Awaz Apni

Awaz Apni PARIS: When French shoppers start cutting back on buying champagne, oysters and foie gras for New Year's, it's been a rough year.As Europe prepared to ring in 2009, many revelers said belt-tightening was their top New Year's resolution. The vow followed the most volatile financial year in decades, a time that saw stock markets melt around the world and hundreds of thousands of workers lose their jobs.Even shoppers in the affluent area west of Paris were scaling back purchases for the traditional New Year's Eve feast."We're not going to celebrate in a big way — we're being careful," said architect Moussa Siham, 24. "We will be eating fish for New Year's dinner."Sydney was the world's first major city to ring in 2009, showering its shimmering harbor with a kaleidoscope of light that drew cheers from more than a million people.Spectator Randolph King, 63, of York, England, whose retirement fund was gutted in the global financi...

CNews PARIS: Internet security at the Elysee Palace may need stepping up after hackers stole money from Nicolas Sarkozy's bank account.How much has been stolen from M Sarkozy's account?"Small sums" are reported to have been taken from the Presidential stash and a spokesman for the French cabinet has confirmed that an investigation is underway.Luc Chatel admitted the incident "proves that this system of checking via the Internet isn't infallible."There was outcry last year when the French parliament decided to award their head of state a 100% payrise.The swindlers may have had access to his £13,243 a month salary.Online banking fraud in the UK is rising at a rapid rate.Twenty one million pounds were lost through internet scams between January and June 2008 - a 185% rise on the 2007 figure.APACS, the UK payment association, says the increase is largely due to criminals targeting online banking customers through phishing scams.These usually target victims v...

CNews PARIS: A foreign news agency Monday reported that President Pervez Musharraf has held a meeting with Israel's defense minister in a Paris hotel last week. Presidential spokesman however, has denied meeting between President Musharraf and Israeli defence minister. In Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesman said Musharraf had a ``chance'' meeting with Israeli minister in Paris hotel. A foreign news agency citing Israeli sources reported President Musharraf and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met by chance at the a Paris hotel, where they both were staying. They then held a scheduled one-hour meeting the following day, the officials said. Israeli defence minister and President Musharraf discussed the Iran nuclear issue, the report said. However, Musharraf and former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon had shook hands on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2005. In Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesman said Musharraf had a chance meeting with Barak in ...