Xinhua News Agency back issues from Tuesday, February 24:
Three U.S. soldiers, interpreter killed Iraq
Feb 24, 2009 ... Three U.S. soldiers, interpreter killed Iraq BAGHDAD, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Three U.S. soldiers and aninterpreter were killed during a combat operation on Monday, theU.S. military said on Tuesday. The fighting took place in the volatile province of Diyala,northeast of ...
Major news items in leading Israeli newspapers
Feb 24, 2009 ... Major news items in leading Israeli newspapers JERUSALEM, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The following are major news itemsin leading Israeli newspapers on Tuesday. Ha'aretz: -- Likud chair Benjamin Netanyahu still hopes to form a unitygovernment with Kadima, and is planning to ...
Major news items in leading Turkish newspapers
Feb 24, 2009 ... Major news items in leading Turkish newspapers ANKARA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The following are major news items inleading Turkish newspapers on Tuesday. ZAMAN (Time): -- Turkish government decided to support the small and mediumscale enterprises (SMEs) of exports that ...
Hamas confirms to join unity talks in Cairo
Feb 24, 2009 ... Hamas confirms to join unity talks in Cairo GAZA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced Tuesday it will join the Egypt-brokered Palestinianunity and reconciliation talks scheduled to start on Thursday inCairo. A Hamas delegation is traveling ...
Major news items in leading Egyptian newspapers
Feb 24, 2009 ... Major news items in leading Egyptian newspapers CAIRO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The following are major news items inleading Egyptian newspapers on Tuesday. Al Ahram: -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Monday sent a cable ofcondolences to French President Nicolas Sarkozy ...
12 Iraqi Shiite policemen captured for sectarian violence
Feb 24, 2009 ... 12 Iraqi Shiite policemen captured for sectarian violence BAGHDAD, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi authorities have captured12 Shiite policemen murdering Sunnis during sectarian strife in2006, including the murder of a sister of Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, an Interior Ministry ...
Jordan's stock market index closes lower
Feb 24, 2009 ... Jordan's stock market index closes lower AMMAN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The shares price index of Jordan'sAmman stock market closed at 2,656 points on Tuesday, down 32 ...
Hundreds of Palestinians cross into Egypt on last border opening day
Feb 24, 2009 ... Hundreds of Palestinians cross into Egypt on last border openingday Hundreds of Palestinians cross into Egypt on last border openingday GAZA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Palestinians were able tocross in and out of the Gaza Strip two days after Egypt opened Rafahcrossing ...
Palestinian lawmaker: still early to get expectations from unity talks
Feb 24, 2009 ... Palestinian lawmaker: still early to get expectations from unitytalks Palestinian lawmaker: still early to get expectations fromunity talks RAMALLAH, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian lawmaker on Tuesdaysaid it is still too early to raise expectations from the inter-Palestinian ...
Hamas denies progress in Shalit's talks
Feb 24, 2009 ... Hamas denies progress in Shalit's talks GAZA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The armed wing of the IslamicResistance Movement (Hamas) on Tuesday denied reports which saidindirect contacts with Israel to exchange prisoners have seen aprogress. The denial made after Israeli newspaper ...
Syrian FM on rare visit to Riyadh
Feb 24, 2009 ... Syrian FM on rare visit to Riyadh RIYADH, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualemarrived in Riyadh on Tuesday on a rare visit to the Gulf Arabcountry, the state SPA news agency said. Mualem conveyed a message from Syrian President Bashar al-Assadto Saudi ...
UAE signs defense contracts worth 3.38 bln USD
Feb 24, 2009 ... UAE signs defense contracts worth 3.38 bln USD ABU DHABI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE)struck defense contracts worth 12.4 billion dirhams (about 3.38billion U.S. dollars) on Tuesday, the third day of the InternationalDefense Exhibition (IDEX), the WAM news ...
Urgent: Iraqi policemen kill 4 U.S. soldiers, interpreter
Feb 24, 2009 ... Urgent: Iraqi policemen kill 4 U.S. soldiers, interpreter MOSUL, Iraq, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two Iraqi policemen shot ...
Turkey vows to improve relations with Armenia
Feb 24, 2009 ... Turkey vows to improve relations with Armenia ANKARA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish State Minister and ChiefNegotiator for EU Talks Egemen Bagis said Tuesday that thegovernment wants to improve relations with all neighbors includingArmenia. Bagis made the remarks at his ...
1st LD: Iraqi policemen kill 4 U.S. soldiers, Iraqi interpreter
Feb 24, 2009 ... 1st LD: Iraqi policemen kill 4 U.S. soldiers, Iraqi interpreter MOSUL, Iraq, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two Iraqi policemen shot deadfour U.S. soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter in the northern cityof Mosul on Tuesday, a local police source said. "For reasons that are not yet ...
Turkey to achieve 100 bln USD in exports in 2009: minister
Feb 24, 2009 ... Turkey to achieve 100 bln USD in exports in 2009: minister ANKARA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmensaid on Tuesday that Turkey will try to achieve 100 billion U.S.dollars in exports in 2009 and the country has an attack strategy toreach this target, the ...
U.S. provides Jordan with grants of 100 million USD
Feb 24, 2009 ... U.S. provides Jordan with grants of 100 million USD AMMAN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Tuesday signedfour agreements with Jordan to provide the kingdom with grants of100 million U.S. dollars, according to the Ministry of Planning andInternational Cooperation ....
Tel Aviv stock exchange index closes lower
Feb 24, 2009 ... Tel Aviv stock exchange index closes lower JERUSALEM, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Tel Aviv Stock Exchangegeneral share index closed at ...
Lebanon accuses 30 fundamentalists of links to al-Qaida
Feb 24, 2009 ... Lebanon accuses 30 fundamentalists of links to al-Qaida BEIRUT, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Lebanese judiciary source said 30Lebanese, Palestinian and Saudi Sunni fundamentalists were accusedof being connected to al-Qaida network and planning to establish anIslamic state in north ...
Comprehensive inter-Palestinian dialogue due on Feb. 26: official
Feb 24, 2009 ... Comprehensive inter-Palestinian dialogue due on Feb. 26: official CAIRO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A fresh round of comprehensive inter-Palestinian dialogue, which involves all the Palestinian factions,organizations and other powers, will be held here on Thursday, thestate MENA news ...
Abbas security forces free Hamas prisoners in West Bank
Feb 24, 2009 ... Abbas security forces free Hamas prisoners in West Bank RAMALLAH, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbassecurity forces freed on Tuesday evening a number of Islamic Hamasmovement's members from its jails in the West Bank, security sourcessaid. The sources ...
Solana meets senior Syrian officials on economic cooperation
Feb 24, 2009 ... Solana meets senior Syrian officials on economic cooperation DAMASCUS, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Visiting European Union's (EU)foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Tuesday met with senior Syrianofficials and discussed economic cooperation between the two sidesand the latest ...
Egypt urges responsible talks between Fatah, Hamas: spokesman
Feb 24, 2009 ... Egypt urges responsible talks between Fatah, Hamas: spokesman CAIRO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Egypt urged rival Palestinian factionsFatah and Hamas to be serious and responsible in the Cairo-hostedcomprehensive inter-Palestinian dialogue slated for Thursday, theBBC Arabic satellite TV ...
Syria, Qatar urge for Palestinian reconciliation
Feb 24, 2009 ... Syria, Qatar urge for Palestinian reconciliation DAMASCUS, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assadand visiting Qatari Emir Hamad Ben Khalifa al-Thani stressed onTuesday the importance to intensify all efforts in order to realizethe Palestinian national reconciliation, ...
Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Feb. 24
Feb 24, 2009 ... Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Feb. 24 GAZA -- The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced Tuesdayit will join the Egypt-brokered Palestinian unity and reconciliationtalks scheduled to start on Thursday in Cairo. A Hamas delegation is traveling to the ...
Fatah, Hamas delegations arrive in Cairo for reconciliation talks
Feb 24, 2009 ... Fatah, Hamas delegations arrive in Cairo for reconciliation talks CAIRO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Fatah delegation led by seniornegotiator Ahmed Qurei arrived in Cairo on Tuesday night, shortlyafter their Hamas' counterpart's arrival, the state MENA news agencyreported. The ...
Dollar at mid-96 yen level in Tokyo
Feb 24, 2009 ... Dollar at mid-96 yen level in Tokyo TOKYO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar went up to the mid- 96yen level early Wednesday in Tokyo. The dollar bought 96.52-57 yen 9 a.m., compared with 96.59-69 yenin New York and ...
Air New Zealand to complain about French air crash report
Feb 24, 2009 ... Air New Zealand to complain about French air crash report Air NewZealand to complain about French air crash report WELLINGTON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Air New Zealand on Wednesdaycriticized French aviation investigators for releasing an interimreport into last year's A320 crash into ...
Nikkei opens 2.21 pct higher
Feb 24, 2009 ... Nikkei opens 2.21 pct higher TOKYO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened higher Wednesdaywith the key Nikkei index up 2.21 percent. At 9:15 a.m., the benchmark ...
Major news items in leading Japanese newspapers
Feb 24, 2009 ... Major news items in leading Japanese newspapers TOKYO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The following are major news items inleading Japanese newspapers on Wednesday: The Daily Yomiuri -- Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. President Barack Obama wereto hold their first talks ...
Japan's trade deficit expands to record high in January
Feb 24, 2009 ... Japan's trade deficit expands to record high in January TOKYO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan's trade balance was in the redfor the fourth straight month in January, registering a record tradedeficit of 952.6 billion yen (9.97 billion U.S. dollars) in January,the finance ministry said ...
Nikkei up 1.59 pct in morning trading
Feb 24, 2009 ... Nikkei up 1.59 pct in morning trading TOKYO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks rebounded Wednesdaymorning with the key index up 1.59 percent ....
Australia appoints new ambassador to UN
Feb 24, 2009 ... Australia appoints new ambassador to UN CANBERRA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister KevinRudd appointed Gary Quinlan as Australia's permanent representativeto the United Nations on Wednesday. "The government has made active engagement with the ...
Fuel prices drop further in Myanmar
Feb 24, 2009 ... Fuel prices drop further in Myanmar YANGON, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Fuel prices have dropped further inMyanmar since last week with diesel trading at a market price of83,000 Kyats (83 U.S. dollars) per barrel or 1,700 Kyats (1.7 U.S.dollars) per gallon, according to market survey ...
Foot-and-mouth disease hits 10 provinces of Vietnam
Feb 24, 2009 ... Foot-and-mouth disease hits 10 provinces of Vietnam HANOI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Foot-and-mouth disease hit anotherMekong Delta Can Tho province of Vietnam, raising the number ofinfected provinces to ten, according to Department of Animal Healthunder Ministry of Agriculture and ...
Vietnamese PM approves interest-free loans to companies unable to pay their employees' wages
Feb 24, 2009 ... Vietnamese PM approves interest-free loans to companies unable topay their employees' wages HANOI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen TanDung has approved a plan to provide interest-free loans to localbusinesses that are facing cash crunch to pay wages to ...
Australia names new security chief
Feb 24, 2009 ... Australia names new security chief CANBERRA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The head of Australia's overseasspy agency David Irvine will become the new head of the AustralianSecurity Intelligence Organization (ASIO), Attorney-General RobertMcClelland announced on Wednesday. "I am ...
Vietnam sees trade surplus in first two months this year
Feb 24, 2009 ... Vietnam sees trade surplus in first two months this year HANOI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam had a trade surplus of 290million U.S. dollars in the first two months of this year, theVietnam News reported Wednesday. In January, the country's trade surplus was nearly 400 ...
Dollar up above 97 yen line in Tokyo
Feb 24, 2009 ... Dollar up above 97 yen line in Tokyo TOKYO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar jumped above the 97yen line Wednesday morning in Tokyo. The dollar bought 97.02-07 yen at midday, against 96.59-69 yen inNew York and ...
Australia's clothing company to move manufacturing base to south Asia
Feb 24, 2009 ... Australia's clothing company to move manufacturing base to southAsia CANBERRA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Australia's clothing manufacturerPacific Brands announced on Wednesday that seven manufacturing sitesacross Australia will be closed due to the shift of workforce tosouth Asia ....
Urgent: Shooting heard near paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles headquarter in capital Dhaka
Feb 24, 2009 ... Urgent: Shooting heard near paramilitary Bangladesh Riflesheadquarter in capital Dhaka Urgent: Shooting heard nearparamilitary Bangladesh Rifles headquarter in capital Dhaka DHAKA, Feb. 25 ...
Suspected bullets sent to NHK's regional offices
Feb 24, 2009 ... Suspected bullets sent to NHK's regional offices TOKYO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Bullet-like objects were discovered attwo local bureaus of Japan Broadcasting Corp., known as NHK, onTuesday, the TV broadcaster said. The incidents, happened at NHK's Nagano and Sapporo ...
S. Korea's central bank lends 4 bln USD to local banks
Feb 24, 2009 ... S. Korea's central bank lends 4 bln USD to local banks SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of Korea (BOK) said Tuesdaythat it has supplied loans worth 4 billion U.S. dollars to localbanks, which have been suffering from a foreign currency crunch amidthe global financial crisis ....
Nepali ex-king to visit India
Feb 24, 2009 ... Nepali ex-king to visit India KATHMANDU, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Nepali ex-king Gyanendra Shah andhis wife Komal will travel to New Delhi, India on Wednesday,Kantipur daily reported. This is the former royal couple's first foreign visit after theyleft the ...
1st LD: Writethru: Tokyo stocks fall 1.46 pct at closing
Feb 24, 2009 ... 1st LD: Writethru: Tokyo stocks fall 1.46 pct at closing TOKYO,Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks fell sharply Tuesday after New Yorkstocks closed Monday at its lowest level in more than 11 years. The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 107.60 points,or 1.46 percent, ...
S.Korea to invest into Iraqi infrastructure in exchange for rights of oil development
Feb 24, 2009 ... S.Korea to invest into Iraqi infrastructure in exchange forrights of oil development S.Korea to invest into Iraqiinfrastructure in exchange for rights of oil development SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korean and Iraqi governmentreached an agreement on Tuesday over South Korea's ...
3rd Ld Writethru: Taliban announces indefinite ceasefire in NW Pakistan
Feb 24, 2009 ... 3rd Ld Writethru: Taliban announces indefinite ceasefire in NWPakistan ISLAMABAD, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban Tuesday announcedindefinite ceasefire in northwestern Pakistan's restive Swat valley,private TV channel Geo reported. The Geo quoted sources as saying that the ...
Cambodia's Sihanouk donates personal archives to France
Feb 24, 2009 ... Cambodia's Sihanouk donates personal archives to France PHNOM PENH, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian former king NorodomSihanouk has donated his private records to the French government' sNational Archives in Paris, where they have been catalogued sincetheir arrival from Beijing two ...
Laos to streamline import regulations
Feb 24, 2009 ... Laos to streamline import regulations HANOI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerceis improving import licensing procedures and regulations in a bid toimprove business cooperation with other countries, the Lao newspaperVientiane Times reported Tuesday ....
Some 40 terrorist detainees released after rehab in Singapore
Feb 24, 2009 ... Some 40 terrorist detainees released after rehab in Singapore SINGAPORE, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry for HomeAffairs said that about 40, or two-thirds of terrorist detaineesarrested since 2001, have been released after rehabilitation, localmedia reported on Tuesday ....
India asks Sri Lanka to allow evacuation of civilians from war zone
Feb 24, 2009 ... India asks Sri Lanka to allow evacuation of civilians from warzone NEW DELHI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- India asked neighboring war-tornSri Lanka on Tuesday to allow evacuation of thousands of civiliansfrom the war zone where the government forces and Liberation Tigersof Tamil Eelam ...
S. Korean gov't considers issuing coupons to low-income households
Feb 24, 2009 ... S. Korean gov't considers issuing coupons to low-incomehouseholds SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean government iscontemplating on adopting the coupon program in a bid to support thenation's low-income households which are hard struck by the economicrecession, South ...
New Zealand military commitment to Afghanistan extended
Feb 24, 2009 ... New Zealand military commitment to Afghanistan extended WELLINGTON, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's military commitmentto Afghanistan has been extended to the end of September 2010, PrimeMinister John Key announced on Tuesday. "The situation in Afghanistan requires an ...
News items from Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua (Part 1)
Feb 24, 2009 ... News items from Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua (Part 1) HONG KONG, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The following are news items fromthe Asia-Pacific Desk of Xinhua in Hong Kong Tuesday: Major news items in leading New Zealand newspapers S.Korean FM to visit Beijing Major ...
India sees drop in arrivals of foreign tourists
Feb 24, 2009 ... India sees drop in arrivals of foreign tourists NEW DELHI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The number of tourists visitingIndia since last October has been falling due to economic slowdown,reported the semi-official Press trust of India news agency onTuesday. The news agency quoted a ...
1,300 Thai firms go bankrupt in January
Feb 24, 2009 ... 1,300 Thai firms go bankrupt in January BANGKOK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Some 1,307 Thai companies wentbankrupt in January, 53.7 percent higher than that of the sameperiod of 2008, due to the global economic crisis, Thailand'sDepartment of Business Development said Tuesday, quoted by ...
Indonesia probes plane accident in Batam island
Feb 24, 2009 ... Indonesia probes plane accident in Batam island JAKARTA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian authorities begin toinvestigate a case when a passenger plane landed without loweringits front landing gear Monday evening, the country's transportministry said here Tuesday. The Lion ...
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1000 GMT, Feb. 24
Feb 24, 2009 ... Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1000 GMT, Feb. 24 NEW DELHI -- India has agreed to respond to Pakistan over 30questions seeking new evidence of the Mumbai terror attacks lastNovember, said the country's External Affairs Minister PranabMukherjee, according to a report by Times ...
Dollar rises to mid-95 yen range
Feb 24, 2009 ... Dollar rises to mid-95 yen range TOKYO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar rose to a near three-month high in mid-95 yen range on Tuesday in Tokyo. At 5 p.m., the dollar climbed to 95.35-37 yen compared withMonday's 5 p.m. quotes of 94.55-65 yen in New York and 93.35-38 ...
Foreign exchange rates in Singapore
Feb 24, 2009 ... Foreign exchange rates in Singapore SINGAPORE, Feb.24 (Xinhua) -- The following are inter-bank ratesof foreign currencies against the Singapore dollar on Tuesday. TuesdayMonday bid/askbid/ask Australian dollar0.987/0.9884...
Singapore shares end 1 pct lower
Feb 24, 2009 ... Singapore shares end 1 pct lower SINGAPORE, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The shares prices in Singaporefell 16.25 points or 1.0 percent on Tuesday with the benchmarkStraits Times Index (STI) closed at 1,614.44 points. The overall volume stood at ...
Germany to send additional 600 troops to Afghanistan
Feb 24, 2009 ... Germany to send additional 600 troops to Afghanistan KABUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Germany is going to send additional600 troops to Afghanistan to help stabilize security ahead ofpresidential elections set for August 20 this year, the commander ofGerman troops in northern Afghanistan ...
Kuwaiti oil firm plans to add 300 mln USD investment in Indonesia
Feb 24, 2009 ... Kuwaiti oil firm plans to add 300 mln USD investment in Indonesia JAKARTA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Kuwaiti oil and gas companyKUPPEC, a subsidiary of Kuwaiti Petroleum Corporation, would investanother 200 to 300 million U.S. dollars in Indonesia within 2 to 3years, a KUPPEC top ...
Xinhua Asia-Pacific stocks news at 1100 GMT, Feb. 24
Feb 24, 2009 ... Xinhua Asia-Pacific stocks news at 1100 GMT, Feb. 24 MANILA -- Stocks closed 1.13 percent down on Tuesday in thePhilippines. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index dropped 21.45points or 1.13 percent to 1,869.59 as the All Shares index slid 7.49 points or 0.61 ...
Japan's 99 pct land prices fall amid slump
Feb 24, 2009 ... Japan's 99 pct land prices fall amid slump TOKYO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ninety-nine percent of the land priceshad fallen in Japan amid the global economic slump, a governmentsurvey found out Tuesday. The survey conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,Transport and ...