- O
OPEC O
production O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
slowing O
economic O
growth O
and O
mild O
start O
to O
winter O
in O
the O
northern O
hemisphere O
. O

Furthermore O
, O
the O
impetus O
for O
higher O
oil O
prices O
in O
recent O
times O
has O
come O
from O
low O
spare O
capacity O
- O
- O
the O
safety O
cushion O
in O
the O
world O
oil O
system O
- O
- O
and O
geopolitical O
tensions O
. O
The O
impact O
of O
both O
has O
lessened O
in O
recent O
times O
and O
inventories O
have O
built O
up O
. O

Some O
ministers O
also O
expressed O
concern O
about O
the O
weakening O
dollar O
, O
which O
reduces O
their O
revenues O
from O
oil O
exports O
. O

The O
inclusion O
of O
Angola O
is O
the O
first O
time O
the O
group O
has O
expanded O
since O
Gabon O
joined O
in O
1975 B-T
. O

The O
move O
brings O
in O
a O
fourth O
African O
member O
- O
- O
Gabon O
has O
left O
but O
Algeria O
, O
Libya O
and O
Nigeria O
remain O
- O
- O
and O
binds O
a O
country O
with O
fast O
- O
growing O
production O
to O
the O
OPEC O
production O
system O
. O

OPEC O
members O
regulate O
their O
oil O
exports O
and O
are O
assigned O
production O
limits O
under O
the O
quota O
system O
at O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
organisation O
. O

Angola O
, O
a O
former O
Portuguese O
colony O
gripped O
by O
civil O
war O
for O
27 B-T
years I-T
until O
2002 B-T
, O
currently O
produces O
1 O
. O
4 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
( O
bpd O
) O
and O
intends O
to O
increase O
this O
to O
2 O
. O
0 O
million O
bpd O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

" O
Angola O
has O
vast O
resources O
which O
have O
only O
recently O
started O
to O
materialise O
, O
" O
commented O
John O
Hall O
of O
energy O
consultancy O
John O
Hall O
Associates O
. O

The O
admission O
of O
the O
country O
increases O
OPEC O
' O
s O
total O
production O
to O
32 O
million O
bpd O
, O
including O
Iraqi O
production O
which O
is O
excluded O
from O
the O
quota O
system O
. O

The O
cartel O
, O
whose O
members O
have O
75 O
percent O
of O
proven O
oil O
reserves O
worldwide O
, O
will O
have O
an O
increased O
share O
of O
the O
world O
oil O
market O
of O
about O
40 O
percent O
. O

An O
OPEC O
spokesman O
suggested O
Thursday B-T
that O
Sudan O
could O
join O
in O
March B-T
as O
a O
13th O
member O
after O
approval O
from O
new O
president O
Omar O
al O
Bashir O
, O
while O
a O
membership O
bid O
by O
South O
American O
producer O
Ecuador O
must O
clear O
similar O
political O
obstacles O
. O

" O
Both O
Angola O
and O
Sudan O
feel O
that O
OPEC O
membership O
will O
give O
additional O
political O
benefit O
and O
protection O
, O
while O
for O
Ecuador O
there O
has O
to O
be O
an O
additional O
motive O
, O
" O
said O
John O
Hall O
. O

" O
With O
the O
administration O
( O
in O
Ecuador O
) O
somewhat O
under O
the O
influence O
of O
President O
Chavez O
of O
Venezuela O
we O
can O
surely O
expect O
some O
more O
anti O
- O
US O
behaviour O
from O
yet O
another O
OPEC O
member O
. O
" O

Another O
leftist O
South O
American O
nation O
, O
Bolivia O
, O
has O
also O
expressed O
a O
desire O
to O
join O
OPEC O
despite O
its O
modest O
oil O
production O
of O
40 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
. O

The O
short O
- O
term O
outlook O
in O
terms O
of O
OPEC O
' O
s O
influence O
on O
oil O
prices O
is O
likely O
to O
depend O
on O
the O
discipline O
of O
the O
cartel O
and O
the O
actual O
reduction O
of O
supplies O
to O
the O
market O
. O

The O
cartel O
decided O
in O
October B-T
to O
reduce O
its O
output O
by O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
bpd O
from O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
November I-T
, O
but O
analysts O
believe O
the O
real O
reduction O
has O
been O
only O
500 O
, O
000 O
- O
800 O
, O
000 O
bpd O
because O
of O
cheating O
by O
some O
members O
. O

The O
cut O
of O
500 O
, O
000 O
bpd O
in O
February B-T
would O
reduce O
the O
output O
from O
OPEC O
members O
, O
excluding O
Iraq O
and O
Angola O
, O
to O
25 O
. O
8 O
million O
bpd O
in O
principle O
. O

Some O
analysts O
expressed O
concern O
that O
any O
reduction O
in O
supplies O
could O
send O
prices O
higher O
in O
the O
months O
ahead O
, O
the O
peak O
time O
for O
oil O
demand O
because O
of O
the O
northern O
hemisphere O
winter O
. O

" O
We O
view O
OPEC O
' O
s O
decision O
as O
putting O
further O
pressure O
on O
a O
market O
which O
looks O
already O
tightly O
stretched O
, O
" O
said O
London O
- O
based O
analysts O
at O
Barclays O
Capital O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0380 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Slaughterhouses O
to O
be O
moved O
out O
of O
Bangkok O
: O
report O

Slaughterhouses O
will O
be O
moved O
out O
of O
the O
Thai O
capital O
to O
prevent O
possible O
spread O
of O
bird O
flu O
from O
poultry O
to O
people O
, O
local O
press O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

After O
inspecting O
abattoirs O
and O
stalls O
selling O
poultry O
meat O
in O
the O
Yaowarat O
area O
, O
Bangkok O
' O
s O
Chinatown O
, O
Tuesday B-T
, O
Thai O
Public O
Health O
Minister O
Phinij O
Jarusombat O
said O
slaughterhouses O
are O
major O
sources O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
virus O
and O
pose O
a O
grave O
risk O
for O
both O
area O
residents O
and O
passers O
- O
by O
. O

" O
Unhygienic O
slaughtering O
practices O
are O
the O
prime O
cause O
of O
human O
infections O
by O
the O
H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
virus O
as O
slaughters O
, O
poultry O
sellers O
and O
buyers O
are O
all O
in O
close O
contact O
with O
the O
birds O
, O
" O
he O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
Bangkok O
Post O
as O
saying O
. O

Among O
57 O
poultry O
slaughterhouses O
in O
Bangkok O
, O
19 O
are O
in O
Wattana O
district O
where O
traders O
are O
in O
direct O
contact O
with O
chickens O
without O
wearing O
any O
protective O
gear O
such O
as O
gloves O
and O
gowns O
. O

As O
part O
of O
the O
national O
bird O
flu O
prevention O
scheme O
, O
the O
ministry O
plans O
to O
set O
up O
poultry O
slaughterhouses O
on O
the O
outskirts O
of O
Bangkok O
and O
placing O
them O
under O
strict O
sanitary O
control O
. O

The O
traditional O
practice O
of O
buying O
freshly O
killed O
poultry O
for O
cooking O
will O
also O
be O
banned O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
avert O
the O
transmission O
of O
bird O
flu O
virus O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
Public O
Health O
Ministry O
and O
other O
agencies O
, O
including O
the O
Livestock O
Development O
Department O
and O
the O
Bangkok O
Metropolitan O
Administration O
, O
will O
join O
hands O
to O
draft O
a O
plan O
to O
control O
all O
slaughterhouses O
in O
the O
capital O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
, O
said O
Phinij O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0481 O

WELLINGTON O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Iran O
recalls O
ambassador O
to O
New O
Zealand O

Iran O
recalled O
its O
ambassador O
to O
New O
Zealand O
Monday B-T
, O
following O
New O
Zealand O
' O
s O
temporary O
recall O
of O
its O
ambassador O
to O
Tehran O
at O
the O
weekend O
in O
response O
to O
a O
German O
court O
ruling O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0135 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Malaysia O
stock O
market O
ends O
higher O

The O
key O
indices O
of O
the O
Malaysia O
stock O
market O
closed O
higher O
on O
Tuesday B-T
over O
stronger O
regional O
markets O
and O
foreign O
buying O
interests O
in O
selected O
heavyweights O
. O

The O
benchmark O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
Composite O
Index O
( O
KLCI O
) O
rose O
9 O
. O
98 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
003 O
. O
28 O
points O
after O
opening O
at O
993 O
. O
68 O
. O

The O
Second O
Board O
Index O
increased O
by O
1 O
. O
10 O
points O
to O
87 O
. O
77 O
, O
the O
Industrial O
Index O
edged O
up O
12 O
. O
77 O
points O
to O
2 O
, O
096 O
. O
23 O
, O
and O
Mesdaq O
rose O
2 O
. O
06 O
points O
to O
115 O
. O
79 O
. O

The O
Emas O
gained O
54 O
. O
62 O
points O
to O
6 O
, O
525 O
. O
33 O
. O

Losers O
led O
gainers O
by O
675 O
to O
172 O
, O
with O
other O
259 O
counters O
unchanged O
, O
275 O
untraded O
and O
26 O
counters O
suspended O
. O

Volume O
stood O
at O
875 O
. O
15 O
million O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
22 O
billion O
ringgit O
( O
330 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0029 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
, O
UPDATES O
, O
Asian O
currencies O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
dollar O
rebounded O
from O
20 O
- O
month O
lows O
against O
the O
euro O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
as O
investors O
bought O
back O
the O
US O
currency O
following O
its O
recent O
losses O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
euro O
fell O
to O
1 O
. O
3316 O
dollars O
from O
1 O
. O
3337 O
in O
New O
York O
Friday B-T
when O
it O
charted O
its O
highest O
levels O
since O
March B-T
2005 I-T
. O

The O
dollar O
rose O
to O
115 O
. O
72 O
yen O
from O
115 O
. O
43 O
yen O
. O
The O
euro O
slipped O
to O
153 O
. O
89 O
yen O
from O
an O
all O
- O
time O
high O
of O
154 O
. O
11 O
in O
New O
York O
. O

The O
dollar O
had O
taken O
another O
beating O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
after O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
surprisingly O
weak O
US O
manufacturing O
data O
further O
jolted O
confidence O
in O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
economy O
. O

" O
But O
players O
bought O
back O
the O
dollar O
in O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
as O
they O
were O
concerned O
about O
a O
fast O
, O
continued O
decline O
, O
" O
said O
Nobuo O
Kihara O
, O
a O
dealer O
at O
BNP O
Paribas O
. O

" O
However O
, O
dollar O
- O
selling O
momentum O
has O
yet O
to O
be O
erased O
, O
" O
Kihara O
said O
. O
" O
There O
is O
no O
guarantee O
that O
the O
day O
' O
s O
gains O
against O
the O
euro O
or O
the O
yen O
will O
lead O
to O
a O
stable O
rebound O
. O
" O

The O
European O
Central O
Bank O
is O
widely O
expected O
later O
this B-T
week I-T
to O
hike O
interest O
rates O
, O
giving O
further O
support O
to O
the O
single O
unit O
, O
while O
many O
here O
predict O
a O
rise O
in O
Japanese O
borrowing O
costs O
by O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Friday B-T
' O
s O
fall O
in O
the O
dollar O
was O
triggered O
by O
the O
Institute O
for O
Supply O
Management O
' O
s O
index O
of O
US O
manufacturing O
activity O
, O
which O
dropped O
to O
49 O
. O
50 O
from O
51 O
. O
2 O
in O
October B-T
, O
falling O
below O
the O
50 B-T
mark O
to O
indicate O
a O
contraction O
in O
the O
sector O
for O
the O
first O
time O
since O
April B-T
2003 I-T
. O

Pundits O
said O
the O
fall O
could O
end O
all O
remaining O
talk O
of O
further O
interest O
rate O
hikes O
from O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
. O

Looking O
ahead O
, O
the O
market O
is O
now B-T
keenly O
awaiting O
US O
jobs O
data O
due O
later O
this B-T
week I-T
and O
a O
news O
conference O
by O
the O
European O
Central O
Bank O
governor O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

Markets O
are O
also O
braced O
for O
the O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
to O
raise O
interest O
rates O
to O
0 O
. O
50 O
percent O
going O
into O
early B-T
2007 I-T
, O
the O
first O
rate O
hike O
since O
July B-T
when O
it O
ended O
five B-T
years I-T
of O
zero O
interest O
. O

Participants O
are O
also O
on O
alert O
for O
Japan O
' O
s O
revised O
third O
- O
quarter O
growth O
estimate O
and O
the O
central O
bank O
' O
s O
Tankan O
quarterly O
business O
confidence O
survey O
due O
later O
this B-T
month I-T
for O
fresh O
guidance O
on O
the O
interest O
rate O
outlook O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
dollar O
was O
mixed O
against O
Asian O
currencies O
. O
It O
slipped O
to O
1 O
. O
5425 O
Singapore O
dollars O
from O
1 O
. O
5427 O
late O
Friday B-T
and O
to O
927 O
. O
65 O
South O
Korean O
won O
from O
928 O
. O
70 O
. O

The O
dollar O
rose O
to O
49 O
. O
650 O
Philippine O
pesos O
from O
49 O
. O
470 O
, O
to O
32 O
. O
349 O
Taiwan O
dollars O
from O
32 O
. O
270 O
, O
to O
35 O
. O
915 O
Thai O
baht O
from O
35 O
. O
730 O
and O
to O
9 O
, O
162 O
. O
5 O
Indonesian O
rupiah O
from O
9 O
, O
140 O
. O
0 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0194 O

ABUJA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Leaders O
to O
discuss O
Darfur O
crisis O
at O
Afro O
- O
South O
American O
Summit O

African O
Heads O
of O
State O
and O
Government O
attending O
the O
First O
Africa O
- O
South O
America O
Summit O
will O
discuss O
the O
Darfur O
crisis O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
summit O
timetable O
issued O
here O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
timetable O
of O
the O
five O
- O
day O
summit O
, O
which O
kicked O
off O
here O
on O
Sunday B-T
in O
the O
Nigeria O
capital O
Abuja O
with O
pre O
- O
summit O
technical O
meeting O
of O
officials O
, O
shows O
that O
Darfur O
crisis O
will O
engage O
the O
African O
leaders O
when O
their O
visiting O
colleagues O
from O
South O
America O
will O
have O
left O
. O

Some O
53 O
African O
countries O
and O
12 O
South O
American O
countries O
are O
expected O
to O
attend O
the O
conference O
. O

The O
timetable O
also O
indicates O
that O
ministers O
of O
foreign O
affairs O
of O
the O
countries O
will O
meet O
on O
Monday B-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
, O
and O
the O
heads O
of O
state O
will O
arrive O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Special O
group O
meetings O
of O
NGOs O
and O
civil O
society O
organizations O
will O
feature O
before O
the O
summit O
of O
heads O
of O
state O
and O
governments O
. O

The O
summit O
would O
largely O
discuss O
workable O
areas O
of O
cooperation O
and O
understanding O
that O
would O
facilitate O
genuine O
strategic O
development O
in O
the O
two O
regions O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0085 O

SIEM O
REAP O
, O
Cambodia O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
CPC O
delegation O
visits O
Cambodia O

A O
delegation O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
headed O
by O
Liu O
Yunshan O
, O
member O
of O
the O
Political O
Bureau O
of O
the O
CPC O
Central O
Committee O
, O
arrived O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
for O
a O
five O
- O
day O
official O
goodwill O
visit O
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
the O
Cambodian O
People O
' O
s O
Party O
( O
CPP O
) O
and O
the O
royalist O
FUNCINPEC O
party O
. O

Liu O
and O
the O
delegation O
were O
greeted O
at O
the O
Siem O
Reap O
International O
Airport O
by O
senior O
leaders O
of O
the O
CPP O
and O
the O
FUNCINPEC O
, O
including O
CPP O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Say O
Chhum O
and O
Vice O
- O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
FUNCINPEC O
party O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Prince O
Norodom O
Sirivudh O
. O

During O
his O
stay O
in O
Cambodia O
, O
Liu O
is O
scheduled O
to O
meet O
with O
King O
Norodom O
Sihamoni O
; O
Chea O
Sim O
, O
Senate O
president O
and O
the O
CPP O
' O
s O
chairman O
; O
Prince O
Norodom O
Ranariddh O
, O
National O
Assembly O
president O
and O
president O
of O
the O
FUNCINPEC O
; O
and O
Hun O
Sen O
, O
prime O
minister O
and O
vice O
- O
chairman O
of O
the O
CPP O
, O
according O
to O
officials O
of O
the O
Chinese O
Embassy O
here O
. O

Siem O
Reap O
, O
more O
than O
300 O
km O
north O
of O
capital O
Phnom O
Penh O
, O
is O
home O
of O
the O
world O
famous O
Angkor O
Wat O
temples O
. O

The O
delegation O
arrived O
here O
from O
Thailand O
after O
ending O
a O
four O
- O
day O
visit O
there O
as O
guest O
of O
the O
ruling O
Thai O
Rak O
Thai O
Party O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0392 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bush O
' O
s O
adviser O
expresses O
doubts O
about O
Iraqi O
PM O

U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
' O
s O
national O
security O
adviser O
Stephen O
Hadley O
has O
expressed O
serious O
doubts O
about O
Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
Malik O
' O
s O
capacity O
to O
control O
sectarian O
violence O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
country O
, O
the O
New O
York O
Times O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

In O
his O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
memorandum O
prepared O
for O
Bush O
, O
Hadley O
recommended O
that O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
take O
new O
steps O
to O
strengthen O
the O
Iraqi O
leader O
' O
s O
position O
. O

" O
His O
( O
Maliki O
) O
intentions O
seem O
good O
when O
he O
talks O
with O
Americans O
. O
. O
. O
But O
the O
reality O
on O
the O
streets O
of O
Baghdad O
suggest O
Maliki O
is O
either O
ignorant O
of O
what O
is O
going O
on O
, O
misrepresenting O
his O
intentions O
, O
or O
that O
his O
capabilities O
are O
not O
yet O
sufficient O
to O
turn O
his O
good O
intentions O
into O
action O
, O
" O
the O
memo O
said O
. O

Hadley O
suggests O
that O
if O
Maliki O
fails O
to O
carry O
out O
series O
of O
specified O
steps O
, O
it O
may O
ultimately O
be O
necessary O
to O
press O
him O
to O
reconfigure O
his O
parliamentary O
bloc O
, O
a O
step O
Washington O
could O
support O
by O
providing O
" O
monetary O
support O
to O
moderate O
groups O
, O
" O
and O
by O
sending O
thousands O
of O
additional O
U O
. O
S O
. O
troops O
to O
Baghdad O
to O
make O
up O
for O
what O
the O
document O
suggests O
is O
a O
current O
shortage O
of O
Iraqi O
forces O
. O

The O
White O
House O
has O
sought O
to O
avoid O
public O
criticism O
of O
Maliki O
, O
who O
is O
due O
to O
meet O
Bush O
in O
Jordan O
later B-T
Wednesday I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0004 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

O O
' O
Neal O
to O
undergo O
left O
knee O
surgery O

Shaquille O
O O
' O
Neal O
will O
undergo O
knee O
surgery O
and O
be O
out O
of O
the O
Miami O
Heat O
lineup O
for O
four B-T
to I-T
six I-T
weeks I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
NBA O
club O
from O
Miami O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
thirteen O
- O
time O
NBA O
All O
- O
Star O
O O
' O
Neal O
, O
who O
has O
no O
date O
been O
set O
for O
the O
operation O
, O
has O
struggled O
to O
stay O
on O
the O
court O
in O
recent O
campaigns O
. O
He O
has O
missed O
four O
of O
Miami O
' O
s O
first O
eight O
contests O
this B-T
season I-T
with O
a O
bruised O
left O
knee O
. O

Team O
medical O
personnel O
determined O
that O
it O
was O
more O
than O
a O
bruise O
and O
recommended O
surgery O
after O
an O
MRI O
revealled O
torn O
cartilage O
. O

O O
' O
Neal O
suffered O
the O
injury O
when O
he O
collided O
with O
Houston O
Rockets O
forward O
Chuck O
Hayes O
in O
a O
November B-T
12 I-T
game O
. O

Last B-T
season I-T
, O
O O
' O
Neal O
missed O
23 O
games O
with O
an O
assortment O
of O
injuries O
but O
returned O
to O
help O
lead O
Miami O
to O
its O
first O
NBA O
title O
. O

The O
former O
MVP O
is O
averaging O
14 O
. O
0 O
points O
, O
7 O
. O
5 O
rebounds O
, O
1 O
. O
3 O
assists O
and O
1 O
. O
0 O
block O
in O
30 B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
minutes I-T
per O
game O
this B-T
season I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0207 O

OKINAWA O
, O
Japan O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Miyazato O
misses O
cut O
in O
debut O
against O
men O

Japanese O
women O
' O
s O
sensation O
Ai O
Miyazato O
missed O
the O
cut O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Japan O
- O
Okinawa O
Open O
on O
Friday B-T
in O
a O
disappointing O
end O
to O
her O
debut O
tournament O
against O
the O
men O
. O

Miyazato O
, O
whose O
brother O
shared O
the O
halfway O
lead O
in O
the O
830 O
, O
000 O
- O
dollar O
Asian O
and O
Japanese O
- O
sanctioned O
event O
, O
slumped O
to O
a O
second O
- O
round O
78 O
to O
be O
16 O
over O
for O
two O
rounds O
. O

Defending O
champion O
Kiyoshi O
Miyazato O
fired O
a O
67 O
at O
the O
par O
- O
71 O
Naha O
Golf O
Club O
for O
a O
share O
of O
the O
lead O
along O
with O
countrymen O
Yasuharu O
Imano O
and O
Kaname O
Yokoo O
on O
seven B-T
- I-T
under I-T
- I-T
par I-T
135 I-T
. O

Ai O
Miyazato O
, O
the O
first O
Japanese O
woman O
to O
play O
in O
a O
men O
' O
s O
tournament O
, O
got O
off O
to O
a O
disastrous O
start O
with O
a O
triple O
bogey O
at O
the O
par O
- O
four O
first O
. O

The O
20 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
World O
Cup O
- O
winner O
had O
a O
rollercoaster O
run O
with O
birdies O
on O
the O
second O
, O
bogey O
on O
the O
third O
and O
birdie O
again O
on O
the O
fourth O
. O

But O
she O
double O
- O
bogeyed O
the O
par O
- O
three O
eighth O
hole O
and O
dropped O
another O
shot O
on O
nine O
. O
She O
birdied O
10 O
and O
15 B-T
but O
bogeyed O
four O
of O
the O
last O
five O
in O
a O
demoralising O
finish O
. O

Meanwhile O
Kiyoshi O
Miyazato O
fired O
five O
birdies O
against O
a O
lone O
bogey O
to O
tie O
with O
Imano O
and O
Yokoo O
, O
who O
shot O
a O
64 B-T
and O
70 B-T
respectively O
. O

Miyazato O
had O
birdies O
on O
the O
par O
- O
four O
third O
and O
par O
- O
three O
fifth O
, O
dropping O
a O
shot O
on O
seven O
but O
enjoyed O
a O
blemish O
- O
free O
back O
nine O
with O
birdies O
on O
11 B-T
, O
12 B-T
and O
15 B-T
. O

" O
I O
was O
fully O
focused O
and O
gave O
it O
my O
best O
as O
I O
was O
desperate O
to O
score O
well O
today B-T
which O
I O
did O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
I O
had O
a O
good O
day O
as O
I O
was O
able O
to O
gauge O
the O
wind O
and O
struck O
the O
ball O
consistently O
well O
. O

Imano O
, O
who O
finished O
second O
in O
the O
recent O
Japan O
Golf O
Tour O
Money O
list O
with O
two O
victories O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
was O
blemish O
- O
free O
as O
he O
nailed O
seven O
birdies O
on O
the O
card O
to O
charge O
into O
contention O
. O

Newly O
crowned O
Asian O
Tour O
Order O
of O
Merit O
winner O
Thaworn O
Wiratchant O
of O
Thailand O
fired O
a O
fine O
67 O
for O
a O
136 O
total O
and O
shared O
fourth O
place O
with O
local O
hope O
Ryuichi O
Oda O
and O
Australias O
Chris O
Campbell O
. O

The O
Okinawa O
Open O
is O
the O
opening O
leg O
for O
the O
2006 O
season O
for O
the O
Asian O
Tour O
and O
Japan O
Golf O
Tour O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0067 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

( O
China O
- O
Africa O
) O
Sudanese O
President O
visits O
S O
. O
China O
province O

Sudanese O
President O
Omer O
Hassan O
Ahmed O
El O
- O
Bashir O
arrived O
Monday B-T
at O
Sanya O
, O
a O
scenic O
city O
in O
China O
' O
s O
southernmost O
Hainan O
Province O
, O
in O
an O
effort O
to O
facilitate O
Sudan O
- O
China O
cooperation O
. O

Wei O
Liucheng O
, O
governor O
of O
Hainan O
Province O
, O
briefed O
the O
president O
in O
a O
meeting O
on O
the O
development O
of O
the O
tropical O
agriculture O
, O
tourism O
and O
oceanic O
oil O
resources O
exploration O
, O
and O
expressed O
his O
hope O
to O
enhance O
trade O
and O
economic O
cooperation O
with O
Sudan O
. O

El O
- O
Bashir O
said O
China O
has O
already O
been O
a O
leading O
partner O
of O
Sudan O
in O
foreign O
trade O
and O
petroleum O
cooperation O
, O
but O
large O
room O
still O
exists O
for O
further O
cooperation O
. O

In O
another O
development O
, O
Liberian O
President O
Ellen O
Johnson O
Sirleaf O
visited O
Shenyang O
, O
an O
old O
industrial O
base O
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Liaoning O
Province O
, O
to O
inspect O
local O
industries O
, O
especially O
processing O
, O
natural O
resources O
, O
communication O
and O
agriculture O
. O

The O
two O
presidents O
attended O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
which O
closed O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0457 O

CRAWFORD O
, O
Texas O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
United O
States O
warned O
Iran O
Wednesday B-T
against O
heading O
into O
a O
" O
downward O
spiral O
" O
of O
non O
- O
cooperation O
with O
the O
UN O
nuclear O
watchdog O
IAEA O
after O
Tehran O
' O
s O
parliament O
authorized O
the O
government O
to O
limit O
the O
agency O
' O
s O
access O
to O
its O
atomic O
sites O
. O

A O
White O
House O
spokesman O
, O
Scott O
Stanzel O
, O
urged O
the O
Islamic O
Republic O
to O
" O
immediately O
" O
conform O
to O
the O
demands O
of O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
to O
suspend O
its O
enrichment O
of O
uranium O
, O
a O
practice O
many O
fear O
is O
a O
cover O
for O
developing O
nuclear O
weapons O
. O

" O
Iran O
has O
long O
been O
in O
non O
- O
compliance O
with O
its O
Non O
- O
Proliferation O
Treaty O
and O
required O
IAEA O
safeguard O
agreements O
, O
" O
Stanzel O
said O
in O
Crawford O
, O
Texas O
, O
where O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
was O
spending O
the O
end O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

Further O
non O
- O
compliance O
by O
Iran O
" O
will O
worsen O
its O
situation O
in O
the O
eyes O
of O
the O
world O
" O
and O
generate O
further O
reports O
of O
non O
- O
compliance O
from O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
It O
is O
hard O
to O
see O
how O
such O
a O
downward O
spiral O
is O
in O
the O
interest O
of O
the O
Iranian O
people O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
, O
therefore O
, O
that O
the O
Iranian O
regime O
will O
set O
aside O
threats O
and O
confrontation O
and O
will O
begin O
immediately O
to O
cooperate O
with O
all O
the O
requirements O
of O
the O
Security O
Council O
. O
" O

The O
spokesman O
' O
s O
comments O
echoed O
an O
earlier O
statement O
by O
the O
State O
Department O
. O

" O
We O
assume O
further O
reductions O
in O
Iran O
' O
s O
already O
insufficient O
cooperation O
would O
likely O
lead O
to O
additional O
IAEA O
reports O
of O
additional O
Iranian O
non O
- O
compliance O
, O
" O
spokesman O
Gonzalo O
Gallegos O
said O
. O

Earlier O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Iran O
' O
s O
parliament O
approved O
a O
bill O
obliging O
the O
government O
to O
" O
revise O
its O
cooperation O
" O
with O
the O
UN O
nuclear O
watchdog O
in O
retaliation O
for O
Security O
Council O
sanctions O
imposed O
on O
Tehran O
. O

The O
text O
of O
the O
bill O
, O
which O
also O
tells O
the O
government O
to O
" O
accelerate O
" O
Iran O
' O
s O
controversial O
nuclear O
programme O
, O
was O
approved O
by O
an O
overwhelming O
majority O
in O
the O
conservative O
- O
controlled O
parliament O
, O
with O
161 O
in O
favour O
and O
15 O
against O
. O

The O
move O
is O
set O
to O
further O
inflame O
tensions O
over O
the O
Iranian O
nuclear O
programme O
, O
which O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
has O
vowed O
to O
expand O
in O
defiance O
of O
the O
sanctions O
agreed O
by O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

Iran O
has O
refused O
to O
heed O
the O
council O
' O
s O
demand O
to O
suspend O
uranium O
enrichment O
, O
a O
process O
that O
Western O
countries O
fear O
could O
be O
used O
to O
develop O
a O
nuclear O
weapon O
. O
Iran O
insists O
its O
atomic O
drive O
is O
entirely O
peaceful O
. O

The O
formulation O
of O
the O
bill O
gives O
the O
government O
a O
free O
hand O
to O
limit O
cooperation O
with O
the O
Vienna O
- O
based O
IAEA O
. O
This O
could O
involve O
limiting O
UN O
inspections O
of O
its O
atomic O
sites O
, O
a O
move O
urged O
by O
several O
lawmakers O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0232 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Nepal O
seeks O
Indian O
help O
to O
resolve O
Bhutanese O
refugee O
crisis O

Nepal O
is O
seeking O
Indian O
help O
to O
resolve O
the O
problem O
of O
Bhutanese O
refugees O
languishing O
in O
eastern O
Nepal O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
a I-T
decade I-T
, O
officials O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

A O
seven O
- O
member O
team O
led O
by O
Bhutanese O
refugee O
leader O
Tek O
Nath O
Rijal O
met O
with O
Nepal O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Girija O
Prasad O
Koirala O
on O
Monday B-T
to O
press O
their O
demands O
to O
be O
repatriated O
. O

" O
The O
prime O
minister O
said O
that O
he O
has O
been O
in O
regular O
touch O
with O
India O
and O
is O
seeking O
Indian O
government O
' O
s O
help O
to O
resolve O
the O
refugee O
crisis O
, O
" O
Balram O
Poudel O
, O
the O
chairman O
of O
the O
exiled O
Bhutan O
People O
' O
s O
Party O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

But O
he O
quoted O
the O
prime O
minister O
as O
saying O
that O
New O
Delhi O
continues O
to O
view O
the O
crisis O
as O
a O
" O
bilateral O
issue O
between O
Nepal O
and O
Bhutan O
" O
. O

More O
than O
100 O
, O
000 O
Bhutanese O
refugees O
, O
mostly O
ethnic O
Nepalese O
Hindus O
, O
have O
been O
living O
in O
seven O
camps O
in O
southeast O
Nepal O
after O
leaving O
Bhutan O
in O
1990 B-T
when O
the O
Buddhist O
kingdom O
launched O
cultural O
reforms O
encouraging O
the O
use O
of O
Bhutan O
' O
s O
language O
and O
national O
dress O
. O

Bhutan O
later O
expelled O
more O
ethnic O
Nepalese O
for O
allegedly O
entering O
the O
remote O
Himalayan O
kingdom O
illegally O
. O
Bhutan O
and O
Nepal O
have O
argued O
for O
years O
over O
each O
other O
' O
s O
responsibility O
for O
the O
refugees O
. O

In O
October B-T
, O
the O
United O
States O
said O
it O
was O
prepared O
to O
absorb O
60 O
, O
000 O
Bhutanese O
refugees O
, O
while O
Australia O
and O
Canada O
have O
also O
said O
they O
are O
willing O
to O
grant O
asylum O
. O

Fresh O
rounds O
of O
talks O
between O
Nepal O
and O
Bhutan O
had O
been O
scheduled O
for O
November B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
but O
the O
talks O
were O
put O
off O
due O
to O
the O
Nepalese O
government O
' O
s O
preoccupation O
with O
a O
peace O
deal O
with O
Maoist O
insurgents O
. O

Fifteen O
rounds O
of O
bilateral O
talks O
between O
the O
two O
Himalayan O
kingdoms O
have O
already O
been O
held O
to O
address O
the O
refugee O
problem O
but O
failed O
to O
yield O
any O
concrete O
results O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0226 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
consumer O
prices O
drop O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
in O
October O

U O
. O
S O
. O
consumer O
prices O
dropped O
by O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, O
registering O
the O
second O
consecutive O
monthly O
decline O
, O
the O
Labor O
Department O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
drop O
in O
the O
department O
' O
s O
Consumer O
Price O
Index O
, O
an O
inflation O
barometer O
on O
consumer O
price O
levels O
, O
matched O
the O
decline O
in O
September B-T
and O
was O
better O
than O
the O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
dip O
expected O
by O
analysts O
. O

It O
was O
the O
first O
back O
- O
to O
- O
back O
drops O
in O
consumer O
prices O
since O
late B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
providing O
evidence O
that O
inflation O
pressures O
started O
to O
ease O
because O
of O
declining O
energy O
prices O
and O
a O
slowing O
economy O
. O

The O
October B-T
drop O
in O
consumer O
prices O
was O
helped O
by O
a O
decrease O
of O
7 O
percent O
in O
energy O
prices O
, O
which O
followed O
a O
7 O
. O
2 O
percent O
decline O
in O
September B-T
. O

Gasoline O
prices O
plunged O
by O
11 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, O
while O
prices O
of O
natural O
gas O
and O
home O
heating O
oil O
also O
posted O
big O
declines O
. O

However O
, O
food O
costs O
edged O
up O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
. O
Beef O
, O
pork O
and O
vegetable O
prices O
increased O
but O
poultry O
and O
fruit O
prices O
declined O
. O

Excluding O
volatile O
food O
and O
energy O
, O
the O
" O
core O
" O
consumer O
prices O
rose O
by O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, O
the O
smallest O
since O
a O
similar O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
increase O
in O
February B-T
. O

Over O
the B-T
past I-T
12 I-T
months I-T
, O
" O
core O
" O
inflation O
is O
up O
by O
2 O
. O
7 O
percent O
, O
above O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
' O
s O
comfort O
zone O
of O
increases O
in O
the O
range O
of O
1 O
percent O
to O
2 O
percent O
. O

Policymakers O
at O
the O
central O
bank O
are O
hoping O
that O
the O
slowing O
economy O
will O
eventually O
put O
inflation O
in O
control O
. O
During O
the B-T
two I-T
years I-T
till O
June B-T
2006 I-T
, O
interest O
rates O
were O
increased O
by O
4 O
. O
25 O
percentage O
points O
, O
trying O
to O
produce O
a O
soft O
landing O
for O
the O
economy O
. O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
economy O
grew O
at O
an O
annual O
rate O
of O
just O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
compared O
with O
gains O
of O
2 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
and O
5 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0086 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0086 O
. O

Financing O
Business O
: O

@ O
Rogers O
Communications O
Inc O
. O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

RCI O
. O
B O

ROGERS O
COMMUNICATIONS O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
plans O
to O
raise O
175 O
million O
to O
180 O
million O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
US O
$ O
148 O
. O
9 O
million O
to O
$ O
153 O
. O
3 O
million O
) O
through O
a O
private O
placement O
of O
perpetual O
preferred O
shares O
. O

Perpetual O
preferred O
shares O
aren O
' O
t O
retractable O
by O
the O
holders O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

Rogers O
said O
the O
shares O
will O
be O
convertible O
into O
Class O
B O
shares O
, O
but O
that O
the O
company O
has O
the O
option O
to O
redeem O
the O
shares O
before O
a O
conversion O
takes O
place O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Toronto O
cable O
television O
and O
telecommunications O
concern O
said O
the O
coupon O
rate O
has O
n O
' O
t O
yet O
been O
fixed O
, O
but O
will O
probably O
be O
set O
at O
around O
8 O
% O
. O

He O
declined O
to O
discuss O
other O
terms O
of O
the O
issue O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0186 O

THE O
HAGUE O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Fight O
erupts O
between O
Kurds O
and O
Turks O
after O
football O
game O

Nine O
people O
were O
arrested O
here O
overnight O
following O
a O
fight O
that O
erupted O
between O
Kurds O
and O
Turks O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
Tukey O
' O
s O
win O
over O
Holland O
in O
a O
World O
Cup O
qualifying O
match O
, O
police O
said O
. O

The O
Turkish O
victory O
( O
1 O
/ O
0 O
) O
late O
Wednesday B-T
in O
the O
Turkish O
town O
of O
Bursa O
sparked O
clashes O
between O
the O
two O
communites O
, O
especially O
in O
a O
neighborhood O
where O
six O
members O
of O
a O
Turkish O
Kurd O
family O
died O
last B-T
week I-T
in O
a O
suspicious O
fire O
. O

Police O
said O
several O
vehicles O
were O
damaged O
by O
about O
a O
dozen O
Turks O
and O
Kurds O
. O

Fights O
also O
erupted O
in O
the O
eastern O
town O
of O
Arnhem O
. O

The O
incidents O
came O
as O
a O
Turkish O
parliamentary O
delegation O
was O
in O
the O
Netherlands O
to O
assess O
progress O
being O
made O
by O
police O
investigating O
the O
March B-T
26 I-T
fire O
that O
killed O
a O
woman O
and O
five O
of O
her O
six O
children O
. O

Dutch O
Interior O
Minister O
Hans O
Dijkstal O
was O
to O
meet O
later O
Thursday B-T
with O
members O
of O
the O
Turkish O
community O
to O
inform O
them O
of O
security O
measures O
being O
taken O
to O
protect O
their O
neighborhoods O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0290 O

TIRANA O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Albania O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
gets O
new O
governor O

Albanian O
President O
Sali O
Berisha O
on O
Friday B-T
appointed O
a O
new O
head O
for O
the O
country O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
, O
which O
has O
been O
without O
a O
governor O
for O
two B-T
months I-T
, O
a O
presidential O
spokesman O
told O
AFP O
. O

Qamil O
Tusha O
, O
40 O
, O
will O
replace O
Kristaq O
Luniku O
, O
who O
left O
Albania O
two B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
for O
the O
United O
States O
, O
a O
Tusha O
aide O
said O
. O

Tusha O
was O
previously O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Albanian O
Trade O
Bank O
, O
a O
state O
institution O
. O
According O
to O
opposition O
Socialist O
newspapers O
, O
Tusha O
is O
a O
close O
associate O
of O
Berisha O
. O

Luniku O
, O
35 O
, O
had O
warned O
of O
the O
dangers O
of O
pyramid O
schemes O
- O
- O
the O
bogus O
savings O
schemes O
whose O
collapse O
sparked O
widespread O
unrest O
in O
January B-T
that O
developed O
into O
a O
full O
- O
scale O
insurgency O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Albanian O
press O
, O
he O
went O
to O
the O
United O
States O
to O
take O
up O
a O
post O
as O
adviser O
to O
the O
International O
Monetary O
Fund O
and O
the O
World O
Bank O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0371 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambian O
president O
salutes O
DRC O
counterpart O
on O
re O
- O
election O

Zambian O
President O
Levy O
Mwanawasa O
on O
Monday B-T
congratulated O
Joseph O
Kabila O
, O
president O
of O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
( O
DRC O
) O
, O
for O
his O
re O
- O
election O
in O
the O
October B-T
presidential O
run O
- O
off O
. O

State O
- O
owned O
Zambia O
News O
and O
Information O
Services O
( O
ZANIS O
) O
cited O
a O
message O
from O
Mwanawasa O
as O
saying O
that O
Kabila O
' O
s O
re O
- O
election O
was O
a O
clear O
testimony O
of O
the O
confidence O
that O
the O
people O
of O
DRC O
have O
in O
his O
proven O
leadership O
ability O
. O

Mwanawasa O
said O
Zambia O
has O
followed O
the O
democratic O
process O
that O
has O
taken O
place O
in O
the O
DRC O
, O
adding O
that O
Kabila O
' O
s O
re O
- O
election O
was O
a O
reflection O
of O
people O
' O
s O
willingness O
to O
participate O
and O
consolidate O
democracy O
in O
that O
country O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Mwanawasa O
assured O
his O
counterpart O
of O
his O
support O
as O
he O
will O
work O
towards O
reconciliation O
and O
development O
. O

The O
Supreme O
Court O
of O
the O
DRC O
confirmed O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
incumbent O
Kabila O
was O
the O
winner O
of O
the O
October B-T
29 I-T
presidential O
run O
- O
off O
with O
58 O
percent O
support O
, O
rejecting O
the O
challenge O
by O
Vice O
President O
Jean O
- O
Pierre O
Bemba O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0194 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

FIFA O
to O
investigate O
clash O
in O
Turkey O

International O
football O
' O
s O
governing O
body O
is O
to O
launch O
a O
full O
investigation O
into O
clashes O
between O
Turkish O
and O
Swiss O
players O
following O
their O
play O
off O
qualifying O
match O
for O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
final O
, O
Turkish O
private O
NTV O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
report O
said O
that O
should O
it O
be O
found O
at O
fault O
, O
Turkey O
could O
be O
banned O
from O
taking O
part O
in O
the O
2010 O
World O
Cup O
. O

The O
physical O
match O
, O
which O
saw O
Turkey O
win O
the O
game O
but O
lose O
out O
on O
a O
place O
in O
the O
finals O
in O
Germany O
on O
away O
goals O
, O
was O
followed O
by O
a O
brawl O
involving O
a O
number O
of O
players O
and O
officials O
from O
both O
sides O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Switzerland O
' O
s O
Stephane O
Grichting O
was O
hospitalized O
after O
the O
mayhem O
, O
reportedly O
after O
being O
kicked O
in O
the O
groin O
and O
Swiss O
coach O
Kobi O
Kuhn O
was O
also O
hit O
by O
coins O
thrown O
by O
the O
crowd O
as O
he O
left O
the O
pitch O
after O
the O
match O
. O

In O
announcing O
the O
investigation O
, O
FIFA O
president O
Sepp O
Blatter O
on O
Thursday B-T
condemned O
the O
incidents O
, O
saying O
he O
had O
been O
horrified O
by O
the O
events O
following O
the O
game O
. O

" O
Something O
is O
going O
wrong O
in O
football O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
, O
" O
I O
' O
ve O
never O
seen O
anything O
like O
it O
. O
" O

Blatter O
vowed O
that O
if O
sanctions O
were O
found O
to O
be O
warranted O
, O
they O
would O
be O
applied O
in O
full O
. O

" O
I O
can O
tell O
you O
this O
, O
not O
as O
a O
Swiss O
, O
but O
as O
the O
president O
of O
FIFA O
that O
we O
will O
act O
here O
and O
we O
will O
act O
tough O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

FIFA O
has O
it O
in O
its O
power O
to O
ban O
any O
country O
' O
s O
football O
association O
from O
taking O
part O
in O
competitions O
or O
events O
, O
up O
to O
and O
including O
a O
ban O
on O
taking O
part O
in O
the O
2010 O
world O
Cup O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061216 O
. O
0296 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

South O
African O
cricket O
championship O
scores O

Scores O
after O
third B-T
day I-T
of O
South O
African O
four O
- O
day O
cricket O
championship O
matches O
on O
Saturday B-T
: O

At O
Newlands O
, O
Cape O
Town O

Cape O
Cobras O
v O
Highveld O
Lions O

Lions O
508 O
in O
155 O
. O
5 O
overs O
( O
J O
. O
Ontong O
155 O
, O
N O
. O
McKenzie O
135 O
, O
V O
. O
van O
Jaarsveld O
54 O
; O
M O
. O
Zondeki O
4 O
- O
82 O
) O
. O
Cobras O
215 O
in O
57 O
. O
4 O
overs O
( O
R O
. O
Kleinveldt O
63 O
; O
C O
. O
Henderson O
6 O
- O
87 O
, O
F O
. O
de O
Wet O
3 O
- O
57 O
) O
and O
128 O
in O
33 O
. O
1 O
overs O
( O
B O
. O
Hector O
36 O
; O
T O
. O
Henderson O
5 O
- O
37 O
, O
C O
. O
Henderson O
4 O
- O
40 O
) O

Lions O
win O
by O
innings O
and O
165 O
runs O

At O
Goodyear O
Park O
, O
Bloemfontein O

Free O
State O
Eagles O
v O
KwaZulu O
- O
Natal O
Dolphins O

Eagles O
500 O
- O
5 O
dec O
in O
147 O
overs O
( O
H O
. O
Dippenaar O
132 O
, O
M O
. O
van O
Wyk O
88 O
, O
N O
. O
Boje O
80 O
no O
) O
. O
Dolphins O
170 O
in O
53 O
overs O
( O
A O
. O
Amla O
45 O
; O
R O
. O
McLaren O
5 O
- O
57 O
, O
D O
. O
du O
Preez O
3 O
- O
41 O
) O
and O
211 O
in O
69 O
. O
4 O
overs O
( O
J O
. O
Kent O
52 O
, O
D O
. O
Brown O
51 O
no O
; O
McLaren O
4 O
- O
59 O
, O
W O
. O
Deacon O
3 O
- O
35 O
) O

Eagles O
win O
by O
innings O
and O
119 O
runs O

At O
SuperSport O
Park O
, O
Centurion O

Northern O
Titans O
v O
Eastern O
Cape O
Warriors O

Warriors O
348 O
in O
113 O
overs O
( O
M O
. O
Goodwin O
77 O
, O
L O
. O
Meyer O
72 O
no O
, O
A O
. O
Jacobs O
70 O
; O
J O
. O
Morkel O
4 O
- O
59 O
) O
and O
105 O
in O
31 O
overs O
( O
A O
. O
Thomas O
5 O
- O
50 O
, O
M O
. O
Morkel O
3 O
- O
23 O
) O
. O
Titans O
195 O
in O
40 O
. O
4 O
overs O
( O
J O
. O
Kemp O
100 O
no O
; O
L O
. O
Tsotsobe O
5 O
- O
45 O
) O
and O
261 O
- O
6 O
in O
69 O
. O
5 O
overs O
( O
F O
. O
du O
Plessis O
103 O
, O
M O
. O
van O
Jaarsveld O
52 O
; O
J O
. O
Botha O
3 O
- O
60 O
) O

Titans O
win O
by O
four O
wickets O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0226 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

By O
Li O
Xuejun O

With O
the O
visit O
to O
the O
United O
States O
by O
German O
Foreign O
Minister O
Frank O
- O
Walter O
Steinmeier O
on O
Monday B-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
and O
the O
expected O
visits O
to O
Germany O
by O
US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
, O
relations O
between O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Germany O
are O
showing O
signs O
of O
warming O
up O
after O
new O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
took O
office O
. O

Steinmeier O
, O
who O
held O
talks O
with O
Rice O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
raised O
the O
sensitive O
issue O
of O
secret O
CIA O
prisons O
in O
Europe O
and O
the O
CIA O
transporting O
of O
suspected O
Islamic O
extremists O
through O
Germany O
but O
without O
notifying O
the O
German O
authorities O
. O

However O
, O
both O
Rice O
and O
Steinmeier O
chose O
the O
unusual O
move O
of O
not O
holding O
a O
press O
conference O
after O
their O
meeting O
as O
sharp O
questions O
from O
the O
press O
might O
eclipse O
a O
sense O
of O
good O
will O
and O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
after O
Merkel O
was O
sworn O
in O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
. O

Instead O
, O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Sean O
McCormack O
informed O
the O
reporters O
of O
the O
meeting O
and O
promised O
that O
the O
United O
States O
would O
make O
a O
response O
to O
European O
concerns O
. O

" O
The O
United O
States O
realizes O
that O
these O
are O
topics O
that O
are O
generating O
interest O
among O
European O
publics O
as O
well O
as O
parliaments O
, O
and O
that O
these O
questions O
need O
to O
be O
responded O
to O
, O
" O
McCormack O
said O
at O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
briefing O
. O

" O
These O
are O
certainly O
legitimate O
questions O
that O
are O
posed O
by O
the O
press O
in O
public O
. O
And O
we O
will O
do O
our O
best O
to O
respond O
, O
" O
McCormack O
said O
. O

Political O
analysts O
have O
pointed O
out O
that O
the O
new O
style O
indicates O
that O
the O
new O
German O
leadership O
prefers O
to O
discuss O
its O
differences O
with O
the O
United O
States O
in O
private O
rather O
than O
airing O
their O
differences O
in O
public O
as O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
. O

US O
media O
has O
also O
reported O
that O
Steinmeier O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
the O
United O
States O
was O
also O
aimed O
at O
paving O
the O
way O
for O
Merkel O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
the O
White O
House O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

In O
other O
signs O
of O
improving O
US O
- O
Germany O
relations O
, O
Zoellick O
starts O
his O
visit O
to O
Germany O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
to O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
and O
will O
meet O
Merkel O
to O
strengthen O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

Moreover O
, O
Rice O
will O
also O
travel O
to O
Germany O
, O
Romania O
, O
Ukraine O
and O
Belgium O
from O
Dec B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
- I-T
9 I-T
to O
highlight O
the O
" O
enduring O
importance O
of O
transatlantic O
relations O
. O
" O

" O
Secretary O
Rice O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Germany O
will O
be O
an O
opportunity O
to O
meet O
with O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
and O
members O
of O
her O
government O
to O
discuss O
ways O
to O
build O
our O
long O
- O
standing O
friendship O
, O
" O
the O
State O
Department O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Merkel O
, O
after O
she O
was O
elected O
as O
German O
chancellor O
, O
has O
promised O
to O
repair O
Germany O
- O
US O
relations O
badly O
battered O
because O
of O
the O
Iraq O
war O
. O
Former O
German O
chancellor O
Gerhard O
Schroeder O
has O
been O
a O
strong O
critic O
of O
the O
Iraq O
war O
launched O
by O
the O
Bush O
administration O
. O

However O
, O
thorny O
issues O
between O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Germany O
might O
impede O
the O
rapid O
improvement O
of O
bilateral O
relations O
. O
On O
Iraq O
, O
Merkel O
is O
unlikely O
to O
reverse O
course O
of O
Schroeder O
' O
s O
policy O
of O
not O
sending O
troops O
to O
Iraq O
and O
becomes O
too O
close O
to O
the O
United O
States O
as O
in O
her O
coalition O
government O
, O
Schroeder O
' O
s O
camp O
holds O
important O
positions O
such O
as O
foreign O
minister O
and O
treasury O
minister O
. O

On O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
issue O
, O
Germany O
has O
insisted O
that O
Iran O
has O
the O
right O
for O
civilian O
nuclear O
power O
, O
but O
the O
United O
States O
has O
accused O
Iran O
of O
developing O
nuclear O
weapons O
under O
the O
civilian O
cover O
. O

Moreover O
, O
the O
United O
States O
has O
voiced O
opposition O
to O
Germany O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
become O
a O
permanent O
member O
of O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
. O

Nonetheless O
, O
as O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
' O
s O
war O
critic O
Schroeder O
now B-T
steps O
down O
, O
as O
both O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Germany O
have O
the O
same O
values O
and O
need O
each O
other O
in O
international O
affairs O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Germany O
under O
Merkel O
' O
s O
leadership O
are O
expected O
to O
maintain O
a O
stable O
alliance O
in O
the B-T
years I-T
to O
come O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0315 O

SOUTHAMPTON O
, O
Britain O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Labour O
leader O
sets O
out O
" O
seven O
pillars O
of O
a O
decent O
society O
" O

British O
opposition O
leader O
Tony O
Blair O
Wednesday B-T
set O
out O
" O
seven O
pillars O
of O
a O
decent O
society O
" O
to O
promote O
prosperity O
and O
security O
as O
he O
attacked O
the O
ruling O
Conservatives O
for O
displaying O
" O
all O
the O
leadership O
qualities O
of O
lemmings O
. O
" O

On O
the O
day O
nominations O
closed O
for O
the O
May B-T
1 I-T
general O
election O
, O
which O
Blair O
' O
s O
Labour O
is O
widely O
predicted O
to O
win O
, O
the O
party O
leader O
spelt O
out O
his O
alternative O
vision O
of O
a O
more O
equal O
society O
. O

In O
one O
of O
four O
keynote O
speeches O
of O
the O
campaign O
, O
Blair O
warned O
the O
divided O
society O
he O
said O
the O
Tories O
had O
created O
, O
directing O
all O
prosperity O
to O
a O
" O
charmed O
circle O
" O
, O
was O
morally O
wrong O
and O
could O
not O
prosper O
economically O
. O

Campaigning O
in O
the O
port O
of O
Southampton O
on O
Britain O
' O
s O
south O
coast O
, O
he O
said O
it O
was O
time O
to O
give O
back O
" O
a O
heritage O
of O
hope O
" O
to O
Britain O
' O
s O
children O
. O

Blair O
' O
s O
seven O
pillars O
of O
a O
decent O
society O
are O
: O
a O
world O
- O
class O
education O
system O
; O
a O
comprehensive O
national O
health O
service O
; O
security O
and O
dignity O
in O
retirement O
; O
security O
and O
freedom O
from O
the O
fear O
of O
crime O
; O
quality O
housing O
; O
a O
welfare O
state O
without O
dependence O
; O
and O
strong O
social O
institutions O
, O
from O
the O
family O
upwards O
, O
promoting O
mutual O
responsibility O
and O
a O
spirit O
of O
public O
and O
voluntary O
service O
. O

Blair O
claimed O
the O
Conservatives O
saw O
inequality O
as O
a O
sign O
of O
success O
and O
accused O
them O
of O
denigrating O
the O
health O
service O
, O
the O
basic O
pension O
and O
public O
education O
. O
If O
they O
were O
re O
- O
elected O
, O
an O
American O
- O
style O
" O
underclass O
" O
would O
develop O
in O
Britain O
, O
he O
warned O
. O

" O
Britain O
is O
more O
divided O
today B-T
than O
at O
any O
time O
since O
the O
war O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
We O
have O
had O
for O
18 B-T
years I-T
a O
politics O
of O
self O
instead O
of O
a O
politics O
of O
society O
. O
" O

Blair O
also O
used O
the O
opportunity O
to O
seize O
on O
fresh O
Tory O
divisions O
over O
Europe O
after O
two O
government O
Euro O
- O
sceptic O
ministers O
defied O
Major O
' O
s O
policy O
of O
waiting O
to O
see O
how O
European O
Monetary O
Union O
( O
EMU O
) O
developed O
before O
deciding O
whether O
to O
join O
. O

" O
We O
are O
witnessing O
the O
collapse O
of O
the O
Conservative O
party O
under O
the O
weight O
of O
its O
own O
divisions O
, O
" O
said O
Blair O
. O

" O
We O
are O
seeing O
the O
culmination O
of O
six B-T
years I-T
of O
weak O
leadership O
, O
a O
prime O
minister O
reduced O
to O
a O
laughing O
stock O
by O
his O
MPs O
, O
his O
party O
now B-T
a O
rabble O
. O

Blair O
concluded O
that O
it O
was O
a O
" O
defining O
moment O
" O
of O
the O
campaign O
. O

" O
Britain O
deserves O
better O
leadership O
and O
I O
believe O
the O
choice O
is O
now B-T
clear O
: O
strong O
and O
united O
leadership O
with O
Labour O
or O
a O
Tory O
Party O
that O
displays O
all O
the O
leadership O
qualities O
of O
lemmings O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0408 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Late O
Jordan O
blitz O
sinks O
Oman O
in O
AFC O
Asian O
Cup O
qualifier O

Jordan O
drubbed O
Oman O
3 O
- O
0 O
and O
gained O
a O
measure O
of O
revenge O
in O
the O
AFC O
Asian O
Cup O
2007 O
final O
Group O
C O
qualifier O
here O
late B-T
Wednesday I-T
. O

In O
the O
previous O
round O
, O
Oman O
had O
sneaked O
into O
the O
finals O
with O
a O
2 O
- O
1 O
win O
over O
the O
already O
- O
qualified O
United O
Arab O
Emirates O
, O
rendering O
inconsequential O
Jordan O
' O
s O
rousing O
3 O
- O
0 O
defeat O
of O
Pakistan O
. O

All O
the O
three O
Jordanian O
goals O
were O
scored O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
10 I-T
minutes I-T
. O
Amer O
Deeb O
was O
the O
first O
to O
hit O
the O
net O
in O
the B-T
80th I-T
minute I-T
, O
followed O
in O
quick O
succession O
by O
Rafat O
Ali O
( O
84 O
) O
and O
Hassona O
Al O
Shaikh O
( O
90 O
) O
. O

Jordan O
finished O
third O
with O
10 O
points O
while O
Oman O
could O
not O
improve O
on O
the O
12 O
points O
they O
had O
before O
today B-T
' O
s O
match O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0192 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Palestinians O
enjoys O
freedom O
as O
Rafah O
Crossing O
opens O

By O
Saud O
Abu O
Ramadan O

RAFAH O
, O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
in O
the O
history O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
cause O
that O
the O
Palestinians O
enjoy O
freedom O
, O
as O
an O
agreement O
to O
re O
- O
operate O
Rafah O
Crossing O
on O
the O
borders O
between O
Gaza O
and O
Egypt O
was O
officially O
implemented O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

President O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
, O
who O
arrived O
at O
the O
crossing O
on O
Friday B-T
afternoon I-T
for O
the O
inauguration O
ceremony O
, O
said O
that O
opening O
of O
the O
crossing O
is O
a O
key O
to O
achieve O
peace O
, O
security O
and O
economic O
development O
in O
the O
region O
. O

It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
ever O
that O
the O
Palestinians O
control O
the O
border O
crossing O
of O
Rafah O
, O
which O
was O
under O
the O
Israeli O
army O
control O
for O
dozens O
of O
years O
. O
Israel O
withdrew O
from O
the O
crossing O
and O
the O
entire O
Gaza O
Strip O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
. O

An O
agreement O
had O
been O
reached O
between O
Israel O
, O
Egypt O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
with O
the O
mediation O
of O
US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
, O
who O
had O
visited O
the O
region O
and O
pushed O
hard O
on O
the O
two O
sides O
to O
hammer O
out O
the O
agreement O
. O

According O
to O
the O
agreement O
, O
the O
Palestinians O
would O
be O
fully O
responsible O
for O
their O
part O
of O
the O
crossing O
and O
the O
Egyptians O
would O
control O
their O
side O
, O
while O
EU O
observers O
will O
be O
present O
at O
the O
crossing O
. O

The O
EU O
observers O
will O
watch O
the O
Palestinian O
passengers O
' O
movement O
at O
the O
crossing O
, O
where O
Gaza O
Strip O
residents O
, O
who O
are O
officially O
registered O
as O
citizens O
in O
Gaza O
, O
will O
be O
allowed O
only O
to O
travel O
through O
the O
crossing O
. O

Nabil O
Abu O
Rudeineh O
, O
a O
Palestinian O
official O
spokesman O
told O
reporters O
that O
after O
inauguration O
ceremony O
was O
held O
on O
Friday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
the O
Rafah O
Crossing O
will O
officially O
start O
working O
on O
Saturday B-T
morning I-T
. O

" O
Palestinians O
can O
cross O
through O
Rafah O
Crossing O
from O
Saturday B-T
and O
it O
would O
be O
opened O
for O
four B-T
hours I-T
in O
the B-T
first I-T
ten I-T
days I-T
as O
a O
test O
and O
then O
it O
will O
be O
opened O
for O
24 B-T
hours I-T
a I-T
day I-T
, O
" O
said O
Abu O
Rudeineh O
. O

70 O
EU O
observers O
will O
observe O
the O
crossing O
during O
the B-T
first I-T
ten I-T
days I-T
, O
the O
number O
of O
the O
observers O
will O
be O
minimized O
to O
50 O
when O
the O
crossing O
is O
fully O
opened O
. O

" O
The O
first O
and O
last O
decisive O
word O
will O
be O
in O
the O
Palestinians O
hands O
. O
The O
European O
presence O
will O
never O
be O
an O
alternative O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
presence O
, O
and O
the O
Europeans O
will O
never O
be O
representing O
the O
Israeli O
side O
at O
the O
crossing O
, O
" O
added O
Abu O
Rudeineh O
. O

EU O
Middle O
East O
envoy O
Marc O
Otte O
and O
some O
Arab O
and O
foreign O
representatives O
participated O
in O
the O
ceremony O
at O
the O
Rafah O
terminal O
. O

" O
We O
are O
here O
to O
help O
you O
but O
not O
to O
replace O
you O
, O
it O
is O
the O
Palestinian O
( O
National O
) O
Authority O
to O
be O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
border O
, O
" O
Otte O
told O
Abbas O
and O
scores O
of O
other O
high O
- O
ranking O
Palestinian O
officials O
. O

Otte O
said O
that O
" O
we O
want O
to O
leave O
as O
soon O
as O
we O
can O
, O
because O
when O
we O
go O
it O
means O
we O
have O
succeeded O
. O
Our O
success O
is O
your O
success O
. O
" O

Egypt O
' O
s O
chief O
of O
intelligence O
Omer O
Suleiman O
and O
other O
high O
- O
ranking O
Egyptian O
security O
officers O
were O
also O
present O
at O
the O
ceremony O
. O

Mahmoud O
Al O
- O
Zahar O
, O
leader O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
, O
who O
took O
part O
in O
the O
ceremony O
, O
was O
seen O
shaking O
hands O
with O
Palestinian O
Minister O
of O
Civil O
Affairs O
Mohamed O
Dahlan O
. O

Replied O
the O
questions O
by O
reporters O
that O
if O
his O
presence O
at O
the O
crossing O
meant O
his O
movement O
accepted O
the O
Rafah O
agreement O
to O
re O
- O
operate O
the O
crossing O
, O
al O
- O
Zahar O
said O
" O
our O
presence O
here O
is O
symbolic O
and O
doesn O
' O
t O
mean O
that O
we O
accept O
the O
whole O
agreement O
. O
" O

" O
We O
are O
here O
to O
say O
that O
we O
only O
accept O
the O
positive O
parts O
of O
the O
agreement O
, O
but O
if O
the O
crossing O
would O
be O
isolated O
the O
Palestinians O
from O
the O
Arab O
world O
, O
we O
will O
of O
course O
fight O
against O
the O
Israeli O
occupation O
, O
" O
said O
al O
- O
Zahar O
. O

The O
Islamic O
Jihad O
( O
Holy O
War O
) O
said O
in O
a O
leaflet O
that O
it O
boycotts O
the O
ceremony O
, O
because O
the O
agreement O
is O
still O
incomplete O
and O
vague O
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
Jihad O
criticized O
stationing O
cameras O
that O
reporting O
to O
Israelis O
about O
the O
movement O
of O
the O
Palestinians O
at O
the O
crossing O
. O

Dahlan O
, O
as O
the O
PNA O
Minister O
of O
Civil O
Affairs O
said O
Friday B-T
that O
operating O
Rafah O
crossing O
on O
the O
borders O
between O
Gaza O
and O
Egypt O
is O
the O
first O
step O
towards O
establishing O
the O
dependent O
Palestinian O
state O
. O

" O
We O
open O
the O
crossing O
is O
to O
re O
- O
creat O
life O
for O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
towards O
freedom O
and O
independence O
and O
the O
establishment O
of O
an O
independent O
state O
that O
borders O
Egypt O
, O
" O
said O
Dahlan O
, O
adding O
the O
step O
was O
supported O
by O
Jordan O
, O
Egypt O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

Having O
a O
crossing O
and O
a O
free O
access O
for O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
is O
their O
right O
and O
an O
important O
step O
to O
achieve O
peace O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
Dahlan O
stressed O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0318 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
charge O
against O
Gazprom O
, O
details O
, O
analysis O
/ O
/ O
/ O

British O
- O
Dutch O
oil O
group O
Shell O
has O
made O
new O
proposals O
for O
Russia O
' O
s O
Gazprom O
to O
enter O
the O
massive O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
energy O
project O
it O
heads O
, O
Gazprom O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
offers O
followed O
months O
of O
pressure O
on O
Shell O
from O
environmental O
regulators O
that O
analysts O
said O
was O
aimed O
at O
giving O
Gazprom O
control O
of O
the O
22 O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
( O
16 O
. O
6 O
- O
billion O
- O
euro O
) O
project O
. O

" O
On O
December B-T
8 I-T
, O
a O
meeting O
took O
place O
between O
Gazprom O
chairman O
Alexei O
Miller O
and O
Shell O
chief O
executive O
officer O
Jeroen O
van O
der O
Veer O
, O
" O
who O
made O
" O
a O
number O
of O
proposals O
concerning O
the O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
project O
, O
" O
Sergei O
Kuprianov O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
state O
gas O
monopoly O
, O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
At O
the O
present O
time O
these O
proposals O
are O
being O
analyzed O
. O
A O
decision O
will O
be O
taken O
in O
view O
of O
the O
existing O
problems O
at O
the O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
project O
, O
including O
ecological O
, O
" O
Kuprianov O
said O
. O

The O
British O
- O
Dutch O
energy O
giant O
, O
which O
controls O
55 O
percent O
of O
the O
vast O
oil O
and O
gas O
development O
off O
Russia O
' O
s O
Pacific O
coast O
, O
hit O
a O
deadlock O
in O
fall B-T
2005 I-T
in O
talks O
with O
Gazprom O
on O
trading O
a O
share O
of O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
for O
onshore O
Gazprom O
gas O
assets O
. O

The O
project O
came O
under O
fire O
from O
environmental O
regulators O
several B-T
months I-T
later O
, O
leading O
analysts O
to O
interpret O
the O
environmental O
campaign O
as O
a O
negotiating O
tactic O
to O
help O
Gazprom O
gain O
the O
best O
possible O
terms O
. O

Regulators O
have O
rejected O
the O
claim O
and O
pointed O
to O
violations O
on O
the O
part O
of O
state O
companies O
as O
well O
, O
such O
as O
top O
environmental O
official O
Oleg O
Mitvol O
' O
s O
claim O
Monday B-T
that O
" O
serious O
violations O
of O
environmental O
law O
" O
had O
been O
found O
at O
Gazprom O
sites O
in O
western O
Siberia O
, O
according O
to O
Interfax O
. O

Still O
, O
MDM O
Bank O
oil O
and O
gas O
analyst O
Andrei O
Gromadin O
said O
the O
campaign O
against O
Shell O
" O
was O
essentially O
a O
catalyst O
" O
in O
compelling O
the O
company O
to O
return O
to O
the O
negotiating O
table O
. O

Because O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
was O
initiated O
as O
a O
production O
- O
sharing O
agreement O
( O
PSA O
) O
- O
- O
a O
contract O
between O
the O
state O
and O
foreign O
investors O
that O
is O
difficult O
for O
the O
state O
to O
change O
- O
- O
" O
there O
was O
very O
little O
opportunity O
for O
the O
state O
to O
influence O
the O
project O
, O
" O
Gromadin O
said O
. O

Shell O
and O
Gazprom O
had O
reached O
a O
preliminary O
agreement O
last B-T
year I-T
to O
trade O
a O
25 O
- O
percent O
stake O
in O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
for O
half O
of O
Gazprom O
' O
s O
Zapolyarnoye O
gas O
field O
in O
western O
Siberia O
. O

Talks O
broke O
down O
in O
September B-T
2005 I-T
when O
Shell O
more O
than O
doubled O
its O
initial O
cost O
projection O
for O
Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
to O
20 O
billion O
dollars O
. O

" O
The O
fact O
that O
Shell O
is O
proposing O
something O
- O
- O
whereas O
earlier O
they O
were O
keeping O
silent O
- O
- O
means O
they O
are O
willing O
to O
give O
something O
up O
, O
" O
Gromadin O
said O
. O
" O
If O
this O
actually O
means O
a O
controlling O
stake O
, O
Gazprom O
should O
be O
quite O
satisfied O
. O
" O

Both O
Gromadin O
and O
Aton O
Bank O
oil O
and O
gas O
analyst O
Artyom O
Konchin O
said O
they O
believed O
Gazprom O
would O
end O
up O
with O
a O
stake O
of O
around O
30 O
percent O
, O
which O
would O
make O
it O
the O
project O
' O
s O
chief O
operator O
. O

Sakhalin O
- O
2 O
' O
s O
recent O
regulatory O
problems O
have O
raised O
questions O
as O
to O
whether O
the O
operating O
consortium O
will O
be O
able O
to O
fulfill O
commitments O
to O
begin O
shipping O
liquefied O
natural O
gas O
( O
LNG O
) O
to O
Asia O
in O
2008 B-T
. O

Shell O
owns O
a O
55 O
percent O
stake O
in O
the O
consortium O
, O
while O
Japanese O
firms O
Mitsui O
and O
Mitsubishi O
hold O
25 O
percent O
and O
20 O
percent O
respectively O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0347 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Folli O
Follie O
receives O
retail O
sales O
license O
in O
China O

Folli O
Follie O
announced O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
it O
has O
received O
retail O
sales O
licenses O
in O
the O
Chinese O
market O
and O
the O
immediate O
beginning O
of O
retail O
operations O
in O
China O
. O

Folli O
Follie O
is O
a O
Greek O
company O
which O
designs O
, O
manufactures O
and O
distributes O
jewelry O
, O
watches O
and O
fashion O
accessories O
under O
the O
Folli O
Follie O
brand O
. O
The O
Folli O
Follie O
brand O
' O
s O
core O
values O
are O
" O
affordable O
, O
fashionable O
luxury O
. O
" O

Commenting O
on O
the O
news O
, O
G O
. O
Koutsolioutsos O
, O
Folli O
Follie O
vice O
- O
chairman O
, O
expressed O
satisfaction O
over O
this O
development O
, O
noting O
that O
his O
company O
was O
among O
the O
few O
multinational O
companies O
to O
acquire O
a O
retail O
sales O
license O
in O
China O
. O

Folli O
Follie O
became O
famous O
in O
China O
after O
a O
popular O
Chinese O
TV O
series O
which O
was O
produced O
in O
Aegean O
island O
of O
Santorini O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0263 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chirac O
meets O
with O
Talabani O
in O
Presidential O
Palace O

French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
met O
with O
his O
Iraqi O
counterpart O
Jalal O
Talabani O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
in O
the O
Presidential O
palace O
l O
' O
Elysee O
. O

Accompanied O
by O
four O
ministers O
, O
Talabani O
arrived O
in O
Paris O
Wednesday B-T
afternoon I-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
. O
It O
is O
the O
second O
visit O
of O
an O
Iraqi O
president O
to O
France O
since O
2003 B-T
. O

In O
a O
speech O
in O
the O
French O
Institute O
of O
International O
Relations O
earlier O
the O
day O
, O
Talabani O
expressed O
his O
wishes O
to O
build O
up O
a O
new O
momentum O
in O
France O
- O
Iraq O
relations O
. O

During O
the O
meeting O
, O
Chirac O
and O
Talabani O
are O
to O
discuss O
the O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
, O
the O
French O
Presidential O
office O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0169 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indian O
premier O
to O
visit O
Japan O

Indian O
Prime O
Minister O
Manmohan O
Singh O
will O
visit O
Japan O
from O
Dec B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
and O
hold O
talks O
with O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Shinzo O
Abe O
, O
Kyodo O
News O
reported O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Singh O
and O
Abe O
are O
to O
talk O
about O
a O
bilateral O
free O
trade O
agreement O
and O
are O
expected O
to O
discuss O
a O
strategic O
dialogue O
framework O
to O
strengthen O
ties O
on O
security O
, O
energy O
and O
economic O
issues O
, O
Japanese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
said O
on O
a O
press O
conference O
. O

Singh O
is O
also O
scheduled O
to O
meet O
with O
Emperor O
Akihito O
and O
Empress O
Michiko O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0733 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Poll O
suggests O
Conservative O
voters O
returning O
to O
the O
fold O

A O
newspaper O
opinion O
poll O
published O
Wednesday B-T
, O
eight B-T
days I-T
before O
the O
British O
general O
election O
on O
May B-T
1 I-T
, O
" O
electrified O
" O
the O
hitherto O
predictable O
campaign O
by O
appearing O
to O
suggest O
that O
previously O
discontented O
Conservative O
voters O
were O
returning O
to O
the O
fold O
. O

An O
ICM O
poll O
for O
the O
left O
- O
of O
- O
centre O
Guardian O
newspaper O
suggested O
a O
dramatic O
fall O
in O
support O
for O
the O
main O
opposition O
party O
Labour O
to O
just O
five O
percent O
. O

According O
to O
the O
survey O
, O
Labour O
' O
s O
lead O
had O
fallen O
nine O
percent O
, O
with O
Labour O
support O
falling O
three O
points O
to O
42 O
percent O
of O
voting O
intentions O
. O
The O
Conservatives O
were O
up O
six O
on O
37 B-T
and O
the O
centrist O
Liberal O
Democrats O
on O
14 B-T
. O

The O
result O
, O
the O
first O
time O
the O
Labour O
lead O
has O
been O
measured O
in O
single O
figures O
since O
Tony O
Blair O
took O
over O
as O
leader O
three B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
was O
balanced O
by O
a O
Gallup O
poll O
in O
the O
right O
- O
wing O
Daily O
Telegraph O
which O
put O
Labour O
' O
s O
lead O
at O
21 O
percent O
. O

This O
suggested O
Labour O
had O
increased O
its O
lead O
still O
further O
, O
rising O
three O
points O
to O
an O
absolute O
majority O
of O
51 O
percent O
, O
while O
the O
Tories O
were O
down O
two O
points O
on O
30 O
percent O
and O
the O
Liberal O
Democrats O
steady O
on O
12 O
percent O
. O

The O
last O
two O
Gallup O
polls O
have O
shown O
Labour O
steady O
at O
16 O
points O
ahead O
but O
the O
latest O
survey O
of O
1 O
, O
129 O
voters O
on O
Sunday B-T
, I-T
Monday I-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
indicated O
a O
shift O
in O
mood O
. O

The O
ICM O
poll O
was O
carried O
out O
on O
1 O
, O
004 O
voters O
on O
Sunday B-T
and O
Monday B-T
. O

ICM O
reported O
that O
nearly O
half O
of O
voters O
who O
had O
chosen O
Conservative O
at O
the O
last O
election O
in O
1992 B-T
but O
who O
had O
switched O
to O
Labour O
or O
Liberal O
Democrat O
at O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
campaign O
almost O
five B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
now B-T
indicated O
they O
would O
vote O
Conservative O
again O
. O

ICM O
also O
found O
John O
Major O
was O
judged O
to O
be O
the O
best O
prime O
minister O
ahead O
of O
Blair O
, O
and O
that O
the O
Conservatives O
would O
be O
the O
best O
party O
to O
handle O
the O
economy O
and O
represent O
Britain O
in O
Europe O
. O

The O
result O
backs O
up O
assertions O
by O
Major O
that O
the O
polls O
, O
which O
have O
given O
Labour O
leads O
of O
up O
to O
28 O
percent O
, O
do O
not O
reflect O
the O
reception O
Tory O
candidates O
have O
garnered O
around O
the O
country O
. O
A O
party O
spokesman O
declined O
to O
comment O
on O
the O
latest O
findings O
. O

A O
Labour O
spokesman O
said O
: O
" O
It O
is O
extremely O
difficult O
to O
take O
any O
clear O
message O
from O
tonight O
' O
s O
polls O
. O
They O
are O
so O
contradictory O
. O
" O

The O
British O
press O
claimed O
the O
ICM O
poll O
had O
thrown O
open O
the O
campaign O
. O
The O
Guardian O
called O
the O
result O
a O
" O
bombshell O
for O
Labour O
" O
, O
the O
right O
- O
wing O
Daily O
Mail O
said O
the O
poll O
had O
" O
electrified O
" O
the O
campaign O
, O
and O
the O
Telegraph O
quoted O
Conservative O
sources O
who O
claimed O
it O
showed O
their O
tactic O
to O
focus O
on O
Europe O
and O
Blair O
' O
s O
credibility O
were O
paying O
off O
. O

ICM O
' O
s O
result O
is O
the O
lowest O
any O
pollster O
has O
recorded O
for O
Labour O
for O
five B-T
years I-T
, O
but O
the O
company O
has O
consistently O
shown O
a O
Labour O
lead O
of O
at O
least O
10 O
points O
lower O
than O
those O
reported O
in O
other O
surveys O
. O

In O
the O
last O
election O
in O
1992 B-T
, O
polls O
predicted O
a O
Labour O
victory O
but O
the O
Conservatives O
eventually O
won O
. O

In O
this O
election O
, O
sources O
from O
both O
parties O
have O
said O
the O
polls O
were O
still O
exaggerating O
the O
Labour O
lead O
and O
political O
analysts O
agree O
that O
there O
will O
be O
no O
landslide O
of O
the O
kind O
indicated O
by O
a O
20 O
- O
point O
lead O
. O

Many O
have O
said O
the O
poll O
gap O
between O
the O
two O
main O
parties O
will O
narrow O
as O
election O
day O
approaches O
, O
as O
has O
happened O
in O
eight O
of O
the O
last O
nine O
general O
elections O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051203 O
. O
0117 O

BELFAST O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
, O
ADDS O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
mourners O
packed O
the O
rain O
- O
soaked O
streets O
of O
Belfast O
to O
say O
an O
emotional O
farewell O
to O
Northern O
Ireland O
' O
s O
favourite O
son O
George O
Best O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

In O
what O
came O
close O
to O
a O
state O
funeral O
, O
Best O
' O
s O
cortege O
drove O
from O
the O
family O
' O
s O
humble O
home O
to O
the O
splendour O
of O
Stormont O
, O
the O
Northern O
Irish O
parliament O
, O
with O
the O
people O
of O
the O
province O
giving O
the O
soccer O
legend O
one O
last O
standing O
ovation O
as O
the O
hearse O
passed O
by O
. O

Tears O
were O
shed O
along O
the O
route O
as O
fans O
from O
the O
working O
- O
class O
Protestant O
Cregagh O
estate O
and O
beyond O
said O
a O
final O
goodbye O
to O
their O
home O
- O
grown O
hero O
, O
the O
Belfast O
Boy O
who O
dazzled O
the O
world O
. O

Flowers O
and O
football O
scarves O
were O
thrown O
onto O
the O
hearse O
before O
old O
teammates O
and O
his O
family O
carried O
the O
coffin O
into O
the O
palatial O
Parliament O
Buildings O
to O
the O
tune O
of O
a O
piper O
' O
s O
lament O
as O
driving O
rain O
fell O
. O

Three O
hundred O
guests O
squeezed O
into O
the O
Great O
Hall O
with O
the O
emotional O
service O
being O
broadcast O
to O
an O
expected O
30 O
, O
000 O
people O
allowed O
in O
the O
Stormont O
grounds O
. O

Master O
of O
ceremonies O
Eamonn O
Holmes O
underlined O
Best O
' O
s O
importance O
to O
Northern O
Ireland O
and O
the O
nature O
of O
the O
man O
who O
hit O
the O
highs O
of O
international O
stardom O
to O
the O
lows O
of O
wanton O
- O
- O
and O
equally O
public O
- O
- O
alcoholism O
. O

Belfast O
- O
born O
broadcaster O
Holmes O
called O
Best O
" O
probably O
the O
greatest O
footballer O
who O
ever O
lived O
" O
. O

" O
In O
Ulster O
folklore O
we O
have O
many O
heroes O
, O
many O
legends O
. O
George O
Best O
will O
pass O
into O
that O
folklore O
as O
mercurial O
, O
as O
magical O
, O
as O
someone O
who O
made O
his O
dreams O
, O
and O
as O
someone O
who O
made O
our O
dreams O
come O
true O
. O

" O
George O
would O
always O
recognise O
that O
however O
much O
a O
genius O
he O
may O
have O
been O
, O
he O
was O
also O
flawed O
. O
Maybe O
that O
imperfection O
made O
us O
love O
him O
more O
. O

" O
In O
a O
country O
that O
often O
cannot O
rise O
above O
religion O
or O
politics O
, O
George O
Best O
did O
more O
than O
most O
to O
bring O
us O
together O
as O
a O
people O
. O
To O
make O
us O
recognise O
that O
maybe O
there O
is O
more O
that O
unites O
us O
than O
divides O
us O
. O

" O
We O
want O
to O
show O
the O
world O
how O
delighted O
we O
are O
that O
he O
came O
from O
a O
country O
of O
just O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
people O
and O
became O
the O
best O
footballer O
the O
world O
has O
ever O
seen O
. O
" O

Former O
teammates O
, O
ex O
- O
wives O
, O
dignitaries O
and O
friends O
filled O
the O
cream O
- O
marbled O
hall O
. O

Fighting O
back O
the O
tears O
, O
Best O
' O
s O
son O
Calum O
, O
24 O
, O
read O
Mary O
Frye O
' O
s O
poem O
" O
Do O
not O
stand O
at O
my O
grave O
and O
weep O
. O
" O

Old O
United O
colleague O
Denis O
Law O
brought O
smiles O
as O
he O
reminisced O
on O
his O
pal O
Bestie O
' O
s O
character O
and O
his O
battle O
against O
the O
illness O
that O
claimed O
his O
life O
. O

Best O
died O
aged O
59 O
on O
November B-T
25 I-T
from O
multiple O
organ O
failure O
, O
after O
suffering O
a O
series O
of O
health O
problems O
in O
a O
London O
hospital O
. O

The O
Best O
family O
earlier O
held O
a O
private O
ceremony O
at O
their O
home O
on O
the O
east O
Belfast O
estate O
where O
Best O
honed O
his O
skills O
against O
the O
terraced O
house O
walls O
. O

The O
funeral O
cortege O
left O
shortly O
after O
10 O
: O
00 O
am O
( O
1000 O
GMT O
) O
from O
Cregagh O
, O
whose O
Loyalist O
paramilitary O
murals O
had O
been O
painted O
over O
and O
flags O
taken O
down O
for O
the O
occasion O
. O

Mourners O
lined O
the O
length O
of O
the O
three O
- O
mile O
( O
five O
- O
kilometre O
) O
route O
to O
Stormont O
, O
which O
was O
selected O
as O
the O
site O
of O
a O
funeral O
for O
the O
first O
time O
because O
of O
the O
huge O
crowds O
expected O
. O

" O
George O
was O
a O
Belfast O
boy O
, O
" O
said O
Dawn O
Purvis O
, O
39 O
, O
secretary O
of O
a O
small O
Protestant O
political O
party O
, O
as O
she O
watched O
through O
the O
umbrellas O
while O
the O
cortege O
slowly O
left O
Cregagh O
. O

" O
We O
all O
had O
an O
affinity O
for O
him O
. O
He O
had O
charisma O
, O
talent O
, O
but O
a O
great O
weakness O
too O
, O
" O
she O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
In O
a O
way O
, O
he O
was O
a O
tragic O
hero O
. O
" O

Considered O
the O
first O
" O
pop O
- O
star O
" O
footballer O
, O
Best O
brought O
Northern O
Ireland O
a O
dash O
of O
glamour O
and O
sporting O
wizardry O
as O
it O
descended O
towards O
sectarian O
bloodshed O
. O

Best O
is O
considered O
as O
being O
among O
football O
' O
s O
finest O
ever O
players O
. O

" O
Maradona O
good O
; O
Pele O
better O
; O
George O
Best O
" O
read O
a O
soaked O
flag O
at O
the O
end O
of O
Best O
' O
s O
old O
street O
. O

Best O
' O
s O
alcoholism O
brought O
on O
a O
string O
of O
health O
problems O
which O
led O
to O
a O
liver O
transplant O
in O
2002 B-T
. O
He O
was O
back O
on O
the O
bottle O
within O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
however O
, O
despite O
having O
been O
told O
another O
drink O
could O
kill O
him O
. O

Best O
made O
his O
professional O
debut O
for O
Manchester O
United O
in O
1963 B-T
, O
aged O
17 O
, O
going O
on O
to O
help O
the O
club O
become O
the O
first O
English O
side O
to O
lift O
the O
European O
Cup O
in O
1968 B-T
. O
In O
the B-T
same I-T
year I-T
he O
was O
voted O
European O
Player O
of O
the B-T
Year I-T
. O

Dubbed O
" O
El O
Beatle O
" O
, O
his O
playboy O
lifestyle O
involved O
an O
unquenchable O
thirst O
for O
alcohol O
and O
beautiful O
women O
. O

He O
won O
37 O
Northern O
Ireland O
caps O
before O
heavy O
boozing O
took O
its O
toll O
and O
he O
unexpectedly O
quit O
United O
for O
good O
at O
the O
early O
age O
of O
28 O
. O

Best O
will O
be O
buried O
next O
to O
his O
mother O
, O
Ann O
, O
in O
the O
Roselawn O
cemetery O
in O
the O
Castlereagh O
hills O
overlooking O
east O
Belfast O
and O
the O
fields O
where O
he O
first O
shone O
as O
a O
footballer O
. O

bbc_20130322_721 O

2013 B-T
- I-T
03 I-T
- I-T
22 I-T

Russian O
police O
raid O
rights O
group O
Memorial O
and O
other O
NGOs O

Russian O
police O
and O
tax O
inspectors O
have O
raided O
the O
offices O
of O
the O
human O
rights O
group O
Memorial O
and O
other O
civil O
society O
groups O
which O
get O
foreign O
funding O
. O

Memorial O
is O
famous O
for O
documenting O
human O
rights O
abuses O
in O
Russia O
. O

The O
US O
embassy O
in O
Moscow O
has O
voiced O
concern O
and O
asked O
the O
Russian O
government O
for O
an O
explanation O
. O

A O
new O
Russian O
law O
says O
foreign O
- O
funded O
non O
- O
governmental O
groups O
( O
NGOs O
) O
linked O
to O
politics O
must O
register O
as O
" O
foreign O
agents O
" O
- O
a O
term O
which O
suggests O
spying O
. O

In O
the O
worst O
repressions O
of O
the O
Soviet O
period O
the O
label O
" O
foreign O
agents O
" O
was O
used O
to O
denounce O
dissidents O
- O
or O
simply O
political O
rivals O
of O
Joseph O
Stalin O
- O
and O
could O
lead O
to O
execution O
. O

Memorial O
says O
inspectors O
returned O
to O
its O
Moscow O
offices O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
having O
already O
seized O
600 O
documents O
including O
accounts O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

A O
statement O
on O
the O
Memorial O
website O
said O
the O
inspections O
were O
directly O
linked O
to O
the O
new O
law O
on O
NGOs O
and O
the O
targeted O
groups O
' O
compliance O
with O
it O
. O

Memorial O
director O
Arseny O
Roginsky O
, O
quoted O
by O
the O
Russian O
news O
website O
Vesti O
, O
said O
it O
was O
" O
a O
complete O
check O
on O
everything O
concerned O
with O
our O
sources O
of O
funding O
" O
. O

He O
insisted O
that O
the O
NGO O
law O
" O
will O
not O
change O
our O
position O
at O
all O
" O
. O
" O
We O
won O
' O
t O
refuse O
foreign O
donations O
, O
nor O
will O
we O
register O
as O
a O
' O
foreign O
agent O
' O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

APW19980227 O
. O
0487 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
08 I-T
: I-T
09 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2392 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

u O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Israel O
- O
Rabin O
02 O
- O
27 O
0300 O

BC O
- O
Israel O
- O
Rabin O
, O
0300 O

Friend O
of O
Rabin O
' O
s O
assassin O
regretted O
praying O
for O
Rabin O
' O
s O
death O

UR O
By O
DANNA O
HARMAN O
QC O

UR O
Associated O
Press O
Writer O
QC O

JERUSALEM O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Taking O
the O
stand O
in O
her O
own O
defense O
, O
a O
friend O

of O
Yitzhak O
Rabin O
' O
s O
assassin O
said O
Friday B-T
that O
she O
regretted O
calling O

the O
prime O
minister O
a O
traitor O
and O
praying O
for O
his O
death O
. O

Margalit O
Har O
- O
Shefi O
, O
22 O
, O
has O
pleaded O
innocent O
to O
charges O
that O
she O

failed O
to O
report O
Yigal O
Amir O
' O
s O
plan O
to O
kill O
Rabin O
. O
She O
took O
the O

stand O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
four I-T
hours I-T
Friday B-T
in O
a O
Tel O
Aviv O
magistrate O
' O
s O

court O
. O

Amir O
, O
27 O
, O
is O
serving O
a O
life O
sentence O
for O
the O
November B-T
1995 I-T

assassination O
of O
Rabin O
at O
a O
Tel O
Aviv O
peace O
rally O
. O
Newspaper O
reports O

have O
said O
Amir O
was O
infatuated O
with O
Har O
- O
Shefi O
and O
may O
have O
been O

trying O
to O
impress O
her O
by O
killing O
the O
prime O
minister O
. O

Har O
- O
Shefi O
acknowledged O
she O
told O
police O
interrogators O
that O
Rabin O

was O
a O
traitor O
and O
that O
she O
prayed O
for O
him O
to O
have O
a O
heart O
attack O

and O
die O
. O
She O
said O
Rabin O
' O
s O
murder O
was O
` O
` O
a O
black O
stain O
on O
Israel O
, O
' O
' O

Israel O
radio O
and O
Israel O
army O
radio O
reported O
. O

Har O
- O
Shefi O
said O
she O
heard O
Amir O
talk O
about O
killing O
Rabin O
but O
did O

not O
tell O
the O
police O
because O
she O
did O
not O
believe O
he O
was O
serious O
. O

Instead O
, O
she O
turned O
to O
her O
community O
rabbi O
in O
the O
Jewish O
West O
Bank O

settlement O
of O
Beit O
El O
and O
told O
him O
about O
Amir O
' O
s O
statements O
. O
The O

rabbi O
said O
called O
the O
talk O
about O
killing O
Rabin O
` O
` O
nonsense O
, O
' O
' O
and O

said O
Jews O
are O
prohibited O
from O
killing O
one O
another O
, O
the O
radio O

reports O
said O
. O

Har O
- O
Shefi O
described O
Amir O
as O
an O
` O
` O
original O
thinker O
, O
' O
' O
as O
well O
as O

delusional O
and O
a O
liar O
. O

She O
also O
denied O
accusations O
made O
by O
Amir O
' O
s O
brother O
, O
Hagai O
, O
that O

she O
joined O
an O
anti O
- O
Arab O
underground O
movement O
. O
She O
said O
she O
gave O
the O

Amir O
brothers O
false O
information O
regarding O
the O
location O
of O
a O
weapons O

and O
ammunition O
cache O
when O
they O
asked O
her O
to O
help O
organize O
such O
a O

movement O
. O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Israel O
- O
Rabin O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
INDI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
AFRI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ASIA O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
02 O
- O
27 O
- O
98 O
0809EST O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0246 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
to O
launch O
special O
inspection O
over O
rural O
tax O
reform O

China O
will O
kickoff O
a O
special O
inspection O
of O
rural O
tax O
and O
fee O
system O
reform O
in O
some O
provinces O
, O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Finance O
announced O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
State O
Council O
will O
send O
6 O
inspection O
teams O
to O
12 O
provinces O
from O
November B-T
21 I-T
to O
December B-T
5 I-T
to O
check O
out O
the O
reform O
progress O
concerning O
rural O
tax O
and O
fee O
collection O
, O
according O
to O
the O
ministry O
. O

To O
alleviate O
the O
burden O
on O
Chinese O
farmers O
, O
the O
government O
has O
been O
reforming O
its O
rural O
tax O
and O
fee O
systems O
for O
years O
in O
an O
effort O
to O
eliminate O
growing O
administrative O
and O
arbitrary O
fees O
. O

Since O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
government O
has O
stopped O
collecting O
the O
agricultural O
tax O
in O
all O
provinces O
except O
three O
, O
where O
agricultural O
tax O
ratios O
have O
been O
lowered O
to O
2 O
percent O
. O
Next B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
whole O
country O
is O
expected O
to O
annul O
the O
agricultural O
tax O
. O

As O
local O
governments O
collect O
less O
taxes O
and O
fees O
from O
farmers O
, O
they O
are O
facing O
fund O
shortages O
in O
supporting O
education O
and O
infrastructure O
construction O
. O
To O
solve O
this O
problem O
, O
the O
central O
government O
has O
allocated O
huge O
sums O
of O
money O
to O
alleviate O
the O
fund O
shortages O
of O
local O
governments O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0111 O

MADRID O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Three O
air O
passengers O
arrested O
in O
Spain O
for O
bomb O
joke O

Three O
air O
passengers O
were O
put O
into O
police O
custody O
at O
Malaga O
airport O
in O
Spain O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
for O
one O
of O
them O
joked O
that O
he O
had O
a O
bomb O
on O
board O
a O
plane O
from O
Stockholm O
. O

The O
crew O
has O
overheard O
that O
one O
passenger O
told O
his O
friends O
he O
had O
a O
bomb O
on O
board O
the O
plane O
, O
according O
to O
Niels O
Blix O
, O
a O
spokesman O
for O
Sterling O
Airlines O
flight O
. O

However O
, O
the O
captain O
of O
the O
flight O
decided O
to O
carry O
on O
to O
Malaga O
and O
landed O
without O
incident O
. O
The O
Spanish O
police O
then O
detained O
the O
three O
passengers O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0031 O

DHAKA O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Bangladesh O
cabinet O
members O
quit O
over O
army O
deployment O

Four O
members O
of O
Bangladesh O
' O
s O
interim O
cabinet O
have O
quit O
in O
protest O
at O
the O
president O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
deploy O
the O
army O
to O
restore O
order O
ahead O
of O
January B-T
' O
s O
elections O
, O
an O
interim O
cabinet O
member O
said O
. O

" O
We O
have O
sent O
our O
resignation O
letter O
to O
the O
president O
, O
because O
we O
think O
that O
no O
situation O
has O
been O
created O
in O
the O
country O
that O
warranted O
an O
army O
deployment O
, O
" O
interim O
cabinet O
member O
Sultana O
Kamal O
said O
. O

President O
Iajuddin O
Ahmed O
ordered O
the O
deployment O
late O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
help O
the O
civil O
administration O
restore O
order O
after O
the O
country O
' O
s O
opposition O
parties O
threatened O
non O
- O
stop O
protests O
to O
force O
electoral O
reforms O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0362 O

LISBON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

agency O

Around O
10 O
percent O
of O
Portuguese O
intravenous O
drug O
users O
are O
infected O
with O
HIV O
, O
the O
virus O
which O
causes O
AIDS O
, O
European O
Union O
experts O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
Portugal O
reported O
a O
very O
high O
rate O
of O
new O
infections O
with O
88 O
new O
infection O
cases O
per O
million O
citizens O
, O
" O
the O
European O
Rapporteur O
for O
Drugs O
and O
Drug O
Dependency O
( O
OEDT O
) O
said O
in O
a O
report O
published O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
based O
on O
2003 O
data O
. O

The O
OEDT O
said O
that O
Portugal O
had O
33 O
AIDS O
cases O
per O
million O
citizens O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
a O
number O
which O
has O
been O
falling O
since O
1999 B-T
, O
as O
many O
HIV O
carriers O
have O
not O
developed O
into O
full O
- O
blown O
AIDS O
. O

The O
European O
Drug O
Information O
Agency O
said O
in O
a O
report O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
" O
indices O
of O
newly O
- O
diagnosed O
cases O
remained O
at O
low O
levels O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
with O
the O
exception O
of O
Portugal O
" O
. O

The O
OEDT O
said O
that O
while O
AIDS O
infection O
statistics O
showed O
some O
reduction O
, O
the O
news O
about O
hepatitis O
remained O
very O
bad O
. O
A O
very O
large O
percentage O
of O
intravenous O
drug O
users O
are O
infected O
with O
hepatitis O
B O
and O
C O
only O
a B-T
few I-T
years I-T
after O
they O
began O
injecting O
. O

Almost O
5 O
million O
people O
were O
infected O
with O
HIV O
globally O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
taking O
the O
number O
living O
with O
the O
virus O
to O
a O
record O
40 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
according O
to O
UN O
data O
. O

The O
Acquired O
Immune O
Deficiency O
Syndrome O
( O
AIDS O
) O
has O
killed O
more O
than O
25 O
million O
people O
in O
the O
world O
since O
it O
was O
first O
found O
in O
1981 B-T
, O
making O
it O
one O
of O
the O
most O
destructive O
epidemics O
in O
recorded O
history O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0150 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0150 O
. O

GM O
Seeks O
to O
Buy O
Up O
to O
15 O
% O
of O
Jaguar O
, O

@ O
Heating O
Up O
Its O
Skirmishing O
With O
Ford O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Joann O
S O
. O
Lublin O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

GM O
JAGRY O
F O
EUROP O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

AUTOMOBILES O
( O
AUT O
) O

LONDON O

General O
Motors O
Corp O
. O
wants O
to O
buy O
as O
much O
as O
15 O
% O
of O
Jaguar O
PLC O
, O
marking O
its O
first O
salvo O
in O
a O
possible O
full O
- O
scale O
battle O
against O
Ford O
Motor O
Co O
. O
for O
control O
of O
the O
British O
car O
maker O
. O

GM O
sought O
U O
. O
S O
. O
antitrust O
clearance O
last B-T
week I-T
to O
purchase O
more O
than O
$ O
15 O
million O
worth O
of O
Jaguar O
shares O
but O
does O
n O
' O
t O
own O
any O
yet B-T
, O
according O
to O
GM O
officials O
here O
and O
at O
the O
company O
' O
s O
Detroit O
headquarters O
. O

The O
No O
. O
1 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
auto O
maker O
then O
wrote O
Jaguar O
that O
it O
intends O
" O
to O
go O
to O
that O
15 O
% O
" O
level O
once O
it O
wins O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
clearance O
to O
go O
beyond O
$ O
15 O
million O
, O
a O
Jaguar O
spokesman O
said O
yesterday B-T
. O

The O
GM O
move O
follows O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
declaration O
by O
Ford O
, O
which O
holds O
an O
unwelcome O
12 O
. O
45 O
% O
stake O
in O
Jaguar O
, O
that O
it O
is O
prepared O
to O
bid O
for O
the O
entire O
company O
. O

GM O
is O
close O
to O
completing O
a O
friendly O
deal O
with O
Jaguar O
that O
is O
likely O
to O
involve O
an O
eventual O
30 O
% O
stake O
and O
joint O
manufacturing O
ventures O
. O

Speculative O
investors O
, O
betting O
on O
an O
imminent O
clash O
between O
Ford O
and O
GM O
, O
pushed O
up O
Jaguar O
' O
s O
share O
price O
five O
pence O
( O
eight O
U O
. O
S O
. O
cents O
) O
to O
a O
near O
- O
record O
720 O
pence O
( O
$ O
11 O
. O
60 O
) O
in O
late O
trading O
on O
London O
' O
s O
stock O
exchange O
yesterday B-T
. O

Since O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
shares O
have O
gained O
nearly O
4 O
% O
. O

But O
an O
all O
- O
out O
bidding O
war O
between O
the O
world O
' O
s O
top O
auto O
giants O
for O
Britain O
' O
s O
leading O
luxury O
- O
car O
maker O
seems O
unlikely O
. O

" O
We O
will O
not O
go O
over O
a O
certain O
level O
, O
" O
said O
David O
N O
. O
McCammon O
, O
Ford O
' O
s O
vice O
president O
for O
finance O
, O
at O
a O
news O
conference O
yesterday B-T
in O
Dearborn O
, O
Mich O
. O

" O
There O
' O
s O
some O
price O
at O
which O
we O
' O
d O
stop O
bidding O
. O
" O

He O
would O
n O
' O
t O
specify O
what O
it O
was O
. O

And O
powerful O
political O
pressures O
may O
convince O
the O
Conservative O
government O
to O
keep O
its O
so O
- O
called O
golden O
share O
, O
which O
limits O
any O
individual O
holding O
to O
15 O
% O
, O
until O
the O
restriction O
expires O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, I-T
1990 I-T
. O

" O
I O
really O
do O
n O
' O
t O
see O
the O
government O
doing O
something O
that O
Jaguar O
does O
n O
' O
t O
want O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
14 I-T
months I-T
, O
" O
said O
Kenneth O
Warren O
, O
a O
Conservative O
member O
of O
Parliament O
and O
chairman O
of O
the O
Select O
Committee O
on O
Trade O
and O
Industry O
in O
Britain O
' O
s O
House O
of O
Commons O
. O

" O
The O
golden O
share O
is O
a O
single O
share O
, O
but O
it O
is O
the O
magic O
share O
. O
" O

The O
government O
retained O
the O
single O
share O
after O
selling O
its O
stake O
in O
Jaguar O
in O
1984 B-T
- O
- O
part O
of O
a O
nationalistic O
practice O
of O
protecting O
former O
government O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
to O
deflect O
criticism O
of O
privatization O
. O

The O
15 O
% O
restriction O
covers O
any O
would O
- O
be O
suitor O
, O
British O
or O
foreign O
. O

Ford O
is O
willing O
to O
bid O
for O
100 O
% O
of O
Jaguar O
' O
s O
shares O
if O
both O
the O
government O
and O
Jaguar O
shareholders O
agree O
to O
relax O
the O
anti O
- O
takeover O
barrier O
prematurely O
. O

As O
Jaguar O
' O
s O
biggest O
holder O
and O
Britain O
' O
s O
biggest O
car O
maker O
, O
Ford O
could O
turn O
up O
the O
heat O
by O
convening O
a O
special O
shareholders O
' O
meeting O
and O
urging O
holders O
to O
drop O
the O
limits O
early O
. O

Ford O
might O
succeed O
because O
many O
shareholders O
are O
speculators O
keen O
for O
a O
full O
bid O
or O
institutional O
investors O
unhappy O
over O
Jaguar O
management O
' O
s O
handling O
of O
its O
current B-T
financial O
difficulties O
. O

The O
government O
probably O
would O
n O
' O
t O
give O
in O
readily O
to O
a O
hostile O
foray O
by O
Ford O
, O
however O
. O

It O
has O
relinquished O
a O
golden O
share O
only O
once O
before O
- O
- O
during O
British O
Petroleum O
Co O
. O
' O
s O
# O
2 O
. O
5 O
billion O
( O
$ O
4 O
billion O
) O
takeover O
of O
Britoil O
PLC O
in O
1988 B-T
. O

In O
wooing O
British O
lawmakers O
, O
GM O
has O
pointed O
out O
that O
its O
willingness O
to O
settle O
for O
a O
minority O
stake O
would O
keep O
Jaguar O
British O
- O
owned O
and O
independent O
. O

This B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
auto O
giant O
paid O
for O
10 O
House O
of O
Commons O
members O
and O
two O
House O
of O
Lords O
members O
to O
fly O
to O
Detroit O
and O
tour O
its O
operations O
there O
. O

While O
the O
visit O
was O
unrelated O
to O
Jaguar O
, O
GM O
Chairman O
Roger O
Smith O
answered O
the O
legislators O
' O
questions O
about O
it O
over O
lunch O
Tuesday B-T
. O

He O
said O
Jaguar O
" O
should O
n O
' O
t O
be O
smothered O
by O
anyone O
else O
, O
" O
recalled O
one O
participant O
. O

Politics O
also O
influences O
the O
government O
' O
s O
thinking O
on O
the O
anti O
- O
takeover O
restriction O
. O

The O
Conservatives O
do O
n O
' O
t O
dare O
jeopardize O
marginal O
Tory O
seats O
in O
Coventry O
, O
where O
Jaguar O
has O
headquarters O
, O
nor O
can O
the O
government O
easily O
back O
down O
on O
promised O
protection O
for O
a O
privatized O
company O
while O
it O
proceeds O
with O
controversial O
plans O
to O
privatize O
most O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
water O
and O
electricity O
industries O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Margaret O
Thatcher O
might O
, O
however O
, O
be O
receptive O
to O
any O
request O
by O
Jaguar O
Chairman O
Sir O
John O
Egan O
for O
the O
restriction O
' O
s O
early O
removal O
to O
let O
GM O
amass O
more O
than O
15 O
% O
or O
mount O
a O
friendly O
suitor O
bid O
against O
Ford O
. O

In O
the O
end O
, O
Sir O
John O
- O
- O
rather O
than O
the O
government O
or O
Jaguar O
shareholders O
- O
- O
may O
hold O
the O
key O
that O
unlocks O
the O
golden O
share O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0159 O

TAIYUAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Creator O
of O
China O
' O
s O
largest O
porn O
website O
jailed O
for O
life O

The O
creator O
of O
China O
' O
s O
largest O
pornographic O
website O
was O
sentenced O
to O
life O
imprisonment O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Judges O
at O
the O
Taiyuan O
Intermediate O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
handed O
down O
the O
sentence O
to O
Chen O
Hui O
and O
ordered O
the O
confiscation O
of O
100 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
12 O
, O
500 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
other O
eight O
organizers O
of O
the O
website O
were O
jailed O
for O
terms O
ranging O
from O
13 O
months O
to O
ten B-T
years I-T
. O

The O
nine O
were O
convicted O
of O
profiting O
from O
pornographic O
dissemination O
. O

Apart O
from O
one O
who O
is O
over O
50 O
, O
the O
average O
age O
of O
the O
other O
eight O
criminals O
is O
just O
23 O
. O

Chen O
, O
28 O
, O
and O
his O
accomplices O
started O
the O
Qingseliuyuetian O
( O
pornographic O
summer O
) O
website O
in O
2004 B-T
and O
opened O
a O
further O
three O
porn O
websites O
, O
attracting O
more O
than O
600 O
, O
000 O
users O
. O

A O
police O
source O
said O
it O
was O
difficult O
to O
know O
the O
exact O
illegal O
profits O
of O
the O
website O
because O
most O
of O
the O
money O
was O
spent O
or O
saved O
in O
foreign O
bank O
accounts O
. O

The O
police O
found O
about O
200 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
25 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
the O
Chinese O
bank O
accounts O
of O
the O
nine O
. O

A O
member O
of O
the O
public O
complained O
to O
city O
police O
on O
June B-T
21 I-T
last I-T
year I-T
that O
a O
hospital O
website O
had O
changed O
to O
become O
the O
homepage O
of O
a O
porn O
website O
. O

Police O
questioned O
the O
administrator O
of O
the O
website O
, O
Wang O
Jianfei O
, O
who O
allegedly O
admitted O
he O
was O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
" O
Qingseliuyuetian O
" O
Taiyuan O
section O
. O

Three B-T
months I-T
later O
, O
police O
in O
the O
provinces O
of O
Fujian O
, O
Guangdong O
, O
Jilin O
, O
Liaoning O
, O
Anhui O
and O
Hubei O
arrested O
Chen O
and O
other O
organizers O
. O

All O
the O
servers O
of O
" O
China O
' O
s O
largest O
adult O
community O
" O
were O
based O
overseas O
and O
Chen O
regularly O
changed O
the O
website O
' O
s O
domain O
name O
, O
servers O
and O
Internet O
provider O
address O
, O
the O
police O
said O
. O

At O
first O
the O
four O
websites O
accepted O
about O
200 O
, O
000 O
registered O
members O
free O
of O
charge O
, O
but O
demanded O
199 O
to O
266 O
yuan O
( O
25 O
to O
33 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
registration O
fees O
from O
people O
who O
joined O
later O
. O

Some O
paid O
more O
for O
a O
life O
membership O
. O
According O
to O
the O
police O
, O
a O
" O
top O
- O
level O
VIP O
membership O
" O
sold O
at O
3 O
, O
999 O
yuan O
( O
500 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

Commercial O
space O
on O
the O
website O
sold O
for O
1 O
, O
000 O
to O
3 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
125 O
to O
375 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
per O
month B-T
. O

On O
Oct B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
when O
the O
website O
was O
closed O
down O
, O
the O
registered O
members O
exceeded O
600 O
, O
000 O
around O
China O
. O

The O
website O
contained O
more O
than O
nine O
million O
pornographic O
images O
and O
articles O
and O
it O
had O
received O
more O
than O
11 O
million O
clicks O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0681 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

North O
Korea O
says O
more O
three O
- O
way O
talks O
needed O
before O
peace O
talks O

North O
Korea O
on O
Thursday B-T
said O
it O
wanted O
to O
take O
part O
in O
four O
party O
- O
peace O
talks O
, O
but O
that O
three O
- O
party O
talks O
between O
South O
and O
North O
Korea O
and O
the O
United O
States O
should O
continue O
until O
confidence O
has O
been O
built O
. O

" O
It O
is O
our O
stand O
to O
hold O
' O
four O
- O
way O
talks O
' O
for O
peace O
and O
security O
of O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
. O
We O
, O
therefore O
, O
put O
forward O
a O
way O
of O
realising O
the O
talks O
, O
" O
the O
North O
' O
s O
Vice O
Minister O
of O
foreign O
affairs O
, O
Kim O
Kye O
- O
Gwan O
told O
the O
Korean O
Central O
News O
Agency O
( O
KCNA O
) O
. O

" O
In O
order O
to O
make O
the O
talks O
more O
effective O
and O
productive O
, O
we O
proposed O
to O
have O
more O
rounds O
of O
negotiations O
among O
the O
DPRK O
( O
North O
Korea O
) O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
South O
Korea O
before O
beginning O
the O
' O
four O
- O
way O
talks O
' O
, O
" O
Kim O
said O
. O

Arguing O
his O
case O
, O
he O
said O
" O
The O
confidence O
needed O
for O
' O
four O
- O
way O
talks O
' O
has O
not O
yet O
been O
built O
between O
the O
DPRK O
and O
the O
United O
States O
and O
, O
still O
worse O
, O
our O
equal O
footing O
at O
the O
talks O
has O
not O
been O
guaranteed O
. O
" O

" O
We O
are O
ready O
to O
have O
further O
contacts O
to O
this O
end O
, O
" O
added O
Kim O
who O
is O
also O
the O
head O
of O
the O
North O
Korean O
delegation O
to O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
failed O
talks O
in O
New O
York O
designed O
to O
induce O
Pyongyang O
to O
accept O
the O
four O
- O
party O
formula O
. O

The O
four O
- O
party O
talks O
would O
involve O
South O
and O
North O
Korea O
as O
direct O
interlocutors O
, O
with O
the O
United O
States O
and O
China O
in O
a O
support O
role O
. O

In O
New O
York O
, O
a O
North O
Korean O
official O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
China O
should O
join O
the O
talks O
only O
after O
Washington O
recognizes O
the O
North O
. O

South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Yonhap O
News O
Agency O
quoted O
Han O
Sung O
- O
Ryol O
, O
head O
of O
the O
North O
Korean O
UN O
mission O
, O
as O
repeating O
Kim O
' O
s O
insistence O
that O
such O
steps O
were O
needed O
to O
put O
the O
North O
on O
an O
" O
equal O
footing O
" O
before O
the O
four O
- O
party O
talks O
take O
place O
. O

The O
North O
put O
forth O
the O
" O
three O
- O
plus O
- O
one O
" O
formula O
during O
the O
last O
round O
of O
meetings O
with O
South O
Korean O
and O
US O
officials O
in O
New O
York O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
Han O
said O
. O

He O
noted O
that O
while O
the O
United O
States O
and O
China O
recognize O
South O
Korea O
, O
Washington O
has O
no O
diplomatic O
ties O
with O
Pyongyang O
. O
On O
top O
of O
it O
, O
the O
United O
States O
still O
maintains O
a O
trade O
embargo O
on O
the O
North O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
four O
- O
party O
talks O
could O
open O
only O
after O
Washington O
establish O
ties O
with O
Pyongyang O
and O
recognizes O
its O
socialist O
system O
, O
and O
only O
after O
peaceful O
co O
- O
existence O
takes O
root O
and O
the O
North O
is O
assured O
that O
it O
would O
not O
be O
absorbed O
by O
the O
South O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Han O
also O
told O
Yonhap O
in O
a O
telephone O
interview O
that O
massive O
food O
aid O
to O
the O
hungry O
North O
must O
be O
realized O
to O
build O
up O
mutual O
trust O
before O
all O
countries O
concerned O
move O
toward O
the O
four O
- O
way O
talks O
. O

Food O
aid O
should O
not O
be O
used O
as O
a O
leverage O
to O
force O
the O
North O
to O
accept O
talks O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
New O
York O
meeting O
broke O
up O
aftr O
North O
Korea O
failed O
to O
give O
a O
widely O
- O
anticipated O
answer O
to O
the O
US O
- O
South O
Korea O
talks O
proposal O
aimed O
at O
replacing O
the O
1953 O
Korean O
War O
armistice O
with O
a O
formal O
peace O
treaty O
. O

Although O
no O
date O
has O
been O
set O
for O
a O
next O
meeting O
, O
Han O
said O
the O
North O
was O
willing O
to O
resume O
contact O
at O
any O
level O
. O

Han O
noted O
that O
North O
Korean O
and O
US O
officials O
would O
sit O
down O
for O
talks O
on O
the O
repatriation O
of O
remains O
of O
US O
troops O
killed O
during O
the O
Korean O
War O
of O
1950 O
- O
53 O
and O
on O
restricting O
North O
Korean O
missile O
exports O
in O
New O
York O
in O
May B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0204 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Italian O
PM O
says O
he O
wants O
media O
strikes O
to O
end O

Italian O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
he O
wanted O
to O
see O
a O
speedy O
end O
to O
a O
conflict O
between O
Italian O
journalists O
and O
media O
bosses O
which O
has O
led O
to O
repeated O
strikes O
. O

" O
I O
am O
happy O
that O
the O
strike O
is O
over O
because O
five B-T
days I-T
without O
newspapers O
is O
very O
worrying O
, O
" O
Romano O
Prodi O
said O
. O
" O
I O
want O
you O
to O
find O
a O
rapid O
resolution O
to O
this O
disagreement O
, O
" O
he O
told O
journalists O
according O
to O
the O
ANSA O
newsagency O
. O

Newsstands O
were O
empty O
for O
five B-T
days I-T
when O
the O
written O
press O
went O
on O
strike O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
Friday B-T
and O
Saturday B-T
before O
their O
two B-T
- I-T
day I-T
Christmas I-T
holiday I-T
. O

Television O
and O
newspaper O
journalists O
have O
resorted O
to O
industrial O
action O
several O
times O
to O
demand O
the O
renewal O
of O
a O
collective O
bargaining O
charter O
nearly B-T
two I-T
years I-T
after O
it O
expired O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

The O
journalists O
' O
representatives O
are O
demanding O
greater O
job O
security O
for O
journalists O
as O
well O
as O
legal O
recognition O
of O
freelancers O
, O
while O
the O
management O
stresses O
the O
need O
for O
flexibility O
and O
controlling O
costs O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0369 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

final O

Defending O
champions O
Al O
- O
Ahly O
' O
s O
coach O
is O
facing O
huge O
pressure O
before O
a O
decisive O
game O
with O
Sfaxien O
of O
Tunisia O
on O
Saturday B-T
in O
the O
second O
and O
decisive O
leg O
of O
the O
Champions O
League O
final O
. O

Ahly O
' O
s O
Portuguese O
coach O
Manuel O
Jose O
has O
thrown O
all O
his O
cards O
into O
the O
fray O
and O
is O
waiting O
for O
a O
royal O
flush O
, O
local O
English O
newspaper O
The O
Daily O
Star O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
week I-T
, O
the O
Egyptian O
Football O
Association O
agreed O
to O
postpone O
Ahly O
' O
s O
game O
with O
Giza O
- O
based O
Enppi O
in O
order O
to O
give O
the O
" O
Red O
Devil O
" O
players O
enough O
rest O
before O
their O
away O
game O
with O
Sfaxien O
. O

Ahly O
, O
however O
, O
were O
held O
to O
a O
1 O
- O
1 O
draw O
with O
Sfaxien O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
in O
the O
first O
leg O
of O
the O
African O
Champions O
League O
final O
. O

Owing O
to O
the O
draw O
, O
Ahly O
' O
s O
home O
advantage O
was O
wasted O
and O
its O
hopes O
to O
win O
a O
second O
successive O
African O
Champions O
League O
title O
received O
a O
big O
blow O
. O

Despite O
the O
urging O
of O
local O
experts O
that O
the O
game O
would O
have O
been O
a O
good O
way O
to O
prepare O
and O
get O
in O
form O
for O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
game O
with O
Sfaxien O
, O
Jose O
pushed O
to O
get O
his O
way O
and O
will O
likely O
be O
held O
accountable O
should O
the O
Egyptians O
come O
home O
empty O
- O
handed O
. O

But O
there O
is O
another O
aspect O
to O
consider O
- O
- O
Ahly O
, O
Egypt O
' O
s O
best O
soccer O
club O
based O
in O
Cairo O
, O
needs O
a O
serious O
morale O
booster O
. O

Moreover O
both O
Zamalek O
and O
Ismailia O
, O
Ahly O
' O
s O
main O
competitors O
in O
the O
Egyptian O
league O
, O
failed O
to O
win O
their O
games O
this B-T
week I-T
. O
Had O
Ahly O
played O
and O
won O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
team O
would O
have O
jumped O
up O
to O
second O
place O
in O
the O
league O
standings O
, O
only O
one O
point O
behind O
Ismailia O
and O
ahead O
of O
Zamalek O
. O

With O
three O
postponed O
games O
still O
in O
hand O
for O
Ahly O
, O
such O
a O
scenario O
could O
have O
certainly O
boosted O
the O
team O
' O
s O
morale O
before O
their O
Saturday B-T
game O
. O

The O
1 O
- O
1 O
draw O
with O
Sfaxien O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
was O
deemed O
unforgivable O
by O
Ahly O
club O
senior O
members O
and O
by O
the O
85 O
, O
000 O
fans O
that O
attended O
the O
game O
. O

The O
Portuguese O
coach O
also O
suspended O
midfielder O
Hassan O
Mostafa O
before O
game O
one O
and O
Ahly O
' O
s O
midfield O
has O
clearly O
been O
hurt O
on O
both O
the O
offensive O
and O
defensive O
fronts O
. O

The O
embattled O
coach O
is O
clearly O
firing O
all O
guns O
. O

He O
announced O
after O
the O
poor O
showing O
in O
the O
first O
leg O
of O
the O
final O
that O
he O
is O
the O
person O
responsible O
for O
Ahly O
' O
s O
achievements O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
years I-T
. O

In O
spite O
of O
all O
this O
, O
the O
Egyptian O
press O
and O
Ahly O
' O
s O
management O
sound O
relatively O
supportive O
of O
the O
coach O
and O
the O
players O
. O
This O
will O
certainly O
not O
be O
the O
case O
if O
the O
cards O
fail O
Jose O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
. O

Ahly O
, O
considered O
by O
some O
as O
the O
best O
club O
in O
Africa O
, O
won O
the O
African O
Champions O
League O
four O
times O
, O
in O
1982 B-T
, I-T
1987 I-T
, O
2001 B-T
and O
2005 B-T
, O
respectively O
. O

Sfaxien O
handed O
Ahly O
their O
first O
continental O
defeat O
in O
two B-T
years I-T
on O
July B-T
15 I-T
when O
they O
beat O
them O
1 O
- O
0 O
in O
Sfax O
in O
the O
opening O
game O
of O
their O
quarter O
- O
finals O
Group O
A O
matches O
. O

But O
Ahly O
returned O
the O
favor O
by O
winning O
the O
second O
match O
at O
home O
2 O
- O
1 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0187 O

OTTAWA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
found O
in O
wild O
birds O
in O
central O
Canada O

Wild O
birds O
in O
Canada O
' O
s O
central O
province O
of O
Manitoba O
have O
tested O
positive O
for O
a O
low O
- O
pathogenic O
subtype O
of O
the O
H5N1 O
avian O
flu O
virus O
, O
a O
health O
official O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
strains O
are O
from O
the O
family O
of O
North O
American O
H5N1 O
viruses O
, O
not O
the O
forms O
circulating O
in O
Southeast O
Asia O
, O
said O
Dr O
. O
Brian O
Evans O
, O
chief O
veterinary O
officer O
at O
the O
Canadian O
Food O
Inspection O
Agency O
( O
CFIA O
) O
. O

" O
I O
want O
to O
emphasize O
that O
the O
H5N1 O
subtype O
detected O
in O
Manitoba O
is O
completely O
distinct O
from O
the O
strain O
currently O
present O
in O
Asia O
, O
" O
said O
Evans O

" O
From O
a O
genetic O
perspective O
, O
there O
are O
significant O
strain O
differences O
in O
their O
structure O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
officials O
isolated O
an O
H5N3 O
subtype O
in O
two O
birds O
from O
Quebec O
, O
as O
part O
of O
a O
cross O
- O
country O
surveillance O
program O
to O
find O
what O
avian O
flu O
viruses O
are O
being O
carried O
by O
wild O
ducks O
in O
this O
country O
. O

" O
Finding O
only O
low O
pathogenic O
avian O
influenza O
means O
that O
these O
viruses O
would O
cause O
only O
mild O
disease O
, O
if O
any O
at O
all O
, O
if O
introduced O
into O
domestic O
birds O
, O
" O
Evans O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
a O
commercial O
farm O
in O
British O
Columbia O
' O
s O
Fraser O
Valley O
remains O
under O
quarantine O
after O
a O
duck O
was O
found O
infected O
with O
a O
strain O
of O
H5 O
bird O
flu O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

North O
American O
H5N1 O
viruses O
have O
so O
far O
proven O
to O
be O
much O
milder O
viruses O
than O
their O
distant O
Asian O
counterparts O
, O
avian O
influenza O
experts O
say O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
got O
32 B-T
years I-T
of O
surveillance O
work O
that O
says O
these O
North O
American O
strains O
in O
wild O
birds O
in O
the O
past O
have O
never O
been O
a O
threat O
, O
" O
Dr O
. O
Richard O
Slemons O
, O
an O
avian O
influenza O
expert O
at O
Ohio O
State O
University O
, O
told O
The O
Canadian O
Press O
. O

" O
Does O
that O
mean O
they O
won O
' O
t O
be O
a O
threat O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
? O
No O
it O
does O
not O
. O
But O
history O
says O
they O
aren O
' O
t O
a O
risk O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
Asian O
H5N1 O
viruses O
, O
which O
are O
highly O
pathogenic O
, O
have O
infected O
130 O
people O
in O
five O
countries O
since O
2003 B-T
and O
67 O
of O
those O
people O
have O
died O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0184 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Italian O
jobless O
rate O
plunges O
to O
lowest O
level O
since O
1992 O

Italy O
' O
s O
unemployment O
rate O
fell O
to O
6 O
. O
8 O
percent O
of O
the O
workforce O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
its O
lowest O
reading O
since O
1992 B-T
, O
from O
6 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
the O
second O
, O
the O
statistics O
agency O
Istat O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
number O
of O
people O
holding O
jobs O
increased O
2 O
. O
0 O
percent O
to O
23 O
million O
from O
third B-T
quarter I-T
2005 I-T
. O

The O
increase O
reflected O
employment O
gains O
by O
foreign O
residents O
and O
people O
over O
50 O
as O
well O
as O
short O
- O
term O
contracts O
given O
to O
workers O
under O
the O
age O
of O
40 O
, O
according O
to O
the O
agency O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0155 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0155 O
. O

Technology O
amp O
Health O
: O

@ O
Compaq O
Computer O

@ O
Posts O
a O
51 O
% O
Surge O

@ O
In O
3rd O
- O
Period O
Net O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Robert O
Tomsho O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CPQ O

COMPUTERS O
AND O
INFORMATION O
TECHNOLOGY O
( O
CPR O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

HOUSTON O

Compaq O
Computer O
Corp O
. O
said O
that O
its O
net O
income O
rose O
51 O
% O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
bolstered O
by O
unusual O
gains O
from O
its O
investment O
in O
a O
disk O
- O
drive O
maker O
and O
reflecting O
continued O
growth O
in O
its O
European O
operations O
. O

The O
computer O
maker O
said O
net O
jumped O
to O
$ O
87 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
02 O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
58 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
40 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Sales O
increased O
36 O
% O
to O
$ O
683 O
million O
from O
$ O
502 O
million O
. O

The B-T
latest I-T
quarter I-T
' O
s O
results O
, O
however O
, O
included O
a O
pretax O
gain O
of O
$ O
13 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
20 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the O
carrying O
value O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
investment O
in O
Conner O
Peripherals O
Inc O
. O
and O
a O
$ O
7 O
. O
6 O
million O
gain O
, O
or O
11 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
one O
million O
Conner O
shares O
. O

Net O
for O
the B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
was O
$ O
254 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
5 O
. O
94 O
a O
share O
, O
up O
56 O
% O
from O
$ O
163 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
4 O
. O
06 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Sales O
rose O
50 O
% O
to O
$ O
2 O
. O
1 O
billion O
from O
$ O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
. O

Net O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
also O
included O
a O
gain O
of O
$ O
9 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
15 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
in O
the O
carrying O
value O
of O
the O
Conner O
investment O
. O

Michael O
Swavely O
, O
president O
of O
Compaq O
' O
s O
North O
America O
division O
, O
attributed O
the O
company O
' O
s O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
performance O
to O
continued O
increases O
in O
international O
sales O
, O
which O
accounted O
for O
43 O
% O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
sales O
, O
a O
74 O
% O
increase O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

" O
Over O
the B-T
next I-T
couple I-T
of I-T
years I-T
we O
would O
not O
be O
surprised O
to O
see O
Europe O
and O
international O
{ O
sales O
} O
represent O
50 O
% O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
revenues O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

During O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
Compaq O
purchased O
a O
former O
Wang O
Laboratories O
manufacturing O
facility O
in O
Stirling O
, O
Scotland O
, O
which O
will O
be O
used O
for O
international O
service O
and O
repair O
operations O
. O

Mr O
. O
Swavely O
said O
the O
new O
space O
will O
allow O
Compaq O
to O
increase O
the O
manufacturing O
capacity O
of O
its O
plant O
in O
Erskine O
, O
Scotland O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
yesterday B-T
, O
Compaq O
shares O
fell O
$ O
1 O
. O
625 O
to O
$ O
108 O
. O
625 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0315 O

RIGA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Hang O
Seng O
index O
records O
biggest O
single O
- O
day O
drop O

by O
Xinhua O
Writer O
Pan O
Xiaoyan O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Hang O
Seng O
index O
Tuesday B-T
slipped O
2 O
. O
94 O
percent O
, O
the O
largest O
single O
- O
day O
drop O
since O
the O
" O
9 O
. O
11 O
" O
attack O
in O
2001 B-T
, O
dampening O
the O
market O
' O
s O
enthusiasm O
promoted O
by O
the O
bull O
trend O
for O
over O
one B-T
month I-T
. O

Dragged O
by O
the O
falling O
down O
of O
Asian O
markets O
and O
Wall O
Street O
, O
Hang O
Seng O
index O
dived O
564 O
. O
48 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
18 O
, O
639 O
, O
with O
a O
turnover O
of O
58 O
. O
9 O
billion O
HK O
dollars O
( O
7 O
. O
59 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O
The O
index O
of O
H O
- O
shares O
fell O
380 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
8 O
, O
133 O
due O
to O
the O
selling O
pressure O
on O
financial O
stocks O
. O

Hang O
Seng O
Index O
opened O
207 O
points O
lower O
in O
the O
morning O
session O
at O
18 O
. O
996 O
, O
lost O
its O
position O
above O
19 O
, O
000 O
bench O
mark O
. O
H O
- O
shares O
followed O
the O
trend O
by O
starting O
143 O
points O
lower O
at O
8 O
, O
370 O
and O
continued O
falling O
down O
until O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
trading I-T
. O

Chinese O
financial O
stocks O
, O
which O
took O
the O
lead O
of O
going O
up O
, O
sunk O
the O
most O
, O
with O
financial O
index O
of O
H O
- O
shares O
declining O
207 O
points O
, O
or O
2 O
percent O
, O
wiping O
out O
the O
previous O
gains O
in O
one O
session O
. O

Even O
the O
successful O
land O
auction O
by O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
government O
Tuesday O
can O
not O
suspend O
the O
going O
down O
of O
the O
stock O
market O
. O
One O
of O
the O
land O
was O
sold O
at O
a O
price O
of O
75 O
percent O
higher O
than O
the O
base O
price O
but O
only O
sees O
the O
stocks O
of O
real O
estate O
falling O
down O
at O
larger O
pace O
. O

Cheung O
Kong O
, O
the O
property O
giant O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
tycoon O
Li O
Ka O
- O
shing O
, O
fell O
5 O
. O
08 O
percent O
after O
the O
company O
gained O
one O
of O
the O
auctioned O
land O
. O
However O
, O
Li O
said O
he O
believed O
the O
successful O
land O
auction O
Tuesday B-T
reflects O
the O
property O
industry O
' O
s O
confidence O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
economy O
. O

Financial O
analyst O
Lee O
Wei O
- O
shing O
said O
though O
the O
plummeted O
markets O
in O
Asia O
and O
the O
United O
States O
are O
part O
of O
the O
reason O
for O
the O
fall O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
, O
the O
selling O
of O
hedge O
funds O
is O
considered O
the O
main O
factor O
enlarging O
the O
scope O
of O
decline O
. O

He O
believed O
the O
market O
needs O
a O
consolidation O
after O
a O
bull O
run O
of O
4 O
, O
200 O
points O
up O
, O
starting O
from O
15 O
, O
205 O
in O
June B-T
. O
Lee O
said O
the O
property O
stocks O
did O
not O
take O
the O
advantage O
of O
land O
auction O
because O
the O
auction O
' O
s O
price O
is O
much O
higher O
than O
the O
market O
' O
s O
expectation O
. O

Co O
- O
director O
of O
Friedmann O
Pacific O
Investment O
Holdings O
Limited O
Haung O
De O
- O
ji O
said O
a O
series O
of O
fresh O
stocks O
to O
be O
listed O
in O
next O
two B-T
weeks I-T
, O
which O
draw O
a O
large O
part O
of O
the O
capital O
from O
the O
market O
, O
speeded O
up O
the O
falling O
. O

However O
, O
he O
believed O
the O
market O
will O
rebound O
after O
a O
period O
of O
consolidation O
due O
to O
the O
healthy O
development O
of O
both O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
Chinese O
Mainland O
' O
s O
economy O
in O
the O
long O
run O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0256 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambia O
to O
enforce O
law O
on O
speed O
limit O

The O
Zambian O
government O
would O
soon O
enforce O
a O
law O
to O
limit O
the O
speed O
of O
public O
transportation O
vehicles O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
law O
would O
demand O
all O
public O
transport O
operators O
to O
equip O
their O
vehicles O
with O
a O
speed O
limiter O
, O
reports O
said O
. O

Esther O
Nkandu O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Road O
Transportation O
and O
Safety O
Agency O
, O
told O
a O
meeting O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
the O
government O
was O
currently O
in O
the O
process O
of O
implementing O
the O
law O
. O

The O
law O
would O
be O
enforced O
with O
the O
help O
of O
500 O
newly O
recruited O
traffic O
police O
officers O
who O
are O
about O
to O
be O
deployed O
around O
the O
country O
, O
Nkandu O
said O
. O

The O
public O
transportation O
operators O
, O
however O
, O
argued O
that O
the O
law O
should O
not O
be O
imposed O
only O
on O
public O
transportation O
vehicles O
, O
insisting O
that O
it O
must O
be O
extended O
to O
all O
vehicles O
on O
the O
road O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0472 O

CAIRO O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Egyptian O
dancer O
gets O
15 O
- O
percent O
belly O
depreciation O

Egypt O
' O
s O
most O
famous O
belly O
dancer O
, O
Fifi O
Abdu O
, O
has O
received O
a O
15 O
- O
percent O
tax O
cut O
from O
the O
government O
for O
wear O
and O
tear O
on O
her O
most O
exposed O
asset O
, O
her O
midriff O
. O

" O
As O
we O
do O
for O
all O
belly O
dancers O
, O
we O
granted O
Fifi O
Abdu O
a O
15 O
- O
percent O
reduction O
in O
taxes O
every O
year B-T
for I-T
wear O
on O
her O
stomach O
, O
which O
is O
the O
tool O
of O
her O
work O
, O
" O
an O
Egyptian O
tax O
official O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
But O
the O
reduction O
offered O
to O
her O
is O
much O
greater O
than O
that O
of O
her O
colleagues O
because O
of O
the O
great O
amount O
of O
money O
she O
earns O
, O
" O
said O
the O
official O
, O
who O
spoke O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

Fifi O
Abdu O
took O
in O
4 O
. O
5 O
million O
Egyptian O
pounds O
( O
1 O
. O
32 O
million O
dollars O
) O
between O
1993 B-T
and O
1996 B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
Egyptian O
government O
weekly O
Al O
- O
Mussawar O
. O

She O
dances O
in O
extravagant O
costumes O
backed O
by O
a O
large O
orchestra O
, O
usually O
for O
select O
audiences O
willing O
to O
pay O
top O
dollar O
. O

Egyptian O
singers O
such O
as O
Amr O
Diab O
also O
have O
received O
tax O
breaks O
of O
10 O
to O
15 O
percent O
for O
wear O
and O
tear O
on O
their O
voices O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0194 O

BANGKOK O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Moody O
' O
s O
downgrades O
three O
Thai O
banks O
, O
calls O
for O
stricter O
regulation O
by O
Matthew O
Pennington O

Moody O
' O
s O
Investors O
Service O
Friday B-T
lowered O
the O
long O
- O
term O
debt O
ratings O
of O
three O
major O
Thai O
banks O
and O
called O
for O
tougher O
regulation O
amid O
concerns O
over O
deteriorating O
asset O
quality O
. O

The O
New O
York O
- O
based O
ratings O
agency O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
announcing O
the O
downgrades O
that O
more O
rigorous O
requirements O
and O
enforcements O
were O
needed O
" O
to O
restore O
confidence O
in O
the O
regulation O
and O
supervision O
of O
Thai O
banks O
. O
" O

Bank O
of O
Ayudhya O
had O
its O
long O
- O
term O
senior O
debt O
and O
deposit O
ratings O
lowered O
from O
Baa1 O
to O
Baa2 O
, O
while O
Thai O
Military O
Bank O
and O
Siam O
City O
Bank O
were O
downgraded O
from O
Baa2 O
to O
Baa3 O
. O

Moody O
' O
s O
said O
the O
action O
reflected O
the O
" O
anticipated O
impact O
that O
Thailand O
' O
s O
weakening O
financial O
fundamentals O
, O
declining O
property O
and O
stock O
markets O
, O
deepening O
crisis O
in O
the O
finance O
company O
sector O
and O
continuing O
economic O
slowdown O
will O
have O
on O
the O
three O
banks O
' O
asset O
quality O
, O
capital O
levels O
and O
profitability O
. O
" O

It O
follows O
Moody O
' O
s O
downgrading O
of O
Thailand O
' O
s O
long O
term O
sovereign O
debt O
rating O
from O
A2 O
to O
A3 O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
. O

Thai O
regulators O
had O
moved O
in O
" O
the O
right O
direction O
" O
to O
encourage O
mergers O
and O
more O
stringent O
disclosure O
and O
provisioning O
requirements O
in O
the O
troubled O
financial O
company O
sector O
, O
Moody O
' O
s O
said O
. O

But O
the O
transparency O
of O
Thai O
financial O
statements O
was O
" O
generally O
poor O
. O
" O

" O
Thai O
banks O
are O
allowed O
a O
great O
deal O
of O
regulatory O
forbearance O
in O
such O
items O
as O
the O
need O
to O
create O
loan O
loss O
reserves O
and O
regarding O
non O
- O
accrual O
of O
loans O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
central O
Bank O
of O
Thailand O
had O
disclosed O
that O
the O
level O
of O
non O
- O
performing O
loans O
at O
Thai O
banks O
was O
7 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
June B-T
1996 I-T
but O
individual O
banks O
do O
not O
currently O
disclose O
this O
information O
, O
Moody O
' O
s O
said O
. O

However O
the O
central O
bank O
had O
announced O
that O
information O
disclosure O
on O
asset O
quality O
would O
be O
necessary O
with O
financial O
statements O
from O
June B-T
30 I-T
, O
it O
added O
. O

Unofficial O
estimates O
have O
put O
the O
level O
of O
bad O
debt O
in O
the O
financial O
system O
at O
more O
than O
700 O
billion O
baht O
( O
27 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
. O

Friday B-T
' O
s O
downgradings O
had O
been O
widely O
expected O
following O
an O
announcement O
from O
Moody O
' O
s O
in O
March B-T
that O
it O
was O
reviewing O
the O
three O
banks O
' O
ratings O
and O
the O
decision O
was O
largely O
discounted O
in O
trading O
on O
the O
bourse O
, O
which O
closed O
down O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

Moody O
' O
s O
also O
lowered O
the O
short O
- O
term O
ratings O
of O
Bank O
of O
Aduyhya O
and O
Thai O
Military O
Bank O
from O
Prime O
- O
2 O
to O
Prime O
- O
3 O
, O
while O
confirming O
Siam O
City O
' O
s O
Prime O
- O
3 O
rating O
. O
The O
financial O
strength O
ratings O
and O
subordinated O
debt O
of O
all O
three O
banks O
were O
lowered O
. O

The O
agency O
said O
it O
expected O
the O
levels O
of O
non O
- O
performing O
assets O
for O
the O
three O
banks O
to O
rise O
by O
another O
50 O
- O
to O
- O
100 O
percent O
over O
levels O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
1996 I-T
levels I-T
. O

The O
impact O
on O
banks O
of O
problems O
in O
the O
property O
sector O
would O
be O
likely O
to O
continue O
for O
several B-T
years I-T
, O
due O
to O
oversupply O
and O
the O
effect O
of O
high O
domestic O
interest O
rates O
used O
by O
the O
central O
bank O
to O
defend O
the O
baht O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
banks O
would O
also O
suffer O
a O
" O
contingent O
liability O
" O
for O
the O
troubled O
finance O
company O
sector O
suffering O
funding O
and O
capital O
deficiencies O
. O

On O
the O
positive O
side O
, O
Moody O
' O
s O
pointed O
to O
the O
good O
lending O
margins O
of O
Thai O
banks O
- O
- O
with O
a O
system O
wide O
average O
of O
more O
than O
3 O
. O
5 O
percent O
- O
- O
and O
a O
supportive O
regulatory O
environment O
. O

" O
These O
factors O
will O
help O
the O
banks O
generate O
the O
core O
profits O
to O
absorb O
the O
potential O
losses O
which O
may O
materialize O
as O
well O
as O
maintain O
confidence O
in O
the O
banking O
sector O
, O
" O
Moody O
' O
s O
said O
. O

Also O
, O
Thailand O
still O
enjoys O
strong O
underlying O
fundamentals O
and O
a O
robust O
rate O
of O
economic O
growth O
, O
it O
said O
. O

A O
dealer O
with O
Adkinson O
Securities O
said O
the O
Moody O
' O
s O
action O
had O
not O
compounded O
the O
underlying O
weakness O
in O
the O
stock O
market O
. O

" O
The O
market O
is O
struggling O
more O
on O
the O
expectation O
of O
broadly O
weaker O
first O
quarter O
earnings O
and O
news O
that O
the O
economy O
was O
still O
performing O
badly O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0303 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Oil O
prices O
drop O
over O
stronger O
US O
crude O
inventories O

World O
oil O
prices O
fell O
on O
Wednesday B-T
over O
stronger O
US O
crude O
inventories O
, O
which O
helped O
to O
offset O
concerns O
about O
shortfalls O
in O
heating O
fuel O
supplies O
this B-T
winter I-T
. O

New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
January B-T
, O
fell O
13 O
cents O
to O
close O
at O
58 O
. O
71 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
. O

In O
London O
, O
the O
price O
of O
Brent O
North O
Sea O
crude O
for O
January B-T
delivery O
lost O
20 O
cents O
to O
end O
at O
56 O
. O
21 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
. O

US O
inventories O
of O
crude O
oil O
, O
gasoline O
and O
distillate O
products O
all O
rose O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
week I-T
, O
the O
Department O
of O
Energy O
said O
. O

The O
higher O
inventory O
levels O
suggest O
that O
US O
oil O
companies O
have O
been O
able O
to O
rebuild O
their O
stocks O
thanks O
to O
milder O
weather O
, O
after O
their O
operations O
were O
battered O
by O
hurricanes O
in O
August B-T
and I-T
September I-T
. O

At O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
price O
levels O
, O
crude O
futures O
have O
shed O
almost O
18 O
percent O
since O
striking O
historic O
highs O
of O
70 O
. O
85 O
dollars O
in O
New O
York O
on O
August B-T
30 I-T
after O
Hurricane O
Katrina O
tore O
through O
US O
Gulf O
Coast O
energy O
facilities O
. O

Prices O
have O
since O
dropped O
owing O
in O
part O
to O
unusually O
warm O
weather O
during O
October B-T
and O
much O
of O
November O
across O
the O
northern O
hemisphere O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0169 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zimbabwean O
opposition O
MDC O
bars O
leader O
from O
all O
activities O

The O
pro O
- O
senatorial O
poll O
faction O
of O
the O
Movement O
for O
Democratic O
Change O
, O
Zimbabwe O
' O
s O
largest O
opposition O
, O
rebuffed O
leader O
Morgan O
Tsvangirai O
' O
s O
claims O
that O
there O
was O
no O
quorum O
when O
the O
party O
suspended O
him O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Faction O
spokesperson O
Gift O
Chimanikire O
said O
there O
was O
a O
quorum O
when O
the O
party O
barred O
Tsvangirai O
from O
all O
party O
activities O
. O

" O
Only O
one O
person O
who O
was O
not O
well O
was O
not O
available O
when O
the O
quorum O
sat O
and O
as O
such O
Tsvangirai O
remains O
suspended O
from O
all O
party O
activities O
until O
such O
time O
when O
a O
decision O
about O
his O
future O
is O
taken O
, O
" O
said O
Chimanikire O
. O

Chimanikire O
said O
" O
he O
can O
go O
and O
hang O
. O
We O
held O
the O
disciplinary O
meeting O
in O
his O
absence O
because O
he O
disregarded O
it O
. O
We O
will O
soon O
give O
him O
the O
last O
chance O
to O
appear O
under O
the O
same O
disciplinary O
committee O
. O
" O

Should O
he O
fail O
to O
respond O
, O
Chimanikire O
said O
, O
this O
would O
be O
his O
last O
chance O
after O
which O
necessary O
measures O
would O
be O
taken O
. O

He O
, O
however O
, O
refused O
to O
elaborate O
on O
the O
action O
Tsvangirai O
would O
face O
. O

" O
He O
is O
barred O
from O
all O
party O
activities O
until O
further O
notice O
and O
should O
not O
represent O
the O
party O
in O
any O
capacity O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Chimanikire O
said O
the O
latest O
move O
meant O
that O
Gibson O
Sibanda O
, O
the O
second O
in O
command O
, O
had O
assumed O
the O
presidency O
and O
overall O
control O
of O
the O
party O
. O

He O
said O
that O
the O
faction O
would O
not O
attend O
the O
emergency O
meeting O
that O
Tsvangirai O
called O
. O

" O
If O
he O
goes O
ahead O
with O
his O
decision O
, O
he O
will O
not O
get O
a O
quorum O
. O
This O
is O
what O
happened O
when O
he O
convened O
the O
last O
meeting O
. O
" O

He O
claimed O
that O
Tsvangirai O
' O
s O
bodyguards O
were O
made O
members O
of O
the O
national O
council O
at O
this O
meeting O
. O

Tsvangirai O
' O
s O
spokesperson O
William O
Bango O
refused O
to O
comment O
on O
the O
latest O
developments O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
comment O
on O
those O
issues O
. O
In O
fact O
I O
have O
no O
comment O
, O
" O
Bango O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0363 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Swedish O
protestors O
urge O
Dutch O
to O
release O
environmentalist O

Swedish O
environmentalists O
rallied O
outside O
the O
Dutch O
embassy O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
urge O
the O
Netherlands O
to O
release O
the O
founder O
of O
their O
group O
, O
Paul O
Watson O
, O
wanted O
in O
Norway O
for O
illegal O
protest O
actions O
against O
whaling O
, O
police O
said O
. O

Half O
a O
dozen O
environmentalists O
of O
the O
Sea O
Shepherd O
group O
brandished O
banners O
outside O
the O
embassy O
urging O
" O
Please O
Holland O
, O
free O
Paul O
Watson O
. O
" O

Watson O
, O
a O
46 O
- O
year O
old O
Canadian O
citizen O
who O
is O
also O
the O
co O
- O
founder O
of O
Greenpeace O
, O
was O
arrested O
at O
Amsterdam O
' O
s O
Schiphol O
airport O
on O
April B-T
2 I-T
under O
an O
international O
arrest O
warrant O
. O

He O
is O
wanted O
by O
Norwegian O
authorities O
, O
who O
have O
requested O
his O
extradition O
in O
connection O
with O
a O
collision O
in O
July B-T
1992 I-T
between O
his O
Sea O
Shepherd O
Conservation O
Society O
boat O
and O
a O
whaler O
during O
an O
operation O
by O
environmentalists O
against O
whale O
- O
hunting O
. O

Watson O
had O
been O
sentenced O
in O
Norway O
to O
120 O
days O
imprisonment O
for O
damage O
to O
the O
whaling O
ship O
Nybraenna O
. O
He O
is O
also O
wanted O
in O
Norway O
for O
two O
other O
illegal O
protest O
actions O
against O
whaling O
. O

In O
July B-T
1994 I-T
, O
a O
Sea O
Shepherd O
boat O
rammed O
a O
Norwegian O
coast O
guard O
vessel O
during O
an O
operation O
by O
environmentalists O
against O
whale O
- O
hunting O
, O
and O
in O
January B-T
1994 I-T
he O
sabotaged O
the O
whaler O
Senet O
. O

Dutch O
diplomat O
Rienko O
Wilton O
told O
AFP O
that O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
demonstration O
was O
" O
very O
peaceful O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0186 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zimbabwe O
tractor O
firm O
in O
deal O
with O
China O
counterparts O

Saltlakes O
Holdings O
( O
Private O
) O
Limited O
, O
a O
predominantly O
Zimbabwean O
agricultural O
investment O
company O
, O
has O
ramped O
up O
its O
ties O
with O
the O
Chinese O
market O
by O
signing O
an O
exclusive O
dealership O
agreement O
with O
JiangSu O
Changfa O
Group O
( O
JCG O
) O
, O
The O
Sunday O
Mail O
reported O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
deal O
entails O
the O
distribution O
of O
farming O
equipment O
and O
implements O
, O
among O
them O
tractors O
under O
the O
Changfa O
brand O
, O
Saltlakes O
chief O
executive O
Temba O
Mliswa O
revealed O
. O
Apart O
from O
the O
co O
- O
operation O
of O
his O
Chinese O
partners O
, O
Mliswa O
said O
they O
( O
Saltlakes O
) O
were O
thankful O
for O
the O
unstinting O
support O
and O
open O
- O
door O
policy O
of O
personnel O
at O
the O
Zimbabwean O
embassy O
in O
Beijing O
. O

Under O
the O
arrangement O
, O
Saltlakes O
would O
not O
only O
sell O
or O
restrict O
itself O
to O
the O
Zimbabwean O
market O
, O
but O
also O
target O
four O
other O
Southern O
African O
countries O
, O
such O
as O
Botswana O
, O
Mozambique O
, O
Namibia O
and O
Zambia O
. O
The O
services O
can O
also O
be O
extended O
to O
Angola O
, O
Kenya O
, O
Malawi O
, O
South O
Africa O
and O
Tanzania O
. O

This O
distribution O
channel O
not O
only O
gives O
the O
Zimbabwean O
firm O
access O
to O
a O
wider O
Southern O
Africa O
Development O
Community O
market O
, O
but O
is O
also O
one O
of O
the O
largest O
deals O
in O
the O
region O
. O

Based O
in O
Jiangsu O
Province O
, O
JCG O
is O
an O
integrated O
industrial O
group O
specializing O
in O
the O
manufacture O
of O
agricultural O
equipment O
, O
cooling O
systems O
, O
internal O
combustion O
engines O
and O
real O
estate O
investments O
. O

JCG O
produces O
high O
- O
calibre O
tractors O
of O
pulling O
power O
or O
capacities O
exceeding O
80 O
horsepower O
, O
with O
engines O
comparable O
to O
the O
world O
- O
renowned O
Perkins O
brand O
. O

The O
group O
also O
features O
among O
China O
' O
s O
top O
five O
tractor O
producers O
or O
companies O
that O
its O
tie O
- O
up O
with O
Saltlakes O
will O
provide O
the O
latter O
' O
s O
contracted O
farmers O
, O
under O
an O
agriculture O
ministry O
- O
backed O
tobacco O
outgrower O
scheme O
, O
with O
a O
one O
- O
stop O
shop O
for O
procuring O
necessary O
equipment O
such O
as O
tractors O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0478 O

MELBOURNE O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
to O
tea O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Matthew O
Hayden O
hit O
his O
first B-T
century I-T
of O
the O
series O
and O
27th O
of O
his O
Test O
career O
to O
wrest O
control O
of O
the O
fourth O
Ashes O
Test O
away O
from O
England O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Hayden O
combined O
with O
Andrew O
Symonds O
to O
get O
Australia O
off O
the O
hook O
after O
England O
had O
the O
home O
side O
on O
a O
shaky O
84 O
for O
five O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
session O
. O

But O
as O
has O
happened O
so O
often O
in O
the O
series O
already O
wrapped O
up O
by O
the O
Aussies O
, O
England O
' O
s O
bowlers O
failed O
to O
deliver O
the O
knockout O
blow O
. O

Hayden O
and O
Symonds O
shared O
in O
an O
unbroken O
142 O
- O
run O
stand O
for O
the O
sixth O
wicket O
to O
take O
the O
game O
away O
from O
the O
tourists O
. O

Hayden O
continued O
his O
love O
affair O
with O
the O
Melbourne O
Cricket O
Ground O
, O
scoring O
his O
fifth O
century O
in O
eight O
Tests O
to O
join O
Allan O
Border O
as O
Australia O
' O
s O
fourth O
- O
highest O
century O
- O
maker O
behind O
current O
captain O
Ricky O
Ponting O
( O
33 O
) O
. O

Only O
Ponting O
, O
Steve O
Waugh O
( O
32 O
) O
and O
Don O
Bradman O
( O
29 O
) O
have O
scored O
more O
Test O
centuries O
than O
Hayden O
, O
who O
with O
Border O
ranks O
as O
the O
top O
- O
scoring O
left O
- O
hander O
of O
Test O
hundreds O
for O
his O
country O
. O

At O
tea O
, O
Australia O
were O
sailing O
along O
at O
226 O
for O
five O
, O
a O
lead O
of O
67 O
, O
with O
Hayden O
unconquered O
on O
109 O
off O
189 O
balls O
with O
11 O
boundaries O
and O
a O
six O
. O
Symonds O
was O
not O
out O
61 O
. O

Defending O
a O
modest O
first O
innings O
159 O
, O
England O
shook O
up O
Australia O
before O
lunch O
taking O
the O
wickets O
of O
the O
three O
top O
- O
averaging O
batsmen O
, O
Ricky O
Ponting O
( O
7 O
) O
, O
Mike O
Hussey O
( O
6 O
) O
and O
Michael O
Clarke O
( O
5 O
) O
to O
have O
the O
home O
side O
under O
rare O
pressure O
. O

All O
three O
went O
into O
the O
Melbourne O
Test O
boasting O
century O
- O
plus O
averages O
in O
the O
series O
- O
- O
Ponting O
( O
104 O
. O
80 O
) O
, O
Hussey O
( O
138 O
. O
33 O
) O
and O
Clarke O
( O
124 O
. O
33 O
) O
. O

But O
Hayden O
and O
Symonds O
regained O
command O
of O
the O
innings O
, O
scoring O
115 O
runs O
in O
the O
middle O
session O
. O

Symonds O
, O
who O
went O
to O
the O
crease O
with O
a O
Test O
average O
of O
just O
18 O
in O
11 O
matches O
, O
took O
21 O
balls O
to O
get O
off O
the O
mark O
but O
unleashed O
the O
full O
range O
of O
his O
trademark O
one O
- O
day O
international O
shots O
to O
drain O
England O
' O
s O
confidence O
. O

Earlier O
, O
skipper O
Andrew O
Flintoff O
removed O
Ponting O
cheaply O
in O
the O
seventh O
over O
of O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

The O
Aussie O
skipper O
attempted O
to O
pull O
from O
well O
outside O
the O
off O
- O
stump O
only O
to O
sky O
a O
catch O
to O
Alastair O
Cook O
at O
mid O
- O
wicket O
. O

Hussey O
was O
bowled O
between O
bat O
and O
pad O
by O
Matthew O
Hoggard O
with O
one O
that O
straightened O
on O
him O
. O

It O
was O
the O
third O
time O
in O
the O
series O
that O
Hussey O
has O
been O
bowled O
in O
the O
series O
, O
twice O
by O
Hoggard O
and O
once O
by O
Flintoff O
. O

Steve O
Harmison O
, O
who O
has O
failed O
to O
recapture O
the O
form O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Ashes O
series O
in O
England O
, O
produced O
a O
gem O
of O
a O
delivery O
to O
remove O
Clarke O
in O
the O
next O
over O
. O

Harmison O
found O
extra O
bounce O
with O
his O
second O
ball O
to O
get O
an O
edge O
off O
Clarke O
' O
s O
prodding O
bat O
for O
wicketkeeper O
Chris O
Read O
to O
take O
the O
catch O
and O
leave O
the O
Aussies O
at O
84 B-T
for O
five O
and O
trailing O
England O
at O
that O
stage O
by O
75 O
runs O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970420 O
. O
0050 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENTGujral O
stakes O
claim O
to O
form O
new O
Indian O
government O

United O
Front O
coalition O
leader O
Inder O
Kumar O
Gujral O
on O
Sunday B-T
staked O
claim O
to O
form O
India O
' O
s O
new O
government O
, O
a O
leader O
of O
the O
alliance O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0013 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Financing O
curbs O
seek O
to O
stem O
speculation O
in O
Singapore O
public O
housing O

Singapore O
is O
to O
fine O
- O
tune O
its O
much O
- O
envied O
public O
housing O
system O
by O
tightening O
financing O
procedures O
to O
curb O
speculation O
on O
the O
heavily O
subsidised O
flats O
which O
are O
home O
to O
nine O
out O
of O
10 O
citizens O
. O

The O
new O
rules O
unveiled O
Saturday B-T
are O
aimed O
at O
deterring O
the O
use O
of O
subsidised O
loans O
to O
buy O
and O
sell O
the O
simple O
but O
comfortable O
flats O
to O
reap O
capital O
gains O
. O

The O
regulations O
also O
intend O
to O
endure O
that O
flat O
- O
buyers O
borrow O
within O
their O
means O
, O
officials O
and O
analysts O
said O
. O

" O
The O
basic O
policy O
of O
public O
housing O
is O
to O
provide O
a O
roof O
over O
your O
head O
, O
not O
to O
help O
you O
make O
a O
profit O
, O
" O
Chan O
Hiap O
Kong O
, O
senior O
director O
of O
the O
property O
consultancy O
Colliers O
Jardine O
, O
told O
the O
Sunday B-T
Times I-T
. O

" O
It O
will O
introduce O
more O
prudence O
into O
the O
market O
and O
extract O
the O
speculative O
element O
, O
" O
Chan O
said O
of O
the O
measures O
announced O
by O
National O
Development O
Minister O
Lim O
Hng O
Kiang O
. O

The O
new O
mortgage O
financing O
policy O
will O
make O
flats O
built O
by O
the O
Housing O
and O
Development O
Board O
( O
HDB O
) O
more O
expensive O
for O
those O
who O
already O
own O
property O
. O

The O
government O
said O
a O
" O
credit O
assessment O
" O
criteria O
would O
be O
imposed O
on O
buyers O
to O
ensure O
that O
they O
are O
not O
tempted O
by O
low O
interest O
rates O
and O
rising O
resale O
prices O
to O
borrow O
beyond O
their O
means O
. O

Buyers O
of O
HDB O
flats O
will O
now O
be O
entitled O
to O
only O
two O
subsidised O
mortgage O
loans O
which O
come O
with O
an O
interest O
rate O
of O
3 O
. O
5 O
percent O
per O
annum O
, O
below O
the O
market O
rate O
of O
5 O
. O
75 O
percent O
. O

The O
loan O
amount O
will O
depend O
on O
the O
age O
and O
household O
income O
of O
borrowers O
. O
Buyers O
will O
have O
to O
use O
up O
the O
money O
in O
their O
pension O
- O
fund O
accounts O
before O
they O
are O
granted O
mortgage O
loans O
. O

The O
maximumn O
loan O
amount O
will O
be O
worked O
out O
in O
such O
a O
way O
that O
borrowers O
' O
monthly O
repayments O
do O
not O
exceed O
40 O
percent O
of O
the O
household O
income O
. O

Buyers O
of O
resale O
flats O
will O
have O
to O
pay O
market O
interest O
rates O
if O
they O
earn O
more O
than O
8 O
, O
000 O
Singapore O
dollars O
( O
5 O
, O
714 O
US O
) O
a O
month O
, O
or O
if O
they O
own O
private O
property O
. O

" O
The O
objective O
of O
this O
latest O
revision O
in O
mortgage O
financing O
policy O
for O
HDB O
flats O
is O
to O
bring O
it O
closer O
to O
market O
practice O
and O
to O
rationalise O
the O
subsidies O
for O
the O
purchase O
of O
HDB O
flats O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
of O
national O
development O
said O
. O

The O
measures O
would O
check O
rampant O
" O
upgrading O
" O
by O
Singaporeans O
who O
put O
pressure O
on O
their O
budgets O
by O
seeking O
to O
move O
to O
more O
spacious O
flats O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

The O
steps O
come O
on O
the O
top O
of O
credit O
- O
tightening O
and O
tax O
measures O
introduced O
in O
May B-T
last I-T
year I-T
against O
excessive O
speculation O
in O
private O
property O
which O
have O
softened O
real O
- O
estate O
prices O
. O

Market O
speculation O
Friday B-T
sent O
property O
stocks O
reeling O
, O
with O
the O
Stock O
Exchange O
of O
Singapore O
Property O
Index O
ending O
down O
five O
percent O
- O
- O
the O
largest O
one O
- O
day O
fall O
since O
the O
May O
curbs O
. O

Analysts O
said O
the O
steps O
were O
less O
stringent O
than O
had O
been O
speculated O
about O
in O
the O
market O
. O

" O
The O
new O
measures O
will O
not O
affect O
the O
selling O
prices O
of O
new O
flats O
. O
There O
might O
be O
some O
downward O
pressure O
on O
the O
resale O
flat O
prices O
. O
However O
the O
impact O
is O
difficult O
to O
assess O
at O
this O
moment O
, O
" O
a O
government O
spokesman O
said O
. O

" O
I O
think O
definitely O
the O
home O
market O
will O
be O
affected O
but O
to O
what O
extent O
nobody O
can O
tell O
, O
" O
said O
a O
property O
agent O
, O
adding O
that O
property O
stocks O
were O
expected O
to O
stabilise O
Monday B-T
given O
the O
week O
- O
end O
selling O
bout O
. O

The O
HDB O
, O
set O
up O
in O
1960 B-T
as O
the O
sole O
public O
housing O
authority O
in O
the O
island O
state O
of O
three O
million O
people O
, O
has O
built O
some O
650 O
, O
000 O
subsidised O
flats O
that O
house O
about O
90 O
percent O
of O
Singaporeans O
. O

Most O
of O
them O
were O
able O
to O
buy O
their O
own O
flats O
by O
drawing O
on O
hefty O
compulsory O
social O
security O
savings O
in O
the O
Central O
Provident O
Fund O
and O
low O
- O
interest O
mortgage O
loans O
. O

But O
demand O
for O
new O
HDB O
flats O
and O
financing O
has O
risen O
sharply O
since O
1993 B-T
following O
measures O
which O
made O
it O
easier O
for O
owners O
to O
sell O
their O
units O
on O
the O
open O
market O
, O
causing O
resale O
prices O
to O
increase O
. O

Annual O
demand O
has O
since O
averaged O
at O
70 O
, O
000 O
new O
HDB O
flats O
, O
compared O
to O
the O
30 O
, O
000 O
the O
HDB O
builds O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0276 O

CHANGSHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

cases O
in O
central O
China O

The O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
experts O
who O
came O
to O
probe O
a O
case O
of O
" O
pneumonia O
of O
an O
unknown O
cause O
" O
in O
central O
China O
Monday B-T
said O
they O
are O
satisfaction O
with O
the O
report O
on O
the O
case O
. O

The O
WHO O
experts O
also O
affirmed O
to O
the O
technology O
and O
salvations O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
three O
cases O
after O
they O
listened O
to O
the O
report O
made O
by O
the O
provincial O
health O
department O
of O
Hunan O
with O
their O
Chinese O
counterparts O
from O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
on O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

" O
Everything O
is O
going O
well O
. O
What O
we O
heard O
about O
are O
all O
good O
things O
. O
And O
we O
' O
re O
satisfied O
with O
the O
preventative O
measures O
of O
Hunan O
. O
But O
we O
still O
need O
farther O
investigation O
. O
" O
said O
a O
WHO O
expert O
. O

The O
experts O
will O
carry O
out O
investigations O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
Wednesday B-T
in O
cities O
of O
Changsha O
and O
Xiangtan O
, O
where O
three O
cases O
of O
the O
mysterious O
pneumonia O
occurred O
in O
October B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
provincial O
health O
department O
. O

The O
experts O
will O
visit O
the O
Hunan O
Provincial O
Children O
' O
s O
Hospital O
where O
the O
sister O
and O
brother O
were O
treated O
, O
the O
village O
where O
the O
bird O
flu O
epidemic O
broke O
out O
, O
and O
medical O
institutions O
in O
Xiangtan O
, O
according O
to O
the O
department O
. O

The O
three O
cases O
involved O
a O
12 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
girl O
who O
died O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, O
her O
9 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
brother O
, O
who O
was O
discharged O
from O
hospital O
last B-T
Friday I-T
after O
25 B-T
days I-T
of O
treatment O
, O
and O
a O
36 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
school O
teacher O
, O
who O
is O
still O
in O
hospital O
. O
They O
were O
all O
diagnosed O
as O
suffering O
from O
" O
pneumonia O
of O
an O
unknown O
cause O
. O
" O

The O
WHO O
experts O
are O
expected O
to O
return O
to O
Beijing O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
according O
to O
local O
authorities O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0537 O

MOGADISHU O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
GRAPHIC O
+ O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Ethiopian O
troops O
backing O
Somali O
government O
forces O
were O
closer O
to O
the O
capital O
Mogadishu O
Thursday B-T
as O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
failed O
to O
reach O
consensus O
on O
a O
statement O
calling O
for O
the O
immediate O
withdrawal O
of O
all O
foreign O
forces O
from O
Somalia O
and O
an O
end O
to O
military O
operations O
. O

" O
We O
could O
not O
reach O
consensus O
" O
on O
the O
non O
- O
binding O
statement O
, O
said O
Mutlaq O
al O
- O
Qahtani O
, O
a O
UN O
delegate O
from O
Qatar O
, O
which O
chairs O
the O
15 O
- O
member O
council O
and O
drafted O
the O
text O
. O

It O
was O
the B-T
second I-T
day I-T
in O
a O
row O
that O
the O
15 O
members O
failed O
to O
reach O
common O
ground O
and O
they O
finally O
decided O
to O
give O
up O
their O
attempt O
as O
it O
became O
clear O
there O
was O
no O
hope O
of O
a O
consensus O
. O

Meanwhile O
the O
UN O
braced O
for O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
refugees O
flooding O
into O
neighbouring O
Kenya O
and O
Ethiopia O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
pro O
- O
government O
forces O
seized O
Jowhar O
, O
about O
90 O
kilometres O
( O
55 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
Mogadishu O
and O
rolled O
south O
, O
with O
the O
Islamists O
carrying O
out O
what O
they O
described O
as O
a O
" O
tactical O
retreat O
" O
under O
air O
attacks O
. O

A O
pro O
- O
government O
army O
commander O
told O
AFP O
late O
Wednesday B-T
that O
his O
troops O
were O
now O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Balad O
, O
just O
30 O
kilometres O
( O
20 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
the O
capital O
. O

A O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Somali O
transitional O
government O
said O
earlier O
Mogadishu O
would O
not O
be O
taken O
by O
force O
. O

" O
There O
is O
a O
fear O
among O
the O
population O
in O
the O
capital O
that O
the O
government O
will O
force O
its O
way O
into O
Mogadishu O
but O
we O
are O
not O
going O
to O
do O
that O
, O
" O
said O
Information O
Minister O
Ali O
Ahmed O
Jamah O
. O

Jamah O
said O
government O
troops O
would O
surround O
Mogadishu O
to O
leave O
time O
for O
negotiations O
and O
force O
the O
Islamists O
to O
take O
part O
in O
dialogue O
. O

" O
There O
are O
negotiations O
underway O
between O
the O
leaders O
of O
various O
groups O
in O
Mogadishu O
, O
so O
that O
the O
people O
of O
Mogadishu O
, O
those O
who O
have O
chased O
away O
the O
warlords O
, O
we O
want O
them O
to O
convince O
the O
extremists O
to O
leave O
the O
country O
peacefully O
so O
that O
nothing O
bad O
happens O
there O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Ethiopia O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Meles O
Zenawi O
has O
also O
said O
he O
was O
not O
interested O
in O
capturing O
Mogadishu O
. O

In O
Kenya O
, O
whose O
government O
helped O
shape O
Somalia O
' O
s O
interim O
regime O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
diplomats O
said O
the O
Islamists O
had O
agreed O
to O
attend O
talks O
in O
Nairobi O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
contain O
the O
situation O
. O

As O
concern O
mounted O
worldwide O
of O
an O
impending O
bloodbath O
and O
massive O
displacement O
of O
civilians O
, O
the O
Organization O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Conference O
( O
OIC O
) O
urged O
parties O
to O
spare O
the O
city O
due O
to O
the O
potential O
for O
" O
enormous O
human O
losses O
" O
. O

" O
To O
carry O
the O
battle O
to O
the O
capital O
is O
likely O
to O
force O
thousands O
of O
civilians O
. O
. O
. O
to O
flee O
and O
exacerbate O
the O
humane O
catastrophe O
, O
" O
said O
OIC O
Secretary O
General O
Ekmeleddin O
Ihsanoglu O
. O

The O
Islamists O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
vowed O
to O
maintain O
security O
in O
Mogadishu O
. O

" O
The O
security O
we O
are O
enjoying O
is O
very O
important O
and O
we O
cannot O
let O
violent O
people O
destabilize O
our O
city O
, O
" O
Sheikh O
Sharif O
Sheikh O
Ahmed O
, O
the O
chairman O
of O
the O
Islamist O
executive O
committee O
, O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
in O
Mogadishu O
. O

The O
African O
Union O
and O
the O
Arab O
League O
urged O
Ethiopia O
to O
pull O
out O
and O
for O
the O
rivals O
to O
observe O
a O
truce O
, O
while O
the O
OIC O
warned O
fighting O
could O
worsen O
" O
the O
humanitarian O
tragedy O
already O
unfolding O
" O
. O

But O
Somali O
Information O
Minister O
Jamah O
said O
: O
" O
The O
Ethiopians O
have O
a O
limited O
objective O
. O
They O
came O
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
a O
legitimate O
government O
to O
rout O
out O
these O
extremist O
elements O
from O
Somalia O
. O
It O
is O
limited O
in O
scope O
and O
limited O
in O
time O
. O

" O
They O
will O
go O
back O
very O
soon O
, O
almost O
80 O
percent O
of O
our O
mission O
is O
completed O
. O
. O
. O
There O
were O
common O
interests O
, O
they O
( O
the O
Islamists O
) O
were O
threatening O
us O
and O
also O
threatening O
Ethiopia O
. O
" O

In O
June B-T
, O
the O
Islamists O
seized O
Mogadishu O
and O
much O
of O
Somalia O
, O
leaving O
the O
US O
- O
backed O
transitional O
government O
only O
in O
control O
of O
the O
town O
of O
Baidoa O
. O

But O
as O
the O
Islamists O
advanced O
on O
Baidoa O
, O
Ethiopia O
moved O
to O
shore O
up O
the O
government O
. O
Heavy O
fighting O
then O
erupted O
last B-T
week I-T
after O
the O
Islamists O
made O
good O
on O
a O
vow O
to O
launch O
attacks O
if O
Ethiopian O
troops O
failed O
to O
pull O
out O
within O
a B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
office O
of O
the O
UN O
High O
Commissioner O
for O
Refugees O
( O
UNHCR O
) O
meanwhile O
warned O
that O
as O
many O
as O
50 O
, O
000 O
refugees O
could O
pour O
into O
neighbouring O
countries O
. O

" O
Although O
no O
large O
- O
scale O
refugee O
movements O
from O
Somalia O
have O
yet O
been O
recorded O
in O
neighbouring O
countries O
, O
UNHCR O
is O
immediately O
positioning O
relief O
items O
in O
the O
region O
for O
up O
to O
50 O
, O
000 O
people O
. O
. O
. O
" O
it O
said O
. O

UNHCR O
said O
from O
its O
Geneva O
headquarters O
it O
was O
mobilising O
staff O
and O
resources O
. O

" O
In O
addition O
to O
the O
immediate O
pre O
- O
positioning O
of O
relief O
items O
, O
UNHCR O
will O
also O
increase O
its O
existing O
stockpiles O
in O
the O
region O
by O
purchasing O
enough O
supplies O
for O
a O
further O
100 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
refugees O
as O
well O
as O
internally O
displaced O
people O
, O
" O
a O
statement O
said O
. O

Eritrean O
President O
Issaias O
Afeworki O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
blamed O
arch O
- O
rival O
Ethiopia O
for O
the O
escalating O
conflict O
. O

Issaias O
said O
the O
" O
current O
situation O
in O
Somalia O
is O
the O
result O
of O
the O
intervention O
of O
foreign O
forces O
, O
particularly O
Ethiopia O
, O
" O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
published O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
information O
ministry O
website O
. O

Analysts O
have O
accused O
the O
two O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
nations O
, O
still O
at O
odds O
over O
the O
unresolved O
border O
row O
that O
sparked O
their O
1998 O
- O
2000 O
war O
, O
of O
fighting O
a O
proxy O
war O
in O
Somalia O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0217 O

ULAN O
BATOR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Interview O
: O
Mongolia O
willing O
to O
further O
cooperation O
with O
China O
, O
PM O

Mongolia O
is O
willing O
to O
further O
cooperation O
with O
China O
, O
said O
Mongolian O
Prime O
Minister O
Miegombyn O
Enkhbold O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Enkhbold O
, O
who O
will O
pay O
an O
official O
visit O
to O
China O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
to O
27 O
, O
said O
during O
an O
interview O
with O
Xinhua O
that O
Mongolia O
and O
China O
had O
enjoyed O
sound O
relations O
and O
cooperation O
in O
every O
field O
. O

China O
and O
Mongolia O
established O
a O
good O
- O
neighborly O
partnership O
of O
mutual O
trust O
in O
2003 B-T
when O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
paid O
a O
state O
visit O
to O
the O
country O
. O

High O
- O
level O
visits O
have O
become O
regular O
and O
leaders O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
also O
often O
meet O
during O
international O
occasions O
, O
Enkhbold O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
these O
meetings O
had O
enhanced O
relations O
in O
other O
fields O
. O

The O
two O
countries O
had O
no O
disputes O
and O
pendent O
issues O
, O
in O
fact O
on O
the O
contrary O
, O
they O
held O
the O
same O
or O
similar O
views O
on O
bilateral O
and O
international O
affairs O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
two O
countries O
had O
many O
treaties O
and O
agreements O
on O
dealing O
with O
bilateral O
relations O
and O
last B-T
year I-T
they O
jointly O
inspected O
borderlines O
and O
signed O
documents O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Economic O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
had O
also O
developed O
well O
, O
the O
prime O
minister O
said O
. O

Statistics O
from O
China O
' O
s O
General O
Administration O
of O
Customs O
show O
that O
trade O
volume O
between O
China O
and O
Mongolia O
from O
January B-T
to O
September O
hit O
1 O
. O
13 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
. O

Enkhbold O
said O
trade O
volume O
in O
the O
same O
term O
of O
2005 O
was O
only O
551 O
. O
7 O
million O
dollars O
, O
among O
which O
export O
volume O
was O
333 O
. O
1 O
million O
dollars O
. O

China O
had O
become O
the O
largest O
investor O
and O
trade O
partner O
with O
Mongolia O
, O
and O
sound O
economic O
cooperation O
had O
enhanced O
Mongolia O
' O
s O
economy O
, O
the O
prime O
minister O
said O
. O

He O
suggested O
that O
the O
two O
countries O
should O
make O
good O
use O
of O
the O
natural O
resources O
in O
Mongolia O
and O
make O
cooperation O
in O
power O
a O
top O
priority O
. O

During O
his O
visit O
, O
Enkhbold O
will O
meet O
Chairman O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
National O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
Wu O
Bangguo O
and O
Chairman O
of O
the O
National O
Committee O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Political O
Consultative O
Conference O
Jia O
Qinglin O
. O
He O
will O
also O
hold O
talks O
with O
Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
. O

In O
addition O
to O
Beijing O
, O
Enkhbold O
will O
visit O
Urumqi O
, O
capital O
of O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
and O
Xi O
' O
an O
, O
capital O
of O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Shaanxi O
Province O
. O

Enkhbold O
said O
Mongolia O
would O
make O
suggestions O
on O
economic O
cooperation O
and O
exchange O
views O
with O
the O
Chinese O
side O
on O
bilateral O
relations O
and O
regional O
and O
international O
issues O
of O
common O
concern O
. O

He O
believed O
his O
visit O
could O
enhance O
bilateral O
relations O
and O
cooperation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0006 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Philippine O
stocks O
close O
lower O

Philippine O
stock O
prices O
closed O
lower O
Friday B-T
with O
composite O
index O
dropping O
13 O
. O
55 O
points O
or O
0 O
. O
64 O
percent O
to O
2 O
, O
106 O
. O
10 O
. O

Turnover O
volume O
was O
1 O
. O
09 O
billion O
shares O
valued O
at O
783 O
. O
03 O
million O
pesos O
( O
14 O
. O
2 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
while O
all O
- O
shares O
index O
fell O
6 O
. O
18 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
274 O
. O
42 O
. O

Gainers O
narrowly O
beat O
losers O
42 O
to O
38 O
, O
while O
43 O
stocks O
were O
unchanged O
. O

The O
Philippine O
stock O
market O
will O
be O
closed O
Monday B-T
, O
a O
local O
public O
holiday O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0392 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

dispute O
, O
Iraq O
issue O

Malaysia O
has O
urged O
the O
United O
States O
to O
play O
a O
greater O
role O
in O
solving O
the O
Israeli O
- O
Palestinian O
dispute O
and O
the O
problem O
in O
Iraq O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
United O
States O
should O
take O
advantage O
of O
its O
influence O
to O
help O
bring O
an O
immediate O
solution O
to O
these O
issues O
in O
a O
firmer O
yet O
fair O
way O
, O
Malaysian O
Prime O
Minister O
Abdullah O
Ahmad O
Badawi O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O
New O
Straits O
Times O
. O

On O
the O
Israeli O
- O
Palestinian O
dispute O
, O
the O
United O
States O
seems O
to O
be O
selective O
in O
the O
way O
it O
deals O
with O
this O
issues O
, O
Badawi O
told O
reporters O
after O
meeting O
with O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
in O
Busan O
, O
South O
Korea O
. O

" O
There O
seems O
to O
be O
unfairness O
( O
in O
the O
US O
treatment O
) O
in O
this O
issue O
, O
That O
' O
s O
why O
problems O
related O
to O
Palestine O
can O
not O
be O
settled O
, O
" O
said O
the O
prime O
minister O
who O
arrived O
in O
the O
port O
city O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
attend O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
summit O
. O

On O
the O
problem O
in O
Iraq O
, O
Badawi O
said O
he O
had O
stressed O
to O
Bush O
the O
importance O
of O
Malaysia O
assisting O
in O
the O
capacity O
- O
building O
in O
Palestine O
and O
Iraq O
by O
providing O
their O
youth O
with O
an O
opportunity O
to O
acquire O
knowledge O
and O
skills O
in O
Malaysia O
. O

" O
By O
doing O
so O
, O
we O
will O
enable O
them O
to O
contribute O
to O
the O
development O
of O
their O
countries O
, O
" O
said O
Badawi O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
held O
with O
Malaysian O
reporters O
there O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Badawi O
said O
Bush O
had O
given O
an O
assurance O
that O
Washington O
would O
not O
intervene O
in O
the O
selection O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
future O
leader O
. O

Badawi O
added O
that O
his O
talks O
with O
the O
US O
president O
were O
" O
very O
smooth O
and O
free O
flowing O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051221 O
. O
0052 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Passenger O
tackle O
kills O
Japan O
train O
groper O

A O
businessman O
was O
tackled O
by O
passengers O
and O
later O
died O
after O
molesting O
a O
young O
woman O
on O
a O
packed O
rush O
- O
hour O
train O
in O
Japan O
, O
where O
groping O
is O
a O
chronic O
problem O
, O
police O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
40 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
businessman O
groped O
the O
20 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
student O
during O
morning B-T
rush I-T
hour I-T
Tuesday B-T
in O
Osaka O
and O
then O
tried O
to O
run O
out O
at O
busy O
Tennoji O
Station O
. O

But O
he O
was O
followed O
by O
a O
32 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
off O
- O
duty O
police O
officer O
and O
three O
other O
male O
passengers O
who O
tackled O
him O
on O
the O
platform O
. O
The O
man O
lost O
consciousness O
and O
died O
later O
in O
the O
day O
in O
a O
nearby O
hospital O
, O
a O
police O
spokesman O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
looking O
into O
the O
cause O
of O
death O
and O
details O
about O
how O
he O
was O
overpowered O
by O
the O
passengers O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
Police O
did O
not O
immediately O
identify O
the O
man O
. O

Japan O
has O
begun O
cracking O
down O
on O
groping O
after O
legions O
of O
stories O
of O
men O
getting O
away O
with O
fondling O
and O
groping O
on O
busy O
trains O
. O

In O
2001 B-T
, O
Tokyo O
raised O
penalties O
for O
groping O
and O
rail O
operators O
began O
running O
all O
- O
women O
carriages O
. O
But O
Tokyo O
police O
last B-T
year I-T
reported O
a O
record O
high O
2 O
, O
201 O
cases O
of O
groping O
on O
the O
metropolis O
' O
s O
trains O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0077 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Uganda O
to O
seal O
potholes O
in O
capital O
city O

The O
local O
authority O
of O
Uganda O
' O
s O
capital O
city O
of O
Kampala O
has O
decided O
to O
release O
7 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
every B-T
week I-T
to O
seal O
potholes O
in O
the O
city O
centre O
. O

The O
acting O
town O
clerk O
of O
Kampala O
City O
Council O
( O
KCC O
) O
Ruth O
Kijjambu O
was O
quoted O
by O
New O
Vision O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
saying O
the O
KCC O
engineering O
department O
would O
carry O
out O
the O
works O
" O
as O
long O
as O
funds O
are O
available O
. O
" O

She O
said O
major O
roads O
like O
Jinja O
Road O
, O
which O
have O
gigantic O
potholes O
, O
would O
be O
considered O
first O
. O

" O
We O
have O
decided O
to O
have O
a O
weekly O
monitoring O
of O
potholes O
to O
avoid O
their O
accumulation O
and O
enlargement O
, O
" O
Kijjambu O
said O
. O
KCC O
budgeted O
over O
1 O
million O
dollar O
to O
repair O
its O
broken O
- O
down O
roads O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
KCC O
started O
sealing O
the O
pothole O
at O
Old O
Port O
Bell O
Road O
, O
which O
recently B-T
felled O
at O
least O
three O
heavy O
trucks O
in O
one B-T
week I-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Kampala O
mayor O
Nasser O
Sebaggala O
said O
negotiations O
were O
going O
on O
with O
the O
Chinese O
government O
to O
supply O
KCC O
with O
road O
construction O
equipment O
worth O
10 O
million O
dollars O
through O
a O
long O
- O
term O
loan O
. O

Sebaggala O
said O
the O
city O
council O
expects O
35 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
from O
the O
World O
Bank O
, O
part O
of O
which O
would O
be O
used O
on O
road O
repairs O
. O

He O
said O
the O
central O
government O
also O
promised O
to O
repair O
some O
of O
the O
roads O
in O
preparations O
for O
the O
Commonwealth O
summit O
in O
November B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

" O
If O
we O
succeed O
with O
the O
funding O
, O
we O
hope O
we O
shall O
not O
fail O
to O
do O
away O
with O
the O
potholes O
, O
and O
improve O
on O
the O
traffic O
flow O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Due O
to O
lack O
of O
financial O
support O
in O
maintenance O
and O
repair O
, O
most O
of O
the O
major O
roads O
in O
and O
outside O
of O
Kampala O
city O
were O
damaged O
with O
potholes O
, O
which O
considerably O
constrained O
the O
traffic O
flow O
in O
the O
country O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970419 O
. O
0287 O

BAMAKO O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Ruling O
party O
wins O
one O
- O
horse O
race O
in O
Mali O
elections O

Mali O
' O
s O
ruling O
party O
is O
leading O
the O
first O
round O
of O
legislative O
elections O
, O
officials O
said O
Saturday B-T
, O
but O
the O
abandonment O
of O
the O
second O
deciding O
round O
by O
opposition O
parties O
crying O
foul O
has O
cast O
a O
cloud O
over O
the O
whole O
process O
. O

Of O
the O
55 O
electorates O
, O
the O
Alliance O
for O
Democracy O
in O
Mali O
party O
has O
won O
14 O
outright O
, O
has O
a O
favourable O
situation O
in O
37 B-T
and O
unfavourable O
in O
three O
. O

It O
did O
not O
file O
a O
candidate O
in O
the B-T
55th I-T
electorate O
. O

That O
result O
gives O
the O
party O
an O
initial O
24 O
seats O
in O
the O
147 O
- O
seat O
future O
national O
assembly O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
first O
- O
round O
polling O
which O
took O
place O
on O
April B-T
13 I-T
. O
The O
second O
- O
- O
and O
far O
more O
controversial O
- O
- O
round O
will O
take O
place O
on O
April B-T
27 I-T
. O

A O
total O
of O
34 O
parties O
out O
of O
62 O
officially O
registered O
in O
Mali O
are O
taking O
part O
, O
but O
only O
three O
can O
claim O
to O
have O
a O
national O
audience O
. O

Fourteen O
opposition O
parties O
have O
withdrawn O
their O
candidates O
from O
the O
second O
round O
, O
saying O
they O
would O
not O
recognise O
the O
outcome O
of O
what O
they O
are O
calling O
a O
" O
fraudulent O
" O
election O
" O
tainted O
with O
irregularities O
. O
" O

Calling O
for O
a O
suspension O
of O
the O
elections O
, O
these O
parties O
have O
said O
they O
would O
also O
boycott O
the O
May O
presidential O
elections O
, O
leaving O
incumbent O
President O
Alpha O
Oumar O
Konare O
as O
the O
only O
candidate O
on O
the O
ballot O
. O

However O
a O
report O
issued O
Wednesday B-T
by O
a O
team O
of O
international O
observers O
said O
the O
elections O
had O
been O
" O
secret O
and O
fair O
. O
" O

Thursday B-T
, O
Konare O
hinted O
at O
changes O
to O
the O
electoral O
agenda O
" O
within O
the O
framework O
of O
the O
constitution O
, O
" O
admitting O
irregularities O
had O
occured O
which O
were O
" O
neither O
wanted O
nor O
desirable O
. O
" O

He O
called O
on O
Malians O
to O
" O
never O
use O
violence O
" O
after O
a O
clash O
Wednesday B-T
between O
protesting O
opposition O
supporters O
and O
police O
left O
20 O
people O
injured O
according O
to O
an O
opposition O
party O
count O
. O

" O
This O
initial O
failure O
of O
the O
first O
round O
mustn O
' O
t O
disorient O
us O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Voter O
participation O
stood O
at O
32 O
percent O
, O
significantly O
higher O
than O
the O
22 O
percent O
recorded O
at O
the O
date O
of O
the O
last O
Malian O
elections O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

After O
the O
two O
rounds O
of O
legislative O
elections O
, O
then O
the O
presidential O
election O
, O
Malians O
will O
be O
asked O
to O
turn O
out O
once O
more O
in O
June B-T
for O
council O
elections O
- O
- O
a O
marathon O
three O
- O
month O
exercise O
for O
one O
of O
the O
poorest O
countries O
in O
the O
world O
, O
where O
only O
one O
percent O
of O
the O
population O
can O
read O
and O
write O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0112 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
summary O
of O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
stocks O
news O
at O
1100 O
GMT O
, O
Nov O
. O
20 O

Philippine O
stock O
prices O
Monday B-T
closed O
flat O
as O
the O
market O
consolidated O
after O
recent O
gains O
in O
the O
absence O
of O
fresh O
leads O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
main O
composite O
index O
was O
up O
just O
0 O
. O
77 O
point O
at O
2 B-T
, I-T
843 I-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, O
but O
it O
was O
its O
best O
level O
since O
June B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
when O
it O
settled O
at O
2 O
, O
881 B-T
. I-T
73 I-T
. O
It O
moved O
between O
2 B-T
, I-T
833 I-T
. I-T
88 I-T
and O
2 B-T
, I-T
848 I-T
. I-T
37 I-T
. O

The O
broader O
all O
- O
share O
index O
rose O
3 O
. O
47 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
762 O
. O
96 O
. O

SEOUL O
- O
- O
The O
benchmark O
Korea O
Composite O
Stock O
Price O
Index O
( O
KOSPI O
) O
dropped O
10 O
. O
01 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
402 O
. O
21 O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
volume O
of O
the O
KOSPI O
was O
moderate O
at O
227 O
million O
shares O
worth O
2 O
. O
73 O
trillion O
won O
( O
2 O
. O
92 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

SHENZHEN O
- O
- O
The O
Component O
Stock O
Index O
on O
the O
Shenzhen O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
at O
5 O
, O
177 O
. O
97 O
points O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
up O
110 O
. O
46 O
points O
from O
the O
previous O
close O
. O

SHANGHAI O
- O
- O
The O
Composite O
Stock O
Index O
on O
the O
Shanghai O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
at O
2 O
, O
017 O
. O
28 O
points O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
up O
45 O
. O
49 O
points O
from O
the O
previous O
close O
. O

TOKYO O
- O
- O
Tokyo O
stocks O
nosedived O
Monday B-T
on O
heavy O
selling O
by O
foreign O
investors O
, O
sending O
the O
key O
Nikkei O
stock O
index O
to O
a O
two O
- O
month O
low O
below O
the O
16 O
, O
000 O
mark O
. O

Extending O
its O
losing O
streak O
to O
four O
trading O
days O
, O
the O
225 O
- O
issue O
Nikkei O
Stock O
Average O
lost O
365 O
. O
79 O
points O
, O
or O
2 O
. O
27 O
percent O
, O
to O
end O
at O
15 O
, O
725 O
. O
94 O
, O
the O
lowest O
finish O
since O
Sept B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
. O

The O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Price O
Index O
of O
all O
First O
Section O
issues O
on O
the O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Exchange O
saw O
an O
even O
bigger O
decline O
, O
falling O
39 O
. O
60 O
points O
, O
or O
2 O
. O
52 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
533 O
. O
94 O
. O

CANBERRA O
- O
- O
The O
Australian O
stock O
exchange O
market O
closed O
much O
lower O
Monday B-T
as O
the O
benchmark O
S O
/ O
ASX200 O
plunged O
97 O
. O
3 O
points O
to O
5 O
, O
322 O
. O
4 O
, O
while O
the O
all O
ordinaries O
dumped O
88 O
. O
1 O
points O
to O
5 O
, O
303 O
. O
4 O
. O

Market O
turnover O
reached O
2 O
. O
1 O
billion O
worth O
a O
total O
value O
of O
8 O
billion O
Australian O
dollars O
( O
6 O
. O
15 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
with O
492 O
stocks O
moving O
up O
, O
677 O
moving O
down O
and O
319 O
unchanged O
. O

SINGAPORE O
- O
- O
The O
shares O
prices O
in O
Singapore O
closed O
sharply O
lower O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
the O
benchmark O
Straits O
Times O
Index O
( O
STI O
) O
reducing O
41 O
. O
8 O
points O
to O
end O
at O
2 O
, O
771 O
. O
4 O
points O
. O

The O
overall O
volume O
stood O
at O
1 O
, O
390 O
. O
8 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
3421 O
billion O
Singapore O
dollars O
( O
about O
861 O
. O
8 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
The O
Stock O
Exchange O
of O
Thailand O
( O
SET O
) O
index O
on O
Friday B-T
moved O
down O
7 O
. O
55 O
to O
close O
at O
726 O
. O
37 O
points O
. O

TAIPEI O
- O
- O
Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Taiwan O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
higher O
Monday B-T
, O
with O
the O
weighted O
index O
moving O
up O
1 O
. O
94 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
7 O
, O
261 O
. O
48 O
. O

The O
bourse O
opened O
at O
7 O
, O
266 O
. O
4 O
and O
fluctuated O
between O
7 B-T
, I-T
270 I-T
. I-T
28 I-T
and O
7 B-T
, I-T
228 I-T
. I-T
97 I-T
during O
trading O
. O
A O
total O
of O
4 O
. O
12 O
billion O
shares O
changed O
hands O
on O
a O
market O
turnover O
of O
98 O
. O
09 O
billion O
new O
Taiwan O
dollars O
( O
2 O
. O
98 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

HONG O
KONG O
- O
- O
Hong O
Kong O
stocks O
plunged O
228 O
. O
08 O
points O
, O
or O
1 O
. O
19 O
percent O
to O
close O
at O
18 O
, O
954 O
. O
63 O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

JAKARTA O
- O
- O
Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Jakarta O
Stock O
Exchange O
ended O
higher O
Monday B-T
on O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
report O
of O
continued O
economic O
growth O
and O
gains O
in O
cigarette O
and O
telecommunication O
shares O
. O

The O
composite O
index O
rose O
11 O
. O
9 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
684 O
. O
01 O
points O
. O

COLOMBO O
- O
- O
Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Colombo O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
lower O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
with O
the O
key O
Colombo O
All O
Share O
Price O
Index O
decreasing O
by O
16 O
. O
19 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
2 O
, O
669 O
. O
81 O
points O
. O

The O
highly O
capitalized O
Milanka O
Price O
Index O
also O
decreased O
by O
24 O
. O
03 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
3 O
, O
539 O
. O
83 O
points O
. O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
- O
- O
Share O
prices O
on O
Malaysia O
stock O
market O
closed O
lower O
Monday B-T
on O
profit O
- O
taking O
activities O
. O

At O
the O
closing O
bell O
, O
the O
100 O
- O
quality O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
Composite O
Index O
fell O
7 O
. O
27 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
033 O
. O
52 O
points O
. O
It O
opened O
0 O
. O
04 O
of O
a O
point O
lower O
in O
the O
morning O
at O
1 O
, O
040 O
. O
75 O
points O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0189 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thick O
fog O
delays O
88 O
flights O
to O
LA O

Eighty O
- O
eight O
flights O
to O
Los O
Angeles O
were O
postponed O
because O
of O
thick O
fog O
in O
the O
area O
Saturday B-T
night I-T
, O
said O
the O
Federal O
Aviation O
Administration O
( O
FAA O
) O
. O

Thick O
fog O
along O
the O
coast O
caused O
delays O
of O
up O
to O
an O
hour O
and O
a O
half O
at O
Los O
Angeles O
International O
Airport O
( O
LAX O
) O
for O
planes O
from O
around O
the O
country O
, O
FAA O
spokesman O
Ian O
Gregor O
said O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Visibility O
at O
the O
airport O
was O
reduced O
to O
0 O
. O
25 O
mile O
to O
1 O
. O
25 O
miles O
, O
and O
the O
fog O
was O
not O
expected O
to O
lift O
until O
this B-T
morning I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
National O
Weather O
Service O
. O

There O
is O
only O
one O
operational O
runway O
at O
LAX O
that O
is O
equipped O
with O
an O
instrument O
landing O
system O
that O
can O
guide O
arriving O
airplanes O
in O
thick O
fog O
, O
said O
Gregor O
. O

" O
Normally O
, O
around O
this O
time O
, O
we O
' O
d O
have O
an O
arrival O
rate O
of O
58 O
to O
60 O
planes O
an O
hour O
. O
Right O
now O
the O
arrival O
rate O
is O
32 O
to O
42 O
, O
" O
Gregor O
said O
. O

By O
9 O
: O
30 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
, O
conditions O
had O
improved O
and O
the O
landing O
rate O
had O
increased O
to O
about O
52 O
an O
hour O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
heavy O
fog O
was O
triggered O
by O
a O
combination O
of O
warm O
temperatures O
Saturday B-T
and O
the O
cooler O
moist O
air O
coming O
from O
the O
ocean O
, O
said O
Jamie O
Meier O
, O
a O
meteorologist O
with O
the O
National O
Weather O
Service O
. O

Visibility O
was O
expected O
to O
remain O
less O
than O
2 O
miles O
overnight O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0092 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
Marine O
killed O
in O
bomb O
attack O
in O
western O
Iraq O

A O
US O
Marine O
was O
killed O
when O
a O
roadside O
bomb O
struck O
his O
vehicle O
west O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
the O
US O
military O
said O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
The O
Marine O
assigned O
to O
the O
2nd O
Marine O
Aircraft O
Wing O
was O
killed O
Saturday B-T
in O
an O
explosion O
near O
Camp O
Taqaddum O
, O
75 O
km O
west O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
" O
the O
military O
said O
in O
a O
brief O
statement O
. O

The O
name O
of O
the O
soldier O
was O
withheld O
pending O
notification O
of O
next O
of O
kin O
, O
it O
added O
. O

The O
death O
has O
brought O
to O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
100 O
the O
number O
of O
US O
military O
personnel O
who O
have O
died O
in O
Iraq O
since O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
, O
according O
to O
media O
reports O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0337 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russia O
urges O
Georgia O
, O
West O
not O
to O
belittle O
South O
Ossetia O
referendum O

Russia O
on O
Monday B-T
called O
the O
referendum O
on O
independence O
for O
Georgia O
' O
s O
breakaway O
region O
of O
South O
Ossetia O
a O
" O
milestone O
" O
and O
urged O
Georgia O
and O
Western O
countries O
not O
to O
underestimate O
its O
importance O
. O

Preliminary O
results O
showed O
that O
99 O
percent O
of O
the O
voters O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
referendum O
backed O
independence O
for O
South O
Ossetia O
, O
the O
Itar O
- O
Tass O
news O
agency O
quoted O
the O
local O
election O
chief O
as O
saying O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
Like O
it O
or O
not O
, O
we O
face O
the O
expression O
of O
the O
free O
will O
of O
South O
Ossetians O
through O
democratic O
procedures O
. O
No O
matter O
how O
hard O
Georgia O
or O
some O
Western O
countries O
may O
try O
to O
scale O
down O
the O
importance O
of O
the O
event O
, O
it O
is O
nevertheless O
a O
milestone O
, O
" O
the O
Foreign O
Ministry O
in O
Moscow O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
It O
would O
be O
short O
- O
sighted O
, O
to O
say O
the O
least O
, O
to O
ignore O
the O
event O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

South O
Ossetia O
broke O
away O
from O
Georgia O
' O
s O
central O
government O
in O
the B-T
early I-T
1990s I-T
. O
The O
region O
previously O
held O
referenda O
on O
independence O
in O
1992 B-T
and O
2001 B-T
, O
but O
their O
results O
were O
not O
recognized O
by O
the O
international O
community O
. O

Georgian O
President O
Mikhail O
Saakashvili O
has O
vowed O
to O
bring O
South O
Ossetia O
and O
another O
breakaway O
region O
Abkhazia O
back O
under O
Tbilisi O
' O
s O
control O
. O
The O
Georgian O
Foreign O
Ministry O
has O
said O
the O
presidential O
election O
and O
the O
referendum O
in O
South O
Ossetia O
were O
unlawful O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
EU O
does O
not O
recognize O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
referendum O
in O
South O
Ossetia O
. O

The O
EU O
' O
s O
current B-T
presidency I-T
Finland O
issued O
a O
statement O
saying O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
referendum O
" O
contradicts O
Georgia O
' O
s O
sovereignty O
and O
territorial O
integrity O
. O
" O

" O
The O
European O
Union O
considers O
that O
the O
referendum O
and O
the O
elections O
did O
not O
contribute O
to O
efforts O
for O
peaceful O
conflict O
resolution O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0247 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

French O
foreign O
trade O
minister O
due O
in O
Kenya O
Friday O

French O
Minister O
for O
Foreign O
Trade O
Christine O
Lagardo O
is O
due O
in O
Kenya O
on O
Friday B-T
for O
a O
two O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
discuss O
trade O
and O
development O
issues O
, O
officials O
disclosed O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

During O
her O
visit O
to O
Kenya O
, O
which O
comes O
just O
six B-T
weeks I-T
before O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
' O
s O
( O
WTO O
) O
ministerial O
conference O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
in O
December B-T
, O
Lagardo O
will O
emphasize O
the O
key O
priorities O
that O
France O
attaches O
to O
the O
development O
aspect O
of O
the O
global O
trade O
negotiations O
, O
said O
a O
statement O
from O
the O
French O
Embassy O
in O
Nairobi O
. O

" O
Lagardo O
will O
discuss O
trade O
and O
development O
issues O
. O
She O
will O
also O
stress O
the O
important O
priority O
that O
France O
attaches O
to O
the O
development O
aspect O
of O
the O
WTO O
negotiations O
and O
especially O
the O
issues O
of O
access O
to O
medicines O
in O
African O
countries O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
French O
minister O
, O
who O
arrives O
from O
west O
Africa O
where O
she O
visited O
Benin O
and O
Nigeria O
, O
will O
hold O
talks O
with O
Kenyan O
authorities O
and O
the O
relevant O
stakeholders O
as O
well O
as O
representatives O
of O
the O
private O
sector O
and O
nongovernmental O
organizations O
. O

She O
is O
also O
expected O
to O
visit O
a O
factory O
producing O
generic O
drugs O
in O
Nairobi O
, O
as O
well O
as O
a O
coffee O
firm O
in O
the O
outskirts O
of O
the O
Kenyan O
capital O
. O

The O
WTO O
talks O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
are O
part O
of O
the O
four O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Doha O
Round O
talks O
which O
aims O
to O
expand O
free O
trade O
in O
a O
way O
that O
benefits O
poor O
countries O
. O

African O
nations O
have O
remained O
adamant O
that O
no O
deals O
would O
be O
struck O
on O
the O
agricultural O
fronts O
during O
the O
talks O
because O
of O
the O
huge O
agricultural O
subsidies O
given O
by O
the O
United O
States O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0251 O

MOGADISHU O
, O
Dec B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
throughout O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Ethiopian O
Prime O
Minister O
Meles O
Zenawi O
on O
Tuesday B-T
said O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
fighting O
between O
his O
troops O
backing O
Somali O
government O
forces O
against O
Somalia O
' O
s O
Islamist O
movement O
. O

" O
We O
got O
reports O
of O
more O
than O
3 O
, O
000 O
wounded O
in O
a O
Mogadishu O
hospital O
. O
Those O
who O
died O
are O
well O
over O
1 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
, O
" O
Meles O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
in O
Addis O
Ababa O
, O
two O
days O
after O
Ethiopia O
acknowledged O
military O
intervention O
in O
the O
neighbouring O
and O
lawless O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
nation O
. O

The O
Islamists O
acknowledged O
that O
they O
had O
been O
forced O
to O
withdraw O
from O
many O
front O
- O
line O
positions O
but O
vowed O
to O
dig O
in O
for O
a O
long O
war O
with O
Ethiopia O
, O
which O
has O
denied O
intentions O
of O
taking O
the O
Islamist O
stronghold O
Mogadishu O
. O

" O
Our O
forces O
and O
that O
of O
the O
( O
transitional O
federal O
government O
) O
have O
broken O
the O
back O
of O
the O
international O
terrorist O
forces O
around O
Baidoa O
and O
they O
are O
in O
full O
retreat O
now O
, O
" O
Meles O
said O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
air O
strikes O
on O
Islamist O
targets O
and O
artillery O
battles O
on O
several O
fronts O
. O

Earlier O
, O
the O
International O
Committee O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
said O
more O
than O
800 O
wounded O
were O
reported O
at O
hospitals O
the O
agency O
was O
in O
contact O
with O
. O
Thousands O
have O
fled O
their O
homes O
, O
the O
agency O
' O
s O
spokeswoman O
Antonella O
Notari O
said O
in O
Geneva O
. O

The O
weak O
transitional O
government O
holds O
only O
one O
major O
town O
, O
Baidoa O
, O
in O
the O
southern O
central O
region O
, O
while O
the O
Islamic O
Court O
Union O
forces O
in O
June B-T
seized O
the O
capital O
Mogadishu O
from O
warlords O
and O
then O
extended O
their O
control O
over O
south O
and O
central O
Somalia O
. O

Government O
fighters O
began O
to O
advance O
on O
the O
powerful O
Islamist O
movement O
after O
Ethiopian O
warplanes O
bombed O
Mogadishu O
airport O
and O
other O
airfields O
held O
by O
the O
Islamists O
to O
cut O
supply O
lines O
. O

" O
We O
are O
only O
100 O
kilometres O
( O
60 O
miles O
) O
away O
from O
Mogadishu O
and O
are O
heading O
to O
it O
, O
" O
Somalia O
' O
s O
ambassador O
to O
Ethiopia O
, O
Abdelkarin O
Farah O
, O
told O
journalists O
in O
Addis O
Ababa O
. O

Meles O
, O
who O
said O
he O
had O
deployed O
between O
3 O
, O
000 O
to O
4 O
, O
000 O
troops O
, O
denied O
the O
Ethiopian O
forces O
planned O
to O
take O
Mogadishu O
or O
any O
other O
town O
. O
UN O
reports O
had O
said O
Addis O
Ababa O
deployed O
8 O
, O
000 O
troops O
, O
while O
its O
regional O
foe O
Eritrea O
sent O
2 O
, O
000 O
to O
back O
the O
Islamists O
. O

" O
Liberating O
towns O
is O
not O
our O
agenda O
. O
Our O
troops O
have O
not O
entered O
any O
town O
, O
" O
the O
prime O
minister O
added O
. O
Mainly O
Christian O
Ethiopia O
justified O
its O
intervention O
on O
the O
grounds O
that O
the O
Islamists O
represent O
a O
direct O
threat O
to O
its O
own O
security O
and O
sovereignty O
, O
and O
has O
aligned O
with O
Washington O
in O
linking O
their O
radical O
leaders O
with O
the O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
network O
. O

Islamist O
fighters O
withdrew O
from O
two O
front O
lines O
near O
Baidoa O
, O
the O
government O
seat O
northwest O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
and O
in O
central O
Somalia O
, O
witnesses O
and O
officials O
said O
. O

" O
There O
is O
a O
lot O
of O
pressure O
from O
every O
front O
line O
, O
" O
an O
Islamist O
commander O
told O
AFP O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
, O
explaining O
that O
Islamist O
forces O
had O
pulled O
back O
from O
several O
posts O
including O
Burhakaba O
and O
Dinsoor O
. O

" O
We O
have O
decided O
to O
change O
our O
tactics O
, O
" O
Sheikh O
Sharif O
Sheikh O
Ahmed O
, O
the O
head O
of O
the O
Islamist O
executive O
committee O
, O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
in O
Mogadishu O
. O
" O
We O
are O
ready O
to O
start O
long O
- O
lasting O
war O
with O
Ethiopia O
. O
" O

Heavy O
fighting O
began O
last B-T
week I-T
after O
the O
Islamists O
demanded O
the O
departure O
of O
Ethiopian O
troops O
backing O
the O
internationally O
recognised O
but O
largely O
powerless O
government O
in O
a O
country O
of O
10 O
million O
people O
wracked O
by O
conflict O
since O
the O
1991 O
ouster O
of O
dictator O
Mohamed O
Siad O
Barre O
. O

Ethiopia O
' O
s O
government O
said O
its O
forces O
had O
inflicted O
" O
heavy O
human O
and O
material O
losses O
" O
on O
the O
Islamists O
, O
while O
the O
air O
force O
would O
" O
intensify O
pounding O
selected O
targets O
. O
" O

Meles O
said O
the O
enemy O
included O
" O
many O
Eritrean O
troops O
, O
international O
jihadists O
and O
Shebab O
( O
youth O
militias O
) O
" O
while O
the O
information O
ministry O
said O
two O
Ethiopian O
separatist O
groups O
were O
also O
involved O
. O

" O
We O
ask O
all O
the O
foreign O
fighters O
to O
pull O
out O
of O
the O
country O
and O
allow O
Somalis O
to O
seek O
ways O
of O
reconciling O
and O
establishing O
peace O
, O
" O
Somali O
government O
spokesman O
Abdirahman O
Dinari O
told O
AFP O
in O
Baidoa O
. O
" O
We O
strongly O
appeal O
to O
the O
Islamic O
courts O
to O
put O
down O
arms O
because O
the O
government O
has O
made O
a O
decision O
to O
give O
them O
complete O
amnesty O
. O
" O

The O
Islamists O
have O
steadily O
gained O
ground O
, O
often O
imposing O
strict O
Sharia O
law O
on O
territory O
in O
their O
hands O
, O
since O
they O
in O
June B-T
routed O
a O
US O
- O
backed O
alliance O
in O
Mogadishu O
of O
the O
warlords O
who O
support O
the O
interim O
adminstration O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0141 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

30 O
terror O
plots O
being O
planned O
in O
Britain O
: O
MI5 O

The O
British O
security O
service O
has O
identified O
30 O
major O
terrorist O
plots O
being O
planned O
in O
Britain O
and O
is O
tracking O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
600 O
individuals O
actively O
engaged O
in O
promoting O
attacks O
here O
and O
abroad O
, O
according O
to O
local O
media O
reports O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Addressing O
to O
a O
small O
audience O
of O
academics O
at O
Queen O
Mary O
College O
in O
London O
on O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
, O
British O
MI5 O
Director O
General O
Dame O
Eliza O
Manningham O
- O
Buller O
said O
the O
30 O
plots O
are O
the O
most O
serious O
of O
many O
more O
planned O
by O
some O
200 O
British O
- O
based O
" O
networks O
" O
involved O
in O
terrorism O
, O
the O
reports O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
aware O
of O
numerous O
plots O
to O
kill O
people O
and O
damage O
our O
economy O
. O
What O
do O
I O
mean O
by O
numerous O
? O
Five O
? O
Ten O
? O
No O
, O
nearer O
thirty O
- O
- O
that O
we O
know O
of O
, O
" O
Manningham O
- O
Buller O
said O
. O

" O
These O
plots O
often O
have O
links O
back O
to O
Al O
- O
Qaida O
in O
Pakistan O
and O
through O
those O
links O
Al O
- O
Qaida O
gives O
guidance O
and O
training O
to O
its O
largely O
British O
foot O
soldiers O
here O
on O
an O
extensive O
and O
growing O
scale O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

She O
also O
said O
that O
five O
further O
major O
conspiracies O
in O
Britain O
had O
been O
thwarted O
since O
the B-T
7 I-T
July I-T
terror O
bombings O
in O
London O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

" O
Today B-T
, O
my O
officers O
and O
the O
police O
are O
working O
to O
contend O
with O
some O
200 O
groupings O
or O
networks O
, O
totaling O
over O
1 O
, O
600 O
identified O
individuals O
who O
are O
actively O
engaged O
in O
plotting O
or O
facilitating O
terrorist O
acts O
here O
and O
overseas O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Manningham O
- O
Buller O
warned O
that O
the O
terrorist O
threat O
was O
" O
serious O
" O
and O
" O
growing O
, O
" O
and O
would O
be O
" O
with O
us O
for O
a O
generation O
. O
" O

The O
number O
of O
cases O
being O
pursued O
by O
security O
services O
had O
risen O
by O
80 O
percent O
since O
January B-T
, O
she O
said O
. O

" O
Today B-T
we O
see O
the O
use O
of O
home O
- O
made O
improvised O
explosive O
devices O
. O
Tomorrow O
' O
s O
threat O
may O
include O
the O
use O
of O
chemicals O
, O
bacteriological O
agents O
, O
radioactive O
materials O
and O
even O
nuclear O
technology O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
More O
and O
more O
people O
are O
moving O
from O
passive O
sympathy O
towards O
active O
terrorism O
through O
being O
radicalized O
or O
indoctrinated O
by O
friends O
, O
families O
or O
organized O
training O
events O
here O
and O
overseas O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

She O
said O
television O
and O
Internet O
have O
played O
a O
part O
in O
attracting O
greater O
numbers O
of O
terrorist O
recruits O
. O

" O
It O
is O
the O
youth O
who O
are O
being O
actively O
targeted O
, O
groomed O
, O
radicalized O
and O
set O
on O
a O
path O
that O
frighteningly O
quickly O
could O
end O
in O
their O
involvement O
in O
mass O
murder O
of O
their O
fellow O
UK O
citizens O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
Chillingly O
, O
we O
see O
the O
results O
here O
. O
Young O
teenagers O
groomed O
to O
be O
suicide O
bombers O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0046 O

LAGOS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Scores O
of O
Italian O
oil O
workers O
kidnapped O
on O
vessel O
in O
Nigeria O

Gunmen O
have O
kidnapped O
several O
people O
from O
an O
Italian O
oil O
vessel O
off O
the O
Nigerian O
coast O
, O
according O
to O
industry O
and O
security O
officials O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
exact O
number O
and O
the O
nationalities O
of O
the O
hostages O
were O
not O
immediately O
known O
. O
One O
security O
source O
asked O
for O
anonymity O
said O
the O
incident O
occurred O
overnight O
on O
a O
vessel O
belonging O
to O
a O
subsidiary O
of O
Italian O
oil O
giant O
Eni O
. O

Other O
sources O
said O
about O
25 O
foreign O
workers O
and O
60 O
Nigerian O
employees O
were O
taken O
overnight O
on O
the O
vessel O
, O
which O
has O
not O
been O
confirmed O
officially O
. O

The O
vessel O
was O
about O
50 O
kms O
off O
the O
coast O
of O
Nigeria O
' O
s O
Rivers O
State O
at O
the O
time O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
kidnappings O
were O
the O
latest O
in O
a O
series O
of O
attack O
on O
oil O
installations O
in O
the O
volatile O
Niger O
Delta O
, O
where O
most O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
oil O
is O
produced O
. O

Since O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
militant O
groups O
have O
constantly O
attacked O
oil O
facilities O
and O
taken O
oil O
workers O
as O
hostages O
. O

Nigeria O
, O
Africa O
' O
s O
largest O
oil O
producer O
and O
the O
sixth O
largest O
oil O
exporter O
in O
the O
world O
, O
has O
a O
daily O
crude O
oil O
output O
of O
2 O
. O
6 O
million O
barrels O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0110 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

astronauts O

China O
' O
s O
spacemen O
Yang O
Liwei O
, O
Fei O
Junlong O
and O
Nie O
Haisheng O
, O
together O
with O
another O
11 O
Chinese O
astronauts O
, O
have O
enrolled O
in O
China O
' O
s O
prestigious O
Tsinghua O
University O
as O
graduate O
students O
, O
China O
Central O
Television O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Given O
permission O
by O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Education O
, O
the O
university O
' O
s O
School O
of O
Aerospace O
has O
given O
the O
astronauts O
an O
offer O
of O
admission O
at O
a O
two O
- O
year O
program O
on O
astronautic O
engineering O
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

Authorities O
said O
the O
university O
will O
not O
compromise O
their O
graduating O
qualifications O
for O
astronaut O
' O
s O
standing O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
astronauts O
must O
pass O
exams O
and O
oral O
defense O
to O
acquire O
degrees O
. O

The O
university O
will O
arrange O
an O
opening O
ceremony O
of O
the O
astronauts O
' O
graduate O
curriculum O
and O
release O
the O
specific O
courses O
of O
the O
program O
at O
the O
ceremony O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0055 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Iraq O
PM O
slams O
Annan O
, O
rejects O
conference O
idea O

Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
has O
become O
the O
latest O
Iraqi O
leader O
to O
angrily O
reject O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
' O
s O
call O
for O
an O
international O
conference O
to O
resolve O
the O
crisis O
in O
Iraq O
. O

Maliki O
also O
bitterly O
criticised O
Annan O
for O
likening O
the O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
to O
a O
civil O
war O
and O
accused O
him O
of O
polishing O
" O
the O
image O
of O
the O
former O
regime O
known O
for O
its O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
" O
, O
in O
statement O
received O
by O
AFP O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

On O
Sunday B-T
, O
Annan O
said O
in O
a O
BBC O
interview O
that O
he O
understood O
why O
some O
Iraqis O
might O
regret O
the O
fall O
of O
former O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

" O
If O
I O
were O
an O
average O
Iraqi O
obviously O
I O
would O
make O
the O
same O
comparison O
, O
that O
they O
had O
a O
dictator O
who O
was O
brutal O
but O
they O
had O
their O
streets O
, O
they O
could O
go O
out O
, O
their O
kids O
could O
go O
to O
school O
and O
come O
back O
home O
, O
" O
Annan O
said O
. O

Annan O
had O
earlier O
proposed O
that O
an O
internation O
conference O
might O
be O
a O
way O
to O
end O
the O
fighting O
in O
Iraq O
, O
where O
Maliki O
' O
s O
government O
faces O
both O
an O
insurgency O
and O
mounting O
conflict O
between O
the O
Sunni O
and O
Shiite O
communities O
. O

But O
Maliki O
rejected O
this O
idea O
out O
of O
hand O
. O

" O
The O
Iraqi O
government O
, O
erected O
on O
a O
constitutional O
base O
, O
can O
not O
accept O
the O
idea O
of O
holding O
an O
international O
conference O
about O
Iraq O
which O
would O
reverse O
all O
the O
political O
developments O
that O
have O
taken O
place O
and O
impose O
international O
guardianship O
on O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

Maliki O
' O
s O
rejection O
of O
the O
conference O
came O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
similar O
rejections O
by O
Iraqi O
President O
Jalal O
Talabani O
and O
top O
Shiite O
cleric O
Abdel O
Aziz O
Hakim O
, O
and O
left O
the O
idea O
dead O
on O
arrival O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0150 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

No O
landmark O
to O
be O
built O
for O
Expo O
2010 O
Shanghai O
China O

Shanghai O
will O
not O
build O
a O
landmark O
architecture O
for O
the O
2010 O
World O
Expo O
but O
will O
bequeath O
a O
huge O
spiritual O
legacy O
to O
later O
generations O
, O
said O
Zhou O
Hanmin O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
expo O
' O
s O
coordination O
committee O
. O

He O
said O
the O
expo O
will O
perform O
three O
major O
functions O
of O
reshaping O
of O
cities O
and O
countries O
, O
displaying O
of O
world O
cultural O
diversity O
and O
innovation O
in O
science O
and O
technology O
, O
and O
the O
enlightenment O
of O
future O
generations O
. O

Zhou O
made O
the O
remarks O
on O
Saturday B-T
at O
an O
international O
symposium O
held O
by O
the O
Japanese O
Research O
Center O
of O
Shanghai O
- O
based O
Fudan O
University O
. O

He O
emphasized O
that O
the O
city O
will O
not O
construct O
any O
buildings O
with O
the O
intention O
of O
creating O
a O
landmark O
for O
the O
expo O
, O
sharing O
the O
same O
opinion O
with O
Fukui O
Shohei O
, O
the O
chief O
designer O
of O
Expo O
2005 O
Aichi O
Japan O
. O

" O
In O
departure O
from O
previous O
expos O
, O
the O
coming O
expo O
will O
highlight O
man O
' O
s O
attitudes O
towards O
the O
nature O
, O
society O
and O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
" O
said O
the O
deputy O
director O
. O

With O
the O
theme O
of O
" O
Better O
City O
, O
Better O
Life O
, O
" O
the O
expo O
will O
be O
held O
from O
May B-T
1 I-T
to I-T
October I-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2010 I-T
, O
in O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Shanghai O
Municipality O
. O
It O
will O
be O
located O
on O
the O
banks O
of O
the O
Huangpu O
River O
, O
the O
" O
Mother O
River O
of O
Shanghai O
, O
" O
between O
the O
Lupu O
Bridge O
and O
the O
Nanpu O
Bridge O
. O

The O
predicted O
number O
of O
participant O
countries O
and O
international O
organizations O
is O
200 O
and O
more O
than O
70 O
million O
visitors O
are O
expected O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0147 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
agree O
to O
enhance O
cooperation O
in O
law O
enforcement O
effort O

China O
and O
the O
United O
States O
should O
promote O
bilateral O
cooperation O
between O
their O
law O
enforcement O
organs O
, O
a O
senior O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
official O
said O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
The O
Chinese O
government O
hopes O
the O
two O
sides O
will O
make O
substantial O
progress O
in O
their O
cooperation O
of O
arresting O
and O
repatriating O
criminal O
suspects O
, O
anti O
- O
terrorism O
, O
and O
drug O
prohibition O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
promote O
constructive O
and O
cooperative O
relationship O
in O
the B-T
21st I-T
century I-T
, O
" O
said O
Luo O
Gan O
, O
a O
member O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
Political O
Bureau O
of O
the O
CPC O
Central O
Committee O
, O
during O
a O
meeting O
with O
Alberto O
Gonzales O
, O
attorney O
general O
of O
the O
US O
department O
of O
Justice O
. O

China O
and O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
have O
enjoyed O
effective O
cooperation O
and O
coordination O
with O
a O
frequent O
exchange O
of O
high O
- O
level O
contacts O
, O
he O
said O
. O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
will O
start O
his O
visit O
to O
China O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19th O
. O

Bilateral O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
nations O
on O
anti O
- O
terrorism O
, O
law O
enforcement O
, O
non O
- O
proliferation O
, O
trade O
and O
economics O
, O
as O
well O
as O
on O
the O
Korean O
nuclear O
issue O
, O
conforms O
to O
the O
interests O
of O
both O
nations O
, O
and O
is O
conducive O
to O
safeguarding O
world O
peace O
, O
stability O
and O
development O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
and O
world O
at O
large O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Calling O
the O
law O
enforcement O
cooperation O
as O
an O
important O
component O
part O
of O
Sino O
- O
US O
relations O
, O
Luo O
said O
the O
Chinese O
government O
will O
continue O
to O
give O
support O
to O
such O
cooperation O
. O

Gonzales O
said O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
attaches O
great O
importance O
to O
its O
relations O
with O
China O
, O
and O
that O
the O
Department O
of O
Justice O
would O
like O
to O
work O
with O
the O
Chinese O
Ministry O
of O
Public O
Security O
to O
push O
forward O
their O
cooperation O
in O
their O
law O
enforcement O
effort O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0016 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Soldier O
killed O
in O
heavy O
exchange O
of O
fire O
between O
military O
, O
Abu O
Sayyaf O

One O
soldier O
was O
killed O
during O
an O
encounter O
between O
the O
government O
troops O
and O
about O
100 O
suspected O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
militants O
in O
the O
southern O
Philippines O
, O
the O
military O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
military O
' O
s O
counter O
- O
terrorism O
task O
force O
commander O
Brig O
. O
Gen O
. O
Alexander O
Aleo O
told O
reporters O
that O
the O
heavy O
fire O
was O
exchanged O
after O
the O
soldiers O
ran O
into O
the O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
group O
in O
the O
mountains O
of O
Jolo O
Island O
. O

Although O
losing O
a O
soldier O
, O
the O
government O
troops O
also O
gave O
a O
big O
blow O
to O
the O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
group O
by O
killing O
an O
unknown O
number O
of O
rebels O
, O
he O
said O
. O

According O
to O
the O
military O
, O
five O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
and O
25 O
others O
wounded O
since O
the O
government O
troops O
and O
the O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
began O
a O
new O
round O
of O
clashes O
in O
the O
south O
. O

An O
estimated O
25 O
rebels O
have O
also O
been O
killed O
, O
and O
almost O
5 O
, O
000 O
residents O
in O
the O
area O
were O
forced O
to O
flee O
their O
homes O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
clashes O
, O
it O
added O
. O

The O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
, O
which O
is O
suspected O
of O
links O
with O
al O
- O
Qaida O
terrorist O
network O
and O
the O
regional O
terrorist O
network O
Jemaah O
Islamiah O
, O
has O
been O
blamed O
for O
a O
wave O
of O
bombings O
in O
the O
south O
and O
Manila O
since O
2002 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0230 O

JAKARTA O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Jakarta O
shares O
close O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
higher O

Jakarta O
shares O
closed O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
higher O
Tuesday B-T
on O
the O
back O
of O
late O
interest O
in O
bank O
stocks O
and O
selective O
third O
- O
liners O
, O
with O
the O
broader O
market O
mostly O
sidelined O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

" O
I O
think O
the O
news O
that O
BNI O
has O
cut O
its O
deposit O
rates O
by O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
attracted O
some O
interest O
in O
it O
, O
as O
well O
as O
some O
of O
the O
other O
banks O
, O
" O
Usaha O
Bersama O
Sekuritas O
institutional O
sales O
manager O
Alastair O
Bruce O
said O
. O

The O
Jakarta O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
index O
closed O
up O
1 O
. O
58 O
points O
at O
638 O
. O
22 O
. O

Estimated O
turnover O
was O
181 O
. O
4 O
million O
shares O
worth O
an O
estimated O
354 O
billion O
rupiah O
( O
146 O
. O
2 O
million O
dollars O
) O
. O

Dealers O
said O
volumes O
were O
dominated O
by O
speculative O
buying O
in O
third O
- O
line O
Bank O
Pikko O
and O
BNI O
. O

Bruce O
said O
although O
the O
" O
braver O
investors O
" O
may O
wish O
to O
beat O
an O
" O
inevitable O
rush O
into O
the O
market O
, O
post O
- O
elections O
, O
" O
most O
are O
being O
very O
cautious O
. O

He O
said O
continued O
news O
of O
riots O
in O
Pekalongan O
, O
Central O
Java O
province O
, O
" O
looks O
bad O
" O
and O
" O
makes O
people O
extrapolate O
on O
the O
likelihood O
of O
it O
happening O
in O
Jakarta O
. O
" O

A O
dealer O
with O
a O
European O
brokerage O
said O
the O
market O
was O
partly O
supported O
by O
buying O
in O
Telkom O
early O
on O
and O
then O
by O
banks O
. O
But O
excluding O
two O
crossings O
in O
Matahari O
and O
Bimantara O
, O
volumes O
were O
otherwise O
very O
thin O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Telkom O
closed O
unchanged O
at O
3 O
, O
575 O
rupiah O
, O
while O
Indosat O
was O
down O
75 O
rupiah O
at O
6 O
, O
350 O
rupiah O
. O

BNI O
closed O
up O
50 O
rupiah O
at O
1 O
, O
350 O
rupiah O
, O
BII O
was O
50 O
rupiah O
higher O
at O
1 O
, O
754 O
rupiah O
and O
BDNI O
gained O
100 O
rupiah O
to O
2 O
, O
225 O
rupiah O
. O

Bank O
Pikko O
was O
up O
2 O
, O
700 O
rupiah O
at O
4 O
, O
000 O
rupiah O
before O
dealing O
was O
suspended O
at O
2 O
: O
24 O
pm O
. O

Dealers O
said O
the O
sharp O
gain O
in O
the O
stock O
remains O
unexplained O
, O
although O
there O
has O
been O
a O
rumour O
that O
a O
" O
prominent O
businessman O
" O
is O
seeking O
an O
interest O
in O
the O
company O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051220 O
. O
0007 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

with O
TV O

Japan O
' O
s O
NTT O
DoCoMo O
said O
Wednesday B-T
it O
was O
in O
talks O
with O
Fuji O
Television O
Network O
for O
a O
possible O
tie O
- O
up O
which O
could O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
new O
innovation O
such O
as O
TV O
programs O
for O
cellphone O
users O
. O

The O
mobile O
phone O
giant O
aims O
to O
reach O
an O
agreement O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
month I-T
to O
take O
a O
three O
percent O
share O
in O
Japan O
' O
s O
most O
- O
watched O
network O
for O
20 O
billion O
yen O
( O
170 O
million O
dollars O
) O
, O
the O
Nihon O
Keizai O
Shimbun O
business O
daily O
reported O
. O

DoCoMo O
would O
become O
the O
first O
telecom O
firm O
to O
invest O
in O
a O
terrestrial O
broadcasting O
station O
here O
, O
opening O
the O
way O
to O
integrate O
communications O
and O
broadcasting O
. O

Through O
the O
tie O
- O
up O
, O
the O
two O
companies O
would O
seek O
to O
combine O
their O
expertise O
by O
launching O
TV O
programs O
especially O
for O
cellphone O
users O
from O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
, O
quoting O
a O
company O
source O
. O

An O
NTT O
DoCoMo O
spokesman O
confirmed O
the O
telecom O
firm O
was O
in O
talks O
with O
Fuji O
but O
declined O
to O
give O
further O
details O
. O

DoCoMo O
believes O
teaming O
up O
with O
TV O
stations O
is O
crucial O
to O
expansion O
and O
would O
use O
the O
tie O
- O
up O
to O
establish O
similar O
partnerships O
with O
other O
broadcasters O
, O
the O
Nihon O
Keizai O
said O
. O

For O
Fuji O
Television O
, O
which O
has O
been O
fending O
off O
takeover O
bids O
, O
the O
tie O
- O
up O
with O
such O
an O
established O
company O
would O
bring O
some O
welcome O
stability O
to O
its O
shareholder O
base O
. O

" O
If O
we O
tie O
up O
with O
some O
telecommunications O
firm O
, O
that O
would O
be O
the O
NTT O
group O
in O
which O
we O
can O
place O
much O
confidence O
, O
" O
said O
a O
Fuji O
Television O
senior O
official O
quoted O
by O
the O
business O
daily O
. O

Upstart O
Internet O
firm O
Livedoor O
launched O
an O
unusually O
aggressive O
takeover O
bid O
in O
February B-T
for O
a O
crucial O
Fuji O
unit O
, O
Nippon O
Broadcasting O
System O
radio O
, O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
win O
control O
of O
the O
television O
giant O
. O

Internet O
giant O
Rakuten O
also O
targetted O
broadcaster O
TBS O
for O
an O
aggressive O
takeover O
. O

Both O
Internet O
firms O
, O
facing O
strong O
resistance O
from O
the O
broadcaster O
, O
ended O
up O
settling O
with O
limited O
capital O
tie O
- O
ups O
. O

NTT O
DoCoMo O
, O
seeking O
to O
expand O
its O
operations O
in O
Asia O
, O
agreed O
Thursday B-T
to O
purchase O
a O
10 O
percent O
stake O
in O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
second O
- O
largest O
mobile O
carrier O
KTF O
for O
about O
560 O
million O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0159 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

workers O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Striking O
Palestinian O
justice O
ministry O
employees O
, O
including O
140 O
judges O
, O
will O
return O
to O
work O
after O
reaching O
a O
deal O
with O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
Saturday B-T
, O
the O
head O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
judges O
' O
council O
said O
. O

About O
530 O
courthouse O
aides O
and O
140 O
judges O
will O
return O
to O
work O
Sunday B-T
in O
exchange O
for O
half O
a O
month O
' O
s O
salary O
, O
Eissa O
Abu O
Sharar O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
town O
of O
Ramallah O
. O

The O
justice O
ministry O
staff O
are O
the O
third O
group O
of O
key O
public O
sector O
employees O
to O
call O
off O
industrial O
action O
that O
has O
paralyzed O
Palestinian O
government O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
since O
September B-T
. O

Some O
12 O
, O
000 O
hospital O
employees O
, O
including O
doctors O
, O
nurses O
and O
administrators O
, O
will O
also O
return O
to O
work O
Sunday B-T
after O
the O
government O
agreed O
last B-T
Monday I-T
to O
pay O
them O
two O
months O
salary O
. O

Palestinian O
teachers O
called O
off O
their O
strike O
last B-T
month I-T
. O
The O
employees O
of O
at O
least O
20 O
other O
government O
ministries O
remain O
on O
strike O
. O

Sharar O
said O
that O
an O
estimated O
48 O
, O
000 O
court O
cases O
were O
postponed O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
strike O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
and O
the O
United O
States O
imposed O
a O
crippling O
aid O
freeze O
on O
the O
Islamist O
- O
led O
government O
when O
it O
took O
power O
in O
March B-T
after O
an O
upset O
parliamentary O
election O
victory O
, O
leaving O
it O
unable O
to O
pay O
its O
own O
staff O
. O

The O
Palestinian O
leadership O
is O
now B-T
meeting O
in O
Ramallah O
to O
decide O
on O
its O
next O
move O
after O
declaring O
an O
end O
to O
talks O
with O
Hamas O
on O
forming O
a O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
acceptable O
to O
Western O
donors O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0002 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

500 O
- O
km O
walk O
usher O
in O
peace O
in O
Nepal O

A O
total O
of O
30 O
pilgrims O
embarked O
Friday B-T
on O
a O
500 O
- O
km O
march O
for O
world O
peace O
from O
central O
to O
western O
Nepal O
, O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
pilgrims O
' O
team O
said O
here O
. O

" O
The O
team O
began O
their O
journey O
from O
Namobuddha O
hill O
of O
Kavre O
district O
and O
will O
finally O
pray O
for O
world O
peace O
at O
the O
sacred O
garden O
of O
Lumbini O
, O
the O
birthplace O
of O
Lord O
Buddha O
, O
after O
walking O
for O
25 B-T
days I-T
, O
" O
Lam O
Ty O
Ni O
, O
leader O
of O
the O
pilgrims O
' O
team O
, O
told O
reporters O
. O

The O
team O
included O
15 O
Nepalese O
, O
10 O
Vietnamese O
, O
three O
Indians O
, O
one O
Japanese O
and O
a O
Korean O
, O
said O
Lam O
, O
who O
came O
to O
Lumbini O
in O
1969 B-T
in O
search O
of O
peace O
from O
war O
- O
torn O
Vietnam O
and O
started O
working O
for O
the O
development O
of O
the O
holy O
shrine O
. O

The O
pilgrimage O
has O
a O
spiritual O
as O
well O
as O
a O
symbolic O
meaning O
, O
Lam O
noted O
, O
adding O
, O
" O
The O
prayer O
will O
lead O
to O
an O
atmosphere O
for O
peace O
and O
hoped O
after O
seeing O
young O
and O
old O
people O
walking O
for O
peace O
, O
the O
Nepali O
authorities O
will O
feel O
the O
necessity O
to O
do O
something O
for O
the O
peace O
. O
" O

The O
team O
includes O
the O
eldest O
member O
62 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
monk O
and O
the O
youngest O
17 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
nun O
, O
Lam O
revealed O
. O

" O
All O
the O
concerned O
including O
the O
political O
parties O
, O
the O
king O
and O
the O
anti O
- O
government O
guerrillas O
of O
Nepal O
should O
sit O
together O
for O
resolving O
the O
decade O
- O
long O
war O
and O
let O
people O
live O
in O
peace O
and O
happiness O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Over O
12 O
, O
000 O
Nepalese O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
since O
the O
anti O
- O
government O
insurgency O
took O
place O
in O
the O
Himalayan O
kingdom O
in O
February B-T
1996 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0347 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

European O
exchanges O
close O
mixed O
; O
London O
down O
0 O
. O
07 O
percent O

European O
stock O
exchanges O
closed O
mixed O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
with O
the O
London O
FTSE O
100 O
finishing O
down O
0 O
. O
07 O
percent O
at O
6 O
, O
240 O
. O
90 O
points O
. O

In O
Paris O
the O
CAC O
40 O
fell O
0 O
. O
12 O
percent O
to O
finish O
at O
5 O
, O
533 O
. O
36 O
, O
while O
in O
Frankfurt O
the O
Dax O
gained O
0 O
. O
04 O
percent O
to O
close O
at O
6 O
, O
611 O
. O
81 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051120 O
. O
0168 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Critics O
cry O
foul O
as O
Kibaki O
urges O
for O
huge O
voter O
turnout O
in O
referendum O

Critics O
of O
Kenya O
' O
s O
proposed O
new O
constitution O
on O
Sunday B-T
accused O
President O
Mwai O
Kibaki O
of O
breaching O
electoral O
laws O
by O
campaigning O
for O
the O
draft O
hours O
after O
campaign O
time O
elapsed O
ahead O
of O
the O
Monday B-T
balloting O
. O

President O
Kibaki O
, O
in O
a O
televised O
address O
late O
Sunday B-T
called O
on O
his O
countrymen O
to O
vote O
for O
the O
proposed O
constitution O
, O
sparking O
protests O
from O
his O
rivals O
and O
lawyers O
, O
who O
accused O
him O
of O
breaching O
electoral O
laws O
by O
campaigning O
after O
the O
campaign O
period O
elapsed O
. O

" O
We O
do O
not O
expect O
him O
( O
Kibaki O
) O
to O
indulge O
in O
campaigns O
. O
The O
law O
says O
campaigns O
should O
have O
ended O
on O
Saturday B-T
( O
48 O
hours O
) O
before O
the O
material O
voting O
day O
but O
should O
he O
go O
ahead O
and O
campaign O
, O
we O
shall O
demand O
a O
similar O
opportunity O
, O
" O
said O
Roads O
Minister O
Raila O
Odinga O
. O

In O
a O
televised O
address O
to O
the O
nation O
, O
Kibaki O
urged O
Kenyans O
to O
come O
out O
and O
vote O
so O
that O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
referendum O
will O
reflect O
their O
real O
wishes O
. O

He O
expressed O
confidence O
that O
the O
new O
constitution O
creates O
a O
good O
environment O
for O
faster O
growth O
countrywide O
. O

" O
As O
we O
go O
to O
vote O
tomorrow B-T
, O
we O
will O
be O
making O
a O
critical O
decision O
that O
will O
impact O
on O
the O
current B-T
and O
future O
generations O
. O
I O
urge O
you O
, O
therefore O
, O
not O
to O
let O
this O
historic O
opportunity O
pass O
without O
your O
participation O
, O
" O
Kibaki O
said O
. O

But O
Odinga O
, O
who O
is O
leading O
the O
" O
No O
" O
campaign O
opposing O
to O
the O
adoption O
of O
the O
new O
constitution O
, O
said O
his O
criticism O
of O
the O
Kibaki O
should O
not O
be O
construed O
to O
mean O
disrespect O
for O
him O
as O
the O
head O
of O
state O
. O

The O
Law O
Society O
of O
Kenya O
( O
LSK O
) O
also O
criticized O
the O
move O
by O
the O
president O
to O
campaign O
for O
the O
draft O
constitution O
hours O
after O
the O
campaign O
period O
elapsed O
. O

" O
In O
respect O
of O
free O
choice O
, O
we O
ask O
the O
president O
to O
exercise O
reason O
, O
" O
said O
LSK O
Chairman O
Tom O
Ojienda O
. O

President O
Kibaki O
, O
while O
addressing O
the O
nation O
, O
recalled O
that O
the O
journey O
to O
a O
new O
constitutional O
dispensation O
has O
been O
long O
and O
torturous O
. O

" O
We O
have O
been O
seeking O
a O
constitution O
that O
would O
unify O
our O
country O
and O
enable O
us O
to O
realize O
our O
aspirations O
for O
a O
more O
prosperous O
and O
peaceful O
country O
, O
" O
the O
Kenyan O
leader O
said O
in O
Kiswahili O
. O

He O
reiterated O
that O
the O
government O
has O
put O
in O
place O
all O
the O
necessary O
measures O
to O
ensure O
the O
safety O
and O
security O
of O
all O
Kenyans O
during O
the O
referendum O
. O

He O
urged O
citizens O
to O
shun O
violence O
and O
respect O
the O
rights O
of O
others O
to O
have O
differing O
opinions O
, O
saying O
Kenya O
was O
a O
great O
country O
that O
has O
overcome O
many O
challenges O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
. O

After O
several B-T
weeks I-T
of O
highly O
charged O
, O
divisive O
campaigns O
between O
those O
supporting O
the O
new O
constitution O
and O
those O
against O
, O
11 O
. O
6 O
million O
Kenyans O
will O
finally O
vote O
in O
the O
referendum O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0221 O

THE O
HAGUE O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Dutch O
annual O
growth O
comes O
to O
2 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
third O
quarter O

The O
Dutch O
economy O
grew O
at O
an O
annual O
rate O
of O
2 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
compared O
with O
output O
in O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
and O
gained O
0 O
. O
7 O
percent O
from O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
central O
statistics O
office O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
office O
said O
growth O
in O
exports O
and O
household O
spending O
was O
slightly O
below O
that O
of O
the B-T
previous I-T
six I-T
months I-T
while O
investment O
was O
stronger O
. O

The O
pace O
of O
Dutch O
growth O
has O
practically O
doubled O
in O
the O
course O
of O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
agency O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0050 O

KUNMING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

flowers O

Southwest O
China O
' O
s O
Yunnan O
Province O
, O
praised O
as O
a O
flora O
paradise O
, O
sold O
abroad O
9 O
. O
16 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
worth O
of O
fresh O
cut O
flowers O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
10 I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
a O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
increment O
of O
2 O
. O
66 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
or O
88 O
. O
1 O
percent O
. O

According O
to O
local O
customs O
sources O
, O
the O
exports O
quantity O
went O
up O
8 O
. O
7 O
percent O
to O
3 O
, O
858 O
tons O
, O
with O
average O
price O
per O
kilogram O
up O
73 O
percent O
to O
reach O
2 O
. O
37 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
. O

Most O
of O
the O
exports O
were O
carnations O
, O
roses O
and O
lilies O
, O
the O
sources O
said O
. O

Between O
January B-T
and O
October B-T
, O
Hong O
Kong O
surpassed O
Japan O
to O
become O
the O
top O
target O
market O
of O
Yunnan O
flowers O
with O
an O
import O
volume O
of O
2 O
. O
51 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
up O
400 O
percent O
. O
Japan O
ranked O
second O
with O
the O
import O
value O
at O
2 O
. O
5 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
up O
23 O
. O
8 O
percent O
. O

The O
two O
were O
followed O
by O
Singapore O
, O
Thailand O
, O
Australia O
, O
Malaysia O
and O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
, O
the O
local O
customs O
sources O
said O
. O

Over O
the B-T
10 I-T
months I-T
, O
foreign O
- O
funded O
businesses O
accounted O
for O
54 O
. O
6 O
percent O
of O
Yunnan O
' O
s O
total O
fresh O
cut O
flower O
exports O
, O
up O
from O
26 O
. O
1 O
percent O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O
They O
exported O
five O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
worth O
of O
fresh O
cut O
flowers O
, O
up O
290 O
percent O
, O
the O
sources O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0164 O

GENEVA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

with O
US O

A O
United O
Nations O
( O
UN O
) O
inspection O
of O
the O
Guantanamo O
Bay O
US O
military O
prison O
has O
been O
abandoned O
after O
access O
to O
detainees O
was O
denied O
by O
the O
American O
authorities O
, O
human O
rights O
experts O
announced O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

In O
a O
joint O
statement O
, O
five O
UN O
experts O
who O
had O
planned O
to O
carry O
out O
the O
visit O
expressed O
regret O
over O
the O
US O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
their O
demand O
for O
an O
" O
objective O
and O
fair O
assessment O
" O
of O
the O
Guantanamo O
Bay O
prison O
. O

" O
We O
deeply O
regret O
that O
the O
United O
States O
government O
did O
not O
accept O
the O
standard O
terms O
of O
reference O
for O
a O
credible O
, O
objective O
and O
fair O
assessment O
of O
the O
situation O
of O
the O
detainees O
at O
the O
Guantanamo O
Bay O
detention O
facility O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

" O
Under O
the O
circumstances O
, O
we O
will O
not O
be O
traveling O
to O
Guantanamo O
Bay O
Naval O
Station O
, O
as O
doing O
so O
would O
undermine O
the O
principles O
" O
governing O
UN O
fact O
- O
finding O
missions O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
added O
. O

The O
United O
States O
had O
previously O
set O
the O
date O
for O
the O
five O
experts O
to O
visit O
Guantanamo O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, O
to O
investigate O
alleged O
violations O
of O
human O
rights O
at O
the O
prison O
. O

The O
United O
States O
insists O
, O
however O
, O
it O
will O
not O
agree O
to O
the O
UN O
request O
for O
free O
access O
to O
detainees O
held O
there O
, O
although O
it O
is O
open O
to O
international O
inspectors O
. O

The O
UN O
Special O
Rapporteur O
on O
Torture O
, O
Manfred O
Nowak O
, O
rebuffed O
the O
US O
stand O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
saying O
UN O
inspectors O
will O
not O
visit O
the O
Guantanamo O
prison O
as O
scheduled O
unless O
Washington O
agrees O
to O
unrestricted O
access O
without O
conditions O
. O

For O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
and I-T
half I-T
years I-T
Guantanamo O
Bay O
in O
Cuba O
has O
been O
used O
to O
house O
nearly O
500 O
prisoners O
, O
who O
have O
been O
held O
without O
charge O
or O
access O
to O
lawyers O
. O
Most O
of O
the O
detainees O
were O
captured O
in O
the O
Afghanistan O
war O
of O
2001 O
over O
suspected O
ties O
to O
the O
al O
- O
Qaida O
network O
or O
the O
Taliban O
regime O
. O

Despite O
frequent O
criticism O
by O
human O
rights O
advocates O
, O
the O
United O
States O
says O
it O
has O
provided O
regular O
access O
to O
the O
International O
Committee O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
and O
has O
consulted O
with O
governments O
over O
cases O
of O
their O
nationals O
detained O
at O
the O
base O
. O
The O
approach O
was O
described O
as O
" O
sufficient O
" O
by O
US O
State O
Department O
deputy O
spokesman O
Adam O
Ereli O
at O
a O
news O
briefing O
Tuesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0197 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
key O
stock O
index O
ends O
1 O
. O
4 O
percent O
lower O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
key O
stock O
index O
fell O
1 O
. O
4 O
percent O
Tuesday B-T
despite O
news O
of O
February B-T
trade O
surplus O
and O
a O
central O
bank O
assurance O
that O
there O
were O
ample O
funds O
for O
share O
and O
property O
financing O
. O

" O
We O
have O
obviously O
not O
hit O
the O
bottom O
yet O
. O
The O
damage O
has O
already O
been O
done O
and O
it O
will O
take O
months O
before O
investors O
' O
confidence O
is O
restored O
to O
previous O
levels O
, O
" O
a O
dealer O
said O
. O

The O
market O
is O
likely O
to O
be O
quiet O
for O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
holiday B-T
- I-T
shortened I-T
week I-T
, O
he O
added O
. O

The O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
Stock O
Exchange O
' O
s O
100 O
- O
share O
weighted O
composite O
index O
tumbled O
15 O
. O
35 O
points O
to O
1 O
, O
059 O
. O
51 O
. O
The O
lesser O
second O
board O
index O
dropped O
6 O
. O
94 O
points O
, O
or O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
, O
to O
547 O
. O
62 O
. O

Turnover O
rose O
to O
246 O
. O
363 O
million O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
55 O
billion O
ringgit O
( O
62O O
million O
dollars O
) O
from O
193 O
. O
416 O
million O
units O
valued O
at O
1 O
. O
22 O
billion O
ringgit O
a B-T
day I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Falling O
stocks O
outnumbered O
those O
rising O
553 O
to O
85 O
, O
with O
120 O
unchanged O
and O
90 O
not O
traded O
. O

Mining O
counter O
Rahman O
Hydraulic O
Bhd O
. O
led O
trading O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
consecutive I-T
day I-T
, O
with O
30 O
. O
742 O
million O
shares O
changing O
hands O
before O
losing O
1 O
. O
10 O
ringgit O
to O
5 O
. O
05 O
ringgit O
. O

Among O
blue O
chips O
, O
Telekom O
Malaysia O
gained O
10 O
sen O
to O
17 O
. O
40 O
ringgit O
but O
power O
giant O
Tenaga O
Nasional O
dipped O
40 O
sen O
to O
10 O
. O
90 O
ringgit O
. O

Top O
bank O
Maybank O
shed O
35 O
sen O
to O
24 O
. O
90 O
ringgit O
while O
gaming O
company O
Genting O
eased O
30 O
sen O
to O
13 O
. O
40 O
ringgit O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0318 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

It O
will O
be O
very O
difficult O
for O
us O
: O
Qatari O
tennis O
coach O

Qatari O
tennis O
team O
will O
face O
an O
uphill O
battle O
but O
never O
give O
up O
easily O
at O
the O
upcoming O
Asiad O
tennis O
tournament O
, O
said O
Qatar O
' O
s O
Portuguese O
tennis O
coach O
Luis O
de O
Sousa O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
It O
will O
be O
very O
difficult O
for O
us O
. O
The O
team O
is O
very O
young O
. O
We O
have O
three O
players O
under O
16 B-T
. O
Our O
goal O
is O
to O
represent O
Qatar O
and O
to O
dignify O
the O
name O
, O
" O
Sousa O
said O
after O
the O
team O
had O
a O
training O
session O
at O
the O
Khalifa O
Tennis O
Courts O
. O

" O
We O
have O
two O
teenage O
players O
who O
live O
in O
Barcelona O
and O
go O
to O
the O
tennis O
academy O
. O
The O
other O
two O
boys O
went O
to O
Spain O
three B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
for O
preparation O
. O

" O
The O
surface O
at O
Khalifa O
Courts O
is O
perfect O
for O
us O
because O
we O
train O
here O
practically O
every O
day O
. O
" O

The O
15th O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
tennis O
tournament O
will O
be O
held O
from O
December B-T
4 I-T
to I-T
14 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0034 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Update O
: O
APEC O
senior O
official O
' O
s O
meeting O
concludes O
in O
Hanoi O

Senior O
officials O
from O
21 O
member O
economies O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
wrapped O
up O
their O
two O
- O
day O
meeting O
here O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
paving O
way O
for O
the O
coming O
ministerial O
meeting O
and O
economic O
leaders O
' O
meeting O
slated O
for O
later O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
meeting O
covered O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
issues O
including O
economics O
, O
trade O
, O
investment O
, O
human O
security O
, O
counter O
- O
terrorism O
, O
disaster O
and O
pandemic O
management O
, O
cultural O
cooperation O
, O
tourism O
, O
anti O
- O
corruption O
and O
APEC O
reform O
, O
Le O
Cong O
Phung O
, O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
deputy O
foreign O
minister O
and O
chair O
of O
the O
Concluding O
Senior O
Officials O
Meeting O
( O
CSOM O
) O
, O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
after O
the O
meeting O
. O

He O
said O
the O
officials O
reached O
consensus O
on O
all O
important O
reports O
to O
be O
submitted O
to O
ministers O
and O
leaders O
of O
the O
economies O
when O
they O
meet O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
- I-T
16 I-T
and O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
respectively O
. O

The O
senior O
officials O
endorsed O
the O
annual O
report O
by O
the O
APEC O
Committee O
on O
Trade O
and O
Investment O
that O
includes O
a O
second O
- O
phase O
trade O
facilitation O
action O
plan O
in O
which O
member O
economies O
agree O
to O
a O
5 O
percent O
reduction O
in O
business O
transaction O
costs O
between O
2006 O
- O
2010 O
, O
said O
a O
press O
release O
issued O
after O
the O
meeting O
. O

Negotiations O
are O
still O
going O
on O
among O
member O
economies O
on O
nine O
model O
measures O
for O
developing O
regional O
trade O
agreements O
and O
free O
trade O
areas O
( O
RTAs O
/ O
FTAs O
) O
, O
said O
the O
release O
. O
A O
number O
of O
these O
measures O
are O
expected O
to O
receive O
consensus O
soon O
and O
will O
then O
be O
submitted O
to O
ministers O
for O
endorsement O
. O

The O
officials O
also O
endorsed O
a O
Technology O
Choice O
Principles O
Pathfinder O
for O
submission O
to O
the O
ministers O
. O
Annual O
reports O
by O
the O
Economic O
Committee O
and O
Budget O
and O
Management O
Committee O
were O
also O
approved O
. O

According O
to O
the O
release O
, O
the O
meeting O
unanimously O
agreed O
to O
propose O
that O
ministers O
and O
leaders O
endorse O
the O
Outcomes O
Report O
of O
APEC O
Pandemic O
Response O
Simulation O
Exercise O
conducted O
on O
June B-T
7 I-T
- I-T
8 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
senior O
officials O
also O
approved O
SOM O
Chair O
' O
s O
Summary O
Report O
on O
improvements O
in O
the O
individual O
action O
plans O
in O
2006 B-T
and O
another O
report O
on O
the O
results O
of O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Prior O
to O
the O
current O
concluding O
meeting O
, O
the O
senior O
officials O
held O
three O
meetings O
on O
the O
implementation O
of O
the O
programs O
worked O
out O
at O
the O
APEC O
leaders O
' O
meeting O
in O
Busan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
in O
November B-T
2005 I-T
, O
and O
preparations O
for O
the B-T
current I-T
APEC O
meetings O
. O

APEC O
currently B-T
has O
21 O
members O
: O
Australia O
, O
Brunei O
, O
Canada O
, O
Chile O
, O
China O
, O
China O
' O
s O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Chinese O
Taipei O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Japan O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Mexico O
, O
New O
Zealand O
, O
Papua O
New O
Guinea O
, O
Peru O
, O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Russia O
, O
Singapore O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Thailand O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Vietnam O
. O
The O
chairmanship O
rotates O
among O
its O
members O
, O
with O
Vietnam O
holding O
the O
chair O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0008 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Seven O
people O
killed O
in O
road O
accident O
in O
southern O
Uganda O

Seven O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
a O
road O
accident O
in O
southern O
Uganda O
, O
according O
to O
a O
local O
report O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Ugandan O
police O
were O
quoted O
as O
saying O
that O
five O
people O
died O
on O
the O
spot O
and O
two O
others O
died O
in O
Masaka O
Hospital O
when O
a O
truck O
had O
a O
tyre O
burst O
and O
rammed O
into O
a O
group O
of O
people O
in O
a O
bus O
- O
stop O
shelter O
and O
road O
side O
market O
at O
Kyabakuza O
trading O
center O
in O
southern O
Uganda O
. O

Masaka O
district O
police O
commander O
Martin O
Amoru O
said O
21 O
people O
were O
taken O
to O
Masaka O
Hospital O
, O
seven O
of O
them O
were O
in O
critical O
condition O
. O

He O
said O
the O
truck O
veered O
off O
the O
road O
after O
one O
of O
its O
tyres O
burst O
and O
crushed O
into O
a O
busy O
shelter O
at O
about O
7 B-T
: I-T
40 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0440 O
GMT O
) O
. O

The O
truck O
crushed O
the O
shelter O
, O
a O
newspaper O
stall O
, O
a O
telephone O
booth O
and O
plowed O
into O
women O
roasting O
bananas O
and O
meat O
, O
many O
of O
whom O
were O
severely O
burnt O
. O

He O
added O
that O
the O
unidentified O
driver O
fled O
after O
the O
incident O
. O

NYT19980206 O
. O
0460 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
06 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
22 I-T
: I-T
19 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

A6974 O
Cx1f O
tta O
- O
z O

u O
f O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
ECON O
- O
REPORT O
- O
ART O
- O
NYT O
LR O
02 O
- O
06 O
0974 O

BC O
- O
ECON O
- O
REPORT O
- O
ART O
- O
NYT O

( O
REPEATING O
to O
correct O
coding O
) O

UR O
JANUARY O
JOB O
TOTALS O
UP O
AT O
A O
ROBUST O
CLIP O
LR O
QL O

UR O
( O
ART O
ADV O
: O
Graphic O
is O
being O
sent O
to O
NYT O
graphic O
clients O
. O

Non O
- O
subscribers O
can O
make O
individual O
purchase O
by O
calling O

212 O
- O
556 O
- O
4204 O
. O
) O
LR O
QL O

UR O
( O
JT O
LR O
) O
QL O

UR O
By O
RICHARD O
W O
. O
STEVENSON O
LR O
QC O
QL O

UR O
c O
. O
1998 O
N O
. O
Y O
. O
Times O
News O
Service O
LR O
QC O
QL O

WASHINGTON O
_ O
The O
economy O
created O
jobs O
at O
a O
surprisingly O
robust O

pace O
in O
January B-T
, O
the O
government O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
evidence O
that O

America O
' O
s O
economic O
stamina O
has O
withstood O
any O
disruptions O
caused O
so O
far O
by O
the O
financial O
tumult O
in O
Asia O
. O

The O
Bureau O
of O
Labor O
Statistics O
said O
the O
economy O
added O
358 O
, O
000 O

jobs O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
far O
above O
the O
235 O
, O
000 O
forecast O
by O
economists O
. O

It O
was O
the O
third O
consecutive O
month O
that O
job O
generation O
has O
been O

exceptionally O
strong O
. O
With O
growing O
opportunities O
for O
work O
drawing O

more O
people O
into O
the O
labor O
force O
, O
the O
unemployment O
rate O
remained O
at O

4 O
. O
7 O
percent O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
just O
a O
notch O
above O
its O
quarter O
- O
century O
low O
. O

The O
demand O
for O
workers O
also O
led O
employers O
to O
raise O
wages O
again O

last B-T
month I-T
. O
Average O
hourly O
earnings O
of O
production O
and O

nonsupervisory O
employees O
rose O
4 O
cents O
, O
to O
$ O
12 O
. O
51 O
. O
The O
gain O
left O

wages O
3 O
. O
8 O
percent O
higher O
than O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
, O
extending O
a O
trend O

that O
has O
given O
back O
to O
workers O
some O
of O
the O
earning O
power O
they O
lost O

to O
inflation O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
decade I-T
. O

But O
economists O
said O
the O
wage O
increase O
was O
not O
enough O
to O
raise O

any O
concerns O
about O
higher O
inflation O
. O
And O
because O
the O
Federal O

Reserve O
has O
made O
clear O
that O
it O
expects O
the O
economy O
to O
slow O
in O

coming B-T
months I-T
as O
ripple O
effects O
from O
Asia O
reach O
the O
United O
States O
, O

investors O
disregarded O
the O
large O
jobs O
gains O
, O
betting O
that O
neither O
a O

rise O
in O
interest O
rates O
nor O
resurgent O
inflation O
is O
looming O
. O

Stocks O
rose O
, O
pushing O
the O
Dow O
Jones O
industrial O
average O
up O
72 O
. O
24 O

points O
, O
to O
8 O
, O
189 O
. O
49 O
, O
leaving O
the O
index O
within O
70 O
points O
of O
its O

record O
high O
set O
on O
Aug B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
. O
In O
the O
bond O
market O
, O
a O
sensitive O

barometer O
of O
inflation O
anxiety O
, O
prices O
edged O
up O
, O
pushing O
down O
the O

yield O
on O
the O
benchmark O
30 O
- O
year O
Treasury O
bond O
to O
5 O
. O
92 O
percent O
from O

5 O
. O
93 O
percent O
. O

` O
` O
Job O
creation O
is O
sturdy O
and O
we O
have O
effective O
price O

stability O
, O
' O
' O
said O
Paul O
McCulley O
, O
an O
economist O
at O
UBS O
Securities O
. O

` O
` O
The O
bottom O
line O
is O
that O
we O
' O
ve O
got O
a O
lovely O
economy O
. O
' O
' O

With O
potential O
inflation O
counterbalanced O
by O
worries O
about O

possible O
price O
declines O
, O
the O
Fed O
and O
its O
chairman O
, O
Alan O
Greenspan O
, O

have O
suggested O
that O
they O
intend O
to O
keep O
interest O
rates O
unchanged O

until O
the O
economy O
tilts O
clearly O
in O
one O
direction O
or O
another O
. O

The O
job O
figures O
for O
January B-T
extended O
a O
surge O
in O
employment O
gains O

that O
began O
last B-T
fall I-T
, O
just O
when O
the O
labor O
market O
had O
showed O
signs O

of O
cooling O
. O
After O
accounting O
for O
a O
small O
downward O
revision O
Friday B-T

to O
December B-T
' O
s O
figures O
, O
the O
economy O
has O
been O
creating O
jobs O
at O
a O
rate O

of O
358 O
, O
000 O
a O
month O
for O
the B-T
last I-T
four I-T
months I-T
_ O
and O
381 O
, O
000 O
over O
the B-T

last B-T
three I-T
months I-T
_ O
after O
averaging O
242 O
, O
000 O
for O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T

months B-T
of O
1997 B-T
. O

The O
surge O
in O
jobs O
reflects O
a O
remarkable O
confluence O
of O
positive O

and O
self O
- O
reinforcing O
economic O
forces O
. O
Inflation O
has O
been O
almost O

nonexistent O
, O
and O
consumer O
confidence O
has O
been O
extremely O
strong O
. O

After O
a O
short O
, O
sharp O
drop O
when O
Asia O
' O
s O
financial O
problems O
first O

became O
clear O
, O
the O
stock O
market O
has O
rebounded O
and O
corporate O
profits O

have O
remained O
healthy O
. O

Long O
- O
term O
interest O
rates O
, O
an O
important O
indicator O
of O
economic O

stability O
, O
have O
fallen O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
few I-T
months I-T
. O
Lower O
rates O
have O
helped O
invigorate O
housing O
and O
other O
interest O
- O
sensitive O
sectors O
of O

the O
economy O
by O
making O
loans O
more O
affordable O
, O
and O
have O
allowed O

companies O
to O
continue O
investing O
heavily O
in O
more O
efficient O

equipment O
. O

The O
likelihood O
that O
the O
federal O
budget O
will O
soon B-T
move O
from O

deficit O
into O
surplus O
has O
further O
improved O
the O
outlook O
. O
The O
less O

money O
the O
government O
needs O
to O
borrow O
, O
the O
more O
is O
freed O
for O
private O

investment O
. O

President O
Clinton O
welcomed O
the O
job O
figures O
at O
a O
news O
conference O

Friday B-T
. O
His O
advisers O
said O
the O
results O
reflected O
not O
just O
from O

balancing O
the O
budget O
, O
but O
also O
initiatives O
like O
improved O
access O
to O

education O
and O
training O
and O
the O
opening O
of O
foreign O
markets O
to O
trade O
. O

` O
` O
There O
are O
enormous O
economic O
and O
social O
benefits O
from O
our O

nation O
' O
s O
high O
- O
employment O
economy O
, O
' O
' O
said O
Janet O
Yellen O
, O
the O

chairwoman O
of O
the O
White O
House O
' O
s O
Council O
of O
Economic O
Advisers O
. O

Some O
of O
the O
biggest O
employment O
gains O
came O
in O
the O
construction O

industry O
, O
which O
added O
92 O
, O
000 O
jobs O
in O
January B-T
. O
The O
increase O

reflected O
the O
strength O
of O
the O
housing O
industry O
, O
which O
has O
been O
helped O
not O
just O
by O
declining O
interest O
rates O
but O
also O
by O
unusually O

warm O
weather O
. O

Service O
industries O
also O
showed O
solid O
job O
gains O
, O
as O
did O

manufacturers O
, O
two O
areas O
expected O
to O
be O
hardest O
hit O
when O
the O

effects O
of O
the O
Asian O
crisis O
hit O
the O
American O
economy O
. O
The O
major O

harm O
from O
Asia O
is O
likely O
to O
come O
from O
the O
plunge O
in O
the O
value O
of O

many O
Asian O
currencies O
relative O
to O
the O
dollar O
, O
a O
situation O
that O
is O
expected O
to O
lead O
to O
a O
surge O
of O
inexpensive O
imports O
into O
the O
United O

States O
, O
hurting O
American O
competitors O
. O
And O
the O
weakness O
of O
the O
Asian O

economies O
is O
also O
likely O
to O
lead O
to O
decreased O
demand O
for O
American O

exports O
. O

` O
` O
The O
economy O
has O
been O
running O
on O
the O
fumes O
of O
the O
strength O
from O

before O
the O
Asia O
shock O
, O
' O
' O
McCulley O
said O
. O
` O
` O
Those O
fumes O
will O
exhaust O

themselves O
, O
and O
the O
manufacturing O
sector O
is O
going O
to O
start O
getting O

beat O
up O
in O
the O
spring O
. O
' O
' O

The O
figures O
showed O
the O
unemployment O
rate O
for O
adult O
men O
declined O

to O
3 O
. O
8 O
percent O
last B-T
month I-T
from O
4 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
December B-T
, O
the O
lowest O

figure O
for O
almost O
two O
decades O
. O
The O
rate O
for O
adult O
women O
rose O
0 O
. O
4 O

percent O
, O
to O
4 O
. O
4 O
percent O
. O

For O
the O
first O
time O
, O
the O
Labor O
Department O
broke O
out O
unemployment O

by O
education O
level O
as O
well O
as O
gender O
, O
age O
and O
race O
. O
The O
analysis O

showed O
unemployment O
rates O
dropped O
steadily O
with O
higher O
levels O
of O

education O
. O
Among O
people O
with O
less O
than O
a O
high O
school O
education O
, O
the O

rate O
in O
January B-T
was O
7 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

Among O
high O
school O
graduates O
, O
the O
rate O
was O
3 O
. O
9 O
percent O
, O
and O

college O
graduates O
, O
1 O
. O
9 O
percent O
. O

NYT O
- O
02 O
- O
06 O
- O
98 O
2219EST O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0003 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

official O

A O
Pakistani O
government O
minister O
rejected O
the O
charge O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
Nepal O
( O
CPN O
) O
( O
formerly O
known O
as O
guerilla O
) O
chairman O
Prachanda O
claimed O
that O
Pakistani O
intelligence O
once O
offered O
CPN O
assistance O
, O
local O
nepalnews O
. O
com O
reported O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Pakistan O
' O
s O
Deputy O
Minister O
for O
Information O
Tariq O
Azim O
told O
BBC O
Nepali O
Service O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
Prachanda O
' O
s O
remarks O
were O
" O
baseless O
. O
" O

Azim O
said O
that O
Prachanda O
might O
have O
said O
so O
" O
perhaps O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
make O
some O
people O
happy O
. O
" O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, O
in O
an O
interview O
he O
gave O
to O
The O
Hindustan O
Times O
, O
Prachanda O
who O
had O
visited O
New O
Delhi O
to O
attend O
the O
Leadership O
Summit O
organized O
by O
the O
daily O
, O
disclosed O
that O
when O
he O
decided O
" O
to O
take O
the O
movement O
to O
the O
streets O
" O
, O
back O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
he O
was O
offered O
" O
assistance O
" O
in O
the O
form O
of O
arms O
and O
money O
from O
representatives O
claiming O
to O
be O
from O
the O
ISI O
. O

The O
ISI O
( O
Inter O
Service O
Intelligence O
) O
is O
an O
intelligence O
agency O
of O
Pakistan O
. O
Indian O
government O
routinely O
accuses O
ISI O
of O
indulging O
in O
anti O
- O
India O
activities O
by O
using O
the O
soil O
of O
Nepal O
as O
well O
as O
Bangladesh O
. O
It O
has O
also O
frequently O
accused O
ISI O
of O
masterminding O
terrorist O
attacks O
within O
Indian O
territory O
. O

Prachanda O
had O
also O
claimed O
that O
with O
the O
growth O
in O
his O
party O
' O
s O
movement O
, O
the O
activities O
of O
ISI O
in O
Nepal O
have O
declined O
. O
" O
With O
our O
movement O
gaining O
people O
' O
s O
consensus O
, O
the O
anti O
- O
India O
ISI O
activity O
" O
is O
almost O
non O
- O
existent O
. O

Prachanda O
had O
said O
, O
" O
ISI O
- O
type O
people O
offered O
us O
money O
and O
arms O
assistance O
. O
I O
resisted O
and O
our O
council O
agreed O
to O
refuse O
the O
assistance O
because O
we O
felt O
our O
movement O
would O
lose O
its O
Nepali O
- O
people O
- O
centric O
approach O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0230 O

ANKARA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
with O
FM O
remarks O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Turkey O
on O
Tuesday B-T
urged O
EU O
leaders O
to O
avoid O
" O
a O
historic O
mistake O
" O
when O
they O
discuss O
the O
country O
' O
s O
membership O
bid O
next B-T
week I-T
and O
warned O
that O
a O
German O
proposal O
to O
set O
a O
deadline O
for O
Ankara O
to O
grant O
trade O
priviliges O
to O
Cyprus O
would O
have O
a O
" O
very O
negative O
impact O
. O
" O

Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
said O
he O
telephoned O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
hours O
before O
she O
was O
to O
meet O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
in O
Mettlach O
, O
Germany O
, O
to O
seek O
backing O
for O
Berlin O
' O
s O
proposal O
. O

" O
I O
reminded O
her O
what O
the O
costs O
of O
a O
wrong O
step O
could O
be O
, O
" O
Erdogan O
told O
the O
parliamentary O
group O
of O
his O
Justice O
and O
Development O
Party O
. O

" O
I O
told O
her O
that O
we O
hope O
such O
a O
historic O
mistake O
will O
not O
occur O
at O
the O
summit O
of O
EU O
leaders O
on O
December B-T
14 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

EU O
foreign O
ministers O
meet O
in O
Brussels O
on O
December B-T
11 I-T
to O
discuss O
a O
European O
Commission O
recommendation O
to O
partially O
freeze O
membership O
talks O
with O
Turkey O
because O
of O
its O
refusal O
to O
open O
its O
sea O
and O
air O
ports O
to O
Cypriot O
vessels O
under O
a O
customs O
union O
pact O
with O
the O
bloc O
. O

If O
they O
fail O
to O
reach O
a O
unanimous O
decision O
, O
the O
issue O
is O
expected O
to O
go O
on O
the O
agenda O
of O
an O
EU O
summit O
three B-T
days I-T
later O
. O

Merkel O
wants O
the O
EU O
to O
give O
Turkey O
an O
18 O
- O
month O
deadline O
to O
open O
its O
ports O
to O
Cyprus O
as O
a O
condition O
for O
resuming O
full O
membership O
talks O
. O

Foreign O
Minister O
Abdullah O
Gul O
said O
the O
German O
proposal O
would O
make O
things O
worse O
. O

" O
With O
the O
Commission O
' O
s O
recommendations O
unacceptable O
as O
they O
are O
, O
such O
a O
proposal O
will O
make O
things O
even O
worse O
, O
" O
Gul O
said O
after O
talks O
here O
with O
his O
Swedish O
counterpart O
Carl O
Bildt O
. O

" O
It O
would O
have O
a O
very O
negative O
impact O
on O
the O
negotiation O
process O
. O
. O
. O
( O
but O
) O
I O
do O
not O
believe O
that O
this O
will O
happen O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Turkey O
says O
its O
ports O
will O
remain O
closed O
to O
Cyprus O
unless O
the O
25 O
- O
nation O
bloc O
keeps O
promises O
mqde O
in O
2004 B-T
to O
ease O
the O
economic O
isolation O
of O
the O
divided O
island O
' O
s O
breakaway O
Turkish O
Republic O
of O
Northern O
Cyprus O
, O
recognized O
only O
by O
Ankara O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0217 O

MECCA O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Around O
two O
million O
Muslim O
faithful O
were O
heading O
Thursday B-T
from O
Mecca O
to O
the O
valley O
of O
Mina O
as O
the O
annual O
hajj O
pilgrimage O
got O
under O
way O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
amid O
heavy O
security O
. O

Draped O
in O
white O
robes O
, O
the O
pilgrims O
walked O
or O
boarded O
buses O
to O
Mina O
, O
five O
kilometers O
( O
three O
miles O
) O
east O
of O
the O
holy O
city O
of O
Mecca O
, O
to O
begin O
tracing O
the O
journey O
made O
by O
Prophet O
Mohammed O
more B-T
than I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
400 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

" O
Everything O
is O
proceeding O
according O
to O
plan O
, O
" O
Saudi O
interior O
ministry O
spokesman O
General O
Mansur O
al O
- O
Turki O
told O
AFP O
. O

Turki O
said O
the O
final O
number O
of O
pilgrims O
would O
not O
be O
known O
until O
the O
hajj O
climaxes O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
when O
the O
faithful O
move O
to O
Mount O
Arafat O
where O
they O
will O
spend O
the O
day O
praying O
and O
asking O
for O
God O
' O
s O
forgiveness O
at O
the O
summit O
, O
in O
a O
symbolic O
waiting O
for O
the O
last O
judgment O
. O

More O
than O
1 O
. O
6 O
million O
people O
from O
across O
the O
world O
have O
arrived O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
and O
their O
numbers O
have O
been O
swelled O
by O
Saudis O
and O
other O
Muslim O
residents O
in O
the O
country O
to O
above O
two O
million O
. O

Over O
two O
thirds O
of O
the O
pilgrims O
are O
expected O
to O
spend O
the O
day O
known O
as O
" O
Yawm O
at O
- O
Tarwiya O
" O
at O
Mina O
, O
an O
optional O
ritual O
, O
while O
others O
will O
head O
straight O
to O
Mount O
Arafat O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
Turki O
said O
. O

Pilgrims O
spend O
the O
day O
in O
prayers O
and O
meditation O
in O
Mina O
, O
sleeping O
at O
night O
in O
tents O
before O
heading O
further O
south O
to O
Mount O
Arafat O
. O

Thousands O
of O
Saudi O
security O
forces O
have O
been O
deployed O
along O
the O
routes O
to O
be O
used O
by O
the O
pilgrims O
and O
official O
media O
said O
security O
and O
health O
authorities O
are O
mobilized O
to O
ensure O
the O
safety O
of O
the O
faithful O
during O
often O
risky O
rituals O
, O
with O
dozens O
of O
field O
hospitals O
and O
clinics O
set O
up O
in O
the O
area O
. O

The O
last O
hajj O
in O
January B-T
was O
marred O
by O
a O
deadly O
stampede O
which O
killed O
364 O
people O
in O
Mina O
during O
a O
ritual O
which O
involves O
casting O
stones O
at O
pillars O
representing O
Satan O
. O

A O
similar O
stampede O
in O
2004 O
saw O
251 O
people O
trampled O
to O
death O
during O
the O
stoning O
ceremony O
. O

Both O
tragedies O
occurred O
at O
the O
entrance O
to O
the O
Jamarat O
bridge O
, O
from O
where O
pilgrims O
cast O
their O
stones O
at O
three O
pillars O
that O
are O
supposed O
to O
symbolize O
the O
powers O
of O
evil O
. O

Immediately O
after O
the O
last O
hajj O
' O
s O
stampede O
, O
religious O
leaders O
ordered O
the O
dismantling O
of O
the O
bridge O
, O
which O
created O
a O
dangerous O
bottleneck O
. O

Saudi O
authorities O
, O
who O
have O
been O
fighting O
a O
wave O
of O
violence O
by O
suspected O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
extremists O
since O
May B-T
2003 I-T
, O
have O
warned O
that O
they O
will O
crack O
down O
on O
any O
attempt O
to O
undermine O
security O
during O
the O
hajj O
. O

The O
warning O
comes O
against O
a O
backdrop O
of O
daily O
Sunni O
- O
Shiite O
violence O
in O
Iraq O
which O
has O
prompted O
some O
commentators O
to O
express O
concerns O
about O
the O
risks O
of O
a O
proxy O
conflict O
between O
Sunni O
- O
dominated O
Saudi O
Arabia O
and O
Shiite O
- O
majority O
Iran O
. O

Since O
the O
1979 O
Islamic O
revolution O
, O
Iran O
has O
insisted O
on O
holding O
a O
rally O
during O
the O
hajj O
to O
denounce O
Israel O
and O
the O
United O
States O
, O
defying O
the O
Saudi O
ban O
on O
political O
activity O
during O
the O
religious O
occasion O
. O

Pilgrims O
will O
begin O
moving O
towards O
Mount O
Arafat O
at O
dawn B-T
Friday I-T
. O
They O
will O
then O
return O
to O
Mina O
to O
sacrifice O
an O
animal O
, O
usually O
a O
sheep O
, O
for O
Eid O
al O
- O
Adha O
, O
the O
Feast O
of O
the O
Sacrifice O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
pilgrims O
will O
spend O
another O
two O
days O
there O
for O
the O
stoning O
ceremony O
that O
symbolizes O
a O
willingness O
to O
renounce O
evil O
. O

The O
Hajj O
Commission O
said O
Thursday B-T
that O
252 O
pilgrims O
had O
died O
of O
natural O
causes O
since O
arriving O
in O
the O
kingdom O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
generally O
those O
suffering O
from O
heart O
problems O
. O

The O
pilgrimage O
, O
which O
ends O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
is O
one O
of O
the O
five O
pillars O
of O
Islam O
and O
is O
an O
obligation O
for O
all O
able O
- O
bodied O
Muslims O
at O
least O
once O
during O
their O
lives O
if O
they O
can O
afford O
it O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0265 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Probe O
' O
finds O
Israeli O
army O
deficient O
in O
summer O
war O
' O

Israeli O
military O
preparations O
for O
the O
summer O
war O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
the O
way O
troops O
were O
used O
on O
operations O
were O
deficient O
, O
a O
probe O
into O
the O
conduct O
of O
staff O
headquarters O
found O
, O
state O
radio O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

In O
its O
conclusions O
, O
the O
inquiry O
apportions O
no O
blame O
to O
individual O
staff O
officers O
for O
these O
deficiencies O
, O
it O
added O
. O

The O
probe O
was O
handed O
in O
mid O
- O
October O
to O
reserve O
general O
Dan O
Shomron O
, O
69 O
, O
a O
former O
chief O
of O
staff O
between O
1987 B-T
and O
1991 B-T
, O
by O
the O
man O
who O
currently B-T
holds O
the O
post O
, O
General O
Dan O
Halutz O
. O

Friday B-T
' O
s O
delivery O
of O
Shomron O
' O
s O
conclusions O
marks O
the O
end O
of O
the O
internal O
inquiry O
into O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
Israeli O
military O
. O

From O
next B-T
week I-T
Halutz I-T
and O
his O
senior O
staff O
officers O
will O
examine O
the O
lessons O
to O
be O
learnt O
from O
Israeli O
failures O
in O
the O
34 O
- O
day O
summer O
war O
with O
the O
Shiite O
Lebanese O
militia O
Hezbollah O
, O
state O
radio O
said O
. O

Since O
the O
war O
ended O
in O
a O
UN O
- O
brokered O
ceasefire O
on O
August B-T
14 I-T
, O
there O
have O
been O
calls O
by O
many O
protesters O
, O
including O
army O
reservists O
who O
took O
part O
in O
the O
conflict O
, O
for O
a O
state O
commission O
of O
inquiry O
into O
the O
war O
' O
s O
failures O
. O

There O
have O
also O
been O
demands O
for O
Halutz O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
and O
Defence O
Minister O
Amir O
Peretz O
to O
resign O
. O

The O
Olmert O
government O
finally O
opted O
under O
domestic O
pressure O
on O
September B-T
17 I-T
to O
establish O
a O
five O
- O
member O
government O
commission O
headed O
by O
retired O
judge O
Eliyahu O
Winograd O
. O

Olmert O
said O
at O
the O
time O
the O
government O
commission O
would O
have O
the O
same O
powers O
as O
a O
state O
commission O
- O
- O
Israel O
' O
s O
most O
powerful O
type O
of O
public O
inquiry O
which O
many O
government O
critics O
had O
wanted O
. O

The O
difference O
between O
the O
two O
bodies O
hangs O
on O
their O
composition O
: O
the O
supreme O
court O
, O
as O
the O
highest O
legal O
authority O
, O
names O
members O
of O
a O
state O
commission O
of O
inquiry O
, O
while O
those O
politicians O
in O
power O
name O
the O
members O
of O
a O
government O
commission O
. O

Failures O
of O
the O
July B-T
12 O
- O
August O
14 O
Lebanon O
war O
have O
been O
the O
subject O
of O
two O
other O
probes O
- O
- O
one O
headed O
by O
the O
state O
comptroller O
and O
the O
other O
by O
the O
foreign O
affairs O
and O
defence O
committees O
in O
parliament O
. O

The O
Olmert O
government O
came O
under O
intense O
criticism O
over O
the O
Lebanon O
war O
, O
which O
saw O
more O
than O
160 O
Israelis O
killed O
but O
which O
failed O
to O
achieve O
its O
main O
objectives O
- O
- O
to O
stop O
Hezbollah O
from O
being O
able O
to O
fire O
nearly O
4 O
, O
000 O
rockets O
into O
Israel O
and O
to O
secure O
the O
release O
of O
two O
soldiers O
seized O
by O
militants O
in O
the O
July B-T
12 I-T
cross O
- O
border O
raid O
that O
sparked O
the O
conflict O
. O

Israel O
was O
also O
slammed O
abroad O
for O
the O
devastating O
use O
of O
its O
firepower O
in O
Lebanon O
, O
where O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
200 O
people O
- O
- O
mostly O
civilians O
- O
- O
were O
killed O
, O
and O
thousands O
of O
homes O
and O
infrastructure O
targets O
were O
bombed O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0704 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

EU O
deplores O
Rafah O
rampage O

EU O
foreign O
policy O
chief O
Javier O
Solana O
deplored O
the O
deadly O
violence O
at O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
between O
Egypt O
and O
Gaza O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
which O
one O
of O
Palestinian O
Prime O
Minister O
Ismail O
Haniya O
' O
s O
bodyguards O
was O
killed O
and O
his O
son O
and O
political O
adviser O
hurt O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
very O
much O
that O
the O
situation O
will O
get O
clarified O
and O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
will O
be O
open O
to O
everybody O
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
hours I-T
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
during O
an O
EU O
summit O
in O
Brussels O
. O

" O
We O
deplore O
the O
events O
that O
are O
taking O
place O
in O
Rafah O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Hamas O
gunmen O
went O
on O
the O
rampage O
waiting O
for O
Haniya O
to O
cross O
back O
into O
the O
strip O
after O
being O
detained O
by O
an O
Israeli O
closure O
, O
an O
AFP O
correspondent O
said O
. O

The O
gunmen O
, O
mostly O
youths O
, O
smashed O
windows O
and O
furniture O
inside O
the O
terminal O
- O
- O
Gaza O
' O
s O
only O
border O
crossing O
that O
bypasses O
Israel O
- O
- O
while O
shots O
were O
fired O
into O
the O
air O
and O
at O
the O
building O
itself O
. O

Israel O
had O
closed O
Rafah O
earlier O
Thursday B-T
to O
prevent O
Haniya O
from O
returning O
to O
the O
coastal O
strip O
with O
a O
reported O
35 O
million O
dollars O
in O
cash O
. O

Haniya O
returned O
safely O
but O
" O
the O
money O
he O
was O
carrying O
is O
not O
across O
the O
border O
, O
it O
is O
now B-T
in O
a O
bank O
in O
Egypt O
, O
" O
Solana O
said O
. O

Five O
people O
were O
injured O
in O
the O
shoot O
- O
out O
, O
one O
of O
them O
seriously O
, O
which O
occurred O
as O
the O
Palestinian O
premier O
left O
the O
Gaza O
border O
terminal O
where O
he O
had O
been O
blocked O
for O
several O
hours O
, O
a O
government O
source O
said O
. O

Hamas O
called O
the O
incident O
an O
assassination O
attempt O
by O
the O
Palestinian O
presidential O
guard O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0253 O

KHARTOUM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

AU O
says O
Darfur O
rebels O
plan O
to O
attack O
its O
fuel O
convoys O

The O
African O
Union O
( O
AU O
) O
accused O
on O
Thursday B-T
a O
Darfur O
rebel O
group O
of O
attempting O
to O
attack O
its O
fuel O
convoys O
, O
saying O
such O
action O
will O
hinder O
peace O
efforts O
in O
the O
region O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
received O
by O
Xinhua O
, O
the O
African O
Union O
Mission O
in O
Sudan O
( O
AMIS O
) O
said O
it O
had O
received O
creditable O
information O
on O
a O
planned O
ambush O
against O
its O
fuel O
tankers O
travelling O
in O
the O
areas O
of O
Um O
Kadada O
and O
El O
Nahud O
near O
al O
- O
Fashir O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
some O
elements O
of O
the O
National O
Redemption O
Front O
( O
NRF O
) O
were O
behind O
this O
potential O
attack O
. O

" O
Such O
actions O
constitute O
flagrant O
violation O
of O
the O
ceasefire O
and O
negate O
current O
efforts O
of O
broadening O
the O
peace O
process O
and O
making O
it O
more O
inclusive O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
stressed O
. O

The O
pan O
- O
African O
body O
urged O
the O
NRF O
leadership O
to O
refrain O
its O
elements O
from O
undertaking O
such O
action O
. O

Attacks O
against O
AU O
troops O
and O
aid O
workers O
in O
Darfur O
are O
now B-T
part O
of O
the O
shaky O
security O
in O
the O
region O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
The O
AU O
slammed O
an O
attack O
by O
unidentified O
group O
against O
an O
AU O
monitor O
team O
near O
the O
Chadian O
border O
, O
in O
which O
the O
attackers O
seized O
a O
vehicle O
and O
communication O
radio O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0403 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

India O
to O
build O
240MW O
reservoir O
hydropower O
in O
Nepal O

India O
has O
agreed O
principally O
to O
build O
a O
240 O
- O
megawatt O
storage O
type O
hydropower O
project O
in O
mid O
- O
western O
Nepal O
on O
grant O
basis O
for O
Nepal O
, O
the O
local O
daily O
Kathmandu O
Post O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
The O
Naumure O
hydro O
- O
project O
planned O
to O
build O
in O
the O
West O
Rapti O
River O
, O
some O
500 O
km O
west O
of O
Kathmandu O
, O
will O
help O
in O
fulfilling O
increased O
demands O
of O
electricity O
in O
the B-T
winter I-T
, O
" O
the O
newspaper O
quoted O
K O
. O
P O
. O
Sharma O
Oli O
, O
deputy O
prime O
minister O
, O
as O
saying O
. O

Nepal O
has O
only O
one O
reservoir O
type O
hydropower O
project O
that O
is O
Kulekhani O
project O
in O
the O
southern O
Nepal O
. O

He O
told O
the O
media O
after O
returning O
from O
India O
visit O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
Indian O
government O
was O
also O
positive O
to O
encourage O
Indian O
investment O
in O
Nepal O
' O
s O
hydropower O
sector O
. O

Oli O
also O
made O
it O
clear O
that O
steps O
are O
already O
being O
taken O
to O
renew O
the O
Nepal O
- O
India O
commerce O
treaty O
, O
which O
is O
expiring O
in O
March B-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0024 O

BANGKOK O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

First O
Thai O
ambassdor O
to O
WTO O
dies O

The O
first O
Thai O
ambassdor O
to O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
, O
Danai O
Tulalampa O
, O
has O
died O
of O
cancer O
, O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

Danai O
, O
61 O
, O
who O
died O
Monday B-T
, O
was O
appointed O
in O
early B-T
1995 I-T
as O
the O
first O
Thai O
ambassdor O
to O
the O
WTO O
, O
where O
he O
chaired O
the O
agriculture O
committee O
before O
retiring O
at O
age O
60 O
. O

Before O
working O
at O
the O
WTO O
, O
he O
held O
posts O
as O
deputy O
permanent O
secretary O
of O
the O
commerce O
ministry O
and O
director O
- O
general O
of O
the O
foreign O
ministry O
' O
s O
economic O
department O
. O

He O
also O
served O
as O
ambassdor O
to O
Belgium O
and O
to O
the O
European O
Union O
for O
four B-T
years I-T
from O
1988 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0193 O

PORT O
VILA O
, O
Vanuatu O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vanuatu O
FM O
reiterates O
one O
- O
China O
policy O

Vanuatu O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Sato O
Kilman O
on O
Thursday B-T
reiterated O
his O
country O
' O
s O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
, O
expressing O
satisfaction O
over O
the O
development O
of O
Vanuatu O
- O
China O
relations O
. O

Kilman O
, O
also O
the O
South O
Pacific O
island O
country O
' O
s O
foreign O
minister O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
here O
that O
all O
major O
political O
parties O
in O
Vanuatu O
support O
the O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
. O

He O
said O
the O
Chinese O
government O
' O
s O
endeavor O
towards O
a O
peaceful O
reunification O
of O
the O
country O
is O
not O
only O
conducive O
to O
the O
well O
- O
being O
of O
the O
peoples O
across O
the O
Taiwan O
Straits O
, O
but O
also O
to O
the O
peace O
in O
the O
region O
at O
large O
. O

" O
The O
Chinese O
government O
has O
done O
a O
lot O
in O
this O
regard O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
expressed O
his O
appreciation O
over O
China O
' O
s O
assistance O
to O
Vanuatu O
, O
saying O
the O
Chinese O
medical O
teams O
, O
agricultural O
teams O
and O
sports O
coaches O
have O
earned O
respect O
from O
the O
Vanuatu O
people O
. O

Kilman O
welcomed O
Chinese O
tourists O
to O
his O
country O
as O
one O
of O
the O
ways O
to O
further O
boost O
the O
bilateral O
cooperation O
. O

He O
spoke O
highly O
of O
the O
role O
of O
the O
Chinese O
community O
, O
which O
is O
about O
400 O
to O
500 O
out O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
200 O
, O
000 O
population O
, O
in O
the O
local O
social O
and O
economic O
life O
. O

" O
It O
is O
the O
Chinese O
business O
people O
who O
helped O
Vanuatu O
' O
s O
development O
, O
" O
he O
noted O
, O
adding O
the O
country O
values O
very O
much O
the O
Chinese O
community O
' O
s O
contribution O
to O
the O
economy O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970412 O
. O
0416 O

OTTAWA O
, O
April B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Lebanese O
PM O
alter O
Canadian O
visit O
, O
on O
doctor O
' O
s O
advice O

Lebanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Rafik O
Al O
- O
Hariri O
canceled O
a O
planned O
visit O
to O
Alberta O
on O
doctor O
' O
s O
advice O
to O
rest O
in O
Ottawa O
, O
the O
Canadian O
foreign O
ministry O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

Hariri O
was O
to O
have O
traveled O
to O
Edmonton O
Saturday O
for O
a O
meeting O
with O
the O
provincial O
premier O
, O
Ralph O
Klein O
, O
and O
other O
meetings O
with O
business O
leaders O
. O

Canadian O
officials O
said O
Hariri O
had O
a O
hectic O
schedule O
following O
his O
arrival O
here O
Thursday B-T
directly O
from O
Moscow O
. O

The O
Lebanese O
prime O
minister O
will O
resume O
his O
normal O
activities O
Sunday B-T
, O
flying O
to O
Montreal O
for O
talks O
on O
economic O
cooperation O
and O
meetings O
with O
members O
of O
the O
Lebanese O
community O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

He O
is O
to O
leave O
Monday B-T
for O
Lebanon O
. O

Al O
- O
Hariri O
is O
the O
first O
Lebanese O
prime O
minister O
ever O
to O
visit O
Canada O
while O
in O
office O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0399 O

QUITO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chavez O
accused O
of O
" O
interference O
" O
in O
Ecuador O
' O
s O
elections O

Ecuador O
' O
s O
President O
Alfredo O
Palacio O
on O
Wednesday B-T
denounced O
Venezuelan O
President O
Hugo O
Chavez O
' O
s O
" O
interference O
" O
in O
Ecuador O
' O
s O
presidential O
elections O
. O

" O
This O
is O
unacceptable O
. O
There O
cannot O
be O
such O
outside O
interference O
, O
" O
said O
Palacio O
, O
referring O
to O
Chavez O
' O
s O
remarks O
that O
banana O
tycoon O
Alvaro O
Noboa O
used O
his O
vast O
wealth O
to O
exert O
influence O
in O
the O
elections O
. O

Noboa O
finished O
first O
" O
in O
a O
somewhat O
strange O
fashion O
" O
in O
the O
first O
round O
, O
Chavez O
told O
foreign O
correspondents O
in O
Caracas O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O
" O
He O
showed O
up O
in O
the O
first O
place O
and O
started O
spreading O
money O
around O
all O
over O
the O
place O
. O
" O

Ecuadorean O
Foreign O
Minister O
Francisco O
Carrion O
said O
he O
had O
summoned O
Venezuelan O
Ambassador O
to O
Ecuador O
, O
Oscar O
Navas O
, O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
to O
lodge O
a O
complaint O
about O
Chavez O
' O
s O
comments O
. O

After O
the O
meeting O
, O
Navas O
told O
reporters O
that O
" O
there O
is O
no O
interference O
" O
as O
Chavez O
" O
said O
nothing O
against O
the O
Ecuadorean O
government O
. O
" O

According O
to O
Ecuadorian O
law O
, O
a O
candidate O
needs O
50 O
percent O
, O
or O
at O
least O
40 O
percent O
and O
a O
10 O
- O
percentage O
- O
point O
lead O
over O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
field O
, O
to O
avoid O
a O
runoff O
. O

As O
the O
Oct B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
Ecuadorian O
elections O
failed O
to O
produce O
an O
outright O
winner O
, O
Noboa O
and O
Rafael O
Correa O
, O
a O
leftist O
candidate O
favored O
by O
Chavez O
, O
will O
face O
each O
other O
in O
a O
runoff O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0156 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

British O
stocks O
trade O
higher O
at O
midday O

British O
stocks O
traded O
higher O
at O
midday O
on O
Tuesday B-T
on O
the O
London O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O

The O
FTSE O
100 O
- O
share O
index O
was O
up O
21 O
. O
00 O
points O
, O
at O
6 O
, O
226 O
. O
10 O
at O
noon O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0071 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

awards O

Chinese O
film O
director O
Chen O
Kaige O
, O
who O
received O
a O
controversial O
nomination O
for O
a O
" O
Green O
Chinese O
" O
award O
, O
didn O
' O
t O
make O
the O
short O
list O
for O
the O
awards O
which O
was O
released O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Chen O
Kaige O
' O
s O
340 O
- O
million O
- O
yuan O
( O
42 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
film O
, O
" O
The O
Promise O
" O
damaged O
the O
environment O
near O
a O
pristine O
lake O
shore O
in O
Shangri O
- O
la O
in O
southwest O
Yunnan O
Province O
, O
according O
to O
the O
State O
Environmental O
Protection O
Administration O
( O
SEPA O
) O
. O

Another O
controversial O
nominee O
, O
director O
Zhang O
Jizhong O
, O
who O
was O
accused O
of O
damaging O
the O
Jiuzhaigou O
National O
Park O
during O
filming O
also O
didn O
' O
t O
make O
the O
short O
list O
. O

Wang O
Panpu O
, O
secretary O
- O
general O
of O
the O
award O
' O
s O
organizing O
committee O
, O
said O
Chen O
and O
Zhang O
were O
ranked O
well O
down O
on O
the O
list O
of O
235 O
nominees O
and O
were O
quickly O
eliminated O
from O
the O
24 O
- O
person O
short O
list O
. O

Chen O
and O
Zhang O
' O
s O
nominations O
announced O
a B-T
month I-T
ago I-T
stirred O
a O
hot O
debate O
on O
the O
Internet O
and O
in O
the O
media O
. O

The O
" O
Green O
Chinese O
" O
annual O
award O
is O
co O
- O
sponsored O
by O
seven O
government O
departments O
and O
supported O
by O
the O
United O
Nations O
Environment O
Program O
( O
UNEP O
) O
, O
which O
selects O
five O
to O
ten O
Chinese O
who O
have O
made O
a O
significant O
contribution O
to O
protecting O
the O
environment O
. O

Internet O
users O
were O
encouraged O
to O
submit O
their O
own O
nominations O
which O
are O
checked O
for O
eligibility O
by O
the O
organizing O
committee O
, O
said O
a O
spokeswoman O
for O
the O
awards O
. O

Many O
netizens O
described O
the O
nomination O
of O
the O
directors O
as O
an O
outrageous O
irony O
. O

" O
Most O
Internet O
users O
wrote O
that O
Chen O
was O
a O
negative O
example O
but O
if O
it O
wasn O
' O
t O
for O
his O
movie O
there O
wouldn O
' O
t O
have O
been O
such O
a O
huge O
debate O
about O
environmental O
protection O
, O
" O
the O
spokeswoman O
said O
. O

Zhang O
Jizhong O
apologized O
for O
damaging O
the O
environment O
during O
the O
shooting O
of O
his O
film O
. O

Chen O
Kaige O
' O
s O
film O
production O
company O
was O
fined O
90 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
for O
damaging O
the O
lake O
near O
Shangrila O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0159 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Dame O
Kelly O
hangs O
up O
spikes O

Double O
Olympic O
champion O
Kelly O
Holmes O
has O
announced O
her O
retirement O
from O
athletics O
and O
will O
not O
now B-T
bow O
out O
at O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Commonwealth O
Games O
in O
Melbourne O
as O
planned O
. O

The O
35 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
former O
army O
sergeant O
said O
Tuesday B-T
she O
had O
been O
badly O
affected O
by O
the O
death O
of O
a O
man O
she O
met O
while O
visiting O
her O
physiotherapist O
in O
Ireland O
. O

And O
she O
admitted O
she O
lacked O
the O
motivation O
to O
continue O
in O
the O
sport O
after O
winning O
gold O
in O
the O
800 O
metres O
and O
1 O
, O
500m O
in O
Athens O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Holmes O
' O
double O
gold O
in O
Athens O
was O
the O
highlight O
of O
a O
career O
peppered O
with O
injury O
and O
disappointment O
. O

She O
had O
battled O
an O
Achilles O
tendon O
injury O
to O
make O
the O
team O
for O
Melbourne O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0472 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Bickering O
EU O
leaders O
to O
fill O
up O
on O
Cullen O
Skink O

European O
Union O
leaders O
were O
to O
discover O
the O
pleasures O
of O
Cullen O
Skink O
when O
they O
sit O
down O
to O
dinner O
Thursday B-T
to O
haggle O
over O
EU O
financial O
perspectives O
. O

It O
' O
s O
a O
hearty O
smoked O
- O
haddock O
soup O
from O
Scotland O
- O
- O
Cullen O
is O
a O
coastal O
town O
and O
skink O
comes O
from O
the O
Gaelic O
word O
for O
essence O
- O
- O
that O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
hopes O
can O
help O
warm O
the O
mood O
. O

Anyone O
wanting O
to O
spoil O
the O
mood O
could O
point O
out O
that O
Scotland O
' O
s O
fisheries O
have O
been O
hit O
hard O
by O
EU O
fisheries O
policy O
, O
with O
tough O
quotas O
now B-T
in O
place O
after O
years B-T
of O
overfishing O
in O
the O
North O
Sea O
. O

The O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
in O
Brussels O
is O
dominated O
by O
intense O
wrangling O
over O
the O
bloc O
' O
s O
budget O
for O
2007 B-T
to O
2013 O
, O
but O
the O
dinner O
itself O
is O
likely O
to O
be O
a O
more O
harmonious O
occasion O
. O

The O
main O
course O
, O
a O
European O
diplomat O
told O
AFP O
, O
would O
be O
" O
carre O
d O
' O
agneau O
" O
- O
- O
that O
reads O
better O
on O
a O
menu O
than O
" O
lamb O
chops O
" O
- O
- O
from O
Northern O
Ireland O
, O
accompanied O
with O
cabbage O
and O
mushrooms O
. O

A O
selection O
of O
British O
cheeses O
and O
oatcakes O
was O
to O
follow O
, O
together O
with O
coffee O
and O
, O
in O
a O
return O
to O
things O
Scottish O
, O
shortbread O
. O

To O
wash O
it O
all O
down O
, O
there O
was O
to O
be O
Sharpham O
Beenleigh O
red O
wine O
from O
Devon O
, O
southwest O
England O
, O
and O
Tintern O
Parva O
white O
from O
Wales O
, O
as O
well O
as O
mineral O
water O
from O
Shropshire O
, O
in O
the O
north O
of O
England O
. O

Coffee O
and O
shortbread O
was O
to O
round O
out O
the O
evening O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0044 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Shenzhen O
stock O
index O
up O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
6 O

The O
Component O
Stock O
Index O
on O
the O
Shenzhen O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
at O
4 O
, O
785 O
. O
37 O
points O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
up O
94 O
. O
94 O
points O
from O
the O
previous O
close O
. O

A O
Share O
Index O
: O
5 O
, O
024 O
. O
66 O
points O
, O
up O
99 O
. O
68 O
points O
; O

B O
Share O
Index O
: O
2 O
, O
817 O
. O
62 O
points O
, O
up O
61 O
. O
12 O
points O
; O

Total O
Turnover O
: O
14 O
, O
619 O
, O
420 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0117 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Redknapp O
rues O
quitting O
Pompey O

Harry O
Redknapp O
admitted O
Sunday B-T
that O
he O
made O
a O
" O
monumental O
mistake O
" O
in O
leaving O
Portsmouth O
for O
Southampton O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

Redknapp O
quit O
Saints O
Saturday B-T
claiming O
his O
position O
was O
untenable O
after O
chairman O
Rupert O
Lowe O
refused O
an O
approach O
by O
Pompey O
counterpart O
Milan O
Mandaric O
to O
speak O
to O
his O
former O
manager O
. O

And O
Redknapp O
said O
that O
despite O
his O
very O
public O
fall O
- O
out O
with O
Mandaric O
last O
season O
he O
would O
welcome O
a O
return O
to O
Fratton O
Park O
. O

" O
The B-T
last I-T
year I-T
has O
been O
the O
worst O
of O
my O
life O
and O
that O
is O
no O
exaggeration O
, O
" O
he O
told O
the O
Sunday B-T
Mirror O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
know O
what O
possessed O
me O
to O
leave O
Portsmouth O
in O
the O
first O
place O
. O
I O
' O
m O
an O
emotional O
man O
at O
the O
best O
of O
times O
but O
I O
made O
a O
monumental O
mistake O
walking O
out O
of O
Fratton O
Park O
and O
a O
day O
hasn O
' O
t O
passed O
since O
I O
left O
the O
ground O
for O
the O
last O
time O
that O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
regret O
my O
decision O
. O

" O
The O
truth O
is O
I O
have O
had O
my O
rows O
with O
chairman O
Milan O
Mandaric O
but O
they O
were O
petty O
and O
the O
vast O
majority O
were O
my O
fault O
. O
" O

Redknapp O
added O
: O
" O
The O
only O
reason O
I O
remained O
at O
the O
club O
( O
Southampton O
) O
following O
relegation O
was O
I O
felt O
I O
owed O
it O
to O
the O
fans O
to O
get O
them O
back O
up O
but O
I O
would O
be O
a O
liar O
if O
I O
said O
my O
heart O
was O
in O
the O
job O
. O

" O
Events O
this O
season O
have O
simply O
increased O
my O
desire O
to O
get O
away O
and O
once O
Portsmouth O
asked O
permission O
to O
speak O
to O
me O
this B-T
week I-T
I O
knew O
I O
had O
to O
go O
back O
. O

" O
I O
have O
no O
intention O
of O
signing O
a O
long O
- O
term O
deal O
at O
Pompey O
. O
If O
and O
when O
I O
can O
get O
round O
a O
table O
with O
Milan O
I O
will O
make O
it O
clear O
that O
I O
will O
work O
without O
a O
contract O
for O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
season O
. O
" O

Lowe O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
bring O
former O
England O
rugby O
world O
cup O
- O
winning O
coach O
Clive O
Woodward O
into O
the O
backroom O
staff O
was O
one O
of O
the O
reasons O
for O
his O
unhappiness O
. O

" O
As O
a O
bloke O
I O
got O
on O
with O
him O
but O
I O
have O
to O
say O
the O
decision O
to O
bring O
him O
in O
was O
bizarre O
. O
The O
relationship O
between O
me O
and O
Clive O
was O
never O
going O
to O
work O
because O
there O
were O
too O
many O
people O
undermining O
the O
structure O
Rupert O
Lowe O
wanted O
at O
the O
club O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

In O
an O
open O
letter O
by O
Mandaric O
published O
in O
the O
Sunday O
Mirror O
the O
Pompey O
chairman O
said O
: O
" O
If O
I O
' O
m O
honest O
I O
never O
wanted O
Harry O
to O
leave O
in O
the O
first O
place O
. O

" O
Of O
all O
the O
candidates O
Harry O
is O
the O
one O
which O
that O
stands O
out O
. O
The O
supporters O
have O
to O
trust O
me O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0620 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Annan O
hails O
major O
Spanish O
donation O
for O
UN O
poverty O
- O
reduction O
goals O

Outgoing O
UN O
chief O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Tuesday B-T
praised O
Spain O
for O
donating O
700 O
million O
dollars O
( O
550 O
million O
euros O
) O
to O
help O
the O
UN O
Millennium O
Development O
Goals O
( O
MDGs O
) O
aimed O
at O
halving O
extreme O
poverty O
around O
the O
world O
by O
2015 B-T
. O

" O
This O
is O
the O
largest O
contribution O
yet O
made O
to O
the O
UN O
for O
this O
purpose O
by O
any O
country O
, O
and O
I O
believe O
it O
is O
a O
splendid O
example O
of O
international O
solidarity O
which O
I O
hope O
other O
members O
will O
follow O
, O
" O
Annan O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
, O
his O
last O
before O
he O
steps O
down O
on O
December B-T
31 I-T
after O
10 B-T
years I-T
in O
office O
. O

Annan O
was O
on O
hand O
along O
with O
visiting O
Spanish O
Prime O
Minister O
Jose O
Luis O
Rodriguez O
Zapatero O
at O
a O
signing O
ceremony O
for O
the O
donation O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
deal O
, O
signed O
between O
Spanish O
Secretary O
of O
State O
for O
International O
Cooperation O
Leire O
Pajin O
and O
Kemal O
Dervis O
, O
the O
UN O
Development O
Program O
( O
UNDP O
) O
Administrator O
, O
sets O
up O
the O
UN O
Fund O
for O
the O
Achievement O
of O
the O
MDGs O
, O
which O
will O
be O
managed O
by O
Spain O
and O
UNDP O
. O

The O
MDGs O
call O
for O
500 O
million O
people O
to O
be O
" O
lifted O
out O
of O
extreme O
poverty O
" O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
decade I-T
, O
putting O
115 O
million O
children O
put O
in O
school O
, O
and O
halting O
the O
spread O
of O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0257 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Don O
' O
t O
be O
fooled O
by O
' O
democratic O
marriage O
' O
: O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
in O
Iraq O

The O
Iraqi O
branch O
of O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
on O
Saturday B-T
urged O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Sunni O
Arabs O
not O
to O
be O
fooled O
by O
the O
apparent O
success O
of O
this B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
landmark O
elections O
. O

" O
We O
say O
to O
our O
( O
Sunni O
) O
brothers O
: O
do O
not O
be O
fooled O
by O
what O
you O
have O
heard O
of O
the O
propaganda O
from O
the O
crusaders O
and O
their O
footmen O
. O

" O
The O
coming O
days O
will O
show O
you O
the O
fate O
of O
this O
' O
democratic O
marriage O
' O
and O
the O
marriage O
of O
prostitution O
that O
it O
celebrated O
, O
" O
the O
group O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
on O
a O
frequently O
used O
Islamist O
website O
. O

" O
Their O
armed O
forces O
( O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
) O
will O
be O
useless O
. O
Know O
that O
the O
decision O
of O
the O
crusaders O
to O
pull O
out O
of O
Iraq O
has O
already O
been O
taken O
, O
" O
reads O
the O
statement O
, O
whose O
authenticity O
could O
not O
be O
verified O
. O

The O
group O
, O
led O
by O
Jordanian O
Abu O
Musab O
al O
- O
Zarqawi O
, O
is O
threatening O
to O
continue O
its O
attacks O
in O
Iraq O
and O
says O
it O
did O
not O
halt O
them O
during O
last B-T
Thursday I-T
' O
s O
elections O
for O
a O
full O
- O
term O
parliament O
. O

" O
The O
Mujahedeen O
( O
holy O
warriors O
) O
succeeded O
in O
striking O
the O
positions O
of O
the O
crusader O
forces O
and O
the O
apostate O
government O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

On O
the O
eve O
of O
the O
election O
, O
during O
which O
the O
Sunnis O
flocked O
to O
the O
polls O
, O
the O
group O
declared O
it O
was O
launching O
a O
large O
- O
scale O
offensive O
against O
" O
the O
apostate O
' O
s O
bastions O
" O
in O
order O
to O
disrupt O
the O
polls O
. O

However O
this O
offensive O
did O
not O
materialise O
and O
the O
rare O
outbreaks O
of O
violence O
on O
polling O
day O
left O
four O
people O
dead O
. O

Leading O
Sunni O
Arab O
politician O
Adnan O
al O
- O
Dulaimi O
on O
Saturday B-T
called O
for O
a O
coalition O
to O
protect O
national O
unity O
in O
a O
new O
parliament O
as O
he O
thanked O
insurgents O
for O
not O
attacking O
polling O
stations O
during O
the O
vote O
. O

" O
The O
resistance O
announced O
it O
would O
protect O
polling O
stations O
and O
not O
allow O
a O
single O
group O
to O
attack O
them O
and O
it O
respected O
its O
promise O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
referring O
to O
another O
militant O
group O
. O

" O
In O
the O
name O
of O
National O
Concord O
Front O
, O
we O
thank O
them O
, O
" O
said O
Dulaimi O
referring O
to O
the O
electoral O
coalition O
of O
which O
he O
is O
a O
leader O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0023 O

DHAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
Ld O
: O
At O
least O
16 O
people O
killed O
in O
bus O
accident O
in O
Bangladesh O

At O
least O
16 O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
62 O
others O
injured O
when O
two O
passenger O
buses O
collided O
head O
on O
in O
Bangladesh O
' O
s O
northwestern O
Sirajganj O
district O
Wednesday B-T
, O
police O
said O
. O

Primary O
report O
said O
the O
accident O
occurred O
when O
a O
bus O
from O
capital O
Dhaka O
lost O
control O
and O
crushed O
into O
another O
bus O
at O
about O
11 B-T
: I-T
15 I-T
am I-T
local I-T
time I-T
( I-T
5 I-T
: I-T
15 I-T
GMT I-T
) O
. O
Local O
people O
said O
the O
casualty O
figure O
may O
go O
up O
as O
conditions O
of O
some O
of O
the O
injured O
were O
critical O
. O

The O
injured O
passengers O
were O
rushed O
to O
different O
hospitals O
and O
clinics O
nearby O
. O

Police O
said O
most O
passengers O
of O
the O
two O
buses O
were O
returning O
to O
their O
work O
places O
after O
Muslim O
' O
s O
Eid O
festival O
and O
subsequent O
political O
agitation O
that O
disrupted O
communications O
late O
last B-T
month I-T
. O

The O
accident O
on O
highway O
is O
a O
regular O
feature O
in O
the O
country O
where O
bus O
drivers O
do O
not O
take O
much O
care O
of O
traffic O
rule O
while O
the O
traffic O
department O
does O
not O
monitor O
the O
speed O
limit O
of O
vehicles O
on O
roads O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0399 O

GUANGZHOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Slump O
continues O
for O
Guangdong O
' O
s O
Christmas O
commodities O
exports O

Exports O
of O
Christmas O
commodities O
made O
in O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Guangdong O
Province O
are O
still O
in O
the O
slump O
that O
hit O
the O
industry O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
a O
local O
Customs O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
officer O
of O
the O
Huangpu O
Customs O
of O
Guangdong O
said O
the O
province O
' O
s O
Christmas O
commodities O
exports O
were O
only O
550 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
just O
1 O
. O
7 O
percent O
up O
on O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

July O
, O
August O
and O
September O
, O
the O
mid O
- O
season O
for O
Christmas B-T
commodities O
, O
had O
passed O
, O
and O
the O
province O
' O
s O
exports O
were O
unlikely O
to O
rise O
in O
the B-T
final I-T
three I-T
months I-T
, O
he O
said O
. O

Guangdong O
exported O
640 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
of O
Christmas O
commodities O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
a O
rise O
of O
22 O
. O
3 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
, O
and O
its O
exports O
in O
2003 B-T
edged O
up O
by O
25 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
reach O
790 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
. O

However O
, O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
Guangdong O
just O
exported O
630 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
of O
Christmas O
commodities O
, O
down O
by O
20 O
. O
1 O
percent O
from O
2003 B-T
. O
The O
figure O
last B-T
year I-T
was O
620 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
down O
1 O
. O
8 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
. O

Exports O
of O
Chinese O
- O
made O
Christmas O
commodities O
had O
been O
hindered O
by O
rising O
costs O
of O
raw O
materials O
and O
increased O
competition O
for O
the O
foreign O
markets O
, O
said O
the O
Customs O
spokesman O
. O

As O
Christmas O
gained O
in O
popularity O
among O
Chinese O
, O
especially O
young O
people O
, O
many O
manufacturers O
have O
focused O
on O
the O
domestic O
market O
and O
reduced O
their O
exports O
. O

Many O
Chinese O
Christmas O
commodities O
also O
failed O
to O
meet O
quality O
and O
safety O
standards O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Canada O
, O
Australia O
and O
other O
countries O
, O
said O
the O
official O
. O

Customs O
officers O
were O
advising O
domestic O
manufacturers O
to O
diversify O
their O
products O
and O
improve O
quality O
to O
sharpen O
their O
competitiveness O
on O
the O
international O
market O
. O

China O
' O
s O
total O
export O
value O
of O
Christmas O
commodities O
was O
about O
1 O
. O
07 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
each O
year O
in O
2004 B-T
and O
2005 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0553 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Mobutu O
, O
Kabila O
to O
meet O
Friday O
on O
ship O
: O
US O
envoy O

Zairean O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
will O
meet O
Friday B-T
for O
historic O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
talks O
on O
board O
a O
South O
African O
ship O
, O
US O
envoy O
Bill O
Richardson O
announced O
here O
. O

The O
meeting O
will O
take O
place O
under O
UN O
auspices O
in O
international O
waters O
on O
a O
ship O
that O
will O
set O
sail O
from O
the O
Gabonese O
capital O
of O
Libreville O
, O
he O
added O
. O

" O
I O
am O
pleased O
to O
announce O
that O
President O
Mobutu O
and O
Mr O
. O
Kabila O
have O
agreed O
to O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
talks O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
historic O
occasion O
that O
hopefully O
will O
lead O
to O
a O
peaceful O
transition O
in O
Zaire O
. O
" O
There O
are O
no O
pre O
- O
conditions O
. O
" O

The O
breakthrough O
announcement O
came O
after O
Richardson O
met O
Mobutu O
for O
the O
second O
time O
in O
two B-T
days O
. O
In O
between O
, O
he O
met O
Kabila O
in O
the O
rebel O
- O
held O
city O
of O
Lubumbashi O
in O
southeast O
Zaire O
. O

Asked O
about O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
ceasefire O
while O
the O
meeting O
is O
held O
, O
he O
replied O
: O
" O
It O
is O
our O
hope O
that O
there O
will O
be O
a O
ceasefire O
while O
these O
talks O
take O
place O
. O
" O

Mobutu O
did O
not O
appear O
after O
the O
90 O
- O
minute O
meeting O
, O
although O
he O
was O
briefly O
seen O
at O
the O
window O
of O
his O
palatial O
residence O
here O
. O

Informed O
Zairean O
sources O
said O
that O
Mobutu O
would O
leave O
Kinshasa O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
head O
to O
the O
talks O
. O

Kabila O
' O
s O
rebels O
have O
captured O
more O
than O
half O
this O
country O
since O
they O
launched O
their O
offensive O
to O
topple O
Mobutu O
more O
than O
six B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
ailing O
Mobutu O
, O
66 O
, O
who O
is O
recuperating O
after O
prostate O
cancer O
surgery O
, O
has O
ruled O
over O
Zaire O
for O
32 B-T
years I-T
. O

Earlier B-T
Wednesday I-T
, O
the O
president O
' O
s O
son O
and O
spokesman O
Nzanga O
Mobutu O
said O
his O
father O
did O
not O
want O
to O
meet O
Kabila O
on O
board O
the O
South O
African O
vessel O
. O

Richardson O
said O
other O
African O
leaders O
would O
also O
take O
part O
in O
the O
encounter O
. O
He O
did O
not O
say O
who O
they O
would O
be O
, O
but O
went O
out O
of O
his O
way O
to O
praise O
South O
African O
President O
Nelson O
Mandela O
and O
his O
Gabonese O
counterpart O
Omar O
Bongo O
. O

Mandela O
is O
expected O
to O
chair O
the O
talks O
. O

The O
US O
envoy O
will O
also O
be O
present O
at O
the O
start O
of O
the O
talks O
, O
but O
the O
agenda O
itself O
will O
be O
up O
to O
Mobutu O
and O
Kabila O
, O
he O
added O
. O

France O
said O
it O
could O
" O
only O
welcome O
" O
the O
development O
if O
the O
meeting O
were O
indeed O
to O
take O
place O
. O

The O
foreign O
ministry O
said O
the O
meeting O
" O
should O
coincide O
with O
a O
defintive O
halt O
to O
hostilities O
. O
" O
The O
venue O
was O
immaterial O
: O
" O
the O
important O
thing O
is O
that O
the O
meeting O
should O
take O
place O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0166 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Philippines O
to O
seek O
agreement O
with O
US O
over O
custody O
of O
US O
marines O
accused O
of O
rape O

The O
Philippines O
said O
Monday B-T
it O
cannot O
ask O
the O
US O
government O
to O
hand O
over O
the O
six O
US O
marines O
accused O
of O
raping O
a O
22 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Filipino O
woman O
early O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
but O
will O
seek O
an O
agreement O
with O
the O
US O
side O
to O
solve O
the O
issue O
. O

Philippine O
Undersecretary O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
Zosimo O
Paredes O
said O
that O
the O
government O
can O
arrange O
for O
a O
bilateral O
agreement O
with O
the O
United O
States O
regarding O
custody O
of O
the O
suspects O
before O
a O
warrant O
of O
arrest O
is O
issued O
by O
a O
Filipino O
court O
. O

" O
Considering O
that O
they O
will O
agree O
that O
it O
is O
an O
extraordinary O
case O
. O
Any O
disagreement O
regarding O
custody O
shall O
be O
resolved O
at O
the O
diplomatic O
level O
. O
So O
it O
has O
to O
be O
bilateral O
, O
" O
said O
Paredes O
, O
who O
is O
executive O
director O
of O
the O
US O
- O
Filipino O
Visiting O
Forces O
Agreement O
Committee O
( O
VFACOM O
) O
, O
which O
is O
tasked O
to O
cope O
with O
cases O
of O
alleged O
offenses O
by O
US O
servicemen O
visiting O
the O
Philippines O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Visiting O
Forces O
Agreement O
( O
VFA O
) O
signed O
by O
the O
United O
States O
and O
the O
Philippines O
in O
1999 B-T
, O
cases O
considered O
extraordinary O
include O
heinous O
crimes O
such O
as O
rape O
, O
offenses O
punishable O
under O
the O
Dangerous O
Drug O
Act O
, O
and O
offenses O
punishable O
under O
the O
Child O
Abuse O
Law O
. O

But O
Paredes O
said O
that O
the O
US O
authorities O
may O
transfer O
the O
soldiers O
to O
any O
US O
military O
facility O
abroad O
to O
start O
serving O
their O
sentences O
if O
they O
are O
found O
guilty O
by O
a O
US O
court O
martial O
. O

" O
The O
provision O
of O
VFA O
is O
clear O
. O
Custody O
shall O
immediately O
reside O
with O
the O
US O
military O
if O
they O
so O
request O
. O
So O
we O
can O
' O
t O
do O
anything O
about O
it O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
US O
embassy O
in O
Manila O
said O
the O
US O
military O
is O
making O
a O
separate O
investigation O
into O
the O
case O
. O

The O
six O
US O
marines O
were O
accused O
by O
a O
Filipino O
young O
woman O
of O
raping O
early B-T
this I-T
month I-T
at O
the O
former O
US O
navy O
base O
in O
Subic O
Bay O
. O
The O
marines O
, O
who O
are O
reportedly O
staying O
in O
the O
US O
embassy O
in O
Manila O
, O
have O
been O
subpoenaed O
by O
a O
Filipino O
prosecutor O
to O
appear O
later O
this B-T
month I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0394 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Three O
U O
. O
S O
. O
cities O
to O
convene O
on O
bid O
for O
2016 O
Olympic O
Games O

The O
United O
States O
Olympic O
Committee O
( O
USOC O
) O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
three O
U O
. O
S O
. O
cities O
will O
meet O
to O
discuss O
how O
to O
bid O
for O
the O
the O
2016 O
Olympic O
Games O
. O

Representatives O
from O
the O
candidate O
cities O
of O
Chicago O
, O
Los O
Angeles O
and O
San O
Francisco O
will O
meet O
in O
Orange O
County O
, O
California O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
- I-T
9 I-T
, O
the O
USOC O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
e O
- O
mailed O
to O
Xinhua O
. O

The O
two O
- O
day O
seminar O
, O
to O
be O
hosted O
by O
USOC O
, O
will O
brief O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
candidate O
cities O
on O
the O
USOC O
' O
s O
long O
term O
vision O
and O
strategy O
, O
provide O
the O
cities O
with O
more O
practical O
insight O
on O
the O
future O
bid O
process O
and O
coordinate O
specific O
requirements O
for O
the O
remainder O
of O
the O
evaluation O
process O
, O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

USOC O
president O
Peter O
Ueberroth O
will O
provide O
the O
keynote O
address O
, O
entitled O
" O
The O
Promise O
of O
the O
Olympic O
Movement O
for O
Our O
World O
" O
, O
while O
Chief O
Executive O
Officer O
Jim O
Scherr O
will O
speak O
about O
" O
Vision O
of O
the O
USOC O
Toward O
Beijng O
and O
Vancouver O
and O
the O
USOC O
Game O
Plan O
, O
" O
according O
to O
the O
statement O
. O

" O
This O
seminar O
is O
the O
latest O
step O
in O
our O
pragmatic O
, O
but O
engaged O
approach O
to O
the O
domestic O
bid O
process O
, O
" O
said O
U O
. O
S O
. O
IOC O
Member O
and O
USOC O
Vice O
President O
Bob O
Ctvrtlik O
, O
who O
will O
be O
kicking O
off O
the O
seminar O
with O
an O
overview O
of O
the O
process O
and O
the O
USOC O
' O
s O
expectations O
of O
the O
cities O
moving O
forward O
. O

" O
We O
are O
very O
pleased O
with O
the O
level O
of O
effort O
and O
commitment O
demonstrated O
by O
the O
cities O
thus O
far O
, O
and O
while O
there O
is O
still O
much O
work O
to O
do O
, O
we O
want O
to O
offer O
the O
cities O
the O
opportunity O
to O
delve O
more O
deeply O
into O
the O
relevant O
themes O
. O
Our O
ultimate O
goal O
remains O
to O
find O
a O
city O
with O
the O
best O
chance O
to O
win O
internationally O
. O
" O

The O
USOC O
will O
decide O
whether O
to O
move O
forward O
with O
a O
2016 O
bid O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
year I-T
. O
If O
the O
organization O
moves O
forward O
with O
the O
process O
to O
submit O
a O
bid O
city O
for O
the O
Games O
, O
the O
USOC O
Board O
of O
Directors O
will O
make O
a O
choice O
on O
the O
USOC O
' O
s O
candidate O
city O
in O
April B-T
, I-T
2007 I-T
. O

The O
Domestic O
Candidate O
City O
Seminar O
will O
include O
a O
variety O
of O
topics O
, O
including O
: O
history O
of O
the O
Modern O
Olympic O
Games O
, O
an O
overview O
of O
the O
bid O
process O
, O
International O
Relations O
vision O
and O
programs O
, O
communications O
guidelines O
, O
marketing O
opportunities O
, O
Olympic O
venues O
, O
building O
the O
budget O
and O
framework O
, O
and O
bid O
city O
partnership O
with O
the O
USOC O
, O
according O
to O
the O
statement O
. O

During O
the B-T
second I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
seminar O
, O
the O
USOC O
will O
meet O
individually O
with O
each O
city O
' O
s O
representatives O
to O
provide O
feedback O
on O
previous O
questions O
and O
to O
conduct O
a O
general O
question O
- O
and O
- O
answer O
session O
regarding O
their O
bids O
. O

For O
the B-T
next I-T
phase I-T
of O
the O
evaluation O
, O
the O
USOC O
delivered O
guidelines O
to O
each O
of O
the O
cities O
last B-T
week I-T
for O
producing O
a O
domestic O
set O
of O
bid O
books O
. O
The O
requirements O
are O
based O
on O
the O
International O
Olympic O
Committee O
' O
s O
Candidate O
City O
Questionnaire O
and O
include O
questions O
on O
all O
17 O
themes O
in O
the O
international O
candidature O
city O
files O
. O
The O
bid O
books O
will O
be O
due O
back O
to O
the O
USOC O
on O
Jan B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2007 I-T
. O

Following O
an O
analysis O
of O
the O
bid O
book O
content O
, O
the O
USOC O
will O
send O
an O
Evaluation O
Commission O
to O
each O
city O
for O
an O
on O
- O
site O
review O
. O
The O
USOC O
reserves O
the O
right O
to O
eliminate O
any O
city O
from O
consideration O
at O
that O
time O
or O
at O
any O
point O
in O
the O
process O
. O

Final O
presentations O
by O
each O
of O
the O
remaining O
cities O
will O
be O
made O
to O
the O
USOC O
Board O
of O
Directors O
in O
April B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0236 O

ROME O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Italy O
' O
s O
centre O
- O
left O
coalition O
hangs O
on O
in O
local O
polls O
by O
Suzette O
Bloch O

Italy O
' O
s O
centre O
- O
left O
coalition O
appears O
to O
have O
just O
held O
its O
ground O
against O
the O
right O
in O
the O
first O
round O
of O
partial O
local O
elections O
, O
and O
looks O
more O
dependent O
than O
ever O
on O
its O
Marxist O
allies O
. O

The O
Olive O
Tree O
coalition O
had O
hoped O
for O
a O
vote O
of O
confidence O
from O
the O
Sunday B-T
poll O
, O
in O
which O
one O
- O
fifth O
of O
the O
electorate O
voted O
in O
around O
1 O
, O
000 O
municipalities O
, O
including O
the O
major O
northern O
cities O
of O
Milan O
, O
Turin O
and O
Trieste O
. O

Counting O
began O
Monday B-T
morning I-T
and O
final O
results O
will O
be O
published O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

However O
, O
exit O
polls O
gave O
an O
indication O
of O
the O
overall O
trends O
, O
which O
suggested O
a O
left O
- O
right O
polarisation O
in O
Italian O
politics O
. O

The O
Refounded O
Communist O
Party O
, O
the O
Marxist O
party O
which O
supports O
the O
government O
without O
participating O
in O
it O
, O
made O
a O
particularly O
strong O
showing O
. O

Also O
notable O
was O
a O
disastrous O
performance O
by O
the O
secessionist O
Northern O
League O
. O

In O
Milan O
, O
Italy O
' O
s O
economic O
powerhourse O
, O
and O
the O
only O
city O
controlled O
by O
the O
league O
, O
outgoing O
mayor O
Marco O
Formentini O
was O
soundly O
defeated O
. O

Formentini O
came O
in O
in O
third O
place O
and O
will O
not O
take O
part O
in O
a O
second O
round O
of O
voting O
on O
May B-T
11 I-T
. O

Leading O
the O
poll O
was O
centre O
- O
right O
Freedom O
Alliance O
candidate O
Gabriele O
Albertini O
while O
Olive O
Tree O
hopeful O
Aldo O
Fumagalli O
came O
in O
second O
, O
exit O
polls O
indicated O
. O

The O
Refounded O
Communist O
Party O
candidate O
won O
9 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

The O
coalition O
was O
more O
hopeful O
of O
holding O
onto O
Turin O
and O
Trieste O
. O

However O
in O
Turin O
, O
capital O
of O
the O
automobile O
industry O
, O
outgoing O
Olive O
Tree O
mayor O
Valentino O
Castellani O
was O
forced O
into O
second O
place O
by O
right O
- O
wing O
candidate O
Raffaele O
Costa O
. O
Costa O
took O
around O
43 O
. O
5 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
to O
Castellani O
' O
s O
34 O
percent O
. O

In O
Trieste O
, O
centre O
- O
left O
mayor O
Ricardo O
Illy O
came O
in O
well O
in O
front O
with O
38 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
, O
but O
will O
face O
one O
of O
two O
centre O
- O
right O
candidates O
who O
each O
took O
about O
21 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
the O
second O
round O
. O

Elsewhere O
, O
the O
left O
won O
the O
central O
cities O
of O
Sienna O
and O
Ravenna O
outright O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
northern O
town O
of O
Belluno O
. O

In O
the O
south O
, O
in O
Reggio O
di O
Calabria O
, O
outgoing O
centre O
- O
left O
mayor O
was O
leading O
and O
also O
likely O
to O
win O
in O
a O
single O
round O
. O
In O
Catanzaro O
, O
the O
outgoing O
right O
- O
wing O
mayor O
was O
ahead O
, O
but O
will O
face O
a O
centre O
- O
left O
candidate O
in O
the O
second O
round O
. O

The O
polls O
also O
chose O
local O
councillors O
according O
to O
lists O
submitted O
by O
the O
parties O
. O

According O
to O
exit O
polls O
, O
both O
the O
Refounded O
Communist O
Party O
and O
the O
Democratic O
Party O
of O
the O
Left O
( O
PDS O
) O
, O
the O
main O
party O
in O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
, O
made O
gains O
. O

However O
centrist O
parties O
suffered O
a O
major O
defeat O
. O

Italian O
newspapers O
highlighted O
the O
success O
of O
the O
Refounded O
Communist O
Party O
and O
advances O
by O
the O
right O
. O

La O
Stampa O
noted O
the O
Marxists O
' O
" O
spectacular O
ability O
to O
lead O
the O
dance O
" O
and O
said O
this O
would O
" O
complicate O
the O
task O
of O
the O
government O
. O
" O

La O
Repubblica O
said O
Olive O
Tree O
was O
" O
a O
minority O
without O
the O
Refounded O
Communists O
, O
" O
while O
noting O
it O
would O
" O
govern O
with O
difficulty O
" O
with O
the O
Marxists O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0054 O

SAN O
FRANCISCO O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
city O
to O
set O
safety O
standards O
for O
nanoparticles O

Leaders O
of O
the O
famed O
college O
town O
of O
Berkeley O
in O
California O
voted O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
monitor O
manufactured O
nanoparticles O
as O
potentially O
hazardous O
materials O
. O

City O
council O
members O
unanimously O
endorsed O
what O
they O
hoped O
would O
be O
trend O
setting O
regulation O
of O
sub O
- O
atomic O
particles O
created O
or O
used O
by O
businesses O
or O
research O
laboratories O
. O

" O
This O
stuff O
needs O
to O
be O
tracked O
and O
monitored O
to O
ensure O
it O
is O
safe O
, O
" O
said O
Berkeley O
hazardous O
materials O
manager O
Nabil O
Al O
- O
Hadithy O
. O

" O
It O
appeared O
governments O
were O
afraid O
of O
being O
perceived O
as O
anti O
- O
business O
. O
Since O
this O
was O
seen O
as O
the O
newest O
goose O
about O
to O
lay O
the O
golden O
egg O
no O
one O
wanted O
to O
set O
standards O
for O
safety O
. O
" O

The O
ordinance O
calls O
on O
businesses O
within O
the O
city O
limits O
to O
report O
whether O
they O
use O
nanoparticles O
and O
, O
if O
so O
, O
to O
provide O
details O
regarding O
storage O
, O
handling O
, O
tracking O
, O
disposal O
and O
emergency O
plans O
for O
accidental O
releases O
. O

Similar O
regulation O
was O
recommended O
in O
Britain O
by O
the O
Royal O
Society O
and O
the O
Royal O
Academy O
of O
Engineering O
in O
2004 B-T
in O
a O
report O
titled O
" O
Nanoscience O
and O
Nanotechnologies O
: O
Opportunities O
and O
Uncertainties O
, O
" O
Al O
- O
Hadithy O
said O
. O

" O
We O
thought O
Britain O
was O
going O
to O
be O
first O
but O
the O
government O
denied O
the O
proposal O
, O
" O
Al O
- O
Hadithy O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
These O
are O
world O
renowned O
scientific O
bodies O
and O
to O
have O
bureaucrats O
say O
they O
are O
not O
going O
to O
do O
it O
is O
shocking O
. O
" O

Detailed O
regulations O
will O
be O
crafted O
in O
Berkeley O
after O
the O
ordinance O
becomes O
law O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
week I-T
. O
Letters O
asking O
for O
accountings O
of O
nanoparticles O
will O
be O
sent O
to O
local O
businesses O
in O
January B-T
. O

" O
It O
is O
unlikely O
we O
will O
find O
much O
, O
given O
the O
small O
industrial O
sector O
in O
Berkeley O
, O
" O
Al O
- O
Hadithy O
said O
. O

" O
But O
the O
fact O
is O
this O
is O
not O
only O
an O
ordinance O
for O
Berkeley O
. O
It O
clearly O
appeared O
to O
us O
someone O
needed O
to O
break O
the O
ice O
and O
start O
a O
regulation O
and O
maybe O
others O
would O
follow O
. O
" O

There O
are O
nanotechnology O
laboratories O
at O
the O
University O
of O
California O
at O
Berkeley O
and O
at O
a O
newly O
- O
built O
Molecular O
Foundry O
at O
Lawrence O
Berkeley O
Laboratory O
in O
the O
hills O
above O
the O
college O
. O

Both O
facilities O
are O
exempted O
from O
local O
regulation O
because O
they O
are O
federally O
funded O
and O
regulated O
. O

" O
We O
are O
not O
really O
that O
scared O
of O
laboratories O
, O
" O
Al O
- O
Hadithy O
said O
. O
" O
They O
use O
small O
quantities O
of O
material O
and O
have O
lots O
of O
scientists O
on O
board O
. O
Production O
facilities O
are O
our O
concern O
. O
" O

Lawrence O
Berkeley O
Laboratory O
officials O
endorsed O
the O
ordinance O
, O
getting O
the O
city O
to O
amend O
it O
to O
call O
on O
elected O
political O
leaders O
to O
lobby O
for O
more O
money O
to O
pay O
for O
health O
and O
safety O
research O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0044 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

up O

China O
- O
Africa O
Joint O
Chamber O
of O
Commerce O
will O
be O
formally O
set O
up O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
Wan O
Jifei O
, O
Chairman O
of O
the O
China O
Council O
for O
the O
Promotion O
of O
International O
Trade O
, O
said O
at O
the O
High O
- O
level O
Dialogue O
and O
2nd O
Conference O
of O
Chinese O
and O
African O
Entrepreneurs O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0056 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Afghan O
, O
coalition O
forces O
kill O
3 O
suspected O
terrorists O

Afghan O
and O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
led O
coalition O
forces O
killed O
three O
suspected O
terrorists O
and O
arrested O
another O
in O
Afghanistan O
' O
s O
eastern O
Khost O
province O
, O
a O
coalition O
press O
release O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
Three O
armed O
terrorists O
were O
killed O
and O
another O
detained O
during O
an B-T
early I-T
Wednesday I-T
morning I-T
operation O
by O
Afghan O
and O
coalition O
forces O
near O
the O
town O
of O
Taranli O
in O
Khost O
province O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

They O
were O
inside O
a O
compound O
and O
intelligence O
information O
led O
to O
their O
location O
and O
finally O
their O
elimination O
, O
it O
added O
. O

No O
civilians O
were O
harmed O
during O
the O
operation O
. O
There O
were O
no O
casualties O
on O
Afghan O
and O
coalition O
forces O
, O
it O
further O
said O
. O

Khost O
, O
a O
mountainous O
region O
, O
has O
been O
a O
hotbed O
of O
Taliban O
and O
other O
militants O
, O
who O
clash O
with O
foreign O
and O
government O
forces O
frequently O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0254 O

GUIYANG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
workers O
dead O

Seven O
people O
were O
killed O
in O
a O
colliery O
accident O
in O
Southwest O
China O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
bringing O
the O
death O
toll O
in O
coal O
mine O
tragedies O
to O
85 O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
days I-T
across O
the O
country O
. O

Eleven O
workers O
who O
were O
sorting O
impurities O
from O
a O
coal O
heap O
were O
buried O
when O
the O
heap O
collapsed O
at O
9 B-T
: I-T
47 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
at O
the O
Shuicheng O
Coal O
Mine O
Group O
colliery O
, O
in O
mountainous O
province O
of O
Guizhou O
. O

Seven O
workers O
died O
and O
four O
were O
rescued O
, O
said O
the O
work O
safety O
administration O
in O
Liupanshui O
city O
, O
where O
the O
mine O
group O
is O
located O
. O

The O
cause O
of O
the O
accident O
is O
being O
investigated O
. O

The B-T
past I-T
weekend I-T
has O
been O
tragic O
with O
three O
mine O
disasters O
leaving O
at O
least O
78 O
people O
dead O
. O
Investigations O
show O
coal O
miners O
continued O
production O
even O
after O
government O
ordered O
to O
halt O
production O
at O
the O
three O
mines O
amid O
safety O
concerns O
. O

Twenty O
- O
two O
miners O
were O
confirmed O
dead O
and O
five O
others O
missing O
in O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
gas O
blast O
in O
Yuanhua O
Coal O
Mine O
in O
Jixi O
, O
a O
city O
in O
northeastern O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
. O

Three O
managers O
responsible O
for O
the O
blast O
have O
been O
arrested O
, O
said O
local O
police O
. O
An O
investigation O
shows O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
August I-T
, O
the O
mine O
was O
forced O
by O
local O
government O
to O
halt O
production O
due O
to O
outdated O
work O
safety O
license O
, O
but O
the O
owners O
continued O
production O
. O

In O
another O
tragedy O
, O
32 O
miners O
were O
killed O
and O
28 O
injured O
in O
a O
colliery O
gas O
explosion O
at O
Changyuan O
Coal O
Mine O
in O
Fuyuan O
, O
a O
county O
in O
southwestern O
Yunnan O
Province O
. O

Investigation O
shows O
the O
mine O
owners O
started O
production O
at O
the O
Chuangyuan O
mine O
before O
they O
got O
all O
the O
required O
licenses O
. O

A O
third O
gas O
blast O
on O
Sunday B-T
hit O
Luweitan O
Colliery O
in O
Linfen O
city O
, O
North O
China O
' O
s O
coal O
- O
rich O
province O
of O
Shanxi O
, O
killing O
all O
24 O
miners O
underground O
, O
the O
local O
government O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

It O
added O
the O
mine O
' O
s O
production O
permit O
and O
safety O
license O
have O
both O
expired O
. O

" O
We O
can O
' O
t O
put O
up O
with O
the O
owner O
' O
s O
illegal O
production O
with O
no O
consideration O
to O
miners O
lives O
, O
" O
said O
Liang O
Jiakun O
, O
vice O
director O
of O
the O
State O
Administration O
of O
Work O
Safety O
( O
SAWS O
) O
, O
in O
Jixi O
. O
He O
has O
earlier O
arrived O
at O
there O
to O
coordinate O
rescue O
effort O
and O
investigation O
. O

Liang O
said O
the O
disaster O
also O
highlighted O
the O
local O
government O
' O
s O
insufficient O
efforts O
to O
crack O
down O
on O
illegal O
mining O
. O

Chen O
Qiwen O
, O
a O
county O
official O
in O
Guizhou O
, O
was O
jailed O
Monday B-T
for O
a O
ten O
- O
year O
term O
on O
taking O
730 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
93 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
bribes O
from O
coal O
mine O
owners O
. O
He O
offered O
them O
safety O
licenses O
after O
their O
mines O
were O
ordered O
to O
halt O
production O
amid O
safety O
concerns O
. O

Chinese O
coal O
mines O
suffer O
frequent O
explosions O
, O
flooding O
and O
cave O
- O
ins O
, O
claiming O
about O
6 O
, O
000 O
lives O
a B-T
year I-T
. O

Unsafe O
small O
coal O
mines O
account O
for O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
total O
fatalities O
in O
mine O
accidents O
, O
government O
figures O
show O
. O

The O
SAWS O
said O
earlier O
China O
will O
seal O
off O
2 O
, O
652 O
small O
mines O
with O
an O
annual O
output O
of O
less O
than O
30 O
, O
000 O
tons O
this B-T
year I-T
and I-T
another I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
209 I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Amid O
efforts O
to O
avoid O
huge O
fatalities O
, O
China O
will O
allow O
no O
more O
than O
100 O
miners O
to O
work O
underground O
per O
shift O
in O
state O
- O
owned O
coal O
mines O
, O
said O
Zhao O
Tiechui O
, O
director O
of O
the O
State O
Administration O
of O
Coal O
Mine O
Safety O
. O
He O
said O
this O
is O
feasible O
for O
all O
176 O
mines O
owned O
by O
13 O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0251 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Factbox O
: O
Rowing O
in O
Asian O
Games O

Rowing O
is O
a O
traditional O
sport O
that O
has O
been O
practiced O
competitively O
since O
the B-T
18th I-T
century I-T
. O
Rowers O
sit O
in O
a O
narrow O
boat O
, O
facing O
backwards O
, O
and O
use O
oars O
or O
sculls O
to O
move O
the O
boat O
forward O
. O

There O
are O
two O
basic O
types O
of O
competitions O
: O
regatta O
and O
head O
- O
of O
- O
the O
- O
river O
races O
. O
The O
regatta O
is O
decided O
by O
knockout O
, O
with O
a O
final O
being O
held O
to O
determine O
the O
winning O
crew O
. O

Head O
- O
of O
- O
the O
- O
river O
races O
are O
decided O
by O
the O
crew O
that O
achieves O
the O
fastest O
time O
over O
a O
set O
course O
. O

Rowers O
have O
some O
of O
the O
highest O
power O
outputs O
of O
any O
athletes O
in O
the O
world O
and O
must O
develop O
both O
as O
endurance O
and O
sprint O
athletes O
. O
They O
also O
have O
to O
tailor O
their O
breathing O
, O
as O
the O
rowing O
motion O
compresses O
rowers O
' O
lungs O
, O
limiting O
the O
amount O
of O
available O
oxygen O
. O

History O
: O

Rowing O
was O
a O
means O
of O
transport O
in O
the O
ancient O
civilizations O
of O
Egypt O
, O
Greece O
and O
Rome O
, O
but O
rowing O
as O
a O
sport O
began O
in O
Victorian O
England O
in O
the B-T
19th I-T
century I-T
. O

Rowing O
was O
first O
recorded O
as O
a O
competitive O
sport O
in O
1716 B-T
when O
boats O
raced O
five O
miles O
between O
two O
different O
pubs O
on O
the O
River O
Thames O
, O
an O
event O
that O
still O
takes O
place O
. O
In O
1829 B-T
the O
annual O
boat O
race O
between O
Oxford O
and O
Cambridge O
universities O
was O
established O
. O

As O
rowing O
became O
more O
competitive O
, O
races O
and O
equipment O
changed O
. O
In O
1846 B-T
Oxford O
developed O
outriggers O
, O
oars O
that O
were O
secured O
away O
from O
the O
side O
of O
the O
boat O
to O
give O
more O
leverage O
, O
while O
fixed O
seats O
were O
changed O
to O
sliding O
ones O
by O
Yale O
oarsmen O
in O
1870 B-T
. O

Modern O
rowing O
boats O
are O
called O
shells O
and O
are O
made O
from O
composite O
materials O
rather O
than O
wood O
. O

Men O
' O
s O
rowing O
was O
included O
as O
an O
Olympic O
sport O
in O
1896 B-T
, O
while O
women O
competitors O
were O
admitted O
to O
the O
Games O
at O
Montreal O
in O
1976 B-T
. O

Rowing O
has O
been O
in O
the O
Asian O
Games O
program O
since O
the B-T
9th I-T
Asian O
Games O
in O
Delhi O
, O
India O
, O
in O
1982 B-T
. O

Sources O
: O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
Organizing O
Committee O
, O
Xinhua O
Database O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0033 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Dave O
James O

They O
' O
re O
the O
not O
so O
magnificent O
seven O
, O
the O
countries O
who O
came O
to O
Doha O
with O
no O
expectations O
and O
spectacularly O
lived O
down O
to O
them O
. O

Of O
the O
45 O
countries O
who O
took O
part O
in O
the B-T
15th I-T
Asian O
Games O
, O
Bhutan O
, O
Brunei O
, O
Cambodia O
, O
East O
Timor O
, O
Maldives O
, O
Oman O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
went O
home O
with O
not O
as O
much O
as O
a O
bronze O
between O
them O
. O

For O
Brunei O
and O
Palestinian O
territories O
, O
it O
marks O
a O
decline O
. O
Four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
Busan O
, O
they O
picked O
up O
a O
bronze O
each O
. O

Palestinian O
footballers O
lost O
all O
three O
games O
they O
played O
without O
scoring O
. O

" O
There O
are O
players O
in O
the O
side O
who O
I O
only O
saw O
for O
the O
first O
time O
when O
we O
arrived O
in O
Doha O
, O
" O
said O
coach O
Hasan O
Aabed O
. O

" O
They O
live O
in O
Gaza O
and O
I O
can O
' O
t O
get O
there O
from O
where O
I O
live O
. O
It O
' O
s O
not O
an O
excuse O
but O
it O
made O
our O
preparations O
difficult O
. O
" O

The O
Maldives O
also O
went O
home O
without O
a O
medal O
, O
but O
they O
claimed O
a O
moral O
victory O
after O
only O
losing O
3 O
- O
1 O
to O
mighty O
Iran O
in O
the O
football O
first O
round O
. O

Nine B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
they O
went O
down O
to O
a O
record O
17 O
- O
0 O
defeat O
against O
the O
same O
opponents O
in O
a O
World O
Cup O
qualifier O
. O

" O
It O
was O
a O
great O
challenge O
, O
" O
said O
coach O
Ivanov O
Stoikov O
. O
" O
We O
have O
improved O
a O
lot O
since O
Iran O
beat O
us O
17 O
- O
0 O
. O
" O

Oman O
are O
the O
only O
Gulf O
nation O
to O
go O
home O
without O
a O
medal O
despite O
bringing O
a O
team O
of O
82 O
on O
the O
short O
trip O
to O
Qatar O
. O

They O
failed O
to O
make O
the O
second O
round O
of O
the O
football O
tournament O
and O
veteran O
coach O
Milan O
Macala O
blamed O
the O
set O
- O
up O
. O

" O
There O
are O
six O
professional O
players O
in O
this O
team O
, O
they O
were O
tired O
from O
club O
league O
matches O
and O
we O
didn O
' O
t O
get O
enough O
time O
to O
prepare O
, O
" O
said O
Macala O
. O

" O
Sixteen O
of O
our O
national O
players O
are O
out O
of O
the O
country O
to O
play O
club O
league O
matches O
. O
" O

Its O
best O
hope O
in O
Doha O
had O
been O
with O
shooter O
Saleem O
Al O
Nasri O
who O
finished O
just O
outside O
the O
top O
20 O
in O
the O
double O
trap O
at O
the O
2004 O
Athens O
Olympics O
. O

But O
here O
, O
he O
was O
23rd O
. O

Furthermore O
, O
their O
hockey O
team O
also O
went O
home O
in O
disgrace O
when O
player O
Hossam O
Hassan O
was O
thrown O
out O
after O
he O
assaulted O
Bangladesh O
' O
s O
Mamunur O
Rahman O
with O
his O
hockey O
stick O
. O

For O
the O
continent O
' O
s O
other O
no O
- O
hopers O
, O
there O
were O
similar O
tales O
of O
woe O
. O

The O
Himalayan O
kingdom O
of O
Bhutan O
, O
strong O
in O
archery O
, O
saw O
both O
their O
men O
' O
s O
and O
women O
' O
s O
team O
lose O
in O
the O
first O
round O
while O
oil O
- O
rich O
Brunei O
fared O
little O
better O
with O
three O
bowlers O
finishing O
in O
87th O
, O
93rd O
and O
97th O
places O
respectively O
. O

Eddie O
Johari O
had O
the O
country O
' O
s O
best O
showing O
with O
a O
quarter O
- O
final O
place O
in O
karate O
. O
Four B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
they O
won O
their O
only O
medal O
ever O
- O
a O
bronze O
in O
karate O
. O

Cambodia O
put O
two O
athletes O
on O
the O
track O
and O
lived O
to O
regret O
it O
as O
sprinter O
Lun O
Chhay O
was O
sixth O
in O
his O
heat O
in O
11 B-T
. I-T
42sec I-T
while O
5000m O
runner O
Bunting O
Hem O
was O
13th O
, O
almost B-T
two I-T
minutes I-T
behind O
the O
champion O
James O
Kurui O
of O
Qatar O
. O

East O
Timor O
, O
who O
made O
their O
Games O
debut O
in O
Busan O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
are O
still O
waiting O
for O
a O
medal O
breakthrough O
but O
it O
won O
' O
t O
come O
from O
Alain O
Soares O
who O
finished O
a O
huge B-T
46 I-T
minutes I-T
behind O
winner O
, O
Qatar O
' O
s O
Hassan O
Shami O
, O
in O
the O
marathon O
. O

Laos O
would O
have O
also O
suffered O
a O
similar O
feeling O
had O
it O
not O
been O
for O
Phoxay O
Aphailath O
who O
picked O
up O
a O
wushu O
silver O
on O
the B-T
penultimate I-T
day I-T
. O

It O
could O
have O
been O
better O
had O
injury O
not O
forced O
the O
21 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
to O
withdraw O
from O
his O
final O
against O
China O
' O
s O
Li O
Teng O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0202 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
cabinet O
tightens O
controls O
on O
social O
security O
funds O

China O
' O
s O
cabinet O
moved O
to O
tighten O
controls O
on O
social O
security O
funds O
on O
Wednesday B-T
after O
hearing O
how O
parts O
of O
the O
country O
were O
plagued O
by O
embezzlement O
. O

Misappropriated O
funds O
must O
be O
paid O
back O
in O
full O
within O
strict O
time O
limits O
and O
the O
officials O
involved O
should O
be O
punished O
, O
the O
State O
Council O
agreed O
at O
a O
meeting O
presided O
over O
by O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
. O

The O
misappropriation O
of O
social O
security O
funds O
was O
highlighted O
in O
September B-T
by O
the O
Shanghai O
scandal O
, O
involving O
3 O
. O
2 O
billion O
yuan O
of O
city O
funds O
, O
which O
brought O
down O
Chen O
Liangyu O
, O
secretary O
of O
local O
committee O
of O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
. O

The O
National O
Audit O
Office O
delivered O
a O
report O
to O
the O
council O
on O
the O
results O
of O
a O
nationwide O
audit O
of O
social O
security O
funds O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
months I-T
. O

The O
funds O
were O
growing O
with O
the O
expansion O
of O
coverage O
expansion O
, O
but O
policies O
regarding O
management O
were O
not O
strictly O
implemented O
in O
some O
regions O
, O
the O
council O
heard O
. O

It O
ordered O
the O
responsible O
departments O
to O
coordinate O
and O
ensure O
funds O
were O
kept O
in O
special O
accounts O
with O
separate O
management O
over O
collection O
and O
expenditure O
. O

The O
social O
security O
framework O
includes O
five O
main O
insurance O
programs O
: O
pensions O
, O
unemployment O
, O
medical O
, O
injuries O
at O
work O
, O
and O
pre O
- O
natal O
and O
post O
- O
natal O
care O
for O
women O
workers O
. O

By O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
China O
' O
s O
social O
security O
funds O
totaled O
1 O
. O
84 O
trillion O
yuan O
( O
233 O
. O
35 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Councilors O
called O
for O
enhanced O
transparency O
in O
fund O
management O
and O
public O
supervision O
. O

They O
ordered O
government O
bodies O
to O
draw O
up O
measures O
to O
improve O
fund O
investment O
returns O
. O

State O
councilors O
also O
discussed O
and O
approved O
in O
principle O
the O
draft O
of O
the O
law O
on O
urban O
and O
rural O
planning O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0005 O

TAIPEI O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Taipei O
shares O
finish O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
higher O

Share O
prices O
in O
Taiwan O
closed O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
higher O
Thursday B-T
amid O
strong O
buying O
of O
financial O
issues O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
Taiwan O
Stock O
Exchange O
weighted O
price O
index O
gained O
52 O
. O
29 O
points O
to O
8 O
, O
629 O
. O
23 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0160 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

March O
start O
for O
Singapore O
Airlines O
Moscow O
flights O

Singapore O
Airlines O
( O
SIA O
) O
will O
start O
flying O
to O
Russia O
in O
March B-T
with O
the O
launch O
of O
a O
service O
to O
the O
capital O
Moscow O
, O
the O
flag O
carrier O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
airline O
will O
fly O
three O
times O
a B-T
week I-T
via O
Dubai O
using O
the O
Boeing O
777 O
- O
200 O
aircraft O
, O
SIA O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
service O
will O
enhance O
already O
emerging O
business O
and O
leisure O
ties O
between O
Russia O
and O
Singapore O
, O
the O
airline O
said O
. O

" O
Russia O
is O
a O
growing O
trading O
partner O
with O
the O
region O
, O
" O
SIA O
said O
. O

Announcing O
plans O
for O
the O
Russian O
service O
last B-T
October I-T
, O
SIA O
' O
s O
general O
manager O
in O
Russia O
, O
Jayaraj O
Shanmugam O
, O
said O
Russians O
are O
increasingly O
drawn O
to O
exotic O
Asian O
holiday O
spots O
such O
as O
Phuket O
and O
Hanoi O
, O
routes O
already O
served O
by O
the O
SIA O
group O
. O

SIA O
flies O
to O
90 O
destinations O
worldwide O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0263 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russia O
open O
for O
energy O
security O
cooperation O
with O
APEC O
: O
Putin O

Russia O
is O
open O
for O
cooperation O
with O
the O
APEC O
members O
in O
energy O
security O
, O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
said O
in O
a O
written O
interview O
published O
on O
the O
presidential O
official O
website O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
As O
one O
of O
the O
leading O
providers O
of O
energy O
to O
global O
markets O
, O
Russia O
is O
open O
for O
cooperation O
in O
this O
sphere O
. O
We O
deem O
it O
important O
in O
this O
respect O
to O
establish O
mutually O
beneficial O
conditions O
for O
partnership O
, O
" O
Putin O
said O
ahead O
of O
the O
14th O
APEC O
( O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
) O
summit O
meeting O
in O
Hanoi O
. O

" O
They O
should O
be O
based O
on O
mutual O
responsibility O
of O
producers O
and O
users O
of O
energy O
resources O
, O
fair O
distribution O
of O
risks O
between O
them O
, O
the O
exchange O
of O
assets O
in O
the O
energy O
sector O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

According O
to O
Putin O
, O
a O
plan O
of O
action O
adopted O
at O
the O
Group O
of O
Eight O
summit O
in O
St O
. O
Petersburg O
this O
July B-T
" O
envisages O
measures O
for O
increasing O
transparency O
, O
predictability O
and O
stability O
of O
energy O
markets O
, O
and O
improving O
the O
investment O
climate O
as O
a O
whole O
. O
" O

Besides O
, O
" O
it O
is O
important O
to O
develop O
energy O
- O
saving O
technology O
and O
diversify O
types O
of O
energy O
and O
routes O
of O
its O
transportation O
. O
" O
Substantial O
steps O
are O
also O
" O
needed O
in O
such O
directions O
as O
ensuring O
energy O
infrastructure O
security O
, O
overcoming O
energy O
poverty O
and O
solving O
ecological O
problems O
. O
" O

All O
these O
issues O
are O
especially O
important O
" O
considering O
the O
growing O
need O
for O
creating O
in O
the O
Asia O
Pacific O
Region O
a O
new O
, O
more O
reliable O
energy O
configuration O
. O
Russia O
is O
ready O
to O
actively O
participate O
in O
the O
implementation O
of O
this O
large O
- O
scale O
initiative O
, O
" O
Putin O
said O
. O

" O
Moreover O
, O
we O
are O
going O
to O
propose O
and O
implement O
several O
concrete O
infrastructure O
projects O
. O
The O
talk O
is O
about O
the O
construction O
of O
oil O
and O
gas O
pipelines O
for O
delivery O
of O
carbohydrates O
to O
the O
Asia O
Pacific O
Region O
from O
the O
eastern O
part O
of O
our O
country O
, O
" O
Putin O
said O
. O

Founded O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
APEC O
is O
a O
major O
regional O
forum O
acting O
as O
the O
primary O
regional O
vehicle O
for O
promoting O
open O
trade O
and O
practical O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
. O

It O
represents O
the O
most O
economically O
dynamic O
region O
in O
the O
world O
, O
with O
its O
21 O
member O
economies O
accounting O
for O
more O
than O
one O
third O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
population O
, O
approximately O
60 O
percent O
of O
world O
GDP O
, O
and O
about O
47 O
percent O
of O
world O
trade O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0342 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Egypt O
wins O
women O
' O
s O
100m O
hurdle O
in O
under O
- O
21 O
Arab O
athletics O

Egypt O
grabbed O
the O
gold O
medal O
of O
the O
women O
' O
s O
100m O
hurdle O
at O
the O
12th O
under O
- O
21 O
Arab O
track O
and O
field O
championship O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
MENA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Salma O
Emam O
Abul O
- O
Hasan O
came O
first O
in O
the O
race O
. O
Syria O
' O
s O
Fadwa O
Ibrahim O
trailed O
second O
while O
Egyptian O
Nagla O
Khalifa O
finished O
third O
. O

The O
four O
- O
day O
Arab O
Junior O
Athletics O
Championship O
, O
which O
began O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
drew O
some O
500 O
Arab O
athletes O
representing O
15 O
Arab O
nations O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0171 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Abe O
, O
Bush O
to O
hold O
1st O
summit O
in O
Hanoi O

Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Shinzo O
Abe O
and O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
will O
hold O
their O
first O
talks O
in O
mid B-T
- I-T
November I-T
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
forum O
in O
Hanoi O
, O
Kyodo O
News O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
two O
leaders O
agreed O
on O
the O
schedule O
through O
a O
telephone O
conversation O
the O
day O
after O
Abe O
stepped O
onto O
the O
post O
of O
prime O
minister O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, O
Japanese O
government O
sources O
said O
. O

Their O
topics O
of O
discussion O
are O
likely O
to O
include O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
nuclear O
issue O
, O
the O
realignment O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
presence O
in O
Japan O
, O
and O
the O
reinforcement O
of O
the O
Japan O
- O
U O
. O
S O
. O
alliance O
, O
the O
report O
quoted O
sources O
as O
saying O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0221 O

ROME O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Prodi O
says O
his O
fate O
up O
to O
president O
if O
parliament O
rejects O
Albania O
force O

Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
told O
the O
Italian O
parliament O
Wednesday B-T
that O
if O
his O
government O
loses O
a O
vote O
on O
sending O
troops O
to O
Albania O
he O
would O
put O
its O
future O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
President O
Oscar O
Luigi O
Scalfaro O
. O

Prodi O
made O
the O
statement O
at O
the O
start O
of O
a O
day O
- O
long O
debate O
on O
Italy O
' O
s O
planned O
leadership O
of O
a O
multinational O
force O
to O
protect O
aid O
supplies O
to O
Albania O
. O

The O
Refounded O
Communists O
, O
allies O
of O
the O
government O
in O
parliament O
, O
have O
withdrawn O
their O
support O
ahead O
of O
the O
vote O
on O
the O
force O
for O
Albania O
. O

" O
If O
the O
opposition O
of O
the O
Refounded O
Communists O
continues O
I O
will O
immediately O
go O
to O
the O
head O
of O
state O
to O
officially O
inform O
him O
of O
the O
situation O
, O
and O
leave O
the O
decision O
up O
to O
him O
, O
" O
Prodi O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0341 O

KHARTOUM O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

200 O
Darfur O
rebels O
killed O
in O
fresh O
attack O
: O
Sudan O
army O

The O
Sudanese O
army O
said O
Thursday B-T
it O
had O
killed O
200 O
rebels O
and O
lost O
four O
of O
its O
own O
men O
while O
repelling O
an O
attack O
in O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
western O
region O
of O
Darfur O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
quoted O
by O
the O
state O
- O
run O
SUNA O
news O
agency O
, O
the O
army O
also O
said O
that O
20 O
of O
its O
troops O
were O
wounded O
during O
the O
fighting O
, O
which O
took O
place O
in O
northern O
Darfur O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0112 O

HARBIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

39 O
injured O
in O
NE O
China O
traffic O
accident O

Eight O
primary O
school O
children O
were O
killed O
and O
39 O
injured O
in O
a O
traffic O
accident O
in O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Heilongjiang O
Province O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
said O
local O
traffic O
police O
. O

The O
accident O
occurred O
at O
about O
6 O
: O
40 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
in O
Zhoujia O
township O
, O
Shuangcheng O
City O
, O
50 O
kilometers O
from O
the O
provincial O
capital O
of O
Harbin O
, O
when O
a O
bus O
carrying O
50 O
students O
plunged O
off O
a O
six O
- O
meter O
- O
high O
bridge O
. O

The O
police O
said O
the O
students O
were O
all O
from O
the O
Zhoujia O
town O
central O
primary O
school O
. O

The O
injured O
, O
including O
seven O
in O
critical O
condition O
, O
were O
rushed O
to O
a O
nearby O
hospital O
and O
all O
except O
one O
was O
out O
of O
danger O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Harbin O
city O
government O
, O
which O
administers O
Shuangcheng O
. O

However O
, O
an O
earlier O
press O
release O
from O
the O
provincial O
educational O
commission O
said O
nine O
were O
seriously O
injured O
. O

Local O
government O
has O
called O
in O
senior O
pediatricians O
and O
surgeons O
from O
another O
hospital O
for O
emergency O
medical O
treatment O
. O

An O
initial O
investigation O
showed O
the O
owner O
of O
the O
bus O
had O
no O
licence O
to O
operate O
a O
school O
bus O
service O
. O

Police O
have O
detained O
Guan O
Jingquan O
, O
the O
driver O
. O
They O
claimed O
he O
was O
not O
licensed O
to O
drive O
a O
bus O
, O
holding O
only O
a O
type O
B O
driver O
' O
s O
license O
for O
trucks O
. O
Bus O
drivers O
require O
type O
A O
licenses O
. O

Overloading O
and O
speeding O
were O
suspected O
causes O
of O
the O
accident O
. O
Police O
said O
the O
bus O
, O
supposed O
to O
carry O
26 O
people O
, O
carried O
52 O
passengers O
. O

" O
The O
bus O
was O
going O
too O
fast O
, O
" O
said O
third O
- O
grader O
Zhao O
Wenwen O
at O
the O
No O
. O
242 O
Hospital O
in O
Harbin O
. O
Hours O
after O
the O
accident O
, O
she O
was O
still O
very O
shaken O
. O

The O
cause O
of O
the O
accident O
is O
being O
investigated O
. O

The O
Harbin O
city O
government O
has O
launched O
a O
city O
- O
wide O
crackdown O
on O
unlicensed O
school O
buses O
, O
overloading O
and O
speeding O
. O
It O
is O
also O
trying O
to O
raise O
safety O
awareness O
among O
drivers O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Public O
Security O
, O
traffic O
accidents O
killed O
98 O
, O
738 O
people O
in O
China O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
and O
73 O
, O
955 O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
10 I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0406 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
joint O
venture O
to O
build O
power O
plant O
in O
northern O
Vietnam O

A O
joint O
venture O
between O
Vietnam O
and O
China O
will O
invest O
28 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
constructing O
a O
hydroelectric O
plant O
in O
northern O
Lao O
Cai O
province O
, O
local O
newspaper O
Vietnam O
News O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
plant O
to O
be O
built O
by O
the O
joint O
venture O
between O
the O
Power O
Company O
No O
. O
1 O
, O
affiliated O
to O
the O
state O
- O
owed O
Electricity O
of O
Vietnam O
, O
and O
China O
' O
s O
Yunnan O
Power O
Grid O
Company O
is O
expected O
to O
contribute O
around O
98 O
. O
5 O
million O
kWh O
to O
the O
national O
grid O
annually O
when O
it O
goes O
online O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
two O
companies O
have O
recently O
agreed O
to O
extend O
their O
two O
existing O
contracts O
on O
purchasing O
Chinese O
electricity O
via O
the O
110 O
- O
kV O
power O
grid O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
four I-T
years I-T
, O
ensuring O
power O
supplies O
for O
the O
five O
Vietnamese O
provinces O
of O
Lao O
Cai O
, O
Lai O
Chau O
, O
Ha O
Giang O
, O
Yen O
Bai O
and O
Tuyen O
Quang O
. O

Vietnam O
has O
purchased O
588 O
million O
kWh O
each B-T
year I-T
under O
the O
contracts O
since O
they O
were O
signed O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0186 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
Flood O
kills O
47 O
, O
leaves O
50 O
missing O
in O
W O
. O
Afghanistan O

A O
flash O
flood O
killed O
at O
least O
47 O
residents O
and O
left O
50 O
others O
missing O
in O
Badghis O
province O
of O
western O
Afghanistan O
, O
Health O
Minister O
Mohammad O
Amin O
Fatimi O
told O
Xinhua O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
flood O
caused O
the O
casualties O
in O
Balamurghab O
district O
on O
Thursday B-T
night I-T
, O
he O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0399 O

THE O
HAGUE O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Croatian O
warcrimes O
suspect O
to O
plead O
not O
guilty O

Zlatko O
Aleksovski O
, O
extradited O
to O
The O
Hague O
to O
stand O
trial O
at O
the O
international O
warcrimes O
tribunal O
here O
, O
said O
Tuesday B-T
he O
would O
plead O
not O
guilty O
to O
the O
charges O
against O
him O
. O

Aleksovski O
, O
a O
former O
officer O
in O
the O
Bosnian O
Croat O
militia O
( O
HVO O
) O
, O
is O
charged O
with O
involvement O
in O
the O
massacre O
of O
dozens O
of O
Moslems O
in O
the O
central O
Bosnian O
village O
of O
Ahmici O
during O
Moslem O
- O
Croat O
fighting O
in O
1993 B-T
. O

" O
I O
am O
innocent O
of O
everything O
" O
I O
have O
been O
accused O
of O
, O
he O
said O
at O
a O
public O
hearing O
. O

He O
said O
he O
had O
read O
the O
charge O
list O
over O
night O
after O
being O
transfered O
to O
The O
Hague O
by O
Croatia O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0186 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
further O
reax O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Italian O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
said O
Saturday B-T
he O
was O
" O
concerned O
" O
over O
tensions O
fanned O
in O
Iraq O
by O
the O
execution O
of O
former O
Iraqi O
leader O
Saddam O
Hussein O
. O

" O
From O
the O
first O
hours O
, O
we O
' O
ve O
seen O
that O
the O
consequences O
have O
been O
an O
increase O
in O
tensions O
and O
violence O
, O
as O
you O
could O
have O
predicted O
, O
" O
Prodi O
said O
outside O
his O
home O
in O
Bologna O
, O
the O
ANSA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

" O
I O
hope O
it O
won O
' O
t O
continue O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Within O
hours O
of O
Saddam O
' O
s O
dawn O
hanging O
in O
Baghdad O
, O
a O
car O
bomb O
exploded O
in O
a O
fish O
market O
in O
the O
central O
Iraqi O
Shiite O
city O
of O
Kufa O
, O
killing O
at O
least O
31 O
people O
, O
but O
it O
was O
not O
immediately O
clear O
whether O
the O
attack O
represented O
the O
first O
reprisal O
from O
his O
supporters O
. O

Prodi O
on O
Friday B-T
had O
issued O
a O
final O
plea O
against O
Saddam O
' O
s O
execution O
, O
calling O
for O
" O
wisdom O
and O
magnanimity O
to O
prevail O
" O
. O

" O
No O
fault O
can O
determine O
one O
man O
to O
be O
the O
bearer O
of O
death O
to O
another O
. O
This O
is O
a O
principle O
that O
unites O
all O
civilizations O
and O
all O
religions O
. O
And O
it O
is O
the O
only O
principle O
that O
can O
allow O
the O
building O
of O
solid O
and O
lasting O
peace O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
The O
decision O
to O
go O
ahead O
with O
the O
execution O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
fills O
us O
with O
horror O
. O
We O
had O
hoped O
that O
human O
pity O
and O
political O
sense O
would O
inspire O
wiser O
decisions O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Other O
Italian O
left O
- O
wing O
commentators O
also O
denounced O
the O
execution O
, O
calling O
it O
" O
barbaric O
" O
and O
" O
a O
new O
political O
mistake O
. O
" O

Right O
- O
wing O
politicians O
echoed O
the O
left O
' O
s O
opposition O
to O
the O
death O
penalty O
, O
but O
a O
Forza O
Italia O
official O
, O
Fabrizio O
Cicchitto O
, O
lamented O
that O
capital O
punishment O
practiced O
routinely O
in O
China O
and O
Cuba O
does O
not O
elicit O
such O
a O
vocal O
reaction O
. O

Only O
the O
far O
- O
right O
Northern O
League O
hailed O
the O
execution O
, O
with O
former O
reforms O
minister O
Roberto O
Calderoli O
saying O
Saddam O
" O
had O
to O
pay O
for O
the O
barbarisms O
and O
crimes O
he O
committed O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061210 O
. O
0309 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Thailand O
beat O
Malaysia O
to O
win O
men O
' O
s O
sepaktakraw O
regu O
gold O

Thailand O
overcame O
Malaysia O
21 O
- O
19 O
, O
22 O
- O
20 O
to O
win O
the O
Asian O
Games O
men O
' O
s O
sepaktakraw O
regu O
gold O
medal O
here O
Sunday B-T
. O

Myanmar O
and O
Indonesia O
shared O
bronze O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0389 O

MUNICH O
, O
Germany O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Sign O
Kaka O
now O
urges O
Bayern O
' O
s O
Sagnol O

French O
international O
defender O
Willy O
Sagnol O
has O
urged O
Bayern O
Munich O
to O
get O
the O
cheque O
book O
out O
in O
the O
winter O
break O
and O
sign O
AC O
Milan O
' O
s O
Brazilian O
international O
playmaker O
Kaka O
. O

" O
Having O
a O
player O
like O
Kaka O
- O
who O
I O
know O
wants O
to O
leave O
AC O
Milan O
- O
at O
Bayern O
would O
be O
a O
dream O
, O
" O
Sagnol O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
the O
Munchner O
AZ O
. O
" O
Of O
course O
he O
would O
not O
be O
cheap O
but O
it O
would O
be O
a O
great O
idea O
for O
us O
to O
sign O
a O
playmaker O
in O
the O
winter O
break O
. O
" O

AC O
Milan O
are O
in O
the O
bottom O
half O
of O
the O
Serie O
A O
table O
but O
would O
be O
reluctant O
to O
part O
with O
midfield O
maestro O
Kaka O
particulary O
after O
losing O
Ukraine O
international O
Andrei O
Shevchenko O
to O
Chelsea O
in O
the B-T
summer I-T
. O

Bayern O
watched O
German O
international O
captain O
Michael O
Ballack O
join O
Chelsea O
on O
a O
free O
transfer O
in O
the O
summer O
themselves O
and O
have O
struggled O
without O
him O
, O
lying O
third O
in O
the O
league O
heading O
into O
the O
six O
- O
week O
winter O
hiatus O
. O

The O
29 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Sagnol O
, O
who O
signed O
from O
Monaco O
in O
2000 B-T
, O
plans O
to O
end O
his O
career O
at O
Bayern O
and O
dreams O
of O
repeating O
the O
2001 O
Champions O
League O
win O
. O

" O
I O
am O
here O
until O
2010 B-T
and O
I O
hope O
to O
win O
the O
Champions O
League O
again O
, O
" O
added O
Sagnol O
. O

Bayern O
have O
reached O
the B-T
last I-T
16 I-T
of I-T
this I-T
season I-T
' O
s O
Champions O
League O
where O
they O
will O
face O
Real O
Madrid O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0341 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

England O
lived O
up O
to O
their O
top O
billing O
and O
favourites O
tag O
by O
defeating O
Egypt O
2 O
- O
0 O
in O
the O
final O
to O
lift O
the O
World O
Team O
squash O
title O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Led O
by O
world O
number O
two O
James O
Willstrop O
and O
former O
world O
number O
one O
Peter O
Nicol O
, O
they O
annihilated O
the O
Egyptians O
who O
despite O
having O
the O
services O
of O
reigning O
world O
champion O
Amr O
Shabana O
failed O
to O
pose O
any O
challenge O
. O

England O
, O
who O
won O
the O
team O
titles O
in O
1995 B-T
and O
1997 B-T
, O
were O
pre O
- O
tournament O
favourites O
and O
compensated O
for O
their O
semi O
- O
finals O
loss O
against O
France O
in O
the O
last O
championship O
held O
in O
Vienna O
, O
Austria O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
fantastic O
win O
and O
something O
to O
cherish O
about O
. O
It O
will O
further O
help O
lift O
the O
sport O
back O
home O
, O
" O
said O
Nicol O
. O

England O
were O
given O
a O
flying O
start O
by O
Willstrop O
who O
overcame O
the O
first O
game O
loss O
to O
defeat O
Shabana O
4 O
- O
9 O
, O
9 O
- O
6 O
, O
9 O
- O
3 O
, O
9 O
- O
1 O
in O
57 B-T
minutes I-T
. O

Nicol O
, O
a O
former O
world O
and O
British O
open O
champion O
brushed O
aside O
Mohammad O
Abbas O
9 O
- O
0 O
, O
9 O
- O
2 O
, O
9 O
- O
1 O
in O
under O
half O
- O
an O
- O
hour O
to O
give O
England O
an O
unassailable O
2 O
- O
0 O
lead O
. O

Egypt O
, O
whose O
only O
title O
came O
in O
1999 B-T
, O
conceded O
without O
playing O
the O
third O
match O
of O
the O
tie O
. O

Number O
three O
seeds O
France O
had O
the O
consolation O
of O
third O
place O
after O
seeing O
off O
a O
tough O
challenge O
from O
Canada O
and O
winning O
in O
the O
end O
2 O
- O
1 O
. O

World O
number O
one O
Thierry O
Lincou O
of O
France O
upstaged O
Jonathon O
Power O
of O
Canada O
9 O
- O
4 O
, O
9 O
- O
2 O
, O
9 O
- O
2 O
to O
give O
France O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
lead O
, O
but O
Canadian O
Shahier O
Razik O
upset O
Renan O
Lavigne O
of O
France O
9 O
- O
7 O
, O
7 O
- O
9 O
, O
9 O
- O
7 O
, O
6 O
- O
9 O
, O
9 O
- O
3 O
to O
draw O
level O
. O

World O
number O
eleven O
Gregory O
Gaultier O
sealed O
the O
tie O
for O
France O
by O
beating O
Graham O
Ryding O
of O
Canada O
9 O
- O
2 O
, O
9 O
- O
4 O
, O
9 O
- O
1 O
. O

Defending O
champions O
Australia O
, O
upset O
by O
Canada O
in O
the O
quarter O
- O
finals O
, O
finished O
fifth O
by O
defeating O
Malaysia O
2 O
- O
0 O
. O
Malaysia O
finished O
sixth O
. O

Hosts O
Pakistan O
, O
winners O
on O
six O
occasions O
, O
downed O
Wales O
2 O
- O
1 O
to O
finish O
seventh O
. O

Wales O
finished O
eighth O
, O
South O
Africa O
ninth O
and O
Germany O
were O
10th O
in O
the O
22 O
- O
nation O
event O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0184 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Taliban O
copies O
Iraqi O
style O
militants O
' O
attacks O
in O
Afghanistan O

Remnants O
of O
the O
former O
Taliban O
regime O
have O
resorted O
to O
Iraqi O
style O
militants O
activities O
in O
the O
post O
- O
Taliban O
Afghanistan O
as O
the O
rebels O
conducted O
three O
suicide O
attacks O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
days I-T
leaving O
at O
least O
10 O
killed O
and O
over O
a O
dozen O
wounded O
. O

The O
militias O
in O
their O
latest O
wave O
of O
violence O
rammed O
a O
car O
laden O
with O
explosives O
in O
a O
US O
military O
convoy O
in O
Kandahar O
, O
the O
former O
stronghold O
of O
Taliban O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
killing O
at O
least O
four O
and O
injuring O
four O
others O
. O

Though O
the O
authorities O
denied O
any O
casualties O
to O
the O
US O
military O
, O
the O
locals O
said O
the O
explosion O
inflicted O
loses O
to O
the O
occupants O
of O
the O
US O
army O
vehicle O
. O

Kandahar O
is O
the O
second O
military O
base O
of O
some O
20 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
US O
- O
led O
coalition O
troops O
in O
Afghanistan O
after O
Bagram O
, O
50 O
km O
north O
of O
Kabul O
, O
where O
a O
Bagram O
- O
bound O
transport O
plane O
crashed O
last B-T
Friday I-T
and O
Taliban O
claimed O
to O
shoot O
it O
down O
for O
carrying O
communities O
equipment O
to O
the O
US O
troops O
Headquarters O
. O

In O
the O
previous O
double O
deadly O
attacks O
which O
shocked O
the O
war O
- O
weary O
capital O
city O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
at O
least O
six O
people O
including O
a O
German O
soldier O
of O
the O
NATO O
- O
led O
International O
Security O
Assistance O
Force O
( O
ISAF O
) O
were O
killed O
and O
11 O
others O
including O
two O
Germans O
and O
one O
Greek O
were O
wounded O
. O

Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
suicide O
bomb O
attack O
is O
the O
ninth O
of O
its O
kind O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
months I-T
, O
a O
phenomenon O
rarely O
reported O
in O
the O
conservative O
Muslim O
society O
of O
Afghanistan O
. O

Remnants O
of O
the O
former O
fundamentalist O
regime O
in O
mine O
attack O
carried O
out O
near O
a O
US O
military O
base O
in O
the O
southeast O
restive O
Paktika O
province O
on O
Tuesday B-T
killed O
one O
US O
soldier O
and O
wounded O
another O
. O
Two O
Afghan O
troops O
were O
also O
wounded O
in O
the O
attack O
. O

Similar O
mine O
attack O
in O
the O
same O
province O
, O
according O
to O
officials O
claimed O
the O
lives O
of O
five O
police O
officers O
and O
injured O
two O
others O
on O
the O
same O
day O
while O
the O
police O
have O
taken O
two O
suspected O
Taliban O
fighters O
in O
this O
case O
so O
far O
. O

The O
new O
tactics O
of O
violence O
the O
suicide O
attack O
, O
which O
is O
forbidden O
in O
Islam O
, O
has O
been O
taking O
place O
in O
the O
post O
- O
Taliban O
nation O
amid O
reported O
appointment O
of O
two O
Arab O
nationals O
by O
Osama O
- O
led O
al O
- O
Qaida O
network O
as O
the O
commanders O
of O
foreigners O
' O
fighters O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

The O
newly O
appointed O
militants O
' O
commanders O
, O
according O
to O
media O
, O
including O
Abdul O
Hadi O
Iraqi O
and O
Khalid O
Habib O
, O
have O
come O
from O
the O
insurgency O
- O
plaguing O
Iraq O
to O
conduct O
activities O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

Ayman O
Al O
- O
Zawahir O
, O
the O
second O
in O
command O
of O
al O
- O
Qaida O
hierarchy O
and O
a O
wanted O
man O
by O
Washington O
, O
in O
a O
message O
some O
months O
back O
warned O
to O
intensify O
militancy O
against O
the O
US O
military O
in O
both O
Afghanistan O
and O
Iraq O
and O
tried O
to O
prove O
both O
the O
lands O
as O
quagmire O
for O
the O
US O
and O
allies O
. O

Both O
the O
Arab O
nationals O
have O
been O
tasked O
to O
command O
anti O
- O
government O
militants O
in O
the O
south O
and O
southeast O
of O
the O
war O
- O
shattered O
Afghanistan O
. O

Afghan O
Defense O
Ministry O
has O
also O
admitted O
last B-T
month I-T
that O
reported O
penetration O
of O
terrorists O
suicide O
attackers O
in O
big O
cities O
including O
the O
capital O
and O
said O
the O
law O
enforcing O
agencies O
have O
taken O
all O
necessary O
and O
precautionary O
measures O
to O
foil O
the O
terrorists O
designs O
. O

Furthermore O
, O
a O
Taliban O
commander O
Mullah O
Ahmadullah O
from O
his O
unknown O
location O
told O
media O
that O
the O
radical O
movement O
had O
prepared O
some O
300 O
volunteers O
suicide O
bombers O
to O
mount O
pressure O
on O
Afghan O
and O
foreign O
forces O
stationed O
here O
. O

Spokesman O
of O
the O
ousted O
regime O
Qari O
Yusuf O
Ahmadi O
also O
claimed O
that O
three O
Afghans O
loyal O
to O
the O
movement O
carried O
out O
the O
bloody O
suicide O
bomb O
explosions O
in O
the O
capital O
city O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Taliban O
' O
s O
fugitive O
supreme O
leader O
Mullah O
Mohammad O
Omar O
whose O
regime O
was O
ousted O
by O
US O
military O
in O
late B-T
2001 I-T
in O
a O
recent O
message O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
Eidul O
Feter O
, O
the O
religious O
festival O
, O
to O
mark O
the O
end O
of O
the O
Muslim O
fasting O
month O
called O
on O
his O
loyalists O
and O
compatriots O
to O
continue O
Jihad O
or O
holy O
war O
until O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
US O
- O
dominated O
foreign O
troops O
from O
Afghanistan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0291 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Greece O
rules O
out O
withdrawal O
from O
Afghanistan O
amid O
protests O

The O
Greek O
government O
ruled O
out O
on O
Tuesday B-T
the O
withdrawal O
of O
its O
troops O
stationed O
in O
Afghanistan O
, O
noting O
that O
they O
were O
there O
at O
the O
request O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
and O
that O
Greece O
" O
has O
obligations O
that O
it O
must O
observe O
" O
. O

Government O
spokesman O
Theodoros O
Roussopoulos O
said O
that O
Greece O
had O
sent O
one O
company O
of O
128 O
men O
from O
the O
army O
engineers O
' O
corps O
to O
support O
road O
building O
networks O
and O
provide O
humanitarian O
and O
public O
benefit O
services O
and O
, O
since O
August B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
an O
additional O
45 O
troops O
to O
provide O
services O
to O
the O
291st O
mobile O
hospital O
. O

From O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
meanwhile O
, O
another O
44 O
Greek O
Air O
force O
officers O
will O
be O
sent O
to O
the O
area O
to O
take O
over O
the O
rotating O
command O
of O
Kabul O
airport O
. O

Also O
in O
the O
day O
, O
members O
of O
the O
" O
Stop O
the O
War O
" O
coalition O
held O
a O
protest O
outside O
the O
Greek O
defense O
ministry O
in O
Athens O
over O
the O
presence O
of O
Greek O
troops O
among O
the O
NATO O
mission O
in O
Afghanistan O
. O

The O
protest O
was O
organized O
only O
one B-T
day I-T
after O
two O
Greek O
soldiers O
stationed O
in O
Afghanistan O
were O
injured O
during O
an O
attack O
on O
a O
Greek O
convoy O
outside O
Kabul O
. O

Alexandros O
Magakis O
, O
a O
former O
minister O
under O
main O
opposition O
PASOK O
, O
told O
reporters O
that O
the O
injury O
of O
the O
two O
soldiers O
highlighted O
in O
the O
most O
dramatic O
way O
the O
dangers O
of O
escalating O
Greece O
' O
s O
involvement O
in O
the O
US O
war O
on O
Afghanistan O
. O

One O
anti O
- O
war O
activist O
accused O
the O
Greek O
government O
of O
sending O
troops O
to O
Afghanistan O
, O
saying O
that O
the O
government O
shared O
the O
guilt O
and O
responsibility O
for O
Bush O
' O
s O
crimes O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0016 O

YONGZHOU O
, O
Hunan O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Poultry O
culling O
ends O
in O
central O
China O
' O
s O
bird O
flu O
- O
hit O
area O

The O
newly O
reported O
bird O
flu O
- O
hit O
city O
of O
Yongzhou O
in O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Hunan O
Province O
has O
finished O
poultry O
culling O
to O
prevent O
the O
spread O
of O
the O
epidemic O
, O
the O
local O
government O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

By O
0 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Wednesday B-T
, O
Lingling O
District O
, O
where O
a O
bird O
flu O
outbreak O
was O
reported O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, O
more O
than O
108 O
, O
000 O
fowls O
had O
been O
killed O
and O
another O
140 O
, O
000 O
vaccinated O
, O
said O
He O
Ningsheng O
, O
a O
local O
disease O
prevention O
and O
control O
official O
. O

Local O
farmers O
will O
be O
compensated O
10 O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
2 O
US O
dollars O
) O
for O
each O
poultry O
killed O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
provincial O
vets O
department O
has O
shipped O
500 O
, O
000 O
ml O
of O
bird O
flu O
vaccine O
and O
2 O
, O
500 O
exposure O
suits O
to O
Lingling O
District O
to O
aid O
its O
vaccination O
and O
disease O
control O
efforts O
. O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
confirmed O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
390 O
chickens O
and O
12 O
ducks O
died O
of O
the O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
the O
highly O
pathogenic O
avian O
flu O
in O
Laobutou O
village O
, O
Qilidian O
town O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
. O

No O
human O
infection O
cases O
have O
been O
detected O
in O
the O
bird O
flu O
- O
hit O
area O
, O
said O
He O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0266 O

SOWETO O
, O
South O
Africa O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

Having O
carved O
a O
niche O
as O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
first O
black O
showjumper O
in O
a O
sport O
traditionally O
reserved O
for O
rich O
whites O
, O
Enos O
Mafokate O
has O
now B-T
taken O
his O
love O
for O
horses O
to O
the O
heart O
of O
Soweto O
township O
. O

Here O
in O
the O
sprawling O
city O
southwest O
of O
Johannesburg O
, O
Mafokate O
is O
cultivating O
the O
hope O
that O
township O
children O
will O
one B-T
day I-T
too O
fly O
high O
the O
colours O
of O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
rainbow O
nation O
. O

" O
I O
was O
born O
with O
a O
horse O
in O
me O
! O
" O
he O
laughs O
when O
he O
explains O
the O
passion O
which O
drove O
him O
to O
open O
an O
equestrian O
school O
in O
the O
sprawling O
township O
, O
with O
virtually O
no O
funding O
. O

Champion O
showjumper O
and O
teacher O
, O
the O
61 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Mafokate O
is O
also O
responsable O
for O
the O
township O
' O
s O
" O
horse O
unit O
" O
at O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Dispensary O
for O
Sick O
Animals O
( O
PDSA O
) O
. O

Between O
two O
classes O
, O
" O
free O
of O
course O
, O
otherwise O
nobody O
would O
come O
" O
, O
he O
looks O
after O
the O
many O
horses O
which O
draw O
carriages O
in O
the O
chaotic O
traffic O
of O
Soweto O
, O
where O
they O
are O
used O
to O
deliver O
coal O
and O
other O
living O
materials O
. O

" O
People O
trust O
us O
and O
come O
to O
us O
when O
a O
horse O
is O
hurt O
, O
" O
explains O
Mafokate O
as O
he O
gets O
ready O
to O
go O
into O
one O
of O
the O
township O
slums O
to O
look O
after O
an O
old O
workhorse O
suffering O
from O
tickbite O
fever O
. O

When O
he O
gets O
there O
, O
he O
has O
a O
long O
discussion O
in O
Zulu O
with O
the O
horse O
' O
s O
owner O
, O
who O
balks O
at O
sending O
his O
livelihood O
to O
the O
dispensary O
. O

" O
He O
will O
not O
be O
able O
to O
work O
anymore O
. O
But O
he O
realised O
that O
if O
the O
horse O
died O
, O
it O
will O
be O
worse O
, O
" O
says O
Mafokate O
afterwards O
. O

The O
inhabitants O
of O
Soweto O
can O
bring O
their O
pets O
to O
be O
cured O
for O
free O
at O
the O
PDSA O
, O
a O
veterinary O
clinic O
which O
runs O
on O
private O
donations O
. O

At O
the O
back O
, O
15 O
riders O
between O
the O
ages O
of O
five O
and O
19 O
are O
getting O
their O
horse O
- O
riding O
gear O
ready O
: O
on O
old O
waste O
ground O
large O
drums O
painted O
white O
and O
three O
poles O
are O
the O
showjumping O
obstacles O
. O

The O
equipment O
available O
does O
nothing O
to O
dampen O
the O
riders O
' O
spirits O
. O

" O
I O
love O
jumping O
. O
I O
can O
jump O
80 O
centimetres O
! O
" O
says O
an O
enthusiastic O
nine O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Anele O
Maholwana O
. O

Enos O
wants O
to O
offer O
these O
children O
the O
facilities O
he O
didn O
' O
t O
have O
, O
having O
to O
wait O
44 B-T
years I-T
before O
he O
could O
buy O
his O
own O
steed O
. O

" O
I O
had O
to O
borrow O
700 O
rand O
( O
100 O
dollars O
, O
90 O
euros O
) O
, O
" O
he O
remembers O
. O
" O
It O
was O
a O
township O
horse O
and O
he O
did O
not O
live O
long O
, O
" O
said O
a O
rueful O
Mafokate O
said O
who O
has O
now B-T
bought O
12 O
horses O
and O
ponies O
for O
his O
students O
. O

Mafokate O
' O
s O
story O
starts O
in O
Alexandra O
, O
Johannesburg O
' O
s O
slum O
township O
in O
the O
north O
, O
where O
he O
was O
born O
and O
then O
grew O
up O
on O
a O
farm O
where O
his O
father O
worked O
. O

" O
There O
was O
a O
white O
boy O
John O
. O
He O
had O
a O
pony O
, O
I O
had O
a O
donkey O
. O
We O
used O
to O
ride O
pony O
to O
donkey O
. O
His O
parents O
didn O
' O
t O
like O
it O
. O
But O
us O
, O
we O
never O
saw O
the O
colour O
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

To O
get O
some O
pocket O
money O
, O
he O
used O
to O
open O
the O
gate O
to O
visitors O
: O
" O
I O
loved O
holding O
their O
horses O
but O
was O
always O
asking O
: O
' O
Why O
do O
only O
whites O
ride O
? O
' O
" O

As O
a O
teenager O
he O
realised O
that O
the O
only O
way O
was O
to O
become O
a O
stable O
boy O
and O
participate O
in O
competitions O
among O
black O
grooms O
. O

In O
1975 B-T
, O
the O
College O
of O
the O
Marist O
Brothers O
revolutionised O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
racially O
segregated O
environment O
by O
opening O
its O
horse O
competitions O
for O
people O
of O
all O
colours O
. O

" O
They O
had O
to O
struggle O
to O
get O
authorisation O
from O
the O
government O
, O
" O
says O
Mafokate O
. O

" O
In O
1978 B-T
, O
I O
was O
the O
first O
black O
rider O
in O
127 B-T
years I-T
to O
compete O
in O
the O
Pietermaritzburg O
Royal O
Agricultural O
Horse O
Show O
, O
" O
he O
remembers O
. O

He O
went O
to O
London O
in O
1980 B-T
with O
then O
British O
champion O
David O
Broom O
and O
competed O
at O
Wembley O
. O
Nine B-T
years I-T
later O
he O
opened O
his O
school O
even O
as O
apartheid O
still O
prevailed O
in O
South O
Africa O
. O

Since O
then O
, O
four O
of O
his O
ten O
grand O
children O
and O
dozens O
of O
kids O
in O
Soweto O
have O
followed O
his O
example O
. O

But O
he O
is O
not O
resting O
on O
his O
laurels O
. O

" O
I O
have O
a O
dream O
that O
one O
day O
, O
that O
one O
of O
them O
compete O
for O
South O
Africa O
in O
the O
Olympic O
games O
, O
" O
he O
says O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0288 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
shares O
edge O
up O
as O
oil O
prices O
plummet O

US O
shares O
edged O
up O
Monday B-T
while O
crude O
oil O
prices O
plummeted O
below O
60 O
dollars O
. O

Guidant O
sued O
Johnson O
Johnson O
to O
complete O
the O
25 O
. O
4 O
billion O
dollars O
purchase O
of O
Guidant O
after O
J O
missed O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
deadline O
for O
closing O
the O
transaction O
. O
Guidant O
, O
the O
heart O
- O
device O
maker O
facing O
US O
probes O
and O
New O
York O
state O
fraud O
claims O
, O
is O
seeking O
an O
order O
for O
J O
to O
consummate O
the O
transaction O
. O
Guidant O
fell O
1 O
. O
40 O
dollars O
to O
57 O
. O
52 O
dollars O
, O
while O
J O
rose O
55 O
cents O
to O
61 O
. O
43 O
dollars O
. O

At O
the O
close O
of O
trading O
, O
the O
blue O
- O
chip O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
rose O
55 O
. O
47 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
53 O
percent O
, O
to O
10 O
, O
586 O
. O
23 O
, O
its O
highest O
close O
since O
Sept B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
. O

Broader O
stock O
indicators O
were O
also O
higher O
. O
The O
Standard O
Poor O
' O
s O
500 O
index O
was O
up O
2 O
. O
67 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
22 O
percent O
, O
at O
1 O
, O
222 O
. O
81 O
, O
and O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
index O
advanced O
8 O
. O
81 O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
41 O
percent O
, O
to O
2 O
, O
178 O
. O
24 O
. O

Advancing O
issues O
led O
decliners O
by O
about O
9 O
to O
4 O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
where O
volume O
of O
1 O
. O
47 O
billion O
shares O
lagged O
the O
1 O
. O
53 O
billion O
shares O
traded O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
December B-T
, O
fell O
1 O
. O
11 O
dollars O
to O
59 O
. O
47 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
in O
closing O
deals O
, O
after O
hitting O
an O
intraday O
low O
of O
58 O
. O
60 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
, O
the O
lowest O
price O
for O
a O
front O
- O
month O
contract O
since O
July B-T
26 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0516 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Irish O
inquiry O
hears O
of O
two O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
payment O
to O
ex O
- O
premier O

A O
leading O
businessman O
testified O
Monday B-T
that O
he O
arranged O
payments O
to O
help O
former O
Irish O
prime O
minister O
Charles O
Haughey O
over O
financial O
problems O
while O
he O
was O
in O
office O
. O

In O
the O
latest O
development O
of O
a O
scandal O
that O
has O
poisoned O
Irish O
politics O
for O
months B-T
, O
Ben O
Dunne O
, O
former O
chief O
executive O
of O
Ireland O
' O
s O
Dunnes O
Stores O
chain O
, O
told O
a O
Dublin O
inquiry O
he O
was O
asked O
in O
1987 B-T
to O
contribute O
700 O
, O
000 O
punts O
( O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
dollars O
) O
to O
aid O
the O
ex O
- O
premier O
. O

Dunne O
has O
claimed O
he O
ended O
up O
handing O
over O
a O
total O
of O
1 O
. O
3 O
million O
punts O
( O
2 O
. O
1 O
million O
dollars O
) O
to O
benefit O
Haughey O
over O
a B-T
period I-T
of I-T
years I-T
. O

And O
he O
said O
he O
received O
thanks O
from O
the O
now O
- O
retired O
politician O
after O
personally O
handing O
over O
three O
drafts O
totalling O
210 O
, O
000 O
punts O
( O
342 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
tribunal O
was O
set O
up O
in O
February B-T
to O
trace O
who O
received O
3 O
. O
5 O
million O
punts O
of O
a O
total O
5 O
. O
63 O
million O
punts O
( O
nine O
million O
dollars O
) O
paid O
out O
by O
Dunne O
. O

The O
payments O
controversy O
first O
came O
to O
light O
in O
November B-T
when O
then O
transport O
minister O
, O
Michael O
Lowry O
, O
resigned O
after O
it O
emerged O
that O
Dunne O
had O
paid O
for O
an O
extension O
worth O
400 O
, O
000 O
punts O
( O
650 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
) O
to O
his O
home O
. O

The O
court O
heard O
the O
money O
had O
been O
solicited O
to O
help O
" O
overcome O
business O
problems O
relating O
to O
Mr O
. O
Haughey O
. O
" O

Speculation O
over O
Haughey O
' O
s O
involvement O
in O
the O
payoff O
scandal O
had O
been O
intense O
, O
although O
until O
Monday B-T
the O
name O
of O
the O
man O
referred O
to O
as O
a O
" O
very O
prominent O
former O
member O
of O
parliament O
" O
had O
never O
been O
officially O
disclosed O
. O

Like O
the O
" O
sleaze O
" O
scandal O
which O
has O
dogged O
the O
Conservative O
party O
during O
the O
British O
general O
election O
campaign O
, O
the O
allegations O
and O
the O
inquiry O
threaten O
to O
overshadow O
Fianna O
Fail O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
win O
power O
from O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
in O
general O
elections O
that O
could O
be O
held O
as O
early O
as O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

But O
unlike O
in O
Britain O
, O
the O
sums O
involved O
are O
much O
larger O
, O
the O
accusations O
go O
right O
to O
the O
top O
of O
the O
party O
and O
the O
inquiry O
could O
run O
in O
tandem O
with O
the O
election O
campaign O
as O
any O
decision O
to O
suspend O
it O
is O
for O
the O
judiciary O
alone O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051203 O
. O
0375 O

BUENOS O
AIRES O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Three O
- O
try O
Samoa O
see O
off O
Pumas O

Samoa O
ran O
in O
three O
tries O
to O
record O
an O
impressive O
28 O
- O
12 O
win O
against O
Argentina O
in O
a O
one O
- O
off O
rugby O
union O
Test O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Paul O
Tupai O
( O
10 O
) O
, O
Semo O
Sititi O
( O
14 O
) O
and O
Sailosi O
Tagicakibau O
( O
57 O
) O
all O
scored O
tries O
with O
Roger O
Warren O
kicking O
two O
conversions O
, O
two O
penalties O
as O
well O
as O
a O
drop O
goal O
. O

Juan O
Fernandez O
Lobbe O
( O
four O
) O
and O
Horacio O
Agulla O
( O
24 O
) O
were O
Argentina O
' O
s O
try O
scorers O
with O
Juan O
Fernandez O
Miranda O
adding O
one O
converison O
for O
the O
Pumas O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970405 O
. O
0041 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

SKorean O
stocks O
expected O
to O
fare O
well O
in O
week O
ahead O

South O
Korean O
stocks O
are O
expected O
to O
fare O
well O
in O
the B-T
near I-T
term I-T
after O
rising O
3 O
. O
0 O
percent O
over O
the O
past O
week O
amid O
expectations O
that O
an O
economic O
downturn O
has O
bottomed O
out O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
likely O
to O
see O
a O
strong O
market O
for O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
" O
providing O
there O
are O
no O
unexpected O
outside O
developments O
, O
said O
a O
broker O
at O
Shinyoung O
Securities O
here O
on O
the O
last O
trading O
day O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
Korea O
Stock O
Exchange O
' O
s O
composite O
index O
rose O
20 O
. O
23 O
points O
to O
687 O
. O
42 O
points O
over O
the O
week O
before O
closing O
for O
a O
holiday O
Saturday B-T
. O

Shares O
rallied O
1 O
. O
5 O
percent O
Monday B-T
after O
the O
government O
announced O
plans O
to O
bolster O
the O
economy O
and O
stabilize O
financial O
markets O
, O
. O

Dismal O
trade O
figures O
led O
to O
a O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
decline O
Tuesday B-T
but O
foreign O
investors O
helped O
the O
market O
index O
climb O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
the O
following O
day O
as O
they O
awaited O
an O
increase O
in O
the O
foreign O
shareholding O
limit O
on O
May B-T
1 I-T
. O

The O
market O
eased O
marginally O
Thursday B-T
amid O
rumours O
about O
a O
probe O
into O
price O
rigging O
of O
selected O
stocks O
but O
it O
rebounded O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
Friday B-T
as O
investors O
hunted O
for O
bargains O
among O
petrochemical O
and O
steel O
shares O
, O
brokers O
said O
. O

Over B-T
week I-T
, O
shares O
in O
Pohang O
Iron O
and O
Steel O
rallied O
5 O
, O
500 O
won O
( O
62 O
US O
cents O
) O
to O
52 O
, O
300 O
won O
( O
5 O
. O
88 O
dollars O
) O
and O
Samsung O
Electronics O
rose O
2 O
, O
800 O
won O
to O
62 O
, O
000 O
won O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0132 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0132 O
. O

Unisys O
' O
$ O
648 O
. O
2 O
Million O
3rd O
- O
Period O
Loss O

@ O
Shows O
Intensified O
Fight O
for O
Turnaround O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Paul O
B O
. O
Carroll O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

UIS O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

COMPUTERS O
AND O
INFORMATION O
TECHNOLOGY O
( O
CPR O
) O

Unisys O
Corp O
. O
' O
s O
announcement O
Friday B-T
of O
a O
$ O
648 O
. O
2 O
million O
loss O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
showed O
that O
the O
company O
is O
moving O
even O
faster O
than O
expected O
to O
take O
write O
- O
offs O
on O
its O
various O
problems O
and O
prepare O
for O
a O
turnaround O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
the O
sheer O
size O
of O
the O
loss O
, O
coupled O
with O
a O
slowing O
of O
orders O
, O
made O
some O
securities O
analysts O
wonder O
just O
how O
strong O
that O
turnaround O
will O
be O
at O
the O
computer O
maker O
and O
defense O
- O
electronics O
concern O
. O

" O
Unisys O
is O
getting O
clobbered O
. O

Just O
clobbered O
, O
" O
said O
Ulric O
Weil O
, O
an O
analyst O
at O
Weil O
amp O
Associates O
who O
had O
once O
been O
high O
on O
the O
company O
. O

" O
The O
quarter O
was O
terrible O
, O
and O
the O
future O
looks O
anything O
but O
encouraging O
. O
" O

Unisys O
, O
whose O
revenue O
inched O
up O
3 O
. O
7 O
% O
in O
the B-T
quarter I-T
to O
$ O
2 O
. O
35 O
billion O
from O
$ O
2 O
. O
27 O
billion O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
quarter I-T
, O
had O
an O
operating O
loss O
of O
about O
$ O
30 O
million O
. O

On O
top O
of O
that O
, O
the O
Blue O
Bell O
, O
Pa O
. O
, O
concern O
took O
a O
$ O
230 O
million O
charge O
related O
to O
the O
layoffs O
of O
8 O
, O
000 O
employees O
. O

That O
is O
at O
the O
high O
end O
of O
the O
range O
of O
7 O
, O
000 O
to O
8 O
, O
000 O
employees O
that O
Unisys O
said O
a B-T
month I-T
ago I-T
would O
be O
laid O
off O
. O

Unisys O
said O
that O
should O
help O
it O
save O
$ O
500 O
million O
a O
year O
in O
costs O
, O
again O
at O
the O
high O
end O
of O
the O
previously O
reported O
range O
of O
$ O
400 O
million O
to O
$ O
500 O
million O
. O

The O
company O
also O
took O
a O
write O
- O
off O
of O
$ O
150 O
million O
to O
cover O
losses O
on O
some O
fixed O
- O
price O
defense O
contracts O
, O
as O
some O
new O
managers O
took O
a O
hard O
look O
at O
the O
prospects O
for O
that O
slow O
- O
growing O
business O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Unisys O
set O
up O
an O
unspecified O
reserve O
- O
- O
apparently O
$ O
60 O
million O
to O
$ O
70 O
million O
- O
- O
to O
cover O
the O
minimum O
amount O
it O
will O
have O
to O
pay O
the O
government O
because O
of O
its O
involvement O
in O
the O
defense O
- O
procurement O
scandal O
. O

Unisys O
also O
noted O
that O
it O
paid O
$ O
78 O
. O
8 O
million O
in O
taxes O
during O
the B-T
quarter I-T
, O
even O
though O
tax O
payments O
normally O
would O
be O
minimal O
in O
a O
quarter O
that O
produced O
such O
a O
big O
loss O
. O

The O
tax O
payments O
will O
leave O
Unisys O
with O
$ O
225 O
million O
in O
loss O
carry O
- O
forwards O
that O
will O
cut O
tax O
payments O
in O
future B-T
quarters I-T
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Unisys O
said O
it O
reduced O
computer O
inventories O
a O
further O
$ O
100 O
million O
during O
the B-T
quarter I-T
, O
leaving O
it O
within O
$ O
100 O
million O
of O
its O
goal O
of O
a O
reduction O
of O
$ O
500 O
million O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

Still O
, O
Unisys O
said O
its O
European O
business O
was O
weak O
during O
the B-T
quarter I-T
, O
a O
worrisome O
sign O
given O
that O
the O
company O
has O
relied O
on O
solid O
results O
overseas O
to O
overcome O
weakness O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
several I-T
quarters I-T
. O

The O
company O
also O
reported O
slower O
growth O
in O
another O
important O
business O
: O
systems O
that O
use O
the O
Unix O
operating O
system O
. O

That O
would O
be O
a O
huge O
problem O
if O
it O
were O
to O
continue O
, O
because O
Unisys O
is O
betting O
its O
business O
on O
the O
assumption O
that O
customers O
want O
to O
move O
away O
from O
using O
operating O
systems O
that O
run O
on O
only O
one O
manufacturer O
' O
s O
equipment O
and O
toward O
systems O
- O
- O
mainly O
Unix O
- O
- O
that O
work O
on O
almost O
anyone O
' O
s O
machines O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Unisys O
must O
deal O
with O
its O
increasingly O
oppressive O
debt O
load O
. O

Debt O
has O
risen O
to O
around O
$ O
4 O
billion O
, O
or O
about O
50 O
% O
of O
total O
capitalization O
. O

That O
means O
Unisys O
must O
pay O
about O
$ O
100 O
million O
in O
interest O
every B-T
quarter I-T
, O
on O
top O
of O
$ O
27 O
million O
in O
dividends O
on O
preferred O
stock O
. O

Jim O
Unruh O
, O
Unisys O
' O
s O
president O
, O
said O
he O
is O
approaching O
next O
year O
with O
caution O
. O

He O
said O
the O
strength O
of O
the O
world O
- O
wide O
economy O
is O
suspect O
, O
and O
does O
n O
' O
t O
see O
much O
revenue O
growth O
in O
the O
cards O
. O

He O
also O
said O
that O
the O
price O
wars O
flaring O
up O
in O
parts O
of O
the O
computer O
industry O
will O
continue O
through O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

He O
said O
the O
move O
toward O
standard O
operating O
systems O
means O
customers O
are O
n O
' O
t O
locked O
into O
buying O
from O
their O
traditional O
computer O
supplier O
and O
can O
force O
prices O
down O
. O

That O
, O
he O
said O
, O
is O
why O
Unisys O
is O
overhauling O
its O
whole O
business O
: O
It O
needs O
to O
prepare O
for O
a O
world O
in O
which O
profit O
margins O
will O
be O
lower O
than O
computer O
companies O
have O
been O
used O
to O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
approached O
this O
not O
as O
a O
response O
to O
a O
temporary O
condition O
in O
the O
industry O
but O
as O
a O
fundamental O
change O
the O
industry O
is O
going O
through O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Unruh O
said O
. O

" O
The O
information O
- O
systems O
industry O
is O
still O
going O
to O
be O
a O
high O
- O
growth O
business O
, O
and O
we O
' O
re O
confident O
that O
we O
have O
tremendous O
assets O
as O
a O
company O
. O

But O
we O
do O
n O
' O
t O
minimize O
the O
challenges O
of O
the B-T
near I-T
term I-T
. O
" O

Securities O
analysts O
were O
even O
more O
cautious O
, O
having O
been O
burned O
repeatedly O
on O
Unisys O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Some O
had O
predicted O
earnings O
of O
more O
than O
$ O
4 O
a O
share O
for O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
up O
from O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
fully O
diluted O
$ O
3 O
. O
27 O
a O
share O
on O
earnings O
of O
$ O
680 O
. O
6 O
million O
. O

But O
the O
company O
said O
Friday B-T
that O
it O
had O
losses O
of O
$ O
673 O
. O
3 O
million O
through O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
compared O
with O
earnings O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier O
of O
$ O
382 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
22 O
a O
share O
fully O
diluted O
, O
as O
revenue O
inched O
up O
1 O
. O
4 O
% O
to O
$ O
7 O
. O
13 O
billion O
from O
$ O
7 O
. O
03 O
billion O
. O

And O
Unisys O
is O
expected O
to O
do O
little O
better O
than O
break O
even O
in O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
. O

So O
Steve O
Milunovich O
at O
First O
Boston O
said O
he O
is O
cutting O
his O
earnings O
estimate O
for O
next B-T
year I-T
to O
$ O
2 O
a O
share O
from O
$ O
3 O
. O

" O
I O
was O
feeling O
like O
I O
was O
too O
high O
to O
begin O
with O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Mr O
. O
Weil O
of O
Weil O
amp O
Associates O
said O
he O
will O
remain O
at O
$ O
1 O
a O
share O
for O
next B-T
year I-T
but O
said O
he O
wonders O
whether O
even O
that O
low O
target O
is O
at O
risk O
. O

" O
The O
break O
- O
even O
point O
for O
next B-T
year I-T
is O
much O
lower O
, O
but O
is O
it O
low O
enough O
? O
" O
he O
asked O
. O

Reflecting O
the O
concern O
, O
Unisys O
stock O
fell O
a O
further O
75 O
cents O
to O
$ O
16 O
. O
25 O
in O
composite O
trading O
Friday B-T
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0764 O

RAFAH O
, O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

The O
ruling O
Palestinian O
party O
Hamas O
has O
accused O
the O
presidential O
guard O
of O
trying O
to O
assassinate O
prime O
minister O
Ismail O
Haniya O
after O
an O
attack O
on O
his O
convoy O
that O
left O
his O
son O
injured O
and O
a O
bodyguard O
dead O
. O

The O
shoot O
- O
out O
occurred O
as O
the O
convoy O
crossed O
into O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
from O
Egypt O
late O
Thursday B-T
after O
waiting O
for O
hours O
at O
a O
border O
checkpoint O
that O
Israel O
had O
closed O
to O
keep O
him O
from O
returning O
home O
after O
a O
fundraising O
tour O
of O
Arab O
states O
. O

One O
of O
Haniya O
' O
s O
bodyguards O
was O
killed O
and O
five O
people O
were O
wounded O
including O
his O
son O
, O
who O
serves O
as O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
political O
advisor O
, O
a O
government O
source O
said O
. O

" O
We O
know O
who O
opened O
fire O
, O
" O
Haniya O
told O
journalists O
after O
arriving O
safely O
home O
in O
Gaza O
. O

Hamas O
spokesman O
Fawzi O
Barhum O
said O
the O
shots O
were O
" O
a O
planned O
attempt O
by O
Force O
17 O
( O
the O
presidential O
guard O
) O
to O
assassinate O
brother O
Ismail O
Haniya O
. O
" O

" O
We O
want O
( O
President O
) O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
to O
order O
that O
those O
responsible O
be O
found O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
closure O
of O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
earlier O
sparked O
the O
storming O
of O
the O
border O
terminal O
by O
dozens O
of O
Hamas O
gunmen O
, O
which O
caused O
panic O
among O
travelers O
and O
sent O
European O
Union O
observers O
running O
from O
the O
building O
. O

At O
least O
13 O
Palestinians O
were O
wounded O
by O
gunfire O
after O
the O
militants O
went O
on O
a O
rampage O
inside O
the O
terminal O
building O
, O
smashing O
windows O
and O
furniture O
and O
firing O
into O
the O
air O
and O
at O
the O
building O
itself O
. O

Israel O
had O
wanted O
to O
prevent O
Haniya O
entering O
Gaza O
with O
" O
tens O
of O
millions O
of O
dollars O
" O
he O
was O
carrying O
after O
his O
fund O
- O
raising O
trip O
because O
, O
according O
to O
an O
Israeli O
source O
, O
it O
believed O
the O
money O
would O
be O
used O
to O
finance O
terrorism O
. O

EU O
foreign O
policy O
chief O
Javier O
Solana O
, O
who O
deplored O
the O
deadly O
violence O
, O
said O
Haniya O
had O
deposited O
the O
money O
at O
an O
Egyptian O
bank O
. O

" O
The O
money O
he O
was O
carrying O
is O
not O
across O
the O
border O
, O
it O
is O
now B-T
in O
a O
bank O
in O
Egypt O
, O
" O
Solana O
told O
journalists O
in O
Brussels O
. O

An O
Egyptian O
security O
source O
in O
Gaza O
said O
earlier O
that O
Israel O
and O
Cairo O
had O
reached O
a O
compromise O
under O
which O
Haniya O
would O
be O
allowed O
to O
pass O
, O
but O
that O
the O
35 O
million O
dollars O
that O
he O
was O
reported O
to O
be O
carrying O
would O
be O
deposited O
into O
an O
Egyptian O
bank O
to O
be O
transferred O
later O
to O
a O
Palestinian O
Authority O
account O
. O

Haniya O
had O
cut O
short O
his O
first O
foreign O
trip O
to O
deal O
with O
rising O
internecine O
tensions O
in O
Gaza O
ahead O
of O
a O
speech O
by O
President O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
on O
Saturday B-T
on O
resolving O
months O
of O
political O
deadlock O
and O
crisis O
. O

Gaza O
has O
been O
gripped O
by O
rising O
friction O
between O
supporters O
of O
the O
ruling O
Islamists O
of O
Hamas O
and O
Abbas O
' O
s O
Fatah O
party O
after O
a O
series O
of O
killings O
and O
threats O
of O
retaliation O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
several I-T
days O
. O

But O
when O
Haniya O
' O
s O
convoy O
reached O
Rafah O
- O
- O
Gaza O
' O
s O
only O
border O
crossing O
that O
bypasses O
Israel O
- O
- O
the O
Jewish O
state O
closed O
the O
terminal O
. O

" O
Defense O
Minister O
Amir O
Peretz O
ordered O
the O
closing O
of O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
in O
order O
to O
prevent O
tens O
of O
millions O
of O
dollars O
from O
entering O
Gaza O
together O
with O
Haniya O
, O
" O
an O
Israeli O
security O
source O
said O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

During O
his O
tour O
, O
Haniya O
secured O
promises O
from O
Iran O
to O
provide O
250 O
million O
dollars O
of O
aid O
to O
the O
cash O
- O
strapped O
Palestinian O
government O
and O
from O
Qatar O
to O
pay O
the O
salaries O
of O
health O
and O
education O
ministry O
staff O
. O
Sudan O
also O
pledged O
10 O
million O
dollars O
in O
emergency O
aid O
. O

In O
his O
Saturday B-T
speech O
, O
Abbas O
is O
expected O
to O
lay O
out O
his O
plans O
for O
resolving O
a O
months O
- O
long O
standoff O
with O
Hamas O
. O

Abbas O
aides O
say O
the O
president O
is O
likely O
to O
call O
for O
early O
presidential O
and O
parliamentary O
elections O
, O
following O
the O
collapse O
of O
talks O
with O
Hamas O
over O
forming O
a O
unity O
government O
. O

Hamas O
, O
which O
took O
power O
after O
a O
stunning O
election O
win O
over O
Fatah O
in O
January B-T
, O
has O
warned O
that O
such O
a O
move O
would O
amount O
to O
a O
coup O
. O
The O
current O
Palestinian O
parliament O
is O
due O
to O
remain O
in O
place O
until O
2010 B-T
. O

The O
moderate O
Palestinian O
president O
and O
the O
ruling O
Islamists O
have O
tried O
for O
months O
to O
form O
a O
coalition O
, O
but O
their O
talks O
collapsed O
over O
Hamas O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
bend O
to O
Western O
conditions O
and O
disagreement O
over O
key O
ministerial O
posts O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
and O
the O
United O
States O
, O
which O
consider O
Hamas O
a O
terrorist O
organization O
, O
froze O
direct O
aid O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
government O
after O
the O
Islamists O
formed O
a O
cabinet O
in O
March B-T
, O
demanding O
that O
they O
renounce O
violence O
and O
recognize O
Israel O
and O
past O
peace O
deals O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0053 O

CARACAS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Int O
' O
l O
observers O
to O
oversee O
Venezuela O
' O
s O
presidential O
elections O

A O
total O
of O
205 O
international O
observers O
will O
begin O
to O
arrive O
in O
Venezuela O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
monitor O
the O
South O
American O
country O
' O
s O
presidential O
elections O
scheduled O
for O
Dec B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, O
the O
National O
Electoral O
Council O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Incumbent O
President O
Hugo O
Chavez O
, O
who O
is O
running O
for O
re O
- O
election O
, O
is O
favored O
to O
beat O
opposition O
candidate O
Manuel O
Rosales O
. O

The O
observers O
will O
inspect O
the O
voting O
stations O
and O
supervise O
the O
counting O
and O
the O
process O
of O
announcing O
the O
voting O
results O
. O

They O
will O
release O
their O
conclusions O
at O
a O
press O
conference O
after O
exchanging O
views O
with O
the O
National O
Electoral O
Council O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
. O

The O
international O
groups O
watching O
the O
elections O
include O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
the O
Organization O
of O
American O
States O
and O
the O
Common O
Market O
of O
the O
South O
( O
Mercosur O
) O
. O

About O
130 O
representatives O
from O
the O
European O
Union O
have O
already O
arrived O
in O
Venezuela O
. O
In O
addition O
, O
eight O
to O
10 O
observers O
from O
the O
Carter O
Center O
will O
also O
oversee O
the O
elections O
. O

Nearly O
16 O
million O
voters O
have O
registered O
to O
vote O
in O
the O
upcoming O
elections O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0270 O

WUHAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
to O
set O
up O
18 O
patented O
technology O
exhibition O
, O
trade O
centers O

The O
Chinese O
government O
has O
announced O
plans O
for O
18 O
patented O
technology O
exhibition O
and O
trade O
centers O
, O
to O
promote O
patent O
application O
and O
implementation O
. O

The O
centers O
will O
be O
set O
up O
in O
cities O
of O
Beijing O
, O
Shanghai O
, O
Tianjin O
, O
Wuhan O
and O
Chongqing O
. O
They O
will O
conduct O
exhibitions O
, O
trade O
and O
promotions O
of O
patented O
technology O
, O
daily O
patent O
management O
and O
carry O
out O
training O
in O
patent O
brokerage O
, O
and O
intellectual O
property O
protection O
. O

" O
The O
centers O
will O
form O
a O
trade O
platform O
for O
amateur O
inventors O
, O
medium O
- O
sized O
and O
small O
enterprises O
and O
investors O
, O
" O
said O
Zhang O
Qin O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
State O
Intellectual O
Property O
Office O
, O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
slow O
development O
of O
a O
patented O
technology O
market O
and O
lack O
of O
trustworthy O
agencies O
led O
to O
difficulties O
in O
the O
application O
and O
implementation O
of O
patents O
in O
China O
, O
said O
Zhang O
. O

The O
non O
- O
profit O
centers O
were O
backed O
by O
the O
government O
and O
would O
help O
protect O
inventors O
, O
said O
Zhang O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
country O
handled O
more O
than O
470 O
, O
000 O
patent O
applications O
. O

The O
18 O
centers O
open O
for O
trade O
from O
Monday B-T
to I-T
Friday I-T
. O

By O
2010 B-T
, O
the O
State O
Intellectual O
Property O
Office O
will O
build O
another O
80 O
to O
100 O
regional O
patented O
technology O
exhibition O
and O
trade O
centers O
in O
key O
cities O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0394 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
chief O
alarmed O
by O
recent O
violence O
in O
Tonga O

UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
is O
alarmed O
by O
the O
recent O
violence O
in O
the O
Kingdom O
of O
Tonga O
, O
a O
UN O
spokesman O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
He O
urges O
the O
parties O
to O
persevere O
with O
inclusive O
national O
consultations O
to O
support O
the O
democratic O
reform O
process O
, O
and O
to O
overcome O
their O
disagreements O
through O
dialogue O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
secretary O
- O
general O
stands O
ready O
to O
support O
national O
and O
regional O
efforts O
aimed O
at O
facilitating O
a O
broad O
political O
consensus O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

Riots O
erupted O
in O
Tonga O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
when O
hundreds O
of O
pro O
- O
democracy O
rioters O
destroyed O
around O
most O
of O
the O
capital O
Nuku O
' O
alofa O
' O
s O
business O
district O
. O
Nearly O
30 O
Chinese O
- O
owned O
stores O
were O
set O
afire O
or O
looted O
by O
the O
mobs O
. O

The O
South O
Pacific O
country O
, O
halfway O
between O
Australia O
and O
Tahiti O
, O
has O
a O
population O
of O
about O
108 O
, O
000 O
. O
Its O
economy O
depends O
on O
pumpkin O
and O
vanilla O
exports O
, O
fishing O
, O
foreign O
aid O
and O
remittances O
from O
Tongans O
abroad O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0433 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Ganguly O
survives O
pace O
onslaught O
on O
Indian O
top O
order O

The O
recalled O
Sourav O
Ganguly O
was O
the O
only O
Indian O
top O
order O
batsman O
to O
survive O
a O
sustained O
pace O
onslaught O
by O
South O
Africa O
on O
the O
first O
day O
of O
the O
first O
Test O
at O
the O
Wanderers O
Stadium O
Friday B-T
. O

India O
were O
156 O
for O
five O
after O
a O
day O
shortened O
by O
a O
damp O
pitch O
, O
the O
threat O
of O
lightning O
and O
bad O
light O
. O
Only O
56 O
. O
5 O
overs O
were O
bowled O
. O

Ganguly O
was O
unbeaten O
on O
14 B-T
at O
the O
close O
which O
came O
because O
of O
bad O
light O
immediately O
after O
VVS O
Laxman O
was O
caught O
behind O
by O
Mark O
Boucher O
off O
Makhaya O
Ntini O
. O

All O
- O
rounder O
Jacques O
Kallis O
struck O
two O
crucial O
blows O
for O
South O
Africa O
on O
either O
side O
of O
tea O
when O
he O
claimed O
the O
crucial O
wickets O
of O
Sachin O
Tendulkar O
and O
Rahul O
Dravid O
after O
India O
' O
s O
most O
experienced O
pair O
had O
staged O
a O
painstaking O
recovery O
following O
the O
early O
loss O
of O
both O
their O
opening O
batsman O
. O

Tendulkar O
was O
caught O
at O
second O
slip O
for O
44 B-T
after O
he O
and O
Dravid O
put O
on O
61 O
for O
the O
third O
wicket O
. O
Dravid O
followed O
when O
he O
edged O
a O
drive O
to O
first O
slip O
after O
making O
32 O
. O

Laxman O
and O
Ganguly O
put O
on O
46 O
for O
the O
fifth O
wicket O
before O
Ntini O
was O
called O
back O
into O
the O
South O
African O
attack O
late O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
and O
induced O
an O
edge O
from O
Laxman O
, O
pushing O
away O
from O
his O
body O
. O

Ganguly O
was O
struck O
on O
the O
chest O
by O
a O
lifting O
ball O
from O
Andre O
Nel O
and O
then O
played O
and O
missed O
at O
the O
next O
ball O
but O
otherwise O
batted O
solidly O
for O
72 O
minutes O
during O
which O
he O
faced O
42 O
balls O
. O

Kallis O
finished O
the O
day B-T
with O
two O
for O
37 O
, O
while O
Ntini O
took O
two O
for O
34 O
. O

Fast O
bowler O
Dale O
Steyn O
left O
the O
field O
after O
bowling O
one O
ball O
of O
his O
eleventh O
over O
because O
of O
a O
left O
thigh O
strain O
, O
which O
appeared O
to O
be O
a O
recurrence O
of O
an O
injury O
which O
caused O
him O
to O
miss O
two O
domestic O
first O
- O
class O
matches O
leading O
up O
to O
the O
Test O
. O

The O
morning O
' O
s O
play O
was O
restricted O
to O
an O
hour O
. O
The O
start O
was O
delayed O
by O
90 B-T
minutes I-T
because O
of O
damp O
patches O
, O
which O
the O
Gauteng O
Cricket O
Board O
said O
were O
caused O
by O
wet O
hessian O
placed O
on O
the O
pitch O
overnight O
because O
groundsman O
Chris O
Scott O
was O
concerned O
that O
the O
surface O
was O
too O
dry O
and O
that O
it O
might O
break O
up O
on O
the O
fourth O
and O
fifth O
days O
. O

" O
After O
removing O
the O
covers O
this O
morning O
, O
there O
was O
a O
lot O
more O
moisture O
on O
the O
wicket O
than O
anticipated O
, O
" O
officials O
explained O
. O

Despite O
the O
late O
start O
, O
the O
pitch O
looked O
good O
for O
batting O
on O
a O
hot O
, O
cloudless O
day O
and O
although O
there O
was O
grass O
cover O
it O
had O
a O
brown O
tinge O
. O

Batting O
proved O
awkward O
, O
however O
, O
with O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
all O
- O
seam O
attack O
able O
to O
extract O
plenty O
of O
bounce O
from O
the O
surface O
and O
India O
limped O
to O
lunch O
at O
19 B-T
for O
two O
. O
Tea O
was O
taken O
early O
and O
extended O
by O
44 O
minutes O
because O
of O
an O
approaching O
thunderstorm O
, O
with O
lightning O
flashing O
near O
the O
ground O
. O

Dravid O
was O
particularly O
watchful O
, O
eking O
out O
his O
runs O
in O
151 O
minutes O
off O
83 O
balls O
. O
Tendulkar O
was O
also O
cautious O
but O
his O
innings O
was O
interspersed O
with O
some O
sparkling O
strokes O
, O
including O
a O
cover O
drive O
off O
Ntini O
that O
raced O
to O
the O
boundary O
. O
He O
faced O
89 O
balls O
and O
hit O
seven O
boundaries O
before O
edging O
an O
out O
- O
swinger O
from O
Kallis O
. O

Dravid O
and O
Tendulkar O
came O
together O
after O
opening O
batsmen O
Wasim O
Jaffer O
and O
Virender O
Sehwag O
fell O
within O
the O
space O
of O
six O
balls O
. O

Jaffer O
was O
leg O
before O
wicket O
to O
Ntini O
for O
nine O
when O
he O
padded O
up O
to O
a O
ball O
just O
outside O
his O
off O
stump O
which O
was O
slanting O
in O
. O

Sehwag O
was O
caught O
behind O
off O
Shaun O
Pollock O
in O
the O
next O
over O
when O
he O
was O
squared O
up O
by O
a O
lifting O
delivery O
. O
The O
normally O
dashing O
Sehwag O
scored O
only O
four O
runs O
off O
26 O
balls O
. O

Dravid O
, O
recovered O
from O
a O
finger O
injury O
, O
took O
a O
painful O
blow O
in O
the O
ribs O
from O
Pollock O
before O
he O
had O
scored O
but O
batted O
with O
typical O
resolve O
on O
the O
ground O
where O
he O
made O
his O
maiden B-T
Test I-T
century I-T
ten I-T
seasons I-T
ago I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0319 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japanese O
parliament O
seeks O
US O
base O
cut O
in O
Okinawa O

Japan O
' O
s O
lower O
house O
adopted O
a O
resolution O
Tuesday B-T
calling O
on O
the O
government O
to O
make O
" O
its O
utmost O
effort O
" O
to O
slash O
US O
military O
bases O
in O
Okinawa O
. O

The O
vote O
comes O
three B-T
days I-T
before O
the O
summit O
between O
Prime O
Minister O
Ryutaro O
Hashimoto O
and O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
in O
Washington O
. O

It O
was O
the O
first O
Diet O
resolution O
on O
Okinawa O
US O
military O
bases O
since O
parliament O
passed O
a O
similar O
resolution O
in O
1971 B-T
when O
Japan O
and O
the O
United O
States O
signed O
an O
accord O
on O
the O
return O
of O
the O
southern O
island O
. O

" O
The O
House O
of O
Representatives O
will O
urge O
the O
government O
to O
make O
its O
utmost O
effort O
to O
consolidate O
, O
realign O
, O
reduce O
and O
relocate O
the O
US O
military O
bases O
in O
Okinawa O
, O
" O
the O
resolution O
said O
. O

The O
resolution O
asked O
the O
government O
to O
consult O
with O
the O
United O
States O
on O
military O
postures O
, O
including O
the O
structure O
of O
the O
US O
military O
force O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
. O

It O
also O
urged O
the O
government O
to O
take O
" O
comprehensive O
and O
effective O
" O
measures O
to O
boost O
the O
Okinawa O
economy O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
Japanse O
parliament O
passed O
legislation O
allowing O
the O
US O
military O
to O
keep O
using O
land O
in O
Okinawa O
amid O
protest O
from O
landowners O
and O
their O
supporters O
. O

Okinawa O
has O
been O
a O
major O
headache O
for O
successive O
governments O
following O
the O
rape O
of O
a O
12 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
girl O
by O
three O
American O
servicemen O
in O
1995 B-T
. O
The O
rape O
triggered O
outrage O
among O
locals O
and O
prompted O
the O
prefectural O
governor O
, O
Masahide O
Ota O
, O
to O
seek O
the O
complete O
withdrawal O
of O
American O
troops O
by O
2015 B-T
. O

The O
southern O
island O
prefecture O
is O
home O
to O
more O
than O
half O
of O
the O
47 O
, O
000 O
American O
troops O
in O
Japan O
and O
also O
accounts O
for O
about O
75 O
percent O
of O
US O
military O
facilities O
on O
the O
entire O
archipelago O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0457 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

New O
study O
suggests O
prostate O
cancer O
treatment O
helps O
elderly O

Elderly O
men O
with O
early O
prostate O
cancer O
live O
significantly O
longer O
if O
they O
receive O
treatment O
than O
those O
who O
adopt O
a O
wait O
- O
and O
- O
see O
approach O
, O
as O
commonly O
recommended O
, O
according O
to O
a O
new O
study O
released O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
study O
of O
44 O
, O
630 O
men O
age O
65 O
to O
80 O
years O
found O
that O
those O
who O
sought O
treatment O
for O
their O
prostate O
cancer O
with O
radiation O
or O
surgery O
had O
a O
31 O
percent O
lower O
risk O
of O
death O
than O
those O
who O
waited O
. O

Even O
the O
oldest O
men O
between O
the O
ages O
of O
75 O
and O
80 B-T
benefitted O
from O
treatment O
, O
the O
study O
found O
. O

" O
Even O
though O
prostate O
cancer O
commonly O
is O
considered O
an O
indolent O
( O
slow O
to O
develop O
and O
painless O
) O
disease O
, O
this O
observational O
study O
suggests O
a O
reduced O
risk O
of O
mortality O
associated O
with O
active O
treatment O
for O
low O
- O
and O
intermediate O
- O
risk O
prostate O
cancer O
in O
the O
elderly O
( O
. O
. O
. O
) O
population O
examined O
, O
" O
the O
authors O
of O
the O
study O
published O
in O
the O
Journal O
of O
the O
American O
Medical O
Association O
said O
. O

Dr O
Yu O
- O
Ning O
Wong O
of O
the O
Fox O
Chase O
Cancer O
Center O
in O
Philidelphia O
, O
who O
led O
the O
study O
, O
told O
AFP O
that O
the O
findings O
challenge O
the O
commonly O
held O
notion O
that O
early O
prostate O
cancer O
in O
elderly O
patients O
evolves O
so O
slowly O
that O
there O
is O
no O
need O
to O
treat O
them O
as O
they O
will O
probably O
die O
of O
something O
else O
first O
. O

" O
The O
treatment O
of O
prostate O
cancer O
in O
older O
men O
( O
. O
. O
. O
) O
has O
been O
controversial O
because O
the O
concern O
about O
side O
effects O
is O
an O
important O
one O
, O
" O
Wong O
said O
. O
" O
I O
think O
our O
study O
suggests O
there O
may O
be O
a O
benefit O
to O
treatment O
in O
this O
patient O
population O
but O
that O
of O
course O
needs O
to O
be O
weighed O
against O
other O
concerns O
. O
" O

Wong O
also O
acknowledged O
that O
the O
study O
' O
s O
design O
had O
limitations O
and O
would O
need O
to O
be O
confirmed O
by O
further O
research O
. O

Postate O
cancer O
is O
the O
most O
common O
cancer O
found O
in O
American O
men O
, O
along O
with O
skin O
cancer O
, O
according O
to O
the O
American O
Cancer O
Society O
( O
ACS O
) O
. O

ACS O
estimates O
that O
234 O
, O
460 O
men O
will O
be O
diagnosed O
with O
prostate O
cancer O
in O
2006 B-T
and O
some O
27 O
, O
350 O
will O
die O
of O
the O
disease O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051204 O
. O
0498 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
INCORPORATES O
- O
warcrimes O
- O
Iraq O
- O
immigration O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Australia O
has O
developed O
a O
reputation O
for O
being O
a O
safe O
haven O
for O
war O
criminals O
attempting O
to O
avoid O
prosecution O
, O
a O
former O
war O
crimes O
investigator O
said O
Monday B-T
amid O
media O
reports O
that O
as O
many O
as O
30 O
people O
accused O
of O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
have O
lived O
here O
freely O
. O

Former O
deputy O
prosecutor O
at O
the O
United O
Nations O
War O
Crimes O
Tribunal O
at O
The O
Hague O
, O
Graham O
Blewitt O
, O
said O
some O
" O
perpetrators O
are O
being O
allowed O
to O
roam O
free O
in O
this O
country O
without O
any O
fear O
. O
" O

" O
I O
believe O
that O
Australia O
has O
a O
reputation O
amongst O
those O
who O
have O
been O
involved O
in O
war O
crimes O
as O
a O
safe O
haven O
, O
" O
he O
told O
ABC O
radio O
. O

" O
You O
are O
not O
going O
to O
be O
prosecuted O
and O
frankly O
that O
is O
a O
reputation O
that O
Australia O
should O
not O
be O
prepared O
to O
wear O
. O
" O

Blewitt O
, O
formerly O
the O
head O
of O
an O
Australian O
unit O
investigating O
Nazi O
war O
criminals O
, O
was O
responding O
to O
a O
report O
in O
the O
Sydney O
Morning O
Herald O
that O
a O
member O
of O
deposed O
Iraqi O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
family O
and O
personal O
security O
force O
, O
had O
been O
given O
temporary O
residency O
here O
. O

Oday O
Adnan O
Al O
Tekriti O
, O
38 O
, O
was O
initially O
refused O
a O
visa O
after O
he O
arrived O
in O
the O
country O
six B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
because O
immigration O
officials O
found O
serious O
reasons O
to O
believe O
he O
had O
committed O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
. O

But O
the O
visa O
refusal O
was O
overturned O
and O
he O
has O
been O
given O
temporary O
safe O
haven O
in O
the O
southern O
city O
of O
Adelaide O
where O
he O
lives O
with O
his O
wife O
, O
an O
Australian O
doctor O
. O

Blewitt O
said O
there O
had O
been O
previous O
instances O
where O
Canberra O
had O
allowed O
some O
people O
into O
the O
country O
because O
of O
the O
potential O
for O
them O
to O
give O
Australian O
authorities O
valuable O
intelligence O
information O
. O

" O
It O
could O
well O
be O
that O
this O
chap O
is O
also O
involved O
in O
supplying O
information O
and O
intelligence O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Blewitt O
said O
he O
had O
enough O
anecdotal O
evidence O
to O
suggest O
that O
there O
were O
mass O
murderers O
, O
torturers O
and O
other O
criminals O
living O
in O
Australia O
. O

" O
There O
are O
some O
nasty O
people O
out O
there O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
They O
put O
on O
a O
cloak O
of O
respectability O
when O
they O
get O
here O
and O
just O
subsume O
themselves O
into O
the O
Australian O
way O
of O
life O
. O
We O
shouldn O
' O
t O
allow O
that O
to O
happen O
. O
" O

The O
Sydney O
Morning O
Herald O
reported O
that O
as O
many O
as O
30 O
war O
criminals O
from O
Sri O
Lanka O
, O
Lebanon O
, O
Nepal O
, O
Sierra O
Leone O
, O
Afghanistan O
, O
Iraq O
, O
Turkey O
and O
India O
had O
been O
investigated O
by O
Australian O
immigration O
officials O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
10 I-T
years I-T
and O
refused O
asylum O
but O
lived O
here O
freely O
until O
their O
appeals O
were O
heard O
. O

The O
whereabouts O
of O
several O
are O
not O
known O
. O

There O
was O
no O
evidence O
any O
of O
the O
men O
found O
to O
be O
war O
criminals O
by O
Australian O
authorities O
had O
ever O
had O
to O
stand O
trial O
overseas O
, O
the O
Herald O
said O
. O

Among O
the O
cases O
cited O
by O
the O
Herald O
were O
a O
former O
Maoist O
rebel O
from O
Nepal O
now B-T
working O
as O
an O
accountant O
in O
Sydney O
, O
a O
one O
- O
time O
member O
of O
the O
Lebanese O
security O
service O
who O
reportedly O
admitted O
torturing O
detainees O
and O
a O
Sri O
Lankan O
naval O
officer O
who O
allegedly O
told O
immigration O
officials O
he O
participated O
in O
a O
1993 B-T
massacre O
of O
civilians O
in O
a O
refugee O
camp O
. O

Other O
countries O
where O
immigration O
officers O
found O
that O
visa O
applicants O
allegedly O
committed O
atrocities O
included O
Bangladesh O
, O
Algeria O
, O
Myanmar O
and O
the O
former O
Yugoslavia O
, O
it O
said O
. O

Blewitt O
said O
because O
of O
a O
lack O
of O
publicity O
, O
many O
asylum O
seekers O
are O
allowed O
to O
live O
freely O
in O
Australia O
until O
they O
have O
exhausted O
the O
appeals O
process O
and O
are O
often O
able O
to O
blend O
into O
society O
where O
they O
take O
jobs O
, O
study O
and O
marry O
, O
thus O
strengthening O
their O
claims O
for O
residency O
. O

" O
I O
would O
suspect O
that O
if O
the O
government O
knew O
what O
their O
background O
was O
, O
and O
it O
was O
so O
bad O
, O
then O
they O
just O
would O
not O
allow O
those O
people O
to O
come O
into O
Australia O
. O
That O
' O
s O
the O
end O
of O
it O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
But O
people O
who O
slip O
through O
the O
net O
, O
once O
they O
arrive O
here O
, O
nothing O
absolutely O
nothing O
, O
is O
being O
done O
to O
investigate O
them O
for O
the O
crimes O
they O
had O
committed O
. O
" O

PRI19980306 B-T
. O
2000 O
. O
1675 O

NEWS O
STORY O

For O
The O
World O
, O
this O
is O
Pamela O
McCall O
in O
the O
BBC O
news O
room O
in O
London O
. O

More O
heavy O
gunfire O
in O
the O
Serbian O
province O
of O
Kosovo O
. O
It O
' O
s O
the B-T
second I-T
day I-T

of O
an O
offensive O
by O
the O
security O
forces O
against O
villages O
populated O
by O
ethnic O

Albanians O
. O
BBC O
correspondent O
Karyn O
Coleman O
reports O
from O
Kosovo O
. O

There O
were O
more O
accounts O
of O
people O
fleeing O
from O
the O
villages O
near O
where O
the O

offensive O
was O
taking O
place O
. O
They O
were O
too O
afraid O
to O
stay O
, O
fearing O
the O

forces O
may O
also O
move O
their O
operations O
further O
afield O
. O
By O
mid B-T
afternoon I-T
, O

official O
Serb O
sources O
were O
saying O
the O
operation O
was O
over O
, O
but O

that O
has O
not O
yet O
been O
confirmed O
from O
Belgrade O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
Serbia O
, O

which O
is O
where O
the O
whole O
attack O
is O
thought O
to O
have O
been O
planned O
. O
The O
ethnic O

Albanians O
here O
in O
Kosovo O
are O
considerably O
worried O
about O
the B-T
future I-T
and O

fear O
they O
are O
witnessing O
the O
beginnings O
of O
a O
much O
wider O
conflict O
. O

Karyn O
Coleman O
, O
BBC O
news O
, O
Pristina O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0442 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

" O
President O
" O
Marsalis O
would O
make O
Mardi O
Gras O
national O
holiday O

Pulitzer O
Prize O
- O
winning O
jazz O
trumpeter O
Wynton O
Marsalis O
, O
responding O
to O
George O
magazine O
' O
s O
" O
If O
I O
were O
president O
" O
questionnaire O
, O
says O
he O
would O
bring O
a O
sense O
of O
rhythm O
to O
the O
White O
House O
. O

" O
The O
people O
would O
never O
see O
me O
clapping O
on O
one O
and O
three O
, O
" O
he O
says O
when O
asked O
to O
name O
a O
reason O
to O
elect O
him O
. O

His O
first O
official O
act O
would O
be O
to O
make O
Mardi O
Gras O
" O
a O
national O
celebration O
. O
" O

" O
I O
' O
d O
also O
have O
a O
big O
computer O
called O
the O
Match O
Maker O
, O
with O
everybody O
' O
s O
name O
in O
it O
. O
You O
could O
call O
it O
up O
and O
find O
your O
perfect O
match O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

His O
running O
mate O
would O
be O
TV O
talk O
show O
host O
Oprah O
Winfrey O
, O
and O
his O
closest O
adviser O
would O
be O
Danny O
Sheridan O
, O
the O
oddsmaker O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0090 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
background O
, O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

North O
Korea O
insisted O
Monday B-T
that O
UN O
sanctions O
imposed O
after O
its O
nuclear O
test O
must O
be O
lifted O
before O
it O
would O
discuss O
dismantling O
its O
nuclear O
programs O
, O
according O
to O
a O
source O
present O
at O
the O
six O
- O
nation O
talks O
with O
Pyongyang O
. O

North O
Korea O
' O
s O
chief O
delegate O
to O
the O
talks O
, O
Kim O
Kye O
- O
Gwan O
, O
also O
said O
in O
his O
keynote O
address O
that O
US O
financial O
sanctions O
imposed O
last B-T
year I-T
on O
the O
Stalinist O
state O
on O
allegations O
of O
money O
laundering O
must O
also O
be O
removed O
before O
talks O
on O
disarmament O
could O
begin O
. O

" O
The O
North O
Koreans O
said O
they O
would O
take O
measures O
to O
keep O
strengthening O
their O
nuclear O
deterrent O
as O
long O
as O
sanctions O
and O
pressure O
continues O
to O
exist O
, O
" O
the O
source O
said O
. O

The O
six O
- O
nation O
talks O
resumed O
after O
a O
13 B-T
month I-T
break O
with O
Kim O
repeating O
a O
list O
of O
his O
nation O
' O
s O
long O
- O
standing O
demands O
and O
said O
Pyongyang O
was O
" O
satisfied O
" O
with O
having O
nuclear O
weapons O
, O
a O
South O
Korean O
official O
told O
reporters O
earlier O
. O

North O
Korea O
pulled O
out O
of O
the O
talks O
in O
November B-T
last I-T
year I-T
in O
protest O
at O
US O
financial O
sanctions O
and O
then O
stunned O
the O
world O
with O
its O
first O
ever O
nuclear O
test O
on O
October B-T
9 I-T
. O

The O
talks O
bring O
together O
China O
, O
the O
two O
Koreas O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Japan O
and O
Russia O
. O

The O
speech O
by O
Kim O
, O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
vice O
foreign O
minister O
, O
represented O
a O
shopping O
list O
of O
long O
- O
standing O
North O
Korean O
demands O
with O
no O
new O
offers O
, O
the O
South O
Korean O
official O
said O
. O

" O
They O
( O
North O
Koreans O
) O
presented O
a O
maximum O
list O
of O
their O
demands O
. O
It O
was O
like O
a O
summary O
of O
all O
of O
their O
previous O
demands O
, O
" O
the O
official O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0389 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UNICEF O
warns O
of O
escalating O
violence O
in O
northeastern O
Uganda O

The O
United O
Nations O
Children O
' O
s O
Fund O
( O
UNICEF O
) O
has O
warned O
of O
increasing O
violence O
in O
northeastern O
Uganda O
, O
noting O
the O
violence O
could O
have O
a O
lasting O
impact O
on O
the O
civilians O
, O
especially O
children O
. O

The O
UNICEF O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
issued O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
violence O
in O
areas O
of O
northern O
Kotido O
district O
linked O
to O
the O
ongoing O
disarmament O
exercise O
of O
armed O
warriors O
by O
the O
Ugandan O
military O
could O
pose O
both O
short O
and O
long O
term O
effects O
on O
the O
children O
due O
to O
sustained O
exposure O
to O
violence O
. O

" O
Violence O
can O
keep O
children O
out O
of O
school O
and O
rob O
them O
of O
the O
chance O
to O
fulfill O
their O
potential O
. O
Multiplied O
many O
times O
over O
, O
violence O
robs O
the O
community O
of O
its O
potential O
for O
development O
, O
" O
said O
Martin O
Mogwanja O
, O
the O
UNICEF O
representative O
in O
Uganda O
. O

The O
UN O
' O
s O
agency O
again O
called O
for O
restraint O
of O
all O
arms O
carriers O
in O
the O
region O
to O
avoid O
further O
escalation O
of O
insecurity O
and O
to O
minimize O
the O
impact O
of O
innocent O
civilians O
, O
especially O
on O
the O
lives O
of O
children O
and O
families O
. O

Of O
late O
the O
Ugandan O
military O
has O
been O
carrying O
out O
lethal O
offensives O
against O
armed O
warriors O
following O
several O
attacks O
by O
the O
warriors O
on O
the O
military O
and O
civilians O
. O

The O
latest O
reports O
from O
UN O
staff O
in O
the O
area O
confirm O
that O
13 O
women O
and O
nine O
children O
have O
died O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
ongoing O
disarmament O
operations O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
month I-T
. O

Following O
the O
increasing O
mayhem O
in O
the O
region O
, O
UNICEF O
, O
through O
CARITAS O
and O
the O
Church O
of O
Uganda O
and O
in O
coordination O
with O
district O
authorities O
, O
has O
provided O
emergency O
humanitarian O
support O
in O
the O
form O
of O
non O
- O
food O
items O
and O
first O
- O
aid O
kits O
to O
displaced O
persons O
in O
Kotido O
District O
. O

The O
UNICEF O
also O
supported O
OXFAM O
to O
provide O
emergency O
water O
and O
sanitation O
services O
to O
provide O
relief O
to O
approximately O
1 O
, O
500 O
people O
. O

" O
There O
must O
be O
a O
redoubling O
of O
efforts O
to O
enable O
all O
children O
and O
women O
in O
Uganda O
to O
have O
unhindered O
access O
to O
protection O
, O
as O
well O
as O
health O
, O
education O
, O
safe O
water O
, O
shelter O
and O
other O
essential O
services O
, O
" O
said O
Mogwanja O
. O

The O
Ugandan O
military O
embarked O
on O
the O
disarmament O
exercise O
in O
the O
region O
in O
2001 B-T
, O
following O
the O
continued O
cattle O
rustling O
by O
the O
warriors O
. O

Since O
the O
exercise O
was O
launched O
the O
military O
has O
so O
far O
collected O
over O
10 O
, O
000 O
guns O
out O
of O
the O
estimated O
amount O
of O
40 O
, O
000 O
illegal O
weapons O
scattered O
in O
northeastern O
Uganda O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0132 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mubarak O
, O
Abbas O
hold O
talks O
on O
Mideast O
peace O
process O

Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
Wednesday B-T
held O
talks O
with O
visiting O
Palestinian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
on O
the O
latest O
developments O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
and O
efforts O
to O
form O
a O
Palestinian O
national O
unity O
government O
, O
the O
official O
MENA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
two O
leaders O
also O
dealt O
with O
efforts O
to O
revive O
the O
stalled O
Palestinian O
- O
Israeli O
peace O
track O
and O
halt O
repeated O
Israeli O
attacks O
on O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
MENA O
said O
. O

According O
to O
Egyptian O
presidential O
spokesman O
Suleiman O
Awad O
, O
Mubarak O
expressed O
support O
to O
Abbas O
as O
leader O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
National O
Authority O
and O
support O
for O
efforts O
to O
form O
a O
Palestinian O
national O
unity O
government O
and O
revive O
the O
peace O
march O
. O

Mubarak O
said O
that O
Egypt O
hoped O
the O
coming O
period O
would O
witness O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
Palestinian O
national O
unity O
which O
will O
help O
reactivate O
the O
peace O
process O
and O
end O
sufferings O
of O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
according O
to O
Awad O
. O

Abbas O
arrived O
in O
Cairo O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
brief O
Mubarak O
on O
the O
latest O
developments O
of O
the O
ongoing O
consultations O
to O
form O
such O
a O
government O
, O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Palestinian O
officials O
said O
that O
Abbas O
' O
Fatah O
movement O
has O
reached O
an O
initial O
deal O
with O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
on O
portfolios O
of O
a O
new O
coalition O
government O
. O

Broader O
talks O
among O
all O
Palestinian O
factions O
on O
forming O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
are O
expected O
to O
start O
early B-T
next I-T
week I-T
. O

Hamas O
, O
bent O
on O
Israel O
' O
s O
destruction O
, O
formed O
a O
government O
in O
late B-T
March I-T
. O
But O
a O
boycott O
by O
Israel O
, O
Europe O
and O
the O
United O
States O
has O
caused O
political O
and O
economic O
crises O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0295 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
rates O
on O
30 O
- O
year O
mortgages O
rise O
to O
highest O
level O
in O
over O
two O
years O

Rates O
on O
30 O
- O
year O
mortgages O
in O
the O
United O
States O
increased O
this B-T
week I-T
to O
the O
highest O
level O
in O
more B-T
than I-T
two I-T
years I-T
, O
mortgage O
company O
Freddie O
Mac O
reported O
Thursday B-T
in O
its O
weekly O
nationwide O
survey O
. O

In O
the B-T
week I-T
ending O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, O
rates O
on O
30 O
- O
year O
, O
fixed O
- O
rate O
mortgages O
averaged O
6 O
. O
36 O
percent O
, O
up O
from O
6 O
. O
31 O
percent O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
survey O
showed O
. O
That O
was O
the O
highest O
level O
since O
30 O
- O
year O
mortgages O
were O
at O
6 O
. O
44 O
percent O
in O
early B-T
September I-T
2003 I-T
. O

This B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
rates O
on O
15 O
- O
year O
, O
fixed O
- O
rate O
mortgages O
, O
a O
popular O
choice O
for O
refinancing O
a O
home O
mortgage O
, O
averaged O
5 O
. O
89 O
percent O
, O
up O
from O
5 O
. O
85 O
percent O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
survey O
also O
found O
that O
rates O
on O
one O
- O
year O
adjustable O
rate O
mortgages O
( O
ARMs O
) O
rose O
to O
5 O
. O
12 O
percent O
this B-T
week I-T
from O
5 O
. O
09 O
percent O
last B-T
week I-T
. O
Rates O
on O
five O
- O
year O
hybrid O
adjustable O
rate O
mortgages O
nudged O
up O
to O
5 O
. O
81 O
percent O
from O
5 O
. O
76 O
percent O
. O

A B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
, O
30 O
- O
year O
mortgages O
averaged O
5 O
. O
76 O
percent O
, O
15 O
- O
year O
mortgages O
were O
at O
5 O
. O
16 O
percent O
and O
one O
- O
year O
ARMs O
averaged O
4 O
. O
16 O
percent O
. O
Freddie O
Mac O
began O
tracking O
on O
the O
five O
- O
year O
ARMs O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
increases O
in O
mortgage O
rates O
this B-T
week I-T
came O
as O
financial O
markets O
grew O
more O
concerned O
about O
inflation O
, O
according O
to O
analysts O
. O

" O
News O
that O
wages O
grew O
faster O
than O
had O
been O
expected O
in O
October B-T
reinforced O
fears O
of O
inflation O
in O
the O
financial O
markets O
and O
that O
bumped O
up O
interest O
rates O
again O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
" O
Freddie O
Mac O
' O
s O
chief O
economist O
Frank O
Nothaft O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0015 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

30 O
pct O

The O
net O
profit O
of O
China O
' O
s O
listed O
companies O
is O
expected O
to O
grow O
by O
more O
than O
30 O
percent O
year O
on O
year O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
according O
to O
Peng O
Yan O
, O
economist O
with O
Guotai O
Junan O
Securities O
. O

China O
' O
s O
listed O
companies O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
quarters I-T
this I-T
year I-T
saw O
growth O
of O
about O
21 O
percent O
in O
net O
profits O
, O
two O
percent O
higher O
than O
that O
of O
the O
revenues O
of O
their O
major O
operations O
. O

Analysts O
say O
the O
figures O
reflect O
the O
companies O
' O
tighter O
cost O
controls O
which O
grew O
9 O
. O
93 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
quarters I-T
, O
1 O
. O
22 O
percentage O
points O
higher O
than O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
The O
performance O
of O
the O
listed O
companies O
is O
expected O
to O
grow O
steadily O
in O
next B-T
two I-T
or I-T
three I-T
years I-T
to O
reflect O
the O
less O
cyclic O
fluctuations O
of O
the O
micro O
economy O
and O
the O
businesses O
, O
" O
said O
Peng O
. O

Statistics O
with O
the O
China O
Merchants O
Securities O
show O
the O
profit O
margin O
declined O
steadily O
from O
22 O
. O
11 O
percent O
in O
2002 B-T
to O
17 O
. O
69 O
percent O
in O
the O
first O
three O
quarters O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
5 O
. O
14 O
percent O
lower O
than O
the O
same O
period O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0228 O

LUANDA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Portuguese O
- O
speaking O
countries O
discuss O
political O
tensions O
in O
Guinea O
- O
Bissau O

Presidents O
of O
five O
Portuguese O
- O
speaking O
countries O
have O
held O
discussions O
in O
the O
Angolan O
capital O
on O
the O
simmering O
political O
tensions O
in O
Guinea O
- O
Bissau O
. O

The O
meeting O
took O
place O
Thursday B-T
night I-T
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
celebrations O
marking O
the O
30th O
anniversary O
of O
Angola O
' O
s O
independence O
from O
Portugal O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

According O
to O
reports O
quoting O
diplomatic O
sources O
, O
the O
unscheduled O
gathering O
lasting O
more O
than O
one O
hour O
focused O
on O
issues O
related O
to O
the O
consolidation O
of O
democracy O
and O
economic O
development O
in O
Guinea O
- O
Bissau O
. O

Besides O
Guinea O
- O
Bissau O
' O
s O
newly O
elected O
president O
, O
Joao O
Bernardo O
" O
Nino O
' O
' O
Vieira O
, O
other O
participants O
were O
Presidents O
Jorge O
Sampaio O
of O
Portugal O
, O
Jose O
Eduardo O
dos O
Santos O
of O
Angola O
, O
Pedro O
Pires O
of O
Cape O
Verde O
and O
Fradique O
de O
Menezes O
of O
Sao O
Tome O
and O
Principe O
. O

Representatives O
of O
the O
Brazilian O
, O
Mozambican O
and O
East O
Timorese O
presidents O
, O
who O
are O
not O
attending O
the O
Angolan O
festivities O
, O
also O
took O
part O
in O
the O
talks O
that O
ended O
without O
any O
public O
statement O
. O

The O
eight O
nations O
make O
up O
the O
Community O
of O
Portuguese O
- O
speaking O
Countries O
that O
is O
headquartered O
in O
Lisbon O
. O

Meanwhile O
in O
Bissau O
, O
the O
African O
Party O
for O
the O
Independence O
of O
Guinea O
and O
Cape O
Verde O
( O
PAIGC O
) O
which O
Vieira O
dismissed O
from O
government O
on O
October B-T
28 I-T
reiterated O
its O
charges O
that O
the O
country O
' O
s O
new O
government O
was O
" O
illegal O
" O
and O
" O
unconstitutional O
. O
" O

The O
PAIGC O
party O
is O
loyal O
to O
former O
prime O
minister O
Carlos O
Gomes O
Junior O
, O
whom O
Vieira O
sacked O
also O
on O
October B-T
28 I-T
. O

According O
to O
sources O
from O
Bissau O
, O
the O
PAIGC O
would O
continue O
to O
challenge O
the O
legitimacy O
of O
the O
new O
government O
of O
Prime O
Minister O
Aristides O
Gomes O
, O
a O
PAIGC O
dissident O
who O
was O
suspended O
from O
party O
functions O
last B-T
May I-T
for O
backing O
Vieira O
' O
s O
successful O
presidential O
election O
bid O
, O
before O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
and O
in O
parliament O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0048 O

DHAKA O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Trial O
of O
alleged O
Bangladesh O
1975 O
coup O
plotters O
to O
open O

The O
trial O
of O
the O
alleged O
plotters O
of O
a O
1975 O
coup O
in O
which O
Bangladesh O
' O
s O
founding O
leader O
Sheikh O
Mujibur O
Rahman O
was O
killed O
was O
set O
to O
open O
Monday B-T
in O
a O
tightly O
guarded O
courthouse O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

District O
and O
Session O
Judge O
Kazi O
Golam O
Rasul O
are O
hear O
witnesses O
to O
the O
killing O
of O
Sheikh O
Mujib O
, O
slain O
with O
most O
of O
his O
family O
in O
the O
August B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1975 I-T
putsch O
. O

The O
case O
was O
reopened O
last B-T
year I-T
after O
the O
election O
victory O
of O
Rahman O
' O
s O
daughter O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Sheikh O
Hasina O
Wajed O
, O
who O
led O
his O
Awami O
League O
party O
back O
to O
power O
last B-T
June I-T
for O
the O
first O
time O
since O
the O
coup O
. O

Past O
laws O
granting O
amnesties O
to O
those O
accused O
of O
involvement O
in O
the O
coup O
have O
been O
repealed O
to O
allow O
the O
trial O
to O
go O
ahead O
. O

Riot O
police O
were O
deployed O
around O
the O
court O
inside O
the O
Dhaka O
Central O
Jail O
ahead O
of O
the O
opening O
of O
the O
hearing O
. O
Only O
reporters O
and O
lawyers O
were O
allowed O
inside O
after O
a O
police O
security O
check O
. O

Twenty O
people O
have O
been O
indicted O
in O
the O
case O
under O
Bangladesh O
' O
s O
penal O
code O
, O
but O
only O
six O
will O
be O
present O
at O
the O
trial O
. O
Of O
those O
five O
are O
in O
jail O
and O
one O
out O
on O
bail O
, O
while O
the O
remaining O
14 O
are O
still O
on O
the O
run O
. O

The O
arrests O
were O
made O
soon O
after O
Sheikh O
Hasina O
' O
s O
election O
victory O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Sheikh O
Hasina O
and O
her O
younger O
sister O
Sheikh O
Rehana O
were O
abroad O
at O
the O
time O
of O
the O
coup O
and O
are O
the O
only O
surviving O
members O
of O
the O
former O
first O
family O
. O

Political O
analysts O
have O
said O
the O
coup O
was O
a O
conspiracy O
by O
a O
small O
group O
of O
army O
officials O
and O
a O
few O
right O
- O
leaning O
politicians O
. O

They O
wanted O
to O
establish O
a O
rightist O
administration O
close O
to O
the O
Islamic O
world O
by O
overthrowing O
the O
secular O
and O
centrist O
Awami O
League O
government O
of O
Sheikh O
Mujib O
, O
analysts O
say O
. O

In O
November B-T
1996 I-T
, O
parliament O
scrapped O
an O
indemnity O
act O
which O
until O
then O
had O
protected O
the O
alleged O
coup O
plotters O
from O
legal O
action O
. O
They O
had O
been O
given O
diplomatic O
assignments O
by O
successive O
governments O
to O
protect O
them O
abroad O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0165 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
on O
talks O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Belarus O
dispatched O
a O
senior O
energy O
official O
Friday B-T
to O
Moscow O
to O
join O
talks O
on O
defusing O
a O
row O
over O
Russian O
natural O
gas O
imports O
that O
threatened O
to O
disrupt O
energy O
supplies O
to O
the O
European O
Union O
from O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
An O
additional O
delegation O
is O
flying O
to O
Moscow O
, O
headed O
by O
Eduard O
Tovpenets O
, O
first O
deputy O
energy O
minister O
, O
" O
Andrei O
Zhukov O
, O
an O
aide O
to O
Belarus O
' O
energy O
minister O
, O
told O
AFP O
in O
Minsk O
. O
" O
We O
are O
flying O
to O
reach O
final O
agreement O
. O
I O
think O
the O
issue O
will O
be O
resolved O
. O
" O

Russian O
state O
gas O
monopoly O
Gazprom O
is O
threatening O
to O
switch O
off O
natural O
gas O
supplies O
to O
Belarus O
at O
10 O
: O
00 O
am O
( O
0700 O
GMT O
) O
Monday B-T
, O
New O
Year O
' O
s O
day O
, O
if O
the O
ex O
- O
Soviet O
republic O
fails O
to O
agree O
to O
a O
more O
than O
doubling O
of O
price O
. O

Belarus O
, O
which O
lies O
between O
Russia O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
threatens O
to O
retaliate O
by O
refusing O
to O
allow O
transit O
of O
Russian O
gas O
to O
Europe O
, O
potentially O
hitting O
supplies O
in O
Germany O
, O
Lithuania O
and O
Poland O
. O

Belarus O
says O
that O
without O
a O
contract O
for O
its O
own O
supplies O
, O
there O
can O
be O
no O
contract O
on O
transit O
. O

Gazprom O
vice O
- O
president O
Alexander O
Medvedev O
told O
France O
' O
s O
Le O
Figaro O
daily O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
this O
amounted O
to O
" O
grotesque O
blackmail O
" O
and O
warned O
that O
European O
clients O
could O
face O
shortfalls O
. O

Although O
daily O
talks O
have O
so O
far O
ended O
without O
compromise O
, O
both O
sides O
on O
Friday B-T
expressed O
cautious O
optimism O
as O
Gazprom O
executives O
in O
Moscow O
met O
with O
Dmitry O
Kazakov O
, O
the O
head O
of O
Belarus O
' O
gas O
pipeline O
company O
Beltstransgaz O
. O

The O
situation O
is O
" O
tense O
, O
but O
there O
is O
still O
a O
chance O
, O
of O
course O
, O
" O
Gazprom O
spokesman O
Sergei O
Kupriyanov O
said O
. O

If O
no O
deal O
is O
struck O
, O
the O
stage O
will O
be O
set O
for O
a O
New O
Year O
' O
s O
crisis O
similar O
to O
a O
cut O
- O
off O
of O
Russian O
gas O
12 B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
to O
Ukraine O
during O
a O
similar O
pricing O
dispute O
, O
with O
knock O
- O
on O
effects O
through O
western O
Europe O
. O

Gazprom O
insists O
that O
its O
price O
increases O
- O
- O
already O
imposed O
on O
Ukraine O
, O
Georgia O
, O
and O
Moldova O
- O
- O
are O
part O
of O
a O
legitimate O
move O
to O
end O
Soviet O
- O
era O
subsidies O
and O
charge O
accepted O
international O
rates O
. O

However O
the O
Kremlin O
- O
connected O
gas O
giant O
' O
s O
rough O
tactics O
against O
Russia O
' O
s O
smaller O
neighbours O
has O
damaged O
Moscow O
' O
s O
image O
abroad O
and O
caused O
alarm O
in O
Europe O
about O
what O
the O
European O
Union O
sees O
as O
overreliance O
on O
Russian O
energy O
supplies O
. O

The O
EU O
Commission O
says O
it O
is O
following O
the O
situation O
" O
very O
closely O
" O
and O
has O
called O
for O
a O
rapid O
settlement O
. O

Belarus O
serves O
as O
the O
transit O
point O
for O
roughly O
20 O
percent O
of O
Russian O
gas O
flowing O
to O
Europe O
, O
amounting O
to O
about O
five O
percent O
of O
Europe O
' O
s O
total O
gas O
needs O
. O
The O
other O
80 O
percent O
of O
westward O
Russian O
exports O
are O
piped O
via O
Ukraine O
. O

Ukraine O
announced O
on O
Thursday B-T
its O
readiness O
to O
increase O
the O
transit O
of O
Russian O
gas O
through O
its O
territory O
in O
case O
of O
possible O
disruptions O
on O
the O
Belarus O
route O
. O

" O
We O
could O
increase O
transit O
with O
the O
volume O
needed O
to O
ensure O
stable O
functioning O
of O
the O
economies O
of O
our O
European O
neighbours O
, O
" O
Ukraine O
' O
s O
Energy O
Minister O
Yury O
Boyko O
said O
. O

Currently O
, O
Belarus O
pays O
Gazprom O
46 O
. O
68 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
metres O
of O
gas O
. O

Gazprom O
originally O
demanded O
an O
increase O
to O
200 O
dollars O
, O
which O
is O
closer O
to O
western O
European O
prices O
, O
unless O
Belarus O
agreed O
to O
sell O
50 O
percent O
of O
its O
domestic O
pipeline O
operator O
Beltransgaz O
. O

Gazprom O
has O
since O
reduced O
that O
demand O
to O
105 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
metres O
- O
- O
75 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
metres O
in O
cash O
payments O
, O
plus O
the O
equivalent O
of O
another O
30 O
dollars O
in O
shares O
of O
Beltransgaz O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061216 O
. O
0295 O

GAZA O
CITY O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
toll O
, O
ADDS O
details O
, O
color O
/ O
/ O
/ O

At O
least O
13 O
Palestinians O
were O
wounded O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
as O
supporters O
of O
the O
ruling O
Hamas O
movement O
and O
the O
rival O
Fatah O
faction O
traded O
fire O
during O
protests O
over O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
' O
s O
call O
for O
early O
elections O
, O
medics O
and O
witnesses O
said O
. O

The O
clashes O
followed O
Abbas O
' O
s O
call O
for O
early O
presidential O
and O
parliamentary O
elections O
as O
a O
way O
to O
resolve O
a O
months O
- O
long O
standoff O
with O
the O
ruling O
Hamas O
movement O
, O
which O
has O
left O
the O
Palestinian O
administration O
paralyzed O
and O
broke O
. O

Hamas O
has O
rejected O
Abbas O
' O
s O
call O
for O
elections O
, O
warning O
that O
it O
amounted O
to O
a O
call O
for O
" O
civil O
war O
" O
and O
vowed O
to O
fight O
the O
measure O
by O
bringing O
its O
supporters O
into O
the O
streets O
. O

Thousands O
of O
armed O
Hamas O
and O
Fatah O
supporters O
staged O
competing O
protests O
in O
central O
Gaza O
City O
late B-T
Saturday I-T
. O
Demonstrations O
were O
also O
underway O
in O
the O
south O
and O
the O
north O
of O
the O
coastal O
strip O
. O
Several O
smaller O
protests O
were O
also O
staged O
in O
the O
occupied O
West O
Bank O
. O

" O
Oh O
, O
Abu O
Mazen O
, O
oh O
spy O
! O
" O
chanted O
Hamas O
supporters O
, O
some O
of O
them O
masked O
and O
carrying O
the O
green O
flags O
of O
the O
Islamist O
movement O
and O
portraits O
of O
prime O
minister O
Ismail O
Haniya O
, O
in O
Gaza O
City O
. O
" O
No O
, O
a O
hundred O
times O
not O
to O
early O
elections O
! O
" O

" O
Abu O
Mazen O
' O
s O
call O
is O
a O
provocation O
and O
a O
coup O
d O
' O
etat O
against O
legitimacy O
and O
democracy O
, O
" O
a O
Hamas O
spokesman O
, O
Ismail O
Radwan O
, O
cried O
to O
the O
crowd O
, O
referring O
to O
Abbas O
by O
his O
widely O
- O
used O
monicker O
. O

" O
The O
government O
is O
not O
responsible O
for O
the O
boycott O
" O
of O
the O
international O
community O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
West O
, O
which O
considers O
Hamas O
a O
terrorist O
organization O
, O
froze O
all O
direct O
aid O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
government O
after O
the O
Islamists O
formed O
a O
cabinet O
in O
March B-T
, O
and O
is O
demanding O
that O
the O
movement O
recognize O
Israel O
, O
renounce O
violence O
and O
agree O
to O
past O
peace O
deals O
for O
the O
badly O
- O
needed O
funds O
to O
resume O
. O

" O
We O
will O
neither O
recognize O
Israel O
nor O
the O
( O
peace O
) O
agreements O
, O
" O
Radwan O
cried O
. O
" O
We O
demand O
a O
return O
to O
the O
negotiations O
table O
" O
to O
form O
a O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
. O

In O
calling O
for O
early O
elections O
, O
Abbas O
left O
the O
door O
open O
to O
forming O
a O
coalition O
government O
with O
Hamas O
and O
avoiding O
the O
polls O
. O

Abbas O
' O
s O
call O
came O
after O
a B-T
week I-T
of O
rising O
tensions O
and O
violence O
between O
his O
Fatah O
party O
and O
Hamas O
, O
and O
followed O
the O
collapse O
of O
months O
- O
long O
talks O
on O
forming O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0239 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Greece O
' O
s O
top O
athletes O
sworn O
in O
as O
armed O
forces O
officers O

Greek O
athletes O
, O
who O
finished O
in O
the O
top O
eight O
of O
their O
event O
in O
the O
2004 O
Olympic O
Games O
or O
in O
world O
championships O
, O
were O
sworn O
in O
as O
officers O
of O
the O
three O
branches O
of O
the O
Greek O
Armed O
Forces O
in O
a O
ceremony O
held O
at O
the O
War O
Museum O
amphitheatre O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

An O
honorary O
officer O
' O
s O
post O
and O
salary O
is O
traditionally O
given O
to O
all O
top O
athletes O
that O
get O
medals O
or O
finish O
up O
to O
eighth O
place O
in O
major O
international O
competition O
. O

Attending O
the O
swearing O
- O
in O
ceremony O
were O
Alternate O
Culture O
Minister O
Fani O
Palli O
- O
Petralia O
, O
Deputy O
Defence O
Minister O
Vassilis O
Mihaloliakos O
, O
the O
leadership O
of O
the O
armed O
forces O
and O
friends O
and O
relatives O
of O
the O
athletes O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0096 O

DHAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Countrywide O
hartal O
called O
in O
Bangladesh O
to O
protest O
against O
court O
bombings O

A O
countrywide O
dawn O
- O
to O
- O
dusk O
hartal O
for O
Thursday B-T
was O
called O
in O
Bangladesh O
to O
protest O
against O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
court O
bombings O
simultaneously O
in O
southeastern O
Chittagong O
and O
northeastern O
Gazipur O
by O
Islamic O
militant O
outfit O
, O
killing O
at O
least O
seven O
and O
injuring O
scores O
. O

According O
to O
private O
news O
agency O
UNB O
, O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
Bar O
Association O
( O
SCBA O
) O
, O
led O
by O
its O
President O
Mahbubey O
Alam O
, O
announced O
the O
hartal O
after O
holding O
an O
emergency O
general O
meeting O
at O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
Tuesday B-T
noon O
. O

They O
sought O
support O
of O
all O
classes O
of O
people O
, O
including O
political O
parties O
and O
civil O
society O
, O
to O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
hartal O
. O

A O
suicide O
bomber O
of O
Islamist O
outfit O
Jamaatul O
Mujahideen O
Bangladesh O
( O
JMB O
) O
led O
the O
bomb O
attack O
near O
a O
police O
check O
- O
post O
at O
Chittagong O
court O
building O
at O
about O
9 B-T
: I-T
05 I-T
a O
. O
m O
. O
( O
3 O
: O
05 O
GMT O
) O
Tuesday B-T
, O
killing O
the O
bomber O
and O
two O
policemen O
, O
and O
injuring O
16 O
others O
. O

In O
another O
explosion O
thereafter O
at O
about O
9 B-T
: I-T
45 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( B-T
GMT I-T
3 I-T
: I-T
45 I-T
) O
at O
bar O
library O
on O
the O
Gazipur O
district O
court O
premises O
, O
four O
people O
were O
killed O
on O
the O
spot O
and O
50 O
injured O
. O

One O
of O
the O
four O
dead O
might O
be O
the O
suicide O
bomber O
, O
whose O
body O
was O
wrapped O
up O
with O
wire O
of O
bombs O
. O

Agitated O
lawyers O
of O
different O
district O
bars O
boycotted O
courts O
in O
an O
instant O
protest O
against O
the O
bomb O
attacks O
in O
Chittagong O
and O
Gazipur O
. O

Lawyers O
in O
Dhaka O
, O
Chittagong O
, O
Gazipur O
, O
Sylhet O
and O
other O
districts O
staged O
wildcat O
strike O
through O
boycott O
of O
courts O
and O
brought O
out O
protest O
march O
in O
the O
court O
compounds O
. O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, O
a O
JMB O
suicide O
squad O
bombed O
a O
court O
microbus O
in O
southern O
Jhalakati O
district O
, O
killing O
two O
senior O
assistant O
judges O
. O

Earlier O
, O
the O
activists O
of O
the O
banned O
JMB O
staged O
serial O
bombings O
simultaneously O
at O
court O
and O
government O
establishments O
in O
63 O
district O
headquarters O
on O
Aug B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, O
leaving O
two O
people O
dead O
and O
hundreds O
wounded O
. O

On O
Oct B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, O
court O
bombings O
carried O
out O
by O
the O
militants O
in O
three O
districts O
left O
two O
people O
dead O
. O

For O
last B-T
few I-T
days I-T
, O
the O
JMB O
, O
calling O
for O
establishment O
of O
Islamic O
rule O
replacing O
the O
man O
- O
made O
law O
, O
has O
been O
issuing O
warnings O
to O
judges O
and O
officials O
along O
with O
death O
threats O
if O
they O
failed O
to O
execute O
Islamic O
law O
in O
Bangladesh O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0262 O

PRAGUE O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Czech O
President O
Klaus O
criticises O
British O
EU O
budget O
proposal O

Czech O
President O
Vaclav O
Klaus O
lined O
up O
Tuesday B-T
with O
opponents O
of O
the O
British O
proposal O
for O
a O
European O
Union O
budget O
, O
saying O
that O
it O
had O
been O
drawn O
up O
" O
to O
the O
detriment O
of O
new O
countries O
" O
of O
the O
EU O
. O

" O
The O
main O
thing O
is O
not O
that O
Tony O
Blair O
has O
put O
forward O
a O
proposal O
to O
cut O
the O
budget O
. O
The O
main O
thing O
is O
to O
what O
extent O
this O
share O
out O
of O
the O
budget O
. O
. O
. O
is O
just O
, O
" O
Klaus O
commented O
on O
a O
visit O
to O
Pardubice O
, O
100 O
kilometers O
east O
of O
Prague O
. O

" O
I O
think O
this O
has O
been O
rather O
been O
done O
to O
the O
detriment O
of O
new O
countries O
[ O
of O
the O
EU O
] O
and O
this O
is O
not O
fair O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Klaus O
' O
s O
comments O
are O
much O
more O
critical O
of O
the O
British O
budget O
proposal O
than O
those O
of O
social O
democrat O
prime O
minister O
Jiri O
Paroubek O
. O
Paroubek O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
British O
proposal O
" O
was O
at O
least O
worth O
very O
good O
consideration O
. O
" O

The O
British O
proposal O
includes O
a O
reduced O
EU O
budget O
for O
the O
2007 B-T
- I-T
2013 I-T
period O
with O
a O
cut O
in O
the O
British O
rebate O
accompanied O
by O
a O
reduction O
in O
regional O
aid O
targeted O
at O
new O
member O
states O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0057 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Israeli O
army O
told O
to O
avoid O
' O
unnecessary O
friction O
' O
in O
West O
Bank O

The O
Israeli O
army O
has O
been O
ordered O
to O
avoid O
" O
unneccessary O
friction O
" O
with O
the O
Palestinians O
while O
operating O
in O
the O
occupied O
West O
Bank O
, O
Deputy O
Defense O
Minister O
Ephraim O
Sneh O
said O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
Instructions O
have O
been O
issued O
to O
avoid O
unnecessary O
frictions O
and O
to O
abstain O
from O
actions O
that O
could O
serve O
as O
a O
pretext O
" O
for O
Palestinian O
militants O
to O
break O
a O
tentative O
week O
- O
old O
truce O
between O
the O
Israelis O
and O
Palestinians O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
Sneh O
told O
army O
radio O
. O

Sneh O
said O
" O
the O
army O
has O
not O
always O
paid O
enough O
attention O
to O
avoid O
such O
frictions O
" O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
. O

The O
statement O
came O
after O
15 O
Palestinians O
were O
arrested O
overnight O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
by O
the O
army O
on O
suspicion O
of O
belonging O
to O
armed O
groups O
. O

Five O
people O
, O
including O
a O
15 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
boy O
throwing O
stones O
at O
Israeli O
tanks O
, O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
since O
a O
fragile O
truce O
took O
effect O
between O
armed O
groups O
and O
Israeli O
forces O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
on O
November B-T
26 I-T
. O

Sneh O
said O
the O
overnight O
arrests O
were O
aimed O
at O
preventing O
attacks O
and O
said O
the O
army O
would O
continue O
to O
operate O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
" O
to O
prevent O
suicide O
attacks O
. O
" O

Palestinians O
want O
the O
truce O
to O
be O
extended O
to O
the O
occupied O
West O
Bank O
and O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
the O
al O
- O
Aqsa O
Brigades O
, O
a O
group O
loosely O
affiliated O
with O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
' O
s O
Fatah O
party O
, O
gave O
Israel O
two B-T
weeks I-T
to O
enact O
such O
a O
measure O
or O
risk O
renewed O
rocket O
attacks O
from O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

Under O
the O
terms O
of O
the O
truce O
, O
Israeli O
forces O
withdrew O
from O
Gaza O
and O
militants O
were O
supposed O
to O
stop O
firing O
rockets O
into O
the O
Jewish O
state O
from O
the O
coastal O
strip O
. O

Although O
a O
handful O
of O
such O
rockets O
have O
been O
fired O
since O
in O
violation O
, O
without O
causing O
damage O
or O
casualties O
, O
the O
truce O
has O
held O
. O

On O
Sunday B-T
Israel O
' O
s O
security O
cabinet O
decided O
to O
continue O
a O
policy O
of O
restraint O
in O
the O
face O
of O
the O
violations O
, O
although O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
warned O
that O
the O
policy O
could O
be O
scrapped O
if O
rocket O
fire O
continued O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0349 O

CARACAS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

FIFA O
to O
hold O
S O
. O
America O
soccer O
seminar O

FIFA O
, O
the O
world O
soccer O
ruling O
body O
, O
will O
hold O
a O
seminar O
next B-T
week I-T
to O
educate O
South O
America O
' O
s O
officials O
of O
the O
sport O
about O
how O
to O
use O
funds O
and O
facilities O
properly O
, O
local O
press O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Harold O
Mayne O
Nichols O
, O
the O
official O
representative O
of O
FIFA O
' O
s O
president O
, O
will O
run O
the O
seminar O
in O
Venezuelan O
tourist O
resort O
Margarita O
from O
Tuesday B-T
to O
Wednesday B-T
during O
which O
officials O
from O
across O
South O
America O
will O
be O
taught O
how O
to O
make O
the O
best O
use O
of O
the O
funds O
provided O
for O
financial O
aid O
, O
sports O
facilities O
and O
high O
yielding O
centers O
across O
the O
continent O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
FIFA O
officials O
inspected O
Margarita O
Island O
' O
s O
High O
Yield O
Center O
; O
a O
training O
facility O
for O
the O
Venezuelan O
team O
, O
which O
received O
a O
donation O
from O
FIFA O
' O
s O
Goal O
Project O
funding O
. O

FIFA O
is O
paying O
the O
all O
the O
expenses O
of O
the O
35 O
attendees O
to O
Margarita O
Island O
, O
so O
it O
can O
show O
off O
the O
High O
Yield O
Center O
, O
because O
it O
is O
a O
good O
example O
of O
what O
can O
be O
achieved O
if O
officials O
use O
funds O
properly O
, O
Mayne O
said O
. O

WSJ891031 O
- O
0006 O

= O
891031 O

891031 O
- O
0006 O
. O

International O
Brief O
- O
- O
Ratners O
Group O
PLC O
: O

@ O
British O
Jeweler O
' O
s O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Unit O

@ O
Agrees O
to O
Buy O
Weisfield O
' O
s O

10 B-T
/ I-T
31 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

RATNY O
WEIS O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

Ratners O
Group O
PLC O
' O
s O
U O
. O
S O
. O
subsidiary O
has O
agreed O
to O
acquire O
jewelry O
retailer O
Weisfield O
' O
s O
Inc O
. O
for O
$ O
50 O
a O
share O
, O
or O
about O
$ O
55 O
million O
. O

Weisfield O
' O
s O
shares O
soared O
on O
the O
announcement O
yesterday B-T
, O
closing O
up O
$ O
11 O
to O
close O
at O
$ O
50 O
in O
national O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
trading O
. O

Ratners O
and O
Weisfield O
' O
s O
said O
they O
reached O
an O
agreement O
in O
principle O
for O
the O
acquisition O
of O
Weisfield O
' O
s O
by O
Sterling O
Inc O
. O

The O
companies O
said O
the O
acquisition O
is O
subject O
to O
a O
definitive O
agreement O
. O

They O
said O
they O
expect O
the O
transaction O
to O
be O
completed O
by O
Dec B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
. O

Weisfield O
' O
s O
, O
based O
in O
Seattle O
, O
Wash O
. O
, O
currently O
operates O
87 O
specialty O
jewelry O
stores O
in O
nine O
states O
. O

In O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
ended O
Jan B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, O
the O
company O
reported O
sales O
of O
$ O
59 O
. O
5 O
million O
and O
pretax O
profit O
of O
$ O
2 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

Ratners O
, O
which O
controls O
25 O
% O
of O
the O
British O
jewelry O
market O
, O
would O
increase O
the O
number O
of O
its O
U O
. O
S O
. O
stores O
to O
about O
450 O
stores O
from O
360 O
. O

It O
has O
said O
it O
hopes O
to O
control O
5 O
% O
of O
jewelry O
business O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
by O
1992 B-T
; O
currently B-T
it O
controls O
about O
2 O
% O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0232 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Africa O
buries O
apartheid O
- O
era O
president O
amid O
calls O
for O
burying O
the O
past O

South O
Africa O
on O
Wednesday B-T
held O
a O
high O
- O
profile O
funeral O
for O
late O
P O
. O
W O
. O
Botha O
, O
apartheid O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
last O
hard O
- O
line O
president O
reviled O
for O
his O
regime O
' O
s O
atrocity O
in O
the B-T
1980s I-T
, O
amid O
calls O
for O
burying O
the O
bitter O
past O
for O
national O
reconciliation O
. O

South O
African O
President O
Thabo O
Mbeki O
, O
as O
well O
as O
former O
president O
and O
Nobel O
peace O
prize O
winner O
F O
. O
W O
. O
de O
Klerk O
, O
attended O
a O
public O
memorial O
service O
for O
Botha O
, O
who O
died O
at O
90 B-T
last I-T
week I-T
, O
in O
George O
, O
Western O
Cape O
. O

But O
former O
president O
Nelson O
Mandela O
, O
who O
Botha O
kept O
in O
prison O
despite O
enormous O
international O
pressure O
to O
free O
him O
, O
as O
well O
as O
Archbishop O
Emeritus O
Desmond O
Tutu O
, O
who O
won O
the O
Nobel O
peace O
prize O
for O
his O
contribution O
to O
post O
- O
apartheid O
reconciliation O
, O
were O
unable O
to O
attend O
the O
funeral O
. O

While O
mourners O
including O
a O
cabinet O
minister O
who O
served O
under O
Botha O
were O
packing O
the O
NG O
Mother O
Church O
in O
George O
, O
where O
the O
funeral O
service O
of O
Botha O
was O
held O
, O
a O
group O
of O
protesters O
gathered O
outside O
the O
gates O
of O
the O
church O
, O
the O
South O
African O
Broadcasting O
Corporation O
( O
SABC O
) O
reported O
. O

The O
protesters O
said O
they O
witnessed O
many O
atrocities O
under O
Botha O
' O
s O
rule O
, O
and O
they O
wanted O
to O
make O
sure O
that O
the O
former O
state O
president O
is O
buried O
. O
Security O
around O
the O
church O
remains O
tight O
, O
said O
the O
national O
broadcaster O
. O

Botha O
was O
prime O
minister O
and O
then O
president O
from O
1978 B-T
to O
1989 O
, O
and O
oversaw O
the O
murder O
and O
torture O
of O
thousands O
of O
black O
activists O
, O
army O
crackdowns O
and O
raids O
into O
neighboring O
countries O
that O
backed O
the O
anti O
- O
apartheid O
movement O
. O

His O
death O
opened O
old O
wounds O
in O
South O
Africa O
, O
which O
is O
healing O
from O
the O
brutality O
of O
apartheid O
12 B-T
years I-T
after O
the O
country O
, O
80 O
percent O
of O
whose O
population O
are O
blacks O
, O
held O
the O
first O
democratic O
elections O
. O

However O
, O
politicians O
gave O
him O
some O
credit O
for O
helping O
to O
pave O
the O
way O
for O
multiracial O
democracy O
. O

In O
the B-T
late I-T
1980s O
Botha O
initiated O
secret O
talks O
with O
the O
now B-T
ruling O
African O
National O
Congress O
( O
ANC O
) O
, O
a O
bold O
step O
that O
ultimately O
led O
to O
the O
1994 O
democratic O
elections O
, O
from O
which O
Mandela O
became O
the O
first O
black O
president O
. O

After O
Botha O
' O
s O
death O
, O
the O
government O
had O
ordered O
that O
flags O
at O
state O
institutions O
fly O
at O
half O
mast O
in O
honor O
of O
him O
and O
President O
Mbeki O
had O
offered O
condolences O
to O
his O
family O
. O
These O
were O
seen O
as O
the O
black O
government O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
achieve O
further O
reconciliation O
from O
the O
country O
' O
s O
bitterly O
- O
divided O
past O
but O
it O
has O
also O
caused O
widespread O
resentment O
. O

Nofatu O
Vywer O
, O
a O
protester O
, O
told O
SABC O
that O
Botha O
should O
be O
happy O
that O
he O
died O
of O
natural O
causes O
when O
many O
black O
families O
lost O
their O
loved O
ones O
. O

" O
It O
seems O
it O
' O
s O
the O
best O
day O
for O
us O
because O
some O
families O
don O
' O
t O
have O
their O
families O
because O
of O
this O
big O
crocodile O
, O
" O
Vywer O
said O
. O

However O
, O
inside O
the O
church O
, O
the O
mourners O
were O
told O
that O
South O
Africans O
should O
bury O
the O
past O
to O
move O
towards O
national O
building O
and O
reconciliation O
. O

Jordanian O
Christian O
missionary O
Dr O
. O
Bahjat O
Batarseh O
said O
at O
the O
funeral O
that O
having O
bitterness O
by O
remembering O
the O
past O
all O
the O
time O
was O
" O
like O
a O
worm O
that O
eats O
the O
root O
of O
a O
tree O
and O
then O
the O
tree O
collapses O
, O
" O
according O
to O
the O
SAPA O
news O
agency O
. O

" O
Bury O
the O
past O
or O
the O
past O
will O
bury O
you O
, O
" O
Batarseh O
told O
the O
funeral O
, O
which O
was O
broadcast O
live O
on O
national O
television O
. O

CNN_20130322_1003 O

March B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2013 I-T

New O
York O
man O
admits O
faking O
his O
death O

A O
New O
York O
man O
who O
was O
accused O
of O
faking O
his O
death O
last B-T
summer I-T
pleaded O
guilty O
to O
a O
conspiracy O
charge O
Thursday B-T
, O
Nassau O
County O
District O
Attorney O
Kathleen O
Rice O
announced O
. O

Raymond O
Roth O
, O
48 O
, O
of O
Massapequa O
, O
New O
York O
, O
was O
first O
reported O
missing O
in O
the O
waters O
off O
Jones O
Beach O
late B-T
last I-T
July I-T
by O
his O
22 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
son O
, O
Jonathan O
Roth O
. O
Several B-T
days I-T
into O
an O
extensive O
search O
involving O
multiple O
agencies O
, O
New O
York O
State O
Park O
Police O
said O
, O
authorities O
learned O
the O
missing O
man O
was O
in O
South O
Carolina O
, O
where O
he O
had O
been O
pulled O
over O
for O
speeding O
. O

The B-T
day I-T
before O
Raymond O
Roth O
was O
pulled O
over O
, O
his O
wife O
, O
Evana O
, O
showed O
authorities O
e O
- O
mails O
she O
had O
discovered O
that O
appeared O
to O
detail O
a O
plan O
between O
him O
and O
his O
son O
to O
fake O
his O
death O
. O
Raymond O
Roth O
wanted O
his O
wife O
and O
son O
to O
collect O
at O
least O
$ O
410 O
, O
000 O
in O
life O
insurance O
benefits O
while O
he O
started O
a O
new O
life O
in O
Florida O
, O
Rice O
said O
. O

State O
police O
arrested O
both O
men O
in O
early B-T
August I-T
on O
charges O
of O
insurance O
fraud O
, O
conspiracy O
and O
filing O
a O
false O
report O
. O
Raymond O
Roth O
on O
Thursday B-T
agreed O
to O
plead O
guilty O
to O
the O
conspiracy O
charge O
in O
exchange O
for O
a O
sentence O
of O
90 B-T
days I-T
in O
jail O
and O
five B-T
years I-T
' I-T
probation O
, O
the O
district O
attorney O
' O
s O
office O
said O
. O
He O
also O
must O
pay O
restitution O
for O
the O
cost O
of O
the O
search O
- O
- O
$ O
27 O
, O
445 O
to O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Coast O
Guard O
and O
$ O
9 O
, O
109 O
to O
the O
Nassau O
County O
Police O
Department O
. O

Evana O
Roth O
told O
CNN O
in O
August B-T
she O
thought O
her O
husband O
devised O
the O
plan O
after O
he O
was O
fired O
from O
his O
job O
in O
July B-T
. O
Her O
attorney O
, O
Lenard O
Leeds O
, O
said O
she O
had O
been O
unaware O
of O
the O
ruse O
before O
she O
uncovered O
the O
e O
- O
mail O
correspondence O
. O

" O
There O
needs O
to O
be O
a O
way O
for O
me O
to O
find O
out O
how O
things O
are O
going O
. O
Call O
me O
Sunday B-T
night I-T
at O
8 B-T
PM I-T
at O
the O
resort O
, O
" O
Raymond O
Roth O
wrote O
in O
an O
e O
- O
mail O
to O
his O
son O
the B-T
day I-T
before O
the O
son O
reported O
him O
missing O
. O

The O
son O
' O
s O
case O
is O
still O
pending O
, O
the O
district O
attorney O
said O
. O
Jonathan O
Roth O
' O
s O
attorney O
, O
Joey O
Jackson O
, O
defended O
his O
client O
after O
his O
arrest O
, O
saying O
, O
" O
There O
was O
abuse O
here O
, O
manipulation O
here O
, O
coercion O
here O
" O
from O
the O
father O
. O

Raymond O
Roth O
' O
s O
attorney O
, O
Brian O
Davis O
, O
denied O
in O
August B-T
that O
Roth O
had O
involved O
his O
son O
in O
the O
scheme O
. O

" O
We O
had O
issues O
concerning O
the O
facts O
people O
had O
whether O
( O
Roth O
) O
had O
an O
agreement O
with O
his O
son O
, O
" O
Davis O
told O
CNN O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O
" O
He O
' O
s O
admitted O
it O
now B-T
. O
He O
' O
s O
accepted O
responsibility O
. O
" O

Davis O
added O
that O
his O
client O
has O
been O
under O
treatment O
for O
bipolar O
disorder O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
. O

During O
plea O
negotiations O
, O
Raymond O
Roth O
asked O
the O
district O
attorney O
' O
s O
office O
not O
to O
give O
his O
son O
jail O
time O
, O
Davis O
said O
. O

On O
the O
advice O
of O
both O
their O
attorneys O
, O
father O
and O
son O
have O
not O
been O
in O
contact O
since O
their O
arrests O
, O
Davis O
said O
. O

" O
He O
would O
like O
to O
straighten O
things O
out O
with O
( O
Jonathan O
) O
when O
the O
time O
comes O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0184 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O
Declaration O
calls O
for O
use O
of O
more O
renewable O
energy O

Ministers O
and O
government O
representatives O
from O
78 O
countries O
on O
Tuesday B-T
called O
for O
urgent O
efforts O
to O
increase O
the O
global O
share O
of O
renewable O
energy O
in O
the O
total O
energy O
supply O
. O

They O
made O
the O
call O
in O
the O
Beijing O
Declaration O
on O
Renewable O
Energy O
for O
Sustainable O
Development O
, O
adopted O
at O
the O
conclusion O
of O
the O
Beijing O
International O
Renewable O
Energy O
Conference O
2005 B-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
declaration O
, O
increasing O
energy O
efficiency O
and O
the O
use O
of O
renewables O
boast O
multiple O
benefits O
. O

The O
benefits O
include O
accelerating O
the O
eradication O
of O
poverty O
, O
increasing O
job O
opportunities O
, O
improving O
air O
quality O
and O
public O
health O
, O
reducing O
greenhouse O
gas O
emissions O
, O
combating O
climate O
change O
and O
enhancing O
energy O
security O
. O

The O
declaration O
points O
out O
that O
the O
doubling O
of O
oil O
prices O
in O
less B-T
than I-T
two I-T
years I-T
has O
increased O
the O
economic O
risk O
of O
relying O
primarily O
on O
imported O
energy O
. O

By O
developing O
renewable O
energy O
such O
as O
wind O
power O
, O
hydropower O
and O
solar O
energy O
, O
countries O
can O
create O
diversified O
energy O
portfolios O
that O
are O
less O
vulnerable O
to O
wide O
price O
fluctuations O
. O

The O
document O
says O
that O
the O
participating O
countries O
have O
agreed O
to O
accelerate O
the O
research O
and O
development O
of O
renewable O
energy O
. O
They O
will O
also O
strengthen O
support O
for O
the O
transfer O
of O
technologies O
through O
North O
- O
South O
and O
South O
- O
South O
cooperation O
. O

The O
developing O
countries O
will O
enhance O
capacity O
building O
, O
says O
the O
document O
, O
including O
establishing O
markets O
for O
renewable O
energy O
and O
increasing O
access O
to O
finance O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0458 O

NOORDWIJK O
, O
Netherlands O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

EU O
ministers O
make O
little O
progress O
on O
reform O
by O
Jean O
Burner O

European O
Union O
foreign O
ministers O
made O
little O
progress O
on O
wide O
- O
ranging O
reform O
of O
Europe O
' O
s O
institutions O
during O
a O
two O
- O
day O
meeting O
which O
ended O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
lack O
of O
progress O
prompted O
German O
Foreign O
Minister O
Klaus O
Kinkel O
to O
say O
after O
the O
summit O
that O
there O
were O
" O
plenty O
of O
things O
which O
point O
to O
the O
need O
for O
a O
special O
summit O
on O
reform O
of O
the O
institutions O
" O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
May I-T
. O

Talks O
expected O
to O
take O
place O
in O
Maastricht O
on O
the O
Dutch O
- O
German O
border O
have O
been O
pencilled O
in O
for O
May B-T
23 I-T
. O

They O
would O
be O
aimed O
at O
assessing O
whether O
it O
will O
be O
possible O
to O
reach O
a O
deal O
on O
revamping O
EU O
policies O
and O
institutions O
- O
- O
judged O
vital O
if O
the O
Union O
is O
to O
bring O
in O
up O
to O
10 O
eastern O
European O
countries O
and O
Cyprus O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
decade I-T
- O
- O
in O
time O
for O
the O
Amsterdam O
summit O
on O
June B-T
16 I-T
- I-T
17 I-T
. O

That O
summit O
is O
due O
to O
wind O
- O
up O
the O
work O
of O
the O
long O
- O
running O
Intergovernmental O
Conference O
( O
IGC O
) O
, O
launched O
at O
the O
Turin O
summit O
in O
March B-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
May B-T
meeting O
would O
take O
place O
after O
the O
British O
general O
election O
on O
May B-T
1 I-T
, O
cited O
as O
one O
of O
the O
main O
reasons O
why O
so O
little O
progress O
was O
made O
here O
. O

Ministers O
openly O
admitted O
here O
that O
progress O
in O
the O
negotiations O
was O
proving O
difficult O
because O
of O
the O
uncertainty O
created O
by O
the O
looming O
election O
. O

Britain O
' O
s O
current O
Conservative O
government O
stands O
alone O
among O
the O
15 O
EU O
administrations O
in O
its O
across O
- O
the O
- O
board O
opposition O
to O
any O
reduction O
in O
the O
scope O
of O
national O
vetoes O
in O
policy O
decisions O
. O

It O
is O
also O
isolated O
on O
plans O
to O
transfer O
responsibiilty O
on O
immigration O
, O
asylum O
and O
border O
policies O
and O
the O
fight O
against O
cross O
- O
border O
crime O
from O
national O
capitals O
to O
Brussels O
, O
its O
demands O
for O
the O
power O
of O
the O
European O
Court O
of O
Justice O
to O
be O
curtailed O
and O
in O
its O
fervent O
opposition O
to O
a O
common O
EU O
social O
policy O
. O

EU O
diplomats O
are O
optimistic O
that O
if O
, O
as O
expected O
, O
Labour O
leader O
Tony O
Blair O
triumphs O
on O
May B-T
1 I-T
, O
Britain O
will O
adopt O
a O
more O
flexible O
approach O
. O

But O
while O
Labour O
has O
committed O
itself O
to O
ending O
Britain O
' O
s O
opt O
- O
out O
from O
EU O
social O
policy O
, O
the O
party O
has O
otherwise O
given O
few O
indications O
that O
it O
will O
radically O
change O
Britain O
' O
s O
approach O
to O
Europe O
. O

It O
also O
became O
clear O
here O
that O
Britain O
is O
far O
from O
being O
the O
only O
major O
obstacle O
to O
a O
deal O
being O
concluded O
at O
Amsterdam O
. O

French O
Foreign O
Minister O
Herve O
de O
Charette O
insisted O
that O
Paris O
would O
not O
sign O
up O
for O
a O
new O
treaty O
unless O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
executive O
arm O
, O
the O
commission O
, O
was O
reduced O
from O
20 O
to O
between O
10 B-T
and O
12 O
members O
. O

This O
is O
fiercely O
opposed O
by O
small O
EU O
states O
like O
Ireland O
and O
Luxembourg O
as O
it O
would O
mean O
some O
of O
them O
not O
having O
a O
commissioner O
. O
Although O
commissioners O
are O
supposed O
to O
act O
in O
the O
interests O
of O
Europe O
, O
countries O
regard O
them O
as O
an O
important O
voice O
in O
Brussels O
' O
corridors O
of O
power O
. O

At O
present O
the O
five O
biggest O
countries O
have O
two O
commissioners O
( O
Britain O
, O
France O
, O
Germany O
, O
Italy O
and O
Spain O
) O
and O
the O
other O
10 O
one O
each O
. O

British O
foreign O
office O
minister O
David O
Davies O
said O
the O
big O
countries O
could O
not O
be O
expected O
to O
give O
up O
one O
of O
their O
commissioners O
without O
getting O
something O
in O
return O
. O

" O
It O
is O
not O
just O
for O
large O
countries O
to O
make O
sacrifices O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
If O
Britain O
lost O
a O
commissioner O
it O
would O
expect O
its O
remaining O
representative O
to O
have O
a O
bigger O
say O
in O
decisions O
or O
to O
be O
given O
one O
of O
the O
more O
important O
portfolios O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
If O
we O
give O
up O
a O
commissioner O
that O
has O
to O
be O
reflected O
in O
some O
other O
way O
. O
" O

Britain O
, O
France O
and O
Germany O
also O
want O
voting O
in O
the O
EU O
Council O
of O
Ministers O
reweighted O
to O
bring O
it O
more O
into O
line O
with O
population O
sizes O
. O

Under O
the O
present O
system O
, O
tiny O
Luxembourg O
has O
two O
votes O
for O
a O
population O
of O
400 O
, O
000 O
while O
Germany O
has O
10 O
for O
a O
population O
of O
79 O
million O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0342 O

BRASILIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Brazil O
arrests O
33 O
for O
illegally O
exploiting O
land O
reservations O

Brazil O
' O
s O
Federal O
Police O
arrested O
33 O
people O
in O
a O
joint O
operation O
with O
the O
Environment O
Agency O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
and O
charged O
them O
with O
illegally O
exploiting O
indigenous O
people O
' O
s O
land O
. O

The O
detainees O
had O
taken O
part O
in O
illegal O
logging O
operations O
in O
Brazil O
' O
s O
permanent O
reserves O
, O
and O
had O
occupied O
land O
reserved O
for O
the O
Kayabi O
, O
Mundukuru O
and O
Apiaka O
indigenous O
groups O
in O
the O
east O
- O
central O
state O
of O
Mato O
Grosso O
, O
the O
police O
said O
. O

The O
indigenous O
reserves O
cover O
an O
area O
of O
nearly O
1 O
million O
hectares O
, O
and O
were O
created O
in O
Oct B-T
. I-T
2002 I-T
through O
a O
decree O
from O
the O
Justice O
Ministry O
. O

The O
police O
began O
investigations O
in O
December B-T
2005 I-T
following O
a O
request O
from O
the O
Federal O
Prosecution O
Office O
, O
and O
found O
that O
the O
illegal O
seizure O
of O
indigenous O
reserves O
became O
more O
frequent O
after O
the O
2002 B-T
decree O
. O

Up O
to O
now O
, O
300 O
, O
000 O
square O
km O
of O
indigenous O
reserves O
have O
been O
deforested O
and O
replaced O
by O
agriculture O
and O
cattle O
pastures O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0243 O

JINAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cambodian O
Prime O
Minister O
Hun O
Sen O
visits O
east O
China O

Cambodian O
Prime O
Minister O
Hun O
Sen O
on O
Wednesday B-T
visited O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Shandong O
Province O
. O

He O
said O
it O
is O
great O
to O
pay O
a O
visit O
to O
the O
hometown O
of O
Confucius O
and O
he O
would O
like O
to O
see O
more O
enterprises O
from O
the O
province O
to O
invest O
in O
Cambodia O
. O

Hun O
Sen O
made O
the O
remarks O
in O
a O
meeting O
with O
Zhang O
Gaoli O
, O
head O
of O
the O
Shandong O
provincial O
committee O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
. O

Hun O
Sen O
said O
Shandong O
is O
the O
home O
to O
many O
great O
philosophers O
, O
mentors O
and O
strategists O
in O
ancient O
times O
and O
is O
now B-T
home O
to O
lots O
of O
big O
business O
tycoons O
. O

Cambodia O
is O
looking O
forward O
to O
their O
investment O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Zhang O
said O
Cambodia O
has O
developed O
rapidly O
under O
the O
leadership O
of O
Hun O
Sen O
. O

Hun O
Sen O
visited O
the O
memorial O
temple O
, O
mansion O
and O
cemetery O
of O
Confucius O
in O
Qufu O
, O
a O
central O
city O
in O
Shandong O
and O
an O
agricultural O
hi O
- O
tech O
zone O
in O
Jinan O
, O
capital O
of O
Shandong O
. O

The O
Cambodian O
prime O
minister O
arrived O
in O
Shandong O
on O
Tuesday B-T
after O
a O
commemorative O
summit O
on O
the O
15th O
anniversary O
of O
China O
- O
ASEAN O
dialogue O
relations O
in O
Nanning O
, O
capital O
of O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Guangxi O
Zhuang O
Autonomous O
Region O
. O

He O
will O
leave O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0222 O

HANGZHOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

E O
. O
China O
city O
to O
hold O
5th O
Forum O
on O
China O
Internet O
Media O

The O
fifth O
Forum O
on O
China O
Internet O
Media O
is O
to O
open O
Tuesday B-T
in O
Hangzhou O
, O
capital O
city O
of O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Zhejiang O
province O
, O
involving O
more O
than O
200 O
officials O
and O
experts O
nationwide O
. O

With O
the O
theme O
of O
' O
Internet O
Media O
and O
Harmonious O
Society O
' O
, O
the O
forum O
will O
include O
discussions O
on O
the O
development O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Internet O
media O
, O
next O
- O
generation O
Internet O
technology O
and O
the O
application O
of O
Rich O
Media O
. O

Officials O
and O
experts O
from O
the O
State O
Council O
Information O
Office O
, O
Ministry O
of O
Information O
Industry O
and O
the O
All O
- O
China O
Journalists O
Association O
, O
will O
attend O
the O
three O
- O
day O
forum O
together O
with O
the O
presidents O
of O
state O
- O
owned O
and O
commercial O
Internet O
media O
. O

" O
The O
Internet O
media O
are O
bracing O
for O
the O
second O
surge O
of O
development O
. O
China O
- O
based O
Websites O
can O
only O
outdo O
their O
global O
competitors O
by O
providing O
high O
quality O
services O
, O
" O
said O
Zhou O
Xisheng O
, O
president O
of O
the O
state O
- O
owned O
Xinhua O
Online O
. O

Established O
in O
2001 B-T
, O
the O
annual O
forum O
is O
among O
the O
most O
authoritative O
and O
influential O
activities O
in O
China O
' O
s O
Internet O
media O
industry O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0047 O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Delegation O
of O
Shenzhou O
- O
6 O
space O
mission O
starts O
Macao O
tour O

The O
delegation O
of O
Shenzhou O
- O
6 O
manned O
space O
mission O
arrived O
in O
Macao O
Wednesday B-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
and O
academic O
exchange O
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
Edmund O
Ho O
Hau O
Wah O
, O
chief O
executive O
of O
the O
Macao O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
( O
MSAR O
) O
. O

The O
30 O
- O
strong O
delegation O
, O
including O
taikonauts O
Fei O
Junlong O
and O
Nie O
Haisheng O
, O
disembarked O
the O
ferry O
jetboat O
at O
the O
Macao O
Ferry O
Terminal O
at O
noon O
. O

A O
large O
crowd O
waving O
China O
' O
s O
miniature O
national O
flags O
and O
MSAR O
flags O
welcomed O
the O
space O
heroes O
. O

The O
taikonauts O
smiled O
, O
accepted O
bouquets O
, O
shook O
hands O
with O
fans O
and O
signed O
autographs O
. O

The O
delegation O
was O
greeted O
by O
Wang O
Jinxiang O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Liaison O
Office O
of O
the O
Central O
People O
' O
s O
Government O
in O
the O
MSAR O
and O
Ao O
Man O
Long O
, O
secretary O
for O
transportation O
and O
public O
works O
. O

During O
its O
stay O
, O
the O
delegation O
is O
to O
meet O
local O
students O
, O
give O
lectures O
and O
attend O
a O
grand O
evening O
gala O
hosted O
by O
the O
MSAR O
government O
. O

Fei O
Junlong O
, O
40 O
, O
and O
Nie O
Haisheng O
, O
41 O
, O
went O
into O
space O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
from O
the O
Jiuquan O
Satellite O
Launch O
Center O
and O
returned O
to O
Earth O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
. O
They O
conducted O
a O
series O
of O
unprecedented O
experiments O
on O
the O
spacecraft O
. O

China O
' O
s O
maiden O
space O
flight O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
conducted O
by O
taikonaut O
Yang O
Liwei O
, O
made O
the O
nation O
the O
third O
to O
put O
human O
into O
space O
following O
Russia O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0108 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Colombo O
stocks O
close O
down O

Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Colombo O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
down O
Thursday B-T
with O
the O
key O
Colombo O
All O
Share O
Price O
Index O
moving O
down O
18 O
. O
12 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
2438 O
. O
67 O
points O
. O

On O
the O
other O
hand O
, O
the O
highly O
capitalized O
Milanka O
Price O
Index O
lost O
37 O
. O
17 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
3199 O
. O
05 O
points O
. O

A O
total O
turnover O
of O
223 O
million O
rupee O
( O
2 O
. O
23 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
was O
recorded O
during O
the B-T
day I-T
with O
a O
volume O
of O
9 O
. O
82 O
million O
shares O
being O
traded O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061217 O
. O
0397 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Polonium O
that O
killed O
Litvinenko O
cost O
10 O
million O
dollars O
: O
report O

British O
detectives O
believe O
that O
the O
radioactive O
substance O
used O
to O
kill O
former O
Russian O
spy O
Alexander O
Litvinenko O
cost O
in O
excess O
of O
10 O
million O
dollars O
( O
7 O
. O
6 O
million O
euros O
) O
, O
The O
Times O
reported O
in O
an O
early O
edition O
of O
its O
Monday B-T
newspaper O
. O

According O
to O
the O
newspaper O
, O
preliminary O
results O
from O
the O
post O
- O
mortem O
on O
Litvinenko O
' O
s O
body O
have O
shown O
that O
he O
was O
given O
more O
than O
ten O
times O
the O
lethal O
dose O
of O
polonium O
- O
210 O
, O
large O
quantities O
of O
which O
were O
found O
in O
his O
urine O
. O

Litvinenko O
fell O
ill O
on O
November B-T
1 I-T
, O
and O
died O
on O
November B-T
23 I-T
. O
Several O
of O
his O
friends O
have O
blamed O
the O
Kremlin O
for O
the O
murder O
, O
but O
Russia O
has O
repeatedly O
denied O
that O
it O
had O
any O
involvement O
in O
the O
ex O
- O
spy O
' O
s O
death O
. O

" O
You O
can O
' O
t O
buy O
this O
much O
off O
the O
internet O
or O
steal O
it O
from O
a O
laboratory O
without O
raising O
an O
alarm O
so O
the O
only O
two O
plausible O
explanations O
for O
the O
source O
are O
that O
it O
was O
obtained O
from O
a O
nuclear O
reactor O
or O
very O
well O
connected O
black O
market O
smugglers O
, O
" O
an O
unidentified O
British O
security O
source O
told O
the O
daily O
. O

United O
Nuclear O
Scientific O
Supplies O
, O
based O
in O
New O
Mexico O
and O
one O
of O
the O
few O
companies O
allowed O
to O
sell O
polonium O
- O
210 O
over O
the O
Internet O
, O
told O
The O
Times O
that O
it O
would O
take O
at O
least O
15 O
, O
000 O
units O
of O
the O
isotope O
to O
kill O
someone O
. O

With O
each O
unit O
costing O
69 O
dollars O
, O
that O
would O
mean O
that O
it O
would O
cost O
more O
than O
10 O
million O
dollars O
to O
deliver O
the O
fatal O
dose O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

The O
Times O
also O
said O
that O
British O
detectives O
currently O
in O
Moscow O
continuing O
their O
investigation O
are O
due O
to O
return O
to O
Britain O
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
week I-T
. O

According O
to O
The O
Times O
, O
citing O
unnamed O
security O
sources O
, O
Russian O
officials O
refused O
to O
ask O
questions O
of O
Andrei O
Lugovoi O
and O
Dmitri O
Kovtun O
- O
- O
both O
of O
whom O
met O
with O
Litvinenko O
on O
the O
day B-T
he O
fell O
ill O
- O
- O
which O
British O
detectives O
wanted O
answered O
. O

They O
have O
not O
complained O
publicly O
, O
the O
newspaper O
added O
, O
because O
of O
the O
importance O
of O
the O
case O
to O
diplomatic O
relations O
between O
Britain O
and O
Russia O
. O

When O
contacted O
by O
AFP O
, O
a O
spokeswoman O
for O
London O
' O
s O
Metropolitan O
Police O
declined O
to O
comment O
on O
the O
investigation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0281 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Merkel O
says O
Germany O
still O
stands O
by O
EU O
constitution O

New O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
her O
country O
still O
stands O
by O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
constitution O
after O
the O
charter O
was O
turned O
down O
by O
France O
and O
the O
Netherlands O
in O
referendums O
. O

" O
We O
stand O
by O
the O
constitution O
. O
The O
pause O
for O
reflection O
is O
not O
an O
excuse O
for O
putting O
it O
aside O
, O
" O
Merkel O
, O
who O
is O
in O
Brussels O
for O
a O
get O
- O
to O
- O
know O
- O
each O
- O
other O
tour O
, O
told O
reporters O
after O
brief O
talks O
with O
European O
Commission O
President O
Jose O
Manuel O
Barroso O
. O

She O
refused O
to O
take O
a O
stand O
on O
whether O
Britain O
should O
give O
up O
its O
annual O
rebate O
from O
the O
coffers O
of O
the O
EU O
, O
a O
focal O
issue O
blocking O
a O
long O
- O
term O
budget O
for O
the O
25 O
- O
nation O
bloc O
. O

Asked O
what O
message O
she O
would O
send O
to O
Britain O
, O
who O
hold O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
rotating O
presidency O
, O
during O
her O
trip O
to O
London O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
Merkel O
said O
the O
rebate O
issue O
should O
be O
addressed O
together O
with O
other O
outstanding O
issues O
. O

" O
We O
need O
to O
address O
concerns O
of O
everybody O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
My O
message O
will O
be O
I O
support O
an O
economically O
strong O
Europe O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

Merkel O
pledged O
support O
for O
the O
work O
of O
the O
EU O
. O
She O
said O
her O
visit O
to O
Brussels O
is O
a O
signal O
of O
the O
German O
federal O
government O
to O
support O
European O
integration O
. O
" O
Whatever O
I O
can O
do O
, O
I O
will O
do O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

But O
she O
stressed O
that O
Europe O
needs O
economic O
reforms O
to O
keep O
itself O
competitive O
in O
a O
globalized O
world O
. O

Barroso O
pledged O
to O
work O
closely O
with O
Merkel O
. O
" O
Europe O
needs O
a O
strong O
Germany O
, O
and O
we O
can O
do O
a O
lot O
for O
Europe O
together O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Barroso O
also O
expressed O
the O
hope O
that O
Merkel O
can O
help O
persuade O
Britain O
in O
striking O
a O
deal O
on O
pricky O
issues O
like O
the O
2007 O
- O
13 O
EU O
budget O
. O

" O
In O
the O
coming B-T
weeks I-T
, O
we O
will O
be O
discussing O
the O
financial O
perspective O
( O
the O
budget O
) O
. O
. O
. O
The O
commitment O
and O
determination O
of O
the O
chancellor O
will O
help O
us O
convince O
the O
( O
EU O
) O
presidency O
, O
" O
said O
Barroso O
in O
German O
. O

He O
asked O
Britain O
to O
act O
, O
saying O
the O
key O
to O
many O
issues O
is O
in O
the O
hands O
of O
Britain O
. O
" O
There O
is O
a O
special O
responsibility O
for O
our O
UK O
friends O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

At O
an O
EU O
foreign O
ministers O
' O
meeting O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
British O
Foreign O
Secretary O
Jack O
Straw O
said O
his O
country O
would O
present O
budget O
proposals O
shortly O
before O
an O
informal O
foreign O
ministers O
' O
meeting O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
. O
The O
last O
chance O
for O
a O
deal O
during O
Britain O
' O
s O
EU O
presidency O
would O
be O
the O
mid O
- O
December O
EU O
summit O
in O
Brussels O
. O

Budget O
talks O
are O
stuck O
as O
Britain O
conditions O
the O
cancellation O
of O
its O
annual O
rebate O
on O
something O
France O
is O
vehemently O
against O
- O
- O
cuts O
in O
EU O
' O
s O
spending O
on O
farm O
subsidies O
, O
of O
which O
France O
is O
a O
major O
beneficiary O
. O

Merkel O
, O
as O
his O
predecessors O
, O
Gerhard O
Schroeder O
and O
Helmut O
Kohl O
, O
chose O
France O
as O
destination O
of O
her O
first O
foreign O
trip O
, O
obviously O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
emphasize O
the O
special O
ties O
between O
the O
two O
European O
giants O
. O

In O
Brussels O
, O
before O
her O
meeting O
with O
Barroso O
, O
he O
visited O
the O
NATO O
headquarters O
and O
met O
NATO O
Secretary O
General O
Jaap O
de O
Hoop O
Scheffer O
as O
well O
as O
European O
Parliament O
President O
Josep O
Borrell O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0088 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hong O
Kong O
shares O
close O
almost O
flat O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
3 O

Hong O
Kong O
shares O
closed O
almost O
steady O
Thursday B-T
with O
blue O
- O
chip O
Hang O
Seng O
Index O
edged O
up O
4 O
. O
11 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
03 O
percent O
, O
to O
14601 O
. O
59 O
after O
trading O
between O
14546 O
. O
88 O
and O
14649 O
. O
86 O
during O
the O
session O
. O

Turnover O
totaled O
14 O
. O
94 O
billion O
HK O
dollars O
, O
little O
changed O
from O
15 O
. O
02 O
billion O
HK O
dollars O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
HSI O
Property O
Index O
fell O
0 O
. O
4 O
percent O
Thursday B-T
to O
17 O
, O
707 O
. O
61 O
. O
New O
World O
Development O
dropped O
1 O
percent O
to O
9 O
. O
65 O
HK O
dollars O
, O
Cheung O
Kong O
fell O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
to O
81 O
. O
75 O
HK O
dollars O
and O
Sino O
Land O
slipped O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
8 O
. O
60 O
HK O
dollars O
. O

In O
contrast O
, O
HSBC O
gained O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
122 O
. O
40 O
HK O
dollars O
and O
Hang O
Seng O
Bank O
rose O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
to O
101 O
. O
70 O
HK O
dollars O
, O

PC O
maker O
Lenovo O
was O
the O
day O
' O
s O
biggest O
blue O
- O
chip O
decliner O
, O
slumping O
4 O
. O
9 O
percent O
to O
3 O
. O
40 O
HK O
dollars O
on O
profit O
- O
taking O
and O
disappointment O
after O
the O
company O
said O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
its O
gross O
margins O
declined O
in O
its O
fiscal B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0239 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

English O
Premiership O
results O

English O
Premiership O
results O
on O
Tuesday B-T
: I-T

Chelsea B-T
2 I-T
( I-T
Drogba I-T
38 I-T
, I-T
72 I-T
) O
Reading O
2 O
( O
Lita O
67 O
, O
Essien O
85 O
- O
og O
) O

Tottenham O
2 O
( O
Defoe O
58 O
, O
77 O
) O
Aston O
Villa O
1 O
( O
Barry O
81 O
) O

West O
Ham O
1 O
( O
Sheringham O
81 O
) O
Portsmouth O
2 O
( O
Primus O
16 O
, O
38 O
) O

Playing O
later O
( O
1500 O
GMT O
unless O
stated O
) O

Manchester O
United O
v O
Wigan O
Athletic O

Everton O
v O
Middlesbrough O

Blackburn O
v O
Liverpool O

Bolton O
v O
Newcastle O

Sheffield O
United O
v O
Manchester O
City O

Watford O
v O
Arsenal O
( O
1730 O
) O

Wednesday O

Charlton O
v O
Fulham O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0165 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Africa O
' O
s O
private O
equity O
funds O
drop O
in O
2005 O

Africa O
' O
s O
private O
equity O
funds O
drop O
in O
2005 B-T

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov O
. O
3 O
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Total O
amounts O
of O
private O
equity O
funds O
raised O
in O
Africa O
and O
overall O
private O
equity O
investments O
on O
the O
continent O
both O
declined O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
The O
Post O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
Zambian O
newspaper O
quoted O
the O
African O
Venture O
Capital O
Association O
( O
AVCA O
) O
as O
reporting O
the O
amount O
of O
private O
equity O
funds O
dropped O
to O
557 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
from O
971 O
. O
8 O
million O
dollars O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

The O
level O
of O
overall O
private O
equity O
investment O
in O
Africa O
fell O
by O
27 O
percent O
to O
948 O
. O
3 O
million O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

South O
Africa O
recorded O
the O
highest O
level O
of O
investment O
activity O
accounting O
for O
81 O
. O
6 O
percent O
of O
the O
total O
volume O
of O
investment O
. O

Almost O
two O
thirds O
of O
funds O
raised O
were O
for O
later O
stage O
investment O
. O
Later O
stage O
funds O
raised O
352 O
. O
1 O
million O
dollars O
representing O
63 O
. O
2 O
percent O
of O
total O
funds O
raised O
in O
Africa O
, O
and O
early O
stage O
funds O
saw O
a O
significant O
decline O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

Commenting O
on O
the O
research O
, O
Barbara O
James O
, O
AVCA O
managing O
director O
, O
said O
" O
whilst O
early O
stage O
investment O
has O
dominated O
the O
volume O
of O
investment O
activity O
in O
Africa O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
the O
amount O
of O
funds O
raised O
to O
focus O
on O
early O
stage O
has O
declined O
significantly O
. O
This O
highlights O
a O
growing O
funding O
gap O
, O
which O
we O
believe O
needs O
to O
be O
addressed O
to O
help O
sustain O
economic O
improvement O
in O
Africa O
. O
" O

Excluding O
South O
Africa O
, O
the O
total O
value O
of O
private O
equity O
investment O
in O
Africa O
increased O
by O
50 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
174 O
. O
6 O
million O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0054 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Food O
for O
India O
' O
s O
poor O
fed O
to O
cows O
: O
report O

A O
retired O
Indian O
police O
officer O
has O
been O
caught O
feeding O
free O
food O
provided O
by O
the O
government O
for O
the O
rural O
poor O
to O
his O
cows O
, O
a O
newspaper O
reported O
Monday B-T
. O

Government O
officials O
in O
the O
eastern O
state O
of O
Bihar O
made O
the O
discovery O
when O
they O
paid O
a O
surprise O
visit O
to O
the O
officer O
' O
s O
village O
, O
The O
Statesman O
said O
. O

Lakhan O
Lal O
Mishra O
, O
a O
voluntary O
activist O
, O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
food O
intended O
for O
village O
children O
and O
pregnant O
women O
was O
being O
sold O
illegally O
. O

" O
We O
do O
not O
like O
this O
kind O
of O
misuse O
, O
" O
one O
official O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0687 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Quake O
jolts O
southern O
Japan O

A O
fairly O
strong O
earthquake O
measuring O
4 O
. O
9 O
on O
the O
Richter O
scale O
rocked O
southern O
Japan O
Saturday B-T
, O
the O
meteorological O
agency O
said O
. O

There O
were O
no O
immediate O
reports O
of O
casualties O
or O
damage O
. O

An O
agency O
official O
said O
the O
quake O
, O
which O
struck O
at O
1 O
: O
24 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
0424 O
GMT O
) O
, O
was O
believed O
to O
be O
an O
aftershock O
of O
a O
strong O
quake O
on O
March B-T
26 I-T
, O
which O
had O
a O
magnitude O
of O
6 O
. O
2 O
, O
injured O
at O
least O
20 O
people O
and O
caused O
landslides O
. O

The O
epicenter O
of O
the O
quake O
was O
located O
in O
Kagoshima O
prefecture O
, O
the O
agency O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0115 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

parliamentary O
guests O

Xu O
Jialu O
, O
vice O
- O
chairman O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
China O
' O
s O
National O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
( O
NPC O
) O
, O
met O
here O
Tuesday B-T
separately O
with O
Belgian O
Defence O
Minister O
Andre O
Flahaut O
and O
his O
party O
, O
and O
a O
delegation O
of O
Secretary O
Generals O
of O
Party O
Groups O
in O
European O
Parliament O
led O
by O
Vula O
Tsetsi O
. O

The O
two O
groups O
of O
guests O
are O
invited O
by O
the O
Chinese O
Ministry O
of O
National O
Defense O
, O
and O
the O
International O
Department O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
Central O
Committee O
, O
respectively O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0386 O

KHARTOUM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

regular O
meetings O

The O
Conference O
of O
Sino O
- O
Arab O
Friendship O
concluded O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
with O
a O
decision O
of O
holding O
regular O
meetings O
on O
the O
Chinese O
- O
Arab O
relations O
every B-T
two I-T
years I-T
, O
the O
final O
communique O
of O
the O
conference O
said O
. O

The O
communique O
also O
announced O
the O
establishment O
of O
the O
permanent O
secretariat O
of O
the O
Sino O
- O
Arab O
Friendship O
Conference O
in O
Khartoum O
under O
the O
sponsorship O
of O
the O
Arab O
League O
. O

Ahammed O
Abdul O
Rahman O
, O
Secretary O
General O
of O
the O
Sudanese O
Association O
of O
World O
Peoples O
' O
Friendship O
, O
hailed O
the O
conference O
' O
s O
decision O
of O
selecting O
Khartoum O
as O
the O
location O
of O
its O
permanent O
secretariat O
, O
describing O
the O
decision O
as O
" O
the O
pride O
of O
Sudan O
" O
. O

This O
year O
' O
s O
conference O
also O
called O
for O
exchanging O
visits O
, O
holding O
exhibitions O
, O
conducting O
dialogue O
between O
China O
and O
the O
Arab O
countries O
and O
establishing O
sister O
twinship O
between O
the O
Chinese O
and O
Arab O
cities O
, O
universities O
and O
regions O
. O

The O
next O
Sino O
- O
Arab O
Friendship O
Conference O
will O
be O
held O
in O
Syria O
, O
according O
to O
the O
communique O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0243 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Manila O
confirms O
Chinese O
frigates O
in O
Spratlys O

Three O
Chinese O
warships O
have O
entered O
territory O
claimed O
by O
the O
Philippines O
in O
the O
Spratly O
islands O
and O
Manila O
will O
file O
a O
diplomatic O
protest O
to O
Beijing O
, O
Press O
Secretary O
Hector O
Villanueva O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Armed O
forces O
chief O
General O
Arnulfo O
Acedera O
has O
reported O
to O
President O
Fidel O
Ramos O
that O
the O
warships O
were O
monitored O
near O
two O
South O
China O
Sea O
islands O
, O
he O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

China O
and O
the O
Philippine O
are O
among O
six O
countries O
which O
claim O
all O
or O
part O
of O
the O
Spratlys O
, O
which O
are O
believed O
to O
sit O
atop O
oil O
deposits O
and O
command O
strategic O
shipping O
lanes O
. O

Acedera O
said O
a O
military O
reconaissance O
plane O
monitored O
the O
three O
Chinese O
frigates O
" O
in O
the O
immediate O
vicinity O
" O
of O
Kota O
and O
Panata O
islands O
, O
which O
are O
among O
eight O
islands O
occupied O
by O
Filipino O
troops O
in O
the O
South O
China O
Sea O
chain O
. O

Villanueva O
said O
the O
frigate O
- O
type O
vessels O
, O
armed O
with O
deck O
guns O
, O
were O
sighted O
on O
April B-T
25 I-T
. O
The O
plane O
also O
discovered O
a O
" O
new O
hut O
- O
like O
structure O
" O
built O
on O
a O
reef O
six O
miles O
northeast O
of O
Kota O
island O
. O

He O
did O
not O
say O
if O
this O
structure O
was O
manned O
by O
Chinese O
troops O
. O

One O
of O
the O
vessels O
as O
" O
positively O
identified O
" O
as O
belonging O
to O
the O
Shuguang O
04 O
class O
with O
bow O
number O
427 O
. O
It O
was O
" O
observed O
to O
be O
accompanied O
by O
two O
small O
fishing O
boats O
and O
was O
towing O
two O
other O
boats O
, O
" O
Villanueva O
said O
. O

Another O
vessel O
, O
with O
bow O
number O
420 O
, O
was O
identified O
as O
belonging O
to O
the O
Hai O
class O
, O
Villanueva O
said O
but O
did O
not O
give O
a O
description O
of O
the O
third O
vessel O
. O

" O
The O
Department O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
is O
sending O
a O
diplomatic O
protest O
to O
its O
counterpart O
in O
Beijing O
and O
will O
inform O
its O
ASEAN O
counterparts O
of O
these O
developments O
, O
" O
Villanueva O
said O
. O

The O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
Nations O
( O
ASEAN O
) O
groups O
Brunei O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Singapore O
, O
Thailand O
and O
Vietnam O
. O
All O
but O
Indonesia O
, O
Singapore O
and O
Thailand O
are O
Spratly O
claimants O
. O
Taiwan O
also O
is O
a O
claimant O
. O

Villanueva O
said O
Acedera O
has O
instructed O
the O
commander O
of O
the O
Western O
Command O
which O
covers O
the O
Spratlys O
" O
to O
undertake O
continous O
surveillance O
of O
the O
area O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0309 O

KUWAIT O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Kuwait O
congratulates O
Margaret O
Chan O
nominated O
as O
next O
WHO O
chief O

A O
senior O
Kuwaiti O
official O
congratulated O
on O
Wednesday B-T
the O
nomination O
of O
Dr O
. O
Margaret O
Chan O
, O
former O
health O
chief O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Hong O
Kong O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
, O
by O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
as O
the O
next O
director O
- O
general O
. O

Dharar O
Abdul O
- O
Razzak O
Razzooqi O
, O
head O
of O
the O
Kuwait O
mission O
to O
the O
United O
Nations O
in O
Geneva O
, O
told O
Kuwait O
News O
Agency O
( O
KUNA O
) O
that O
his O
country O
would O
support O
the O
work O
of O
Dr O
. O
Chan O
so O
that O
she O
could O
successfully O
fulfill O
her O
mandate O
. O

Kazem O
Behbehani O
, O
a O
senior O
WHO O
official O
from O
Kuwait O
, O
also O
became O
one O
of O
the O
five O
finalists O
to O
run O
for O
the O
nomination O
, O
but O
he O
was O
eliminated O
in O
an O
earlier O
voting O
by O
the O
UN O
agency O
' O
s O
decision O
- O
making O
body O
Executive O
Board O
. O

" O
Though O
Dr O
. O
Behbehani O
did O
not O
come O
out O
as O
a O
winner O
in O
the O
final O
race O
, O
he O
had O
solicited O
the O
support O
of O
28 O
countries O
out O
of O
34 O
when O
the O
short O
list O
was O
chosen O
on O
Monday B-T
" O
, O
Razzooqi O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

Margaret O
Chan O
' O
s O
nomination O
on O
Wednesday B-T
came O
after O
four O
rounds O
of O
secret O
balloting O
by O
the O
UN O
agency O
' O
s O
34 O
- O
nation O
Executive O
Board O
, O
during O
which O
four O
other O
heavyweight O
competitors O
were O
eliminated O
. O

Chan O
, O
59 O
, O
joined O
the O
WHO O
in O
2003 B-T
and O
has O
since O
been O
the O
agency O
' O
s O
top O
official O
for O
pandemic O
influenza O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
assistant O
director O
- O
general O
for O
communicable O
diseases O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0453 O

SANYA O
, O
China O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

Iceland O
' O
s O
Unnur O
Birna O
Vilhjalmsdottir O
began O
her O
year O
- O
long O
reign O
as O
Miss O
World O
2005 O
on O
Sunday B-T
after O
beating O
101 O
other O
girls O
in O
a O
global O
pageant O
staged O
in O
this O
sleepy O
resort O
town O
. O

The O
21 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Reykjavik O
student O
and O
daughter O
of O
Miss O
Iceland O
1983 O
expressed O
delight O
and O
astonishment O
at O
winning O
the O
title O
and O
thanked O
her O
mother O
for O
her O
advice O
. O

" O
It O
came O
as O
a O
big O
shock O
but O
the O
feeling O
is O
incredible O
- O
- O
I O
am O
numb O
, O
" O
said O
the O
green O
- O
eyed O
brunette O
. O
" O
I O
did O
not O
hear O
my O
name O
at O
first O
. O
I O
just O
heard O
it O
echo O
around O
the O
room O
. O
I O
only O
knew O
it O
was O
me O
because O
nobody O
else O
moved O
. O

" O
My O
mum O
gave O
me O
some O
advice O
for O
how O
to O
behave O
, O
and O
it O
seems O
to O
have O
worked O
, O
" O
Vilhjalmsdottir O
said O
. O
" O
She O
told O
me O
to O
be O
myself O
, O
not O
be O
fake O
in O
any O
way O
, O
and O
to O
relax O
. O
I O
am O
so O
pleased O
that O
she O
was O
able O
to O
be O
here O
to O
see O
me O
win O
the O
title O
. O
" O

Vilhjalmsdottir O
will O
serve O
as O
a O
goodwill O
ambassador O
and O
charity O
fund O
- O
raiser O
for O
children O
' O
s O
causes O
throughout O
next B-T
year I-T
and O
is O
likely O
to O
profit O
from O
a O
host O
of O
modelling O
and O
acting O
contracts O
. O

Organisers O
said O
Saturday B-T
night O
' O
s O
pageant O
, O
in O
its O
55th O
edition O
, O
reached O
an O
estimated O
audience O
of O
two O
billion O
. O

Runner O
- O
up O
was O
Miss O
Mexico O
Dafne O
Molina O
Lona O
, O
representing O
the O
Americas O
, O
while O
the O
third O
place O
went O
to O
Miss O
Puerto O
Rico O
Ingrid O
Marie O
Rivera O
Santos O
, O
representing O
the O
Caribbean O
zone O
. O

Vilhjalmsdottir O
' O
mother O
Unnur O
Steinsson O
represented O
Iceland O
in O
1983 B-T
and O
came O
in O
the O
top O
five O
in O
the O
global O
contest O
. O

" O
I O
am O
just O
speechless O
, O
" O
Steinsson O
said O
. O
" O
There O
are O
simply O
no O
words O
to O
describe O
my O
feelings O
right O
now B-T
. O
I O
am O
now O
totally O
beside O
myself O
with O
joy O
to O
see O
her O
as O
Miss O
World O
. O
" O

Vilhjalmsdottir O
is O
a O
student O
from O
Reykjavik O
who O
has O
interned O
as O
a O
policewoman O
during O
her O
summer O
holidays O
while O
studying O
anthropology O
and O
aspiring O
toward O
a O
career O
in O
law O
. O

Winning O
the O
coveted O
title O
is O
likely O
to O
change O
her O
life O
, O
as O
she O
embarks O
on O
a O
rigorous B-T
year I-T
of O
charity O
appearances O
and O
advocating O
humanitarian O
causes O
. O

" O
In O
the B-T
coming I-T
year I-T
I O
want O
to O
do O
just O
as O
much O
as O
I O
can O
to O
help O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
I O
would O
love O
to O
do O
what O
I O
can O
do O
for O
charity O
and O
for O
the O
children O
of O
the O
world O
. O
" O

Vilhjalmsdottir O
beat O
finalists O
from O
six O
zones O
, O
including O
Miss O
Italy O
Sofia O
Bruscoli O
, O
awarded O
the O
title O
of O
Miss O
South O
Europe O
, O
Miss O
Tanzania O
Nancy O
Abraham O
Sumary O
, O
who O
was O
named O
Miss O
Africa O
, O
and O
Miss O
Korea O
Eun O
- O
Young O
Oh O
, O
who O
was O
crowned O
Miss O
Asia O
Pacific O
. O

The O
cherished O
title O
" O
Beauty O
With O
A O
Purpose O
" O
also O
went O
to O
Miss O
Korea O
, O
an O
award O
commemorating O
her O
humanitarian O
fund O
- O
raising O
and O
charity O
work O
. O

Miss O
Russia O
Yulia O
Ivanova O
won O
the O
bathing O
suit O
section O
, O
while O
Miss O
America O
Virgin O
Islands O
Kmisha O
- O
Victoria O
Counts O
won O
the O
talent O
contest O
with O
her O
soul O
singing O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
, O
for O
the O
first O
time O
, O
all O
nine O
judges O
were O
former O
Miss O
World O
title O
holders O
, O
including O
Miss O
World O
1953 O
Denise O
Perrier O
Lanfranchi O
of O
France O
. O

Vilhjalmsdottir O
takes O
over O
from O
Maria O
Julia O
Mantilla O
Garcia O
, O
who O
in O
a B-T
year I-T
of O
globetrotting O
visited O
tsunami O
- O
hit O
Banda O
Aceh O
in O
Indonesia O
as O
well O
as O
Russia O
, O
Tibet O
and O
her O
native O
Peru O
, O
where O
she O
worked O
to O
improve O
children O
' O
s O
education O
. O

Sanya O
, O
a O
quiet O
tropical O
resort O
on O
the O
southern O
tip O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Hainan O
Island O
began O
holding O
the O
Miss O
World O
Pageant O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

The O
venue O
of O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
contest O
has O
not O
yet O
been O
announced O
, O
but O
hopes O
here O
are O
that O
the O
event O
returns O
to O
this O
tropical O
island O
that O
is O
set O
to O
become O
booming O
China O
' O
s O
top O
vacation O
spot O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0154 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

ban O
lifted O

Thailand O
' O
s O
national O
security O
will O
remain O
under O
close O
surveillance O
following O
the O
revocation O
of O
the O
ban O
on O
political O
gatherings O
, O
Supreme O
Commander O
Boonsang O
Niempradit O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
agencies O
responsible O
for O
security O
will O
continue O
to O
monitor O
the O
national O
situation O
closely O
because O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
returning O
to O
stability O
will O
be O
the O
major O
reason O
the O
Council O
for O
National O
Security O
( O
CNS O
) O
to O
consider O
lifting O
martial O
law O
, O
the O
next O
move O
after O
agreeing O
to O
the O
proposed O
lifting O
of O
the O
ban O
on O
political O
gatherings O
. O

The O
CNS O
and O
the O
interim O
government O
it O
installed O
revoked O
the O
No O
. O
7 O
Announcement O
issued O
on O
September B-T
20 I-T
by O
the O
military O
Council O
for O
Democratic O
Reform O
( O
CDR O
) O
, O
now B-T
known O
as O
the O
CNS O
, O
which O
prohibited O
gatherings O
of O
over O
five O
people O
for O
political O
purposes O
. O
The O
National O
Legislative O
Assembly O
( O
NLA O
) O
unanimously O
voted O
to O
endorse O
lifting O
the O
ban O
when O
it O
convened O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
supreme O
commander O
conceded O
that O
he O
was O
concerned O
over O
the O
national O
security O
after O
the O
political O
gatherings O
ban O
was O
lifted O
. O

" O
Regarding O
the O
security O
issue O
, O
I O
must O
take O
care O
of O
it O
all O
the O
time O
. O
No O
matter O
in O
the O
past O
or O
present O
we O
can O
' O
t O
forget O
about O
security O
, O
" O
Boonsang O
said O
. O
" O
National O
security O
is O
the O
same O
as O
oxygen O
. O
When O
we O
' O
re O
well O
, O
we O
don O
' O
t O
think O
about O
it O
. O
But O
when O
we O
have O
trouble O
or O
lack O
oxygen O
, O
we O
realize O
that O
we O
badly O
need O
it O
. O
" O

As O
for O
the O
lifting O
of O
martial O
law O
imposed O
throughout O
the O
kingdom O
since O
the O
September B-T
19 I-T
coup O
, O
Boonsang O
said O
he O
could O
not O
give O
a O
specific O
time O
when O
it O
will O
be O
revoked O
since O
the O
matter O
must O
be O
discussed O
and O
decided O
by O
various O
parties O
. O

NLA O
Speaker O
Meechai O
Ruchuphan O
said O
that O
although O
the O
CDR O
Order O
No O
. O
7 O
has O
been O
revoked O
, O
political O
parties O
remain O
unable O
to O
perform O
their O
political O
activities O
because O
other O
two O
relevant O
announcements O
also O
issued O
by O
CDR O
, O
namely O
Orders O
No O
. O
15 O
, O
and O
No O
. O
27 O
prohibiting O
political O
parties O
' O
political O
activities O
remain O
in O
effect O
. O

" O
The O
revocation O
of O
the O
Order O
No O
. O
7 O
will O
allow O
only O
the O
general O
public O
to O
gather O
or O
talk O
politically O
but O
political O
activities O
carried O
out O
by O
political O
parties O
themselves O
or O
others O
supported O
by O
political O
parties O
are O
not O
allowed O
yet O
, O
" O
the O
assembly O
speaker O
explained O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061224 O
. O
0227 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Dec B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Schwarzenegger O
faces O
surgery O
to O
repair O
leg O
broken O
on O
ski O
slopes O

California O
Governor O
Arnold O
Schwarzenegger O
faces O
surgery O
to O
repair O
his O
fractured O
leg O
, O
his O
office O
said O
Sunday B-T
, I-T
one I-T
day I-T
after O
the O
former O
action O
hero O
' O
s O
Christmas B-T
holiday I-T
skiing O
accident O
. O

" O
Saturday B-T
morning I-T
while O
skiing O
with O
his O
family O
in O
Sun O
Valley O
, O
Idaho O
, O
Governor O
Schwarzenegger O
suffered O
a O
fracture O
to O
his O
right O
femur O
, O
" O
said O
Adam O
Mendelsohn O
, O
Schwarzenegger O
' O
s O
Deputy O
Chief O
of O
Staff O
, O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
After O
the O
accident O
the O
governor O
was O
taken O
to O
a O
local O
hospital O
for O
x O
- O
rays O
and O
was O
soon O
discharged O
. O
He O
is O
currently O
at O
his O
home O
in O
Sun O
Valley O
, O
Idaho O
with O
his O
family O
. O
" O

Mendelsohn O
said O
no O
one O
else O
was O
involved O
in O
the O
accident O
. O

" O
When O
the O
Governor O
returns O
to O
Los O
Angeles O
from O
his O
scheduled O
Christmas B-T
trip O
, O
he O
will O
have O
surgery O
to O
repair O
his O
femur O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0449 O

BONN O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Germans O
put O
magnetic O
train O
project O
back O
on O
rails O

A O
costly O
and O
controversial O
project O
to O
link O
Hamburg O
and O
Berlin O
with O
a O
magnetically O
- O
suspended O
high O
- O
speed O
train O
has O
been O
put O
back O
on O
the O
rails O
under O
revised O
plans O
presented O
Friday B-T
. O

Transport O
Minister O
Matthias O
Wissmann O
said O
a O
revamped O
consortium O
would O
be O
in O
charge O
of O
realising O
the O
" O
Transrapid O
" O
link O
by O
2005 B-T
and O
that O
the O
plans O
had O
received O
the O
blessing O
of O
Chancellor O
Helmut O
Kohl O
and O
Finance O
Minister O
Theo O
Waigel O
. O
Parliament O
approved O
the O
original O
project O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Adtranz O
, O
a O
specialist O
subsidiary O
of O
Germany O
' O
s O
Daimler O
- O
Benz O
and O
the O
Swiss O
- O
Swedish O
group O
Asea O
Brown O
Boveri O
( O
ABB O
) O
, O
will O
join O
with O
Germany O
' O
s O
Thyssen O
and O
Siemens O
, O
and O
a O
fourth O
member O
who O
entered O
following O
the O
pullout O
of O
construction O
firms O
Philipp O
Holzmann O
, O
Hochtief O
and O
Bilfinger O
+ O
Berger O
. O

Siemens O
boss O
Heinrich O
von O
Pierer O
said O
initial O
talks O
were O
taking O
place O
with O
the O
Anglo O
- O
French O
group O
GEC O
Alsthom O
. O
In O
Paris O
, O
the O
constructors O
of O
the O
French O
TGV O
( O
High O
Speed O
Train O
) O
said O
they O
were O
ready O
to O
consider O
any O
interesting O
proposal O
. O

The O
German O
rail O
corporation O
Deutsche O
Bahn O
will O
play O
a O
central O
role O
in O
running O
the O
link O
, O
on O
which O
work O
is O
planned O
to O
start O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
train O
is O
supposed O
to O
' O
float O
' O
at O
up O
to O
450 O
kilometres O
( O
280 O
miles O
) O
an O
hour O
on O
a O
T O
- O
shaped O
mono O
- O
rail O
, O
cutting O
travelling O
time O
between O
the O
two O
north O
German O
cities O
to O
about O
an O
hour O
for O
a O
journey O
of O
292 O
kilometres O
( O
180 O
miles O
) O
. O

The O
cost O
of O
the O
project O
is O
10 O
percent O
up O
on O
original O
plans O
. O

Total O
investment O
is O
now B-T
put O
at O
9 O
. O
8 O
billion O
( O
5 O
. O
7 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
, O
comprising O
6 O
. O
1 O
billion O
marks O
for O
the O
track O
and O
3 O
. O
7 O
billion O
marks O
for O
the O
operating O
system O
. O
In O
1993 B-T
the O
cost O
was O
put O
at O
8 O
. O
9 O
billion O
marks O
- O
- O
with O
5 O
. O
6 O
billion O
marks O
of O
this O
coming O
from O
the O
federal O
state O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
expected O
returns O
have O
been O
revised O
downward O
. O
According O
to O
German O
railways O
boss O
Heinz O
Duerr O
, O
the O
new O
estimates O
indicated O
a O
" O
modest O
but O
reasonable O
" O
economic O
viability O
. O
Opposition O
to O
the O
project O
is O
based O
both O
on O
the O
high O
cost O
to O
the O
public O
purse O
and O
environmental O
considerations O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061210 O
. O
0332 O

ALGIERS O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Algerian O
attack O
on O
US O
buses O
leaves O
one O
dead O

One O
person O
was O
killed O
and O
another O
injured O
Sunday B-T
in O
an O
attack O
in O
Algeria O
on O
two O
buses O
carrying O
employees O
from O
a O
US O
company O
, O
witnesses O
told O
AFP O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0069 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
Hill O
arrives O
in O
Beijing O
for O
Korean O
Peninsular O
nuclear O
talks O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Christopher O
Hill O
arrived O
here O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
to O
continue O
efforts O
on O
resuming O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
on O
the O
Korean O
Peninsular O
nuclear O
issue O
. O

Just O
a B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
, O
Hill O
came O
to O
the O
Chinese O
capital O
and O
met O
with O
vice O
foreign O
minister O
Wu O
Dawei O
. O
The O
two O
agreed O
to O
make O
joint O
efforts O
for O
the O
restart O
of O
the O
talks O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0442 O

MANAGUA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nicaragua O
president O
- O
elect O
meets O
U O
. O
S O
. O
officials O

Nicaragua O
' O
s O
president O
- O
elect O
, O
Daniel O
Ortega O
, O
met O
on O
Tuesday B-T
with O
Thomas O
Shannon O
, O
the O
visiting O
United O
States O
deputy O
secretary O
of O
state O
for O
the O
western O
hemisphere O
, O
who O
had O
strongly O
opposed O
him O
as O
a O
presidential O
candidate O
. O

Present O
at O
the O
meeting O
were O
also O
Paul O
Trivelli O
, O
the O
United O
States O
ambassador O
to O
Nicaragua O
, O
and O
the O
secretary O
general O
of O
Ortega O
' O
s O
party O
, O
the O
Sandinista O
National O
Liberation O
Front O
. O

U O
. O
S O
. O
embassy O
official O
Cristin O
Stewart O
told O
media O
that O
the O
meeting O
was O
the O
first O
step O
in O
building O
relations O
between O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
government O
and O
Ortega O
' O
s O
future O
government O
. O

During O
Nicaragua O
' O
s O
election O
campaign O
, O
Trivelli O
worked O
to O
form O
a O
coalition O
that O
included O
all O
the O
country O
' O
s O
right O
- O
wing O
parties O
, O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
strengthen O
the O
anti O
- O
Ortega O
vote O
, O
while O
several O
senior O
U O
. O
S O
. O
officials O
spoke O
against O
Ortega O
The O
Organization O
of O
American O
States O
twice O
condemned O
the O
United O
States O
for O
interfering O
in O
the O
election O
. O

On O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, O
after O
winning O
the O
election O
, O
Ortega O
told O
the O
press O
he O
would O
work O
with O
Washington O
within O
a O
framework O
of O
mutual O
respect O
. O

The O
United O
States O
had O
backed O
a O
different O
right O
- O
winger O
, O
Eduardo O
Montealegre O
, O
for O
president O
, O
and O
distanced O
itself O
from O
the O
right O
- O
wing O
Liberal O
Constitutionalist O
Party O
( O
PLC O
) O
. O
Arnoldo O
Aleman O
, O
the O
PLC O
president O
of O
Nicaragua O
from O
1997 B-T
to O
2002 O
, O
is O
currently O
in O
jail O
for O
corruption O
. O

Shannon O
arrived O
in O
Nicaragua O
on O
Monday B-T
on O
his O
way O
from O
El O
Salvador O
, O
and O
will O
leave O
for O
Panama O
later O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0250 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zarqawi O
says O
Amman O
attacks O
not O
target O
Muslims O

The O
al O
- O
Qaida O
in O
Iraq O
, O
led O
by O
Abu O
Musab O
al O
- O
Zarqawi O
, O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
the O
suicide O
bomb O
attacks O
in O
three O
Amman O
hotels O
didn O
' O
t O
target O
Muslims O
. O

Zarqawi O
, O
the O
Jordanian O
- O
born O
militant O
, O
said O
in O
an O
audiotape O
released O
by O
a O
website O
often O
used O
by O
militant O
groups O
, O
that O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
attacks O
on O
three O
luxury O
hotels O
in O
the O
Jordanian O
capital O
were O
intended O
to O
target O
a O
gathering O
of O
US O
and O
Israeli O
intelligence O
agents O
. O

However O
, O
a O
roof O
collapsed O
in O
the O
attacks O
and O
killed O
many O
Muslims O
who O
were O
attending O
a O
wedding O
ceremony O
in O
one O
of O
the O
hotels O
, O
he O
said O
in O
the O
tape O
. O

The O
attacks O
killed O
at O
least O
57 O
people O
, O
mostly O
Jordanians O
, O
and O
wounded O
over O
110 O
others O
. O

Zarqawi O
, O
the O
top O
militant O
wanted O
in O
Iraq O
by O
the O
United O
States O
with O
a O
25 O
- O
million O
- O
dollar O
bounty O
on O
his O
head O
, O
also O
vowed O
in O
the O
tape O
more O
attacks O
on O
foreign O
targets O
and O
apostates O
. O

The O
al O
- O
Qaida O
in O
Iraq O
, O
a O
driving O
force O
behind O
a O
bloody O
insurgency O
against O
US O
forces O
and O
the O
US O
- O
backed O
government O
in O
Iraq O
, O
has O
claimed O
responsibility O
for O
many O
deadly O
attacks O
in O
the O
violence O
- O
ravaged O
country O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0103 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
, O
Sudan O
to O
further O
exchanges O
, O
cooperation O
between O
armed O
forces O

China O
attaches O
importance O
to O
the O
traditional O
friendship O
with O
Sudan O
and O
is O
ready O
to O
increase O
military O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
with O
the O
African O
country O
, O
a O
senior O
Chinese O
military O
officer O
said O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
profound O
traditional O
friendship O
between O
people O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
has O
a O
solid O
foundation O
and O
a O
great O
potential O
for O
further O
development O
, O
said O
Vice O
- O
Chairman O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Central O
Military O
Commission O
Xu O
Caihou O
during O
a O
meeting O
with O
Mohamed O
Ismail O
, O
deputy O
chief O
of O
general O
staff O
of O
the O
Sudanese O
armed O
forces O
. O

Xu O
appreciated O
Sudan O
' O
s O
consistent O
position O
in O
adhering O
to O
the O
one O
- O
China O
principle O
and O
its O
firm O
support O
to O
China O
on O
human O
rights O
and O
other O
major O
international O
issues O
. O

Mohamed O
said O
the O
exchanges O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
and O
the O
two O
armed O
forces O
have O
enhanced O
mutual O
understanding O
and O
trust O
. O

He O
stressed O
that O
Sudan O
would O
continue O
to O
stick O
to O
the O
one O
- O
China O
policy O
and O
develop O
the O
friendly O
and O
cooperative O
relationship O
with O
China O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0271 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ugandan O
army O
starts O
withdrawal O
from O
southern O
Sudan O
as O
peace O
talks O
progress O

The O
Uganda O
People O
' O
s O
Defense O
Force O
( O
UPDF O
) O
has O
started O
withdrawing O
its O
troops O
from O
parts O
of O
southern O
Sudan O
as O
the O
ongoing O
peace O
talks O
between O
the O
government O
and O
the O
rebel O
Lord O
' O
s O
Resistance O
Army O
( O
LRA O
) O
progress O
, O
a O
statement O
said O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
statement O
signed O
by O
the O
army O
spokesman O
Maj O
. O
Felix O
Kulayigye O
said O
the O
troops O
have O
started O
withdrawing O
from O
areas O
neighboring O
Owiny O
- O
Ki O
- O
Bul O
, O
one O
of O
the O
two O
assembly O
points O
in O
southern O
Sudan O
, O
where O
the O
LRA O
are O
supposed O
to O
gather O
. O

According O
to O
the O
statement O
, O
the O
withdrawal O
was O
ordered O
by O
the O
Ugandan O
President O
Yoweri O
Museveni O
, O
which O
the O
UPDF O
has O
effective O
November B-T
13 I-T
withdrawn O
from O
Magwi O
, O
Palutaka O
and O
Tibika O
. O

The O
UPDF O
said O
the O
move O
is O
to O
prove O
the O
government O
and O
the O
army O
is O
committed O
to O
the O
peace O
talks O
in O
Juba O
, O
southern O
Sudan O
, O
to O
bring O
an O
end O
to O
the O
20 B-T
year I-T
conflict O
in O
northern O
Uganda O
. O

According O
to O
the O
cessation O
of O
hostilities O
agreement O
between O
the O
government O
and O
the O
rebels O
, O
the O
LRA O
fighters O
are O
supposed O
to O
assemble O
at O
Owiny O
- O
Ki O
- O
Bul O
and O
Ri O
- O
Kwangba O
in O
southern O
Sudan O
. O
But O
the O
rebels O
refused O
to O
assemble O
at O
Owiny O
- O
Ki O
- O
Bul O
, O
citing O
the O
UPDF O
' O
s O
presence O
as O
a O
threat O
to O
their O
safety O
. O

Kulayigye O
said O
the O
army O
has O
withdrawn O
from O
the O
areas O
which O
are O
in O
a O
radius O
of O
about O
30 O
to O
40km O
from O
Owiny O
- O
Ki O
- O
Bul O
to O
facilitate O
the O
Juba O
talks O
. O

" O
We O
shall O
continue O
to O
fully O
support O
the O
peace O
process O
going O
on O
in O
Juba O
, O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
our O
people O
in O
northern O
Uganda O
. O
This O
is O
continued O
testimony O
to O
our O
serious O
resolve O
to O
end O
the O
conflict O
in O
northern O
part O
of O
our O
country O
, O
" O
said O
the O
statement O
. O

" O
It O
remains O
our O
hope O
that O
the O
LRA O
will O
conform O
to O
the O
agreement O
and O
assemble O
in O
Ri O
- O
Kwangba O
and O
Owiny O
- O
Ki O
- O
Bul O
, O
" O
it O
concluded O
. O

Kulayigye O
noted O
that O
the O
army O
shall O
continue O
to O
maintain O
its O
other O
positions O
as O
per O
the O
2002 O
understanding O
with O
Sudanese O
government O
, O
which O
allowed O
the O
UPDF O
to O
enter O
southern O
Sudan O
to O
flush O
out O
the O
LRA O
fighter O
who O
had O
their O
bases O
there O
. O

The O
government O
of O
southern O
Sudan O
is O
currently O
mediating O
the O
talks O
, O
which O
are O
seen O
as O
the O
best O
chance O
to O
end O
the O
insurgency O
in O
northern O
Uganda O
that O
has O
left O
tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
people O
dead O
and O
over O
1 O
. O
4 O
million O
displaced O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0181 O

LUANDA O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Angola O
inaugurates O
government O
to O
heal O
wounds O
of O
war O

Angola O
spruced O
up O
its O
battered O
capital O
for O
the O
inauguration O
Friday B-T
of O
a O
new O
government O
to O
heal O
the O
wounds O
after O
19 B-T
years I-T
of O
civil O
war O
which O
devastated O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
country O
. O

South O
African O
leader O
Nelson O
Mandela O
headed O
for O
Luanda O
to O
join O
30 O
other O
heads O
of O
state O
at O
the O
long O
- O
delayed O
inauguration O
, O
but O
former O
rebel O
leader O
Jonas O
Savimbi O
stayed O
away O
, O
citing O
security O
reasons O
. O

Friday B-T
' O
s O
ceremony O
follows O
a O
vote O
early B-T
this I-T
week I-T
approving O
the O
special O
status O
of O
Savimbi O
, O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
National O
Union O
for O
the O
Total O
Independence O
of O
Angola O
( O
UNITA O
) O
, O
and O
recognising O
him O
as O
leader O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
main O
opposition O
party O
. O

That O
removed O
the O
last O
major O
obstacle O
to O
installing O
the O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
and O
reconciliation O
as O
provided O
for O
by O
the O
1994 O
Lusaka O
peace O
accords O
and O
including O
11 O
UNITA O
members O
. O

Mandela O
' O
s O
spokesman O
Parks O
Mankahlana O
announced O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
South O
African O
president O
would O
be O
in O
attendance O
on O
Friday B-T
which O
has O
been O
declared O
a O
national O
holiday O
in O
Angola O
. O

Luanda O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
rushed O
to O
tidy O
up O
its O
neglected O
and O
overpopulated O
capital O
, O
and O
deployed O
a O
hefty O
contingent O
of O
anti O
- O
riot O
forces O
. O

UNITA O
representative O
in O
Abidjan O
John O
Marques O
Kakumba O
said O
Savimbi O
- O
- O
who O
has O
not O
appeared O
in O
Luanda O
since O
1992 B-T
when O
his O
party O
lost O
elections O
and O
civil O
war O
resumed O
- O
- O
would O
not O
be O
attending O
the O
inauguration O
. O

" O
Mr O
. O
Savimbi O
will O
not O
be O
in O
Luanda O
on O
Friday B-T
. O
He O
will O
not O
take O
part O
, O
" O
Kakumba O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
former O
rebel O
leader O
was O
currently O
in O
Bailundo O
, O
his O
stronghold O
in O
central O
Angola O
. O

Speaking O
after O
a O
telephone O
conversation O
with O
Savimbi O
, O
Kakumba O
said O
the O
UNITA O
leader O
had O
been O
surprised O
to O
see O
his O
name O
listed O
on O
the O
official O
programme O
. O

For O
Kakumba O
, O
the O
programme O
was O
a O
" O
falsehood O
" O
and O
the O
government O
was O
" O
fully O
aware O
" O
that O
Savimbi O
would O
not O
travel O
to O
Angola O
. O

UNITA O
considers O
" O
conditions O
are O
not O
in O
place O
for O
him O
to O
travel O
to O
Luanda O
in O
the O
immediate O
future O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
although O
he O
continued O
: O
" O
reconciliation O
is O
well O
underway O
, O
lets O
say O
99 O
. O
9 O
percent O
. O
" O

Deputies O
of O
the O
former O
rebel O
UNITA O
movement O
took O
up O
their O
seats O
in O
parliament O
Wednesday B-T
, O
a O
day O
after O
the O
assembly O
approved O
special O
status O
for O
Savimbi O
and O
five B-T
years I-T
after O
their O
election O
in O
a O
vote O
carried O
by O
the O
ruling O
Angolan O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Movement O
( O
MPLA O
) O
. O

Also O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
President O
Jose O
Eduardo O
dos O
Santos O
appointed O
outgoing O
premier O
Fernando O
de O
Franca O
Van O
- O
Dunem O
as O
head O
of O
Angola O
' O
s O
new O
government O
and O
on O
Thursday B-T
named O
the O
other O
members O
of O
the O
84 O
- O
member O
government O
. O

Following O
the O
1994 B-T
peace O
accords O
which O
ended O
the O
war O
which O
pitted O
UNITA O
against O
the O
MPLA O
, O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
national O
reconciliation O
government O
had O
been O
initially O
scheduled O
for O
January B-T
25 I-T
, O
but O
was O
indefinitely O
delayed O
as O
UNITA O
then O
argued O
there O
were O
still O
outstanding O
problems O
. O

Despite O
signs O
of O
ongoing O
distrust O
, O
the O
remaining O
difficulties O
were O
ostensibly O
swept O
away O
by O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
vote O
which O
gave O
Savimbi O
the O
right O
to O
regular O
consultations O
with O
the O
president O
and O
members O
of O
the O
government O
and O
the O
right O
to O
publish O
messages O
in O
the O
official O
press O
. O

Several O
deputies O
from O
the O
ruling O
MPLA O
have O
criticised O
the O
" O
excessive O
powers O
" O
granted O
to O
Savimbi O
although O
they O
followed O
the O
party O
' O
s O
advice O
to O
approve O
the O
law O
. O

A O
UN O
source O
said O
the O
situation O
would O
only O
fully O
return O
to O
normal O
after O
the O
next O
general O
elections O
are O
held O
in O
two B-T
or I-T
three I-T
years I-T
time I-T
. O

Political O
commentators O
in O
Luanda O
further O
stressed O
that O
UNITA O
' O
s O
return O
to O
political O
life O
would O
not O
be O
a O
miracle O
solution O
to O
the O
problems O
of O
a O
country O
devastated O
by O
a O
war O
which O
caused O
some O
500 O
, O
000 O
deaths O
, O
thousands O
of O
injuries O
, O
and O
ruined O
its O
industry O
and O
agriculture O
. O

However O
, O
it O
could O
accelerate O
the O
implementation O
of O
other O
terms O
of O
the O
peace O
accords O
, O
such O
as O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
new O
90 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
army O
, O
including O
23 O
, O
600 O
from O
UNITA O
and O
the O
demobilisation O
of O
some O
100 O
, O
000 O
troops O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0405 O

ANTANANARIVO O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Madagascan O
opposition O
chief O
arrested O
over O
bribe O
claims O

Authorities O
in O
Madagascar O
have O
arrested O
an O
opposition O
leader O
suspected O
of O
involvement O
in O
an O
extortion O
racket O
, O
police O
said O
Thursday B-T
amid O
claims O
the O
detention O
is O
political O
. O

Jean O
- O
Eugene O
Voninahitsy O
, O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
Indian O
Ocean O
island O
' O
s O
Rally O
for O
Social O
Democracy O
( O
RSPD O
) O
party O
and O
a O
member O
of O
parliament O
, O
was O
arrested O
after O
being O
accused O
of O
receiving O
bribes O
from O
a O
motor O
vehicle O
importer O
, O
police O
said O
. O

He O
was O
detained O
Wednesday B-T
when O
police O
said O
they O
caught O
him O
and O
a O
customs O
official O
taking O
cash O
from O
the O
car O
dealer O
as O
part O
of O
a O
scam O
to O
defraud O
the O
state O
of O
import O
duties O
. O

" O
This O
MP O
was O
arrested O
in O
flagrante O
delicto O
extorting O
money O
in O
a O
bribery O
deal O
involving O
the O
customs O
service O
, O
" O
police O
spokesman O
Justin O
Ratsimbazafarison O
told O
AFP O
. O

He O
said O
Voninahitsy O
was O
found O
with O
the O
equivalent O
of O
960 O
dollars O
( O
800 O
euros O
) O
in O
cash O
allegedly O
taken O
from O
the O
car O
dealer O
. O

" O
This O
was O
just O
part O
of O
the O
money O
he O
was O
demanding O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
RSPD O
said O
Voninahitsy O
' O
s O
arrest O
was O
the O
result O
of O
politically O
motivated O
entrapment O
and O
aimed O
at O
scuppering O
a O
weekend O
rally O
planned O
by O
opposition O
groups O
on O
the O
island O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
political O
move O
to O
try O
and O
stop O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
meeting O
, O
" O
said O
Jose O
Rakotomavo O
, O
a O
party O
official O
. O
" O
We O
think O
they O
wanted O
to O
set O
him O
up O
, O
this O
is O
too O
obvious O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0276 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

next O
year O

British O
Defense O
Secretary O
Des O
Browne O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
British O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
would O
be O
" O
significantly O
lower O
by O
thousands O
" O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Addressing O
at O
the O
Royal O
Institute O
of O
International O
Affairs O
, O
a O
leading O
think O
tank O
in O
UK O
, O
Browne O
said O
, O
" O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
I O
expect O
numbers O
of O
British O
forces O
in O
Iraq O
to O
be O
significantly O
lower O
by O
a O
matter O
of O
thousands O
. O
" O

" O
The O
planning O
for O
this O
has O
been O
going O
on O
for O
some B-T
months I-T
, O
and O
I O
have O
been O
pressing O
our O
planners O
to O
look O
at O
all O
the O
options O
, O
to O
make O
sure O
we O
do O
not O
ask O
a O
single O
soldier O
to O
remain O
in O
Iraq O
longer O
than O
is O
necessary O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
In O
the O
end O
of O
course O
, O
it O
must O
depend O
on O
conditions O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
including O
the O
level O
of O
threat O
and O
the O
capacity O
of O
Iraqis O
to O
deal O
with O
it O
, O
and O
the O
final O
decision O
will O
be O
down O
to O
our O
commanders O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Currently O
, O
Britain O
, O
a O
major O
U O
. O
S O
. O
ally O
in O
Iraq O
, O
has O
some O
7 O
, O
000 O
troops O
in O
southern O
Iraq O
, O
most O
in O
the O
Basra O
area O
and O
about O
800 O
in O
Maysan O
province O
. O
Since O
2003 B-T
, O
there O
are O
126 O
British O
soldiers O
killed O
in O
Iraq O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0072 O

DHAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
lead O
: O
13th O
SAARC O
summit O
opens O
in O
Dhaka O

The O
much O
awaited O
13th O
summit O
of O
the O
South O
Asian O
Association O
for O
Regional O
Cooperation O
( O
SAARC O
) O
opened O
here O
Saturday B-T
with O
a O
vision O
to O
address O
major O
issues O
of O
the O
region O
, O
including O
poverty O
alleviation O
, O
environmental O
hazards O
, O
disaster O
prevention O
and O
terrorism O
. O

The O
summit O
, O
postponed O
twice O
, O
was O
declared O
open O
at O
about O
11 O
: O
30 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
( O
05 O
: O
30 O
GMT O
) O
in O
the O
Bangladesh O
China O
Friendship O
Conference O
Center O
by O
Shaukat O
Aziz O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
of O
Pakistan O
, O
the O
current O
chair O
country O
of O
SAARC O
. O

After O
delivering O
a O
speech O
, O
Aziz O
handed O
over O
the O
chair O
of O
SAARC O
to O
Bangladesh O
Prime O
Minister O
Khaleda O
Zia O
. O

In O
her O
speech O
, O
Zia O
stressed O
the O
need O
for O
mobilizing O
all O
necessary O
human O
and O
material O
resources O
of O
South O
Asian O
nations O
for O
poverty O
alleviation O
in O
the O
region O
and O
proposed O
declaring O
the O
coming O
2006 O
- O
2015 O
as O
" O
the O
SAARC O
Decade O
for O
Poverty O
Alleviation O
. O
" O

Zia O
said O
that O
in O
the O
last O
SAARC O
summit O
held O
in O
Islamabad O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
all O
member O
states O
recognized O
alleviation O
of O
poverty O
as O
the O
overarching O
goal O
of O
all O
SAARC O
activities O
. O
" O
We O
must O
mobilize O
all O
necessary O
human O
and O
material O
resources O
" O
to O
address O
the O
poverty O
on O
a O
regional O
scale O
, O
she O
said O
. O

Widespread O
incidence O
of O
poverty O
continues O
to O
be O
a O
major O
concern O
for O
the O
South O
Asian O
nations O
. O
Intra O
- O
regional O
trade O
in O
South O
Asia O
still O
accounts O
for O
just O
4 O
percent O
of O
the O
region O
' O
s O
combined O
trade O
with O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
. O
Foreign O
direct O
investment O
in O
the O
region O
accounts O
for O
a O
mere O
1 O
percent O
of O
the O
global O
total O
. O

Terming O
accelerating O
economic O
growth O
as O
major O
SAARC O
objective O
, O
the O
prime O
minister O
said O
all O
member O
states O
must O
ensure O
that O
the O
SAFTA O
( O
South O
Asia O
Free O
Trade O
Area O
) O
Agreement O
enters O
into O
force O
as O
agreed O
upon O
with O
effect O
from O
Jan B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O

She O
also O
called O
for O
a O
common O
investment O
strategy O
to O
generate O
investment O
flows O
from O
within O
and O
outside O
the O
region O
. O

Terming O
South O
Asia O
as O
an O
emerging O
economic O
giant O
with O
unlimited O
potential O
, O
the O
prime O
minister O
said O
, O
" O
Realizing O
South O
Asia O
' O
s O
true O
potential O
is O
the O
challenge O
facing O
us O
today B-T
. O
" O

The O
prime O
minister O
said O
the O
ongoing O
13th O
SAARC O
Summit O
enables O
the O
South O
Asian O
nations O
" O
to O
look O
to O
the O
future O
and O
forge O
a O
blueprint O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
phase I-T
of O
SAARC O
activities O
. O
" O

Leaders O
from O
Bhutan O
, O
India O
, O
the O
Maldives O
, O
Nepal O
, O
Pakistan O
and O
Sri O
Lanka O
arrived O
in O
Dhaka O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
join O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
to O
push O
the O
regional O
grouping O
into O
the B-T
third I-T
decade I-T
termed O
as O
the O
decade O
of O
implementation O
. O

The O
summit O
is O
expected O
to O
give O
an O
outline O
of O
a O
" O
new O
vision O
" O
for O
addressing O
major O
issues O
and O
charting O
a O
road O
map O
for O
economic O
integration O
of O
South O
Asian O
nations O
to O
improve O
the O
lot O
of O
nearly O
1 O
. O
5 O
billion O
people O
inhabiting O
the O
region O
. O

SAARC O
was O
launched O
in O
1985 B-T
with O
a O
pledge O
to O
ensure O
peace O
, O
strengthen O
the O
regional O
cooperation O
and O
adopt O
common O
strategies O
and O
programs O
to O
bring O
about O
a O
positive O
change O
into O
the O
lives O
of O
nearly O
1 O
. O
5 O
billion O
people O
in O
South O
Asia O
. O

However O
, O
some O
analysts O
say O
that O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
20 I-T
years I-T
, O
SAARC O
has O
failed O
to O
materialize O
its O
vision O
because O
of O
political O
and O
territorial O
disputes O
among O
some O
member O
countries O
. O

With O
the O
improvement O
in O
the O
relationship O
between O
the O
two O
key O
players O
of O
the O
region O
, O
India O
and O
Pakistan O
, O
it O
is O
expected O
that O
from O
this O
summit O
SAARC O
would O
get O
a O
fresh O
momentum O
and O
ultimately O
become O
an O
effective O
regional O
grouping O
. O

The O
Bangladeshi O
government O
has O
beefed O
up O
security O
to O
an O
unprecedented O
level O
by O
deploying O
over O
30 O
, O
000 O
security O
personnel O
and O
closing O
some O
artery O
roads O
ahead O
of O
the O
summit O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0504 O

VIENNA O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Albania O
to O
hold O
elections O
" O
before O
summer O
" O
: O
OSCE O

The O
OSCE O
' O
s O
troubleshooter O
on O
Albania O
, O
Franz O
Vranitzky O
, O
said O
Wednesday B-T
he O
believes O
general O
elections O
will O
take O
place O
in O
the O
troubled O
country O
" O
before O
summer B-T
. O
" O

The O
exact O
date O
should O
be O
fixed O
" O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
10 I-T
days I-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Up O
to O
now B-T
, O
plans O
for O
the O
elections O
- O
- O
to O
be O
organised O
and O
supervised O
by O
the O
Organisation O
for O
Security O
and O
Coorperation O
in O
Europe O
- O
- O
have O
been O
stuck O
on O
whether O
votes O
should O
be O
counted O
on O
the O
current O
majority O
basis O
, O
as O
President O
Sali O
Berisha O
wants O
, O
or O
on O
a O
proportional O
basis O
, O
as O
wished O
by O
Prime O
Minister O
Bashkim O
Fino O
. O

Vranitzky O
, O
who O
has O
headed O
the O
European O
security O
body O
' O
s O
mission O
to O
Albania O
since O
its O
inception O
March B-T
27 I-T
, O
said O
he O
believed O
the O
present O
, O
majority O
system O
can O
be O
applied O
again O
, O
with O
a O
little O
" O
perfecting O
. O
" O

" O
Whether O
the O
elections O
take O
place O
June B-T
29 I-T
or I-T
July I-T
6 I-T
is O
not O
important O
, O
" O
Vranitzky O
told O
Austria O
' O
s O
APA O
news O
agency O
in O
Vienna O
. O

He O
also O
added O
that O
the O
way O
food O
aid O
was O
being O
handed O
out O
, O
under O
the O
protection O
of O
soldiers O
from O
the O
multinational O
protection O
force O
, O
was O
penalising O
the O
poor O
in O
Albania O
. O

The O
country O
itself O
" O
isn O
' O
t O
suffering O
from O
a O
shortage O
of O
food O
or O
other O
products O
, O
but O
from O
a O
bad O
distribution O
system O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0087 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0087 O
. O

New O
Securities O
Issues O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

SUNW O
T O
. O
CM O
EUROP O
F O

BOND O
MARKET O
NEWS O
( O
BON O
) O

The O
following O
were O
among O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
offerings O
and O
pricings O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
and O
non O
- O
U O
. O
S O
. O
capital O
markets O
, O
with O
terms O
and O
syndicate O
manager O
, O
as O
compiled O
by O
Dow O
Jones O
Capital O
Markets O
Report O
: O

@ O
CORPORATES O

Sun O
Microsystems O
Inc O
. O
- O
- O
$ O
125 O
million O
of O
6 O
3 O
/ O
8 O
% O
convertible O
subordinated O
debentures O
due O
Oct B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1999 I-T
, O
priced O
at O
84 O
. O
90 O
to O
yield O
7 O
. O
51 O
% O
. O

The O
debentures O
are O
convertible O
into O
common O
stock O
at O
$ O
25 O
a O
share O
, O
representing O
a O
24 O
% O
conversion O
premium O
over O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
closing O
price O
. O

Rated O
single O
- O
B O
- O
1 O
by O
Moody O
' O
s O
Investors O
Service O
Inc O
. O
and O
single O
- O
B O
- O
plus O
by O
Standard O
amp O
Poor O
' O
s O
Corp O
. O
, O
the O
issue O
will O
be O
sold O
through O
underwriters O
led O
by O
Goldman O
, O
Sachs O
amp O
Co O
. O

Hertz O
Corp O
. O
- O
- O
$ O
100 O
million O
of O
senior O
notes O
due O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2009 I-T
, O
priced O
at O
par O
to O
yield O
9 O
% O
. O

The O
issue O
, O
which O
is O
puttable O
back O
to O
the O
company O
in O
1999 B-T
, O
was O
priced O
at O
a O
spread O
of O
110 O
basis O
points O
above O
the O
Treasury O
' O
s O
10 O
- O
year O
note O
. O

Rated O
single O
- O
A O
- O
3 O
by O
Moody O
' O
s O
and O
triple O
- O
B O
by O
SampP O
, O
the O
issue O
will O
be O
sold O
through O
underwriters O
led O
by O
Merrill O
Lynch O
Capital O
Markets O
. O

@ O
EUROBONDS O

Canadian O
Imperial O
Bank O
of O
Commerce O
( O
Canada O
) O
- O
- O
10 O
billion O
yen O
of O
5 O
. O
7 O
% O
bonds O
due O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1992 I-T
, O
priced O
at O
101 O
1 O
/ O
4 O
to O
yield O
5 O
. O
75 O
% O
less O
full O
fees O
, O
via O
LTCB O
International O
Ltd O
. O
Fees O
1 O
3 O
/ O
8 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0281 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Profile O
: O
Ramsar O
Award O
for O
Science O
receiver O
Cai O
Shuming O

Cai O
Shuming O
from O
China O
received O
on O
Tuesday B-T
the O
Ramsar O
Wetland O
Conservation O
Award O
for O
Science O
at O
the O
ninth O
meeting O
of O
the O
conference O
of O
the O
contracting O
parties O
on O
wetland O
( O
COP9 O
) O
in O
Kampala O
, O
capital O
of O
Uganda O
. O

Cai O
, O
from O
the O
Chinese O
Academy O
of O
Science O
, O
is O
being O
recognized O
for O
his O
research O
studies O
on O
the O
Yangtze O
River O
, O
as O
well O
as O
for O
his O
in O
- O
depth O
research O
on O
the O
effects O
of O
the O
Three O
- O
Gorges O
dam O
project O
on O
the O
environment O
, O
and O
the O
assessment O
and O
mitigation O
of O
natural O
disasters O
( O
e O
. O
g O
. O
flood O
and O
water O
logging O
in O
the O
middle O
reaches O
of O
the O
Yangtze O
River O
. O
) O

When O
asked O
about O
the O
importance O
of O
the O
Yangtze O
River O
, O
Cai O
said O
that O
" O
the O
( O
Yangtze O
) O
River O
is O
the O
most O
important O
water O
resources O
of O
China O
and O
its O
runoff O
accounts O
for O
35 O
percent O
of O
the O
whole O
water O
amount O
in O
China O
. O
" O

Since O
the B-T
1960s I-T
, O
Cai O
has O
been O
mainly O
engaged O
in O
the O
study O
of O
limnology O
in O
the O
Yangtze O
River O
valley O
, O
wetlands O
ecology O
, O
use O
and O
conservation O
of O
natural O
resources O
and O
the O
overall O
development O
of O
regional O
agriculture O
. O

A O
respected O
figure O
and O
twice O
a O
member O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Political O
Consultative O
Congress O
, O
Cai O
has O
used O
his O
scientific O
achievements O
to O
reach O
practical O
results O
for O
wetland O
conservation O
, O
defending O
the O
idea O
that O
" O
wetlands O
are O
closely O
linked O
to O
human O
survival O
and O
development O
. O
" O

Cai O
also O
stressed O
the O
importance O
of O
wetlands O
for O
sustainable O
economic O
development O
and O
human O
well O
- O
being O
, O
especially O
in O
their O
function O
as O
the O
" O
kidneys O
of O
nature O
. O
" O

With O
more O
than O
120 O
publications O
, O
Cai O
' O
s O
work O
has O
provided O
a O
basis O
for O
the O
formulation O
of O
laws O
, O
regulations O
and O
management O
policies O
in O
China O
, O
as O
well O
as O
contributing O
to O
international O
projects O
in O
cooperation O
with O
Japan O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Britain O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0352 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
gives O
Nepal O
30 O
million O
dollars O
for O
agriculture O
, O
health O
, O
forestry O

The O
US O
government O
has O
given O
Nepal O
30 O
million O
dollars O
for O
a O
range O
of O
projects O
including O
agriculture O
, O
forestry O
development O
and O
health O
, O
the O
US O
Information O
Service O
( O
USIS O
) O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
USIS O
said O
a O
grant O
of O
25 O
million O
dollars O
would O
be O
used O
for O
expanding O
the O
participation O
of O
farmers O
, O
traders O
and O
agro O
- O
enterprises O
in O
high O
- O
value O
crop O
markets O
, O
the O
sustainable O
management O
of O
the O
productive O
resource O
base O
and O
privatization O
of O
state O
- O
owned O
agricultural O
and O
forest O
based O
enterprises O
. O

The O
agreement O
, O
which O
was O
signed O
by O
the O
two O
governments O
Thursday B-T
, O
" O
demonstrates O
USAID O
/ O
Nepal O
' O
s O
continuing O
commitment O
to O
development O
activities O
in O
agriculture O
and O
forestry O
, O
" O
it O
said O
in O
a O
press O
release O
. O

" O
These O
two O
sectors O
provide O
income O
and O
employment O
opportunities O
for O
almost O
80 O
percent O
of O
Nepal O
' O
s O
population O
, O
" O
it O
added O
. O

A O
further O
grant O
of O
five O
million O
dollars O
will O
be O
provided O
as O
part O
of O
incremental O
funding O
to O
reduce O
fertility O
and O
improve O
maternal O
and O
child O
health O
, O
it O
said O
. O

" O
Funds O
are O
being O
provided O
in O
support O
of O
a O
35 O
million O
dollar O
nationwide O
programme O
which O
will O
increase O
the O
availability O
, O
quality O
and O
use O
of O
voluntary O
family O
planning O
reproductive O
health O
services O
; O
help O
control O
diarrhoeal O
diseases O
, O
acute O
respiratory O
infections O
and O
vitamin O
A O
deficiency O
in O
children O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

" O
The O
programme O
will O
also O
reduce O
maternal O
mortality O
, O
reduce O
transmission O
of O
sexually O
transmitted O
diseases O
( O
STD O
) O
and O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

" O
The O
assistance O
is O
expectd O
to O
result O
in O
a O
reduction O
in O
the O
total O
fertility O
rate O
from O
4 O
. O
5 O
in O
1996 B-T
to O
4 O
. O
0 O
by O
2002 O
, O
and O
a O
reduction O
in O
the O
under O
five O
child O
mortality O
rate O
, O
from O
118 O
deaths O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
live O
births O
in O
1996 B-T
to O
85 O
by O
the B-T
year I-T
2002 I-T
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0072 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Kobe O
scores O
42 O
points O
to O
lead O
Lakers O
past O
Knicks O

Kobe O
Bryant O
scored O
a O
season O
- O
high O
42 O
points O
to O
help O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Lakers O
beat O
the O
New O
York O
Knicks O
97 O
- O
92 O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
at O
Staples O
Center O
after O
a O
three O
- O
game O
loss O
. O

Bryant O
took O
a O
whopping O
36 O
shots O
, O
hitting O
15 O
, O
and O
making O
12 O
- O
of O
- O
14 O
free O
throws O
. O

" O
I O
went O
after O
it O
a O
little O
bit O
more O
aggressively O
and O
the O
team O
did O
a O
good O
job O
looking O
for O
me O
, O
" O
Bryant O
said O
. O
" O
I O
felt O
we O
had O
to O
get O
something O
going O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O
" O

" O
It O
has O
to O
be O
a O
balance O
for O
us O
, O
" O
said O
center O
Chris O
Mihm O
, O
who O
scored O
14 O
points O
and O
added O
nine O
rebound O
. O
" O
Kobe O
is O
a O
special O
player O
, O
but O
there O
is O
no O
way O
that O
he O
can O
shoulder O
the O
load O
himself O
. O
We O
played O
well O
together O
in O
spurts O
, O
but O
Kobe O
really O
was O
the O
man O
. O
" O

The O
Knicks O
were O
led O
by O
rookie O
Channing O
Frye O
with O
21 O
points O
. O
Eddy O
Curry O
added O
17 O
points O
. O

Stephon O
Marbury O
was O
held O
to O
a O
season O
- O
low O
four O
points O
- O
- O
12 O
below O
his O
average O
, O
and O
had O
10 O
assists O
. O
He O
had O
45 O
points O
last B-T
season I-T
against O
the O
Lakers O
. O

" O
I O
have O
changed O
a O
lot O
of O
my O
game O
, O
" O
the O
point O
guard O
said O
. O
" O
Forty O
- O
five O
points O
is O
so O
far O
away O
. O
My O
game O
is O
different O
now B-T
. O
" O

It O
was O
also O
the O
first O
meeting O
for O
Phil O
Jackson O
and O
Larry O
Brown O
after O
two O
of O
the O
NBA O
' O
s O
greatest O
coaches O
began O
to O
oversee O
rebuilding O
jobs O
. O

" O
You O
saw O
the O
apparent O
schizophrenia O
of O
these O
teams O
, O
" O
Jackson O
said O
. O
" O
They O
play O
great O
for O
a B-T
while I-T
and O
then O
they O
have O
trouble O
operating O
. O
What O
you O
see O
is O
young O
teams O
learning O
to O
play O
a O
consistent O
game O
. O
No O
quality O
in O
the O
direction O
of O
their O
discipline O
. O
" O

Jackson O
improved O
to O
26 O
- O
13 O
in O
head O
- O
to O
- O
head O
games O
against O
Brown O
, O
whose O
Philadelphia O
team O
lost O
to O
Jackson O
' O
s O
Lakers O
in O
the O
2001 O
NBA O
Finals O
. O
Brown O
' O
s O
Detroit O
Pistons O
eliminated O
the O
Lakers O
in O
the O
2004 O
Finals O
. O

" O
I O
admire O
and O
respect O
him O
, O
but O
I O
have O
that O
feeling O
for O
anybody O
that O
sits O
down O
at O
that O
end O
, O
" O
Brown O
said O
. O
" O
But O
you O
realize O
what O
he O
' O
s O
done O
and O
that O
' O
s O
pretty O
special O
. O
" O

Brown O
took O
the O
New O
York O
job O
, O
and O
got O
off O
to O
an O
0 O
- O
5 O
start O
before O
the O
Knicks O
won O
at O
Sacramento O
and O
Utah O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0155 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
body O
of O
former O
President O
Gerald O
Ford O
will O
be O
flown O
to O
the O
US O
capital O
Saturday B-T
as O
part O
of O
a O
nationwide O
programme O
of O
memorials O
, O
which O
got O
underway O
with O
a O
simple O
family O
ceremony O
in O
California O
. O

Ford O
, O
a O
Republican O
president O
from O
August B-T
1974 I-T
to O
January B-T
1977 I-T
who O
led O
the O
United O
States O
out O
of O
the O
turbulent O
Watergate O
era O
after O
Richard O
Nixon O
stepped O
down O
in O
disgrace O
in O
1974 B-T
, O
died O
late O
Tuesday B-T
aged O
93 O
. O

The O
body O
will O
lie O
in O
state O
at O
the O
US O
Capitol O
until O
early B-T
next I-T
Tuesday I-T
when O
a O
memorial O
service O
will O
take O
place O
at O
the O
National O
Cathedral O
here O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Ford O
' O
s O
remains O
are O
finally O
laid O
to O
rest O
at O
the O
Gerald O
Ford O
Museum O
in O
his O
hometown O
of O
Grand O
Rapids O
, O
Michigan O
. O

Flags O
on O
federal O
buildings O
have O
been O
flying O
at O
half O
mast O
since O
Ford O
' O
s O
death O
was O
announced O
, O
and O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
has O
declared O
January B-T
2 I-T
as O
a O
national O
day O
of O
mourning O
. O

Hundreds O
of O
Washington O
- O
based O
police O
officers O
have O
been O
mobilized O
for O
the O
New O
Year O
' O
s O
weekend O
as O
part O
of O
a O
plan O
to O
bolster O
security O
at O
key O
locations O
throughout O
the O
city O
. O

Friday B-T
' O
s O
prayer O
service O
in O
Palm O
Desert O
, O
California O
, O
was O
held O
for O
family O
and O
friends O
of O
the O
38th O
US O
president O
at O
St O
Margaret O
' O
s O
Episcopal O
Church O
, O
which O
Ford O
and O
his O
wife O
Betty O
had O
attended O
for O
decades O
. O

In O
accordance O
with O
Ford O
' O
s O
wishes O
and O
in O
keeping O
with O
his O
down O
- O
to O
- O
earth O
, O
self O
- O
effacing O
image O
, O
there O
was O
little O
of O
the O
pomp O
and O
circumstance O
which O
have O
been O
the O
hallmark O
of O
other O
presidential O
funerals O
. O

A O
motorcade O
carrying O
Ford O
' O
s O
remains O
was O
greeted O
by O
an O
honour O
guard O
at O
around O
12 O
: O
30 O
pm O
( O
2030 O
GMT O
) O
Friday B-T
with O
members O
of O
the O
military O
carrying O
his O
casket O
- O
- O
draped O
with O
the O
Stars O
and O
Stripes O
- O
- O
into O
the O
church O
. O

A O
military O
band O
played O
" O
Hail O
to O
the O
Chief O
" O
as O
the O
casket O
arrived O
at O
the O
church O
, O
awaited O
by O
former O
first O
lady O
Betty O
Ford O
, O
88 O
, O
and O
her O
children O
at O
the O
top O
of O
the O
church O
steps O
as O
it O
was O
carried O
into O
the O
building O
. O

" O
We O
receive O
the O
body O
of O
our O
brother O
, O
Gerald O
, O
for O
burial O
, O
" O
said O
the O
church O
' O
s O
rector O
, O
Reverend O
Robert O
Certain O
. O

Betty O
Ford O
, O
escorted O
by O
an O
army O
general O
, O
stood O
silently O
as O
the O
casket O
was O
laid O
before O
a O
wooden O
altar O
and O
three O
wreaths O
of O
white O
flowers O
before O
joining O
other O
family O
members O
at O
the O
President O
' O
s O
Pew O
. O

The O
funeral O
arrangements O
are O
taking O
place O
under O
blanket O
security O
, O
with O
an O
estimated O
500 O
military O
and O
Secret O
Service O
officials O
descending O
on O
Palm O
Desert O
to O
oversee O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
leg O
of O
the O
ceremonies O
. O

Thousands O
of O
members O
of O
the O
public O
queued O
for O
the O
chance O
to O
pay O
their O
respects O
to O
Ford O
as O
his O
casket O
lay O
in O
repose O
in O
Palm O
Desert O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

On O
Wall O
Street O
, O
the O
major O
stock O
exchanges O
said O
they O
would O
close O
next O
Tuesday B-T
as O
a O
mark O
of O
respect O
for O
Ford O
, O
who O
is O
best O
remembered O
for O
pardoning O
Nixon O
, O
a O
decision O
for O
which O
he O
was O
vilified O
. O

Some O
historians O
have O
since O
said O
that O
the O
move O
was O
a O
brave O
political O
act O
by O
Ford O
, O
necessary O
to O
help O
Americans O
draw O
a O
line O
under O
the O
trauma O
of O
Watergate O
. O

" O
My O
NYSE O
Group O
colleagues O
and O
I O
join O
all O
Americans O
in O
mourning O
the O
loss O
of O
president O
Ford O
, O
a O
man O
of O
great O
integrity O
and O
vision O
, O
and O
a O
dedicated O
public O
servant O
, O
" O
NYSE O
Group O
chief O
executive O
John O
Thain O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
He O
assumed O
a O
troubled O
presidency O
in O
a O
critical O
time O
, O
and O
thoughtfully O
and O
skillfully O
restored O
credibility O
and O
confidence O
in O
the O
presidency O
. O

" O
President O
Ford O
also O
made O
significant O
contributions O
to O
the O
stability O
and O
vitality O
of O
the O
US O
economy O
and O
financial O
markets O
. O
It O
is O
appropriate O
that O
we O
honor O
president O
Ford O
and O
celebrate O
the O
life O
of O
a O
truly O
great O
American O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0624 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

UN O
envoy O
' O
s O
departure O
unlikely O
to O
break O
momentum O
on O
Cyprus O
by O
Anne O
Penketh O

The O
resignation O
of O
the O
UN O
special O
envoy O
for O
Cyprus O
is O
unlikely O
to O
break O
the O
momentum O
toward O
the O
first O
direct O
talks O
between O
the O
two O
communities O
in O
almost O
three B-T
years I-T
, O
diplomats O
say O
. O

Han O
Sung O
Joo O
of O
South O
Korea O
made O
the O
surprise O
announcement O
late O
Monday B-T
that O
he O
was O
stepping O
down O
after O
a B-T
year I-T
in O
the O
post O
which O
is O
at O
the O
centre O
of O
efforts O
to O
end O
the O
eastern O
Mediterranean O
island O
' O
s O
23 O
- O
year O
division O
. O

" O
Given O
the O
growing O
level O
of O
intensity O
. O
. O
. O
I O
thought O
it O
would O
be O
in O
the O
best O
interests O
of O
the O
parties O
concerned O
for O
the O
UN O
to O
have O
someone O
who O
can O
devote O
more O
time O
to O
handling O
the O
Cyprus O
issue O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Han O
, O
who O
has O
academic O
commitments O
in O
his O
native O
South O
Korea O
where O
he O
has O
been O
based O
, O
reported O
progress O
in O
efforts O
to O
resume O
direct O
peace O
talks O
between O
Cypriot O
President O
Glafcos O
Clerides O
and O
the O
breakaway O
Turkish O
- O
Cypriot O
leader O
Rauf O
Denktash O
. O

The O
two O
leaders O
have O
not O
met O
since O
October B-T
1994 I-T
. O

Both O
Cypriot O
and O
Turkish O
diplomats O
at O
the O
United O
Nations O
said O
that O
Han O
' O
s O
departure O
should O
not O
make O
a O
difference O
to O
the O
negotiating O
process O
in O
which O
UN O
chief O
Kofi O
Annan O
has O
taken O
a O
personal O
interest O
since O
taking O
office O
in O
January B-T
. O

Annan O
' O
s O
representative O
in O
Cyprus O
, O
Gustave O
Feissel O
, O
has O
been O
mediating O
proximity O
talks O
since O
March B-T
between O
the O
Greek O
- O
and O
Turkish O
- O
Cypriot O
leaders O
, O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
lay O
the O
groundwork O
for O
direct O
talks O
by O
the B-T
middle I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

Annan O
, O
in O
a O
statement O
issued O
in O
Rome O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
praised O
Han O
' O
s O
contribution O
and O
stressed O
that O
he O
was O
" O
determined O
to O
press O
ahead O
with O
an O
intensified O
effort O
to O
bring O
about O
a O
comprehensive O
settlement O
in O
the O
island O
. O
" O

He O
repeated O
that O
he O
hoped O
for O
direct O
talks O
" O
within O
the B-T
next I-T
two I-T
or I-T
three I-T
months I-T
. O
" O

The O
United O
Nations O
is O
leading O
international O
efforts O
to O
build O
a O
bi O
- O
zonal O
, O
bi O
- O
communal O
federation O
in O
Cyprus O
. O

The O
island O
has O
been O
divided O
since O
1974 B-T
when O
Turkish O
mainland O
troops O
invaded O
the O
northern O
third O
of O
Cyprus O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
a O
coup O
in O
Nicosia O
backed O
by O
the O
right O
- O
wing O
junta O
then O
ruling O
Greece O
. O

Western O
diplomats O
said O
that O
Annan O
would O
have O
the O
difficult O
task O
of O
finding O
a O
replacement O
for O
Han O
who O
is O
familiar O
with O
the O
issues O
while O
being O
acceptable O
to O
both O
the O
Greek O
- O
and O
Turkish O
- O
Cypriot O
communities O
. O

And O
in O
the O
light O
of O
ethnic O
unrest O
which O
has O
hit O
the O
island O
since O
last B-T
summer I-T
, O
" O
things O
could O
be O
disrupted O
" O
along O
the O
road O
to O
a O
summit O
, O
one O
diplomat O
said O
. O

The O
five O
permanent O
members O
of O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
- O
- O
Britain O
, O
China O
, O
France O
, O
Russia O
and O
the O
United O
States O
- O
- O
are O
expected O
to O
discuss O
Cyprus O
at O
Russia O
' O
s O
suggestion O
later B-T
this I-T
month I-T
. O

But O
diplomats O
cautioned O
that O
the O
Security O
Council O
was O
unlikely O
to O
take O
any O
initiatives O
on O
the O
issue O
. O

" O
The O
next O
qualitative O
step O
will O
be O
when O
the O
( O
UN O
) O
secretary O
- O
general O
issues O
invitations O
to O
the O
direct O
talks O
, O
" O
one O
western O
diplomat O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0324 O

ROME O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

AC O
Milan O
close O
to O
Italian O
Cup O
quarters O

AC O
Milan O
came O
close O
to O
a O
berth O
to O
the O
quarterfianls O
of O
Italian O
Cup O
after O
beating O
Serie O
B O
side O
Brescia O
3 O
- O
1 O
in O
their O
fourth O
round O
first O
- O
leg O
match O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Portuguese O
midfielder O
Rui O
Costa O
scored O
one O
goal O
and O
laid O
on O
another O
to O
steer O
Milan O
to O
the O
home O
victory O
. O

Milan O
, O
playing O
without O
a O
number O
of O
first O
- O
team O
regulars O
, O
opened O
the O
scoring O
at O
26 B-T
when O
Rui O
Costa O
fired O
home O
from O
the O
edge O
of O
the O
area O
after O
being O
set O
up O
by O
Georgian O
defender O
Kakha O
Kaladze O
. O

Italian O
striker O
Alberto O
Gilardino O
headed O
in O
the O
second O
as O
he O
converted O
a O
corner O
from O
Rui O
Costa O
five O
minutes O
before O
the O
break O
. O

Lithuanian O
Marius O
Stankevicius O
brought O
Brescia O
back O
into O
the O
tie O
with O
a O
48th O
- O
minute O
header O
from O
a O
cross O
by O
former O
Inter O
Milan O
midfielder O
Luigi O
Di O
Biagio O
. O

Carlo O
Ancelotti O
' O
s O
Milan O
restored O
their O
two O
- O
goal O
advantage O
in O
the B-T
69th I-T
minute I-T
after O
a O
well B-T
- I-T
taken I-T
shot O
from O
inside O
the O
area O
by O
Christian O
Vieri O
. O

Other O
first O
leg O
matches O
of O
Italian O
Cup O
fourth O
round O
kick O
off O
on O
Wednesday B-T
when O
Parma O
host O
Inter O
Milan O
and O
Serie O
B O
side O
Atalanta O
are O
at O
home O
to O
Udinese O

And O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
third O
- O
placed O
Serie O
A O
side O
Fiorentina O
take O
on O
champions O
Juventus O
before O
the O
remaining O
four O
ties O
take O
place O
next B-T
week I-T
with O
the O
return O
legs O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
week I-T
of I-T
January I-T
. I-T

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0420 O

YANGON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Myanmar O
punishes O
over O
1 O
, O
200 O
service O
personnel O
for O
malpractices O
in O
2 O
years O

The O
Myanmar O
government O
has O
punished O
1 O
, O
247 O
service O
personnel O
for O
malpractices O
in O
2005 B-T
and O
2006 O
as O
part O
of O
its O
measures O
to O
turn O
the O
administrative O
mechanism O
into O
a O
clean O
one O
, O
the O
official O
newspaper O
New O
Light O
of O
Myanmar O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
In O
order O
to O
make O
administrative O
mechanism O
more O
effective O
, O
the O
government O
remarkedly O
increased O
the O
salaries O
of O
the O
service O
personnel O
and O
reconstituted O
or O
dissolved O
the O
organizations O
as O
necessary O
after O
making O
thorough O
reviews O
on O
constitutions O
and O
functions O
of O
the O
governmental O
department O
and O
enterprises O
, O
" O
Prime O
Minister O
General O
Soe O
Win O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
report O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
The O
government O
is O
taking O
measures O
constantly O
to O
ensure O
effective O
and O
clean O
administrative O
mechanism O
to O
serve O
the O
interest O
of O
the O
nation O
and O
the O
people O
and O
to O
win O
respect O
and O
reliance O
of O
the O
people O
, O
" O
Soe O
Win O
told O
an O
annual O
general O
meeting O
of O
the O
Union O
Solidarity O
and O
Development O
Association O
in O
the O
new O
capital O
of O
Nay O
Pyi O
Taw O
Thursday B-T
. O

He O
urged O
service O
personnel O
on O
their O
part O
to O
safeguard O
the O
people O
without O
discrimination O
against O
or O
in O
favor O
of O
them O
in O
accordance O
with O
the O
law O
, O
rules O
and O
regulations O
, O
anticipating O
that O
the O
people O
will O
extend O
a O
helpful O
hand O
to O
the O
service O
personnel O
in O
return O
. O

He O
maintained O
that O
by O
so O
doing O
then O
only O
will O
it O
be O
possible O
to O
set O
up O
a O
discipline O
- O
flourishing O
and O
genuine O
democracy O
to O
ensure O
harmony O
between O
administrative O
mechanism O
and O
the O
people O
. O

In O
the O
first O
half O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
there O
also O
existed O
some O
cases O
with O
high O
- O
ranking O
customs O
officials O
in O
connection O
with O
corruption O
, O
earlier O
reports O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
Myanmar O
government O
announced O
for O
the O
first O
time O
on O
Thursday B-T
allowing O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
people O
to O
make O
complaints O
of O
malpractice O
by O
service O
personnel O
of O
any O
rank O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Home O
Affairs O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
remove O
such O
practice O
and O
improve O
the O
image O
of O
the O
government O
mechanism O
. O

The O
phone O
numbers O
of O
some O
high O
- O
ranking O
officials O
of O
the O
ministry O
and O
the O
e O
- O
mail O
address O
of O
the O
office O
of O
the O
ministry O
at O
the O
new O
capital O
of O
Nay O
Pyi O
Taw O
were O
published O
by O
official O
media O
for O
the O
public O
to O
dial O
or O
e O
- O
mail O
such O
complaints O
. O

The O
announcement O
said O
" O
If O
any O
service O
personnel O
of O
any O
rank O
who O
are O
from O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Home O
Affairs O
commit O
malpractices O
involving O
money O
, O
property O
and O
opportunity O
and O
oppress O
the O
people O
in O
administrative O
and O
economic O
and O
social O
affairs O
, O
making O
improper O
use O
of O
the O
rights O
which O
are O
not O
in O
conformity O
with O
the O
existing O
laws O
and O
procedures O
can O
complain O
to O
the O
minister O
, O
deputy O
minister O
and O
deputy O
director O
- O
general O
" O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0408 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bombs O
hit O
southern O
Thailand O
, O
14 O
injured O

Three O
bomb O
explosions O
rocked O
Thailand O
' O
s O
southern O
border O
province O
Narathiwat O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
, O
injuring O
three O
soldiers O
and O
11 O
civilians O
, O
the O
Thai O
news O
network O
The O
Nation O
reported O
. O

A O
unit O
of O
soldiers O
was O
on O
their O
routine O
patrol O
duty O
in O
the O
province O
' O
s O
Sungai O
Padi O
district O
when O
the O
first O
bomb O
exploded O
at O
about O
7 B-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0000 O
GMT O
) O
. O
Three O
soldiers O
were O
injured O
and O
they O
were O
rushed O
to O
a O
nearby O
hospital O
for O
treatment O
. O

One B-T
hour I-T
later O
, O
two O
bomb O
blasts O
occurred O
at O
a O
coffee O
shop O
in O
the O
province O
' O
s O
capital O
seat O
, O
injuring O
11 O
civilians O
who O
were O
drinking O
coffee O
and O
chatting O
there O
. O
The O
injured O
were O
transported O
to O
Narathiwat O
Rachanakarin O
Hospital O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
insurgency O
- O
related O
unrest O
continued O
unabated O
in O
Narathiwat O
, O
Yala O
and O
Pattani O
, O
the O
three O
southernmost O
provinces O
of O
Thailand O
with O
a O
majority O
population O
of O
Thai O
- O
Malay O
ethnic O
group O
. O
Over O
1 O
, O
700 O
peoples O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
a O
new O
wave O
flared O
there O
since O
January B-T
2004 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0201 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Southerners O
protest O
insurgent O
violence O
; O
policeman O
shot O
dead O
in O
Yala O

Suspected O
insurgents O
gunned O
down O
a O
policeman O
in O
Thai O
violence O
- O
plagued O
province O
of O
Yala O
today B-T
, O
while O
demonstrators O
were O
calling O
for O
the O
cessation O
of O
violence O
in O
nearby O
Songkhla O
. O

Sgt O
. O
Sophon O
Maichan O
, O
55 O
, O
was O
shot O
three O
times O
in O
the O
chest O
while O
riding O
his O
motorcycle O
to O
work O
in O
the O
Yala O
municipality O
. O
Seriously O
wounded O
, O
he O
nonetheless O
returned O
fire O
, O
but O
apparently O
missed O
his O
assailants O
, O
according O
to O
the O
official O
Thai O
News O
Agency O
. O

Police O
investigators O
said O
that O
two O
men O
dressed O
as O
university O
students O
followed O
and O
opened O
fire O
on O
the O
police O
officer O
. O
Sgt O
. O
Sophon O
returned O
fire O
, O
but O
missed O
. O
The O
gunmen O
escaped O
and O
the O
police O
officer O
was O
rushed O
to O
hospital O
, O
where O
he O
was O
pronounced O
dead O
. O

Police O
believe O
the O
attackers O
were O
insurgents O
wishing O
to O
extend O
the O
atmosphere O
of O
fear O
by O
shooting O
government O
officials O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
about O
500 O
demonstrators O
gathered O
at O
Songkha O
' O
s O
city O
hall O
to O
submit O
a O
petition O
to O
the O
governor O
, O
denouncing O
the O
murder O
of O
a O
former O
militant O
and O
his O
family O
in O
Narathiwat O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

People O
in O
Songkhla O
condemned O
the O
family O
massacre O
as O
being O
" O
inhumane O
and O
barbaric O
" O
, O
according O
to O
the O
statement O
, O
which O
said O
" O
the O
persons O
who O
did O
the O
attack O
could O
not O
be O
true O
believers O
in O
any O
religion O
, O
or O
they O
would O
not O
have O
committed O
the O
killings O
. O
They O
killed O
even O
children O
, O
women O
, O
and O
the O
innocent O
. O
" O

The O
statement O
called O
for O
persons O
from O
all O
walks O
of O
life O
to O
join O
forces O
to O
quell O
the O
violence O
and O
create O
peace O
in O
the O
three O
southernmost O
provinces O
. O

The O
petitioners O
said O
they O
hoped O
the O
brutal O
killings O
would O
never O
be O
done O
again O
. O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
gathering O
in O
Songkhla O
follows O
a O
mass O
protest O
at O
Yala O
municipality O
' O
s O
youth O
center O
Thursday B-T
. O

About O
10 O
, O
000 O
people O
in O
Yala O
had O
protested O
against O
the O
killers O
who O
systematically O
gunned O
down O
former O
militant O
Sudeng O
Awaebusa O
and O
eight O
members O
of O
his O
household O
, O
including O
a O
baby O
. O

The O
demonstrators O
included O
the O
community O
grouping O
Network O
of O
People O
, O
women O
' O
s O
groups O
, O
government O
officials O
, O
traders O
, O
students O
, O
and O
member O
of O
the O
general O
public O
. O

Placards O
condemning O
the O
insurgent O
attack O
were O
displayed O
at O
the O
site O
. O
One O
said O
Yala O
residents O
opposed O
the O
insurgency O
, O
while O
pamphlets O
denouncing O
violence O
by O
insurgents O
were O
also O
distributed O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0239 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Fears O
of O
strong O
pound O
' O
s O
damage O
to O
exporters O
rise O
after O
ICI O
profits O
slump O

Fears O
of O
damage O
to O
British O
exporters O
caused O
by O
the O
pound O
' O
s O
large O
gains O
heightened O
on O
Thursday B-T
after O
Imperial O
Chemical O
Industries O
( O
ICI O
) O
reported O
a O
dramatic O
slide O
in O
profits O
, O
which O
it O
blamed O
partly O
on O
sterling O
' O
s O
strength O
. O

The O
British O
chemicals O
group O
said O
that O
the O
strong O
pound O
, O
as O
well O
as O
intense O
competition O
, O
had O
caused O
pre O
- O
tax O
profits O
( O
before O
exceptional O
costs O
) O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
1997 I-T
to O
slump O
almost O
68 O
percent O
to O
65 O
million O
pounds O
( O
105 O
. O
3 O
million O
dollars O
) O
, O
from O
202 O
million O
in O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
of I-T
1996 I-T
. O

Turnover O
in O
the O
three O
- O
month O
period O
fell O
five O
percent O
to O
2 O
. O
44 O
billion O
pounds O
. O

ICI O
' O
s O
chairman O
, O
Sir O
Ronald O
Hampel O
, O
said O
: O
" O
Sales O
volumes O
were O
generally O
strong O
and O
we O
achieved O
further O
productivity O
savings O
, O
but O
profits O
were O
reduced O
by O
intense O
price O
competition O
and O
the O
strong O
pound O
. O
" O

The O
rise O
in O
the O
value O
of O
the O
pound O
had O
wiped O
40 O
million O
pounds O
off O
the O
company O
' O
s O
profits O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
months I-T
of O
1997 B-T
, O
ICI O
said O
, O
warning O
that O
this O
squeeze O
would O
continue O
into O
the B-T
second I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
disappointing O
news O
led O
financial O
analysts O
to O
downgrade O
their O
full O
- O
year O
profit O
forecasts O
for O
one O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
major O
companies O
, O
and O
provoked O
a O
slide O
of O
over O
three O
percent O
in O
ICI O
' O
s O
share O
price O
, O
which O
fell O
24 O
pence O
to O
696 O
. O
5 O
. O

Since O
last B-T
August I-T
, O
the O
British O
currency O
has O
risen O
22 O
percent O
against O
the O
German O
mark O
and O
more O
than O
five O
percent O
against O
the O
dollar O
. O
A O
rise O
in O
the O
value O
of O
the O
pound O
makes O
British O
exports O
more O
expensive O
for O
overseas O
buyers O
. O

Dealers O
said O
that O
London O
- O
based O
investment O
bank O
Dresdner O
Kleinwort O
Benson O
had O
downgraded O
its O
full O
- O
year O
profit O
forecast O
for O
ICI O
to O
500 O
million O
pounds O
, O
from O
the O
previous O
estimate O
of O
590 O
million O
pounds O
. O

Another O
major O
exporter O
, O
British O
Steel O
, O
has O
also O
suffered O
from O
the O
gains O
of O
the O
pound O
, O
particularly O
because O
much O
of O
its O
exports O
are O
destined O
to O
Germany O
. O

The O
company O
, O
which O
last B-T
month I-T
said O
it O
had O
decided O
to O
accelerate O
job O
cuts O
in O
Britain O
because O
of O
sterling O
' O
s O
sharp O
rise O
, O
has O
had O
its O
profit O
forecasts O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
to O
March B-T
1998 I-T
slashed O
by O
over O
half O
. O

Glaxo O
- O
Wellcome O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
drugs O
company O
, O
for O
its O
part O
has O
warned O
that O
if O
the O
pound O
remained O
at O
its O
current O
high O
levels O
, O
this O
would O
have O
a O
" O
significant O
impact O
" O
on O
sales O
and O
profits O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
main O
employers O
' O
organisation O
, O
the O
Confederation O
of O
British O
Industry O
( O
CBI O
) O
, O
said O
it O
was O
" O
concerned O
" O
about O
sterling O
' O
s O
steep O
rise O
, O
after O
releasing O
a O
survey O
that O
showed O
deepening O
pessimism O
among O
exporters O
. O

It O
called O
for O
the O
next O
British O
government O
after O
May B-T
1 I-T
general O
elections O
to O
raise O
taxes O
, O
rather O
than O
tighten O
monetary O
policy O
, O
which O
would O
further O
strengthen O
the O
pound O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0306 O

MADRID O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

BenQ O
- O
Siemens O
agrees O
to O
sponsor O
Real O
Madrid O
from O
2006 O
to O
2010 O

BenQ O
Mobile O
has O
agreed O
to O
become O
the O
main O
sponsor O
of O
Spanish O
football O
club O
Real O
Madrid O
, O
the O
team O
' O
s O
official O
website O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Jose O
Angel O
Sanchez O
, O
head O
of O
marketing O
at O
Real O
said O
the O
club O
was O
" O
very O
happy O
with O
its O
new O
main O
sponsor O
" O
: O
a O
joint O
venture O
between O
Chinese O
Taipei O
- O
based O
BenQ O
Corporation O
and O
German O
technology O
firm O
Siemens O
AG O
. O

Clemence O
Joos O
, O
president O
of O
BenQ O
said O
that O
Real O
Madrid O
' O
s O
most O
important O
and O
attractive O
features O
were O
its O
professionalism O
, O
quality O
and O
teamwork O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0151 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
expected O
to O
become O
second O
largest O
trade O
country O
by O
2010 O

China O
' O
s O
foreign O
trade O
volume O
is O
expected O
to O
reach O
2 O
. O
5 O
trillion O
US O
dollars O
by O
the B-T
year I-T
2010 I-T
, O
making O
it O
the O
second O
largest O
trade O
country O
in O
the O
world O
, O
said O
Zhang O
Lichuan O
, O
director O
of O
the O
statistical O
division O
of O
the O
General O
Administration O
of O
Customs O
( O
GAC O
) O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

If O
trade O
continues O
to O
grow O
at O
the O
annual O
rate O
of O
7 O
percent O
after O
2010 B-T
, O
the O
figure O
will O
hopefully O
rise O
to O
5 O
trillion O
in O
2020 B-T
, O
10 O
times O
that O
of O
2001 B-T
, O
predicted O
Zhang O
at O
an O
on O
- O
going O
international O
forum O
on O
productivity O
development O
in O
China O
. O

China O
' O
s O
export O
already O
ranked O
third O
in O
the O
world O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2004 I-T
. O
In O
the B-T
next I-T
15 I-T
years I-T
foreign O
trade O
is O
to O
grow O
in O
a O
more O
favorable O
macroeconomic O
environment O
with O
the O
positive O
impact O
of O
China O
' O
s O
entry O
into O
the O
WTO O
, O
she O
said O
. O

China O
will O
continue O
to O
attract O
foreign O
investments O
, O
and O
domestic O
enterprises O
will O
explore O
more O
opportunities O
for O
investing O
overseas O
in O
such O
areas O
as O
resource O
development O
, O
information O
transmission O
, O
and O
computer O
services O
, O
she O
said O
. O

She O
also O
listed O
several O
unfavorable O
factors O
. O
Export O
growth O
may O
be O
constrained O
by O
the O
slowdown O
of O
world O
economy O
and O
the O
possible O
stagnation O
of O
market O
expansion O
, O
and O
export O
tax O
rebate O
may O
further O
add O
to O
the O
country O
' O
s O
fiscal O
burdens O
, O
she O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0061 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vietnam O
' O
s O
stock O
market O
posts O
highest O
point O
since O
early O
2005 O

Vietnam O
' O
s O
stock O
market O
index O
, O
VN O
- O
Index O
, O
increased O
1 O
. O
44 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
45 O
percent O
, O
to O
322 O
. O
59 O
, O
the O
highest O
point O
so O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
126 O
, O
660 O
million O
Vietnamese O
dong O
( O
VND O
) O
( O
8 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
worth O
of O
shares O
, O
bonds O
and O
investment O
certificates O
being O
traded O
. O

A O
total O
of O
606 O
, O
760 O
shares O
worth O
22 O
, O
953 O
million O
VND O
( O
nearly O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
dollars O
) O
, O
and O
993 O
, O
740 O
bonds O
totaling O
101 O
, O
984 O
VND O
( O
over O
6 O
. O
4 O
million O
dollars O
) O
changed O
hands O
at O
the O
Ho O
Chi O
Minh O
City O
Securities O
Trading O
Center O
on O
Monday B-T
. O
Meanwhile O
, O
162 O
, O
600 O
investment O
fund O
certificates O
valued O
at O
1 O
, O
723 O
million O
VND O
( O
109 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
) O
were O
traded O
. O

Now O
, O
Vietnam O
has O
30 O
kinds O
of O
listed O
shares O
, O
289 O
kinds O
of O
listed O
bonds O
, O
mostly O
government O
bonds O
, O
and O
one O
listed O
investment O
fund O
, O
with O
combined O
face O
value O
of O
more O
than O
36 O
, O
432 O
billion O
VND O
( O
2 O
. O
3 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0003 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0003 O
. O

International O
: O

@ O
Finland O
, O
Big O
Creditors O

@ O
To O
Set O
Up O
Company O

@ O
To O
Complete O
Ships O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

EUROP O
CCL O

BANKRUPTCIES O
( O
BCY O
) O

TRANSPORTATION O
, O
TRUCK O
AND O
SHIP O
LINES O
, O
RAILROADS O
( O
TRA O
) O

STOCKHOLM O

The O
Finnish O
government O
and O
major O
creditors O
of O
bankrupt O
shipyard O
Waertsilae O
Marine O
Industries O
Oy O
agreed O
in O
principle O
to O
form O
a O
new O
company O
to O
complete O
most O
of O
the O
troubled O
shipyard O
' O
s O
backlog O
of O
15 O
ships O
. O

The O
new O
company O
will O
attempt O
to O
limit O
the O
shipyard O
' O
s O
losses O
, O
participants O
said O
. O

" O
The O
situation O
is O
that O
the O
bankruptcy O
court O
will O
get O
out O
of O
the O
shipbuilding O
business O
. O

Everything O
will O
be O
taken O
over O
by O
the O
new O
company O
, O
" O
said O
Christian O
Andersson O
, O
executive O
vice O
president O
of O
Oy O
Waertsilae O
, O
former O
parent O
of O
Waertsilae O
Marine O
. O

Once O
its O
ownership O
is O
finalized O
, O
the O
new O
company O
will O
open O
talks O
with O
state O
- O
appointed O
receivers O
to O
buy O
or O
lease O
Waertsilae O
Marine O
' O
s O
shipyard O
facilities O
. O

Subcontractors O
will O
be O
offered O
a O
settlement O
and O
a O
swift O
transition O
to O
new O
management O
is O
expected O
to O
avert O
an O
exodus O
of O
skilled O
workers O
from O
Waertsilae O
Marine O
' O
s O
two O
big O
shipyards O
, O
government O
officials O
said O
. O

Under O
an O
accord O
signed O
yesterday B-T
, O
the O
government O
and O
Union O
Bank O
of O
Finland O
would O
become O
major O
shareholders O
in O
the O
new O
company O
, O
each O
injecting O
100 O
million O
Finnish O
markkaa O
( O
$ O
23 O
. O
5 O
million O
) O
. O

Oy O
Waertsilae O
is O
to O
contribute O
200 O
million O
markkaa O
, O
most O
of O
it O
as O
subordinated O
debt O
, O
and O
take O
a O
minority O
stake O
in O
the O
new O
company O
. O

Customers O
holding O
contracts O
for O
Waertsilae O
Marine O
' O
s O
undelivered O
ships O
are O
expected O
to O
subscribe O
most O
of O
the O
remaining O
170 O
million O
markkaa O
in O
share O
capital O
, O
government O
officials O
said O
. O

Waertsilae O
Marine O
' O
s O
biggest O
creditor O
is O
Miami O
- O
based O
Carnival O
Cruise O
Lines O
Inc O
. O
Carnival O
, O
which O
has O
three O
ships O
on O
order O
from O
Waertsilae O
Marine O
, O
presented O
claims O
for O
$ O
1 O
. O
5 O
billion O
damages O
in O
the O
bankruptcy O
court O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

Waertsilae O
Marine O
' O
s O
bankruptcy O
proceedings O
began O
Tuesday B-T
in O
a O
Helsinki O
court O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0066 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
with O
second O
attack O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
suicide O
attacker O
ploughed O
a O
car O
bomb O
into O
a O
police O
checkpoint O
protecting O
Baghdad O
University O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
killing O
at O
least O
11 O
people O
and O
wounding O
30 O
more O
, O
medical O
officials O
said O
. O

Shortly O
afterwards O
another O
car O
bomb O
killed O
four O
people O
and O
wounded O
seven O
when O
it O
exploded O
outside O
a O
government O
passport O
office O
in O
the O
Kasr O
neighbourhood O
in O
the O
north O
of O
the O
city O
, O
according O
to O
a O
security O
official O
. O

Medics O
at O
the O
war O
- O
torn O
Iraqi O
capital O
' O
s O
Yarmuk O
and O
Ibn O
Nafis O
hospitals O
said O
most O
of O
the O
casualties O
in O
the O
campus O
attack O
were O
students O
, O
while O
a O
security O
official O
said O
three O
national O
police O
officers O
were O
killed O
and O
seven O
wounded O
. O

" O
People O
were O
hopping O
over O
and O
treading O
on O
bodies O
as O
they O
scattered O
to O
get O
away O
, O
" O
said O
a O
young O
man O
who O
fled O
the O
scene O
. O

The O
explosion O
took O
place O
on O
a O
major O
road O
leading O
through O
the O
Karrada O
area O
, O
a O
once O
prosperous O
part O
of O
Baghdad O
which O
was O
known O
as O
one O
of O
the O
most O
mixed O
areas O
of O
the O
city O
but O
is O
now B-T
increasingly O
dominated O
by O
Shiites O
. O

Baghdad O
' O
s O
universities O
have O
come O
increasingly O
under O
attack O
from O
Sunni O
extremist O
groups O
, O
and O
last B-T
week I-T
an O
Internet O
statement O
purportedly O
from O
the O
Ansar O
al O
- O
Sunna O
militant O
organisation O
explicitly O
threatened O
students O
. O

Both O
attacks O
came O
as O
Baghdad O
remained O
trapped O
in O
a O
vicious O
cycle O
of O
sectarian O
killings O
led O
by O
warring O
Sunni O
insurgent O
groups O
and O
Shiite O
militias O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0264 O

ADDIS O
ABABA O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

delay O
' O

The O
African O
Union O
on O
Wednesday B-T
told O
Ethiopia O
to O
pull O
out O
thousands O
of O
its O
troops O
from O
Somalia O
" O
without O
delay O
. O
" O

" O
We O
are O
calling O
for O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
Ethiopian O
troops O
without O
delay O
, O
" O
AU O
Commission O
chairman O
Alpha O
Omar O
Konare O
said O
in O
the O
body O
' O
s O
headquarters O
in O
Addis O
Ababa O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0309 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Eriksson O
to O
stay O
beyond O
World O
Cup O
, O
his O
assistan O
says O

England O
assistant O
coach O
Tord O
Grip O
has O
hinted O
Sven O
- O
Goran O
Eriksson O
will O
stay O
as O
head O
coach O
after O
next B-T
summer I-T
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
finals O
. O

The O
England O
boss O
has O
a O
contract O
until O
2008 B-T
but O
many O
believe O
he O
will O
quit O
the O
job O
immediately O
after O
Germany B-T
2006 I-T
. O

However O
Grip O
was O
quoted O
by O
BBC O
Radio O
Five O
Live O
as O
saying O
that O
Eriksson O
is O
in O
no O
rush O
to O
leave O
and O
added O
: O
" O
I O
can O
see O
him O
staying O
. O

" O
I O
think O
so O
because O
he O
likes O
his O
job O
, O
that O
' O
s O
for O
sure O
. O
For O
me O
, O
it O
would O
be O
absolutely O
perfect O
, O
I O
love O
my O
job O
. O
" O

Grip O
' O
s O
also O
revealed O
that O
he O
expects O
John O
Terry O
to O
be O
the O
England O
skipper O
one O
day O
, O
although O
Beckham O
will O
almost O
certainly O
retain O
the O
captain O
' O
s O
armband B-T
next I-T
summer I-T
. O

" O
I O
see O
him O
as O
a O
very O
good O
player O
, O
very O
good O
defender O
, O
and O
he O
' O
s O
a O
very O
good O
captain O
for O
Chelsea O
, O
so O
why O
shouldn O
' O
t O
he O
be O
captain O
of O
the O
England O
team O
? O
" O
added O
the O
Swede O
. O

" O
He O
is O
the O
captain O
in O
Chelsea O
and O
Rio O
( O
Ferdinand O
) O
is O
sometimes O
the O
captain O
at O
Manchester O
United O
, O
so O
we O
just O
have O
David O
Beckham O
for O
us O
and O
he O
will O
be O
the O
captain O
in O
the O
World O
Cup O
, O
that O
' O
s O
for O
sure O
. O
" O

Eriksson O
has O
guided O
England O
to O
three O
successive O
major O
tournaments O
but O
has O
received O
criticism O
for O
not O
showing O
emotion O
on O
the O
sidelines O
during O
games O
. O

Commenting O
on O
the O
manager O
' O
s O
approach O
in O
the O
dressing O
room O
, O
Grip O
said O
: O
" O
He O
is O
not O
screaming O
. O
He O
is O
just O
calm O
and O
telling O
people O
what O
to O
do O
, O
it O
' O
s O
not O
necessary O
to O
scream O
and O
shout O
. O
" O

Last B-T
week I-T
Eriksson O
insisted O
there O
is O
no O
get O
- O
out O
clause O
in O
his O
England O
contract O
as O
he O
declared O
he O
had O
never O
considered O
leaving O
his O
post O
after O
the O
finals O
in O
Germany O
. O

Asked O
about O
the O
existence O
of O
any O
clause O
in O
his O
current B-T
deal O
, O
he O
said O
: O
" O
Absolutely O
not O
. O
My O
contract O
runs O
until O
2008 B-T
. O
It O
' O
s O
not O
true O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0165 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Israeli O
president O
inks O
decree O
to O
dissolve O
parliament O

Israeli O
President O
Moshe O
Katsav O
inked O
a O
decree O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
dissolve O
the O
Knesset O
( O
Parliament O
) O
and O
call O
a O
snap O
election O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0111 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vietnam O
' O
s O
sugar O
output O
to O
rise O
in O
2007 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
Vietnam O
is O
expected O
to O
produce O
nearly O
1 O
. O
26 O
million O
tons O
of O
sugar O
in O
the O
2006 O
- O
2007 O
sugarcane O
crop O
, O
up O
from O
970 O
, O
000 O
tons O
in O
the O
previous O
crop O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Vietnam O
Sugarcane O
Association O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
sugar O
demand O
is O
estimated O
at O
1 O
. O
37 O
million O
tons O
in O
the O
2006 O
- O
2007 O
crop O
, O
which O
will O
end O
next B-T
July I-T
, O
posting O
a O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
rise O
of O
1 O
. O
48 O
percent O
, O
said O
the O
association O
. O

Under O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
commitments O
to O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
( O
WTO O
) O
, O
the O
country O
will O
place O
a O
quota O
of O
55 O
, O
000 O
tons O
on O
sugar O
imports O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
which O
annually O
increases O
by O
five O
percent O
in O
the B-T
following I-T
years I-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
country O
will O
impose O
import O
tax O
of O
25 O
percent O
on O
brown O
sugar O
and O
40 O
percent O
on O
white O
sugar O
. O
However O
, O
the O
tariffs O
will O
gradually O
decrease O
to O
six O
percent O
at O
most O
by O
2012 B-T
. O

Vietnam O
will O
also O
lower O
sugar O
tariffs O
to O
30 O
percent O
in O
2007 B-T
and O
5 O
percent O
in O
2010 B-T
under O
the O
roadmap O
of O
the O
ASEAN O
( O
the O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
Nations O
) O
Free O
Trade O
Area O
. O

Vietnam O
imported O
nearly O
80 O
, O
000 O
tons O
of O
sugar O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
five I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
increasing O
15 O
times O
over O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
said O
the O
sugarcane O
association O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0344 O

RIO O
DE O
JANEIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Portugal O
beats O
Uruguay O
5 O
- O
4 O
in O
beach O
soccer O
World O
Cup O

Portugal O
beat O
Uruguay O
5 O
- O
4 O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
the O
Group O
C O
opener O
of O
the O
second O
World O
Cup O
for O
beach O
soccer O
, O
which O
runs O
until O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
on O
Copacabana O
Beach O
, O
in O
Brazil O
' O
s O
Rio O
de O
Janeiro O
. O

" O
The O
Uruguay O
team O
played O
a O
typically O
South O
American O
game O
and O
knows O
how O
to O
neutralize O
our O
moves O
efficiently O
. O
But O
my O
men O
showed O
their O
patience O
and O
waited O
for O
the O
best O
moments O
to O
launch O
decisive O
attacks O
, O
" O
Ze O
Miguel O
, O
Portugal O
' O
s O
manager O
told O
media O
after O
the O
game O
. O

Portugal O
had O
to O
fight O
hard O
for O
the O
three O
championship O
points O
: O
opening O
scoring O
with O
an O
Alan O
goal O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
minute I-T
, O
only O
to O
see O
their O
advantage O
evaporate O
as O
Uruguay O
' O
s O
Ortiz O
struck O
back O
. O

Alan O
scored O
again O
, O
but O
Matais O
and O
Oli O
scored O
one O
each O
to O
put O
Uruguay O
ahead O
. O
Madjer O
equalized O
for O
Portugal O
just O
before O
the O
first O
half O
whistle O
, O
but O
Uruguay O
opened O
the O
second O
half O
with O
Saranasi O
Sobral O
' O
s O
scorpion O
kick O
to O
goal O
. O

Hernani O
and O
Madjer O
fought O
back O
with O
a O
goal O
each O
to O
secure O
a O
5 O
- O
4 O
victory O
for O
the O
Portuguese O
. O

The O
next O
Group O
C O
games O
are O
Portugal O
versus O
Cameroon O
and O
Uruguay O
versus O
the O
Solomon O
Islands O
, O
both O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Portugal O
finished O
second O
at O
the O
2006 O
World O
Cup O
in O
Germany O
, O
and O
the O
last O
European O
Cup O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0134 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0134 O
. O

Dominion O
Textile O
Rights O
Plan O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

T O
. O
DTX O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

MONTREAL O

Dominion O
Textile O
Inc O
. O
holders O
adopted O
a O
shareholder O
- O
rights O
plan O
at O
the O
annual O
meeting O
. O

The O
so O
- O
called O
poison O
pill O
took O
effect O
Aug B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
pending O
ratification O
by O
holders O
. O

Rights O
attached O
to O
the O
company O
' O
s O
common O
shares O
were O
issued O
that O
are O
triggered O
if O
a O
hostile O
bidder O
acquires O
more O
than O
20 O
% O
of O
the O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

Once O
triggered O
, O
the O
rights O
allow O
holders O
to O
buy O
additional O
shares O
at O
50 O
% O
of O
the O
then B-T
current I-T
market O
price O
or O
, O
at O
the O
board O
' O
s O
discretion O
, O
to O
receive O
securities O
or O
assets O
. O

Separately O
, O
Dominion O
Textile O
posted O
net O
income O
of O
4 O
. O
7 O
million O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
$ O
4 O
million O
) O
, O
or O
12 O
Canadian O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
for O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
- I-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
ended O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
. O

The O
company O
had O
a O
net O
loss O
of O
C O
$ O
2 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
or O
14 O
Canadian O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

Sales O
were O
C O
$ O
348 O
. O
2 O
million O
compared O
with O
C O
$ O
307 O
. O
2 O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0298 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
charts O
movement O
of O
conflict O
in O
Iraq O
toward O
chaos O
: O
report O

A O
classified O
briefing O
prepared O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
by O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Central O
Command O
portrays O
Iraq O
as O
edging O
toward O
chaos O
, O
in O
a O
chart O
that O
the O
military O
is O
using O
as O
a O
barometer O
of O
civil O
conflict O
, O
The O
New O
York O
Times O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

A O
one O
- O
page O
slide O
shown O
at O
the O
Oct B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
briefing O
provides O
a O
rare O
glimpse O
into O
how O
the O
military O
command O
that O
oversees O
the O
war O
is O
trying O
to O
track O
its O
trajectory O
, O
particularly O
in O
terms O
of O
sectarian O
fighting O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
slide O
includes O
a O
color O
- O
coded O
bar O
chart O
that O
is O
used O
to O
illustrate O
an O
" O
Index O
of O
Civil O
Conflict O
. O
" O
It O
shows O
a O
sharp O
escalation O
in O
sectarian O
violence O
since O
the O
bombing O
of O
a O
Shiite O
shrine O
in O
Samarra O
in O
February B-T
, O
and O
tracks O
a O
further O
worsening O
this B-T
month I-T
despite O
a O
concerted O
American O
push O
to O
tamp O
down O
the O
violence O
in O
Baghdad O
. O

In O
fashioning O
the O
index O
, O
the O
military O
is O
weighing O
factors O
like O
the O
ineffectual O
Iraqi O
police O
and O
the O
dwindling O
influence O
of O
moderate O
religious O
and O
political O
figures O
, O
rather O
than O
more O
traditional O
military O
measures O
such O
as O
the O
enemy O
' O
s O
fighting O
strength O
and O
the O
control O
of O
territory O
. O

The O
conclusions O
the O
Central O
Command O
has O
drawn O
from O
these O
trends O
are O
not O
encouraging O
. O
The O
slide O
shows O
Iraq O
as O
moving O
sharply O
away O
from O
" O
peace O
, O
" O
an O
ideal O
on O
the O
far O
left O
side O
of O
the O
chart O
, O
to O
a O
point O
much O
closer O
to O
the O
right O
side O
of O
the O
spectrum O
, O
a O
red O
zone O
marked O
" O
chaos O
. O
" O
As O
depicted O
in O
the O
command O
' O
s O
chart O
, O
the O
needle O
has O
been O
moving O
steadily O
toward O
the O
far O
right O
of O
the O
chart O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Times O
, O
which O
obtained O
a O
copy O
of O
the O
slide O
. O

An O
intelligence O
summary O
at O
the O
bottom O
of O
the O
slide O
reads O
" O
urban O
areas O
experiencing O
' O
ethnic O
cleansing O
' O
campaigns O
to O
consolidate O
control O
" O
and O
" O
violence O
at O
all O
- O
time O
high O
, O
spreading O
geographically O
. O
" O

According O
to O
a O
Central O
Command O
official O
, O
the O
index O
on O
civil O
strife O
has O
been O
a O
staple O
of O
internal O
command O
briefings O
for O
most O
of O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
The O
analysis O
was O
prepared O
by O
the O
command O
' O
s O
intelligence O
directorate O
. O

John O
Abizaid O
, O
who O
heads O
the O
command O
, O
warned O
publicly O
in O
August B-T
about O
the O
risk O
of O
civil O
war O
in O
Iraq O
, O
but O
he O
said O
then O
that O
he O
thought O
it O
could O
be O
averted O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0355 O

GLASGOW O
, O
Dec B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Martin O
Stirling O

Under O
- O
fire O
Rangers O
manager O
Paul O
Le O
Guen O
says O
he O
would O
rather O
take O
the O
flak O
for O
the O
Ibrox O
side O
' O
s O
dreadful O
run O
of O
form O
instead O
of O
his O
players O
. O

The O
Frenchman O
' O
s O
team O
followed O
up O
their O
shock O
2 O
- O
1 O
loss O
away O
to O
Inverness O
Caledonian O
Thistle O
last B-T
Wednesday I-T
with O
a O
lame O
1 O
- O
1 O
draw O
at O
home O
to O
St O
Mirren O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

These O
results O
enabled O
Celtic O
to O
stretch O
their O
advantage O
over O
Rangers O
to O
17 O
points O
- O
who O
are O
one O
behind O
second O
placed O
Aberdeen O
- O
despite O
drawing O
their O
last O
two O
games O
against O
Dundee O
United O
and O
Motherwell O
. O

And O
the O
Rangers O
fans O
made O
their O
feelings O
known O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
St O
Mirren O
game O
by O
booing O
their O
side O
off O
the O
pitch O
. O

However O
, O
Le O
Guen O
has O
called O
on O
the O
Gers O
support O
to O
direct O
their O
displeasure O
at O
him O
while O
giving O
their O
support O
to O
the O
players O
. O

The O
former O
Lyon O
manager O
said O
: O
" O
There O
was O
too O
much O
pressure O
on O
the O
players O
on O
Saturday B-T
after O
the O
Inverness O
game O
and O
you O
could O
see O
it O
affected O
some O
of O
them O
against O
St O
Mirren O
. O

" O
I O
feel O
the O
pressure O
and O
I O
' O
m O
aware O
of O
it O
but O
I O
' O
m O
ready O
to O
take O
the O
criticism O
as O
I O
know O
our O
results O
are O
not O
good O
enough O
. O

" O
I O
would O
prefer O
the O
pressure O
to O
be O
on O
me O
rather O
than O
on O
the O
players O
. O

" O
Of O
course O
there O
are O
problems O
as O
we O
are O
so O
far O
behind O
in O
the O
league O
but O
I O
can O
cope O
with O
the O
criticism O
. O
" O

On O
Tuesday B-T
Rangers O
will O
play O
away O
to O
Motherwell O
, O
who O
drew O
at O
home O
to O
Celtic O
on O
Saturday B-T
after O
Darren O
Lee O
Smith O
cancelled O
out O
Derek O
Riordan O
' O
s O
first O
goal O
for O
the O
Parkhead O
club O
, O
and O
Le O
Guen O
acknowledged O
his O
side O
would O
find O
it O
hard O
. O

He O
said O
: O
" O
Any O
game O
is O
hard O
for O
us O
now O
the O
way O
we O
are O
playing O
so O
we O
know O
it O
will O
be O
difficult O
. O

" O
Motherwell O
had O
a O
good O
result O
against O
Celtic O
and O
played O
very O
well O
but O
each O
point O
is O
important O
for O
us O
and O
we O
will O
be O
trying O
our O
best O
to O
get O
a O
victory O
. O
" O

Rangers O
' O
Croatian O
striker O
Dado O
Prso O
was O
missing O
from O
the O
Inverness O
and O
St O
Mirren O
games O
due O
to O
a O
groin O
injury O
but O
Le O
Guen O
is O
hopeful O
he O
will O
be O
fit O
to O
face O
Motherwell O
. O

He O
said O
: O
" O
I O
hope O
Dado O
will O
be O
back O
. O
He O
was O
an O
important O
player O
for O
us O
in O
our O
victories O
over O
Hibs O
and O
Aberdeen O
, O
and O
in O
the O
draw O
against O
Celtic O
, O
so O
it O
would O
be O
useful O
to O
have O
him O
available O
. O
" O

In O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
game O
Rangers O
fell O
behind O
to O
St O
Mirren O
in O
the B-T
14th I-T
minute I-T
after O
Richard O
Brittain O
' O
s O
first O
- O
time O
strike O
from O
22 O
- O
yards O
rocketed O
past O
Allan O
McGregor O
into O
the O
roof O
of O
the O
net O
. O

But O
five O
minutes O
later O
Rangers O
were O
back O
on O
level O
terms O
when O
Charlie O
Adam O
' O
s O
corner O
was O
headed O
home O
by O
Kris O
Boyd O
from O
six O
- O
yards O
out O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
Celtic O
had O
drew O
1 O
- O
1 O
at O
Motherwell O
and O
the O
home O
side O
' O
s O
manager O
Maurice O
Malpas O
believed O
his O
team O
should O
have O
won O
. O

" O
My O
players O
were O
magnificent O
today B-T
, O
" O
Malpas O
told O
Setanta O
Sports O
1 O
. O

" O
I O
was O
delighted O
. O
We O
told O
them O
before O
the O
game O
that O
they O
had O
to O
get O
the O
ball O
and O
do O
something O
with O
it O
. O

" O
I O
think O
at O
the O
end O
we O
deserved O
the O
goal O
. O
I O
' O
ll O
be O
greedy O
and O
say O
we O
should O
have O
got O
the O
win O
. O
" O

Despite O
the O
draw O
Celtic O
still O
managed O
to O
stretch O
their O
lead O
at O
the O
top O
of O
the O
SPL O
to O
16 O
points O
over O
Aberdeen O
, O
who O
lost O
3 O
- O
1 O
away O
to O
Dundee O
United O
, O
and O
17 O
over O
Rangers O
. O

And O
they O
will O
be O
further O
boosted O
by O
the O
news O
new O
signing O
Steven O
Pressley O
is O
set O
to O
make O
his O
debut O
on O
January B-T
2 I-T
in O
the O
home O
match O
against O
Kilmarnock O
. O

Celtic O
manager O
Gordon O
Strachan O
confirmed O
: O
" O
He O
' O
s O
got O
a O
good O
chance O
. O
We O
' O
ll O
try O
to O
cram O
in O
a O
month O
' O
s O
training O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0194 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

official O

China O
Focus O
: O
China O
' O
s O
oil O
import O
growth O
continues O
to O
fall O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
official O

By O
Xinhua O
writer O
An O
Bei O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
China O
will O
import O
less O
oil O
and O
oil O
products O
in O
2006 B-T
than O
previous B-T
years I-T
, O
an O
official O
with O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Commerce O
( O
MOC O
) O
said O
recently O
. O

Lu O
Jianhua O
, O
Director O
of O
Foreign O
Trade O
Department O
of O
the O
MOC O
, O
told O
the O
Asian O
Business O
Forum O
held O
recently O
, O
that O
it O
is O
unfair O
to O
blame O
China O
for O
rising O
international O
oil O
prices O
. O

According O
to O
statistics O
, O
China O
imported O
105 O
million O
tons O
of O
crude O
oil O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
ten I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
rising O
5 O
. O
7 O
percent O
year O
on O
year O
, O
and O
25 O
. O
69 O
million O
tons O
of O
refined O
oil O
, O
down O
16 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

It O
is O
estimated O
that O
China O
will O
import O
130 O
million O
tons O
of O
crude O
oil O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
rising O
only O
six O
percent O
year O
on O
year B-T
. O
This O
means O
the O
rate O
of O
growth O
of O
oil O
imports O
has O
dropped O
30 O
percent O
, O
said O
Lu O
. O

The O
price O
of O
crude O
oil O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Mercantile O
Exchange O
( O
NYMEX O
) O
closed O
at O
56 O
. O
35 O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
Thursday B-T
, O
it O
' O
s O
lowest O
since O
July B-T
. O

It O
is O
reasonable O
for O
the O
price O
of O
oil O
to O
fall O
and O
there O
' O
s O
room O
for O
it O
to O
drop O
even O
further O
, O
Lu O
predicted O
. O

This B-T
summer I-T
the O
world O
saw O
crude O
oil O
prices O
hovering O
at O
60 O
US O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
and O
even O
surge O
to O
a O
record O
of O
70 O
US O
dollars O
. O

Such O
high O
oil O
prices O
can O
be O
attributed O
to O
financial O
speculation O
rather O
than O
the O
normal O
market O
forces O
of O
supply O
and O
demand O
. O

According O
to O
statistics O
released O
by O
BP O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
2004 O
witnessed O
a O
growth O
in O
global O
oil O
demand O
of O
3 O
. O
4 O
percent O
, O
which O
was O
lower O
than O
that O
year O
' O
s O
growth O
in O
production O
capacity O
of O
4 O
. O
5 O
percent O
. O
This O
indicates O
that O
China O
should O
not O
be O
blamed O
for O
rising O
oil O
prices O
. O

" O
The O
world O
' O
s O
capacity O
to O
supply O
is O
still O
greater O
than O
the O
demand O
and O
that O
has O
not O
changed O
, O
" O
said O
Zhou O
Dadi O
, O
Director O
of O
the O
Research O
Institute O
of O
Energy O
, O
National O
Development O
and O
Reform O
Commission O
( O
NDRC O
) O
at O
a O
forum O
on O
petroleum O
held O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

" O
So O
it O
is O
not O
valid O
to O
say O
that O
China O
' O
s O
oil O
imports O
are O
the O
cause O
of O
rising O
international O
oil O
prices O
, O
" O
said O
Zhou O
. O

In O
2004 B-T
, O
China O
accounted O
for O
11 O
percent O
of O
that O
year O
' O
s O
global O
energy O
output O
, O
according O
to O
statistics O
of O
the O
NDRC O
. O
The O
country O
produced O
1 O
. O
956 O
billion O
tons O
of O
coal O
. O
Adding O
its O
oil O
, O
natural O
gas O
, O
and O
other O
energy O
output O
, O
it O
produced O
a O
total O
of O
1 O
. O
85 O
billion O
tons O
of O
primary O
energy O
in O
terms O
of O
standard O
coal O
. O

China O
' O
s O
primary O
energy O
consumption O
in O
2004 B-T
was O
1 O
. O
97 O
billion O
tons O
of O
standard O
coal O
equivalent O
and O
its O
domestic O
energy O
supply O
capacity O
reached O
as O
high O
as O
94 O
percent O
, O
which O
is O
among O
the O
highest O
in O
the O
world O
. O

In O
order O
to O
enhance O
China O
' O
s O
security O
of O
oil O
supply O
it O
should O
try O
to O
reduce O
its O
dependency O
on O
oil O
imports O
to O
about O
30 O
percent O
and O
not O
exceed O
more O
than O
50 O
percent O
, O
said O
Xu O
Shoubo O
, O
an O
academic O
of O
Chinese O
Academy O
of O
Engineering O
. O

China O
imported O
120 O
million O
tons O
of O
crude O
oil O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
accounting O
for O
40 O
percent O
of O
its O
oil O
consumption O
. O

The O
Chinese O
government O
says O
reducing O
the O
country O
' O
s O
energy O
demand O
and O
improving O
energy O
efficiency O
is O
extremely O
important O
. O

In O
the O
proposal O
for O
the O
11th O
Five O
Year O
Program O
, O
the O
blueprint O
for O
the O
economic O
and O
social O
development O
of O
the O
country O
from O
2006 O
to O
2010 O
issued O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
government O
made O
clear O
the O
goal O
to O
reduce O
its O
per O
unit O
GDP O
energy O
consumption O
by O
20 O
percent O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2010 I-T
. O

China O
will O
continue O
to O
make O
coal O
it O
main O
method O
of O
producing O
energy O
allowing O
it O
to O
meet O
its O
energy O
demand O
from O
domestic O
sources O
, O
said O
the O
proposal O
. O

Currently O
nearly O
70 O
percent O
of O
China O
' O
s O
energy O
demand O
is O
met O
by O
coal O
. O
Petroleum O
accounts O
for O
just O
over O
20 O
percent O
of O
its O
energy O
supply O
. O

Developing O
new O
and O
renewable O
resources O
, O
improving O
the O
country O
' O
s O
energy O
efficiency O
and O
keeping O
its O
demand O
for O
imported O
oil O
at O
a O
moderate O
rate O
of O
growth O
will O
sustain O
China O
' O
s O
energy O
consumption O
, O
said O
Xu O
Shoubo O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0508 O

VIENNA O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
details O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Iran O
is O
ready O
to O
hide O
its O
uranium O
enrichment O
and O
continue O
with O
the O
sensitive O
nuclear O
work O
if O
threatened O
with O
military O
attack O
, O
a O
senior O
Iranian O
official O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
We O
have O
a O
large O
country O
, O
1 O
million O
600 O
thousand O
square O
kilometres O
and O
for O
centrifuge O
machines O
( O
which O
enrich O
uranium O
) O
the O
room O
of O
this O
size O
is O
enough O
, O
" O
Iran O
' O
s O
ambassador O
to O
the O
UN O
watchdog O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
( O
IAEA O
) O
Ali O
Asghar O
Soltanieh O
told O
a O
seminar O
in O
Vienna O
in O
a O
medium O
- O
sized O
conference O
room O
. O

Centrifuge O
machines O
" O
could O
be O
done O
, O
could O
be O
performed O
, O
could O
be O
installed O
anywhere O
and O
could O
be O
protected O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
gathering O
at O
the O
Austrian O
Institute O
for O
International O
Affairs O
. O

Soltanieh O
was O
speaking O
as O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
debates O
in O
New O
York O
whether O
to O
impose O
sanctions O
on O
Iran O
for O
failing O
to O
honor O
a O
Council O
ultimatum O
to O
suspend O
uranium O
enrichment O
, O
which O
makes O
what O
can O
be O
fuel O
for O
civilian O
nuclear O
reactors O
or O
the O
raw O
material O
for O
atom O
bombs O
. O

Iran O
insists O
on O
its O
right O
to O
enrich O
uranium O
as O
part O
of O
a O
peaceful O
drive O
to O
generate O
electricity O
but O
the O
United O
States O
charges O
that O
Tehran O
is O
hiding O
secret O
work O
on O
making O
nuclear O
weapons O
. O

Experts O
have O
warned O
that O
attacking O
Iran O
' O
s O
known O
atomic O
facilities O
might O
only O
drive O
the O
Iranian O
program O
underground O
and O
Soltanieh O
' O
s O
comments O
were O
among O
the O
first O
from O
Iranian O
officials O
that O
they O
would O
do O
exactly O
that O
. O

" O
Iran O
has O
got O
the O
technology O
, O
the O
know O
- O
how O
of O
enrichment O
and O
it O
is O
authorized O
by O
the O
IAEA O
. O
If O
therefore O
the O
Americans O
say O
hurry O
up O
, O
pass O
resolutions O
, O
let O
' O
s O
have O
a O
military O
attack O
to O
stop O
Iran O
they O
are O
making O
a O
mistake O
, O
" O
Soltanieh O
said O
. O

" O
Iran O
is O
not O
a O
small O
island O
that O
with O
a O
Katrina O
( O
referring O
to O
the O
hurricane O
that O
devastated O
New O
Orleans O
) O
would O
disappear O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
Tehran O
, O
Iran O
' O
s O
top O
nuclear O
official O
warned O
Western O
powers O
they O
would O
face O
" O
painful O
measures O
" O
by O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
if O
sanctions O
were O
imposed O
. O

" O
If O
the O
aim O
of O
the O
West O
is O
to O
erode O
our O
will O
by O
depriving O
us O
of O
our O
nuclear O
rights O
, O
we O
will O
have O
to O
employ O
painful O
measures O
against O
the O
West O
, O
" O
Ali O
Larijani O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
If O
they O
want O
to O
use O
the O
weapon O
of O
threats O
, O
they O
will O
have O
to O
expect O
pressure O
in O
return O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
head O
of O
parliament O
' O
s O
foreign O
affairs O
committee O
, O
Alaedin O
Boroujerdi O
earlier O
said O
Tehran O
could O
curb O
IAEA O
inspections O
of O
its O
atomic O
facilities O
if O
sanctions O
were O
imposed O
. O

Soltanieh O
said O
: O
" O
Is O
it O
not O
wise O
( O
to O
maintain O
) O
the O
situation O
. O
. O
. O
that O
all O
centrifuge O
machines O
( O
at O
Iran O
' O
s O
enrichment O
facility O
in O
Natanz O
) O
are O
under O
24 O
hours O
cameras O
of O
the O
IAEA O
and O
almost O
every B-T
week I-T
or I-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
the O
inspectors O
are O
there O
and O
everything O
is O
full O
transparent O
. O
" O

" O
Let O
this O
course O
of O
action O
continue O
, O
" O
Soltanieh O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0275 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Iran O
to O
cede O
state O
companies O
' O
shares O
to O
poor O

The O
Iranian O
government O
on O
Wednesday B-T
approved O
a O
plan O
to O
cede O
shares O
of O
state O
- O
owned O
companies O
to O
the O
poor O
people O
, O
the O
official O
IRNA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

The O
newly O
approved O
bylaw O
stated O
that O
the O
government O
would O
cede O
state O
- O
owned O
companies O
' O
stocks O
to O
the O
poor O
strata O
of O
the O
society O
and O
pay O
off O
the O
cost O
of O
the O
shares O
under O
a O
20 O
- O
year O
installment O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

It O
added O
that O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Economic O
Affairs O
and O
Finance O
was O
assigned O
to O
draw O
up O
practical O
procedure O
for O
the O
ceding O
, O
while O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Welfare O
and O
Social O
Security O
would O
be O
responsible O
for O
identifying O
the O
beneficiaries O
in O
two B-T
months I-T
. O

According O
to O
official O
statistics O
, O
nearly O
15 O
percent O
of O
the O
Iranians O
live O
under O
the O
poverty O
line O
, O
but O
some O
unofficial O
estimates O
were O
fixed O
around O
40 O
percent O
. O

Iranian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
promised O
during O
his O
election O
campaign O
to O
improve O
social O
welfare O
to O
provide O
a O
better O
life O
for O
the O
poor O
, O
which O
greatly O
contributed O
to O
his O
win O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0600 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Queen O
Elizabeth O
II O
celebrates O
71st O
birthday O

Britain O
' O
s O
Queen O
Elizabeth O
II O
celebrated O
her O
71st O
birthday O
with O
a O
quiet O
day O
at O
Windsor O
Castle O
Monday B-T
. O

Never O
one O
to O
make O
a O
fuss O
, O
the O
queen O
spent O
the O
day O
in O
private O
with O
members O
of O
the O
royal O
family O
. O

At O
noon O
in O
London O
' O
s O
Hyde O
Park O
, O
the O
King O
' O
s O
Troop O
Royal O
Horse O
Artillery O
fired O
a O
41 O
- O
gun O
salute O
. O
An B-T
hour I-T
later O
, O
a O
62 O
- O
gun O
salute O
was O
fired O
by O
the O
Honourable O
Artillery O
Company O
at O
the O
Tower O
of O
London O
. O

Ceremonies O
for O
the O
sovereign O
' O
s O
birthday O
will O
take O
place O
this B-T
year I-T
on O
Saturday B-T
June I-T
14 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0052 O

DAR O
ES O
SALAAM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zanzibar O
attracts O
more O
investment O
this O
year O

The O
Indian O
Ocean O
archipelago O
of O
Zanzibar O
has O
witnessed O
increased O
investment O
as O
both O
foreign O
and O
local O
investors O
have O
enhanced O
their O
inputs O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
10 I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Thirty O
- O
one O
investment O
projects O
worth O
93 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
have O
been O
registered O
with O
the O
Zanzibar O
Investment O
Promotion O
Agency O
( O
ZIPA O
) O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
reaching O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

ZIPA O
Director O
Salum O
Khmis O
Nassor O
said O
21 O
of O
the O
investment O
projects O
had O
been O
signed O
up O
by O
companies O
from O
such O
countries O
as O
Belgium O
, O
Britain O
, O
Kenya O
, O
Norway O
and O
South O
Africa O
while O
the O
remaining O
10 O
investment O
projects O
had O
been O
signed O
by O
local O
investors O
from O
mainland O
Tanzania O
and O
from O
the O
isles O
. O

The O
new O
investment O
projects O
cover O
areas O
including O
agriculture O
, O
fisheries O
, O
industries O
, O
tourism O
and O
air O
and O
marine O
transport O
. O

Tourist O
hotels O
and O
restaurants O
drew O
the O
largest O
share O
of O
investment O
with O
71 O
million O
dollars O
followed O
by O
industries O
( O
2 O
. O
79 O
million O
dollars O
) O
, O
air O
and O
marine O
transport O
( O
2 O
. O
78 O
million O
dollars O
) O
, O
fisheries O
( O
1 O
. O
41 O
million O
dollars O
) O
and O
agriculture O
( O
910 O
, O
004 O
dollars O
) O
. O

ZIPA O
is O
a O
government O
agency O
specializing O
in O
promoting O
foreign O
and O
local O
investment O
in O
the O
development O
of O
the O
Indian O
Ocean O
archipelago O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0326 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bush O
meets O
with O
panel O
on O
Iraq O
strategy O

U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
met O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
a O
bipartisan O
panel O
reviewing O
the O
administration O
' O
s O
Iraq O
strategy O
, O
and O
said O
he O
was O
looking O
forward O
to O
seeing O
the O
group O
' O
s O
recommendations O
. O

Bush O
said O
he O
was O
not O
sure O
what O
the O
report O
the O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
was O
expected O
to O
submit O
next B-T
month I-T
was O
going O
to O
say O
, O
but O
he O
was O
" O
looking O
forward O
to O
seeing O
it O
. O
" O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
going O
to O
prejudge O
" O
the O
report O
, O
he O
told O
reporters O
after O
meeting O
with O
the O
group O
at O
the O
White O
House O
. O

The O
president O
said O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
goal O
in O
Iraq O
remained O
" O
a O
government O
that O
can O
sustain O
, O
govern O
and O
defend O
itself O
and O
serve O
as O
an O
ally O
in O
this O
war O
on O
terror O
, O
" O
and O
he O
was O
impressed O
by O
the O
questions O
the O
panel O
asked O
. O

The O
group O
, O
headed O
by O
former O
secretary O
of O
state O
James O
A O
. O
Baker O
III O
, O
a O
Republican O
, O
and O
Lee O
Hamilton O
, O
a O
Democratic O
former O
congressman O
, O
was O
to O
meet O
Bush O
and O
members O
of O
his O
foreign O
policy O
team O
, O
including O
Vice O
President O
Dick O
Cheney O
, O
the O
president O
' O
s O
national O
security O
adviser O
, O
secretaries O
of O
the O
state O
and O
defense O
departments O
, O
and O
the O
national O
intelligence O
chief O
and O
the O
CIA O
chief O
, O
to O
begin O
its O
final O
round O
of O
interviews O
. O

The O
group O
would O
also O
interview O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
by O
videoconference O
and O
meet O
with O
Democratic O
foreign O
policy O
leaders O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
and O
was O
expected O
to O
make O
recommendations O
on O
the O
government O
' O
s O
Iraq O
policy O
next B-T
month I-T
or I-T
early I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Democratic O
leaders O
in O
the O
Senate O
have O
vowed O
to O
use O
their O
new O
congressional O
majority O
to O
press O
for O
troop O
reductions O
in O
Iraq O
within O
months O
. O

Democratic O
Senator O
Carl O
Levin O
, O
who O
was O
to O
become O
chairman O
of O
the O
Senate O
Armed O
Services O
Committee O
when O
the O
110th O
Congress O
convenes O
early O
January B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
group O
' O
s O
report O
would O
have O
" O
an O
impact O
on O
whatever O
action O
might O
be O
possible O
in O
this O
Congress O
and O
in O
the O
next O
Congress O
. O
" O

The O
first O
priority O
for O
the O
Armed O
Services O
Committee O
would O
be O
to O
find O
a O
way O
forward O
to O
" O
change O
the O
course O
in O
Iraq O
, O
" O
he O
said O
at O
a O
news O
conference O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0094 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Philippine O
police O
attack O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
Group O
, O
killing O
one O

A O
member O
of O
the O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
Group O
was O
killed O
while O
his O
brother O
, O
who O
is O
also O
linked O
to O
the O
terrorist O
group O
, O
was O
arrested O
in O
two O
separate O
operations O
by O
Philippine O
authorities O
on O
Thursday B-T
night I-T
, O
the O
police O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

A O
report O
by O
Western O
Mindanao O
police O
office O
head O
Chief O
Supt O
. O
Jaime O
Caringal O
identified O
the O
killed O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
man O
as O
Joselito O
Nazara O
, O
alias O
Abu O
Sufian O
or O
Kirrs O
, O
while O
the O
arrested O
brother O
of O
Nazara O
was O
Jayrold O
, O
alias O
Kobe O
. O

Caringal O
said O
operatives O
of O
the O
Regional O
Intelligence O
and O
Investigation O
Division O
swooped O
down O
at O
the O
village O
of O
Ayala O
in O
Zamboanga O
City O
to O
serve O
an O
arrest O
warrant O
against O
a O
group O
of O
terrorists O
. O

The O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
members O
resisted O
arrest O
and O
resulted O
in O
a O
brief O
gunfight O
and O
the O
killing O
of O
Joselito O
Nazara O
, O
said O
Caringal O
. O

Jayrold O
Nazara O
was O
arrested O
by O
the O
same O
operatives O
in O
a O
follow O
- O
up O
operation O
at O
an O
Abu O
Sayyaf O
safe O
house O
at O
the O
village O
of O
Pamucutan O
, O
also O
in O
Zamboanga O
City O
, O
the O
officer O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
Jayrold O
Naraza O
did O
not O
resist O
arrest O
. O

Also O
seized O
in O
the O
Pamucutan O
operation O
were O
ammunition O
and O
group O
documents O
, O
SIM O
cards O
, O
and O
several O
pieces O
of O
the O
police O
' O
s O
Special O
Action O
Force O
camouflage O
uniform O
, O
according O
to O
the O
police O
report O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0156 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hang O
Seng O
China O
Enterprises O
Index O
higher O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
15 O

Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Hang O
Seng O
China O
Enterprises O
Index O
rose O
44 O
. O
84 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
91 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
4 O
, O
979 O
. O
88 O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
index O
, O
initiated O
in O
August B-T
1995 I-T
and O
re O
- O
based O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
tracks O
the O
overall O
performance O
of O
40 O
Chinese O
mainland O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
listed O
on O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O

Hang O
Seng O
China O
- O
Affiliated O
Corporations O
Index O
rose O
8 O
. O
92 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
48 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
880 O
. O
28 O
. O

The O
index O
tracks O
the O
performance O
of O
30 O
locally O
listed O
companies O
with O
a O
significant O
equity O
interest O
held O
by O
entities O
in O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
. O

Hang O
Seng O
Mainland O
Composite O
Index O
rose O
11 O
. O
36 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
63 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
819 O
. O
47 O
. O

Introduced O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2001 I-T
, O
Hang O
Seng O
Mainland O
Composite O
Index O
gauges O
the O
performance O
of O
95 O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
listed O
companies O
with O
principal O
places O
of O
business O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
the O
mainland O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0070 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Foreign O
- O
funded O
Banks O
( O
10 O
) O

Article O
34 O
An O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
applying O
to O
engage O
in O
the O
types O
of O
RMB O
businesses O
within O
the O
scope O
of O
business O
as O
prescribed O
in O
article O
29 O
or O
31 O
of O
these O
regulations O
, O
shall O
satisfy O
the O
following O
requirements O
and O
be O
subject O
to O
the O
approval O
by O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
: O

( O
1 O
) O
having O
opened O
business O
within O
the O
territory O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
China O
for O
at B-T
least I-T
three I-T
years I-T
prior O
to O
the O
application O
; O

( O
2 O
) O
having O
been O
profitable O
for O
two B-T
consecutive I-T
years I-T
prior O
to O
the O
application O
; O
and O

( O
3 O
) O
other O
prudential O
requirements O
prescribed O
by O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
. O

Where O
a O
foreign O
bank O
branch O
changes O
into O
a O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
solely O
funded O
by O
its O
parent O
bank O
, O
the O
time O
limit O
as O
prescribed O
in O
subparagraph O
( O
1 O
) O
or O
( O
2 O
) O
of O
the O
preceding O
paragraph O
shall O
be O
calculated O
starting O
from O
the O
date O
when O
the O
foreign O
bank O
branch O
is O
established O
. O

Chapter O
IV O
Supervision O

Article O
35 O
An O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
shall O
, O
in O
accordance O
with O
relevant O
provisions O
, O
develop O
the O
operating O
rules O
, O
improve O
management O
systems O
for O
risk O
management O
and O
internal O
control O
, O
and O
ensure O
the O
compliance O
with O
such O
rules O
, O
policies O
and O
procedures O
. O

Article O
36 O
An O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
shall O
comply O
with O
the O
unified O
accounting O
rules O
of O
the O
State O
and O
the O
provisions O
of O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
on O
information O
disclosure O
. O

Article O
37 O
An O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
shall O
comply O
with O
the O
relevant O
provisions O
of O
the O
State O
when O
issuing O
external O
debts O
. O

Article O
38 O
An O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
shall O
determine O
its O
deposit O
and O
loan O
interest O
rates O
and O
the O
rates O
of O
various O
service O
fees O
in O
accordance O
with O
the O
relevant O
provisions O
. O

Article O
39 O
An O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
to O
engage O
in O
deposit O
- O
taking O
business O
shall O
deposit O
required O
reserves O
in O
accordance O
with O
the O
provisions O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Bank O
of O
China O
. O

Article O
40 O
A O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
shall O
comply O
with O
the O
asset O
/ O
liability O
ratio O
requirement O
prescribed O
in O
the O
Law O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
China O
on O
Commercial O
Banks O
. O
A O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
changed O
from O
a O
foreign O
bank O
branch O
and O
solely O
owned O
by O
its O
parent O
bank O
, O
or O
a O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
established O
before O
these O
regulations O
take O
effect O
shall O
, O
where O
its O
asset O
/ O
liability O
ratio O
fails O
to O
meet O
the O
requirement O
, O
satisfy O
such O
requirement O
within O
the O
time O
frame O
prescribed O
by O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
. O

The O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
shall O
have O
the O
power O
to O
require O
a O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
identified O
with O
high O
risks O
or O
weak O
risk O
management O
to O
increase O
its O
capital O
adequacy O
ratio O
. O

Article O
41 O
An O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
shall O
draw O
loan O
loss O
reserves O
in O
accordance O
with O
relevant O
provisions O
. O

Article O
42 O
A O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
shall O
comply O
with O
the O
provisions O
of O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
on O
corporate O
governance O
. O
( O
more O
) O

AFP_ENG_20061224 O
. O
0239 O

LIVERPOOL O
, O
England O
, O
Dec B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Cahill O
pledges O
to O
return O
fitter O
and O
stronger O

Hobbling O
Everton O
midfielder O
Tim O
Cahill O
believes O
he O
will O
return O
from O
his O
lengthy O
, O
injury O
- O
enforced O
absence O
a O
better O
player O
. O

The O
Australian O
international O
, O
who O
is O
expected O
to O
return O
to O
the O
first O
- O
team O
in O
January B-T
, O
is O
stepping O
up O
his O
rehabilitation O
from O
a O
knee O
injury O
suffered O
against O
Aston O
Villa O
on O
November B-T
11 I-T
, O
and O
has O
kicked O
a O
ball O
again O
for O
the O
first O
time O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ve O
not O
had O
one O
down O
moment O
throughout O
this O
injury O
, O
I O
' O
ve O
worked O
hard O
and O
looked O
at O
the O
positives O
, O
" O
said O
Cahill O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ve O
spent O
a O
lot O
of O
time O
with O
my O
family O
and O
with O
my O
boys O
because O
( O
in O
the O
past O
couple O
of O
years O
) O
I O
' O
ve O
not O
had O
the O
chance O
to O
have O
a O
proper O
holiday O
. O

" O
There O
' O
s O
a O
lot O
to O
my O
game O
that O
I O
need O
to O
think O
about O
and O
I O
' O
ve O
been O
working O
on O
other O
areas O
. O

" O
Obviously O
it O
' O
s O
hard O
being O
injured O
but O
you O
have O
to O
have O
high O
spirits O
for O
the O
lads O
. O
" O

Despite O
his O
absence O
, O
Cahill O
remains O
Everton O
' O
s O
top O
scorer O
with O
seven O
goals O
and O
was O
playing O
a O
crucial O
role O
for O
the O
Merseysiders O
when O
he O
suffered O
the O
injury O
which O
was O
caused O
by O
a O
challenge O
from O
team O
- O
mate O
Lee O
Carsley O
. O

" O
I O
want O
to O
come O
back O
fully O
fit O
and O
start O
where O
I O
left O
off O
, O
" O
he O
told O
the O
Liverpool O
Daily O
Post O
. O

" O
I O
scored O
a O
few O
goals O
and O
was O
playing O
well O
but O
the O
biggest O
thing O
was O
that O
I O
got O
injured O
. O

" O
I O
have O
to O
look O
at O
the O
pluses O
and O
the O
plus O
is O
that O
I O
' O
ve O
had O
a O
bit O
of O
a O
rest O
and O
when O
I O
get O
back O
hopefully O
I O
' O
ll O
be O
revived O
for O
the O
start O
of O
the O
New O
Year O
- O
I O
hope O
to O
be O
buzzing O
and O
scoring O
more O
goals O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0103 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
Middle O
East O
news O
advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
3 O

The O
following O
are O
some O
of O
major O
Mideast O
news O
stories O
due O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
News O
Agency O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
situation O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
as O
the O
Israeli O
army O
launched O
a O
large O
- O
scale O
operation O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
security O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
amid O
mounting O
violence O
in O
the O
country O
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
course O
of O
formation O
of O
a O
Palestinian O
national O
unity O
government O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0020 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Philippines O
searches O
for O
reportedly O
crashed O
plane O

Philippine O
police O
and O
navy O
started O
the O
search O
on O
Friday B-T
for O
a O
reportedly O
crashed O
light O
plane O
in O
Ballesteros O
, O
Mindanao O
, O
south O
of O
the O
country O
. O

Ballesteros O
police O
chief O
Joel O
Cumlad O
said O
a O
composite O
team O
from O
the O
police O
, O
fire O
department O
and O
navy O
has O
been O
searching O
the O
sea O
and O
shore O
for O
the O
plane O
, O
but O
authorities O
have O
yet O
to O
recover O
any O
aircraft O
debris O
that O
would O
confirm O
the O
crash O
. O

Search O
and O
rescue O
operations O
are O
ongoing O
in O
the O
area O
with O
vessels O
and O
airplanes O
dispatched O
early O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
for O
the O
operations O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

Local O
residents O
of O
Santa O
Cruz O
village O
in O
Ballesteros O
said O
that O
the O
plane O
, O
believed O
to O
be O
a O
two O
- O
seater O
Cessna O
, O
was O
cruising O
at O
a O
low O
altitude O
over O
the O
village O
when O
it O
suddenly O
hit O
treetops O
and O
then O
plunged O
into O
the O
sea O
at O
7 B-T
: I-T
30 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
on I-T
Thursday I-T
night I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
police O
. O

However O
, O
Air O
Transportation O
Office O
( O
ATO O
) O
on O
Friday B-T
said O
no O
plane O
was O
flying O
at O
the O
time O
when O
the O
aircraft O
reportedly O
crashed O
at O
the O
supposed O
spot O
. O

ATO O
chief O
Nilo O
Jatico O
said O
that O
the O
agency O
' O
s O
records O
showed O
that O
all O
aircraft O
had O
been O
accounted O
for O
as O
of O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
. O

" O
We O
have O
checked O
on O
our O
general O
aviation O
aircraft O
in O
Mindanao O
and O
no O
plane O
was O
flying O
at O
that O
particular O
time O
, O
including O
those O
that O
are O
privately O
owned O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Local O
police O
earlier O
said O
they O
could O
not O
launch O
a O
thorough O
search O
at O
the O
coast O
due O
to O
strong O
waves O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0001 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

AirAsia O
tips O
record O
quarterly O
profits O
on O
strong O
ringgit O
, O
low O
oil O

Budget O
carrier O
AirAsia O
tips O
record O
profits O
for O
the B-T
three I-T
months I-T
to O
December B-T
on O
the O
back O
of O
the O
strengthening O
ringgit O
and O
lower O
fuel O
prices O
. O

" O
There O
are O
two O
major O
things O
going O
in O
favor O
of O
AirAsia O
: O
one O
is O
oil O
, O
the O
other O
is O
the O
ringgit O
, O
which O
has O
had O
a O
phenomenal O
appreciation O
, O
" O
chief O
executive O
officer O
Tony O
Fernandes O
told O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
The O
Edge O
daily B-T
. O

" O
It O
is O
our O
best O
ever B-T
quarter I-T
and O
I O
want O
to O
stress O
that O
this O
is O
the O
first O
quarter O
that O
AirAsia O
has O
operated O
really O
on O
a O
level O
playing O
field O
. O
" O

AirAsia O
announced O
in O
November B-T
that O
its O
net O
profits O
fell O
by O
almost O
35 O
percent O
in O
its O
first B-T
quarter I-T
to I-T
September I-T
to O
5 O
. O
65 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
dollars O
) O
on O
lower O
average O
fares O
. O

Fernandes O
said O
many O
industry O
analysts O
had O
failed O
to O
pick O
up O
on O
the O
fact O
that O
the O
ringgit O
had O
appreciated O
6 O
. O
0 O
- O
7 O
. O
0 O
percent O
and O
that O
this O
factor O
combined O
with O
lower O
oil O
costs O
had O
produced O
substantial O
savings O
. O

Malaysia O
' O
s O
currency O
is O
this B-T
month I-T
trading O
at O
its O
highest O
levels O
since O
the O
peg O
to O
the O
dollar O
was O
removed O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

" O
About O
70 O
percent O
of O
our O
cost O
is O
in O
US O
dollars O
and O
6 O
. O
0 O
- O
7 O
. O
0 O
percent O
makes O
a O
huge O
impact O
to O
our O
bottom O
line O
, O
" O
Fernandes O
told O
the O
financial O
daily O
. O

" O
We O
also O
never O
hedged O
our O
currencies O
because O
we O
felt O
the O
ringgit O
would O
strengthen O
and O
we O
are O
now B-T
benefiting O
from O
a O
stronger O
ringgit O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Fernandes O
said O
AirAsia O
had O
hedged O
almost O
100 O
percent O
of O
its O
fuel O
requirements O
for O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
financial B-T
year I-T
ending O
June B-T
2007 I-T
. O

" O
We O
believe O
fuel O
will O
oscillate O
between O
55 B-T
and O
65 O
US O
dollars O
( O
a O
barrel O
) O
and O
, O
no O
matter O
what O
OPEC O
is O
doing O
, O
oil O
is O
going O
down O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
AirAsia O
chief O
said O
the O
airline O
' O
s O
strategy O
for O
next B-T
year I-T
would O
be O
to O
focus O
on O
consolidation O
rather O
than O
expansion O
, O
particularly O
on O
improving O
its O
services O
, O
driving O
down O
costs O
and O
increasing O
flight O
frequencies O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0367 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Olowokandi O
out O
of O
Boston O
' O
s O
NBA O
games O
for O
at O
least O
two O
weeks O

Nigerian O
star O
Michael O
Olowokandi O
will O
be O
out O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
two I-T
to I-T
four I-T
weeks I-T
due O
to O
an O
abdominal O
strain O
. O

The O
2 O
. O
10 O
metre O
( O
7 O
feets O
) O
Boston O
Celtics O
centre O
Olowokandi O
has O
averaged O
3 O
. O
3 O
points O
and O
2 O
. O
7 O
rebounds O
in O
12 B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
minutes I-T
over O
Boston O
' O
s O
first O
six O
National O
Basketball O
Association O
games O
. O

He O
had O
a O
season O
- O
high O
eight O
points O
in O
a O
110 O
- O
108 O
victory O
over O
Charlotte O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
for O
one O
of O
only O
two O
wins O
on O
the O
season O
for O
the O
Celtics O
( O
2 O
- O
6 O
) O
. O

The O
first O
overall O
pick O
in O
1998 B-T
, O
31 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Olowokandi O
has O
averaged O
8 O
. O
5 O
points O
and O
7 O
. O
0 O
rebounds O
in O
482 O
games O
with O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
Clippers O
, O
Minnesota O
Timberwolves O
and O
the O
Celtics O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0066 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

New O
Indian O
coalition O
will O
only O
last O
six O
months O
: O
Hindu O
nationalists O

India O
' O
s O
Hindu O
nationalists O
said O
Monday B-T
a O
new O
coalition O
forged O
by O
its O
rivals O
would O
be O
" O
absurd O
" O
and O
was O
doomed O
to O
fall O
within O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

Sushma O
Swaraj O
, O
spokesman O
of O
the O
Bharatiya O
Janata O
Party O
( O
BJP O
, O
Indian O
People O
' O
s O
Party O
) O
, O
said O
: O
" O
This O
is O
another O
experiment O
and O
the O
fate O
will O
be O
the O
same O
. O
The O
previous O
arrangement O
was O
an O
absurd O
one O
, O
whose O
value O
was O
zero O
. O
Now O
it O
will O
be O
worse O
. O

" O
How O
long O
will O
this O
stave O
off O
fresh O
general O
elections O
? O
For O
another B-T
six I-T
months I-T
. O
As O
the O
tradition O
of O
Congress O
is O
to O
pull O
down O
governments O
, O
this O
will O
last O
for O
not O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
six I-T
months I-T
. O
" O

The O
comment O
came O
after O
H O
. O
D O
. O
Deve O
Gowda O
, O
who O
resigned O
as O
prime O
minister O
at O
the O
weekend O
after O
losing O
a O
confidence O
vote O
, O
said O
he O
was O
willing O
to O
quit O
as O
head O
of O
the O
United O
Front O
alliance O
to O
avoid O
new O
elections O
. O

His O
departure O
has O
been O
demanded O
by O
the O
Congress O
( O
I O
) O
party O
as O
the O
price O
of O
their O
renewed O
support O
in O
parliament O
. O

The O
Congress O
brought O
down O
the O
United O
Front O
minority O
coalition O
Friday B-T
, O
ending O
10 B-T
months I-T
of O
support O
by O
voting O
with O
the O
BJP O
. O

Swaraj O
said O
Deve O
Gowda O
' O
s O
decision O
was O
" O
a O
victory O
for O
the O
Congress O
" O
and O
said O
it O
had O
won O
" O
a O
war O
of O
nerves O
" O
with O
the O
Front O
. O

Both O
were O
intent O
on O
keeping O
the O
nationalists O
out O
of O
power O
, O
she O
added O
, O
but O
the O
BJP O
would O
win O
out O
in O
the O
end O
. O

" O
After O
the O
new O
government O
fails O
, O
people O
will O
have O
a O
clear O
alternative O
. O
We O
will O
win O
any O
elections O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
It O
is O
a O
win O
- O
win O
position O
. O
Whatever O
the O
new O
arrangement O
, O
we O
will O
gain O
. O
" O

India O
' O
s O
545 O
- O
seat O
lower O
house O
is O
almost O
evenly O
split O
between O
the O
BJP O
, O
the O
single O
largest O
party O
with O
162 O
seats O
, O
the O
Congress O
and O
the O
United O
Front O
, O
an O
alliance O
of O
13 O
leftist O
, O
centrist O
and O
regional O
parties O
. O

Both O
the O
Congress O
and O
the O
Front O
refuse O
to O
work O
with O
the O
BJP O
, O
accusing O
it O
of O
mixing O
religion O
with O
politics O
. O

The O
BJP O
still O
harbours O
faint O
hopes O
of O
forming O
a O
coalition O
of O
its O
own O
despite O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
announcement O
. O

While O
expected O
to O
make O
the O
major O
gains O
in O
new O
elections O
, O
the O
BJP O
said O
it O
could O
still O
try O
to O
form O
a O
government O
if O
regional O
parties O
from O
the O
United O
Front O
as O
well O
as O
small O
independent O
groups O
offered O
their O
backing O
. O

Swaraj O
said O
this O
option O
was O
still O
open O
. O
" O
Any O
new O
ally O
is O
welcome O
to O
join O
the O
BJP O
in O
a O
new O
front O
, O
" O
she O
said O
, O
but O
conceded O
no O
one O
had O
yet O
responded O
to O
the O
offer O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0031 O

LANZHOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
16th O
medical O
team O
leaves O
for O
Madagascar O

A O
30 O
- O
strong O
medical O
team O
on O
Saturday B-T
left O
Lanzhou O
, O
capital O
of O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Gansu O
Province O
, O
for O
a O
two O
- O
year O
mission O
in O
Madagascar O
. O

It O
is O
China O
' O
s O
16th O
medical O
detachment O
to O
the O
east O
African O
country O
since O
1975 B-T
. O

Zhong O
Liangting O
, O
leader O
of O
the O
team O
and O
three O
- O
time O
veteran O
of O
Madagascar O
, O
said O
the O
members O
were O
chosen O
from O
medical O
organizations O
across O
Gansu O
, O
and O
included O
specialists O
in O
internal O
medicine O
, O
surgery O
, O
orthopaedics O
and O
gynecology O
. O

The O
team O
would O
provide O
services O
to O
local O
people O
in O
four O
hospitals O
. O

Gansu O
has O
sent O
444 O
medical O
workers O
to O
work O
in O
Madagascar O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
31 I-T
years I-T
, O
of O
whom O
51 O
have O
been O
awarded O
national O
honors O
by O
Madagascar O
. O

China O
has O
sent O
a O
total O
of O
15 O
, O
000 O
medical O
personnel O
to O
47 O
African O
nations O
and O
regions O
since O
the O
dispatch O
of O
its O
first O
medical O
team O
to O
Algeria O
in O
1963 B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
Foreign O
Ministry O
. O

About O
950 O
Chinese O
medical O
staff O
are O
currently O
working O
in O
36 O
African O
nations O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0096 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thai O
bourse O
down O
3 O
. O
99 O
points O

The O
Stock O
Exchange O
of O
Thailand O
( O
SET O
) O
index O
on O
Friday B-T
moved O
down O
3 O
. O
99 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
690 O
. O
45 O
points O
. O

Some O
2 O
. O
29 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
11 O
. O
21 O
billion O
Thai O
baht O
( O
about O
280 O
. O
250 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
changed O
hands O
. O

SET O
index O
lost O
2 O
. O
41 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
694 O
. O
44 O
points O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0054 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O

The O
fifth O
- O
round O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
will O
begin O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
in O
Beijing O
, O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Kong O
Quan O
announced O
at O
a O
regular O
press O
conference O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

Kong O
did O
not O
say O
how O
long O
the O
negotiation O
would O
last O
, O
but O
said O
that O
" O
holding O
the O
talks O
by O
phases O
in O
the O
new O
round O
could O
have O
a O
better O
result O
" O
as O
the O
chief O
negotiators O
of O
the O
six O
parties O
might O
also O
attend O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
summit O
slated O
for O
mid O
November O
in O
Pusan O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
. O

The O
experience O
in O
the O
last O
round O
of O
the O
talks O
has O
proved O
that O
it O
is O
a O
" O
good O
idea O
" O
to O
hold O
the O
talks O
by O
phases O
, O
the O
spokesman O
added O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
the O
participants O
in O
the O
new O
round O
of O
negotiation O
could O
have O
an O
in O
- O
depth O
exchange O
of O
views O
on O
the O
consensus O
reached O
in O
the O
last O
round O
, O
" O
said O
Kong O
. O

The O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
, O
aiming O
at O
resolving O
the O
nuclear O
issue O
in O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
, O
group O
China O
, O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
DPRK O
) O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
, O
Russia O
and O
Japan O
. O
The O
first O
round O
was O
held O
in O
August B-T
2003 I-T
in O
Beijing O
. O

" O
If O
all O
parties O
could O
take O
commitment O
to O
commitment O
and O
action O
to O
action O
based O
on O
the O
joint O
statement O
reached O
during O
the O
fourth O
round O
of O
the O
talks O
, O
and O
earnestly O
push O
forward O
the O
discussion O
and O
agree O
to O
take O
further O
steps O
, O
there O
would O
be O
positive O
result O
, O
" O
Kong O
said O
. O

The O
fourth O
- O
round O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
ended O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
with O
the O
adopting O
of O
the O
first O
joint O
statement O
. O
The O
DPRK O
pledged O
in O
the O
statement O
to O
abandon O
all O
nuclear O
weapons O
and O
existing O
nuclear O
programs O
and O
return O
, O
at O
an O
early O
date O
, O
to O
the O
Treaty O
on O
the O
Non O
- O
Proliferation O
of O
Nuclear O
Weapons O
. O

The O
United O
States O
affirms O
that O
it O
has O
no O
nuclear O
weapons O
in O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
and O
has O
no O
intention O
of O
attacking O
or O
invading O
the O
DPRK O
with O
nuclear O
or O
conventional O
weapons O
, O
says O
the O
statement O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0231 O

LANZHOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O

Rising O
temperatures O
have O
exacerbated O
shrinkage O
of O
glaciers O
in O
western O
China O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
, O
Chinese O
scientists O
have O
found O
. O

China O
' O
s O
glaciers O
are O
mainly O
distributed O
on O
the O
Qinghai O
- O
Tibet O
Plateau O
and O
neighboring O
areas O
. O
These O
areas O
boast O
46 O
, O
377 O
glaciers O
. O

About O
82 O
percent O
of O
the O
glaciers O
in O
west O
China O
have O
been O
shrinking O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
as O
the O
temperature O
rose O
by O
0 O
. O
2 O
degrees O
Celsius O
per O
10 B-T
years I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
research O
results O
published O
by O
the O
Cold O
and O
Dry O
Zone O
Environment O
and O
Engineering O
Research O
Institute O
under O
the O
Chinese O
Academy O
of O
Sciences O
. O

Scientists O
with O
the O
institute O
selected O
5 O
, O
000 O
glaciers O
in O
the O
region O
and O
used O
remote O
sensing O
and O
geographic O
information O
system O
methods O
to O
monitor O
their O
changes O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
, O
said O
Liu O
Shiyin O
, O
an O
expert O
with O
the O
institute O
, O
who O
participated O
in O
the O
monitoring O
program O
. O

The O
5 O
, O
000 O
glaciers O
account O
for O
one O
- O
fourth O
of O
the O
total O
acreage O
of O
glaciers O
in O
western O
China O
. O

Liu O
said O
only O
a O
small O
number O
of O
glaciers O
were O
expanding O
and O
about O
82 O
percent O
of O
the O
monitored O
glaciers O
shrank O
by O
4 O
. O
5 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
. O

Glaciers O
in O
the O
central O
and O
northwestern O
parts O
of O
the O
Qinghai O
- O
Tibet O
Plateau O
shrank O
slowly O
and O
those O
in O
the O
neighboring O
areas O
were O
shrinking O
faster O
, O
Liu O
said O
. O

Liu O
said O
, O
95 O
percent O
of O
the O
170 O
glaciers O
on O
the O
northwestern O
slope O
of O
the O
Qilian O
Mountains O
have O
shrunk O
by O
4 O
. O
9 O
meters O
each B-T
year I-T
on O
average O
, O
and O
only O
10 O
glaciers O
expanded O
during O
the B-T
1956 I-T
- I-T
2000 I-T
period I-T
. O

Almost O
all O
the O
glaciers O
on O
the O
northern O
slope O
of O
and O
69 O
percent O
of O
glaciers O
on O
the O
southern O
slope O
the O
Tianshan O
Mountains O
, O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
, O
are O
receding O
, O
and O
the O
glacier O
acreage O
shrank O
by O
10 O
percent O
on O
the O
Pamirs O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
50 I-T
years I-T
. O

Glaciers O
on O
the O
northern O
slopes O
of O
the O
Kunlun O
Mountains O
and O
the O
Himalayas O
were O
also O
shrinking O
, O
Liu O
said O
. O

Monitoring O
results O
show O
that O
water O
flow O
in O
some O
rivers O
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
dry O
regions O
has O
been O
increasing O
, O
a O
result O
possibly O
brought O
about O
by O
melting O
glaciers O
, O
Liu O
said O
. O

However O
, O
Liu O
warned O
, O
if O
glaciers O
continued O
to O
melt O
fastly O
, O
water O
sources O
for O
local O
rivers O
would O
reduce O
and O
that O
would O
impose O
serious O
impact O
on O
local O
production O
and O
the O
life O
of O
local O
people O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0061 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Kenyans O
to O
vote O
in O
disputed O
constitutional O
referendum O

After O
several B-T
weeks I-T
of O
highly O
charged O
, O
divisive O
campaigns O
between O
those O
supporting O
the O
new O
constitution O
and O
those O
against O
, O
Kenyans O
will O
finally O
vote O
in O
the O
referendum O
this B-T
coming I-T
Monday I-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
Electoral O
Commission O
of O
Kenya O
, O
11 O
. O
6 O
million O
registered O
voters O
are O
expected O
to O
turn O
out O
at O
19 O
, O
134 O
polling O
stations O
across O
the O
country O
. O

ECK O
Chairman O
Samuel O
Kivuitu O
said O
polling O
centers O
across O
the O
country O
will O
open O
at O
7 O
am O
( O
0400 O
GMT O
) O
until O
5 O
pm O
( O
1400 O
GMT O
) O
during O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
constitution O
referendum O
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
want O
people O
to O
vote O
at O
night B-T
. O
We O
want O
counting O
to O
be O
done O
during O
the O
day O
when O
voters O
can O
see O
, O
" O
said O
Kivuitu O
. O

He O
has O
however O
expressed O
concern O
that O
referendum O
committees O
have O
not O
submitted O
names O
of O
agents O
and O
is O
worried O
that O
this O
could O
open O
up O
the O
process O
to O
possible O
rigging O
. O

" O
Even O
our O
officers O
may O
take O
sides O
. O
The O
dead O
might O
vote O
. O
Double O
voting O
might O
take O
place O
. O
That O
' O
s O
why O
we O
want O
agents O
everywhere O
, O
" O
said O
Kivuitu O
. O

REFERENDUM O
UNDER O
DISPUTE O

The O
referendum O
campaigns O
have O
been O
marked O
by O
tribalism O
, O
belligerent O
rhetoric O
, O
sporadic O
violence O
and O
the O
deaths O
of O
at O
least O
eight O
people O
, O
and O
is O
being O
widely O
viewed O
as O
a O
referendum O
on O
the O
government O
and O
a O
battle O
for O
power O
between O
the O
political O
elite O
. O

President O
Mwai O
Kibaki O
says O
a O
new O
constitution O
is O
long O
overdue O
, O
but O
critics O
say O
the O
document O
perpetuates O
the O
immense O
powers O
of O
the O
president O
of O
the O
east O
African O
nation O
of O
32 O
million O
people O
. O

The O
document O
represents O
the O
first O
overhaul O
of O
Kenya O
' O
s O
constitution O
since O
the O
current O
version O
, O
which O
was O
drawn O
up O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
independence O
from O
Britain O
in O
1963 B-T
. O

Violence O
is O
dogging O
the O
debate O
, O
and O
each O
side O
is O
blaming O
the O
other O
. O
Protesters O
from O
both O
camps O
have O
taken O
to O
the O
streets O
and O
there O
have O
been O
clashes O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
. O

The O
government O
is O
leading O
the O
" O
Yes O
" O
campaign O
under O
the O
symbol O
of O
a O
banana O
while O
the O
opposition O
and O
a O
party O
in O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
are O
championing O
the O
" O
No O
" O
cause O
with O
their O
symbol O
of O
an O
orange O
. O

The O
contest O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
tense O
and O
, O
whichever O
side O
wins O
, O
the O
country O
will O
bare O
divisions O
, O
with O
the O
process O
leaving O
a O
stain O
on O
a O
nation O
many O
hoped O
would O
take O
strides O
forward O
after O
historic O
2002 O
elections O
. O

In O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
the O
referendum O
, O
the O
Yellow O
Movement O
, O
a O
civil O
- O
society O
group O
allied O
to O
the O
" O
No O
" O
camp O
, O
challenged O
the O
proposed O
constitution O
in O
court O
. O

They O
sought O
a O
declaration O
on O
whether O
the O
constitution O
- O
making O
process O
, O
including O
the O
November B-T
21 I-T
referendum O
, O
was O
valid O
. O

The O
constitutional O
court O
ruled O
on O
Tuesday B-T
in O
favor O
of O
the O
referendum O
, O
arguing O
that O
neither O
parliament O
nor O
the O
courts O
had O
the O
authority O
to O
stop O
the O
referendum O
because O
it O
involved O
the O
constituent O
power O
of O
the O
people O
to O
make O
a O
constitution O
. O

The O
divisive O
campaigns O
have O
prompted O
church O
leaders O
to O
hold O
prayer O
services O
for O
a O
peaceful O
outcome O
with O
some O
diplomatic O
community O
in O
Nairobi O
also O
fear O
that O
the O
country O
might O
plunge O
into O
chaos O
after O
the O
vote O
. O

The O
referendum O
is O
perceived O
to O
pitch O
two O
major O
ethnic O
communities O
against O
each O
other O
, O
with O
the O
Kikuyu O
largely O
behind O
the O
" O
Yes O
" O
vote O
and O
the O
Luo O
supporting O
the O
" O
No O
" O
vote O
. O

None O
of O
the O
other O
ethnic O
groups O
are O
allied O
as O
solidly O
to O
a O
specific O
side O
, O
and O
many O
people O
now B-T
see O
the O
referendum O
as O
a O
popularity O
contest O
between O
Kibaki O
and O
his O
Roads O
Minister O
Raila O
Odinga O
. O

TEST O
FOR O
GOVERNMENT O

Analysts O
say O
the O
campaign O
could O
be O
a O
defining O
moment O
for O
Kibaki O
' O
s O
ruling O
National O
Rainbow O
Coalition O
( O
NARC O
) O
. O

The O
coalition O
won O
in O
2002 B-T
on O
a O
wave O
of O
euphoria O
after O
24 B-T
years I-T
of O
rule O
by O
Daniel O
Arap O
Moi O
, O
but O
now B-T
is O
in O
a O
precarious O
position O
because O
of O
growing O
public O
dissatisfaction O
. O

Both O
camps O
agree O
that O
the O
existing O
constitution O
is O
outdated O
and O
oppressive O
but O
have O
failed O
to O
reach O
consensus O
on O
the O
new O
one O
, O
which O
has O
been O
the O
subject O
of O
debate O
since O
1997 B-T
. O

A O
sharp O
rift O
, O
exposed O
early B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
over O
a O
new O
constitution O
seeking O
to O
curb O
President O
Kibaki O
' O
s O
power O
, O
has O
now O
cast O
fresh O
doubts O
over O
whether O
the O
battered O
coalition O
will O
survive O
its O
current O
political O
crisis O
. O

The O
most O
obvious O
split O
has O
been O
within O
Kibaki O
' O
s O
shaky O
coalition O
, O
with O
at O
least O
seven O
ministers O
joining O
ranks O
with O
the O
opposition O
to O
campaign O
for O
a O
" O
No O
" O
vote O
, O
while O
the O
president O
and O
his O
supporters O
promote O
the O
" O
Yes O
" O
vote O
. O

" O
The O
constitution O
process O
was O
supposed O
to O
bring O
us O
together O
but O
it O
has O
divided O
us O
further O
, O
" O
says O
Maina O
Kiai O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Kenya O
National O
Commission O
on O
Human O
Rights O
. O

Critics O
say O
Attorney O
General O
Amos O
Wako O
incorporated O
the O
amendments O
introduced O
by O
parliament O
in O
July B-T
which O
sparked O
three O
days O
of O
violent O
demonstrations O
by O
Kenyans O
outraged O
at O
the O
handling O
of O
the O
constitution O
writing O
process O
. O

But O
Wako O
has O
defended O
the O
proposed O
constitution O
, O
saying O
it O
captures O
the O
views O
of O
wananchi O
( O
citizens O
) O
as O
manifested O
in O
the O
Bomas O
draft O
, O
the O
former O
draft O
of O
the O
new O
constitution O
. O

" O
My O
role O
was O
to O
use O
Bomas O
draft O
as O
a O
benchmark O
and O
incorporate O
some O
amendments O
passed O
by O
parliament O
and O
that O
is O
what O
I O
did O
, O
" O
he O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Contentious O
issues O
in O
the O
draft O
constitution O
, O
including O
reduction O
of O
presidential O
powers O
and O
creation O
of O
an O
executive O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
post O
, O
have O
been O
the O
reason O
for O
the O
split O
and O
political O
infighting O
within O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
. O

Members O
of O
the O
" O
No O
" O
camp O
said O
that O
the O
document O
does O
not O
reflect O
the O
wishes O
of O
the O
people O
of O
Kenya O
as O
manifested O
in O
the O
Bomas O
Draft O
. O

In O
particular O
, O
they O
say O
, O
the O
draft O
has O
glorified O
the O
powers O
of O
the O
president O
, O
making O
him O
a O
" O
king O
" O
. O

They O
are O
also O
unhappy O
with O
the O
devolution O
of O
powers O
, O
the O
conditions O
and O
voter O
thresholds O
for O
electing O
a O
president O
, O
the O
powers O
of O
the O
prime O
minister O
and O
the O
appointment O
of O
the O
cabinet O
. O

The O
" O
Yes O
" O
camp O
argued O
that O
the O
presidential O
powers O
to O
prorogue O
and O
dissolve O
parliament O
have O
been O
taken O
away O
and O
that O
parliament O
will O
control O
its O
calendar O
. O
The O
authority O
to O
allocate O
land O
has O
also O
been O
handed O
over O
to O
an O
independent O
National O
Lands O
Commission O
. O
Presidential O
appointments O
under O
the O
new O
constitution O
will O
be O
subject O
to O
parliamentary O
approval O
. O

Disillusion O
is O
already O
running O
deep O
among O
the O
majority O
of O
Kenyans O
who O
- O
- O
fed O
up O
with O
rising O
unemployment O
, O
crime O
and O
graft O
- O
- O
voted O
successfully O
for O
the O
first O
time O
for O
change O
and O
not O
for O
their O
ethnic O
group O
in O
the O
2002 O
polls O
. O

Some O
analysts O
warned O
that O
Kenya O
could O
be O
plunged O
into O
a O
dangerous O
political O
crisis O
whatever O
the O
outcome O
. O
But O
the O
ECK O
boss O
has O
appealed O
to O
Kenyans O
to O
respect O
each O
other O
during O
the O
campaigns O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
differences O
could O
tear O
the O
country O
apart O
if O
not O
checked O
. O

" O
We O
are O
one O
nation O
. O
Whichever O
side O
wins O
we O
will O
still O
remain O
one O
nation O
, O
" O
Kivuitu O
said O
. O

" O
We O
have O
survived O
many O
national O
crises O
which O
could O
have O
torn O
us O
apart O
. O
But O
we O
resisted O
. O
Let O
that O
resilience O
remain O
our O
hallmark O
. O
Let O
us O
leave O
a O
legacy O
which O
will O
be O
the O
pride O
to O
our O
descendants O
, O
" O
he O
cautioned O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0250 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

FIFA O
probes O
Kenyan O
referees O
list O

World O
football O
governing O
body O
FIFA O
has O
suspended O
a O
list O
of O
international O
referees O
submitted O
by O
Kenya O
last B-T
month I-T
after O
allegations O
of O
graft O
in O
their O
recruitment O
and O
ordered O
immediate O
investigations O
. O

In O
a O
letter O
to O
Kenya O
Football O
Federation O
( O
KFF O
) O
, O
FIFA O
deputy O
general O
secretary O
Michael O
Schallhart O
said O
the O
football O
world O
governing O
body O
had O
launched O
immediate O
probe O
into O
the O
exercise O
. O

" O
The O
FIFA O
Referees O
Committee O
has O
decided O
to O
suspend O
the O
lists O
of O
nominations O
submitted O
by O
Kenya O
Football O
Federation O
( O
KFF O
) O
until O
further O
notice O
, O
" O
Schallart O
said O
in O
a O
letter O
to O
KFF O
. O

An O
investigation O
has O
been O
started O
. O
The O
graft O
allegations O
were O
revealed O
last B-T
month I-T
by O
Kenya O
Football O
Referees O
Association O
secretary O
- O
general O
G O
. O
M O
. O
T O
. O
Ottieno O
, O
a O
week B-T
after O
FIFA O
suspended O
the O
east O
African O
nation O
from O
international O
competition O
indefinitely O
. O

The O
government O
dissolved O
the B-T
federation I-T
10 I-T
days I-T
later O
and O
set O
up O
a O
caretaker O
committee O
to O
run O
the O
sport O
. O
FIFA O
has O
also O
dismissed O
the O
caretaker O
committee O
appointed O
by O
the O
government O
last B-T
week I-T
to O
oversee O
the O
running O
of O
the O
football O
. O

The O
world O
' O
s O
soccer O
governing O
body O
indefinitely O
suspended O
Kenya O
from O
international O
competition O
on O
October B-T
24 I-T
for O
failing O
to O
respect O
signed O
agreements O
and O
for O
recurrent O
problems O
in O
the O
KFF O
. O

While O
dissolving O
the O
federation O
, O
Sports O
Minister O
Maina O
Kamanda O
said O
he O
was O
compelled O
to O
take O
the O
radical O
action O
to O
restore O
order O
and O
normalcy O
in O
the O
management O
of O
football O
. O

The O
seven O
man O
committee O
which O
comprises O
former O
lawmakers O
, O
journalists O
and O
sports O
administrators O
will O
oversee O
the O
country O
' O
s O
football O
" O
re O
- O
birth O
" O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0217 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

suppliers O

A O
Beijing O
court O
on O
Friday B-T
rejected O
a O
Chinese O
netizen O
' O
s O
lawsuit O
against O
a O
software O
producer O
and O
its O
supplier O
for O
alleged O
" O
hooligan O
software O
" O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
first O
verdict O
on O
this O
issue O
. O

The O
Chaoyang O
District O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
of O
Beijing O
rejected O
Dong O
Haiping O
' O
s O
claim O
for O
an O
apology O
and O
compensation O
of O
1 O
, O
094 O
yuan O
( O
138 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
from O
Inter O
China O
Network O
Software O
( O
Beijing O
) O
Co O
. O
, O
Ltd O
and O
the O
Beijing O
Alibaba O
Information O
Technology O
Co O
. O
, O
Ltd O
, O
after O
he O
found O
he O
could O
not O
completely O
remove O
their O
software O
from O
his O
computer O
. O

Dong O
said O
he O
downloaded O
and O
installed O
Yahoo O
Assistant O
, O
software O
designed O
to O
assist O
the O
running O
of O
Internet O
Explorer O
developed O
by O
the O
Inter O
China O
( O
Beijing O
) O
from O
the O
Yahoo O
China O
website O
and O
provided O
by O
Beijing O
Alibaba O
, O
last B-T
August I-T
. O

Dong O
claimed O
that O
the O
software O
could O
not O
be O
fully O
uninstalled O
and O
it O
always O
started O
up O
automatically O
when O
he O
turned O
on O
his O
computer O
. O

The O
remaining O
part O
of O
the O
software O
damaged O
the O
hard O
disk O
of O
his O
computer O
and O
affected O
its O
normal O
use O
, O
according O
to O
Dong O
. O

The O
court O
ruled O
that O
Dong O
did O
not O
provide O
evidence O
that O
the O
software O
had O
resulted O
in O
the O
damage O
of O
his O
computer O
. O

Dong O
' O
s O
lawyer O
said O
they O
would O
appeal O
. O

Dong O
has O
set O
up O
the O
China O
Anti O
- O
hooligan O
Software O
Federation O
to O
fight O
against O
" O
hooligan O
software O
" O
, O
including O
adverts O
, O
spyware O
and O
malicious O
software O
like O
pornographic O
information O
, O
all O
of O
which O
may O
pop O
up O
uncontrollably O
and O
provide O
backdoors O
for O
viruses O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0052 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

By O
Huang O
Xingwei O

The O
Pacific O
Rim O
leaders O
will O
send O
a O
" O
short O
but O
strong O
" O
political O
message O
at O
their O
annual O
gathering O
to O
bolster O
the O
stalled O
global O
trade O
talks O
, O
said O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
APEC O
Ambassador O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
hoo O
here O
Sunday B-T

" O
We O
agree O
that O
the O
forthcoming O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
may O
be O
the O
last O
chance O
to O
provide O
impetus O
to O
the O
ministerial O
conference O
of O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
next B-T
month I-T
, O
" O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
hoo O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
after O
ending O
the O
two O
- O
day O
Concluding O
Senior O
Officials O
' O
Meeting O
( O
CSOM O
) O
for O
2005 O
. O

The O
senior O
officials O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
have O
reached O
an O
understanding O
on O
sending O
the O
political O
message O
backing O
the O
WTO O
Doha O
Development O
Agenda O
, O
said O
the O
ambassador O
. O

The O
wording O
of O
joint O
statement O
has O
not O
been O
finalized O
, O
but O
it O
will O
be O
" O
strong O
" O
and O
" O
powerful O
, O
" O
said O
the O
APEC O
SOM O
chair O
. O

The O
Doha O
Round O
of O
World O
Trade O
Organization O
negotiations O
, O
first O
introduced O
at O
the O
fourth O
WTO O
biannual O
ministerial O
conference O
in O
Doha O
, O
Qatar O
in O
2001 B-T
, O
collapsed O
in O
2003 B-T
due O
to O
deep O
differences O
between O
the O
developed O
and O
developing O
members O
on O
market O
access O
, O
agriculture O
subsidies O
and O
tariff O
structures O
. O
The O
push O
by O
APEC O
leaders O
to O
keep O
the O
momentum O
going O
is O
seen O
as O
important O
because O
the O
region O
represents O
nearly O
half O
of O
the O
world O
trade O
. O

But O
experts O
were O
not O
optimistic O
about O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
WTO O
ministerial O
conference O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
next O
month O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
there O
is O
much O
hope O
for O
the O
Doha O
Round O
meeting O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
as O
there O
is O
no O
real O
movement O
on O
agricultural O
subsidies O
by O
the O
developed O
countries O
, O
" O
Michel O
Yahuda O
, O
an O
expert O
on O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
affairs O
at O
London O
School O
of O
Economics O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

In O
addition O
to O
advancing O
free O
trade O
, O
the O
two O
- O
day O
working O
- O
level O
meeting O
also O
focused O
on O
anti O
- O
corruption O
, O
natural O
disasters O
and O
steps O
to O
combat O
the O
potential O
bird O
flu O
pandemic O
. O

APEC O
will O
hold O
a O
ministerial O
meeting O
on O
bird O
flu O
pandemic O
in O
Vietnam O
in O
the O
early O
part O
of O
next B-T
year I-T
and O
a O
symposium O
on O
containing O
the O
new O
contagious O
disease O
in O
China O
in O
April B-T
, O
said O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
APEC O
ambassador O
. O

The O
APEC O
officials O
also O
agreed O
that O
member O
economies O
will O
come O
up O
with O
a O
model O
for O
the O
establishment O
of O
a O
free O
trade O
agreement O
by O
2008 B-T
, O
he O
added O
. O

The O
statements O
prepared O
by O
the O
senior O
officials O
will O
be O
handed O
to O
the O
APEC O
ministers O
for O
discussion O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and I-T
Wednesday I-T
, O
before O
submitting O
to O
their O
leaders O
. O

The O
CSOM O
is O
the O
final O
meeting O
of O
Senior O
Officials O
before O
the O
17th O
APEC O
Ministerial O
Meeting O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
- I-T
16 I-T
and O
the O
13th O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
that O
will O
take O
place O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
. O

APEC O
, O
established O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
currently B-T
has O
21 O
members O
: O
Australia O
, O
Brunei O
, O
Canada O
, O
Chile O
, O
China O
, O
China O
' O
s O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Chinese O
Taipei O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Japan O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Mexico O
, O
New O
Zealand O
, O
Papua O
New O
Guinea O
, O
Peru O
, O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Russia O
, O
Singapore O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Thailand O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Vietnam O
. O
The O
chairmanship O
rotates O
among O
members O
, O
with O
South O
Korea O
holding O
the O
chair O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0031 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Dollar O
moves O
narrowly O
in O
mid O
- O
afternnon O
Tokyo O
trade O

The O
dollar O
moved O
in O
a O
narrow O
range O
against O
the O
yen O
in O
mid B-T
- I-T
afternoon I-T
trading I-T
here I-T
Wednesday I-T
, O
as O
activity O
slowed O
ahead O
of O
a O
long O
weekend O
in O
Japan O
. O

At O
2 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
0500 O
GMT O
) O
, O
the O
dollar O
was O
quoted O
at O
126 O
. O
97 O
yen O
, O
slightly O
up O
from O
126 O
. O
84 O
yen O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
and O
126 O
. O
88 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
Tuesday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

The O
dollar O
also O
traded O
at O
1 O
. O
7238 O
, O
down O
from O
1 O
. O
7245 O
earlier O
and O
1 O
. O
7259 O
in O
New O
York O
Tuesday O
. O

The O
US O
unit O
was O
lower O
against O
the O
mark O
on O
stop O
- O
loss O
dollar O
selling O
activated O
at O
the O
1 O
. O
7220 O
- O
25 O
mark O
level O
, O
but O
with O
the O
declines O
likely O
to O
be O
recouped O
in O
European O
trading O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
dollar O
' O
s O
falls O
against O
the O
mark O
was O
also O
due O
to O
buying O
of O
the O
German O
unit O
against O
the O
yen O
as O
investors O
covered O
positions O
following O
the O
mark O
' O
s O
recent O
falls O
against O
the O
yen O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

Activity O
was O
focused O
on O
the O
mark O
- O
yen O
cross O
with O
investors O
reluctant O
to O
take O
fresh O
positions O
in O
dollar O
- O
yen O
trading O
ahead O
of O
the O
long O
weekend O
through O
Monday B-T
in O
Japan O
, O
they O
said O
. O

" O
Investors O
were O
encouraged O
to O
accelerate O
buying O
of O
the O
mark O
against O
the O
yen O
after O
the O
mark O
broke O
through O
technical O
upside O
resistance O
at O
the O
73 O
. O
60 O
yen O
level O
, O
" O
said O
Tokai O
Bank O
dealer O
Masahiro O
Yamaguchi O
. O

The O
mark O
traded O
at O
73 O
. O
66 O
yen O
mid O
- O
afternnon O
here O
. O

" O
I O
think O
the O
mark O
will O
continue O
rising O
close O
to O
the O
74 O
yen O
level O
and O
the O
dollar O
, O
in O
turn O
, O
is O
expected O
to O
continue O
falling O
against O
the O
mark O
, O
" O
Yamaguchi O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0325 O

NAIVASHA O
, O
Kenya O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Trial O
for O
renowned O
environmentalist O
' O
s O
murder O
opens O
in O
Kenya O

The O
murder O
trial O
of O
four O
suspects O
accused O
of O
killing O
a O
world O
- O
renowned O
British O
environmentalist O
and O
wildlife O
filmmaker O
in O
her O
bed O
in O
Kenya O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
opened O
in O
Naivasha O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

David O
Chege O
, O
Joseph O
Ndung O
' O
u O
, O
Philip O
Mutuku O
and O
Allan O
Githenji O
face O
charges O
of O
murdering O
and O
attempting O
to O
rob O
Joan O
Wells O
Root O
, O
69 O
, O
the O
daughter O
of O
a O
colonial O
- O
era O
British O
settler O
, O
in O
the O
Kenyan O
Rift O
Valley O
where O
she O
was O
raised O
and O
lived O
for O
many B-T
years I-T
promoting O
environmental O
causes O
. O

The O
guardsman O
on O
duty O
during O
the O
January B-T
13 I-T
incident O
in O
Naivasha O
, O
90 O
kilometers O
( O
55 O
miles O
) O
northwest O
of O
Nairobi O
, O
told O
magistrate O
Nicholas O
Njagi O
that O
none O
of O
the O
men O
on O
trial O
were O
among O
those O
he O
witnessed O
killing O
the O
filmmaker O
. O

According O
to O
the O
guard O
, O
Abdi O
Aziz O
Diba O
, O
two O
men O
carrying O
a O
gun O
and O
a O
machete O
approached O
Root O
' O
s O
home O
before O
midnight O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
rob O
the O
daughter O
of O
coffee O
farmer O
and O
photo O
safari O
guide O
Edmund O
Thorpe O
of O
57 O
, O
500 O
US O
dollars O
( O
43 O
, O
600 O
euros O
) O
. O

Root O
was O
well O
known O
for O
her O
conservation O
efforts O
and O
kept O
several O
species O
of O
animals O
, O
including O
waterbucks O
, O
dik O
diks O
and O
birds O
, O
on O
her O
compound O
where O
hippos O
were O
known O
to O
gather O
, O
residents O
said O
. O

With O
her O
ex O
- O
husband O
, O
Alan O
, O
she O
made O
several O
acclaimed O
nature O
documentaries O
in O
the B-T
1960s I-T
, O
70s O
and O
80s O
including O
" O
Balloon O
Safari O
" O
, O
in O
which O
they O
used O
innovative O
aerial O
techniques O
to O
capture O
Kenya O
' O
s O
stunning O
wildlife O
and O
landscape O
. O

Naivasha O
has O
been O
rife O
with O
animosity O
between O
foreign O
investors O
, O
mainly O
flower O
farmers O
, O
and O
the O
local O
population O
over O
access O
to O
resources O
, O
and O
has O
been O
the O
scene O
of O
several O
violent O
attacks O
on O
European O
residents O
, O
although O
Root O
' O
s O
murder O
is O
the O
first O
in O
several B-T
months I-T
. O

At O
least O
three O
other O
Europeans O
have O
been O
slain O
in O
violent O
robberies O
in O
the O
Rift O
Valley O
since O
September B-T
2004 I-T
, O
prompting O
great O
unease O
and O
major O
security O
fears O
in O
the O
expatriate O
community O
. O

The O
magistrate O
adjourned O
the O
trial O
until O
January B-T
23 I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0041 O

PERTH O
, O
Australia O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Scott O
Coghlan O

The O
Ashes O
are O
gone O
but O
England O
captain O
Andrew O
Flintoff O
said O
his O
side O
would O
be O
out O
to O
regain O
lost O
pride O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
two I-T
Tests I-T
of O
the O
series O
. O

A O
disappointed O
Flintoff O
said O
the O
England O
camp O
were O
hurting O
deeply O
after O
the O
206 O
- O
run O
loss O
in O
Perth O
that O
handed O
Australia O
an O
unbeatable O
3 O
- O
0 O
lead O
just O
three O
Tests O
into O
the O
most O
anticipated O
Ashes O
series O
ever O
. O

While O
Flintoff O
said O
Australia O
undoubtedly O
deserved O
to O
win O
the O
series O
, O
he O
urged O
the O
Barmy O
Army O
and O
fans O
at O
home O
to O
stick O
with O
the O
side O
and O
he O
dismissed O
the O
need O
for O
wholesale O
changes O
to O
the O
team O
. O

Having O
enjoyed O
the O
highs O
of O
the O
2005 O
upset O
win O
, O
Flintoff O
found O
it O
hard O
to O
describe O
his O
emotions O
after O
the O
loss O
, O
but O
vowed O
his O
side O
would O
bounce O
back O
in O
the O
Melbourne O
and O
Sydney O
Tests O
. O

" O
It O
hurts O
, O
it O
' O
s O
hurting O
a O
lot O
for O
the O
lads O
, O
but O
we O
have O
to O
get O
over O
it O
because O
we O
have O
got O
two O
more O
Test O
matches O
to O
play O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
We O
can O
' O
t O
mope O
around O
, O
we O
' O
ve O
got O
two O
big O
Test O
matches O
still O
and O
we O
want O
to O
give O
a O
good O
account O
of O
ourselves O
. O

" O
It O
is O
going O
to O
be O
a O
tough O
couple O
of O
days O
, O
but O
there O
is O
a O
lot O
of O
pride O
and O
character O
in O
our O
dressing O
room O
. O

" O
There O
are O
a O
lot O
of O
lads O
who O
want O
to O
prove O
they O
can O
win O
a O
Test O
match O
in O
Australia O
and O
prove O
they O
can O
play O
against O
Australia O
. O
" O

While O
much O
has O
been O
made O
of O
the O
pressure O
he O
is O
under O
and O
his O
own O
indifferent O
form O
, O
Flintoff O
said O
he O
wanted O
to O
retain O
the O
captaincy O
for O
as O
long O
as O
possible O
. O

" O
I O
am O
so O
proud O
to O
be O
England O
captain O
and O
I O
always O
will O
be O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
It O
has O
its O
moments O
, O
but O
no O
regrets O
whatsoever O
- O
- O
as O
long O
as O
I O
get O
the O
opportunity O
to O
do O
so O
, O
I O
always O
will O
be O
. O
" O

Having O
needed O
to O
bat O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
two I-T
days I-T
to O
save O
the O
match O
or O
score O
557 O
to O
record O
an O
unlikely O
win O
, O
Flintoff O
admitted O
there O
were O
times O
he O
thought O
they O
could O
achieve O
the O
impossible O
as O
they O
defied O
the O
Australian O
attack O
. O

" O
We O
decided O
to O
go O
out O
there O
positive O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
It O
was O
working O
for O
period O
and O
you O
dare O
to O
dream O
. O
" O

Flintoff O
said O
the O
English O
had O
played O
better O
than O
three O
straights O
defeats O
suggested O
, O
but O
hadn O
' O
t O
been O
able O
to O
maintain O
pressure O
on O
the O
Australians O
at O
key O
stages O
of O
each O
Test O
. O

" O
At O
the O
' O
Gabba O
, O
Australia O
came O
out O
strong O
and O
put O
us O
on O
the O
back O
foot O
and O
it O
was O
hard O
to O
come O
back O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Adelaide O
was O
bitterly O
disappointing O
. O
In O
this O
game O
we O
bowled O
them O
out O
for O
240 B-T
, O
we O
were O
hoping O
to O
score O
at O
least O
350 O
and O
try O
and O
apply O
some O
pressure O
to O
Australia O
, O
but O
fair O
play O
to O
them O
they O
didn O
' O
t O
allow O
us O
to O
. O

" O
They O
hit O
us O
hard O
, O
had O
the O
lead O
, O
and O
then O
( O
Adam O
) O
Gilchrist O
took O
the O
game O
away O
from O
us O
. O
" O

Despite O
the O
defeat O
, O
Flintoff O
said O
there O
were O
plenty O
of O
positives O
the O
English O
could O
take O
from O
the O
tour O
. O

" O
At O
times O
, O
we O
have O
shown O
on O
the O
field O
how O
talented O
we O
are O
, O
" O
Flintoff O
said O
. O

" O
There O
have O
been O
some O
great O
things O
come O
out O
of O
this O
trip O
so O
far O
. O
The O
young O
lads O
have O
emerged O
, O
the O
likes O
of O
Alastair O
Cook O
scoring O
hundreds O
, O
Ian O
Bell O
, O
Paul O
Collingwood O
, O
Kevin O
Pietersen O
, O
the O
bowling O
of O
Matthew O
Hoggard O
and O
Monty O
( O
Panesar O
) O
. O

" O
But O
we O
' O
ve O
not O
been O
able O
to O
apply O
the O
pressure O
as O
much O
as O
we O
would O
have O
liked O
to O
have O
done O
. O

" O
Every O
time O
we O
have O
had O
our O
foot O
in O
the O
door O
, O
they O
have O
closed O
it O
on O
us O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0210 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
retail O
sales O
down O
slightly O
in O
October O

The O
retail O
sales O
in O
the O
United O
States O
declined O
by O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
mainly O
because O
of O
the O
falling O
gasoline O
prices O
and O
the O
drop O
of O
car O
sales O
, O
the O
Commerce O
Department O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
slight O
decline O
of O
overall O
US O
sales O
was O
significantly O
better O
than O
the O
0 O
. O
7 O
percent O
drop O
many O
economists O
had O
expected O
. O

The O
report O
showed O
that O
the O
decline O
was O
led O
by O
a O
big O
3 O
. O
6 O
percent O
drop O
in O
auto O
sales O
, O
which O
have O
weakened O
with O
the O
removal O
of O
attractive O
discounts O
automakers O
had O
used O
during O
the B-T
summer I-T
. O

Also O
working O
to O
hold O
back O
the O
US O
retail O
sales O
in O
October B-T
was O
a O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
decline O
in O
sales O
at O
gasoline O
stations O
, O
a O
drop O
that O
reflected O
a O
big O
retreat O
in O
pump O
prices O
. O

However O
, O
excluding O
auto O
sale O
, O
US O
retail O
sales O
rose O
by O
a O
solid O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
last B-T
month I-T
as O
a O
result O
of O
big O
gains O
at O
specialty O
clothing O
stores O
and O
department O
stores O
, O
lifting O
the O
outlook O
for O
the O
upcoming O
holiday O
sales O
season O
. O

Consumer O
spending O
is O
closely O
watched O
because O
it O
accounts O
for O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
total O
US O
economic O
activity O
and O
retail O
sales O
account O
for O
about O
an O
half O
of O
the O
consumer O
spending O
in O
the O
country O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0387 O

CRAWFORD O
, O
Texas O
, O
Dec B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

detail O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
United O
States O
on O
Tuesday B-T
called O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
confirmed O
death O
sentence O
" O
a O
milestone O
" O
for O
Iraqis O
and O
said O
the O
" O
tyrant O
" O
had O
received O
a O
fair O
trial O
. O

" O
Today O
marks O
a O
milestone O
for O
Iraqi O
people O
' O
s O
efforts O
to O
replace O
the O
rule O
of O
a O
tyrant O
with O
the O
rule O
of O
law O
, O
" O
Scott O
Stanzel O
, O
a O
White O
House O
spokesman O
, O
said O
. O

" O
Saddam O
has O
received O
due O
process O
and O
the O
legal O
rights O
that O
he O
denied O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
The O
Iraqis O
deserve O
praise O
for O
continuing O
to O
utilize O
the O
institutions O
of O
democracy O
to O
pursue O
justice O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
told O
reporters O
traveling O
with O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
aboard O
the O
presidential O
jet O
Air O
Force O
One O
to O
Texas O
. O

Bush O
was O
to O
spend O
the O
final O
days O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
at O
his O
ranch O
in O
Crawford O
, O
Texas O
. O

Earlier B-T
Tuesday I-T
an O
Iraqi O
appeals O
court O
judge O
announced O
that O
Saddam O
would O
be O
hanged O
within O
30 B-T
days I-T
, O
after O
confirming O
the O
former O
strongman O
' O
s O
sentence O
for O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
. O

Speaking O
to O
reporters O
in O
Baghdad O
, O
Judge O
Arif O
Shaheen O
said O
the O
verdict O
was O
final O
and O
legally O
binding O
on O
Iraq O
' O
s O
government O
, O
which O
now B-T
has O
a B-T
month I-T
to O
get O
Saddam O
and O
two O
co O
- O
defendants O
to O
the O
gallows O
. O

" O
This O
is O
an O
important O
day O
for O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
, O
" O
Stanzel O
said O
without O
commenting O
on O
the O
sentence O
itself O
. O

Stanzel O
said O
a O
written O
judgment O
against O
Saddam O
should O
be O
available O
" O
soon O
. O
" O
" O
So O
we O
look O
forward O
, O
as O
does O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
, O
to O
seeing O
that O
written O
judgment O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
Iraqi O
confirmation O
of O
the O
death O
penalty O
for O
Saddam O
came O
as O
Bush O
, O
under O
pressure O
from O
surging O
violence O
in O
Iraq O
and O
rising O
American O
opposition O
to O
the O
war O
, O
prepared O
a O
new O
way O
forward O
for O
the O
country O
as O
it O
sinks O
closer O
to O
civil O
war O
. O

Bush O
was O
due O
to O
announce O
a O
new O
US O
strategy O
for O
Iraq O
after O
January B-T
1 I-T
, O
the O
White O
spokesman O
reminded O
reporters O
. O

" O
He O
continues O
to O
ask O
questions O
of O
his O
advisors O
and O
. O
. O
. O
trying O
to O
make O
sure O
that O
all O
options O
and O
all O
ideas O
are O
given O
the O
due O
consideration O
they O
need O
, O
trying O
to O
think O
through O
the O
consequences O
of O
any O
actions O
and O
of O
those O
options O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0158 O

LAGOS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Polio O
epidemic O
stops O
in O
10 O
African O
countries O
: O
UNICEF O

Polio O
has O
been O
kicked O
out O
of O
10 O
west O
and O
central O
African O
countries O
as O
a O
result O
of O
mass O
immunization O
drives O
reaching O
as O
many O
as O
100 O
million O
children O
across O
much O
of O
the O
region O
, O
the O
United O
Nations O
Children O
' O
s O
Fund O
( O
UNICEF O
) O
has O
said O
. O

The O
previously O
polio O
- O
free O
countries O
, O
including O
Benin O
, O
Burkina O
Faso O
, O
Cameroon O
, O
Central O
African O
Republic O
, O
Chad O
, O
Cote O
d O
' O
Ivoire O
, O
Ghana O
, O
Guinea O
, O
Mali O
and O
Togo O
, O
were O
reinfected O
by O
an O
outbreak O
in O
northern O
Nigeria O
following O
a O
vaccine O
boycott O
. O

" O
The O
epidemic O
has O
paralyzed O
nearly O
200 O
children O
for O
life O
since O
mid B-T
- I-T
2003 I-T
, O
but O
no O
new O
cases O
have O
been O
reported O
in O
these O
countries O
since O
early B-T
June I-T
, O
" O
according O
to O
a O
UNICEF O
statement O
made O
available O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

" O
At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
polio O
eradication O
efforts O
are O
intensifying O
in O
Nigeria O
, O
where O
extensive O
disease O
transmission O
continues O
, O
as O
part O
of O
a O
mass O
polio O
campaign O
across O
28 O
African O
countries O
" O
beginning O
early O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
it O
added O
. O

But O
a O
200 O
million O
US O
dollars O
funding O
gap O
for O
2006 O
must O
urgently O
be O
filled O
, O
and O
75 O
million O
US O
dollars O
of O
which O
is O
needed O
by O
December B-T
, O
to O
ensure O
activities O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
next I-T
year I-T
can O
proceed O
, O
it O
said O
. O

Since O
1988 B-T
, O
global O
eradication O
efforts O
have O
reduced O
the O
number O
of O
polio O
cases O
by O
more O
than O
99 O
percent O
, O
from O
350 O
, O
000 O
annually O
to O
1 O
, O
469 O
cases O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
but O
the O
target O
of O
wiping O
out O
the O
disease O
globally O
by O
2005 O
will O
not O
be O
realized O
due O
to O
the O
ongoing O
polio O
transmission O
in O
part O
of O
Nigeria O
. O

The O
northern O
Nigerian O
state O
of O
Kano O
and O
neighboring O
states O
stopped O
the O
immunization O
of O
their O
children O
for O
10 B-T
months I-T
in O
2003 B-T
- I-T
2004 O
on O
the O
allegation O
that O
the O
vaccine O
contained O
infertility O
agents O
purportedly O
planted O
by O
western O
nations O
to O
depopulate O
the O
area O
. O

Experts O
say O
that O
at O
least O
a O
further O
year O
will O
be O
needed O
to O
finish O
the O
job O
in O
Nigeria O
, O
following O
the O
10 O
- O
month O
suspension O
. O
Five O
other O
countries O
, O
India O
, O
Pakistan O
, O
Afghanistan O
, O
Niger O
and O
Egypt O
, O
also O
remain O
polio O
endemic O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0648 O

HOUSTON O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
jury O
convicts O
driver O
in O
deaths O
of O
illegal O
immigrants O

A O
US O
federal O
jury O
on O
Monday B-T
found O
a O
Jamaican O
man O
guilty O
in O
the O
deaths O
of O
19 O
illegal O
immigrants O
who O
perished O
in O
the O
truck O
he O
was O
driving O
in O
sweltering O
temperatures O
near O
the O
US O
- O
Mexico O
border O
. O

Convicted O
on O
58 O
counts O
of O
smuggling O
, O
Tyrone O
Williams O
now B-T
faces O
a O
possible O
death O
sentence O
under O
a O
1994 B-T
law O
. O
The O
legislation O
allows O
for O
the O
death O
penalty O
if O
an O
illegal O
immigrant O
dies O
during O
a O
smuggling O
operation O
. O

During O
the O
trial O
, O
US O
District O
Attorney O
Daniel O
Rodriguez O
said O
the O
35 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Williams O
- O
- O
a O
Jamaican O
national O
living O
in O
the O
United O
States O
- O
- O
was O
a O
" O
vile O
and O
heartless O
truck O
driver O
who O
has O
no O
regard O
for O
human O
life O
. O
" O

He O
said O
Williams O
treated O
the O
85 O
Hispanic O
immigrants O
in O
the O
sealed O
, O
refrigerated O
trailer O
he O
was O
hauling O
like O
cargo O
. O

Witnesses O
said O
they O
pleaded O
for O
air O
and O
water O
and O
pounded O
on O
the O
sides O
as O
many O
suffocated O
and O
succumbed O
to O
heat O
stroke O
amid O
sweltering O
temperatures O
. O

A O
five O
- O
year O
- O
old O
boy O
was O
among O
the O
19 O
victims O
who O
died O
. O

Williams O
' O
defense O
lawyer O
, O
Craig O
Washington O
, O
said O
he O
was O
" O
deeply O
disappointed O
" O
by O
the O
verdict O
. O

Washington O
said O
he O
will O
argue O
to O
save O
his O
client O
' O
s O
life O
when O
the O
sentencing O
phase O
of O
the O
trial O
begins O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
He O
was O
guilty O
of O
transporting O
. O
We O
admitted O
that O
from O
the O
very O
beginning O
but O
he O
' O
s O
not O
the O
kind O
of O
person O
that O
would O
intentionally O
kill O
people O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Washington O
said O
Williams O
did O
not O
know O
how O
many O
people O
were O
crammed O
inside O
the O
trailer O
, O
which O
he O
picked O
up O
at O
Mexico O
' O
s O
border O
with O
the O
US O
state O
of O
Texas O
. O
He O
said O
this O
was O
his O
client O
' O
s O
second O
smuggling O
attempt O
and O
previously O
had O
transported O
only O
17 O
people O
. O

Williams O
abandoned O
the O
trailer O
in O
Victoria O
, O
Texas O
after O
discovering O
the O
dead O
bodies O
but O
was O
later O
arrested O
in O
Houston O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0016 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0016 O
. O

Dividend O
News O
: O

@ O
Oneida O
Ltd O
. O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

OCQ O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

ONEIDA O
Ltd O
. O
declared O
a O
10 O
% O
stock O
dividend O
, O
payable O
Dec B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
to O
stock O
of O
record O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
. O

The O
Oneida O
, O
N O
. O
Y O
. O
, O
maker O
of O
consumer O
, O
food O
- O
service O
and O
industrial O
products O
also O
declared O
a O
quarterly O
cash O
dividend O
of O
12 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
with O
the O
same O
payable O
and O
record O
dates O
. O

The O
cash O
dividend O
paid O
on O
the O
common O
stock O
also O
will O
apply O
to O
the O
new O
shares O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

The O
move O
rewards O
shareholders O
and O
should O
improve O
the O
stock O
' O
s O
liquidity O
, O
Oneida O
said O
. O

The O
company O
has O
about O
8 O
. O
8 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
yesterday B-T
, O
Oneida O
' O
s O
shares O
closed O
at O
$ O
18 O
. O
375 O
a O
share O
, O
unchanged O
. O

WSJ_20130322_159 O

March B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2013 I-T

Netanyahu O
Apologizes O
to O
Turkey O
for O
Deadly O
Ship O
Raid O

Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
apologized O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
Turkish O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
for O
a O
raid O
on O
a O
Turkish O
flotilla O
ship O
, O
a O
move O
that O
will O
help O
restore O
strained O
ties O
between O
the O
countries O
. O

The O
call O
, O
which O
happened O
as O
President O
Barack O
Obama O
wrapped O
up O
his O
first O
presidential O
visit O
to O
Israel O
, O
was O
an O
unexpected O
outcome O
from O
a O
Mideast O
trip O
that O
seemed O
to O
yield O
few O
concrete O
steps O
. O

Mr O
. O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
office O
confirmed O
that O
the O
Israeli O
leader O
, O
in O
a O
conversation O
with O
Mr O
. O
Erdogan O
, O
" O
agreed O
to O
restore O
normalization O
between O
Israel O
and O
Turkey O
, O
including O
the O
dispatch O
of O
ambassadors O
and O
the O
cancellation O
of O
legal O
steps O
against O
[ O
Israeli O
Defense O
Forces O
] O
soldiers O
. O
" O
Mr O
. O
Erdogan O
accepted O
the O
Israeli O
apology O
, O
the O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
office O
said O
. O

Mr O
. O
Erdogan O
has O
long O
sought O
an O
apology O
for O
the O
raid O
in O
May B-T
2010 I-T
on O
the O
Mavi O
Marmara O
, O
which O
was O
part O
of O
a O
flotilla O
that O
sought O
to O
break O
Israel O
' O
s O
blockade O
of O
Gaza O
. O
An O
Israeli O
raid O
on O
the O
ship O
left O
nine O
passengers O
dead O
, O
all O
of O
them O
Turkish O
or O
of O
Turkish O
descent O
. O

" O
In O
light O
of O
the O
Israeli O
investigation O
into O
the O
incident O
, O
which O
pointed O
out O
several O
operational O
errors O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Netanyahu O
apologized O
to O
the O
Turkish O
people O
for O
any O
errors O
that O
could O
have O
led O
to O
loss O
of O
life O
and O
agreed O
to O
complete O
the O
agreement O
on O
compensation O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

Mr O
. O
Netanyahu O
told O
Mr O
. O
Erdogan O
that O
what O
happened O
on O
board O
the O
Mavi O
Marmara O
was O
" O
unintentional O
and O
Israel O
expresses O
regret O
over O
injuries O
and O
loss O
of O
life O
, O
" O
according O
to O
the O
statement O
. O

Mr O
. O
Obama O
said O
later O
at O
a O
news O
conference O
in O
Amman O
that O
he O
had O
spoken O
to O
both O
leaders O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
years I-T
about O
how O
it O
was O
in O
the O
interests O
of O
both O
countries O
to O
restore O
normal O
relations O
. O

He O
said O
he O
discussed O
the O
issue O
with O
Mr O
. O
Netanyahu O
during O
his O
visit O
to O
Israel O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
and O
that O
they O
agreed O
the O
timing O
was O
good O
for O
a O
discussion O
with O
the O
Turkish O
leader O
. O

The O
incident O
was O
a O
subject O
of O
talks O
between O
Mr O
. O
Netanyahu O
and O
President O
Barack O
Obama O
during O
the O
president O
' O
s O
trip O
to O
Israel O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
officials O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0342 O

BELGRADE O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

14 O
Serbs O
jailed O
for O
to O
up O
to O
20 O
years O
over O
Croatia O
massacre O

A O
judge O
at O
Serbia O
' O
s O
war O
crimes O
court O
on O
Monday B-T
jailed O
14 O
former O
soldiers O
for O
to O
up O
to O
20 O
years O
over O
the O
massacre O
of O
more O
than O
200 O
prisoners O
after O
the O
siege O
of O
the O
Croatian O
town O
of O
Vukovar O
in O
1991 B-T
. O

The O
judge O
gave O
eight O
of O
the O
16 O
defendants O
the O
maximum O
available O
sentence O
of O
20 B-T
years I-T
in O
prison O
for O
murdering O
" O
at O
least O
200 O
prisoners O
of O
war O
" O
in O
the O
hamlet O
of O
Ovcara O
near O
Vukovar O
after O
the O
three O
- O
month O
siege O
of O
the O
northeastern O
Croatian O
town O
. O

The O
16 O
, O
including O
a O
woman O
, O
were O
charged O
with O
taking O
prisoners O
from O
Vukovar O
' O
s O
hospital O
and O
executing O
them O
on O
a O
farm O
at O
Ovcara O
after O
Serb O
troops O
overwhelmed O
Croat O
defenders O
at O
the O
Danube O
River O
town O
. O

Two O
defendants O
were O
cleared O
of O
all O
charges O
, O
the O
woman O
received O
a O
nine O
- O
year O
sentence O
and O
the O
remaining O
men O
were O
jailed O
for O
between O
five B-T
to I-T
15 I-T
years I-T
. O

" O
They O
are O
guilty O
as O
they O
, O
acting O
as O
members O
of O
the O
territorial O
defence O
from O
November B-T
20 I-T
to O
November B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1991 I-T
at O
the O
Ovcara O
farm O
, O
tortured O
, O
inhumanly O
treated O
and O
murdered O
at O
least O
200 O
prisoners O
of O
war O
, O
" O
Judge O
Vesko O
Krstajic O
told O
the O
court O
in O
handing O
down O
the O
verdict O
. O

Sentenced O
to O
20 O
years O
in O
jail O
were O
Miroljub O
Vujovic O
, O
Stanko O
Vujanovic O
, O
Milan O
Lancuzanin O
, O
Predrag O
Dragovic O
, O
Predrag O
Milojevic O
, O
Ivan O
Atanasijevic O
, O
Djordje O
Sosic O
and O
Miroslav O
Djankovic O
. O

Those O
jailed O
for O
15 B-T
years I-T
were O
Jovica O
Peric O
, O
Vujo O
Zlatar O
Milan O
Vojnovic O
, O
while O
Predrag O
Madjarac O
got O
12 B-T
years I-T
, O
Nada O
Kalaba O
nine O
years O
and O
Goran O
Mugosa O
five B-T
years I-T
. O

The O
special O
prosecutor O
plans O
to O
appeal O
the O
two O
acquittals O
and O
some O
of O
the O
short O
sentences O
, O
according O
to O
spokesman O
Bruno O
Vekaric O
. O

Still O
, O
he O
welcomed O
the O
guilty O
verdicts O
because O
" O
the O
crime O
( O
massacre O
) O
, O
which O
had O
previously O
been O
denied O
, O
has O
been O
confirmed O
and O
proven O
. O
" O

The O
defence O
said O
it O
would O
also O
mount O
appeals O
. O

Relatives O
of O
the O
victims O
were O
at O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
ruling O
in O
Belgrade O
along O
with O
representatives O
of O
the O
International O
Criminal O
Tribunal O
for O
the O
former O
Yugoslavia O
, O
the O
US O
and O
Croatian O
embassies O
in O
the O
Serbian O
capital O
, O
and O
human O
rights O
activists O
. O

Foreign O
observers O
have O
been O
attending O
the O
trial O
in O
Serbia O
' O
s O
special O
war O
crimes O
court O
since O
it O
opened O
in O
March B-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O
It O
was O
the O
first O
major O
war O
crimes O
case O
to O
be O
heard O
in O
the O
former O
Yugoslav O
republic O
. O

Serbia O
set O
up O
the O
special O
war O
crimes O
prosecutor O
' O
s O
office O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
backed O
by O
police O
and O
detention O
units O
, O
to O
deal O
with O
allegations O
arising O
from O
the O
wars O
of O
the O
1990s B-T
in O
Bosnia O
, O
Croatia O
and O
the O
province O
of O
Kosovo O
. O

Only O
six O
people O
were O
initially O
indicted O
over O
the O
Vukovar O
massacre O
; O
charges O
against O
another O
11 O
were O
filed O
in O
March B-T
2004 I-T
. O
One O
of O
the O
accused O
died O
in O
custody O
earlier B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
defendants O
were O
all O
members O
of O
local O
territorial O
defense O
units O
, O
as O
well O
as O
volonteer O
units O
fighting O
along O
the O
soldiers O
. O

Vukovar O
was O
captured O
by O
the O
Yugoslav O
army O
and O
Serb O
rebels O
in O
November B-T
1991 I-T
, O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
siege O
, O
in O
some O
of O
the O
most O
brutal O
fighting O
of O
Croatia O
' O
s O
1991 O
- O
1995 O
war O
of O
independence O
from O
the O
former O
communist O
federation O
. O

The O
town O
was O
razed O
and O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
civilians O
were O
killed O
, O
including O
those O
at O
Ovcara O
, O
192 O
of O
whom O
have O
been O
identified O
. O

The O
victims O
were O
machine O
- O
gunned O
in O
groups O
of O
about O
10 O
and O
their O
bodies O
were O
buried O
in O
pits O
at O
a O
pig O
farm O
outside O
town O
, O
according O
to O
the O
prosecution O
. O
The O
massacre O
started O
on O
November B-T
20 I-T
and O
finished O
early O
the B-T
next I-T
day I-T
. O

After O
the O
war O
ended O
, O
the O
Vukovar O
region O
was O
put O
under O
UN O
administration O
and O
was O
reintegrated O
into O
Croatia O
in O
1998 B-T
. O

The O
Hague O
- O
based O
UN O
war O
crimes O
tribunal O
has O
been O
trying O
three O
Serb O
officers O
- O
- O
Veselin O
Sljivancanin O
, O
Miroslav O
Radic O
and O
Mile O
Mrksic O
- O
- O
for O
suspected O
war O
crimes O
committed O
in O
Vukovar O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0321 O

MUNICH O
, O
Germany O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Bayern O
confirm O
lucrative O
Dubai O
tournament O

Bayern O
Munich O
have O
confirmed O
their O
participation O
in O
a O
lucrative O
four O
- O
team O
tournament O
in O
Dubai O
from O
January B-T
5 I-T
- I-T
14 I-T
. O

The O
German O
champions O
will O
be O
on O
a O
six O
- O
week O
winter O
break O
from O
the O
Bundesliga O
but O
have O
been O
given O
the O
chance O
to O
keep O
trim O
against O
some O
quality O
opposition O
over O
the B-T
festive I-T
period I-T
, O
and O
make O
some O
money O
into O
the O
bargain O
. O

Bayern O
will O
face O
Portuguese O
side O
Benfica O
on O
January B-T
8 I-T
with O
the O
winner O
facing O
Brazilian O
giants O
FC O
Santos O
or O
Italian O
outfit O
Lazio O
for O
the O
two O
million O
dollar O
prize O
money O
. O

Bayern O
vice O
- O
chairman O
Karl O
- O
Heinz O
Rummenigge O
said O
: O
" O
We O
didn O
' O
t O
have O
the O
best O
preparation O
in O
the B-T
summer I-T
but O
now B-T
we O
' O
ve O
found O
what O
we O
have O
been O
looking O
for O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
- O
two O
serious O
matches O
in O
the O
winter O
break O
that O
combine O
our O
sporting O
and O
economic O
interests O
. O
" O

Bayern O
lie O
fourth O
in O
the O
Bundesliga O
table O
, O
three O
points O
behind O
joint O
leaders O
Werder O
Bremen O
and O
Schalke O
04 O
, O
with O
just O
one O
game O
remaining O
before O
the O
winter O
break O
. O

The O
Bundesliga O
resumes O
on O
January B-T
26 I-T
, O
with O
Dortmund O
' O
s O
home O
game O
against O
Bayern O
kicking O
off O
the O
second O
half O
of O
the O
season O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0007 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

NEWSMAKER O
: O
Tie O
Ning O
: O
First O
woman O
to O
head O
China O
' O
s O
literary O
world O

by O
Xinhua O
Writer O
Chang O
Ai O
- O
ling O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
As O
the O
first O
woman O
writer O
elected O
as O
president O
of O
the O
Chinese O
Writers O
Association O
, O
49 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Tie O
Ning O
broke O
the O
stereotype O
of O
the O
government O
- O
sponsored O
organization O
. O

" O
It O
ends O
the O
era O
of O
a O
literary O
world O
dominated O
by O
great O
masters O
and O
ushers O
in O
the O
age O
of O
common O
people O
, O
" O
fellow O
writer O
Sun O
Yunxiao O
wrote O
in O
his O
blog O
, O
commenting O
on O
Tie O
' O
s O
election O
. O

Born O
in O
1957 B-T
, O
Tie O
was O
elected O
president O
of O
the O
association O
on O
Sunday B-T
at O
the O
seventh O
congress O
of O
the O
association O
in O
Beijing O
, O
becoming O
China O
' O
s O
top O
literary O
official O
. O

The O
association O
, O
founded O
in O
1949 B-T
, O
is O
a O
non O
- O
government O
body O
made O
up O
of O
outstanding O
Chinese O
writers O
to O
encourage O
Chinese O
literary O
activities O
and O
promote O
exchanges O
between O
the O
Chinese O
and O
foreign O
literary O
circles O
. O

Compared O
with O
predecessors O
- O
- O
Mao O
Dun O
( O
1896 O
- O
1981 O
) O
and O
Ba O
Jin O
( O
1904 O
- O
2005 O
) O
- O
- O
who O
made O
their O
names O
before O
the O
founding O
of O
New O
China O
with O
works O
attacking O
the O
feudal O
society O
, O
Tie O
comes O
from O
another O
age O
. O

" O
I O
belong O
to O
the O
generation O
of O
writers O
who O
grew O
up O
with O
China O
' O
s O
economic O
reform O
and O
opening O
up O
process O
, O
" O
Tie O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
China O
' O
s O
major O
news O
website O
sina O
. O
com O
. O
cn O
, O
before O
the O
election O
. O

China O
' O
s O
literary O
world O
has O
become O
increasingly O
diversified O
since O
the B-T
1980s I-T
, O
leaving O
behind O
the B-T
era I-T
when O
the O
literary O
landscape O
was O
dominated O
by O
several O
great O
masters O
who O
were O
admired O
by O
an O
awestruck O
public O
. O

Tie O
published O
her O
first O
story O
in O
1975 B-T
. O
At O
the O
age O
of O
25 O
, O
she O
won O
a O
national O
acclaim O
for O
her O
prize O
- O
winning O
short O
story O
" O
Ah O
, O
Xiangxue O
, O
" O
which O
relates O
the O
adventures O
of O
a O
country O
girl O
who O
yearns O
to O
know O
about O
the O
outside O
world O
and O
gets O
on O
a O
train O
by O
mistake O
. O

Her O
novel O
" O
The O
Red O
Shirt O
Without O
Buttons O
" O
and O
short O
story O
" O
June O
' O
s O
Big O
Topic O
" O
won O
her O
another O
two O
national O
awards O
in O
1984 B-T
. O
Since O
the B-T
1980s I-T
, O
Tie O
has O
published O
a O
number O
of O
collections O
of O
short O
stories O
and O
novels O
and O
become O
one O
of O
China O
' O
s O
most O
well O
- O
known O
writers O
. O

In O
1996 B-T
, O
38 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Tie O
was O
elected O
vice O
president O
of O
the O
Chinese O
Writers O
Association O
. O
Meanwhile O
, O
she O
also O
served O
as O
president O
of O
the O
Hebei O
Provincial O
Writers O
Association O
. O

To O
many O
of O
her O
colleagues O
, O
Tie O
, O
who O
has O
never O
been O
married O
, O
is O
a O
smart O
and O
nice O
- O
looking O
lady O
, O
who O
" O
has O
a O
positive O
attitude O
towards O
life O
and O
literature O
" O
. O
Her O
election O
seemed O
to O
be O
warmly O
welcomed O
by O
Chinese O
writers O
, O
especially O
of O
her O
generation O
. O

" O
First O
of O
all O
, O
she O
is O
a O
real O
writer O
. O
Her O
books O
demonstrate O
her O
talents O
and O
creativity O
. O
Secondly O
, O
she O
is O
of O
good O
character O
and O
is O
influential O
among O
writers O
, O
" O
Sun O
said O
. O

Other O
writers O
hope O
the O
woman O
president O
will O
introduce O
" O
new O
vitality O
" O
into O
the O
57 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
association O
. O

" O
Some O
people O
may O
think O
that O
a O
writer O
of O
our O
generation O
is O
less O
weighty O
than O
the O
literary O
masters O
as O
Mao O
Dun O
and O
Ba O
Jin O
. O
But O
I O
personally O
support O
the O
election O
of O
a O
young O
, O
capable O
and O
vigorous O
writer O
as O
the O
new O
president O
, O
" O
writer O
Hai O
Yan O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O
China O
News O
Service O
. O

" O
The O
president O
of O
the O
writers O
association O
should O
not O
be O
viewed O
as O
a O
figurehead O
, O
" O
Hai O
said O
. O

The O
Chinese O
Writers O
Association O
has O
been O
criticized O
for O
its O
" O
officialdom O
" O
by O
writers O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
and O
is O
under O
huge O
pressure O
for O
institutional O
reform O
. O
Chinese O
writers O
have O
also O
frequently O
been O
chastised O
by O
the O
public O
for O
their O
lack O
of O
social O
responsibility O
, O
shallow O
understanding O
of O
social O
changes O
, O
ignorance O
of O
history O
and O
deliberate O
avoidance O
of O
social O
conflicts O
. O

The O
Southern O
Metropolis O
Daily O
commented O
that O
compared O
with O
Mao O
Dun O
and O
Ba O
Jin O
, O
who O
either O
held O
too O
many O
titles O
to O
focus O
on O
the O
association O
or O
were O
too O
old O
and O
weak O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
association O
' O
s O
affairs O
, O
Tie O
was O
subject O
to O
much O
higher O
expectations O
. O

The O
newspaper O
said O
it O
expected O
that O
Tie O
, O
after O
the O
promotion O
, O
will O
continue O
to O
write O
good O
novels O
and O
use O
her O
position O
to O
reinforce O
Chinese O
writers O
' O
professional O
consciences O
. O

Although O
Tie O
has O
turned O
down O
all O
media O
requests O
for O
interviews O
since O
the O
appointment O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
her O
position O
in O
both O
the O
literary O
and O
political O
arena O
, O
as O
well O
as O
her O
earlier O
words O
and O
deeds O
, O
might O
still O
belie O
her O
would O
- O
be O
agenda O
for O
the O
organization O
with O
more O
than O
7 O
, O
600 O
member O
writers O
. O

In O
2002 B-T
, O
Tie O
was O
elected O
to O
the O
powerful O
Central O
Committee O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
as O
an O
alternate O
member O
at O
the O
Party O
' O
s O
16th O
National O
Congress O
. O

Responding O
to O
questions O
on O
her O
" O
dual O
identity O
" O
, O
Tie O
said O
early B-T
this I-T
year I-T
that O
she O
dosen O
' O
t O
think O
that O
being O
an O
official O
limits O
her O
freedom O
of O
writing O
. O

" O
First O
of O
all O
, O
I O
personally O
don O
' O
t O
put O
them O
at O
opposite O
sides O
. O
Secondly O
, O
being O
a O
writer O
is O
my O
job O
, O
my O
duty O
and O
my O
focus O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
As O
a O
writer O
, O
my O
soul O
is O
free O
. O
My O
writing O
is O
independent O
. O
Nobody O
forces O
me O
to O
write O
, O
neither O
am O
I O
restricted O
by O
anyone O
. O
" O

While O
serving O
as O
president O
of O
the O
Hebei O
Provincial O
Writers O
Association O
, O
Tie O
was O
said O
to O
have O
devoted O
great O
efforts O
to O
help O
young O
writers O
and O
create O
more O
opportunities O
for O
them O
. O
She O
also O
successfully O
raised O
enough O
money O
to O
build O
a O
provincial O
literature O
center O
and O
set O
up O
a O
provincial O
institute O
for O
literature O
. O

But O
she O
admitted O
that O
being O
an O
official O
is O
a O
challenge O
because O
she O
had O
to O
get O
used O
to O
mixing O
administrative O
issues O
and O
writing O
. O
" O
I O
deal O
with O
the O
issues O
in O
the O
most O
efficient O
way O
and O
then O
get O
back O
to O
writing O
. O
Such O
a O
situation O
challenges O
a O
writer O
' O
s O
perseverance O
. O
" O

" O
If O
I O
have O
certain O
so O
- O
called O
capability O
, O
then O
it O
is O
my O
ability O
to O
return O
to O
my O
soul O
under O
any O
conditions O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0366 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Voluntary O
HIV O
tests O
on O
the O
rise O
in O
S O
. O
Africa O

More O
South O
Africans O
are O
voluntarily O
getting O
counseled O
and O
tested O
for O
HIV O
with O
figures O
rising O
annually O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
health O
ministry O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

A O
total O
of O
1 O
. O
715 O
million O
people O
in O
South O
Africa O
, O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
hardest O
hit O
countries O
by O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
utilized O
the O
free O
pre O
- O
HIV O
test O
counseling O
and O
80 O
percent O
of O
them O
volunteered O
for O
HIV O
tests O
between O
April B-T
2005 I-T
and O
March B-T
2006 I-T
, O
the O
ministry O
spokesman O
Sibani O
Mngadi O
said O
. O

" O
The O
trend O
is O
that O
it O
seems O
to O
be O
doubling O
every B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

About O
35 O
percent O
, O
or O
479 O
, O
086 O
people O
, O
of O
those O
who O
tested O
were O
found O
to O
be O
HIV O
positive O
. O
But O
Mngadi O
said O
this O
did O
not O
reflect O
prevalence O
within O
the O
general O
population O
. O

More O
than O
5 O
. O
5 O
million O
South O
Africans O
, O
or O
12 O
percent O
of O
the O
population O
, O
are O
infected O
with O
HIV O
. O
This O
number O
is O
the O
second O
largest O
in O
the O
world O
, O
only O
after O
India O
. O

Mngadi O
said O
the O
government O
has O
launched O
a O
nationwide O
awareness O
campaign O
which O
encourages O
people O
to O
know O
their O
HIV O
status O
. O

" O
The O
progress O
in O
increasing O
the O
uptake O
into O
VCT O
( O
Voluntary O
Counseling O
and O
Testing O
) O
is O
largely O
attributed O
to O
the O
campaign O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
2004 B-T
- I-T
05 I-T
one O
million O
participants O
were O
counseled O
and O
866 O
, O
000 O
tested O
. O
In O
the B-T
2003 I-T
- I-T
2004 I-T
period I-T
690 O
, O
000 O
people O
were O
counseled O
and O
511 O
, O
000 O
tested O
. O

The O
uptake O
was O
also O
enhanced O
by O
the O
wide O
accessibility O
of O
VCT O
service O
across O
the O
country O
, O
Mngadi O
said O
. O
A O
total O
of O
4 O
, O
172 O
VCT O
service O
points O
are O
operational O
in O
both O
medical O
and O
non O
- O
medical O
sites O
in O
all O
nine O
provinces O
, O
and O
VCT O
is O
available O
in O
more O
than O
90 O
percent O
of O
clinics O
. O

A O
draft O
program O
for O
the O
World O
AIDS O
Day O
event O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
issued O
by O
the O
health O
ministry O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
suggested O
that O
the O
South O
African O
government O
would O
launch O
a O
new O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
- O
combating O
strategy O
in O
2007 B-T
- I-T
2011 I-T
. O

Local O
media O
revealed O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
that O
the O
strategy O
aims O
to O
halve O
the O
HIV O
- O
infection O
rate O
and O
provide O
treatment O
to O
750 O
, O
000 O
patients O
within O
the B-T
next I-T
five I-T
years I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0303 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
troubled O
nuclear O
plant O
operator O
to O
privatise O
major O
work O

The O
chief O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
scandal O
- O
hit O
state O
- O
run O
nuclear O
plant O
operator O
said O
Tuesday B-T
it O
planned O
to O
privatise O
its O
uranium O
enrichment O
and O
nuclear O
fuel O
reprocessing O
operations O
following O
a O
series O
of O
accidents O
. O

Toshiyuki O
Kondo O
, O
president O
of O
Power O
Reactor O
and O
Nuclear O
Fuel O
Development O
Corp O
. O
( O
Donen O
) O
, O
announced O
the O
plan O
during O
the O
House O
of O
Councillors O
Budget O
Committee O
. O

Kondo O
said O
the O
plan O
was O
part O
of O
its O
restructuring O
scheme O
following O
the O
emergence O
of O
a O
scandal O
sparked O
by O
a O
string O
of O
nuclear O
leaks O
which O
officials O
kept O
secret O
. O

" O
We O
are O
thinking O
of O
transferring O
our O
uranium O
enrichment O
operation O
to O
Japan O
Nuclear O
Fuel O
Ltd O
. O
, O
" O
Kondo O
said O
. O
Japan O
Nuclear O
Fuel O
is O
a O
private O
entity O
owned O
mainly O
by O
Japan O
' O
s O
nine O
major O
electric O
power O
companies O
. O

Kondo O
also O
said O
Donen O
planned O
to O
transfer O
its O
nuclear O
fuel O
reprocessing O
functions O
now B-T
undertaken O
at O
a O
reprocessing O
plant O
in O
Tokaimura O
, O
Ibaraki O
Prefecture O
, O
northeast O
of O
Tokyo O
, O
into O
private O
hands O
. O

Kyodo O
News O
said O
the O
uranium O
enrichment O
and O
nuclear O
reprocessing O
operations O
were O
Donen O
' O
s O
main O
functions O
, O
making O
it O
likely O
their O
transfer O
to O
the O
private O
sector O
would O
strengthen O
the O
argument O
that O
Donen O
be O
dissolved O
. O

But O
the O
president O
denied O
the O
possibility O
of O
the O
complete O
disbandment O
of O
Donen O
, O
saying O
the O
state O
- O
run O
nuclear O
operator O
must O
continue O
its O
research O
into O
nuclear O
fuel O
cycle O
technology O
based O
on O
fast O
- O
breeder O
reactors O
and O
disposal O
of O
highly O
radioactive O
waste O
. O

" O
Private O
entities O
cannot O
handle O
the O
two O
operations O
because O
they O
will O
cost O
a O
lot O
of O
time O
and O
money O
, O
" O
Kondo O
said O
. O
" O
Therefore O
, O
the O
country O
would O
continue O
undertaking O
these O
two O
operations O
. O
" O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
a O
special O
commission O
headed O
by O
Riichiro O
Chikaoka O
, O
minister O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
science O
and O
technology O
agency O
, O
began O
talks O
on O
measures O
to O
reform O
Donen O
. O

Calls O
for O
revamping O
Donen O
mounted O
after O
a O
fire O
and O
explosion O
at O
its O
nuclear O
reprocessing O
plant O
in O
Tokai O
, O
northeast O
of O
Tokyo O
, O
which O
came O
15 B-T
months I-T
after O
a O
massive O
sodium O
leak O
at O
its O
fast O
- O
breeder O
Monju O
reactor O
in O
the O
western O
city O
of O
Tsuruga O
. O

The O
March B-T
11 I-T
accident O
exposed O
37 O
workers O
to O
low O
- O
level O
radiation O
and O
is O
considered O
to O
be O
Japan O
' O
s O
worst O
nuclear O
accident O
. O

Donen O
faced O
another O
crisis O
as O
heavy O
water O
leaked O
at O
the O
Fugen O
advanced O
thermal O
converter O
reactor O
in O
Tsuruga O
, O
boosting O
the O
air O
density O
of O
radioactive O
tritium O
to O
18 O
times O
the O
normal O
level O
and O
leaving O
11 O
workers O
exposed O
to O
low O
- O
level O
radiation O
. O

The O
nuclear O
power O
plant O
operator O
has O
also O
come O
under O
fire O
for O
covering O
up O
incidents O
at O
Monju O
and O
Tokai O
. O

Donen O
admitted O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
it O
had O
also O
failed O
to O
report O
" O
11 O
very O
low O
levels O
of O
leaks O
" O
at O
Fugen O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
the O
lower O
house O
voted O
to O
kill O
an O
opposition O
- O
sponsored O
no O
- O
confidence O
motion O
against O
the O
science O
and O
technology O
agency O
chief O
Chikaoka O
over O
the O
incidents O
involving O
Donen O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0259 O

CAIRO O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Arafat O
in O
Cairo O
to O
ask O
Egypt O
' O
s O
help O
( O
picture O
) O

Palestinian O
President O
Yasser O
Arafat O
arrived O
here O
Monday B-T
determined O
to O
ask O
Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
to O
make O
" O
more O
" O
efforts O
to O
save O
the O
peace O
process O
from O
collapse O
. O

" O
I O
will O
ask O
President O
Mubarak O
for O
more O
efforts O
and O
I O
will O
thank O
him O
for O
what O
he O
is O
doing O
to O
protect O
the O
peace O
process O
, O
" O
Arafat O
told O
reporters O
before O
heading O
into O
talks O
with O
the O
Egyptian O
leader O
at O
the O
Ittihadiya O
presidential O
palace O
outside O
Cairo O
. O

The O
Palestinian O
president O
said O
he O
will O
discuss O
with O
Mubarak O
ways O
of O
" O
saving O
" O
the O
peace O
process O
from O
collapse O
because O
of O
Israel O
' O
s O
" O
persistence O
in O
violating O
the O
accords O
which O
were O
signed O
. O
" O

The O
talks O
are O
focused O
on O
Israel O
' O
s O
settlement O
policy O
as O
well O
as O
the O
closure O
of O
Palestinian O
territories O
, O
Arafat O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0072 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepali O
government O
endorses O
SPA O
- O
guerillas O
latest O
pact O

Nepali O
government O
endorsed O
Thursday B-T
the O
latest O
six O
- O
point O
agreement O
between O
the O
Seven O
Party O
Alliance O
( O
SPA O
) O
and O
guerrillas O
. O

The O
meeting O
of O
council O
of O
ministers O
was O
held O
on O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
approving O
the O
pact O
singed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
midnight O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Koirala O
, O
on O
the O
occasion O
, O
briefed O
about O
the O
agreement O
to O
the O
ministers O
and O
sought O
their O
commitments O
to O
implement O
the O
pact O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Koirala O
also O
informed O
about O
the O
agreement O
to O
the O
parliament O
on O
Thursday B-T
noon I-T
. O

In O
his O
speech O
to O
the O
parliament O
he O
said O
that O
the O
pact O
had O
added O
extra O
responsibility O
to O
all O
parties O
involved O
and O
stressed O
on O
the O
need O
to O
work O
united O
. O

He O
also O
warned O
of O
conspiracy O
that O
the O
reactionary O
forces O
might O
hatch O
to O
destroy O
the O
historic O
pact O
. O

Koirala O
urged O
the O
guerrillas O
to O
create O
fearless O
environment O
as O
earliest O
as O
possible O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0208 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

New O
method O
to O
ban O
bully O
giant O
retailors O

Supermarkets O
and O
chain O
store O
giants O
who O
used O
to O
default O
payment O
to O
goods O
suppliers O
or O
bullied O
them O
into O
forking O
out O
unnecessary O
charges O
have O
to O
be O
careful O
as O
a O
new O
method O
took O
effect O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

This O
first O
- O
ever O
method O
to O
secure O
fair O
trade O
between O
retailers O
and O
suppliers O
will O
empower O
suppliers O
, O
especially O
small O
and O
medium O
- O
sized O
ones O
, O
to O
defend O
their O
legitimate O
interests O
and O
report O
offense O
to O
relevant O
authorities O
. O

The O
instrument O
came O
after O
nine O
high O
- O
ranking O
managers O
from O
bankrupt O
supermarket O
chain O
PriceSmart O
China O
were O
put O
on O
trial O
in O
October B-T
for O
allegedly O
stealing O
and O
defrauding O
a O
total O
of O
120 O
million O
yuan O
from O
the O
corporation O
and O
individual O
stores O
and O
banks O
. O

While O
a O
key O
chain O
warehouse O
of O
the O
PriceSmart O
Membership O
Shop O
in O
Beijing O
was O
shut O
last B-T
January I-T
to O
evade O
suppliers O
demanding O
delayed O
payment O
, O
protests O
culminated O
after O
nearly O
100 O
suppliers O
picketed O
the O
shop O
gates O
and O
a O
drove O
of O
shoppers O
asked O
for O
refunds O
on O
their O
membership O
cards O
. O

The O
verdicts O
are O
yet O
to O
come O
. O
Assistant O
Minister O
of O
Commerce O
Huang O
Hai O
said O
the O
document O
was O
tailor O
- O
made O
against O
such O
bully O
retailer O
. O

The O
method O
jointly O
issued O
by O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Commerce O
and O
other O
four O
departments O
covering O
pricing O
, O
taxation O
, O
public O
securities O
and O
industrial O
and O
commerce O
forbids O
retailers O
, O
either O
local O
or O
foreign O
- O
invested O
, O
to O
solicit O
kickbacks O
from O
suppliers O
or O
force O
them O
to O
pay O
for O
the O
wear O
and O
tear O
of O
goods O
on O
shelf O
. O

It O
provides O
detailed O
rules O
on O
the O
charges O
retailers O
may O
impose O
and O
suppliers O
and O
prohibits O
retailers O
from O
demanding O
unreasonable O
withdraw O
of O
goods O
by O
suppliers O
. O

Song O
Ze O
, O
researcher O
of O
the O
China O
Academy O
of O
Social O
Sciences O
, O
said O
that O
the O
contradiction O
between O
retailers O
and O
suppliers O
have O
existed O
for O
a O
long O
time O
. O

" O
The O
deep O
- O
rooted O
cause O
is O
that O
foreign O
large O
retailers O
took O
lead O
to O
use O
their O
distribution O
and O
capital O
advantages O
to O
withhold O
their O
payment O
to O
suppliers O
, O
which O
hindered O
the O
latters O
' O
cash O
flow O
and O
eventually O
sour O
the O
relationship O
, O
" O
said O
he O
. O

A O
survey O
from O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Commerce O
revealed O
that O
payment O
default O
by O
retailers O
has O
actually O
evolved O
into O
an O
industrial O
practice O
. O
And O
domestic O
retailers O
do O
not O
stay O
clean O
. O
In O
some O
cases O
, O
payment O
of O
goods O
can O
be O
delayed O
five B-T
to I-T
six I-T
months I-T
behind O
the O
schedule O
. O

In O
China O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
market O
boasting O
of O
a O
population O
of O
1 O
. O
3 O
billion O
, O
a O
saying O
widely O
spread O
in O
the O
business O
circles O
is O
that O
who O
controls O
the O
distribution O
channels O
is O
the O
King O
. O

There O
are O
quite O
a O
number O
of O
" O
Distribution O
Kings O
" O
in O
China O
, O
the O
U O
. O
S O
- O
based O
Walmart O
, O
France O
- O
based O
Carrefour O
, O
UK O
- O
based O
B O
, O
Lotus O
Supermarkets O
from O
Thailand O
and O
local O
ones O
like O
Merrymart O
and O
Hualian O
. O

A O
supplier O
said O
that O
it O
was O
right O
time O
to O
rectify O
their O
malpractice O
. O
Describing O
the O
method O
as O
" O
only O
a O
first O
move O
" O
, O
he O
said O
that O
dethroning O
the O
Kings O
would O
be O
" O
difficult O
" O
. O

" O
If O
we O
reported O
offenses O
, O
who O
guaranteed O
the O
problematic O
retailers O
would O
be O
immediately O
punished O
and O
what O
are O
the O
other O
options O
to O
sell O
our O
products O
? O
" O
he O
asked O
. O

Song O
Ze O
said O
the O
supplier O
' O
s O
concern O
reflects O
the O
next O
move O
Chinese O
authorities O
must O
take O
- O
- O
to O
tighten O
supervision O
and O
strenghthen O
enforcement O
. O

As O
five O
different O
departments O
are O
involved O
, O
he O
suggested O
officials O
of O
trade O
, O
public O
securities O
, O
taxation O
, O
pricing O
and O
industry O
and O
commerce O
establish O
a O
regular O
coordination O
mechanism O
to O
share O
information O
and O
launch O
joint O
crackdown O
on O
major O
transgression O
. O

" O
Suppliers O
are O
not O
the O
only O
victims O
of O
the O
unfair O
trade O
- O
- O
- O
People O
working O
for O
suppliers O
, O
banks O
extending O
loans O
and O
shoppers O
having O
to O
pay O
higher O
prices O
for O
the O
extra O
costs O
that O
cash O
- O
strained O
producers O
refused O
to O
pay O
. O
" O
Song O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0141 O

BINH O
DUONG O
, O
Vietnam O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Dong O
Tam O
Long O
An O
Tile O
, O
Binh O
Duong O
from O
Vietnam O
enter O
soccer O
final O

Vietnam O
' O
s O
Dong O
Tam O
Long O
An O
Tile O
downed O
Singapore O
' O
s O
Tamin O
Rovers O
2 O
- O
0 O
here O
Saturday B-T
, O
while O
hosts O
Binh O
Duong O
beat O
Da O
Nang O
8 O
- O
7 O
at O
the O
semifinals O
of O
the O
International O
Binh O
Duong O
Television O
Cup O
. O

Local O
half O
- O
backer O
Ly O
Lam O
Huy O
and O
Brazilian O
striker O
Antonio O
of O
Dong O
Tam O
Long O
An O
Tile O
, O
defending O
champion O
of O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
professional O
league O
, O
scored O
one O
apiece O
in O
the B-T
74th I-T
and I-T
84th I-T
minute I-T
, O
respectively O
, O
offering O
their O
team O
a O
final O
triumph O
of O
2 O
- O
0 O
over O
Tamin O
Rovers O
, O
defending O
champion O
of O
the O
Singapore O
league O
. O

Binh O
Duong O
from O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
southern O
Binh O
Duong O
province O
had O
a O
hard O
- O
earnt O
victory O
over O
Da O
Nang O
from O
the O
country O
' O
s O
central O
Da O
Nang O
city O
with O
the O
final O
score O
being O
determined O
by O
penalty O
shots O
. O
They O
tied O
a O
draw O
of O
2 O
- O
2 O
after O
full O
time O
with O
the O
first O
goal O
scored O
by O
a O
Da O
Nang O
striker O
in O
the O
25th O
minute O
, O
the O
equalized O
goal O
in O
the O
32nd O
minute O
, O
the O
third O
by O
Binh O
Duong O
in O
the O
41st O
minute O
, O
and O
the O
fourth O
by O
Da O
Nang O
in O
the B-T
75th I-T
minute I-T
. O

With O
penalty O
kicks O
, O
Binh O
Duong O
took O
the O
lead O
of O
6 O
- O
5 O
, O
grabbing O
the O
rights O
to O
clash O
with O
Dong O
Tam O
Long O
An O
Tile O
in O
the O
final O
game O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
International O
Binh O
Duong O
Television O
Cup O
, O
taking O
place O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
to O
14 O
, O
features O
eight O
teams O
from O
China O
, O
Thailand O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Singapore O
and O
Vietnam O
. O
The O
champions O
will O
get O
a O
cash O
prize O
of O
20 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0340 O

WARSAW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Poland O
to O
set O
timetable O
to O
join O
euro O
zone O
in O
two O
or O
three O
years O
: O
PM O

Polish O
Prime O
Minister O
Kazimierz O
Marcinkiewicz O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
his O
country O
would O
decide O
on O
its O
schedule O
to O
join O
the O
euro O
zone O
in O
two B-T
or I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

To O
set O
the O
date O
now B-T
is O
" O
unrealistic O
" O
and O
could O
bring O
about O
much O
negative O
impact O
, O
said O
the O
leader O
at O
a O
symposium O
on O
Poland O
' O
s O
investment O
environment O
, O
adding O
this O
could O
be O
" O
bravely O
" O
done O
in O
two B-T
or I-T
three I-T
years I-T
' O
time O
. O

Marcinkiewicz O
said O
his O
government O
would O
primarily O
ensure O
the O
stability O
of O
public O
finance O
, O
be O
more O
dedicated O
to O
reducing O
budgetary O
deficit O
and O
strive O
to O
meet O
, O
in O
four B-T
years I-T
' O
time O
, O
the O
criteria O
set O
by O
the O
Maastricht O
Treaty O
for O
the O
adoption O
of O
the O
European O
Union O
' O
s O
common O
currency O
, O
the O
euro O
. O

The O
so O
- O
called O
Maastricht O
convergence O
criteria O
require O
euro O
candidates O
to O
meet O
strict O
macroeconomic O
targets O
including O
low O
inflation O
and O
interest O
rates O
and O
a O
public O
spending O
deficit O
limit O
of O
lower O
than O
3 O
percent O
of O
GDP O
. O

Poland O
is O
the O
only O
country O
among O
the O
10 O
new O
EU O
members O
that O
has O
not O
set O
the O
schedule O
for O
joining O
the O
euro O
zone O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
the O
European O
Commission O
, O
the O
executive O
arm O
of O
the O
EU O
, O
expressed O
unease O
over O
Poland O
' O
s O
uncertainty O
on O
the O
single O
currency O
and O
urged O
it O
to O
set O
a O
deadline O
for O
adopting O
the O
euro O
. O

Marcinkiewicz O
responded O
that O
it O
would O
be O
unnecessary O
for O
Poland O
to O
join O
in O
the O
euro O
zone O
within O
four B-T
years I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0334 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Australian O
cardiologist O
acquitted O
of O
wife O
' O
s O
murder O
in O
Uganda O

A O
Ugandan O
court O
on O
Monday B-T
acquitted O
a O
Ugandan O
- O
born O
Australian O
physician O
of O
murdering O
his O
estranged O
lawyer O
wife O
last B-T
year I-T
at O
the O
end O
of O
a O
long O
- O
running O
high O
- O
profile O
trial O
. O

Kampala O
High O
Court O
Justice O
Opio O
Aweri O
said O
prosecutors O
had O
failed O
to O
prove O
their O
case O
against O
Aggrey O
Kiyingi O
, O
51 O
, O
a O
Sydney O
cardiologist O
, O
who O
had O
vehemently O
denied O
any O
role O
in O
the O
July B-T
2005 I-T
killing O
of O
his O
wife O
, O
Robinah O
. O

The O
judge O
also O
found O
two O
other O
suspects O
in O
the O
murder O
- O
- O
a O
police O
officer O
and O
a O
businessman O
, O
along O
with O
a O
soldier O
who O
was O
later O
found O
dead O
in O
prison O
- O
- O
not O
guilty O
in O
the O
shooting O
death O
of O
Robinah O
Kiyingi O
, O
a O
well O
- O
known O
Kampala O
attorney O
. O

" O
Taking O
the O
prosecution O
evidence O
in O
totality O
, O
my O
mind O
is O
left O
nagging O
, O
" O
Aweri O
said O
. O
" O
The O
evidence O
was O
not O
established O
and O
court O
needs O
to O
be O
certain O
beyond O
reasonable O
doubt O
of O
the O
evidence O
to O
convict O
the O
accused O
persons O
. O
" O

" O
I O
find O
the O
accused O
persons O
not O
guilty O
of O
the O
offence O
and O
they O
are O
accordingly O
acquitted O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
while O
Kiyingi O
may O
have O
been O
the O
prime O
suspect O
" O
suspicion O
alone O
cannot O
a O
basis O
on O
which O
to O
convict O
a O
person O
. O
" O

The O
suspects O
could O
have O
faced O
the O
death O
penalty O
if O
convicted O
. O

Kiyingi O
, O
51 O
, O
was O
arrested O
after O
attending O
the O
funeral O
of O
his O
54 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
wife O
, O
a O
prominent O
anti O
- O
corruption O
advocate O
, O
who O
was O
shot O
several O
times O
in O
her O
car O
in O
the O
driveway O
of O
her O
home O
. O

He O
and O
the O
co O
- O
defendants O
had O
been O
accused O
of O
conspiring O
to O
have O
Robinah O
Kiyingi O
killed O
. O

The O
trial O
had O
been O
filled O
with O
surprise O
allegations O
and O
witness O
testimony O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
death O
in O
custody O
of O
the O
accused O
soldier O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
Ugandan O
trial O
" O
assessors O
, O
" O
who O
function O
like O
jurors O
but O
whose O
rulings O
are O
not O
binding O
on O
the O
court O
, O
recommended O
that O
Kiyingi O
be O
acquitted O
, O
citing O
insufficient O
evidence O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0338 O

RENNES O
, O
France O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

French O
police O
, O
youth O
clash O
over O
party O
ban O

Police O
clashed O
with O
youths O
in O
this O
northwestern O
French O
city O
on O
Saturday B-T
after O
authorities O
banned O
a O
rave O
party O
due O
to O
be O
held O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
a O
rock O
music O
festival O
. O

Youths O
set O
fire O
to O
rubbish O
bins O
, O
smashed O
car O
windows O
and O
hurled O
bottles O
at O
police O
after O
authorities O
banned O
the O
party O
due O
to O
a O
lack O
of O
security O
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

No O
one O
was O
injured O
in O
the O
mid O
- O
afternoon O
melee O
which O
police O
said O
involved O
some O
500 O
youths O
and O
200 O
officers O
. O
Ten O
people O
were O
held O
for O
questioning O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0359 O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Macao O
' O
s O
retail O
sales O
rises O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
in O
Q3 O

Macao O
recorded O
an O
estimated O
value O
of O
2 O
. O
2 O
billion O
patacas O
( O
275 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
retail O
sales O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
a O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
rise O
of O
23 O
percent O
, O
according O
to O
official O
statistics O
issued O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
figures O
from O
the O
government O
- O
run O
Statistics O
and O
Census O
Service O
( O
SCS O
) O
showed O
that O
motor O
vehicles O
sales O
accounted O
for O
16 O
percent O
of O
the O
total O
estimated O
value O
of O
retail O
sales O
in O
the O
quarter O
, O
followed O
by O
sales O
of O
goods O
in O
supermarkets O
( O
11 O
percent O
) O
and O
in O
department O
stores O
( O
11 O
percent O
) O
and O
sales O
of O
watches O
, O
clocks O
and O
jewelry O
( O
10 O
percent O
) O
. O

The O
SCS O
attributes O
the O
rocketing O
retail O
sales O
growth O
mainly O
to O
" O
the O
marked O
increases O
" O
in O
the O
sales O
of O
motor O
vehicles O
. O

Around O
85 O
percent O
of O
the O
local O
retailers O
forecast O
increased O
or O
flat O
sales O
prices O
for O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
SCS O
statistics O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061210 O
. O
0161 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
INCORPORATES O
Britain O
- O
Russia O
- O
spy O
- O
wife O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
widow O
of O
former O
Russian O
secret O
agent O
Alexander O
Litvinenko O
on O
Sunday B-T
accused O
Moscow O
of O
involvement O
in O
his O
murder O
, O
as O
the O
probe O
into O
who O
administered O
the O
fatal O
dose O
of O
radioactivity O
widened O
. O

In O
her O
first O
public O
interviews O
since O
her O
husband O
' O
s O
death O
on O
November B-T
23 I-T
, O
Marina O
Litvinenko O
backed O
his O
apparent O
death O
- O
bed O
accusation O
that O
he O
was O
killed O
by O
a O
Russian O
" O
hit O
squad O
" O
because O
of O
his O
openly O
critical O
views O
of O
the O
Kremlin O
. O

" O
Obviously O
it O
was O
not O
( O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
) O
Putin O
himself O
, O
of O
course O
not O
, O
" O
the O
44 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
told O
the O
Mail O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O
" O
But O
what O
Putin O
does O
around O
him O
in O
Russia O
makes O
it O
possible O
to O
kill O
a O
person O
on O
British O
soil O
. O

" O
I O
believe O
that O
it O
could O
have O
been O
the O
Russian O
authorities O
. O
" O

Alexander O
Litvinenko O
, O
who O
according O
to O
his O
wife O
became O
a O
British O
citizen O
on O
October B-T
13 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
died O
in O
a O
central O
London O
hospital O
on O
November B-T
23 I-T
. O

Large O
quantities O
of O
the O
highly O
radioactive O
isotope O
polonium O
210 O
were O
found O
in O
his O
urine O
. O

Marina O
Litvinenko O
told O
British O
Sunday O
newspapers O
that O
he O
immediately O
suspected O
he O
had O
been O
poisoned O
when O
he O
first O
fell O
ill O
on O
November B-T
1 I-T
, O
the O
sixth O
anniversary O
of O
their O
arrival O
in O
Britain O
. O

Anti O
- O
terrorism O
officers O
from O
London O
' O
s O
Metropolitan O
Police O
said O
this B-T
week I-T
they O
were O
treating O
the O
death O
of O
the O
former O
lieutenant O
- O
colonel O
in O
the O
Federal O
Security O
Services O
( O
FSB O
) O
as O
murder O
. O

Litvinenko O
and O
his O
father O
Valter O
' O
s O
accusations O
of O
Putin O
were O
supported O
Sunday B-T
by O
the O
former O
agent O
' O
s O
friend O
, O
Vladimir O
Bukovsky O
, O
who O
told O
the O
BBC O
he O
was O
convinced O
of O
" O
clear O
" O
Russian O
involvement O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
Sunday O
Telegraph O
said O
a O
jailed O
Russian O
dissident O
, O
Mikhail O
Trepashkin O
, O
had O
named O
a O
serving O
FSB O
colonel O
as O
a O
key O
figure O
in O
Litvinenko O
' O
s O
poisoning O
, O
but O
Moscow O
had O
refused O
to O
allow O
British O
police O
to O
question O
him O
. O

A O
parallel O
Russian O
inquiry O
has O
been O
launched O
into O
Litvinenko O
' O
s O
death O
and O
according O
to O
the O
Sunday B-T
Times I-T
, O
investigators O
there O
want O
to O
interview O
the O
exiled O
billionaire O
Boris O
Berezovsky O
and O
Chechen O
leader O
Akhmed O
Zakayev O
. O

Litvinenko O
had O
close O
contacts O
with O
both O
men O
, O
who O
are O
also O
strongly O
critical O
of O
Russia O
and O
Putin O
. O
On O
the B-T
day I-T
he O
fell O
ill O
, O
Litvinenko O
was O
said O
to O
have O
been O
told O
that O
he O
and O
Berezovsky O
were O
on O
a O
Russian O
" O
hit O
list O
" O
. O

But O
Marina O
Litvinenko O
told O
the O
Mail O
on O
Sunday B-T
she O
had O
more O
faith O
in O
the O
British O
investigation O
. O

The O
British O
government O
has O
not O
directly O
accused O
Russia O
of O
involvement O
. O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
reportedly O
told O
senior O
ministers O
last B-T
week I-T
he O
feared O
the O
affair O
had O
the O
potential O
to O
cause O
a O
long O
- O
term O
diplomatic O
fall O
- O
out O
with O
Moscow O
. O

Bukovsky O
said O
Sunday B-T
that O
Britain O
should O
take O
a O
stronger O
line O
, O
describing O
the O
death O
as O
a O
" O
direct O
challenge O
to O
( O
British O
) O
sovereignty O
" O
and O
a O
" O
casus O
belli O
" O
because O
of O
the O
involvement O
of O
a O
foreign O
state O
. O

" O
A O
British O
citizen O
was O
cowardly O
and O
brutally O
murdered O
on O
British O
soil O
, O
" O
he O
told O
the O
BBC O
. O

Marina O
Litvinenko O
told O
the O
Sunday B-T
Times I-T
she O
and O
her O
husband O
thought O
they O
would O
be O
safe O
from O
their O
Russian O
enemies O
in O
Britain O
and O
that O
the O
man O
she O
called O
" O
Sasha O
" O
never O
felt O
he O
would O
become O
a O
target O
because O
of O
his O
outspoken O
views O
. O

A O
British O
Channel O
4 O
television O
report O
this B-T
week I-T
quoted O
a O
senior O
British O
police O
source O
as O
saying O
that O
they O
believed O
the O
radiation O
was O
poisoned O
at O
the O
central O
London O
hotel O
where O
Litvinenko O
met O
three O
Russian O
contacts O
on O
November B-T
1 I-T
. O

The O
Russian O
authorities O
have O
said O
that O
one O
of O
the O
men O
, O
businessman O
Dmitry O
Kovtun O
, O
was O
also O
suffering O
from O
radioactive O
poisoning O
, O
while O
another O
former O
agent O
Andrei O
Lugovoi O
was O
undergoing O
tests O
in O
Moscow O
. O

Traces O
of O
polonium O
were O
found O
on O
a O
number O
of O
planes O
the O
men O
used O
to O
travel O
between O
London O
and O
Moscow O
before O
and O
after O
Litvinenko O
fell O
ill O
, O
while O
German O
investigators O
have O
found O
traces O
of O
polonium O
210 O
at O
two O
flats O
linked O
to O
Kovtun O
. O

Kovtun O
has O
been O
interviewed O
by O
Scotland O
Yard O
detectives O
but O
the O
questioning O
of O
Lugovoi O
has O
been O
put O
back O
indefinitely O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0036 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Australian O
share O
boosted O
by O
resources O
to O
fresh O
record O
highs O

Australian O
share O
prices O
closed O
at O
fresh O
record O
highs O
Thursday B-T
, O
as O
firmer O
base O
metal O
and O
gold O
prices O
boosted O
major O
mining O
stocks O
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
benchmark O
SP O
/ O
ASX O
200 O
rose O
17 O
. O
3 O
points O
or O
0 O
. O
31 O
percent O
to O
5 O
, O
660 O
. O
5 O
, O
beating O
the O
previous O
record O
closing O
high O
of O
5 O
, O
643 O
. O
2 O
struck O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Meanwhile O
the O
broader O
All O
Ordinaries O
Index O
advanced O
17 O
. O
7 O
points O
to O
a O
record O
5 O
, O
634 O
. O
0 O
, O
beating O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
record O
of O
5 O
, O
616 O
. O
3 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061222 O
. O
0142 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Japan O
' O
s O
Avex O
to O
invest O
in O
China O
' O
s O
priciest O
film O

Japanese O
entertainment O
group O
Avex O
Group O
Holdings O
said O
Friday B-T
it O
will O
invest O
in O
John O
Woo O
' O
s O
" O
Battle O
of O
Red O
Cliff O
, O
" O
which O
is O
set O
to O
be O
China O
' O
s O
most O
expensive O
ever O
film O
. O

Avex O
, O
a O
music O
label O
that O
has O
expanded O
its O
business O
to O
movies O
, O
said O
it O
would O
invest O
20 O
million O
dollars O
with O
China O
' O
s O
Chengtian O
Entertainment O
International O
in O
the O
latest O
film O
by O
Woo O
, O
who O
directed O
the O
second O
" O
Mission O
Impossible O
" O
movie O
. O

" O
Battle O
of O
Red O
Cliff O
" O
will O
narrate O
the O
fiercest O
battle O
of O
the O
Three O
Kingdoms O
, O
the O
turbulent O
era O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
century I-T
AD O
that O
was O
turned O
into O
a O
classic O
of O
Chinese O
literature O
. O

At O
a O
total O
estimated O
cost O
of O
50 O
million O
dollars O
, O
the O
film O
would O
be O
the O
most O
expensive O
ever O
made O
by O
the O
Chinese O
film O
industry O
, O
Avex O
said O
. O

Avex O
, O
which O
will O
obtain O
exclusive O
distribution O
rights O
to O
the O
movie O
, O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
it O
expected O
the O
" O
Battle O
of O
Red O
Cliff O
" O
to O
be O
" O
the O
biggest O
masterpiece O
of O
Chinese O
film O
history O
" O
. O

The O
state O
- O
run O
China O
Film O
Group O
would O
produce O
the O
movie O
, O
which O
would O
begin O
production O
in O
the B-T
spring I-T
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
film O
will O
star O
Hong O
Kong O
actors O
Chow O
Yun O
- O
Fat O
and O
Tony O
Leung O
, O
and O
South O
Korean O
actor O
Jeong O
U O
- O
Seong O
. O

Woo O
, O
60 O
, O
became O
one O
of O
the O
first O
Asian O
directors O
to O
win O
success O
in O
Hollywood O
with O
his O
1997 O
action O
film O
" O
Face O
/ O
Off O
" O
starring O
John O
Travolta O
and O
Nicolas O
Cage O
. O

He O
also O
directed O
" O
M O
: O
I O
- O
2 O
, O
" O
the O
second O
film O
in O
the O
" O
Mission O
Impossible O
" O
series O
starring O
Tom O
Cruise O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0219 O

QITAIHE O
, O
Heilongjiang O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

N O
. O
China O
coal O
mine O
blast O

The O
death O
toll O
of O
the O
northeast O
China O
coal O
mine O
blast O
rose O
to O
134 O
as O
of O
8 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Monday B-T
, O
while O
the O
rescuers O
are O
sparing O
no O
efforts O
in O
searching O
for O
the O
other O
15 O
missing O
. O

Altogether O
221 O
miners O
were O
working O
underground O
when O
the O
blast O
went O
off O
at O
9 B-T
: I-T
40 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Sunday B-T
at O
Dongfeng O
Coal O
Mine O
run O
by O
the O
Qitaihe O
branch O
of O
the O
Longmei O
Mining O
( O
Group O
) O
Co O
. O
, O
Ltd O
. O
in O
Heilongjiang O
province O
, O
said O
Zhang O
Chengxiang O
, O
director O
of O
the O
provincial O
coal O
mine O
safety O
bureau O
. O

A O
380 O
- O
member O
rescue O
team O
has O
been O
going O
all O
- O
out O
to O
search O
for O
the O
miners O
trapped O
beneath O
the O
coal O
mine O
shaft O
after O
the O
blast O
. O

Seventy O
- O
two O
miners O
were O
rescued O
, O
among O
whom O
38 O
are O
still O
receiving O
medical O
treatment O
in O
local O
hospitals O
. O

Investigators O
said O
the O
tragedy O
was O
caused O
by O
coal O
- O
dust O
explosion O
, O
which O
knocked O
out O
all O
ventilation O
systems O
in O
the O
pit O
. O
The O
main O
ventilation O
system O
resumed O
operation O
Monday B-T
morning I-T
. O

The O
disastrous O
coal O
mine O
blast O
aroused O
great O
attention O
of O
the O
central O
government O
. O

Senior O
officials O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Central O
Committee O
and O
the O
State O
Council O
ordered O
relevant O
departments O
to O
save O
the O
trapped O
miners O
at O
all O
costs O
and O
carefully O
treat O
the O
injured O
. O

Li O
Yizhong O
, O
head O
of O
the O
National O
Bureau O
of O
Production O
Safety O
Supervision O
Administration O
, O
and O
the O
major O
senior O
officials O
of O
the O
province O
are O
organizing O
the O
rescue O
operation O
at O
the O
accident O
site O
. O

Li O
urged O
the O
rescuers O
to O
quicken O
their O
search O
operation O
and O
asked O
the O
local O
government O
to O
carefully O
examine O
all O
the O
coal O
mines O
in O
the O
province O
so O
as O
to O
remove O
all O
the O
hidden O
dangers O
. O

The O
Heilongjiang O
provincial O
government O
held O
an O
emergent O
videophone O
conference O
on O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
which O
ordered O
production O
safety O
checkup O
in O
all O
the O
mines O
. O

The O
mines O
which O
do O
not O
meet O
the O
criteria O
of O
production O
safety O
will O
be O
immediately O
closed O
down O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0216 O

BELGRADE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Croatian O
, O
Libyan O
leaders O
pledge O
to O
revitalize O
economic O
ties O

Croatian O
Prime O
Minister O
Ivo O
Sanader O
met O
his O
Libyan O
counterpart O
, O
Shukri O
Ghanem O
, O
in O
Zagreb O
on O
Friday B-T
and O
the O
two O
leaders O
pledged O
to O
revitalize O
economic O
ties O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
the O
Croatian O
news O
agency O
HINA O
reported O
. O

Ghanem O
, O
secretary O
of O
the O
General O
People O
' O
s O
Committee O
of O
Libya O
, O
arrived O
in O
the O
Croatian O
capital O
Zagreb O
on O
Thursday B-T
as O
the O
first O
Libyan O
head O
of O
government O
to O
visit O
Croatia O
. O

" O
While O
it O
was O
a O
part O
of O
Yugoslavia O
, O
Croatia O
particularly O
developed O
relations O
with O
Libya O
and O
Croatian O
companies O
were O
involved O
in O
major O
business O
projects O
in O
Libya O
. O
We O
want O
this O
to O
happen O
again O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
" O
Sanader O
said O
at O
a O
joint O
press O
conference O
after O
the O
talks O
. O

" O
Today B-T
there O
is O
great O
interest O
on O
Croatia O
' O
s O
part O
, O
because O
Libya O
has O
launched O
numerous O
infrastructure O
projects O
, O
and O
we O
want O
to O
take O
part O
in O
them O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Croatian O
construction O
company O
INGRA O
and O
petrochemical O
company O
DIOKI O
are O
already O
present O
in O
Libya O
and O
many O
companies O
want O
to O
join O
them O
, O
including O
shipyards O
which O
are O
interested O
in O
building O
ships O
for O
Libya O
, O
Sanader O
said O
. O

The O
talks O
also O
focused O
on O
cultural O
and O
scientific O
cooperation O
. O

Ghanem O
said O
that O
his O
visit O
was O
a O
follow O
- O
up O
to O
Croatian O
President O
Stjepan O
Mesic O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Libya O
in O
August B-T
2003 I-T
. O

He O
said O
that O
it O
was O
in O
the O
interests O
of O
both O
countries O
to O
maintain O
good O
relations O
because O
Croatia O
could O
serve O
as O
Libya O
' O
s O
gateway O
into O
Europe O
and O
Libya O
as O
Croatia O
' O
s O
gateway O
into O
Africa O
. O

Ghanem O
said O
that O
possibilities O
for O
cooperation O
between O
Libya O
and O
Croatia O
were O
great O
, O
both O
on O
the O
political O
and O
economic O
level O
, O
citing O
the O
possibility O
of O
creating O
joint O
ventures O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0276 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
chief O
shocked O
at O
murder O
of O
Lebanese O
senior O
official O

UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
was O
shocked O
at O
the O
murder O
of O
a O
senior O
Lebanese O
official O
, O
UN O
spokesman O
Stephane O
Dujarric O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

In O
a O
statement O
released O
by O
his O
spokesman O
, O
Annan O
said O
he O
was O
shocked O
to O
learn O
the O
assassination O
of O
Pierre O
Gemayel O
, O
the O
Minister O
of O
Industry O
of O
Lebanon O
and O
one O
of O
the O
leaders O
of O
the O
March B-T
14 I-T
movement O
, O
who O
believed O
strongly O
in O
an O
independent O
, O
democratic O
and O
united O
Lebanon O
. O

The O
Secretary O
- O
General O
strongly O
condemns O
this O
murder O
, O
which O
happened O
one O
day O
after O
the O
Security O
Council O
considered O
the O
report O
on O
the O
establishment O
of O
the O
special O
tribunal O
for O
Lebanon O
, O
Dujarric O
told O
reporters O
at O
the O
UN O
headquarters O
in O
New O
York O
. O

" O
Such O
acts O
of O
terrorism O
undermine O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
stability O
, O
are O
unacceptable O
and O
have O
no O
place O
in O
a O
democratic O
and O
open O
society O
, O
" O
Annan O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
his O
spokesman O
. O

" O
The O
perpetrators O
and O
instigators O
of O
today O
' O
s O
attack O
must O
be O
brought O
to O
justice O
to O
ensure O
an O
end O
to O
impunity O
, O
" O
Dujarric O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
UN O
chief O
calls O
upon O
all O
parties O
to O
maintain O
national O
unity O
at O
this O
critical O
moment O
. O

Gemayel O
was O
shot O
dead O
on O
a O
street O
in O
the O
suburb O
of O
Beirut O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O
The O
34 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Gemayel O
was O
a O
Christian O
leader O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
son O
of O
former O
president O
Amin O
Gemayel O
. O
He O
was O
a O
supporter O
of O
the O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
parliament O
majority O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0172 O

TEHRAN O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Iran O
warns O
Bonn O
over O
Kurd O
trial O
but O
pledges O
to O
protect O
German O
interests O
by O
Mehrdad O
Balali O

Iran O
warned O
Wednesday B-T
of O
a O
threat O
to O
relations O
with O
Germany O
over O
the O
outcome O
of O
a O
trial O
of O
five O
men O
accused O
of O
the O
murder O
of O
Iranian O
Kurd O
opposition O
leaders O
in O
Berlin O
, O
but O
pledged O
to O
protect O
German O
lives O
and O
interests O
here O
regardless O
. O

On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
German O
foreign O
ministry O
advised O
its O
nationals O
against O
travelling O
to O
Iran O
because O
of O
anxiety O
over O
a O
possible O
negative O
verdict O
Thursday B-T
in O
the O
trial O
of O
one O
Iranian O
and O
four O
Lebanese O
accused O
of O
killing O
four O
Kurd O
leaders O
in O
a O
Berlin O
restaurant O
in O
1992 B-T
. O

But O
Iranian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ali O
Akbar O
Velayati O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
here O
: O
" O
Any O
speculation O
on O
such O
threats O
is O
pure O
fantasy O
. O

" O
Iran O
has O
always O
demonstrated O
a O
dignified O
attitude O
in O
its O
foreign O
relations O
, O
even O
if O
subjected O
to O
hostile O
acts O
, O
" O
Velayati O
said O
. O

" O
In O
our O
foreign O
policy O
, O
we O
always O
take O
into O
account O
our O
interests O
and O
Islamic O
dignity O
and O
decency O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O
" O
They O
are O
suffering O
from O
illusions O
to O
think O
the O
whole O
world O
is O
going O
to O
crumble O
down O
because O
of O
this O
affair O
. O
" O

Around O
500 O
German O
nationals O
, O
including O
diplomats O
, O
live O
in O
Iran O
. O

German O
prosecutors O
have O
linked O
Iranian O
political O
and O
spiritual O
leader O
Ayatollah O
Ali O
Khamenei O
and O
President O
Ali O
Akbar O
Hashemi O
Rafsanjani O
with O
the O
1992 O
assassinations O
. O

A O
warrant O
has O
already O
been O
issued O
for O
Iranian O
intelligence O
minister O
Ali O
Fallahian O
, O
who O
is O
accused O
of O
ordering O
the O
killings O
. O

The O
affair O
has O
deeply O
strained O
ties O
between O
Iran O
and O
its O
main O
trade O
partner O
Germany O
, O
and O
the O
prosecutors O
' O
charges O
provoked O
angry O
reactions O
in O
Iran O
, O
including O
massive O
protests O
in O
front O
of O
the O
German O
embassy O
last B-T
November I-T
. O

Referring O
to O
the O
trial O
, O
Velayati O
said O
his O
country O
would O
" O
wait O
and O
see O
" O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
" O
unfortunate O
situation O
. O
" O

Apparently O
forecasting O
problems O
with O
Bonn O
in O
the O
event O
Tehran O
is O
condemned O
by O
the O
court O
, O
he O
said O
Iran O
had O
" O
no O
need O
" O
of O
relations O
with O
a O
country O
which O
makes O
it O
trample O
on O
its O
Islamic O
dignity O
and O
principles O
. O
" O

" O
Future O
relations O
depend O
on O
Germany O
. O
We O
want O
good O
relations O
based O
on O
mutual O
respect O
and O
equal O
rights O
. O
But O
a O
friendship O
can O
not O
be O
one O
- O
sided O
, O
or O
it O
can O
not O
last O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

But O
Velayati O
acknowledged O
that O
the O
German O
government O
is O
" O
independent O
" O
of O
its O
judiciary O
. O
" O
This O
we O
know O
. O
What O
we O
have O
objections O
to O
is O
why O
the O
Berlin O
court O
has O
not O
preserved O
its O
independence O
and O
become O
politicized O
. O
" O

" O
How O
can O
they O
use O
some O
fugitive O
and O
criminals O
like O
Bani O
Sadre O
as O
a O
witness O
? O
A O
witness O
should O
be O
unbiased O
" O
he O
said O
, O
referring O
to O
exiled O
former O
Iranian O
president O
Abolhassan O
Bani O
Sadre O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
malicious O
political O
act O
. O
The O
court O
is O
tainted O
with O
political O
considerations O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Iran O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
is O
taking O
its O
own O
measures O
against O
Germany O
, O
planning O
to O
sue O
24 O
German O
firms O
which O
allegedly O
supplied O
Iraq O
with O
chemical O
weapons O
technology O
during O
its O
1980 B-T
- I-T
1988 I-T
war O
with O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
and O
" O
certain O
" O
German O
officials O
who O
approved O
such O
exports O
. O

The O
Iranian O
judiciary O
said O
Monday B-T
the O
defendants O
would O
be O
called O
to O
appear O
in O
a O
Tehran O
court O
shortly O
following O
complaints O
from O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
relatives O
of O
victims O
of O
chemical O
attacks O
during O
the O
war O
. O

In O
an O
unexpected O
move O
, O
the O
Iranian O
parliament O
' O
s O
foreign O
relations O
subcommittee O
discussed O
late O
Tuesday B-T
prospects O
for O
future O
relations O
with O
Bonn O
, O
but O
postponed O
any O
decision O
pending O
more O
information O
. O

The O
German O
government O
said O
Monday B-T
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
trial O
could O
lead O
to O
a O
complete O
review O
of O
relations O
with O
Iran O
. O

Iranian O
newspapers O
have O
also O
stepped O
up O
pressure O
on O
Germany O
, O
warning O
its O
judiciary O
against O
issuing O
any O
verdict O
biased O
against O
Iran O
. O

" O
Iranian O
workers O
are O
following O
the O
case O
with O
special O
sensitivity O
. O
In O
case O
of O
a O
biased O
verdict O
, O
we O
won O
' O
t O
remain O
silent O
, O
" O
warned O
Kar O
- O
va O
- O
Kargar O
, O
a O
radical O
daily O
representing O
the O
state O
labor O
union O
. O

The O
union O
staged O
street O
protests O
against O
Germany O
in O
November B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0277 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

China O
warns O
countries O
backing O
human O
rights O
motion O

Beijing O
warned O
Tuesday B-T
that O
all O
countries O
supporting O
an O
anti O
- O
China O
motion O
submitted O
by O
Denmark O
to O
the O
UN O
Commission O
on O
Human O
Rights O
would O
" O
adversely O
affect O
" O
their O
relations O
with O
the O
Asian O
giant O
. O

" O
Supporting O
this O
resolution O
will O
not O
be O
beneficial O
to O
any O
nation O
' O
s O
ties O
with O
China O
, O
" O
said O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Shen O
Guofang O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
that O
these O
European O
countries O
can O
look O
at O
overall O
bilateral O
relations O
and O
not O
continue O
with O
confrontation O
on O
the O
human O
rights O
issue O
. O
" O

Denmark O
sparked O
sharp O
criticism O
from O
China O
on O
Monday B-T
after O
it O
announced O
plans O
to O
sponsor O
a O
motion O
condemning O
Beijing O
at O
the O
annual O
sitting O
of O
the O
human O
rights O
commission O
in O
Geneva O
. O

" O
If O
the O
Danish O
government O
does O
not O
listen O
to O
China O
' O
s O
advice O
and O
continues O
with O
its O
motion O
, O
this O
will O
definitely O
deteriorate O
bilateral O
relations O
and O
will O
affect O
all O
areas O
of O
exchange O
and O
cooperation O
, O
" O
Shen O
said O
. O

" O
This O
issue O
can O
only O
be O
solved O
through O
discussion O
, O
and O
confrontation O
is O
not O
a O
solution O
. O
Whoever O
proposes O
this O
motion O
will O
in O
the O
end O
be O
the O
greatest O
loser O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Denmark O
announced O
Saturday B-T
it O
would O
put O
forward O
a O
motion O
critical O
of O
China O
' O
s O
human O
rights O
record O
after O
the O
European O
Union O
was O
unable O
to O
agree O
on O
a O
joint O
position O
. O

The O
EU O
had O
previously O
sponsored O
a O
critical O
resolution O
on O
China O
in O
Geneva O
every B-T
year I-T
since O
the O
Tiananmen O
Square O
massacre O
in O
Beijing O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
but O
the O
common O
stance O
this B-T
year I-T
was O
blocked O
by O
France O
. O

France O
was O
supported O
by O
at O
least O
four O
of O
other O
European O
nations O
, O
prompting O
criticism O
that O
they O
were O
putting O
trade O
with O
China O
before O
moral O
considerations O
. O

" O
France O
, O
Germany O
, O
Italy O
, O
Spain O
, O
Greece O
and O
Japan O
have O
decided O
not O
to O
support O
the O
anti O
- O
China O
resolution O
at O
the O
United O
Nations O
human O
rights O
commission O
. O
We O
think O
this O
decision O
is O
sensible O
, O
" O
Shen O
said O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
that O
those O
countries O
that O
continue O
to O
support O
the O
anti O
- O
China O
resolution O
will O
carefully O
examine O
the O
majority O
view O
in O
the O
commission O
or O
they O
will O
adversely O
affect O
their O
China O
ties O
, O
" O
he O
warned O
. O

The O
Danish O
motion O
is O
expected O
to O
have O
the O
backing O
of O
at O
least O
11 O
EU O
states O
as O
well O
as O
the O
United O
States O
. O

Beijing O
showered O
Paris O
and O
Rome O
with O
compliments O
Monday B-T
for O
their O
stance O
, O
and O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
show O
that O
dialogue O
was O
the O
way O
forward O
, O
announced O
to O
visiting O
French O
Defence O
Minister O
Charles O
Millon O
that O
China O
would O
sign O
at O
least O
one O
UN O
human O
rights O
convention O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

President O
Jiang O
Zemin O
committed O
China O
to O
sign O
the O
UN O
convention O
on O
economic O
, O
social O
and O
cultural O
rights O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
and O
said O
a O
second O
UN O
convention O
on O
civil O
and O
political O
rights O
was O
under O
consideration O
. O

Human O
rights O
groups O
reacted O
guardedly O
Tuesday B-T
to O
Jiang O
' O
s O
reported O
promise O
. O

" O
One O
has O
to O
see O
it O
as O
positive O
, O
but O
at O
the O
same O
time O
note O
that O
they O
( O
China O
) O
said O
the O
same O
thing O
at O
the O
same O
time O
last B-T
year I-T
. O
. O
. O
. O
We O
would O
first O
like O
to O
see O
it O
happen O
, O
" O
said O
Robyn O
Kilpatrick O
, O
Amnesty O
International O
' O
s O
spokesperson O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

Kilpatrick O
also O
cautioned O
that O
China O
had O
already O
signed O
up O
to O
other O
covenants O
, O
covering O
the O
rights O
of O
the O
child O
and O
elimination O
of O
discrimination O
against O
women O
and O
of O
the O
use O
of O
torture O
, O
but O
had O
still O
been O
repeatedly O
accused O
of O
abuse O
. O

Paul O
Harris O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Human O
Rights O
Monitor O
, O
said O
he O
felt O
" O
total O
skepticism O
. O
" O

" O
The O
timing O
is O
obviously O
designed O
to O
influence O
thinking O
at O
the O
human O
rights O
commission O
. O
I O
' O
m O
extremly O
doubtful O
as O
to O
whether O
it O
will O
happen O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
I O
think O
this O
is O
just O
a O
statement O
designed O
to O
fool O
a O
few O
gullible O
people O
. O
" O

Both O
Kilpatrick O
and O
Harris O
agreed O
, O
however O
, O
that O
if O
Jiang O
did O
carry O
out O
his O
promise O
, O
it O
would O
be O
good O
news O
for O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

It O
would O
oblige O
Beijing O
to O
follow O
the O
British O
tradition O
of O
reporting O
to O
the O
convention O
' O
s O
committee O
every B-T
two I-T
years I-T
on O
the O
situation O
in O
the O
territory O
, O
they O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0389 O

RIO O
DE O
JANEIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
water O
pricing O
urged O
to O
hold O
water O
( O
2 O
) O

Thus O
, O
pricing O
and O
demand O
management O
now B-T
plays O
a O
growing O
role O
in O
water O
governance O
in O
China O
. O
" O
Citizens O
should O
pay O
more O
money O
for O
the O
water O
they O
use O
. O
So O
should O
they O
for O
the O
cost O
of O
treating O
the O
wastewater O
they O
produce O
and O
the O
cost O
of O
building O
facilities O
for O
exploring O
water O
resources O
, O
" O
said O
Zhang O
Kunmin O
, O
vice O
- O
president O
of O
Chinese O
Association O
on O
Sustainable O
Development O
. O

He O
said O
the O
water O
price O
in O
Shanghai O
in O
the O
1970s O
was O
0 O
. O
5 O
yuan O
( O
6 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
cents O
) O
per O
cubic O
meter O
against O
the O
average O
50 O
yuan O
( O
6 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
monthly O
income O
. O
" O
So O
my O
mother O
- O
in O
- O
law O
valued O
each O
drop O
of O
water O
by O
mopping O
the O
floor O
with O
the O
water O
used O
to O
wash O
face O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
However O
in O
Beijing O
, O
the O
water O
price O
by O
then O
was O
0 O
. O
05 O
yuan O
( O
0 O
. O
6 O
cents O
) O
per O
cubic O
meter O
, O
" O
it O
is O
common O
to O
see O
water O
dripping O
from O
the O
pipes O
in O
the O
public O
. O
" O

While O
the O
authority O
believes O
the O
NDRC O
pricing O
regulation O
can O
help O
to O
supervise O
the O
water O
cost O
and O
save O
water O
, O
the O
public O
doubts O
about O
what O
is O
behind O
the O
rises O
. O

" O
I O
am O
wondering O
the O
relation O
between O
the O
rise O
of O
my O
water O
bill O
and O
that O
of O
the O
staff O
salary O
of O
water O
utilities O
, O
" O
said O
Kuang O
Fei O
, O
a O
37 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
civil O
servant O
in O
Beijing O
. O
" O
Although O
the O
welfare O
and O
hospitality O
cost O
are O
imposed O
quotas O
in O
the O
regulation O
, O
I O
am O
afraid O
those O
' O
swollen O
costs O
' O
are O
not O
truly O
necessary O
for O
water O
supply O
and O
maybe O
shifted O
secretly O
to O
other O
costs O
, O
which O
in O
the O
end O
are O
shouldered O
by O
us O
consumers O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Average O
wage O
income O
of O
workers O
in O
China O
' O
s O
monopoly O
sectors O
, O
such O
as O
telecom O
, O
finance O
, O
tobacco O
and O
water O
industries O
, O
has O
reached O
three O
times O
the O
national O
average O
, O
while O
non O
- O
wage O
income O
of O
workers O
in O
these O
sectors O
enlarged O
the O
gap O
with O
the O
national O
average O
up O
to O
10 O
fold O
as O
much O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Labor O
and O
Social O
Security O
. O

Dr O
. O
Shen O
Dajun O
, O
research O
fellow O
with O
China O
Institute O
of O
Water O
Resources O
and O
Hydropower O
Research O
, O
agreed O
that O
the O
consumers O
need O
transparency O
for O
the O
money O
collected O
from O
their O
water O
bills O
. O

" O
They O
need O
to O
be O
told O
that O
the O
fees O
they O
have O
paid O
for O
treating O
the O
wastewater O
have O
indeed O
been O
used O
for O
that O
purpose O
and O
the O
money O
to O
build O
facilities O
for O
the O
more O
efficient O
use O
of O
water O
resources O
has O
really O
been O
used O
in O
that O
area O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
noted O
that O
a O
good O
regulation O
alone O
would O
not O
solve O
all O
the O
problems O
. O
An O
independent O
auditing O
is O
indispensable O
and O
cost O
information O
should O
be O
made O
available O
to O
the O
public O
to O
prevent O
water O
suppliers O
from O
manipulating O
pricing O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Ma O
Jun O
, O
an O
environmental O
consultant O
and O
the O
author O
of O
the O
book O
" O
China O
' O
s O
Water O
Crisis O
, O
believes O
most O
people O
could O
afford O
water O
at O
a O
realistic O
price O
, O
and O
they O
would O
use O
the O
resource O
more O
prudently O
and O
efficiently O
if O
it O
came O
at O
a O
higher O
cost O
. O

But O
these O
solutions O
presuppose O
vast O
expenditures O
of O
capital O
, O
and O
such O
solutions O
" O
do O
not O
automatically O
address O
the O
needs O
of O
the O
poor O
, O
who O
are O
unable O
to O
pay O
for O
that O
capital O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

His O
worry O
was O
echoed O
in O
the O
2006 O
Human O
Development O
Report O
, O
which O
emphasizes O
an O
increased O
financing O
and O
a O
reorientation O
of O
public O
spending O
to O
find O
viable O
ways O
of O
getting O
potable O
water O
to O
those O
who O
can O
least O
afford O
to O
pay O
. O

The O
report O
advocates O
for O
all O
governments O
to O
go O
beyond O
vague O
constitutional O
principles O
in O
enabling O
legislation O
to O
ensure O
the O
human O
right O
to O
a O
secure O
, O
accessible O
and O
affordable O
supply O
of O
water O
. O
At O
a O
minimum O
, O
this O
implies O
a O
target O
of O
at O
least O
20 O
liters O
of O
clean O
water O
a O
day O
for O
every O
citizen O
- O
- O
and O
at O
a O
very O
low O
price O
or O
at O
no O
cost O
for O
those O
too O
poor O
to O
pay O
. O

Dr O
. O
Li O
Yuanhua O
with O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Water O
Resources O
was O
glad O
to O
see O
67 O
million O
rural O
populations O
had O
been O
provided O
with O
clean O
water O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
with O
a O
government O
assistance O
of O
402 O
yuan O
( O
50 O
US O
dollars O
) O
for O
each O
. O

" O
In O
2006 B-T
, O
the O
government O
plans O
to O
invest O
12 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
5 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
to O
solve O
the O
water O
shortage O
problem O
of O
more O
than O
29 O
million O
rural O
population O
. O
In O
2007 B-T
, O
the O
target O
population O
is O
32 O
million O
. O
In O
2015 B-T
, O
the O
situation O
for O
all O
the O
379 O
million O
rural O
population O
who O
suffered O
from O
water O
shortage O
will O
be O
improved O
, O
" O
Dr O
. O
Li O
said O
. O

In O
the O
urban O
areas O
, O
the O
water O
price O
may O
continue O
to O
rise O
by O
50 O
to O
100 O
percent O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
five I-T
years I-T
to O
curb O
the O
squandering O
of O
scarce O
water O
resources O
, O
according O
to O
Qiu O
Baoxing O
, O
vice O
construction O
minister O
. O

But O
Qiu O
said O
the O
rise O
of O
water O
prices O
would O
be O
gradual O
. O
He O
noted O
that O
water O
costs O
of O
5 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
per O
cubic O
meter O
in O
Boston O
, O
or O
2 O
. O
5 O
euros O
in O
France O
, O
would O
not O
work O
in O
China O
. O

" O
People O
' O
s O
income O
in O
China O
is O
very O
low O
, O
and O
we O
have O
to O
think O
about O
their O
ability O
to O
accept O
( O
a O
price O
rise O
) O
, O
" O
Qiu O
said O
. O
" O
We O
are O
not O
preparing O
for O
a O
large O
price O
increase O
. O
" O

Nevertheless O
, O
the O
work O
has O
paid O
off O
, O
at O
least O
from O
a O
consumption O
standpoint O
. O
Beijing O
used O
4 O
. O
06 O
billion O
cubic O
meters O
of O
water O
in O
2001 B-T
, O
but O
in O
2005 B-T
the O
figure O
dropped O
to O
3 O
. O
45 O
billion O
cubic O
meters O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0193 O

FELIXSTOWE O
, O
Britain O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

World O
' O
s O
largest O
container O
ship O
arrives O
in O
UK O
with O
tons O
of O
China O
- O
made O
Christmas O
gifts O

The O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
container O
ship O
, O
loaded O
with O
nearly O
45 O
, O
000 O
tons O
of O
China O
- O
made O
Christmas O
presents O
and O
fare O
for O
the B-T
holiday I-T
season I-T
, O
arrived O
Saturday B-T
in O
Felixstowe O
in O
southeastern O
Britain O
' O
s O
Suffolk O
. O

The O
Emma O
Maersk O
, O
400 O
meters O
long O
( O
1 O
, O
300 O
Ft O
) O
, O
56 O
meters O
wide O
and O
60 O
meters O
high O
, O
cruised O
into O
the O
UK O
' O
s O
biggest O
deep O
- O
water O
harbor O
. O
The O
ship O
, O
dubbed O
the O
SS O
Santa O
, O
will O
unload O
more O
than O
3 O
, O
000 O
containers O
for O
supermarkets O
and O
stores O
before O
heading O
to O
Netherlands O
for O
its O
mainland O
Europe O
Christmas O
gifts O
tour O
. O

The O
SS O
Santa O
, O
loaded O
with O
11 O
, O
000 O
containers O
of O
crackers O
, O
DVD O
players O
, O
toys O
, O
puzzles O
, O
lamb O
meat O
, O
clothes O
and O
even O
pet O
food O
, O
was O
greeted O
by O
hundreds O
of O
British O
from O
the O
harbor O
town O
and O
other O
parts O
of O
the O
country O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
like O
a O
dream O
to O
see O
such O
a O
mountain O
- O
like O
ship O
floating O
on O
the O
sea O
, O
and O
all O
the O
more O
incredible O
to O
learn O
that O
the O
ship O
is O
bringing O
Europeans O
with O
Christmas O
made O
mainly O
in O
China O
, O
" O
a O
man O
who O
gave O
his O
name O
as O
David O
said O
on O
the O
beach O
. O

" O
Everybody O
seems O
to O
be O
talking O
about O
economic O
globalization O
, O
and O
this O
may O
be O
a O
great O
example O
, O
" O
the O
man O
who O
waited O
over O
two B-T
hours I-T
on O
the O
beach O
to O
see O
the O
huge O
ship O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0116 O

CHENGDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

cubs O
in O
one O
year O

A O
record O
28 O
pandas O
have O
survived O
so O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
after O
being O
born O
using O
artificial O
insemination O
techniques O
, O
a O
Chinese O
panda O
expert O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

A O
total O
of O
31 O
panda O
cubs O
were O
born O
via O
artificial O
insemination O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
including O
11 O
pairs O
of O
twins O
and O
one O
born O
to O
mother O
panda O
Lun O
Lun O
at O
the O
Atlanta O
Zoo O
of O
the O
United O
States O
, O
said O
Zhang O
Zhihe O
, O
director O
of O
the O
China O
Giant O
Panda O
Breeding O
Technical O
Committee O
. O

Despite O
the O
early O
deaths O
of O
three O
cubs O
, O
this O
is O
the O
biggest O
baby O
boom O
for O
the O
endangered O
species O
since O
China O
' O
s O
first O
attempt O
to O
artificially O
breed O
giant O
pandas O
in O
the B-T
1960s I-T
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
We O
expected O
to O
get O
10 O
cubs O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
but O
, O
as O
you O
can O
see O
, O
we O
were O
too O
conservative O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Twenty O
- O
six O
of O
all O
the O
surviving O
panda O
cubs O
were O
bred O
by O
zoologists O
in O
southwest O
China O
' O
s O
Sichuan O
Province O
: O
17 O
were O
born O
at O
the O
Wolong O
Giant O
Panda O
Protection O
and O
Research O
Center O
and O
nine O
at O
the O
Chengdu O
Research O
Base O
. O

Five O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Ya O
Ya O
gave O
birth O
to O
two O
cubs O
at O
Chongqing O
Zoo O
in O
neighboring O
Chongqing O
Municipality O
in O
September B-T
, O
but O
the O
careless O
mother O
crushed O
one O
in O
her O
sleep O
. O
The O
other O
one O
was O
sent O
to O
Wolong O
and O
is O
healthy O
, O
said O
Li O
Desheng O
, O
an O
expert O
at O
the O
Wolong O
Center O
. O

More O
than O
30 O
female O
pandas O
nationwide O
were O
inseminated O
in O
spring B-T
, O
including O
one O
at O
Beijing O
Zoo O
and O
one O
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Shaanxi O
Province O
, O
said O
Zhang O
Zhihe O
. O

A O
panda O
cub O
born O
at O
Beijing O
Zoo O
but O
died O
prematurely O
and O
no O
pregnancy O
occurred O
in O
Shaanxi O
, O
he O
said O
. O

China O
' O
s O
forestry O
administration O
said O
about O
1 O
, O
590 O
giant O
pandas O
are O
living O
in O
the O
wild O
, O
mainly O
in O
China O
' O
s O
Sichuan O
and O
Shaanxi O
provinces O
. O
But O
Chinese O
and O
British O
scientists O
announced O
in O
June B-T
that O
there O
could O
be O
as O
many O
as O
3 O
, O
000 O
, O
after O
a O
survey O
that O
used O
a O
new O
technology O
to O
profile O
DNA O
from O
giant O
panda O
feces O
. O

More O
than O
180 O
pandas O
have O
been O
bred O
in O
captivity O
at O
zoos O
worldwide O
. O

Giant O
pandas O
have O
a O
very O
low O
fertility O
rate O
because O
they O
are O
sexually O
inactive O
. O
Female O
pandas O
become O
pregnant O
only O
once O
every B-T
year I-T
and O
deliver O
two O
cubs O
at O
most O
each O
time O
. O

The O
fertility O
of O
captive O
giant O
pandas O
is O
even O
lower O
because O
they O
do O
not O
move O
much O
, O
experts O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0236 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zimbabwe O
issues O
long O
- O
term O
land O
lease O
agreements O
to O
farmers O

Zimbabwean O
President O
Robert O
Mugabe O
has O
presented O
99 O
- O
year O
land O
lease O
agreements O
to O
125 O
large O
- O
scale O
commercial O
farmers O
, O
confirming O
the O
government O
' O
s O
commitment O
to O
ensure O
that O
lands O
return O
to O
the O
hand O
of O
its O
rightful O
owners O
, O
the O
majority O
Zimbabweans O
, O
Newsnet O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
historic O
development O
has O
received O
widespread O
applause O
from O
interest O
groups O
across O
the O
country O
as O
it O
comes O
to O
make O
a O
strong O
statement O
to O
the O
international O
community O
about O
Zimbabwe O
' O
s O
seriousness O
on O
the O
land O
issue O
, O
the O
official O
media O
said O
. O

The O
issuance O
of O
the O
agreements O
to O
the O
commercial O
farmers O
known O
as O
A2 O
farmers O
is O
a O
legal O
and O
constitutional O
development O
which O
brings O
land O
ownership O
to O
farmers O
while O
at O
the O
same O
time O
ensures O
confidence O
in O
the O
farming O
industry O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

It O
added O
that O
the O
lease O
agreements O
stipulate O
and O
guarantee O
land O
ownership O
to O
farmers O
and O
provide O
collateral O
security O
to O
them O
while O
ensuring O
that O
lands O
remain O
a O
state O
property O
. O

Shadreck O
Chipanga O
, O
chairperson O
of O
the O
parliamentary O
portfolio O
committee O
on O
justice O
legal O
and O
parliamentary O
affairs O
, O
highlighted O
the O
major O
difference O
between O
a O
lease O
agreement O
and O
a O
title O
deed O
. O

" O
The O
99 O
- O
year O
lease O
agreement O
is O
an O
agreement O
that O
has O
been O
entered O
between O
the O
government O
and O
a O
farmer O
while O
a O
title O
deed O
is O
a O
document O
which O
shows O
proof O
of O
ownership O
after O
buying O
certain O
items O
, O
" O
Chipanga O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0707 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

North O
Korea O
wants O
more O
missile O
talks O
with O
US O

The O
State O
Department O
said O
Tuesday B-T
it O
would O
hold O
a O
second O
round O
of O
talks O
" O
quite O
soon O
" O
on O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
missile O
exports O
, O
to O
be O
held O
at O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
request O
. O

" O
The O
North O
Koreans O
have O
indicated O
to O
the O
United O
States O
their O
willingness O
to O
hold O
a O
second O
round O
of O
United O
States O
- O
North O
Korean O
missile O
talks O
very O
soon O
, O
" O
State O
Department O
spokesman O
Nicholas O
Burns O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
currently O
working O
on O
the O
exact O
date O
and O
location O
for O
such O
a O
meeting O
, O
but O
I O
think O
it O
will O
be O
held O
quite O
soon O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
first O
such O
talks O
occurred O
in O
Berlin O
last B-T
April I-T
. O
Curbing O
the O
spread O
of O
North O
Korean O
missile O
technology O
remains O
a O
top O
US O
condition O
before O
Washington O
will O
ease O
its O
47 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
embargo O
against O
Pyongyang O
. O

Deputy O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Robert O
Einhorn O
will O
lead O
the O
US O
delegation O
to O
the O
upcoming O
missile O
talks O
, O
Burns O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0384 O

ROME O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Italian O
troops O
stay O
in O
Iraq O
for O
final O
hours O

The O
Italian O
flag O
was O
scheduled O
to O
be O
lowered O
on O
Friday B-T
at O
the O
American O
military O
base O
near O
Nassiriya O
in O
Iraq O
, O
signaling O
the O
definitive O
withdrawal O
of O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
peacekeeping O
contingent O
from O
Iraq O
. O

The O
red O
, O
white O
and O
green O
flag O
was O
due O
to O
return O
to O
Italy O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
along O
with O
Gen O
. O
Carmine O
De O
Pascale O
, O
commander O
of O
the O
last O
60 O
Italian O
soldiers O
to O
serve O
in O
the O
Iraq O
mission O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Italian O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
was O
expected O
to O
be O
at O
Rome O
' O
s O
Ciampino O
airport O
, O
along O
with O
other O
top O
government O
officials O
, O
on O
Saturday B-T
for O
a O
ceremony O
marking O
the O
troops O
' O
return O
. O

At O
its O
height O
, O
the O
Italian O
contingent O
numbered O
3 O
, O
200 O
, O
most O
of O
whom O
were O
based O
in O
the O
southern O
Iraqi O
town O
of O
Nassiriya O
. O

Italy O
, O
which O
did O
not O
take O
part O
in O
the O
United O
- O
States O
- O
led O
invasion O
of O
Iraq O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
sent O
a O
contingent O
afterwards O
to O
help O
reconstruction O
, O
perform O
peacekeeping O
duties O
and O
contribute O
to O
the O
training O
of O
Iraqi O
security O
forces O
. O

During O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
spring O
elections O
, O
Prodi O
promised O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
Italian O
forces O
from O
Iraq O
, O
arguing O
that O
they O
should O
not O
have O
been O
sent O
in O
the O
first O
place O
. O

The O
previous O
government O
of O
Silvio O
Berlusconi O
, O
which O
sent O
the O
troops O
, O
had O
also O
planned O
to O
withdraw O
soldiers O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

Prodi O
said O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
he O
had O
informed O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
about O
the O
return O
of O
Italian O
troops O
. O
" O
He O
said O
he O
was O
sorry O
but O
that O
he O
knew O
we O
were O
leaving O
because O
I O
said O
so O
in O
the O
election O
campaign O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0213 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
EU O
comment O
, O
Belarus O
analysts O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
tense O
countdown O
to O
Russia O
' O
s O
threatened O
cutting O
of O
gas O
supplies O
to O
Belarus O
, O
which O
could O
also O
hit O
deliveries O
to O
western O
Europe O
, O
entered O
its O
final O
hours O
of O
confrontation O
over O
pricing O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Negotiations O
continued O
in O
Moscow O
, O
said O
Sergei O
Kupriyanov O
, O
spokesman O
for O
Russia O
' O
s O
state O
- O
controlled O
monopoly O
Gazprom O
. O

He O
refused O
to O
give O
details O
of O
the O
talks O
, O
slightly O
more O
than O
three B-T
days I-T
before O
a O
deadline O
laid O
down O
by O
Russia O
which O
is O
causing O
concern O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

Gazprom O
chairman O
Alexei O
Miller O
has O
warned O
that O
gas O
supplies O
to O
Belarus O
will O
be O
turned O
off O
at O
10 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
am O
in O
Moscow O
( O
0700 O
GMT O
) O
on O
Monday B-T
if O
Belarus O
, O
an O
ex O
- O
Soviet O
republic O
, O
does O
not O
agree O
to O
a O
more O
than O
doubling O
of O
price O
. O

With O
Gazprom O
and O
Belarus O
both O
warning O
of O
a O
knock O
- O
on O
effect O
for O
western O
European O
customers O
who O
rely O
on O
Belarus O
as O
a O
transit O
point O
for O
Russian O
gas O
, O
the O
crisis O
increasingly O
resembles O
the O
showdown O
between O
Russia O
and O
Ukraine O
at O
New O
Year O
' O
s O
2006 O
. O

" O
A O
second O
gas O
war O
has O
been O
declared O
, O
" O
said O
the O
respected O
Vedomosti O
business O
daily O
in O
Moscow O
. O
" O
Belarus O
will O
be O
cut O
off O
, O
like O
Ukraine O
. O
" O

The O
European O
Union O
, O
where O
Russian O
imports O
accounted O
for O
24 O
percent O
of O
total O
gas O
requirements O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
is O
watching O
closely O
. O

" O
I O
call O
on O
the O
two O
parties O
to O
reach O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
a O
satisfactory O
agreement O
that O
does O
not O
put O
in O
question O
gas O
transits O
to O
the O
EU O
, O
" O
Energy O
Commissioner O
Andris O
Piebalgs O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
Commission O
is O
following O
the O
situation O
very O
closely O
since O
it O
may O
affect O
gas O
supplies O
to O
the O
European O
Union O
. O
" O

Gazprom O
accuses O
Belarus O
of O
preparing O
to O
siphon O
off O
gas O
destined O
for O
Europe O
in O
the O
event O
of O
a O
cut O
to O
its O
domestic O
supplies O
and O
has O
warned O
that O
compensation O
for O
a O
loss O
in O
volumes O
might O
be O
impossible O
. O

Belarus O
argues O
that O
if O
it O
is O
unable O
to O
agree O
with O
Gazprom O
on O
a O
new O
contract O
for O
its O
domestic O
supplies O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
then O
the O
contract O
governing O
transit O
of O
Russian O
gas O
westward O
will O
also O
become O
void O
. O

Gazprom O
says O
the O
price O
increase O
would O
bring O
Belarus O
' O
fee O
closer O
to O
international O
standards O
and O
away O
from O
Soviet O
- O
style O
subsidies O
, O
while O
critics O
accuse O
the O
giant O
company O
of O
using O
energy O
as O
a O
weapon O
to O
bring O
neighbouring O
countries O
under O
Kremlin O
dominance O
. O

Ironically O
, O
the O
dispute O
pits O
Belarus O
' O
President O
Alexander O
Lukashenko O
against O
the O
one O
major O
country O
that O
supports O
his O
authoritarian O
regime O
. O

In O
contrast O
, O
Gazprom O
' O
s O
strong O
- O
arm O
tactics O
in O
Ukraine B-T
12 I-T
months I-T
ago I-T
, O
culminating O
with O
the O
brief O
cut O
- O
off O
in O
gas O
, O
were O
widely O
seen O
as O
part O
of O
a O
Kremlin O
strategy O
to O
weaken O
strongly O
pro O
- O
Western O
President O
Viktor O
Yushchenko O
. O

The O
current O
crisis O
is O
on O
a O
smaller O
scale O
than O
the O
Ukraine O
episode O
, O
since O
just O
20 O
percent O
of O
Russian O
gas O
exports O
to O
Europe O
go O
through O
Belarus O
, O
compared O
to O
80 O
percent O
through O
Ukraine O
. O

Last B-T
winter I-T
was O
also O
one O
of O
the O
coldest O
recorded O
in O
Europe O
. O

So O
far O
, O
this O
winter O
is O
one O
of O
the O
mildest O
and O
so O
demand O
for O
energy O
is O
lower O
. O
According O
to O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
reserves O
are O
big O
enough O
to O
deal O
with O
any O
temporary O
shortfall O
. O

Russia O
' O
s O
media O
predicted O
that O
Belarus O
, O
a O
country O
of O
10 O
. O
3 O
million O
people O
sandwiched O
between O
Russia O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
will O
find O
the O
cost O
too O
high O
to O
maintain O
defiance O
for O
long O
. O

" O
Unpredictable O
he O
may O
be O
, O
but O
Lukashenko O
will O
not O
continue O
the O
conflict O
with O
Russia O
for O
long O
, O
" O
Vedomosti O
quoted O
an O
unnamed O
Kremlin O
official O
as O
saying O
, O
suggesting O
that O
Lukashenko O
might O
accept O
a O
compromise O
in O
which O
Belarus O
took O
a O
loan O
from O
Moscow O
that O
covered O
the O
increased O
gas O
price O
. O

However O
, O
commentators O
in O
Belarus O
said O
the O
country O
was O
ready O
to O
stand O
firm O
. O

" O
In O
the O
end O
they O
will O
come O
to O
a O
deal O
. O
Belarus O
has O
its O
own O
cards O
in O
this O
fight O
- O
- O
transit O
, O
Russian O
military O
bases O
stationed O
on O
its O
territory O
, O
political O
relations O
, O
" O
said O
analyst O
Andrei O
Fyodorov O
. O

Belarus O
currently B-T
pays O
Gazprom O
a O
highly O
subsidised O
46 O
. O
68 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
metres O
of O
gas O
and O
Gazprom O
originally O
demanded O
an O
increase O
to O
200 O
dollars O
, O
which O
is O
closer O
to O
western O
European O
prices O
, O
unless O
Belarus O
agreed O
to O
sell O
50 O
percent O
of O
its O
pipeline O
operator O
Beltransgaz O
. O

This O
would O
give O
the O
Russian O
state O
- O
owned O
giant O
an O
important O
strategic O
foothold O
on O
the O
European O
Union O
' O
s O
eastern O
border O
. O

Gazprom O
has O
since O
reduced O
that O
demand O
to O
105 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
metres O
- O
- O
75 O
dollars O
per O
1 O
, O
000 O
cubic O
metres O
in O
cash O
payments O
, O
plus O
the O
equivalent O
of O
another O
30 O
dollars O
in O
shares O
of O
Beltransgas O
. O

Belarus O
is O
so O
far O
refusing O
to O
accept O
the O
deal O
. O

" O
Russia O
is O
not O
only O
after O
extra O
revenues O
, O
but O
wants O
to O
take O
under O
control O
certain O
parts O
of O
the O
property O
in O
neighbouring O
countries O
, O
" O
Belarussian O
parliament O
deputy O
Anatoly O
Krasutsky O
said O
. O
" O
The O
government O
should O
have O
diversified O
its O
energy O
sources O
earlier O
, O
but O
you O
learn O
by O
your O
mistakes O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0217 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

DeLay O
informed O
about O
campaign O
fund O
transfers O
leading O
to O
his O
indictments O
: O
report O

Former O
US O
House O
Majority O
Leader O
Tom O
DeLay O
was O
informed O
about O
and O
expressed O
his O
support O
in O
2002 B-T
for O
transfers O
of O
190 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
in O
mostly O
corporate O
funds O
from O
his O
Texas O
political O
committee O
to O
an O
arm O
of O
the O
Republican O
National O
Committee O
in O
Washington O
and O
then O
back O
to O
Texas O
, O
The O
Washington O
Post O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

DeLay O
, O
who O
has O
been O
indicted O
on O
three O
charges O
- O
conspiracy O
concerning O
campaign O
finance O
, O
money O
laundering O
and O
conspiracy O
to O
commit O
money O
laundering O
, O
made O
the O
acknowledgment O
during O
a O
meeting O
on O
Aug B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
this I-T
year I-T
with O
Texas O
persecutor O
Ronnie O
Earle O
, O
the O
Post O
quoted O
anonymous O
sources O
as O
saying O
. O

In O
late B-T
September I-T
, O
the O
Post O
reported O
, O
DeLay O
' O
s O
lawyers O
tried O
unsuccessfully O
to O
head O
off O
felony O
criminal O
indictments O
against O
him O
on O
charges O
of O
violating O
Texas O
campaign O
law O
by O
signaling O
that O
DeLay O
might O
plead O
guilty O
to O
a O
misdemeanor O
. O

The O
lawyer O
' O
s O
principal O
aim O
was O
to O
try O
to O
preserve O
DeLay O
' O
s O
leadership O
position O
under O
House O
Republican O
rules O
that O
bar O
lawmakers O
accused O
of O
felonies O
from O
holding O
such O
posts O
. O
DeLay O
was O
forced O
to O
step O
down O
as O
the O
House O
majority O
leader O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
after O
the O
first O
of O
two O
grand O
jury O
indictments O
. O

The O
last O
- O
minute O
negotiations O
between O
the O
lawyers O
and O
Earle O
were O
arranged O
after O
DeLay O
made O
what O
Earle O
considered O
a O
seriously O
damaging O
admission O
about O
his O
fund O
- O
raising O
activities O
during O
the O
Aug B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
meeting O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
transfers O
were O
at O
the O
heart O
of O
the O
prosecutor O
' O
s O
investigation O
of O
the O
alleged O
use O
of O
corporate O
funds O
in O
the O
2002 O
Texas O
elections O
, O
in O
violation O
of O
state O
law O
. O
In O
the O
prosecutor O
' O
s O
view O
, O
DeLay O
' O
s O
admission O
put O
him O
in O
the O
middle O
of O
a O
conspiracy O
not O
only O
to O
violate O
that O
law O
but O
also O
to O
launder O
money O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0232 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Torcetrapib O

Citing O
the O
" O
interests O
of O
patient O
safety O
, O
" O
US O
drug O
manufacturer O
Pfizer O
said O
it O
was O
stopping O
all O
clinical O
trials O
of O
the O
cholesterol O
- O
controlling O
drug O
Torcetrapib O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
released O
Saturday B-T
, O
the O
company O
said O
it O
was O
in O
the O
process O
of O
notifying O
all O
clinical O
investigators O
and O
regulatory O
authorities O
, O
including O
the O
Food O
and O
Drug O
Administration O
. O

The O
decision O
came O
after O
Pfizer O
officials O
were O
informed O
that O
the O
independent O
Data O
Safety O
Monitoring O
Board O
( O
DSMB O
) O
reviewing O
a O
morbidity O
and O
mortality O
study O
for O
Torcetrapib O
recommended O
terminating O
the O
trial O
" O
because O
of O
an O
imbalance O
of O
mortality O
and O
cardiovascular O
events O
. O
" O

The O
company O
is O
in O
the O
process O
of O
asking O
all O
clinical O
investigators O
involved O
in O
the O
program O
to O
inform O
patient O
participants O
to O
stop O
taking O
the O
medication O
immediately O
. O

" O
While O
the O
DSMB O
information O
we O
received O
today B-T
was O
both O
surprising O
and O
disappointing O
, O
our O
focus O
is O
on O
the O
best O
interests O
of O
patients O
and O
making O
sure O
all O
this O
information O
is O
communicated O
to O
appropriate O
medical O
and O
regulatory O
authorities O
as O
quickly O
as O
possible O
, O
" O
said O
Pfizer O
chief O
executive O
officer O
Jeffrey O
Kindler O
. O

He O
added O
the O
drug O
maker O
understood O
" O
the O
challenge O
that O
this O
represents O
and O
we O
will O
respond O
quickly O
and O
aggressively O
to O
it O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0009 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Manila O
shares O
close O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
lower O

Philippine O
share O
prices O
fell O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
Thursday B-T
on O
fears O
of O
further O
US O
interest O
rate O
hikes O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

The O
Philippine O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
index O
fell O
33 O
. O
1 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
2 O
, O
927 O
. O
87 O
points O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0100 O

BUSAN O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Korean O
president O
protests O
Koizumi O
' O
s O
visits O
to O
war O
shrine O

South O
Korean O
President O
Roh O
Moo O
- O
hyun O
on O
Friday B-T
met O
with O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Junichiro O
Koizumi O
, O
strongly O
protesting O
the O
latter O
' O
s O
repeated O
pilgrimages O
to O
a O
controversial O
war O
shrine O
. O

The O
meeting O
took O
place O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
Asia O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
forum O
here O
. O

Koizumi O
, O
however O
, O
defended O
his O
position O
that O
the O
visits O
to O
Yasukuni O
Shrine O
, O
which O
honors O
Japanese O
war O
dead O
, O
including O
war O
criminals O
, O
are O
not O
aimed O
at O
paying O
homage O
to O
the O
war O
criminals O
but O
to O
repent O
for O
the O
past O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0001 O

BOGOTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Colombian O
cyclist O
to O
receive O
Olympic O
medal O
in O
special O
ceremony O

Colombian O
cyclist O
Maria O
Luisa O
Calle O
, O
who O
has O
been O
cleared O
of O
doping O
charges O
following O
an O
appeal O
with O
a O
sports O
arbitration O
body O
, O
will O
get O
back O
the O
bronze O
medal O
she O
won O
at O
the O
Athens O
Olympics O
in O
a O
special O
ceremony O
, O
her O
lawyer O
Andres O
Charria O
told O
reporters O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
bronze O
medal O
arrived O
in O
Colombia O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Charria O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
a O
ceremony O
will O
be O
held O
for O
the O
medal O
presentation O
according O
to O
a O
fax O
from O
the O
International O
Olympic O
Committee O
( O
IOC O
) O
. O

" O
The O
IOC O
fax O
that O
I O
saw O
said O
there O
will O
be O
an O
Olympic O
ceremony O
. O
. O
. O
I O
believe O
it O
will O
be O
a O
large O
ceremony O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
IOC O
has O
asked O
Mario O
Vasquez O
, O
president O
of O
the O
Pan O
- O
American O
Sports O
Organization O
to O
deliver O
the O
medal O
. O
Colombian O
president O
Alvaro O
Uribe O
is O
also O
expected O
to O
attend O
the O
medal O
presentation O
. O

In O
October B-T
the O
Court O
or O
Arbitration O
for O
Sport O
( O
CAS O
) O
reinstated O
Calle O
as O
the O
bronze O
medalist O
from O
the O
women O
' O
s O
point O
race O
in O
Athens O
and O
overturned O
her O
disqualification O
by O
the O
IOC O
, O
saying O
the O
headache O
medication O
she O
took O
did O
not O
contain O
banned O
substances O
. O
The O
IOC O
had O
ratified O
the O
decision O
by O
the O
CAS O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0185 O

GENEVA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

misunderstanding O
: O
WHO O
expert O

Raising O
public O
awareness O
of O
bird O
flu O
need O
eliminate O
misunderstanding O
: O
WHO O
expert O

by O
Li O
Xing O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Raising O
public O
awareness O
of O
bird O
flu O
need O
to O
eliminate O
people O
' O
s O
misunderstanding O
on O
this O
epidemic O
, O
said O
an O
expert O
with O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
There O
was O
a O
high O
degree O
of O
fear O
of O
H5 O
bird O
flu O
virus O
both O
in O
animals O
and O
humans O
. O
" O
said O
Dr O
. O
Julie O
Hall O
, O
coordinator O
of O
epidemic O
alert O
and O
response O
in O
WHO O
Beijing O
office O
, O
when O
referring O
to O
WHO O
' O
s O
mission O
in O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Hunan O
Province O
. O

There O
were O
misunderstandings O
that O
the O
people O
may O
remain O
infectious O
after O
they O
recover O
from O
bird O
flu O
, O
which O
they O
don O
' O
t O
, O
and O
fears O
if O
the O
disease O
would O
spread O
very O
quickly O
between O
people O
, O
which O
no O
evidence O
can O
prove O
at O
the O
moment O
, O
Hall O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
by O
Xinhua O
. O

Therefore O
these O
things O
need O
to O
be O
addressed O
, O
such O
as O
giving O
people O
accurate O
information O
, O
telling O
people O
very O
clearly O
what O
to O
look O
for O
in O
terms O
of O
early O
finding O
of O
the O
symptoms O
, O
what O
to O
do O
to O
protect O
themselves O
, O
and O
what O
to O
do O
if O
animals O
are O
getting O
sick O
, O
she O
said O
. O

" O
So O
on O
the O
trip O
to O
Hunan O
, O
we O
recommended O
a O
good O
public O
education O
campaign O
and O
suggested O
the O
authority O
give O
people O
actual O
, O
practical O
and O
mutual O
information O
and O
help O
them O
reject O
misunderstandings O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Based O
on O
her O
observation O
, O
Hall O
also O
noted O
that O
when O
someone O
has O
died O
, O
there O
appeared O
to O
be O
misconception O
that O
the O
body O
itself O
might O
be O
infectious O
and O
pose O
risk O
to O
people O
so O
it O
must O
be O
cremated O
quickly O
. O

" O
We O
believe O
that O
it O
is O
important O
to O
address O
the O
people O
of O
those O
misunderstandings O
so O
the O
families O
can O
go O
through O
proper O
graving O
and O
burial O
process O
or O
cremation O
. O
There O
is O
no O
need O
to O
cremate O
body O
too O
quickly O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

WHO O
will O
be O
working O
with O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
( O
MOH O
) O
on O
developing O
some O
guidelines O
on O
this O
issue O
, O
Hall O
said O
, O
" O
hopefully O
it O
will O
be O
culturally O
sensitive O
and O
acceptable O
to O
the O
relatives O
, O
enable O
some O
samples O
to O
be O
taken O
to O
make O
a O
correct O
diagnosis O
, O
and O
enable O
the O
families O
to O
grave O
and O
bury O
the O
dead O
in O
a O
way O
they O
would O
like O
. O
" O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
five O
WHO O
experts O
went O
to O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Hunan O
Province O
to O
look O
into O
three O
pneumonia O
cases O
at O
invitation O
of O
MOH O
. O
MOH O
later O
announced O
one O
of O
the O
three O
cases O
- O
- O
a O
nine O
- O
year O
- O
old O
boy O
- O
- O
was O
a O
confirmed O
human O
case O
but O
he O
has O
recovered O
, O
and O
his O
sister O
who O
died O
was O
a O
suspected O
case O
. O

So O
far O
, O
China O
has O
reported O
three O
confirmed O
human O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
, O
including O
two O
fatalities O
and O
one O
recovered O
case O
. O

WHO O
experts O
has O
been O
invited O
again O
to O
take O
part O
in O
a O
joint O
mission O
to O
probe O
the O
two O
confirmed O
human O
deaths O
from O
bird O
flu O
in O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Anhui O
Province O
, O
which O
will O
set O
off O
fairly O
soon O
, O
according O
to O
WHO O
Beijing O
office O
. O

MOH O
has O
reported O
all O
confirmed O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
to O
WHO O
because O
of O
the O
potential O
significance O
of O
the O
disease O
, O
as O
other O
countries O
do O
, O
but O
they O
are O
actually O
reporting O
more O
than O
they O
need O
to O
and O
doing O
more O
than O
they O
have O
to O
. O
" O
That O
we O
feel O
is O
very O
encouraging O
, O
" O
said O
Hall O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0059 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hushen O
index O
down O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
22 O

The O
Hushen O
300 O
Index O
reflecting O
the O
whole O
fluctuation O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Shanghai O
and O
Shenzhen O
stock O
exchanges O
closed O
at O
869 O
. O
62 O
points O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
down O
14 O
. O
25 O
points O
from O
the O
previous O
close O
. O

About O
one O
fifth O
of O
the O
total O
shares O
listed O
in O
the O
two O
markets O
have O
been O
chosen O
as O
samples O
of O
the O
Hushen O
300 O
Index O
, O
accounting O
for O
60 O
percent O
of O
the O
market O
value O
in O
China O
' O
s O
stock O
market O
. O

WSJ891031 O
- O
0138 O

= O
891031 O

891031 O
- O
0138 O
. O

International O
: O

@ O
Courtaulds O
PLC O

@ O
Plans O
to O
Spin O
Off O

@ O
Textiles O
Business O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Craig O
Forman O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
31 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

COU O

DIVIDENDS O
( O
DIV O
) O

STOCK O
MARKET O
, O
OFFERINGS O
( O
STK O
) O

TEXTILES O
AND O
APPAREL O
( O
TEX O
) O

LONDON O

Courtaulds O
PLC O
announced O
plans O
to O
spin O
off O
its O
textiles O
operations O
to O
existing O
shareholders O
in O
a O
restructuring O
to O
boost O
shareholder O
value O
. O

The O
British O
chemical O
and O
textile O
company O
' O
s O
plan O
, O
which O
requires O
shareholder O
approval O
, O
would O
create O
a O
new O
, O
listed O
U O
. O
K O
. O
stock O
with O
a O
probable O
market O
capitalization O
between O
# O
300 O
million O
( O
$ O
473 O
million O
) O
and O
# O
400 O
million O
, O
analysts O
said O
. O

The O
establishment O
of O
the O
separate O
company O
, O
to O
be O
called O
Courtaulds O
Textiles O
, O
could O
be O
effective O
as O
early O
as O
next B-T
year I-T
' I-T
s I-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
. O

Investors O
welcomed O
the O
move O
. O

Courtaulds O
' O
shares O
rose O
15 O
pence O
to O
362 O
pence O
, O
valuing O
the O
entire O
company O
at O
about O
# O
1 O
. O
44 O
billion O
. O

Courtaulds O
' O
spinoff O
reflects O
pressure O
on O
British O
industry O
to O
boost O
share O
prices O
beyond O
the O
reach O
of O
corporate O
raiders O
. O

Courtaulds O
' O
restructuring O
is O
among O
the O
largest O
thus O
far O
in O
Britain O
, O
though O
it O
is O
dwarfed O
by O
B O
. O
A O
. O
T O
Industries O
PLC O
' O
s O
plans O
to O
spin O
roughly O
off O
# O
4 O
billion O
in O
assets O
to O
help O
fend O
off O
a O
takeover O
bid O
from O
Anglo O
- O
French O
financier O
Sir O
James O
Goldsmith O
. O

The O
divested O
Courtaulds O
textile O
operations O
had O
operating O
profit O
of O
# O
50 O
million O
on O
# O
980 O
million O
in O
revenue O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
ended O
March B-T
31 I-T
. O

Some O
analysts O
have O
said O
Courtaulds O
' O
moves O
could O
boost O
the O
company O
' O
s O
value O
by O
5 O
% O
to O
10 O
% O
, O
because O
the O
two O
entities O
separately O
will O
carry O
a O
higher O
price O
earnings O
multiple O
than O
they O
did O
combined O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Courtaulds O
said O
the O
moves O
are O
logical O
because O
they O
will O
allow O
both O
the O
chemicals O
and O
textile O
businesses O
to O
focus O
more O
closely O
on O
core O
activities O
. O

Courtaulds O
has O
been O
under O
pressure O
to O
enhance O
shareholder O
value O
since O
takeover O
speculators O
- O
- O
including O
Australian O
financier O
Kerry O
Packer O
- O
- O
surfaced O
holding O
small O
stakes O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Though O
Mr O
. O
Packer O
has O
since O
sold O
his O
stake O
, O
Courtaulds O
is O
moving O
to O
keep O
its O
institutional O
shareholders O
happy O
. O

Even O
without O
a O
specific O
takeover O
threat O
, O
Courtaulds O
is O
giving O
shareholders O
" O
choice O
and O
value O
, O
" O
said O
Julia O
Blake O
, O
an O
analyst O
at O
London O
stockbrokers O
Barclays O
de O
Zoete O
Wedd O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
, O
the O
company O
said O
: O
" O
Both O
parts O
can O
only O
realize O
their O
full O
potential O
and O
be O
appropriately O
valued O
by O
the O
market O
if O
they O
are O
separately O
quoted O
companies O
. O

The O
sharper O
definition O
and O
the O
autonomy O
which O
each O
will O
thereby O
gain O
will O
benefit O
shareholders O
, O
customers O
and O
employees O
. O
" O

Courtaulds O
Chairman O
and O
Chief O
Executive O
Sir O
Christopher O
Hogg O
will O
remain O
in O
both O
posts O
at O
the O
surviving O
chemical O
company O
after O
the O
spinoff O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0376 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

World O
Cup O
lineup O
complete O

All O
the O
32 O
teams O
for O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
finals O
in O
Germany O
have O
been O
known O
after O
the O
qualifying O
campaign O
finally O
came O
to O
the O
end O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Australia O
, O
Spain O
, O
Trinidad O
Tobago O
, O
Switzerland O
, O
and O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
completed O
the O
32 O
- O
team O
lineup O
for O
the O
World O
Cup O
finals O
. O

Australia O
reached O
the O
World O
Cup O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
32 B-T
years I-T
by O
beating O
Uruguay O
4 O
- O
2 O
from O
the O
spot O
after O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
extra O
time O
win O
saw O
the O
playoff O
end O
1 O
- O
1 O
on O
aggregate O
. O

It O
was O
also O
a O
historic O
day O
for O
the O
Czechs O
, O
who O
beat O
Norway O
1 O
- O
0 O
in O
Prague O
for O
a O
2 O
- O
0 O
aggregate O
to O
qualify O
for O
their O
first O
ever O
World O
Cup O
finals O
. O

Trinidad O
Tobago O
will O
also O
make O
their O
debut O
in O
the O
premier O
soccer O
tournament O
after O
pulling O
off O
a O
spectacular O
comeback O
in O
the O
qualifying O
campaign O
with O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
Bahrain O
in O
Manama O
for O
a O
2 O
- O
1 O
aggregate O
victory O
. O

Switzerland O
, O
who O
had O
won O
2 O
- O
0 O
in O
the O
first O
leg O
in O
Bern O
, O
lost O
4 O
- O
2 O
in O
Istanbul O
to O
Turkey O
to O
level O
the O
tie O
at O
4 O
- O
all O
on O
aggregate O
, O
but O
still O
qualified O
for O
the O
World O
Cup O
on O
away O
goals O
, O
ending O
a O
12 O
- O
year O
absence O
from O
the O
finals O
. O

Spain O
reached O
their O
eighth O
successive O
World O
Cup O
since O
1978 B-T
with O
a O
1 O
- O
1 O
draw O
in O
Slovakia O
for O
a O
6 O
- O
2 O
aggregate O
win O
. O

The O
2006 O
World O
Cup O
will O
kick O
off O
on O
June B-T
9 I-T
in O
Munich O
and O
ends O
on O
July B-T
9 I-T
in O
Berlin O
. O
The O
draw O
takes O
place O
in O
Leipzig O
on O
December B-T
9 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970412 O
. O
0310 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

London O
marathon O
runners O
warned O
to O
beware O
of O
terrorist O
attack O

Runners O
and O
spectators O
at O
this B-T
weekend I-T
' O
s O
London O
marathon O
were O
warned O
Saturday B-T
by O
police O
to O
be O
vigilant O
against O
terrorist O
attack O
. O

Up O
to O
27 O
, O
000 O
runners O
are O
expected O
to O
take O
part O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
race O
around O
London O
, O
with O
a O
crowd O
of O
500 O
, O
000 O
lining O
streets O
to O
cheer O
them O
on O
. O

The O
warning O
comes O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
last B-T
weekend I-T
' O
s O
alert O
when O
the O
Grand O
National O
horse O
race O
had O
to O
be O
postponed O
and O
a O
70 O
, O
000 O
crowd O
cleared O
from O
the O
course O
at O
Aintree O
in O
northwest O
England O
after O
hoax O
bomb O
warnings O
by O
the O
Irish O
Republican O
Army O
( O
IRA O
) O
. O

A O
terrorist O
expert O
said O
it O
was O
clear O
the O
IRA O
had O
embarked O
on O
a O
policy O
of O
causing O
maximum O
disruption O
and O
intimidation O
on O
the O
British O
mainland O
in O
the O
run O
- O
up O
to O
the O
general O
election O
on O
May B-T
1 I-T
. O

But O
neither O
Scotland O
Yard O
nor O
the O
organisers O
of O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
race O
would O
comment O
on O
whether O
security O
had O
been O
increased O
to O
take O
into O
account O
the O
IRA O
' O
s O
apparent O
switch O
to O
targeting O
sporting O
events O
. O

A O
spokeswoman O
for O
Scotland O
Yard O
said O
: O
" O
We O
always O
ask O
people O
to O
be O
vigilant O
. O
If O
they O
see O
anything O
suspicious O
they O
should O
report O
it O
. O
" O

Professor O
Paul O
Wilkinson O
, O
a O
terrorist O
expert O
in O
the O
International O
Relations O
department O
at O
Saint O
Andrew O
' O
s O
University O
in O
Scotland O
, O
said O
: O
" O
It O
would O
be O
wrong O
to O
assume O
that O
the O
IRA O
has O
switched O
tactics O
. O
We O
cannot O
discount O
any O
target O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0393 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
missing O
aircraft O
found O
but O
no O
survivals O

A O
Twin O
Otter O
aircraft O
which O
had O
been O
missing O
since O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
in O
Papua O
province O
of O
Indonesia O
, O
have O
been O
found O
on O
Saturday B-T
morning I-T
with O
12 O
passengers O
and O
crew O
seems O
to O
have O
died O
, O
a O
police O
officer O
said O
. O

The O
plane O
was O
found O
broken O
to O
pieces O
in O
a O
deep O
ravine O
by O
a O
group O
of O
missionaries O
while O
traveling O
from O
Wamena O
regency O
to O
Mulia O
regency O
, O
all O
people O
on O
board O
predicted O
to O
have O
died O
, O
said O
provincial O
police O
spokesman O
Kartono O
Wangsa O
Disastro O
. O

" O
The O
plane O
has O
been O
found O
, O
the O
missionaries O
said O
logically O
no O
one O
safe O
from O
the O
accident O
, O
" O
Disastro O
told O
Xinhua O
by O
telephone O
from O
the O
province O
. O

Bad O
weather O
and O
mountainous O
field O
were O
the O
cause O
of O
the O
accident O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
After O
the O
plane O
lower O
its O
height O
preparing O
for O
landing O
, O
the O
weather O
changed O
to O
dark O
, O
afterwards O
, O
the O
plane O
crashed O
to O
a O
mountain O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Disasto O
said O
that O
evacuation O
still O
can O
not O
be O
done O
, O
due O
to O
a O
poor O
weather O
condition O
. O

" O
We O
wait O
for O
favorable O
weather O
for O
moving O
to O
the O
site O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
plane O
belonging O
to O
Trigana O
Air O
Service O
lost O
contact O
with O
the O
airport O
15 B-T
minutes I-T
after O
it O
departed O
from O
Mulia O
, O
the O
capital O
of O
Puncak O
Jaya O
regency O
on O
its O
way O
to O
Ilaga O
district O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
he O
said O
. O

Mountainous O
terrain O
has O
been O
a O
serious O
threat O
for O
flight O
in O
the O
province O
, O
which O
has O
frequently O
caused O
accidents O
, O
the O
type O
of O
Twin O
Otter O
aircraft O
for O
instance O
has O
been O
four O
times O
smashed O
to O
the O
mountains O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0050 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0050 O
. O

Provigo O
Will O
Sell O
Non O
- O
Food O
Operations O

@ O
To O
Concentrate O
on O
Grocery O
Business O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
G O
. O
Pierre O
Goad O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

T O
. O
PGI O
WNEWS O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

MONTREAL O

In O
a O
stunning O
shift O
in O
direction O
, O
Provigo O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
will O
sell O
all O
its O
non O
- O
food O
operations O
to O
concentrate O
solely O
on O
its O
retail O
and O
wholesale O
grocery O
business O
. O

The O
non O
- O
food O
operations O
accounted O
for O
about O
27 O
% O
of O
Provigo O
' O
s O
7 O
. O
38 O
billion O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
US O
$ O
6 O
. O
3 O
billion O
) O
in O
sales O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
. O

In O
a O
related O
move O
, O
Pierre O
Lortie O
, O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
, O
resigned O
. O

Mr O
. O
Lortie O
joined O
Provigo O
in O
1985 B-T
and O
spearheaded O
the O
company O
' O
s O
drive O
to O
grow O
outside O
its O
traditional O
food O
business O
. O

He O
could O
n O
' O
t O
be O
reached O
for O
comment O
. O

Bertin O
Nadeau O
, O
newly O
appointed O
chairman O
and O
interim O
chief O
executive O
of O
Provigo O
, O
would O
n O
' O
t O
say O
if O
Mr O
. O
Lortie O
was O
asked O
to O
leave O
. O

" O
Mr O
. O

Lortie O
felt O
less O
pertinent O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Nadeau O
said O
, O
given O
the O
decision O
to O
dump O
Provigo O
' O
s O
non O
- O
food O
operations O
. O

" O
At O
this O
stage O
it O
was O
felt O
I O
was O
perhaps O
more O
pertinent O
as O
chief O
executive O
. O
" O

Mr O
. O
Nadeau O
also O
is O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
of O
Unigesco O
Inc O
. O
, O
Provigo O
' O
s O
controlling O
shareholder O
. O

At O
a O
news O
conference O
, O
Mr O
. O
Nadeau O
said O
the O
sale O
of O
the O
three O
non O
- O
food O
businesses O
, O
which O
account O
for O
nearly O
half O
the O
company O
' O
s O
C O
$ O
900 O
million O
in O
assets O
, O
should O
be O
completed O
in O
a O
" O
matter O
of O
months O
. O
" O

The O
three O
units O
are O
a O
nationwide O
pharmaceutical O
and O
health O
- O
products O
distributor O
, O
a O
small O
sporting O
- O
goods O
chain O
, O
and O
a O
combination O
catalog O
showroom O
and O
toy O
- O
store O
chain O
. O

Investors O
and O
analysts O
applauded O
the O
news O
. O

Provigo O
was O
the O
most O
active O
industrial O
stock O
on O
the O
Montreal O
Exchange O
, O
where O
it O
closed O
at O
C O
$ O
9 O
. O
75 O
( O
US O
$ O
8 O
. O
32 O
) O
, O
up O
75 O
Canadian O
cents O
. O

" O
I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
a O
pretty O
positive O
development O
, O
" O
said O
Ross O
Cowan O
, O
a O
financial O
analyst O
with O
Levesque O
Beaubien O
Geoffrion O
Inc O
. O
, O
of O
the O
decision O
to O
concentrate O
on O
groceries O
. O

Mr O
. O
Lortie O
' O
s O
departure O
, O
while O
sudden O
, O
was O
seen O
as O
inevitable O
in O
light O
of O
the O
shift O
in O
strategy O
. O

" O
The O
non O
- O
food O
operations O
were O
largely O
Mr O
. O
Lortie O
' O
s O
creation O
{ O
and O
} O
his O
strategy O
did O
n O
' O
t O
work O
, O
" O
said O
Steven O
Holt O
, O
a O
financial O
analyst O
with O
Midland O
Doherty O
Ltd O
. O

Provigo O
' O
s O
profit O
record O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
years I-T
tarnished O
the O
company O
' O
s O
and O
Mr O
. O
Lortie O
' O
s O
reputations O
. O

For O
the B-T
six I-T
months I-T
ended O
Aug B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, O
Provigo O
posted O
net O
income O
of O
C O
$ O
6 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
eight O
Canadian O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
C O
$ O
18 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
21 O
Canadian O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Sales O
were O
C O
$ O
4 O
. O
2 O
billion O
compared O
with O
C O
$ O
3 O
. O
7 O
billion O
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
, O
Canadian O
Bond O
Rating O
Service O
downgraded O
Provigo O
' O
s O
commercial O
paper O
and O
debentures O
because O
of O
its O
lackluster O
performance O
. O

Analysts O
are O
skeptical O
Provigo O
will O
be O
able O
to O
sell O
the O
non O
- O
food O
businesses O
as O
a O
group O
for O
at O
least O
book O
value O
, O
and O
are O
expecting O
write O
- O
downs O
. O

Mr O
. O
Nadeau O
said O
he O
could O
n O
' O
t O
yet O
say O
if O
the O
sale O
prices O
would O
match O
book O
values O
. O

He O
said O
all O
three O
non O
- O
food O
operations O
are O
profitable O
. O

Mr O
. O
Nadeau O
said O
discussions O
are O
under O
way O
with O
potential O
purchasers O
of O
each O
of O
the O
units O
. O

He O
declined O
to O
confirm O
or O
deny O
reports O
that O
Provigo O
executive O
Henri O
Roy O
is O
trying O
to O
put O
together O
a O
management O
buy O
- O
out O
of O
the O
catalogue O
showroom O
unit O
. O

Mr O
. O
Roy O
could O
n O
' O
t O
be O
reached O
. O

Yvon O
Bussieres O
was O
named O
senior O
executive O
vice O
president O
and O
chief O
operating O
officer O
of O
Provigo O
, O
a O
new O
position O
. O

Mr O
. O
Bussieres O
was O
president O
and O
chief O
operating O
officer O
of O
Provigo O
' O
s O
Quebec O
retail O
and O
wholesale O
grocery O
unit O
. O

Mr O
. O
Nadeau O
said O
he O
intends O
to O
remain O
Provigo O
' O
s O
chief O
executive O
only O
until O
the O
non O
- O
food O
businesses O
are O
sold O
, O
after O
a O
which O
a O
new O
chief O
executive O
will O
be O
named O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0207 O

CAIRO O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Egypt O
reports O
tenth O
bird O
flu O
death O

A O
26 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Egyptian O
man O
died O
Wednesday B-T
from O
the O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
bird O
flu O
, O
the O
health O
ministry O
in O
Cairo O
said O
. O

Reda O
Abdel O
Halim O
Farid O
, O
from O
the O
central O
Nile O
Delta O
region O
of O
Zifta O
, O
is O
the O
tenth O
person O
to O
have O
died O
in O
Egypt O
after O
contracting O
the O
deadly O
strain O
, O
the O
ministry O
said O
. O

H5N1 O
was O
first O
diagnosed O
in O
birds O
in O
Egypt O
in O
February B-T
, O
and O
the O
first O
case O
in O
humans O
was O
announced O
on O
March B-T
18 I-T
. O
In O
its O
most O
aggressive O
form O
, O
it O
has O
killed O
more O
than O
150 O
people O
worldwide O
, O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
has O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0285 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Interest O
rates O
mixed O
at O
weekly O
US O
Treasury O
bill O
auctions O

Interest O
rates O
on O
short O
- O
term O
US O
Treasury O
bills O
were O
mixed O
in O
auctions O
held O
on O
Monday B-T
with O
six B-T
- I-T
month I-T
bills O
rising O
to O
the O
highest O
level O
since O
March B-T
2001 I-T
. O

The O
US O
Treasury O
Department O
auctioned O
17 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
six O
- O
month O
bills O
at O
a O
discount O
rate O
of O
4 O
. O
155 O
percent O
, O
up O
from O
4 O
. O
125 O
percent O
last B-T
week I-T
. O
The O
rate O
was O
the O
highest O
since O
these O
bills O
brought O
4 O
. O
22 O
percent O
on O
March B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2001 I-T
. O

The O
department O
also O
sold O
19 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
three O
- O
month O
bills O
at O
a O
discount O
rate O
of O
3 O
. O
870 O
percent O
, O
down O
from O
3 O
. O
890 O
percent O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

Separately O
, O
the O
US O
Federal O
Reserve O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
average O
yield O
for O
one O
- O
year O
Treasury O
bills O
, O
a O
popular O
index O
for O
making O
changes O
in O
adjustable O
rate O
mortgages O
, O
rose O
to O
4 O
. O
32 O
percent O
last B-T
week I-T
from O
4 O
. O
26 O
percent O
the B-T
previous I-T
week I-T
. I-T

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0158 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

New O
guidelines O
on O
public O
toilet O
unveiled O
in O
Singapore O

Singapore O
women O
will O
benefit O
from O
the O
new O
guidelines O
on O
public O
toilet O
unveiled O
by O
the O
National O
Environment O
Agency O
, O
Channel O
NewsAsia O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
night I-T
. O

Under O
the O
new O
guidelines O
, O
there O
will O
be O
five O
toilet O
cubicles O
for O
women O
in O
medium O
- O
sized O
establishments O
such O
as O
bars O
, O
equaling O
the O
total O
number O
of O
urinals O
and O
cubicles O
for O
men O
. O

Women O
will O
have O
more O
toilet O
cubicles O
than O
men O
do O
in O
such O
places O
as O
convention O
halls O
and O
cinemas O
where O
a O
large O
number O
of O
people O
tend O
to O
use O
toilets O
concurrently O
in O
certain O
periods O
of O
time O
. O

The O
new O
guidelines O
, O
as O
part O
of O
Singapore O
' O
s O
celebration O
of O
the O
World O
Toilet O
Day O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
are O
expected O
to O
change O
the O
situation O
of O
insufficient O
female O
toilets O
in O
some O
facilities O
in O
the O
city O
state O
. O

In O
late O
August B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
Singapore O
announced O
the O
set O
up O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
first O
Toilet O
College O
, O
which O
plans O
to O
offer O
courses O
like O
ecological O
sanitation O
, O
restroom O
maintenance O
, O
as O
well O
as O
toilet O
design O
and O
architecture O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0574 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENTFirst O
Taiwanese O
freighter O
docks O
in O
mainland O
port O

A O
Taiwanese O
frighter O
docked O
in O
the O
southwestern O
Chinese O
port O
of O
Xiamen O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
first O
to O
make O
the O
direct O
journey O
across O
the O
Taiwan O
Straits O
in O
nearly O
five B-T
decades I-T
, O
port O
authorities O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0029 O

CHONGQING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Cities O
along O
Yangtze O
vows O
to O
safeguard O
interests O
of O
migrant O
workers O

Representatives O
of O
29 O
city O
governments O
along O
the O
Yangtze O
River O
, O
China O
' O
s O
longest O
, O
have O
gathered O
in O
southwest O
China O
' O
s O
Chongqing O
Municipality O
to O
discuss O
and O
likely O
sign O
an O
agreement O
on O
the O
protection O
of O
rights O
of O
migrant O
workers O
. O

The O
cities O
include O
Shanghai O
, O
Nanjing O
, O
Wuhan O
and O
Chongqing O
. O

At O
the O
two O
- O
day O
conference O
which O
opened O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
cities O
said O
they O
will O
put O
an O
end O
to O
regulations O
and O
employment O
practices O
that O
discriminate O
against O
migrant O
workers O
. O
They O
also O
plan O
to O
improve O
the O
social O
welfare O
system O
for O
migrant O
workers O
which O
will O
include O
covering O
medical O
services O
and O
providing O
injury O
insurance O
, O
according O
to O
an O
official O
with O
the O
Chongqing O
Development O
and O
Reform O
Commission O
. O

The O
official O
said O
talks O
will O
be O
held O
on O
how O
to O
provide O
unified O
services O
to O
migrant O
workers O
who O
move O
from O
province O
to O
province O
. O
The O
29 O
cities O
have O
vowed O
to O
do O
a O
better O
job O
in O
developing O
labor O
contracts O
, O
ensuring O
payment O
and O
providing O
community O
services O
for O
migrant O
workers O
. O

" O
We O
work O
toward O
providing O
legal O
aid O
and O
schooling O
for O
their O
children O
, O
" O
the O
official O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
local O
Chongqing O
Morning O
Post O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
agreement O
to O
be O
signed O
will O
require O
each O
of O
the O
29 O
cities O
to O
provide O
information O
about O
its O
labor O
force O
requirements O
on O
Internet O
which O
will O
be O
available O
to O
migrant O
workers O
from O
other O
cities O
. O

Under O
the O
accord O
, O
training O
bases O
will O
be O
jointly O
built O
by O
the O
29 O
cities O
and O
employment O
records O
will O
be O
kept O
. O

The O
goal O
of O
the O
cities O
is O
to O
build O
a O
fair O
, O
unified O
labor O
force O
market O
for O
both O
urban O
and O
rural O
areas O
and O
establish O
an O
employment O
system O
based O
on O
fair O
competition O
. O

Employers O
who O
treat O
migrant O
workers O
unfairly O
will O
be O
penalized O
, O
the O
official O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970420 O
. O
0357 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
April B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Israeli O
opposition O
demands O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
resignation O

Opposition O
Labor O
Party O
leader O
Shimon O
Peres O
called O
Sunday B-T
for O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
to O
resign O
because O
of O
continuing O
suspicions O
over O
his O
role O
in O
the O
" O
Bibigate O
" O
scandal O
. O

" O
The O
prime O
minister O
must O
draw O
the O
necessary O
conclusions O
and O
hand O
in O
his O
resignation O
, O
" O
Peres O
told O
Israel O
radio O
. O

Peres O
' O
s O
statement O
came O
after O
attorney O
general O
Eliakim O
Rubinstein O
said O
corruption O
charges O
would O
not O
be O
pressed O
against O
Netanyahu O
because O
of O
lack O
of O
evidence O
. O

The O
opposition O
leader O
demanded O
early O
elections O
and O
announced O
a O
national O
petition O
campaign O
. O

Yossi O
Sarid O
and O
several O
other O
left O
- O
wing O
opposition O
MPs O
announced O
that O
they O
will O
file O
an O
appeal O
to O
the O
supreme O
court O
to O
force O
the O
attorney O
general O
' O
s O
office O
to O
review O
its O
decision O
to O
close O
the O
file O
on O
Netanyahu O
. O

Although O
the O
prime O
minister O
was O
not O
charged O
, O
Rubinstein O
said O
: O
" O
The O
very O
fact O
that O
these O
allegations O
have O
been O
sounded O
creates O
a O
cloud O
of O
suspicion O
and O
an O
unhealthy O
atmosphere O
, O
but O
one O
that O
does O
not O
amount O
to O
grounds O
for O
filing O
an O
indictment O
. O
" O

" O
There O
are O
certain O
grounds O
for O
bewilderment O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
referring O
to O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
actions O
. O

Rubinstein O
said O
that O
Justice O
Minister O
Tzahi O
Hanegbi O
, O
who O
also O
faced O
police O
recommendations O
that O
he O
be O
charged O
over O
alleged O
influence O
- O
peddling O
in O
the O
appointment O
of O
an O
attorney O
general O
, O
would O
not O
be O
indicted O
. O

The O
prime O
minister O
' O
s O
chief O
of O
staff O
Avigdor O
Lieberman O
however O
, O
will O
face O
further O
investigation O
, O
the O
attorney O
general O
added O
. O

VOA19980303 B-T
. O
1600 O
. O
0917 O

NEWS O
STORY O

Nigerian O
security O
forces O
clashed O
in O
Lagos O
with O
anti O
- O
government O

demonstrators O
who O
were O
protesting O
calls O
for O
military O
leader O
Sani O
Abacha O
to O
run O
for O

president O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
as O
VOA O
West O
Africa O
Correspondent O
Purnell O
Murdock O

reports O
, O
General O
Abacha O
' O
s O
supporters O
began O
a O
two B-T
day I-T
rally O
in O
the O
capital O
, O

Abuja O
, O
to O
urge O
him O
to O
compete O
in O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
election O
. O

Nigeria O
state O
radio O
says O
thousands O
of O
people O
began O
gathering O
in O
the O
capital O

Abuja O
early B-T
Tuesday I-T
for O
the O
two B-T
day I-T
rally O
supporting O
General O
Sani O
Abacha O
' O
s O

candidacy O
. O

Organizers O
state O
the O
two B-T
days I-T
of O
music O
, O
dancing O
, O
and O
speeches O
is O
expected O
to O
draw O
some O
two O
million O
people O
. O

But O
as O
supporters O
of O
the O
military O
leader O
gathered O
in O
the O
north O
, O
riot O

police O
deployed O
in O
Nigeria O
' O
s O
southern O
commercial O
capital O
Lagos O
, O
to O
break O
up O
a O

protest O
rally O
called O
by O
the O
political O
opposition O
. O

Although O
General O
Abacha O
had O
not O
publicly O
announced O
his O
candidacy O
, O
many O

people O
believe O
an O
Abacha O
presidency O
is O
a O
foregone O
conclusion O
. O

Some O
analysts O
say O
the O
outcome O
of O
a O
face O
off O
between O
the O
police O
and O
anti O
Abacha O

political O
groups O
will O
be O
a O
test O
of O
the O
opposition O
' O
s O
resolve O
. O

Purnell O
Murdock O
, O
VOA O
News O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0286 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
Iraq O
' O
s O
Talabani O
decides O
to O
postpones O
Iran O
visit O

Iraqi O
President O
Jalal O
Talabani O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
he O
decided O
to O
postpone O
his O
planned O
visit O
to O
Iran O
due O
to O
airport O
close O
under O
curfew O
in O
Baghdad O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0458 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Second O
Russian O
hospital O
fire O
kills O
eight O

At O
least O
eight O
people O
were O
killed O
by O
a O
fire O
Sunday B-T
in O
a O
clinic O
in O
southern O
Siberia O
, O
Russia O
' O
s O
second O
lethal O
hospital O
blaze O
of O
the B-T
weekend I-T
, O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

NYT19980424 O
. O
0421 O

NEWS O
STORY O

04 B-T
/ I-T
24 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
21 I-T
: I-T
49 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

A3813 O
Cx1f O
taf O
- O
z O

u O
k O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
EDIT O
- O
GENDER O
- O
STEREOTYP O
04 O
- O
24 O
0430 O

BC O
- O
EDIT O
- O
GENDER O
- O
STEREOTYPES O
- O
NYT O

EDITORIAL O
: O
THE O
COURT O
RETREATS O
ON O
STEREOTYPES O

UR O
( O
af O
) O
LR O
QL O

UR O
c O
. O
1998 O
N O
. O
Y O
. O
Times O
News O
Service O
QC O
LR O
QL O

The O
New O
York O
Times O
said O
in O
an O
editorial O
on O
Saturday B-T
, I-T
April I-T
25 I-T
: O

The O
Supreme O
Court O
took O
a O
detour O
this B-T
week I-T
from O
the O
core O

principle O
of O
gender O
fairness O
it O
vindicated O
two B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
its O

ruling O
invalidating O
the O
use O
of O
sexual O
stereotypes O
to O
justify O

denying O
women O
admission O
to O
the O
Virginia O
Military O
Institute O
. O
By O
a O

6 O
- O
3 O
vote O
, O
the O
court O
upheld O
a O
discriminatory O
immigration O
law O
that O

gives O
a O
child O
born O
overseas O
to O
an O
unmarried O
American O
woman O
a O
better O

chance O
at O
citizenship O
than O
a O
child O
born O
to O
an O
unmarried O
American O

man O
. O

Under O
the O
statute O
, O
a O
child O
born O
abroad O
to O
an O
unwed O
American O

mother O
is O
automatically O
considered O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
citizen O
. O
But O
the O
child O
of O

an O
unwed O
American O
father O
has O
no O
citizenship O
rights O
unless O
the O

father O
takes O
the O
affirmative O
step O
of O
acknowledging O
paternity O
and O

formally O
agrees O
to O
provide O
support O
until O
the O
child O
turns O
18 O
. O

The O
majority O
' O
s O
views O
were O
expressed O
in O
three O
separate O
opinions O
, O

the O
most O
disquieting O
of O
which O
was O
written O
by O
a O
liberal O
member O
, O

Justice O
John O
Paul O
Stevens O
, O
and O
joined O
by O
a O
conservative O
, O
Chief O

Justice O
William O
Rehnquist O
. O
The O
opinion O
, O
which O
found O
the O
gender O

distinction O
reasonable O
, O
relied O
heavily O
on O
outmoded O
generalities O

about O
family O
roles O
, O
including O
the O
flawed O
presumption O
that O
mothers O

have O
a O
closer O
relationship O
to O
their O
children O
than O
fathers O
do O
. O
As O

Justice O
Stephen O
Breyer O
asked O
in O
a O
strong O
dissent O
, O
` O
` O
what O
sense O
does O

it O
make O
' O
' O
to O
apply O
citizenship O
barriers O
` O
` O
only O
to O
fathers O
and O
not O

to O
mothers O
in O
today O
' O
s O
world O
_ O
where O
paternity O
can O
readily O
be O
proved O

and O
where O
women O
and O
men O
both O
are O
likely O
to O
earn O
a O
living O
in O
the O

workplace O
? O
' O
' O

Justices O
Sandra O
Day O
O O
' O
Connor O
and O
Anthony O
Kennedy O
seemed O
to O
agree O

that O
the O
law O
amounted O
to O
unconstitutional O
sex O
discrimination O
. O
Butinstead O
of O
providing O
the O
votes O
to O
strike O
it O
down O
, O
they O
chose O
to O
uphold O
it O
on O
the O
flimsy O
ground O
that O
because O
the O
sex O
of O
the O
parent O

and O
not O
the O
child O
made O
the O
difference O
under O
the O
law O
, O
the O
plaintiff O

did O
not O
have O
standing O
to O
bring O
the O
case O
. O
The O
Justice O
Department O
, O

which O
supported O
the O
statute O
, O
did O
not O
cover O
itself O
with O
glory O

either O
. O
The O
department O
retreated O
from O
its O
position O
in O
the O
VMI O
case O

when O
it O
argued O
that O
the O
government O
could O
not O
make O
policy O
based O
on O

stereotypes O
` O
` O
even O
when O
those O
stereotypes O
reflect O
current B-T

realities O
. O
' O
' O

As O
for O
the O
court O
, O
it O
managed O
with O
its O
splintered O
ruling O
to O
cast O

doubt O
both O
on O
the O
constitutionality O
of O
the O
immigration O
provisions O

it O
upheld O
and O
on O
its O
true O
commitment O
to O
fighting O
gender O

stereotypes O
. O

NYT O
- O
04 O
- O
24 O
- O
98 O
2149EDT O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0104 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Two O
policemen O
wounded O
in O
explosion O
in O
central O
Baghdad O

Two O
policemen O
were O
injured O
when O
a O
homemade O
bomb O
planted O
near O
three O
bodies O
found O
in O
central O
Baghdad O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
an O
Interior O
Ministry O
source O
said O
. O

" O
Our O
police O
patrols O
received O
information O
about O
three O
bodies O
in O
Haifa O
Street O
. O
A O
patrol O
headed O
to O
the O
scene O
to O
retrieve O
the O
bodies O
, O
but O
a O
homemade O
bomb O
went O
off O
, O
wounding O
two O
policemen O
, O
" O
the O
source O
told O
Xinhua O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

Elsewhere O
, O
another O
body O
for O
a O
government O
employee O
was O
found O
in O
the O
southeastern O
Baghdad O
district O
of O
Amin O
, O
the O
source O
added O
. O

Violence O
rages O
in O
Iraq O
as O
kidnappings O
, O
sectarian O
killings O
, O
car O
bombings O
, O
roadside O
bombs O
claim O
dozens O
of O
Iraqi O
lives O
daily B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0280 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Thai O
PM O
urges O
early O
completion O
of O
flood O
rehabilitation O

Thailand O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Surayud O
Chulanont O
Monday O
ordered O
that O
assistance O
and O
rehabilitation O
work O
for O
the O
flood O
victims O
must O
be O
completed O
in O
all O
flood O
- O
ravaged O
areas O
within O
three B-T
months I-T
. O

During O
a O
three O
- O
hour O
meeting O
with O
Cabinet O
ministers O
and O
15 O
central O
province O
governors O
at O
a O
Monday B-T
videoconference O
, O
the O
premier O
ordered O
government O
agencies O
to O
speed O
up O
assistance O
to O
flood O
victims O
and O
disburse O
compensation O
as O
appropriate O
. O

Farmers O
whose O
lands O
carried O
excess O
waters O
to O
relieve O
Bangkok O
' O
s O
flood O
threat O
will O
be O
given O
a O
high O
priority O
. O
He O
set O
a O
deadline O
to O
finish O
the O
task O
within O
three B-T
months I-T
, O
starting O
from O
November B-T
15 I-T
. O

Surayud O
suggested O
to O
adopt O
raft O
- O
building O
techniques O
for O
houses O
in O
flood O
- O
prone O
areas O
so O
that O
in O
case O
of O
future O
floods O
the O
houses O
can O
float O
during O
high O
water O
periods O
. O

The O
prime O
minister O
instructed O
the O
Armed O
Forces O
Development O
Command O
( O
AFDC O
) O
to O
apply O
its O
engineering O
expertise O
to O
major O
projects O
, O
and O
told O
officials O
to O
publicize O
governmental O
assistance O
so O
the O
public O
knows O
the O
government O
is O
serious O
about O
helping O
the O
people O
. O

Permanent O
Secretary O
for O
Interior O
Pongpayom O
Wasaputi O
said O
his O
ministry O
will O
ask O
the O
Cabinet O
Tuesday O
to O
urgently O
pay O
25 O
percent O
of O
compensation O
money O
to O
villagers O
affected O
by O
the O
floods O
. O

If O
the O
Cabinet O
gives O
the O
go O
ahead O
, O
the O
government O
can O
proceed O
to O
pay O
the O
first O
round O
of O
compensation O
to O
flood O
victims O
immediately O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Surayud O
also O
set O
up O
a O
committee O
to O
direct O
and O
follow O
- O
up O
assistance O
to O
flood O
victims O
, O
Government O
Spokesman O
Yongyuth O
Mayalarp O
told O
the O
Thai O
News O
Agency O
after O
the O
meeting O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0126 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesian O
share O
index O
touches O
1 O
, O
600 O
level O

The O
composite O
index O
in O
the O
Jakarta O
Stock O
Exchange O
breached O
the O
1 O
, O
600 O
points O
level O
for O
the O
first O
time O
ever O
Thursday B-T
supported O
by O
significant O
gains O
in O
banking O
shares O
. O

The O
index O
rose O
by O
17 O
. O
8 O
points O
or O
1 O
. O
1 O
percent O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
607 O
. O
7 O
points O
. O

Turnovers O
totaled O
1 O
. O
8 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
2 O
. O
26 O
trillion O
rupiah O
( O
248 O
. O
5 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

Gainers O
led O
losers O
80 O
to O
40 O
, O
with O
70 O
other O
issues O
left O
unchanged O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0351 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
, O
ADDS O
commentary O
/ O
/ O
/ O

US O
inflation O
made O
a O
surprise O
comeback O
in O
November B-T
with O
a O
surprising O
2 O
. O
0 O
percent O
rise O
in O
wholesale O
prices O
, O
the O
biggest O
monthly O
jump O
in O
30 B-T
years I-T
, O
the O
government O
reported O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
Labor O
Department O
' O
s O
producer O
price O
index O
( O
PPI O
) O
was O
far O
ahead O
of O
Wall O
Street O
expectations O
of O
a O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
rise O
and O
showed O
strong O
increases O
in O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
goods O
. O

The O
core O
index O
, O
which O
excludes O
volatile O
food O
and O
energy O
prices O
, O
was O
up O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
- O
- O
the O
largest O
increase O
in O
more O
than O
25 O
years O
- O
- O
against O
expectations O
of O
a O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
rise O
. O

The O
surprise O
jump O
in O
prices O
challenges O
expectations O
from O
economists O
and O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
that O
inflation O
is O
under O
control O
. O

But O
some O
analysts O
said O
the O
increase O
may O
be O
a O
one O
- O
month O
quirk O
. O

" O
The O
November O
increases O
in O
producer O
prices O
should O
not O
be O
viewed O
with O
alarm O
, O
because O
of O
past O
monthly O
declines O
, O
" O
said O
Peter O
Morici O
, O
economist O
at O
the O
University O
of O
Maryland O
. O

" O
Over O
the B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
producer O
prices O
, O
including O
food O
and O
energy O
, O
have O
risen O
only O
0 O
. O
9 O
percent O
, O
and O
consumer O
price O
inflation O
is O
likely O
to O
moderate O
through O
the B-T
early I-T
months I-T
of I-T
2007 I-T
. O
" O

Because O
the O
PPI O
fell O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, O
some O
said O
the O
latest O
report O
simply O
smoothes O
out O
the O
bumps O
. O

" O
The O
two B-T
months I-T
are O
best O
viewed O
as O
a O
net O
0 O
. O
4 O
percent O
increase O
, O
or O
about O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
per O
month O
, O
" O
said O
analysts O
at O
Briefing O
. O
com O
. O
" O
This O
doesn O
' O
t O
change O
the O
overall O
outlook O
for O
consumer O
inflation O
. O
" O

The O
latest O
report O
showed O
energy O
prices O
rose O
6 O
. O
1 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
sharpest O
gain O
since O
February B-T
2003 I-T
, O
just O
before O
the O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
of O
Iraq O
. O
Within O
the O
sector O
, O
gasoline O
prices O
rose O
17 O
. O
9 O
percent O
, O
the O
biggest O
increase O
since O
June B-T
2000 I-T
. O

Light O
truck O
prices O
rose O
a O
record O
13 O
. O
7 O
percent O
, O
shattering O
the O
prior O
record O
set O
in O
July B-T
1980 I-T
, O
when O
truck O
prices O
rose O
4 O
. O
9 O
percent O
. O

Intermediate O
goods O
, O
which O
are O
partially O
processed O
materials O
, O
rose O
0 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
sharpest O
rise O
since O
May B-T
. O

The O
PPI O
report O
is O
one O
factor O
considered O
by O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
, O
which O
has O
held O
its O
base O
rate O
steady O
since O
August B-T
but O
has O
warned O
it O
may O
hike O
rates O
again O
if O
inflation O
remains O
a O
problem O
. O

Some O
analysts O
say O
the O
Fed O
is O
in O
a O
bind O
because O
inflation O
remains O
troublesome O
despite O
soft O
economic O
growth O
. O

But O
Stephen O
Gallagher O
at O
Societe O
Generale O
said O
that O
the O
PPI O
report O
was O
skewed O
by O
energy O
costs O
and O
auto O
prices O
at O
the O
wholesale O
level O
that O
may O
not O
affect O
consumers O
. O

" O
Auto O
and O
light O
truck O
prices O
are O
soft O
at O
the O
consumer O
level O
and O
will O
remain O
soft O
for O
some O
time O
as O
auto O
companies O
work O
down O
currently O
excessive O
inventory O
positions O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
The O
core O
we O
should O
be O
watching O
is O
ex O
- O
motor O
vehicles O
at O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
This O
is O
what O
the O
Fed O
will O
consider O
and O
the O
Fed O
will O
view O
auto O
prices O
as O
tame O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0196 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
lead O
: O
Iran O
test O
fires O
three O
new O
models O
of O
missiles O
in O
drills O

Iran O
' O
s O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
test O
fired O
three O
new O
models O
of O
missiles O
in O
the O
ongoing O
military O
exercises O
in O
the O
Gulf O
region O
, O
the O
state O
- O
run O
television O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
television O
footage O
showed O
the O
missiles O
were O
fired O
from O
mobile O
launching O
carriers O
on O
the O
shore O
and O
from O
warships O
, O
and O
the O
missiles O
hit O
the O
targets O
successfully O
. O

According O
to O
the O
report O
, O
the O
new O
types O
of O
missiles O
, O
dubbed O
Nasr O
, O
Noor O
and O
Kowsar O
, O
had O
been O
extended O
of O
their O
range O
and O
now B-T
could O
cover O
a O
range O
of O
170 O
km O
. O

The O
missiles O
are O
made O
by O
Iran O
itself O
and O
could O
be O
used O
in O
land O
- O
to O
- O
sea O
or O
sea O
- O
to O
- O
sea O
warfare O
, O
and O
due O
to O
the O
extension O
of O
their O
range O
, O
the O
missiles O
are O
able O
to O
hit O
all O
potential O
targets O
anywhere O
in O
the O
Gulf O
region O
and O
in O
the O
sea O
of O
Oman O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

" O
The O
missiles O
are O
suitable O
to O
cover O
all O
the O
Strait O
of O
Hormuz O
, O
the O
Gulf O
and O
the O
sea O
of O
Oman O
, O
" O
said O
Admiral O
Sardar O
Fadavi O
, O
the O
deputy O
navy O
chief O
of O
the O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
. O

Iran O
started O
a O
new O
round O
of O
military O
maneuvers O
Thursday B-T
, O
during O
which O
the O
Revolutionary O
Guards O
also O
test O
fired O
ballistic O
Shahab O
- O
3 O
missiles O
with O
a O
range O
of O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
000 O
km O
. O

Major O
General O
Seyed O
Yahya O
Rahim O
Safavi O
, O
commander O
- O
in O
- O
chief O
of O
the O
Revolution O
Guards O
, O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
10 O
- O
day O
military O
maneuvers O
, O
dubbed O
" O
The O
Great O
Prophet O
2 O
, O
" O
would O
be O
carried O
out O
in O
the O
Gulf O
waters O
, O
the O
sea O
of O
Oman O
and O
14 O
provinces O
of O
the O
country O
. O

But O
he O
did O
not O
disclose O
the O
number O
of O
Iranian O
troops O
participating O
the O
drills O
. O

Iran O
' O
s O
maneuver O
was O
carried O
out O
shortly O
after O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
led O
naval O
forces O
staged O
a O
two O
- O
day O
maneuver O
in O
the O
Gulf O
waters O
aimed O
at O
blocking O
smuggling O
of O
nuclear O
weaponry O
material O
and O
arms O
proliferation O
. O

Iranian O
government O
spokesman O
Gholam O
- O
Hossein O
Elham O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
foreign O
military O
forces O
should O
not O
damage O
Gulf O
peace O
, O
saying O
durable O
peace O
and O
security O
would O
be O
restored O
through O
collective O
cooperation O
of O
all O
countries O
of O
the O
region O
. O

This O
is O
the O
third O
round O
of O
military O
exercise O
in O
Iran O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
country O
launched O
a O
large O
- O
scale O
military O
maneuver O
named O
" O
Zolfaghar O
Blow O
" O
in O
August B-T
, O
and O
the O
other O
drill O
named O
" O
The O
Great O
Prophet O
1 O
" O
was O
also O
staged O
in O
April B-T
, O
during O
which O
Iranian O
army O
said O
that O
it O
tested O
advanced O
weapons O
including O
missiles O
and O
torpedoes O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0372 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Annan O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
unrest O
in O
Iraq O
is O
" O
much O
worse O
" O
than O
a O
civil O
war O
, O
United O
Nations O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
told O
the O
BBC O
in O
an O
interview O
to O
be O
broadcast O
Monday B-T
. O

He O
said O
some O
Iraqis O
rightly O
thought O
they O
were O
worse O
off O
than O
under O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
ousted O
from O
power O
after O
US O
- O
led O
forces O
invaded O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
. O

The O
UN O
chief O
voiced O
his O
regrets O
over O
the O
invasion O
, O
saying O
it O
could O
have O
been O
stopped O
had O
UN O
weapons O
inspectors O
been O
given O
more O
time O
to O
conduct O
their O
work O
, O
and O
he O
added O
that O
the O
wounds O
had O
still O
not O
healed O
in O
the O
UN O
. O

Turning O
to O
Iran O
, O
Annan O
said O
the O
UN O
needed O
to O
do O
whatever O
it O
could O
to O
resolve O
the O
stand O
- O
off O
over O
Tehran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
programme O
through O
negotiations O
. O

And O
the O
Ghanaian O
vowed O
to O
prioritise O
Darfur O
in O
his O
final B-T
month I-T
in O
office O
, O
even O
though O
the O
international O
community O
had O
neither O
" O
the O
resources O
or O
the O
will O
" O
to O
confront O
the O
crisis O
in O
the O
western O
region O
of O
Sudan O
. O

On O
the O
sectarian O
violence O
between O
Sunni O
and O
Shiite O
Muslims O
in O
Iraq O
, O
Annan O
said O
: O
" O
When O
we O
had O
the O
strife O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
other O
places O
, O
we O
called O
that O
a O
civil O
war O
- O
- O
this O
is O
much O
worse O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Last B-T
Tuesday I-T
, O
Annan O
had O
suggested O
that O
the O
international O
community O
hold O
a O
broad O
- O
based O
international O
peace O
conference O
to O
find O
a O
way O
out O
of O
the O
vicious O
struggle O
that O
has O
plunged O
Iraq O
into O
bloodshed O
. O

But O
Iraqi O
President O
Jalal O
Talabani O
on O
Sunday B-T
rejected O
the O
idea O
, O
apparently O
leaving O
it O
dead O
in O
the O
water O
. O

" O
It O
is O
an O
extremely O
dangerous O
situation O
and O
I O
think O
we O
all O
are O
interested O
in O
getting O
Iraq O
right O
and O
we O
would O
want O
to O
get O
it O
right O
, O
but O
the O
Iraqis O
will O
have O
to O
come O
together O
and O
make O
it O
happen O
, O
" O
Annan O
said O
. O

" O
They O
are O
going O
to O
need O
help O
; O
given O
the O
killings O
and O
the O
bitterness O
I O
' O
m O
not O
sure O
they O
can O
do O
it O
alone O
. O
They O
would O
need O
help O
from O
the O
international O
community O
and O
their O
neighbours O
. O
" O

He O
added O
: O
" O
I O
really O
believed O
that O
we O
could O
have O
stopped O
the O
war O
and O
that O
if O
we O
had O
worked O
a O
bit O
harder O
, O
given O
the O
inspectors O
a O
bit O
more O
time O
, O
we O
could O
have O
. O
" O

Citizens O
who O
say O
conditions O
were O
better O
under O
president O
Saddam O
" O
are O
right O
in O
the O
sense O
of O
the O
average O
Iraqi O
' O
s O
life O
" O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
If O
I O
were O
an O
average O
Iraqi O
obviously O
I O
would O
make O
the O
same O
comparison O
, O
that O
they O
had O
a O
dictator O
who O
was O
brutal O
but O
they O
had O
their O
streets O
, O
they O
could O
go O
out O
, O
their O
kids O
could O
go O
to O
school O
and O
come O
back O
home O
without O
a O
mother O
or O
father O
worrying O
, O
' O
Am O
I O
going O
to O
see O
my O
child O
again O
? O
' O

" O
And O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
has O
not O
been O
able O
to O
bring O
the O
violence O
under O
control O
. O
The O
society O
needs O
security O
and O
a O
secure O
environment O
for O
it O
to O
get O
on O
- O
- O
without O
security O
not O
much O
can O
be O
done O
- O
- O
not O
recovery O
or O
reconstruction O
. O
" O

Asked O
about O
the O
impasse O
in O
negotiations O
over O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
programme O
and O
the O
chances O
of O
military O
action O
, O
Annan O
said O
he O
did O
not O
think O
the O
Middle O
East O
could O
" O
take O
another O
crisis O
" O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
in O
a O
very O
precarious O
and O
delicate O
state O
at O
this O
moment O
and O
I O
have O
indicated O
quite O
clearly O
that O
on O
the O
Iranian O
issue O
we O
need O
to O
do O
whatever O
we O
can O
to O
get O
a O
negotiated O
solution O
and O
that O
, O
in O
my O
mind O
, O
is O
the O
only O
one O
. O
" O

A O
military O
solution O
would O
be O
" O
extremely O
unwise O
for O
that O
country O
and O
for O
the O
world O
and O
everything O
should O
be O
done O
to O
stop O
it O
. O
" O

Turning O
to O
Darfur O
, O
where O
ethnic O
violence O
has O
killed O
hundreds O
of O
thousands O
of O
people O
and O
left O
millions O
homeless O
, O
Annan O
said O
the O
situation O
was O
" O
deeply O
disappointing O
" O
as O
Khartoum O
has O
rejected O
a O
plan O
to O
allow O
UN O
peacekeepers O
in O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
tragic O
but O
we O
do O
not O
have O
the O
resources O
or O
the O
will O
to O
confront O
the O
situation O
- O
- O
as O
in O
, O
if O
you O
did O
it O
, O
would O
you O
make O
the O
situation O
worse O
, O
or O
would O
it O
be O
better O
? O
" O

He O
said O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
would O
be O
held O
" O
individually O
and O
collectively O
responsible O
for O
what O
is O
happening O
and O
what O
happens O
" O
. O

Annan O
' O
s O
second O
term O
in O
office O
expires O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
when O
former O
South O
Korean O
foreign O
minister O
Ban O
Ki O
- O
Moon O
will O
take O
over O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0454 O

MOSCOW O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Itochu O
to O
build O
electricity O
, O
gas O
plants O
for O
Caspian O
oil O
project O

Japanese O
trading O
house O
Itochu O
Corp O
. O
will O
soon O
start O
building O
an O
electricity O
generating O
plant O
and O
gas O
compressor O
station O
at O
two O
Azerbaijani O
oilfields O
in O
the O
Caspian O
Sea O
region O
, O
the O
Azerbaijani O
news O
agency O
Turan O
reported O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
generating O
plant O
at O
the O
Neft O
Dashlary O
offshore O
field O
will O
cost O
some O
60 O
million O
dollars O
, O
which O
will O
be O
covered O
by O
a O
Japanese O
government O
credit O
, O
a O
senior O
manager O
at O
the O
Azerbaijani O
national O
oil O
company O
SOCAR O
said O
. O

The O
gas O
compressor O
station O
at O
the O
Bakhare O
field O
will O
cost O
around O
100 O
million O
dollars O
, O
covered O
by O
a O
Japanese O
Export O
- O
Import O
Bank O
credit O
. O

In O
March B-T
1996 I-T
Itochu O
announced O
it O
would O
take O
a O
2 O
. O
45 O
percent O
stake O
in O
a O
multi O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
international O
project O
to O
develop O
Azerbaijani O
offshore O
oilfields O
. O

British O
Petroleum O
and O
Amoco O
hold O
the O
largest O
stakes O
in O
the O
contract O
, O
worth O
more O
than O
10 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
which O
was O
signed O
in O
September B-T
1994 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0206 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Yunnan O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
on O
Tuesday B-T
confirmed O
bird O
flu O
outbreaks O
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
and O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Ningxia O
Hui O
Autonomous O
Region O
, O
and O
southwest O
China O
' O
s O
Yunnan O
Province O
. O

It O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
38 O
fouls O
died O
last B-T
Wednesday I-T
in O
the O
Dabancheng O
district O
of O
Urumqi O
city O
in O
Xinjiang O
and O
they O
were O
confirmed O
by O
a O
state O
avian O
flu O
lab O
as O
H5N1 O
subtype O
highly O
pathogenic O
bird O
flu O
cases O
. O

Separately O
, O
the O
same O
kind O
of O
bird O
flu O
killed O
2 O
, O
500 O
poultry O
in O
Chuxiong O
city O
of O
Yunnan O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
disease O
also O
killed O
230 O
poultry O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
Yinchuan O
, O
capital O
of O
Ningxia O
. O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
has O
sent O
teams O
of O
experts O
to O
help O
control O
the O
disease O
, O
and O
local O
veterinary O
departments O
have O
culled O
the O
poultry O
within O
three O
kilometers O
of O
the O
affected O
area O
. O
They O
have O
culled O
8 O
, O
388 O
fouls O
in O
Xinjiang O
, O
99 O
, O
400 O
in O
Yunnan O
and O
66 O
, O
800 O
in O
Ningxia O
respectively O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0248 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Democrats O
to O
push O
for O
troop O
cuts O
within O
months O
: O
report O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Democratic O
leaders O
in O
the O
Senate O
have O
vowed O
to O
use O
their O
new O
congressional O
majority O
to O
press O
for O
troop O
reductions O
in O
Iraq O
within O
months B-T
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
media O
reported O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
Democrats O
- O
the O
incoming O
majority O
leader O
, O
Senator O
Harry O
Reid O
; O
the O
incoming O
Armed O
Services O
Committee O
chairman O
, O
Senator O
Carl O
Levin O
; O
and O
the O
incoming O
Foreign O
Relations O
Committee O
chairman O
, O
Senator O
Joseph O
R O
. O
Biden O
- O
said O
Sunday B-T
that O
a O
phased O
redeployment O
of O
troops O
would O
be O
their O
top O
priority O
when O
the O
new O
Congress O
convenes O
in O
January B-T
, O
even O
before O
an O
investigation O
of O
the O
conduct O
of O
the O
war O
. O

" O
We O
need O
to O
begin O
a O
phased O
redeployment O
of O
forces O
from O
Iraq O
in O
four B-T
to I-T
six I-T
months I-T
, O
" O
Levin O
said O
in O
an O
appearance O
on O
the O
ABC O
News O
program O
" O
This B-T
Week I-T
. O
" O

Reid O
also O
said O
on O
CBS O
television O
that O
U O
. O
S O
. O
troop O
redeployment O
from O
Iraq O
should O
start O
within O
the B-T
next I-T
few I-T
months I-T
. O

The O
White O
House O
has O
said O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
was O
open O
to O
" O
fresh O
ideas O
, O
" O
but O
chief O
of O
staff O
Joshua O
Bolten O
said O
he O
could O
not O
envision O
the O
White O
House O
signing O
on O
to O
a O
plan O
setting O
a O
timetable O
for O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
troops O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
we O
' O
re O
going O
to O
be O
receptive O
to O
the O
notion O
there O
' O
s O
a O
fixed O
timetable O
at O
which O
we O
automatically O
pull O
out O
, O
because O
that O
could O
be O
a O
true O
disaster O
for O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
. O
But O
what O
we O
' O
ve O
always O
been O
prepared O
to O
do O
, O
and O
remain O
prepared O
to O
do O
, O
is O
indeed O
what O
Senators O
Levin O
and O
Biden O
were O
talking O
about O
, O
is O
put O
pressure O
on O
the O
Iraqi O
government O
to O
take O
over O
themselves O
, O
" O
he O
told O
the O
ABC O
television O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
a O
bipartisan O
panel O
, O
the O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
, O
headed O
by O
former O
secretary O
of O
state O
James O
A O
. O
Baker O
III O
, O
a O
Republican O
, O
and O
Lee O
Hamilton O
, O
a O
Democratic O
former O
congressman O
, O
would O
meet O
Bush O
and O
members O
of O
his O
foreign O
policy O
team O
to O
begin O
its O
final O
round O
of O
interviews O
. O

The O
group O
, O
which O
will O
also O
interview O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
by O
videoconference O
and O
meet O
with O
Democratic O
foreign O
policy O
leaders O
, O
is O
expected O
to O
make O
recommendations O
on O
the O
government O
' O
s O
Iraq O
policy O
, O
probably O
next B-T
month I-T
or I-T
early I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0360 O

PERTH O
, O
Australia O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Former O
Australian O
health O
minister O
charged O
with O
perjury O
: O
report O

Former O
Australian O
health O
minister O
Carmen O
Lawrence O
has O
been O
charged O
with O
three O
counts O
of O
perjury O
, O
the O
Australian O
Broadcasting O
Corporation O
( O
ABC O
) O
reported O
here O
Monday B-T
night I-T
. O

The O
charges O
arise O
out O
of O
evidence O
Lawrence O
, O
one O
of O
Australia O
' O
s O
best O
known O
female O
politicians O
, O
gave O
to O
a O
royal O
commission O
examining O
the O
circumstances O
surrounding O
a O
controversial O
petition O
tabled O
in O
the O
Western O
Australian O
state O
parliament O
in O
1992 B-T
. O
Lawyer O
Penny O
Easton O
, O
who O
was O
named O
in O
the O
petition O
, O
committed O
suicide O
four B-T
days I-T
after O
it O
was O
tabled O
. O

Lawrence O
was O
premier O
of O
the O
state O
before O
entering O
federal O
politics O
. O

The O
ABC O
reported O
Lawrence O
was O
deeply O
distressed O
by O
the O
decision O
to O
charge O
her O
and O
maintained O
she O
had O
done O
nothing O
wrong O
. O

It O
quoted O
her O
as O
saying O
that O
since O
she O
was O
innocent O
she O
had O
every O
confidence O
of O
being O
vindicated O
in O
court O
. O

Lawrence O
said O
she O
would O
stand O
down O
from O
her O
Labor O
Party O
' O
s O
opposition O
front O
bench O
in O
Canberra O
but O
would O
not O
resign O
from O
parliament O
, O
it O
added O
. O

A O
Western O
Australian O
state O
member O
of O
parliament O
, O
John O
Halden O
, O
has O
also O
been O
charged O
with O
one O
count O
of O
perjury O
arising O
from O
the O
royal O
commission O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

Lawrence O
and O
Halden O
will O
appear O
at O
the O
Perth O
Court O
of O
Petty O
Sessions O
Thursday B-T
. O

It O
was O
not O
clear O
whether O
Lawrence O
had O
been O
arrested O
or O
charged O
by O
summons O
and O
no O
further O
details O
were O
immediately O
available O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0357 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Please O
withdraw O
the O
" O
Dutch O
- O
Household O
- O
Consumption O
" O
story O

Please O
withdraw O
the O
Dutch O
story O
headlined O
" O
Dutch O
household O
consumption O
keeps O
rising O
amid O
economic O
recovery O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0247 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Briton O
Mansell O
wins O
S O
. O
Africa O
' O
s O
Grand O
Prix O
Masters O

Britain O
' O
s O
former O
Formula O
1 O
racer O
Nigel O
Mansell O
edged O
out O
Brazilian O
Emerson O
Fittipaldi O
by O
a O
fraction O
of O
a O
second O
to O
win O
the O
inaugural O
South O
African O
Grand O
Prix O
Masters O
at O
the O
Kyalami O
race O
track O
in O
Johannesburg O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Mansell O
was O
pushed O
all O
the O
way O
by O
his O
fellow O
former O
Formula O
1 O
World O
Champion O
and O
crossed O
the O
line O
in O
a O
time O
of O
50 O
minutes O
55 O
. O
154 O
seconds O
, O
reported O
the O
SAPA O
news O
agency O
. O

Fittipaldi O
, O
who O
won O
the O
F1 O
Championship O
in O
1972 B-T
and O
1974 B-T
, O
followed O
just O
0 B-T
. I-T
408 I-T
seconds I-T
later I-T
. O
Italy O
' O
s O
Ricardo O
Patrese O
completed O
the O
podium O
when O
he O
was O
next O
past O
the O
chequered O
flag O
in O
51 B-T
minutes I-T
15 I-T
. I-T
816 I-T
seconds I-T
. O

Mansell O
, O
the O
pre O
- O
race O
favourite O
, O
was O
clearly O
overjoyed O
at O
his O
success O
. O

" O
It O
was O
unbelievable O
, O
I O
tried O
to O
pull O
away O
from O
Emerson O
but O
he O
kept O
coming O
at O
me O
, O
" O
Mansell O
said O
. O

" O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
have O
the O
traction O
around O
the O
corners O
to O
pull O
away O
. O
What O
a O
race O
, O
what O
a O
race O
. O
He O
almost O
got O
me O
at O
the O
end O
but O
I O
hung O
on O
. O
" O

Fittipaldi O
, O
who O
also O
won O
the O
Indycar O
Series O
in O
1989 B-T
and O
1993 B-T
, O
was O
full O
of O
admiration O
for O
Mansell O
' O
s O
drive O
. O

" O
Nigel O
made O
no O
mistakes O
. O
It O
was O
a O
fantastic O
display O
of O
driving O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Sunday B-T
' O
s O
Grand O
Prix O
Masters O
race O
was O
the O
first O
race O
of O
its O
kind O
for O
former O
F1 O
drivers O
over O
the O
age O
of O
45 O
and O
there O
were O
more O
than O
70 O
, O
000 O
fans O
in O
attendance O
. O

While O
Mansell O
and O
Fittipaldi O
were O
the O
only O
world O
champions O
taking O
part O
- O
- O
Australia O
' O
s O
1980 O
winner O
Alan O
Jones O
withdrew O
on O
the O
eve O
of O
the O
event O
- O
- O
the O
14 O
drivers O
in O
the O
race O
were O
some O
of O
the O
true O
legends O
of O
the O
sport O
and O
the O
performance O
they O
put O
on O
was O
appreciated O
by O
all O
, O
the O
SAPA O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0267 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Over O
96 O
percent O
Pakistani O
quake O
victims O
get O
housing O
compensation O
: O
official O

More O
than O
96 O
percent O
of O
quake O
affectees O
in O
northern O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
quake O
- O
hit O
areas O
have O
been O
given O
compensation O
for O
housing O
, O
a O
senior O
official O
of O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
Earthquake O
Rehabilitation O
and O
Reconstruction O
Authority O
( O
ERRA O
) O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
construction O
of O
over O
200 O
, O
000 O
houses O
was O
under O
progress O
in O
various O
quake O
affected O
areas O
while O
the O
reconstruction O
work O
of O
all O
the O
600 O
, O
000 O
damaged O
houses O
would O
be O
completed O
by O
2008 O
, O
said O
Nadeem O
Ahmed O
, O
Deputy O
Chairman O
of O
ERRA O
, O
while O
addressing O
newsmen O
in O
Islamabad O
. O

ERRA O
has O
prepared O
a O
comprehensive O
plan O
for O
the O
quake O
survivors O
living O
in O
41 O
camps O
in O
Pakistan O
- O
controlled O
Kashmir O
and O
three O
camps O
in O
North O
West O
Frontier O
Province O
( O
NWFP O
) O
to O
provide O
them O
best O
possible O
protection O
during O
the O
coming O
cold O
season O
, O
Nadeem O
said O
, O
while O
answering O
a O
question O
. O

A O
7 O
. O
6 O
- O
magnitude O
earthquake O
struck O
South O
Asia O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
, O
leaving O
over O
73 O
, O
000 O
people O
dead O
and O
some O
3 O
. O
5 O
million O
homeless O
in O
Pakistan O
- O
controlled O
Kashmir O
and O
NWFP O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0192 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Beijing O
unveils O
2008 O
Olympic O
mascots O
( O
updated O
3 O
) O

by O
Sportswriter O
Gao O
Peng O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
To O
the O
surprise O
of O
all O
, O
Beijing O
unveiled O
a O
set O
of O
five O
doll O
mascots O
for O
the O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
Friday B-T
evening I-T
, I-T
exactly I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
000 I-T
days I-T
before O
the O
event O
' O
s O
opening O
ceremony O
. O

The O
long O
- O
anticipated O
mascots O
, O
which O
embody O
the O
natural O
characteristics O
of O
four O
of O
China O
' O
s O
popular O
animals O
- O
- O
the O
Fish O
, O
the O
Panda O
, O
the O
Tibetan O
Antelope O
, O
the O
Swallow O
- O
- O
and O
the O
Olympic O
Flame O
, O

were O
presented O
at O
a O
televised O
grand O
ceremony O
inside O
the O
Workers O
' O
Gymnasium O
. O

It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
that O
more O
than O
three O
images O
share O
Summer O
Olympic O
mascot O
duty O
. O
The O
2000 O
Sydney O
Games O
featured O
three O
animal O
mascots O
- O
- O
Olly O
the O
Kookaburra O
, O
Syd O
the O
Platypus O
and O
Millie O
the O
Spiny O
Anteater O
. O

" O
We O
decided O
to O
produce O
five O
mascots O
instead O
of O
one O
, O
because O
we O
think O
no O
single O
figure O
can O
embody O
China O
' O
s O
profound O
and O
diversified O

culture O
, O
" O
said O
Han O
Meilin O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
mascto O
designers O
' O
group O
. O

Each O
of O
the O
Beijing O
Olympic O
mascots O
has O
a O
rhyming O
two O
- O
syllable O
name O
- O
- O
a O
traditional O
way O
of O
expressing O
affection O
for O
children O
in O
China O
. O
Beibei O
is O
the O
Fish O
, O
Jingjing O
is O
the O
Panda O
, O
Huanhuan O
is O
the O
Olympic O
Flame O
, O
Yingying O
is O
the O
Tibetan O
antelope O
and O
Nini O
is O
the O
Swallow O
. O

When O
their O
names O
are O
put O
together O
- O
- O
Bei O
Jing O
Huan O
Ying O
Ni O
- O
- O
they O
say O
" O
Welcome O
to O
Beijing O
" O
. O

The O
five O
elements O
of O
nature O
- O
- O
the O
sea O
, O
forest O
, O
fire O
, O
earth O
and O

sky O
- O
- O
can O
be O
found O
in O
their O
origins O
and O
headpieces O
, O
all O
stylistically O
rendered O
in O
ways O
that O
represent O
the O
deep O
traditional O

influences O
of O
Chinese O
folk O
art O
and O
ornamentation O
. O

Each O
of O
the O
mascots O
also O
symbolizes O
a O
different O
blessing O
- O
- O
prosperity O
, O
happiness O
, O
passion O
, O
health O
and O
good O
luck O
. O

International O
Olympic O
Committee O
( O
IOC O
) O
president O
Jacques O
Rogge O
sent O
a O
letter O
of O
congratulation O
to O
the O
BOCOG O
. O

" O
China O
is O
lucky O
to O
have O
so O
many O
beautiful O
animals O
to O
represent O
the O
Olympic O
spirit O
, O
" O
said O
Rogge O
in O
the O
letter O
. O

" O
I O
love O
them O
all O
. O
And O
I O
am O
delighted O
that O
they O
will O
carry O
traditional O
Chinese O
blessings O
all O
over O
the O
world O
. O

" O
I O
believe O
that O
this O
little O
group O
of O
friends O
- O
- O
the O
carp O
, O
the O
panda O
, O
the O
flame O
, O
the O
antelope O
and O
the O
swallow O
- O
- O
will O
be O
extremely O
popular O
and O
will O
help O
to O
spread O
Olympic O
messages O
throughout O
the O
world O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Many O
ordinary O
citizens O
expressed O
their O
surprise O
at O
the O
number O
of O
the O
mascots O
. O

" O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
expect O
that O
there O
will O
five O
mascots O
. O
It O
' O
s O
a O
big O
surprise O
, O
" O
said O
Henry O
Mok O
, O
a O
Candian O
- O
Chinese O
who O
works O
in O
Beijing O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
bit O
surprising O
( O
to O
have O
five O
mascots O
) O
, O
but O
if O
you O
look O
at O
them O
as O
a O
whole O
, O
they O
are O
more O
complete O
than O
any O
single O
image O
, O
" O

said O
Li O
Xiang O
, O
a O
public O
servant O
. O

The O
unveiling O
of O
the O
Beijing O
Olympic O
mascots O
also O
ended O
a B-T
year O
- O
long O
race O
of O
hundreds O
of O
candidates O
. O

Since O
the O
Beijing O
Organizing O
Committee O
for O
the O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
( O
BOCOG O
) O
launched O
a O
worldwide O
solicitation O
in O
August B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
competition O
was O
hot O
as O
a O
handful O
of O
areas O
were O
vying O
to O
have O
their O

local O
symbols O
picked O
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
western O
Qinghai O
province O
was O
pushing O
the O
endangered O
Tibetan O
antelope O
. O
Fujian O
province O
presented O
the O
South O
China O
tiger O
. O
Gansu O
favored O
the O
mythical O
dragon O
and O
Jiangsu O
promoted O
the O
legendary O
Monkey O
King O
. O

Dozens O
of O
artists O
and O
designers O
were O
called O
to O
cut O
the O
initial O
list O
of O
mascot O
entrants O
from O
662 O
to O
56 O
and O
finally O
to O
six O
, O
with O
the O
final O
choice O
selected O
by O
the O
BOCOG O
. O
The O
IOC O
approved O
the O
choice O
in O

August B-T
. O

The O
first O
mascot O
to O
appear O
at O
an O
Olympics O
was O
in O
the O
1968 B-T
Winter I-T
Games O
in O
Grenoble O
, O
France O
. O
But O
Schuss O
the O
skier O
was O
not O
official O
. O
The O
first O
official O
mascot O
was O
Waldi O
the O
Dachshund O
, O
who O
appeared O
at O
the O
Munich O
Summer O
Games O
in O
1972 B-T
. O

Mascots O
are O
the O
most O
marketable O
symbols O
in O
the O
Olympics O
business O
. O
The O
choice O
is O
important O
as O
sales O
of O
licensed O
products O
and O
helps O
organizers O
defray O
costs O
. O

More O
than O
300 O
kinds O
of O
licensed O
products O
bearing O
the O
mascot O
will O
go O
on O
sale O
at O
188 O
authorized O
shops O
across O
China O
the O
day O
after O
the O
announcement O
, O
with O
prices O
ranging O
from O
one O
US O
dollar O
for O
a O
pen O
to O
thousands O
of O
dollars O
for O
a O
medal O
. O

" O
The O
launch O
of O
the O
mascot O
will O
push O
sales O
of O
Olympic O
products O
to O
new O
heights O
, O
" O
said O
Lai O
Ming O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
BOCOG O
' O
s O
marketing O

department O
. O

" O
We O
believe O
the O
sales O
volume O
will O
be O
bigger O
than O
the O
previous O
Olympic O
Games O
. O
" O

Phevos O
and O
Athena O
, O
the O
big O
- O
footed O
sibling O
mascots O
of O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Athens O
Olympics O
, O
generated O
profits O
of O
over O
200 O
million O
US O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0204 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

NASA O
delays O
launch O
of O
space O
station O
for O
one O
year O

NASA O
has O
decided O
to O
delay O
the O
launch O
of O
a O
future O
international O
space O
station O
for O
one B-T
year I-T
and O
needs O
an O
extra O
200 O
million O
dollars O
to O
replace O
a O
key O
Russian O
component O
that O
has O
fallen O
behind O
. O

The O
new O
target O
date O
for O
the O
first O
launch O
is O
" O
no O
later O
than O
October B-T
1998 I-T
, O
" O
NASA O
Space O
Flight O
Director O
Wilbur O
Trafton O
told O
the O
space O
subcommittee O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
additional O
200 O
million O
dollars O
to O
build O
a O
backup O
for O
the O
missing O
Russian O
service O
module O
, O
he O
said O
, O
will O
come O
from O
the O
US O
shuttle O
program O
, O
but O
a O
decision O
to O
build O
the O
substitute O
component O
will O
not O
be O
made O
until O
mid O
- O
May O
. O

The O
National O
Aeronautics O
and O
Space O
Administration O
( O
NASA O
) O
had O
planned O
to O
launch O
the O
first O
module O
of O
the O
43 O
billion O
dollar O
space O
station O
Alpha O
in O
November B-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

But O
the O
first O
sign O
the O
project O
would O
have O
to O
be O
delayed O
came O
in O
February B-T
when O
the O
Russian O
space O
agency O
announced O
it O
was O
postponing O
the O
launch O
of O
its O
part O
of O
the O
station O
for O
six B-T
or I-T
seven I-T
months I-T
. O

The O
Russian O
" O
cargo O
" O
module O
was O
going O
to O
transport O
construction O
equipment O
to O
build O
the O
international O
station O
, O
a O
project O
between O
Russia O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Japan O
and O
several O
European O
countries O
. O

Committee O
members O
were O
angered O
by O
Trafton O
' O
s O
announcement O
. O
Republican O
representative O
Dana O
Rohrabacher O
called O
Russian O
officials O
" O
dunderheads O
" O
and O
" O
nincompoops O
" O
for O
causing O
the O
year O
- O
long O
delay O
. O

The O
lawmakers O
were O
also O
displeased O
at O
Trafton O
' O
s O
plan O
to O
transfer O
money O
from O
the O
shuttle O
program O
for O
Alpha O
' O
s O
component O
, O
but O
the O
NASA O
official O
explained O
that O
it O
was O
necessary O
to O
avoid O
further O
delays O
. O

" O
To O
keep O
from O
shutting O
down O
the O
program O
today B-T
we O
need O
some O
additional O
funds O
today B-T
, O
" O
Trafton O
said O
. O
" O
For O
the O
lack O
of O
200 O
million O
today B-T
, O
we O
could O
end O
up O
costing O
ourselves O
several O
hundred O
million O
down O
the O
road O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0269 O

BERLIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

German O
stocks O
end O
higher O

German O
stocks O
ended O
higher O
on O
Tuesday B-T
on O
the O
Frankfurt O
market O
. O

The O
30 O
- O
share O
benchmark O
DAX O
Index O
surged O
0 O
. O
49 O
percent O
or O
31 O
. O
31 O
points O
to O
6 O
, O
361 O
. O
96 O
. O

The O
MDAX O
index O
of O
medium O
- O
sized O
companies O
gained O
0 O
. O
16 O
percent O
or O
14 O
. O
17 O
points O
to O
8 O
, O
815 O
. O
42 O
. O

The O
TecDAX O
index O
of O
technologies O
and O
science O
firms O
rose O
1 O
. O
80 O
percent O
or O
12 O
. O
50 O
points O
to O
705 O
. O
24 O
points O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0647 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

/ O
/ O
/ O

EU O
leaders O
agreed O
Thursday B-T
on O
the O
urgent O
need O
for O
a O
budget O
deal O
, O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
said O
after O
a O
first O
day O
of O
negotiations O
on O
the O
issue O
dividing O
the O
bloc O
. O

" O
We O
' O
re O
talking O
about O
money O
, O
we O
' O
re O
talking O
about O
very O
serious O
issues O
for O
a O
lot O
of O
countries O
and O
it O
' O
s O
going O
to O
be O
a O
difficult O
and O
tough O
negotiation O
, O
" O
Blair O
said O
after O
chairing O
a O
first O
round O
of O
talks O
at O
a O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
. O

" O
I O
think O
that O
everybody O
realises O
that O
if O
we O
are O
going O
to O
do O
a O
deal O
on O
the O
budget O
, O
it O
' O
s O
now B-T
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Wrangling O
over O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
budget O
broke O
off O
late O
Thursday B-T
with O
European O
leaders O
eagerly O
awaiting O
fresh O
proposals O
from O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
British O
presidency O
to O
break O
the O
gridlock O
. O

Blair O
indicated O
that O
Britain O
would O
present O
a O
set O
of O
fresh O
proposals O
, O
so O
long O
as O
there O
was O
a O
point O
in O
doing O
so O
. O

" O
Obviously O
we O
have O
anticipated O
doing O
that O
and O
said O
to O
people O
that O
we O
will O
, O
but O
there O
' O
s O
got O
to O
be O
a O
basis O
for O
agreement O
otherwise O
there O
' O
s O
no O
point O
in O
putting O
forward O
proposals O
. O
" O

Leaders O
had O
what O
some O
have O
called O
a O
" O
blunt O
" O
discussions O
over O
Britain O
' O
s O
existing O
proposals O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
even O
though O
they O
did O
not O
get O
into O
nitty O
- O
gritty O
haggling O
over O
concrete O
figures O
. O

A O
British O
source O
said O
: O
" O
It O
was O
a O
pretty O
tough O
discussion O
. O
The O
good O
thing O
is O
that O
people O
want O
to O
do O
a O
deal O
at O
this O
summit O
, O
" O
said O
a O
British O
source O
, O
speaking O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

Blair O
is O
under O
particularly O
fierce O
pressure O
to O
come O
up O
with O
new O
proposals O
that O
would O
cut O
down O
Britain O
' O
s O
jealously O
guarded O
annual O
rebate O
budget O
contributions O
. O

But O
the O
British O
leaders O
is O
refusing O
to O
give O
ground O
without O
guarantees O
notably O
on O
reforms O
to O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
long O
- O
disputed O
farm O
subsidy O
system O
, O
of O
which O
France O
is O
the O
main O
beneficiary O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
looking O
difficult O
but O
not O
impossible O
, O
" O
said O
the O
British O
source O
, O
adding O
: O
" O
There O
isn O
' O
t O
an O
awful O
lot O
of O
room O
to O
play O
with O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0231 O

BANGKOK O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
to O
go O
it O
alone O
on O
Burma O
sanctions O

Burmese O
authorities O
on O
Wednesday B-T
criticized O
the O
United O
States O
for O
imposing O
economic O
sanctions O
on O
the O
military O
- O
ruled O
country O
, O
while O
its O
trading O
partners O
declined O
to O
follow O
the O
US O
example O
. O

A O
Burmese O
official O
accused O
the O
US O
government O
of O
using O
economic O
sanctions O
, O
announced O
by O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Madeleine O
Albright O
in O
Washington O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
to O
boost O
its O
political O
stock O
at O
home O
. O

" O
The O
sanctions O
imposed O
by O
the O
US O
on O
Myanmar O
( O
Burma O
) O
is O
for O
the O
domestic O
political O
consumption O
, O
" O
the O
military O
official O
said O
in O
a O
short O
and O
terse O
statement O
received O
here O
in O
response O
to O
questions O
from O
AFP O
. O

The O
official O
also O
accused O
the O
United O
States O
of O
trying O
to O
use O
democracy O
and O
human O
rights O
as O
a O
means O
of O
boosting O
its O
influence O
in O
the O
region O
, O
and O
said O
the O
move O
would O
not O
alter O
the O
course O
being O
taken O
by O
the O
Burmese O
government O
. O

" O
From O
Myanmar O
, O
we O
have O
our O
own O
set O
aims O
and O
objectives O
for O
the O
good O
of O
the O
nation O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
Since O
Myanmar O
is O
working O
on O
a O
straight O
line O
towards O
our O
goal O
, O
we O
do O
not O
have O
any O
reason O
to O
deviate O
from O
our O
original O
path O
. O
" O

Albright O
said O
the O
investment O
ban O
was O
due O
to O
severe O
restrictions O
imposed O
by O
the O
military O
on O
the O
activities O
of O
opposition O
leader O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
and O
her O
National O
League O
for O
Democracy O
( O
NLD O
) O
. O

The O
Burmese O
official O
' O
s O
comments O
were O
echoed O
by O
China O
, O
long O
a O
critic O
of O
the O
linking O
of O
human O
rights O
and O
trade O
issues O
by O
Washington O
. O

" O
China O
is O
always O
against O
interference O
in O
other O
countries O
' O
internal O
affairs O
by O
making O
use O
of O
economic O
means O
, O
" O
a O
Chinese O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
said O
. O

" O
Isolating O
and O
excluding O
( O
Burma O
) O
will O
only O
increase O
tensions O
and O
aggravate O
confrontation O
, O
and O
will O
benefit O
no O
side O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

Many O
of O
Burma O
' O
s O
leading O
trade O
partners O
said O
they O
would O
not O
follow O
the O
US O
example O
and O
that O
Rangoon O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
join O
the O
Association O
of O
Southeast O
Asian O
Nations O
( O
ASEAN O
) O
would O
be O
unaffected O
by O
the O
sanctions O
. O

" O
We O
understand O
what O
the O
US O
has O
done O
, O
but O
ASEAN O
will O
stick O
to O
its O
agreements O
and O
our O
decision O
will O
not O
depend O
on O
other O
countries O
, O
" O
Thai O
Prime O
Minister O
Chaowalit O
Yongchaiyudh O
told O
reporters O
in O
Bangkok O
. O

He O
said O
that O
ASEAN O
- O
- O
which O
groups O
Brunei O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
the O
Philippines O
, O
Singapore O
, O
Thailand O
and O
Vietnam O
- O
- O
was O
committed O
to O
its O
decision O
taken O
last B-T
year I-T
to O
admit O
Burma O
at O
the O
same O
time O
as O
Cambodia O
and O
Laos O
. O

Although O
the O
grouping O
failed O
to O
give O
a O
date O
for O
the O
entry O
of O
the O
three O
countries O
, O
analysts O
believe O
that O
they O
will O
be O
admitted O
before O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
to O
mark O
ASEAN O
' O
s O
30th O
anniversary O
. O

Chaowalit O
said O
ASEAN O
would O
discuss O
the O
issue O
further O
at O
a O
special O
foreign O
ministers O
meeting O
in O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

Malaysia O
also O
voiced O
its O
intention O
to O
have O
Burma O
brought O
on O
board O
. O

" O
We O
are O
going O
to O
work O
very O
hard O
to O
get O
Myanmar O
into O
ASEAN O
, O
" O
the O
Bernama O
news O
agency O
quoted O
Malaysian O
Premier O
Mahathir O
Mohamad O
as O
saying O
. O

Japan O
and O
Australia O
issued O
statements O
saying O
they O
would O
not O
follow O
the O
US O
example O
in O
slapping O
sanctions O
on O
Burma O
, O
although O
both O
have O
criticized O
Rangoon O
for O
its O
human O
rights O
record O
. O

" O
We O
have O
no O
plan O
for O
any O
sanctions O
at O
this O
moment O
, O
" O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
said O
in O
Tokyo O
. O
" O
Our O
stance O
has O
not O
been O
changed O
. O
" O

Australian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Alexander O
Downer O
said O
through O
a O
spokesman O
that O
Canberra O
had O
already O
imposed O
a O
number O
of O
restrictions O
on O
dealings O
with O
Burma O
and O
had O
consistently O
condemned O
the O
Burmese O
junta O
. O

But O
he O
added O
: O
" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
believe O
that O
the O
imposition O
of O
similar O
measures O
by O
Australia O
against O
new O
investment O
in O
Burma O
would O
make O
any O
significant O
difference O
to O
the O
situation O
. O
" O

Meanwhile O
, O
a O
leading O
Burmese O
dissident O
group O
called O
on O
the O
international O
community O
to O
launch O
a O
coordinated O
effort O
to O
follow O
the O
US O
initiative O
. O

The O
All O
Burma O
Students O
Democratic O
Front O
( O
ABSDF O
) O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
a O
multilateral O
approach O
with O
regard O
to O
economic O
sanctions O
was O
needed O
to O
force O
Burma O
' O
s O
ruling O
junta O
into O
bringing O
about O
political O
reform O
. O

Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
has O
repeatedly O
called O
for O
international O
sanctions O
on O
Burma O
, O
a O
stance O
which O
has O
been O
backed O
by O
most O
Burmese O
dissident O
groups O
. O

The O
United O
States O
, O
thanks O
largely O
to O
the O
involvement O
of O
Unocal O
Corp O
. O
in O
a O
1 O
. O
2 O
billion O
dollar O
gas O
pipeline O
project O
, O
is O
currently O
the O
fourth O
largest O
investor O
in O
Burma O
in O
terms O
of O
approved O
investments O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0037 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Emergency O
broadcasts O
to O
help O
public O
during O
disasters O

The O
public O
needs O
to O
be O
warned O
about O
extreme O
weather O
and O
dangerous O
conditions O
and O
be O
advised O
of O
how O
to O
reduce O
damage O
caused O
by O
disasters O
, O
according O
to O
the O
health O
ministry O
. O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
( O
MOH O
) O
and O
China O
Meteorological O
Administration O
( O
CMA O
) O
plan O
to O
jointly O
make O
special O
broadcast O
reports O
providing O
information O
about O
extreme O
heat O
, O
carbon O
monoxide O
levels O
and O
epidemics O
, O
according O
to O
an O
agreement O
signed O
recently O
by O
the O
two O
agencies O
. O

The O
expert O
advisory O
information O
will O
focus O
on O
helping O
people O
cope O
and O
protect O
themselves O
during O
bad O
weather O
and O
public O
health O
emergencies O
, O
according O
to O
the O
MOH O
. O

The O
MOH O
and O
the O
CMA O
will O
jointly O
conduct O
research O
on O
how O
the O
weather O
influences O
people O
' O
s O
health O
and O
will O
set O
up O
a O
mechanism O
for O
monitoring O
, O
forecasting O
and O
emergency O
warning O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0203 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
Tension O
looms O
in O
Somalia O
as O
peace O
talks O
collapse O

Roundup O
: O
Tension O
looms O
in O
Somalia O
as O
peace O
talks O
collapse O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
Tension O
looms O
in O
Somalia O
as O
talks O
aimed O
at O
averting O
an O
all O
- O
out O
war O
between O
the O
transitional O
government O
and O
increasingly O
powerful O
Islamists O
have O
collapsed O
in O
Khartoum O
, O
Sudan O
. O

The O
Arab O
- O
League O
mediated O
peace O
talks O
collapsed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
after O
the O
Supreme O
Council O
of O
Islamic O
Courts O
( O
SCIC O
) O
and O
transitional O
government O
refused O
to O
meet O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
, O
the O
mediators O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
received O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

Analysts O
say O
a O
war O
between O
the O
militarily O
superior O
Islamists O
and O
the O
government O
could O
draw O
in O
neighboring O
countries O
- O
- O
Ethiopia O
and O
its O
arch O
rival O
Eritrea O
- O
- O
igniting O
existing O
regional O
bitterness O
over O
boundary O
. O

The O
analysts O
also O
fear O
a O
conflict O
which O
could O
engulf O
the O
entire O
region O
is O
imminent O
but O
in O
a O
move O
to O
avert O
the O
looming O
war O
, O
the O
mediators O
called O
for O
restraint O
and O
said O
further O
consultations O
were O
needed O
to O
move O
the O
dialogue O
forward O
. O

Eye O
witnesses O
and O
local O
reports O
from O
Somalia O
said O
Islamist O
forces O
have O
taken O
control O
of O
another O
key O
Somali O
port O
. O
Residents O
of O
Hobyo O
on O
the O
central O
Somali O
coast O
, O
about O
500 O
km O
from O
the O
capital O
Mogadishu O
, O
say O
there O
was O
no O
fighting O
as O
Islamists O
entered O
the O
town O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
transitional O
government O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Minister O
Ismail O
Hurreh O
had O
earlier O
denounced O
the O
Islamists O
as O
no O
longer O
partners O
for O
peace O
. O
The O
foreign O
minister O
said O
there O
was O
a O
danger O
of O
all O
- O
out O
conflict O
in O
the O
Horn O
of O
Africa O
. O

He O
said O
his O
government O
hoped O
to O
avoid O
war O
but O
warned O
that O
conflict O
would O
become O
inevitable O
if O
the O
Islamists O
continued O
on O
their O
current O
path O
. O
The O
minister O
said O
countries O
in O
the O
region O
were O
deeply O
concerned O
about O
the O
SCIC O
' O
s O
declaration O
of O
" O
jihad O
" O
on O
their O
neighbors O
. O

And O
as O
talks O
stalled O
in O
Khartoum O
, O
Islamist O
forces O
remain O
positioned O
near O
the O
interim O
government O
' O
s O
base O
of O
Baidoa O
, O
prompting O
officials O
there O
to O
prepare O
for O
a O
possible O
attack O
. O

The O
militia O
groups O
loyal O
to O
Somalia O
' O
s O
Islamic O
courts O
have O
seized O
control O
of O
much O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
south O
since O
winning O
a O
battle O
for O
the O
capital O
Mogadishu O
in O
June B-T
. O

Somalia O
' O
s O
interim O
government O
has O
international O
support O
but O
virtually O
no O
power O
outside O
Baidoa O
. O

The O
Islamists O
had O
indicated O
before O
the O
talks O
that O
they O
will O
not O
negotiate O
until O
Ethiopian O
soldiers O
leave O
Somali O
territory O
. O
The O
Islamists O
say O
Ethiopia O
has O
sent O
thousands O
of O
troops O
across O
the O
border O
to O
protect O
the O
weak O
but O
United O
Nations O
backed O
Somali O
interim O
government O
. O

However O
, O
Addis O
Ababa O
denies O
this O
, O
saying O
it O
has O
sent O
only O
a O
few O
hundred O
military O
instructors O
. O

With O
neither O
side O
willing O
to O
accept O
the O
other O
' O
s O
preconditions O
for O
talks O
, O
international O
mediators O
have O
called O
on O
both O
parties O
to O
exercise O
restraint O
. O

" O
The O
parties O
are O
urged O
to O
commit O
themselves O
to O
previous O
agreements O
reached O
in O
Khartoum O
, O
" O
a O
mediators O
statement O
issued O
after O
the O
talks O
collapse O
, O
said O
. O

" O
After O
long O
consultations O
with O
the O
two O
sides O
and O
the O
international O
community O
, O
it O
was O
decided O
that O
the O
meeting O
should O
be O
postponed O
and O
that O
( O
the O
talks O
) O
be O
held O
as O
soon O
as O
possible O
after O
more O
meticulous O
preparations O
, O
" O
said O
Samir O
Hosny O
, O
who O
heads O
the O
African O
section O
of O
the O
Cairo O
- O
based O
Arab O
League O
. O

Hosny O
said O
neither O
party O
was O
to O
blame O
for O
the O
failure O
of O
the O
peace O
talks O
, O
and O
expressed O
hope O
that O
both O
sides O
would O
return O
to O
the O
negotiating O
table O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

" O
We O
did O
not O
set O
a O
date O
or O
venue O
for O
any O
upcoming O
meetings O
, O
but O
the O
sooner O
the O
meetings O
take O
place O
the O
better O
- O
- O
in O
a B-T
week I-T
or O
two O
. O
But O
we O
did O
not O
set O
a O
date O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
added O
that O
the O
decision O
to O
call O
off O
the O
talks O
indefinitely O
was O
reached O
after O
the O
Arab O
League O
' O
s O
consultations O
with O
both O
sides O
, O
as O
well O
as O
with O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
the O
African O
Union O
and O
a O
number O
of O
European O
countries O
. O

" O
Let O
us O
hope O
that O
this O
step O
does O
not O
reflect O
negatively O
on O
the O
situation O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
" O
Hosny O
said O
. O

There O
has O
been O
no O
sign O
of O
reconciliation O
on O
the O
ground O
in O
Somalia O
, O
where O
the O
Islamic O
courts O
seek O
to O
impose O
an O
Islamic O
state O
and O
the O
internationally O
recognized O
government O
lacks O
the O
force O
to O
assert O
its O
authority O
beyond O
Baidoa O
, O
the O
only O
town O
it O
controls O
. O

The O
head O
of O
the O
Islamist O
team O
, O
Ibrahim O
Hussein O
Adow O
, O
praised O
the O
postponement O
and O
denied O
his O
side O
was O
planning O
any O
attack O
. O

" O
There O
was O
a O
gap O
between O
the O
parties O
and O
substantial O
issues O
, O
so O
it O
was O
necessary O
to O
adjourn O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
. O
" O
We O
are O
not O
preparing O
nor O
planning O
for O
any O
confrontation O
. O
We O
want O
peace O
. O
" O

But O
whether O
the O
collapse O
of O
the O
talks O
will O
give O
the O
rival O
groups O
' O
time O
to O
prepare O
for O
counter O
attacks O
in O
the O
Horn O
of O
African O
nation O
remains O
to O
be O
seen O
. O

Somalia O
has O
been O
in O
the O
grip O
of O
warlords O
and O
militias O
for O
years B-T
and O
has O
not O
had O
a O
functioning O
national O
government O
since O
1991 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0295 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Iraq O
unrest O
' O
worse O
than O
civil O
war O
' O
: O
UN O
chief O

The O
unrest O
in O
Iraq O
is O
" O
much O
worse O
" O
than O
a O
civil O
war O
, O
United O
Nations O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
told O
the O
BBC O
in O
an O
interview O
to O
be O
broadcast O
Monday B-T
. O

He O
said O
some O
Iraqis O
were O
right O
to O
think O
that O
they O
were O
worse O
off O
than O
under O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
ousted O
from O
power O
after O
US O
- O
led O
forces O
invaded O
in O
March B-T
2003 I-T
. O

The O
UN O
chief O
voiced O
his O
regrets O
over O
the O
invasion O
, O
saying O
it O
could O
have O
been O
stopped O
had O
UN O
weapons O
inspectors O
been O
given O
more O
time O
to O
conduct O
their O
work O
, O
and O
he O
added O
that O
the O
wounds O
had O
still O
not O
healed O
in O
the O
UN O
. O

Turning O
to O
Iran O
, O
Annan O
said O
the O
UN O
needed O
to O
do O
whatever O
it O
could O
to O
resolve O
the O
stand O
- O
off O
over O
Tehran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
programme O
through O
negotiations O
. O

And O
the O
Ghanaian O
vowed O
to O
make O
Darfur O
a O
priority O
in O
his O
final B-T
month I-T
in O
office O
, O
even O
though O
the O
international O
community O
has O
neither O
" O
the O
resources O
or O
the O
will O
" O
to O
confront O
the O
crisis O
in O
the O
western O
region O
of O
Sudan O
. O

On O
the O
sectarian O
violence O
between O
Sunni O
and O
Shiite O
Muslims O
in O
Iraq O
, O
Annan O
said O
: O
" O
When O
we O
had O
the O
strife O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
other O
places O
, O
we O
called O
that O
a O
civil O
war O
- O
- O
this O
is O
much O
worse O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
described O
Iraq O
as O
being O
in O
an O
extremely O
dangerous O
situation O
and O
raised O
concerns O
about O
the O
Iraqis O
' O
ability O
to O
solve O
these O
problems O
by O
themselves O
. O

But O
Iraqi O
President O
Jalal O
Talabani O
on O
Sunday B-T
rejected O
Annan O
' O
s O
idea O
of O
an O
international O
peace O
conference O
on O
Iraq O
, O
apparently O
leaving O
the O
idea O
dead O
in O
the O
water O
. O

Last B-T
Tuesday I-T
, O
Annan O
had O
suggested O
that O
the O
international O
community O
hold O
a O
broad O
- O
based O
peace O
conference O
to O
find O
a O
way O
out O
of O
the O
vicious O
sectarian O
struggle O
that O
has O
plunged O
Iraq O
into O
bloodshed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0191 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Moscow O
expects O
Tehran O
to O
freeze O
uranium O
enrichment O
: O
lawmaker O

Russia O
expected O
Iran O
to O
freeze O
uranium O
enrichment O
and O
confirm O
that O
its O
nuclear O
program O
will O
remain O
exclusively O
civilian O
, O
a O
senior O
Russian O
lawmaker O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
Russia O
will O
expect O
Iran O
to O
pledge O
to O
freeze O
its O
current O
( O
uranium O
) O
enrichment O
program O
until O
all O
queries O
are O
clarified O
, O
" O
Konstantin O
Kosachyov O
, O
Chairman O
of O
International O
Affairs O
Committee O
of O
Russia O
' O
s O
lower O
parliament O
, O
said O
in O
a O
commentary O
posted O
on O
the O
United O
Russia O
Party O
' O
s O
website O
. O

" O
We O
expect O
Tehran O
to O
provide O
exhaustive O
confirmation O
that O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
program O
is O
not O
military O
, O
that O
Iran O
does O
not O
plan O
to O
transform O
the O
current O
civilian O
program O
into O
a O
military O
one O
, O
and O
that O
it O
will O
abide O
by O
the O
nuclear O
weapons O
nonproliferation O
regime O
, O
" O
Kosachyov O
said O
. O

Russia O
wanted O
Tehran O
to O
provide O
detailed O
confirmation O
that O
" O
it O
will O
continue O
cooperating O
fully O
with O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
and O
ultimately O
seek O
a O
regime O
of O
interaction O
with O
the O
world O
community O
that O
would O
dispel O
all O
suspicion O
regarding O
its O
nuclear O
program O
, O
" O
Kosachyov O
said O
. O

Iranian O
Supreme O
National O
Security O
Council O
Secretary O
Ali O
Larijani O
will O
visit O
Moscow O
on O
Friday B-T
for O
talks O
in O
the O
Russian O
Security O
Council O
and O
the O
Foreign O
Ministry O
, O
Russian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Sergei O
Lavrov O
said O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0555 O

WADI O
KELT O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Two O
Israelis O
found O
murdered O
in O
West O
Bank O

Israeli O
police O
on O
Friday B-T
found O
the O
bodies O
of O
two O
young O
Jewish O
women O
stabbed O
to O
death O
on O
the O
West O
Bank O
, O
police O
sources O
said O
. O

The O
bodies O
of O
the O
women O
, O
one O
a O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Israeli O
settler O
, O
were O
hidden O
near O
a O
stream O
in O
Wadi O
Kelt O
close O
to O
her O
settlement O
of O
Kfar O
Adumim O
, O
northeast O
of O
Jerusalem O
, O
they O
said O
. O

The O
settler O
was O
on O
an O
excursion O
in O
the O
desert O
with O
a O
friend O
. O

They O
were O
reportedly O
raped O
before O
being O
stabbed O
several O
times O
in O
the O
throat O
, O
and O
the O
murders O
were O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
carried O
out O
between O
24 B-T
and O
48 B-T
hours I-T
before O
the O
discovery O
of O
the O
bodies O
. O

Earlier O
, O
police O
sources O
identified O
the O
victims O
as O
two O
teenage O
girls O
who O
went O
missing O
several B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
. O

Israeli O
police O
and O
the O
army O
supported O
by O
helicopters O
combed O
the O
area O
, O
as O
the O
investigation O
focused O
on O
an O
attack O
by O
Palestinian O
nationalists O
while O
not O
ruling O
out O
rather O
a O
criminal O
act O
. O

The O
security O
forces O
have O
warned O
against O
attacks O
by O
Palestinian O
militants O
to O
coincide O
with O
this B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
Jewish O
Passover B-T
holidays I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0127 O

GUATEMALA O
CITY O
, O
APRIL B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

More O
than O
30 O
injured O
in O
concert O
in O
Guatemala O
City O

More O
than O
30 O
people O
, O
including O
16 O
policemen O
, O
were O
injured O
here O
Sunday B-T
when O
rioting O
broke O
out O
at O
a O
concert O
by O
the O
British O
rock O
group O
Def O
Leppard O
. O

Police O
officials O
said O
that O
the O
violence O
was O
triggered O
when O
some O
3 O
, O
000 O
inebriated O
youths O
attacked O
security O
forces O
, O
some O
throwing O
stones O
and O
bottles O
, O
trying O
to O
get O
into O
the O
concert O
without O
paying O
. O

Volunteer O
firefighters O
treated O
17 O
concert O
- O
goers O
, O
three O
of O
them O
teenagers O
who O
were O
sent O
to O
hospital O
, O
while O
municipal O
aid O
teams O
tended O
to O
the O
16 O
policemen O
, O
including O
the O
head O
of O
the O
city O
' O
s O
emergency O
response O
unit O
. O

" O
It O
was O
like O
an O
avalanche O
. O
. O
. O
They O
were O
all O
crowded O
together O
. O
Some O
tried O
to O
force O
their O
way O
in O
and O
others O
behind O
began O
throwing O
stones O
, O
" O
said O
national O
police O
chief O
Angel O
Comte O
. O

Police O
issued O
a O
" O
red O
alert O
, O
" O
fearing O
a O
replay O
of O
the O
rampage O
last B-T
October I-T
in O
which O
79 O
people O
were O
crushed O
to O
death O
in O
the O
city O
' O
s O
national O
stadium O
. O

Mobilizing O
in O
large O
numbers O
around O
the O
square O
where O
the O
concert O
was O
held O
, O
police O
and O
emergency O
- O
response O
teams O
quashed O
the O
outbreaks O
of O
violence O
. O

An O
hour O
before O
the O
five O
- O
man O
group O
was O
scheduled O
to O
appear O
, O
police O
decided O
the O
situation O
was O
under O
control O
and O
allowed O
the O
show O
to O
go O
on O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0293 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinjiang O

China O
has O
strengthened O
supervision O
and O
monitoring O
on O
the O
bird O
flu O
as O
new O
cases O
of O
the O
epidemic O
outbreak O
were O
reported O
in O
two O
counties O
of O
northwestern O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
Tuesday B-T
. O

China O
' O
s O
National O
Avian O
Flu O
Reference O
Laboratory O
confirmed O
the O
virus O
, O
which O
was O
found O
in O
the O
dead O
fowls O
sent O
from O
some O
family O
farms O
in O
Zepu O
Country O
and O
Urumqi O
County O
, O
both O
in O
southern O
Xinjiang O
, O
the O
deadly O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
bird O
flu O
, O
said O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Agriculture O
( O
MOA O
) O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

In O
the O
two O
bird O
flu O
- O
hit O
counties O
, O
a O
total O
of O
322 O
, O
500 O
family O
birds O
within O
a O
radius O
of O
three O
kilometers O
have O
been O
culled O
, O
and O
poultry O
and O
products O
markets O
within O
ten O
kilometers O
have O
been O
closed O
, O
the O
ministry O
said O

" O
The O
epidemic O
is O
basically O
put O
under O
control O
, O
" O
said O
Qian O
Zhi O
, O
Vice O
chairman O
of O
Xinjiang O
, O
adding O
the O
two O
county O
have O
bought O
a O
large O
quantity O
of O
vaccine O
, O
protective O
suits O
and O
disinfectors O
to O
prevent O
the O
spread O
of O
the O
disease O
. O

The O
local O
government O
in O
Xinjiang O
launched O
its O
quick O
- O
response O
mechanism O
timely O
, O
blockading O
the O
epidemic O
zone O
immediately O
and O
disinfecting O
the O
people O
, O
vehicles O
and O
relevant O
goods O
going O
in O
and O
out O
. O

All O
the O
poultry O
in O
the O
epidemic O
zone O
have O
been O
killed O
and O
disposed O
of O
innocuously O
, O
and O
all O
the O
poultry O
markets O
within O
10 O
kilometers O
from O
the O
epidemic O
zone O
have O
been O
closed O
. O

Xinjiang O
' O
s O
new O
cases O
have O
aroused O
great O
attention O
across O
the O
country O
as O
just O
one B-T
day I-T
ago I-T
the O
MOA O
announced O
another O
highly O
pathogenic O
bird O
flu O
outbreak O
at O
a O
village O
near O
Huainan O
city O
of O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Anhui O
Province O
, O
which O
involved O
nearly O
130 O
, O
000 O
fowls O
killed O
. O

The O
ministry O
has O
sent O
expert O
panels O
and O
supervision O
teams O
to O
Anhui O
and O
Xinjiang O
to O
assist O
epidemic O
control O
. O

Other O
provinces O
, O
autonomous O
regions O
and O
municipalities O
have O
strengthened O
monitoring O
on O
poultry O
farms O
and O
the O
migrant O
birds O
, O
which O
are O
said O
to O
be O
carriers O
of O
the O
deadly O
disease O
virus O
. O

South O
China O
' O
s O
Guangxi O
Zhuang O
Autonomous O
Region O
has O
set O
up O
special O
monitoring O
stations O
at O
its O
eight O
counties O
bordering O
Vietnam O
, O
which O
is O
also O
suffering O
from O
bird O
flu O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Guangxi O
' O
s O
health O
departments O
have O
resumed O
the O
monitoring O
on O
fever O
cases O
in O
hospitals O
and O
started O
to O
vaccine O
the O
disease O
- O
vulnerable O
population O
, O
such O
as O
the O
old O
, O
children O
, O
medical O
workers O
and O
poultry O
farmers O
, O
traders O
and O
butchers O
. O

In O
eastern O
province O
of O
Fujian O
, O
the O
provincial O
forestry O
department O
has O
set O
up O
24 O
monitoring O
stations O
for O
migrant O
birds O
in O
their O
major O
habitats O
. O

The O
stations O
are O
required O
to O
make O
a O
daily O
report O
on O
whether O
there O
are O
abnormal O
death O
of O
migrant O
birds O
. O

In O
Changchun O
, O
provincial O
capital O
of O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Jilin O
Province O
, O
the O
government O
has O
started O
to O
vaccine O
pigeons O
in O
the O
city O
in O
fear O
of O
spreading O
of O
the O
disease O
by O
the O
bird O
. O

Amid O
the O
uneasy O
atmosphere O
caused O
bird O
flu O
, O
the O
news O
that O
the O
quarantine O
on O
the O
epidemic O
was O
lifted O
in O
Tianchang O
City O
of O
Anhui O
and O
Xiangtan O
County O
of O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Hunan O
Province O
on O
Tuesday B-T
injected O
confidence O
for O
the O
Chinese O
government O
on O
its O
disease O
control O
capacity O
. O

A O
bird O
flu O
outbreak O
was O
reported O
in O
Wantang O
Village O
, O
Xiangtan O
County O
on O
October B-T
18 I-T
and O
in O
Tianchang O
on O
October B-T
20 I-T
respectively O
. O

All O
signs O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
there O
have O
been O
eradicated O
and O
no O
new O
bird O
flu O
cases O
reported O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
21 I-T
days I-T
in O
the O
two O
places O
after O
a O
three O
- O
week O
isolation O
, O
according O
to O
the O
MOA O
. O

At O
Wantang O
Village O
of O
Xiangtan O
county O
, O
veterinary O
staff O
and O
villagers O
celebrated O
the O
end O
of O
the O
quarantine O
by O
burning O
their O
protective O
suits O
and O
warning O
banners O
that O
had O
been O
used O
to O
cordoned O
off O
the O
area O
. O

The O
live O
poultry O
markets O
10 O
kilometers O
in O
circumference O
from O
the O
affected O
region O
were O
also O
allowed O
to O
reopen O
. O

Despite O
the O
victory O
, O
the O
provinces O
of O
Anhui O
and O
Huhan O
have O
kept O
a O
close O
eye O
on O
the O
formerly O
affected O
areas O
to O
avoid O
reoccurrence O
of O
the O
disease O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0038 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

The O
luxury O
car O
showrooms O
are O
shuttered O
, O
the O
shoppers O
have O
been O
replaced O
by O
phalanxes O
of O
police O
and O
many O
offices O
have O
been O
temporarily O
relocated O
. O

Central O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
some O
of O
the O
most O
expensive O
real O
estate O
in O
the O
world O
, O
has O
been O
spooked O
by O
fear O
of O
anti O
- O
globalisation O
violence O
. O

The O
conspicuous O
displays O
of O
wealth O
characteristic O
of O
a O
city O
that O
revels O
in O
its O
status O
as O
one O
of O
Asia O
' O
s O
consumer O
capitals O
were O
hidden O
behind O
metal O
shutters O
and O
wooden O
hoardings O
as O
the O
World O
Trade O
Organisation O
meeting O
began O
. O

After O
violent O
protests O
at O
previous O
WTO O
meetings O
in O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Mexico O
, O
companies O
and O
retailers O
operating O
in O
the O
Wan O
Chai O
district O
surrounding O
the O
meeting O
venue O
were O
taking O
no O
chances O
. O

Many O
workers O
were O
advised O
to O
operate O
from O
home O
and O
some O
companies O
, O
such O
as O
telecoms O
firm O
Reach O
, O
temporarily O
relocated O
operations O
to O
outlying O
districts O
, O
leaving O
only O
a O
skeleton O
staff O
for O
the O
duration O
of O
the O
six O
- O
day O
meeting O
. O

Instead O
of O
office O
workers O
crowding O
the O
sidewalks O
of O
Wan O
Chai O
' O
s O
Gloucester O
Road O
, O
groups O
of O
police O
stood O
ready O
in O
case O
protests O
turned O
violent O
, O
part O
of O
a O
massive O
security O
operation O
involving O
9 O
, O
000 O
officers O
staged O
for O
the O
WTO O
meeting O
. O

" O
Everyone O
is O
tense O
, O
lots O
of O
people O
stay O
away O
, O
" O
waitress O
Maya O
Thapa O
told O
AFP O
at O
a O
Wan O
Chai O
cafe O
. O

" O
We O
had O
no O
customers O
at O
all O
yesterday O
, O
normally O
we O
would O
be O
crowded O
now B-T
, O
" O
she O
added O
, O
gesturing O
around O
the O
empty O
eatery O
. O

Nearby O
, O
luxury O
car O
showrooms O
stood O
empty O
, O
their O
vehicles O
garaged O
in O
case O
prestige O
brands O
such O
as O
Lamborghini O
and O
Maserati O
acted O
as O
magnets O
for O
demonstrators O
. O

" O
Sorry O
for O
any O
inconvenience O
caused O
, O
" O
said O
a O
note O
plastered O
on O
metal O
cyclone O
shutters O
protecting O
the O
Alfa O
Romeo O
dealership O
. O

Jewellers O
and O
art O
galleries O
removed O
their O
eye O
- O
catching O
displays O
, O
while O
some O
banks O
closed O
cash O
dispensing O
machines O
along O
the O
route O
of O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
planned O
protest O
march B-T
. O

The O
management O
company O
of O
one O
city O
office O
block O
, O
which O
houses O
a O
major O
international O
finance O
firm O
, O
even O
gave O
workers O
in O
the O
building O
supplies O
of O
noodles O
in O
case O
protests O
left O
them O
stranded O
in O
the O
workplace O
for O
long O
periods O
. O

Items O
of O
street O
furniture O
were O
removed O
to O
prevent O
demonstrators O
using O
them O
as O
missiles O
, O
while O
the O
closure O
of O
an O
entire O
city O
district O
discouraged O
motorists O
, O
reducing O
traffic O
to O
a O
trickle O
. O

Huge O
golden O
Christmas O
decorations O
remained O
on O
display O
outside O
the O
Dah O
Sing O
Financial O
Centre O
, O
watched O
by O
a O
large O
contingent O
of O
security O
guards O
. O

" O
No O
one O
' O
s O
worried O
about O
the O
locals O
- O
- O
Hong O
Kong O
people O
are O
very O
peaceful O
and O
have O
shown O
they O
can O
protest O
in O
a O
non O
- O
violent O
way O
, O
" O
expatriate O
British O
bar O
owner O
Ken O
Cheshire O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
We O
' O
re O
worried O
about O
the O
people O
who O
' O
ve O
been O
flown O
in O
, O
we O
know O
they O
' O
ve O
caused O
trouble O
before O
. O
" O

Cheshire O
said O
custom O
at O
his O
bar O
, O
The O
Junk O
Pub O
, O
was O
down O
by O
50 O
percent O
. O

" O
Part O
of O
that O
' O
s O
seasonal O
, O
expats O
going O
home O
for O
Christmas B-T
, O
but O
there O
' O
s O
definitely O
been O
an O
atmosphere O
created O
by O
the O
WTO O
and O
people O
are O
staying O
away O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
You O
just O
have O
to O
look O
at O
the O
amount O
of O
businesses O
around O
here O
that O
are O
not O
opening O
. O
" O

All O
along O
the O
march O
route O
, O
including O
a O
section O
that O
runs O
through O
Causeway O
Bay O
, O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
busiest O
shopping O
areas O
, O
stores O
were O
shuttered O
. O

Japanese O
department O
store O
Sogo O
, O
locked O
its O
doors O
and O
rolled O
down O
its O
shutters O
as O
marchers O
gathered O
in O
the O
nearby O
Victoria O
Park O
. O

And O
guests O
at O
neighbouring O
hotels O
suddenly O
found O
their O
digs O
swathed O
in O
yards O
of O
green O
mesh O
, O
as O
hoteliers O
sought O
to O
protect O
their O
businesses O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970413 O
. O
0264 O

GOMA O
, O
Zaire O
, O
April B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Hopes O
rise O
for O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
talks O
between O
Mobutu O
and O
Kabila O
by O
Christophe O
Parayre O

Hopes O
of O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
talks O
between O
Zairean O
President O
Mobutu O
Sese O
Seko O
and O
rebel O
leader O
Laurent O
Kabila O
rose O
Sunday B-T
after O
the O
two O
adversaries O
indicated O
they O
were O
prepared O
to O
meet O
. O

The O
rebels O
' O
top O
foreign O
affairs O
official O
said O
Kabila O
was O
to O
give O
a O
fresh O
impetus O
to O
peace O
talks O
with O
Mobutu O
' O
s O
regime O
, O
probably O
with O
a O
visit O
to O
South O
Africa O
where O
negotiations O
have O
been O
taking O
place O
on O
a O
junior O
level O
. O

Rebel O
" O
foreign O
minister O
" O
Bizima O
Karaha O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
that O
Kabila O
will O
travel O
" O
very O
soon O
, O
probably O
to O
South O
Africa O
, O
to O
boost O
the O
negotiations O
" O
there O
. O

Asked O
if O
this O
meant O
the O
leader O
of O
the O
Alliance O
of O
Democratic O
Forces O
for O
the O
Liberation O
of O
Congo O
- O
Zaire O
would O
be O
meeting O
Mobutu O
, O
Karaha O
said O
: O
" O
If O
necessary O
, O
he O
will O
meet O
him O
. O
" O

He O
reiterated O
the O
rebel O
demand O
that O
Mobutu O
quit O
power O
and O
that O
no O
ceasefire O
could O
be O
considered O
before O
negotiations O
take O
place O
. O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
Mobutu O
offered O
for O
the O
first O
time O
to O
meet O
Kabila O
, O
although O
he O
dismissed O
as O
impertinent O
a O
rebel O
ultimatum O
to O
quit O
power O
by O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
If O
he O
asks O
politely O
, O
I O
cannot O
refuse O
to O
speak O
to O
a O
Zairean O
compatriot O
, O
" O
the O
president O
said O
of O
Kabila O
. O

His O
offer O
was O
a O
major O
step O
forward O
, O
a O
diplomat O
said O
. O
" O
He O
puts O
the O
ball O
in O
Kabila O
' O
s O
court O
by O
opening O
the O
door O
to O
a O
meeting O
. O
This O
is O
significant O
. O
" O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
AFP O
, O
Kabila O
said O
he O
wanted O
a O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
meeting O
with O
Mobutu O
as O
a O
" O
short O
cut O
" O
to O
end O
the O
fighting O
. O

But O
he O
said O
" O
Mobutu O
is O
ashamed O
to O
meet O
me O
. O
They O
don O
' O
t O
know O
what O
they O
would O
say O
to O
me O
. O
" O

Kabila O
was O
talking O
from O
a O
position O
of O
strength O
, O
unlike O
the O
cancer O
- O
stricken O
president O
who O
is O
desperately O
trying O
to O
salvage O
his O
corrupt O
32 O
- O
year O
regime O
. O

The O
rebels O
now B-T
control O
nearly O
half O
of O
Zaire O
, O
including O
its O
second O
and O
third O
cities O
and O
the O
vast O
majority O
of O
its O
huge O
mineral O
resources O
, O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
six O
- O
month O
- O
old O
offensive O
against O
Kinshasa O
. O

Mobutu O
also O
has O
problems O
in O
Kinshasa O
, O
where O
the O
main O
political O
opposition O
, O
led O
by O
sacked O
prime O
minister O
Etienne O
Tshisekedi O
, O
has O
called O
a O
mass O
strike O
for O
Monday B-T
. O

Deputy O
interior O
minister O
, O
Lumuna O
Ndubu O
, O
said O
soldiers O
would O
be O
deployed O
on O
the O
streets O
of O
Kinshasa O
from O
early B-T
Monday I-T
to O
counter O
the O
day O
of O
inaction O
, O
and O
he O
urged O
people O
to O
go O
about O
their O
normal O
daily O
business O
. O

" O
The O
soldiers O
will O
be O
deployed O
in O
the O
streets O
to O
ensure O
the O
security O
of O
the O
population O
, O
" O
he O
told O
state O
television O
. O

Mobutu O
declared O
a O
state O
of O
emergency O
across O
Zaire O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Karaha O
, O
speaking O
at O
the O
news O
conference O
in O
rebel O
- O
held O
Goma O
, O
on O
the O
border O
with O
Rwanda O
, O
said O
a O
ceasefire O
before O
negotiations O
" O
will O
prolong O
the O
agony O
of O
our O
people O
and O
allow O
Mobutu O
to O
stay O
in O
power O
even O
longer O
. O
We O
want O
him O
to O
go O
. O
If O
Mobutu O
goes O
, O
that O
will O
be O
the O
end O
of O
the O
war O
. O
" O

He O
rejected O
the O
idea O
of O
immediate O
elections O
, O
arguing O
they O
would O
not O
be O
free O
and O
fair O
. O

After O
a O
rebel O
victory O
, O
he O
added O
, O
a O
" O
transition O
" O
government O
comprising O
only O
Alliance O
leaders O
would O
be O
formed O
, O
and O
it O
would O
remain O
in O
office O
for O
a B-T
year I-T
to O
organise O
general O
elections O
. O

Asked O
if O
the O
rebels O
favoured O
military O
means O
to O
take O
power O
above O
talks O
, O
he O
said O
: O
" O
Negotiations O
can O
be O
used O
to O
achieve O
the O
objectives O
of O
the O
Alliance O
. O
" O

Karah O
also O
denied O
that O
the O
rebels O
considered O
France O
as O
an O
enemy O
because O
of O
its O
long O
- O
standing O
support O
for O
the O
Mobutu O
regime O
, O
although O
Paris O
has O
suggested O
that O
the O
president O
should O
resign O
. O

" O
We O
are O
not O
France O
' O
s O
enemies O
. O
We O
never O
have O
been O
and O
perhaps O
never O
will O
be O
. O
We O
have O
no O
enemies O
apart O
from O
the O
dictatorship O
in O
Kinshasa O
. O
" O

Meanwhile O
some O
300 O
displaced O
Zaireans O
were O
flown O
Sunday B-T
from O
the O
rebel O
- O
held O
eastern O
city O
of O
Kisangani O
to O
their O
home O
region O
of O
Goma O
on O
board O
a O
UN O
plane O
, O
UN O
High O
Commissioner O
for O
Refugees O
spokesman O
Peter O
Kessler O
said O
in O
Nairobi O
. O

UN O
agencies O
have O
already O
airlifted O
several O
hundred O
Rwandans O
from O
eastern O
Zaire O
to O
Goma O
and O
Kigali O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
. O

The O
80 O
, O
000 O
Rwandans O
near O
Kisangani O
are O
emaciated O
and O
ill O
after O
fleeing O
the O
rebel O
advance O
, O
usually O
without O
access O
to O
relief O
food O
or O
medical O
care O
. O

More O
than O
600 O
of O
the O
refugees O
died O
of O
diseases O
and O
malnutrition O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
a O
UNHCR O
spokesman O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0277 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mavericks O
waives O
Christie O

Doug O
Christie O
was O
waived O
by O
the O
Dallas O
Mavericks O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
reports O
from O
Miami O
said O
. O

Christie O
, O
35 O
, O
left O
the O
team O
last B-T
week I-T
to O
have O
his O
surgically O
repaired O
left O
ankle O
examined O
by O
a O
personal O
physician O
. O
The O
team O
signed O
Christie O
to O
a O
three O
- O
year O
contract O
this O
past O
offseason O
, O
but O
only O
$ O
3 O
. O
15 O
million O
in O
salary O
was O
guaranteed O
. O

" O
We O
appreciate O
the O
effort O
Doug O
gave O
us O
, O
" O
Mavericks O
owner O
Mark O
Cuban O
was O
quoted O
said O
Friday B-T
by O
e O
- O
mail O
. O
" O
He O
went O
through O
a O
lot O
to O
get O
back O
. O
Unfortunately O
, O
it O
didn O
' O
t O
work O
out O
. O
" O

Christie O
' O
s O
agent O
, O
Bradley O
Marshall O
, O
did O
not O
immediately O
comment O
after O
the O
team O
announced O
its O
move O
. O

Christie O
averaged O
3 O
. O
7 O
points O
and O
2 O
. O
0 O
assists O
in O
seven O
games O
, O
all O
starts O
, O
this O
season O
for O
Dallas O
, O
who O
was O
in O
Miami O
to O
play O
the O
Heat O
Friday B-T
night I-T
. O
He O
joined O
the O
team O
after O
Orlando O
waived O
him O
in O
August B-T
. O

Christie O
missed O
the O
final O
24 O
games O
of O
last B-T
season I-T
after O
having O
bone O
spurs O
removed O
from O
the O
ankle O
. O
He O
averaged O
only O
6 O
. O
6 O
points O
in O
52 B-T
games O
with O
Sacramento O
and O
Orlando O
- O
- O
his O
lowest O
scoring O
average O
since O
being O
a O
reserve O
for O
the O
New O
York O
Knicks O
in O
1995 B-T
- I-T
96 I-T
. O

He O
' O
s O
averaged O
11 O
. O
3 O
points O
, O
4 O
. O
1 O
rebounds O
and O
3 O
. O
6 O
assists O
in O
parts O
of O
14 O
NBA O
seasons O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0416 O

MANILA O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Net O
foreign O
investments O
in O
Philippines O
fall O
34 O
percent O

Net O
foreign O
investments O
in O
the O
Philippines O
fell O
34 O
. O
43 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
to O
1 O
. O
055 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
figures O
from O
the O
Central O
Bank O
of O
the O
Philippines O
showed O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Gross O
foreign O
investments O
rose O
58 O
. O
3 O
percent O
from O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
to O
9 O
. O
414 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
but O
this O
was O
offset O
by O
the O
outflow O
of O
foreign O
investments O
which O
totalled O
8 O
. O
359 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
it O
said O
. O

The O
difference O
accounted O
for O
the O
net O
figure O
. O

Foreign O
portfolio O
investments O
amounted O
to O
8 O
. O
006 O
billion O
dollars O
while O
direct O
equity O
investments O
were O
placed O
at O
1 O
. O
408 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
it O
added O
. O

Debt O
service O
payments O
rose O
37 O
. O
2 O
percent O
to O
3 O
. O
639 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
with O
1 O
. O
226 O
billion O
dollars O
going O
to O
the O
payment O
of O
international O
bonds O
which O
were O
due O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0334 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

First O
Japanese O
hostage O
returns O
home O

A O
59 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
electronics O
company O
executive O
arrived O
in O
Osaka O
Friday B-T
to O
become O
the O
first O
of O
24 O
Japanese O
hostages O
to O
return O
home O
after O
being O
held O
hostage O
for O
four B-T
months I-T
in O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
in O
Lima O
. O

Shigeru O
Taki O
, O
the O
president O
of O
the O
Peruvian O
subsidiary O
of O
Osaka O
- O
based O
Matsushita O
Electric O
Industrial O
Corp O
. O
, O
arrived O
at O
Kansai O
International O
Airport O
with O
his O
60 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
wife O
Tetsuyo O
. O

Confined O
to O
a O
wheelchair O
, O
Taki O
was O
greeted O
at O
the O
airport O
by O
his O
two O
daughters O
, O
aged O
27 O
and O
24 B-T
, O
along O
with O
officials O
from O
Matsushita O
and O
the O
Japanese O
foreign O
ministry O
. O

Taki O
said O
he O
sprained O
his O
right O
ankle O
after O
jumping O
from O
the O
roof O
of O
the O
residence O
Tuesday B-T
when O
Peruvian O
troops O
stormed O
the O
compound O
, O
rescuing O
all O
but O
one O
of O
the O
72 O
hostages O
and O
killing O
all O
14 O
rebels O
. O

" O
I O
am O
home O
, O
free O
at O
last O
after O
127 B-T
days I-T
of O
captivity O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
at O
an O
airport O
hotel O
, O
thanking O
the O
Peruvian O
and O
Japanese O
governments O
, O
the O
Red O
Cross O
and O
the O
panel O
of O
guarantors O
for O
their O
efforts O
to O
find O
a O
solution O
. O

Taki O
also O
paid O
tribute O
to O
two O
soldiers O
and O
one O
hostage O
who O
died O
in O
the O
raid O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
I O
sincerely O
express O
my O
regret O
over O
the O
death O
of O
Supreme O
Court O
Justice O
Carlos O
Giusti O
, O
with O
whom O
I O
shared O
every O
moment O
, O
and O
over O
the O
deaths O
of O
two O
soldiers O
who O
sacrificed O
their O
lives O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

His O
wife O
travelled O
to O
Lima O
in O
mid B-T
- I-T
January I-T
for O
the O
painful O
vigil O
and O
recalled O
the O
moment O
when O
the O
140 O
crack O
troops O
stormed O
the O
residence O
in O
broad B-T
daylight I-T
. O

" O
When O
I O
saw O
the O
smoke O
coming O
out O
, O
I O
thought O
I O
would O
never O
see O
him O
again O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
I O
was O
really O
glad O
to O
learn O
that O
my O
husband O
was O
safe O
and O
sound O
. O
I O
am O
happy O
, O
indeed O
, O
that O
he O
is O
back O
alright O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0092 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesian O
shares O
end O
firmer O

Share O
prices O
on O
the O
Jakarta O
Stock O
Exchange O
ended O
higher O
Friday B-T
with O
the O
composite O
index O
up O
by O
4 O
. O
6 O
points O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
664 O
. O
8 O
points O
. O

Turnovers O
totaled O
1 O
. O
3 O
billion O
shares O
worth O
1 O
. O
8 O
trillion O
rupiah O
( O
193 O
. O
6 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

Decliners O
narrowly O
led O
advancers O
54 O
to O
51 O
, O
with O
86 O
other O
issues O
left O
unchanged O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0048 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Schools O
reopen O
amid O
teachers O
' O
lingering O
fear O
in O
Thai O
south O

Fifty O
schools O
in O
Thailand O
' O
s O
insurgency O
- O
plagued O
southern O
border O
province O
Narathiwat O
reopened O
Wednesday B-T
following O
a O
one O
- O
week O
closure O
after O
a O
local O
woman O
teacher O
was O
shot O
dead B-T
last I-T
week I-T
. O

Thai O
News O
Agency O
reported O
that O
the O
majority O
of O
the O
62 O
schools O
in O
Ruso O
and O
Srisakorn O
districts O
of O
Narathiwat O
reopened O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
, O
except O
a O
few O
schools O
including O
the O
Lamoh O
School O
, O
where O
the O
female O
victim O
Kulthida O
Injumpha O
had O
worked O
as O
an O
assistant O
school O
principal O
. O
The O
thirty O
- O
three O
- O
year O
old O
teacher O
was O
gunned O
down O
by O
a O
suspected O
insurgent O
while O
she O
was O
on O
her O
way O
home O
on O
November B-T
15 I-T
. O

Though O
most O
schools O
have O
reopened O
Wednesday B-T
, O
only O
less O
than O
half O
the O
enrolled O
students O
came O
to O
classes O
. O
In O
Ruso O
district O
, O
of O
186 O
students O
enrolled O
at O
Sawo O
school O
, O
only O
50 O
students O
turned O
up O
at O
school O
, O
presumably O
because O
most O
students O
and O
parents O
didn O
' O
t O
know O
that O
the O
school O
had O
reopened O
. O

Meanwhile O
in O
nearby O
province O
Yala O
, O
over O
30 O
schools O
in O
Yaha O
district O
were O
closed O
Wednesday B-T
with O
no O
schedule O
for O
reopening O
as O
teachers O
fear O
that O
local O
people O
would O
take O
them O
hostages O
, O
according O
to O
news O
network O
The O
Nation O
. O

Somchai O
Ronglua O
, O
deputy O
director O
of O
Yala O
' O
s O
Education O
Zone O
II O
, O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
that O
teachers O
feared O
for O
their O
safety O
after O
local O
villagers O
protested O
on O
Tuesday B-T
to O
pressure O
border O
patrol O
police O
and O
troops O
to O
pull O
out O
from O
their O
temporary O
bases O
in O
two O
schools O
in O
the O
district O
. O

Somchai O
said O
although O
most O
of O
the O
protesting O
villagers O
dispersed O
, O
teachers O
believed O
that O
they O
were O
still O
dissatisfied O
so O
they O
could O
stage O
violent O
protests O
, O
including O
holding O
teacher O
hostages O
. O

He O
said O
teachers O
would O
not O
resume O
teaching O
until O
the O
situation O
got O
improved O
or O
the O
authorities O
could O
guarantee O
their O
safety O
. O

Insurgency O
- O
related O
violence O
has O
been O
on O
the O
rise O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
in O
the O
three O
southern O
border O
provinces O
Yala O
, O
Narathiwat O
and O
Pattani O
, O
where O
over O
1 O
, O
700 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0490 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Miyashita O
of O
Japan O
wins O
men O
' O
s O
100m O
backstroke O
gold O
medal O

Junichi O
Miyashita O
of O
Japan O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
100m O
backstroke O
gold O
medal O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
here O
Tuesday B-T
in O
a O
time O
of O
54 B-T
. I-T
67 I-T
. O

Ouyang O
Kunpeng O
of O
China O
took O
the O
silver O
and O
Masafumi O
Yamaguchi O
of O
Japan O
won O
the O
bronze O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0608 O

ABU O
DHABI O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Iraq O
not O
satisfied O
with O
German O
police O
training O

Iraqi O
Interior O
Minister O
Bayan O
Baqer O
Sulagh O
has O
criticised O
the O
training O
of O
Iraqi O
police O
recruits O
by O
German O
experts O
in O
the O
United O
Arab O
Emirates O
and O
said O
they O
would O
no O
longer O
participate O
in O
the O
programme O
. O

" O
We O
aren O
' O
t O
convinced O
by O
the O
level O
of O
training O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
police O
officers O
by O
the O
German O
experts O
, O
nor O
by O
their O
barely O
seriously O
manner O
" O
the O
minister O
said O
Tuesday B-T
during O
a O
press O
conference O
here O
, O
the O
UAE O
news O
agency O
Wam O
reported O
. O

Sulagh O
said O
he O
had O
expressed O
his O
dissatisfaction O
to O
the O
German O
ambassador O
to O
the O
UAE O
, O
adding O
they O
were O
seeking O
" O
training O
programmes O
which O
were O
more O
serious O
and O
more O
effective O
" O
. O

" O
Iraq O
now B-T
needs O
men O
trained O
with O
seriousness O
and O
intent O
, O
because O
they O
are O
engaged O
in O
a O
real O
confrontation O
with O
terrorism O
, O
" O
the O
minister O
said O
. O

Sulagh O
said O
Baghdad O
" O
won O
' O
t O
be O
sending O
any O
more O
Iraqis O
" O
to O
the O
next O
training O
programme O
starting O
in O
March B-T
. O

Germany O
was O
opposed O
to O
the O
US O
and O
British O
invasion O
of O
Iraq O
in O
2003 B-T
and O
refused O
to O
send O
German O
troops O
to O
the O
country O
, O
even O
as O
part O
of O
NATO O
forces O
. O

It O
did O
, O
however O
, O
agree O
to O
train O
Iraqi O
security O
forces O
, O
police O
and O
soldiers O
outside O
the O
Iraqi O
territory O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0285 O

RIYADH O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Arab O
world O
waiting O
to O
explode O
: O
Saudi O
king O

Saudi O
King O
Abdullah O
opened O
the O
annual O
summit O
of O
Gulf O
leaders O
Saturday B-T
with O
a O
warning O
that O
the O
Arab O
world O
was O
like O
a O
powder O
keg O
waiting O
to O
explode O
, O
citing O
the O
situation O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
, O
Iraq O
and O
Lebanon O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0039 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0039 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Dow O
Jones O
amp O
Co O
. O
: O

@ O
Offer O
for O
Telerate O
Common O

@ O
Is O
Extended O
Until O
Nov O
. O
9 O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

DJ O
TLR O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

MEDIA O
, O
PUBLISHING O
, O
BROADCASTING O
, O
ELECTRONIC O
PUBLISHING O
( O
MED O
) O

Dow O
Jones O
amp O
Co O
. O
said O
it O
extended O
its O
$ O
18 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
offer O
for O
Telerate O
Inc O
. O
common O
stock O
until O
5 B-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
EST I-T
Nov I-T
. I-T
9 I-T
. O

The O
offer O
, O
valued O
at O
about O
$ O
576 O
million O
for O
the O
33 O
% O
of O
Telerate O
that O
Dow O
Jones O
does O
n O
' O
t O
already O
own O
, O
had O
been O
set O
to O
expire O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
. O

Dow O
Jones O
, O
which O
owns O
about O
64 O
million O
of O
Telerate O
' O
s O
95 O
million O
common O
shares O
outstanding O
, O
said O
that O
about O
24 O
, O
000 O
shares O
have O
been O
tendered O
under O
its O
offer O
. O

Telerate O
' O
s O
two O
independent O
directors O
have O
rejected O
the O
offer O
as O
inadequate O
. O

In O
composite O
trading O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
, O
Telerate O
shares O
closed O
at O
$ O
19 O
. O
50 O
, O
up O
12 O
. O
5 O
cents O
. O

Telerate O
provides O
an O
electronic O
financial O
information O
network O
. O

Dow O
Jones O
publishes O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O
, O
Barron O
' O
s O
magazine O
, O
and O
community O
newspapers O
and O
operates O
financial O
news O
services O
and O
computer O
data O
bases O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0055 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Grenada O
parliamentary O
leaders O
to O
visit O
China O

Grenada O
President O
of O
the O
Senate O
Kenny O
Lalsingh O
and O
Speaker O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
Lawrence O
Joseph O
will O
pay O
an O
official O
goodwill O
visit O
to O
China O
from O
Dec B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
to O
9 O
. O

The O
Grenada O
parliamentary O
leaders O
will O
pay O
the O
visit O
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
Wu O
Bangguo O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
National O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
, O
according O
to O
sources O
with O
this O
top O
legislature O
of O
China O
Thursday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0236 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Grenade O
attack O
injures O
2 O
police O
officers O
in O
Mexico O

A O
grenade O
lobbed O
from O
a O
moving O
car O
at O
a O
police O
post O
injured O
two O
police O
officers O
in O
the O
Pacific O
resort O
city O
of O
Acapulco O
, O
Mexico O
, O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
attack O
took O
place O
at O
a O
police O
barricade O
outside O
Tres O
Vidas O
, O
where O
conflict O
between O
a O
private O
hotel O
and O
farming O
interest O
has O
sparked O
a O
series O
of O
conflict O
. O

Farmers O
who O
originally O
lived O
in O
the O
area O
claimed O
that O
they O
never O
agreed O
to O
sell O
their O
territory O
. O
Groups O
of O
peasants O
stormed O
the O
area O
in O
and O
around O
Tres O
Vidas O
in O
recent B-T
days I-T
, O
seizing O
land O
they O
claim O
was O
stolen O
from O
them O
. O

The O
Tres O
Vidas O
police O
post O
is O
located O
in O
the O
city O
' O
s O
Diamante O
beach O
section O
, O
a O
district O
popular O
with O
well O
- O
heeled O
tourists O
. O

Acapulco O
was O
hit O
by O
a O
string O
of O
violence O
this B-T
year I-T
and O
grenade O
as O
well O
as O
shooting O
attacks O
have O
killed O
at O
least O
eight O
officials O
and O
injured O
six O
others O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061125 O
. O
0075 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

exam O

China O
ushered O
candidates O
into O
examination O
rooms O
on O
Saturday B-T
as O
the O
national O
civil O
servant O
recruitment O
examination O
got O
underway O
, O
with O
on O
average O
42 O
people O
competing O
for O
each O
government O
job O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

The O
exam O
is O
held O
simultaneously O
in O
31 O
provinces O
, O
municipalities O
and O
autonomous O
regions O
nationwide O
where O
more O
than O
530 O
, O
000 O
people O
will O
compete O
for O
about O
12 O
, O
700 O
jobs O
, O
said O
a O
spokesman O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Personnel O
, O
the O
exam O
organizer O
. O

The O
ministry O
said O
the O
administrative O
aptitude O
test O
( O
AAT O
) O
in O
the O
morning O
is O
followed O
by O
an O
essay O
test O
in O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

Nationwide O
, O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Liaoning O
Province O
has O
about O
18 O
, O
000 O
exam O
takers O
, O
the O
coastal O
province O
of O
Jiangsu O
registered O
30 O
, O
000 O
, O
while O
the O
northwestern O
province O
of O
Shaanxi O
and O
the O
southern O
province O
of O
Guangdong O
have O
each O
enrolled O
about O
40 O
, O
000 O
people O
for O
the O
exam O
. O

Since O
1994 B-T
, O
China O
has O
organized O
13 O
consecutive O
civil O
servant O
recruitment O
examinations O
for O
central O
and O
regional O
government O
bodies O
. O

Statistics O
show O
4 O
. O
13 O
million O
college O
students O
graduated O
this B-T
year I-T
, I-T
three I-T
quarters I-T
of O
a O
million O
more O
than O
last B-T
year I-T
. O
The O
number O
of O
college O
graduates O
in O
2007 B-T
will O
be O
close O
to O
5 O
million O
. O

" O
The O
examination O
is O
popular O
because O
it O
provides O
a O
level O
playing O
field O
for O
those O
competing O
to O
become O
civil O
servants O
, O
" O
said O
Vice O
Minister O
of O
Personnel O
Yin O
Weimin O
. O

He O
said O
the O
examination O
' O
s O
popularity O
is O
also O
due O
to O
the O
prestige O
of O
civil O
servants O
and O
increasing O
competition O
on O
the O
job O
market O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0131 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0131 O
. O

Who O
' O
s O
News O
: O

@ O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
Names O

@ O
Schwarz O
Chief O
, O

@ O
Maurer O
President O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
James O
T O
. O
Areddy O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

USTC O
WNEWS O

NEW O
YORK O

H O
. O
Marshall O
Schwarz O
was O
named O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
officer O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
Corp O
. O
, O
a O
private O
- O
banking O
firm O
with O
assets O
under O
management O
of O
about O
$ O
17 O
billion O
. O

Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
, O
52 O
years O
old O
, O
will O
succeed O
Daniel O
P O
. O
Davison O
Feb B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
soon O
after O
Mr O
. O
Davison O
reaches O
the O
company O
' O
s O
mandatory O
retirement O
age O
of O
65 O
. O

Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
, O
who O
is O
president O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
, O
will O
be O
succeeded O
in O
that O
post O
by O
Jeffrey O
S O
. O
Maurer O
, O
42 O
, O
who O
is O
executive O
vice O
president O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
asset O
- O
management O
group O
. O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
, O
a O
136 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
institution O
that O
is O
one O
of O
the O
earliest O
high O
- O
net O
worth O
banks O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
has O
faced O
intensifying O
competition O
from O
other O
firms O
that O
have O
established O
, O
and O
heavily O
promoted O
, O
private O
- O
banking O
businesses O
of O
their O
own O
. O

As O
a O
result O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
' O
s O
earnings O
have O
been O
hurt O
. O

But O
Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
welcomes O
the O
competition O
in O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
' O
s O
flagship O
businesses O
, O
calling O
it O
" O
flattery O
. O
" O

Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
says O
the O
competition O
" O
broadens O
the O
base O
of O
opportunity O
for O
us O
. O
" O

Other O
firms O
" O
are O
dealing O
with O
the O
masses O
. O

I O
do O
n O
' O
t O
believe O
they O
have O
the O
culture O
" O
to O
adequately O
service O
high O
- O
net O
- O
worth O
individuals O
, O
he O
adds O
. O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
recently B-T
introduced O
certain O
mutual O
- O
fund O
products O
, O
which O
allow O
it O
to O
serve O
customers O
with O
minimum O
deposits O
of O
$ O
250 O
, O
000 O
. O

Previously O
, O
the O
company O
advertised O
at O
the O
$ O
2 O
million O
level O
. O

" O
We O
have O
always O
taken O
smaller O
accounts O
, O
but O
now B-T
we O
are O
looking O
for O
smaller O
accounts O
that O
will O
grow O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
says O
. O

" O
Our O
bread O
and O
butter O
is O
still O
the O
$ O
2 O
million O
to O
$ O
20 O
million O
account O
, O
" O
he O
says O
. O

The O
new O
services O
allow O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
to O
cater O
to O
the O
" O
new O
wealth O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
says O
. O

Quarterly B-T
net O
income O
this B-T
year I-T
has O
risen O
just O
over O
comparable O
periods O
in O
1988 B-T
, O
when O
year O
- O
end O
net O
was O
below O
the O
1987 B-T
level O
. O

In O
this B-T
year I-T
' I-T
s I-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
for O
example O
, O
net O
was O
$ O
10 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
05 O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
$ O
10 O
. O
3 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
02 O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Assets O
as O
of O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
fell O
to O
$ O
2 O
. O
46 O
billion O
from O
about O
$ O
2 O
. O
77 O
billion O
. O

" O
We O
will O
have O
a O
reasonably O
flat O
year O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
says O
. O

Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
also O
said O
costs O
associated O
with O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
' O
s O
planned O
move O
to O
midtown O
Manhattan O
from O
Wall O
Street O
will O
continue O
to O
be O
a O
drag O
on O
earnings O
through O
1990 B-T
. O

Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
' O
s O
great O
- O
grandfather O
founded O
the O
New O
York O
toy O
store O
F O
. O
A O
. O
O O
. O
Schwarz O
, O
but O
his O
family O
no O
longer O
has O
ties O
to O
the O
company O
. O

Mr O
. O
Schwarz O
' O
s O
father O
was O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
trustee O
until O
1974 B-T
. O

U O
. O
S O
. O
Trust O
also O
created O
a O
four O
- O
member O
office O
of O
the O
chairman O
, O
effective O
Feb B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

It O
will O
include O
Messrs O
. O

Schwarz O
and O
Maurer O
. O

Donald O
M O
. O
Roberts O
, O
54 O
, O
treasurer O
, O
and O
Frederick O
S O
. O
Wonham O
, O
58 O
, O
who O
takes O
responsibility O
for O
the O
funds O
- O
service O
group O
, O
were O
named O
vice O
chairmen O
and O
will O
serve O
in O
the O
office O
of O
the O
chairman O
. O

Mr O
. O
Roberts O
continues O
as O
treasurer O
, O
and O
Mr O
. O
Wonham O
remains O
responsible O
for O
the O
offices O
of O
comptroller O
, O
planning O
, O
marketing O
and O
general O
services O
. O

Frederick O
B O
. O
Taylor O
, O
48 O
, O
also O
was O
named O
a O
vice O
chairman O
and O
chief O
investment O
officer O
, O
a O
new O
post O
. O

He O
previously O
held O
similar O
responsibilities O
. O

Mr O
. O
Taylor O
also O
was O
named O
a O
director O
, O
increasing O
the O
board O
to O
22 O
, O
but O
is O
not O
part O
of O
the O
new O
office O
of O
the O
chairman O
. O

James O
E O
. O
Bacon O
, O
58 O
, O
executive O
vice O
president O
, O
who O
has O
directed O
the O
funds O
- O
service O
group O
, O
will O
retire O
. O

AP900816 O
- O
0139 O

AP O
- O
NR O
- O
08 B-T
- I-T
16 I-T
- I-T
90 I-T
2041EDT I-T

u O
i O
AM O
- O
GulfRdp O
3rdLd O
- O
Writethru O
a0723 O
08 O
- O
16 O
1350 O

AM O
- O
Gulf O
Rdp O
, O
3rd O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
, O
a0723 O
, O
1392 O

Gulf O
Showdown O
Takes O
More O
Personal O
Tack O
: O
Saddam O
Calls O
Bush O
a O
` O
Liar O
' O

Eds O
: O
LEADS O
throughout O
to O
RECAST O
, O
ADDS O
background O
on O
oil O
reserves O
, O

food O
imports O
, O
UPDATES O
with O
State O
Department O
reax O
to O
Saddam O
, O
EDITS O

to O
trim O
. O
No O
pickup O

LaserPhotos O

By O
ROBERT O
DVORCHAK O

Associated O
Press O
Writer O

The O
Persian O
Gulf O
showdown O
between O
Iraq O
and O
the O
United O
States O

took O
a O
more O
personal O
turn O
Thursday B-T
when O
Iraq O
' O
s O
Saddam O
Hussein O

called O
President O
Bush O
a O
liar O
and O
said O
the O
outbreak O
of O
holy O
war O

could O
bring O
thousands O
of O
Americans O
home O
in O
coffins O
. O

Bush O
, O
commenting O
on O
the O
two B-T
- I-T
week I-T
- O
old O
gulf O
crisis O
from O
his O

vacation O
home O
in O
Maine O
, O
said O
he O
saw O
little O
reason O
to O
be O
optimistic O

about O
a O
settlement O
of O
the O
dispute O
, O
which O
stems O
from O
Iraq O
' O
s O
invasion O

of O
oil O
- O
wealthy O
Kuwait O
and O
its O
subsequent O
military O
buildup O
on O
the O

border O
of O
Saudi O
Arabia O
. O

After O
a O
two B-T
- I-T
hour I-T
meeting O
at O
his O
Kennebunkport O
home O
with O
King O

Hussein O
of O
Jordan O
, O
Bush O
said O
, O
` O
` O
I O
did O
not O
come O
away O
with O
any O

feeling O
of O
hope O
' O
' O
that O
Iraq O
would O
withdraw O
its O
army O
from O
Kuwait O
. O

Bush O
also O
said O
Thursday B-T
that O
King O
Hussein O
assured O
him O
Jordan O

would O
close O
the O
last O
remaining O
free O
port O
to O
most O
Iraqi O
trade O
as O
the O

economic O
embargo O
on O
materials O
to O
Iraq O
continued O
unabated O
. O

Foodstuffs O
are O
among O
the O
goods O
being O
blocked O
from O
entry O
; O
Iraq O

imports O
about O
three O
- O
quarters O
of O
its O
food O
. O

Pentagon O
sources O
in O
Washington O
meanwhile O
said O
the O
Bush O

administration O
plans O
to O
deploy O
45 O
, O
000 O
Marines O
to O
the O
region O
to O
back O

up O
the O
thousands O
of O
Army O
, O
Navy O
and O
Air O
Force O
troops O
already O
in O

place O
in O
the O
gulf O
and O
the O
Saudi O
desert O
. O

At O
a O
news O
conference O
, O
Secretary O
of O
State O
James O
A O
. O
Baker O
III O
said O

Jordan O
` O
` O
is O
seeking O
some O
guidance O
' O
' O
about O
a O
provision O
in O
the O

U O
. O
N O
. O
- O
backed O
trade O
embargo O
that O
allows O
food O
for O
humanitarian O

purposes O
. O

Worries O
however O
grew O
about O
the O
safety O
of O
Americans O
and O
other O

Westerners O
trapped O
in O
Kuwait O
. O
Iraqi O
military O
authorities O
ordered O

all O
Americans O
and O
Britons O
in O
Kuwait O
to O
assemble O
at O
a O
hotel O
, O

officials O
said O
. O

` O
` O
Very O
few O
' O
' O
of O
the O
2 O
, O
500 O
Americans O
in O
occupied O
Kuwait O
complied O

with O
the O
order O
, O
a O
senior O
U O
. O
S O
. O
official O
told O
The O
Associated O
Press O
. O

Iraq O
said O
the O
roundup O
was O
to O
protect O
them O
from O
unspecified O

threats O
; O
British O
Foreign O
Office O
minister O
William O
Waldegrave O
called O

the O
order O
` O
` O
grave O
and O
sinister O
. O
' O
' O

` O
` O
What O
we O
fear O
is O
that O
they O
will O
be O
interned O
somewhere O
, O
most O

likely O
in O
Iraq O
, O
' O
' O
Waldegrave O
said O
. O

A O
total O
of O
about O
3 O
, O
000 O
Americans O
, O
3 O
, O
000 O
Britons O
and O
more O
than O

450 O
Japanese O
are O
in O
Iraq O
and O
Kuwait O
. O
Overall O
, O
more O
than O
2 O
million O

foreigners O
are O
in O
both O
countries O
. O
Iraq O
has O
called O
them O

` O
` O
restrictees O
. O
' O
' O

In O
addition O
to O
the O
estimated O
45 O
, O
000 O
Marines O
to O
ultimately O
be O

part O
of O
Operation O
Desert O
Shield O
, O
Stealth O
fighter O
planes O
and O
the O

aircraft O
carrier O
John O
F O
. O
Kennedy O
are O
also O
headed O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
to O
protect O
it O
from O
Iraqi O
expansionism O
. O

In O
Washington O
, O
Pentagon O
spokesman O
Pete O
Williams O
said O
Iraq O
has O
continued O
to O
increase O
its O
armed O
forces O
in O
Kuwait O
and O
they O
now B-T

number O
about O
160 O
, O
000 O
. O

Saddam O
has O
been O
under O
international O
quarantine O
since O
his O
Aug B-T
. I-T
2 I-T

power O
- O
grab O
, O
or O
what O
he O
calls O
an O
` O
` O
eternal O
merger O
' O
' O
with O
Kuwait O
. O

In O
a O
long O
verbal O
attack O
read O
on O
Iraqi O
television O
Thursday B-T
, O

Saddam O
repeatedly O
called O
Bush O
` O
` O
a O
liar O
' O
' O
and O
said O
a O
shooting O
war O

could O
produce O
body O
bags O
courtesy O
of O
Baghdad O
. O

` O
` O
We O
continue O
to O
pray O
and O
pray O
hard O
to O
God O
so O
that O
there O
will O
be O

no O
confrontation O
whereby O
you O
will O
receive O
thousands O
of O
Americans O

wrapped O
in O
sad O
coffins O
after O
you O
had O
pushed O
them O
into O
a O
dark O

tunnel O
, O
' O
' O
Saddam O
said O
. O

He O
called O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
massing O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
the O
real O

occupiers O
in O
the O
Persian O
Gulf O
. O

Replied O
State O
Department O
deputy O
spokesman O
Richard O
Boucher O
, O
` O
` O
We O

have O
n O
' O
t O
really O
analyzed O
the O
statement O
in O
detail O
but O
it O
appears O
to O

be O
just O
another O
example O
of O
his O
outlandish O
rhetoric O
and O
his O
attempts O

to O
distort O
the O
truth O
. O

` O
` O
We O
believe O
that O
his O
words O
cannot O
distract O
the O
world O
from O
the O

facts O
of O
Iraqi O
aggression O
. O
' O
' O

An O
international O
land O
, O
sea O
and O
air O
force O
has O
mobilized O
since O

Iraq O
' O
s O
invasion O
, O
which O
was O
sparked O
by O
disputes O
over O
oil O
, O
land O
and O

repayment O
of O
war O
loans O
. O

In O
the O
largest O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
operation O
since O
Vietnam O
, O
an O

estimated O
20 O
, O
000 O
American O
GIs O
have O
already O
massed O
to O
defend O
Saudi O

Arabia O
. O

` O
` O
We O
do O
n O
' O
t O
just O
arrive O
, O
' O
' O
said O
four O
- O
star O
Gen O
. O
John O
Dailey O
, O

assistant O
commandant O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Marine O
Corps O
. O
` O
` O
We O
' O
re O
there O
to O
stay O
for O
a B-T
fairly I-T
lengthy I-T
period I-T
. O
' O
' O

Egypt O
, O
Syria O
, O
Morocco O
and O
Bangladesh O
also O
committed O
ground O

troops O
, O
to O
a O
much O
lesser O
degree O
. O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Navy O
has O
27 O
ships O
in O
the O
maritime O
barricade O
of O
Iraq O
. O

They O
are O
aided O
by O
Britain O
, O
West O
Germany O
, O
Australia O
, O
Canada O
, O
the O

Netherlands O
and O
Belgium O
. O
Bush O
was O
expected O
to O
authorize O
naval O

commanders O
to O
use O
` O
` O
the O
minimum O
force O
necessary O
' O
' O
to O
interdict O

shipments O
to O
and O
from O
Iraq O
, O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
official O
said O
. O
That O

could O
include O
firing O
across O
the O
bow O
to O
halt O
a O
ship O
. O

In O
the O
air O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Air O
Force O
fliers O
say O
they O
have O
engaged O
in O
` O
` O
a O

little O
cat O
and O
mouse O
' O
' O
with O
Iraqi O
warplanes O
, O
which O
have O
retreated O

when O
weapons O
radar O
locks O
onto O
them O
. O
` O
` O
They O
do O
n O
' O
t O
want O
to O
play O
with O

us O
, O
' O
' O
one O
U O
. O
S O
. O
crew O
chief O
said O
. O

In O
Kuwait O
, O
the O
Iraqis O
have O
rimmed O
the O
capital O
city O
with O
an O

air O
- O
defense O
system O
, O
according O
to O
a O
U O
. O
S O
. O
official O
who O
spoke O
on O
the O

condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O
He O
declined O
to O
say O
if O
the O
weapons O
included O

missiles O
, O
but O
the O
Iraqis O
have O
them O
in O
their O
arsenal O
. O
The O
Iraqis O

also O
possess O
chemical O
weapons O
. O

The O
combined O
operations O
are O
designed O
to O
isolate O
and O
strangle O

Iraq O
until O
it O
retreats O
from O
Kuwait O
. O
The O
quarantine O
hopes O
to O
staunch O

the O
flow O
of O
Iraqi O
oil O
, O
which O
is O
Iraq O
' O
s O
economic O
lifeblood O
, O
and O

clamp O
down O
on O
food O
and O
supplies O
going O
in O
. O

Iraq O
now B-T
controls O
20 O
percent O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
oil O
reserves O
with O

its O
conquest O
of O
Kuwait O
. O
Only O
Saudi O
Arabia O
has O
more O
oil O
reserves O
. O

The O
economic O
chokehold O
appears O
to O
be O
working O
. O

The O
Lloyd O
' O
s O
List O
International O
newspaper O
, O
which O
monitors O

worldwide O
shipping O
, O
said O
Iraq O
' O
s O
fleet O
of O
80 O
tankers O
and O
cargo O
ships O

has O
stopped O
regular O
trading O
. O

John O
Prescott O
, O
a O
shipping O
correspondent O
, O
said O
there O
was O
no O

shipping O
in O
Kuwaiti O
or O
Iraqi O
ports O
and O
that O
activity O
was O
trailing O
off O
in O
the O
Jordanian O
port O
of O
Aqaba O
. O

Bush O
' O
s O
chief O
objective O
in O
his O
meeting O
with O
Hussein O
was O
to O
press O

the O
king O
to O
shut O
down O
Iraq O
' O
s O
food O
and O
oil O
supply O
route O
from O
Aqaba O

on O
the O
Red O
Sea O
. O

Aqaba O
is O
Iraq O
' O
s O
only O
outlet O
now B-T
that O
an O
international O
noose O
has O
tightened O
. O
Bush O
has O
indicated O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Navy O
will O
barricade O
the O
port O

from O
Iraqi O
ships O
. O
The O
president O
also O
has O
offered O
to O
help O
offset O

Jordan O
' O
s O
costs O
because O
40 O
percent O
of O
its O
exports O
go O
to O
Iraq O
and O
90 O

percent O
of O
its O
oil O
comes O
from O
there O
. O

` O
` O
It O
' O
s O
our O
only O
outlet O
to O
the O
sea O
and O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
, O
' O
' O

Hussein O
said O
. O
He O
also O
said O
of O
trade O
with O
Iraq O
: O
` O
` O
There O
are O
no O

shipments O
at O
the B-T
moment I-T
. O
' O
' O

A B-T
day I-T
earlier I-T
, O
scores O
of O
trucks O
, O
many O
with O
Iraqi O
license O
plates O
, O

streamed O
north O
out O
of O
Aqaba O
to O
Amman O
and O
onto O
the O
desert O
highway O

bound O
for O
Iraq O
. O

The O
Jordanian O
monarch O
met O
this B-T
week I-T
with O
Saddam O
, O
but O
he O
told O

reporters O
he O
had O
no O
message O
from O
Baghdad O
. O
` O
` O
I O
am O
not O
talking O
on O

behalf O
of O
anyone O
in O
the O
area O
. O
. O
. O
but O
myself O
, O
' O
' O
Hussein O
said O
. O

In O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
Libya O
called O
for O
the O
replacement O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O

forces O
in O
the O
Persian O
Gulf O
with O
Arab O
League O
forces O
and O
U O
. O
N O
. O

soldiers O
. O

Libyan O
leader O
Moammar O
Gadhafi O
, O
in O
a O
letter O
to O
the O
U O
. O
N O
. O

Secretary O
- O
General O
, O
also O
called O
for O
an O
emergency O
Security O
Council O

meeting O
in O
Geneva O
to O
remove O
U O
. O
S O
. O
forces O
. O
There O
was O
no O
decision O
on O
a O

meeting O
. O

Thirty O
- O
two O
of O
the O
159 O
U O
. O
N O
. O
members O
had O
filed O
compliance O
reports O

by O
Wednesday B-T
, O
and O
all O
were O
honoring O
the O
sanctions O
Iraq O
. O

Also O
Thursday B-T
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
called O
for O
an O
emergency O
conference O

of O
the O
Organization O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
to O
discuss O
how O

much O
oil O
to O
pump O
. O

The O
minister O
denied O
the O
kingdom O
had O
notified O
notified O
any O
of O
its O

customers O
of O
any O
cutbacks O
in O
oil O
supply O
. O
Reports O
attributed O
to O
the O

Japanese O
foreign O
ministry O
said O
Saudi O
Arabia O
told O
U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
European O
and O

Japanese O
oil O
companies O
of O
a O
15 O
- O
20 O
percent O
cutback O
in O
its O
oil O
supply O

in O
September B-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Egypt O
' O
s O
official O
Middle O
East O
News O
Agency O
said O

Thursday B-T
that O
Saddam O
was O
the O
target O
of O
an O
assassination O
attempt O
, O

which O
led O
to O
` O
` O
large O
- O
scale O
' O
' O
arrests O
, O
including O
some O
close O

associates O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
strongman O
. O

The O
agency O
quoted O
witnesses O
as O
saying O
tanks O
and O
armored O
cars O
are O

patrolling O
the O
streets O
of O
Baghdad O
. O
There O
was O
no O
independent O

confirmation O
of O
the O
report O
by O
the O
government O
- O
run O
news O
agency O
, O
which O

did O
not O
say O
when O
the O
reported O
attempt O
occurred O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0284 O

OTTAWA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Canada O
' O
s O
NDP O
withdraws O
support O
for O
government O

Canada O
' O
s O
small O
New O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
NDP O
) O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
it O
will O
withdraw O
its O
support O
for O
the O
minority O
Liberal O
government O
in O
future O
no O
- O
confidence O
vote O
, O
raising O
the O
chances O
of O
a O
Christmas B-T
election O
. O

NDP O
Leader O
Jack O
Layton O
said O
his O
party O
will O
not O
support O
the O
Liberal O
government O
in O
any O
new O
non O
- O
confidence O
vote O
as O
he O
rejected O
a O
Liberal O
proposal O
to O
protect O
public O
health O
. O

" O
What O
the O
government O
is O
proposing O
is O
unacceptable O
. O
There O
' O
s O
no O
basis O
for O
our O
party O
to O
express O
confidence O
in O
this O
government O
, O
" O
said O
Layton O
in O
Toronto O
in O
a O
televised O
speech O
. O

" O
We O
cannot O
express O
confidence O
in O
a O
government O
that O
is O
under O
the O
leadership O
of O
a O
party O
that O
cannot O
be O
trusted O
to O
clean O
up O
the O
politics O
that O
it O
tainted O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
time O
to O
let O
Canadians O
judge O
the O
Liberals O
is O
approaching O
" O
sooner O
, O
not O
later O
, O
" O
said O
Layton O
, O
who O
, O
however O
, O
did O
not O
give O
any O
further O
indication O
of O
a O
time O
frame O
. O

According O
to O
local O
media O
reports O
, O
since O
the O
Parliament O
is O
in O
recess O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
a O
non O
- O
confidence O
vote O
is O
possible O
as O
early O
as O
the B-T
week I-T
of I-T
Nov I-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, O
although O
some O
speculate O
a O
vote O
might O
not O
happen O
until O
Dec B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, O
when O
an O
estimates O
vote O
is O
to O
be O
held O
. O

If O
the O
government O
is O
defeated O
at O
the O
earliest O
possible O
time O
, O
a O
vote O
could O
be O
scheduled O
for O
Dec B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
. O
If O
the O
government O
fell O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, O
a O
vote O
would O
likely O
take O
place O
in O
mid O
- O
January O
, O
the O
reports O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

Layton O
had O
said O
his O
decision O
whether O
to O
support O
the O
Liberals O
in O
a O
future O
confidence O
vote O
rested O
on O
the O
Liberal O
response O
to O
an O
NDP O
call O
for O
increased O
protections O
for O
public O
health O
care O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
Federal O
Health O
Minister O
Ujjal O
Dosanjh O
provided O
Layton O
with O
a O
proposal O
on O
promoting O
public O
health O
care O
, O
which O
was O
criticized O
by O
Layton O
as O
" O
disappointing O
" O
Friday B-T
. O
Layton O
said O
on O
that B-T
day I-T
he O
would O
consider O
the O
proposal O
carefully O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
. O

The O
Health O
Minister O
reacted O
to O
Layton O
' O
s O
Monday B-T
speech O
by O
saying O
that O
" O
I O
' O
m O
actually O
disappointed O
that O
Jack O
Layton O
is O
playing O
politics O
with O
some O
very O
important O
issues O
in O
health O
care O
. O
" O

" O
Mr O
. O
Layton O
has O
made O
general O
comments O
, O
but O
not O
once O
has O
he O
said O
what O
specific O
change O
he O
' O
d O
like O
to O
see O
to O
this O
package O
that O
will O
strengthen O
public O
health O
care O
, O
" O
the O
minister O
said O
. O

Conservative O
Leader O
Stephen O
Harper O
, O
who O
spoke O
moments O
after O
Layton O
' O
s O
speech O
, O
said O
he O
believes O
the O
NDP O
leader O
still O
has O
not O
made O
up O
his O
mind O
and O
is O
still O
negotiating O
with O
the O
Liberals O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
the O
same O
soap O
opera O
. O
We O
will O
continue O
to O
assume O
that O
Mr O
. O
Layton O
is O
still O
bargaining O
with O
the O
Liberal O
government O
, O
" O
said O
Harper O
. O

The O
Tory O
leader O
said O
his O
party O
will O
not O
introduce O
a O
confidence O
motion O
before O
Christmas B-T
because O
he O
does O
not O
believe O
Layton O
will O
follow O
through O
with O
a O
three O
- O
party O
opposition O
attack O
. O

As O
for O
the O
Bloc O
Quebecois O
, O
leader O
Gilles O
Duceppe O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
Liberals O
can O
not O
count O
on O
his O
party O
to O
keep O
them O
in O
power O
. O

He O
said O
it O
was O
up O
to O
the O
NDP O
and O
the O
Conservatives O
to O
take O
action O
and O
that O
the O
Bloc O
would O
go O
along O
with O
whatever O
they O
decided O
. O

The O
leftist O
New O
Democrats O
have O
been O
the O
only O
group O
keeping O
the O
minority O
Liberal O
government O
in O
power O
. O
Layton O
propped O
up O
the O
Liberals O
in O
a O
budget O
vote O
in O
May B-T
after O
reaching O
a O
deal O
worth O
4 O
. O
6 O
billion O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
3 O
. O
7 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
extra O
spending O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
Justice O
John O
Gomery O
' O
s O
report O
laid O
blame O
for O
the O
flawed O
running O
of O
the O
sponsorship O
program O
with O
the O
government O
of O
former O
prime O
minister O
Jean O
Chretien O
. O

While O
the O
report O
cleared O
Martin O
of O
blame O
in O
the O
mismanagement O
of O
the O
332 O
- O
million O
- O
Canadian O
- O
dollar O
( O
256 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
program O
, O
all O
three O
opposition O
leaders O
blasted O
the O
Liberal O
party O
as O
riddled O
with O
corruption O
. O

Martin O
has O
promised O
to O
call O
an O
election O
within O
30 B-T
days I-T
after O
the O
final O
sponsorship O
report O
is O
delivered O
on O
Feb B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0004 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

trafficker O
clemency O

Singapore O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Foreign O
Affairs O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
the O
city O
state O
is O
unable O
to O
change O
its O
decision O
of O
not O
granting O
clemency O
to O
Nguyen O
Tuong O
Van O
. O

Nguyen O
, O
a O
25 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Australian O
, O
had O
been O
sentenced O
to O
death O
by O
a O
Singapore O
court O
last B-T
year I-T
after O
being O
found O
guilty O
of O
smuggling O
almost O
400 O
grams O
of O
pure O
heroin O
from O
Cambodia O
to O
Australia O
via O
Singapore O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
that O
Singapore O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Minister O
George O
Yeo O
had O
written O
to O
his O
Australian O
counterpart O
Alexander O
Downer O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
stressing O
that O
the O
decision O
is O
unable O
to O
be O
changed O
because O
of O
" O
the O
seriousness O
of O
the O
offense O
and O
the O
need O
to O
hold O
firm O
the O
national O
position O
against O
drug O
trafficking O
" O
. O

He O
noted O
that O
the O
city O
state O
had O
carefully O
considered O
all O
relevant O
factors O
of O
this O
case O
including O
Nguyen O
' O
s O
sad O
personal O
circumstances O
and O
his O
value O
as O
a O
potential O
source O
of O
information O
. O

Yeo O
added O
that O
the O
Singapore O
government O
has O
the O
responsibility O
to O
protect O
its O
people O
from O
the O
scourge O
of O
drug O
addiction O
and O
to O
prevent O
the O
country O
from O
becoming O
a O
conduit O
for O
the O
trafficking O
of O
illicit O
drugs O
in O
the O
region O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0170 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
president O
satisfied O
with O
Sino O
- O
Australian O
ties O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
on O
Friday B-T
expressed O
satisfaction O
over O
the O
development O
of O
Sino O
- O
Australian O
relations O
. O

" O
The O
relations O
between O
China O
and O
Australia O
have O
maintained O
good O
momentum O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
when O
meeting O
with O
Australian O
Prime O
Minister O
John O
Howard O
before O
the O
economic O
leaders O
' O
informal O
meeting O
of O
the O
Asia O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
. O

Since O
the O
two O
countries O
agreed O
to O
develop O
comprehensive O
and O
cooperative O
ties O
for O
mutual O
benefit O
in O
the B-T
21st I-T
century I-T
, O
they O
have O
conducted O
exchanges O
actively O
in O
the O
fields O
of O
trade O
and O
economy O
, O
culture O
, O
science O
and O
technology O
as O
well O
as O
education O
and O
tourism O
, O
Hu O
said O
. O

The O
Chinese O
president O
said O
both O
countries O
should O
cement O
their O
cooperation O
in O
energy O
, O
push O
forward O
talks O
on O
China O
- O
Australia O
free O
trade O
agreement O
( O
FTA O
) O
, O
and O
intensify O
consultation O
on O
international O
and O
regional O
issues O
. O

Howard O
said O
Australia O
hoped O
to O
advance O
the O
FTA O
talks O
with O
China O
through O
further O
discussions O
, O
and O
expected O
closer O
cooperation O
in O
energy O
security O
, O
climate O
changes O
and O
exchanges O
of O
personnel O
. O

He O
said O
his O
country O
supported O
China O
to O
play O
a O
critical O
role O
in O
solving O
the O
nuclear O
issue O
on O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
, O
and O
both O
countries O
will O
make O
efforts O
to O
achieve O
the O
peaceful O
settlement O
of O
the O
issue O
by O
strengthening O
consultation O
and O
coordination O
. O

President O
Hu O
is O
in O
Hanoi O
for O
a O
state O
visit O
, O
where O
he O
will O
also O
attend O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
APEC O
economic O
leaders O
' O
informal O
meeting O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0135 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Pillar O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
colonial O
society O
wrestles O
with O
royal O
legacy O

The O
Royal O
Hong O
Kong O
Yacht O
Club O
, O
a O
watering O
- O
hole O
for O
yachties O
throughout O
the O
British O
colonial O
period O
, O
has O
launched O
a O
fresh O
bid O
to O
settle O
the O
problem O
of O
its O
royal O
connections O
as O
the O
territory O
' O
s O
handover O
to O
China O
looms O
. O

Less O
than O
a O
year O
after O
the O
club O
was O
wracked O
by O
internal O
debate O
about O
whether O
to O
scrap O
the O
" O
Royal O
" O
from O
its O
name O
, O
the O
organisation O
told O
members O
in O
a O
letter O
received O
Tuesday B-T
that O
it O
was O
floating O
other O
proposals O
to O
present O
a O
less O
British O
image O
. O

Ideas O
put O
forward O
" O
to O
reflect O
the O
change O
of O
status O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
on O
July B-T
1 I-T
" O
include O
removal O
of O
the O
crown O
from O
the O
logo O
and O
club O
flag O
, O
and O
its O
replacement O
by O
the O
bauhinia O
flower O
, O
the O
emblem O
of O
the O
future O
Hong O
Kong O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
( O
SAR O
) O
of O
China O
. O

The O
present O
club O
insignia O
, O
which O
sells O
well O
on O
T O
- O
shirts O
, O
bags O
and O
other O
merchandise O
, O
comprises O
a O
Chinese O
dragon O
topped O
by O
the O
British O
crown O
. O

Other O
proposals O
are O
that O
the O
club O
" O
look O
to O
the O
sovereign O
power O
for O
patronage O
, O
" O
the O
letter O
said O
, O
adding O
future O
SAR O
chief O
executive O
Tung O
Chee O
- O
Hwa O
would O
be O
solicited O
for O
his O
views O
. O

The O
letter O
, O
from O
club O
commodore O
David O
Kong O
, O
added O
the O
club O
' O
s O
general O
committee O
had O
resolved O
" O
the O
club O
will O
not O
take O
any O
action O
, O
or O
fail O
to O
take O
any O
action O
, O
which O
may O
be O
viewed O
as O
inappropriate O
by O
the O
incoming O
and O
outgoing O
government O
. O
" O

In O
January B-T
, O
club O
sources O
said O
the O
club O
was O
poring O
over O
a O
proposal O
to O
ask O
Chinese O
President O
Jiang O
Zemin O
to O
become O
patron O
and O
Tung O
vice O
- O
patron O
, O
replacing O
Britain O
' O
s O
Queen O
Elizabeth O
II O
and O
Governor O
Chris O
Patten O
respectively O
. O

But O
, O
despite O
the O
comfort O
and O
famous O
setting O
of O
the O
club O
on O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
harbour O
- O
front O
, O
it O
is O
unclear O
whether O
Jiang O
, O
as O
head O
of O
a O
communist O
state O
, O
would O
wish O
to O
become O
patron O
of O
a O
club O
that O
still O
has O
" O
Royal O
" O
in O
its O
title O
. O

In O
May B-T
1996 I-T
, O
a O
bitter O
internal O
debate O
broke O
out O
about O
dropping O
the O
word O
, O
with O
some O
members O
arguing O
at O
a O
special O
meeting O
that O
the O
club O
faced O
a O
range O
of O
problems O
, O
ranging O
from O
help O
from O
the O
Chinese O
navy O
to O
administrative O
hurdles O
, O
if O
it O
maintained O
this O
verbal O
legacy O
. O

Under O
the O
club O
' O
s O
statutes O
, O
any O
name O
change O
has O
to O
be O
supported O
by O
75 O
percent O
of O
those O
voting O
in O
a O
ballot O
. O

The O
motion O
to O
drop O
the O
royal O
patronage O
garnered O
2 O
, O
542 O
votes O
, O
with O
1 O
, O
719 O
against O
, O
or O
just O
under O
60 O
percent O
support O
. O
A O
similar O
vote O
in O
1995 B-T
won O
73 O
percent O
support O
for O
the O
name O
change O
. O

The O
letter O
said O
an O
extraordinary O
general O
meeting O
would O
be O
held O
on O
June B-T
12 I-T
to O
choose O
a O
Chinese O
name O
for O
the O
club O
. O
This O
was O
because O
" O
Chinese O
will O
become O
the O
official O
language O
of O
the O
SAR O
, O
( O
so O
) O
it O
is O
necessary O
for O
our O
club O
to O
register O
its O
name O
in O
Chinese O
as O
part O
of O
our O
proper O
business O
title O
. O
" O

Kong O
could O
not O
be O
reached O
immediately O
for O
further O
comment O
. O

The O
royal O
row O
has O
been O
repeated O
in O
clubs O
and O
institutions O
throughout O
the O
territory O
, O
which O
returns O
to O
Chinese O
rule O
on O
July B-T
1 I-T
after O
more B-T
than I-T
156 I-T
years I-T
as O
a O
British O
colony O
. O

The O
Royal O
Hong O
Kong O
Golf O
Club O
and O
the O
Royal O
Hong O
Kong O
Jockey O
Club O
, O
which O
runs O
the O
local O
horse O
racing O
and O
betting O
industry O
, O
have O
already O
dropped O
the O
" O
Royal O
" O
tag O
, O
as O
has O
the O
Royal O
Society O
for O
the O
Prevention O
of O
Cruelty O
to O
Animals O
( O
RSPCA O
) O
, O
which O
followed O
suit O
on O
New B-T
Year I-T
' I-T
s I-T
Day I-T
1997 I-T
. O

The O
Royal O
Hong O
Kong O
Police O
Force O
will O
become O
simply O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Police O
Force O
on O
July B-T
1 I-T
, O
complete O
with O
a O
new O
cap O
badge O
. O

In O
1994 B-T
, O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
currency O
- O
issuing O
banks O
began O
replacing O
the O
effigy O
of O
the O
Queen O
with O
the O
bauhinia O
. O

Ironically O
, O
the O
full O
name O
of O
the O
pink O
five O
- O
pistilled O
flower O
- O
- O
bauhinia O
blakeana O
- O
- O
is O
named O
after O
Sir O
Henry O
Blake O
, O
a O
former O
colonial O
governor O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0263 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israeli O
army O
rejects O
drafting O
five O
anti O
- O
withdrawal O
youths O

Five O
Israeli O
right O
- O
wing O
youths O
have O
been O
rejected O
from O
the O
Israel O
Defense O
Forces O
( O
IDF O
) O
draft O
due O
to O
suspicions O
they O
were O
involved O
in O
violence O
against O
security O
personnel O
during O
the O
Gaza O
withdrawal O
, O
local O
newspaper O
Yedioth O
Aharonoth O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
recruitment O
date O
of O
the O
youths O
, O
initially O
set O
for O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
has O
been O
indefinitely O
delayed O
, O
a O
senior O
IDF O
Personnel O
Directorate O
officer O
was O
cited O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
decision O
is O
in O
accordance O
with O
a O
policy O
established O
by O
IDF O
Chief O
of O
Staff O
Dan O
Halutz O
, O
according O
to O
which O
the O
IDF O
will O
refuse O
to O
draft O
youths O
convicted O
of O
violence O
against O
soldiers O
and O
police O
during O
the O
pullout O
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

Currently O
, O
more O
than O
100 O
youths O
are O
under O
examination O
on O
possible O
involvement O
in O
anti O
- O
withdrawal O
violence O
before O
the O
IDF O
decide O
on O
whether O
to O
enlist O
them O
. O

Israel O
withdrew O
settlers O
and O
troops O
from O
the O
entire O
Gaza O
Strip O
and O
parts O
of O
the O
West O
Bank O
in O
September B-T
. O

The O
pullout O
, O
designed O
to O
" O
disengage O
" O
from O
violence O
with O
the O
Palestinians O
, O
has O
met O
with O
fierce O
opposition O
from O
rightists O
and O
some O
settlers O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0057 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

years O

China O
aims O
to O
keep O
the O
registered O
urban O
unemployment O
rate O
below O
5 O
percent O
in O
the O
coming O
five B-T
years I-T
, O
with O
additional O
45 O
million O
people O
being O
employed O
. O

China O
' O
s O
Minister O
of O
Labor O
and O
Social O
Security O
Tian O
Chengping O
said O
recently O
that O
to O
achieve O
the O
goal O
, O
adjustments O
will O
be O
made O
to O
enlarge O
the O
scope O
of O
employment O
. O

China O
will O
provide O
preferential O
policies O
in O
loans O
to O
encourage O
people O
starting O
their O
own O
businesses O
. O
Comparing O
with O
current O
policies O
, O
the O
new O
loan O
policies O
will O
permit O
guaranteed O
micro O
- O
credits O
to O
laid O
- O
off O
workers O
, O
unemployed O
people O
in O
urban O
areas O
and O
military O
officers O
transferred O
to O
civilian O
work O
. O

" O
In O
the O
following O
five B-T
years I-T
, O
we O
' O
ll O
take O
measures O
to O
enlarge O
the O
coverage O
of O
basic O
old O
- O
age O
pension O
. O
More O
efforts O
will O
be O
spent O
to O
draw O
more O
people O
into O
the O
system O
, O
such O
as O
people O
working O
in O
private O
enterprises O
and O
the O
self O
- O
employed O
, O
" O
said O
Tian O
. O

The O
total O
number O
of O
skilled O
workers O
is O
expected O
to O
exceed O
100 O
million O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
with O
the O
number O
of O
technicians O
and O
senior O
technicians O
reaching O
5 O
. O
5 O
million O
. O
Various O
vocational O
trainings O
will O
be O
provided O
to O
help O
urban O
and O
rural O
labors O
take O
a O
job O
or O
start O
their O
own O
businesses O
, O
Tian O
added O
. O

China O
reported O
a O
4 O
. O
2 O
percent O
registered O
urban O
unemployment O
rate O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
September I-T
. O
The O
rate O
has O
been O
kept O
below O
5 O
percent O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
which O
was O
3 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
2001 B-T
, O
4 O
percent O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
4 O
. O
3 O
percent O
in O
2003 B-T
and O
4 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
according O
to O
statistics O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Labor O
and O
Social O
Security O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970426 O
. O
0106 O

DUSSELDORF O
, O
Germany O
, O
April B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Kurds O
demonstrate O
in O
favour O
of O
peace O
with O
Ankara O

Some O
50 O
, O
000 O
Kurds O
calling O
for O
a O
peaceful O
resolution O
to O
the O
bloody O
battle O
with O
Ankara O
for O
an O
independent O
Kurdish O
homeland O
, O
were O
expected O
Saturday B-T
in O
Dusseldorf O
, O
western O
Germany O
, O
organisers O
said O
. O

The O
Kurds O
were O
converging O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
from O
all O
over O
Germany O
, O
the O
Netherlands O
and O
Belgium O
for O
the O
demonstration O
, O
in O
450 O
coaches O
and O
two O
special O
trains O
. O

At O
least O
10 O
, O
000 O
had O
arrived O
early B-T
Saturday I-T
morning I-T
, O
police O
said O
. O
They O
were O
due O
Saturday B-T
afternoon I-T
to O
stage O
a O
rally O
at O
a O
public O
space O
on O
the O
banks O
of O
the O
river O
Rhine O
. O

Some O
1 O
, O
000 O
police O
were O
called O
in O
to O
Dusseldorf O
to O
monitor O
the O
demonstration O
. O

No O
incidents O
were O
signalled O
by O
police O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0517 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

EBRD O
warns O
of O
fragility O
of O
economic O
reforms O
in O
eastern O
Europe O
By O
Henry O
Meyer O

The O
annual O
conference O
of O
the O
European O
Bank O
for O
Reconstruction O
and O
Development O
( O
EBRD O
) O
held O
here O
Monday B-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
warned O
of O
the O
fragility O
of O
economic O
reforms O
in O
some O
parts O
of O
the O
former O
Communist O
bloc O
, O
pointing O
to O
events O
in O
Albania O
and O
Bulgaria O
. O

But O
the O
more O
advanced O
countries O
of O
the O
region O
, O
such O
as O
Hungary O
and O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
, O
which O
have O
sped O
away O
from O
the O
others O
on O
the O
road O
towards O
capitalism O
, O
complained O
that O
the O
bank O
was O
giving O
them O
the O
cold O
shoulder O
as O
it O
swung O
eastwards O
. O

EBRD O
President O
Jacques O
de O
Larosiere O
said O
that O
the O
chaotic O
events O
in O
Albania O
- O
- O
where O
the O
collapse O
of O
pyramid O
investment O
schemes O
in O
January B-T
sparked O
near O
civil O
war O
- O
- O
were O
" O
a O
tragic O
illustration O
of O
how O
hard O
- O
won O
progress O
in O
transition O
can O
be O
lost O
with O
frightening O
speed O
. O
" O

Denouncing O
the O
situation O
there O
as O
a O
" O
disaster O
, O
" O
de O
Larosiere O
warned O
that O
serious O
obstacles O
to O
a O
market O
economy O
remained O
in O
many O
countries O
, O
referring O
in O
particular O
to O
the O
ex O
- O
Soviet O
republics O
such O
as O
Belarus O
, O
Russia O
and O
Ukraine O
. O

The O
EBRD O
president O
criticized O
the O
uncertain O
legal O
and O
taxation O
systems O
in O
the O
region O
, O
and O
the O
problem O
of O
corruption O
, O
crime O
and O
bureaucratic O
meddling O
in O
the O
private O
sector O
. O

" O
The O
conduct O
of O
good O
business O
requires O
a O
level O
playing O
field O
, O
and O
the O
rules O
of O
the O
game O
must O
be O
universally O
known O
, O
transparent O
and O
fairly O
applied O
, O
" O
de O
Larosiere O
said O
. O

He O
said O
this O
unstable O
business O
environment O
was O
discouraging O
long O
- O
term O
foreign O
investment O
and O
prompting O
massive O
capital O
flight O
of O
billions O
of O
dollars O
a B-T
year I-T
. O

In O
the O
background O
of O
the O
meeting O
, O
though O
, O
a O
dispute O
simmered O
over O
the O
downgrading O
in O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
role O
in O
the O
top O
- O
performers O
of O
eastern O
and O
central O
Europe O
. O

The O
EBRD O
was O
set O
up O
in O
1991 B-T
to O
assist O
the O
transition O
to O
a O
market O
economy O
in O
eastern O
and O
central O
Europe O
and O
the O
former O
Soviet O
Union O
. O

The O
Czech O
Republic O
, O
which O
has O
been O
one O
of O
swiftest O
in O
the O
region O
to O
implement O
free O
- O
market O
reforms O
, O
complained O
bitterly O
about O
the O
EBRD O
' O
s O
lack O
of O
activity O
in O
the O
country O
during O
1996 B-T
. O

" O
Unfortunately O
, O
we O
were O
rather O
disappointed O
with O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
achievements O
last O
year O
. O
. O
. O
not O
a O
single O
new O
project O
was O
signed O
in O
my O
country O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
" O
said O
the O
governor O
of O
the O
Czech O
central O
bank O
, O
Josef O
Tosovsky O
. O

Hungary O
also O
joined O
her O
voice O
to O
the O
protests O
. O
The O
Hungarian O
Secretary O
of O
State O
for O
Finance O
, O
Tibor O
Draskovics O
, O
said O
that O
his O
country O
" O
expects O
further O
support O
from O
the O
EBRD O
during O
this O
challenging O
phase O
, O
" O
as O
Budapest O
prepares O
for O
membership O
of O
the O
European O
Union O
around O
the B-T
year I-T
2000 I-T
. O

According O
to O
EBRD O
figures O
, O
new O
projects O
approved O
for O
Hungary O
plunged O
from O
406 O
million O
ECUs O
( O
485 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
1995 B-T
to O
133 O
million O
ECUs O
in O
1996 B-T
. O
The O
Czech O
Republic O
' O
s O
financing O
dropped O
by O
half O
, O
and O
Slovenia O
' O
s O
allocation O
fell O
almost O
as O
much O
. O

The O
EU O
and O
some O
European O
countries O
made O
it O
clear O
they O
supported O
a O
continued O
strong O
role O
for O
the O
EBRD O
in O
these O
richer O
eastern O
European O
countries O
, O
as O
they O
prepare O
for O
EU O
membership O
around O
the O
turn O
of O
the B-T
century I-T
. O

The O
EU O
' O
s O
commissioner O
for O
economic O
affairs O
, O
Yves O
- O
Thibault O
De O
Silguy O
, O
said O
the O
EBRD O
could O
still O
fill O
serious O
financing O
gaps O
in O
infrastructure O
and O
in O
the O
small O
and O
medium O
- O
sized O
business O
sector O
. O

But O
the O
United O
States O
, O
which O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
advanced O
the O
concept O
of O
" O
graduation O
" O
- O
- O
the O
staged O
withdrawal O
of O
the O
EBRD O
from O
the O
most O
prosperous O
ex O
- O
Communist O
states O
, O
which O
already O
have O
access O
to O
private O
capital O
- O
- O
firmly O
reiterated O
this O
viewpoint O
. O

All O
joined O
, O
however O
, O
in O
urging O
de O
Larosiere O
, O
whose O
term O
expires O
in O
September B-T
, O
to O
stay O
on O
at O
the O
helm O
of O
the O
bank O
, O
especially O
since O
the O
vice O
- O
president O
, O
American O
Ron O
Freeman O
, O
is O
leaving O
the O
EBRD O
in O
June B-T
. O

De O
Larosiere O
, O
67 O
, O
who O
has O
been O
asked O
by O
the O
board O
of O
governors O
to O
serve O
a O
second O
four O
- O
year O
term O
, O
said O
he O
was O
" O
still O
hesitating O
" O
because O
of O
the O
health O
problems O
of O
his O
wife O
, O
injured O
in O
an O
accident O
a B-T
year I-T
and I-T
a I-T
half I-T
ago I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0381 O

AACHEN O
, O
Germany O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Aachener O
+ O
Muenchener O
reports O
steady O
annual O
profit O

German O
insurance O
company O
Aachener O
+ O
Muenchener O
Versicherung O
( O
AMV O
) O
announced O
Tuesday B-T
that O
it O
had O
scored O
a O
net O
profit O
of O
47 O
. O
3 O
million O
marks O
( O
27 O
. O
3 O
million O
dollars O
) O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
little O
changed O
from O
47 O
. O
1 O
million O
marks O
in O
1995 B-T
. O

A O
fourth O
of O
that O
amount O
( O
11 O
. O
8 O
million O
marks O
) O
wil O
be O
used O
to O
pay O
dividends O
, O
the O
announcement O
said O
, O
and O
18 O
million O
marks O
will O
be O
added O
to O
the O
reserves O
. O

The O
company O
, O
part O
of O
Aachener O
+ O
Muenchener O
Beteiligungs O
- O
AG O
, O
also O
announced O
a O
capital O
increase O
to O
140 O
. O
22 O
million O
marks O
from O
the O
current O
116 O
. O
85 O
million O
, O
put O
through O
via O
a O
transfer O
of O
23 O
. O
37 O
million O
marks O
from O
its O
capital O
reserves O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0001 O

ABU O
DHABI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
urges O
OPEC O
members O
to O
raise O
oil O
output O

US O
Energy O
Secretary O
Samuel O
Bodman O
urged O
OPEC O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
take O
measures O
to O
increase O
production O
at O
its O
next O
meeting O
on O
Dec O
. O
12 O
in O
Kuwait O
, O
hoping O
that O
the O
Gulf O
countries O
would O
expand O
their O
output O
capacity O
. O

High O
oil O
prices O
appeared O
to O
have O
caused O
" O
some O
dampening O
in O
demand O
. O
" O
" O
I O
would O
hope O
that O
the O
( O
OPEC O
) O
ministers O
would O
see O
fit O
to O
continue O
supplying O
the O
market O
, O
" O
Bodman O
told O
reporters O
in O
the O
United O
Arab O
Emirates O
( O
UAE O
) O
. O

He O
is O
on O
a O
tour O
of O
the O
Gulf O
members O
of O
the O
Organization O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
( O
OPEC O
) O
. O

" O
We O
encourage O
producers O
- O
- O
both O
members O
of O
OPEC O
members O
and O
non O
members O
- O
- O
to O
make O
maximum O
product O
available O
to O
the O
market O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
urged O
Gulf O
states O
to O
issue O
a O
joint O
statement O
detailing O
plans O
to O
increase O
oil O
output O
and O
refining O
capacity O
. O

" O
The O
goal O
is O
to O
have O
a O
more O
stable O
pricing O
environment O
where O
you O
do O
not O
get O
big O
spikes O
, O
either O
up O
or O
down O
, O
" O
Bodman O
added O
. O
" O
That O
enables O
companies O
or O
countries O
to O
make O
more O
rational O
decisions O
on O
whether O
they O
should O
expand O
and O
if O
so O
how O
rapidly O
. O
" O

He O
lauded O
the O
UAE O
for O
taking O
steps O
toward O
increasing O
capacity O
, O
revealing O
the O
Emirates O
had O
briefed O
him O
about O
new O
plans O
for O
raising O
production O
. O

" O
There O
seems O
to O
be O
evidence O
that O
certainly O
here O
( O
UAE O
) O
there O
is O
significant O
investment O
in O
and O
interest O
in O
expanding O
capacity O
. O
. O
. O
and O
I O
hope O
that O
this O
is O
what O
we O
find O
when O
we O
visit O
other O
countries O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Bodman O
said O
that O
signing O
free O
trade O
agreements O
with O
the O
UAE O
and O
other O
countries O
of O
the O
energy O
- O
rich O
Gulf O
Cooperation O
Council O
would O
help O
US O
oil O
and O
gas O
companies O
make O
more O
investment O
in O
the O
energy O
sector O
of O
the O
region O
. O

At O
its O
last O
meeting O
, O
OPEC O
maintained O
its O
official O
production O
quota O
at O
28 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
( O
bpd O
) O
. O
The O
UAE O
is O
currently O
OPEC O
' O
s O
fifth O
largest O
producer O
, O
with O
output O
of O
just O
under O
2 O
. O
4 O
million O
bpd O
. O

Oil O
prices O
fell O
to O
below O
58 O
US O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
lowest O
since O
July B-T
, O
as O
swelling O
fuel O
stocks O
eased O
consumer O
fears O
of O
tight O
winter O
supplies O
. O

US O
oil O
prices O
are O
more O
than O
13 O
dollars O
below O
a O
late O
- O
August O
record O
of O
70 O
. O
85 O
dollars O
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0024 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0024 O
. O

International O
Brief O
- O
- O
Cie O
. O
de O
Navigation O
Mixte O
: O

@ O
Credit O
Lyonnais O
Unit O
Buys O

@ O
Stock O
to O
Help O
Defeat O
Bid O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

F O
. O
CNM O
F O
. O
CLC O
F O
. O
CFP O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

INSURANCE O
( O
INS O
) O

FOOD O
PRODUCTS O
( O
FOD O
) O

The O
portfolio O
unit O
of O
the O
French O
bank O
group O
Credit O
Lyonnais O
told O
stock O
market O
regulators O
that O
it O
bought O
43 O
, O
000 O
shares O
of O
Cie O
. O
de O
Navigation O
Mixte O
, O
apparently O
to O
help O
fend O
off O
an O
unwelcome O
takeover O
bid O
for O
the O
company O
. O

Earlier B-T
yesterday I-T
, O
the O
Societe O
de O
Bourses O
Francaises O
was O
told O
that O
a O
unit O
of O
Framatome O
S O
. O
A O
. O
also O
bought O
Navigation O
Mixte O
shares O
, O
this O
purchase O
covering O
more O
than O
160 O
, O
000 O
shares O
. O

Both O
companies O
are O
allies O
of O
Navigation O
Mixte O
in O
its O
fight O
against O
a O
hostile O
takeover O
bid O
launched O
last B-T
week I-T
by O
Cie O
. O

Financiere O
de O
Paribas O
at O
1 O
, O
850 O
French O
francs O
( O
$ O
297 O
) O
a O
share O
. O

Navigation O
Mixte O
' O
s O
chairman O
had O
suggested O
that O
friendly O
institutions O
were O
likely O
to O
buy O
its O
stock O
as O
soon O
as O
trading O
opened O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
Credit O
Lyonnais O
purchase O
, O
for O
33 O
, O
000 O
regular O
common O
shares O
and O
10 O
, O
000 O
newly O
created O
shares O
, O
is O
valued O
at O
about O
slightly O
more O
than O
80 O
million O
French O
francs O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0023 O

PERTH O
, O
Australia O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Scott O
Coghlan O

Despite O
another O
failure O
with O
the O
bat O
as O
he O
continues O
his O
comeback O
, O
Michael O
Vaughan O
is O
expected O
to O
return O
to O
England O
' O
s O
one O
- O
day O
squad O
later O
this B-T
week I-T
and O
may O
regain O
the O
captaincy O
. O

In O
his O
fourth O
match O
since O
knee O
surgery O
, O
Vaughan O
was O
dismissed O
for O
14 O
here O
Tuesday B-T
playing O
for O
the O
England O
Academy O
, O
just O
hours O
after O
England O
coach O
Duncan O
Fletcher O
had O
given O
his O
rehabilitation O
a O
glowing O
endorsement O
. O

Vaughan O
had O
made O
a O
duck O
and O
nine O
in O
his O
two O
previous O
appearances O
for O
the O
England O
Academy O
here O
over O
the B-T
last I-T
fortnight I-T
, O
and O
did O
not O
bat O
in O
the O
two O
- O
day O
game O
England O
played O
against O
WA O
. O

There O
were O
mitigating O
circumstances O
for O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
failure O
, O
as O
the O
ball O
was O
seaming O
about O
prodigiously O
in O
overcast O
and O
muggy O
conditions O
ideal O
for O
swing O
bowling O
. O

Vaughan O
lasted O
32 O
balls O
and O
showed O
signs O
of O
his O
form O
returning O
with O
a O
couple O
of O
elegant O
boundaries O
, O
before O
again O
falling O
to O
a O
mistimed O
pull O
shot O
that O
was O
skied O
to O
mid O
- O
on O
, O
as O
he O
had O
done O
in O
his O
previous O
innings O
. O

Despite O
his O
indifferent O
form O
, O
the O
2005 O
Ashes O
skipper O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
recalled O
when O
England O
announces O
its O
squad O
for O
the O
triangular O
one O
- O
day O
series O
, O
starting O
in O
mid O
- O
January O
, O
later O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

Fletcher O
again O
ruled O
out O
Vaughan O
playing O
in O
the O
last O
two O
Ashes O
Tests O
and O
said O
the O
selectors O
were O
yet O
to O
make O
a O
final O
decision O
on O
the O
form O
and O
fitness O
of O
the O
former O
skipper O
with O
regards O
to O
a O
one O
- O
day O
recall O
. O

However O
, O
the O
tone O
of O
Fletcher O
' O
s O
response O
suggested O
the O
32 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
was O
very O
much O
on O
target O
to O
play O
in O
the O
triangular O
series O
. O

" O
It O
is O
very O
positive O
and O
it O
is O
pleasing O
to O
see O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Vaughan O
has O
been O
training O
with O
( O
fitness O
trainer O
) O
Nigel O
Stockill O
and O
he O
is O
moving O
around O
very O
freely O
. O

" O
In O
fact O
, O
he O
says O
he O
hasn O
' O
t O
felt O
so O
good O
for O
some O
time O
. O
" O

Fletcher O
confirmed O
Vaughan O
was O
being O
considered O
as O
captain O
for O
the O
one O
- O
dayers O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ll O
have O
to O
make O
that O
decision O
when O
we O
meet O
with O
the O
other O
selectors O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
The O
( O
players O
) O
have O
been O
happy O
with O
( O
Andrew O
) O
Flintoff O
, O
we O
will O
have O
to O
take O
that O
into O
consideration O
when O
we O
pick O
the O
one O
- O
day O
side O
. O
" O

Flintoff O
had O
said O
he O
hoped O
to O
remain O
captain O
for O
the O
one O
- O
day O
series O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
just O
after O
the O
third O
Test O
loss O
to O
Australia O
. O

" O
If O
the O
job O
is O
available O
, O
of O
course O
I O
will O
, O
" O
Flintoff O
said O
when O
asked O
if O
he O
would O
make O
himself O
available O
to O
captain O
in O
the O
one O
- O
dayers O
. O

Vaughan O
has O
not O
played O
at O
the O
top O
level O
for O
England O
since O
the O
third O
Test O
against O
Pakistan O
in O
Lahore O
13 B-T
months I-T
ago I-T
. O

He O
has O
a O
modest O
one O
- O
day O
record O
and O
his O
last O
limited O
overs O
appearance O
for O
England O
was O
against O
Australia O
in O
July B-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

Pace O
bowler O
Steve O
Harmison O
is O
likely O
to O
return O
home O
after O
the O
Tests O
, O
along O
with O
spinner O
Monty O
Panesar O
and O
wicketkeeper O
Geraint O
Jones O
, O
while O
batsman O
Mike O
Yardy O
and O
pace O
bowler O
Stuart O
Broad O
will O
be O
in O
the O
selection O
mix O
. O

All O
- O
rounder O
Jamie O
Dalrymple O
, O
called O
into O
the O
Test O
squad O
following O
the O
departure O
of O
spinner O
Ashley O
Giles O
and O
a O
chance O
to O
play O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
two I-T
Tests I-T
, O
is O
likely O
to O
be O
part O
of O
the O
one O
- O
day O
outfit O
and O
provide O
the O
spin O
option O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0191 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Fulham O
beat O
Bolton O
2 O
- O
1 O
in O
English O
Premier O
League O

Brian O
McBride O
scored O
a O
brace O
to O
earn O
Fulham O
a O
2 O
- O
1 O
win O
over O
Bolton O
in O
the O
English O
Premier O
League O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Fulham O
went O
ahead O
with O
only O
four O
minutes O
into O
play O
as O
McBride O
stole O
in O
to O
stab O
home O
Tomasz O
Radzinski O
' O
s O
cross O
. O

The O
American O
doubled O
the O
hosts O
' O
lead O
after O
18 B-T
minutes I-T
with O
a O
crisp O
volley O
straight O
from O
Mark O
Crossley O
' O
s O
goalkick O
. O

Bolton O
scored O
through O
a O
late O
Sylvain O
Legwinski O
own O
goal O
but O
a O
frustrating O
day O
ended O
when O
El O
- O
Hadji O
Diouf O
was O
red O
- O
carded O
after O
full O
- O
time O
for O
dissent O
. O

The O
high O
- O
flying O
Wanderers O
might O
have O
started O
the O
match O
as O
marginal O
favorites O
but O
they O
looked O
jaded O
after O
their O
midweek O
Uefa O
Cup O
trip O
. O

Fulham O
, O
on O
the O
other O
hand O
, O
made O
a O
vibrant O
start O
. O

Steed O
Malbranque O
and O
Radzinski O
were O
in O
inspired O
form O
, O
the O
latter O
' O
s O
pass O
causing O
indecision O
in O
the O
Bolton O
defence O
and O
allowing O
McBride O
to O
nip O
in O
and O
score O
. O

Radhi O
Jaidi O
might O
have O
cut O
out O
Radzinski O
' O
s O
pass O
and O
the O
Tunisian O
defender O
was O
again O
at O
fault O
for O
McBride O
' O
s O
second O
when O
he O
failed O
to O
connect O
with O
Crossley O
' O
s O
clearance O
. O

In O
between O
, O
Radzinski O
went O
close O
with O
a O
deflected O
shot O
that O
span O
just O
wide O
. O

Bolton O
boss O
Sam O
Allardyce O
' O
s O
response O
was O
to O
haul O
off O
Jaidi O
after O
just O
half O
an O
hour O
and O
Bruno O
N O
' O
Gotty O
' O
s O
introduction O
did O
seem O
to O
shore O
up O
the O
visitors O
' O
defence O
. O

However O
, O
Bolton O
struggled O
in O
attack O
too O
, O
with O
only O
Kevin O
Davies O
' O
aerial O
threat O
causing O
Fulham O
any O
problems O
. O

Crossley O
had O
a O
rare O
save O
to O
make O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
half I-T
when O
Davies O
shot O
low O
and O
hard O
straight O
into O
the O
keeper O
' O
s O
arms O
. O

Bolton O
' O
s O
unhappy O
day O
was O
summed O
up O
when O
Joey O
O O
' O
Brien O
became O
the O
seventh O
Wanderers O
' O
player O
to O
go O
in O
referee O
Graham O
Poll O
' O
s O
book O
, O
meaning O
the O
club O
will O
be O
fined O
. O

Fulham O
were O
briefly O
rocked O
when O
Sylvain O
Legwinski O
scored O
a O
strange O
own O
goal O
after O
Nolan O
muscled O
his O
way O
into O
the O
box O
but O
it O
turned O
out O
to O
be O
a O
consolation O
Bolton O
barely O
deserved O
. O

Diouf O
' O
s O
second O
yellow O
card O
came O
after O
full O
- O
time O
as O
he O
allowed O
his O
annoyance O
with O
the O
officials O
to O
boil O
over O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0163 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

MNC O
executive O
key O
conspirator O
in O
Delhi O
blasts O
: O
Indian O
police O

An O
executive O
with O
a O
multinational O
company O
arrested O
in O
Indian O
- O
controlled O
Jammu O
and O
Kashmir O
was O
a O
key O
conspirator O
in O
the O
Oct B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
bombings O
in O
the O
Indian O
capital O
that O
were O
carried O
out O
by O
four O
terrorists O
, O
the O
Delhi O
Police O
chief O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

Tariq O
Ahmed O
Dar O
, O
who O
was O
arrested O
in O
Srinagar O
, O
capital O
of O
Indian O
- O
controlled O
Jammu O
and O
Kashmir O
, O
was O
described O
by O
Delhi O
Police O
Commissioner O
K O
. O
K O
. O
Paul O
as O
" O
one O
of O
the O
key O
conspirators O
" O
behind O
the O
blasts O
that O
killed O
over O
60 O
people O
and O
injured O
more O
than O
200 O
. O

Paul O
said O
his O
force O
had O
also O
identified O
the O
four O
terrorists O
who O
carried O
out O
the O
bombings O
in O
the O
busy O
Paharganj O
and O
Sarojini O
Nagar O
markets O
and O
in O
a O
bus O
. O
" O
Two O
of O
the O
bombers O
could O
be O
foreigners O
, O
" O
Indo O
- O
Asian O
News O
Service O
quoted O
Paul O
as O
saying O
. O

Delhi O
Police O
confirmed O
the O
use O
of O
RDX O
in O
the O
blasts O
and O
said O
they O
had O
found O
crucial O
clues O
from O
the O
blast O
sites O
that O
pointed O
to O
the O
involvement O
of O
the O
outlawed O
Lashker O
- O
e O
- O
Taiba O
. O

Dar O
was O
not O
in O
Delhi O
on O
the O
day O
of O
the O
blasts O
but O
had O
visited O
the O
capital O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
week I-T
of I-T
October I-T
to O
select O
the O
targets O
for O
the O
attacks O
. O

Paul O
also O
claimed O
Dar O
had O
functioned O
as O
a O
spokesman O
for O
the O
Lashker O
, O
saying O
that O
soon O
after O
the O
blasts O
, O
Dar O
had O
contacted O
a O
news O
agency O
in O
Srinagar O
and O
denied O
the O
Lashker O
' O
s O
involvement O
in O
the O
bombings O
. O

Dar O
reportedly O
joined O
the O
Hizbul O
Mujahideen O
, O
the O
most O
powerful O
Kashmiri O
guerrilla O
group O
, O
in O
2003 B-T
but O
later O
teamed O
up O
with O
the O
Lashker O
. O

He O
was O
helped O
by O
two O
other O
terrorists O
to O
hatch O
the O
conspiracy O
behind O
the O
Oct O
. O
29 O
bombings O
, O
police O
said O
. O

Paul O
said O
Dar O
worked O
as O
a O
sales O
representative O
for O
Johnson O
and O
Johnson O
in O
Srinagar O
. O
Dar O
had O
obtained O
a O
bachelor O
' O
s O
degree O
in O
chemistry O
in O
1995 B-T
and O
also O
wrote O
for O
the O
" O
Mount O
Valley O
Magazine O
" O
in O
Srinagar O
. O

Officials O
said O
Dar O
' O
s O
role O
in O
the O
attacks O
came O
to O
light O
after O
a O
special O
team O
of O
Delhi O
Police O
was O
sent O
to O
Kashmir O
Nov O
. O
1 O
and O
was O
asked O
to O
probe O
links O
between O
guerrilla O
groups O
in O
that O
state O
and O
the O
bombings O
, O
the O
worst O
terror O
attack O
in O
the O
Indian O
capital O
. O

" O
We O
suspected O
that O
the O
terrorists O
were O
from O
Kashmir O
and O
we O
were O
hopeful O
of O
making O
a O
breakthrough O
, O
" O
said O
Paul O
, O
noting O
that O
around O
500 O
, O
000 O
rupees O
was O
transferred O
to O
Dar O
' O
s O
bank O
account O
just O
before O
the O
blasts O
. O

Police O
officials O
said O
Dar O
was O
taken O
to O
the O
blast O
sites O
to O
identify O
the O
targets O
and O
to O
confirm O
his O
involvement O
. O

According O
to O
them O
, O
Dar O
was O
arrested O
by O
the O
Indian O
Army O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
and O
handed O
over O
to O
Indian O
- O
controlled O
Jammu O
and O
Kashmir O
Police O
for O
questioning O
. O
Police O
said O
Dar O
was O
brought O
to O
Delhi O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
and O
was O
interrogated O
by O
senior O
officials O
of O
the O
Special O
Cell O
and O
intelligence O
agencies O
. O

Police O
said O
Dar O
was O
arrested O
after O
the O
army O
intercepted O
his O
telephone O
conversations O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0342 O

ATHENS O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Europe O
backs O
timetable O
for O
Albanian O
aid O
, O
elections O

Europe O
threw O
its O
weight O
Thursday B-T
behind O
a O
timetable O
for O
getting O
stricken O
Albania O
back O
on O
to O
its O
feet O
, O
firming O
up O
its O
support O
for O
an O
aid O
operation O
and O
early O
elections O
. O

In O
return O
, O
Albanian O
Premier O
Bashkim O
Fino O
, O
meeting O
here O
with O
top O
EU O
and O
OSCE O
officials O
, O
pledged O
to O
step O
up O
dialogue O
with O
the O
armed O
rebels O
who O
have O
held O
the O
south O
of O
the O
country O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
a I-T
month I-T
in O
their O
bid O
to O
oust O
President O
Sali O
Berisha O
. O

" O
We O
are O
convinced O
that O
the O
June O
elections O
can O
be O
held O
with O
being O
hampered O
by O
the O
armed O
groups O
, O
" O
said O
Greek O
Foreign O
Minister O
Theodore O
Pangalos O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
polls O
which O
, O
it O
is O
hoped O
, O
will O
drag O
Albania O
out O
of O
crisis O
and O
into O
compromise O
. O

" O
We O
must O
support O
our O
Albanian O
friends O
so O
that O
they O
can O
get O
back O
on O
their O
feet O
" O
by O
the O
time O
of O
June B-T
elections O
, O
said O
Organisation O
for O
Security O
and O
Cooperation O
in O
Europe O
envoy O
Franz O
Vranitzky O
, O
after O
talks O
with O
Fino O
, O
Pangalos O
and O
EU O
envoy O
Hans O
van O
Mierlo O
. O

A O
key O
element O
of O
efforts O
to O
pull O
Albania O
back O
from O
the O
brink O
involves O
the O
dispatch O
of O
a O
multinational O
force O
of O
up O
to O
5 O
, O
000 O
troops O
to O
shore O
up O
security O
while O
aid O
is O
brought O
into O
the O
chaotic O
Balkan O
state O
. O

But O
Vranitzky O
warned O
that O
a O
launch O
date O
of O
April B-T
12 I-T
proposed O
for O
the O
military O
mission O
could O
be O
optimistic O
. O

" O
April B-T
12 I-T
is O
a O
date O
we O
' O
re O
all O
working O
toward O
. O
Perhaps O
it O
' O
s O
optimistic O
, O
but O
if O
it O
is O
delayed O
by O
five B-T
days I-T
it O
won O
' O
t O
be O
a O
catastrophe O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
What O
we O
want O
now B-T
is O
to O
work O
as O
closely O
together O
as O
possible O
. O
" O

In O
Paris O
, O
a O
French O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
said O
a O
steering O
committee O
of O
representatives O
of O
nations O
contributing O
to O
the O
force O
- O
- O
Austria O
, O
France O
, O
Greece O
, O
Italy O
, O
Spain O
and O
Turkey O
- O
- O
would O
meet O
Friday B-T
in O
Rome O
. O

Pangalos O
said O
for O
his O
part O
that O
the O
force O
, O
due O
to O
comprise O
between O
700 B-T
and O
800 O
Greek O
troops O
, O
" O
will O
not O
be O
tasked O
with O
disarmament O
. O
" O
Instead O
the O
Italian O
- O
led O
mission O
is O
expected O
to O
secure O
roads O
, O
junctions O
, O
airports O
and O
warehouses O
and O
help O
aid O
deliveries O
. O

Fino O
, O
who O
later O
returned O
to O
Tirana O
, O
said O
after O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
talks O
that O
the O
dispatch O
of O
the O
force O
marked O
a O
key O
stage O
in O
the O
preparations O
for O
the O
June O
elections O
. O

And O
he O
stressed O
that O
he O
would O
increase O
dialogue O
with O
the O
southern O
rebels O
and O
the O
self O
- O
styled O
committees O
which O
are O
currently O
running O
a O
string O
of O
southern O
towns O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
restore O
" O
peace O
and O
calm O
" O
after O
a O
month O
of O
anarchy O
. O

Albania O
descended O
into O
chaos O
after O
protests O
over O
the O
collapse O
of O
bogus O
investment O
schemes O
boiled O
over O
into O
a O
full O
- O
blown O
rebellion O
. O
Duped O
investors O
and O
criminal O
elements O
armed O
themselves O
and O
called O
for O
the O
resignation O
of O
President O
Berisha O
, O
whom O
they O
blamed O
for O
the O
financial O
implosion O
. O

Vranitzky O
, O
a O
former O
Austrian O
chancellor O
, O
said O
the O
OSCE O
and O
EU O
help O
would O
be O
based O
around O
three O
pillars O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
would O
provide O
economic O
and O
humanitarian O
aid O
, O
the O
OSCE O
would O
help O
restore O
democracy O
, O
and O
Italy O
would O
lead O
the O
multinational O
force O
. O

Vranitzky O
said O
: O
" O
None O
of O
these O
pillars O
can O
stand O
by O
themselves O
, O
they O
are O
inter O
- O
dependent O
. O
" O

" O
We O
must O
restore O
a O
decent O
life O
, O
otherwise O
there O
can O
' O
t O
be O
public O
order O
, O
and O
if O
public O
order O
is O
not O
restored O
, O
elections O
and O
democracy O
won O
' O
t O
be O
possible O
, O
and O
all O
that O
must O
be O
protected O
by O
the O
very O
prudent O
action O
of O
a O
multinational O
force O
, O
" O
Vranitzky O
said O
. O

More O
than O
13 O
, O
000 O
refugees O
have O
crossed O
the O
Adriatic O
for O
Italy O
, O
though O
scores O
were O
feared O
drowned B-T
last I-T
week I-T
when O
a O
refugee O
boat O
collided O
with O
an O
Italian O
naval O
ship O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
, O
the O
first O
refugees O
arrived O
in O
Italy O
since O
that O
calamity O
, O
as O
a O
boat O
with O
53 O
escapees O
docked O
in O
the O
southern O
port O
of O
Brindisi O
. O
Meanwhile O
, O
a O
Russian O
cargo O
vessel O
in O
the O
southern O
Adriatic O
picked O
up O
around O
20 O
Albanian O
refugees O
navigating O
the O
waters O
in O
a O
rubber O
dinghy O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0247 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Alcohol O
poisoning O
kills O
over O
400 O
across O
Russia O

A O
total O
of O
406 O
people O
have O
died O
from O
drinking O
illicit O
liquor O
in O
a O
wave O
of O
alcohol O
poisoning O
in O
numerous O
Russian O
regions O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
months I-T
, O
the O
head O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
consumer O
rights O
watchdog O
agency O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Gennady O
Onishchenko O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
Federal O
Service O
for O
Consumer O
Rights O
Supervision O
, O
said O
some O
10 O
, O
000 O
cases O
of O
toxic O
hepatitis O
caused O
by O
toxic O
alcohol O
substitutes O
have O
been O
registered O
in O
18 O
regions O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Itar O
- O
Tass O
news O
agency O
. O

The O
hardest O
hit O
were O
the O
Irkutsk O
, O
Chelyabinsk O
and O
Belgorod O
regions O
, O
where O
107 O
people O
have O
been O
affected O
and O
16 O
of O
them O
died O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
24 I-T
hours I-T
alone O
, O
Onishchenko O
said O
. O

A O
total O
of O
406 O
deaths O
from O
toxic O
alcohol O
substitutes O
have O
occurred O
in O
Russia O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
several I-T
months I-T
, O
he O
added O
. O

The O
massive O
wave O
of O
poisoning O
has O
raised O
alarm O
in O
the O
country O
, O
with O
top O
lawmakers O
calling O
for O
state O
monopoly O
over O
alcohol O
products O
to O
help O
crack O
down O
on O
fake O
vodka O
and O
toxic O
alcohol O
substitutes O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0191 O

BANGKOK O
, O
April B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Polish O
FM O
says O
seeking O
more O
exports O
to O
Thailand O
, O
including O
arms O

Poland O
is O
seeking O
to O
boost O
political O
ties O
and O
exports O
of O
military O
hardware O
, O
engineering O
and O
chemical O
products O
to O
Thailand O
and O
other O
southeast O
Asian O
countries O
, O
the O
Polish O
foreign O
minister O
said O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

Dariusz O
Rosati O
told O
reporters O
Poland O
' O
s O
broad O
industrial O
base O
stood O
the O
former O
Warsaw O
Pact O
nation O
in O
good O
stead O
for O
a O
regional O
market O
in O
Asia O
that O
holds O
" O
enormous O
potential O
and O
economic O
prospects O
. O
" O

" O
We O
should O
have O
much O
more O
trade O
and O
political O
cooperation O
with O
the O
( O
southeast O
Asian O
) O
region O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
midway O
through O
a O
three O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
to O
Thailand O
. O

Rosati O
noted O
Poland O
has O
a O
strong O
armament O
sector O
and O
discussions O
with O
Thailand O
would O
cover O
possible O
exports O
of O
Polish O
- O
made O
military O
hardware O
, O
which O
included O
tanks O
, O
guns O
, O
boats O
and O
helicopters O
. O

He O
added O
Poland O
was O
also O
open O
for O
investment O
" O
in O
every O
field O
" O
from O
Thailand O
, O
including O
tourism O
, O
garment O
industries O
and O
electronics O
. O
Foreign O
investment O
in O
Poland O
was O
between O
six O
and O
seven O
billion O
dollars O
in O
1996 B-T
. O

Part O
of O
Poland O
' O
s O
regional O
strategy O
for O
reaching O
into O
southeast O
Asia O
was O
to O
join O
the O
Asian O
Development O
Bank O
( O
ADB O
) O
, O
he O
said O
. O

This O
had O
been O
discussed O
with O
bank O
officials O
in O
Manila O
in O
an O
earlier O
stop O
on O
the O
minister O
' O
s O
current O
swing O
through O
southeast O
Asia O
. O
He O
was O
hopeful O
of O
Poland O
joining O
the O
ADB O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
foreign O
minister O
said O
he O
was O
" O
very O
satisfied O
" O
with O
discussions O
with O
Thai O
Prime O
Minister O
Chaowalit O
Yongchaiyudh O
Thursday B-T
, O
which O
included O
an O
exchange O
of O
views O
on O
the O
political O
situation O
in O
southeast O
Asia O
and O
the O
prospects O
for O
Poland O
' O
s O
entry O
into O
NATO O
and O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

He O
was O
holding O
talks O
Friday B-T
at O
the O
ministry O
of O
industry O
and O
trade O
and O
on O
Saturday O
was O
scheduled O
to O
meet O
with O
his O
Thai O
counterpart O
Prachuab O
Chaiyasarn O
. O

They O
would O
sign O
an O
agreement O
on O
cooperation O
between O
the O
Thai O
and O
Polish O
justice O
ministries O
, O
regarding O
the O
enforcement O
of O
court O
sentences O
and O
the O
transfer O
of O
prisoners O
, O
Rosati O
said O
. O

There O
are O
currently O
eight O
Poles O
serving O
sentences O
or O
awaiting O
trial O
in O
Thai O
prisons O
on O
narcotics O
charges O
. O

Rosati O
' O
s O
visit O
, O
which O
included O
earlier O
stops O
in O
Indonesia O
and O
the O
Philippines O
, O
is O
the O
foreign O
minister O
' O
s O
first O
in O
southeast O
Asia O
. O
It O
follows O
a O
visit O
to O
Thailand O
by O
the O
Polish O
Premier O
Wlodzimierz O
Cimoszewicz O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Two O
- O
way O
trade O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
in O
1996 B-T
was O
worth O
9 O
. O
58 O
billion O
baht O
( O
369 O
million O
dollars O
) O
, O
with O
the O
balance O
of O
trade O
more O
than O
one O
billion O
baht O
in O
Poland O
' O
s O
favour O
, O
a O
Thai O
official O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0297 O

BERLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Werder O
Bremen O
warmed O
up O
for O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
titanic O
Champions O
League O
tussle O
with O
Barcelona O
by O
moving O
to O
the O
top O
of O
the O
Bundesliga O
with O
a O
3 O
- O
1 O
win O
over O
Hertha O
Berlin O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Bremen O
need O
a O
point O
against O
Barcelona O
on O
Tuesday B-T
but O
three O
were O
required O
against O
Hertha O
and O
the O
title O
hopefuls O
delivered O
thanks O
to O
a O
stellar O
display O
from O
German O
international O
Miroslav O
Klose O
. O

Klose O
, O
top O
- O
scorer O
at O
the O
World O
Cup O
, O
scored O
twice O
( O
32 O
, O
40 B-T
) O
to O
take O
his O
season O
' O
s O
tally O
to O
ten O
and O
show O
Barca O
he O
is O
in O
top O
form O
. O

Brazilian O
playmaker O
Diego O
had O
opened O
the O
scoring O
with O
a O
penalty O
after O
Josip O
Simunic O
, O
who O
also O
scored O
Hertha O
' O
s O
goal O
, O
had O
handled O
in O
the O
area O
. O

Bremen O
replaced O
Schalke O
04 O
at O
the O
summit O
but O
the O
latter O
, O
now O
one O
point O
behind O
, O
can O
reclaim O
top O
spot O
with O
victory O
over O
FC O
Nuremberg O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Champions O
Bayern O
Munich O
lost O
ground O
on O
Bremen O
after O
a O
1 O
- O
1 O
home O
draw O
with O
lowly O
Borussia O
Monchengladbach O
and O
now B-T
trail O
the O
leaders O
by O
three O
points O
. O

Argentine O
Martin O
Demichelis O
headed O
Bayern O
ahead O
on O
23 B-T
minutes I-T
but O
Michael O
Delura O
equalised O
ten O
minutes O
later O
. O

Gladbach O
held O
on O
for O
the O
point O
to O
delight O
manager O
Juup O
Henyckes O
, O
who O
won O
the O
German O
title O
as O
Bayern O
coach O
in O
1989 B-T
and O
1990 B-T
. O

Bayern O
now B-T
turn O
their O
attention O
to O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
match O
with O
Inter O
Milan O
in O
the O
Champions O
League O
where O
they O
aim O
to O
secure O
top O
spot O
in O
the O
group O
. O

But O
most O
neutral O
fans O
in O
Germany O
will O
be O
tuning O
in O
to O
the O
Bremen O
match O
with O
the O
2004 O
champions O
needing O
a O
point O
at O
Barcelona O
' O
s O
intimidating O
Nou O
Camp O
stadium O
to O
eliminate O
the O
holders O
and O
join O
Chelsea O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
16 I-T
phase I-T
of O
the O
competition O
. O

As O
it O
stands O
four O
teams O
- O
Bremen O
, O
Schalke O
, O
Bayern O
and O
Stuttgart O
, O
who O
drew O
0 O
- O
0 O
with O
Mainz O
05 O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
all O
have O
the O
chance O
to O
go O
into O
the O
six O
- O
week O
winter O
break O
as O
league O
leaders O
. O

In O
the B-T
last I-T
12 I-T
seasons I-T
the O
' O
winter O
champions O
' O
have O
gone O
on O
to O
win O
the O
Bundesliga O
with O
the O
two O
exceptions O
being O
Schalke O
in O
2001 B-T
and O
Bayer O
Leverkusen O
in O
2002 B-T
. O

Elsewhere O
Borussia O
Dortmund O
recorded O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
VfL O
Wolfsburg O
with O
Ebi O
Smolarek O
scoring O
the O
winner O
in O
the B-T
90th I-T
minute I-T
. O

There O
was O
speculation O
that O
Dortmund O
were O
ready O
to O
part O
company O
with O
Dutch O
coach O
Bert O
van O
Marwijk O
, O
contracted O
until O
June B-T
2008 I-T
, O
with O
Arminia O
Bielefeld O
coach O
Thomas O
von O
Heesen O
said O
to O
be O
lined O
up O
as O
his O
replacement O
. O

SV O
Hamburg O
boss O
Thomas O
Doll O
is O
another O
manager O
feeling O
the O
heat O
after O
a O
2 O
- O
1 O
defeat O
to O
fellow O
strugglers O
VfL O
Bochum O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
keeps O
the O
club O
second O
from O
bottom O
. O

Zvjezdan O
Misimovic O
produced O
a O
magical O
free O
- O
kick O
on O
70 B-T
minutes I-T
to O
down O
Hamburg O
, O
who O
had O
Dutch O
international O
Rafael O
van O
der O
Vaart O
sent O
off O
for O
a O
brutal O
tackle O
from O
behind O
. O

Hamburg O
are O
the O
only O
founding O
club O
never O
to O
have O
been O
relegated O
from O
the O
Bundesliga O
but O
need O
to O
turn O
things O
around O
soon O
to O
preserve O
that O
record O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0308 O

SOFIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bulgaria O
informs O
allies O
over O
Iraq O
withdrawal O
plans O

The O
Bulgarian O
battalion O
in O
Iraq O
will O
begin O
its O
withdrawal O
right O
after O
Iraqi O
parliamentary O
elections O
planned O
for O
Dec B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, O
the O
press O
office O
of O
the O
Bulgarian O
Defense O
Ministry O
has O
announced O
. O

The O
office O
released O
a O
piece O
of O
news O
that O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Defense O
Minister O
Vesselin O
Bliznakov O
had O
sent O
a O
letter O
to O
the O
allies O
in O
" O
Central O
- O
South O
" O
Iraq O
under O
Polish O
command O
thus O
officially O
informing O
them O
of O
Sofia O
' O
s O
plans O
for O
withdrawal O
. O

In O
the O
letter O
Minister O
Bliznakov O
also O
informed O
the O
partners O
that O
the O
Bulgarian O
Parliament O
has O
authorized O
Council O
of O
Ministers O
to O
negotiate O
the O
" O
appropriate O
forms O
" O
in O
future O
participation O
in O
the O
coalition O
under O
the O
UN O
solutions O
and O
EU O
and O
US O
position O
on O
Iraq O
. O

The O
biggest O
local O
newspaper O
" O
TRUD O
" O
revealed O
earlier O
that O
the O
Bulgarian O
government O
is O
planning O
to O
resend O
to O
Iraq O
a O
team O
of O
300 O
soldiers O
for O
non O
- O
military O
task O
. O

The O
National O
Assembly O
( O
Parliament O
) O
of O
Bulgaria O
approved O
in O
May B-T
a O
government O
plan O
to O
withdraw O
the O
country O
' O
s O
400 O
troops O
in O
Diwaniya O
, O
Iraq O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
after O
a O
long O
mandate O
of O
more B-T
than I-T
2 I-T
years I-T
. O
Thirteen O
Bulgarian O
soldiers O
have O
already O
died O
there O
by O
now B-T
. O

ABC19980108 B-T
. O
1830 O
. O
0711 O

NEWS O
STORY O

On O
the O
other O
hand O
, O
it O
' O
s O
turning O
out O
to O
be O
another O
very O
bad O
financial O
week B-T

for O
Asia O
. O
The O
financial O
assistance O
from O
the O
World O
Bank O
and O
the O

International O
Monetary O
Fund O
are O
not O
helping O
. O
In O
the B-T
last I-T
twenty I-T
four I-T
hours I-T
, O
the O

value O
of O
the O
Indonesian O
stock O
market O
has O
fallen O
by O
twelve O
percent O
. O
The O
Indonesian O

currency O
has O
lost O

twenty O
six O
percent O
of O
its O
value O
. O
In O
Singapore O
, O
stocks O
hit O
a O
five B-T
year I-T
low O
. O
In O
the O

Philippines O
, O
a O
four B-T
year I-T
low O
. O
And O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
a O
three O
percent O
drop O
. O
More O

problems O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
for O
a O
place O
, O
for O
an O
economy O
, O
that O
many O
experts O
thought O
was O

once O
invincible O
. O
Here O
' O
s O
ABC O
' O
s O
Jim O
Laurie O
. O

Not O
that O
long O
ago O
, O
before O
the O
Chinese O
takeover O
, O
the O
news O
about O
real O
estate O

here O
was O
that O
the O
sky O
was O
the O
limit O
the O
highest O
prices O
in O
the O
world O
. O
So O

when O
Wong O
Kwan O

spent O
seventy O
million O
dollars O
for O
this O
house O
, O
he O
thought O
it O
was O
a O

great O
deal O
. O
He O
sold O
the O
property O
to O
five O
buyers O
and O
said O
he O
' O
d O
double O
his O

money O
. O

In O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
is O
always O
belongs O
to O
the O
seller O
' O
s O
market O
. O

Now B-T
with O
new O
construction O
under O
way O
, O
three O
of O
his O
buyers O
have O
backed O
out O
. O

And O
Wong O
Kwan O
will O
be O
lucky O
to O
break O
even O
. O
All O
across O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
the O

property O
market O
has O
crashed O
. O
Pamela O
Pak O

owns O
eight O
condominiums O
here O
. O

Pak O
ca O
n O
' O
t O
find O
buyers O
. O
She O
estimates O
her O
properties O
, O
worth O
a O
hundred O
thirty O
million O
dollars O
in O
October B-T
, O
are O
worth O
only O
half O
that O
now B-T
. O

They O
believe O
ah O
it O
will O
be O
always O
up O
going O
up O
and O
up O
ah O
forever O
. O
Nobody O
believe O

this O
any O
more O
. O

Of O
all O
of O
Asia O
' O
s O
economies O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
is O
the O
most O
robust O
. O
But O
in O
the B-T
past I-T

three B-T
months I-T
, O
stocks O
have O
plunged O
, O
interest O
rates O
have O
soared O
and O
the O

downturn O
all O
across O
Asia O
means O
that O
people O
are O
not O
spending O
here O
. O

Hotels O
are O
only O
thirty O
percent O
full O
. O
You O
can O
get O
seventy O
percent O
discounts O
at O
the O

shopping O
malls O
. O
Three O
thousand O
dollar O
pearls O
for O
eight O
hundred O
dollars O
. O
A O
two O
hundred O
dollar O
wool O
jacket O
for O
fifty O
dollars O
. O

Still O
, O
there O
are O
few O
buyers O
. O
And O
at O
the O
big O
brokerage O
houses O
, O
after O
ten B-T

years B-T
of O
boom O
, O
they O
' O
re O
talking O
about O
layoffs O
. O

I O
think O
that O
the O
mood O
is O
fairly O
gloomy O
, O
and O
I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
not O
going O
to O

change O
for O
a B-T
couple I-T
of I-T
years I-T
. O

So O
for O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
it O
' O
s O
time O
, O
as O
investment O
bankers O
like O
to O
say O
, O
to O
reposition O
. O
To O
either O
hold O
on O
tight O
or O
get O
out O
, O
as O
much O
of O
Asia O
goes O
into O

recession O
. O
Jim O
Laurie O
, O
ABC O
News O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0140 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

National O
Exhibition O
held O
in O
Beijing O
to O
show O
Russia O
' O
s O
progress O

The O
National O
Exhibition O
on O
Russia O
was O
held O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
show O
Russia O
' O
s O
progress O
in O
high O
- O
tech O
industry O
, O
aviation O
, O
forestry O
and O
other O
fields O
. O

Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
and O
Russian O
Prime O
Minister O
Mikhail O
Fradkov O
attended O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
. O

Wen O
said O
the O
exhibition O
enabled O
the O
Chinese O
people O
to O
learn O
about O
Russia O
' O
s O
economic O
development O
, O
scientific O
advances O
and O
cultural O
progress O
. O

He O
said O
the O
exhibition O
reflected O
the O
aspirations O
of O
both O
China O
and O
Russia O
to O
further O
economic O
and O
trade O
cooperation O
, O
saying O
that O
he O
hoped O
more O
areas O
could O
be O
explored O
to O
facilitate O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

Wen O
vowed O
to O
hold O
a O
successful O
exhibition O
on O
China O
in O
Russia O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

Fradkov O
said O
the O
exhibition O
was O
the O
largest O
one O
held O
by O
Russia O
in O
China O
, O
which O
showed O
the O
great O
potential O
for O
Russia O
- O
China O
cooperation O
and O
would O
promote O
mutual O
understanding O
between O
the O
two O
peoples O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0099 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

all O
- O
round O
way O
: O
FM O
spokesman O

China O
hopes O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
' O
s O
imminent O
visit O
to O
the O
country O
will O
advance O
Sino O
- O
US O
relations O
in O
an O
all O
- O
round O
day O
, O
a O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Thursday B-T

" O
We O
expect O
that O
Bush O
' O
s O
visit O
, O
slated O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
to O
21 O
, O
will O
increase O
consensus O
, O
step O
up O
mutual O
trust O
, O
expand O
exchange O
and O
cooperation O
, O
and O
promote O
Sino O
- O
US O
constructive O
and O
cooperative O
relations O
in O
21st B-T
century I-T
in O
an O
all O
- O
round O
way O
, O
" O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokesman O
Liu O
Jianchao O
told O
the O
regular O
briefing O
Thursday B-T
afternoon I-T
. O

When O
asked O
to O
comment O
on O
President O
Bush O
' O
s O
remarks O
in O
Kyoto O
Tuesday O
, O
which O
touched O
upon O
Sino O
- O
US O
relations O
, O
human O
rights O
and O
religion O
, O
Liu O
said O
that O
China O
pursues O
a O
path O
of O
peaceful O
development O
. O

Noting O
that O
China O
has O
made O
remarkable O
, O
important O
progress O
in O
the O
field O
of O
human O
rights O
, O
Liu O
said O
the O
Chinese O
people O
, O
in O
accordance O
with O
laws O
, O
enjoy O
all O
various O
kinds O
of O
democracy O
and O
freedom O
, O
including O
the O
freedom O
in O
religious O
belief O
. O

" O
All O
countries O
should O
hold O
exchanges O
and O
dialogues O
on O
human O
rights O
on O
the O
principled O
basis O
of O
equality O
, O
mutual O
respect O
and O
non O
- O
intervention O
in O
internal O
affairs O
, O
" O
the O
spokesman O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0288 O

RIO O
DE O
JANEIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Fire O
forces O
closure O
of O
Brazil O
' O
s O
two O
nuclear O
power O
stations O

A O
fire O
in O
an O
electrical O
transformer O
forced O
the O
closure O
of O
Brazil O
' O
s O
Angra O
I O
and O
Angra O
II O
nuclear O
power O
stations O
early O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
, O
state O
- O
owned O
nuclear O
electricity O
company O
Eletronuclear O
said O
. O

The O
fire O
triggered O
the O
automatic O
protection O
system O
, O
which O
immediately O
shut O
down O
the O
nuclear O
electricity O
generation O
units O
of O
the O
two O
nuclear O
power O
stations O
, O
located O
in O
Rio O
De O
Janeiro O
state O
, O
Eletronuclear O
said O
. O

The O
accident O
happened O
outside O
the O
Angra O
II O
plant O
and O
was O
not O
related O
to O
the O
nuclear O
generators O
, O
said O
the O
company O
, O
adding O
that O
no O
abnormalities O
have O
been O
recorded O
inside O
the O
plant O
. O

Angra O
II O
will O
remain O
closed O
until O
investigators O
find O
the O
cause O
of O
the O
fire O
. O

The O
automatic O
system O
disconnected O
Angra O
I O
automatically O
, O
although O
it O
has O
no O
problems O
inside O
or O
outside O
. O
It O
will O
resume O
electricity O
generation O
straight O
away O
, O
Eletronuclear O
said O
. O

The O
southeast O
of O
Brazil O
will O
not O
have O
access O
to O
the O
1 O
, O
350 O
megawatts O
of O
electricity O
generated O
by O
the O
two O
plants O
, O
but O
other O
generation O
sources O
will O
make O
up O
for O
the O
loss O
, O
it O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0239 O

MADRID O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Spanish O
giants O
Barcelona O
will O
be O
looking O
to O
bounce O
back O
, O
after O
the O
disappointment O
of O
losing O
the O
World O
Club O
Cup O
final O
to O
Internacional O
, O
by O
beating O
Atletico O
Madrid O
in O
La O
Liga O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
game O
brings O
an O
end O
to O
the O
Spanish O
first O
division O
for O
the B-T
year I-T
and O
, O
having O
started O
2006 O
on O
top O
of O
the O
league O
, O
Barcelona O
will O
want O
to O
end O
it O
on O
a O
high O
note O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
got O
this O
game O
to O
make O
sure O
that O
we O
forget O
about O
what O
happened O
against O
Internacional O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Catalan O
side O
' O
s O
star O
striker O
Ronaldinho O
. O

" O
Now B-T
we O
' O
ve O
got O
to O
hold O
our O
heads O
up O
high O
and O
get O
on O
with O
fighting O
for O
the O
league O
and O
the O
Champions O
League O
, O
" O
added O
Barca O
goalkeeper O
Victor O
Valdes O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
their O
1 O
- O
0 O
loss O
to O
the O
Brazilians O
in O
Yokohama O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Barcelona O
are O
currently O
second O
in O
La O
Liga O
, O
one O
point O
behind O
Sevilla O
who O
took O
over O
at O
the O
top O
after O
a O
3 O
- O
1 O
win O
at O
Recreativo O
Huelva O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
but O
the O
reigning O
Spanish O
champions O
have O
one O
game O
in O
hand O
over O
last B-T
season I-T
' O
s O
UEFA O
Cup O
winners O
. O

The O
problem O
for O
Barca O
is O
that O
they O
face O
Atletico O
at O
a O
time O
when O
they O
are O
having O
a O
good O
run O
of O
form O
. O

They O
lie O
in O
fourth O
place O
, O
the O
highest O
position O
they O
have O
been O
for O
nearly B-T
two I-T
seasons I-T
. O

Atletico O
have O
also O
turned O
recently O
into O
Barca O
' O
s O
Black O
Beast O
' O
, O
the O
Spanish O
phrase O
for O
a O
bogey O
team O
that O
always O
haunts O
you O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
Atletico O
were O
the O
only O
team O
to O
beat O
Barca O
in O
their O
Nou O
Camp O
stadium O
and O
also O
hammered O
them O
in O
the O
Spanish O
capital O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ve O
done O
well O
in O
the O
Nou O
Camp O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
but O
we O
are O
well O
aware O
that O
things O
can O
always O
change O
. O
However O
, O
we O
are O
going O
to O
Barcelona O
with O
lots O
of O
confidence O
. O
We O
are O
not O
afraid O
of O
them O
anymore O
, O
" O
said O
Atletico O
' O
s O
Spanish O
international O
striker O
Fernando O
Torres O
. O

Torres O
certainly O
has O
no O
reason O
to O
be O
nervous O
. O
He O
has O
scored O
against O
Barcelona O
on O
the O
last O
four O
occasions O
the O
two O
teams O
have O
met O
. O

Atletico O
coach O
Javier O
Aguirre O
was O
also O
licking O
his O
lips O
, O
despite O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
lacklustre O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
local O
rivals O
Getafe O
, O
at O
the O
possibility O
the O
Beast O
' O
can O
put O
the O
bite O
on O
Barca O
once O
more O
. O

" O
If O
we O
are O
fourth O
playing O
like O
this O
then O
, O
if O
we O
can O
play O
well O
again O
at O
Barca O
, O
we O
can O
take O
them O
apart O
, O
" O
said O
Aguirre O
. O

Sevilla O
can O
ensure O
they O
end O
the O
year O
on O
top O
of O
the O
Spanish O
first O
division O
if O
they O
beat O
struggling O
Deportivo O
La O
Coruna O
at O
home O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
Andalusia O
side O
won O
their O
one O
and O
only O
previous O
championship O
in O
1946 B-T
but O
they O
are O
starting O
to O
feel O
that O
the O
La O
Liga O
trophy O
might O
come O
south O
after O
a O
61 B-T
year I-T
absence O
. O

" O
First O
place O
is O
the O
only O
place O
this O
team O
should O
be O
, O
" O
said O
Sevilla O
coach O
Juande O
Ramos O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
big O
problem O
for O
Sevilla O
is O
suspensions O
. O
They O
will O
lose O
Aitor O
Ocio O
, O
Antonio O
Puerta O
and O
Jose O
Luis O
Marti O
for O
the O
visit O
of O
Deportivo O
, O
who O
languish O
in O
15th O
, O
just O
three O
places O
above O
the O
relegation O
zone O
, O
after O
their O
2 O
- O
0 O
home O
defeat O
by O
Athletic O
Bilbao O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

There O
have O
been O
widespread O
calls O
for O
the O
sacking O
of O
Deportivo O
coach O
Joaquin O
Caparros O
but O
at O
least O
he O
will O
be O
assured O
a O
warm O
welcome O
in O
Sevilla O
. O

Caparros O
was O
the O
Sevilla O
coach O
for O
five B-T
years I-T
before O
moving O
to O
Deportivo O
in O
2005 B-T
and O
he O
steered O
the O
club O
out O
of O
the O
second O
division O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

Real O
Madrid O
are O
third O
, O
just O
two O
points O
in O
arrears O
of O
Sevilla O
and O
one O
behind O
their O
bitter O
rivals O
Barca O
. O

The O
29 O
- O
times O
Spanish O
champions O
play O
host O
to O
Recreativo O
Huelva O
on O
Wednesday B-T
and O
hope O
to O
have O
Italy O
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
captain O
and O
central O
defender O
Fabio O
Cannavaro O
available O
to O
play O
. O

Cannavaro O
was O
sent O
off O
after O
receiving O
a O
second O
yellow O
card O
during O
Real O
' O
s O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
at O
Espanyol O
on O
Sunday B-T
because O
the O
referee O
judged O
that O
he O
had O
handled O
the O
ball O
but O
television O
pictures O
support O
the O
player O
' O
s O
claim O
that O
it O
only O
hit O
him O
in O
the O
face O
. O

If O
Real O
are O
successful O
in O
their O
appeal O
then O
Cannavaro O
will O
play O
but O
otherwise O
Alvaro O
Mejia O
is O
likely O
to O
take O
his O
place O
. O

Tuesday B-T
( O
Kick O
off O
in O
GMT O
) O

Valencia O
v O
Real O
Mallorca O
( O
2000 O
) O

Athletic O
Bilbao O
v O
Real O
Zaragoza O
( O
2000 O
) O

Wednesday O

Celta O
Vigo O
v O
Real O
Sociedad O
( O
1900 O
) O

Getafe O
v O
Espanyol O
( O
1900 O
) O

Gimnastic O
Tarragona O
v O
Real O
Betis O
( O
1900 O
) O

Osasuna O
v O
Levante O
( O
1900 O
) O

Racing O
Santander O
v O
Villarreal O
( O
1900 O
) O

Real O
Madrid O
v O
Recreativo O
Huelva O
( O
2000 O
) O

Sevilla O
v O
Deportivo O
La O
Coruna O
( O
2000 O
) O

Thursday B-T

Barcelona O
v O
Atletico O
Madrid O
( O
2100 O
) O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0110 O

GENEVA O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Switzerland O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
said O
Thursday B-T
it O
was O
raising O
its O
key O
interest O
rate O
for O
the O
first O
time O
since O
June B-T
2004 I-T
by O
0 O
. O
25 O
percentage O
points O
in O
response O
to O
the O
accelerating O
growth O
of O
the O
Swiss O
economy O
. O

The O
three O
- O
month O
Libor O
rate O
would O
be O
allowed O
to O
vary O
in O
a O
range O
from O
0 O
. O
50 O
percent O
to O
1 O
. O
50 O
percent O
, O
instead O
of O
0 O
. O
25 O
percent O
to O
1 O
. O
25 O
percent O
, O
the O
Swiss O
National O
Bank O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

The O
SNB O
also O
raised O
forecasts O
for O
Swiss O
economic O
growth O
less B-T
than I-T
two I-T
months I-T
since O
an O
earlier O
official O
revision O
, O
predicting O
1 O
. O
5 O
- O
percent O
growth O
of O
gross O
domestic O
product O
( O
GDP O
) O
for O
2005 O
instead O
of O
the O
previous O
estimate O
of O
1 O
. O
3 O
percent O
from O
the O
Swiss O
economics O
ministry O
. O

Growth O
was O
expected O
to O
be O
" O
a O
little O
more O
than O
two O
percent O
" O
in O
2006 B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
bank O
. O

" O
By O
raising O
its O
target O
range O
, O
the O
Swiss O
National O
Bank O
is O
adjusting O
its O
monetary O
policy O
to O
economic O
developments O
, O
which O
are O
proceeding O
as O
expected O
, O
" O
the O
SNB O
said O

" O
This O
ensures O
that O
the O
inflation O
outlook O
remains O
favourable O
, O
" O
it O
added O
. O

Annual O
inflation O
was O
forecast O
to O
reach O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
before O
dropping O
back O
to O
0 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
2006 B-T
and O
rising O
again O
to O
1 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

Despite O
the O
rate O
increase O
announced O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
the O
SNB O
said O
it O
was O
maintaining O
an O
expansionary O
monetary O
policy O
and O
would O
continue O
to O
support O
the O
recovery O
. O

The O
bank O
intended O
to O
keep O
the O
Libor O
rate O
in O
the O
middle O
of O
the O
range O
at O
about O
one O
percent O
" O
for O
the O
time O
being O
" O
. O

" O
If O
the O
Swiss O
franc O
were O
to O
appreciate O
rapidly O
, O
the O
National O
Bank O
would O
react O
appropriately O
, O
" O
it O
added O
. O

Swiss O
economic O
growth O
accelerated O
during O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
to O
reach O
2 O
. O
3 O
percent O
over O
the O
figure O
for O
the B-T
equivalent I-T
period I-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
amid O
strong O
consumer O
spending O
, O
according O
to O
official O
data O
. O

SNB O
chairman O
Jean O
- O
Pierre O
Roth O
had O
signalled O
on O
November B-T
2 I-T
that O
a O
rate O
rize O
was O
on O
the O
cards O
for O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
despite O
some O
concerns O
about O
the O
potential O
longer O
term O
impact O
of O
higher O
oil O
prices O
on O
economic O
growth O
. O

Roth O
acknowledged O
in O
a O
speech O
to O
businessmen O
that O
the O
price O
of O
oil O
had O
probably O
made O
a O
durable O
shift O
to O
new O
higher O
levels O
but O
its O
wider O
inflationary O
impact O
was O
cushioned O
. O

However O
, O
he O
insisted O
that O
interest O
rates O
were O
still O
at O
unsustainably O
low O
levels O
. O

" O
It O
is O
clear O
that O
the O
generous O
monetary O
environment O
we O
created O
in O
2001 B-T
to O
2003 O
, O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
the O
difficulties O
of O
the O
world O
economy O
and O
geopolitical O
tension O
, O
is O
not O
adapted O
to O
a O
normalised O
situation O
. O
That O
should O
be O
corrected O
, O
" O
Roth O
said O
. O

Swiss O
forecasters O
believe O
the O
recovery O
should O
continue O
, O
provided O
it O
encourages O
a O
growth O
in O
investment O
in O
capital O
goods O
and O
employment O
. O

The O
economics O
ministry O
recently O
warned O
that O
the O
health O
of O
the O
neighbouring O
eurozone O
economies O
represented O
a O
" O
risk O
factor O
" O
, O
because O
of O
Switzerland O
' O
s O
reliance O
on O
its O
biggest O
trade O
partners O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

It O
warned O
that O
growth O
in O
the O
eurozone O
was O
still O
propped O
up O
mainly O
by O
exports O
and O
was O
vulnerable O
to O
external O
shocks O
, O
including O
a O
strengthening O
of O
the O
European O
currency O
. O

The O
European O
Central O
Bank O
raised O
its O
key O
interest O
rates O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
five B-T
years I-T
on O
December B-T
1 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0323 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Wall O
Street O
rebounds O
as O
oil O
dips O
; O
Dow O
lifts O
0 O
. O
33 O
percent O

US O
stocks O
opened O
higher O
Tuesday B-T
as O
year O
- O
end O
rally O
sentiment O
returned O
after O
a O
pullback O
in O
crude O
oil O
futures O
. O

The O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
rose O
35 O
. O
54 O
points O
( O
0 O
. O
33 O
percent O
) O
to O
10 O
, O
870 O
. O
55 O
and O
the O
Nasdaq O
composite O
pushed O
higher O
by O
11 O
. O
69 O
points O
( O
0 O
. O
52 O
percent O
) O
to O
2 O
, O
269 O
. O
33 O
in O
the O
first O
exchanges O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
main O
indexes O
ended O
lower O
, O
hurt O
by O
a O
rise O
in O
oil O
prices O
and O
a O
jump O
in O
long O
- O
term O
interest O
rates O
. O
However O
, O
the O
stock O
market O
in O
general O
has O
been O
rallying O
during O
the B-T
last I-T
five I-T
weeks I-T
, O
benefiting O
from O
data O
pointing O
to O
economic O
strength O
and O
oversold O
conditions O
. O

The O
positive O
trend O
was O
in O
force O
once O
again O
at O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
opening O
. O

Steve O
Goldman O
, O
chief O
market O
strategist O
at O
Weeden O
and O
Co O
. O
, O
said O
, O
" O
There O
was O
some O
skittishness O
yesterday O
about O
oil O
and O
bond O
prices O
. O
But O
that O
has O
dissipated O
a O
bit O
. O
We O
still O
have O
seasonal O
factors O
in O
the O
back O
of O
every O
trader O
' O
s O
mind O
. O
" O

Bob O
Dickey O
at O
RBC O
Dain O
Rauscher O
said O
the O
market O
has O
held O
at O
key O
levels O
despite O
profit O
taking O
in O
recent O
sessions O
, O
suggesting O
the O
rally O
remains O
intact O
. O

" O
Any O
further O
dips O
in O
the O
market O
over O
the O
next O
few O
days O
are O
regarded O
by O
us O
as O
being O
great O
buy O
points O
for O
the O
continuation O
of O
the O
year O
- O
end O
rally O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0096 O

MELBOURNE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Schedule O
of O
Artistic O
Gymnastics O
Worlds O

Following O
is O
the O
competition O
schedule O
of O
the O
2005 O
Artistic O
Gymnastics O
World O
Championships O
to O
kick O
off O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
: I-T

November B-T
22 I-T
: O
Men O
' O
s O
qualifications O

November B-T
23 I-T
: O
Women O
' O
s O
qualifications O

November B-T
24 I-T
: O
Men O
' O
s O
all O
- O
around O
final O

November B-T
25 I-T
: O
Women O
' O
s O
all O
- O
around O
final O

November B-T
26 I-T
: O
Apparatus O
finals O
, O
Men O
' O
s O
- O
Floor O
, O
Pommel O
horse O
, O
Rings O

Women O
' O
s O
- O
Vault O
, O
Uneven O
bars O

November B-T
27 I-T
: O
Apparatus O
finals O
, O
Men O
' O
s O
- O
Vault O
, O
Parallel O
bars O
, O
Horizontal O
bars O
; O
Women O
' O
s O
- O
Balance O
beam O
, O
Floor O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0334 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Starting O
line O
- O
up O
of O
Qatar O
against O
Jordan O
at O
Asian O
Games O

Following O
is O
the O
starting O
line O
- O
up O
of O
hosts O
Qatar O
against O
Jordan O
at O
the O
second O
- O
round O
of O
football O
events O
at O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
: O

Forwards O
: O
Abdulrahman O
Hussain O
Ya O
, O
Quintana O
Sebastian O
, O
Rajab O
Bilal O
Mohammed O

Midfielders O
: O
Mohd O
Adel O
Lamy O
, O
Al O
Hamad O
Mesaad O
Ali O
, O
Abdulmajid O
Wesam O
Rizik O
, O
Rahmati O
Younes O
Ali O

Defenders O
: O
Saleh O
Ali O
Nasser O
, O
Koni O
Abdulla O
Obaid O
, O
Siddiq O
Majdi O
Abdulla O

Goalkeeper O
: O
Ahmed O
Mohamed O
Saqr O

APW19980322 O
. O
0749 O

NEWS O
STORY O

03 B-T
/ I-T
22 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
14 I-T
: I-T
57 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w1834 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
NorthernIreland O
1stLd O
- O
Writethru O
03 O
- O
22 O
0720 O

BC O
- O
Northern O
Ireland O
, O
1st O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O

Police O
find O
bomb O
on O
eve O
of O
Sinn O
Fein O
' O
s O
return O
to O
peace O
talks O

UR O
Eds O
: O
NEW O
throughout O
; O
RAISES O
reference O
to O
bomb O
; O
UPDATES O
with O
protest O

against O
Protestant O
marches O
, O
comment O
from O
Sinn O
Fein O
leader O
; O
trims O

pvs O
QL O

UR O
By O
SHAWN O
POGATCHNIK O
QC O

UR O
Associated O
Press O
Writer O
QC O

BELFAST O
, O
Northern O
Ireland O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Police O
seized O
a O
car O
bomb O
under O

construction O
Sunday B-T
in O
a O
town O
bordering O
Northern O
Ireland O
on O
the O
eve O

of O
the O
return O
to O
peace O
talks O
by O
the O
IRA O
- O
allied O
Sinn O
Fein O
party O
. O

Chief O
Superintendent O
Al O
McHugh O
said O
the O
bomb O
discovered O
in O
the O

Irish O
Republic O
was O
destined O
for O
an O
unknown O
target O
in O
Northern O

Ireland O
and O
` O
` O
would O
have O
caused O
massive O
destruction O
. O
' O
' O

The O
discovery O
appeared O
to O
be O
the O
latest O
attempt O
by O
extremists O

opposed O
to O
the O
IRA O
' O
s O
8 B-T
- I-T
month I-T
- I-T
old I-T
truce O
to O
undermine O
the O
peace O

process O
, O
set O
to O
resume O
Monday B-T
in O
Belfast O
. O

Extremists O
have O
bombed O
two O
predominantly O
pro O
- O
British O
Protestant O

towns O
and O
fired O
mortar O
shells O
at O
a O
police O
station O
since O
Sinn O
Fein O

was O
expelled O
from O
peace O
talks O
on O
Feb B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
in O
punishment O
for O
two O

killings O
blamed O
on O
the O
Irish O
Republican O
Army O
. O

Police O
found O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
300 O
pounds O
( O
600 O
kgs O
) O
of O

fertilizer O
- O
based O
explosives O
Sunday B-T
in O
a O
shed O
in O
Dundalk O
, O
50 O
miles O

( O
80 O
kms O
) O
south O
of O
Belfast O
. O

They O
arrested O
two O
men O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
bomb O
factory O
, O
which O

also O
contained O
circuitry O
, O
detonating O
cord O
and O
the O
Mitsubishi O
truck O

that O
would O
have O
carried O
the O
bomb O
. O

The O
British O
and O
Irish O
governments O
, O
which O
cosponsor O
the O

multi O
- O
party O
talks O
that O
are O
supposed O
to O
conclude O
by O
May B-T
, O
invited O

Sinn O
Fein O
to O
rejoin O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
. O

But O
Sinn O
Fein O
leader O
Gerry O
Adams O
kept O
his O
party O
out O
pending O

meetings O
with O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
10 B-T
days I-T
ago I-T
and O

President O
Clinton O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

` O
` O
We O
were O
unjustly O
pushed O
out O
of O
the O
talks O
in O
February B-T
but O
we O

are O
back O
, O
' O
' O
Adams O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

He O
said O
the O
north O
' O
s O
substantial O
Catholic O
minority O
demanded O
a O

settlement O
that O
would O
promote O
Northern O
Ireland O
' O
s O
eventual O

unification O
with O
the O
Irish O
Republic O
. O

` O
` O
Nationalists O
in O
the O
north O
are O
not O
a O
minority O
in O
someone O
else O
' O
s O

country O
. O
We O
are O
Irish O
citizens O
, O
living O
in O
our O
own O
country O
, O
' O
' O
Adams O

said O
, O
adding O
: O
` O
` O
Nationalists O
want O
to O
move O
towards O
Irish O
unity O
and O

see O
this O
process O
as O
a O
bridge O
in O
that O
direction O
. O
' O
' O

But O
the O
north O
' O
s O
pro O
- O
British O
Protestant O
majority O
is O
bitterly O
opposed O
to O
uniting O
Ireland O
and O
instead O
wants O
a O
strong O
government O

for O
Northern O
Ireland O
, O
which O
has O
been O
ruled O
directly O
by O
London O
since O

1972 B-T
. O

Northern O
Ireland O
' O
s O
biggest O
Protestant O
party O
, O
the O
Ulster O

Unionists O
, O
is O
threatening O
to O
push O
for O
Sinn O
Fein O
' O
s O
expulsion O
once O

again O
. O
They O
say O
IRA O
commanders O
are O
responsible O
for O
the O
recent O
bomb O

attacks O
. O

Also O
Sunday B-T
, O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
000 O
Catholic O
protesters O
rallied O
in O

Portadown O
against O
the O
annual O
parades O
by O
the O
Orange O
Order O
, O
Northern O

Ireland O
' O
s O
dominant O
Protestant O
fraternal O
group O
. O

Confrontations O
among O
Catholic O
protesters O
, O
Protestant O
marchers O

and O
the O
police O
have O
provoked O
widespread O
violence O
in O
Northern O

Ireland O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
summers I-T
. O
The O
crucible O
is O
Portadown O
, O
30 O

miles O
( O
50 O
kms O
) O
southwest O
of O
Belfast O
, O
where O
Orangemen O
march O
each O

July O
from O
their O
rural O
church O
back O
downtown O
_ O
through O
the O
town O
' O
s O

main O
Catholic O
area O
. O

Protesters O
from O
several O
Catholic O
communities O
crowded O
into O

Portadown O
' O
s O
Catholic O
Garvaghy O
Road O
to O
hear O
speakers O
demand O

negotiations O
with O
Orange O
Order O
leaders O
, O
and O
pledge O
to O
participate O

in O
each O
others O
' O
road O
- O
blocking O
protests O
this B-T
summer I-T
. O

` O
` O
Small O
nationalist O
communities O
are O
not O
going O
to O
be O
left O
on O

their O
own O
this B-T
summer I-T
, O
' O
' O
said O
Gerard O
Rice O
, O
a O
former O
IRA O
prisoner O

who O
leads O
anti O
- O
Orange O
protests O
in O
a O
Catholic O
neighborhood O
of O
south O

Belfast O
. O

Riot O
police O
in O
armored O
cars O
, O
shields O
and O
helmets O
prevented O
a O
few O

hundred O
Protestants O
, O
many O
waving O
British O
and O
Ulster O
flags O
, O
from O

interfering O
with O
the O
Catholics O
as O
they O
marched O
within O
Portadown O
' O
s O

few O
Catholic O
streets O
. O

Earlier B-T
Sunday I-T
, O
police O
and O
militant O
Protestants O
clashed O
in O
a O

religiously O
polarized O
part O
of O
north O
Belfast O
. O

Police O
said O
an O
unmarked O
police O
car O
was O
hit O
with O
gasoline O
bombs O

from O
the O
Protestant O
side O
. O
Riot O
police O
responded O
with O
a O
volley O
of O

plastic O
bullets O
that O
scattered O
a O
50 O
- O
strong O
mob O
. O

An O
elderly O
Catholic O
man O
was O
hospitalized O
from O
cuts O
after O
a O

Protestant O
gasoline O
bomb O
landed O
in O
his O
back O
yard O
. O
Police O
arrested O

six O
Protestants O
on O
suspicion O
of O
rioting O
. O

( O
sp O
/ O
eml O
) O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Northern O
Ireland O
, O
1st O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
MEST O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
AFRI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
INDI O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ASIA O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
03 O
- O
22 O
- O
98 O
1457EST O

AFP_ENG_20051215 O
. O
0333 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Iraq O
polls O
close O

Polls O
closed O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
Iraq O
' O
s O
historic O
general O
election O
for O
the O
first O
full O
- O
term O
government O
since O
the O
fall O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
the O
electoral O
commission O
said O
. O

Electoral O
official O
Hussein O
al O
- O
Hindawi O
told O
AFP O
people O
still O
waiting O
at O
polling O
stations O
would O
be O
allowed O
to O
cast O
their O
ballots O
until O
the O
last O
man O
, O
even O
after O
the O
doors O
shut O
at O
5 O
: O
00 O
pm O
( O
1400 O
GMT O
) O
. O

Iraqis O
flooded O
polling O
stations O
during O
the O
10 O
- O
hour O
election O
for O
a O
275 O
- O
member O
parliament O
set O
to O
put O
in O
place O
a O
government O
that O
will O
return O
the O
country O
to O
full O
sovereignty O
following O
the O
2003 O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0308 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Swedish O
unemployment O
benefit O
reforms O

The O
Swedish O
parliament O
was O
on O
Wednesday B-T
set O
to O
adopt O
the O
centre O
- O
right O
government O
' O
s O
plans O
to O
raise O
premiums O
for O
unemployment O
insurance O
while O
decreasing O
payouts O
to O
the O
jobless O
. O

Under O
existing O
rules O
, O
Sweden O
' O
s O
unemployed O
who O
previously O
earned O
less O
than O
20 O
, O
075 O
kronor O
( O
2 O
, O
945 O
dollars O
, O
2 O
, O
220 O
euros O
) O
a B-T
month I-T
, O
receive O
eighty O
percent O
of O
their O
former O
salary O
for O
300 O
days O
, O
a O
period O
which O
can O
be O
extended O
a O
further O
300 B-T
days O
. O

For O
those O
whose O
previously O
earned O
more O
than O
20 O
, O
075 O
kronor O
per O
month O
, O
benefits O
amount O
to O
80 O
percent O
of O
their O
salary O
up O
to O
a O
pre O
- O
tax O
ceiling O
of O
16 O
, O
060 O
kronor O
a O
month O
for O
a O
maximum O
of O
100 B-T
days O
. O

This O
group O
is O
also O
entitled O
to O
a O
pre O
- O
tax O
maximum O
of O
14 O
, O
960 O
kronor O
per O
month O
for O
a O
further O
200 B-T
days O
. O

Under O
the O
proposed O
changes O
all O
unemployed O
workers O
are O
to O
receive O
80 O
percent O
of O
their O
salary O
for O
200 B-T
days I-T
, O
70 O
percent O
of O
their O
salary O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
100 I-T
days I-T
and O
65 O
percent O
for O
an O
unlimited O
period O
thereafter O
. O

From O
the B-T
301st I-T
day I-T
unemployment O
benefits O
would O
be O
subject O
to O
stricter O
controls O
, O
however O
. O

Employees O
currently O
contribute O
on O
average O
100 O
kronor O
per O
month O
to O
unemployment O
insurance O
. O

Under O
the O
new O
legislation O
their O
contributions O
would O
rise O
on O
average O
by O
238 O
kronor O
. O

If O
approved O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
law O
will O
take O
effect O
on O
January B-T
1 I-T
, O
although O
the O
reduction O
in O
payments O
would O
take O
effect O
in O
March B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0165 O

DAR O
ES O
SALAAM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tanzania O
starts O
monitoring O
bird O
flu O
via O
special O
team O

A O
national O
team O
composed O
of O
multi O
- O
sectoral O
specialists O
has O
started O
monitoring O
bird O
flu O
so O
as O
to O
assist O
in O
the O
prevention O
of O
the O
fatal O
epidemic O
in O
Tanzania O
. O

The O
18 O
- O
member O
team O
is O
assessing O
and O
reviewing O
the O
epidemiological O
status O
of O
the O
disease O
, O
undertaking O
risk O
analyses O
and O
preparing O
contingency O
and O
emergency O
measures O
. O

The O
team O
has O
already O
worked O
out O
a O
three O
- O
phase O
operational O
plan O
that O
consists O
of O
pre O
- O
pandemic O
, O
pandemic O
and O
post O
- O
pandemic O
stages O
. O

The O
team O
will O
also O
coordinate O
epidemic O
surveillance O
and O
bio O
- O
security O
operations O
and O
form O
a O
national O
command O
post O
in O
the O
event O
of O
the O
disease O
breakout O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Virological O
studies O
have O
so O
far O
pinpointed O
to O
the O
probability O
of O
wild O
birds O
spreading O
the O
disease O
, O
known O
by O
its O
scientific O
term O
as O
Highly O
Pathogenic O
Avian O
Influenza O
. O

Severe O
winters O
in O
Europe O
this O
year O
might O
lead O
to O
an O
increase O
of O
wild O
migratory O
birds O
to O
East O
Africa O
. O
Europe O
is O
experiencing O
its O
severest O
winter O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
70 I-T
years I-T
. O

Dr O
. O
Meta O
Grasford O
Yongolo O
from O
the O
virology O
department O
of O
the O
Animal O
Diseases O
Research O
Institute O
, O
predicted O
that O
as O
many O
as O
15 O
million O
birds O
are O
coming O
to O
Tanzania O
from O
Europe O
for O
warmer O
and O
wetter O
weather O
conditions O
. O

The O
bird O
flu O
virus O
is O
easily O
transmitted O
through O
air O
from O
migratory O
birds O
to O
such O
house O
fowls O
as O
chickens O
and O
ducks O
. O

The O
country O
has O
already O
banned O
imports O
of O
chicken O
or O
poultry O
products O
while O
the O
East O
African O
Community O
has O
set O
up O
a O
special O
body O
and O
a O
special O
fund O
of O
54 O
million O
US O
dollars O
to O
coordinate O
efforts O
by O
member O
states O
of O
Kenya O
, O
Uganda O
and O
Tanzania O
in O
the O
prevention O
of O
bird O
flu O
. O

The O
coordination O
body O
not O
only O
consists O
of O
public O
health O
officials O
from O
the O
EAC O
member O
states O
but O
also O
advisors O
from O
international O
institutions O
like O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
has O
warned O
the O
east O
African O
countries O
that O
there O
is O
a O
serious O
risk O
that O
the O
scenario O
of O
a O
potential O
spread O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
through O
migratory O
birds O
to O
northern O
and O
eastern O
Africa O
may O
become O
a O
reality O
. O

The O
East O
Africa O
Rift O
Valley O
hosts O
many O
bird O
species O
that O
relocate O
seasonally O
to O
and O
from O
Europe O
for O
hot O
- O
wet O
weather O
conditions O
. O
Birds O
that O
migrate O
to O
Europe O
return O
to O
the O
rift O
valley O
during O
summer B-T
in O
the O
southern O
hemisphere O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
issued O
the O
warning O
after O
the O
H5N1 O
strain O
of O
virus O
or O
bird O
flu O
virus O
had O
been O
detected O
in O
Romania O
and O
Turkey O
in O
October B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
virus O
has O
ravaged O
poultry O
in O
East O
Asia O
and O
has O
spread O
to O
Russia O
, O
Kazakhstan O
, O
Mongolia O
and O
now O
eastern O
Europe O
. O

The O
bird O
flu O
epidemic O
is O
fatal O
to O
human O
beings O
as O
it O
causes O
deaths O
if O
untreated O
. O
In O
2003 B-T
, O
it O
killed O
more O
than O
60 O
people O
in O
Asia O
alone O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0075 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Results O
from O
Hong O
Kong O
Open O
badminton O

Following O
are O
the O
results O
from O
the O
250 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollar O
Hong O
Kong O
Open O
badminton O
championship O
here O
Saturday B-T
( O
prefxi O
number O
denotes O
seeding O
) O
: O

Men O
' O
s O
singles O

Semi O
- O
finals O

1 O
- O
Lin O
Dan O
, O
China O
, O
bt O
4 O
- O
Lee O
Chong O
- O
wei O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
15 O
- O
4 O
, O
15 O
- O
6 O
. O

Women O
' O
s O
singles O

Semi O
- O
finals O

1 O
- O
Zhang O
Ning O
, O
China O
, O
bt O
4 O
- O
Pi O
Hongyan O
, O
France O
, O
11 O
- O
3 O
, O
13 B-T
- I-T
11 I-T

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0331 O

SOFIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bulgarian O
approves O
new O
constitutional O
amendments O

Bulgarian O
lawmakers O
on O
Tuesday B-T
approved O
the O
new O
constitutional O
amendments O
needed O
to O
raise O
accountability O
in O
the O
judiciary O
ahead O
of O
European O
Union O
membership O
on O
Jan B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
state O
- O
owned O
BTA O
reported O
that O
in O
a O
vote O
at O
the O
National O
Assembly O
, O
the O
parliament O
, O
203 O
of O
240 O
deputies O
backed O
amendments O
to O
end O
blanket O
immunity O
held O
by O
judges O
, O
prosecutors O
and O
investigators O
and O
to O
set O
up O
a O
special O
parliament O
- O
elected O
inspectorate O
to O
monitor O
the O
judiciary O
. O

This O
is O
the O
fourth O
amendment O
to O
the O
1991 O
constitution O
and O
also O
the O
second O
amendment O
in O
2006 B-T
. O

Changes O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
basic O
law O
are O
regarded O
as O
important O
steps O
for O
Bulgaria O
' O
s O
bid O
for O
EU O
membership O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0274 O

QINGDAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Philippines O

A O
fleet O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Army O
( O
PLA O
) O
Navy O
ended O
a O
79 O
- O
day O
voyage O
and O
arrived O
this O
port O
city O
in O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Shandong O
Province O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
after O
visiting O
four O
ports O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Canada O
and O
the O
Philippines O
. O

At O
10 O
: O
00 O
am O
, O
a O
grand O
ceremony O
was O
held O
at O
the O
Navy O
port O
, O
to O
welcome O
the O
fleet O
, O
composing O
the O
missile O
destroyer O
, O
" O
Qingdao O
" O
, O
and O
the O
depot O
ship O
, O
" O
Lake O
Hongze O
" O
, O
with O
506 O
officers O
and O
men O
on O
board O
. O

On O
Aug B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, O
the O
fleet O
left O
Qingdao O
Port O
, O
since O
then O
, O
it O
traveled O
17 O
, O
000 O
sea O
miles O
and O
successfully O
passed O
through O
three O
typhonic O
centers O
. O

During O
the O
journey O
, O
Chinese O
and O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
navy O
held O
their O
first O
joint O
maritime O
exercise O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970418 O
. O
0422 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

On O
diplomatic O
tightrope O
, O
Clinton O
meets O
Hong O
Kong O
democrat O
Lee O
by O
Gretchen O
Cook O

US O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
walked O
a O
delicate O
line O
Friday B-T
as O
he O
met O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Democratic O
party O
chief O
amid O
warnings O
from O
the O
territory O
' O
s O
future O
China O
- O
appointed O
leader O
about O
meddling O
in O
the O
upcoming O
handover O
. O

The O
White O
House O
downgraded O
the O
talks O
with O
Martin O
Lee O
to O
a O
casual O
drop O
- O
in O
by O
Clinton O
in O
order O
to O
avoid O
angering O
China O
, O
which O
views O
Lee O
' O
s O
visit O
as O
an O
attempt O
to O
win O
Washington O
' O
s O
sympathies O
to O
his O
protests O
over O
the O
July B-T
1 I-T
takeover O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

But O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
chief O
executive O
- O
designate O
Tung O
Chee O
- O
hwa O
said O
he O
was O
" O
disappointed O
" O
with O
Lee O
Friday B-T
and O
warned O
him O
" O
to O
please O
bear O
in O
mind O
that O
whatever O
he O
says O
it O
will O
be O
carefully O
read O
and O
interpreted O
. O

" O
The O
worst O
thing O
is O
, O
at O
this O
juncture O
, O
to O
give O
people O
in O
the O
United O
States O
a O
wrong O
impression O
. O
So O
far O
I O
have O
to O
tell O
you O
I O
am O
disappointed O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Lee O
said O
at O
the O
UN O
headquarters O
in O
New O
York O
Tuesday O
that O
he O
plans O
to O
press O
Clinton O
to O
consider O
the O
transition O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
as O
an O
" O
international O
" O
affair O
rather O
than O
the O
domestic O
matter O
China O
insists O
it O
is O
. O

In O
a O
specially O
choreographed O
arrangement O
, O
Vice O
President O
Al O
Gore O
held O
an O
official O
meeting O
with O
Lee O
which O
Clinton O
visited O
while O
it O
was O
" O
in O
progress O
, O
" O
the O
White O
House O
said O
. O

But O
China O
' O
s O
kid O
glove O
treatment O
by O
the O
White O
House O
also O
comes O
with O
a O
warning O
. O

Thursday B-T
, O
spokesman O
Michael O
McCurry O
said O
that O
the O
US O
administration O
will O
watch O
the O
handover O
anxiously O
and O
be O
ready O
to O
pounce O
on O
any O
sign O
that O
democratic O
freedoms O
are O
being O
yanked O
. O

He O
evoked O
the O
1984 O
Joint O
Declaration O
agreement O
between O
Britain O
and O
China O
which O
calls O
for O
the O
continuation O
of O
civil O
rights O
in O
the O
former O
British O
colony O
and O
said O
: O
" O
We O
will O
assert O
an O
interest O
in O
preserving O
that O
formula O
into O
the O
future O
. O
" O

The O
United O
States O
has O
already O
protested O
China O
' O
s O
plans O
to O
dissolve O
the O
elected O
legislature O
and O
its O
proposals O
to O
clamp O
down O
on O
freedoms O
of O
expression O
and O
assembly O
. O

As O
part O
of O
the O
US O
vigilance O
, O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Madeleine O
Albright O
will O
attend O
the O
ceremony O
for O
the O
transition O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
where O
there O
are O
40 O
, O
000 O
American O
citizens O
and O
some O
13 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
investments O
. O

Clinton O
agreed O
to O
the O
Lee O
meeting O
after O
pressure O
from O
the O
Republican O
- O
led O
Congress O
, O
which O
is O
highly O
supportive O
of O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Democratic O
leader O
and O
often O
charges O
the O
president O
' O
s O
handling O
of O
China O
is O
weak O
- O
kneed O
. O

The O
" O
drop O
- O
by O
" O
formula O
is O
one O
often O
used O
by O
the O
White O
House O
in O
delicate O
diplomatic O
situations O
. O

If O
the O
Dalai O
Lama O
comes O
to O
the O
White O
House O
as O
expected O
, O
McCurry O
said O
he O
will O
likely O
be O
greeted O
here O
as O
he O
was O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
In O
the O
past O
, O
it O
' O
s O
been O
similar O
to O
the O
procedure O
for O
Lee O
today B-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Tung O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
he O
had O
scrapped O
plans O
to O
visit O
the O
United O
States O
. O

Media O
reports O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
said O
it O
was O
to O
avoid O
possible O
embarrassment O
should O
he O
be O
refused O
a O
White O
House O
visit O
. O

McCurry O
declined O
to O
comment O
on O
whether O
the O
president O
would O
meet O
with O
Tung O
, O
saying O
that O
as O
there O
were O
no O
plans O
for O
his O
visit O
such O
meeting O
would O
be O
hypothetical O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0301 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

African O
leaders O
want O
EU O
aid O
instead O
of O
interference O

Leaders O
from O
African O
countries O
told O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
Africa O
needs O
aid O
, O
but O
not O
interference O
in O
their O
reforms O
and O
policies O
. O

" O
Stop O
interfering O
in O
the O
decision O
- O
making O
process O
of O
African O
states O
, O
" O
Ugandan O
President O
Yoweri O
Museveni O
told O
a O
conference O
on O
state O
governance O
in O
Africa O
hosted O
by O
the O
European O
Commission O
( O
EC O
) O
in O
Brussels O
. O

The O
conference O
was O
attended O
by O
World O
Bank O
director O
Paul O
Wolfowitz O
, O
more O
than O
15 O
African O
leaders O
and O
EU O
ministers O
. O
Museveni O
said O
his O
country O
risked O
an O
electricity O
shortage O
because O
donors O
had O
pressured O
it O
to O
stop O
building O
dams O
on O
the O
Nile O
. O

" O
Do O
not O
use O
your O
wealth O
and O
power O
to O
try O
to O
create O
us O
in O
your O
image O
, O
" O
said O
Botswana O
' O
s O
President O
Festus O
Mogae O
, O
adding O
that O
governance O
" O
cannot O
be O
a O
one O
- O
way O
street O
, O
an O
instrument O
to O
be O
used O
by O
the O
strong O
against O
the O
weak O
. O
" O

The O
EU O
dubs O
itself O
the O
biggest O
aid O
donor O
in O
the O
world O
, O
saying O
it O
provided O
43 O
. O
3 O
billion O
euros O
( O
around O
55 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
of O
which O
half O
went O
to O
Africa O
. O

For O
2008 B-T
- I-T
2013 I-T
, O
some O
3 O
billion O
euros O
( O
around O
3 O
. O
8 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
will O
be O
allocated O
to O
reward O
countries O
for O
applying O
reforms O
that O
the O
EU O
calls O
good O
governance O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0008 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Enhancing O
creative O
capabilities O
vital O
for O
Singapore O
: O
minister O

Singapore O
Minister O
for O
Information O
, O
Communications O
and O
the O
Arts O
Lee O
Boon O
Yang O
said O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
enhancing O
the O
creative O
capabilities O
is O
important O
for O
Singapore O
which O
is O
reinventing O
its O
economy O
to O
cater O
for O
the O
changing O
international O
economic O
landscape O
. O

" O
Apart O
from O
its O
high O
growth O
potential O
and O
direct O
economic O
contribution O
in O
the O
form O
of O
GDP O
( O
gross O
domestic O
product O
) O
growth O
and O
jobs O
, O
the O
creative O
industries O
harness O
cultural O
creativity O
to O
differentiate O
products O
and O
services O
across O
the O
entire O
economy O
, O
" O
Lee O
said O
at O
the O
Global O
Summit O
for O
Creative O
Industries O
. O

He O
added O
that O
growing O
the O
creative O
industries O
, O
which O
include O
the O
arts O
, O
design O
and O
media O
sectors O
in O
Singapore O
, O
will O
also O
enhance O
the O
city O
state O
' O
s O
image O
and O
its O
attractiveness O
to O
talent O
and O
enterprises O
, O
as O
well O
as O
broadening O
the O
definitions O
of O
success O
in O
the O
society O
. O

Having O
invested O
more O
than O
1 O
billion O
Singapore O
dollars O
( O
about O
588 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
on O
cultural O
hardware O
and O
software O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
minister O
, O
Singapore O
will O
continue O
to O
develop O
its O
creative O
human O
resource O
, O
anchor O
more O
international O
creative O
enterprises O
and O
organizations O
, O
and O
forge O
strong O
industry O
engagement O
and O
ownership O
. O

Citing O
the O
numerous O
opportunities O
for O
trade O
and O
collaboration O
lying O
in O
the O
rise O
of O
China O
' O
s O
and O
India O
' O
s O
economies O
and O
the O
continued O
growth O
throughout O
Asia O
, O
Lee O
said O
that O
Singapore O
will O
" O
reinforce O
the O
spirit O
of O
Asian O
cooperation O
" O
in O
the O
development O
of O
its O
creative O
economy O
. O

The O
inaugural O
Global O
Summit O
for O
Creative O
Industries O
is O
one O
of O
a O
series O
of O
events O
which O
Singapore O
organizes O
under O
the O
banner O
of O
" O
Creative O
2005 O
- O
Reinvent O
your O
Future O
" O
to O
promote O
its O
creative O
industries O
. O

APW19980626 O
. O
0364 O

NEWS O
STORY O

06 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
07 I-T
: I-T
07 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w2640 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Germany O
- O
RightistsFine O
06 O
- O
26 O
0198 O

BC O
- O
Germany O
- O
Rightists O
Fined O

German O
far O
- O
right O
party O
fined O
for O
violating O
donor O
laws O

BONN O
, O
Germany O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
A O
phony O
address O
listed O
on O
disclosure O
forms O

for O
a O
French O
donor O
will O
cost O
the O
far O
- O
right O
German O
People O
' O
s O
Union O

about O
549 O
, O
000 O
marks O
( O
dlrs O
305 O
, O
000 O
) O
, O
parliament O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Parliamentary O
president O
Rita O
Suessmuth O
said O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Union O

correctly O
listed O
Jacques O
de O
Mathan O
as O
having O
donated O
about O
274 O
, O
500 O

marks O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
but O
gave O
a O
false O
address O
for O
him O
. O

German O
law O
requires O
parties O
to O
publish O
the O
name O
and O
address O
of O

anyone O
who O
donates O
more O
than O
20 O
, O
000 O
marks O
( O
dlrs O
11 O
, O
000 O
) O
. O

The O
anti O
- O
foreigner O
party O
said O
it O
wanted O
to O
protect O
the O
donor O

from O
possible O
attacks O
. O

Suessmuth O
said O
, O
however O
, O
that O
the O
law O
does O
not O
allow O
for O

providing O
a O
false O
address O
for O
any O
reason O
. O
The O
fine O
is O
twice O
the O

donation O
, O
as O
provided O
for O
under O
German O
party O
financing O
laws O
. O

Party O
spokesman O
Bernd O
Droese O
said O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Union O
would O
challenge O
the O
fine O
in O
court O
. O

The O
extremist O
party O
recently B-T
took O
a O
surprising O
13 O
percent O
of O
the O

vote O
in O
elections O
in O
a O
depressed O
eastern O
German O
state O
, O
and O
hopes O
to O
win O
its O
first O
seats O
in O
the O
federal O
parliament O
this B-T
September I-T
. O

UR O
( O
pfg O
- O
xx O
) O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Germany O
- O
Rightists O
Fined O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
06 O
- O
26 O
- O
98 O
0707EDT O

AFP_ENG_20051211 O
. O
0389 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

by O
Julian O
Guyer O

Lawrence O
Dallaglio O
wrote O
off O
Wasps O
' O
s O
European O
Cup O
campaign O
after O
the O
English O
champions O
went O
down O
to O
a O
21 O
- O
13 O
defeat O
away O
to O
Llanelli O
on O
Sunday B-T
that O
left O
his O
side O
bottom O
of O
Pool O
Six O
. O

There O
is O
still O
a O
mathematical O
chance O
for O
the O
European O
champions O
of O
two B-T
seasons I-T
ago I-T
to O
make O
it O
through O
to O
the O
quarter O
- O
finals O
if O
they O
win O
their O
remaining O
three O
games O
, O
including O
a O
clash O
with O
tournament O
favourites O
and O
reigning O
champions O
Toulouse O
in O
France O
. O

But O
after O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
match O
, O
Dallaglio O
was O
adamant O
Wasps O
had O
already O
scuppered O
their O
hopes O
of O
reaching O
the O
last O
eight O
. O

" O
I O
am O
very O
disappointed O
and O
very O
angry O
with O
everyone O
, O
including O
myself O
, O
" O
the O
former O
England O
back O
- O
row O
forward O
said O

" O
With O
the O
quality O
in O
our O
group O
it O
was O
going O
to O
be O
very O
difficult O
but O
we O
just O
weren O
' O
t O
good O
enough O
today B-T
. O

" O
At O
the O
moment O
, O
one O
or O
two O
are O
putting O
it O
in O
, O
and O
one O
or O
two O
aren O
' O
t O
. O
We O
got O
what O
we O
deserved O
today B-T
. O
We O
are O
out O
of O
Europe O
yes O
, O
and O
we O
are O
desperately O
disappointed O
because O
we O
want O
to O
win O
trophies O
. O
" O

All O
six O
Pool O
winners O
and O
the O
two O
best O
runners O
- O
up O
overall O
will O
qualify O
for O
the O
knockout O
stages O
of O
European O
club O
rugby O
union O
' O
s O
premier O
competition O
. O

And O
at O
a O
fog O
- O
enshrouded O
Stradey O
Park O
, O
Llanelli O
boosted O
their O
hopes O
by O
moving O
into O
second O
place O
in O
the O
Pool O
, O
three O
points O
behind O
Toulouse O
. O

Second O
- O
half O
tries O
from O
centre O
Dafydd O
James O
and O
wing O
Mark O
Jones O
saw O
the O
Scarlets O
on O
their O
way O
to O
victory O
, O
while O
fly O
- O
half O
Gareth O
Bowen O
kicked O
three O
penalties O
and O
a O
conversion O
. O

Wasps O
replied O
with O
a O
Tom O
Rees O
try O
, O
converted O
by O
Mark O
van O
Gisbergen O
, O
and O
Alex O
King O
landed O
two O
penalties O
for O
the O
Londoners O
but O
there O
was O
no O
denying O
Llanelli O
. O

Elswehere O
, O
Leicester O
were O
forced O
to O
overturn O
a O
12 O
- O
6 O
half O
- O
time O
deficit O
at O
home O
to O
Neath O
- O
Swansea O
Ospreys O
before O
seeing O
off O
the O
Welsh O
side O
30 O
- O
12 O
at O
Welford O
Road O
to O
go O
top O
of O
Pool O
Three O
. O

Wales O
centre O
Gavin O
Henson O
, O
in O
his O
first O
appearance O
of O
the O
season O
for O
the O
Ospreys O
since O
sustaining O
a O
groin O
injury O
during O
the O
British O
and O
Irish O
Lions O
tour O
of O
New O
Zealand O
, O
was O
a O
lively O
presence O
in O
the O
first O
- O
half O
. O

But O
Leicester O
rallied O
and O
even O
came O
away O
with O
a O
bonus O
point O
after O
tries O
from O
Brett O
Deacon O
, O
Harry O
Ellis O
, O
George O
Chuter O
and O
Austin O
Healey O
. O

Henson O
' O
s O
fellow O
Wales O
centre O
Sonny O
Parker O
and O
Adrian O
Cashmore O
crossed O
for O
the O
Ospreys O
who O
were O
left O
bottom O
of O
the O
Pool O
. O
Like O
Wasps O
, O
they O
too O
must O
win O
their O
three O
remaining O
games O
to O
have O
any O
chance O
of O
staying O
in O
the O
competition O
. O

Henson O
, O
almost O
as O
well O
- O
known O
for O
his O
distinctive O
spiky O
hair O
and O
relationship O
with O
Welsh O
singer O
Charlotte O
Church O
as O
his O
rugby O
, O
courted O
controversy O
with O
a O
book O
published O
after O
the O
Lions O
tour O
in O
which O
he O
slammed O
several O
of O
his O
Wales O
team O
- O
mates O
. O

But O
having O
come O
through O
the B-T
full I-T
80 I-T
minutes I-T
against O
the O
Tigers O
unscathed O
, O
Henson O
said O
he O
was O
happy O
to O
be O
back O
playing O
ahead O
of O
Six O
Nations O
Grand O
Slam O
holders O
Wales O
' O
s O
2005 O
tournament O
opener O
away O
to O
England O
at O
Twickenham O
on O
February B-T
4 I-T
. O

" O
It O
is O
difficult O
when O
you O
have O
been O
off O
the O
pace O
. O
But O
it O
' O
s O
the O
first O
time O
in O
a B-T
year I-T
that O
I O
' O
ve O
felt O
no O
pain O
in O
my O
groin O
. O
" O

There O
was O
controversy O
at O
Headingley O
where O
Leeds O
only O
beat O
French O
visitors O
Perpignan O
21 O
- O
20 O
after O
fly O
- O
half O
Gordon O
Ross O
' O
s O
re O
- O
taken O
conversion O
. O

He O
missed O
with O
his O
first O
effort O
to O
goal O
fellow O
Scotland O
international O
Gordon O
Bulloch O
' O
s O
injury O
- O
time O
try O
but O
Welsh O
referee O
Nigel O
Owens O
ordered O
a O
retake O
because O
several O
Perpignan O
players O
had O
charged O
too O
early O
and O
shouted O
, O
both O
offences O
, O
as O
they O
tried O
to O
block O
the O
kick O
. O

Perpignan O
finished O
the O
day O
on O
top O
of O
Pool O
Two O
but O
were O
left O
level O
on O
10 O
points O
with O
Cardiff O
and O
only O
a O
point O
ahead O
of O
Leeds O
. O

In O
the O
day O
' O
s O
other O
match O
French O
giants O
Biarritz O
thrashed O
Italy O
' O
s O
Treviso O
34 O
- O
7 O
to O
top O
Pool O
Four O
ahead O
of O
next B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
fourth O
round O
Pool O
matches O
, O
which O
will O
see O
all O
this O
weekend O
' O
s O
fixtures O
reversed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0274 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
chief O
hails O
resumption O
of O
peace O
talks O
on O
conflict O
in O
Sudan O
' O
s O
Darfur O
region O

UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Tuesday B-T
welcomed O
the O
resumption O
of O
peace O
talks O
in O
Nigeria O
between O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
and O
rebel O
groups O
in O
western O
Sudan O
' O
s O
Darfur O
region O
. O

With O
the O
mediation O
of O
the O
African O
Union O
, O
Khartoum O
and O
the O
two O
rebel O
groups O
- O
- O
the O
Sudan O
Liberation O
Movement O
and O
the O
Justice O
and O
Equality O
Movement O
- O
- O
started O
the O
long O
- O
delayed O
seventh O
round O
of O
peace O
talks O
in O
the O
Nigerian O
capital O
of O
Abuja O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
. O

" O
The O
secretary O
- O
general O
strongly O
appeals O
to O
the O
parties O
to O
the O
Abuja O
peace O
process O
. O
. O
. O
to O
immediately O
stop O
all O
violence O
and O
atrocities O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
" O
said O
a O
statement O
issued O
by O
UN O
spokesman O
Stephanie O
Dujarric O
. O

" O
He O
calls O
on O
the O
parties O
to O
negotiate O
a O
just O
and O
comprehensive O
peace O
agreement O
. O
Individual O
leaders O
will O
be O
judged O
on O
their O
immediate O
action O
to O
stop O
the O
bloodshed O
in O
Darfur O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
secretary O
- O
general O
urged O
the O
parties O
to O
the O
conflict O
and O
all O
other O
armed O
groups O
in O
Darfur O
to O
cooperate O
fully O
with O
the O
African O
Union O
Mission O
in O
Sudan O
and O
with O
the O
United O
Nations O
Mission O
in O
Sudan O
. O

Annan O
also O
appealed O
to O
donors O
to O
continue O
supporting O
both O
the O
crucial O
work O
of O
the O
AU O
mission O
in O
this O
long O
suffering O
region O
and O
critical O
humanitarian O
assistance O
for O
millions O
of O
war O
- O
affected O
civilians O
in O
Darfur O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0111 O

WUHAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bird O
flu O
quarantine O
lifted O
in O
central O
China O
county O

The O
quarantine O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
- O
hit O
spots O
, O
one O
poultry O
farm O
and O
one O
village O
in O
Jingshan O
County O
of O
Hubei O
Province O
, O
has O
been O
lifted O
after O
all O
signs O
of O
the O
epidemic O
there O
were O
eradicated O
, O
the O
local O
government O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Tests O
on O
blood O
samples O
of O
domestic O
birds O
within O
10 O
kilometers O
outside O
the O
poultry O
farm O
and O
Qibaoshan O
village O
, O
which O
reported O
the O
bird O
flu O
outbreak O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, O
show O
the O
poultry O
have O
been O
satisfactorily O
immunized O
, O
said O
sources O
with O
the O
provincial O
animal O
husbandry O
authorities O
. O

No O
new O
bird O
flu O
cases O
were O
reported O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
21 I-T
days I-T
in O
the O
area O
, O
which O
is O
the O
longest O
incubation O
period O
for O
the O
H5N1 O
avian O
flu O
virus O
. O

Nine O
live O
poultry O
markets O
were O
allowed O
to O
reopen O
after O
the O
28 O
- O
day O
quarantine O
. O

Although O
the O
quarantine O
was O
lifted O
, O
veterinarians O
will O
continue O
to O
monitor O
the O
areas O
, O
said O
an O
official O
with O
the O
provincial O
agricultural O
department O
. O

More O
than O
30 O
, O
000 O
birds O
had O
been O
culled O
within O
a O
three O
- O
kilometer O
radius O
of O
the O
spots O
and O
the O
local O
live O
poultry O
markets O
shut O
down O
after O
the O
national O
bird O
flu O
lab O
diagnosed O
the O
cases O
of O
the O
H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970419 O
. O
0145 O

DURRES O
, O
Albania O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

First O
distribution O
of O
aid O
by O
UN O
World O
Food O
Programme O

Flour O
, O
beans O
and O
vegetable O
oil O
from O
the O
UN O
World O
Food O
Programme O
were O
handed O
out O
for O
the O
first O
time O
Saturday B-T
to O
over O
20 O
institutions O
caring O
for O
hungry O
Albanians O
across O
the O
lawless O
republic O
. O

Trucks O
and O
vans O
from O
hospitals O
, O
orphanages O
and O
homes O
for O
the O
handicapped O
drove O
to O
Albania O
' O
s O
main O
port O
from O
around O
the O
country O
to O
collect O
their O
quota O
. O

However O
, O
they O
will O
make O
the O
journey O
back O
to O
their O
institutions O
without O
escorts O
from O
the O
eight O
- O
nation O
protection O
force O
which O
is O
currently B-T
being O
deployed O
in O
Albania O
. O

The O
UN O
agency O
has O
stockpiled O
more O
than O
400 O
tonnes O
of O
wheat O
flour O
, O
beans O
and O
vegetable O
oil O
in O
warehouses O
at O
the O
delapidated O
port O
, O
enough O
to O
feed O
7 O
, O
500 O
people O
for O
three B-T
months I-T
. O

Europe O
' O
s O
poorest O
state O
has O
been O
gripped O
by O
unrest O
and O
banditry O
for O
over O
a B-T
month I-T
following O
street O
protests O
over O
the O
collapse O
of O
bogus O
investment O
schemes O
snowballed O
into O
armed O
insurrection O
. O

The O
aid O
is O
part O
of O
a O
package O
of O
measures O
aimed O
at O
restoring O
stablity O
to O
the O
country O
which O
must O
prepare O
for O
elections O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
June I-T
. O
The O
protection O
force O
is O
in O
Albania O
to O
help O
safeguard O
the O
aid O
. O
French O
troops O
have O
secured O
Durres O
port O
and O
are O
guarding O
the O
WFP O
shipment O
. O

WFP O
' O
s O
Laura O
Boldini O
said O
: O
" O
This O
is O
not O
an O
operation O
where O
you O
could O
have O
a O
military O
escort O
. O
It O
' O
s O
to O
meet O
the O
needs O
of O
the O
institutions O
which O
are O
without O
food O
. O
It O
' O
s O
a O
low O
profile O
operation O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061217 O
. O
0009 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Nuggets O
rout O
Knicks O
in O
brawl O
- O
marred O
game O

Carmelo O
Anthony O
scored O
34 O
points O
before O
being O
ejected O
with O
nine O
other O
players O
for O
throwing O
a O
punch O
as O
the O
Denver O
Nuggets O
routed O
the O
New O
York O
Knicks O
, O
123 O
- O
100 O
in O
a O
game O
marred O
by O
a O
wild O
melee O
. O

Marcus O
Camby O
had O
24 O
points O
and O
nine O
rebounds O
for O
the O
Nuggets O
, O
who O
angered O
Knicks O
coach O
Isiah O
Thomas O
as O
they O
kept O
all O
their O
starters O
on O
the O
floor O
with O
the O
game O
in O
hand O
, O
which O
may O
have O
triggered O
the O
brawl O
. O

With O
the O
Denver O
leading O
, O
117 O
- O
100 O
, O
with O
1 O
: O
29 O
remaining O
, O
New O
York O
rookie O
Mardy O
Collins O
tackled O
J O
. O
R O
. O
Smith O
as O
he O
was O
attempting O
a O
transition O
layup O
. O

Tempers O
flared O
and O
bodies O
careened O
into O
the O
first O
row O
of O
the O
stands O
underneath O
the O
Knicks O
' O
basket O
. O

Knicks O
guard O
Nate O
Robinson O
and O
Smith O
wrestled O
, O
while O
Knicks O
guard O
Jared O
Jeffries O
was O
being O
restrained O
by O
team O
security O
. O

As O
the O
situation O
was O
being O
sorted O
out O
, O
Anthony O
landed O
a O
punch O
on O
Collins O
. O
All O
10 O
players O
on O
the O
court O
were O
ejected O
. O

There O
is O
some O
bad O
blood O
between O
the O
National O
Basketball O
Association O
teams O
. O
Thomas O
and O
Nuggets O
coach O
George O
Karl O
had O
an O
argument O
during O
a O
summer O
league O
meeting O
. O

Before O
the O
fight O
, O
Anthony O
had O
a O
remarkable O
game O
, O
demoralizing O
the O
Knicks O
with O
easy O
drives O
to O
the O
basket O
. O
He O
shot O
15 O
- O
of O
- O
29 O
from O
the O
floor O
. O

Stephon O
Marbury O
scored O
31 O
points O
for O
New O
York O
, O
which O
shot O
43 O
percent O
( O
41 O
- O
of O
- O
95 O
) O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0045 O

= O
891027 O

891030 O
- O
0045 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Rally O
' O
s O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Investor O
Group O
Is O
Seeking O

@ O
More O
Than O
50 O
% O
of O
Stock O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

GPO O
RLLY O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

A O
group O
of O
investors O
led O
by O
Giant O
Group O
Ltd O
. O
and O
its O
chairman O
, O
Burt O
Sugarman O
, O
said O
it O
filed O
with O
federal O
antitrust O
regulators O
for O
clearance O
to O
buy O
more O
than O
50 O
% O
of O
the O
stock O
of O
Rally O
' O
s O
Inc O
. O
, O
a O
fast O
- O
food O
company O
based O
in O
Louisville O
, O
Ky O
. O

Rally O
' O
s O
operates O
and O
franchises O
about O
160 O
fast O
- O
food O
restaurants O
throughout O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O

The O
company O
went O
public O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
offering O
1 O
, O
745 O
, O
000 O
shares O
of O
common O
stock O
at O
$ O
15 O
a O
share O
. O

Giant O
has O
interests O
in O
cement O
making O
and O
newsprint O
. O

The O
investor O
group O
includes O
Restaurant O
Investment O
Partnership O
, O
a O
California O
general O
partnership O
, O
and O
three O
Rally O
' O
s O
directors O
: O
Mr O
. O
Sugarman O
, O
James O
M O
. O
Trotter O
III O
and O
William O
E O
. O
Trotter O
II O
. O

The O
group O
currently O
holds O
3 O
, O
027 O
, O
330 O
Rally O
' O
s O
shares O
, O
or O
45 O
. O
2 O
% O
of O
its O
commmon O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

Giant O
Group O
owned O
22 O
% O
of O
Rally O
' O
s O
shares O
before O
the O
initial O
public O
offering O
. O

A O
second O
group O
of O
three O
company O
directors O
, O
aligned O
with O
Rally O
' O
s O
founder O
James O
Patterson O
, O
also O
is O
seeking O
control O
of O
the O
fast O
- O
food O
chain O
. O

It O
is O
estimated O
that O
the O
Patterson O
group O
controls O
more O
than O
40 O
% O
of O
Rally O
' O
s O
stock O
. O

Rally O
officials O
weren O
' O
t O
available O
to O
comment O
late B-T
yesterday I-T
. O

For O
the B-T
year I-T
ended O
July B-T
2 I-T
, O
Rally O
had O
net O
income O
of O
$ O
2 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
34 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
on O
revenue O
of O
$ O
52 O
. O
9 O
million O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0302 O

OTTAWA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Canadian O
PM O
says O
Quebec O
" O
nation O
within O
Canada O
" O

Canadian O
Prime O
Minister O
Stephen O
Harper O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
he O
would O
introduce O
a O
motion O
recognizing O
that O
" O
Quebecers O
form O
a O
nation O
within O
a O
united O
Canada O
. O
" O

" O
Our O
position O
is O
clear O
. O
Do O
the O
Quebecois O
form O
a O
nation O
within O
Canada O
? O
The O
answer O
is O
yes O
. O
Do O
the O
Quebecois O
form O
an O
independent O
nation O
? O
The O
answer O
is O
no O
and O
the O
answer O
will O
always O
be O
no O
, O
" O
Harper O
told O
the O
House O
of O
Commons O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Harper O
' O
s O
motion O
was O
prompted O
by O
a O
Bloc O
Quebecois O
motion O
to O
be O
debated O
Thursday B-T
. O
It O
calls O
for O
Quebec O
to O
be O
recognized O
as O
a O
nation O
but O
does O
not O
include O
the O
words O
" O
in O
Canada O
. O
" O

Harper O
said O
the O
issue O
of O
Quebec O
' O
s O
nationhood O
should O
not O
be O
decided O
by O
the O
federal O
government O
but O
by O
the O
Quebec O
legislation O
. O
However O
, O
he O
said O
the O
Bloc O
has O
forced O
the O
government O
to O
take O
a O
position O
. O

The O
Bloc O
motion O
, O
which O
will O
be O
debated O
in O
the O
House O
of O
Commons O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
states O
simply O
: O
" O
That O
this O
House O
recognizes O
that O
Quebecers O
form O
a O
nation O
. O
" O

Francophone O
Quebec O
has O
previously O
held O
two O
referendums O
on O
separation O
, O
in O
1980 B-T
and O
1995 B-T
, O
but O
rejected O
the O
idea O
. O

The O
word O
" O
nation O
" O
is O
often O
used O
in O
Quebec O
to O
describe O
the O
province O
as O
a O
distinct O
cultural O
entity O
, O
even O
by O
anti O
- O
separatist O
politicians O
such O
as O
former O
Premier O
Jean O
Charest O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0519 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

British O
opposition O
Labour O
holds O
its O
leads O
in O
latest O
poll O

Britain O
' O
s O
opposition O
Labour O
party O
has O
maintained O
a O
24 O
percent O
lead O
over O
the O
Conservatives O
, O
according O
to O
the O
latest O
newspaper O
opinion O
released O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
Independent O
/ O
Harris O
poll O
, O
to O
be O
published O
in O
the O
paper O
Friday B-T
, O
put O
Labour O
on O
52 O
percent O
and O
the O
Conservatives O
on O
28 O
percent O
, O
a O
drop O
of O
two O
percent O
for O
both O
parties O
, O
but O
still O
the O
same O
margin O
as O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

Support O
for O
the O
centrist O
Liberal O
Democrats O
was O
up O
three O
percent O
, O
from O
11 O
percent O
to O
14 O
percent O
, O
and O
anti O
- O
European O
Sir O
James O
Goldsmith O
' O
s O
Referendum O
party O
scored O
3 O
. O
2 O
percent O
. O

Harris O
interviewed O
1 O
, O
091 O
adults O
face O
- O
to O
- O
face O
in O
their O
homes O
between O
March B-T
27 I-T
and O
31 B-T
. O

A O
survey O
for O
The O
Times O
on O
Thursday B-T
suggested O
Labour O
had O
an O
unprecedented O
27 O
- O
point O
lead O
, O
five O
points O
up O
, O
at O
55 O
percent O
, O
and O
the O
Tories O
down O
one O
percent O
. O

The O
new O
polls O
dash O
Tory O
hopes O
that O
Labour O
' O
s O
lead O
was O
beginning O
to O
narrow O
and O
are O
in O
stark O
contrast O
to O
an O
ICM O
poll O
in O
the O
The O
Guardian O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
showed O
the O
Tories O
cutting O
the O
gap O
from O
18 O
points O
to O
14 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0292 O

ZAGREB O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
on O
rallies O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Thousands O
of O
people O
protested O
Saturday B-T
in O
the O
Croatian O
coastal O
town O
of O
Zadar O
to O
express O
their O
anger O
over O
the O
jailing O
of O
war O
crimes O
suspect O
Ante O
Gotovina O
at O
the O
UN O
court O
at O
The O
Hague O
. O

The O
protests O
came O
after O
a O
night O
of O
unrest O
in O
which O
police O
made O
more O
than O
a O
dozen O
arrests O
and O
angry O
demonstrators O
set O
fire O
to O
cars O
and O
displayed O
the O
insignia O
of O
Croatia O
' O
s O
World O
War O
II O
pro O
- O
Nazi O
Ustasha O
regime O
. O

The O
50 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
former O
general O
was O
arrested O
in O
Spain O
on O
Wednesday B-T
after O
four B-T
years I-T
on O
the O
run O
. O
He O
was O
detained O
at O
the O
International O
Criminal O
Tribunal O
for O
the O
former O
Yugoslavia O
at O
The O
Hague O
on O
Saturday B-T
pending O
the O
start O
of O
his O
trial O
. O

Gotovina O
, O
who O
was O
born O
near O
Zadar O
, O
is O
considered O
a O
hero O
by O
many O
in O
Croatia O
for O
repelling O
Serb O
forces O
toward O
the O
end O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
1991 O
- O
1995 O
inter O
- O
ethnic O
war O
of O
independence O
from O
Yugoslavia O
. O

" O
We O
demand O
the O
government O
provide O
general O
Gotovina O
and O
his O
lawyers O
all O
documents O
( O
needed O
for O
his O
defence O
) O
. O
We O
also O
demand O
that O
general O
Gotovina O
be O
tried O
in O
his O
country O
, O
" O
protest O
organizer O
Ante O
Martinac O
told O
a O
crowd O
waving O
Croatian O
flags O
and O
portraits O
of O
Gotovina O
in O
Zadar O
' O
s O
central O
square O
. O

Gotovina O
has O
been O
presented O
with O
the O
keys O
to O
the O
city O
and O
until O
recently B-T
his O
portrait O
hung O
over O
the O
main O
gate O
in O
its O
medieval O
walls O
. O

More O
protests O
are O
expected O
Sunday B-T
after O
a O
veterans O
' O
association O
called O
a O
demonstration O
in O
the O
southern O
coastal O
town O
of O
Split O
, O
saying O
some O
100 O
, O
000 O
people O
would O
attend O
. O

An O
association O
of O
some O
20 O
mostly O
retired O
generals O
has O
backed O
the O
gathering O
. O

" O
We O
call O
all O
Croatian O
patriots O
, O
all O
honest O
Croatians O
, O
to O
be O
in O
Split O
tomorrow O
at O
noon O
to O
voice O
support O
to O
Gotovina O
, O
" O
retired O
general O
Ljubo O
Cesic O
- O
Rojs O
told O
journalists O
. O

Another O
retired O
general O
, O
Markica O
Rebic O
, O
stressed O
however O
that O
the O
protests O
should O
not O
be O
hijacked O
by O
" O
extremists O
" O
. O

" O
We O
want O
to O
condemn O
in O
advance O
any O
attempt O
to O
use O
tomorrow O
' O
s O
gathering O
for O
any O
extremist O
or O
political O
goals O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
some O
200 O
high O
- O
school O
pupils O
chanted O
insults O
against O
the O
authorities O
in O
a O
protest O
in O
Zadar O
. O
Some O
had O
the O
insignia O
of O
Croatia O
' O
s O
World O
War O
II O
Ustasha O
fascist O
regime O
, O
sang O
Ustasha O
songs O
and O
used O
the O
Nazi O
salute O
. O

They O
also O
burned O
the O
flag O
of O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
which O
had O
held O
up O
talks O
on O
Croatia O
' O
s O
membership O
due O
to O
Zagreb O
' O
s O
failure O
to O
arrest O
the O
fugitive O
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Ivo O
Sanader O
said O
he O
understood O
that O
Gotovina O
' O
s O
arrest O
was O
an O
emotional O
issue O
but O
called O
for O
people O
to O
" O
show O
common O
sense O
and O
trust O
the O
government O
" O
. O

Gotovina O
is O
accused O
of O
failing O
to O
prevent O
the O
massacre O
of O
about O
150 O
ethnic O
Serb O
civilians O
during O
a O
Croatian O
offensive O
to O
retake O
the O
rebel O
- O
held O
Krajina O
region O
in O
August B-T
1995 I-T
. O

The O
indictment O
says O
his O
troops O
went O
on O
a O
rampage O
of O
looting O
and O
destruction O
in O
Serb O
- O
held O
areas O
. O
The O
war O
claimed O
20 O
, O
000 O
lives O
with O
rebel O
Serbs O
occupying O
one O
- O
third O
of O
the O
country O
at O
one B-T
stage I-T
. O

Pro O
- O
Gotovina O
rallies O
were O
also O
announced O
for O
Sunday B-T
in O
neighboring O
Bosnia O
, O
in O
areas O
with O
a O
majority O
ethnic O
Croat O
population O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
foreign O
ministry O
said O
that O
Gotovina O
asked O
local O
media O
not O
to O
disturb O
his O
family O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051112 O
. O
0098 O

MONROVIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Liberia O
' O
s O
court O
rejects O
Weah O
' O
s O
allegation O
of O
fraud O
in O
presidential O
runoff O

The O
Supreme O
Court O
in O
Liberia O
has O
rejected O
football O
star O
George O
Weah O
' O
s O
allegation O
of O
fraud O
in O
the O
presidential O
runoff O
and O
referred O
them O
to O
the O
National O
Elections O
Commission O
( O
NEC O
) O
, O
Weah O
' O
s O
spokesman O
Sam O
Quiah O
told O
Xinhua O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Weah O
had O
protested O
to O
the O
NEC O
that O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
run O
- O
off O
that O
pits O
him O
against O
Harvard O
- O
trained O
Iron O
Lady O
Ellen O
Johnson O
- O
Sirleaf O
. O

He O
alleged O
that O
pre O
- O
marked O
ballot O
papers O
intended O
to O
be O
stuffed O
in O
ballot O
boxes O
in O
favor O
of O
his O
challenger O
were O
intercepted O
by O
his O
supporters O
and O
presented O
photo O
copy O
of O
same O
to O
the O
NEC O
as O
evidence O
to O
prove O
his O
claims O
. O

But O
while O
ruling O
into O
the O
case O
was O
pending O
before O
the O
NEC O
, O
Weah O
' O
s O
party O
took O
flight O
to O
the O
Supreme O
Court O
, O
seeking O
a O
writ O
of O
prohibition O
on O
the O
NEC O
from O
announcing O
the O
results O
in O
which O
Johnson O
- O
Sirleaf O
has O
won O
with O
59 O
. O
4 O
percent O
as O
97 O
percent O
of O
all O
polling O
places O
has O
been O
counted O
. O

" O
The O
Supreme O
Court O
did O
the O
right O
thing O
because O
it O
cannot O
go O
into O
the O
case O
in O
the O
absence O
of O
a O
ruling O
from O
the O
NEC O
, O
" O
a O
Liberian O
legal O
expert O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

International O
observers O
including O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
regional O
bloc O
ECOWAS O
and O
the O
Carter O
Center O
were O
unanimous O
in O
their O
observation O
that O
the O
election O
was O
free O
, O
fair O
and O
transparent O
. O

Calm O
has O
returned O
to O
Liberian O
capital O
of O
Monrovia O
following O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
demonstration O
in O
which O
at O
least O
two O
people O
were O
injured O
when O
thousands O
of O
supporters O
of O
the O
football O
star O
took O
to O
the O
streets O
in O
what O
they O
described O
as O
a O
" O
peaceful O
demonstration O
to O
show O
to O
the O
international O
community O
that O
there O
were O
fraud O
in O
the O
presidential O
run O
- O
off O
election O
. O
" O

The O
UN O
police O
used O
tear O
gas O
to O
disperse O
some O
of O
the O
demonstrators O
at O
the O
diplomatic O
enclave O
of O
Mamba O
Point O
in O
Monrovia O
, O
when O
, O
according O
to O
Liberian O
police O
sources O
, O
the O
demonstrators O
began O
" O
throwing O
stones O
and O
attempted O
to O
go O
beyond O
police O
lines O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0360 O

BRATISLAVA O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Economic O
, O
trade O
links O
top O
agenda O
as O
Russian O
PM O
visits O
Slovakia O

Visiting O
Russian O
Prime O
Minister O
Viktor O
Chernomyrdin O
gave O
a O
thinly O
veiled O
warning O
to O
Slovakia O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
its O
drive O
towards O
NATO O
membership O
could O
affect O
its O
relations O
with O
Moscow O
. O

According O
to O
the O
spokesman O
of O
Slovakian O
President O
Michal O
Kovac O
, O
with O
whom O
Chernomyrdin O
met O
, O
the O
Russian O
premier O
said O
that O
former O
Warsaw O
Pact O
states O
seeking O
NATO O
membership O
" O
risked O
affecting O
their O
relations O
" O
with O
Moscow O
. O

Slovakia O
, O
itself O
a O
former O
Warsaw O
Pact O
member O
, O
is O
the O
central O
European O
country O
with O
which O
Moscow O
enjoys O
the O
best O
relations O
. O
However O
, O
its O
readiness O
to O
seek O
membership O
of O
the O
North O
Atlantic O
Treaty O
Organisation O
is O
worrying O
the O
Russians O
who O
remain O
strongly O
opposed O
to O
NATO O
expansion O
. O

Kovac O
said O
that O
Slovakia O
' O
s O
desire O
to O
join O
NATO O
, O
which O
is O
favoured O
by O
the O
government O
and O
will O
be O
put O
to O
voters O
in O
a O
referendum O
in O
May B-T
, O
was O
not O
" O
directed O
against O
Russia O
" O
nor O
motivated O
by O
a O
" O
threat O
" O
from O
the O
east O
. O

The O
two O
men O
met O
during O
Chernomrydin O
' O
s O
48 O
- O
hour O
visit O
to O
Bratislava O
which O
will O
coincide O
with O
the O
signature O
of O
a O
dozen O
commercial O
and O
military O
accords O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
Russian O
premier O
has O
frequently O
voiced O
Moscow O
' O
s O
opposition O
to O
NATO O
' O
s O
eastward O
expansion O
, O
most O
recently O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
the O
neighbouring O
Czech O
Republic O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

The O
Czech O
Republic O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
among O
the O
first O
former O
Warsaw O
Pact O
states O
to O
be O
offered O
membership O
at O
a O
NATO O
summit O
in O
July B-T
. O

The O
12 O
accords O
due O
to O
be O
signed O
Tuesday O
cover O
a O
long O
- O
term O
gas O
contract O
for O
Slovakia O
, O
barter O
arrangements O
and O
permission O
for O
Bratislava O
to O
use O
Russian O
military O
technology O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0255 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Aid O
Agencies O
in O
Denmark O
raises O
1 O
. O
3 O
million O
euros O
for O
Pakistan O
quake O
victims O

Aid O
agencies O
in O
Denmark O
have O
managed O
to O
collect O
1 O
. O
3 O
million O
euros O
to O
help O
earthquake O
victims O
in O
Pakistan O
, O
Ritzau O
news O
bureau O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Five O
major O
aid O
organizations O
in O
Denmark O
, O
including O
Danchurch O
Aid O
, O
Save O
the O
Children O
, O
Unicef O
, O
the O
Red O
Cross O
, O
and O
Doctors O
Without O
Borders O
, O
have O
joined O
forces O
to O
raise O
the O
funds O
. O

The O
result O
was O
" O
impressive O
" O
, O
according O
to O
secretary O
general O
of O
Danchurch O
Aid O
, O
Henrik O
Stubkjoer O
, O
who O
acknowledged O
difficulty O
in O
getting O
relief O
efforts O
underway O
. O

" O
The O
catastrophe O
grew O
slowly O
and O
we O
had O
difficulty O
obtaining O
information O
, O
" O
said O
Stubkjoer O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
members O
of O
Doctors O
Without O
Borders O
expressed O
frustration O
at O
the O
Foreign O
Ministry O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
postpone O
sending O
a O
well O
- O
equipped O
field O
hospital O
to O
the O
region O
. O

" O
Denmark O
should O
play O
a O
more O
active O
role O
in O
relief O
efforts O
. O
Getting O
as O
much O
help O
to O
the O
area O
as O
quickly O
as O
possible O
should O
be O
the O
priority O
, O
" O
said O
Soeren O
Brix O
Christensen O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Danish O
division O
of O
Doctors O
Without O
Borders O
. O

Danish O
- O
Pakistani O
doctors O
returning O
from O
the O
stricken O
areas O
also O
expressed O
their O
confusion O
about O
the O
decision O
to O
postpone O
delivery O
. O

" O
The O
Danish O
hospital O
is O
equipped O
with O
x O
- O
ray O
equipment O
and O
suited O
to O
helping O
people O
with O
injuries O
from O
the O
earthquake O
. O
There O
are O
other O
field O
hospitals O
in O
the O
area O
, O
but O
not O
of O
the O
same O
high O
quality O
that O
Denmark O
can O
offer O
, O
" O
said O
Khurran O
Jamil O
, O
a O
doctor O
who O
recently O
returned O
from O
a O
mission O
to O
the O
area O
. O

The O
Foreign O
Ministry O
explained O
that O
other O
countries O
had O
deployed O
field O
hospitals O
, O
but O
that O
there O
could O
be O
an O
additional O
need O
for O
the O
Danish O
field O
hospital O
in O
the O
coming B-T
months I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0095 O

XI O
' O
AN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mongolian O
prime O
minister O
visits O
historical O
city O
in O
NW O
China O

Mongolian O
Prime O
Minister O
Miegombyn O
Enkhbold O
on O
Sunday B-T
visited O
Xi O
' O
an O
, O
a O
historical O
city O
and O
capital O
of O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Shaanxi O
Province O
. O

In O
Xi O
' O
an O
, O
he O
paid O
a O
visit O
to O
a O
local O
economic O
and O
industrial O
development O
zone O
, O
Terra O
- O
cotta O
Warriors O
of O
Qin O
Dynasty O
, O
Shaanxi O
Provincial O
History O
Museum O
and O
the O
Dayan O
Tower O
( O
or O
the O
Big O
Goose O
Pagoda O
) O
which O
is O
a O
famous O
cultural O
relics O
of O
Tang O
Dynasty O
built O
more B-T
than I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
300 I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

In O
his O
meeting O
with O
Shaanxi O
Governor O
Yuan O
Chunqing O
on O
Sunday B-T
evening I-T
. O
The O
two O
sides O
expressed O
the O
hope O
to O
cement O
cooperation O
in O
tourism O
. O

The O
Mongolian O
prime O
minister O
arrived O
in O
Xi O
' O
an O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
after O
visits O
to O
Beijing O
and O
Urumqi O
, O
capital O
of O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
. O

Enkhbold O
started O
his O
official O
visit O
to O
China O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
. O

CNN_20130322_314 O

March B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2013 I-T

Obama O
gets O
diplomatic O
coup O
before O
heading O
to O
refugee O
- O
flooded O
Jordan O

President O
Barack O
Obama O
arrived O
in O
refugee O
- O
flooded O
Jordan O
on O
Friday B-T
after O
scoring O
a O
diplomatic O
coup O
just O
before O
leaving O
Israel O
when O
Prime O
Minister O
Benjamin O
Netanyahu O
apologized O
to O
Turkey O
for O
a O
2010 B-T
commando O
raid O
that O
killed O
nine O
activists O
on O
a O
Turkish O
vessel O
in O
a O
Gaza O
- O
bound O
flotilla O
. O

The O
apology O
, O
long O
sought O
by O
Turkish O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Erdogan O
, O
eased O
strained O
feelings O
between O
Turkey O
and O
Israel O
, O
two O
vital O
U O
. O
S O
. O
allies O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
. O

It O
happened O
in O
a O
phone O
call O
to O
Erdogan O
during O
a O
final O
meeting O
between O
Obama O
and O
Netanyahu O
at O
Ben O
Gurion O
International O
Airport O
in O
Tel O
Aviv O
minutes B-T
before O
Air O
Force O
One O
departed O
for O
Jordan O
to O
complete O
the O
president O
' O
s O
Middle O
East O
swing O
. O
It O
is O
the O
first O
foreign O
trip O
of O
his O
second B-T
term I-T
. O

A O
statement O
from O
Netanyahu O
' O
s O
office O
said O
the O
apology O
included O
an O
offer O
of O
compensation O
. O
However O
, O
there O
was O
confusion O
later O
when O
the O
Israeli O
government O
dropped O
a O
reference O
in O
its O
original O
statement O
to O
normalized O
relations O
between O
the O
countries O
with O
a O
return O
of O
ambassadors O
. O

There O
also O
was O
no O
word O
on O
whether O
the O
once O
- O
close O
nations O
would O
resume O
the O
joint O
military O
exercises O
that O
were O
suspended O
after O
the O
flotilla O
raid O
. O

Turkey O
had O
been O
prosecuting O
four O
Israeli O
soldiers O
in O
absentia O
and O
Israel O
initially O
said O
the O
two O
leaders O
agreed O
to O
the O
cancellation O
of O
legal O
steps O
against O
the O
troops O
. O
Later O
, O
however O
, O
its O
amended O
statement O
omitted O
that O
action O
as O
well O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0101 O

PHNOM O
PENH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambian O
peasants O
to O
grow O
bio O
- O
diesel O
crop O
in O
large O
scale O

Zambian O
peasants O
to O
grow O
bio O
- O
diesel O
crop O
in O
large O
scale O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
About O
300 O
, O
000 O
small O
- O
scale O
Zambian O
farmers O
are O
this O
year O
expected O
to O
grow O
more O
than O
150 O
, O
000 O
hectares O
of O
jatropha O
from O
which O
bio O
- O
diesel O
could O
be O
produced O
, O
local O
media O
cited O
the O
National O
Association O
for O
Peasant O
and O
Small O
- O
Scale O
Farmers O
of O
Zambia O
as O
saying O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Association O
president O
Rodger O
Phiri O
has O
thus O
called O
on O
the O
government O
to O
quickly O
develop O
policy O
framework O
for O
the O
bio O
- O
diesel O
production O
, O
according O
to O
Zambia O
Daily O
Mail O
. O

Phiri O
said O
there O
was O
need O
to O
develop O
sustainable O
agriculture O
that O
demonstrates O
steps O
towards O
poverty O
alleviation O
and O
self O
- O
empowerment O
for O
farmers O
, O
noting O
that O
the O
cultivation O
of O
jatropha O
would O
help O
rural O
farmers O
living O
in O
poverty O
. O

He O
said O
if O
agriculture O
was O
to O
be O
the O
engine O
of O
Zambia O
' O
s O
economic O
development O
, O
there O
was O
need O
to O
increase O
funding O
to O
the O
sector O
from O
the O
present O
figures O
. O

" O
Bio O
- O
diesel O
farming O
should O
be O
encouraged O
with O
a O
road O
map O
and O
targets O
to O
be O
achieved O
over O
a B-T
number I-T
of I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
Phiri O
said O
. O

He O
also O
called O
on O
the O
Zambian O
government O
to O
provide O
training O
and O
technological O
support O
for O
farmers O
to O
develop O
jatropha O
if O
production O
of O
bio O
- O
diesel O
is O
to O
be O
sustained O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0171 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Take O
back O
' O
Rao O
bribe O
money O
' O
, O
former O
Indian O
MP O
tells O
court O

A O
former O
Indian O
member O
of O
parliament O
Tuesday B-T
offered O
to O
forego O
what O
remained O
of O
114 O
, O
300 O
dollars O
in O
bribes O
allegedly O
paid O
to O
him O
during O
a O
vote O
- O
buying O
scandal O
materminded O
by O
former O
prime O
minister O
P O
. O
V O
. O
Narasimha O
Rao O
. O

Ajay O
Burman O
, O
counsel O
for O
Shailendra O
Mahato O
, O
a O
leader O
of O
a O
tribal O
party O
, O
told O
a O
New O
Delhi O
court O
: O
" O
Since O
it O
is O
bribe O
money O
paid O
to O
my O
client O
to O
get O
his O
support O
for O
the O
government O
during O
the O
1993 O
no O
- O
confidence O
motion O
and O
does O
not O
belong O
to O
him O
, O
it O
can O
be O
confiscated O
. O
" O

Mahato O
, O
accused O
with O
three O
other O
Jharkhand O
Mukti O
Morcha O
( O
JMM O
, O
Jharkhand O
Liberation O
Front O
) O
politicians O
of O
accepting O
bribes O
in O
return O
for O
voting O
for O
the O
government O
in O
a O
no O
- O
confidence O
motion O
in O
1993 B-T
, O
has O
agreed O
to O
act O
as O
a O
prosecution O
witness O
in O
the O
affair O
. O

Police O
found O
62 O
, O
800 O
dollars O
in O
Mahato O
' O
s O
account O
when O
they O
froze O
it O
in O
July B-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

Earlier O
he O
said O
that O
current O
Congress O
president O
Sitaram O
Kesri O
, O
who O
replaced O
Rao O
as O
party O
chief O
and O
who O
is O
currently B-T
trying O
to O
form O
a O
coalition O
government O
, O
knew O
about O
the O
bribes O
. O

Mahato O
said O
members O
of O
parliament O
were O
promised O
five O
million O
rupees O
( O
143 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
) O
each O
for O
their O
votes O
and O
three O
million O
rupees O
( O
85 O
, O
700 O
dollars O
) O
if O
they O
abstained O
. O

The O
JMM O
leaders O
also O
claimed O
that O
Rao O
promised O
to O
back O
their O
demand O
for O
a O
tribal O
homeland O
in O
eastern O
India O
if O
they O
sided O
with O
his O
government O
. O

The O
prosecution O
Tuesday B-T
said O
Mahato O
was O
unreliable O
and O
only O
making O
a O
confession O
to O
try O
and O
avoid O
a O
prison O
sentence O
. O

Rao O
, O
75 O
, O
was O
charged O
in O
the O
case O
in O
October B-T
. O
The O
former O
prime O
minister O
, O
who O
held O
office O
between O
1991 B-T
and O
1996 B-T
, O
currently B-T
faces O
trial O
in O
two O
other O
corruption O
cases O
. O

He O
quit O
as O
Congress O
president O
and O
parliamentary O
leader O
last B-T
year I-T
after O
pressure O
from O
his O
colleagues O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0137 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Pilot O
killed O
when O
training O
plane O
crashes O
in O
northern O
Philippines O

A O
light O
trainer O
plane O
crash O
off O
on O
Wednesday B-T
in O
the O
northern O
Philippines O
, O
killing O
the O
pilot O
and O
injuring O
his O
student O
, O
the O
military O
said O
. O

Air O
Force O
spokesman O
Lt O
. O
Col O
. O
Restituto O
Padilla O
told O
a O
press O
briefing O
that O
the O
Cessna O
trainer O
jet O
, O
with O
tail O
No O
. O
RPC O
- O
727 O
, O
crashed O
at O
around B-T
1 I-T
: I-T
30 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
in O
Alabat O
island O
in O
Quezon O
for O
still O
unknown O
reasons O
. O

The O
ill O
- O
fated O
aircraft O
is O
owned O
by O
Master O
Flying O
School O
, O
said O
Padilla O
. O

According O
to O
Padilla O
, O
this O
was O
the O
third O
crashed O
Cessna O
planes O
this B-T
year I-T
in O
the O
country O
. O

In O
May B-T
, O
an O
aircraft O
hit O
a O
coconut O
tree O
and O
burst O
into O
flames O
after O
taking O
off O
from O
a O
private O
airstrip O
in O
Tanauan O
town O
in O
Batangas O
province O
, O
killing O
four O
people O
. O

In O
March B-T
, O
another O
Cessna O
plane O
crashed O
into O
the O
sea O
off O
Jomalig O
Island O
in O
Quezon O
while O
transporting O
fish O
products O
from O
Palawan O
to O
Manila O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970427 O
. O
0088 O

KABUL O
, O
April B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Taliban O
slam O
communists O
on O
19th O
anniversary O
of O
coup O
d O
' O
etat O
by O
Terence O
White O

The O
Afghan O
communist O
party O
which O
came O
to O
power O
19 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
in O
a O
coup O
d O
' O
etat O
was O
condemned O
for O
bringing O
ruin O
to O
Afghanistan O
by O
the O
Taliban O
in O
a O
special O
seminar O
in O
Kabul O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
condemn O
the O
27th O
of O
April B-T
, O
but O
the O
black O
incident O
and O
shameful O
catastrophe O
which O
was O
imposed O
on O
our O
people O
, O
" O
declared O
Mullah O
Abdurrahman O
Hotaki O
, O
a O
speaker O
at O
the O
Interior O
Ministry O
gathering O
. O

On O
April B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
1978 I-T
Prime O
Minister O
Mohammad O
Doaud O
was O
murdered O
by O
the O
communists O
and O
their O
People O
' O
s O
Democratic O
Party O
of O
Afghanistan O
( O
PDPA O
) O
came O
to O
power O
under O
the O
leadership O
of O
Nur O
Mohammad O
Taraki O
. O

The O
PDPA O
' O
s O
so O
- O
called O
Saur O
( O
April O
) O
Revolution O
marked O
the O
beginning O
of O
what O
they O
termed O
a O
" O
class O
struggle O
" O
between O
" O
feudals O
and O
workers O
" O
in O
order O
to O
inprove O
the O
living O
conditions O
of O
the O
common O
Afghan O
. O

Instead O
due O
to O
internal O
power O
struggles O
and O
badly O
implemented O
reforms O
the O
PDPA O
stirred O
up O
popular O
armed O
uprisings O
which O
led O
to O
the O
invasion O
of O
Afghanistan O
by O
the O
then O
Soviet O
Union O
in O
December B-T
1979 I-T
. O

" O
In O
order O
to O
challenge O
( O
the O
communists O
) O
, O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
of O
our O
people O
laid O
down O
their O
lives O
, O
" O
said O
Abdurrahman O
, O
of O
the O
Taliban O
Shariat O
weekly O
newspaper O
. O

He O
said O
the O
advent O
of O
communism O
created O
a O
" O
stain O
of O
shame O
" O
on O
the O
Afghan O
people O
which O
was O
washed O
clean O
by O
the O
sacrifice O
of O
mujahedeen O
freedom O
fighters O
and O
their O
civilian O
supporters O
. O

After O
10 B-T
years I-T
of O
occupation O
the O
Russians O
were O
kicked O
out O
of O
Afghanistan O
but O
the O
PDPA O
hung O
on O
with O
Soviet O
support O
until O
April B-T
1992 I-T
when O
the O
former O
communist O
president O
Najibullah O
was O
finally O
overthrown O
. O

" O
Thanks O
to O
the O
bravery O
of O
our O
people O
the O
super O
- O
power O
ran O
away O
and O
their O
puppets O
were O
defeated O
, O
" O
said O
Haji O
Mullah O
Khaksar O
, O
deputy O
interior O
minister O
. O

Unfortunately O
the O
gains O
of O
this O
victory O
against O
the O
communists O
were O
nullified O
by O
the O
mujahedeen O
, O
who O
fought O
among O
themselves O
for O
supremacy O
from O
April B-T
1992 I-T
until O
September B-T
1996 I-T
, O
when O
the O
Taliban O
seized O
control O
of O
Kabul O
, O
Khaksar O
said O
. O

He O
said O
due O
to O
" O
despotism O
and O
terrorism O
" O
under O
the O
former O
mujahedeen O
the O
Taliban O
movement O
came O
into O
being O
to O
bring O
true O
Islamic O
law O
( O
Shariat O
) O
to O
Afghanistan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0321 O

BELGRADE O
, O
Serbia O
- O
Montenegro O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Presidents O
of O
Croatia O
, O
Slovenia O
agree O
to O
cooperate O
in O
solving O
border O
dispute O

The O
presidents O
of O
Croatia O
, O
Slovenia O
on O
Thursday B-T
agreed O
to O
cooperate O
in O
solving O
the O
border O
dispute O
between O
the O
two O
former O
Yugoslav O
countries O
, O
the O
Croatian O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

" O
I O
believe O
a O
solution O
could O
be O
found O
if O
experts O
from O
both O
countries O
sat O
down O
at O
the O
negotiating O
table O
and O
, O
unburdened O
by O
politics O
, O
determined O
the O
land O
border O
with O
the O
help O
of O
existing O
documents O
, O
if O
our O
government O
accepts O
that O
way O
of O
dealing O
with O
this O
issue O
, O
" O
Croatian O
President O
Stjepan O
Mesic O
said O
. O

Mesic O
and O
his O
Slovenian O
counterpart O
Janez O
Drnovsek O
had O
an O
informal O
meeting O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
the O
Croatian O
border O
town O
of O
Miljana O
. O
This O
is O
the O
second O
informal O
meeting O
between O
the O
two O
presidents O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
border O
dispute O
can O
be O
solved O
by O
freezing O
the O
current O
situation O
, O
finding O
a O
transitional O
solution O
, O
or O
having O
it O
settled O
before O
the O
International O
Court O
of O
Justice O
in O
The O
Hague O
, O
Mesic O
said O
. O

" O
Once O
the O
land O
border O
is O
identified O
, O
the O
sea O
border O
can O
be O
identified O
with O
mathematical O
precision O
by O
applying O
international O
conventions O
, O
" O
Mesic O
said O
, O
reiterating O
that O
this O
would O
be O
the O
best O
solution O
. O

If O
this O
approach O
fails O
, O
the O
matter O
should O
be O
settled O
by O
an O
international O
court O
or O
through O
arbitration O
, O
Mesic O
added O
. O

President O
Drnovsek O
said O
that O
a O
bilateral O
agreement O
on O
the O
border O
issue O
would O
be O
the O
best O
solution O
, O
but O
that O
the O
two O
countries O
should O
turn O
to O
the O
International O
Court O
of O
Justice O
if O
they O
proved O
unable O
to O
solve O
the O
dispute O
bilaterally O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
want O
to O
be O
part O
of O
the O
problem O
, O
we O
want O
to O
be O
part O
of O
the O
solution O
and O
help O
the O
EU O
solve O
some O
other O
issues O
in O
Southeast O
Europe O
which O
are O
much O
more O
complex O
, O
" O
Drnovsek O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061209 O
. O
0246 O

RAMALLAH O
, O
West O
Bank O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Hamas O
reax O
, O
quotes O
, O
details O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
executive O
committee O
of O
the O
Palestine O
Liberation O
Organization O
recommended O
Saturday B-T
that O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
call O
early O
parliamentary O
and O
presidential O
elections O
to O
resolve O
a O
spiraling O
political O
crisis O
, O
PLO O
officials O
said O
. O

" O
The O
executive O
committee O
, O
chaired O
by O
Abbas O
, O
decided O
to O
call O
on O
Abbas O
to O
hold O
early O
parliamentary O
and O
presidential O
elections O
, O
" O
executive O
committee O
member O
Saleh O
Rafaat O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
This O
decision O
came O
after O
the O
failure O
of O
the O
dialogue O
to O
form O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
with O
the O
Hamas O
movement O
and O
is O
the O
result O
of O
the O
ongoing O
political O
and O
economic O
siege O
against O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
ruling O
Islamist O
Hamas O
movement O
, O
which O
won O
a O
stunning O
upset O
in O
a O
parliamentary O
vote O
less O
than O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
, O
slammed O
the O
decision O
, O
calling O
it O
" O
a O
clear O
coup O
against O
democracy O
. O
" O

" O
The O
goal O
of O
this O
decision O
is O
to O
kick O
Hamas O
out O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
political O
scene O
, O
" O
the O
chief O
of O
the O
Hamas O
bloc O
of O
lawmakers O
, O
Khalil O
al O
- O
Hiyya O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O
" O
This O
decison O
is O
not O
in O
the O
national O
interest O
and O
will O
only O
make O
the O
situation O
more O
tense O
. O
" O

Officials O
said O
Abbas O
would O
formally O
announce O
his O
decision O
to O
call O
for O
early O
elections O
in O
an O
address O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
in O
the O
coming O
days O
. O

But O
Abbas O
said O
that O
if O
Hamas O
were O
to O
soften O
its O
stance O
and O
agree O
to O
form O
a O
unity O
government O
, O
early O
elections O
would O
not O
be O
necessary O
, O
according O
to O
PLO O
executive O
committee O
member O
Mustapha O
Barghuti O
. O

" O
If O
they O
form O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
they O
can O
end O
the O
siege O
against O
the O
Palestinian O
people O
, O
and O
in O
that O
case O
there O
will O
be O
no O
need O
for O
early O
elections O
, O
" O
Barghuti O
told O
AFP O
. O

Palestinian O
basic O
law O
does O
not O
address O
the O
issue O
of O
early O
elections O
. O

Hamas O
in O
recent B-T
days I-T
has O
said O
the O
absence O
of O
such O
a O
provision O
prohibits O
holding O
early O
polls O
, O
while O
Abbas O
' O
s O
entourage O
says O
that O
such O
an O
election O
can O
be O
held O
since O
there O
is O
no O
passage O
specifically O
prohibiting O
it O
. O

The O
European O
Union O
and O
the O
United O
States O
have O
frozen O
aid O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
Authority O
ever O
since O
the O
Hamas O
- O
led O
government O
took O
power O
in O
March B-T
two I-T
months I-T
after O
its O
upset O
parliamentary O
election O
victory O
. O

Abbas O
' O
s O
Fatah O
faction O
and O
Hamas O
labored O
for O
months O
to O
reach O
a O
power O
- O
sharing O
agreement O
that O
would O
meet O
international O
conditions O
to O
lift O
the O
siege O
and O
end O
the O
spiraling O
crisis O
, O
but O
those O
talks O
failed O
late B-T
last I-T
month I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970412 O
. O
0184 O

KARACHI O
, O
April B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Pakistan O
' O
s O
new O
government O
vows O
to O
double O
exports O
in O
three O
years O

The O
new O
Pakistani O
government O
hopes O
to O
double O
the O
country O
' O
s O
exports O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
years I-T
, O
Finance O
Minister O
Sartaj O
Aziz O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
aim O
will O
be O
achieved O
by O
increasing O
production O
, O
improving O
product O
quality O
and O
ensuring O
timely O
shipments O
, O
Aziz O
told O
reporters O
. O

Exporters O
and O
manufacturers O
are O
being O
encouraged O
to O
adhere O
strictly O
to O
international O
quality O
standards O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Pakistani O
Prime O
Minister O
Nawaz O
Sharif O
, O
who O
took O
power O
in O
February B-T
after O
the O
national O
elections O
, O
has O
made O
the O
economy O
his O
top O
priority O
and O
announced O
incentives O
including O
tax O
cuts O
for O
industry O
. O

The O
country O
faces O
a O
trade O
deficit O
of O
around O
3 O
billion O
dollars O
and O
a O
budget O
deficit O
of O
4 O
billion O
dollars O
during O
the B-T
fiscal I-T
1996 I-T
- I-T
97 I-T
ending O
June B-T
30 I-T
next O
, O
the O
finance O
minister O
said O
. O

Over O
the B-T
past I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
of O
the B-T
current I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
exports O
stood O
at O
6 O
. O
129 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
up O
from O
5 O
. O
928 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
the B-T
corresponding I-T
period I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0268 O

GENEVA O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Swiss O
seize O
2 O
. O
7 O
mln O
dollars O
from O
US O
drug O
traffickers O

Swiss O
authorities O
have O
confiscated O
more O
than O
3 O
. O
3 O
million O
Swiss O
francs O
( O
2 O
. O
7 O
million O
dollars O
, O
2 O
. O
0 O
million O
euros O
) O
held O
in O
a O
local O
bank O
by O
cocaine O
traffickers O
who O
ferried O
Colombian O
drugs O
to O
the O
United O
States O
, O
a O
magistrate O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
funds O
were O
seized O
from O
the O
accounts O
at O
a O
bank O
in O
the O
western O
city O
of O
Lausanne O
during O
a O
probe O
that O
was O
launched O
in O
1994 B-T
on O
a O
request O
from O
US O
authorities O
, O
regional O
investigating O
magistrate O
Jacques O
Antenen O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

A O
first O
deposit O
of O
1 O
. O
7 O
million O
Swiss O
francs O
belonging O
to O
an O
American O
pilot O
who O
organised O
flights O
carrying O
Colombian O
cocaine O
from O
Belize O
to O
the O
US O
state O
of O
Alabama O
was O
seized O
in O
September B-T
2000 I-T
. O

Another O
400 O
, O
000 O
Swiss O
francs O
from O
the O
trafficking O
ring O
' O
s O
radio O
operator O
was O
confiscated O
later O
. O
The O
operation O
was O
completed O
with O
the O
seizure O
of O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
Swiss O
francs O
on O
December B-T
6 I-T
from O
a O
Cuban O
- O
American O
who O
organised O
money O
laundering O
for O
the O
network O
. O

All O
three O
accused O
, O
who O
were O
not O
named O
, O
were O
prosecuted O
and O
sentenced O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Antenen O
said O
. O

No O
charges O
were O
retained O
against O
the O
bank O
, O
he O
added O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0204 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Newcastle O
' O
s O
Nigerian O
defender O
Babayaro O
banned O
for O
three O
games O

Newcastle O
United O
' O
s O
Nigerian O
defender O
Celestine O
Babayaro O
was O
banned O
for O
three O
games O
on O
Wednesday B-T
for O
a O
brawl O
with O
Everton O
' O
s O
Australian O
midfielder O
Tim O
Cahill O
. O

Both O
players O
were O
charged O
with O
the O
same O
offence O
on O
Wednesday B-T
and O
given O
until O
1800 B-T
GMT I-T
to O
respond O
by O
the O
Football O
Association O
. O
Babayaro O
admitted O
the O
charge O
shortly O
afterwards O
. O

The O
cases O
were O
due O
to O
be O
heard O
by O
a O
disciplinary O
commission O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
pair O
appeared O
to O
lash O
out O
after O
tangling O
in O
Everton O
' O
s O
1 O
- O
0 O
Premier O
League O
victory O
at O
Goodison O
Park O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O
Referee O
Howard O
Webb O
, O
who O
had O
not O
initially O
seen O
the O
entire O
incident O
, O
did O
not O
book O
either O
player O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0420 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

APEC O
CEO O
summit O
kicks O
off O
in O
Hanoi O

Over O
1 O
, O
100 O
representatives O
from O
leading O
multi O
- O
national O
corporations O
of O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
gathered O
in O
Hanoi O
Friday B-T
, O
kicking O
off O
the O
two O
- O
day O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
' O
s O
CEO O
Summit O
. O

The O
summit O
is O
considered O
the O
biggest O
event O
of O
the O
business O
community O
of O
the O
region O
in O
2006 B-T
. O

The O
event O
, O
annually O
organized O
along O
with O
the O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
since O
1996 B-T
, O
has O
become O
an O
important O
forum O
for O
leaders O
, O
businessmen O
, O
policy O
makers O
and O
researchers O
to O
share O
experiences O
and O
propose O
suggestions O
and O
solutions O
for O
strengthening O
economic O
cooperation O
within O
the O
region O
and O
between O
the O
APEC O
member O
economies O
with O
the O
rest O
of O
the O
world O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
summit O
is O
held O
under O
the O
theme O
of O
" O
Towards O
One O
Community O
: O
Creating O
New O
Opportunities O
for O
Shared O
Development O
. O
" O

Presidents O
and O
prime O
ministers O
of O
the O
APEC O
economies O
have O
been O
invited O
to O
attend O
the O
event O
of O
business O
executives O
. O
Vietnamese O
President O
Nguyen O
Minh O
Triet O
, O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
, O
Indonesian O
President O
Susilo O
Bambang O
Yudhoyono O
and O
Singapore O
Prime O
Minister O
Lee O
Hsien O
Loong O
are O
among O
the O
guests O
scheduled O
to O
speak O
on O
the B-T
first I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
event O
. O

Founded O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
APEC O
is O
a O
major O
regional O
forum O
acting O
as O
the O
primary O
regional O
vehicle O
for O
promoting O
open O
trade O
and O
practical O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
in O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
region O
. O

It O
represents O
the O
most O
economically O
dynamic O
region O
in O
the O
world O
, O
with O
its O
21 O
member O
economies O
accounting O
for O
more O
than O
one O
third O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
population O
, O
approximately O
60 O
percent O
of O
world O
GDP O
, O
about O
47 O
percent O
of O
world O
trade O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0071 O

MELBOURNE O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Scott O
Coghlan O

In O
2000 B-T
, O
good O
mates O
Matthew O
Hayden O
and O
Andrew O
Symonds O
found O
themselves O
in O
the O
water O
struggling O
for O
survival O
, O
after O
their O
boat O
capsized O
while O
fishing O
near O
Queensland O
' O
s O
North O
Stradbroke O
Island O
. O

On O
that O
occasion O
the O
determined O
pair O
swam O
more O
than O
a O
kilometre O
to O
shore O
and O
safety O
. O

At O
the O
MCG O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
they O
again O
found O
themselves O
thrown O
together O
under O
duress O
, O
but O
this O
time O
it O
was O
Australia O
' O
s O
first O
innings O
in O
the O
fourth O
Ashes O
Test O
that O
needed O
rescuing O
. O

And O
once O
again O
the O
pair O
toughed O
it O
out O
and O
overcame O
the O
odds O
, O
first O
defying O
a O
buoyant O
England O
attack O
and O
then O
eventually O
tearing O
it O
apart O
as O
they O
put O
on O
a O
match O
- O
turning O
279 O
for O
the O
sixth O
wicket O
. O

Symonds O
' O
life O
was O
not O
at O
stake O
this O
time O
, O
but O
his O
Test O
career O
certainly O
was O
, O
and O
the O
all O
- O
rounder O
responded O
with O
his O
second O
timely O
batting O
performance O
in O
as O
many O
Boxing O
Day O
Tests O
. O

He O
came O
to O
the O
crease O
at O
84 O
- O
5 O
and O
with O
his O
own O
place O
in O
the O
side O
under O
intense O
scrutiny O
after O
two O
more O
failures O
with O
the O
bat O
in O
the O
third O
Test O
in O
Perth O
, O
but O
finished O
the O
day O
an O
Ashes O
hero O
after O
posting O
a O
memorable O
maiden O
Test O
century O
in O
front O
of O
75 O
, O
770 O
fans O
. O

Despite O
his O
belligerent O
72 O
from O
54 O
balls O
in O
the O
corresponding O
game O
against O
South O
Africa O
12 O
months O
ago O
, O
Symonds O
averaged O
a O
modest O
18 O
with O
the O
bat O
and O
40 O
with O
the O
ball O
in O
his O
previous O
11 O
Tests O
. O

With O
the O
England O
bowlers O
pressing O
, O
the O
powerful O
right O
- O
hander O
looked O
uncomfortable O
early O
as O
he O
tried O
to O
survive O
a O
testing O
period O
directly O
before O
lunch O
, O
and O
took O
much O
longer O
than O
normal O
to O
get O
off O
the O
mark O
. O

Arguably O
playing O
only O
because O
of O
Shane O
Watson O
' O
s O
injury O
woes O
, O
as O
Australia O
looks O
for O
its O
answer O
to O
Andrew O
Flintoff O
, O
Symonds O
was O
also O
quite O
fortunate O
to O
survive O
an O
lbw O
appeal O
by O
Monty O
Panesar O
shortly O
after O
the O
spinner O
was O
introduced O
into O
the O
attack O
, O
with O
Rudi O
Koertzen O
again O
failing O
to O
raise O
the O
finger O
despite O
the O
evidence O
in O
front O
of O
him O
. O

However O
, O
Symonds O
blossomed O
as O
the O
innings O
developed O
and O
started O
to O
play O
some O
of O
the O
imperious O
strokes O
that O
have O
made O
him O
a O
one O
- O
day O
matchwinner O
. O

Symonds O
brought O
up O
his O
first O
Test O
century B-T
in O
remarkable O
fashion O
, O
smashing O
part O
- O
time O
seamer O
Paul O
Collingwood O
way O
over O
long O
on O
for O
his O
first O
six O
. O

It O
sparked O
wild O
celebrations O
from O
Symonds O
, O
who O
leapt O
high O
into O
the O
air O
and O
into O
the O
arms O
of O
Hayden O
, O
before O
punching O
the O
air O
in O
jubilation O
. O

For O
the O
first O
time O
in O
his O
Test O
career O
, O
he O
had O
mixed O
aggression O
and O
caution O
with O
success O
, O
facing O
151 O
balls O
in O
221 B-T
minutes I-T
at O
the O
crease O
, O
hitting O
nine O
fours O
and O
the O
six O
. O

At O
stumps O
, O
Symonds O
had O
gone O
on O
to O
be O
154 O
not O
out O
and O
the O
innings O
had O
been O
chanceless O
, O
although O
he O
survived O
another O
confident O
lbw O
appeal O
, O
this O
time O
turned O
down O
by O
Aleem O
Dar O
, O
from O
the O
bowling O
of O
a O
bemused O
Flintoff O
when O
on O
142 O
. O

Hayden O
and O
Symonds O
had O
come O
together O
with O
their O
side O
trailing O
by O
75 O
runs O
and O
facing O
a O
possible O
first O
innings O
deficit O
. O

By O
the O
time O
Hayden O
fell O
to O
Sajid O
Mahmood O
for O
153 B-T
, O
the O
pair O
had O
batted O
for O
most O
of O
the O
day O
and O
given O
Australia O
a O
lead O
of O
204 O
. O

This O
time O
it O
was O
a O
shattered O
England O
that O
was O
all O
at O
sea O
and O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
5 O
- O
0 O
series O
whitewash O
was O
becoming O
very O
real O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0225 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
to O
encourage O
more O
tourists O
to O
Kenya O
: O
Hu O
Jintao O

China O
will O
encourage O
more O
tourists O
to O
Kenya O
in O
an O
effort O
to O
boost O
the O
African O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
growth O
and O
enhance O
exchanges O
, O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
told O
visiting O
Kenyan O
President O
Mwai O
Kibaki O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
We O
should O
expand O
exchanges O
between O
our O
governments O
, O
legislatures O
, O
parties O
and O
peoples O
to O
enhance O
understanding O
and O
trust O
, O
" O
Hu O
told O
Kibaki O
who O
is O
in O
Beijing O
for O
a O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
opening O
here O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
Chinese O
side O
is O
willing O
to O
train O
more O
management O
and O
technical O
professionals O
for O
Kenya O
and O
will O
encourage O
more O
people O
to O
visit O
Kenya O
, O
said O
Hu O
. O

The O
number O
of O
Chinese O
visitors O
to O
Kenya O
has O
been O
on O
rise O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
four I-T
years I-T
, O
especially O
after O
China O
granted O
Kenya O
the O
Approved O
Destination O
Status O
for O
outbound O
Chinese O
tourist O
groups O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

The O
World O
Tourism O
Organization O
has O
predicted O
that O
China O
will O
become O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
tourist O
market O
by O
2020 B-T
. O

At O
the O
meeting O
, O
Hu O
also O
called O
on O
the O
two O
countries O
to O
expand O
trade O
and O
overall O
economic O
cooperation O
and O
enhance O
collaboration O
in O
international O
affairs O
. O

Recalling O
his O
visit O
to O
Kenya O
in O
April B-T
, O
Hu O
said O
he O
reached O
extensive O
consensus O
with O
Kibaki O
on O
furthering O
Sino O
- O
Kenyan O
friendly O
cooperation O
. O

" O
Our O
relevant O
departments O
are O
working O
to O
implement O
the O
consensus O
and O
have O
achieved O
positive O
results O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
Bilateral O
trade O
has O
continued O
to O
rise O
rapidly O
and O
new O
progress O
has O
been O
made O
in O
our O
cooperation O
in O
cultural O
, O
education O
and O
health O
sectors O
. O
" O

The O
development O
of O
Kenya O
- O
China O
relations O
is O
inspiring O
, O
said O
Kibaki O
, O
adding O
that O
his O
country O
is O
willing O
to O
explore O
ways O
to O
expand O
cooperation O
with O
China O
and O
enhance O
collaboration O
in O
international O
and O
regional O
affairs O
. O

China O
established O
diplomatic O
relations O
with O
Kenya O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1963 I-T
. O
Kibaki O
' O
s O
last O
visit O
to O
China O
was O
in O
2005 B-T
. O
Bilateral O
Trade O
totaled O
475 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0298 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bush O
' O
s O
job O
approval O
rating O
hits O
new O
low O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
' O
s O
job O
approval O
rating O
hit O
a O
new O
low O
of O
35 O
percent O
, O
according O
to O
a O
CBS O
News O
poll O
released O
Thursday B-T
. O

It O
is O
the O
lowest O
level O
since O
he O
took O
office O
in O
2001 B-T
and O
one O
of O
the O
worst O
for O
any O
president O
. O

The O
survey O
found O
that O
only O
35 O
percent O
of O
Americans O
thought O
Bush O
was O
doing O
a O
good O
job O
compared O
with O
37 O
percent O
in O
a O
previous O
CBS O
poll O
in O
October B-T
. O

Pollsters O
attributed O
the O
decline O
partially O
to O
a O
five O
- O
count O
indictment O
of O
US O
Vice O
President O
Dick O
Cheney O
' O
s O
former O
top O
aide O
Lewis O
" O
Scooter O
" O
Libby O
last B-T
Friday I-T
. O

The O
CBS O
poll O
compared O
Bush O
' O
s O
job O
approval O
rating O
with O
some O
other O
presidents O
at O
about O
the O
same O
point O
in O
their O
second B-T
term I-T
. O

In O
November B-T
1997 I-T
, O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
year I-T
of O
his O
second O
term O
, O
57 O
percent O
of O
Americans O
approved O
of O
Bill O
Clinton O
. O

The O
job O
approval O
rating O
of O
Ronald O
Reagan O
in O
November B-T
1985 I-T
was O
65 O
percent O
. O

A O
Gallup O
poll O
in O
November B-T
1957 I-T
found O
58 O
percent O
approval O
for O
Dwight O
Eisenhower O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0281 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Annan O
urges O
restraint O
after O
exchange O
of O
fire O
across O
Israel O
- O
Lebanon O
border O

UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Tuesday B-T
lamented O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
exchange O
of O
fire O
across O
the O
Israel O
- O
Lebanon O
border O
and O
called O
on O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
Hezbollah O
militias O
and O
Israel O
to O
exercise O
utmost O
restraint O
. O

Annan O
" O
deplores O
in O
the O
strongest O
terms O
the O
exchange O
of O
fire O
across O
the O
Blue O
Line O
yesterday B-T
, O
which O
resulted O
in O
the O
reported O
deaths O
of O
several O
Hezbollah O
fighters O
and O
an O
unconfirmed O
number O
of O
wounded O
on O
both O
sides O
, O
" O
a O
UN O
spokesman O
told O
reporters O
. O

The O
Blue O
Line O
was O
the O
withdrawal O
line O
for O
Israeli O
troops O
who O
left O
southern O
Lebanon O
in O
May B-T
2000 I-T
and O
is O
a O
temporary O
border O
between O
Israel O
and O
Lebanon O
. O

" O
The O
secretary O
- O
general O
appeals O
to O
all O
parties O
to O
respect O
the O
Blue O
Line O
in O
its O
entirety O
, O
" O
spokesman O
Stephanie O
Dujarric O
said O
. O
" O
He O
also O
calls O
on O
the O
government O
of O
Lebanon O
to O
extend O
its O
authority O
over O
all O
of O
its O
territory O
in O
accordance O
with O
Security O
Council O
resolutions O
. O
" O

" O
The O
secretary O
- O
general O
appeals O
for O
a O
return O
to O
calm O
and O
calls O
on O
all O
parties O
to O
exercise O
utmost O
restraint O
. O
" O

The O
spokesman O
said O
the O
UN O
peacekeeping O
mission O
in O
southern O
Lebanon O
has O
brokered O
a O
ceasefire O
between O
Israel O
and O
Lebanon O
to O
prevent O
further O
escalation O
of O
the O
latest O
hostilities O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0576 O

KISANGANI O
, O
Zaire O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

UNHCR O
delays O
repatriation O
of O
refugees O
until O
Saturday O

The O
UN O
refugee O
agency O
on O
Thursday B-T
said O
it O
was O
putting O
off O
the O
start O
of O
repatriation O
operations O
for O
Rwandan O
Hutu O
refugees O
in O
eastern O
Zaire O
until O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
UN O
High O
Commissioner O
for O
Refugees O
earlier O
announced O
that O
the O
airlift O
from O
Kisangani O
to O
Rwanda O
via O
Goma O
was O
scheduled O
to O
begin O
Friday B-T
with O
80 O
refugee O
children O
from O
the O
Biaro O
camp O
, O
which O
is O
free O
of O
the O
cholera O
epidemic O
reportedly O
flaring O
in O
the O
nearby O
Kasese O
camp O
. O

UNHCR O
spokesman O
Paul O
Stromberg O
told O
AFP O
in O
rebel O
- O
held O
Kisangani O
that O
the O
governor O
of O
the O
Upper O
Zaire O
region O
feared O
the O
epidemic O
could O
spread O
outside O
the O
camp O
. O

" O
We O
had O
a O
two O
- O
hour O
meeting O
with O
the O
governor O
, O
during O
which O
we O
tried O
to O
explain O
our O
point O
of O
view O
, O
" O
Stromberg O
said O
. O

" O
By O
transporting O
people O
in O
good O
health O
, O
there O
would O
be O
no O
risk O
of O
disease O
spreading O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
But O
by O
delaying O
their O
departure O
, O
they O
would O
remain O
in O
a O
haven O
of O
cholera O
. O
" O

" O
There O
will O
be O
a O
meeting O
on O
Friday B-T
between O
health O
experts O
. O
They O
should O
find O
a O
consensus O
. O
We O
are O
optimistic O
, O
and O
have O
postponed O
the O
operation O
by O
a B-T
day I-T
, O
" O
Stromberg O
said O
. O

At O
Kasese O
, O
303 O
cases O
of O
cholera O
have O
been O
recorded O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
10 I-T
days I-T
, O
and O
19 O
people O
have O
died O
, O
while O
42 O
have O
been O
treated O
and O
released O
from O
hospital O
, O
the O
UNHCR O
has O
reported O
. O

Some O
700 O
children O
without O
adult O
company O
have O
been O
registered O
among O
the O
refugees O
in O
the O
camps O
, O
but O
UNHCR O
puts O
their O
true O
figure O
closer O
to O
4 O
, O
000 O
. O

Up O
to O
100 O
, O
000 O
refugees O
are O
staying O
at O
the O
two O
camps O
. O

The O
Zairean O
rebel O
alliance O
, O
which O
seized O
Kisangani O
a B-T
month I-T
ago I-T
, O
on O
Wednesday B-T
gave O
the O
go O
- O
ahead O
for O
their O
repatriation O
, O
which O
could O
take O
two O
to O
three B-T
months I-T
. O

The O
UN O
agency O
has O
three O
Russian O
Ilyushin O
transport O
planes O
and O
one O
Hercules O
C O
- O
130 O
at O
its O
disposal O
, O
but O
must O
use O
the O
smaller O
, O
local O
airstrip O
because O
the O
international O
runway O
had O
been O
mined O
by O
retreating O
Serb O
mercenaries O
fighting O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
Zairean O
government O
. O

Despite O
the O
obstacles O
, O
the O
UNHCR O
plans O
to O
repatriate O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
000 O
refugees O
a O
day O
once O
the O
operation O
gets O
underway O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0393 O

BADEN O
- O
BADEN O
, O
Germany O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Russia O
- O
NATO O
deal O
to O
be O
signed O
in O
Paris O
May O
27 O
: O
Yeltsin O

President O
Boris O
Yeltsin O
said O
Thursday B-T
that O
Russia O
and O
NATO O
will O
sign O
an O
agreement O
defining O
their O
future O
relations O
at O
a O
summit O
meeting O
in O
Paris O
on O
May B-T
27 I-T
. O

Speaking O
at O
a O
joint O
news O
conference O
with O
Chancellor O
Helmut O
Kohl O
, O
with O
whom O
he O
had O
several O
hours O
' O
talks O
in O
this O
western O
German O
spa O
town O
, O
Yeltsin O
said O
: O
" O
We O
will O
now B-T
have O
to O
hurry O
up O
. O
" O

Kohl O
for O
his O
part O
said O
that O
" O
there O
still O
remains O
a O
lot O
to O
do O
, O
but O
I O
see O
a O
good O
chance O
of O
success O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0206 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Coach O
fined O
by O
NHL O
despite O
referee O
' O
s O
wrong O
call O

Edmonton O
Oilers O
coach O
Craig O
MacTavish O
was O
fined O
10 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
Saturday B-T
for O
ripping O
NHL O
referee O
Mick O
McGeough O
after O
a O
loss O
to O
Dallas O
, O
in O
which O
a O
mistaken O
call O
erased O
an O
equalizer O
. O

McGeough O
admitted O
he O
made O
a O
mistake O
in O
disallowing O
the O
tying O
goal O
with O
4 O
. O
1 O
seconds O
remaining O
following O
a O
3 O
- O
2 O
Dallas O
road O
victory O
Friday B-T
but O
the O
outcome O
stood O
and O
MacTavish O
was O
irate O
at O
the O
official O
after O
the O
defeat O
. O

" O
I O
can O
' O
t O
help O
but O
think O
that O
. O
. O
. O
he O
feels O
like O
he O
' O
s O
the O
show O
out O
there O
, O
" O
MacTavish O
said O
of O
McGeough O
. O

" O
You O
would O
think O
that O
if O
( O
Shawn O
) O
Horcoff O
knocked O
it O
back O
with O
his O
glove O
that O
the O
linesman O
would O
be O
able O
to O
see O
that O
. O
He O
' O
s O
one O
person O
of O
17 O
, O
000 O
in O
the O
building O
that O
saw O
it O
that O
way O
. O
It O
' O
s O
ridiculous O
. O
" O

That O
sparked O
the O
fine O
imposed O
by O
NHL O
vice O
president O
Colin O
Campbell O
. O

" O
The O
NHL O
acknowledges O
the O
fact O
that O
referee O
Mick O
McGeough O
made O
the O
wrong O
call O
on O
a O
play O
late O
in O
the O
game O
, O
which O
he O
later O
admitted O
, O
" O
Campbell O
said O
. O

" O
While O
the O
NHL O
regrets O
the O
missed O
call O
, O
Craig O
MacTavish O
' O
s O
comments O
after O
the O
game O
regarding O
the O
call O
were O
totally O
inappropriate O
and O
crossed O
the O
line O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051211 O
. O
0499 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Ash O
continuing O
to O
spew O
from O
Vanuatu O
volcano O

Thousands O
of O
tonnes O
of O
ash O
are O
continuing O
to O
spew O
from O
a O
volcano O
in O
Vanuatu O
, O
but O
officials O
said O
Monday B-T
the O
activity O
on O
the O
South O
Pacific O
nation O
was O
not O
likely O
to O
result O
in O
a O
major O
deadly O
eruption O
. O

Some O
5 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
been O
evacuated O
to O
safer O
areas O
on O
Vanuatu O
' O
s O
Ambae O
island O
since O
the O
crater O
lake O
on O
top O
of O
Mount O
Manaro O
began O
erupting O
with O
gas O
, O
steam O
and O
ash O
on O
November B-T
27 I-T
. O

There O
were O
fears O
that O
a O
major O
eruption O
could O
send O
a O
deadly O
torrent O
of O
water O
, O
ash O
and O
lava O
down O
the O
sides O
of O
the O
volcano O
, O
but O
experts O
said O
Monday B-T
the O
volcanic O
activity O
was O
likely O
to O
continue O
at O
the O
same O
moderate O
level O
for O
one B-T
to I-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
before O
gradually O
abating O
. O

" O
The O
level O
of O
activity O
has O
remained O
steady O
for O
the B-T
last I-T
six I-T
or I-T
seven I-T
days I-T
, O
" O
Lucas O
Merrigan O
of O
the O
Vanuatu O
National O
Disaster O
Management O
Office O
in O
Port O
Vila O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
still O
at O
level O
two O
. O
Level O
three O
is O
when O
we O
start O
evacuating O
people O
off O
the O
island O
- O
- O
the O
scientists O
don O
' O
t O
expect O
it O
will O
get O
to O
that O
. O
" O

A O
spokeswoman O
for O
aid O
agency O
Oxfam O
said O
about O
2 O
, O
000 O
tonnes O
of O
ash O
were O
continuing O
to O
land O
on O
the O
island O
daily B-T
. O

" O
The O
information O
that O
we O
' O
ve O
got O
from O
the O
scientists O
and O
the O
vulcanologists O
on O
the O
island O
is O
that O
there O
' O
s O
less O
seismic O
activity O
and O
gas O
emissions O
than O
there O
used O
to O
be O
. O
. O
. O
but O
it O
could O
be O
the O
calm O
before O
the O
storm O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

The O
eruptions O
could O
continue O
at O
the O
same O
level O
for O
another O
fortnight O
but O
were O
unlikely O
to O
become O
worse O
, O
she O
said O
. O

" O
They O
are O
not O
predicting O
a O
major O
eruption O
, O
they O
are O
not O
predicting O
that O
people O
are O
going O
to O
have O
to O
move O
off O
the O
island O
. O
" O

There O
are O
fears O
that O
ash O
and O
acid O
rain O
will O
continue O
to O
fall O
on O
homes O
and O
food O
crops O
, O
leading O
to O
the O
contamination O
of O
water O
supplies O
and O
respiratory O
problems O
for O
inhabitants O
. O

The O
Vanuatu O
government O
has O
not O
declared O
a O
state O
of O
emergency O
but O
has O
taken O
precautions O
in O
case O
the O
eruptions O
become O
worse O
. O
Ships O
are O
standing O
by O
off O
Ambae O
in O
case O
some O
of O
the O
population O
of O
about O
10 O
, O
000 O
people O
need O
to O
be O
evacuated O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0181 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hang O
Seng O
China O
Enterprises O
Index O
closes O
higher O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
28 O

Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Hang O
Seng O
China O
Enterprises O
Index O
rose O
37 O
. O
73 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
74 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
5 O
, O
110 O
. O
03 O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
index O
, O
initiated O
in O
August B-T
1995 I-T
and O
re O
- O
based O
on O
Sept B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
tracks O
the O
overall O
performance O
of O
40 O
Chinese O
mainland O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
listed O
on O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Stock O
Exchange O
. O

Hang O
Seng O
China O
- O
Affiliated O
Corporations O
Index O
rose O
3 O
. O
75 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
19 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
976 O
. O
92 O
. O

The O
index O
tracks O
the O
performance O
of O
30 O
locally O
listed O
companies O
with O
a O
significant O
equity O
interest O
held O
by O
entities O
in O
the O
Chinese O
mainland O
. O

Hang O
Seng O
Mainland O
Composite O
Index O
also O
went O
up O
5 O
. O
91 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
31 O
percent O
, O
to O
close O
at O
1 O
, O
899 O
. O
44 O
. O

Introduced O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2001 I-T
, O
Hang O
Seng O
Mainland O
Composite O
Index O
gauges O
the O
performance O
of O
95 O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
listed O
companies O
with O
principal O
places O
of O
business O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
the O
mainland O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0182 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0182 O
. O

Dresdner O
Bank O
Acquisition O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

EUROP O
DRSDY O
F O
. O
SGF O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

BANKS O
( O
BNK O
) O

FRANKFURT O
, O
West O
Germany O

West O
German O
and O
French O
authorities O
have O
cleared O
Dresdner O
Bank O
AG O
' O
s O
takeover O
of O
a O
majority O
stake O
in O
Banque O
Internationale O
de O
Placement O
( O
BIP O
) O
, O
Dresdner O
Bank O
said O
. O

The O
approval O
, O
which O
had O
been O
expected O
, O
permits O
West O
Germany O
' O
s O
second O
- O
largest O
bank O
to O
acquire O
shares O
of O
the O
French O
investment O
bank O
. O

In O
a O
first O
step O
, O
Dresdner O
Bank O
will O
buy O
32 O
. O
99 O
% O
of O
BIP O
for O
1 O
, O
015 O
French O
francs O
( O
$ O
162 O
) O
a O
share O
, O
or O
528 O
million O
francs O
( O
$ O
84 O
. O
7 O
million O
) O
. O

Dresdner O
Bank O
said O
it O
will O
also O
buy O
all O
shares O
tendered O
by O
shareholders O
on O
the O
Paris O
Stock O
Exchange O
at O
the O
same O
price O
from O
today B-T
through O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
. O

In O
addition O
, O
the O
bank O
has O
an O
option O
to O
buy O
a O
30 O
. O
84 O
% O
stake O
in O
BIP O
from O
Societe O
Generale O
after O
Jan B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
1990 I-T
at O
1 O
, O
015 O
francs O
a O
share O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0294 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
Security O
Council O
calls O
for O
calm O
in O
post O
- O
election O
DRC O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
on O
Friday B-T
called O
on O
all O
parties O
in O
the O
run O
- O
off O
presidential O
election O
in O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
the O
Congo O
( O
DRC O
) O
to O
remain O
calm O
and O
avoid O
violence O
as O
they O
wait O
for O
the O
final O
results O
. O

" O
The O
members O
of O
the O
Security O
Council O
appealed O
to O
the O
sense O
of O
civic O
responsibility O
of O
the O
Congolese O
people O
, O
so O
that O
the O
electoral O
process O
could O
continue O
in O
a O
calm O
and O
peaceful O
climate O
, O
" O
the O
15 O
- O
nation O
council O
said O
in O
a O
press O
statement O
read O
out O
by O
Jorge O
Voto O
- O
Bernales O
, O
Peru O
' O
s O
UN O
ambassador O
and O
the O
council O
president O
for O
this B-T
month I-T
. O

Stressing O
that O
electoral O
disputes O
should O
be O
settled O
only O
through O
legal O
procedures O
, O
the O
council O
urged O
the O
parties O
not O
to O
challenge O
the O
outcome O
of O
the O
polls O
by O
force O
. O

The O
statement O
condemned O
the O
violent O
incident O
that O
took O
place O
in O
Kinshasa O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, O
in O
which O
four O
people O
lost O
their O
lives O
, O
calling O
on O
all O
political O
actors O
to O
refrain O
from O
any O
provocation O
, O
incitement O
to O
hatred O
or O
recourse O
to O
violence O
. O

The O
council O
" O
stressed O
that O
neither O
the O
Congolese O
people O
nor O
the O
international O
community O
would O
understand O
or O
accept O
a O
return O
to O
violence O
following O
the O
election O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

Incumbent O
President O
Joseph O
Kabila O
had O
won O
the O
presidential O
run O
- O
off O
held O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, O
defeating O
Vice O
President O
Jean O
- O
Pierre O
Bemba O
, O
according O
to O
results O
announced O
by O
the O
country O
' O
s O
electoral O
commission O
Wednesday B-T
. O

In O
a O
three O
- O
month O
- O
long O
electoral O
process O
meant O
to O
cement O
the O
country O
' O
s O
transition O
to O
stability O
from O
a O
six O
- O
year O
civil O
war O
, O
the O
Congolese O
people O
also O
voted O
to O
elect O
a O
500 O
- O
seat O
National O
Assembly O
and O
provincial O
assemblies O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0038 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Urgent O
: O
IDF O
confirm O
large O
operation O
in O
Gaza O

Jerusalem O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
A O
spokesman O
of O
Israel O
Defense O
Force O
confirmed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
that O
the O
IDF O
is O
conducting O
a O
large O
operation O
in O
Beit O
Hanoun O
, O
in O
northern O
part O
of O
the O
Gaza O
Stripe O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0072 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Israel O
downplays O
chance O
of O
conflict O
with O
Syria O

Israeli O
officials O
downplayed O
the O
chance O
of O
armed O
conflict O
with O
Syria O
Monday B-T
, O
a O
day O
after O
a O
senior O
intelligence O
officer O
said O
Damascus O
was O
preparing O
for O
war O
with O
the O
Jewish O
state O
. O

" O
Syria O
is O
constructing O
military O
apparatus O
to O
try O
and O
counter O
the O
supremacy O
of O
( O
Israeli O
) O
air O
, O
ground O
and O
naval O
forces O
, O
but O
nothing O
indicates O
that O
it O
intends O
to O
attack O
us O
, O
" O
Deputy O
Defense O
Minister O
Ephraim O
Sneh O
told O
public O
radio O
. O

The O
chief O
of O
parliament O
' O
s O
influential O
foreign O
affairs O
and O
defense O
committee O
, O
Tsahi O
Hanegbi O
, O
told O
the O
radio O
: O
" O
No O
one O
in O
Israel O
has O
precise O
information O
on O
Syria O
' O
s O
intentions O
and O
we O
are O
examining O
all O
possibilities O
. O

" O
The O
army O
takes O
into O
account O
these O
estimates O
and O
adapts O
them O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

On O
Sunday B-T
, O
General O
Yossi O
Beidetz O
, O
the O
head O
of O
the O
military O
intelligence O
research O
division O
, O
told O
a O
cabinet O
meeting O
that O
Syrian O
President O
Bashar O
al O
- O
Assad O
was O
" O
preparing O
his O
forces O
for O
a O
military O
conflict O
" O
with O
Israel O
. O

" O
Syria O
has O
accelerated O
the O
production O
of O
long O
- O
range O
missiles O
and O
has O
deployed O
anti O
- O
tank O
rockets O
on O
its O
border O
with O
Israel O
, O
" O
a O
senior O
intelligence O
official O
quoted O
Beidetz O
as O
saying O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
armistice O
line O
on O
the O
occupied O
Golan O
Heights O
. O

In O
a O
later O
statement O
, O
a O
spokesman O
said O
: O
" O
The O
army O
does O
not O
have O
any O
information O
indicating O
offensive O
intentions O
( O
by O
Syria O
) O
on O
the O
border O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0248 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

consecutive O
year O

World O
number O
one O
Roger O
Federer O
and O
nemesis O
David O
Nalbandian O
, O
who O
joined O
hands O
to O
advance O
into O
semifinals O
here O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
repeated O
history O
by O
making O
the O
semifinals O
at O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
edition O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
duo O
, O
who O
were O
also O
grouped O
in O
Red O
and O
joined O
to O
make O
last O
four O
in O
2005 O
finale O
, O
got O
through O
to O
the O
semifinals O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
consecutive I-T
year I-T
here O
after O
beating O
respective O
enemies O
with O
straight O
sets O
in O
the O
final O
round O
- O
robin O
matches O
. O

Federer O
eased O
through O
Ivan O
Ljubicic O
of O
Croatia O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
7 O
- O
2 O
) O
, O
6 O
- O
4 O
in O
one B-T
hour I-T
and O
48 O
minutes O
while O
Argentine O
Nalbandian O
needed O
only O
one O
hour O
and O
37 O
minutes O
to O
edge O
past O
Andy O
Roddick O
7 O
- O
2 O
, O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
7 O
- O
4 O
) O
in O
an O
earlier O
match O
. O

Thus O
, O
Federer O
finishes O
first O
in O
the O
Red O
Group O
with O
wins O
and O
Nalbandian O
, O
who O
are O
tied O
with O
Ljubicic O
and O
Roddick O
on O
one O
win O
and O
two O
losses O
, O
places O
second O
with O
set O
winning O
advantage O
by O
claiming O
four O
out O
of O
eight O
sets O
in O
total O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0141 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Sou O
Korea O
' O
s O
dependence O
on O
foreign O
loans O
at O
16 O
- O
year O
high O

The O
share O
of O
foreign O
debt O
in O
South O
Korean O
companies O
' O
total O
liabilities O
soared O
to O
a O
16 O
- O
year O
high O
of O
10 O
. O
2 O
percent O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
reflecting O
a O
credit O
squeeze O
here O
, O
the O
Bank O
of O
Korea O
( O
BOK O
) O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
overseas O
debt O
totalled O
12 O
. O
1 O
trillion O
won O
( O
13 O
. O
6 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
compared O
with O
8 O
. O
4 O
trillion O
won O
in O
1995 B-T
when O
the O
ratio O
stood O
at O
8 O
. O
4 O
percent O
of O
the O
total O
. O

Slowing O
exports O
and O
a O
slump O
in O
domestic O
sales O
that O
aggravated O
credit O
conditions O
were O
blamed O
for O
the O
increase O
in O
the O
foreign O
debt O
ratio O
, O
a O
bank O
official O
said O
. O

The O
central O
bank O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
the O
companies O
' O
total O
liabilities O
rose O
18 O
. O
2 O
percent O
from O
a O
year O
before O
to O
118 O
. O
2 O
trillion O
won O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
following O
a O
12 O
. O
3 O
percent O
expansion O
in O
1995 B-T
. O

South O
Korean O
firms O
took O
out O
37 O
trillion O
won O
, O
or O
31 O
. O
3 O
percent O
of O
the O
total O
liabilities O
, O
from O
local O
financial O
institutions O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
while O
raising O
funds O
totalling O
55 O
. O
6 O
trillion O
won O
through O
issuing O
corporate O
bonds O
and O
stocks O
, O
the O
bank O
said O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
week I-T
, O
the O
finance O
and O
economy O
ministry O
said O
it O
would O
ease O
regulations O
governing O
the O
inflow O
of O
foreign O
funds O
and O
its O
heavily O
protected O
bond O
market O
to O
stabilize O
the O
ailing O
capital O
market O
here O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0014 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Market O
value O
of O
China O
' O
s O
securities O
market O
over O
786 O
bln O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O

The O
market O
value O
of O
companies O
listed O
on O
China O
' O
s O
securities O
market O
exceeded O
6 O
. O
29 O
trillion O
yuan O
( O
786 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
by O
the B-T
last I-T
trading I-T
day I-T
of I-T
this I-T
week I-T
. O

Shanghai O
Stock O
Exchange O
figures O
show O
the O
market O
value O
of O
the O
Shanghai O
securities O
market O
, O
including O
yuan O
- O
denominated O
A O
shares O
and O
foreign O
- O
currency O
B O
shares O
, O
was O
4 O
. O
9 O
trillion O
yuan O
by O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
Shanghai O
bourse O
carries O
844 O
stocks O
with O
more O
than O
one O
trillion O
shares O
. O
The O
market O
value O
of O
circulating O
stocks O
on O
the O
Shanghai O
securities O
market O
is O
1 O
. O
25 O
trillion O
yuan O
. O

The O
market O
value O
of O
the O
Shenzhen O
Stock O
Exchange O
rose O
by O
2 O
. O
06 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
week I-T
to O
1 O
. O
39 O
trillion O
yuan O
by O
the O
last O
trading O
day O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
total O
market O
value O
of O
circulating O
stocks O
on O
the O
Shenzhen O
securities O
market O
is O
664 O
billion O
yuan O
, O
2 O
. O
43 O
percent O
up O
from O
a B-T
week I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
Composite O
Stock O
Index O
on O
the O
Shanghai O
Stock O
Exchange O
opened O
at O
1804 O
. O
37 O
last B-T
week I-T
and O
closed O
at O
1866 O
. O
36 O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
peaking O
at O
1873 O
. O
66 O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
Composite O
Stock O
Index O
on O
the O
Shenzhen O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
at O
4690 O
. O
43 O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
with O
a O
weekly O
rise O
of O
2 O
. O
9 O
percent O
. O
The O
total O
turnover O
this B-T
week I-T
of O
the O
Shenzhen O
securities O
market O
was O
almost O
65 O
. O
7 O
billion O
yuan O
, O
5 O
. O
06 O
percent O
down O
from O
the O
week O
before O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0082 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Palestinian O
official O
says O
talks O
on O
crossing O
operation O
make O
progress O

Palestinian O
chief O
negotiator O
Saeb O
Erekat O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
clear O
progress O
has O
been O
achieved O
over O
the O
operation O
of O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
on O
the O
Gaza O
- O
Egypt O
border O
. O

" O
It O
is O
agreed O
that O
Palestinians O
who O
carry O
Palestinian O
ID O
cards O
can O
cross O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
in O
both O
directions O
without O
any O
conditions O
, O
" O
Erekat O
told O
Palestinian O
radio O
" O
Voice O
of O
Palestine O
. O
" O

The O
agreement O
was O
made O
at O
an O
Israeli O
- O
Palestinian O
- O
European O
meeting O
held O
on O
Monday B-T
night I-T
, O
which O
was O
also O
attended O
by O
James O
Wolfensohn O
, O
the O
Quartet O
Committee O
envoy O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
We O
also O
agreed O
on O
transporting O
goods O
abroad O
via O
Rafah O
, O
" O
Erekat O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
goods O
into O
the O
Gaza O
strip O
will O
be O
transported O
through O
the O
Kerem O
Shalom O
crossing O
. O

Israel O
' O
s O
security O
cabinet O
approved O
last B-T
week I-T
an O
agreement O
with O
Egypt O
to O
reopen O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
under O
the O
supervision O
of O
European O
inspectors O
. O

However O
, O
Israelis O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
are O
at O
odds O
over O
the O
role O
of O
the O
European O
inspectors O
as O
the O
Palestinians O
consider O
them O
advisers O
while O
Israel O
wants O
them O
to O
have O
veto O
power O
over O
security O
enforcement O
. O

Erekat O
said O
more O
three O
- O
party O
meetings O
are O
scheduled O
in O
the O
coming O
days O
to O
discuss O
the O
inspectors O
' O
role O
and O
the O
installation O
of O
observation O
cameras O
at O
the O
crossing O
, O
another O
outstanding O
dispute O
between O
Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Palestinian O
Chief O
of O
Crossings O
Nazmi O
Mhanna O
announced O
that O
Rafah O
will O
be O
open O
for O
24 B-T
hours I-T
for O
Palestinians O
as O
of O
Tuesday B-T
midnight O
. O

The O
Rafah O
crossing O
, O
the O
only O
exit O
of O
Gaza O
to O
the O
outside O
world O
, O
was O
shut O
down O
for O
security O
reasons O
shortly O
before O
Israel O
completed O
withdrawing O
settlers O
and O
troops O
from O
the O
coastal O
strip O
in O
September B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0394 O

LONDON O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Irish O
corruption O
inquiry O
hears O
of O
2m O
dollar O
payment O
to O
ex O
- O
premier O

A O
leading O
businessman O
arranged O
to O
pay O
1 O
. O
3 O
million O
punts O
( O
two O
million O
dollars O
) O
to O
former O
Irish O
prime O
minister O
Charles O
Haughey O
while O
he O
was O
still O
head O
of O
government O
, O
a O
corruption O
inquiry O
was O
told O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
tribunal O
was O
set O
up O
in O
February B-T
to O
trace O
who O
received O
3 O
. O
5 O
million O
punts O
of O
a O
total O
5 O
. O
63 O
million O
punts O
( O
nine O
million O
dollars O
) O
paid O
out O
by O
millionaire O
supermarket O
boss O
Ben O
Dunne O
. O

The O
payments O
controversy O
first O
came O
to O
light O
last B-T
November I-T
when O
the O
then O
transport O
minister O
, O
Michael O
Lowry O
, O
resigned O
after O
it O
emerged O
that O
Dunne O
had O
paid O
for O
an O
extension O
worth O
400 O
, O
000 O
punts O
( O
650 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
) O
to O
his O
home O
. O

The O
tribunal O
heard O
Monday B-T
that O
Dunne O
himself O
would O
later O
tell O
the O
court O
of O
the O
1 O
. O
3 O
million O
punt O
payment O
to O
Haughey O
, O
who O
resigned O
as O
premier O
and O
leader O
of O
the O
Fianna O
Fail O
party O
in O
1992 B-T
. O

The O
court O
heard O
there O
would O
be O
evidence O
that O
the O
money O
had O
been O
requested O
to O
" O
overcome O
business O
problems O
relating O
to O
Mr O
. O
Haughey O
. O
" O

Speculation O
over O
Haughey O
' O
s O
involvement O
has O
been O
intense O
, O
although O
until O
Monday B-T
the O
name O
of O
the O
man O
referred O
to O
as O
a O
" O
very O
prominent O
former O
member O
of O
parliament O
" O
had O
never O
been O
officially O
disclosed O
. O

Like O
the O
" O
sleaze O
" O
scandal O
which O
has O
dogged O
the O
Conservative O
party O
during O
the O
British O
general O
election O
campaign O
, O
the O
allegations O
and O
the O
inquiry O
threaten O
to O
overshadow O
Fianna O
Fail O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
win O
power O
from O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
in O
general O
elections O
that O
could O
be O
held O
as O
early O
as O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

But O
unlike O
in O
Britain O
, O
the O
sums O
involved O
are O
much O
larger O
, O
the O
accusations O
go O
right O
to O
the O
top O
of O
the O
party O
and O
the O
inquiry O
could O
run O
in O
tandem O
with O
the O
election O
campaign O
as O
any O
decision O
to O
suspend O
it O
is O
for O
the O
judiciary O
alone O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0292 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Israel O
facing O
physical O
, O
moral O
threats O
from O
Iran O
: O
Olmert O

Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
evening I-T
that O
his O
country O
is O
facing O
dual O
threats O
of O
physical O
and O
moral O
from O
Iran O
, O
Israeli O
daily O
Haaretz O
reported O
. O

" O
Israel O
' O
s O
main O
problem O
is O
threat O
that O
comes O
from O
those O
who O
openly O
talk O
about O
wiping O
us O
off O
the O
map O
, O
" O
Olmert O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
in O
Orthodox O
Union O
convention O
in O
Jerusalem O
. O

Not O
only O
the O
physical O
one O
, O
the O
moral O
threat O
from O
Iran O
also O
plagued O
Israel O
, O
the O
prime O
minister O
added O
. O

He O
vowed O
to O
react O
to O
those O
threats O
imposed O
on O
Israel O
, O
saying O
that O
" O
We O
have O
heard O
these O
voices O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
. O
We O
can O
' O
t O
afford O
to O
listen O
and O
not O
to O
react O
. O
" O

He O
also O
urged O
the O
world O
to O
take O
seriously O
the O
threat O
posed O
by O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
program O
. O

There O
are O
considerable O
speculations O
about O
the O
possibility O
that O
Israel O
might O
attack O
Iranian O
nuclear O
facilities O
if O
Iran O
insists O
on O
developing O
its O
nuclear O
program O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
Iranian O
Students O
News O
Agency O
( O
ISNA O
) O
reported O
that O
Iranian O
President O
Mahmoud O
Ahmadinejad O
said O
Israel O
would O
not O
attack O
the O
Islamic O
Republic O
as O
" O
its O
regime O
is O
weak O
and O
it O
has O
many O
problems O
. O
" O

Ahmadinejad O
reiterated O
that O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
plan O
is O
solely O
peaceful O
, O
saying O
" O
Iran O
is O
peace O
loving O
country O
and O
has O
never O
attacked O
another O
country O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970404 O
. O
0147 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

South O
Korean O
foreign O
minister O
to O
visit O
Japan O

South O
Korean O
Foreign O
Minister O
Yoo O
Chong O
- O
Ha O
will O
visit O
Japan O
for O
talks O
with O
Japanese O
leaders O
, O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
official O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
Japan O
is O
arranging O
his O
visit O
, O
but O
the O
schedule O
is O
yet O
to O
be O
fixed O
, O
" O
the O
ministry O
spokeswoman O
said O
. O

Japan O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Minister O
Yukuhiko O
Ikeda O
offered O
the O
invitation O
in O
February B-T
when O
the O
two O
met O
in O
Singapore O
, O
she O
said O
. O
Ikeda O
visited O
South O
Korea O
in O
January B-T
. O

Jiji O
Press O
said O
the O
South O
Korean O
minister O
would O
visit O
Japan O
for O
three B-T
days I-T
from O
April B-T
14 I-T
to O
meet O
with O
Ikeda O
and O
Prime O
Minister O
Ryutaro O
Hashimoto O
. O

Yoo O
will O
exchange O
views O
with O
Japanese O
politicians O
on O
food O
aid O
to O
North O
Korea O
, O
a O
new O
fishery O
pact O
between O
Tokyo O
and O
Seoul O
and O
other O
topics O
, O
the O
news O
agency O
quoted O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
source O
as O
saying O
. O

Kyodo O
News O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
quoted O
a O
South O
Korean O
foreign O
ministry O
source O
as O
saying O
the O
two O
countries O
had O
" O
almost O
reached O
an O
agreement O
for O
April B-T
17 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
. O
" O

Kyodo O
said O
topics O
would O
include O
a O
Japanese O
fund O
' O
s O
compensation O
payment O
to O
Asian O
women O
who O
had O
been O
forced O
into O
sexual O
slavery O
for O
Japanese O
soldiers O
during O
World O
War O
II O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051221 O
. O
0093 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Israel O
voiced O
fears O
of O
a O
potential O
explosion O
of O
Palestinian O
violence O
ahead O
of O
next B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
parliamentary O
election O
and O
said O
Wednesday B-T
it O
would O
not O
allowing O
any O
voting O
in O
occupied O
east O
Jerusalem O
. O

Defence O
Minister O
Shaul O
Mofaz O
was O
reported O
to O
have O
told O
a O
meeting O
of O
his O
top O
lieutenants O
that O
Palestinian O
leader O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
was O
losing O
control O
and O
that O
the O
radical O
Islamist O
movement O
Hamas O
was O
likely O
to O
resume O
its O
campaign O
of O
attacks O
, O
particularly O
from O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

" O
The O
Palestinian O
Authority O
is O
not O
functioning O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
there O
is O
no O
guiding O
hand O
, O
" O
Mofaz O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
the O
Yediot O
Aharonot O
daily B-T
. O

" O
The O
Palestinian O
security O
forces O
are O
not O
obeying O
the O
instructions O
of O
the O
PA O
chairman O
( O
Abbas O
) O
. O
We O
have O
to O
be O
prepared O
for O
Hamas O
' O
s O
return O
to O
terror O
activity O
. O
" O

Hamas O
, O
which O
is O
participating O
in O
the O
elections O
for O
the O
first O
time O
on O
January B-T
25 I-T
, O
is O
currently O
observing O
a O
moratorium O
on O
its O
campaign O
of O
attacks O
against O
Israel O
but O
that O
is O
due O
to O
expire O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
. O

Khaled O
Meshaal O
, O
Hamas O
' O
s O
Damascus O
- O
based O
overall O
leader O
, O
said O
earlier O
this B-T
month I-T
that O
the O
truce O
would O
not O
be O
renewed O
as O
" O
our O
people O
are O
surrounded O
and O
are O
preparing O
for O
a O
new O
round O
of O
conflict O
. O
" O

Yuval O
Diskin O
, O
the O
head O
of O
Israel O
' O
s O
Shin O
Beth O
internal O
security O
service O
, O
told O
the O
meeting O
with O
Mofaz O
that O
the O
weakening O
of O
Abbas O
' O
s O
Fatah O
movement O
would O
diminish O
the O
Palestinian O
security O
services O
' O
ability O
to O
prevent O
attacks O
. O

" O
As O
soon O
as O
Fatah O
is O
very O
weak O
, O
and O
it O
is O
weak O
, O
the O
security O
services O
that O
are O
controlled O
by O
the O
old O
guard O
have O
no O
legitimacy O
or O
motivation O
to O
act O
to O
prevent O
terrorism O
, O
and O
without O
internal O
legitimacy O
there O
is O
no O
chance O
that O
this O
will O
happen O
, O
" O
he O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
Yediot O
. O

Fatah O
has O
been O
riven O
by O
divisions O
to O
such O
an O
extent O
that O
faction O
rebels O
have O
submitted O
a O
rival O
list O
of O
candidates O
to O
the O
official O
slate O
which O
will O
compete O
against O
each O
other O
in O
voting O
on O
January B-T
25 I-T
. O

Hamas O
has O
been O
trailing O
Fatah O
in O
the O
polls O
but O
managed O
to O
win O
control O
of O
three O
major O
West O
Bank O
municipalities O
in O
local O
elections O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
in O
areas O
which O
had O
traditionally O
been O
Fatah O
strongholds O
. O

Israel O
has O
strongly O
objected O
to O
Hamas O
taking O
part O
in O
what O
is O
only O
the O
second O
ever O
parliamentary O
polls O
, O
arguing O
that O
the O
1993 O
Oslo O
autonomy O
accords O
bar O
anyone O
who O
advocates O
violence O
to O
stand O
in O
Palestinian O
Authority O
elections O
. O

Hamas O
has O
been O
behind O
the O
majority O
of O
anti O
- O
Israeli O
attacks O
over O
the O
course O
of O
the O
five O
- O
year O
uprising O
and O
does O
not O
recognise O
Israel O
' O
s O
right O
to O
exist O
. O

The O
movement O
' O
s O
participation O
in O
the O
elections O
was O
one O
of O
the O
reasons O
cited O
by O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
' O
s O
office O
for O
not O
allowing O
Palestinians O
living O
in O
occupied O
east O
Jerusalem O
from O
participating O
in O
January B-T
' O
s O
election O
. O

" O
We O
will O
not O
allow O
there O
to O
be O
any O
polling O
booths O
in O
Jerusalem O
for O
the O
Palestinian O
elections O
, O
" O
an O
official O
told O
AFP O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

" O
In O
the B-T
past I-T
, O
we O
have O
allowed O
Palestinians O
to O
vote O
in O
post O
offices O
but O
not O
this O
time O
. O
" O

Israel O
captured O
and O
then O
annexed O
east O
Jerusalem O
after O
the O
1967 B-T
war O
but O
the O
international O
community O
still O
regards O
the O
area O
, O
home O
to O
nearly O
200 O
, O
000 O
Palestinians O
, O
as O
occupied O
territory O
. O

" O
We O
will O
not O
tolerate O
any O
political O
activity O
and O
we O
are O
also O
determined O
to O
prevent O
any O
attack O
against O
our O
sovereignty O
over O
our O
capital O
Jerusalem O
, O
especially O
as O
Hamas O
is O
taking O
part O
in O
the O
election O
, O
" O
said O
the O
official O
. O

The O
chief O
Palestinian O
negotiator O
Saeb O
Erakat O
condemned O
the O
decision O
, O
calling O
it O
part O
of O
an O
Israeli O
design O
to O
sabotage O
the O
whole O
election O
. O

" O
This O
is O
clear O
evidence O
that O
they O
are O
trying O
to O
destroy O
the O
election O
in O
general O
so O
they O
can O
say O
they O
have O
no O
Palestinian O
partner O
" O
in O
the O
peace O
process O
, O
said O
Erakat O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970409 O
. O
0523 O

CAPE O
TOWN O
, O
South O
Africa O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Crayfish O
invade O
beaches O
of O
Northern O
Cape O

More O
than O
a O
thousand O
tonnes O
of O
crayfish O
have O
invaded O
Elands O
bay O
, O
some O
200 O
kilometres O
( O
120 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
Cape O
Town O
, O
since O
the B-T
weekend I-T
, O
the O
second O
invasion O
in O
three B-T
weeks I-T
. O

Police O
have O
been O
forced O
to O
set O
up O
barriers O
and O
scoop O
up O
the O
crayfish O
with O
excavators O
to O
prevent O
people O
from O
collecting O
the O
highly O
- O
sought O
after O
shellfish O
. O

The O
crayfish O
have O
been O
heading O
to O
the O
beaches O
to O
escape O
a O
toxic O
red O
tide O
- O
- O
a O
concentration O
of O
micro O
- O
organisms O
which O
depletes O
oxygen O
levels O
in O
the O
water O
. O

Thousands O
of O
people O
have O
flocked O
to O
the O
coast O
to O
collect O
the O
crustacea O
. O
However O
South O
African O
legislation O
has O
strict O
fishing O
laws O
concerning O
the O
delicacy O
. O
Excepting O
those O
holding O
a O
special O
permit O
, O
the O
law O
limits O
fishermen O
to O
four O
crayfish O
per O
day O
during O
the O
fishing O
season B-T
. O

Cape O
Attorney O
- O
General O
Frank O
Kahn O
warned O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
people O
collecting O
crayfish O
without O
a O
permit O
or O
those O
caught O
in O
possession O
of O
more O
than O
four O
crayfish O
would O
be O
prosecuted O
, O
irrespective O
of O
whether O
the O
crayfish O
were O
dead O
or O
alive O
. O

Residents O
in O
the O
surrounding O
areas O
have O
nevertheless O
asked O
permission O
to O
collect O
and O
sell O
the O
crayfish O
to O
raise O
funding O
to O
improve O
their O
communities O
. O

Even O
though O
the O
environmental O
affairs O
and O
tourism O
ministry O
considered O
suspending O
the O
law O
, O
they O
said O
it O
would O
be O
" O
irresponsible O
to O
allow O
communities O
to O
access O
to O
untested O
crayfish O
which O
may O
not O
be O
fit O
for O
consumption O
. O
" O

Fishing O
authorities O
have O
called O
the O
red O
tide O
an O
ecological O
disaster O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0328 O

MBUJI O
- O
MAYI O
, O
Zaire O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENT O
Kinshasa O
next O
target O
of O
Zairean O
rebels O

Zairean O
rebel O
leader O
Laurent O
Kabila O
said O
Tuesday B-T
in O
this O
diamond O
centre O
held O
by O
his O
forces O
that O
his O
next O
" O
target O
" O
was O
the O
capital O
Kinshasa O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0245 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Ld O
: O
China O
confirms O
first O
human O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O

China O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
on O
Wednesday B-T
confirmed O
two O
human O
cases O
and O
one O
suspected O
case O
of O
H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
. O

The O
two O
confirmed O
cases O
involve O
a O
nine O
- O
year O
- O
old O
boy O
in O
Xiangtan O
County O
of O
Hunan O
Province O
, O
central O
China O
, O
and O
a O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
farmer O
in O
Zongyang O
County O
of O
Anhui O
Province O
in O
the O
east O
. O

Earlier O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
ministry O
said O
three O
human O
cases O
had O
been O
confirmed O
. O

The O
boy O
surnamed O
He O
had O
fever O
and O
showed O
pneumonia O
- O
like O
symptoms O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
. O
There O
was O
an O
outbreak O
of O
H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
occurred O
in O
his O
village O
. O

Lab O
tests O
on O
the O
boy O
' O
s O
blood O
serum O
samples O
show O
his O
H5 O
antibodies O
rose O
by O
more O
than O
four O
times O
, O
which O
indicates O
that O
he O
was O
infected O
by O
the O
H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
virus O
. O

Based O
on O
clinical O
and O
lab O
tests O
, O
experts O
from O
the O
ministry O
and O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
confirmed O
the O
boy O
as O
a O
human O
case O
of O
H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
. O
He O
was O
discharged O
from O
hospital O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
after O
recovery O
. O

The O
woman O
farmer O
in O
Anhui O
developed O
fever O
and O
pneumonia O
- O
like O
symptoms O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
and O
died O
of O
prostration O
of O
breathing O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
. O
Chickens O
and O
ducks O
at O
her O
home O
died O
one O
to O
two B-T
weeks I-T
before O
she O
fell O
ill O
and O
she O
had O
contacts O
with O
sick O
and O
dead O
chickens O
and O
ducks O
, O
the O
ministry O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
boy O
' O
s O
12 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
sister O
, O
who O
had O
similar O
symptoms O
as O
her O
brother O
and O
died O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, O
was O
reported O
as O
a O
suspected O
human O
case O
according O
to O
WHO O
standards O
, O
said O
the O
ministry O
. O

The O
experts O
from O
the O
ministry O
suspected O
the O
girl O
of O
being O
a O
human O
case O
of O
H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
, O
but O
cannot O
confirm O
it O
by O
WHO O
standards O
due O
to O
insufficient O
evidence O
from O
laboratory O
tests O
, O
according O
to O
the O
ministry O
. O

The O
ministry O
has O
reported O
the O
cases O
to O
the O
WHO O
and O
related O
authorities O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Macao O
and O
Taiwan O
, O
as O
well O
as O
some O
countries O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0121 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
' O
s O
elderly O
deserted O
by O
own O
families O
: O
report O

In O
China O
, O
the O
case O
of O
a O
71 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
homeless O
man O
who O
committed O
arson O
to O
get O
a O
place O
to O
live O
- O
- O
jail O
- O
- O
has O
highlighted O
the O
plight O
of O
millions O
of O
desperately O
poor O
elderly O
, O
state O
media O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

Li O
Zhaokun O
was O
detained O
in O
November B-T
after O
starting O
a O
forest O
fire O
on O
a O
mountainside O
in O
south O
China O
' O
s O
Guangdong O
province O
, O
the O
Xinhua O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Investigators O
were O
startled O
to O
find O
that O
he O
had O
only O
just O
completed O
a O
five O
- O
year O
term O
for O
arson O
, O
but O
wanted O
to O
return O
to O
prison O
, O
which O
at O
least O
promised O
food O
and O
shelter O
, O
according O
to O
Xinhua O
. O

He O
had O
attempted O
suicide O
twice O
, O
but O
each O
time O
he O
was O
saved O
and O
told O
to O
seek O
help O
in O
his O
home O
town O
. O

But O
Li O
, O
who O
had O
moved O
from O
place O
to O
place O
as O
a O
child O
and O
lost O
his O
parents O
before O
he O
was O
10 O
, O
had O
one O
problem O
: O
" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
know O
where O
I O
' O
m O
from O
. O
" O

Li O
' O
s O
case O
may O
be O
extreme O
, O
but O
it O
reflects O
growing O
social O
pressures O
in O
China O
, O
as O
the O
number O
of O
elderly O
without O
family O
networks O
explodes O
. O

China O
' O
s O
modernization O
is O
partly O
to O
blame O
, O
because O
old O
customs O
like O
the O
obligation O
to O
venerate O
and O
care O
for O
the O
elderly O
are O
breaking O
down O
. O

But O
economic O
factors O
are O
also O
at O
work O
, O
as O
millions O
of O
young O
farmers O
move O
to O
the O
cities O
in O
hopes O
of O
finding O
jobs O
, O
leaving O
their O
parents O
behind O
, O
many O
with O
little O
financial O
support O
. O

A O
recent O
survey O
covering O
10 O
, O
400 O
peasants O
over O
the O
age O
of O
60 O
in O
31 O
provinces O
showed O
45 O
percent O
were O
not O
living O
with O
their O
children O
and O
five O
percent O
did O
not O
know O
where O
their O
next O
meal O
would O
come O
from O
, O
according O
to O
Xinhua O
. O

Sixty O
- O
nine O
percent O
had O
just O
one O
set O
of O
clothes O
and O
67 O
percent O
could O
not O
afford O
medicine O
. O

Young O
farmers O
were O
also O
surveyed O
, O
and O
at O
least O
half O
did O
not O
care O
about O
their O
parents O
' O
situation O
, O
said O
Zhai O
Yuhe O
, O
a O
coal O
mine O
owner O
from O
northeast O
China O
' O
s O
Heilongjiang O
province O
, O
who O
financed O
the O
survey O
. O

" O
I O
know O
a O
man O
in O
his O
90s O
. O
His O
six O
children O
collectively O
give O
him O
30 O
to O
50 O
yuan O
( O
3 O
. O
8 O
to O
6 O
. O
3 O
dollars O
) O
a O
month O
, O
" O
Zhai O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

" O
But O
no O
one O
offers O
to O
accept O
him O
in O
their O
home O
. O
No O
one O
would O
be O
there O
to O
help O
him O
if O
he O
had O
an O
accident O
or O
fell O
ill O
. O
" O

Some O
elderly O
are O
under O
so O
much O
strain O
that O
they O
seek O
court O
action O
to O
force O
their O
children O
to O
provide O
help O
. O

In O
Beijing O
, O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
000 O
rural O
parents O
sued O
their O
children O
for O
support O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
city O
' O
s O
Intermediate O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
, O
Xinhua O
reported O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0073 O

VLORE O
, O
Albania O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Italians O
dock O
at O
rebel O
held O
port O
in O
southern O
Albania O

Italian O
forces O
from O
the O
multinational O
protection O
force O
for O
lawless O
Albania O
prepared O
to O
dock O
at O
the O
rebel O
- O
held O
port O
of O
Vlore O
early O
Monday B-T
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

The O
boats O
arrived O
off O
- O
shore O
around O
dawn O
and O
were O
sitting O
several O
hundred O
meters O
( O
yards O
) O
from O
the O
quayside O
where O
the O
troops O
and O
their O
equipment O
will O
unload O
. O
There O
were O
two O
vessels O
, O
an O
amphibious O
craft O
, O
the O
San O
Giusto O
( O
eds O
: O
correct O
) O
and O
the O
Vitorio O
Veneto O
. O

When O
the O
troops O
unload O
they O
will O
be O
the O
first O
to O
deploy O
in O
a O
rebel O
- O
held O
area O
of O
the O
country O
which O
has O
been O
gripped O
by O
lawlessness O
and O
banditry O
for O
nearly B-T
two I-T
months I-T
. O

Italy O
leads O
the O
6 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
force O
, O
half O
of O
which O
has O
already O
been O
deployed O
in O
the O
country O
. O
Additional O
Italian O
troops O
and O
a O
Greek O
force O
of O
some O
130 O
men O
and O
equipment O
are O
due O
to O
meet O
up O
with O
the O
soldiers O
aboard O
the O
ships O
later O
Monday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0360 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
international O
news O
advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
9 O

The O
following O
are O
some O
of O
the O
major O
international O
news O
stories O
scheduled O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

- O
- O
As O
many O
as O
508 O
schoolchildren O
in O
central O
Peru O
poisoned O
after O
eating O
government O
- O
provided O
breakfast O
. O

- O
- O
Britain O
supports O
Macedonia O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
join O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

- O
- O
Donald O
Tsang O
, O
chief O
executive O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
Special O
Administrative O
Region O
( O
HKSAR O
) O
, O
meets O
Belgian O
and O
European O
political O
leaders O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0676 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Weapons O
buyback O
massively O
cut O
gun O
deaths O
: O
Australian O
study O

A O
weapons O
buyback O
in O
Australia O
dramatically O
ended O
gun O
massacres O
and O
sharply O
reduced O
the O
number O
of O
firearms O
deaths O
overall O
, O
a O
study O
published O
on O
Thursday B-T
says O
. O

The O
initiative O
was O
launched O
in O
1996 B-T
, O
within O
days O
of O
a O
massacre O
of O
35 O
people O
in O
Port O
Arthur O
, O
Tasmania O
, O
by O
a O
gunman O
using O
semi O
- O
automatic O
weapons O
. O

Under O
the O
new O
law O
, O
the O
federal O
government O
banned O
semi O
- O
automatics O
and O
pump O
- O
action O
rifles O
and O
shotguns O
and O
offered O
to O
buy O
these O
weapons O
from O
gunowners O
, O
using O
a O
levy O
on O
income O
tax O
. O

Tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
gunowners O
also O
voluntarily O
surrendered O
non O
- O
prohibited O
weapons O
, O
without O
compensation O
. O

In O
all O
, O
more O
than O
700 O
, O
000 O
guns O
were O
destroyed O
in O
a O
country O
with O
a O
population O
of O
12 O
million O
adults O
. O

Looking O
back O
at O
the O
effects O
that O
this O
measure O
has O
had O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
decade I-T
, O
Australian O
public O
- O
health O
experts O
say O
the O
benefits O
have O
been O
enormous O
. O

In O
the B-T
18 I-T
years I-T
prior O
to O
the O
Port O
Arthur O
massacre O
, O
Australia O
experienced O
13 O
mass O
shootings O
; O
there O
has O
been O
none O
since O
then O
, O
they O
say O
. O

The O
rate O
of O
homicides O
, O
suicides O
and O
fatal O
accidents O
involving O
firearms O
had O
been O
declining O
in O
the B-T
18 I-T
years I-T
preceding O
the O
new O
gun O
law O
. O

After O
that O
, O
the O
decline O
doubled O
, O
with O
the O
biggest O
fall O
occurring O
among O
the O
tally O
of O
suicides O
. O

" O
Removing O
large O
numbers O
of O
firearms O
from O
a O
community O
can O
be O
associated O
with O
a O
sudden O
and O
ongoing O
decline O
in O
mass O
shootings O
and O
accelerating O
declines O
in O
total O
firearm O
- O
related O
deaths O
, O
firearm O
homicides O
and O
firearm O
suicides O
, O
" O
says O
the O
paper O
. O

It O
appears O
in O
Injury O
Prevention O
, O
a O
journal O
of O
the O
British O
Medical O
Association O
( O
BMA O
) O
. O
Lead O
author O
is O
Simon O
Chapman O
, O
a O
professor O
at O
the O
School O
of O
Public O
Health O
at O
the O
University O
of O
Sydney O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0457 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Australians O
relish O
the O
chance O
to O
play O
Brazil O
in O
World O
Cup O

Australians O
were O
Sunday O
coming O
to O
terms O
with O
drawing O
champions O
Brazil O
in O
the O
2006 O
World O
Cup O
finals O
, O
with O
press O
reports O
upbeat O
that O
the O
Socceroos O
could O
match O
the O
favourites O
. O

Under O
a O
frontpage O
headline O
of O
' O
We O
' O
re O
ready O
to O
do O
battle O
' O
, O
The O
Sunday O
Telegraph O
quoted O
star O
striker O
Harry O
Kewell O
as O
saying O
the O
Socceroos O
were O
excited O
about O
the O
prospect O
of O
playing O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
fussed O
about O
who O
we O
are O
playing O
. O
We O
' O
re O
just O
looking O
forward O
to O
it O
, O
" O
the O
Liverpool O
player O
told O
the O
paper O
. O

" O
Look O
what O
happened O
at O
the O
last O
World O
Cup O
with O
the O
top O
countries O
like O
France O
and O
Argentina O
. O
They O
were O
knocked O
out O
in O
the O
first O
round O
. O

" O
Look O
what O
Greece O
did O
when O
they O
won O
the O
Euro O
( O
European O
Championship O
) O
in O
2004 B-T
. O
No O
one O
gave O
them O
a O
chance O
. O
" O

But O
a O
photograph O
of O
soccer O
fans O
watching O
the O
draw O
live O
early B-T
Saturday I-T
morning I-T
Sydney O
time O
published O
in O
The O
Sun O
- O
Herald O
told O
a O
different O
story O
- O
- O
all O
pictured O
had O
their O
heads O
in O
their O
hands O
or O
looks O
of O
anguish O
on O
their O
faces O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
not O
the O
' O
group O
of O
death O
. O
' O
But O
it O
feels O
like O
it O
, O
" O
soccer O
journalist O
Michael O
Cockerill O
wrote O
in O
the O
same O
paper O
. O

" O
Brazil O
, O
the O
best O
team O
in O
the O
world O
. O
Croatia O
, O
the O
most O
motivated O
team O
in O
the O
world O
. O
And O
Japan O
, O
the O
best O
resourced O
, O
" O
he O
wrote O
in O
describing O
Australia O
' O
s O
companions O
in O
Group O
F O
. O

But O
while O
Brazil O
were O
certain O
to O
win O
the O
group O
, O
Australia O
had O
the O
benefit O
of O
having O
beaten O
all O
three O
teams O
previously O
, O
and O
Brazil O
had O
gone O
down O
1 O
- O
0 O
at O
the O
2001 O
Confederations O
Cup O
in O
South O
Korea O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
optimism O
was O
backed O
by O
Australian O
goalkeeper O
Mark O
Schwarzer O
who O
, O
in O
an O
article O
published O
in O
The O
Sun O
- O
Herald O
, O
said O
the O
Socceroos O
would O
go O
into O
the O
World O
Cup O
believing O
they O
were O
world O
- O
beaters O
. O

" O
Playing O
Brazil O
in O
the O
World O
Cup O
is O
going O
to O
be O
massive O
, O
" O
he O
wrote O
in O
a O
column O
for O
the O
paper O
. O
" O
They O
are O
justifiably O
rated O
No O
. O
1 O
in O
the O
world O
, O
but O
anything O
is O
possible O
in O
the O
World O
Cup O
. O

" O
Even O
though O
people O
might O
say O
we O
are O
crazy O
and O
have O
no O
chance O
of O
beating O
Brazil O
, O
I O
think O
that O
if O
we O
don O
' O
t O
hold O
that O
belief O
and O
that O
mentality O
before O
we O
play O
then O
there O
is O
something O
wrong O
. O
" O

The O
Australians O
, O
who O
are O
ranked O
49th O
in O
the O
world O
, O
also O
won O
some O
support O
from O
an O
unusual O
quarter O
with O
Brazilian O
legend O
Pele O
telling O
The O
Sun O
- O
Herald O
that O
Australia O
could O
pose O
a O
threat O
to O
the O
boys O
from O
Brazil O
. O

Asked O
if O
Australia O
had O
a O
chance O
of O
beating O
Brazil O
in O
their O
group O
match O
in O
Munich O
, O
Pele O
replied O
: O
" O
I O
think O
yes O
. O
They O
beat O
Uruguay O
, O
so O
why O
not O
? O
" O

But O
he O
added O
: O
" O
I O
think O
it O
will O
be O
a O
little O
bit O
different O
here O
though O
. O
" O

The O
Socceroos O
earned O
their O
first O
spot O
at O
the O
World O
Cup O
in O
32 B-T
years I-T
in O
November B-T
when O
they O
beat O
Uruguay O
in O
a O
dramatic O
4 O
- O
2 O
penalty O
shoot O
- O
out O
win O
after O
extra O
time O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0222 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Gaza O

Arab O
League O
( O
AL O
) O
Secretary O
General O
Amr O
Moussa O
on O
Saturday B-T
regretted O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
veto O
against O
a O
United O
Nations O
Security O
Council O
draft O
resolution O
condemning O
the O
Israeli O
attacks O
against O
the O
Palestinian O
civilians O
. O

Expressing O
anger O
and O
astonishment O
over O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
veto O
, O
Moussa O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
that O
the O
veto O
would O
fuel O
anger O
over O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
protection O
to O
the O
Israeli O
practices O
against O
the O
Palestinian O
civilians O
. O

The O
Arabs O
would O
urge O
the O
UN O
General O
Assembly O
to O
take O
actions O
to O
provide O
protection O
for O
civilians O
in O
the O
occupied O
Palestinian O
territories O
and O
call O
for O
respect O
for O
the O
international O
law O
, O
he O
stressed O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
veto O
would O
encourage O
Israel O
to O
continue O
its O
aggression O
. O

Arab O
foreign O
ministers O
will O
discuss O
the O
latest O
developments O
at O
an O
emergency O
meeting O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
Moussa O
added O
. O

The O
United O
States O
on O
Saturday B-T
vetoed O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
draft O
resolution O
that O
would O
have O
condemned O
an O
Israeli O
attack O
in O
Beit O
Hanoun O
in O
northern O
Gaza O
that O
killed O
at O
least O
19 O
Palestinian O
civilians O
, O
and O
urging O
a O
quick O
withdrawal O
of O
Israeli O
forces O
from O
the O
area O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0247 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
marks O
Journalist O
Day O

China O
issued O
the O
16th O
China O
Journalism O
Awards O
and O
the O
7th O
Changjiang O
Taofen O
Awards O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
to O
celebrate O
the O
7th O
China O
Journalist O
Day O
. O

Li O
Changchun O
, O
member O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
Central O
Committee O
Political O
Bureau O
, O
attended O
the O
gathering O
and O
handed O
out O
the O
top O
awards O
. O

Liu O
Yunshan O
, O
member O
of O
both O
of O
the O
Politburo O
and O
Secretariat O
of O
the O
CPC O
Central O
Committee O
, O
delivered O
a O
key O
- O
note O
speech O
at O
the O
gathering O
, O
calling O
on O
journalists O
to O
give O
top O
priority O
to O
studying O
the O
essence O
of O
the O
recent O
Sixth O
Plenary O
Session O
of O
the O
16th O
CPC O
Central O
Committee O
. O

He O
called O
on O
journalists O
to O
" O
give O
powerful O
ideological O
and O
public O
support O
for O
building O
a O
harmonious O
society O
. O
" O

Present O
at O
the O
meeting O
were O
State O
- O
councilor O
Chen O
Zhili O
and O
Vice O
- O
Chairman O
of O
the O
National O
Committee O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Political O
Consultative O
Conference O
( O
CPPCC O
) O
Chen O
Kuiyuan O
. O

Tian O
Congming O
, O
president O
of O
the O
Xinhua O
News O
Agency O
and O
chairman O
of O
the O
All O
- O
China O
Journalists O
Association O
, O
also O
delivered O
a O
speech O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0286 O

BANGKOK O
. O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

30 O
, O
000 O
Thais O
to O
rally O
on O
Constitution O
Day O
to O
demand O
election O

A O
pro O
- O
democracy O
group O
of O
Thailand O
Wednesday B-T
threatened O
to O
organize O
a O
mass O
protest O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
demanding O
the O
government O
to O
call O
a O
general O
election O
within O
90 B-T
days O
. O

Chanapat O
na O
Nakhon O
, O
chairman O
of O
Democracy O
Lover O
Network O
was O
Wednesday B-T
quoted O
by O
Thai O
news O
group O
The O
Nation O
as O
saying O
that O
laborers O
from O
Bangkok O
, O
farmers O
from O
ten O
northeast O
provinces O
, O
five O
southern O
provinces O
and O
six O
northern O
provinces O
totaling O
30 O
, O
000 O
people O
will O
join O
the O
protest O
at O
the O
Democracy O
Monument O
. O

He O
denied O
that O
his O
group O
is O
pro O
- O
Thaksin O
Shinawatra O
saying O
that O
some O
members O
of O
group O
was O
once O
duped O
by O
Thaksin O
government O
but O
they O
have O
left O
his O
group O
. O
" O
We O
are O
purely O
democracy O
lovers O
and O
we O
want O
to O
restore O
democracy O
to O
the O
country O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0173 O

HAIKOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Senior O
CPC O
official O
calls O
for O
nurturing O
harmonious O
culture O

A O
high O
ranking O
official O
of O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
China O
( O
CPC O
) O
has O
stressed O
the O
importance O
of O
nurturing O
a O
harmonious O
culture O
compatible O
with O
the O
theme O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
development O
. O

After O
a O
four O
- O
day O
tour O
of O
the O
southernmost O
island O
of O
Hainan O
, O
Li O
Changchun O
, O
a O
member O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
Political O
Bureau O
of O
the O
CPC O
Central O
Committee O
, O
ordered O
local O
officials O
to O
push O
forward O
cultural O
reforms O
with O
a O
focus O
on O
rural O
cultural O
life O
. O

He O
urged O
that O
a O
publicity O
campaign O
be O
launched O
to O
let O
people O
know O
the O
significance O
of O
building O
a O
harmonious O
society O
, O
which O
should O
be O
based O
on O
the O
creation O
of O
a O
core O
value O
system O
. O

To O
achieve O
this O
goal O
, O
the O
nation O
should O
be O
armed O
with O
Marxism O
that O
fits O
the O
concrete O
situations O
of O
China O
, O
he O
said O
. O

He O
visited O
rural O
areas O
in O
Qionghai O
city O
and O
paid O
special O
attention O
to O
the O
development O
of O
ecology O
- O
friendly O
villages O
. O

Li O
said O
it O
was O
important O
to O
improve O
public O
culture O
services O
, O
to O
popularize O
knowledge O
of O
modern O
farming O
, O
and O
to O
enrich O
cultural O
activities O
for O
people O
living O
in O
the O
countryside O
. O

Residential O
communities O
, O
schools O
, O
families O
, O
and O
factories O
should O
also O
launch O
a O
drive O
to O
build O
a O
harmonious O
culture O
, O
Li O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0174 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vice O
president O
of O
DR O
Congo O
arrives O
in O
Beijing O

Vice O
President O
of O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
Abdoulaye O
Yerodia O
Ndombasi O
arrived O
here O
Thursday B-T
evening I-T
for O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
. O

Forty O
eight O
African O
countries O
that O
have O
diplomatic O
relations O
with O
China O
are O
to O
participate O
in O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
scheduled O
to O
start O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
. I-T

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0303 O

NICOSIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ankara O
ties O

Cyprus O
promised O
Thursday B-T
its O
continued O
efforts O
for O
the O
Finnish O
initiative O
on O
Nicosia O
- O
Ankara O
ties O
after O
the O
rotating O
EU O
presidency O
decided O
to O
call O
off O
consultations O
with O
all O
parties O
concerned O
with O
a O
view O
to O
avert O
any O
crisis O
in O
EU O
- O
Turkish O
relations O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
, O
Government O
Spokesman O
Christodoulos O
Pashiardis O
noted O
that O
Nicosia O
has O
been O
officially O
informed O
by O
Finland O
that O
no O
proximity O
consultations O
will O
take O
place O
on O
the O
Finnish O
initiative O
though O
it O
will O
continue O
its O
efforts O
. O

" O
We O
understand O
that O
this O
development O
( O
the O
cancellation O
of O
consultations O
) O
is O
due O
to O
the O
positions O
and O
the O
terms O
presented O
by O
the O
Turkish O
side O
, O
which O
with O
its O
whole O
stance O
has O
rendered O
the O
holding O
of O
proximity O
consultations O
unachievable O
, O
" O
Pashiardis O
said O
. O

" O
The O
Cypriot O
government O
will O
continue O
to O
hold O
consultations O
with O
the O
Finnish O
Presidency O
, O
observing O
the O
same O
constructive O
stance O
and O
attitude O
that O
it O
has O
maintained O
so O
far O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Finland O
, O
as O
the O
rotating O
EU O
presidency O
, O
has O
been O
working O
on O
a O
draft O
proposal O
, O
providing O
for O
opening O
of O
Turkish O
occupied O
port O
of O
Famagusta O
under O
the O
EU O
administration O
for O
24 B-T
months I-T
in O
combination O
with O
the O
opening O
of O
Turkish O
ports O
to O
ships O
carrying O
the O
Cypriot O
flag O
and O
the O
transfer O
of O
Famagusta O
to O
the O
UN O
. O

For O
the O
purpose O
, O
it O
has O
been O
focusing O
on O
preparing O
the O
ground O
for O
a O
possible O
meeting O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
in O
Helsinki O
between O
Cyprus O
and O
Turkey O
. O

However O
, O
Finnish O
Foreign O
Minister O
Erkki O
Tuomioja O
announced O
earlier O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
the O
consultations O
in O
Finland O
were O
cancelled O
, O
but O
" O
efforts O
to O
find O
a O
solution O
that O
will O
enable O
the O
uninterrupted O
continuation O
of O
Turkey O
' O
s O
accession O
negotiations O
and O
improve O
the O
situation O
of O
both O
communities O
in O
Cyprus O
will O
continue O
. O
" O

The O
Finnish O
presidency O
is O
trying O
to O
avert O
any O
possible O
derailment O
of O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
accession O
course O
, O
following O
Ankara O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
meet O
its O
EU O
obligations O
and O
Cyprus O
' O
position O
that O
Turkey O
must O
do O
exactly O
that O
before O
accession O
negotiations O
are O
allowed O
to O
move O
further O
on O
, O
said O
Tuomioja O
. O

Cyprus O
has O
been O
divided O
since O
1974 B-T
when O
Turkey O
militarily O
intervened O
and O
occupied O
the O
north O
of O
Cyprus O
following O
a O
coup O
by O
a O
group O
of O
Greek O
officers O
. O

Turkey O
, O
a O
country O
aspiring O
to O
become O
an O
EU O
member O
state O
, O
does O
not O
recognize O
the O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
and O
has O
failed O
so O
far O
to O
implement O
the O
EU O
- O
Turkey O
Customs O
Union O
Protocol O
, O
which O
provides O
for O
opening O
of O
its O
ports O
and O
airports O
to O
Cyprus O
. O

The O
EU O
formally O
launched O
talks O
with O
Turkey O
over O
the O
country O
' O
s O
accession O
last B-T
October I-T
. O
The O
negotiations O
are O
expected O
to O
last O
at O
least O
a O
decade O
and O
Ankara O
is O
required O
to O
meet O
a O
number O
of O
criteria O
spelled O
out O
by O
the O
EU O
before O
entry O
. O

The O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
, O
which O
entered O
the O
EU O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
whole O
island O
in O
May B-T
2004 I-T
, O
is O
able O
to O
block O
Turkey O
' O
s O
entry O
talks O
with O
its O
veto O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0230 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russia O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Pacific O
Tsunami O
Warning O
Center O
in O
Hawaii O
issued O
a O
tsunami O
warning O
on O
Wednesday B-T
for O
northern O
Japan O
and O
Russia O
after O
a O
major O
earthquake O
hit O
near O
the O
Kurile O
Islands O
north O
of O
Japan O
. O

The O
center O
said O
it O
was O
not O
known O
if O
a O
tsunami O
was O
generated O
and O
the O
warning O
was O
based O
only O
on O
the O
evaluation O
of O
the O
earthquake O
, O
which O
has O
been O
upgraded O
to O
magnitude O
8 O
. O
1 O
from O
the O
previously O
reported O
7 O
. O
7 O
. O

" O
An O
earthquake O
of O
this O
size O
has O
the O
potential O
to O
generate O
a O
destructive O
tsunami O
that O
can O
strike O
coastlines O
in O
the O
region O
near O
the O
epicenter O
within O
minutes O
to O
hours O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

Small O
tsunami O
wave O
of O
40 O
centimeters O
has O
been O
reported O
by O
Japan O
' O
s O
Meteorological O
Agency O
. O

The O
small O
tsunami O
wave O
hit O
Nemuro O
, O
a O
port O
in O
Japan O
' O
s O
northernmost O
island O
of O
Hokkaido O
, O
at O
9 O
: O
29 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
1229 O
GMT O
) O
, O
the O
agency O
said O
, O
warning O
that O
larger O
waves O
could O
follow O
. O
But O
TV O
footage O
of O
Nemuro O
has O
so O
far O
shown O
no O
signs O
of O
any O
larger O
tsunami O
. O

The O
quake O
, O
which O
struck O
about O
390 O
km O
east O
of O
the O
Etorofu O
islands O
, O
north O
of O
Japan O
, O
at O
1115 O
GMT O
, O
could O
generate O
a O
tsunami O
of O
about O
2 O
meters O
or O
more O
, O
Japan O
' O
s O
Meteorological O
Agency O
said O
earlier O
. O
No O
injuries O
or O
damage O
have O
been O
reported O
so O
far O
. O

The O
agency O
also O
issued O
a O
tsunami O
warning O
15 B-T
minutes I-T
after O
the O
quake O
, O
causing O
authorities O
to O
demand O
the O
residents O
living O
along O
the O
northern O
and O
eastern O
coasts O
of O
Hokkaido O
to O
evacuate O
to O
higher O
grounds O
. O

In O
Tokyo O
, O
roughly O
1 O
, O
700 O
km O
southwest O
of O
the O
quake O
scene O
, O
the O
Japanese O
government O
has O
set O
up O
a O
special O
office O
to O
collect O
information O
about O
tsunami O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0712 O

HARARE O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Fanuel O
Jongwe O

Zimbabwe O
' O
s O
veteran O
ruler O
Robert O
Mugabe O
may O
be O
handed O
two O
extra O
years O
in O
power O
this B-T
weekend I-T
during O
the O
annual O
meeting O
of O
his O
ruling O
party O
which O
is O
set O
to O
recommend O
he O
remain O
at O
the O
helm O
until O
2010 B-T
. O

Mugabe O
, O
who O
has O
led O
his O
country O
since O
its O
1980 O
independence O
from O
British O
colonial O
rule O
, O
completes O
his O
sixth O
term O
in O
2008 B-T
, O
when O
presidential O
elections O
are O
due O
. O

But O
his O
ruling O
Zimbabwe O
African O
National O
Union O
- O
Patriotic O
Front O
( O
ZANU O
- O
PF O
) O
supporters O
have O
held O
a O
series O
of O
meetings O
to O
set O
the O
agenda O
for O
the O
conference O
and O
agreed O
to O
pass O
a O
resolution O
to O
defer O
presidential O
elections O
to O
2010 O
. O

" O
There O
is O
a O
feeling O
in O
the O
party O
that O
it O
would O
be O
a O
good O
thing O
to O
merge O
the O
parliamentary O
and O
presidential O
elections O
in O
order O
to O
save O
money O
, O
" O
party O
spokesman O
Nathan O
Shamuyarira O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
state O
- O
run O
Herald O
daily O
. O

" O
It O
makes O
commonsense O
that O
we O
should O
do O
so O
, O
but O
the O
item O
is O
not O
on O
the O
agenda O
of O
the O
conference O
, O
but O
it O
could O
come O
up O
from O
the O
floor O
again O
or O
from O
the O
provinces O
. O
" O

Mugabe O
opens O
the O
conference O
on O
Friday B-T
in O
the O
obscure O
rural O
centre O
of O
Goromonzi O
although O
preparatory O
meetings O
were O
beginning O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
ruling O
party O
' O
s O
mouthpiece O
The O
Voice O
said O
in O
its O
latest O
edition O
that O
although O
simultaneous O
elections O
were O
" O
not O
on O
the O
agenda O
, O
it O
might O
end O
up O
being O
partly O
discussed O
if O
the O
provinces O
raise O
it O
in O
their O
reports O
. O
" O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
Justice O
and O
Parliamentary O
Affairs O
Minister O
Patrick O
Chinamasa O
said O
the O
government O
was O
considering O
amending O
the O
constitution O
to O
merge O
parliamentary O
and O
presidential O
elections O
before O
Mugabe O
' O
s O
current O
term O
expires O
. O

He O
said O
ZANU O
- O
PF O
was O
considering O
bringing O
forward O
the O
end O
of O
the O
current O
parliamentary O
term O
from O
2010 O
to O
2008 O
to O
hold O
both O
presidential O
and O
parliamentary O
elections O
that B-T
year I-T
or O
stage O
the O
presidential O
elections O
in O
2008 B-T
but O
allow O
the O
winner O
two B-T
years I-T
and O
hold O
presidential O
polls O
again O
two B-T
years I-T
later O
. O

The O
third O
option O
was O
for O
the O
president O
to O
serve O
seven O
years O
from O
2008 B-T
to O
2015 O
and O
have O
concurrent O
elections O
from O
then O
onwards O
. O

The O
newspaper O
said O
three O
- O
day O
congress O
, O
which O
will O
debate O
the O
theme O
of O
" O
consolidating O
our O
independence O
" O
will O
also O
discuss O
Zimbabwe O
' O
s O
1 O
, O
000 O
- O
percent O
- O
plus O
inflation O
rate O
and O
ravaged O
economy O
. O

The O
meeting O
is O
also O
to O
take O
stock O
of O
the O
controversial O
seizure O
of O
white O
- O
owned O
farms O
for O
redistribution O
to O
landless O
blacks O
, O
which O
critics O
say O
has O
turned O
the O
former O
regional O
breadbasket O
into O
a O
food O
- O
hungry O
state O
. O

The O
party O
conference O
last B-T
year I-T
was O
held O
against O
the O
backdrop O
of O
its O
sweep O
in O
elections O
to O
a O
new O
parliamentary O
Senate O
. O

The O
main O
opposition O
Movement O
for O
Democratic O
Change O
split O
over O
a O
decision O
on O
whether O
to O
contest O
the O
polls O
to O
the O
newly O
created O
upper O
chamber O
. O

Since O
then O
the O
MDC O
, O
which O
once O
posed O
the O
biggest O
threat O
to O
Mugabe O
' O
s O
rule O
, O
has O
become O
a O
pale O
shadow O
of O
its O
former O
self O
with O
supporters O
divided O
between O
the O
two O
factions O
. O

This O
year O
' O
s O
party O
meeting O
comes O
as O
the O
country O
is O
reeling O
under O
chronic O
economic O
crises O
including O
four O
- O
digit O
inflation O
, O
crippling O
shortages O
of O
basic O
goods O
, O
food O
and O
fuel O
and O
skyrocketing O
unemployment O
. O

The O
conference O
is O
also O
expected O
to O
discuss O
food O
security O
, O
new O
laws O
to O
give O
locals O
a O
majority O
stake O
in O
mining O
firms O
and O
calls O
for O
an O
extension O
of O
price O
controls O
among O
other O
measures O
to O
address O
the O
many O
economic O
woes O
. O

Price O
controls O
were O
introduced O
by O
the O
government O
nearly B-T
four I-T
years I-T
ago I-T
to O
snuff O
out O
a O
burgeoning O
black O
market O
of O
basic O
commodities O
and O
a O
new O
law O
is O
under O
discussion O
for O
a O
new O
commission O
to O
be O
set O
up O
to O
monitor O
prices O
and O
salaries O
. O

Zimbabwe O
' O
s O
top O
union O
body O
has O
held O
several O
protests O
demanding O
a O
solution O
to O
the O
plight O
of O
workers O
bearing O
the O
brunt O
of O
the O
economic O
meltdown O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051120 O
. O
0006 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
China O
' O
s O
peaceful O
development O
inevitable O
, O
Hu O
says O

China O
' O
s O
path O
of O
peaceful O
development O
is O
" O
an O
inevitable O
choice O
" O
based O
on O
its O
national O
conditions O
, O
its O
historical O
and O
cultural O
traditions O
and O
the O
current O
development O
trend O
in O
today B-T
' O
s O
world O
, O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
said O
here O
Sunday B-T
. O

Hu O
made O
the O
remarks O
when O
meeting O
the O
press O
after O
his O
talks O
with O
visiting O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0330 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
clears O
acquisition O
of O
Intermagnetics O
by O
Philips O

The O
European O
Commission O
has O
cleared O
the O
proposed O
acquisition O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
based O
Intermagnetics O
by O
Philips O
, O
said O
the O
commission O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
commission O
concluded O
that O
the O
transaction O
would O
not O
significantly O
impede O
effective O
competition O
in O
the O
European O
Economic O
Area O
( O
EEA O
) O
- O
the O
25 O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
member O
states O
plus O
Iceland O
, O
Liechtenstein O
and O
Norway O
- O
or O
any O
substantial O
part O
of O
it O
. O

Philips O
markets O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
electrical O
and O
electronic O
products O
, O
such O
as O
lighting O
products O
, O
domestic O
appliances O
, O
consumer O
electronics O
, O
semiconductors O
and O
medical O
systems O
, O
including O
magnetic O
resonance O
imaging O
( O
MRI O
) O
systems O
. O

Intermagnetics O
manufactures O
magnets O
and O
radio O
- O
frequency O
used O
in O
MRI O
, O
as O
well O
as O
patient O
monitors O
, O
computer O
- O
aided O
detection O
systems O
and O
so O
- O
called O
functional O
MRI O
. O

In O
particular O
, O
Intermagnetics O
currently O
supplies O
radio O
- O
frequency O
coils O
to O
Philips O
and O
several O
other O
MRI O
system O
manufacturers O
. O
Thus O
, O
the O
commission O
analyzed O
whether O
the O
proposed O
transaction O
would O
enable O
the O
new O
entity O
to O
disrupt O
the O
supply O
of O
coils O
and O
to O
hinder O
its O
competitors O
to O
compete O
effectively O
on O
the O
market O
for O
MRI O
systems O
. O

The O
market O
investigation O
has O
shown O
that O
these O
risks O
are O
minimal O
, O
mainly O
due O
to O
economic O
incentives O
and O
the O
presence O
of O
several O
other O
suppliers O
of O
coils O
for O
MRI O
systems O
, O
said O
the O
commission O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0136 O

MANILA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Metro O
Manila O
to O
suspend O
classes O
due O
to O
typhoon O
threat O

The O
Philippine O
government O
announced O
the O
suspension O
of O
classes O
in O
all O
levels O
Thursday B-T
in O
Metro O
Manila O
and O
nearby O
provinces O
of O
Rizal O
, O
Cavite O
and O
Laguna O
, O
due O
to O
the O
threat O
of O
typhoon O
Durian O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
suspension O
was O
issued O
as O
the O
typhoon O
is O
expected O
to O
bring O
rains O
and O
strong O
winds O
to O
Luzon O
, O
according O
to O
a O
report O
by O
ANC O
TV O
. O

Weather O
bureau O
PAGASA O
said O
Durian O
has O
intensified O
further O
and O
increased O
its O
threat O
to O
Luzon O
. O
Storm O
Signal O
3 O
was O
hoisted O
over O
Catanduanes O
province O
in O
the O
Bicol O
region O
, O
while O
storm O
Signals O
1 O
and O
2 O
were O
also O
hoisted O
over O
10 O
other O
provinces O
. O

Residents O
in O
areas O
under O
Public O
Storm O
Warning O
Signal O
1 O
, O
2 O
and O
3 O
are O
alerted O
against O
possible O
flashfloods O
and O
landslides O
. O

As O
of O
11 O
a O
. O
m O
. O
local O
time O
, O
Durian O
was O
located O
400 O
kilometers O
east O
southeast O
of O
Virac O
, O
Catanduanes O
or O
360 O
kilometers O
east O
northeast O
of O
Catarman O
, O
Northern O
Samar O
. O
It O
was O
moving O
west O
northwest O
at O
26 O
kilometers O
per O
hour O
( O
kph O
) O
with O
maximum O
sustained O
winds O
of O
150 O
kph O
and O
gustiness O
of O
up O
to O
185 O
kph O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0475 O

PARIS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

French O
unemployment O
rate O
unchanged O
at O
8 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
October O

The O
French O
unemployment O
rate O
was O
8 O
. O
8 O
percent O
in O
October B-T
, O
unchanged O
from O
September O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Dominique O
de O
Villepin O
told O
media O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
number O
of O
registered O
unemployed O
people O
who O
are O
" O
immediately O
available O
" O
for O
work O
rose O
by O
just O
400 O
during O
October B-T
and O
the O
jobless O
rate O
remained O
stable O
at O
8 O
. O
8 O
percent O
of O
the O
workforce O
, O
the O
Labor O
Ministry O
said O
. O

" O
This B-T
month I-T
, O
the O
figures O
are O
stable O
. O
We O
remain O
at O
8 O
. O
8 O
percent O
but O
with O
the O
firm O
intention O
of O
re O
- O
starting O
the O
fall O
, O
" O
Villepin O
told O
the O
Europe O
1 O
radio O
station O
. O

Fighting O
unemployment O
has O
been O
a O
priority O
of O
the O
center O
- O
right O
government O
of O
Villepin O
and O
the O
number O
of O
unemployed O
has O
been O
steadily O
falling O
since O
March B-T
2005 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0225 O

MAR O
DEL O
PLATA O
, O
Argentina O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
to O
push O
for O
reviving O
trade O
talks O
at O
summit O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
is O
expected O
to O
push O
for O
re O
- O
activitating O
the O
stalled O
talks O
on O
establishing O
a O
Free O
Trade O
Zone O
for O
the O
Americas O
at O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
Summit O
of O
the O
Americas O
. O

President O
Bush O
, O
while O
acknowledging O
plans O
for O
the O
comprehensive O
free O
trade O
zone O
in O
the O
Western O
Hemisphere O
were O
stalled O
, O
has O
insisted O
that O
the O
free O
trade O
zone O
is O
needed O
for O
the O
Americas O
. O

Bush O
departed O
Washington O
early O
Thursday B-T
for O
Mar O
del O
Plata O
to O
attend O
the O
summit O
and O
will O
visit O
Brazil O
and O
Panama O
subsequently O
. O

The O
president O
' O
s O
father O
, O
former O
president O
George O
Bush O
, O
first O
proposed O
the O
establishment O
of O
the O
Free O
Trade O
Zone O
for O
the O
Americas O
in O
the O
1990 O
' O
s O
and O
at O
the O
first O
Summit O
of O
the O
Americas O
in O
the O
United O
States O
in O
1994 B-T
, O
leaders O
and O
heads O
of O
governments O
from O
34 O
countries O
who O
attended O
the O
summit O
agreed O
to O
set O
up O
such O
a O
free O
trade O
zone O
with O
January B-T
2005 I-T
as O
the O
deadline O
. O

However O
, O
talks O
on O
the O
Free O
Trade O
Zone O
for O
the O
Americas O
have O
been O
bogged O
down O
because O
of O
disagreements O
between O
the O
United O
States O
and O
countries O
like O
Brazil O
, O
Argentina O
, O
Paraguay O
and O
Uruguay O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061225 O
. O
0195 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
detail O
of O
broadcast O
, O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Queen O
Elizabeth O
II O
on O
Monday B-T
called O
for O
the O
bridging O
of O
the O
generation O
gap O
between O
young O
and O
old O
when O
she O
delivered O
her O
annual O
Christmas B-T
message O
to O
Britain O
and O
the O
Commonwealth O
. O

In O
a O
pre O
- O
recorded O
speech O
, O
which O
was O
broadcast O
on O
television O
and O
radio O
and O
for O
the O
first O
time O
this B-T
year I-T
as O
a O
podcast O
, O
the O
queen O
, O
80 O
, O
spoke O
of O
how O
parents O
, O
grandparents O
, O
the O
wider O
family O
and O
community O
all O
help O
children O
grow O
up O
. O

But O
, O
she O
said O
, O
modern O
life O
was O
loosening O
familial O
ties O
and O
the O
traditional O
bonds O
between O
the O
generations O
. O

" O
The O
pressures O
of O
modern O
life O
sometimes O
seem O
to O
be O
weakening O
the O
links O
which O
have O
traditionally O
kept O
us O
together O
as O
families O
and O
communities O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

" O
As O
children O
grow O
up O
and O
develop O
their O
own O
sense O
of O
confidence O
and O
independence O
in O
the O
ever O
- O
changing O
technological O
environment O
, O
there O
is O
always O
the O
danger O
of O
a O
real O
divide O
opening O
up O
between O
young O
and O
old O
, O
based O
on O
unfamiliarity O
, O
ignorance O
and O
misunderstanding O
. O
" O

The O
broadcast O
Christmas B-T
speech O
- O
- O
a O
tradition O
started O
by O
her O
grandfather O
king O
George O
V O
in O
1932 B-T
- O
- O
was O
recorded O
this B-T
year I-T
at O
Southwark O
Cathedral O
on O
the O
south O
bank O
of O
the O
River O
Thames O
in O
London O
. O

It O
included O
a O
montage O
of O
some O
of O
her O
many O
engagements O
this B-T
year I-T
and O
again O
had O
a O
strong O
religious O
theme O
, O
with O
footage O
showing O
people O
of O
all O
faiths O
in O
worship O
. O

It O
included O
images O
of O
men O
praying O
at O
London O
Central O
Mosque O
, O
scenes O
from O
the O
opening O
of O
Europe O
' O
s O
largest O
Hindu O
temple O
in O
the O
English O
West O
Midlands O
, O
and O
a O
Jewish O
reception O
involving O
the O
country O
' O
s O
chief O
rabbi O
. O

Wearing O
a O
spring O
green O
outfit O
, O
the O
queen O
- O
- O
who O
has O
seven O
grandchildren O
by O
her O
four O
children O
- O
- O
is O
also O
seen O
talking O
to O
schoolchildren O
as O
she O
helps O
them O
make O
a O
collage O
of O
a O
Christian O
nativity O
scene O
. O

The O
queen O
, O
who O
is O
head O
of O
the O
Church O
of O
England O
, O
said O
all O
faiths O
encouraged O
the O
bridging O
of O
the O
age O
divide O
and O
had O
in O
common O
the O
need O
to O
help O
the O
young O
become O
" O
considerate O
and O
active O
citizens O
" O
. O

As O
older O
people O
lived O
longer O
, O
the O
monarch O
said O
the O
opportunities O
had O
increased O
to O
bring O
old O
and O
young O
together O
. O

Older O
people O
could O
bring O
an O
invaluable O
" O
sense O
of O
context O
" O
and O
the O
" O
wisdom O
of O
experience O
" O
to O
the O
energy O
and O
ambitions O
of O
the O
young O
. O

" O
Such O
advice O
and O
comfort O
are O
probably O
needed O
more O
often O
than O
younger O
people O
admit O
or O
older O
people O
recognise O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

The O
queen O
' O
s O
speech O
came O
a O
day O
after O
she O
praised O
the O
courage O
and O
commitment O
of O
her O
armed O
forces O
, O
particularly O
those O
serving O
in O
Iraq O
and O
Afghanistan O
, O
in O
a O
separate O
, O
recorded O
Christmas O
greeting O
. O

Monday B-T
' O
s O
broadcast O
came O
at O
the O
same O
time O
as O
a O
Muslim O
woman O
in O
a O
full O
- O
face O
veil O
delivered O
an O
alternative O
Christmas O
message O
on O
Britain O
' O
s O
Channel O
4 O
television O
. O

The O
woman O
, O
known O
only O
as O
Khadijah O
said O
she O
felt O
more O
" O
liberated O
" O
since O
she O
began O
covering O
her O
face O
with O
the O
niqab O
10 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
and O
people O
should O
be O
more O
tolerant O
. O

Channel O
4 O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
air O
the O
broadcast O
came O
in O
for O
strong O
criticism O
, O
particularly O
in O
the O
right O
- O
wing O
press O
, O
at O
a O
time O
of O
fierce O
debate O
about O
the O
extent O
of O
ethnic O
and O
religious O
integration O
in O
modern O
Britain O
. O

But O
like O
the O
queen O
, O
Khadijah O
- O
- O
who O
said O
she O
was O
the O
great O
- O
granddaughter O
of O
a O
suffragette O
who O
fought O
for O
British O
women O
' O
s O
right O
to O
vote O
- O
- O
said O
her O
wish O
was O
for O
" O
peace O
on O
earth O
and O
good O
will O
to O
all O
humankind O
, O
regardless O
of O
race O
, O
colour O
or O
creed O
" O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970430 O
. O
0203 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Malaysia O
- O
US O
" O
open O
skies O
" O
deal O
to O
be O
signed O
in O
June O

Malaysia O
and O
the O
United O
States O
are O
to O
sign O
an O
" O
open O
skies O
" O
agreement O
liberalising O
bilateral O
aviation O
traffic O
in O
June B-T
, O
Malaysian O
Transport O
Minister O
Ling O
Liong O
Sik O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
national O
news O
agency O
Bernama O
quoted O
Ling O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
cabinet O
approved O
the O
signing O
of O
the O
pact O
at O
its O
weekly O
meeting O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Ling O
said O
the O
signing O
would O
take O
place O
after O
he O
attended O
the O
meeting O
of O
transport O
ministers O
from O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
( O
APEC O
) O
forum O
from O
June B-T
22 I-T
- I-T
24 I-T
in O
Victoria O
, O
Canada O
. O

Malaysia O
would O
be O
the O
second O
Asian O
country O
after O
Singapore O
to O
sign O
such O
an O
aviation O
agreement O
with O
the O
United O
States O
, O
which O
is O
pushing O
for O
an O
end O
to O
protected O
aviation O
markets O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0459 O

MOSUL O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

14 O
Kurds O
found O
murdered O
in O
northern O
Iraq O

Iraqi O
police O
found O
14 O
Kurdish O
farmers O
murdered O
in O
a O
field O
near O
the O
Syrian O
border O
, O
a O
government O
official O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
farmers O
from O
the O
town O
of O
Sinjar O
were O
shot O
dead O
and O
their O
bodies O
were O
first O
found O
by O
their O
relatives O
, O
said O
Dakheel O
Karim O
, O
administrator O
of O
Sinjar O
some O
50 O
kilometres O
( O
30 O
miles O
) O
from O
the O
Syrian O
border O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0533 O

TRIPOLI O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Afaf O
Gueblaoui O

It O
' O
s O
still O
possible O
that O
the O
death O
sentence O
given O
to O
five O
Bulgarian O
nurses O
and O
a O
Palestinian O
doctor O
for O
the O
infection O
of O
hundreds O
of O
Libyan O
children O
with O
HIV O
- O
AIDS O
will O
never O
be O
carried O
out O
. O

Libya O
' O
s O
supreme O
court O
could O
call O
off O
the O
execution O
, O
legal O
experts O
in O
Tripoli O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O
Or O
it O
could O
be O
averted O
if O
a O
deal O
on O
financial O
compensation O
is O
struck O
with O
the O
families O
of O
the O
affected O
children O
. O

The O
six O
condemned O
to O
death O
Monday B-T
had O
been O
accused O
of O
deliberately O
infecting O
426 O
children O
with O
HIV O
while O
they O
were O
working O
at O
Al O
- O
Fateh O
hospital O
in O
Benghazi O
, O
Libya O
' O
s O
second O
city O
on O
the O
Mediterranean O
coast O
, O
in O
the B-T
late I-T
1990s I-T
. O

More O
than O
50 O
of O
the O
youngsters O
have O
since O
died O
. O

The O
so O
- O
called O
Benghazi O
Six O
- O
- O
in O
detention O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
seven I-T
years I-T
- O
- O
had O
previously O
been O
tried O
and O
sentenced O
to O
die O
before O
a O
firing O
squad O
, O
before O
a O
retrial O
was O
ordered O
. O

A O
Libyan O
lawyer O
explained O
Wednesday B-T
: O
" O
The O
case O
now B-T
will O
be O
automatically O
referred O
to O
the O
supreme O
court O
, O
which O
will O
re O
- O
examine O
it O
in O
depth O
, O
enabling O
the O
defence O
to O
present O
its O
arguments O
once O
more O
. O

" O
That O
would O
be O
a O
positive O
thing O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

If O
the O
supreme O
court O
upholds O
the O
verdict O
, O
the O
case O
would O
go O
on O
to O
a O
superior O
judicial O
council O
where O
a O
panel O
of O
judges O
would O
have O
the O
power O
to O
" O
reduce O
, O
uphold O
or O
annul O
" O
the O
harsh O
sentence O
, O
he O
added O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Libya O
and O
Bulgaria O
have O
an O
extradition O
agreement O
that O
could O
see O
the O
nurses O
serving O
time O
in O
prison O
at O
home O
in O
lieu O
of O
execution O
in O
Libya O
, O
the O
lawyer O
said O
. O

Defence O
lawyer O
Othman O
al O
- O
Bizanti O
confirmed O
to O
AFP O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
his O
side O
would O
be O
going O
to O
the O
supreme O
court O
to O
lodge O
an O
appeal O
. O

" O
The O
court O
considers O
that O
they O
are O
guilty O
. O
We O
consider O
that O
they O
are O
innocent O
. O
It O
was O
for O
that O
reason O
that O
the O
supreme O
court O
was O
established O
, O
to O
judge O
such O
cases O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Monday B-T
' O
s O
verdict O
triggered O
an O
international O
outcry O
, O
with O
Germany O
- O
- O
which O
takes O
over O
the O
presidency O
of O
the O
European O
Union O
on O
January B-T
1 I-T
, O
the B-T
day I-T
Bulgaria O
joins O
the O
block O
- O
- O
vowing O
to O
maintain O
pressure O
on O
Tripoli O
. O

Supporters O
of O
the O
Benghazi O
Six O
argue O
that O
hygiene O
at O
the O
hospital O
was O
poor O
before O
the O
accused O
started O
work O
there O
, O
and O
that O
the O
children O
were O
likely O
infected O
with O
unsterilized O
and O
previously O
used O
medical O
instruments O
. O

Besides O
judicial O
procedures O
, O
the O
question O
of O
compensation O
could O
result O
in O
the O
lives O
of O
the O
medics O
being O
spared O
. O

Saleh O
Abdelsalam O
, O
director O
of O
the O
Kadhafi O
Foundation O
, O
a O
benevolent O
group O
headed O
by O
a O
son O
of O
Libyan O
leader O
Moamer O
Kadhafi O
, O
stressed O
the O
need O
to O
" O
reactivate O
Europe O
' O
s O
contribution O
" O
to O
a O
compensation O
fund O
that O
would O
enable O
a O
deal O
with O
families O
of O
the O
affected O
children O
. O

Bulgaria O
, O
in O
partnership O
with O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Britain O
, O
created O
in O
December B-T
2005 I-T
an O
international O
fund O
to O
help O
Libya O
combat O
AIDS O
, O
improve O
standards O
at O
the O
Benghazi O
hospital O
and O
compensate O
families O
. O

" O
Reactiving O
the O
fund O
has O
become O
very O
urgent O
, O
now B-T
that O
the O
verdict O
has O
come O
down O
, O
because O
it O
will O
be O
a O
tool O
to O
meet O
the O
goals O
( O
treatment O
and O
compensation O
) O
concerning O
the O
children O
and O
their O
families O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

According O
to O
a O
judicial O
source O
, O
a O
deal O
with O
the O
families O
would O
mean O
that O
they O
accept O
" O
blood O
money O
" O
in O
lieu O
of O
the O
execution O
of O
the O
accused O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970427 O
. O
0165 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
April B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Second O
moderate O
quakes O
rattle O
Los O
Angeles O
area O

A O
moderate O
earthquake O
rattled O
Los O
Angeles O
early B-T
Sunday I-T
for O
the B-T
second I-T
day I-T
in O
a O
row O
, O
spiking O
at O
4 O
. O
9 O
on O
the O
open O
- O
ended O
Richter O
scale O
, O
a O
spokeswoman O
with O
the O
US O
Geological O
Survey O
said O
. O

There O
were O
no O
immediate O
reports O
of O
damage O
. O

Pat O
Jurgenson O
said O
the O
quake O
hit O
at O
4 B-T
: I-T
09 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
1109 O
GMT O
) O
with O
the O
center O
at O
Val O
Verde O
about O
48 O
kilometers O
( O
30 O
miles O
) O
northwest O
of O
Los O
Angeles O
. O

She O
said O
it O
was O
yet O
another O
in O
a O
series O
of O
aftershocks O
from O
the O
January B-T
1994 I-T
Northridge O
quake O
and O
that O
it O
would O
probably O
be O
followed O
by O
other O
minor O
ones O
through O
the B-T
morning I-T
. O

She O
said O
they O
are O
all O
aftershocks O
of O
the O
6 O
. O
7 O
Northridge O
quake O
in O
January B-T
1994 I-T
that O
claimed O
61 O
lives O
and O
devastated O
parts O
of O
Los O
Angeles O
. O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
the O
largest O
temblor O
that O
was O
centered O
in O
the O
same O
region O
hit O
5 O
. O
0 O
on O
the O
open O
- O
ended O
Richter O
scale O
. O
That O
initial O
quake O
was O
followed O
by O
another O
temblor O
measuring O
4 O
. O
0 O
and O
then O
several O
smaller O
ones O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0062 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

from O
post O

Yong O
Zhansheng O
has O
been O
ousted O
from O
his O
post O
as O
deputy O
procurator O
- O
general O
of O
Beijing O
Municipal O
People O
' O
s O
Procuratorate O
for O
alleged O
" O
serious O
irregularities O
" O
of O
official O
disciplinary O
codes O
. O

Yong O
has O
been O
replaced O
by O
another O
person O
identified O
as O
Lu O
Xi O
, O
according O
to O
a O
decision O
made O
at O
the O
32nd O
meeting O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
12th O
Beijing O
Municipal O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
held O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Information O
from O
the O
congress O
gave O
no O
further O
details O
about O
the O
nature O
of O
Yong O
' O
s O
alleged O
breach O
of O
discipline O
. O

Yong O
was O
formerly O
a O
member O
of O
the O
elite O
Party O
group O
of O
the O
Municipal O
People O
' O
s O
Procuratorate O
and O
director O
of O
the O
political O
affairs O
section O
of O
the O
procuratorate O
. O
He O
was O
promoted O
to O
the O
post O
of O
deputy O
procurator O
- O
general O
in O
July B-T
2003 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0001 O

HAVANA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Castro O
meets O
senior O
Chinese O
military O
official O

Cuban O
leader O
Fidel O
Castro O
met O
with O
Liang O
Guanglie O
, O
chief O
of O
general O
staff O
of O
the O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Army O
( O
PLA O
) O
, O
here O
Friday B-T
on O
bilateral O
ties O
and O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
armed O
forces O
. O

Castro O
said O
the O
Cuban O
armed O
forces O
attaches O
great O
importance O
to O
developing O
relations O
with O
the O
Chinese O
side O
, O
and O
hoped O
that O
the O
two O
sides O
will O
enhance O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

Liang O
, O
who O
is O
also O
member O
of O
China O
' O
s O
Central O
Military O
Commission O
, O
said O
he O
was O
pleased O
to O
see O
the O
achievements O
Cuba O
has O
made O
under O
the O
leadership O
of O
Castro O
. O

Liang O
said O
he O
had O
reached O
broad O
consensus O
with O
Cuba O
' O
s O
top O
military O
leaders O
and O
the O
PLA O
is O
confident O
of O
forging O
friendly O
and O
cooperative O
ties O
with O
Cuba O
' O
s O
Revolutionary O
Armed O
Forces O
. O

Liang O
arrived O
here O
Friday B-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
. O
He O
also O
met O
with O
Raul O
Castro O
Ruz O
, O
vice O
- O
president O
of O
the O
Council O
of O
State O
and O
minister O
of O
Cuba O
' O
s O
Revolutionary O
Armed O
Forces O
, O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0054 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Typhoon O
Durian O
to O
reach O
South O
China O
Sea O
on O
Friday O

Typhoon O
Durian O
is O
moving O
west O
towards O
the O
Philippines O
and O
the O
eastern O
part O
of O
the O
South O
China O
Sea O
, O
according O
to O
China O
' O
s O
Central O
Meteorological O
Station O
. O

It O
was O
located O
to O
the O
east O
of O
the O
Philippines O
( O
13 O
. O
5 O
north O
latitude O
, O
124 O
. O
6 O
east O
longitude O
) O
at O
08 O
: O
00 O
with O
winds O
of O
up O
to O
216 O
kilometers O
per O
hour O
( O
kph O
) O
at O
its O
epicenter O
, O
reported O
the O
station O
. O

The O
station O
said O
Durian O
was O
moving O
west O
at O
15 O
kph O
to O
20 O
kph O
but O
its O
strength O
is O
set O
to O
weaken O
. O
It O
forecast O
that O
Durian O
would O
reach O
the O
South O
China O
Sea O
at O
noon O
on O
Friday B-T
with O
winds O
of O
more O
than O
61 O
. O
6 O
kph O
. O

The O
station O
said O
northeasterly O
winds O
had O
reached O
speeds O
of O
up O
to O
61 O
. O
6 O
kph O
in O
the O
East O
China O
Sea O
, O
the O
Korea O
Strait O
, O
the O
northeast O
of O
the O
South O
China O
Sea O
, O
Bashi O
Channel O
and O
Balintang O
Channel O
. O

The O
station O
forecast O
fog O
in O
the O
Bohai O
Sea O
, O
the O
west O
Yellow O
Sea O
, O
the O
north O
Gulf O
of O
Thailand O
and O
Strait O
of O
Malacca O
with O
vision O
of O
no O
more O
than O
10 O
kilometers O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0652 O

AUCKLAND O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

NZ O
Women O
' O
s O
Affairs O
minister O
bans O
strip O
shows O
in O
her O
bar O

New O
Zealand O
Women O
' O
s O
Affairs O
Minister O
Christine O
Fletcher O
rected O
angrily O
Tuesday B-T
to O
news O
that O
a O
bar O
she O
owns O
has O
staged O
a O
raunchy O
Australian O
strip O
show O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
quite O
horrified O
, O
" O
Fletcher O
said O
. O
" O
Some O
may O
call O
it O
entertainment O
- O
- O
I O
reject O
that O
. O
It O
' O
s O
exploitation O
not O
only O
of O
women O
' O
s O
bodies O
but O
of O
men O
' O
s O
bodies O
. O
" O

Fletcher O
with O
husband O
Angus O
own O
the O
Whitianga O
Hotel O
on O
the O
Coromandel O
coast O
, O
east O
of O
here O
. O

A O
standing O
- O
room O
only O
, O
all O
- O
male O
audience O
paid O
10 O
New O
Zealand O
dollars O
( O
seven O
US O
) O
a O
head O
to O
watch O
the O
five O
- O
woman O
' O
Seductions O
Australia O
' O
group O
strip O
themselves O
naked O
. O

Fletcher O
said O
she O
had O
known O
nothing O
about O
the O
show O
and O
they O
would O
now B-T
reconsider O
the O
contract O
of O
their O
hotel O
manager O
, O
Hugh O
Rhodes O
. O

She O
said O
they O
had O
wanted O
the O
hotel O
to O
be O
a O
place O
for O
families O
and O
a O
strip O
show O
was O
" O
entirely O
inconsistent O
with O
our O
vision O
" O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0124 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
share O
price O
, O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
Swedish O
telecommunications O
giant O
Ericsson O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
it O
had O
signed O
a O
big O
contract O
to O
run O
the O
entire O
network O
of O
British O
mobile O
phone O
operator O
3 O
. O

Ericsson O
said O
the O
deal O
was O
its O
largest O
managed O
- O
services O
contract O
ever O
and O
one O
of O
the O
largest O
such O
deals O
in O
the O
telecommunications O
industry O
. O

The O
company O
gave O
no O
figures O
for O
the O
value O
of O
the O
contract O
, O
but O
its O
largest O
single O
contract O
previously O
was O
a O
five O
- O
year O
managed O
- O
services O
deal O
with O
3 O
in O
Italy O
for O
15 O
billion O
kronor O
( O
1 O
. O
9 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
1 O
. O
6 O
billion O
euros O
) O
. O

The O
agreement O
announced O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
which O
gives O
Ericsson O
responsibility O
for O
the O
management O
of O
the O
3 O
network O
and O
its O
IT O
infrastructure O
, O
runs O
over O
seven B-T
years I-T
, O
it O
said O
. O

Ericsson O
said O
it O
would O
also O
be O
in O
charge O
of O
3 O
' O
s O
ongoing O
radio O
network O
rollout O
, O
the O
maintenance O
of O
6 O
, O
300 O
existing O
radio O
sites O
and O
the O
management O
of O
the O
operator O
' O
s O
core O
network O
and O
operations O
centre O
. O

3 O
was O
to O
retain O
ownership O
of O
the O
network O
and O
its O
IT O
assets O
as O
well O
as O
responsibility O
of O
the O
strategic O
direction O
of O
the O
network O
. O

Some O
1 O
, O
000 O
staff O
would O
be O
moved O
from O
3 O
to O
Ericsson O
as O
part O
of O
the O
accord O
. O

Ericsson O
shares O
rose O
3 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
27 O
. O
70 O
kronor O
on O
the O
Stockholm O
stock O
exchange O
following O
the O
announcement O
, O
having O
been O
suspended O
just O
ahead O
of O
the O
statement O
. O

3 O
, O
the O
first O
company O
to O
have O
launched O
third O
- O
generation O
mobile O
services O
in O
Britain O
, O
has O
3 O
. O
2 O
million O
customers O
in O
Britain O
and O
10 O
million O
worldwide O
, O
Ericsson O
said O
. O

Ericsson O
, O
which O
claims O
to O
have O
the O
industry O
' O
s O
most O
comprehensive O
managed O
services O
offerings O
, O
currently O
has O
such O
agreements O
with O
55 O
operators O
worldwide O
, O
representing O
50 O
million O
customers O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0010 O

BEN O
GURION O
AIRPORT O
, O
Israel O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

France O
' O
s O
Royal O
arrives O
in O
Israel O

The O
presidential O
candidate O
of O
France O
' O
s O
Socialist O
Party O
, O
Segolene O
Royal O
, O
arrived O
in O
Israel O
Sunday B-T
, I-T
three I-T
days I-T
after O
kicking O
off O
a O
Middle O
East O
tour O
in O
neighboring O
Lebanon O
. O

Royal O
, O
who O
is O
aiming O
to O
become O
France O
' O
s O
first O
woman O
head O
of O
state O
, O
will O
be O
going O
" O
to O
make O
the O
necessary O
contacts O
, O
" O
party O
spokesman O
Julien O
Dray O
had O
told O
French O
radio O
station O
Europe O
1 O
last B-T
week I-T
. O

Her O
trip O
to O
Israel O
and O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
was O
to O
show O
her O
support O
for O
" O
dialogue O
, O
" O
Dray O
said O
. O

" O
She O
wants O
to O
show O
that O
her O
presidency O
will O
be O
effective O
and O
useful O
for O
our O
fellow O
citizens O
and O
for O
peace O
in O
the O
world O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
spokesman O
added O
, O
however O
, O
that O
a O
visit O
to O
Syria O
during O
the O
trip O
" O
was O
not O
on O
the O
agenda O
" O
. O

A O
top O
Israeli O
official O
speaking O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
has O
said O
that O
Royal O
was O
expected O
in O
Israel O
for O
a O
48 O
- O
hour O
stay O
. O

She O
was O
due O
to O
meet O
with O
Palestinian O
youths O
at O
the O
French O
cultural O
center O
in O
Gaza O
City O
Sunday B-T
morning I-T
and O
hold O
talks O
with O
Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
. O

In O
the B-T
late I-T
afternoon I-T
Royal O
was O
expected O
to O
meet O
with O
Israeli O
Foreign O
Minister O
Tzipi O
Livni O
. O

A O
meeting O
with O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
and O
Defense O
Minister O
Amir O
Peretz O
was O
scheduled O
for O
Monday B-T
. O

Royal O
, O
53 O
, O
is O
currently O
leading O
in O
polls O
in O
France O
ahead O
of O
the O
presidential O
elections O
to O
be O
held O
in O
April B-T
. O

French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
, O
who O
turned O
74 O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
is O
considered O
unlikely O
to O
seek O
a O
third O
term O
in O
office O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0187 O

HIROSHIMA O
, O
Japan O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Results O
of O
men O
' O
s O
volleyball O
world O
championship O
( O
update O
1 O
) O

Following O
are O
the O
results O
from O
the O
second O
round O
matches O
of O
2006 O
men O
' O
s O
volleyball O
world O
championships O
in O
Japan O
on O
Tuesday B-T
: O

Group O
E O
in O
Sendai O
: O

Puerto O
Rico O
lost O
to O
Tunisia O
, O
2 O
- O
3 O
( O
40 B-T
- I-T
38 I-T
, I-T
26 I-T
- I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
22 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
11 I-T
- I-T
15 I-T
) O
; O

Argentina O
lost O
to O
Canada O
, O
2 O
- O
3 O
( O
25 B-T
- I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
21 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
20 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, O
13 O
- O
15 O
) O
; O

Poland O
bt O
Serbia O
Montenegro O
, O
3 O
- O
0 O
( O
28 B-T
- I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
19 I-T
) O
; O

Japan O
vs O
Russia O
; O

Group O
F O
in O
Hiroshima O
: O

Brazil O
bt O
Bulgaria O
, O
3 O
- O
1 O
( O
25 B-T
- I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
20 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
25 I-T
- I-T
16 I-T
) O
; O

Cuba O
lost O
to O
United O
States O
, O
0 O
- O
3 O
( O
22 B-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
17 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
22 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
) O
; O

Germany O
lost O
to O
Czech O
Republic O
, O
1 O
- O
3 O
( O
23 B-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
27 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
21 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
13 I-T
- I-T
25 I-T
) O

France O
vs O
Italy O
; O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0222 O

KUWAIT O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Kuwait O
stock O
exchange O
index O
down O

Kuwait O
Stock O
Exchange O
index O
closed O
at O
11 O
, O
777 O
. O
6 O
points O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
77 O
. O
9 O
points O
down O
from O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
finish O
. O

The O
turnover O
was O
188 O
million O
Kuwaiti O
dinars O
( O
639 O
. O
2 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
as O
329 O
million O
shares O
were O
traded O
in O
13 O
, O
385 O
deals O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051207 O
. O
0368 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
comment O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

French O
Prime O
Minister O
Dominique O
de O
Villepin O
told O
the O
French O
parliament O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
" O
the O
( O
French O
) O
government O
wants O
to O
get O
an O
overall O
agreement O
on O
reduced O
rates O
of O
VAT O
( O
sales O
tax O
) O
" O
in O
the O
European O
Union O
. O

EU O
finance O
ministers O
, O
meeting O
in O
Brussels O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
had O
failed O
to O
agree O
on O
a O
list O
of O
services O
to O
benefit O
from O
an O
exceptionally O
low O
sales O
tax O
. O

France O
is O
seeking O
to O
reduce O
sales O
tax O
on O
hotels O
and O
restaurants O
to O
5 O
. O
5 O
percent O
from O
the O
current O
19 O
. O
6 O
percent O
. O

Referring O
to O
promises O
made O
to O
reduce O
the O
tax O
burden O
on O
restaurants O
and O
hotels O
, O
Villepin O
told O
the O
French O
National O
Assembly O
( O
parliament O
) O
: O
" O
A O
commitment O
was O
taken O
by O
the O
president O
of O
the O
Republic O
by O
my O
predecessor O
( O
Jean O
- O
Pierre O
Raffarin O
) O
and O
I O
will O
fight O
to O
ensure O
it O
is O
honoured O
. O
" O

He O
added O
: O
" O
The O
( O
French O
) O
government O
wants O
to O
get O
an O
overall O
agreement O
on O
reduced O
rates O
of O
VAT O
because O
it O
is O
for O
us O
about O
creating O
jobs O
and O
defending O
the O
purchasing O
power O
of O
French O
people O
. O
" O

The O
issue O
of O
VAT O
tax O
harmonisation O
is O
to O
be O
discussed O
by O
European O
heads O
of O
state O
during O
a O
summit O
on O
December B-T
15 I-T
- I-T
16 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0183 O

BALAKOT O
, O
Pakistan O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
Telkom O
- O
2 O
sattellite O
ready O
for O
launching O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
After O
it O
was O
delayed O
for O
several O
times O
, O
Indonesia O
' O
s O
Telkom O
- O
2 O
satellite O
will O
be O
launched O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
, O
a O
senior O
official O
of O
PT O
Telcom O
has O
said O
. O

" O
Cuttently O
, O
Talcom O
- O
2 O
satellite O
had O
been O
located O
at O
the O
launching O
site O
since O
September B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
to O
undergo O
several O
tests O
, O
" O
the O
Business O
News O
magazine O
quoted O
Vice O
President O
Director O
of O
PT O
Telcom O
, O
Garuda O
Sugardo O
, O
as O
saying O
in O
its O
latest O
edition O
. O

The O
launching O
will O
be O
done O
by O
Ariene O
- O
5ECA O
blasting O
rocket O
Flight O
No O
. O
167 O
, O
owned O
by O
France O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Telcom O
- O
2 O
satellite O
will O
be O
located O
at O
118 O
BT O
above O
Indonesian O
territory O
replacing O
Palapa O
B4 O
, O
which O
term O
of O
operation O
had O
ended O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

The O
satellite O
, O
made O
since O
2002 B-T
by O
the O
Orbital O
Science O
Corp O
. O
of O
the O
United O
States O
, O
was O
a O
Star O
- O
2 O
Bus O
type O
satellite O
with O
a O
capacity O
of O
24 O
transponder O
, O
and O
the O
total O
cost O
for O
launching O
of O
the O
satellite O
is O
170 O
million O
US O
dollars O
. O

The O
satellite O
will O
operate O
for O
15 B-T
years I-T
with O
scope O
of O
area O
including O
ASEAN O
and O
the O
surrounding O
areas O
. O

Indonesian O
President O
Susilo O
Bambang O
Yodhoyono O
is O
scheduled O
to O
witness O
the O
seconds O
of O
the O
launching O
of O
telcom O
- O
2 O
satellite O
from O
the O
main O
controlling O
station O
in O
Cibinong O
, O
said O
Garuda O
. O

So O
far O
, O
Indonesia O
has O
launched O
eight O
satellites O
, O
namely O
Palapa O
A O
- O
1 O
, O
Palapa O
A O
- O
2 O
, O
Palapa O
B O
- O
1 O
, O
Palapa O
B O
- O
2 O
, O
Palapa O
B2P O
, O
Palapa O
B2R O
, O
Palapa O
- O
B4 O
and O
Telcom O
- O
1 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0193 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
UPDATES O
tolls O
, O
ADDS O
dead O
US O
soldier O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Shell O
- O
shocked O
Baghdadis O
on O
Sunday B-T
cleared O
the O
bloody O
wreckage O
from O
the O
latest O
deadly O
bomb O
attack O
on O
their O
city O
, O
as O
the O
United O
States O
sought O
a O
new O
strategy O
to O
pull O
Iraq O
back O
from O
the O
abyss O
. O

The O
death O
toll O
from O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
triple O
car O
bombing O
rose O
to O
60 O
overnight O
as O
more O
men O
, O
women O
and O
children O
succumbed O
to O
wounds O
suffered O
when O
the O
blasts O
tore O
through O
a O
crowded O
shopping O
street O
at O
nightfall O
, O
medics O
said O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
at O
least O
23 O
Iraqis O
were O
killed O
in O
violence O
Sunday B-T
. O

After O
more O
than O
three O
- O
and O
- O
a O
- O
half O
years O
of O
mounting O
sectarian O
conflict O
, O
the O
attack O
, O
while O
vicious O
, O
was O
neither O
unexpected O
nor O
especially O
deadly O
; O
more O
than O
1 O
, O
800 O
Iraqi O
civilians O
were O
slaughtered O
in O
November B-T
alone O
. O

But O
each O
new O
massacre O
hammers O
a O
wedge O
deeper O
between O
Iraq O
' O
s O
Sunni O
and O
Shiite O
communities O
and O
chips O
away O
at O
the O
credibility O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
beleaguered O
unity O
government O
and O
the O
US O
- O
led O
coalition O
force O
propping O
it O
up O
. O

The O
bombers O
were O
back O
at O
work O
Sunday B-T
, O
when O
an O
insurgent O
wearing O
an O
explosive O
belt O
detonated O
himself O
next O
to O
a O
police O
station O
near O
the O
northern O
oil O
city O
of O
Kirkuk O
, O
killing O
three O
officers O
, O
Major O
General O
Torhan O
Yussef O
told O
AFP O
. O

Further O
south O
, O
at O
least O
16 O
people O
were O
murdered O
in O
and O
around O
the O
restive O
town O
of O
Baquba O
, O
according O
to O
security O
and O
medical O
sources O
. O

A O
sniper O
killed O
a O
civilian O
in O
Sinea O
, O
an O
insurgent O
stronghold O
in O
northern O
Iraq O
, O
police O
Captain O
Saad O
Nuri O
told O
AFP O
, O
while O
three O
civilians O
were O
gunned O
down O
in O
a O
mixed O
area O
just O
south O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
according O
to O
a O
security O
official O
. O

American O
soldiers O
killed O
six O
suspected O
insurgents O
, O
two O
women O
and O
a O
child O
when O
they O
called O
in O
an O
air O
strike O
to O
dislodge O
gunmen O
from O
a O
safehouse O
west O
of O
Baghdad O
late B-T
Saturday I-T
, O
the O
US O
military O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

A O
US O
soldier O
was O
killed O
by O
a O
roadside O
booby O
trap O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
US O
headquarters O
said O
, O
bringing O
the O
death O
toll O
since O
the O
March B-T
2003 I-T
invasion O
to O
2 O
, O
885 O
, O
according O
to O
an O
AFP O
tally O
based O
on O
Pentagon O
figures O
. O

British O
troops O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
clashed O
with O
Shiite O
militia O
during O
a O
search O
operation O
in O
the O
southern O
city O
of O
Basra O
, O
Iraqi O
police O
said O
. O

Amid O
the O
carnage O
, O
there O
is O
a O
growing O
realisation O
in O
Washington O
that O
the O
current O
US O
strategy O
is O
failing O
and O
pressure O
is O
mounting O
for O
either O
a O
major O
change O
of O
course O
or O
rapid O
pullout O
of O
the O
138 O
, O
000 O
US O
troops O
deployed O
in O
theatre O
. O

Attention O
has O
focused O
on O
the O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
- O
- O
a O
high O
- O
level O
bipartisan O
panel O
of O
experts O
headed O
by O
former O
secretary O
of O
state O
James O
Baker O
- O
- O
which O
is O
due O
to O
pass O
its O
recommendations O
to O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

But O
on O
Sunday B-T
a O
leaked O
memo O
from O
former O
defence O
secretary O
Donald O
Rumsfeld O
, O
written O
in O
his O
last B-T
few I-T
days I-T
in O
office O
before O
resigning O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
revealed O
the O
administration O
has O
long O
known O
of O
the O
need O
for O
a O
change O
in O
the O
Iraq O
plan O
. O

Rumsfeld O
' O
s O
rambling O
three O
- O
page O
memo O
cites O
a O
shopping O
list O
of O
possible O
tactical O
and O
strategic O
changes O
, O
some O
of O
them O
mutually O
exclusive O
, O
but O
admits O
: O
" O
In O
my O
view O
it O
is O
time O
for O
a O
major O
adjustment O
. O

" O
Clearly O
, O
what O
US O
forces O
are O
currently O
doing O
in O
Iraq O
is O
not O
working O
well O
enough O
or O
fast O
enough O
, O
" O
Rumsfeld O
wrote O
, O
in O
a O
document O
passed O
to O
the O
New O
York O
Times O
and O
later O
confirmed O
as O
genuine O
by O
the O
Pentagon O
. O

The O
former O
secretary O
' O
s O
main O
ideas O
have O
been O
much O
discussed O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
and O
may O
well O
figure O
among O
Baker O
' O
s O
recommendations O
, O
or O
those O
of O
a O
parallel O
Pentagon O
review O
of O
the O
operation O
also O
expected O
imminently O
. O

In O
particular O
, O
Rumsfeld O
favours O
placing O
more O
US O
trainers O
directly O
with O
Iraqi O
units O
, O
withdrawing O
other O
American O
troops O
from O
combat O
into O
five O
large O
bases O
by O
July B-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
and O
sending O
commandos O
to O
hunt O
down O
Al O
- O
Qaeda O
and O
Iranian O
agents O
. O

He O
also O
implicitly O
criticises O
other O
US O
government O
departments O
when O
he O
says O
the O
Pentagon O
should O
" O
give O
up O
" O
asking O
them O
for O
help O
and O
hire O
retired O
soldiers O
to O
advise O
Iraqi O
ministries O
. O

Instead O
of O
spending O
money O
rebuilding O
cities O
like O
Fallujah O
that O
rebelled O
and O
were O
recaptured O
by O
US O
forces O
- O
- O
" O
rewarding O
bad O
behaviour O
" O
- O
- O
- O
Rumsfeld O
suggests O
paying O
off O
political O
and O
religious O
leaders O
" O
as O
Saddam O
Hussein O
did O
" O
. O

Judging O
by O
leaks O
to O
the O
US O
media O
, O
Baker O
will O
also O
recommend O
increasing O
the O
number O
of O
US O
army O
trainers O
, O
while O
withdrawing O
troops O
from O
combat O
and O
by O
early O
2008 O
leaving O
only O
70 O
, O
000 O
in O
Iraq O
in O
a O
support O
role O
. O

The O
White O
House O
may O
well O
be O
receptive O
to O
this O
idea O
, O
but O
seems O
opposed O
to O
another O
: O
that O
of O
reaching O
out O
to O
US O
foes O
Iran O
and O
Syria O
to O
persuade O
them O
to O
use O
their O
influence O
to O
calm O
the O
unrest O
in O
neighbouring O
Iraq O
. O

However O
Tehran O
' O
s O
role O
in O
Iraqi O
affairs O
will O
come O
up O
for O
discussions O
when O
powerful O
Shiite O
leader O
Abdel O
Aziz O
al O
- O
Hakim O
meets O
Bush O
in O
Washington O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051105 O
. O
0053 O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japan O
picks O
3 O
golds O
in O
karatedo O

Japan O
claimed O
three O
gold O
medals O
from O
its O
national O
sport O
of O
karatedo O
at O
the O
East O
Asian O
Games O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

Kasuga O
Wakabayashi O
won O
the O
women O
' O
s O
individual O
kata O
title O
for O
her O
two O
straight O
wins O
in O
the O
three O
- O
people O
field O
. O
Macao O
' O
s O
Cheung O
Pui O
Sui O
picked O
the O
silver O
with O
one O
win O
and O
Yip O
Ching O
Yee O
from O
Hong O
Kong O
got O
the O
bronze O
for O
her O
two O
losses O
. O

Takashi O
Katada O
triumphed O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
individual O
kata O
and O
Vong O
Ka O
Seng O
of O
Macao O
finished O
runner O
- O
up O
. O
The O
only O
other O
participant O
- O
Mallada O
Vicent O
Patrick O
Pablo O
- O
fouled O
out O
, O
losing O
a O
sure O
bet O
medal O
. O

Natsuki O
Fujiwara O
walked O
away O
with O
a O
gold O
medal O
from O
the O
women O
' O
s O
53kg O
kumite O
and O
Macao O
' O
s O
Kou O
Ma O
Ni O
grabbed O
the O
silver O
. O

DPR O
Korean O
Ha O
Ryon O
- O
bok O
and O
South O
Korean O
Kim O
Jin O
were O
joint O
third O
. O

Chinese O
Taipei O
landed O
two O
titles O
through O
Hsieh O
Cheng O
- O
kang O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
55kg O
- O
kumite O
and O
Huang O
Hsiang O
- O
chen O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
60kg O
kumite O
. O

The O
host O
struck O
gold O
too O
, O
with O
Pereiracarion O
Paulacristina O
winning O
the O
women O
' O
s O
60kg O
kumite O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970419 O
. O
0094 O

MECCA O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Hajj O
draws O
to O
close O
, O
as O
relatives O
await O
news O
of O
fire O
victims O

The O
annual O
pilgrimage O
to O
Mecca O
drew O
to O
a O
close O
on O
Saturday O
as O
frantic O
relatives O
awaited O
news O
of O
the O
343 O
pilgrims O
killed O
in O
a O
huge O
blaze O
four B-T
days I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Some O
two O
million O
pilgrims O
who O
spent O
a O
week B-T
praying O
at O
Islam O
' O
s O
holiest O
sites O
began O
to O
leave O
Mecca O
, O
birthplace O
of O
the O
Prophet O
Mohammad O
, O
for O
the O
western O
city O
of O
Jeddah O
to O
catch O
planes O
, O
buses O
and O
boats O
home O
. O

They O
spent O
their O
last B-T
day I-T
here O
walking O
round O
the O
Kaaba O
from O
dawn O
. O
The O
Kabaa O
is O
a O
square O
building O
constructed O
around O
a O
black O
stone O
, O
traditionally O
brought O
to O
earth O
from O
paradise O
by O
the O
Archangel O
Gabriel O
. O

Saudi O
officials O
said O
343 O
pilgrims O
were O
killed O
in O
an O
enormous O
fire O
Tuesday B-T
which O
swept O
through O
their O
camp O
at O
Mina O
, O
just O
south O
of O
Mecca O
. O

Most O
were O
from O
India O
and O
other O
Asian O
countries O
, O
Indian O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
Saudi O
authorities O
announced O
Saturday B-T
that O
another O
1 O
, O
537 O
pilgrims O
were O
injured O
in O
the O
inferno O
which O
incinerated O
70 O
, O
000 O
tents O
, O
with O
25 O
of O
them O
still O
in O
hospital O
and O
some O
in O
a O
coma O
. O

However O
, O
they O
were O
yet O
to O
announce O
the O
identities O
of O
the O
victims O
. O

An O
advisor O
to O
the O
Saudi O
interior O
ministry O
, O
Saed O
al O
- O
Arabi O
al O
- O
Harshi O
, O
said O
Saturday B-T
that O
" O
the O
fire O
destroyed O
everything O
" O
in O
the O
pilgrims O
' O
camp O
. O

" O
Identification O
is O
difficult O
and O
will O
take O
time O
because O
some O
bodies O
are O
badly O
charred O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
quoted O
by O
the O
official O
Qatari O
News O
Agency O
. O

The O
victims O
' O
plastic O
identity O
badges O
, O
which O
they O
are O
given O
in O
exchange O
for O
their O
passports O
during O
the O
week O
- O
long O
pilgrimage O
in O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
were O
destroyed O
in O
the O
inferno O
, O
the O
official O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0397 O

SARAJEVO O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Steiner O
blasts O
Serbs O
for O
" O
travesty O
" O
trial O
of O
Zvornik O
Seven O

The O
trial O
of O
a O
group O
of O
Bosnian O
Moslems O
dubbed O
" O
The O
Zvornik O
Seven O
" O
accused O
of O
murdering O
four O
Serbs O
began O
Thursday B-T
with O
a O
senior O
international O
mediator O
dismissing O
it O
as O
a O
" O
travesty O
of O
justice O
" O
because O
defence O
lawyers O
had O
been O
barred O
from O
the O
court O
. O

Deputy O
High O
Representative O
Michael O
Steiner O
said O
the O
trial O
of O
the O
seven O
, O
who O
were O
arrested O
in O
May B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
was O
unconstitutional O
because O
Serb O
officials O
had O
refused O
to O
let O
the O
defence O
lawyers O
for O
the O
Moslems O
into O
the O
court O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
to O
represent O
their O
clients O
. O

" O
This O
trial O
can O
only O
be O
judged O
to O
be O
a O
travesty O
of O
justice O
, O
" O
said O
Steiner O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
case O
could O
result O
in O
sanctions O
against O
the O
Serbs O
. O

" O
This O
is O
one O
typical O
case O
to O
which O
we O
must O
refer O
when O
the O
( O
Serb O
Republic O
) O
complains O
about O
getting O
less O
financial O
assistance O
than O
" O
the O
Moslem O
- O
Croat O
Federation O
, O
the O
other O
entity O
that O
makes O
up O
post O
- O
war O
Bosnia O
. O

Bosnian O
Serb O
justice O
minister O
, O
Branko O
Petric O
, O
announced O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
lawyers O
would O
be O
barred O
from O
the O
court O
because O
they O
came O
from O
the O
federation O
, O
and O
hence O
were O
not O
subjects O
of O
the O
Serb O
Republic O
. O

The O
lawyers O
were O
told O
they O
could O
act O
only O
as O
" O
assistants O
" O
to O
court O
- O
appointed O
lawyers O
. O

But O
Steiner O
said O
that O
in O
banning O
the O
officials O
, O
Petric O
had O
" O
violated O
the O
constitution O
of O
Bosnia O
- O
Hercegovina O
. O
" O

The O
trial O
opened O
in O
the O
eastern O
Bosnian O
town O
of O
Zvornik O
, O
in O
Serb O
- O
controlled O
territory O
, O
which O
was O
the O
scene O
of O
some O
of O
the O
most O
brutal O
" O
ethnic O
cleansing O
" O
of O
non O
- O
Serbs O
during O
Bosnia O
' O
s O
43 O
- O
month O
war O
. O

The O
case O
of O
the O
Zvornik O
Seven O
has O
mystified O
observers O
ever O
since O
the O
men O
turned O
themselves O
in O
to O
US O
peacekeepers O
last B-T
May I-T
after O
running O
into O
a O
group O
of O
Serbs O
on O
the O
road O
between O
Zvornik O
and O
Tuzla O
, O
in O
the O
Moslem O
- O
Croat O
Federation O
. O

The O
men O
told O
the O
troops O
they O
were O
Moslem O
refugees O
from O
the O
former O
enclave O
of O
Srebrenica O
and O
asked O
for O
protective O
custody O
, O
but O
the O
US O
commander O
handed O
them O
to O
the O
Serb O
police O
. O

A O
US O
colonel O
later O
failed O
to O
secure O
the O
men O
' O
s O
release O
from O
a O
Serb O
jail O
, O
and O
UN O
officals O
said O
the O
men O
were O
beaten O
by O
their O
Serb O
captors O
. O

The O
Serb O
authorities O
allege O
that O
the O
men O
killed O
four O
Serb O
woodcutters O
, O
whose O
mutilated O
bodies O
were O
shown O
to O
UN O
investigators O
soon O
afterwards O
in O
a O
forest O
nearby O
. O

Some O
of O
the O
men O
were O
found O
to O
be O
on O
a O
list O
of O
thousands O
of O
persons O
who O
went O
missing O
from O
Srebrenica O
after O
Bosnian O
Serb O
forces O
overran O
it O
in O
July B-T
1995 I-T
. O
Most O
of O
the O
missing O
are O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
massacred O
. O

Three O
of O
the O
men O
are O
charged O
with O
the O
murders O
of O
the O
four O
woodcutters O
, O
one O
is O
charged O
with O
murdering O
a O
Moslem O
person O
, O
and O
the O
remaining O
three O
are O
charged O
with O
illegal O
possession O
of O
weapons O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0086 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
, O
North O
Korea O
hold O
first O
direct O
talks O
in O
six O
- O
party O
forum O

The O
United O
States O
and O
North O
Korea O
Tuesday B-T
held O
their O
first O
direct O
talks O
on O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
nuclear O
weapons O
since O
multilateral O
disarmament O
negotiations O
resumed O
here O
after O
a O
13 O
- O
month O
break O
, O
officials O
said O
. O

" O
The O
US O
and O
North O
Korean O
delegations O
are O
meeting O
this B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
" O
a O
spokesman O
at O
the O
Chinese O
press O
center O
for O
the O
six O
- O
nation O
talks O
told O
AFP O
. O

A O
South O
Korean O
official O
confirmed O
that O
chief O
US O
envoy O
Christopher O
Hill O
had O
met O
directly O
with O
his O
counterpart O
from O
North O
Korea O
, O
Kim O
Kye O
- O
Gwan O
. O

WSJ_20130318_731 O

March B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2013 I-T

A O
New O
Game O
for O
Microsoft O
' O
s O
Kinect O

Microsoft O
Corp O
. O
broke O
sales O
records O
in O
2010 B-T
when O
it O
released O
its O
Kinect O
- O
a O
movement O
- O
tracking O
device O
that O
enabled O
Xbox O
users O
to O
play O
their O
favorite O
games O
through O
gestures O
alone O
, O
without O
need O
of O
a O
controller O
. O

Now B-T
, O
with O
the O
help O
of O
outside O
developers O
, O
the O
software O
giant O
is O
hoping O
to O
move O
the O
Kinect O
beyond O
gaming O
. O

Microsoft O
is O
expanding O
into O
China O
with O
a O
company O
- O
funded O
incubator O
program O
for O
outside O
developers O
to O
build O
products O
based O
on O
Kinect O
technology O
for O
a O
range O
of O
industries O
including O
health O
care O
and O
retail O
. O

In O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
, O
11 O
companies O
were O
selected O
last B-T
year I-T
for O
the O
accelerator O
' O
s O
first O
three B-T
- I-T
month I-T
class O
in O
Seattle O
, O
out O
of O
nearly O
500 O
applicants O
. O
Microsoft O
said O
it O
has O
identified O
three O
companies O
for O
the O
China O
program O
to O
run O
through O
June B-T
. O

The O
company O
gives O
each O
participating O
startup O
in O
the O
Seattle O
program O
$ O
20 O
, O
000 O
to O
create O
software O
that O
can O
be O
used O
with O
Kinect O
for O
Windows O
, O
but O
it O
is O
isn O
' O
t O
asking O
for O
any O
ownership O
stakes O
or O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
. O
Microsoft O
also O
doesn O
' O
t O
have O
any O
veto O
power O
over O
the O
ideas O
. O

What O
Microsoft O
gets O
are O
developers O
around O
the O
world O
working O
on O
ideas O
that O
could O
potentially O
open O
up O
Kinect O
for O
Windows O
' O
technology O
to O
new O
markets O
- O
and O
convince O
consumers O
and O
businesses O
to O
buy O
the O
company O
' O
s O
hardware O
and O
make O
use O
of O
the O
potential O
apps O
. O

The O
Windows O
- O
ready O
Kinect O
sensor O
, O
which O
would O
be O
necessary O
for O
any O
business O
that O
wants O
to O
use O
these O
potential O
new O
technologies O
, O
is O
currently B-T
selling O
for O
$ O
250 O
through O
Microsoft O
, O
more O
than O
twice O
what O
Microsoft O
charges O
for O
the O
gaming O
- O
only O
Xbox O
version O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0059 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0059 O
. O

International O
Brief O
- O
- O
N O
. O
V O
. O
DSM O
: O

@ O
Third O
- O
Period O
Net O
Rose O
63 O
% O

@ O
Because O
of O
Lower O
Charges O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

EUROP O
N O
. O
DSM O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

N O
. O
V O
. O
DSM O
said O
net O
income O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
jumped O
63 O
% O
as O
the O
company O
had O
substantially O
lower O
extraordinary O
charges O
to O
account O
for O
a O
restructuring O
program O
. O

The O
Dutch O
chemical O
group O
said O
net O
income O
gained O
to O
235 O
million O
guilders O
( O
$ O
113 O
. O
2 O
million O
) O
, O
or O
6 O
. O
70 O
guilders O
a O
share O
, O
from O
144 O
million O
guilders O
, O
or O
4 O
. O
10 O
guilders O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
32 O
% O
state O
- O
owned O
DSM O
had O
eight O
million O
guilders O
of O
extraordinary O
charges O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
quarter I-T
, O
mainly O
to O
reflect O
one O
- O
time O
losses O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
disposal O
of O
some O
operations O
. O

The O
charges O
were O
offset O
in O
part O
by O
a O
gain O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
construction O
division O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
DSM O
had O
71 O
million O
guilders O
of O
extraordinary O
charges O
for O
the O
restructuring O
program O
and O
other O
transactions O
. O

The O
earnings O
growth O
also O
was O
fueled O
by O
the O
company O
' O
s O
ability O
to O
cut O
net O
financing O
spending O
by O
half O
to O
around O
15 O
million O
guilders O
. O

Also O
, O
substantially O
lower O
Dutch O
corporate O
tax O
rates O
helped O
the O
company O
keep O
its O
tax O
outlay O
flat O
relative O
to O
earnings O
growth O
, O
the O
company O
added O
. O

Sales O
, O
however O
, O
were O
little O
changed O
at O
2 O
. O
46 O
billion O
guilders O
, O
compared O
with O
2 O
. O
42 O
billion O
guilders O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0328 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
reax O
/ O
/ O
/ O

A O
vocal O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
newspaper O
boss O
and O
lawmaker O
was O
killed O
in O
a O
massive O
car O
bombing O
in O
Lebanon O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
latest O
in O
a O
wave O
of O
attacks O
targeting O
critics O
of O
Damascus O
. O

Police O
said O
the O
car O
bomb O
blew O
up O
near O
Gibran O
Tueni O
' O
s O
armoured O
four O
- O
wheel O
drive O
vehicle O
, O
blasting O
it O
off O
the O
road O
into O
a O
ravine O
100 O
metres O
( O
yards O
) O
away O
and O
engulfing O
it O
in O
flames O
. O

Three O
other O
people O
were O
killed O
in O
the O
attack O
which O
came O
just O
a O
day O
after O
Tueni O
returned O
to O
Lebanon O
from O
France O
, O
where O
he O
had O
taken O
refuge O
fearing O
his O
life O
could O
be O
in O
danger O
. O

The O
bombing O
also O
followed O
the O
handover O
of O
a O
report O
by O
UN O
chief O
investigator O
Detlev O
Mehlis O
to O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
his O
probe O
into O
the O
murder O
of O
Lebanese O
ex O
- O
premier O
Rafiq O
Hariri O
, O
an O
attack O
blamed O
on O
Syria O
. O

Tueni O
, O
the O
48 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
director O
of O
the O
top O
- O
selling O
An O
- O
Nahar O
newspaper O
, O
was O
killed O
as O
well O
as O
his O
driver O
Nicolas O
Flouti O
and O
two O
other O
people O
. O

International O
condemnation O
was O
swift O
, O
with O
the O
US O
embassy O
in O
Beirut O
branding O
it O
a O
" O
barbaric O
" O
murder O
of O
one O
of O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
" O
greatest O
champions O
for O
liberty O
and O
freedom O
" O
. O

Pro O
- O
Syrian O
President O
Emile O
Lahoud O
said O
he O
was O
" O
outraged O
" O
by O
the O
killing O
, O
describing O
Tueni O
as O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
" O
symbol O
of O
freedom O
" O
. O

" O
His O
death O
only O
serves O
the O
enemies O
of O
Lebanon O
who O
have O
been O
exerting O
all O
efforts O
to O
weaken O
the O
country O
. O
" O

About O
30 O
other O
people O
were O
wounded O
in O
the O
attack O
in O
the O
Christian O
suburb O
of O
Mkalles O
as O
Tueni O
was O
heading O
in O
a O
convoy O
to O
his O
Beirut O
office O
at O
around O
9 O
am O
( O
0700 O
GMT O
) O
. O

A O
dozen O
cars O
were O
turned O
into O
charred O
shells O
by O
the O
powerful O
blast O
, O
some O
flung O
into O
neighbouring O
woodland O
, O
and O
windows O
were O
shattered O
as O
far O
as O
500 O
metres O
away O
. O

Tueni O
' O
s O
wife O
Siham O
rushed O
down O
into O
the O
ravine O
where O
teams O
from O
the O
Red O
Cross O
dragged O
her O
husband O
' O
s O
body O
from O
the O
smouldering O
wreckage O
while O
police O
experts O
searched O
for O
clues O
. O

Druze O
leader O
and O
fellow O
MP O
Walid O
Jumblatt O
pointed O
the O
finger O
at O
Syria O
over O
the O
bombing O
, O
the O
13th O
such O
attack O
since O
the O
blast O
that O
killed O
Hariri O
in O
February B-T
and O
plunged O
Lebanon O
into O
chaos O
not O
seen O
since O
the O
1975 O
- O
1990 O
civil O
war O
. O

The O
attacks O
have O
created O
a O
climate O
of O
fear O
in O
Lebanon O
, O
with O
several O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
figures O
such O
as O
Hariri O
' O
s O
MP O
son O
Saad O
spending O
much O
of O
their O
time O
out O
of O
the O
country O
. O

" O
The O
terrorist O
message O
has O
come O
to O
us O
. O
. O
. O
the O
person O
who O
threatened O
on O
television O
to O
make O
the O
whole O
world O
pay O
the O
price O
, O
" O
Jumblatt O
said O
, O
alluding O
to O
remarks O
by O
Syrian O
President O
Bashar O
al O
- O
Assad O
on O
Russian O
television O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Assad O
, O
referring O
to O
possible O
UN O
sanctions O
against O
Damascus O
, O
said O
that O
if O
the O
situation O
in O
Syria O
and O
Iraq O
was O
not O
good O
, O
the O
Middle O
East O
would O
be O
unstable O
and O
the O
whole O
world O
would O
pay O
. O

But O
Syrian O
Information O
Minister O
Mehdi O
Dakhlallah O
denied O
any O
role O
, O
and O
blamed O
" O
foreign O
interference O
. O
" O

" O
Syria O
denounces O
all O
attacks O
whoever O
the O
victims O
, O
" O
he O
told O
LBC O
television O
. O
" O
Whatever O
the O
differences O
between O
this O
or O
that O
person O
, O
Syria O
does O
not O
subscribe O
to O
these O
methods O
, O
which O
are O
used O
by O
the O
numerous O
enemies O
of O
Lebanon O
. O
" O

Many O
Lebanese O
blame O
Damascus O
for O
Hariri O
' O
s O
death O
and O
the O
other O
attacks O
, O
charges O
Syria O
denies O
. O

But O
the O
Hariri O
killing O
threw O
the O
spotlight O
on O
to O
Syria O
' O
s O
dominant O
role O
in O
its O
smaller O
neighbour O
and O
in O
April B-T
Damascus O
pulled O
out O
the O
last O
of O
its O
troops O
from O
Lebanese O
soil O
after O
a O
29 O
- O
year O
military O
presence O
. O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
, O
which O
has O
threatened O
international O
sanctions O
agains O
Syria O
, O
was O
due O
to O
receive O
the O
Mehlis O
report O
later O
Monday B-T
. O

His O
first O
report O
in O
October B-T
concluded O
that O
top O
Syrian O
and O
Lebanese O
security O
officials O
were O
implicated O
in O
the O
killing O
and O
chided O
Damascus O
for O
failing O
to O
cooperate O
with O
the O
probe O
. O

Lebanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Fuad O
Siniora O
was O
due O
to O
hold O
a O
cabinet O
meeting O
later O
Monday B-T
, O
where O
ministers O
were O
expected O
to O
call O
for O
an O
international O
tribunal O
to O
look O
into O
the O
attacks O
. O

" O
I O
want O
an O
inquiry O
under O
the O
supervision O
of O
the O
Security O
Council O
on O
all O
the O
crimes O
committed O
by O
Syria O
, O
" O
said O
Druze O
Telecommunications O
Minister O
Marwan O
Hamadeh O
, O
who O
is O
Tueni O
' O
s O
uncle O
and O
himself O
escaped O
an O
attempt O
on O
his O
life O
in O
October B-T
. O

Tueni O
, O
a O
Greek O
Orthodox O
who O
turned O
An O
- O
Nahar O
( O
Today O
) O
into O
a O
veritable O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
tribunal O
, O
became O
an O
MP O
after O
elections O
in O
May B-T
and O
June B-T
which O
gave O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
parties O
a O
majority O
. O

Another O
An O
- O
Nahar O
journalist O
, O
Samir O
Kassir O
, O
was O
killed O
in O
June B-T
and O
one O
reporter O
with O
the O
paper O
said O
Monday B-T
: O
" O
We O
are O
all O
afraid O
. O
" O

The O
last O
attack O
was O
on O
September B-T
25 I-T
when O
May B-T
Chidiac I-T
, I-T
40 I-T
, O
a O
Christian O
news O
presenter O
and O
political O
talk O
show O
host O
, O
was O
maimed O
by O
a O
bomb O
in O
her O
car O
. O

Married O
twice O
, O
Tueni O
was O
father O
of O
four O
girls O
, O
including O
twin O
daughters O
born O
just O
a B-T
few I-T
months I-T
ago I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0691 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Man O
attacks O
schoolchildren O
in O
northwest O
China O
, O
kills O
two O

A O
man O
attacked O
a O
group O
of O
schoolchildren O
with O
a O
knife O
in O
northwest O
China O
, O
killing O
two O
of O
them O
and O
injuring O
three O
others O
plus O
their O
teacher O
, O
state O
media O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
man O
dashed O
towards O
the O
pupils O
and O
their O
teacher O
when O
they O
were O
about O
to O
cross O
the O
street O
in O
front O
of O
their O
school O
in O
the O
Xinjiang O
autonomous O
region O
on O
Wednesday B-T
afternoon I-T
, O
Xinhua O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

One O
pupil O
died O
on O
the O
spot O
and O
another O
died O
in O
hospital O
, O
it O
quoted O
police O
as O
saying O
, O
adding O
they O
were O
aged O
nine O
or O
10 O
years O
old O
. O

Another O
three O
children O
and O
the O
injured O
teacher O
were O
in O
stable O
condition O
, O
Xinhua O
reported O
. O

Police O
arrested O
a O
38 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
man O
but O
said O
the O
motive O
for O
the O
attack O
was O
still O
unknown O
. O

APW19980418 O
. O
0210 O

NEWS O
STORY O

04 B-T
/ I-T
18 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
06 I-T
: I-T
07 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

w1416 O
Cx1f O
wstm O
- O

r O
i O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
Hungary O
- O
Astronaut O
04 O
- O
18 O
0248 O

BC O
- O
Hungary O
- O
Astronaut O

First O
and O
only O
Hungarian O
astronaut O
moving O
to O
the O
United O
States O

BUDAPEST O
, O
Hungary O
( O
AP O
) O
_ O
Tired O
of O
being O
sidelined O
, O
Hungarian O

astronaut O
Bertalan O
Farkas O
is O
leaving O
for O
the O
United O
States O
to O
start O

a O
new O
career O
, O
he O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

` O
` O
Being O
48 O
is O
too O
early O
to O
be O
retired O
, O
' O
' O
a O
fit O
- O
looking O
Farkas O

said O
on O
state O
TV O
' O
s O
morning O
talk O
show O
. O

With O
American O
astronaut O
Jon O
McBride O
, O
Farkas O
set O
up O
an O

American O
- O
Hungarian O
joint O
venture O
called O
Orion O
1980 O
, O
manufacturing O

space O
- O
travel O
related O
technology O
. O

Farkas O
will O
move O
to O
the O
company O
' O
s O
U O
. O
S O
. O
headquarters O
. O

Farkas O
, O
an O
air O
force O
captain O
, O
was O
sent O
into O
space O
on O
board O
the O

Soyuz O
36 O
on O
May B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
1980 I-T
. O
He O
spent O
six B-T
days I-T
aboard O
the O
Salyut O
6 O

spacecraft O
with O
three O
Soviet O
astronauts O
, O
Valery O
Kubasov O
, O
Leonid O

Popov O
and O
Valery O
Riumin O
. O

McBride O
, O
54 O
, O
of O
Lewisburg O
, O
West O
Virginia O
, O
was O
part O
of O
a O

seven O
- O
member O
crew O
aboard O
the O
Orbiter O
Challenger O
in O
October B-T
1984 I-T
and O

later O
served O
as O
assistant O
administrator O
for O
congressional O
relations O

for O
NASA O
. O

Farkas O
expressed O
the O
hope O
he O
one B-T
day I-T
follow O
in O
the O

footsteps O
of O
fellow O
astronaut O
John O
Glenn O
, O
who O
at O
77 O
is O
about O
to O
go O

into O
space O
again O
. O

On O
May B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1995 I-T
, O
Farkas O
was O
made O
a O
brigadier O
general O
, O
and O
the B-T

following B-T
year I-T
he O
was O
appointed O
military O
attache O
at O
the O
Hungarian O

embassy O
in O
Washington O
. O

However O
, O
cited O
by O
District O
of O
Columbia O
traffic O
police O
in O

December B-T
for O
driving O
under O
the O
influence O
of O
alcohol O
, O
Farkas O
was O
ordered O
home O
and O
retired O
. O

( O
ab O
/ O
dc O
) O

( O
PROFILE O

( O
WS O
SL O
: O
BC O
- O
Hungary O
- O
Astronaut O
; O
CT O
: O
i O
; O

( O
REG O
: O
EURO O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
BRIT O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
SCAN O
; O
) O

( O
REG O
: O
ENGL O
; O
) O

( O
LANG O
: O
ENGLISH O
; O
) O
) O

) O

AP O
- O
NY O
- O
04 O
- O
18 O
- O
98 O
0607EDT O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0238 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Namibian O
president O
visits O
Singapore O

Namibian O
President O
Hifikepunye O
Pohamba O
is O
in O
Singapore O
for O
a O
four O
- O
day O
state O
visit O
. O

Being O
a O
small O
island O
with O
no O
natural O
resources O
, O
Singapore O
' O
s O
most O
important O
resource O
is O
people O
and O
this O
is O
an O
area O
where O
it O
has O
shared O
the O
experience O
with O
Namibia O
, O
Singaporean O
President O
S O
. O
R O
. O
Nathan O
on O
Wednesday B-T
said O
at O
a O
state O
banquet O
hosted O
in O
honor O
of O
his O
counterpart O
Pohamba O
. O

Singapore O
has O
trained O
140 O
Namibian O
officials O
in O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
areas O
including O
civil O
aviation O
, O
productivity O
management O
, O
public O
administration O
and O
urban O
development O
to O
date O
, O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
issued O
by O
the O
Foreign O
Ministry O
. O

Pohamba O
and O
his O
delegation O
arrived O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
met O
Nathan O
earlier O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

He O
also O
met O
Prime O
Minister O
Lee O
Hsien O
Loong O
and O
some O
of O
Singapore O
' O
s O
cabinet O
members O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970426 O
. O
0390 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

North O
Korean O
defector O
walks O
into O
South O
Korea O
across O
DMZ O

A O
North O
Korean O
defector O
walked O
into O
South O
Korea O
early B-T
Sunday I-T
across O
the O
heavily O
armed O
demilitarized O
zone O
( O
DMZ O
) O
dividing O
the O
two O
Koreas O
, O
the O
Defense O
Ministry O
said O
. O

The O
ministry O
identified O
the O
defector O
as O
Jang O
Yong O
- O
Kwan O
, O
38 O
, O
a O
civilian O
who O
was O
found O
seeking O
asylum O
in O
the O
eastern O
section O
of O
the O
DMZ O
by O
South O
Korean O
border O
guards O
at O
4 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Sunday B-T
( I-T
1900 I-T
GMT I-T
Saturday I-T
) O
. O

" O
The O
defector O
was O
guided O
safe O
into O
our O
region O
and O
put O
under O
protective O
custody O
, O
" O
a O
ministry O
spokesman O
told O
AFP O
. O

He O
was O
the O
first O
defector O
since O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
top O
ideologue O
Hwang O
Jang O
- O
Yop O
arrived O
in O
Seoul O
on O
April B-T
20 I-T
, O
67 B-T
days I-T
after O
he O
sought O
asylum O
in O
Beijing O
. O

The O
defense O
ministry O
said O
details O
on O
the O
latest O
defector O
would O
be O
withheld O
pending O
an O
investigation O
into O
the O
motive O
for O
his O
defection O
and O
background O
in O
the O
North O
. O

On O
February B-T
27 I-T
, O
a O
barefoot O
25 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
North O
Korean O
woman O
crossed O
the O
DMZ O
into O
South O
Korea O
in O
a O
daylight O
defection O
bid O
. O

The O
woman O
from O
the O
Yongbyon O
district O
of O
Pyongbuk O
province O
, O
north O
of O
Pyongyang O
, O
told O
investigators O
she O
crossed O
the O
border O
because O
of O
hunger O
and O
discontent O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0248 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Southern O
Africa O
to O
draft O
plan O
against O
bird O
flu O

Although O
there O
is O
no O
immediate O
threat O
from O
avian O
influenza O
in O
Southern O
Africa O
, O
countries O
in O
the O
region O
will O
set O
up O
a O
regional O
plan O
on O
dealing O
with O
the O
contagious O
disease O
, O
officials O
said O
here O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

South O
African O
Health O
Minister O
Manto O
Tshabalala O
- O
Msimang O
confirmed O
that O
a O
committee O
had O
been O
mandated O
to O
establish O
a O
plan O
for O
14 O
member O
states O
of O
the O
Southern O
African O
Development O
Community O
( O
SADC O
) O
. O

Although O
the O
flu O
has O
not O
broken O
out O
in O
the O
region O
, O
there O
was O
concern O
that O
wild O
birds O
, O
which O
are O
the O
main O
carriers O
of O
the O
virus O
, O
were O
migrating O
to O
the O
sub O
- O
continent O
for O
summer B-T
. O

After O
a O
meeting O
of O
the O
SADC O
health O
ministers O
in O
Johannesburg O
, O
Tshabalala O
- O
Msimang O
said O
people O
in O
the O
region O
, O
especially O
the O
elderly O
, O
should O
have O
flu O
vaccinations O
because O
if O
they O
were O
infected O
with O
avian O
flu O
, O
it O
would O
be O
severe O
. O

African O
countries O
have O
been O
warned O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
given O
their O
fragile O
public O
health O
systems O
have O
already O
been O
heavily O
burdened O
by O
other O
diseases O
including O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
and O
malaria O
, O
as O
well O
as O
poverty O
and O
staff O
shortage O
. O

Bird O
flu O
has O
aroused O
extraordinary O
concerns O
around O
the O
world O
, O
especially O
in O
Asia O
and O
Europe O
, O
since O
more O
than O
60 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
and O
scientists O
fear O
that O
the O
virus O
could O
be O
more O
deadly O
if O
it O
mutates O
to O
become O
transferable O
between O
humans O
. O

A O
South O
African O
newspaper O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
migrant O
bird O
droppings O
collected O
at O
the O
Durban O
harbor O
last B-T
month I-T
tested O
negative O
for O
avian O
flu O
. O

So O
far O
about O
4 O
, O
300 O
samples O
have O
been O
collected O
, O
including O
67 O
from O
migratory O
birds O
captured O
in O
Durban O
harbor O
. O
All O
the O
samples O
examined O
have O
been O
negative O
, O
KwaZulu O
- O
Natal O
provincial O
agricultural O
ministerial O
spokesman O
Vusi O
Zuma O
told O
the O
witness O
. O

He O
said O
the O
department O
would O
continue O
its O
surveillance O
, O
focusing O
on O
indigenous O
and O
commercial O
poultry O
and O
in O
some O
cases O
migratory O
birds O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0316 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Singaporean O
president O
due O
to O
visit O
Egypt O
Tues O
. O

Singaporean O
President O
Sellapan O
Rama O
Nathan O
is O
due O
to O
arrive O
in O
Egypt O
on O
Tuesday B-T
on O
a O
four O
- O
day O
official O
visit O
, O
to O
coincide O
with O
the O
occasion O
marking O
the O
40th O
anniversary O
of O
establishing O
diplomatic O
ties O
between O
Egypt O
and O
Singapore O
, O
Egyptian O
news O
agency O
MENA O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

During O
his O
visit O
, O
President O
Nathan O
is O
scheduled O
to O
meet O
Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
, O
in O
which O
the O
two O
top O
leaders O
will O
discuss O
various O
issues O
on O
economy O
, O
politics O
and O
trade O
. O

Another O
main O
topic O
of O
their O
talks O
will O
be O
ways O
to O
promote O
an O
Asian O
- O
Middle O
East O
dialogue O
which O
Singapore O
hosted O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

Singaporean O
President O
will O
also O
have O
talks O
with O
Egyptian O
Prime O
Minister O
Ahmed O
Nazif O
and O
other O
officials O
during O
his O
stay O
in O
Egypt O
. O

Singaporean O
President O
will O
be O
accompanied O
by O
a O
delegation O
comprising O
the O
minister O
of O
Information O
Communication O
, O
minister O
of O
state O
for O
foreign O
affairs O
and O
a O
number O
of O
other O
officials O
and O
businessmen O
. O

During O
their O
visit O
, O
Singaporean O
businessmen O
will O
discuss O
with O
their O
Egyptian O
counterparts O
a O
string O
of O
trade O
- O
related O
issues O
. O

Egypt O
and O
Singapore O
set O
up O
diplomatic O
relations O
in O
November B-T
1966 I-T
, O
and O
Egypt O
is O
the O
second O
trade O
partner O
for O
Singapore O
in O
North O
Africa O
, O
the O
volume O
of O
trade O
exchanges O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
increased O
within O
the B-T
past I-T
five I-T
years I-T
. O
However O
, O
the O
report O
did O
not O
give O
the O
exact O
statistics O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
in O
their O
trade O
exchanges O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051127 O
. O
0199 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chelsea O
to O
face O
Premier O
League O
probe O

Chelsea O
face O
a O
Premier O
League O
probe O
after O
their O
former O
striker O
Jimmy O
Floyd O
Hasselbaink O
claimed O
that O
players O
received O
unauthorized O
cash O
bonuses O
, O
BBC O
reported O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Hasselbaink O
says O
Blues O
players O
received O
100 O
, O
000 O
pound O
for O
reaching O
the O
Champions O
League O
last O
four O
in O
2003 O
/ O
04 O
rather O
than O
the O
50 O
, O
000 O
pound O
written O
into O
their O
deals O
. O

Premier O
League O
rules O
state O
bonuses O
cannot O
be O
changed O
during O
a O
season O
, O
and O
Chelsea O
have O
denied O
any O
wrong O
- O
doing O
. O

But O
the O
Premier O
League O
insists O
it O
is O
" O
duty O
bound O
" O
to O
investigate O
the O
claims O
. O

Hasselbaink O
, O
now B-T
at O
Middlesbrough O
, O
said O
in O
his O
book O
: O
" O
At O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
season B-T
he O
( O
Roman O
Abramovich O
) O
had O
promised O
us O
50 O
, O
000 O
per O
player O
if O
we O
reached O
the O
semi O
- O
finals O
of O
the O
competition O
. O

" O
At O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
month I-T
instead O
of O
the O
promised O
50 O
, O
000 O
there O
was O
100 O
, O
000 O
in O
our O
accounts O
. O
" O

A O
Premier O
League O
spokesman O
said O
: O
" O
We O
' O
ve O
received O
assurances O
from O
Chelsea O
that O
there O
is O
no O
case O
to O
answer O
regarding O
alleged O
extra O
payments O
to O
players O
. O
We O
have O
no O
reason O
to O
doubt O
these O
assurances O
. O

" O
However O
, O
given O
recent O
comments O
by O
Jimmy O
Floyd O
Hasselbaink O
we O
are O
duty O
bound O
to O
investigate O
those O
comments O
and O
assess O
their O
factual O
basis O
. O
" O

Chelsea O
have O
once O
again O
moved O
to O
insists O
they O
are O
innocent O
, O
and O
a O
spokesman O
said O
: O
" O
Chelsea O
has O
already O
made O
it O
publicly O
clear O
on O
two O
occasions O
that O
is O
has O
not O
made O
any O
payments O
to O
players O
in O
breach O
of O
Football O
Association O
or O
Premiership O
regulations O
. O

" O
The O
club O
stands O
by O
those O
statements O
totally O
. O

" O
Moreover O
, O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
, O
Chelsea O
invited O
the O
Premier O
League O
to O
look O
at O
any O
relevant O
documentation O
on O
this O
issue O
before O
any O
investigation O
was O
considered O
. O

" O
The O
Premier O
League O
has O
not O
taken O
up O
that O
invitation O
. O
Jimmy O
Floyd O
Hasselbaink O
has O
made O
false O
statements O
that O
potentially O
bring O
the O
game O
, O
and O
Chelsea O
, O
into O
disrepute O
. O
These O
should O
be O
investigated O
fully O
, O
not O
Chelsea O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0480 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

environments O

A O
new O
type O
of O
stethoscope O
was O
set O
to O
enable O
doctors O
to O
hear O
the O
sounds O
of O
the O
body O
in O
extremely O
loud O
situations O
, O
such O
as O
during O
the O
transportation O
of O
wounded O
soldiers O
in O
Blackhawk O
helicopters O
, O
American O
Institute O
of O
Physics O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Using O
ultrasound O
technology O
, O
the O
new O
stethoscope O
design O
will O
be O
presented O
later O
this B-T
week I-T
at O
the O
Fourth O
Joint O
Meeting O
of O
the O
Acoustical O
Society O
of O
America O
and O
the O
Acoustical O
Society O
of O
Japan O
, O
which O
will O
be O
held O
in O
Honolulu O
, O
Hawaii O
. O

Researchers O
at O
Active O
Signal O
Technologies O
, O
Inc O
. O
, O
in O
collaboration O
with O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
Army O
Aeromedical O
Research O
Laboratory O
, O
have O
developed O
the O
ultrasound O
stethoscope O
that O
is O
almost O
impervious O
to O
loud O
noise O
and O
is O
capable O
of O
making O
accurate O
readings O
during O
noise O
levels O
of O
up O
to O
120 O
decibels O
, O
similar O
to O
the O
volume O
experienced O
at O
the O
front O
row O
of O
a O
rock O
concert O
. O

Current O
acoustic O
stethoscope O
technology O
picks O
up O
and O
amplifies O
vibrations O
that O
let O
doctors O
hear O
the O
heart O
and O
lungs O
. O
These O
models O
become O
difficult O
to O
use O
effectively O
at O
around O
80 O
decibels O
, O
a O
noise O
level O
comparable O
to O
an O
alarm O
clock O
or O
a O
busy O
city O
street O
. O
When O
noise O
levels O
reach O
90 O
decibels O
, O
these O
types O
of O
stethoscopes O
are O
rendered O
useless O
. O

Modern O
electronic O
stethoscopes O
have O
raised O
the O
maximum O
tolerable O
noise O
level O
of O
90 O
decibels O
to O
95 O
decibels O
by O
replacing O
the O
ear O
pieces O
with O
loudspeaker O
inserts O
that O
provide O
a O
better O
seal O
with O
the O
ear O
canal O
and O
by O
replacing O
the O
tubing O
with O
electrical O
cables O
that O
do O
not O
pick O
up O
acoustic O
noise O
. O

The O
challenge O
to O
build O
a O
better O
stethoscope O
originated O
from O
the O
Army O
' O
s O
Small O
Business O
Innovation O
Research O
program O
. O
For O
soldiers O
wounded O
in O
combat O
, O
the O
first O
hour O
after O
sustaining O
an O
injury O
is O
known O
as O
the O
" O
critical O
hour O
, O
" O
when O
diagnoses O
and O
emergency O
treatment O
must O
take O
place O
to O
give O
them O
the O
best O
chance O
of O
recovery O
. O
These O
soldiers O
are O
often O
transported O
by O
helicopter O
, O
where O
noise O
levels O
prohibit O
the O
use O
of O
traditional O
stethoscopes O
. O

Auscultation O
is O
an O
important O
tool O
in O
assessing O
the O
integrity O
of O
the O
heart O
muscle O
, O
valves O
and O
major O
arteries O
. O

Lead O
researcher O
Adrian O
Houtsma O
said O
traditional O
stethoscopes O
transmitted O
and O
amplified O
sound O
that O
was O
within O
the O
range O
of O
human O
hearing O
, O
from O
about O
20 O
hertz O
to O
20 O
, O
000 O
hertz O
. O
Most O
audible O
sound O
, O
including O
that O
of O
the O
heart O
and O
lungs O
, O
takes O
place O
at O
around O
100 O
hertz O
to O
200 O
hertz O
. O

The O
ultrasound O
models O
transmit O
a O
sound O
signal O
at O
2 O
. O
3 O
megahertz O
into O
the O
patient O
' O
s O
body O
. O
This O
sound O
is O
reflected O
back O
to O
the O
stethoscope O
at O
a O
slightly O
different O
frequency O
because O
of O
the O
velocity O
of O
the O
internal O
organs O
. O
This O
is O
called O
the O
Doppler O
effect O
. O

The O
difference O
in O
frequencies O
between O
the O
sound O
wave O
that O
is O
transmitted O
and O
the O
sound O
wave O
that O
is O
received O
can O
be O
computed O
to O
determine O
the O
motion O
of O
the O
internal O
organs O
. O
This O
different O
frequency O
is O
then O
converted O
into O
audible O
sound O
. O

Because O
they O
are O
based O
on O
different O
physical O
principles O
to O
conventional O
stethoscopes O
, O
ultrasound O
models O
produce O
a O
markedly O
different O
sound O
. O
Where O
an O
acoustic O
stethoscope O
yields O
a O
" O
lub O
- O
dub O
" O
sound O
from O
a O
heartbeat O
, O
with O
the O
first O
beat O
being O
the O
strongest O
, O
an O
ultrasound O
stethoscope O
will O
yield O
a O
" O
ta O
- O
da O
- O
ta O
" O
pattern O
, O
with O
the O
second O
beat O
being O
the O
strongest O
. O

Houtsma O
expects O
this O
invention O
to O
save O
many O
lives O
that O
otherwise O
might O
have O
been O
lost O
. O

The O
ultrasound O
stethoscopes O
are O
nearly O
ready O
to O
begin O
the O
process O
of O
FDA O
approval O
, O
which O
is O
likely O
to O
take O
two O
to O
three B-T
months I-T
. O
Active O
Signal O
Technologies O
will O
then O
begin O
manufacturing O
the O
devices O
to O
sell O
to O
the O
armed O
forces O
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
chief O
executive O
officer O
, O
Arthur O
Cooke O
, O
said O
the O
commercial O
release O
of O
the O
stethoscopes O
would O
likely O
be O
very O
small O
at O
first O
, O
since O
the O
cost O
could O
be O
anywhere O
between O
250 O
dollars O
and O
700 O
dollars O
. O

He O
hoped O
that O
positive O
feedback O
from O
the O
armed O
forces O
would O
generate O
widespread O
interest O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0222 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

China O
humans O
rights O
record O
attacked O
by O
US O
official O

China O
' O
s O
human O
rights O
record O
received O
a O
grilling O
Tuesday B-T
by O
a O
top O
US O
official O
here O
who O
told O
the O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
that O
abuses O
in O
the O
country O
were O
still O
widespread O
. O

US O
permanent O
representative O
to O
the O
UN O
, O
Ambassador O
William O
Richardson O
acknowledged O
that O
two O
decades O
of O
economic O
growth O
had O
dramatically O
improved O
the O
lives O
of O
millions O
of O
Chinese O
. O

" O
However O
, O
China O
' O
s O
government O
continues O
to O
commit O
widespread O
and O
well O
- O
documented O
human O
rights O
absues O
and O
to O
severely O
restrict O
fundamental O
freedoms O
of O
speech O
, O
the O
press O
, O
assembly O
, O
association O
and O
religion O
, O
" O
he O
told O
the O
53rd O
commission O
session O
. O

" O
We O
do O
not O
seek O
confrontation O
over O
this O
issue O
, O
but O
we O
firmly O
believe O
that O
( O
China O
) O
should O
be O
held O
accountable O
. O
. O
. O
to O
the O
international O
standards O
that O
China O
itself O
has O
endorsed O
. O
" O

A O
Chinese O
delegate O
interrupted O
Richardson O
' O
s O
address O
in O
protest O
, O
but O
was O
told O
he O
would O
be O
given O
a O
chance O
to O
respond O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

An O
official O
censure O
of O
China O
at O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
human O
rights O
gathering O
appears O
a O
more O
remote O
possibility O
than O
ever O
before O
. O

France O
last B-T
weekend I-T
announced O
it O
would O
not O
support O
the O
annual O
resolution O
condemning O
China O
' O
s O
human O
rights O
record O
, O
effectively O
ruling O
out O
EU O
sponsorship O
of O
the O
motion O
. O

Japan O
on O
Saturday B-T
also O
indicated O
it O
would O
not O
sponsor O
such O
a O
measure O
. O

While O
resolutions O
have O
been O
tabled O
every B-T
year I-T
in O
Geneva O
since O
the O
Tiananmen O
pro O
- O
democracy O
demonstrations O
were O
quashed O
by O
the O
army O
in O
1989 B-T
, O
China O
has O
managed O
to O
pull O
in O
a O
majority O
of O
votes O
to O
defeat O
the O
motion O
. O

Dissident O
sources O
and O
human O
rights O
groups O
said O
in O
Beijing O
Tuesday B-T
that O
treatment O
of O
Chinese O
dissidents O
was O
worsening O
, O
following O
a O
report O
from O
China O
' O
s O
Justice O
Ministry O
on O
Monday B-T
proclaiming O
" O
remarkable O
achievements O
" O
last B-T
year I-T
in O
judicial O
guarantees O
of O
Chinese O
citizens O
' O
rights O
. O

The O
UN O
representative O
also O
harshly O
critized O
Burma O
, O
Cuba O
, O
Iran O
and O
Iraq O
for O
gross O
human O
rights O
violations O
. O

" O
Despite O
the O
efforts O
of O
legitimate O
democratic O
leaders O
like O
Aung O
San O
Suu O
Kyi O
, O
the O
despotic O
rulers O
of O
that O
poor O
, O
beleaguered O
land O
insist O
that O
their O
own O
need O
for O
power O
must O
take O
precedence O
over O
the O
rights O
and O
choices O
of O
the O
Burmese O
people O
. O
" O

Regarding O
Cuba O
, O
Richardson O
said O
" O
human O
rights O
are O
the O
last O
thing O
on O
Havana O
' O
s O
mind O
at O
the O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
. O
" O

Cuba O
was O
always O
ready O
to O
champion O
" O
exotic O
" O
rights O
, O
but O
was O
never O
ready O
to O
move O
forward O
on O
basic O
human O
rights O
- O
- O
freedom O
of O
speech O
or O
assembly O
for O
example O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Richardson O
said O
the O
death O
sentence O
, O
or O
fatwa O
, O
pronounced O
by O
an O
Iranian O
foundation O
on O
British O
writer O
Salman O
Rushdie O
for O
a O
book O
it O
claims O
blashpemes O
Islam O
, O
was O
a O
" O
stark O
" O
demonstration O
of O
Iran O
' O
s O
contempt O
for O
the O
international O
community O
' O
s O
commitment O
to O
human O
rights O
. O

In O
neighbouring O
Iraq O
, O
Saddam O
' O
s O
Hussein O
' O
s O
massive O
violations O
of O
international O
human O
rights O
law O
against O
the O
city O
of O
Irbil O
and O
its O
civilian O
population O
" O
are O
but O
one O
recent O
example O
of O
the O
kind O
of O
brutality O
he O
unleashes O
on O
his O
long O
- O
suffering O
people O
, O
" O
Richardson O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0410 O

MILAN O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

management O
to O
resign O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
Italian O
government O
said O
Friday B-T
it O
would O
sell O
half O
of O
its O
controlling O
interest O
in O
flag O
carrier O
Alitalia O
, O
inviting O
investors O
to O
bid O
for O
about O
25 O
percent O
of O
the O
loss O
- O
making O
airline O
. O

Italy O
currently O
owns O
49 O
. O
9 O
percent O
of O
Alitalia O
and O
had O
previously O
pledged O
not O
to O
reduce O
its O
holding O
below O
30 O
percent O
. O

But O
a O
government O
statement O
said O
: O
" O
The O
decision O
was O
taken O
in O
accordance O
with O
intentions O
to O
seek O
strategic O
international O
alliances O
, O
with O
a O
possible O
final O
decision O
regarding O
Alitalia O
' O
s O
future O
to O
be O
taken O
by O
January B-T
2007 I-T
. O
" O

Shares O
in O
the O
airline O
jumped O
sharply O
higher O
, O
provoking O
two O
suspensions O
but O
showing O
a O
gain O
of O
11 O
. O
15 O
percent O
to O
0 O
. O
944 O
euros O
in O
afternoon O
trades O
on O
the O
Milan O
stock O
exchange O
, O
where O
the O
SP O
/ O
Mib O
index O
had O
gained O
0 O
. O
38 O
percent O
overall O
. O

" O
At O
first O
glance O
this O
is O
a O
radical O
change O
for O
Alitalia O
and O
a O
positive O
event O
for O
its O
shareholders O
, O
" O
said O
a O
Milan O
- O
based O
trader O
, O
who O
asked O
not O
to O
be O
named O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
the O
sale O
would O
be O
carried O
out O
through O
" O
a O
competitive O
procedure O
and O
direct O
negotiations O
" O
. O

A O
senior O
aide O
to O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
quoted O
Environment O
Minister O
Alfonso O
Scanio O
as O
saying O
that O
around O
25 O
percent O
of O
Alitalia O
would O
be O
put O
up O
for O
sale O
, O
bringing O
the O
state O
' O
s O
stake O
below O
30 O
percent O
. O

The O
sale O
represents O
" O
finalisation O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
privatisation O
, O
" O
the O
government O
' O
s O
statement O
said O
. O

It O
had O
reduced O
its O
holding O
from O
62 O
. O
3 O
percent O
to O
49 O
. O
9 O
percent O
in O
late B-T
2005 I-T
as O
the O
result O
of O
a O
one O
- O
billion O
- O
euro O
( O
1 O
. O
32 O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
) O
capital O
increase O
but O
pledged O
at O
the O
time O
to O
retain O
at O
least O
30 O
percent O
of O
the O
national O
flag O
carrier O
. O

Alitalia O
chief O
executive O
Giancarlo O
Cimoli O
told O
lawmakers O
Wednesday B-T
however O
that O
the O
airline O
' O
s O
future O
depended O
on O
forming O
an O
alliance O
with O
an O
international O
group O
. O

" O
The O
only O
strategic O
direction O
for O
Alitalia O
is O
to O
integrate O
itself O
in O
a O
big O
international O
group O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
parliamentary O
commission O
. O

" O
The O
board O
has O
given O
me O
a O
mandate O
to O
explore O
( O
possible O
alliances O
) O
, O
" O
Cimoli O
added O
. O

Air O
France O
- O
KLM O
and O
Alitalia O
last B-T
week I-T
revealed O
that O
they O
had O
begun O
tentative O
talks O
on O
a O
possible O
tie O
- O
up O
, O
but O
the O
French O
airline O
has O
laid O
down O
restructuring O
of O
Alitalia O
as O
a O
condition O
for O
any O
deal O
. O

Alitalia O
said O
in O
November B-T
that O
its O
losses O
this O
year O
would O
surpass O
the O
167 O
million O
euros O
( O
214 O
million O
dollars O
) O
it O
reported O
for O
2005 B-T
. O

In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
it O
recorded O
a O
pre O
- O
tax O
loss O
of O
276 O
million O
euros O
, O
against O
168 O
million O
in O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
. O

Alitalia O
and O
Air O
France O
- O
KLM O
have O
already O
exchanged O
two O
percent O
of O
the O
shares O
in O
each O
of O
their O
companies O
, O
but O
Cimoli O
told O
lawmakers O
he O
would O
also O
consider O
options O
with O
other O
partners O
. O

The O
Italian O
government O
has O
appeared O
divided O
on O
whether O
to O
favor O
a O
European O
partner O
or O
an O
Asian O
carrier O
, O
but O
Prodi O
has O
promised O
to O
define O
a O
strategy O
for O
the O
Italian O
airline O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
January I-T
. O

A O
spokeswoman O
for O
the O
German O
carrier O
Lufthansa O
indicated O
Friday B-T
that O
it O
was O
not O
planning O
to O
bid O
on O
the O
stake O
, O
saying O
: O
" O
We O
' O
ve O
nothing O
in O
the O
pipeline O
. O
" O

But O
she O
also O
refused O
to O
confirm O
or O
deny O
the O
possibility O
of O
Lufthansa O
taking O
a O
stake O
in O
Alitalia O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

" O
You O
never O
know O
what O
will O
happen O
in O
the O
coming B-T
weeks I-T
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Italian O
infrastructure O
minister O
Antonio O
Di O
Pietro O
said O
the O
government O
' O
s O
decision O
should O
convince O
Alitalia O
' O
s O
management O
to O
resign O
. O

" O
With O
today B-T
' O
s O
decision O
the O
exit O
doors O
are O
open O
for O
those O
who O
occupy O
positions O
of O
power O
at O
Alitalia O
because O
they O
have O
failed O
in O
their O
mission O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0295 O

UNITED O
NATIONS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Annan O
appoints O
adviser O
for O
UN O
management O
reforms O

UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Wednesday B-T
appointed O
Rajat O
Kumar O
Gupta O
, O
the O
former O
managing O
director O
worldwide O
of O
MacKinsey O
, O
a O
global O
consulting O
firm O
, O
as O
his O
special O
adviser O
for O
UN O
management O
reforms O
. O

Gupta O
will O
act O
as O
a O
personal O
adviser O
to O
the O
secretary O
- O
general O
on O
overall O
strategy O
and O
participate O
in O
a O
committee O
led O
by O
Deputy O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Lousie O
Frechette O
to O
implement O
the O
decisions O
of O
the O
September O
World O
Summit O
on O
UN O
management O
reforms O
, O
UN O
spokesman O
Stephanie O
Dujarric O
told O
reporters O
. O

Gupta O
will O
help O
to O
ensure O
that O
the O
overall O
management O
reform O
program O
is O
in O
line O
with O
best O
global O
practice O
and O
provide O
focused O
, O
specialist O
assistance O
on O
key O
issues O
of O
concern O
, O
Dujarric O
said O
. O

Gupta O
was O
managing O
director O
of O
McKinsey O
Company O
from O
1994 B-T
to O
2003 O
and O
is O
currently O
a O
senior O
partner O
of O
the O
firm O
. O
He O
will O
receive O
a O
symbolic O
annual O
salary O
of O
one O
dollar O
from O
the O
United O
Nations O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051213 O
. O
0637 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

by O
Lorne O
Cook O

The O
European O
Union O
' O
s O
budget O
impasse O
is O
fueling O
growing O
questions O
about O
the O
entire O
enlargement O
process O
barely B-T
18 I-T
months I-T
after O
the O
" O
big O
bang O
" O
expansion O
into O
eastern O
Europe O
, O
officials O
admit O
. O

EU O
leaders O
, O
meeting O
at O
a O
summit O
in O
Brussels O
from O
Thursday B-T
, O
will O
try O
again O
to O
end O
the O
dispute O
over O
the O
2007 O
- O
2013 O
spending O
plans O
, O
the O
first O
to O
take O
into O
account O
the O
10 O
newest O
members O
. O

But O
two O
old O
issues O
are O
still O
blocking O
accord O
: O
Britain O
; O
s O
refusal O
to O
give O
up O
its O
annual O
budget O
rebate O
, O
dating O
from O
1984 B-T
and O
France O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
cut O
the O
bloc O
' O
s O
long O
- O
disputed O
farm O
subsidy O
system O
. O

The O
question O
increasingly O
debated O
in O
the O
EU O
corridors O
of O
power O
is O
, O
if O
the O
EU O
can O
' O
t O
even O
overcome O
these O
two O
key O
issues O
with O
25 O
member O
states O
, O
how O
on O
earth O
can O
it O
expect O
to O
resolve O
them O
with O
even O
more O
? O

" O
Everyone O
knows O
that O
the O
European O
Union O
does O
not O
yet O
have O
the O
solutions O
to O
respond O
to O
the O
challenges O
posed O
by O
the O
enlargement O
already O
underway O
, O
" O
French O
Foreign O
Minister O
Philippe O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
The O
problem O
is O
knowing O
whether O
we O
should O
launch O
a O
new O
wave O
of O
enlargement O
. O
" O

Only O
last B-T
year I-T
the O
expanding O
Europe O
' O
s O
future O
had O
seemed O
so O
rosy O
. O

Ten O
countries O
, O
many O
of O
them O
former O
communist O
states O
from O
central O
and O
eastern O
Europe O
, O
joined O
the O
then O
15 O
- O
member O
EU O
in O
great O
fanfare O
in O
its O
biggest O
- O
ever O
expansion O
on O
May B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
. O

But O
that O
euphoria O
gave O
way O
to O
despair O
just O
over O
a B-T
year I-T
later O
, O
after O
voters O
in O
France O
and O
the O
Netherlands O
rejected O
the O
Union O
' O
s O
painstakingly O
prepared O
constitution O
and O
plunged O
it O
into O
its O
deepest O
political O
crisis O
. O

Part O
of O
the O
reason O
for O
the O
" O
no O
" O
vote O
, O
was O
the O
perceived O
threat O
among O
the O
public O
of O
foreign O
workers O
or O
immigrants O
flooding O
into O
a O
Europe O
ill O
- O
prepared O
to O
absorb O
more O
member O
states O
, O
most O
of O
them O
poor O
by O
comparison O
. O

Once O
publicly O
voiced O
, O
those O
doubts O
about O
enlargement O
gained O
momentum O
and O
have O
surfaced O
again O
as O
the O
Union O
approaches O
a O
second O
major O
summit O
still O
struggling O
to O
resolve O
its O
financial O
problems O
. O

The O
budget O
is O
worth O
more O
than O
800 O
billion O
euros O
( O
944 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
and O
contains O
much O
- O
needed O
funds O
for O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
relatively O
poor O
new O
members O
from O
further O
east O
. O

In O
London O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
warned O
that O
if O
a O
deal O
is O
not O
done O
soon O
it O
would O
leave O
the O
last O
lot O
of O
EU O
newcomers O
with O
a O
vast O
shortfall O
in O
funds O
and O
could O
threaten O
expansion O
. O

" O
It O
would O
cast O
a O
real O
shadow O
, O
not O
just O
over O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
but O
over O
the O
future O
of O
enlargement O
too O
, O
" O
said O
Blair O
, O
whose O
country O
holds O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
rotating O
presidency O
until O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
month I-T
. O

Romania O
and O
Bulgaria O
are O
scheduled O
to O
join O
the O
EU O
in O
January B-T
2007 I-T
, O
but O
Macedonia O
may O
become O
the O
first O
casualty O
of O
the O
budget O
dispute O
. O

The O
tiny O
Balkan O
state O
had O
hoped O
to O
be O
given O
the O
official O
status O
of O
a O
candidate O
for O
EU O
membership O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
especially O
given O
the O
pace O
of O
its O
drive O
on O
reform O
since O
the O
end O
of O
an O
ethnic O
Albanian O
uprising O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

" O
Macedonia O
is O
in O
danger O
of O
becoming O
a O
little O
victim O
of O
circumstances O
, O
but O
we O
are O
going O
to O
try O
to O
make O
sure O
that O
it O
is O
as O
small O
a O
victim O
as O
possible O
, O
" O
said O
one O
European O
official O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

France O
is O
its O
most O
vocal O
opponent O
. O

" O
We O
asked O
ourselves O
if O
the O
conditions O
are O
right O
today O
, O
in O
December B-T
2005 I-T
, O
to O
officially O
give O
Macedonia O
the O
status O
of O
a O
candidate O
. O
Is O
this O
the O
right O
time O
to O
choose O
? O
" O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
said O
at O
a O
meeting O
of O
EU O
foreign O
ministers O
. O

" O
Granting O
candidate O
status O
like O
that O
would O
send O
a O
strong O
political O
signal O
to O
the O
former O
Yugoslav O
republic O
of O
Macedonia O
, O
which O
is O
positive O
, O
but O
it O
would O
also O
send O
a O
signal O
to O
the O
public O
. O
. O
. O
that O
we O
are O
heading O
for O
more O
enlargement O
. O
" O

A O
concrete O
sign O
of O
the O
malaise O
and O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
ability O
to O
integrate O
more O
members O
was O
inscribed O
in O
the O
ministers O
' O
conclusions O
, O
which O
called O
for O
further O
discussion O
on O
enlargement O
in O
2006 B-T
. O

When O
asked O
if O
France O
would O
block O
Macedonia O
' O
s O
candidacy O
status O
, O
Douste O
- O
Blazy O
said O
: O
" O
President O
( O
Jacques O
) O
Chirac O
will O
speak O
about O
it O
when O
the O
time O
is O
right O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0404 O

BKERKE O
, O
Lebanon O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Maronite O
patriarch O
hopes O
pope O
' O
s O
visit O
will O
unite O
Lebanon O

Maronite O
Cardinal O
Nasrallah O
Sfeir O
, O
head O
of O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
largest O
Christian O
community O
, O
said O
Friday B-T
he O
hopes O
Pope O
John O
Paul O
II O
' O
s O
visit O
will O
help O
the O
country O
' O
s O
recovery O
from O
its O
1975 O
- O
1990 O
civil O
war O
. O

" O
I O
hope O
this O
visit O
will O
bring O
the O
Lebanese O
together O
so O
their O
wounded O
country O
can O
heal O
, O
" O
Sfeir O
told O
AFP O
at O
his O
Bkerke O
residence O
north O
of O
Beirut O
. O

But O
he O
painted O
a O
bleak O
picture O
of O
the O
current O
situation O
in O
Lebanon O
, O
saying O
it O
was O
" O
unenviable O
. O
" O

Lebanon O
' O
s O
" O
sovereignty O
and O
independence O
are O
flouted O
and O
it O
doesn O
' O
t O
have O
the O
freedom O
to O
decide O
for O
itself O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
But O
" O
the O
solidarity O
of O
all O
Lebanese O
will O
yield O
positive O
results O
in O
the O
long O
term O
. O
" O

The O
pope O
' O
s O
visit O
on O
May B-T
10 I-T
- I-T
11 I-T
, O
" O
while O
pastoral O
, O
will O
have O
political O
connotations O
because O
we O
can O
' O
t O
dissociate O
the O
spiritual O
from O
the O
social O
and O
the O
political O
. O
" O

Sfeir O
said O
the O
pope O
" O
will O
not O
directly O
mention O
the O
Syrian O
or O
the O
non O
- O
Syrian O
presence O
in O
Lebanon O
. O
. O
. O
even O
if O
he O
was O
the O
first O
to O
demand O
that O
Lebanon O
recovers O
its O
independence O
and O
sovereignty O
. O

" O
But O
this O
will O
occur O
at O
the O
opportune O
time O
, O
because O
regional O
and O
international O
conditions O
don O
' O
t O
permit O
it O
at O
the O
present O
time O
. O
" O

Some O
35 O
, O
000 O
Syrian O
soldiers O
are O
stationed O
on O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
Lebanese O
territory O
, O
while O
the O
Israeli O
military O
occupies O
a O
strip O
of O
south O
Lebanon O
just O
north O
of O
Israel O
' O
s O
border O
. O

A O
synod O
on O
Lebanon O
, O
which O
met O
in O
November B-T
1995 I-T
in O
Rome O
at O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
request O
, O
called O
for O
the O
" O
end O
of O
the O
Israeli O
occupation O
" O
and O
" O
the O
departure O
of O
the O
Syrian O
troops O
. O
" O

The O
second O
point O
has O
been O
criticized O
by O
several O
Lebanese O
Moslem O
leaders O
who O
said O
the O
Syrian O
military O
presence O
does O
not O
affect O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
sovereignty O
. O

The O
cardinal O
also O
said O
the O
Christian O
opposition O
would O
not O
be O
able O
to O
meet O
the O
pope O
as O
it O
has O
requested O
. O
" O
Like O
others O
, O
it O
can O
always O
send O
him O
a O
written O
petition O
, O
" O
Sfeir O
added O
. O

CNN19980227 B-T
. O
2130 O
. O
0067 O

NEWS O
STORY O

Live O
from O
Atalanta O
, O
good O
evening O
Lynne O
Russell O
, O
CNN O
headline O
news O
. O

New O
evidence O
is O
suggesting O
that O
a O
series O
of O
bombings O
in O
Atalanta O
and O
last B-T
month I-T
' O
s O

explosion O
at O
an O
Alabama O
women O
' O
s O
clinic O
might O
be O
related O
. O

Pierre O
Thomas O
has O
the O
latest O
. O

Atlanta O
nineteen B-T
ninety I-T
- I-T
six I-T
. O
A O
bomb O
blast O
shocks O
the O
Olympic O
games O
. O

One O
person O
is O
killed O
. O

January B-T
nineteen I-T
ninety I-T
- I-T
seven I-T
. O
Atlanta O
again O
. O

This O
time O
a O
bomb O
at O
an O
abortion O
clinic O
. O

More O
people O
are O
hurt O
. O

And O
just O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
an O
off O
duty O
policeman O
is O
killed O
when O
a O
bomb O
explodes O

at O
another O
abortion O
clinic O
. O

Location O
, O
Birmingham O
, O
Alabama O
. O

This O
man O
, O
Eric O
Rudolph O
has O
already O
been O
charged O
in O
the O
Birmingham O
bombing O
. O

Now B-T
officials O
are O
investigating O
whether O
, O
Rudolph O
, O
who O
remains O
at O
large O
, O
is O
linked O
to O
all O
three O
attacks O
. O

The O
reason O
, O
authorities O
have O
discovered O
tantalizing O
new O
evidence O
. O

Steel O
plates O
recovered O
at O
the O
Olympic O
park O
bombing O
appear O
to O
match O
those O

found O
at O
the O
abortion O
clinic O
bombing O
in O
Atlanta O
. O

Those O
plates O
may O
have O
come O
from O
a O
machine O
shop O
in O
north O
Carolina O
, O
where O
a O

friend O
of O
Rudolph O
worked O
. O

And O
nails O
found O
in O
the O
Atlanta O
abortion O
clinic O
bombing O
are O
identical O
to O

those O
discovered O
at O
Rudolph O
' O
s O
storage O
shed O
in O
north O
Carolina O
. O

A O
senior O
law O
enforcement O
source O
tells O
CNN O
, O
there O
is O
a O
lot O
of O

circumstantial O
evidence O
and O
it O
would O
be O
extraordinary O
to O
have O
all O
these O

bits O
and O
pieces O
and O
there O
not O
be O
a O
connection O
. O

And O
law O
enforcement O
sources O
say O
they O
ca O
n O
' O
t O
ignore O
letters O
penned O
under O
the O

name O
army O
of O
god O
. O

Army O
of O
god O
is O
a O
secret O
organization O
that O
hates O
abortion O
providers O
, O

homosexuals O
and O
the O
US O
government O
. O

Army O
of O
god O
letters O
claim O
responsibility O
for O
the O
Atlanta O
abortion O
clinic O

bombing O
, O
a O
nineteen B-T
ninety I-T
- I-T
seven I-T
attack O
on O
a O
gay O
lounge O
and O
the O
Birmingham O
assault O
. O

An O
intense O
manhunt O
conducted O
by O
the O
FBI O
and O
the O
bureau O
of O
alcohol O
, O
tobacco O

and O
firearms O
continues O
for O
Rudolph O
in O
the O
wilderness O
of O
western O
north O

Carolina O
. O

And O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
FBI O
director O
Louie O
Freeh O
assigned O
more O
agents O
to O
the O

search O
. O

Freeh O
also O
ordered O
the O
investigation O
consolidate O
information O
under O
the O

Atlanta O
task O
force O
, O
another O
indication O
officials O
suspect O
a O
link O
between O
all O

the O
bombings O
. O

Privately O
, O
authorities O
say O
Rudolph O
has O
become O
a O
focus O
of O
their O

investigation O
. O

Publicly O
, O
they O
are O
unwilling O
to O
make O
any O
sweeping O
assertion O
. O

The O
reason O
, O
they O
remember O
Richard O
Jewell O
. O

pierre O
thomas O
, O
CNN O
, O
Washington O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0491 O

LISBON O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Naval O
name O
Barreto O
as O
new O
coach O

Portuguese O
first O
division O
side O
Naval O
have O
secured O
the O
services O
of O
Mariano O
Barreto O
as O
their O
new O
coach O
on O
a O
18 B-T
month I-T
contact O
, O
club O
officials O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Barreto O
resigned O
as O
assistant O
coach O
of O
Russian O
side O
Dynamo O
Moscow O
on O
Monday B-T
. O
He O
will O
take O
over O
from O
interim O
coach O
Fernando O
Mira O
who O
has O
been O
in O
charge O
of O
Naval O
since O
Rogerio O
Goncalves O
left O
to O
join O
Sporting O
Braga O
in O
November B-T
. O

" O
I O
want O
to O
work O
to O
project O
Naval O
to O
a O
different O
level O
, O
" O
Barreto O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
in O
the O
port O
town O
of O
Figueira O
da O
Foz O
where O
Naval O
is O
based O
. O

Barreto O
' O
s O
past O
includes O
a O
stint O
as O
the O
coach O
of O
Ghana O
' O
s O
national O
team O
as O
well O
as O
time O
as O
an O
assistant O
coach O
of O
German O
side O
Borussia O
Dortmund O
and O
Russian O
side O
Lokomotiv O
Moscow O
. O

Naval O
lie O
in O
10th O
place O
in O
the O
16 O
- O
team O
Portuguese O
premier O
league O
with O
17 O
points O
from O
13 O
matches O
, O
17 O
points O
behind O
leaders O
FC O
Porto O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970406 O
. O
0012 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Ford O
, O
Mazda O
unifying O
parts O
purchases O
: O
report O

Mazda O
Motor O
Corp O
. O
of O
Japan O
and O
Ford O
Motor O
Co O
. O
of O
the O
United O
States O
plan O
to O
unify O
their O
parts O
procurement O
systems O
in O
order O
to O
reduce O
production O
costs O
, O
the O
Nihon O
Keizai O
Shimbun O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
move O
follows O
the O
two O
companies O
' O
earlier O
accord O
to O
share O
basic O
designs O
of O
motor O
vehicles O
, O
the O
leading O
economic O
daily O
said O
. O
The O
move O
may O
be O
implemented O
by O
2002 B-T
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
automakers O
' O
business O
links O
have O
grown O
since O
Ford O
took O
effective O
control O
of O
Mazda O
by O
raising O
its O
equity O
stake O
from O
24 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
33 O
. O
4 O
percent O
in O
May B-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

Under O
Japanese O
law O
, O
if O
Ford O
were O
to O
increase O
its O
stake O
in O
Mazda O
beyond O
this O
level O
it O
would O
have O
been O
obliged O
to O
launch O
a O
full O
takeover O
bid O
. O

The O
two O
companies O
will O
select O
parts O
suppliers O
on O
the O
basis O
of O
international O
competitiveness O
, O
with O
no O
preferential O
treatment O
given O
to O
traditional O
parts O
makers O
in O
Mazda O
' O
s O
" O
keiretsu O
" O
corporate O
group O
, O
the O
daily O
said O
. O

Supplier O
candidates O
among O
Japanese O
firms O
include O
car O
electronic O
parts O
maker O
Denso O
Corp O
. O
and O
oil O
seal O
producer O
NOK O
Corp O
. O
, O
it O
said O
. O
Both O
suppliers O
have O
capital O
ties O
with O
Japan O
' O
s O
auto O
giant O
Toyota O
Motor O
Corp O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0264 O

DHAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bangladeshi O
president O
hopes O
to O
present O
clean O
general O
elections O

Bangladeshi O
President O
Prof O
. O
Iajuddin O
Ahmed O
said O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
he O
hoped O
he O
would O
be O
able O
to O
present O
the O
country O
a O
clean O
general O
election O
with O
the O
help O
of O
people O
and O
all O
political O
parties O
. O

In O
a O
televised O
speech O
, O
Ahmed O
said O
, O
" O
I O
am O
before O
you O
for O
the O
second O
time O
after O
I O
took O
the O
charge O
of O
the O
office O
of O
Chief O
Advisor O
of O
a O
neutral O
caretaker O
government O
on O
October B-T
29 I-T
. O
I O
am O
committed O
to O
discharge O
the O
responsibility O
given O
on O
me O
to O
hold O
a O
free O
and O
fair O
election O
. O
" O

Ahmed O
, O
76 O
, O
said O
some O
political O
parties O
questioned O
about O
the O
neutrality O
of O
Chief O
Election O
Commissioner O
( O
CEC O
) O
MA O
Aziz O
. O
" O
Since O
I O
cannot O
sack O
him O
constitutionally O
, O
I O
had O
sent O
three O
of O
my O
advisors O
to O
him O
with O
a O
request O
to O
Aziz O
to O
go O
on O
a O
long O
leave O
or O
resign O
. O
Moreover O
, O
I O
had O
telephonic O
talks O
with O
Aziz O
. O
He O
honoring O
my O
request O
agreed O
to O
go O
on O
a O
leave O
for O
three B-T
months I-T
. O
" O

Ahmed O
, O
a O
former O
university O
teacher O
, O
said O
a O
political O
stalemate O
was O
created O
as O
CEC O
was O
sticking O
to O
his O
stand O
not O
to O
resign O
despite O
the O
political O
parties O
was O
wanting O
. O
He O
hoped O
the O
political O
standoff O
will O
now B-T
come O
to O
an O
end O
. O

The O
president O
also O
said O
since O
CEC O
has O
gone O
on O
leave O
, O
he O
will O
appoint O
two O
more O
election O
commissioners O
for O
holding O
a O
free O
, O
fair O
and O
acceptable O
election O
. O

He O
said O
he O
hoped O
all O
political O
parties O
and O
the O
people O
will O
maintain O
restraint O
, O
and O
extend O
all O
out O
cooperation O
in O
staging O
the O
desired O
election O
within O
the O
time O
frame O
of O
three B-T
months I-T
. O

Ahmed O
also O
called O
upon O
the O
all O
concerned O
officials O
having O
link O
with O
the O
elections O
to O
remain O
above O
fear O
and O
work O
with O
honesty O
and O
neutrality O
for O
discharging O
their O
duties O
in O
presenting O
the O
nation O
clean O
and O
acceptable O
election O
. O

Ahmed O
called O
upon O
his O
advisory O
council O
to O
work O
to O
return O
the O
normalcy O
of O
all O
activities O
. O

" O
Our O
holy O
responsibility O
is O
to O
present O
the O
nation O
a O
free O
and O
election O
and O
we O
will O
have O
to O
do O
it O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
people O
of O
the O
country O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
Bangladesh O
a O
non O
- O
partisan O
caretaker O
government O
organizes O
the O
general O
election O
in O
line O
with O
the O
country O
' O
s O
constitution O
and O
hands O
over O
power O
to O
elected O
government O
since O
1996 B-T
. O

ea980120 B-T
. O
1830 O
. O
0456 O

NEWS O
STORY O

The O
Pentagon O
said O
today B-T
it O
will O
re O
- O
examine O
the O
question O
are O
the O
remains O
inside O
the O
Tomb O
of O
the O
Unknown O
from O
the O
Vietnam O
War O
, O
in O
fact O
, O
known O
? O

CBS O
News O
first O
reported O
last B-T
night I-T
that O
the O
tomb O
may O
contain O
the O
remains O
of O
Air O
Force O
pilot O
Michael O
Blassie O
. O

There O
was O
a O
suspicion O
the O
body O
was O
Blassie O
because O
his O
uniform O
and O
ID O
card O
were O
found O
near O
the O
body O
in O
Vietnam O
. O
But O
subsequently O
, O
they O
were O
lost O
. O
Blassie O
' O
s O
mother O
now B-T
wants O
the O
remains O
in O
the O
tomb O
tested O
for O
DNA O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061231 O
. O
0102 O

LISBON O
, O
Dec B-T
31 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Portuguese O
paper O
names O
Ronaldo O
sportsman O
of O
the O
year O

Manchester O
United O
winger O
Cristiano O
Ronaldo O
was O
named O
by O
leading O
Portuguese O
sports O
daily O
A O
Bola O
on O
Sunday B-T
as O
the O
country O
' O
s O
sportsman O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
. O

A O
Bola O
chose O
the O
player O
for O
his O
" O
important O
contribution O
to O
the O
expansion O
of O
Portuguese O
football O
across O
the O
world O
" O
. O

The O
21 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
international O
finished O
ahead O
of O
Benfica O
striker O
Nuno O
Gomes O
, O
the O
winner O
of O
the O
award O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
and O
Chelsea O
coach O
Jose O
Mourinho O
, O
who O
won O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
very O
happy O
with O
what O
I O
' O
ve O
managed O
to O
succeed O
up O
until O
now B-T
, O
" O
Ronaldo O
told O
A O
Bola O
after O
scoring O
two O
goals O
in O
Manchester O
United O
' O
s O
3 O
- O
2 O
win O
over O
Reading O
in O
the O
English O
Premiership O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

" O
I O
' O
ve O
scored O
foals O
and O
helped O
my O
team O
win O
. O
I O
want O
to O
continue O
at O
this O
level O
in O
2007 B-T
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0124 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
lead O
: O
Blasts O
at O
Shiite O
mosques O
kill O
56 O
in O
eastern O
Iraq O

Two O
suicide O
bombing O
attacks O
on O
Shitte O
mosques O
in O
eastern O
Iraq O
killed O
at O
least O
56 O
people O
and O
wounded O
scores O
of O
others O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
CNN O
reported O
. O

Two O
suicide O
bombers O
blew O
themselves O
up O
in O
two O
Shiite O
mosques O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Khanaqin O
in O
eastern O
Iraq O
, O
when O
people O
were O
conducting O
their O
Friday B-T
prayers O
, O
the O
police O
said O
. O

Khanaqin O
is O
a O
Shiite O
- O
dominated O
town O
in O
the O
northeast O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
with O
Sunnis O
and O
Kurds O
living O
there O
. O

Reports O
reaching O
here O
from O
Khanaqin O
said O
that O
local O
authorities O
have O
immediately O
imposed O
a O
curfew O
in O
the O
town O
near O
the O
Iranian O
border O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0253 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Video O
released O
on O
hostages O
in O
Iraq O
: O
al O
- O
Jazeera O

Four O
hostages O
were O
shown O
on O
a O
video O
released O
by O
an O
insurgent O
group O
in O
Iraq O
, O
the O
al O
- O
Jazeera O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
previously O
little O
known O
group O
, O
calling O
itself O
the O
Swords O
of O
Righteousness O
, O
said O
the O
four O
peace O
activists O
were O
spies O
working O
for O
occupying O
forces O
. O

The O
hostages O
were O
shown O
sitting O
on O
the O
ground O
and O
one O
passport O
was O
also O
shown O
on O
the O
video O
which O
seemed O
to O
belong O
to O
a O
British O
national O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
two O
Iranian O
Shiite O
pilgrims O
and O
an O
Iraqi O
female O
guide O
were O
released O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
shortly O
after O
they O
were O
taken O
hostage O
by O
gunmen O
Monday B-T
night I-T
. O

Insurgents O
often O
kidnap O
foreigners O
in O
an O
attempt O
to O
force O
the O
occupation O
forces O
to O
pull O
out O
. O
Some O
hostages O
were O
killed O
and O
many O
released O
, O
in O
some O
cases O
after O
ransoms O
paid O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0523 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

India O
take O
tennis O
mixed O
doubles O
gold O
over O
Japan O

India O
' O
s O
Leander O
Paes O
and O
Sania O
Mirza O
combined O
to O
win O
gold O
in O
the O
tennis O
mixed O
doubles O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
pair O
defeated O
seventh O
seeds O
Satoshi O
Iwabuchi O
and O
Akiko O
Morigami O
from O
Japan B-T
7 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
5 I-T
- I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
6 I-T
- I-T
2 I-T
. O

They O
won O
bronze O
together O
at O
the O
2002 O
Asian O
Games O
. O

Paes O
returned O
to O
the O
court O
for O
the O
gold O
medal O
match O
just O
minutes O
after O
winning O
the O
men O
' O
s O
doubles O
title O
with O
team O
- O
mate O
Mahesh O
Bhupathi O
. O

Mirza O
won O
silver O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
losing O
to O
China O
' O
s O
Zheng O
Jie O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
singles O
final O
. O

Taiwan O
' O
s O
Lu O
Yen O
Hsun O
and O
Hsieh O
Su O
Wei O
and O
China O
' O
s O
Yu O
Xinyuan O
and O
Sun O
Tiantian O
share O
bronze O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0255 O

KUWAIT O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Kuwait O
opens O
to O
any O
proposal O
to O
bolster O
oil O
prices O
: O
official O

A O
senior O
Kuwaiti O
official O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
his O
country O
was O
ready O
to O
consider O
any O
proposal O
that O
might O
bolster O
the O
international O
oil O
market O
, O
Kuwait O
News O
Agency O
( O
KUNA O
) O
reported O
. O

Eissa O
al O
- O
Oun O
, O
Undersecretary O
of O
Kuwaiti O
Ministry O
of O
Energy O
and O
Oil O
, O
made O
the O
remarks O
in O
an O
interview O
with O
KUNA O
on O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
Emirate O
' O
s O
position O
towards O
the O
coming O
meeting O
of O
the O
Organization O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
( O
OPEC O
) O
. O

The O
OPEC O
is O
set O
to O
discuss O
further O
measures O
to O
balance O
the O
global O
crude O
oil O
prices O
in O
Abuja O
, O
capital O
of O
Nigeria O
, O
in O
mid O
December B-T
. O

According O
to O
KUNA O
, O
the O
average O
price O
of O
OPEC O
crude O
basket O
since O
the B-T
beginning I-T
of I-T
2006 I-T
till O
the O
end O
of O
last B-T
week I-T
was O
55 O
. O
74 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
per O
barrel O
( O
dpb O
) O
, O
up O
from O
50 O
. O
64 O
dpb O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

In O
October B-T
, O
OPEC O
' O
s O
average O
price O
dropped O
to O
54 O
. O
97 O
dpb O
from O
59 O
. O
34 O
dpb O
in O
September B-T
. O

In O
the B-T
last I-T
ministerial I-T
meeting O
in O
Doha O
of O
Qatar O
last B-T
month I-T
, O
OPEC O
oil O
ministers O
decided O
to O
cut O
the O
cartel O
' O
s O
daily O
crude O
oil O
output O
by O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
barrels O
as O
of O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, O
without O
excluding O
possibility O
of O
further O
cut O
when O
necessary O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0368 O

ABUJA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Abuja O
carnival O
ends O
with O
colorful O
parade O

The O
four O
- O
day O
Abuja O
carnival O
has O
ended O
in O
pomp O
and O
ceremony O
with O
colorful O
parade O
, O
fireworks O
and O
musical O
display O
, O
News O
Agency O
of O
Nigeria O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

On O
behalf O
of O
Nigerian O
President O
Olusegun O
Obasanjo O
, O
the O
Federal O
Capital O
Territory O
( O
FCT O
) O
Minister O
Malam O
Nasiru O
el O
- O
Rufai O
declared O
the O
closing O
of O
the O
carnival O
at O
the B-T
weekend I-T
in O
Abuja O
. O

Describing O
the O
carnival O
as O
a O
huge O
success O
, O
the O
chairman O
of O
the O
organizing O
committee O
Olusegun O
Runsewe O
hoped O
that O
next O
year O
' O
s O
carnival O
would O
be O
bigger O
and O
would O
afford O
Nigeria O
another O
opportunity O
to O
present O
its O
culture O
and O
tradition O
to O
the O
world O
. O

Awards O
were O
given O
to O
all O
states O
that O
participated O
at O
the O
carnival O
while O
Kaduna O
State O
with O
the O
largest O
contingent O
of O
500 O
got O
a O
special O
award O
as O
well O
as O
the O
best O
durbar O
award O
. O

Some O
of O
the O
participants O
called O
on O
the O
government O
to O
work O
in O
collaboration O
with O
the O
private O
sector O
for O
a O
better O
carnival O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

This B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
carnival O
, O
started O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
- I-T
26 I-T
, O
was O
aimed O
at O
repositioning O
the O
country O
in O
the O
world O
tourism O
map O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0058 O

PERTH O
, O
Australia O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

Australia O
recovered O
from O
the O
early O
loss O
of O
Matthew O
Hayden O
to O
reach O
173 O
- O
3 O
at O
tea O
on O
day O
one O
of O
the O
first O
Test O
against O
South O
Africa O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Captain O
Ricky O
Ponting O
hit O
a O
half O
- O
century O
while O
Brad O
Hodge O
( O
37 O
) O
and O
Michael O
Hussey O
( O
20 O
) O
were O
the O
not O
- O
out O
batsmen O
at O
the O
break O
. O

Makhaya O
Ntini O
had O
dismissed O
opener O
Hayden O
for O
a O
duck O
with O
his O
second O
ball O
to O
leave O
Australia O
on O
0 O
- O
1 O
. O

But O
Ponting O
and O
Justin O
Langer O
were O
looking O
in O
ominous O
form O
as O
Australia O
reached O
96 O
- O
1 O
at O
lunch O
. O

The O
visitors O
then O
grabbed O
two O
quick O
wickets O
in O
the O
second O
session O
to O
stem O
the O
flow O
of O
runs O
. O

Ntini O
dismissed O
Langer O
for O
37 B-T
as O
the O
diminutive O
left O
- O
hander O
botched O
a O
pull O
shot O
, O
sending O
the O
ball O
skywards O
to O
captain O
Graeme O
Smith O
at O
mid O
- O
off O
. O

Shaun O
Pollock O
then O
trapped O
Ponting O
lbw O
for O
71 O
with O
a O
ball O
which O
nipped O
back O
from O
the O
off O
side O
, O
ending O
the O
Australian O
captain O
' O
s O
12 O
- O
boundary O
knock O
. O

South O
Africa O
then O
missed O
a O
great O
opportunity O
to O
gain O
the O
ascendancy O
when O
wicketkeeper O
Mark O
Boucher O
missed O
a O
thick O
top O
- O
edge O
Brad O
Hodge O
when O
he O
was O
on O
three O
. O

Had O
Boucher O
taken O
the O
catch O
, O
the O
Proteas O
would O
have O
had O
the O
Australians O
at O
117 O
- O
4 O
. O
But O
the O
ball O
went O
to O
the O
boundary O
instead O
. O

The O
tourists O
went O
into O
the O
match O
without O
key O
all O
- O
rounder O
Jacques O
Kallis O
who O
failed O
a O
last O
- O
minute O
fitness O
test O
on O
his O
left O
elbow O
. O

It O
was O
the O
first O
time O
in O
two B-T
years I-T
that O
Kallis O
has O
missed O
a O
Test O
match O
. O

Jacques O
Rudolph O
was O
brought O
into O
the O
side O
while O
orthodox O
spinner O
Nicky O
Boje O
was O
left O
out O
in O
favour O
of O
a O
pace O
attack O
on O
a O
wicket O
known O
for O
it O
' O
s O
speed O
and O
bounce O
. O

For O
Australia O
, O
seamer O
Nathan O
Bracken O
was O
named O
in O
their O
bowling O
attack O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0182 O

AFGOYE O
, O
Somalia O
, O
Dec B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Somali O
government O
plans O
martial O
law O
with O
parliament O
backing O

Somalia O
' O
s O
government O
plans O
to O
impose O
martial O
law O
now B-T
that O
its O
Ethiopia O
- O
backed O
forces O
have O
arrived O
in O
Mogadishu O
, O
which O
has O
been O
abandoned O
by O
Islamist O
forces O
, O
government O
officials O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
We O
need O
three O
months O
' O
martial O
law O
in O
order O
to O
disarm O
all O
the O
militias O
, O
" O
Prime O
Minister O
Ali O
Mohamed O
Gedi O
said O
earlier O
in O
Afgoye O
, O
about O
20 O
kilometres O
( O
13 O
miles O
) O
outside O
the O
capital O
. O

Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
Hussein O
Mohamed O
Aidid O
, O
a O
Somali O
clan O
warlord O
who O
has O
rallied O
to O
the O
transitional O
administration O
, O
said O
the O
parliament O
based O
in O
the O
south O
central O
town O
of O
Baidoa O
is O
expected O
to O
endorse O
the O
laws O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
We O
need O
a O
parliament O
approval O
of O
the O
martial O
law O
for O
three B-T
months I-T
. O
It O
has O
been O
decided O
already O
by O
the O
cabinet O
, O
" O
Aidid O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
We O
will O
go O
back O
to O
Baidoa O
to O
present O
and O
discuss O
our O
laws O
to O
the O
parliament O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Somalia O
has O
been O
embroiled O
in O
heavy O
fighting O
since O
Islamist O
fighters O
launched O
an O
attack O
against O
the O
government O
near O
their O
base O
in O
Baidoa O
after O
a O
deadline O
for O
Ethiopian O
troops O
to O
withdraw O
. O

Ethiopia O
refused O
to O
pull O
out O
its O
forces O
and O
launched O
a O
heavy O
attack O
against O
the O
Islamists O
, O
forcing O
them O
to O
retreat O
from O
front O
line O
townships O
in O
the O
south O
and O
centre O
of O
the O
country O
to O
Mogadishu O
, O
which O
was O
abandoned O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

Islamist O
leaders O
have O
fallen O
back O
on O
the O
port O
town O
of O
Kismayo O
, O
where O
one O
of O
their O
military O
commanders O
said O
Friday B-T
that O
they O
will O
never O
surrender O
to O
the O
Ethiopians O
and O
government O
forces O
, O
but O
carry O
out O
guerrilla O
attacks O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0123 O

HEFEI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

province O

The O
last O
28 O
of O
the O
41 O
people O
who O
had O
close O
contact O
with O
the O
second O
victim O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Anhui O
Province O
have O
been O
were O
released O
from O
a O
week O
- O
long O
medical O
observation O
, O
a O
local O
health O
official O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

All O
the O
41 O
people O
have O
been O
declared O
symptom O
free O
, O
and O
they O
will O
receive O
follow O
- O
up O
checkups O
for O
another B-T
week I-T
, O
said O
Ye O
Zhonggang O
, O
director O
of O
the O
Health O
Bureau O
of O
the O
Xiuning O
County O
. O

The O
other O
13 O
people O
held O
for O
observation O
were O
released O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, O
the O
official O
said O
. O

A O
35 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
female O
farmer O
surnamed O
Xu O
in O
Xiuning O
developed O
fever O
and O
pneumonia O
- O
like O
symptoms O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
after O
contact O
with O
sick O
and O
dead O
poultry O
. O
She O
died O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
and O
test O
results O
showed O
the O
woman O
was O
H5N1 O
positive O
. O
She O
was O
the O
second O
human O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
the O
province O
. O

The O
first O
victim O
of O
the O
province O
was O
a O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
farmer O
surnamed O
Zhou O
in O
Zongyang O
County O
, O
who O
died O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
. O

So O
far O
, O
China O
has O
reported O
approximately O
30 O
outbreaks O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
11 O
provinces O
and O
autonomous O
regions O
and O
reported O
three O
confirmed O
human O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0170 O

TIANJIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

joint O
statement O

A O
four O
- O
day O
conference O
for O
young O
political O
leaders O
in O
Asia O
and O
Europe O
concluded O
here O
Thursday B-T
with O
the O
adoption O
of O
a O
joint O
statement O
featuring O
agreements O
on O
youth O
issues O
in O
the O
two O
continents O
. O

The O
conference O
, O
jointly O
- O
hosted O
by O
the O
All O
China O
Youth O
Federation O
and O
Asia O
Europe O
Foundation O
, O
was O
aimed O
at O
implementing O
the O
proposals O
from O
Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
at O
the O
fifth O
Asia O
Europe O
Meeting O
( O
ASEM O
) O
. O

It O
was O
also O
the O
first O
of O
such O
activities O
among O
young O
political O
leaders O
in O
the O
history O
of O
the O
ASEM O
. O

More O
than O
100 O
young O
delegates O
from O
34 O
countries O
and O
regional O
youth O
organizations O
attended O
the O
conference O
which O
started O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Monday B-T
and O
then O
moved O
to O
the O
neighboring O
port O
city O
of O
Tianjin O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061215 O
. O
0580 O

MIAMI O
, O
Florida O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Japanese O
star O
Iwamura O
signs O
with O
Tampa O

The O
Tampa O
Bay O
Devil O
Rays O
agreed O
to O
terms O
on O
Friday B-T
with O
Japanese O
infielder O
Akinori O
Iwamura O
on O
a O
three O
- O
year O
contract O
with O
a O
team O
option O
for O
2010 B-T
. O

Financial O
terms O
were O
not O
disclosed O
, O
but O
Major O
League O
Baseball O
' O
s O
website O
reported O
Friday B-T
that O
the O
contract O
is O
worth O
7 O
. O
7 O
million O
dollars O
while O
the O
fourth O
- O
year O
option O
would O
pay O
4 O
. O
25 O
million O
dollars O
. O

The O
move O
came O
one O
day O
after O
the O
Boston O
Red O
Sox O
made O
international O
headlines O
by O
signing O
Japanese O
pitcher O
Daisuke O
Matsuzaka O
to O
a O
six O
- O
year O
contract O
reportedly O
worth O
52 O
million O
dollars O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0109 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0109 O
. O

American O
Medical O

@ O
International O
Bought O

@ O
By O
IMA O
Holdings O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

AMI O
Z O
. O
CSU O
WNEWS O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

HEALTH O
CARE O
PROVIDERS O
, O
MEDICINE O
, O
DENTISTRY O
( O
HEA O
) O

LOS O
ANGELES O

IMA O
Holdings O
Corp O
. O
completed O
its O
$ O
3 O
billion O
acquisition O
of O
American O
Medical O
International O
Inc O
. O
, O
purchasing O
63 O
million O
shares O
, O
or O
86 O
% O
, O
of O
the O
Los O
Angeles O
- O
based O
health O
- O
care O
services O
concern O
for O
$ O
26 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
price O
also O
includes O
assumption O
of O
about O
$ O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
in O
debt O
. O

IMA O
is O
a O
group O
that O
includes O
First O
Boston O
Corp O
. O
and O
the O
Pritzker O
family O
of O
Chicago O
through O
the O
leveraged O
buy O
- O
out O
fund O
Harry O
Gray O
Melvyn O
Klein O
amp O
Partners O
. O

Harry O
J O
. O
Gray O
and O
Melvyn O
N O
. O
Klein O
, O
along O
with O
five O
other O
IMA O
designees O
, O
were O
named O
to O
join O
American O
Medical O
' O
s O
10 O
- O
member O
board O
. O

The O
completion O
of O
the O
merger O
agreement O
follows O
months B-T
of O
twists O
and O
turns O
. O

In O
January B-T
, O
American O
Medical O
brought O
in O
a O
new O
chief O
executive O
officer O
, O
Richard O
A O
. O
Gilleland O
, O
45 O
, O
who O
will O
remain O
as O
chairman O
, O
president O
and O
chief O
executive O
. O

A B-T
few I-T
days I-T
later O
, O
American O
Medical O
announced O
sharply O
lower O
earnings O
, O
taking O
charges O
of O
$ O
24 O
million O
for O
insurance O
reserves O
and O
canceled O
real O
estate O
leases O
. O

In O
March B-T
, O
American O
Medical O
received O
a O
$ O
24 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
offer O
to O
take O
the O
company O
private O
from O
an O
investor O
group O
including O
large O
holder O
M O
. O
Lee O
Pearce O
. O

It O
also O
was O
considering O
a O
restructuring O
to O
help O
boost O
the O
stock O
price O
. O

A O
group O
including O
several O
members O
of O
the O
the O
Bass O
family O
of O
Texas O
urged O
the O
company O
to O
take O
some O
steps O
to O
maximize O
shareholder O
value O
. O

The B-T
following I-T
month I-T
, O
the O
company O
put O
itself O
up O
for O
sale O
. O

It O
received O
more O
offers O
, O
but O
the O
auction O
was O
surprisingly O
won O
by O
IMA O
, O
which O
bid O
$ O
28 O
a O
share O
and O
asked O
Mr O
. O
Gilleland O
to O
stay O
on O
as O
an O
equity O
participant O
. O

He O
indicated O
that O
some O
assets O
might O
be O
sold O
off O
to O
service O
the O
debt O
. O

Then O
, O
after O
extending O
its O
offer O
four O
times O
waiting O
for O
a O
congressional O
tax O
ruling O
, O
IMA O
early B-T
this I-T
month I-T
lowered O
its O
offer O
to O
$ O
26 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
amid O
turbulence O
in O
the O
junk O
bond O
market O
. O

American O
Medical O
accepted O
the O
offer O
, O
meanwhile O
indicating O
it O
had O
heard O
from O
two O
other O
suitors O
. O

But O
they O
never O
materialized O
and O
IMA O
completed O
the O
purchase O
yesterday B-T
. O

Other O
new O
board O
members O
include O
John O
S O
. O
Harrison O
and O
Mark O
A O
. O
Adley O
of O
First O
Boston O
, O
James O
F O
. O
Lyons O
, O
William O
S O
. O
Goldberg O
and O
Harold O
S O
. O
Handelsman O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0456 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

NBA O
banishes O
Sonics O
' O
Fortson O
for O
one O
game O

Seattle O
SuperSonics O
forward O
Danny O
Fortson O
was O
suspended O
one O
game O
by O
the O
National O
Basketball O
Association O
here O
Saturday B-T
for O
a O
series O
of O
violations O
during O
a O
victory O
Friday B-T
at O
Utah O
. O

Fortson O
was O
banished O
for O
verbally O
abusing O
a O
referee O
, O
failing O
to O
leave O
the O
court O
in O
a O
timely O
manner O
after O
being O
ejected O
and O
knocking O
over O
a O
water O
cooler O
while O
leaving O
. O

The O
incident O
came O
with O
nine O
minutes O
and O
13 O
seconds O
to O
play O
in O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
of O
Seattle O
' O
s O
106 O
- O
90 O
victory O
. O

Fortson O
was O
whistled O
for O
a O
loose O
ball O
foul O
after O
having O
been O
whistled O
for O
three O
fouls O
and O
a O
technical O
foul O
in O
seven O
minutes O
. O
He O
argued O
the O
call O
and O
was O
ejected O
. O

Teammates O
restrained O
Forston O
as O
he O
pressed O
his O
case O
to O
referee O
Matt O
Boland O
. O
Fortson O
, O
who O
tossed O
a O
chair O
that O
nearly O
hit O
a O
fan O
following O
an O
ejection O
last B-T
season I-T
, O
dumped O
a O
water O
cooler O
on O
his O
way O
into O
the O
locker O
room O
. O

Fortson O
forfeited O
71 O
, O
277 O
dollars O
in O
salary O
by O
missing O
Seattle O
' O
s O
game O
Saturday B-T
against O
Sacramento O
. O
He O
averages O
3 O
. O
5 O
points O
, O
2 O
. O
8 O
rebounds O
and O
3 O
. O
6 O
fouls O
a O
game O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0020 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0020 O
. O

What O
' O
s O
News O
- O
- O

@ O
Business O
and O
Finance O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

PROGRAM O
TRADING O
is O
being O
curbed O
by O
more O
securities O
firms O
, O
but O
big O
institutional O
investors O
are O
expected O
to O
continue O
the O
practice O
, O
further O
roiling O
the O
stock O
market O
. O

Bowing O
to O
criticism O
, O
Bear O
Stearns O
, O
Morgan O
Stanley O
and O
Oppenheimer O
joined O
PaineWebber O
in O
suspending O
stock O
- O
index O
arbitrage O
trading O
for O
their O
own O
accounts O
. O

Still O
, O
stock O
- O
index O
funds O
are O
expected O
to O
continue O
launching O
big O
programs O
through O
the O
market O
. O

Several O
Big O
Board O
firms O
are O
organizing O
to O
complain O
about O
program O
trading O
and O
the O
exchange O
' O
s O
role O
in O
it O
. O

The O
effort O
is O
being O
led O
by O
Contel O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Personal O
spending O
rose O
0 O
. O
2 O
% O
in O
September B-T
, O
the O
smallest O
gain O
in O
a O
year O
. O

The O
slowdown O
raises O
questions O
about O
the O
economy O
' O
s O
strength O
because O
spending O
fueled O
much O
of O
the O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
GNP O
growth O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
personal O
income O
edged O
up O
0 O
. O
3 O
% O
. O

Factory O
owners O
are O
buying O
new O
machinery O
at O
a O
healthy O
rate O
this B-T
fall I-T
, O
machine O
- O
tool O
makers O
say O
. O

But O
weak O
car O
sales O
raise O
questions O
about O
future B-T
demand O
from O
the O
auto O
sector O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Southern O
' O
s O
Gulf O
Power O
unit O
may O
plead O
guilty O
this B-T
week I-T
to O
charges O
it O
illegally O
steered O
company O
money O
to O
politicians O
through O
third O
parties O
. O

The O
tentative O
pact O
would O
resolve O
part O
of O
a O
broad O
investigation O
of O
the O
Atlanta O
- O
based O
company O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
year I-T
. O

- O
- O
- O

LIN O
Broadcasting O
and O
BellSouth O
sweetened O
their O
plan O
to O
merge O
cellular O
phone O
operations O
, O
offering O
LIN O
holders O
a O
special O
$ O
42 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
payout O
. O

But O
the O
new O
pact O
will O
force O
huge O
debt O
on O
the O
new O
firm O
and O
could O
still O
fail O
to O
thwart O
rival O
suitor O
McCaw O
Cellular O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Unisys O
posted O
a O
$ O
648 O
. O
2 O
million O
loss O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
as O
it O
moved O
quickly O
to O
take O
write O
- O
offs O
for O
various O
problems O
and O
prepare O
for O
a O
turnaround O
. O

But O
some O
analysts O
wonder O
how O
strong O
the O
recovery O
will O
be O
. O

- O
- O
- O

RJR O
Nabisco O
agreed O
to O
sell O
three O
candy O
businesses O
to O
Nestle O
for O
$ O
370 O
million O
. O

The O
accord O
helps O
RJR O
pay O
off O
debt O
and O
boosts O
Nestle O
' O
s O
7 O
% O
share O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
candy O
market O
to O
12 O
% O
. O

- O
- O
- O
GM O
and O
Ford O
are O
expected O
to O
go O
head O
to O
head O
in O
the O
markets O
to O
buy O
up O
rival O
15 O
% O
stakes O
in O
Jaguar O
. O

GM O
confirmed O
it O
received O
U O
. O
S O
. O
antitrust O
clearance O
to O
boost O
its O
holding O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Sansui O
Electric O
agreed O
to O
sell O
a O
51 O
% O
stake O
to O
Polly O
Peck O
of O
Britain O
for O
$ O
110 O
million O
. O

Still O
, O
analysts O
said O
the O
accord O
does O
n O
' O
t O
suggest O
Japan O
is O
opening O
up O
to O
more O
foreign O
takeovers O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Kellogg O
suspended O
work O
on O
a O
$ O
1 O
billion O
cereal O
plant O
, O
indicating O
a O
pessimistic O
outlook O
by O
the O
cereal O
maker O
, O
which O
has O
been O
losing O
market O
share O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Insurers O
could O
see O
claims O
totaling O
nearly O
$ O
1 O
billion O
from O
the O
San O
Francisco O
earthquake O
, O
far O
less O
than O
the O
$ O
4 O
billion O
from O
Hurricane O
Hugo O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Nashua O
strengthened O
its O
poison O
- O
pill O
plan O
after O
announcing O
a O
Dutch O
firm O
is O
seeking O
to O
buy O
up O
to O
25 O
% O
of O
the O
New O
Hampshire O
copier O
company O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Mobil O
is O
cutting O
back O
its O
U O
. O
S O
. O
oil O
and O
gas O
exploration O
and O
production O
group O
by O
up O
to O
15 O
% O
as O
part O
of O
a O
restructuring O
of O
the O
business O
. O

- O
- O
- O

Markets O
- O
- O
- O

Stocks O
: O
Volume O
170 O
, O
330 O
, O
000 O
shares O
. O

Dow O
Jones O
industrials O
2596 O
. O
72 O
, O
off O
17 O
. O
01 O
; O
transportation O
1190 O
. O
43 O
, O
off O
14 O
. O
76 O
; O
utilities O
215 O
. O
86 O
, O
up O
0 O
. O
19 O
. O

Bonds O
: O
Shearson O
Lehman O
Hutton O
Treasury O
index O
3406 O
. O
31 O
, O
off O
19 O
. O
29 O
. O

Commodities O
: O
Dow O
Jones O
futures O
index O
129 O
. O
49 O
, O
up O
0 O
. O
27 O
; O
spot O
index O
130 O
. O
80 O
, O
off O
0 O
. O
24 O
. O

Dollar O
: O
141 O
. O
65 O
yen O
, O
off O
0 O
. O
45 O
; O
1 O
. O
8300 O
marks O
, O
off O
0 O
. O
0100 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0153 O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Korea O
, O
DPRK O
meet O
in O
Macao O

South O
Korean O
and O
DPR O
Korean O
officials O
met O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
East O
Asian O
Games O
for O
three B-T
hours I-T
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
discussing O
a O
joint O
team O
to O
the O
2006 O
Asian O
Games O
and O
2008 O
Olympic O
Games O
. O

" O
Two O
sides O
have O
reached O
consensus O
on O
sending O
a O
joint O
team O
to O
the O
Asian O
Games O
and O
the O
Olympics O
, O
but O
a O
lot O
of O
work O
needs O
to O
be O
done O
before O
the O
final O
decision O
is O
made O
, O
" O
said O
a O
South O
Korean O
official O
who O
asked O
not O
to O
be O
named O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0202 O

CHANGCHUN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

investigation O

The O
chemical O
plant O
blasts O
which O
left O
five O
workers O
dead O
and O
one O
missing O
on O
Sunday B-T
in O
Jilin O
Province O
were O
caused O
by O
the O
incorrect O
operation O
by O
a O
worker O
, O
said O
investigators O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

After O
a O
five O
- O
day O
probe O
, O
experts O
agreed O
that O
the O
operator O
forgot O
to O
close O
the O
valve O
of O
the O
raw O
material O
providing O
system O
, O
leaving O
the O
temperature O
much O
higher O
than O
the O
normal O
standard O
. O

The O
longtime O
overheating O
then O
led O
to O
a O
blowout O
and O
the O
cold O
air O
went O
into O
the O
T101 O
aniline O
processing O
tower O
, O
which O
was O
run O
under O
negative O
pressure O
and O
triggered O
the O
blast O
at O
about O
1 B-T
: I-T
45 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
, O
and O
other O
blasts O
happened O
afterwards O
. O

The O
blasts O
also O
left O
more O
than O
60 O
injured O
, O
23 O
of O
who O
are O
still O
in O
hospital O
but O
in O
safe O
condition O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0019 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Burundi O

China O
and O
Burundi O
have O
deep O
traditional O
friendship O
, O
and O
should O
enhance O
cooperation O
in O
investment O
, O
infrastructure O
, O
telecommunications O
and O
agriculture O
, O
said O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
here O
Tuesday B-T
when O
meeting O
with O
Burundian O
President O
Pierre O
Nkurunziza O
, O
who O
is O
in O
China O
for O
the O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
held O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
. O

In O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
the O
two O
countries O
boosted O
their O
exchanges O
and O
cooperation O
in O
fields O
of O
politics O
, O
judicature O
, O
economy O
, O
trade O
, O
culture O
and O
international O
affairs O
, O
said O
Hu O
, O
suggesting O
the O
two O
sides O
continue O
exchanges O
in O
all O
fields O
and O
at O
all O
levels O
. O

China O
will O
continue O
to O
support O
the O
peace O
process O
in O
Burundi O
, O
and O
urges O
the O
international O
society O
to O
enhance O
attention O
and O
assistance O
to O
the O
reconstruction O
in O
Burundi O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Nkurunziza O
appreciates O
China O
' O
s O
long O
- O
time O
assistance O
to O
Burundi O
in O
areas O
of O
education O
, O
public O
health O
, O
agriculture O
, O
power O
and O
infrastructure O
, O
saying O
the O
political O
and O
security O
situation O
is O
basically O
stable O
in O
Burundi O
. O

The O
Burundian O
government O
is O
making O
efforts O
for O
national O
reconciliation O
and O
economic O
, O
social O
development O
, O
he O
said O
. O
Burundi O
is O
expecting O
further O
assistance O
from O
China O
, O
and O
wishes O
to O
enhance O
cooperation O
with O
China O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Nkurunziza O
arrived O
in O
China O
last B-T
Friday I-T
. O
He O
and O
other O
47 O
leaders O
and O
representatives O
of O
African O
countries O
attended O
the O
two O
- O
day O
Beijing O
summit O
, O
which O
is O
believed O
to O
be O
the O
largest O
diplomatic O
event O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
since O
1949 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0314 O

WELLINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Aircraft O
lift O
NZ O
imports O

New O
Zealand O
' O
s O
imports O
of O
merchandise O
goods O
for O
October B-T
2005 I-T
increased O
316 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
221 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
up O
10 O
. O
4 O
percent O
compared O
with O
October B-T
2004 I-T
, O
and O
are O
provisionally O
valued O
at O
3 O
, O
341 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
2339 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
Statistics O
New O
Zealand O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

It O
said O
driving O
the O
increase O
were O
higher O
values O
for O
aircraft O
and O
parts O
, O
valued O
at O
330 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
232 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O
This O
value O
is O
due O
primarily O
to O
the O
import O
of O
two O
aircraft O
. O

Exports O
of O
merchandise O
goods O
for O
October B-T
2005 I-T
are O
provisionally O
valued O
at O
2 O
, O
459 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
1721 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
which O
is O
30 O
million O
NA O
dollars O
( O
21 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
lower O
than O
for O
October B-T
2004 I-T
. O
The O
main O
contributors O
to O
the O
reduced O
exports O
value O
were O
wood O
and O
wood O
articles O
; O
aircraft O
; O
and O
ships O
and O
boats O
. O
Partly O
offsetting O
these O
was O
a O
higher O
value O
for O
meat O
. O

The O
trade O
balance O
for O
the O
October B-T
2005 I-T
month I-T
is O
a O
deficit O
of O
882 O
million O
( O
617 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
or O
35 O
. O
9 O
percent O
of O
exports O
. O
The O
size O
of O
the O
deficit O
has O
decreased O
for O
two B-T
consecutive I-T
months I-T
. O

The O
average O
trade O
balance O
for O
an O
October B-T
month I-T
for O
the B-T
past I-T
10 I-T
years I-T
is O
a O
deficit O
of O
462 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
323 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
20 O
. O
2 O
percent O
of O
exports O
, O
said O
the O
Statistics O
New O
Zealand O
. O

Exports O
to O
China O
in O
October B-T
2005 I-T
valued O
140 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
98 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
and O
are O
provisionally O
valued O
at O
1 O
, O
559 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
1091 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
and O
imports O
from O
China O
valued O
in O
October B-T
2005 I-T
at O
388 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
271 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
and O
are O
provisionally O
valued O
at O
3 O
, O
945 O
million O
NZ O
dollars O
( O
2761 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
up O
21 O
. O
9 O
percent O
compared O
with O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
thus O
put O
China O
the O
number O
two O
country O
of O
New O
Zealand O
imports O
from O
the O
third O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
said O
Statistics O
New O
Zealand O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0064 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0064 O
. O

International O
Brief O
- O
- O
Reed O
International O
PLC O
: O

@ O
Net O
Income O
for O
6 O
Months O

@ O
Fell O
5 O
% O
to O
$ O
141 O
. O
9 O
Million O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

U O
. O
REE O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Reed O
International O
PLC O
said O
that O
net O
income O
for O
the B-T
six I-T
months I-T
ended O
Oct B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
slipped O
5 O
% O
to O
# O
89 O
. O
7 O
million O
( O
$ O
141 O
. O
9 O
million O
) O
, O
or O
16 O
pence O
a O
share O
, O
from O
# O
94 O
. O
8 O
million O
( O
$ O
149 O
. O
9 O
million O
) O
, O
or O
17 O
. O
3 O
pence O
a O
share O
. O

The O
British O
paper O
, O
packaging O
and O
publishing O
concern O
, O
said O
profit O
from O
continuing O
lines O
fell O
10 O
% O
to O
# O
118 O
million O
from O
# O
130 O
. O
6 O
million O
. O

While O
there O
were O
no O
one O
- O
time O
gains O
or O
losses O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
period I-T
, O
there O
was O
a O
one O
- O
time O
gain O
of O
# O
18 O
million O
in O
the O
1988 B-T
period O
. O

And O
while O
there O
was O
no O
profit O
this B-T
year I-T
from O
discontinued O
operations O
, O
last B-T
year I-T
they O
contributed O
# O
34 O
million O
, O
before O
tax O
. O

Pretax O
profit O
fell O
3 O
. O
7 O
% O
to O
# O
128 O
million O
from O
# O
133 O
million O
and O
was O
below O
analysts O
' O
expectations O
of O
# O
130 O
million O
to O
# O
135 O
million O
, O
but O
shares O
rose O
6 O
pence O
to O
388 O
pence O
in O
early O
trading O
yesterday B-T
in O
London O
. O

Reed O
is O
paying O
an O
interim O
dividend O
of O
4 O
. O
6 O
pence O
, O
up O
15 O
% O
from O
4 O
pence O
a B-T
year I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Sales O
fell O
20 O
% O
to O
# O
722 O
million O
. O

Earnings O
were O
hurt O
by O
disposal O
of O
operations O
in O
its O
restructuring O
, O
Reed O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0364 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mexico O
seeking O
to O
boost O
trade O
with O
China O
: O
official O

Trade O
between O
Mexico O
and O
China O
is O
growing O
fast O
, O
and O
Mexico O
is O
seeking O
to O
further O
boost O
its O
trade O
with O
China O
, O
a O
Mexican O
offcial O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Roberto O
Zapata O
Barradas O
, O
director O
general O
for O
multilateral O
and O
regional O
negotiations O
at O
the O
Economy O
Secretary O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
that O
Mexico O
is O
seeking O
to O
balance O
its O
trade O
with O
China O
, O
due O
to O
a O
large O
surplus O
in O
favor O
of O
China O
. O

China O
has O
also O
expressed O
the O
willingness O
to O
allow O
more O
Mexican O
exports O
, O
especially O
in O
mining O
and O
chemicals O
, O
according O
to O
Zapata O
, O
who O
said O
Mexico O
was O
drawing O
up O
a O
list O
of O
companies O
that O
could O
meet O
Chinese O
demand O
. O

Mexico O
is O
seeking O
agricultural O
hygiene O
agreements O
with O
China O
so O
that O
it O
can O
export O
limes O
, O
mangos O
and O
beef O
. O
It O
has O
already O
reached O
agreements O
to O
export O
grapes O
and O
avocados O
to O
China O
, O
he O
said O
. O

He O
said O
that O
Chinese O
authorities O
had O
already O
authorized O
a O
Mexican O
pavilion O
for O
the O
Latin O
American O
Commercial O
Fair O
in O
the O
first O
half O
of O
2007 O
in O
Beijing O
. O

China O
- O
Mexico O
trade O
tops O
eight O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
with O
China O
exporting O
6 O
. O
8 O
billion O
more O
goods O
than O
Mexico O
. O

Senior O
officials O
from O
the O
two O
countries O
discussed O
bilateral O
trade O
last B-T
week I-T
in O
Beijing O
during O
the O
third O
meeting O
of O
the O
High O
Level O
Group O
. O

Zapata O
said O
Mexico O
is O
seeking O
deals O
on O
steel O
and O
electronics O
, O
as O
well O
as O
considering O
possible O
ways O
to O
boost O
trade O
between O
the O
two O
nations O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Mexico O
is O
working O
to O
set O
up O
two O
forums O
, O
one O
in O
China O
and O
one O
in O
Mexico O
, O
to O
promote O
investment O
in O
automobile O
, O
and O
is O
considering O
importing O
Chinese O
- O
made O
cars O
, O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0086 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

URGENTChinese O
foreign O
minister O
to O
visit O
US O
next O
week O

Chinese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Qian O
Qichen O
will O
visit O
the O
United O
States O
next B-T
week I-T
to O
meet O
with O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
and O
top O
- O
level O
US O
officials O
, O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Cui O
Tiankai O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

NYT19980206 O
. O
0466 O

NEWS O
STORY O

02 B-T
/ I-T
06 I-T
/ I-T
1998 I-T
22 I-T
: I-T
29 I-T
: I-T
00 I-T

A6982 O
Cx1f O
taf O
- O
z O

u O
w O
Cx13 O
Cx11 O
BC O
- O
CLINTON O
- O
CURRIE O
- O
NYT O
LR O
02 O
- O
06 O
0277 O

BC O
- O
CLINTON O
- O
CURRIE O
- O
NYT O

STATEMENTS O
CONCERNING O
MRS O
. O
CURRIE O

UR O
( O
bl O
) O
LR O
QL O

UR O
c O
. O
1998 O
N O
. O
Y O
. O
Times O
News O
Service O
LR O
QC O
QL O

WASHINGTON O
_ O
Following O
are O
statements O
made O
Friday B-T
and O
Thursday B-T

by O
Lawrence O
Wechsler O
, O
a O
lawyer O
for O
the O
White O
House O
secretary O
, O
Betty O

Currie O
; O
the O
White O
House O
; O
White O
House O
spokesman O
Mike O
McCurry O
, O
and O

President O
Clinton O
in O
response O
to O
an O
article O
in O
The O
New O
York O
Times O

on O
Friday B-T
about O
her O
statements O
regarding O
a O
meeting O
with O
the O

president O
: O

Wechsler O
on O
Thursday B-T

` O
` O
Without O
commenting O
on O
the O
allegations O
raised O
in O
this O
article O
, O

to O
the O
extent O
that O
there O
is O
any O
implication O
or O
suggestion O
that O
Mrs O
. O

Currie O
was O
aware O
of O
any O
legal O
or O
ethical O
impropriety O
by O
anyone O
, O

that O
implication O
or O
suggestion O
is O
entirely O
inaccurate O
. O
' O
' O

White O
House O
on O
Thursday B-T

` O
` O
For O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
weeks I-T
we O
' O
ve O
been O
subjected O
to O
false O
leaks O

designed O
to O
mislead O
both O
reporters O
and O
the O
American O
public O
. O
We O
' O
re O
not O
going O
to O
dignify O
the O
latest B-T
false O
leak O
with O
a O
response O
. O
' O
' O

McCurry O
on O
Friday B-T

` O
` O
I O
want O
to O
be O
absolutely O
clear O
, O
to O
the O
extent O
there O
is O
any O

implication O
or O
the O
slightest O
suggestion O
that O
Mrs O
. O
Currie O
believes O

that O
the O
President O
or O
anyone O
else O
tried O
to O
influence O
her O

recollection O
, O
that O
is O
absolutely O
false O
and O
a O
mischaracterization O
of O

the O
facts O
. O
I O
am O
shocked O
and O
dismayed O
by O
the O
numerous O
leaks O

regarding O
Mrs O
. O
Currie O
' O
s O
grand O
jury O
testimony O
. O
' O
' O

Clinton O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

` O
` O
Once O
again O
, O
I O
never O
asked O
anybody O
to O
do O
anything O
but O
tell O
the O

truth O
. O
I O
know O
about O
the O
stories O
today B-T
. O
I O
was O
pleased O
that O
Ms O
. O

Currie O
' O
s O
lawyers O
stated O
unambiguously O
this B-T
morning I-T
_ O
unambiguously O

_ O
that O
she O
' O
s O
not O
aware O
of O
any O
unethical O
conduct O
. O

NYT O
- O
02 O
- O
06 O
- O
98 O
2229EST O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0287 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

next O
year O

British O
Defense O
Secretary O
Des O
Browne O
said O
on O
Monday B-T
that O
British O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
would O
be O
" O
significantly O
lower O
by O
thousands O
" O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
next I-T
year I-T
. O

Addressing O
at O
the O
Royal O
Institute O
of O
International O
Affairs O
, O
a O
leading O
think O
tank O
in O
UK O
, O
Browne O
said O
, O
" O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
next I-T
year I-T
, O
I O
expect O
numbers O
of O
British O
forces O
in O
Iraq O
to O
be O
significantly O
lower O
by O
a O
matter O
of O
thousands O
. O
" O

In O
Rome O
, O
Italian O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
said O
earlier O
Monday B-T
that O
Italy O
will O
complete O
its O
troop O
withdrawal O
from O
Iraq O
by O
Dec B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
after O
the O
last O
soldiers O
turn O
over O
their O
base O
in O
southern O
Iraq O
to O
Iraqi O
forces O
. O

Browne O
, O
whose O
country O
is O
a O
close O
ally O
of O
the O
United O
States O
in O
operations O
in O
Iraq O
, O
said O
" O
the O
planning O
for O
this O
( O
troop O
reduction O
in O
Iraq O
) O
has O
been O
going O
on O
for O
some B-T
months I-T
, O
and O
I O
have O
been O
pressing O
our O
planners O
to O
look O
at O
all O
the O
options O
, O
to O
make O
sure O
we O
do O
not O
ask O
a O
single O
soldier O
to O
remain O
in O
Iraq O
longer O
than O
is O
necessary O
. O
" O

" O
In O
the O
end O
of O
course O
, O
it O
must O
depend O
on O
conditions O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
including O
the O
level O
of O
threat O
and O
the O
capacity O
of O
Iraqis O
to O
deal O
with O
it O
, O
and O
the O
final O
decision O
will O
be O
down O
to O
our O
commanders O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

During O
the O
speech O
, O
Browne O
expressed O
hope O
that O
local O
Iraqi O
troops O
would O
take O
control O
of O
Basra O
in O
the O
south O
of O
the O
country O
in O
the O
spring O
, O
and O
he O
also O
restated O
Foreign O
Secretary O
Margaret O
Beckett O
' O
s O
statement O
that O
British O
- O
controlled O
Maysan O
province O
could O
transfer O
to O
Iraqi O
control O
in O
January B-T
, O
followed O
by O
Basra O
shortly O
afterward O
. O

But O
he O
stressed O
that O
a O
handover O
of O
troops O
did O
not O
mean O
a O
withdrawal O
because O
the O
Iraqis O
would O
still O
need O
back O
- O
up O
. O

" O
We O
need O
to O
be O
clear O
that O
handover O
does O
not O
mean O
withdrawal O
, O
" O
the O
secretary O
said O
, O
adding O
" O
even O
when O
all O
of O
the O
provinces O
are O
handed O
over O
we O
will O
still O
be O
providing O
a O
force O
to O
mentor O
and O
back O
up O
the O
Iraqi O
army O
and O
police O
, O
and O
to O
protect O
Coalition O
supply O
routes O
. O
" O

Currently O
, O
Britain O
has O
some O
7 O
, O
000 O
troops O
in O
southern O
Iraq O
, O
most O
in O
the O
Basra O
area O
and O
about O
800 O
in O
Maysan O
province O
. O
Since O
2003 B-T
, O
there O
are O
126 O
British O
soldiers O
killed O
in O
Iraq O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0252 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japanese O
consul O
calls O
for O
more O
Chinese O
military O
transparency O
( O
picture O
) O

Japan O
' O
s O
consul O
general O
here O
called O
on O
China O
Tuesday B-T
to O
be O
more O
transparent O
in O
its O
military O
strategy O
, O
and O
stressed O
the O
importance O
of O
the O
US O
military O
presence O
in O
the O
region O
to O
maintain O
stability O
. O

Hideaki O
Ueda O
called O
on O
Beijing O
to O
issue O
defence O
White O
Papers O
in O
order O
to O
make O
its O
defence O
strategy O
clear O
. O

" O
We O
are O
arguing O
with O
the O
Chinese O
side O
to O
issue O
defence O
White O
Papers O
to O
make O
the O
issue O
more O
transparent O
. O
I O
think O
they O
are O
trying O
to O
improve O
their O
transparency O
in O
this O
respect O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
lunch O
meeting O
here O
. O

Last B-T
November I-T
, O
Ieda O
' O
s O
Consulate O
General O
was O
besieged O
by O
protesters O
backing O
Chinese O
claims O
to O
a O
Japanese O
- O
occupied O
island O
chain O
in O
the O
East O
China O
Sea O
. O

The O
dispute O
over O
the O
islands O
known O
as O
Senkaku O
to O
the O
Japanese O
and O
Daioyu O
to O
the O
Chinese O
has O
been O
a O
long O
- O
running O
bone O
of O
contention O
between O
the O
Asian O
giants O
, O
and O
seen O
by O
both O
sides O
as O
a O
potential O
regional O
flashpoint O
. O

Ueda O
defended O
the O
US O
military O
role O
in O
Asia O
, O
and O
specifically O
Japan O
, O
despite O
a O
growing O
chorus O
of O
protest O
back O
home O
against O
US O
bases O
there O
. O

The O
anger O
at O
the O
presence O
of O
47 O
, O
000 O
US O
troops O
in O
Japan O
has O
been O
fuelled O
by O
the O
alleged O
assault O
on O
a O
Japanese O
woman O
by O
a O
US O
navy O
petty O
officer O
and O
the O
1995 O
rape O
of O
a O
12 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
schoolgirl O
by O
US O
troops O
in O
Okinawa O
in O
1995 B-T
. O

The O
United O
States O
wants O
written O
assurances O
that O
its O
troops O
and O
aircraft O
will O
be O
able O
to O
use O
Japanese O
facilities O
and O
move O
through O
the O
country O
in O
the O
event O
of O
a O
crisis O
on O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
, O
or O
other O
conflicts O
. O

" O
The O
US O
military O
presence O
in O
Asia O
is O
a O
very O
important O
factor O
to O
stabilise O
the O
situation O
, O
" O
Ueda O
said O
. O

" O
It O
is O
Japan O
' O
s O
security O
agreement O
( O
with O
the O
United O
States O
) O
which O
is O
responsible O
for O
our O
security O
and O
secondly O
the O
security O
of O
Asia O
. O
" O

While O
not O
mentioning O
the O
islands O
row O
, O
Ueda O
said O
that O
possible O
tension O
was O
easily O
visible O
in O
the O
region O
; O
" O
You O
only O
have O
to O
look O
at O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
. O
" O

He O
said O
China O
was O
, O
understandably O
, O
modernising O
her O
military O
capacity O
, O

Bilateral O
, O
and O
regional O
meetings O
through O
the O
ASEAN O
regional O
foum O
and O
other O
bodies O
, O
were O
useful O
for O
increasing O
mutual O
understanding O
between O
the O
regional O
powers O
, O
he O
added O
. O

" O
Japan O
welcomes O
advances O
in O
Sino O
- O
US O
relations O
, O
and O
as O
Japan O
sees O
the O
US O
and O
China O
as O
the O
key O
to O
peace O
in O
Asia O
, O
we O
all O
depend O
on O
China O
' O
s O
emergence O
as O
a O
constructive O
member O
of O
the O
international O
community O
and O
a O
continued O
US O
military O
presence O
, O
" O
Ueda O
said O
. O

He O
voiced O
confidence O
over O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
future O
under O
Chinese O
rule O
and O
said O
Japan O
urged O
China O
and O
Britian O
" O
to O
work O
together O
to O
achieve O
the O
smooth O
handover O
that O
will O
ensure O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
future O
prosperity O
and O
stability O
. O
" O

" O
We O
are O
ready O
to O
support O
a O
Hong O
Kong O
governed O
by O
Hong O
Kong O
people O
, O
an O
autonomous O
Hong O
Kong O
backed O
by O
the O
one O
country O
, O
two O
systems O
" O
policy O
devised O
for O
its O
future O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Hong O
Kong O
returns O
to O
Chinese O
rule O
in O
July B-T
after O
more B-T
than I-T
150 I-T
years I-T
as O
a O
British O
colony O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0225 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russian O
official O
denies O
reports O
of O
human O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O

Russian O
Health O
and O
Social O
Development O
Minister O
Mikhail O
Zurabov O
on O
Thursday B-T
denied O
reports O
of O
human O
- O
to O
- O
human O
transmission O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
the O
country O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
have O
any O
information O
about O
the O
mass O
contagion O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
the O
Ulyanovsk O
region O
, O
" O
Zurabov O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
RIA O
Novosti O
news O
agency O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
The O
data O
I O
have O
lead O
me O
to O
assume O
this O
information O
is O
somewhat O
distorted O
, O
" O
the O
minister O
said O
. O

Isolated O
instances O
of O
humans O
contracting O
bird O
flu O
have O
been O
registered O
worldwide O
. O
They O
all O
involved O
the O
spread O
of O
the O
virus O
from O
birds O
to O
humans O
, O
not O
from O
humans O
to O
humans O
, O
Zurabov O
said O
. O

The O
world O
community O
is O
racing O
to O
prevent O
a O
bird O
flu O
pandemic O
by O
various O
means O
, O
including O
vaccination O
, O
he O
added O
. O

So O
far O
, O
eight O
Russian O
regions O
have O
been O
affected O
by O
bird O
flu O
since O
its O
outbreak O
in O
July B-T
. O
The O
virus O
, O
strains O
of O
which O
can O
spread O
to O
humans O
and O
can O
be O
fatal O
, O
has O
claimed O
the O
lives O
of O
more O
than O
60 O
people O
in O
Southeast O
Asia O
since O
2003 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0273 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Dengue O
death O
toll O
rises O
to O
41 O
in O
Pakistan O

Pakistani O
Health O
Ministry O
Monday O
said O
mosquito O
- O
borne O
dengue O
fever O
so O
far O
has O
caused O
41 O
deaths O
across O
the O
country O
since O
early O
October B-T
and O
the O
patients O
declared O
positive O
for O
dengue O
virus O
reached O
1 O
, O
576 O
. O

As O
many O
as O
4 O
, O
397 O
patients O
with O
symptoms O
similar O
to O
dengue O
fever O
have O
been O
admitted O
to O
hospitals O
across O
Pakistan O
till O
Monday B-T
evening I-T
, O
said O
the O
health O
ministry O
, O
quoted O
by O
the O
state O
- O
run O
Associated O
Press O
of O
Pakistan O
( O
APP O
) O
. O

Among O
the O
41 O
deaths O
, O
39 O
are O
from O
south O
province O
Sindh O
and O
two O
others O
from O
North O
West O
Frontier O
Province O
, O
said O
the O
APP O
. O

A O
total O
of O
664 O
patients O
with O
suspected O
dengue O
fever O
symptoms O
have O
so O
far O
been O
admitted O
to O
hospitals O
in O
federal O
capital O
Islamabad O
and O
the O
garrison O
city O
Rawlapindi O
, O
where O
positive O
cases O
of O
dengue O
virus O
stands O
at O
247 O
, O
it O
added O
. O

Dengue O
fever O
is O
an O
acute O
, O
infectious O
tropical O
disease O
caused O
by O
an O
arbovirus O
transmitted O
by O
mosquitoes O
, O
and O
characterized O
by O
high O
fever O
, O
rash O
, O
headache O
, O
and O
severe O
muscle O
and O
joint O
pain O
, O
according O
to O
experts O
of O
the O
disease O
. O

Authorities O
have O
launched O
a O
nationwide O
campaign O
to O
create O
public O
awareness O
about O
the O
disease O
, O
and O
local O
government O
bodies O
have O
been O
directed O
to O
take O
precautionary O
measures O
to O
avoid O
spread O
of O
the O
virus O
, O
like O
spraying O
mosquitocide O
, O
the O
APP O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0360 O

ATHENS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Survey O
shows O
Greeks O
pessimistic O
about O
economy O

The O
majority O
of O
Greeks O
, O
along O
with O
other O
Europeans O
, O
are O
pessimistic O
about O
the O
state O
of O
the O
economy O
and O
their O
purchasing O
power O
, O
according O
to O
a O
survey O
by O
Deloitte O
released O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

In O
Greece O
, O
59 O
percent O
of O
respondents O
saw O
their O
economy O
as O
being O
in O
recession O
, O
with O
almost O
a O
quarter O
believing O
that O
the O
financial O
status O
of O
their O
households O
will O
improve O
. O

The O
remainder O
either O
believes O
that O
their O
circumstances O
will O
worsen O
or O
stay O
the O
same O
, O
said O
the O
report O
entitled O
Year O
- O
End O
Holiday O
Survey O
2006 O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Greece O
belongs O
to O
a O
group O
of O
countries O
that O
are O
showing O
a O
strong O
inclination O
to O
spend O
more O
on O
gifts O
on O
the O
holiday O
period O
this B-T
year I-T
. O
The O
other O
countries O
in O
the O
group O
were O
Cyprus O
, O
North O
Africa O
and O
Ireland O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0577 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

IMF O
call O
for O
study O
of O
impact O
of O
EMU O

The O
top O
policy O
- O
making O
body O
of O
the O
IMF O
Monday O
ordered O
a O
broad O
study O
of O
the O
implications O
of O
European O
Monetary O
Union O
( O
EMU O
) O
for O
the O
world O
monetary O
system O
. O

The O
committee O
, O
grouping O
finance O
ministers O
and O
central O
bankers O
of O
24 O
countries O
representing O
the O
entire O
IMF O
membership O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
it O
" O
welcomed O
the O
progress O
made O
toward O
establishing O
conditions O
for O
EMU O
. O
" O

It O
said O
the O
creation O
of O
EMU O
was O
" O
one O
of O
the O
most O
important O
international O
monetary O
developments O
in O
the O
post O
- O
Bretton O
Woods O
period O
. O
" O

The O
statement O
said O
the O
IMF O
' O
s O
Executive O
Board O
" O
will O
undertake O
a O
broad O
programme O
to O
assess O
the O
implications O
of O
EMU O
for O
the O
international O
monetary O
system O
and O
for O
the O
Fund O
. O
" O

IMF O
Managing O
Director O
Michel O
Camdessus O
earlier O
told O
the O
committee O
that O
IMF O
surveillance O
of O
the O
new O
euro O
area O
, O
due O
to O
come O
into O
being O
in O
1999 B-T
, O
would O
be O
" O
a O
challenge O
for O
the O
Fund O
" O
because O
of O
the O
weight O
in O
the O
monetary O
system O
of O
the O
countries O
likely O
to O
take O
part O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0287 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

South O
Korea O
swept O
the O
four O
golf O
gold O
medals O
at O
the O
Asian O
Games O
here O
Monday B-T
as O
Kim O
Kyung O
- O
Tae O
came O
from O
behind O
to O
powered O
the O
country O
to O
its O
first O
men O
' O
s O
team O
title O
in O
20 B-T
years I-T
. O

Going O
out O
one O
stroke O
off O
Taiwan O
' O
s O
15 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Pan O
Cheng O
- O
Tsung O
, O
Kim O
rolled O
in O
three O
birdies O
against O
one O
bogey O
to O
finish O
the O
72 O
- O
stroke O
men O
' O
s O
individual O
event O
on O
12 O
- O
under O
- O
par O
276 O
. O

Pan O
double O
- O
bogeyed O
on O
the O
par O
- O
4 O
13th O
hole O
where O
Kim O
, O
a O
20 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
university O
student O
, O
birdied O
and O
passed O
him O
by O
one O
stroke O
. O
an O
birdied O
the O
17th O
hole O
as O
desert O
winds O
began O
to O
blow O
but O
could O
not O
catch O
Kim O
. O

" O
I O
started O
one O
shot O
over O
Pan O
. O
I O
focused O
on O
our O
team O
' O
s O
win O
but O
this O
gold O
medal O
is O
a O
big O
bonus O
for O
me O
, O
" O
Kim O
said O
. O

He O
said O
his O
best O
play O
of O
the O
day O
was O
a O
tee O
shot O
on O
the O
crucial O
13th O
hole O
. O

" O
I O
watched O
the O
first O
and O
second O
players O
shoot O
and O
I O
adjusted O
accordingly O
. O
I O
changed O
my O
club O
to O
a O
five O
iron O
and O
that O
' O
s O
how O
I O
made O
it O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Another O
South O
Korean O
Kin O
Do O
- O
Hoon O
Sr O
. O
, O
Singapore O
' O
s O
Choo O
Tze O
- O
Huang O
and O
Michael O
Eric O
Bibat O
of O
the O
Philippines O
finished O
tied O
at O
279 O
. O

Korea O
' O
s O
Kang O
Sung O
- O
Hoo O
was O
sixth O
at O
281 O
. O

Led O
by O
the O
two O
Kims O
, O
South O
Korea O
finished O
atop O
the O
team O
table O
, O
comprising O
the O
three O
best O
scores O
in O
each O
round O
, O
at O
836 O
. O
India O
finished O
second O
at O
849 O
and O
Taiwan O
third O
at O
850 O
. O

Ryu O
So O
- O
Yeon O
won O
the O
women O
' O
s O
title O
and O
South O
Korea O
retained O
the O
women O
' O
s O
team O
title O
which O
they O
wrested O
from O
Taiwan O
at O
the B-T
last I-T
2002 I-T
Asian O
Games O
in O
Busan O
. O
They O
carded O
a O
total O
of O
534 O
strokes O
with O
Japan O
second O
at O
547 O
and O
Taiwan O
third O
at O
550 O
. O

The O
16 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Ryu O
shot O
six O
- O
under O
- O
par O
67 O
to O
finish O
the O
72 O
- O
hole O
event O
with O
29 O
- O
under O
263 O
on O
a O
short O
course O
for O
women O
, O
followed O
by O
Japan O
' O
s O
Mika O
Miyazato O
at O
272 O
and O
fellow O
Korea O
Cho O
He O
- O
Yong O
at O
273 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0062 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Foreign O
- O
funded O
Banks O
( O
4 O
) O

Article O
13 O
A O
foreign O
bank O
that O
has O
already O
established O
an O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
within O
the O
territory O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
China O
shall O
not O
establish O
a O
new O
representative O
office O
if O
it O
has O
already O
maintained O
a O
representative O
office O
, O
with O
the O
exception O
of O
establishment O
of O
a O
representative O
office O
in O
the O
areas O
covered O
by O
the O
regional O
development O
strategy O
or O
other O
related O
policies O
of O
the O
State O
. O

If O
a O
representative O
office O
is O
changed O
with O
approval O
into O
an O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
, O
the O
foreign O
bank O
shall O
go O
through O
the O
procedures O
for O
cancellation O
of O
registration O
of O
the O
original O
representative O
office O
in O
accordance O
with O
law O
. O

Article O
14 O
Where O
applying O
for O
establishing O
an O
operational O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
, O
the O
applicant O
shall O
first O
apply O
for O
the O
preparation O
of O
the O
bank O
and O
submit O
the O
following O
application O
documents O
to O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
in O
the O
place O
where O
the O
proposed O
bank O
is O
to O
be O
established O
: O

( O
1 O
) O
an O
application O
letter O
, O
including O
the O
name O
, O
location O
, O
registered O
capital O
or O
operating O
capital O
, O
the O
business O
scope O
of O
the O
proposed O
bank O
; O

( O
2 O
) O
a O
feasibility O
study O
report O
; O

( O
3 O
) O
the O
draft O
articles O
of O
association O
of O
the O
proposed O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
; O

( O
4 O
) O
the O
business O
contract O
signed O
by O
all O
shareholders O
of O
the O
proposed O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
; O

( O
5 O
) O
articles O
of O
association O
of O
the O
shareholder O
of O
the O
proposed O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
or O
of O
the O
foreign O
bank O
applying O
to O
establish O
a O
branch O
; O

( O
6 O
) O
the O
organizational O
chart O
, O
name O
- O
list O
of O
major O
shareholders O
, O
overseas O
establishments O
and O
associated O
enterprises O
of O
the O
shareholder O
of O
the O
proposed O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
or O
of O
the O
foreign O
bank O
applying O
to O
establish O
a O
branch O
and O
its O
parent O
group O
; O

( O
7 O
) O
annual O
reports O
for O
the O
most O
recent B-T
three I-T
years I-T
of O
the O
shareholder O
of O
the O
proposed O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
, O
or O
of O
the O
foreign O
bank O
applying O
to O
establish O
a O
branch O
; O

( O
8 O
) O
anti O
- O
money O
laundering O
systems O
adopted O
by O
the O
shareholder O
of O
the O
proposed O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
or O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
, O
or O
by O
the O
foreign O
bank O
applying O
to O
establish O
a O
branch O
; O

( O
9 O
) O
photocopies O
of O
the O
business O
licence O
or O
the O
financial O
services O
permit O
, O
and O
the O
written O
opinions O
on O
the O
application O
issued O
by O
the O
financial O
regulatory O
authority O
of O
the O
home O
country O
or O
region O
of O
the O
shareholder O
of O
the O
proposed O
wholly O
foreign O
- O
funded O
bank O
, O
or O
of O
the O
foreign O
shareholder O
of O
the O
proposed O
Chinese O
- O
foreign O
joint O
venture O
bank O
, O
or O
of O
the O
foreign O
bank O
applying O
to O
establish O
a O
branch O
; O
and O

( O
10 O
) O
other O
documents O
specified O
by O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
. O

The O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
in O
the O
place O
where O
the O
proposed O
bank O
is O
to O
be O
established O
shall O
submit O
the O
application O
documents O
together O
with O
its O
examination O
opinion O
to O
the O
banking O
regulatory O
agency O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
in O
due O
time O
. O
( O
more O
) O

AFP_ENG_20061223 O
. O
0310 O

SYDNEY O
, O
Dec B-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Neil O
Sands O

Forecasters O
have O
tipped O
rough O
conditions O
for O
this B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
Sydney O
to O
Hobart O
yacht O
race O
, O
where O
the O
" O
supermaxis O
" O
are O
again O
expected O
to O
dominate O
the O
Australian O
bluewater O
classic O
beginning O
December B-T
26 I-T
. O

Initial O
warnings O
that O
gale O
force O
winds O
would O
buffet O
the O
78 O
- O
strong O
fleet O
have O
eased O
but O
crews O
will O
still O
have O
to O
contend O
with O
gusts O
of O
30 O
knots O
as O
they O
make O
their O
way O
down O
Australia O
' O
s O
east O
coast O
. O

Conditions O
mean O
Australian O
supermaxi O
Wild O
Oats O
' O
record O
time O
of O
one B-T
day I-T
, I-T
18 I-T
hours I-T
, O
40 O
minutes O
and O
10 O
seconds O
set O
last B-T
year I-T
is O
not O
expected O
to O
come O
under O
threat O
in O
the O
62nd O
running O
of O
the O
628 O
- O
nautical O
mile O
race O
. O

The O
Bureau O
of O
Meteorology O
said O
the O
weather O
was O
expected O
to O
be O
" O
uncomfortable O
" O
rather O
than O
" O
dangerous O
" O
, O
as O
originally O
forecast O
. O

The O
easing O
weather O
will O
also O
lessen O
organisers O
' O
fears O
of O
a O
catastrophe O
like O
1998 B-T
, O
when O
six O
sailors O
drowned O
in O
mountainous O
seas O
, O
although O
Quantum O
Racing O
skipper O
Ray O
Roberts O
said O
race O
- O
goers O
would O
still O
be O
wary O
. O

" O
Everybody O
' O
s O
saying O
the O
winds O
are O
lightening O
off O
but O
I O
still O
think O
30 O
knots O
is O
not O
light O
, O
" O
Roberts O
said O
. O
" O
To O
win O
this O
race O
you O
' O
ve O
got O
to O
finish O
the O
race O
. O
" O

He O
said O
many O
people O
thought O
Bass O
Strait O
, O
between O
the O
Australian O
mainland O
and O
the O
island O
state O
Tasmania O
, O
was O
the O
toughest O
part O
of O
the O
race O
but O
failed O
to O
appreciate O
the O
difficulty O
of O
sailing O
the O
New O
South O
Wales O
coast O
. O

" O
You O
' O
ve O
got O
a O
relatively O
shallow O
continental O
shelf O
and O
a O
hard O
southerly O
breeze O
pushing O
against O
a O
strong O
current O
so O
you O
' O
ve O
got O
very O
steep O
waves O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
You O
could O
see O
a O
few O
boats O
damaging O
their O
gear O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
24 I-T
hours I-T
and O
that O
' O
s O
the O
trick O
- O
- O
you O
' O
ve O
got O
to O
be O
nursing O
the O
boat O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
24 I-T
hours I-T
so O
that O
you O
can O
take O
advantage O
later O
. O
" O

Online O
bookmaker O
Centrebet O
has O
last O
year O
' O
s O
winner O
Wild O
Oats O
as O
the O
favourite O
for O
line O
honours O
, O
with O
the O
98 O
footer O
( O
30 O
metres O
) O
supermaxi O
paying O
1 O
. O
55 O
dollars O
for O
a O
1 O
. O
00 O
bet O
. O

Next O
are O
the O
supermaxis O
Maximus O
from O
New O
Zealand O
, O
paying O
5 O
. O
00 O
dollars O
, O
and O
Australia O
' O
s O
Skandia O
, O
paying O
5 O
. O
50 O
. O

Wild O
Oats O
won O
convincingly O
in O
a O
preliminary O
race O
on O
Sydney O
Harbour O
earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
. O

Maximus O
co O
- O
owner O
Charles O
St O
Clair O
Brown O
said O
the O
race O
' O
s O
record O
keepers O
would O
not O
be O
troubled O
if O
the O
current O
forecast O
held O
true O
. O

" O
The O
sad O
thing O
is O
it O
' O
s O
decidedly O
not O
a O
record O
- O
breaking O
forecast O
and O
our O
goal O
for O
this O
boat O
was O
to O
create O
race O
records O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
We O
' O
re O
not O
going O
to O
have O
a O
chance O
to O
do O
that O
. O
" O

Ed O
Psaltis O
, O
skipper O
of O
AFR O
Midnight O
Rambler O
, O
said O
the O
weather O
may O
prevent O
the O
supermaxis O
dominating O
the O
early O
stages O
of O
the O
event O
. O

" O
The O
weather O
forecast O
is O
for O
a O
slow O
start O
and O
a O
relatively O
fast O
finish O
which O
normally O
suits O
the O
smaller O
style O
boat O
, O
' O
Psaltis O
said O
. O

" O
That O
' O
s O
good O
news O
for O
us O
that O
no O
- O
one O
' O
s O
going O
to O
get O
too O
far O
away O
from O
us O
in O
the O
first O
day O
and O
a O
half O
. O
" O

However O
, O
David O
Kent O
, O
the O
skipper O
of O
Gillawa O
, O
the O
yacht O
that O
came O
last O
in O
the O
2005 O
event O
, O
four O
day O
behind O
the O
winner O
, O
said O
merely O
finishing O
the O
race O
was O
an O
achievement O
for O
his O
inexperienced O
crew O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ve O
got O
a O
little O
bit O
of O
competitive O
spirit O
and O
I O
don O
' O
t O
like O
the O
word O
last O
, O
but O
in O
reality O
, O
where O
else O
are O
we O
going O
to O
be O
positioned O
? O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
take O
on O
the O
rookies O
. O
If O
I O
didn O
' O
t O
take O
on O
the O
rookies O
, O
we O
' O
d O
go O
a O
lot O
faster O
but O
it O
' O
s O
giving O
them O
a O
chance O
to O
get O
out O
there O
and O
experience O
racing O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0331 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

URGENT O
: O
Six O
- O
party O
talks O
begins O
in O
Beijing O

The O
fifth O
round O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
on O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
nuclear O
issue O
began O
at O
10 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Wednesday B-T
at O
Beijing O
' O
s O
Diaoyutai O
State O
Guesthouse O
. O

The O
talks O
involves O
China O
, O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
, O
Russia O
and O
Japan O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0358 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
Lead O
: O
Two O
Italians O
released O
shortly O
after O
abduction O
in O
Gaza O

Two O
Italians O
working O
for O
International O
Committee O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
( O
ICRC O
) O
were O
released O
unharmed O
on O
Tuesday B-T
midnight O
shortly O
after O
their O
kidnapping O
in O
Gaza O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
Palestinian O
security O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
officials O
said O
that O
the O
kidnappers O
had O
run O
away O
after O
they O
dropped O
the O
two O
hostages O
, O
a O
male O
and O
a O
female O
, O
near O
a O
police O
station O
in O
central O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

" O
Then O
the O
two O
walked O
towards O
the O
police O
station O
, O
" O
they O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
security O
members O
who O
arrived O
the O
scene O
shortly O
after O
receiving O
the O
report O
from O
the O
police O
station O
have O
taken O
the O
two O
to O
a O
hotel O
in O
Gaza O
. O

However O
, O
the O
kidnappers O
' O
identity O
is O
still O
unknown O
as O
no O
one O
had O
claimed O
responsibility O
for O
the O
abduction O
, O
said O
the O
officials O
. O

For O
fear O
of O
more O
such O
abduction O
of O
its O
members O
, O
the O
local O
Red O
Cross O
office O
announced O
to O
suspend O
its O
activities O
in O
the O
area O
shortly O
before O
their O
release O
. O

The O
two O
Italians O
were O
abducted O
by O
unknown O
militants O
in O
an O
area O
between O
the O
towns O
of O
Khan O
Younis O
and O
Deir O
el O
- O
Ballah O
in O
the O
afternoon O
. O

The O
kidnapping O
was O
the O
latest O
in O
a O
spate O
of O
abductions O
of O
foreigners O
and O
journalists O
in O
Gaza O
in O
recent B-T
months I-T
. O

In O
October B-T
, O
two O
Spanish O
citizens O
, O
one O
was O
the O
photographer O
of O
the O
Associated O
Press O
and O
the O
other O
works O
for O
a O
humanitarian O
organization O
, O
were O
also O
abducted O
. O
They O
were O
freed O
shortly O
after O
the O
abduction O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0126 O

GAZA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hamas O
, O
Jihad O
reject O
Palestinian O
- O
Israeli O
deal O
on O
Gaza O
crossings O

The O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
and O
the O
Islamic O
Jihad O
( O
Holy O
War O
) O
rejected O
on O
Wednesday B-T
a O
US O
- O
brokered O
agreement O
reached O
between O
the O
Palestinian O
National O
Authority O
( O
PNA O
) O
and O
Israel O
on O
Gaza O
border O
crossings O
. O

The O
two O
groups O
said O
in O
two O
separate O
statements O
that O
the O
agreement O
reached O
under O
the O
sponsorship O
of O
the O
United O
States O
has O
harmed O
the O
Palestinian O
sovereignty O
and O
despised O
the O
Palestinian O
dignity O
. O

Hamas O
condemned O
the O
PNA O
' O
s O
approval O
of O
the O
agreement O
that O
was O
reached O
on O
Tuesday B-T
after O
intense O
mediation O
by O
US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
. O

" O
The O
Israelis O
have O
the O
ability O
to O
observe O
the O
Palestinians O
or O
any O
visitors O
via O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
through O
cameras O
and O
through O
the O
joint O
control O
room O
, O
" O
the O
Hamas O
statement O
said O
. O

Jihad O
echoed O
Hamas O
' O
criticism O
, O
saying O
the O
Israeli O
- O
Palestinian O
joint O
monitoring O
of O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
indicated O
that O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
was O
still O
under O
the O
Israeli O
control O
. O

Jihad O
also O
rebuked O
the O
US O
for O
interfering O
into O
the O
Gaza O
border O
issue O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
Israel O
while O
neglecting O
other O
important O
issues O
such O
as O
the O
Israeli O
settlement O
expansion O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
and O
the O
building O
of O
a O
separation O
barrier O
. O

Under O
the O
deal O
, O
the O
key O
Rafah O
crossing O
on O
the O
Gaza O
- O
Egypt O
border O
will O
be O
re O
- O
opened O
as O
of O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
under O
the O
presence O
of O
European O
Union O
security O
monitors O
. O
All O
Palestinian O
identification O
card O
holders O
can O
travel O
through O
the O
crossing O
in O
both O
directions O
. O

The O
Rafah O
crossing O
is O
the O
only O
exit O
for O
Palestinians O
living O
in O
Gaza O
to O
travel O
abroad O
. O
The O
terminal O
has O
remained O
closed O
since O
Israel O
withdrew O
from O
the O
entire O
strip O
in O
September B-T
. O

Fearing O
that O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
might O
be O
used O
by O
Palestinian O
militants O
to O
smuggle O
weapons O
, O
Israel O
had O
insisted O
on O
monitoring O
goods O
and O
people O
through O
the O
terminal O
, O
but O
Palestinians O
asserted O
that O
no O
Israelis O
should O
be O
at O
Rafah O
. O

The O
two O
sides O
finally O
reached O
a O
compromise O
that O
Israeli O
and O
Palestinian O
security O
officers O
will O
co O
- O
monitor O
the O
traffic O
at O
Rafah O
by O
remote O
- O
control O
cameras O
in O
a O
control O
room O
a O
few O
kilometers O
away O
from O
the O
crossing O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
agreement O
says O
a O
seaport O
can O
be O
constructed O
in O
Gaza O
, O
the O
Karni O
crossing O
on O
the O
eastern O
Gaza O
border O
will O
be O
expanded O
and O
that O
Palestinians O
can O
travel O
between O
Gaza O
and O
the O
West O
Bank O
in O
bus O
and O
truck O
convoys O
within O
months O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0326 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Badminton O
schedule O
fixed O
one O
day O
before O
competition O

The O
team O
competition O
schedule O
of O
badminton O
at O
the O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
was O
fixed O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
just O
one O
day O
before O
the O
beginning O
of O
the O
events O
. O

Arccording O
to O
chief O
umpire O
Moham O
Dharan O
, O
the O
schedule O
was O
changed O
in O
demands O
of O
some O
teams O
who O
were O
not O
satisfied O
with O
playing O
twice O
a O
day O
. O

" O
The O
schedule O
has O
been O
decided O
already O
. O
We O
don O
' O
t O
call O
it O
a O
' O
problem O
' O
but O
an O
' O
issue O
' O
. O
All O
was O
right O
in O
format O
, O
" O
said O
Dharan O
. O

Since O
there O
must O
be O
a O
team O
in O
each O
group O
playing O
twice O
a O
day O
, O
the O
final O
schedule O
sets O
the O
team O
lowest O
in O
rankings O
in O
each O
group O
to O
" O
suffer O
" O
it O
. O
" O
They O
have O
to O
accept O
it O
, O
" O
said O
Dharan O
, O
who O
refused O
to O
call O
those O
teams O
the O
weakest O
but O
the O
" O
third O
teams O
" O
. O

In O
men O
' O
s O
team O
event O
, O
India O
, O
Vietnam O
and O
Japan O
are O
slated O
to O
play O
twice O
in O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
. O
Indonesia O
, O
Singapore O
and O
Chinese O
Taipei O
are O
pitted O
against O
two O
rivals O
each O
in O
Dec B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0212 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
WB O
praises O
Africa O
' O
s O
progress O
in O
poverty O
eradication O

Roundup O
: O
WB O
praises O
Africa O
' O
s O
progress O
in O
poverty O
eradication O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
World O
Bank O
says O
Africa O
has O
shown O
tangible O
progress O
in O
the O
effort O
to O
uplift O
millions O
of O
people O
out O
of O
poverty O
line O
. O

The O
World O
Bank O
' O
s O
annual O
study O
of O
the O
continent O
found O
that O
16 O
African O
states O
had O
managed O
to O
maintain O
annual O
economic O
growth O
of O
more O
than O
4 O
. O
5 O
percent O
since O
the B-T
1990s I-T
. O

The O
report O
released O
in O
Nairobi O
Thursday B-T
said O
many O
African O
countries O
, O
including O
Senegal O
, O
Mozambique O
, O
Burkina O
Faso O
, O
Cameroon O
, O
Uganda O
, O
Ghana O
and O
Cape O
Verde O
, O
have O
lifted O
significant O
percentages O
of O
their O
citizens O
above O
the O
poverty O
line O
and O
might O
well O
be O
on O
course O
to O
meeting O
the O
income O
poverty O
Millennium O
Development O
Goal O
( O
MDG O
) O
target O
of O
halving O
poverty O
by O
2010 B-T
. O

The O
annual O
World O
Bank O
publication O
, O
African O
Development O
Indicators O
( O
ADI O
) O
2006 O
, O
depicts O
diverse O
continent O
, O
with O
several O
countries O
making O
remarkable O
progress O
, O
some O
stagnating O
and O
others O
lagging O
seriously O
behind O
. O

" O
Africa O
today O
is O
a O
continent O
on O
the O
move O
, O
making O
tangible O
progress O
on O
delivering O
better O
health O
, O
education O
, O
growth O
, O
trade O
and O
poverty O
- O
reduction O
outcomes O
, O
" O
said O
Gobind O
Nankani O
, O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
vice O
- O
president O
for O
the O
Africa O
region O
. O

The O
bank O
' O
s O
report O
highlighted O
the O
extreme O
diversity O
of O
economic O
achievement O
in O
Africa O
. O

The O
report O
says O
the O
full O
spectrum O
of O
achievers O
and O
laggards O
stretches O
from O
Zimbabwe O
, O
which O
recorded O
a O
negative O
growth O
rate O
of O
2 O
. O
4 O
percent O
- O
- O
the O
only O
country O
with O
a O
negative O
growth O
rate O
in O
2004 B-T
on O
the O
continent O
. O

" O
While O
economic O
outcomes O
are O
increasingly O
diverse O
, O
Africa O
has O
made O
near O
uniform O
progress O
in O
social O
outcomes O
, O
notably O
education O
and O
health O
, O
" O
explained O
John O
Page O
, O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
chief O
economist O
for O
the O
Africa O
region O
, O
adding O
that O
Africa O
' O
s O
per O
capita O
income O
is O
now B-T
increasing O
in O
tandem O
with O
other O
developing O
countries O
. O

The O
report O
also O
noted O
that O
inflation O
on O
the O
continent O
was O
down O
to O
historic O
lows O
, O
and O
that O
the O
region O
had O
managed O
to O
weather O
the O
impact O
of O
higher O
oil O
prices O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
. O

On O
a O
more O
negative O
note O
, O
the O
bank O
said O
foreign O
investment O
in O
the O
continent O
was O
just O
10 O
. O
1 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
2004 B-T
- O
- O
only O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
of O
global O
foreign O
investment O
- O
- O
and O
that O
more O
than O
50 O
percent O
of O
the O
funds O
were O
spent O
in O
Nigeria O
and O
Sudan O
. O

The O
report O
also O
highlighted O
the O
difficulty O
of O
starting O
a O
business O
in O
many O
parts O
of O
Africa O
- O
- O
taking O
, O
across O
the O
continent O
, O
an O
average O
of O
64 B-T
days O
. O

In O
its O
latest O
Africa O
report O
, O
the O
World O
Bank O
said O
that O
many O
countries O
had O
made O
good O
progress O
in O
meeting O
some O
of O
the O
other O
MDGs O
, O
such O
as O
getting O
more O
young O
children O
into O
primary O
education O
and O
improving O
child O
mortality O
. O

Looking O
forward O
, O
it O
said O
improved O
governance O
and O
management O
of O
natural O
resources O
was O
a O
key O
requirement O
, O
particularly O
with O
African O
nations O
due O
to O
receive O
a O
200 O
billion O
dollars O
windfall O
from O
oil O
revenues O
between O
2000 B-T
and O
2010 B-T
. O

It O
said O
it O
was O
seeing O
signs O
that O
African O
leaders O
were O
taking O
more O
responsibility O
for O
improving O
governance O
and O
assisting O
the O
private O
sector O
in O
attracting O
foreign O
investment O
and O
boosting O
trade O
with O
growing O
markets O
like O
those O
in O
China O
and O
India O
. O

" O
The O
good O
news O
includes O
confirmation O
that O
primary O
enrollment O
rates O
have O
risen O
significantly O
across O
the O
continent O
. O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
prevalence O
and O
child O
mortality O
rates O
have O
started O
to O
fall O
and O
the O
gender O
gap O
has O
started O
to O
shrink O
in O
several O
countries O
. O
" O

" O
Gross O
primary O
enrollment O
rates O
as O
a O
share O
of O
the O
relevant O
age O
group O
- O
- O
a O
standard O
indicator O
of O
investment O
in O
the O
poor O
- O
- O
shot O
up O
to O
93 O
percent O
in O
2004 B-T
from O
72 O
percent O
in O
1990 B-T
, O
contributing O
to O
a O
rise O
in O
literacy O
rates O
from O
50 O
percent O
in O
1997 B-T
to O
65 O
percent O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
" O
explained O
Page O
. O

He O
regretted O
that O
success O
increasing O
primary O
enrollments O
from O
70 O
percent O
in O
1991 B-T
to O
above O
90 O
percent O
in O
2004 B-T
has O
not O
been O
mirrored O
in O
secondary O
and O
tertiary O
education O
. O

Despite O
the O
tangible O
progress O
, O
ADI O
2006 O
highlights O
the O
numerous O
challenges O
facing O
Africa O
, O
the O
lone O
region O
of O
the O
world O
where O
the O
number O
of O
the O
poor O
continues O
to O
rise O
. O

The O
ADI O
2006 O
calls O
for O
the O
lifting O
of O
burdensome O
rules O
of O
origin O
through O
reforms O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
African O
Growth O
and O
Opportunity O
Act O
and O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
Everything O
But O
Arms O
initiative O
, O
but O
also O
for O
reforms O
" O
behind O
the O
border O
" O
( O
within O
African O
countries O
) O
to O
promote O
intra O
- O
African O
trade O
. O

The O
report O
also O
warns O
that O
the O
immense O
disease O
burden O
posed O
by O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
malaria O
, O
and O
tuberculosis O
, O
as O
well O
as O
by O
corruption O
, O
anemic O
aid O
, O
cascading O
tariffs O
barring O
made O
- O
in O
- O
Africa O
products O
from O
entering O
global O
markets O
and O
dwindling O
foreign O
direct O
investments O
pose O
a O
threat O
to O
gains O
in O
overall O
poverty O
alleviation O
. O

" O
Improving O
governance O
and O
smart O
management O
of O
natural O
resource O
rents O
are O
key O
requirements O
for O
improving O
development O
outcomes O
in O
Africa O
, O
where O
an O
estimated O
windfall O
of O
more O
than O
200 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
oil O
revenue O
alone O
will O
accrue O
to O
African O
governments O
between O
2000 B-T
and O
2010 B-T
, O
" O
said O
Nankani O
, O
reflecting O
on O
the O
fact O
natural O
resource O
- O
rich O
economies O
have O
tended O
to O
make O
slow O
progress O
on O
the O
continent O
despite O
their O
enormous O
wealth O
endowment O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0246 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Malaysia O
holds O
grand O
fashion O
festival O

Malaysia O
on O
Thursday B-T
started O
to O
hold O
a O
grand O
fashion O
festival O
in O
Asia O
, O
which O
it O
called O
the O
largest O
fashion O
marathon O
in O
the O
region O
. O

The O
four O
- O
day O
event O
entitled O
" O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
- O
Asia O
Fashion O
Week O
2005 O
" O
was O
opened O
at O
Avenue O
K O
, O
a O
shopping O
plaza O
in O
downtown O
city O
, O
bringing O
together O
more O
than O
90 O
fashion O
designers O
from O
17 O
countries O
and O
regions O
, O
including O
Australia O
, O
Japan O
, O
India O
, O
Cambodia O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Singapore O
, O
Pakistan O
, O
Thailand O
, O
Myanmar O
, O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
. O

The O
fashion O
week B-T
will O
unroll O
at O
several O
places O
in O
the O
city O
, O
where O
people O
can O
watch O
12 O
group O
day O
shows O
, O
including O
model O
parades O
, O
and O
four O
gala O
nights O
entitled O
" O
Asia O
Magic O
, O
" O
" O
KL O
Six O
, O
" O
" O
Tribute O
to O
Fashion O
, O
" O
and O
a O
final O
award O
presentation O
ceremony O
. O

The O
fashion O
week O
will O
feature O
a O
unique O
trade O
opportunity O
for O
local O
and O
international O
designers O
, O
buyers O
and O
people O
in O
the O
fashion O
trade O
, O
according O
to O
the O
event O
organizer O
Kuala O
Lumpur O
- O
Asia O
Fashion O
Week O
Co O
. O

It O
also O
will O
provide O
a O
platform O
for O
fashion O
professionals O
and O
the O
public O
to O
network O
and O
find O
good O
bargains O
, O
including O
fashion O
goods O
from O
bags O
to O
folk O
clothes O
and O
handicrafts O
, O
the O
organizer O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0120 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

An O
Iraqi O
court O
published O
its O
formal O
written O
condemnation O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
putting O
in O
motion O
the O
legal O
machinery O
which O
will O
lead O
to O
his O
execution O
, O
as O
bombs O
rocked O
Baghdad O
. O

The O
confirmation O
of O
the O
ousted O
dictator O
' O
s O
death O
sentence O
came O
as O
his O
foe O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
convened O
a O
meeting O
of O
his O
top O
security O
advisers O
to O
find O
a O
way O
to O
stem O
the O
rising O
tide O
of O
bloodshed O
in O
Iraq O
. O

More O
than O
three O
- O
and O
- O
a O
- O
half O
years O
after O
a O
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
deposed O
Saddam O
' O
s O
totalitarian O
regime O
, O
the O
country O
remains O
in O
the O
grip O
of O
a O
vicious O
conflict O
that O
claims O
more O
than O
100 O
Iraqi O
lives O
per O
day O
. O

American O
soldiers O
are O
also O
still O
dying O
in O
near O
record O
numbers O
; O
the O
military O
confirmed O
the O
deaths O
of O
three O
more O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
bringing O
December B-T
' O
s O
toll O
to O
99 O
, O
and O
keeping O
it O
on O
course O
to O
be O
the O
bloodiest O
month O
for O
US O
troops O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Saddam O
' O
s O
imminent O
demise O
- O
- O
on O
December B-T
26 I-T
a O
court O
ordered O
his O
execution O
within O
30 B-T
days I-T
- O
- O
has O
been O
welcomed O
by O
Washington O
, O
but O
US O
forces O
are O
nevertheless O
braced O
for O
a O
backlash O
from O
his O
remaining O
supporters O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
sectarian O
and O
insurgent O
violence O
continues O
to O
claim O
scores O
of O
lives O
every B-T
day I-T
and O
make O
a O
mockery O
of O
promises O
by O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
' O
s O
government O
to O
put O
in O
place O
a O
new O
Baghdad O
security O
plan O
. O

Seven O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
25 O
wounded O
when O
two O
booby O
traps O
exploded O
in O
a O
popular O
Baghdad O
market O
during O
the B-T
busy I-T
morning I-T
shopping O
rush O
, O
military O
officials O
and O
medics O
at O
the O
Al O
- O
Kindi O
hospital O
said O
. O

The O
devices O
exploded O
in O
the O
Baab O
al O
- O
Sharki O
neighbourhood O
in O
the O
centre O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
capital O
, O
they O
said O
. O

Another O
10 O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
35 O
wounded O
in O
east O
Baghdad O
near O
the O
Shaab O
stadium O
when O
a O
bomb O
exploded O
among O
a O
crowd O
queuing O
for O
heating O
fuel O
, O
according O
to O
a O
security O
official O
and O
medics O
at O
the O
Ibn O
- O
Nafis O
hospital O
. O

South O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
three O
more O
civilians O
were O
killed O
in O
two O
bomb O
attacks O
, O
according O
to O
the O
defence O
ministry O
and O
the O
Yarmuk O
hospital O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
two O
Iraqi O
soldiers O
were O
killed O
when O
a O
booby O
trap O
exploded O
on O
the O
highway O
between O
the O
oil O
refinery O
depot O
of O
Baiji O
and O
Saddam O
' O
s O
hometown O
Tikrit O
, O
said O
the O
local O
Iraqi O
- O
US O
coordination O
centre O
. O

Another O
three O
soldiers O
were O
wounded O
in O
the O
explosion O
, O
which O
destroyed O
an O
Iraqi O
military O
vehicle O
, O
the O
source O
said O
. O

In O
Diyala O
province O
north O
of O
the O
capital O
, O
a O
police O
captain O
and O
two O
civilian O
women O
were O
killed O
by O
unidentified O
gunmen O
in O
separate O
attacks O
, O
said O
Lieutenant O
Ali O
Khaled O
of O
the O
Baquba O
police O
. O

The O
violence O
raged O
on O
as O
the O
Iraqi O
High O
Tribunal O
published O
a O
formal O
written O
judgement O
rejecting O
Saddam O
' O
s O
appeal O
against O
his O
death O
sentence O
. O

The O
official O
release O
of O
the O
judgement O
, O
signed O
by O
Judge O
Arif O
Abdulrazzak O
Shaheen O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
High O
Criminal O
Court O
in O
Baghdad O
, O
set O
in O
motion O
procedures O
which O
should O
lead O
to O
Saddam O
being O
executed O
within O
days B-T
or I-T
weeks I-T
. O

" O
The O
court O
decided O
to O
endorse O
the O
condemnation O
and O
punishment O
of O
the O
condemned O
, O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
Barzan O
Ibrahim O
Hassan O
and O
Awad O
Ahmed O
al O
- O
Bandar O
, O
by O
hanging O
, O
for O
committing O
a O
deliberate O
crime O
against O
humanity O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

The O
17 O
- O
page O
ruling O
was O
published O
on O
the O
website O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
High O
Tribunal O
, O
which O
on O
November B-T
5 I-T
convicted O
Saddam O
, O
his O
half O
- O
brother O
and O
intelligence O
chief O
Hassan O
and O
former O
judge O
Bandar O
of O
ordering O
the O
deaths O
of O
148 O
Shiite O
villagers O
. O

Following O
the O
formal O
release O
of O
the O
judgement O
, O
the O
responsibility O
for O
organising O
the O
execution O
of O
the O
defendants O
passes O
to O
Iraq O
' O
s O
government O
, O
court O
officials O
said O
. O
Iraq O
' O
s O
cabinet O
was O
in O
session O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
. O

Later O
in O
the O
day O
, O
in O
the O
calmer O
surroundings O
of O
Bush O
' O
s O
Texas O
ranch O
, O
the O
US O
president O
was O
to O
assemble O
his O
top O
aides O
to O
review O
his O
Iraq O
strategy O
and O
the O
role O
of O
America O
' O
s O
129 O
, O
000 O
troops O
deployed O
in O
the O
country O
. O

" O
That O
will O
be O
a O
meeting O
of O
all O
the O
members O
. O
. O
. O
of O
the O
National O
Security O
Council O
, O
" O
said O
Scott O
Stanzel O
, O
a O
White O
House O
spokesman O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
time O
for O
the O
president O
to O
be O
talking O
with O
his O
advisers O
about O
all O
the O
potential O
options O
, O
making O
sure O
that O
due O
consideration O
is O
given O
to O
the O
next O
steps O
, O
making O
sure O
that O
we O
' O
re O
thinking O
through O
the O
new O
way O
forward O
in O
Iraq O
. O
" O

Bush O
is O
expected O
to O
deliver O
a O
speech O
announcing O
a O
new O
way O
forward O
in O
Iraq O
sometime O
early O
in O
the B-T
New I-T
Year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0175 O

ZHANGJIAKOU O
, O
North O
China O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japan O
wins O
men O
' O
s O
title O
of O
FIS O
Alpine O
ski O
competition O
in O
China O

Japan O
won O
the O
first O
gold O
medal O
awarded O
in O
the O
2005 O
International O
Ski O
Federation O
( O
FIS O
) O
Alpine O
Ski O
Competition O
in O
China O
which O
opened O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Takeda O
Ryu O
clocked O
a O
total O
of O
two B-T
minutes I-T
26 I-T
. I-T
85 I-T
seconds I-T
in O
the O
two O
runs O
of O
the O
men O
' O
s O
giant O
slalom O
event O
to O
win O
the O
gold O
, O
followed O

by O
Kim O
Min O
- O
Sung O
of O
South O
Korea O
with O
2 B-T
: I-T
27 I-T
. I-T
13 I-T
. O

The O
bronze O
medal O
went O
to O
Hur O
Seung O
- O
Wook O
of O
South O
Korea O
at O
2 B-T
: I-T
27 I-T
. I-T
14 I-T
. O

In O
the O
women O
' O
s O
event O
, O
South O
Korean O
Oh O
Jae O
- O
Eun O
claimed O
the O
title O

with O
2 O
: O
34 O
. O
77 O
and O
Yamazaki O
Yurie O
of O
Japan O
won O
the O
silver O
with O
2 O
: O
36 O
. O
50 O
. O

China O
' O
s O
Dong O
Jinzhi O
won O
the O
bronze O
medal O
with O
2 O
: O
38 O
. O
35 O
. O

" O
This O
is O
the O
best O
result O
of O
Chinese O
skiiers O
in O
the O
international O
competitions O
. O
" O
said O
Tian O
Younian O
, O
vice O
- O
president O
of O
the O
China O
Ski O
Association O
, O
" O
It O
is O
very O
encouraging O
for O
all O
Chinese O
skiers O
. O
" O

The O
competition O
, O
runs O
from O
November B-T
29 I-T
to O
December B-T
2 I-T
, O
featured O
120 O
skiers O
from O
seven O
countries O
and O
regions O
including O
Japan O
, O
South O

Korea O
, O
Chinese O
Taipei O
and O
France O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0521 O

ROME O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Italy O
' O
s O
local O
polls O
a O
boost O
for O
Communists O
by O
Alain O
Jean O
- O
Robert O

Italy O
' O
s O
weekend O
municipal O
elections O
were O
a O
shot O
in O
the O
arm O
for O
the O
Refounded O
Communists O
, O
whose O
support O
is O
crucial O
to O
the O
survival O
of O
the O
centre O
- O
left O
coalition O
which O
governs O
the O
country O
. O

The O
particularly O
strong O
showing O
by O
the O
Refounded O
Communist O
party O
emboldened O
its O
leader O
Fausto O
Bertinotti O
to O
serve O
notice O
that O
it O
wants O
a O
more O
prominent O
role O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
political O
life O
. O

The O
Marxist O
party O
' O
s O
performance O
in O
the O
polls O
, O
in O
which O
one O
- O
fifth O
of O
the O
electorate O
voted O
in O
around O
1 O
, O
000 O
municipalities O
, O
made O
it O
" O
unthinkable O
" O
to O
ignore O
" O
a O
political O
force O
that O
is O
winning O
support O
from O
a O
growing O
proportion O
of O
the O
voters O
, O
" O
Bertinotti O
told O
reporters O
. O

He O
promptly O
suggested O
" O
a O
formal O
government O
agreement O
on O
a O
programme O
( O
of O
action O
) O
between O
the O
Refounded O
Communist O
and O
the O
parties O
of O
the O
current O
government O
coalition O
, O
" O
which O
is O
dominated O
by O
the O
Democratic O
Party O
of O
the O
Left O
( O
PDS O
) O
, O
itself O
formerly O
communist O
. O

The O
daily O
La O
Stampa O
commented O
that O
the O
Marxists O
had O
a O
" O
spectacular O
ability O
to O
lead O
the O
dance O
, O
" O
but O
warned O
that O
their O
victory O
" O
could O
complicate O
the O
task O
of O
the O
government O
, O
" O
adding O
that O
the O
ruling O
coalition O
would O
be O
forced O
to O
lean O
further O
to O
the O
left O
. O

The O
Corriere O
Della O
Sera O
daily B-T
described O
the O
situation O
as O
a O
" O
serious O
problem O
" O
for O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
and O
PDS O
leader O
Massimo O
D O
' O
Alema O
. O

Undaunted O
, O
D O
' O
Alema O
on O
Monday B-T
said O
he O
would O
go O
ahead O
with O
institutional O
reforms O
necessary O
for O
Italy O
' O
s O
membership O
in O
the O
single O
European O
currency O
, O
despite O
the O
Communists O
' O
opposition O
to O
social O
spending O
cuts O
. O

" O
The O
government O
should O
make O
its O
decision O
in O
accordance O
with O
the O
general O
interests O
of O
the O
country O
and O
not O
the O
Refounded O
Communists O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
centre O
- O
left O
coalition O
' O
s O
dependence O
on O
the O
Communists O
' O
support O
in O
the O
lower O
house O
was O
amply O
demonstrated O
early B-T
this I-T
month I-T
when O
their O
opposition O
to O
the O
deployment O
of O
Italian O
troops O
in O
Albania O
nearly O
brought O
down O
the O
government O
. O

The O
big O
loser O
in O
the O
municipal O
polls O
was O
the O
Northern O
League O
, O
which O
has O
paid O
for O
its O
secessionist O
aspirations O
with O
Milan O
' O
s O
city O
hall O
, O
whose O
mayor O
was O
voted O
out O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
League O
' O
s O
Marco O
Formentini O
came O
in O
third O
behind O
two O
business O
leaders O
, O
Gabriele O
Albertini O
for O
the O
right O
, O
with O
40 O
. O
2 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
, O
and O
Aldo O
Fumagalli O
for O
the O
left O
, O
who O
garnered O
27 O
. O
4 O
percent O
. O

At O
least O
Formentini O
won O
enough O
support O
- O
- O
20 O
percent O
- O
- O
to O
swing O
the O
second O
round O
, O
scheduled O
for O
May B-T
11 I-T
. O

The O
PDS O
announced O
in O
Rome O
that O
talks O
were O
taking O
place O
between O
centre O
- O
left O
parties O
and O
the O
communists O
to O
reach O
an O
accord O
on O
presenting O
a O
single O
candidate O
, O
with O
the O
less O
well O
- O
placed O
candidate O
standing O
down O
, O
against O
centre O
- O
right O
candidates O
in O
the O
second O
round O
of O
elections O
scheduled O
to O
take O
place O
on O
May B-T
11 I-T
. O

Party O
official O
Marco O
Menitti O
said O
the O
logic O
of O
the O
second O
round O
was O
" O
to O
enlarge O
the O
alliance O
so O
as O
to O
reach O
a O
different O
result O
from O
the O
first O
round O
. O
" O

The O
Northern O
League O
' O
s O
decline O
became O
irreversible O
last B-T
September I-T
, O
when O
party O
leader O
Umberto O
Bossi O
solemnly O
proclaimed O
the O
independence O
of O
Padania O
, O
the O
League O
' O
s O
name O
for O
the O
northern O
region O
. O

The O
celebration O
on O
the O
banks O
of O
the O
River O
Po O
was O
a O
fiasco O
, O
failing O
to O
attract O
the O
huge O
crowds O
that O
Bossi O
had O
predicted O
. O

In O
Turin O
, O
the O
hub O
of O
Italy O
' O
s O
automobile O
industry O
, O
outgoing O
Olive O
Tree O
Mayor O
Valentino O
Castellani O
is O
hoping O
for O
a O
better O
showing O
in O
the O
runoff O
, O
after O
being O
forced O
into O
second O
place O
by O
right O
- O
wing O
candidate O
Raffaele O
Costa O
. O
Costa O
took O
around O
43 O
. O
5 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
to O
Castellani O
' O
s O
34 O
percent O
. O

In O
Trieste O
, O
centre O
- O
left O
Mayor O
Ricardo O
Illy O
came O
in O
well O
in O
front O
with O
38 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
, O
but O
will O
face O
one O
of O
two O
centre O
- O
right O
candidates O
who O
each O
took O
about O
21 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
the O
second O
round O
. O

Elsewhere O
, O
the O
left O
won O
the O
central O
cities O
of O
Siena O
and O
Ravenna O
outright O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
northern O
town O
of O
Belluno O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0115 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

DaimlerChrysler O
to O
cut O
thousands O
more O
jobs O
: O
report O

DaimlerChrysler O
, O
the O
German O
- O
US O
auto O
giant O
, O
plans O
to O
axe O
several O
thousand O
more O
jobs O
on O
top O
of O
the O
recent O
job O
cuts O
announced O
at O
its O
prestigious O
Mercedes O
brand O
, O
the O
regional O
daily O
Stuttgarter O
Zeitung O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

DaimlerChrysler O
' O
s O
supervisory O
board O
was O
scheduled O
to O
examine O
a O
working O
paper O
drawn O
up O
by O
the O
management O
board O
that O
entailed O
big O
job O
cuts O
between O
2006 B-T
and O
2008 O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
, O
without O
revealing O
its O
sources O
. O

However O
, O
a O
formal O
decision O
was O
not O
expected O
to O
be O
announced O
after O
the O
meeting O
, O
it O
added O
. O

DaimlerChrysler O
was O
not O
immediately O
available O
to O
comment O
on O
the O
report O
. O

But O
the O
car O
maker O
recently O
embarked O
on O
a O
restructuring O
at O
its O
Mercedes O
division O
that O
would O
entail O
the O
loss O
of O
8 O
, O
500 O
jobs O
in O
Germany O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
12 I-T
months I-T
. O

Stuttgarter O
Zeitung O
said O
the O
new O
job O
cuts O
would O
affect O
the O
heavy O
trucks O
divsion O
, O
which O
has O
hitherto O
been O
spared O
any O
blood O
- O
letting O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0174 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Few O
Chinese O
college O
students O
remember O
parents O
' O
birthdays O
: O
survey O

Only O
one O
tenth O
of O
college O
students O
remember O
their O
parents O
' O
birthdays O
, O
while O
nearly O
half O
of O
them O
have O
never O
done O
anything O
to O
move O
their O
father O
and O
mother O
, O
according O
to O
a O
recent O
survey O
conducted O
in O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Henan O
Province O
. O

Two O
hundred O
students O
from O
four O
local O
universities O
were O
questioned O
on O
a O
number O
of O
issues O
prior O
to O
the O
Thanksgiving B-T
Day I-T
, O
an O
American O
festival O
which O
is O
gaining O
acceptance O
among O
Chinese O
young O
people O
. O

According O
to O
the O
survey O
, O
only O
10 O
percent O
of O
the O
students O
are O
capable O
of O
writing O
down O
their O
parents O
' O
birthdays O
, O
33 O
percent O
want O
to O
celebrate O
their O
birthday O
with O
their O
parents O
, O
and O
16 O
percent O
said O
they O
had O
moved O
their O
parents O
when O
they O
presented O
birthday O
gifts O
. O

" O
When O
I O
filled O
out O
the O
survey O
, O
I O
suddenly O
realized O
how O
little O
I O
had O
done O
for O
my O
parents O
, O
" O
said O
Yang O
Bo O
, O
a O
student O
from O
the O
Henan O
University O
of O
Industry O
. O

Like O
Yang O
, O
many O
students O
found O
it O
very O
difficult O
to O
fill O
out O
the O
form O
, O
even O
though O
the O
questions O
looked O
simple O
. O

Yang O
Jie O
, O
a O
girl O
student O
from O
the O
Henan O
University O
of O
Agriculture O
, O
said O
many O
students O
hold O
a O
big O
birthday O
dinner O
with O
their O
classmates O
, O
forgetting O
to O
thank O
their O
parents O
on O
the B-T
day I-T
. O
" O
Everyone O
' O
s O
birthday O
is O
a O
day O
of O
suffering O
for O
their O
mother O
, O
so O
people O
should O
at O
least O
call O
their O
parents O
to O
express O
their O
gratitude O
on O
that B-T
special I-T
day I-T
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Most O
Chinese O
parents O
, O
however O
, O
prefer O
to O
see O
their O
children O
get O
a O
good O
exam O
score O
rather O
than O
receive O
a O
birthday O
call O
. O
" O
An O
excellent O
school O
report O
is O
better O
than O
anything O
else O
, O
" O
said O
a O
local O
woman O
named O
Fu O
, O
whose O
son O
is O
an O
18 O
- O
year O
student O
. O

Chinese O
students O
, O
mostly O
from O
one O
- O
child O
families O
, O
are O
the O
focus O
of O
the O
family O
and O
are O
growing O
up O
to O
be O
careless O
of O
others O
, O
said O
Peng O
Yi O
, O
a O
licensed O
psychiatrist O
. O

Peng O
said O
that O
, O
traditionally O
, O
Chinese O
parents O
never O
demand O
anything O
from O
their O
children O
, O
and O
the O
children O
believe O
they O
deserve O
everything O
their O
parents O
have O
done O
for O
them O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0370 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepal O
forwards O
100 O
- O
item O
list O
for O
duty O
free O
access O
to O
China O

Nepal O
forwarded O
on O
Wednesday B-T
a O
list O
of O
over O
100 O
items O
to O
the O
Chinese O
government O
for O
the O
purpose O
of O
acquiring O
duty O
free O
market O
access O
to O
China O
, O
a O
Nepali O
official O
said O
here O
. O

The O
list O
has O
been O
forwarded O
after O
China O
agreed O
to O
consider O
positively O
on O
providing O
zero O
tariff O
facility O
to O
certain O
products O
of O
Nepali O
in O
bilateral O
ministerial O
- O
level O
meeting O
held O
in O
August B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
said O
Naindra O
Prasad O
Upadhyaya O
, O
joint O
secretary O
of O
Ministry O
of O
Industry O
, O
Commerce O
and O
Supplies O
. O

" O
We O
have O
identified O
over O
100 O
products O
which O
could O
help O
Nepali O
export O
volume O
to O
rise O
and O
to O
bridge O
the O
widening O
trade O
deficit O
in O
preferential O
trading O
regime O
, O
" O
Upadhyaya O
noted O
. O

The O
list O
includes O
all O
major O
items O
which O
are O
already O
enjoying O
good O
growth O
in O
export O
and O
possess O
further O
growth O
potential O
in O
the O
Chinese O
market O
, O
and O
also O
the O
ones O
which O
are O
subjected O
to O
higher O
customs O
duty O
by O
China O
, O
said O
Upadhyaya O
. O

Handicrafts O
, O
incense O
sticks O
, O
vegetable O
ghee O
, O
biscuits O
, O
noodles O
, O
cosmetics O
, O
cement O
, O
iron O
rod O
, O
paint O
, O
refined O
wheat O
flour O
, O
rice O
, O
vegetables O
, O
fruits O
and O
processed O
meat O
are O
among O
the O
major O
products O
included O
in O
the O
list O
. O

While O
handicrafts O
, O
vegetable O
ghee O
, O
noodles O
, O
wheat O
flour O
, O
vegetables O
and O
fruits O
are O
among O
the O
products O
whose O
export O
volume O
has O
been O
increasing O
fast O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
cement O
and O
other O
construction O
materials O
have O
been O
included O
considering O
their O
future O
export O
potential O
. O

Items O
such O
as O
cosmetics O
, O
processed O
meat O
and O
other O
fast O
- O
moving O
consumer O
goods O
are O
also O
identified O
as O
products O
which O
can O
post O
robust O
growth O
in O
export O
if O
taxes O
imposed O
on O
them O
are O
waived O
off O
, O
Upadhyaya O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061217 O
. O
0269 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Iraq O
peace O
talks O
end O
in O
broad O
- O
based O
proposals O

Leaders O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
bitterly O
divided O
political O
parties O
unveiled O
a O
series O
of O
reform O
ideas O
Sunday B-T
after O
two B-T
days I-T
of O
peace O
talks O
aimed O
at O
ending O
the O
bloodshed O
engulfing O
the O
country O
. O

But O
a O
conference O
spokesman O
told O
AFP O
that O
delegates O
had O
managed O
to O
make O
only O
one O
practical O
suggestion O
amid O
various O
declarations O
of O
good O
intent O
, O
an O
apparent O
sign O
that O
the O
much O
- O
hyped O
event O
had O
ended O
in O
disappointment O
. O

" O
The O
only O
important O
practical O
measure O
recommended O
by O
the O
conference O
is O
paying O
sizeable O
pensions O
to O
former O
soldiers O
, O
" O
Naseer O
al O
- O
Ani O
told O
AFP O
. O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
invited O
some O
Saddam O
Hussein O
- O
era O
servicemen O
to O
join O
his O
armed O
forces O
and O
offered O
pensions O
to O
the O
others O
in O
an O
olive O
branch O
to O
a O
community O
that O
has O
filled O
the O
ranks O
of O
the O
insurgency O
. O

" O
Other O
than O
that O
, O
participants O
reiterated O
slogans O
about O
national O
unity O
and O
expressed O
good O
intentions O
for O
reforms O
that O
will O
have O
to O
be O
approved O
( O
by O
government O
and O
parliament O
) O
, O
" O
said O
Ani O
. O

The O
four O
committees O
that O
compiled O
the O
string O
of O
recommendations O
, O
after O
two B-T
days I-T
of O
talks O
that O
Maliki O
had O
hoped O
would O
isolate O
insurgents O
, O
will O
now O
work O
on O
implementing O
their O
suggestions O
with O
government O
and O
parliament O
. O

One O
recommendation O
would O
see O
Iraq O
reinstate O
compulsory O
military O
service O
, O
another O
suggests O
independent O
deputy O
ministers O
to O
be O
appointed O
alongside O
political O
appointees O
, O
and O
a O
third O
wants O
the O
Iraqi O
constitution O
reviewed O
. O

Yet O
participants O
still O
reaffirmed O
the O
principle O
of O
articles O
in O
the O
constitution O
that O
bans O
the O
Baath O
Party O
as O
a O
political O
entity O
. O

Tens O
of O
thousands O
of O
Baathists O
and O
Saddam O
- O
era O
military O
officers O
were O
purged O
from O
the O
public O
service O
in O
the O
aftermath O
of O
the O
March B-T
2003 I-T
US O
- O
led O
invasion O
, O
with O
many O
going O
on O
to O
swell O
the O
ranks O
of O
groups O
fighting O
the O
new O
Shiite O
- O
led O
government O
. O

There O
is O
now B-T
a O
growing O
consensus O
that O
more O
junior O
party O
members O
not O
proven O
to O
have O
supported O
Saddam O
- O
era O
atrocities O
or O
the O
post O
- O
invasion O
rebellion O
should O
be O
allowed O
into O
the O
political O
process O
as O
a O
gesture O
of O
reconciliation O
. O

The O
conference O
marked O
the O
first O
attempt O
by O
the O
coalition O
government O
to O
draw O
former O
members O
of O
Saddam O
' O
s O
army O
and O
Baath O
party O
into O
the O
political O
process O
. O

But O
while O
a O
small O
number O
of O
former O
Baathists O
attended O
, O
delegates O
were O
disappointed O
that O
few O
representatives O
of O
insurgent O
groups O
turned O
up O
. O

Iraq O
is O
in O
the O
grip O
of O
a O
dirty O
war O
between O
rival O
Sunni O
and O
Shiite O
factions O
battling O
for O
turf O
and O
political O
power O
in O
the O
chaos O
that O
has O
descended O
on O
the O
country O
as O
the O
government O
and O
US O
military O
battle O
Sunni O
insurgents O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0231 O

BUENOS O
AIRES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Colon O
ends O
Boca O
Juniors O
' O
winning O
run O

Colon O
, O
the O
Santa O
Fe O
team O
, O
beat O
soccer O
giant O
Boca O
Juniors O
, O
bringing O
the O
team O
' O
s O
seven O
- O
match O
winning O
streak O
to O
an O
end O
, O
Argentine O
media O
reported O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

This O
weekend O
' O
s O
results O
changed O
the O
leader O
board O
of O
Argentina O
' O
s O
Apertura O
2005 O
tournament O
dramatically O
: O
Boca O
now B-T
finds O
itself O
sharing O
the O
lead O
with O
Gymnasio O
and O
Esgrime O
La O
Plata O
, O
following O
wins O
by O
those O
two O
teams O
. O
All O
three O
have O
28 O
points O
. O

Spanish O
mid O
- O
fielder O
Ivan O
Moreno O
y O
Fabianesi O
, O
a O
Badajoz O
native O
, O
scored O
Colon O
' O
s O
winning O
goal O
in O
the B-T
82nd I-T
minute I-T
, O
beating O
a O
Boca O
Juniors O
team O
that O
had O
been O
weakened O
by O
a O
busy O
schedule O
of O
league O
, O
and O
Copa O
SudAmerica O
commitments O
. O

Independiete O
and O
Velez O
Sarsfield O
share O
second O
place O
with O
26 O
points O
, O
with O
five O
playing O
days O
to O
go O
in O
the O
competition O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0292 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
envoy O
calls O
on O
donors O
to O
help O
flood O
- O
hit O
Somalis O

The O
United O
Nations O
envoy O
for O
Somalia O
on O
Tuesday B-T
called O
on O
the O
international O
community O
to O
respond O
generously O
to O
the O
needs O
of O
Somali O
communities O
affected O
by O
rising O
flood O
waters O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
issued O
in O
Nairobi O
, O
UN O
Secretary O
- O
General O
' O
s O
Special O
Representative O
for O
Somalia O
Francois O
Lonseny O
Fall O
said O
during O
his O
visit O
to O
Baidoa O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
Somali O
leaders O
expressed O
concerns O
that O
too O
little O
relief O
was O
being O
offered O
to O
people O
in O
dire O
need O
. O

" O
It O
was O
also O
clear O
to O
me O
that O
the O
extent O
of O
flooding O
is O
beyond O
anything O
seen O
in O
Somalia O
in O
many B-T
years I-T
, O
" O
Fall O
said O
in O
the O
statement O
issued O
after O
his O
visit O
to O
the O
flood O
- O
hit O
Horn O
of O
African O
nation O
. O

In O
the B-T
past I-T
six I-T
weeks I-T
, O
most O
parts O
of O
the O
country O
have O
already O
received O
more O
than O
300 O
percent O
of O
their O
normal O
rainfall O
. O
UN O
agencies O
and O
non O
- O
governmental O
organizations O
are O
delivering O
food O
relief O
, O
shelter O
materials O
and O
other O
emergency O
support O
, O
but O
more O
will O
be O
needed O
. O

The O
UN O
estimates O
that O
about O
1 O
. O
1 O
million O
in O
southern O
Somalia O
are O
already O
facing O
a O
humanitarian O
emergency O
and O
the O
rainy O
season O
will O
still O
last O
several O
weeks O
. O

Fall O
flew O
to O
Baidoa O
on O
Monday B-T
to O
emphasize O
the O
need O
for O
Somalia O
' O
s O
Transitional O
Federal O
Institutions O
( O
TFIs O
) O
to O
remain O
united O
. O

He O
sought O
assurances O
from O
President O
Abdullahi O
Yusuf O
Ahmed O
and O
Prime O
Minister O
Ali O
Mohamed O
Gedi O
that O
they O
were O
committed O
to O
the O
unity O
of O
the O
TFIs O
and O
a O
resumption O
of O
dialogues O
with O
the O
Islamic O
Courts O
following O
the O
postponement O
of O
the O
third O
round O
of O
the O
Khartoum O
peace O
talks O
early O
this B-T
month I-T
. O

The O
UN O
envoy O
was O
accompanied O
to O
Baidoa O
by O
several O
representatives O
from O
the O
International O
Advisory O
Contact O
Group O
for O
Somalia O
, O
which O
was O
set O
up O
earlier O
this B-T
year I-T
to O
assist O
the O
peace O
process O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0184 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
ACMECS O
Summit O
ends O
with O
agreements O
on O
expanded O
regional O
cooperation O

Leaders O
from O
five O
Mekong O
Delta O
countries O
ended O
a O
summit O
meeting O
Thursday B-T
, O
agreeing O
on O
the O
importance O
of O
a O
joint O
forward O
- O
looking O
approach O
in O
inter O
- O
country O
cooperation O
to O
lay O
a O
strong O
foundation O
for O
meeting O
regional O
needs O
and O
achieving O
regional O
goals O
in O
various O
areas O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
. O

Thai O
Prime O
Minister O
Thaksin O
Shinawatra O
joined O
the O
heads O
of O
governments O
of O
four O
other O
member O
states O
of O
the O
Ayeyawady O
- O
Chao O
Phraya O
- O
Mekong O
Economic O
Cooperation O
Strategy O
( O
ACMECS O
) O
, O
including O
Cambodia O
, O
Laos O
, O
Myanmar O
and O
Vietnam O
, O
in O
signing O
the O
Bangkok O
Declaration O
on O
the O
agreed O
cooperation O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
Second O
ACMECS O
Summit O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Thai O
News O
Agency O
. O

The O
agreements O
include O
deepening O
regional O
cooperation O
in O
areas O
of O
high O
priority O
, O
collectively O
addressing O
regional O
threats O
posed O
by O
newly O
- O
emerging O
and O
re O
- O
emerging O
diseases O
in O
a O
timely O
manner O
, O
bringing O
more O
advanced O
technology O
to O
enhance O
efficiency O
and O
effectiveness O
of O
ACMECS O
wherever O
possible O
and O
appropriate O
and O
taking O
collective O
measures O
to O
strengthen O
the O
five O
- O
nation O
ACMECS O
grouping O
. O

Areas O
of O
high O
priority O
include O
trade O
, O
investment O
, O
as O
well O
as O
agricultural O
, O
industrial O
, O
transport O
and O
energy O
cooperation O
, O
in O
which O
the O
five O
member O
countries O
have O
agreed O
to O
reduce O
tariff O
barriers O
, O
further O
promote O
cross O
border O
trade O
by O
all O
means O
and O
jointly O
study O
on O
alternative O
energy O
programs O
and O
jointly O
push O
for O
regional O
transport O
links O
. O

The O
member O
states O
recognized O
the O
potential O
threat O
to O
human O
lives O
as O
well O
as O
to O
economic O
development O
posed O
by O
newly O
emerging O
and O
re O
- O
emerging O
infectious O
diseases O
and O
diseases O
related O
to O
water O
, O
hygiene O
and O
food O
quality O
and O
the O
need O
to O
enhance O
regional O
preparedness O
for O
and O
effectiveness O
in O
tackling O
such O
threats O
. O

They O
have O
agreed O
to O
endorse O
the O
establishment O
of O
public O
health O
as O
a O
new O
sector O
of O
cooperation O
under O
ACMECS O
, O
undertake O
concrete O
collective O
measures O
to O
prevent O
a O
regional O
pandemic O
of O
avian O
influenza O
as O
outlined O
in O
the O
ACMECS O
Leaders O
' O
Declaration O
on O
Partnership O
in O
Combating O
Avian O
Influenza O
and O
Other O
Infectious O
Diseases O
. O

They O
also O
agreed O
to O
establish O
a O
network O
of O
public O
health O
agencies O
to O
promote O
information O
sharing O
, O
provide O
early O
warning O
and O
cooperate O
on O
capacity O
building O
, O
identify O
areas O
of O
cooperation O
and O
necessary O
measures O
to O
contain O
trans O
- O
border O
diseases O
and O
mitigate O
their O
impact O
. O

Thailand O
has O
also O
pledged O
to O
contribute O
100 O
million O
baht O
( O
2 O
. O
5 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
to O
a O
regional O
fund O
on O
combating O
avian O
flu O
and O
preventing O
its O
mutation O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0475 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Bush O
tells O
of O
pain O
over O
dead O
soldiers O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
spoke O
Wednesday B-T
of O
his O
heartbreak O
and O
pain O
at O
the O
deaths O
of O
US O
soldiers O
in O
Iraq O
, O
but O
said O
the O
best O
way O
to O
honor O
their O
sacrifice O
was O
to O
ensure O
it O
was O
not O
in O
vain O
. O

" O
( O
The O
) O
most O
painful O
aspect O
of O
my O
presidency O
has O
been O
knowing O
that O
good O
men O
and O
women O
have O
died O
in O
combat O
, O
" O
Bush O
said O
during O
a O
year O
- O
end O
news O
conference O
. O

" O
I O
read O
about O
it O
every B-T
night I-T
. O
I O
- O
- O
my O
heart O
breaks O
for O
a O
mother O
or O
father O
or O
husband O
and O
wife O
or O
son O
and O
daughter O
, O
" O
he O
said O
gravely O
. O

" O
I O
reach O
out O
to O
a O
lot O
of O
the O
families O
. O
I O
spend O
time O
with O
them O
. O
I O
am O
always O
inspired O
by O
their O
spirit O
. O

" O
Most O
people O
have O
asked O
me O
to O
do O
one O
thing O
, O
and O
that O
is O
to O
make O
sure O
that O
their O
child O
didn O
' O
t O
die O
in O
vain O
. O
And O
I O
agree O
with O
that O
- O
- O
that O
the O
sacrifice O
has O
been O
worth O
it O
. O
We O
' O
ll O
accomplish O
our O
objective O
. O
" O

" O
You O
know O
, O
my O
heart O
breaks O
for O
them O
. O
It O
just O
does O
- O
- O
on O
a O
regular O
basis O
. O
" O

His O
remarks O
came O
after O
a O
reporter O
asked O
whether O
he O
lay O
awake O
at O
night O
second O
guessing O
his O
decisions O
, O
as O
former O
US O
president O
Lyndon O
Johnson O
reputedly O
did O
, O
during O
the O
Vietnam O
War O
. O

The O
US O
death O
toll O
in O
Iraq O
has O
now O
reached O
2 O
, O
947 O
, O
according O
to O
an O
AFP O
count O
based O
on O
Pentagon O
figures O
. O
In O
December B-T
alone O
, O
at O
least O
64 O
soldiers O
have O
been O
killed O
. O

Bush O
has O
been O
harshly O
criticized O
in O
some O
quarters O
for O
not O
attending O
funerals O
of O
soldiers O
killed O
in O
Iraq O
, O
but O
frequently O
holds O
private O
meetings O
with O
families O
of O
the O
fallen O
. O

The O
president O
also O
said O
he O
was O
also O
at O
peace O
with O
the O
decision O
to O
invade O
Iraq O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

" O
I O
haven O
' O
t O
questioned O
whether O
or O
not O
it O
was O
right O
to O
take O
Saddam O
Hussein O
out O
. O
I O
mean O
, O
I O
' O
ve O
questioned O
it O
- O
- O
I O
' O
ve O
come O
to O
the O
conclusion O
that O
it O
was O
the O
right O
decision O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
the O
right O
decision O
for O
America O
to O
stay O
engaged O
, O
and O
to O
take O
the O
lead O
, O
and O
to O
deal O
with O
these O
radicals O
and O
extremists O
, O
and O
to O
help O
support O
young O
democracies O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
the O
calling O
of O
our O
time O
, O
and O
I O
firmly O
believe O
it O
is O
necessary O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0415 O

SEOUL O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

North O
Korea O
' O
s O
Kim O
reviews O
massive O
military O
parade O
to O
mark O
army O
day O
by O
Kate O
Webb O

North O
Korea O
' O
s O
uncrowned O
leader O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
Il O
on O
Friday B-T
reviewed O
a O
massive O
military O
parade O
in O
Pyongyang O
to O
mark O
the O
twin O
anniversaries O
of O
army O
day O
and O
the O
late O
leader O
Kim O
Il O
- O
Sung O
' O
s O
birthday B-T
. O

North O
Korea O
' O
s O
mouthpiece O
Korean O
Central O
News O
Agency O
( O
KCNA O
) O
said O
the O
son O
and O
heir O
of O
Kim O
Il O
- O
Sung O
reviewed O
the O
marchpast O
from O
a O
platform O
. O

" O
When O
Supreme O
Commander O
of O
the O
KPA O
( O
Korean O
People O
' O
s O
Army O
) O
comrade O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
Il O
appeared O
on O
the O
platform O
a O
storm O
of O
cheers O
burst O
forth O
, O
" O
KCNA O
said O
. O

Also O
present O
in O
his O
first O
public O
appearance O
in O
some B-T
16 I-T
months I-T
was O
Kang O
Song O
- O
San O
, O
66 O
, O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
sacked O
as O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
prime O
minister O
. O

KCNA O
in O
its O
Korean O
- O
language O
service O
, O
did O
not O
specify O
Kang O
' O
s O
title O
, O
however O
, O
making O
it O
impossible O
to O
confirm O
whether O
he O
remained O
prime O
minister O
, O
the O
Jiji O
Press O
and O
Kyodo O
News O
agencies O
said O
. O

The O
KCNA O
' O
s O
English O
service O
did O
not O
mention O
Kang O
' O
s O
name O
. O

Kang O
, O
who O
reportedly O
suffers O
from O
diabets O
and O
other O
health O
problems O
, O
became O
premier O
in O
the O
diehard O
Stalinist O
state O
in O
1992 B-T
, O
but O
was O
widely O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
dismissed O
as O
premier O
when O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
official O
media O
referred O
to O
Hong O
Song O
- O
Nam O
as O
acting O
premier O
in O
late B-T
February I-T
. O

Kang O
' O
s O
name O
was O
absent O
from O
a O
list O
of O
members O
commissioned O
to O
prepare O
for O
the O
funeral O
of O
the O
then O
armed O
forces O
minister O
, O
Choe O
Kwang O
, O
who O
died O
in O
February B-T
. O

The O
Korean O
- O
language O
KCNA O
report O
said O
that O
sharing O
the O
reviewing O
platform O
with O
the O
junior O
Kim O
at O
the O
parade O
were O
Vice O
Presidents O
Ri O
Jong O
- O
Ok O
, O
Pak O
Song O
- O
Chol O
and O
Kim O
Yong O
- O
Ju O
as O
well O
as O
Kang O
and O
Kim O
Pyong O
- O
Sik O
, O
another O
vice O
president O
. O

It O
also O
said O
they O
were O
accompanied O
by O
such O
military O
officers O
as O
Li O
Ul O
- O
Sol O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
secret O
service O
, O
and O
Cho O
Myong O
- O
Rok O
, O
head O
of O
the O
general O
political O
bureau O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Army O
, O
the O
Jiji O
and O
Kyodo O
agencies O
said O
. O

Columns O
of O
guard O
units O
, O
military O
academies O
, O
worker O
- O
peasant O
red O
guards O
and O
young O
red O
guards O
took O
part O
in O
the O
march O
, O
after O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
Il O
had O
taken O
a O
salute O
from O
Kim O
Yong O
- O
Chun O
, O
chief O
of O
the O
general O
staff O
of O
the O
KPA O
, O
and O
waved O
to O
the O
parade O
participants O
, O
it O
said O
. O

Friday B-T
is O
marked O
in O
North O
Korea O
as O
the O
official O
65th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
people O
' O
s O
army O
, O
which O
traces O
its O
birth O
to O
the O
fight O
against O
Japanese O
occupation O
before O
the O
two O
Koreas O
were O
divided O
after O
Japan O
' O
s O
defeat O
in O
World O
War O
II O
. O

Kim O
Il O
- O
Sung O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
sole O
leader O
until O
he O
died O
in O
1994 B-T
, O
would O
have O
been O
85 O
on O
April B-T
15 I-T
. O

KCNA O
said O
Kim O
Il O
- O
Sung O
' O
s O
portrait O
, O
escorted O
by O
the O
colors O
of O
the O
three O
services O
, O
preceded O
the O
flag O
of O
the O
" O
Supreme O
Commander O
of O
the O
armed O
forces O
, O
" O
the O
only O
top O
official O
post O
held O
by O
his O
son O
. O

The O
country O
' O
s O
presidency O
, O
and O
the O
key O
post O
of O
Workers O
' O
( O
Communist O
) O
party O
general O
secretary O
, O
have O
remained O
vacant O
since O
the O
elder O
Kim O
' O
s O
death O
. O

KCNA O
said O
that O
the O
junior O
Kim O
went O
on O
one O
of O
his O
trademark O
field O
trips O
to O
a O
KPA O
unit O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
congratulate O
it O
on O
the B-T
anniversary I-T
. O

" O
He O
noted O
with O
great O
satisfaction O
that O
the O
soldiers O
( O
of O
Unit O
969 O
) O
have O
grown O
into O
invincible O
combatants O
able O
to O
smash O
any O
enemy O
in O
one O
stroke O
, O
as O
taught O
by O
the O
president O
during O
his O
personal O
visits O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

Other O
mass O
events O
marking O
the O
twin O
anniversaries O
were O
listed O
by O
KCNA O
as O
the O
laying O
of O
wreaths O
at O
the O
giant O
statue O
of O
Kim O
Il O
- O
Sung O
in O
Pyongyang O
and O
at O
the O
Mount O
Taesong O
martyrs O
cemetery O
and O
the O
unveiling O
of O
busts O
of O
Korean O
War O
heroes O
. O

No O
mention O
was O
made O
by O
the O
agency O
of O
the O
drastic O
food O
shortages O
facing O
North O
Korea O
which O
have O
forced O
it O
to O
call O
on O
the O
international O
community O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
straight I-T
year I-T
for O
massive O
food O
aid O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0139 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Four O
killed O
in O
armed O
clash O
in O
southeastern O
Turkey O

Two O
Turkish O
soldiers O
and O
a O
village O
guard O
were O
killed O
and O
four O
soldiers O
wounded O
in O
a O
clash O
between O
the O
Turkish O
security O
forces O
and O
the O
members O
of O
the O
outlawed O
Kurdish O
Workers O
' O
Party O
( O
PKK O
) O
in O
southeastern O
Turkey O
, O
an O
official O
statement O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

One O
PKK O
member O
was O
also O
killed O
in O
the O
shootout O
on O
Monday B-T
night I-T
as O
the O
security O
forces O
realized O
that O
the O
PKK O
members O
were O
trying O
to O
infiltrate O
in O
Uludere O
town O
in O
Sirnak O
province O
, O
Sirnak O
governor O
' O
s O
office O
said O
. O

The O
PKK O
has O
intensified O
landmine O
and O
remote O
- O
control O
bomb O
attacks O
in O
Turkey O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
months I-T
. O

At O
least O
200 O
Turkish O
soldiers O
have O
been O
reportedly O
killed O
in O
clashes O
with O
PKK O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

More O
than O
37 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
since O
the O
rebel O
group O
took O
up O
arms O
against O
the O
government O
forces O
for O
an O
independent O
Kurdish O
state O
in O
the O
mainly O
Kurdish O
southeastern O
area O
in O
1984 B-T
. O

Violence O
resurged O
after O
the O
group O
called O
off O
a O
unilateral O
five O
- O
year B-T
ceasefire O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061229 O
. O
0474 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Saddam O
hung O
despite O
global O
condemnation O
of O
capital O
punishment O

From O
Sao O
Paulo O
to O
London O
to O
New O
Delhi O
, O
governments O
worldwide O
have O
spoken O
out O
against O
the O
execution O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
, O
with O
the O
Vatican O
too O
lending O
a O
voice O
of O
moral O
authority O
to O
the O
anti O
- O
capital O
punishment O
camp O
. O

" O
We O
don O
' O
t O
think O
a O
crime O
should O
be O
avenged O
by O
another O
crime O
, O
" O
Cardinal O
Renato O
Raffaele O
Martino O
, O
who O
heads O
the O
Vatican O
' O
s O
Justice O
and O
Peace O
department O
, O
said O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

Even O
Britain O
, O
whose O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
has O
been O
a O
staunch O
US O
ally O
since O
the O
2003 O
invasion O
of O
Iraq O
, O
reiterated O
its O
opposition O
to O
capital O
punishment O
while O
saying O
the O
decision O
to O
execute O
Saddam O
rested O
with O
Baghdad O
. O

" O
We O
are O
opposed O
to O
the O
death O
penalty O
as O
a O
matter O
of O
principle O
but O
the O
decision O
is O
one O
for O
the O
Iraqi O
authorities O
" O
a O
foreign O
office O
spokesman O
told O
AFP O
. O

That O
position O
was O
much O
in O
line O
with O
Washington O
' O
s O
own O
, O
however O
. O

Asked O
whether O
the O
US O
government O
had O
a O
hand O
in O
deciding O
when O
Saddam O
was O
to O
be O
hanged O
, O
a O
White O
House O
spokesman O
said O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
that O
" O
was O
a O
matter O
for O
the O
Iraqi O
people O
, O
and O
we O
are O
observers O
to O
that O
process O
. O
They O
are O
a O
sovereign O
government O
. O
" O

Braving O
the O
US O
stand O
of O
non O
- O
interference O
, O
defence O
lawyers O
for O
the O
convicted O
former O
Iraqi O
chief O
made O
a O
last O
- O
ditch O
bid O
on O
Friday B-T
and O
asked O
a O
US O
judge O
to O
stop O
the O
US O
military O
from O
handing O
over O
Saddam O
to O
Iraqi O
authorities O
for O
execution O
. O

Hours O
before O
Saddam O
was O
taken O
to O
the O
gallows O
, O
the O
US O
Justice O
Department O
said O
the O
attorneys O
had O
filed O
a O
request O
for O
an O
immediate O
" O
temporary O
stay O
of O
execution O
" O
, O
arguing O
that O
as O
a O
prisoner O
of O
war O
, O
he O
deserved O
protection O
under O
the O
Geneva O
Conventions O
. O

A O
US O
federal O
judge O
rejected O
the O
request O
, O
CBS O
news O
reported O
. O

Italy O
meanwhile O
, O
echoing O
strong O
opposition O
to O
the O
execution O
in O
European O
Union O
countries O
, O
issued O
yet O
another O
plea O
for O
generosity O
. O

" O
No O
fault O
can O
determine O
one O
man O
to O
be O
the O
bearer O
of O
death O
to O
another O
, O
" O
said O
Prime O
Minister O
Romano O
Prodi O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
principle O
that O
unites O
all O
civilisations O
and O
all O
religions O
. O
And O
it O
is O
the O
only O
principle O
that O
can O
allow O
the O
building O
of O
solid O
and O
lasting O
peace O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
issue O
a O
final O
and O
sad O
plea O
for O
wisdom O
and O
magnanimity O
to O
prevail O
" O
, O
he O
said O
, O
according O
the O
ANSA O
news O
agency O
. O

Brazil O
and O
Chile O
, O
both O
opposed O
to O
the O
US O
- O
led O
war O
in O
Iraq O
, O
agreed O
. O

Santiago O
argued O
against O
carrying O
out O
the O
hanging O
after O
the O
sentence O
was O
confirmed O
. O
" O
The O
application O
of O
the O
death O
penalty O
in O
such O
a O
swift O
manner O
is O
contrary O
to O
our O
principles O
, O
" O
a O
junior O
minister O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Brazil O
added O
in O
an O
official O
statement O
that O
it O
" O
does O
not O
believe O
the O
execution O
of O
the O
sentence O
contributes O
to O
the O
pacification O
of O
Iraq O
. O
" O

In O
the O
United O
States O
, O
two O
major O
newspapers O
also O
wondered O
what O
impact O
the O
execution O
of O
Saddam O
would O
have O
on O
Iraq O
and O
the O
world O
. O

The O
New O
York O
Times O
took O
a O
critical O
tone O
, O
warning O
that O
hanging O
the O
deposed O
Iraqi O
leader O
would O
not O
solve O
Iraq O
' O
s O
ills O
. O
" O
Toppling O
Saddam O
Hussein O
did O
not O
automatically O
create O
a O
new O
and O
better O
Iraq O
. O
Executing O
him O
won O
' O
t O
either O
. O
" O

The O
Washington O
Post O
was O
more O
circumspect O
, O
saying O
that O
the O
execution O
came O
on O
the O
heels O
of O
an O
" O
imperfect O
" O
trial O
for O
Saddam O
. O

" O
For O
those O
who O
oppose O
the O
death O
penalty O
, O
as O
we O
do O
, O
any O
execution O
is O
regrettable O
- O
- O
and O
this O
one O
, O
should O
it O
come O
to O
pass O
, O
will O
follow O
highly O
imperfect O
judicial O
proceedings O
and O
may O
, O
in O
the B-T
short I-T
term I-T
, O
inflame O
sectarian O
divisions O
, O
" O
the O
daily O
said O
. O

Not O
unexpectedly O
, O
Libyan O
leader O
Moamer O
Kadhafi O
was O
far O
harsher O
, O
calling O
Saddam O
' O
s O
execution O
illegal O
and O
he O
was O
still O
a O
prisoner O
of O
war O
. O

" O
The O
court O
which O
tried O
him O
is O
illegal O
. O
Iraq O
is O
an O
occupied O
country O
. O
It O
is O
the O
American O
and O
British O
forces O
( O
in O
Iraq O
) O
that O
judged O
him O
and O
, O
in O
this O
case O
, O
decided O
to O
execute O
him O
, O
and O
they O
bear O
the O
responsibility O
, O
" O
Kadhafi O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

Although O
the O
condemned O
man O
himself O
has O
said O
he O
would O
go O
to O
the O
gallows O
as O
a O
potential O
" O
martyr O
" O
, O
India O
, O
which O
enjoyed O
close O
ties O
with O
Iraq O
, O
too O
appealed O
for O
leniency O
for O
Saddam O
this B-T
week I-T
. O

" O
India O
hopes O
the O
death O
sentence O
against O
. O
. O
. O
Saddam O
Hussein O
will O
not O
be O
carried O
out O
, O
" O
a O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

In O
a O
letter O
penned O
in O
his O
cell O
and O
released O
Wednesday B-T
, O
the O
69 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
former O
leader O
convicted O
for O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
wrote O
: O
" O
I O
sacrifice O
myself O
. O
If O
God O
wills O
it O
, O
he O
will O
place O
me O
among O
the O
true O
men O
and O
martyrs O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051114 O
. O
0329 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Rice O
visits O
Jordan O
to O
back O
anti O
- O
terror O
campaign O

US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
arrived O
here O
Monday B-T
evening I-T
to O
show O
support O
to O
Jordan O
' O
s O
anti O
- O
terror O
campaign O
following O
last B-T
Wednesday I-T
' O
s O
deadly O
suicide O
bombings O
in O
the O
Jordanian O
capital O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
justification O
for O
the O
wanton O
killing O
of O
innocents O
and O
we O
stand O
in O
solidarity O
with O
the O
people O
of O
Jordan O
, O
" O
Rice O
told O
reporters O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
Radisson O
SAS O
hotel O
, O
one O
of O
three O
attacked O
hotels O
, O
where O
at O
least O
20 O
people O
were O
killed O
. O

" O
We O
will O
all O
stand O
until O
terrorism O
is O
defeated O
and O
until O
those O
who O
simply O
want O
to O
live O
a O
normal O
life O
and O
to O
live O
in O
peace O
can O
return O
to O
the O
days O
when O
this O
sort O
of O
tragedy O
, O
this O
sort O
of O
outrage O
does O
not O
happen O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Jordan O
' O
s O
state O
- O
run O
Petra O
news O
agency O
reported O
that O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
reaffirmed O
in O
his O
meeting O
with O
Rice O
that O
the O
bombings O
will O
not O
" O
dissuade O
Jordan O
from O
its O
active O
role O
in O
supporting O
peace O
and O
security O
to O
prevail O
in O
the O
region O
. O
" O

" O
Terrorism O
does O
not O
only O
target O
Jordan O
, O
but O
the O
whole O
international O
community O
and O
this O
requires O
efforts O
of O
all O
to O
fight O
it O
, O
" O
Abdullah O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

Rice O
also O
discussed O
the O
Mideast O
peace O
process O
with O
the O
king O
and O
briefed O
him O
on O
talks O
she O
held O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
with O
Palestinian O
and O
Israeli O
leaders O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

Rice O
flew O
into O
Amman O
from O
Jerusalem O
. O

Al O
- O
Qaida O
branch O
in O
Iraq O
claimed O
responsibility O
for O
the O
suicide O
bombings O
on O
three O
Amman O
hotels O
, O
which O
killed O
57 O
people O
and O
wounded O
over O
100 O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970416 O
. O
0040 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Indian O
FM O
stunned O
by O
Mecca O
fire O
, O
sends O
sympathy O
to O
Pakistan O
, O
Bangladesh O

India O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Minister O
Inder O
Kumar O
Gujral O
expressed O
grief O
here O
Wednesday B-T
after O
an O
inferno O
near O
Mecca O
killed O
217 O
Moslem O
pilgrims O
, O
including O
an O
estimated O
100 O
Indians O
. O

Gujral O
told O
AFP O
: O
" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
tragedy O
, O
it O
' O
s O
very O
. O
very O
sad O
. O
So O
many O
lives O
have O
been O
lost O
. O

" O
These O
were O
humans O
. O
It O
' O
s O
not O
just O
Indians O
. O
There O
were O
people O
from O
Pakistan O
and O
Bangladesh O
. O
I O
share O
their O
grief O
. O
" O

A O
spokesman O
from O
the O
Indian O
foreign O
ministry O
here O
said O
earlier O
: O
" O
We O
have O
no O
means O
of O
knowing O
accurately O
how O
many O
Indians O
have O
died O
. O

" O
We O
fear O
the O
number O
will O
be O
slightly O
below O
100 O
. O
That O
is O
what O
we O
suspect O
. O
" O

The O
Saudi O
authorities O
Wednesday B-T
increased O
the O
overall O
toll O
from O
the O
blaze O
in O
Mina O
, O
near O
Mecca O
, O
to O
217 O
. O
Another O
1 O
, O
290 O
people O
were O
injured O
, O
many O
seriously O
. O

The O
inferno O
was O
sparked O
by O
a O
gas O
cooking O
bottle O
. O
Thousands O
of O
tents O
in O
camps O
housing O
pilgrims O
from O
Pakistan O
, O
India O
, O
Jordan O
and O
Palestine O
were O
burnt O
down O
. O

Gujral O
said O
around O
60 O
Indian O
doctors O
working O
in O
the O
region O
had O
been O
alerted O
while O
India O
' O
s O
junior O
home O
minister O
, O
Maqbool O
Dhar O
, O
was O
already O
on O
the O
spot O
to O
supervise O
assistance O
. O

" O
We O
have O
set O
up O
a O
control O
office O
here O
and O
in O
Jeddah O
to O
co O
- O
ordinate O
the O
operation O
- O
- O
I O
hope O
we O
can O
provide O
some O
help O
. O
" O

The O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
, O
however O
, O
added O
: O
" O
We O
will O
have O
to O
wait O
for O
the O
pilgrims O
to O
return O
to O
Mecca O
from O
Arafat O
to O
know O
exactly O
how O
many O
are O
missing O
. O
. O
. O
it O
is O
not O
an O
easy O
job O
. O
" O

Earlier O
, O
the O
Press O
Trust O
of O
India O
( O
PTI O
) O
, O
quoting O
India O
' O
s O
ambassador O
to O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
estimated O
the O
Indian O
dead O
at O
around O
100 O
. O
He O
said O
another O
37 O
Indians O
had O
been O
hospitalised O
. O

Ambassador O
M O
. O
H O
. O
Ansari O
said O
: O
" O
We O
are O
in O
a O
crisis O
situation O
. O
" O

Around O
4 O
, O
000 O
Indian O
pilgrims O
were O
housed O
in O
a O
camp O
near O
the O
site O
of O
the O
tragedy O
. O
The O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
said O
there O
had O
been O
80 O
, O
000 O
Indians O
among O
the O
two O
million O
pilgrims O
. O

A O
prominent O
Indian O
Moslem O
cleric O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
said O
it O
was O
" O
highly O
regrettable O
" O
that O
there O
had O
not O
been O
better O
safety O
measures O
and O
called O
for O
a O
ban O
of O
cooking O
inside O
Hajj O
pilgrim O
camps O
. O

" O
When O
a O
fire O
starts O
in O
the O
tents O
housing O
the O
pilgrims O
, O
it O
tends O
to O
spread O
very O
fast O
because O
of O
strong O
winds O
, O
" O
said O
Mohammed O
Mouzzam O
Ahmed O
of O
the O
Fatehpuri O
mosque O
, O
one O
of O
India O
' O
s O
biggest O
Islamic O
shrines O
. O

" O
While O
the O
Saudi O
authorities O
make O
excellent O
arrangements O
, O
their O
fire O
- O
fighting O
measures O
are O
somewhat O
lacking O
. O
This O
is O
highly O
regrettable O
. O

" O
There O
should O
be O
a O
centralised O
cooking O
system O
, O
and O
that O
place O
should O
be O
heavily O
protected O
against O
fires O
. O
" O

India O
' O
s O
population O
of O
950 O
million O
is O
made O
up O
of O
a O
majority O
of O
Hindus O
, O
but O
includes O
around O
120 O
million O
Moslems O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0297 O

HAVANA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Trinidad O
, O
Bahrain O
play O
World O
Cup O
play O
- O
off O
on O
Saturday O

Trinidad O
and O
Tobago O
will O
play O
the O
first O
leg O
of O
the O
two O
- O
match O
play O
- O
offs O
against O
Bahrain O
for O
a O
place O
in O
the O
2006 O
German O
World O
Cup O
, O
in O
Port O
of O
Spain O
, O
capital O
of O
the O
Caribbean O
island O
nation O
, O
local O
media O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Trinidad O
wants O
to O
achieve O
its O
first O
ever O
World O
Cup O
apperance O
, O
with O
the O
help O
of O
stars O
from O
the O
British O
football O
league O
Dwight O
Yorke O
, O
formerly O
of O
Manchester O
United O
, O
and O
Russell O
Latapy O
. O

The O
team O
has O
won O
three O
of O
the O
last B-T
four O
matches O
, O
boosted O
by O
new O
coach O
Leo O
Beenhakker O
of O
the O
Netherlands O
, O
who O
was O
hired O
after O
the O
Caribbeans O
suffered O
a O
painful O
5 O
- O
1 O
defeat O
at O
the O
hands O
of O
Guatemala O
. O

" O
This O
is O
our O
biggest O
ever O
effort O
to O
qualify O
for O
the O
World O
Cup O
yet O
and O
we O
are O
going O
to O
grab O
it O
with O
both O
hands O
, O
" O
said O
Trinidad O
' O
s O
sports O
minister O
. O

Bahrain O
, O
managed O
by O
Luka O
Peruzovic O
, O
was O
in O
the O
third O
place O
in O
the O
Asian O
region O
finals O
. O
Among O
its O
star O
players O
are O
Hussain O
Ali O
and O
Mohammed O
Hubail O
, O
from O
the O
Qatari O
league O
, O
rated O
the O
strongest O
in O
its O
region O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0192 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
to O
double O
land O
use O
fees O
on O
construction O
sites O

The O
Chinese O
government O
is O
to O
double O
the O
land O
use O
fees O
on O
new O
sites O
for O
construction O
from O
January B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2007 I-T
. O

The O
Finance O
Ministry O
, O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Land O
and O
Resources O
and O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Bank O
of O
China O
have O
issued O
a O
notice O
adjusting O
the O
land O
use O
fees O
. O

The O
notice O
requires O
30 O
percent O
of O
the O
collected O
land O
use O
fees O
to O
be O
handed O
over O
to O
the O
central O
revenue O
, O
while O
70 O
percent O
is O
to O
be O
retained O
by O
the O
provincial O
- O
level O
government O
. O

The O
notice O
said O
both O
are O
to O
be O
used O
specifically O
for O
the O
development O
of O
cultivated O
land O
. O

Pan O
Ming O
, O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Land O
and O
Resources O
, O
said O
the O
new O
standards O
would O
have O
a O
positive O
impact O
on O
the O
protection O
and O
development O
of O
cultivated O
land O
. O

The O
country O
had O
made O
great O
efforts O
to O
stop O
excessive O
use O
of O
land O
for O
construction O
and O
industrial O
projects O
, O
checking O
violations O
of O
laws O
and O
regulations O
in O
land O
requisitions O
, O
and O
banning O
the O
illegal O
requisition O
of O
farmland O
. O

The O
current O
land O
use O
fees O
were O
set O
in O
1999 B-T
and O
have O
15 O
classes O
with O
the O
highest O
class O
at O
70 O
yuan O
( O
8 O
. O
75 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
per O
square O
meter O
and O
the O
lowest O
at O
five O
yuan O
. O

Pan O
said O
the O
current O
standards O
failed O
to O
match O
actual O
earnings O
on O
the O
land O
use O
and O
had O
failed O
to O
discourage O
the O
blind O
expansion O
of O
land O
use O
for O
construction O
. O

Collected O
land O
use O
fees O
in O
2005 B-T
were O
only O
21 O
. O
45 O
billion O
yuan O
, O
compared O
with O
76 O
. O
3 O
billion O
yuan O
of O
net O
earnings O
on O
newly O
added O
land O
for O
construction O
. O

The O
notice O
said O
the O
supervision O
of O
the O
collection O
of O
land O
use O
fees O
would O
be O
strengthened O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0183 O

ANKARA O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

minister O

Turkey O
' O
s O
4 O
. O
0 O
- O
percent O
inflation O
target O
for O
2007 O
remains O
within O
reach O
despite O
the O
government O
' O
s O
failure O
to O
rein O
in O
price O
increases O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
Economy O
Minister O
Ali O
Babacan O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
We O
believe O
the O
4 O
. O
0 O
percent O
target O
for O
2007 O
is O
achievable O
, O
" O
Babacan O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
, O
pledging O
that O
Ankara O
would O
stick O
to O
tight O
fiscal O
policies O
under O
an O
IMF O
- O
sponsored O
economic O
program O
. O

Annual O
inflation O
in O
consumer O
prices O
stood O
at O
9 O
. O
86 O
percent O
in O
November B-T
, O
almost O
double O
the O
official O
target O
of O
5 O
. O
0 O
percent O
for O
the O
year O
- O
end O
. O

Inflation O
in O
Turkey O
has O
been O
rising O
since O
the O
beginning O
of O
the B-T
year I-T
, O
pushed O
up O
by O
higher O
oil O
prices O
and O
a O
depreciation O
of O
the O
Turkish O
lira O
triggered O
by O
domestic O
political O
tensions O
and O
global O
capital O
flight O
from O
emerging O
markets O
. O

Far O
- O
reaching O
IMF O
- O
backed O
reforms O
aiming O
to O
heal O
the O
scars O
of O
a O
severe O
economic O
crisis O
in O
2001 B-T
have O
helped O
Ankara O
beat O
its O
inflation O
targets O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
years I-T
, O
bringing O
the O
rate O
from O
29 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
2002 B-T
to O
7 O
. O
7 O
percent O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

Babacan O
dismissed O
concerns O
that O
the O
government O
would O
sacrifice O
fiscal O
discipline O
for O
populist O
policies O
ahead O
of O
presidential O
and O
parliamentary O
elections O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
Fiscal O
discipline O
will O
be O
maintained O
in O
2007 B-T
with O
determination O
and O
with O
no O
concessions O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
government O
, O
he O
said O
, O
will O
maintain O
its O
6 O
. O
5 O
percent O
target O
for O
the O
primary O
budget O
surplus O
, O
or O
surplus O
excluding O
debt O
repayments O
- O
- O
a O
key O
IMF O
condition O
. O

Fighting O
inflation O
is O
a O
key O
element O
in O
a O
three O
- O
year O
economic O
stability O
program O
Turkey O
is O
implementing O
with O
the O
support O
of O
a O
10 O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
IMF O
loan O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0460 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

prisoners O

Media O
watchdog O
Reporters O
Without O
Borders O
on O
Thursday B-T
called O
on O
Turkmenistan O
to O
free O
journalists O
and O
political O
prisoners O
from O
the O
country O
' O
s O
jails O
after O
the O
death O
of O
president O
Saparmurat O
Niyazov O
. O

The O
authoritarian O
Turkmen O
president O
' O
s O
death O
" O
revives O
the O
hope O
of O
a O
liberalization O
of O
the O
country O
" O
, O
Paris O
- O
based O
Reporters O
Without O
Borders O
( O
RSF O
) O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
RSF O
calls O
on O
Turkmen O
transitional O
authorities O
to O
free O
journalists O
and O
political O
prisoners O
without O
delay O
. O
" O

In O
its O
2006 O
world O
press O
freedom O
rankings O
, O
RSF O
placed O
Turkmenistan O
in O
167th O
place O
out O
of O
168 O
, O
just O
behind O
North O
Korea O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051207 O
. O
0096 O

CANNES O
, O
France O
, O
Dec B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Chinese O
Prime O
Minister O
Wen O
Jiabao O
was O
due O
to O
tour O
a O
hi O
- O
tech O
satellite O
facility O
Wednesday B-T
as O
he O
wraps O
up O
a O
four O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
France O
, O
during O
which O
he O
has O
secured O
a O
huge O
Airbus O
plane O
deal O
and O
stressed O
his O
country O
' O
s O
nuclear O
energy O
ambitions O
. O

The O
focus O
of O
his O
trip O
has O
been O
clearly O
strategic O
business O
- O
making O
, O
shown O
by O
his O
involvement O
in O
a O
contract O
Monday B-T
to O
purchase O
150 O
mid O
- O
range O
Airbus O
planes O
worth O
nearly O
an O
estimated O
10 O
billion O
dollars O
( O
8 O
. O
3 O
billion O
euros O
) O
. O

On O
Tuesday B-T
, O
he O
inspected O
a O
site O
in O
southern O
France O
that O
is O
to O
host O
a O
future O
experimental O
nuclear O
reactor O
which O
China O
is O
participating O
in O
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
he O
was O
to O
tour O
a O
satellite O
facility O
in O
Cannes O
, O
on O
the O
French O
Riviera O
, O
belonging O
to O
Alcatel O
. O
One O
of O
several O
deals O
he O
signed O
Monday B-T
in O
Paris O
was O
for O
the O
French O
firm O
to O
make O
a O
Chinasat O
6B O
telecommunications O
satellite O
. O

Wen O
was O
to O
continue O
his O
European O
tour O
by O
flying O
to O
Slovakia O
later O
Wednesday B-T
before O
he O
heads O
to O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
and O
Portugal O
. O

The O
biggest O
announcement O
by O
far O
during O
his O
stay O
in O
France O
was O
the O
Airbus O
order O
for O
jets O
from O
its O
single O
- O
aisle O
A320 O
family O
- O
- O
the O
largest O
contract O
ever O
received O
by O
the O
European O
plane O
- O
maker O
, O
which O
is O
fighting O
US O
rival O
Boeing O
for O
Chinese O
market O
share O
. O

In O
an O
indication O
of O
the O
deal O
' O
s O
importance O
, O
Wen O
began O
his O
trip O
by O
visiting O
the O
headquarters O
of O
the O
European O
plane O
- O
maker O
in O
France O
' O
s O
southwestern O
city O
of O
Toulouse O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

There O
, O
he O
highlighted O
China O
' O
s O
goal O
to O
master O
its O
own O
economic O
development O
by O
having O
a O
memorandum O
signed O
that O
commits O
Airbus O
to O
exploring O
the O
feasibility O
of O
building O
an O
aircraft O
assembly O
plant O
in O
China O
. O

With O
Western O
companies O
seriously O
courting O
China O
- O
- O
which O
boasts O
a O
burgeoning O
economy O
and O
a O
population O
of O
1 O
. O
3 O
billion O
people O
- O
- O
Wen O
and O
his O
government O
are O
ensuring O
that O
any O
big O
deals O
come O
with O
strings O
attached O
, O
namely O
the O
transfer O
of O
knowhow O
and O
technology O
so O
China O
can O
be O
a O
heavy O
manufacturing O
powerhouse O
of O
the O
future O
. O

Experts O
say O
the O
transfer O
of O
technology O
is O
often O
a O
clincher O
in O
negotiations O
. O

That O
interest O
in O
technology O
was O
also O
at O
the O
forefront O
of O
Wen O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
the O
site O
of O
the O
planned O
International O
Thermonuclear O
Experimental O
Reactor O
( O
ITER O
) O
in O
southern O
France O
. O

" O
The O
energy O
issue O
elicits O
great O
attention O
in O
the O
whole O
world O
, O
and O
the O
ITER O
site O
also O
attracts O
great O
attention O
in O
the O
world O
, O
" O
Wen O
said O
at O
Cadarache O
, O
north O
of O
Marseille O
. O

Nuclear O
energy O
is O
seen O
as O
a O
key O
component O
behind O
China O
' O
s O
economic O
expansion O
, O
filling O
a O
demand O
created O
by O
the O
multiplication O
of O
Chinese O
industries O
. O

Although O
ITER O
is O
a O
joint O
research O
project O
by O
the O
European O
Union O
, O
Japan O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
China O
, O
Russia O
, O
South O
Korea O
and O
India O
and O
will O
not O
be O
operational O
for O
another B-T
decade I-T
, O
Beijing O
is O
seeking O
to O
extend O
its O
current O
nuclear O
energy O
programme O
. O

To O
that O
end O
, O
Wen O
told O
his O
French O
hosts O
Tuesday B-T
that O
more O
effort O
was O
needed O
if O
they O
wanted O
to O
win O
an O
eight O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
( O
6 O
. O
8 O
- O
billion O
- O
euro O
) O
tender O
to O
construct O
four O
third O
- O
generation O
nuclear O
energy O
reactors O
in O
China O
. O

" O
China O
hopes O
that O
France O
will O
offer O
more O
attractive O
conditions O
on O
technology O
transfer O
as O
well O
as O
price O
so O
that O
Franco O
- O
Chinese O
cooperation O
in O
this O
field O
can O
develop O
, O
" O
he O
said O
just O
before O
visiting O
the O
ITER O
site O
. O

French O
company O
Areva O
is O
vying O
for O
that O
contract O
but O
faces O
stiff O
competition O
from O
Westinghouse O
of O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Russia O
' O
s O
AtomStroyExport O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0244 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russian O
communists O
commemorate O
anniversary O
of O
1917 O
Revolution O

Over O
10 O
, O
000 O
members O
and O
supporters O
of O
the O
Russian O
Communist O
Party O
Monday B-T
held O
rally O
in O
downtown O
Moscow O
to O
commemorate O
the O
88th O
anniversary O
of O
the O
1917 O
Revolution O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
the O
Communists O
brandishing O
red O
flags O
of O
the O
party O
and O
slogans O
scroll O
marched O
across O
the O
central O
streets O
in O
the O
capital O
of O
Russia O
. O

The O
slogans O
that O
were O
carried O
by O
the O
communist O
- O
demonstrators O
read O
" O
A O
National O
Status O
to O
the O
Great O
October B-T
Holiday I-T
! O
" O
, O
" O
Lenin O
! O
October B-T
! O
Socialism O
! O
" O
" O
November B-T
7 I-T
was O
, O
is O
and O
will O
be O
the O
Holiday O
of O
People O
! O
" O
, O
" O
State O
Television O
for O
the O
People O
and O
not O
for O
Bureaucracy O
! O
" O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Russian O
media O
, O
the O
rallies O
and O
demonstrations O
organized O
by O
the O
Russian O
communists O
and O
the O
left O
parties O
were O
also O
held O
on O
Monday B-T
in O
other O
regions O
and O
cities O
, O
such O
as O
St O
. O
Petersburg O
, O
Krasnojarsk O
, O
Ulyanovsk O
, O
Kurgan O
, O
Kirov O
and O
Tula O
. O

Today O
- O
- O
a O
former O
holiday O
marking O
" O
the O
October O
Revolution O
" O
- O
- O
has O
become O
an O
official O
working O
day O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
decades B-T
, O
according O
to O
a O
presidential O
decree O
. O

Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
signed O
a O
law O
on O
July B-T
21 I-T
canceling O
the O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
holiday I-T
and O
replacing O
it O
with O
the O
Day O
of O
People O
' O
s O
Unity O
, O
a O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
celebration O
of O
the O
end O
of O
Polish O
intervention O
in O
1612 B-T
. O

Before O
1991 B-T
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
was O
a O
major O
holiday O
in O
Soviet O
Union O
. O
From O
1991 B-T
to O
1996 O
the O
Russian O
authorities O
no O
longer O
celebrated O
the O
day O
, O
but O
which O
still O
remain O
a O
holiday O
. O
In O
1996 B-T
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
was O
renamed O
the O
Day O
of O
Reconciliation O
and O
Accord O
in O
accordance O
with O
a O
presidential O
decree O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
morning I-T
, O
over O
3 O
, O
000 O
people O
, O
including O
500 O
veterans O
, O
500 O
soldiers O
and O
cadets O
, O
also O
marched O
on O
Red O
Square O
to O
mark O
the O
anniversary O
of O
a O
parade O
of O
thousands O
of O
8 O
, O
000 O
Soviet O
troops O
heading O
off O
to O
the O
front O
in O
1941 B-T
, O
when O
the O
German O
invaders O
were O
just O
a O
few O
dozen O
kilometers O
from O
Moscow O
. O

About O
3 O
, O
400 O
local O
policemen O
were O
engaged O
in O
safeguarding O
security O
and O
social O
order O
. O
No O
riot O
or O
unrest O
have O
been O
reported O
on O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0011 O

DHAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bangladesh O
to O
cut O
double O
taxation O
with O
14 O
more O
countries O

Bangladesh O
is O
going O
to O
sign O
agreements O
with O
14 O
more O
countries O
in O
a O
row O
for O
withdrawal O
of O
double O
taxation O
to O
boost O
trade O
and O
investment O
in O
the O
country O
and O
abroad O
. O

As O
part O
of O
a O
move O
towards O
clearing O
the O
way O
for O
enhanced O
business O
, O
Bangladesh O
already O
has O
struck O
agreements O
with O
23 O
countries O
, O
local O
daily O
The O
Bangladesh O
Observer O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
daily O
, O
the O
countries O
now B-T
under O
process O
of O
signing O
the O
deal O
are O
Norway O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Mauritius O
, O
Qatar O
, O
Myanmar O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
Switzerland O
, O
Russia O
, O
Nepal O
, O
Iran O
, O
Uzbekistan O
, O
South O
Africa O
and O
Morocco O
. O

Formalities O
for O
the O
accord O
with O
Norway O
, O
the O
United O
States O
and O
Indonesia O
have O
completed O
on O
Bangladesh O
' O
s O
part O
. O
As O
soon O
as O
the O
governments O
of O
these O
countries O
endorse O
the O
agreement O
in O
their O
parliament O
, O
Bangladesh O
will O
be O
able O
to O
avoid O
double O
taxation O
with O
these O
countries O
in O
doing O
business O
at O
lesser O
costs O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
officials O
said O
, O
the O
agreements O
that O
were O
signed O
with O
Mauritius O
and O
Qatar O
are O
awaiting O
approval O
from O
the O
cabinet O
body O
of O
Bangladesh O
. O
The O
deals O
with O
Myanmar O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
and O
Switzerland O
are O
under O
vetting O
for O
further O
checkup O
from O
the O
law O
ministry O
. O

The O
second O
- O
round O
talks O
with O
Russia O
and O
Nepal O
completed O
and O
were O
being O
sent O
to O
the O
cabinet O
while O
the O
second O
round O
of O
talks O
with O
Iran O
is O
underway O
. O

Besides O
, O
preliminary O
talks O
with O
Uzbekistan O
, O
South O
Africa O
and O
Morocco O
have O
already O
finished O
and O
further O
negotiations O
are O
ahead O
. O

The O
daily O
quoted O
Jahir O
Muhammad O
, O
member O
of O
the O
National O
Board O
of O
Revenue O
, O
as O
saying O
that O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
the I-T
next I-T
year I-T
they O
are O
expecting O
to O
start O
the O
process O
of O
signing O
agreement O
with O
one O
or O
two O
countries O
. O
Spain O
may O
be O
one O
of O
them O
as O
they O
already O
showed O
their O
interest O
in O
signing O
a O
deal O
with O
Bangladesh O
to O
withdraw O
double O
taxation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0274 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

parliamentary O
polls O

Egypt O
' O
s O
ruling O
National O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
NDP O
) O
and O
the O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
, O
a O
powerful O
opposition O
group O
, O
have O
showed O
their O
political O
strength O
as O
the O
first O
phase O
of O
Egypt O
' O
s O
parliamentary O
elections O
ended O
. O

After O
the O
first O
round O
of O
voting O
held O
last B-T
Wednesday I-T
and O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
run O
- O
offs O
, O
the O
NDP O
won O
a O
total O
of O
112 O
seats O
out O
of O
164 O
, O
up O
for O
grab O
in O
the O
first O
phase O
of O
the O
three O
- O
stage O
legislative O
polls O
, O
according O
to O
the O
latest O
results O
announced O
by O
elections O
officials O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
number O
included O
some O
30 O
NDP O
renegades O
, O
who O
failed O
to O
appear O
on O
the O
party O
- O
sanctioned O
candidates O
list O
and O
ran O
as O
independents O
, O
but O
rejoined O
the O
party O
before O
the O
final O
results O
came O
out O
. O

The O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
took O
34 O
seats O
, O
while O
other O
opposition O
parties O
and O
groups O
won O
just O
five O
seats O
. O
The O
remaining O
13 O
seats O
went O
to O
independents O
. O

" O
Results O
of O
the O
first O
phase O
of O
the O
parliamentary O
elections O
are O
quite O
interesting O
, O
" O
Hassan O
Nafi O
' O
a O
, O
an O
Egyptian O
political O
analyst O
, O
said O
, O
adding O
" O
there O
are O
some O
surprising O
things O
but O
they O
are O
not O
too O
far O
beyond O
expectation O
. O
" O

" O
The O
NDP O
confirmed O
its O
grip O
to O
power O
and O
the O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
showed O
its O
strength O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
" O
meanwhile O
, O
the O
so O
- O
called O
secular O
opposition O
groups O
fared O
rather O
poorly O
. O
" O

Egypt O
' O
s O
traditional O
opposition O
parties O
, O
including O
the O
newly O
- O
formed O
National O
United O
Front O
for O
Change O
and O
the O
Al O
Ghad O
party O
, O
are O
both O
losing O
their O
ground O
after O
failing O
to O
score O
major O
wins O
. O

The O
NDP O
, O
the O
largest O
political O
party O
in O
Egypt O
, O
holds O
404 O
seats O
in O
the O
outgoing O
454 O
- O
member O
People O
' O
s O
Assembly O
. O
Its O
dominance O
in O
the O
legislative O
polls O
is O
widely O
expected O
given O
to O
its O
highly O
organized O
party O
machine O
and O
vast O
resources O
at O
its O
disposal O
. O

The O
party O
has O
been O
implementing O
an O
internal O
restructuring O
plan O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
years I-T
, O
making O
itself O
appear O
to O
be O
more O
like O
a O
modern O
ruling O
political O
party O
. O

Campaigning O
under O
the O
slogan O
" O
new O
thinking O
, O
across O
into O
the B-T
future I-T
, O
" O
the O
NDP O
promises O
comprehensive O
political O
and O
economic O
reforms O
in O
the B-T
coming I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
, O
Egypt O
' O
s O
de O
facto O
largest O
opposition O
group O
, O
has O
also O
achieved O
some O
major O
gains O
in O
the O
first O
phase O
of O
the O
parliamentary O
elections O
. O

With O
two O
other O
phases O
of O
elections O
yet O
to O
open O
, O
the O
group O
has O
already O
doubled O
its O
representation O
of O
17 O
seats O
in O
the B-T
outgoing I-T
454 O
- O
member O
People O
' O
s O
Assembly O
. O

The O
Muslim O
Brotherhood O
, O
founded O
in O
1928 B-T
, O
was O
outlawed O
as O
Egypt O
' O
s O
constitution O
banned O
political O
parties O
based O
on O
religion O
, O
but O
the O
group O
renounced O
violence O
decades B-T
ago I-T
and O
has O
been O
largely O
tolerated O
by O
the O
government O
. O

The O
first O
phase O
of O
Egypt O
' O
s O
three O
- O
stage O
parliamentary O
election O
kicked O
off O
last B-T
Wednesday I-T
in O
82 B-T
constituencies O
across O
eight O
governorates O
, O
including O
Cairo O
. O

The O
second O
and O
third O
stages O
will O
be O
held O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
and O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
respectively I-T
. O
Any O
run O
- O
offs O
, O
if O
necessary O
, O
will O
be O
held O
six B-T
days I-T
after O
each O
round O
of O
voting O
. O

" O
The O
first O
phase O
of O
the O
parliamentary O
elections O
only O
confirms O
perceptions O
of O
many O
Egypt O
' O
s O
politics O
will O
be O
increasingly O
polarized O
by O
the O
competition O
between O
the O
ruling O
party O
and O
its O
strong O
Islamist O
challenger O
, O
" O
Nafi O
' O
a O
analyzed O
. O

" O
Small O
fish O
have O
to O
fight O
hard O
for O
survival O
, O
" O
he O
added O
, O
referring O
to O
traditional O
and O
small O
opposition O
parties O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0311 O

BERLIN O
, O
April B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

German O
writer O
Stephan O
Hermlin O
dies O
aged O
81 O

The O
controversial O
German O
writer O
Stefan O
Hermlin O
died O
overnight O
in O
Berlin O
at O
the O
age O
of O
81 B-T
, O
his O
publisher O
announced O
Monday B-T
. O

Hermlin O
was O
one O
of O
the O
leading O
figures O
of O
official O
Communist O
literature O
in O
the O
former O
East O
Germany O
, O
and O
was O
awarded O
the O
National O
Prize O
several O
times O
by O
the O
state O
. O

He O
was O
a O
Communist O
militant O
from O
his O
youth O
, O
and O
was O
active O
in O
the O
struggle O
against O
fascism O
. O
He O
also O
spoke O
out O
for O
East O
German O
dissidents O
like O
singer O
and O
writer O
Wolf O
Biermann O
. O

In O
1937 B-T
, O
Hermlin O
emigrated O
to O
Palestine O
, O
then O
moved O
to O
France O
in O
1940 B-T
before O
moving O
to O
Switzerland O
in O
1943 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0505 O

BONN O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Germany O
: O
109 O
fires O
in O
asylum O
- O
seekers O
' O
homes O
in O
1996 O

A O
total O
of O
109 O
fires O
broke O
out O
in O
asylum O
- O
seekers O
' O
homes O
in O
Germany O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
killing O
12 O
people O
and O
injuring O
107 O
, O
the O
German O
government O
announced O
Monday B-T
. O

Some O
fires O
were O
deliberately O
set O
while O
others O
were O
started O
accidentally O
, O
caused O
by O
dropped O
cigarettes O
or O
faulty O
wiring O
, O
the O
government O
told O
the O
lower O
house O
of O
parliament O
. O
The O
interior O
ministry O
did O
not O
detail O
how O
many O
were O
of O
criminal O
origin O
. O

The O
issue O
of O
fires O
that O
target O
asylum O
seekers O
or O
other O
foreigners O
is O
emotive O
in O
Germany O
where O
in O
1992 B-T
and O
1993 O
fires O
killed O
eight O
women O
and O
young O
girls O
. O
The O
fires O
were O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
started O
by O
xenophobes O
. O

In O
March B-T
, O
a O
deliberately O
set O
fire O
killed O
three O
people O
of O
Turkish O
origin O
at O
Krefeld O
in O
eastern O
Germany O
. O
The O
father O
of O
the O
family O
was O
charged O
with O
starting O
the O
fire O
after O
his O
wife O
said O
she O
wanted O
a O
divorce O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0477 O

NAIROBI O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

repetition O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Kenyan O
athletics O
officials O
Tuesday O
allayed O
fears O
by O
foreign O
athletes O
over O
the O
risk O
of O
contracting O
malaria O
during O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
World O
cross O
country O
championships O
in O
Mombasa O
. O

Britian O
' O
s O
former O
European O
title O
holder O
Jon O
Brown O
said O
he O
had O
cancelled O
plans O
to O
run O
in O
the O
March B-T
24 I-T
championships O
because O
the O
Kenyan O
venue O
is O
located O
in O
a O
region O
prone O
to O
malaria O
outbreaks O
. O

But O
Athletics O
Kenya O
( O
AK O
) O
spokesman O
Peter O
Angwenyi O
said O
precautions O
had O
been O
taken O
to O
ensure O
the O
hotels O
where O
the O
athletes O
will O
be O
sleeping O
were O
free O
from O
malaria O
- O
carrying O
parasites O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
cause O
of O
alarm O
, O
" O
said O
Angwenyi O
told O
AFP O
. O
" O
Our O
medical O
authorities O
are O
working O
in O
conjunction O
with O
the O
IAAF O
medical O
commission O
to O
ensure O
the O
health O
of O
all O
the O
competitors O
will O
be O
safeguarded O
. O
This O
includes O
making O
sure O
that O
Mombasa O
is O
a O
complete O
malaria O
- O
free O
zone O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

" O
Mombasa O
is O
a O
top O
tourist O
destination O
. O
We O
cannot O
accept O
to O
take O
the O
athletes O
to O
a O
place O
where O
their O
health O
will O
be O
at O
a O
risk O
. O
In O
fact O
the B-T
month I-T
of O
March B-T
is O
a O
very O
hot O
season O
when O
there O
are O
no O
mosquitoes O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Malaria O
is O
one O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
top O
killer O
diseases O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0137 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Home O
- O
based O
care O
reduces O
HIV O
prevalence O
rate O
in O
Zimbabwe O

Zimbabwe O
' O
s O
National O
AIDS O
Council O
( O
NAC O
) O
has O
attributed O
the O
decline O
in O
the O
AIDS O
prevalence O
rate O
to O
various O
projects O
such O
as O
the O
home O
- O
based O
care O
system O
which O
deals O
with O
people O
living O
with O
the O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
virus O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
Zimbabwe O
Independent O
quoted O
NAC O
board O
chairman O
Murombedzi O
Kuchera O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
awareness O
campaigns O
being O
carried O
out O
by O
various O
stakeholders O
nationwide O
were O
helping O
reduce O
the O
prevalence O
rate O
. O

The O
prevalence O
rate O
for O
the O
HIV O
virus O
is O
now B-T
down O
at O
18 O
. O
1 O
percent O
from O
the O
previous O
20 O
. O
1 O
percent O
, O
while O
projections O
point O
to O
a O
reduction O
to O
a O
single O
digit O
rate O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Home O
- O
based O
care O
is O
one O
of O
the O
very O
important O
strategies O
in O
national O
efforts O
to O
address O
challenges O
faced O
by O
AIDS O
victims O
at O
home O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Zimbabwe O
has O
over O
300 O
, O
000 O
people O
who O
require O
anti O
- O
retroviral O
drugs O
, O
but O
only O
42 O
, O
000 O
of O
them O
are O
receiving O
treatment O
. O
The O
remainder O
have O
to O
be O
catered O
for O
through O
home O
- O
based O
care O
initiatives O
. O

The O
NAC O
said O
it O
was O
receiving O
250 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
for O
anti O
- O
retroviral O
drugs O
every B-T
month I-T
from O
the O
central O
bank O
to O
cater O
for O
those O
who O
cannot O
survive O
without O
the O
drugs O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0678 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Xinhua O
denies O
dead O
journmalist O
wanted O
to O
defect O

China O
' O
s O
official O
Xinhua O
news O
agency O
on O
Thursday B-T
denied O
that O
its O
former O
Washington O
bureau O
chief O
had O
killed O
himself O
after O
plans O
to O
defect O
were O
found O
out O
. O

" O
I O
read O
the O
New O
York O
Times O
article O
about O
the O
death O
of O
Wei O
Guoqiang O
. O
Their O
story O
is O
ridiculous O
and O
baseless O
, O
" O
Chen O
Boliang O
the O
head O
of O
the O
agency O
' O
s O
foreign O
affairs O
department O
said O
. O

" O
It O
could O
even O
be O
said O
that O
it O
is O
totally O
made O
up O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

The O
US O
newspaper O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
Wei O
, O
47 O
, O
had O
been O
recalled O
to O
Beijing O
in O
late B-T
March I-T
after O
a O
colleagues O
in O
Washington O
discovered O
that O
he O
was O
preparing O
to O
ask O
for O
political O
asylum O
for O
himself O
, O
his O
wife O
and O
his O
17 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
daughter O
. O

Chinese O
journalists O
and O
diplomats O
are O
not O
allowed O
to O
leave O
the O
country O
with O
their O
children O
, O
although O
sources O
here O
say O
that O
rule O
may O
soon O
be O
changed O
. O

Chen O
conceded O
that O
Wei O
had O
commited O
suicide O
but O
insisted O
the O
death O
had O
" O
nothing O
to O
do O
with O
poltics O
. O
" O

" O
He O
had O
come O
back O
to O
Beijing O
before O
going O
on O
to O
a O
new O
post O
in O
Singapore O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
He O
was O
preparing O
the O
paperwork O
for O
the O
move O
, O
following O
the O
course O
of O
an O
absolutely O
standard O
transfer O
. O

" O
Sadly O
he O
killed O
himself O
at O
home O
in O
the O
meantime O
. O
" O

The O
New O
York O
Times O
said O
Wei O
had O
been O
under O
close O
watch O
at O
home O
, O
but O
was O
left O
briefly O
alone O
over O
the B-T
weekend I-T
. O
He O
then O
chose O
that O
moment O
to O
hang O
himself O
in O
the O
bathroom O
of O
his O
apartment O
, O
a O
colleague O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

Wei O
held O
degrees O
from O
Beijing O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Languages O
University O
and O
the O
Chinese O
Academy O
of O
Social O
Sciences O
. O

A O
specialist O
in O
US O
affairs O
, O
he O
was O
appointed O
Washington O
bureau O
chief O
in O
early B-T
1996 I-T
, O
during O
an O
especially O
stormy O
period O
in O
Sino O
- O
American O
relations O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0033 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

copying O

Unauthorized O
copies O
of O
foreign O
textbooks O
have O
been O
banned O
from O
Chinese O
universities O
in O
a O
move O
to O
protect O
intellectual O
property O
rights O
( O
IPR O
) O
. O

A O
Ministry O
of O
Education O
circular O
has O
instructed O
universities O
to O
conduct O
thorough O
checks O
for O
unauthorized O
foreign O
textbook O
copies O
and O
to O
stop O
IPR O
violations O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
circular O
came O
amid O
one O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
moves O
to O
wipe O
out O
the O
country O
' O
s O
rampant O
illegal O
copying O
of O
music O
, O
films O
and O
publications O
. O

Chinese O
universities O
have O
witnessed O
a O
growing O
demand O
for O
quality O
foreign O
textbooks O
as O
the O
country O
' O
s O
education O
undergoes O
reforms O
to O
embrace O
globalization O
and O
face O
competition O
from O
overseas O
. O

Original O
copies O
and O
authorized O
editions O
are O
too O
expensive O
for O
many O
college O
students O
and O
photocopying O
is O
the O
only O
way O
acquire O
foreign O
textbooks O
recommended O
by O
teachers O
. O

The O
circular O
bans O
publishing O
houses O
affiliated O
to O
Chinese O
schools O
from O
publishing O
domestic O
editions O
of O
foreign O
textbooks O
without O
the O
permission O
of O
the O
foreign O
publisher O
. O

" O
School O
leaders O
will O
be O
penalized O
if O
illegal O
copies O
of O
foreign O
books O
are O
found O
in O
Chinese O
schools O
, O
" O
the O
circular O
warns O
. O

It O
also O
stipulates O
that O
the O
selection O
of O
foreign O
textbooks O
should O
be O
recommended O
by O
teaching O
faculties O
and O
subject O
to O
the O
examination O
of O
school O
administrations O
. O

The O
New O
Oriental O
School O
( O
NOS O
) O
, O
the O
biggest O
private O
English O
teaching O
network O
in O
China O
, O
was O
sued O
by O
U O
. O
S O
. O
- O
based O
Educational O
Testing O
Service O
( O
ETS O
) O
for O
publishing O
and O
selling O
ETS O
' O
s O
test O
materials O
in O
2001 B-T
. O

The O
Higher O
People O
' O
s O
Court O
of O
Beijing O
ordered O
the O
NOS O
pay O
450 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
to O
ETS O
in O
compensation O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0084 O

GAZA O
/ O
RAMALLAH O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

decease O

The O
Palestinians O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
and O
Gaza O
Strip O
marked O
on O
Saturday B-T
two O
- O
year O
anniversary O
of O
Palestinian O
leader O
Yasser O
Arafat O
' O
s O
decease O
. O

A O
ceremony O
attended O
by O
President O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
, O
ministers O
of O
the O
Hamas O
- O
led O
government O
and O
faction O
leaders O
was O
held O
on O
Saturday B-T
morning I-T
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
city O
of O
Ramallah O
. O

Palestinian O
official O
television O
and O
radio O
broadcasted O
the O
mourning O
ceremony O
lively O
. O

" O
If O
Yasser O
Arafat O
was O
present O
, O
the O
Palestinian O
scene O
would O
never O
have O
witnessed O
feuds O
and O
disagreements O
, O
" O
said O
Ahmed O
Abdel O
Rahman O
, O
former O
advisor O
of O
Arafat O
and O
the O
spokesman O
of O
Fatah O
movement O
which O
is O
now B-T
led O
by O
Arafat O
' O
s O
successor O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
. O

Saeb O
Erekat O
, O
the O
chief O
Palestinian O
negotiator O
who O
accompanied O
Arafat O
after O
the O
latter O
signed O
Oslo O
peace O
accords O
in O
1993 B-T
, O
also O
delivered O
speech O
at O
the O
ceremony O
, O
saying O
that O
" O
the O
deteriorating O
condition O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
cause O
on O
Arab O
and O
international O
levels O
along O
with O
Israeli O
daily O
offensives O
are O
killing O
Arafat O
in O
his O
grave O
. O
" O

Apart O
from O
the O
West O
Bank O
, O
the O
poor O
enclave O
Gaza O
Strip O
which O
is O
under O
Israeli O
siege O
also O
witnessed O
the O
commemorating O
activities O
for O
their O
historic O
leader O
. O

The O
posters O
with O
Arafat O
' O
s O
pictures O
on O
it O
were O
posted O
all O
over O
the O
Gaza O
streets O
, O
including O
the O
street O
where O
the O
Palestinian O
Legislative O
Council O
( O
PLC O
) O
locates O
. O

A O
huge O
Arafat O
picture O
with O
a O
word O
" O
My O
dreams O
won O
' O
t O
be O
achieved O
without O
Jerusalem O
" O
was O
hung O
in O
front O
of O
the O
PLC O
building O
. O

The O
Palestinians O
yearn O
for O
their O
late O
historic O
and O
symbolic O
leader O
today B-T
much O
more O
than O
ever O
before O
, O
especially O
after O
they O
experienced O
a O
cluster O
of O
changes O
and O
blows O
. O

Palestinians O
faced O
formidable O
difficulties O
after O
the O
decease O
of O
Arafat O
, O
who O
used O
to O
lead O
the O
Palestinians O
out O
of O
crisis O
. O

Two B-T
months I-T
after O
Arafat O
' O
s O
death O
, O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
defeated O
Arafat O
' O
s O
Fatah O
movement O
and O
won O
the O
legislative O
elections O
in O
January B-T
and O
thus O
given O
the O
mandate O
to O
replace O
Fatah O
to O
form O
the O
current O
Hamas O
- O
led O
government O
. O

Deviating O
from O
Arafat O
' O
s O
steps O
, O
Hamas O
rejected O
former O
peace O
deals O
signed O
by O
Arafat O
and O
refused O
to O
recognize O
Israel O
. O

Hamas O
' O
refusal O
to O
the O
international O
demands O
pushed O
the O
fledging O
government O
and O
the O
Palestinians O
into O
dual O
plights O
of O
economy O
and O
politics O
immediately O
after O
its O
coming O
to O
power O
. O

Israel O
and O
the O
international O
donors O
cut O
off O
the O
direct O
aid O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
government O
led O
by O
Hamas O
, O
which O
was O
subsequently O
unable O
to O
pay O
its O
160 O
, O
000 O
civil O
servants O
for O
months B-T
. O

Furthermore O
, O
Israel O
restored O
its O
military O
operation O
in O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
on O
June B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
three I-T
days I-T
after O
three O
Palestinian O
militant O
groups O
, O
headed O
by O
a O
Hamas O
armed O
wing O
, O
abducted O
Israeli O
Corporal O
Gilad O
Shalit O
in O
a O
cross O
- O
border O
raid O
on O
an O
Israeli O
post O
in O
southern O
Gaza O
Strip O
. O

The O
operation O
that O
caused O
huge O
Palestinian O
civilian O
casualties O
continued O
so O
far O
as O
the O
abducted O
soldier O
has O
been O
held O
hostage O
since O
this B-T
June I-T
. O

International O
siege O
and O
Israeli O
offensives O
after O
the O
death O
of O
Arafat O
undoubtedly O
deteriorated O
the O
life O
conditions O
of O
the O
already O
poor O
Palestinian O
people O
, O
who O
began O
to O
be O
aware O
of O
the O
significance O
of O
Arafat O
. O

In O
the O
most O
Palestinians O
' O
mind O
, O
Arafat O
is O
a O
great O
leader O
with O
wisdom O
and O
political O
skills O
. O

They O
said O
that O
both O
Arafat O
and O
Hamas O
were O
besieged O
by O
Israel O
, O
especially O
the O
former O
who O
had O
been O
besieged O
for O
three B-T
years I-T
, O
but O
the O
Palestinians O
were O
never O
in O
such O
a O
crisis O
like O
that O
of O
today B-T
under O
the O
leadership O
of O
Arafat O
. O

Arafat O
was O
besieged O
by O
Israeli O
army O
in O
his O
compound O
in O
West O
Bank O
city O
of O
Ramallah O
in O
2002 B-T
following O
his O
refusal O
to O
Israel O
' O
s O
demands O
and O
his O
adherence O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
principles O
, O
in O
particular O
the O
Palestinians O
' O
claim O
to O
Jerusalem O
. O

He O
died O
in O
a O
hospital O
in O
France O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
a O
few O
days O
after O
he O
was O
allowed O
to O
go O
out O
from O
his O
residence O
in O
Ramallah O
after O
his O
health O
deteriorated O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061117 O
. O
0025 O

XI O
' O
AN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Chinese O
man O
undergoes O
face O
rebuilding O
surgery O

Chinese O
doctors O
performed O
an O
operation O
Wednesday B-T
to O
rebuild O
the O
face O
of O
a O
man O
severely O
disfigured O
by O
a O
construction O
site O
accident O
, O
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Shaanxi O
Province O
. O

The O
nine O
- O
hour O
operation O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
which O
is O
said O
to O
be O
the O
first O
step O
in O
a O
one O
- O
year O
face O
rebuilding O
project O
, O
was O
" O
more O
successful O
than O
we O
expected O
" O
, O
according O
to O
the O
stomatological O
hospital O
of O
the O
Fourth O
Military O
Medical O
University O
in O
Xi O
' O
an O
, O
the O
provincial O
capital O
of O
Shaanxi O
. O

Chen O
Yong O
, O
a O
36 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
villager O
from O
the O
southwestern O
municipality O
of O
Chongqing O
, O
was O
repairing O
a O
concrete O
mixer O
at O
a O
construction O
site O
this B-T
July I-T
in O
Chongqing O
when O
his O
head O
became O
trapped O
in O
the O
machine O
. O

Nearly O
three O
fifths O
of O
his O
face O
was O
destroyed O
. O
Several O
bones O
were O
broken O
and O
he O
was O
no O
longer O
able O
to O
chew O
, O
swallow O
or O
speak O
. O

" O
Today B-T
we O
repositioned O
the O
broken O
bones O
on O
the O
left O
part O
of O
his O
faces O
and O
rebuilt O
his O
right O
eye O
socket O
. O
In O
a O
couple O
of O
months O
, O
we O
will O
repair O
soft O
facial O
tissue O
, O
like O
muscles O
, O
in O
another O
operation O
, O
" O
said O
He O
Lisheng O
, O
Chen O
' O
s O
surgeon O
. O

" O
After O
that O
, O
we O
will O
repair O
his O
chin O
and O
lower O
jaw O
and O
mend O
the O
lost O
part O
of O
his O
face O
with O
bones O
and O
skin O
from O
his O
own O
body O
, O
" O
said O
He O
. O

" O
I O
hope O
the O
operation O
will O
be O
successful O
and O
my O
husband O
will O
get O
his O
face O
back O
, O
" O
said O
Li O
Xiuqing O
, O
Chen O
' O
s O
wife O
, O
who O
waited O
outside O
the O
surgery O
room O
throughout O
the O
operation O
. O

Chen O
' O
s O
boss O
will O
cover O
the O
surgical O
expenses O
of O
more O
than O
100 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
about O
12 O
, O
700 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
according O
to O
Li O
. O

Xi O
' O
an O
was O
home O
to O
China O
' O
s O
first O
face O
transplant O
surgery O
in O
April B-T
this O
year O
when O
doctors O
helped O
rebuild O
the O
face O
of O
a O
30 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
farmer O
attacked O
by O
a O
bear O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0054 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Pakistan O

The O
World O
Bank O
has O
approved O
a O
400 O
million O
dollars O
emergency O
credit O
for O
Pakistan O
to O
help O
rehabilitation O
and O
reconstruction O
work O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
quake O
- O
devastated O
regions O
, O
a O
bank O
statement O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
is O
the O
second O
credit O
under O
a O
one O
billion O
- O
dollar O
assistance O
announced O
by O
the O
Bank O
following O
the O
October B-T
8 I-T
earthquake O
which O
killed O
more O
than O
73 O
, O
000 O
people O
and O
made O
some O
three O
million O
homeless O
mainly O
in O
the O
Pakistan O
zone O
of O
Kashmir O
. O

In O
October B-T
the O
Bank O
' O
s O
board O
approved O
the O
first O
credit O
of O
475 O
million O
dollars O
. O

The O
statement O
said O
the O
new O
package O
included O
220 O
million O
dollars O
support O
for O
housing O
reconstruction O
, O
85 O
million O
dollars O
each O
for O
livelihood O
support O
and O
import O
financing O
and O
10 O
million O
dollars O
for O
capacity O
building O
. O

" O
This O
credit O
will O
allow O
people O
to O
put O
their O
lives O
and O
homes O
back O
together O
, O
" O
the O
World O
Bank O
' O
s O
Pakistan O
Director O
John O
Wall O
said O
in O
the O
statement O
. O

He O
said O
the O
poor O
people O
living O
in O
inaccessible O
mountain O
areas O
bore O
the O
brunt O
of O
the O
7 O
. O
6 O
magnitude O
quake O
losing O
family O
members O
, O
their O
homes O
, O
assets O
and O
work O
. O
" O
This O
project O
will O
support O
these O
people O
rebuilding O
their O
houses O
and O
restore O
their O
livelihood O
through O
income O
transfer O
. O
" O

The O
credit O
carries O
a O
10 O
- O
year O
grace O
period O
and O
a B-T
maturity I-T
of I-T
35 I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
bank O
said O
reconstruction O
in O
quake O
hit O
regions O
could O
take O
many O
years O
and O
it O
would O
continue O
to O
provide O
assistance O
and O
support O
. O

Pakistan O
has O
received O
aid O
pledges O
of O
more O
than O
six O
billion O
dollars O
, O
of O
which O
two O
billion O
dollars O
is O
in O
the O
form O
of O
grants O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0421 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Buchwald O
to O
leave O
Urawa O
Reds O
, O
return O
to O
Germany O
: O
report O

Guido O
Buchwald O
, O
who O
has O
just O
guided O
Urawa O
Reds O
to O
their O
first O
J O
- O
League O
championship O
title O
, O
said O
Monday B-T
he O
would O
leave O
the O
club O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
season I-T
and O
return O
to O
Germany O
, O
Kyodo O
News O
reported O
. O

Urawa O
offered O
Buchwald O
a O
new O
contract O
, O
but O
the O
45 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
turned O
it O
down O
because O
he O
wants O
to O
spend O
more O
time O
with O
his O
family O
in O
Germany O
. O

" O
Private O
commitments O
have O
played O
a O
part O
in O
this O
decision O
but O
also O
I O
feel O
that O
I O
have O
achieved O
all O
I O
can O
over O
three B-T
years I-T
at O
one O
club O
, O
" O
Buchwald O
said O
. O

" O
This O
has O
been O
a O
very O
difficult O
decision O
for O
me O
to O
make O
. O
I O
have O
been O
working O
with O
a O
team O
I O
enjoy O
working O
with O
and O
delivered O
results O
, O
so O
it O
hurts O
to O
be O
leaving O
. O
" O

When O
asked O
if O
he O
plans O
to O
work O
with O
Jurgen O
Klinsmann O
, O
Germany O
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
coach O
and O
his O
close O
friend O
, O
Buchwald O
said O
: O
" O
We O
have O
been O
close O
friends O
since O
childhood B-T
and O
have O
a O
great O
understanding O
but O
we O
have O
not O
talked O
about O
working O
together O
. O
" O

Buchwald O
, O
a O
member O
of O
West O
Germany O
' O
s O
World O
Cup O
- O
winning O
squad O
in O
1990 B-T
, O
played O
for O
Urawa O
from O
1994 B-T
- I-T
1997 I-T
and O
became O
their O
manager O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
when O
he O
led O
the O
team O
to O
the O
J O
- O
League O
second O
- O
stage O
title O
and O
the O
final O
of O
the O
league O
cup O
. O

Urawa O
beat O
defending O
champions O
Gamba O
Osaka O
3 O
- O
2 O
on O
Saturday B-T
to O
secure O
the O
league O
crown O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0130 O

ABIDJAN O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Cote O
d O
' O
Ivoire O
given O
rough O
deal O
say O
the O
press O

Cote O
d O
' O
Ivoire O
press O
on O
Saturday B-T
reported O
they O
had O
been O
handed O
a O
rough O
deal O
by O
the O
World O
Cup O
draw O
in O
Leipzig O
. O

Fraternite O
Matin O
newspaper O
said O
: O
" O
The O
Cote O
d O
' O
Ivoire O
are O
in O
the O
toughest O
group O
, O
" O
while O
headlines O
in O
dailies O
Le O
Jour O
Plus O
and O
Le O
Patriot O
read O
" O
The O
Elephants O
are O
in O
the O
Group O
of O
Death O
. O
" O

Le O
Jour O
Plus O
said O
Cote O
d O
' O
Ivoire O
were O
up O
against O
it O
against O
" O
top O
drawer O
opponents O
" O
in O
twice O
World O
Cup O
winners O
Argentina O
, O
twice O
World O
Cup O
finalists O
Holland O
and O
Serbia O
- O
Montenegro O
in O
Group O
C O
. O

The O
paper O
noted O
Cote O
d O
' O
Ivoire O
played O
Argentina O
in O
1992 B-T
in O
the O
Confederations O
Cup O
and O
were O
thrashed O
5 O
- O
2 O
. O

Le O
Nouveau O
Reveil O
reported O
that O
the O
Elephants O
were O
in O
a O
" O
complicated O
" O
group O
for O
their O
first O
World O
Cup O
finals O
. O

24 O
Heures O
said O
that O
the O
hands O
of O
football O
legends O
Johan O
Cruyff O
, O
Lothar O
Matthaus O
, O
and O
Roger O
Milla O
, O
who O
were O
involved O
in O
doing O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
draw O
, O
had O
not O
been O
kind O
to O
Cote O
d O
' O
Ivoire O
who O
were O
in O
the O
worst O
position O
of O
the O
five O
African O
nations O
at O
next B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
finals O
in O
Germany O
. O

" O
But O
do O
we O
have O
to O
despair O
? O
" O
asked O
the O
newspaper O
who O
set O
an O
optimistic O
tone O
that O
perhaps O
Henri O
Michel O
' O
s O
players O
might O
just O
again O
surprise O
the O
world O
as O
they O
had O
done O
by O
qualifying O
for O
the O
tournament O
. O

Nord O
Sud O
set O
a O
similarly O
optimistic O
tone O
, O
suggesting O
there O
were O
" O
glorious O
uncertainties O
in O
football O
" O
although O
they O
did O
admit O
they O
had O
not O
been O
fortunate O
with O
the O
draw O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0070 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
high O
earners O
to O
report O
income O

Employees O
earning O
more O
than O
120 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
about O
15 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
annually O
must O
file O
individual O
income O
declarations O
to O
tax O
authorities O
starting O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
a O
newly O
released O
regulation O
from O
the O
State O
Administration O
of O
Taxation O
. O

The O
regulation O
issued O
on O
Wednesday B-T
said O
that O
anyone O
working O
in O
China O
, O
including O
foreigners O
, O
who O
meets O
any O
of O
the O
following O
criteria O
- O
- O
people O
with O
a O
yearly O
income O
of O
more O
than O
120 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
, O
people O
with O
income O
from O
more O
than O
one O
organization O
, O
those O
with O
income O
from O
overseas O
, O
those O
whose O
employer O
does O
not O
pay O
tax O
, O
or O
those O
in O
other O
particular O
situations O
defined O
by O
the O
State O
Council O
- O
- O
must O
report O
their O
income O
to O
the O
taxation O
authorities O
. O

Contributions O
to O
endowment O
insurance O
, O
medical O
insurance O
, O
unemployment O
insurance O
and O
housing O
accumulation O
fund O
paid O
by O
companies O
or O
individuals O
are O
not O
counted O
as O
yearly O
income O
. O

An O
official O
with O
the O
State O
Administration O
of O
Taxation O
said O
many O
high O
income O
individuals O
in O
China O
obtain O
income O
through O
different O
channels O
, O
some O
of O
which O
are O
not O
made O
public O
. O
This O
creates O
difficulties O
for O
the O
tax O
authorities O
and O
leaves O
space O
for O
loopholes O
. O

This O
is O
the O
first O
time O
that O
the O
State O
Administration O
of O
Taxation O
has O
required O
high O
- O
income O
earners O
to O
report O
their O
earnings O
. O
However O
, O
their O
taxes O
will O
continue O
to O
be O
deducted O
at O
source O
by O
employers O
. O

High O
income O
earners O
will O
be O
subject O
to O
fines O
ranging O
from O
2 O
, O
000 O
to O
10 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
if O
they O
fail O
to O
report O
their O
income O
by O
the B-T
31 I-T
March I-T
deadline I-T
, O
and O
those O
who O
file O
false O
reports O
will O
face O
fines O
of O
up O
to O
50 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
. O

The O
new O
regulation O
will O
improve O
tax O
collection O
among O
high O
income O
individuals O
and O
help O
narrow O
the O
gap O
between O
the O
rich O
and O
the O
poor O
, O
the O
official O
said O
. O

A O
study O
shows O
China O
' O
s O
Gini O
Coefficient O
, O
a O
measure O
of O
income O
inequality O
, O
has O
reached O
0 O
. O
46 O
, O
reflecting O
a O
big O
and O
expanding O
wealth O
gap O
. O

In O
another O
move O
to O
reduce O
the O
country O
' O
s O
widening O
income O
gap O
, O
China O
' O
s O
legislature O
, O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
National O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
( O
NPC O
) O
, O
doubled O
the O
personal O
income O
tax O
exemption O
threshold O
in O
late B-T
2005 I-T
to O
1 O
, O
600 O
yuan O
a B-T
month I-T
. O
This O
halved O
the O
number O
of O
people O
required O
to O
pay O
tax O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0504 O

KINSHASA O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Zaire O
accuses O
Angola O
of O
attacking O
its O
territory O

The O
Zairean O
presidency O
accused O
Angolan O
troops O
of O
attacking O
its O
southwestern O
Bas O
- O
Zaire O
province O
, O
sending O
1 O
, O
400 O
troops O
to O
aid O
Zaireans O
rebels O
led O
by O
Laurent O
Kabila O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
broadcast O
on O
state O
radio O
the O
presidency O
said O
the O
troops O
had O
crossed O
into O
the O
Yema O
municpality O
near O
the O
border O
with O
Angola O
. O

" O
Today B-T
, O
everyone O
knows O
that O
Angolan O
troops O
are O
attacking O
Zaire O
for O
no O
reason O
and O
without O
declaring O
war O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

Angolan O
troops O
were O
also O
in O
the O
area O
of O
Tshipaka O
, O
in O
Western O
Kasai O
province O
, O
a O
city O
some O
650 O
kilometres O
( O
400 O
miles O
) O
southeast O
of O
the O
capital O
Kinshasa O
which O
Kabila O
' O
s O
forces O
said O
Wednesday B-T
they O
had O
captured O
. O

According O
to O
the O
presidency O
statement O
the O
Kinshasa O
authorities O
will O
raise O
the O
Angolan O
incursions O
with O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
and O
ask O
UN O
envoy O
Alioune O
Blondin O
Beye O
to O
visit O
the O
zones O
currently O
occupied O
by O
Angolan O
forces O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0595 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

International O
Crisis O
Group O
urges O
EU O
unity O
over O
Kosovo O

The O
European O
Union O
should O
show O
unity O
over O
Kosovo O
to O
avoid O
a O
long O
- O
awaited O
decision O
on O
the O
Serbian O
province O
' O
s O
final O
status O
being O
delayed O
further O
into O
2007 B-T
, O
the O
International O
Crisis O
group O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
warning O
came O
amid O
election O
campaigning O
in O
Serbia O
for O
January B-T
21 I-T
polls O
, O
in O
which O
Kosovo O
' O
s O
aspirations O
for O
independence O
are O
playing O
an O
important O
role O
. O

" O
A O
number O
of O
EU O
states O
are O
showing O
signs O
that O
they O
are O
reluctant O
to O
change O
Kosovo O
' O
s O
status O
in O
the O
face O
of O
continued O
Serbian O
opposition O
, O
" O
the O
Brussels O
- O
based O
thinktank O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
If O
Brussels O
fails O
to O
coalesce O
quickly O
around O
a O
strong O
internal O
consensus O
, O
it O
risks O
inheriting O
a O
major O
new O
crisis O
, O
" O
it O
said O
, O
noting O
that O
Germany O
faces O
an O
" O
urgent O
challenge O
" O
as O
it O
takes O
over O
the O
EU O
presidency O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

Kosovo O
has O
been O
run O
by O
a O
United O
Nations O
mission O
since O
1999 B-T
, O
when O
a O
NATO O
bombing O
campaign O
ended O
a O
crackdown O
by O
Belgrade O
on O
separatist O
ethnic O
Albanian O
rebels O
in O
the O
province O
. O

The O
UN O
envoy O
to O
Kosovo O
, O
Martti O
Ahtisaari O
, O
began O
negotiations O
in O
February B-T
with O
Serbian O
and O
Kosovo O
authorities O
to O
define O
the O
future O
status O
of O
the O
province O
. O

He O
was O
due O
to O
make O
recommendations O
to O
the O
UN O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
year I-T
, O
but O
has O
now O
said O
that O
he O
will O
reveal O
his O
plans O
for O
the O
future O
of O
the O
majority O
ethnic O
- O
Albanian O
region O
after O
the O
Serbian O
elections O
. O

" O
It O
is O
a O
fact O
of O
life O
that O
the O
risk O
of O
implosion O
does O
become O
greater O
the O
deeper O
Kosovo O
goes O
into O
2007 O
without O
its O
status O
settled O
, O
" O
the O
group O
said O
. O

It O
said O
Ahtisaari O
' O
s O
proposals O
are O
not O
likely O
to O
explicitly O
use O
the O
term O
" O
independence O
" O
for O
Kosovo O
, O
but O
that O
it O
expects O
him O
to O
build O
a O
strong O
case O
for O
such O
a O
future O
. O

" O
The O
incoming O
German O
presidency O
should O
make O
uniting O
member O
states O
behind O
the O
Ahtisaari O
proposals O
a O
top O
priority O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

It O
noted O
that O
Germany O
and O
Italy O
appeared O
to O
prefer O
to O
wait O
until O
Serbia O
has O
formed O
a O
new O
government O
, O
while O
Spain O
, O
Greece O
, O
Cyprus O
and O
Romania O
were O
also O
listed O
as O
close O
to O
Serbia O
' O
s O
position O
. O

On O
Friday B-T
, O
EU O
leaders O
sent O
a O
signal O
to O
Belgrade O
that O
its O
future O
lies O
in O
Europe O
. O

But O
they O
encouraged O
it O
to O
cooperate O
with O
the O
United O
Nations O
war O
crimes O
court O
seeking O
former O
Bosnian O
Serb O
military O
chief O
Ratko O
Mladic O
, O
believed O
to O
have O
been O
in O
hiding O
in O
Serbia O
. O

The O
EU O
froze O
talks O
on O
closer O
ties O
with O
Serbia O
in O
May B-T
over O
its O
failure O
to O
cooperate O
fully O
with O
the O
Hague O
- O
based O
tribunal O
, O
but O
a O
number O
of O
countries O
have O
been O
pushing O
for O
negotiations O
to O
resume O
. O

WSJ891025 O
- O
0157 O

= O
891025 O

891025 O
- O
0157 O
. O

Advanced O
Medical O
Makes O
Purchase O

10 B-T
/ I-T
25 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

AMA O
HENG O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

MEDICAL O
AND O
BIOTECHNOLOGY O
( O
MTC O
) O

SAN O
FRANCISCO O

Advanced O
Medical O
Technologies O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
purchased O
93 O
% O
of O
a O
unit O
of O
Henley O
Group O
Inc O
. O

Advanced O
Medical O
paid O
$ O
106 O
million O
in O
cash O
for O
its O
share O
in O
a O
unit O
of O
Henley O
' O
s O
Fisher O
Scientific O
subsidiary O
. O

The O
unit O
makes O
intravenous O
pumps O
used O
by O
hospitals O
and O
had O
more O
than O
$ O
110 O
million O
in O
sales O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
Advanced O
Medical O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0067 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japan O
beat O
Australia O
1 O
- O
0 O
in O
Asian O
Games O
warm O
- O
up O

Shinobu O
Ono O
scored O
the O
only O
goal O
to O
give O
Japan O
women O
' O
s O
team O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
Australia O
on O
Sunday B-T
in O
a O
warm O
- O
up O
soccer O
match O
for O
the O
Asian O
Games O
next B-T
month I-T
in O
Doha O
. O

The O
decisive O
goal O
came O
in O
the B-T
51st I-T
minute I-T
when O
Yuki O
Nagasato O
sent O
a O
cross O
into O
the O
area O
, O
which O
Ono O
fired O
in O
with O
a O
right O
- O
footed O
shot O
. O

The O
Japanese O
women O
missed O
good O
chances O
afterwards O
, O
but O
they O
showed O
tight O
defence O
to O
fend O
off O
the O
Australian O
attacks O
. O

Japan O
will O
play O
Germany O
in O
another O
warm O
- O
up O
game O
next B-T
Thursday I-T
before O
heading O
to O
the O
Asian O
Games O
a B-T
week I-T
later O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0089 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
recess O
for O
technical O
problem O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
gripping O
trial O
of O
deposed O
Iraqi O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
over O
a O
Shiite O
massacre O
23 B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
made O
a O
shaky O
restart O
Tuesday B-T
with O
the O
court O
due O
to O
hear O
testimony O
from O
witnesses O
with O
protected O
identities O
. O

As O
in O
three O
previous O
hearings O
, O
Saddam O
was O
the O
last O
to O
enter O
the O
courtroom O
. O
Apart O
from O
his O
usual O
Koran O
, O
he O
carried O
files O
and O
papers O
, O
after O
his O
protests O
to O
the O
judge O
Monday B-T
that O
he O
had O
been O
forced O
to O
take O
notes O
on O
his O
hands O
. O

" O
Good O
morning O
to O
all O
those O
who O
respect O
the O
law O
, O
" O
the O
deposed O
president O
said O
, O
greeting O
his O
co O
- O
defendants O
. O

Shortly O
after O
the O
audience O
began O
, O
the O
court O
, O
which O
defence O
lawyers O
have O
accused O
of O
being O
chaotic O
, O
cut O
the O
audio O
feed O
to O
journalists O
, O
allowing O
a O
woman O
witness O
to O
speak O
without O
her O
voice O
being O
identified O
for O
security O
reasons O
. O

Presiding O
judge O
Rizkar O
Mohammed O
Amin O
then O
ruled O
a O
10 O
- O
minute O
break O
in O
order O
to O
decide O
how O
the O
woman O
, O
sitting O
behind O
a O
curtain O
, O
would O
be O
able O
to O
speak O
and O
be O
understood O
in O
the O
heavily O
- O
defended O
courtroom O
of O
the O
Iraqi O
High O
Tribunal O
. O

" O
Everyone O
has O
to O
hear O
, O
" O
Amin O
said O
. O

A O
US O
official O
close O
to O
the O
proceedings O
said O
witnesses O
would O
on O
Tuesday B-T
give O
testimony O
without O
their O
faces O
appearing O
on O
delayed O
television O
footage O
and O
with O
their O
voices O
disguised O
for O
security O
reasons O
. O

Mesmerising O
the O
world O
with O
chilling O
accounts O
of O
torture O
from O
witnesses O
and O
angry O
tirades O
from O
Saddam O
blasting O
the O
legality O
of O
the O
proceedings O
, O
the O
Iraqi O
courtroom O
drama O
has O
been O
hailed O
the O
" O
trial O
of O
the O
century O
" O
by O
the O
local O
media O
. O

Saddam O
, O
for O
decades O
one O
of O
the O
most O
feared O
leaders O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
before O
being O
ousted O
by O
invading O
US O
- O
led O
troops O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
is O
on O
trial O
with O
seven O
henchmen O
for O
the O
massacre O
of O
148 O
people O
from O
the O
Shiite O
village O
of O
Dujail O
in O
1982 B-T
. O

He O
and O
his O
seven O
deputies O
, O
who O
have O
pleaded O
not O
guilty O
, O
face O
the O
death O
penalty O
by O
hanging O
if O
convicted O
over O
the O
killings O
, O
which O
followed O
an O
assassination O
bid O
against O
Iraq O
' O
s O
former O
strongman O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
the O
town O
. O

The O
trial O
has O
been O
plagued O
by O
a O
range O
of O
problems O
since O
its O
inception O
, O
most O
notably O
serious O
security O
issues O
. O

Two O
defence O
lawyers O
have O
been O
killed O
and O
Iraqi O
security O
forces O
said O
Sunday B-T
they O
foiled O
an O
insurgent O
group O
' O
s O
plot O
to O
fire O
rockets O
at O
the O
court O
building O
. O

At O
a O
marathon O
session O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
Saddam O
insisted O
he O
was O
unafraid O
of O
execution O
as O
the O
court O
was O
subjected O
to O
tearful O
accounts O
of O
murder O
and O
torture O
- O
- O
including O
the O
use O
of O
a O
meat O
grinder O
and O
electric O
shocks O
- O
- O
from O
one O
witness O
. O

" O
I O
am O
not O
afraid O
of O
being O
executed O
" O
if O
found O
guilty O
, O
Saddam O
vowed O
, O
after O
an O
earlier O
outburst O
in O
which O
he O
shouted O
, O
" O
Long O
live O
Iraq O
. O
" O

Ahmed O
Mohammed O
Hassem O
al O
- O
Dujaili O
on O
Monday B-T
was O
the O
first O
witness O
to O
testify O
in O
person O
at O
the O
trial O
and O
be O
cross O
- O
examined O
just O
metres O
( O
yards O
) O
from O
Saddam O
, O
who O
contested O
his O
testimony O
. O

A O
second O
witness O
, O
Jawad O
Abdul O
Aziz O
, O
recalled O
how O
Saddam O
' O
s O
presidential O
guard O
" O
bombarded O
his O
village O
" O
before O
Amin O
adjourned O
the O
first O
marathon O
session O
. O

Iraq O
' O
s O
newly O
empowered O
Shiite O
majority O
has O
heavily O
criticised O
the O
slow O
start O
of O
the O
trial O
, O
which O
is O
anyway O
likely O
to O
be O
adjourned O
ahead O
of O
landmark O
general O
elections O
on O
December B-T
15 I-T
. O

Commentators O
have O
accused O
Saddam O
of O
trying O
to O
hijack O
the O
trial O
with O
his O
repeated O
tirades O
, O
mirrored O
by O
similarly O
theatrical O
interjections O
from O
his O
co O
- O
defendant O
and O
half O
- O
brother O
Barzan O
al O
- O
Tikriti O
, O
who O
is O
suffering O
from O
cancer O
. O

US O
former O
attorney O
general O
Ramsey O
Clark O
, O
who O
is O
among O
those O
representing O
Saddam O
, O
has O
claimed O
it O
will O
be O
very O
difficult O
for O
his O
client O
to O
receive O
a O
fair O
trial O
and O
on O
Monday B-T
criticised O
the O
proceedings O
as O
" O
chaotic O
" O
. O

" O
I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
going O
to O
be O
very O
, O
very O
difficult O
, O
" O
he O
told O
CNN O
, O
also O
questioning O
the O
impartiality O
of O
the O
presiding O
judge O
, O
a O
Kurd O
. O

" O
If O
you O
don O
' O
t O
have O
an O
impartial O
judge O
, O
why O
have O
a O
trial O
? O
" O
Ramsey O
asked O
. O
" O
You O
have O
to O
probe O
the O
prejudice O
. O
You O
have O
to O
find O
out O
if O
there O
is O
something O
in O
their O
background O
that O
makes O
it O
difficult O
for O
them O
to O
be O
fair O
. O
" O

Saddam O
is O
facing O
charges O
in O
this O
trial O
over O
the O
killing O
of O
Shiite O
villagers O
, O
but O
his O
regime O
also O
launched O
the O
bloody O
Anfal O
campaign O
against O
the O
Kurds O
, O
killing O
more O
than O
180 O
, O
000 O
people O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
decades I-T
. O

Clark O
, O
who O
with O
other O
defence O
lawyers O
briefly O
walked O
out O
of O
proceedings O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
has O
also O
demanded O
better O
protection O
for O
the O
defence O
lawyers O
. O

A O
second O
member O
of O
Saddam O
' O
s O
defence O
team O
said O
the O
court O
set O
up O
under O
US O
occupation O
was O
forbidden O
by O
international O
law O
, O
and O
called O
for O
his O
client O
to O
be O
tried O
in O
an O
international O
tribunal O
. O

Among O
the O
other O
defendants O
are O
Taha O
Yassin O
Ramadan O
, O
Saddam O
' O
s O
former O
vice O
president O
, O
and O
Awad O
Ahmed O
al O
- O
Bandar O
, O
the O
head O
judge O
of O
the O
scrapped O
revolutionary O
court O
. O

The O
process O
began O
with O
a O
brief O
opening O
on O
October B-T
19 I-T
, O
followed O
by O
a O
40 O
- O
day O
delay O
and O
a O
two O
- O
hour O
session O
on O
November B-T
28 I-T
before O
a O
week O
- O
long O
adjournment O
until O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
hearing O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0452 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

McCarthy O
happy O
to O
see O
justice O
done O
over O
racist O
abuse O

Benni O
McCarthy O
has O
praised O
UEFA O
for O
dishing O
out O
a O
five O
- O
match O
ban O
to O
Wisla O
Krakow O
' O
s O
Nikola O
Mijailovic O
, O
the O
Serbian O
defender O
who O
was O
found O
guilty O
of O
racially O
abusing O
him O
during O
a O
UEFA O
Cup O
match O
in O
October B-T
. O

" O
I O
was O
pleased O
with O
the O
way O
the O
situation O
was O
handled O
, O
" O
Blackburn O
' O
s O
South O
African O
forward O
said O
. O

" O
Every O
club O
and O
every O
league O
is O
against O
racism O
- O
and O
football O
is O
trying O
hard O
to O
fight O
against O
it O
, O
but O
you O
still O
get O
people O
- O
players O
, O
coaches O
or O
fans O
- O
who O
will O
use O
offensive O
terms O
. O

" O
Sport O
should O
unite O
people O
, O
not O
divide O
them O
, O
so O
I O
am O
glad O
an O
example O
was O
set O
. O
" O

McCarthy O
, O
speaking O
to O
www O
. O
fifa O
. O
com O
, O
added O
: O
" O
Maybe O
the O
next O
person O
who O
is O
considering O
using O
a O
racist O
term O
during O
a O
match O
will O
think O
twice O
. O
" O

Blackburn O
' O
s O
South O
African O
striker O
Benni O
McCarthy O
has O
admitted O
he O
has O
found O
life O
in O
the O
Premiership O
tougher O
than O
he O
had O
expected O
. O

McCarthy O
, O
who O
joined O
Blackburn O
in O
a O
2 O
. O
5 O
- O
million O
- O
pound O
summer O
transfer O
from O
FC O
Porto O
, O
admitted O
he O
was O
finding O
English O
football O
physically O
challenging O
, O
although O
his O
nine O
goals O
in O
a O
struggling O
side O
suggest O
he O
has O
not O
had O
that O
many O
problems O
adapting O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
so O
physically O
demanding O
and O
every O
game O
is O
like O
a O
cup O
final O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
I O
' O
ve O
played O
in O
Holland O
, O
I O
' O
ve O
played O
in O
Spain O
, O
I O
' O
ve O
played O
in O
Portugal O
, O
and O
not O
every O
game O
is O
so O
fast O
and O
so O
difficult O
. O

" O
Even O
if O
you O
' O
re O
playing O
against O
the O
bottom O
team O
in O
the O
league O
, O
it O
' O
s O
as O
difficult O
as O
playing O
Manchester O
United O
, O
Arsenal O
or O
Chelsea O
. O
In O
Holland O
, O
Spain O
and O
Portugal O
only O
a O
few O
teams O
made O
you O
really O
work O
hard O
and O
concentrate O
for O
90 B-T
minutes I-T
. O
Here O
you O
have O
to O
be O
in O
top O
form O
in O
every O
game O
. O
" O

The O
29 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
also O
revealed O
that O
he O
had O
been O
drawn O
to O
Blackburn O
because O
of O
his O
admiration O
for O
manager O
Mark O
Hughes O
, O
a O
Manchester O
United O
star O
when O
the O
South O
African O
was O
growing O
up O
. O

" O
He O
used O
to O
be O
my O
hero O
, O
" O
said O
McCarthy O
. O
" O
He O
was O
a O
player O
who O
I O
always O
wanted O
to O
be O
like O
. O
I O
have O
so O
much O
respect O
for O
him O
- O
and O
I O
love O
learning O
from O
him O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
little O
bit O
strange O
actually O
because O
I O
have O
gone O
from O
being O
a O
big O
fan O
to O
standing O
next O
to O
him O
on O
the O
training O
pitch O
. O

" O
In O
South O
Africa O
I O
used O
to O
watch O
a O
lot O
of O
English O
football O
- O
everyone O
likes O
to O
see O
winning O
teams O
and O
I O
think O
that O
' O
s O
why O
I O
adopted O
Manchester O
United O
. O
I O
used O
to O
know O
everything O
about O
them O
, O
but O
now B-T
I O
' O
m O
Blackburn O
through O
and O
through O
. O

" O
I O
couldn O
' O
t O
have O
come O
to O
a O
better O
club O
. O
It O
may O
be O
a O
smaller O
club O
than O
United O
, O
but O
it O
has O
a O
big O
heart O
. O
I O
' O
m O
feeling O
loved O
and O
very O
welcome O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061119 O
. O
0077 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sri O
Lankan O
president O
vows O
to O
tackle O
terrorism O

Sri O
Lankan O
President O
Mahinda O
Rajapakse O
, O
who O
was O
celebrating O
his O
first O
year O
in O
office O
, O
said O
Sunday B-T
that O
his O
government O
would O
pursue O
its O
struggle O
in O
tackling O
the O
threat O
of O
terrorism O
posed O
by O
the O
Tamil O
Tiger O
rebels O
and O
would O
not O
be O
cowed O
down O
by O
it O
. O

Rajapakse O
made O
the O
remarks O
while O
addressing O
a O
public O
gathering O
at O
the O
launching O
of O
the O
construction O
of O
the O
island O
' O
s O
second O
international O
airport O
at O
Weerawila O
, O
255 O
kms O
from O
the O
Sri O
Lankan O
capital O
of O
Colombo O
, O
in O
the O
deep O
southern O
district O
of O
Hambantota O
. O

Rajapakse O
, O
who O
was O
also O
celebrating O
his O
first O
year O
in O
office O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
said O
" O
A O
terrorist O
group O
who O
claimed O
all O
powerful O
has O
now B-T
been O
limited O
to O
4 O
or O
5 O
villages O
in O
the O
eastern O
province O
" O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
military O
victories O
against O
the O
Liberation O
Tigers O
of O
Tamil O
Eelam O
( O
LTTE O
) O
rebels O
. O

The O
president O
said O
that O
he O
has O
kept O
the O
pledge O
made O
at O
last B-T
November I-T
' O
s O
presidential O
election O
not O
to O
lower O
the O
esteem O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
security O
forces O
. O

Rajapakse O
in O
his O
election O
campaign O
was O
critical O
of O
the O
Norwegian O
- O
backed O
peace O
process O
with O
the O
Tiger O
rebels O
, O
which O
he O
claimed O
was O
giving O
in O
too O
much O
to O
the O
Tigers O
and O
the O
forces O
have O
been O
humiliated O
by O
it O
. O

The O
Sri O
Lankan O
President O
said O
in O
his O
address O
that O
despite O
action O
against O
the O
Tiger O
rebels O
in O
the O
battle O
fields O
of O
north O
and O
east O
, O
the O
rights O
of O
the O
peace O
- O
loving O
Tamil O
people O
must O
be O
safeguarded O
. O

Rajapakse O
' O
s O
first O
year O
in O
office O
was O
dominated O
by O
its O
military O
campaign O
against O
the O
LTTE O
who O
accuse O
the O
Sri O
Lankan O
president O
of O
leading O
a O
secret O
war O
against O
them O
while O
saying O
that O
his O
government O
was O
supportive O
of O
the O
Norwegian O
- O
backed O
peace O
process O
to O
end O
the O
island O
' O
s O
long O
drawn O
out O
separatist O
armed O
conflict O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061120 O
. O
0139 O

GENEVA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Annan O
calls O
for O
global O
safeguards O
against O
biological O
weapons O

U O
. O
N O
. O
Secretary O
- O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
on O
Monday B-T
urged O
155 O
countries O
to O
make O
more O
efforts O
to O
intensify O
safeguards O
against O
biological O
weapons O
and O
address O
the O
threat O
posed O
by O
terrorists O
and O
criminal O
groups O
seeking O
to O
obtain O
such O
weapons O
. O

" O
The O
horror O
of O
biological O
weapons O
is O
shared O
by O
all O
, O
" O
Annan O
told O
a O
meeting O
in O
Geneva O
to O
review O
the O
1972 O
Biological O
Weapons O
Convention O
, O
which O
has O
been O
ratified O
by O
155 O
countries O
. O

" O
Now O
it O
is O
time O
for O
countries O
to O
build O
on O
results O
, O
and O
take O
further O
steps O
to O
ensure O
that O
the O
Convention O
will O
continue O
to O
serve O
as O
an O
effective O
barrier O
against O
biological O
weapons O
, O
" O
Annan O
told O
the O
conference O
, O
which O
began O
on O
Monday B-T
and O
will O
end O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
. O

Annan O
said O
global O
circumstances O
had O
changed O
and O
risks O
had O
evolved O
since O
the O
Convention O
was O
last O
reviewed O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
. O

" O
We O
see O
today O
a O
strong O
focus O
on O
preventing O
terrorism O
, O
as O
well O
as O
renewed O
concern O
about O
naturally O
occurring O
diseases O
such O
as O
SARS O
and O
avian O
flu O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Over O
the B-T
past I-T
five I-T
years I-T
, O
advances O
in O
biological O
science O
and O
technology O
continued O
to O
accelerate O
, O
promising O
enormous O
benefits O
for O
human O
development O
, O
but O
also O
posing O
potential O
risks O
, O
he O
added O
. O

The O
outgoing O
UN O
chief O
highlighted O
terrorism O
and O
crime O
and O
urged O
countries O
to O
address O
these O
threats O
" O
to O
ensure O
that O
peaceful O
uses O
of O
biological O
science O
and O
technology O
can O
safely O
reach O
their O
potential O
. O
" O

The O
Convention O
, O
which O
bans O
the O
development O
, O
use O
and O
stockpiling O
of O
germ O
- O
based O
weapons O
, O
has O
never O
been O
seriously O
enforced O
because O
the O
threat O
of O
biological O
warfare O
was O
seen O
as O
minimal O
when O
it O
was O
drafted O
at O
the O
height O
of O
the O
Cold O
War O
. O

Efforts O
to O
strengthen O
the O
treaty O
have O
been O
largely O
fruitless O
due O
to O
divisions O
among O
countries O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051119 O
. O
0168 O

ADDIS O
ABABA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ethiopia O
registers O
8 O
. O
9 O
percent O
GDP O
growth O
last O
fiscal O
year O

Ethiopia O
said O
Saturday B-T
an O
8 O
. O
9 O
percent O
growth O
in O
gross O
domestic O
product O
( O
GDP O
) O
was O
registered O
during O
the O
previous O
budget O
year B-T
that O
ended O
on O
July B-T
7 I-T
. O

Fantahun O
Belew O
, O
head O
of O
Macroeconomic O
Policy O
and O
Management O
Department O
of O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Finance O
and O
Economic O
Development O
( O
MoFED O
) O
, O
told O
journalists O
that O
the O
rapid O
growth O
was O
registered O
for O
the O
second O
time O
in O
a O
row O
. O

Fantahun O
said O
the O
government O
has O
been O
exerting O
efforts O
to O
equitably O
distribute O
resources O
by O
undertaking O
the O
construction O
of O
roads O
and O
health O
facilities O
as O
well O
as O
expanding O
the O
provision O
of O
electric O
power O
and O
telecommunications O
services O
. O

Out O
of O
the O
growth O
registered O
during O
the O
period O
, O
12 O
. O
3 O
percent O
was O
registered O
by O
the O
agriculture O
sector O
, O
while O
the O
share O
of O
the O
industry O
and O
service O
sectors O
stood O
at O
6 O
. O
3 O
and O
5 O
. O
3 O
percent O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Fantahun O
said O
agriculture O
continues O
to O
play O
the O
leading O
role O
to O
the O
growth O
of O
the O
national O
economy O
, O
and O
added O
that O
the O
volume O
of O
agricultural O
export O
during O
the O
period O
has O
shown O
a O
36 O
. O
2 O
percent O
growth O
from O
that O
of O
the O
preceding O
year O
. O

The O
growth O
in O
agricultural O
produces O
export O
is O
attributed O
to O
the O
rise O
of O
the O
coffee O
price O
in O
the O
international O
market O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
increase O
in O
the O
volume O
of O
other O
exportable O
produce O
, O
according O
to O
the O
official O
. O

Fantahun O
said O
due O
to O
the O
better O
performance O
in O
the O
agriculture O
sector O
and O
the O
decline O
in O
the O
price O
of O
food O
items O
, O
inflation O
registered O
during O
the B-T
budget I-T
year I-T
was O
only O
6 O
. O
8 O
percent O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
Fantahun O
said O
, O
the O
import O
trade O
has O
shown O
a O
4 O
percent O
increase O
during O
the O
budget O
year O
due O
to O
the O
rise O
in O
fuel O
price O
and O
increase O
in O
the O
volume O
and O
price O
of O
imported O
capital O
goods O
and O
construction O
materials O
. O

The O
government O
has O
been O
engaged O
in O
various O
activities O
aimed O
at O
further O
developing O
the O
agriculture O
sector O
, O
including O
supply O
of O
agricultural O
inputs O
, O
expansion O
of O
extension O
services O
and O
irrigation O
development O
, O
among O
others O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Expansion O
of O
small O
- O
scale O
agro O
- O
industries O
and O
expansion O
of O
investment O
that O
create O
job O
opportunities O
would O
also O
be O
strengthened O
, O
Fantahun O
said O
. O

He O
said O
a O
large O
sum O
of O
budget O
was O
allocated O
during O
the B-T
current I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
in O
a O
bid O
to O
efficiently O
implement O
the O
poverty O
reduction O
efforts O
in O
the O
various O
regional O
states O
. O

Ethiopia O
is O
an O
extremely O
poor O
and O
overwhelmingly O
agricultural O
country O
, O
with O
farm O
products O
accounting O
for O
over O
half O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
GDP O
and O
90 O
percent O
of O
its O
exports O
. O

Officials O
say O
46 O
percent O
of O
Ethiopia O
' O
s O
71 O
million O
people O
live O
below O
the O
poverty O
line O
, O
with O
many O
peasant O
farmers O
in O
the O
rural O
areas O
trapped O
in O
abject O
poverty O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051101 O
. O
0360 O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Number O
of O
vehicles O
hits O
new O
high O
in O
Macao O

The O
number O
of O
licensed O
vehicles O
in O
Macao O
, O
a O
region O
with O
a O
population O
of O
nearly O
470 O
, O
000 O
, O
reached O
151 O
, O
000 O
in O
September B-T
, O
a O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
rise O
of O
20 O
percent O
. O

Statistics O
issued O
by O
the O
government O
- O
run O
Statistics O
and O
Census O
Service O
( O
SCS O
) O
Wednesday B-T
showed O
51 O
percent O
of O
the O
registered O
vehicles O
are O
motorcycles O
and O
45 O
percent O
light O
vehicles O
. O

The O
SCS O
figures O
showed O
that O
there O
were O
9 O
, O
966 O
cases O
of O
traffic O
accidents O
reported O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
three I-T
quarters I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
a O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
increase O
of O
7 O
percent O
. O

The O
accidents O
led O
to O
3 O
, O
216 O
casualties O
, O
according O
to O
the O
figures O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0270 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Lachlan O
Carmichael O

A O
British O
military O
probe O
has O
found O
insufficient O
proof O
to O
back O
charges O
that O
British O
troops O
raped O
hundreds O
of O
Kenyan O
women O
while O
on O
training O
missions O
in O
Kenya O
going O
back O
decades O
, O
officials O
said O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Defence O
( O
MoD O
) O
published O
the O
findings O
of O
the O
military O
police O
inquiry O
after O
a O
team O
of O
up O
to O
20 O
officers O
investigated O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
000 O
claims O
of O
rape O
over O
a B-T
55 I-T
- I-T
year I-T
period I-T
. O

" O
In O
terms O
of O
a O
criminal O
investigation O
, O
there O
is O
no O
corroborative O
evidence O
that O
would O
lead O
to O
the O
successful O
prosecution O
of O
a O
named O
individual O
in O
a O
UK O
( O
United O
Kingdom O
of O
Great O
Britain O
and O
Northern O
Ireland O
) O
court O
, O
" O
the O
MoD O
said O
. O

The O
ministry O
released O
the O
findings O
by O
the O
Royal O
Military O
Police O
' O
s O
( O
RMP O
) O
Special O
Investigations O
Branch O
( O
SIB O
) O
following O
what O
it O
said O
was O
an O
external O
review O
by O
Devon O
and O
Cornwall O
Police O
, O
a O
civilian O
force O
in O
southwest O
England O
. O

The O
army O
' O
s O
main O
personnel O
officer O
Lieutenant O
General O
Freddie O
Viggers O
said O
the O
findings O
were O
properly O
vetted O
. O

" O
The O
British O
Army O
has O
taken O
these O
allegations O
extremely O
seriously O
and O
they O
have O
been O
extensively O
and O
sensitively O
examined O
, O
" O
Viggers O
said O
in O
the O
MoD O
statement O
. O

" O
It O
has O
been O
a O
complex O
and O
detailed O
investigation O
which O
has O
been O
subject O
to O
rigorous O
internal O
and O
external O
reviews O
and O
all O
viable O
lines O
of O
inquiry O
have O
been O
pursued O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
Times B-T
' O
s O
newspaper O
said O
the O
RMP O
' O
s O
investigation O
involved O
a O
team O
of O
between O
12 B-T
and O
18 O
investigators O
interviewing O
all O
2 O
, O
187 O
claimants O
, O
most O
of O
them O
Masai O
and O
Samburu O
tribeswomen O
from O
some O
of O
the O
remotest O
areas O
of O
the O
country O
. O

They O
had O
demanded O
20 O
million O
pounds O
( O
30 O
million O
euros O
, O
39 O
million O
dollars O
) O
in O
compensation O
from O
the O
British O
Army O
for O
the O
the O
alleged O
rapes O
. O

The O
newspaper O
said O
the O
investigators O
deemed O
just O
281 O
of O
the O
total O
set O
of O
allegations O
worthy O
of O
closer O
inspection O
, O
all O
of O
which O
fell O
apart O
during O
follow O
- O
up O
interviews O
with O
local O
people O
and O
former O
members O
of O
the O
British O
Army O
and O
upon O
further O
scrutiny O
. O

Though O
several O
women O
with O
mixed O
- O
race O
babies O
staged O
demonstrations O
outside O
the O
British O
High O
Commission O
when O
the O
allegations O
surfaced O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
The O
Times O
said O
that O
it O
now B-T
appears O
that O
the O
children O
resulted O
either O
from O
consensual O
sex O
or O
rapes O
by O
other O
men O
. O

One O
woman O
told O
the O
newspaper O
that O
she O
only O
took O
part O
in O
the O
protest O
because O
she O
had O
been O
told O
that O
there O
was O
a O
chance O
of O
large O
payouts O
. O

The O
MoD O
said O
that O
each O
claim O
was O
carefully O
examined O
by O
the O
SIB O
, O
working O
with O
Home O
Office O
specialists O
and O
the O
Kenyan O
authorities O
. O

It O
was O
reported O
that O
the O
team O
uncovered O
large O
numbers O
of O
forged O
entries O
in O
the O
Kenyan O
police O
files O
about O
the O
alleged O
rapes O
- O
- O
some O
of O
them O
described O
as O
" O
astonishingly O
clumsy O
" O
. O

" O
A O
large O
amount O
of O
the O
information O
provided O
by O
the O
Kenyan O
police O
and O
medical O
authorities O
appears O
to O
have O
been O
fabricated O
, O
" O
an O
MoD O
spokeswoman O
said O
. O

Since O
Kenya O
gained O
independence O
in O
1963 B-T
, O
the O
British O
Army O
has O
maintained O
a O
permanent O
garrison O
there O
, O
known O
as O
the O
British O
Army O
Training O
Unit O
Kenya O
( O
BATUK O
) O
, O
with O
up O
to O
4 O
, O
000 O
British O
troops O
training O
there O
annually O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0301 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Africa O
confirms O
over O
300 O
cases O
of O
killer O
TB O

A O
total O
of O
303 O
cases O
of O
extreme O
drug O
- O
resistant O
tuberculosis O
( O
XDR O
- O
TB O
) O
have O
been O
confirmed O
across O
South O
Africa O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Health O
Ministry O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

This O
form O
of O
TB O
was O
first O
identified O
in O
South O
Africa O
at O
Tugela O
Ferry O
region O
in O
KwaZulu O
- O
Natal O
province O
earlier O
this B-T
year I-T
and O
showed O
a O
high O
mortality O
rate O
, O
with O
52 O
of O
the O
first O
53 O
patients O
dying O
. O

The O
disease O
has O
raised O
intensive O
concerns O
in O
South O
Africa O
because O
it O
can O
be O
complicated O
by O
the O
presence O
of O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
. O
More O
than O
5 O
. O
5 O
million O
South O
Africans O
, O
or O
11 O
percent O
of O
the O
population O
, O
are O
infected O
with O
HIV O
. O
This O
number O
is O
the O
second O
largest O
in O
the O
world O
, O
only O
after O
India O
. O

The O
World O
Health O
Organization O
has O
defined O
XDR O
- O
TB O
as O
tuberculosis O
that O
is O
resistant O
to O
the O
main O
first O
- O
line O
TB O
drugs O
and O
to O
three O
or O
more O
of O
the O
six O
second O
- O
line O
drugs O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0062 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Iraqi O
governor O
survives O
suicide O
attack O

Abdul O
- O
Rahman O
Mustafa O
Fattah O
, O
governor O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
northern O
province O
of O
Kirkuk O
, O
escaped O
unscathed O
a O
suicide O
bombing O
attack O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
killed O
one O
person O
and O
wounded O
20 O
others O
, O
local O
police O
said O
. O

" O
A O
suicide O
bomber O
wearing O
an O
explosive O
- O
belt O
threw O
himself O
at O
the O
convoy O
of O
Abdul O
- O
Rahman O
Mustafa O
Fattah O
, O
the O
governor O
of O
Kirkuk O
, O
who O
escaped O
unhurt O
in O
the O
center O
of O
the O
city O
, O
" O
Brigadier O
Burhan O
, O
police O
chief O
of O
Kirkuk O
City O
told O
Xinhua O
by O
telephone O
. O

However O
, O
one O
civilian O
was O
killed O
and O
20 O
others O
, O
including O
one O
of O
the O
governor O
' O
s O
bodyguards O
, O
were O
wounded O
in O
the O
attack O
, O
Burhan O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0783 O

SEOUL O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

minister O

North O
Korea O
may O
stage O
a O
second O
nuclear O
weapons O
test O
to O
strengthen O
its O
hand O
during O
upcoming O
negotiations O
on O
scrapping O
its O
nuclear O
programme O
, O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
new O
defence O
minister O
warned O
Friday B-T
. O

Kim O
Jang O
- O
Soo O
, O
a O
former O
army O
chief O
of O
staff O
, O
ordered O
the O
650 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
military O
to O
step O
up O
combat O
- O
readiness O
to O
deter O
possible O
aggression O
from O
the O
North O
, O
the O
defence O
ministry O
said O
. O

" O
We O
have O
to O
be O
thoroughly O
prepared O
to O
counter O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
second O
or O
third O
nuclear O
test O
by O
North O
Korea O
and O
a O
possible O
hostile O
act O
by O
it O
in O
the O
process O
of O
negotiations O
over O
its O
nuclear O
weapons O
programme O
, O
" O
Kim O
said O
in O
a O
message O
to O
troops O
. O

The O
six O
- O
nation O
nuclear O
talks O
are O
set O
to O
resume O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Monday B-T
, I-T
13 I-T
months I-T
after O
the O
North O
walked O
out O
. O
They O
involve O
the O
two O
Koreas O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
China O
, O
Japan O
and O
Russia O
. O

The O
North O
staged O
its O
first O
nuclear O
test O
on O
October B-T
9 I-T
, O
sparking O
international O
condemnation O
and O
United O
Nations O
sanctions O
. O

Later B-T
that I-T
month I-T
North O
Korean O
leader O
Kim O
Jong O
- O
Il O
told O
China O
that O
he O
had O
no O
plans O
for O
a O
second O
test O
but O
that O
increased O
international O
pressure O
could O
trigger O
" O
further O
measures O
" O
. O

Defence O
minister O
Kim O
issued O
his O
letter O
after O
a O
closed O
- O
door O
meeting O
of O
130 O
senior O
commanders O
, O
including O
General O
Kim O
Kwan O
- O
Jin O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Joint O
Chiefs O
of O
Staff O
, O
and O
the O
army O
, O
navy O
and O
air O
force O
chiefs O
of O
staff O
. O

The O
defence O
minister O
also O
urged O
no O
further O
delay O
in O
the O
planned O
relocation O
of O
US O
bases O
to O
Pyeongtaek O
south O
of O
Seoul O
. O

The O
defence O
ministry O
said O
this B-T
week I-T
that O
South O
Korea O
would O
not O
be O
able O
to O
complete O
a O
major O
relocation O
of O
US O
military O
bases O
by O
2008 B-T
as O
scheduled O
, O
due O
to O
protests O
by O
residents O
and O
a O
dispute O
over O
cost O
- O
sharing O
. O

The O
US O
forces O
want O
to O
consolidate O
35 O
US O
bases O
scattered O
across O
the O
nation O
into O
two O
hub O
bases O
by O
2008 B-T
, O
including O
one O
at O
Pyeongtaek O
. O

Some O
29 O
, O
500 O
troops O
are O
stationed O
in O
the O
country O
, O
a O
legacy O
of O
the O
Korean O
War O
. O
The O
number O
is O
set O
to O
drop O
to O
25 O
, O
000 O
by O
2008 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0120 O

ZHENGZHOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
most O
populous O
province O
rules O
out O
second O
child O
restrictions O

The O
government O
of O
China O
' O
s O
most O
populous O
province O
has O
rejected O
proposals O
to O
ease O
the O
one O
- O
child O
rules O
and O
allow O
couples O
who O
were O
themselves O
single O
children O
to O
have O
a O
second O
child O
. O

The O
huge O
population O
prevented O
Henan O
province O
from O
loosening O
the O
birth O
control O
restrictions O
, O
said O
Deputy O
Governor O
Wang O
Jumei O
. O

The O
population O
of O
Henan O
reached O
97 O
. O
68 O
million O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
. O
Henan O
had O
entered O
a O
fourth O
birth O
peak O
, O
with O
1 O
. O
1 O
million O
babies O
born O
each B-T
year I-T
, O
said O
Wang O
. O

The O
net O
increase O
in O
the O
population O
was O
more O
than O
500 O
, O
000 O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
equal O
to O
the O
population O
of O
a O
medium O
- O
sized O
county O
, O
added O
Wang O
. O

Henan O
avoided O
a O
32 O
. O
6 O
- O
million O
population O
increase O
between O
1971 B-T
and O
2004 O
due O
to O
the O
birth O
control O
policy O
, O
according O
to O
the O
provincial O
family O
planning O
and O
birth O
control O
committee O
. O

Some O
local O
authorities O
in O
China O
have O
enacted O
regulations O
allowing O
couples O
who O
were O
themselves O
only O
children O
to O
have O
a O
second O
child O
. O

Deputy O
head O
of O
Beijing O
Municipal O
Population O
and O
Family O
Planning O
Committee O
Li O
Yunli O
said O
in O
September B-T
that O
she O
hoped O
all O
" O
only O
child O
" O
couples O
would O
have O
a O
second O
child O
to O
help O
solve O
labor O
shortages O
and O
deal O
with O
challenges O
represented O
by O
the O
aging O
population O
. O

East O
China O
' O
s O
Jiangsu O
province O
had O
such O
a O
policy O
as O
early O
as O
1985 B-T
. O

According O
to O
the O
11th O
five O
- O
year O
plan O
( O
2006 O
- O
2010 O
) O
on O
aging O
, O
China O
' O
s O
senior O
population O
will O
top O
174 O
million O
by O
2010 B-T
, O
accounting O
for O
12 O
. O
78 O
percent O
of O
the O
total O
population O
, O
compared O
with O
143 O
million O
at O
present O
. O

China O
could O
not O
rely O
on O
more O
births O
to O
solve O
aging O
population O
issues O
, O
said O
Yu O
Xuejun O
with O
the O
State O
Population O
and O
Family O
Planning O
Commission O
. O

The O
best O
solutions O
were O
to O
boost O
economic O
development O
and O
build O
an O
effective O
social O
security O
system O
, O
especially O
in O
rural O
areas O
, O
Yu O
said O
. O

China O
' O
s O
family O
planning O
policy O
encourages O
couples O
, O
apart O
from O
those O
of O
ethnic O
minority O
groups O
, O
to O
have O
only O
one O
child O
to O
restrain O
population O
expansion O
. O
Couples O
that O
meet O
certain O
conditions O
can O
have O
a O
second O
child O
. O

The O
central O
authorities O
have O
delegated O
policy O
- O
making O
power O
on O
the O
issue O
to O
local O
governments O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0160 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0160 O
. O

Automatic O
Data O
Processing O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

AUD O

BUYBACKS O
, O
REDEMPTIONS O
, O
SWAP O
OFFERS O
( O
BBK O
) O

ROSELAND O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O

Automatic O
Data O
Processing O
Inc O
. O
plans O
to O
redeem O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
its O
$ O
150 O
million O
of O
6 O
. O
5 O
% O
convertible O
subordinated O
debentures O
due O
March B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2011 I-T
. O

The O
computing O
- O
services O
concern O
will O
pay O
$ O
1 O
, O
059 O
. O
04 O
for O
each O
$ O
1 O
, O
000 O
face O
amount O
of O
debt O
. O

The O
conversion O
price O
for O
the O
debentures O
is O
$ O
41 O
. O
725 O
a O
share O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
Friday B-T
, O
Automatic O
Data O
closed O
at O
$ O
46 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
, O
down O
$ O
2 O
. O
25 O
. O

If O
all O
the O
debt O
is O
converted O
to O
common O
, O
Automatic O
Data O
will O
issue O
about O
3 O
. O
6 O
million O
shares O
; O
last B-T
Monday I-T
, O
the O
company O
had O
nearly O
73 O
million O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

Automatic O
Data O
is O
redeeming O
the O
bonds O
because O
the O
after O
- O
tax O
cost O
of O
the O
interest O
on O
the O
bonds O
is O
higher O
than O
the O
dividend O
yield O
on O
the O
common O
, O
a O
spokesman O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0366 O

LUSAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zambian O
president O
nods O
predecessor O
' O
s O
evacuation O
to O
S O
. O
Africa O
for O
medical O
treatment O

Zambian O
President O
Levy O
Mwanawasa O
issued O
on O
Monday B-T
a O
letter O
giving O
green O
light O
to O
former O
leader O
Frederick O
Chiluba O
for O
him O
to O
travel O
to O
South O
Africa O
where O
he O
is O
expected O
to O
receive O
medical O
treatment O
for O
heart O
problem O
. O

In O
the O
letter O
delivered O
by O
chief O
government O
spokesperson O
Vernon O
Mwaanga O
, O
Mwanawasa O
said O
arrangements O
should O
be O
made O
immediately O
for O
Chiluba O
' O
s O
evacuation O
to O
South O
Africa O
to O
receive O
medical O
treatment O
at O
government O
expense O
. O

The O
president O
has O
however O
instructed O
that O
Chiluba O
should O
surrender O
his O
passport O
to O
Zambia O
' O
s O
High O
Commissioner O
to O
South O
Africa O
upon O
arrival O
in O
that O
country O
. O

He O
further O
noted O
that O
Chiluba O
' O
s O
wife O
Regina O
would O
not O
accompany O
him O
to O
South O
Africa O
as O
she O
was O
facing O
criminal O
charges O
at O
home O
. O

Chiluba O
was O
supposed O
to O
leave O
for O
South O
Africa O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
after O
the O
government O
okayed O
his O
trip O
, O
which O
was O
however O
suspended O
later O
. O

Mwaanga O
, O
who O
is O
also O
Minister O
of O
Information O
, O
explained O
that O
the O
suspension O
of O
Chiluba O
' O
s O
trip O
was O
because O
of O
the O
contradictory O
medical O
recommendations O
issued O
by O
a O
local O
experts O
team O
and O
Chiluba O
' O
s O
doctors O
in O
South O
Africa O
. O

Chiluba O
however O
accused O
that O
the O
government O
was O
blocking O
his O
trip O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
fail O
his O
health O
, O
an O
accusation O
denied O
by O
the O
Zambian O
government O
. O

Chiluba O
, O
who O
ruled O
Zambia O
between O
1992 B-T
and O
2001 B-T
, O
has O
been O
under O
investigation O
since O
2003 B-T
after O
president O
Mwanawasa O
appointed O
a O
task O
force O
to O
investigate O
his O
theft O
of O
488 O
, O
000 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
public O
funds O
during O
his O
tenure B-T
. O

He O
has O
previously O
been O
denied O
to O
go O
abroad O
as O
the O
government O
feared O
that O
he O
would O
not O
come O
back O
to O
face O
charges O
. O

Chiluba O
first O
left O
for O
South O
Africa O
for O
medical O
treatment O
in O
March B-T
this I-T
year I-T
after O
the O
Zambian O
government O
lifted O
the O
ban O
on O
his O
trip O
abroad O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0184 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Turkish O
police O
seize O
160 O
kg O
of O
heroin O
in O
Istanbul O

Turkish O
police O
confiscated O
160 O
kg O
of O
heroin O
stashed O
in O
two O
trucks O
in O
an O
operation O
in O
Turkey O
' O
s O
largest O
city O
of O
Istanbul O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
the O
semi O
- O
official O
Anatolia O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Four O
suspects O
were O
arrested O
in O
the O
operation O
in O
Avcilar O
district O
of O
Istanbul O
, O
facing O
charges O
of O
dealing O
illicit O
drugs O
. O

In O
another O
operation O
on O
the O
same O
day O
, O
gendarmerie O
officers O
, O
acting O
on O
a O
tip O
- O
off O
, O
found O
30 O
kg O
of O
heroin O
hidden O
in O
a O
car O
in O
Baskale O
town O
of O
Van O
province O
in O
eastern O
Turkey O
, O
Anatolia O
said O
. O

The O
report O
said O
that O
the O
gendarmerie O
forces O
received O
help O
from O
a O
sniffer O
dog O
in O
finding O
the O
heroin O
in O
Baskale O
, O
adding O
that O
a O
full O
- O
scale O
manhunt O
is O
underway O
to O
arrest O
the O
owner O
of O
the O
car O
. O

Turkey O
is O
on O
a O
key O
transit O
route O
for O
gangs O
smuggling O
drugs O
from O
Asia O
and O
the O
Middle O
East O
to O
markets O
in O
western O
Europe O
. O

In O
2005 B-T
, O
Turkish O
security O
forces O
seized O
6 O
, O
663 O
kg O
of O
heroin O
, O
140 O
kg O
of O
morphine O
, O
34 O
kg O
of O
opium O
, O
6 O
, O
002 O
kg O
of O
hashish O
, O
40 O
kg O
of O
cocaine O
, O
some O
1 O
. O
23 O
million O
captagon O
pills O
and O
5 O
. O
76 O
million O
ecstasy O
pills O
, O
official O
figures O
showed O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0271 O

LANZHOU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

years O

China O
experienced O
little O
change O
in O
its O
average O
precipitation O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
three I-T
decades I-T
, O
according O
to O
an O
analytical O
report O
released O
recently O
by O
Chinese O
scientists O
. O

Experts O
with O
the O
Research O
Institute O
of O
Cold O
and O
Arid O
Regions O
Environment O
and O
Engineering O
under O
the O
Chinese O
Academy O
of O
Sciences O
( O
CAS O
) O
analyzed O
observatory O
data O
from O
385 O
meteorological O
stations O
nationwide O
. O

According O
to O
the O
report O
, O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
average O
precipitation O
reached O
its O
minimum O
in O
the B-T
1970s I-T
and O
has O
since O
remained O
basically O
unchanged O
. O

However O
, O
the O
development O
trend O
of O
precipitation O
varied O
in O
different O
regions O
. O

Precipitation O
in O
northwest O
China O
' O
s O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
and O
Qilian O
Mountain O
, O
northeast O
China O
, O
the O
southeastern O
part O
of O
the O
Qinghai O
- O
Tibet O
plateau O
and O
east O
China O
tended O
to O
increase O
noticeably O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
precipitation O
in O
the O
central O
part O
of O
northwest O
China O
, O
the O
southwestern O
part O
of O
the O
Qinghai O
- O
Tibet O
plateau O
and O
most O
stretches O
of O
central O
and O
north O
China O
tended O
to O
decrease O
obviously O
. O

Zuo O
Hongchao O
, O
who O
took O
part O
in O
the O
precipitation O
investigation O
, O
said O
the O
research O
was O
of O
great O
importance O
, O
as O
changes O
in O
precipitation O
would O
impact O
water O
resources O
, O
agricultural O
production O
and O
the O
ecological O
system O
in O
China O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0409 O

RIO O
DE O
JANEIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Brazilian O
vice O
president O
recovering O
after O
tumor O
- O
removing O
operation O

The O
surgery O
to O
remove O
a O
malignant O
tumor O
from O
the O
abdomen O
of O
Brazilian O
Vice O
President O
Jose O
Alencar O
was O
successful O
, O
said O
a O
medical O
team O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Alencar O
felt O
well O
after O
the O
six O
- O
hour O
operation O
, O
said O
his O
spokesman O
, O
noting O
the O
vice O
president O
was O
still O
at O
the O
Memorial O
Sloan O
- O
Kettering O
Cancer O
Center O
in O
New O
York O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
undergoing O
after O
- O
surgery O
medical O
procedures O
. O
The O
center O
is O
regarded O
as O
one O
of O
the O
best O
oncology O
institutes O
in O
the O
world O
. O

Alencar O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
off O
duty O
till O
Dec B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, O
but O
he O
planned O
to O
return O
to O
Brazil O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
. O

The O
tumor O
was O
detected O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
shortly O
after O
he O
was O
elected O
vice O
president O
along O
with O
President O
Luiz O
Inacio O
Lula O
da O
Silva O
for O
another O
four O
- O
year O
term O
. O

The O
75 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
vice O
president O
had O
gone O
through O
several O
surgical O
operations O
to O
remove O
tumors O
. O
In O
1997 B-T
, O
two O
tumors O
were O
removed O
from O
his O
kidney O
and O
his O
stomach O
respectively O
. O
In O
2000 B-T
, O
he O
underwent O
a O
surgery O
to O
remove O
a O
tumor O
from O
his O
prostate O
. O
In O
July B-T
2006 I-T
, O
doctors O
removed O
a O
four O
- O
centimeter O
tumor O
from O
his O
rectum O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0214 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
to O
increase O
education O
spending O
: O
Premier O

The O
Chinese O
government O
will O
raise O
the O
proportion O
of O
annual O
government O
expenditure O
on O
education O
to O
4 O
percent O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
GDP O
, O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
has O
announced O
. O

He O
said O
government O
would O
help O
further O
spread O
and O
consolidate O
compulsory O
education O
, O
speed O
up O
occupational O
education O
, O
improve O
education O
at O
higher O
institutes O
and O
deepen O
education O
reforms O
. O

From O
July B-T
to I-T
November I-T
, O
Wen O
presided O
over O
four O
forums O
on O
education O
development O
with O
teachers O
, O
educational O
experts O
, O
middle O
school O
masters O
, O
university O
presidents O
and O
officials O
. O

" O
China O
' O
s O
economy O
has O
maintained O
high O
- O
speed O
growth O
for O
28 B-T
consecutive I-T
years I-T
and O
become O
the O
fourth O
largest O
economy O
of O
the O
world O
. O
The O
country O
' O
s O
sustainable O
development O
and O
prosperity O
hinge O
on O
education O
, O
" O
Wen O
said O
. O

The O
government O
always O
paid O
great O
attention O
to O
education O
. O
Compulsory O
education O
has O
been O
launched O
in O
rural O
areas O
and O
universities O
and O
colleges O
had O
enrolled O
a O
larger O
number O
of O
students O
. O
" O
The O
public O
education O
demand O
has O
been O
satisfied O
to O
some O
extent O
. O

" O
But O
we O
should O
realize O
that O
some O
problems O
still O
exist O
in O
education O
development O
. O
We O
shall O
promote O
sustainable O
and O
healthy O
educational O
development O
by O
increasing O
investment O
, O
deepening O
reform O
and O
strengthening O
management O
, O
" O
Wen O
said O
. O

He O
said O
the O
nine O
- O
year O
compulsory O
education O
, O
which O
was O
important O
for O
promoting O
social O
equity O
and O
building O
a O
harmonious O
socialist O
society O
, O
should O
be O
vigorously O
extended O
. O

Schools O
should O
reduce O
student O
assignments O
and O
encourage O
them O
to O
attend O
more O
extracurricular O
activities O
, O
so O
that O
they O
will O
have O
time O
to O
learn O
more O
about O
society O
and O
enhance O
their O
sense O
of O
social O
responsibility O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Wen O
said O
more O
efforts O
should O
be O
put O
into O
developing O
occupational O
education O
, O
as O
it O
would O
help O
alleviate O
the O
shortage O
of O
skilled O
workers O
and O
help O
more O
migrant O
workers O
and O
urban O
unemployed O
obtain O
jobs O
. O

Educational O
reform O
should O
be O
deepened O
in O
universities O
and O
colleges O
so O
as O
to O
train O
more O
university O
graduates O
to O
think O
of O
innovation O
. O

" O
China O
needs O
high O
- O
quality O
teachers O
. O
The O
government O
will O
intensify O
support O
for O
education O
so O
as O
to O
attract O
the O
best O
people O
into O
teaching O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
ordered O
local O
governments O
to O
raise O
salaries O
and O
benefits O
for O
teachers O
in O
rural O
areas O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0429 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

policy O
committee O

China O
' O
s O
central O
bank O
has O
removed O
the O
country O
' O
s O
former O
statistics O
chief O
Qiu O
Xiaohua O
from O
its O
monetary O
policy O
consulting O
body O
, O
said O
the O
General O
Office O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
, O
or O
China O
' O
s O
cabinet O
, O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Qiu O
Xiaohua O
was O
dismissed O
from O
the O
top O
job O
at O
the O
National O
Bureau O
of O
Statistics O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
12 I-T
for O
his O
suspected O
involvement O
in O
the O
10 O
billion O
- O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
25 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
Shanghai O
social O
security O
fund O
fraud O
. O

Xie O
Fuzhan O
, O
the O
newly O
appointed O
NBS O
head O
, O
has O
replaced O
Qiu O
as O
one O
of O
the O
13 O
commissioners O
on O
the O
Monetary O
Policy O
Committee O
of O
the O
People O
' O
s O
Bank O
of O
China O
, O
said O
the O
Office O
. O

Xie O
had O
been O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Development O
Research O
Center O
of O
the O
State O
Council O
before O
taking O
up O
the O
NBS O
post O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0126 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

7 O
arrested O
in O
Kabul O
for O
possessing O
explosives O

Seven O
persons O
were O
arrested O
on O
Saturday B-T
along O
with O
their O
two O
cars O
full O
of O
explosives O
in O
Afghan O
capital O
Kabul O
, O
the O
spokesperson O
of O
Ministry O
of O
Defense O
said O
. O

" O
This O
afternoon O
at O
about O
3 O
: O
30 O
, O
Afghan O
National O
Army O
( O
ANA O
) O
seized O
two O
cars O
full O
of O
explosives O
in O
the O
city O
of O
Kabul O
, O
and O
arrested O
four O
persons O
in O
the O
car O
. O
The O
third O
car O
was O
also O
seized O
by O
ANA O
after O
finding O
the O
direct O
relation O
with O
the O
first O
two O
cars O
although O
there O
is O
no O
explosive O
inside O
, O
and O
the O
three O
persons O
in O
the O
car O
were O
arrested O
afterwards O
, O
" O
spokesperson O
Zahir O
Azimi O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

The O
spokesperson O
refused O
to O
comment O
about O
if O
there O
is O
any O
suicide O
attack O
attempts O
behind O
it O
. O

Taliban O
militants O
in O
Afghanistan O
have O
intensified O
attacks O
against O
Afghan O
and O
foreign O
troops O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
especially O
by O
use O
of O
suicide O
attacks O
. O

A O
people O
was O
arrested O
in O
eastern O
Nangarhar O
province O
on O
Friday B-T
for O
taking O
many O
explosives O
in O
his O
body O
and O
the O
suicide O
explosion O
attempt O
. O
On O
the B-T
same I-T
day I-T
, O
another O
suicide O
attacker O
in O
the O
province O
exploded O
the O
bomb O
in O
his O
body O
and O
injured O
one O
passerby O
. O

The O
Afghan O
government O
has O
sent O
more O
troops O
for O
further O
investigation O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061227 O
. O
0393 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

The O
AFP O
world O
news O
agenda O
at O
2100 O
GMT O

What O
' O
s O
coming O
up O
around O
the O
world O
: O

+ O
Ethiopian O
, O
Somali O
troops O
near O
capital O

+ O
Iraq O
prepares O
for O
rapid O
Saddam O
execution O

+ O
Israel O
to O
resume O
Gaza O
strikes O

- O
- O
TOP O
STORIES O
- O
- O

MOGADISHU O
: O
Covering O
developments O
after O
Ethiopian O
troops O
backing O
government O
forces O
ousted O
Islamist O
fighters O
from O
a O
key O
southern O
town O
and O
moved O
closer O
to O
the O
capital O
, O
amid O
calls O
from O
African O
and O
Arab O
nations O
that O
they O
withdraw O
. O
( O
SOMALIA O
- O
UNREST O
- O
ETHIOPIA O
) O

BAGHDAD O
: O
Reporting O
as O
Iraqis O
brace O
for O
the O
execution O
of O
former O
dictator O
Saddam O
Hussein O
and O
a O
possible O
backlash O
from O
his O
supporters O
, O
amid O
controversy O
over O
the O
US O
detention O
of O
Iranian O
agents O
. O
( O
IRAQ O
) O

JERUSALEM O
: O
Reaction O
to O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
order O
resumption O
of O
strikes O
against O
rocket O
- O
firing O
militants O
in O
Gaza O
after O
a O
Palestinian O
rocket O
wounded O
two O
Israeli O
teenagers O
. O
( O
MIDEAST O
- O
CONFLICT O
- O
GAZA O
- O
CEASEFIRE O
) O

- O
- O
OTHER O
AGENDA O
ITEMS O
- O
- O

CRAWFORD O
, O
Texas O
: O
Reporting O
as O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
welcomes O
his O
top O
aides O
to O
his O
Texas O
ranch O
for O
final O
consultations O
on O
his O
planned O
strategy O
change O
in O
Iraq O
. O
( O
US O
- O
IRAQ O
- O
BUSH O
) O

HONG O
KONG O
: O
Covering O
developments O
after O
Internet O
and O
phone O
services O
were O
disrupted O
across O
much O
of O
Asia O
after O
an O
earthquake O
damaged O
undersea O
cables O
, O
leaving O
the O
region O
in O
a O
virtual O
blackout O
. O
( O
ASIA O
- O
QUAKE O
- O
INTERNET O
) O

JAKARTA O
: O
Reporting O
from O
Aceh O
on O
relief O
and O
rescue O
efforts O
after O
flash O
floods O
and O
landslides O
on O
Sumatra O
island O
which O
have O
killed O
more O
than O
100 O
people O
and O
forced O
more O
than O
400 O
, O
000 O
to O
flee O
their O
homes O
. O
( O
WEATHER O
- O
INDONESIA O
- O
FLOODS O
) O

MINA O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
: O
Around O
two O
million O
Muslim O
faithful O
converge O
on O
Mina O
near O
Mecca O
to O
begin O
the O
annual O
hajj O
pilgrimage O
. O
( O
SAUDI O
- O
RELIGION O
- O
ISLAM O
- O
HAJJ O
) O

MOSCOW O
: O
Reporting O
as O
Russia O
and O
Belarus O
have O
just O
four B-T
days I-T
to O
agree O
on O
a O
price O
for O
natural O
gas O
exports O
before O
Russian O
giant O
Gazprom O
cuts O
off O
supplies O
to O
the O
ex O
- O
Soviet O
republic O
, O
with O
a O
possible O
knock O
- O
on O
effect O
for O
western O
Europe O
. O
( O
BELARUS O
- O
RUSSIA O
- O
ENERGY O
- O
GAS O
- O
DIPLOMACY O
- O
COMPANY O
- O
GAZPROM O
) O

NEW O
YORK O
: O
Covering O
as O
mourners O
gather O
to O
pay O
their O
respects O
to O
late O
soul O
legend O
James O
Brown O
, O
who O
will O
lie O
in O
state O
at O
Harlem O
' O
s O
Apollo O
Theater O
from O
1800 O
GMT O
. O
( O
AFPENTERTAINMENT O
- O
MUSIC O
- O
US O
- O
BROWN O
) O

TEHRAN O
: O
Following O
developments O
after O
Iran O
' O
s O
parliament O
approves O
a O
bill O
obliging O
the O
government O
to O
" O
revise O
its O
cooperation O
" O
with O
the O
UN O
nuclear O
watchdog O
in O
retaliation O
for O
sanctions O
imposed O
on O
Tehran O
. O
( O
IRAN O
- O
NUCLEAR O
- O
POLITICS O
- O
IAEA O
) O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0276 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

UN O
investigators O
meet O
Lebanese O
president O
over O
Hariri O
' O
s O
killing O

Two O
UN O
investigators O
met O
with O
Lebanese O
President O
Emile O
Lahoud O
Friday B-T
night I-T
over O
the O
killing O
of O
former O
Prime O
Minister O
Rafik O
Hariri O
and O
took O
a O
statement O
from O
Lahoud O
, O
according O
to O
the O
presidential O
office O
. O

The O
investigators O
came O
to O
the O
presidential O
palace O
in O
Baabda O
to O
take O
the O
statement O
. O

A O
UN O
commission O
said O
in O
an O
interim O
report O
last B-T
month I-T
that O
Lahoud O
was O
not O
a O
suspect O
in O
the O
Feb B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
killing O
, O
but O
a O
suspect O
made O
a O
call O
to O
the O
president O
' O
s O
phone O
minutes O
before O
the O
blast O
. O

The O
report O
claimed O
that O
investigations O
found O
" O
converging O
evidence O
" O
of O
both O
Syrian O
and O
Lebanese O
involvement O
in O
Hariri O
' O
s O
killing O
. O

Syria O
has O
denied O
any O
role O
in O
the O
murder O
and O
dismissed O
the O
findings O
as O
politically O
motivated O
. O

The O
UN O
Security O
Council O
unanimously O
adopted O
a O
resolution O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
, O
demanding O
Syria O
cooperate O
fully O
with O
the O
UN O
probe O
or O
face O
possible O
" O
further O
action O
. O
" O

Chief O
UN O
investigator O
Detlev O
Mehlis O
is O
scheduled O
to O
present O
a O
final O
report O
to O
the O
United O
Nations O
on O
the O
probe O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0017 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mongolian O
PM O
refutes O
reports O
on O
receiving O
refugees O
from O
DPRK O

Mongolian O
Prime O
Minister O
Miegombyn O
Enkhbold O
on O
Thursday B-T
refuted O
news O
reports O
claiming O
that O
Mongolia O
was O
setting O
up O
refugee O
camps O
for O
people O
from O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
DPRK O
) O
. O

" O
There O
are O
some O
news O
reports O
or O
rumors O
that O
Mongolia O
is O
preparing O
to O
receive O
refugees O
or O
setting O
up O
refugee O
camps O
in O
Mongolia O
, O
but O
these O
reports O
are O
groundless O
, O
" O
Enkhbold O
told O
reporters O
at O
the O
Mongolian O
Embassy O
in O
Beijing O
. O

Mongolia O
and O
the O
DPRK O
have O
longstanding O
relations O
and O
Mongolia O
has O
always O
supported O
a O
nuclear O
weapon O
- O
free O
Korean O
Peninsula O
, O
Enkhbold O
said O
. O

" O
Our O
position O
is O
to O
solve O
the O
nuclear O
issue O
through O
political O
dialogue O
and O
cooperation O
, O
" O
the O
prime O
minister O
said O
. O
" O
The O
Mongolian O
government O
is O
willing O
to O
implement O
the O
UN O
resolution O
on O
Korean O
nuclear O
issue O
. O
" O

" O
We O
hope O
for O
the O
success O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
and O
we O
support O
the O
initiatives O
and O
activities O
of O
the O
six O
parties O
, O
" O
Enkhbold O
said O
. O

As O
part O
of O
the O
UN O
refugee O
commission O
, O
Mongolia O
will O
treat O
refugees O
from O
a O
humanitarian O
point O
of O
view O
, O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0023 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

MOR O
official O

No O
specific O
timetable O
is O
now B-T
available O
for O
work O
to O
begin O
on O
the O
1 O
, O
320 O
- O
km O
- O
long O
high O
- O
speed O
railway O
connecting O
China O
' O
s O
capital O
with O
the O
country O
' O
s O
economic O
hub O
of O
Shanghai O
, O
an O
official O
with O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Railways O
said O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
statement O
was O
a O
response O
to O
an O
earlier O
report O
carried O
by O
a O
Shanghai O
- O
based O
business O
newspaper O
saying O
that O
construction O
would O
likely O
start O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
MOR O
source O
added O
that O
no O
official O
data O
is O
available O
either O
for O
investment O
needed O
by O
the O
railroad O
project O
. O

According O
to O
China O
Business O
News O
, O
the O
budget O
for O
the O
project O
has O
been O
revised O
up O
from O
the O
initial O
estimate O
of O
some O
130 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
16 O
. O
5 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
to O
more O
than O
170 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
21 O
. O
5 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O
If O
another O
three O
independent O
projects O
are O
taken O
into O
account O
, O
the O
total O
investment O
will O
likely O
rise O
to O
approximately O
200 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
25 O
. O
3 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

The O
revised O
cost O
estimate O
takes O
account O
of O
funds O
required O
for O
land O
appropriation O
. O

A O
feasibility O
report O
on O
the O
railroad O
project O
is O
now B-T
awaiting O
approval O
, O
and O
preparations O
have O
entered O
the O
final O
stage O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

One O
of O
the O
three O
independent O
projects O
related O
to O
the O
high O
- O
speed O
railway O
, O
Dashengguan O
Yangtze O
River O
Bridge O
, O
is O
now B-T
under O
construction O
, O
with O
investment O
estimated O
at O
4 O
. O
8 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
607 O
. O
6 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O
The O
bridge O
design O
includes O
six O
railtracks O
, O
two O
for O
the O
Beijing O
- O
Shanghai O
railroad O
, O
two O
for O
the O
Shanghai O
- O
Wuhan O
- O
Chengdu O
railway O
and O
two O
more O
for O
subway O
services O
in O
Nanjing O
, O
capital O
city O
of O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Jiangsu O
Province O
, O
the O
newspaper O
added O
. O

In O
general O
, O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Railways O
- O
- O
via O
its O
investment O
vehicle O
China O
Railway O
Construction O
Investment O
Co O
. O
- O
- O
takes O
a O
stake O
of O
at O
least O
51 O
percent O
in O
railway O
construction O
projects O
in O
China O
, O
local O
governments O
along O
the O
route O
account O
for O
20 O
% O
, O
and O
the O
remaining O
29 O
percent O
or O
so O
comes O
from O
the O
public O
. O

This B-T
month I-T
the O
railway O
construction O
investment O
company O
will O
have O
talks O
with O
the O
governments O
of O
Hebei O
, O
Jiangsu O
, O
Shandong O
and O
Anhui O
provinces O
and O
Beijing O
, O
Tianjin O
and O
Shanghai O
cities O
on O
jointly O
establishing O
a O
company O
to O
run O
the O
project O
, O
the O
newspaper O
revealed O
. O

The O
insurance O
sector O
also O
intends O
to O
invest O
in O
the O
high O
- O
speed O
railway O
, O
with O
a O
possible O
input O
of O
40 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
5 O
. O
1 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
, O
the O
paper O
said O
. O

The O
Beijing O
- O
Shanghai O
high O
- O
speed O
railway O
will O
stretch O
1 O
, O
320 O
kilometers O
and O
trains O
will O
be O
designed O
to O
travel O
at O
speeds O
of O
350 O
kilometers O
per O
hour O
. O
The O
project O
will O
shorten O
the O
travel O
time O
between O
the O
two O
cities O
from O
14 O
hours O
to O
five O
hours O
. O
Construction O
will O
take O
five B-T
years I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0289 O

PRISTINA O
, O
Serbia O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Violence O
would O
derail O
Kosovo O
status O
process O
, O
US O
warns O

Any O
violence O
in O
Kosovo O
could O
derail O
the O
nearly O
completed O
process O
to O
give O
the O
UN O
- O
administered O
province O
a O
new O
status O
, O
a O
senior O
US O
diplomat O
warned O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
We O
want O
to O
reiterate O
our O
desire O
to O
see O
this O
process O
, O
which O
is O
now O
in O
the O
concluding O
stages O
, O
completed O
without O
delay O
, O
" O
US O
Deputy O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Rosemary O
DiCarlo O
told O
local O
reporters O
. O

" O
To O
do O
so O
, O
we O
all O
need O
to O
ensure O
that O
the O
people O
of O
Kosovo O
move O
forward O
according O
to O
the O
terms O
set O
by O
the O
process O
, O
that O
there O
will O
be O
no O
violence O
which O
will O
hurt O
considerably O
the O
aspiration O
of O
the O
people O
of O
Kosovo O
to O
see O
this O
process O
to O
conclusion O
. O
" O

Special O
UN O
envoy O
Martti O
Ahtisaari O
is O
expected O
to O
reveal O
his O
proposal O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
on O
the O
future O
status O
of O
Kosovo O
, O
whose O
ethnic O
- O
Albanian O
majority O
is O
seeking O
independence O
from O
Serbia O
, O
a O
demand O
Belgrade O
strongly O
opposes O
. O

The O
UN O
- O
run O
province O
remains O
tense O
more O
than O
seven O
years O
since O
the O
end O
of O
its O
1998 B-T
- I-T
1999 I-T
conflict O
between O
Serbian O
forces O
and O
separatist O
ethnic O
Albanian O
guerillas O
. O

Frustrations O
over O
the O
wait O
for O
determining O
Kosovo O
' O
s O
status O
have O
occasionally O
turned O
violent O
among O
ethnic O
Albanians O
, O
who O
comprise O
around O
90 O
percent O
of O
the O
province O
' O
s O
two O
million O
population O
. O

" O
Unilateral O
actions O
will O
be O
counterproductive O
, O
" O
said O
the O
EU O
representative O
to O
the O
Kosovo O
talks O
, O
Stephan O
Lehne O
. O

" O
You O
have O
to O
show O
the O
maturity O
and O
commitment O
to O
help O
the O
international O
community O
partnership O
with O
you O
to O
bring O
this O
process O
to O
its O
essential O
conclusion O
, O
" O
said O
Lehne O
. O

DiCarlo O
and O
Lehne O
made O
the O
statements O
after O
meeting O
with O
Kosovo O
Albanian O
leaders O
and O
their O
negotiating O
team O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0214 O

SHANGHAI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

win O
over O
Ljubicic O

World O
number O
one O
Roger O
Federer O
kept O
in O
low O
status O
Tuesday B-T
as O
the O
two O
- O
time O
defending O
champion O
of O
the O
season O
- O
ending O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
was O
pulled O
into O
tiebreaker O
of O
decider O
before O
avoiding O
a O
defeat O
at O
just O
the O
second O
match O
in O
Shanghai O
. O

It O
took O
two O
hours O
and O
17 O
minutes O
of O
the O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Swiss O
to O
defeat O
the O
in O
- O
form O
Croatian O
Ivan O
Ljubicic O
6 O
- O
3 O
, O
2 O
- O
6 O
, O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
4 O
) O
, O
with O
a O
forehanded O
shot O
out O
of O
Ljubicic O
' O
s O
reach O
for O
the O
tiebreaker O
win O
. O

After O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
stumble O
win O
from O
Federer O
against O
Argentina O
' O
s O
David O
Nalbandian O
, O
the O
last O
man O
having O
qualified O
for O
the O
elite O
eight O
- O
man O
field O
, O
nothing O
wrong O
from O
the O
tennis O
super O
star O
could O
be O
more O
shocking O
, O
even O
another O
rare O
fightback O
and O
a O
tiebreaker O
. O

With O
all O
the O
embarrassments O
of O
backhand O
errors O
, O
weak O
returns O
and O
slow O
paces O
, O
Federer O
just O
repeated O
his O
sluggish O
form O
shown O
in O
Nalbandian O
' O
s O
match O
, O
being O
broken O
twice O
in O
the O
second O
set O
after O
taking O
the O
first O
using O
an O
advantage O
of O
serving O
first O
. O

Forced O
the O
decider O
, O
the O
superlative O
, O
who O
has O
compiled O
another O
outstanding O
season O
with O
an O
ATP O
- O
best O
11 O
titles O
including O
two O
Grand O
Slam O
and O
a O
record O
four O
ATP O
Masters O
Series O
crown O
, O
should O
have O
shortened O
his O
work O
of O
Ljubicic O
in O
the O
ninth O
game O
before O
his O
two O
match O
points O
in O
hand O
were O
denied O
by O
the O
Croatian O
with O
some O
placement O
shots O
. O

Ljubicic O
, O
who O
enjoyed O
his O
best O
season O
by O
winning O
two O
ATP O
titles O
in O
eight O
finals O
and O
broke O
into O
top O
ten O
for O
first O
time O
, O
then O
continually O
moved O
Federer O
to O
play O
close O
to O
the O
net O
and O
transferred O
errors O
from O
the O
Swiss O
to O
his O
own O
benefit O
before O
holding O
on O
to O
force O
tiebreaker O
. O

With O
the O
victory O
, O
Federer O
saved O
his O
near O
- O
perfect O
record O
at O
the O
Tennis O
Masters O
Cup O
, O
increased O
his O
winning O
streak O
to O
33 O
, O
and O
extended O
his O
season O
- O
best O
match O
record O
to O
79 O
- O
3 O
. O

The O
Shanghai O
match O
was O
the O
first O
in O
six B-T
weeks I-T
for O
Federer O
, O
who O
has O
already O
clinched O
the O
world O
No O
. O
1 O
year O
- O
end O
ranking O
for O
the B-T
second I-T
year I-T
in O
succession O
. O
He O
last O
competed O
in O
Bangkok O
, O
winning O
his O
11th O
title O
of O
the O
season O
on O
October B-T
2 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0042 O

HARBIN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
to O
build O
gene O
bank O
for O
Siberian O
tigers O

Chinese O
zoologists O
plan O
to O
establish O
a O
gene O
bank O
for O
the O
endangered O
Siberian O
tigers O
within O
three B-T
years I-T
to O
ensure O
heredity O
diversity O
for O
the O
large O
cats O
. O

" O
By O
2009 O
, O
we O
will O
have O
established O
a O
DNA O
bank O
from O
samples O
of O
more O
than O
750 O
tigers O
at O
the O
park O
, O
" O
said O
Liu O
Dan O
, O
chief O
engineer O
of O
the O
Harbin O
- O
based O
Heilongjiang O
Siberian O
Tiger O
Park O
in O
northeast O
China O
, O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
Siberian O
tiger O
breeding O
base O
. O

He O
said O
nearly O
half O
of O
the O
tigers O
with O
high O
genetic O
quality O
will O
be O
selected O
for O
further O
reproduction O
, O
while O
the O
others O
will O
be O
sent O
to O
zoos O
. O

" O
The O
move O
aims O
to O
expand O
heredity O
diversity O
by O
reducing O
inbreeding O
among O
the O
tigers O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Experts O
believe O
inbreeding O
of O
the O
tigers O
is O
partly O
blamed O
for O
apparent O
genetic O
degeneration O
, O
which O
includes O
slow O
physical O
development O
, O
blurred O
stripes O
, O
deformities O
and O
underdeveloped O
organs O
. O

Siberian O
tigers O
, O
among O
the O
world O
' O
s O
10 O
most O
endangered O
species O
, O
mostly O
live O
in O
northeast O
China O
and O
the O
Far O
East O
area O
of O
Russia O
. O
Of O
the O
400 O
estimated O
to O
live O
in O
the O
wild O
, O
only O
10 O
to O
17 O
live O
in O
northeast O
China O
. O

The O
center O
is O
home O
to O
more O
than O
750 O
Siberian O
tigers O
, O
up O
from O
just O
eight O
when O
it O
was O
founded O
in O
1986 B-T
. O

More O
than O
90 O
of O
the O
100 O
or O
so O
tigers O
born O
at O
the O
park O
every B-T
year I-T
survive O
and O
the O
park O
' O
s O
tiger O
population O
is O
expected O
to O
exceed O
1 O
, O
000 O
by O
2009 B-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
park O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0027 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0027 O
. O

National O
Intergroup O

@ O
To O
Report O
Charge O

@ O
For O
Third O
Quarter O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

NII O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

PITTSBURGH O

National O
Intergroup O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
expects O
to O
report O
a O
charge O
of O
$ O
5 O
. O
3 O
million O
related O
to O
the O
sale O
of O
its O
aluminum O
unit O
' O
s O
extrusion O
division O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
company O
said O
it O
has O
agreed O
to O
sell O
the O
extrusion O
division O
for O
$ O
15 O
million O
to O
R O
. O
D O
. O
Werner O
Co O
. O
, O
a O
closely O
held O
firm O
based O
in O
Greenville O
, O
Pa O
. O

The O
charge O
is O
offset O
by O
an O
after O
- O
tax O
gain O
of O
about O
$ O
30 O
million O
in O
the B-T
quarter I-T
from O
the O
previously O
announced O
pact O
to O
sell O
National O
Aluminum O
' O
s O
rolling O
division O
. O

National O
Intergroup O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
- I-T
ago I-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
earned O
$ O
22 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
97 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
including O
a O
gain O
of O
$ O
18 O
million O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
a O
steel O
tube O
company O
. O

Revenue O
was O
$ O
778 O
. O
6 O
million O
. O

The O
company O
also O
said O
it O
continues O
to O
explore O
all O
options O
concerning O
the O
possible O
sale O
of O
National O
Aluminum O
' O
s O
54 O
. O
5 O
% O
stake O
in O
an O
aluminum O
smelter O
in O
Hawesville O
, O
Ky O
. O

The O
sale O
of O
the O
extrusion O
division O
is O
subject O
to O
audit O
adjustments O
for O
working O
capital O
changes O
through O
the O
closing O
. O

The O
agreement O
also O
provides O
for O
potential O
payments O
of O
additional O
proceeds O
to O
National O
Aluminum O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
two I-T
years I-T
, O
depending O
on O
the O
plant O
' O
s O
shipping O
levels O
. O

The O
extrusion O
unit O
produces O
bare O
and O
painted O
custom O
extrusions O
for O
building O
products O
and O
construction O
industries O
. O

In O
fiscal B-T
1989 I-T
, O
it O
had O
sales O
of O
about O
$ O
40 O
million O
and O
an O
operating O
loss O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
5 O
million O
. O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0078 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0078 O
. O

Thursday O
' O
s O
Markets O
: O

@ O
Earnings O

@ O
Data O
Cause O

@ O
Stock O
Fall O

@ O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
Industrials O
Sink O
39 O
. O
55 O
; O

@ O
Bonds O
Slip O
, O
but O
Dollar O

@ O
Soars O
Against O
Pound O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Douglas O
R O
. O
Sease O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

MONETARY O
NEWS O
, O
FOREIGN O
EXCHANGE O
, O
TRADE O
( O
MON O
) O

STOCK O
INDEXES O
( O
NDX O
) O

STOCK O
MARKET O
, O
OFFERINGS O
( O
STK O
) O

FINANCIAL O
, O
ACCOUNTING O
, O
LEASING O
( O
FIN O
) O

BOND O
MARKET O
NEWS O
( O
BON O
) O

FOREIGN O
- O
EXCHANGE O
MARKETS O
( O
FRX O
) O

TREASURY O
DEPARTMENT O
( O
TRE O
) O

Some O
lousy O
earnings O
reports O
whacked O
the O
stock O
market O
, O
but O
bond O
prices O
fell O
only O
slightly O
and O
the O
dollar O
rose O
a O
little O
against O
most O
major O
currencies O
. O

The O
Dow O
Jones O
Industrial O
Average O
tumbled O
39 O
. O
55 O
points O
, O
to O
2613 O
. O
73 O
, O
in O
active O
trading O
. O

Long O
- O
term O
Treasury O
bonds O
ended O
slightly O
higher O
. O

The O
dollar O
rose O
modestly O
against O
the O
mark O
and O
the O
yen O
, O
but O
soared O
against O
the O
pound O
following O
the O
resignation O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
chancellor O
of O
the O
Exchequer O
, O
Nigel O
Lawson O
. O

Analysts O
have O
complained O
that O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
corporate O
earnings O
have O
n O
' O
t O
been O
very O
good O
, O
but O
the O
effect O
hit O
home O
particularly O
hard O
yesterday B-T
. O

Compaq O
Computer O
nose O
- O
dived O
$ O
8 O
. O
625 O
a O
share O
, O
to O
$ O
100 O
, O
and O
pulled O
other O
technology O
issues O
lower O
after O
reporting O
lower O
- O
than O
- O
expected O
earnings O
after O
the O
stock O
market O
closed O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Later B-T
yesterday I-T
the O
nation O
' O
s O
major O
auto O
makers O
added O
to O
the O
gloom O
when O
they O
each O
reported O
their O
core O
auto O
operations O
were O
net O
losers O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
. O

The O
less O
- O
than O
- O
robust O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
results O
came O
amid O
renewed O
concern O
about O
the O
volatility O
of O
stock O
prices O
and O
the O
role O
of O
computer O
- O
aided O
program O
trading O
. O

Taken O
together O
, O
the O
worries O
prompted O
a O
broad O
sell O
- O
off O
of O
stocks O
. O

The O
number O
of O
stocks O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
that O
fell O
in O
price O
yesterday B-T
exceeded O
1 O
, O
000 O
, O
a O
key O
measure O
of O
underlying O
sentiment O
among O
technical O
analysts O
. O

Although O
the O
government O
said O
the O
economy O
grew O
an O
estimated O
2 O
. O
5 O
% O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
in O
line O
with O
expectations O
, O
analysts O
are O
increasingly O
predicting O
much O
more O
sluggish O
growth O
- O
- O
and O
therefore O
more O
corporate O
earnings O
disappointments O
- O
- O
for O
the B-T
fourth I-T
quarter I-T
. O

" O
There O
are O
a O
lot O
more O
downward O
revisions O
of O
earnings O
forecasts O
than O
upward O
revisions O
, O
" O
said O
Abby O
Joseph O
Cohen O
, O
a O
market O
strategist O
at O
Drexel O
Burnham O
Lambert O
. O

" O
People O
are O
questioning O
corporate O
profits O
as O
a O
pillar O
of O
support O
for O
the O
equity O
market O
. O
" O

The O
bond O
market O
was O
unmoved O
by O
the O
economic O
statistics O
. O

While O
bond O
investors O
would O
have O
preferred O
growth O
to O
be O
a O
little O
slower O
, O
they O
were O
cheered O
by O
inflation O
measures O
in O
the O
data O
that O
showed O
prices O
rising O
at O
a O
modest O
annual O
rate O
of O
2 O
. O
9 O
% O
. O

That O
is O
another O
small O
encouragement O
for O
the O
Federal O
Reserve O
to O
lower O
interest O
rates O
in O
coming B-T
weeks I-T
, O
they O
reasoned O
. O

In O
major O
market O
activity O
: O

Stock O
prices O
fell O
sharply O
in O
active O
trading O
. O

Volume O
on O
the O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
totaled O
175 O
. O
2 O
million O
shares O
. O

Declining O
issues O
on O
the O
Big O
Board O
outstripped O
gainers O
1 O
, O
141 O
to O
406 O
. O

Bond O
prices O
were O
barely O
higher O
. O

The O
Treasury O
' O
s O
benchmark O
30 O
- O
year O
rose O
fractionally O
. O

Yield O
on O
the O
issue O
was O
7 O
. O
88 O
% O
. O

The O
dollar O
rose O
modestly O
against O
most O
major O
currencies O
. O

In O
late O
New O
York O
trading O
the O
dollar O
was O
at O
1 O
. O
8400 O
marks O
and O
142 O
. O
10 O
yen O
compared O
with O
1 O
. O
8353 O
marks O
and O
141 O
. O
52 O
yen O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
dollar O
soared O
against O
the O
pound O
, O
which O
was O
at O
$ O
1 O
. O
5765 O
compared O
with O
$ O
1 O
. O
6145 O
Wednesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0191 O

ALGIERS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Algerian O
president O
flies O
to O
Paris O
for O
medical O
treatment O

Algerian O
President O
Abdelaziz O
Bouteflika O
went O
to O
Paris O
for O
medical O
treatment O
on O
Saturday B-T
after O
experiencing O
digestive O
disorder O
, O
his O
office O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Bouteflika O
received O
a O
medical O
check O
- O
up O
the O
same O
day O
in O
the O
capital O
Algeria O
" O
due O
to O
digestive O
disorder O
" O
and O
was O
later O
sent O
to O
Paris O
for O
further O
treatment O
on O
the O
advice O
of O
the O
doctors O
who O
examined O
him O
, O
the O
statement O
said O
. O

The O
statement O
also O
quoted O
the O
doctors O
as O
saying O
" O
the O
president O
' O
s O
condition O
is O
not O
a O
source O
of O
concern O
. O
" O

Bouteflika O
' O
s O
office O
said O
he O
would O
now O
not O
attend O
the O
Euro O
- O
Mediterranean O
summit O
in O
Barcelona O
on O
Sunday B-T
as O
planned O
. O

Bouteflika O
, O
born O
in O
March B-T
1937 I-T
, O
was O
elected O
president O
in O
1998 B-T
and O
secured O
a O
second O
term O
in O
office O
in O
April B-T
2004 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0348 O

ROME O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Nazi O
officer O
Hass O
was O
spy O
for O
Italians O
, O
Americans O
: O
lawyer O

Karl O
Hass O
, O
who O
is O
being O
tried O
along O
with O
fellow O
ex O
- O
Nazi O
officer O
Erich O
Priebke O
for O
the O
massacre O
of O
335 O
civilians O
in O
1944 B-T
, O
went O
on O
to O
work O
as O
a O
spy O
for O
the O
Italians O
and O
the O
Americans O
, O
a O
lawyer O
for O
the O
victims O
' O
families O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Giancarlo O
Maniga O
told O
a O
court O
here O
that O
Hass O
, O
who O
remained O
in O
Italy O
after O
the O
end O
of O
the O
war O
, O
" O
in O
1951 B-T
. O
. O
. O
passed O
into O
the O
service O
of O
the O
Americans O
and O
in O
1953 O
of O
the O
Italian O
interior O
ministry O
and O
in O
1955 B-T
he O
supplied O
Italian O
documents O
to O
the O
Soviets O
. O
" O

Maniga O
also O
said O
that O
Hass O
, O
84 O
, O
was O
involved O
in O
a O
number O
of O
bloody O
attacks O
carried O
out O
by O
right O
- O
wing O
extremists O
during O
the B-T
1970s I-T
. O

He O
asked O
that O
documents O
from O
the O
trials O
held O
over O
the O
attacks O
- O
- O
one O
in O
Milan O
in O
1969 B-T
that O
left O
16 O
people O
dead O
and O
another O
in O
Brescia O
in O
1974 B-T
that O
killed O
eight O
people O
- O
- O
be O
included O
in O
the O
current O
proceedings O
. O

The O
trial O
of O
Hass O
and O
Priebke O
opened O
on O
April B-T
14 I-T
before O
a O
military O
tribunal O
in O
the O
top O
security O
prison O
in O
Rebibbia O
. O

Priebke O
, O
who O
was O
extradited O
from O
Argentina O
in O
1995 B-T
, O
has O
already O
been O
tried O
once O
before O
in O
connection O
with O
the O
killings O
. O
He O
was O
found O
guilty O
of O
murder O
last B-T
August I-T
, O
but O
the O
military O
tribunal O
ruled O
that O
the O
crime O
was O
covered O
by O
Italy O
' O
s O
20 O
- O
year O
statute O
of O
limitations O
. O

Priebke O
was O
freed O
, O
but O
the O
verdict O
sparked O
an O
outcry O
and O
he O
was O
immediately O
rearrested O
. O

Hass O
, O
Priebke O
' O
s O
former O
commander O
, O
confessed O
while O
testifying O
in O
the O
earlier O
trial O
to O
taking O
part O
in O
the O
massacre O
. O
He O
admitted O
shooting O
two O
of O
the O
hostages O
" O
to O
set O
an O
example O
to O
his O
men O
. O
" O

The O
Ardeatine O
Cave O
massacre O
in O
the O
southern O
suburbs O
of O
Rome O
was O
one O
of O
most O
notorious O
crimes O
committed O
in O
Italy O
during O
World O
War O
II O
. O

Following O
the O
deaths O
of O
33 O
Nazi O
soldiers O
in O
an O
attack O
by O
resistance O
fighters O
, O
the O
SS O
commander O
for O
Rome O
Herbert O
Kappler O
, O
who O
was O
later O
jailed O
for O
his O
role O
, O
ordered O
that O
10 O
Italian O
hostages O
should O
be O
killed O
in O
retaliation O
for O
every O
German O
death O
. O
He O
delegated O
the O
task O
to O
Priebke O
, O
his O
deputy O
. O

Earlier O
in O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
hearing O
, O
a O
lawyer O
for O
the O
Jewish O
community O
in O
Rome O
asked O
that O
documents O
from O
Kappler O
' O
s O
trial O
be O
included O
in O
the O
current O
proceedings O
. O

Kappler O
took O
responsibility O
for O
the O
killings O
, O
thus O
ensuring O
that O
Priebke O
and O
Hass O
would O
go O
free O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0429 O

COLOMBO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Ld O
: O
Sri O
Lankans O
head O
to O
polls O
for O
new O
president O

Sri O
Lankan O
presidential O
election O
started O
Thursday B-T
morning I-T
as O
13 O
. O
3 O
million O
men O
and O
women O
began O
to O
cast O
their O
ballots O
to O
choose O
their O
new O
president O
from O
13 O
contenders O
. O

A O
grand O
of O
13 O
, O
327 O
, O
160 O
people O
aged O
over O
18 O
are O
eligible O
to O
vote O
on O
Thursday B-T
during O
a O
nine O
- O
hour O
polling O
period O
from O
7 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0100 O
GMT O
) O
to O
4 O
: O
00 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
1000 O
GMT O
) O
. O

The O
election O
is O
staging O
at O
10 O
, O
486 O
polling O
stations O
islandwide O
including O
233 O
cluster O
polling O
stations O
set O
up O
in O
the O
government O
controlled O
areas O
for O
the O
voters O
residing O
in O
the O
Liberation O
Tigers O
of O
Tamil O
Eelam O
rebel O
controlled O
areas O
. O

Among O
the O
13 O
candidates O
, O
Sri O
Lanka O
' O
s O
main O
opposition O
leader O
Ranil O
Wickremesinghe O
and O
Sri O
Lankan O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
the O
ruling O
party O
' O
s O
candidate O
Mahinda O
Rajapakse O
are O
two O
of O
front O
runners O
. O

An O
independent O
poll O
survey O
had O
shown O
that O
the O
issue O
of O
cost O
of O
living O
and O
the O
peace O
process O
with O
Tamil O
Tigers O
were O
the O
two O
main O
issues O
in O
the O
election O
. O

Rajapakse O
has O
pledged O
a O
tough O
line O
on O
the O
Tamil O
rebels O
as O
he O
forged O
election O
pacts O
with O
the O
leftist O
JVP O
( O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Front O
) O
and O
the O
Sinhalese O
nationalist O
party O
JHU O
( O
National O
Heritage O
Party O
) O
. O

In O
his O
manifesto O
, O
Rajapakse O
said O
the O
ceasefire O
agreement O
signed O
in O
2002 B-T
between O
the O
government O
and O
the O
Liberation O
Tigers O
of O
Tamil O
Eelam O
( O
LTTE O
) O
was O
short O
- O
sighted O
and O
national O
security O
was O
compromised O
by O
that O
pact O
. O

Rajapakse O
proposed O
to O
critically O
examine O
the O
merits O
and O
demerits O
of O
the O
steps O
taken O
so O
far O
to O
deal O
with O
the O
ethnic O
issue O
and O
consider O
a O
fresh O
approach O
. O

" O
The O
ceasefire O
agreement O
will O
be O
amended O
so O
as O
to O
ensure O
that O
acts O
of O
terrorism O
would O
not O
be O
permitted O
in O
any O
way O
. O
The O
ceasefire O
monitoring O
mechanism O
would O
also O
be O
reviewed O
and O
new O
steps O
taken O
, O
" O
said O
Rajapakse O
. O

By O
contrast O
, O
the O
opposition O
United O
National O
Party O
leader O
Wickremesinghe O
vowed O
to O
bring O
about O
a O
permanent O
resolution O
to O
the O
ethnic O
problem O
through O
a O
political O
solution O
based O
on O
the O
current O
framework O
. O

" O
The O
agreement O
arrived O
between O
the O
government O
and O
the O
LTTE O
and O
the O
Oslo O
and O
Tokyo O
Declaration O
, O
which O
guarantees O
the O
unity O
, O
democratic O
character O
and O
territorial O
integrity O
of O
Sri O
Lanka O
, O
has O
created O
the O
framework O
of O
a O
solution O
acceptable O
to O
all O
communities O
of O
the O
country O
, O
" O
Wickremesinghe O
said O
. O

Rajapakse O
and O
Wickremesinghe O
also O
have O
different O
opinions O
on O
economic O
policy O
. O
Rajapakse O
vowed O
to O
build O
up O
a O
" O
national O
economy O
" O
by O
attributing O
the O
positive O
attributes O
of O
free O
market O
economy O
with O
domestic O
aspirations O
. O
Wickremesinghe O
put O
more O
emphasis O
on O
free O
market O
policies O
and O
foreign O
investment O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
the O
LTTE O
has O
reiterated O
Wednesday B-T
that O
it O
will O
advise O
Tamil O
people O
not O
to O
vote O
and O
denied O
newspaper O
reports O
that O
the O
LTTE O
was O
now O
actively O
encouraging O
people O
to O
vote O
in O
the O
presidential O
elections O
, O
a O
pro O
- O
Tigers O
Website O
TamilNet O
said O
. O

" O
Tamils O
cannot O
place O
our O
trust O
on O
either O
of O
the O
parties O
or O
their O
candidates O
in O
the O
presidential O
election O
, O
" O
Head O
of O
the O
LTTE O
' O
s O
Peace O
Secretariat O
S O
. O
Pulidevan O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

A O
neck O
and O
neck O
campaign O
race O
and O
fine O
weather O
are O
expected O
to O
have O
more O
voters O
to O
the O
election O
booths O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0172 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Evening O
rubber O
prices O

Monday B-T
' O
s O
evening O
rubber O
prices O
in O
Singapore O
cents O
per O
kilo O
provided O
by O
the O
Singapore O
Commodity O
Exchange O
: O

Buyers O
Sellers O

Int O
2 O
RSS O
May O
156 O
. O
50 O
157 O
. O
50 O
Nominal O
( O
N O
) O

Int O
3 O
RSS O
May B-T
156 I-T
. I-T
50 I-T
157 I-T
. I-T
50 I-T
N I-T

Int B-T
4 I-T
RSS I-T
May I-T
151 I-T
. I-T
25 I-T
152 O
. O
25 O
N O

Int O
5 O
RSS O
147 O
. O
50 O
148 O
. O
50 O
N O

No O
. O
1 O
Air O
Dried O
Sheet O
176 O
. O
50 O
178 O
. O
50 O
N O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0278 O

CAIRO O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Egypt O
, O
Pakistan O
discuss O
military O
cooperation O

A O
Pakistani O
military O
chief O
arrived O
here O
Wednesday B-T
for O
talks O
on O
military O
cooperation O
with O
Egypt O
. O

Farooq O
Feroze O
Khan O
, O
chairman O
of O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
joint O
chiefs O
of O
staff O
committee O
, O
went O
straight O
into O
talks O
with O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
and O
said O
he O
invited O
him O
to O
visit O
Pakistan O
. O

Khan O
also O
told O
reporters O
he O
would O
meet O
later O
with O
his O
Egyptian O
counterpart O
Magdi O
Hatata O
to O
discuss O
military O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

Egypt O
and O
Pakistan O
already O
cooperate O
in O
the O
fight O
against O
terrorism O
and O
signed O
an O
extradition O
treaty O
in O
1995 B-T
. O

Egyptian O
Interior O
Minister O
Hassan O
al O
- O
Alfi O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
Cairo O
is O
seeking O
the O
extradition O
of O
an O
Islamic O
militant O
arrested O
recently O
in O
Pakistan O
. O

Last B-T
week I-T
, O
sources O
close O
to O
security O
agencies O
in O
the O
Pakistani O
city O
of O
Peshawar O
said O
they O
had O
arrested O
an O
Egyptian O
and O
six O
other O
foreigners O
suspected O
of O
having O
links O
to O
Islamic O
extremists O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0024 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
reports O
rising O
number O
of O
entries O
and O
exits O
in O
3rd O
quarter O

China O
reported O
rising O
number O
of O
entries O
and O
exits O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
of I-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
with O
that O
of O
foreign O
nationals O
up O
16 O
. O
1 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
to O
10 O
. O
63 O
million O
. O

The O
number O
of O
entries O
and O
exits O
of O
Chinese O
mainland O
people O
amounted O
to O
16 O
. O
51 O
million O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
up O
7 O
percent O
. O

And O
entries O
and O
exits O
by O
Hong O
Kong O
and O
Macao O
residents O
rose O
by O
8 O
. O
9 O
percent O
to O
49 O
. O
76 O
million O
and O
the O
figure O
of O
Taiwan O
residents O
increased O
by O
9 O
percent O
to O
2 O
. O
25 O
million O
, O
according O
to O
a O
briefing O
made O
by O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Public O
Security O
Thursday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970407 O
. O
0657 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japan O
to O
respond O
' O
appropriately O
' O
to O
dollar O
' O
s O
rise O
: O
Mitsuzuka O

Japan O
' O
s O
Finance O
Minister O
Hiroshi O
Mitsuzuka O
said O
his O
ministry O
would O
respond O
" O
appropriately O
" O
to O
the O
dollar O
' O
s O
gains O
against O
the O
yen O
, O
hinting O
at O
measures O
to O
check O
the O
US O
unit O
' O
s O
rapid O
rise O
to O
a O
51 O
- O
month O
high O
. O

The O
impact O
of O
an O
excessively O
low O
yen O
is O
the O
same O
as O
the O
impact O
of O
an O
excessively O
strong O
yen O
, O
Mitsuzuka O
told O
a O
regular O
press O
conference O
. O

" O
Our O
stance O
in O
the O
February O
G7 O
meeting O
was O
to O
respond O
appropriately O
to O
the O
dollar O
' O
s O
gains O
, O
and O
that O
an O
excessively O
low O
yen O
means O
( O
the O
same O
as O
) O
an O
excessively O
high O
yen O
" O
in O
terms O
of O
the O
adverse O
impact O
, O
Mitsuzuka O
said O
. O

" O
We O
will O
take O
the O
same O
stance O
in O
line O
with O
this O
policy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
dollar O
was O
quoted O
at O
125 O
. O
74 O
- O
76 O
yen O
in O
Tokyo O
at O
10 B-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0100 O
GMT O
) O
, O
up O
from O
124 O
. O
68 O
- O
71 O
yen O
late O
Monday B-T
and O
in O
line O
with O
125 O
. O
73 O
yen O
in O
New O
York O
late O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
dollar O
climbed O
to O
as O
high O
as O
125 O
. O
85 O
yen O
here O
Tuesday B-T
, O
the O
highest O
level O
since O
January B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
1993 I-T
, O
when O
the O
US O
unit O
hit O
125 O
. O
86 O
yen O
. O

" O
The O
dollar O
is O
likely O
to O
test O
the O
upper O
limit O
today B-T
, O
with O
the O
psychological O
ceiling O
seen O
at O
around O
126 O
. O
20 O
yen O
, O
" O
a O
dealer O
at O
a O
European O
bank O
said O
. O

" O
The O
dollar O
' O
s O
advance O
since O
last B-T
Friday I-T
is O
too O
fast O
, O
but O
the O
US O
unit O
is O
supported O
by O
a O
wide O
gap O
between O
US O
and O
Japanese O
interest O
rates O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Japanese O
investments O
in O
foreign O
bonds O
will O
be O
unstoppable O
for O
the O
time O
being O
, O
resulting O
in O
a O
higher O
dollar O
. O

More O
political O
leaders O
in O
Japan O
are O
likely O
to O
voice O
concern O
over O
the O
higher O
dollar O
, O
as O
the O
financial O
authorities O
are O
uncomfortable O
with O
the O
US O
unit O
at O
above O
125 O
yen O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0329 O

LIMA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japan O

The O
Peruvian O
government O
signed O
several O
deals O
on O
Tuesday B-T
with O
China O
and O
Japan O
on O
cooperation O
in O
the O
fields O
of O
mining O
, O
geology O
and O
energy O
, O
local O
press O
reported O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Peru O
' O
s O
official O
Institute O
of O
Geology O
, O
Mining O
and O
Metallurgy O
( O
IGMMP O
) O
signed O
a O
memorandum O
of O
understanding O
on O
exchanging O
scientists O
and O
cooperating O
with O
China O
' O
s O
geological O
service O
in O
the O
fields O
of O
mining O
and O
geology O
. O

The O
Ministry O
of O
Energy O
and O
Mines O
signed O
a O
deal O
with O
the O
Japanese O
International O
Cooperation O
Agency O
to O
boost O
rural O
electrification O
, O
particularly O
with O
resort O
to O
renewable O
energies O
like O
solar O
energy O
, O
wind O
power O
, O
hydro O
- O
electric O
power O
and O
geothermal O
energy O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0236 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
( O
Xinhua O
) O

market O

Warner O
Brothers O
International O
Cinemas O
( O
WBIC O
) O
, O
a O
subsidiary O
of O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
media O
giant O
Time O
Warner O
, O
has O
decided O
to O
pull O
out O
from O
six O
theatres O
it O
currently B-T
runs O
with O
Chinese O
partners O
, O
according O
to O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
Beijing O
News O
. O

The O
news O
report O
quoted O
a O
media O
announcement O
by O
WBIC O
, O
saying O
that O
" O
it O
has O
ceased O
investment O
in O
China O
' O
s O
movie O
theater O
market O
due O
to O
major O
regulatory O
changes O
" O
. O

The O
Chinese O
government O
in O
2005 B-T
barred O
foreign O
investors O
from O
holding O
majority O
stakes O
in O
joint O
ventures O
in O
the O
entertainment O
sector O
. O

WBIC O
will O
pull O
out O
of O
six O
theaters O
in O
six O
cities O
including O
Shanghai O
and O
Nanjing O
. O
" O
The O
final O
plan O
is O
under O
discussion O
, O
" O
said O
the O
announcement O
. O

The O
company O
has O
plans O
in O
2004 B-T
to O
build O
40 O
movie O
theatres O
in O
China O
by O
2008 B-T
through O
local O
partners O
. O

In O
2003 B-T
China O
allowed O
seven O
cities O
to O
open O
theatres O
with O
75 O
percent O
foreign O
investment O
on O
a O
trial O
basis O
. O

The O
Shanghai O
Film O
Group O
Corp O
. O
has O
shown O
interest O
in O
buying O
stakes O
in O
the O
six O
theaters O
. O

In O
2005 B-T
, O
eight O
theaters O
invested O
or O
managed O
by O
WBIC O
in O
China O
had O
total O
box O
office O
revenues O
of O
120 O
million O
yuan O
( O
15 O
million O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970424 O
. O
0618 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Unarmed O
Peruvian O
rebels O
were O
executed O
: O
Japanese O
hostages O

The O
hostages O
freed O
from O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
in O
Lima O
Friday B-T
reiterated O
claims O
elite O
Peruvian O
troops O
executed O
rebels O
captured O
alive O
and O
unarmed O
during O
the O
assault O
, O
according O
to O
press O
reports O
here O
. O

According O
to O
several O
ex O
- O
hostages O
held O
for O
four B-T
months I-T
by O
the O
Tupac O
Amaru O
( O
MRTA O
) O
revolutionary O
movement O
, O
at O
least O
two O
rebels O
were O
executed O
by O
the O
soldiers O
after O
being O
taken O
prisoner O
. O

One O
of O
the O
two O
was O
first O
led O
into O
a O
building O
next O
to O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
in O
the O
assault O
in O
Lima O
Tuesday B-T
, O
according O
to O
a O
front O
page O
report O
in O
the O
Mainichi O
Shimbun O
daily O
. O

The O
former O
hostages O
, O
whose O
names O
have O
not O
been O
given O
, O
said O
the O
two O
rebels O
were O
disarmed O
when O
they O
were O
captured O
. O
When O
the O
assault O
started O
one O
of O
the O
two O
, O
Ernesto O
" O
Tito O
" O
Cruz O
, O
took O
off O
his O
jacket O
, O
which O
had O
attached O
to O
it O
several O
handgrenades O
. O

He O
then O
lay O
on O
the O
floor O
alongside O
the O
hostages O
as O
the O
elite O
troops O
stormed O
the O
residence O
. O
He O
was O
taken O
prisoner O
and O
his O
hands O
were O
tied O
with O
cord O
as O
he O
was O
taken O
away O
, O
according O
to O
the O
former O
hostages O
. O

A O
young O
female O
rebel O
was O
also O
captured O
alive O
on O
the O
first O
floor O
of O
the O
residence O
. O

She O
shouted O
" O
Don O
' O
t O
shoot O
him O
! O
" O
but O
the O
hostages O
said O
those O
around O
her O
did O
not O
understand O
what O
this O
meant O
. O

On O
Thursday B-T
the O
freed O
hostages O
told O
the O
daily O
Asahi O
Shimbun O
they O
saw O
rebels O
killed O
by O
the O
Peruvian O
forces O
after O
they O
had O
given O
themselves O
up O
. O

" O
I O
saw O
a O
murder O
, O
" O
one O
of O
the O
hostages O
said O
. O
He O
told O
how O
one O
rebel O
put O
his O
hands O
in O
the O
air O
but O
was O
nevertheless O
shot O
. O

Another O
hostage O
said O
he O
saw O
a O
rebel O
captured O
alive O
by O
the O
Peruvian O
forces O
who O
led O
him O
away O
. O

" O
I O
realised O
the O
rebel O
they O
had O
taken O
had O
been O
shot O
when O
I O
heard O
all O
14 O
rebels O
died O
in O
the O
assault O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

All O
14 O
rebels O
, O
two O
soldiers O
and O
one O
hostage O
died O
during O
the O
assault O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0513 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Barnaby O
Chesterman O

Sochaux O
and O
Lille O
joined O
Lens O
in O
second O
place O
on O
Sunday B-T
as O
the O
battle O
for O
the O
' O
other O
two O
' O
Champions O
League O
places O
hots O
up O
in O
France O
. O

Sochaux O
beat O
ailing O
giants O
Marseille O
1 O
- O
0 O
while O
Lille O
won O
3 O
- O
1 O
at O
Nancy O
. O

With O
champions O
Lyon O
running O
away O
with O
the O
league O
again O
this B-T
season I-T
, O
the O
real O
race O
is O
for O
second O
and O
third O
place O
and O
a O
spot O
in O
next O
season O
' O
s O
money O
- O
spinning O
Champions O
League O
competition O
. O

Rabiu O
Afolabi O
scored O
the O
winner O
for O
Sochaux O
with O
13 O
minutes O
left O
to O
play O
against O
the O
increasingly O
troubled O
Marseille O
, O
who O
now B-T
have O
only O
two O
wins O
in O
their O
last O
10 O
league O
matches O
. O

But O
despite O
their O
lofty O
position O
, O
Sochaux O
coach O
Alain O
Perrin O
, O
formerly O
of O
Portsmouth O
, O
is O
not O
getting O
carried O
away O
. O

" O
If O
we O
start O
to O
let O
things O
happen O
, O
or O
start O
thinking O
we O
can O
rely O
on O
team O
- O
mates O
and O
each O
person O
can O
relax O
a O
little O
, O
all O
those O
are O
things O
that O
can O
pull O
the O
rug O
from O
under O
the O
feet O
of O
a O
successful O
team O
, O
" O
said O
Perrin O
. O

" O
Our O
work O
is O
psychological O
now B-T
to O
keep O
the O
pressure O
on O
this O
team O
to O
continue O
to O
perform O
. O
" O

Nancy O
took O
the O
lead O
early O
in O
the O
second O
half O
at O
home O
to O
Lille O
through O
Benjamin O
Gavanon O
. O

But O
just O
past O
the O
hour O
mark O
Mathieu O
Bodmer O
restored O
parity O
and O
minutes O
later O
Mathieu O
Debuchy O
gave O
the O
visitors O
the O
lead O
before O
Souleymane O
Youla O
' O
s O
injury O
time O
clincher O
. O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
Lyon O
broke O
another O
French O
record O
after O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
at O
Le O
Mans O
gave O
them O
their O
14th O
win O
from O
the O
first O
16 O
matches O
this O
season O
. O

That O
win O
bettered O
the O
mark O
of O
13 O
wins O
from O
the O
opening O
16 O
contests O
set O
by O
Paris O
St O
Germain O
in O
the B-T
1985 I-T
/ I-T
86 I-T
season I-T
. O
And O
incredibly O
it O
was O
Lyon O
' O
s O
coach O
Gerard O
Houllier O
who O
was O
in O
charge O
of O
that O
team O
as O
well O
. O

The O
victory O
moved O
Lyon O
on O
to O
43 O
points O
but O
was O
due O
more O
to O
industry O
than O
flair O
as O
former O
Arsenal O
forward O
Sylvain O
Wiltord O
headed O
home O
a O
free O
- O
kick O
from O
Brazil O
midfielder O
Juninho O
just O
before O
the O
hour O
mark O
. O

Houllier O
was O
not O
interested O
in O
his O
team O
' O
s O
record O
- O
breaking O
feat O
, O
preferring O
to O
concentrate O
on O
improving O
another O
record O
they O
broke O
last B-T
season I-T
. O

That O
was O
when O
Lyon O
won O
a O
record O
fifth O
title O
in O
a O
row O
and O
they O
now B-T
look O
almost O
certain O
to O
add O
a O
sixth O
to O
that O
run O
with O
their O
nearest O
challengers O
already O
14 O
points O
off O
the O
pace O
. O

" O
We O
have O
taken O
a O
giant O
step O
towards O
the O
title O
, O
" O
said O
a O
beaming O
Houllier O
when O
interviewed O
by O
Canal O
Plus O
. O

" O
What O
pleased O
me O
was O
that O
we O
cleared O
the O
ball O
when O
we O
had O
to O
, O
when O
you O
' O
re O
under O
the O
cosh O
, O
you O
' O
re O
under O
the O
cosh O
. O
Today B-T
we O
controlled O
the O
game O
. O
This O
was O
a O
victory O
for O
hard O
work O
. O
Solidarity O
and O
control O
paid O
off O
. O
" O

Houllier O
may O
have O
been O
letting O
himself O
get O
carried O
away O
by O
a O
narrow O
victory O
at O
one O
of O
the O
league O
' O
s O
minnows O
, O
but O
Le O
Mans O
coach O
Frederic O
Hantz O
had O
a O
more O
sobre O
assessment O
of O
the O
situation O
. O

" O
Football O
is O
a O
game O
played O
by O
11 O
players O
and O
at O
the O
end O
, O
Lyon O
win O
, O
" O
Hantz O
said O
. O

Lyon O
' O
s O
next O
league O
game O
is O
away O
to O
PSG O
whose O
Sunday O
match O
against O
Toulouse O
had O
to O
be O
postponed O
for O
security O
concerns O
. O

In O
it O
' O
s O
place O
, O
around O
1 O
, O
200 O
fans O
marched O
in O
protest O
at O
the O
killing O
of O
a O
fan O
by O
an O
off O
- O
duty O
police O
officer O
the B-T
previous I-T
month I-T
after O
a O
UEFA O
Cup O
tie O
. O

The O
fan O
was O
among O
a O
mob O
attacking O
a O
French O
- O
Israeli O
fan O
and O
chanting O
antisemitist O
and O
racist O
slogans O
. O

Lens O
won O
3 O
- O
0 O
at O
home O
to O
last O
seasons O
runners O
- O
up O
Bordeaux O
. O
Vitorino O
Hilton O
opened O
the O
scoring O
on O
40 B-T
minutes I-T
and O
Daniel O
Cousin O
made O
the O
points O
safe O
on O
57 B-T
minutes I-T
before O
Issam O
Jemaa O
' O
s O
late O
cherry O
on O
the O
cake O
. O

Struggling O
Monaco O
gave O
their O
beleaguered O
fans O
something O
to O
cheer O
about O
with O
a O
3 O
- O
0 O
coasting O
against O
Valenciennes O
. O

St O
Etienne O
are O
fifth O
after O
a O
2 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
Lorient O
, O
in O
which O
both O
sets O
of O
fans O
demonstrated O
their O
support O
for O
PSG O
' O
s O
ultras O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061208 O
. O
0111 O

BERLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

German O
police O
search O
for O
polonium O
210 O
in O
Hamburg O
flat O

German O
police O
said O
Saturday B-T
they O
had O
drawn O
a O
blank O
with O
a O
first O
search O
of O
a O
flat O
in O
Hamburg O
used O
by O
Dmitry O
Kovtun O
, O
a O
contact O
of O
the O
poisoned O
former O
Russian O
spy O
Alexander O
Litvinenko O
, O
for O
traces O
of O
the O
radioactive O
substance O
polonium O
210 O
. O

" O
Hamburg O
police O
are O
taking O
every O
measure O
to O
check O
if O
polonium O
210 O
is O
present O
in O
the O
apartment O
, O
" O
they O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

A O
police O
spokesman O
said O
early B-T
Saturday I-T
the O
initial O
examination O
of O
the O
flat O
had O
come O
up O
with O
" O
no O
convincing O
result O
, O
" O
but O
more O
in O
- O
depth O
tests O
would O
be O
needed O
. O

Investigators O
believe O
Kovtun O
, O
a O
41 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
businessman O
, O
could O
have O
been O
in O
contact O
with O
the O
highly O
radioactive O
substance O
which O
killed O
Litvinenko O
on O
November B-T
23 I-T
. O

Kovtun O
, O
one O
of O
three O
Russians O
who O
met O
Litvinenko O
in O
London O
on O
November B-T
1 I-T
, O
shortly O
before O
the O
former O
intelligence O
agent O
fell O
ill O
, O
was O
reported O
Friday B-T
to O
be O
suffering O
from O
radiation O
sickness O
. O

Russia O
' O
s O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
quoted O
an O
unnamed O
medical O
official O
in O
Moscow O
as O
saying O
that O
Kovtun O
had O
briefly O
fallen O
into O
a O
coma O
Thursday B-T
but O
had O
since O
recovered O
consciousness O
. O

The O
death O
of O
Litvinenko O
from O
polonium O
poisoning O
, O
which O
British O
authorities O
are O
treating O
as O
murder O
, O
has O
prompted O
a O
media O
outcry O
, O
heightened O
by O
allegations O
from O
the O
dead O
agent O
' O
s O
friends O
that O
he O
was O
killed O
on O
the O
orders O
of O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
. O

Hamburg O
police O
appealed O
to O
" O
people O
who O
had O
any O
contact O
" O
with O
Kovtun O
to O
come O
forward O
. O
A O
special O
telephone O
number O
was O
available O
for O
concerned O
members O
of O
the O
public O
to O
call O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970419 O
. O
0385 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Japanese O
firms O
develop O
chip O
to O
connect O
automation O
equipment O

Fuji O
Electric O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
. O
, O
Kawasaki O
Steel O
Corp O
. O
and O
Nissan O
Motor O
Co O
. O
Ltd O
. O
have O
jointly O
developed O
a O
universal O
intermediate O
semiconductor O
aimed O
at O
helping O
connect O
factory O
automation O
equipment O
, O
a O
newspaper O
said O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
three O
companies O
said O
introduction O
of O
the O
new O
application O
specific O
integrated O
circuit O
( O
ASIC O
) O
would O
lead O
to O
a O
cut O
in O
production O
costs O
by O
simplifying O
connections O
in O
factory O
automation O
systems O
, O
Nihon O
Keizai O
Shimbun O
said O
. O

The O
new O
chip O
incorporates O
a O
central O
processing O
unit O
and O
a O
memory O
device O
to O
transmit O
input O
and O
output O
signals O
and O
data O
among O
factory O
automation O
equipment O
. O

The O
newly O
developed O
integrated O
circuit O
is O
designed O
to O
enable O
connections O
among O
robots O
, O
numerically O
- O
controlled O
machine O
tools O
and O
sensors O
, O
the O
paper O
said O
. O

The O
daily O
said O
the O
three O
Japanese O
companies O
would O
introduce O
the O
semiconductor O
, O
which O
could O
be O
used O
to O
link O
automated O
factory O
equipment O
regardless O
of O
its O
manufacturer O
, O
to O
their O
factories O
. O

The O
firms O
would O
also O
sell O
the O
chip O
to O
other O
companies O
, O
it O
said O
. O

Nissan O
was O
in O
charge O
of O
providing O
technology O
for O
connecting O
factory O
automation O
equipment O
and O
conducted O
tests O
, O
while O
Kawasaki O
Steel O
provided O
chip O
technology O
, O
with O
Fuji O
Electric O
developing O
software O
for O
the O
project O
. O

Kawasaki O
will O
produce O
the O
ASIC O
with O
plans O
to O
begin O
a O
sample O
shipment O
in O
June B-T
and O
supply O
1 O
. O
3 O
million O
units O
annually O
by O
2000 B-T
. O

Fuji O
will O
develop O
and O
sell O
ASIC O
- O
equipped O
factory O
automation O
equipment O
. O

Nihon O
Keizai O
said O
that O
use O
of O
the O
semiconductor O
was O
likely O
to O
standardize O
factory O
automation O
equipment O
connections O
and O
lead O
to O
improvement O
in O
productivity O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061124 O
. O
0282 O

DOHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bahrain O
advances O
into O
second O
round O
at O
Asiad O
basketball O
tournament O

Bahrain O
advanced O
into O
the O
second O
round O
of O
the O
2006 O
Doha O
Asian O
Games O
men O
' O
s O
basketball O
tournament O
after O
beating O
Macao O
, O
China O
91 O
- O
56 O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

Mahmood O
Ghuloom O
scored O
30 O
points O
to O
lead O
Bahrain O
to O
its O
second O
win O
in O
two B-T
days O
. O

" O
Ghuloom O
was O
excellent O
, O
scoring O
30 O
points O
in O
just O
30 B-T
minutes I-T
, O
" O
said O
Bahrain O
head O
coach O
Salman O
Ramadan O
. O
" O
In O
the B-T
second I-T
half I-T
we O
were O
in O
the O
driving O
seat O
so O
I O
rested O
my O
players O
. O
" O

Bahrain O
established O
a O
comfortable O
71 O
- O
39 O
lead O
after O
three B-T
quarters I-T
and O
Ramadan O
rested O
his O
big O
shooters O
in O
the B-T
final I-T
quarter I-T
. O

Bahrain O
, O
who O
was O
awarded O
a O
20 O
- O
0 O
victory O
over O
India O
on O
Thursday B-T
following O
the O
opponent O
' O
s O
withdrawal O
, O
has O
secured O
a O
top O
finish O
in O
Group O
A O
and O
a O
berth O
in O
the O
next O
round O
where O
it O
will O
face O
Qatar O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Iran O
, O
Jordan O
and O
Group O
C O
winner O
from O
the O
first O
round O
. O

Despite O
the O
loss O
, O
Macao O
, O
China O
' O
s O
head O
coach O
Zeng O
Zhaozhong O
wasn O
' O
t O
too O
disappointed O
. O

" O
We O
have O
nothing O
to O
be O
ashamed O
of O
, O
our O
team O
is O
so O
young O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Later O
on O
Friday B-T
, O
Mongolia O
held O
off O
a O
strong O
late O
surge O
from O
Palestine O
to O
claim O
its O
first O
victory O
at O
this O
tournament O
78 O
- O
70 O
. O

Trailing O
59 O
- O
45 O
amid O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
Palestine O
fought O
hard O
to O
pull O
within O
73 B-T
- I-T
70 I-T
, O
but O
that O
' O
s O
the O
closest O
they O
could O
get O
. O

In O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
other O
action O
, O
Afghanistan O
, O
65 O
- O
57 O
winner O
over O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
China O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
lost O
to O
Syria O
84 O
- O
66 O
while O
Kazakhstan O
beat O
the O
United O
Arab O
Emirates O
89 O
- O
71 O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0263 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Gunfire O
and O
the O
squeal O
of O
tires O
echoed O
through O
downtown O
Baghdad O
on O
Thursday B-T
as O
gunmen O
in O
military O
uniforms O
sealed O
off O
a O
commercial O
street O
and O
snatched O
dozens O
of O
merchants O
in O
yet O
another O
brazen O
kidnapping O
. O

At O
first O
, O
said O
witnesses O
, O
people O
were O
too O
stunned O
to O
move O
as O
around O
20 O
silver O
sports O
utility O
vehicles O
without O
registration O
plates O
swooped O
down O
on O
the O
street O
and O
disgorged O
some O
hundred O
gunmen O
in O
camouflage O
fatigues O
. O

The O
gang O
brandished O
waving O
assault O
rifles O
and O
the O
US O
- O
issued O
Glock O
pistols O
issued O
by O
the O
United O
States O
to O
Iraq O
' O
s O
government O
security O
forces O
. O

" O
They O
told O
people O
' O
We O
are O
on O
official O
business O
, O
don O
' O
t O
panic O
' O
, O
" O
said O
Mohammed O
al O
- O
Motaie O
, O
a O
tea O
seller O
who O
witnessed O
the O
events O
. O

A O
masked O
man O
selected O
individuals O
from O
the O
crowd O
and O
the O
gunmen O
hurled O
them O
into O
the O
waiting O
vehicles O
. O

" O
One O
of O
the O
people O
being O
taken O
shouted O
he O
was O
from O
( O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
' O
s O
) O
Dawa O
Party O
, O
" O
said O
Sami O
Mirza O
, O
a O
guard O
at O
one O
of O
the O
stores O
. O
" O
They O
said O
, O
' O
Welcome O
, O
come O
with O
us O
, O
we O
were O
looking O
for O
you O
' O
. O
" O

He O
added O
that O
the O
gunmen O
stole O
money O
from O
the O
shops O
as O
well O
. O

" O
They O
broke O
into O
the O
store O
of O
the O
building O
' O
s O
owner O
and O
I O
wanted O
to O
open O
fire O
, O
but O
I O
was O
afraid O
they O
would O
kill O
him O
inside O
the O
shop O
, O
" O
added O
the O
frightened O
guard O
. O

Panic O
soon O
broke O
out O
as O
suspicions O
swept O
the O
street O
, O
one O
of O
the O
most O
important O
centers O
for O
autoparts O
in O
the O
city O
, O
that O
this O
was O
not O
an O
official O
venture O
at O
all O
. O

" O
Then O
they O
started O
grabbing O
people O
haphazardly O
- O
- O
Sunnis O
, O
Shiites O
, O
" O
said O
al O
- O
Motaie O
. O

" O
I O
left O
my O
son O
for O
five B-T
minutes I-T
to O
have O
a O
nap O
at O
my O
house O
nearby O
, O
when O
I O
came O
back O
he O
was O
gone O
, O
" O
said O
Sabah O
Abbu O
, O
a O
50 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Christian O
with O
a O
small O
restaurant O
in O
the O
area O
. O

" O
I O
contacted O
him O
immediately O
but O
his O
mobile O
was O
switched O
off O
. O
" O

Qassim O
Mohammed O
Ibrahim O
, O
a O
Shiite O
store O
owner O
, O
kept O
dialing O
numbers O
over O
and O
over O
on O
his O
phone O
. O
" O
They O
took O
away O
my O
three O
brothers O
, O
" O
he O
said O
his O
eyes O
brimming O
with O
tears O
. O
" O
I O
have O
no O
one O
left O
. O
" O

People O
in O
the O
street O
said O
they O
called O
authorities O
who O
said O
they O
had O
no O
knowledge O
of O
any O
type O
of O
operation O
taking O
place O
in O
that O
area O
. O

" O
Their O
response O
came O
very O
late O
, O
" O
an O
official O
from O
a O
Shiite O
party O
, O
the O
Supreme O
Council O
for O
the O
Islamic O
Revolution O
in O
Iraq O
( O
SCIRI O
) O
, O
said O
in O
disgust O
. O

One O
policeman O
who O
was O
there O
, O
guarding O
a O
bank O
, O
said O
he O
felt O
helpless O
even O
though O
he O
was O
armed O
. O

" O
How O
can O
I O
fight O
people O
in O
military O
or O
government O
uniforms O
? O
" O
he O
asked O
. O
" O
I O
have O
only O
30 O
bullets O
in O
my O
gun O
while O
they O
had O
enough O
weapons O
and O
ammunition O
to O
face O
down O
an O
army O
. O
" O

Their O
cars O
full O
, O
the O
gunmen O
left O
after O
about O
half B-T
an I-T
hour I-T
, O
firing O
a O
fusillade O
of O
shots O
into O
the O
air O
as O
they O
drove O
away O
from O
the O
site O
, O
sending O
cars O
reversing O
across O
Baghdad O
' O
s O
bridges O
to O
get O
out O
of O
their O
way O
. O

Pedestrians O
could O
also O
be O
seen O
running O
away O
along O
the O
banks O
of O
the O
Tigris O
and O
scurrying O
for O
safety O
across O
the O
bridges O
. O

Kidnappings O
in O
broad O
daylight O
have O
become O
just O
another O
deadly O
feature O
of O
daily O
life O
in O
Baghdad O
as O
lawlessness O
increasingly O
takes O
over O
the O
battered O
city O
. O

The O
kidnappings O
are O
believed O
to O
be O
the O
work O
of O
shadowy O
gangs O
and O
are O
largely O
done O
for O
profit O
, O
although O
in O
some O
cases O
they O
result O
in O
the O
execution O
of O
the O
victims O
for O
apparently O
sectarian O
motives O
. O

A O
new O
wave O
of O
panic O
swept O
the O
traumatized O
people O
of O
Rashid O
street O
when O
army O
forces O
pulled O
up O
to O
the O
site O
a O
little O
while O
later O
. O
People O
were O
terrified O
that O
they O
too O
were O
fakes O
. O

" O
After O
this O
, O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
anyone O
would O
dare O
open O
their O
shop O
in O
this O
place O
, O
especially O
after O
the O
government O
didn O
' O
t O
defend O
them O
, O
" O
said O
Mirza O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061126 O
. O
0137 O

NICOSIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

deadlock O

Cyprus O
' O
Foreign O
Minister O
George O
Lillikas O
left O
for O
Finland O
on O
Sunday B-T
for O
negotiations O
on O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
entry O
bid O
but O
said O
he O
was O
not O
optimistic O
about O
the O
outcome O
concerning O
Cyprus O
issue O
. O

" O
We O
are O
going O
with O
readiness O
, O
good O
will O
and O
positive O
spirit O
, O
" O
Lillikas O
told O
Cyprus O
News O
Agency O
( O
CNA O
) O
at O
Larnaca O
airport O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
information O
they O
got O
from O
different O
sources O
didn O
' O
t O
show O
any O
optimism O
. O

Turkey O
, O
aspiring O
to O
become O
an O
EU O
member O
, O
refuses O
to O
implement O
the O
EU O
- O
Turkey O
Customs O
Union O
Protocol O
by O
opening O
its O
ports O
and O
airports O
to O
Cypriot O
vessels O
and O
aircraft O
. O

As O
the O
holder O
of O
the O
EU O
rotating O
presidency O
, O
Finland O
is O
launching O
a O
last O
- O
ditch O
initiative O
to O
avert O
a O
possible O
EU O
- O
Turkey O
crisis O
regarding O
its O
EU O
course O
. O

Finland O
' O
s O
Foreign O
Minister O
Erkki O
Tuomioja O
has O
invited O
his O
Turkish O
and O
Cypriot O
counterparts O
to O
the O
Finnish O
city O
of O
Tampere O
, O
to O
work O
out O
a O
possible O
solution O
at O
the O
sideline O
of O
the O
Euro O
- O
Mediterranean O
Conference O
. O

Cyprus O
has O
been O
divided O
since O
1974 B-T
when O
Turkey O
militarily O
intervened O
and O
occupied O
the O
north O
of O
Cyprus O
following O
a O
coup O
by O
a O
group O
of O
Greek O
officers O
. O

In O
2004 B-T
, O
the O
internationally O
- O
recognized O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
entered O
the O
EU O
in O
the O
name O
of O
the O
whole O
island O
and O
now B-T
has O
EU O
veto O
powers O
over O
its O
rival O
Turkey O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0053 O

HARARE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Zimbabwe O
- O
Botswana O
ties O
under O
spotlight O

The O
24th O
session O
of O
the O
Botswana O
- O
Zimbabwe O
Joint O
Permanent O
Commission O
on O
Defense O
and O
Security O
ended O
in O
south O
Zimbabwe O
city O
of O
Masvingo O
on O
Friday B-T
after O
intensive O
deliberations O
on O
critical O
bilateral O
issues O
, O
The O
Herald O
reported O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

The O
four O
- O
day O
meeting O
discussed O
bilateral O
issues O
of O
mutual O
interest O
in O
areas O
of O
defense O
and O
state O
and O
public O
security O
between O
Zimbabwe O
and O
Botswana O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

In O
a O
statement O
issued O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
meeting O
held O
at O
Great O
Zimbabwe O
, O
the O
Minister O
of O
State O
for O
National O
Security O
, O
Lands O
, O
Land O
Reform O
and O
Resettlement O
Didymus O
Mutasa O
said O
the O
commission O
discussed O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
issues O
that O
were O
pertinent O
to O
Botswana O
and O
Zimbabwe O
and O
also O
of O
concern O
to O
the O
region O
. O

These O
included O
wildlife O
matters O
, O
stock O
theft O
, O
illicit O
trafficking O
of O
drugs O
, O
gold O
, O
diamonds O
, O
firearms O
and O
the O
containment O
of O
general O
crime O
along O
the O
common O
border O
, O
immigration O
and O
customs O
issues O
. O

The O
commission O
also O
applauded O
the O
co O
- O
operation O
and O
communication O
that O
exists O
at O
provincial O
and O
operational O
levels O
and O
urged O
this O
interaction O
to O
continue O
, O
said O
Mutasa O
. O

Zimbabwe O
and O
Botswana O
' O
s O
co O
- O
operation O
in O
wildlife O
management O
including O
the O
establishment O
of O
the O
Shashe O
/ O
Limpopo O
and O
Kavango O
/ O
Zambezi O
Transfrontier O
Conservation O
areas O
was O
greatly O
appreciated O
by O
the O
commission O
which O
hailed O
the O
move O
as O
an O
indication O
of O
close O
cooperation O
. O

To O
this O
end O
, O
the O
commission O
also O
hailed O
the O
donation O
of O
a O
male O
black O
rhino O
to O
Botswana O
by O
Zimbabwe O
as O
a O
gesture O
of O
goodwill O
that O
sought O
to O
further O
strengthen O
existing O
cordial O
relations O
. O

Mutasa O
said O
the O
commission O
also O
expressed O
satisfaction O
at O
the O
conclusion O
of O
the O
memorandum O
of O
understanding O
on O
the O
construction O
of O
Kazungula O
Bridge O
by O
Botswana O
, O
Zambia O
and O
Zimbabwe O
, O
especially O
as O
the O
bridge O
was O
going O
to O
play O
a O
pivotal O
role O
in O
the O
region O
' O
s O
socio O
- O
economic O
development O
. O

In O
response O
, O
Botswana O
Minister O
of O
Presidential O
Affairs O
and O
Public O
Administration O
Phandu O
Skelemani O
hailed O
the O
joint O
permanent O
commission O
on O
defense O
and O
security O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
which O
he O
said O
had O
been O
a O
successful O
platform O
to O
amicably O
solve O
any O
sticking O
problems O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

Skelemani O
said O
the O
commission O
was O
a O
platform O
to O
come O
up O
with O
developmental O
initiatives O
that O
could O
benefit O
the O
people O
of O
Botswana O
and O
Zimbabwe O
. O
He O
also O
extended O
an O
invitation O
to O
the O
Zimbabwean O
delegation O
to O
attend O
the O
25th O
session O
that O
will O
be O
hosted O
by O
Botswana O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0006 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Vietnam O
athletes O
to O
SEA O
Games O
cautious O
about O
bird O
flu O

Vietnam O
has O
taken O
precautions O
against O
bird O
flu O
, O
instructing O
local O
athletes O
at O
the O
upcoming O
Southeast O
Asian O
Games O
( O
23rd O
SEA O
Games O
) O
not O
to O
eat O
poultry O
, O
and O
supplying O
them O
with O
the O
bird O
flu O
medicine O
Tamiflu O
. O

Vietnam O
' O
s O
Sports O
and O
Physical O
Culture O
Committee O
has O
recently O
asked O
all O
athletes O
not O
to O
have O
dishes O
made O
from O
poultry O
and O
relevant O
products O
to O
prevent O
potential O
bird O
flu O
infection O
, O
the O
committee O
said O
Thursday B-T
, O
adding O
that O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Health O
has O
supplied O
a O
sufficient O
amount O
of O
Tamiflu O
to O
local O
athletes O
at O
the O
23rd O
SEA O
Games O
slated O
for O
between O
late B-T
November I-T
and I-T
early I-T
December I-T
in O
the O
Philippines O
. O

Up O
to O
92 O
Vietnamese O
people O
have O
been O
infected O
with O
bird O
flu O
virus O
strain O
H5N1 O
since O
the O
disease O
started O
to O
appear O
in O
the O
country O
in O
late B-T
2003 I-T
. O
Of O
them O
, O
42 O
have O
died O
, O
the O
Health O
Ministry O
announced O
early B-T
this I-T
week I-T
. O

Local O
media O
on O
Thursday B-T
reported O
that O
a O
43 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
man O
from O
northern O
Hai O
Phong O
city O
died O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
due O
to O
infection O
of O
bird O
flu O
virus O
strain O
H3N0 B-T
. O

At O
the O
approaching O
event O
, O
Vietnam O
has O
eyed O
60 O
- O
70 O
gold O
medals O
or O
the O
third O
place O
. O
" O
We O
pin O
greatest O
hope O
on O
our O
wrestlers O
and O
martial O
arts O
athletes O
, O
" O
Nguyen O
Hong O
Minh O
, O
head O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
23rd O
SEA O
Games O
delegation O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
recently O
. O

Among O
sports O
, O
Vietnam O
has O
aimed O
6 O
- O
8 O
golds O
at O
wrestling O
, O
5 O
- O
6 O
at O
pencak O
silat O
, O
4 O
- O
5 O
at O
judo O
, O
5 O
- O
6 O
at O
shooting O
, O
and O
3 O
- O
4 O
at O
taekwondo O
, O
he O
said O
. O

At O
the O
22nd O
SEA O
Games O
in O
2003 B-T
, O
hosts O
Vietnam O
topped O
the O
medal O
table O
with O
158 O
golds O
, O
97 O
silvers O
and O
91 O
bronzes O
, O
far O
ahead O
of O
second O
- O
placed O
Thailand O
on O
90 B-T
- I-T
93 I-T
- I-T
98 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0463 O

PARIS O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Bardot O
slams O
Moscow O
" O
massacre O
" O

Former O
film O
star O
Brigitte O
Bardot O
on O
Monday B-T
attacked O
city O
fathers O
in O
Moscow O
over O
what O
she O
called O
the O
" O
massacre O
" O
of O
stray O
animals O
in O
the O
Russian O
capital O
ahead O
of O
celebrations O
for O
its O
850th B-T
birthday I-T
. O

In O
an O
open O
letter O
to O
Moscow O
mayor O
Yuri O
Luzhkov O
she O
said O
she O
was O
" O
shocked O
and O
horrified O
" O
at O
the O
killings O
of O
animals O
in O
a O
clean O
- O
up O
of O
the O
streets O
ahead O
of O
the O
celebrations O
in O
September B-T
. O

" O
The O
millions O
spent O
in O
particular O
on O
poison O
for O
animals O
. O
. O
could O
be O
used O
to O
help O
less O
well O
off O
people O
who O
make O
sacrifices O
every O
day O
, O
" O
said O
the O
former O
screen O
idol O
turned O
animal O
rights O
activist O
. O

She O
called O
on O
the O
Moscow O
mayor O
to O
launch O
a O
program O
of O
sterilization O
for O
animals O
instead O
of O
killing O
them O
" O
to O
make O
your O
city O
' O
s O
name O
shine O
when O
it O
celebrates O
in O
( O
the B-T
anniversary I-T
) I-T
September I-T
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0180 O

DAR O
ES O
SALAAM O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Factfile O
on O
Tanzania O

President O
Benjamin O
Mkapa O
of O
Tanzania O
has O
been O
in O
power O
for O
10 B-T
years I-T
and O
is O
due O
to O
stand O
down O
after O
presidential O
and O
legislative O
elections O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

GEOGRAPHY O
: O
Mainland O
Tanganyika O
merged O
with O
the O
Indian O
Ocean O
islands O
of O
Zanzibar O
and O
Pemba O
to O
form O
the O
nation O
of O
Tanzania O
in O
1964 B-T
. O
The O
east O
African O
country O
of O
945 O
, O
000 O
square O
kilometres O
( O
364 O
, O
900 O
square O
miles O
) O
shares O
borders O
with O
Kenya O
, O
Uganda O
, O
Rwanda O
, O
Burundi O
, O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
, O
Zambia O
, O
Malawi O
and O
Mozambique O
. O

POPULATION O
: O
Estimated O
35 O
. O
9 O
million O
in O
2003 B-T
( O
World O
Bank O
figures O
) O
. O
Tanzania O
hosts O
some O
400 O
, O
000 O
Burundian O
and O
Congolese O
refugees O
. O

CAPITAL O
: O
Dodoma O
( O
administrative O
) O
. O
Dar O
es O
Salaam O
( O
economic O
) O
. O

LANGUAGES O
: O
Swahili O
and O
English O
( O
official O
languages O
) O
. O
Many O
local O
languages O
are O
spoken O
. O

RELIGION O
: O
Christian O
( O
40 O
percent O
) O
, O
Muslim O
( O
40 O
percent O
) O
, O
Animist O
. O
Of O
Zanzibar O
' O
s O
one O
million O
inhabitants O
, O
98 O
percent O
are O
Muslim O
. O

HISTORY O
: O
The O
British O
established O
a O
protectorate O
on O
Zanzibar O
in O
1890 B-T
and O
the O
Germans O
took O
control O
of O
the O
mainland O
in O
1891 B-T
. O
German O
East O
Africa O
became O
British O
territory O
in O
1920 B-T
and O
took O
the O
name O
Tanganyika O
. O
This O
became O
independent O
in O
1961 B-T
, O
under O
the O
Commonwealth O
, O
with O
Julius O
Nyerere O
as O
prime O
minister O
. O
The O
founding O
father O
of O
Tanzania O
and O
follower O
of O
African O
- O
style O
Socialism O
was O
elected O
president O
one B-T
year I-T
later O
. O

Zanzibar O
and O
Pemba O
- O
- O
which O
both O
became O
independent O
in O
1963 B-T
- O
- O
joined O
Tanganyika O
in O
1964 B-T
to O
form O
the O
United O
Republic O
of O
Tanzania O
. O
Nyerere O
handed O
power O
to O
Ali O
Hassan O
Mwinyi O
in O
1985 B-T
. O
Zanzibar O
and O
Pemba O
kept O
a O
semi O
- O
autonomous O
status O
with O
a O
separate O
president O
and O
government O
. O

After O
three B-T
decades I-T
with O
one O
political O
party O
, O
a O
multi O
- O
party O
system O
was O
adopted O
in O
Tanzania O
in O
1992 B-T
. O
Benjamin O
Mkapa O
won O
the O
first O
multi O
- O
party O
general O
elections O
in O
October B-T
1995 I-T
, O
as O
candidate O
for O
the O
ruling O
Chama O
Cha O
Mapinduzi O
( O
CCM O
Revolutionary O
Party O
) O
, O
in O
a O
poll O
with O
" O
serious O
irregularities O
" O
according O
to O
international O
observers O
. O
In O
Zanzibar O
, O
outgoing O
President O
Salmin O
Amour O
, O
of O
the O
CCM O
, O
narrowly O
won O
the O
election O
. O

Mkapa O
was O
reelected O
in O
2000 B-T
with O
71 O
. O
1 O
percent O
of O
the O
vote O
. O
The O
CCM O
won O
an O
absolute O
majority O
in O
parliament O
. O
In O
Zanzibar O
' O
s O
elections O
, O
the O
opposition O
and O
international O
observers O
denounced O
massive O
fraud O
, O
and O
CCM O
candidate O
Amani O
Abeid O
Karume O
won O
after O
the O
main O
opposition O
party O
refused O
to O
take O
part O
. O

ECONOMY O
: O
Coffee O
, O
cotton O
, O
tobacco O
, O
sisal O
and O
tea O
are O
the O
main O
exports O
. O
The O
economy O
of O
Zanzibar O
depends O
mainly O
on O
spices O
, O
particularly O
cloves O
from O
Pemba O
island O
, O
trade O
and O
tourism O
. O

The O
mining O
sector O
has O
developped O
considerably O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
10 I-T
years I-T
, O
after O
the O
adoption O
of O
a O
liberal O
economic O
policy O
in O
the O
middle O
of O
the B-T
1980s I-T
. O

GDP O
: O
220 O
dollars O
per O
inhabitant O
in O
2003 B-T
( O
World O
Bank O
) O
. O

FOREIGN O
DEBT O
: O
7 O
, O
901 O
billion O
dollars O
( O
6 O
, O
532 O
billion O
euros O
) O
in O
2004 O
( O
World O
Bank O
) O
. O
Tanzania O
was O
one O
of O
the O
18 O
poorest O
countries O
on O
the O
planet O
that O
saw O
their O
debts O
cancelled O
by O
the O
Group O
of O
Eight O
( O
G8 O
) O
leading O
industrial O
countries O
in O
June B-T
2005 I-T
. O

ARMED O
FORCES O
: O
Estimated O
at O
27 O
, O
000 O
soldiers O
, O
according O
to O
the O
International O
Institute O
of O
Strategic O
Studies O
( O
2004 O
/ O
2005 O
) O
. O

The O
US O
embassy O
in O
Dar O
es O
Salaam O
was O
the O
target O
of O
a O
bomb O
attack O
on O
August B-T
7 I-T
, I-T
1998 I-T
that O
killed O
11 O
Tanzanians O
and O
injured O
72 O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0800 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
9 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

China O
, O
Vietnam O
start O
talks O
on O
sea O
dispute O
in O
Beijing O
( O
repetition O
, O
correcting O
date O
) O

Expert O
- O
level O
delegations O
from O
China O
and O
Vietnam O
started O
discussions O
early B-T
Wednesday I-T
on O
a O
territorial O
dispute O
in O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
South O
China O
Sea O
. O

Held O
at O
the O
Foreign O
Ministry O
in O
Beijing O
, O
the O
talks O
are O
aimed O
at O
solving O
a O
potentially O
troublesome O
dispute O
over O
waters O
contested O
between O
Beijing O
and O
Hanoi O
. O

They O
were O
arranged O
at O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
request O
after O
the O
China O
National O
Offshore O
Oil O
Corp O
. O
deployed O
an O
exploratory O
oil O
rig O
in O
the O
disputed O
area O
on O
March B-T
7 I-T
. O

The O
Kantan O
III O
rig O
was O
finally O
withdrawn O
on O
April B-T
1 I-T
. O

The O
disputed O
zone O
lies O
south O
of O
the O
Gulf O
of O
Tonkin O
, O
almost O
equidistant O
from O
the O
central O
- O
Vietnamese O
coast O
and O
the O
Chinese O
island O
of O
Hainan O
. O
The O
area O
is O
believed O
to O
be O
rich O
in O
natural O
gas O
. O

It O
is O
not O
covered O
by O
regular O
bilateral O
talks O
on O
contested O
areas O
in O
the O
South O
China O
Sea O
. O

China O
and O
Vietnam O
have O
twice O
run O
into O
territorial O
disputes O
in O
the O
South O
China O
Sea O
, O
first O
in O
1974 B-T
over O
the O
Paracel O
islands O
and O
again O
in O
1988 B-T
over O
the O
Spratly O
Islands O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0200 O

SAIHAN O
, O
Inner O
Mongolia O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O

The O
white O
characters O
" O
Xingxing O
Breeding O
Farm O
" O
can O
still O
be O
seen O
on O
the O
red O
brick O
wall O
, O
but O
there O
is O
no O
poultry O
there O
. O

On O
Oct B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, O
chickens O
suddenly O
dropped O
dead O
by O
the O
dozen O
in O
the O
farm O
in O
Tengjiaying O
Village O
in O
Saihan O
District O
of O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Inner O
Mongolia O
Autonomous O
Region O
. O
On O
Oct B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
, O
the O
State O
Bird O
Flu O
Reference O
Lab O
confirmed O
that O
they O
died O
of O
H5N1 O
bird O
flu O
. O

After O
being O
sprayed O
with O
disinfectant O
at O
two O
checkpoints O
, O
24 O
reporters O
, O
in O
protective O
suits O
and O
masks O
, O
were O
allowed O
to O
enter O
the O
village O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
road O
to O
the O
Xingxing O
Breeding O
Farm O
in O
the O
village O
was O
covered O
by O
lime O
, O
a O
kind O
of O
white O
, O
chalky O
disinfectant O
powder O
. O

Coving O
nearly O
one O
hectare O
of O
land O
, O
the O
farm O
had O
some O
7 O
, O
000 O
poultry O
, O
including O
chickens O
, O
ducks O
, O
geese O
, O
peacocks O
and O
pigeons O
. O

Before O
the O
outbreak O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
, O
owner O
of O
the O
farm O
Qin O
Zhijun O
, O
44 O
, O
had O
an O
average O
income O
of O
more O
than O
100 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
12 O
, O
340 O
US O
dollars O
) O
every B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
I O
have O
been O
raising O
chickens O
for O
20 B-T
years I-T
, O
but O
I O
had O
never O
seen O
chickens O
dying O
like O
that O
, O
" O
Qin O
said O
. O

On O
Oct B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, O
Qin O
found O
his O
chickens O
dead O
for O
no O
apparent O
reason O
and O
made O
a O
report O
to O
the O
local O
government O
. O
When O
the O
dead O
chickens O
were O
proved O
to O
have O
died O
of O
bird O
flu O
, O
all O
the O
7 O
, O
000 O
poultry O
and O
birds O
were O
killed O
in O
two B-T
days O
. O
Meanwhile O
, O
the O
local O
government O
ordered O
closure O
of O
the O
farm O
and O
a O
three O
kilometers O
radius O
around O
it O
. O

The O
area O
within O
five O
to O
eight O
kilometers O
radius O
from O
the O
farm O
was O
considered O
" O
bird O
- O
flu O
- O
threatened O
" O
and O
all O
poultry O
in O
the O
area O
should O
receive O
vaccination O
. O

" O
At O
first O
, O
it O
was O
hard O
to O
bear O
, O
" O
said O
Qin O
. O
` O
` O
I O
did O
not O
feel O
like O
eating O
, O
nor O
sleeping O
. O
I O
was O
frustrated O
. O
" O

" O
Now B-T
I O
have O
thought O
it O
over O
and O
over O
again O
. O
I O
believe O
the O
government O
will O
not O
leave O
us O
alone O
. O
We O
could O
still O
start O
from O
scratch O
again O
. O
" O

Qin O
said O
his O
wife O
and O
he O
himself O
are O
fortunate O
enough O
to O
stay O
healthy O
. O
Nevertheless O
, O
the O
couple O
are O
still O
under O
medical O
monitoring O
and O
not O
allowed O
to O
leave O
the O
courtyard O
. O
Doctors O
come O
to O
take O
their O
temperatures O
every B-T
week I-T
. O

After O
the O
outbreak O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
the O
region O
, O
a O
total O
of O
25 O
people O
in O
close O
contact O
with O
dead O
poultry O
and O
their O
dejecta O
received O
medical O
monitoring O
and O
11 O
of O
them O
have O
been O
relieved O
of O
monitoring O
. O
The O
other O
14 O
are O
in O
good O
condition O
, O
said O
a O
local O
government O
official O
. O

China O
has O
not O
reported O
any O
human O
infection O
of O
bird O
flu O
so O
far O
. O

There O
are O
380 O
households O
in O
Tengjiaying O
Village O
. O
Only O
Qin O
has O
a O
poultry O
farm O
. O
Many O
other O
households O
in O
the O
village O
breed O
cows O
, O
a O
backbone O
industry O
in O
the O
region O
. O

Qi O
Xiuzhi O
, O
50 O
, O
is O
a O
neighbour O
of O
Qin O
. O
Qi O
has O
raised O
two O
chickens O
herself O
. O
But O
they O
had O
been O
killed O
together O
with O
other O
poultry O
in O
the O
village O
after O
the O
outbreak O
of O
the O
disease O
. O

" O
Every O
one O
knows O
there O
is O
something O
wrong O
with O
Qin O
' O
s O
poultry O
, O
" O
said O
Qi O
. O

Qi O
said O
there O
were O
days O
when O
panic O
hung O
over O
the O
village O
and O
relatives O
outside O
the O
village O
dared O
not O
come O
for O
visit O
. O
" O
It O
' O
s O
over O
now B-T
, O
" O
Qi O
said O
. O

Apart O
from O
checkpoints O
, O
the O
ground O
covered O
with O
lime O
powder O
, O
and O
a O
notice O
of O
closure O
on O
the O
wall O
, O
the O
village O
is O
not O
different O
from O
any O
other O
small O
village O
in O
China O
. O

Seeing O
so O
many O
people O
with O
protective O
suits O
coming O
in O
, O
especially O
some O
foreigners O
with O
blue O
eyes O
and O
big O
noses O
, O
villagers O
stood O
far O
away O
, O
watching O
, O
chatting O
with O
each O
other O
in O
dialect O
, O
and O
laughing O
loudly O
. O
No O
one O
wore O
protective O
suits O
like O
reporters O
. O

As O
the O
village O
has O
been O
under O
closure O
, O
villagers O
have O
to O
pass O
checkpoints O
after O
being O
disinfected O
and O
registered O
every O
day O
when O
they O
go O
out O
and O
come O
back O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
troublesome O
, O
" O
said O
a O
villager O
who O
declined O
to O
give O
his O
name O
, O
" O
But O
what O
else O
can O
we O
do O
? O
We O
know O
it O
' O
s O
a O
contagious O
disease O
. O
" O

Qin O
said O
he O
knew O
he O
would O
lose O
a O
lot O
of O
money O
this O
time O
, O
even O
though O
the O
government O
had O
promised O
to O
pay O
compensation O
. O
But O
he O
said O
he O
wants O
to O
raise O
chickens O
after O
the O
disease O
dies O
out O
. O

" O
What O
else O
can O
I O
do O
? O
" O
said O
Qin O
. O
" O
It O
' O
s O
all O
I O
know O
how O
to O
do O
. O
" O

The O
local O
government O
has O
promised O
to O
help O
farmers O
like O
Qin O
recover O
production O
by O
providing O
interest O
- O
free O
or O
low O
- O
interest O
loans O
to O
them O
and O
helping O
them O
build O
new O
coops O
. O

Compensation O
will O
be O
paid O
to O
farmers O
, O
at O
an O
average O
of O
30 O
yuan O
per O
chicken O
. O
The O
central O
government O
will O
cover O
10 O
yuan O
while O
the O
local O
governments O
will O
cover O
the O
remainder O
. O

Since O
Autumn B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
China O
has O
reported O
four O
cases O
of O
bird O
flu O
outbreaks O
in O
Anhui O
, O
Hunan O
, O
Inner O
Mongolia O
and O
the O
latest O
Liaoning O
province O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0299 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

2nd O
Lead O
: O
exiled O
Hamas O
leader O
arrives O
in O
Cairo O
on O
unexpected O
visit O

The O
exiled O
leader O
of O
the O
Palestinian O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
Khaled O
Meshaal O
arrived O
in O
the O
Egyptian O
capital O
of O
Cairo O
on O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
on O
a O
surprise O
visit O
, O
Egypt O
' O
s O
official O
MENA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

Meshaal O
and O
his O
accompanying O
delegation O
would O
hold O
talks O
with O
senior O
Egyptian O
officials O
on O
the O
latest O
developments O
in O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
, O
means O
to O
revive O
the O
stalled O
peace O
process O
and O
the O
forming O
of O
a O
Palestinian O
unity O
government O
, O
MENA O
said O
in O
a O
short O
dispatch O
, O
without O
giving O
more O
details O
. O

However O
, O
Contacts O
with O
the O
Egyptian O
foreign O
ministry O
failed O
to O
confirm O
the O
report O
. O

Reports O
on O
Meshaal O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Egypt O
were O
abundant O
since O
late B-T
October I-T
. O

On O
Oct B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, O
a O
senior O
Egyptian O
official O
told O
Xinhua O
that O
Meshaal O
would O
visit O
Egypt O
soon O
, O
but O
failed O
to O
give O
an O
exact O
date O
. O

The O
official O
, O
speaking O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
, O
said O
at O
that O
time O
that O
Meshaal O
, O
now O
in O
exile O
in O
Syria O
, O
would O
visit O
Cairo O
in O
four B-T
or I-T
five I-T
days O
. O

But O
Meshaal O
didn O
' O
t O
come O
to O
Egypt O
in O
the O
end O
. O
Instead O
, O
he O
sent O
a O
delegation O
, O
which O
was O
led O
by O
Hamas O
representative O
in O
Syria O
Imad O
al O
- O
Alami O
, O
to O
Cairo O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
31 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0083 O

KUALA O
LUMPUR O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Malaysia O
Stock O
Exchange O
sinks O
lower O
on O
selling O
pressure O

The O
Malaysia O
Stock O
Exchange O
closed O
lower O
on O
further O
selling O
of O
some O
key O
bluechip O
shares O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
first O
day O
after O
a O
four O
- O
day O
festival O
holiday O
in O
the O
country O
. O

The O
benchmark O
Composite O
Index O
slipped O
2 O
. O
39 O
points O
throughout O
the B-T
day I-T
to O
end O
at O
911 O
. O
53 O
, O
the O
Emas O
Index O
eased O
0 O
. O
40 O
of O
a O
point O
to O
207 O
. O
80 O
and O
the O
Second O
Board O
Index O
declined O
0 O
. O
17 O
of O
a O
point O
to O
84 O
. O
14 O
. O

Losers O
beat O
gainers O
343 O
to O
303 O
, O
271 O
counters O
were O
unchanged O
, O
408 O
counters O
untraded O
and O
40 O
counters O
suspended O
. O

Turnover O
was O
higher O
at O
330 O
. O
52 O
million O
shares O
worth O
920 O
. O
62 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
245 O
. O
50 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
from O
226 O
. O
08 O
million O
shares O
worth O
548 O
. O
59 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
146 O
. O
29 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
last B-T
Wednesday I-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
turnover O
on O
the O
Main O
Board O
rose O
to O
257 O
. O
10 O
million O
shares O
worth O
885 O
. O
14 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
236 O
. O
04 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
from O
171 O
. O
59 O
million O
shares O
worth O
523 O
. O
36 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
139 O
. O
56 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
last B-T
Wednesday I-T
. O

The O
Second O
Board O
volume O
increased O
to O
20 O
. O
20 O
million O
shares O
worth O
12 O
. O
65 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
3 O
. O
37 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
from O
18 O
. O
45 O
million O
shares O
worth O
10 O
. O
98 O
million O
( O
2 O
. O
93 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Volume O
on O
the O
Mesdaq O
market O
rose O
to O
52 O
. O
11 O
million O
shares O
worth O
21 O
. O
14 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
5 O
. O
64 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
from O
35 O
. O
54 O
million O
shares O
from O
13 O
. O
68 O
million O
ringgit O
( O
3 O
. O
65 O
million O
US O
dollars O
) O
. O

Dealers O
said O
the O
market O
this B-T
week I-T
will O
be O
cautious O
of O
developments O
in O
external O
factors O
such O
as O
the O
spread O
of O
the O
bird O
flu O
, O
and O
indications O
of O
funds O
flowing O
out O
of O
Asia O
with O
the O
hike O
in O
US O
interest O
rates O
. O

nyt_20130321_women_senate O

2013 B-T
- I-T
03 I-T
- I-T
21 I-T

Once O
Few O
, O
Women O
Hold O
More O
Power O
in O
Senate O

An B-T
hour I-T
before O
her O
colleagues O
gathered O
for O
their O
first O
vote O
of O
a O
new O
Congress O
, O
Senator O
Kelly O
Ayotte O
slipped O
into O
an O
empty O
Senate O
chamber O
to O
savor O
the O
grandeur O
of O
her O
legislative O
home O
. O
As O
Ms O
. O
Ayotte O
, O
a O
freshman O
Republican O
from O
New O
Hampshire O
, O
sat O
down O
at O
the O
wooden O
desk O
where O
generations O
of O
lawmakers O
from O
her O
state O
had O
cast O
their O
votes O
, O
a O
doorman O
marched O
toward O
her O
with O
purpose O
. O

The O
desks O
, O
he O
sternly O
told O
her O
, O
were O
for O
senators O
only O
. O

Ms O
. O
Ayotte O
' O
s O
induction O
that O
January B-T
day I-T
in O
2011 B-T
into O
the O
most O
rarefied O
ranks O
of O
the O
nation O
' O
s O
political O
class O
, O
female O
senators O
, O
had O
begun O
. O
" O
The O
desk O
thing O
really O
stuck O
with O
me O
, O
" O
Ms O
. O
Ayotte O
said O
. O
" O
There O
still O
just O
aren O
' O
t O
that O
many O
of O
us O
. O
" O

In O
the B-T
90 I-T
years I-T
since O
Rebecca O
Felton O
of O
Georgia O
became O
the O
first O
woman O
in O
the O
United O
States O
Senate O
- O
sworn O
in O
for O
a B-T
mere I-T
24 I-T
hours I-T
- O
women O
remain O
an O
anomaly O
in O
the O
upper O
chamber O
. O
But O
with O
20 O
female O
senators O
now B-T
in O
office O
, O
an O
all O
- O
time O
high O
, O
women O
have O
morphed O
from O
the O
curiosity O
they O
were O
for O
much O
of O
the O
20th B-T
century I-T
into O
an O
important O
new O
force O
on O
key O
committees O
and O
legislation O
. O

A O
record O
nine O
women O
now B-T
lead O
committees O
, O
including O
some O
of O
the O
most O
powerful O
ones O
. O
For O
the O
first O
time O
there O
is O
a O
woman O
- O
Senator O
Barbara O
A O
. O
Mikulski O
, O
a O
Maryland O
Democrat O
- O
in O
charge O
of O
the O
Senate O
Appropriations O
Committee O
, O
which O
dispenses O
billions O
of O
dollars O
annually B-T
throughout O
the O
government O
and O
has O
long O
been O
particularly O
dominated O
by O
men O
. O
Senator O
Patty O
Murray O
, O
a O
Washington O
Democrat O
, O
is O
the O
first O
chairwoman O
of O
the O
Budget O
Committee O
and O
is O
charged O
with O
shaping O
the O
Democratic O
strategy O
in O
the O
fiscal O
battle O
dominating O
Capitol O
Hill O
. O

One O
of O
the O
biggest O
bills O
to O
pass O
the O
Senate O
last B-T
year I-T
was O
farm O
legislation O
led O
by O
Senator O
Debbie O
Stabenow O
, O
a O
Michigan O
Democrat O
who O
presides O
over O
the O
agriculture O
committee O
. O
Senator O
Barbara O
Boxer O
, O
the O
California O
Democrat O
who O
is O
chairwoman O
of O
the O
Environment O
and O
Public O
Works O
Committee O
, O
shepherded O
the O
highway O
bill O
. O

" O
We O
are O
growing O
in O
number O
, O
" O
said O
Senator O
Amy O
Klobuchar O
, O
Democrat O
of O
Minnesota O
. O
" O
But O
more O
importantly O
, O
we O
are O
growing O
in O
our O
power O
. O
When O
I O
first O
started O
just O
six B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
, O
it O
was O
unusual O
to O
have O
a O
woman O
managing O
a O
bill O
. O
" O

Just O
as O
important O
, O
even O
male O
senators O
say O
, O
is O
the O
potential O
the O
women O
hold O
for O
changing O
the O
tenor O
of O
the O
Senate O
and O
pushing O
for O
compromise O
in O
the O
highly O
partisan O
atmosphere O
on O
Capitol O
Hill O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
want O
to O
generalize O
, O
because O
this O
isn O
' O
t O
true O
of O
all O
of O
them O
, O
but O
they O
tend O
to O
be O
interested O
in O
finding O
common O
ground O
, O
" O
said O
Senator O
Rob O
Portman O
, O
Republican O
of O
Ohio O
. O
" O
So O
I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
going O
to O
have O
, O
and O
is O
having O
, O
a O
positive O
impact O
on O
the O
Senate O
. O
" O

While O
partisan O
division O
is O
the O
central O
characteristic O
of O
the O
modern O
Congress O
, O
women O
have O
begun O
to O
crack O
away O
at O
the O
gridlock O
by O
forming O
coalitions O
that O
have O
surprised O
leaders O
of O
both O
parties O
. O
Senator O
Kirsten O
E O
. O
Gillibrand O
, O
Democrat O
of O
New O
York O
, O
and O
Senator O
Susan O
Collins O
, O
Republican O
of O
Maine O
, O
led O
the O
repeal O
in O
the O
Senate O
of O
" O
don O
' O
t O
ask O
, O
don O
' O
t O
tell O
" O
in O
2010 B-T
, O
allowing O
gay O
men O
and O
women O
to O
serve O
openly O
in O
the O
military O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
, O
all O
four O
of O
the O
female O
Senate O
Republicans O
split O
with O
their O
party O
and O
voted O
with O
Senate O
Democrats O
to O
reauthorize O
the O
Violence O
Against O
Women O
Act O
, O
which O
had O
lapsed O
during O
the O
last O
Congress O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0384 O

KATHMANDU O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nepal O
Workers O
' O
and O
Peasants O
' O
Party O
declares O
to O
be O
an O
opposition O

Nepal O
Workers O
' O
and O
Peasants O
' O
Party O
( O
NWPP O
) O
decided O
not O
to O
join O
the O
interim O
government O
, O
but O
play O
a O
" O
strong O
role O
" O
as O
an O
opposition O
in O
the O
interim O
legislature O
, O
local O
newspaper O
The O
Himalayan O
Times O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

President O
of O
NWPP O
Narayan O
Man O
Bijukchhe O
said O
that O
since O
Nepal O
is O
currently O
at O
its O
" O
weakest O
stage O
" O
in O
history O
, O
political O
parties O
should O
exercise O
extreme O
caution O
and O
see O
to O
it O
that O
foreigners O
don O
' O
t O
intervene O
in O
its O
affairs O
. O

A O
meeting O
of O
the O
party O
' O
s O
central O
council O
held O
in O
Bhaktapur O
on O
Wednesday B-T
also O
agreed O
that O
the O
king O
' O
s O
fate O
should O
be O
decided O
through O
a O
referendum O
. O
However O
, O
the O
Comprehensive O
Peace O
Agreement O
( O
CPA O
) O
signed O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
stipulated O
that O
, O
" O
to O
decide O
the O
issue O
of O
whether O
or O
not O
to O
retain O
the O
monarchy O
by O
simple O
majority O
in O
the O
first O
meeting O
of O
constituent O
assembly O
" O
. O

It O
demanded O
that O
a O
government O
with O
independent O
personalities O
be O
formed O
to O
ensure O
free O
and O
fair O
constituent O
assembly O
elections O
. O
In O
a O
statement O
, O
the O
party O
further O
demanded O
" O
stern O
action O
" O
against O
those O
found O
guilty O
by O
the O
Rayamajhi O
Commission O
, O
and O
the O
commission O
' O
s O
report O
" O
must O
be O
strongly O
implemented O
" O
. O

The O
party O
has O
drawn O
the O
attention O
of O
the O
concerned O
to O
adopt O
the O
interim O
constitution O
at O
the O
earliest O
. O

It O
further O
demanded O
that O
India O
withdraw O
its O
army O
personnel O
stationed O
at O
Kalapani O
, O
dismantle O
the O
Laxmanpur O
Bund O
and O
repatriate O
Bhutanese O
refugees O
. O

When O
the O
CPA O
was O
signed O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, O
Narayan O
Man O
Bijukhchhe O
of O
NWPP O
was O
the O
only O
Seven O
Party O
Alliance O
leader O
who O
was O
not O
present O
in O
the O
stage O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051123 O
. O
0291 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
mortgage O
rates O
decline O
this O
week O

Mortgage O
rates O
in O
the O
United O
States O
declined O
this B-T
week I-T
after O
having O
increased O
for O
10 B-T
consecutive I-T
weeks I-T
, O
mortgage O
giant O
Freddie O
Mac O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
in O
its O
weekly O
nationwide O
survey O
. O

During O
the B-T
week I-T
ending O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, O
rates O
on O
30 O
- O
year O
, O
fixed O
- O
rate O
mortgages O
averaged O
6 O
. O
28 O
percent O
, O
the O
survey O
showed O
. O
That O
was O
down O
sharply O
from O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
rate O
of O
6 O
. O
37 O
percent O
, O
the O
highest O
level O
in O
more B-T
than I-T
two I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
survey O
also O
showed O
that O
rates O
on O
15 O
- O
year O
, O
fixed O
- O
rate O
mortgages O
, O
a O
popular O
choice O
for O
refinancing O
a O
home O
mortgage O
, O
fell O
to O
5 O
. O
81 O
percent O
this B-T
week I-T
from O
5 O
. O
90 O
percent O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
rates O
on O
one O
- O
year O
adjustable O
rate O
mortgages O
( O
ARMs O
) O
dropped O
to O
5 O
. O
14 O
percent O
from O
5 O
. O
20 O
percent O
last B-T
week I-T
. O
Rates O
on O
five B-T
- I-T
year I-T
hybrid O
adjustable O
rate O
mortgages O
went O
down O
to O
5 O
. O
75 O
percent O
from O
5 O
. O
86 O
. O

A B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
, O
30 O
- O
year O
mortgages O
averaged O
5 O
. O
72 O
percent O
, O
15 O
- O
year O
mortgages O
were O
at O
5 O
. O
15 O
percent O
and O
one O
- O
year O
ARMs O
averaged O
4 O
. O
27 O
percent O
. O
Freddie O
Mac O
began O
tracking O
five O
- O
year O
ARMs O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

Analysts O
say O
that O
mortgage O
rates O
declined O
this B-T
week I-T
because O
investors O
had O
been O
less O
worried O
about O
inflation O
than O
before O
. O

" O
Lower O
oil O
prices O
- O
- O
at O
least O
compared O
to O
the O
last O
several O
months O
- O
- O
have O
helped O
to O
alleviate O
some O
of O
the O
inflation O
fears O
that O
the O
market O
has O
been O
experiencing O
lately O
, O
" O
Freddie O
Mac O
' O
s O
chief O
economist O
Frank O
Nothaft O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061202 O
. O
0082 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Chinese O
women O
win O
Trap O
team O
gold O

China O
bagged O
the O
women O
' O
s O
Trap O
team O
event O
of O
the O
Asian O
Games O
with O
a O
tally O
of O
195 O
points O
at O
the O
Lusail O
shooting O
ranges O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

North O
Korea O
won O
the O
silver O
with O
186 O
points O
and O
South O
Korea O
the O
bronze O
with O
174 O
points O
after O
the O
individual O
qualification O
rounds O
which O
also O
decides O
the O
winner O
of O
the O
team O
event O
. O

The O
individual O
Trap O
final O
will O
be O
held O
later O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0251 O

MARSEILLE O
, O
France O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Tapie O
granted O
day O
- O
release O
jail O

Jailed O
politician O
Bernard O
Tapie O
left O
prison O
Monday B-T
after O
a O
judge O
granted O
his O
request O
for O
day O
- O
release O
custody O
, O
10 B-T
weeks I-T
after O
he O
was O
jailed O
over O
a O
football O
match O
- O
rigging O
scandal O
. O

Tapie O
, O
who O
was O
jailed O
for O
eight B-T
months I-T
in O
February B-T
, O
is O
expected O
to O
resume O
working O
during O
the O
day O
after O
granted O
the O
part O
- O
time O
regime O
under O
regulations O
which O
allows O
such O
leniency O
for O
first O
- O
time O
offenders O
jailed O
for O
under O
a B-T
year I-T
. O

On O
Monday B-T
he O
was O
released O
from O
the O
Luynes O
prison O
near O
Aix O
- O
en O
- O
Provence O
to O
be O
transferred O
by O
prison O
van O
to O
the O
day O
- O
release O
prison O
at O
Baumettes O
in O
Marseilles O
, O
an O
AFP O
correspondent O
said O
. O

Tapie O
is O
expected O
to O
work O
for O
an O
old O
Marseilles O
business O
colleague O
, O
Michel O
Bigoin O
, O
as O
a O
representative O
for O
his O
shipbuilding O
and O
defence O
group O
SECNA O
. O
No O
contract O
has O
yet O
been O
signed O
, O
but O
Bigoin O
said O
Tapie O
will O
" O
be O
trying O
to O
renew O
links O
with O
potential O
clients O
. O
" O

Under O
the O
terms O
of O
his O
custody O
, O
he O
will O
have O
to O
return O
to O
the O
Baumettes O
prison O
by O
7 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
every I-T
evening I-T
. O

The O
day O
- O
release O
regime O
will O
be O
suspended O
from O
May B-T
12 I-T
- I-T
30 I-T
during O
a O
trial O
involving O
Tapie O
' O
s O
role O
in O
illegal O
funding O
of O
his O
former O
footbal O
club O
Olympique O
de O
Marseille O
( O
OM O
) O
. O

Tapie O
, O
a O
former O
French O
MP O
and O
Euro O
- O
deputy O
, O
has O
faced O
a O
string O
of O
legal O
actions O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
which O
have O
reduced O
him O
from O
a O
succesful O
businessman O
- O
turned O
- O
politician O
to O
a O
prison O
inmate O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051203 O
. O
0437 O

OSAKA O
, O
Japan O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

Japan O
' O
s O
ace O
Miki O
Ando O
has O
vowed O
to O
bounce O
back O
for O
a O
qualification O
for O
the O
Olympics O
after O
her O
disastrous O
performance O
at O
the O
Grand O
Prix O
series O
NHK O
Trophy O
figure O
skating O
competition O
here O
. O

The O
17 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Ando O
, O
the O
only O
female O
skater O
to O
have O
performed O
a O
quadruple O
in O
competition O
at O
the O
2004 O
world O
junior O
championships O
, O
fell O
twice O
in O
her O
free O
skating O
to O
finish O
fourth B-T
Saturday I-T
. O

Ando O
was O
behind O
fellow O
Japanese O
Yukari O
Nakano O
, O
who O
captured O
her O
first O
Grand O
Prix O
win O
, O
and O
Fumie O
Suguri O
, O
the O
runner O
- O
up O
. O

But O
Ando O
, O
as O
well O
as O
Nakano O
, O
earned O
a O
place O
in O
the O
Grand O
Prix O
Final O
later O
this B-T
month I-T
in O
Tokyo O
and O
she O
is O
likely O
to O
be O
chosen O
for O
the O
Olympics O
by O
the O
Japan O
Skating O
Federation O
if O
she O
finishes O
among O
the O
top O
three O
. O

Japan O
has O
three O
tickets O
in O
the O
women O
' O
s O
competition O
for O
the O
Olympics O
. O

Mao O
Asada O
also O
reached O
the O
elite O
six O
- O
women O
Grand O
Prix O
Final O
with O
her O
victory O
at O
Paris O
and O
runner O
- O
up O
finish O
at O
Beijing O
, O
but O
at O
age O
15 O
she O
is O
ineligible O
for O
the O
Olympics O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
really O
glad O
that O
I O
reached O
the O
Grand O
Prix O
Final O
, O
because O
I O
thought O
I O
failed O
to O
qualify O
. O
It O
' O
s O
wonderful O
that O
three O
of O
us O
from O
Japan O
qualified O
for O
the O
Final O
, O
" O
said O
Ando O
, O
who O
will O
be O
18 O
on O
the B-T
last I-T
day I-T
of O
the O
GP O
Final O
. O

" O
I O
really O
want O
to O
take O
part O
in O
the O
Olympics O
. O
Until O
last B-T
season I-T
, O
I O
felt O
just O
happy O
whenever O
I O
skated O
my O
own O
performance O
, O
but O
now B-T
I O
feel O
like O
I O
cannot O
win O
unless O
I O
try O
to O
win O
. O
I O
want O
to O
smile O
on O
the O
podium O
next O
time O
. O
" O

Nakano O
, O
a O
20 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
from O
Tokyo O
, O
said O
she O
was O
surprised O
with O
her O
first O
victory O
as O
well O
as O
a O
place O
in O
the O
Grand O
Prix O
Final O
despite O
a O
fall O
at O
landing O
a O
triple O
axel O
in O
the O
free O
skating O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
going O
to O
think O
about O
the O
Olympics O
, O
because O
I O
' O
m O
sure O
I O
will O
be O
under O
heavy O
pressure O
if O
I O
think O
about O
it O
. O
It O
is O
important O
to O
always O
perform O
solid O
and O
try O
to O
do O
as O
well O
as O
I O
usually O
do O
in O
practice O
, O
" O
Nakano O
said O
. O

Suguri O
, O
who O
was O
fifth O
in O
the O
Salt O
Lake O
City O
Olympics O
, O
the O
2004 O
world O
champion O
Shizuka O
Arakawa O
and O
Yoshie O
Onda O
have O
to O
wait O
until O
the O
national O
championships O
for O
their O
chances O
to O
qualify O
for O
Torino O
. O

" O
I O
feel O
as O
if O
it O
has O
cast O
a O
gleam O
of O
hope O
upon O
my O
way O
towards O
the O
Olympics O
, O
" O
said O
two O
- O
time O
world O
bronze O
medallist O
Suguri O
, O
24 O
, O
who O
put O
an O
end O
to O
her O
injury O
- O
affected O
season O
with O
the O
runner O
- O
up O
finish O
in O
Osaka O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
in O
good O
form O
physically O
, O
so O
I O
just O
tried O
to O
do O
what O
I O
was O
able O
to O
do O
at O
this O
moment O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O
" O
When O
I O
think O
about O
how O
far O
I O
' O
ve O
completed O
my O
programme O
, O
it O
' O
s O
less O
than O
80 O
percent O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0398 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

for O
African O
Union O

China O
will O
build O
a O
conference O
center O
for O
the O
African O
Union O
to O
support O
African O
countries O
in O
their O
efforts O
to O
strengthen O
themselves O
through O
unity O
and O
support O
the O
process O
of O
African O
integration O
. O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
made O
the O
remarks O
here O
Saturday B-T
when O
addressing O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
of O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
( O
FOCAC O
) O
. O

" O
To O
strengthen O
unity O
and O
cooperation O
with O
Africa O
is O
a O
key O
principle O
guiding O
China O
' O
s O
foreign O
policy O
. O
China O
will O
continue O
to O
support O
Africa O
in O
implementing O
the O
new O
partnership O
for O
Africa O
' O
s O
Development O
and O
in O
its O
effort O
to O
strengthen O
itself O
through O
unity O
, O
achieve O
peace O
and O
stability O
and O
economic O
revitalization O
in O
the O
region O
and O
raise O
its O
international O
standing O
, O
" O
Hu O
said O
. O

Forty O
- O
one O
heads O
of O
state O
or O
government O
and O
senior O
officials O
of O
48 O
African O
countries O
that O
have O
diplomatic O
ties O
with O
China O
, O
including O
Prime O
Minister O
of O
Ethiopia O
which O
co O
- O
chairs O
FOCAC O
, O
Alpha O
Oumar O
Konare O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
Commission O
of O
the O
African O
Union O
( O
AU O
) O
and O
representatives O
from O
regional O
and O
international O
organizations O
attended O
the O
landmark O
gathering O
highlighting O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
" O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0062 O

KAMPALA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Ugandan O
gov O
' O
t O
licenses O
private O
firm O
to O
recruit O
countrymen O
for O
foreign O
jobs O

The O
Ugandan O
government O
has O
issued O
a O
license O
to O
a O
private O
firm O
, O
Job O
Potential O
and O
Property O
Markets O
( O
JPPM O
) O
to O
recruit O
Ugandans O
who O
want O
to O
work O
abroad O
. O

An O
official O
from O
the O
External O
Employment O
Unit O
( O
EEU O
) O
in O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Labor O
, O
Nava O
Nabagesera O
was O
quoted O
by O
local O
media O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
saying O
that O
the O
license O
issuance O
to O
JPPM O
brought O
a O
new O
era O
for O
Ugandans O
who O
will O
now B-T
be O
able O
to O
work O
without O
fear O
of O
being O
deported O
. O

" O
A O
number O
of O
companies O
applied O
, O
we O
verified O
the O
requirements O
of O
the O
companies O
and O
among O
them O
was O
that O
they O
had O
to O
have O
over O
fifty O
jobs O
ready O
. O
They O
can O
start O
work O
and O
what O
remains O
for O
us O
is O
to O
supervise O
and O
monitor O
them O
. O
It O
is O
a O
big O
break O
through O
as O
Ugandans O
will O
not O
have O
to O
work O
under O
pressure O
. O
It O
will O
help O
build O
the O
economy O
, O
" O
said O
Nabagesera O
. O

JPPM O
' O
s O
Managing O
Director O
, O
Paul O
Muhumuza O
said O
they O
were O
ready O
for O
recruitment O
. O

" O
We O
are O
going O
to O
recruit O
people O
for O
professional O
and O
casual O
jobs O
. O
We O
have O
already O
signed O
agreements O
with O
different O
corporate O
bodies O
and O
were O
only O
waiting O
for O
the O
license O
to O
start O
work O
. O
Now B-T
that O
we O
have O
been O
licensed O
, O
we O
are O
going O
to O
start O
the O
recruitment O
. O

He O
said O
their O
target O
so O
far O
was O
Britain O
, O
the O
United O
States O
, O
South O
Africa O
, O
Canada O
and O
China O
, O
which O
is O
in O
need O
of O
English O
teachers O
. O

" O
We O
have O
about O
15 O
, O
000 O
jobs O
and O
the O
gates O
are O
open O
. O
We O
will O
be O
getting O
particulars O
of O
personalities O
, O
train O
them O
and O
process O
the O
papers O
including O
work O
permits O
and O
visas O
. O
We O
will O
then O
connect O
then O
to O
factories O
and O
other O
corporate O
companies O
, O
" O
said O
Muhumuza O
. O

In O
August B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
the O
Ugandan O
government O
launched O
the O
EEU O
to O
help O
Ugandans O
officially O
get O
jobs O
outside O
the O
country O
. O

The O
move O
followed O
an O
increase O
in O
the O
number O
of O
unemployed O
youths O
in O
the O
country O
. O
Recent O
statistics O
indicate O
that O
at O
least O
10 O
, O
000 O
students O
graduate O
annually O
from O
universities O
and O
other O
institutions O
of O
higher O
learning O
in O
the O
country O
but O
cannot O
access O
jobs O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0306 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

S O
. O
Africa O
, O
India O
, O
Brazil O
to O
cooperate O
on O
tax O
, O
customs O

South O
Africa O
, O
India O
and O
Brazil O
have O
agreed O
to O
enhance O
their O
cooperation O
on O
tax O
and O
customs O
to O
boost O
trade O
and O
economic O
development O
in O
the O
countries O
, O
South O
African O
Revenue O
Services O
( O
SARS O
) O
said O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

India O
' O
s O
revenue O
secretary O
, O
Brazil O
' O
s O
federal O
revenue O
secretary O
and O
SARS O
Commissioner O
Pravin O
Gordhan O
signed O
the O
joint O
declaration O
in O
Pretoria O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
committing O
their O
organizations O
to O
closer O
ties O
across O
a O
wide O
range O
of O
areas O
on O
both O
the O
revenue O
and O
customs O
fronts O
, O
the O
SAPA O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

" O
The O
move O
also O
seeks O
to O
thwart O
smuggling O
, O
drug O
trafficking O
, O
fraud O
and O
tax O
avoidance O
in O
the O
three O
nations O
, O
" O
said O
Logan O
Wort O
, O
a O
SARS O
spokesman O
. O

Central O
to O
the O
declaration O
was O
an O
agreement O
to O
exchange O
information O
between O
the O
three O
revenue O
authorities O
to O
help O
identify O
high O
- O
risk O
transactions O
and O
speed O
up O
the O
processing O
of O
imports O
and O
exports O
. O
The O
officials O
also O
agreed O
to O
share O
information O
on O
tax O
, O
the O
SAPA O
said O
. O

" O
Where O
appropriate O
, O
they O
agreed O
to O
perform O
simultaneous O
tax O
audits O
on O
common O
business O
entities O
, O
" O
said O
Wort O
. O

Another O
area O
for O
further O
cooperation O
will O
be O
working O
together O
to O
develop O
common O
positions O
for O
trade O
facilitation O
negotiations O
. O

The O
declaration O
was O
part O
of O
outcomes O
of O
a O
three O
- O
day O
inaugural O
meeting O
of O
the O
India O
- O
Brazil O
- O
South O
Africa O
( O
IBSA O
) O
Heads O
of O
Revenue O
Administrations O
. O

The O
meeting O
was O
conducted O
under O
the O
auspices O
of O
the O
IBSA O
Dialogue O
Forum O
established O
between O
the O
three O
countries O
to O
further O
economic O
cooperation O
, O
following O
the O
first O
IBSA O
heads O
of O
government O
summit O
in O
Brazil O
in O
September B-T
. O

The O
heads O
of O
revenue O
administrations O
also O
agreed O
to O
establish O
an O
IBSA O
Revenue O
Administration O
Working O
Group O
to O
further O
expedite O
links O
between O
their O
organizations O
. O

Trade O
between O
South O
Africa O
, O
Brazil O
and O
India O
had O
risen O
sharply O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
few I-T
years I-T
and O
was O
expected O
to O
grow O
even O
more O
significantly O
once O
a O
formal O
trade O
agreement O
was O
in O
place O
between O
the O
IBSA O
partners O
, O
said O
Wort O
. O

Trade O
between O
Brazil O
and O
South O
Africa O
rose O
to O
more O
than O
10 O
billion O
rand O
( O
1 O
. O
4 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
2005 B-T
from O
6 O
. O
6 O
billion O
rand O
( O
0 O
. O
9 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
two B-T
years I-T
earlier I-T
. O

Between O
India O
and O
South O
Africa O
the O
trade O
totaled O
more O
than O
14 O
billion O
rand O
( O
1 O
. O
96 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
more O
than O
doubling O
that O
of O
2003 O
, O
Wort O
said O
. O

WSJ891026 O
- O
0066 O

= O
891026 O

891026 O
- O
0066 O
. O

Total O
Assets O
Protection O
Inc O
. O

10 B-T
/ I-T
26 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

TAPP O

ARLINGTON O
, O
Texas O

Total O
Assets O
Protection O
Inc O
. O
, O
rebounding O
from O
its O
earlier O
loss O
, O
expects O
to O
report O
earnings O
from O
operations O
of O
about O
$ O
200 O
, O
000 O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
J O
. O
C O
. O
Matlock O
, O
chairman O
, O
said O
. O

Net O
income O
includes O
an O
extraordinary O
gain O
of O
about O
$ O
100 O
, O
000 O
from O
the O
reversal O
of O
bad O
debt O
and O
interest O
income O
. O

Revenue O
was O
about O
$ O
4 O
. O
5 O
million O
. O

In O
the B-T
1988 I-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
company O
posted O
a O
net O
loss O
of O
$ O
876 O
, O
706 O
, O
or O
22 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
on O
revenue O
of O
about O
$ O
5 O
. O
1 O
million O
. O

Total O
Assets O
plans O
and O
designs O
computer O
centers O
, O
computer O
security O
systems O
and O
computer O
backup O
systems O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0273 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

KMT O
, O
PFP O
table O
anti O
- O
Chen O
bills O
for O
Friday O
' O
s O
legislative O
session O

The O
Chinese O
Kuomintang O
Party O
( O
KMT O
) O
and O
the O
People O
First O
Party O
on O
Tuesday B-T
put O
forward O
their O
own O
bills O
, O
respectively O
, O
for O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
session O
of O
Taiwan O
' O
s O
" O
legislative O
yuan O
" O
, O
to O
oust O
Chen O
Shui O
- O
bian O
who O
has O
been O
implicated O
in O
corruption O
, O
according O
to O
reports O
by O
Taiwan O
media O
. O

It O
has O
been O
the O
third O
such O
bill O
ever O
since O
Chen O
' O
s O
family O
came O
under O
fire O
for O
alleged O
involvement O
in O
corruption O
early B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

But O
the O
Democratic O
Progress O
Party O
( O
DPP O
) O
said O
all O
its O
members O
will O
not O
participate O
in O
the O
legislative O
meeting O
to O
cast O
their O
votes O
, O
same O
to O
what O
it O
did O
during O
the O
two O
previous O
votings O
. O

The O
previous O
anti O
- O
Chen O
votings O
failed O
to O
succeed O
, O
due O
to O
the O
opposition O
by O
the O
DPP O
and O
the O
abstaining O
by O
the O
Taiwan O
Solidarity O
Union O
( O
TSU O
) O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0257 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Roundup O
: O
HIV O
prevalence O
in O
S O
. O
Africa O
" O
levels O
off O
" O
, O
dire O
situation O
persists O

A O
study O
in O
South O
Africa O
, O
a O
country O
worst O
hit O
by O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
showed O
the O
epidemic O
may O
have O
been O
leveling O
off O
but O
dire O
situation O
could O
persist O
as O
millions O
of O
HIV O
- O
positive O
people O
remain O
unaware O
of O
their O
risk O
of O
potentially O
infecting O
others O
, O
given O
a O
wide O
existence O
of O
unsafe O
sex O
and O
ignorance O
. O

An O
estimated O
4 O
. O
8 O
million O
South O
Africans O
, O
or O
10 O
. O
8 O
percent O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
total O
population O
, O
are O
living O
with O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
according O
to O
the O
national O
survey O
conducted O
by O
the O
Human O
Sciences O
Research O
Council O
( O
HSRC O
) O
. O

The O
results O
were O
published O
in O
Johannesburg O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, I-T
one I-T
day I-T
ahead O
of O
the O
annual O
World O
AIDS O
Day O
that O
once O
again O
singles O
southern O
Africa O
out O
as O
" O
epicenter O
" O
of O
global O
AIDS O
pandemic O
. O

HIV O
prevalence O
among O
young O
adults O
in O
the O
15 O
- O
49 O
age O
group O
increased O
slightly O
from O
15 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
2002 B-T
to O
16 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
which O
" O
may O
be O
an O
indication O
that O
the O
epidemic O
in O
the O
general O
population O
of O
South O
Africa O
has O
entered O
a O
phase O
of O
leveling O
off O
, O
" O
said O
Olive O
Shisana O
, O
principal O
investigator O
and O
CEO O
of O
HSRC O
. O

The O
HSRC O
figure O
was O
less O
than O
the O
South O
African O
health O
department O
' O
s O
estimate O
of O
6 O
. O
3 O
million O
infections O
last B-T
year I-T
and O
some O
5 O
million O
estimated O
by O
the O
United O
Nations O
( O
UN O
) O
most O
recently O
. O

Shisana O
told O
a O
press O
briefing O
on O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
population O
- O
based O
HSRC O
survey O
was O
different O
from O
studies O
only O
among O
pregnant O
women O
, O
whose O
data O
could O
be O
limited O
by O
over O
- O
representation O
of O
poorer O
African O
females O
. O

The O
UN O
AIDS O
agency O
UNAIDS O
said O
almost O
30 O
percent O
of O
women O
attending O
antenatal O
clinics O
in O
South O
Africa O
were O
tested O
HIV O
positive O
in O
2004 B-T
. O

In O
its O
2005 O
AIDS O
report O
released O
recently B-T
, O
UNAIDS O
said O
the O
epidemic O
in O
South O
Africa O
has O
evolved O
at O
an O
" O
astonishing O
" O
speed O
, O
with O
national O
adult O
HIV O
prevalence O
of O
less O
than O
1 O
percent O
in O
1990 B-T
soaring O
to O
almost O
25 O
percent O
within O
10 B-T
years I-T
. O

Young O
females O
, O
Africans O
and O
residents O
in O
poverty O
- O
stricken O
informal O
settlements O
run O
much O
higher O
risks O
of O
being O
infected O
with O
HIV O
than O
males O
, O
whites O
and O
those O
living O
in O
formal O
settlements O
, O
the O
HSRC O
study O
found O
. O

MORTALITY O
INCREASES O
, O
IGNORANCE O
PERSISTS O

Thomas O
Rehle O
, O
a O
health O
expert O
with O
HSRC O
, O
said O
while O
the O
HIV O
infection O
level O
may O
keep O
steady O
in O
next B-T
several I-T
years I-T
after O
a O
steep O
rise O
, O
AIDS O
- O
related O
mortality O
will O
continue O
to O
increase O
. O

The O
estimate O
of O
HIV O
positive O
population O
by O
Actuarial O
Society O
of O
South O
Africa O
, O
from O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
5 O
million O
to O
5 O
. O
2 O
million O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
also O
suggested O
HIV O
prevalence O
is O
leveling O
off O
in O
South O
Africa O
. O

But O
Rob O
Dorrington O
, O
the O
society O
' O
s O
AIDS O
committee O
member O
, O
said O
this O
was O
not O
because O
new O
infections O
were O
falling O
, O
but O
rather O
that O
the O
number O
of O
infected O
people O
dying O
was O
approaching O
the O
number O
of O
people O
who O
were O
getting O
infected O
, O
national O
newspaper O
Business O
Day O
reported O
. O

The O
society O
estimated O
530 O
, O
000 O
South O
Africans O
were O
newly O
infected O
between O
mid O
- O
2004 O
and O
mid O
- O
2005 O
while O
340 O
, O
000 O
AIDS O
patients O
died O
during O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
, O
reducing O
the O
average O
life O
expectancy O
down O
to O
a O
mere B-T
51 I-T
years I-T
. O

The O
HSRC O
estimated O
2 O
. O
5 O
million O
children O
in O
South O
Africa O
were O
orphaned O
by O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
and O
other O
diseases O
. O

Shisana O
said O
the O
HSRC O
survey O
has O
nevertheless O
raised O
some O
concerns O
, O
particularly O
high O
HIV O
infection O
rate O
among O
young O
girls O
. O

" O
Of O
great O
concern O
is O
the O
finding O
that O
young O
women O
in O
the O
15 O
- O
24 O
age O
group O
are O
up O
to O
four O
times O
more O
likely O
to O
be O
HIV O
positive O
than O
young O
men O
in O
the O
same O
group O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Females O
in O
this O
group O
were O
almost O
17 O
percent O
likely O
to O
get O
infected O
in O
2005 B-T
, O
compared O
with O
12 O
percent O
in O
2002 B-T
. O
HIV O
prevalence O
could O
be O
as O
high O
as O
some O
33 O
percent O
among O
women O
aged O
25 O
- O
29 O
. O

Having O
sex O
at O
young O
age O
, O
multiple O
sexual O
partnerships O
and O
having O
older O
sexual O
partners O
increased O
their O
risk O
of O
HIV O
infection O
. O

Shisana O
said O
half O
of O
the O
respondents O
in O
the O
study O
who O
were O
tested O
HIV O
positive O
did O
not O
think O
they O
were O
at O
risk O
of O
HIV O
infection O
. O

Put O
it O
in O
another O
way O
, O
more O
than O
two O
million O
South O
Africans O
walking O
on O
street O
are O
HIV O
positive O
but O
think O
they O
are O
not O
, O
which O
can O
be O
a O
big O
risk O
of O
potentially O
infecting O
others O
, O
she O
said O
. O

Although O
overall O
basic O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
knowledge O
is O
high O
, O
many O
South O
Africans O
are O
still O
uncertain O
about O
HIV O
causing O
AIDS O
, O
condoms O
preventing O
HIV O
infection O
or O
HIV O
transmission O
from O
mother O
to O
child O
, O
she O
said O
. O

ACCEPTING O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
AS O
REALITY O

The O
HSRC O
study O
discovered O
nearly O
half O
of O
South O
Africans O
aged O
15 O
and O
older O
finding O
nothing O
wrong O
with O
marrying O
an O
HIV O
- O
positive O
person O
and O
would O
not O
have O
a O
problem O
having O
sex O
with O
them O
. O

" O
These O
results O
suggest O
that O
South O
Africans O
are O
accepting O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
as O
a O
reality O
in O
South O
Africa O
and O
that O
stigmatization O
in O
society O
is O
becoming O
less O
of O
a O
factor O
, O
especially O
in O
urban O
areas O
, O
" O
said O
Shisana O
. O

The O
study O
found O
that O
90 O
. O
7 O
percent O
of O
South O
Africans O
were O
willing O
to O
care O
for O
HIV O
- O
positive O
family O
members O
and O
that O
79 O
. O
8 O
percent O
were O
against O
the O
exclusion O
of O
HIV O
- O
positive O
children O
from O
schools O
. O

Although O
South O
Africans O
acknowledged O
the O
government O
' O
s O
efforts O
in O
dealing O
with O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
, O
a O
significant O
number O
were O
unhappy O
with O
the O
financial O
and O
human O
resources O
allocated O
to O
dealing O
with O
the O
scourge O
, O
Shisana O
said O
. O

UNAIDS O
said O
this B-T
month I-T
that O
at O
least O
85 O
percent O
of O
South O
Africans O
who O
needed O
antiretroviral O
drugs O
were O
not O
yet O
receiving O
them O
by O
mid B-T
- I-T
2005 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0167 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

AIDS O
blamed O
for O
40 O
percent O
child O
deaths O
in O
South O
Africa O

HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
is O
the O
leading O
cause O
of O
death O
of O
South O
African O
children O
under O
the O
age O
of O
five O
, O
the O
Children O
' O
s O
Institute O
said O
in O
Cape O
Town O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
Forty O
percent O
of O
deaths O
of O
children O
under O
the O
age O
of O
five B-T
years I-T
are O
directly O
attributable O
to O
AIDS O
and O
a O
further O
30 O
percent O
to O
diseases O
of O
poverty O
, O
" O
CI O
Director O
Marian O
Jacobs O
said O
. O

The O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
pandemic O
is O
first O
among O
a O
number O
of O
factors O
that O
are O
standing O
in O
the O
way O
of O
realizing O
child O
rights O
in O
South O
Africa O
, O
and O
the O
country O
needs O
a O
comprehensive O
response O
to O
children O
infected O
and O
affected O
by O
the O
disease O
. O

This O
is O
the O
message O
from O
the O
Children O
' O
s O
Institute O
, O
as O
it O
launched O
a O
publication O
on O
the O
situation O
of O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
children O
to O
coincide O
with O
World O
AIDS O
day O
on O
December B-T
1 I-T
. O

This O
year O
' O
s O
edition O
, O
the O
South O
African O
Child O
Gauge O
2005 O
, O
focuses O
on O
the O
theme O
of O
children O
and O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
. O

The O
professor O
said O
: O
" O
The O
second O
major O
obstacle O
to O
the O
realization O
of O
child O
rights O
is O
the O
ongoing O
income O
inequality O
and O
widespread O
poverty O
that O
continue O
in O
the O
country O
. O
" O

" O
The O
unemployment O
rate O
is O
rising O
alongside O
the O
HIV O
infection O
rate O
and O
this O
is O
of O
great O
concern O
, O
because O
poverty O
deepens O
the O
effects O
of O
HIV O
/ O
AIDS O
on O
households O
, O
while O
the O
disease O
in O
turn O
aggravates O
already O
existing O
poverty O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

With O
a O
total O
population O
of O
47 O
million O
, O
an O
estimated O
5 O
. O
2 O
million O
South O
Africans O
, O
or O
11 O
percent O
of O
the O
population O
, O
are O
infected O
with O
HIV O
, O
according O
to O
a O
report O
the O
Actuarial O
Society O
of O
SA O
in O
local O
daily O
here O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051130 O
. O
0029 O

SINGAPORE O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Asia O
Media O
Festival O
trade O
events O
opens O
in O
Singapore O

The O
Asia O
Media O
Festival O
( O
AMF O
) O
trade O
events O
opened O
in O
Singapore O
Wednesday B-T
with O
participation O
of O
4 O
, O
500 O
foreign O
trade O
delegates O
and O
200 O
international O
sellers O
from O
40 O
countries O
. O

With O
the O
AMF O
events O
for O
the O
public O
including O
film O
screenings O
on O
display O
for O
two B-T
weeks I-T
, O
half O
a O
million O
participants O
for O
both O
consumer O
and O
trade O
events O
are O
expected O
this B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
The O
Asia O
market O
with O
its O
diverse O
culture O
and O
flavor O
offers O
tremendous O
opportunities O
to O
the O
media O
industry O
, O
" O
Singapore O
Minister O
for O
Information O
, O
Communications O
and O
the O
Arts O
Lee O
Boon O
Yang O
said O
at O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
. O

He O
announced O
that O
Discovery O
Networks O
Asia O
, O
the O
Media O
Development O
Authority O
( O
MDA O
) O
of O
Singapore O
and O
a O
local O
production O
company O
will O
jointly O
adapt O
Asian O
- O
made O
documentaries O
for O
international O
audiences O
. O

Singapore O
will O
be O
capable O
of O
transferring O
films O
to O
high O
- O
definition O
( O
HD O
) O
format O
by O
early B-T
2006 I-T
while O
a O
trial O
to O
test O
HD O
television O
services O
will O
be O
carried O
out O
by O
the O
middle O
of O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
minister O
. O

Organized O
by O
Reed O
Exhibitions O
and O
hosted O
by O
the O
MDA O
, O
the O
Asia O
Media O
Festival O
is O
an O
annual O
fiesta O
in O
the O
media O
and O
entertainment O
industry O
, O
and O
will O
last O
until O
Dec B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051122 O
. O
0371 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
seeks O
to O
update O
quarantine O
rules O

The O
United O
States O
Centers O
for O
Disease O
Control O
and O
Prevention O
( O
CDC O
) O
on O
Tuesday B-T
announced O
updates O
to O
quarantine O
regulations O
in O
order O
to O
better O
prepare O
for O
possible O
outbreaks O
of O
infectious O
diseases O
such O
as O
bird O
flu O
. O

The O
stricter O
regulations O
were O
proposed O
at O
a O
time O
when O
global O
concerns O
are O
increasing O
about O
a O
potential O
outbreak O
of O
a O
bird O
flu O
pandemic O
as O
the O
bird O
flu O
virus O
strain O
is O
feared O
to O
mutate O
to O
become O
easily O
transmissible O
among O
humans O
quickly O
. O

This O
is O
the O
first O
substantial O
overhaul O
of O
federal O
quarantine O
rules O
in O
at B-T
least I-T
25 I-T
years I-T
, O
officials O
said O
. O

The O
rules O
focus O
on O
early O
discovery O
and O
control O
of O
infectious O
diseases O
that O
may O
result O
from O
international O
transportation O
and O
interstate O
movement O
. O

The O
rules O
include O
expanding O
the O
definition O
of O
ill O
passengers O
, O
allowing O
the O
CDC O
easier O
access O
to O
airline O
and O
ship O
passenger O
lists O
, O
and O
facilitating O
the O
CDC O
ability O
to O
offer O
vaccinations O
and O
medical O
treatment O
to O
quarantined O
people O
. O

The O
changes O
are O
part O
of O
the O
CDC O
efforts O
to O
enhance O
its O
capacity O
to O
protect O
Americans O
from O
infectious O
agent O
from O
abroad O
. O
In O
the B-T
past I-T
18 I-T
months I-T
, O
the O
CDC O
has O
set O
up O
10 O
new O
quarantine O
stations O
at O
airports O
, O
ship O
ports O
and O
land O
- O
border O
crossings O
. O
It O
originally O
had O
only O
eight O
. O

The O
proposed O
regulations O
are O
open O
for O
public O
comment O
for O
two B-T
months I-T
as O
of O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051212 O
. O
0028 O

MANILA O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

by O
US O

Jose O
Maria O
Sison O
, O
the O
exiled O
founder O
of O
the O
Philippines O
' O
decades O
- O
old O
communist O
insurgency O
, O
said O
Monday B-T
he O
fears O
he O
could O
be O
abducted O
by O
the O
United O
States O
in O
its O
fight O
against O
international O
terrorism O
. O

The O
US O
State O
Department O
and O
western O
allies O
have O
designated O
the O
Communist O
Party O
of O
the O
Philippines O
( O
CPP O
) O
, O
which O
Sison O
established O
in O
1968 B-T
, O
and O
its O
armed O
wing O
the O
New O
People O
' O
s O
Army O
( O
NPA O
) O
, O
as O
" O
foreign O
terrorist O
organizations O
" O
. O

Sison O
, O
who O
lives O
in O
exile O
in O
the O
Netherlands O
where O
he O
is O
seeking O
political O
asylum O
, O
accused O
President O
Gloria O
Arroyo O
' O
s O
government O
of O
implicating O
the O
CPP O
- O
NPA O
in O
terrorism O
to O
justify O
his O
arrest O
by O
Washington O
, O
Manila O
' O
s O
top O
military O
ally O
. O

Arroyo O
has O
suspended O
peace O
talks O
with O
the O
CPP O
- O
NPA O
after O
the O
rebels O
refused O
a O
government O
demand O
for O
a O
nationwide O
ceasefire O
. O
The O
insurgent O
leadership O
also O
wants O
Manila O
to O
get O
the O
group O
off O
the O
West O
' O
s O
terrorist O
watchlist O
. O

" O
My O
Philippine O
, O
European O
and O
American O
lawyers O
are O
looking O
into O
the O
possibility O
that O
the O
US O
and O
Arroyo O
governments O
are O
fabricating O
stories O
and O
intelligence O
dossiers O
against O
me O
in O
order O
to O
lay O
the O
ground O
for O
my O
' O
rendition O
' O
by O
the O
CIA O
and O
other O
operatives O
of O
the O
US O
, O
" O
Sison O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

Sison O
equated O
the O
term O
" O
rendition O
" O
with O
" O
kidnapping O
" O
. O

The O
term O
" O
rendition O
" O
refers O
to O
allegations O
that O
the O
US O
government O
is O
flying O
terrorist O
suspects O
to O
secret O
bases O
and O
third O
countries O
for O
interrogation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0260 O

ANKARA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

recommendations O
: O
Annan O

Visiting O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
revealed O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
world O
body O
had O
decided O
to O
establish O
a O
suitable O
mechanism O
for O
implementing O
the O
recommendations O
by O
the O
high O
- O
level O
group O
of O
the O
Alliance O
of O
Civilizations O
. O

Annan O
made O
the O
remarks O
at O
a O
joint O
news O
conference O
with O
Turkish O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
and O
Spain O
' O
s O
Prime O
Minister O
Jose O
Luiz O
Rodriguez O
Zapatero O
after O
the O
alliance O
' O
s O
high O
- O
level O
group O
meeting O
held O
in O
Istanbul O
, O
the O
largest O
city O
of O
Turkey O
. O

The O
alliance O
, O
launched O
in O
November B-T
2005 I-T
by O
Spain O
and O
Turkey O
, O
aims O
to O
encourage O
dialogue O
between O
Western O
and O
Islamic O
societies O
. O

Annan O
told O
the O
reporters O
that O
the O
Alliance O
of O
Civilizations O
could O
be O
activated O
as O
soon O
as O
the O
difficult O
situations O
in O
Afghanistan O
, O
Iraq O
and O
Palestine O
were O
resolved O
. O

Existing O
foreign O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
and O
Afghanistan O
would O
not O
remain O
there O
forever O
, O
which O
would O
have O
to O
leave O
after O
a O
certain O
time O
, O
Annan O
said O
. O

For O
his O
part O
, O
Zapatero O
highlighted O
significance O
of O
the O
meeting O
for O
both O
Muslim O
and O
Western O
worlds O
, O
saying O
the O
participates O
had O
reached O
an O
important O
agreement O
that O
everyone O
should O
be O
respectful O
to O
different O
religions O
by O
acknowledging O
their O
importance O
and O
existence O
. O

" O
People O
from O
different O
cultures O
have O
waged O
a O
war O
against O
fanaticism O
and O
intolerance O
. O
We O
will O
fight O
against O
fanaticism O
and O
intolerance O
through O
tolerance O
and O
dialogue O
. O
We O
will O
prevent O
acts O
of O
fanatics O
, O
" O
he O
vowed O
. O

Zapatero O
left O
Turkey O
after O
the O
press O
conference O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0113 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Two O
Chinese O
taikonauts O
meet O
HK O
youths O

Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
young O
people O
on O
Tuesday B-T
questioned O
two O
taikonauts O
of O
China O
' O
s O
second O
manned O
space O
mission O
, O
trying O
to O
find O
a O
personal O
image O
of O
the O
two O
, O
who O
have O
been O
hailed O
as O
" O
heroes O
" O
by O
local O
press O
. O

" O
Most O
Hong O
Kong O
youth O
are O
very O
practical O
when O
choosing O
profession O
, O
how O
can O
you O
make O
up O
minds O
to O
be O
a O
taikonaut O
when O
China O
' O
s O
aerospace O
industry O
still O
at O
the O
beginning O
? O
" O
asked O
a O
young O
female O
accountant O
at O
a O
forum O
. O

The O
one O
- O
hour O
session O
was O
attended O
by O
the O
two O
taikonauts O
, O
Fei O
Junlong O
and O
Nie O
Haijun O
, O
and O
more O
than O
100 O
Hong O
Kong O
young O
professionals O
from O
all O
walks O
of O
life O
. O

Both O
Fei O
and O
Nie O
encouraged O
the O
young O
people O
to O
devote O
to O
their O
careers O
even O
the O
results O
not O
clear O
. O
" O
The O
commitment O
is O
achievement O
itself O
, O
" O
said O
Fei O
. O

Compared O
to O
the O
glorious O
titles O
such O
as O
" O
Space O
Hero O
Duet O
" O
given O
by O
Hong O
Kong O
press O
, O
the O
young O
people O
preferred O
to O
know O
the O
two O
taikonauts O
from O
a O
more O
personal O
prospect O
. O

Many O
questions O
focused O
on O
how O
the O
two O
designed O
their O
career O
development O
and O
how O
they O
dealt O
with O
stress O
coming O
from O
life O
and O
work O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ve O
never O
felt O
more O
stress O
than O
now B-T
. I-T
I O
' O
m O
so O
nervous O
to O
know O
what O
is O
the O
next O
question O
, O
" O
said O
Fei O
, O
whose O
answer O
triggered O
out O
laughter O
and O
applause O
from O
the O
audience O
. O

Among O
15 O
people O
asking O
questions O
, O
most O
were O
curious O
about O
how O
the O
two O
taikonauts O
maintain O
good O
relations O
with O
their O
families O
while O
pursuing O
their O
career O
of O
being O
a O
taikonaut O
, O
one O
of O
the O
14 O
in O
whole O
China O
. O

" O
I O
couldn O
' O
t O
have O
made O
today B-T
' O
s O
achievement O
without O
the O
support O
of O
my O
families O
. O
I O
thank O
them O
for O
their O
unselfish O
support O
, O
" O
Nie O
answered O
. O

Nie O
, O
who O
orbited O
the O
Earth O
in O
mid O
- O
October O
with O
Fei O
, O
spent O
his O
41st O
birthday O
while O
exploring O
the O
space O
. O
A O
live O
TV O
broadcast O
then O
showed O
an O
overwhelmed O
Nie O
with O
tears O
when O
his O
daughter O
sang O
him O
a O
Happy O
Birthday O
Song O
by O
satellite O
telephone O
. O

Nie O
and O
Fei O
are O
on O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Hong O
Kong O
with O
engineers O
of O
the O
Shenzhou O
- O
6 O
manned O
space O
mission O
, O
named O
after O
the O
capsule O
. O

During O
their O
stay O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
the O
two O
taikonauts O
attended O
variety O
show O
, O
gave O
science O
presentations O
and O
communicated O
with O
the O
public O
at O
various O
forums O
. O
They O
will O
leave O
for O
Macao O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0131 O

KAMPALA O
, O
April B-T
29 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Ancestral O
spirits O
aiding O
Sudanese O
rebels O
: O
Museveni O

Ugandan O
President O
Yoweri O
Museveni O
is O
claiming O
that O
it O
is O
ancestral O
spirits O
- O
- O
not O
Ugandan O
soldiers O
- O
- O
who O
are O
aiding O
south O
Sudanese O
rebels O
fighting O
the O
military O
regime O
in O
Khartoum O
. O

Museveni O
, O
not O
a O
man O
known O
for O
strong O
religious O
or O
superstitious O
beliefs O
, O
told O
parliamentarians O
Monday B-T
that O
the O
spirits O
had O
been O
invoked O
by O
Ugandan O
prayers O
. O

Tongue O
firmly O
in O
cheek O
, O
he O
went O
on O
: O
" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
want O
to O
go O
into O
details O
, O
because O
if O
you O
expose O
them O
, O
they O
may O
be O
unhappy O
. O
Once O
the O
spirit O
prays O
, O
practical O
help O
comes O
from O
other O
sources O
. O
" O

Spirits O
seem O
to O
be O
at O
work O
in O
the O
army O
, O
too O
. O

Museveni O
said O
hundreds O
of O
" O
ghosts O
" O
were O
drawing O
army O
pay O
and O
food O
allowances O
, O
costing O
the O
barracks O
in O
the O
northern O
town O
of O
Gulu O
40 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
a B-T
month I-T
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
local O
newspapers O
reported O
that O
the O
Ugandan O
army O
has O
paraded O
114 O
Sudanese O
prisoners O
in O
war O
before O
a O
crowd O
at O
a O
stadium O
of O
3 O
, O
000 O
in O
Gulu O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
military O
said O
the O
Sudanese O
prisoners O
were O
captured O
while O
fighting O
alongside O
Lord O
' O
s O
Resistance O
Army O
rebels O
in O
northern O
Uganda O
. O

Sudan O
accuses O
Uganda O
of O
backing O
rebels O
who O
hav O
been O
fighting O
Khartoum O
since O
1983 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061101 O
. O
0007 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

House O
roof O
collapse O
kills O
1 O
, O
injures O
5 O
in O
Pakistan O

A O
house O
roof O
collapsed O
in O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
largest O
port O
city O
Karachi O
, O
killing O
a O
baby O
and O
injuring O
five O
persons O
of O
the O
family O
that O
included O
her O
parents O
and O
two O
sisters O
, O
local O
private O
Geo O
TV O
reported O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Police O
said O
that O
the O
roof O
and O
walls O
of O
the O
dilapidated O
house O
of O
a O
junk O
dealer O
at O
Gharibabad O
of O
Liaquatabad O
area O
in O
Karachi O
came O
crashing O
with O
a O
bang O
to O
bury O
the O
whole O
family O
sleeping O
therein O
under O
the O
debris O
. O

The O
neighbors O
hearing O
the O
thud O
of O
the O
collapsing O
roof O
came O
out O
rescuing O
six O
persons O
and O
shifted O
them O
to O
local O
hospital O
, O
where O
the O
doctors O
pronounced O
the O
five O
- O
month O
- O
old O
baby O
dead O
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

Two O
girls O
were O
in O
serious O
conditions O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0142 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0142 O
. O

Aetna O
Life O
amp O
Casualty O

@ O
Profit O
Decreased O
22 O
% O

@ O
In O
the O
Third O
Quarter O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

AET O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

INSURANCE O
( O
INS O
) O

HARTFORD O
, O
Conn O
. O

Aetna O
Life O
amp O
Casualty O
Co O
. O
' O
s O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
net O
income O
fell O
22 O
% O
to O
$ O
182 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
63 O
a O
share O
, O
reflecting O
the O
damages O
from O
Hurricane O
Hugo O
and O
lower O
results O
for O
some O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
major O
divisions O
. O

Catastrophe O
losses O
reduced O
Aetna O
' O
s O
net O
income O
by O
$ O
50 O
million O
, O
including O
$ O
36 O
million O
from O
Hugo O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
catastrophe O
losses O
totaled O
$ O
5 O
million O
, O
when O
net O
was O
$ O
235 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
07 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
year B-T
- I-T
earlier I-T
results O
have O
been O
restated O
to O
reflect O
an O
accounting O
change O
. O

The O
insurer O
has O
started O
processing O
claims O
from O
the O
Northern O
California O
earthquake O
nearly B-T
two I-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
. O

But O
because O
these O
claims O
are O
more O
difficult O
to O
evaluate O
and O
have O
been O
coming O
in O
more O
slowly O
, O
the O
company O
has O
no O
estimate O
of O
the O
impact O
of O
the O
earthquake O
on O
fourth B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
results O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
Friday B-T
, O
Aetna O
closed O
at O
$ O
60 O
, O
down O
50 O
cents O
. O

In O
the B-T
latest I-T
quarter I-T
, O
Aetna O
had O
a O
$ O
23 O
million O
loss O
on O
its O
auto O
/ O
homeowners O
line O
, O
compared O
with O
earnings O
of O
$ O
33 O
million O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

Profit O
for O
its O
commercial O
insurance O
division O
fell O
30 O
% O
to O
$ O
59 O
million O
, O
reflecting O
higher O
catastrophe O
losses O
and O
the O
price O
war O
in O
the O
property O
/ O
casualty O
market O
for O
nearly B-T
three I-T
years I-T
. O

However O
, O
Aetna O
' O
s O
employee O
benefits O
division O
, O
which O
includes O
its O
group O
health O
insurance O
operations O
, O
posted O
a O
34 O
% O
profit O
gain O
to O
$ O
106 O
million O
. O

Third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
results O
included O
net O
realized O
capital O
gains O
of O
$ O
48 O
million O
, O
which O
included O
$ O
27 O
million O
from O
the O
sale O
of O
Federated O
Investors O
in O
August B-T
and O
a O
$ O
15 O
million O
tax O
credit O
. O

In O
the B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
net O
rose O
4 O
. O
3 O
% O
to O
$ O
525 O
. O
8 O
million O
or O
$ O
4 O
. O
67 O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
504 O
. O
2 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
4 O
. O
41 O
a O
share O
, O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970414 O
. O
0479 O

ADDIS O
ABABA O
, O
April B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Supermarket O
hit O
in O
new O
Ethiopia O
bomb O
attack O

Unidentified O
attackers O
exploded O
a O
device O
in O
a O
supermarket O
in O
central O
Addis O
Ababa O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
third O
such O
attack O
in O
the O
Ethiopian O
capital O
in O
three B-T
days I-T
, O
witnesses O
said O
. O

An O
unspecified O
number O
of O
injured O
were O
taken O
to O
hospital O
as O
police O
cordoned O
off O
the O
area O
following O
the O
blast O
in O
the O
large O
Le O
Tana O
supermarket O
which O
went O
off O
at O
around O
5 O
: O
00 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
1400 O
GMT O
) O
. O

It O
was O
not O
immediately O
known O
if O
there O
were O
any O
deaths O
. O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
an O
Ethiopian O
barmaid O
was O
killed O
and O
42 O
other O
people O
injured O
, O
including O
four O
Britons O
and O
two O
French O
nationals O
, O
when O
attackers O
threw O
grenades O
into O
two O
restaurants O
. O

Those O
attacks O
have O
not O
yet O
been O
claimed O
. O

In O
January B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
three O
people O
were O
killed O
and O
some O
20 O
others O
injured O
when O
a O
bomb O
exploded O
in O
the O
capital O
' O
s O
luxury O
Ghion O
hotel O
. O

That O
attack O
was O
claimed O
by O
Al O
- O
Itihad O
Al O
- O
Islam O
, O
a O
group O
of O
ethnic O
Somalis O
fighting O
for O
the O
independence O
of O
Ethiopia O
' O
s O
southeastern O
Ogaden O
region O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0368 O

ABUJA O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
more O
quotes O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Saudi O
Arabian O
Oil O
Minister O
Ali O
al O
- O
Nuaimi O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
OPEC O
had O
" O
a O
little O
more O
work O
to O
make O
the O
market O
even O
more O
stable O
" O
, O
a O
hint O
the O
oil O
exporters O
' O
group O
needed O
to O
reduce O
its O
output O
further O
. O

His O
comments O
could O
mean O
a O
further O
cut O
in O
OPEC O
production O
target O
, O
currently O
at O
26 O
. O
3 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
, O
or O
greater O
compliance O
from O
OPEC O
members O
, O
some O
of O
whom O
are O
suspected O
of O
producing O
more O
than O
their O
allocated O
amount O
. O

" O
The O
fundamentals O
of O
the O
market O
are O
much O
better O
than O
they O
were O
in O
October B-T
and O
I O
think O
the O
market O
is O
moving O
towards O
better O
stability O
. O

" O
We O
probably O
have O
a O
little O
more O
work O
to O
make O
the O
market O
even O
more O
stable O
, O
" O
he O
said O
as O
he O
arrived O
here O
. O

The O
Organisation O
of O
Petroleum O
Exporting O
Countries O
, O
whose O
members O
regulate O
their O
oil O
exports O
to O
control O
the O
price O
of O
oil O
, O
took O
a O
decision O
in O
Qatar O
in O
October B-T
to O
cut O
their O
output O
by O
1 O
. O
2 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
. O

The O
cut O
has O
helped O
to O
lift O
prices O
since O
, O
but O
analysts O
believe O
that O
actual O
production O
has O
been O
cut O
by O
far O
less O
, O
with O
the O
real O
reduction O
estimated O
at O
between O
500 O
, O
000 O
- O
800 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
. O

OPEC O
members O
have O
appeared O
uncertain O
in O
recent B-T
days I-T
about O
the O
need O
for O
another O
cut O
in O
the O
production O
target O
, O
with O
Nigeria O
, O
Algeria O
and O
Iran O
seemingly O
in O
favour O
of O
a O
further O
reduction O
. O
Libya O
has O
shown O
more O
reticence O
. O

The O
comments O
by O
Nuaimi O
, O
the O
most O
influential O
of O
the O
11 O
OPEC O
representatives O
, O
indicate O
that O
he O
believes O
the O
market O
is O
still O
over O
- O
supplied O
. O

Analysts O
had O
suggested O
before O
the O
start O
of O
the O
meeting O
that O
the O
issue O
of O
overproduction O
and O
quota O
cheating O
would O
figure O
at O
the O
gathering O
. O

" O
We O
made O
a O
good O
decision O
in O
Doha O
, O
" O
Nuaimi O
said O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
decision O
to O
cut O
production O
at O
the O
OPEC O
meeting O
in O
the O
Qatari O
capital O
in O
October B-T
. O

He O
added O
: O
" O
I O
think O
the O
market O
is O
in O
much O
better O
situation O
than O
it O
was O
in O
October B-T
, O
but O
we O
need O
to O
do O
a O
little O
more O
. O
" O

The O
high O
level O
of O
oil O
stocks O
in O
OECD O
countries O
, O
the O
biggest O
oil O
consuming O
nations O
in O
the O
world O
, O
was O
one O
of O
the O
reasons O
given O
for O
falling O
oil O
prices O
in O
September B-T
and O
October B-T
. O

Commenting O
on O
developments O
since O
Ocotober O
, O
Nuaimi O
said O
: O
" O
Already O
50 O
( O
million O
barrels O
) O
has O
been O
taken O
out O
of O
the O
market O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0681 O

WELLINGTON O
, O
April B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Opening O
round O
of O
battle O
for O
toothfish O
in O
Antarctic O
by O
Michael O
Field O

A O
strange O
metre O
( O
yard O
) O
long O
fish O
may O
have O
sparked O
a O
long O
- O
feared O
resources O
battle O
in O
the O
wild O
and O
rugged O
Antarctica O
which O
for O
decades O
has O
been O
dismissed O
as O
little O
more O
than O
a O
scientific O
playground O
with O
no O
global O
strategic O
significance O
. O

Toothfish O
( O
Dissostichus O
) O
was O
only O
identified O
as O
a O
rich O
commercial O
catch O
two B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
but O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
couple I-T
of I-T
months I-T
at O
least O
40 O
large O
fishing O
ships O
mainly O
from O
Spain O
and O
Norway O
have O
headed O
into O
the O
Southern O
Ocean O
to O
take O
it O
. O

France O
has O
sent O
three O
warships O
to O
its O
Southern O
Ocean O
territory O
of O
Kerguelen O
Island O
to O
combat O
what O
diplomatic O
sources O
here O
say O
is O
" O
extreme O
" O
illegal O
fishing O
which O
is O
plundering O
the O
fish O
worth O
between O
5 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
and O
7 O
, O
000 O
US O
dollars O
a O
tonne O
. O

New O
Zealand O
Associate O
Foreign O
Minister O
Simon O
Upton O
warned O
Tuesday B-T
they O
would O
be O
taking O
action O
to O
protect O
the O
Ross O
Dependency O
in O
Antarctica O
from O
the O
armada O
and O
official O
sources O
said O
the O
message O
had O
gone O
out O
to O
fishing O
nations O
that O
New O
Zealand O
defence O
forces O
would O
be O
watching O
. O

Australia O
has O
a O
profound O
problem O
as O
its O
polar O
waters O
are O
likely O
to O
be O
the O
next O
major O
target O
, O
but O
the O
area O
is O
at O
the O
maximum O
extreme O
of O
its O
fisheries O
protection O
services O
. O

The O
struggle O
comes O
ahead O
of O
a O
43 O
nation O
conference O
next B-T
month I-T
in O
Christchurch O
on O
setting O
up O
environmental O
controls O
in O
the O
continent O
and O
re O
- O
defining O
the O
1961 O
Antarctic O
Treaty O
which O
covers O
the O
area O
south O
of O
60 O
degrees O
South O
latitude O
. O

The O
treaty O
, O
originally O
signed O
by O
12 O
countries O
, O
demilitarised O
Antarctica O
, O
promoted O
scientific O
research O
and O
suspended O
the O
territorial O
claims O
over O
the O
region O
by O
Australia O
, O
Argentina O
, O
Chile O
, O
France O
, O
New O
Zealand O
and O
the O
United O
Kingdom O
. O
Forty O
three O
countries O
have O
now O
signed O
the O
treaty O
. O

In O
the B-T
early I-T
1980s O
Malaysia O
launched O
an O
assault O
on O
the O
treaty O
system O
and O
called O
for O
Antarctica O
to O
be O
transferred O
to O
United O
Nations O
jurisdiction O
. O

A O
Victoria O
University O
' O
s O
Centre O
for O
Strategic O
Studies O
paper O
published O
last B-T
month I-T
said O
the O
treaty O
would O
be O
always O
prone O
to O
challenge O
as O
it O
was O
based O
on O
a O
remarkable O
assumption O
- O
- O
that O
a O
small O
group O
of O
countries O
could O
unilaterally O
set O
in O
place O
a O
system O
of O
governance O
for O
such O
a O
vast O
continent O
. O

The O
paper O
was O
written O
by O
Stuart O
Prior O
, O
head O
of O
the O
government O
' O
s O
Antarctic O
Policy O
Unit O
. O

" O
While O
the O
treaty O
is O
open O
to O
signature O
by O
any O
state O
, O
the O
treaty O
parties O
must O
acknowledge O
that O
the O
basis O
of O
the O
treaty O
regime O
is O
still O
not O
wholly O
accepted O
internationally O
, O
" O
he O
wrote O
. O

Any O
military O
protection O
of O
the O
region O
is O
handicapped O
by O
the O
vast O
distances O
involved O
and O
influenced O
by O
the O
role O
of O
the O
gateway O
countries O
, O
New O
Zealand O
, O
Australia O
, O
Chile O
, O
Argentina O
and O
South O
Africa O
. O

The O
United O
States O
Navy O
has O
played O
a O
key O
role O
in O
the O
continent O
from O
a O
base O
in O
Christchurch O
. O
But O
Washington O
, O
for O
budget O
reasons O
, O
has O
said O
the O
US O
Navy O
will O
withdraw O
by O
2000 B-T
. O

The O
oceans O
around O
the O
continent O
are O
protected O
by O
the O
1980 B-T
Convention O
on O
the O
Conservation O
of O
Antarctic O
Marine O
Living O
Resources O
( O
CCAMLR O
) O
which O
is O
an O
annex O
of O
the O
treaty O
. O
But O
conflicting O
international O
rules O
, O
including O
the O
Law O
of O
the O
Sea O
, O
mean O
CCAMLR O
' O
s O
role O
is O
difficult O
. O

" O
The O
jurisdictional O
regime O
applying O
in O
Antarctic O
matters O
is O
complex O
, O
" O
Prior O
wrote O
. O
" O
Enforcement O
relies O
solely O
upon O
member O
states O
. O
" O

Countries O
which O
have O
signed O
the O
treaty O
agree O
to O
higher O
standards O
than O
the O
Law O
of O
the O
Sea O
, O
but O
those O
who O
have O
not O
signed O
can O
regard O
polar O
waters O
as O
high O
seas O
and O
thus O
fish O
without O
controls O
. O

The O
UN O
Straddling O
Stocks O
rules O
might O
apply O
but O
scientists O
do O
not O
know O
yet O
whether O
toothfish O
is O
a O
migratory O
species O
covered O
by O
the O
new O
convention O
. O

Not O
much O
at O
all O
is O
known O
of O
the O
fish O
, O
first O
named O
five B-T
years I-T
ago I-T
as O
the O
" O
Patagonian O
toothfish O
" O
. O

It O
is O
a O
long O
fish O
with O
a O
large O
mouth O
and O
is O
believed O
to O
be O
bottom O
dwelling O
, O
living O
off O
cod O
. O
It O
lives O
for O
up O
to O
25 B-T
years I-T
. O

Upton O
said O
Tuesday B-T
that O
at O
least O
40 O
ships O
re O
- O
flagged O
to O
countries O
including O
Vanuatu O
had O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
couple I-T
of I-T
months I-T
taken O
30 O
, O
000 O
tonnes O
of O
toothfish O
. O
Diplomatic O
sources O
here O
say O
the O
sudden O
emergence O
of O
so O
much O
fish O
on O
world O
markets O
had O
depressed O
prices O
in O
the O
short O
term O
and O
much O
of O
the O
catch O
has O
been O
stockpiled O
. O

But O
the O
rewards O
are O
apparently O
so O
great O
that O
New O
Zealand O
will O
legally O
, O
under O
CCAMLR O
regulations O
, O
send O
a O
fishing O
expedition O
into O
the O
Ross O
Dependency O
next O
month O
- O
- O
the O
height O
of O
the O
polar O
winter O
. O

Fishermen O
have O
occasionally O
pulled O
up O
toothfish O
and O
regarded O
them O
as O
an O
oddity O
. O
But O
recently O
declassified O
United O
States O
satellite O
photos O
have O
revealed O
Southern O
Ocean O
bathometry O
. O
To O
the O
trained O
eye O
the O
photos O
show O
where O
fish O
are O
likely O
to O
be O
and O
thus O
European O
boats O
, O
struggling O
in O
the O
face O
of O
the O
collapse O
of O
North O
Atlantic O
fishing O
, O
have O
gone O
south O
in O
a O
new O
gold O
rush O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061204 O
. O
0435 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Dec B-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

EU O
agrees O
to O
recognize O
previous O
convictions O
in O
other O
states O

European O
Union O
justice O
ministers O
agreed O
Monday B-T
that O
courts O
in O
EU O
countries O
should O
take O
into O
account O
a O
person O
' O
s O
previous O
convictions O
anywhere O
in O
the O
bloc O
when O
they O
are O
being O
tried O
. O

Under O
the O
agreement O
, O
a O
criminal O
court O
in O
a O
member O
state O
will O
have O
to O
take O
into O
account O
previous O
rulings O
when O
someone O
is O
held O
in O
detention O
, O
convicted O
or O
punished O
in O
another O
of O
the O
25 O
EU O
countries O
. O

The O
ministers O
decided O
the O
reform O
was O
necessary O
because O
some O
states O
only O
take O
into O
account O
convictions O
made O
within O
their O
own O
jurisdictions O
, O
which O
has O
allowed O
some O
criminals O
to O
slip O
through O
the O
legal O
cracks O
in O
other O
countries O
. O

The O
aim O
is O
to O
avoid O
a O
repeat O
of O
incidents O
such O
as O
that O
involving O
French O
serial O
killer O
Michel O
Fourniret O
, O
who O
was O
able O
to O
work O
in O
a O
Belgian O
school O
kitchen O
without O
Belgian O
authorities O
being O
aware O
of O
his O
previous O
convictions O
in O
France O
for O
raping O
minors O
. O

EU O
members O
linked O
up O
their O
criminal O
records O
networks O
last B-T
year I-T
making O
the O
practical O
implementation O
of O
the O
decision O
much O
easier O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0269 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

British O
army O
holds O
last O
HK O
exercise O
as O
Chinese O
soldiers O
settle O
in O
by O
Paul O
Harrington O

British O
troops O
held O
their O
final O
field O
exercise O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
on O
Tuesday B-T
as O
an O
advance O
party O
of O
China O
' O
s O
army O
settled O
in O
at O
the O
barracks O
here O
as O
the O
handover O
of O
sovereignty O
nears O
. O

Soldiers O
of O
the O
elite O
Scottish O
regiment O
the O
Black O
Watch O
set O
up O
positions O
on O
the O
banks O
of O
streams O
, O
in O
bushes O
and O
in O
the O
hillsides O
, O
firing O
blanks O
from O
SA O
- O
80 O
assault O
rifles O
to O
repulse O
an O
imaginary O
invasion O
from O
eastern O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

The O
day O
before O
, O
40 O
unarmed O
Chinese O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Army O
( O
PLA O
) O
soldiers O
drove O
into O
the O
British O
army O
headquarters O
to O
prepare O
for O
the O
changing O
of O
the O
guard O
on O
midnight B-T
June I-T
30 I-T
after O
156 B-T
years I-T
of O
British O
rule O
. O

The O
PLA O
' O
s O
arrival O
revived O
memories O
here O
of O
the O
1989 B-T
crackdown O
on O
the O
mainland O
pro O
- O
democracy O
movement O
, O
but O
the O
Black O
Watch O
' O
s O
commanding O
officer O
voiced O
confidence O
in O
the O
incoming O
Chinese O
troops O
. O

" O
The O
PLA O
, O
when O
they O
move O
in O
here O
, O
know O
it O
' O
s O
a O
window O
on O
the O
world O
and O
they O
' O
ve O
been O
training O
very O
hard O
and O
very O
seriously O
for O
it O
and O
I O
think O
they O
are O
going O
to O
have O
very O
good O
troops O
here O
, O
" O
said O
Lieutenant O
- O
Colonel O
Alasdair O
Loudon O
, O
leading O
the O
exercise O
in O
the O
forest O
land O
of O
the O
New O
Territories O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
people O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
have O
anything O
to O
fear O
from O
the O
sort O
of O
people O
and O
the O
command O
element O
that O
is O
coming O
here O
, O
" O
he O
told O
AFP O
. O

" O
They O
know O
how O
important O
it O
is O
, O
a O
mirror O
on O
the O
world O
. O
They O
know O
that O
the O
profile O
they O
set O
here O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
is O
going O
to O
be O
highly O
visible O
and O
how O
China O
and O
the O
army O
are O
judged O
in O
general O
. O
" O

" O
They O
are O
very O
pragmatic O
. O
I O
think O
it O
' O
s O
going O
to O
be O
fine O
, O
" O
Loudon O
said O
. O

The O
Chinese O
troops O
are O
obviously O
well O
drilled O
. O

" O
They O
' O
ve O
been O
walking O
around O
in O
single O
file O
, O
and O
in O
their O
buses O
on O
the O
way O
in O
yesterday B-T
they O
were O
all O
sitting O
at O
attention O
, O
" O
said O
one O
British O
army O
official O
. O

The O
advanced O
party O
' O
s O
arrival O
Monday B-T
was O
the O
most O
tangible O
sign O
yet O
of O
the O
change O
of O
sovereignty O
on O
July B-T
1 I-T
. O

The O
British O
troops O
on O
display O
Tuesday B-T
admitted O
they O
would O
miss O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
one O
of O
the O
choice O
postings O
in O
the O
shrinking O
foreign O
circuit O
of O
the O
British O
Army O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
historical O
event O
and O
a O
great O
honour O
to O
be O
the O
last O
ones O
here O
. O
But O
it O
' O
s O
very O
sad O
as O
well O
, O
" O
said O
Captain O
James O
Houghton O
, O
daubed O
in O
camouflage O
paint O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ll O
miss O
it O
greatly O
, O
" O
said O
Corporal O
John O
Lyon O
, O
28 O
. O

The O
consensus O
was O
that O
the O
Chinese O
troops O
, O
housed O
alongside O
their O
British O
counterparts O
at O
the O
Prince O
of O
Wales O
Barracks O
and O
on O
the O
former O
British O
naval O
base O
at O
Stonecutters O
Island O
, O
would O
keep O
a O
lower O
profile O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ll O
find O
out O
how O
good O
they O
are O
on O
whisky O
, O
but O
we O
don O
' O
t O
expect O
to O
see O
them O
up O
Lan O
Kwai O
Fong O
, O
" O
one O
captain O
said O
, O
referring O
to O
the O
raucous O
club O
and O
bar O
area O
in O
central O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

The O
troops O
will O
be O
paid O
a O
pittance O
compared O
to O
the O
British O
, O
with O
the O
commanding O
officer O
on O
a O
reported O
salary O
of O
just O
over O
1 O
, O
000 O
Hong O
Kong O
dollars O
( O
130 O
US O
) O
, O
little O
more O
than O
a O
quarter O
of O
the O
monthly O
earnings O
of O
local O
maids O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
think O
that O
they O
are O
going O
to O
mix O
in O
with O
the O
civilian O
community O
as O
the O
British O
Army O
has O
done O
, O
" O
Loudon O
said O
. O

" O
I O
suspect O
that O
they O
will O
be O
much O
more O
low O
- O
profile O
and O
probably O
not O
meet O
as O
many O
people O
, O
but O
I O
would O
expect O
them O
to O
be O
efficient O
, O
high O
quality O
troops O
. O
" O

" O
They O
are O
going O
to O
be O
very O
self O
- O
contained O
, O
they O
are O
going O
to O
be O
sharing O
the O
recreational O
facilities O
and O
any O
help O
that O
we O
can O
give O
in O
terms O
of O
letting O
them O
use O
our O
facilities O
, O
talking O
to O
them O
, O
answering O
questions O
we O
' O
ll O
do O
. O
" O

" O
It O
' O
s O
in O
everybody O
' O
s O
interests O
to O
have O
that O
kind O
of O
relationship O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0439 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

BBC O
defends O
interview O
with O
Ipswich O
murders O
suspect O

The O
BBC O
on O
Tuesday B-T
defended O
their O
decision O
to O
broadcast O
an O
interview O
with O
a O
man O
suspected O
of O
murdering O
five O
British O
prostitutes O
. O

Media O
lawyers O
said O
the O
broadcast O
could O
prejudice O
a O
jury O
trial O
if O
the O
man O
was O
charged O
and O
went O
to O
court O
, O
but O
the O
deputy O
director O
of O
BBC O
News O
, O
Adrian O
Van O
Klaveren O
, O
said O
it O
was O
" O
in O
the O
public O
interest O
" O
to O
play O
the O
tapes O
. O

Two O
men O
have O
been O
arrested O
on O
suspicion O
of O
murdering O
the O
prostitutes O
from O
the O
eastern O
English O
port O
town O
of O
Ipswich O
in O
a O
case O
which O
has O
gripped O
the O
nation O
since O
the O
first O
naked O
corpse O
was O
found O
in O
the O
countryside O
earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
. O

The O
police O
have O
not O
named O
the O
suspects O
but O
the O
first O
one O
nabbed O
has O
been O
widely O
reported O
in O
national O
media O
as O
supermarket O
worker O
Tom O
Stephens O
, O
who O
spoke O
to O
the O
Sunday O
Mirror O
newspaper O
and O
the O
BBC O
before O
his O
arrest O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
BBC O
recorded O
the O
interview O
for O
background O
but O
once O
Stephens O
was O
arrested O
, O
the O
corporation O
decided O
to O
broadcast O
the O
footage O
. O

The O
BBC O
considered O
whether O
the O
transmission O
" O
could O
be O
prejudicing O
any O
potential O
legal O
action O
" O
but O
decided O
that O
this O
was O
" O
not O
the O
case O
" O
, O
explained O
Van O
Klaveren O
. O

" O
We O
then O
had O
to O
think O
about O
the O
ethical O
issues O
around O
actually O
deciding O
to O
release O
a O
conversation O
which O
had O
been O
done O
on O
a O
different O
basis O
. O

" O
We O
felt O
in O
these O
very O
extraordinary O
and O
very O
rare O
circumstances O
there O
was O
actually O
a O
justification O
for O
doing O
that O
. O
" O

Lawyer O
Christopher O
Sallon O
branded O
the O
decision O
to O
broadcast O
" O
absolutely O
wrong O
" O
on O
the O
grounds O
that O
it O
was O
" O
contrary O
to O
the O
Contempt O
of O
Court O
Act O
" O
and O
" O
contrary O
to O
the O
spirit O
" O
of O
that O
legislation O
. O

" O
It O
can O
only O
encourage O
speculation O
and O
in O
my O
view O
, O
having O
seen O
the O
interview O
, O
prejudice O
the O
trial O
, O
" O
he O
told O
BBC O
television O
. O

Defence O
lawyer O
Julian O
Young O
added O
: O
" O
The O
ultimate O
public O
interest O
must O
be O
a O
fair O
trial O
. O
" O

The O
Daily O
Telegraph O
newspaper O
' O
s O
legal O
editor O
Joshua O
Rozenberg O
said O
juries O
were O
always O
told O
to O
forget O
anything O
they O
read O
in O
the O
press O
about O
the O
case O
and O
most O
take O
up O
to O
a O
year O
to O
reach O
the O
courts O
. O

" O
But O
if O
there O
has O
been O
a O
huge O
amount O
of O
publicity O
, O
cumulative O
publicity O
, O
and O
something O
unusual O
like O
an O
interview O
, O
or O
lots O
of O
photographs O
, O
then O
it O
might O
be O
quite O
difficult O
for O
the O
jury O
to O
ignore O
that O
and O
the O
impression O
it O
creates O
, O
" O
he O
told O
BBC O
radio O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0073 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
heat O
supply O
price O
starts O
to O
float O
with O
coal O
price O

The O
State O
Development O
and O
Reform O
Commission O
( O
SDRC O
) O
and O
the O
Ministry O
of O
Construction O
jointly O
issued O
a O
circular O
recently O
allowing O
the O
heat O
supply O
price O
to O
fluctuate O
with O
the O
coal O
price O
change O
, O
an O
SDRC O
source O
announced O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Despite O
China O
' O
s O
general O
evolution O
from O
a O
planned O
economy O
to O
a O
market O
economy O
, O
the O
prices O
of O
some O
resource O
products O
monopolized O
by O
state O
- O
owned O
enterprises O
, O
including O
electricity O
, O
water O
, O
oil O
and O
heat O
supply O
, O
are O
still O
set O
by O
the O
government O
and O
do O
not O
fluctuate O
according O
to O
the O
supply O
and O
demand O
relations O
in O
the O
market O
. O

In O
recent B-T
years I-T
, O
although O
China O
' O
s O
coal O
price O
has O
been O
rocketing O
, O
the O
price O
of O
electricity O
and O
heat O
supply O
did O
not O
follow O
such O
changes O
, O
making O
many O
power O
and O
heat O
enterprises O
witness O
serious O
deficits O
due O
to O
increasing O
costs O
and O
stable O
sales O
prices O
. O

According O
to O
the O
recent O
circular O
, O
when O
the O
coal O
price O
rises O
over O
10 O
percent O
, O
heat O
suppliers O
have O
the O
right O
to O
adjust O
their O
heat O
factory O
price O
accordingly O
, O
the O
SDRC O
said O
. O

Previously O
the O
government O
issued O
a O
circular O
to O
let O
electricity O
prices O
fluctuate O
with O
coal O
prices O
, O
which O
is O
decided O
mainly O
by O
market O
supply O
and O
demand O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0405 O

LIMA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Andean O
Community O
chief O
calls O
for O
Latin O
American O
unity O

Allan O
Wagner O
, O
secretary O
general O
of O
the O
Andean O
Community O
of O
Nations O
( O
CAN O
) O
, O
called O
for O
unity O
among O
Latin O
American O
nations O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

He O
said O
the O
unity O
among O
Latin O
American O
nations O
, O
a O
legacy O
left O
by O
South O
America O
' O
s O
liberator O
Simon O
Bolivar O
, O
is O
a O
" O
great O
challenge O
" O
for O
the O
regional O
bloc O
. O

" O
The O
great O
challenge O
for O
our O
nations O
is O
to O
obey O
Simon O
Bolivar O
' O
s O
instruction O
to O
maintain O
the O
unity O
of O
Latin O
American O
people O
: O
nearly B-T
two I-T
centuries I-T
after O
he O
left O
it O
as O
a O
legacy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Wagner O
made O
the O
remarks O
in O
response O
to O
the O
statements O
made O
by O
Venezuelan O
president O
Hugo O
Chavez O
during O
his O
weekend O
radio O
and O
television O
show O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O
Chavez O
said O
his O
country O
had O
more O
in O
common O
with O
the O
Common O
Market O
of O
the O
South O
( O
Mercosur O
) O
than O
the O
Andean O
Community O
, O
where O
Venezuela O
is O
a O
full O
member O
. O

Mercosur O
, O
in O
which O
Venezuela O
is O
an O
associate O
member O
, O
is O
made O
up O
of O
Argentina O
, O
Brazil O
, O
Paraguay O
and O
Uruguay O
. O

Headquartered O
in O
Lima O
, O
the O
Andean O
Community O
groups O
Bolivia O
, O
Colombia O
, O
Ecuador O
, O
Peru O
and O
Venezuela O
. O
Chile O
, O
which O
helped O
found O
the O
organization O
in O
1969 B-T
, O
quit O
in O
1976 B-T
. O

Latin O
American O
countries O
are O
confronting O
a O
grave O
dilemma O
over O
how O
to O
solve O
the O
deep O
socio O
- O
economic O
divide O
, O
Wagner O
noted O
. O

" O
This O
represents O
a O
serious O
situation O
: O
poverty O
, O
exclusion O
and O
inequality O
, O
far O
from O
improving O
, O
have O
worsened O
, O
" O
the O
secretary O
general O
added O
. O

Wagner O
said O
he O
is O
in O
favor O
of O
a O
new O
kind O
of O
international O
relations O
that O
will O
respond O
to O
development O
targets O
with O
" O
social O
equality O
. O
" O

" O
We O
should O
all O
be O
united O
in O
this O
task O
, O
because O
it O
is O
an O
enormous O
challenge O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Wagner O
added O
that O
it O
is O
necessary O
to O
deepen O
the O
integration O
of O
the O
Andean O
countries O
with O
Mercosur O
and O
Chile O
to O
promote O
the O
development O
of O
the O
South O
American O
Community O
of O
Nations O
( O
CSN O
) O
. O

" O
We O
will O
all O
meet O
in O
the O
CSN O
and O
there O
we O
will O
grow O
in O
strength O
so O
that O
we O
can O
reach O
the O
targets O
, O
in O
terms O
of O
development O
and O
well O
- O
being O
, O
that O
our O
people O
are O
crying O
out O
for O
. O
" O

The O
CSN O
, O
established O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2004 I-T
, O
in O
the O
Peruvian O
city O
of O
Cuzco O
, O
groups O
Argentina O
, O
Bolivia O
, O
Brazil O
, O
Colombia O
, O
Chile O
, O
Guyana O
, O
Ecuador O
, O
Peru O
, O
Paraguay O
, O
Suriname O
, O
Uruguay O
and O
Venezuela O
. O

Its O
establishment O
was O
considered O
as O
an O
important O
step O
toward O
South O
American O
integration O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0471 O

BEIJING O
, O
Dec B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

China O
' O
s O
number O
four O
bank O
may O
get O
100 O
billion O
dollar O
cash O
injection O

The O
Agricultural O
Bank O
of O
China O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
fourth O
largest O
lender O
, O
may O
get O
a O
100 O
- O
billion O
- O
dollar O
cash O
injection O
in O
2007 B-T
in O
preparation O
for O
an O
overseas O
listing O
, O
state O
media O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Liu O
Mingkang O
, O
chairman O
of O
the O
China O
Banking O
Regulatory O
Commission O
, O
the O
industry O
watchdog O
, O
told O
reporters O
at O
a O
finance O
forum O
there O
will O
be O
" O
good O
news O
" O
next B-T
year I-T
in O
terms O
of O
restructuring O
the O
bank O
, O
the O
China O
Daily O
reported O
. O

The O
bank O
is O
the O
last O
of O
the O
four O
major O
banks O
to O
undergo O
a O
joint O
stock O
reform O
that O
may O
include O
, O
apart O
from O
the O
capital O
injection O
from O
the O
government O
, O
spinning O
off O
losses O
and O
setting O
up O
a O
joint O
stock O
company O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

Agricultural O
Bank O
of O
China O
is O
widely O
seen O
as O
the O
most O
troubled O
of O
China O
' O
s O
four O
state O
- O
owned O
commercial O
banks O
. O

An O
official O
with O
a O
central O
government O
investment O
arm O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
newspaper O
as O
saying O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
massive O
bad O
loans O
may O
push O
reform O
costs O
up O
to O
100 O
billion O
dollars O
. O

This O
is O
a O
significantly O
larger O
amount O
than O
the O
cash O
injections O
received O
by O
the O
three O
other O
top O
state O
- O
owned O
commercial O
lenders O
before O
listing O
overseas O
. O

The O
Bank O
of O
China O
and O
the O
China O
Construction O
Bank O
got O
22 O
. O
5 O
billion O
dollars O
each O
, O
while O
the O
Industrial O
Bank O
of O
China O
received O
15 O
billion O
dollars O
. O

A O
final O
decision O
on O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
reform O
plan O
will O
not O
be O
confirmed O
until O
the O
Central O
Financial O
Work O
Conference O
expected O
to O
take O
place O
before O
next B-T
February I-T
' O
s O
Chinese O
New O
Year B-T
holiday I-T
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
26 O
. O
2 O
percent O
of O
the O
bank O
' O
s O
2 O
. O
8 O
trillion O
yuan O
( O
356 O
billion O
dollars O
) O
loans O
were O
non O
- O
performing O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0063 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

economic O
growth O
: O
Algerian O
president O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O
- O
- O
- O
Africa O
and O
China O
need O
to O
expand O
trade O
and O
increase O
investment O
in O
order O
to O
boost O
their O
common O
economic O
growth O
, O
said O
Algerian O
President O
Abdelaziz O
Bouteflika O
Saturday O
. O

While O
expanding O
trade O
is O
one O
of O
the O
prior O
goals O
in O
Africa O
- O
China O
cooperation O
, O
investment O
is O
crucial O
in O
achieving O
these O
goals O
, O
particularly O
investment O
in O
agriculture O
, O
infrastructure O
, O
energy O
and O
new O
technology O
sectors O
, O
Bouteflika O
told O
Chinese O
and O
African O
delegates O
attending O
the O
High O
- O
level O
Dialogue O
and O
2nd O
Conference O
of O
Chinese O
and O
African O
Entrepreneurs O
, O
held O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
a O
historic O
China O
- O
Africa O
summit O
. O

In O
contrast O
with O
China O
' O
s O
rapid O
economic O
growth O
, O
Africa O
still O
faces O
challenges O
and O
obstacles O
in O
its O
own O
development O
, O
he O
said O
. O

As O
a O
result O
of O
unbalanced O
economic O
growth O
and O
regional O
differences O
, O
some O
African O
regions O
have O
difficulties O
in O
employment O
, O
education O
, O
social O
security O
and O
health O
care O
, O
said O
Bouteflika O
, O
adding O
that O
African O
countries O
need O
Chinese O
companies O
' O
technologies O
, O
capital O
and O
management O
expertise O
. O

The O
president O
marveled O
at O
China O
' O
s O
reform O
and O
rapid O
economic O
growth O
, O
saying O
that O
China O
' O
s O
experience O
is O
exemplary O
. O
He O
also O
called O
African O
and O
Chinese O
business O
people O
to O
play O
a O
larger O
role O
in O
boosting O
bilateral O
exchanges O
and O
serving O
their O
mutual O
best O
interest O
. O

Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
proposed O
at O
the O
entrepreneurs O
' O
conference O
that O
China O
and O
Africa O
should O
bring O
their O
trade O
volume O
to O
100 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
by O
2010 B-T
. O

In O
the B-T
first I-T
nine I-T
months I-T
of O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
China O
- O
Africa O
trade O
surged O
to O
40 O
. O
6 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
up O
42 O
percent O
over O
the B-T
same I-T
period I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
. O

At O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
that O
opened O
Saturday B-T
morning I-T
, O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
said O
China O
will O
provide O
3 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
preferential O
loans O
and O
2 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
of O
preferential O
buyer O
' O
s O
credits O
to O
Africa O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
three I-T
years I-T
and O
establish O
a O
special O
fund O
of O
5 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
to O
encourage O
Chinese O
investment O
in O
Africa O
. O

Bouteflika O
is O
among O
41 O
African O
heads O
of O
state O
or O
government O
, O
senior O
officials O
from O
48 O
African O
countries O
and O
delegates O
from O
regional O
and O
international O
organizations O
to O
attend O
the O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
, O
the O
largest O
gathering O
between O
Chinese O
and O
African O
leaders O
. O

Prior O
to O
his O
departure O
for O
China O
, O
Bouteflika O
said O
the O
summit O
will O
become O
an O
effective O
platform O
for O
enhancing O
mutual O
understanding O
among O
the O
developing O
countries O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051103 O
. O
0161 O

MACAO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japan O
outshines O
China O
on O
Day O
Three O
of O
athletics O
in O
EAG O

Japan O
bounced O
back O
to O
outshine O
its O
arch O
rival O
China O
Thursday B-T
on O
Day B-T
three I-T
of O
the O
athletics O
competition O
at O
the O
East O
Asian O
Games O
, O
pocketing O
10 O
out O
of O
13 O
gold O
medals O
at O
stake O
. O

China O
, O
which O
bagged O
18 O
gold O
medals O
over O
the B-T
last I-T
two I-T
days I-T
against O
Japan O
' O
s O
four O
, O
picked O
up O
the O
three O
other O
, O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
javelin O
, O
men O
' O
s O
long O
jump O
and O
women O
' O
s O
1 O
, O
500m O
. O

In O
a O
demonstration O
of O
its O
depth O
in O
sprinters O
, O
Japan O
swept O
both O
4x100m B-T
relay O
events O
. O

China O
had O
to O
replace O
Jin O
Ke O
with O
triple O
jumper O
Gu O
Junjie O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
relay O
team O
after O
Jin O
injured O
his O
leg O
in O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
100m O
final O
. O

The O
makeshift O
Chinese O
team O
finished O
a O
disappointed O
third O
in O
39 O
. O
90 O
seconds O
, O
just O
0 O
. O
01 O
second O
behind O
runners O
- O
up O
Chinese O
Taipei O
. O
Japan O
crossed O
the O
line O
in O
39 B-T
. I-T
61 I-T
. O

" O
The O
four O
of O
us O
never O
ran O
a O
relay O
together O
, O
" O
said O
Hu O
Kai O
, O
who O
was O
crowned O
the O
EAG O
fastest O
man O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
We O
tried O
our O
best O
, O
so O
we O
don O
' O
t O
really O
regret O
for O
it O
, O
" O
added O
the O
23 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
student O
in O
China O
' O
s O
prestigious O
Tsinghua O
University O
. O

In O
the O
women O
' O
s O
relay O
, O
Japan O
came O
from O
behind O
to O
win O
in O
44 B-T
. I-T
88 I-T
seconds I-T
, O
while O
China O
surrendered O
its O
lead O
in O
the O
third O
leg O
before O
crossing O
the O
line O
in O
45 B-T
. I-T
37 I-T
. O

" O
I O
feel O
great O
pains O
in O
my O
right O
leg O
, O
so O
I O
couldn O
' O
t O
run O
fast O
, O
" O
said O
Ni O
Xiaoli O
, O
who O
ran O
China O
' O
s O
third O
leg O
. O

" O
But O
I O
tried O
my O
best O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

Early O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
, O
Doi O
Hiroaki O
started O
the O
flurry O
of O
Japanese O
gold O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
hammer O
throw O
, O
winning O
with O
a O
toss O
of O
70 O
. O
35 O
meters O
. O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Lee O
Yoon O
- O
chul O
was O
second O
with O
66 O
. O
40m O
. O
Hou O
Fei O
grabbed O
the O
bronze O
for O
Macao O
with O
a O
distant O
37 O
. O
14m O
throw O
. O

Toshinari O
Fumimoto O
then O
narrowly O
beat O
South O
Korean O
Huh O
Jang O
- O
kyu O
in O
the O
men O
' O
s O
half O
marathon O
, O
clocking O
1 O
hour O
08 O
minutes O
14 O
seconds O
. O
Huh O
was O
just O
three B-T
seconds I-T
behind O
. O

Another O
South O
Korean O
Eom O
Hyo O
- O
seok O
finished O
third O
in O
1 O
: O
08 O
. O
38 O
. O

Yoshiko O
Ichikawa O
won O
the O
women O
' O
s O
half O
marathon O
in O
a B-T
time I-T
of I-T
1 I-T
: I-T
16 I-T
: I-T
31 I-T
, O
ahead O
of O
South O
Korean O
Lim O
Kyung O
- O
hee O
in O
1 B-T
: I-T
16 I-T
: I-T
33 I-T
and O
DPR O
Korean O
Jong O
Yong O
- O
ok O
in O
1 B-T
: I-T
18 I-T
: I-T
48 I-T
. O

Yoshitaka O
Iwamizu O
led O
a O
1 O
- O
2 O
Japanese O
finish O
in O
the O
three O
- O
man O
3 O
, O
000m O
steeplechase O
, O
winning O
in O
8 O
: O
40 O
. O
16 O
. O
Teammate O
Yasunori O
Uchitomi O
came O
second O
in O
8 O
: O
45 O
. O
47 O
and O
Wu O
Wen O
- O
chien O
of O
Chinese O
Taipei O
was O
third O
in O
8 O
: O
50 O
. O
41 O
. O

Japanese O
Takuro O
Mori O
won O
the O
weirdest O
pole O
vault O
in O
the O
world O
as O
he O
cleared O
5 O
. O
00 O
meters O
with O
the O
other O
two O
competitors O
scoring O
no O
mark O
, O
which O
means O
no O
medal O
for O
them O
. O

Mori O
, O
whose O
personal O
best O
is O
5 O
. O
30 O
meters O
, O
flew O
over O
the O
5 O
- O
meter O
bar O
in O
his O
first O
attempt O
and O
failed O
three O
times O
at O
5 B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
. O

Zhang O
Hongwei O
of O
China O
and O
Satoru O
Yasuda O
of O
Japan O
, O
who O
both O
have O
a O
better O
record O
than O
Mori O
, O
skipped O
the O
5m O
mark O
and O
faced O
up O
to O
5 O
. O
20 O
. O

Both O
failed O
, O
and O
thus O
no O
medal O
. O

Asami O
Tanno O
grabbed O
another O
gold O
for O
Japan O
by O
winning O
the O
women O
' O
s O
400m O
final O
in O
52 B-T
. I-T
69 I-T
. O

China O
' O
s O
Tang O
Xiaoyin O
and O
Xie O
Qing O
finished O
second O
and O
third O
respectively O
. O

Japan O
also O
won O
the O
men O
' O
s O
400m O
and O
1 O
, O
500m O
, O
which O
Chinese O
competitors O
didn O
' O
t O
enter O
. O

Three O
- O
time O
Asian O
champion O
Hi O
Rongxiang O
underscored O
his O
No O
. O
one O
status O
in O
men O
' O
s O
javelin O
as O
the O
33 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Chinese O
veteran O
threw O
79 O
. O
75 O
meters O
to O
win O
the O
title O
. O
His O
fellow O
countryman O
Chen O
Qi O
took O
silver O
in O
76 B-T
. I-T
96m I-T
, O
and O
South O
Korea O
' O
s O
Chu O
Ki O
- O
young O
had O
bronze O
in O
75 O
. O
59 O
. O

In O
the O
men O
' O
s O
long O
jump O
, O
China O
' O
s O
Song O
Jian O
won O
gold O
with O
a O
leap O
of O
7 O
. O
77m O
, O
a O
result O
that O
was O
not O
enough O
to O
earn O
a O
bronze O
medal O
at O
last B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
Chinese O
National O
Games O
. O

Japan O
' O
s O
Kenji O
Fujikawa O
came O
second O
in O
7 B-T
. I-T
73 I-T
, O
with O
South O
Korean O
Oh O
Sangwon O
third O
in O
7 B-T
. I-T
72 I-T
. O

China O
defended O
its O
dominance O
in O
women O
' O
s O
long O
- O
distance O
running O
events O
when O
Xie O
Sainan O
clocked O
4 O
: O
20 O
. O
54 O
to O
win O
the O
1 O
, O
500m O
final O
. O

Japan O
' O
s O
Kaori O
Kumasaka O
had O
silver O
in O
4 B-T
: I-T
21 I-T
. I-T
77 I-T
, O
and O
South O
Korean O
Bae O
Haejin O
bronze O
in O
4 B-T
: I-T
30 I-T
. I-T
56 I-T
. I-T

XIN_ENG_20051118 O
. O
0270 O

TEHRAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

chief O
Iranian O
nuclear O
negotiator O
voices O
optimism O
about O
IAEA O
meeting O

Iran O
' O
s O
chief O
nuclear O
negotiator O
Ali O
Larijani O
said O
on O
Friday B-T
that O
he O
was O
optimistic O
that O
a O
coming O
UN O
nuclear O
watchdog O
meeting O
will O
yield O
a O
favorable O
outcome O
for O
Iran O
. O

" O
If O
the O
Europeans O
want O
to O
make O
a O
wise O
decision O
, O
they O
have O
to O
respect O
Iran O
' O
s O
cooperation O
with O
the O
International O
Atomic O
Energy O
Agency O
( O
IAEA O
) O
. O
I O
think O
the O
result O
of O
this O
meeting O
will O
be O
positive O
and O
favorable O
for O
Iran O
, O
" O
Larijani O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
semi O
- O
official O
Mehr O
news O
agency O
as O
saying O
. O

Larijani O
referred O
to O
the O
IAEA O
' O
s O
Board O
of O
Governors O
meeting O
due O
on O
Thursday B-T
, O
during O
which O
the O
governors O
will O
discuss O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
program O
based O
on O
a O
report O
submitted O
by O
the O
agency O
' O
s O
chief O
Mohamed O
ElBaradei O
. O

Larijani O
said O
that O
he O
assumed O
ElBaradei O
will O
deliver O
a O
" O
rational O
and O
clear O
report O
" O
on O
Iran O
because O
the O
IAEA O
was O
" O
taking O
positive O
steps O
" O
recently O
on O
the O
Iranian O
nuclear O
case O
. O

However O
, O
Larijani O
warned O
that O
Iran O
will O
" O
resort O
to O
other O
means O
" O
if O
the O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
" O
wants O
to O
waste O
opportunities O
" O
by O
prompting O
a O
resolution O
against O
Iran O
at O
the O
IAEA O
meeting O
. O

Iran O
resumed O
uranium O
conversion O
activities O
, O
a O
preparatory O
step O
for O
uranium O
enrichment O
, O
in O
early B-T
August I-T
, O
a O
move O
scuttling O
nuclear O
negotiations O
with O
the O
EU O
which O
started O
after O
Tehran O
suspended O
all O
activities O
related O
to O
uranium O
enrichment O
in O
November B-T
2004 I-T
. O

In O
response O
, O
the O
IAEA O
in O
late B-T
September I-T
urged O
Tehran O
to O
re O
- O
suspend O
all O
enrichment O
- O
related O
activities O
in O
a O
EU O
- O
drafted O
resolution O
, O
saying O
Iran O
' O
s O
refusal O
will O
risk O
a O
referral O
of O
its O
case O
to O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
. O

Larijani O
in O
early O
November B-T
forwarded O
a O
letter O
to O
foreign O
ministers O
of O
the O
European O
trio O
of O
Britain O
, O
France O
and O
Germany O
, O
calling O
for O
resuming O
bilateral O
nuclear O
negotiations O
, O
but O
the O
EU O
insists O
that O
Iran O
implement O
the O
IAEA O
resolution O
before O
the O
reopening O
of O
nuclear O
talks O
. O

The O
United O
States O
accuses O
Iran O
of O
developing O
nuclear O
weapons O
secretly O
, O
a O
charge O
rejected O
by O
Tehran O
as O
politically O
motivated O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061130 O
. O
0209 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

" O
Colorful O
Africa O
" O

Gao O
Qiufu O
, O
former O
vice O
president O
of O
Xinhua O
News O
Agency O
, O
recently B-T
published O
his O
prose O
collection O
, O
titled O
" O
Colorful O
Africa O
- O
- O
A O
Mysterious O
Continent O
written O
by O
Xinhua O
journalist O
" O
. O

The O
collection O
, O
published O
by O
the O
Xinhua O
Publishing O
House O
, O
is O
one O
of O
the O
a O
few O
Chinese O
- O
language O
writings O
focusing O
on O
Africa O
. O

The O
collection O
, O
in O
240 O
, O
000 O
words O
, O
consists O
of O
more O
than O
70 O
prose O
, O
written O
by O
Gao O
during O
1980 B-T
to O
2003 O
, O
on O
the O
natural O
conditions O
, O
social O
customs O
and O
history O
of O
the O
Sub O
- O
Sahara O
Africa O
. O

Gao O
worked O
in O
Africa O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
seven I-T
years I-T
. O
He O
traveled O
and O
made O
reports O
in O
numerous O
African O
places O
. O
As O
a O
journalist O
and O
expert O
specialized O
in O
African O
issues O
, O
he O
presents O
his O
experiences O
and O
understanding O
on O
Africa O
' O
s O
culture O
and O
social O
customs O
in O
his O
prose O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061122 O
. O
0163 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

system O
after O
duck O
egg O
contamination O
scandal O

The O
Chinese O
government O
should O
encourage O
food O
processing O
and O
logistics O
firms O
to O
set O
up O
systems O
for O
the O
recall O
and O
traceability O
of O
problem O
food O
, O
said O
a O
senior O
National O
Development O
and O
Reform O
Commission O
( O
NDRC O
) O
official O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

NDRC O
deputy O
director O
Zhang O
Guobao O
said O
China O
should O
continue O
the O
food O
safety O
market O
access O
system O
to O
build O
consumer O
confidence O
in O
food O
safety O
. O

The O
11th O
Five O
- O
Year O
plan O
on O
the O
national O
food O
industry O
highlighted O
an O
urgent O
need O
to O
improve O
the O
country O
' O
s O
food O
safety O
. O

" O
The O
fact O
that O
some O
food O
processing O
enterprises O
use O
illegal O
additives O
and O
raw O
materials O
cannot O
be O
neglected O
and O
downplayed O
. O
Food O
chains O
from O
farm O
fields O
to O
table O
are O
polluted O
from O
time O
to O
time O
and O
environmental O
pollution O
has O
a O
bad O
impact O
on O
food O
sources O
, O
" O
according O
to O
the O
plan O
. O

His O
call O
follows O
a O
scandal O
this B-T
month I-T
in O
which O
red O
- O
yolk O
salted O
duck O
eggs O
were O
found O
containing O
the O
carcinogenic O
industrial O
dye O
, O
Sudan O
- O
IV O
, O
raising O
nationwide O
concern O
over O
food O
safety O
. O
The O
country O
' O
s O
food O
watchdog O
traced O
to O
the O
source O
of O
the O
contaminated O
eggs O
, O
destroyed O
the O
contaminated O
eggs O
and O
ducks O
, O
and O
tightened O
food O
safety O
supervision O
. O

China O
has O
yet O
to O
establish O
a O
clearly O
defined O
food O
recall O
system O
, O
but O
some O
big O
cities O
are O
considering O
their O
establishment O
. O

Shanghai O
started O
a O
food O
recall O
system O
on O
Aug B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051113 O
. O
0230 O

BUENOS O
AIRES O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Argentine O
press O
bemoans O
soccer O
loss O
to O
England O

England O
' O
s O
surprise O
3 O
- O
2 O
victory O
over O
Argentina O
in O
a O
pre O
- O
World O
Cup O
friendly O
played O
in O
Geneva O
roiled O
the O
Argentine O
press O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

Argentina O
was O
leading O
2 O
- O
1 O
in O
the B-T
88th I-T
minute I-T
, O
when O
England O
international O
Michael O
Owen O
, O
scored O
two O
goals O
from O
two O
headers O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
two I-T
minutes I-T
of O
the O
game O
. O

Buenos O
Aires O
sports O
paper O
Ole O
howled O
in O
disappointment O
. O

" O
It O
was O
like O
bedding O
the O
woman O
of O
your O
dreams O
, O
closing O
your O
eyes O
for O
a O
moment O
and O
waking O
up O
to O
find O
you O
have O
been O
talking O
to O
your O
pillow O
all O
along O
, O
" O
said O
the O
paper O
in O
an O
editorial O
. O

England O
' O
s O
Swedish O
manager O
Sven O
Goran O
Eriksson O
" O
demonstrated O
intelligence O
and O
maturity O
by O
attacking O
when O
it O
had O
to O
do O
so O
; O
neither O
too O
early O
nor O
too O
late O
. O
And O
that O
is O
a O
quality O
we O
have O
not O
seen O
in O
Argentina O
in O
any O
way O
, O
" O
the O
paper O
said O
. O

Daily O
paper O
La O
Nacion O
said O
that O
the O
score O
was O
a O
" O
harsh O
punishment O
" O
because O
Riquelme O
and O
Ayala O
had O
not O
cleared O
the O
ball O
from O
Argentina O
' O
s O
goalmouth O
effectively O
. O

Argentina O
had O
deserved O
a O
win O
until O
the O
final O
" O
accident O
" O
, O
the O
paper O
argued O
. O

" O
There O
was O
a O
battle O
of O
style O
between O
the O
English O
tradition O
of O
long O
balls O
. O
. O
. O
and O
the O
closely O
woven O
football O
of O
Argentina O
' O
s O
old O
school O
. O
And O
ours O
was O
clearly O
superior O
. O
Until O
the B-T
last I-T
minute I-T
accident O
, O
" O
said O
La O
Nacion O
, O
before O
heaping O
praise O
on O
match O
- O
winner O
Michael O
Owen O
. O

" O
Michael O
Owen O
, O
who O
had O
gone O
unnoticed O
for O
nearly O
all O
the O
game O
, O
suddenly O
became O
the O
man O
of O
the O
night O
. O
That O
is O
how O
good O
goalscorers O
are O
: O
cold O
, O
lethal O
and O
merciless O
with O
careless O
rivals O
, O
" O
the O
paper O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0387 O

ABUJA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Darfur O
talks O
restart O
in O
bid O
to O
solve O
power O
- O
sharing O
dispute O

The O
African O
Union O
was O
due O
to O
bring O
all O
the O
delegates O
to O
peace O
talks O
on O
the O
crisis O
in O
the O
Sudanese O
region O
of O
Darfur O
back O
together O
Monday B-T
after O
a O
72 O
- O
hour O
break O
to O
allow O
the O
parties O
to O
resolve O
a O
dispute O
over O
a O
power O
- O
sharing O
deal O
to O
end O
the O
conlfict O
. O

Mediators O
said O
they O
hoped O
the O
plenary O
session O
would O
find O
a O
solution O
to O
the O
row O
, O
which O
has O
pushed O
the O
seventh O
session O
of O
the O
talks O
close O
to O
collapse O
, O
but O
rebel O
representatives O
warned O
that O
they O
were O
still O
not O
ready O
to O
compromise O
on O
certain O
key O
issues O
. O

" O
The O
government O
of O
Sudan O
does O
not O
want O
to O
concede O
the O
vice O
presidency O
to O
the O
south O
nor O
to O
Darfur O
. O
It O
also O
does O
not O
want O
Darfur O
to O
be O
considered O
a O
single O
region O
, O
" O
said O
Ahmed O
Hussein O
Adam O
, O
spokesman O
for O
the O
rebel O
Justice O
and O
Equality O
Movement O
( O
JEM O
) O
. O

" O
This O
is O
the O
crux O
of O
the O
matter O
as O
these O
are O
the O
issues O
that O
are O
of O
paramount O
importance O
to O
our O
people O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Government O
spokesman O
Omar O
Amin O
conceded O
that O
these O
issues O
were O
" O
difficult O
ones O
" O
but O
expressed O
confidence O
that O
the O
plenary O
talks O
session O
would O
resolve O
the O
issue O
. O

The O
row O
over O
the O
power O
- O
sharing O
agreement O
comes O
just O
a B-T
week I-T
after O
the O
long O
- O
running O
talks O
restarted O
and O
is O
the O
first O
sign O
that O
this O
round O
could O
fall O
into O
the O
same O
stalemate O
as O
all O
previous O
attempts O
to O
resolve O
a O
33 O
- O
month O
- O
old O
crisis O
which O
has O
left O
300 O
, O
000 O
civilians O
dead O
. O

Previous O
negotiations O
were O
undermined O
by O
regular O
ceasefire O
violations O
, O
and O
the O
United O
Nations O
has O
warned O
the O
Darfur O
region O
is O
falling O
into O
chaos O
, O
with O
murder O
, O
robbery O
and O
rape O
on O
the O
increase O
. O

War O
broke O
out O
in O
February B-T
2003 I-T
when O
the O
rebels O
began O
fighting O
what O
they O
say O
is O
the O
political O
and O
economic O
marginalisation O
of O
the O
region O
' O
s O
black O
African O
tribes O
by O
the O
Arab O
- O
led O
regime O
in O
Khartoum O
. O

The O
African O
Union O
has O
deployed O
a O
small O
peacekeeping O
force O
to O
monitor O
a O
shaky O
ceasefire O
, O
but O
a O
series O
of O
peace O
conferences O
over O
the B-T
past I-T
year I-T
has O
made O
little O
progress O
towards O
a O
settlement O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051205 O
. O
0336 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
with O
reshuffle O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Indonesian O
President O
Susilo O
Bambang O
Yudhoyono O
Monday B-T
announced O
a O
cabinet O
reshuffle O
, O
dismissing O
three O
ministers O
, O
shifting O
three O
others O
including O
his O
top O
economy O
minister O
and O
bringing O
in O
three O
new O
faces O
. O

Former O
finance O
minister O
Budiono O
was O
installed O
as O
coordinating O
minister O
for O
the O
economy O
, O
replacing O
Aburizal O
Bakrie O
, O
who O
has O
shifted O
to O
be O
coordinating O
minister O
for O
people O
' O
s O
welfare O
, O
Yudhoyono O
said O
in O
Yogyakarta O
, O
Central O
Java O
. O

The O
president O
had O
last B-T
week I-T
announced O
the O
inclusion O
of O
Budiono O
, O
who O
served O
as O
finance O
minister O
under O
former O
president O
Megawati O
Sukarnoputri O
, O
in O
his O
new O
cabinet O
- O
- O
a O
move O
welcomed O
by O
financial O
markets O
. O

Yudhoyono O
said O
Friday B-T
he O
had O
asked O
Budiono O
, O
62 O
, O
to O
help O
him O
" O
rearrange O
" O
his O
economic O
team O
, O
whose O
performance O
has O
been O
heavily O
criticised O
by O
analysts O
since O
his O
government O
came O
to O
power O
in O
October B-T
2004 I-T
. O

Indonesia O
' O
s O
economy O
has O
taken O
a O
beating O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
with O
soaring O
global O
fuel O
prices O
putting O
a O
major O
dent O
in O
public O
coffers O
and O
pushing O
down O
the O
rupiah O
as O
the O
government O
scrambled O
to O
keep O
paying O
out O
expensive O
domestic O
fuel O
subsidies O
. O

In O
other O
changes O
, O
national O
development O
planning O
minister O
Sri O
Mulyani O
Indrawati O
replaced O
finance O
minister O
Yusuf O
Anwar O
, O
while O
Indrawati O
' O
s O
place O
was O
taken O
by O
Paskah O
Suzetta O
. O

Suzetta O
is O
a O
Golkar O
party O
MP O
who O
heads O
the O
parliamentary O
commission O
dealing O
with O
finance O
, O
development O
planning O
, O
banking O
and O
non O
- O
banking O
financial O
institutions O
. O

Industry O
minister O
Andung O
Nitimihardja O
was O
replaced O
by O
manpower O
minister O
Fahmi O
Idris O
, O
while O
Idris O
was O
replaced O
by O
Erman O
Suparno O
, O
another O
MP O
who O
is O
currently B-T
deputy O
chair O
of O
the O
parliamentary O
commission O
dealing O
with O
transportation O
, O
telecommunications O
, O
civil O
work O
and O
housing O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0049 O

GUANGZHOU O
, O
South O
China O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

World O
' O
s O
top O
mixed O
doubles O
pair O
ousted O
from O
China O
Open O
badminton O

Non O
- O
seeded O
Zheng O
Bo O
/ O
Zhao O
Tingting O
from O
China O
upset O
world O
No O
. O
1 O
Widianto O
Nova O
/ O
Natsir O
Liyana O
of O
Indonesia O
15 O
- O
9 O
, O
17 O
- O
15 O
for O
the O
semi O
- O
finals O
at O
the O
China O
Open O
badminton O
here O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
very O
normal O
for O
us O
to O
win O
or O
lose O
, O
" O
said O
Zhao O
Tingting O
, O
" O
The O
key O
point O
is O
the O
actual O
pefermance O
and O
luck O
on O
court O
. O
" O

Zhao O
Tingting O
used O
to O
pair O
with O
veteran O
Chen O
Jiqiu O
, O
and O
it O
' O
s O
first O
time O
for O
Zhao O
and O
Zheng O
to O
be O
partners O
after O
Chen O
retired O
from O
national O
team O
. O

The O
winning O
Chinese O
duo O
will O
next O
meet O
England O
' O
s O
fifth O
- O
seeded O
Nathan O
Robertson O
/ O
Gail O
Emms O
, O
who O
beat O
Anthony O
Clark O
/ O
Kenneth O
Kellogg O
of O
Denmark O
in O
the O
third O
round O
. O

Second O
- O
seeded O
Lee O
Jae O
Jin O
/ O
Lee O
Hyo O
Jung O
of O
South O
Korea O
beat O
Daniel O
Shirley O
/ O
Runesten O
- O
Petersen O
of O
New O
Zealand O
13 O
- O
15 O
, O
15 O
- O
4 O
and O
15 O
- O
4 O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061108 O
. O
0233 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
media O
hails O
Democrats O
' O
control O
of O
House O

U O
. O
S O
. O
media O
hailed O
on O
Wednesday B-T
the O
Democrats O
' O
control O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
for O
the O
first O
time O
since O
1994 B-T
and O
meanwhile O
urged O
the O
Democrats O
to O
" O
provide O
a O
clear O
idea O
. O
" O

" O
Six B-T
years I-T
of O
nearly O
unbroken O
one O
- O
party O
rule O
have O
not O
been O
healthy O
for O
the O
country O
. O
The O
apparent O
Democratic O
takeover O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
yesterday B-T
is O
a O
good O
thing O
, O
" O
the O
Washington O
Post O
said O
in O
its O
editorial O
. O

" O
Voters O
yesterday B-T
expressed O
their O
anger O
at O
President O
Bush O
and O
their O
frustration O
with O
the O
war O
in O
Iraq O
, O
as O
well O
as O
their O
disgust O
with O
the O
arrogant O
misbehavior O
of O
House O
Republicans O
, O
" O
the O
editorial O
said O
. O

Nonetheless O
, O
the O
editorial O
said O
that O
the O
Democrats O
won O
not O
because O
voters O
necessarily O
agreed O
with O
their O
program O
but O
because O
of O
the O
missteps O
of O
the O
Republicans O
. O
" O
Democrats O
do O
not O
have O
capital O
from O
voters O
; O
at O
most O
, O
they O
enjoy O
a O
line O
of O
credit O
, O
" O
the O
editorial O
said O
. O

The O
New O
York O
Times O
, O
in O
its O
editorial O
, O
said O
the O
result O
showed O
that O
" O
a O
government O
that O
performs O
badly O
is O
supposed O
to O
be O
punished O
by O
the O
electorate O
. O
" O

" O
And O
this O
government O
has O
performed O
badly O
on O
so O
many O
counts O
, O
" O
the O
editorial O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
Democrats O
" O
won O
a O
negative O
victory O
, O
riding O
on O
the O
wave O
of O
public O
anger O
" O
about O
the O
Republicans O
. O

The O
House O
Democrats O
will O
have O
to O
shift O
from O
the O
role O
of O
tactical O
opposition O
to O
show O
government O
, O
and O
also O
provide O
a O
clear O
idea O
of O
what O
their O
party O
will O
do O
if O
it O
were O
really O
in O
control O
, O
the O
editorial O
said O
. O

The O
Democrats O
seized O
control O
of O
the O
House O
of O
Representatives O
in O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
midterm O
legislative O
elections O
, O
but O
it O
still O
needs O
several O
seats O
to O
take O
control O
of O
the O
Senate O
from O
the O
Republicans O
. O

The O
unpopular O
Iraq O
war O
, O
the O
Republicans O
' O
scandals O
in O
the O
Capitol O
Hill O
and O
the O
declining O
approval O
rating O
for O
U O
. O
S O
. O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
are O
considered O
the O
main O
factors O
to O
drive O
voters O
to O
turn O
to O
the O
Democrats O
, O
according O
to O
polls O
conducted O
by O
U O
. O
S O
. O
media O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0134 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
REFILES O
to O
fix O
typo O
in O
headline O
/ O
/ O
/ O

China O
' O
s O
Olympic O
diving O
champion O
Guo O
Jingjing O
was O
revelling O
Tuesday B-T
in O
becoming O
the O
most O
successful O
female O
diver O
in O
Asian O
Games O
history O
. O

Guo O
, O
who O
has O
already O
announced O
she O
will O
retire O
after O
the O
Beijing O
Olympics O
, O
took O
the O
women O
' O
s O
3 O
- O
metre O
synchronized O
springboard O
title O
here O
with O
Li O
Ting O
to O
add O
to O
the O
three O
golds O
from O
previous O
Asian O
Games O
. O

" O
I O
have O
never O
thought O
about O
beating O
any O
record O
, O
" O
said O
the O
25 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
, O
who O
is O
the O
reigning O
Olympic O
champion O
in O
the O
3m O
springboard O
and O
3m O
synchronised O
springboard O
and O
a O
multiple O
world O
champion O
. O

" O
The O
Asian O
Games O
means O
a O
lot O
to O
me O
. O
" O

But O
Guo O
, O
whose O
private O
life O
has O
caused O
as O
much O
of O
a O
splash O
as O
her O
performances O
in O
the O
pool O
, O
will O
not O
defend O
her O
3m O
springboard O
title O
here O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
feel O
sorry O
for O
giving O
up O
a O
third O
consecutive O
title O
. O
I O
have O
competed O
a O
lot O
this B-T
year I-T
and O
I O
need O
a O
rest O
. O
I O
' O
d O
like O
younger O
teammates O
to O
have O
more O
chances O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Her O
next O
goal O
is O
the O
world O
swimming O
championships O
in O
Melbourne O
in O
March B-T
. O

" O
We O
have O
less O
than O
three B-T
months I-T
to O
go O
for O
the O
worlds O
, O
I O
hope O
to O
defend O
my O
titles O
there O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

The O
photogenic O
Guo O
started O
training O
in O
competitive O
diving O
at O
the O
age O
of O
seven O
, O
winning O
a O
place O
on O
the O
national O
team O
when O
she O
was O
11 O
, O
and O
has O
competed O
in O
three O
Olympic O
Games O
. O

She O
hit O
the O
headlines O
last B-T
year I-T
when O
she O
was O
romantically O
linked O
with O
former O
diving O
team O
- O
mate O
Tian O
Liang O
. O
Tian O
was O
later O
thrown O
off O
the O
national O
team O
for O
pursuing O
too O
many O
commercial O
endorsements O
. O

China O
has O
dominated O
the O
diving O
competition O
in O
Doha O
, O
winning O
all O
four O
titles O
so O
far O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051210 O
. O
0197 O

BERLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Germany O
delighted O
by O
World O
Cup O
draw O

The O
German O
media O
all O
agreed O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
2006 O
World O
Cup O
hosts O
could O
not O
have O
asked O
for O
a O
kinder O
finals O
draw O
after O
being O
paired O
with O
Costa O
Rica O
, O
Ecuador O
and O
Poland O
in O
Group O
A O
. O

Germany O
host O
minnows O
Costa O
Rica O
in O
the O
opening O
World O
Cup O
match O
on O
June B-T
9 I-T
in O
Munich O
and O
manager O
Jurgen O
Klinsmann O
was O
pictured O
with O
a O
broad O
grin O
in O
the O
press O
. O

" O
Klinsmann O
is O
right O
to O
smile O
after O
that O
draw O
, O
" O
said O
the O
Kolner O
Express O
. O
" O
There O
is O
no O
real O
major O
obstacle O
to O
the O
last O
sixteen O
. O
" O

Bild O
daily O
, O
the O
country O
' O
s O
biggest O
selling O
newspaper O
, O
concurred O
: O
" O
Klinsmann O
you O
are O
certainly O
lucky O
! O
" O

Klinsmann O
, O
who O
won O
the O
1990 O
World O
Cup O
with O
West O
Germany O
, O
admitted O
the O
draw O
could O
have O
been O
much O
worse O
but O
insisted O
his O
team O
would O
not O
underestimate O
anyone O
. O

" O
Of O
course O
we O
could O
have O
a O
had O
a O
much O
more O
difficult O
group O
, O
" O
explained O
Klinsmann O
. O
" O
But O
every O
opponent O
will O
provide O
a O
challenge O
for O
us O
and O
the O
onus O
will O
be O
on O
us O
to O
attack O
as O
hosts O
. O
" O

Klinsmann O
has O
set O
the O
target O
of O
lifting O
the O
World O
Cup O
on O
July B-T
9 I-T
in O
Berlin O
despite O
not O
defeating O
a O
recognised O
top O
nation O
since O
a O
1 O
- O
0 O
win O
over O
England O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0343 O

BEIRUT O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Top O
Lebanese O
leaders O
resume O
crucial O
dialogue O

Rival O
Lebanese O
leaders O
resumed O
roundtable O
talks O
on O
Monday B-T
to O
discuss O
possible O
government O
changes O
amid O
an O
abyss O
between O
Shiite O
Hezbollah O
group O
and O
the O
anti O
- O
Syrian O
parliamentary O
majority O
that O
could O
lead O
to O
street O
protests O
. O

Lebanese O
Parliament O
Speaker O
Nabih O
Berri O
, O
describing O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
session O
an O
" O
ice O
breaker O
, O
" O
said O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
top O
leaders O
would O
meet O
again O
on O
Tuesday B-T
morning I-T
, O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
local O
media O
reported O
. O

" O
We O
agreed O
to O
a O
news O
media O
truce O
, O
" O
Berri O
told O
the O
local O
reporters O
after O
the O
four O
- O
hour O
meeting O
at O
parliament O
building O
in O
downtown O
Beirut O
which O
began O
at O
11 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a O
. O
m O
. O
( O
0900 O
GMT O
) O
. O

This O
was O
a O
reference O
to O
the O
political O
bickering O
between O
Hezbollah O
and O
its O
allies O
from O
one O
side O
and O
the O
Lebanese O
parliament O
majority O
, O
or O
March B-T
14 I-T
Forces O
on O
the O
other O
, O
which O
was O
highlighted O
by O
threats O
from O
both O
sides O
to O
take O
to O
streets O
. O

All O
13 O
" O
first O
- O
rank O
" O
politicians O
attended O
the O
dialogue O
amid O
tight O
security O
, O
except O
for O
Hezbollah O
leader O
Sayyed O
Hassan O
Nasrallah O
for O
safety O
reasons O
. O

However O
, O
Nasrallah O
was O
represented O
by O
cabinet O
minister O
Mohammed O
Fneish O
as O
well O
as O
parliament O
members O
Mohammed O
Raad O
and O
Hussein O
Hajj O
Hassan O
. O

Earlier O
, O
Berri O
has O
called O
for O
the O
resumption O
of O
the O
stalled O
national O
talks O
among O
Lebanon O
' O
s O
rival O
leaders O
to O
consider O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
and O
the O
adoption O
of O
a O
new O
electoral O
law O
to O
end O
the O
political O
stalemate O
. O

The O
dialogue O
, O
launched O
in O
early O
March B-T
, O
was O
last O
scheduled O
for O
July B-T
25 I-T
. O
But O
the O
outbreak O
of O
the O
34 O
- O
day O
Israel O
- O
Hezbollah O
conflict O
on O
July B-T
12 I-T
has O
prevented O
the O
resumption O
of O
the O
talks O
, O
said O
the O
report O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0200 O

LINGSHI O
, O
Shanxi O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
Ld O
- O
Writethru O
: O
34 O
confirmed O
dead O
in O
north O
China O
colliery O
fire O

All O
34 O
miners O
trapped O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
coal O
mine O
fire O
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Shanxi O
Province O
were O
confirmed O
dead O
after O
rescuers O
recovered O
eight O
more O
bodies O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
eight O
bodies O
were O
found O
in O
a O
pond O
close O
to O
the O
mine O
shaft O
, O
where O
rescuers O
assumed O
the O
victims O
had O
tried O
to O
shelter O
from O
fire O
and O
smoke O
. O

Another O
26 O
bodies O
were O
retrieved O
from O
the O
pit O
Tuesday B-T
night I-T
. O

The O
miners O
either O
suffocated O
or O
drowned O
at O
Nanshan O
Colliery O
in O
Wangyu O
Village O
of O
Lingshi O
County O
, O
where O
explosives O
illegally O
stored O
in O
a O
shaft O
caught O
fire O
at O
7 B-T
: I-T
40 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Sunday B-T
. O

Sixty O
- O
six O
people O
were O
in O
the O
pit O
when O
the O
fire O
broke O
out O
, O
according O
to O
the O
latest O
statistics O
released O
by O
the O
emergency O
rescue O
headquarters O
. O
Thirty O
escaped O
and O
two O
were O
saved O
in O
the O
search O
- O
and O
- O
rescue O
operation O
. O

Rescuers O
found O
two O
storage O
sites O
in O
the O
shaft O
. O
One O
of O
them O
caught O
fire O
and O
the O
other O
, O
about O
20 O
meters O
from O
the O
first O
, O
contained O
about O
four O
tons O
of O
explosives O
, O
all O
of O
which O
were O
ignited O
by O
the O
flames O
, O
said O
Feng O
Kaicheng O
, O
vice O
head O
of O
Lingshi O
County O
and O
head O
of O
the O
rescue O
operation O
. O

By O
Tuesday B-T
noon I-T
, O
the O
flames O
in O
the O
shaft O
had O
been O
put O
out O
and O
toxic O
gas O
levels O
dropped O
by O
midday O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
State O
Council O
set O
up O
an O
investigation O
task O
force O
, O
headed O
by O
Zhao O
Tiechui O
, O
director O
of O
the O
State O
Administration O
of O
Coal O
Mine O
Safety O
Supervision O
, O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
investigate O
the O
tragedy O
. O

Zhao O
blamed O
poor O
management O
of O
the O
coal O
mine O
and O
slack O
supervision O
of O
the O
local O
government O
for O
the O
accident O
. O

The O
production O
licence O
of O
the O
village O
- O
run O
Nanshan O
Coal O
mine O
expired O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
last I-T
year I-T
and O
rescuers O
found O
it O
had O
neither O
a O
gas O
monitoring O
system O
nor O
a O
lifesaving O
appliance O
in O
the O
shaft O
. O

Zhao O
also O
found O
it O
was O
designed O
to O
produce O
90 O
, O
000 O
tons O
a B-T
year I-T
but O
its O
actual O
annual O
production O
was O
around O
30 O
, O
000 O
tons O
, O
and O
the O
mine O
employed O
139 O
people O
, O
instead O
of O
120 O
according O
to O
a O
management O
declaration O
. O

According O
to O
the O
province O
' O
s O
regulation O
on O
coal O
mine O
management O
issued O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
coal O
mines O
whose O
annual O
production O
is O
lower O
than O
90 O
, O
000 O
tons O
should O
be O
closed O
, O
said O
Zhao O
. O

" O
How O
could O
this O
coal O
mine O
be O
in O
operation O
illegally O
for O
nearly B-T
one I-T
year I-T
? O
" O
said O
Zhao O
. O

" O
Those O
who O
are O
found O
to O
be O
responsible O
for O
the O
accident O
will O
receive O
due O
punishment O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Zhao O
ordered O
the O
local O
government O
to O
strengthen O
its O
management O
and O
supervision O
of O
the O
production O
of O
medium O
and O
small O
coal O
mines O
and O
to O
publicize O
a O
" O
black O
list O
" O
of O
the O
collieries O
which O
should O
be O
closed O
by O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
November I-T
. O

Police O
are O
chasing O
several O
of O
the O
coal O
mine O
managers O
, O
including O
the O
mine O
head O
Geng O
Runyu O
who O
fled O
after O
the O
accident O
. O

Most O
of O
the O
miners O
were O
migrant O
workers O
from O
eastern O
Shandong O
Province O
and O
southwestern O
Sichuan O
Province O
and O
some O
of O
their O
families O
have O
arrived O
at O
the O
coal O
mine O
. O

Families O
of O
each O
of O
the O
dead O
will O
be O
given O
at O
least O
200 O
, O
000 O
yuan O
( O
25 O
, O
440 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
) O
in O
compensation O
. O

Wednesday B-T
also O
saw O
the O
death O
toll O
climb O
to O
41 O
in O
another O
coal O
mine O
tragedy O
, O
also O
in O
the O
coal O
- O
rich O
province O
of O
Shanxi O
Province O
, O
which O
occurred O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
at O
Jiaojiazhai O
Colliery O
in O
Xinzhou O
. O
Six O
more O
are O
feared O
dead O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970429 O
. O
0376 O

MADRAS O
, O
India O
, O
April B-T
27 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Indian O
regional O
party O
decides O
to O
join O
government O

An O
Indian O
regional O
party O
Tuesday B-T
joined O
the O
country O
' O
s O
minority O
government O
, O
which O
would O
pave O
way O
for O
former O
finance O
minister O
Palaniappan O
Chidamabram O
to O
be O
back O
in O
his O
finance O
post O
. O

The O
Tamil O
Manila O
Congress O
' O
( O
TMC O
) O
decision O
was O
taken O
by O
the O
party O
chief O
, O
G O
. O
K O
. O
Moopanar O
, O
in O
the O
southern O
city O
of O
Madras O
after O
the O
party O
' O
s O
think O
- O
tank O
met O
late B-T
Tuesday I-T
. O

" O
The O
decision O
was O
taken O
in O
the O
national O
interest O
and O
in O
view O
of O
the O
expectations O
of O
the O
people O
, O
" O
Moopanar O
told O
reporters O
. O

" O
The O
earlier O
decision O
to O
stay O
away O
from O
the O
coalition O
was O
also O
reversed O
by O
me O
after O
considering O
the O
part O
TMC O
played O
in O
the O
preparation O
of O
the O
federal O
budget O
. O
The O
budget O
needs O
to O
be O
implemented O
, O
" O
Moopanar O
said O
. O

Chidambaram O
, O
one O
of O
the O
architects O
of O
India O
' O
s O
free O
- O
market O
reforms O
, O
was O
forced O
to O
quit O
his O
post O
after O
TMC O
leader O
G O
. O
K O
. O
Moopanar O
lost O
a O
bitter O
leadership O
battle O
in O
the O
ruling O
United O
Front O
coalition O
to O
Gujral O
and O
pulled O
the O
party O
out O
of O
the O
Front O
. O

Gujral O
, O
who O
decided O
not O
to O
hand O
out O
the O
finance O
portfolio O
when O
he O
named O
his O
cabinet O
, O
had O
urged O
Moopanar O
to O
reverse O
his O
decision O
. O

Chidambaram O
drew O
up O
the O
previous O
United O
Front O
government O
' O
s O
Indian O
budget O
for O
1997 O
- O
98 O
which O
is O
to O
be O
approved O
by O
parliament O
this B-T
week I-T
. O
Gujral O
has O
adopted O
the O
same O
budget O
. O

Business O
leaders O
have O
also O
pleaded O
for O
Chidambaram O
, O
regarded O
as O
a O
key O
architect O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
free O
- O
market O
economic O
reforms O
, O
to O
return O
to O
the O
helm O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0026 O

BAGHDAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Car O
bomb O
kills O
two O
policemen O
in O
Baghdad O

A O
car O
bomb O
attacked O
a O
Iraqi O
police O
patrol O
east O
of O
Baghdad O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
killing O
two O
policemen O
, O
police O
source O
said O
. O

" O
A O
car O
bomb O
hit O
a O
police O
patrol O
consisting O
of O
three O
cars O
at O
the O
al O
- O
Mashetal O
crossing O
in O
the B-T
morning I-T
. O
Two O
policemen O
were O
killed O
and O
another O
six O
were O
injured O
, O
" O
the O
source O
told O
Xinhua O
. O

A O
police O
car O
was O
also O
damaged O
in O
the O
blast O
, O
the O
source O
added O
. O

Insurgents O
frequently O
target O
Iraqi O
police O
and O
government O
officials O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
topple O
the O
Shiite O
- O
dominated O
government O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0578 O

DUBLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

by O
Andrew O
Bushe O

A O
senior O
member O
of O
Sinn O
Fein O
, O
the O
Irish O
Republican O
Army O
' O
s O
political O
wing O
and O
the O
biggest O
Catholic O
party O
in O
Northern O
Ireland O
, O
caused O
shock O
Friday B-T
by O
admitting O
he O
had O
been O
a O
British O
agent O
for O
two B-T
decades I-T
. O

Denis O
Donaldson O
' O
s O
admission O
drew O
an O
incredulous O
reaction O
from O
Irish O
Prime O
Minister O
Bertie O
Ahern O
, O
and O
could O
complicate O
Irish O
and O
British O
efforts O
to O
broker O
the O
restoration O
of O
Catholic O
and O
Protestant O
power O
- O
sharing O
government O
in O
Belfast O
. O

Donaldson O
, O
55 O
, O
a O
Sinn O
Fein O
member O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
30 I-T
years I-T
, O
told O
Irish O
state O
RTE O
television O
that O
British O
intelligence O
had O
begun O
paying O
him O
in O
the O
1980s B-T
after O
he O
had O
compromised O
himself O
during O
a O
" O
vulnerable O
time O
" O
in O
his O
life O
. O

" O
I O
deeply O
regret O
my O
activities O
with O
British O
intelligence O
and O
RUC O
/ O
PSNI O
( O
Royal O
Ulster O
Constabulary O
/ O
Police O
Service O
of O
Northern O
Ireland O
) O
Special O
Branch O
, O
" O
said O
a O
gaunt O
- O
looking O
Donaldson O
, O
reading O
a O
statement O
at O
a O
Dublin O
hotel O
accompanied O
by O
his O
solicitor O
. O

Sinn O
Fein O
President O
Gerry O
Adams O
said O
earlier O
that O
Donaldson O
, O
who O
has O
now B-T
been O
expelled O
from O
the O
party O
, O
had O
confessed O
to O
two O
Sinn O
Fein O
members O
after O
police O
told O
him O
his O
life O
was O
in O
danger O
. O

" O
He O
was O
going O
to O
be O
outed O
, O
" O
Adams O
said O
. O

The O
admission O
by O
Donaldson O
- O
- O
a O
respected O
party O
member O
who O
was O
Sinn O
Fein O
' O
s O
head O
of O
administration O
during O
the O
brief O
life O
of O
the O
now B-T
suspended O
Northern O
Ireland O
Assembly O
- O
- O
sent O
shock O
waves O
across O
the O
British O
province O
and O
beyond O
. O

It O
came O
barely O
a B-T
week I-T
after O
Domaldson O
and O
two O
other O
men O
were O
acquitted O
of O
charges O
of O
spying O
for O
the O
IRA O
on O
the O
British O
government O
at O
Stormont O
, O
the O
seat O
of O
the O
power O
- O
sharing O
government O
in O
Belfast O
. O

The O
charges O
were O
dropped O
when O
, O
due O
to O
lack O
of O
evidence O
, O
the O
trial O
was O
no O
longer O
seemed O
in O
the O
public O
interest O
. O

That O
spying O
scandal O
, O
known O
as O
" O
Stormontgate O
" O
, O
led O
to O
the O
suspension O
in O
2002 O
of O
the O
devolved O
Northern O
Ireland O
Assembly O
, O
where O
power O
was O
shared O
between O
Protestants O
and O
Catholics O
, O
and O
the O
restoration O
of O
direct O
rule O
from O
London O
. O

In O
his O
brief O
statement O
, O
Donaldson O
said O
: O
" O
I O
was O
not O
involved O
in O
any O
republican O
spy O
ring O
in O
Stormont O
. O
The O
so O
- O
called O
Stormontgate O
affair O
was O
a O
scam O
and O
a O
fiction O
, O
it O
never O
existed O
, O
it O
was O
created O
by O
Special O
Branch O
. O
" O

Ahern O
, O
speaking O
to O
RTE O
television O
from O
the O
European O
Union O
summit O
in O
Brussels O
, O
was O
nonplussed O
by O
the O
developments O
. O

" O
Stortmongate O
never O
made O
much O
sense O
to O
me O
and O
the O
dropping O
of O
the O
charges O
made O
less O
, O
" O
he O
told O
RTE O
. O

" O
This O
is O
just O
a O
bizarre O
twist O
. O
If O
what O
we O
are O
being O
asked O
to O
believe O
is O
that O
the O
senior O
administrator O
in O
Stormont O
turns O
out O
to O
be O
an O
agent O
of O
the O
British O
security O
services O
that O
takes O
some O
twist O
of O
even O
my O
imagination O
, O
" O
Ahern O
said O
. O

In O
parliament O
earlier O
this B-T
week I-T
, O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
categorically O
denied O
that O
the O
decision O
not O
to O
prosecute O
Donaldson O
and O
the O
other O
two O
was O
politically O
motivated O
. O

Adams O
said O
he O
would O
be O
shocked O
if O
Blair O
" O
was O
part O
of O
any O
plot O
to O
take O
down O
a O
power O
- O
sharing O
executive O
he O
had O
spent O
a O
considerable O
amount O
of O
time O
along O
with O
the O
rest O
of O
us O
putting O
in O
place O
. O
" O

However O
, O
Adams O
said O
he O
had O
been O
suspicious O
at O
the O
way O
Donaldson O
was O
acquitted O
at O
a O
special O
Belfast O
court O
hearing O
along O
with O
his O
son O
- O
in O
- O
law O
Ciaran O
Kearney O
and O
another O
Catholic O
public O
servant O
, O
William O
Mackessy O
. O

" O
The O
collapse O
of O
the O
power O
- O
sharing O
government O
was O
blamed O
on O
allegations O
of O
a O
Sinn O
Fein O
spy O
ring O
at O
Stormont O
, O
" O
said O
Adams O
in O
a O
statement O
. O

" O
The O
fact O
is O
that O
this O
was O
a O
carefully O
constructed O
lie O
created O
by O
the O
( O
British O
police O
) O
Special O
Branch O
in O
order O
to O
cause O
maximum O
political O
impact O
. O
" O

Adams O
blamed O
the O
failure O
of O
the O
political O
institutions O
, O
where O
Catholics O
and O
Protestant O
deputies O
shared O
power O
from O
December B-T
1999 I-T
to O
October B-T
2002 I-T
, O
on O
those O
in O
charge O
of O
British O
intelligence O
and O
policing O
. O

" O
The O
fact O
is O
that O
the O
key O
person O
at O
the O
centre O
of O
those O
events O
was O
a O
Sinn O
Fein O
member O
who O
was O
a O
British O
agent O
, O
" O
said O
Adams O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051108 O
. O
0211 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Six O
parties O
gather O
in O
Beijing O
for O
nuclear O
talks O

With O
the O
arrival O
of O
the O
US O
delegation O
in O
Beijing O
, O
all O
negotiators O
to O
the O
fifth O
round O
of O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
converged O
here O
Tuesday B-T
for O
a O
peaceful O
solution O
to O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
nuclear O
issue O
. O

The O
delegation O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
arrived O
here O
Monday B-T
, O
and O
other O
delegations O
, O
including O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
DPRK O
) O
, O
Russia O
, O
Japan O
and O
the O
United O
States O
arrived O
here O
successively O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

US O
chief O
negotiator O
Christopher O
Hill O
told O
reporters O
upon O
his O
arrival O
in O
Beijing O
that O
the O
first O
step O
in O
the O
way O
ahead O
is O
to O
look O
at O
the O
issue O
of O
the O
denuclearization O
in O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
and O
begin O
to O
see O
how O
the O
agreements O
and O
the O
principles O
can O
be O
put O
into O
practices O
. O

ROK O
chief O
negotiator O
Song O
Min O
- O
soon O
said O
in O
Beijing O
Monday B-T
afternoon I-T
that O
the O
upcoming O
fifth O
round O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
will O
lay O
the O
groundwork O
for O
carrying O
out O
the O
first O
joint O
statement O
reached O
during O
the O
fourth O
round O
of O
the O
talks O
. O

" O
There O
will O
be O
intensive O
consultations O
in O
this O
round O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
, O
" O
Song O
told O
Xinhua O
. O
He O
and O
his O
delegates O
were O
the O
first O
to O
arrive O
in O
Beijing O
for O
the O
talks O
, O
scheduled O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
. O

Aiming O
at O
resolving O
the O
nuclear O
issue O
on O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
, O
China O
hosted O
four O
rounds O
of O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
with O
the O
latest O
one O
adopting O
the O
first O
joint O
statement O
in O
September B-T
this I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
DPRK O
pledged O
in O
the O
statement O
to O
abandon O
all O
nuclear O
weapons O
and O
existing O
nuclear O
programs O
and O
return O
, O
at O
an O
early O
date O
, O
to O
the O
Treaty O
on O
the O
Non O
- O
Proliferation O
of O
Nuclear O
Weapons O
, O
in O
exchange O
for O
energy O
aid O
and O
security O
guarantees O
. O

The O
fifth O
round O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
is O
expected O
to O
discuss O
how O
to O
follow O
through O
on O
the O
statement O
. O

Kim O
Gye O
- O
gwan O
, O
head O
of O
the O
DPRK O
delegation O
to O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
, O
said O
at O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
Sun O
- O
an O
Airport O
before O
departure O
to O
Beijing O
earlier O
Tuesday B-T
morning I-T
that O
his O
country O
is O
willing O
to O
make O
sincere O
efforts O
to O
fulfil O
the O
joint O
statement O
at O
the O
upcoming O
fifth O
- O
round O
talks O
. O

" O
The O
DPRK O
cherishes O
the O
joint O
statement O
formed O
in O
the O
previous O
round O
. O
We O
are O
willing O
to O
make O
sincere O
efforts O
at O
this O
round O
of O
the O
talks O
to O
fulfil O
the O
spirit O
of O
the O
joint O
statement O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
DPRK O
delegation O
head O
said O
the O
talks O
have O
already O
had O
a O
clear O
direction O
, O
which O
guides O
the O
six O
parties O
all O
the O
way O
forward O
like O
a O
lighthouse O
. O

" O
But O
the O
lighthouse O
is O
too O
far O
away O
from O
the O
DPRK O
and O
becomes O
less O
visible O
sometimes O
as O
the O
sea O
is O
always O
full O
of O
fogs O
, O
" O
Kim O
said O
. O

However O
, O
he O
said O
, O
all O
the O
parties O
involved O
could O
pool O
their O
wisdom O
and O
work O
together O
for O
further O
progress O
. O

Russia O
' O
s O
chief O
negotiator O
Alexander O
Alexeyev O
said O
Tuesday B-T
upon O
arrival O
in O
Beijing O
that O
Russia O
will O
cooperate O
with O
the O
DPRK O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
make O
substantial O
result O
in O
the O
new O
round O
of O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
. O

Sasae O
Kenichiro O
, O
head O
of O
the O
Japanese O
delegation O
, O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
that O
Japan O
is O
particularly O
interested O
in O
the O
implementation O
of O
the O
agreement O
already O
reached O
by O
all O
sides O
, O
especially O
the O
process O
of O
denuclearization O
. O

Japan O
will O
also O
express O
its O
views O
on O
future O
actions O
in O
the O
talks O
, O
he O
noted O
. O

The O
fifth O
round O
of O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
will O
open O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
and O
is O
expected O
to O
last O
for O
three B-T
days I-T
as O
the O
first O
phase O
. O
Chinese O
foreign O
ministry O
spokesman O
Kong O
Quan O
said O
earlier O
that O
" O
holding O
the O
talks O
by O
phases O
in O
the O
new O
round O
could O
have O
a O
better O
result O
, O
" O
as O
the O
chief O
negotiators O
of O
some O
parties O
might O
also O
attend O
the O
Asia O
- O
Pacific O
Economic O
Cooperation O
Summit O
slated O
for O
mid B-T
- I-T
November I-T
in O
Pusan O
, O
ROK O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970417 O
. O
0455 O

CHICAGO O
, O
April B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Reports O
that O
Indiana O
man O
died O
of O
" O
mad O
cow O
" O
disease O
unfounded O
: O
officials O

Grain O
and O
cattle O
prices O
bounced O
back O
on O
Chicago O
' O
s O
future O
markets O
here O
Thursday B-T
a O
day O
after O
slumping O
on O
an O
unsubstantiated O
report O
that O
the O
death O
of O
an O
Indiana O
man O
was O
linked O
to O
" O
mad O
cow O
" O
disease O
. O

Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
market O
plunge O
had O
been O
sparked O
by O
a O
newspaper O
report O
that O
Joseph O
Gabor O
, O
a O
62 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
farmer O
from O
Schererville O
, O
a O
small O
Indiana O
town O
just O
south O
here O
, O
had O
died O
of O
Creutzfeldt O
- O
Jakob O
disease O
( O
CJD O
) O
. O

Indiana O
veterinary O
officials O
insisted O
that O
CJD O
, O
a O
fatal O
brain O
- O
wasting O
disease O
that O
afflicts O
humans O
, O
is O
not O
the O
same O
disease O
as O
bovine O
spongiform O
encephalopathy O
( O
BSE O
) O
or O
" O
mad O
cow O
" O
disease O
. O

An O
epidemic O
of O
BSE O
in O
Britain O
last B-T
year I-T
sparked O
worldwide O
concern O
about O
beef O
consumption O
and O
led O
to O
a O
European O
Union O
ban O
on O
British O
beef O
imports O
. O

" O
There O
are O
those O
who O
have O
alleged O
the O
two O
are O
connected O
, O
but O
scientific O
research O
has O
never O
positively O
established O
a O
link O
, O
" O
said O
Indiana O
State O
Veterinarian O
Bret O
Marsh O
. O

" O
We O
hope O
the O
market O
gets O
some O
logic O
back O
because O
it O
was O
purely O
overreaction O
and O
emotional O
hype O
. O
There O
was O
no O
scientific O
basis O
for O
this O
to O
happen O
, O
" O
Denise O
Derrer O
, O
a O
spokeswoman O
for O
the O
Indian O
State O
Board O
of O
Animal O
Health O
, O
told O
AFP O
. O

Chicago O
' O
s O
futures O
market O
seemed O
to O
agree O
Thursday B-T
. O
" O
The O
scare O
is O
over O
, O
Grain O
and O
cattle O
prices O
are O
back O
up O
, O
" O
said O
Chicago O
Mercantile O
Exchange O
spokeswoman O
Annette O
Wallace O
. O

" O
We O
had O
the O
same O
situation O
last B-T
year I-T
when O
( O
talk O
- O
show O
queen O
) O
Oprah O
Winfrey O
did O
a O
show O
on O
the O
mad O
cow O
scare O
in O
Britain O
. O
" O

Victor O
Lespinasse O
, O
vice O
president O
of O
the O
Chicago O
brokerage O
firm O
Dean O
, O
Witt O
Reynolds O
, O
dismissed O
the O
mad O
cow O
link O
as O
a O
" O
ridiculous O
story O
" O
and O
an O
" O
overblown O
thing O
. O
" O

The O
report O
carried O
by O
the O
Times B-T
newspaper O
in O
Hammond O
, O
Indiana O
, O
said O
Gabor O
, O
a O
retired O
electrician O
who O
used O
bone O
meal O
to O
help O
fertilize O
his O
rose O
garden O
, O
had O
been O
diagnosed O
with O
CJD O
three B-T
weeks I-T
before O
his O
death O
. O

There O
has O
been O
speculation O
that O
prions O
, O
a O
distorted O
protein O
molecule O
, O
could O
be O
transmitted O
from O
sheep O
or O
cows O
to O
humans O
through O
bone O
meal O
made O
from O
infected O
animals O
. O

" O
Regardless O
of O
what O
Gabor O
died O
from O
, O
he O
could O
not O
be O
BSE O
, O
because O
humans O
do O
not O
get O
that O
disease O
and O
it O
( O
BSE O
) O
does O
not O
exist O
in O
the O
United O
States O
, O
let O
alone O
Indiana O
, O
" O
Derrer O
said O
. O

Dr O
. O
Danae O
Bixler O
of O
the O
Indiana O
State O
Department O
of O
Health O
meanwhile O
pointed O
out O
that O
a O
human O
dying O
of O
CJD O
in O
Indiana O
was O
not O
unheard O
of O
. O

" O
Indiana O
has O
experienced O
about O
five O
deaths O
per O
year O
from O
CJD O
in O
the B-T
last I-T
few I-T
years I-T
. O
The O
case O
rate O
( O
for O
the O
disease O
) O
worldwide O
is O
about O
one O
case O
per O
million O
people O
. O
" O

Indiana O
officials O
said O
state O
statistics O
showed O
that O
since O
1933 B-T
all O
but O
one O
CJD O
death O
had O
occurred O
in O
individuals O
over O
55 B-T
years I-T
age O
and O
therefore O
the O
death O
of O
62 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Gabor O
did O
not O
arouse O
suspicion O
. O

US O
federal O
officials O
confirmed O
that O
extensive O
monitoring O
of O
the O
US O
cattle O
population O
had O
not O
identified O
a O
single O
case O
of O
BSE O
in O
the O
United O
States O
. O

And O
since O
1989 B-T
, O
strict O
import O
rules O
on O
live O
animals O
and O
animal O
products O
have O
been O
implemented O
to O
protect O
the O
country O
' O
s O
beef O
and O
dairy O
industries O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0322 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

World O
oil O
prices O
plummet O
as O
demand O
drops O

World O
oil O
prices O
plummeted O
as O
the O
International O
Energy O
Agency O
cut O
its O
forecast O
for O
world O
oil O
demand O
for O
a B-T
fourth I-T
straight I-T
month I-T
. O

New O
York O
' O
s O
main O
contract O
, O
light O
sweet O
crude O
for O
delivery O
in O
December B-T
, O
shed O
1 O
. O
13 O
dollars O
to O
57 O
. O
80 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
, O
its O
lowest O
close O
since O
July B-T
21 I-T
. O

In O
London O
, O
the O
price O
of O
Brent O
North O
Sea O
crude O
for O
December B-T
delivery O
dived O
1 O
. O
20 O
dollars O
to O
end O
at O
55 O
. O
68 O
dollars O
a O
barrel O
. O

The O
Paris O
- O
based O
IEA O
, O
which O
coordinates O
energy O
policy O
for O
many O
European O
governments O
, O
revised O
downward O
its O
forecast O
of O
global O
oil O
demand O
for O
2005 O
from O
83 O
. O
4 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
to O
83 O
. O
3 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
. O
The O
agency O
also O
cut O
its O
estimate O
for O
2006 O
world O
oil O
demand O
to O
85 O
. O
01 O
million O
barrels O
a O
day O
, O
down O
140 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
. O
Consumption O
is O
expected O
to O
rise O
1 O
. O
5 O
percent O
this B-T
year I-T
and O
2 O
percent O
in O
2006 B-T
. O

IEA O
said O
global O
oil O
supply O
rose O
by O
865 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
per O
day O
to O
84 O
. O
4 O
million O
barrels O
per O
day O
on O
increases O
from O
North O
America O
, O
the O
North O
Sea O
, O
countries O
in O
the O
former O
Soviet O
Union O
and O
Brazil O
. O

The O
restart O
of O
storm O
- O
damaged O
refineries O
in O
the O
Gulf O
of O
Mexico O
continues O
. O
The O
US O
Minerals O
Management O
Service O
, O
which O
manages O
offshore O
oil O
and O
gas O
exploration O
, O
said O
Thursday B-T
49 O
. O
09 O
percent O
of O
daily O
oil O
production O
in O
the O
Gulf O
of O
Mexico O
was O
still O
not O
operating O
, O
which O
amounts O
to O
736 O
, O
279 O
barrels O
per O
day O
. O
Less O
than O
50 O
percent O
of O
the O
gulf O
' O
s O
gas O
production O
still O
remained O
offline O
, O
at O
40 O
. O
16 O
percent O
or O
equal O
to O
4 O
. O
016 O
billion O
cubic O
feet O
per O
day O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061201 O
. O
0325 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

xxx O
as O
sent O
. O
Here O
is O
a O
corrected O
repetition O
: O
/ O
/ O
/ O

US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
warned O
against O
expectations O
he O
will O
lay O
out O
plans O
for O
" O
a O
graceful O
exit O
" O
from O
Iraq O
, O
as O
news O
reports O
Friday B-T
said O
the O
independent O
commission O
looking O
into O
Iraq O
policy O
will O
call O
for O
a O
2008 O
withdrawal O
of O
US O
combat O
troops O
. O

The O
White O
House O
has O
ordered O
a O
government O
- O
wide O
reassessment O
of O
US O
policy O
in O
Iraq O
amid O
soaring O
sectarian O
violence O
, O
fears O
of O
all O
- O
out O
civil O
war O
, O
and O
mounting O
domestic O
pressure O
to O
bring O
US O
troops O
home O
after O
opposition O
Democrats O
took O
control O
of O
the O
US O
Congress O
in O
the O
November B-T
7 I-T
elections O
. O

High O
hopes O
for O
designing O
an O
exit O
strategy O
are O
being O
placed O
on O
a O
bipartisan O
commission O
created O
by O
the O
US O
Congress O
known O
as O
the O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
, O
a O
10 O
- O
member O
panel O
of O
Washington O
notables O
co O
- O
chaired O
by O
former O
US O
secretary O
of O
state O
James O
Baker O
. O

The O
panel O
' O
s O
advice O
is O
a O
major O
chance O
for O
the O
president O
to O
overhaul O
his O
Iraq O
policy O
, O
even O
though O
the O
recommendations O
are O
nonbinding O
. O

The O
panel O
- O
- O
which O
also O
includes O
former O
Supreme O
Court O
Justice O
Sandra O
Day O
O O
' O
Connor O
, O
former O
top O
Clinton O
aide O
Leon O
Panetta O
, O
and O
until O
recently B-T
defense O
secretary O
nominee O
Robert O
Gates O
- O
- O
have O
written O
a O
report O
to O
be O
delivered O
to O
the O
president O
on O
December B-T
6 I-T
. O
Details O
however O
have O
been O
leaking O
to O
the O
press O
for O
days O
. O

The O
report O
will O
call O
for O
a O
withdrawal O
of O
US O
combat O
troops O
from O
Iraq O
by O
early B-T
2008 I-T
, O
while O
leaving O
behind O
soldiers O
for O
training O
and O
support O
, O
the O
Washington O
Post O
reported O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
date O
is O
not O
firm O
, O
but O
rather O
a O
goal O
based O
on O
circumstances O
on O
the O
ground O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Post O
, O
citing O
sources O
familiar O
with O
the O
proposal O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
really O
about O
transitioning O
from O
a O
combat O
to O
a O
support O
role O
, O
and O
basically O
making O
very O
clear O
that O
this O
is O
no O
longer O
an O
open O
- O
ended O
commitment O
and O
we O
' O
re O
going O
to O
get O
this O
done O
whether O
the O
Iraqis O
like O
it O
or O
not O
, O
" O
one O
of O
the O
sources O
told O
the O
Post O
. O
" O
Everybody O
understands O
that O
we O
' O
re O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
road O
here O
. O
" O

The O
Post O
also O
said O
the O
document O
calls O
for O
embedding O
US O
soldiers O
directly O
with O
Iraqi O
security O
units O
as O
early O
as O
January B-T
to O
improve O
their O
efficiency O
. O

It O
will O
also O
recommend O
withdrawing O
15 O
US O
combat O
brigades O
in O
Iraq O
- O
- O
the O
bulk O
of O
the O
US O
fighting O
presence O
- O
- O
but O
leaving O
70 O
, O
000 O
or O
more O
American O
trainers O
, O
logistics O
experts O
and O
members O
of O
a O
rapid O
reaction O
force O
, O
the O
New O
York O
Times O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
United O
States O
currently B-T
provides O
the O
vast O
majority O
of O
the O
160 O
, O
000 O
- O
strong O
multinational O
force O
in O
Iraq O
. O

Asked O
when O
Bush O
would O
reach O
a O
decision O
on O
implementing O
the O
advice O
, O
US O
national O
security O
adviser O
Stephen O
Hadley O
told O
reporters O
on O
Thursday B-T
: O
" O
It O
' O
s O
going O
to O
be O
weeks O
rather O
than O
months O
, O
" O
but O
offered O
no O
further O
details O
. O

Separately O
, O
the O
Washington O
Post O
reported O
that O
US O
officials O
are O
looking O
into O
ending O
reconciliation O
efforts O
with O
Sunni O
insurgents O
- O
- O
a O
move O
strongly O
opposed O
by O
US O
ambassador O
in O
Iraq O
Zalmay O
Khalilzad O
and O
top O
military O
commanders O
, O
who O
believe O
that O
bringing O
the O
Sunni O
insurgents O
into O
the O
political O
process O
is O
key O
to O
stabilizing O
the O
country O
. O

The O
proposal O
, O
presented O
by O
the O
State O
Department O
, O
follows O
an O
internal O
review O
that O
says O
US O
efforts O
to O
reach O
out O
to O
Sunni O
dissidents O
have O
failed O
, O
and O
perhaps O
even O
backfired O
and O
alienated O
Iraqi O
Shiites O
, O
the O
Post O
reported O
. O

Officially O
US O
policy O
is O
to O
support O
a O
unified O
Iraq O
. O
Washington O
would O
not O
drop O
the O
goal O
, O
but O
instead O
would O
let O
the O
Iraqis O
take O
leadership O
in O
reconciliation O
efforts O
, O
the O
Post O
reported O
. O

Sunnis O
, O
favored O
during O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
regime O
and O
for O
centuries O
the O
backbone O
of O
the O
ruling O
elite O
and O
middle O
class O
, O
make O
up O
about O
20 O
percent O
of O
Iraq O
' O
s O
population O
. O

" O
We O
' O
ll O
be O
in O
Iraq O
until O
the O
job O
is O
complete O
, O
" O
Bush O
said O
Thursday B-T
after O
talks O
in O
Amman O
, O
Jordan O
, O
with O
embattled O
Iraqi O
Prime O
Minister O
Nuri O
al O
- O
Maliki O
. O

" O
There O
' O
s O
a O
lot O
of O
speculation O
that O
these O
reports O
in O
Washington O
mean O
there O
' O
s O
going O
to O
be O
some O
kind O
of O
graceful O
exit O
out O
of O
Iraq O
. O
We O
' O
re O
going O
to O
stay O
in O
Iraq O
to O
get O
the O
job O
done O
, O
so O
long O
as O
the O
government O
wants O
us O
there O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
This O
business O
about O
' O
graceful O
exit O
' O
just O
simply O
has O
no O
realism O
to O
it O
at O
all O
. O
We O
' O
re O
going O
to O
help O
this O
government O
, O
" O
said O
Bush O
. O

Maliki O
told O
ABC O
television O
Thursday B-T
that O
Iraqi O
forces O
will O
be O
ready O
to O
take O
charge O
of O
security O
in O
the O
country O
in O
June B-T
2007 I-T
. O

" O
I O
can O
say O
that O
Iraqi O
forces O
will O
be O
ready O
, O
fully O
ready O
, O
to O
receive O
this O
command O
and O
to O
command O
its O
own O
forces O
, O
and O
I O
can O
tell O
you O
that O
by O
next B-T
June I-T
our O
forces O
will O
be O
ready O
, O
" O
Maliki O
said O
, O
speaking O
through O
a O
translator O
. O

Senator O
Carl O
Levin O
, O
in O
line O
to O
chair O
the O
Senate O
Armed O
Services O
Committee O
, O
said O
US O
moves O
toward O
withdrawal O
will O
alleviate O
the O
violence O
in O
Iraq O
, O
contrary O
to O
Bush O
' O
s O
assessment O
. O

" O
I O
believe O
the O
announcement O
of O
a O
date O
to O
begin O
the O
redeployment O
of O
US O
forces O
from O
Iraq O
would O
increase O
the O
pressure O
on O
Iraqis O
to O
reach O
the O
political O
settlement O
that O
is O
essential O
to O
ending O
the O
sectarian O
violence O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061212 O
. O
0057 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Israel O
minister O
urges O
silence O
on O
nuclear O
capability O

An O
Israeli O
minister O
on O
Tuesday B-T
urged O
silence O
on O
the O
country O
' O
s O
nuclear O
capability O
one O
day O
after O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
' O
s O
remark O
placing O
the O
Jewish O
state O
among O
the O
world O
' O
s O
nuclear O
powers O
. O

" O
I O
would O
suggest O
that O
all O
those O
who O
want O
to O
talk O
about O
the O
issue O
, O
for O
God O
' O
s O
sake O
and O
for O
the O
sake O
of O
Israel O
' O
s O
security O
, O
stop O
it O
, O
" O
Infrastructure O
Minister O
Benjamin O
Ben O
Eliezer O
told O
army O
radio O
. O

On O
Monday B-T
, O
Olmert O
said O
in O
an O
interview O
to O
German O
television O
station O
N24 B-T
Sat1 O
that O
Israel O
was O
among O
the O
states O
that O
possess O
an O
atomic O
bomb O
, O
breaking O
a O
decades O
- O
long O
silence O
from O
Israeli O
officials O
on O
the O
issue O
. O

" O
Iran O
openly O
, O
explicitly O
and O
publicly O
threatens O
to O
wipe O
Israel O
off O
the O
map O
. O
Can O
you O
say O
that O
this O
is O
the O
same O
level O
, O
when O
they O
are O
aspiring O
to O
have O
nuclear O
weapons O
, O
as O
France O
, O
America O
, O
Russia O
and O
Israel O
? O
" O
he O
asked O
. O

Ben O
Eliezer O
said O
he O
did O
not O
believe O
that O
Olmert O
' O
s O
slip O
broke O
the O
country O
' O
s O
" O
policy O
of O
nuclear O
ambiguity O
. O
" O

" O
I O
support O
the O
policy O
of O
ambiguity O
and O
I O
don O
' O
t O
see O
Olmert O
' O
s O
statement O
as O
a O
declaration O
that O
Israel O
has O
nuclear O
weapons O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Israel O
is O
nevertheless O
believed O
to O
be O
the O
only O
nuclear O
power O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
, O
and O
according O
to O
some O
estimates O
possesses O
some O
200 O
nucealr O
warheads O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051104 O
. O
0324 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

World O
' O
s O
largest O
brain O
research O
center O
inaugurated O

The O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
neuroscience O
research O
center O
, O
the O
McGovern O
Institute O
for O
Brain O
Research O
( O
MIBR O
) O
, O
formally O
opened O
Friday B-T
at O
the O
Massachusetts O
Institute O
of O
Technology O
( O
MIT O
) O
, O
reports O
reaching O
here O
said O
. O

The O
center O
is O
founded O
with O
an O
aim O
of O
exploring O
human O
learning O
and O
communication O
through O
interdisciplinary O
research O
, O
it O
was O
reported O
. O

" O
I O
am O
hopeful O
that O
the O
scientific O
research O
done O
at O
the O
McGovern O
Institute O
for O
Brain O
Research O
can O
make O
significant O
contributions O
to O
advancing O
human O
learning O
and O
communication O
within O
the B-T
next I-T
20 I-T
years I-T
, O
" O
said O
Patrick O
McGovern O
Jr O
. O
, O
founder O
and O
chairman O
of O
the O
International O
Data O
Group O
. O

In O
2000 B-T
, O
he O
and O
his O
wife O
, O
entrepreneur O
Lore O
Harp O
McGovern O
, O
pledged O
350 O
million O
US O
dollars O
over O
20 B-T
years I-T
for O
the O
creation O
of O
the O
new O
institute O
and O
its O
operation O
. O

The O
research O
at O
the O
new O
institute O
will O
combine O
and O
extend O
the O
results O
of O
recent O
breakthroughs O
in O
three O
major O
, O
interrelated O
areas O
: O
systems O
and O
computational O
neuroscience O
, O
imaging O
and O
cognitive O
neuroscience O
, O
and O
genetic O
and O
cellular O
neuroscience O
. O

The O
140 O
, O
000 O
square O
feet O
( O
13 O
, O
006 O
. O
42 O
square O
meter O
) O
institute O
houses O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
collection O
of O
magnetic O
systems O
to O
study O
the O
brain O
. O
One O
system O
is O
operational O
and O
the O
two O
others O
are O
planned O
. O

The O
research O
center O
is O
led O
by O
Prof O
. O
Robert O
Desimone O
, O
former O
director O
of O
The O
National O
Institutes O
for O
Mental O
Health O
' O
s O
Intramural O
Research O
Program O
, O
the O
largest O
mental O
health O
research O
center O
in O
the O
world O
. O
He O
is O
also O
a O
member O
of O
the O
US O
National O
Academy O
of O
Sciences O
and O
the O
American O
Academy O
of O
Arts O
of O
Sciences O
. O

The O
faculty O
of O
the O
institute O
includes O
two O
Nobel O
laureates O
and O
one O
National O
Medal O
of O
Science O
winner O
. O
As O
put O
by O
Desimone O
, O
it O
boasts O
" O
the O
talent O
and O
teamwork O
of O
16 O
world O
- O
class O
scientists O
. O
This O
is O
scientific O
collaboration O
at O
the O
highest O
level O
. O
" O

Desimone O
said O
the O
institute O
has O
" O
a O
mandate O
to O
lead O
the O
world O
into O
a O
new O
era O
of O
systems O
neuroscience O
, O
the O
study O
of O
brain O
systems O
and O
behavior O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0162 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Gold O
price O
lower O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
7 O

The O
gold O
price O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
went O
down O
7 O
HK O
dollars O
to O
5 O
, O
764 O
HK O
dollars O
per O
tael O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
according O
to O
Bank O
of O
China O
( O
Hong O
Kong O
) O
. O

The O
price O
is O
equivalent O
to O
622 O
. O
02 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
a O
troy O
ounce O
, O
down O
1 O
. O
20 O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
at O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
exchange O
rate O
of O
one O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollar O
against O
7 O
. O
7785 O
HK O
dollars O
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0008 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0008 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Rally O
' O
s O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Shareholder O
Rights O
Program O

@ O
Is O
Set O
by O
Fast O
- O
Food O
Firm O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

RLLY O

Rally O
' O
s O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
adopted O
a O
shareholders O
rights O
plan O
to O
protect O
shareholders O
from O
an O
inadequately O
priced O
takeover O
offer O
. O

The O
plan O
provides O
for O
the O
distribution O
of O
one O
common O
stock O
- O
purchase O
right O
as O
a O
dividend O
for O
each O
share O
of O
common O
outstanding O
. O

Each O
right O
entitles O
shareholders O
to O
buy O
one O
- O
half O
share O
of O
common O
for O
$ O
30 O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
a O
group O
led O
by O
three O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
directors O
, O
Burt O
Sugarman O
, O
James O
M O
. O
Trotter O
III O
and O
Willam O
E O
. O
Trotter O
II O
, O
indicated O
it O
had O
a O
45 O
. O
2 O
% O
stake O
in O
the O
Louisville O
, O
Ky O
. O
, O
fast O
- O
food O
company O
and O
that O
it O
planned O
to O
seek O
a O
majority O
of O
seats O
on O
Rally O
' O
s O
nine O
- O
member O
board O
. O

The O
company O
said O
it O
was O
" O
concerned O
about O
the O
announced O
intent O
to O
acquire O
control O
of O
the O
company O
" O
by O
a O
Sugarman O
- O
led O
group O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051216 O
. O
0374 O

BERLIN O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

US O
boxing O
legend O
Muhammed O
Ali O
arrived O
in O
Berlin O
on O
Friday B-T
to O
receive O
a O
major O
German O
peace O
prize O
for O
his O
efforts O
to O
promote O
civil O
rights O
and O
the O
work O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
. O

The O
former O
world O
heavyweight O
champion O
will O
on O
Saturday B-T
accept O
the O
Otto O
Hahn O
peace O
medal O
, O
named O
for O
a O
German O
nuclear O
physicist O
, O
the O
German O
Society O
for O
the O
United O
Nations O
said O
. O

Ali O
has O
been O
selected O
" O
for O
his O
lifelong O
engagement O
in O
the O
American O
civil O
rights O
movement O
and O
the O
global O
cultural O
emancipation O
of O
blacks O
as O
well O
as O
his O
work O
as O
a O
UN O
Goodwill O
ambassador O
, O
" O
Christine O
Kalb O
, O
the O
regional O
president O
of O
the O
society O
, O
told O
a O
press O
conference O
. O

The O
63 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Ali O
, O
who O
suffers O
from O
Parkinson O
' O
s O
disease O
, O
attended O
the O
conference O
but O
left O
it O
to O
his O
wife O
Lonnie O
to O
speak O
to O
journalists O
. O

" O
Boxing O
allowed O
him O
to O
travel O
the O
world O
. O
Even O
then O
he O
was O
already O
an O
ambassador O
for O
peace O
, O
" O
she O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
her O
husband O
was O
doing O
well O
. O

The O
prize O
is O
awarded O
every B-T
two I-T
years I-T
. O
Previous O
winners O
include O
former O
Soviet O
president O
Mikhail O
Gorbachev O
and O
Nazi O
hunter O
Simon O
Wiesenthal O
. O

Otto O
Hahn O
( O
1879 O
- O
1968 O
) O
won O
the O
Nobel O
Prize O
for O
Chemistry O
in O
1944 B-T
and O
after O
the O
war O
became O
a O
vocal O
nuclear O
arms O
control O
advocate O
. O

After O
receiving O
the O
prize O
, O
Ali O
was O
due O
to O
attend O
a O
boxing O
match O
in O
Berlin O
pitting O
his O
daughter O
, O
unbeaten O
boxer O
Laila O
Ali O
, O
against O
Sweden O
' O
s O
Asa O
Maria O
Sandell O
. O

" O
He O
is O
very O
proud O
of O
his O
daughter O
, O
even O
though O
as O
a O
Muslim O
and O
a O
man O
, O
he O
has O
reservations O
about O
female O
boxing O
, O
" O
his O
wife O
said O
. O

" O
He O
will O
be O
happy O
if O
Laila O
claims O
her O
22nd O
victory O
, O
" O
she O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970412 O
. O
0213 O

SARAJEVO O
, O
April B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Police O
foil O
apparent O
attempt O
to O
kill O
pope O

Police O
in O
Sarajevo O
on O
Saturday B-T
foiled O
an O
apparent O
attempt O
to O
kill O
Pope O
John O
Paul O
II O
, O
discovering O
23 O
landmines O
wired O
to O
explode O
under O
a O
bridge O
the O
pope O
was O
set O
to O
cross O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

The O
apparent O
attempt O
on O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
life O
was O
found O
hours O
before O
the O
pope O
was O
set O
to O
arrive O
in O
the O
Bosnian O
capital O
for O
an O
historic O
two O
- O
day O
visit O
aimed O
at O
boosting O
reconciliation O
in O
Bosnia O
. O

On O
arrival O
at O
the O
bridge O
on O
the O
main O
road O
into O
the O
city O
, O
" O
Bosnian O
police O
and O
the O
( O
UN O
) O
International O
Police O
Task O
Force O
found O
23 O
mines O
connected O
to O
a O
detonator O
with O
additional O
plastic O
explosives O
and O
a O
remote O
control O
, O
" O
said O
UN O
spokesman O
Alexander O
Ivanko O
. O

The O
mines O
had O
apparently O
been O
planted O
there O
Friday B-T
night I-T
. O

Police O
said O
they O
had O
arrested O
a O
man O
Saturday B-T
claiming O
he O
wanted O
to O
kill O
the O
pope O
. O
The O
pontiff O
was O
due O
to O
arrive O
in O
the O
city O
at O
around O
5 B-T
: I-T
30 I-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
1530 O
GMT O
) O
. O

It O
was O
not O
clear O
whether O
the O
arrest O
of O
the O
man O
, O
whose O
name O
was O
not O
immediately O
released O
, O
was O
linked O
to O
the O
discovery O
of O
the O
explosives O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0456 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Nuggets O
' O
Martin O
ends O
NBA O
season O
for O
surgery O

Denver O
Nuggets O
' O
forward O
Kenyon O
Martin O
underwent O
season O
- O
ending O
surgery O
on O
his O
right O
knee O
, O
the O
National O
Basketball O
Association O
club O
announced O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Arthroscopic O
surgery O
had O
revealed O
more O
significant O
damage O
than O
was O
indicated O
on O
an O
earlier O
MRI O
, O
signaling O
an O
end O
to O
Martin O
' O
s O
season O
and O
the O
loss O
of O
a O
key O
teammate O
for O
Carmelo O
Anthony O
. O

Martin O
collected O
19 O
points O
and O
20 O
rebounds O
in O
the B-T
first I-T
two I-T
games I-T
of I-T
the I-T
season I-T
, O
but O
swelling O
in O
the O
right O
knee O
forced O
him O
to O
miss O
last O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
game O
against O
the O
New O
York O
Knicks O
. O

Last B-T
season I-T
, O
Martin O
was O
limited O
to O
56 O
games O
due O
to O
soreness O
in O
the O
left O
knee O
and O
averaged O
12 O
. O
9 O
points O
and O
6 O
. O
3 O
rebounds O
. O

Obtained O
from O
New O
Jersey O
for O
three O
first O
- O
round O
picks O
, O
Martin O
signed O
a O
seven O
- O
year O
contract O
worth O
90 O
million O
dollars O
in O
July B-T
of I-T
2004 I-T
. O
Martin O
helped O
the O
Nets O
reach O
the O
NBA O
Finals O
twice O
in O
his O
first O
four B-T
NBA I-T
season I-T
. O

Martin O
underwent O
microfracture O
surgery O
on O
his O
left O
knee O
after O
averaging O
15 O
. O
5 O
points O
and O
7 O
. O
3 O
rebounds O
in O
his O
first O
season O
with O
the O
Nuggets O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0073 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russia O
wants O
Georgia O
' O
s O
" O
concrete O
deeds O
" O
to O
mend O
ties O
: O
FM O

Russian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Sergei O
Lavrov O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
Georgia O
must O
back O
up O
its O
desire O
to O
mend O
relations O
with O
Russia O
with O
" O
concrete O
deeds O
. O
" O

The O
Russian O
top O
diplomat O
said O
Georgian O
Foreign O
Minister O
Gela O
Bezhuashvili O
spoke O
about O
Georgia O
' O
s O
desire O
for O
normalization O
of O
relations O
with O
Russia O
at O
their O
meeting O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
We O
accepted O
these O
assurances O
, O
as O
we O
already O
have O
for O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
years I-T
. O
But O
we O
want O
to O
see O
concrete O
deeds O
, O
" O
Lavrov O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
Interfax O
news O
agency O
as O
saying O
. O

Bezhuashvili O
' O
s O
meeting O
with O
Lavrov O
was O
seen O
as O
a O
bid O
to O
mend O
ties O
that O
nose O
- O
dived O
in O
late B-T
September I-T
after O
the O
Caucasus O
nation O
briefly O
detained O
four O
Russian O
officers O
on O
spying O
charges O
. O

Moscow O
, O
infuriated O
by O
the O
arrests O
, O
has O
imposed O
an O
economic O
blockade O
on O
Tbilisi O
by O
cutting O
transport O
and O
postal O
links O
, O
and O
has O
deported O
Georgians O
accused O
of O
staying O
in O
Russia O
illegally O
. O

Ties O
between O
Moscow O
and O
Tbilisi O
have O
been O
strained O
by O
tensions O
over O
Georgia O
' O
s O
breakaway O
regions O
of O
South O
Ossetia O
and O
Abkhazia O
and O
the O
country O
' O
s O
bid O
to O
join O
NATO O
since O
President O
Mikhail O
Saakashvili O
came O
to O
power O
in O
2003 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0270 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
relief O
group O
questions O
lavish O
ceremonies O
in O
North O
Korea O

A O
US O
- O
based O
Christian O
relief O
group O
, O
just O
back O
from O
famine O
- O
hit O
North O
Korea O
, O
appealed O
here O
Friday B-T
for O
prompt O
food O
aid O
to O
save O
the O
Stalinist O
state O
but O
questioned O
its O
lavish O
spending O
on O
state O
memorials O
. O

Dean O
Hirsch O
, O
president O
of O
World O
Vision O
, O
told O
a O
news O
conference O
here O
that O
unless O
food O
aid O
reaches O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
2 O
. O
4 O
million O
children O
under O
age O
six O
within O
the B-T
next I-T
30 I-T
- I-T
60 I-T
days I-T
" O
the O
future O
of O
North O
Korea O
is O
very O
grim O
. O
" O

" O
We O
must O
respond O
now B-T
. O
We O
are O
running O
out O
of O
time O
. O
If O
North O
Korea O
does O
not O
receive O
massive O
humanitarian O
assistance O
between O
now B-T
and O
July B-T
, O
it O
will O
be O
too O
late O
, O
" O
Hirsch O
said O
. O

Hirsch O
said O
, O
" O
we O
saw O
only O
two O
dogs O
during O
the O
entire O
trip O
. O
Through O
our O
conversations O
with O
our O
guide O
, O
we O
were O
convinced O
that O
most O
of O
the O
animals O
, O
including O
pet O
dogs O
, O
had O
been O
eaten O
. O
" O

His O
mission O
returned O
Thursday B-T
from O
a O
five O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
North O
Korea O
, O
hit O
by O
two B-T
years I-T
of O
floods O
, O
with O
video O
and O
still O
pictures O
of O
the O
devastatation O
and O
starvation O
. O

World O
Vision O
claims O
to O
work O
in O
103 O
countries O
including O
North O
Korea O
where O
it O
has O
provided O
4 O
. O
2 O
million O
dollars O
in O
food O
aid O
, O
seeds O
and O
medicines O
since O
1995 B-T
. O

But O
Hirsch O
' O
s O
group O
also O
watched O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
week O
- O
long O
preparations O
for O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
" O
massive O
celebration O
" O
marking O
the O
founding O
of O
its O
million O
- O
strong O
military O
. O

" O
I O
could O
not O
help O
but O
wonder O
how O
this O
major O
event O
would O
be O
seen O
by O
the O
people O
in O
the O
light O
of O
the O
scarcity O
of O
food O
in O
the O
country O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Hirsch O
also O
noted O
he O
saw O
some O
50 O
, O
000 O
children O
from O
30 O
schools O
taking O
part O
in O
mass O
gymnastics O
last B-T
Sunday I-T
, O
as O
part O
of O
ceremonies O
marking O
the O
85th B-T
birthday I-T
of O
the O
late O
president O
Kim O
Il O
- O
Sung O
. O

However O
, O
he O
said O
he O
was O
convinced O
that O
massive O
starvation O
would O
take O
place O
within O
90 B-T
days I-T
based O
on O
government O
accounts O
that O
children O
had O
been O
surviving O
on O
only O
100 O
grams O
3 O
. O
5 O
ounces O
of O
rice O
a B-T
day I-T
. O

World O
Vision O
Vision O
along O
with O
the O
World O
Food O
Programme O
( O
WFP O
) O
, O
a O
UN O
agency O
, O
were O
two O
of O
relief O
organizations O
appealing O
for O
a O
total O
of O
126 O
million O
dollars O
worth O
of O
emergency O
aid O
to O
alleviate O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
acute O
food O
shortage O
. O

Hirsh O
said O
that O
his O
group O
did O
not O
see O
starving O
children O
during O
their O
" O
limited O
visit O
. O
" O

In O
early B-T
April I-T
, O
North O
Korea O
said O
that O
134 O
children O
died O
of O
malnutrition O
, O
an O
admission O
that O
belyed O
propaganda O
about O
the O
country O
of O
20 O
million O
being O
the O
" O
workers O
paradise O
. O
" O

WSJ891027 O
- O
0144 O

= O
891027 O

891027 O
- O
0144 O
. O

Dime O
Savings O
Bank O
Purchase O

10 B-T
/ I-T
27 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

DME O
STPT O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

SAVINGS O
AND O
LOANS O
, O
THRIFTS O
, O
CREDIT O
UNIONS O
( O
SAL O
) O

GARDEN O
CITY O
, O
N O
. O
Y O
. O

Dime O
Savings O
Bank O
of O
New O
York O
was O
cleared O
by O
the O
Federal O
Deposit O
Insurance O
Corp O
. O
to O
acquire O
Starpointe O
Savings O
Bank O
of O
Somerset O
, O
N O
. O
J O
. O
, O
the O
banks O
said O
. O

Starpointe O
holders O
, O
who O
approved O
the O
plan O
last B-T
April I-T
, O
will O
receive O
$ O
21 O
in O
cash O
a O
share O
, O
or O
a O
total O
$ O
63 O
million O
. O

The O
FDIC O
cleared O
the O
move O
yesterday B-T
, O
and O
the O
banks O
must O
wait O
at B-T
least I-T
30 I-T
days I-T
before O
closing O
the O
purchase O
. O

A O
closing O
date O
has O
n O
' O
t O
been O
set O
. O

The O
thrifts O
agreed O
to O
the O
transaction O
in O
August B-T
1988 I-T
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0056 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0056 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Elco O
Industries O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
Fastener O
Maker O
Expects O
Net O

@ O
In O
' O
90 O
to O
Be O
Below O
Forecast O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

ELCN O

Elco O
Industries O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
expects O
net O
income O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
ending O
June B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
1990 I-T
, O
to O
fall O
below O
a O
recent O
analyst O
' O
s O
estimate O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
65 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
Rockford O
, O
Ill O
. O
, O
maker O
of O
fasteners O
also O
said O
it O
expects O
to O
post O
sales O
in O
the B-T
current I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
that O
are O
" O
slightly O
above O
" O
fiscal B-T
1989 I-T
sales O
of O
$ O
155 O
million O
. O

The O
company O
said O
its O
industrial O
unit O
continues O
to O
face O
margin O
pressures O
and O
lower O
demand O
. O

In O
fiscal B-T
1989 I-T
, O
Elco O
earned O
$ O
7 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
65 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
stock O
fell O
$ O
1 O
. O
125 O
to O
$ O
13 O
. O
625 O
in O
over O
- O
the O
- O
counter O
trading O
yesterday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061121 O
. O
0266 O

STOCKHOLM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Sudan O
shuts O
Danish O
minister O
out O

The O
Sudanese O
government O
has O
pulled O
the O
plug O
on O
the O
Danish O
minister O
of O
development O
co O
- O
operation O
' O
s O
week O
- O
long O
visit O
to O
the O
Darfur O
province O
, O
said O
reports O
reaching O
here O
from O
Copenhagen O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

In O
an O
apparent O
tit O
- O
for O
- O
tat O
measure O
after O
comments O
made O
by O
Danish O
Prime O
Minister O
Anders O
Fogh O
Rasmussen O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
the O
Sudanese O
government O
has O
abruptly O
withdrawn O
its O
permission O
to O
allow O
a O
Danish O
fact O
- O
finding O
mission O
to O
war O
- O
torn O
Darfur O
province O
, O
the O
Copenhagen O
Post O
reported O
. O

The O
minister O
of O
development O
co O
- O
operation O
, O
Ulla O
Toenaes O
, O
was O
scheduled O
to O
depart O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
this I-T
week I-T
. O
She O
said O
she O
was O
blindsided O
by O
the O
last O
minute O
announcement O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
surprised O
about O
this O
turnaround O
so O
soon O
before O
departure O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O
" O
We O
haven O
' O
t O
received O
any O
reason O
for O
the O
cancellation O
. O
" O

Toenaes O
had O
expected O
to O
meet O
with O
government O
leaders O
about O
the O
escalating O
humanitarian O
crisis O
in O
Darfur O
and O
visit O
a O
camp O
for O
internally O
displaced O
persons O
. O
Some O
200 O
, O
000 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
in O
the O
Darfur O
province O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
. O

Some O
observers O
suggested O
that O
Sudanese O
officials O
were O
angered O
by O
Rasmussen O
' O
s O
comments O
last B-T
week I-T
that O
military O
intervention O
in O
Darfur O
might O
be O
necessary O
in O
order O
to O
bring O
the O
conflict O
under O
control O
. O

Rasmussen O
told O
parliament O
that O
he O
felt O
it O
was O
a O
" O
disgrace O
" O
that O
the O
international O
community O
had O
done O
little O
to O
prevent O
violence O
in O
the O
region O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0032 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0032 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Dunkin O
' O
Donuts O
Inc O
. O
: O

@ O
DD O
Acquisition O
Extended O

@ O
Its O
$ O
45 O
- O
a O
- O
Share O
Takeover O
Bid O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

UNI O
. O
A O
DUNK O
T O
. O
CAO O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

RESTAURANTS O
, O
SUPERMARKETS O
AND O
DRUGSTORES O
( O
RFD O
) O

DD O
Acquisition O
Corp O
. O
, O
a O
partnership O
of O
Unicorp O
Canada O
Corp O
. O
' O
s O
Kingsbridge O
Capital O
Group O
and O
Cara O
Operations O
Ltd O
. O
, O
extended O
to O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
its O
$ O
45 O
- O
a O
- O
share O
offer O
for O
all O
Dunkin O
' O
Donuts O
Inc O
. O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

The O
offer O
, O
which O
was O
due O
to O
expire O
yesterday B-T
, O
is O
conditional O
on O
50 O
. O
1 O
% O
of O
Dunkin O
' O
common O
shares O
, O
on O
a O
fully O
diluted O
basis O
, O
being O
tendered O
and O
on O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
poison O
pill O
rights O
plan O
. O

Acquisition O
has O
launched O
a O
suit O
in O
a O
Delaware O
court O
seeking O
the O
withdrawal O
of O
Dunkin O
' O
s O
poison O
pill O
rights O
and O
employee O
stock O
ownership O
plans O
, O
which O
it O
claims O
were O
put O
in O
place O
to O
deter O
bidders O
. O

Acquisition O
said O
2 O
. O
2 O
million O
shares O
, O
or O
about O
38 O
. O
5 O
% O
of O
the O
shares O
outstanding O
, O
have O
been O
tendered O
under O
its O
offer O
. O

The O
partners O
said O
they O
already B-T
hold O
15 O
% O
of O
all O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

Dunkin O
' O
has O
set O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
as O
the O
deadline O
for O
the O
receipt O
of O
any O
competing O
bids O
. O

DD O
Acquisition O
said O
the O
extension O
is O
to O
allow O
this O
process O
to O
be O
completed O
. O

Dunkin O
' O
is O
based O
in O
Randolph O
, O
Mass O
. O

Cara O
, O
a O
food O
services O
chain O
operator O
and O
Unicorp O
, O
a O
holding O
company O
, O
are O
based O
in O
Toronto O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061213 O
. O
0018 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Kucinich O
joins O
2008 O
presidential O
race O

US O
Representative O
Dennis O
Kucinich O
, O
an O
outspoken O
opponent O
of O
the O
Iraq O
war O
, O
has O
entered O
the O
already O
- O
crowded O
field O
of O
possible O
contenders O
for O
the O
2008 O
presidential O
election O
, O
announcing O
he O
will O
vie O
for O
the O
Democratic O
party O
nomination O
. O

Kucinich O
was O
a O
candidate O
for O
the O
2004 O
nomination O
, O
which O
was O
won O
by O
Democratic O
Senator O
John O
Kerry O
. O
Then O
as O
now B-T
, O
the O
centerpiece O
of O
his O
presidential O
bid O
is O
his O
strong O
opposition O
the O
the O
Iraq O
war O
. O

Considered O
on O
the O
left O
flank O
of O
his O
party O
, O
the O
avowed O
pacifist O
is O
calling O
on O
Congress O
to O
cut O
off O
funding O
for O
the O
war O
. O

" O
This O
is O
a O
moment O
for O
me O
to O
stand O
up O
, O
to O
show O
leadership O
, O
" O
he O
told O
CNN O
television O
Tuesday B-T
. O

A O
dark O
horse O
candidate O
, O
Kucinich O
did O
not O
win O
any O
primary O
states O
in O
2004 B-T
, O
but O
raised O
his O
profile O
in O
Congress O
and O
garnered O
a O
platform O
for O
his O
antiwar O
message O
. O

With O
public O
disaffection O
for O
the O
Iraq O
war O
at O
an O
all O
time O
high O
, O
Kucinich O
said O
he O
believes O
his O
antiwar O
candidacy O
will O
resonate O
with O
a O
large O
number O
of O
Americans O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
easy O
in O
hindsight O
for O
candidates O
so O
say O
we O
shouldn O
' O
t O
have O
gone O
there O
. O
I O
was O
right O
at O
the O
forefront O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
People O
want O
someone O
who O
has O
that O
foresight O
and O
that O
' O
s O
what O
a O
leader O
is O
about O
. O
I O
can O
say O
we O
can O
get O
out O
of O
Iraq O
right O
now B-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
taking O
a O
strong O
stand O
on O
this O
and O
putting O
it O
on O
the O
line O
because O
I O
believe O
the O
American O
people O
want O
those O
troops O
brought O
home O
. O
" O

The O
five O
- O
time O
Ohio O
representative O
becomes O
the O
second O
Democrat O
to O
officially O
throw O
his O
hat O
in O
the O
ring O
, O
afer O
an O
announcement O
last B-T
month I-T
by O
Iowa O
Governor O
Tom O
Vilsack O
that O
he O
is O
seeking O
the O
nomination O
. O

Several O
other O
leading O
figures O
are O
deemed O
possible O
candidates O
, O
but O
have O
yet O
to O
declare O
, O
including O
on O
the O
Democratic O
side O
, O
Senators O
Barack O
Obama O
, O
Hillary O
Clinton O
, O
Evan O
Bayh O
, O
Chris O
Dodd O
and O
Joe O
Biden O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0128 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

friendship O

A O
performing O
gala O
themed O
on O
" O
Ode O
to O
Friendship O
" O
was O
staged O
here O
Saturday B-T
evening I-T
to O
mark O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
( O
FOCAC O
) O
and O
facilitate O
cultural O
exchanges O
. O

In O
one O
hour O
and O
a O
half O
, O
performers O
serve O
up O
a O
real O
feast O
to O
both O
eyes O
and O
ears O
for O
state O
and O
government O
leaders O
and O
high O
- O
ranking O
officials O
from O
more O
than O
40 O
African O
countries O
, O
who O
are O
here O
for O
the O
two O
- O
day O
landmark O
gathering O
. O

From O
traditional O
Peking O
opera O
, O
upbeat O
tropical O
dance O
and O
drum O
to O
acrobatics O
, O
African O
and O
Chinese O
artists O
demonstrated O
their O
exquisite O
skills O
and O
profound O
culture O
. O

The O
summit O
, O
themed O
on O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
" O
, O
is O
regarded O
as O
the O
largest O
diplomatic O
event O
ever O
held O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970421 O
. O
0266 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
April B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Indian O
budget O
saga O
set O
for O
April O
30 O
climax O

A O
long O
- O
running O
saga O
over O
India O
' O
s O
national O
budget O
edged O
towards O
its O
climax O
Monday B-T
when O
India O
' O
s O
newly O
- O
elected O
United O
Front O
coalition O
government O
pledged O
to O
push O
the O
tax O
- O
cutting O
proposals O
through O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
the I-T
month I-T
. O

Prime O
Minister O
Inder O
Kumar O
Gujral O
, O
sworn O
into O
office O
earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
told O
a O
government O
committee O
meeting O
here O
that O
the O
widely O
acclaimed O
budget O
, O
proposed O
by O
the O
previous O
Front O
coalition O
, O
would O
be O
re O
- O
introduced O
on O
April B-T
30 I-T
. O

It O
is O
likely O
to O
become O
law O
a O
few O
days O
after O
that O
date O
. O

The O
budget O
was O
unveiled O
at O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
February I-T
by O
the O
previous O
United O
Front O
coalition O
headed O
by O
H O
. O
D O
. O
Deve O
Gowda O
. O
The O
government O
, O
however O
, O
was O
voted O
out O
of O
office O
before O
the O
finance O
bill O
could O
be O
ratified O
. O

Its O
proposed O
measures O
won O
widespread O
support O
both O
from O
industry O
and O
political O
parties O
. O

But O
India O
' O
s O
stock O
markets O
and O
industry O
feared O
they O
could O
die O
with O
Deve O
Gowda O
, O
particularly O
if O
new O
general O
elections O
were O
called O
. O

Gujral O
' O
s O
rise O
to O
power O
, O
however O
, O
at O
the O
head O
of O
a O
virtual O
carbon O
- O
copy O
of O
the O
previous O
Front O
administration O
backed O
by O
Congress O
, O
ensured O
the O
measures O
would O
go O
through O
. O

Ironically O
, O
the O
architect O
of O
the O
budget O
, O
former O
finance O
mininster O
Palaniappan O
Chidambaram O
, O
will O
not O
be O
at O
the O
helm O
when O
the O
budget O
debate O
begins O
. O

He O
has O
been O
forced O
to O
quit O
his O
post O
after O
his O
regional O
party O
decided O
to O
withdraw O
from O
the O
new O
United O
Front O
government O
. O

His O
budget O
slashed O
taxes O
, O
widened O
the O
tax O
net O
and O
promised O
to O
reduce O
the O
fiscal O
deficit O
. O
Personal O
taxes O
were O
cut O
from O
40 O
to O
30 O
percent O
and O
corporate O
taxes O
from O
40 O
to O
35 O
percent O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0278 O

DUBAI O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
on O
talking O
to O
Islamists O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Al O
- O
Qaeda O
' O
s O
second O
in O
command O
Ayman O
al O
- O
Zawahiri O
vowed O
in O
a O
videotape O
aired O
Wednesday B-T
that O
the O
terror O
group O
will O
not O
stop O
attacks O
on O
US O
soil O
as O
long O
as O
the O
United O
States O
strikes O
Muslims O
on O
their O
land O
. O

" O
If O
we O
are O
hit O
in O
our O
countries O
, O
we O
will O
not O
stop O
striking O
you O
in O
your O
country O
, O
" O
Zawahiri O
said O
in O
the O
video O
broadcast O
on O
pan O
- O
Arab O
television O
station O
Al O
- O
Jazeera O
. O

He O
said O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
was O
deceiving O
Americans O
by O
telling O
them O
he O
was O
going O
after O
terrorists O
in O
Afghanistan O
and O
Iraq O
in O
order O
to O
keep O
them O
away O
from O
the O
United O
States O
. O

He O
also O
said O
the O
United O
States O
will O
ultimately O
talk O
with O
" O
the O
real O
forces O
" O
in O
the O
Islamic O
world O
in O
order O
to O
extricate O
itself O
from O
Iraq O
and O
Afghanistan O
, O
in O
a O
reference O
to O
Islamist O
extremists O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061116 O
. O
0227 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

India O
: O
FM O

" O
China O
insists O
on O
seeking O
a O
just O
and O
rational O
solution O
to O
the O
China O
- O
India O
border O
issue O
, O
" O
said O
Chinese O
foreign O
ministry O
spokeswoman O
Jiang O
Yu O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
China O
maintains O
its O
stance O
that O
both O
sides O
should O
seek O
a O
rational O
solution O
through O
friendly O
consultation O
, O
" O
Jiang O
said O
at O
a O
press O
briefing O
. O

The O
two O
countries O
appointed O
special O
envoys O
in O
2003 B-T
to O
draw O
up O
a O
resolution O
to O
the O
dispute O
. O
Since O
then O
, O
frequent O
diplomatic O
efforts O
on O
the O
border O
issue O
have O
been O
carried O
out O
, O
which O
led O
to O
an O
agreement O
on O
the O
" O
guiding O
principles O
" O
on O
how O
resolve O
the O
dispute O
signed O
by O
Chinese O
Premier O
Wen O
Jiabao O
and O
Indian O
Prime O
Minister O
Manmohan O
Singh O
in O
2005 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0300 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Egypt O
' O
s O
Mubarak O
to O
visit O
three O
European O
nations O

Egyptian O
President O
Hosni O
Mubarak O
would O
start O
from O
Dec B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
a O
five O
- O
day O
European O
tour O
which O
would O
take O
him O
to O
Ireland O
, O
France O
and O
Germany O
, O
presidential O
spokesman O
Suliman O
Awwad O
announced O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

During O
the O
European O
tour O
, O
President O
Mubarak O
would O
hold O
talks O
with O
leaders O
of O
the O
three O
countries O
on O
bilateral O
and O
regional O
issues O
of O
common O
concern O
, O
Awwad O
told O
the O
official O
MENA O
news O
agency O
. O

According O
to O
the O
spokesman O
, O
Mubarak O
is O
scheduled O
to O
meet O
with O
Irish O
President O
Mary O
Mcaleese O
and O
Prime O
Minister O
Bertie O
Ahern O
during O
his O
visit O
to O
Ireland O
. O

While O
in O
France O
, O
Mubarak O
would O
discuss O
the O
latest O
Middle O
East O
developments O
with O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
and O
inaugurate O
the O
exhibition O
of O
" O
Egypt O
' O
s O
Sunken O
Treasures O
" O
to O
be O
kicked O
off O
in O
Paris O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
. O

In O
Berlin O
, O
President O
Mubarak O
would O
hold O
intensive O
talks O
with O
German O
Chancellor O
Angela O
Merkel O
, O
said O
Awwad O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051211 O
. O
0515 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
12 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

beef O

US O
Agriculture O
Secretary O
Mike O
Johanns O
on O
Sunday B-T
voiced O
satisfaction O
after O
Japan O
gave O
the O
final O
go O
- O
ahead O
to O
resume O
imports O
of O
some O
US O
beef O
after O
a O
two B-T
- I-T
year I-T
ban O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
very O
pleased O
to O
announce O
that O
the O
Japanese O
market O
is O
now B-T
open O
to O
US O
beef O
products O
, O
" O
Johanns O
said O
in O
a O
statement O
. O
" O
Resuming O
beef O
trade O
with O
Japan O
is O
great O
news O
for O
American O
producers O
and O
Japanese O
consumers O
, O
as O
well O
as O
an O
important O
step O
toward O
normalized O
trade O
based O
on O
scientifically O
sound O
, O
internationally O
recognized O
standards O
. O
" O

Japan O
barred O
imports O
of O
US O
beef O
in O
December B-T
2003 I-T
after O
cases O
of O
mad O
cow O
disease O
, O
formally O
known O
as O
bovine O
spongiform O
encephalopathy O
( O
BSE O
) O
, O
were O
discovered O
in O
cattle O
in O
the O
country O
. O

It O
was O
a O
devastating O
blow O
to O
the O
US O
farming O
industry O
as O
Japan O
was O
the O
number O
one O
overseas O
market O
for O
its O
beef O
, O
buying O
1 O
. O
7 O
billion O
dollars O
worth O
in O
2002 B-T
. O
Japan O
had O
imposed O
a O
similar O
ban O
on O
Canadian O
beef O
in O
May B-T
2003 I-T
. O

The O
row O
with O
Washington O
turned O
bitter O
in O
October B-T
2004 I-T
when O
Japan O
promised O
to O
exempt O
US O
cows O
aged O
20 O
months O
or O
younger O
from O
screening O
if O
high O
- O
risk O
parts O
were O
removed O
. O
Washington O
interpreted O
the O
agreement O
as O
a O
breakthrough O
but O
Tokyo O
said O
it O
needed O
more O
time O
to O
verify O
how O
to O
test O
the O
age O
of O
the O
cattle O
. O

Japan O
now B-T
was O
to O
send O
inspectors O
to O
North O
America O
to O
ensure O
compliance O
with O
the O
Japanese O
safety O
guidelines O
. O

Johanns O
said O
that O
" O
reopening O
the O
Japanese O
market O
to O
US O
beef O
has O
been O
a O
top O
priority O
for O
me O
since O
becoming O
Secretary O
. O
. O
. O
Japan O
' O
s O
action O
today B-T
sets O
an O
excellent O
example O
for O
other O
countries O
in O
Asia O
whose O
markets O
remain O
closed O
. O

" O
Now O
is O
the O
time O
for O
Taiwan O
, O
South O
Korea O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
Singapore O
and O
others O
to O
open O
their O
markets O
to O
US O
beef O
. O
I O
urge O
all O
countries O
to O
take O
a O
science O
- O
based O
approach O
and O
adopt O
OIE O
standards O
for O
allowing O
beef O
trade O
from O
30 O
- O
month O
animals O
, O
" O
Johanns O
added O
. O

US O
farm O
- O
state O
senators O
had O
even O
pressed O
for O
sanctions O
worth O
3 O
. O
1 O
billion O
dollars O
unless O
Tokyo O
opened O
up O
again O
by O
the O
year O
- O
end O
. O

It O
is O
still O
unclear O
, O
however O
, O
if O
the O
lifting O
of O
the O
ban O
will O
appease O
disgruntled O
US O
farmers O
and O
politicians O
, O
with O
Japan O
expected O
only O
to O
import O
a O
fraction O
of O
the O
beef O
it O
once O
took O
in O
. O

The O
United O
States O
in O
2001 O
banned O
Japanese O
beef O
imports O
- O
- O
mostly O
the O
niche O
market O
of O
luxury O
Kobe O
beef O
- O
- O
after O
Japan O
became O
the O
only O
Asian O
country O
to O
report O
mad O
- O
cow O
disease O
in O
a O
herd O
. O

Japan O
exported O
800 O
, O
000 O
dollars O
worth O
of O
beef O
to O
the O
United O
States O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051111 O
. O
0298 O

MONTEVIDEO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Uruguay O
seeks O
home O
victory O
against O
Australia O
in O
World O
Cup O
playoff O

The O
Uruguayan O
national O
football O
team O
will O
meet O
Australia O
in O
Montevideo O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
hoping O
to O
win O
the O
first O
of O
two O
World O
Cup O
play O
- O
off O
games O
and O
set O
themselves O
up O
for O
Sydney O
' O
s O
return O
match O
. O

The O
winner O
of O
the O
two O
- O
leg O
playoff O
will O
go O
through O
to O
the O
2006 O
Germany O
World O
Cup O
. O

The O
match O
takes O
place O
in O
the O
historic O
Centenario O
Stadium O
, O
which O
will O
be O
filled O
with O
60 O
, O
000 O
Uruguay O
fans O
. O

The O
play O
- O
offs O
are O
being O
held O
in O
a O
tense O
atmosphere O
thanks O
to O
statements O
made O
by O
both O
teams O
, O
and O
also O
because O
both O
countries O
have O
met O
before O
at O
this O
stage O
. O

Uruguay O
won O
the O
ticket O
to O
the O
2002 O
World O
Cup O
held O
in O
Seoul O
and O
Tokyo O
, O
losing O
its O
first O
game O
1 O
- O
0 O
but O
winning O
the O
re O
- O
match O
3 O
- O
0 O
. O
That B-T
year I-T
, O
a O
group O
of O
violent O
Uruguayan O
fans O
spat O
on O
and O
insulted O
the O
Austrian O
team O
at O
Montevideo O
airport O
, O
trying O
to O
intimate O
them O
on O
the O
way O
to O
the O
match O
. O

This B-T
year I-T
, O
Australia O
has O
asked O
for O
security O
guarantees O
and O
has O
begun O
its O
training O
in O
Buenos O
Aires O
, O
the O
Argentine O
capital O
, O
so O
that O
they O
can O
arrive O
a O
day O
before O
the O
game O
. O

Uruguay O
has O
played O
in O
10 O
World O
Cups O
and O
won O
two O
, O
while O
Australia O
has O
only O
taken O
part O
in O
the O
World O
Cup O
once O
, O
in O
Germany O
in O
1974 B-T
. O

Australia O
made O
the O
play O
- O
offs O
for O
the O
last O
three O
World O
Cups O
, O
but O
was O
beaten O
each O
time O
, O
by O
Argentina O
in O
1994 B-T
, O
by O
Iran O
in O
1998 B-T
and O
last O
time O
by O
Uruguay O
. O

Uruguay O
will O
take O
on O
an O
offensive O
strategy O
with O
three O
forwards O
: O
Marcelo O
Zalayeta O
of O
Italy O
' O
s O
Juventus O
, O
Richard O
Morales O
of O
Spanish O
league O
team O
Malaga O
and O
either O
Forlan O
or O
Silva O
as O
the O
third O
. O

Australia O
is O
expected O
to O
exploit O
a O
conservative O
strategy O
with O
only O
one O
forward O
Mark O
Viduka O
of O
English O
league O
team O
Middlesborough O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0022 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0022 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Meridian O
National O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
McAlpines O
Acquire O
10 O
. O
2 O
% O

@ O
Of O
Common O
for O
$ O
1 O
Million O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

MRCO O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

Meridian O
National O
Corp O
. O
said O
it O
sold O
750 O
, O
000 O
shares O
of O
its O
common O
stock O
to O
the O
McAlpine O
family O
interests O
, O
for O
$ O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
35 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
sale O
represents O
10 O
. O
2 O
% O
of O
Meridian O
' O
s O
shares O
outstanding O
. O

The O
McAlpine O
family O
, O
which O
operates O
a O
number O
of O
multinational O
companies O
, O
including O
a O
London O
- O
based O
engineering O
and O
construction O
company O
, O
also O
lent O
to O
Meridian O
National O
$ O
500 O
, O
000 O
. O

That O
amount O
is O
convertible O
into O
shares O
of O
Meridian O
common O
stock O
at O
$ O
2 O
a O
share O
during O
its O
one B-T
- I-T
year I-T
term I-T
. O

The O
loan O
may O
be O
extended O
by O
the O
McAlpine O
group O
for O
an B-T
additional I-T
year I-T
with O
an O
increase O
in O
the O
conversion O
price O
to O
$ O
2 O
. O
50 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
sale O
of O
shares O
to O
the O
McAlpine O
family O
along O
with O
the O
recent O
sale O
of O
750 O
, O
000 O
shares O
of O
Meridian O
stock O
to O
Haden O
MacLellan O
Holding O
PLC O
of O
Surrey O
, O
England O
and O
a O
recent O
public O
offering O
have O
increased O
Meridian O
' O
s O
net O
worth O
to O
$ O
8 O
. O
5 O
million O
, O
said O
William O
Feniger O
, O
chief O
executive O
officer O
of O
Toledo O
, O
Ohio O
- O
based O
Meridian O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0270 O

ISLAMABAD O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Iran O
to O
provide O
electricity O
to O
Pakistan O

Iran O
has O
offered O
to O
provide O
cheap O
electricity O
to O
Pakistan O
that O
could O
also O
be O
extended O
to O
India O
like O
the O
proposed O
Iran O
- O
Pakistan O
- O
India O
( O
IPI O
) O
gas O
pipeline O
, O
local O
newspaper O
Dawn O
reported O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

The O
offer O
was O
made O
by O
Iranian O
Ambassador O
in O
Pakistan O
Masha O
Allah O
Shakeri O
in O
his O
meeting O
with O
Pakistani O
Federal O
Minister O
for O
Water O
and O
Power O
Liaquat O
Ali O
Jatoi O
. O

During O
the O
meeting O
, O
the O
two O
countries O
agreed O
to O
extend O
cooperation O
in O
water O
and O
power O
sectors O
and O
to O
establish O
a O
joint O
investment O
company O
for O
achieving O
the O
objectives O
in O
the B-T
near I-T
future I-T
. O

Regional O
and O
global O
situation O
along O
with O
bilateral O
trade O
relations O
particularly O
investment O
opportunities O
in O
power O
sector O
were O
also O
discussed O
in O
the O
meeting O
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

Investment O
procedure O
in O
the O
power O
sector O
had O
been O
simplified O
which O
attracted O
foreign O
investment O
in O
power O
sector O
, O
Jatoi O
said O
, O
adding O
that O
the O
demand O
for O
electricity O
in O
Pakistan O
had O
crossed O
18 O
, O
000 O
megawatt O
while O
the O
existing O
availability O
of O
power O
was O
13 O
, O
500 O
megawatt O
. O

Jatoi O
invited O
the O
Iranian O
government O
to O
come O
forward O
and O
participate O
in O
the O
mega O
hydro O
power O
projects O
through O
International O
Competitive O
Bidding O
( O
ICB O
) O
, O
including O
the O
Basha O
dam O
project O
. O

The O
Iranian O
ambassador O
appreciated O
the O
growing O
economic O
development O
of O
Pakistan O
and O
offered O
Iranian O
investment O
in O
water O
and O
power O
sectors O
, O
particularly O
in O
the O
dams O
' O
construction O
. O

He O
also O
suggested O
the O
establishment O
of O
a O
joint O
investment O
company O
to O
look O
into O
the O
exchange O
of O
expertise O
to O
pave O
way O
for O
investment O
opportunities O
in O
water O
and O
power O
sectors O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061226 O
. O
0201 O

LAGOS O
, O
Dec B-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

At O
least O
200 O
killed O
in O
fire O
at O
vandalised O
pipeline O
in O
Nigeria O

A O
blast O
and O
fire O
at O
a O
vandalised O
oil O
pipeline O
Tuesday B-T
in O
Nigeria O
' O
s O
commercial O
capital O
Lagos O
killed O
at O
least O
200 O
people O
and O
left O
dozens O
more O
badly O
burned O
, O
according O
to O
an O
AFP O
correspondent O
at O
the O
scene O
. O

Scores O
of O
bodies O
lay O
in O
the O
foam O
and O
water O
that O
firefighters O
were O
using O
to O
bring O
the O
blaze O
in O
the O
city O
' O
s O
northern O
Abule O
Egba O
district O
under O
control O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970415 O
. O
0265 O

ZAGREB O
, O
April B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Serbs O
still O
voting O
at O
one O
polling O
station O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O

Serbs O
in O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
, O
the O
last O
Serb O
- O
held O
part O
of O
Croatia O
, O
were O
still O
voting O
Tuesday B-T
at O
one O
polling O
station O
in O
the O
region O
after O
problems O
with O
ballot O
papers O
Sunday B-T
and O
Monday O
, O
a O
UN O
spokesman O
said O
. O

UN O
spokesman O
Douglas O
Coffman O
told O
AFP O
that O
the O
polling O
station O
in O
the O
village O
of O
Klisa O
was O
open O
from O
10 B-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
( O
0800 O
GMT O
) O
to O
2 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
1200 O
GMT O
) O
to O
allow O
the O
250 O
people O
there O
to O
vote O
. O

He O
said O
that O
incorrect O
ballot O
papers O
had O
been O
delivered O
the B-T
day I-T
before I-T
. O
Aside O
from O
this O
polling O
stations O
, O
all O
others O
closed O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
some O
staying O
open O
late O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Problems O
with O
late O
arrival O
of O
ballot O
papers O
and O
incomplete O
voter O
registration O
lists O
dogged O
the O
UN O
- O
organised O
local O
, O
regional O
and O
upper O
house O
polls O
in O
the O
region O
. O

Voting O
had O
been O
due O
to O
end O
Sunday B-T
, O
as O
in O
the O
rest O
of O
Croatia O
, O
but O
had O
to O
be O
extended O
in O
the O
light O
of O
the O
chaos O
. O

The O
vote O
will O
be O
a O
key O
step O
in O
returning O
Eastern O
Slavonia O
, O
captured O
by O
Serbs O
in O
bitter O
fighting O
in O
1991 B-T
, O
to O
Croatian O
control O
. O

Coffman O
said O
that O
UN O
was O
pleased O
at O
the O
way O
the O
vote O
had O
gone O
. O

" O
We O
were O
pleased O
with O
the O
extremely O
high O
turnout O
and O
the O
conditions O
of O
calm O
, O
quiet O
and O
security O
which O
prevailed O
throughout O
the B-T
two I-T
days I-T
of O
voting O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
speaking O
by O
telephone O
from O
Vukovar O
, O
the O
main O
town O
of O
the O
region O
. O

" O
We O
are O
glad O
that O
we O
believe O
that O
everyone O
who O
became O
eligible O
to O
vote O
was O
able O
to O
vote O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Coffman O
said O
that O
he O
hoped O
counting O
would O
be O
finished O
by O
Wednesday B-T
, O
but O
said O
the O
vote O
would O
not O
be O
certified O
until O
later O
in O
the B-T
week I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061118 O
. O
0038 O

CAIRO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Xinhua O
Middle O
East O
news O
advisory O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
18 O

The O
following O
are O
some O
of O
major O
Mideast O
news O
stories O
due O
to O
be O
covered O
or O
pursued O
by O
Xinhua O
News O
Agency O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
development O
in O
negotiations O
between O
Fatah O
and O
Hamas O
on O
the O
formation O
of O
a O
national O
unity O
government O
in O
Palestine O
. O

- O
- O
Foreign O
Ministers O
from O
countries O
of O
the O
Organization O
of O
Islamic O
Conference O
( O
OIC O
) O
hold O
an O
emergency O
meeting O
in O
Jeddah O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
, O
to O
probe O
the O
fallout O
of O
Israeli O
offensive O
in O
Beit O
Hanoun O
. O

- O
- O
Monitoring O
the O
restive O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
as O
roadside O
bombs O
, O
group O
kidnappings O
and O
sectarian O
violence O
continue O
. O

- O
- O
Keep O
watching O
Iran O
' O
s O
nuclear O
file O
as O
a O
top O
Iranian O
official O
indicated O
that O
Tehran O
would O
respond O
decisively O
to O
any O
act O
of O
aggression O
by O
the O
United O
States O
or O
Israel O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061221 O
. O
0593 O

LIVERPOOL O
, O
England O
, O
Dec B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Neil O
Johnston O

Liverpool O
manager O
Rafa O
Benitez O
has O
played O
down O
suggestions O
by O
his O
captain O
Steven O
Gerrard O
that O
the O
club O
can O
still O
pip O
Manchester O
United O
and O
Chelsea O
to O
the O
title O
. O

Benitez O
' O
s O
side O
host O
bottom O
club O
Watford O
at O
Anfield O
on O
Saturday B-T
seeking O
to O
cement O
their O
position O
in O
the O
top O
three O
by O
securing O
a O
fourth O
successive O
league O
win O
. O

After O
a O
slow O
start O
to O
the O
season O
, O
the O
Merseyside O
club O
enter O
the O
busy O
Christmas O
period O
on O
the O
back O
of O
their O
best O
domestic O
form O
of O
the O
campaign O
prompting O
England O
midfielder O
Gerrard O
to O
suggest O
that O
the O
title O
is O
still O
possible O
despite O
trailing O
leaders O
United O
by O
13 O
points O
. O

Benitez O
has O
masterminded O
Champions O
League O
and O
FA O
Cup O
triumphs O
since O
he O
arrived O
at O
Anfield O
in O
2004 B-T
. O
But O
he O
has O
endured O
too O
many O
setbacks O
in O
the O
league O
to O
get O
carried O
and O
is O
taking O
a O
more O
cautious O
approach O
as O
he O
prepares O
to O
celebrate O
his O
third O
Christmas B-T
in O
England O
. O

" O
If O
Steven O
was O
talking O
about O
this O
then O
it O
means O
he O
has O
confidence O
and O
he O
is O
positive O
, O
" O
said O
Benitez O
. O

" O
But O
as O
an O
experienced O
manager O
it O
is O
better O
to O
talk O
about O
one O
game O
at O
a O
time O
and O
think O
about O
the O
next O
three O
points O
. O

" O
We O
have O
four O
games O
in O
the O
space O
of O
a O
few O
days O
over O
Christmas B-T
and O
we O
will O
see O
after O
these O
four O
games O
where O
we O
are O
in O
the O
table O
. O
But O
I O
am O
not O
thinking O
about O
the O
title O
race O
. O
I O
' O
m O
not O
looking O
at O
the O
table O
every B-T
week I-T
, O
I O
promise O
you O
. O
" O

Liverpool O
are O
unbeaten O
in O
their O
last O
six O
league O
outings O
since O
last B-T
month I-T
' O
s O
tame O
3 O
- O
0 O
surrender O
at O
Arsenal O
which O
appeared O
to O
have O
killed O
off O
their O
hopes O
of O
catching O
the O
top O
two O
. O

But O
Benitez O
insisted O
that O
he O
never O
doubted O
his O
players O
when O
the O
critics O
wrote O
them O
off O
, O
and O
has O
saluted O
his O
team O
for O
the O
way O
they O
have O
responded O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
. O

" O
We O
still O
had O
confidence O
when O
everyone O
was O
talking O
about O
us O
being O
in O
mid O
- O
table O
and O
struggling O
, O
" O
added O
Benitez O
. O

" O
We O
said O
to O
the O
players O
' O
listen O
, O
we O
will O
move O
closer O
to O
the O
top O
if O
we O
carry O
on O
doing O
the O
same O
things O
' O
. O

" O
One O
of O
the O
best O
things O
about O
my O
players O
is O
that O
they O
are O
really O
good O
workers O
. O
They O
train O
really O
well O
and O
as O
a O
manager O
you O
know O
that O
when O
your O
team O
trains O
hard O
, O
they O
will O
be O
near O
the O
top O
of O
the O
table O
because O
they O
have O
enough O
quality O
. O
" O

Watford O
arrive O
at O
Anfield O
six O
points O
adrift O
of O
safety O
at O
the O
foot O
of O
the O
table O
and O
still O
seeking O
a O
first O
league O
win O
of O
the O
season O
. O

Manager O
Adrian O
Boothroyd O
has O
been O
optimistic O
about O
his O
side O
' O
s O
survival O
chances O
throughout O
the B-T
season I-T
, O
but O
has O
admitted O
for O
the O
first O
time O
that O
his O
players O
are O
in O
a O
relegation O
battle O
. O

" O
I O
set O
our O
sights O
high O
, O
but O
I O
know O
we O
are O
in O
a O
relegation O
battle O
, O
" O
said O
the O
35 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
handler O
. O

" O
We O
need O
to O
add O
new O
players O
in O
January B-T
, O
but O
I O
am O
convinced O
we O
can O
go O
on O
a O
little O
run O
. O

" O
But O
even O
so O
, O
I O
am O
not O
a O
realist O
- O
I O
refuse O
to O
be O
. O
When O
you O
believe O
in O
conventional O
wisdom O
, O
you O
have O
a O
problem O
. O

" O
We O
are O
bottom O
of O
the O
league O
, O
and O
we O
need O
to O
fight O
for O
everything O
we O
can O
. O
I O
know O
what O
we O
have O
to O
do O
, O
and O
I O
believe O
we O
will O
do O
it O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0036 O

WARSAW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

All O
trapped O
miners O
killed O
in O
Poland O
' O
s O
mine O
explosion O

All O
23 O
miners O
trapped O
in O
a O
mine O
explosion O
in O
southern O
Poland O
were O
confirmed O
dead O
, O
the O
official O
PAP O
news O
agency O
reported O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
confirmation O
came O
after O
the O
last O
body O
of O
the O
trapped O
miners O
was O
recovered O
by O
rescue O
teams O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0349 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
commander O
says O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
should O
not O
be O
reduced O

The O
top O
U O
. O
S O
. O
commander O
for O
the O
Middle O
East O
said O
Wednesday B-T
that O
American O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
should O
not O
be O
reduced O
, O
and O
that O
he O
would O
not O
recommend O
troop O
withdrawals O
. O

" O
Under O
current O
circumstances O
, O
I O
would O
not O
recommend O
troop O
withdrawals O
, O
" O
General O
John O
Abizaid O
, O
commander O
of O
the O
Central O
Command O
, O
told O
the O
Senate O
Armed O
Services O
Committee O
. O

Specific O
timetables O
" O
limit O
that O
flexibility O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Abizaid O
also O
said O
he O
did O
not O
see O
the O
need O
to O
increase O
the O
number O
of O
U O
. O
S O
. O
soldiers O
in O
Iraq O
. O
" O
I O
do O
not O
believe O
that O
more O
American O
troops O
right O
now O
is O
the O
solution O
to O
the O
problem O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
about O
141 O
, O
000 O
troops O
in O
Iraq O
at O
present O
. O

Abizaid O
said O
levels O
of O
sectarian O
violence O
in O
Iraq O
were O
still O
dangerously O
high O
, O
but O
he O
was O
" O
optimistic O
" O
that O
American O
forces O
could O
stabilize O
Iraq O
. O

Asked O
by O
lawmakers O
how O
long O
it O
would O
take O
to O
quell O
the O
ongoing O
sectarian O
violence O
in O
Iraq O
, O
Abizaid O
said O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
and O
Iraqi O
forces O
had O
four O
to O
six B-T
months I-T
to O
get O
the O
levels O
of O
sectarian O
violence O
down O
before O
it O
tipped O
into O
civil O
war O
. O

The O
key O
to O
stabilize O
Iraq O
was O
" O
effective O
, O
loyal O
, O
non O
- O
sectarian O
Iraqi O
security O
forces O
coupled O
with O
an O
effective O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Abizaid O
said O
American O
commanders O
believed O
that O
Iraqi O
security O
forces O
could O
take O
control O
of O
security O
responsibilities O
faster O
if O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
military O
beefed O
up O
training O
teams O
embedded O
with O
the O
Iraqis O
, O
speeded O
up O
the O
delivery O
of O
equipment O
, O
and O
helped O
Iraqi O
authorities O
to O
root O
out O
militias O
. O

Abizaid O
' O
s O
testimony O
before O
the O
Senate O
committee O
came O
after O
last B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
congressional O
elections O
, O
in O
which O
Democrats O
won O
control O
of O
both O
chambers O
of O
Congress O
largely O
due O
to O
American O
voters O
' O
dissatisfaction O
with O
the O
situation O
in O
Iraq O
. O

President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
has O
faced O
enormous O
pressure O
for O
a O
major O
change O
in O
his O
Iraq O
policy O
. O

Bush O
formally O
launched O
a O
sweeping O
internal O
review O
of O
the O
Iraq O
policy O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
pulling O
together O
studies O
underway O
by O
various O
government O
agencies O
, O
The O
Washington O
Post O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

The O
initiative O
paralleled O
the O
effort O
by O
the O
bipartisan O
Iraq O
Study O
Group O
, O
which O
had O
conducted O
interviews O
with O
the O
president O
, O
his O
foreign O
policy O
team O
, O
military O
leaders O
and O
Democrats O
, O
and O
was O
expected O
to O
make O
recommendations O
on O
the O
government O
' O
s O
Iraq O
policy O
next B-T
month I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061107 O
. O
0256 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
will O
pay O
successive O
state O
visits O
to O
Vietnam O
, O
Laos O
, O
India O
and O
Pakistan O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
to O
26 O
, O
Chinese O
Foreign O
Ministry O
spokeswoman O
Jiang O
Yu O
announced O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

While O
in O
Vietnam O
, O
Hu O
will O
also O
attend O
the O
14th O
APEC O
Economic O
Leaders O
' O
Meeting O
to O
be O
held O
in O
Hanoi O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
to O
19 O
, O
Jiang O
said O
. O

Hu O
is O
to O
pay O
the O
state O
visits O
as O
guest O
of O
Vietnamese O
Communist O
Party O
leader O
Nong O
Duc O
Manh O
and O
its O
State O
President O
Nguyen O
Minh O
Triet O
, O
Lao O
President O
Choummaly O
Sayasone O
, O
Indian O
President O
Abdul O
Kalam O
and O
Pakistani O
President O
Pervez O
Musharraf O
. O

Vietnam O
, O
Laos O
, O
India O
and O
Pakistan O
are O
good O
neighbors O
of O
China O
and O
the O
bilateral O
ties O
between O
China O
and O
the O
four O
countries O
kept O
good O
momentum O
, O
Chinese O
Assistant O
Foreign O
Minister O
Cui O
Tiankai O
said O
here O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
upcoming O
visits O
will O
be O
of O
great O
significance O
and O
exert O
far O
- O
reaching O
influences O
on O
pushing O
ahead O
relations O
between O
China O
and O
the O
four O
nations O
, O
Cui O
said O
at O
a O
news O
conference O
on O
Hu O
' O
s O
visits O
. O

Hu O
' O
s O
four O
- O
nation O
Asian O
tour O
will O
first O
take O
him O
to O
Vietnam O
. O
Cui O
said O
the O
two O
leaders O
will O
have O
an O
in O
- O
depth O
exchange O
of O
views O
on O
relations O
between O
two O
countries O
and O
parties O
from O
strategic O
perspective O
and O
overall O
concern O
. O

Through O
this O
visit O
, O
Cui O
said O
, O
China O
hopes O
to O
deepen O
traditional O
friendship O
, O
increase O
political O
mutual O
trust O
, O
expand O
mutually O
- O
beneficial O
cooperation O
and O
layout O
future O
development O
trend O
of O
bilateral O
relations O
. O

The O
year O
of O
2006 O
marks O
the O
45th O
anniversary O
since O
China O
and O
Laos O
forged O
diplomatic O
ties O
. O
As O
second O
leg O
of O
his O
visit O
, O
Hu O
will O
visit O
Laos O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
to O
20 O
, O
after O
conclusion O
of O
the O
APEC O
meeting O
. O

Cui O
said O
the O
visit O
will O
beef O
up O
the O
bilateral O
relations O
, O
friendship O
and O
cooperation O
. O

Hu O
will O
visit O
India O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
20 I-T
to O
23 O
, O
which O
will O
be O
the O
first O
visit O
by O
top O
Chinese O
leaders O
in O
ten B-T
years I-T
. O

The O
visit O
will O
demonstrate O
to O
the O
world O
that O
the O
common O
development O
of O
China O
and O
India O
will O
make O
positive O
contributions O
to O
peace O
, O
stability O
and O
development O
of O
the O
world O
, O
Cui O
said O
. O

The O
last O
leg O
of O
Hu O
' O
s O
visit O
will O
take O
him O
to O
Pakistan O
from O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
to O
26 O
, O
which O
is O
also O
will O
be O
the O
first O
visit O
by O
top O
Chinese O
leaders O
to O
this O
South O
Asian O
country O
in O
ten B-T
years I-T
. O

China O
hopes O
to O
promote O
political O
relations O
with O
Pakistan O
and O
expand O
bilateral O
cooperation O
in O
various O
fields O
through O
this O
visit O
, O
Cui O
said O
. O

He O
believed O
that O
the O
visit O
will O
become O
a O
milestone O
in O
consolidating O
the O
China O
- O
Pakistan O
traditional O
friendly O
relations O
of O
cooperation O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0312 O

CANBERRA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Australian O
police O
arrest O
17 O
terror O
suspects O

Seventeen O
people O
have O
been O
arrested O
in O
Sydney O
and O
Melbourne O
, O
Australia O
' O
s O
largest O
and O
second O
largest O
cities O
, O
as O
a O
result O
of O
a O
counter O
- O
terrorism O
operation O
. O

The O
joint O
operation O
involved O
the O
Australian O
Federal O
Police O
( O
AFP O
) O
, O
Australian O
Security O
Intelligence O
Organization O
and O
police O
from O
the O
states O
of O
New O
South O
Wales O
( O
NSW O
) O
and O
Victoria O
, O
and O
the O
NSW O
Crime O
Commission O
. O

" O
The O
men O
have O
been O
charged O
with O
a O
range O
of O
offenses O
including O
sections O
of O
Commonwealth O
legislation O
that O
have O
not O
been O
previously O
used O
, O
relating O
to O
being O
a O
member O
of O
a O
terrorist O
group O
, O
conspiring O
to O
commit O
a O
terrorist O
act O
and O
directing O
a O
terrorist O
organization O
, O
" O
said O
the O
AFP O
in O
a O
statement O
Tuesday B-T
. O

While O
executing O
22 O
search O
warrants O
across O
Sydney O
and O
Melbourne O
Tuesday B-T
morning I-T
, O
police O
officers O
also O
seized O
a O
range O
of O
material O
including O
unidentified O
substances O
, O
firearms O
, O
travel O
documents O
, O
computers O
and O
backpacks O
. O

" O
By O
working O
collaboratively O
Australia O
' O
s O
law O
enforcement O
and O
intelligence O
agencies O
have O
managed O
to O
disrupt O
the O
alleged O
activities O
of O
this O
group O
and O
therefore O
protect O
the O
Australian O
community O
from O
a O
potential O
terrorist O
threat O
, O
" O
AFP O
Deputy O
Commissioner O
John O
Lawler O
said O
. O

All O
have O
been O
charged O
under O
the O
Criminal O
Code O
Act B-T
1995 I-T
. O
The O
charges O
include O
Acts O
in O
Preparation O
of O
a O
Terrorist O
Act O
, O
being O
a O
member O
of O
a O
Terrorist O
Group O
, O
Conspiracy O
to O
Commit O
a O
Terrorist O
Act O
and O
one O
man O
has O
been O
charged O
with O
Directing O
a O
Terrorist O
Organization O
. O

" O
Today O
' O
s O
arrests O
follow O
a O
lengthy O
operation O
where O
law O
enforcement O
and O
intelligence O
agencies O
have O
been O
monitoring O
and O
investigating O
the O
activities O
of O
a O
group O
allegedly O
intent O
on O
carrying O
out O
what O
we O
assess O
as O
some O
sort O
of O
terrorist O
act O
in O
Australia O
, O
" O
said O
NSW O
Police O
Commissioner O
Ken O
Moroney O
. O

" O
It O
will O
be O
alleged O
in O
court O
that O
following O
months O
of O
discussion O
individuals O
had O
moved O
to O
the O
point O
of O
planning O
some O
sort O
of O
activity O
including O
the O
purchase O
of O
potentially O
dangerous O
materials O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Those O
charged O
are O
expected O
to O
appear O
in O
Sydney O
and O
Melbourne O
courts O
later O
on O
Tuesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061225 O
. O
0135 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

by O
Phil O
Hazlewood O

The O
leader O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
Anglicans O
on O
Monday B-T
urged O
the O
international O
community O
not O
to O
ignore O
the O
problems O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
amid O
continued O
stalemate O
in O
the O
peace O
process O
and O
intra O
- O
Palestinian O
violence O
. O

In O
his O
Christmas B-T
Day O
sermon O
, O
Archbishop O
of O
Canterbury O
Rowan O
Williams O
spoke O
of O
his O
recent O
visit O
to O
the O
region O
with O
other O
senior O
British O
Christian O
leaders O
and O
likened O
the O
troubles O
there O
to O
those O
facing O
all O
humankind O
. O

He O
said O
it O
was O
" O
chilling O
" O
that O
neither O
Palestinians O
nor O
Israelis O
were O
hopeful O
of O
an O
imminent O
political O
settlement O
, O
despite O
a O
meeting O
this B-T
week I-T
of O
Palestinian O
leader O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
and O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ehud O
Olmert O
. O

But O
he O
said O
the O
world O
should O
put O
politics O
to O
one O
side O
in O
determining O
who O
deserved O
support O
, O
saying O
both O
sides O
were O
impoverished O
in O
different O
ways O
. O

For O
Israel O
, O
that O
meant O
the O
continuing O
legacy O
Jewish O
people O
' O
s O
troubled O
history O
as O
persecuted O
" O
largely O
unwelcome O
guests O
among O
other O
nations O
" O
and O
the O
effects O
of O
the O
severe O
economic O
crisis O
gripping O
the O
Palestinian O
territories O
. O

" O
As O
soon O
as O
we O
try O
to O
sort O
out O
which O
we O
give O
the O
advantage O
to O
we O
shall O
be O
deciding O
to O
some O
extent O
who O
we O
' O
re O
against O
; O
and O
that O
will O
undoubtedly O
create O
another O
round O
of O
poverty O
and O
anger O
and O
bitterness O
. O
. O
. O

" O
Both O
deserve O
the O
best O
. O
And O
the O
best O
we O
can O
give O
them O
in O
such O
circumstances O
is O
at O
least O
the O
assurance O
of O
friendship O
. O

" O
Go O
and O
see O
, O
go O
and O
listen O
; O
let O
them O
know O
, O
Israelis O
and O
Palestinians O
alike O
, O
that O
they O
will O
be O
heard O
and O
not O
forgotten O
, O
" O
he O
told O
the O
congregation O
at O
Canterbury O
Cathedral O
in O
southeast O
England O
. O

Williams O
, O
the O
Church O
of O
England O
' O
s O
most O
senior O
cleric O
, O
said O
both O
communities O
dreaded O
the O
prospect O
of O
the O
world O
turning O
its O
back O
on O
them O
, O
likening O
the O
problems O
there O
to O
those O
closer O
to O
home O
. O

" O
The O
tragedies O
of O
the O
Holy O
Land O
are O
not O
the O
problems O
of O
exotic O
barbarians O
far O
away O
. O
They O
are O
signs O
of O
the O
underlying O
tragedies O
that O
cripple O
all O
human O
life O
, O
individual O
and O
collective O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Every O
wall O
we O
build O
to O
defend O
ourselves O
and O
keep O
out O
what O
may O
destroy O
us O
is O
also O
a O
wall O
that O
keeps O
us O
in O
and O
that O
will O
change O
us O
in O
ways O
we O
did O
not O
choose O
or O
want O
. O

" O
Every O
human O
solution O
to O
fears O
and O
threats O
generates O
a O
new O
set O
of O
fears O
and O
threats O
. O
" O

Williams O
said O
whether O
it O
was O
Israel O
' O
s O
controversial O
security O
barrier O
in O
the O
West O
Bank O
, O
Britain O
' O
s O
planned O
renewal O
of O
its O
Trident O
missile O
nuclear O
deterrent O
system O
or O
tactics O
to O
protect O
oneself O
against O
harm O
, O
defences O
were O
destructive O
. O

" O
Defences O
do O
something O
terrible O
to O
us O
as O
well O
as O
to O
our O
real O
and O
imagined O
enemies O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Williams O
' O
s O
sermon O
comes O
after O
a O
visit O
to O
the O
West O
Bank O
town O
of O
Bethlehem O
- O
- O
a O
place O
of O
pilgrimage O
for O
Christians O
because O
of O
its O
significance O
as O
the O
birthplace O
of O
Jesus O
- O
- O
to O
see O
at O
firsthand O
the O
lives O
of O
ordinary O
Palestinians O
. O

During O
the O
trip O
, O
he O
described O
the O
Israeli O
- O
built O
security O
barrier O
that O
surrounds O
the O
town O
as O
symbolising O
what O
was O
" O
deeply O
wrong O
in O
the O
human O
heart O
" O
. O

On O
Saturday B-T
, O
he O
launched O
a O
strongly O
worded O
attack O
in O
The O
Times B-T
newspaper O
against O
Britain O
and O
its O
allies O
' O
" O
short O
- O
sighted O
" O
and O
" O
ignorant O
" O
policy O
in O
Iraq O
, O
which O
he O
said O
was O
putting O
Christians O
in O
the O
Middle O
East O
at O
risk O
. O

He O
warned O
that O
Christians O
could O
be O
chased O
out O
of O
the O
region O
because O
they O
were O
now B-T
being O
viewed O
by O
their O
countrymen O
as O
" O
supporters O
of O
the O
crusading O
West O
" O
. O

His O
comments O
were O
backed O
by O
the O
Muslim O
Council O
of O
Britain O
umbrella O
group O
but O
the O
British O
government O
said O
it O
was O
not O
its O
policies O
, O
but O
" O
intolerant O
extremism O
" O
of O
those O
bent O
on O
causing O
pain O
, O
suffering O
and O
chaos O
which O
was O
to O
blame O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0244 O

ROME O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Venice O
' O
s O
' O
vaporetti O
' O
water O
buses O
to O
hike O
fares O
in O
February O

The O
cost O
of O
a O
single O
ride O
on O
a O
" O
vaporetto O
" O
- O
- O
the O
water O
bus O
that O
is O
Venice O
' O
s O
main O
form O
of O
public O
transport O
- O
- O
will O
rise O
20 O
percent O
to O
six O
euros O
( O
eight O
dollars O
) O
on O
February B-T
1 I-T
, O
the O
ANSA O
news O
agency O
reported O
Saturday B-T
. O

An O
all O
- O
day O
ticket O
will O
cost O
15 O
euros O
, O
and O
the O
three O
- O
day O
fare O
will O
rise O
to O
30 O
euros O
, O
the O
agency O
said O
, O
quoting O
a O
statement O
from O
the O
Venice O
transport O
authority O
. O

The O
hikes O
will O
not O
affect O
card O
- O
bearing O
Venice O
residents O
, O
it O
noted O
. O

Fare O
increases O
are O
also O
in O
store O
for O
travellers O
on O
Italy O
' O
s O
train O
network O
Trenitalia O
. O

From O
Monday B-T
, O
fares O
will O
be O
up O
an O
average O
of O
nine O
percent O
on O
inter O
- O
city O
and O
high O
- O
speed O
routes O
, O
the O
company O
said O
. O

The O
increases O
are O
Trenitalia O
' O
s O
first O
in O
five B-T
years I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051221 O
. O
0109 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

German O
court O
orders O
new O
Mannesmann O
case O

The O
German O
Federal O
Supreme O
Court O
on O
Wednesday B-T
ordered O
a O
new O
trial O
over O
huge O
bonuses O
paid O
to O
executives O
in O
the O
takeover O
of O
telecoms O
giant O
Mannesmann O
, O
reversing O
acquittals O
by O
a O
lower O
court O
against O
six O
accused O
including O
the O
head O
of O
Deutsche O
Bank O
, O
Josef O
Ackermann O
. O

The O
case O
concerns O
allegations O
that O
the O
accused O
received O
big O
payments O
in O
exchange O
for O
giving O
their O
approval O
for O
the O
acquisition O
of O
Mannesmann O
by O
British O
telephone O
operator O
Vodafone O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

A O
lower O
court O
had O
decided O
that O
the O
payments O
, O
although O
against O
Mannesmann O
' O
s O
interests O
and O
therefore O
inadmissable O
under O
German O
stock O
law O
, O
did O
not O
amount O
to O
criminal O
abuse O
of O
confidence O
. O

The O
case O
was O
seen O
as O
raising O
controversial O
issues O
of O
corporate O
governance O
and O
commission O
payments O
for O
performance O
. O

A O
re O
- O
trial O
is O
considered O
by O
many O
observers O
to O
put O
the O
future O
of O
Ackermann O
at O
the O
head O
of O
Deutsche O
Bank O
in O
question O
. O

As O
head O
of O
the O
bank O
, O
he O
counts O
as O
the O
most O
powerful O
private O
banker O
in O
Germany O
, O
but O
during O
the O
first O
trial O
he O
had O
to O
attend O
court O
twice O
a O
week B-T
for O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061216 O
. O
0046 O

NARITA O
, O
Japan O
, O
Dec B-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
on O
" O
hostile O
policy O
" O
, O
sanctions O
/ O
/ O
/ O

US O
chief O
negotiator O
Christopher O
Hill O
said O
Saturday B-T
he O
will O
meet O
with O
his O
North O
Korean O
counterpart O
in O
Beijing O
ahead O
of O
the O
opening O
of O
next B-T
week I-T
' O
s O
six O
- O
way O
nuclear O
disarmament O
talks O
. O

Hill O
, O
arriving O
in O
Japan O
for O
an O
overnight O
stop O
, O
said O
he O
will O
meet O
with O
North O
Korean O
envoy O
Kim O
Kye O
- O
Gwan O
in O
Beijing O
on O
Sunday B-T
. O

" O
I O
believe O
I O
will O
be O
meeting O
with O
Kim O
Kye O
- O
Gwan O
bilaterally O
tomorrow B-T
, O
" O
Hill O
told O
reporters O
at O
Narita O
International O
Airport O
near O
Tokyo O
. O

" O
I O
look O
forward O
to O
seeing O
him O
tomorrow B-T
and O
exchanging O
views O
with O
him O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Kim O
, O
speaking O
earlier O
Saturday B-T
, O
warned O
he O
was O
not O
optimistic O
about O
the O
six O
- O
way O
talks O
due O
to O
the O
" O
hostile O
" O
US O
stance O
. O

Hill O
responded O
that O
the O
US O
was O
opposed O
to O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
nuclear O
program O
, O
not O
the O
regime O
itself O
. O

" O
I O
have O
made O
very O
clear O
that O
the O
United O
States O
has O
hostile O
policies O
to O
the O
DPRK O
' O
s O
nuclear O
policy O
, O
" O
he O
said O
, O
using O
the O
North O
' O
s O
official O
name O
, O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
. O

" O
I O
' O
m O
not O
going O
to O
negotiate O
with O
Mr O
. O
Kim O
through O
the O
media O
, O
" O
he O
added O
, O
saying O
the O
two O
would O
have O
" O
ample O
opportunity O
" O
to O
talk O
in O
Beijing O
. O

The O
negotiations O
- O
- O
which O
include O
the O
two O
Koreas O
, O
China O
, O
Japan O
, O
Russia O
, O
the O
United O
States O
- O
- O
are O
resuming O
after O
a O
13 O
- O
month O
hiatus O
during O
which O
North O
Korea O
tested O
an O
atom O
bomb O
. O

The O
US O
has O
repeatedly O
met O
with O
North O
Korea O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
the O
talks O
but O
has O
refused O
to O
hold O
full O
- O
fledged O
bilateral O
talks O
outside O
the O
framework O
of O
six O
- O
way O
talks O
. O

North O
Korea O
walked O
away O
from O
the O
six O
- O
way O
talks O
in O
November B-T
2005 I-T
, O
demanding O
that O
the O
US O
lift O
financial O
sanctions O
on O
a O
Macau O
- O
based O
bank O
accused O
of O
laundering O
and O
counterfeiting O
money O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
impoverished O
regime O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
Security O
Council O
passed O
a O
resolution O
slapping O
new O
sanctions O
on O
North O
Korea O
after O
its O
October B-T
9 I-T
nuclear O
test O
. O

Asked O
if O
Washington O
was O
ready O
to O
lift O
sanctions O
, O
Hill O
said O
: O
" O
I O
think O
Mr O
. O
Kim O
knows O
well O
what O
the O
status O
of O
the O
UN O
sanctions O
are O
and O
he O
knows O
very O
well O
what O
the O
resolution O
is O
. O
" O

" O
I O
think O
he O
also O
knows O
very O
well O
that O
what O
we O
are O
trying O
to O
achieve O
is O
the O
denuclearization O
of O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
, O
" O
Hill O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061110 O
. O
0060 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

by O
Yu O
Zhixiao O
, O
Zhang O
Haibo O

The O
Afghan O
government O
is O
taking O
various O
tough O
measures O
including O
the O
sacking O
of O
governors O
, O
possible O
ground O
chemical O
spraying O
, O
to O
prevent O
the O
rocketing O
poppy O
cultivation O
in O
this O
country O
, O
a O
senior O
Afghan O
officer O
said O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
If O
governors O
and O
district O
chiefs O
are O
not O
able O
to O
reduce O
poppy O
cultivation O
, O
at O
least O
they O
will O
lose O
their O
jobs O
, O
" O
Said O
Mohammad O
Azam O
, O
director O
of O
Public O
Relation O
and O
Public O
Information O
of O
Afghan O
Counter O
Narcotics O
Ministry O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
in O
an O
exclusive O
interview O
. O

District O
and O
police O
chiefs O
of O
Daryam O
in O
the O
northeastern O
Badakhshan O
province O
had O
been O
sacked O
for O
incapability O
in O
fighting O
drug O
, O
he O
added O
. O

Azam O
said O
an O
eight O
- O
member O
anti O
- O
narcotics O
committee O
, O
grouping O
district O
and O
police O
chiefs O
, O
has O
been O
established O
in O
108 O
districts O
of O
11 O
provinces O
where O
poppy O
cultivation O
is O
rife O
. O

The O
committee O
would O
supervise O
poppy O
crops O
closely O
and O
find O
ways O
to O
reduce O
it O
, O
he O
added O
. O

In O
2006 B-T
, O
poppy O
cultivation O
in O
Afghanistan O
reached O
a O
record O
165 O
, O
000 O
hectares O
, O
up O
59 O
percent O
from O
last B-T
year I-T
, O
according O
to O
a O
report O
by O
the O
UN O
Office O
on O
Drugs O
and O
Crime O
issued O
in O
September B-T
. O

Opium O
production O
reached O
6 O
, O
100 O
tons O
, O
witnessing O
a O
49 O
percent O
rise O
over O
2005 B-T
and O
accounting O
for O
92 O
percent O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
total O
supply O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

The O
Afghan O
government O
has O
been O
severely O
criticized O
by O
the O
international O
community O
, O
especially O
Western O
countries O
for O
its O
failure O
to O
curb O
the O
booming O
opium O
industry O
. O

Azam O
said O
" O
Ground O
chemical O
spraying O
would O
be O
the O
last O
option O
if O
all O
other O
options O
do O
not O
work O
. O
But O
no O
decision O
of O
using O
chemical O
spraying O
has O
been O
made O
. O
" O

It O
is O
the O
first O
time O
that O
the O
Afghan O
government O
accepted O
that O
chemical O
spraying O
could O
be O
considered O
to O
curb O
poppy O
cultivation O
. O

But O
Azam O
said O
aerial O
spraying O
is O
out O
of O
the O
choice O
, O
as O
it O
would O
do O
great O
harm O
to O
water O
resources O
, O
cattle O
, O
human O
being O
, O
etc O
. O

The O
number O
of O
6 O
, O
100 O
tons O
of O
opium O
is O
" O
not O
acceptable O
and O
not O
tolerable O
, O
" O
and O
it O
" O
brings O
a O
bad O
name O
for O
the O
country O
, O
" O
said O
Azam O
, O
adding O
Afghanistan O
is O
pushing O
the O
national O
anti O
- O
drug O
campaign O
led O
by O
President O
Hamid O
Karzai O
. O

However O
, O
analysts O
say O
it O
is O
a O
daunting O
task O
to O
curb O
opium O
production O
in O
Afghanistan O
as O
insecurity O
, O
official O
corruption O
and O
poverty O
there O
are O
providing O
fertile O
soil O
for O
the O
industry O
. O

Moreover O
, O
as O
Azam O
said O
the O
government O
would O
not O
provide O
job O
opportunities O
, O
crop O
seeds O
, O
and O
other O
compensation O
for O
those O
who O
are O
forced O
or O
persuaded O
out O
of O
planting O
poppy O
, O
it O
is O
extraordinarily O
difficult O
for O
farmers O
to O
abandon O
the O
industry O
, O
which O
many O
tightly O
tie O
their O
lives O
to O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0127 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Hong O
Kong O
share O
prices O
close O
almost O
flat O
- O
- O
Nov O
. O
15 O

Hong O
Kong O
shares O
ended O
almost O
flat O
Tuesday B-T
with O
Hang O
Seng O
Index O
falling O
2 O
. O
08 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
01 O
percent O
, O
to O
14 O
, O
627 O
. O
41 O
after O
trading O
between O
14 B-T
, I-T
518 I-T
. I-T
75 I-T
and O
14 O
, O
671 O
. O
02 O
during O
the O
session O
. O

Turnover O
totaled O
16 O
. O
11 O
billion O
HK O
dollars O
, O
down O
from O
17 O
. O
1 O
billion O
HK O
dollars O
Monday B-T
. O

Property O
shares O
fell O
. O
Sun O
Hung O
Kai O
Properties O
slipped O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
to O
72 O
. O
3 O
HK O
dollars O
while O
Henderson O
Land O
Development O
lost O
0 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
34 O
. O
75 O
HK O
dollars O
. O

Mid O
- O
tier O
developer O
New O
World O
Development O
fell O
0 O
. O
5 O
percent O
to O
9 O
. O
45 O
HK O
dollars O
and O
Sino O
Land O
dropped O
2 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
8 O
. O
25 O
HK O
dollars O
. O
The O
Hang O
Seng O
Properties O
sub O
- O
index O
shed O
0 O
. O
4 O
percent O
to O
17 O
, O
265 O
. O
36 O
. O

HSBC O
Holdings O
also O
weighed O
on O
the O
benchmark O
share O
index O
, O
ending O
down O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
at O
124 O
. O
4 O
HK O
dollars O
. O

The O
declines O
of O
HSBC O
and O
property O
stocks O
offset O
the O
slim O
gains O
of O
other O
index O
heavyweights O
. O

Cheung O
Kong O
and O
Hutchison O
Whampoa O
, O
two O
blue O
chips O
owned O
by O
tycoon O
Li O
Ka O
- O
shing O
, O
rebounded O
slightly O
from O
recent O
falls O
. O

Hutchison O
shares O
rose O
0 O
. O
3 O
percent O
to O
73 O
. O
25 O
HK O
dollars O
, O
while O
Cheung O
Kong O
edged O
up O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
to O
78 O
. O
35 O
HK O
dollars O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051124 O
. O
0255 O

OTTAWA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
24 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Canadians O
one O
step O
closer O
to O
winter O
election O

Canadians O
are O
one O
step O
closer O
to O
a O
rare O
winter O
election O
as O
the O
opposition O
Conservatives O
tabled O
a O
motion O
of O
non O
- O
confidence O
on O
Thursday B-T
in O
the O
parliament O
, O
setting O
the O
stage O
for O
toppling O
the O
Liberal O
minority O
government O
led O
by O
Prime O
Minister O
Paul O
Martin O
. O

Stephen O
Harper O
, O
Leader O
of O
the O
Conservative O
Party O
, O
spoke O
widely O
about O
the O
sponsorship O
scandal O
and O
corruption O
of O
the O
Liberal O
governments O
in O
his O
address O
to O
the O
House O
when O
introducing O
the O
motion O
. O

" O
The O
Liberal O
culture O
of O
entitlement O
goes O
on O
. O
The O
public O
must O
be O
given O
a O
chance O
to O
put O
it O
to O
an O
end O
, O
' O
' O
he O
said O
. O

Harper O
said O
the O
Liberal O
party O
has O
had O
no O
moral O
authority O
to O
govern O
since O
April B-T
when O
testimony O
at O
the O
inquiry O
into O
the O
sponsorship O
program O
alleged O
kickbacks O
. O

It O
would O
be O
impossible O
to O
bring O
down O
the O
government O
without O
the O
support O
of O
the O
New O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
NDP O
) O
which O
withdrew O
its O
support O
for O
the O
Liberals O
early O
this B-T
month I-T
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
NDP O
chose O
to O
back O
the O
Conservatives O
and O
the O
Bloc O
Quebecois O
following O
failed O
talks O
with O
the O
Liberals O
over O
health O
care O
following O
the O
initial O
investigation O
report O
on O
the O
sponsorship O
scandal O
confirmed O
former O
Liberal O
government O
was O
responsible O
for O
the O
scandal O
. O

The O
three O
opposition O
parties O
hold O
the O
majority O
of O
the O
308 O
seats O
in O
the O
House O
. O
If O
the O
motion O
passes O
, O
Prime O
Minister O
Paul O
Martin O
is O
widely O
expected O
to O
ask O
Governor O
General O
Michaelle O
Jean O
to O
dissolve O
Parliament O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
leading O
to O
an O
election O
on O
Jan B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
or I-T
Jan I-T
. I-T
23 I-T
. O

In O
response O
to O
Harper O
' O
s O
motion O
, O
Liberal O
House O
Leader O
Tony O
Valeri O
cited O
eight O
straight O
balanced O
federal O
budgets O
, O
the O
lowest O
unemployment O
in O
30 B-T
years I-T
and O
the O
lowest O
interest O
rates O
in O
a O
generation O
. O

" O
The O
opposition O
calls O
it O
arrogance O
. O
Canadians O
call O
it O
achievement O
, O
" O
Valeri O
said O
. O
" O
We O
will O
work O
to O
make O
the O
best O
country O
in O
the O
world O
even O
better O
. O
" O

Thursday B-T
' O
s O
non O
- O
confidence O
motion O
is O
being O
tabled O
on O
the B-T
same I-T
day I-T
as O
the O
start O
of O
a O
two O
- O
day O
historic O
first O
ministers O
' O
meeting O
including O
aboriginal O
groups O
. O

The O
Martin O
government O
are O
expected O
to O
announce O
a O
commitment O
of O
4 O
billion O
Canadian O
dollars O
( O
about O
3 O
. O
2 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
in O
Federal O
cash O
for O
aboriginal O
housing O
, O
education O
and O
health O
, O
at O
the O
conclusion O
of O
the O
summit O
in O
Kelowna O
, O
British O
Columbia O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

On O
Wednesday B-T
, O
Alberta O
Premier O
Ralph O
Klein O
predicted O
Canada O
would O
be O
left O
with O
another O
minority O
Liberal O
government O
if O
the O
opposition O
forces O
an O
election O
in O
the B-T
new I-T
year I-T
. O

Speaking O
in O
Halifax O
on O
Wednesday B-T
as O
part O
of O
a O
cross O
- O
Canada O
speaking O
tour O
, O
Klein O
said O
he O
saw O
no O
many O
changes O
in O
the O
political O
landscape O
after O
an O
expected O
federal O
election O
in O
January B-T
. O

The O
outspoken O
Conservative O
premier O
said O
it O
was O
unlikely O
the O
federal O
Conservatives O
will O
gain O
much O
ground O
because O
they O
would O
not O
be O
able O
to O
win O
enough O
support O
in O
vote O
- O
rich O
Ontario O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970419 O
. O
0342 O

NEW O
YORK O
, O
April B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
, O
S O
. O
Korea O
still O
hope O
for O
peace O
talks O
despite O
North O
' O
s O
no O
- O
show O
( O
new O
series O
) O
by O
Carole O
Landry O

The O
United O
States O
and O
South O
Korea O
failed O
to O
get O
a O
keenly O
awaited O
reply O
from O
North O
Korea O
on O
their O
joint O
proposal O
for O
peace O
talks O
, O
but O
hopes O
lingered O
that O
a O
response O
may O
still O
come O
, O
possibly O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

The O
top O
US O
envoy O
to O
talks O
between O
North O
and O
South O
Korea O
returned O
to O
Washington O
Saturday O
after O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
emissaries O
twice O
failed O
to O
show O
up O
for O
meetings O
here O
- O
- O
scheduled O
Friday B-T
and O
Saturday B-T
- O
- O
to O
hear O
their O
reply O
. O

Both O
times O
the O
North O
Koreans O
said O
they O
were O
awaiting O
instructions O
from O
Pyongyang O
. O

Saturday O
US O
Deputy O
Assistant O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Charles O
Kartman O
left O
a O
few O
aides O
behind O
in O
New O
York O
to O
consult O
with O
the O
North O
Koreans O
on O
the O
possibility O
of O
a O
meeting O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
a O
US O
official O
said O
. O

" O
We O
are O
working O
on O
trying O
to O
obtain O
a O
response O
from O
the O
North O
Koreans O
to O
our O
proposal O
, O
which O
we O
hope O
will O
be O
an O
acceptance O
of O
that O
proposal O
and O
that O
' O
s O
what O
we O
are O
working O
towards O
, O
" O
said O
the O
official O
, O
who O
asked O
not O
to O
be O
named O
. O

North O
Korea O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
deliver O
its O
response O
confounded O
US O
and O
South O
Korean O
officials O
, O
who O
optimistically O
began O
the O
discussions O
Wednesday B-T
at O
North O
Korea O
' O
s O
request O
. O

The O
North O
Koreans O
called O
the O
meeting O
to O
give O
their O
answer O
to O
a O
year O
- O
old O
offer O
from O
the O
United O
States O
and O
South O
Korea O
to O
hold O
four O
- O
party O
negotiations O
on O
a O
peace O
treaty O
that O
would O
replace O
the O
armistice O
that O
ended O
the O
1950 O
- O
53 O
Korean O
War O
. O

Under O
the O
proposal O
offered O
by O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
and O
South O
Korean O
President O
Kim O
Young O
- O
Sam O
, O
the O
two O
Koreas O
would O
be O
joined O
by O
the O
United O
States O
and O
China O
as O
intermediaries O
at O
the O
peace O
table O
. O

China O
, O
the O
North O
' O
s O
ideological O
ally O
and O
now B-T
an O
economic O
partner O
with O
South O
Korea O
, O
accepted O
the O
proposal O
in O
November B-T
. O

After O
predicting O
" O
good O
results O
" O
from O
the O
talks O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
North O
Korean O
Vice O
Foreign O
Minister O
Kim O
Gye O
Gwan O
, O
who O
heads O
Pyongyang O
' O
s O
delegation O
, O
refused O
to O
resume O
discussions O
. O

North O
Korean O
spokesman O
Kim O
Myong O
Gil O
told O
AFP O
the O
delegation O
was O
awaiting O
final O
instructions O
from O
Pyongyang O
. O
Asked O
whether O
the O
message O
could O
arrive O
Sunday O
, O
he O
replied O
: O
" O
I O
think O
so O
. O
" O

Seoul O
' O
s O
envoys O
, O
also O
hopeful O
that O
the O
meeting O
could O
be O
held O
Monday B-T
, O
decided O
to O
remain O
in O
New O
York O
city O
, O
a O
South O
Korean O
diplomat O
said O
. O

South O
Korean O
officials O
did O
not O
hide O
their O
frustration O
with O
the O
North O
' O
s O
unpredictable O
behavior O
, O
but O
they O
also O
appeared O
to O
keep O
a O
cool O
- O
headed O
approach O
to O
the O
turn O
of O
events O
. O

" O
If O
they O
aren O
' O
t O
prepared O
, O
we O
won O
' O
t O
push O
, O
" O
said O
one O
South O
Korean O
diplomat O
. O

Communist O
North O
Korea O
and O
capitalist O
South O
Korea O
have O
been O
locked O
in O
a O
tense O
truce O
under O
the O
1953 O
armistice O
agreement O
that O
divided O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
. O

At O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
meeting O
, O
the O
delegation O
from O
Pyongyang O
repeatedly O
raised O
the O
food O
crisis O
in O
their O
country O
in O
an O
apparent O
bid O
to O
gain O
more O
pledges O
of O
assistance O
, O
according O
to O
US O
and O
South O
Korean O
diplomats O
. O

But O
US O
and O
South O
Korean O
officials O
reiterated O
that O
there O
would O
be O
no O
further O
pledges O
of O
food O
aid O
until O
Pyongyang O
said O
yes O
to O
peace O
talks O
. O

The O
United O
States O
last B-T
week I-T
announced O
an O
additional O
15 O
million O
dollars O
in O
food O
aid O
to O
help O
North O
Korea O
avoid O
famine O
after O
1995 O
- O
96 O
flooding O
that O
devastated O
farmlands O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0445 O

LOS O
ANGELES O
, O
California O
, O
April B-T
1 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Food O
in O
Heaven O
' O
s O
Gate O
mansion O
shows O
followers O
had O
a O
sweet O
tooth O

Members O
of O
the O
Heaven O
' O
s O
Gate O
cult O
who O
committed O
suicide O
apparently O
had O
a O
sweet O
tooth O
, O
if O
the O
contents O
of O
the O
kitchen O
of O
their O
Rancho O
Santa O
Fe O
mansion O
is O
any O
indication O
. O

San O
Diego O
County O
officials O
searching O
the O
mansion O
outside O
San O
Diego O
the O
bodies O
of O
39 O
men O
and O
women O
were O
discovered O
March B-T
26 I-T
found O
candy O
, O
cookies O
and O
ice O
cream O
- O
- O
along O
with O
5 O
, O
400 O
dollars O
in O
cash O
. O

" O
These O
weren O
' O
t O
people O
who O
ate O
rocks O
, O
" O
said O
county O
official O
Susan O
Jamme O
. O
" O
That O
was O
what O
impacted O
me O
: O
the O
normalcy O
. O
" O

Their O
refrigerator O
contained O
everything O
from O
frozen O
pizza O
to O
sodas O
, O
authorities O
said O
, O
along O
with O
food O
cult O
members O
had O
purchased O
in O
bulk O
. O
Stickers O
on O
the O
pantry O
shelves O
identified O
neatly O
organized O
boxes O
and O
cans O
of O
food O
. O

Authorities O
found O
stickers O
with O
cult O
members O
' O
initials O
on O
clothes O
, O
shoes O
and O
vitamin O
containers O
. O
The O
members O
also O
kept O
a O
detailed O
schedule O
showing O
when O
sect O
members O
had O
to O
cut O
their O
hair O
. O
Male O
and O
female O
cult O
members O
all O
had O
the O
same O
cropped O
haircut O
. O

" O
We O
considered O
ourselves O
as O
part O
of O
an O
astronaut O
training O
program O
in O
preparation O
to O
be O
given O
membership O
in O
a O
completely O
separate O
level O
of O
existence O
, O
" O
former O
sect O
member O
Frank O
Lyford O
told O
the O
San O
Diego O
Union O
Tribune O
in O
a O
telephone O
interview O
from O
Canada O
. O

Lyford O
quit O
the O
sect O
in O
1993 B-T
after O
being O
a O
member O
for O
18 B-T
years I-T
. O
He O
originally O
joined O
the O
group O
with O
friend O
Erika O
Ernst O
, O
who O
was O
among O
the O
cult O
members O
who O
committed O
suicide O
. O

Authorities O
said O
they O
will O
eventually O
auction O
off O
the O
cult O
household O
items O
, O
including O
a O
gold O
ring O
found O
at O
the O
mansion O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0130 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0130 O
. O

Crane O
Co O
. O
Holds O
8 O
. O
9 O
% O

@ O
Of O
Milton O
Roy O
Corp O
. O
, O

@ O
May O
Seek O
Control O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

CR O
MRC O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

NEW O
YORK O

Crane O
Co O
. O
said O
it O
holds O
an O
8 O
. O
9 O
% O
stake O
in O
Milton O
Roy O
Corp O
. O
, O
an O
analytical O
- O
instruments O
maker O
, O
and O
may O
seek O
control O
of O
the O
company O
. O

Crane O
, O
a O
maker O
of O
engineered O
products O
for O
aerospace O
, O
construction O
, O
defense O
and O
other O
uses O
, O
made O
the O
disclosure O
in O
a O
Securities O
and O
Exchange O
Commission O
filing O
. O

In O
the O
filing O
, O
Crane O
said O
that O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
it O
considered O
seeking O
control O
of O
Milton O
Roy O
, O
of O
St O
. O
Petersburg O
, O
Fla O
. O
, O
through O
a O
merger O
or O
tender O
offer O
and O
that O
it O
expects O
to O
continue O
to O
evaluate O
an O
acquisition O
from B-T
time I-T
to I-T
time I-T
. O

Crane O
officials O
did O
n O
' O
t O
return O
phone O
calls O
seeking O
comment O
. O

Crane O
holds O
504 O
, O
200 O
Milton O
Roy O
shares O
, O
including O
254 O
, O
200 O
bought O
from O
Sept B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
to O
Thursday B-T
for O
$ O
15 O
. O
50 O
to O
$ O
16 O
. O
75 O
each O
. O

In O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
Friday B-T
, O
Milton O
Roy O
shares O
leaped O
$ O
2 O
, O
to O
$ O
18 O
. O
375 O
each O
, O
while O
Crane O
sank O
$ O
1 O
. O
125 O
, O
to O
$ O
21 O
. O
125 O
a O
share O
. O

John O
M O
. O
McNamara O
, O
chief O
financial O
officer O
of O
Milton O
Roy O
, O
said O
the O
company O
has O
no O
comment O
on O
Crane O
' O
s O
filing O
. O

Milton O
Roy O
recently B-T
fended O
off O
unsolicited O
overtures O
from O
Thermo O
Electron O
Corp O
. O
, O
a O
Waltham O
, O
Mass O
. O
, O
maker O
of O
biomedical O
products O
. O

Milton O
Roy O
disclosed O
in O
May B-T
that O
it O
was O
approached O
for O
a O
possible O
acquisition O
by O
Thermo O
Electron O
, O
which O
agreed O
to O
purchase O
Milton O
Roy O
' O
s O
liquid O
- O
chromatography O
line O
for O
$ O
22 O
million O
in O
February B-T
. O

Thermo O
Electron O
acquired O
some O
6 O
% O
of O
Milton O
Roy O
' O
s O
common O
stock O
before O
throwing O
in O
the O
towel O
and O
reducing O
its O
stake O
in O
early B-T
September I-T
. O

Gabelli O
Group O
began O
raising O
its O
Milton O
Roy O
stake O
in O
July B-T
, O
and O
holds O
14 O
. O
6 O
% O
, O
according O
to O
a O
recent B-T
SEC O
filing O
. O

It O
has O
n O
' O
t O
made O
merger O
overtures O
to O
the O
board O
. O

Earlier B-T
this I-T
month I-T
, O
Milton O
Roy O
signed O
a O
letter O
of O
intent O
to O
acquire O
Automated O
Custom O
Systems O
Inc O
. O
, O
Orange O
, O
Calif O
. O
, O
and O
its O
sister O
operation O
, O
Environmental O
Testing O
Co O
. O
, O
in O
Aurora O
, O
Colo O
. O

The O
companies O
are O
automotive O
- O
emissions O
- O
testing O
concerns O
. O

Under O
the O
terms O
, O
Milton O
Roy O
will O
pay O
an O
initial O
$ O
4 O
million O
for O
the O
operations O
and O
additional O
payments O
during O
the B-T
next I-T
four I-T
years I-T
based O
on O
the O
earnings O
performance O
of O
the O
businesses O
. O

In O
the B-T
nine I-T
months I-T
, O
Milton O
Roy O
earned O
$ O
6 O
. O
6 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
18 O
a O
share O
, O
on O
sales O
of O
$ O
94 O
. O
3 O
million O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051125 O
. O
0055 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Dollar O
rises O
to O
lower O
119 O
yen O
level O
in O
Tokyo O

The O
US O
dollar O
rose O
to O
the O
lower O
119 O
yen O
level O
Friday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
as O
the O
yen O
faced O
selling O
after O
Japan O
' O
s O
tame O
inflation O
data O
dimmed O
prospects O
that O
the O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
would O
abandon O
its O
ultra O
- O
loose O
monetary O
policy O
in O
the B-T
near I-T
future I-T
. O

At O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
, O
the O
dollar O
was O
quoted O
at O
119 O
. O
26 O
- O
28 O
yen O
, O
up O
from O
Thursday B-T
' O
s O
quotes O
of O
118 O
. O
75 O
- O
85 O
yen O
at O
4 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
in O
London O
and O
118 O
. O
76 O
- O
79 O
yen O
at O
5 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
in O
Tokyo O
. O
US O
financial O
markets O
were O
closed O
Thursday B-T
for O
the O
Thanksgiving O
holiday O
. O

The O
dollar O
moved O
between O
118 O
. O
90 O
yen O
and O
119 O
. O
32 O
yen O
during O
the B-T
day I-T
, O
trading O
most O
frequently O
at O
119 O
. O
27 O
yen O
. O

The O
euro O
was O
quoted O
at O
1 O
. O
1752 O
- O
1754 O
dollars O
and O
140 O
. O
16 O
- O
20 O
yen O
against O
1 O
. O
1780 O
- O
1790 O
dollars O
and O
140 O
. O
05 O
- O
10 O
yen O
at O
4 B-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Thursday B-T
in O
London O
and O
1 O
. O
1812 O
- O
1815 O
dollars O
and O
140 O
. O
31 O
- O
35 O
yen O
at O
5 B-T
p I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
Thursday B-T
in O
Tokyo O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0212 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

U O
. O
S O
. O
trade O
deficit O
down O
in O
September O

The O
U O
. O
S O
. O
trade O
deficit O
declined O
by O
6 O
. O
8 O
percent O
to O
64 O
. O
3 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
in O
September B-T
, O
a O
Commerce O
Department O
report O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
drop O
of O
4 O
. O
7 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
September B-T
, O
down O
from O
a O
revised O
record O
estimate O
of O
69 O
billion O
dollars O
in O
August B-T
, O
was O
the O
biggest O
one O
- O
month O
decline O
since O
February B-T
2001 I-T
. O

The O
report O
said O
the O
sharp O
drop O
was O
due O
to O
the O
fact O
that O
oil O
import O
prices O
fell O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
five B-T
months I-T
and O
U O
. O
S O
. O
exports O
edged O
higher O
to O
a O
new O
record O
. O

In O
September B-T
, O
the O
goods O
and O
services O
deficit O
was O
down O
0 O
. O
7 O
billion O
dollars O
from O
September B-T
2005 I-T
. O
Exports O
were O
up O
16 O
. O
8 O
billion O
, O
or O
15 O
. O
8 O
percent O
, O
to O
a O
record O
estimate O
of O
123 O
. O
2 O
billion O
dollars O
. O

Meanwhile O
, O
U O
. O
S O
. O
imports O
in O
September B-T
were O
up O
16 O
. O
2 O
billion O
dollars O
, O
or O
9 O
. O
4 O
percent O
, O
to O
187 O
. O
5 O
billion O
dollars O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0059 O

TOKYO O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Sex O
assault O
fuels O
new O
controversy O
over O
US O
bases O
in O
Japan O
by O
Miwa O
Suzuki O

The O
Japanese O
cabinet O
on O
Thursday B-T
approved O
measures O
to O
force O
Okinawa O
landowners O
to O
renew O
US O
base O
leases O
as O
a O
new O
sex O
attack O
blamed O
on O
a O
US O
Navy O
officer O
threatened O
to O
cause O
a O
fresh O
controversy O
over O
the O
US O
military O
presence O
in O
Japan O
. O

The O
cabinet O
approved O
a O
bill O
to O
revise O
a O
special O
law O
so O
US O
military O
forces O
can O
continue O
using O
land O
on O
the O
southern O
island O
of O
Okinawa O
despite O
the O
angry O
refusal O
of O
landowners O
to O
renew O
leases O
. O

The O
bill O
was O
sent O
to O
parliament O
with O
debate O
expected O
to O
start O
Friday B-T
, O
parliament O
officials O
said O
. O
Prime O
Minister O
Ryutaro O
Hashimoto O
hoped O
to O
enact O
the O
bill O
on O
April B-T
18 I-T
before O
he O
leaves O
for O
the O
United O
States O
on O
April B-T
24 I-T
for O
key O
talks O
, O
Jiji O
press O
said O
. O

Hashimoto O
said O
he O
would O
not O
ask O
US O
President O
Bill O
Clinton O
to O
reduce O
the O
number O
of O
troops O
in O
Japan O
at O
their O
summit O
on O
April B-T
25 I-T
. O

" O
It O
is O
not O
a O
time O
for O
discussing O
a O
reduction O
in O
US O
troops O
, O
" O
he O
told O
a O
parliament O
committee O
. O

Okinawa O
Governor O
Masahide O
Ota O
issued O
a O
statement O
saying O
the O
cabinet O
decision O
was O
" O
very O
regrettable O
, O
" O
while O
a O
landlords O
' O
group O
denounced O
the O
government O
move O
as O
" O
an O
outrageous O
, O
fascist O
act O
. O
" O

A O
new O
controversy O
over O
the O
US O
military O
presence O
was O
expected O
after O
a O
US O
Navy O
petty O
officer O
was O
taken O
into O
custody O
by O
US O
military O
authorities O
Wednesday B-T
accused O
of O
sexually O
assaulting O
a O
Japanese O
woman O
. O

Anti O
- O
US O
sentiment O
was O
heightened O
in O
Okinawa O
after O
the O
rape O
of O
a O
local O
schoolgirl O
by O
three O
US O
servicemen O
in O
September B-T
1995 I-T
. O

The O
latest O
assault O
allegedly O
took O
place O
at O
a O
navy O
enlisted O
quarters O
in O
Yokosuka O
, O
near O
Tokyo O
. O
It O
also O
came O
just O
ahead O
of O
a O
visit O
to O
Japan O
by O
US O
Defense O
Secretary O
William O
Cohen O
. O

Japanese O
police O
are O
leading O
the O
investigation O
. O
After O
the O
1995 B-T
rape O
, O
an O
accord O
on O
US O
personnel O
in O
Japan O
was O
revised O
to O
enable O
Japanese O
authorities O
to O
question O
accused O
US O
military O
even O
before O
they O
are O
formally O
charged O
. O

The O
law O
change O
would O
allow O
the O
US O
military O
to O
continue O
running O
12 O
Okinawa O
facilities O
on O
land O
owned O
by O
some O
3 O
, O
000 O
people O
who O
have O
refused O
to O
renew O
leases O
which O
expire O
on O
May B-T
14 I-T
. O

The O
bill O
stipulates O
the O
government O
can O
continue O
using O
land O
for O
the O
US O
military O
by O
providing O
compensation O
to O
landlords O
, O
even O
if O
it O
fails O
to O
gain O
approval O
for O
new O
leases O
. O

Around O
27 O
, O
000 O
of O
the O
47 O
, O
000 O
US O
troops O
in O
Japan O
are O
in O
Okinawa O
, O
which O
accounts O
for O
only O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
land O
area O
, O
but O
accommodates O
three O
- O
quarters O
of O
US O
military O
facilities O
in O
the O
country O
. O

The O
move O
to O
revise O
the O
1952 O
land O
expropriation O
law O
has O
been O
strongly O
opposed O
by O
Okinawans O
and O
the O
Social O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
SDP O
) O
which O
has O
generally O
allied O
itself O
to O
Hashimoto O
' O
s O
ruling O
Liberal O
Democratic O
Party O
( O
LDP O
) O
in O
parliament O
. O

But O
calls O
to O
reduce O
the O
number O
of O
troops O
in O
the O
island O
have O
been O
rejected O
by O
the O
United O
States O
because O
of O
tensions O
on O
the O
Korean O
peninsula O
. O

The O
base O
issue O
has O
also O
shaken O
the O
ruling O
alliance O
in O
which O
the O
LDP O
has O
teamed O
up O
with O
the O
SDP O
and O
centrist O
New O
party O
Sakigake O
against O
the O
main O
opposition O
New O
Frontier O
Party O
( O
NFP O
) O
. O

The O
SDP O
is O
under O
growing O
pressure O
over O
the O
bases O
. O
The O
Sankei O
Shimbun O
quoted O
a O
senior O
LDP O
official O
as O
saying O
the O
socialists O
were O
" O
too O
selfish O
" O
in O
seeking O
a O
continued O
alliance O
with O
the O
LDP O
while O
opposing O
the O
law O
revision O
. O

SDP O
chairman O
Takako O
Doi O
voiced O
opposition O
to O
the O
revision O
bill O
. O

" O
The O
bill O
is O
far O
from O
a O
minimum O
measure O
. O
. O
. O
It O
would O
enpower O
the O
government O
to O
do O
whatever O
it O
wants O
, O
and O
I O
am O
opposed O
to O
it O
, O
" O
Jiji O
quoted O
Doi O
as O
telling O
reporters O
. O

NFP O
leader O
Ichiro O
Ozawa O
is O
reportedly O
ready O
to O
cooperate O
with O
Hashimoto O
. O

The O
two O
failed O
to O
reach O
an O
accord O
on O
the O
law O
revision O
at O
meeting O
which O
went O
into O
the O
early O
hours O
of O
Thursday B-T
, O
but O
Hashimoto O
told O
reporters O
after O
that O
the O
two O
had O
" O
a O
common O
view O
in O
many O
points O
. O
" O

An O
NFP O
official O
said O
Ozawa O
was O
to O
meet O
Hashimoto O
again O
on O
Thursday B-T
or O
later O
. O

The O
Nihon O
Keizai O
Shimbun O
said O
Ozawa O
' O
s O
contact O
with O
Hashimoto O
had O
made O
a O
future O
conservative O
alliance O
between O
his O
party O
and O
the O
LDP O
look O
" O
more O
realistic O
. O
" O

The O
LDP O
and O
NFP O
have O
a O
combined O
385 O
votes O
in O
the O
500 O
- O
seat O
lower O
house O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970428 O
. O
0427 O

NICOSIA O
, O
April B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Iraq O
says O
deals O
with O
foreign O
oil O
firms O
in O
final O
stages O
: O
report O

Iraq O
says O
it O
is O
close O
to O
agreement O
on O
upstream O
oil O
deals O
and O
their O
implementation O
with O
several O
foreign O
companies O
, O
thanks O
in O
part O
to O
a O
more O
favorable O
international O
atmosphere O
, O
an O
economic O
review O
published O
here O
reported O
Monday B-T
. O

Iraqi O
Oil O
Minister O
Amer O
Rashid O
said O
his O
country O
has O
reached O
an O
understanding O
with O
interested O
oil O
companies O
on O
the O
plan O
for O
implementing O
the O
contracts O
, O
given O
the O
international O
sanctions O
against O
Iraq O
, O
the O
Middle O
East O
Economic O
Survey O
( O
MEES O
) O
reported O
. O

The O
United O
Nations O
imposed O
sanctions O
on O
Iraq O
after O
it O
invaded O
Kuwait O
in O
1990 B-T
. O
The O
sanctions O
are O
to O
be O
lifted O
after O
verification O
that O
Iraq O
has O
destroyed O
its O
weapons O
of O
mass O
destruction O
. O

The O
international O
political O
atmosphere O
is O
more O
positive O
toward O
Iraq O
and O
continues O
to O
change O
gradually O
in O
Baghdad O
' O
s O
favor O
, O
Rashid O
told O
MEES O
by O
telephone O
from O
Rome O
. O

The O
minister O
was O
in O
the O
Italian O
capital O
for O
talks O
with O
the O
Italian O
energy O
group O
ENI O
and O
its O
subsidiary O
Agip O
and O
said O
they O
are O
close O
to O
signing O
a O
23 O
- O
year O
agreement O
on O
the O
development O
of O
the O
Nasiriyah O
oil O
field O
in O
southern O
Iraq O
. O

The O
field O
has O
a O
production O
capacity O
of O
about O
300 O
, O
000 O
barrels O
a O
day O
, O
and O
Agip O
would O
invest O
two O
billion O
dollars O
to O
develop O
it O
. O

Rashid O
also O
held O
talks O
with O
senior O
political O
officials O
in O
Italy O
, O
where O
the O
Senate O
voted O
last B-T
week I-T
in O
favor O
of O
a O
gradual O
lifting O
of O
UN O
sanctions O
against O
Iraq O
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0051 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0051 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Murphy O
Oil O
Corp O
. O
: O

@ O
Ocean O
Drilling O
Unit O
to O
Sell O

@ O
Contract O
- O
Drilling O
Operation O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

ODR O
MUR O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Ocean O
Drilling O
amp O
Exploration O
Co O
. O
will O
sell O
its O
contract O
- O
drilling O
business O
, O
and O
took O
a O
$ O
50 O
. O
9 O
million O
loss O
from O
discontinued O
operations O
in O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
because O
of O
the O
planned O
sale O
. O

The O
New O
Orleans O
oil O
and O
gas O
exploration O
and O
diving O
operations O
company O
added O
that O
it O
does O
n O
' O
t O
expect O
any O
further O
adverse O
financial O
impact O
from O
the O
restructuring O
. O

In O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
, O
the O
company O
, O
which O
is O
61 O
% O
- O
owned O
by O
Murphy O
Oil O
Corp O
. O
of O
Arkansas O
, O
had O
a O
net O
loss O
of O
$ O
46 O
. O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
91 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
compared O
with O
a O
restated O
loss O
of O
$ O
9 O
million O
, O
or O
18 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

The B-T
latest I-T
period I-T
had O
profit O
from O
continuing O
operations O
of O
$ O
4 O
million O
. O

Revenue O
gained O
13 O
% O
to O
$ O
77 O
. O
3 O
million O
from O
$ O
68 O
. O
5 O
million O
. O

Ocean O
Drilling O
said O
it O
will O
offer O
15 O
% O
to O
20 O
% O
of O
the O
contract O
- O
drilling O
business O
through O
an O
initial O
public O
offering O
in O
the B-T
near I-T
future I-T
. O

It O
has O
long O
been O
rumored O
that O
Ocean O
Drilling O
would O
sell O
the O
unit O
to O
concentrate O
on O
its O
core O
oil O
and O
gas O
business O
. O

Ocean O
Drilling O
said O
it O
wo O
n O
' O
t O
hold O
any O
shares O
of O
the O
new O
company O
after O
the O
restructuring O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0286 O

NICOSIA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

initiative O
on O
Ankara O
- O
Nicosia O
ties O

Cyprus O
here O
Monday B-T
denied O
any O
responsibility O
for O
a O
possible O
failure O
to O
Finland O
' O
s O
initiative O
on O
Ankara O
- O
Nicosia O
ties O
in O
order O
to O
avert O
any O
possible O
derailment O
of O
Turkey O
' O
s O
EU O
accession O
course O
. O

Cyprus O
government O
spokesman O
Christodoulos O
Pashiardis O
told O
the O
press O
that O
the O
failure O
will O
be O
an O
unpleasant O
development O
which O
the O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
would O
not O
be O
responsible O
for O
in O
the O
least O
and O
the O
responsibility O
cannot O
be O
allocated O
to O
all O
involved O
to O
provide O
a O
sense O
of O
balance O
. O

Finland O
, O
which O
holds O
the O
rotating O
EU O
presidency O
, O
has O
been O
working O
on O
a O
draft O
proposal O
, O
providing O
for O
opening O
of O
Turkish O
occupied O
port O
of O
Famagusta O
( O
Varosha O
) O
under O
the O
EU O
administration O
for O
24 B-T
months I-T
in O
combination O
with O
the O
opening O
of O
Turkish O
ports O
to O
ships O
carrying O
the O
Cypriot O
flag O
and O
the O
transfer O
of O
Famagusta O
to O
the O
UN O
. O

For O
the O
purpose O
, O
The O
EU O
presidency O
had O
prepared O
the O
ground O
for O
a O
possible O
meeting O
in O
Helsinki O
between O
Cyprus O
and O
Turkey O
before O
cancelling O
the O
consultations O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, O
following O
Ankara O
' O
s O
refusal O
to O
meet O
its O
EU O
obligations O
and O
Cyprus O
' O
position O
that O
Turkey O
must O
do O
exactly O
that O
before O
EU O
accession O
negotiations O
are O
allowed O
to O
move O
further O
on O
. O

But O
Finnish O
Foreign O
Minister O
Erkki O
Tuomioja O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
promised O
that O
" O
efforts O
to O
find O
a O
solution O
that O
will O
enable O
the O
uninterrupted O
continuation O
of O
Turkey O
' O
s O
accession O
negotiations O
and O
improve O
the O
situation O
of O
both O
communities O
in O
Cyprus O
will O
continue O
. O
" O

Pashiardis O
said O
that O
" O
we O
don O
' O
t O
know O
at O
the O
moment O
of O
any O
change O
of O
the O
presidency O
' O
s O
original O
ideas O
. O
However O
, O
it O
is O
aware O
of O
our O
firm O
position O
on O
Varosha O
, O
which O
is O
a O
precondition O
for O
the O
successful O
outcome O
of O
the O
Finnish O
presidency O
initiative O
. O
" O

" O
Our O
side O
is O
demanding O
something O
which O
is O
logical O
and O
rejects O
the O
irrational O
. O
The O
Turkish O
side O
is O
demanding O
irrational O
things O
and O
rejects O
the O
logical O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

Cyprus O
has O
been O
divided O
since O
1974 B-T
when O
Turkey O
militarily O
intervened O
and O
occupied O
the O
north O
of O
Cyprus O
following O
a O
coup O
by O
a O
group O
of O
Greek O
officers O
. O

Turkey O
, O
a O
country O
aspiring O
to O
become O
an O
EU O
member O
state O
, O
does O
not O
recognize O
the O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
and O
has O
failed O
so O
far O
to O
implement O
the O
EU O
- O
Turkey O
Customs O
Union O
Protocol O
, O
which O
provides O
for O
opening O
of O
its O
ports O
and O
airports O
to O
Cyprus O
. O

The O
EU O
formally O
launched O
talks O
with O
Turkey O
over O
the O
country O
' O
s O
accession O
last B-T
October I-T
. O
The O
negotiations O
are O
expected O
to O
last O
at O
least O
a O
decade O
and O
Ankara O
is O
required O
to O
meet O
a O
number O
of O
criteria O
spelled O
out O
by O
the O
EU O
before O
entry O
. O

The O
Republic O
of O
Cyprus O
, O
which O
entered O
the O
EU O
on O
behalf O
of O
the O
whole O
island O
in O
May B-T
2004 I-T
, O
is O
able O
to O
block O
Turkey O
' O
s O
entry O
talks O
with O
its O
veto O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0115 O

FRANKFURT O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Lower O
Saxony O
seeks O
allies O
in O
battle O
with O
Porsche O
for O
VW O
: O
report O

In O
the O
escalating O
battle O
for O
control O
of O
German O
auto O
giant O
Volkswagen O
, O
the O
regional O
state O
authorities O
of O
Lower O
Saxony O
are O
seeking O
support O
from O
other O
shareholders O
versus O
luxury O
sports O
car O
maker O
Porsche O
, O
the O
Financial O
Times O
reported O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Lower O
Saxony O
' O
s O
regional O
premier O
Christian O
Wulff O
is O
to O
meet O
leading O
institutional O
investors O
early B-T
next I-T
year I-T
to O
gauge O
whether O
to O
fight O
Porsche O
' O
s O
increasing O
influence O
over O
VW O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
, O
quoting O
shareholders O
. O

Porsche O
has O
recently O
become O
VW O
' O
s O
largest O
shareholder O
and O
is O
seeking O
three O
or O
four O
seats O
on O
the O
car O
maker O
' O
s O
supervisory O
board O
, O
including O
the O
chairmanship O
, O
instead O
of O
two O
. O

The O
meetings O
with O
investors O
are O
likely O
before O
a O
supervisory O
board O
meeting O
in O
February B-T
, O
the O
last O
sitting O
before O
board O
nominations O
are O
made O
at O
the O
group O
' O
s O
annual O
meeting O
in O
April B-T
, O
FT O
said O
. O

If O
Wulff O
secures O
key O
investor O
support O
, O
the O
simmering O
conflict O
between O
Lower O
Saxony O
, O
VW O
' O
s O
second O
- O
biggest O
shareholder O
, O
and O
Porsche O
, O
could O
escalate O
further O
, O
the O
newspaper O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061127 O
. O
0268 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tax O
cuts O
, O
investment O
promotion O
proposed O
for O
Thai O
southern O
provinces O

The O
Thai O
government O
plans O
to O
reduce O
taxes O
on O
both O
personal O
income O
and O
corporate O
tax O
, O
as O
well O
as O
insurance O
fee O
for O
entrepreneurs O
in O
five O
southern O
provinces O
, O
the O
state O
- O
run O
news O
agency O
Monday B-T
announced O
. O

Thai O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
Finance O
Minister O
Pridiyathorn O
Devakula O
announced O
the O
future O
preferential O
policies O
for O
southern O
provinces O
after O
a O
Monday B-T
meeting O
entitled O
" O
A O
Special O
Economic O
Zone O
in O
Southern O
Thailand O
. O
" O

The O
main O
purpose O
of O
the O
meeting O
was O
to O
find O
out O
measures O
to O
materialize O
the O
government O
' O
s O
plan O
to O
set O
up O
a O
special O
development O
zone O
in O
the O
country O
' O
s O
five O
southern O
border O
provinces O
: O
Yala O
, O
Narathiwat O
, O
Pattani O
, O
Songkhla O
and O
Satun O
, O
the O
Thai O
News O
Agency O
said O
. O

Pridiyathorn O
said O
that O
the O
government O
is O
considering O
reducing O
corporate O
tax O
from O
30 O
percent O
to O
25 O
percent O
. O
Tax O
incentives O
will O
also O
be O
extended O
to O
cover O
personal O
income O
. O
He O
will O
hold O
talks O
with O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
Industry O
Minister O
Kosit O
Panpiemras O
about O
the O
possibility O
for O
the O
Board O
of O
Investment O
under O
the O
supervision O
of O
the O
Industry O
Minister O
to O
come O
with O
other O
forms O
of O
incentive O
to O
promote O
more O
investment O
in O
the O
violence O
- O
plagued O
region O
. O

Other O
incentives O
may O
include O
insurance O
fee O
reductions O
and O
permission O
for O
foreign O
laborers O
to O
work O
in O
some O
areas O
in O
the O
restive O
provinces O
. O

Details O
of O
the O
plan O
will O
be O
submitted O
for O
Cabinet O
approval O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
. O

The O
interim O
government O
expressed O
hope O
that O
the O
project O
will O
serve O
as O
a O
measure O
to O
help O
solve O
the O
problem O
of O
violence O
in O
this O
border O
region O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

More O
than O
1 O
, O
700 O
people O
have O
been O
killed O
since O
the O
violence O
reemerged O
in O
the O
three O
southernmost O
provinces O
of O
Thailand O
in O
January B-T
2004 I-T
. O
Since O
being O
appointed O
as O
Prime O
Minister O
after O
the O
Sept B-T
. I-T
19 I-T
coup O
, O
Gen O
. O
Surayud O
Chulanont O
has O
listed O
the O
violence O
in O
the O
south O
as O
one O
of O
his O
top O
priorities O
. O
He O
has O
been O
promoting O
reconciliation O
and O
apologized O
for O
the O
previous O
government O
' O
s O
mistreatment O
to O
the O
people O
in O
the O
South O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0055 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

US O
immigration O
official O
acquitted O
of O
forged O
passport O
charge O

A O
former O
US O
diplomat O
was O
charged O
Friday B-T
with O
possession O
of O
forged O
instruments O
after O
being O
earlier O
acquitted O
of O
possessing O
forged O
passports O
. O

Jerry O
Wolf O
Stuchiner O
, O
45 O
, O
a O
top O
immigration O
official O
at O
the O
US O
consulate O
in O
Honduras O
was O
immediately O
rearrested O
Friday B-T
by O
anti O
- O
graft O
officers O
after O
winning O
an O
appeal O
against O
his O
conviction O
and O
40 O
- O
month O
jail O
term O
for O
possessing O
forged O
passports O
. O

He O
appeared O
in O
court O
under O
the O
new O
charge O
but O
no O
plea O
was O
taken O
and O
the O
case O
was O
adjourned O
until O
next B-T
Tuesday I-T
. O

Stuchiner O
was O
remanded O
under O
the O
custody O
of O
the O
anti O
- O
graft O
body O
, O
the O
Independent O
Commission O
Against O
Corruption O
. O

He O
was O
convicted O
last B-T
August I-T
of O
possessing O
five O
blank O
Honduran O
passports O
. O

In O
his O
appeal O
, O
lodged O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
he O
admitted O
holding O
the O
passports O
but O
pleaded O
not O
guilty O
because O
they O
were O
blank O
. O

Under O
Hong O
Kong O
immigration O
law O
, O
forged O
passports O
must O
carry O
a O
photograph O
for O
a O
crime O
to O
be O
committed O
. O

In O
handing O
down O
the O
appeal O
court O
' O
s O
decision O
, O
Judge O
Henry O
Litton O
said O
" O
it O
is O
quite O
clear O
" O
that O
the O
charge O
against O
the O
defendant O
was O
" O
unsustainable O
under O
the O
law O
. O
" O

Stuchiner O
' O
s O
application O
for O
the O
court O
to O
pay O
legal O
costs O
was O
rejected O
. O

Stuchiner O
was O
arrested O
at O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Kai O
Tak O
airport O
on O
July B-T
15 I-T
last I-T
year I-T
carrying O
the O
passports O
he O
allegedly O
planned O
to O
sell O
to O
allow O
people O
from O
China O
, O
Macau O
and O
Taiwan O
to O
get O
into O
the O
United O
States O
. O

He O
was O
sentenced O
to O
three O
years O
and O
four O
months O
in O
jail O
on O
August B-T
16 I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

Stuchiner O
was O
head O
of O
the O
US O
immigration O
service O
in O
Honduras O
at O
the O
time O
of O
his O
arrest O
. O
Before O
that O
, O
he O
held O
a O
similar O
position O
at O
the O
US O
consulate O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
between O
1989 B-T
- I-T
1994 I-T
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
another O
US O
diplomat O
was O
suspended O
from O
work O
over O
a O
case O
of O
suspected O
visa O
fraud O
. O

James O
DeBates O
, O
45 O
, O
acting O
officer O
- O
in O
- O
charge O
of O
the O
US O
Immigration O
and O
Naturalization O
Service O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
, O
and O
his O
wife O
, O
Heddy O
, O
a O
US O
citizen O
of O
Chinese O
origin O
, O
were O
detained O
for O
questioning O
by O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
Independent O
Commission O
Against O
Corruption O
( O
ICAC O
) O
in O
mid O
- O
March O
. O

DeBates O
was O
suspended O
after O
being O
released O
without O
charge O
. O
He O
claimed O
diplomatic O
immunity O
and O
his O
wife O
was O
released O
on O
bail O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0112 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

African O
leaders O

Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
held O
here O
Saturday B-T
a O
welcoming O
banquet O
at O
the O
Great O
Hall O
of O
the O
People O
for O
the O
leaders O
and O
representatives O
of O
48 O
African O
countries O
, O
who O
are O
here O
for O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
the O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
. O

The O
Summit O
, O
themed O
on O
" O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
" O
, O
is O
regarded O
as O
the O
largest O
diplomatic O
event O
ever O
held O
between O
China O
and O
Africa O
. O

At O
the O
opening O
ceremony O
on O
Saturday B-T
morning I-T
, O
Hu O
announced O
a O
package O
of O
measures O
covering O
assistance O
, O
investment O
, O
trade O
and O
social O
development O
for O
Africa O
in O
an O
effort O
to O
forge O
a O
new O
type O
of O
strategic O
partnership O
and O
strengthen O
cooperation O
in O
more O
areas O
and O
at O
a O
higher O
level O
. O

Two O
documents O
- O
- O
a O
declaration O
and O
an O
action O
plan O
for O
2007 O
- O
2009 O
- O
- O
are O
expected O
to O
be O
adopted O
at O
the O
summit O
, O
due O
to O
conclude O
on O
Sunday B-T
. I-T

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0237 O

RIYADH O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

URGENT O
Saudi O
' O
dismayed O
' O
by O
Saddam O
hanging O
on O
Eid O

Saudi O
Arabia O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
hanging O
of O
Saddam O
Hussein O
on O
the O
first O
day O
of O
the O
Muslim O
Eid O
al O
- O
Adha O
festival O
caused O
" O
surprise O
and O
dismay O
" O
, O
the O
official O
Saudi O
Press O
Agency O
reported O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0353 O

HANOI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Half O
of O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
urban O
population O
face O
water O
shortage O

Nearly O
half O
of O
Vietnam O
' O
s O
urban O
population O
currently O
have O
no O
or O
little O
access O
to O
water O
supply O
, O
according O
to O
the O
Water O
Resources O
Management O
Department O
under O
the O
country O
' O
s O
Ministry O
of O
Natural O
Resources O
and O
Environment O
. O

Total O
capacity O
of O
water O
plants O
in O
urban O
areas O
can O
supply O
urban O
residents O
with O
nearly O
150 O
liters O
per O
head O
a O
day O
, O
but O
they O
only O
receive O
around O
50 O
liters O
, O
partly O
due O
to O
scarcity O
of O
water O
input O
and O
losses O
of O
water O
supply O
, O
the O
department O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

The O
fact O
that O
waterfalls O
and O
river O
flow O
distribute O
unequally O
in O
Vietnam O
, O
and O
that O
two O
- O
thirds O
of O
the O
country O
' O
s O
water O
flows O
in O
from O
outside O
its O
territory O
are O
major O
causes O
for O
droughts O
. O

Water O
shortage O
in O
dry O
seasons O
is O
also O
a O
factor O
. O
The O
country O
has O
average O
annual O
rainfall O
of O
1 O
, O
690 O
millimeters O
, O
a O
high O
level O
in O
the O
world O
, O
but O
only O
10 O
- O
30 O
percent O
is O
in O
the O
dry O
season O
lasting O
7 O
- O
8 O
months O
, O
the O
department O
noted O
. O

Water O
supply O
losses O
of O
240 O
water O
plants O
with O
combined O
daily O
design O
capacity O
of O
more O
than O
3 O
. O
2 O
million O
cubic O
meters O
stood O
at O
35 O
percent O
in O
late B-T
2004 I-T
, O
down O
from O
40 O
percent O
in O
2002 B-T
. O
Over O
75 O
percent O
of O
populations O
of O
major O
cities O
accessed O
running O
water O
at O
that O
time O
. O

Vietnam O
has O
aimed O
to O
establish O
water O
supply O
systems O
in O
all O
cities O
and O
towns O
nationwide O
by O
2010 B-T
. O
The O
country O
has O
also O
planned O
to O
supply O
safe O
water O
to O
85 O
percent O
of O
its O
rural O
population O
by O
that B-T
year I-T
. O

As O
of O
early B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
Vietnam O
had O
a O
population O
of O
some O
82 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
with O
26 O
percent O
residing O
in O
urban O
areas O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051116 O
. O
0182 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Abbas O
, O
Israeli O
FM O
hold O
talks O
in O
Tunis O

Palestinian O
leader O
Mahmoud O
Abbas O
and O
Israeli O
Foreign O
Minister O
Silvan O
Shalom O
met O
on O
the O
sidelines O
of O
a O
world O
information O
summit O
in O
the O
Tunisian O
capital O
Tunis O
on O
Wednesday B-T
, O
local O
newspaper O
Ha O
' O
aretz O
reported O
. O

The O
newspaper O
quoted O
Israeli O
officials O
as O
saying O
that O
the O
two O
met O
by O
accident O
and O
held O
30 O
- O
minute O
- O
long O
talks O
. O

Abbas O
said O
he O
was O
satisfied O
about O
a O
US O
- O
brokered O
agreement O
reached O
on O
Tuesday B-T
between O
the O
Palestinians O
and O
Israel O
to O
re O
- O
open O
the O
Rafah O
crossing O
on O
the O
Gaza O
- O
Egypt O
border O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
, O
according O
to O
the O
report O
. O

The O
Palestinian O
leader O
also O
voiced O
hope O
that O
the O
agreement O
, O
lauded O
by O
US O
Secretary O
of O
State O
Condoleezza O
Rice O
as O
a O
" O
big O
step O
forward O
" O
, O
can O
lead O
to O
renewed O
peace O
negotiations O
, O
it O
added O
. O

Shalom O
, O
on O
his O
part O
, O
re O
- O
asserted O
Israel O
' O
s O
displeasure O
over O
the O
participation O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
in O
the O
Jan B-T
. I-T
25 I-T
Palestinian O
parliamentary O
elections O
. O

Hamas O
has O
vowed O
to O
destroy O
Israel O
and O
staged O
rocket O
and O
suicide O
attacks O
on O
Israel O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
. O

The O
meeting O
between O
Abbas O
and O
Shalom O
, O
who O
are O
both O
in O
Tunis O
for O
a O
UN O
- O
sponsored O
three O
- O
day O
summit O
on O
information O
, O
was O
the O
highest O
- O
level O
contact O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
since O
a O
conference O
between O
Abbas O
and O
Israeli O
Prime O
Minister O
Ariel O
Sharon O
in O
June B-T
. O

A O
recent O
upsurge O
of O
violence O
has O
prompted O
Israel O
to O
freeze O
high O
- O
level O
contacts O
with O
the O
Palestinians O
. O

Shalom O
is O
the O
first O
Israeli O
foreign O
minister O
to O
visit O
the O
Arab O
country O
of O
Tunisia O
. O

Israel O
has O
recently O
exerted O
more O
efforts O
to O
improve O
its O
relations O
with O
the O
Arab O
world O
fretted O
by O
the O
decades O
- O
long O
Israeli O
- O
Palestinian O
conflict O
. O

Currently O
, O
only O
two O
Arab O
countries O
, O
Egypt O
and O
Jordan O
, O
have O
inked O
peace O
agreements O
with O
the O
Jewish O
state O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051129 O
. O
0117 O

MEXICO O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Mexican O
soccer O
championship O
quarterfinal O
fixtures O

Following O
ar O
ethe O
fixtures O
from O
the O
Mexican O
championship O
Quarterfinal O
first O
leg O
soccer O
matches O
on O
Tuesday B-T
: O

Quarterfinal O
Apertura O
, O
first O
leg O

Wednesday B-T
, I-T
November I-T
30 I-T
( O
GMT O
) O

Pachuca O
v O
Necaxa O

UAG O
v O
Monterrey O

Quarterfinal O
Apertura O
, O
first O
leg O

Thursday B-T
, I-T
December I-T
1 I-T
( O
GMT O
) O

Tigres O
v O
America O

Toluca O
v O
Cruz O
Azul O

XIN_ENG_20061129 O
. O
0222 O

DHAKA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Bangladesh O
to O
hold O
fair O
elections O
: O
president O

Bangaldeshi O
President O
and O
Chief O
Advisor O
Professor O
Iajuddin O
Ahmed O
told O
a O
visiting O
UN O
special O
envoy O
here O
Wednesday B-T
that O
all O
steps O
are O
taken O
to O
hold O
free O
, O
fair O
, O
neutral O
and O
peaceful O
parliamentary O
elections O
, O
private O
news O
agency O
UNB O
reported O
. O

Iajuddin O
urged O
the O
UN O
to O
send O
election O
observers O
to O
Bangladesh O
. O

UN O
Secretary O
General O
Kofi O
Annan O
' O
s O
special O
envoy O
, O
Craig O
Genness O
, O
arrived O
here O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
carrying O
his O
message O
for O
the O
caretaker O
government O
and O
the O
political O
leaders O
of O
Bangladesh O
that O
the O
world O
organization O
is O
concerned O
over O
the O
political O
situation O
stemming O
from O
electoral O
issues O
here O
. O

He O
called O
on O
Ahmed O
in O
the B-T
afternoon I-T
in O
the O
first O
instance O
before O
talks O
with O
the O
political O
parties O
on O
both O
sides O
of O
the O
political O
division O
concerning O
the O
contentious O
electoral O
issues O
. O

Listing O
to O
the O
measures O
taken O
to O
remove O
hurdles O
to O
the O
polls O
, O
Professor O
Ahmed O
told O
the O
envoy O
that O
the O
Chief O
Election O
Commissioner O
MA O
Aziz O
went O
on O
leave O
, O
two O
new O
Election O
Commissioners O
were O
appointed O
in O
view O
of O
some O
political O
parties O
' O
demand O
for O
creating O
congenial O
atmosphere O
for O
the O
elections O
while O
the O
EC O
announced O
the O
election O
schedule O
. O

Besides O
, O
he O
said O
, O
contract O
jobs O
at O
different O
levels O
have O
been O
canceled O
and O
necessary O
reshuffles O
in O
the O
administration O
done O
for O
impartial O
elections O
. O

The O
President O
pointed O
out O
that O
, O
as O
a O
constitutional O
body O
, O
the O
Election O
Commission O
has O
initiated O
all O
steps O
to O
hold O
free O
and O
fair O
elections O
. O
He O
assured O
the O
envoy O
of O
fair O
polls O
going O
to O
be O
held O
in O
the O
country O
, O
following O
such O
comprehensive O
groundwork O
. O

" O
The O
party O
who O
will O
secure O
electoral O
mandate O
will O
form O
the O
next O
government O
, O
" O
he O
told O
the O
UN O
emissary O
. O

Reiterating O
country O
' O
s O
commitment O
to O
the O
United O
Nations O
, O
the O
president O
said O
Bangladesh O
has O
been O
playing O
a O
lead O
role O
in O
various O
programs O
of O
the O
world O
body O
, O
including O
the O
UN O
peacekeeping O
mission O
. O

He O
thanked O
the O
UN O
secretary O
general O
for O
extending O
cooperation O
in O
advancing O
democratic O
process O
in O
Bangladesh O
. O

In O
response O
, O
the O
special O
envoy O
said O
the O
UN O
does O
not O
like O
to O
see O
any O
political O
violence O
in O
Bangladesh O
and O
noted O
that O
all O
problems O
can O
be O
resolved O
through O
the O
holding O
of O
peaceful O
elections O
. O

" O
The O
United O
Nations O
is O
concerned O
at O
the O
violence O
on O
street O
, O
" O
Genness O
was O
quoted O
by O
a O
President O
House O
spokesman O
as O
saying O
during O
the O
meeting O
with O
the O
President O
. O
He O
thanked O
the O
chief O
advisor O
for O
taking O
the O
initiatives O
for O
holding O
free O
and O
fair O
polls O
. O

The O
envoy O
requested O
the O
chief O
advisor O
to O
take O
steps O
for O
establishment O
of O
peace O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Genness O
informed O
the O
president O
that O
he O
would O
convey O
the O
UN O
Secretary O
General O
' O
s O
concern O
about O
" O
political O
violence O
" O
during O
his O
meetings O
with O
the O
leaders O
of O
major O
political O
parties O
. O

Both O
the O
President O
and O
the O
envoy O
observed O
with O
unanimity O
of O
views O
that O
all O
parties O
should O
come O
forward O
, O
realizing O
the O
reality O
, O
for O
maintaining O
peace O
and O
advancing O
democracy O
in O
the O
country O
. O

Since O
the O
former O
ruling O
BNP O
- O
led O
4 O
- O
party O
alliance O
government O
led O
by O
former O
prime O
minister O
Khaleda O
Zia O
ended O
its O
tenure O
on O
Oct B-T
. I-T
27 I-T
, O
the O
former O
main O
opposition O
Awami O
League O
( O
AL O
) O
- O
led O
14 O
- O
party O
combine O
had O
staged O
three O
rounds O
of O
countrywide O
blockade O
demanding O
reconstitution O
of O
Election O
Commission O
paving O
way O
for O
fair O
elections O
due O
in O
January B-T
next O
. O

Awami O
League O
announced O
Monday B-T
if O
their O
demands O
are O
not O
met O
, O
they O
will O
stage O
another O
round O
of O
blockade O
from O
Sunday B-T
. O

During O
the O
blockades O
, O
there O
were O
dozens O
of O
people O
killed O
and O
thousands O
wounded O
in O
clashes O
between O
supporters O
of O
BNP O
and O
AL O
. O
The O
country O
' O
s O
economy O
suffered O
a O
great O
loss O
. O

According O
to O
the O
Constitution O
, O
a O
neutral O
caretaker O
government O
supervises O
the O
country O
' O
s O
elections O
within O
90 B-T
days I-T
since O
1996 B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0639 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

Japanese O
shares O
open O
lower O

Japanese O
share O
prices O
opened O
lower O
Thursday B-T
, O
with O
the O
benchmark O
Nikkei O
- O
225 O
index O
down O
88 O
. O
31 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
57 O
percent O
, O
to O
15 O
, O
376 O
. O
27 O
in O
the O
first O
minutes O
of O
trading O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051221 O
. O
0110 O

RAWALPINDI O
, O
Pakistan O
, O
Dec B-T
21 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

= O
( O
PICTURES O
) O
= O

A O
reshuffled O
Pakistan O
team O
restricted O
a O
struggling O
England O
to O
206 O
- O
9 O
in O
the O
fifth O
and O
final O
day O
- O
night O
limited O
overs O
international O
at O
Pindi O
cricket O
stadium O
here O
on O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Vikram O
Solanki O
top O
- O
scored O
with O
49 O
while O
Andrew O
Flintoff O
( O
39 O
) O
and O
Paul O
Collingwood O
( O
33 O
) O
were O
other O
notable O
contributors O
after O
England O
won O
the O
toss O
and O
decided O
to O
bat O
on O
a O
slow O
pitch O
which O
assisted O
spin O
. O

England O
have O
already O
lost O
the O
five O
- O
match O
series O
3 O
- O
1 O
and O
were O
playing O
for O
pride O
and O
for O
an O
opportunity O
to O
improve O
their O
international O
one O
- O
day O
rankings O
. O

Marcus O
Trescothick O
, O
leading O
England O
in O
the O
absence O
of O
the O
injured O
Michael O
Vaughan O
, O
continued O
his O
run O
of O
poor O
form O
. O
He O
played O
on O
to O
debutant O
Mohammad O
Asif O
in O
the O
second O
over O
after O
scoring O
just O
one O
. O

Asif O
, O
who O
turned O
23 O
on O
Tuesday B-T
and O
was O
one O
of O
three O
changes O
Pakistan O
made O
to O
rest O
their O
players O
, O
then O
accounted O
for O
Matthew O
Prior O
( O
nine O
) O
in O
his O
third O
over O
as O
the O
batsman O
flicked O
straight O
into O
the O
hands O
of O
square O
- O
leg O
. O

England O
had O
crawled O
to O
52 O
by O
the B-T
18th I-T
over O
as O
their O
batsmen O
found O
the O
going O
tough O
against O
some O
tight O
Pakistan O
bowling O
, O
especially O
by O
the O
spinners O
. O

Off O
- O
spinner O
Arshad O
Khan O
deceived O
Andrew O
Strauss O
in O
the O
air O
and O
had O
him O
stumped O
by O
wicket O
- O
keeper O
Kamran O
Akmal O
for O
26 B-T
, O
leaving O
England O
struggling O
on O
52 O
- O
3 O
. O

Solanki O
steadied O
the O
faltering O
innings O
with O
a O
65 O
- O
run O
fourth O
wicket O
stand O
with O
Flintoff O
, O
before O
he O
miscued O
a O
drive O
off O
leg O
- O
spinner O
Shahid O
Afridi O
and O
was O
caught O
in O
the O
covers O
. O
He O
hit O
six O
boundaries O
during O
his O
86 O
- O
ball O
knock O
. O

Naved O
- O
ul O
- O
Hasan O
then O
claimed O
Flintoff O
and O
Ian O
Blackwell O
off O
successive O
deliveries O
before O
Geraint O
Jones O
( O
three O
) O
and O
Collingwood O
further O
added O
to O
the O
tourists O
' O
misery O
with O
sloppy O
run O
outs O
. O

Flintoff O
, O
who O
played O
only O
as O
a O
batsman O
due O
to O
a O
sore O
ankle O
, O
hit O
three O
boundaries O
and O
a O
six O
in O
his O
73 O
- O
ball O
knock O
. O

In O
a O
late O
- O
order O
charge O
Liam O
Plunkett O
hit O
three O
boundaries O
and O
a O
six O
in O
his O
12 B-T
- I-T
ball I-T
24 I-T
to O
take O
England O
past O
200 B-T
. O

Asif O
finished O
with O
2 O
- O
14 O
off O
seven O
overs O
before O
being O
surprisingly O
replaced O
by O
super O
- O
sub O
Danish O
Kaneria O
. O

Pakistan O
rested O
their O
captain O
Inzamam O
- O
ul O
- O
Haq O
after O
he O
strained O
his O
groin O
during O
Pakistan O
' O
s O
13 O
- O
run O
win O
in O
the O
fourth O
match O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Younis O
Khan O
, O
who O
led O
Pakistan O
to O
victory O
against O
the O
West O
Indies O
in O
his O
only O
one O
- O
day O
match O
as O
captain O
early B-T
this I-T
year I-T
, O
took O
over O
the O
captaincy O
. O
Shoaib O
Akhtar O
and O
Mohammad O
Sami O
( O
both O
rested O
) O
made O
way O
for O
Asif O
and O
Yasir O
Hameed O
. O

England O
were O
forced O
to O
omit O
Kabir O
Ali O
, O
who O
hurt O
his O
back O
in O
practice O
, O
and O
batsman O
Ian O
Bell O
. O
But O
bowling O
spearhead O
Steve O
Harmison O
returned O
after O
missing O
Monday B-T
' O
s O
match O
with O
sore O
throat O
and O
flu O
. O

Off O
- O
spinner O
Shaun O
Udal O
was O
brought O
in O
for O
batsman O
Bell O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061214 O
. O
0366 O

DOHA O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Asian O
Games O
tennis O
results O

Asian O
Games O
tennis O
results O
on O
Thursday B-T
( O
x O
denotes O
seeding O
) O
: O

Finals O

Men O

Singles O

Danai O
Udomchoke O
( O
THA O
x3 O
) O
bt O
Lee O
Hyung O
Taik O
( O
KOR O
x1 O
) O
7 O
- O
5 O
, O
6 O
- O
3 O

Women O

Doubles O

Zheng O
Jie O
/ O
Yan O
Zi O
( O
CHN O
x1 O
) O
bt O
Chan O
Yung O
Jan O
/ O
Chuang O
Chia O
Jung O
( O
TPE O
x4 O
) O
6 O
- O
1 O
, O
7 O
- O
6 O
( O
7 O
/ O
5 O
) O

AFP_ENG_19970408 O
. O
0476 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
8 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Beijing O
to O
promote O
less O
- O
polluting O
unleaded O
fuel O

China O
' O
s O
capital O
city O
plans O
to O
lead O
the O
country O
to O
use O
of O
less O
- O
polluting O
unleaded O
fuel O
, O
the O
official O
Xinhua O
news O
agency O
reported O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Beginning O
July B-T
1 I-T
, O
unleaded O
petrol O
will O
be O
available O
at O
300 O
filling O
stations O
across O
the O
city O
, O
the O
report O
said O
. O

It O
cited O
Machinery O
Ministry O
efforts O
to O
develop O
catalytic O
converters O
- O
- O
which O
allow O
existing O
vehicles O
to O
use O
unleaded O
petrol O
- O
- O
but O
did O
not O
specify O
whether O
measures O
would O
be O
taken O
to O
compel O
use O
of O
the O
cleaner O
- O
burning O
fuel O
. O

China O
' O
s O
four O
other O
main O
cities O
, O
Shanghai O
, O
Tianjin O
, O
Guangzhou O
and O
Shenzhen O
, O
will O
gradually O
adopt O
similar O
measures O
, O
Xinhua O
said O
. O

Heavy O
air O
pollution O
in O
Beijing O
caused O
by O
use O
of O
coal O
in O
factories O
and O
households O
has O
worsened O
in O
recent B-T
years I-T
as O
the O
number O
of O
vehicles O
on O
the O
road O
has O
grown O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0091 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

US O
information O
services O
provider O
sets O
up O
office O
in O
HK O

US O
- O
based O
premier O
information O
aggregating O
and O
integrating O
services O
company O
, O
OneSource O
Information O
Services O
, O
announced O
Tuesday B-T
the O
official O
open O
of O
its O
office O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
. O

At O
the O
launching O
ceremony O
, O
Vice O
President O
of O
Europe O
and O
Asia O
Pacific O
of O
OneSource O
Paul O
Brown O
, O
said O
that O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
office O
was O
primarily O
a O
sales O
and O
support O
operation O
responsible O
for O
growing O
OneSource O
' O
s O
business O
and O
servicing O
clients O
in O
the O
region O
. O

It O
also O
oversaw O
business O
activities O
in O
the O
Mainland O
market O
and O
served O
as O
a O
base O
for O
expanding O
the O
company O
' O
s O
business O
network O
in O
this O
part O
of O
the O
world O
. O

" O
The O
free O
flow O
of O
information O
in O
the O
city O
is O
also O
crucial O
for O
business O
intelligence O
companies O
like O
us O
. O
And O
more O
importantly O
, O
Hong O
Kong O
provides O
a O
natural O
base O
for O
our O
entry O
into O
the O
Mainland O
market O
with O
its O
proximity O
and O
enormous O
experience O
of O
doing O
business O
with O
Mainland O
enterprises O
, O
" O
said O
Brown O
. O

" O
The O
opening O
of O
OneSource O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
has O
once O
again O
shown O
that O
Hong O
Kong O
is O
the O
preferred O
location O
for O
world O
- O
class O
business O
services O
providers O
to O
operate O
in O
the O
region O
, O
" O
said O
Director O
- O
General O
of O
Investment O
Promotion O
at O
Invest O
Hong O
Kong O
Mike O
Rowse O
. O

OneSource O
is O
a O
subsidiary O
of O
the O
NASDAQ O
- O
listed O
infoUSA O
. O
In O
addition O
to O
its O
headquarters O
in O
Massachusetts O
, O
US O
, O
and O
the O
new O
Hong O
Kong O
office O
, O
OneSource O
also O
has O
offices O
in O
London O
, O
Sydney O
and O
Singapore O
. O

The O
company O
helps O
clients O
to O
increase O
productivity O
and O
effectiveness O
by O
distilling O
, O
combining O
and O
organizing O
business O
information O
, O
including O
industry O
profiles O
, O
executive O
biographies O
, O
business O
press O
coverage O
and O
financial O
data O
. O

Invest O
Hong O
Kong O
is O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
government O
department O
charged O
with O
encouraging O
and O
facilitating O
inward O
investment O
into O
the O
city O
by O
providing O
all O
the O
support O
needed O
to O
establish O
a O
business O
presence O
here O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051115 O
. O
0313 O

MOSCOW O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Russia O
- O
India O
military O
ties O
help O
maintain O
global O
stability O
, O
says O
defense O
chief O

Russia O
- O
India O
military O
cooperation O
contributes O
to O
maintaining O
global O
stability O
, O
Russian O
Deputy O
Prime O
Minister O
and O
Defense O
Minister O
Sergei O
Ivanov O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

Russian O
- O
Indian O
military O
- O
technical O
cooperation O
" O
is O
one O
of O
the O
key O
factors O
in O
maintaining O
peace O
and O
stability O
not O
only O
in O
South O
Asia O
but O
also O
in O
the O
world O
as O
a O
whole O
, O
" O
Ivanov O
said O
at O
the O
start O
of O
a O
session O
of O
the O
two O
countries O
' O
intergovernmental O
commission O
for O
military O
- O
technical O
cooperation O
in O
Moscow O
. O

Russia O
is O
No O
. O
1 O
supplier O
of O
arms O
to O
India O
, O
with O
about O
40 O
percent O
of O
its O
arms O
exports O
going O
to O
the O
South O
Asian O
nation O
. O
India O
says O
its O
weapons O
contracts O
with O
Russia O
have O
totaled O
9 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
in O
value O
. O

In O
a O
separate O
meeting O
with O
Indian O
Defense O
Minister O
Pranab O
Mukerji O
, O
Ivanov O
said O
similar O
stances O
on O
contemporary O
threats O
foster O
the O
development O
of O
military O
cooperation O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
. O

" O
The O
important O
thing O
is O
Russian O
and O
Indian O
stances O
on O
contemporary O
threats O
and O
challenges O
are O
similar O
. O
This O
is O
the O
reason O
behind O
the O
joint O
military O
maneuvers O
in O
October B-T
on O
Indian O
territory O
, O
" O
Ivanov O
said O
. O

" O
The O
issue O
of O
terrorism O
is O
very O
acute O
today B-T
, O
and O
many O
states O
face O
the O
threat O
. O
Unfortunately O
, O
Russia O
and O
India O
are O
among O
these O
states O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

Ivanov O
said O
earlier O
that O
India O
has O
voiced O
its O
intention O
to O
buy O
Tunguska O
rocket O
systems O
and O
Smerch O
salvo O
systems O
and O
wanted O
its O
T O
- O
72 O
tanks O
modernized O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061211 O
. O
0471 O

DUBAI O
, O
Dec B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Palestinian O
prime O
minister O
Ismail O
Haniya O
said O
Monday B-T
that O
Iran O
has O
pledged O
about O
250 O
million O
dollars O
in O
aid O
to O
his O
cash O
- O
strapped O
Hamas O
- O
led O
government O
. O

" O
My O
visit O
to O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
achieved O
( O
a O
pledge O
of O
) O
aid O
of O
nearly O
a O
quarter O
of O
a O
billion O
dollars O
, O
" O
Haniya O
told O
Dubai O
- O
based O
Al O
- O
Arabiya O
satellite O
television O
in O
remarks O
broadcast O
Monday B-T
. O

Tehran O
has O
allocated O
120 O
million O
dollars O
to O
the O
Palestinian O
government O
for O
2007 B-T
, O
in O
addition O
to O
committing O
to O
pay O
the O
salaries O
of O
civil O
servants O
in O
three O
ministries O
for O
the B-T
coming I-T
six I-T
months I-T
, O
said O
Haniya O
, O
who O
has O
just O
made O
a O
four O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
the O
Islamic O
republic O
. O

Iran O
has O
also O
" O
adopted O
" O
100 O
, O
000 O
Palestinian O
workers O
, O
who O
will O
receive O
100 O
dollars O
a O
month O
each O
for O
the B-T
next I-T
six I-T
months I-T
, O
a O
total O
of O
60 O
million O
dollars O
. O

Iran O
will O
also O
disburse O
100 O
dollars O
a O
month O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
six I-T
months I-T
to O
3 O
, O
000 O
Palestinian O
fishermen O
who O
have O
been O
unable O
to O
work O
for O
a O
long O
time O
, O
added O
Haniya O
, O
who O
is O
now B-T
in O
Sudan O
. O

Hamas O
is O
seeking O
to O
bolster O
ties O
with O
its O
regional O
allies O
as O
it O
desperately O
tries O
to O
replenish O
Palestinian O
coffers O
after O
Western O
countries O
froze O
aid O
when O
the O
party O
took O
office O
after O
an O
upset O
January O
election O
win O
. O

Haniya O
, O
on O
his O
first O
trip O
to O
Iran O
as O
prime O
minister O
, O
met O
on O
Sunday B-T
with O
supreme O
leader O
Ayatollah O
Ali O
Khamenei O
. O

His O
visit O
came O
after O
the O
collapse O
of O
talks O
between O
Hamas O
and O
the O
secular O
Fatah O
faction O
of O
Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
on O
forming O
a O
government O
of O
national O
unity O
that O
would O
lead O
to O
ending O
the O
aid O
blockade O
. O

Iran O
, O
like O
Haniya O
' O
s O
Islamist O
Hamas O
party O
, O
refuses O
to O
recognize O
Israel O
. O

In O
November B-T
, O
Palestinian O
foreign O
minister O
Mahmud O
Zahar O
said O
during O
a O
visit O
to O
Tehran O
that O
Iran O
had O
already O
donated O
120 O
million O
dollars O
to O
the O
Palestinians O
. O

Hamas O
is O
at O
odds O
with O
the O
Fatah O
party O
of O
moderate O
Palestinian O
president O
Mahmud O
Abbas O
, O
who O
said O
he O
plans O
to O
call O
early O
parliamentary O
and O
presidential O
elections O
to O
resolve O
the O
crisis O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061106 O
. O
0397 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Japan O
, O
S O
. O
Korea O
to O
enhance O
cooperation O
on O
Korean O
Peninsula O
nuclear O
issue O

Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Shinzo O
Abe O
and O
visiting O
South O
Korean O
foreign O
minister O
Ban O
Ki O
Moon O
agreed O
on O
Monday B-T
to O
enhance O
cooperation O
in O
having O
the O
Democratic O
People O
' O
s O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
DPRK O
) O
stop O
its O
nuclear O
plan O
. O

Abe O
and O
Ban O
exchanged O
ideas O
over O
the O
resumption O
of O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
on O
Korean O
Peninsula O
nuclear O
issue O
. O
The O
premier O
said O
that O
dialogues O
under O
the O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
framework O
and O
pressure O
sent O
through O
the O
implementation O
of O
the O
UN O
Security O
Council O
resolution O
are O
equally O
important O
. O

During O
their O
meeting O
, O
the O
two O
also O
touched O
on O
the O
reforms O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
. O
Ban O
, O
who O
is O
to O
assume O
the O
post O
of O
UN O
secretary O
general O
in O
January B-T
, O
said O
that O
he O
is O
willing O
to O
discuss O
issues O
in O
the O
United O
Nations O
with O
the O
Japanese O
government O
. O

Ban O
arrived O
in O
Japan O
on O
Sunday B-T
and O
held O
talks O
with O
his O
Japanese O
counterpart O
Taro O
Aso O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
. O
Their O
talks O
also O
centered O
around O
the O
Korean O
Peninsula O
nuclear O
issue O
. O

The O
six O
- O
party O
talks O
on O
the O
Korean O
Peninsular O
nuclear O
issue O
, O
which O
involves O
the O
DPRK O
, O
China O
, O
Japan O
, O
Russia O
, O
South O
Korea O
and O
the O
United O
States O
, O
were O
last O
held O
in O
November B-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970425 O
. O
0473 O

PRAGUE O
, O
April B-T
25 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Pope O
arrives O
in O
Prague O
to O
uncertain O
welcome O

Pope O
John O
Paul O
II O
arrived O
in O
Prague O
Friday B-T
afternoon I-T
for O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
a O
country O
which O
has O
largely O
eschewed O
God O
for O
materialism O
in O
its O
post O
- O
Communist O
daily O
life O
. O

Met O
at O
Ruzyne O
airport O
by O
Czech O
President O
Vaclav O
Havel O
and O
Havel O
' O
s O
former O
- O
actress O
wife O
, O
Dagmar O
, O
the O
pontiff O
said O
the O
head O
of O
state O
was O
" O
one O
of O
great O
artists O
in O
the O
renaissance O
of O
this O
country O
. O
" O

It O
is O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
third O
trip O
to O
Prague O
. O
The O
first O
time O
, O
in O
1990 B-T
, O
half O
- O
a O
- O
million O
people O
greeted O
him O
for O
his O
first O
visit O
to O
an O
eastern O
European O
capital O
after O
the O
1989 B-T
collapse O
of O
Communism O
. O

In O
1995 B-T
, O
however O
, O
he O
was O
mostly O
met O
with O
indifference O
by O
the O
country O
' O
s O
10 O
. O
5 O
million O
inhabitants O
, O
half O
of O
whom O
are O
atheist O
. O

Apparently O
remembering O
that O
, O
the O
pope O
said O
Friday B-T
that O
he O
hoped O
the O
spiritual O
motive O
of O
his O
current O
visit O
would O
" O
find O
an O
echo O
in O
people O
who O
, O
for O
different O
reasons O
, O
consider O
themselves O
distant O
from O
the O
Church O
and O
from O
religion O
. O
" O

The O
pope O
will O
hold O
a O
non O
- O
denominational O
service O
Sunday B-T
for O
non O
- O
Catholic O
Christians O
. O

In O
his O
welcome O
, O
Havel O
raised O
the O
modern O
challenges O
faced O
by O
the O
Czech O
Republic O
since O
the O
end O
of O
Communism O
. O

" O
Today B-T
we O
have O
the O
chance O
to O
live O
in O
a O
country O
where O
, O
unlike O
other O
parts O
of O
our O
continent O
, O
evil O
doesn O
' O
t O
take O
a O
brutal O
and O
tragic O
form O
. O
But O
there O
are O
other O
menaces O
, O
more O
subtle O
, O
and O
perhaps O
even O
more O
dangerous O
, O
facing O
our O
civilisation O
. O
Together O
and O
separately O
we O
must O
confront O
these O
, O
and O
we O
haven O
' O
t O
yet O
shown O
ourselves O
to O
be O
very O
capable O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
two O
men O
also O
paid O
hommage O
to O
St O
Adalbert O
, O
a O
bishop O
of O
Prague O
martyred O
in O
997 B-T
and O
the O
patron O
saint O
of O
Poland O
. O
The O
1 O
, O
000 O
- O
year O
celebration O
of O
the O
saint O
is O
one O
of O
the O
main O
reasons O
for O
the O
pope O
' O
s O
visit O
. O

On O
arriving O
in O
Prague O
itself O
, O
the O
pontiff O
was O
greeted O
by O
the O
ringing O
of O
the O
city O
' O
s O
church O
bells O
. O
After O
the O
official O
welcoming O
ceremony O
, O
he O
headed O
to O
the O
Breznov O
monastery O
where O
his O
bullet O
- O
proof O
" O
Popemobile O
" O
awaited O
him O
. O
From O
there O
he O
was O
taken O
to O
a O
religious O
residence O
in O
the O
city O
centre O
where O
he O
will O
stay O
during O
his O
visit O
. O

The O
pope O
' O
s O
message O
is O
expected O
to O
focus O
on O
denouncing O
western O
habits O
largely O
adopted O
here O
and O
on O
downplaying O
the O
centuries O
- O
old O
schism O
between O
the O
Roman O
Catholic O
and O
the O
Orthodox O
church O
. O

The O
Czech O
Catholic O
church O
for O
its O
part O
is O
facing O
its O
own O
identity O
crisis O
as O
it O
tries O
to O
find O
its O
place O
in O
a O
heavily O
secular O
society O
. O
It O
is O
also O
smarting O
from O
a O
year O
- O
old O
scandal O
at O
the O
Prague O
school O
of O
theology O
which O
was O
accused O
of O
employing O
teachers O
suspected O
of O
having O
collaborated O
with O
the O
communist O
era O
secret O
police O
. O

Pope O
John O
Paul O
is O
likely O
to O
stress O
the O
importance O
of O
both O
churches O
working O
together O
and O
to O
reject O
fiery O
accusations O
against O
the O
Vatican O
, O
mainly O
by O
the O
Greek O
Orthodox O
Church O
, O
of O
proselytism O
. O

Before O
the O
service O
late O
Sunday B-T
commemorating O
St O
Adalbert O
, O
the O
pope O
will O
hold O
two O
other O
ceremonies O
: O
a O
mass O
Saturday O
in O
front O
of O
50 O
, O
000 O
young O
people O
, O
and O
another O
Sunday O
which O
is O
expected O
to O
attract O
120 O
, O
000 O
faithful O
. O

Nationwide O
, O
only O
50 O
, O
000 O
people O
attend O
church O
. O

WSJ891102 O
- O
0019 O

= O
891102 O

891102 O
- O
0019 O
. O

Business O
Brief O
- O
- O
Valley O
Federal O
SampL O
: O

@ O
California O
SampL O
Had O
Charge O
, O

@ O
Loss O
in O
the O
Third O
Quarter O

11 B-T
/ I-T
02 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

VFED O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

Valley O
Federal O
Savings O
amp O
Loan O
Association O
took O
an O
$ O
89 O
. O
9 O
million O
charge O
as O
it O
reported O
a O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
loss O
of O
$ O
70 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
12 O
. O
09 O
a O
share O
. O

The O
Van O
Nuys O
, O
Calif O
. O
, O
thrift O
had O
net O
income O
of O
$ O
132 O
, O
000 O
, O
or O
three O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
bulk O
of O
the O
pretax O
charge O
is O
a O
$ O
62 O
million O
write O
- O
off O
of O
capitalized O
servicing O
at O
the O
mobile O
home O
financing O
subsidiary O
, O
which O
the O
company O
said O
had O
been O
a O
big O
drain O
on O
earnings O
. O

The O
company O
said O
the O
one O
- O
time O
provision O
would O
substantially O
eliminate O
all O
future B-T
losses O
at O
the O
unit O
. O

Valley O
Federal O
also O
added O
$ O
18 O
million O
to O
realestate O
loan O
reserves O
and O
eliminated O
$ O
9 O
. O
9 O
million O
of O
good O
will O
. O

The O
thrift O
said O
that O
" O
after O
these O
charges O
and O
assuming O
no O
dramatic O
fluctuation O
in O
interest O
rates O
, O
the O
association O
expects O
to O
achieve O
near O
record O
earnings O
in O
1990 B-T
. O
" O

Valley O
Federal O
is O
currently B-T
being O
examined O
by O
regulators O
. O

New O
loans O
continue O
to O
slow O
; O
they O
were O
$ O
6 O
. O
6 O
million O
in O
the B-T
quarter I-T
compared O
with O
$ O
361 O
. O
8 O
million O
a B-T
year I-T
ago I-T
. O

The O
thrift O
has O
assets O
of O
$ O
3 O
. O
2 O
billion O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970410 O
. O
0247 O

BEIJING O
, O
April B-T
10 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

500 O
, O
000 O
Dutch O
tulips O
deck O
out O
Beijing O
park O

More O
than O
500 O
, O
000 O
Dutch O
tulips O
will O
deck O
out O
a O
park O
next O
to O
Beijing O
' O
s O
Tiananmen O
Square O
from O
April B-T
12 I-T
, O
China O
' O
s O
official O
Xinhua O
news O
agency O
reported O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
tulips O
, O
provided O
by O
the O
Dutch O
Euro O
- O
Asia O
Flower O
Group O
, O
will O
be O
arranged O
in O
ten O
large O
floral O
mozaics O
in O
Zhongshan O
park O
and O
are O
aimed O
at O
giving O
Beijingers O
a O
taste O
of O
the O
Netherlands O
in O
Spring B-T
. O

The O
one O
- O
month O
display O
will O
also O
feature O
6 O
, O
000 O
blooming O
peonies O
, O
azaleas O
, O
and O
orchids O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061103 O
. O
0074 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Business O
deals O
come O
ahead O
of O
historical O
China O
- O
Africa O
summit O

During O
a O
whirlwind O
visit O
on O
Friday B-T
morning I-T
to O
China O
' O
s O
first O
national O
corporation O
on O
international O
engineering O
projects O
, O
Guinea O
- O
Bissau O
President O
Joao O
Bernardo O
Vieira O
rapped O
the O
gavel O
on O
two O
proposed O
projects O
: O
electric O
power O
development O
and O
water O
reservoir O
construction O
. O

" O
Please O
draft O
out O
the O
cooperation O
plans O
immediately O
. O
What O
Guinea O
- O
Bissau O
needs O
most O
is O
development O
, O
especially O
better O
infrastructure O
facilities O
, O
" O
said O
the O
67 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
at O
the O
China O
Machinery O
and O
Equipment O
Import O
and O
Export O
General O
Corporation O
( O
CMEC O
) O

" O
My O
biggest O
wish O
is O
to O
make O
power O
supply O
accessible O
across O
the O
whole O
country O
, O
" O
said O
Vieira O
who O
was O
here O
to O
attend O
the O
Beijing O
Summit O
of O
Forum O
on O
China O
- O
Africa O
Cooperation O
slated O
for O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
- I-T
5 I-T
. O

His O
visit O
to O
CMEC O
, O
which O
established O
its O
name O
in O
Africa O
after O
winning O
a O
contract O
to O
construct O
four O
units O
of O
30 O
MW O
hydro O
- O
power O
stations O
there O
in O
1990s B-T
, O
came O
two B-T
days I-T
after O
an O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
agreement O
was O
signed O
in O
the O
presence O
of O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
. O
Both O
sides O
have O
yet O
to O
disclose O
the O
details O
of O
the O
agreement O
. O

Vieira O
seems O
very O
enthusiastic O
about O
bringing O
in O
Chinese O
capital O
and O
technology O
into O
the O
west O
African O
country O
. O
He O
said O
priorities O
for O
bilateral O
cooperation O
could O
expand O
to O
ports O
, O
roads O
, O
bridges O
and O
mineral O
resources O
. O

Inspired O
by O
Vieira O
' O
s O
enthusiasm O
, O
CMEC O
vice O
president O
Zhou O
Li O
promised O
that O
a O
special O
team O
would O
fly O
to O
Guinea O
- O
Bissau O
to O
discuss O
the O
details O
. O

Vieira O
reminded O
her O
that O
apart O
from O
Guinea O
- O
Bissau O
, O
other O
west O
African O
countries O
such O
as O
Senegal O
and O
Guinea O
also O
need O
power O
- O
generation O
facilities O
badly O
. O

Regarding O
China O
as O
a O
strategic O
friend O
who O
offers O
aids O
without O
political O
strings O
, O
many O
African O
countries O
impressed O
with O
the O
country O
' O
s O
two O
- O
digit O
economic O
growth O
are O
seizing O
time O
to O
explore O
cooperative O
opportunities O
during O
their O
stay O
in O
Beijing O
to O
boost O
domestic O
economy O
. O

Vieira O
said O
after O
the O
summit O
, O
he O
would O
visit O
Shanghai O
and O
Nanjing O
, O
both O
of O
which O
are O
economically O
advanced O
in O
China O
. O

Vice O
Commerce O
Minister O
Wei O
Jianguo O
said O
earlier O
that O
more O
than O
2 O
, O
500 O
business O
deals O
would O
be O
under O
discussion O
at O
the O
summit O
, O
without O
revealing O
specifics O
. O

The O
China O
Southern O
Airlines O
announced O
on O
Wednesday B-T
a O
new O
air O
route O
linking O
Beijing O
with O
Lagos O
, O
the O
commercial O
and O
industrial O
center O
of O
Nigeria O
in O
western O
Africa O
would O
be O
launched O
soon O
. O

Another O
double O
- O
track O
railway O
, O
about O
1 O
, O
400 O
- O
km O
- O
long O
and O
involving O
an O
investment O
of O
8 O
. O
3 O
billion O
U O
. O
S O
. O
dollars O
, O
will O
be O
jointly O
built O
by O
the O
Nigerian O
government O
and O
the O
China O
Civil O
Engineering O
Construction O
Cooperation O
, O
the O
Nigerian O
Railway O
Corporation O
has O
announced O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051206 O
. O
0440 O

PARIS O
, O
Dec B-T
6 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

URGENT O
Chirac O
calls O
on O
Blair O
to O
make O
new O
budget O
proposals O

French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
called O
on O
British O
Prime O
Minister O
Tony O
Blair O
to O
" O
make O
new O
proposals O
" O
for O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
disputed O
budget O
, O
and O
said O
Britain O
should O
" O
play O
its O
full O
part O
" O
in O
funding O
the O
bloc O
' O
s O
enlargement O
, O
Chirac O
' O
s O
office O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0127 O

ANKARA O
, O
Dec B-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Erdogan O
quotes O
, O
FM O
comments O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Turkish O
Prime O
Minister O
Recep O
Tayyip O
Erdogan O
defended O
Saturday B-T
author O
Orhan O
Pamuk O
' O
s O
right O
to O
free O
speech O
, O
but O
rejected O
European O
Union O
pressure O
on O
Ankara O
to O
halt O
the O
controversial O
trial O
of O
the O
internationally O
renowned O
novelist O
. O

" O
My O
stance O
on O
freedom O
of O
thought O
is O
clear O
because O
I O
myself O
have O
become O
a O
victim O
( O
of O
restrictions O
) O
in O
this O
context O
, O
" O
Erdogan O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
by O
Anatolia O
news O
agency O
in O
the O
central O
city O
of O
Konya O
. O

He O
said O
, O
however O
, O
that O
the O
EU O
, O
which O
sees O
Pamuk O
' O
s O
trial O
as O
a O
test O
for O
Turkey O
' O
s O
commitment O
to O
democracy O
and O
human O
rights O
, O
" O
is O
trying O
to O
put O
our O
judiciary O
under O
pressure O
, O
" O
Anatolia O
reported O
. O

" O
This O
is O
wrong O
, O
" O
Erdogan O
said O
. O
" O
Either O
right O
or O
wrong O
, O
the O
case O
is O
now B-T
before O
the O
justice O
. O
. O
. O
Let O
' O
s O
see O
the O
outcome O
and O
then O
make O
comments O
. O
" O

Pamuk O
, O
Turkey O
' O
s O
best O
- O
known O
writer O
and O
winner O
of O
many O
international O
awards O
, O
appeared O
before O
court O
in O
Istanbul O
Friday B-T
on O
charges O
of O
denigrating O
Turkish O
national O
identity O
for O
telling O
a O
Swiss O
magazine O
that O
" O
one O
million O
Armenians O
and O
30 O
, O
000 O
Kurds O
were O
killed O
in O
these O
lands O
and O
nobody O
but O
me O
dares O
talk O
about O
it O
. O
" O

The O
case O
was O
adjourned O
to O
February B-T
to O
await O
a O
decision O
by O
the O
justice O
ministry O
, O
whose O
authorization O
is O
needed O
to O
proceed O
with O
the O
trial O
. O

European O
Parliament O
members O
, O
who O
attended O
the O
hearing O
, O
criticized O
the O
government O
for O
having O
squandered O
the O
opportunity O
to O
demonstrate O
its O
respect O
for O
freedom O
of O
speech O
by O
failing O
to O
halt O
the O
trial O
. O

Turkey O
began O
membership O
talks O
on O
October B-T
4 I-T
, O
but O
critics O
say O
the O
country O
has O
yet O
to O
fully O
embrace O
the O
EU O
' O
s O
democarcy O
norms O
despite O
the O
far O
- O
reaching O
reforms O
it O
has O
already O
undertaken O
. O

Erdogan O
has O
defended O
freedom O
of O
speech O
citing O
his O
own O
conviction O
for O
" O
inciting O
religious O
hatred O
" O
by O
reciting O
a O
poem O
with O
Islamic O
messages O
during O
a O
political O
rally O
in O
1997 B-T
, O
which O
earned O
him O
a O
four O
- O
month O
stint O
in O
prison O
. O

Foreign O
Minister O
Abdullah O
Gul O
called O
on O
the O
EU O
not O
to O
judge O
Turkey O
' O
s O
record O
by O
a O
single O
case O
. O

" O
Let O
' O
s O
not O
be O
unfair O
towards O
Turkey O
, O
" O
he O
told O
the O
Sabah O
daily O
. O
" O
There O
is O
no O
conviction O
( O
in O
the O
Pamuk O
case O
) O
yet O
. O
There O
is O
no O
one O
in O
jail O
in O
Turkey O
because O
of O
( O
exercising O
) O
freedom O
of O
expression O
. O
" O

Gul O
pledged O
more O
efforts O
to O
ensure O
that O
the O
reforms O
Turkey O
undertook O
to O
boost O
its O
EU O
bid O
are O
properly O
implemented O
on O
the O
ground O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
our O
duty O
to O
strengthen O
the O
reform O
process O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
The O
changes O
adopted O
so O
far O
are O
not O
cosmetic O
, O
but O
there O
is O
still O
more O
to O
be O
done O
. O
" O

Erdogan O
said O
he O
had O
also O
asked O
the O
interior O
minister O
to O
investigate O
the O
apparent O
security O
lapses O
at O
Friday B-T
' O
s O
trial O
, O
which O
was O
marred O
by O
nationalist O
militants O
heaping O
abuse O
on O
the O
writer O
and O
foreign O
observers O
. O

Slogans O
accusing O
Pamuk O
of O
being O
a O
" O
traitor O
" O
followed O
him O
to O
the O
courtroom O
, O
and O
along O
the O
way O
a O
woman O
hit O
him O
on O
the O
head O
with O
a O
file O
. O
His O
car O
was O
pelted O
with O
eggs O
as O
he O
left O
. O

British O
parliamentarian O
Denis O
MacShane O
, O
a O
former O
Europe O
minister O
, O
said O
he O
had O
been O
punched O
in O
the O
face O
by O
a O
hostile O
lawyer O
inside O
the O
courthouse O
. O

Erdogan O
denounced O
the O
scenes O
as O
" O
ugliness O
" O
and O
said O
the O
police O
had O
committed O
" O
a O
serious O
mistake O
" O
by O
allowing O
such O
incidents O
. O

The O
Turkish O
press O
accused O
the O
authorities O
of O
damaging O
Turkey O
' O
s O
image O
by O
failing O
both O
to O
stop O
the O
trial O
and O
to O
ensure O
security O
at O
the O
hearing O
. O

" O
Orhan O
Pamuk O
' O
s O
trial O
and O
the O
scenes O
at O
the O
courthouse O
leave O
me O
with O
the O
impression O
that O
some O
people O
within O
the O
state O
favour O
such O
incidents O
in O
order O
to O
undermine O
( O
Turkey O
' O
s O
) O
EU O
membership O
bid O
, O
" O
a O
Sabah O
columnist O
wrote O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051217 O
. O
0353 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

England O
cricketer O
Gough O
bowled O
over O
by O
TV O
dance O
win O

Pace O
bowler O
Darren O
Gough O
has O
got O
England O
cricket O
back O
to O
winning O
ways O
- O
- O
but O
only O
by O
carrying O
off O
top O
prize O
on O
a O
television O
ballroom O
dancing O
talent O
contest O
. O

Gough O
, O
35 O
, O
who O
opted O
out O
of O
England O
' O
s O
ongoing O
tour O
to O
Pakistan O
, O
danced O
his O
way O
to O
victory O
in O
BBC O
television O
' O
s O
" O
Strictly O
Come O
Dancing O
" O
, O
beating O
former O
110 O
metres O
hurdles O
world O
record O
holder O
Colin O
Jackson O
into O
second O
place O
. O

The O
hugely O
popular O
Saturday B-T
night O
variety O
show O
- O
- O
last B-T
year I-T
' O
s O
final O
pulled O
in O
10 O
. O
6 O
million O
viewers O
- O
- O
has O
featured O
former O
sports O
stars O
, O
television O
news O
readers O
, O
actresses O
and O
celebrity O
chefs O
. O

Twelve O
celebrities O
with O
limited O
or O
no O
dance O
experience O
are O
taken O
through O
their O
paces O
by O
professional O
dancers O
before O
performing O
in O
front O
of O
a O
panel O
of O
experienced O
dance O
judges O
. O

A O
weekly O
public O
phone O
vote O
then O
decides O
who O
stays O
or O
goes O
. O

Gough O
, O
wearing O
a O
black O
shirt O
and O
trousers O
with O
silver O
sequinned O
braces O
rather O
than O
his O
customary O
cricket O
whites O
, O
said O
he O
was O
delighted O
with O
the O
win O
, O
and O
praised O
his O
partner O
and O
teacher O
Lilia O
Kopylova O
. O

" O
I O
thought O
I O
would O
be O
saying O
this B-T
10 I-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
but O
it O
has O
been O
an O
amazing O
journey O
for O
a O
guy O
who O
has O
never O
danced O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
She O
( O
Lilia O
) O
has O
turned O
me O
into O
some O
sort O
of O
dancer O
. O
I O
cannot O
believe O
I O
had O
the O
confidence O
to O
do O
that O
tonight O
. O
I O
could O
not O
have O
wished O
for O
a O
better O
partner O
. O
" O

XIN_ENG_20061109 O
. O
0343 O

BRUSSELS O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
9 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

EU O
condemns O
attack O
on O
displaced O
people O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O

The O
European O
Commission O
on O
Thursday B-T
condemned O
the O
attack O
on O
a O
camp O
for O
displaced O
persons O
in O
Sri O
Lanka O
. O

" O
We O
are O
deeply O
shocked O
by O
the O
attack O
yesterday O
( O
Wednesday B-T
) O
on O
displaced O
civilians O
taking O
refuge O
in O
a O
school O
in O
eastern O
Sri O
Lanka O
. O
We O
strongly O
condemn O
attacks O
which O
lead O
to O
loss O
of O
innocent O
civilian O
life O
, O
" O
said O
European O
Union O
( O
EU O
) O
external O
relations O
commissioner O
Benita O
Ferrero O
- O
Waldner O
and O
humanitarian O
aid O
commissioner O
Louis O
Michel O
in O
a O
joint O
statement O
. O

" O
This O
is O
totally O
unacceptable O
and O
cannot O
be O
justified O
under O
any O
circumstances O
. O
We O
are O
deeply O
concerned O
by O
latest O
events O
and O
call O
on O
the O
government O
of O
Sri O
Lanka O
to O
take O
immediate O
and O
appropriate O
precautions O
to O
protect O
civilian O
life O
and O
guarantee O
the O
security O
of O
SLMM O
( O
Sri O
Lanka O
Monitoring O
Mission O
) O
. O
" O

The O
European O
Commission O
calls O
on O
the O
government O
and O
the O
rebel O
Liberation O
Tigers O
of O
Tamil O
Elam O
( O
LTTE O
) O
to O
end O
violations O
of O
fundamental O
principles O
of O
humanitarian O
law O
and O
human O
rights O
and O
guarantee O
conditions O
in O
which O
humanitarian O
assistance O
can O
be O
delivered O
, O
they O
said O
. O

They O
also O
urged O
Sri O
Lankan O
government O
and O
the O
LTTE O
to O
cease O
hostilities O
immediately O
and O
return O
to O
negotiations O
for O
a O
settlement O
. O

" O
There O
is O
no O
military O
solution O
to O
the O
conflict O
, O
" O
they O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061220 O
. O
0085 O

BANGKOK O
, O
Dec B-T
20 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

governor O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Thai O
share O
prices O
rebounded O
Wednesday B-T
after O
the O
military O
- O
installed O
government O
was O
forced O
to O
dump O
draconian O
capital O
controls O
that O
sparked O
a O
15 O
- O
percent O
collapse O
on O
Tuesday B-T
, O
dealers O
said O
. O

The O
rebound O
helped O
the O
region O
as O
a O
whole O
recover O
from O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
shock O
when O
Thailand O
, O
trying O
to O
protect O
export O
earnings O
from O
a O
rising O
baht O
, O
required O
30 O
percent O
of O
most O
incoming O
foreign O
funds O
to O
be O
effectively O
impounded O
for O
a B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
move O
spooked O
investors O
fearful O
that O
other O
regional O
countries O
with O
similar O
concerns O
over O
their O
export O
- O
led O
economies O
, O
might O
adopt O
similar O
measures O
to O
Thailand O
, O
the O
epicentre O
of O
the O
devastating O
1997 O
- O
98 O
Asian O
financial O
crisis O
. O

" O
Foreign O
investors O
cheered O
the O
government O
' O
s O
decision O
to O
backtrack O
on O
the O
currency O
rules O
, O
" O
said O
Sukit O
Udomsirikul O
, O
a O
senior O
market O
analyst O
at O
Siam O
City O
Securities O
. O

" O
With O
the O
change O
, O
foreign O
investors O
can O
continue O
to O
invest O
in O
the O
Thai O
stockmarket O
. O
Sentiment O
is O
really O
positive O
, O
" O
Sukit O
said O
, O
suggesting O
stocks O
could O
recover O
the O
690 O
points O
level O
. O

Amid O
calls O
for O
heads O
to O
roll O
over O
the O
debacle O
, O
the O
Stock O
Exchange O
of O
Thailand O
( O
SET O
) O
composite O
index O
was O
up O
66 O
. O
03 O
points O
or O
10 O
. O
61 O
percent O
in O
the O
morning O
session O
at O
688 B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
. O
The O
market O
lost O
15 O
percent O
Tuesday B-T
, O
at O
23 O
billion O
dollars O
the O
biggest O
one O
day O
drop O
by O
value O
in O
the O
31 O
- O
year O
history O
of O
the O
bourse O
. O

Despite O
the O
losses O
, O
central O
bank O
governor O
Tarisa O
Watanagase O
defended O
the O
capital O
controls O
Wednesday B-T
and O
rejected O
calls O
for O
her O
resignation O
. O

" O
I O
don O
' O
t O
want O
to O
answer O
this O
question O
, O
" O
Tarisa O
said O
when O
asked O
by O
reporters O
about O
growing O
calls O
for O
her O
replacement O
. O

She O
took O
the O
helm O
of O
the O
central O
bank O
in O
October B-T
after O
Pridiyathorn O
Devakula O
left O
the O
job O
to O
join O
the O
government O
as O
finance O
minister O
. O

Tarisa O
, O
the O
first O
woman O
to O
head O
the O
central O
bank O
, O
also O
reassured O
investors O
that O
the O
Bank O
of O
Thailand O
had O
no O
plans O
to O
introduce O
new O
currency O
rules O
for O
now B-T
. O

" O
The O
Bank O
of O
Thailand O
will O
not O
issue O
any O
new O
measure O
for O
some O
peroid O
of O
time O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

Pridiyathorn O
, O
who O
was O
forced O
to O
backtrack O
on O
the O
capital O
controls O
late O
Tuesday B-T
after O
the O
stock O
plunge O
, O
said O
he O
was O
pleased O
with O
the O
rebound O
Wednesday B-T
. O

" O
We O
may O
not O
recover O
all O
of O
the O
108 O
points O
but O
I O
am O
happy O
to O
see O
a O
65 O
- O
point O
rebound O
with O
some O
500 O
billion O
baht O
of O
market O
capitalisation O
being O
recovered O
, O
" O
he O
told O
reporters O
. O

While O
the O
local O
press O
lambasted O
the O
disaster O
, O
with O
some O
blaming O
Pridiyathorn O
for O
the O
worst O
economic O
woes O
since O
the O
1997 O
financial O
crisis O
, O
the O
finance O
minister O
insisted O
the O
measures O
were O
necessary O
to O
prevent O
the O
baht O
' O
s O
further O
rise O
. O

" O
If O
the O
central O
bank O
did O
nothing O
( O
on O
Monday B-T
) O
, O
we O
could O
have O
seen O
the O
baht O
rising O
to O
34 O
to O
the O
dollar O
and O
hurt O
our O
exporters O
' O
competitiveness O
, O
" O
Pridiyathorn O
said O
. O

The O
Thai O
baht O
, O
which O
hit O
a O
new O
nine O
- O
year O
high O
of O
35 O
. O
12 O
to O
the O
dollar O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
was O
at O
35 O
. O
67 O
- O
70 O
in O
late O
early O
Wednesday B-T
trade O
. O

Krungthep O
Thurakit O
, O
a O
leading O
business O
daily O
, O
said O
someone O
in O
the O
government O
, O
which O
came O
to O
power O
after O
a O
coup O
in O
September B-T
that O
ousted O
the O
business O
savvy O
premier O
Thaksin O
Shinawatra O
, O
should O
take O
responsibility O
. O

" O
It O
was O
the O
most O
expensive O
economic O
lesson O
for O
Thailand O
since O
the O
financial O
crisis O
in O
1997 B-T
and O
someone O
must O
take O
responsibility O
for O
this O
lesson O
, O
" O
the O
financial O
daily O
said O
in O
an O
editorial O
. O

Effective B-T
Tuesday I-T
, O
the O
central O
bank O
, O
under O
the O
supervision O
of O
the O
finance O
ministry O
, O
had O
ordered O
financial O
institutions O
to O
hold O
30 O
percent O
of O
foreign O
inflows O
, O
except O
those O
related O
to O
exports O
. O

If O
incoming O
funds O
were O
kept O
in O
Thailand O
for O
a B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
depositor O
would O
get O
all O
their O
money O
back O
but O
if O
they O
withdrew O
earlier O
, O
then O
they O
would O
not O
. O

Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
record O
losses O
in O
Bangkok O
were O
an O
unwelcome O
echo O
of O
the O
Asian O
financial O
crisis O
which O
was O
sparked O
when O
the O
government O
was O
forced O
to O
float O
the O
baht O
in O
July B-T
1997 I-T
in O
a O
bid O
to O
bolster O
the O
country O
' O
s O
then O
flagging O
exports O
. O

The O
baht O
promptly O
crashed O
, O
took O
the O
Thai O
economy O
with O
it O
and O
sent O
a O
tidal O
wave O
of O
debt O
and O
default O
sweeping O
across O
the O
region O
which O
cost O
billions O
of O
dollars O
to O
put O
right O
. O

The O
impact O
was O
so O
great O
that O
it O
has O
taken O
years O
for O
many O
regional O
stockmarkets O
to O
revisit O
pre O
- O
crisis O
levels O
. O
Despite O
recent O
gains O
, O
Thailand O
' O
s O
own O
bourse O
still O
remains O
far O
below O
its O
all O
- O
time O
high O
of O
1 O
, O
753 O
. O
73 O
in O
January B-T
1994 I-T
. O

WSJ891101 O
- O
0020 O

= O
891101 O

891101 O
- O
0020 O
. O

Publishing O
Firm O
Hires O

@ O
Financial O
Adviser O

@ O
To O
Weigh O
Alternatives O

11 B-T
/ I-T
01 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

PSSP O

EARNINGS O
( O
ERN O
) O

TENDER O
OFFERS O
, O
MERGERS O
, O
ACQUISITIONS O
( O
TNM O
) O

LOS O
ANGELES O

Price O
Stern O
Sloan O
Inc O
. O
said O
it O
hired O
an O
investment O
banking O
firm O
to O
assist O
in O
evaluating O
restructuring O
or O
merger O
alternatives O
and O
reported O
a O
net O
loss O
of O
$ O
8 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
2 O
. O
14 O
a O
share O
, O
for O
the B-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
ended O
Sept B-T
. I-T
30 I-T
. O

These O
results O
compare O
with O
net O
income O
of O
$ O
1 O
. O
8 O
million O
, O
or O
44 O
cents O
a O
share O
, O
for O
the B-T
corresponding I-T
period I-T
last I-T
year I-T
. O

This B-T
quarter I-T
' O
s O
loss O
includes O
pretax O
charges O
of O
$ O
4 O
. O
9 O
million O
on O
the O
proposed O
discontinuation O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
troubled O
British O
subsidiary O
, O
and O
$ O
3 O
. O
7 O
million O
of O
other O
write O
- O
offs O
the O
company O
said O
were O
non O
- O
recurring O
and O
principally O
related O
to O
inventory O
, O
publishing O
advances O
and O
pre O
- O
publication O
costs O
. O

The O
publishing O
concern O
said O
it O
retained O
the O
investment O
banking O
firm O
of O
Donaldson O
, O
Lufkin O
amp O
Jenrette O
Securities O
Inc O
. O
to O
act O
as O
its O
financial O
adviser O
, O
assisting O
in O
the O
evaluation O
of O
various O
financial O
and O
strategic O
alternatives O
, O
including O
debt O
refinancing O
, O
raising O
capital O
, O
recapitalization O
, O
a O
merger O
or O
sale O
of O
the O
company O
. O

The O
company O
also O
retained O
attorney O
Martin O
P O
. O
Levin O
, O
a O
director O
of O
the O
company O
and O
former O
head O
of O
the O
Times O
- O
Mirror O
Publishing O
Group O
, O
as O
an O
adviser O
. O

Net O
sales O
for O
this B-T
year I-T
' I-T
s I-T
third I-T
quarter I-T
were O
$ O
14 O
million O
, O
down O
from O
$ O
21 O
. O
4 O
million O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

The O
company O
attributed O
the O
decrease O
in O
part O
to O
the O
exclusion O
of O
the O
company O
' O
s O
British O
sales O
from O
the O
current O
year O
' O
s O
figures O
as O
a O
result O
of O
the O
subsidiary O
' O
s O
status O
as O
a O
proposed O
discontinued O
operation O
and O
, O
in O
part O
, O
to O
lower O
sales O
in O
certain O
key O
foreign O
and O
domestic O
accounts O
. O

U O
. O
K O
. O
sales O
for O
last B-T
year I-T
' I-T
s I-T
quarter I-T
were O
about O
$ O
3 O
million O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061230 O
. O
0226 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
30 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

US O
embassies O
advised O
to O
review O
security O
after O
Saddam O
' O
s O
execution O

The O
US O
State O
Department O
has O
advised O
its O
embassies O
to O
review O
their O
security O
measures O
in O
the O
wake O
of O
former O
Iraqi O
leader O
Saddam O
Hussein O
' O
s O
execution O
, O
a O
spokeswoman O
said O
Saturday B-T
. O

" O
We O
did O
send O
a O
cable O
to O
all O
of O
our O
diplomatic O
missions O
simply O
asking O
them O
to O
look O
at O
their O
security O
stance O
in O
light O
of O
the O
execution O
, O
" O
a O
State O
Department O
spokeswoman O
told O
AFP O
on O
condition O
of O
anonymity O
. O

She O
said O
the O
message O
did O
not O
call O
for O
any O
" O
specific O
steps O
, O
" O
noting O
that O
each O
embassy O
has O
its O
own O
set O
of O
security O
procedures O
. O

Asked O
whether O
any O
threat O
precipitated O
the O
release O
of O
the O
message O
, O
the O
spokeswoman O
said O
she O
was O
not O
aware O
of O
any O
such O
danger O
. O

Saddam O
was O
hanged O
for O
crimes O
against O
humanity O
for O
the O
execution O
of O
148 O
Shiite O
civilians O
following O
an O
attempt O
on O
the O
then O
president O
' O
s O
life O
in O
the O
town O
of O
Dujail O
, O
north O
of O
Baghdad O
, O
in O
the B-T
early I-T
1980s I-T
. O

Dozens O
of O
Iraqis O
were O
killed O
and O
dozens O
more O
wounded O
in O
a O
series O
of O
bloody O
car O
bombings O
that O
caused O
chaos O
after O
the O
government O
' O
s O
pre O
- O
dawn O
execution O
of O
the O
ousted O
dictator O
on O
Saturday B-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20061111 O
. O
0128 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
11 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

cultural O
relics O

A O
senior O
Chinese O
official O
has O
urged O
women O
' O
s O
federations O
of O
different O
levels O
to O
promote O
the O
collection O
of O
cultural O
relics O
involving O
women O
and O
children O
and O
the O
building O
of O
the O
national O
museum O
for O
women O
and O
children O
. O

This O
was O
remarked O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
by O
Gu O
Xiulian O
, O
vice O
chairperson O
of O
the O
Standing O
Committee O
of O
the O
National O
People O
' O
s O
Congress O
( O
NPC O
) O
and O
chairperson O
of O
the O
All O
- O
China O
Women O
' O
s O
Federation O
, O
at O
a O
national O
conference O
on O
collection O
of O
these O
cultural O
relics O
. O

The O
museum O
, O
which O
serve O
as O
an O
educational O
base O
and O
a O
platform O
for O
international O
exchanges O
, O
is O
now B-T
being O
built O
, O
and O
meanwhile O
, O
people O
of O
different O
circles O
are O
working O
hard O
to O
collect O
relevant O
cultural O
relics O
under O
the O
guidance O
of O
experts O
, O
Gu O
said O
. O

Shan O
Jixiang O
, O
director O
of O
the O
State O
Administration O
of O
Cultural O
Heritage O
, O
also O
spoke O
at O
the O
meeting O
, O
calling O
on O
cultural O
heritage O
departments O
of O
all O
levels O
to O
help O
gather O
relics O
for O
the O
museum O
, O
which O
will O
be O
the O
first O
of O
its O
kind O
in O
the O
country O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970423 O
. O
0654 O

LIMA O
, O
April B-T
23 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Peru O
' O
s O
Fujimori O
surveys O
aftermath O
, O
visits O
wounded O
of O
rebel O
rout O
by O
Sibylla O
Brodzinsky O

Peru O
' O
s O
president O
Wednesday B-T
surveyed O
the O
aftermath O
of O
the O
spectacular O
raid O
on O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
, O
visiting O
the O
wounded O
hostages O
and O
inspecting O
the O
grisly O
scene O
at O
the O
mansion O
. O

Fujimori O
was O
showered O
with O
international O
praise O
following O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
bold O
daylight O
raid O
to O
free O
the O
72 O
hostages O
from O
their O
four O
- O
month O
ordeal O
. O

And O
he O
was O
certain O
to O
receive O
more O
congratulations O
from O
Japanese O
Foreign O
Minister O
Yukihiko O
Ikeda O
, O
who O
was O
expected O
in O
Lima O
early O
Thursday O
accompanied O
by O
the O
relatives O
of O
several O
former O
hostages O
. O

The O
Peruvian O
leader O
visited O
the O
military O
hospital O
to O
chat O
with O
some O
of O
the O
25 O
former O
hostages O
wounded O
in O
the O
raid O
, O
including O
Foreign O
Minister O
Francisco O
Tudela O
. O

Tudela O
underwent O
surgery O
for O
a O
bullet O
wound O
to O
the O
leg O
he O
sustained O
during O
the O
40 O
- O
minute O
operation O
, O
according O
to O
Fujimori O
. O
Two O
soldiers O
, O
one O
hostage O
and O
all O
14 O
Tupac O
Amaru O
Revolutionary O
Movement O
( O
MRTA O
) O
hostage O
- O
takers O
were O
killed O
in O
the O
raid O
. O

As O
Fujimori O
surveyed O
the O
scene O
, O
the O
remains O
of O
the O
rebels O
lay O
in O
plastic O
body O
bags O
on O
the O
lawn O
of O
the O
residence O
they O
had O
seized O
December B-T
17 I-T
. O
Three O
of O
the O
bodies O
were O
mutilated O
beyond O
recognition O
, O
local O
television O
reported O
. O

Gaping O
holes O
in O
the O
residence O
, O
shattered O
windows O
and O
splintered O
doors O
bore O
mute O
testimony O
to O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
attack O
. O

Details O
of O
the O
operation O
that O
emerged O
Wednesday B-T
showed O
elite O
troops O
secretly O
dug O
a O
network O
of O
tunnels O
and O
used O
coded O
messages O
as O
well O
as O
the O
element O
of O
surprise O
. O

Fujimori O
said O
it O
took O
between O
35 B-T
and O
50 B-T
days I-T
to O
build O
the O
tunnels O
under O
the O
compound O
. O

He O
also O
confirmed O
that O
the O
hostages O
had O
" O
a O
few O
minutes O
" O
warning O
of O
the O
attack O
but O
declined O
to O
say O
how O
the O
message O
had O
been O
passed O
. O

A O
former O
agent O
of O
the O
US O
Federal O
Bureau O
of O
Investigation O
said O
security O
forces O
tipped O
off O
the O
hostages O
about O
the O
imminent O
raid O
by O
speaking O
to O
a O
captive O
who O
was O
retired O
officer O
via O
a O
concealed O
two O
- O
way O
radio O
. O

" O
We O
will O
free O
you O
in O
three B-T
minutes I-T
, O
" O
was O
the O
message O
sent O
to O
the O
hostage O
, O
Bob O
Taubert O
told O
CNN O
television O
. O

The O
raid O
started O
just O
after O
3 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
( O
2000 O
GMT O
) O
Tuesday B-T
, O
with O
heavily O
armed O
soldiers O
simultaneously O
emerging O
from O
the O
tunnels O
, O
through O
the O
main O
door O
and O
through O
a O
back O
entrance O
. O

One O
group O
of O
soldiers O
blasted O
a O
hole O
in O
the O
ceiling O
, O
through O
which O
the O
hostages O
were O
freed O
. O

All O
the O
hostages O
were O
on O
the O
second O
floor O
of O
the O
residence O
when O
the O
attack O
was O
launched O
, O
while O
most O
of O
the O
rebels O
were O
on O
the O
first O
floor O
playing O
indoor O
soccer O
. O

An O
explosion O
underneath O
the O
living O
room O
killed O
five O
or O
six O
of O
the O
rebels O
immediately O
, O
while O
another O
group O
ran O
to O
the O
second O
floor O
, O
Fujimori O
said O
. O

There O
, O
some O
of O
the O
rebels O
, O
including O
leader O
Nestor O
Cerpa O
, O
fired O
back O
at O
the O
troops O
, O
killing O
one O
soldier O
. O
Cerpa O
and O
his O
comrades O
were O
then O
gunned O
down O
by O
the O
soldiers O
. O

The O
mediating O
team O
that O
sought O
to O
broker O
a O
peaceful O
end O
to O
the O
standoff O
was O
given O
no O
prior O
warning O
, O
Roman O
Catholic O
Archbishop O
Juan O
Luis O
Cipriani O
told O
reporters O
. O

Cipriani O
, O
along O
with O
Michel O
Minnig O
of O
the O
International O
Committee O
of O
the O
Red O
Cross O
, O
Canadian O
Ambassador O
Anthony O
Vincent O
and O
Japanese O
envoy O
Terusuke O
Terada O
, O
told O
reporters O
they O
had O
not O
expected O
the O
assault O
. O

Cipriani O
wept O
as O
he O
read O
a O
joint O
statement O
in O
which O
the O
mediators O
said O
they O
" O
share O
the O
pain O
of O
those O
who O
lost O
a O
life O
from O
their O
family O
and O
we O
share O
the O
joy O
" O
of O
those O
who O
were O
reunited O
. O

Friends O
, O
relatives O
and O
fellow O
hostages O
gathered O
Wednesday B-T
to O
mourn O
Supreme O
Court O
Justice O
Carlos O
Guisti O
, O
who O
died O
of O
a O
heart O
attack O
after O
he O
was O
shot O
. O

World O
leaders O
applauded O
the O
end O
to O
the O
standoff O
, O
which O
Fujimori O
said O
showed O
Peru O
would O
" O
never O
cave O
in O
" O
to O
terrorism O
. O

But O
the O
key O
praise O
came O
from O
Japan O
- O
- O
Peru O
' O
s O
biggest O
single O
source O
of O
foreign O
aid O
- O
- O
which O
hailed O
the O
operation O
. O

Twenty O
- O
four O
Japanese O
nationals O
, O
including O
Ambassador O
Morihisa O
Aoki O
, O
were O
among O
the O
captives O
. O

Fujimori O
was O
cautious O
not O
to O
appear O
overly O
confident O
. O
Asked O
if O
the O
raid O
wiped O
out O
the O
MRTA O
, O
he O
pointed O
out O
that O
rebel O
leader O
Hugo O
Avellaneda O
Valdez O
was O
still O
at O
large O
, O
presumably O
in O
Peru O
' O
s O
central O
jungle O
. O

Fujimori O
' O
s O
administration O
was O
widely O
criticized O
for O
declaring O
the O
fight O
against O
guerrillas O
was O
all O
but O
over O
just O
months B-T
before O
the O
siege O
at O
the O
Japanese O
ambassador O
' O
s O
residence O
. O

Tupac O
Amaru O
guerrillas O
elsewhere O
vowed O
to O
continue O
the O
fight O
of O
their O
comrades O
. O

The O
deadly O
end O
to O
the O
hostage O
crisis O
only O
served O
to O
reaffirm O
the O
group O
' O
s O
" O
decision O
to O
continue O
fighting O
for O
a O
society O
with O
peace O
and O
social O
justice O
, O
" O
according O
to O
a O
statement O
posted O
in O
Spanish O
on O
the O
rebel O
group O
' O
s O
website O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970402 O
. O
0094 O

KHARTOUM O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

SPLA O
rebel O
faction O
fights O
of O
attack O
on O
its O
stronghold O

A O
breakaway O
rebel O
faction O
inflicted O
heavy O
casualties O
on O
the O
Sudan O
People O
' O
s O
Liberation O
Army O
which O
attacked O
its O
Wun O
Roj O
stronghold O
in O
south O
Sudan O
' O
s O
Bahrel O
Ghazal O
state O
last B-T
week I-T
, O
it O
was O
reported O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Faustino O
Obanj O
, O
spokesman O
of O
the O
SPLA O
rebel O
Bahrel O
Ghazal O
group O
, O
said O
its O
forces O
had O
" O
repulsed O
the O
attackers O
, O
inflicting O
heavy O
casualties O
, O
in O
the O
form O
of O
soldiers O
and O
weapons O
, O
" O
the O
independent O
Alwan O
daily O
newspaper O
reported O
. O

Wun O
Roj O
, O
about O
112 O
kilometers O
( O
70 O
miles O
) O
north O
of O
Qoqriyal O
is O
held O
by O
the O
rebel O
faction O
headed O
by O
Kerbino O
Kuanyen O
. O

Obanj O
said O
the O
SPLA O
unit O
' O
s O
commanding O
officer O
Silva O
Metok O
and O
his O
second O
in O
command O
James O
Lual O
were O
both O
injured O
. O
He O
said O
his O
men O
also O
captured O
100 O
SPLA O
soldiers O
as O
well O
as O
315 O
automatic O
rifles O
and O
17 O
mortars O
. O

" O
Most O
important O
of O
all O
, O
our O
forces O
seized O
Ajak O
airport O
, O
outside O
Wun O
Roj O
, O
which O
was O
built O
by O
foreign O
organizations O
and O
which O
is O
equipped O
with O
modern O
communications O
devices O
and O
lighting O
systems O
, O
" O
Obanj O
said O
. O

The O
Kerbino O
faction O
broke O
away O
from O
the O
SPLA O
in O
April B-T
last I-T
year I-T
, O
switched O
allegiances O
and O
signed O
an O
agreement O
with O
the O
government O
in O
Khartoum O
. O
It O
now B-T
fights O
the O
SPLA O
for O
the O
government O
in O
Bahrel O
Ghazal O
state O
. O

He O
said O
the O
rebels O
were O
willing O
to O
fight O
for O
the O
government O
against O
" O
agents O
and O
mercenaries O
" O
seeking O
to O
destroy O
Sudanese O
unity O
, O
Obanj O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0138 O

NEW O
DELHI O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

India O
seeks O
higher O
coal O
imports O
for O
power O
generation O

India O
is O
set O
to O
significantly O
increase O
its O
coal O
imports O
to O
match O
its O
growing O
domestic O
requirement O
for O
power O
generation O
, O
a O
top O
official O
said O
here O
Monday B-T
. O

" O
We O
started O
coal O
imports O
last B-T
year I-T
to O
meet O
the O
requirement O
for O
power O
generation O
. O
So O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
we O
have O
imported O
around O
seven O
million O
tons O
of O
coal O
, O
which O
is O
set O
to O
reach O
about O
14 O
million O
tons O
by O
March B-T
, O
" O
Indo O
- O
Asian O
News O
Service O
quoted O
Power O
Secretary O
R O
. O
V O
. O
Shahi O
at O
the O
ongoing O
India O
Economic O
Summit O
2005 O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
We O
are O
preparing O
to O
import O
20 O
million O
tons O
of O
high O
calorific O
value O
coal O
in O
2006 B-T
- I-T
07 I-T
, O
when O
we O
are O
expecting O
about O
30 O
million O
tons O
shortage O
, O
" O
Shahi O
told O
the O
annual O
summit O
organized O
jointly O
by O
the O
World O
Economic O
Forum O
( O
WEF O
) O
and O
the O
Confederation O
of O
Indian O
Industry O
( O
CII O
) O
. O

Though O
one O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
coal O
producers O
, O
India O
' O
s O
coal O
has O
a O
high O
ash O
content O
leading O
to O
a O
growing O
shortfall O
in O
production O
as O
against O
the O
demand O
, O
particularly O
by O
the O
power O
industry O
. O

The O
current O
requirement O
of O
coal O
for O
power O
sector O
is O
about O
365 O
- O
370 O
million O
tons O
. O

The O
import O
option O
is O
being O
pushed O
in O
addition O
to O
the O
captive O
coal O
mining O
to O
ensure O
that O
shortage O
does O
not O
lead O
to O
unutilized O
power O
generation O
capacity O
, O
which O
was O
witnessed O
last B-T
year I-T
. O

" O
This O
year O
with O
14 O
million O
tons O
of O
coal O
imports O
, O
as O
of O
now B-T
we O
will O
not O
be O
losing O
generation O
due O
to O
coal O
shortage O
, O
" O
the O
official O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970411 O
. O
0478 O

MIAMI O
, O
Florida O
, O
April B-T
11 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Spanish O
executive O
denies O
" O
trading O
with O
the O
enemy O
" O

A O
Spanish O
businessman O
charged O
with O
illegally O
exporting O
US O
food O
products O
to O
Cuba O
pleaded O
not O
guilty O
at O
a O
hearing O
here O
Friday B-T
. O

The O
United O
States O
has O
accused O
Javier O
Ferreiro O
- O
- O
a O
resident O
of O
Cuba O
- O
- O
of O
selling O
US O
products O
in O
Havana O
via O
the O
Dominicna O
Republic O
and O
Panama O
between O
March B-T
1994 I-T
and O
January B-T
1996 I-T
. O

Ferreiro O
has O
said O
he O
bought O
the O
US O
goods O
directly O
in O
the O
Dominican O
Republic O
not O
the O
United O
States O
, O
which O
would O
free O
him O
from O
the O
charges O
. O

The O
charges O
against O
Ferreiro O
, O
49 O
, O
include O
five O
counts O
of O
money O
laundering O
, O
one O
count O
of O
conspiracy O
and O
eight O
counts O
of O
" O
trading O
with O
the O
enemy O
" O
under O
the O
embargo O
Washington O
has O
had O
clamped O
on O
Cuba O
since O
1963 B-T
. O

Among O
the O
goods O
Ferreiro O
allegedly O
exported O
were O
disposible O
diapers O
( O
nappies O
) O
, O
mustard O
and O
ketchup O
. O

He O
was O
detained O
April B-T
1 I-T
on O
a O
visit O
here O
to O
friends O
and O
relatives O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051128 O
. O
0091 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

China O
' O
s O
exhibition O
industry O
grows O
about O
20 O
percent O
yearly O
: O
official O

The O
total O
turnover O
of O
China O
' O
s O
exhibition O
industry O
has O
been O
growing O
at O
an O
annual O
rate O
of O
about O
20 O
percent O
for O
years O
, O
said O
Vice O
Minister O
of O
Commerce O
Jiang O
Zengwei O
here O
on O
Monday B-T
. O

Jiang O
made O
the O
remark O
at O
the O
second O
seminar O
on O
China O
' O
s O
exhibition O
economy O
. O
China O
has O
become O
an O
important O
country O
in O
Asia O
in O
size O
of O
exhibition O
industry O
, O
and O
will O
gradually O
become O
a O
regional O
" O
exhibition O
center O
" O
in O
Asia O
, O
said O
he O
. O

China O
now B-T
has O
over O
160 O
large O
- O
sized O
exhibition O
halls O
with O
exhibition O
area O
of O
2 O
. O
8 O
million O
square O
meters O
, O
according O
to O
Jiang O
. O

Every B-T
year I-T
, O
China O
holds O
about O
3 O
, O
000 O
exhibitions O
of O
different O
types O
at O
home O
, O
and O
800 O
exhibitions O
overseas O
, O
attracting O
participation O
of O
5 O
million O
enterprises O
and O
20 O
million O
visitors O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Some O
nation O
- O
level O
exhibitions O
, O
such O
as O
the O
China O
Export O
Commodities O
Fair O
in O
Guangzhou O
, O
High O
- O
technology O
Trade O
Fair O
in O
Shenzhen O
and O
Investment O
and O
Trade O
Fair O
in O
Xiamen O
, O
have O
become O
well O
- O
known O
and O
influential O
exhibitions O
in O
the O
world O
, O
he O
said O
. O

Although O
China O
has O
made O
remarkable O
progress O
in O
developing O
its O
exhibition O
economy O
, O
some O
problems O
still O
exist O
in O
this O
area O
, O
such O
as O
nonstandard O
market O
order O
and O
overheated O
exhibition O
hall O
construction O
, O
he O
said O
. O

China O
' O
s O
exhibition O
industry O
output O
is O
about O
10 O
billion O
yuan O
( O
1 O
. O
2 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
) O
, O
accounting O
for O
0 O
. O
07 O
percent O
of O
the O
gross O
national O
product O
. O
In O
developed O
countries O
, O
this O
ratio O
is O
around O
0 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
he O
said O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0420 O

AMMAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Jordanian O
king O
reiterates O
support O
for O
Lebanon O

Jordanian O
King O
Abdullah O
II O
reiterated O
on O
Tuesday B-T
that O
Jordan O
will O
continue O
its O
support O
for O
Lebanon O
, O
the O
official O
Petra O
news O
agency O
reported O
. O

During O
a O
phone O
talk O
with O
Lebanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Fouad O
Seniora O
, O
the O
king O
said O
that O
all O
Lebanese O
people O
should O
unify O
their O
efforts O
and O
work O
to O
preserve O
unity O
of O
Lebanon O
in O
critical O
circumstances O
in O
order O
to O
face O
challenges O
. O

Seniora O
briefed O
the O
king O
on O
the O
latest O
developments O
in O
Lebanon O
and O
efforts O
to O
surmount O
the O
current O
political O
crisis O
, O
while O
appreciating O
Jordan O
' O
s O
support O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061228 O
. O
0375 O

CARDIFF O
, O
Dec B-T
28 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

Wales O
' O
Williams O
free O
for O
Six O
Nations O

Wales O
flanker O
Martyn O
Williams O
will O
be O
available O
for O
the O
start O
of O
this O
season O
' O
s O
Six O
Nations O
Championship O
after O
avoiding O
a O
lengthy O
ban O
following O
a O
disciplinary O
hearing O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

The O
Cardiff O
back O
- O
row O
was O
sent O
- O
off O
for O
butting O
Neath O
- O
Swansea O
scrum O
- O
half O
Jason O
Spice O
during O
a O
Celtic O
League O
match O
last B-T
Saturday I-T
. O

But O
Welsh O
Rugby O
Union O
disciplinary O
officials O
decided O
Williams O
' O
s O
offence O
only O
merited O
a O
three O
- O
week O
suspension O
, O
which O
means O
the O
64 O
- O
times O
capped O
Wales O
forward O
can O
play O
again O
from O
mid O
- O
January O
. O

He O
must O
now B-T
miss O
Cardiff O
' O
s O
Celtic O
League O
clashes O
with O
Llanelli O
and O
the O
Borders O
, O
as O
well O
as O
the O
European O
Cup O
match O
away O
to O
English O
giants O
Leicester O
at O
Welford O
Road O
on O
January B-T
13 I-T
. O
But O
he O
will O
be O
available O
for O
the O
European O
tie O
with O
French O
side O
Bourgoin O
a O
week O
later O
. O

Wales O
begin O
the O
2007 O
Six O
Nations O
at O
home O
to O
Ireland O
on O
February B-T
4 I-T
. O

" O
It O
was O
the O
first O
time O
I O
have O
been O
shown O
the O
red O
card O
in O
12 B-T
seasons I-T
of O
playing O
rugby O
at O
senior O
level O
, O
" O
said O
Williams O
. O

" O
Consequently O
, O
I O
feel O
it O
was O
out O
of O
character O
and O
obviously O
I O
regret O
the O
incident O
. O
I O
would O
like O
to O
apologise O
to O
all O
concerned O
. O

" O
I O
was O
disappointed O
with O
my O
reaction O
in O
the O
match O
, O
but O
I O
fully O
accept O
the O
findings O
of O
the O
( O
WRU O
) O
disciplinary O
sub O
- O
committee O
. O
" O

AFP_ENG_20061203 O
. O
0529 O

CARACAS O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
RECASTS O
; O
UPDATES O
with O
exit O
poll O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Venezuela O
' O
s O
firebrand O
anti O
- O
US O
President O
Hugo O
Chavez O
headed O
to O
reelection O
Sunday B-T
, O
according O
to O
an O
exit O
poll O
conducted O
for O
the O
government O
in O
voting O
marked O
by O
a O
large O
turnout O
. O

Evans O
/ O
McDonough O
said O
the O
leftist O
leader O
' O
s O
advantage O
over O
state O
governor O
Manuel O
Rosales O
was O
comparable O
to O
the O
institute O
' O
s O
previous O
voter O
intention O
surveys O
that O
had O
Chavez O
leading O
by O
up O
to O
19 O
percentage O
points O
. O

The O
US O
pollsters O
conducted O
the O
exit O
poll O
on O
behalf O
of O
a O
company O
owned O
by O
the O
state O
- O
run O
Petroleos O
de O
Venezuela O
( O
PDVSA O
) O
group O
, O
which O
is O
headed O
by O
the O
country O
' O
s O
energy O
minister O
. O

Chavez O
underlined O
the O
high O
turnout O
and O
said O
he O
expected O
" O
democratic O
results O
. O
" O

The O
controversial O
president O
, O
who O
has O
been O
in O
office O
for O
eight B-T
years I-T
, O
has O
pledged O
to O
consolidate O
his O
self O
- O
styled O
revolution O
and O
launch O
a O
new O
socialist O
era O
in O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
but O
poverty O
- O
plagued O
South O
American O
country O
. O

A O
former O
paratrooper O
who O
once O
led O
a O
failed O
military O
coup O
, O
Chavez O
, O
52 O
, O
has O
survived O
a O
two O
- O
day O
ouster O
, O
a O
recall O
referendum O
and O
a O
massive O
oil O
strike O
aimed O
at O
forcing O
him O
to O
step O
down O
. O

Flush O
with O
petrodollars O
, O
he O
has O
vowed O
to O
boost O
social O
programs O
that O
have O
kept O
him O
popular O
among O
the O
millions O
of O
impoverished O
Venezuelans O
who O
played O
a O
key O
role O
in O
giving O
him O
a O
landslide O
electoral O
victory O
in O
1998 B-T
and O
again O
in O
2000 B-T
. O

He O
has O
cultivated O
his O
image O
as O
a O
virulent O
critic O
of O
US O
President O
George O
W O
. O
Bush O
, O
whom O
he O
called O
the O
devil O
incarnate O
before O
the O
UN O
General O
Assembly O
. O

At O
the O
same O
time O
, O
Venezuela O
exports O
about O
half O
its O
daily O
oil O
production O
of O
more O
than O
three O
million O
barrels O
a O
day O
to O
the O
United O
States O
. O

After O
voting O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
Chavez O
insisted O
Venezuela O
wanted O
the O
best O
relations O
with O
all O
countries O
, O
" O
including O
the O
United O
States O
, O
" O
and O
hailed O
as O
a O
good O
signal O
a O
statement O
by O
a O
US O
State O
Department O
official O
recognizing O
that O
the O
South O
American O
country O
waged O
its O
political O
battles O
through O
democratic O
institutions O
. O

A O
close O
ally O
of O
Cuban O
President O
Fidel O
Castro O
, O
the O
leftist O
leader O
had O
accused O
Washington O
during O
his O
campaign O
of O
seeking O
to O
sew O
discord O
in O
Venezuela O
, O
and O
denounced O
his O
electoral O
rival O
as O
a O
lackey O
of O
the O
" O
US O
empire O
. O
" O

Rosales O
, O
for O
his O
part O
, O
claimed O
Chavez O
planned O
to O
turn O
Venezuela O
into O
a O
communist O
state O
and O
called O
him O
" O
a O
puppet O
seated O
on O
Castro O
' O
s O
lap O
. O
" O

The O
opposition O
candidate O
, O
who O
temporarily O
stepped O
down O
as O
governor O
of O
Zulia O
state O
to O
run O
in O
the O
election O
, O
said O
he O
stood O
for O
" O
a O
new O
social O
democracy O
, O
with O
liberty O
and O
social O
justice O
" O
and O
wanted O
to O
distance O
Venezuela O
from O
US O
foes O
, O
including O
Iran O
. O

Sixteen O
million O
people O
were O
eligible O
to O
vote O
in O
the O
presidential O
election O
, O
which O
capped O
a O
busy O
electoral O
year O
in O
which O
five O
leftist O
presidents O
were O
voted O
into O
office O
or O
won O
another O
term O
in O
Latin O
America O
. O

Chavez O
, O
who O
had O
been O
accused O
of O
meddling O
in O
some O
of O
the O
Latin O
American O
elections O
, O
hailed O
the O
recent O
leftist O
victories O
, O
which O
he O
said O
would O
give O
impetus O
to O
his O
plan O
for O
regional O
integration O
he O
hopes O
will O
further O
lessen O
US O
influence O
in O
the O
region O
. O

Voting O
concluded O
in O
some O
areas O
shortly O
after O
4 O
: O
00 O
pm O
( O
2000 O
GMT O
) O
although O
by O
law O
polling O
stations O
cannot O
shut O
their O
doors O
before O
the O
last O
person O
in O
line O
has O
voted O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051102 O
. O
0312 O

LONDON O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Arsenal O
into O
knockout O
stage O
after O
win O
over O
Sparta O
Prague O

Thanks O
to O
goals O
from O
Thierry O
Henry O
and O
a O
Robin O
van O
Persie O
brace O
, O
Arsenal O
beat O
Sparta O
Prague O
3 O
- O
0 O
on O
Wednesday B-T
to O
qualify O
for O
the O
knockout O
stage O
of O
the O
Champions O
League O
. O

Henry O
added O
to O
his O
back O
catalogue O
of O
spectacular O
goals O
with O
a O
wonderful O
curling O
shot O
to O
give O
Arsenal O
the O
lead O
midway O
through O
the O
first O
half O
. O

Before O
Van O
Persie O
' O
s O
late O
brace O
Arsenal O
were O
thwarted O
by O
some O
excellent O
goalkeeping O
from O
Jaromir O
Blazek O
. O

In O
the B-T
final I-T
10 I-T
minutes I-T
Van O
Persie O
made O
the O
game O
safe O
, O
scoring O
with O
a O
powerful O
shot O
and O
then O
a O
side O
- O
footed O
finish O
. O

Until O
Van O
Persie O
' O
s O
goals O
Blazek O
' O
s O
goalkeeping O
had O
ensured O
the O
Czech O
side O
were O
always O
in O
the O
game O
. O

Arsenal O
' O
s O
inability O
to O
extend O
their O
lead O
gave O
them O
some O
nervous O
moments O
as O
Sparta O
pressed O
for O
an O
equaliser O
, O
notably O
when O
Adam O
Petrous O
went O
close O
with O
a O
header O
just O
before O
Arsenal O
' O
s O
second O
goal O
. O

Martin O
Petras O
also O
hit O
the O
bar O
for O
Sparta O
soon O
after O
they O
went O
2 O
- O
0 O
down O
. O

Early O
on O
Arsenal O
refused O
to O
jettison O
their O
short O
- O
passing O
game O
despite O
a O
heavy O
pitch O
caused O
by O
torrential O
rain O
in O
north O
London O
. O

One O
elaborate O
move O
involving O
Henry O
, O
Bergkamp O
and O
Pires O
carved O
apart O
the O
Sparta O
defence O
, O
but O
the O
Dutch O
striker O
' O
s O
close O
- O
range O
shot O
hit O
the O
bar O
. O

Soon O
after O
Blazek O
denied O
Bergkamp O
by O
coming O
out O
quickly O
and O
blocking O
the O
Dutchman O
' O
s O
shot O
. O

Bergkamp O
had O
a O
third O
chance O
to O
score O
in O
that O
promising O
Arsenal O
opening O
period O
but O
he O
miscued O
, O
scuffing O
his O
shot O
. O

On O
23 B-T
minutes I-T
Henry O
showed O
Bergkamp O
how O
do O
to O
it O
, O
showing O
pinpoint O
precision O
to O
bend O
a O
shot O
past O
Blazek O
. O

Sparta O
must O
be O
sick O
of O
the O
sight O
of O
Henry O
- O
a B-T
fortnight I-T
ago I-T
the O
Frenchman O
scored O
twice O
against O
them O
to O
become O
Arsenal O
' O
s O
all O
- O
time O
leading O
scorer O
. O

Sparta O
' O
s O
best O
first O
- O
half O
effort O
came O
from O
Martin O
Hasek O
, O
whose O
shot O
almost O
surprised O
Manuel O
Aluminia O
as O
it O
came O
through O
a O
crowded O
penalty O
area O
. O

Soon O
after O
Hasek O
' O
s O
shot O
Bergkamp O
slipped O
the O
ball O
to O
Jose O
Antonio O
Reyes O
, O
who O
cut O
back O
inside O
and O
hit O
a O
curling O
shot O
that O
Blazek O
tipped O
past O
the O
post O
. O

Early O
in O
the B-T
second I-T
half I-T
Blazek O
again O
kept O
Sparta O
in O
the O
game O
when O
he O
moved O
quickly O
to O
save O
a O
Henry O
free O
- O
kick O
. O

Henry O
, O
who O
has O
missed O
much O
of O
the O
season O
with O
a O
groin O
injury O
and O
had O
been O
rested O
for O
Saturday B-T
' O
s O
north O
London O
derby O
against O
Spurs O
, O
was O
taken O
off O
on O
65 B-T
minutes I-T
to O
be O
replaced O
by O
Van O
Persie O
. O

On O
81 B-T
minutes I-T
Van O
Persie O
worked O
some O
space O
after O
picking O
up O
a O
pass O
from O
Bergkamp O
before O
firing O
a O
shot O
into O
the O
roof O
of O
the O
net O
. O

With O
four O
minutes O
left O
Van O
Persie O
claimed O
a O
second O
, O
steering O
the O
ball O
home O
after O
collecting O
a O
pass O
from O
Emmanuel O
Eboue O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051214 O
. O
0488 O

WASHINGTON O
, O
Dec B-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
US O
military O
is O
mounting O
a O
300 O
million O
dollar O
psychological O
operations O
campaign O
to O
sway O
international O
opinion O
of O
the O
US O
war O
on O
terrorism O
through O
messages O
placed O
in O
foreign O
media O
, O
officials O
said O
Wednesday B-T
. O

Lawrence O
DiRita O
, O
the O
chief O
Pentagon O
spokesman O
, O
said O
the O
aim O
was O
to O
" O
provide O
factual O
, O
truthful O
information O
with O
some O
degree O
of O
transparency O
, O
whatever O
is O
appropriate O
. O
" O

He O
would O
not O
say O
specifically O
whether O
the O
psychological O
warfare O
experts O
charged O
with O
running O
the O
program O
have O
been O
authorized O
to O
place O
messages O
in O
foreign O
media O
without O
disclosing O
the O
US O
government O
as O
their O
source O
. O

However O
, O
USA O
Today O
quoted O
the O
deputy O
director O
of O
the O
Joint O
Psychological O
Operations O
Support O
Element O
as O
saying O
the O
source O
of O
the O
material O
would O
not O
always O
be O
identified O
. O

" O
While O
the O
product O
may O
not O
carry O
the O
label O
, O
Made O
in O
the O
USA O
, O
' O
we O
will O
respond O
truthfully O
if O
asked O
" O
by O
journalists O
, O
Mark O
Furlong O
was O
quoted O
as O
saying O
. O

The O
campaign O
will O
target O
television O
, O
radio O
, O
newspapers O
, O
Internet O
websites O
with O
articles O
, O
advertisements O
and O
public O
service O
announcements O
, O
he O
said O
. O

The O
latest O
disclosure O
comes O
amid O
an O
ongoing O
investigation O
of O
a O
military O
" O
information O
operations O
" O
campaign O
in O
Iraq O
that O
reportedly O
planted O
hundreds O
of O
favorable O
paid O
- O
for O
stories O
in O
Iraqi O
news O
media O
without O
disclosing O
their O
source O
. O

The O
Lincoln O
Group O
, O
a O
defense O
contractor O
that O
was O
used O
to O
place O
the O
stories O
, O
is O
one O
of O
three O
contractors O
hired O
by O
the O
US O
Special O
Operations O
Command O
for O
the O
broader O
international O
campaign O
. O

The O
Lincoln O
Group O
, O
Science O
Applications O
International O
Corp O
. O
and O
SyColeman O
Inc O
. O
were O
each O
awarded O
100 O
million O
dollar O
contracts O
in O
June B-T
for O
the O
campaign O
. O

The O
five O
- O
year O
contract O
was O
" O
for O
media O
approach O
planning O
, O
prototype O
product O
development O
, O
commercial O
quality O
product O
development O
, O
product O
distribution O
and O
dissemination O
, O
and O
media O
effects O
analysis O
for O
the O
Joint O
Psychological O
Operations O
Support O
element O
and O
other O
government O
agencies O
, O
" O
an O
announcement O
at O
the O
time O
said O
. O

DiRita O
said O
the O
US O
Special O
Operations O
Command O
has O
been O
granted O
authority O
to O
wage O
the O
campaign O
but O
was O
still O
planning O
how O
to O
carry O
it O
out O
, O
he O
said O
. O

" O
We O
' O
re O
in O
an O
environment O
where O
public O
information O
is O
being O
thrown O
out O
there O
in O
countries O
all O
around O
the O
world O
that O
say O
untruthful O
, O
inaccurate O
, O
harmful O
things O
about O
the O
United O
States O
, O
about O
the O
global O
war O
on O
terror O
, O
" O
DiRita O
said O
. O

" O
It O
is O
important O
we O
counter O
that O
, O
and O
we O
have O
to O
counter O
it O
truthfully O
, O
to O
some O
significant O
degree O
to O
counter O
it O
with O
transparency O
, O
and O
we O
are O
looking O
at O
all O
kinds O
of O
ways O
to O
do O
that O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

AFP_ENG_19970401 O
. O
0562 O

PHNOM O
PENH O
, O
April B-T
2 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Funerals O
for O
grenade O
attack O
victims O
begin O
in O
Cambodia O
( O
picture O
) O

Cambodian O
dissident O
Sam O
Rainsy O
said O
at O
the O
funerals O
of O
five O
victims O
of O
the O
weekend O
grenade O
attack O
on O
an O
anti O
- O
government O
demonstration O
that O
he O
was O
" O
terribly O
sad O
" O
but O
would O
not O
give O
up O
his O
political O
crusade O
. O

Funerals O
for O
five O
of O
the O
16 O
people O
killed O
in O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
grenade O
attack O
outside O
parliament O
were O
held O
in O
the O
Wat O
Langka O
temple O
in O
Phnom O
Penh O
. O

The O
families O
of O
the O
five O
men O
wept O
and O
prayed O
as O
the O
victims O
were O
cremated O
in O
traditional O
Buddhist O
ceremonies O
. O
" O
Give O
back O
my O
husband O
, O
" O
screamed O
Bout O
Varun O
, O
widow O
of O
Chhet O
Duong O
Daravudh O
, O
a O
journalist O
and O
member O
of O
the O
opposition O
Khmer O
Nation O
Party O
( O
KNP O
) O
. O

Several O
grenades O
were O
thrown O
into O
a O
crowd O
of O
about O
200 O
demonstrators O
across O
from O
Cambodia O
' O
s O
parliament O
. O

Sam O
Rainsy O
, O
the O
president O
of O
the O
KNP O
who O
organized O
the O
protest O
against O
judicial O
corruption O
, O
told O
mourners O
he O
" O
was O
shocked O
and O
terribly O
sad O
" O
but O
not O
" O
discouraged O
. O
" O

" O
I O
swear O
that O
we O
will O
continue O
until O
the O
final O
victory O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O
" O
One O
day O
in O
the O
not O
too O
distant O
future O
we O
will O
see O
justice O
prevail O
in O
Cambodia O
. O

" O
Many O
people O
have O
died O
for O
this O
cause O
but O
many O
others O
are O
prepared O
to O
sacrifice O
their O
lives O
until O
justice O
is O
done O
, O
" O
Sam O
Rainsy O
said O
as O
the O
body O
of O
Han O
Mony O
, O
the O
bodyguard O
who O
he O
credits O
with O
saving O
his O
life O
was O
placed O
on O
the O
bier O
. O

Sam O
Rainsy O
has O
blamed O
Second O
Prime O
Minister O
Hun O
Sen O
and O
his O
formerly O
communist O
Cambodian O
People O
' O
s O
Party O
( O
CPP O
) O
for O
the O
attack O
which O
also O
left O
at O
least O
119 O
people O
wounded O
. O
The O
CPP O
has O
denied O
involvement O
in O
the O
attack O
. O

But O
Sam O
Rainsy O
continued O
his O
allegations O
against O
the O
second O
prime O
minister O
who O
on O
Wednesday B-T
began O
celebrations O
for O
his O
47th O
birthday O
on O
Friday B-T
. O

" O
Today B-T
we O
pray O
for O
those O
who O
lost O
their O
lives O
, O
we O
pray O
also O
for O
those O
who O
are O
still O
alive O
including O
the O
leaders O
of O
Cambodia O
, O
all O
the O
leaders O
. O

He O
said O
of O
Hun O
Sen O
: O
" O
I O
pray O
that O
god O
forgives O
him O
. O
I O
pray O
that O
god O
inspires O
Hun O
Sen O
to O
stop O
causing O
violence O
that O
mades O
innocent O
people O
suffer O
. O
" O

Because O
cremating O
a O
body O
takes O
several O
hours O
and O
Wat O
Langka O
has O
only O
one O
crematorium O
, O
the O
ceremony O
was O
expected O
to O
last O
throughout O
Wednesday B-T
. O

About O
200 O
people O
, O
including O
two O
representatives O
of O
King O
Norodom O
Sihanouk O
, O
several O
MPs O
from O
the O
royalist O
FUNCINPEC O
party O
and O
the O
Buddhist O
Liberal O
Democratic O
Party O
, O
the O
ambassadors O
of O
Australia O
, O
Canada O
and O
Japan O
and O
the O
charge O
d O
' O
affaires O
of O
the O
US O
embassy O
attended O
. O

Two O
other O
victims O
of O
the O
attack O
were O
cremated O
on O
Monday B-T
at O
the O
temple O
. O
The O
other O
victims O
were O
expected O
to O
be O
cremated O
in O
private O
family O
ceremonies O
. O

AFP_ENG_20051203 O
. O
0131 O

BAMAKO O
, O
Dec B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
quotes O
, O
details O
/ O
/ O
/ O

African O
leaders O
and O
French O
President O
Jacques O
Chirac O
opened O
a O
two O
- O
day O
summit O
here O
on O
Saturday B-T
, O
aimed O
at O
tackling O
the O
problems O
of O
Africa O
' O
s O
youth O
, O
but O
the O
continent O
' O
s O
conflicts O
and O
combatting O
immimgration O
were O
also O
likely O
to O
top O
the O
agenda O
. O

All O
53 O
African O
states O
are O
represented O
at O
the O
biennial O
gathering O
, O
a O
Malian O
organising O
committee O
official O
said O
, O
in O
a O
first O
for O
the O
Africa O
- O
France O
summits O
since O
they O
began O
in O
1973 B-T
. O

As O
well O
as O
Chirac O
, O
about O
20 O
heads O
of O
state O
and O
government O
, O
including O
South O
Africa O
' O
s O
Thabo O
Mbeki O
and O
recently O
re O
- O
elected O
Omar O
Bongo O
Ondimba O
of O
Gabon O
were O
present O
at O
the O
opening O
. O

Mali O
President O
Amadou O
Toumani O
Toure O
opened O
the O
summit O
, O
which O
began O
about O
an O
hour O
behind O
schedule O
at O
the O
specially O
- O
extended O
congress O
hall O
in O
the O
Malian O
capital O
, O
Bamako O
. O

He O
called O
for O
a O
meeting O
between O
European O
and O
African O
nations O
on O
how O
to O
tackle O
immigration O
, O
highlighting O
the O
need O
to O
combat O
trafficking O
networks O
. O

" O
We O
have O
to O
keep O
young O
people O
here O
at O
home O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

He O
was O
to O
be O
followed O
later O
by O
73 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Chirac O
, O
who O
on O
his O
arrival O
late O
Friday B-T
called O
for O
greater O
international O
effort O
for O
development O
. O
He O
also O
said O
Africa O
' O
s O
youth O
predominantly O
wanted O
peace O
and O
democracy O
. O

The O
theme O
of O
the O
discussions O
, O
which O
include O
three O
closed O
- O
door O
sessions O
over O
the B-T
two I-T
days I-T
and O
continue O
until O
about O
midday O
on O
Sunday B-T
, O
is O
' O
African O
youth O
, O
its O
vitality O
, O
its O
creativity O
, O
their O
hopes O
' O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051110 O
. O
0027 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
10 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Construction O
Bank O
IPO O
rises O
to O
9 O
. O
23 O
bln O
US O
dollars O

The O
China O
Construction O
Bank O
Corporation O
( O
CCB O
) O
said O
Thursday B-T
its O
total O
initial O
public O
offering O
( O
IPO O
) O
increased O
to O
an O
equivalent O
of O
9 O
. O
23 O
billion O
US O
dollars O
after O
its O
sponsors O
issued O
an O
additional O
about O
3 O
. O
97 O
billion O
shares O
, O
the O
biggest O
- O
ever O
IPO O
of O
any O
bank O
. O

The O
bank O
issued O
a O
combined O
30 O
. O
5 O
billion O
shares O
, O
accounting O
for O
13 O
. O
5 O
percent O
of O
its O
enlarged O
equities O
, O
a O
bank O
spokesman O
said O
. O

The O
CCB O
' O
s O
IPO O
is O
also O
the O
biggest O
- O
ever O
of O
any O
Chinese O
enterprise O
and O
the O
biggest O
in O
global O
markets O
in O
more B-T
than I-T
five I-T
years I-T
. O

CCB O
took O
the O
lead O
among O
China O
' O
s O
Big O
Four O
state O
banks O
to O
get O
listed O
in O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
stock O
exchange O
two B-T
weeks I-T
ago I-T
. O
It O
rose O
4 O
. O
3 O
percent O
to O
2 O
. O
45 O
Hong O
Kong O
dollars O
per O
share O
at O
Wednesday B-T
' O
s O
closing O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061128 O
. O
0457 O

TOKYO O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Tokyo O
stocks O
open O
higher O

Tokyo O
stocks O
opened O
sharply O
higher O
almost O
across O
the O
board O
Wednesday B-T
on O
optimism O
about O
the O
Japanese O
economy O
after O
the O
government O
reported O
surprisingly O
strong O
industrial O
production O
in O
October B-T
. O

In O
the B-T
first I-T
15 I-T
minutes I-T
of O
trading O
, O
the O
225 O
- O
issue O
Nikkei O
Stock O
Average O
rose O
157 O
. O
11 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
99 O
percent O
, O
to O
16 O
, O
012 O
. O
37 O
. O

The O
broader O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Price O
Index O
of O
all O
First O
Section O
issues O
on O
the O
Tokyo O
Stock O
Exchange O
gained O
14 O
. O
56 O
points O
, O
or O
0 O
. O
94 O
percent O
, O
to O
1 O
, O
569 O
. O
67 O
. O
The O
Second O
Section O
also O
moved O
higher O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061102 O
. O
0112 O

JINAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
2 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

East O
China O
province O
reinstates O
bird O
flu O
monitoring O

Shandong O
Province O
, O
east O
China O
, O
has O
reinstated O
round O
- O
the O
- O
clock O
bird O
flu O
monitoring O
to O
prevent O
possible O
outbreaks O
as O
more O
and O
more O
migratory O
birds O
fly O
over O
the O
province O
on O
their O
way O
further O
south O
. O

Li O
Zhanpeng O
, O
head O
of O
the O
provincial O
wildlife O
protection O
center O
, O
said O
that O
all O
153 O
monitoring O
stations O
in O
the O
province O
were O
ordered O
to O
report O
on O
a O
daily B-T
basis O
. O

Local O
people O
were O
also O
called O
on O
to O
report O
deaths O
of O
wild O
birds O
to O
the O
provincial O
wildlife O
protection O
center O
. O
Its O
telephone O
hot O
line O
number O
is O
0531 O
- O
88557707 O
, O
Li O
said O
. O

Wild O
birds O
migrate O
through O
eight O
routes O
around O
the O
world O
, O
three O
of O
which O
traverse O
China O
. O
Migratory O
birds O
flying O
from O
East O
Asia O
to O
Australia O
pass O
Shandong O
Province O
. O

China O
has O
reported O
nine O
outbreaks O
of O
bird O
flu O
in O
poultry O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
in O
northwestern O
Xinjiang O
Uygur O
Autonomous O
Region O
, O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Shanxi O
Province O
and O
Inner O
Mongolia O
, O
east O
China O
' O
s O
Anhui O
Province O
, O
southwestern O
Guizhou O
and O
Sichuan O
provinces O
and O
the O
central O
province O
of O
Hunan O
. O

Since O
2003 B-T
China O
has O
reported O
21 O
human O
infections O
of O
bird O
flu O
which O
have O
caused O
14 O
deaths O
. O
Globally O
, O
the O
World O
Health O
Organization O
( O
WHO O
) O
has O
recorded O
256 O
human O
infections O
including O
151 O
deaths O
as O
of O
Oct B-T
. I-T
16 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061219 O
. O
0124 O

TOKYO O
, O
Dec B-T
19 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
Fukui O
quotes O
/ O
/ O
/ O

Japan O
on O
Tuesday B-T
forecast O
slightly O
faster O
growth O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
on O
the O
back O
of O
stronger O
domestic O
demand O
, O
as O
the O
central O
bank O
kept O
super O
- O
low O
interest O
rates O
in O
place O
so O
as O
not O
to O
take O
any O
chances O
. O

The O
government O
predicted O
2 O
. O
0 O
percent O
growth O
in O
the B-T
year I-T
to O
March B-T
2008 I-T
in O
real O
terms O
, O
the O
sixth O
straight O
year O
of O
expansion O
and O
a O
notch O
above O
the O
revised O
1 O
. O
9 O
percent O
estimated O
for O
the B-T
current I-T
year I-T
. O

In O
an O
outlook O
approved O
by O
the O
cabinet O
, O
the O
government O
expected O
the O
economy O
to O
continue O
its O
gradual O
recovery O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
, O
led O
by O
domestic O
private O
demand O
and O
strong O
corporate O
earnings O
. O

The O
study O
also O
forecast O
the O
first O
growth O
in O
a O
decade O
in O
a O
key O
measure O
of O
inflation O
- O
- O
the O
GDP O
deflator O
- O
- O
showing O
that O
the O
Japanese O
economy O
is O
finally O
winning O
its O
long O
bout O
with O
falling O
prices O
. O

But O
the O
government O
revised O
downward O
its O
economic O
growth O
forecast O
for O
the B-T
current I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
to O
a O
real O
1 O
. O
9 O
percent O
from O
its O
earlier O
estimate O
of O
2 O
. O
1 O
percent O
as O
consumer O
spending O
has O
weakened O
since O
the B-T
summer I-T
. O

" O
Consumer O
spending O
is O
the O
key O
to O
whether O
the O
Japanese O
economy O
can O
achieve O
the O
forecast O
next B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
said O
Makoto O
Ishikawa O
, O
a O
senior O
economist O
at O
the O
Japan O
Research O
Institute O
. O

Private O
consumption O
, O
which O
accounts O
for O
the O
biggest O
chunk O
of O
the O
economy O
, O
is O
forecast O
to O
rise O
an O
inflation O
- O
adjusted O
1 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
, O
faster O
than O
the O
0 O
. O
6 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
current I-T
year I-T
. O

The O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
' O
s O
policy O
board O
later O
Tuesday B-T
agreed O
unanimously O
to O
keep O
the O
benchmark O
cost O
of O
borrowing O
at O
0 O
. O
25 O
percent O
, O
declining O
to O
raise O
rates O
for O
the O
first O
time O
in O
six B-T
months I-T
. O

Bank O
of O
Japan O
governor O
Toshihiko O
Fukui O
, O
who O
has O
repeatedly O
signalled O
he O
wanted O
to O
raise O
rates O
at O
some O
point O
, O
acknowledged O
that O
consumer O
prices O
and O
private O
consumption O
had O
been O
weaker O
than O
previously O
thought O
. O

" O
We O
also O
found O
it O
necessary O
to O
make O
a O
more O
careful O
analysis O
, O
given O
the O
fact O
that O
consumer O
prices O
and O
private O
consumption O
have O
been O
weak O
, O
" O
Fukui O
said O
. O

" O
But O
we O
maintain O
our O
analysis O
that O
private O
consumption O
is O
basically O
in O
a O
rising O
trend O
, O
given O
the O
continued O
spill O
- O
over O
of O
brisk O
corporate O
activity O
to O
the O
household O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

In O
its O
last O
rate O
hike O
in O
July B-T
, O
the O
Bank O
of O
Japan O
ended O
its O
unorthodox O
five O
- O
year O
policy O
of O
holding O
borrowing O
costs O
at O
zero O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
stimulate O
the O
economy O
and O
end O
deflation O
. O

" O
The O
BoJ O
may O
need O
to O
confirm O
first O
that O
consumer O
spending O
has O
accelerated O
before O
hiking O
rates O
, O
" O
said O
NLI O
Research O
Institute O
senior O
economist O
Taro O
Saito O
, O
who O
is O
looking O
at O
a O
rate O
increase O
either O
in O
January B-T
or I-T
February I-T
. O

The O
market O
had O
widely O
expected O
the O
decision O
after O
the O
mixed O
economic O
data O
, O
including O
just O
0 O
. O
1 O
percent O
year O
- O
on O
- O
year O
growth O
in O
core O
consumer O
prices O
. O

" O
We O
need O
to O
watch O
closely O
if O
there O
is O
any O
slightest O
risk O
that O
Japan O
might O
return O
to O
deflation O
in O
fiscal B-T
2007 I-T
, O
" O
Economic O
and O
Fiscal O
Policy O
Minister O
Hiroko O
Ota O
told O
reporters O
. O

Ota O
blamed O
rainy O
weather O
and O
slow O
income O
growth O
for O
the O
recent O
weak O
consumption O
data O
. O

" O
But O
with O
the O
weather O
factor O
gone O
and O
income O
eventually O
picking O
up O
with O
the O
improvement O
in O
the O
employment O
situation O
, O
this O
should O
help O
buoy O
private O
consumption O
, O
" O
she O
said O
. O

On O
a O
nominal O
basis O
, O
which O
does O
not O
adjust O
for O
inflation O
, O
the O
government O
projected O
growth O
of O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
in O
the B-T
next I-T
fiscal I-T
year I-T
. O

Japan O
is O
in O
the O
midst O
of O
its O
longest O
sustained O
recovery O
since O
World O
War O
II O
as O
it O
rebounds O
from O
the O
1990s B-T
doldrums I-T
. O

Last B-T
month I-T
the O
Organization O
for O
Economic O
Cooperation O
and O
Development O
( O
OECD O
) O
said O
that O
Japan O
' O
s O
economic O
recovery O
should O
continue O
through O
2008 B-T
, O
albeit O
at O
a O
slower O
pace O
. O

It O
trimmed O
its O
forecast O
for O
Japanese O
economic O
growth O
to O
a O
real O
2 O
. O
0 O
percent O
in O
2007 B-T
, O
down O
from O
a O
previous O
estimate O
of O
2 O
. O
2 O
percent O
, O
and O
warned O
the O
central O
bank O
against O
raising O
interest O
rates O
again O
yet O
because O
deflation O
still O
lingers O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061113 O
. O
0008 O

TAIYUAN O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
13 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

1st O
LD O
: O
Fatal O
coal O
mine O
accident O
reported O
in O
north O
China O
, O
24 O
dead O

Twenty O
- O
four O
people O
were O
confirmed O
dead O
and O
10 O
others O
went O
missing O
in O
a O
deadly O
coal O
mine O
accident O
early O
Monday B-T
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Shanxi O
Province O
. O

Thirty O
- O
four O
miners O
were O
trapped O
when O
the O
accident O
occurred O
at O
4 B-T
: I-T
00 I-T
a I-T
. I-T
m I-T
. I-T
at O
the O
Nanshan O
Colliery O
in O
Wangyu O
Village O
of O
Lingshi O
County O
, O
said O
Gong O
Anku O
, O
head O
of O
the O
provincial O
administration O
for O
work O
safety O
. O

Rescuers O
had O
found O
24 O
dead O
bodies O
by O
midday O
and O
were O
continuing O
to O
search O
for O
the O
other O
10 O
, O
he O
said O
. O

A O
spokesman O
of O
the O
Lingshi O
county O
government O
said O
the O
accident O
was O
caused O
by O
improper O
use O
of O
explosives O
that O
led O
to O
combustion O
in O
the O
pit O
. O

Gong O
said O
Nanshan O
Colliery O
was O
a O
village O
- O
run O
coal O
mine O
. O
The O
safety O
watchdog O
is O
yet O
to O
find O
out O
if O
it O
holds O
a O
production O
permit O
. O

Also O
on O
Monday B-T
, O
the O
death O
toll O
in O
another O
deadly O
accident O
in O
this O
coal O
- O
rich O
province O
climbed O
to O
35 O
, O
with O
12 O
more O
missing O
in O
the O
pit O
of O
the O
Jiaojiazhai O
Colliery O
in O
Xinzhou O
, O
where O
a O
gas O
blast O
trapped O
47 O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
5 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_20061205 O
. O
0072 O

HONG O
KONG O
, O
Dec B-T
5 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

ATTENTION O
- O
ADDS O
comments O
, O
background O
/ O
/ O
/ O

The O
Hong O
Kong O
government O
was O
forced O
to O
back O
down O
Tuesday O
on O
the O
introduction O
of O
a O
sales O
tax O
after O
it O
failed O
to O
win O
enough O
public O
support O
for O
a O
change O
in O
the O
city O
' O
s O
famously O
low O
tax O
environment O
. O

Financial O
Secretary O
Henry O
Tang O
said O
the O
decision O
was O
reached O
after O
an O
ongoing O
public O
consultation O
showed O
that O
the O
controversial O
plan O
, O
which O
has O
been O
widely O
criticised O
on O
all O
sides O
, O
lacked O
public O
support O
. O

" O
It O
is O
clear O
from O
the O
views O
collected O
that O
we O
have O
not O
been O
able O
to O
convince O
the O
majority O
to O
accept O
GST O
( O
Goods O
and O
Sales O
Tax O
) O
as O
the O
main O
option O
to O
address O
the O
( O
narrow O
) O
tax O
base O
problem O
, O
" O
Tang O
said O
in O
a O
surprise O
announcement O
. O

" O
So O
we O
accepted O
that O
at O
this O
time O
we O
do O
not O
have O
the O
public O
support O
nor O
the O
conditions O
for O
introducing O
a O
GST O
. O
For O
the O
remainder O
of O
the O
consultation O
( O
period O
) O
, O
we O
will O
not O
be O
advocating O
GST O
as O
the O
only O
option O
" O
on O
tax O
changes O
. O

Tang O
did O
not O
take O
questions O
nor O
clarify O
whether O
the O
government O
would O
re O
- O
visit O
the O
issue O
in O
the B-T
future I-T
but O
he O
called O
on O
people O
to O
continue O
to O
make O
their O
views O
known O
on O
other O
possible O
ways O
to O
widen O
the O
tax O
base O
. O

Hong O
Kong O
currently B-T
levies O
a O
16 O
percent O
personal O
tax O
rate O
with O
companies O
paying O
just O
17 O
. O
5 O
percent O
, O
making O
it O
one O
of O
the O
lowest O
tax O
regimes O
anywhere O
- O
- O
a O
point O
the O
government O
itself O
promotes O
in O
its O
efforts O
to O
attract O
businesses O
here O
. O

Officials O
said O
a O
GST O
was O
needed O
to O
pay O
for O
an O
ageing O
population O
and O
to O
provide O
a O
more O
stable O
revenue O
base O
for O
the O
city O
, O
which O
depends O
too O
much O
on O
volatile O
income O
streams O
including O
land O
sales O
and O
investment O
returns O
. O

Hong O
Kong O
leader O
Donald O
Tsang O
said O
he O
and O
the O
Executive O
Council O
, O
or O
cabinet O
, O
completely O
supported O
the O
decision O
. O

" O
We O
believe O
that O
the O
decision O
( O
Tang O
) O
has O
made O
respects O
fully O
the O
wishes O
of O
Hong O
Kong O
people O
that O
we O
should O
seriously O
consider O
widening O
our O
tax O
base O
. O
" O

The O
government O
hoped O
the O
GST O
would O
bring O
in O
some O
30 O
billion O
dollars O
( O
3 O
. O
8 O
billion O
US O
) O
a O
year O
in O
extra O
revenue O
, O
claiming O
that O
by O
2033 B-T
, O
more O
than O
a O
quarter O
of O
the O
population O
would O
be O
retired O
and O
need O
more O
public O
services O
. O

The O
public O
almost O
unanimously O
denounced O
the O
plan O
from O
the O
start O
of O
the O
consultation O
period O
in O
July B-T
and O
all O
the O
major O
political O
parties O
opposed O
it O
too O
, O
making O
it O
unlikely O
to O
have O
got O
through O
the O
legislature O
. O

Activists O
accused O
Tang O
of O
robbing O
the O
poor O
to O
pay O
the O
rich O
while O
business O
interests O
said O
a O
sales O
tax O
would O
decimate O
the O
booming O
tourism O
industry O
by O
making O
shopping O
in O
Hong O
Kong O
- O
- O
one O
of O
its O
biggest O
draws O
- O
- O
less O
attractive O
. O

Analysts O
said O
that O
against O
this O
backdrop O
, O
Tuesday B-T
' O
s O
move O
may O
have O
been O
politically O
motivated O
, O
coming O
just O
before O
Sunday B-T
' O
s O
naming O
of O
an O
800 O
- O
member O
election O
committee O
to O
choose O
Hong O
Kong O
' O
s O
next O
leader O
, O
widely O
expected O
to O
the O
Tsang O
. O

" O
This O
is O
obviously O
linked O
to O
( O
Tsang O
' O
s O
) O
re O
- O
election O
. O
He O
knew O
that O
it O
would O
be O
bad O
if O
he O
had O
so O
many O
problems O
to O
solve O
before O
he O
even O
started O
lobbying O
for O
support O
, O
" O
said O
James O
Sung O
, O
political O
scientist O
at O
City O
University O
. O

" O
He O
knew O
the O
GST O
would O
be O
the O
biggest O
problem O
to O
tackle O
and O
since O
he O
knew O
it O
would O
fail O
sooner O
or O
later O
, O
he O
' O
d O
rather O
end O
it O
quickly O
, O
" O
Sung O
said O
. O

Paul O
Chan O
, O
president O
of O
the O
Hong O
Kong O
Institute O
of O
Public O
Accountants O
which O
supports O
a O
GST O
, O
urged O
the O
government O
to O
continue O
to O
seek O
alternatives O
to O
widen O
the O
tax O
base O
. O

" O
There O
' O
s O
uncertainty O
here O
and O
something O
needs O
to O
be O
done O
. O
The O
government O
should O
consider O
what O
would O
be O
the O
second O
best O
( O
solution O
) O
and O
it O
shouldn O
' O
t O
give O
it O
up O
, O
" O
he O
added O
. O

AFP_ENG_20061218 O
. O
0111 O

LONDON O
, O
Dec B-T
18 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
, O
2006 O

= O
( O
PICTURE O
) O
= O

British O
police O
were O
expected O
Monday B-T
to O
stage O
a O
reconstruction O
of O
the O
last O
known O
movements O
of O
a O
serial O
killer O
' O
s O
victims O
, O
as O
they O
seek O
a O
breakthrough O
over O
the O
murders O
of O
five O
young O
prostitutes O
. O

Detectives O
are O
also O
offering O
an O
amnesty O
for O
drug O
dealers O
in O
the O
quiet O
English O
town O
of O
Ipswich O
, O
in O
a O
bid O
to O
persuade O
them O
to O
provide O
information O
that O
could O
help O
in O
the O
unprecedented O
manhunt O
. O

Their O
bodies O
were O
all O
found O
naked O
in O
countryside O
on O
the O
outskirts O
of O
Ipswich O
, O
80 O
miles O
( O
130 O
kilometres O
) O
north O
- O
east O
of O
London O
, O
more B-T
than I-T
10 I-T
days I-T
ago I-T
, O
sparking O
fears O
that O
a O
serial O
killer O
is O
on O
the O
loose O
. O

None O
showed O
signs O
of O
having O
been O
subjected O
to O
significant O
trauma O
or O
serious O
sexual O
assault O
, O
fueling O
speculation O
that O
the O
killer O
might O
have O
been O
a O
drug O
dealer O
who O
doped O
them O
. O

All O
five O
women O
were O
drug O
users O
and O
police O
have O
now O
offered O
the O
amnesty O
to O
local O
dealers O
in O
the O
hope O
that O
they O
will O
come O
forward O
with O
new O
information O
, O
the O
Times O
newspaper O
quoted O
the O
officer O
leading O
the O
probe O
as O
saying O
. O

" O
Dealing O
class O
A O
drugs O
is O
a O
serious O
offence O
. O
However O
, O
our O
priority O
remains O
finding O
the O
person O
responsible O
for O
these O
murders O
. O
. O
. O
I O
' O
m O
not O
interested O
in O
any O
other O
offences O
at O
this O
time O
, O
" O
it O
cited O
police O
chief O
Stewart O
Gull O
as O
saying O
. O

Officers O
spoke O
to O
members O
of O
the O
public O
at O
local O
rail O
stations O
Sunday B-T
night I-T
where O
the O
last O
known O
movements O
of O
one O
of O
the O
victims O
, O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Anneli O
Alderton O
, O
were O
captured O
on O
closed O
circuit O
television O
( O
CCTV O
) O
. O

The O
pictures O
show O
Alderton O
, O
who O
was O
three O
months O
pregnant O
, O
a B-T
week I-T
before O
the O
discovery O
of O
her O
strangled O
body O
on O
December B-T
10 I-T
. O

Her O
boyfriend O
, O
Sam O
Jefford O
, O
21 O
, O
told O
the O
Sun O
newspaper O
that O
the O
murderer O
" O
has O
taken O
away O
the O
two O
most O
precious O
things O
in O
my O
life O
. O

" O
If O
we O
were O
in O
the O
same O
room O
and O
I O
had O
a O
gun O
, O
I O
' O
d O
shoot O
him O
. O
It O
' O
s O
all O
that O
he O
deserves O
. O
" O

Police O
also O
seem O
to O
compiling O
a O
database O
of O
local O
prostitutes O
' O
distinguishing O
features O
, O
including O
tattoos O
and O
jewellery O
, O
the O
Guardian O
reported O
. O

An O
inquest O
into O
the O
death O
of O
one O
of O
the O
victims O
, O
Gemma O
Adams O
, O
25 O
, O
has O
already O
been O
opened O
and O
those O
of O
the O
four O
others O
- O
- O
Alderton O
, O
Tania O
Nicol O
, O
19 O
, O
Paula O
Clennell O
, O
24 O
, O
and O
Annette O
Nicholls O
, O
29 O
- O
- O
were O
slated O
to O
get O
under O
way O
Monday B-T
. O

But O
these O
were O
cancelled O
at O
the B-T
last I-T
minute I-T
by O
Suffolk O
Police O
, O
prompting O
media O
speculation O
that O
the O
investigating O
team O
needed O
to O
carry O
out O
more O
tests O
. O

Nearly O
10 O
, O
000 O
calls O
from O
members O
of O
the O
public O
have O
been O
received O
by O
the O
investigating O
team O
, O
who O
are O
also O
trawling O
through O
10 B-T
, I-T
000 I-T
hours I-T
of O
CCTV O
footage O
in O
the O
hope O
of O
piecing O
together O
the O
final O
movements O
of O
all O
the O
women O
. O

They O
have O
released O
footage O
of O
Nicol O
, O
as O
well O
as O
Alderton O
, O
and O
police O
are O
confident O
that O
they O
knew O
what O
the O
women O
were O
wearing O
when O
they O
disappeared O
, O
which O
would O
help O
determine O
where O
they O
were O
last O
seen O
alive O
. O

Almost O
500 O
officers O
are O
working O
in O
one O
of O
Britain O
' O
s O
biggest O
- O
ever O
manhunts O
, O
with O
350 O
being O
drafted O
in O
from O
31 O
police O
forces O
around O
the O
country O
, O
including O
Northern O
Ireland O
, O
to O
help O
Suffolk O
police O
. O

There O
have O
been O
no O
arrests O
and O
officers O
say O
that O
there O
are O
no O
suspects O
in O
the O
case O
as O
yet O
. O

The O
case O
has O
triggered O
comparisons O
with O
the O
Yorkshire O
Ripper O
Peter O
Sutcliffe O
, O
convicted O
of O
the O
deaths O
of O
13 O
women O
between O
1975 B-T
and O
1980 B-T
, O
and O
Jack O
the O
Ripper O
, O
who O
murdered O
five O
east O
London O
prostitutes O
in O
1888 B-T
. O

Many O
people O
, O
especially O
women O
, O
in O
the O
usually O
quiet O
market O
town O
of O
Ipswich O
are O
terrified O
to O
go O
out O
alone O
at O
night O
. O

The O
streets O
of O
the O
town O
are O
virtually O
deserted O
after O
dark O
, O
despite O
the O
Christmas B-T
party I-T
season I-T
being O
in O
full O
swing O
elsewhere O
in O
Britain O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051107 O
. O
0174 O

CHANGSHA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
7 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

central O
China O

The O
schoolteacher O
in O
central O
China O
' O
s O
Hunan O
Province O
, O
whose O
case O
was O
diagnosed O
as O
pneumonia O
of O
unknown O
cause O
, O
is O
recovering O
. O

Monday B-T
' O
s O
check O
showed O
the O
36 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
patient O
surnamed O
Song O
is O
recovering O
and O
he O
' O
s O
reported O
normal O
body O
temperature O
for O
ten O
consecutive O
days O
, O
said O
Ouyang O
Fan O
, O
a O
doctor O
at O
a O
Xiangtan O
hospital O
. O

Song O
still O
coughs O
occasionally O
, O
but O
hemoptysis O
disappeared O
, O
the O
doctor O
said O
. O

The O
CT O
screening O
shows O
the O
abnormal O
symptoms O
at O
Song O
' O
s O
left O
lung O
are O
disappearing O
, O
and O
Song O
is O
gaining O
confidence O
on O
his O
recovery O
, O
said O
Huang O
Qiusheng O
, O
doctor O
who O
is O
in O
charge O
of O
Song O
' O
s O
case O
. O

Some O
doctors O
in O
the O
hospital O
said O
Song O
' O
s O
case O
is O
rather O
rare O
and O
suggests O
a O
great O
possibility O
of O
viral O
pneumonia O
. O

Song O
came O
from O
Wantang O
Village O
in O
Xiangtan O
County O
where O
a O
bird O
flu O
outbreak O
was O
reported O
. O
Experts O
presently O
diagnosed O
his O
illness O
as O
pneumonia O
of O
unknown O
cause O
, O
but O
do O
not O
rule O
out O
a O
possible O
human O
case O
of O
bird O
flu O
. O

Chinese O
Center O
for O
Disease O
Control O
and O
Prevention O
is O
carrying O
out O
further O
tests O
for O
the O
patient O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061104 O
. O
0176 O

BEIJING O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
4 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

performance O

Against O
a O
backdrop O
of O
Beijing O
' O
s O
landmark O
Temple O
of O
Heaven O
, O
two O
African O
singers O
in O
traditional O
costumes O
hold O
hands O
with O
Chinese O
artists O
in O
scarlet O
Chinese O
- O
style O
jackets O
, O
singing O
in O
chorus O
a O
decades O
- O
old O
song O
in O
commemoration O
of O
late O
Chinese O
leader O
Mao O
Zedong O
. O

Around O
them O
, O
a O
group O
of O
dancers O
dance O
to O
the O
music O
, O
spreading O
out O
butterfly O
- O
shaped O
silk O
fans O
that O
line O
out O
a O
scene O
of O
festivity O
. O

Nearly O
400 O
Chinese O
and O
African O
artists O
staged O
the O
gala O
themed O
on O
" O
Ode O
to O
Friendship O
" O
Saturday B-T
night I-T
at O
the O
Great O
Hall O
of O
the O
People O
in O
central O
Beijing O
, O
after O
a O
day O
of O
handshakes O
, O
whirlwind O
meetings O
and O
a O
welcoming O
banquet O
given O
by O
Chinese O
President O
Hu O
Jintao O
and O
his O
wife O
Liu O
Yongqing O
. O

An O
audience O
of O
at O
least O
2 O
, O
000 O
people O
applauded O
when O
a O
team O
of O
young O
Chinese O
artists O
opened O
the O
gala O
at O
8 O
: O
15 O
p O
. O
m O
. O
with O
red O
lanterns O
that O
lit O
up O
, O
one O
after O
another O
, O
to O
spell O
out O
in O
English O
" O
Welcome O
to O
China O
" O
. O

Among O
the O
audience O
were O
Hu O
Jintao O
, O
Chairman O
of O
the O
Commission O
of O
the O
African O
Union O
Alpha O
Oumar O
Konare O
, O
and O
more O
than O
40 O
African O
leaders O
who O
are O
in O
Beijing O
for O
the O
two O
- O
day O
Beijing O
Summit O
, O
the O
biggest O
between O
Chinese O
and O
African O
leaders O
in O
history O
. O

" O
I O
know O
Africa O
and O
China O
have O
been O
helping O
each O
other O
like O
close O
friends O
since O
the O
time O
Mao O
founded O
New O
China O
, O
" O
Augustine O
Dondo O
, O
a O
33 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
singer O
from O
the O
Democratic O
Republic O
of O
Congo O
, O
told O
Xinhua O
through O
an O
interpreter O
. O

From O
the O
traditional O
Peking O
Opera O
, O
upbeat O
tropical O
dance O
and O
drum O
to O
acrobatics O
, O
African O
and O
Chinese O
artists O
take O
turns O
demonstrating O
their O
exquisite O
skills O
and O
profound O
culture O
. O

" O
It O
' O
s O
a O
dialogue O
between O
the O
two O
ancient O
civilizations O
, O
as O
well O
as O
an O
exhibition O
of O
China O
- O
Africa O
cultural O
exchanges O
, O
" O
said O
Tang O
Wenjuan O
, O
director O
of O
the O
gala O
. O

Nine O
- O
year O
- O
old O
Sudanese O
boy O
Ahmad O
, O
the O
youngest O
performer O
at O
the O
gala O
, O
came O
to O
China O
in O
2004 B-T
to O
study O
acrobatics O
in O
Puyang O
, O
a O
cradle O
of O
the O
traditional O
Chinese O
art O
in O
central O
Henan O
Province O
. O
" O
My O
folks O
love O
acrobatics O
. O
I O
' O
ll O
show O
them O
more O
about O
Chinese O
culture O
when O
I O
grow O
up O
, O
" O
he O
said O
in O
fluent O
Chinese O
. O

Yeneneh O
Tesfaye O
from O
Ethiopia O
said O
he O
plans O
to O
go O
home O
soon O
to O
perform O
in O
his O
country O
what O
he O
had O
learned O
in O
China O
. O

" O
I O
' O
ll O
probably O
become O
a O
superstar O
when O
I O
get O
back O
. O
Few O
people O
in O
Ethiopia O
can O
practice O
rolling O
bowls O
and O
foot O
juggling O
the O
way O
I O
do O
, O
" O
said O
Helen O
Yohannes O
, O
18 O
. O
" O
But O
I O
' O
ll O
miss O
my O
coaches O
, O
classmates O
and O
the O
delicious O
Chinese O
dishes O
. O
" O

The O
Wuqiao O
International O
Acrobatics O
School O
in O
north O
China O
' O
s O
Hebei O
Province O
, O
where O
Tesfaye O
and O
Yohannes O
studied O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
two I-T
years I-T
, O
currently B-T
has O
22 O
African O
students O
aged O
between O
12 B-T
and O
22 B-T
. O

Founded O
in O
1985 B-T
, O
the O
school O
has O
trained O
nearly O
100 O
acrobats O
for O
African O
countries O
including O
Ethiopia O
, O
Kenya O
, O
Tanzania O
and O
Ghana O
since O
it O
was O
authorized O
by O
the O
Chinese O
government O
to O
recruit O
international O
students O
in O
2002 B-T
, O
said O
Qi O
Zhiye O
, O
president O
of O
the O
school O
. O
" O
Ninety O
percent O
of O
them O
have O
taken O
jobs O
as O
professional O
acrobats O
or O
coaches O
in O
their O
home O
countries O
. O
" O

Personnel O
training O
has O
been O
an O
important O
part O
of O
China O
- O
Africa O
cooperation O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
decades I-T
. O

By O
the B-T
end I-T
of I-T
2005 I-T
, O
China O
had O
offered O
more O
than O
18 O
, O
000 O
governmental O
scholarships O
to O
African O
students O
. O

" O
Let O
' O
s O
build O
up O
a O
golden O
bridge O
of O
friendship O
, O
peace O
, O
cooperation O
and O
development O
, O
" O
prayed O
Guillaume O
Moumouni O
, O
the O
proud O
moderator O
from O
Benin O
, O
at O
the O
end O
of O
the O
gala O
. O

Moumouni O
, O
38 O
, O
first O
came O
to O
China O
in O
1990 B-T
and O
is O
pursuing O
a O
PhD O
in O
international O
relations O
at O
the O
Beijing O
University O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061114 O
. O
0181 O

KABUL O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
14 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Afghan O
army O
kills O
1 O
insurgent O
, O
captures O
6 O

Troops O
of O
Afghanistan O
National O
Army O
( O
ANA O
) O
killed O
one O
suspected O
militant O
and O
arrested O
six O
others O
in O
the O
restive O
southern O
region O
, O
a O
press O
release O
of O
the O
Afghan O
Defense O
Ministry O
said O
Tuesday B-T
. O

" O
Personnel O
of O
ANA O
killed O
one O
rebel O
in O
Sangin O
district O
of O
Helmand O
province O
on O
Sunday B-T
and O
arrested O
four O
others O
while O
two O
more O
rebels O
were O
captured O
in O
Trinkot O
, O
the O
provincial O
capital O
of O
Uruzgan O
on O
the B-T
same I-T
day I-T
, O
" O
the O
press O
release O
added O
. O

However O
, O
it O
declined O
to O
say O
if O
there O
were O
any O
casualties O
on O
ANA O
' O
s O
side O
. O

Insurgency O
and O
continued O
violence O
in O
Afghanistan O
have O
claimed O
the O
lives O
of O
3 O
, O
700 O
people O
including O
civilians O
since O
January B-T
2006 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970422 O
. O
0660 O

LIMA O
, O
April B-T
22 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Fujimori O
celebrates O
victory O
at O
Japanese O
embassy O
residence O

President O
Alberto O
Fujimori O
took O
a O
victory O
lap O
of O
the O
grounds O
of O
the O
Japanese O
embassy O
residence O
Tuesday B-T
, O
embracing O
security O
forces O
after O
they O
ended O
a O
protracted O
hostage O
standoff O
. O

Under O
an O
hour O
after O
about O
100 O
camouflage O
- O
clad O
troops O
stormed O
the O
building O
where O
Marxist O
rebels O
holed O
up O
for O
more B-T
than I-T
four I-T
months I-T
with O
72 O
prominent O
hostages O
, O
Fujimori O
, O
wearing O
a O
bullet O
- O
proof O
vest O
and O
white O
shirtsleeves O
, O
was O
in O
a O
distinctly O
celebratory O
mood O
. O

After O
the O
gunshots O
, O
explosions O
and O
fire O
, O
military O
marches O
were O
blaring O
, O
special O
forces O
cheered O
and O
shouted O
" O
We O
have O
won O
! O
" O
and O
" O
Long O
Live O
Peru O
" O
as O
Fujimori O
pressed O
military O
flesh O
and O
enjoyed O
a O
round O
of O
hugs O
, O
before O
entering O
the O
residence O
. O

His O
own O
brother O
Pedro O
Fujimori O
was O
among O
the O
hostages O
, O
who O
were O
thought O
to O
have O
been O
freed O
safely O
. O
Peruvian O
media O
said O
all O
hostages O
were O
freed O
safely O
but O
that O
report O
had O
yet O
to O
be O
confirmed O
. O

The O
number O
of O
rebel O
casualties O
was O
not O
immediately O
known O
and O
several O
troops O
were O
injured O
and O
taken O
to O
hospital O
. O

WSJ891030 O
- O
0089 O

= O
891030 O

891030 O
- O
0089 O
. O

Kellogg O
Pours O
Water O
on O
Plans O
to O
Build O
Big O
Cereal O
Plant O

@ O
- O
- O
- O
- O

@ O
By O
Richard O
Gibson O

@ O
Staff O
Reporter O
of O
The O
Wall O
Street O
Journal O

10 B-T
/ I-T
30 I-T
/ I-T
89 I-T

WALL O
STREET O
JOURNAL O
( O
J O
) O

K O

FOOD O
PRODUCTS O
( O
FOD O
) O

This O
has O
n O
' O
t O
been O
Kellogg O
Co O
. O
' O
s O
year O
. O

The O
oat O
- O
bran O
craze O
has O
cost O
the O
world O
' O
s O
largest O
cereal O
maker O
market O
share O
. O

The O
company O
' O
s O
president O
quit O
suddenly O
. O

And O
now B-T
Kellogg O
is O
indefinitely O
suspending O
work O
on O
what O
was O
to O
be O
a O
$ O
1 O
billion O
cereal O
plant O
. O

The O
company O
said O
it O
was O
delaying O
construction O
because O
of O
current B-T
market O
conditions O
. O

But O
the O
Memphis O
, O
Tenn O
. O
, O
facility O
wasn O
' O
t O
to O
begin O
turning O
out O
product O
until O
1993 B-T
, O
so O
the O
decision O
may O
reveal O
a O
more O
pessimistic O
long O
- O
term O
outlook O
as O
well O
. O

Kellogg O
, O
which O
has O
n O
' O
t O
been O
as O
successful O
in O
capitalizing O
on O
the O
public O
' O
s O
health O
- O
oriented O
desire O
for O
oat O
bran O
as O
rival O
General O
Mills O
Inc O
. O
, O
has O
been O
losing O
share O
in O
the O
$ O
6 O
billion O
ready O
- O
to O
- O
eat O
cereal O
market O
. O

Kellogg O
' O
s O
current B-T
share O
is O
believed O
to O
be O
slightly O
under O
40 O
% O
while O
General O
Mills O
' O
share O
is O
about O
27 O
% O
. O

Led O
by O
its O
oat O
- O
based O
Cheerios O
line O
, O
General O
Mills O
has O
gained O
an O
estimated O
2 O
% O
share O
so O
far O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
mostly O
at O
the O
expense O
of O
Kellogg O
. O

Each O
share O
point O
is O
worth O
about O
$ O
60 O
million O
in O
sales O
. O

Analysts O
say O
much O
of O
Kellogg O
' O
s O
erosion O
has O
been O
in O
such O
core O
brands O
as O
Corn O
Flakes O
, O
Rice O
Krispies O
and O
Frosted O
Flakes O
, O
which O
represent O
nearly O
one O
- O
third O
of O
its O
sales O
volume O
. O

Kellogg O
is O
so O
anxious O
to O
turn O
around O
Corn O
Flakes O
sales O
that O
it O
soon B-T
will O
begin O
selling O
boxes O
for O
as O
little O
as O
99 O
cents O
, O
trade O
sources O
say O
. O

" O
Cheerios O
and O
Honey O
Nut O
Cheerios O
have O
eaten O
away O
sales O
normally O
going O
to O
Kellogg O
' O
s O
corn O
- O
based O
lines O
simply O
because O
they O
are O
made O
of O
oats O
, O
" O
says O
Merrill O
Lynch O
food O
analyst O
William O
Maguire O
. O

" O
They O
are O
not O
a O
happy O
group O
of O
people O
at O
Battle O
Creek O
right B-T
now I-T
. O
" O

Kellogg O
is O
based O
in O
Battle O
Creek O
, O
Mich O
. O
, O
a O
city O
that O
calls O
itself O
the O
breakfast O
capital O
of O
the O
world O
. O

Another O
analyst O
, O
John O
C O
. O
Maxwell O
Jr O
. O
of O
Wheat O
, O
First O
Securities O
in O
Richmond O
, O
Va O
. O
, O
recently B-T
went O
to O
a O
" O
sell O
" O
recommendation O
on O
Kellogg O
stock O
, O
which O
closed O
Friday B-T
at O
$ O
71 O
. O
75 O
, O
down O
75 O
cents O
, O
in O
New O
York O
Stock O
Exchange O
composite O
trading O
. O

" O
I O
do O
n O
' O
t O
think O
Kellogg O
can O
get O
back O
to O
40 O
% O
this B-T
year I-T
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

" O
Kellogg O
' O
s O
main O
problem O
is O
life O
style O
. O

People O
are O
reading O
the O
boxes O
and O
deciding O
they O
want O
something O
that O
' O
s O
` O
healthy O
' O
for O
you O
- O
- O
oats O
, O
bran O
. O
" O

Mr O
. O
Maxwell O
said O
he O
would O
n O
' O
t O
be O
surprised O
if O
, O
over O
the B-T
next I-T
two I-T
years I-T
or I-T
so I-T
, O
General O
Mills O
' O
share O
increased O
to O
30 O
% O
or O
more O
. O

In O
announcing O
the O
plant O
delay O
, O
Kellogg O
Chairman O
William O
E O
. O
LaMothe O
said O
, O
" O
Cereal O
volume O
growth O
in O
the O
U O
. O
S O
. O
has O
not O
met O
our O
expectations O
for O
1989 B-T
. O
" O

He O
said O
construction O
would O
n O
' O
t O
resume O
until O
market O
conditions O
warrant O
it O
. O

Kellogg O
indicated O
that O
it O
has O
room O
to O
grow O
without O
adding O
facilities O
. O

The O
company O
has O
five O
other O
U O
. O
S O
. O
plants O
, O
including O
a O
modern O
facility O
at O
its O
Battle O
Creek O
headquarters O
known O
as O
Building O
100 O
, O
which O
is O
to O
add O
bran O
- O
processing O
and O
rice O
- O
processing O
capacity O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

General O
Mills O
, O
meanwhile O
, O
finds O
itself O
constrained O
from O
boosting O
sales O
further O
because O
its O
plants O
are O
operating O
at O
capacity O
. O

A O
large O
plant O
in O
Covington O
, O
Ga O
. O
, O
is O
to O
come O
on O
line O
next B-T
year I-T
. O

A O
Kellogg O
officer O
, O
who O
asked O
not O
to O
be O
named O
, O
said O
the O
Memphis O
project O
was O
" O
pulled O
in O
for O
a O
reconsideration O
of O
costs O
, O
" O
an O
indication O
that O
the O
ambitious O
plans O
might O
be O
scaled O
back O
in O
any O
future O
construction O
. O

Initial O
cost O
estimates O
for O
the O
plant O
, O
which O
was O
to O
have O
been O
built O
in O
phases O
, O
ranged O
from O
$ O
1 O
billion O
to O
$ O
1 O
. O
2 O
billion O
. O

A O
company O
spokesman O
said O
it O
was O
" O
possible O
, O
but O
highly O
unlikely O
, O
" O
that O
the O
plant O
might O
never O
be O
built O
. O

" O
As O
we O
regain O
our O
leadership O
level O
where O
we O
have O
been O
, O
and O
as O
we O
continue O
to O
put O
new O
products O
into O
the O
marketplace O
and O
need O
additional O
capacity O
, O
we O
will O
look O
at O
resuming O
our O
involvement O
with O
our O
plan O
, O
" O
he O
said O
. O

The O
new O
facility O
was O
to O
have O
been O
the O
world O
' O
s O
most O
advanced O
cereal O
manufacturing O
plant O
, O
and O
Kellogg O
' O
s O
largest O
construction O
project O
. O

The O
company O
had O
retained O
the O
Fluor O
Daniel O
unit O
of O
Fluor O
Corp O
. O
as O
general O
contractor O
. O

But O
in O
recent B-T
weeks I-T
, O
construction O
- O
industry O
sources O
reported O
that O
early O
preparation O
work O
was O
slowing O
at O
the O
185 O
- O
acre O
site O
. O

Subcontractors O
said O
they O
were O
told O
that O
equipment O
orders O
would O
be O
delayed O
. O

Fluor O
Daniel O
already O
has O
reassigned O
most O
of O
its O
work O
crew O
, O
the O
sources O
said O
. O

Last B-T
Friday I-T
' O
s O
announcement O
was O
the O
first O
official O
word O
that O
the O
project O
was O
in O
trouble O
and O
that O
the O
company O
' O
s O
plans O
for O
a O
surge O
in O
market O
share O
may O
have O
been O
overly O
optimistic O
. O

Until O
recently B-T
, O
Kellogg O
had O
been O
telling O
its O
sales O
force O
and O
Wall O
Street O
that O
by O
1992 B-T
it O
intended O
to O
achieve O
a O
50 O
% O
share O
of O
market O
, O
measured O
in O
dollar O
volume O
. O

Although O
he O
called O
current O
market O
conditions O
" O
highly O
competitive O
, O
" O
Mr O
. O
LaMothe O
, O
Kellogg O
' O
s O
chairman O
and O
chief O
executive O
officer O
, O
forecast O
an O
earnings O
increase O
for O
the B-T
full I-T
year I-T
. O

Last B-T
year I-T
, O
the O
company O
earned O
$ O
480 O
. O
4 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
3 O
. O
90 O
a O
share O
, O
on O
sales O
of O
$ O
4 O
. O
3 O
billion O
. O

As O
expected O
, O
Kellogg O
reported O
lower O
third B-T
- I-T
quarter I-T
earnings O
. O

Net O
fell O
16 O
% O
to O
$ O
123 O
. O
1 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
02 O
a O
share O
, O
from O
$ O
145 O
. O
7 O
million O
, O
or O
$ O
1 O
. O
18 O
a O
share O
. O

Sales O
rose O
4 O
. O
8 O
% O
to O
$ O
1 O
. O
20 O
billion O
from O
$ O
1 O
. O
14 O
billion O
. O

The O
company O
had O
a O
one O
- O
time O
charge O
of O
$ O
14 O
. O
8 O
million O
in O
the B-T
latest I-T
quarter I-T
covering O
the O
disposition O
of O
certain O
assets O
. O

The O
company O
would O
n O
' O
t O
elaborate O
, O
citing O
competitive O
reasons O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061115 O
. O
0125 O

JERUSALEM O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
15 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

attack O

Israeli O
Defense O
Minister O
Amir O
Peretz O
Wednesday B-T
vowed O
to O
revenge O
an O
earlier O
Palestinian O
militants O
' O
rocket O
attack O
that O
killed O
a O
woman O
in O
southern O
Israel O
, O
saying O
the O
militants O
behind O
the O
attack O
would O
" O
pay O
a O
heavy O
price O
" O
. O

Peretz O
made O
the O
warning O
in O
a O
statement O
, O
reported O
the O
Qatari O
al O
- O
Jazeera O
TV O
channel O
. O

" O
These O
organizations O
will O
pay O
a O
heavy O
price O
, O
" O
the O
statement O
said O
, O
adding O
" O
we O
will O
move O
against O
those O
who O
are O
involved O
in O
the O
firing O
of O
rockets O
, O
starting O
from O
their O
leaders O
and O
down O
to O
the O
last O
of O
their O
terrorists O
. O
" O

It O
was O
reported O
that O
Peretz O
has O
planned O
to O
convene O
a O
special O
meeting O
of O
senior O
security O
officials O
later O
in O
the B-T
day I-T
. O

An O
Israeli O
woman O
was O
killed O
and O
another O
man O
seriously O
wounded O
on O
Wednesday B-T
morning I-T
as O
six O
Qassam O
rockets O
, O
launched O
from O
the O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
fell O
in O
the O
southern O
Israeli O
city O
of O
Sderot O
, O
local O
media O
reported O
. O

One O
of O
the O
rockets O
landed O
in O
a O
residential O
area O
of O
Sderot O
, O
a O
city O
adjacent O
to O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
, O
killing O
a O
57 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
woman O
and O
critically O
wounding O
a O
24 O
- O
year O
- O
old O
man O
, O
while O
several O
other O
residents O
of O
Sderot O
were O
treated O
for O
shock O
, O
added O
the O
reports O
. O

Several O
Palestinian O
militant O
groups O
, O
including O
armed O
wings O
of O
the O
Islamic O
Jihad O
( O
Holy O
War O
) O
and O
the O
ruling O
Islamic O
Resistance O
Movement O
( O
Hamas O
) O
, O
have O
claimed O
their O
responsibilities O
for O
launching O
the O
homemade O
rockets O
from O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
at O
Sderot O
. O

In O
early B-T
November I-T
, O
Israel O
unleashed O
a O
major O
military O
offensive O
into O
northern O
Gaza O
Strip O
town O
of O
Beit O
Hanoun O
, O
saying O
the O
border O
town O
was O
the O
launching O
site O
of O
numerous O
rocket O
attacks O
against O
Israel O
, O

Instead O
of O
halting O
rocket O
firing O
by O
Palestinian O
militants O
, O
Israeli O
artillery O
shells O
killed O
some O
19 O
civilians O
in O
Beit O
Hanoun O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
8 I-T
, O
which O
is O
the O
deadliest O
single O
attack O
on O
Palestinian O
civilians O
in O
the B-T
past I-T
several I-T
years I-T
. O

XIN_ENG_20051126 O
. O
0119 O

KUWAIT O
CITY O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Kuwait O
, O
ROK O
determined O
to O
improve O
economic O
relations O

Visiting O
Prime O
Minister O
of O
the O
Republic O
of O
Korea O
( O
ROK O
) O
Lee O
Hae O
- O
chan O
said O
on O
Saturday B-T
that O
the O
ROK O
and O
Kuwait O
are O
determined O
to O
improve O
their O
economic O
ties O
. O

Highly O
praising O
the O
economic O
relations O
between O
the O
two O
countries O
, O
Lee O
was O
quoted O
by O
the O
official O
Kuwait O
News O
Agency O
( O
KUNA O
) O
as O
saying O
that O
to O
enhance O
the O
economic O
ties O
with O
the O
oil O
- O
rich O
Kuwait O
was O
high O
on O
his O
agenda O
. O

Lee O
also O
said O
he O
had O
discussed O
development O
of O
economic O
relations O
with O
his O
Kuwaiti O
counterpart O
Sheikh O
Sabah O
Al O
- O
Ahmad O
Al O
- O
Salem O
Al O
- O
Sabah O
and O
other O
top O
Kuwaiti O
officials O
during O
his O
visit O
. O

" O
Ever O
since O
the O
Kuwait O
- O
ROK O
diplomatic O
relations O
were O
started O
in O
1979 B-T
, O
they O
have O
steadily O
improved O
specifically O
during O
the B-T
last I-T
two I-T
years I-T
, O
which O
witnessed O
a O
30 O
percent O
improvement O
in O
business O
and O
trade O
, O
" O
Lee O
said O
. O

He O
added O
that O
two O
- O
way O
trade O
volume O
had O
reached O
410 O
million O
US O
dollars O
per O
year O
, O
consisting O
mainly O
of O
the O
ROK O
' O
s O
exports O
to O
Kuwait O
and O
oil O
exports O
from O
Kuwait O
to O
the O
ROK O
. O

Talks O
between O
the O
two O
sides O
also O
focused O
on O
boosting O
bilateral O
relations O
as O
well O
as O
the O
latest O
regional O
and O
international O
developments O
, O
according O
to O
KUNA O
. O

In O
addition O
, O
Kuwaiti O
Finance O
Minister O
Bader O
Al O
- O
Humaidhi O
called O
on O
the O
ROK O
investors O
to O
" O
discover O
the O
attractive O
investment O
opportunities O
in O
Kuwait O
. O
" O

He O
also O
recalled O
significant O
rise O
of O
Kuwaiti O
investments O
in O
the O
ROK O
, O
now B-T
standing O
at O
around O
800 O
million O
dollars O
. O

Earlier O
in O
the O
day O
, O
senior O
officials O
of O
Kuwait O
and O
the O
ROK O
signed O
an O
oil O
agreement O
and O
a O
final O
agreement O
on O
economic O
and O
technical O
cooperation O
. O

Lee O
, O
who O
is O
currently O
on O
a O
three O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Kuwait O
, O
was O
accompanied O
by O
a O
delegation O
representing O
some O
40 O
key O
ROK O
companies O
. O

The O
Korean O
premier O
is O
on O
a O
12 O
- O
day O
tour O
to O
five O
countries O
in O
the O
Gulf O
area O
, O
which O
has O
already O
brought O
him O
to O
the O
United O
Arab O
Emirates O
and O
will O
also O
bring O
him O
on O
to O
Qatar O
, O
Saudi O
Arabia O
and O
Oman O
. O

XIN_ENG_20061123 O
. O
0170 O

JAKARTA O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
23 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

Indonesia O
, O
Russia O
to O
sign O
military O
cooperation O
accord O

Indonesia O
and O
Russia O
will O
sign O
an O
agreement O
on O
military O
cooperation O
during O
Indonesian O
President O
Susilo O
Bambang O
Yudhoyono O
' O
s O
visit O
to O
Russia O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
29 I-T
, O
a O
spokesman O
said O
here O
Thursday B-T
. O

" O
The O
memorandum O
of O
understanding O
to O
be O
signed O
will O
cover O
military O
cooperation O
for O
2006 B-T
- I-T
2010 I-T
and O
the O
war O
on O
terrorism O
, O
" O
presidential O
spokesman O
Dino O
Patti O
Djalal O
told O
the O
press O
when O
announcing O
the O
president O
' O
s O
planned O
four O
- O
day O
visit O
to O
Russia O
. O

Dino O
said O
, O
on O
his O
way O
to O
Russia O
, O
the O
president O
will O
visit O
Tokyo O
on O
Nov B-T
. I-T
26 I-T
at O
the O
invitation O
of O
Japanese O
Emperor O
Akihito O
. O
The O
visit O
to O
Japan O
is O
primarily O
aimed O
at O
stepping O
up O
bilateral O
economic O
cooperation O
, O
including O
efforts O
to O
increase O
economic O
cooperation O
, O
cooperation O
to O
fight O
bird O
flu O
and O
a O
discussion O
on O
development O
of O
the O
United O
Nations O
Security O
Council O
. O

In O
Tokyo O
, O
Susilo O
is O
expected O
to O
meet O
new O
Japanese O
Prime O
Minister O
Shinzo O
Abe O
. O
Yudhoyono O
will O
be O
the O
first O
head O
of O
state O
to O
be O
received O
by O
Abe O
since O
he O
assumed O
the O
Japanese O
premiership O
. O

During O
staying O
in O
Moscow O
, O
Susilo O
will O
hold O
a O
meeting O
with O
Russian O
President O
Vladimir O
Putin O
on O
Dec B-T
. I-T
1 I-T
, I-T
2006 I-T
. O

AFP_ENG_19970403 O
. O
0478 O

GENEVA O
, O
April B-T
3 I-T
, I-T
1997 I-T
( O
AFP O
) O

Human O
rights O
commission O
condemns O
capital O
punishment O

The O
UN O
Human O
Rights O
Commission O
in O
Geneva O
Thursday B-T
voted O
a O
resolution O
condemning O
capital O
punishment O
despite O
opposition O
from O
a O
number O
of O
countries O
, O
including O
China O
, O
Japan O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

The O
resolution O
, O
passed O
by O
27 O
votes O
to O
11 O
, O
also O
called O
on O
countries O
still O
practising O
state O
- O
sponsored O
execution O
to O
spare O
adolescents O
less O
than O
18 O
years O
old O
and O
pregnant O
women O
. O

The O
countries O
voting O
against O
the O
text O
were O
: O
Algeria O
, O
Bangladesh O
, O
Bhutan O
, O
China O
, O
Egypt O
, O
Indonesia O
, O
Japan O
, O
Malaysia O
, O
Pakistan O
, O
South O
Korea O
and O
the O
United O
States O
. O

The O
cautiously O
- O
worded O
text O
, O
which O
asked O
" O
all O
states O
who O
still O
have O
not O
abolished O
the O
pain O
of O
death O
to O
limit O
progressively O
the O
number O
of O
infractions O
, O
" O
also O
produced O
14 O
abstentions O
. O
One O
country O
was O
absent O
. O

Countries O
still O
using O
capital O
punishment O
were O
urged O
" O
to O
contemplate O
suspending O
executions O
with O
a O
view O
to O
abolishing O
completely O
the O
pain O
of O
death O
, O
" O
limit O
its O
application O
to O
only O
the O
most O
serious O
crimes O
, O
to O
exclude O
people O
younger O
than O
18 O
and O
pregnant O
women O
, O
and O
to O
guarantee O
the O
right O
for O
those O
condemned O
to O
ask O
for O
a O
pardon O
or O
to O
commute O
the O
sentence O
. O

XIN_ENG_20051117 O
. O
0140 O

JOHANNESBURG O
, O
Nov B-T
. I-T
17 I-T
, I-T
2005 I-T
( O
Xinhua O
) O

approaches O

With O
just O
hours O
left O
for O
the O
International O
Rugby O
Board O
( O
IRB O
) O
to O
vote O
for O
the O
host O
of O
the O
2011 O
Rugby O
World O
Cup O
, O
South O
Africans O
hold O
their O
breath O
in O
anticipation O
of O
winning O
the O
second O
chance O
to O
stage O
the O
world O
rugby O
showpiece O
. O

The O
decision O
by O
the O
IRB O
at O
its O
Dublin O
headquarters O
in O
Ireland O
has O
been O
described O
as O
a O
choice O
between O
traditional O
strongholds O
, O
South O
Africa O
and O
New O
Zealand O
and O
Japan O
. O

But O
in O
Dublin O
the O
word O
was O
that O
it O
would O
quickly O
become O
a O
two O
- O
way O
fight O
because O
most O
observers O
late O
Wednesday B-T
night I-T
were O
predicting O
that O
New O
Zealand O
would O
be O
eliminated O
in O
the O
first O
round O
of O
voting O
, O
a O
South O
African O
newspaper O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O

This O
would O
leave O
South O
Africa O
and O
Japan O
to O
battle O
for O
the O
privilege O
of O
staging O
the O
sport O
' O
s O
seventh O
world O
championship O
. O

Local O
newspaper O
The O
Star O
said O
on O
Thursday B-T
that O
Japan O
was O
seen O
as O
" O
the O
national O
likeliest O
to O
take O
the O
event O
from O
us O
. O
" O

If O
the O
IRB O
is O
determined O
to O
get O
the O
sport O
into O
the O
Olympic O
Games O
, O
probably O
at O
the O
London O
Olympics O
of O
2012 O
, O
pressure O
could O
be O
applied O
on O
delegates O
to O
back O
Japan O
' O
s O
bid O
, O
it O
said O
. O

" O
Reported O
recent O
comments O
by O
former O
Olympic O
supremo O
Juan O
Antonio O
Samaranch O
that O
rugby O
had O
no O
chance O
of O
gaining O
entry O
because O
it O
was O
not O
a O
truly O
global O
sport O
would O
be O
answered O
if O
the O
decision O
were O
made O
to O
take O
the O
2011 O
Rugby O
World O
Cup O
to O
Japan O
, O
" O
it O
said O
. O

Koji O
Tokomasu O
, O
chief O
executive O
of O
the O
Japanese O
Rugby O
Union O
, O
has O
reportedly O
lobbied O
that O
the O
potential O
for O
opening O
up O
a O
vast O
new O
market O
in O
Asia O
for O
the O
sport O
was O
enormous O
, O
should O
his O
bid O
prevail O
. O

Asia O
has O
60 O
percent O
of O
the O
world O
' O
s O
population O
and O
its O
economic O
growth O
has O
been O
phenomenal O
. O

Japan O
has O
only O
126 O
, O
000 O
registered O
rugby O
players O
but O
its O
population O
of O
127 O
million O
, O
vast O
economy O
and O
ability O
to O
bring O
rugby O
to O
a O
new O
Asian O
audience O
make O
it O
a O
strong O
contender O
, O
The O
Star O
said O
. O

South O
Africa O
' O
s O
bid O
is O
led O
by O
Francois O
Pienaar O
, O
who O
captained O
the O
national O
squad O
, O
the O
Springboks O
, O
to O
victory O
in O
1995 B-T
. O

He O
argued O
that O
the O
event O
in O
South O
Africa O
should O
also O
help O
spread O
the O
sport O
throughout O
Africa O
. O

New O
Zealand O
hosted O
- O
and O
won O
- O
the O
first O
World O
Cup O
in O
1987 B-T
, O
with O
the O
event O
taking O
place O
in O
South O
Africa O
eight B-T
years I-T
later O
, O
when O
the O
Springboks O
were O
victorious O
. O

Australia O
hosted O
the O
2003 O
World O
Cup O
, O
won O
by O
England O
. O
The O
quatrennially O
event O
will O
next O
be O
held O
in O
France O
in O
2007 B-T
. O

Members O
of O
the O
IRB O
Council O
will O
meet O
in O
Dublin O
on O
Thursday B-T
to O
hear O
final O
presentations O
of O
the O
three O
bidding O
countries O
and O
cast O
their O
vote O
. O
The O
host O
country O
is O
expected O
to O
be O
announced O
at O
around O
16 O
: O
00 O
GMT O
on O
Thursday B-T
. O