he was released because we did not have information to keep him in custody
police spokesman musa zondi said
harrath was detained sunday as he arrived at johannesburg airport on flight
from britain
it is the responsibility of the authorities who issued red notice to give
instructions as to what must be done when wanted person is caught said
zondi
am told that he is on his way to britain he added
according to interpol website the year old harrath is accused in tunisia
of one of broad list of crimes that include counterfeiting forgery crimes
involving the use of weapons explosives terrorism
harrath lawyer samir ben amor told afp mohamed ali harrath has been
sentenced to total of years in prison in four cases connected to the
founding of the tunisian islamic front fit
the fit banned in tunisia was founded in with the aim of overthrowing the
country government and creating an islamic state the lawyer said quoting
prosecution files
ben amor said his client was tried in his absence by two military and two
civilian courts mainly for recruiting jihadists to go to bosnia where fit is
active but the lawyer denied the allegations of violence
there was no question of using weapons or explosives in the four trials judged
in absentia ben amor said
the lawyer said that harrath lives in britain where he sought political refuge
before his trials
haiti survivors reluctant to relocate
port au prince jan afp
government plans to relocate hundreds of thousands of haitians out of makeshift
camps to new temporary shelters have been greeted with suspicion by
disorientated and destitute population
an estimated one million people were left homeless two weeks ago by the
magnitude earthquake that struck haiti the worst natural disaster on record
anywhere in the americas
there has already been an exodus of more than people roughly one in
from the decimated capital port au prince had accounted for some percent of
the country wealth prior to the january quake
not going to croix des bouquets or anywhere for that matter said martine
desir referring to new temporary community being set up by the government
some kilometers nine miles outside the capital
desir lives with her family nine in all in the champ de mars the landmark
gardens in front of haiti presidential palace have been transformed since the
quake into dreadful slum
survivors have turned every bit of green space available from public parks to
elite golf courses into squalid tent cities as they subside in cramped and
humiliating conditions
others sleep by the rubble where their houses once stood in bid to protect
their meager belongings from looters desperate for anything they can find to
sell for food or water
the champ de mars is one of the first places the government wants to clear to
places like croix des bouquets which it is styling as mini village initially
intended to house up to survivors
haitian health minister alex larsen warning of the high risk of disease
spreading in the unsanitary conditions faced in the camps has urged survivors
to relocate
his government says tents are already available for the mass relocation
project which it hopes will eventually accommodate all those left homeless by
the quake
while survivors yearn for less squalor and more security many in this
desperately poor caribbean nation are driven by brutal economic logic that
dictates they must find work to survive
tomorrow will start to work said desir an employee of local telephone
company can go so far away impossible she said shaking her head
glimmer of hope finally came her way when the company sent her text message
please contact betty or yasmine to confirm whether you are available by
wednesday
desir work earning her about gourdes three dollars per hour can mean
the difference here between misery and decent life for her family
israel jean claude has walked countless times back and forth from champ de mars
to the ruins of his home to pull out clothes for his family
go to croix des bouquets that no problem if there security said the
year old whose main concern is the safety of his three teenage daughters and
making sure they can finish school this year
the jean claude family received its first aid supply bag of rice from the us
military on tuesday two weeks after the disaster struck
we have nothing now only our clothes that it don want tent want
roof jean claude said
neither he nor his eldest son had heard about programs paying survivors to clear
debris from the roadways
work in haiti was hard to come by even before the quake when there was
percent unemployment nationwide and percent of haitians lived below the
poverty line on less than two dollars day
manasse osny and his mother sleep under canopy in the poor neighborhood
of delmas the house they rented was destroyed and neither one of them has
enough money to pay even for the barest of essentials
we are families living on the street osny said at night they huddle
together to sleep scene repeated in hundreds of other streets across the
capital
don know if ll go to croix des bouquets the government will say the
young man said casually
one of the new government relocation sites could be located in field close to
the us embassy
near the us embassy you say one of manasse neighbors said her eyes
lighting up for brief moment
football ferdinand in danger of missing derby after fa charge
london jan afp
rio ferdinand was left facing the prospect of three match ban after being
charged with violent conduct on tuesday by the football association fa and so
missing wednesday league cup semi final against manchester city
the manchester united defender faces disciplinary action after clashing with
hull forward craig fagan during the second half of saturday premier league
victory at old trafford that saw champions united return to the top of the
table
england international ferdinand has until gmt wednesday to respond to the
charge
ferdinand has the option of accepting the charge for which the standard
punishment is three game ban by pleading guilty or contesting the decision
which would lead to disciplinary hearing on thursday
the fa after initial confusion about the start date of any ban said tuesday
that if ferdinand pleaded guilty before gmt wednesday he would still miss
the league cup semi final second leg at home to manchester city
but should he appeal and play against city he runs the risk of an extended ban
if officials believe his contesting the decision was merely way to play in the
derby by delaying implementation of the ban
were ferdinand to accept an immediate ban he would be ruled out of the matches
against city arsenal and portsmouth at old trafford on february
should he play against city the third match of any suspension would be against
aston villa on february
ferdinand has only recently returned to action after three months out with
back injury and united manager sir alex ferguson has no doubt over the
importance of the player he signed for million pounds from leeds to his
team
rio performance level is important said ferguson it is important to have
him back because getting the centre halves fit is key to our progress this
season
city bidding for the first major trophy since winning the league cup are
up after the first leg
obama allies will have health plan next week top lawmaker
washington jan afp
president barack obama and his democratic allies in the us congress should know
by next week how they will proceed on his embattled plan to remake us health
care top lawmaker said tuesday
hoyer said democrats were united in wanting to move ahead with the historic
overhaul and pass legislation but had no illusions after an early election year
defeat stripped them of their undisputed control of the senate
frankly we re trying to figure out what is possible he told reporters on the
eve of obama prime time state of the union speech to the us congress by next
week we need to come to focus on the way we want to move forward
hoyer said democrats have essentially ruled out doing nothing and were looking
at ways to blend key components of rival bills passed last year by the senate
and house of representatives
think that you won find any member that says we ought not to do anything
just drop it and turn away he said
hoyer poured cold water on one possibility having the house pass the senate
bill unchanged warning don think that very viable option because of
opposition to doing so from the democratic left flank
he said it might be possible to pass key components of both bills or trying to
correct the senate bill on legislative track that does not require vote
supermajority to pass bill
all of these choices have pluses and minuses said hoyer there are no easy
choices but the objective of accessible affordable quality health care
remains
democrats who face united republican opposition were already struggling to
make progress when voters in massachusetts handed shock special senate
election victory to republican ending the party vote supermajority
the results ended hopes that top house and senate democrats could cobble
together compromise bill and drive it through the two chambers over opposition
from republicans who can now indefinitely delay legislation
alpine skiing austria goergl ends season through injury
schladming austria jan afp
experienced austrian racer stephan goergl said tuesday he was ending his season
owing to persistant pain in his right knee
having already missed last week super at kitzbuehel goergl who won two
world cup races in the season threw in the towel for this season
after sufering with cyst and the early stages of meniscus tear
gm announces deal to sell saab to spyker
new york jan afp
us automaker general motors said tuesday it had agreed to sell its saab brand to
dutch luxury sports car manufacturer spyker
today announcement is great news for saab employees dealers and suppliers
great news for millions of saab customers and fans worldwide and great news for
gm gm vice president for corporate planning and alliances john smith said in
statement
general motors spyker cars and the swedish government worked very hard and
creatively for deal that would secure sustainable future for this unique and
iconic brand and we re all happy for the positive outcome
there was no immediate confirmation of the deal from spyker
gm said that under the agreement spyker will form new company saab spyker
automobiles that will seal the future saab brand adding that the transaction
was expected to close in mid february
the troubled us auto manufacturer said the swedish government was currently
reviewing the transaction which will be subject to customary closing
conditions and related request for guarantees of saab automobile loan
requested by the european investment bank
previously announced moves to wind down activities at saab will be immediately
suspended gm said
the dutch financial market regulator suspended trading in spyker shares on the
amsterdam stock exchange at gmt on tuesday pending press release from
the sportscar maker bidding for sweden saab
spyker shares gained percent tuesday to reach euros dollars
at suspension having risen more than percent on monday
throughout the negotiations gm has always had the hope to find solution for
saab that would avoid wind down of the brand said nick reilly president of
gm europe
we ve worked with many parties over the past year including governments and
investors and very pleased that we could come to such good conclusion
one that preserves jobs in sweden and elsewhere gm will continue to support
saab and spyker on their way forward
football palace face drop battle after administration
london jan afp
crystal palace were left facing point penalty after the english second
division side entered administration on tuesday
palace are currently ninth in the championship table but the points deduction
mandatory under football league rules designed to encourage sound financial
management of clubs would leave them in relegation battle
south london side palace have twice been late in paying their players this
season despite chairman simon jordan efforts to bring new investment into the
club
administrator brendan gulifoyle said tuesday this club has been in the
spotlight for some months with creditors pressing for payments and players
anxious about their wages
our role now is to find buyer quickly to provide certainty for the employees
players and fans for the future we are hoping our appointment will be short
lived as we understand there are many interested buyers
palace have reported debts of around million pounds and were due in court
wednesday to face winding up order from hm revenue and customs britain tax
collecting authority
despite financial problems that have meant neil warnock has been unable to field
full substitutes bench at times this season palace were only two points
outside of the play off places ahead of wednesday match against leaders
newcastle
but now the eagles face battle to avoid dropping into english football
third tier with the likes of highly rated teenage striker victor moses set to be
sold in bid to bring some much needed funds into selhurst park
however former palace defender and coach kit symons said the club had
fighting chance of staying in the championship
hopefully the situation is not as serious as it sounds symons told bbc radio
five
my take is that if they had sold victor moses they could have put this off but
sometimes when clubs go into administration they come back stronger and hope
that will be the case for palace
neil warnock has done exceptionally well and the one good thing is that even
with the point penalty they are still in good form and above the relegation
zone
so if they don have to sell players they should stay up and championship
club will be much more attractive to buyers than league one club
the football league have yet to impose the point deduction as they have not
yet received formal confirmation from either palace or the administrators that
the club have entered administration but it is expected this will arrive with
officials within the next couple of days
rugbyu ex all black masoe extends french leave by two years
castres france jan afp
former all black enforcer chris masoe has extended his contract with french
first division club castres by two years with an optional third year
the year old flanker capped times by new zealand joined castres during
the but his contract was due to run out at the end of this season
masoe has been one of the key movers behind castres rise up the top ranks
the southwestern club currently sitting in second place in the strong league
what in headscarf france mulls ban
paris jan afp
conservative muslim women cover their hair in an array of fashions french
members of parliament are keen to outlaw some of them
muslim women are not alone in concealing their hair ultra orthodox jewish
women wear headscarves and some protestant christian minority communities also
exhort their women to cover their hair
the following are some of the major muslim traditions for female headgear
hijab headscarf not veil that is championed by islamist groups like the
muslim brotherhood which are legal in some arab countries
burqa the full veil worn by conservative muslims in countries like afghanistan
where it is enforced by the taliban militia fighting us led forces
niqab veil that covers the mouth and nose but not the eyes that is advocated
by some muslim hardliners in egypt but does not have the sanction of sunni
islam highest seat of learning cairo al azhar university
chador the full cloak that covers the body and the hair that is traditionally
worn in countries like iran and afghanistan but is not obligatory
football angry allardyce rounds on mccarthy
blackburn england jan afp
south africa striker benni mccarthy received furious farewell from blackburn
rovers boss sam allardyce after the club confirmed tuesday they have agreed
fee for his transfer with west ham
mccarthy has missed training sessions this week in what has been seen as bid
to force through move away from ewood park but his controversial action may
not have been necessary after the premier league clubs agreed fee reported to
be million pounds
the year old striker has grown disillusioned with his lack of first team
starts under allardyce and has been seeking move to ensure regular football in
the run up to the world cup finals in his home country in june and july
but allardyce said there was no excuse for mccarthy not turning up at training
branding his conduct unprofessional and saying it was symptomatic of too many
players in the modern game
what he done is unprofessional it shows you that the only loyalty player
has got is to himself allardyce said
this is what we deal with today in football there not such thing as
loyalty as there used to be in the older days when was player
it selfish attitude they have and that not just about benni that all
players today if they want something they do anything to try and get it
allardyce added if he is trying to manipulate move by staying away it not
the right thing to do
sometimes players will get advised wrongly and think whoever is advising him
to stay away is very wrong as he done himself no favours
the hammers are only presently above the premier league relegation zone on goal
difference while blackburn are five points clear of the bottom three
john paul ii was prepared to step down if incapacitated book
vatican city jan afp
john paul ii was prepared to abdicate if illness incapacitated him the prelate
in charge of the late pope sainthood dossier revealed tuesday
unveiling new book about john paul ii at vatican news conference slawomir
oder pointed to resignation letter the polish pope wrote dated november
in the letter john paul ii wrote that he would step down in case of illness
deemed incurable of long duration and that prevents the sufficient exercise of
the functions of his apostolic ministry or in case of another serious and
prolonged impediment
the pope said he left the decision up to group of cardinals who did not
resort to the option despite the ravages of parkinson disease during the final
months of john paul ii life
oder book titled why he is saint the real john paul ii and co authored
by journalist saverio gaeta was to be released on wednesday and is based on the
accounts of people interviewed in support of the pope beatification the
main step on the way to sainthood
police chief found dead on eve of davos meeting
davos switzerland jan afp
the swiss police commander overseeing security for the world economic forum in
davos was found dead tuesday police said adding that it appeared to be
suicide
the announcement came as political and business leaders began arriving in the
swiss mountain resort for the start wednesday of the annual blue chip meeting
dr markus reinhardt commander of the graubuenden cantonal police was found
dead in his hotel room in the morning swiss police said in statement all
indications point to suicide
reinhardt has headed the canton police force since
the force paid tribute to reinhardt as treasured important personality
local authorities said another senior police officer had taken over his duties
for the forum the swiss news agency ats reported
world economic forum wef organisers stressed that reinhardt was not member
of its staff but said the forum had long worked with him in preparing for the
annual davos mega conference
the world economic forum has with great sadness and regret learned of the
tragic death of the police chief said wef statement
during the many years during which we co operated with him over security for
our annual meeting at davos we appreciated his professionalism and his
kindness
the swiss security forces continue to have our full confidence and trust in
their work it added
russia complains to nati about afghan drugs envoy
brussels jan afp
russia has complained to nato about its attitude to fighting opium production in
afghanistan moscow envoy to the alliance told afp tuesday insisting the
problem should be major priority
ambassador dmitry rogozin said he had written letter to nato top commander
us admiral james stavridis to express my disagreement with his attitude toward
the question of drug trafficking in afghanistan
the admiral has said that he believes the drug problem is important but not
top priority rogozin said as russian and nato top brass held talks in
brussels
he said that young russians died last year because of their consumption
of heroin produced in afghanistan that twice the number of soviet troops who
were killed in afghanistan in decade he said
in the potential gross export value of opium from afghanistan was
billion dollars or about quarter of the country gross domestic product the
un drugs agency found in its afghanistan opium survey
vast sums of money derived from opium production are being used to fund an
insurgency led by the taliban and al qaeda backed fighters who have been
inflicting increasingly heavy casualties on nato led forces there
nato refuses to destroy poppy fields but its troops do have orders to go after
drug lords and destroy any laboratories they might be using
military chiefs from russia and the alliance held their first high level talks
tuesday since ties were frozen over moscow decision to send troops into
georgia in august
bissau president for medical check up in france
paris jan afp
guinea bissau president malam bacai sanha who spent most of december abroad
for health reasons is due to undergo medical examinations in paris his chief
of protocol dino seidi said tuesday
the president is remaining in paris for two or three days for medical
examinations he will then attend the summit of heads of state and government of
the african union in addis ababa on january to february seidi told afp
sanha had to postpone visit to portugal for health reasons at the beginning
of december after malaise he was evacuated to dakar then hospitalised in
paris before going to convalesce in spain canary islands
un labour agency warns of jobless recovery
geneva jan afp
the un labour agency on tuesday warned of the threat of jobless recovery
as it revealed that global unemployment had surged in the economic crisis to
leave record million people jobless
the international labour organisation forecast that unemployment rates would
remain high through despite the economic recovery and continue rising in
developed economies while in east asia they would moderate quicker
as the world economic forum gathers at davos it is clear that avoiding
jobless recovery is the political priority of today said ilo director general
juan somavia ahead of the annual meeting of corporate and political elites
we need the same policy decisiveness that saved banks now applied to save and
create jobs and livelihoods of people this can be done through strong
convergence of public policies and private investment he added
the ilo global employment trends report also said the average global
unemployment rate reached percent last year
the number of jobless worldwide reached nearly million in following an
unprecedented increase of million compared to
the report was compiled before the international monetary fund imf forecast on
tuesday that world economic growth would climb to better than expected
percent this year after last year contraction
young entrants to the jobs market face particularly hard ride after the number
of unemployed youth worldwide increased by million in compared to
the largest increase since according to the ilo
the report highlighted major differences in the impact of the financial and
economic turmoil on job markets worldwide
while in east asia unemployment stood at percent by the end of it
exceeded percent in central and south eastern europe as well as former soviet
states and north africa
although workers in the european union and developed economies formed less than
percent of the global workforce they accounted for percent of the growth
in unemployment since the ilo said
about million more people became unemployed there in alone with
industrial jobs suffering more than agriculture or services
the ilo report was based on an earlier growth forecast of percent for the
world economy in
in ivory coast protest at state tv
abidjan jan afp
more than people held peaceful march tuesday in abidjan to protest what
they said was pro presidential line taken by ivory coast state television
with elections due in weeks
the demonstrators marched from the headquarters of the former ruling party the
democratic party of ivory coast to ivorian radio and television rti premises
in sit in protest they shouted slogans such as don pay my licence fee to
look at president laurent gbagbo and the rti is undermining social peace
the demonstration was organised by the youth wing of the rally of houphouetists
for democracy and peace coalition that unites the parties of former president
henri konan bedie and of ex prime minister alassane ouattara
the two men are gbagbo veteran rivals in presidential election which has
been postponed since but is now due at the end of february or the beginning
of march
the protesters gave the director general of public television pierre amessan
brou motion of protest against the petty bullying creeping into state media
by the clan of presidential candidate laurent gbagbo
brou replied that rti had accomplished its mission even handedly and with much
professionalism and wanted to contribute to peace in the country which has
been split in two since foiled coup against gbagbo in
peace accord reached in between gbagbo side and former rebels who hold
the northern half of the country brought about drop in tension throughout the
country
however news of the march on the rti headquarters had caused concern about
violence and politicians and representatives of civil society had called for it
to be scrapped
in march crackdown on banned opposition demonstration in abidjan led to
deaths according to the united nations and human rights organisations and
although authorities said people died
in ivory coast protest at state tv
abidjan jan afp
more than people held peaceful march thursday in abidjan to protest what
they said was pro presidential line taken by ivory coast state television
with elections due in weeks
the demonstrators marched from the headquarters of the former ruling party the
democratic party of ivory coast to ivorian radio and television rti premises
in sit in protest they shouted slogans such as don pay my licence fee to
look at president laurent gbagbo and the rti is undermining social peace
the demonstration was organised by the youth wing of the rally of houphouetists
for democracy and peace coalition that unites the parties of former president
henri konan bedie and of ex prime minister alassane ouattara
the two men are gbagbo veteran rivals in presidential election which has
been postponed since but is now due at the end of february or the beginning
of march
the protesters gave the director general of public television pierre amessan
brou motion of protest against the petty bullying creeping into state media
by the clan of presidential candidate laurent gbagbo
brou replied that rti had accomplished its mission even handedly and with much
professionalism and wanted to contribute to peace in the country which has
been split in two since foiled coup against gbagbo in
peace accord reached in between gbagbo side and former rebels who hold
the northern half of the country brought about drop in tension throughout the
country
however news of the march on the rti headquarters had caused concern about
violence and politicians and representatives of civil society had called for it
to be scrapped
in march crackdown on banned opposition demonstration in abidjan led to
deaths according to the united nations and human rights organisations and
although authorities said people died
italian regulator criticises proposed internet bill
rome jan afp
an italian government decree seeking to regulate video content on television and
the internet drew criticism tuesday from the head of italy telecommunications
regulator media reports said
the new regulations set for approval on february would require satellite tv
channels to obscure pornographic content during daytime and may require websites
hosting video to seek licence from the communication ministry
the pre emptive authorisation of web video ends up being bureaucratic
filter said corrado calabro head of the telecommunications authority
paolo romani italy vice minister for communications said the decree simply
updates regulations mandated by european union directive
the new rules have already incensed opposition and telecoms industry figures
former communications minister paolo gentiloni an opposition politician called
it real scandal peppered with gifts to mediaset the television group
owned by prime minister silvio berlusconi by hobbling suppliers of alternative
entertainment at time when mediaset audiences are shrinking
parliamentary committees are conducting hearings on the decree with regulators
and interest groups as well as with companies such as google mediaset rai and
sky
google owner of youtube has expressed concern over the decree saying it
amounts to censorship and would subject the video sharing website to the same
responsibilities as television network newscast
youtube hosts content uploaded by users with no editorial oversight
marco pancini google european policy director argued in statement that
during debate on the eu directive it was clearly decided that user generated
content should not be regulated like traditional tv content
google already has legal problems in italy
on wednesday milan court is set to issue verdict in defamation case
against four google executives over the broadcast in italy of video showing the
bullying of teenager with down syndrome
us may seek short term immigration help for haiti
washington jan afp
one of president barack obama top allies in the us congress said tuesday he
was open to some short term measure to allow refugees from quake ravaged haiti
to seek refuge in the united states
the haitian people need to have country that can sustain them in the long run
