BBC Monitoring International Reports articles from March 2006, page 15

BBC Monitoring International Reports archives from March 2006

Nigerian president exonerates himself from "alleged conspiracy" over Taylor.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by independent Liberian Star Radio website on 30 March President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria says the arrest of former President Charles Taylor proves his innocence of...

Japan hopes China visit by friendship groups will strengthen ties.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 30 March: Senior Vice Foreign Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki expressed hope Thursday [30 March] that a visit to China by a...

Serbia-Montenegro minister stresses removing "Hague obstacle".
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Serbian TV on 30 March [Presenter] Removing the Hague obstacle, that is, the extradition of [former Bosnian Serb Army Chief of General Staff] Ratko Mladic to the tribunal...

Uganda Broadcasting Corporation aiming to turn around finances.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Emmy Olaki published by Ugandan newspaper The New Vision website on 29 March Uganda Television and Radio Uganda were last year merged to form Uganda Broadcasting...

Nepal seven-party alliance amends protest programmes.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Tanka Panta by Nepalese daily newspaper Nepal Samacharpatra on 30 March Kathmandu, 29 March: The seven opposition parties have made changes to their earlier announced...

Ukrainian tycoon backs opposition leader for PM.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Interfax-Ukraine news agency Kiev, 30 March: Businessman and [opposition] Party of Regions member Rinat Akhmetov thinks [Party of Regions leader, ex-PM] Viktor Yanukovych...

Moldova hopes to sign new gas deal with Russia before 1 April.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Moldovan news agency Infotag Chisinau, 30 March: The Moldovan government on 29 March empowered First Deputy Prime Minister Zinaida Greciani to sign a contract with...

Japan cult founder's defence object rejection of death sentence appeal.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 30 March: The defence team for AUM Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara filed an objection Thursday [30 March] against the Tokyo...

Indonesian Muslim leader advises British PM against "blindly" following US.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Radio Australia on 30 March [Newsreader] Some of Indonesia's leading Muslim leaders have met with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair to advise him to distance...

Palestinian deputy PM urges US, Canada to reconsider move to end contacts.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasir-al-Din al-Sha'ir called on 29 March for the US and Canada to reconsider their decision to halt all contacts with the new Hamas-led government, stressing...

(Corr) New Austrian daily backed by BA-CA bank to be published 18 Sep.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (Correcting name of bank from "BA-Chechnya" to "BA-CA" in headline and in paragraph 3, sentence 4 of the text. A corrected version of the item follows:) Text of unattributed report,...

Kyrgyz failed MP's supporters gather for protest rally.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Kyrgyz AKIpress news agency website Bishkek, 30 March: The leader of the Tynchtyk [Peace] People's Patriotic Party, Ismail Kochkorov, told the AKIpress news agency today...

Serbian Hungarian parties write to UN envoy asking for support.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Belgrade-based private BKTV on 30 March [Presenter] The leaders of three Vojvodina Hungarian parties have asked special UN envoy for Kosovo status Martti Ahtisaari to...

Slovak culture minister to be sacked, decides ruling coalition.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Slovak commercial Radio Twist on 30 March Former [Slovak] culture minister Rudolf Chmel is to become a new culture minister, replacing the current minister, Frantisek Toth,...

NGOs demand Japan nuclear facilities suspend operations.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 30 March: Seventy non-governmental organizations in Japan demanded Thursday [30 March] that the government suspend operations...

Russian MP suggests applying "moderately repressive measures" to migrants.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Russian news agency Ekho Moskvy on 30 March Moscow, 30 March: "We should apply moderately repressive measures towards migrants without creating an atmosphere of public...

(Corr) Germany to deliver, partly fund submarines to Israel.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (Correcting "party" to "partly" in headline.) Text of report by German news agency ddp on 29 March Berlin: Germany will deliver two Dolphin-class submarines to Israel and will finance...

Japanese lower house OKs bill to fingerprint, photograph foreigners.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 30 March: The House of Representatives at a plenary session Thursday [30 March] approved by a majority vote a bill revising...

One killed, 14 wounded in three explosions in Baghdad.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV on 30 March Three explosions took place in different areas of Baghdad this morning. A booby-trapped car exploded near the entrance of the Interior...

Taylor's party will not "tolerate" arrest of members in Liberia.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Liberian Catholic Radio Veritas on 30 March The secretary-general of Charles Taylor's National Patriotic Party, NPP, Mr John Whitfield, has said that the party will no...

Amnesty urges Montenegro to pay damages for 1992 deportation of Bosniaks.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Montenegrin Mina news agency Podgorica, 29 March: The organization for the protection of human rights, Amnesty International, today called on the Montenegrin...

Iran TV calls UN Security Council statement "non-binding".
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Iranian TV on 30 March [Newsreader] The Chairman of UN Security Council issued a non-binding statement on Iran. This statement was issued after three weeks of work by...

Chinese wartime bombing victims, kin sue Japanese government.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 30 March: A group of 40 Chinese who were wounded or lost their family members in Japan's wartime bombings of Chongqing, China,...

Lithuanian president begins visit to Moldova.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Moldovan news agency Infotag Chisinau, 30 March: Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus today arrived on a two-day official visit to Moldova at the invitation of...

Iran entitled to peaceful use of nuclear technology - Foreign minister.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA website Vienna, 3o March: Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki in Geneva on Thursday [30 March] stressed Iran's right to acquire...

Czech premier discusses Middle East in Cairo with Mubarak.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Cairo, 30 March: Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak discussed the Middle East developments during...

Saudi TV says seized arms, explosives enough for "many destructive operations".
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Saudi Al-Ikhbariyah TV on 30 March An authoritative source has told Al-Ikhbariyah that the concurrent operations carried out by the security forces yesterday [29 March] in...

Iran will continue uranium enrichment, says envoy to IAEA.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Iranian radio on 30 March Iran's envoy at the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] has said that the statement of the UN Security Council, after a month of diplomatic...

Bush commends Nigeria for handing over Taylor.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Radio Nigeria from Abuja on 30 March [Presenter] The USA has praised Nigeria's doggedness in the handling of the Charles Taylor saga. Speaking at the end of an...

Croatia should be judged on its own merits, PM says.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Croatian news agency HINA Zagreb, 30 March: Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has said that Croatia should be judged on its own merits in its EU entry talks...

Japanese premier to visit Ghana 1 May.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Ghanaian GBC radio on 29 March The Japanese prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, will pay a two-day visit to Ghana from 1 to 3 May. This will be the first visit by a...

ILO urges Japan to grant public servants basic labour rights.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Geneva, 29 March: The International Labour Organization board adopted an interim report Wednesday [29 March] calling on Japan to...

Blasts said heard near Japanese troop camp in south Iraq.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Samawah, Iraq, 29 March: Two explosions were heard near Japanese ground troops' camp in Samawah, southern Iraq, on Wednesday night...

Ukrainian paper looks at options for parliamentary coalition.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The Ukrainian newspaper Segodnya speculates on possible variants of a parliament coalition, while votes are still being counted. The paper concludes that each variant has its disadvantages and...

Indian official in US to discuss next step on nuclear seal.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Indian Doordarshan DDTV news channel on 30 March Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran is currently on a visit to the United States. He has been holding discussions with the Bush...

Russian PM explains how best to implement special government programmes.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Russia TV on 30 March [Presenter] A record number of issues - almost 20 - are being discussed today by the government. [Passage omitted] Today's discussion began with...

Kenyan daily hails arrest of Liberia's Charles Taylor.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of editorial entitled ''Let the Taylors of Africa face Justice'' published by Kenyan newspaper The People on 30 March Nigerian authorities deserve congratulations for their swift...

Sister of US journalist kidnapped in Iraq appeals for her release.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya TV on 29 March The sister of Jill Carroll, a US journalist kidnapped in Iraq, has appealed to her kidnappers to release her, stressing...

Former Kyrgyz president has no intention of asking for forgiveness - lawyer.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Kyrgyz news agency Kabar Bishkek, 29 March: Askar Akayev has no intention of knocking his forehead on the ground asking for forgiveness in public in a square, a...

South Serbian ethnic Albanians stage protest over terrorism verdict.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Serbian TV on 30 March [Presenter] A protest by ethnic Albanians is in progress in Veliki Trnovac because the Supreme Court [of Serbia] upheld the sentence by the Vranje...

Mongolian peacekeepers return from Kosovo.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Mongolian newspaper The UB Post website on 30 March The fifth Mongolian military contingent of 130 troops, who have successfully completed their duties in the...

Polish Speakers, Belarusian opposition leader discuss future relations.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Polish news agency PAP Warsaw, 30 March: The democratic opposition in Belarus did not win [the presidential elections] but has made a significant step towards...

China hands over completed hospital office building to Afghan government.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Kabul, 30 March: China handed over the completed office building of the Jamhuriyat Hospital...

Kenya navy to boost security in international waters.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Kenyan KTN TV on 30 March The Kenya Navy has joined with Indian Ocean coalition forces to boost security in international waters. Head of International Military...

South Korea to boost support for stem cell research despite recent scandal.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap Seoul, 30 March: South Korea is planning to boost government support for stem cell research despite a research fabrication...

Chinese company reports "nominal" East China Sea gas find - Kyodo.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Beijing, 30 March: Chinese companies have found a nominal amount of natural gas in the East China Sea, an executive of China Petroleum...

Thirteen cases of hand-foot-mouth disease diagnosed in peninsular Malaysia.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Malaysian news agency Bernama website Seremban, 29 March: Thirteen cases of the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) were detected in Negeri Sembilan from January...

Serbian analyst says Hague prosecutor Del Ponte "had nothing new to say".
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Belgrade-based Radio B92 text website on 30 March - subheading as published Belgrade, 30 March: The Hague's [tribunal] chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte left...

China hopeful on UN Iran statement, urges patience.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 30 March: China expects the presidential statement on the Iran nuclear issue adopted by the...

Belarusian opposition leader gets hero's welcome in Poland.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Polish international satellite TV service on 30 March [Announcer] The Belarusian opposition did not win the presidential election but has made a serious step towards...

Kyrgyz ombudsman against possible extradition of Uzbek refugees.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Kyrgyz news agency Kabar Bishkek, 30 March: Ombudsman Tursunbay Bakir uulu is against extraditing Uzbek refugees from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan. The ombudsman's press...

Gambia: Watchdog condemns arrests and closure of newspaper.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of press release by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 29 March Plainclothes Gambian security agents today [29 March] sealed the offices of the twice-weekly...

Two Afghan teams said probing deaths of 16 Pakistanis - paper.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Pakistani newspaper Dawn website on 30 March Islamabad, 29 March: Pakistan has been informed by the Afghan government that two teams are investigating the killing of 16...

Ukrainian former premier wants her post back.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Ukraine's former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko has said President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc is going to set up a ruling coalition with the opposition Party of Regions, instead of...

Pakistan: Five injured after mortars, rockets fired on group HQ.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Pakistani newspaper The News website on 30 March Peshawar: The headquarters of Mufti Munir Shakir group at Nullah Khajori came under mortars and rocket fire on late...

District chief and three bodyguards shot dead in east Afghanistan.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report in English by Afghan independent Pajhwok news agency website Kabul, 30 March: Six people, including a district chief, an officer and four of their colleagues, were...

Progress on nuclear talks should precede peace treaty - South Korean minister.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap Seoul, 30 March: Talks on a peace treaty on the Korean Peninsula should begin only after visible achievements are made in the...

BBC Monitoring headlines, quotes from Palestinian press 30 Mar 06.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The following is a selection of headlines and quotes taken from the Palestinian press published on 30 March: Headlines Al-Quds: [Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert preparing to...

Third swan dies of bird flu in Czech Republic.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 30 March: Tests have proved the presence of H5 virus in a third swan the body of which was found in Hluboka nad Vltavou, south...

PLO's Urayqat says Hamas government must accept president's programme.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine on 30 March Head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department Dr Sa'ib Urayqat has expressed hope that the international community will...

North Korea urges Japan to compensate A-bomb victims.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by North Korean news agency KCNA Pyongyang, 30 March: A general meeting of the Association of Korean Victims of A-bombs for Peace against Nukes was held in...

Council of Europe expulsion penalty possible for Macedonia.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Goran Momirovski entitled "Macedonia may be expelled from Council of Europe", published by Macedonian A1 TV website on 29 March Having its Council of Europe membership...

Mongolia waives visa requirement for Japanese tourists.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Ch.Sumiya in English by Mongolian newspaper The UB Post website on 30 March Japanese tourists will not need a visa to visit Mongolia under an agreement reached with Japan...

Montenegrin police seize 29 kg of marijuana in Albanian suburbs.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Montenegrin Mina news agency Podgorica, 29 March: The Montenegrin border police have found 29 kg of marijuana in the vicinity of the village of Nabom near Tuzi...

India: Cross-border bus service between Srinagar, Muzaffarabad resumes.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Indian Doordarshan DDTV news channel on 30 March The Karvan-e Aman [caravan of peace] cross-border bus service between Srinagar [in Indian part of Kashmir] and Muzaffarabad...

Russia, India against terror "double standards" - ambassador.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Russian news agency RIA Novosti New Delhi, 30 March: India and Russia call on the world to reject "double standards" in the fight against terrorism, high-ranking...

US envoys to China, Japan, South Korea meet in Beijing - Kyodo.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Beijing, 30 March: The US ambassadors to China, Japan and South Korea are meeting in Beijing, the US Embassy in Beijing said Thursday...

Israeli forces arrest 37 Palestinians in West Bank - Palestinian agency.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Palestinian news agency Wafa website Hebron, 30 March: Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Thursday [30 March] thirty-seven citizens in the West Bank (WB)...

Ukraine ex-premier joins vote-rigging allegations.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Ukraine's former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko, whose party came second in Ukraine's parliamentary elections, has joined allegations by several smaller parties that the vote was being rigged...

Iraqi TV quotes commander on Baghdad operation targeting militias, not mosque.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Iraqi Al-Sharqiyah TV on 30 March An Iraqi military commander who led an air raid backed by US special forces early this week, has confirmed the US story regarding what...

Hijacked Japan airline pilot intentionally landed in South Korea - papers.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Seoul, 30 March: The pilot of a Japan Airlines passenger plane hijacked by Japanese Red Army faction members who demanded the plane be...

Nepal security agencies on high alert for protests, says minister.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from unattributed report by Nepalese state-owned newspaper Gorkhapatra on 30 March Kathmandu, 29 March: The security agencies will remain on high alert to prevent terrorist [Maoist]...

Egyptian president discusses Lebanese national dialogue, Syria with MP Al-Hariri.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Egyptian news agency MENA website Cairo, 30 March: President Husni Mubarak received today, at the premises of the presidency of the republic in [Cairo's district of]...

Syria denies reports of "tense" meeting between president, Abbas at Arab summit.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Syrian News Agency SANA website Damascus, 30 March: An official media source has strongly denied media reports on a tense meeting between President Bashar al-Asad and...

Indonesian Muslim leaders criticize UK during dialogue with Blair.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Erlangga Djumena, published by Indonesian newspaper Kompas Cyber Media website (www.kompas.com) on 30 March Muslim leaders and intellectuals have criticized Britain's...

Czech news agency schedule of events for 31 March 06.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK [This news agency schedule of events has not been edited for content, nor have personal names and party names, abbreviations, etc. been...

Winning Ukrainian party to stay in opposition if not in coalition.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Interfax-Ukraine news agency Kiev, 30 March: Party of Regions member and well-known Ukrainian businessman, Rinat Akhmetov, has said that his party will go into to...

Russian Foreign Ministry statement asks Iran to heed UN Security Council.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Russian news agency RIA Novosti Moscow, 30 March: Russia is calling on Iran to heed the requirements of yesterday's UN Security Council presidential statement, the Russian...

Palestinian president on three-day visit to South Africa.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine on 30 March President Mahmud Abbas heads to Johannesburg today on an official three-day visit to South Africa, where he will meet...

Danish Muslim organizations sue "Muhammad cartoons" paper.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Danish radio website on 30 March Twenty-seven Muslim organizations in Denmark have brought a case against the editor-in-chief of Jyllands-Posten, Carsten Juste, and...

Russia: Sakhalin Region media highlights 13-19 Mar 06.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The following highlights are from the ASTV Alternative Sakhalin TV and state GTRK Sakhalin TV, the ASTV-Inform website, Sakh.com news wire and Ostrova news agency for the period 13-19 March...

Italian widow "surprised" by press leak on Calipari probe.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of unattributed report, entitled "Calipari's widow: 'Confidence in the magistrates, but the leaked report is surprising'", published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on 30 March...

Plane linked to CIA lands in Spanish airport.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Excerpt from report by Spanish newspaper ABC website on 30 March A new plane linked to the USA's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) landed this March in Palma de Mallorca's airport. It is...

Russian space agency ready for problems on 13th expedition to ISS.
March 30, 2006... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of report by Russian RBK TV on 30 March [Presenter Roman Mamonov] The 13th expedition has set off for the ISS [International Space Station]. In spite of the unlucky number, the launch...