france public television broadcaster and three afghan companions
gunmen snatched the group as they were travelling around kilometres
miles from kabul on wednesday french journalist working with them told afp
britain ministry of defence said british soldier died on thursday of
injuries from roadside bomb attack in afghanistan taking the british toll for
to
isaf said an american soldier died of non battle related injuries in eastern
afghanistan on thursday
the deaths bring to the total number of foreign troops to have died in
afghanistan in according to an afp tally based on that from independent
icasualties org website
tight security calls for peace as world welcomes
new york jan afp
pope benedict xvi issued new year day call for tolerance after massive
celebrations worldwide ushered in fresh decade under heavy security and amid
warnings of more extremist plots
the pope comments came after new yorkers partied while being protected by
rooftop snipers in times square following the christmas day attempt by
nigerian suspect to blow up us airliner bound for detroit
british prime minister gordon brown said the failed plane bombing showed that
terrorism remained very real global threat as the world enters new decade
eight years after
in his traditional new year day mass friday benedict called for respect and
tolerance
respect others regardless of their skin colour nationality language
religion the pope said
he also spoke against war and violence deploring that too often the faces of
children were sunken by hunger and illness disfigured by pain and
hopelessness
before such defenceless humans all the false justifications for war and
violence fall down
parties to bid farewell to decade that saw the september attacks the
launch of wars in afghanistan and iraq and disastrous economic crisis brought
out millions in the world major cities
but strict security measures were taken across the globe after the airliner bomb
plot
thousands of police officers were deployed in new york backed by surveillance
cameras rooftop snipers and devices able to detect radiation or biological
agents
partygoers in times square were not allowed to carry backpacks or alcohol and
were banned from reentering the zone once they left
on wednesday police had ordered the brief evacuation of times square and
investigated what they said was suspicious van which later proved to be
harmless
we assume here that new york is the number one terrorist target in america
city police commissioner raymond kelly said
the british prime minister in an article on his downing street office
website spoke of extremist threats
the new decade is starting as the last began with al qaeda creating
climate of fear brown wrote saying the failed bombing had exposed an
evolving terrorist threat
the failed attack in detroit on christmas day reminds us of deeper reality
that almost years after september th international terrorism is still
very real threat
the new year of course had its lighter moments as well
russians used to stern faced messages from their leaders were treated to
surprise cartoon on state television caricaturing president dmitry medvedev and
prime minister vladimir putin
television cartoons of russian leaders have been virtual taboo over the last
half decade
meanwhile celebrations at iconic european sites including the eiffel tower in
paris and the london eye across from big ben saw tens of thousands of revelers
joyously welcome the new year
spain had an extra reason to party with the country taking over the eu
presidency for six months at midnight
this is the best street party in the world now am going to work on my first
hangover of said gerry shalloe year old english teacher from
ireland who lives in madrid
auckland new zealand was the first major city to see in the new year with
burst of fireworks and in australia about million people watched
pyrotechnic display from the iconic sydney harbour bridge
there were also hopeful messages with south african president jacob zuma using
his new year comments to rally for unity for the football world cup the
first ever to be held in africa
but in afghanistan where western powers have been fighting the taliban for most
of the past decade us led soldiers were on alert after two militant attacks
claimed the lives of eight americans and five canadians
tragedy struck in several countries including croatia where man was killed
shortly after midnight when grenade he was holding exploded
authorities said he had apparently planned to celebrate the new year by setting
it off
in the philippines at least five people were killed and about injured in
revelry involving fireworks and guns which draw on ancient superstitions that
noise drives away evil spirits
briton in iraq kidnap ordeal to fly home official
london jan afp
briton freed earlier this week after being kidnapped in iraq in is
expected to fly home friday to be reunited with his family officials said
peter moore computer expert was released unharmed wednesday after two
and half year ordeal in which all four of his bodyguards also britons are
thought to have been killed
it is likely that peter moore will return home today spokeswoman for the
foreign office in london said there were no further details and it was thought
his family had requested privacy
moore is reportedly set to be sent to safe house on his return to britain
where he will undergo assessments by doctors and psychiatrists and readjust to
normal life
meanwhile relatives of moore and others caught up in the hostage ordeal have
spoken of their anger at the british government over its handling of the
situation
the bodies of three bodyguards alec maclachlan jason swindlehurst
and jason creswell were handed over to british officials last year
fourth alan mcmenemy is also believed to have died
mcmenemy father dennis accused the foreign office of deceit lies and cover
up while avril sweeney peter moore mother said the government had never
told the truth the guardian said
the paper reported thursday that iran revolutionary guard led the kidnap
operation and took the five to iran within day of their abduction
general david petraeus the us regional military commander reiterated to
reporters in baghdad friday that moore spent at the very least part of his
time in captivity in iran
that is based on an intelligence assessment and obviously ve not had chance
to hear it certainly not to talk to him but nor to hear anything that he has
said petraeus said
there is speculation denied by britain that deal was done to secure their
release after it emerged the leader of the league of the righteous group which
took moore from government building in baghdad had recently been transferred
from us to iraqi custody
the united states transferred qais al khazali to government of iraq custody
under the two countries status of forces agreement the foreign office said in
statement
the uk continues to be kept informed of this process through its contacts with
the united states and the government of iraq
separately the government of iraq is carrying out process of reconciliation
with groups willing to renounce violence and enter the political mainstream
since holding hostages is incompatible with reconciliation we judge that
progress on the wider reconciliation effort will benefit hostages held in iraq
there has been no prisoner exchange deal in the case of peter moore
britain and iran have also played down reports of link to iran
iraq regrets us judge dropping blackwater case
baghdad jan afp
iraq said on friday it regretted the decision of us judge to dismiss criminal
charges against five blackwater security guards accused of fatally shooting
people in baghdad in september
the iraqi government regrets the decision of federal judge in the united
states to drop the charges against the blackwater security guards government
spokesman ali al dabbagh said in statement
he added that an iraqi investigation had shown that the five guards were
unquestionably responsible for the deaths of the civilians
according to iraq civilians were killed in the shooting but the guards were
charged with deaths
inquiries carried out by the iraqi government clearly confirm that the
blackwater guards committed crime and used weapons when there was no threat
necessitating the use of force dabbagh said
the iraqi government will act forcefully and decisively to prosecute the
blackwater criminals he added
us federal judge ricardo urbina on thursday dismissed the charges against the
five saying prosecutors violated their rights by using incriminating statements
they had made under immunity during state department probe to build their
case
the case was among the most sensational that sought to hold blackwater employees
accountable for what was seen as culture of lawlessness and lack of
accountability as it carried out its duties in iraq
the guards who had been part of convoy of armoured vehicles had been charged
with killing unarmed iraqi civilians and wounding others during an
unprovoked attack at busy baghdad roundabout using guns and grenades
the men had faced firearms charges and up to years in jail on each of
manslaughter counts
us prosecutors had alleged that the guards specifically intended to kill or
seriously injure iraqi civilians and according to court documents alleged
that one of the guards told another that he wanted to kill iraqis as payback
for bragging about the number of iraqis he had shot
the five defendants were security guards employed by blackwater worldwide which
has since been renamed as xe corporation
attorneys for the guards have said they did not fire their weapons with criminal
intent but thought they were under attack
iraq regrets us judge dropping blackwater case
baghdad jan afp
iraq said on friday it regretted the decision by us judge to dismiss criminal
charges against five blackwater security guards accused of fatally shooting
people in baghdad in september
the iraqi government regrets the decision of federal judge in the united
states to drop the charges against the blackwater security guards government
spokesman ali al dabbagh said in statement
he added that an iraqi investigation had shown that the five guards were
unquestionably responsible for the deaths of the civilians
urgent iraq regrets us judge dropping blackwater case
baghdad jan afp
iraq said on friday it regretted the decision by us judge to dismiss criminal
charges against five blackwater security guards accused of fatally shooting
people in baghdad in september
alert
iraq says it regrets us decision to dismiss blackwater criminal charges
us missile strike kills three in pakistan
miranshah pakistan jan afp
missiles fired from us drone slammed into car killing three militants
friday the second strike in two days in pakistan tribal region of north
waziristan security officials said
the northwest tribal belt rife with islamist extremist networks has seen
hail of bombings in the past month by us spy planes as washington pursues
militant groups it says pakistan is not doing enough to tackle
also friday an anti taliban tribal leader and four others were killed in
roadside bomb in the northwest the latest in wave of attacks against
respected elders allied with the government against the extremists
the morning attack by drone aircraft struck vehicle carrying suspected
militants in ghundikala village kilometres nine miles east of miranshah
the main town of north waziristan and close to the afghan border
us drone fired two missiles targeting vehicle and killing three
militants senior security official in the area told afp
the identity of militants is not known yet it is also not clear whether any
high value target was present in the area when the attack took place
the official requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the us strikes in
pakistan which have killed at least people since august and greatly
inflame anti american sentiment in the muslim nation
we saw vehicle engulfed in flames after the missile strike local
tribesman in the area told afp by phone on condition of anonymity
it was difficult to go close to the vehicle as it was surrounded by militants
who later removed dead bodies from the wreckage
it was not clear which group was targeted north waziristan is rife with taliban
militants al qaeda fighters and members of the powerful haqqani network which
is known for staging attacks on foreign troops in afghanistan
the bombing comes the morning after us drone attack killed four militants in
machikhel village about kilometres east of miranshah
seven us missile strikes in the same area of north waziristan have killed
people in the past month although the identities of those killed are hard to
verify as the deaths are deep in taliban controlled territory
the region saw rise in us strikes last year after president barack obama took
office and established pakistan as front line in the war on al qaeda
us authorities do not confirm drone attacks but its military is the only force
that deploys drones in the region
north waziristan neighbours south waziristan where pakistan has been focusing
its most ambitious military offensive yet against homegrown taliban militants
it sent about troops into the region on october
the military has launched multiple operations across the tribal region sparking
fierce retaliation by the insurgents on friday five people were killed in
bombing in bajaur tribal district
pro government tribal elder gulshali khan and four others were killed when
remote controlled bomb exploded near their vehicle in salarzai top local
administration official zakir hussain afridi told afp
two suicide bombers were also killed when explosives they had wrapped around
their bodies went off accidentally near military camp in the northwest
local police chief said
obama administration is pressuring islamabad to crack down on not only the
pakistani taliban but also al qaeda fighters and militants who cross the border
and attack us and nato forces stationed in afghanistan
he has put pakistan at the heart of his new strategy for winning the eight year
war against the taliban in afghanistan saying success depends on dismantling
militant sanctuaries along the porous frontier
the foreign forces in afghanistan also rely on pakistan as transport route for
supplies and on friday gunmen ambushed two tankers travelling though the
southwestern province of baluchistan headed to nato troops
local police official mohammad ansar told afp that one of the trucks was badly
damaged but no one was killed in the attack in province troubled by both
islamist and separatist violence
corrected afp news calendar
paris jan afp
the afp news calendar
monday january
dubai inauguration of burj dubai the world tallest tower
dushanbe iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad visits tajikistan and
sargodha pakistan five us militant suspects in pakistani custody expected to
appear in court as their remand expires
yangon myanmar marks the nd anniversary of its independence
tuesday january
cairo foreign ministers of egypt france jordan spain and tunisia meet in
bid to relaunch the mediterranean union
manila trial of accused in election linked massacre of people due to begin
thursday january
jerusalem orthodox christians celebrate christmas
kathmandu nepal begins discharge of maoist child soldiers from un monitored
camps
phnom penh cambodia marks st anniversary of fall of khmer rouge
the hague trial resumes before international criminal court of former militia
leader thomas lubanga for conscription of child soldiers in eastern democratic
republic of congo
friday january
karachi pakistan interior minister rehman malik due to appear in court on
corruption charges
lisbon parliament to vote on legalisation of gay marriage
sunday january
abu dhabi verdict expected in trial of brother of the uae president accused
of torturing an afghan
tripoli appeal hearing of swiss businessman rachid hamdani sentenced to
months in jail for residence permit offences
zagreb second round of croatian presidential elections
monday january
brussels members of the european parliament quiz new eu commissioners
seoul robert king new us special envoy for north korean human rights to visit
south korea
the hague special court for sierra leone resumes trial of former liberian
president charles taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity
tuesday january
harare treason trial begins of former white farmer roy bennett an aide to
zimbabwe prime minister morgan tsvangirai
the hague war crimes trial of ultra nationalist serb leader vojislav seselj
adjourned indefinitely to february because of witness safety concerns to resume
wednesday january
danang vietnam asean foreign ministers meeting and
thursday january
abuja court of justice of the economic community of west african states
ecowas rules on whether it can hear complaint against senegal by former
chadian president hissene habre of rights abuses
strasbourg european court of human rights conducts hearings into the case of
former russian oil company yukos which is claiming nearly billion dollars
from the russian state
tripoli appeal hearing of swiss businessman max goldi sentenced to months
in jail for residence permit offences
friday january
beijing mr gay china pageant the first such event staged in the asian nation
kathmandu indian foreign minister krishna arrives in nepal for three day
official visit
milan italy trial resumes in corruption case against prime minister silvio
berlusconi accused of buying the silence of his british former lawyer david
mills
saturday january
tokyo ruling democratic party of japan holds party convention
sunday january
kiev ukraine holds presidential elections
santiago second round of presidential elections in chile
monday january
abu dhabi world future energy summit to
abuja summit of heads of state of the economic community of west african states
ecowas
ankara mehmet ali agca turk who tried to kill pope john paul ii in set
to be freed from prison
beijing austrian president heinz fischer visits to
kuwait new hearing in trial of six kuwaitis accused of plotting to attack us
military base
milan italy trial resumes in case against prime minister silvio berlusconi
concerning television rights for his broadcasting group mediaset
vilnius arms smuggling trial resumes of michael campbell alleged member of the
hardline real ira
tuesday january
paris trial of alleged eta deputy military chief harriet aguirre and two other
members of the basque separatist organisation arrested in
tokyo th anniversary of signing of japan us security treaty
wednesday january
athens trial begins of policeman who allegedly shot dead student alexis
grigoropoulos in december triggering riots across greece
ho chi minh city four democracy activists including prominent lawyer le cong
dinh and it engineer nguyen tien trung to go on trial for subversive activities
and
toledo spain european justice and interior ministers meet to
washington socialites tareq salahi and wife michaele quizzed by congress after
gatecrashing white house state dinner
saturday january
colombo sri lanka holds presidential election
monday january
brussels eu foreign ministers meet
wednesday january
davos switzerland world economic forum to
madrid trial opens of basque separatist leader arnaldo otegi
milan italy verdict expected after trial of four google executives for an
internet video showing the bullying of teenager with down syndrome
oswiecim poland ceremonies marking th anniversary of the liberation of the
auschwitz nazi death camp
thursday january
london international conference on afghanistan
yemen saleh appeals for reason from rebels qaeda
sanaa jan afp
yemeni president ali abdullah saleh appealed for reason from shiite rebels in
the north separatists in the south and al qaeda militants in an article
published on friday to mark the new year
saleh urged the zaidi rebels to agree to the conditions laid down by the sanaa
government for return to peace saying they should cease hostilities withdraw
from official buildings and respect the law
if these elements accept this plea for peace the state will offer the hand of
peace he wrote in the government daily al thawra
yemen government has been engaged in sporadic fighting with the rebels also
known as huthis since
on august government forces launched operation scorched earth an all out
offensive to stamp out the uprising among the zaidis minority in mainly sunni
yemen but the majority group in the northern mountains
addressing those in the troubled south who aspire to secession saleh called on
them to be reasonable and renounce violence and the propagation of culture of
hate
he also wrote that there was no question of sacrificing unity between north
and south in which is subject of both pride and binding element for
all yemenis
turning to the government struggle against al qaeda saleh said as new year
begins young people who allow themselves to be fooled by elements of al qaeda
should pause to reflect and return to reason
it is time to lower weapons and renounce violence and terrorism you must save
your lives and become good citizens again he said
yemeni forces last month launched raids on suspected al qaeda targets in the
centre of the country and the sanaa region killing more than islamist
militants several rebels were also wounded in clashes this week
finally the president called for talks with the country legal opposition
urging it to choose entente and turn its back on disputes
russia imposes minimum vodka price
moscow jan afp
russia on friday imposed new minimum legal price for vodka in bid to hinder
the sale of cut price black market moonshine blamed for the deaths of thousands
of russians every year
from the first day of the new year new law came into force stipulating that
the minimum price of half litre bottle of vodka is rubles dollars
official russian news agencies reported
the measure is aimed at preventing the sale of black market vodka which is often
made from dubious ingredients but sold at rock bottom low prices
officials hope the move will protect both the health of russians and also legal
vodka producers who in common with almost every industry in the country have
been hit by the economic crisis
according to the interfax news agency sales of black market vodka account for
one half of all sales of the drink in russia
the introduction of this measure will deprive black market producers of their
main competitive advantage low prices said dmitry dobrov the spokesman of
the russian association of producers of alcohol products spap
he told the interfax agency the state would also benefit by receiving greater
tax revenues from the sale of alcohol but more needed to be done to help legal
alcohol producers
production of vodka and other spirits in russia fell by percent in the
first months of according to the state statistics agency
amid all the discussions about alcoholism in russia we have not done the most
elementary thing said alexander korovka spokesman of giant local distiller
russian alcohol
we have not enforced responsibility of the producer and the seller in front of
the consumer and this allows whole shelves of products to appear on shops that
do not inspire trust he told interfax
alcohol abuse kills some russians annually and greatly impacts male life
expectancy which is lower than in impoverished countries such as bangladesh or
honduras according to official figures
president dmitry medvedev has said fighting alcohol abuse is an urgent priority
for the country and announced he will introduce zero tolerance law for drink
driving
thousands march in hong kong for democracy
hong kong jan afp
thousands of hong kong democracy campaigners took to the streets on the first
day of the new year friday to call for universal suffrage and the release of
jailed chinese dissident liu xiaobo
chanting slogans and holding placards protesters marched through the city
centre to the central government liaison office responsible for ties with
beijing watched over by hundreds of police officers and attracting the
attention of big crowds of bystanders
organisers said there were as many as protesters although the police
gave an estimate of only people
more than activists scuffled with the officers outside the liaison office
around gmt or four hours after the march started as the rest of the
procession dispersed peacefully
don want fake democracy want genuine universal suffrage lee cheuk yan
lawmaker and general secretary of the confederation of trade unions chanted
through loudspeaker
the hong kong government last month unveiled proposal to increase the sizes of
both the legislature and the committee responsible for electing the city chief
executive
but the plan fell short of the expectations of pro democracy politicians who
have urged the government to introduce universal suffrage in
beijing has indicated that the vote may be implemented for the chief executive
in and the legislative council in
the large turnout today has sent the strongest signal to beijing that we need
clear road map for universal suffrage wong yuk man another lawmaker and
leader of the league of social democrats told afp
protesters also urged chinese authorities to release liu xiaobo who was
sentenced by beijing court week ago to years in prison for subversion
prompting strong condemnation from the international community including the
united states the european union and canada
the year old writer previously jailed over the tiananmen protests was
detained year ago after co authoring charter bold manifesto calling for
reform of china one party communist system and protection of human rights
olivia hu mainland student studying journalism in hong kong said she felt it
was her duty to join the march after learning about the ordeal of liu from hong
kong media
people on the mainland do not know what is happening had they gained access to
the information we have in hong kong believe they would have felt the same as
we do here she said
political commentator ivan choi noted that the finishing point of the march was
different from previous major democracy protests which usually ended at the
hong kong government headquarters
the change indicates shift of target from the local government to the chinese
government this will heighten tension between the campaigners and beijing
choi told broadcaster atv
hong kong with population of seven million was returned to chinese rule in
and has separate constitution guaranteeing freedoms not available to
chinese on the mainland including the freedom to protest
british hostage spent part of time in iran us general
baghdad jan afp
briton freed earlier this week after having been kidnapped in iraq in
spent at least part of his time in captivity in iran us regional military
commander general david petraeus said on friday
our intelligence assessment is that he certainly has spent part of the time at
the very least in iran part of the time that he was hostage he told
reporters in baghdad while on visit to the iraqi capital referring to peter
moore
that is based on an intelligence assessment and obviously ve not had
chance to hear it certainly not to talk to him but nor to hear anything that
he has said
moore computer expert was released unharmed on wednesday after two
and half year ordeal in which all four of his bodyguards also britons are
thought to have been killed
the five were kidnapped from the finance ministry in baghdad in may by
some gunmen from the league of the righteous breakaway shiite militia
britain and iran have both played down reports of an iranian link
iran mousavi ready to die for opposition cause
tehran jan afp
iranian opposition leader mir hossein mousavi said on friday that he was ready
to sacrifice his life in his campaign to have the disputed june re election of
president mahmoud ahmadinejad overturned
am not unwilling to become martyr like those who made that sacrifice after
the election for their rightful national and religious demands mousavi said in
his first statement on his kaleme org website since deadly clashes on sunday
my blood is no redder than theirs he added
mousavi nephew ali was among at least eight people who died during sunday
opposition protests during shiite muslim rituals for ashura
the opposition head website carried call from political prisoners in
tehran evin jail for the public to hold memorial on sunday to mourn those
who died during the protests
opposition website rahesabz reported new protests in central tehran on thursday
and sporadic clashes with security forces day after the regime brought
hundreds of thousands of its own supporters onto the streets of major cities in
massive show of strength
mousavi called on ahmadinejad government to halt its crackdown against his
