BDWORLDNEWS

MIDDLE EAST : New Gaza violence threatens truce

2005-05-19T15:14:00.000+06:00

The fragile truce in Gaza is teetering on the brink as Palestinian militants fired more volleys of rockets and Israel pledged tougher military action.

Three Qassam rockets were fired into southern Israel by members of the Hamas movement, but there were no injuries.

Israel's deputy defence minister said the army would be "more aggressive" if rocket and mortar attacks continued.

Violence escalated on Tuesday night when a Palestinian militant was killed in disputed circumstances in Rafah.

Hamas say one of its armed members was killed by Israeli soldiers in a breach of the ceasefire - but the army say he was killed when an explosive device he was carrying went off.

In retaliation, Hamas launched mortars at Israeli settlements in Gaza, triggering the first Israeli air strike since January, in which a second militant is reported to have died. An Israeli settler was also lightly wounded by a mortar.

In the hours that followed, there were more Hamas rocket and mortar strikes.

Evacuation under fire

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - on a visit to East and South Asia - has warned that the situation is so sensitive that "a very tiny spark" could trigger a major new round of violence.

There has been relative calm since a ceasefire was declared but the Israeli and Palestinian leaders in February.

"We must act in a more aggressive manner than we have so far," Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim told Israeli public radio.

"Until now, we have acted with moderation and restraint because we want to have calm in the run-up to the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but it is conceivable to proceed with the evacuation under fire," he said.

Israel is planning to evacuate all its 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and the troops who protect them as part of a unilateral disengagement plan.

It will maintain control of the borders, airspace and coastline of Gaza, which is home to about 1.5m Palestinians.

Israeli human rights group B'Tselem says at least 3,261 Palestinians and 875 Israelis have been killed in the intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which begin in September 2000.

BDWN http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4561533.stm

MIDDLE EAST : Deputy killed in mishap on ATV

2005-05-19T15:13:00.000+06:00

Patrick Anderson, 24, of Poplarville had been deployed in Iraq last year

POPLARVILLE — Pearl River County Deputy Patrick Anderson died this past weekend in an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle, authorities said.

Anderson, 24, of Poplarville, was riding with friends near the Springhill community when Sunday's accident occurred, said Sheriff Joe Stuart. Anderson, who had returned last year from Iraq after a yearlong deployment with the 890th Engineering Battalion, had been a deputy sheriff for three years.

"He was dependable," Stuart said. "He started as a corrections officer and he worked his way up the ladder to work as a patrol deputy."

Anderson began his career working for the City of Picayune and was a part-time officer with the Poplarville Police Department.

Chief Deputy Aaron Russell Jr. said Anderson and three others were riding in the woods. Russell said the other riders realized Anderson wasn't behind them and turned around to see what happened. They found him lying face down, with the 600-pound, yellow ATV on top of him.

"He hit a mud hole on a pipeline," Russell said.

Autopsy results show he died from compression of the chest.

BDWN http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050517/NEWS01/505170358/1002

MIDDLE EAST : US 'ignored Iraq oil smuggling'

2005-05-19T15:10:00.000+06:00

The US turned a blind eye to the former Iraq regime's $8bn trade in smuggled oil, a new US Senate report says.

The report says the US was well aware of both the smuggling and the kickbacks Iraq solicited from players in the UN's oil-for-food programme.

Published by Democrat minority members of a key committee, it follows charges levelled against several Russian politicians and UK MP George Galloway.

Mr Galloway has flown to Washington DC to defend himself in person.

He is appearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Others accused of receiving oil allocations from Baghdad include French former Interior Minister Charles Pasqua, Russian ultranationalist MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and Russian former presidential aides Alexander Voloshin and Sergei Issakov.

Mr Galloway, Mr Pasqua and Mr Zhirinovsky have all denied the allegations.

Weak oversight

Unlike the previous reports, which were backed by all the committee members, the fresh accusations are authored by staff of the minority of Democrats.

They are led by Senator Carl Levin, who has built his reputation on a series of follow-the-money investigations involving such subjects as Enron and money laundering.

The new report focuses on both the $228m Saddam Hussein's regime is estimated to have made through illegal surcharges on the oil-for-food programme, and on the $8bn it made through sanctions-busting oil sales to Turkey, Syria, Egypt and Jordan.

US oversight was weak on both fronts, the report says - and sometimes amounted to facilitation of the illicit trades.

Kickbacks

It takes the example of Bayoil, a US oil firm which was indicted by US authorities in April and was allegedly used by the three Russian politicians as a go-between with the Iraqi authorities.

According to the report, the firm imported more than 200 million barrels to the US between 2000 and 2002, selling it to US companies and in the process paying $37m in illegal kickbacks to Baghdad.

US agencies such as the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) failed to examine its activities, the report warns, assuming that UN agencies would do the job - despite UN resolutions which clearly made such oversight the responsibility of national governments.

In all, US buyers paid more than half the $224m in total kickbacks, the report estimates.

'Facilitation'

But it also said that the far bigger smuggling trade was carried out with tacit US approval.

Much of the oil went out by land through Turkey and Syria, but much also went by sea.

The report takes the example of a series of shipments from the port of Khor al-Amaya in southern Iran in the month before the US-led coalition began its 2003 invasion.

Jordan paid $53m in hard currency for 7.7 million barrels on seven tankers, all of which were explicitly allowed to pass by the US naval blockade.

"The US was not only aware of Iraqi oil sales which violated UN sanctions and provided the bulk of the illicit money Saddam Hussein obtained from circumventing UN sanctions," the report said.

"On occasion, the US actually facilitated the illicit oil sales."

BDWN http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4554507.stm

MIDDLE EAST : Iran not to reverse nuclear plan, but may delay

2005-05-19T15:07:00.000+06:00

Latest Updated by 2005-05-19

Chief Iranian negotiator Hassan Rohani says Iran will not back down on resuming its nuclear activities, but may delay work if talks go well.

Rohani repeatedly said in an interview that Iran would not change its mind about restarting a uranium conversion plant in the city of Isfahan, saying the decision has been made and it is irreversible.

He added, however, that such a step would not lead automatically to the next and most critical stage of the nuclear fuel process, the enrichment of uranium.

Rohani said Iran will hold a new round of nuclear talks with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in Paris set for May 23.

Rohani noted Iran may delay work at the Isfahan facility for a few weeks if it feels that the Europeans are determined to stick the agreements reached and do not want to waste time.

BDWN http://www.newsgd.com/news/World1/200505190061.htm

MIDDLE EAST : Iraq's top terrorist planned bombings in Syria meeting

2005-05-19T15:05:00.000+06:00

By PAUL GARWOOD

Associated Press writer Thursday, May 19, 2005

IRAQ ROUNDUP, IRAQ COALITION, IRAQ CONTROLLED CITIES

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi insurgents fought U.S. troops at two mosques in Fallujah and held sway over all or part of three southern cities in the worst chaos and violence since Baghdad fell a year ago Friday. In an ominous turn, kidnappers seized a dozen foreign hostages and threatened to burn three Japanese captives alive if Tokyo did not withdraw its troops.

A Marine died Thursday in Fallujah, the Sunni stronghold west of Baghdad. That brought to U.S. death toll across Iraq this week to 40.

The newly invigorated, two-front insurgency raged through its fourth day, and further threatened shaky Iraqi security as the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority prepared to hand sovereignty to an Iraqi government on June 30.

L. Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator of Iraq, warned Shiite pilgrims to beware of danger this weekend at their shrines, recalling the deadly bombings in Karbala and Baghdad that killed nearly 150 during celebrations last month.

TV pictures aired in the Middle East by the Al-Jazeera satellite network and rebroadcast during prime time in Japan showed the three Japanese hostages -- two aid workers and a journalist -- wide-eyed and moaning in terror as their black-clad captors held knives to their throats, shouting God is Great in Arabic.

The Japanese government called the abductions "unforgivable" but said they did not justify withdrawal of its 530 troops doing reconstruction work in the south.

Two Arab aid workers from Jerusalem -- one who had once lived in Georgia -- were abducted in a separate incident.

Eight South Korean Christian missionaries were seized by gunmen outside Baghdad. Seven were freed after one of them escaped, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said.

Marines battled insurgents firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades in continued heavy fighting at two mosques in Fallujah. U.S. forces have surrounded the city 35 miles west of Baghdad, but opened the blockade for a convoy carrying food and medicine sent by Sunni clerics in Baghdad.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, reported the deaths of three 1st Infantry Division soldiers on Wednesday and Thursday in attacks by Sunni insurgents -- though the circumstances and day of each death were not provided. The Army said a fourth soldier died from wounds received in an attack last week.

The fighting in Fallujah, nearby Ramadi, and across the south has killed more than 460 Iraqis -- including more than 280 in Fallujah, according to the director of the city's hospital, Rafie Al-Issawi.

The spiraling violence which began Sunday raised questions about whether Iraqi police and security forces would confront the violence and whether U.S. allies would stay the course.

In Najaf, a policeman watched helplessly on Thursday as a pickup truck carrying a dozen heavily armed Shiite militiamen went past his police station -- already in the militia's hands.

"Look, how can we control such a situation?" he asked an Associated Press reporter.

There also were concerns about whether the largely passive Shiite majority would remain peaceful and shun radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's attempts to enlist them against the Americans.

Still, U.S. administrators insist they are making both political and military progress. U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is in Iraq, trying to establish a system to pick an interim Iraqi government. And Marine commanders said they were winning the fight for Fallujah.

"The mission is going particularly well. We made inroads into the city and we are driving the enemy resistance back," said Marine Lt. Col. Greg Olsen. "We're winning every firefight."

But there has been a cost. Twelve Marines died Tuesday in an ambush in Ramadi, just down the road from Fallujah, and four others have died in the fighting west of Baghdad since the weekend, including the Marine who was killed Thursday.

In the south, the al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army militia had full control in the cities of Kut and Kufa and in the central part of Najaf. Police in the cities have abandoned their stations or stood aside as the gunmen roam the streets.

Iraq's interior minister, who leads police and security forces, resigned Thursday at Bremer's request to maintain balance between Sunni and Shiite factions on the governing council.

It was unclear if Nuri al-Badran was forced out because the police were not performing their duties, but he had complained of divided loyalties.

Al-Sadr, reportedly holed up in his office in Najaf, attempted to rally Iraqis -- including Sunnis -- behind him.

"This ordeal has shown that all the Iraqi people are united," he said in a statement issued by his office.

Al-Sadr's force remains unpopular with most Shiites because it is too radical. And so far, there has been little sign of a widespread support for the movement or a surge to join the fight against the Americans.

Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. general in Iraq, acknowledged Thursday there appeared to be links "at the lowest levels" between al-Sadr's Shiite militia and the Sunni Arab insurgency.

Sanchez vowed that coalition forces would move "imminently" to break al-Sadr's hold over Kut, 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, and destroy his militia throughout the country in a new operation named "Resolute Sword."

Sanchez would not say whether U.S. forces would move into southern Iraq to help troops from allied nations whose soldiers control the vast stretch of land reaching to the Persian Gulf.

Ukrainian troops in Kut abandoned their base Wednesday in the face of mortar fire and gunbattles, allowing al-Mahdi Army fighters to sweep in, seize weapons and plant their flag.

Sanchez said the presence of thousands of Shiite pilgrims in Najaf this weekend was hampering coalition forces from moving against militiamen who hold police stations and are in the streets around Shiite shrines in the city center.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are in southern cities, particularly Karbala, ahead of al-Arbaeen ceremonies this weekend to mark the end of the period of mourning for a 7th-century martyred Shiite saint.

In Baghdad, U.S. forces have battled nightly with the al-Mahdi Army militia in its Sadr City stronghold. Before dawn Thursday, a U.S. helicopter fired on the al-Sadr office, wounding an unknown number of Iraqis and causing heavy damage.

Polish and Bulgarian soldiers drove off Shiites who attacked them near the municipal hall in Karbala during all-night battles, a Polish spokesman said.

In Fallujah, U.S. Marines battled for a second day to seize a mosque that officers say insurgents used as a fire base. Marines called in tanks and warplanes to pound the Sunni gunmen. By nightfall, the American force seized the Abdel-Aziz al-Samarrai mosque for the second night in a row.

The Marines told an Associated Press reporter they had discovered homemade suicide belts in the city and had killed two men wearing such belts. Suicide tactics had not been seen before in the Sunni city.

After a six-hour battle on Wednesday, Marines called in airstrikes before they took the mosque. Sunni rebels moved back in after the Marines left overnight.

The Islamic Clerics Committee, whose offices are next to the mosque, said 40 people, including whole families, were killed in Wednesday's bombing. It occurred at about the time worshippers would have gathered for afternoon prayers.

The Marines deny any civilians were killed, but U.S. military commanders said a large number of gunmen were killed in the day's battle.

Heavy fighting also broke out around another mosque, al-Khulafa, which witnesses said U.S. forces seized. A Marine sniper climbed up the minaret and fired down on gunmen, who shot back with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, witnesses said.

Four tanks moved in around the al-Khulafa mosque, followed by troops in Humvees and on foot. They fought gunmen until shooting died down around nightfall.

BDWN http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/05/19/news/world/5b596db87088a5f5872570060003cda8.txt

MIDDLE EAST : Israel threatens tougher military action in Gaza

2005-05-19T15:04:00.000+06:00

May 19, 2005, 09:49 gmt
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel threatened tougher military action against militants in the occupied Gaza Strip should Palestinians continue to open fire against Jewish settlements and Israeli territory.

Israel threatened tougher military action against militants in the occupied Gaza Strip should Palestinians continue to open fire against Jewish settlements and Israeli territory.

The warning came as Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas voiced concern that the situation remained so sensitive that the smallest provocation could trigger large-scale clashes.

"We must act in a more aggressive manner than we have so far," Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim told public radio.

"Until now, we have acted with moderation and restraint because we want to have calm in the run-up to the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but it is conceivable to proceed with the evacuation under (Palestinian) fire.

"If the Palestinian Authority does not get the message, we will make it understand," Boim added.

Israel on Wednesday launched its first air strike since January against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip who were preparing to fire mortars at a Jewish settlement, seriously wounding a member of Islamist group Hamas.

The violence threatened a fragile de facto truce which Palestinian militants have been observing since January and which was cemented by a landmark Middle East peace summit in February.

The Israeli strike was followed by a succession of Palestinian mortar attacks aimed at settlements and claimed by the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

The Israeli military said Palestinian militants have fired 41 mortar rounds against Jewish settlements in Gaza since Wednesday.

Overnight, three makeshift Qassam rockets were also fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, causing no injuries, an army spokesman added.

The Israeli government's plans to evacuate all 8,000 Jewish settlers from the occupied territory this summer has been slammed by critics as rewarding militant attacks during the more than four-year Palestinian uprising.

"If terrorism continues until the pullout we should repress it before going ahead with the withdrawal," said Boim, hinting that disengagement plan may have to be delayed if the violence continues.

But a source close to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told AFP there was "no question of changing the dates of the pullout".

"If things continue to escalate, we will strike in such a way... that they will be forced to stop," the official warned.

Echoing recent comments from Sharon, he accused Abbas of doing nothing to disarm militants and of mistakenly allowing Hamas to contest legislative elections without first disarming its armed wing.

Abbas has insisted that parliamentary elections will go ahead as planned in July, despite calls from his own aides for a delay amid increasing fears that Hamas will capitalise on recent local poll successes and make sweeping gains.

Meanwhile, Abbas warned in comments published in China that relations between the Palestinians and Israelis remain so sensitive that the smallest provocation could trigger large-scale violent clashes.

"Currently, the situation is rather sensitive. Temporary quietness is very fragile, and a very tiny spark of fire could trigger large violent clashes," he said in an interview with Xinhua news agency.

"There are indeed many problems existing between Palestine and Israel, nevertheless, they are not unsolvable," he said during a tour of Asia.

BDWN http://www.bakutoday.net/afps/english/shared/int/050519074951.qbnn3l1u.html

MIDDLE EAST : Iraqi oil official gunned down in Baghdad

2005-05-19T15:03:00.000+06:00

May 19, 2005 — By Ahmed Seif

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen killed a Iraqi Oil Ministry official in Baghdad on Thursday, the latest assassination in escalating guerrilla violence that threatens to push the country toward sectarian civil war.

Ali Hameed was killed outside his home as he was leaving for work, a police official said.

Insurgents have stepped up attacks on officials and security forces since a new government was announced late last month, killing more than 400 people in a bloody campaign that has challenged government promises of stability.

A roadside bomb killed two policemen in Baquba, north of Baghdad, on Thursday, police said.

Suicide bombings, roadside bombs and other attacks have also killed many civilians, frustrating millions of Iraqis who braved violence to vote in historic Jan. 30 elections hoping they would be rewarded with improved security.

Violence has gripped Iraq since a U.S.-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

But the latest attacks have raised concerns the country could erupt into a full-scale sectarian conflict.

A recent spate of discoveries of bodies of people who were killed execution-style and then dumped in various locations has stirred sectarian passions. Most of the victims were Shi'ites but some were Sunnis.

SECTARIAN PASSIONS

On Wednesday, top Sunni Muslim cleric Harith al-Dhari publicly accused the Badr Brigades, the militia of the main Shi'ite political party, of assassinating Sunni preachers.

It was the first time Dhari has publicly accused the armed wing of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), which won January's elections in a Shi'ite coalition.

Dhari's Muslim Clerics Association called for a three-day closure of Sunni mosques in protest at the killings and he warned that Sunnis would not keep silent.

The top Badr official denied the accusations.

Four more bodies were found on Thursday, this time just south of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. Police said they had been shot dead.

Iraqi security forces are still not capable of fighting the insurgents on their own, putting pressure on the government to seek a political approach to ending the carnage.

Shi'ites and Kurds, the new powers after elections sidelined Sunnis dominant under Saddam for decades, have promised to give Sunnis a bigger role in government and drafting a constitution expected by August.

They are banking on that strategy to defuse the Sunni-led insurgency.

Most of the attacks have been blamed on Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has been accused of trying to spark civil war.

Zarqawi called for suicide attacks against U.S. forces to be stepped up in an audiotape message attributed to him on Wednesday.

He also defended the killing of "innocent Muslims" in suicide bombings, saying it was legitimate for the sake of jihad (holy war).

The speaker also branded the majority Shi'ite Muslim community as "rejectionists who fought alongside the worshippers of the cross and spearheaded every war against (Sunni) Muslims."

The message, posted on an Islamist Web site, appeared aimed at winning Sunni Muslim support for the insurgency.

As Iraqi officials digested Zarqawi's latest threats, more policemen and soldiers fell victim to guerrillas.

In the northern town of Samarra, local police said a police officer and his father were shot dead traveling in their car.

Four soldiers from the Iraqi army were kidnapped at dawn in the northern town of Baiji, the authorities said.

(Additional reporting by Sabal al-Bazee and Amir Salman in Tikrit)

BDWN http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=770813&page=2

MIDDLE EAST : Heads of Egyptian parties sign document listing electoral conduct

2005-05-19T15:02:00.000+06:00

Heads of Egyptian parties sign document listing electoral conduct

CAIRO, May 19 (KUNA) -- Heads of 11 Egyptian political parties signed a document listing the principles and regulations of conduct to be followed by their candidates and supporters during the parliamentary elections period.

Assistant Director-General of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) Kamal Al-Shazli said in statements to reporters after a meeting of party leaders that the document aims to regulate general conduct during the electoral period, including the role of media and refrain from exploiting sectarian or religious issues.

He went on to say that the document also prohibits campaigning in mosques and churches, bans demonstrations in front of houses of candidates and criticism based on rumors, as well as coercion and bribes.

Link http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=734374

MIDDLE EAST : Israeli citizen arrested in Sinai peninsula

2005-05-19T15:00:00.000+06:00

An Israeli citizen was arrested in the Egyptian Sinai peninsula and taken to Cairo for questioning after he was caught surfing in Egyptian territorial waters. His family has requested the Foreign Ministry intervene to facilitate his release, after he claimed he was swept away by the current.

Link http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3087605,00.html

Malaysia's April CPI Rises 2.7 Percent

2005-05-18T18:08:00.000+06:00

05.18.2005, Malaysia's consumer price index rose 2.7 percent year-on-year in April, the highest in six years, the government said Wednesday amid concerns about rising inflation sparked by higher fuel prices.

April's inflation - the highest since the 2.9 percent increase of May 1999 - was slightly above market expectations of 2.6 percent and higher than March's 2.6 percent, economists said.

The government has forecast inflation to climb to 2.5 percent for all of 2005, from 1.4 percent last year. For January to April, inflation was 2.5 percent, the Statistics Department said in a statement.

Items in the CPI - the barometer of inflation - that contributed most to inflation in the first four months of the year were tobacco and beverages with prices rising 13.4 percent; food prices which added 3.6 percent, and transport and communication costs which increased 2.0 percent, it said.

The central bank in March predicted inflation would be higher in 2005, particularly in the early part of the year, due to the one-off impact of higher retail gasoline prices, as well as cigarette and alcohol taxes in late 2004.

The government on May 5 raised the retail prices of gasoline by 10 sen (2.6 U.S. cents; euro0.02) and diesel by 20 sen (5 U.S. cents; euro0.04) a liter to cut the soaring cost of fuel subsidies. The move is seen as part of efforts to check a swollen budget deficit.

Last year, the government spent 4.8 billion ringgit (US$1.26 billion; euro1 billion) on subsidizing petroleum products and would have had to pay 8.96 billion ringgit (US$ 2.35 billion; euro1.9 billion) this year if prices were not raised to cope with surging global oil prices. Even with the higher prices, it has said fuel in Malaysia was still cheaper than in most Southeast Asian countries.

However, investors are concerned that any possible increase in inflation due to rising fuel prices may pressure the central bank to raise interest rates.

Investors in the domestic bond market may be spooked initially by the latest inflation data, but traders say tight supply in the government bond market for this year may cushion any fall in bond prices due to inflationary pressures.

BDWN http://www.forbes.com/business/healthcare/feeds/ap/2005/05/18/ap2037018.html

Singapore Air In China Cargo Venture

2005-05-18T18:06:00.000+06:00

May 18, 2005

Singapore Airlines Cargo, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is today signing an agreement to form a joint venture cargo airline with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and Dahlia Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings.

The new cargo airline, named "Great Wall Airlines Company", will be incorporated in Shanghai, China.

CGWIC will own 51 per cent of the joint venture, Singapore Airlines Cargo will own 25 percent, and Dahlia Investments will own 24 percent. Singapore Airlines Cargo's stake of 25 percent is the maximum that a foreign airline investor is allowed.

Singapore Airlines Cargo's investment in the joint venture over the next three years is projected at 250 million yuan (USD$30 million).

Great Wall Airlines plans to begin operations in the first half of 2006. Besides destinations within China, it plans to operate wide body freighters to the major cargo markets in the USA, Europe, North East Asia and South West Asia.

BDWN http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1116415518.html

Time Warner plans to expand China media business via film, TV

2005-05-18T18:05:00.000+06:00

production jvs
Article layout: reformatted

BEIJING (AFX) - Time Warner Inc is planning to expand its media business in
China through film production joint ventures with Chinese partners and possibly
a television co-production joint venture, senior vice president for the office
of global public policy Peter Wolff said.

"We are set to announce the first two or three of those films that are going
into production," Wolff said, during a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
"We are also considering a television co-production (venture) with domestic
partners."

He added that the company will also consider further licensing arrangements for
its magazines and continue to expand it multiplex business in China. He did not
reveal any financial details.

Wolff was leading a delegation of business leaders meeting with Premier Wen.
They are here for a business conference sponsored by Time Warner's Fortune
magazine.

BDWN http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=5299278&action=article

China Shenhua Energy Plans To List In Hong Kong June 15 - Source

2005-05-18T18:03:00.000+06:00

HONG KONG -(Dow Jones)- China Shenhua Energy Co., the country's biggest coal producer, plans to list on the Hong Kong bourse June 15 after what will be the city's biggest public offering in 18 months, a banking source said Tuesday.

But Shenhua Energy has abandoned its earlier plan to become the first mainland Chinese company to simultaneously list shares on the Shanghai bourse, as well as in Hong Kong.

It plans to sell 3.0635 billion shares to raise US$2.5 billion to US$3 billion.

The roadshow for the offering will start Thursday or Friday, the source said.

It will be the largest IPO in Hong Kong since China Life Insurance Co. ( 2628.HK) tapped the market for US$3.4 billion in December 2003.

The retail tranche of Shenhua Energy's IPO will be open for subscription from June 2 to June 7, with pricing set for June 8.

"But a simultaneous listing in Shanghai is no longer the plan," the source said.

The usual practice is for Chinese companies to float in Hong Kong before seeking a listing on the mainland due to the lengthy listing process there.

The source said Chinese regulators were concerned such a large IPO would drag down an already depressed A-share market.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has been hovering at six-year lows, after the securities regulator announced earlier this month a trial for making nontradable shares tradable. Nontradable shares, which are mostly in government hands, account for two-thirds of China's stock market capitalization.

Merrill Lynch, one of the sponsors of Shenhua Energy's listing, declined to comment. Deutsche Bank and CICC are also sponsors of the deal.

An analyst at a European brokerage said he expects Shenhua to sell its IPO shares at about 10 to 12 times the company's 2005 price/earnings ratio. By comparison, smaller rival Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. (1171.HK) is now traded at a multiple of about 7.6.

An ICEA Securities Ltd. analyst, who asked not to be named, said he didn't share some investors' concerns that coal prices have peaked. He said he expects coal prices to remain high this year.

According to Shenhua's draft prospectus, the company will spend 55% of the proceeds from its initial public offering to fund its capital expenditure plan. It will use 35% of the proceeds to repay loans, while the remaining 10% will be used for working capital.

Boosted by surging coal prices, Shenhua's net profit in 2004 rocketed to CNY8.94 billion, from CNY2.90 billion in 2003, and CNY1.60 billion in 2002. Revenue in 2004 was CNY28.08 billion, up from 2003's CNY17.60 billion, and 2002's CNY13.39 billion.

Shenhua plans capital expenditure of CNY13.098 billion to increase its annual production capacity by 47% in three years.

After the IPO, Shenhua will become the fifth-largest publicly floated coal producer in terms of production, and the world's second-largest listed coal company in terms of proved and probable reserves.

It produced 101.3 million metric tons of coal in 2004 and as of Dec. 31, 2004, Shenhua's proved and probable reserves was 5.9 billion tons.

BDWN http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20050517\ACQDJON200505170545DOWJONESDJONLINE000202.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na

Update 2: Tokyo Shares Rebound, but Others Mixed

2005-05-18T17:59:00.000+06:00

05.18.2005, 06:57 AM

Tokyo shares broke a seven-day losing streak to end higher as investors snapped up shipping and oil stocks. But other Asian markets closed mixed despite Wall Street's rise in the past two days.

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues rose 10.02 points, or 0.1 percent, to finish at 10,835.41. The Nikkei had fallen a total of 3.3 percent in the past seven sessions, including Tuesday's loss of 121.83 points, or 1.1 percent.

Investors bought into shipping, oil, construction and other selected blue chips on Wednesday following recent declines. Traders, however, said selling by overseas investors still weighed on the market.

Gainers included Cosmo Oil Co., TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K. and shipping issues like Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd.

Construction stocks Nippon Steel Corp. and JFE Holdings Corp. also advanced. Tech issues were mixed, with Kyocera Corp. and Canon Inc. rising, while Sony Corp. and Advantest Corp. closing lower.

In New York Tuesday, stocks vaulted higher for a second straight session as investors welcomed the U.S. Treasury Department's move to put pressure on the Chinese currency system and, perhaps, eventually reduce the U.S. trade deficit.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.8 percent, while the tech-focused Nasdaq composite index gained 0.5 percent.

Despite Wall Street's rise, Hong Kong shares retreated for the third consecutive session on concerns over an outflow of foreign funds as speculation on an appreciation of China's currency, the yuan, eased.

The Hang Seng index lost 40.02 points, or 0.3 percent, to 13,627.01. On Tuesday, the Hang Seng plunged 199.78 points, or 1.4 percent.

Administration warning China on currency, other trade issues

2005-05-18T17:58:00.000+06:00

WHITE HOUSE The Bush administration is warning China to play by world trade rules -- or else.
A new Treasury Department report accuses China of using its currency to get an unfair advantage, and could face formal charges if it doesn't change course.And President Bush says China needs to abide by the commitments it made to enter the World Trade Organization. He says that means stopping the theft of U-S intellectual property and lifting barriers to U-S goods and services.Bush spoke at a swearing-in ceremony for U-S Trade Representative Rob Portman.The administration has been prodding China for two years about its currency, complaining it's pegged to the dollar at a rate so low that it makes Chinese exports dirt cheap. Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BDWN http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=3356915

Fire rages through Bangkok slum

2005-05-18T17:57:00.000+06:00

BANGKOK, May 18 (TNA) – Firefighters this afternoon struggled to tackle a blaze in a Bangkok slum community which raged through 50 houses and killed one elderly resident.

Panicked residents of the slum in Bang Kho Laem district told reporters that they had heard the shout of ‘fire’, and has fled from their houses, taking as many of their meagre possessions as they could grab.

Fire engines rushed to the scene, but fierce wind made tackling the blaze difficult, the alleyways among the houses were narrow, there was little water, and it was an hour before the flames were under control.

One 65 year-old resident of the community was killed after choking on smoke, while a rescue volunteer was injured by falling masonry.

Initial reports suggest that at least 50 houses were damaged in the blaze.

Police are now investigating the cause of the fire, which is believed to have started in a two-storey house which had been rented out to Myanmar immigrants.

BDWN http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=38596

In currency dealings, the U.S. dollar strengthened against the

2005-05-18T17:55:00.000+06:00

Japanese yen. It bought 107.49 yen in late Tokyo trading, up 0.31 yen from late Tuesday in Tokyo and above the 107.41 yen it fetched in New York late Tuesday.

Elsewhere:

BANGKOK: Thai shares advanced on gains by energy and construction companies following recent declines. The Stock Exchange of Thailand Index ended up 7.58 points, or 1.1 percent, at 672.19.

BOMBAY: Indian shares declined on losses by technology and motor issues, but late bargain hunting lifted the key index from its lows. The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-share Sensitive Index, or Sensex, ended 19.00 points, or 0.3 percent, lower at 6,447.00.

JAKARTA: Indonesian shares declined, led by selling in most bank stocks on renewed worries that the central bank will continue to raise its key interest rate. The Composite Index sank 5.510 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,040.263.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares were dragged lower by hedge funds selling their holdings in local shares. The weighted Composite Index of 100 blue chips lost 5.02 points, or 0.6 percent, to 886.37.

MANILA: Philippine shares closed marginally higher on bargain hunting in certain blue chips, led by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Ayala Land. The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index gained 2.92 points, or 0.2 percent, at 1,879.39.

SEOUL: South Korean shares edged up slightly on gains by select technology stocks on continued hopes of a recovery in the industry. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, rose 3.2 points, or 0.4 percent, to 930.36.

SHANGHAI: China shares ended a touch higher, led by gains in power issues. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 3.33 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 1,102.97.

SINGAPORE: Share prices dropped after Singapore cut its full-year economic growth forecast. The Straits Times Index edged down 0.72 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,153.65.

SYDNEY: Australian shares rebounded, boosted by Wall Street's gains. The S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 33.00 points, or 0.8 percent, at 3,987.50.

TAIPEI: Taiwan shares dropped, led by losses in makers of computer chips. The Weighted Price Index fell 3.18 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,890.83.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares retreated as early gains were wiped out by offshore sellers. The NZSX-50 index lost 3.49 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,963.38.

Link http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2005/05/18/ap2037007.html

South Korea entices N Korea for talks

2005-05-17T18:01:00.000+06:00

SEOUL,South Korea is trying to woo North Korea back to negotiations on its nuclear programmes with a new proposal that includes grounds for a compromise, the South's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

On Monday, the first day of a rare meeting between North and South, Seoul dangled the prospect of a "serious" new proposal if Pyongyang came back to six-party talks but gave no details.

"It will be something closer to compromise, which would allow more room for it to be accepted," Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told reporters in Seoul, without elaborating.

The bilateral talks -- the first high-level contact in 10 months -- broke for a day on Wednesday without progress, South Korean Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo was quoted as saying in a pool report from Kaesong, the border town where the talks were being held.

The United States, which also takes part in the talks along with China, Japan and Russia, has in the past discouraged any talk of compromise until North Korea agrees to the first step of agreeing to dismantle its nuclear weapons programmes.

Ban declined to comment when asked if Washington or Beijing were also preparing new proposals for the North, but said: "When the six-way talks resume, those involved countries are expected to come up with more flexible proposals, among other (topics)."

Regional powers believe North Korea has one or two nuclear weapons -- and possibly more than eight. It declared for the first time in February that it possessed atomic arms. This month it said it had extracted spent fuel from a nuclear reactor, a move that could yield more material for weapons.

The standoff has neared crisis point in recent weeks after US officials said the North might be preparing for a nuclear test, which would trigger a dangerous escalation of tensions with the isolated, impoverished communist country.

"The nuclear problem is now in a very important phase and resuming the six-way talks is critical," Ban said.

The North-South talks were originally scheduled to last just two days but were extended to allow both sides to try for a joint statement. They will resume on Thursday, Rhee said.

BDWN http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=15500

MIDDLE EAST : Pakistan police raid leaves 6 dead, 20 wounded but fails to catch criminal

2005-05-17T15:15:00.000+06:00

17 May 2005

KARACHI - A police raid on the hideout of one of Pakistan’s most wanted criminals on Tuesday left six people dead and 20 wounded in an intense gun battle but police failed to capture the elusive fugitive.

One policeman was among the dead and 13 officers were injured in the southern Pakistan shootout that also killed two civilians, three other suspects and wounded seven more in the crossfire, police chief Tariq Jamil told AFP.

The gunfight erupted in the Hub area, just outside of Karachi on the border with Baluchistan province when police raided the hideout of Rehman Baluch also known as Rehman Dacoit, Karachi’s most wanted criminal, he said.

“Six people are confirmed dead, including sub-inspector Arshad Butt,” Jamil said. Police detained several suspects, some of them injured, and recovered weapons in the search.

However, it was not known whether Rehman was unhurt.

“He may have escaped to Baluchistan,” Jamil said.

Rehman is wanted in relation to more than 150 criminal cases, including the murders of dozens of civilians and police.

The provincial Sindh government has announced a three million rupee (50,000 dollar) reward for information leading to his capture, dead or alive.

Rehman has been on the run since he fled a court building three years ago.

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and commercial capital, has a history of gang warfare and political, ethnic and sectarian violence that has claimed more than 4,000 lives in the past five years.

BDWN http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/May/subcontinent_May653.xml§ion=subcontinent

MIDDLE EAST : Australian detained in Kuwait on terrorism charges

2005-05-17T15:12:00.000+06:00

Last Updated 17/05/2005, 23:11:00

Australian officials have confirmed an Australian citizen is being held in Kuwait on terrorism charges, and faces the death penalty if found guilty.

Talaal Adree, 30, is accused of joining a terrorist organisation and handling weapons and explosives.

His family says while he has Australian citizenship, he returned to Kuwait to fulfil his responsibilities as the head of his extended family three years ago.

His brother says he was arrested two weeks ago, and has been subjected to torture.

Australia's parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, Bruce Billson, says officials have been trying to verify what has happened to Talaal Adree.

"I've actually spoken with the Kuwaiti ambassador in Australia today, [foreign minister Alexander Downer] has met with a visiting Kuwaiti delegation," he said.

"Even as we speak, our head of mission is meeting with the interior minister in Kuwait."

BDWN http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1370901.htm

MIDDLE EAST : Japan, Palestine to hold meeting of foreign ministers

2005-05-17T15:11:00.000+06:00

POL-JAPAN-PALESTINE
Japan, Palestine to hold meeting of foreign ministers

TOKYO, May 17 (KUNA) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed Tuesday to hold ministerial meetings later this year.

During a meeting in Tokyo, Machimura reaffirmed the intention of the Japanese government to provide assistance of USD 100 million to Palestine for the current fiscal year through next March 31, a foreign ministry official told KUNA.

In order to discuss details of Japan's fresh economic aid that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged during a summit with Abbas on Monday, both sides agreed to hold a ministerial meeting between the Japanese and Palestinian foreign ministers.

The first round of the ministerial talks is likely to take place after the upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections planned for this summer, according to the official.

Abbas expressed his interest in attending a three-way summit between Koizumi, Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon if it is agreed by three parties, the official said.

Machimura also said Tokyo is interested in holding such a meeting, but that it depends on the intention of the three parties concerned.

Machimura also told Abbas of Japan's plan to soon resume direct assistance to Palestine for the first time since 2000, and provide assistance to strengthen the function of the presidential office.

Abbas arrived in Tokyo on Sunday for a three-day visit for meetings with Japanese leaders. He left for China after wrapping up his visit in Japan.

BDWN http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=733828

MIDDLE EAST : Lawyers win right to seize Saudi assets

2005-05-17T15:08:00.000+06:00

Mark Honigsbaum and Paul Kelso
Tuesday May 17, 2005
The Guardian

The court of appeal yesterday granted lawyers acting for three men who were tortured and detained in Saudi jails for more than two years permission to seize the kingdom's assets in this country, including Saudi commercial airliners.

The ruling follows a decision by the court of appeal last October giving the men the right to sue Saudi officials responsible for their torture in the British courts.

In October, the Saudi government decided it would not contest an order to pay the men's costs, yet has failed to do so. It has promised to take the case to the House of Lords.

Bindman and partners, lawyers for William Sampson, Sandy Mitchell and Les Walker, will now apply to the high court sheriff to seize sufficient commercial property to meet the costs, believed to be more than £100,000.

Bindman and partners have made clear they will send the sheriff in to seize Saudi property as soon as possible. They are not entitled to enter the Saudi embassy, as it is covered by diplomatic immunity and regarded as foreign territory.

However, any commercial property owned by the Saudi state in Britain is regarded fair game. That includes Saudi Arabian airlines, as well as houses and cars used for commercial purposes by Saudi officials or employees.

The Saudi embassy could not be reached for comment yesterday, but lawyers for the kingdom indicated in court that they would seek to overturn the order to pay costs by asserting immunity, setting the stage for further legal arguments.

Hailing the court's decision, Tamsin Allen, of Bindman and partners, said she was appalled by the Saudis' delaying tactics. "We, our clients and the public funding authorities are outraged that Saudi Arabia, one of the richest states in the world, should force the hard-pressed legal aid board to pay its debts and at the same time use our courts to seek immunity from torture claims."

William Sampson pointed out that the Saudis, through their barristers, had agreed not to challenge the cost order when it was granted in October and were now seeking to renege on the agreement.

"Once again they are seeking to hide behind diplomatic immunity to avoid any punishment or paying our costs," he said. "Yet at the same time they feel perfectly free to use the British court system. You can be guaranteed that had costs been awarded against us they would be actively pursuing us."

Mr Sampson, Mr Mitchell and Mr Walker were detained in connection with a series of anti-western explosions in the capital Riyadh in 2002-2003 following the death of Christopher Rodway, a British engineer killed by a car bomb.

All three were coerced into appearing in televised confessions broadcast on Saudi television in which they claimed responsibility.

The authorities claimed the bombings were part of a turf war between rival western bootleggers, something the men strenuously deny.

The fourth man, Ron Jones, was seized after being injured in a bomb blast outside a bookshop. He was taken from his hospital bed and detained for 67 days, during which his captors attempted to get him to confess to planting the device that injured him.

Mr Mitchell and Mr Sampson were sentenced to death but released last year. They named police officers Ibrahim al-Dali and Khalid al-Saleh, a jail governor, Mohamed al-Said, and Prince Naif, the interior minister, as responsible.

Four other Britons - James Lee, James Cottle, Peter Brandon and Glen Ballard - were also detained and tortured as part of the Saudi operation against the westerners.

All the men were released after an al-Qaida attack in May 2003 by nine suicide bombers in Riyadh that killed 35 people and injured 200. The attack made it clear the allegations against the men were false.

BDWN http://www.guardian.co.uk/saudi/story/0,11599,1485588,00.html?gusrc=rss

US Olympics Committee President Gives Advice to Beijing

2005-05-16T18:04:00.000+06:00

Peter V. Ueberroth, president of the US Olympics Committee, put forward some suggestions for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Monday at the Fortune Global Forum's Sports Roundtable.

The Olympic organizing committee can lower ticket prices in 2008 so as to let more local people participate in the Olympic Games, he said.

One million people can be allowed to see less attractive games such as cycling, marathon and cross-country race free of charge, he said.

Organizing committee members should use fewer luxurious cars to cut costs, and good accommodations should be provided for volunteers, he said.

The organizing committee should save every penny in other aspects to make athletes comfortable, he said, also calling for a drug-free Olympics.

BDWN http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/fortune/129011.htm

MIDDLE EAST : Iraq: Operation Matador another failure for the U.S.

2005-05-16T15:09:00.000+06:00

Monday, May 16 2005 @ 10:28 AM PDT

Primed for battle, the Marines found only booby traps. Sometimes they found them too late. On Wednesday, two artillery rounds buried in the road detonated under an Amtrac, blowing a two-foot-wide hole in its armor plating. The explosion set off ammunition inside the vehicle, creating an inferno. As the Amtrac burned, a 24-year-old Marine in a nearby vehicle grabbed his helmet in both fists and wrenched it. "I hate this country!" he screamed.

Looking for Battle, Marines Find That Foes Have Fled

Hunt for Foreign Insurgents Proves Frustrating but Deadly

By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, May 16, 2005; Page A10

ARABI, Iraq -- Cpl. Alexander Kalouf snapped an ammunition clip into his M-16 assault rifle and strapped grenades to his chest in the crowded hold of an armored vehicle, bursting into excited snatches of songs with other Marines as they headed into hoped-for battle.

Two seats away, Cpl. Jason Dominguez shouted as he led the fighters in prayer.

"This is your chance to rid the world of these evil bastards," he began, struggling to be heard over the rumble of the Amtrac armored vehicle's engine and the roar of the exhaust.

"We ask the Lord God to help us and Jesus to protect us," Dominguez, in black sunglasses, camouflage and body armor, yelled hoarsely as huddled Marines clenched their hands and bowed their heads over the muzzles of their rifles.

BDWN http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20050516102822411

SOUTH ASIA : Taiwan President Draws Fire From Friends

2005-05-11T17:20:00.000+06:00

May 11th, 2005 @ 4:16am
By PETER ENAV

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's confused response to visits to China by two political rivals has spurred attacks from friends and enemies, raising questions about his continued political effectiveness.

Chen was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2004 as the standard bearer of the Democratic Progressive Party, which seeks to strengthen Taiwan's status as a self-governing entity, distinct from China.

China and Taiwan split after a protracted civil war in 1949. Since then China has been using a mixture of threats and diplomacy to try to bring the island back into its fold.

During his first four years in office Chen gained a reputation as wily politician, confidently navigating the dangerous shoals between the demands of radical DPP lawmakers for faster action on Taiwanese independence and Chinese threats to attack the island if he moved to disrupt the tense status quo between the longtime rivals.

In recent days however, visits to China by Nationalist Party chief Lien Chan and James Soong, his People First Party counterpart, have thrown Chen for a loop. He first criticized the trips, then expressed cautious support for them, and finally claimed that he alone is capable of breaking the deadlock with China over Taiwan's political status.

But in Beijing, it was Soong who continued to get the red carpet treatment. He was invited to speak on Wednesday at Tsinghua University, the alma mater of Chinese President Hu Jintao, and was scheduled to meet the president Thursday.

Song rejected formal independence for Taiwan and called for Beijing and Taipei to make peace, saying they could dominate the coming century economically if they work together. "Taiwan independence is a dead end," he told the students.

"We should make China the manufacturing center for the world and also the most prosperous market in the whole world _ not a battlefield," Soong said in comments that were punctuated by frequent applause.

On Tuesday senior DPP lawmaker Lin Cho-shui surveyed Chen's contradictory statements and wondered if he hadn't lost his touch.

"My suggestion to the president is to quickly take a number of measures after the fact to turn around this situation where warning fires are going up all around," he said. "Otherwise in the remaining three years (of his term) there will be no accomplishments worth speaking of."

Chen is in a difficult position.

China has done everything in its power to belittle him, using the trips by Lien and Soong _ both of whom support eventual unification with the mainland _ to win support from ordinary Taiwanese by promising them lucrative trade deals and other economic benefits.

It also tried to wipe out the negative publicity associated with its passage in March of a controversial law codifying the use of force if Taiwan moves toward independence, by praising the two visiting Taiwanese as revered brothers.

By contrast China has treated Chen with undisguised contempt, informing him tartly that the only way he can expect a mainland invitation of his own is by agreeing that Taiwan is a part of China. Chen seemed to respond to that with a mixed message.

"There's a good possibility that there may be government-to-government talks or a Chen-Hu meeting," Chen said, referring to the Chinese president. In virtually the same breath however, Chen criticized independence advocate and former President Lee Teng-hui, lashing out at him for suggesting the government is not moving fast enough toward Taiwanese independence.

Link http://www.620ktar.com/?nid=46&sid=47051