Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from April 2002

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from April 2002

Welcome to a solid business site.
April 1, 2002... (From Israel Business Arena) Byline: Michael Neuvirth If I were using a baseball analogy to describe the site we look at today, I would call this a utility player site. If I were using a cricket analogy I would say it is an all rounder...

Survival Kit for the African Girl Child.
April 1, 2002... Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - A man walks into the maternity ward of a health centre in company of his three children, all of them girls, supposedly to visit the wife who is in labour. They wait at the reception until a nurse comes over across...

Kadhafi leads anti-Israel demonstration in Tripoli.
April 1, 2002... Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan leader Col. Moammar Kadhafi Monday headed a huge crowd of people protesting against "the war of extermination" being waged by the Israeli army against Palestinian people and the confinement of Palestine President...

Regional leaders hold summit Wednesday on DR Congo.
April 1, 2002... Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - Signatories to the Lusaka peace agreement on the DR Congo conflict are expected to meet Wednesday in Lusaka to discuss and resolve issues hampering the smooth implementation of the cease-fire agreement on that country....

UN mission examines Liberia's compliance with sanctions.
April 1, 2002... Byline: Peter Kahler, PANA Correspondent Monrovia, Liberia (PANA) - A four-man team from the UN Security Council Monday began discussions with Liberian government officials as part of its week-long mission in the West African nation. ...

Mohamed Bacar elected President of Anjouan.
April 1, 2002... Moroni, Comoros (PANA) - Voters in the autonomous Comoran island of Anjouan on Sunday elected Col. Mohamed Bacar as their President after he won 71.41 percent of the votes. Bacar scored a first round victory after collecting 45,809 votes...

Fresh upsurge of rape cases in Niamey.
April 1, 2002... Niamey, Niger (PANA) - Nearly 78 rape cases of sexual trauma against children and young girls aged between two and 16 were recorded at Niamey's Issaka Gazobi maternity centre between January and February 2002, a local daily reported Saturday....

Burundi projects higher economic growth.
April 1, 2002... Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Burundi's new transitional government plans to raise the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 6% during its three-year mandate so as to attain the level that prevailed before the 1993 socio-political crisis,...

Kadhafi criticises docile Arab armies.
April 1, 2002... Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan leader Col. Moammar Kadhafi, on Monday vehemently criticised Arab armies for turning a blind eye while Palestinian people are being massacred by the Israeli army. "It is shameful and dishonourable if the Arab...

Liberian court releases five rights activists.
April 1, 2002... Monrovia, Liberia (PANA) - A magistrates court in Monrovia Monday released on bail five human rights activists detained by the Liberian police without change since last week. Lawyers for the activists had filed a writ of habeas corpus to...

Newspaper correspondent released in Zimbabwe.
April 1, 2002... Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) - Peta Thornycroft, the correspondent for South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper, who was arrested last week in Zimbabwe on charges of violating the country's new media law, was released Sunday night. Her...

Foreign investment in Ethiopian banking in focus.
April 1, 2002... Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - A joint World Bank and IMF mission arrives Tuesday in Addis Ababa to discuss with top government officials necessary reorganisations expected to be introduced in Ethiopia's financial sector. IMF officials...

Importance of Trace Elements in Human Lives.
April 1, 2002... Byline: Felix 'Machi Njoku, PANA Correspondent Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Trace elements are inorganic chemicals usually occurring in small amounts in nature. Zinc is one of them. But, for the ordinary person, zinc is nothing other than...

Eight OLF fighters killed in Ethiopia's Wollega Zone.
April 1, 2002... Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - At least eight Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) fighters were killed and 20 others taken captive recently while they were engaged in subversive activities in peripheral districts of Ethiopia's western Wollega Zone,...

Landmark Trial Brings Back Memories of Rwanda Genocide.
April 1, 2002... Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The Trial of four key military figures implicated in the 1994 Rwanda genocide opens Tuesday at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania, barely four days to the 8th anniversary of the...

Nigeria calls for end to violence in Middle East.
April 1, 2002... Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria has called for an immediate end to the violence in the Middle East, where Israelis and Palestinians are engaged in a cycle of killings and counter- killings. "The carnage and violence cannot go on endlessly,"...

US businessman leaves legacy of forgiveness in South Africa.
April 1, 2002... Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) - American businessman Peter Biehl, who inspired millions of people around the world by forgiving the apartheid-era youths, who murdered his daughter, died in California on Sunday after a short illness. The...

Obasanjo says NEPAD is all embracing.
April 1, 2002... Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo has said the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) offers an all-embracing solution to Africa's problems, rather than merely tackling economic issues. "NEPAD is...

Indomitable Lions continue World Cup preparations.
April 1, 2002... Douala, Cameroon (PANA) - Cameroon's national football team, the "Indomitable Lions", will on 14 April embark on the final stretch of their preparation to this summer's World Cup in Korea and Japan, which kicks off on 31 May. According to...

Ugandan police pursue 350 students for burning school.
April 1, 2002... Luwero, Uganda (PANA) - Police in Uganda on Monday said they are pursuing some 350 secondary school students, accused of burning down their campus in Uganda's Luwero district. The 350 students of St Henry senior Secondary School in Luwero...

Blatter in Zimbabwe to canvass for FIFA support.
April 1, 2002... Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - FIFA President Sepp Blatter arrived in Zimbabwe at the weekend to canvass for the support of the southern African country for re-election in elections due in May in South Korea. Zimbabwe football officials said...

Eight die in road accidents in Zimbabwe.
April 1, 2002... Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - Police in Zimbabwe said Monday eight people died in separate road accidents Sunday, bringing the Easter Holiday death toll to nearly 30. They said the latest deaths included a police officer, who was mauled down...

Zambia tightens security at foreign embassies.
April 1, 2002... Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - A shadowy and as yet unidentified group has sent anonymous threats to three western embassies in Lusaka over undisclosed grievances, but the government has warned of a robust response to the threats. Threats of the...

Visiting Congolese boxers triumph in Zambia.
April 1, 2002... Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - Two of three professional boxers from the southern Katanga region of the DR Congo defied odds of fighting before a hostile and partisan crowd when they knocked out Zambia's best and most experienced fighters at the...

15kg cyst found in woman's womb in Burundi.
April 1, 2002... Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Generose Nsaguye, from Kabore, in the northern Burundian commune of Kayanza, recently gave birth to a 2.5kg baby who cohabited in her womb with a cyst weighing 15kg, a medical source said. The cyst was diagnosed...

21 persons die from adulterated alcohol in Madagascar.
April 1, 2002... Antananarivo, Madagascar (PANA) - At least persons have died after drinking adulterated alcohol in the populous suburb of Anosivavaka-Ambohimanarina, west of the Malagasy capital Antananarivo. The drink, sold in bulk in a small house, was...

Mauritanian journalists denounce Ramallah siege.
April 1, 2002... Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Mauritanian journalists' associations have denounced the siege of Palestinian president Yasser Arafat's offices by the Israeli army, reliable sources said in Nouakchott. The associations, led by the...

Eyadema condoles with Queen Elizabeth.
April 1, 2002... Lome, Togo (PANA) - Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema has paid tribute to "the exceptional destiny" and "extraordinary longevity" of the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, who died on Saturday in London at 101 years of...

Dailies perpetuate Fools' Day spirit in Kenya.
April 1, 2002... Byline: Tom Osanjo, PANA Correspondent Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Kenyan newspapers on Monday kept alive the spirit of April Fools' Day with funny tales ranging from a Kenyan archbishop allegedly being tipped to be the next Pope to a...

Ugandans demand for prosecution of sitting presidents.
April 1, 2002... Wakiso, Uganda (PANA) - After living under dictatorial and corrupt administrations, Ugandans are seeking a constitutional amendment so that both civil and criminal proceedings could be instituted against an erring serving President. This...

Organic technology changes prospects for Kenyan farmers.
April 1, 2002... Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - A new technology that has been on trial in Kenya for the past three years is poised to radically change the way farmers and environmental managers carry out their business. The introduction of Effective...

Presidential polls held in Anjoun, Moheli.
April 1, 2002... Byline: Mohamed Hassani, PANA Correspondent Moroni, Comoros (PANA) - Presidential elections were held Sunday in the autonomous Comoran islands of Moheli and Anjouan amid question marks over when to organise the second round presidential...

Airline to consult unions before restructuring services.
April 1, 2002... Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) - South African Airways (SAA) has promised to consult the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union and South African Logistics Services Transport and Allied Workers Union before finalising its plans to...

Bamboutos still lead Cameroonian championship.
April 1, 2002... Yaounde, Cameroon (PANA) - Bamboutos still retained their top position in the Cameroonian first division football championship despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Cintra when the 9th round was played over the weekend. Nothing much changed...

Benin's football championship enters 16th round.
April 1, 2002... Cotonou, Benin (PANA) - Following are the results of the 16th round matches in Benin's first division football championship, whose matches were played at the weekend. Group A Mogas 90 - Etoiles 3-0 Postel - Asaco 2-1 Buffles...

The Case Of Spin-Off.
April 1, 2002... Byline: Case Solution by Padmaja Alaganandan, Sanjay Jain, Arjun Sethi Maureen, can you come in for a moment please?'' Aloke Basu spoke into the speakerphone. It wasn't 9 am yet-the scheduled office opening time-but Basu had already been...

P3: AMY BIEHL'S DAD DEAD.
April 1, 2002... Father Basil van Rensburg, of St Gabriel's Catholic Church in Guguletu, where the Biehls worshipped whenever they were in South Africa, said his whole congregation was saddened by Peter Biehl's death. Peter and Linda Biehl spent their time...

168 ARRESTED IN SWEEP ON KATLEHONG.
April 1, 2002... Police arrested 168 people in Katlehong on the East Rand over the weekend, Inspector Mega Ndobe said on Monday. They were wanted for offences ranging from rape and armed robbery to traffic offences and urinating in public. Police also...

CALLING FOR YOUR APRIL 1 HOAX STORIES.
April 1, 2002... NEWS EDS: Please send us your April 1 hoax stories for a possible national wrap by late afternoon. Should you wish to e-mail the stories, please use news@sapa.org.za Sapa News Desk 04/01/02 09-42 C=100

JEWISH DEPUTIES CRITICISE MBEKI ON MIDEAST.
April 1, 2002... The SA Jewish Board of Deputies on Monday criticised President Thabo Mbeki's recent statements on the Middle East conflict as one-sided. The board said that while the president had called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Palestinian leader...

AMY BIEHL'S DAD DEAD.
April 1, 2002... Peter Biehl, the father of Amy Biehl, the American Fulbright Scholar who was murdered in a racist attack in Guguletu, Cape Town, in August 1993, has died, the family announced on Monday. He was 59. Biehl died on Easter Sunday at the Eisenhower...

P2: AMY BIEHL'S DAD DEAD.
April 1, 2002... Inspired by Amy's dedication to help disadvantaged South Africans, Peter and Linda Biehl supported amnesty for Amy's killers at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They drew praise both in South Africa and internationally for their stance,...

AMY BIEHL'S DAD DEAD; FAMILY'S SA PASTOR PASSES AWAY.
April 1, 2002... (SUBS: LEADS to add Father van Rensburg's just-reported death) The deaths of two icons of South Africa's post-apartheid struggle, both intimately linked to the violent death of American student Amy Biehl, were reported on Monday. Peter Biehl,...

SECURITY GUARD KILLED IN FOURWAYS SHOOTOUT.
April 1, 2002... A 26-year-old security guard was shot dead and his two assailants seriously wounded in a gun battle at a nursery in Fourways on Monday morning, Johannesburg police said. Captain Mashadi Selepe said two men approached a security guard at The...

U.A.E.: Sheikh Mohammed hails Palestinian struggle and condemns Israeli invasion.
April 1, 2002... General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Defence Minister, today hailed the struggle, sacrifices and heroism of the Palestinian people and their leadership. In an interview with the Sharjah-based Arabic daily Al...

U.A.E.: Sheikha Fatima Donates Dh2 million to Palestine.
April 1, 2002... H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President's wife and honorary president of the UAE Red Crescent Society, to day donated two million dirhams in support of the Palestinian people, who are undergoing gruelling humanitarian conditions in occupied...

U.A.E.: Red Crescent Holds Conference On Palestine.
April 1, 2002... The Red Crescent Society held a press conference on solidarity with the children of Palestine in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Youth at the premises of the Society. The conference which started yesterday under the patronage...

U.A.E.: Palestinians and other Arabs gather in solidarity with Palestinian people.
April 1, 2002... Large crowds of Palestinians and Arab expatriates yesterday gathered before the Palestinian Embassy here to express their solidarity with Palestinian people against the Israeli onslaught. The crowds hailed the struggle of the Palestinian people...

U.A.E.: ADCCI announces strategic five-year plan.
April 1, 2002... The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced a strategic five-year plan to fulfil its increased responsibilities in the light of rapid development taking place in the economic and business fronts, globally, regionally and...

U.A.E.: Earnings growth in UAE bourse tops region.
April 1, 2002... Earnings growth in the UAE stock market based on reported 2001 earnings has outpaced all the other markets in the Gulf region and is expected to continue doing well into 2002, according to Shuaa Capital. The report puts its stakes on the UAE...

U.A.E.: Cultural foundation to counter Israeli cultural offensive.
April 1, 2002... Mohammed Ahmed Al Suweidi, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, today said that the Foundation would launch a cultural counter offensive against Israel and the Jewish tradition of distorting historical facts. In a press...

U.A.E.: ADFD-Turkmenistan.
April 1, 2002... Saeed Khalfan bin Matar Al Rumaithi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) re-iterated the keen desire of the UAE leadership to strengthen its relations with friendly countries, especially Islamic Countries, praising the...

U.A.E.: RCS aid plane arrives in Kabul.
April 1, 2002... The third plane loaded with tons of supplies arrived yesterday as part of UAE airlift of relief supplies organised by the UAE Red Crescent Society to be distributed on victims of earthquake, which recently hit the north of Afghanistan. The...

PRETORIA MAN DIES AFTER ATTACKING HIS WIFE.
April 1, 2002... A 26-year-old Pretoria man apparently committed suicide on Sunday afternoon shortly after he tried to shoot his wife at her workplace, police said. Inspector Percy Morokane said on Monday that Johannes Combrink visited his wife around 4pm on...

commentary.
April 1, 2002... Syrian President Bashar Assad reacted very differently than Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasser Arafat to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's proposal that the Arab world collectively normalize relations with Israel in exchange for its...

Syria.
April 1, 2002... On March 3, Syrian President Bashar Assad made the first official visit to Lebanon by a Syrian head of state in over half a century (and the first visit of any kind in 27 years), in an apparent bid to undercut growing opposition to Syrian...

Syria Atlarge.
April 1, 2002... Syrian President Bashar Assad's trip to Rome last month, his fourth official visit to a Western country and the first since September 11, was unquestionably an important diplomatic success for Syria, which has increasingly turned to Europe for...

unitedstates Turkey commentary Iraq.
April 1, 2002... Many Turks were uneasy about their nation's involvement in the 1991 Gulf War, and some even advocated neutrality. But there were also those who were not in the least averse to participating in the war, most notably the late President Turgut...

Palestine Israel atlarge MainHeadlines.
April 1, 2002... Jerusalem, (MENO) - An Israeli Hebrew Newspaper cited a senior political source as saying that Arafat will be expelled if isolation does not help. The Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) translated this item of information headline from...

Iran commentary.
April 1, 2002... On December 14, 2001, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of Iran's powerful Expediency Council, mounted the podium at the University of Tehran to deliver the government's official weekly sermon. Rafsanjani took the usual...

mainheadlines Palestine Israel atlarge newswire.
April 1, 2002... Johannesburg, South Africa (MENO) - South African President Thabo Mbeki on Saturday denounced what he termed the "attack on Palestine by Israel", the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported. Mbeki made the denunciation when he...

world atlarge mainheadlines.
April 1, 2002... Organization of the Islamic Conference Foreign ministers from dozens of Muslim countries have begun a conference in Malaysia to forge a common stance against international terrorism and its root causes. Opening the 57-member Organization of...

world mainheadlines.
April 1, 2002... A U.S. official says a detainee captured in last week's raid in Pakistan now appears likely to be a senior lieutenant to Osama bin Laden. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Sunday all signs indicate that U.S. and Pakistani...

world.
April 1, 2002... Serbia's government has issued arrest warrants for four close associates of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, including the republic's president. The government charged the four Sunday with crimes against humanity. Serbian Justice...

commentary Palestine atlarge.
April 1, 2002... An Italian woman, who spoke English with a lovely accent, passionately spoke on Al- Jazeera satellite television station as she was preparing to lead, or to be part of a march of 600 internationals starting in Jerusalem. The large group, mainly...

atlarge Israel Palestine mainheadlines.
April 1, 2002... Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his country is in a war against terrorism, a war that must be fought without compromise. In a brief televised address to the nation, Mr. Sharon said the terrorism is directed by one man, Palestinian...

atlarge Palestine mainheadlines.
April 1, 2002... Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remains trapped inside his West Bank headquarters compound in Ramallah, surrounded by Israeli forces. Mr. Arafat says he feels his life is in danger. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says Israeli...

commentary.
April 1, 2002... Durham, NC (MENO) - Like Muhammad Al-Dura, the Palestinian boy who died in a hail of Israeli bullets protected by his wounded father, Arafat will join the thousands of Palestinians who proceeded him to their graves, victim's of...

atlarge Iraq Kuwait.
April 1, 2002... Beirut, Lebanon - Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri described results achieved in the Arab Summit as successful and fruitful and created a positive atmosphere to strengthen Arab solidarity. Mr. Sabri said, "The good atmosphere in the Summit...

world.
April 1, 2002... An International Monetary Fund team is set to arrive in Argentina Monday to begin a new round of talks on possible fresh loan aid to the cash-strapped nation. IMF spokesman Thomas Dawson told reporters Thursday the mission will go to Buenos...

world mainheadlines.
April 1, 2002... The death toll in the powerful earthquake that rocked Taiwan Sunday has risen to five with more than 200 people injured, mostly in the capital, Taipei. A number of people are still missing. More than 100 aftershocks have been registered since...

atlarge Israel Palestine mainheadlines.
April 1, 2002... Washington - The suicide bombings by Palestinians and the Israeli isolation of Yasser Arafat in his compound have intensified the Middle East conflict, leading to fears it could spread in the region. The gulf is widening between the two sides,...

atlarge Israel Palestine mainheadlines.
April 1, 2002... Washington - The suicide bombings by Palestinians and the Israeli isolation of Yasser Arafat in his compound have intensified the Middle East conflict, leading to fears it could spread in the region. The gulf is widening between the two sides,...

atlarge Israel Palestine mainheadlines.
April 1, 2002... Jerusalem - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday accused Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat of dictating terror attacks against Israel. He made the comments in a brief live television broadcast to the Israeli people. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon...

Iraq.
April 1, 2002... Baghdad - President Saddam Hussein on Saturday chaired a joint meeting of Revolution Command Council (RCC) and Iraq's Command of Arab Ba'th Socialist Party. During the meeting, Vice-Chairman of the RCC Izzet Ibrahim who led the Iraqi delegation...

world.
April 1, 2002... Basilan, Southern Philippines - Since the September 11 attacks, the global war on terrorism has focused attention on a shadowy conflict in a remote part of the southern Philippines. The conflict is between government troops and a rebel group...

atlarge Israel Palestine unitedstates Media.
April 1, 2002... An American reporter has been shot and wounded in the besieged West Bank city of Ramallah. The reporter, Anthony Shadid of the Boston Globe, was standing in a doorway with a Globe freelancer when he was hit in the shoulder by a bullet. Mr....

commentary atlarge.
April 1, 2002... The leering ugliness of the Israelis' Easter blitzkrieg is darkly illustrated by the news that, having marched into Ramallah, the IDF prepared a special Easter television broadcast for this historically Christian city: "Porn movies and programs...

commentary.
April 1, 2002... Sorry to disappoint some of my readers: terrorists haven't got me yet. Yesterday (Saturday) in Tel-Aviv they were close, but no cigar. A minute ago, my parents called from Haifa saying they just survived another attack. "May they move next to...

commentary.
April 1, 2002... Today at 5:00am I was awakened by what sounded like huge trucks, but when I looked out the window I saw several tanks. Half an hour later the Israeli soldiers rang the bell we did not answer then I heard them coming up the steps (they obviously...

newswire Israel Jordan Egypt atlarge.
April 1, 2002... Amman (MENO) - In reaction to Israel's attacks against Palestinian cities and threats to kill Yasser Araft, Jordan and Egypt issued stern warnings to Israel on Sunday, and demanded an immediate pull out of Israeli troops from Ramallah and not...

mainheadlines Syria Lebanon Israel atlarge newswire.
April 1, 2002... Beirut, Lebanon (MENO) - Israel is warning Syria of an all out war if it does not rein in Hizbullah and stops the ongoing activities on the northern border. Israeli sources indicated that Syria is disregarding U.S. and Israeli warnings, and...

newswire Palestine atlarge.
April 1, 2002... Beirut, Lebanon (MENO) - Takao Himori, a Japanese activist for Palestinian rights committed suicide by pouring gasoline over his body and setting himself on fire in a Tokyo park to protest the current Israeli aggressive attacks against...

Israel atlarge.
April 1, 2002... The following is a text of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon televised address Sunday explaining Israel's 3-day-old military offensive. The speech was delivered in Hebrew and translated into English by The Associated Press. Citizens of...