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Print - 2005-03-21
Dutch ABN mulls Antonveneta buy in Italian plans

Dutch ABN mulls Antonveneta buy in Italian plans

ABN Amro is considering a take-over of Italy's Banca Antonveneta but emphasises that this is one of many options as the Netherlands' biggest bank ponders whether to invest further in Italy or not. The Dutch bank is the single biggest shareholder in Antonv
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Sony Ericsson to explore manufacturing in India

Sony Ericsson to explore manufacturing in India

Sony Ericsson, the world's sixth-biggest mobile phone maker, has asked its vendors to look at manufacturing phones in India, the world's fastest growing major mobile market, a company official said on March 16. It will join Nokia, the No 1 handset maker,
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Dow Jones to add Islamic Malaysia index

Dow Jones to add Islamic Malaysia index

Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, announced on March 15 that it will expand its Dow Jones Islamic Market Index series by adding the Dow Jones-RHB Islamic Malaysia Index. The new index, using Dow Jones Islamic Market methodology, will inc
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Time good for China to move toward flexible exchange system: IMF

Time good for China to move toward flexible exchange system: IMF

Now is a good time for China to move toward a more flexible exchange rate system, the International Monetary Fund's chief said on March 15, arguing the country's current economic strength would make change easier. Managing Director Rodrigo Rato said great
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Honda to make annual 10,000 Civics

Honda to make annual 10,000 Civics

Honda Motor, Japan's third-largest carmaker, said on March 17 it would build an assembly plant in Vietnam to make cars for the growing domestic market there. The plant will be capable of assembling 10,000 Honda Civic sedans a year and is scheduled to begi
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
S&P hails Indonesia's controversial fuel subsidy cuts

S&P hails Indonesia's controversial fuel subsidy cuts

International rating agency Standards and Poor's on March 15, hailed Jakarta's move to cut costly fuel subsidies, a decision that has sparked widespread protests in Indonesia. Standard and Poor's credit analyst Agost Benard said the step showed the new go
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Deutsche Telekom breaks down 2005 profit targets

Deutsche Telekom breaks down 2005 profit targets

Deutsche Telekom expects its fixed-line unit to post core earnings of 9.9 billion to 10.1 billion euros ($13.6 billion) this year following the integration of its Internet arm, it said on March 15. In slides to be presented at an investor presentation on
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Deutsche Telekom breaks down 2005 profit targets

Deutsche Telekom breaks down 2005 profit targets

Deutsche Telekom expects its fixed-line unit to post core earnings of 9.9 billion to 10.1 billion euros ($13.6 billion) this year following the integration of its Internet arm, it said on March 15. In slides to be presented at an investor presentation on
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Swisscom in talks to buy Ascom unit

Swisscom in talks to buy Ascom unit

Swisscom AG is in talks with Swiss technology firm Ascom to buy the Swiss part of its Network Integration division, the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper said. "The negotiations over a partnership are on-going but nothing has been signed as yet," Daniel Lack, a sp
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Lexar cuts forecast

Lexar cuts forecast

Lexar Media Inc, a maker of removable memory cards, on Wednesday cut its fourth-quarter financial forecast and said it had identified material weaknesses in its financial controls. Shares of Lexar, which also requested a 15-day extension to complete its a
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Lexar cuts forecast

Lexar cuts forecast

Lexar Media Inc, a maker of removable memory cards, on Wednesday cut its fourth-quarter financial forecast and said it had identified material weaknesses in its financial controls. Shares of Lexar, which also requested a 15-day extension to complete its a
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Nepal Telecom allowed restoring some services

Nepal Telecom allowed restoring some services

A private phone company in Nepal was allowed to restore services to most customers in the capital on Saturday, more than a month after they were cut following the take-over by King Gyanendra, a company official said. However, more than 1,000 phone lines o
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Hitachi to pay higher dividend for third straight year

Hitachi to pay higher dividend for third straight year

Japan's Hitachi Ltd said on Tuesday it would pay a higher dividend this business year for the third straight year, a reflection of a sharp recovery in its earnings. Hitachi, Japan's largest electronics conglomerate, will pay 11 yen (10.5 cents) per share
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Hitachi to pay higher dividend for third straight year

Hitachi to pay higher dividend for third straight year

Japan's Hitachi Ltd said on Tuesday it would pay a higher dividend this business year for the third straight year, a reflection of a sharp recovery in its earnings. Hitachi, Japan's largest electronics conglomerate, will pay 11 yen (10.5 cents) per share
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Sony to hit digicam target, counter Kodak in US

Sony to hit digicam target, counter Kodak in US

Sony Corp is working on measures to counter Kodak's strong offensive in the US market and is on track to hit its target of shipping 14 million digital cameras this business year, a company executive said on Thursday. According to research firm IDC, Sony's
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Kodak to restate results for 2003

Kodak to restate results for 2003

Eastman Kodak Co said on Wednesday it would restate earnings for the first three quarters of 2004 and all of 2003 to fix accounting errors related to income taxes, pensions and retirement benefits and other issues. The company separately said it would clo
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Chinese Panda says two assets frozen to pay $14.5 million debt

Chinese Panda says two assets frozen to pay $14.5 million debt

Chinese cellphone maker Nanjing Panda said on Monday two of its assets were used to pay debts of 120.23 million yuan ($14.52 million) to a local investment company. Nanjing Panda Electronics Co Ltd's 51 percent stake in Panda Mobile Co and 95 percent stak
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Chinese Panda says two assets frozen to pay $14.5 million debt

Chinese Panda says two assets frozen to pay $14.5 million debt

Chinese cellphone maker Nanjing Panda said on Monday two of its assets were used to pay debts of 120.23 million yuan ($14.52 million) to a local investment company. Nanjing Panda Electronics Co Ltd's 51 percent stake in Panda Mobile Co and 95 percent stak
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Yahoo to step into blogs and social networking

Yahoo to step into blogs and social networking

Yahoo Inc said on Wednesday it will soon start invitation-only testing of its new Web log and social networking service Yahoo 360, which aims to better connect users to people they already know. The Yahoo 360 test release will mark the first time the comp
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Philips finds new material for future memory chips

Philips finds new material for future memory chips

Dutch Philips Electronics said on Wednesday its researchers have come up with a new material to integrate memory in very advanced semiconductors featuring very thin circuits. The new material needs only a tiny voltage to switch between on and off phases,
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
IBM closes Corio deal, eyes more services merger

IBM closes Corio deal, eyes more services merger

IBM has closed a $182 million deal on Tuesday to buy Corio, which delivers software online, and plans to pick up the pace of acquisitions to fuel growth in its mainstay services business, an executive in charge of the strategy said. International Business
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Ricoh targets 60 percent operating profit jump in three years

Ricoh targets 60 percent operating profit jump in three years

Japanese office equipment maker Ricoh Co Ltd said on Tuesday it aimed to boost operating profit by about 60 percent over the next three years by expanding sales of advanced copiers and finding new growth areas in the printing field. But Ricoh, the world's
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Ricoh targets 60 percent operating profit jump in three years

Ricoh targets 60 percent operating profit jump in three years

Japanese office equipment maker Ricoh Co Ltd said on Tuesday it aimed to boost operating profit by about 60 percent over the next three years by expanding sales of advanced copiers and finding new growth areas in the printing field. But Ricoh, the world's
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Microsoft to roll out own search advertising service

Microsoft to roll out own search advertising service

Microsoft Corp will start selling text-based advertising that will be displayed alongside search results on its new search engine, the world's largest software maker said on Tuesday. Microsoft's plans to launch its own online advertising service comes a m
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Banks can achieve lower TCO with Oracle, System Access

Banks can achieve lower TCO with Oracle, System Access

System Access, a leading global financial software provider of customer-centric universal banking solutions and an Oracle Certified Partner, last week has announced the alignment of its entire IT infrastructure on Oracle to reap the significant cost and p
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
German industry signals readiness to create jobs

German industry signals readiness to create jobs

Germany's proposed corporate tax cut should release a backlog of investment and create jobs in Europe's largest economy, the head of Germany's BDI industry association believes. "The corporate tax cut will free investment for many corporations and create
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Indonesian vice President blames parliament for fuel price hikes

Indonesian vice President blames parliament for fuel price hikes

Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla on Sunday blamed parliament, which has been most critical of recent fuel price hikes, for forcing the government into raising petroleum prices. Speaking in Medan, North Sumatra, Kalla said parliament only approved a m
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Gas-rich Qatar seen sustaining growth despite blast

Gas-rich Qatar seen sustaining growth despite blast

Energy-rich Qatar is likely to maintain its robust economic growth, shrugging off a suicide car bombing that killed a Briton at a theatre popular with Westerners, analysts said on Sunday. Saturday's attack, the first in the US-allied Gulf Arab state, also
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Gulf central bankers set targets for monetary union

Gulf central bankers set targets for monetary union

Gulf Arab central bankers have agreed a set of monetary and financial targets which they hope will pave the way to unifying their six currencies by 2010, a senior official said on Sunday. Mohammad Mazrooei said the central bankers from Saudi Arabia, Oman,
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
South Korea and China agree on free trade feasibility study

South Korea and China agree on free trade feasibility study

State-run economic thinktanks of South Korea and China agreed Sunday to conduct a feasibility study on establishing a free trade zone between the two Asian economies. The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) and the Development Researc
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
China foreign exchange chief warns of 'excessive speculation'

China foreign exchange chief warns of 'excessive speculation'

China's foreign exchange chief has stepped up his attacks on massive fund inflows, warning of "excessive speculation" in the property market, state media said Sunday. "Indiscriminate support of exports and foreign capital influx has created short-term eco
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Austria rejects latest EU budget pact proposals

Austria rejects latest EU budget pact proposals

Austria's finance minister rejected Sunday a new draft proposal aimed at resolving stubborn differences over reforms to the EU's fiscal rules, saying it was "unacceptable." "In its present form it is in my view unacceptable," Karl-Heinz Grasser said on ar
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Europe battles to relaunch growth drive

Europe battles to relaunch growth drive

The European Union will this week bid to revive bold plans to modernize the continent's stuttering economy, but a Brussels summit risks being clouded by testy discord over key reform plans. EU leaders gather Tuesday and Wednesday for the EU's traditional
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Fate of Swiss airline to be known this week

Fate of Swiss airline to be known this week

The fate of Swiss International Air Lines was scheduled to be sealed this week after the government rules on a take-over bid by the German carrier Lufthansa. Lufthansa and Swiss announced on March 14 that they were in "constructive" take-over talks. The g
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
UK government backs down to avoid pensions strike

UK government backs down to avoid pensions strike

The British government has agreed to return to the negotiating table over planned changes to public sector pensions to avoid a politically damaging strike ahead of a general election. Ministers have belatedly offered to talk afresh about plans to increase
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Fed to raise rates again, eyeing inflation

Fed to raise rates again, eyeing inflation

Odds are the US Federal Reserve this week will extend a steady-as-it-goes strategy of nudging interest rates up in quarter-percentage point steps, pledging more of the same while keeping a wary eye on prices. Despite signs some officials on the Fed's poli
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Gilchrist and Martin blast Australia into control

Gilchrist and Martin blast Australia into control

Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn blasted Australia into an unbeatable position in the rain-affected second cricket Test against New Zealand here Sunday with twin centuries in a masterful 256-run sixth wicket partnership. New Zealand were left clinging to
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Ignoring sports for commercial benefits is a dangerous trend

Ignoring sports for commercial benefits is a dangerous trend

Ignoring sports just for commercial benefits is a dangerous trend and it has already created serious negative impact on our youth. While a commercial approach is a must for the growth of sports but compromising sports just for the sake of commercial benef
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
ICC considering eight-team Champions Trophy

ICC considering eight-team Champions Trophy

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is contemplating reducing the number of teams in the Champions Trophy tournament from 12 to eight, ICC president Ehsan Mani said on Sunday. "We are looking at the possibility of reducing the teams to eight in the IC
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Clijsters wins second title in three years

Clijsters wins second title in three years

Former world number one Kim Clijsters captured her second Indian Wells WTA title in three years on Saturday, capping a remarkable run in just her second tournament back from injury. The 21-year-old Belgian continued her stranglehold on American Lindsay Da
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Pakistan succumb to leg-spin wiles of Kumble on the concluding day

Pakistan succumb to leg-spin wiles of Kumble on the concluding day

Even though, Pakistan succumbed to the leg-spin wiles of Anil Kumble on a strip consisting of invariable bounce on the final day to crash to a 195-run defeat against India in the second Test they should not fall into despair. Of course, Pakistan yet take
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Federer and Hewitt to clash in final

Federer and Hewitt to clash in final

Defending champ Roger Federer posted his tour leading 25th victory of 2005 on Saturday to set up a showdown with Lleyton Hewitt in the final of the Indian Wells Masters Series event. Four-time Grand Slam winner Federer fired seven aces en route to a 6-3,
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Kumble spins India to victory in second Test

Kumble spins India to victory in second Test

Wily leg-spinner Anil Kumble trapped Pakistan on a slow turning track to script India's 195-run victory with a seven-wicket haul in the second Test at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday. Kumble wrecked Pakistan's middle order with his shrewd variations to fi
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Tuberculosis rate falls to record low in US

Tuberculosis rate falls to record low in US

The tuberculosis infection rate in the United States fell to a record low last year, but the relatively small decline raised fears that the nation was falling behind in its battle to eliminate the disease. A total of 14,511 active TB infections, or 4.9 ca
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Acupuncture shown to relieve pelvic pregnancy pain

Acupuncture shown to relieve pelvic pregnancy pain

Acupuncture and exercise can help relieve pelvic pain during pregnancy, Swedish researchers said on Friday. About 30 percent of pregnant women suffer pelvic pain, usually in the back. Although doctors are not sure what causes it, they suspect a surge in h
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Sunbed-loving Europeans face cancer 'epidemic': WHO

Sunbed-loving Europeans face cancer 'epidemic': WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO), warned young Europeans on Thursday that their taste for getting a tan even before they hit the beach could result in an "epidemic" of skin cancer within a decade. WHO said sunbeds and sunlamps, popular with many tannin
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Gut bacteria use sugar disguise

Gut bacteria use sugar disguise

Bacteria that make their home in the human gut cloak themselves in sugar taken from the intestine wall to hide from the immune system, US researchers reported on Thursday. The study, published in the journal Science, helps explain how people and animals t
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
India to launch satellite exclusively for telemedicine

India to launch satellite exclusively for telemedicine

India plans to launch a communications satellite exclusively for health care so patients and doctors in remote rural areas can consult specialists in cities, the head of the country's space agency said Thursday. Healthsat, to be launched within four years
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Mercury pollution, autism link found

Mercury pollution, autism link found

Mercury released primarily from coal-fired power plants may be contributing to an increase in the number of cases of autism, a Texas researcher said on Wednesday. A study by the journal "Health and Place" found that autism, a developmental disorder marked
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
World's population to age rapidly in next 45 years: UN

World's population to age rapidly in next 45 years: UN

The world's population will age rapidly over the next 45 years in a signal of potential challenges for social welfare systems, according to a United Nations report. By 2050, almost one in three people in the developed world will be older than 60. The numb
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Protein plays key role in skin cancer

Protein plays key role in skin cancer

US researchers have identified a protein that allows cancer in skin cells to spread, according to a study published Thursday in the United States. The protein, collagen VII, a molecule normally playing an essential role in keeping skin intact, is also req
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Vitamin E supplements may increase heart failure risk

Vitamin E supplements may increase heart failure risk

Vitamin E does not prevent heart attacks and cancer and can actually be harmful when taken in large doses, a top medical journal reported Tuesday. In a seven-year study of thousands of patients with heart disease and diabetes, researchers found that not o
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
No stopping global warming, studies predict

No stopping global warming, studies predict

Even if people stopped pumping out carbon dioxide and other pollutants tomorrow, global warming would still get worse, two teams of researchers reported on Thursday. Sea levels will rise more than they have already risen, worsening the damage caused by ex
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
HEALTH UPDATE: researchers find gene to fight liver cancer

HEALTH UPDATE: researchers find gene to fight liver cancer

Researchers in Hong Kong have found a gene that can attack cancer cells, giving hope a cure can be found for liver cancer, a media report said Monday. A team from Hong Kong University says the DLC-2 "tumour suppressing" gene is present in healthy people b
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
HEALTH UPDATE: newer drugs may cut stroke, heart attack risk

HEALTH UPDATE: newer drugs may cut stroke, heart attack risk

Patients with high blood pressure taking a mixture of newer drugs may cut their risk of stroke by 25 percent and dangerous heart complications by 15 percent compared with those on older pills, according to a large study released on Tuesday. The advantage
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
HEALTH UPDATE: hormone may combat mid-life depression

HEALTH UPDATE: hormone may combat mid-life depression

A non-prescription hormonal supplement sometimes marketed as a "fountain of youth" drug may be effective in combating mid-life depression, doctors said on Monday. The drug DHEA - dehydroepiandrosterone - "may have a useful role in the treatment of mild to
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
HEALTH UPDATE: scientists develop new pre-natal test for birth defects

HEALTH UPDATE: scientists develop new pre-natal test for birth defects

Australian scientists have developed a new pre-natal test for birth defects in unborn babies to replace a procedure that carries a small risk of causing miscarriage, a report said Saturday. Instead of undergoing an amniocentesis - where a needle is insert
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Bangladeshi interbank forex and interest rates

Bangladeshi interbank forex and interest rates

Interbank buy/sell rates for the taka against the dollar on Sunday: 63.20/63.70 (previous 63.20/63.70). Call Money Rates: 8.0-24.0 percent (previous 8.45-24.0 percent).
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Cairo big-cap stocks up, market awaits Orascom Telecom results

Cairo big-cap stocks up, market awaits Orascom Telecom results

Big-cap Egyptian shares rose on Sunday with investors showing interest in Orascom Telecom (OT) on expectations the regional mobile phone operator will announce strong 2004 results, traders said. OT's announcement that the firm will near triple investment
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Australian stocks expected to set more records

Australian stocks expected to set more records

Australian share prices are expected to push into fresh record territory this week as the buoyant resources sector continues to drives the market, dealers said. The benchmark SP/ASX200 index closed the week up 1.06 percent or 45.3 points higher at a recor
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
South African stocks: miners to shine in slow week

South African stocks: miners to shine in slow week

South African miners and exporters will dominate the market this week as traders switch from industrials to benefit from the weakening currency in what is likely to be a quiet period due to public holidays. "I think it will be a quiet, short week between
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Tokyo shares seen steady; focus on Fed meeting and land prices

Tokyo shares seen steady; focus on Fed meeting and land prices

Japanese shares should remain steady this week on hopes domestic land prices have ceased to drop but trading will start off cautiously before a key US central bank meeting, analysts said. Japanese markets will be closed Monday for a public holiday. Trader
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Soft trade seen for Philippines shares

Soft trade seen for Philippines shares

Philippines share trading is expected to slow this week with investors sidelined by religious holidays in this largely Roman Catholic nation, analysts said Friday. "Next week is holy week," said Nestor Aguila of DA Market Securities. "We don't expect anyt
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Share traders see a South Korean rebound

Share traders see a South Korean rebound

South Korean shares are expected to rebound this week, ending a losing steak caused by record high oil prices and fears of a sharp US interest rate hike, dealers said. "The market is expected to see a technical rebound despite lingering concerns about hig
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Rate jitters, oil to drive US stocks

Rate jitters, oil to drive US stocks

The Federal Reserve's stance on interest-rate rises and the price of crude are set to call the shots in the market this week. While higher oil prices could pull industrial and transportation stocks lower, interest-rate worries could weigh on financial and
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Indian stock market braces for choppy week

Indian stock market braces for choppy week

India's stock market is bracing for choppy though short trading this week as investors expect runaway oil prices to keep share gains under check, dealers said. On Friday, the Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-share Sensex closed at 6,700.34, down 153.39 points f
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Hong Kong shares seen easing rates fears and oil prices

Hong Kong shares seen easing rates fears and oil prices

Hong Kong shares are likely to move lower this week as prevailing concerns mount over high interest rates and rocketing oil prices, dealers said. The US Federal Reserve is expected to raise its interest rate again when it holds its policy meeting next Tue
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Investors braced for volatile Thai stock market

Investors braced for volatile Thai stock market

The Thai stock market was bracing for a rocky Week as investors anxiously awaited the government's policy address to parliament and eyed outside factors including runaway oil prices, analysts said. "The market was expected to fluctuate as there are many f
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Taiwan shares seen under pressure

Taiwan shares seen under pressure

Taiwan share prices are expected to remain under pressure this week amid political uncertainties ahead of a mass rally planned against China's anti-secession law aimed at the island, dealers said. The law, which lays down the legal basis for Beijing to ta
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
UK investors 'spooked' by oil, await BoE rates minutes

UK investors 'spooked' by oil, await BoE rates minutes

London investors, spooked by rising oil prices, were looking this week to the Bank of England's minutes from their latest rate-setting meeting to provide direction, analysts said. The FTSE 100 index of leading London shares closed at 4,933.3 points on Fri
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Iran to set up secret nuclear faculty

Iran to set up secret nuclear faculty

Iran is to establish a secret nuclear engineering faculty within a year to promote its growing military project, a Western intelligence source told AFP in an exclusive interview here on Sunday. "This is a very significant step towards training an Iranian
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Azerbaijan frees political prisoners

Azerbaijan frees political prisoners

Azerbaijan on Sunday freed dozens of people considered political prisoners by European human rights bodies, including seven opposition leaders jailed after police smashed anti-government protests in late 2003. The pardons, announced by President Ilham Ali
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Gulf states condemn bombing in Qatar

Gulf states condemn bombing in Qatar

Gulf states on Sunday strongly condemned the "criminal" bombing near a British school in Qatar which killed one Briton and wounded 12 other people and called for unity to eradicate "terrorism" The six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) expressed in a
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
'Indian Idol' hunted by fathers with marriage proposals

'Indian Idol' hunted by fathers with marriage proposals

Less than a fortnight after being crowned the first "Indian Idol", 23-year-old Abhijeet Sawant is a hunted man scores of parents are chasing after him with proposals to marry their daughters. "My family is having a tough time controlling parents who have
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Israel to begin second West Bank transfer today

Israel to begin second West Bank transfer today

Israel said Sunday it would begin to hand over security control to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Monday, less than a week after beginning a similar transfer in Jericho. The announcement came as the Jewish state looked to A
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Police chief among nine killed in Iraq

Police chief among nine killed in Iraq

At least four Iraqi police were killed and 19 mostly soldiers were wounded when gunmen attacked a police station and rammed a truck bomb into a barracks entrance in Baquba on Sunday, police said. The double attack provoked a gunfight between insurgents an
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Afghan parliamentary polls to be held on September 18

Afghan parliamentary polls to be held on September 18

Afghanistan's long-delayed parliamentary elections will be held September 18, election officials said, but district council polls will be pushed back until 2006, highlighting the massive challenges ahead on the war-torn country's road to democracy. "The J
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Lifting China arms embargo getting harder, UK says

Lifting China arms embargo getting harder, UK says

The planned lifting of an EU ban on arms sales to China has become harder since Beijing passed a law granting itself the right to use force to thwart any independence bid by Taiwan, Britain said on Sunday. "Politically there are problems and these problem
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Iraq and Jordan recall envoys as row worsens

Iraq and Jordan recall envoys as row worsens

A row between Iraq and Jordan over reports that a Jordanian man carried out the deadliest suicide bombing in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein worsened on Sunday as both countries recalled their envoys. Jordan said its top diplomat in Iraq had been ca
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
North Korea and Taiwan dominate Rice talks in China

North Korea and Taiwan dominate Rice talks in China

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Sunday held talks with top leaders in Beijing amid concerns over China's expanding military, rising tensions with Taiwan and hopes of resuming talks aimed ending a nuclear stand-off on the Korean Peninsula. "The prin
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
US military faces more base closings

US military faces more base closings

All 425 US domestic military bases are under scrutiny ahead of a forthcoming round of closings by the Pentagon that analysts said could dwarf the previous four rounds of closings combined, The New York Times reported in Sunday editions. "We know we have t
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Pope misses Palm Sunday services

Pope misses Palm Sunday services

For the first time in Pope John Paul's papacy, Holy Week services leading up to Easter began without the Pontiff on Sunday and the faithful heard a cardinal compare the Pope's suffering to that of Christ. At the end of the Palm Sunday ceremony, the Pope,
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
13 reported killed in Bangladesh storm

13 reported killed in Bangladesh storm

At least 13 people were killed and 70 injured when a storm lashed parts of northern Bangladesh on Sunday, local officials and reporters said. They said the storm, with winds estimated at 90 km per hour (60 mph), ripped through several villages in Gaibandh
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Powerful quake in Japan kills one, hurts 400

Powerful quake in Japan kills one, hurts 400

A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu on Sunday, killing an elderly woman, injuring up to 400 people and forcing hundreds to flee their homes, officials and media reports said. The focus of the shallow quake wa
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Debatable role of media

Debatable role of media

Media is a term, which leaves many confused. What exactly is 'media'? Media encompasses all means of communication. It includes the electronic media, the print media, the internet, or rather all means of communication. It serves as a bridge between the so
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
MiG tipping, not tension, at US base near Iran

MiG tipping, not tension, at US base near Iran

Iran and the United States may be in the midst of a war of words over Tehran's nuclear plans, but there is little evidence of the tension at a former Soviet base in Afghanistan, now home to US troops. The sprawling air base lies close to the border with I
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Professional management for Sows: a pre-requisite to profitability

Professional management for Sows: a pre-requisite to profitability

What exactly ails the Sows? Insight into the situation reveals that the public sector faces a plethora of problems right from the initial fixing of the mission statement and the subsequent objectives. The Sows are in a fix about the route to be taken or t
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Could landmark media case shackle World Wide Web?

Could landmark media case shackle World Wide Web?

Will the Internet become an educational treasure trivia akin to the "Great Libraries of Babylon" or an online anarchy seething with slurs immune to challenge in court? Hyperbolic visions of the web's future are emerging in a landmark legal battle being wa
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Speak up for Iran

Speak up for Iran

America brutally occupied Iraq for having, as yet to be found, weapons of mass destruction. Now, Bush looks eastwards as America builds a case against Iran for possibly having nuclear fuel for weapons of mass destruction. And the next in line, if only geo
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Task force for Toyota cars

Task force for Toyota cars

Nowadays Indus Motors have suspended booking Toyota car without any limit - how long one has to wait, nobody knows. The company is making money with the support of officials of the Ministry of Commerce with no facility to the consumers. Now the premium ha
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Pakistan that was

Pakistan that was

Allow me to share with readers what Agha Ahsan has to say:QUOTE Do you remember, we were building dams, irrigation canals. we were building profitable industries. People were not rich, but nobody was poor as well, nobody w
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Prime Minister's dignity

Prime Minister's dignity

I, like many others, was displeased to read that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz accompanied the visiting Saudi Prince Walid bin Talal to the two commercial plots available in Islamabad for constructing a hotel and a plaza.
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Foreign investment

Foreign investment

Shaukat Aziz, the PM, is projecting Pakistan at all forums as a haven for foreign investment. Can we know what a poor man gets when a foreigners comes in and invests and takes the profit, and goes away without any loss? Once they get into the country, the
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Need for free import of cars

Need for free import of cars

Apropos to the letter "urgent need for the free import of cars" by Mumtaz A. Piracha, I have differing opinions towards the free import of cars in to the country.
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Islamic modes of financing

Islamic modes of financing

Before introduction of Islamic modes of financing in banks and DFIs, a Task Force of Bankers from all the five nationalised commercial banks was formed by the defunct Pakistan Banking Council 20 years back for chalking out the system of financing free of
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
Help the small farmer

Help the small farmer

A report appearing in this paper the other day quotes a research study that makes the disquieting disclosure that the incidence of rural poverty is the highest in the cotton and wheat growing areas of Punjab as well as Sindh. In the poorest zones, people
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
The bad news from Balochistan

The bad news from Balochistan

Last Thursday's tragic incident near Dera Bugti that claimed the lives of several Bugti tribesmen and eight personnel of the Frontier Corps has sent alarm bells ringing all over the country as members of combined Opposition in the National Assembly have b
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
NAB settles 53 claims against seven forex companies

NAB settles 53 claims against seven forex companies

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sindh, has facilitated settlement between seven forex companies and their clients while the probe is still in the process into the affairs of rest of seven such companies. The inquiry against illegal brokerage hou
Published 21 Mar, 2005 12:00am
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