The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 09-09-19

The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Indonesia: Key Militant Dead

Tests on the DNA from the body of a man killed during a raid by Indonesian police on Thursday confirm he was Noordin Mohammad Top, Indonesia's most wanted terror suspect, police said on Saturday. Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy and the world's most populous Muslim country, had been under intense pressure to capture or kill Noordin Mohammad Top ahead of a planned visit by U.S. President Barrack Obama in November

Noordin was killed in a raid in Solo in Central Java early Thursday morning, authorities said.

Malaysian-born Noordin Top, who set up a violent splinter group of regional militant network Jemaah Islamiah, was suspected mastermind of deadly suicide attacks on Marriott hotel in Jakarta in 2003, the Australian embassy in 2004 and Bali in 2005.

Hours after Thursday's raid, police had identified Top based on fingerprint records held by Malaysian police, but Indonesia police spokesman said on Saturday "the DNA also matches 100%".

News item: 26934

[02] IMF Sells Gold Reserves to Boost Lending to Poor Countries

The International Monetary Fund board has approved selling 403.3 tonnes of its gold reserves to provide loans to poor countries and shore up its finances in the mid of global financial crisis...

Boost Lending to Poor Countries

Reliable sources in Washington said that the International Monetary Fund board has approved the sale of gold mounting to one-eighth of its current holdings, worth an estimated 13 billion dollars, to boost lending to poor countries.

"I am delighted that the executive board has given its overwhelming backing to a strictly limited sale of fund gold to put the financing of the IMF on a sound long-term footing, and enable us to step up much-needed concessional lending to the poorest countries," Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said in a statement.

He also underlined that these sales would be conducted under modalities that âsafeguard against disruption of the gold marketâ. The sales will be made directly to central banks or sold on the markets over a longer period of time, the IMF said.

Source: ÁNA-ĚPA

Older news items: News item: 26933

The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article