 The UK-based aid organisation Oxfam has temporarily shut down some of its operations in the tsunami-devastated Indonesian province of Aceh. Oxfam said it had found evidence that money had gone missing. Despite widespread fears that aid money for Aceh would be lost to corruption, this is the first time there has been any solid indication of graft. Oxfam said it hoped to have its programmes back up and running in the next few weeks. Oxfam discovered the money was missing in an internal audit. Oxfam says it has shut down its non-emergency programmes in the districts of Banda Aceh and neighbouring Aceh Besar after finding evidence that money had gone missing....
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Editor - 10:02:00 03-15-06
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 India bird flu cases 'positive' |
The authorities in the western Indian state of Maharashtra say they have identified four cases of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain. Tests on poultry from the state's Jalgaon district have returned positive results, the local administrative head, Vijay Singhal, told the BBC. Over 70,000 chickens in the region are to be slaughtered, officials say. Hundreds of thousands of birds were destroyed in Maharashtra after India's first bird flu outbreak last month. The virus later spread to some poultry farms in the neighbouring Gujarat state. There have still been no reported cases of the virus in humans in India - 95 samples collected from people with flu-like symptoms last month tested negative for bird flu. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4807814.stm
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Editor - 09:56:00 03-15-06
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| 'No end' to Ecuador trade protest |
Ecuador's indigenous leaders have vowed to keep up protests over the prospect of a free trade agreement with the US. Thousands of Indians have blocked major roads since Monday, calling for a referendum on Ecuador's entry into a free trade pact with the US. The deal puts them at a disadvantage, they say, and will harm their culture. Ecuador's government has said it will defend the country's interests as it negotiates the deal and has described calls for a referendum as premature. Ecuador is set to enter a final round of the free trade talks on 23 March. Ecuador's neighbours, Colombia and Peru, have both already signed the agreement. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4807900.stm
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Editor - 09:52:00 03-15-06
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| Tehran elite turning on extremist presidency |
Iran's clerical and business establishments, deeply concerned by what they see as reckless spending and needlessly aggressive foreign policies, are increasingly turning against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Within this context, many see the president's long-running confrontation with the United States and Europe over Tehran's nuclear program as an attempt to demonize the West and distract the Iranian public from pressing domestic problems. A relatively small group of extremists "at the top of the government around the president" are seeking to benefit from a crisis with the West, because "that way they will be able once again to blame the West for all of their problems," said Mousa Ghaninejad, the editor of Iran's best-selling economics daily newspaper, Dunya Al-Eqtisad. Millions of low-income Iranians voted for the new president last year, motivated by his firm stand against corruption and pledges to give financial priority to their needs. ...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20060314-125702-7713r.htm
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Editor - 09:46:00 03-15-06
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| Mexico discovers 'huge' oil field |
Mexican President Vicente Fox has announced the discovery of a new deep-water oil field, which is believed to contain 10bn barrels of crude. The field is in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mexico says it could be bigger than its largest oil field, Cantarell. Production there is said to have declined sharply in recent years. Mr Fox made the announcement as figures showed the country's total oil reserves had fallen 2% between 2003 and 2005. Perforation of the well known as Noxal 1, which is located about 100km (60 miles) from the port of Coatzacoalcos on the coast of Veracruz state, started in December. The oil is under 930 metres (0.6 miles) of water and a further 4,000 metres (2.5 miles) underground...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4808466.stm
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Editor - 09:42:00 03-15-06
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| Tamil rebels 'coercing diaspora' |
Tamil people around the world are being intimidated and threatened into giving money to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, according to a new report. The extortion of money from Tamils living in North America and Europe has been stepped up recently to fund a "final war", says Human Rights Watch. The Tamil Tigers have denied allegations of extortion in the past. A recent upsurge in violence between the rebels and security forces in Sri Lanka has cost at least 120 lives. Sri Lankan officials and leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have agreed to curb the unrest and hold more talks in April on a threadbare truce. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4807846.stm
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Editor - 09:39:00 03-15-06
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