March, 2006

• 31 March

  Mortgages set to rise

  The amount of mortgages issued under housing programs in Russia would rise to between RUR 108 billion and RUR 110 billion by the end of this year, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a conference on the involvement of Russian credit organizations in the implementation of national project.

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• 27 March

  Ahmadinejad: Iran to master full N-tech soon

  Brushing aside Western threats to refer Tehran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear activities, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed that his country would soon master nuclear technology in the new Iranian year, which starts on Monday AFP reported Sunday.

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• 27 March

  Writer jailed for defaming Kurdish leader in Iraq

  ERBIL (Reuters) — A Kurdish writer was sentenced to 1-1/2 years in prison on Sunday for defaming Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, in a case that has raised questions about the freedom of the press in postwar Iraq.

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• 27 March

  Israel’s election a referendum on withdrawal plan

  OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — One thing seems certain after Israel holds an election on Tuesday — no matter who wins, peacemaking with the Palestinians will remain on hold.

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• 27 March

  Arabs pledge same amount of funds for Palestinians

  KHARTOUM — Arab foreign ministers on Sunday renewed a previous commitment to provide the Palestinian Authority with $50 a month to cover for a budget deficit when Hamas takes office.

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• 27 March

  Olmert sees talks with US before pullout

  RAMALLAH — Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said yesterday Israel would seek talks with the US and others before embarking on another round of unilateral withdrawals from occupied Palestinian territories.

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• 26 March

  We’ll be big losers of Israeli elections, Palestinians say

  GAZA CITY (AFP) — Palestinians fear they are likely to emerge the real losers of next week’s Israeli election if it paves the way for the ruling Kadima Party to push on with its plan to set the final borders.

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• 26 March

  Serious and then charming, Bush makes his case on Iraq

  WHEELING, West Virginia (AP) — No matter his audience, President George W. Bush is drawing on his plainspoken manner in freewheeling venues to defend his Iraq strategy.

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• 26 March

  Sporadic gunfire in Somali capital, day after fighting killed at least 20

  MOGADISHU (AP) — Sporadic gunfire rang out in the Somali capital Thursday, witnesses said, a day after some of the heaviest recent fighting in Mogadishu killed at least 20 people when an Islamic militia battled forces that have challenged clerics’ growing power.

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• 26 March

  In Egypt, virus outbreak leaves many jobless

  CAIRO — Jobless and broke, Hamada Ismail called off his wedding and broke up with his fiancee — all because of bird flu. Its outbreak last month in Egypt has forced the closing of hundreds of

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