tokyo jan afp
japan new finance minister rattled financial markets thursday with call for
weaker yen sending the currency sharply lower on speculation that he might
order official intervention
naoto kan former health minister with little experience in financial matters
said at his first press conference since replacing hirohisa fujii that it would
be preferable if the yen recent decline continued
kan said he would work with the central bank to steer the yen to an
appropriate level in break from his predecessor tolerance of stronger
currency
many business leaders have said that yen exchange rate in the mid to the
dollar would be appropriate kan added it is rare for japanese cabinet
ministers to comment on specific currency levels
he said he would work hard to bring the yen to the appropriate level
considering the impact that foreign exchange has on the japanese economy
while japan has not intervened in the currency market since march allowing
the yen to find its own level against the dollar the finance minister
comments on currencies can have big impact on trading
the dollar rose to yen in the wake of the remarks from around yen
shortly before kan spoke
it strong message particularly for overseas players hideaki inoue chief
foreign exchange manager at mitsubishi ufj trust and banking corp told dow
jones newswires
speculation is growing that the government will be more likely to intervene in
the market if the yen rises sharply
in november the dollar fell to around yen its lowest level since the mid
raising fears that japanese exporters such as toyota and sony would lose
competitiveness in overseas markets
fujii who is stepping down for health reasons had repeatedly said while in the
job that in principle tokyo should refrain from market intervention to weaken
the yen and protect exporters
kan comments may mark shift of japanese forex policy towards weakening the
yen barclays capital analysts wrote in note such stance seems to be
appropriate for japan considering the weak growth prospects
kan faces the daunting task of steering asia biggest economy out of its worst
post war downturn while also keeping the soaring national debt under control in
the face of growing global concerns about sovereign debt
he is seen as lacking in depth experience in financial issues although he has
been involved in drafting the national budget
unless kan shows strong leadership to organise growth strategies japan
economy will not be able to get out of the trap of deflation and mounting
government debt said jp morgan economist masaaki kanno
kan stressed the importance of the government record budget worth
trillion yen trillion dollars for the next financial year starting in
april and separate extra budget proposal to support the stalled economy
think in this economic situation it was natural to have budget with
stimulative impact he said
kan has criticised the finance ministry as the symbol of old style politics led
by unelected but powerful bureaucrats
if make meaningful changes at the ministry it would be model for changing
kasumigaseki the centre of japan bureaucracy as whole he told reporters
outside his home earlier in the day
eu regulators in antitrust move against lundbeck
brussels jan afp
european regulators on thursday launched priority antitrust probe into anti
depressant drugmaker lundbeck after raids on suspected cartel activity impeding
the sale of generic drugs
the european commission announced formal legal proceedings against denmark based
lundbeck to examine potential breaches of eu rules on restrictive business
practices and on the abuse of dominant market position according to
statement from brussels
competition enforcers said they wanted to investigate unilateral behaviour and
agreements by lundbeck which may hinder the entry of generic citalopram into
markets in the european economic area home to well over half billion people
and the world biggest market
citalopram which the commission spelled out was originally developed by
lundbeck belongs to class of anti depressant drugs lundbeck says depression
is an illness that affects million people around the world
investigators raided series of european pharmaceutical giants early in
december over suspected competition violations stepping up sector wide probe
first launched in january
it was 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
brussels said the knowledge acquired through these raids has allowed the
commission to draw conclusions on where commission action based on competition
law could be appropriate and effective
the commission has decided that the investigation focusing on lundbeck
conduct should be dealt with as matter of priority and as result has opened
proceedings
these proceedings are separate from the sector inquiry it underlined
according to commission report produced last 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
japan new finance minister spooks forex market
tokyo jan afp
japan new finance minister rattled financial markets thursday with call for
weaker yen sending the currency sharply lower on speculation that he might
order official intervention
naoto kan former health minister with little experience in financial matters
said at his first press conference since replacing hirohisa fujii that it would
be preferable if the yen recent decline continued
kan said he would work with the central bank to steer the yen to an
appropriate level in break from his predecessor tolerance of stronger
currency
many business leaders have said that yen exchange rate in the mid to the
dollar would be appropriate kan added it is rare for japanese cabinet
ministers to comment on specific currency levels
he said he would work hard to bring the yen to the appropriate level
considering the impact that foreign exchange has on the japanese economy
while japan has not intervened in the currency market since march allowing
the yen to find its own level against the dollar the finance minister
comments on currencies can have big impact on trading
the dollar rose to yen in the wake of the remarks from around yen
shortly before kan spoke
it strong message particularly for overseas players hideaki inoue chief
foreign exchange manager at mitsubishi ufj trust and banking corp told dow
jones newswires
speculation is growing that the government will be more likely to intervene in
the market if the yen rises sharply
in november the dollar fell to around yen its lowest level since the mid
raising fears that japanese exporters such as toyota and sony would lose
competitiveness in overseas markets
fujii who is stepping down for health reasons had repeatedly said while in the
job that in principle tokyo should refrain from market intervention to weaken
the yen and protect exporters
kan comments may mark shift of japanese forex policy towards weakening the
yen barclays capital analysts wrote in note such stance seems to be
appropriate for japan considering the weak growth prospects
kan faces the daunting task of steering asia biggest economy out of its worst
post war downturn while also keeping the soaring national debt under control in
the face of growing global concerns about sovereign debt
he is seen as lacking in depth experience in financial issues although he has
been involved in drafting the national budget
unless kan shows strong leadership to organise growth strategies japan
economy will not be able to get out of the trap of deflation and mounting
government debt said jp morgan economist masaaki kanno
kan stressed the importance of the government record budget worth
trillion yen trillion dollars for the next financial year starting in
april and separate extra budget proposal to support the stalled economy
think in this economic situation it was natural to have budget with
stimulative impact he said
kan has criticised the finance ministry as the symbol of old style politics led
by unelected but powerful bureaucrats
if make meaningful changes at the ministry it would be model for changing
kasumigaseki the centre of japan bureaucracy as whole he told reporters
outside his home earlier in the day
japan indicts us serviceman over hit and run case
tokyo jan afp
japanese prosecutors on thursday indicted us serviceman over deadly hit and
run case the latest in series of incidents to strain ties between the us
military and local residents
according to police the year old us army staff sergeant is suspected of
hitting year old man with car in southern okinawa in november
the man was indicted spokesman for the local prosecutors office in naha
city in okinawa said
staff sergeant clyde gunn of the us army special forces known as the green
berets was handed over by the us military to japanese authorities on thursday
jiji press reported citing an unnamed defence lawyer
the soldier from the torii communication station is charged with negligent
driving but denies he noticed hitting someone jiji quoted the lawyer as saying
the united states which defeated japan in world war ii and then occupied the
country now has troops stationed there more than half of them on
okinawa the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the war
series of incidents including the alleged murder of tokyo taxi driver by
us deserter and marine sexual abuse of year old girl in okinawa has
caused anger in local communities and triggered mass protests
the latest case comes as tokyo seeks to defuse row with its close ally over
where to move an american military base in okinawa
child soldiers leave maoist camps in nepal
sindhuli nepal jan afp
thousands of former child soldiers who fought for the maoists in nepal decade
long civil war began leaving the un monitored camps where they have spent the
past three years on thursday
their departure marks step forward in nepal faltering peace process but
they face an uncertain future
most are now adults but some were as young as when they joined the rebels
and have had little formal education
my hands have only been trained to use guns said year old bhawana
chaudhary who was just when she joined the army
ve been doing that since joined the war it will be hard to adjust to
normal life after living in the camp
more than young men and women swapped their blue people liberation army
pla uniforms for civilian clothes and began their journey home after an
official ceremony at the sindhuli camp in central nepal
they are the first of almost former maoist fighters confined to un
supervised camps as part of the peace agreement to be formally discharged
after lot of delays we are finally ready to discharge the disqualified maoist
combatants from the un monitored camps it is milestone for the country
peace process spokesman for the peace ministry told afp
we hope it will pave the way for the crucial step of rehabilitating and
reintegrating maoist combatants
in december the united nations mission in nepal unmin completed
verification process and found that former fighters were minors when the
war ended and another were not genuine combatants
they had been scheduled for release soon afterwards but the process was
repeatedly delayed by disagreements between the maoist party now in opposition
and its political rivals
all will leave the camps over the next month after being issued with set
of civilian clothes and identity papers and given rupees dollars to
travel back to their villages and begin setting up home
pla spokesman chandra prasad khanal said it would be sad to see former members
of the rebel army leave but the move would send message to the world that we
are committed to peace
we are taking this step in order to bring the peace process to logical
conclusion he told afp
among those leaving there were mixed feelings with some saying they had hoped
to join the regular army along with their former comrades
don want to be retrained for another job want to be soldier that is
what am good at said chaudhary
the maoists want the remaining pla members to be integrated into the
nepalese army key tenet of the peace agreement
but no one is sure how many former fighters remain in the camps they are not
being kept there by force and several thousand are believed to have walked out
in the three years since the war ended
rights groups say the rebels forcibly recruited child soldiers during the
conflict sometimes demanding one person from every home in areas under their
control although some signed up voluntarily
many became cooks or porters or did medical work but also received military
training
tulasa poudel joined the pla aged and said she was proud to have fought
for the maoists
did not like the way women were treated in my community the men always
looked down on us she told afp
joined the pla to try to change that because felt the maoists were
committed to equality
those leaving the camps will be offered education and training for jobs such as
hairdressing bicycle repair and house painting
un observers will monitor their progress amid concerns they could be lured into
nepal growing number of criminal gangs many of which have political links
gillian mellsop nepal representative of the united nations children fund
unicef said their departure sends out symbolic message for the new year
not only can these young people now finally get on with their lives but this
also marks new beginning at the start of new decade for nepal so that it
can move forward to more stable peaceful future she said
afptv advisory
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
us to publish anti terror intelligence errors
washington
the white house is to release unclassified findings on thursday of first probe
into an al qaeda attack on us jet which president barack obama has blamed on
an intelligence screw up obama will also make another public statement on
domestic security failings the events come day after year old umar farouk
abdulmutallab was indicted on six counts arising from plot to blow up
detroit bound airliner on christmas news coverage
news
voiced report transmission details to follow on updated advisory
al qaeda calls cia attack revenge for drone killings
south waziristan pakistan amman
al qaeda hailed the suicide bombing at cia base in afghanistan that killed
seven agents as revenge for the deaths of top militants in us drone strikes
the monitoring group site said thursday jordanian identified as humam khalil
abu mulal al balawi blew himself up at the base in khost near the pakistani
border on december in the deadliest attack against the cia since file
footage including stills photo of humam khalil abu mulal al balawi and
library footage of former leader of pakistan taliban baitullah mehsud who was
killed in drone attack in august as well as militants in tribal areas
further still of balawi
news
images already transmitted
raw vid
still photo already transmitted
raw vid
lawyers for the congolese warlord thomas lubanga begin their defence on thursday
before the international criminal court where he is charged with war crimes for
using children to fight for his militia in the gold rich ituri region we are
refiling the following related report
life of child soldier in eastern dr congo
goma democratic republic of congo
child soldiers are still vivid reality in the troubled democratic republic of
congo physical and sexual abuse are common and rare are those who manage to
escape when they do former child soldiers then have to learn how to live
again afptv goes to meet one of them
special report
voiced report transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
snow hit europe faces more transport woes
manchester england paris
europe is set to shiver through more bitterly cold temperatures on thursday as
britain braces for more snow that has already caused chaos amid its most brutal
winter in decades raw images from manchester where snow forced the airport to
close on tuesday images of snow covered paris
news
images ex manchester trans
raw vid
images ex paris
raw vid
web mmv
new weather woes for eurostar with blocked train
paris
eurostar train is stuck in the eurotunnel beneath the channel in what appears
to be fresh bout of weather inspired transport problems for the rail service
between paris london and brussels eurostar has already been forced to cancel
trains wednesday as precaution amid heavy snow before christmas eurostar
faced three day suspension of its service due to heavy snows and cold
temperatures leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded news coverage
news
images and soundbites transmitted by gmt
raw vid
web mmv
deadly drive by shooting on eve of coptic christmas
cairo
on the eve of coptic christmas drive by shooting in the southern egyptian
town of nagaa hammadi on wednesday the attackers in car reportedly raked
crowd of shoppers who were preparing for the holidays killing policemen and
six coptic christians meanwhile in cairo thousands of copts celebrated
christmas mass in the abassiya church gamal mubarak the son of the egyptian
president attended the festivities led by pope shenouda images of christmas
mass
news
images already transmitted
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web mmv
nepal war missing leave lasting barrier to peace
bardiya district nepal
thousands of former child soldiers who fought for the maoists in nepal decade
long civil war will thursday begin leaving the un monitored camps where they
have spent the past three years but as the himalayan nation takes step
towards reconciliation more than people across the country remain missing
from the conflict distraught families have blamed both the maoists and
government troops for kidnapping torturing and murdering their loved one and
are urging authorities to investigate
special report
voiced report already transmitted
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
sombre anniversary for flood hit brazilian town
angra dos reis brazil
the brazilian town of angra dos reis marks its th anniversary this week but
without celebration an year old girl is still missing amongst the debris
following torrential rains and flooding that has killed more than people
along the brazilian coast many locals in town have been forced to abandon their
homes and at least buildings will be demolished to prevent further
collapse news coverage
news
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web mmv
searching for people missing in nepal civil war
bardiya district nepal
nepal has begun the release of nearly child soldiers who fought with
maoist rebels from their bases but as the himalayan nation takes step towards
restoring peace more than people across the country remain missing from
the conflict distraught families have blamed both the maoists and government
troops for kidnapping torturing and murdering their loved one and are urging
authorities to investigate
special report
voiced report already transmitted
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
ngos report on sudan crisis
paris
southern sudan could descend into new war unless the world community takes
action to salvage the accord that ended one of africa longest conflicts five
years ago aid agencies are warning on thursday day ahead of the anniversary
of the peace agreement handicap international oxfam france and the french
charity secours catholique are expected to report that despite the official end
of fighting between the khartoum government and southern rebels the region
remains beset by chronic poverty political tensions and violence that threaten
international aid work and prospects for real peace
news
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raw vid
web mmv
anti apartheid hero mandela brought to big screen by eastwood
los angeles
after first opening in the united states south africa and canada invictus
clint eastwood epic about south african freedom fighter nelson mandela goes
on worldwide release in january the film director talks to afptv about his
vision of the end of apartheid and mandela ultimately triumphant rise to
become president of south africa
culture amp lifestyle
voiced report transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
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medical marijuana gaining acceptance in us
durango colorado
support for legalising marijuana is growing in the united states in colorado
the number of medical marijuana dispensaries has increased exponentially ever
since local laws loosened up and president barack obama has said the federal
government will no longer pursue sellers and users who are obey state laws
fourteen states currently permit the medicinal distribution of marijuana and
several others could be heading in that direction
culture amp lifestyle health amp medicine
voiced report transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
as part of our series ahead of the african nations cup which kicks off sunday
we will file the following report
chelsea biggest challenge may just be around the corner
london
four of chelsea best players have left the club for the whole of january to
play in the african cup of nations so how will the west londoners cope without
the likes of didier drogba adaptation of previously offered report
sport
voiced report transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web vid
brand new homes for the homeless
marseille france
the homeless flock to emergency hostels to escape the bitter cold during winter
but there are rarely enough beds to go around salvation army project in the
southern french city of marseille hopes to change that by building cut rate
chalets
special report
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broadcast ready vid
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contact
michelle hoffman
jacqueline pietsch
embattled british pm survives coup bid
london jan afp
ministers rallied round embattled british prime minister gordon brown on
thursday after he faced down leadership challenge but the failed coup dealt
him new blow months ahead of general elections
in deeply embarrassing challenge to his already weakened authority ex
ministers geoff hoon and patricia hewitt called wednesday for ballot of ruling
labour party lawmakers on whether brown should remain their leader
it is something we could have easily done without admitted justice secretary
jack straw but insisted think it will actually have the effect of bringing
people behind the leadership even more
northern ireland minister shaun woodward told the bbc what happened yesterday
was without question unfortunate it was distraction but what we know this
morning is that this is party that wants gordon brown as leader
brown lagging around points behind the main opposition conservatives in the
polls and expected to lose power this year has faced repeated rumours of
threat to his struggling leadership since succeeding tony blair in june
in june last year brown fended off nascent leadership plot after several
cabinet ministers quit in quick succession and one james purnell urged him to
step down
british newspapers said thursday that brown appeared to have seen off the latest
attempt to unseat him despite receiving only lukewarm public backing from
some of his key cabinet ministers
foreign secretary david miliband who reportedly considered standing against
brown in took seven hours to issue statement which failed to mention
brown by name commentators noted
the times described miliband statement as less than wholehearted while the
guardian said it was both later and less full throated than anything offered by
fellow cabinet members
the bbc reported wednesday that six cabinet ministers had been prepared to
support coup but straw among those named on thursday denounced the report
as sub standard journalism
in their letter to all labour lawmakers hoon defence secretary when britain
joined the invasion of iraq in and former health secretary hewitt said
the party was deeply divided over whether brown should be leader
many colleagues have expressed their frustration at the way in which this
question is affecting our political performance they wrote
the letter gained early support from handful of persistent brown critics but
no major labour figure backed the move and hoon admitted late wednesday that it
had failed
had hoped that labour mps would recognise over many many months now they
have been unhappy about the leadership he told the bbc but admitted it was an
opportunity that labour mps by and large have not taken
the timing of the row could hardly be worse for brown he and opposition leader
david cameron effectively started election campaigning this week after the
christmas break even though ballots are not expected until may
peter mandelson business secretary and brown effective deputy said labour
lawmakers refused to back the ex ministers and insisted brown was the best man
for the job
at the end of the day the thing has blown through the corridors of westminster
parliament and out of the window mandelson told bbc television late
wednesday
they lawmakers want gordon brown to lead the party as prime minister into the
general election whenever it takes place this year and they don want to open
the question of the leadership he said
cricket steyn snorter gets south africa closer to victory
cape town jan afp
fast bowler dale steyn produced superb delivery to bowl jonathan trott and
take south africa halfway to bowling out england to clinch victory on the fifth
day of the third test at newlands on thursday
england were for five at lunch with south africa claiming the wickets of
nightwatchman james anderson and trott during the morning england scored only
runs in overs and clearly had given up any hopes of chasing down victory
target of
second new ball was due to south africa one over after lunch to assist them in
push for the remaining five wickets which would enable them to square the
four match series at
with trott batting solidly and anderson defending with determination it took
south africa minutes to make breakthrough for which they required some
luck
anderson swept left arm spinner paul harris and the ball went onto his boot
before squirting out towards backward short leg where ashwell prince made
diving catch
new batsman paul collingwood was given out caught at slip off harris before he
had scored but he immediately asked for review of umpire tony hill decision
replays showed the ball had gone off his thigh pad and he batted on
trott had made watchful off balls when he fell victim to steyn during
the second of two three over bursts by the fast bowler fast full ball swung
in late and sent trott off stump flying
collingwood and ian bell batted through until lunch
japanese conductor ozawa has oesophageal cancer office
tokyo jan afp
acclaimed japanese conductor seiji ozawa said thursday he had been diagnosed
with oesophageal cancer and had cancelled his schedule for at least six months
to undergo treatment
ozawa the year old musical director at the vienna state opera said he was
diagnosed with the illness in medical check up last month
