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To: regli who wrote (58951)	4/21/2006 9:05:05 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Under Hu, China Is Tightening Controls On Media . By Christopher Bodeen Of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHANGHAI (AP)--From Rolling Stone to online essayists to a scrappy Beijing newspaper, a wide range of media have felt the effects of an official campaign to tighten controls on what Chinese see and read. Under President Hu Jintao, who visited Washington this week, the communist government has been challenging growing public appetites for information and entertainment by stepping up efforts to stamp out content deemed politically or morally dangerous. Publications have been shut down. Dozens of journalists have been jailed. Others were fired or demoted. "All Chinese journalists to whom I have spoken say that freedom has vastly decreased since 2003," the year Hu took over as president, said Ashley Esarey, a scholar of Chinese politics and media at Middlebury College in the U.S. Hu is believed to be committed to media policies aimed at ensuring one-party rule by restricting free speech and reducing exposure to Western concepts of multiparty democracy and human rights. Hundreds of small publications have been shut down, while regulations on Web site content have been tightened. China is believed to be the world's leading jailer of journalists, with at least 42 behind bars, many on security or subversion charges. Freezing Point, a weekly supplement in the Communist Party's China Youth Daily newspaper, was ordered to halt publishing after it printed an article in February questioning the official approach to history. Editor Li Datong and his deputy, Lu Yuegang, were fired. When the supplement reappeared a short time later, it lacked its formerly pointed content. Under Hu, methods of taming the press have become more subtle, aimed primarily at encouraging self-censorship. The government used to distribute regular memos to editors telling them not to report on sensitive topics. But now publications receive demands "not to sensationalize," said an editor in Shanghai, who asked that neither she nor her publication be identified for fear of official retaliation. Esarey said a survey he led of more than 10,000 Chinese newspaper articles published since the 1980s showed a steady decline in content critical of the government. He said Hu's relative lack of personal authority and popular support may be making him even more inclined toward tight control. Activists have accused foreign companies of cooperating with Chinese censorship efforts in an effort to win access to a market with 111 million Internet users and hundreds of millions of potential magazine and other customers. Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) has handed over emails that Chinese prosecutors used to convict dissidents. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) agreed to shut down the blog of a Chinese user. Google Inc.'s (GOOG) new Chinese search engine filters out results for sites banned by Beijing. Rolling Stone's troubles appeared to be political, though not due to its content. The Chinese edition was launched in March, but was quickly declared illegal - apparently due to a little-known government order last year that banned new magazine joint ventures. Officials have offered few details. The magazine returned with a second edition in April, replacing the "Rolling Stone" name with "Audiovisual World" but with the content largely unchanged. "We just wanted to keep the style of the magazine," said editor Hao Fang, who laughed but offered no explanation when asked the reason for the name change. In a typically vague pronouncement, Chinese media were told recently to use less foreign content. Television channels such as CNN and the British Broadcasting Corp.'s BBC World are limited to hotels and apartment buildings where foreigners live. But the government still monitors the signals and routinely blacks out broadcasts on sensitive topics. On Friday, CNN and the BBC were repeatedly blacked out, apparently to prevent viewers in China from seeing a Falun Gong protester at Hu's White House appearance a day earlier. (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 21, 2006 08:47 ET (12:47 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 08 47 AM EDT 04-21-06

To: regli who wrote (58951)	4/21/2006 9:05:40 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

China Govt Official Sees World Oil Prices Rising Further . By Victoria Ruan Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES BOAO, China (Dow Jones)--Global oil prices are likely to rise further mainly due to the tensions over Iran's nuclear program, the vice chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission said Friday. "The recent oil price surge is related to supply and demand. The more important issue is the Iran situation which is unlikely to be solved in the short term," Zhang Guobao told Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of the Boao Forum. (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires April 21, 2006 08:21 ET (12:21 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 08 21 AM EDT 04-21-06

To: regli who wrote (58951)	4/21/2006 9:13:53 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

China Hu:Regional Imbalances,Domestic Poverty Top Priority (everyone can't live the american way can they? we need more MR. Fusions out there eh?) WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Fixing regional imbalances and tackling domestic poverty is China's first priority, Chinese President Hu Jintao said late Thursday. "China remains a developing country with a large population, poor economic foundations, and an imbalance in regional development," Hu said. "The most pressing and immediate task facing China is to give top priority to economic development and to continue to raise the living standards of its people." Hu made the remarks at a dinner sponsored by the U.S.-China Business Council and a number of other groups. Around 750 million of China's 1.3 billion citizens live in the countryside and endure a lower standard of living than the country's urban dwellers. Hu said China plans to tackle the problem by developing its western region and revitalizing its northeastern industrial areas, among other things. "The development in China is still far from being even," Hu said. "By boosting domestic demand, we'll be able to further facilitate the domestic growth of China" and create more opportunities for international firms. Earlier in the day, Hu met with President George W. Bush at the White House, a session that generated pledges of cooperation on a variety of issues, but little in the way of concrete policy changes. Hu didn't mention China's currency policy during the dinner remarks. He reiterated his commitment to economic reform and peaceful development, saying he and Bush agreed to work together to tackle shared interests on trade, security, energy and other issues. "During the visit, I had fruitful talks with President Bush, met with representatives and other U.S. leaders, met with representatives of the American public and reached important common understanding," Hu said during his dinner speech. "What has impressed me most is that both China and the United States share a strong desire to further develop our bilateral relationship, and that both sides appreciate the fact that the China-U.S. relations have gone far beyond bilateral context and have become increasingly global in importance." The Washington visit, Hu's first as China's leader, was tarnished when a protester interrupted a welcome ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. Bush later apologized to Hu for the breach of security at the highly stage-managed event. -By Henry J. Pulizzi, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9256; henry.pulizzi@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 21, 2006 07:37 ET (11:37 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 07 37 AM EDT 04-21-06

To: regli who wrote (58951)	4/21/2006 9:16:26 AM
From: shades	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

US Agrees To Allow Imports Of Poultry Processed In China (2 helpings of general tso's for me!) By Bill Tomson Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Next month the U.S. will begin allowing China to sell processed poultry to the U.S., so long as it isn't from birds raised or slaughtered in China, where the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu continues to be found. The new U.S. federal rule - unveiled Thursday, the same day President George W. Bush met with Chinese President Hu Jintao - evoked criticism from U.S. lawmakers. The raw poultry that China processes and ships to the U.S. would have to originate from either the U.S. or Canada, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Undersecretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond told Dow Jones Newswires. Raymond said he knows of no U.S. companies preparing to send raw poultry to China for processing. In a prepared statement, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., criticized to the USDA announcement. "It is an outrage that the U.S. is going to open our borders to imports of poultry from China - a country that lacks the fundamental safety functions in its processing plants, has questionable export practices, and a country where a deadly animal disease and possible pandemic is running rampant," DeLauro said. She said she was upset that the U.S. won't have inspectors at the Chinese processing plants. Raymond said the U.S. has audited the Chinese plants and must trust their system, just as other countries trust the U.S. to produce safe meat products. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, also released a statement Thursday critical of the USDA. Harkin said that while the USDA will now allow U.S. companies to import poultry processed in China, it "still maintains domestic Chinese poultry is dangerous." "It's not clear to me (that) the two will be effectively kept separate," he said. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in its Thursday announcement that Chinese plants can't process domestic poultry at the same time they are processing poultry for export to the U.S. for fear of the two mingling. The U.S. agency, "through on-site reviews, will verify that establishments certified by the government of China are meeting all U.S. requirements," USDA said. USDA plans to publish the new federal rule Monday and have it go into effect 30 days later. -By Bill Tomson, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-646-0088; bill.tomson@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 21, 2006 07:37 ET (11:37 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 07 37 AM EDT 04-21-06

To: regli who wrote (58951)	4/21/2006 9:17:33 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

SEC Approves Rules Limiting Auditor Sales Of Tax Shelters (5 million laws - I maybe follow 10 of them - what good is a law without enforcement - that is really no law at all is it?) By Siobhan Hughes Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Federal regulators have approved new auditing regulations, including rules that impose new restrictions on the sale of aggressive tax shelters to audit clients. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday announced approval of the rules, nine months after adoption by U.S. audit overseers. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in July 2005 adopted rules disqualifying audit firms from auditing clients to whom they sell aggressive tax-avoidance schemes. The rules also in essence prohibit audit firms from entering into "contingent fee" arrangements, in which clients are charged a percentage of the money they save as a result of audit advice. Congress banned the sale of legal, banking and other services to audit clients in 2002, when it passed a corporate-fraud law in the aftermath of accounting scandals. But lawmakers allowed auditors to continue providing tax services, fueling criticism that the tax services might compromise the independent judgment of the firm. Rules restricting the sale of aggressive tax shelters and contingent-fee arrangements go into effect June 18, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board said Thursday. -By Siobhan Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6654; siobhan.hughes@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 21, 2006 07:31 ET (11:31 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 07 31 AM EDT 04-21-06

To: regli who wrote (58951)	4/21/2006 9:30:07 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

Israel Reinvading Gaza Would Be "Deadly Mistake" -Abbas JERUSALEM (AP)--Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Turkey's state-run news agency Friday that an Israeli reinvasion of the Gaza Strip would be a "deadly mistake." Israel is preparing to reoccupy the Gaza Strip if the Hamas-led Palestinian government doesn't halt rocket fire from the area, a senior military commander said in remarks published Friday. Israeli officials said there were no immediate plans to strike at the Hamas-led government. But the comments reflected rising Israeli impatience with the Islamic militant group, which has refused to renounce violence, defended a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv this week and failed to halt militant rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. "If the price we have to pay becomes unreasonable as a result of increased attacks, then we shall have to take all steps, including occupying the Gaza Strip," Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, head of Israel's southern command, told the Maariv daily. Israel withdrew from Gaza last summer, ending 38 years of military occupation. Since the pullout, militants have fired rockets into southern Israel on nearly a daily basis. (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 21, 2006 06:36 ET (10:36 GMT) Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 06 36 AM EDT 04-21-06

To: regli who wrote (58951)	4/21/2006 9:32:52 AM
From: shades	Respond to of 110194

=DJ THE SKEPTIC: Red Hot Infrastructure . By Matthew Curtin A DOW JONES NEWSWIRES COLUMN PARIS (Dow Jones)--BAA Chairman Marcus Agius and the shareholders he represents are on to a good thing. And how. If Agius sticks to a Clara Furse-LSE style defense of BAA's interests, the 810 pence-a-share offer from the Ferrovial-led consortium that he's just rejected might soon look like a distant memory, such is the hunger for infrastructure investments that is pushing prices sky high. With that comes the risk that investors are going to have to pay fat premiums for returns that might prove reasonable only over the long term, if at all. That's not going to be much of a deterrent right now. It seems as if the scale of the planet's infrastructure needs is only just dawning on many investors. They are waking up to the rich theoretical returns from building, equipping, maintaining and operating anything from power stations to desalination plants, highways, ports and subways to meet the energy, water and transportation needs of rapidly urbanizing and increasingly affluent populations outside the industrialized world. Take some figures that executives at General Electric like to bandy about. The U.S, with a population of 300 million, has a fleet of around 6,000 commercial aircraft. China, with a population of 1.5 billion, has but 850 airplanes, and India, with a population of around 1.1 billion, just 200. That implies huge pent-up demand for the aircraft themselves, and the attendant fuel-saving technology, engines and other components, maintenance, and financing -all of which is up GE's street. But there's also the question of building and running all the new airports to take all those extra aircraft, a specialist business where BAA's expertise would command a premium at any time. For now investment opportunities in infrastructure remain relatively sparse - as politics around the globe bog down many a project - which helps explain why an infrastructure specialist like Macquarie was prepared to stretch its investment horizon to have a tilt at the LSE. So burgeoning demand for the assets - take Goldman Sachs' plans for an infrastructure fund and the $1-billion U.S.-focused fund that Carlyle Group is creating - can but push prices of those assets that are on the market significantly higher, as P&0's, Eiffage's and BAA's shareholders, among others, have discovered. And if you consider all the finance that will be raised on international capital markets to build the new infrastructure, and London's preeminence as an international finance center, the fact the LSE's shares are trading at more than double the 580 pence Macquarie was willing to offer starts to look less strange. (Matthew Curtin has been a financial news reporter since 1990, and has reported on international finance and business for Dow Jones Newswires - from South Africa, Singapore and now Paris - since 1994. He can be reached at +331 4017 1740 or by e-mail: matthew.curtin@dowjones.com) (END) Dow Jones Newswires April 21, 2006 06:33 ET (10:33 GMT)

To: regli who wrote (58951)	4/21/2006 10:56:57 AM
From: ild	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 110194

Dollar falls as Sweden slashes holdings in half By Steve Johnson Published: April 21 2006 12:28 \| Last updated: April 21 2006 12:28 The US dollar fell against the euro in European morning trade on Friday as Sweden’s central bank said it had slashed its dollar holdings almost in half. The Riksbank revealed that it had cut the proportion of dollars in its reserves from 37 to 20 per cent, as well as selling off all its holdings of yen, which previously amounted to 8 per cent of its reserves. The central bank balanced these disposals by increasing its holdings of euros from 37 to 50 per cent, as well as building a new Norwegian krone position of 10 per cent. Although Sweden’s reserves are small, at around $21bn, and the Riksbank said its re-weighting was complete, the news thrust the ongoing issue of potential central bank diversification out of the dollar back into the limelight. “Today’s announcement will merely add to market fears that the end to the Federal Reserve tightening cycle will encourage more diversification away from the dollar, and into the most liquid alternative of the euro,” said Chris Turner, head of FX strategy research at ING Financial Markets, who reiterated its view that the euro will return to $1.35 by the end of the year. news.ft.com