Business

Negotiations between the State Bank of India and its employees over pension benefits have resulted in a settlement, ending a seven-day strike. The bank, which is based in Mumbai and majority-owned by the nation's central bank, is India's largest commercial bank, with over 9000 branch offices. The settlement calls for workers whose final monthly salary was up to 21,040 rupees (US$471) to receive half that amount as pension; workers with salaries larger than that would receive 40%. The bank's previous pension maximum was 4,250 rupees (US$95)

New South Wales police have arrested and charged a man after an attack on the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway (F3) north of Sydney. Police allege that on March 25, 2006 at around 11:20 p.m., a 22-year-old man was pulled over by three men posing as policemen on the F3 freeway on the New South Wales Central Coast. He was assaulted by one of the men and forced into the passenger seat of his car. During the seven-hour ordeal, he was raped and robbed. His bank card was taken and used to withdraw cash from his bank account. The man was found by a passing d

The California-based non-profit organization Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a brief on Wednesday claiming that AT&T has been illegally forwarding Internet traffic directly to the National Security Agency. The EFF has asked that the forwarding be stopped immediately. According to EFF staff attorney Kevin Bankston, "The evidence that we are filing supports our claim that AT&T is diverting Internet traffic into the hands of the NSA wholesale, in violation of federal wiretapping laws and the Fourth Amendment. More than just threatening

One and a half weeks after a broken sewer line in the Waikiki district of Honolulu spilled 48 million gallons of raw sewage, health officials for the state of Hawaii removed warning signs today from Waikiki beaches after water samples taken yesterday indicated that bacterial levels had returned to normal. The sewage spill into the Ala Wai Canal forced the closure of Waikiki beaches when bacterial levels from the spill reached hazardous levels. Officials credit improved weather and the return of trade winds for the rapid dissipation. Beaches

Torrential rains pounded Honolulu and the eastern part of the island of Oahu on Friday during the midday, causing flooding along streams and major highways and closing a major shopping mall. Between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. HST (2030 to 2300 UTC), rain fell at the rate of about one to two inches (2.5 to 5.0 cm) an hour in Honolulu and up to three inches (7.5 cm) an hour in Waimanalo on the southeast coast. Makiki Stream overflowed its banks at several points along its route, especially in the Pawaa district where homes and businesses near Kalaka

The President of the Hellenic Republic, Carolos Papoulias, attended the inauguration ceremony of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Alexandria, Egypt. The ceremony was blessed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew. Also attending, in addition to the Greek President, were two ministers of the Greek government, a former Prime Minister of Greece, many Greek businessmen and the Orthodox bishops of Africa. The development of the Church of the Annunciation in Alexandria has been financed by the Onassis Foundation

At least 57 people are now known to have died when a boat designed similar to a traditional dhow capsized one mile of the coast of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Seventeen were Indian and a further 13 of the dead are British; people of another six nationalities are also known to have died. The passengers were mostly foreigners from the Nass-Murray and Roberts construction company, and were enjoying an evening dinner cruise in celebration of their completion of part of the Bahrain World Trade Centre towers. Most who died were dining on the lower d

Charlie Sheen, appearing on cable television news network station CNN on March 24, questioned the credibility of the theory that 19 hijackers caused all of the destruction to the World Trade Center. Sheen said; "It seems to me like, you know, 19 amateurs with box cutters taking over four commercial airliners and hitting 75 percent of their targets, that feels like a conspiracy theory… I am an American citizen that loves my country…. People want the truth. They want the truth. And what's been offered to us resembles nothing of the sort." In re

Local Government workers in the UK withdrew their labour yesterday as part of a dispute over pension entitlements. The members of 11 different trades unions were involved in the 24hr strike. As the day began they declared that support for the strike was solid. Although the strikers work for local councils, their pay and conditions are agreed nationally. The Local Government Association which represents the local councils in England and Wales declared predictions that 1.5 million people would stay away from work as "wildly optimistic". The Uni

The US Federal Reserve has raised the federal funds rate by 25 basis points (a quarter of a percent) to 4.75%. The Federal Open Market Committee said, "Economic growth has rebounded strongly in the current quarter but appears likely to moderate to a more sustainable pace." The commmittee also said that the recent rise in energy prices has had a small effect on inflation and increasing productivity has offset growing labor costs which has helped keep inflation modest. However, the rise indicates the advent for future wariness over the state

The Beatles' Apple Corps has filed a lawsuit against computer and electronics maker Apple Computer in a London court this week, the third such lawsuit in a long running trademark dispute between the two companies. Apple Corps claims that Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store violates an agreement reached between the two companies in 1991, which barred Apple Computer from using the "Apple" brand in certain uses in the music business. The trial is set to begin on Wednesday in the Royal Courts of Justice, located in central London. Presiding Judge

__NOTOC__ The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair addressed a special joint sitting of the Australian Parliament March 27, 2006. After introductory speeches by both the Prime Minister of Australia John Howard and the Leader of the Opposition Kim Beazley, Blair spoke on globalisation and trade, security, terrorism, and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also touched on the Middle East and climate change. Mr Blair started by reminiscing about his childhood, when he lived from the age of two until five in Adelaide, South Australia.