BBC Monitoring International Reports articles from March 2009

BBC Monitoring International Reports archives from March 2009

Pakistan president for comprehensive regional strategy to tackle terrorism.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by official news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Islamabad, 30 March: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday [30 March] called for developing a comprehensive regional strategy and approach to tackle the menace of...

Pakistan: Chinese engineers carry out maintenance of nuclear power plant.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Khalid Hanif headlined "Chinese engineers carry out maintenance of Chashma nuclear power plant" published by Pakistani newspaper Jang on 29 March Islamabad: The maintenance of the Chashma Nuclear power plant has begun....

Pakistan needs world support to fight "wave" of terrorism - official.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by privately-owned Pakistan television Dawn News on 30 March With us right now is Mr Rehman Malik the de facto interior minister. Thanks very much for joining us at this hour. Your statement coming out that the police are...

TV show discusses enhanced US aid to Pakistan.
March 31, 2009... Karachi Geo News television in Urdu at 1400 GMT on 25 March relays daily current affairs "Crisis Cell" program hosted by Sana Bucha, a journalist for more than six years. The program features expert analysis on major issues.Words within the...

Pakistan: New Islamist party chief says US plotting against Pashtuns.
March 31, 2009... Text of report on an interview with Jamaat-i-Islami leader Syed Munawar Hasan, by Kashif Salman; place and date not mentioned headlined "Some high authority is controlling Zardari and Nawaz; PCO judges should be terminated: Munawar Hasan"...

Pakistan minister, US special envoy discuss regional situation - website.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by leading private Pakistani satellite TV channel Geo News website on 31 March The Hague: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan have met here on Monday [30 March]....

Chief attorney to appeal to Afghan leader to pardon jailed Koran translator.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Roz News Agency entitled: "Attorney General: I will ask the president to pardon Ahmad Ghaws Zalmay" published in Afghan newspaper Daily Afghanistan, part of the Afghanistan newspaper group, on 29 March The General...

Vatican envoy, Kyrgyz deputy minister discuss cooperation.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by state-owned Kyrgyz news agency Kabar Kabar, 31 March: Yesterday, at the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister Baktygul Kalambekova met Archbishop Miguel Mauri Buendia, who had been appointed Apostolic...

UN official optimistic about Rwanda's stand on UN court.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Edmund Kagire entitled "Top UN official defends Rwanda's stand on ICTR" published in English by Rwandan newspaper The New Times website on 31 March Kigali - The visiting United Nations Deputy Secretary-General for Legal...

Website looks at HIV sufferers' problem in Kyrgyz south.
March 31, 2009... The following is an excerpt from an article by Sabyr Abdumomunov and Svetlana Gafarova entitled "HIV infected people are becoming outcast in villages in the south of the country" and published by the Moscow-based news agency website...

Pakistan, Afghan situation to figure in Indian PM - Obama meet during G20.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Indian news agency PTI New Delhi, 30 March: In their first meeting on Thursday [2 April] in London, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama would discuss ways to take forward the strategic...

Iran: Presidential hopeful urges change recognition, backs private TV.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Iranian news channel Press TV website on 31 March Presidential hopeful [and former Prime Minister] Mir Hoseyn Musavi refers to the 'recognition of change and its management' as the only promising strategy to...

India steps up vigil along Pakistan border following Lahore police school attack.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Indian news agency PTI Amritsar, 30 March: A high alert has been sounded along the India-Pakistan Attari border here in India's northern state of Punjab, immediately after the terrorist attack at a police training...

Minister sees Syria as good market for Iran's petrochemical products.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Iranian official government news agency IRNA website Damascus, 31 March: Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hoseyn Nowzari said here Monday [30 March] evening that Syria is one of the good markets for Iran's...

India not to sign nuclear test ban in present form - top official.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Indian news agency PTI New Delhi, 30 March: India Monday maintained that it would not sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in its present form but would not stand in the way of the pact. "Our position is...

Kyrgyz leader's aide says SCO, NATO can cooperate on Afghan issue.
March 31, 2009... Excerpt from report by privately-owned Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Bishkek, 31 March: The SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization] and NATO can cooperate on issues of strengthening stability in Afghanistan, the Kyrgyz president's...

Indian PM to tell G20 protectionism "will be suicidal".
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Indian news agency PTI New Delhi, 30 March: Concerned over protectionist steps taken by some countries in the wake of economic crisis, India will press the world's developed countries at the upcoming G20 summit to desist...

Human rights body accuses Kenyan security of harassing Somali refugees.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Somali pro-Puntland government Puntlandpost website on 30 March Somali refugees in Kenyan camps have been complaining about problems that are being subjected to them by the police in that country. The refugees have...

Somalia: Showdown over aid agencies looming between rival Islamic groups.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Somali pro-Puntland government website on 30 March Reports reaching us from Bay and Bakool regions [southwestern Somalia] indicate that militias loyal to Al-Shabab and Islamic Courts are in conflict over the...

Central Sudan state authorities arrest suspects accused of tribal violence.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by UN sponsored Radio Miraya FM, Juba on 31 March Authorities in South Kurdufan State captured three suspects accused of tribal violence occurred in the state and resulted in the death of 23 persons. ...

Ukrainian premier says ready to resign if new coalition set up.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS Kiev, 31 March: Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko is ready to resign if a new coalition is created, she said on the ICTV television channel on Tuesday [as received;...

Georgia's Abkhazia wants to tie Geneva talks to UN observer mission's mandate.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax Sukhumi, 30 March: Sukhumi [Abkhaz separatist leadership] thinks the Geneva discussions [on security in the South Caucasus] are useful, but views them as a "temporary...

India asks Sri Lanka to take steps towards "credible devolution".
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Indian news agency PTI New Delhi, 30 March: With military operation against LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) appearing to near an end, India has asked Sri Lanka to take steps towards "credible devolution" of...

Ukrainian radar stations to monitor North Korean satellite launch - source.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by corporate-owned Russian military news agency Interfax-AVN website Kiev, 31 March: The Ukrainian missile attack warning radars in Sevastopol and Mukachevo will start monitoring space in early April after they...

China arrests nine for selling pigs fed with banned chemical.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "Nine People Arrested for Selling Pigs Fed With Banned Chemical"] GUANGZHOU, March 30 (Xinhua) - Police have arrested nine people on...

China's Li Keqiang calls for faster construction of affordable housing.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "Chinese Vice-Premier Calls for Faster Construction of Affordable Housing"] CHANGSHA, March 30 (Xinhua) - Chinese Vice-Premier Li...

Russian presidential aide says China, Russia share views on financial reform.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "Russia, China Hold Similar Positions on Int'l Financial Reform: Presidential Aide"] MOSCOW, March 30 (Xinhua) - Russia and China "have...

Chinese satellites begin UN environment, natural disaster service.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "Chinese Satellites Begin UN Environment, Natural Disaster Service"] BEIJING, March 30 (Xinhua) - Two environment and disaster...

Hamas leader Al-Muzayni says swap deal with Israel failure.
March 31, 2009... Excerpt from report in English by independent, non-governmental Palestinian Ma'an News Agency website ["Hamas: Shalit Condemned To 'Long Prison Sentence'" - Ma'an headline] Gaza, 30 March: International mediation efforts over the...

Palestinian Hamas to release Fatah prisoners to support reconciliation.
March 31, 2009... Excerpt from report in English by independent, non-governmental Palestinian Ma'an News Agency website ["De Facto Government To Release 38 Fatah Prisoners" - Ma'an headline] Bethlehem, 30 March: The Hamas-led de facto government in...

Pakistan TV show discusses Lahore police school attack.
March 31, 2009... Karachi Geo News television in Urdu at 1700 gmt on 30 March relays live regularly scheduled "Today with Kamran Khan" programme. Noted Pakistani journalist Kamran Khan reviews, discusses and analyzes major day-to-day developments with...

Kazakh leader orders speeding up talks on setting up customs union.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax Astana, 31 March: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has ordered the country's government to speed up talks with member countries of the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC)...

Georgia: South Ossetia says EU, UN, OSCE trying to thwart Geneva talks.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Russian internet news agency Regnum, specializing in regional reporting 30 March: EU, UN, and OSCE representatives Pierre Morel, Johan Verbeke, and Charalampos Christopoulos [respectively] refused to visit South...

Slovenia deposits ratified documents for Croatia's NATO entry.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Slovene news agency STA, Washington, 30 March (STA) - Slovenia deposited the ratification documents for Croatia's NATO Accession Protocol with the US government on Monday, formally concluding the ratification...

Kazakhstan cuts anti-drug budget spending for 2009.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by privately-owned Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Astana, 31 March: Kazakh Interior Minister Baurzhan Mukhamedzhanov has said the finalized [state] budget for 2009 contains a significant cut in spending on the fight...

British MP Clare Short interviewed on talks with Hamas, other issues.
March 31, 2009... ["Without Borders" programme, moderated by Ahmad Mansur, interviews British MP Clare Short on talks with Hamas - live or recorded] Al-Jazeera Satellite Television at 1905 gmt on 25 March carries a 50-minute episode of its "Without...

Head of Organization of Islamic Conference comments on Arab-Iranian ties.
March 31, 2009... Qatari government-funded, pan-Arab news channel Al-Jazeera satellite TV at 1621 gmt on 30 March interviews Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, OIC, live in its studios at the Arab summit's...

North Korea prepares to indict US reporters for trial.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by state-run North Korean news agency KCNA website [KCNA headline: "KCNA Report"] Pyongyang, March 31 (KCNA) - The illegal entry of US reporters into the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and...

Sudanese government, AU-UN to hold meeting on UNAMID 31 March.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by state-owned Sudanese radio on 31 March The Tripartite Mechanism [on Darfur] between the government, AU and the UN will hold its meeting on Tuesday [31 March] in Al-Fashir [Northern Darfur]. Foreign Ministry...

African countries to reconsider their ICC membership.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Paris-based Sudanese newspaper Sudan Tribune website on 31 March African states party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will meet next June to discuss their position from the war...

Some 11 said killed in southcentral Somalia fighting.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English entitled "Somalia: 11 killed in southern Somalia battles" published by Somali pro-Puntland government Garoweonline website on 30 March Mogadishu, Somalia, 30 March: At least 11 people were killed Monday [30...

East African body upbeat Kenya, Uganda will resolve row over island.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Anthony Bugembe entitled "Migingo Island row will not affect EA community" by state-owned, mass-circulation Ugandan daily The New Vision website on 30 March The wrangles between Uganda and Kenya over Migingo island [on...

Some 100 Egyptian peacekeepers arrive in Sudan's Darfur.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Paris-based Sudanese newspaper Sudan Tribune website on 31 March Some 100 peacekeepers from the second Egyptian Infantry Battalion arrived Monday to Al-Fashir the capital of North Darfur state to join the...

Sudan said planning to mediate between Somali president, Asmara-based rival.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Somali pro-Puntland government website on 30 March Reports reaching us from Khartoum, Sudan, indicate that the Sudanese government has embarked on efforts to bring together the Somali government and groups that are...

AU Darfur panel to visit Sudan on 1 April.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by UN sponsored Radio Miraya FM website, on 31 March Tuesday, 31 March 2009: A delegation of African leaders headed by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, will arrive in Khartoum tomorrow [Wednesday 1...

Afghanistan attaches great importance to Iran's presence in Hague.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Iranian official government news agency IRNA website The Hague, 31 March: Deputy spokesman for the Afghan president Siamak Haravi said here Monday [30 March] evening that Kabul has always attached great...

Bangladesh probe agency questions Islamist party leader over mutiny.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by staff correspondent headlined "CID questions Razzaq over BDR rebellion" published by Bangladeshi newspaper New Age website n English on 31 Mar 09 After interrogating a front-ranking leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami,...

Pundit describes "paradoxes" of Georgian politics.
March 31, 2009... Georgian pundit Davit Aprasidze has analyzed some peculiarities of the current political situation in Georgia, describing them as "paradoxes". Among others, the author pointed to the opposition's assurances that it will act within...

Uganda reportedly "beefs up security" on disputed island.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Nick Oluoch entitled "No respite in Migingo Island dispute" by Kenyan privately-owned daily newspaper The Standard website on 31 March Four days after talks on Migingo collapsed, Uganda has beefed up security on the...

Polio vaccination in Ugandan capital under way.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Stella Naigino entitled "Polio blamed on Juba traders" by state-owned, mass-circulation Ugandan daily The New Vision website on 30 March Ugandan traders operating in Juba [southern Sudan] and DRCongo have been accused...

Georgia to send squadron to Afghanistan soon - foreign minister.
March 31, 2009... Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze has said that Georgia is sending a squadron to Afghanistan in the near future. "We are participating in restoration activities. Our doctors are in Afghanistan, and a Georgian squadron will arrive...

Kabul residents call for dismissal of "incompetent" Afghan officials - TV.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Afghan independent Tolo TV, on 30 March [Presenter] A number of residents of Kabul are calling for the dismissal of some government officials. Kabul residents said that despite the fact that some government officials...

Abuse of public funds cited in purchase of army choppers in Uganda.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Yasiin Mugerwa entitled "Army choppers sold at lower price; money unaccounted for" by leading privately-owned Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor website on 31 March Parliament: A new report by parliament is questioning...

Rwandan presidential aide returns home 31 March.
March 31, 2009... Excerpt from report by French state-funded public broadcaster Radio France Internationale on 31 March Rose Kabuye, a close aide to President Paul Kagame, who was indicted in Paris, returns to Kigali today where she will take up her...

Somalia: Puntland journalist jailed for libel.
March 31, 2009... Text of press release by the Mogadishu-based National Union of Somali Journalists published by the International Freedom of Expression (IFEX) website on 30 March The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is shocked to learn of the...

Kenyan authorities accused of "harassing" Somali refugees.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by David Ochami entitled "Probe forced repatriation of Somali refugees, says rights agency" by Kenyan privately-owned daily newspaper The Standard website on 31 March Human Rights Watch (HRW) wants the international...

Russian antiterror body to draft proposals to lift special regime in Chechnya.
March 31, 2009... Excerpt from report by corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 31 March: The issue of the possibility of lifting the regime of the counterterrorist operation in Chechnya will be developed by the apparatus of the National...

Somalia: Puntland president says internally displaced contributing to insecurity.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Somali pro-Puntland government Puntlandpost website on 30 March The president of Puntland Administration, Dr Abdirahman Shaykh Muhammad, giving an exclusive interview to the Garowe Radio Station which he personally...

Uganda revisits issue of machetes imported prior to 2001 polls.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Mercy Nalugo entitled "URA questioned over Shs20m spent on guarding machetes" leading privately-owned Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor website on 31 March Parliament: MPs yesterday questioned the tax officials over...

Ministry disagrees with World Bank economy forecast for Russia.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti Moscow, 31 March: The Russian Ministry of Economic Development does not agree with the World Bank's assessment of the depth of the 4.5-per-cent plunge of the Russian economy in 2009...

SAfrica: Intelligence office rejects investigating alleged "Mbeki-gate tapes".
March 31, 2009... Text of report by non-profit South African Press Association (SAPA) news agency The Office of the Inspector General of Intelligence (OIGI) has dismissed calls for a probe into the so-called Mbekigate tapes because it has no proof that...

AU welcomes Somali president's decision to allow troops to stay on.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by privately-owned Somali Shabeelle Media Network website on 30 March The African Union has welcomed the statement by the Somali president, Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmad, in which he said African Union Mission in Somalia...

SAfrican Jewish group says visa refusal for Dalai Lama mockery of constitution.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by non-profit South African Press Association (SAPA) news agency JOHANNESBURG March 30 Sapa The South African government's refusal to grant the Dalai Lama entry into the country makes a mockery of the Constitution,...

Morocco deports five foreign Christian preachers.
March 31, 2009... Text of un-attributed report headlined "Five foreign missionaries expelled from Morocco", published by Moroccan daily newspaper Aujourd'hui le Maroc on 30 March The judiciary police services on Sunday [29 March] deported five...

Nova TV to launch via Astra satellite.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Cambridge-based independent Broadband TV News website, on 31 March SES Astra has signed a long-term agreement with Central European Media Enterprises (CME) paving the way for the launch of the first Croatian channel on...

SAfrica: Prosecuting Authority yet to decide on whether to prosecute Zuma.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by non-profit South African Press Association (SAPA) news agency JOHANNESBURG March 30 Sapa The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) by Monday afternoon had not announced a decision on whether or not it would drop...

DRCongo: Rwandan Hutu rebels said occupying some 20 villages in east.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by DRCongo community station Radio Maendeleo from Bukavu on 30 March [Presenter] Twenty villages out of 28 of the Nindja Chiefdom in Kabare [district of Sud-Kivu, eastern DRCongo] are under the occupation of the Rwandan...

Pakistan frontier police say Al-Qa'idah, Taleban planning attacks in US, Europe.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Muhammad Bilal headlined "Qaeda, Taleban planning 9/11-like attacks in US, Europe: NWFP IG" published by Pakistani newspaper Daily Times website on 31 March Islamabad: Al-Qa'idah and Taleban are planning to stage...

Albanian president says blood feuds are "unacceptable".
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Albanian state news agency ATA Tirana, 30 March ATA) - President of the Republic, Bamir Topi urged on Wednesday intensification of inter-institutional and civil society cooperation in fight against phenomenon...

Albanian bodies sign cooperation agreement on fighting financial crime.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Albanian state news agency ATA [Report by A. Gjonaj: "Agreement Against Fiscal Evasion and Economic Crime"] Tirana, 30 March (ATA) - The High Inspectorate of Declaration and Audit of Assets started on...

Albanian government reduces price of new identity cards.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Albanian state news agency ATA Tirana, 30 March (ATA) - The Government coalition is committed to give Albania dignified and fair elections, worthy of a NATO member country. "A testimony of this commitment...

Croatian PM says Croats in Bosnia "must be given equal rights".
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by Croatian state news agency HINA SARAJEVO, March 31 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said prior to his visit to the southern Bosnia-Hercegovina town of Mostar he was bringing a message with him that...

Russia wants "strong presence" in Afghanistan - paper.
March 31, 2009... Text of article by Mohammad Amin Mirza entitled "Moscow Conference, new eastern look at Afghanistan" by Afghan newspaper Daily Afghanistan, part of the Afghanistan newspaper group, on 29 March The continuing violence in Afghanistan has...

North Korea warns South not to participate in anti-proliferation initiative.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by state-run North Korean news agency KCNA website [KCNA headline: "S. Korean Puppet Authorities' Moves To Participate in 'PSI' Flailed"] Pyongyang, March 30 (KCNA) - A spokesman for the Committee for the...

British forces to "officially begin withdrawing from southern Iraq"; roundup.
March 31, 2009... Within its evening newscasts on 30 March, Iraqi government-controlled Al-Iraqiyah TV reports on President Jalal Talabani's meeting with EU envoys in Baghdad, the arrest of 31 "terrorists" in Al-Fallujah, and Prime Minister Nuri Maliki's...

Panamanian police capture three Colombians, seize 1,289 kg cocaine.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by state-run Mexican news agency Notimex ["1,289 Kg Cocaine Seized in Panama" - Notimex Headline] Panama, 28 Mar (Notimex).-Counter narcotics agents seized today a total of 1,289 kg of cocaine and arrested three...

Togo: Army provides free medical care to residents in north.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Togolese government website republicoftogo.com on 31 March Officials of the Health services of the Togo Armed Forces (FAT), on a humanitarian operation in the [northern] Kara Region as part of military manoeuvres, on...

Guinean ex-mines minister detained over alleged embezzlement of funds.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Guineenews website, based in Canada but with editorial team in Guinea, on 30 March Ex-Mines Minister Ahmed Kante was arrested this Monday [30 March] and led to the PMU, Guineenews learned from sources close to the audit...

Venezuelan mosque robbed second time in six months.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Venezuelan newspaper El Universal website on 24 March [Unattributed report: "Criminals Break In, Rob Mosque in Quebrada Honda".] The mosque located on Amador Bendayan Boulevard, Quebrada Honda sector, was robbed...

Indian news, entertainment TV channel P7 launches.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by Indian broadcast industry website Indiantelevision.com on 30 March Mumbai: Pearls Broadcasting Corporation Ltd has launched a national Hindi news and entertainment channel christened P7. The Noida-based Hindi news...

Ghana: Government renews curfew on northern municipality of Bawku.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Radio 1 on 30 March The minister for the interior has on the advice of the Upper East northern regional security councils and by executive instrument, renewed the curfews...

Colombia's FARC "ready" to swap prisoners.
March 31, 2009... Text of report by independent New Colombia News Agency (Anncol) website [Letter sent by the FARC-EP Central Staff Secretariat to Senator Piedad Cordoba and the Colombian Men and Women for Peace from the mountains of Colombia and dated 28...

Two killed in Russia's Ingushetia.
March 31, 2009... Two people were killed in the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia in the early hours of 31 March, the Ingushetia.org website has reported. The website quoted a source at the Ingush Interior Ministry as saying that an unidentified...

South Korea to draw plans for nuclear repository.
March 31, 2009... Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap [By Lee Joon-seung] Seoul, March 30 (Yonhap) - South Korea will seek to draw up a masterplan within the year to build a permanent repository for spent radioactive fuel...