only when we have all the facts can we begin to ensure it never happens again
it added
under fire who ready to review handling of flu pandemic
geneva jan afp
the world health organisation said tuesday that it was ready to hold an
independent review of its response to swine flu amid growing criticism of
official handling of the pandemic
however who officials said such review might not be set up until the pandemic
is regarded as over period which could take months or even years
we expect and indeed welcome criticism and chance to discuss it who
spokeswoman fadela chaib told journalists
in the future we will also do an evaluation of our work with outside experts
in order to assess the work of who in the management of the pandemic influenza
she added
evaluation is necessary and we are open to recommendations that can improve our
work when this is over who will undoubtedly work with outside experts
the un health agency was still working out the details of such process
council of europe parliamentarian wolfgang wodarg last week said he and several
colleagues had called for commission of inquiry into false pandemic and
the way it was handled at national and european levels claiming pressure from
pharmaceutical firms
some european countries have been trying to sell off stocks of unused vaccine in
recent weeks after many had geared up to deliver two doses instead of what
eventually turned out to be the required single dose
chaib denied that the who was in conflict with its member states
who flu spokeswoman nyka alexander said it could take several seasons to
determine that pandemic was over
we can say pandemic is over until we have seen that it hasn come back
she explained
the who is also due to open its annual executive board meeting next monday to
question and answer session from the member states in the body on its
management of the pandemic
the who declared global pandemic last june weeks after putting the world on
an emergency footing over the sudden discovery and swift spread of the then
unknown new swine flu virus in april in mexico and the united states
it now reaches into more than countries having left at least people
dead according to the agency data
afghan war should stay out of pakistan fm
abu dhabi jan afp
the afghanistan war against taliban militants should be fought in the country
itself and not spill over into pakistan the pakistani foreign minister said on
tuesday
the afghan war has to be fought within afghanistan the challenges within
afghanistan cannot be resolved in pakistan shah mehmood qureshi told reporters
on the sidelines of meeting of special representatives for afghanistan and
pakistan held in abu dhabi
the challenge that we have in pakistan is being faced very bravely and very
courageously by the people of pakistan he said on our side of the border
pakistan is capable of looking after the problem
pakistan faces its own taliban insurgents and militants who have killed more
than people since july
the insurgents are fighting to impose islamic sharia and oppose islamabad
alliance with the united states in the eight year war against the taliban in
neighbouring afghanistan
also speaking on the sidelines of the conference afghan foreign minister rangin
dadfar spanta said the surge in us troops in his country must form part of
comprehensive strategy if it is to succeed
the surge in the us military presence has to be part of comprehensive
strategy he said
that strategy must include reconstruction and sustainable development in
afghanistan strengthening the afghan state and institutions strengthening the
leadership of afghan security forces and preparation for transition of the
leadership to the afghans spanta said
the one day conference brought together delegations from about countries
ahead of january conference on afghanistan in london to be attended by
afghan president hamid karzai and other international leaders
weak chinese currency major problem eu trade boss
brussels jan afp
new eu trade chief karel de gucht on tuesday ramped up brussels concerns over
the weak chinese yuan saying deliberate policy in beijing was major
problem for global economic recovery
it is obvious that the undervaluation of the chinese currency is major
problem he said after confirmation hearing with european union lawmakers
it not immediately in the remit of my portfolio de gucht said adding but
it is clear to me that this is deliberate policy and we should address this at
all possible occasions bilaterally and also multilaterally
he said an important re adjustment of the value of the chinese currency would
help economic recovery which is important for everybody and also for
china
economic relations between brussels and beijing have become soured in recent
months by stepping up of seemingly tit for tat anti dumping measures applied
on growing range of products from shoes to screws
asked if he thought the border taxes were an appropriate response to currency
challenges de gucht said they were only partial reply pointing out that
they affect only two percent of the trade flow between the eu and china
he underlined the overall answer should be the re valuation of the renminbi
us mexico open first new border crossing in years
washington jan afp
the united states and mexico inaugurated the first new border crossing between
the two countries in decade in bid to smooth trade and goods transport
between the neighbors
the anzalduas bridge inaugurated monday connects the texas town of mcallen with
mexico reynosa
it cost million dollars and was built entirely with recycled construction
materials according to statement by the mayor office in mcallen
mexican president felipe calderon flew in for monday dedication ceremony for
the mile five kilometer span along with us trade representative ron kirk
this bridge is more than link between mexico and america between north and
south it is also potent symbol of our connectiveness the san antonio news
quoted kirk as saying
you all knew that new crossing would bring benefits to this entire region
and those benefits begin today
the bridge which strengthens ties between the rio grande valley and monterrey
major mexican industrial hub was about years in the making and had an
informal opening on december
the us mexico border is the busiest in the world with approximately million
crossings per year daily two way trade amounts to about one billion dollars
according to the us department of commerce
the bridge opening comes at time when drug cartel violence in northern mexico
has swelled to an all time high and raised tensions between the nations as they
struggle to find ways to stem the series of brutal attacks that leave thousands
dead each year mainly in mexico
euro slips on profit taking
london jan afp
the euro slid against the dollar on tuesday as many traders took profits after
the european single currency had soared close to one month peak on the back of
positive chinese data dealers said
in london morning deals the euro fell to dollars from late in
new york on monday when it had struck level which was last seen
december
against the japanese unit the dollar dropped to yen from yen on
monday
the euro was unable to defend yesterday gains and once again fell below the
dollar mark said commerzbank analyst antje praefcke in research note to
clients
the negative factors for the greenback us budget deficit fears of inflation
are increasingly losing importance as it is becoming obvious that they are
unfounded or as they are no longer seen as reason supporting euro dollar as
similar problems exist in the eurozone praefcke added
market players in tokyo returning to work after three day weekend were
unimpressed with last week us labour market report dealers said
the us economy lost jobs in december official data showed friday
dampening hopes for return to positive employment growth that could lead to
hike in us interest rates and support the greenback
the dollar is set to maintain weak tone into the rest of the week and will
continue to be driven by the gyrations in risk appetite predicted calyon
analyst mitul kotecha
the euro had jumped close to one month peak against the dollar on monday as
robust chinese data boosted risk sentiment
the shared european unit which is seen as higher risk currency than the
dollar and tends to rise with investor confidence won ground after weekend data
revealed soaring chinese exports
china exports surged percent in december to snap month falling
streak the government said sunday confirming the asian power new status as
the world biggest exporter
later this week the european central bank will announce the outcome of its
latest monetary policy meeting
the ecb was widely expected to keep its key interest rate at record low
percent on thursday with the focus on eurozone economic prospects and how the
greek debt crisis plays out analysts said
in london on tuesday the euro was changing hands at dollars against
dollars late on monday yen pounds and
swiss francs
the dollar stood at yen and swiss francs
the pound was at dollars
on the london bullion market the price of gold firmed to dollars an
ounce from dollars on monday
cambodian pm says thai government will not survive
phnom penh jan afp
cambodian premier hun sen tuesday stoked diplomatic row with thailand saying
the neighbouring country government would not survive and branding its foreign
minister the chief of terrorists
ties between the two nations which have fought string of deadly border
clashes hit new low late last year when phnom penh appointed former thai
prime minister thaksin shinawatra as an economics adviser
hun sen told student graduation ceremony that the current thai government
would not have long to live and vowed to wait for new administration to take
power in bangkok before fully restoring diplomatic relations
thailand and cambodia recalled their ambassadors in november and expelled senior
diplomats over hun sen appointment of thaksin who is living abroad to avoid
jail term for corruption in his home country
diplomatic tensions soared further when phnom penh then refused to extradite
thaksin during his first visit to cambodia in his new role
thai premier abhisit vejjajiva took office in december and must call an
election by december he came to power after blockade of bangkok
airports in helped bring down the previous pro thaksin government
hun sen criticised thai foreign minister kasit piromya for his involvement in
the blockade which was carried out by the royalist yellow shirt movement that
also helped spark the coup that toppled thaksin in
you are the chief of terrorists in the siege of the airports because some
cambodians were also hostages at the airports hun sen said tuesday referring
to kasit
kasit is favourite target of the cambodian strongman after allegedly calling
hun sen gangster in parliamentary debate last year the thai minister said
at the time that his comments had been translated incorrectly
hun sen also restated cambodia claim to disputed land around an ancient temple
on the border between the two countries row that has sparked series of
clashes since mid in which seven people have died
thai media reported tuesday that thaksin would visit cambodia again in late
january to better coordinate fresh anti government protests in thailand by his
own supporters known as the red shirts
eu regulator demands patent papers in pharma probe
brussels jan afp
the european union competition regulator demanded tuesday to see selected
number of patent deals reached by pharmaceutical companies as part of sector
wide probe into generic medicines
the european commission said that on the basis of eu antitrust rules it
addressed requests for information to certain pharmaceutical companies asking
them to submit copies of their patent settlement agreements
brussels wants patent settlements reached between originator and generic
pharmaceutical firms from july to the end of notably those where an
originator company pays off generic competitor in return for delayed market
entry of generic drug
the commission which polices competition in the eu said its probe into the
multi billion euro sector had found that some settlements might deprive
consumers of broader choice of medicines and at lower prices
according to commission figures each european citizen spent an average of
euros dollars on medicine in the market for medicines was worth some
billion euros at retail prices
brussels did not identify the companies involved saying only that selected
number had received requests for copies of these deals
we need to monitor this type of agreement in order to better understand why by
whom and under which conditions they are concluded said outgoing competition
commissioner neelie kroes
the monitoring will also provide us with the possibility to act should this
become necessary
her services said they would analyse the details and request more specific
information if necessary the regulator also threatened to repeat the process
each year until the problem is addressed
the demand is part of an investigation announced in july into the relationship
between companies that patent their products as brand named medicine as well as
their ties with generic drug producers
according to commission report produced in the summer generic drugs cost on
average percent less two years after they enter the market and save patients
and insurance firms money without compromising on effectiveness
but some companies have in the past been accused of using patent strategies to
stop generic medicines hitting the market or tying up potential competitors in
legal disputes
among the tactics often used drug developers were found to file multiple patent
applications for the same medicine leaving little scope for generics to be
developed
in the worst example uncovered separate filings were made for single
medicine across the nation eu
in another tactic drug companies were found to often launch patent litigation
against potential rivals nearly cases were found slowing down their
entry to the market
on average such cases would drag on for three years most were lost by the
company that developed the original drug some were settled out of court
airbus warns failure threatens company
seville spain jan afp
european aircraft maker airbus pressed governments on tuesday to open their
wallets to save the troubled military plane project warning that the
company viability depended on it
airbus chief executive tom enders warned that the company might be forced to
scrap the long delayed programme if european clients fail to put up more money
to cover cost overruns by the end of the month
now it high time for decision enders told reporters in seville spain
adding that the viability of airbus as whole was at stake
airbus has employees with some working on the project
we should not accept the situation and continue this stupidity that could
seriously jeopardise airbus and its commercial competitiveness enders said
developing the high tech transport planes has proved much more costly and
time consuming than anticipated when the project was agreed in by nato
members germany spain france britain turkey belgium and luxembourg
total of aircraft have been ordered for about billion euros billion
dollars but clients are being asked to plough in more to cover unexpected costs
and some countries have voiced unease about the extra costs
airbus and its parent group the european aeronautic defence and space company
eads have been in discussions over cost overruns for several months with the
seven partner countries
the negotiations are to be wrapped up at the end of this month
deliveries are at least three years behind schedule and the project could end up
costing up to billion euros more than expected
eads has put aside billion euros in provisions and is spending million
euros per month on the programme enders said
ring the alarm bell he said
turkey said last week it did not want to provide more money
france has insisted that the programme must go ahead while germany looks
unwilling to plough more money into the project germany and france are the
project biggest customers with and orders respectively
we want this programme to be completed french defence minister herve morin
said in televised interview
source close to the german defence ministry was quoted last wednesday in the
newspaper handelsblatt as saying it is out of the question for us to pay more
than the million euros extra stipulated in the contract
according to report in the financial times deutschland last week enders told
group of airbus directors he no longer believed in pursuing the programme
and had begun to prepare for it to be terminated
we made big mistake when we entered into contracts for this aircraft six or
seven years ago enders said in an interview with bbc world business report
late monday
we should not again take decision which would lead us to further problems in
the years to come
eads chief executive louis gallois said the programme cannot go on without
knowing whether it will get the necessary funds
our duty is to protect the interest the capacity and sustainability of
airbus he told reporters in seville
gallois expressed disappointment that no meeting was scheduled with the company
while the client governments are scheduled to meet in london on thursday
regret there is no meeting scheduled with us he said
despite its project problems airbus said it had outperformed us rival
boeing in with plane deliveries and orders although net orders
totalled owing to cancellations caused by the global credit crunch
airbus commercial director john leahy said the company is forecasting between
and orders in
but turnover dropped last year and airbus only delivered of its super jumbo
in compared to in company executives said
airbus turnover reached billion euros in drop from billion
euros in according to preliminary figures
eads shares were down percent at euros in midday trade in paris
amp affirms china sovereign credit ratings
beijing jan afp
standard and poor on tuesday affirmed its sovereign credit ratings and stable
outlook for china citing the asian giant strong economic growth outlook and
modest government debt levels
china short and long term ratings reflected its substantial foreign exchange
reserves and strong fiscal position which would help cushion the impact of any
future economic downturn the ratings agency said in statement
these strengths outweigh sizable contingent liabilities in the banking system
if the economy suffers an extended slowdown the agency said
structural regulatory and financial sector reforms which remained in place
during the current crisis will help china sustain annual economic growth of
about eight percent over the next decade it added
standard and poor has given china an short term rating and an
long term rating
in november moody upgraded its ratings outlook for china to positive from
stable giving policymakers in beijing the thumbs up for how they have
navigated the worst financial crisis in decades
iran accuses us israel of murdering nuclear scientist
tehran jan afp
iranian nuclear scientist massoud ali mohammadi was killed tuesday in rare
bomb attack in tehran which the foreign ministry blamed on mercenaries in the
pay of archfoes the united states and israel
the killing comes amid an increasingly bitter standoff between iran and world
powers over tehran controversial nuclear drive which the west suspects is
masking an atomic weapons programme
mohammadi particle physics professor at prestigious tehran university died
when bomb strapped to motorcycle was triggered by remote control outside his
home in northern tehran state media said
one can see in preliminary investigations signs of evilness by the triangle of
the zionist regime america and their mercenaries in iran in this terrorist
incident foreign ministry spokesman ramin mehmanparast said
tehran chief prosecutor echoed his words implicating us and israeli
intelligence services
given the fact that massoud ali mohammadi was nuclear scientist the cia and
mossad services and agents most likely have had hand in it abbas jafari
dolatabadi told the state broadcaster news service
dolatabadi told the isna news agency that mohammadi died when booby trapped
motorbike parked outside his house exploded as he was getting into his car
bomb attacks are rare in iran although several security officials and members of
the elite revolutionary guards have been killed in bombings by rebels in restive
sistan baluchestan province in the east of the country
witness told afp that tuesday explosion was strong blast breaking windows
in neighbouring houses and cars
iran state run arabic language television al alam identified mohammadi as
hezbollahi teacher term used for staunch supporters of the iranian
regime
this assassination may have been carried out by the hypocrites iran exiled
people mujahideen opposition or planned by the zionist regime al alam said
the opposition group denied any involvement in the attack
the ncri has no connection with this murder spokesman for the national
council of resistance of iran which includes the banned people mujahideen
told afp in paris
iranian authorities have consistently accused archfoes the united states and
israel of seeking to foment unrest in iran and the two countries have never
ruled out military strike to thwart iran controversial nuclear drive
none of the reports said whether mohammadi was connected to iran nuclear
enrichment programme and colleague described him as non political
he was prominent full professor but he was not political figure he had no
political activity ali maghari who heads the faculty of sciences at tehran
university told mehr news agency
however mohammadi name appeared on list of academics backing iranian
opposition leader mir hossein mousavi for the disputed june presidential
election which gave president mahmoud ahmadinejad second term
the opposition claims the vote was massively rigged in ahmadinejad favour and
has for the past six months been staging anti government protests at every
opportunity many of which have been broken up by police who have arrested
hundreds of demonstrators
hardliners have accused the people mujahideen of infiltrating the anti
government protests and carrying out attacks on regime targets
iran has been under international pressure to halt its sensitive uranium
enrichment programme which is at the centre of fears about iran ambitions as
the process which makes nuclear fuel can also be used to make atom bombs
despite three rounds of un security council sanctions iran has continued to
expand its nuclear programme which it insists is for peaceful purposes only
world powers seeking to curb iran atomic drive are still awaiting response
from tehran to un brokered offer to ship most of iran low enriched uranium
abroad to be further refined into reactor fuel
iran has rejected the offer and has offered its own counter proposal of staged
swap
some western powers have dismissed the iranian proposal and insist the islamic
republic accept the un backed deal or face further sanctions
the united states russia china britain france and germany will meet late this
week to discuss sanctions against iran us secretary of state hillary clinton
said last week
one dead scores injured in china land brawl witnesses
beijing jan afp
one person was killed and scores injured last week as police clashed with
villagers in eastern china over the forced eviction of farmers from rural lands
residents and human rights group said tuesday
the violence began last thursday when about hired thugs beat farmers who had
resisted eviction in the city of pizhou in jiangsu province the hong kong based
information centre for human rights and democracy said
it said the farmers from hewan village had refused to move off lands where local
authorities want to build chemical plant
one woman was killed and another woman was severely injured by dozens of thugs
hired by the township government hewan resident who gave only his surname
yang told afp by phone
the rights group also quoted local sources as saying woman was killed
on friday up to angry villagers descended on government offices in pizhou
to protest over the issue locals told afp by phone
the whole village came to the city at least people they were very vocal
and angry said woman who witnessed the protest
she said riot police began beating the protesters injuring many she refused to
identify herself saying she feared official retribution
the rights group said about police officers armed with clubs clashed with
the protesters leaving up to people wounded
afp calls to pizhou government and police on tuesday went unanswered
china has seen rash of violent clashes over land across the country recently
many sparked by forced evictions as officials and property developers seek to
cash in on soaring real estate market
the government which views social unrest as major threat to the nation
stability has responded by calling for authorities to take steps to cool the
property market
local villagers have posted photos on the internet showing large crowds
protesting in pizhou as well as documents related to the land dispute
authorities have since sent teams to persuade villagers not to protest while
police have tightened security in the area said yang the hewan resident
helicopters rescue german skiers from cable cars
berlin jan afp
helicopters performed dramatic rescue of around skiers stuck in cable cars
in germany on tuesday after technical glitch left them dangling for several
hours police said
the skiers in the bavarian resort of brauneck in southern germany were then
either lowered onto the piste or pulled up into the helicopters and flown to
safety police spokesman klaus schuergers said no one was hurt
turkey protests israel treatment of envoy
ankara jan afp
turkey foreign ministry summoned the israeli ambassador tuesday to convey its
annoyance over israel treatment of its envoy reprimanded over turkish
television series diplomat said
we demanded an explanation and conveyed our annoyance the diplomat told afp
on condition of anonymity after ambassador gabby levy met with the ministry
undersecretary
on monday israel deputy foreign minister danny ayalon made the ambassador sit
on low couch while he sat on high chair and delivered the reprimand over
turkish series called valley of the wolves
the israeli ministry says the show depicts israel and jews as baby snatchers
and war criminals
ayalon also made turkish ambassador oguz celikkol wait in the corridor and had
the turkish flag and refreshments removed from table
the important thing is that people see that he sitting low down and we re
high and that there is one flag he told reporters
unidentified turkish officials quoted in television reports described the
incident as unacceptable rudeness
the spat mirrored the deterioration in bilateral ties since israel devastating
offensive on the gaza strip last year prompted an unprecedented barrage of
criticism from the islamist rooted government in ankara
despite the tensions israeli defence minister ehud barak is scheduled to visit
turkey sunday for talks with senior officials
israel haaretz newspaper said tuesday that barak was keen to mend ties with
turkey but that ultra nationalist foreign minister avigdor lieberman sought to
torpedo those attempts
turkey has been israel main regional ally since when the two signed
military cooperation accord
but ankara has said relations would continue to suffer unless israel ended the
humanitarian tragedy in gaza and revives peace talks with the palestinians
weak chinese currency major problem eu trade boss
brussels jan afp
new eu trade chief karel de gucht on tuesday ramped up brussels concerns over
the weak chinese yuan saying deliberate policy in beijing was major
problem for global economic recovery
it is obvious that the undervaluation of the chinese currency is major
problem he said after confirmation hearing with european union lawmakers
it not immediately in the remit of my portfolio de gucht conceded but it
is clear to me that this is deliberate policy and we should address this at
all possible occasions bilaterally and also multilaterally
he added that an important re adjustment of the value of the chinese currency
would help economic recovery which is important for everybody and also for
china
yemen negotiates as western hostages located in war zone fm
sanaa jan afp
yemen has opened talks for the release of five german hostages and briton who
have been located in saada scene of clashes with shiite rebels foreign
minister abu bakr al qurbi said on tuesday
their whereabouts have been determined they are in saada northern yemen
where the army backed by the air force has been locked in clashes with zaidi
shiite rebels qurbi told press conference
negotiations are ongoing to secure their release said qurbi declining to
give details
qurbi statement came day after german foreign minister guido westerwelle
visited sanaa where he held talks on the hostages with yemen president ali
abdullah saleh
westerwelle told reporters that the president had told him he had information
little than two hours ago that the authorities knew where the german hostages
were being held
the family of five germans including three children and the briton were
abducted in northern yemen last june along with two german bible students and
south korean all women who were shot dead soon afterwards
westerwelle said the german embassy was doing everything it could to bring the
intolerable situation of the hostages to good end
senior yemeni official said last week sanaa had information that the six
hostages were still alive and that there appeared to be an al qaeda link to
their abduction
the three possible places they could be in are the provinces of maarib al
jouf and saada said the deputy premier for defence and security affairs
rashad al aleemi
there is coordination between the huthis and the al qaeda in this matter
sanaa has repeatedly pointed the finger of blame at huthi rebels for the
kidnappings charge they deny saying the government was behind the abduction
