decision which has alarmed washington and the united nations
the independent high electoral commission ihec iraq election organiser
last week announced about people had been banned from taking part in the
ballot the second such vote since the us led ouster of saddam
the list was compiled by an integrity and accountability committee headed by
shiite politician and former post invasion deputy prime minister ahmed chalabi
whose job is to vet applicants and purge unsuitable contenders
it has not been published however and the exclusion of such high number of
election hopefuls could spark sectarian tension and jeopardise the war torn
nation fragile national reconciliation process analysts say
the lack of transparency over the process has also alarmed washington and us
diplomats in baghdad
us vice president joe biden has spoken about the issue by telephone with iraqi
prime minister nuri al maliki shiite president jalal talabani kurd and
vice president tareq al hashemi sunni
anyone who has an objection can go to the appeals committee within the next
hours falah hassan shanshal head of separate accountability and justice
committee asked by parliament to investigate the list told lawmakers
defence minister abdel qader jassem al obeidi and prominent sunni lawmaker saleh
al mutlak persistent critic of the shiite dominated government are among
those who have been barred from taking part in the election
shanshal who told parliament his committee had been extremely serious in
taking its evidence gave detailed breakdown of blacklisted candidates
he said including mid ranking members were in the baath party and
further belonged to saddam fedayeen men of sacrifice feared
military unit and mukhabarat the executed dictator intelligence service
the committee also eliminated officers from military associations
including divisional commanders with the rank of major general or brigadier
general who had been decorated by the baath party shanshal said
five candidates who participated in putting down the shia uprising against
saddam in southern iraq following the first gulf war in were also
eliminated as well as three other individuals who had spread baathist ideas
government spokesman ali al dabbagh confirmed biden discussed the matter with
maliki talabani and hashemi in recent days but baghdad view was it is not
good to politicise the issue
we do understand that they are worried about measures that might complicate the
election process said dabbagh normally biden is giving advice they want
to see the process going the right way
statement issued separately by hashemi office said biden criticised the
process of banning candidates prior to the election and suggested that any
exclusions procedure be deferred until after the vote to avoid sunnis shunning
the election in large numbers
the vote is seen as key to consolidating iraq fledgling democracy and ensuring
smooth exit of us combat troops from the country by august this year ahead of
complete american military withdrawal by the end of
suez canal toll to stay unchanged in
ismailiya egypt jan afp
tariffs at egypt suez canal will remain unchanged for second year running in
despite percent drop in revenues in the head of the strategic
waterway said tuesday
canal authority president ahmed ali fadel said tolls would not be increased in
bid to help international trade and shipping companies hurt by the global
recession
the canal authority has decided to keep its tariffs unchanged in in an
effort to stand by international trade and shipping companies he told news
conference
but fadel left the door open for review on the status of tolls if conditions
change
the authority will continue to monitor closely the global financial crisis in
order to evaluate the level of tariffs and will take the right decision at
the right time he said
income from the canal plunged percent in because of the global economic
crisis to reach billion dollars compared with billion dollars in
fadel said
the suez which connects the mediterranean sea and the red sea and is one of the
world most heavily used shipping lanes is egypt third largest source of
revenue after tourism and remittances from expatriate workers
traffic volume through the kilometre mile canal is seen as an
indicator of the state of health of maritime trade worldwide
un agrees to send extra troops police to haiti
united nations jan afp
the security council voted unanimously tuesday to send extra un troops and
police to quake haiti to help maintain order and protect humanitarian convoys
the member security council recognizing the dire circumstances and urgent
need for response endorsed reinforcement request made by un secretary
general ban ki moon monday
the resolution drafted by the united states decided that the un mission in
haiti minustah will consist of military component of up to troops of
all ranks and of police component of up to police
china un ambassador zhang yesui the council chair this month said the extra
troops and police would be deployed for period of six months
iran welcomes west new realism on nuclear drive
tehran jan afp
iran on tuesday welcomed what it called the west newfound realism on
tehran controversial nuclear programme after world powers failed to decide on
new sanctions
china meanwhile urged flexibility on the standoff over iran nuclear drive
and return to negotiations
however defence minister ahmad vahidi renewed warning that iran forces
could hit western warships in the gulf if it comes under attack over the nuclear
standoff
on the diplomatic front foreign ministry spokesman ramin mehmanparast told
reporters speaking of sanctions is repetitive and it is not constructive
some western countries should correct their approach and be realistic about
our nuclear rights and we feel there are traces of realism to be seen he
added
on monday foreign minister manouchehr mottaki made similar positive comments
we are ready to help with the realistic approach and at the same time we will
wait for public and backstage developments in iran nuclear case mottaki told
reporters
world powers made up of the five permanent members of the un security council
plus germany met in new york on saturday but failed to reach an agreement about
new sanctions
the six are concerned about tehran rejection of un brokered deal under which
most of iran low enriched uranium leu stockpile would be shipped abroad to
be further enriched into reactor fuel
iran has come up with its own counter proposal of staged and simultaneous swap
of leu with nuclear reactor fuel this has been largely rejected by world
powers insisting tehran accept the international atomic energy agency offer
the new york meeting brought together senior officials from britain france
germany russia and the united states but china signaling its reluctance to
back tougher sanctions pushed by the west sent lower level diplomat
in beijing mehmanparast opposite number ma zhaoxu also at press
conference on tuesday said china has all along proposed the proper settlement
of the iran nuclear issue through dialogue and consultation
we hope relevant parties can enhance consultations show flexibility and
promote the early peaceful solution of the relevant issue in proper manner
ma said his country was aware of the proliferation concerns of the western
nations but insisted the islamic republic had the right to the peaceful use of
nuclear energy
iran defence minister reiterated that his country was not cowed by the threat
of military action
why are there so many warships there the westerners know that these warships
are the best target for operation by iran if they do anything against us
vahidi said
iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to deliver crushing response
and hit us targets including its bases in the gulf and neighbouring iraq and
afghanistan if iran nuclear sites are attacked
the united states and its regional ally israel which accuse iran of seeking
atomic weapons under the guise of civilian nuclear programme have never ruled
out military option to thwart tehran nuclear drive
iran denies the charges
dozens of homes flooded after heavy rains in gaza
gaza city jan afp
dozens of homes and farms south of gaza city were inundated by flood waters as
heavy rains drenched parts of the middle east palestinian officials and
witnesses said on tuesday
the rising waters destroyed or damaged more than homes in wadi gaza low
lying farming area south of gaza city mostly inhabited by bedouins as the
islamist hamas run government worked to evacuate residents they said
the flood sounded like an airplane said murazaq al rash who clung to his
door to stay afloat after his house and his family goats were swept away
the whole area was flooded and it surrounded us
he and several family members were later rescued by neighbours in small
fishing boat before being brought to nearby hospital in donkey cart
the mayor of the area faiz jarrada said it was the most powerful flash flood
in at least years if the guys had not been here with fishing boats dozens
of people would have died he said
the flooding cut off roads linking gaza city to the south of the impoverished
territory for several hours and highway bridge was washed away as waters rose
to three metres more than nine feet in places
at least people were injured in the flooding according to dr muawiya
hassanein the head of gaza emergency services
mohammed al agha agriculture minister in the hamas run government in gaza
warned of humanitarian disaster
the flooding of wadi gaza endangers the lives of citizens because there are
built up homes farmlands and livestock pens that are completely flooded he
said
yussef al mansi the housing and public works minister said the government had
declared state of emergency in the area
the infrastructure of the impoverished territory of million people has been
strained by israeli border closures tightened after hamas seized power in
that prevent the import of most construction materials and spare parts
entire communities in gaza remain in ruins from the massive israeli offensive
launched on the territory little over year ago and many of the flood
victims feared they too would be unable to rebuild
the chickens were washed away and the flour and our beds said salma ahmed
one of more than people who gathered at nearby school
we have nothing left are we going to become like the people whose houses were
destroyed in the war
in israel two people were killed after their jeep was swept away by flash
floods in the southern negev desert on monday an israeli army rescue team
recovered one of the bodies on tuesday the military said
the deluge came as the jewish state the israeli occupied west bank the gaza
strip and other parts of the eastern mediterranean experienced unusually heavy
winter storms
in neighbouring egypt at least seven people died in flash floods and heavy rains
on monday with the bad weather battering namely the sinai peninsula and the
south of the country officials there said
killed in fresh nigeria clashes muslim cleric
kano nigeria jan afp
at least people have been killed in renewed muslim christian clashes in the
central nigerian city of jos senior local muslim cleric said on tuesday
the bodies of the dead were being brought in to the city central mosque
according to its head balarabe dawud
we received dead bodies this morning and another this afternoon in
total we have dead bodies dawud said
he said at least people had been wounded in the clashes of whom had been
evacuated to military hospitals due to the severity of their injuries
in bukuru town on the outskirts of jos fighting broke out in the afternoon and
at least three people died according to paramedic
so far we have three dead and injured said maryam mohammed at
government clinic in bukuru
the imam of the jos central mosque said the mosque was attending to those with
minor injuries but had run out of medical supplies
even neighbourhood private clinics are full with the injured normally these
are the places we would have gone to for supplies but they are also in need of
them he said
afp graphics advisory
paris jan afp
tuesday graphics
available now
usns comfort hospital ship
graphic on the usns comfort hospital ship which is heading to quake devastated
haiti
text slug haiti quake
mm
haiti quake toll
updated death toll from the haiti earthquake
text slug haiti quake
mm
afghanistan kabul attacks chrono
chronology with map showing buildings in central kabul attacked by taliban
militants on monday
text slug afghanistan unrest kabul timeline
mm
kraft cadbury factfile
factfile on food groups kraft and cadbury which have agreed to merge
text slug britain us food company takeover cadbury kraft
mm
japan airlines chrono
chronology of historical milestones for japan airlines which has filed for
bankruptcy protection
text slug japan airline company distress jal chrono
mm
jal share prices
chart showing daily closing values for japan airlines for the past month
text slug japan airline company distress jal
mm
korea joint venture factfile
fact file on food processing joint venture between north and south korea
text slug skorean nkorea economy zone
mm
other graphics available on haiti quake
quake epicentre map mm
port au prince map mm
quake damaged towns map mm
international aid mm
identification using dna mm
search and rescue methods mm
un mission in haiti mm
tectonic plates caribbean map mm
earthquakes world mm
country factfile mm
moved earlier
afghanistan faryab map mm
ukraine vote results mm
ukraine factfile mm
chile vote results mm
chile factfile mm
nigeria jos attacks map mm
somalia piracy map mm
golden globes winners mm
japan auto hybrid factfile mm
asia pacific markets mm
paris hong kong
tel
afp
corrected doping team sports must play by whereabouts rule wada
lausanne switzerland jan afp
world anti doping chiefs insisted on tuesday that all team sports without
exception must play by rules obliging some athletes to announce their
whereabouts for out of competition testing
there has been no exception for any federation said world anti doping agency
wada director general david howman
world football governing body fifa had raised qualms about the revised world
anti doping code introduced for all sports early last year claiming that
footballers should be granted special treatment
the rulebook requires that designated athletes in all sports should give notice
of their whereabouts for one hour day days year to ensure that doping
control officials can carry out random out of competition testing
howell said misunderstanding with fifa over the whereabouts requirement had
been cleared up in series of meetings through
no other team sports had directly asked wada for exemptions he added
and if we received one we would say no howman added
wada is about to review the record of all sports in the fight against doping
including football with conference with international federations due in
lausanne in april to discuss the issue
sports federations will also be able to ask for changes to the anti doping code
for another revision due in
after the meetings last year fifa ended up announcing that football was
studying the introdction of the biological passport for players although it was
long term project
howman said fifa and wada were working on testing the inclusion of steroid
profile in the passport which currently keeps permanent record of an
athlete blood and urine parameters to detect any suspicious changes
we are asking fifa in this instance for access to some of the major football
teams in europe howman explained at wada media seminar
afp gmt economics news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor dario thuburn
tel
britain us food takeover company cadbury kraft thlead wrap
london
british chocolate bar maker cadbury melts into the arms of us giant kraft in
multi billion dollar deal to create world leader in food and confectionery
that sparks fears of job losses
words gmt by roland jackson pictures graphic
we have also moved
britain us food company takeover cadbury kraft history profile
we will also move
us food company kraft profile
us food company kraft rosenfeld profile
japan airline company distress jal thlead
tokyo
japan airlines goes bankrupt with billion dollars of debt in one of the
country biggest ever corporate failures beginning painful overhaul
involving more than job cuts
words gmt by daniel rook picture graphic video
we have also moved
japan airline company distress jal scene scene
japan airline company distress jal chrono lead chrono
japan airline company distress jal profile lead profile
japan airline company distress executive jal lead profile
eu eurozone finance greece wrap
brussels
europe bids for greater oversight on national debt data after slamming greece
whose finance minister issues plea for faith from markets with new bill to
remove political interference
words gmt by roddy thomson picture
haiti quake finance parisclub ndlead
paris
major grouping of creditor countries pushes for all of haiti public lenders
to cancel the country debts to help it recover from the massive damage of last
week earthquake
words gmt
forex europe lead wrap
london
the euro slides against the dollar after drop in confidence among investors in
germany europe biggest economy and continuing worries about rising debt
levels in the eurozone
words gmt
stocks europe lead wrap
london
europe main stock markets show little change after kraft takeover of british
chocolate firm cadbury and big fourth quarter loss reported by us banking
giant citigroup
words gmt
commodities energy oil price lead wrap
london
oil prices trade mixed as opec forecasts modest growth in world crude demand
this year and warns that prices would likely remain volatile over the coming
months
words gmt
football burkina faso ghana teams
luanda jan afp
teams for africa cup of nations group match between ghana and burkina faso at
the november stadium here on tuesday
ghana
richard kingson capt samuel inkoom isaac vorsah hans adu sarpei lee addy
emmanuel badu andre ayew kwadwo asamoah mathew amoah asamoah gyan haminu
draman
coach milovan rajevac srb
burkina faso
daouda diakite bakary kone paul koulibaly mady panadetiguiri mamadou tall
charles kabore mahamoudou kere capt jonathan pitropia florent rouamba
issouf kone habib bamogo
coach paulo duarte por
referee eddy maillet sey
rugbyu voice of rugby mclaren dead at
london jan afp
legendary rugby union television commentator bill mclaren has died at the age of
the bbc announced on tuesday
the scot born in the border rugby town of hawick where he spent the rest of his
life became known as the voice of rugby to generations of british fans during
career spanning nearly years
he retired in having first broadcast on bbc radio in
renowned for his distinctive voice and impartiality mclaren combined his work
as broadcaster with that of physical education teacher in and
introduced the likes of future scotland international tony stanger to rugby
mclaren whose speciality after someone scored try or matchwinning penalty
was to say they will be dancing in the streets of the player hometown
received several national honours for his work including cbe commander of
the order of the british empire one rank below knighthood
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor smith
tel
top stories
us troops land to ramp up haiti aid
nigeria clashes kill muslim leader
japan airlines goes bankrupt
obama agenda at risk in state vote
haiti quake newseries wrap
port au prince
scores of us troops and marines descend by helicopter over the ruined haitian
capital as week after the devastating earthquake the us military ramps up the
operation to reach desperate haitians
words gmt by dave clark picture video graphic
nigeria unrest religion thlead
kano
fresh clashes between muslims and christians have killed people in the
central nigerian city of jos senior muslim cleric in the city says after
authorities impose hour curfew on the plateau state capital
words gmt
japan airline company distress jal thlead
tokyo
japan airlines goes bankrupt with billion dollars of debt in one of the
country biggest ever corporate failures beginning painful overhaul
involving more than job cuts
words gmt by daniel rook picture graphic video
us vote politics senate
boston massachusetts
the people of massachusetts cast votes for senate seat held by democrats for
decades with republicans eyeing an upset which could hammer president barack
obama agenda and even kill of his top priority health reform drive
words gmt by marcia scott harrison
haiti quake
haiti quake children
port au prince
tucked away on the edge of port au prince slum small school run by nuns
lies out of sight of the massive aid effort with dead children still below
the ruins and at least people struggling to survive
words gmt by deborah pasmantier picture
haiti quake un ban newseries
united nations
the security council is to approve request for extra troops and police
to beef up the un battered mission in quake hit haiti amid scenes of
lawlessness on the streets of the stricken capital port au prince
words gmt
haiti quake health disease malaria
paris
already at high risk for malaria haiti faces an even greater likelihood that
the disease will spread after the january quake that killed at least
according to an assessment obtained by afp
words gmt by marlowe hood
haiti quake finance parisclub ndlead
paris
major grouping of creditor countries pushes for all of haiti public lenders
to cancel the country debts to help it recover from the massive damage of last
week earthquake
words gmt
haiti quake us france diplomacy lead
paris
president nicolas sarkozy moves to defuse tensions with the united states over
the relief effort in haiti saying paris and washington are working together to
help survivors in the quake hit caribbean country
words gmt picture
europe
britain us food takeover company cadbury kraft thlead wrap
london
british chocolate bar maker cadbury melts into the arms of us giant kraft in
multi billion dollar deal to create world leader in food and confectionery
that sparks fears of job losses
words gmt by roland jackson pictures graphic
russia ukraine diplomacy rdlead wrap
moscow
russian president dmitry medvedev says he will send an ambassador to ukraine
after five month freeze signalling thaw in ties after the election defeat
of ukraine pro western president
words at gmt by alexander osipovich
britain iraq military politics inquiry lead
london
the first former cabinet minister to give evidence to the iraq war inquiry
defends britain role in the conflict insisting london always wanted
diplomatic solution ahead of tony blair appearance next week
words gmt by guy jackson picture
entertainment france britain film music gainsbourg
paris
new biopic of france iconic chain smoking singer serge gainsbourg hits
cinemas across europe but its release is overshadowed by the death of the
british actress who played his muse
words gmt
middle east
iran nuclear politics rdlead wrap
tehran
iran welcomes what it calls the west newfound realism on tehran
controversial nuclear programme after world powers fail to decide on new
sanctions
words by hiedeh farmani
iraq vote lead wrap
baghdad
more than candidates banned from running in iraq march general election
are accused of being part of ousted dictator saddam hussein political and
military infrastructure
words gmt by ammar karim picture
uae un climate warming glaciers india wrap
abu dhabi
the chairman of the un panel of climate scientists defends his nobel winning
group against criticism that it erroneously forecast an early disappearance of
the himalayan glaciers
words moved by dunlop
americas
health us politics
washington
president barack obama democrats plot ways to enact his top domestic goal
remaking us health care if they lose their senate supermajority in hard
fought special election
words gmt
africa
sudan south vote referendum lead
khartoum
sudan will recognise the independence of the south if it chooses to break away
from the north in the january referendum president omar al beshir says
words gmt by guillaume lavallee picture
asia
afghanistan unrest thlead wrap
kabul
the brazen taliban attacks on the heart of kabul highlight the vulnerability of
the afghan capital defences and prove the islamist militants still pose long
