BBC Monitoring International Reports articles from July 2008, page 7

BBC Monitoring International Reports archives from July 2008

Twelve Tamil Tigers killed in north Sri Lanka clashes - website.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence website on 23 July Twelve LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] terrorists were killed and 30 others reported wounded Tuesday (July 22) when security forces pushed into LTTE defences in...

Regional body to set up DRCongo mission.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by DRCongo's UN-sponsored Radio Okapi website on 22 July A SADC [Southern African Development Community] mission will soon be set up in Kinshasa. This was agreed upon during the 10th SADC ministerial meeting held in...

Military operation against militants continues in Pakistan's Baluchistan.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by leading private Pakistani satellite TV channel Geo News website on 23 July Jafferabad: Baluchistan security forces operation against the militants continued for the fifth-day, as seven persons including the two security...

Kazakh gas pipeline accident causes interruption in supply to over 4,400 users.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Astana, 23 July: As a result of a gas leak from a gas pipeline in the Abay settlement of South Kazakhstan Region, centralized gas supply has been cut off to a number of...

Operation against extremists continues in northwest Pakistan.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by leading private Pakistani satellite TV channel Geo News website on 23 July Hangu: Security forces operation against extremists continued in district Hangu. According to sources, operation is underway in Sarmulo...

Assigning caretaker minister more than three months "impossible"- Iran official.
July 23, 2008... Text of report headlined Kadkhoda'i: Being the governor-general of two provinces at the same time not prohibited by the law published by Iranian newspaper Farhang-e Ashti on 21 July Referring to Article 135 of the constitution and the...

Sri Lanka minister calls for "common approach" to counter terrorism.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror website on 23 July Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said yesterday that in a combined effort to combat terrorism in the South Asian region, an agreement was likely to be reached at...

Mongolian troops back from Iraq on rotation.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Mongolian news agency Montsame website Ulaanbaatar: The ninth military contingent of Mongolia has successfully taken part in the international peacekeeping, humanitarian and post-war reconstruction in Iraq...

Belarusian-Venezuelan oil company to develop three new oil fields.
July 23, 2008... Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Uladzimir Syamashka has said that the Belarusian-Venezuelan joint venture extracting oil in Venezuela will receive three additional oil fields to expand its operations, the Belarusian state radio...

German politician wants action after EU report on Bulgaria, Romania.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by independent German news agency ddp on 23 July Munich: Bavaria's minister for Europe, Markus Soeder (CSU) [Christian Social Union], demands "clear consequences" from the new progress report on Bulgaria and Romania by the...

Iraqi president rejects Provincial Council Elections Law; Al-Sharqiyah roundup.
July 23, 2008... Within its 1300 gmt and 1500 gmt newscasts on 23 July, Dubai-based Iraqi private Al-Sharqiyah TV highlighted the Iraqi president's rejection of the Provincial Council Election Law, and the Kurdish uproar about the ratification of the law,...

Iran to give "crushing response" to any aggression - army official.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Iranian official government news agency IRNA West Azarbayjan Province, 23 July: An inspector of the general staff of the armed forces has said that 10m Basij forces are ready to defend Islamic sovereignty. Gen...

Situation stable on Kyrgyz-Tajik border after dispute over checkpoint.
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report headlined "Soldiers cannot sleep on a border", by privately-owned daily Kyrgyz newspaper Vecherniy Bishkek on 23 July There have been several incidents on state borders in a short time. The [Kyrgyz] government has...

Palestinian information minister briefs EU officials, welcomes Obama visit.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by independent, non-governmental Palestinian Ma'an News Agency website ["Palestinian Information Minister Briefs EU Representatives on Recent Events" - Ma'an headline] Ramallah, 23 Jul (Ma'an) - Palestinian...

Egyptian and Ethiopian troops expected in Darfur end July.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by opposition Sudanese newspaper Khartoum Monitor website on 23 July The head of the joint mission for Darfur has disclosed that the longtime awaited Egyptian and Ethiopian troops would be deployed in Darfur by...

Zambia: Constitutional conference divided on presidential powers.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Zambian newspaper Zambia Daily Mail website on 23 July [Report by Rebecca Chileshe: "NCC Divided on 'Presidential Powers'"] Some members of the Committee on Good Governance of the National Constitutional Conference...

Moldovan president slams opposition as "immoral".
July 23, 2008... Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has accused the country's opposition parties of "immoral behaviour" and of "offending their own country", the Infotag news agency reported on 23 July. Voronin made statements to this effect at a news...

Japanese-owned vessel hijacked off Somali coast.
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report by Somali pro-Puntland government website on 23 July According to Nairobi-based maritime organization IMB, a vessel flying the Panama flag, which is owned by Japan, was hijacked off the Somali coast in the past 48...

Montenegrin opposition parties respond to Karadzic's arrest.
July 23, 2008... Montenegrin opposition parties responded in different ways to the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. Serb People's Party (SNS) and Democratic Serb Party (DSS) were the most vocal in their criticism, while the Bosniak Party...

Over 1.3 t of sulphuric acid seized in Kyrgyzstan.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned Kyrgyz AKIpress news agency website Bishkek, 23 July: A large batch of precursors has been seized in Kyrgyzstan, the Kyrgyz Financial Police Service (KFPS) said today. The KFPS officers stopped a...

Kazakh police seize marijuana haul in southeast.
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report by state-owned Kazakh news agency Kazinform Astana, 23 July: Police officers fighting drugs in the country [Kazakhstan] are continuing to take measures to seize large amounts of narcotics. In the course of successful...

Palestinian factions issue working paper on national dialogue - pro-Fatah paper.
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report by privately-owned, pro-Fatah Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam website on 21 July [Report by Hasan Jabr: "Activists of the Palestinian factions complete drafting of a working paper on the national dialogue and its...

Bosnian commentary says Karadzic's arrest heralds "new phase" in region.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Bosnian wide-circulation privately-owned daily Dnevni avaz, on 22 July [Commentary by Sead Numanovic: "End of the Line for the Criminal"] War criminal Radovan Karadzic has been arrested! We had been waiting for...

Albanian premier proposes new education, health ministers.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Albanian state news agency ATA [Report by M. Marini: "Prime Minister Berisha Proposes Changes in Government to President"] Tirana, 23 July (ATA) -- Prime Minister Sali Berisha proposed to President Bamir...

Moldova optimistic about ties with Romania, cautious about regional union.
July 23, 2008... Almost all issues in relations between Moldova and Romania have been solved, the Infotag news agency reported on 23 July, quoting Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin. Meanwhile, Moldova has adopted "a wait-and-see stance" in its relations...

Albania can learn from Macedonia's "bravado" towards Greece - commentary.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Albanian leading national independent newspaper Shekulli, on 22 July [Commentary by Ilir Kalemaj: "Tactical Diplomatic Move"] In this corner of southeastern Europe, the letter that Macedonia's Prime Minister...

"More and more top Israeli officials" favour releasing Al-Barghuthi - paper.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by web version of Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv on 23 July [Report by Ben Kaspit: "The Goal: Hamas-Bypass Release"] More and more top Israeli officials are calling for the release of Marwan al-Barghuthi from jail. It...

Syrian president, French senator discuss ties, regional developments.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Syrian News Agency SANA website [SANA Headline: "President al-Asad Underlines that Syrian-French Dialogue Helps Find Solutions to Regional Problems."] Damascus, 23 July (SANA) - President Bashar al-Asad on...

Serbian media house says Karadzic may be extradited on 26 July.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Serbian pro-western Belgrade-based Radio B92 website, on 23 July Belgrade, 23 July: B92 understands that Radovan Karadzic's ID card in the name of Dragan Dabic was issued in Ruma. Police are investigating...

Belarusian opposition mulls election boycott.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Belarusian human rights group Charter-97 website, on 23 July Homel, 23 July: It has been unanimously agreed at a conference of the Homel regional organization of the United Civic Party (UCP) not to take part in the [28...

Review of Afghan press commentaries 17-23 Jul 08.
July 23, 2008... The following is a summary of Afghan press commentaries available to BBC Monitoring between 17 and 23 July 2008: Barack Obama's visit to Kabul The state-run English-language daily, The Kabul Times, says US presidential hopeful Barack...

Central authorities not to interfere in Moldovan autonomy's affairs - president.
July 23, 2008... Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has said at a news conference that "the central authorities will not interfere in the situation in Moldova's Gagauz autonomy," the Infotag news agency reported on 23 July. Commenting on a protest rally...

European official condemns Armenian authorities for jailing people without trial.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by private Armenian news agency Arminfo Yerevan, 23 July: The Council of Europe cannot allow a country that is a member of the organization to hold people in jail for a long time without being convicted, the president of...

AU urges UN to halt ICC bid to indict Sudanese president.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Paris-based Sudanese newspaper Sudan Tribune website on 21 July [Report by Tesfa-alem tekle: "Africa Urges Suspension of ICC Indictment Process Against Sudan's Bashir"] The African Union on Monday urged...

Criminal proceedings launched into brawl in Tajik north.
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report by privately-owned Tajik news agency Asia-Plus website Dushanbe, 23 July: Criminal proceedings have been instituted under Article 237, part 3, paragraph "b" (hooliganism committed with dangerous or especially...

Moldovan president questions ex-minister's involvement in drug trafficking case.
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report by Moldovan private ProTV on 23 July [Presenter] Gheorghe Papuc must testify in the heroin case because he was the interior minister at the time, although his [alleged] involvement in this crime has not been proved,...

Sudan's Al-Bashir grants amnesty to Omdurman attack "children".
July 23, 2008... Text of report by state-owned Sudanese TV on 23 July President Umar Hasan Al-Bashir arrived in Nyala, Southern Darfur State, atop a pick-up truck. The crowd went into a frenzy as he waved at them and danced to the jubilant music while the...

Russian Airborne Troops record over 100,000 parachute jumps this year.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by corporate-owned Russian military news agency Interfax-AVN website Moscow, 22 July: Paratroopers have made more than 106,000 parachute jumps since the beginning of the year as part of their training programme, the head...

Benin government announces "slight increases" in fuel prices.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned Beninese newspaper Fraternite on 16 July [Report by Secretary to the Government, Victor P. Topanou: Council of Ministers: The Government Readjusts the Prices of Petroleum Products and Proposes other...

Former Zimbabwean minister halts plans to write political memoirs.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by London-based opposition newzimbabwe.com website on 23 July [Report by Lebo Nkatazo: "Moyo Scraps Plan To Write Memoirs"] Zimbabwe's former Information Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has scrapped plans for a new...

Minister says Black Sea gas pipeline important for Bulgaria.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Bulgarian news agency BTA website, Sofia, 23 July: The South Stream project is expected to make Bulgaria one of the most important natural gas transit centres in Europe, Economy and Energy Minister Petur...

Iranian president calls US participation in talks positive step.
July 23, 2008... Iranian president has said that Iran welcomes US participation in nuclear talks as "a positive step towards understanding the right of the Iranian nation". Addressing US officials, he said: "I would like to advise you not to destroy the...

Medvedev signs law to extend 1992 agreement with US on disarmament.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti Moscow, 23 July: President Dmitriy Medvedev has signed a federal law "On the ratification of the protocols to the agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States of...

Zimbabwean talks "heavily skewed" in favour of Mugabe - report.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by South African newspaper The Star website on 23 July [Report by Fiona Forde: "Tsvangirai's Back To the Wall Ahead of Talks"] Zimbabwe's chief negotiators have begun to arrive in South Africa for a round of secret...

Kyrgyz agency disappointed with UN's special project to fight drugs.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned Kyrgyz AKIpress news agency website Bishkek, 23 July: The work of the UN's special project - the department of mobile operational groups under the Drugs Control Agency - is not meeting expectations. The...

TV reports attack on Palestinian student in Ukraine's central city.
July 23, 2008... A Palestinian student has been severely beaten when he was returning from a shop to his hostel in Vinnytsya, the private 5 Kanal TV channel reported on 23 July. An unidentified person attacked the Palestinian reportedly for no apparent...

Somali opposition alliance leader accuses fired leaders of treason.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Swedish-based Somali website Somaliweyn on 23 July Husayn Muhammad Aydid, one of the members of the Asmara, Eritrean-based Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia [ARS], said he chaired the meeting in which Shaykh...

Iraqi vice-president arrives in Turkey for private visit.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia Ankara, 23 July: Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi arrived in Ankara on Wednesday [23 July] on a private visit. Al-Hashimi is accompanied by his wife Fatimah Maysun. ...

Strong quake hits northeast Japan, many people injured.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Japan's largest news agency Kyodo Tokyo, July 24 Kyodo - A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 jolted northeastern Japan, including Iwate and Aomori prefectures, early Thursday, leaving many...

Heads of Russian state corporations to have diplomatic passports.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti Moscow, 23 July: Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev has signed a law allowing for the issue of diplomatic passports to directors general of state corporations, and also the issue of...

Advanced ejection seat for combat aircraft is being developed in Russia.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by corporate-owned Russian military news agency Interfax-AVN website Farnborough, 21 July: The Zvezda scientific-production enterprise (Tomilino, Moscow Region) is developing an ejection seat for a fifth-generation combat...

Zambia to get share of European fund targeting creative industries.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Zambian newspaper Zambia Daily Mail website on 23 July [Report by Martin Kapende: "Zambia To Benefit From 2.5m Euro Project"] Zambia has been selected to benefit from a 2.5-million euro initiative to boost the...

Agency reports on progress of US-Russian uranium deal.
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report by Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS St Petersburg, 23 July: Three-fifths of the agreement on the sale of uranium from Russian nuclear warheads to the USA have been completed, the director of St Petersburg's Izotop...

UK donates 3.9m dollars for peacebuilding in Kenya.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Kenyan privately-owned radio station Capital FM on 23 July [Presenter] Britain has announced an additional donation of over 260m shillings [about 3.9m dollars] for peacebuilding in the country. Prime Minister Gordon...

Jamaican parliament to revisit capital punishment in September.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation news agency website on 23 July Kingston, Jamaica: The Jamaica government says it will soon make known its position on the execution of convicted killers. Prime Minister Bruce Golding told...

Colombia to file verbal complaint against Nicaragua at the OAS.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Colombian Foreign Relations Ministry website on 22 July [Report posted on the Colombian Foreign Relations Ministry website on 22 July: "Colombia To File Complaint Against Nicaragua Before OAS"] Bogota, 22 July:...

Japan: Nuclear facilities said "not damaged" in quake.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Japan's largest news agency Kyodo Tokyo, July 24 Kyodo - A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 jolted northeastern Japan, including Iwate and Aomori prefectures, early Thursday, leaving more...

Serbian Speaker: Hague's lack of principles makes cooperation more difficult.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Serbian private independent news agency FoNet Belgrade, 23 July: Serbian Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic today thanked Cypriot FM Markos Kiprianou on his country's principled support to Serbia's efforts to preserve its...

Military chiefs from Uganda, DRCongo, southern Sudan in talks.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Joshua Kato entitled "Stop LRA now, says Aronda" published by Ugandan newspaper The New Vision website on 22 July Regional governments must stop just talking about eradicating negative forces in the region and swing...

Flight tests of upgraded Russian UAV system not expected before 2010 - agency.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by corporate-owned Russian military news agency Interfax-AVN website Moscow. 22 July: A modernized version of the Reys aerial reconnaissance complex based on the Tu-143 unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV] will be ready for...

The Hague tribunal must be impartial, Serbia's Tadic says.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Serbian privately-owned TV Pink [Presenter] Serbian President Boris Tadic has said that the fact The Hague indictee Radovan Karadzic was located and arrested proves that the new government is committed to respecting...

Moldovan president eyeing parliamentary speaker's post.
July 23, 2008... Asked about what he intends to do after the 2009 parliamentary election, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has hinted that he might become parliament speaker, the Infotag news agency reported on 23 July. Voronin was speaking at a news...

Russian journalist gets suspended sentence for extremist activity.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 23 July: A journalist has been sentenced for calling for extremist activity on the Internet, Russian Prosecutor-General's Office has said. "The sentence of the...

Ghana: Opposition NDC pledges to support local farmers if wins 2008 polls.
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report by state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Radio 1 on 23 July A government of the [main opposition] [National Democratic Congress] NDC, led by Prof Atta Mills, will cut down the importation of rice and other...

Turkmen-Croatian cooperation deals signed.
July 23, 2008... A number of cooperation agreements have been signed during an official visit of the president of Croatia, Stjepan Mesic, to Turkmenistan, Turkmen TV reported on 22 July. The following documents were signed on the results of official...

Iran president praises the courage of martyrs.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Iranian official government news agency IRNA website Tehran, 23 July: President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad said Wednesday [23 July] that today all aspirations of martyrs are materializing. "Today, in light of...

Belarus, Venezuela call for multipolar world, expand cooperation in oil sector.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Belarusian privately-owned news agency Belapan Minsk, 23 July: Belarus and Venezuela will increase cooperation in the energy sector and aim at the creation of a multipolar world, Belarusian President Alyaksandr...

Zimbabwe: Report views likely MDC, ZANU-PF demands in talks.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by South African newspaper The Star website on 23 July [Report by Basildon Peta: "Signed, Sealed, Now Let's Await the Outcome"] The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and...

Bulgarian premier says EU report a challenge.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Bulgarian news agency BTA website, Varna, on the Black Sea/Sofia, 23 July: The report on Bulgaria of the European Commission [EC] is a challenge to us to bring the launched reforms to a successful outcome,...

Taiwan grants 1m US dollars education aid to Dominican Republic.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website [By Maubo Chang, "Taiwan Grants Education Aid To Dominican Republic" - CNA headline] Panama City, Panama, July 23 (CNA) Republic of China (ROC) granted US$1 million...

Premier says Taiwan prepared for scenarios over name at Beijing Olympics.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website [By Deborah Kuo] Kaohsiung, July 23 (CNA) - Premier Liu Chao-shiuan [Lio Chao-hsuan] said Wednesday that the government is fully prepared for any possible schemes by...

Taiwan economic delegation to promote aid projects in Central America.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency website [By Ramon Huang and Nick Huang] Panama City, July 22 (CNA) - A delegation of economic officials will promote Taiwan's development aid projects in four Central...

Czech defence minister comments on US radar, fighting corruption in army.
July 23, 2008... The following is the text of Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova's interview with Jiri Kubik entitled "I could have got away with having a lover, but not with that song. Interview with Minister Parkanova on the American radar, liquidation...

Algerian opposition figure says new premier seeks to weaken Bouteflika - paper.
July 23, 2008... Text of report headlined "Algerian opposition politician tells Quds Press: Ouyahia is gradually pulling the rug from under the feet of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika", published by London-based independent Quds Press web news agency on 21...

Drug gang arrested in southeastern Iran - commander.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Iranian state-run provincial TV from Sistan-Baluchestan on 22 July A gang which was involved in deceiving runaway girls in Zahedan [the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan Province] has been liquidated. The commander of...

Afghan daily urges Obama to avoid past errors if elected US president.
July 23, 2008... Text of editorial in Pashto, "We want fight, not politics", published by privately-owned Afghan newspaper Rah-e Nejat on 20 July Barack Obama, the US Democratic presidential candidate, arrived in Kabul yesterday. Obama's visit to Kabul...

Kosovo NGO accuses government of moving towards "authoritarianism".
July 23, 2008... Excerpt from report by Kosovo Albanian privately-owned newspaper Koha Ditore on 21 July [Report by Shkamb Qavdarbasha: "Cohu: Government Is Taking Country Toward Authoritarianism" p3] Prishtina [Pristina], 20 July: The NGO "Cohu"...

Iranian commander on details of exercises in Ardabil Province.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by Iranian state-run provincial TV from Ardabil on 22 July The Labbayk Ya Husayn exercises of the Ardabil Corps [of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps] have started in the Somarin region with the deployment of Ashura...

Ukrainian cabinet reappoints deputy interior minister.
July 23, 2008... Text of report by private Ukrainian news agency UNIAN Kiev, 23 July: The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has appointed Vasyl Marmazov as deputy interior minister, the minister of the Cabinet of Ministers, Petro Krupko, told journalists....

Turkish Cypriots want Turkey to continue as guarantor - leader.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia Nicosia, 23 July: President Mehmet Ali Talat of the [self-declared] Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Wednesday [23 July] that they would decide on the beginning...

Malaysian Islamic party youth wing rejects talks with ruling party.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by Malaysian independent website Malaysiakini, owned by Mkinin Dotcom, on 23 July [Unattributed report: "PAS Youth rejects 'political' talks with UMNO"] PAS Youth will not agree to holding talks with UMNO if...

Chinese armed police ready for Olympic security tasks.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "Chinese Armed Police Ready for Olympic Security Tasks"] BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) - After five years' training, China's armed police...

South Korean committee rejects changes to construction plan for new US base.
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap [By Byun Duk-kun: "Seoul Rejects Changes To Construction Plan For New US Base"] Seoul, July 23 (Yonhap) - A government review committee on Wednesday dismissed a proposal by...

Chinese FM says informal six-party talks end with "meaningful results".
July 23, 2008... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "4th Ld Writethru: Informal Six-Party Talks End With meaningful Results: Chinese FM"] SINGAPORE, July 23 (Xinhua) - The first informal...