| Samba yield touches 5.7-7 tonnes per hectare in three districts
Kumbakonam, Jan 27. (PTI): With the samba yield touching 5.7 tonnes to seven tonnes per hectare, the highest in the last five years in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, procurement of the single crop is expected to exceed the target of 15 lakh tonnes in the three districts, officials said. They said women had taken up intensive farming operations in the three districts, and this was one reason for the steep growth in the yield. A total of 288 Self-Help Groups were involved in farming in Thanjavur district alone. In Thanjavur, Samba (single crop) had been raised in one lakh hectares of which harvest had been completed in 36,750 hectares and the yield was 5.7 tonne on an average. In some areas it touched even seven tonnes. "It is a record," said Jothi Mani, Joint Director of agriculture, Thanjavur.
Soccer: Beauty and boorishness at international friendlies
As Italians prepare for a soulless weekend without spectators in the stadiums, fans came out in the tens of thousands from Phoenix to China to Europe this midweek for friendly games without deadly consequence. No one of sane mind should criticize Italy's government for enforcing its rule that sport inside unsafe stadiums is no longer an option. But no one can deny that soccer has a remarkable drawing power on mankind. There were 79,862 people inside Stade de France, for example, for Wednesday's preparatory game won by Argentina. A solitary goal after 15 minutes by Javier Saviola settled the encounter. A significant miss by David Trézéguet, who was raised in Argentina but is French by birth, characterized the home team's failings. "We caused them problems," said the home coach, Raymond Domenech.
Petrobras, Vivo, Cemex, Grupo Mexico: Latin Equity Movers
Feb. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The following are the most-active stocks in Brazilian and Mexican markets today. In Brazil, the preferred share is usually a company's most-traded class of stock. The Bovespa index of the most-traded stocks on the Sao Paulo exchange fell 305.21, or 0.7 percent, to 45,649.86 at 10:24 a.m. New York time. Mexico's Bolsa index fell 114.92 points, or 0.4 percent, to 28,383.83. Brazil Petrobras (PETR4 BS) fell 20 centavos, or 0.5 percent, to 44.04 reais. Oil dropped as much as 0.7 percent as traders speculated that warmer weather in the U.S., the world's largest energy consumer, will trim demand for heating oil. Vivo Participacoes SA (VIVO4 BS) rose 13 centavos, or 1.5 percent, to 8.73 reais. Sonaecom SGPS SA raised its bid for Portugal Telecom SGPS SA, which controls part of Brazil's largest mobile-phone company with Telefonica SA.
UPDATE 2-Brazil Dec retail sales drop for 1st time since Aug
SAO PAULO, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Retail sales volumes in Brazil fell in December from November, the first monthly decline after four consecutive months of gains, the government's statistics agency IBGE said on Thursday. Retail sales (BRRSL=ECI: Quote, Profile, Research) fell 0.5 percent in December from November, a steeper decline than the 0.3 percent median forecast in a Reuters survey of 10 analysts. The estimates ranged from a decline of 1.7 percent to a gain of 1 percent. All four sectors surveyed for the month-on-month data showed a decline, led by a slump of 6.7 percent in sales of furniture and appliances and 3.3 percent drop in the sector encompassing textiles, clothing and shoes. Brazilians used up most of their yearend bonus payments to buy holiday gifts in November and had to put a break on spending in the final month of 2006, said Fernando Fenolio, an economist at Sao Paulo consultancy Rosenberg & Associados.
Joel Connelly: Cohabitation, church Style
OAK HARBOR - Two signs can be found outside a modern church building in this Navy town: One announces "St. Stephen's Anglican Church," the other "St. Stephen Episcopal Church." A case of cross purposes? Nope, the signs are a symbol of divisions that have split some parishes off from the Episcopal Church. And they signal a bid to avoid - albeit with major concessions - the kind of rancor seen elsewhere in the country. On Sunday afternoon, the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton was installed as the rector (pastor) at St. Stephen. The parish is made up of those in the Oak Harbor area who stayed loyal to the Episcopal Church after fellow parisoners at St. Stephen's decided to pull out of the church and place themselves under the "alternative oversight" of an Anglican bishop in Recife, Brazil.
France-Africa Summit opens minus Mugabe, Kagame and Mbeki
CANNES, France - A summit intended to strengthen ties between Africa and former colonial power France opened on Thursday but all eyes will be on a subject not on the agenda -- Sudan's battered Darfur province, Reuters news agency reported. The conference opens without Zimbabwes President Robert Mugabe, Rwandas Paul Kagame and South Africas Thabo Mbeki who sent his foreign minister, Nkosazana Zumba, preferring to stay home and attend to his ruling ANC and government business. The Zimbabwe government revealed Thursday Mugabe had not been invited but had been told by France through former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano that a lowly government delegations was welcome at the Cannes. Harare said it refused to meet "certain conditions" which said that Mugabe should not attend.
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