BBC Monitoring International Reports articles from December 2006

BBC Monitoring International Reports archives from December 2006

Turkmen people celebrate Id al-Adha, New Year.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Turkmen TV Altyn Asyr channel on 31 December [Presenter] Today is the first day of Id al-Adha celebrated in our independent and neutral Turkmenistan for three days. ...

Yemeni leader receives letter from Ethiopian premier on ties.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Yemeni news agency Saba website Aden, 30 December: President Ali Abdallah Salih received on Friday [29 December] evening a letter from Ethiopian Prime Minister...

DRCongo: Opposition leader appointed premier.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Radio France Internationale on 31 December DRCongo: In accordance with the electoral agreements concluded with President Joseph Kabila, the opposition leader Antoine...

Yemeni president, Lebanese premier discuss ties, situation in Lebanon.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Yemeni news agency Saba website Aden, 30 December: President Ali Abdallah Salih received a phone call on Friday [29 December] evening from Lebanese Prime...

(Corr)Yemeni president, Lebanese premier discuss ties, situation in Lebanon over phone.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (Correction, correcting headlines for clarity, a corrected version of the item follows) Text of report in English by Yemeni news agency Saba website Aden, 30 December: President Ali...

Kenyan police raid politician's house in hunt for Rwandan fugitive.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Ernest Ndunda and Philip Mwakio entitled "Politician accused of hosting Kabuga" published by Kenyan newspaper The Standard website on 31 December A Narc [National Rainbow...

(Corr)Yemeni president, Lebanese premier discuss ties over phone.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (Correction, correcting headlines for clarity, a corrected version of the item follows) Text of report in English by Yemeni news agency Saba website Aden, 30 December: President Ali...

(Corr)Yemeni president, Lebanese premier discuss ties Lebanon over phone.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (Correction, correcting headlines for clarity, a corrected version of the item follows) Text of report in English by Yemeni news agency Saba website Aden, 30 December: President Ali...

Iran's head of Expediency Council thanks public for high turnout in elections.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website Tehran, 31 December: Iran's former president and Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani on Sunday [31 December]...

Iran's Rafsanjani blasts anti-Iran UNSC resolution.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website Tehran, 31 December: Iran's former president and expediency council chairman Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani on Sunday [31 December]...

Somalia: Civilians flee southern town for fear of government,Ethiopian attack.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Somali independent Shabeelle Media Network website on 31 December Residents have started fleeing from Jilib District in Jubbada Dhexe Region, where forces of the Islamic...

Iran's Rafsanjani welcomes Saddam's execution.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website Tehran, 31 December: Iran's former president and Expediency Council chairman Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani on Sunday [31 December]...

Xinhua "commentary": Husayn's execution unlikely to end chaotic Iraq situation.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 30 December: As Muslims worldwide are preparing to welcome the joyful religious holiday of...

Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, other leaders attend Beijing Opera 30 Dec.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 30 December: Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders of the country on Saturday...

Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan hails Sino-US military ties.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: China and the United States have expanded the areas for bilateral military...

Russia: Ingush leader says "stability" key achievement in 2006.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The leader of Russia's Ingushetia has said that stability and good neighbourliness are the republic's main achievements in 2006. In a New Year address posted on the opposition...

Kazakh leader congratulates nation on Id al-Adha.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Moscow/Almaty, 31 December: The main Muslim holiday - the day of sacrifices, which is also known as Kurban Ayt and Id al-Adha, is being...

China's steel industry undergoes key changes in 2006.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency); subheadings as carried Shijiazhuang, 31 December: The year 2006 has witnessed major changes in...

Zhejiang anti-bribery leading group reports on graft cases handling.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by reporter Yue Deliang, carried by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Hangzhou, 30 December: The Zhejiang Provincial Leading Group for Checking...

Chinese parliament hears reports on examining enforcement of relevant laws.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of unattributed article: "25th Standing Committee Meeting of 10th National People's Congress holds third plenary session to hear reports on examining enforcement of relevant laws; Wu...

Chinese police seize nine tons of drugs, arrest 12,000 dealers in Yunnan.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Kunming, 30 December: Police in southwest China's border province of Yunnan seized 9.6 tons of drugs...

Japan hit by series of earthquakes; no damage, casualty recorded.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 31 December: Earthquakes registering preliminary magnitudes of 4.7 to 5.1 rocked the Izu island chain south of Tokyo, Chiba and...

North Korea send greetings to Sudanese president.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by North Korean news agency KCNA Pyongyang, 31 December: Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK [Democratic People's...

N Korean radio decries US "aerial espionage".
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by North Korean radio on 30 December According to military sources, the US imperialist forces of aggression viciously carried our aerial espionage against our Republic this...

Man executed for killing Beijing policeman in Shanxi.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Taiyuan, 31 December: A man has been executed for beating a Beijing policeman to death last year in...

Belarusian deputy premier in Moscow for gas talks.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Minsk, 31 December: Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Uladzimir Syamashka arrived in Moscow today for talks on Russian gas supplies in...

Vietnam, Laos Take Measures To Curb Drug-related Crimes Along Common Borderline.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Vietnamese news agency VNA website Son La: The northern mountainous province of Son La and its Lao neighbour province of Hua Phan have agreed to take measures...

Jatiya Party in Bangladesh withdraws from polls - TV.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Bangladeshi ATN TV on 31 December Jatiya Party President HM Ershad says his party will not participate in the elections set for 22 January, as he says, wrongs have...

Minister accused of killing civilians in southern Somalia.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Somali Radio HornAfrik on 31 December [Presenter] It is reported that 13 people were killed yesterday in an area between Diinsoor and Saakow with an official of the...

Acting Turkmen president attends Id al-Adha commemoration of late leader.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Today, the acting Turkmen president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow, and senior government officials visited the family mausoleum of the late Turkmen president, Saparmyrat Nyyazow, on the occasion...

Russian liberal party tries again to register for local elections.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Russian Ekho Moskvy radio on 31 December [Presenter] The Union of Right Forces [SPS] is trying once again to submit documents to take part in the elections to the Moscow...

Turkish opposition leaders express sorrow, confusion at Saddam execution.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) On 30 December, the semi-official and independent-in-content Ankara Anatolia news agency carries the reactions of the opposition political parties in Turkey to the execution of Saddam Husayn in...

China to enact 59 new laws, regulations 1 Jan 2007.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: China will see in the New Year with up to 59 new laws and regulations that...

Pakistan editorial rejects Saddam execution as "vengeful", "unbecoming".
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of editorial: "Greatest folly after the invasion", published by Pakistani newspaper The News website on 31 December The way Saddam Husayn's vengeful execution took place yesterday, in...

"Pilgrims unhappy" at Saddam execution on Id - Saudi paper.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Siraj Wahab in Mina headlined: "Pilgrims unhappy at Saddam execution on Id", published in English by Saudi newspaper Arab News website on 31 December They either...

German politicians condemn Saddam execution.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by German news agency ddp on 30 December The execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Husayn has met with general disproval in Germany. Gernot Erler (SPD) [Social Democratic...

Germany's Merkel to meet Bush in Washington on 4 January.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by German news agency ddp Berlin: Shortly after New Year's Day, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) [Christian Democratic Union] will travel to the United States for political...

Nepal Maoist says they won't allow police, village secretaries in villages.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Nepalese newspaper Annapurna Post on 31 December Nuwakot [district in central Nepal], 30 December: Central member of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Post...

Nepal businessmen demand compensation to riot victims.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Nepalese daily newspaper Rajdhani on 31 December Nepalgunj [mid-west Nepal], 29 December: Businessmen have shut down the town of Nepalgunj demanding compensation for...

Burma-India gas pipeline may be shelved.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Indian news agency PTI New Delhi,StartDateStartDate 31 December: The proposed 85bn rupees Myanmar-India gas pipeline is on the verge of being shelved as Yangon is likely...

Nepal press selection list 31 Dec 06.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) THE KATHMANDU POST 1. In his reaction to the execution of Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein early Saturday morning, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala called for an end to death...

Iran condoles Indonesia on ship sinking off Java coast.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website Tehran, 31 December: Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hoseyni on Sunday [31 December] expressed his condolences to the...

Taleban release video showing activities, attacks on Afghan forces.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Dubai-based Pakistani television GEO TV on 31 December Geo TV has received a videocassette which shows scenes of fighting between the Taleban and government forces in...

Spanish daily slams government "stupidity" in dealings with ETA.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from unsigned commentary: "A terrorist band and a stupid government", published by Spanish newspaper ABC website on 31 December Undoubtedly there will be decent people who were...

BBC Monitoring quotes for Middle East Arabic press for 31 Dec 06.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and commentaries published in the 31 December 2006 editions of Arabic language newspapers in the Middle East and North Africa, as available...

China Telecom says Internet services to return to normal 15 Jan 2007.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: China Telecom said here Sunday that its internet services, which were...

FM Li Zhaoxing: China's multilateral diplomacy consolidated in major summits.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said here Sunday that China's...

Beijing military expert views "three safeguards" in China's defence white paper.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao website on 30 December Xu Guangyu, a military expert in Beijing, has pointed out that the white paper "China's National Defence in 2006"...

Xinhua interview with UN Undersecretary-General Chen Jian on UN work in 2006.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of "exclusive interview" by Xinhua reporter Liu Libin, "UN undersecretary-general reviews UN work in 2006", carried by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) ...

Rafsanjani: No ambiguity in Iran's peaceful nuclear program.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website Tehran, 31 December: Iran's former president and Expediency Council chairman Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani said on Sunday [31...

North Korea sends greetings to Fidel Castro.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by North Korean news agency KCNA Pyongyang, 31 December: Kim Jong-il, general secretary of the Korean Workers' Party [KWP] and chairman of the DPRK [Democratic...

North Korea sends greetings to chief of Palestinian National Authority.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by North Korean news agency KCNA Pyongyang, 31 December: Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, Sunday sent a message of...

Mixed reaction to Saddam's execution on streets of Afghan capital.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Afghan independent Tolo TV on 30 December [Presenter] Saddam Husayn, the former Iraqi president, was hanged at dawn today [30 December]. Saddam's trial lasted for a year in...

Saddam still not buried - Al-Sharqiyah.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) "Saddam's body is not in Tikrit: The chief of the Al-Bunasir tribe is yet to return with the body," Al-Sharqiyah television reported at 0640 gmt on 31 December in a "breaking report" screen...

FM Li Zhaoxing: More countries see China's development as "peaceful", "open".
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: China has firmly persisted in its peaceful development road, and its opening...

FM Li Zhaoxing highlights China's exchanges with major world powers in 2006.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said here Sunday that China had promoted...

Global warming causes China to experience warmest year since 1951.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: China experienced its warmest year in 2006 since 1951 with temperatures on...

Chinese banks to reduce service charge for cash withdrawals by migrant workers.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: Chinese banks that issue debit cards will begin to reduce the rate of...

Philippines defends abrupt transfer of convicted marine to US custody.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Philippine newspaper The Philippine Star website on 31 December The government defended yesterday the abrupt transfer of convicted rapist Lance Corporal Daniel...

Iran's envoy to UN says imposing sanctions not solution to nuclear problem.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Iranian TV news channel on 31 December Iran's envoy to the UN [Mohammad Javad Zarif] stressed that imposing sanctions and putting pressure on Iran can not be the solution...

Tribe member confirms Saddam buried in hometown - Al-Jazeera.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) "A source close to the family of late Iraqi President Saddam Husayn has reported that Saddam was buried early today in his hometown of Al-Awjah in Tikrit even though his family had asked to bury...

VNA welcomes US president's proclamation extending full US-Vietnam trade ties.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Vietnamese news agency VNA website Washington: US President George W. Bush on 29 December signed a proclamation formally extending full US-Vietnam trade ties and...

Chechen website slams Bush for Saddam's execution on Id al-Adha.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) A Chechen rebel website has said that the execution of the former Iraqi leader, Saddam Husayn, on the holy Islamic holiday Id al-Adha is US President George Bush's slap in the face of the...

Philippine government addressing political killings, other rights violations.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Philippine newspaper The Daily Tribune website on 31 December Malacanang [presidential palace] yesterday washed its hands off over a rise in human rights...

Sudan: Commission in move to unify Darfur peace initiatives.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Sudanese radio on 31 December The National Commission for the Unity of the National Rank has revealed that it plans to work with the relevant authorities to unite the...

Russia: Gazprom says no deal with Belarus yet.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Russian Channel One Europe TV on 31 December [Presenter] First Deputy Prime Minister Uladzimir Syamashka arrived in Moscow today. He is now at Gazprom's headquarters...

Saddam's tribe confirms his Burial near Tikrit.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV on 31 December Ali al-Nida, chief of the Al-Bunasir tribe to which late Iraqi President Saddam Husayn belongs, said that Saddam was buried before...

Protests across India after Saddam execution as parties condemn hanging.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Indian news agency PTI New Delhi, 30 December: Former Iraqi ruler Saddam Husayn's execution Saturday [30 December] sparked spontaneous protests across the country as...

UN envoy to present Kosovo status proposal 26 January, says PM Ceku.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Radio-Television Kosovo TV website on 29 December UN special envoy for Kosova [Kosovo] status talks Martti Ahtisaari will present his proposal to the Contact Group on 26...

Decentralization will not lead to Serb Republic in Kosovo - UNMIK chief.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Radio-Television Kosovo TV website on 29 December "I am fully convinced that the UN special envoy for Kosova [Kosovo] status talks Martti Ahtisaari's proposals on...

UNDP report shows decline of trust in Kosovo institutions.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Radio-Television Kosovo TV website on 29 December The UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] has published its Early Warning Report, which notes that the trust of...

Putin congratulates Russian Muslims on festival.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Moscow, 31 December: The president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, has sent a congratulatory message to Muslims of Russia on the...

Saddam's execution unlikely to add to political stability - Kazakh official.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Astana, 31 December. The execution of the former Iraqi president, Saddam Husayn, will not add to the internal political stability in...

Envoy affirms UK commitment to fair, functional solution to Kosovo status.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by independent internet news agency KosovaLive Prishtina [Pristina], 30 December: The head of the British Office in Pristina, David Blunt, said today that Kosovars...

Breakaway faction claims killing 35 Tamil Tigers in east Sri Lanka.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Indian news agency PTI Colombo, 30 December: A breakaway faction of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealem (LTTE) Saturday [30 December] claimed to have killed 35 mainstream...

Kfor chief hopes status resolution in 2007 will bring better future for Kosovo.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by independent internet news agency KosovaLive Prishtina [Pristina], 30 December: The commander of Kfor [Kosovo Force], General Roland Kather, addressing to people...

N Korea reportedly builds hospital ward for suspected bird flu patients.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap Seoul, 31 December: North Korea has completed building a hospital ward for contagious diseases, mainly bird flu, with support...

Q&A: Belarus-Russia gas spat.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Belarus and the Russian gas giant Gazprom are locked in a bitter price dispute, which may affect gas deliveries to some EU countries. Gazprom threatens to cut gas supplies to Russia's closest...

China's CITIC Group acquires Kazakhstan oil assets for 1.91bn dollars.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 December: China's CITIC Group announced on Sunday that it has successfully acquired the...

Sudan regrets Saddam's execution on Id day.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Sudanese radio on 31 December Sudan has expressed its regrets over the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Husayn in the first day of the Id al-Adha celebrations...

Saddam's death will not end violence in Iraq - Saudi paper.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of editorial headlined: "Legacy of blood", published in English by Saudi newspaper Arab News website on 31 December Saddam Husayn's execution will not cause many to shed tears....

Tanzania: Lebanese firm linked to bombs.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Tanzanian newspaper Daily News website on 30 December Further investigations into the recently impounded 51 hand grenades in Dar es Salaam have revealed that they are...

Foreign troops kill two civilians in east Afghanistan.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency Jalalabad, 31 December 2006: Foreign forces have killed two civilians. Last night (30 December 2006), two civilians...

Tanzania: More hand grenades found in Dar es salaam.
December 31, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Tanzanian newspaper Daily News website on 31 December Six more hand grenades were yesterday discovered in Dar es Salaam on the premises of M/S Steel Masters Limited...