Second production unit opens in Iraq's Najaf refinery

Iraq's oil minister opened an expansion to a refinery in Najaf on Saturday that increases capacity by roughly 10,000 barrels of oil per day.

The refinery, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, was constructed in October 2006 to help meet increasing needs in central Iraq for petroleum products, including kerosene. It currently produced about 20,000 barrels per day.

Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraq's oil minister, also pledged further expansions across the country, including new refineries in Nasiriyah, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Baghdad, and Karbala, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad.

Iraq has the world's …

pounds6,700 total from charity shoot event

The annual charity clay pigeon shoot by a North-east club raised arecord pounds6,700.

The money was made for Macmillan Cancer Relief by the ParkhillClay Pigeon Club in tribute to its former organiser, who diedrecently.

This year's event at Broadbog Farm, Alford, had been postponedafter the death of long-serving secretary …

ON AND OFF THE WALL: MEDITATIONS ON BEAUTY; Paintings and Drawings by Geoff Krueger at J Crist Gallery

When it comes to paintings and drawings, there's nothing like the real thing. Reproductions--posters and postcards--just don't do them justice. That's especially true for Geoff Krueger's paintings and drawings on view at J Crist Gallery through January 24.

Krueger, a recent housing-market refugee from Orange County, California, moved to Boise two years ago. The paintings in this exhibition focus on the land--the foothills and woodlands scenery of both California and Idaho. The beauty of the scenes--soft light, swirling clouds and muted colors--captivates you. They're beguiling. One quick glance and you think you've seen it all before, but when you look a second time you see …

Ex-Bangladesh PM charged in jet-purchase case

An anti-corruption court Wednesday formally charged an ex-Bangladeshi prime minister in a case involving the purchase of fighter jets from Russia during her 1996-2001 tenure, a government prosecutor said.

Judge Golam Mortuza Mazumdar of the special court set Sept. 3 to begin ex-Premier Sheikh Hasina's trial, prosecutor Syed Shamim Ahsan said.

Hasina and five others, including former military and government officials, have been charged with financial irregularities in the purchase of eight Russian MiG-29 fighter planes for US$924 million, according to the case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Hasina, who was arrested in July 2007 to face …

Uganda lawmaker refuses to withdraw anti-gay bill

A Ugandan lawmaker on Friday refused to withdraw proposed legislation that would impose the death penalty for some gays and lesbians despite international condemnation and presidential opposition to a measure that could scare off foreign investors.

Lawmaker David Bahati said he will not heed a call late Thursday from the government to drop the proposed bill, as he feels such a measure is necessary in the conservative East African country.

On Thursday, Minister of State for Investment Aston Kajara said the government would ask Bahati to scrap the bill because they fear backlash from foreign investors. The bill, which Bahati proposed in September, has …

`Repositioning' has advantages

Before long, cruise ships will begin making their annualmigrations to their winter homes - and taking passengers along forthe ride.

These "repositioning" journeys often include more relaxeditineraries than the average cruise, with more days at sea. TheCruise Lines International Association points out these otheradvantages: One-of-a-kind itineraries and exotic ports as ships movefrom one geographic area to another. Crystal Cruises sails fromAthens to Sydney; Silversea from Athens to Bombay; Norwegian andRoyal Caribbean from Vancouver to Hawaii, and Regal from PortCanaveral, Fla., to the eastern Caribbean. …

Forecasters see continued recovery in ad spending

NEW YORK (AP) — The amount of money spent on advertising will continue to rebound over the next few years after a sharp drop during the recession, according to several new forecasts.

The continued growth is a positive sign for the economy as a whole, suggesting businesses are feeling more confident that they can lure new customers.

But the recovery in ad spending is not showing up across the board. Instead, forecasters expect advertisers will continue to shift dollars to the Web and away from traditional media such as newspapers. And, reflecting broader economic trends, they expect emerging economies to grow much faster than their developed counterparts.

The key takeaway …