WASHINGTON, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said his belief in a 'strong dollar' remained firm Friday after hosting a meeting of G7 finance chiefs as the dollar's weakness plumbed fresh lows.

Paulson also reiterated his conviction that markets should set the dollar's value and urged China's government to allow the yuan to appreciate, saying it would help keep the country's inflation in check.

PARIS, Sept 17, 2007 (AFP) - The current turmoil on financial markets will persist for a while longer but the overall global economy remains healthy, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said here Monday.

'Although this will be with us for a while -- it will take a while to work through this turbulence in the capital markets -- we are doing so against a backdrop of a strong global economy,' Paulson told journalists following a breakfast meeting with French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde.

WASHINGTON, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson travels for meetings with top French and British leaders next week including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, his office said Monday.

Paulson is to meet Sarkozy and senior French officials, including Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, on September 17, according to a statement.

He will then travel to London to meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling later that day.

WASHINGTON, Aug 21, 2007 (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson expressed confidence Tuesday that the credit crunch roiling America's financial markets will ease over time as investors reprice risk.

Paulson, a former chief executive of investment banking titan Goldman Sachs, told the CNBC business television channel that US economic growth will likely be dented by the credit turmoil, but said the global and US economies were strong.

WASHINGTON, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - International market turmoil will hit US growth but not push it into recession, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in an interview published Thursday.

Global share falls sparked by fears over the US mortgage market 'will extract a penalty on the growth rate' of the US economy, Paulson told the Wall Street Journal newspaper.

But he added that 'the economy and the markets are strong enough to absorb the losses' without provoking a US recession.

BANGKOK, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) - Thousands of students from across the world geared up for ten days of fierce competition Wednesday as the starting gun was fired for the World University Games in Bangkok.

On the evening that China started the final year countdown to the Beijing Olympics with fireworks and a spectacular ceremony, about 9,000 student athletes here prepared for action in 17 disciplines ranging from athletics to water polo.

BANGKOK, Aug 6, 2007 (AFP) - The opening ceremony for the World University Games in Bangkok on Wednesday will kick off ten days of sport involving 10,200 student athletes competing in 17 disciplines.

The games, rated as second only to the Olympics in terms of size and quality, have attracted participants from 160 countries, and will be closely watched for emerging talent ahead of Beijing 2008.

Preliminary rounds of basketball and football take place on Tuesday and Wednesday before the event moves into full swing the following day.

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday the turmoil on financial markets is the result of 'risk being repriced' which can be painful for some but is 'healthy' in the long run.

In an interview with CNBC television, Paulson said the upheaval appears to be a reining-in of 'excess' and speculation in risky markets and assets.

'What we're seeing is risk being repriced, and a different perspective on risk, which I think is healthy,' he said.

COLOMBO, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Sri Lanka has been confirmed as host of the Asian Rugby championship in November after the world governing body was assured of the players` safety, a top official said on Thursday.

Dilroy Fernando, the chief executive officer of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union, said the International Rugby Board (IRB) and the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) had earlier raised serious security concerns.

GOURETTE, France, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Standings following the 16th stage of the Tour de France, a 218.5km ride from Orthez to here on Wednesday:

2. Levi Leipheimer (USA/DIS) at 0:26.

7. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (ESP/SDU) 1:54.

10. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/CEP) 2:27.

11. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR/DIS) 3:11.

14. Michaël Boogerd (NED/RAB) 5:32.

17. Juan Manuel Garate (ESP/QST) 6:17.

19. David De la Fuente (ESP/SDU) 7:05.

24. Stéphane Goubert (FRA/A2R) 7:27.

25. Charles Wegelius (GBR/LIQ) 7:50.

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson expressed confidence Monday in the dollar`s prospects despite new highs notched up by the euro against the US currency.

In an interview with the CNBC financial news network, Paulson also predicted that problems afflicting the lower end of the US mortgage market would not infect the broader economy.

He said he felt 'very strongly that a strong dollar`s in our nation`s interest and the dollar`s value should be determined in a competitive marketplace based upon underlying economic fundamentals.'

LOUDENVIELLE, France, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Class standings following the 15th stage of the Tour de France, a 196.0km ride from Foix to here on Monday:

LOUDENVIELLE, France, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Overall standings after the 15th stage of the Tour de France, a 196.0km ride from Foix to here on Monday:

8. Andreï Kashechkin (KAZ/AST) 7:54.

11. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/CEP) 10:41.

12. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR/DIS) 12:29.

16. Vladimir Karpets (RUS/CEP) 18:27.

19. Michaël Boogerd (NED/RAB) 25:08.

23. Alexander Vinokourov (KAZ/AST) 28:21.

25. Juan Manuel Garate (ESP/QST) 32:46.

26. Kanstantsin Siutsou (BLR/BAR) 32:58.

27. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (ESP/SDU) 35:28.

LOUDENVIELLE, France, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Standings following the 15th stage of the Tour de France, a 196.0km ride from Foix to here on Monday:

4. Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (ESP/SDU) 0:58.

5. Juan Manuel Garate (ESP/QST) 2:14.

8. Christian Vandevelde (USA/CSC) 4:25.

10. Alberto Contador (ESP/DIS) 5:31.

11. Michael Rasmussen (DEN/RAB) 5:31.

15. Michaël Boogerd (NED/RAB) 6:27.

18. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/CEP) 6:27.

20. Andreï Kashechkin (KAZ/AST) 6:27.

23. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR/DIS) 7:05.