japan 's nec corp. and UNK computer corp. of the united states said wednesday they had agreed to join forces in supercomputer sales .


the sri lankan government on wednesday announced the closure of government schools with immediate effect as a military campaign against tamil separatists escalated in the north of the country .

sri lanka closes schools as war escalates


police arrested five anti-nuclear protesters thursday after they sought to disrupt loading of a french antarctic research and supply vessel , a spokesman for the protesters said .


factory orders for manufactured goods rose #.# percent in september , the commerce department said here thursday .

us september factory orders up #.# percent


the bank of japan appealed to financial markets to remain calm friday following the us decision to order daiwa bank ltd. to close its us operations .

bank of UNK UNK for calm in financial markets


croatian president franjo tudjman said friday croatian and serb negotiators would meet saturday to thrash out an agreement on the last serb-held area in croatia , under a deal reached at us-brokered talks .

rebel serb talks to resume saturday : tudjman by peter UNK


japan 's toyota team europe were banned from the world rally championship for one year here on friday in a crushing ruling by the world council of the international automobile federation -lrb- fia -rrb- .


israel prepared sunday for prime minister yitzhak rabin 's state funeral which will be attended by a host of world leaders , including us president bill clinton and the jordanian and egyptian heads of state .

israel prepares jerusalem state funeral for rabin


indian prime minister p.v. narasimha rao 's promise of more autonomy for troubled kashmir and his plea for early state elections has sparked a violent reaction from provincial moslem and opposition parties .

indian pm 's announcement on kashmir polls autonomy sparks outrage


UNK


turnout was heavy for parliamentary elections monday in trinidad and tobago after a month of intensive campaigning throughout the country , one of the most prosperous in the caribbean .

trinidad and tobago poll draws heavy turnout by john babb


jordan 's crown prince hassan ibn talal arrived tuesday for his first visit to jerusalem and was to pay his condolences to the widow of assassinated prime minister yitzhak rabin .

jordan 's crown prince makes first visit to jerusalem


poland 's main opposition party tuesday endorsed president lech walesa in an upcoming presidential run-off election after a reformed communist won the first round of voting .


the rand gained ground against the dollar at the opening here wednesday , to #.#### \/ ## to the greenback from #.#### \/ ## at the close tuesday .


arbitrary arrests , torture , prisoners dying in detention and the death penalty are current practices in guinea , human rights organization amnesty international said thursday in a report published here .

amnesty deplores human rights violations in guinea


a young syrian woman who was arrested last year on terrorism charges at the airport here had a map of us military facilities in turkey , a canadian security official said thursday .

canada investigates syrian woman with alleged ties to pkk


hong kong signed a breakthrough air services agreement with the united states on friday that will allow us airlines to carry freight to asian destinations via the territory .

hong kong us sign breakthrough aviation pact


a us citizen who spied for communist east germany was given a suspended jail sentence of ## months here friday .

us citizen who spied for east germans given suspended sentence


davis love said he was thinking of making the world cup of golf a full time occupation after taking a ## stroke lead over japan in the event with us partner fred couples here on saturday .


france , still high after their convincing ##-## win over new zealand have named the same team for the second test next saturday in paris .


#st quarter : chi - td , curtis conway ## UNK pass from erik kramer -lrb- kevin butler kick -rrb- , #:## .

chicago # ## # # ## green bay ## # # # ##


at least ## people were killed when a nigeria airways airliner crashed on landing monday at kaduna airport in the north of the country , airport officials said .

nigerian plane crashes on landing killing at least ##


the four candidates in algeria 's first free presidential election held final rallies monday amid tight security as some voters began casting their ballots three days ahead of the main poll .

algerian presidential candidates wind up campaign by richard palmer


the united nations children 's fund -lrb- unicef -rrb- has voiced concern over the plight of children in much of eastern europe where communism was abruptly dismantled and state services allowed to erode .

unicef concerned about welfare of children in former communist states


a swedish un soldier in bosnia was shot and killed by a stray bullet on tuesday in an incident authorities are calling an accident , military officials in stockholm said tuesday .

swedish un soldier in bosnia killed by stray bullet


a us judge denied on tuesday a request for the extradition of former mexican deputy attorney general mario ruiz massieu to mexico where he is charged with a cover-up in his brother 's murder investigation .

us judge denies mexico 's extradition request for massieu


fred west told the truth -- and should be believed -- when he exonerated his wife in the murders of ## young women before killing himself , a jury heard wednesday .

fred west told truth when he exonerated his wife of murder defense by UNK UNK


german chemical giant hoechst group announced plans wednesday to invest ### million dollars in china next year , with the idea of getting a strong foothold in the fast growing economy , xinhua news agency reported .

hoechst to invest total ### million us dollars in chinese operation


roh tae-woo , the former south korean military UNK charged with corruption on thursday , oversaw the first tentative steps of his country 's transition from authoritarian rule to democracy .

roh coup plotter then democracy convert now in disgrace by UNK park


a court here thursday sentenced a ##-year-old man to ## years in jail after he admitted pummelling his baby son to death to silence him while watching television .

man who killed baby to hear television better gets ## years


president bill clinton said thursday he would propose a new plan to congress to reopen many government operations and end the budget impasse , but repeated his intention to veto a republican budget bill .

clinton congress offer plans to end budget impasse


five east timorese youths who scaled the french embassy 's fence here thursday , left the embassy on their way to portugal friday .

UNK latest east timorese asylum seekers leave for portugal


the repatriation of at least #,### bosnian moslems was postponed friday after the unhcr pulled out of the first joint scheme to return refugees to their homes in northwest bosnia .

repatriation of bosnian refugees postponed


the us space shuttle atlantis separated from the orbiting russian mir space station early saturday , after three days of test runs for life in a future space facility , nasa announced .

atlantis mir part ways after three-day space collaboration by emmanuel UNK


the shooting down of the largest transport plane in the sri lankan air force has wrecked supply lines and slowed a major government offensive against the tamil rebel citadel of jaffna , analysts said .

downing of plane slows sri lanka 's army onslaught on jaffna by amal jayasinghe


outgoing polish president lech walesa and his ex-communist rival aleksander kwasniewski cast their ballots sunday in a tight contest for the presidency but managed some humor amid all the tension .

walesa kwasniewski cast ballot amid touch of humor


tea scores on the fourth day of the second test between australia and pakistan here monday .


the head of the russian-installed government in the breakaway republic of chechnya narrowly survived a bomb attack monday , the third assassination attempt against top russian officials in two months .

head of UNK chechen government survives bomb


australia 's news corp announced monday it was joining brazil 's globo , mexico 's grupo televisa and the us tele-communications inc. in a venture to broadcast ### channels via satellite to latin america .

news corp globo televisa and tele-communications in satellite venture


former israeli chief of staff ehud barak is to be appointed foreign minister in the new cabinet of prime minister shimon peres , an outgoing minister said tuesday .

barak to be named israel 's new fm outgoing minister says


indicted war criminals will not be allowed to hold office or serve in the military in post-war bosnia under a peace agreement for the balkans reached tuesday , us officials said .

balkan leaders to bar war criminals from office : clinton


japan 's collapsed kizu credit union , the largest such institution in the country , had incurred losses of ### billion yen -lrb- #.# billion dollars -rrb- , the bank of japan said wednesday .

UNK credit union losses at #.# bln dlrs : central bank


nick leeson , the young futures trader blamed for the collapse of britain 's oldest merchant bank , rose from humble london origins to become the tragic golden boy of the asian financial el dorado .

UNK : ordinary boy who ruined britain 's oldest merchant bank by roberto UNK


UNK


malaysian prime minister mahathir mohamad indicated friday he would soon relinquish control of the ruling party to his deputy anwar ibrahim .

mahathir wants leadership change to be smooth


bosnian croat forces have begun torching homes in parts of western bosnia captured during a summer offensive but due to return to serb control under the dayton peace agreement , un officials said friday .

croats torch homes in areas due to return to serbs


president robert mugabe 's pay packet will be more than doubled by july next year to a total of ###,### zimbabwe dollars -lrb- around ##,### us dollars -rrb- , the government announced saturday .


former french prime minister michel rocard and former us defense secretary robert mcnamara have agreed to serve on an australian commission working to ban nuclear weapons , prime minister paul keating said sunday .

former french pm to serve on keating commission to ban the bomb by jack taylor


former mexican president carlos salinas said sunday that he was astonished by charges that his brother was connected with the drug - trafficking underworld and that , if convicted , he should be punished .

former mexican president says he is astonished by brother 's arrest


ministers from the european union and its mediterranean neighbors gathered here under heavy security on monday for an unprecedented conference on economic and political cooperation .

european mediterranean ministers gather for landmark conference by julie bradford


bosnian president alija izetbegovic on monday accused bosnian serb leader radovan karadzic of seeking to sway the us congress against approving us troops to help enforce peace in the former yugoslavia .

karadzic trying to trip up peace process : izetbegovic


pakistan 's team manager intikhab alam dismissed claims tuesday that his team 's poor performance in the current test series was to blame for weak ticket sales ahead of the final test .

do n't blame pakistan for poor test ticket sales says manager


faced with a mushrooming influence-peddling scandal that has rocked the government , president fernando henrique cardoso has opened a high - level probe into the affair in an attempt to stem political fallout .

president opens probe of influence-peddling scandal


french rail workers pressed on with their crippling strike for a sixth straight day wednesday to protest welfare reform plans by prime minister alain juppe , with no immediate end in sight .

french UNK press strike stranglehold by michael thurston


the handlers of britain 's lennox lewis are ready to offer american riddick bowe nine million dollars for a long-overdue heavyweight clash in march or april , his promoter panos eliades said wednesday .


president fidel ramos on thursday said he was `` confident '' that peace talks with moslem guerrillas would result in a successful conclusion following the latest round of negotiations in jakarta .

ramos confident of successful conclusion in moslem peace talks


swedish telecommunications giant ericsson has reached a basic agreement to sell its relay production to japanese electronics company UNK corp , ericsson said thursday .

ericsson sells relay production to UNK 's UNK corp


east timorese president xanana gusmao on thursday made an emotional appeal for rivals from the country 's east and west to forgive each other , pleading for unity to end weeks of violence .

gusmao makes UNK for etimor unity UNK UNK fresh gusmao UNK visit with refugees


ireland 's government urged prudence on thursday as the first irish savers began to benefit from a state savings scheme that will mean a ##-billion-euro -lrb- ##-billion-dollar -rrb- payout to almost #.# million people over the next year .

irish urged to continue saving as ##-billion-euro payout begins by andrew UNK UNK UNK UNK


russian foreign minister sergei lavrov on thursday welcomed a us move to enter european-led talks on iran 's nuclear program , urging the international community not to disrupt the process .

russia urges international community not to disrupt iran talks UNK picture


general motors corp. expects it will be able to avoid a crippling strike at its largest parts subsidiary despite a disagreement over the company 's attempt to throw out its union contracts as it emerges from bankruptcy , gm 's chief executive said thursday .

gm expects to avoid strike at delphi : ceo


football fans in the bangladesh capital dhaka will be able to watch the world cup live on big screens at ## city locations , officials said friday .


india won the toss and chose to bat on the opening day in the opening test against west indies at the antigua recreation ground on friday .

india win toss and elect to bat in first test


polling stations closed at #### gmt -lrb- #### local time -rrb- friday on the first day of czech legislative elections shadowed by allegations surrounding social democrat prime minister jiri paroubek .

polling stations close on first day of czech legislative elections


an insurgency-hit indian state is paying handsome rewards to policemen for slaying maoist rebels in the jungles despite protests from rights groups about state-sponsored violence .

police turn UNK in insurgency-hit indian state by UNK UNK


the united nations condemned saturday an attack on russian embassy employees in baghdad that claimed the life of one russian and resulted in the kidnapping of four others .

un condemns murder UNK of russians in iraq UNK UNK UNK with annan comment


ministers from ## african nations and the united states are to hold annual talks this week aimed at devising strategies for a vibrant private sector in africa and stepping up trade .

africa us to devise private sector growth strategy by p. UNK


american time-trial specialist david zabriskie of team csc won the #.# km opening prologue of the dauphine libere here on sunday .

american zabriskie snatches dauphine prologue


a high-profile japanese fund manager admitted monday to insider trading linked to the scandal-hit livedoor internet firm in the latest fall from grace of one a new breed of corporate raiders .

another UNK corporate raider bites the dust by UNK ozawa UNK picture UNK UNK reported arrest koizumi reax UNK


rafael nadal moved to within three wins of defending his french open crown when he subdued a battling and determined lleyton hewitt to reach the quarter-finals at roland garros on monday .


a powerful bomb exploded outside a navy base near the sri lankan capital colombo tuesday , seriously wounding at least one person , military officials said .


serbs living in enclaves in northern kosovo have taken a step towards separation from the rest of the UNK province by breaking off ties with the un administration , local media said tuesday .

UNK northern kosovo closer to secession : press


chelsea manager jose mourinho has said that only another title and the champions league will suffice for him as he builds towards next season .

mourinho targets second champions league crown UNK UNK details


russia warned wednesday against nato taking in the ex-soviet republics of ukraine and georgia , saying such a colossal geopolitical shift would threaten relations .

russia warns of colossal impact if nato takes in ukraine georgia UNK UNK quote


chelsea wing arjen robben said here on wednesday he wished to prove dutch national coach marco van basten right and show he is one of the great players of his era .

confident robben eager to prove himself one of the greats by benoit noel UNK picture


mittal steel said on wednesday that its hostile takeover offer to shareholders in european steelmaker arcelor had officially begun in the united states and would last until july # .

mittal launches hostile arcelor bid in us


americans have to wait probably another year before they can relish succulent indian mangoes .

time not ripe yet for indian mangoes to hit us


some #.# billion people worldwide are expected to watch germany face costa rica on television at the opening match of football 's world cup , german public broadcaster zdf said thursday .

#.# billion tv viewers expected for opening world cup match


us defense secretary donald rumsfeld said thursday the killing of al-qaeda 's leader in iraq , abu musab UNK , was a significant victory in the battle against terrorism but not the end of the violence .

rumsfeld calls zarqawi death significant victory


a french crocodile farm said thursday it had stepped up efforts to breed one of the world 's most endangered species , the indian UNK , with the hope of ultimately returning animals to their habitat in south asia .

french farm offers hope for endangered asian crocs UNK picture


earthquake survivors on indonesia 's java island have endured unimaginable suffering but some say they are now facing the final straw : missing out on watching the world cup .

indonesian quake survivors brace for another hardship : no world cup by ahmad UNK UNK picture


britain 's prince philip celebrates his ##th birthday on saturday , after ## years of marriage to queen elizabeth ii during which he has had to temper his UNK instincts and play a supporting role .


even some of his rivals in the roland garros locker-room are hoping that roger federer can create a bit of tennis history by winning all four grand slams .

even fellow players keen for federer grand slam dream UNK picture


question marks over the form of spain 's record goal-scoring captain raul continued to feed the concerns of the country 's press here friday .

pressure on raul as spain begin countdown by justin davis UNK picture


group of eight finance ministers warned saturday that the world economy was menaced by soaring energy costs and called for closer cooperation to calm volatile oil and gas markets .

g# ministers warn of energy risks seek cooperative action by nathaniel harrison UNK picture UNK UNK with final statement


england coach sven-goran eriksson believes his team must improve on their disappointing display against paraguay if they want to win the world cup .

we must improve : eriksson by martin parry UNK picture


a tropical depression , the first of the atlantic hurricane season , was lashing western cuba with driving rain and stiff winds late friday and could worsen in the coming hours , forecasters said .

tropical depression soaks western cuba UNK UNK us forecasters warning


palestinian president mahmud abbas needs to do more to disarm militant groups , israeli prime minister ehud olmert said sunday , pledging to help in the process .

israel pm says abbas must do more to disarm militants UNK UNK detail UNK


jason terry , hero of dallas ' game one national basketball association finals win over miami , may need off-season surgery on an injured thumb that he has been nursing for four months .

mavs hero terry may need surgery to fix injured thumb


group h favorites spain could be given an unexpected boost ahead of their opener against ukraine - if andriy shevchenko decides to sit out wednesday 's afternoon match in leipzig .

doubts over raul and shevchenko set to favor spain by justin davis UNK picture


al-qaeda in iraq appointed a militant named sheikh abu hamza UNK to succeed jordanian-born abu musab al-zarqawi who was killed in a us air strike , in an internet message posted monday .


tomas rosicky scored twice as the czech republic enjoyed an impressive #-# victory over the united states in their world cup opener on monday .

rosicky double gives czechs winning start by jim slater UNK picture UNK UNK bruckner and arena UNK


billionaire basketball team owner mark cuban was a no show , but the head of unicef made it and pop star prince rounded off the evening by throwing a guitar over his head .

UNK awards crown their prince by giles hewitt


french bank credit agricole launched on tuesday a public cash offer to buy the ## percent of emporiki bank it does not already own , in a bid valuing the greek group at #.# billion euros -lrb- #.# billion dollars -rrb- .

credit agricole announces #.#-billion-euro bid for greek bank emporiki


us president george w. bush flew into baghdad tuesday on a surprise five hour visit to back the new government of iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki in its fight against the raging insurgency .

bush backs iraqi pm on surprise baghdad visit by paul richards UNK picture UNK includes pool copy UNK detail UNK


the open square in front of the french capital 's famed notre dame cathedral will be renamed after late pope john paul ii , the city council decided tuesday .

notre dame cathedral square to be named after john paul ii


the somali town of jowhar , the last stronghold of the us-backed warlords , on wednesday girded for new clashes after three powerful militia chiefs fled the township as their enemies were reportedly within striking distance , residents said .

somali warlords stronghold tense after us-backed militia chiefs flee


the french press on wednesday were typically scathing in their assessment of les bleus ' performance in their opening world cup match , a #-# draw with switzerland .


press freedom in algeria remains at risk despite the release on wednesday of prominent newspaper editor mohamed UNK after a two-year prison sentence , human rights organizations said .

algerian press freedom at risk despite editor 's release UNK picture


world number three david nalbandian said wednesday that he was optimistic of being fit to compete in wimbledon after being forced to retire injured in the french open semi-finals last week .

nalbandian optimistic for wimbledon fitness


a consortium led by us investment bank goldman sachs thursday increased its takeover offer of associated british ports holdings , the biggest port operator in britain , after being threatened with a possible rival bid .

goldman sachs increases bid for ab ports


west germany 's #### world cup winning hero franz beckenbauer hopes hosts germany are not paired with england in the last ## of the world cup , saying he would prefer to meet the old foe later in the tournament .


former italian prime minister silvio berlusconi has been re-elected as president of serie a side ac milan , the club confirmed on thursday .

berlusconi re-elected ac milan president


nato secretary general jaap de hoop scheffer said thursday an upsurge in taliban attacks in afghanistan was aimed at `` testing '' western public opinion and warned the alliance would take tough action against anyone trying to derail afghan reconstruction .

nato issues stern warning to afghanistan 's taliban by philippe UNK UNK UNK UNK detail UNK


one of bollywood 's hottest actors john abraham has refused to bow to pressure from india 's health minister and quit promoting fizzy drinks .

bollywood boils at government over fizzy drink ad comments UNK picture


european union leaders gave slovenia a green light friday to join the eurozone next year , launching a new wave of expansion for the currently ##-nation single currency club .

eu gives slovenia green light to join eurozone by leigh thomas UNK picture UNK UNK UNK


mauritania 's ruling military leaders have launched an electoral campaign in support of a constitutional referendum set for june ## , the official media announced friday .

mauritania 's junta campaigns for constitutional referendum


slovaks started voting at #:## am -lrb- #### gmt -rrb- on saturday in elections to the ###-seat parliament , with centre-right prime minister mikulas dzurinda fighting to continue far-reaching but painful reforms .

slovaks start voting in legislative elections


phil mickelson 's bid for a third straight major title was still on saturday as the american started the third round of the us open golf championship four shots off the lead .

mickelson still has third straight major in view by rebecca bryan UNK picture


anti-whaling nations sent japan crashing to a third straight defeat on saturday at world whale talks soured by rows over cruelty and the moratorium on commercial hunts .

fierce rows rock world whaling talks by stephen UNK UNK UNK UNK


hundreds of graduates from america 's most prestigious universities are temporarily setting aside their high-powered career ambitions to teach at inner-city schools , as part of a program to help children from low-income families .

graduates move from harvard and yale to inner-city schools by isabel UNK UNK picture


result in a world cup group g match here on sunday .


factfile on ivory coast who play serbia and montenegro in a world cup group c match here on wednesday : UNK


germany are renowned as masters in the penalty shootout but manager jurgen klinsmann revealed monday that the world cup hosts have not been practising UNK in training .

germany not practising pens says klinsmann UNK picture


ukraine outclassed saudi arabia in their crunch group h game here monday , firmly setting their stuttering world cup campaign back on track with a convincing #-# win .

ukraine outclass saudi arabia for vital world cup win by luke phillips UNK picture UNK UNK UNK


factfile on croatia who face australia in a world cup group f match here on thursday : UNK


sri lanka 's tamil tiger rebels tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to a truce despite surging violence , but said the future of ceasefire monitors from denmark , finland and sweden is still in the balance .

tigers support peace drive doubts over european monitors by amal jayasinghe UNK UNK attack on temple war of words over soft targets


estonians will miss their traditional midsummer bonfires in state-owned forests this year after the authorities on tuesday banned the practice because of risk of forest fires .

midsummer fest bonfires banned in estonian forests


the launch of a long-range north korean missile would provide the first real test of a us missile defense system that has cost billions of dollars to build and is still in development , analysts said tuesday .

us missile defenses likely activated for north korean test : analysts by jim UNK


journalists and legislators in afghanistan have been outraged by the intelligence service 's new media guidelines that bar interviews with taliban leaders and criticism of foreign troops .

alarm over afghan guidelines for journalists by UNK masood


south korea said wednesday it would consider scrapping food aid to impoverished north korea if pyongyang test-fired a missile .

seoul could UNK food aid if nkorea fires missile UNK UNK aid details minister quote


us lawyer ed fagan said wednesday he will bring a multi-million dollar lawsuit in the united states against the polish government unless it takes concrete steps to repay a huge debt to holders of bonds issued before world war ii .

us star lawyer ed fagan to sue poland for unpaid bonds


around ### clandestine immigrants wednesday staged a peaceful breakout from a detention center in malta and demonstrated on a road shouting `` we want freedom .

mass breakout of immigrants from malta center


like a conquering army , south korea are marching towards the knock-out stages of the #### world cup on their stomachs .


hong kong flag carrier cathay pacific said thursday it has ordered six boeing UNK freighter aircraft in a billion dollar deal for delivery between may #### and april #### .

cathay orders six boeing ###-### freighter planes UNK UNK details UNK


eight chinese scientists have asked a leading us medical journal to withdraw a letter published thursday alleging that china knew about a human case of bird flu two years before the first case was officially announced .

chinese scientists ask us journal to withdraw letter on human bird flu case


two-time champions argentina suffered a blow on thursday when defender nicolas burdisso was ruled out of the world cup second round clash against mexico here on saturday because of a ankle injury .

argentina defender burdisso out of mexico clash


fbi agents have arrested at least seven people in miami who reportedly plotted to attack the chicago sears tower skyscraper , according to official statements and news reports .

fbi arrests seven in UNK plot on chicago sears tower UNK correction please read xxx seas of david xxx sted of cs of david in UNK ##


prime minister tony blair called friday for britain 's criminal justice system to be UNK `` in favor of the decent law-abiding majority '' , as he delivered the first in a series of speeches on the future of the nation .

blair calls for overhaul of criminal justice system by phil UNK


world cup hopefuls spain secured their objective of finishing top of group h with a stuttering #-# win over whipping boys saudi arabia here on friday .

fans feel the pain as spain beat saudis by justin davis UNK picture


the white house said friday that a new videotape of al-qaeda number two ayman al-zawahiri is the terrorist network 's latest shot in its effort to win a `` propaganda war .

zawahiri video is part of propaganda war : us


teenager michaela krajicek claimed her first grasscourt title with a #-# , #-# victory over third seed dinara safina at home in the ###,###-dollar UNK open on saturday .

krajicek defeats safina in dutch final UNK picture


directors of the european steel giant arcelor were to meet sunday in luxembourg to decide between two suitors : the partnership offered by russia 's severstal and the hostile bid from mittal steel .


a japanese man hanged himself in taiwan sunday after the asian champions failed to secure a single victory in the world cup , a report said .

UNK fan hangs himself for nation 's dismal world cup performance : report


france beat south africa ##-## here on sunday to become the world under-## rugby champions for the first time .

france crowned world under-## rugby champions UNK UNK UNK


france said on monday it was seeking the release of an UNK solider who was reportedly captured by an armed palestinian group at the weekend , and had made contact with all parties involved .

france seeking release of UNK soldier UNK UNK details of french efforts UNK


china has executed five people who had been sentenced to death for drugs trafficking , state media reported on monday .


italian voters rejected by a wide margin a referendum on constitutional change backed by former prime minister silvio berlusconi , provisional results showed , dealing a further blow to the media mogul more than two months after he lost power .

italian voters reject constitutional referendum : provisional result by UNK UNK UNK picture UNK UNK with provisional results turnout reax


vietnam chose a new president and was set to get a new premier tuesday in a sweeping leadership change for the communist country heading fast into an era of closer integration with the world economy .

vietnam UNK economic reformer as president set to get new pm by frank UNK UNK picture UNK UNK with president 's UNK UNK UNK


wigan moved to consolidate their premiership status tuesday by tying down one of the brightest stars of last season 's maiden top flight campaign .


hurricane katrina fraudsters who billed the us government for fictitious services and filed claims for phantom hotel guests and even dom perignon champagne have cost taxpayers up to two billion dollars , the new york times reported tuesday .

hurricane katrina fraud swells to two billion dollars : report


a controversial civilian nuclear energy deal between india and the united states cleared its first major hurdle tuesday , easily winning approval by a us congress committee .

us congress committee backs nuclear deal with india UNK UNK UNK UNK detail


chinese government departments lost #.# billion dollars last year through corruption , poor tax methods and bad land management , the national audit office said in a report published wednesday .

china audit finds widespread corruption tax losses in government UNK UNK report details budget UNK


two exclusive rome clubs have invited prince victor emmanuel to resign following his arrest on suspicion of providing prostitutes and illegal slot machines to a casino , an italian newspaper reported on wednesday .

italy 's disgraced prince asked to resign from top clubs : reports


the al-aqsa martyrs brigades said wednesday it had kidnapped an israeli settler , marking the third abduction of an israeli since sunday .

al-aqsa claims abduction of third israeli UNK UNK aqsa statement


kuwaiti women join their menfolk for the first time thursday in voting to elect a parliament for the oil-rich gulf state after a fierce campaign focusing on electoral reform and corruption .

kuwaiti women take part in historic polls by omar hasan UNK picture


foreign ministers of the group of eight countries began talks here thursday expected to raise pressure on iran over its nuclear program , as moscow sought to prevent next month 's g# summit becoming a magnet for criticism of russia 's democratic credentials .

iran tops agenda at g# ministers meeting by nick coleman UNK UNK french minister on hamas arrests


greece said thursday that it was monitoring the escalating hostilities between israelis and palestinians with `` particular concern , '' and feared it could worsen .

greece worried over escalation of mideast hostilities


european stock markets advanced strongly thursday on some bargain-hunting and gains by wall street and japanese shares ahead of an expected hike in us interest rates , dealers said .

european stocks bounce back UNK UNK with closing levels


the australian government friday warned building products company james hardie it had run out of excuses for not paying compensation to victims of its asbestos products following a special tax ruling .

no more excuses on asbestos payouts australia tells james hardie


palestinian prime minister ismail haniya insisted friday that his hamas-led government was continuing efforts to secure the release of an israeli soldier captured by militants .

efforts still underway to secure soldier 's release : hamas pm


the united states deported to bosnia on friday two bosnian serbs wanted by a local court on charges of genocide committed in the #### srebrenica massacre , an official said .

us deports to bosnia two serbs wanted for srebrenica genocide


luca toni scored twice as italy beat ukraine #-# in the world cup quarter-finals here on friday to set up a mouth-watering last four clash against hosts germany .

terrific toni seals semi-final place for italy by stefano UNK UNK picture


north korea on saturday staged a state funeral for UNK minister kim kwang-jin , who died thursday at the age of ## , the second key military figure to die in less than a week .

n. korea holds state funeral for vice defense minister


up to ###,### revellers packed sydney 's streets to celebrate the gay and lesbian mardi gras , breaking attendance records for the eye - popping annual street festival .

sydney 's gay and lesbian mardi gras draws record-breaking crowd UNK pictures


zairean president mobutu sese seko will stay at his french riviera residence until at least the middle of the week because of an increase in diplomatic activity , a mobutu aide said on sunday .

zaire president mobutu to stay in france till mid-week


the rand was slightly weaker against the dollar in early trade here monday , opening at #.#### \/ ## to the greenback compared to its close friday of #.#### \/ ## .

rand slightly weaker against dollar in early trade


the head of al-azhar , the top sunni moslem authority , will visit germany next week to discuss the teaching of islam in europe , his spokesman said monday .


all countries that signed the european union 's maastricht treaty have `` exactly the same right '' to join in monetary union at the outset , as long as they meet the convergence criteria , french president jacques chirac said on monday .

chirac says all maastricht signers have same right to emu


a thai man believed to have been killed in a knife fight has caused a stir by returning to his home eight months after his own funeral , a thai daily reported tuesday .

thai man returns home eight months after his funeral


it 's official .


croatia protested tuesday over an attack against a roman catholic church in sarajevo , which came just one month ahead of a scheduled visit by the pope , hina news agency said .

croatia protests over attack on catholic church in sarajevo


senior magistrates in france have accused president jacques chirac and the government of ignoring their objections when making important judicial appointments , it was reported wednesday .

france : top magistrates say government ignoring their views


the german government and red cross have decided to give ###,### dollars in humanitarian aid to victims of the earthquake which devastated UNK in northwest iran , the embassy here announced wednesday .

germany gives ###,### dollars in aid for iran quake victims


imf chief michel camdessus wednesday told india to prepare for a second wave of economic reforms to catch up with asian tigers .

india should prepare for second wave of economic reforms : imf chief


canada 's government is investigating a decision by the us-owned wal - mart retail chain to pull UNK pyjamas from its canadian stores , international trade minister art eggleton said wednesday .

wal-mart being probed by canada for withdrawing cuban goods


india 's congress -lrb- i -rrb- party thursday said it would block some of the government 's UNK tax cut plans .

india 's congress party threatens to sink budget tax plans


about ### rwandan refugees who have flown in from civil war-torn eastern zaire were stuck thursday at nairobi 's wilson airport , where immigration officials refused to allow them on to kenyan territory .

refugees from zaire stuck at nairobi airport by annie thomas


the united states underscored thursday its support for international efforts to contain the insurrection in albania and pressed president sali berisha to find a compromise to end the unrest .

us backs osce on albania crisis by andre UNK


colonel theoneste bagosora , a suspected ringleader of the rwandan ethnic massacres of #### , pleaded not guilty friday to charges of genocide and crimes against humanity at the un war crimes court .

UNK key rwandan suspect pleads not guilty to genocide charges


the us economy created ###,### jobs in february when the unemployment rate dropped from #.# percent to #.# percent , the government reported friday .

UNK us economy creates ###,### jobs in UNK


six us tourists and their costa rican pilot cheated death friday when their twin-engine plane crashed into a wooded hillside outside costa rica 's capital , red cross officials said .

all six us tourists and pilot survive costa rica crash


zairean rebels , led by laurent-desire kabila , on saturday rejected calls by the united nations for a ceasefire , saying it could only be called after talks with kinshasa .

zairean rebels reject un call for ceasefire


south korean union leaders on sunday threatened renewed strikes against new labor rules drafted by parliament to replace a controversial bill which sparked industrial unrest last december .

skorean unions threaten new strikes against revised labor law by c. w. lim


egyptian president hosni mubarak said sunday said he would ask us president bill clinton to `` use his influence '' to halt a controversial planned jewish settlement in east jerusalem .

mubarak to ask clinton for help in halting jerusalem housing plan


the stability of hong kong 's stockmarket will continue after july #st , when the territory is handed by to china , central monetary authority president joseph yam said here monday .

hongkong bourse seen stable after july #


the deputy president of a us study group on foreign UNK said here monday normalisation of relations between pakistan and india would give a boost to foreign investment in the region .

us think tank leader urges normalisation between pakistan india


diana , princess of wales , on monday visited a homeless emergency cold weather shelter in a notorious red light district in central london - but found her motives questioned by those whose cause she hoped to highlight .

diana 's motives questioned in visit to red light district homeless hostel


the rand firmed further against the dollar in early trade here tuesday , opening at #.#### \/ ## to the greenback against #.#### \/ ## at close on monday .


the un chief of eastern slavonia , the last serb-held part of croatia , confirmed tuesday that key elections would be held here on april ## as part of local ballots throughout croatia .

un confirms elections to be on UNK ## in eastern slavonia


the arab group in the united nations on tuesday dismissed israel 's warning that a palestinian bid to apply international pressure against israel could freeze the peace process .

arab group condemns israeli ministers remarks on peace process


sesame street has extended to shanghai through a joint production of a chinese version , sponsored by us power company general electric -lrb- ge -rrb- , of the us made children 's television program .


unrest in albania inched closer to the capital tirana on wednesday , as president sali berisha was trying to defuse tension by forming a new government headed by an opposition socialist .

albania 's unrest inches closer to UNK by UNK UNK


the un general assembly appeared poised to adopt a resolution denouncing israel 's plans to build housing for thousands of jewish settlers in east jerusalem .

israel has few allies in un debate over east jerusalem expansion by rene UNK


the cambodian military is growing impatient with delays in peace negotiations being used by khmer rouge military commander ta mok , who is acting like colonel kurtz from the film `` apocalypse now , '' a senior defense ministry official said thursday .

khmer rouge supremo likened to UNK now colonel


thai share prices dropped #.# percent in thin trading thursday amid profit-taking by local traders , analysts said .


UNK


the ##,### employees of apple computer are awaiting word from chairman gilbert amelio , who on friday is to reveal details of a reorganization that could mean the elimination of ## percent of the jobs at the troubled group .

a paralyzed UNK computer awaits word from its chief by isabel UNK


an UNK number of chinese legislators on friday voted against the government 's annual report on efforts to combat crime and corruption .

UNK chinese parliament gives rough ride to anti-crime reports


a man has been shot dead in a catholic area of west belfast , police said friday .

UNK man shot dead in catholic west belfast


twenty-eight people were rushed to hospital saturday after ## different chemicals spilled inside the hold of a british airways boeing ### at london 's heathrow airport , the rescue services said .

chemical spill at london airport sends ## to hospital


a fairly strong earthquake measuring #.# on the richter scale rocked wide areas of central and western japan sunday , followed by four aftershocks , the meteorological agency said .


tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through brussels sunday , calling for eu action to defend jobs , amid widespread anger at a decision by french carmaker renault to close a factory here .

tens of thousands march through brussels to defend jobs


japan 's finance ministry was unlikely to sell down its holding in nippon telegraph and telephone co. .

UNK government unlikely to sell ntt shares before ####


a truck carrying illegal north african immigrants flipped over in northeastern spain , killing ## and injuring six others , police said monday .

eleven immigrants killed in road accident in spain


un secretary general kofi annan on monday heeded the advice of the leading industrialised nations and announced the merger of the world body 's three economic development departments into one .

un chief heeds g# merges economic development departments


an unscheduled flight from xiamen in china which could be carrying north korean defector hwang jang-yop landed tuesday at the clark airbase , north of here , sources at the manila international airport said .


jakarta share prices closed #.# percent lower tuesday amid selling pressure on heavyweight stocks , brokers said .


a shiite moslem cleric living in iran has threatened to call for a holy war against the bahraini government if it sentences to death alleged iranian-backed militants .

shiite cleric warns of holy war against bahrain


president bill clinton admitted tuesday that the us-russia summit will be a `` tough '' one as he heads for a showdown with president boris yeltsin over his cherished role of expanding nato .

clinton admits us-russia agenda will be tough by gretchen cook


rescuers have found the two black boxes belonging to the russian antonov-## charter plane which crashed tuesday in the north caucasus , killing the ## people on board , the ministry for emergencies said wednesday .

black boxes recovered from plane crash site in caucasus


burma has put five cities on a security alert after religious unrest involving buddhists and moslems in the northern city of mandalay , an informed source said wednesday .

burma puts five cities on security alert after religious unrest


prime minister benjamin netanyahu has proposed completing talks on the final status of palestinian territories in the next six months instead of the scheduled two years , according to israeli public television .

UNK netanyahu wants to finish talks in six months


politicians were urged thursday to regard public opinion not personal views when voting on a bill aimed at overturning the world 's first legislation allowing voluntary euthanasia .

australian euthanasia widow goes public in plea for law to remain


up to ## afghans have been killed and hundreds injured by a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in the eastern provincial capital jalalabad , kabul red cross officials said thursday .

up to ## killed in afghan blast accident suspected by terence white


delta air lines will hold a press conference at #### gmt thursday to announce a major new aircraft purchase , the company said in a statement .

delta set to announce an important order


vice president al gore thursday welcomed liggett group 's admission that smoking causes cancer and its decision to help state officials sue fellow cigarette makers .

gore welcomes liggett admission that smoking causes cancer UNK refiling


ukrainian president leonid kuchma threatened to dissolve parliament friday as deputies continued blocking the passage of the #### budget .

UNK ukrainian president threatens to dissolve parliament


german auto group volkswagen chalked up a sharply higher operating profit last year at #.## billion marks -lrb- #.## billion dollars -rrb- , up a cool ##.# percent from the #### level , the UNK concern announced on friday .

volkswagen group reports surge in annual operating profit


new research suggested saturday that ugly suspects with `` stereotypical criminal features '' are more likely to be found guilty than good - looking defendants .

the beautiful go free while the ugly are damned


the indian elephant will become extinct unless the government launches an all-out war against rampant poaching , wildlife experts say .

indian elephant may be facing extinction : experts by UNK narayan UNK


us vice president al gore arrived here sunday on the first leg of a three-nation asian tour to pave the way for a us-japan summit which will come amid a growing row over security and trade ties .

us vice president gore arrives in UNK to kick off asian tour by UNK sato


a girl of ## cut off a ##-year-old widower 's penis after he made advances to her , police here said sunday .

spanish girl cuts off man 's penis for making sexual advances


a joint venture involving japanese firms marubeni corp. and fuji sash co. .

marubeni fuji UNK of UNK in philippine aluminum joint venture


embattled zairean president mobutu sese seko on monday `` took note '' of parliament 's decision last week to sack the government of prime minister kengo wa dondo , national radio said .

mobutu notes parliament 's decision to sack government


president bill clinton will meet with jordan 's king hussein next week to discuss the latest developments in the mideast peace process , the white house announced monday .


hong kong tycoon li ka-shing 's flagship cheung kong -lrb- holdings -rrb- ltd. is expected to report a UNK .# percent rise in #### net profits on wednesday , analysts said .

hong kong 's cheung kong expected to report rise in #### profits


japanese prosecutors raided the world 's biggest securities house , nomura securities co. .

UNK prosecutors raid world 's biggest broker nomura by tim UNK


china celebrated a groundbreaking visit by us vice president al gore on tuesday by signing #.# billion dollars worth of contracts with american giants boeing and general motors .

china marks gore visit with #.# billion dollar contracts hk deal by UNK holland


thousands of chanting voices soared into the air at a stadium here wednesday as the dalai lama led about ##,### people in a holy buddhist initiation rite aimed at freeing them from earthly ties .

dalai lama leads ##,### in mass buddhist initiation rite


wednesday 's evening rubber prices in singapore cents per kilo provided by the singapore commodity exchange : UNK


the un expert on missing persons in the former yugoslavia , manfred nowak , resigned on wednesday , blaming his decision to quit on a lack of support from the international community .

un missing persons chief for former yugoslavia resigns


a saudi national suspected in last year 's bombing of a us barracks in saudi arabia appeared at a crucial deportation hearing here wednesday .

new charges brought against saudi suspect in terrorist bombing


the sudanese opposition said here thursday it had killed more than ### government soldiers in an ambush in the east of the country .

sudanese opposition says ### government troops killed in ambush


malaysia denied thursday it was freezing new bilateral dealings with singapore , but conflicting signals rocked financial markets and sowed confusion on the diplomatic front .

malaysia denies freeze with UNK but confusion rocks markets by anil UNK


-lrb- graphic -rrb- UNK

## die in well organized mass suicide in california : police


at least ## people have been killed in fighting in northern kenya 's marsabit district between kenyan security forces and heavily-armed ethiopian bandits , the daily nation newspaper reported on friday .

at least ## killed in fighting on UNK border


a sudanese convicted of a series of murders and two other arabs found guilty of drug trafficking were beheaded on friday , the saudi interior ministry said .


the first southeast asian biennial film festival opened here saturday with organizers hailing the event as a step toward rebuilding cambodia 's shattered film industry and promoting regional movies .

southeast asian film festival opens in cambodia


macedonian construction , environment and urbanization minister UNK UNK has resigned in connection with a scandal over the bankruptcy of the tat savings bank , the belgrade-based independent news agency beta reported , quoting skopje 's a# television .

macedonian minister resigns over scandal more to go : beta


palestinian police beat an israeli photographer working for agence france-presse in the west bank city of hebron on sunday and confiscated his film during a palestinian protest .

palestinian police beat israeli UNK in hebron


a key mediator in the ###-day-old hostage crisis hinted the leftist rebels holding ## captives here were seeking to negotiate a final peace accord with the government .

key mediator hints peru rebels seek global peace accord by UNK UNK


india and pakistan ended four days of official talks here monday , the first between the two neighbors for three years , and vowed to continue working for closer ties .

UNK india pakistan vow to continue talks after #-year silence UNK UNK fixing date


israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu may be in washington next week and could meet with president bill clinton on the crumbling mideast peace process , the white house said monday .

netanyahu may come to washington as peace process reaches critical phase


members of the youth wing of vladimir putin 's united russia party on saturday launched a campaign against illegal immigration under the theme : `` our money for our people .


italy 's leftwing opposition , bruised by its election defeat in april , is hoping to take advantage of protests against education spending cuts to regain the initiative against the government of prime minister silvio berlusconi .

italian opposition seeks to UNK on education protests


several hundred people from france and other countries gathered in central paris sunday to mark what they called the first `` global day for the right to die in dignity .

UNK militants hold global right-to-die day in paris


india were ###-# at tea in their second innings on the fifth and final day of the third test against australia at the feroz shah kotla stadium here on sunday .

cricket : india vs australia third test scoreboard


there is little appetite among european union member states for military intervention in the democratic republic of congo , the eu 's most senior military figure warned monday .

little eu will for tough drcongo operation : military chief


german public regional bank hsh nordbank will ask the government for up to ## billion euros -lrb- ##.# billion dollars -rrb- in loan guarantees as part of a national rescue plan for the banking sector , it said in a statement on monday .

german hsh nordbank wants up to ## bln euros in state guarantees


hong kong shares closed #.# percent higher monday , led by property developers and hsbc , dealers said .

hong kong shares close #.# percent higher


talks between china and taiwan are expected to see the arch rivals forge closer economic ties this week but are unlikely to cool simmering tensions over the island 's sovereignty , analysts said .

fresh taiwan-china talks to set stage for improved ties : analysts


un chief ban ki-moon said he would personally mediate in the crisis in the democratic republic of congo where new clashes broke out tuesday , threatening a week-old ceasefire .

ban to lead congo mediation as new clashes threaten truce


after the longest and most expensive us presidential campaign ever , newspaper headlines on tuesday reflected both the historic importance of the occasion and relief that the outcome will soon be known .

us press hail historic presidential vote


americans vote in an election of rare historic potential tuesday , with front - running democrat barack obama seeking to become the first black president and republican john mccain hoping for a UNK comeback .

history beckons obama mccain on election day


taiwan share prices opened slightly lower tuesday with profit taking emerging as the market hovered close to the key #,###-point mark , dealers said .


ten senior french officers filed suit against rwanda for slander on tuesday after a justice minister 's report accused them of taking part in the #### genocide .

ten french officers file suit over rwanda genocide report


voter turnout reached a level unseen for a century in the historic election that swept barack obama to power as the first black us president , according to data published by analysts on wednesday .

record turnout for us election : analysts


retailers in the ## countries using the euro saw demand slip less than expected in september despite the worst financial crisis for generations , official eu data showed on wednesday UNK

eurozone retail sales slip less than expected : eu data


australian prime minister kevin rudd wednesday praised us president-elect barack obama for turning martin luther king 's dream into a reality after the african - american won his country 's highest office .

australian pm says obama has turned king 's dream to reality


obama wins us presidency : networks UNK


the united states has further restricted iran 's access to the us financial system by banning certain types of fund transfers , the treasury department said thursday .

UNK UNK UNK UNK us tightens screws on iran 's access to banks


australia coach robbie deans has made eight changes to the side that was defeated by new zealand at the weekend ahead of the wallabies ' test against italy here sunday .

rugbyu : deans rings changes for aussies azzurri test


austrian bank raiffeisen international trimmed its #### profit forecast on thursday , citing a `` changed market situation .


india were ###-# in their first innings at lunch on the opening day of the fourth and final test against australia here on thursday .

cricket : india ###-# at lunch in final australia test


thousands of people attacked chinese police in the southern city of shenzhen from friday afternoon to early saturday morning , state media reported .

thousands attack police in southern china : state media


us president george w. bush on friday warned that it would take time for federal stimulus measures to have their full economic effect amid news of steep job losses .

it will take time for economic measures to take effect : bush


bank lending tightened up as financial markets erupted this year and is set to tighten further in the near future , a european central bank survey showed on friday , despite massive efforts by authorities to unfreeze credit markets .

eurozone bank lending set to tighten ecb survey finds


five french trekkers and mountaineers were among six foreigners killed during the autumn climbing season in nepal , the french embassy and nepalese officials said friday .

nepal climbing season claims five french lives


argentine striker gonzalo higuain scored an incredible four goals , including two questionable penalties , as ten-man real madrid came from behind three times to defeat malaga #-# on sunday and go top of the spanish first division for the first time this season .


the death toll from a school collapse in a haitian shanty-town rose to ## after rescue workers uncovered a classroom with ## dead students and their teacher , officials said saturday .

toll rises to ## in haiti school UNK : official


us president-elect barack obama on friday said he would act `` swiftly '' as soon as he takes office to confront the economic crisis head on , during his first news conference since his historic election .

obama vows to confront economic crisis head on


pope benedict xvi marked sunday the ##th anniversary of the kristallnacht pogrom , a prelude to the holocaust , by recalling the agony he felt as a boy growing up in nazi germany .

pope speaks of pain of kristallnacht memories


australian foreign minister stephen smith sunday congratulated new zealand 's new prime minister-elect john key as he praised ousted leader helen clark as a `` gutsy '' and respected politician .

time caught up with nz 's gutsy clark says australian fm


iraq 's cabinet is expected to meet in baghdad on tuesday to discuss a military accord that will govern the presence of american troops in iraq beyond #### , a minister said on monday .

iraq 's cabinet expected to meet on us pact as deadline looms


syria and lebanon decided on monday to boost border controls and anti-terrorism coordination , as the two neighbors took a new step to strengthen ties since diplomatic relations were established .

syria and lebanon to boost border anti-terror controls


global banking giant hsbc said on monday that its pre-tax profits had risen in the third-quarter despite loan write-offs in the united states rising to #.# billion dollars -lrb- #.# billion euros -rrb- .

hsbc says profits rise despite rising us bad debts


fourteen men accused of membership of organised crime gangs and involvement in a savage europe-wide vendetta go on trial wednesday at UNK in southern italy .

trial opens wednesday in case of italian organised crime vendetta


russia 's defense industry has been badly hit by the global financial crisis , deputy prime minister sergei ivanov , a former defense minister , said tuesday .

russia 's defense sector hit by financial crisis : govt official


grim overall economic and corporate news pushed global stocks into reverse on tuesday despite an unexpected beam of light for the german economy .

grim economic outlook knocks stocks back despite german uplift


eight members of an ultra-left anarchist group have been arrested in connection with a string of attacks on france 's rail network , french interior minister michele alliot-marie announced tuesday .

train sabotage : eight leftwing anarchists arrested : minister


angola cup final result on wednesday : UNK

football : angola cup final santos # UNK #


iraqi foreign minister hoshyar zebari on wednesday repeated baghdad 's denunciation of a deadly us raid on a syrian village that he said harmed relations between the neighbouring countries .

iraq again denounces us attack on syrian village


a blue-ribbon panel of experts said on wednesday that german economic growth will grind to a halt next year , raising doubts about berlin 's plans to shield europe 's biggest economy from the global turmoil .

german economy will grind to halt in #### say experts


new zealand share prices closed #.## percent lower wednesday after investors took their lead from further weakness in overseas markets , dealers said .

new zealand shares close down #.## percent


juventus moved into second place in italy 's serie a with a #-# win over genoa at turin 's stadio olimpico .

football : juventus up to second in impressive style


us shares managed modest gains in morning trade thursday as investors looked for bargains after a punishing three-day market selloff and shook off more bleak economic and corporate news .

wall street struggles higher after three-day rout


chelsea striker didier drogba is under investigation for an incident during wednesday night 's league cup loss to burnley when he threw a coin back at the crowd , police confirmed thursday .


china plans to punish singers who UNK for `` cheating the public , '' the ministry of culture said thursday .


shivnarine chanderpaul hit a fighting century but could n't stop pakistan winning the second day-night international by ## runs here on friday , securing an unbeatable #-# lead .

cricket : chanderpaul 's hundred in vain as pakistan clinch series


german carmaker opel , a unit of troubled us giant general motors , has asked berlin and regional states for credit guarantees to ensure its financing , its chief executive hans UNK said in an interview published friday .

opel asks for german public loan guarantees : report


a chinese fishing boat with a ##-man crew has been hijacked by pirates off the coast of east africa and is being held in somalia , state media reported here on friday .

china fishing boat hijacked off east africa : chinese state media


vietnam has rejected a proposal by south korea 's posco group to build a #.# - billion-dollar steel mill near a coastal resort , citing environmental concerns , state media reported on friday .


french pilots voted saturday to press ahead with a strike which has severely hit flag carrier air france , the head of their main union told afp , ensuring further disruption .


iran , opec 's number two oil producer , favors a cut in crude production of #.# to #.# million barrels per day when the oil cartel meets in cairo later this month , state television reported saturday .

iran favors opec cut of #.# to #.# million bpd


villarreal coach manuel pellegrini was understandably disappointed at dropping two points in the title race as malaga scored a ##th minute equaliser to snatch a #-# draw on sunday .

football : pellegrini rues dropped villarreal points


stock markets in the gulf states plunged on the week 's opener sunday as panic from the fallout of the global economic crisis continued to dampen investor sentiment .

gulf stocks plunge as g## fails to halt panic


a brutal financial crisis showed its teeth on monday as us banking giant citigroup announced a massive ##,### job cuts and automakers begged governments to save them amid a spreading global recession .

global crisis shows teeth with mass citigroup cuts


international mediators raised concerns monday over fresh fighting near azerbaijan 's disputed nagorny karabakh region that left at least one soldier dead at the weekend .

mediators raise concerns over deadly karabakh fighting


hosts india defeated england by ## runs on monday to take a #-# lead in the seven-match one-day series .


leading tibetan exiles began a week-long meeting monday in northern india that could usher in a more radical approach to their long struggle against chinese rule in tibet .

tibetans plot future after dalai lama admits failure


british premier gordon brown has narrowed the poll gap on opposition conservatives to just three points , a survey showed tuesday , the latest sign of a boost from his handling of the financial crisis .

british pm gets poll boost from crisis management


barclays , the second-biggest british bank , said tuesday that investors from the oil-rich gulf had agreed to amend terms of their proposed capital injection worth billions of dollars .

barclays proposed gulf investors amend injection plan


chinese share prices plummeted #.## percent on tuesday as unabated concerns over china 's slowing economy and weakness in regional markets triggered heavy selling , dealers said .


david beckham 's career should be over , england 's #### world cup winner martin peters said following the la galaxy midfielder 's run of substitute appearances .

football : beckham career should be over says world cup winner peters


barack obama 's transition team dropped broad hints wednesday about who will fill a raft of top posts in his administration , naming teams of aides to develop policies in key areas .

obama gives hints about key administration posts


al-qaeda number two ayman zawahiri warned us president-elect barack obama against sending more troops to afghanistan , in an internet UNK released on wednesday .

zawahiri warns obama against sending troops to afghanistan


just as germany comes under pressure to do more to jumpstart the world 's third biggest economy , party politics is rearing its ugly head and undermining berlin 's efforts to weather a sharp global slowdown .

party politics undermine german economic defences


the use of nuclear weapons will grow increasingly likely by #### , us intelligence warned thursday in a report on global trends that forecasts a tense , unstable world shadowed by war .

use of nuclear UNK more likely in future : us intelligence


russian president dmitry medvedev on thursday demanded ukraine repay #.# billion dollars -lrb- #.# billion euros -rrb- of debt to russian energy giant gazprom , saying kiev could be `` forced '' to pay up .

medvedev demands ukraine repay #.# billion dollar gas debt


the council of europe 's human rights commissioner slammed thursday as `` unacceptable '' conditions in france 's overcrowded and dilapidated jails , where some ## inmates have committed suicide this year .

council of europe again slams french prison conditions


there could be a nasty surprise under the tree for the us economy this christmas .

grim tidings for us christmas shopping season


opponents of the leftist government of president daniel ortega said wednesday they had enough votes in congress to annul the disputed november # municipal elections in nicaragua .

afp client advisory on australian cricket coverage


oil prices continued to struggle under ## dollars per barrel on friday after they hit their lowest levels in almost four years on concerns over weakening demand and the prospect of a global recession .


malaysian shares are expected to remain volatile in the coming week on continuing uncertainties in the global financial markets and fears over the length of a global recession , dealers said friday .

malaysian shares to remain volatile next week : analysts


kevin garnett scored ## points in his return after a one-game suspension and the boston celtics ripped detroit ##-## here thursday in a rematch of last season 's nba semi-finals .

basketball : garnett makes triumphant return as celtics top pistons


the alleged al-qaeda mastermind of a #### transatlantic airplane bombing plot had been on the run for nearly a year before a us missile attack in northwest pakistan ended his life saturday .

terror plot mastermind killed in pakistan after year on the run


somali pirates holding a huge oil-laden saudi tanker on saturday vowed to fight back should any assault be attempted to free the ship and urged its owners to pay up a ## million dollars ransom .


australian share prices opened slightly higher on monday following a big rally on wall street ahead of the weekend .


portsmouth striker jermain defoe could be ruled out for several weeks if a specialist decides the england international needs surgery to cure a calf injury .

football : defoe to see specialist over calf injury


south korea 's central bank is likely to inject up to #.# billion dollars into a state fund aimed at easing a credit squeeze in the country 's debt market , a report said sunday .

skorea 's central bank to inject money into bond fund : report


oil prices roared higher towards ## dollars on monday as equity markets surged on government action aimed at tackling a severe economic downturn .


malaysia 's central bank on monday cut its interest rate by ## basis points to #.## percent in a bid to boost growth amid the global economic crisis .

malaysia central bank cuts key interest rate to #.## pct


british-based standard chartered bank said monday it plans to raise #.## billion pounds -lrb- #.## billion us dollars -rrb- in a rights issue to better position itself during the global financial turmoil .

standard chartered to raise #.## billion dollars in rights issue


french champions lyon knocked fiorentina out of the champions UNK with a #-# victory here on tuesday as they ensured their own place in the knock-out stages .

football : fiorentina sent tumbling by lyon defeat


the us banking industry 's profits slid ## percent in the third quarter from a year ago to #.# billion dollars , reflecting the credit crisis ravaging the sector and overall economy , regulators said tuesday .


polls opened across greenland at #:## am -lrb- #### gmt -rrb- tuesday for a referendum on self-rule for the island that could pave the way for full independence from denmark in the future .

UNK UNK UNK UNK polls open in greenland self-rule referendum


the world 's biggest miner bhp billiton announced tuesday it was dropping its controversial hostile takeover bid for rival rio tinto due to the state of the global economy .

bhp billiton drops rio tinto takeover bid


south korea posted a current account surplus of #.# billion dollars in october , the central bank said thursday , a figure that is likely to relieve pressure on the shaky won .

skorea posts current account surplus for october


iraq plans to hold a july referendum on a controversial military pact allowing us troops to remain for another three years that parliament is expected to adopt on thursday in a delayed vote .

iraq to hold referendum on us troops pact


new insurgency-linked violence left five policemen and ## militants dead in afghanistan , authorities said wednesday , as a un security council team continued a tour to assess post-taliban development .

## killed in afghanistan as un security council team tours


thailand 's powerful army chief wednesday told anti-government protesters they must leave several key sites that they are occupying , including bangkok 's international airport .

thai protesters must leave airport other sites : army chief


two units of taiwan 's industrial conglomerate formosa plastic group have agreed to lend ### million us dollars to micron technology of the united states , the companies said wednesday .

taiwan 's formosa to lend micron ### mln dollars for acquisition


writer juan marse was thursday awarded the cervantes prize , the top literary prize in the spanish-speaking world , culture minister cesar antonio molina announced .

spanish novelist juan UNK wins top literary prize


greek state-run public power corporation -lrb- ppc -rrb- on thursday slumped to a loss of ###.# million euros -lrb- ### million dollars -rrb- in the first nine months of #### despite a ## percent increase in sales .

greek state power utility slumps into loss


consumer and business confidence in the european union slumped in november to the lowest level in ## years in the face of looming recession , according to an eu survey on thursday .

eu consumer business confidence hits ##-year low : survey


chinese shares were up #.## percent by midday thursday after the central bank announced its biggest interest rate cut in a decade to boost weakening economic growth , dealers said .


celtic midfielder paul hartley launched a passionate defense of scottish football on friday after another week of european misery .

football : scottish football is not a joke says celtic star


a french plane has arrived in mumbai that could help repatriate up to ### europeans from the indian metropolis that has come under attack from islamist extremists , the french foreign ministry said friday .

french plane in mumbai to repatriate europeans


turkey 's telecom authority auctioned three #g mobile phone licences on friday , raising ### million euros -lrb- #.## billion dollars -rrb- at a time of strain on the national public finances .


new zealand shares closed #.## percent higher friday in their fourth straight rise as investors welcomed an easing of volatility in world markets , dealers said .

new zealand shares close #.## percent higher


new zealand completed their second grand slam in three years and third overall with a ##-# win over england at twickenham here saturday .

rugbyu : all blacks down england to seal grand slam


the united nations and the european commission called on saturday for a global stimulus package , but the absence of major leaders at a un aid conference in qatar lowered hopes about the outcome .

un ec call for global stimulus at development meet


four people , including three policemen , were killed when a police car came under fire in the capital of the restive russian republic of dagestan , police quoted by russian news agencies said sunday .


german chancellor angela merkel presides monday over a key annual congress of her party -- which has been divided over her response to the financial crisis -- ahead of federal elections in #### .

merkel 's party holds key congress ahead of #### polls


tamil tiger guerrillas monday admitted losing ## men in a weekend suicide attack against the navy in northern sri lanka which may have set back military plans for a fresh offensive against them .

tigers admit losing ## in suicide attack on navy


the european union is to take china to task at the un human rights commission over its policy , notably in tibet , after failing to win concessions from beijing , diplomats said monday .

european union to take china to task over human rights


the dollar was quoted at ###.##-## yen here early tuesday , up from ###.## yen monday afternoon and from ###.## yen in new york late monday .

dollar at ###.##-## yen in early tokyo trading


israel and qatar signed here on tuesday an agreement to open trade representation offices in each other 's country .

qatar israel sign accord to open trade offices


the dollar and major european currencies traded within narrow ranges on tuesday on the london forex market , which was waiting for the easter holiday weekend and for us employment figures to be announced on friday , traders said in late afternoon .

london forex market stable as market waits for easter us data


a senior us official arrived here wednesday for a week of talks with chinese counterparts aimed at settling a long-running dispute over copyright piracy in china .

us official in beijing for talks on copyright piracy row


the british government on wednesday pledged that if it decides , after general elections to be held within a year , to participate in a european single currency , it would put the question to a referendum .

referendum on monetary union if government decides to join


a court wednesday ordered a full investigation into the abductions of ## people amid widespread official persecution of leftists during argentina 's ####-#### military government .

court orders investigation of ## abductions in argentina


professor ding zilin has devoted six years to contacting families who lost relatives in the #### tiananmen massacre , but she spent chinese remembrance day alone thursday , grieving for her ##-year-old son .

families of tiananmen victims remember their dead alone


torture and maltreatment of prisoners , suspected terrorists and even children is increasingly widespread in many countries , according to the latest un report on torture released thursday .

torture is common practice in many countries : un report


communist members of the russian parliament have drawn up a draft law that would roll back many of the economic reforms president boris yeltsin launched in #### , the new york times said friday .

russian communists propose to roll back reforms UNK


grid positions after the final qualifying session in the indonesian motorcycle grand prix at the sentul circuit , west java , saturday : UNK

indonesian motorcycle grand prix grid positions


mystery fumes swept through a tokyo subway station sunday forcing the hospitalisation of one woman and causing a new scare over the aum supreme truth cult .

woman injured in tokyo subway fumes scare


algerian leaders have pencilled in the first half of next year for key legislative elections which could usher in genuine democracy in the war-wracked nation , a political leader said sunday after talks with president liamine zeroual .


anatoli UNK of kazakhstan shattered a world record of ###.# kilogrammes in the clean and jerk on monday on his way to winning the men 's ##kg class at the asian weightlifting championships .


eric cantona kept up his one-man crusade to land manchester united their third premiership title in four years by steering his side six points clear at the top with a #-# victory over coventry on monday .

red-hot cantona stokes united title hopes


some ### civilians , including lebanese diplomats and other foreigners , were being held hostage tuesday by liberian gunmen as factional fighting in the capital entered a fourth day , aid workers said .

UNK new series ### held hostage amid fourth day of monrovia clashes by james UNK


fading title challengers newcastle may be forgiven for thinking that life at the top is tough -- but they should spare a thought for those scrapping for survival at the foot of the premiership .

everything to play for in premiership UNK by UNK UNK


foreign ministers and officials of ## islamic countries met in the bosnian capital wednesday to discuss the contribution of the islamic world to the reconstruction of this war-shattered country .

islamic countries discuss aid for bosnia


world number two pete sampras recovered from a second-set lapse in concentration to defeat canadian sebastian lareau #-# , #-# , #-# in the salem hong kong open here on wednesday .


the electric car market got a jump start here wednesday as honda and toyota unveiled their vehicles for california , which is expected to be the us proving ground for non-polluting automobiles .

honda toyota unveil electric cars to woo california drivers by karen lowe


friday : munich #### v uerdingen , eintracht frankfurt v hansa rostock , saturday : borussia moenchengladbach v cologne , sankt pauli v werder bremen , stuttgart v bayern munich , freiburg v karlsruhe , kaiserslautern v hamburg , borussia dortmund v schalke ## , sunday : bayer leverkusen v dusseldorf UNK


boat dealers and builders participating in the first-ever international boat show in china are forecasting a boom in leisure - craft sales within the next five years .

boat builders see boom in UNK sales UNK picture by leu siew ying


israeli prime minister shimon peres warned residents of southern lebanon to prepare for imminent retaliatory strikes friday against villages used by hezbollah guerrillas to rocket UNK shemona and other northern israeli towns .

peres visits north says new attacks on hezbollah imminent


opec 's president ammar UNK arrived late friday in qatar on the third stage of a tour of the oil states of the gulf .

opec president arrives in qatar on next stage of gulf tour


third-seeded byron black of zimbabwe ended german alex radulescu 's giant-killing run in the indian open here saturday to book a place in the final against top seed thomas enqvist of sweden .

black to play enqvist in indian open final


lebanese prime minister rafic hariri met sunday with egyptian president hosni mubarak for talks on the conflict in south lebanon , under an israeli air and artillery bombardment for the fourth straight day .

lebanese pm in cairo for talks on crisis


two israelis were hurt in hezbollah rocket attacks on sunday , the most sustained day of cross-border strikes since a showdown erupted with the guerrillas in lebanon , the army said .

two israelis hurt in hezbollah rocket attacks


scoreboard of the sharjah cup one-day international between india and pakistan here on monday : UNK


russian forces in chechnya began a limited withdrawal monday , but warplanes kept bombing villages in the southeast of the caucasus mountain republic despite a unilateral ceasefire promise by moscow .

russians start troop withdrawal but continue bombing in chechnya by nikolai UNK


the southern chinese city of guangzhou has set up a special zone allowing foreign consulates to build permanent offices and residences and avoid prohibitive local rents , the china daily reported tuesday .


lebanese prime minister rafic hariri accused britain on tuesday of supporting the israeli assault on hezbollah guerrillas in lebanon as he announced plans to visit london .

hariri to visit britain which he accuses of backing israel


two heads of opec arrived here tuesday for the first visit by a delegation from the oil cartel since iraq 's #### invasion of kuwait , the official news agency ina said .

opec chiefs visit iraq for first time since #### gulf war


the pilots of an american airlines jetliner that crashed into a colombian mountain in december killing all ### people aboard were tired and confused , according to a preliminary investigation .

human error blamed for fatal american airlines crash


india qualified for the final of the three-nation sharjah cup ahead of arch-rivals pakistan despite crashing to a five-wicket defeat in their last league match against south africa here on wednesday .

india in final despite loss to south africa by UNK lal


secretary of state warren christopher widened consultations on an israeli-lebanese ceasefire wednesday by including egypt and saudi arabia in the effort , an official said .

christopher widens consultations over israel-lebanon crisis


australian foreign minister alexander downer is to lobby singapore and thailand to support a proposed four-party peace meeting between south and north korea , deputy prime minister tim fischer said thursday .

downer to lobby for korean peace bid support


german parliament called on the international olympic committee on thursday to do more for women in sport .


bosnia 's former warring parties have called back almost all their troops and weapons into UNK sites ahead of a midnight deadline , british defense secretary michael portillo said here late thursday .

UNK rivals close to meeting pullback target : portillo


newcastle united and manchester united will very likely play off for the english title if they finish level on points , goal difference and goals scored at the end of the season .


newly issued shares of the UNK restaurant chain planet hollywood took off like a rocket on their first day of trading friday , gaining ## percent moments after the market opened .

planet hollywood shares soar into stratosphere


the german government has protested to jakarta over violence treatment by indonesian security officers of a group of east timorese attempting to enter the embassy , a german diplomat told afp saturday .

german ambassador protests to jakarta over treatment of # etimorese


denmark 's poul-erik hoyer completed his hat-trick of men 's singles badminton titles at the european championships , winning the final here on saturday .


four people were killed and more than ## injured when a passenger train derailed near here sunday morning .


indian police on monday said they have found evidence that a blast , which razed a popular hotel in new delhi killing ## people including eight foreigners , was caused by a powerful bomb .

police say delhi hotel blast caused by bomb : death toll at ## UNK new series by UNK UNK


a chinese couple has lost beijing 's first court case that challenged the imposition of heavy fines for violating the country 's draconian family planning regulations , a report said monday .

chinese couple loses case challenging one child policy


three films from asia-pacific are in the running for the coveted golden palms at this year 's cannes film festival , competing in a field dominated by european productions , organizers announced monday .

three films from asia-pacific in the running at cannes


china and russia are to sign bilateral treaties on police cooperation during russian president boris yeltsin 's visit here this week to help combat transnational crime , xinhua reported tuesday .

china russia to sign police treaties during yeltsin visit


israeli aircraft carried out ## air raids on the region of tyre in south lebanon on tuesday , including seven on areas where un peacekeepers have positions without causing casualties , police said .

israeli warplanes launch ## raids on tyre region


president bill clinton announced reforms of the central intelligence agency aimed at restoring credibility in an espionage agency tarnished by the discovery of a russian mole in its midst .

clinton announces us intelligence reforms


dzhokhar dudayev , the legendary leader of chechnya 's five-year bid for independence , was killed by russian shell fire and has been buried in a secret location , separatists told afp on wednesday .

dudayev legendary leader of chechen separatists killed UNK new series by nikolai UNK


nelson piquet and jacques UNK , former top formula one drivers , will both be driving a mclaren in this year 's le mans ##-hour race , it was revealed on tuesday .


india 's ruling party is headed for a disaster in general elections starting saturday and hindu nationalists are likely to become the largest group in a hung parliament , according to an opinion poll published thursday .

india 's ruling party headed for election disaster : poll


french foreign minister herve de charette arrived thursday in beirut from damascus on a fresh round of shuttle diplomacy and immediately went into talks with lebanese leaders .


foreigners in sweden may finally be given access to the entire country during their stay after the government on thursday proposed to eliminate a ban on their presence in restricted areas .

foreigners may finally get to see all of sweden


hong kong shares closed down #.# percent on friday due to an absence of buyers and fresh incentives , dealers said .


spanish conservative leader jose maria aznar will become prime minister no sooner than the beginning of may and not early next week as his party had hoped , sources within a potential coalition partner said friday .

no premier vote for aznar before early may : UNK


as us officials consider how to sanction china for selling nuclear technology to pakistan , the state department has temporarily extended a freeze on new government-backed loans to us firms for china projects .

us freezes new loans again for china projects UNK new series by sarah UNK


hansa rostock 's akpoborie hit a ##rd minute winner at uefa cup finalists bayern munich , enough to knock the bavarians off top spot in the bundesliga on saturday .


serbian police say a bomb explosion that killed an ethnic albanian child in the tense province of kosovo was an accident , the tanjug news agency said sunday .

serbian police in kosovo say bomb that killed child was accident UNK new series


gold opened lower here on monday at ###.##-### .## us dollars an ounce , against friday 's closing rate of ###.##-### .## .


israeli prime minister shimon peres said monday he was confident the ceasefire in lebanon would hold because it was in the best interests of both countries as well as syria .


a chinese pro-democracy activist , who spent last year in self-imposed exile in france , has been arrested by police in shanghai , a report said tuesday .


the nato-led peace-keeping force in bosnia was braced for further violence tuesday after the most serious clashes between serbs and moslems here since moslem refugees began returning to former homes in serb-held territory .

nato troops braced for further UNK violence


the united states claimed credit tuesday for a ceasefire that ended fighting between israel and lebanese guerrillas , and rejected suggestions that it was forced to model the agreement after a french draft .

us takes the credit for israel-hezbollah ceasefire by carole landry


filipino boxer lito UNK has died after sustaining serious head injuries during a loss to former thai champion chatchai sasakul here , hospital officials said sunday .

boxing : filipino fighter dies after bangkok bout


tenth seed novak djokovic defeated guillermo canas #-# , #-# , #-# here sunday in the final of the #.# million dollar atp miami masters series event .

tennis : serbia 's djokovic UNK miami men 's title


australian share prices fell #.## percent monday after investor sentiment was rattled by speculation the central bank will raise interest rates this week , dealers said .

australian shares down sharply on interest rate fears


global steel giant UNK on monday announced a share buyback program to repurchase up to ### million dollars -lrb- ### million euros -rrb- worth of shares .

arcelor-mittal announces share buyback program


republican presidential candidate mitt romney has stashed ## million dollars in his #### war chest this year , outpacing party front-runner rudolph giuliani in a key early test of the white house race .

white house race awash in dollars UNK UNK UNK


two drunken south african fans hurled racist abuse at the country 's rugby sevens coach after the team were eliminated from the weekend 's hong kong tournament , reports said tuesday .

rugby union : racist taunts mar hong kong sevens : report


qatar 's emir on tuesday appointed foreign minister sheikh hamad bin jassem bin jabr al-thani as prime minister in place of sheikh abdullah bin khalifa al - thani , the state news agency qna reported .

qatar emir UNK new prime minister UNK UNK cabinet details UNK


japan on tuesday said it was taking a `` cautious position '' on a civilian nuclear agreement between india and the united states .


india 's senior pro sachin tendulkar on wednesday broke his silence on the world cup debacle , saying the first round ouster had `` shattered the team 's dream .

cricket : tendulkar shattered by world cup exit


israeli soldiers entered the gaza strip and clashed with militants on wednesday , the first major incursion into the territory since a november ceasefire , palestinian security sources said .

UNK israel troops launch incursion into gaza


russian authorities want a european body to investigate the deaths of ### seals in the caspian sea , environmental officials said wednesday .

russia wants investigation into seal deaths


mark o'meara , the #### masters winner , doomed his chances of capturing this year 's first major championship if tradition holds by winning the masters par-# contest here wednesday .

golf : o'meara hopes to break masters par-# jinx


three more american soldiers have been killed in baghdad , where iraqi and us forces are pressing a massive security crackdown into an eighth week , the military announced on thursday .

three us soldiers killed in baghdad UNK UNK toll


a senior iraqi journalist was killed on thursday when a suicide truck bomb exploded outside a television channel 's headquarters , the leading sunni political party that owns the network said .

top journalist killed in iraq tv bombing UNK UNK throughout


defending national basketball association champions miami , who have battled injuries all season , booked their playoff berth thursday with a thrilling overtime victory over cleveland .

basketball : nba champions heat book return trip to playoffs


brazilian defender roberto carlos , who is leaving real madrid after ## years with the spanish giants , says he was almost `` destroyed '' by trauma in his personal life over the past two years .

football : UNK trauma almost destroyed me : roberto carlos


with naval links dating back to the ##th century , the south-west of england , home to several of the ## naval personnel freed by iran , has weathered many a maritime storm in the past .

britain 's maritime heartland expected to weather iran storm by katherine UNK


brazilian defender pepe is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury , his porto coach jesualdo ferreira said saturday .


russian president vladimir putin returned sunday a long-lost icon of our lady of vladimir to russia 's orthodox patriarch alexy ii ahead of the easter service in moscow , vowing to bring back other relics lost in the soviet times .

putin hands long-lost icon to orthodox patriarch pledges to return more


a high-level us delegation led by former un ambassador bill richardson arrived in north korea on sunday , official north and south korean media said .

us delegation arrives in north korea : report UNK UNK north korea 's media confirms arrival details


the new york yankees placed slugger hideki matsui on the ##-day disabled list on sunday with a strained left hamstring .

baseball : matsui back on disabled with strained hamstring


key events since the overthrow of iraqi leader saddam hussein four years ago : UNK


us oil services giant halliburton said monday it had wrapped up its work commitments in iran and was no longer conducting any projects in the islamic republic .


french presidential frontrunner nicolas sarkozy on tuesday brushed off remarks from far-right rival jean-marie le pen who said sarkozy 's immigrant roots should be a factor for voters who head to the polls in less than two weeks .

france 's sarkozy brushes off far-right jab at immigrant roots


french property group UNK announced tuesday it had agreed to buy dutch rival rodamco europe in a bid to create what they said would be the biggest pan - european commercial real estate operation .

french dutch property groups to forge european leader


world oil prices rebounded on tuesday after plunging a day earlier on profit - taking , as key crude producer iran again tested western nerves , analysts said .

oil prices rally after easter slump UNK UNK with closing prices changes UNK


five candidates contesting east timor 's presidential election filed a formal protest wednesday saying the poll was not fairly conducted , and that counting should be stopped immediately .

etimor candidates file formal protest on poll UNK UNK UNK details


christian conservatives -- kingmakers in the last two us presidential elections -- may have less success in getting their pick elected in #### , political observers say .

christian conservatives power diminished ahead of #### vote by stephanie griffith UNK UNK UNK detail


former gucci creative director tom ford is set to open his first stand-alone store in new york on thursday , three years after leaving the fashion giant credited with turning the group around .


a sri lankan airlines jet headed for london turned around and made an emergency landing at the country 's only international airport thursday following a `` technical problem , '' officials said .


the russian steel group evraz , in which billionaire roman abramovich owns a ##-percent stake , is in negotiations to buy canadian group ipsco , the daily vedomosti said on thursday , quoting sources close to the russian company .

russia 's evraz in talks to buy canadian steel group ipsco : report


global trade growth could slacken this year given a forecast slowdown in the world economy , but chinese exports will continue to gain market share , the world trade organisation said on thursday .

wto sees trade growth slowing in #### by william french UNK UNK further details on china exports


the un security council on thursday strongly condemned the suicide car bombings in algeria and urged all states to help algiers bring the perpetrators and sponsors to justice .


turkish police have arrested two suspects believed to be behind a series bomb attacks last year at a popular southwestern resort that injured ## british tourists , the anatolia news agency reported friday .

turkey arrests two suspects behind resort bombing


who 's saying what at the #### cricket world cup : UNK


ireland captain trent johnston believes his team can improve if they get more exposure against top teams like australia despite suffering a nine-wicket mauling at the hands of the world champions here on friday .

cricket : ireland UNK despite australia mauling by UNK UNK


two lines of burly riot police linked arms to trap protesters on a street in central moscow on saturday .


france 's sebastian bourdais claimed his ##th career champ-car pole position here saturday , leading qualifiers for sunday 's long beach champ-car grand prix .


results here on sunday in the paris marathon : - UNK