 Chinese President Hu Jintao has expressed concern over the rapid speed of the country's economic development. He said the Chinese economy had grown by more than 10% in the past year, but that such high growth was not an official target. He added the government wanted to pay more attention to improving the lives of ordinary people. There are also fears that fast economic growth could impact on the country's resources and the environment. These latest figures suggest that China's economy is still growing at a blistering pace. That is good news for many here who have benefited from that stellar rise, but it is giving the government a headache. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Editor - 10:14:00 04-16-06
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 Balkans battle rising floodwaters |
Tens of thousands of people across south-eastern Europe are braced to battle more floodwaters as rivers continue to rise in the region. A state of emergency has been declared in 10 regions of Serbia. Romania and Bulgaria have also been severely hit. The Danube has risen to its highest level since 1895 in Romania. Four other rivers have also reached danger levels. Floods in the Balkans last year left dozens of people dead and farmland and infrastructure damaged or destroyed. In the affected countries, army and civil defence teams have been building dams and walls of sandbags to barricade the flood waters....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4913182.stm
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Editor - 10:10:00 04-16-06
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| Gingrich warns Republicans Americans want change |
The Republican Party is in serious danger of losing political ground in November elections if it does not enact reforms that eliminate waste and hold the federal bureaucracy to higher standards, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Sunday."I think they're in very serious danger of having a very bad election this fall," Gingrich said on Fox News Sunday. "You have to respect the right of the American people to say they want change," he said, criticizing the federal government's bungled efforts to cope with Hurricane Katrina and the Republican-led Congress' failure to enact immigration reforms. "Are they going to learn some lessons and get their act together?" Gingrich asked. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1847932
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Editor - 10:08:00 04-16-06
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| President pursues closer ties to U.S. |
President Tabare Vazquez is bucking the leftist, anti-American populism that he and other Latin American leaders have championed by seeking closer economic ties with the United States. Officials from Uruguay met their counterparts in Washington last week in an effort to jump-start a stalled trade dialogue. Mr. Vazquez also stood out among other Latin American leaders at the recent Summit of the Americas by signing a mutual investment treaty with the United States while others stood strong against the U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas. The Vazquez government has rejected pressure from the populist base that elected him president by refusing to nationalize industries and continuing to support the privatization of some water and sanitation services. The signals from Mr. Vazquez remain mixed. At times he leans toward backing the Mercosur trade bloc of some Latin American countries, which excludes the United States...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20060415-100150-3926r.htm
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Editor - 10:05:00 04-16-06
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| Massive fraud hits tsunami aid |
THIS was supposed to be the scene of the world’s greatest aid effort, but endemic corruption has drained it of millions of pounds while leaving tens of thousands of tsunami victims stranded in tents. Banda Aceh was ground zero in the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004, which claimed more than 200,000 lives across the Indian Ocean. More people died here than anywhere else. Now two charities that raised unprecedented sums in Britain have fallen victim to rip-offs that ruined their efforts to house the survivors and have forced them to suspend key projects. Save the Children and Oxfam were both targeted by unscrupulous building contractors who took their money, only to build structures so flimsy that a new wave would wash them away. ...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2136598,00.html
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Editor - 10:02:00 04-16-06
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| Pope calls for end to Iran crisis |
Pope Benedict XVI has called for a negotiated solution to the Iran nuclear crisis, in his traditional Easter message in St Peter's Square in Rome. "May an honourable solution be found for all parties, through honest and serious negotiations," he said. He also affirmed Israel's "just right to exist in peace" while calling on the international community to help the Palestinians move towards statehood. It is the pontiff's first Easter as Pope since the death of John Paul II. His Easter message - "Urbi et Orbi" - was broadcast live on television to more than 50 countries, while about 100,000 people gathered in the square. Speaking on Iraq, the Pope called for peace to "finally prevail over the tragic violence that continues mercilessly to claim victims". He also prayed that those "caught up in the conflict in the Holy Land may find peace, and I invite all to patient and persevering dialogue, so as to remove both ancient and new obstacles". ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4913536.stm
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Editor - 09:51:00 04-16-06
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