BBC Monitoring International Reports articles from October 2008, page 8

BBC Monitoring International Reports archives from October 2008

(Corr) Russian MP calls for world arms embargo on Georgia.
October 30, 2008... (Correcting the name of the official Morozov to Zavarzin in paragraphs 4 and 5. A corrected version of the item follows:) Excerpt from report by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti Moscow, 20 October: The international community...

UN boss urges southern Africa leaders to "act decisively" to end Zimbabwe crisis.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by South Africa-based ZimOnline website on 30 October [Report by Norest Musvaba: "UN Chief Urges SADC To Be Decisive on Zim"] Johannesburg - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged southern African leaders...

DRCongo dissident general says no government troops in eastern town.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by French state-funded public broadcaster Radio France Internationale on 30 October [Presenter] Ghislaine Dupont asked [DRCongo dissident General] Laurent Nkunda himself about the situation in the eastern town of Goma. ...

Tribesmen target US drones in Pakistan's North Waziristan - sources.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by leading private Pakistani satellite TV channel Geo News website on 30 October Miranshah: US drones made flights in different parts of North Waziristan. Tribesmen fire at drones after which drones were returned to...

Hundreds of DRCongo refugees troop to Uganda.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-owned, mass-circulation Ugandan daily The New Vision website on 30 October Hundreds of refugees continued to troop into Kisoro district in western Uganda yesterday, fleeing heavy fighting in eastern Congo between...

Sri Lankan troops dominate Tamil Tigers "last major defence" in north.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order website on 30 October The Wanni liberation operation has reached to a significant milestone as the troops of 57 Division has totally dominated the...

Rwanda denies involvement in DRCongo conflict.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by Rwandan radio on 30 October; subheading inserted editorially [Presenter] Report from Rubavu District in northwestern Rwanda says that [DR]Congolese government troops shelled some parts of the districts...

Iran allocates more funds for Esfahan-Shiraz railway project.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-run Iranian radio on 30 October The Iranian government has allocated additional 36bn tumans [about 36m dollars] for the construction of the Esfahan-Shiraz railway. The economic commission of the government...

Pakistan: Relief operation continues in Baluchistan's quake-hit areas.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by official news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Quetta/Ziarat [Baluchistan], 30 October [Thursday]: Relief operations by Pakistan Army, the Frontier Corps [FC], Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA),...

Afghan MPs allege vote rigging ahead of presidential elections.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned Afghan Ariana TV on 29 October [Presenter] A number of MPs in the lower house have claimed that there is fraud and forging in the Afghan voter registration process. They have said that voting cards are...

Australia unveils new anti-bomb robot.
October 30, 2008... Text of media release carried by Australian Department of Defence website on 30 October The minister for defence science and personnel, the Hon Warren Snowdon MP, today unveiled a new robot called SPIKER, designed to counter improvised...

Sri Lanka Air Force raids Tamil Tigers suicide training base.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order website on 30 October SLAF [Sri Lanka Air Force] fighter jets made precision air raids at an LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] female suicide squad...

Ugandan radio presenter summoned over sectarian comments on show.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-owned, mass-circulation Ugandan daily The New Vision website on 30 October A Capital radio talk show host has been summoned over allegations that sectarian statements were made on his show, The Capital Gang. ...

Uganda to export power to neighbouring countries.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-owned, mass-circulation Ugandan daily The New Vision website on 30 October Uganda plans to export power to the DRCongo and Sudan under the East African Power Master Plan, reports Madinah Tebajjukira. Energy...

Sydney police crack multimillion-dollar ecstasy syndicate.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by News Corp-owned Australian general news daily Courier-Mail website on 30 October Police say they have smashed a 20m dollar ecstasy syndicate in Sydney after arresting four men and seizing stockpiled chemicals and pill...

Kyrgyzstan urges Shanghai bloc to draft food security strategy.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Astana, 30 October: Kyrgyzstan is proposing that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states draft a common food security strategy. "Taking into account...

Suicide bomber attacks Information Ministry in Afghan capital.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by private Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency Kabul, 30 October: A suicide attack has been carried out at the gate of the Information and Culture Ministry. According to reports, the suicide bomber carried out...

Russian premier predicts new multipolar world architecture.
October 30, 2008... The modern world is going through an important transition period which will result in the creation of a multipolar financial and economic system and architecture of international relations as a whole, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has...

Nine civilians killed in DRCongo's eastern town as soldiers go on rampage.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by DRCongo's UN-sponsored Radio Okapi website on 30 October Nine civilians killed, three injured, three girls raped, and several homes, shops, restaurants and shops looted by armed men. This is the assessment of the...

Uganda: Parliamentary report absolves ministers of wrongdoing in land sale.
October 30, 2008... Excerpt from report by leading privately-owned Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor website on 30 October The minority report of dissenting MPs on the NSSF investigations committee has absolved Finance Minister Ezra Suruma and Security...

Three China mine accidents trap 57 miners in 24 hours.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "21 Trapped in Third China Mine Accident in 24 Hours"] ZHENGZHOU, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) - Twenty-one miners were trapped after a coal mine...

Seven trapped in North China mine flood.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "Seven Trapped in North China Mine Flood"] TAIYUAN, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) - Rescuers are working to free seven miners trapped underground...

Shanghai bloc should coordinate efforts in Afghanistan - Kazakh PM.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Astana, 30 October: Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov believes that there is a need to coordinate the economic activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)...

Uganda moves to automate securities exchange.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-owned, mass-circulation Ugandan daily The New Vision website on 30 October Parliament on Tuesday [28 October] passed a law to regulate electronic transactions on the Uganda Securities Exchange. Presenting the...

Pakistani children donate 261 dollars to Obama's campaign demanding peace.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Daud Khattak headlined "Peshawar children pay donation to Obama for peace" published by Pakistani newspaper Daily Times website on 30 October Peshawar: Pakistani schoolchildren who donated money for US presidential...

Hong Kong finds third egg sample tainted with melamine.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [Xinhua: "Hong Kong Finds Third Egg Sample Tainted With Melamine"] HONG KONG, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) - The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of Hong Kong...

New head of regional police directorate in western Ukraine appointed.
October 30, 2008... Col Pavlo Kononenko has been appointed head of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's main directorate in Transcarpathian Region, the Ukrainain news agency UNIAN reported on 29 October, quoting the directorate's press service. The Interior...

Survey suggests Australians back Obama four-one.
October 30, 2008... Excerpt from report by Radio Australia, international service of the government-funded ABC, on 30 October [From ABC Radio National's "The World Today" programme] [Presenter Eleanor Hall] While the presidential candidates are making...

Kyrgyzstan urges Shanghai bloc to ink accord on water resources.
October 30, 2008... Excerpt from report by privately-owned Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency Astana, 30 October: Kyrgyzstan is proposing that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states sign an agreement on the rational use of water resources....

Zambia's acting President pledges to be "leader for all".
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-owned national newspaper Zambia Daily Mail website on 30 October [Report by Kasuba Mulenga: "I'll Protect All -RB"] Acting President Rupiah Banda has assured Zambians that he will be a leader for all if...

Pacific officially in grip of dengue fever pandemic.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Radio Australia, international service of the government-funded ABC, on 30 October The Pacific is officially in the grip of a dengue fever pandemic, with new cases being diagnosed each week. Samoa, Tonga, New Caledonia,...

Talks on visa-free travel to EU to last "for years" - Ukrainian minister.
October 30, 2008... Excerpt from report by Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS Luxembourg, 29 October: The European Union and Ukraine have begun talks on a visa-free regime. The first round of talks between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko and...

Israel sees rocket fire from Gaza, violation of calm agreement.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Israel Defence Forces Radio on 30 October A Qassam rocket was fired a short while ago at the western Negev. The Qassam exploded in an open field without causing injury or damage. Rani Shani, our correspondent in the...

Syrian leader receives letter from Jordanian king on ties.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-run Syrian news agency SANA website ["President Al-Asad receives letter from Jordanian King on bilateral relations and latest developments in the region" - SANA headline] Damascus, 30 October: President Bashar...

Russian premier advocates SCO cooperation in space.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax Astana, 30 October: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has suggested that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization [SCO] consider the issue of establishing cooperation in the...

Iranian court passes guilty verdict on pilot of plane crashed in 2006.
October 30, 2008... The Public and Revolutionary Court of Mashhad (the capital city of the eastern Khorasan-e Razavi province) has passed a guilty verdict on a pilot of the Bandar Abbas-Mashhad flight that crashed in 2006, the state-run Iranian radio said on 30...

Al-Sharqiyah roundup: Al-Sistani gives government consent to sign security pact.
October 30, 2008... Dubai Al-Sharqiyah television carried in its major newscasts on 29 October several reports on the security agreement meant to be signed with the United States, including a report saying that Al-Sistani gave his consent to the Iraqi Government...

Afghan police "arrest" one of suicide attackers on Information Ministry.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Afghan independent Tolo TV, on 30 October Suicide attackers have targeted the Ministry of Information and culture in the Afghan capital, Kabul. According to the eyewitnesses, two suicide attackers entered the...

Finance adviser says Pakistan needs 5bn dollars immediately.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by staff correspondent headlined "Country needs $5 bn immediately: Tareen" published by Pakistani newspaper The News website on 30 October Islamabad: Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tareen informed the Senate...

Iraqi spokesman "confident" US "will ultimately accept" SOFA amendments.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Dubai-based, Saudi private capital-funded pan-Arab news channel Al-Arabiya TV on 29 October [Telephone interview with Iraqi government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh in Baghdad by Al-Arabiya anchorman Talib Kan'an in the...

Pakistan president strongly condemns Indian blasts.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by official news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Islamabad, 30 October [Thursday]: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday strongly condemned the series of bomb blasts that hit Indian state Assam, resulting in the...

One would-be suicide bomber still inside Afghan ministry building.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned Afghan Aina TV on 30 October Three suicide bombers have attacked the Ministry of Information and Culture. First they fired and killed security guards at the ministry's entrance and then one of them...

Georgian TV says three Russian soldiers killed in blasts in separatist Abkhazia.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by private Georgian TV station Rustavi-2 on 30 October [Presenter] A series of explosions have taken place in the villages of Chuburkhinji and Saberio [in Abkhazia's mainly ethnic Georgian-populated Gali District]. A...

Financial secretary "paints grim picture" of Hong Kong prospects.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Radio TV Hong Kong Radio 3 on 30 October The financial secretary [John Tsang] is predicting a tough time for the economy. He painted a grim picture while addressing the Legislative Council during the debate on the [chief...

International community moves to resolve eastern DRCongo crisis.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by DRCongo's UN-sponsored Radio Okapi website on 30 October An international diplomatic battle is on to bring peace to eastern DRCongo. Warring parties have been called to respect agreements. Emissaries have been sent. All...

SAfrica: SANC reportedly "preferred" name of ANC "breakaway" party.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by South African privately-owned, established daily newspaper The Star website on 30 October [Report by Report attributed to political staff: "SANC" -"That's What Lekota and his Followers Call Themselves"] The South...

Zambia: Army warns "action against" trouble-makers during presidential election.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-owned national newspaper Zambia Daily Mail website on 30 October [Report by Linda Nyondo: "Army Warns Trouble-Makers"] Zambia Army Commander, Isaac Chisuzi, has warned of stern action against people agitating...

Liberia reduces petroleum prices.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by independent Liberian Star Radio on 30 October The Ministry of Commerce has announced a reduction in the prices of the various kinds of petroleum products. Commerce Minister Miata Beysolow said the reduction was due to a...

Southern Sudan begins drafting referendum bill.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by independent, Nairobi-based, USAID-funded Sudan Radio Service on 29 October 29 October (Juba) - The Government of Southern Sudan [GoSS] has started drafting the southern Sudan referendum bill. The bill is...

Zimbabwe police charge South African over donation of vehicle to Tsvangirai.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by South Africa-based ZimOnline website on 30 October [Report by Nqobizitha Khumalo: "SA Businessman Charged for Donating Car to Tsvangirai"] BULAWAYO - Zimbabwean police have charged a South African businessman with...

Two Serbian citizens arrested in Croatian journalist murder case.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by Croatian state news agency HINA Zagreb, Oct 30 (Hina) - Croatian senior police official Krunoslav Borovec has declined to confirm or deny the information released in Belgrade on Wednesday evening according to...

Burmese foreign minister ends visit to North Korea.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by state-run North Korean news agency KCNA [As of 0800 gmt, Pyongyang Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) in Korean has not been observed to carry the following; KCNA headline: "FM Of Myanmar And His...

FARC spokesman for humanitarian exchange killed in fighting with Colombian army.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by privately-owned, nationwide Colombian Caracol radio website on 29 October [Unattributed report: "Army Kills FARC Ideologist"] Alvaro Alfonso Serpa, alias "Felipe Rincon" [quotation marks as published], died during...

Taleban say "foreign advisers" target of attack on Afghan ministry.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Afghan Taleban Voice of Jihad website on 30 October Suicide attack carried out in Ministry of Information and Culture in Kabul [Taleban spokesman] Zabihollah Mojahed: Naqibollah, a hero mojahed of the Islamic...

Croatian police make arrests in journalist murder case.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by Croatian state news agency HINA ZAGREB, Oct 29 (Hina) - Croatian Minister of the Interior Tomislav Karamarko on Wednesday night confirmed that police were closing in on the person who killed Nacional weekly...

West African leaders call for cessation of hostilities in DRCongo.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Togolese government website republicoftogo.com on 29 October President Faure Gnassingbe and nine of his African counterparts in Brazzaville on Wednesday [29 October], in a common communique, called for cessation of...

DRCongo state TV reports relative calm in eastern town of Goma.
October 30, 2008... Relative calm has returned to DRCongo's eastern town of Goma, state-owned Radio-Television Nationale Congolaise TV (RTNC) reported on 30 October at 0830gmt. Yesterday, DRCongo rebels loyal to dissident Gen Laurent Nkunda reached the...

Ukraine decries Russia's pressure on UN over famine issue.
October 30, 2008... Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Horyn has said that Russia has been pressurizing representatives of the UN General Committee seeking to disrupt the consideration of the issue of the 1930s famine in Ukraine by the organization's...

Russian interior minister warns of dangers of corruption.
October 30, 2008... According to various surveys, over 70 per cent of Russians have in one form or another encountered bribery, Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev has said at a meeting with heads of law-enforcement agencies of the Urals Federal District...

DRCongo governor bans demo in capital Kinshasa.
October 30, 2008... The governor of DRCongo's capital Kinshasa, Andre Kimbuta, has banned all demonstrations in the capital following the rebels' advances on the eastern town of Goma, state-owned Radio-Television Nationale Congolaise TV (RTNC) reported on 30...

South Korean ruling party scrapes by in local elections.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap [Yonhap headline: "Lee's Party Avoids Embarrassment in Local By-Elections"] SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) - South Korea's ruling party managed to save its face in Wednesday's...

Sudan: Southern businesswoman urges wives of govt officials to help poor.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by independent, Nairobi-based, USAID-funded Sudan Radio Service on 29 October 29 October (Nairobi) - A south Sudanese businesswoman is calling on women not to depend on their husbands as the sole source of...

South Korea, EU to hold talks on free trade deal in November.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap Seoul, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) - Trade ministers from South Korea and the European Union (EU) are expected to meet in Brussels early next month to iron out divisive issues related to...

Sudan's SPLM accused of creating "divisions" in south.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by independent, Nairobi-based, USAID-funded Sudan Radio Service on 30 October The [opposition] United Democratic Southern Front [UDSF] party has accused [the ruling party in South Sudan] Sudan People's Liberation...

South Korean firms in North Korea warn against anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap Seoul, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) - A coalition of South Korean companies at a joint industrial park in North Korea warned Sunday their businesses are being threatened by anti-Pyongyang...

Haitian senator on imminent cabinet shuffle, slams foreign, finance ministers.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Haitian Radio Kiskeya text website on 28 October President Rene Garcia Preval was in Nippes Department on 27 October to visit the construction site for the new road. This alternate road will allow vehicle traffic access...

Four Afghan policemen reportedly killed in blast in south.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by private Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency Kandahar, 30 October: A security official in the Dand District of Kandahar Province, who spoke to Afghan Islamic Press on condition of anonymity, said a police...

Kenyan cabinet to meet 31 October over violence probe report.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Graham Kirwa entitled "Cabinet to deliberate Waki and Kriegler reports" published by state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) website on 29 October The cabinet will retreat to undisclosed venue this Friday [31...

Pakistan PM condemns Indian blasts.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by official news agency Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Islamabad, 30 October [Thursday]: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani on Thursday strongly condemned the string of blasts in India's northeastern state of Assam...

Iran president meets UAE minister, calls for expansion of ties.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by Iranian official government news agency IRNA website Khorramabad, Lorestan Province, 30 October: President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad said here on Wednesday [29 October] that Iran set no obstacle in the way of...

Minister says Kenyan nurses in Lesotho suffering.
October 30, 2008... Text of unattributed report entitled "Mungatana says 59 Kenyan nurses suffering in Lesotho" published by Kenyan opposition newspaper Kenya Times website on 30 October The government of Lesotho has ignored a memorandum of understanding...

Kenyan government to announce reductions in electricity tariffs.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Lumiti Khabuchi entitled "Government to lower power tariffs next week" published by Kenyan opposition newspaper Kenya Times website on 30 October The government will next week announce substantial reductions in...

Journalists' defence body following up Jordanian journalist's arrest.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by privately-owned Jordan Times newspaper on 30 October [Unattributed report in the "At a Glance" column: "CDFJ following up on Ajrashi case"] The legal assistance unit at the Centre for Defending the...

Chinese negotiator says Taiwan visit to focus on economy.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) - Chinese mainland's chief negotiator on Taiwan affairs Chen Yunlin said here Thursday that his upcoming visit to Taiwan...

Zambia: Electoral body launches election results centre for presidential poll.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by state-owned national newspaper Zambia Daily Mail website on 30 October [Report by Kelvin Chongo and Kangwa Mulenga: "ECZ Launch Election Results Centre"] THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) yesterday launched...

Kenyan state-owned broadcaster to expand cooperation with Chinese TV.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Judith Akolo entitled "KBC, CCTV to expand cooperation" published by state-owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) website on 29 October Kenya Broadcasting Corporation -KBC- is seeking to expand the cooperation with...

Haitian authorities search homes of suspected drug dealers.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Haitian Radio Vision 2000 on 29 October [From the "Info Vision" newscast; passages within slantlines in Creole] [Announcer Valery Numa] Agents from the Central Management of the Judicial Police [DCPJ] were seen on...

Iran calls for unified monetary system among Persian Gulf states.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by Iranian official government news agency IRNA website Tehran, 30 October: President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad said Wednesday [29 October] in a meeting with visiting Secretary General of Persian Gulf Cooperation...

Kenyan minister to review bill to pave way for overhaul of electoral body.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Bernard Namunane entitled "Bill recalled to include ECK changes" published by Kenyan privately-owned newspaper Daily Nation website on 29 October; subheading as published The government on Wednesday [29 October] took...

Commentary says Bosnian Croats face political "disintegration".
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Bosnian Croat Mostar-based daily Dnevni list, on 23 October [Commentary by Pejo Gasparevic: "Launch Initiative To Save Croats in B-H"] Is the international community about to step up its political and diplomatic...

Al-Jazeera interviews Lebanon Central Bank governor.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Qatari government-funded, pan-Arab news channel Al-Jazeera satellite TV on 29 October [Live interview with Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riyad Salamah in Beirut by an unidentified presenter in the studio] ...

Global terrorist threat not waning - Russian presidential envoy.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 30 October: The global terrorist threat is increasing despite all the efforts of the international community, Anatoliy Safonov, the Russian president's special...

Iran calls for further Tehran-Astana energy cooperation.
October 30, 2008... Text of report in English by Iranian official government news agency IRNA website Astana, 29 October: Iran's Vice-President Parviz Davudi here on Wednesday [29 October] said that Tehran wants expansion of strategic cooperation with...

UK Australia envoy sees financial crisis as driver for carbon-efficiency.
October 30, 2008... Text of report by Radio Australia, international service of the government-funded ABC, on 30 October [From ABC Radio National's "The World Today" programme] [Presenter Eleanor Hall] The federal opposition might be calling it crazy...