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AFP
Clashes in Bahrain ahead of crackdown report - AFP
We don't expect anything from it," said one protester speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. "This report serves the interests of the king," said another Aali protester. The findings by the commission will be released later Wednesday ...
S.Korean firms in Brazil accused of worker abuse - AFP
The young woman, who did not want to be identified, is among dozens of workers who have raised allegations of widespread abuse at a Samsung plant, located in Campinas, 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Sao Paulo. Similar complaints have been made at other ...
Europe piles pressure on ECB to fix debt crisis - AFP
A senior EU source speaking on condition of anonymity stressed that ECB leaders will keep buying bonds from euro countries facing runaway borrowing costs -- not least because an eventual break-up of the eurozone would mean the end of the board members' ...
Hamas orders Gaza banks to pay up $100 mn - AFP
The court decision also barred board members from either bank from leaving the Gaza Strip, the source said asking not to be named. The banker denounced the decision, saying: "All banks in Gaza pay no taxes in accordance with an exemption extended in ...
Man charged with trying to assassinate Obama: official - AFP
WASHINGTON — A 21-year-old Hispanic man arrested after shots were fired near the White House was charged Thursday with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama, a justice department official said. Oscar Ortega-Hernandez was arrested by ...
Rebekah Brooks expecting baby by surrogate - AFP
The source said the surrogate mother did not wish to be identified. Wilson said: "Charlie and Rebekah are overjoyed. "Whilst the pregnancy was not without its difficulties and sadness, Charlie and Rebekah are obviously hopeful for a very happy ending ...
Citigroup to cut 900 jobs: source - AFP
"There is no timing set -- some have been done, some have not... it simply has not all been decided yet," the source said. A spokeswoman for Citigroup declined to comment on the information but said: "As part of our ongoing efforts to control expenses, ...
Myanmar 'to move key jailed dissidents' - AFP
The official, who asked not to be named, said Min Ko Naing, one of the leaders of a failed student uprising in 1988 against the military junta that ruled Myanmar at the time, would be moved. U Gambira, a monk jailed for his role in cleric-led protests ...
Myanmar set to defy critics with nod as ASEAN host - AFP
"Our understanding of ASEAN practice is that it is not normal to name a host three years in advance, and we think it would be premature to select Burma (Myanmar) given its record on a range of issues," a senior administration official said Tuesday, ...
Senators urge probe into US firm aid for Syria - AFP
"Since we didn't sell it there, we don't know the particulars," said the official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. The United Nations estimates that more than 3500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the bloody ...
Singapore family books $1 mln Virgin space flight - AFP
Speaking at an international media and marketing conference in Singapore, Attenborough said the customer handed over a cheque for $1 million and asked to remain anonymous because "apparently he hasn't told his wife yet." "So he is going to become, ...
Credit Suisse released 130 US client files: report - AFP
The dossiers were of US clients with offshore accounts with Credit Suisse and its subsidiary Clariden Leu, SonntagsZeitung reported, citing an official close to the dossier. Contacted by the weekly for a response, Credit Suisse refused to confirm the ...
E.Guineans vote in constitutional referendum - AFP
"Obiang wants his country, long ignored or despised, to acquire a diplomatic status that matches its new financial weight," said one diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. Equatorial Guinea, which has a population of around 700000, ...
Russia resumes manned spaceflight after failures - AFP
The RIA Novosti agency quoted an anonymous source, which it said had worked for many years in the Russian space industry, as saying the sector was in crisis. "The great number of Russian space failures in the last years were caused by the human factor ...
Exxon inks oil deal with Iraqi Kurdistan: official - AFP
Shahristani met with an Exxon representative last week, the source said, but the results of that meeting are not known. A source in the Kurdistan ministry of natural resources said the deal with Exxon was signed in London. ExxonMobil would not comment ...
EU to tighten screws on ratings agencies - AFP
This could include for example the publication of an EU ratings index giving all ratings on a country by all agencies, including small and nascent companies, a source said. S&P said that due to a technical error it had mistakenly downgraded France's ...
Death toll in China mine blast rises to 34 - AFP
"And in closed conditions, the ventilation doesn't work well," said the official, who refused to be named. The provincial rescue headquarters said on Saturday that the air was thin in the shaft and "the chances of survival for the trapped miners are ...
iPhone 4S fever hits Hong Kong - AFP
A man from mainland China who refused to give his name said he had been waiting all week. "I'll be very proud to own this latest phone. And I'll be very embarrassed if I can't get anything," he said, adding he would buy as many as he could and sell ...
'Father of Mangroves' fights for Pakistan's forests - AFP
We could lose our timber completely in two to three decades if not effectively checked," an environment ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Hussain Bux Bhagat, a conservationist associated with the Sindh provincial wildlife department ...
Sri Lanka approves nationalisation bill - AFP
"The government's position was that this bill seeks to take over companies which had obtained state-owned assets in the past 20 years, but failed to work productively," a government official said. The government which has a comfortable two thirds ...
Five Qaeda suspects killed in south Yemen - AFP
ADEN — Five Al-Qaeda suspects, among them an Indonesian, were killed in artillery shelling on their strongholds in Yemen's south, a government official said Tuesday. "Two Al-Qaeda gunmen were killed in artillery shelling by the army in Zinjibar," the ...
Unidentified plane crashes in China: reports - AFP
When asked about reports of the plane crash, a local government official, who refused to be named, told AFP that an investigation was "on-going" but refused to comment further. Residents living near the crash site said there was talk the plane carried ...
Japan bought 10% of eurozone fund's latest bonds - AFP
TOKYO — Japan bought 10 percent of 3.0 billion euros ($4.13 billion) in bonds issued on Monday by the eurozone's rescue fund, a government official said on Tuesday, less than its previous investments. Japan's purchase came to 300 million euros, ...
US lawmakers lift hold on aid to Palestinians - AFP
A senior Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the block on aid had been a "signal" sent by Congress to the Palestinians over their UN statehood bid. They should "reconsider their policy, and focus on negotiation rather than ...
One dead, two hurt in Colombia rebel attack - AFP
A police spokesman who requested anonymity told AFP the attack took place around 2:00 am (0700 GMT), when suspected FARC guerrillas launched four bombs against the police station. Only three of the bombs exploded. The explosions destroyed a home and ...