(AFX UK Focus) 2006-03-17 09:30 GMT: AFX NEWS BRIEFING: Banking and insurance highlights to 09:15 GMT 
LONDON (AFX) – Insurer Legal and General Group PLC delivered a better-than-expected 43 pct increase in annual profit, helped by strong sales of high-margin products in the UK.

US blasts China, Iran in annual rights report 
LONDON, March 9 (IranMania) – The United States has blasted China and Iran for alleged gross human rights violations, branding them among the “most systematic” violators in a closely-watched annual rights report, said AFP.

Shanghai’s Bank of Communications Selects Sterling Commerce to Optimize Customer Service and Branch Efficiencies 
SINGAPORE——March 20, 2006—Sterling Commerce, the multi-enterprise collaboration company, announced today that one of China’s largest banks, Bank of Communications , has selected the company’s Connect:Direct as its centralized file transfer platform for collaboration with its branches and trading community.

(AFX UK Focus) 2006-03-16 10:25 GMT: AFX NEWS BRIEFING: Macroeconomics highlights to 10:10 GMT 
LONDON (AFX) – The small improvement in UK retail sales in February was largely offset by a downward revision to data for January and suggests that consumer spending will struggle in the coming months.

What a trip – MARL Class III goes to China! 
The Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) Program is accepting applicants to their fourth program that will begin next November. Applications are due by March 31, so it’s time to apply.

(AFX UK Focus) 2006-03-16 07:35 GMT: China Feb wholesale prices up 0.7 pct yr-on-yr – central bank 
SHANGHAI (AFX) – China’s enterprise commodity price index, which measures wholesale prices, rose 0.7 pct year-on-year in February, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) said.

Sinochem inches into China oil market via Sinopec JV 
SINGAPORE, March 20 (Reuters) – Sinochem Corp. has formed its first fuel marketing firm with top refiner Sinopec Corp., which gives the trader a small foothold in China’s tightly controlled domestic oil market, company sources said on Monday.