Japan has banned the use of domestic cattle to manufacture
Japan has banned the use of domestic cattle to manufacture
medicines and cosmetics after confirming it had Asia's first case
of mad cow disease last month, a Japanese governmental official
said Wednesday. - AFP
Coffee prices spiralled lower on the London futures markets,
driven to new lows on prospects of growing oversupply, traders
said. The November contract on the London International Financial
Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE) dropped below the
psychological $400 a tonne level to trade at a new contract low
of $392, a $16 loss from Tuesday. - Reuters
The euro zone's business indicator fell again in September, to
minus 0.57 from minus 0.46 in August, remaining in the red for
four months straight for the first time in two years, The
European Commission announced Wednesday. - AFP
A total of 214 bank accounts containing deposits amounting to
some four million euros (more than US$3.5 million) have so far
been frozen in Germany in efforts to crack down on financial
support for terrorism, the German economy ministry announced
Tuesday. The ministry has also ordered the closure of other
accounts relating to 26 individuals and entities which figured on
a list issued by U.S. President George W. Bush last week as being
linked to terrorism, a statement said. - AFP
Canada's government announced Tuesday it was disbursing C$160
million (US$100 million) in immediate aid to the country's
troubled airlines, which were briefly grounded after the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks on the United States.Air Canada, the nation's
dominant carrier which had originally asked for an aid package
totaling between C$3 and C$4 billion ($2-2.7 billion), will
receive C$100 million ($64 million) of the total package,
Transport Minister David Collenette said. - AFP
Taiwan's premier on Wednesday said his government won't boycott a
summit of Asian and Pacific leaders this month in Shanghai. Some
officials have suggested that Taiwan might skip the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation meeting because China has refused to invite
President Chen Shui-bian. Premier Chang Chun-hsiung said that
Taiwan was still insisting that the president attended the summit
on Oct. 20-21, the Taiwanese Central News Agency wire service
reported. - AP