More than 120,000 passengers on Tuesday have their travel plans disrupted, as Australian airlines canceled flights in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide and Hobart due to the returned Chilean volcanic ash cloud.
Australia is bracing for further disruptions as the ash cloud from Chilean volcano circles the Earth for the second time and reached over eastern Australia on Tuesday morning.
The base of the cloud is below 6,000 meters on Tuesday, lower than last week's floor of 8,100 meters and considered too low by domestic airlines to safely fly under.
The lingering cloud forced Virgin Australia to announce the cancellation of all of the airline's flights from Australia's two busiest airports, Sydney and Melbourne, from 4:00 p.m. (AEST) on Tuesday.
Virgin has also canceled flights to and from Newcastle, Hobart and Launceston from 4:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, Qantas and Jetstar suspended services from Sydney from 3:00 p.m., and Jetstar also axed some Melbourne to Perth flights.
Melbourne-based Tiger Airways canceled all flights for the day.
Qantas and Virgin Australia also axed flights to and from Adelaide for the remainder of Tuesday, and the two airlines suspended flights to and from Canberra from noon and 1:00 p.m., respectively.
All other international flights after 3:00 p.m. from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have been canceled.
According to Virgin spokeswoman Danielle Keighery, Virgin's domestic cancellations alone affect 170 flights and 120,000 people.
"The ash plume is at a very low level. Last week we canceled operations where the plume was low, and we are seeing that again," she said in a statement on Tuesday.
"We are hopeful it won't last long, but it is a moving feast."
On the other hand, there have been conflicting views on the likely ongoing impact the ash cloud will have on flights.
Airservices Australia spokesman Matt Wardell said the current cloud is expected to have a significantly greater impact on air travel than last week's.
"We are expecting this to be a much more significant event for the air traffic network in terms of the delays it's going to cause and potentially the amount of time it's hanging around," he told ABC News on Tuesday.
However, Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center head Andrew Tupper said the ash cloud should thin out and move on quickly.
"It's moving quite quickly, we're expecting the filaments of ash to get to the east coast by this evening, most of the bulk of it is still in the Southern Ocean," he said.
"We have to watch closely to see if it takes the northern route or the southern route and that depends on how this low pressure system moves."
Last week, the ash cloud has affected flights in Australia and New Zealand for four days, with more than 70,000 passengers affected with the cancellation of flights.
Editor: Yang Lina
English.news.cn 2011-06-21 12:00:33 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, June 21 (Xinhua)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Earthquake makes NZ's 32-year high monthly migration loss
The number of New Zealanders emigrating to Australia last month was the highest for the month of May in more than 30 years, driven largely by an exodus from the earthquake-stricken city of Christchurch.
Permanent and long-term departures to Australia outnumbered arrivals by 3,300 last month, more than the previous record for a May month of 2,900 in 1979, said a statement from Statistics New Zealand, the government statistics agency, Tuesday.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, that resulted in a net migration loss of 400 people in May, said the statement.
Net migration had been negative since March, when departures from Christchurch jumped after the earthquake that killed at least 181 people in the city on Feb. 22, it said.
An estimated 800 people left from Christchurch last month, compared with about 500 in May last year, bringing total departures from the city since Feb. 22 to 1,300 more than the same period last year.
The number of arrivals was down by 400 from the same period of 2010.
New Zealand had a net migration gain of 4,600 in the year to May, down from 18,000 the previous year, and below the average annual net migration gain of 12,000 over the last 20 years.
The decrease in net migration compared with 2010 was mainly due to an increase in departures to Australia, said the statement.
Meanwhile, short-term trips by New Zealand residents were up 10 percent last month from May 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand.
The 181,900 short-term departures were a record for a May month, higher than the previous record of 174,000 in 2008, with more trips were taken to Australia, the Cook Islands, and South-East Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore).
"The increase in trips to Malaysia and Singapore follows the launch of new flights to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore earlier this year," population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said.
"The increase in trips to Thailand, while influenced by the new flights, was also a recovery after civil unrest in that country in May 2010."
Visitor arrivals in May, at 140,700, were just under the 141, 300 recorded in May 2010.
More visitors came from Australia and twice as many visitors came from Malaysia, said the statement.
The increase from Malaysia was also influenced by the launch of flights between Kuala Lumpur and Christchurch in April 2011, and additional Singapore-Auckland flights that started in March 2011.
Fewer visitors arrived from Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom had declined in most months since April 2007, while arrivals from Japan and Korea dropped noticeably after the Christchurch earthquake in February.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-21 11:14:02 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua)
Permanent and long-term departures to Australia outnumbered arrivals by 3,300 last month, more than the previous record for a May month of 2,900 in 1979, said a statement from Statistics New Zealand, the government statistics agency, Tuesday.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, that resulted in a net migration loss of 400 people in May, said the statement.
Net migration had been negative since March, when departures from Christchurch jumped after the earthquake that killed at least 181 people in the city on Feb. 22, it said.
An estimated 800 people left from Christchurch last month, compared with about 500 in May last year, bringing total departures from the city since Feb. 22 to 1,300 more than the same period last year.
The number of arrivals was down by 400 from the same period of 2010.
New Zealand had a net migration gain of 4,600 in the year to May, down from 18,000 the previous year, and below the average annual net migration gain of 12,000 over the last 20 years.
The decrease in net migration compared with 2010 was mainly due to an increase in departures to Australia, said the statement.
Meanwhile, short-term trips by New Zealand residents were up 10 percent last month from May 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand.
The 181,900 short-term departures were a record for a May month, higher than the previous record of 174,000 in 2008, with more trips were taken to Australia, the Cook Islands, and South-East Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore).
"The increase in trips to Malaysia and Singapore follows the launch of new flights to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore earlier this year," population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said.
"The increase in trips to Thailand, while influenced by the new flights, was also a recovery after civil unrest in that country in May 2010."
Visitor arrivals in May, at 140,700, were just under the 141, 300 recorded in May 2010.
More visitors came from Australia and twice as many visitors came from Malaysia, said the statement.
The increase from Malaysia was also influenced by the launch of flights between Kuala Lumpur and Christchurch in April 2011, and additional Singapore-Auckland flights that started in March 2011.
Fewer visitors arrived from Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom had declined in most months since April 2007, while arrivals from Japan and Korea dropped noticeably after the Christchurch earthquake in February.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-21 11:14:02 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua)
Obama to announce Afghanistan drawdown Wednesday: report
U.S. President Barack Obama is to announce a plan of troops drawdown from Afghanistan on Wednesday, local media quoted officials as saying.
Officials who spoke in condition of anonymity Monday evening said Obama will announce both the start of troops drawdown next month as well as a broader withdrawal blueprint that will hand over security responsibility to Afghans in 2014.
According to the White House, Obama on Monday is still finalizing the pace and scope of the drawdown, and he has had a number of consultations with members of his national security team and military leaders on the subject.
Obama announced an increase of U.S. troops to Afghanistan late 2009, with the beginning of the drawdown set to begin next month. Reports have been indicating the administration is weighing how many troops the initial drawdown would involve, as support of the war has been subsiding since the killing of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden.
English.news.cn 2011-06-21 07:36:08 FeedbackPrintRSS
WASHINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua)
Officials who spoke in condition of anonymity Monday evening said Obama will announce both the start of troops drawdown next month as well as a broader withdrawal blueprint that will hand over security responsibility to Afghans in 2014.
According to the White House, Obama on Monday is still finalizing the pace and scope of the drawdown, and he has had a number of consultations with members of his national security team and military leaders on the subject.
Obama announced an increase of U.S. troops to Afghanistan late 2009, with the beginning of the drawdown set to begin next month. Reports have been indicating the administration is weighing how many troops the initial drawdown would involve, as support of the war has been subsiding since the killing of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden.
English.news.cn 2011-06-21 07:36:08 FeedbackPrintRSS
WASHINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua)
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan hold joint anti-terror drills
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have held joint anti-terror exercises in southern Kyrgyzstan, Interfax reported on Monday.
"The joint exercises built up military confidence and coordinated the deterrence against new threats and challenges to regional security," the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said.
Servicemen of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan held joint tactical exercises, including shooting practices, at the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry's Buzhum training camp in the Batken region of southern Kyrgyzstan Friday to Sunday.
The troops spent three days planning the military operation to track and destroy illegal armed units. A task force of the Defense Ministry and about 30 servicemen of a separate airborne assault brigade represented Tajikistan in the exercises.
There will be one more drill involving Kyrgyz and Kazakh servicemen in Tajikistan from August to September, according to Interfax.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 21:59:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
BISHKEK, June 20 (Xinhua)
"The joint exercises built up military confidence and coordinated the deterrence against new threats and challenges to regional security," the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said.
Servicemen of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan held joint tactical exercises, including shooting practices, at the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry's Buzhum training camp in the Batken region of southern Kyrgyzstan Friday to Sunday.
The troops spent three days planning the military operation to track and destroy illegal armed units. A task force of the Defense Ministry and about 30 servicemen of a separate airborne assault brigade represented Tajikistan in the exercises.
There will be one more drill involving Kyrgyz and Kazakh servicemen in Tajikistan from August to September, according to Interfax.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 21:59:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
BISHKEK, June 20 (Xinhua)
Australian airlines cancel flights again as ash cloud returns
Australian domestic airlines on Monday announced to cancel Tuesday flights, due to the reappearance of an ash plume from a volcano in Chile.
Australia is bracing for further disruptions as the ash cloud circles the Earth for a second time and is expected to reach South Australia by early on Tuesday morning.
Qantas has canceled about 25 flights in and out of Adelaide and Port Lincoln of South Australia, saying that services will not run from 6:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Jetstar has canceled select flights to and from Adelaide for the morning only.
Virgin said it will suspend all 48 flights in and out of Adelaide and Mildura for the entire day, while Tiger airline has canceled its flights to and from Adelaide and between Sydney and Melbourne until about 2:00 p.m..
"The advice we have from the Bureau of Meteorology is that the ash cloud will be coming into proximity of Adelaide and Mildura tomorrow morning through the course of the morning, and that's why as a precautionary measure we've taken the decision to suspend all flights for tomorrow," Virgin spokesman Colin Lippiatt told ABC News on Monday.
Meanwhile, Dr. Andrew Tupper from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin said the main eruption cloud is currently about 2, 000 kilometers south of Western Australia.
He said the cloud is at an altitude of between eight and 13 kilometers, and it is expected to reach South Australia between dawn and 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Airservices Australia said the density of the ash cloud is greater than the plume that delayed flights across Australia and New Zealand last week.
Last week, the ash cloud affected flights in Australia and New Zealand for four days, with more than 70,000 passengers affected with the cancellation of flights.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 21:21:30 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, June 20 (Xinhua)
Australia is bracing for further disruptions as the ash cloud circles the Earth for a second time and is expected to reach South Australia by early on Tuesday morning.
Qantas has canceled about 25 flights in and out of Adelaide and Port Lincoln of South Australia, saying that services will not run from 6:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Jetstar has canceled select flights to and from Adelaide for the morning only.
Virgin said it will suspend all 48 flights in and out of Adelaide and Mildura for the entire day, while Tiger airline has canceled its flights to and from Adelaide and between Sydney and Melbourne until about 2:00 p.m..
"The advice we have from the Bureau of Meteorology is that the ash cloud will be coming into proximity of Adelaide and Mildura tomorrow morning through the course of the morning, and that's why as a precautionary measure we've taken the decision to suspend all flights for tomorrow," Virgin spokesman Colin Lippiatt told ABC News on Monday.
Meanwhile, Dr. Andrew Tupper from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin said the main eruption cloud is currently about 2, 000 kilometers south of Western Australia.
He said the cloud is at an altitude of between eight and 13 kilometers, and it is expected to reach South Australia between dawn and 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Airservices Australia said the density of the ash cloud is greater than the plume that delayed flights across Australia and New Zealand last week.
Last week, the ash cloud affected flights in Australia and New Zealand for four days, with more than 70,000 passengers affected with the cancellation of flights.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 21:21:30 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, June 20 (Xinhua)
Afghanistan soldier killing Australian soldier shot dead: Australian DM
Coalition special forces have killed a rogue Afghanistan soldier suspected of killing Australian soldier Lance Corporal Andrew Jones last month, Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith confirmed on Monday
Jones, aged 25, was shot four times by the Afghanistan soldier, named as Shafied Ullah on May 30 in Afghanistan. Jones was the 25th Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan since 2001.
Ullah was fired at by another Afghan serviceman as he fled the scene, but the shot missed and a manhunt was launched.
On Monday, Smith confirmed Ullah was killed during a recentjoint operation between U.S. special forces and Afghan troops near his home village in the Khowst province of eastern Afghanistan.
"The knowledge that Shafied Ullah has been killed and no longer poses a risk in Afghanistan it will of course be a terrible reminder to the family of Lance Corporal Jones' tragic death," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
Smith said it would have been preferred if the Afghan soldier had been taken alive and brought in for interrogation.
Smith Ullah's brother, who was with him when he was killed, has been detained and is being interrogated to shed light on why his brother shot Lance Corporal Jones.
Smith added that "all of the evidence and advice" pointed to the soldier being the murderer.
"We are proceeding conclusively on the basis that the murderer of Lance Corporal Jones has himself been killed," Smith said.
Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal Houston said Ullah's death closes a chapter in the tragic death of Lance Corporal Jones.
"Across the Coalition and the Afghan National Security Forces there has been tremendous efforts directed towards bringing the man suspected of the shooting to justice, and for that support I personally thank General Petraeus and General Karimi," he said.
Australian Defense Force is continuing to investigate the shooting of Lance Corporal Jones.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 21:20:42 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, June 20 (Xinhua)
Jones, aged 25, was shot four times by the Afghanistan soldier, named as Shafied Ullah on May 30 in Afghanistan. Jones was the 25th Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan since 2001.
Ullah was fired at by another Afghan serviceman as he fled the scene, but the shot missed and a manhunt was launched.
On Monday, Smith confirmed Ullah was killed during a recentjoint operation between U.S. special forces and Afghan troops near his home village in the Khowst province of eastern Afghanistan.
"The knowledge that Shafied Ullah has been killed and no longer poses a risk in Afghanistan it will of course be a terrible reminder to the family of Lance Corporal Jones' tragic death," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
Smith said it would have been preferred if the Afghan soldier had been taken alive and brought in for interrogation.
Smith Ullah's brother, who was with him when he was killed, has been detained and is being interrogated to shed light on why his brother shot Lance Corporal Jones.
Smith added that "all of the evidence and advice" pointed to the soldier being the murderer.
"We are proceeding conclusively on the basis that the murderer of Lance Corporal Jones has himself been killed," Smith said.
Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal Houston said Ullah's death closes a chapter in the tragic death of Lance Corporal Jones.
"Across the Coalition and the Afghan National Security Forces there has been tremendous efforts directed towards bringing the man suspected of the shooting to justice, and for that support I personally thank General Petraeus and General Karimi," he said.
Australian Defense Force is continuing to investigate the shooting of Lance Corporal Jones.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 21:20:42 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, June 20 (Xinhua)
Japan's DPJ eyes 3rd extra budget, hits brakes on tax hike
The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is seeking to submit a third extra budget to the parliament as early as mid-August and certainly by early September, party lawmakers confirmed Monday.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada indicated that a third extra budget would be an essential catalyst to getting post- disaster reconstructions firing on all cylinders and suggested the budget could exceed 10 trillion yen (124.64 billion U.S. dollars).
To ensure cooperation from a divergent main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in passing the new extra budget and a bill necessary for the issuance of deficit-covering bonds in fiscal 2011 through a divided parliament, Prime Minister Kaoto Kan, amid mounting pressure from within his own DPJ and from opposition parties, is expected to announce in the next few days exactly when he plans to step down in July, the lawmakers said.
Kan, already Japan's fifth premier in as many years, survived a no-confidence vote earlier this month after promising critics in his own party he would quit.
But the embattled premier was overtly ambiguous when it came to saying exactly when he would resign from office, which drew the ire of his adversaries in both opposition and from within his own party.
As for the second supplementary budget, the DPJ is seeking to have this passed by the middle of July and the funds have been earmarked to provide relief to those still suffering in the wake of the March 11 twin disasters.
The second budget has been pegged in the region of 2 trillion yen, while the initial budget ratified in May, totaled 4.02 trillion yen.
The ruling DPJ also announced Monday that it will extend a session of parliament to approve the extra spending, due to end on Wednesday as per parliamentary scheduling, by three months.
Lawmakers said the current session parliament will now conclude on Oct. 20. to allow time for deliberations on the extra spending necessary to rebuild areas on Japan's east and northeast coastline which were pummeled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
DPJ executives are betting on the extra time allocation hopefully being enough to garner the necessary support from a hostile opposition LDP who is at odds with the DPJ over such issues as a state scheme to support Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the radiation-leaking Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, in making compensation payments to thousands of victims of the ongoing nuclear crisis centered in Fukushima prefecture about 220 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.
And as the nation's deteriorating public finances come increasingly to the fore, with Japan in desperate need of reining in public debt already twice the size of its 5 trillion U.S. dollar economy and compounded by a massive post-quake and tsunami restoration bill, and an ongoing nuclear crisis, DPJ ministers and senior lawmakers were, on Monday, supposed to finalize plans to raise Japan's consumption tax.
However, the DPJ's tax panel were at odds Monday over the proposal, which seeks to counter the nation's burgeoning social security costs as the nation rapidly ages, with members saying the matter needed more debate.
One panel member was quoted as saying the timing of the tax hike may be off and concerns were also raised about the economic impact of the raise.
The tax reform plan, which had a (DPJ) self-enforced deadline of June 20, was supposed to roll out the idea of doubling the sales tax to 10 percent in stages by fiscal 2015, which will end in March 2016.
However, key players from Kan's DPJ and its junior coalition partner, the People's New Party, maintained their objections to the tax plan and hence the thorny deliberations will continue.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 21:14:58 FeedbackPrintRSS
TOKYO, June 20 (Xinhua)
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada indicated that a third extra budget would be an essential catalyst to getting post- disaster reconstructions firing on all cylinders and suggested the budget could exceed 10 trillion yen (124.64 billion U.S. dollars).
To ensure cooperation from a divergent main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in passing the new extra budget and a bill necessary for the issuance of deficit-covering bonds in fiscal 2011 through a divided parliament, Prime Minister Kaoto Kan, amid mounting pressure from within his own DPJ and from opposition parties, is expected to announce in the next few days exactly when he plans to step down in July, the lawmakers said.
Kan, already Japan's fifth premier in as many years, survived a no-confidence vote earlier this month after promising critics in his own party he would quit.
But the embattled premier was overtly ambiguous when it came to saying exactly when he would resign from office, which drew the ire of his adversaries in both opposition and from within his own party.
As for the second supplementary budget, the DPJ is seeking to have this passed by the middle of July and the funds have been earmarked to provide relief to those still suffering in the wake of the March 11 twin disasters.
The second budget has been pegged in the region of 2 trillion yen, while the initial budget ratified in May, totaled 4.02 trillion yen.
The ruling DPJ also announced Monday that it will extend a session of parliament to approve the extra spending, due to end on Wednesday as per parliamentary scheduling, by three months.
Lawmakers said the current session parliament will now conclude on Oct. 20. to allow time for deliberations on the extra spending necessary to rebuild areas on Japan's east and northeast coastline which were pummeled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
DPJ executives are betting on the extra time allocation hopefully being enough to garner the necessary support from a hostile opposition LDP who is at odds with the DPJ over such issues as a state scheme to support Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the radiation-leaking Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, in making compensation payments to thousands of victims of the ongoing nuclear crisis centered in Fukushima prefecture about 220 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.
And as the nation's deteriorating public finances come increasingly to the fore, with Japan in desperate need of reining in public debt already twice the size of its 5 trillion U.S. dollar economy and compounded by a massive post-quake and tsunami restoration bill, and an ongoing nuclear crisis, DPJ ministers and senior lawmakers were, on Monday, supposed to finalize plans to raise Japan's consumption tax.
However, the DPJ's tax panel were at odds Monday over the proposal, which seeks to counter the nation's burgeoning social security costs as the nation rapidly ages, with members saying the matter needed more debate.
One panel member was quoted as saying the timing of the tax hike may be off and concerns were also raised about the economic impact of the raise.
The tax reform plan, which had a (DPJ) self-enforced deadline of June 20, was supposed to roll out the idea of doubling the sales tax to 10 percent in stages by fiscal 2015, which will end in March 2016.
However, key players from Kan's DPJ and its junior coalition partner, the People's New Party, maintained their objections to the tax plan and hence the thorny deliberations will continue.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 21:14:58 FeedbackPrintRSS
TOKYO, June 20 (Xinhua)
New Zealand PM in Sydney for quake fundraising
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key arrived at Sydney late Monday afternoon to attend a fundraising dinner which was hoped to raise 700,000 NZ dollars (565,000 U.S. dollars) for Christchurch's earthquake ravaged residents.
Diners, including the chief executives of some of Australia's biggest companies, have paid 10,000 NZ dollars (8,070 U.S. dollars) a head to attend the dinner on Monday night, which was organized by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
"It's pretty much a sign of the solidarity between both Australia and New Zealand and people around the world wanting to rebuild Christchurch," Key told reporters after landing at the Sydney Airport.
The prime minister said Christchurch residents were still doing it tough, with major aftershocks still periodically rocking the city following February's devastating earthquake which killed more than 180 people.
"I think for the people of Christchurch it's been really tough with all of those aftershocks because it saps away the moral and all the sense of wanting to regroup," Key said.
He said there remains the threat of further tremors in Christchurch, with the city going through a "settling phase".
Key flew into Sydney Monday afternoon from Canberra where he became the first New Zealand prime minister to address the federal parliament.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 20:30:33 FeedbackPrintRSS
SYDNEY, June 20 (Xinhua)
Diners, including the chief executives of some of Australia's biggest companies, have paid 10,000 NZ dollars (8,070 U.S. dollars) a head to attend the dinner on Monday night, which was organized by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
"It's pretty much a sign of the solidarity between both Australia and New Zealand and people around the world wanting to rebuild Christchurch," Key told reporters after landing at the Sydney Airport.
The prime minister said Christchurch residents were still doing it tough, with major aftershocks still periodically rocking the city following February's devastating earthquake which killed more than 180 people.
"I think for the people of Christchurch it's been really tough with all of those aftershocks because it saps away the moral and all the sense of wanting to regroup," Key said.
He said there remains the threat of further tremors in Christchurch, with the city going through a "settling phase".
Key flew into Sydney Monday afternoon from Canberra where he became the first New Zealand prime minister to address the federal parliament.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 20:30:33 FeedbackPrintRSS
SYDNEY, June 20 (Xinhua)
World Bank provides loan to Philippines for disaster relief
The World Bank has appropriated money for the Philippines intended to boost its ability to respond to disaster and provide relief in the wake of nature-induced calamities, the Philippines' central bank said Monday.
The money comes in the form of a loan already approved by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of Philippines) totaling 500 million U.S. dollars.
"This is a World Bank instrument or facility that provides immediate liquidity in the event of national calamity complement( ing) the government's national and local calamity funds to cover expected and post-disaster expenses," central bank governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said.
Tetangco lauded the World Bank for supporting the risk reduction efforts of the Philippine government.
"Since the loan is intended to finance post disaster reconstruction efforts, disbursement amount and release date would be contingent on the extent of the catastrophe as well as the related damage," said Tetangco.
Also, a presidential declaration of a state of calamity on affected areas is needed to trigger the release of the loan.
This facility was structured as a 25-year loan with a five-year grace period and may be implemented with a fixed or variable rate of interest. There is an up-front fee of 0.5 percent of the loan amount.
Editor: Lu Hui
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 19:21:51 FeedbackPrintRSS
MANILA, June 20 (Xinhua)
The money comes in the form of a loan already approved by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of Philippines) totaling 500 million U.S. dollars.
"This is a World Bank instrument or facility that provides immediate liquidity in the event of national calamity complement( ing) the government's national and local calamity funds to cover expected and post-disaster expenses," central bank governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said.
Tetangco lauded the World Bank for supporting the risk reduction efforts of the Philippine government.
"Since the loan is intended to finance post disaster reconstruction efforts, disbursement amount and release date would be contingent on the extent of the catastrophe as well as the related damage," said Tetangco.
Also, a presidential declaration of a state of calamity on affected areas is needed to trigger the release of the loan.
This facility was structured as a 25-year loan with a five-year grace period and may be implemented with a fixed or variable rate of interest. There is an up-front fee of 0.5 percent of the loan amount.
Editor: Lu Hui
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 19:21:51 FeedbackPrintRSS
MANILA, June 20 (Xinhua)
Taliban use women as suicide bomber in Afghanistan: NATO spokesman
The Taliban insurgents have been using women as fighters and suicide bombers in the insurgency-hit Afghanistan, the spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Brigadier-General Josef Blotz said on Monday.
"The use of female fighter by the Taliban is new and disturbing, because women are more capable of reaching their intended targets due to cultural sensitivities involving female search procedures," Blotz told a weekly press conference here.
At least three women have carried out suicide attacks over the past one year in the post-Taliban country.
According to Blotz, a woman suicide bomber detonated her explosive vest near a military convoy in Marawara district of the country's eastern Kunar province on June 4, killing three local interpreters with the ISAF troops right on the spot.
"This tactic is another attempt to undermine the security gains of the Afghan government and coalition forces and also puts more Afghan civilians at risk," the spokesman of over 140,000 NATO-led forces added.
Regarding the upcoming security transition from NATO-led ISAF forces to Afghan security force in the coming weeks, Blotz said " We need to look at the conditions on the ground and not at restrict time line" adding it's all about conditions on the ground.
NATO plans to transfer control of seven areas including three provinces and capital Kabul to Afghan security forces in July this year.
The process of security transition responsibility will start in July this year and runs to 2014 in order to pave the way for withdrawal of over 140,000-strong NATO-led ISAF forces with nearly 100,000 of them Americans from the war-torn Afghanistan.
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 18:47:36 FeedbackPrintRSS
KABUL, June 20 (Xinhua)
"The use of female fighter by the Taliban is new and disturbing, because women are more capable of reaching their intended targets due to cultural sensitivities involving female search procedures," Blotz told a weekly press conference here.
At least three women have carried out suicide attacks over the past one year in the post-Taliban country.
According to Blotz, a woman suicide bomber detonated her explosive vest near a military convoy in Marawara district of the country's eastern Kunar province on June 4, killing three local interpreters with the ISAF troops right on the spot.
"This tactic is another attempt to undermine the security gains of the Afghan government and coalition forces and also puts more Afghan civilians at risk," the spokesman of over 140,000 NATO-led forces added.
Regarding the upcoming security transition from NATO-led ISAF forces to Afghan security force in the coming weeks, Blotz said " We need to look at the conditions on the ground and not at restrict time line" adding it's all about conditions on the ground.
NATO plans to transfer control of seven areas including three provinces and capital Kabul to Afghan security forces in July this year.
The process of security transition responsibility will start in July this year and runs to 2014 in order to pave the way for withdrawal of over 140,000-strong NATO-led ISAF forces with nearly 100,000 of them Americans from the war-torn Afghanistan.
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 18:47:36 FeedbackPrintRSS
KABUL, June 20 (Xinhua)
Blast injures several in SW Pakistan
Several people were injured in a bomb blast in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday, witnesses said.
Two children were critically hurt in the blast near a college in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, they said.
The bomb occurred outside a shop, injuring people sitting in the shop on the busy Sariab road.
Several shops and vehicles were also destroyed in the blast.
The injured were shifted to hospital by the local people in private vehicles.
The police rushed to the site and cordoned off the area.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 18:28:41 FeedbackPrintRSS
ISLAMABAD, June 20 (Xinhua )
Two children were critically hurt in the blast near a college in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, they said.
The bomb occurred outside a shop, injuring people sitting in the shop on the busy Sariab road.
Several shops and vehicles were also destroyed in the blast.
The injured were shifted to hospital by the local people in private vehicles.
The police rushed to the site and cordoned off the area.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 18:28:41 FeedbackPrintRSS
ISLAMABAD, June 20 (Xinhua )
Australian Queensland state to promote industries abroad
Anna Bligh, state premier of Queensland in east Australia, will travel to China and the United States in the next 10 days to promote the state's tourism, export and biotechnology industries.
Bligh's first stop will be Hong Kong for a state reception on Tuesday, before flying to Beijing for three days.
She said on Monday that China was potentially the world's largest tourism market and while the global financial crisis has shown Queensland's resources industry was benefiting from growing demand from China, it was important to have a diversified economy.
"China is one of our largest trading partners. Keeping our trade links going, and growing them is now more important than ever," she told reporters in the tourist city of Gold Coast.
Bligh said it was just as important to keep trade links in big areas like mining open with China, as it was to break into new industries like biotechnology.
She will then fly to Washington where she will lead 70 Queensland delegates at the Bio 2011 conference.
"This is the 13th year in a row that Queensland has been represented by a premier at the Bio Conference, the biggest bio event in the world," she said.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 17:55:31 FeedbackPrintRSS
BRISBANE, June 20 (Xinhua)
Bligh's first stop will be Hong Kong for a state reception on Tuesday, before flying to Beijing for three days.
She said on Monday that China was potentially the world's largest tourism market and while the global financial crisis has shown Queensland's resources industry was benefiting from growing demand from China, it was important to have a diversified economy.
"China is one of our largest trading partners. Keeping our trade links going, and growing them is now more important than ever," she told reporters in the tourist city of Gold Coast.
Bligh said it was just as important to keep trade links in big areas like mining open with China, as it was to break into new industries like biotechnology.
She will then fly to Washington where she will lead 70 Queensland delegates at the Bio 2011 conference.
"This is the 13th year in a row that Queensland has been represented by a premier at the Bio Conference, the biggest bio event in the world," she said.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 17:55:31 FeedbackPrintRSS
BRISBANE, June 20 (Xinhua)
Governor of Afghan Badakhshan province escapes unhurt in Taliban attack
The governor of Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, some 315 km northeast of capital city Kabul, escaped Taliban attack but his guard was injured on Monday.
"The governor, Dr. Shah Waliullah Adeeb, was visiting Wardoj district when Taliban insurgents ambushed his entourage at around 11 a.m. local time today. As a result, one policeman was injured," spokesman for Badakhshan provincial administration, Abdul Marouf Rasikh, told Xinhua.
In the gun battle, following the attack, which lasted more than an hour, an insurgent was killed and another sustained injuries and another one was captured, Rasikh said.
Taliban militants fighting Afghan and NATO-led troops have yet to make comment.
The Taliban-led insurgency has claimed the lives of several officials, including the governor and police chief of Kunduz province, and badly injured the governor of Takhar province and killed Takhar police chief over the past couple of months.
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 17:47:42 FeedbackPrintRSS
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, June 20 (Xinhua)
"The governor, Dr. Shah Waliullah Adeeb, was visiting Wardoj district when Taliban insurgents ambushed his entourage at around 11 a.m. local time today. As a result, one policeman was injured," spokesman for Badakhshan provincial administration, Abdul Marouf Rasikh, told Xinhua.
In the gun battle, following the attack, which lasted more than an hour, an insurgent was killed and another sustained injuries and another one was captured, Rasikh said.
Taliban militants fighting Afghan and NATO-led troops have yet to make comment.
The Taliban-led insurgency has claimed the lives of several officials, including the governor and police chief of Kunduz province, and badly injured the governor of Takhar province and killed Takhar police chief over the past couple of months.
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 17:47:42 FeedbackPrintRSS
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, June 20 (Xinhua)
S. Korean military apologizes for firing at civilian airliner
South Korea's military apologized Monday for firing at a civilian jet two marines mistook as a warplane of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK).
The two marines attempted to shoot down what was actually a passenger jet owned by Asiana Airlines, a major South Korean carrier, which was on its regular flight route early Friday morning. No damage occurred.
The incident stirred up concerns over a possibility of recurrences, and the military copped criticism over the weekend for its recent changes in military rules that allow soldiers to take action before reporting to superiors.
The military offered an official apology for the incident Monday, while defending the marines who were guarding an island off the western port city of Incheon.
"We apologize for causing worries," Colonel Lee Bung-woo, a spokesman at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in a press briefing. "The military will seek measures to prevent recurrences by strengthen training for soldiers' on distinguishing warplanes and civilian jets, he added.
The incident came at a time when relations between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) remain at their lowest ebb over two deadly incidents last year.
Seoul blames Pyongyang for torpedoing its warship and shelling an inhabited border island, which altogether killed 50 South Koreans.
Pyongyang has repeatedly denied its involvement in the sinking of a warship and claimed the shelling was provoked by a military drill between Seoul and Washington near a disputed sea border. It has refused to apologize for any of the incidents.
The two Koreas remain technically at war with each other after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a ceasefire, not a permanent peace treaty.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 17:23:31 FeedbackPrintRSS
SEOUL, June 20 (Xinhua)
The two marines attempted to shoot down what was actually a passenger jet owned by Asiana Airlines, a major South Korean carrier, which was on its regular flight route early Friday morning. No damage occurred.
The incident stirred up concerns over a possibility of recurrences, and the military copped criticism over the weekend for its recent changes in military rules that allow soldiers to take action before reporting to superiors.
The military offered an official apology for the incident Monday, while defending the marines who were guarding an island off the western port city of Incheon.
"We apologize for causing worries," Colonel Lee Bung-woo, a spokesman at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in a press briefing. "The military will seek measures to prevent recurrences by strengthen training for soldiers' on distinguishing warplanes and civilian jets, he added.
The incident came at a time when relations between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) remain at their lowest ebb over two deadly incidents last year.
Seoul blames Pyongyang for torpedoing its warship and shelling an inhabited border island, which altogether killed 50 South Koreans.
Pyongyang has repeatedly denied its involvement in the sinking of a warship and claimed the shelling was provoked by a military drill between Seoul and Washington near a disputed sea border. It has refused to apologize for any of the incidents.
The two Koreas remain technically at war with each other after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a ceasefire, not a permanent peace treaty.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 17:23:31 FeedbackPrintRSS
SEOUL, June 20 (Xinhua)
Indian Supreme Court refuses bail to woman MP in telecom scam
India's highest judiciary, the Supreme Court, Monday refused granting bail to a woman Member of Parliament (MP) who is an accused in the multi-billion-dollar telecom scam, an official said.
The southern India-based Kalaignar TV's managing director Sharad Kumar, a co-accused in the scam, has also been declined bail in the same case, he said pleading anonymity.
The apex court dismissed the bail plea of Kanimozhi, MP of the southern state of Tamil Nadu-based DMK party which is an ally of India's ruling United Progressive Alliance-led government, in the 2G spectrum scam.
However, the Supreme Court gave the 43-year-old woman MP the right to go back to the special court that's trying the telecom scam, and apply for bail under a provision that allows for " leniency for women, children and old people in matters of bail", the official said.
The court said that both can approach the special court of Central Bureau of Investigation, the country's premier probe agency, for bail after charges were framed against them.
The CBI has accused both of them for being involved in the illegal transaction of 2 billion rupees (40 million U.S. dollars) to Kalaignar TV which was alleged to be a bribe given by a telecom operator which benefited in the scam in which former Telecom Minister A Raja is an alleged benefactor.
Raja is currently in jail in the same case.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 16:49:42 FeedbackPrintRSS
NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua)
The southern India-based Kalaignar TV's managing director Sharad Kumar, a co-accused in the scam, has also been declined bail in the same case, he said pleading anonymity.
The apex court dismissed the bail plea of Kanimozhi, MP of the southern state of Tamil Nadu-based DMK party which is an ally of India's ruling United Progressive Alliance-led government, in the 2G spectrum scam.
However, the Supreme Court gave the 43-year-old woman MP the right to go back to the special court that's trying the telecom scam, and apply for bail under a provision that allows for " leniency for women, children and old people in matters of bail", the official said.
The court said that both can approach the special court of Central Bureau of Investigation, the country's premier probe agency, for bail after charges were framed against them.
The CBI has accused both of them for being involved in the illegal transaction of 2 billion rupees (40 million U.S. dollars) to Kalaignar TV which was alleged to be a bribe given by a telecom operator which benefited in the scam in which former Telecom Minister A Raja is an alleged benefactor.
Raja is currently in jail in the same case.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 16:49:42 FeedbackPrintRSS
NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua)
Indian police still clueless one week after murder of crime journalist in Mumbai
Indian police have been trying to piece together the sequence of events, one week since the murder of veteran crime reporter Jyotirmoy Dey in broad daylight in Mumbai.
With the media spotlight remaining on the case, Mumbai police are now taking a fresh look at the facts, to try to determine a motive for the crime, said police sources on Monday.
Police will trace the sequence of events with the help of TV footage collected of J. Dey's movements from the time he left his mother's house till he was shot, his cellphone records during that time, his computer files, and eyewitness accounts.
Police have already questioned 150 people in the case, including the family and colleagues, but they have said, that the secrecy with which J. Dey operated, is proving to be a hurdle in determining a motive for the crime.
Maharashtra State Home Minister R.R. Patil said authorities are working on several angles, but have not got many clues yet.
The Bombay High Court has also ordered the police to submit a status report on the probe which suffered a setback last week with a suspect falsely admitting to the murder.
A string of motives are being investigated for the killing from the involvement of the oil mafia, to the sandalwood mafia, and personal enmity. But sources have said, that without a motive, all these are only theories and the lack of hard evidence is leaving the state and the police red-faced and tight-lipped.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 15:52:47 FeedbackPrintRSS
MUMBAI, June 20 (Xinhua)
With the media spotlight remaining on the case, Mumbai police are now taking a fresh look at the facts, to try to determine a motive for the crime, said police sources on Monday.
Police will trace the sequence of events with the help of TV footage collected of J. Dey's movements from the time he left his mother's house till he was shot, his cellphone records during that time, his computer files, and eyewitness accounts.
Police have already questioned 150 people in the case, including the family and colleagues, but they have said, that the secrecy with which J. Dey operated, is proving to be a hurdle in determining a motive for the crime.
Maharashtra State Home Minister R.R. Patil said authorities are working on several angles, but have not got many clues yet.
The Bombay High Court has also ordered the police to submit a status report on the probe which suffered a setback last week with a suspect falsely admitting to the murder.
A string of motives are being investigated for the killing from the involvement of the oil mafia, to the sandalwood mafia, and personal enmity. But sources have said, that without a motive, all these are only theories and the lack of hard evidence is leaving the state and the police red-faced and tight-lipped.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 15:52:47 FeedbackPrintRSS
MUMBAI, June 20 (Xinhua)
New Zealand Finance Minister lists reasons to be cheerful about economy, despite warnings
New Zealand Finance Minister Bill English took to the Internet Monday to issue a "list of reasons to be positive" about the country's economy amid a raft of positive economic data tempered with warnings.
English gave a public "briefing" on the economy via YouTube, telling viewers that the country was in generally good shape despite taking a double hit from a global recession and the series of earthquakes that have been shaking much of second city of Christchurch to rubble.
"In the last couple of years we've faced two challenges. One has been to simply get through the recession, manage the unexpected events like earthquakes, protect the most vulnerable when the economy hasn't been in good shape and the government's been in deficit," said English.
"The other challenge has been to set a platform for future growth at the same time so we have focused on longer term policies over the last couple of years which are going to lift our potential growth, such as investment in infrastructure.
"It's good to see some growing confidence about the New Zealand economy. People, I think, are carefully starting to think that the economy is picking up and there are a number of reasons to be positive," he said, introducing his nine positive points.
Top of his list was the country's terms of trade "at 40-year highs, so a unit of New Zealand exports can buy more than it's been able to buy than at any time in the last 40 years."
He also credited the country's close trade relationship with neighboring Australia and growing trade with Asia with buoying New Zealand's prospects.
"We are finding ourselves in a part of the world next to the world's fastest growing developed economy until quite recently that's Australia and all the other economies that Australia trades with and we trade with growing so fast actually that they' re doubling their incomes about every eight or nine years and willing to pay more for more of our goods."
BIG TURNAROUND
Also "very good for manufacturers" was the exchange rate with Australia close to 20-year lows.
"We've re-regulated our financial system and compared to most developed countries it's quite sound. Our banks didn't fail. We've got new rules for just about all aspects of the financial system in place," he said on the third point.
"We've now got a highly competitive tax system, a significantly lower top tax rate than Australia, just cut the company tax rate back on April 1 this year."
He admitted that the country's smaller businesses were still struggling, "but many of our larger businesses reorganized themselves two or three years ago and they are ready to invest and employ, start being more innovative, take a few risks that's another reason to be positive."
He said New Zealanders had also helped with the "very big turnaround" in attitude to savings: "Back in 2007, New Zealanders spent about 1.11 NZ dollars for every dollar they earned. This year they'll actually spend 99 NZ cents for every dollar they earn. "
He rounded off the list by claiming success in the government drive to make the public sector "more efficient," the economic stimulus of rebuilding Christchurch, and the economic boost from the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off in New Zealand in September.
"Many New Zealanders have just rolled up their sleeves and got on and done what they needed to do and we're pretty positive about being in good shape to take the opportunities in the next five or 10 years," said English.
WHOLESALE, MANUFACTURING SALES UP
The public briefing came as the government statistics agency issued quarterly figures showing the highest quarterly rise in wholesale sales for five years and a rise in manufacturing volume sales driven by heavy industry.
Seasonally adjusted total wholesale trade sales were up 2.8 percent, or 550 million NZ dollars (445.72 million U.S. dollars), in the quarter to March, said Statistics New Zealand.
It was the sixth consecutive quarterly sales increase and the first quarterly sales increase of more than 500 million NZ dollars since 2006, said a statement from Statistics New Zealand.
Meanwhile, transport equipment, machinery and equipment with a rise of 11.9 percent drove the 1.9-percent rise in seasonally- adjusted total manufacturing sales in the March quarter.
Chemical, polymer and rubber product manufacturing (up 5 percent) and wood and paper product manufacturing (up 4.1 percent) also contributed to the rise, said Statistics New Zealand.
SERVICES EXPANSION
Also Monday, the service sector continued to show improvement in expansion during May, although at a slow pace, according to the BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Services Index (PSI).
The PSI for May was 52.8, up only 0.2 points from April, but the highest result since September last year. (A PSI reading above 50 indicates expansion and below 50 contraction.)
The average PSI reading for 2009 was 48.8, while for 2010 it was 53.2.
Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O'Reilly said the gradual improvement was inconsistent across regions and sub- sectors.
"The recovery could best be described as lumpy, with certain regions and sub-sectors struggling to break into expansion mode. In addition, the sub-index for employment shows businesses still tentative about hiring new staff, although a pick-up in new orders/ business for May may help feed through into the other indexes over the next few months," said O'Reilly.
The BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Composite Index (PCI), which combined the results of both the PSI and PMI, showed that both options for measurement improved in May, with values of 53.1 and 53.9, the highest values since September and June 2010 respectively, although it "would not be described as strong," said a statement from Business New Zealand.
BANK CONCERNS
Bank of New Zealand senior economist Craig Ebert said regional divergences were becoming important for the economy.
"This can be paraphrased as Auckland continuing to lead the way, rural-based areas rapidly catching up on the back of booming commodity income, Wellington capped by way of the Budget, and Christchurch severely disrupted. Internal and external migration trends will also be well worth watching, amid limited population growth for New Zealand as a whole."
However, the ASB Bank in its Business Weekly Economic Report warned Monday the continuing instability in Christchurch, particularly the two major tremors on June 13, were a "further setback for the economy."
Despite some encouraging figures, it warned, the New Zealand recovery was "likely to be a gradual one," given developments globally, particularly in Europe.
"Leaving aside the ongoing uncertainty in the wake of continued aftershocks in Christchurch, the continued high level of household debt will likely limit the extent of recovery in household demand, " said the ASB report.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 15:30:13 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua)
English gave a public "briefing" on the economy via YouTube, telling viewers that the country was in generally good shape despite taking a double hit from a global recession and the series of earthquakes that have been shaking much of second city of Christchurch to rubble.
"In the last couple of years we've faced two challenges. One has been to simply get through the recession, manage the unexpected events like earthquakes, protect the most vulnerable when the economy hasn't been in good shape and the government's been in deficit," said English.
"The other challenge has been to set a platform for future growth at the same time so we have focused on longer term policies over the last couple of years which are going to lift our potential growth, such as investment in infrastructure.
"It's good to see some growing confidence about the New Zealand economy. People, I think, are carefully starting to think that the economy is picking up and there are a number of reasons to be positive," he said, introducing his nine positive points.
Top of his list was the country's terms of trade "at 40-year highs, so a unit of New Zealand exports can buy more than it's been able to buy than at any time in the last 40 years."
He also credited the country's close trade relationship with neighboring Australia and growing trade with Asia with buoying New Zealand's prospects.
"We are finding ourselves in a part of the world next to the world's fastest growing developed economy until quite recently that's Australia and all the other economies that Australia trades with and we trade with growing so fast actually that they' re doubling their incomes about every eight or nine years and willing to pay more for more of our goods."
BIG TURNAROUND
Also "very good for manufacturers" was the exchange rate with Australia close to 20-year lows.
"We've re-regulated our financial system and compared to most developed countries it's quite sound. Our banks didn't fail. We've got new rules for just about all aspects of the financial system in place," he said on the third point.
"We've now got a highly competitive tax system, a significantly lower top tax rate than Australia, just cut the company tax rate back on April 1 this year."
He admitted that the country's smaller businesses were still struggling, "but many of our larger businesses reorganized themselves two or three years ago and they are ready to invest and employ, start being more innovative, take a few risks that's another reason to be positive."
He said New Zealanders had also helped with the "very big turnaround" in attitude to savings: "Back in 2007, New Zealanders spent about 1.11 NZ dollars for every dollar they earned. This year they'll actually spend 99 NZ cents for every dollar they earn. "
He rounded off the list by claiming success in the government drive to make the public sector "more efficient," the economic stimulus of rebuilding Christchurch, and the economic boost from the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off in New Zealand in September.
"Many New Zealanders have just rolled up their sleeves and got on and done what they needed to do and we're pretty positive about being in good shape to take the opportunities in the next five or 10 years," said English.
WHOLESALE, MANUFACTURING SALES UP
The public briefing came as the government statistics agency issued quarterly figures showing the highest quarterly rise in wholesale sales for five years and a rise in manufacturing volume sales driven by heavy industry.
Seasonally adjusted total wholesale trade sales were up 2.8 percent, or 550 million NZ dollars (445.72 million U.S. dollars), in the quarter to March, said Statistics New Zealand.
It was the sixth consecutive quarterly sales increase and the first quarterly sales increase of more than 500 million NZ dollars since 2006, said a statement from Statistics New Zealand.
Meanwhile, transport equipment, machinery and equipment with a rise of 11.9 percent drove the 1.9-percent rise in seasonally- adjusted total manufacturing sales in the March quarter.
Chemical, polymer and rubber product manufacturing (up 5 percent) and wood and paper product manufacturing (up 4.1 percent) also contributed to the rise, said Statistics New Zealand.
SERVICES EXPANSION
Also Monday, the service sector continued to show improvement in expansion during May, although at a slow pace, according to the BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Services Index (PSI).
The PSI for May was 52.8, up only 0.2 points from April, but the highest result since September last year. (A PSI reading above 50 indicates expansion and below 50 contraction.)
The average PSI reading for 2009 was 48.8, while for 2010 it was 53.2.
Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O'Reilly said the gradual improvement was inconsistent across regions and sub- sectors.
"The recovery could best be described as lumpy, with certain regions and sub-sectors struggling to break into expansion mode. In addition, the sub-index for employment shows businesses still tentative about hiring new staff, although a pick-up in new orders/ business for May may help feed through into the other indexes over the next few months," said O'Reilly.
The BNZ-BusinessNZ Performance of Composite Index (PCI), which combined the results of both the PSI and PMI, showed that both options for measurement improved in May, with values of 53.1 and 53.9, the highest values since September and June 2010 respectively, although it "would not be described as strong," said a statement from Business New Zealand.
BANK CONCERNS
Bank of New Zealand senior economist Craig Ebert said regional divergences were becoming important for the economy.
"This can be paraphrased as Auckland continuing to lead the way, rural-based areas rapidly catching up on the back of booming commodity income, Wellington capped by way of the Budget, and Christchurch severely disrupted. Internal and external migration trends will also be well worth watching, amid limited population growth for New Zealand as a whole."
However, the ASB Bank in its Business Weekly Economic Report warned Monday the continuing instability in Christchurch, particularly the two major tremors on June 13, were a "further setback for the economy."
Despite some encouraging figures, it warned, the New Zealand recovery was "likely to be a gradual one," given developments globally, particularly in Europe.
"Leaving aside the ongoing uncertainty in the wake of continued aftershocks in Christchurch, the continued high level of household debt will likely limit the extent of recovery in household demand, " said the ASB report.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 15:30:13 FeedbackPrintRSS
WELLINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua)
Monday, June 20, 2011
Indonesia, Australia to discuss live cattle export
Indonesia, Australia to discuss live cattle export
Indonesian Agriculture Minister Suswono and his Australian counterpart Joe Ludwig is to hold talks on Monday, as the pressure to resume live cattle exports to Indonesia has mounted in Australia, Indonesian official said.
The Australian government banned live cattle exports to Indonesia earlier this month following the exposure of cattle cruelty at several slaughter houses in Indonesia.
To clarify the issue, both countries decided to jointly verify the way of slaughtering in the abattoirs.
Experts from Indonesia and Australia are carrying out the task now.
Australian Agriculture Company (AACo), Australia's largest cattle producer, on June 12 urged the federal government to move quickly in dealing with suspension of the live cattle exports to Indonesia, which is its biggest market.
AACo operates 18 cattle stations across Australia, and its chief executive David Farley said that he was appalled by the cruelty, but the government now needs to move quickly on a timetable to resume trade with the abattoirs that have the right standards.
AACo predicted it will lose about 10.7 million U.S. dollars from its 2011 profits, because of the government's decision to suspend live cattle exports to Indonesia for up to six months.
Indonesia accounts for about 60 percent of the Australia's cattle market.
The Indonesian government mulls seeking alternative sources of its live cattle import.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 13:02:40 FeedbackPrintRSS
JAKARTA, June 20 (Xinhua)
Indonesian Agriculture Minister Suswono and his Australian counterpart Joe Ludwig is to hold talks on Monday, as the pressure to resume live cattle exports to Indonesia has mounted in Australia, Indonesian official said.
The Australian government banned live cattle exports to Indonesia earlier this month following the exposure of cattle cruelty at several slaughter houses in Indonesia.
To clarify the issue, both countries decided to jointly verify the way of slaughtering in the abattoirs.
Experts from Indonesia and Australia are carrying out the task now.
Australian Agriculture Company (AACo), Australia's largest cattle producer, on June 12 urged the federal government to move quickly in dealing with suspension of the live cattle exports to Indonesia, which is its biggest market.
AACo operates 18 cattle stations across Australia, and its chief executive David Farley said that he was appalled by the cruelty, but the government now needs to move quickly on a timetable to resume trade with the abattoirs that have the right standards.
AACo predicted it will lose about 10.7 million U.S. dollars from its 2011 profits, because of the government's decision to suspend live cattle exports to Indonesia for up to six months.
Indonesia accounts for about 60 percent of the Australia's cattle market.
The Indonesian government mulls seeking alternative sources of its live cattle import.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 13:02:40 FeedbackPrintRSS
JAKARTA, June 20 (Xinhua)
Former addicts in Nepal form alliance against drug-abuse
Former addicts in Nepal form alliance against drug-abuse
Former drug abusers in Nepal have launched a campaign against the abuse of drug by forming a separate national alliance, local media reported on Monday.
On the occasion of International Day against drug abusing, they launched a week-long campaign from Sunday, The Rising Nepal daily reported.
The alliance would organize the interactions in different schools on the present condition of drug abusing and its controlling measures as well as awareness generating rallies, they informed.
Due to the poor law and order situation in the country, drug smuggling could not be controlled in Nepal and in the absence of mechanism to control the abuse of drugs, demand of drug was increasing, one of the organizers said.
A decade ago, 12,000 ampoules of drugs used to be confiscated in a year, however, these days some 12,000 ampoules are seized every day, according to the daily.
Sudhir Maharjan of the alliance said that the government had so far included only 450 drug abusers in methadone system treatment. However, around 25,000 abusers wanted the treatment to return to normal life, he said.
According to a recent survey, there are around 27,000 drug abusers in Nepal.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 11:58:22 FeedbackPrintRSS
KATHMANDU, June 20 (Xinhua)
Former drug abusers in Nepal have launched a campaign against the abuse of drug by forming a separate national alliance, local media reported on Monday.
On the occasion of International Day against drug abusing, they launched a week-long campaign from Sunday, The Rising Nepal daily reported.
The alliance would organize the interactions in different schools on the present condition of drug abusing and its controlling measures as well as awareness generating rallies, they informed.
Due to the poor law and order situation in the country, drug smuggling could not be controlled in Nepal and in the absence of mechanism to control the abuse of drugs, demand of drug was increasing, one of the organizers said.
A decade ago, 12,000 ampoules of drugs used to be confiscated in a year, however, these days some 12,000 ampoules are seized every day, according to the daily.
Sudhir Maharjan of the alliance said that the government had so far included only 450 drug abusers in methadone system treatment. However, around 25,000 abusers wanted the treatment to return to normal life, he said.
According to a recent survey, there are around 27,000 drug abusers in Nepal.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 11:58:22 FeedbackPrintRSS
KATHMANDU, June 20 (Xinhua)
India, Pakistan to review nuclear-related confidence-building measures
India, Pakistan to review nuclear-related confidence-building measures
India and Pakistan are set to review nuclear-related confidence-building measures at the Foreign Secretary-level talks, scheduled for June 23 and 24 in Islamabad, reported local daily The Hindu on Monday.
Though both sides do not expect major results and disagree on Kashmir and terrorism, sources in the government repose faith in a sustained dialogue process to narrow the trust deficit and build an understanding to resolve issues of discord.
India wants expectations from the talks "realistic," given the history and complexity of the ties.
"Dialogue is a process. We should not expect a decision. We should go step by step," the report quoted unnamed official sources as saying.
On the recent face-off between warships of the two countries clouding the talks, the sources cautioned against whipping up frenzy, though they claimed that Pakistani warships had displayed aggressive behavior in the past too.
"There is so much to discuss. Let us put it behind us," the sources said.
The officials also suggested that the incident "act as a catalyst for both sides to revive a proposal" on enhancing the confidence-building measures at sea.
India last Saturday dismissed as "totally baseless" Pakistani allegations that its naval vessel was obstructed by an Indian warship in the Gulf of Aden while escorting a merchant carrier that had been freed by Somali pirates.
India and Pakistan resumed talks at foreign secretary level one year ago after suspending all talks in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 08:44:57 FeedbackPrintRSS
NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua)
India and Pakistan are set to review nuclear-related confidence-building measures at the Foreign Secretary-level talks, scheduled for June 23 and 24 in Islamabad, reported local daily The Hindu on Monday.
Though both sides do not expect major results and disagree on Kashmir and terrorism, sources in the government repose faith in a sustained dialogue process to narrow the trust deficit and build an understanding to resolve issues of discord.
India wants expectations from the talks "realistic," given the history and complexity of the ties.
"Dialogue is a process. We should not expect a decision. We should go step by step," the report quoted unnamed official sources as saying.
On the recent face-off between warships of the two countries clouding the talks, the sources cautioned against whipping up frenzy, though they claimed that Pakistani warships had displayed aggressive behavior in the past too.
"There is so much to discuss. Let us put it behind us," the sources said.
The officials also suggested that the incident "act as a catalyst for both sides to revive a proposal" on enhancing the confidence-building measures at sea.
India last Saturday dismissed as "totally baseless" Pakistani allegations that its naval vessel was obstructed by an Indian warship in the Gulf of Aden while escorting a merchant carrier that had been freed by Somali pirates.
India and Pakistan resumed talks at foreign secretary level one year ago after suspending all talks in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Editor: Chen Zhi
English.news.cn 2011-06-20 08:44:57 FeedbackPrintRSS
NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua)
Pakistan remains host to world's largest refugee population
Pakistan remains host to world's largest refugee population
Pakistan remains host to the largest refugee population in the world with 1.9 million registered Afghan refugees.
An official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) Qaisar Afridi says that more unregistered members of the registered Afghan families including new born babies have been registered, taking the figure of registered Afghans in Pakistan to 1.9 million from last year's 1.7 million.
The Pakistani Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, which deals with Afghan refugees, says that there are nearly one million unregistered Afghan refugees, who are living outside the refugee camps in the country.
More than 3.5 million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan with UNHCR's help since 2002. The repatriation movement that followed the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001 was spontaneous and overwhelming.
In order to assist the returnees, UNHCR launched its repatriation operation on March 1 2002. Many refugees, especially those living in refugee camps, have shown little desire to go back to Afghanistan, says UNHCR.
Pakistan has issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards to registered Afghans that will be valid until the end of 2012. The card is an important form of identification for Afghan refugees proving their legal right of stay in the country, and therefore giving important protection against possible detention or deportation, particularly during "crackdowns" against foreigners and suspected illegal immigrants in the wake of terror incidents.
The PoR cards, which were expired on December 31 2009, were replaced with new cards with enhanced identification features and extended until December 31,2012.
Khalil Ahmadzai, a former member of a council of the Afghan refugees in Islamabad, says Afghan refugees have been given facilities by Pakistan and UNHCR and many refugees are free to travel anywhere in Pakistan for business and labour.
However, there had been complaints by some Afghan refugees about ill-treatment and detention by the police to force them to pay money. But now the Afghan diplomats say problems of the refugees have decreased.
Dr Aluzai, who deals with the refugee affairs at the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, says complaints of refugees have now dropped substantially.
Abdul Wali Kakar, an Afghan community activist, also says that complaints of police maltreatment with the refugees are rare.
UHNCR says that Pakistan has planned more facilities for the refugees. A visa regime will manage the stay of business people, students and other categories. Families headed by women in the absence of a male bread earner will be allowed to stay. Many Afghan refugee women are confronted with a very conservative environment where their freedom of movement and action is severely restricted.
Afghan refugee women face gender-related protection problems including gender-based violence, forced marriages and denial of their rights for education or employment, says UNHCR says. Pakistan's decision to naturalize those women who do have male member would be a great help to them to live in Pakistan.
Conditions for Afghan refugees in Pakistan differ greatly. Some live in mud house settlements that look like the villages they left behind. In urban areas, few Afghan refugees are fully integrated and well-off. The majority of urban refugees are in slum areas of Pakistan's major cities, surviving on casual labor.
Editor: Deng Shasha
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 19:04:27 FeedbackPrintRSS
by Muhammad Tahir
ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua)
Pakistan remains host to the largest refugee population in the world with 1.9 million registered Afghan refugees.
An official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) Qaisar Afridi says that more unregistered members of the registered Afghan families including new born babies have been registered, taking the figure of registered Afghans in Pakistan to 1.9 million from last year's 1.7 million.
The Pakistani Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, which deals with Afghan refugees, says that there are nearly one million unregistered Afghan refugees, who are living outside the refugee camps in the country.
More than 3.5 million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan with UNHCR's help since 2002. The repatriation movement that followed the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001 was spontaneous and overwhelming.
In order to assist the returnees, UNHCR launched its repatriation operation on March 1 2002. Many refugees, especially those living in refugee camps, have shown little desire to go back to Afghanistan, says UNHCR.
Pakistan has issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards to registered Afghans that will be valid until the end of 2012. The card is an important form of identification for Afghan refugees proving their legal right of stay in the country, and therefore giving important protection against possible detention or deportation, particularly during "crackdowns" against foreigners and suspected illegal immigrants in the wake of terror incidents.
The PoR cards, which were expired on December 31 2009, were replaced with new cards with enhanced identification features and extended until December 31,2012.
Khalil Ahmadzai, a former member of a council of the Afghan refugees in Islamabad, says Afghan refugees have been given facilities by Pakistan and UNHCR and many refugees are free to travel anywhere in Pakistan for business and labour.
However, there had been complaints by some Afghan refugees about ill-treatment and detention by the police to force them to pay money. But now the Afghan diplomats say problems of the refugees have decreased.
Dr Aluzai, who deals with the refugee affairs at the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, says complaints of refugees have now dropped substantially.
Abdul Wali Kakar, an Afghan community activist, also says that complaints of police maltreatment with the refugees are rare.
UHNCR says that Pakistan has planned more facilities for the refugees. A visa regime will manage the stay of business people, students and other categories. Families headed by women in the absence of a male bread earner will be allowed to stay. Many Afghan refugee women are confronted with a very conservative environment where their freedom of movement and action is severely restricted.
Afghan refugee women face gender-related protection problems including gender-based violence, forced marriages and denial of their rights for education or employment, says UNHCR says. Pakistan's decision to naturalize those women who do have male member would be a great help to them to live in Pakistan.
Conditions for Afghan refugees in Pakistan differ greatly. Some live in mud house settlements that look like the villages they left behind. In urban areas, few Afghan refugees are fully integrated and well-off. The majority of urban refugees are in slum areas of Pakistan's major cities, surviving on casual labor.
Editor: Deng Shasha
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 19:04:27 FeedbackPrintRSS
by Muhammad Tahir
ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua)
3 soldiers, 4 militants killed in clashes in Pakistan's tribal area
3 soldiers, 4 militants killed in clashes in Pakistan's tribal area
At least three Pakistani soldiers and four Taliban militants were killed and 13 security personnel were injured in a clash that broke out Sunday in a tribal area in northwest Pakistan, reported local Urdu TV channel DAWN.
According to the report, the clash took place in Mohmand Agency near the Pakistani-Afghan border when a group of armed militants launched an attack Sunday morning on a check post in the Baizai area of Mohmand Agency.
The militants used rockets to target the security forces and the forces also fired artillery shells at the hideouts of the militants, the report quoted security sources as saying.
Pakistan said that militants have recently launched several attacks on the border check posts from Afghan soil. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry summoned Afghan envoys on two occasions to lodge protest over the incursions.
According to Pakistani officials, militants have carried out at least four incursions into the Pakistani territories from Afghan side in less than a month and nearly 40 Pakistani security personnel and civilians have been killed in these attacks.
Pakistan raised the issue of militants' incursion from Afghan territory with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai when he was on a two-day visit in Islamabad on June 10-11. Karzai has promised to stop militants if proved that they are using Afghan soil.
Deputy chief of Pakistan Taliban Maulvi Faqir Muhammad said last week that he is in the northeastern Afghan province of Kunar and would attack Pakistani forces in the Bajaur tribal region.
Another leader of Pakistan Taliban Maulana Fazaullah is believed to have crossed into Afghanistan's Nuristan province and has regrouped his fighters there. Fazaullah led bloody campaign against Pakistani forces in Swat valley in 2008 and 2009.
Editor: Deng Shasha
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 18:50:44 FeedbackPrintRSS
ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua)
At least three Pakistani soldiers and four Taliban militants were killed and 13 security personnel were injured in a clash that broke out Sunday in a tribal area in northwest Pakistan, reported local Urdu TV channel DAWN.
According to the report, the clash took place in Mohmand Agency near the Pakistani-Afghan border when a group of armed militants launched an attack Sunday morning on a check post in the Baizai area of Mohmand Agency.
The militants used rockets to target the security forces and the forces also fired artillery shells at the hideouts of the militants, the report quoted security sources as saying.
Pakistan said that militants have recently launched several attacks on the border check posts from Afghan soil. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry summoned Afghan envoys on two occasions to lodge protest over the incursions.
According to Pakistani officials, militants have carried out at least four incursions into the Pakistani territories from Afghan side in less than a month and nearly 40 Pakistani security personnel and civilians have been killed in these attacks.
Pakistan raised the issue of militants' incursion from Afghan territory with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai when he was on a two-day visit in Islamabad on June 10-11. Karzai has promised to stop militants if proved that they are using Afghan soil.
Deputy chief of Pakistan Taliban Maulvi Faqir Muhammad said last week that he is in the northeastern Afghan province of Kunar and would attack Pakistani forces in the Bajaur tribal region.
Another leader of Pakistan Taliban Maulana Fazaullah is believed to have crossed into Afghanistan's Nuristan province and has regrouped his fighters there. Fazaullah led bloody campaign against Pakistani forces in Swat valley in 2008 and 2009.
Editor: Deng Shasha
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 18:50:44 FeedbackPrintRSS
ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua)
Indian authorities suspend operations to salvage ship stuck near Mumbai
Indian authorities suspend operations to salvage ship stuck near Mumbai
Indian maritime authorities Sunday said that attempts to salvage cargo vessel MV Wisdom, stuck on Mumbai's Juhu beach for the past one week, have been suspended for a fortnight due to bad weather.
"The salvaging operations have been called off for today and we will have to wait for another fortnight before we can reattempt it, " India's Director General of Shipping S.B. Agnihotri told the media in Mumbai.
Salvage workers said that they have to wait for the next high tide, which will be in the next 15 days and till then the authorities will try and work out another plan to bring the ship to the Juhu shore.
The second attempt to tow away the 9,000 tone cargo ship MV Wisdom failed Saturday, even though the weather conditions were favorable. Despite the significant high tide, the ship did not respond well to the tugging.
MV Wisdom was being tugged to the Alang ship breaking yard in the western state of Gujarat from Colombo in Sri Lanka when the cable to its tow boat snapped on June 11 around 12 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast, causing the vessel to drift towards the Worli coast and finally it got stuck at Juhu shore.
Editor: Lu Hui
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 18:01:40 FeedbackPrintRSS
MUMBAI, June 19 (Xinhua)
Indian maritime authorities Sunday said that attempts to salvage cargo vessel MV Wisdom, stuck on Mumbai's Juhu beach for the past one week, have been suspended for a fortnight due to bad weather.
"The salvaging operations have been called off for today and we will have to wait for another fortnight before we can reattempt it, " India's Director General of Shipping S.B. Agnihotri told the media in Mumbai.
Salvage workers said that they have to wait for the next high tide, which will be in the next 15 days and till then the authorities will try and work out another plan to bring the ship to the Juhu shore.
The second attempt to tow away the 9,000 tone cargo ship MV Wisdom failed Saturday, even though the weather conditions were favorable. Despite the significant high tide, the ship did not respond well to the tugging.
MV Wisdom was being tugged to the Alang ship breaking yard in the western state of Gujarat from Colombo in Sri Lanka when the cable to its tow boat snapped on June 11 around 12 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast, causing the vessel to drift towards the Worli coast and finally it got stuck at Juhu shore.
Editor: Lu Hui
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 18:01:40 FeedbackPrintRSS
MUMBAI, June 19 (Xinhua)
New Zealand PM arrives in Australia
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Sunday arrived in Canberra of Australia for talks with federal cabinet.
Shortly arriving in Australia, Key held a meeting with Governor-General Quentin Bryce at Government House on Sunday afternoon.
He will meet with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at The Lodge for informal talks and will have a dinner with her on Sunday night.
On Monday afternoon, Key will address members of parliament (MPs) and senators in parliament's lower house, the first time a NZ leader has been given the opportunity.
During Key's trip in Australia, he will also meet with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
Gillard was the first foreign official to address New Zealand's parliament when she visited the country in February this year.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 16:37:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, June 19 (Xinhua)
Shortly arriving in Australia, Key held a meeting with Governor-General Quentin Bryce at Government House on Sunday afternoon.
He will meet with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at The Lodge for informal talks and will have a dinner with her on Sunday night.
On Monday afternoon, Key will address members of parliament (MPs) and senators in parliament's lower house, the first time a NZ leader has been given the opportunity.
During Key's trip in Australia, he will also meet with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
Gillard was the first foreign official to address New Zealand's parliament when she visited the country in February this year.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 16:37:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
CANBERRA, June 19 (Xinhua)
3 civilians killed, 11 injured in Suicide bombing in N Afghanistan
3 civilians killed, 11 injured in Suicide bombing in N Afghanistan
Three civilians were killed and 11 injured when a suicide car bomb went off in Kunduz province 250 km north of capital city of Kabul on Sunday, interior ministry said.
"Today at around 9:45 a.m. (local time), a suicide bomber blew his explosive-laden car next to a coalition force military convoy running in airport road in provincial capital Kunduz city. As a result, three civilians were killed and 11 other civilians wounded, " said a statement issued by interior ministry here.
According to statement, the blast caused no casualties on NATO- led forces. "The wounded were taken to the nearby hospital by Afghan National Police for medical treatment."
The statement blamed Taliban insurgents for the attack, however Taliban have yet to make comments.
Taliban outfit on April 30 announced to launch spring offensive against Afghan and NATO-led forces stationed in the country.
The militant group has also warned the civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers as the militants would attack officials and security personnel as legitimate targets.
A total of 368 civilians were killed in conflicts and Taliban-led insurgency in May this year, the deadliest month for Afghan civilians since 2007, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement on June 11.
Editor: Xiong Tong
KABUL, June 19 (Xinhua) -- English.news.cn 2011-06-19 13:43:13
Three civilians were killed and 11 injured when a suicide car bomb went off in Kunduz province 250 km north of capital city of Kabul on Sunday, interior ministry said.
"Today at around 9:45 a.m. (local time), a suicide bomber blew his explosive-laden car next to a coalition force military convoy running in airport road in provincial capital Kunduz city. As a result, three civilians were killed and 11 other civilians wounded, " said a statement issued by interior ministry here.
According to statement, the blast caused no casualties on NATO- led forces. "The wounded were taken to the nearby hospital by Afghan National Police for medical treatment."
The statement blamed Taliban insurgents for the attack, however Taliban have yet to make comments.
Taliban outfit on April 30 announced to launch spring offensive against Afghan and NATO-led forces stationed in the country.
The militant group has also warned the civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers as the militants would attack officials and security personnel as legitimate targets.
A total of 368 civilians were killed in conflicts and Taliban-led insurgency in May this year, the deadliest month for Afghan civilians since 2007, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement on June 11.
Editor: Xiong Tong
KABUL, June 19 (Xinhua) -- English.news.cn 2011-06-19 13:43:13
Moderate quake hits Sumatra, Indonesia
Moderate quake hits Sumatra, Indonesia
An earthquake with magnitude of 5. 7 struck off Sumatra island of Indonesia on Sunday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here.
The quake jolted at 11:15 a.m. Jakarta time (0415 GMT) with epicenter at 84 km southeast Mukomuko of Bengkulu province and with the depth at 26 km, the agency said.
Indonesia sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called the " Pacific Ring of Fire", where two continental plates meet that frequently caused seismic and volcanic movements.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 12:43:51 FeedbackPrintRSS
JAKARTA, June 19 (Xinhua)
An earthquake with magnitude of 5. 7 struck off Sumatra island of Indonesia on Sunday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported here.
The quake jolted at 11:15 a.m. Jakarta time (0415 GMT) with epicenter at 84 km southeast Mukomuko of Bengkulu province and with the depth at 26 km, the agency said.
Indonesia sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called the " Pacific Ring of Fire", where two continental plates meet that frequently caused seismic and volcanic movements.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 12:43:51 FeedbackPrintRSS
JAKARTA, June 19 (Xinhua)
Floodwater subsides, thick water hyacinth removed in S Philippines
Floodwater subsides, thick water hyacinth removed in S Philippines
The number of villages submerged in floodwater here went down Sunday as the military removed more than 40 percent of thick water hyacinth that clogged the country's second largest river.
Col. Prudencio Asto, spokesman for the military's 6th Division, said by telephone that troops and volunteers have already remove 8 of 20 hectares water hyacinth that clogged the Mindanao River, also known as Rio Grande de Mindanao.
"Right now, only 15-17 low lying villages out of 33 are submerged in flood waters. We hope this will continue. However, our problem (is that) at night tons of water lilies from the marsh are massing towards the river," said Asto.
"We have to do something before it's too late. The entire city will sink forever in the next ten years if we could not find solution. Imagine, for a little rainfall, waters overflow in low lying villages," he added.
The Mindanao River, the second largest river system in the country and second longest river with a length of approximately 373 kilometers, runs through several provinces in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao.
The death toll caused by days of heavy rains has reached 10, and the number of displaced families in the region reached 129,000, a report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 12:15:06 FeedbackPrintRSS
COTABATO CITY, Philippines, June 19 (Xinhua)
The number of villages submerged in floodwater here went down Sunday as the military removed more than 40 percent of thick water hyacinth that clogged the country's second largest river.
Col. Prudencio Asto, spokesman for the military's 6th Division, said by telephone that troops and volunteers have already remove 8 of 20 hectares water hyacinth that clogged the Mindanao River, also known as Rio Grande de Mindanao.
"Right now, only 15-17 low lying villages out of 33 are submerged in flood waters. We hope this will continue. However, our problem (is that) at night tons of water lilies from the marsh are massing towards the river," said Asto.
"We have to do something before it's too late. The entire city will sink forever in the next ten years if we could not find solution. Imagine, for a little rainfall, waters overflow in low lying villages," he added.
The Mindanao River, the second largest river system in the country and second longest river with a length of approximately 373 kilometers, runs through several provinces in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao.
The death toll caused by days of heavy rains has reached 10, and the number of displaced families in the region reached 129,000, a report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 12:15:06 FeedbackPrintRSS
COTABATO CITY, Philippines, June 19 (Xinhua)
Four NATO soldiers die in Afghanistan
Four NATO soldiers die in Afghanistan
Four NATO soldiers died in Afghanistan's restive southern region on Saturday, the military alliance said on Sunday.
"Four International Security Assistance Force service members died as a result of non-battle related injuries in southern Afghanistan yesterday," said a statement released by NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) here.
However, the brief statement did not provide more details.
ISAF generally does not disclose the identity of the casualties, saying "it is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities."
Troops mainly from the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia have been stationed in the southern region within the framework of ISAF to fight Taliban militants.
A total of 249 NATO soldiers, most of them Americans, have been killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of this year.
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 12:07:11 FeedbackPrintRSS
KABUL, June 19 (Xinhua)
Four NATO soldiers died in Afghanistan's restive southern region on Saturday, the military alliance said on Sunday.
"Four International Security Assistance Force service members died as a result of non-battle related injuries in southern Afghanistan yesterday," said a statement released by NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) here.
However, the brief statement did not provide more details.
ISAF generally does not disclose the identity of the casualties, saying "it is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities."
Troops mainly from the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia have been stationed in the southern region within the framework of ISAF to fight Taliban militants.
A total of 249 NATO soldiers, most of them Americans, have been killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of this year.
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 12:07:11 FeedbackPrintRSS
KABUL, June 19 (Xinhua)
TEPCO plans to release radioactive air from Fukushima plant's No.2 reactor
TEPCO plans to release radioactive air from Fukushima plant's No.2 reactor
The operator of the troubled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant planned to release slightly radioactive air from the facility's No.2 reactor building, Kyodo News reported on Sunday.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., known as TEPCO, suspended the operation of a key system designed to clean up the highly radioactive water accumulated in the plant only hours after it started, due to sharp rise of radiation in a part of the system.
The Japanese government and the utility have been battling to keep the plant crippled by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March under control. It is still leaking radioactive substances into environment.
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 11:18:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
TOKYO, June 19 (Xinhua)
The operator of the troubled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant planned to release slightly radioactive air from the facility's No.2 reactor building, Kyodo News reported on Sunday.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., known as TEPCO, suspended the operation of a key system designed to clean up the highly radioactive water accumulated in the plant only hours after it started, due to sharp rise of radiation in a part of the system.
The Japanese government and the utility have been battling to keep the plant crippled by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March under control. It is still leaking radioactive substances into environment.
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 11:18:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
TOKYO, June 19 (Xinhua)
Philippine troops arrest another Maguindanao massacre suspect
Philippine troops arrest another Maguindanao massacre suspect
Philippine security forces arrested another suspect in the gruesome Maguindanao massacre and recovered hundreds of assorted ammunitions during a raid in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao on Saturday night, Philippine military said Sunday.
Col. Prudencio Asto, public affairs officer of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said they effected the arrest of Tommy Masukat by virtue of a warrant in connection with the November 2009 massacre that left 57 people, mostly journalists, dead.
Masukat was collared by elements of the 45th Infantry Battalion, 14th Mechanized Company, 1st Military Intelligence Battalion, backed up by policemen around 8:30 p.m. Saturday when they swooped down at a warehouse in Manungkaling village, said Asto.
He said the warehouse is allegedly owned by Akmad Tato Ampatuan, the town's vice mayor, who was not around at the time of the raid. Akmad Tato Ampatuan was initially charged over the massacre but was later cleared.
Over 90 suspects, including the patriarch of the Ampatuan political clan -- former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr, are still detained and facing multiple murder charges. The Ampatuans allegedly masterminded the killings.
Asto said the troops seized from the warehouse 22 rounds of 81 mm mortar, 12 rounds of 57 mm recoilless rifle, two rounds of 90 mm recoilless rifle and 163 rounds of ammunition for cal. 50 light machine gun.
Military and police have seized thousands of firearms and millions of assorted ammunition since the massacre. Asto said they hope to recover more war materiel with the help of the civilians, coupled with intelligence operations.
On June 11, government forces dug a cache of firearms and war materiel allegedly owned by the Ampatuans also in Mamasapo town. The cache included four M16 rifles, barrels for machine guns, bipods, and more than 200 mortar rounds.
Two days later, soldiers from the 104th Brigade arrested a suspect in the massacre, Nasser Talib at Poblacion village in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao. Talib's arrest was also covered by a warrant.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 11:09:01 FeedbackPrintRSS
MANILA, June 19 (Xinhua)
Philippine security forces arrested another suspect in the gruesome Maguindanao massacre and recovered hundreds of assorted ammunitions during a raid in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao on Saturday night, Philippine military said Sunday.
Col. Prudencio Asto, public affairs officer of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said they effected the arrest of Tommy Masukat by virtue of a warrant in connection with the November 2009 massacre that left 57 people, mostly journalists, dead.
Masukat was collared by elements of the 45th Infantry Battalion, 14th Mechanized Company, 1st Military Intelligence Battalion, backed up by policemen around 8:30 p.m. Saturday when they swooped down at a warehouse in Manungkaling village, said Asto.
He said the warehouse is allegedly owned by Akmad Tato Ampatuan, the town's vice mayor, who was not around at the time of the raid. Akmad Tato Ampatuan was initially charged over the massacre but was later cleared.
Over 90 suspects, including the patriarch of the Ampatuan political clan -- former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr, are still detained and facing multiple murder charges. The Ampatuans allegedly masterminded the killings.
Asto said the troops seized from the warehouse 22 rounds of 81 mm mortar, 12 rounds of 57 mm recoilless rifle, two rounds of 90 mm recoilless rifle and 163 rounds of ammunition for cal. 50 light machine gun.
Military and police have seized thousands of firearms and millions of assorted ammunition since the massacre. Asto said they hope to recover more war materiel with the help of the civilians, coupled with intelligence operations.
On June 11, government forces dug a cache of firearms and war materiel allegedly owned by the Ampatuans also in Mamasapo town. The cache included four M16 rifles, barrels for machine guns, bipods, and more than 200 mortar rounds.
Two days later, soldiers from the 104th Brigade arrested a suspect in the massacre, Nasser Talib at Poblacion village in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao. Talib's arrest was also covered by a warrant.
Editor: Xiong Tong
English.news.cn 2011-06-19 11:09:01 FeedbackPrintRSS
MANILA, June 19 (Xinhua)
12 killed in road accident in Karachi, Pakistan
At least 12 people were killed and a dozen others injured as an overspeed passenger van overturned early Sunday morning in Karachi in southern Pakistan, reported local TV channel Express.
According to local media reports, the accident took place at about 3:00 a.m. local time Sunday morning when a passenger van carrying an estimated 30 people overturned on the Makran Coastal Highway in the section of Karachi.
One local media report said that 15 were killed and 18 others injured in the accident and six of the injured people were in serious condition.
All the injured people have been shifted to nearby hospital following the accident, said traffic police, adding that the accident was due to overspeed of the van.
Editor: Xiong Tong
ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua) -- English.news.cn 2011-06-19 10:57:44
According to local media reports, the accident took place at about 3:00 a.m. local time Sunday morning when a passenger van carrying an estimated 30 people overturned on the Makran Coastal Highway in the section of Karachi.
One local media report said that 15 were killed and 18 others injured in the accident and six of the injured people were in serious condition.
All the injured people have been shifted to nearby hospital following the accident, said traffic police, adding that the accident was due to overspeed of the van.
Editor: Xiong Tong
ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua) -- English.news.cn 2011-06-19 10:57:44
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