Gulf Daily News (Manama, Bahrain) back issues from May 2008:
Sakhalin Energy postpones LNG exports to Asia.
May 01, 2008 ... MOSCOW: Sakhalin Energy, one of the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, will delay first exports to Asia by six months to spring 2009 due to problems with pipelines, the governor of Sakhalin said. The comment confirms a report that the project leader, Russia's ...
Investment banks shun mass jobs cut.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: Investment banks, despite huge losses on bad home loans, are at pains to avoid the mass job cuts many made and then regretted in the last market downturn. Instead, the likes of Morgan Stanley and UBS AG , which have flagged lay-offs since the subprime mortgage crisis ...
Play to raise funds for workers.
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: REBECCA TORR ORGANISERS of a charity musical are hoping to raise awareness and funds for distressed Filipino workers when it is staged in Bahrain next week. More than 500 people are expected to attend the Tagalog play - Nosibasila? (Who Are They?), at The Palace hotel's ...
'Protect rights of the disabled'.
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: SARA SAMI EMPLOYMENT, transportation and relationship problems facing the disabled will be the focus of a one-day seminar being organised by the Friendship Society for the Blind. Social and Employment Rights of Disabled People, will be held on January 5 to mark the ...
Bad weather hits India tour opener.
May 01, 2008 ... MELBOURNE: Rain again hampered India's preparations for the Boxing Day Test with only 10 overs possible on the second day of the weather-marred three-day cricket match against Victoria at the Junction Oval here yesterday. Showers prevented play after lunch, when India had moved ...
England spineless say British Press.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: After a dismal performance at the crease on Thursday in Galle, Sri Lanka, where they were bowled out for just 81 in the final match in the three-Test series, England's cricketers will not want to eye the British newspapers. Described as "pathetic" and "spineless", ...
James stars in Cavaliers win.
May 01, 2008 ... NEW YORK: LeBron James scored 33 points and shut down Kobe Bryant in the closing minute as his Cleveland Cavaliers registered a 94-90 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. James scored four consecutive points to give the Cavaliers the lead at 92-90 with 1:44 ...
Jail term for tennis match-fixers.
May 01, 2008 ... MELBOURNE: Australian Open organisers have introduced anti-corruption measures including fines, bans and jail terms for any players found to be involved in match-fixing at next year's opening grand slam. While there has been no proof of any wrongdoing, the sport has been rife ...
Mourning may retire due to injury.
May 01, 2008 ... MIAMI: The Miami Heat's veteran centre Alonzo Mourning may have played his last National Basketball Association (NBA) game. Mourning, who suffered a torn knee tendon in Miami's loss to Atlanta on Wednesday night, is scheduled for surgery, the Miami Herald reported on its website ...
Youth forum draws 400.
May 01, 2008 ... MORE than 400 people from the GCC are attending the 14th Gulf Mar Thoma Youth Conference, which concludes at the Indian School, Isa Town today. Kerala Transport Minister Mathew T Thomas and the Most Reverend Dr Philippose Mar Chrisostem Mar Thoma Valia Metropolitan are among the ...
As I See It.
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: LES HORTON We were late putting up our Christmas tree, thanks to the arrival of our newborn Jasmine and all the chaos that a baby brings. But we finally found time and, with enthusiastic but disruptive help from our toddler Noor, the tree now stands tall in our lounge, ...
Last Haj ritual sparks alert.
May 01, 2008 ... MINA: Saudi police went on high alert yesterday as millions of Muslims rushed to complete one of the last rituals of the annual Haj pilgrimage, testing to the limits the new crowd control arrangements. Most of the two million pilgrims want to perform their third stoning of walls ...
Nasser-Riffa set for volleyball clash.
May 01, 2008 ... DEFENDING champions Al Nasser face newcomers East Riffa today on the opening day of play in the Bahrain First Division Volleyball League, to be played at the Juffair Youth Centre. The match will get underway at 6pm, as the nine-time victors will be favourites to make the winning ...
Al Qaeda jailbreak is foiled.
May 01, 2008 ... BRUSSELS: Belgian police yesterday boosted security in Brussels over fears of a possible Christmas attack after the arrest of 14 suspected Islamists, the interior ministry said. The suspects were detained yesterday in a police raid following the discovery of plans to free an Al Qaeda ...
Children paying price of violence.
May 01, 2008 ... BAGHDAD: The lives of millions of Iraqi children are still blighted by violence, poor nutrition and disrupted education more than four years after the US-led invasion. The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said in a report that few teenagers took their final exams last summer, safe ...
Learning to cope with lifelong scars.
May 01, 2008 ... BAGHDAD: For generations to come, Iraqis will have to cope with the physical and mental scars of tens of thousands of people severely injured in the violence of the past four years. They include thousands of amputees, many of them children. The date, time and place ...
Thaksin vows to return after poll.
May 01, 2008 ... BANGKOK: Exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra injected himself yesterday into the last night of campaigning for general elections, as one of his political allies announced that he would return to Thailand in February. About 20,000 cheering supporters, some wearing Thaksin masks, ...
Teji Bachchan dies.
May 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI: TEJI BACHCHAN Mother of Bollywood actor AMITABH, died in a Mumbai hospital yesterday after prolonged illness. She was 93. Wife of Hindi literary great HARIVANSH RAI BACHCHAN, Teji was in the Lilavati Hospital for almost the whole of this year and was shifted to the ICU last month ...
Airport checks 'do not boost safety'.
May 01, 2008 ... WASHINGTON: Airport security lines can annoy passengers, but there is no evidence that they make flying any safer, US researchers reported yesterday. A team at the Harvard School of Public Health could not find any studies showing whether the time-consuming process of X-raying ...
India closer to missile shield.
May 01, 2008 ... NEW DELHI: India announced yesterday a final successful test of the surface-to-air Akash missile before starting mass production under an ambitious plan to build a national missile defence shield. The missile blasted off from the Chandipur-on-Sea testing site, 200km northeast of ...
Australia to probe terror case gaffe.
May 01, 2008 ... SYDNEY: The Australian government ordered an inquiry yesterday into the bungled case against an Indian doctor detained over failed bomb attacks in Britain after a court cleared the way for him to return to Australia. Immigration Minister Chris Evans said Mohamed Haneef was free ...
Merrill may win $5bn investment.
May 01, 2008 ... NEW YORK: Merrill Lynch shares rose yesterday on a report that the biggest US brokerage is seeking a $5 billion investment from Singapore's state-owned investment agency Temasek Holdings. The investment bank is said to be in advanced talks with Temasek about a capital infusion to help ...
What's on in Bahrain.
May 01, 2008 ... The Right to Space: Bahraini Women Art Exhibition, 7pm, Al Riwaq Gallery, Adliya. Entry free. Contact 17717441. Manama: Impressions art exhibition, 8am-8pm, Bahrain National Museum, Manama. Tickets 500 fils. Contact 17298777. Warlukurlangu Australian Aboriginal art ...
Toyota opens Russian plant.
May 01, 2008 ... ST PETERSBURG: Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday forecast his home town of St Petersburg would become one of the world's biggest car industry clusters as he opened Toyota Motor's first Russian plant. "By 2015 St Petersburg alone will produce one million cars per year ...
ECB pulls out $203bn to drain excess liquidity.
May 01, 2008 ... FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank (ECB) yesterday said it had withdrawn another 141.56 billion euros ($203bn) from euro zone money markets in a six-day operation, marking three straight days of vigorous action to drain excessive liquidity. Overall, the amounts withdrawn over ...
Alitalia board backs Air France-KLM for rescue.
May 01, 2008 ... ROME: Alitalia's board of directors yesterday said it had advised the Italian government to pursue an offer by Air France-KLM to rescue the near-bankrupt airline with a long-term investment of 6.5 billion euros ($9.3bn). In the widely expected decision, the board said it ...
Northern Rock talks planned.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: Ailing British bank Northern Rock bowed to shareholders' demands yesterday and agreed to hold an emergency meeting on its sale process on January 15. RAB and SRM Global Fund, Northern Rock's two biggest investors with a combined stake of over 16 per cent, have requested ...
Philips plans $5bn US acquisition.
May 01, 2008 ... AMSTERDAM: Philips plans to buy US home medical equipment maker Respironics Inc for $5.1 billion, its largest deal to date in an aggressive expansion in the fast-growing healthcare sector. Philips has been on a shopping spree in recent weeks, agreeing to buy U.S. lighting maker ...
UFO debate invades politicians' space...
May 01, 2008 ... A debate over flying saucers kept Japanese politicians occupied for much of last week, ensnaring top officials and drawing a promise from the defence minister to send out the army if Godzilla goes on a rampage. "There are debates over what makes UFOs fly, but it would be ...
'Mount Santa' in Kyrgyzstan.
May 01, 2008 ... Father Christmas will join a pantheon of Marxist and Russian celebrities in Kyrgyzstan, as authorities in Bishkek prepare to name one of their snowy peaks 'Mount Santa Claus.' The effort started as three climbers set off to scale the designated peak, which Kyrgyz authorities are ...
Australian Premier vows troops pullout.
May 01, 2008 ... BAGHDAD: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, on a surprise visit to Baghdad, yesterday assured Iraq of a long-term partnership but stressed his combat troops deployed there would head home by June next year. Rudd, on his second visit to Baghdad, was elected on a promise that ...
True love or just a summer fling?
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: Her confidante weeps in the witness box, her stepmother quivers with emotion, "Dearest Papa" and "Darling Dodi" letters are flashed up on screen. Did she truly love him or was it just a summer fling? At the inquest into the deaths of Princess DIANA and DODI AL ...
Churchill's granddaughter Arabella Spencer mourned.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: ARABELLA SPENCER CHURCHILL, the unconventional granddaughter of Britain's wartime prime minister and a founder of the Glastonbury rock festival, has died at age 58. Spencer-Churchill, who had pancreatic cancer, died at home in Glastonbury, southwestern England, said her ...
Brown 'staring at an electoral meltdown'.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's woes piled up yesterday as a new poll showed him facing a 'meltdown' at the next election and the opposition accused him of breaking a pledge to deport foreign criminals. As Brown prepared to take a rare holiday over Christmas, a ...
Chaos as festive getaway begins.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: More than 18 million Britons hit the roads yesterday and jams are predicted during the afternoon as the Christmas getaway began. Millions more will take to trains or planes, but all could be hit by roadworks, strikes and cancellations. The early exodus has ...
Airbus signs 30 jets deal with Vietnam.
May 01, 2008 ... HANOI: Airbus yesterday signed deals for 30 passenger jets with Vietnam Airlines and an aircraft leasing company, the latest orders in a major shopping spree by the state-run Asian carrier. The European aircraft maker signed contracts, agreed in principle and announced on ...
US economy boost as consumer spending up.
May 01, 2008 ... WASHINGTON: US consumer spending rose at the fastest rate in more than two years last month and prices also climbed sharply, according a government report yesterday that showed the economy on firmer ground than many had believed. Adding to a picture of some resilience in the ...
Nejad rapped over economic policy.
May 01, 2008 ... TEHRAN: A former Iranian president criticised hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic policy yesterday, saying it was a serious issue that may harm the clerical establishment. The remarks by Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani were among the harshest public criticism of ...
Emirates to back chief executive.
May 01, 2008 ... COLOMBO: Dubai-based airline Emirates yesterday said it was standing by the chief executive it had appointed to run Sri Lanka's national carrier, just days after the island revoked his work permit. "Peter Hill will remain chief executive of SriLankan until the contract expires ...
Toshiba deal to spark TV industry shake-up.
May 01, 2008 ... TOKYO: Japanese electronics conglomerate Toshiba said it will buy large liquid crystal displays from Sharp as part of an alliance likely to help spark a realignment of the flat panel TV industry. Under the pact, Toshiba will procure liquid crystal display (LCD) panels from a 380 ...
AC Milan to clash with Arsenal.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: European champions AC Milan will face Premiership leaders Arsenal in the first knockout round of the Champions League following the draw made at the Uefa headquarters in Nyon yesterday. It will be the first meeting of the clubs since AC Milan beat Arsenal 2-0 on aggregate in the ...
Galatasaray to take on Leverkusen.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: Former Uefa Cup winners Galatasaray and Bayer Leverkusen will meet in the first knockout round of the Uefa Cup with a possible clash with Hamburg SV awaiting the winners. Leverkusen, who lifted the trophy 20 seasons ago, start as favourites to advance after winning their ...
Airports staff to strike over pensions row.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: Staff at seven British airports including London's busy Heathrow have voted to strike next month over a pensions row, union bosses said yesterday, in a move threatening severe passenger disruption. The staff will stage 24-hour stoppages on January 7 and 14 and will ...
Seven 'medical myths' exposed.
May 01, 2008 ... LONDON: Reading in dim light won't damage your eyes, you don't need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and shaving your legs won't make the hair grow back faster. These well-worn theories are among seven "medical myths" exposed in a paper published yesterday in the ...
'Welcome' packs in lots of masala.
May 01, 2008 ... MUMBAI: Finding a suitable groom for your sister can be tricky if you happen to be a gangster. That's ANEES BAZMEE's new film Welcome in a nutshell. It is a romantic comedy about three gangsters and how they "test the man" before giving the girl's hand in marriage. ...
Ali best Bahraini player of the week.
May 01, 2008 ... NUWAIDRAT'S Hussain Ali was named the best Bahraini player of the eighth week of action in the Bahrain Basketball League, it was announced yesterday. Ali played a key role in his team's 93-68 rout over Isa Town on Monday night. He scored 20 points on eight-of-11 shooting from ...
Nine states join EU free travel zone.
May 01, 2008 ... BERLIN: European leaders yesterday hailed the expansion of the Schengen passport-free travel zone to nine mostly ex-East Bloc nations as a landmark moment for the continent's integration. "This is an historic moment for which we have been waiting for a long time," German ...
Come clean on nuclear plan Iran told.
May 01, 2008 ... VIENNA: Iran should come clean on a 2003 weapons programme alleged in a recent US intelligence report so progress can be made in the nuclear standoff, a US envoy said yesterday. "We're looking for an acknowledgement that they had a nuclear weapons programme. And we're looking ...
Clinton calls wife a genius.
May 01, 2008 ... WOLFEBORO, New Hampshire: Former US president Bill Clinton said his wife is a "world-class genius" when it comes to improving the lives of others. "The reason she ought to be president, over and above her vision and her plans is that she has proven in every position she has ...
'Islamic Manchurian candidate'.
May 01, 2008 ... WASHINGTON: Illinois senator Barack Obama was battling a whispering campaign alleging that despite being a practising Christian, he has an Islamic agenda. "I like the fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama, and that his father was a Muslim and that his paternal grandmother ...
Fed auctions $20bn funds to ease crisis.
May 01, 2008 ... WASHINGTON: The Federal Reserve, working to combat the effects of a severe credit crunch, announced it had auctioned another $20 billion in funds to commercial banks at an interest rate of 4.67 per cent. Fed officials pledged to continue with the auctions "for as long as ...
Chrysler 'exceeding financial targets'.
May 01, 2008 ... AUBURN HILLS, Michigan: Chrysler denied a published report it is in a serious financial crunch, and said it is exceeding financial targets. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Chrysler is in financial trouble just four months after Cerberus Capital Management acquired an ...
Janus buys $109m worth of securities.
May 01, 2008 ... BOSTON: Money manager Janus Capital Group said it has bought about $109 million worth of securities from three group money market and cash funds, joining a growing list of firms bailing out funds hurt by the credit crisis. Janus said in a filing with the US Securities and ...
AXA purchases $1.2bn Russia insurer's stake.
May 01, 2008 ... PARIS/MOSCOW: Europe's second-biggest insurer, AXA, has made a major entry into the booming Russian economy with a deal to buy a 36.7 per cent stake in insurer RESO-Garantia for about 810 million euro ($$1.16 billion). The French insurer said the transaction was expected to be ...
THE BIGGER PICTURE.
May 01, 2008 ... Byline: Arthur Macdonald Given the current state of the global economic downturn it was perhaps not surprising that a lot of hot air was not expended at Davos on the issue of climate change and global warming. What almost amuses me when the good and the great - or not ...
$8bn oil fund in Iran says central bank.
May 01, 2008 ... TEHRAN: Iran has $8 billion in its Oil Stabilisation Fund (OSF), which forms part of the country's foreign reserves, the central bank's website quoted Governor Tahmasb Mazaheri as saying. Mazaheri said that on October 31 Iran had $9.56bn in the fund, but it was not immediately ...
Enel focuses on operations development abroad.
May 01, 2008 ... MILAN: Italy's power utility giant Enel has ended its expansion drive by acquisition and begun focusing on developing its operations in Romania and other countries where it has a presence, according to its chief executive. "The phase of the big expansion via acquisitions has ...
Dutch online pharmacy wins German court battle.
May 01, 2008 ... KARLSRUHE, Germany: Dutch discount pharmacy DocMorris won a court battle in its long-running bid to sell prescription medication by mail-order in Germany. The federal court of justice in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe overturned a lower court's ruling that restricted such ...
Lucent to pay $1m fine.
May 01, 2008 ... WASHINGTON: Telecommunications giant Lucent Technologies agreed to pay $1 million for violating a law against bribery by taking Chinese officials on sightseeing trips to Disneyland and elsewhere to win government contracts, the Justice Department said. The company also agreed to ...
NYSE Euronext posts record trade volume.
May 01, 2008 ... PARIS: The transatlantic market operator NYSE Euronext said its cash and derivatives markets achieved record trading volumes this year, with fastest growth at its London-based Liffe derivatives exchange. The company said preliminary figures also showed that NYSE Euronext was the ...
New Zealand firm buys Alcoa units for $2.7bn.
May 01, 2008 ... NEW YORK: US aluminum giant Alcoa has agreed to sell its packaging and consumer operations to New Zealand's Rank Group Limited for $2.7 billion in cash. "The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter next year," Alcoa said in a statement. ...
Italy business morale down.
May 01, 2008 ... ROME: Italian business confidence fell this month to its lowest for two years due to a marked decline in output expectations, casting a shadow over near-term growth prospects. Italian consumer morale also fell to its lowest level since August, ISAE reported, pointing to a glum ...
New futures exchange planned.
May 01, 2008 ... NEW YORK: A dozen financial institutions, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch and Chicago hedge fund firm Citadel Investment Group have joined together to launch a new futures exchange, a company spokesman said. The group also includes Credit Suisse, Barclay's ...
Minister urges quick sale of IKB.
May 01, 2008 ... BERLIN: German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck urged a quick sale of German subprime casualty IKB, saying the lender would be sold off in a regular auction. "It will be a normal auction process, with no preferential candidates," Steinbrueck told yesterday's Rheinische Post. ...
Repsol sells YPF stake.
May 01, 2008 ... MADRID: Repsol, Spain's biggest oil firm, announced the sale of 14.9 per cent of its Argentine affiliate YPF to Argentine businessman Enrique Eskenazi for $2.235 billion. Eskenazi has the option of ...