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ATHENS, Oct 7: The head of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, said Friday the threat of inflation in the eurozone should be watched carefully owing mainly to high property prices. Trichet said in an interview with Greek radio that the volume of loans for housing and to households was rising fast throughout the eurozone. The trend was strong and was one of the main reasons why the bank was watching the money supply figures which were also dynamic, he said in a copy of the interview received by — AFP.
Bali Muslims urged to be patient with 'slanders'
DENPASAR, (Indonesia), Oct 7: An Indonesian Islamic preacher told Bali's Muslim minority on Friday to stay calm amid attempts to "slander" their religion over last weekend's bombings on the resort island. Preacher Kusairi Syahran spoke of a "group of people who bear animosity towards Islam and try to slander Muslims." — AFP
US urges caution as Malaysian dengue cases surge
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7: The United States embassy in Malaysia warned its citizens Friday to watch out for the dengue-carrying Aedes mosquito as the number of deaths and cases reported looked set to hit record levels. "Because the number of dengue cases has significantly exceeded expected levels, and due to the fact that we are just now entering the rainy season, we recommend that you take measures to prevent the presence of the Aedes mosquito around your house or building," it said in a statement- — AFP
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IAEA's ElBaradei: seasoned diplomat, nuclear weapons hunter
VIENNA, Oct 7: UN atomic energy chief Mohamed ElBaradei, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is the leading advocate of using diplomacy rather than force to counter the threat of nuclear proliferation from Iran to North Korea. As director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the former Egyptian foreign ministry official leads the global effort to uncover nuclear threats to world peace, and he has shown a steely will even in the face of intense political pressure --AFP.
Foreign journalists punched at China land dispute
BEIJING, Oct 7: Two foreign journalists were punched and slapped by guards and thugs Friday as they tried to enter a village in southern China at the centre of a bitter land dispute, they told AFP. Malaysian journalist Leu Siew Ying from the South China Morning Post and French reporter Abel Segretin from Radio France Internationale were pushed and shoved by some 20 people near Taishi village in Guangdong province, they said- — AFP.
Chirac receives Blair to discuss divergent EU views
PARIS, Oct 7 : British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac shook hands and joked in Paris Friday before starting talks on their divergent views on the future of the European Union. The display of friendliness contrasted with the sniping the two had engaged in ahead of a failed EU summit in June, when they argued over the European bloc's 2007-2013 budget. — AFP
Israelis, Palestinians prepare
for summit
JERUSALEM, Oct 7 : Top officials were to meet Friday to agree on the details of a summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, the first since Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip.Top Sharon adviser Dov Weisglass and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat were to set a date and iron out the agenda for what will be the third Abbas-Sharon meeting since a landmark Middle East peace summit in February. — AFP
"The exact date of the summit as well as its agenda will be determined during these (preparatory) talks," a source in Sharon's office said.
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