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<title>World</title><image>
<title>People's Daily Online</title><link>http://english.people.com.cn/</link>
<url>http://english.people.com.cn/images/en/top_logo_e.gif</url>
</image>
<description>People's Daily Online</description>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/index.html</link>
<item>
<title>Jordan to set up joint border free zone with Iraq </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412627</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6412627.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 16:50:27 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Jordan is ready to establish a joint free zone at the Karama border with Iraq to facilitate increasing flows of goods on border, said an official of Jordan's free zones authorities after a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart. 

    The fre ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Jordan is ready to establish a joint free zone at the Karama border with Iraq to facilitate increasing flows of goods on border, said an official of Jordan's free zones authorities after a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart. 

    The free zone is expected to cover a few hundred dunums (1 dunum = 0.1 square km) of land bordering Iraq, said Mahmoud Qteishat, director general of Jordan's Free Zones Corporation, added that "As long as the security on the road from Amman to Baghdad keeps getting better, business will improve." 

    The trade momentum between Jordan and Iraq is "good" and is supposed to witness a sharp increase if the security is improved in the war-torn country, Qteishat said. 

    The idea was introduced two years ago by the Jordanian-Iraqi Higher Committee but delayed since the security situation in Iraq blocks the meeting of both sides. 

    Free zones in Jordan started in 1973 when a small free zone was established in Aqaba Port to develop international commercial exchange and serve transit trade.

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Pakistan's coalition faces crisis over rift on sacked judges</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412623</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6412623.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 16:49:36 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Nine ministers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have submitted their resignations after two main parties failed to reach a consensus on the issue of deposed judges. 

    In his first public comments on the split in the coali ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Nine ministers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have submitted their resignations after two main parties failed to reach a consensus on the issue of deposed judges. 

    In his first public comments on the split in the coalition, Pakistan People's Party (PPP)'s Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said Wednesday that he wanted PML-N' Chief Nawaz Sharif to remain a partner, and that he was still committed to restoring the judges and negotiations would continue. 

    Despite Zardari's efforts to save the coalition government, the crisis caused by the rift over the sacked judges is far from over, analysts said.      

    FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES 

    Sharif told a news conference in Islamabad on Monday that the PML-N would withdraw from the coalition government because the PPP could not keep its promise to restore the deposed judges. 

    According to a joint statement issued by the PML-N and the PPP on March 9, the judges, who were sacked after a state of emergency was declared in Pakistan on Nov. 3 last year, should be restored by a parliamentary resolution within 30 days after the coalition government was formed. 

    However, the two parties failed to reach an agreement on the issue although talks had been held in Dubai, Pakistan and London since the end of April. 

    Safeguarding their own interest was the fundamental reason why the two partners were at odds over the issue, analysts said. 

    After Nov. 3, a Provisional Constitutional Order and a National Reconciliation Ordinance that granted amnesty to politicians who faced charges within a specific period of time were promulgated in Pakistan. 

    Zardari, the widower and political successor of slain ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was one of those who benefited from the reconciliation ordinance, analysts said. 

    While the PPP feared that the provisional constitutional order and the reconciliation ordinance would become invalid if the sacked judges were reinstated, losing their immunity, the PML-N insisted on firing the current judges appointed after Nov. 3 and said it would join protesting lawyers to demand a quick reinstatement of the fired judges.      

    LATENT CRISIS 

    The PPP has been preparing itself for a situation once the PML-N withdraws from the ruling coalition, analysts said. 

    Zardari did not say whether the ministers' resignations would be accepted or not. But with a majority in parliament even without Sharif's party, he could bring other parties into his government, analysts said. 

    The Muttahida Qaumi Movement said on Monday that if the PML-N decided to pull out of the coalition government, the movement was ready to join the coalition at any time.      

    ROOM FOR NEGOTIATIONS 

    Despite their differences, both the PPP and the PML-N agreed to maintain the integrity of the ruling coalition, which they believed was conducive to Pakistan's stability and democracy process. 

    Sharif said on Monday that his party withdrew from the cabinet, not the ruling coalition. 

    "The PML-N will not join the opposition for now," he added. 

    Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani also called for a last-ditch effort to save his government Tuesday, after refusing to accept the resignations. 

    There was room for further negotiations as the two political parties have expressed willingness to continue cooperation. 

    Zardari said he was not contemplating a split with the key partner in the coalition government and would continue working with Sharif despite recent disagreement. 

    "I am not looking at a minus-Nawaz position," Zardari told a news conference on Wednesday after meeting with party aides at his Islamabad residence. "I'm looking at a plus-Nawaz position where I take him on every step." 

    "Even if we agree to disagree on some issues, we should agree on most of them," he said. 
 
Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>5 Taliban militants killed, 6 injured in clash with police</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412594</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6412594.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 16:23:34 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Five Taliban militants were killed and six militants injured in a clash with the police in southern Afghan province of Zabul as the rebels were attacking a district chief's compound early Friday morning, a local official said. 

    Firef ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Five Taliban militants were killed and six militants injured in a clash with the police in southern Afghan province of Zabul as the rebels were attacking a district chief's compound early Friday morning, a local official said. 

    Firefight erupted at 1 a.m. local time as a group of insurgents attacked the compound of district chief in Shinkay of Zabul and the hour-long clash caused no casualties on the police guarding the building, Barat Khan, Shinkay's district chief, told Xinhua. 

    Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban, told Xinhua from an unknown location over phone that his group took the responsibility, adding that five of their fighters and also seven policemen died in the fighting. 

    Afghan southern provinces have been the scene of Taliban-led insurgency, which usually came out as guerrilla-style attacks, like suicide blasts, roadside bombings and ambushes. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Blast hits Sri Lankan capital, injuring at least 75</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412536</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6412536.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 15:56:30 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[At least 75 people were injured when a bomb exploded in the business district of Sri Lankan capital Colombo around 12 noon time (0630 GMT) on Friday, defense and hospital officials said. 

    Defense officials said a motorcycle-riding su ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[At least 75 people were injured when a bomb exploded in the business district of Sri Lankan capital Colombo around 12 noon time (0630 GMT) on Friday, defense and hospital officials said. 

    Defense officials said a motorcycle-riding suicide bomber of the Tamil Tigers rammed into a bus carrying police personnel at the Fort area and caused the explosion. 

    Hector Weerasinghe, the director of the Colombo National Hospital said at least 75 people had been admitted to the hospital from injuries received from the attack.

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>8 militants detained during Afghan, Coalition combined operation</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412463</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6412463.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 15:05:06 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Eight militants have been detained during an Afghan National Security and the U.S.-led Coalition forces' joint operation in eastern Afghan province of Paktia, said a Coalition statement issued here Friday. 

    The arrests were made afte ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Eight militants have been detained during an Afghan National Security and the U.S.-led Coalition forces' joint operation in eastern Afghan province of Paktia, said a Coalition statement issued here Friday. 

    The arrests were made after the combined force searched several compounds in Zadran District to target a Taliban militant, the statement said. "IED (improvised explosive device) components were discovered on the compounds and removed to prevent possible future use," it added. 

    The U.S.-led military alliance, a 20,000-strong multi-national force deployed in Afghanistan with security mission, offered no more information in the statement. 

    The Coalition and Afghan forces have recently conducted a series of major anti-insurgent operation in Afghanistan's restive eastern and southern regions. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>FAO: world grain prices have risen to highest point</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412443</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90856/6412443.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 14:35:16 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[According to the FAO World Food price index issued by the United Nations, in April this year, grain prices dropped for the first time in 15 months. FAO expert Abdolreza Abbassian, in an exclusive interview with UN Radio on the 15th, said th ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[According to the FAO World Food price index issued by the United Nations, in April this year, grain prices dropped for the first time in 15 months. FAO expert Abdolreza Abbassian, in an exclusive interview with UN Radio on the 15th, said the global grain price in March this year was at its highest, and the current price is stable.

Abbassian said: "The FAO pointed out that since April this year, food prices have not risen. On the whole, the grain price remained stable in April. What's more optimistic is that in the first two weeks of May, in all markets of futures transaction - with the exception of rice - all food prices show a steady trend. "

FAO pointed out that as farmers plant more grain, as well as good weather conditions, the grain price will stop rising and is likely to begin to decline.

By People's Daily Online]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Venezuelan president refutes Interpol's reports</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412422</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6412422.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 14:05:09 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that Interpol actually made a "show" in Colombia by failing to prove any link between the Venezuelan government and Colombia's rebel groups. 

    It was a "joke" and a "charade" to link the  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that Interpol actually made a "show" in Colombia by failing to prove any link between the Venezuelan government and Colombia's rebel groups. 

    It was a "joke" and a "charade" to link the Venezuelan government with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC),Chavez told a press conference. 

    Raul Reyes, FARC's second-in-command, was killed on March 1 during a Colombian military raid on the rebel camp inside Ecuador. 

    Three laptops were found on the spot, and were examined by Interpol, the international police agency, at the request of Colombia, which accused President Chavez of providing FARC with 300 million U.S. dollars and offering the guerrillas weapons and munitions. 

    Interpol's secretary general, Ronald Kenneth Noble, announced the results of the analysis on Thursday in Bogota, Colombia. 

    Noble said Interpol experts did not find proof of tampering from the laptops' files. 

    The Venezuelan government responded that Interpol's action is part of a campaign to discredit Chavez' administration. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Profile: Dominican presidential front runners </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412421</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6412421.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 14:04:29 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Domonican Republic is set to hold presidential elections on Friday. Following are profiles of the two leading presidential candidates: 

    -- The incumbent president, Leonel Fernandez. 

    Fernandez, who heads the Dominican Libe ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The Domonican Republic is set to hold presidential elections on Friday. Following are profiles of the two leading presidential candidates: 

    -- The incumbent president, Leonel Fernandez. 

    Fernandez, who heads the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), takes the lead in most published polls with around 56 percent of support. 

    Born on Dec. 26, 1953 in Santo Domingo, Fernandez emigrated with his parents in 1962 to New York, where he received elementary and secondary school education. 

    He returned to the Dominican Republic in 1968 to continue his schooling. Later he studied law at Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, where he received a doctorate degree in sociology of communications in 1978 and worked as professor of sociology of communications and international affairs. 

    After joining the PLD in 1973, Fernandez served as a member of political bureau and secretary of press and international relations. He became vice president in 1994, before running as the presidential candidate of the PLD in May 1995. 

    Having fulfilling his term of office from August 1996 to August2000, Fernandez was reelected president with an absolute majority of 57 percent, the highest ever in Dominican history. He began his second term on Aug. 16, 2004. 

    During his campaign, Fernandez promised educational advances, social security, justice and fight against corruption. 

    Fernandez said the economy rose from 1.3 percent to 8.5 percent under his presidency and that inflation decreased from 28.7 percent to 8.8 percent, the lowest in all of Latin American countries. And more than 420,000 jobs were created during his term. 

    He has three children, a daughter with his current wife lawyer Margarita Cedelo and two sons with his former wife. 

    -- Miguel Vargas Maldonado, candidate of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). 

    Vargas, 51, ranked second in published polls with an approval rate of 37 percent. 

    Vargas studied civil engineering in Recinto Universitario de Mayaguez in Puerto Rico. He started his political career in 1982. Before that, he was an engineer and a construction businessman and the general director of the Santo Domingo's Aqueducts and Sewage System Corporation. 

    He served as minister of public works and communications under former President Hipolito Mejia from 2000 to 2004. 

    Vargas said if he wins the elections, he will cut taxes to energize the economy and increase social investment in the most needed sectors. He vowed to alleviate poverty that affects half of the Dominican population. 

    Vargas is married with Maria Angeles Garcia and has three sons. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Backgrounder: Key facts about Dominican presidential race </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412420</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6412420.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 14:03:50 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Dominican Republic will hold presidential elections on Friday. The following are some key facts about the polls in the Caribbean nation. 

    The Dominican Republic, which covers an area of 48,734 square km, is located in the eastern ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The Dominican Republic will hold presidential elections on Friday. The following are some key facts about the polls in the Caribbean nation. 

    The Dominican Republic, which covers an area of 48,734 square km, is located in the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola, which lies between Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. The country has the only international border with Haiti, to the west. 

    The country has a population of 9.5 million, mostly a mixture of European and African origin. 

    All Dominican citizens over 18 years of age are eligible to vote. Some5.76 million people have registered to choose their new president and vice president, whose term will run from August 2008 to August 2012. Voting opens at 06:00 local time (0200 GMT) and ends at 18:00 local time (1400 GMT) on Friday. 

    Under the 1966 constitution, amended in 1994, executive power rests with the president, who is to be elected by direct popular vote for a term of four years. 

    The candidate will have to garner more than 50 percent of the vote to win the presidency. If there is no outright winner, a runoff vote will be held after 45 days between the two leading candidates. 

    Seven candidates are competing for the presidency, with the incumbent president, Leonel Fernandez, and his main rival Miguel Vargas Maldonado as the front runners. 

    A latest opinion poll showed that Fernandez from the Dominican Liberation Party would win 56 percent of the vote in the first round, while Vargas from the Dominican Revolutionary Party would get 37 percent. 

    Amable Aristy Castro from the Social Christian Reformist Party is in third place with 5 percent. 

    The other four candidates are Eduardo Estrella from Cuarta Via coalition, Guillermo Moreno from the leftist Independence Unity and Change Movement, Trajano Santana from the Independent Revolutionary Party and Pedro de Jesus Candelirer from the Popular Alliance. 

    Some 42,000 police and soldiers have been deployed across the country for the elections. There are also some 200 international observers. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Migration, climate change top agenda of 5th EU-LAC summit </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412419</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6412419.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 14:03:04 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Migration and climate change will top the agenda of the 5th Latin American, Caribbean and European Union summit that kicks off here Friday. 

    It is not possible to talk about fight against poverty and social cohesion without talking a ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Migration and climate change will top the agenda of the 5th Latin American, Caribbean and European Union summit that kicks off here Friday. 

    It is not possible to talk about fight against poverty and social cohesion without talking about the immigrants problem, EU Commissioner for External Relations and Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said Thursday in the Peruvian capital. 

    "We need balanced political measures to prompt regular migration on the one side, and on the other side to curb illegal migration, such as human trafficking," said Ferrero. 

    In addition, climate change, biological diversity, water and forest will also be discussed during the two-day EU-LAC summit, he added. 

    The EU commissioner said climate change is a priority for the 27-country bloc because it is related to poverty and more vulnerable people and has an impact on economy. 

    During the 2002-2007 period, the EU has invested more than 377 million euros (780 million U.S. dollars) in Latin America. 

    The EU will also launch plans on fighting climate change in Latin America dubbed "Euroclima" to strengthen the dialog about environment, Ferrero said. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Minister: Indonesian military focuses on disasters </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412418</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6412418.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 14:02:16 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Indonesia does not need to build up a large and threatening military and is more concerned with equipping itself better to respond to natural and man-made disasters, the defense minister has said. 

    "We don't have the money to build a ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Indonesia does not need to build up a large and threatening military and is more concerned with equipping itself better to respond to natural and man-made disasters, the defense minister has said. 

    "We don't have the money to build a large threatening force in Indonesia," Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono was quoted by major newspaper The Jakarta Post as saying on Friday. 

    "First because we don't need it, second we can't afford it and third because a large proportion of the country's budget is focused on economic development and social protection," he said. 

    For a country the size of Indonesia, which has a population of about 230 million and more than 17,500 islands, the minister estimated a defense budget of more than 10 billion U.S. dollars is required. 

    The current defense budget is about 3.2 billion dollars, he said. 

    "So forget about building up a 200-ship navy or a three-squadron air force. Our focus is on transport ships, transport aircraft, transport vehicles because the role of the defense force is more of an emergency response to help Indonesians affected by natural disasters, man-made disasters," he said. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>UN children's agency offers aid for China quake victims </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412363</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90856/6412363.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 13:13:15 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) offered on Thursday in-kind contributions to support China's national relief effort in earthquake-stricken regions. 

    "Tents, blankets and school kits have already been procured by UNICEF an ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) offered on Thursday in-kind contributions to support China's national relief effort in earthquake-stricken regions. 

    "Tents, blankets and school kits have already been procured by UNICEF and will start to arrive in affected areas within the next 48 hours," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman in a statement. 

    "The procurement of health, water and sanitation materials is also underway and these supplies will be dispatched to China as soon as possible," she said. 

    Veneman said that UNICEF is working closely with the Chinese government and people to assist suffering children in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Sichuan province on Monday. 

    She noted that students were "prominent among the victims of the quake, which struck during school hours and resulted in the collapse of a number of school buildings." 

    "UNICEF stands ready to further assist, as China's national disaster relief efforts continue," she added. 

    The 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which was the worst to hit China in 30 years, rocked Wenchuan county in China's southwestern Sichuan province on May 12, and have killed more than 14, 000 people, according to the rescue headquarters. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>UN evacuates staff from disputed Sudanese town</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412362</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90856/6412362.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 13:11:59 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The United Nations has evacuated most of its staff from the Sudanese town of Abyei, located in a disputed oil-rich area, amid continued shooting between government forces and the former southern rebels. 

    UN spokesperson Michele Monta ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The United Nations has evacuated most of its staff from the Sudanese town of Abyei, located in a disputed oil-rich area, amid continued shooting between government forces and the former southern rebels. 

    UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters on Thursday that the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), set up to help implement the 2005comprehensive peace agreement between the two sides, has decided to pull out most of its civilian international and national staff because of the worsening security conditions there. 

    Only the head of the office and a few other international staff members have remained behind to perform critical duties, she added. 

    Abyei is now almost deserted, the town market stopped operating. Sporadic shooting is still being reported. 

    Montas said it was not yet clear how many casualties have resulted from the clashes between the government forces and the members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which still dispute the Abyei area, located on the border between north and south Sudan. 

    An impasse over the boundaries of Abyei has been one of the main stumbling blocks hindering the full implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement, which ended more than two decades of north-south conflict in Sudan. 

    The two sides have agreed to a ceasefire and to take up law and order responsibilities for their respective areas of operation after UNMIS' Deputy Force Commander flew to Abyei for a joint military committee meeting. The two sides have also agreed to remove all other armed groups from the town and to prevent the entry of any new group. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Colombia rejects other countries' arrangements to free hostages</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412360</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6412360.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 13:09:46 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Colombian government Thursday rejected other country’s arrangements made in a bid to seek the release of hostages held by the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). 

    It is "unacceptable" that other gover ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The Colombian government Thursday rejected other country’s arrangements made in a bid to seek the release of hostages held by the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). 

    It is "unacceptable" that other governments seek or make contacts with FARC without Colombia's authorization, Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo said. 

    "The international community is aware of FARC's terrorist actions, and the damage they has done and how they hide in other countries", Araujo said. 

    Araujo said he regretted the announcement of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa that he would seek the liberation of FARC's hostages. 

    "Any kind of activity with FARC must be done with Colombia's authorization. It is unacceptable that any person comes to make unauthorized arrangements because these are inconvenient for our security," Araujo insisted. 

    Correa has said he would seek for the liberation of former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was kidnapped by FARC in 2002. 

    Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also said he would try to re-establish contacts with the FARC rebels in an attempt to free more hostages. 

    Betancourt's family regretted Araujo's declaration and they affirmed that Ecuador's arrangements have humanitarian aims. 

    FARC has offered the exchange of 45 hostages for the release of 500 jailed guerillas. The Colombian government rejected the proposal. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>U.S. Red Cross donates $10 mln for quake-hit Chinese victims</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412359</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6412359.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 13:09:08 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The American Red Cross (ARC) provided 10 million U.S. dollars for China's relief efforts in the earthquake-hit Sichuan province, the organization said Thursday. 

    In a statement, the ARC said the contribution would assist the Red Cros ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[The American Red Cross (ARC) provided 10 million U.S. dollars for China's relief efforts in the earthquake-hit Sichuan province, the organization said Thursday. 

    In a statement, the ARC said the contribution would assist the Red Cross Society of China, whose employees and volunteers have been helping survivors since the earthquake struck on Monday. 

    "Already we have seen a great outpouring of concern and support from across the United States for those whose lives were shattered by this disaster," said David Meltzer, senior vice president of the ARC's International Services. 

    "We are working closely with our international partners, including the Chinese Red Cross, to provide vital assistance to those in need," he said. 

    The ARC said in the statement that the Chinese Red Cross "is a very strong organization with extensive experience responding to disasters in China" that has a long history of working in partnership with ARC. 

    The ARC, according to the statement, will continue to weigh additional support options, which may include additional financial support, relief supplies or expertise, as the full picture of the disaster becomes clear. 

    As of Thursday, the confirmed death toll in the earthquake was 19,509 in Sichuan province alone and more than 50,000 people are feared dead. 

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
</item>
<item>
<title>Canada's PM to apologize for abuse of Indians</title>
<NEWS_ID>6412355</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6412355.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 13:07:16 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make an apology next month for the rampant abuses at native residential schools from the 1870s to until the 1970s. 

    "This is going to be a very meaningful and respectful apology," Indian Af ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make an apology next month for the rampant abuses at native residential schools from the 1870s to until the 1970s. 

    "This is going to be a very meaningful and respectful apology," Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said on Thursday. 

    The announcement came prior to a national aboriginal day of action on May 29 that may witness highway and railroad blockades. 

    Tensions are mounting between Ottawa and First Nations, or Indians, over a number of issues, including land claims and the poverty issue facing Indians. 

    According to national statistics, in 2006, there were just under 700,000 Indians in Canada, accounting for over 2 percent of the country's population. 

    Starting in 1874, Canada funded the residential schools, which were an extension of religious missionary work. It was part of the then Canadian campaign to assimilate aboriginals into a Christian society by obliterating their language, religion and culture. 

    About 150,000 students went through the schools, most of which closed down in the 1970s. 

    The federal government admitted 10 years ago that physical and sexual abuse in the once-mandatory schools was rampant. Thousands of former students have sued the government. 

    Many of the 90,000 survivors of the schools have said that they wanted to hear a formal apology from the prime minister in the House of Commons.

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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<title>Colombian president urges FARC to release hostages, threatens military rescue </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412354</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6412354.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 13:06:37 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Thursday urged the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to free Franco-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages ahead of an EU-Latin American summit in Peru. 

    "Hopefully,  ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Thursday urged the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to free Franco-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages ahead of an EU-Latin American summit in Peru. 

    "Hopefully, now before the summit begins, the FARC terrorist movement or one of its spokesmen announce the release of Ingrid Betancourt and the other kidnapping victims," Uribe told a press conference after meeting with Czech Republic Prime Minister Miroslav Topolanek. 

    However, if there is no announcement of the hostage-freeing from FARC, Uribe said, the government forces will look for the hostages' locations in different regions of the country and start military rescues. 

    Betancourt's family fiercely rejected the option of military rescue, saying it will "condemn them (hostages) to death." 

    Betancourt was kidnapped in the south of Colombia in February 2002 when she was traveling to Caqueta province as part of her presidential campaign. 

    FARC has offered to swap 45 hostages, among them politicians, military men and four foreigners, for the release of 500 guerillas held in prison. 

    Uribe made the announcement before his trip to Peru to attend the 5th Latin American, Caribbean and European Union summit. The summit will discuss global warming, poverty and a recent surge in world food prices, which has triggered off violence in several countries. 

Source:Xinhua
]]></full-text>
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<item>
<title>Oath of Nepali CA members set for May 27 </title>
<NEWS_ID>6412352</NEWS_ID>
<link>http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6412352.html</link>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 13:05:44 +0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Members of Nepali Constituent Assembly (CA) will be sworn in on May 27, a day before the first CA meeting, The Himalayan Times reported on Friday. 

    According to the daily, a meeting of the taskforce comprising representatives of 13 m ...]]></description>
<full-text><![CDATA[Members of Nepali Constituent Assembly (CA) will be sworn in on May 27, a day before the first CA meeting, The Himalayan Times reported on Friday. 

    According to the daily, a meeting of the taskforce comprising representatives of 13 major parties elected to the CA took this decision Thursday to ease up formal agenda of the first meeting of the CA on May 28, which will implement the republican agenda in the country. 

    The meeting also discussed the preliminary 12-point draft prepared by Parliament Secretariat on conducting the first CA meeting. 

    "We discussed the draft prepared by the parliamentary secretariat. The CA members will be sworn in on May 27," the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) leader Baburam Bhattarai, who chaired the meeting, said. 

    The draft will be finalized at the next meeting, he added.

Source:Xinhua]]></full-text>
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