World Briefing | Asia: Japan: Premier's Big Gamble
Date: 03 September 2002
By James Brooke (NYT)
James NYT
Japan's Prime Min Junichiro Koizumi tells party officials he is staking his political life on visit to North Korea this week; press has expressed caution about one-day visit, calling it hurried and questioning whether prime minister can win concessions from North Korea, which does not have diplomatic ties with Japan; photo (S)
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World Business Briefing | Americas: Venezuela: Growth Is Predicted
Date: 03 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Planning Min Felipe Perez says Venezuela's economy should grow almost 4 percent in second half of year after shrinking 7 percent in first half (S)
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World Business Briefing | Europe: France: Profits Rise At Insurer
Date: 03 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Axa, Europe's second-biggest insurer, reports that first-half operating earnings climbed 17 percent, buoyed by higher premium rates after the Sept 11 attacks; profit, excluding one-time items and acquisition-related costs, rises to 1.02 billion euros ($1 bilion) from 876 million euros year ago; chart (S)
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World Business Briefing | Europe: Spain: Phone Company To Sell Shares
Date: 03 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Spain's largest phone company, Telefonica, plans to sell shares in its Admira media unit and television producer Endemol Entertainment Holding in effort to reduce losses from write-down of its European wireless businesses (S)
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World Business Briefing | Americas: Colombia: Exports Surge
Date: 03 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Colombian exports rise 3.3 percent in July on surging oil sales abroad; US holds its position as largest single recipient of Colombian goods (S)
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Braskem of Brazil to Use Cash to Pay Off Debt
Date: 03 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Braskem, largest petrochemical company in Latin America, plans to use most of its cash to pay off debt as concern over outcome of Brazil's presidential elections in October increases financing costs (S)
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Mexico To Increase Crude Oil Output
Date: 03 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Mexico, world's fourth-largest oil producer, plans to increase its crude oil output by about 13 percent next year, to around 3.65 million barrels a day; Pres Vicente Fox second annual report on state of nation also says that Mexico also plans to increase production of crude oil to about 4.1 million barrels a day by end of his term in 2006; analysts say Fox's plan may be too ambitious unless Congress reduces fiscal burden on state oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, which pays about 60 percent of its revenue in taxes (S)
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European and Asian Markets Show Widespread Declines
Date: 03 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Stocks in Europe and Asia fall (S)
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NEWS SUMMARY
Date: 02 September 2002
INTERNATIONAL A2-9 A New Test for Powell As a Low-Key Mollifier Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is preparing to visit a summit meeting in Africa, his latest appearance where he is expected to play a quiet, low-key role in the public debate over Iraq. His role seems intended to mollify America's critics as much as to persuade them. A1
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NEWS SUMMARY
Date: 03 September 2002
INTERNATIONAL A3-9 Officers Want Elite Units Freed From Qaeda Hunt Commanders in the American military's most elite Special Operations unit are arguing that their troops should be freed from a fruitless hunt in Afghanistan for Osama bin Laden, military and intelligence officials say. Some senior officers in the Joint Special Operations Command have concluded that Mr. bin Laden is dead, though they lack hard evidence, officials said. Other military and intelligence officials have sharply disagreed with their assessment. A1
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