DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Italy, France agree to hold G7 meeting on debt crisis” plus 9 more |
- Italy, France agree to hold G7 meeting on debt crisis
- UN chief, Nepali PM discuss peace process by phone
- U.S. State Department issues new travel warning on Syria
- Shallow quake strikes off Sumatra, Indonesia
- China issues highest alert as Typhoon Muifa sweeping East China Sea
- Gold prices in Cambodia hit record high
- Cambodia's GDP growth likely to exceed 8%: commerce minister
- GMS ministers fully support 3rd-decade economic strategic framework
- Cambodian landmine casualties decline 33% in H1
- GMS ministers meet in Cambodia to finalize 3rd decade economic co-op roadmap
| Italy, France agree to hold G7 meeting on debt crisis Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:54 PM PDT ROME, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Italy and France agreed to hold an emergency G7meeting on the prolonged debt crisis plaguing Europe, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said here Friday. Berlusconi told a press conference that he and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed during a telephone conversation to hold a G7 Finance Ministers meeting in a few days. He also made phone calls to other European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy to discuss measures to tackle the debt crisis. The press conference was held after the Italian main FTSE Mib stock market index closed Friday down 0.70 percent, hitting a new record low at 16,015 points. The country's stock market has suffered a heavy blow for five consecutive trading days since last Monday and the index dropped 5.16 percent on Thursday. The spread of Italian 10-year government bonds over benchmark German Bunds rose to 416 basis points Friday, a new record since the euro was introduced, before it fell to 375 basis points when the market closed. "There is a very particular attention from international speculation on us that we must try to counter," Berlusconi. The prime minister promised to bring forward an austerity budget plan, aiming to achieve a balanced budget by 2013, a year ahead of the original schedule. The austerity plan, worth over 70 billion euros (about 99 billion U.S. dollars), was approved by the Italian parliament last month to secure public finances and reassure global markets of the country's financial solidity. |
| UN chief, Nepali PM discuss peace process by phone Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:54 PM PDT KATHMANDU, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal Friday evening and expressed concern and interest regarding the progress of the peace process in Nepal. Prime Minister's press advisor Surya Thapa informed the media about the telephonic conversation between the UN Secretary General and the Prime Minister. In the phone conversation, Ban expressed hearty wishes that the peace process in Nepal would be concluded successfully and also expressed the confidence that lasting peace would be maintained in this beautiful country under Prime Minister Khanal's leadership. "The United Nations is ready to extend any cooperation required by Nepal in this connection, but I express my best wishes that you march towards success through an advanced understanding," Ban said to the PM. In reply, Khanal said that he was making efforts for the success of the peace process by fixing a deadline and calling on the responsible leaders of the major political parties to reach a conclusion at the earliest date for concrete progress in peace and constitution. "Otherwise, I have already made a public announcement that I am resigning from the post of Prime Minister on August 13. I express my thanks for the continued cooperation, and concern of the United Nations in Nepal's peace process and constitution," the prime minister said. |
| U.S. State Department issues new travel warning on Syria Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:53 PM PDT WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department on Friday issued a new travel warning for U.S. citizens traveling in Syria, citing the deteriorating situation there due to escalation of violent clashes between government forces and opposition militants. In the warning, the State Department urged American citizens in Syria to leave the country while commercial transportation is still available, "given the ongoing uncertainty and volatility of the situation." It noted the Syrian government has imposed tight restrictions on diplomats of the United States and other countries for traveling around the country. This is the second time that the State Department issued a travel warning on Syria since April, when it urged Americans to depart the country and ordered evacuation of non-essential personnel and families of American staff at the U.S. Embassy to Damascus. The warning was issued at a time when Syrian security forces stepped up crackdown on anti-government protesters, especially in the central city of Hama, an opposition stronghold. At least five people were killed Friday in a suburb of Damascus as thousands of people took to the streets across Syria for a new round of anti-government rallies. The official SANA news agency reported that six soldiers were killed Friday across Syria by armed opposition militants, while the government forces had achieved substantial results in crushing the rebels in Hama. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said that it was estimated that more than 2,000 Syrians had been killed in violent clashes with government forces since the unrest began five months ago. She said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost his legitimacy, saying Syria would be a better place without him in power. U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday discussed separately with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the latest developments of the eurozone crisis, as well as the situation in Syria, the White House said. The leaders condemned Syria's "continued use of indiscriminate violence" against its people, welcoming Wednesday's UN presidential statement condemning Syria's actions, agreeing to consider "additional steps to pressure the Assad regime." Earlier Thursday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States was weighing additional sanctions to increase both political and financial pressure on the Syrian government, in order to "put a squeeze on" it. |
| Shallow quake strikes off Sumatra, Indonesia Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:51 PM PDT JAKARTA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) - A shallow moderate quake measuring 5.6 Richter scale jolted Sumatra Island of Indonesia on Saturday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here. The quake struck at 9:45 a.m. Jakarta time (0245 GMT) with epicenter at 44 km southwest Mukomuko town of Bengkulu province and with the depth at 10 km under sea bed, an official of the agency told Xinhua. Indonesia is prone to earthquake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire". |
| China issues highest alert as Typhoon Muifa sweeping East China Sea Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:51 PM PDT BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center issued a red alert for sea waves on Saturday as the powerful Typhoon Muifa is sweeping across the southeastern part of the East China Sea. The red alert is the highest alert in the four-level high wave warning system. Sea waves piled up as Muifa approaches. Waves of 10.5 meters high has been observed in the East China Sea, according to a statement issued by the forecasting center. The East China Sea will see waves of 9 to 11 meters high from Saturday noon to Sunday noon, waters off Shanghai and Zhejiang will see waves of 5 to 7 meters high, and waters off Jiangsu and southern Zhejiang Province will also see waves of 3 to 5 meters high, the statement said. Muifa, the ninth typhoon to hit China this year, made landfall in the East China Sea around 22:00 p.m. on Friday, according to the statement. The center said that while the possibility of Muifa landing on Shanghai and southern Jiangsu province is not ruled out, it sees a greater chance of Muifa heading all the way to the north and making a landfall on Shandong province. If so, it will affect the entire waters off China's eastern and northern coastal areas. Also according to the statement, Muifa is likely to continue its force or abate a little bit while sweeping along the eastern coastal area. The center is continuing its yellow alert for storm, warning local authorities and the public to take precautions and intensify safety checks on fishing facilities. The yellow alert is the second-lowest alert level in the country's four-level rainstorm alert system. |
| Gold prices in Cambodia hit record high Posted: 04 Aug 2011 09:24 PM PDT PHNOM PENH, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Gold prices in Cambodia have hit record high on Friday, a damlung goes for 2,010 U.S. dollars, 7 percent rise from 1,880 U.S. dollars two weeks ago, said Sieng Lim, the president of Cambodia's largest gold dealer, Ly Hour Exchange in the capital. Damlung is the commonly used Cambodian measure for the precious metal, equal to 37.49 grams or 1.2 troy ounces. "The surge in gold prices here is in line with those trading on international market," she said. "Also, it is because the U.S. dollar experiences weakness and it makes investors seek a safe haven for their proceeds." Lim said that the rise in gold prices benefits Cambodian people. "Traditionally, Cambodians prefer to save in gold to currencies, so with rising price of gold, people will get good returns on their savings" she said. |
| Cambodia's GDP growth likely to exceed 8%: commerce minister Posted: 04 Aug 2011 06:54 PM PDT PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 -- Cambodia's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is expected to grow over 8 percent this year despite rising inflation, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said Thursday. |
| GMS ministers fully support 3rd-decade economic strategic framework Posted: 04 Aug 2011 06:50 PM PDT PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 -- The ministers of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries on Thursday fully supported the new GMS Strategic Framework for 2012-2022 and will submit it to their leaders for endorsement in December this year at the 4th GMS Summit in Myanmar, according to a joint ministerial statement. The statement released after the 17th GMS Ministerial Conference said that the new GMS strategic framework, oriented towards the development of GMS economic corridors, includes multi- sector infrastructure investments related to urban and rural area development, as well as greater focus on the software needed for more effective and efficient use of existing and future infrastructure and for addressing shared social and environmental concerns. Under the new framework, Asian Development Bank will assist the GMS countries in their efforts to maximize the impact of limited regional resources by focusing on catalyzing investment in strategic areas. "Our experience in economic corridor development points to the need to further broaden and deepen our interventions, not only in terms of geographical reach, but also in terms of moving into the third decade of activities," Bindu Lohani, ADB Vice-President-in- Charge of Operations 2, said in a press briefing after the conclusion of the conference. He added that ADB has provided support to the GMS Program for almost two decades and it would remain committed to assist the GMS countries to tap more fully into the opportunities that regional cooperation provides. Meanwhile, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh highlighted the role of China in contributing to the development of upcoming GMS Strategic Framework for 2012-2022. "For the development of GMS countries, China plays a very important role as both development partner and money lender," he said during the press briefing. By the end of June 2011, the ADB had extended loans and grants totaling almost 5 billion U.S. dollars for 55 projects in the subregion, mainly in infrastructure investments. The GMS countries consist of China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. (Xinhua) |
| Cambodian landmine casualties decline 33% in H1 Posted: 04 Aug 2011 06:50 PM PDT PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 -- Cambodia on Thursday reported 112 landmine casualties in the first half of this year, represented a decrease of 33 percent from 167 casualties in the same period last year, according to the report from the Cambodian Mine and Explosive Remnants of War Victim Information System. From January to June this year, landmines had killed 25 Cambodian people and injured 87 others, said the report, adding that 75 percent of the victims were men, 18 percent were boys, and 7 percent were women and girls.Since 1979 to June 2011, a total of 63,918 mine/ERW casualties were recorded. Of the casualties, 19,600 were killed and 44,318 injured from mine/ERW accidents. Cambodia is one of most mine affected nations in the world as the result of 30 years of armed conflict. Mines had been laid in Cambodia during the decades of chronic conflicts from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. Cambodia's five most mine-laid provinces are Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Pailin and Preah Vihear. (Xinhua) |
| GMS ministers meet in Cambodia to finalize 3rd decade economic co-op roadmap Posted: 04 Aug 2011 01:15 AM PDT PHNOM PENH, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Ministers of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries gathered here on Thursday to finalize the new GMS Strategic Framework for 2012-2022 ahead of submitting it to their leaders for endorsement in December this year. The 3rd decade GMS strategic framework would continue its focus on physical infrastructure investments, and also widen and deepen economic corridor development activities, effective trade and transport facilitation, human resource development, protection of shared environmental resources and solicit involvement among the private sector and development partners to address the issues and requirements of the GMS program, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said at the opening session of the 17th GMS Ministerial Conference. "The strategy would guide us in the next decade of economic cooperation among the GMS countries," he said. The GMS program established in 1992 with the support of Asian Development Bank, it has nine priority sectors of cooperation: agriculture, energy, environment, human resource development, investment, telecommunications, tourism, transport infrastructure, and transport and trade facilitation. "In the last two decades of cooperation, we have achieved a great success, but much work remains to be done in the new decade to ensure that we are advancing the GMS economic cooperation program towards its full potential," he said. Speaking during the opening ceremony, Zhang Shaochun, Vice- Minister of the China's Finance Ministry, said in the past two decades, the GMS cooperation was constantly making headways and harvests, contributing greatly to poverty reduction and economic and social development in the sub-region. "The new GMS Strategic Framework will be a sound guidance for future GMS cooperation," he said. "We feel confident about the next ten-year of GMS cooperation." |
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