• Chinese president meets Chinese, Nigerian businessmen

Nigeria is the top African producer of crude and the seventh largest in the world, normally pumping 2.5 million barrels per day, and was the first sub-Saharan Africa stop on a tour that has included the United States, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
Militants claiming responsibility for oil-installation attacks and kidnappings that have shut down over 20 percent of Nigeria's oil production this year vowed more violence in response to the Chinese deals.
"They should go back to China and do all these things they say for the millions of starving Chinese. We want control over our resources, not Chinese management and development of the Niger Delta," the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said in an e-mail.
Chinese President Hu and his Nigerian counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo signed an agreement Wednesday that requires Nigeria's Petroleum Ministry to give China's state oil firm preferential access to oil blocks in return for a Chinese undertaking to take over a loss-making refinery in the northern city of Kaduna.
China's economy is growing so fast, its leaders have taken steps to avoid inflation or ballooning bad loans. Growth hit 10.2 percent in the first quarter, and China is hungry for the energy, timber, minerals and other raw materials Africa can provide.
In January, China's state-controlled oil firm CNOOC announced it had reached a deal to pay US$2.3 billion (euro1.9 billion) for a 45-percent state in a Nigerian offshore oil field.
In other deals signed Wednesday, Chinese firms will build a hydroelectric power station in the northeastern Mambilla plateau and a fast rail system linking the Nigerian capital Abuja with the economic capital, Lagos.
Two Chinese telecommunication firms, Huawei Technologies and ZTE, will execute large contracts for rural telephone service across Nigeria with the help of concessionary loans from the Chinese government worth more than US$200 million (euro161 million).
Obasanjo's office released a statement as Hu wrapped up his visit Thursday saying China had granted Nigeria 46 million yuan (euro4.6 million; $5.7 million) in aid to be used in part to buy anti-malaria medicines and to train Nigerians in malaria control and prevention. The statement said China also granted Nigeria a new export credit for infrastructure development.
With 130 million people, Nigeria is also a major market for Chinese-produced goods. But Chinese companies have been accused of flooding local markets with fake and substandard goods, notably textiles. In December, Nigerian officials took the dramatic step of shutting down several shopping centers run by Chinese traders in the commercial capital, Lagos.
In the last five years, China's trade with Africa has grown fourfold to $40 billion in 2005.
The world's most populous country, with 1.3 billion people, has also set new development targets to increase its gross domestic product and lower energy consumption, the Chinese leader told Nigerian lawmakers Thursday.
"By the year 2020 ... GDP would quadruple that of 2000 to reach US$4 trillion, averaging US$3,000 per head," Hu said.
Nigeria was the first sub-Saharan Africa stop on a tour that has included the United States, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
China's growth has sparked a global race with the West for markets and industrial resources. Africa has become a frontier of opportunity for the world's most populous country and its fastest growing economy.
That has meant opportunity, aid and even key diplomatic support -- China is a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member -- to some governments shunned by the West, like Sudan and Zimbabwe. Hu is scheduled to head in a few days to Kenya, in East Africa.
----------
Associated Press reporter Bashir Adigun contributed to this report from Abuja, Nigeria.
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Document APRS000020060427e24r00017

Chinese agency reviews Sino-Nigeria trade, political ties
707 words

26 April 2006

11:48 AM

BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

BBCAPP

English

(c) 2006 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced except with the express permission of The British Broadcasting Corporation.
Text of report entitled: "Broad prospects for economic cooperation and trade between China and Nigeria", carried by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Asia-Pacific service
Lagos, 25 April: In Nigeria, whether it is the economic capital, Lagos, or a small town at the interface of urban and rural areas, as soon as you walk into a market, a dazzling array of Chinese commodities will grab your attention. Nowadays, the local people agree that "Chinese products are indispensable in the daily life of Nigerians". Inexpensive but of fine quality, Chinese commodities are very popular with the Nigerian consumer public, thanks mainly to the fast developing bilateral friendly relations between China and Nigeria.
Mutual trust at the political level, mutual benefit at the economic level, and mutual help in international affairs have facilitated the accelerated development of the strategic partnership between China and Nigeria. Cyril Obi, senior research fellow with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, told this reporter that in recent years, the Obasanjo administration has set great store by the status of China as a major power and her development potential and attached great importance to the development of its relations with China. In particular, since the Nigerian and Chinese heads of state exchanged visits for the first time in history at the beginning of the 21st century, high-level political exchanges between the two countries have kept increasing, economic cooperation has been accelerating, and they have been working more closely in support of each other in international affairs. He said: "Now is the best period in the history of friendly bilateral relations between Nigeria and China."
In recent years, Sino-Nigerian economic and trade ties have been developing rapidly and the market share of Chinese products in Nigeria has been increasing. Hu Yujie, commercial consul of the Chinese Consulate General in Lagos, said: China and Nigeria are highly complementary and Chinese products and technologies are well suited to the needs of Nigerian economic development. Nigeria has an abundance of mineral resources and a huge market of 138 million people. In particular, Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria, is a transportation hub and a goods distribution centre of Western Africa. Bilateral economic cooperation and trade between China and Nigeria have tremendous development potential and broad prospects.
Hu Yujie said: In 2005, the volume of bilateral trade between China and Nigeria amounted to 2.82bn dollars, up by 29.6 per cent year on year. Nigeria has become China's second largest trading partner among all African countries, after South Africa. In particular, the volume of bilateral trade between China and Nigeria has maintained double-digit growth rates in recent years, making Nigeria the second largest export market in Africa for China. The product portfolio that China exports to Nigeria has expanded from the traditional textile and light industry goods of the past to machinery, transportation equipment, telecommunications products, household appliances, small power generation equipment, chemical and pharmaceutical products, and so on. Machinery and electrical products account for 47 per cent of all Chinese exports to Nigeria.
According to statistics, since the beginning of the 21st century, China and Nigeria have signed 27 agreements and memoranda of understanding on cooperation, covering such sectors as oil, telecommunications, power, transportation, iron and steel, journalism, culture and education, radio-film-television, water conservancy, and medical and health care. These have lent a strong impetus to the development of Sino-Nigerian economic cooperation and trade.
China has also invested over 30m dollars in more than 30 wholly-owned, joint venture, and cooperative enterprises in Nigeria. It includes a 6m-dollar investment by China, Kaiyuan International Limited, in the Calabar Free Trade Zone in Southern Nigeria. This is the first air conditioner manufacturer in Nigeria. Chinese-made motorcycles boast a share of over 90 per cent of the Nigerian market.
Chinese State President Hu Jintao's state visit to Nigeria coincides with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nigeria. This visit is bound to elevate the friendly cooperative relations between China and Nigeria and between China and Africa to a new level.
Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in Chinese 0747 gmt 26 Apr 06
a4544af5
Document BBCAPP0020060426e24q005pl

The 1530 GMT News Advisory
AFP

1,271 words

26 April 2006

11:31 AM

Agence France Presse

AFPR

English

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006 All reproduction and presentation rights reserved.
HONG KONG, April 26, 2006 (AFP) -
Duty Editor: Lynne O'Donnell
Tel: [phone]
-- WORLD HEADLINES --
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan air strikes continue on Tamils, thousands flee
BAGHDAD: Rice, Rumsfeld in Baghdad to push for new Iraq government
TEHRAN: Iran vows global retaliation against US in nuclear dispute
CHERNOBYL: Prayers, flowers mark anniversary of Chernobyl disaster
KATHMANDU: Maoists lift weeks-long blockade of Nepal's capital
-- ASIA --
SriLanka-blast-unrest,5thlead
COLOMBO
Peace broker Norway expresses hope Sri Lanka will retreat from the brink of full-scale war even as 18 more people are killed in escalated air strikes aimed at avenging rebel attacks and thousands of Tamil villages flee for their lives.
700 words moved by Amal Jayasinghe. Picture+Graphic
SriLanka-blast-unrest,ANALYSIS
COLOMBO
Air strikes, mortar attacks, a suicide bombing in the heart of Colombo -- while it may seem Tamil Tiger rebels and Sri Lanka's government are beating war drums, some analysts say they are in fact preparing to return to truce talks.
700 words moved by Bryan Pearson
We have also moved: SriLanka-blast-unrest-toll
SriLanka-blast-unrest-refugees
SriLanka-blast-unrest-bomber
SriLanka-unrest-Tamil-suicide
SriLanka-Tigers-profile
Nepal-unrest,2ndlead
KATHMANDU
Nepal's powerful Maoist guerrillas lift a blockade of the capital following a plea by the country's premier-designate ahead of the kingdom's first parliamentary session for four years.
700 words moved by Deepesh Shresthra. Picture
We have alsomoved: Nepal-unrest-economy
Nepal-unrest-people-politics
Nepal-unrest-Koirala,PROFILE
Thailand-vote,2ndlead
BANGKOK
Thailand's top three judges will meet this week to consider nullifying this month's elections, after a rare demand from the king for the courts to resolve months of political turmoil, a court spokesman says.
600 words moved by Anusak Konglang. Picture
-- ASIAN BUSINESS --
China-Nigeria-diplomacy-oil,lead
ABUJA
China's President Hu Jintao flies into, Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer prospecting for new energy supplies to slake the thirst of his country's rapidly growing economy.
650 words 1600 GMT by Ade Obisesan
Japan-electronics-company-earnings-Sharp,2ndlead
TOKYO
Japan's Sharp Corp racks up a third consecutive record annual profit thanks to fast-growing sales of flat-screen televisions and mobile phones.
550 words moved. Picture.
China-forex-G7-US,ANALYSIS
BEIJING
China will not agree to any major yuan revaluation in the short-term, preferring its gradualist policy despite G7 calls led by the United States for more radical forex reform, analysts say.
620 words moved
-- AMERICAS --
US-politics-Bush-Snow,4thlead
WASHINGTON
President George W. Bush names conservative talk show host Tony Snow as his chief spokesman, the latest move in a White House shakeup aimd declining poll ratings for the US president
550 words 1600 GMT. Pictures
US-attacks-trial-Moussaoui,lead
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia
Jurors in the Zacarias Moussaoui trial return to court for a second full day of deliberations to decide whether the Al-Qaeda conspirator should be sentenced to death.
500 words 1630 GMT
US-attacks-prisoners-rights,lead
WASHINGTON
US rights groups say that more than 600 military and civilian personnel have been implicated in abuse of "war-on-terror" detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and at the US Guantanamo detention camp.
600 words 1600 GMT
US-company-aerospace-earnings-Boeing
CHICAGO
US aviation giant Boeing reports first-quarter profits soar 29 percent and affirms its forecasts for this year and next.
500 words 1630 GMT
Stocks-US
NEW YORK
Wall Street rallies on strong earnings news, shaking off concerns about a spike in interest rates on the bond market.
500 words 1600 GMT
-- MIDDLE EAST --
Iraq-US,3rdlead
BAGHDAD
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on surprise visits to Baghdad, push Iraqi leaders to swiftly form a national unity government.
850 words 1600 GMT by Jim Mannion and Sylvie Lanteaume. Picture
Iran-nuclear-politics,WRAP
TEHRAN
Iran's supreme leader warns the United States it would be "harmed" across the globe if it decided to attack the Islamic republic over its disputed nuclear programme.
700 words 1600 GMT by Hiedeh Farmani. Picture
Iran-nuclear-politics-meeting,2ndlead
VIENNA
The head of Iran's nuclear agency heads into last-ditch talks with the UN's atomic watchdog two days ahead of a UN deadline for Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment.
700 words 1700 GMT by Michael Adler.
Iraq-Zarqawi-video-unrest,3rdlead
BAGHDAD
Iraq's leadership, including the Sunni Arab camp involved in efforts to forge a unity government, unites in condemning the defiant battle call from Al-Qaeda frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
550 words 1600 GMT by Jay Deshmukh
Egypt-attacks,2ndlead
CAIRO
Twin suicide attacks targeting security personnel rock northern Sinai near the Gaza Strip, but cause no other casualties, two days after triple bombings killed at least 18 people in a Red Sea resort.
750 words moved by Simon Apiku. Pictures
Mideast-Palestinian-unrest,2ndlead
GAZA CITY
Six members of Palestinian security forces are shot and wounded by militants who had planned to ram an explosives-packed vehicle into a Gaza-Israel border crossing.
450 words moved by Sakher Abu El Oun
Mideast-Palestinian-Hamas-Egypt-attacks,ANALYSIS
GAZA CITY
The Hamas government's condemnation of the Egypt bombings does not signal an ideological shift in the radical Palestinian movement which still supports attacks against Israel, analysts say.
550 words moved by Mehdi Lebouachera
Mideast-Palestinians-Israel-Norway-Abbas-diplomacy,2ndlead
OSLO
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas calls for direct negotiations to be held "immediately" between Israelis and Palestinians at a proposed international conference on working a way out of the Middle East conflict.
700 words 1600 GMT by Ezzedine Said. Picture.
We have also moved: Mideast-Palestinians-Norway-Hamas-aid,lead
-- EUROPE --
Chernobyl-anniversary,3rdlead
CHERNOBYL, Ukraine
To tolling bells and the salute of military guns, survivors of the Chernobyl disaster join Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in somber memory of the world's worst nuclear accident 20 years ago.
700 words 1530 GMT by Anya Tsukanova. Picture. Graphic.
Chernobyl-anniversary-Belarus-opposition-demo
MINSK
Belarus' opposition prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident with a demonstration aimed at furthering their campaign to dislodge President Alexander Lukashenko.
500 words 1530 GMT by Nick Coleman
Britain-politics
LONDON
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is forced onto the defensive as his deputy prime minister owns up to a sex scandal, piling the woes on his beleaguered Labour government eight days before key local elections.
600 words moved by Robert MacPherson. Picture
Russia-Germany-politics-energy-Iran,lead
TOMSK, Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chancellor Angela Merkel open two days of talks expected to focus on energy and the Iran nuclear impasse.
600 words 1530 GMT by Valerie Leroux
We have also moved: Russia-Germany-history-society
US-attacks-CIA-EU-rights,lead
BRUSSELS
More than 1,000 secret CIA flights have passed through European airspace and airports since 2001 without governments requesting information about what they are doing, an EU lawmaker claims.
500 words 1600 GMT
Russia-oil-environment-politics-Baikal,3rdlead
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin orders that a planned pipeline due to pump Siberian oil to Asia be re-routed far from Lake Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake, in a decision hailed by Russian environmentalists as a major victory.
550 words moved by Christopher Boian
AFPLifestyle-France-health-slimming
PARIS
One person is believed to have died and five others are in intensive care in French hospitals after taking slimming pills containing the thyroid glands of pigs.
500 words moved
afp
Document AFPR000020060426e24q0034f

AFP World Economic News Summary
AFP

436 words

26 April 2006

10:34 AM

Agence France Presse

AFPR

English

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006 All reproduction and presentation rights reserved.
PARIS, April 26, 2006 (AFP) -
The top world economic news stories for Wednesday:
China-oil-Nigeria
LAGOS: Nigeria is to offer China's state oil firm four oil exploration licences in exchange for a four billion dollar investment in the west African country's infrastructure, a senior official said.
Russia-oil-environment-politics-Baikal
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin ordered that a planned pipeline to pump Siberian oil to Asia be re-routed far from Lake Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake, in a decision hailed by Russian environmentalists as a major victory.
Commodities-energy-oil-price
LONDON: World oil prices rose slightly before the latest weekly snapshot of US energy inventories, with the focus of attention set to fall on American supplies of motor fuel, analysts said.
Britain-economy-growth
LONDON: Britain's economy grew by 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2006, matching the previous three-month period and leading to the fastest annual growth pace since 2004, official data showed.
Greece-EU-public-aid-airline-structure-company-Olympic
ATHENS: Greece said it had a "ready and complete" proposal to submit to the European Commission concerning its plans to restructure Olympic Airlines, hours after the EU's executive arm said it was suing Athens for its failure to recover illegal state aid to the carrier.
EU-eurozone-economy-industry-output
BRUSSELS: Industrial output sputtered in February but strong growth in new orders signalled firm demand, official EU data showed.
Stocks-US-open
NEW YORK: Wall Street shares swung higher at the opening as the market rebounded on the heels of strong earnings news, shaking off concerns about a spike in interest rates on the bond market.
Stocks-Europe
LONDON: European stock markets rose, with London lifted by the prospect of a bid for Centrica, Britain's biggest supplier of gas to homes, by Russian energy giant Gazprom, dealers said.
Forex-Europe
LONDON: The dollar regained ground against the euro and the yen ahead of fresh US economic data.
Japan-auto-company-earnings-Honda
TOKYO: Honda Motor, Japan's third-largest automaker, reported a fifth straight year of record profits helped by robust overseas sales and a weaker yen.
Japan-electronics-company-earnings-Sharp
TOKYO: Japan's Sharp Corp racked up a third consecutive record annual profit thanks to fast-growing sales of flat-screen televisions and mobile phones.
China-forex-G7-US
BEIJING
China will not agree to any major yuan revaluation in the short term, preferring its gradualist policy despite G7 calls led by the United States for more radical forex reform, analysts said.
afp
Document AFPR000020060426e24q0033d

The 1030 GMT News Advisory
WORDS

1,447 words

26 April 2006

06:48 AM

Agence France Presse

AFPR

English

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006 All reproduction and presentation rights reserved.
HONG KONG, April 26, 2006 (AFP) -
Duty Editor: Phil Chetwynd
Tel: [phone]
-- WORLD HEADLINES --
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka launches air strikes in response to Tiger bombing
KATHMANDU: Maoist lift blockade of Kathmandu
BAGHDAD: Rice, Rumsfeld in Baghdad to push for new Iraq government
TEHRAN: Iran vows global retaliation against US in nuclear dispute
CHERNOBYL: Prayers, carnations as world remembers Chernobyl disaster
-- ASIA --
SriLanka-blast-unrest,3rdlead
COLOMBO
Sri Lanka vows to keep up air strikes against Tamil Tiger positions as fears grow the country could be sliding back to full-scale civil war despite US-led calls for restraint and a return to peace talks.
700 words moved by Amal Jayasinghe. Picture. Graphic
SriLanka-blast-unrest,ANALYSIS
COLOMBO
Air strikes, mortar attacks, a suicide bombing in the heart of Colombo -- while it may seem Tamil Tiger rebels and Sri Lanka's government are beating war drums, some analysts say they are in fact preparing to return to truce talks.
700 words moved by Bryan Pearson
We have also moved: SriLanka-blast-unrest-toll
SriLanka-blast-unrest-refugees
SriLanka-blast-unrest-bomber
SriLanka-unrest-Tamil-suicide
SriLanka-Tigers-profile
Nepal-unrest,2ndlead
KATHMANDU
Nepal's powerful Maoist guerrillas lift a blockade of the capital following a plea by the country's premier-designate ahead of the kingdom's first parliamentary session for four years.
700 words 1200 GMT by Deepesh Shresthra. Picture
Nepal-unrest-economy
KATHMANDU
Ten years of Maoist insurgency have left Nepal's economy in tatters, but the king's political climbdown has business and development leaders hopeful the situation is on the mend.
650 words 1100 GMT by Sam Taylor
Nepal-unrest-people-politics
KATHMANDU
People on the streets of Nepal have given their political leaders a second chance to govern after leading the battle against the all-powerful king but say they will not accept a repeat of the squabbling and corruption that has scarred public life.
600 words moved by Deborah Pasmantier. Picture
Nepal-unrest-Koirala,PROFILE
KATHMANDU
Girija Prasad Koirala, the grand old man of Nepali politics set to become its new premier, is part of a family dynasty that has fought for democracy in Nepal for more than 50 years.
600 words moved by Paul Peachey
Thailand-vote,2ndlead
BANGKOK
Thailand's top three judges will meet this week to consider nullifying this month's elections, after a rare demand from the king for the courts to resolve months of political turmoil, a court spokesman says.
600 words 1100 GMT by Anusak Konglang. Picture
Solomons-politics-unrest,3rdlead
HONIARA
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Snyder Rini resigns amid public jubilation a week after his election sparked two days of rioting in the impoverished South Pacific archipelago.
650 words moved by Bruce Edwards
Solomons-politics-unrest-Taiwan
HONIARA
The resignation of Solomon Islands Prime Minister Snyder Rini could risk Taiwan's diplomatic relations with its South Pacific ally following charges that chequebook diplomacy fueled riots last week.
500 words moved
-- ASIAN BUSINESS --
Japan-electronics-company-earnings-Sharp,2ndlead
TOKYO
Japan's Sharp Corp racks up a third consecutive record annual profit thanks to fast-growing sales of flat-screen televisions and mobile phones.
550 words moved. Picture.
We will also move: Japan-auto-company-earnings-Honda,2ndlead
Japan-oil-company-earnings-NipponOil,lead
Japan-electronics-company-earnings-Sony,ADVANCER
TOKYO
Sony is expected to unveil a robust turnaround in its fortunes Thursday as brisk sales of flat-screen televisions and painful restructuring put the Japanese electronics giant back on track, analysts say.
600 words moved
Australia-economy-inflation,lead
SYDNEY
A sharp rise in inflation increases pressure on Australia's central bank to lift interest rates, as the government warns spiralling fuel prices are set to push the cost of living even higher.
600 words moved by Neil Sands
China-forex-G7-US,ANALYSIS
BEIJING
China will not agree to any major yuan revaluation in the short-term, preferring its gradualist policy despite G7 calls led by the United States for more radical forex reform, analysts say.
620 words moved
Philippine-oil-economy
MANILA
Philippine officials are scrambling to come up with measures to alleviate the effects of record high crude prices but economists are warning that the cure may be worse than the disease.
700 words moved by Mynardo Macaraig
Thailand-economy-oil,lead
BANGKOK
Thailand's central bank scales back by a half-point its economic growth forecast this year, blaming high oil prices, inflation, rising interest rates and political instability for the weakness.
500 words 1100 GMT by Nareerat Wiriyapong
-- MIDDLE EAST --
Iraq-US
BAGHDAD
US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrive in Baghdad unannounced to meet Iraqi leaders in a bid to push ahead the swift formation of a national unity government.
800 words 1100 GMT by Jim Mannion and Sylvie Lanteaume. Picture
We have also moved: Iraq-US-Rumsfeld,4thlead
Iran-nuclear-politics,WRAP
TEHRAN
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warns the United States it risks global retaliation if it attacks Iran, as his government vows to ignore UN Security Council demands to halt its nuclear programme.
700 words 1130 GMT by Hiedeh Farmani. Picture. Graphic
For further coverage please see Middle East section of this advisory.
Iran-nuclear-politics-meeting
VIENNA
The head of Iran's nuclear agency, Vice President Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, holds last-ditch talks with the UN nuclear watchdog two days ahead of a UN deadline for Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment.
700 words 1130 GMT by Michael Adler. Pictures.
We have also moved: Iran-nuclear-politics-US
Iran-nuclear-politics-NATO
Iran-nuclear-politics,CHRONO
Iraq-Zarqawi-video-unrest
BAGHDAD
Iraq's most wanted man, Al-Qaeda frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, voices new defiance of Washington in a first reported video message posted hours before the US defence secretary and secretary of state fly into Baghdad.
600 words moved by Jay Deshmukh. Picture
We have also moved: Qaeda-Iraq-unrest-Zarqawi,PROFILE
Egypt-attacks,lead
CAIRO
Thirty suspects are being questioned as Egypt presses its investigation into deadly bombings in the Red Sea resort of Dahab, the third such attacks to have hit the Sinai in 18 months.
700 words 1330 GMT by Simon Apiku. Pictures
Egypt-attacks-Bedouins
DAHAB, Egypt
After triple bombings rocked Egypt's Red Sea resort of Dahab, the local Bedouin tribe fears becoming the scapegoat of an embattled regime seeking to reassure tourists and investors.
600 words moved by Jailan Zayan
-- EUROPE --
Britain-politics
LONDON
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is back on the defensive as his burly deputy owns up to a sex scandal, piling the woes on his beleaguered government eight days before key local council elections.
600 words 1230 GMT by Robert MacPherson. Picture
Russia-Germany-politics-energy-Iran
TOMSK, Russia
President Vladimir Putin and Chancellor Angela Merkel start two days of talks in this central Siberian city to discuss the Iran nuclear standoff and chart a course forward for Russian-German ties.
600 words 1300 GMT by Valerie Leroux. Pictures.
Chernobyl-anniversary,2ndlead
CHERNOBYL, Ukraine
Clutching red carnations and whispering prayers, survivors of the Chernobyl disaster mark the 20th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident that continues to haunt millions of people in this corner of ex-Soviet land.
700 words 1130 GMT by Anya Tsukanova. Picture. Graphic
Chernobyl-anniversary,SCENE
SLAVUTICH, Ukraine
Pain mixes with tearful nostalgia in night-time ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, as survivors of the horrific nuclear accident remember friends who died.
600 words moved by Anya Tsukanova. Pictures.
We will also move: Chernobyl-anniversary-Britain
-- AFRICA --