Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from July 2003

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from July 2003

Airline Begins Regional Flight.
July 31, 2003... (From The Nation (Kenya) - AAGM) Byline: Washington Akumu Kenya Airways' subsidiary, Flamingo Airlines, plans to start flying to Uganda and Tanzania. The move, to be executed within the next three months, marks a shift for the...

Uzbek president holds meeting in Bukhara, leaves for south.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Uzbek President Islam Karimov has ended his visit to southwestern Bukhara Region and left for southern Kashkadarya Region, Uzbek radio reported on 31 July. The report said that Karimov...

Visiting EU envoy meets Azeri NGOs, foreign ambassadors.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The special representative of the European Union for the South Caucasus, Heikki Talvitie, is visiting Baku. The goal of the visit is to become acquainted with the situation in Azerbaijan....

Bosniaks ask for changes in Serb entity's laws, insignia.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Banja Luka, 31 July: The Bosniak parliamentary floor group in the House of Peoples of the [Bosnian] Serb Republic will today officially ask the executive and legislative authorities in the Serb...

China, Kyrgyzstan to hold anti-terrorism military exercises.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Bishkek, 31 July: Commandos of the defence ministries of Kyrgyzstan and China will hold joint exercises, including a joint operation of storming a camp of international terrorist in the...

Serbia-Montenegro minister signs military cooperation agreement with Israel.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Tel Aviv, 31 July: The defence ministers of Serbia-Montenegro [SCG] and Israel, Boris Tadic and Saul Mofaz respectively, today in Tel Aviv signed an agreement on military cooperation between...

India reiterates position on Kashmir, cross-border terrorism.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) New Delhi, 31 July: India on Thursday [31 July] said it was ready to discuss nuclear and other confidence building measures with Pakistan as part of a composite dialogue but a conducive...

Iran cancels space deal with Russia.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [No dateline, as received] Iran has cancelled its previous decision on purchasing a Zohreh satellite [intended for establishing digital television and mobile phone systems in Iran] from Russia...

Lithuanian doctors await official request to repatriate French actress in coma.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter] Doctors are awaiting an official request by the family of the severely injured French actress, Marie Trintignant, for her transportation to France. The possibility of...

Iran: MP denies rift in reformist front.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) MP Rasul Montajabnia, owner of the Nasim-e Sabha newspaper and member of the central council of the reformist Militant Clerics' Society has denied reports of divisions between the groups which...

Kenya Gets Sh1.2b for Anti-Malaria Campaign.
July 31, 2003... (From The Nation (Kenya) - AAGM) Byline: Mike Mwaniki Most of the funds will be used to buy insecticide treated nets The Government has received Sh1.2 billion to fight malaria in the next two years. Most of the funds will be...

Charles Onyango-Obbo / What Others Say.
July 31, 2003... (From The Nation (Kenya) - AAGM) Send us your young men, your . . . Every time he opens his mouth, he puts his foot into it. He is Mr. Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's controversial prime minister. The last we heard of him, he was involved...

Tanzania to Use Co-Ops to Set Up Banks for Women.
July 31, 2003... (From The Nation (Kenya) - AAGM) Byline: Nation Correspondent Cooperative societies are to be used to start banks for women in Tanzania. Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, the minister for Community Development, Gender and Children, told...

Launch of Nigerian Satellite Now Sept 28.
July 31, 2003... (From This Day (Nigeria) - AAGM) Byline: Josephine Lohor The Federal Government has fixed September 28 as the new date for the launch of the Nigerian Satellite in Russia. Minister for Science and Technology, Professor Turner...

State Narrowly Wins Land Clashes Motion.
July 31, 2003... (From The Nation (Kenya) - AAGM) Byline: Nation Reporters The Government narrowly pushed through a motion which sought to commit it to immediately resettle land clashes victims in their original lands. The margin of 47 votes to...

Estonia foots the bill for mission in Iraq by juggling defence budget.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) 31 July Estonia will not receive anything from the 200m dollars set aside by the USA for the 9,000-strong multinational stabilization force to be led by Poland on its mission in Iraq. ...

India confirms talks under way with US on civilian nuclear, space cooperation.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) New Delhi, 31 July: Indian government is engaged in a dialogue with the US to develop and expand civilian nuclear and space cooperation, parliament's upper house, Rajya Sabha, was told on...

CORR: Head of Afghan eastern military command advocates disarmament.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Correcting processing indicator, - supplying the title of an interviewee] Text of an interview with Hazrat Ali, the head Army Corps No 1 in Nangarhar, entitled "Hazrat Ali: Disarmament...

Ukraine reports average grain yield.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Kiev, 31 July: An average grain yield in Ukraine stands at 13.9 q/ha. Cereals and leguminous crops are being harvested in 24 Ukrainian regions and in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the...

Former Rwandan President Bizimungu's appeal setback.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Kigali, 30 July: After coming up for hearing, the Court of Appeal has thrown out an appeal filed by former President Pasteur Bizimungu and his co-accused, former public works minister, Charles...

Indian Naga rebel faction reportedly agrees to consider district autonomy.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) July Guwahati, July 30: The shadow of Naga insurgents on Arunachal Pradesh politics became more visible on Wednesday [30 July] with breakaway faction of legislators conceding to the...

Macedonian community criticizes Serbian Church position in dispute with Skopje.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Belgrade, 31 July: The Macedonian community in Serbia-Montenegro (SCG) voiced Thursday [31 July] its disappointment over the position publicly demonstrated by the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC)...

Chinese soldiers report sighting mysterious lake monster.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (New China News Agency) Changchun, 31 July: A group of soldiers claims to have spotted China's "Loch Ness Monster", the second sighting of the mysterious animal in Tianchi Lake in northeast...

Controversial Russian-Ukrainian aircraft grounded for major airshow.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) web site Zhukovskiy, Moscow Region, 31 July: The Russian-Ukrainian An-70 transport plane will not fly at the MAKS-2003 international aerospace show in Zhukovskiy on 19-23 August. "The...

Fewer Russians complaining about the police in 2003.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 31 July: The Russian Interior Ministry has received over 21,500 messages from individuals this year, 14 per cent more than in the same period last year, the ministry's sources told...

(Corrected) Detained former Rwandan President Bizimungu's appeal setback.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (Correcting the catchline BURUNDI-LEADER-APPEAL to RWANDA-APPEAL and changing headline to make it clearer. A corrected version of the item follows:) Kigali, 30 July: After coming up for...

Tear gas used to quell riot by Palestinian prisoners.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Palestinian security prisoners rioted at Israel's Shiqma Prison on 31 July in protest against cell searches, Israel radio reported the same day. The radio said a special Prison Authority...

Bulgarian army chief: Recruiting troops for overseas missions wastes resources.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Sofia, 31 July: The recruitment of troops for overseas missions consumed additional resources and wastes time, according to the Chief of General Staff of the Bulgarian Army Gen Nikola Kolev. ...

Security at Czech Ruzyne airport sufficient - minister.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Announcer] According to today's press, the Americans are concerned about security at the Prague Ruzyne airport as it is one of the airports worldwide from which terrorists could take off with...

Russia starts mass production of control system for air missile defence.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) web site Penza, 31 July: The Radiozavod plant based in Penza has mastered the mass production of Polyana-D4M1 automated control systems of a new generation which are intended for supporting...

Croatian deputy premier sees no problem with foreign help with forest fires.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Announcer] In response to yesterday's statement by Drazen Budisa, HSLS [Croatian Social Liberal Party] chairman, calling for NATO's help with extinguishing forest fires in our country, Deputy...

Newly set-up Kyrgyz council vows to protect democracy.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) A new institution, Public Council for Democratic Security, has been set up in Kyrgyzstan to study the continuity and transparency of the process of democratization of Kyrgyz society, the...

Two grenades hit humanitarian NGO compound in northeast Burundi; no casualties.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Muyinga, 31 July: Unidentified criminals yesterday night [30 July] exploded two grenades deep in the compound housing the Care International [humanitarian] NGO situated in the main town of...

Stanley Cup goes missing on route to Slovakia.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Announcer] Slovak ice hockey fans in Kosice [eastern Slovakia] should have been admiring the Stanley Cup for about two hours now. However, reality is different. The Stanley Cup went missing on...

Moldovan speaker praises president's relations with parliament.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Chisinau, 31 July: The Dniester problem, which has remained unsolved for 11 years and has been a permanent source of instability in the region, continues to be a factor which is hindering...

Ukrainian president renames border defence committee.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has issued a decree reorganizing the State Committee for the Defence of Ukrainian State Borders into the State Border Service Administration of Ukraine,...

Russia's nuclear shield in good hands, Putin says.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter] A meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with scientists of the Federal Nuclear Centre has just finished in Sarov. They exchanged opinions on the problems of the industry and...

Speaker: Serbian Church exceeded authority in dispute with Macedonia.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Belgrade, 31 July: Parliament Speaker of Serbia-Montenegro (SCG) Dragoljub Micunovic said Thursday [31 July] after the meeting with Macedonian Ambassador to Belgrade Viktor Dimovski that SCG and...

Serbian premier addresses Salzburg summit, discusses EU relations.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Salzburg, 31 July: At a summit of Southeast European prime ministers in Salzburg, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zikovic said on Thursday [31 July] that Serbia-Montenegro's [SCG] developed...

Palestinian adviser says Israel "lacked seriousness" in Dahlan-Mufaz meeting.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) July Nabil Abu-Rudaynah, adviser to President Arafat, has said that the meeting between Muhammad Dahlan, minister of state for security affairs, and the Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mufaz...

Cypriot National Council discusses measures for Turkish Cypriots.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Nicosia, 31 July: The National Council (advisory body to the president on the Cyprus problem) examined here Thursday [31 July] the government's measures to support Turkish Cypriots, their...

Parcel bomb deactivated in Spain's Basque Country.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter] As Spanish national radio reported earlier, this afternoon autonomous Basque police force explosives experts deactivated a bomb in the town of Azkoitia in Guipuzcoa Province. Over to...

Russian air traffic controllers to start industrial action on 13 August.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 31 July: The executive committee of the Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Trade Unions of Russia met in Moscow on Thursday [31 July]. The federation decided to go on an indefinite...

Taiwan, Japan deny fishing deal reached for disputed islands.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Government officials from both Taiwan and Japan yesterday denied that any bilateral agreement for exploiting fishing resources around the controversial Tiaoyutai, or Senkaku Islands [in...

Chief says Arab League "doors are open" to Iraqi Governing Council, others.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of recorded telephone interview with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Musa in New York by Adil Abd-al-Tawab in Cairo, broadcast by Egyptian radio on 31 July [Abd-al-Tawab] Dear...

Rebel group denies role in 21 July attacks in northern Burundi province.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Bujumbura, 30 July, 2003: Reacting to remarks, recently made by the governor of Kayanza Province [northern Burundi], who accused the Ndayikengurukiye-led FDD [Forces for the Defence of...

CORR Australian PM warns against "hysterical over-reaction" on terrorism.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Changing name from "Downer" to "Howard" in square brackets, paragraph four] Australia's prime minister, John Howard, has called for a sense of proportion in response to terrorist threats....

Somali interim president on why he withdrew from peace talks in Kenya.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of statement issued on 29 July 2003 by the Transitional National Government, TNG, of Somalia on the ongoing Somali peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya, and read by President Abdiqasim Salad...

Syrian foreign minister meets UN official; UN role, Iraq discussed.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Damascus, 31 Jul: Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shar'a received Ghassan Salamah, special adviser of the representative of the UN secretary-general in Iraq, this afternoon. Talks during the...

Bulgaria: Agriculture Fund deputy chief expects no grain crisis.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Sofia, 31 July: The bread price may reach 0.80-0.84 leva in the autumn and the beginning of winter, Lilo Dzhambazov, Deputy Executive Director of the Agriculture State Fund, said before bTV on...

Bulgarian minister, former Iraqi envoy discuss Iraqi oil transit.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) "The ambassador had an exceptionally interesting idea - to turn Bulgaria into a transit centre for the export of Iraqi oil," Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said after meeting Muhammad Amin Ahmad,...

Russian delegation to visit Turkmenistan for talks on dual citizenship issue.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) July Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksey Fedotov held a meeting with Turkmenistan's ambassador to Russia Halnazar Agahanow on 29 July. The two sides discussed the issues of dual...

Over 250,000 hectares of forests burn down in Russia in July.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 31 July: More than 250,000 hectares of forests burnt down in Russia in July. All in all, 2m hectares of forests have been destroyed by fires in the country over the past seven months,...

Armenia needs to restore healthy political climate, deputy speaker says.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Both the Armenian authorities and the opposition must find opportunities to cooperate to tackle the country's problems, Tigran Torosyan, a deputy chairman of the Armenian parliament, has said....

Armenian minister, Russian border chief discuss strategic cooperation.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Yerevan, 31 July: The Armenian defence minister and secretary of the Security Council under the president, Serzh Sarkisyan, and the newly-appointed chief of the border troops department of the...

Afghan general seeks Turkey's political support.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Sivirgan, 31 July: Afghan Uzbek Commander Gen Rashid Dostum said on Thursday [31 July] that they wanted political support of Turkey. Responding questions of the AA [Anatolia] correspondent,...

Death toll rises to three in Chinese fireworks factory explosion.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (New China News Agency) Fuzhou, 31 July: Three people, including a four-year-old girl, were killed in an explosion at a fireworks factory in east China's Fujian Province at 8:05 a.m....

Ukrainian first deputy energy minister appointed.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Kiev, 31 July: Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has appointed Yuriy Boyko as first deputy minister of fuel and energy and head of the Naftohaz Ukrayiny [national oil and gas] company. The...

Indonesia: Bulukumba incident more serious than first thought.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Detikcom web site on 30 July Detikcom: The number of victims from the shooting incident involving farmers from Bontomangiring and Bontobiraeng villages, Bulukumpa, Bulukumba District,...

Azeri media body urges papers to observe norms of ethics.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter in studio] The administration of the Press Council has held a meeting with the leaders of political parties that control media outlets and representatives of the incumbent authorities...

Slovenia formalizes voluntary military service.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Announcer] At today's session, the government adopted also an ordinance on voluntary military service. With this, it formalized a possibility set out by the Defence Act that also after the...

Moscow prosecutor to appeal against sacking.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 31 July: Yuriy Sinelshchikov, removed from his duties as first deputy prosecutor of Moscow, intends to protest in court against this decision by a panel of the Office of the Prosecutor...

Kyrgyzstan expects GDP growth of 5.8 - 6 per cent in 2003.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Bishkek 31 July: Kyrgyzstan's GDP may grow by 5.8-6 per cent to 82.3bn soms [over 1.88bn dollars] in 2003, Finance Minister Bolot Abildayev announced at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday [31 July]....

Russian capital's mayor "calm" about city's chief prosecutor's sacking.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 31 July: Moscow Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov said he is calm about the fact that Moscow Prosecutor Mikhail Avdyukov has been moved to the position of adviser to the prosecutor-general. ...

Ethiopia: No demarcation unless "controversial ruling" changed, officials.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) July Addis Ababa, 31 July: Senior Tigrayan officials have said they will not allow demarcation of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea to go ahead unless changes are made to the...

Nearly 90 rebels released under amnesty in Chechnya.
July 31, 2003... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Groznyy, 31 July: Chechnya's Prosecutor Vladimir Kravchenko has predicted a possible extension of the amnesty campaign announced for members of illegal armed groups. Kravchenko told...

Thai factories in Myanmar shut in advance of US sanctions.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Thai companies are shutting their Myanmar-based production plants to escape the impact of sanctions on Myanmar by the United States, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) indicated....

Western Digital takes over Read Rite.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Western Digital has acquired Read Rite Corp, but has not yet agreed to buy the Thai plant. After Read Rite Corp declared bankruptcy on 17 June, Western Digital has now made an...

Bang Chak to reduce par.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Bang Chak Petroleum plans to reduce the par price of its stock before making a capital increase offer. The Bang Chak Petroleum board has proposed reducing the par price of the...

PPPC to pay dividends of four baht a share.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Phoenix Pulp and Paper (PPPC) will pay dividends after its profits rose 164 per cent in the first half of this year. PPPC reported net profits of 389 million baht for the second...

Siam Cement's half-year profits rose 53 per cent.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Siam Cement's operational profits rose 53 per cent in the first half of this year to 8.64 billion baht. Siam Cement and its subsidiaries made combined income of 72.54 billion baht...

Piyavej Hospital in gastric bypass venture with US partner.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Piyavej Hospital has joined in an obesity clinic investment aimed mainly at overseas clients. As part of the government's policy of promoting Thailand as a regional centre for health...

Exports set to drive economic growth to 10% in 2005, says MOC.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Commerce Minister Adisai Bodharamik painted one of the government's most upbeat assessments of economic growth to date, expressing confidence that a continuous growth in exports would...

THAI sees no need to cut ticket prices.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Thai Airways International would not cut air ticket prices for local flights as a marketing strategy to boost its performance, THAI's president Kanok Abhiradee reiterated yesterday. ...

Iran set to act as gateway for Thai rice in Middle East.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Commerce Ministry officials were sent scrambling to work out the details of a potentially extremely lucractive trade deal yesterday after Iran expressed agreement with a proposal to act...

Ban on alcoholic beverage advertising to include energy drinks.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - The Cabinet decided to ban TV and radio advertising of not only alcoholic beverages but also energy drinks from 5:00 - 22:00, a report in Krungthep Turakij said. The Cabinet approved...

Starbucks introduces wireless Internet.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - MIH has decided to test out providing high-speed wireless Internet services at five Starbucks branches in Bangkok. MIH, the major shareholder of KSC Commercial Internet, has made an...

TA Orange proposes sharing debtor information.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - TA Orange plans to set up a credit bureau for mobile phone companies. To address the problem of unpaid bills, TA Orange has proposed creating a credit bureau through which all...

Unithai Line increases tender offer price.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Unithai Line increased its tender offer from 11.40 baht a share to 11.88 baht a share. Chavalit Chao, the major shareholder of Unithai Line, has increased the price of his tender...

STECON's profits rose 43 per cent.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction (STECON) reported net profits of 147 million baht for the second quarter. STECON's income from the construction business rose 38 per cent in...

RATCH's profits lower than expected.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding (RATCH) and its subsidiaries reported net profits of 973 million baht for the second quarter. RATCH reported net profits of 973 million baht...

GRE to build an assembly plant in Thailand.
July 31, 2003... (From fnWeb.com) fnWEB - Bangkok - July 31, 2003 - Grow Rich Enterprise plans to invest in a plant to assemble Leona brand electrical appliances in Thailand. The chairman of Grow Rich Enterprise said that over the past four years...

British report: Overthrow of Saddam fails to lessen security threats.
July 31, 2003... (From Al Bawaba) The overthrow of Saddam Hussein has not lessened the security threat to Britain from weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism, British MPs warned Thursday. The House of Commons Foreign Affairs...

Iraqi politician: Bush wants to withdraw forces from Iraq prior to upcoming US presidential election.
July 31, 2003... (From Al Bawaba) The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq described the statements released by Iraq's civil administrator, Paul Bremer - in which he expected the general elections to be held in Iraq by mid 2004 - an...