REUTERS, Puertomontt/Futaleufu, Chile - Chile on Thursday ordered holdout residents to flee from an erupting volcano in the remote region of Patagonia and vowed to force them out if they refuse to obey.

The military evacuated a small contingent of troops and journalists from near Chaiten volcano in southern Chile before dawn on Thursday after it spat out fiery material.

REUTERS, Washington - US lawmakers unveiled a five-year global food aid plan on Thursday, snubbing White House demands for significantly greater flexibility when buying food for the world's poor.

The final House-Senate compromise on the 2008 farm bill, if approved, would spend a mandatory $60 million over four years on a pilot program to test overseas purchases of food aid -- a step away from the traditional reliance on U.S. farmers.

Thu May 8, 2008 5:58pm EDT
By Missy Ryan

Three people were killed and five wounded on Friday when a landmine detonated by Kurdish guerrillas destroyed their minibus in southeast Turkey, security officials told Reuters.

The minibus was traveling in Batman province when the blast occurred. One of those killed was a village teacher. Among the five injured, two were seriously hurt, said the officials, who declined to be identified.

REUTERS, Moscow - Warplanes screamed over Red Square and missile launchers rumbled past ranks of soldiers on Friday when Russia celebrated victory over Nazi Germany with a show of military might not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The annual May parade, which remembers the almost 27 million Soviets who perished in World War Two, is also intended to show Russia's revival and a military that the Kremlin says is still a force to be reckoned with.

Bdnews24.com

Washington will not accept any military takeover in Bangladesh, said US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A Boucher Friday.

The US official categorically said Bangladesh

Bdnews24.com

Demand for the release of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from prison will top the Awami League's agenda during dialogue with the government, acting AL president Zillur Rahman said Friday.

Briefing reporters at his Gulshan home, he said: "We won't let conspirators to go ahead with the polls while Sheikh Hasina will be excluded from the process."

Bdnews24.com

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation has sought Tk 7,000 crore from the government to finance oil imports for June-December, BPC chairman Anwarul Karim said Friday.

Karim told bdnews24.com that the corporation had sought the money to cope with a feared fund crunch during the period.

The government had approved Tk 1,000 crore on April 20 in loan for the troubled BPC to help meet its immediate crisis

A government delegation will visit shrimp farms and processing plants on May 15, based on a recent report by a US labour organisation, commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said Friday, reports bdnews24.com.

In the report "The True Cost of Shrimp", the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations has alleged that Bangladesh shrimp industry uses child labourers and exploits women workers.

Bdnews24.com

The Board of Investment and officials of Tata Group are likely to discuss an investment proposal by the Indian business giant Sunday, a senior official said, reports bdnews24.com

"A meeting with Tata officials is scheduled for Sunday," BoI executive chairman Md Kamaluddin Ahmed told bdnews24.com Friday.

The price of New York crude oil surged past 125 dollars per barrel on Friday, lifted by speculative demand amid concerns about tight global energy supplies, analysts said, report agencies.

New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for June delivery, spiked as high as 125.98 dollars in early afternoon London trading.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has faith that Bolton will provide a stern test for Chelsea in Sunday's Premier League title decider, reports BBC.

If Bolton beat Chelsea then United will be champions, regardless of the outcome of their clash with Wigan.

Rooney fit for final

Sky Sports

Manchester United have been boosted by the news that Wayne Rooney will be fit for their UEFA Champions League final against Chelsea.

The England international has not featured for The Red Devils since equalising against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last month.

Bdnews24.com

BRISBANE, May 9 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Australia vice captain Michael Clarke will delay his departure for the tour of West Indies due to the failing health of his fiancee's father.

Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Friday that Clarke would join the Australian team at a later, as yet unspecified, date and that Brad Hodge would act as a temporary replacement.

New York auction

REUTERS, NEW YORK - Citigroup Inc, hard hit by the global credit crunch, is expected to present plans to sell roughly $400 billion of extraneous assets when it meets with investors and analysts on Friday, people familiar with the situation said.

Newly-installed Chief Executive Vikram Pandit, scrambling to slash Citi's costs and get past credit market problems, also intends to reaffirm his promise to cut annual expenses at the largest US bank by roughly 20 percent, one of the sources told Reuters on Thursday.