OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norway's vast fund for oil wealth has posted a 0.3 percent return in the second quarter, with rising bond prices offsetting the slump that has spread across many of the world's stock markets.
The second-quarter return is equivalent to 4 billion kroner ($723 million) and the market value of the Government Pension Fund Global, commonly referred to as the oil fund, is now at 3.11 …
Heavy rains and flash floods left seven people dead in Egypt and Israel on Monday, including a British tourist who was killed when a sailboat capsized on the Nile River.
Egyptian police said the British tourist was with three companions on a Nile sailboat cruise when their boat overturned in heavy winds and sudden rain.
The three others, including the victim's wife, survived. The other two in the boat were an Indian and a Canadian tourists, according to Maj. Gen. Nagi al-Hassi, security chief in the southern city of Aswan.
The heavy rains also washed away a dozen mud brick homes in southern Egypt and killed two women there, He added.
…
WASHINGTON The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Wednesday that he has nodoubt the military action against Iraq was justified, but he saidPresident Clinton has more work to do to convince the nation that hewas not just seeking to derail his pending impeachment.
"No, I don't question his integrity," Jackson said afterwatching Clinton's remarks about Iraq on television. "To me, it's anissue of judgment. It's not an issue of integrity. I supportPresident Clinton."
Moments before the president's broadcast, Jackson said at theWashington headquarters of Rainbow; PUSH: "I think there is a …
SIRTE, Libya (AP) — Libya's revolutionary forces have seized a convention center that had served as a key base for fighters loyal to Moammar Gadhafi in the fugitive leader's hometown, as they squeezed remaining regime loyalists in the besieged coastal city.
The inability to take Sirte, the most important remaining stronghold of Gadhafi supporters, more than six weeks after anti-Gadhafi fighters seized the capital has stalled efforts by Libya's new leaders to set a timeline for elections and move forward with a transition to democracy.
Gadhafi supporters also hold the inland enclave of Bani Walid, where revolutionary forces also reported key gains after weeks of faltering …
Iraqi women face extreme poverty and personal insecurity despite an overall decrease in nationwide violence, a prominent aid group said Sunday as it urged the Iraqi government to increase state aid for women and their families.
Oxfam, a British-based charity, said most of 1,700 women interviewed for a survey were not receiving any state support and were unable to provide their families with food and basic services as well as education and medical treatment.
The report, titled "In Her Own Words: Iraqi women talk about their greatest concerns and challenges," was released to coincide with International Women's Day.
Oxfam and an Iraqi …
Sir Martin Sorrell is credited with unleashing the power ofconsolidation in an industry that hitherto had a smattering of largeagencies working on their own steam. WPP, the world's largestcommunication company that he heads, owes its status to thecalculated moves this financial wizard has made in acquiring strongmedia brands across the world and then making them part of his well-orchestrated system.
During a recent visit to India, he took time out to speak onissues as diverse as global business dynamics, new media and thechallenges to old media. Excerpts of the interview:
Given the downturn, what can a company do to maintain aneffective advertising and …
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put Washington's heft behind new Mideast peace overtures on Tuesday, scheduling an unexpected meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this week.
The meeting - the second between Rice and Abbas in two months - was announced a day after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on the Palestinians to return to peace talks, saying his country would be willing to leave most of the West Bank in exchange for a "real peace."
Israel and the Palestinians also agreed Saturday on a cease-fire to end five months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, and Rice's visit was seen as a further push to use the momentum to start new …
