UPDATE 1-Falkland Oil finds no oil at Toroa well

LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) – Falkland Oil and Gas Ltd (FOGL.L) said the Toroa F61/5-1 exploration well, offshore the disputed Falkland Islands, failed to find any hydrocarbons and has been plugged and abandoned.

“Whilst the results of the Toroa well are disappointing, it has to be remembered that this is the first well in a previously undrilled frontier basin,” said Chief Executive Tim Bushell.

“We believe that these results have helped to reduce some of the key risks of the plays in the deepwater areas of our licences,” he added.

Oil exploration in the islands has sparked protests from Argentina, which claims the British territory [ID:nN22219606].

In March, British oil explorer Desire Petroleum (DES.L) said it had found poor quality oil in the first well to be drilled in the Falkland Islands for a decade.

Falkland Oil has a 49 percent interest in the Toroa prospect.

(Reporting by Julie Crust; editing by Mark Potter)

UPDATE 1-Falkland Oil and Gas says drill results delayed

LONDON, JULY 5 (Reuters) – British oil and gas explorer Falkland Oil and Gas (FOGL.L) (FOGL) said preliminary results for its Toroa well will be delayed by one week because of operational and weather problems.

“FOGL now expects to announce the preliminary results of the Toroa F61/5-1 well during the week commencing Monday 12 July 2010,” the company said in a statement on Monday.

FOGL is currently drilling in the Falklands alongside Rockhopper (RKH.L) and Desire Petroleum (DES.L) as part of a closely watched exploration programme that has sparked protests from Argentina, which claims sovereignty over the British-government islands [ID:nLDE6530AA].

FOGL has a 49 percent interest in the Toroa well. Shares in the company last traded 243.5 pence on Friday’s close, valuing the firm at around 350 million pounds. (Reporting by Golnar Motevalli; editing by Sarah Young)

France’s AAA credit rating not at risk -Lagarde

June 25 (Reuters) – French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said on Friday that she had no grounds to believe that the country’s AAA credit rating was at risk.

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“I have no reason to think this,” Lagardetold France Inter radio.

Lagarde added that the government’s plan to reform the country’s pension system, which has led to a wave of protests by powerful trade unions, was intended to send investors a message of “security” over the French economy. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Sophie Taylor)

UPDATE 1-Thai Airways says unrest hit Q2 revenue

June 17 (Reuters) – Thai Airways International THAI.BK said on Thursday its second-quarter revenue and its cabin factor would be hit, mainly by recent political unrest and the tourist low season.

The national carrier expected its percentage of seats sold, or cabin factor, to be 60 percent in the April-June quarter, down from 81 percent in the first quarter, President Piyasvasti Amranand told reporters.

“The recent political unrest has slashed a lot of revenue we should earn in the second quarter,” Piyasvasti said, referring to anti-government protests in Bangkok from March to May which ended with a military crackdown and violence.

Early this month, the airline said it expected its second-quarter performance this year would be roughly the same as the same period of last year. [ID:nLDE6550GY]

It reported a loss of 5.4 billion baht ($167 million) in the second quarter of 2009, hit partly by political unrest and the H1N1 flu outbreak.

The company is due to announce its second-quarter results in August.

In April this year, its cabin factor was 72 percent but it dropped to 56.8 percent in May, Piyasvasti said.

“However, it is likely to pick up from July, especially on the flight to Johannesburg,” he said. South Africa is hosting the 2010 World Cup.

The airline had said in February it was aiming for a 2010 cabin factor of 75 percent, compared with 72 percent in 2009.

The national carrier expected a fund-raising plan to be completed in the third quarter, delayed from the middle of the year as initially planned, said an executive who declined to be identified.

“We are in the process of filing documents to the stock regulator,” the executive said.

Thai Airways announced the stock offer in March by selling up to 1 billion new shares to the public and shareholders, including the Finance Ministry, which owns 51 percent of the airline. [ID:nSGE62B08K]

The move is aimed at strengthening its financial position as it overhauls operations and restructures management.

At the midday break, Thai Air shares were unchanged at 26.50 baht, while the main stock index .SETI was up 0.31 percent. ($1=32.39 baht) (Reporting by Manunphattr Dhanananphorn; Writing by Arada Kultawanich; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Most Greeks mistrust government to fight corruption: poll

(Reuters) – Most Greeks believe the country’s political system cannot tackle chronic graft and think most politicians are corrupt, an opinion poll published on Sunday showed.

Greece has been rocked by a series of major protests against austerity measures to deal with the debt crisis and a central demand of the protesters has been to crack down on corrupt politicians they blame for mismanaging the economy.

According to the poll by Public Issue, conducted from June 8 to 10 for Kathimerini newspaper, 61 percent of those asked believed the political system could not tackle corruption, with 52 percent saying they never or almost never trusted governments.

“The current crisis of trust in governance can be characterized as structural. It confirms a crisis in representation that has not been seen before, post World War-2,” pollster Yannis Mavris said in the newspaper.

“The conviction that governments serve big interests is universal (89 percent), while regards the management of public money, eight out of 10 citizens think it is wasted.”

Based on the poll, 78 percent of people accept the view that many or all in government are corrupt.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos)

Malaysia has yet to issue sports betting license-report

June 7 (Reuters) – Malaysia has yet to issue a sports betting license amid growing public anger in the mostly-Muslim nation, a news website reported on Monday.

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Malaysiakini.com cited Prime Minister Najib Razak in a written reply to MPs as saying that the government had not yet finalised the terms and conditions of the permit that was supposed to awarded last month to Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd, a betting operator.

“The government is still sourcing feedback from various quarters for the proposal to license bookmaking in Malaysia, with the aim of reducing and subsequently eradicating illegal gambling,” Malaysiakini quoted Najib, who is also Finance Minister, as saying.

Ascot, acquired last month by Malaysian gaming group Berjaya Corp (BGRO.KL) from its major shareholder — tycoon Vincent Tan, was expected to kick start its sports betting operation in the second half of this year. [ID:nSGE64B0HI]

Tan also controls Berjaya Sports Toto (BSTB.KL), one of three number forecast operators in the Southeast Asian country dominated by Muslims who are forbidden to gamble under Islamic laws.

Shares of Berjaya ended down 0.7 percent on Monday compared to the broader market .KLSE that fell 0.6 percent.

News of government plans to legalise sports betting in time for the World Cup surfaced in May and had sparked some protests across Malaysia.

Analysts say the value of the Malaysian sports betting business, long controlled by illegal syndicates, could range from 612 million ringgit to as much as 8 billion ringgit ($191.1 million – $2.50 billion)

(Reporting by Niluksi Koswanage)

Bangladesh lifts ban on Facebook

Dhaka, June 6 — Authorities in Bangladesh have lifted a ban on popular social networking website Facebook, more than a week after the government temporarily restricted access to the site, officials said. Mango Telecom Services, a private internet service provider, on Saturday reopened the site for Bangladeshi users as directed by telecom regulators, Mir Masud Kabir, the managing director of the company, told local media.

The restriction was imposed May 29 after what officials said was a section of the site out to hurt religious sentiments in the Muslim-majority country by uploading a number of controversial images on the site that go against the Muslim belief. Some members of the social networking site had organized an “Everyone Draw Mohammed Day” competition, prompting protests among Muslims who believe images of the prophet are blasphemous.

The organisers said the event was meant to promote freedom of expression, but Muslims across the world expressed anger over it.

Underwear sparks Valley protest

Srinagar, June 5 — An underwear allegedly sporting a mosque sparked widespread protests here Saturday. But police said the protests were premeditated, blaming miscreants for much ado about nothing. Trouble began after some residents of Nowhatta area claimed to have spotted the “blasphemous” underwear being sold on a handcart. Minutes later, scores of people took to the streets and began pelting stones at vehicles. Clashes between the protesters and security personnel that ensued soon spread to other areas of downtown Srinagar forcing shopkeepers to down shutters. The police fired blanks and used tear gas canisters to disperse stone-pelting youths in several localities including Ghanta Ghar, Srinagar’s commercial hub. The police crackdown left more than dozen protesters were injured, but that didn’t stop them from baying for the blood of those responsible for the “sacrilegious pictures”. But the police claimed the underwear wasn’t sacrilegious to warrant protests. “This (protests) was premeditated and organised to vitiate the atmosphere. The picture doesn’t seem to resemble a mosque,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Reyaz Bedar.

The otherwise edgy Srinagar had unusually been calm prior to Saturday’s protests. Even the alleged killing of three civilians by the army in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district some time ago had failed to evoke public resentment.

Protests against likely Indo-Lanka deal

Colombo, May 27 — Renewed protests have begun against a bilateral trade agreement between India and Sri Lanka days before President Mahinda Rajapaksa is slated to fly to New Delhi. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) – which would take forward the current Free Trade Agreement between the two countries – would benefit India at the cost of domestic industries, protesters said. A large number of entrepreneurs including doctors, lawyers and engineers gathered at busy junction in Colombo and urged Rajapaksa not to ink the deal during his visit beginning June 8. The main opposition, United National Party, has also asked for amendments to CEPA. UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake told reporters that the government should focus on ways and means to protect Lankan exports and on service sector. He said CEPA should not allow the Indian doctors and other professionals to come into the Lankan market.

The CEPA was pushed to the background after the 2008 SAARC summit in Colombo when it was expected to be signed but was deferred after political opposition mounted.

Britain eases advice against travel to Thailand

Britain’s Foreign Office eased its advice against travel to the Thai capital on Tuesday, as Bangkok slowly returned to normal after protests and riots.

Britain had advised against all travel to Bangkok earlier this month as battles between the military and anti-government protesters raged, eventually killing 85 people and wounding more than 1,400. Anti-government leaders have since surrendered.

“We are now advising against all but essential travel to Bangkok. This replaces the previous advice, which advised against all travel to Bangkok,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas: Editing by Ralph Boulton)

Thai govt approves relief measures after unrest

Thailand’s cabinet has approved a relief plan, including soft loans and grants, to help businesses and people affected by recent political unrest, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said on Tuesday.

Loans totalling 5 billion baht ($154 million) will be extended to small and medium-sized businesses in Bangkok, Korn told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.

They will be offered at low interest rates of 2-3 percent per year over six years with a grace period of two years.

The “red shirt” anti-government protests were broken up by the military on May 19, sparking riots and arson that destroyed part of the country’s biggest shopping mall and closed down banks for two days.

Korn said small businesses that had suffered from arson would each receive a 50,000 baht ($1,543) grant from the government.

The government would offer a 7,500 baht grant to employees and street vendors who had lost income, Korn said.

Affected companies that had retained staff and kept paying them would also receive help, Korn said, adding details on all the measures would be decided later.

(Reporting by Kitiphong Thaichareon; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Now, Pak bans Twitter for carrying blasphemous contents

Islamabad, May 21 (ANI): Following a ban on famous networking website Facebook, and popular video sharing portal YouTube, another immensely admired social networking site-Twitter has been banned in Pakistan for carrying blasphemous contents.

Hundreds of Twitter users tried in vain to log in to their accounts as a message- “This site has been restricted,” was displayed on their computer screens.

Acting on the Lahore High Court’s decision the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had earlier directed all internet service providers in the country to shut down both Facebook and YouTube, as protests against the sacrilegious depiction of Prophet Muhammad on these two sites intensified across the country.

A statement issued by the PTA said that it has blocked over 450 links containing offensive content.

In Peshawar, more than 500 people participated in a protest against Facebook for holding competitions of drawing caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. They chanted slogans against the government and demanded it to end all ties with countries where these ‘blasphemous’ caricatures are being published. (ANI)

Nepal Maoist Chairman Prachanda downplays party”s plan to declare ”constitution” from streets

Kathmandu, May 21 (ANI): Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ”Prachanda” has clarified that his party is not going to declare what it calls the people”s Constitution from the streets on May 29 if the Constituent Assembly gets dissolved.

Speaking to reporters in Dhulikhel on Thursday, Prachanda described the media reports that the party is preparing to declare a ”people”s Constitution” from the streets as ”unfounded”.

Nepalnews quoted him as, saying that the party will only publicise the draft of the Constitution it has prepared.

He said the Constitution that will become defunct after May 28 will be revived after the Constituent Assembly parties forge consensus.

He said it was important to reactivate the Constituent Assembly, which had become dormant for the past one year. Different parties should come to an agreement to do so.

The parties could not forge agreement due to the inflexibility on the part of the ruling parties.

He said that integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants has been the main issue of contention between the ruling coalition and his party.

He reiterated that his Party is not in a position to specify the number of combatants to be integrated right away as demanded by the ruling parties.

Earlier, the CPN Maoist had stated that it would promulgate a Constitution drafted by the party from the streets on May 29.

The party had decided at the meeting of its politburo to promulgate its Constitution unilaterally if a consensus is not forged before the Constituent Assembly”s (CA) term expires.

They decided not to vote for extension of the term of the Constituent Assembly if new government under Maoist-leadership is not formed.

They also decided to cancel the nationwide protests scheduled for May 25 and a cadres training scheduled for May 18. (ANI)

Pak students against ban on Facebook, YouTube in country

Islamabad, May 21 (ANI): Pakistani students are opposing the government’s decision to ban the hugely popular social networking site-Facebook and video portal YouTube, saying the move would only encourage extremism in the country.

“Pakistani people have the right to know about the world. The extremists want to snatch this right from the people which will certainly help extremism,” The Daily Times quoted student from Karachi, as saying.

“The competition hurt Muslims. But only that link should have been blocked. Facebook has nothing to do with it. It’s just that one page,” a Lahore based student said, while refusing to be named.

It may be noted that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has directed all internet service providers in the country to shut down YouTube, as protests against the sacrilegious depiction of Prophet Muhammad on both YouTube and Facebook intensified across the country.

A statement issued by the PTA said that it has blocked over 450 links containing offensive content.

In Peshawar, more than 500 people participated in a protest against Facebook for holding competitions of drawing caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. They chanted slogans against the government and demanded it to end all ties with countries where these ‘blasphemous’ caricatures are being published.

Thai tourist arrivals down by a third following protracted bloody protests

Bangkok, May 18 (ANI): The ongoing Red-Shirt uprising in Thailand has dealt a severe blow to the country’s tourism industry, slashing arrivals to the country by almost one-third of the usual numbers.

Nineteen countries including the US have already issued tourist advisories to avoid the troubled state.

“The number of tourists has dropped considerably. The government was hoping that tourism in the South would see a boost but it is now more difficult as foreigners think that the unrest is occurring nationwide,” the Bangkok Post quoted Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa as saying.

Foreigners are concerned about the security situation in the country and believe the tense situation is prevalent across Thai.

The government will be hoping to make up for the losses in the third and fourth quarter, “The government hopes this year”s tourist arrivals will reach the target with the time remaining,” Chumphol said.

The number of incoming passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport had dwindled from an average 30,000 to 20,000 passengers a day he added. (ANI)

10 killed in Bangkok violence

Bangkok, May 15 (IANS) At least 10 people were killed in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in the Thai capital Friday, officials said.

About 110 people, including security personnel, were injured in the clashes, the Bangkok Emergency Medical Service Centre told Xinhua.

The latest violence erupted after the Centre for Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES) announced that it would keep up the pressure on ‘red-shirt’ protesters to end their rally.

The protests in the Thai capital started March 12 and the Rathchaprason Intersection in central Bangkok is the main rally site

Omar Abdullah accuses separatists of ”arming” valley”s youth with stones

Srinagar, May 14 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has hit out at the separatists in the region for allegedly ruining the mind-set of youngsters by handing over stones to them to be pelted at security personnel.

Addressing a public meet here on Thursday, Abdullah said: “The state government is trying to curb the trends of stone-pelting by offering certain constructive and progressive prospects to the youth.”

“There are political outfits here which capitalise on the problems of the masses to survive. Their political agenda is met when people die. They would never want that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir is resolved because the day the issue of Jammu and Kashmir is resolved, their very existence will be over,” he added.

“The day people stop dying, their existence will be over; the day there will be no need of strike, their existence will be over. These are the same people who deliver stones to the youngsters,” he said.

Three civilians including a seven-day-old toddler were killed and hundreds other injured in the valley region when unknown miscreants pelted stones during the protests in last couple of months.

He also spoke against the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan.

“As per the terms of the treaty, Pakistan has exclusive rights over waters of three rivers Chenab, Jhelum and Indus, which originate from Jammu and Kashmir, while India has exclusive rights over waters of rivers Ravi, Satluj and Beas in Punjab,” he said.

“Three rivers of Punjab are with India, three rivers of Jammu and Kashmir were handed over to Pakistan. We (Kashmiris) don”t have right over utilisation of our own waters,” he added. (ANI)

Nepal Maoists feeling the heat of people’s anger over their extortion campaign

Washington, May 8 (ANI): Nepal’s Maoists ended a six-day general strike due to their increasing unpopularity and people’s anger over their extortion campaign to feed the cadres, as well as using private schools to shelter them.

The Maoists in Nepal ended the general strike on Friday, after angered citizens numbering in thousands came out in large numbers against them on the streets of Kathmandu, resulting in clashes with the Red ultras.

The Police attempted to prevent Maoist protesters from clashing with people who were protesting for peace in the same area, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told reporters: “We have postponed the shutdown, but have not ended our other protests against this government,” he said.

But analysts said anger among citizens forced the Maoists’ decision. The strike disrupted food supplies and limited access to medical services. Clashes broke out in the capital with bused-in Maoist supporters.

Farmers and dairy owners were decrying the shutdown by throwing vegetable and milk that they could not take to the markets on the highways. On Friday, more than 10,000 people participated in a “peace gathering” in Kathmandu, and in Lalitpur district people overturned a truck carrying Maoist cadres and beat them up.

“The decision by the Maoists to ease the lives of ordinary citizens is a clear indication that they are feeling the heat. This is their response to the unpopularity of the shutdown and the consequent retaliation by locals against Maoist supporters,” said columnist and lawyer Bhimarjun Acharya.

“The Maoists made a mistake in trying to portray this shutdown as analogous to the nationwide protests in 2006,” Acharya said, referring to the 19 days of nationwide protests in 2006 that forced King Gyanendra to relinquish power.

“Popular support comes from good agenda. This time the agenda is very personal,” The Christian Science Monitor quoted him, as saying.

The shutdown was meant to force Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to step down and allow Maoist chairman Prachanda to lead a new government.

Yubaraj Ghimire, former editor of Kathmandu Post daily, said the strike cost the Maoists more than just popular support. It also cost them the recognition as a political force they enjoyed since 2006. (ANI)

Hundreds unable to vote in British election

London, May 7 (DPA) Hundreds of people were unable to vote in Britain’s general election because of long queues at polling stations and, in one instance, a shortage of ballot papers, it emerged Friday.

The Electoral Commission watchdog said it had ordered a ‘thorough review’ into incidents around the country in which people were unable to cast their votes by the time polls closed at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT Thursday).

The commission said the incidents were cause for ‘serious concern.’

In the northern English city of Sheffield, police were called to move people on when voters staged sit-in protests after waiting hours to vote.

It was reported that some polling stations ran out of ballot papers because of Thursday’s unexpectedly high turnout.

Commentators said the incidents could lead to legal challenges by candidates.

Glazers snub 1.5 billion pound bid for Manchester United

London, May 7 (ANI): The US-based Glazer family has reportedly rejected a 1.5 billion bid for Manchester United.

The group of wealthy United fans were understood to be planning a 1.2 billion pound offer for the club this summer.

But news of the Glazers” reluctance to accept a higher offer, believed to be from a Middle East consortium last year, is a massive stumbling block, The Sun reports.

United supporters have shown their discontent for the Glazer regime with their ”green and gold” protests at Old Trafford this season.

Fans are unhappy with the lack on investment in the team, especially after Cristiano Ronaldo”s world record 80-million-pound sale to Real Madrid last year.

Supporters are also worried by the club”s spiralling debts which stand at over 700-million-pounds. (ANI)