Issue 151

World News in Brief: Issue 151

29th January 2007

News in brief from across the world. In this issue: donations flood in for Lebanon, Russia to build nuclear reactors for India, and Ford report a slump in sales.

Donations to Lebanon

French president, Jacques Chirac has revealed during a conference in Paris that foreign doners have pledged $7.6bn (£3.5bn) in aids and loans for Lebanon. Lebanon has been deeply affected by violent protests since late last year and is extremely politically unstable, but the International Community remains undeterred in their attempts to help the country. Mr Chirac told delegates that he was 'overjoyed' by the huge amount of money pledged. The biggest pledges came from the USA, the EU, Saudi Arabia and France.

Star of Oscar-winning film charged with Fraud.

Presley Chweneyagae, star of the Oscar winning film, Tsotsi, has appeared in court in Pretoria charged with fraud. The 22-year-old was allegedly in posession of a fake driving licence, having attempting to convert a forged Ivory Coast licence into a South African one. Tsotsi, directed by Gavin Hood, won best foreign language film at the 2006 Oscars and provided Chweneyagae with his big break, having grown up in a similar town. The case has been postponed until February 27 as the actor completes his work abroad.

Russia to build four nuclear power reactors in India.

A draft deal has been signed by the leaders of Russia and India in Delhi for the production and joint development of aircraft and fighter plane engines. "Russia's position as a global leader on energy issues is widely recognised," said Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh. The two countries have had close ties since Soviet times, with India remaining a top buyer of Russian weaponry. However, trade between them is at its lowest for two decades. Many Russian diplomats still see a special place for India.

Ford report a record slump in sales.

US car maker Ford has reported a loss of $12.7bn (£6.5bn) . They are currently the second biggest carmaker in the US and have been going for 103 years but they say they are struggling against their competitors such as Toyota and now have plans to close 16 factories in North America and to cut 45,000 jobs. Major restructuring costs and a huge slump in sales saw Ford lose £5.8bn in the final three months of the year alone. Ford say they remain confident they will return to profit by 2009.

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