every individual flying into the us from anywhere in the world traveling from
or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of
interest will be required to go through enhanced screening the transport
security administration said
all travellers from the targeted countries would be subjected to extra body pat
downs and advanced screening of baggage us official said imaging and
explosive detection technology might also be used
british clergy being bullied says trade union
london jan afp
clergymen in the church of england are being bullied and should be granted
stronger employment rights to protect them british trade union said monday
unite says intimidation from bishops and congregations alike has prompted it to
set up helpline for intimidated priests which it said attracts around
calls year
the situation is complicated because clergymen are not technically employed by
the church of england cofe instead engaged in calling to god but unite
wants officials to give more safeguards
we re talking about health and safety falling short and ministers welfare
being put at risk rachael maskell of unite told bbc television
we re currently dealing with case where one of our members has been hounded
out of his job made ill and the ministers wouldn even meet him
archbishop of canterbury rowan williams the leader of the world anglicans
acknowledged there was problem with bullying in the church at trades union
congress tuc conference last year
the question of bullying glad you raise it because think that
unfinished business for us and very glad that it flagged up he said when
asked about it
it is an issue have good reason to know from pastoral contacts with people
how much of an issue it can be and wish we were better at that
but right reverend john packer the bishop of ripon and leeds in northern
england and chairman of the cofe archbishops council dealing with conditions of
service said bullying was comparatively rare
the church is human community like any other and these instances will occur
though do believe them to be comparatively rare he told bbc radio
he said that most clergymen did not want their current status changed because it
gave them advantages like flexibility of hours and they saw the church as
calling not job
estonia euro switch has percent support poll
tallinn jan afp
less than half of estonia population supports the baltic state widely
expected switch to the single european currency according to an opinion
poll published on monday
forty seven percent backed the euro the government commissioned survey from the
emor polling institute found in support had been percent
the survey showed that percent opposed dropping estonia national currency
the kroon
in november brussels said estonia was well on track to meet its january
target to switch from the kroon which is already pegged to the euro and that
it could get the green light this june
under the maastricht treaty that created european economic and monetary union
countries must meet certain conditions before they can adopt the euro they
mainly concern public finances debt inflation and exchange rate stability
in the face of deep economic crisis estonia centre right government has
been reining in public spending to ensure plunging revenues do not undermine its
efforts to meet the maastricht public finance criteria
sixteen of the eu member nations now use the euro estonia would be the
third ex communist state to switch after slovenia and slovakia
estonia nation of million people shifted rapidly from communist
command economy to the free market after independence from the crumbling soviet
union in and joined the eu in
emor polled people on november to
it said that those in the pro euro camp argued the currency would smooth travel
and commerce and be boon for estonia economy opponents meanwhile were
concerned that joining the eurozone would bring higher prices
the study also found that overall support for estonia eu membership had fallen
to percent from the percent recorded in one of the highest levels
in the entire bloc
novartis spends billion dollars to dominate eye care market
basel switzerland jan afp
swiss pharma giant novartis on monday made billion dollar play for the fast
growing eye care market aiming to take over alcon the world biggest company
in sector driven by an ageing population
combined alcon and novartis would have about percent of the global vision
care sector the drug maker said
novartis announced deal with food giant nestle last year to buy about
quarter of alcon for billion dollars with an option to purchase nestle
remaining percent stake from january
the cash from the deal is expected to boost nestle ability to make takeovers
on monday novartis said it would acquire the percent stake for billion
dollars billion euros and that it was offering to pay another
billion dollars for the remaining alcon shares held by minority shareholders
this values the complete purchase of the eye care firm at billion dollars
novartis intends to gain full ownership of alcon inc by first completing the
april agreement with nestle to acquire percent majority stake in
global leader in eye care novartis said
it would then enter into an all share deal with alcon for the outstanding
percent minority stake
the addition of alcon will strategically strengthen our health care portfolio
and our position in eye care sector with dynamic growth due to the increasing
patient needs of an aging population novartis chairman and chief executive
daniel vasella said
at cm cic analyst arsene guekam said the acquisition was perfectly
appropriate to the strategy pursued by novartis
the growth of this market is very sustained and the level of profit margin
comparable to that of the pharmaceutical industry he said
novartis said full ownership of the eye care firm could generate cost savings
as well as provide much needed clarity on alcon future
this is the right time to simplify alcon ownership to eliminate uncertainties
for employees and shareholders vasella said
it will also allow us to strengthen innovation power by combining amp
research and development efforts and grow our global market presence thanks to
our complementary product portfolios he added
the group acknowledged that it would cut jobs following the acquisition
although it said that the strong growth outlook in eye care is anticipated to
compensate for integration related workforce reductions
minority shareholders of alcon could however put up some resistance as its
independent committee has pointed out that the offer proposed by novartis was
percent less than the dollars share paid to nestle
vontobel bank andrew weiss said he expected novartis to improve its offer
novartis said it would pay for nestle stake with available cash and by
borrowing up to billion dollars
it would also seek shareholder approval to issue million new shares which
would be used together with million shares already held by the company to
buy out minority shareholders
meanwhile nestle which first acquired alcon shares in generates some
billion dollars in cash from the sale
this divestment of our interest in alcon will enable our management to
concentrate on accelerating the development of nestle position as the
world leading nutrition health and wellness company said paul bulcke chief
executive of nestle
for aurel bank analyst jean marie lhome the deal puts nestle in very
comfortable position to make possible acquisitions
at pm gmt shares in nestle were up percent at francs while
those in novartis were down percent at percent
the overall swiss market index was up percent
us manufacturing sector sees acceleration
washington jan afp
the us manufacturing sector saw its strongest pace of activity since april
last month as factories ramped up production to make up for the massive drawdown
in inventories survey showed monday
the institute for supply management said its manufacturing index also known as
the purchasing managers index climbed to percent in december from
percent in november for fifth consecutive month of expansion
the figure was stronger than the consensus estimate of modest rise to
percent any number above percent indicates growth
the sector may be benefiting from an excessive destocking cycle said norbert
ore chair of the ism survey committee
inventories have been too low for nine consecutive months and this month
index is the lowest reading since the inception of the index in january
overall the recovery in manufacturing is continuing but there are still some
industries mired in the downturn
the ism report showed nine industry sectors growing including transportation
computers apparel and foods seven sectors contracted including wood plastics
and chemicals
in the survey sub indexes new orders rose more that five percentage points to
percent and production increased nearly two points to percent
the employment sub index meanwhile increased to percent from percent
suggesting the manufacturing sector is adding workers at faster pace
overall the december survey points toward sturdy growth in manufacturing
industrial production which is forecast to have increased percent at an
annual rate in the fourth quarter said ryan sweet at moody economy com
oil prices kick off with bang
london jan afp
oil began with bang on monday jumping above dollars on expectations
of higher energy demand in the northern hemisphere winter and after russia cut
supplies to belarus traders said
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for delivery in february
spiked to dollars per barrel level last seen in october it later stood
at up dollars
brent north sea crude for february rose dollars to dollars in london
trading it had earlier risen as high as dollars
crude oil prices rose higher above the dollar level supported by cold
weather conditions in the us and amid news that russia has cut oil supplies to
belarus said sucden analyst myrto sokou
russia the world biggest crude oil and natural gas producer has stopped its
oil supplies to belarus after failing to agree new financial terms for
the russian supply issue seems to be an alert for european countries with both
germany and poland keeping an eye on the situation following similar
situation in sokou said
prices have risen on concerns over the implications of russia move to cut oil
supplies to belarus which has been effective since new year eve
however spokeswoman in belarus denied on monday reports that russia had cut
crude supplies from january
the information on cutting supplies does not correspond to reality oil is
arriving both for transit and for refineries spokeswoman for oil processor
belneftekhim told afp
both of belarus oil refineries are working normally and russian oil is
arriving on schedule the spokeswoman marina kostyuchenko said
in conflicting report belarus oil industry source told the interfax news
agency that neither refinery was receiving russian oil on monday morning
media reports said russia had stopped supplies to belarus from december with
ongoing negotiations to restart deliveries hampered by tariff disagreements
oil also spiked higher on concerns that freezing winter temperatures in the
northern hemisphere particularly in the united states will push up demand
for heating fuel
short term direction stems from colder weather in the united states which is
supporting demand for winter heating fuels said analysts at the john hall
associates consultancy
the cold snap is expected to continue for some time yet they said in note
to clients
cold weather also gripped asia on monday with planes grounded and thousands of
schools closed as the heaviest snow in over six decades blanketed beijing and
seoul
the oil market was also driven by strong economic data from britain china
germany and the eurozone
in economic news manufacturing figures from china germany eurozone and uk
came up much better than expected this morning suggesting decent economic
improvement said sucden myrto sokou
manufacturing in china continued to expand in december as new orders received by
factories rose for the ninth month in row on booming demand from home and
abroad survey showed monday
china is the world second largest energy consuming nation after the united
states
the hsbc china manufacturing pmi or purchasing managers index rose to in
december from in november reading above means the sector is
expanding while reading below indicates an overall decline
us plan calls for mideast peace deal in two years report
jerusalem jan afp
washington is pushing plan to restart israeli palestinian peace talks that
foresees reaching final deal in two years and agreeing on borders in nine
months an israeli daily said on monday
under the plan the israelis and palestinians would immediately start final
status talks that were suspended during the gaza strip war year ago israel
maariv newspaper reported citing unnamed sources
the palestinians said they have received no plan and accused israel of using
media leaks to divert attention from their demands for complete settlement
freeze before talks can restart
we have not received neither officially nor in any other form plan from the
american administration to bring about peace in the region nimr hamad an aide
to palestinian president mahmud abbas told afp
israel is trying with these media leaks to pressure president abbas to enter
into negotiations without complete halt to settlements across all the
palestinian territories including jerusalem
israel hardline foreign minister avigdor lieberman meanwhile spoke out on
monday against setting time limits to talks
meeting britain former prime minister middle east envoy tony blair lieberman
said it is important to hold an open and honest dialogue with the palestinians
without sowing delusions that are disconnected from reality and which will only
lead to violence and frustration
it is not possible to reach an agreement on permanent borders in nine months
and full agreement in two years lieberman said according to statement
from his office
what we need to do is begin direct talks without time frame he told blair
who serves as the envoy for the so called quartet on the middle east peace
process the united states european union russia and the united nations
after meeting egyptian president hosni mubarak at the red sea resort of sharm
el sheikh abbas told reporters he was open to negotiations with israel but
that talks could only resume when jewish settlement activity ends
there was no immediate comment on the report from us or egyptian officials
under the us plan the two sides would first discuss the issue of permanent
borders with deadline of nine months for reaching an agreement maariv said
the idea is to have an agreement on borders before the expiry of an israeli
moratorium on new settlement construction in the occupied west bank so israel
will start to build again only in those settlements that will be inside its
borders under the final status agreement it said
underlying the discussions will be the principle of land swap that has figured
prominently in past peace talks israel will keep its major settlement blocks
in the west bank and the palestinians will get land inside israel in return
after reaching an agreement on borders the sides will move on to discuss the
other core issues jerusalem and refugees maariv said
to entice both sides to agree to the deal washington is preparing letters of
guarantee
the palestinians will get letter guaranteeing that the two year deadline will
be final with no delay if no agreement is reached the palestinians will
request us backing for their demand to receive an area equal in size to the
territory under arab rule prior to maariv said
the israelis will probably receive note ratifying letter that former us
president george bush wrote to then israeli premier ariel sharon in in
which he said that final status agreement will be based on the principle of
land swaps that will allow israel to keep its major settlement blocs
arab diplomats in cairo told afp last week that us president barack obama
administration was drafting letters of guarantee but did not provide details
dutch plan to curb cannabis sales to foreigners delayed
the hague jan afp
plan to transform cannabis vending coffee shops near the belgian border into
private clubs from january has been postponed indefinitely for further study
dutch official said monday
we need to finalise our preparations before we can put the project into
operation petro hermans project officer for the southeastern city of
maastricht told afp
we are studying the legal feasibility of the project he said adding the date
of january was not practicable
the mayors of maastricht and seven other municipalities in the southern limburg
province announced last may that about coffee shops within their borders
would become private members clubs from this year
the daily limit would be reduced from five to three grammes of cannabis per
client while patrons would require membership cards and dutch debit card to
pay with effectively cutting off tourists
the limburg move is backed by the national government and is one of several
pilot projects whose results will be incorporated in new policy that will aim
to reduce the nuisance caused by drug tourism
about four million foreigners mainly belgian french and german visit limburg
every year to purchase cannabis the dutch government decriminalised the
consumption and possession of under five grammes of cannabis in
there are some licensed coffee shops throughout the country but cannabis
cultivation remains illegal
hermans said report of university experts on the feasibility of the pilot
project would be delivered to the mayors of the eight municipalities by mid
january
we will then decide how to proceed he said stressing that the mayors were
eager to get the ball rolling
afp gmt economics news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor bryan mcmanus
tel
stocks world lead wrap
london
stock markets begin the new decade on an optimistic note with investors counting
on solid recovery from the worst global economic slump since the
words gmt by roland jackson file picture
switzerland pharma company divest novartis nestle alcon thlead
basel
swiss pharmaceutical giant novartis makes huge play for the fast growing eye
care market paying nearly billion dollars to take over of alcon the world
biggest company in sector driven by an ageing population
words gmt
commodities energy oil price lead wrap
london
oil prices breach dollars on the first trading day of the year driven by
expectations of higher energy demand in the northern hemisphere winter and after
russia cuts crude supplies to belarus
words gmt
forex europe lead wrap
london
the euro bounces back against the dollar on the first trading day of the new
year as players turn more willing to take on greater risk
words gmt
uae dubai architecture tower
dubai
blazing fireworks and dazzling lights will mark the inauguration of the world
tallest tower burj dubai which the gulf emirate hopes will polish an image
tarnished by its crippling debt woes
words gmt by wissam keyrouz picture graphic video
afp
tennis hopman cup results first update
perth australia jan afp
results from hopman cup tennis tournament at perth burswood dome on monday
group
great britain bt kazakhstan
women singles yaroslava shvedova kaz bt laura robson gbr
men singles andy murray gbr bt andrey golubev kaz
mixed doubles laura robson andy murray gbr bt yaroslava shvedova andrey
golubev kaz match tie break
russia bt germany
women singles sabine lisicki ger bt elena dementieva rus
men singles igor andreev rus bt philipp kohlschreiber ger
mixed doubles elena dementieva igor andreev rus bt sabine lisicki philipp
kohlschreiber ger
afp graphics advisory
paris jan afp
monday graphics
available now
us security blacklist map
map showing countries on new us security blacklist us bound air travellers
from these countries will be subject to stricter security checks in airports
text slug us attacks nigeria
mm
body scanner fact file
graphic fact file on full body security scanners
text slug us attacks
mm
afghanistan kandahar helmand map
map of aghanistan locating foreing troop deaths in kandahar and helmand
provinces
text slug afghanistan unrest
mm
solomons quake map
map locating the epicentre of magnitude quake near the solomon islands
text slug solomons earthquake
mm
cinema biggest earners
graphic showing the ten most successful films at the box office hollywood
blockbuster avatar has surged to box office haul of more than one billion
dollars
text slug entertainment us film boxoffice
mm
available by gmt
aided by consecutive holiday weekend
dubai burj tower factfile
fact file on the burj dubai the world tallest tower which opens on monday
text slug uae dubai architecture tower economy
mm
available now
china weather
map locating northern chinese provinces experiencing weather related
disruptions
text slug china weather snow
mm
available now
china river pollution map
map showing china sanmenxia reservoir on the yellow river which was polluted
when an oil pipeline burst kilometres upstream
text slug china environment energy oil accident
mm
available now
japan airlines share price
chart showing share prices for japan airlines
text slug japan airline company distress stocks jal
mm
available now
asia pacific markets
closings for key asia pacific markets
text slug stocks
mm
available now
moved earlier
yemen al qaeda attacks mm
fujimori factfile mm
brazil floods mm
turkey train crash mm
dakar spectator killed map mm
major sporting events worldwide mm
football african nations cup mm
paris hong kong
tel
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor chris otton
tel
top stories
qaeda militants killed as yemen boosts security
nigeria slams discriminatory passenger checks
world tallest tower opens in debt laden dubai
attacks qaeda world newseries wrap
sanaa
yemeni forces kill al qaeda militants and boost security at key sites in the
capital sanaa as fears of fresh anti western attacks trigger the introduction by
the united states of stringent screening measures for air travellers
words gmt by hammoud mounassar
attacks qaeda us nigeria rdlead reax
abuja
nigeria homeland of the failed us plane bomber criticises new security
measures for passengers flying to and from the united states as unfair and says
they amount to discrimination against its million people
words gmt
uae dubai architecture tower
dubai
blazing fireworks and dazzling lights will mark the inauguration of the world
tallest tower burj dubai which the gulf emirate hopes will polish an image
tarnished by its crippling debt woes
words gmt by wissam keyrouz picture graphic video
filing plans by region
europe
britain politics iraq blair lead
london
britain election race revs up after the festive break with the troubled
economy key battleground although former premier tony blair could be about
to put spanner in the ruling labour party wheels
words gmt by katherine haddon picture
spain politics fbl barcelona ndlead
madrid
the president of european football champions barcelona says he is considering
creating political party to seek independence for spain catalonia region and
running for office himself
words gmt by pierre ausseill
europe snow storm wrap
geneva
avalanches and skiiing accidents kill at least people as the alps are hit by
record snowfalls as weather experts warn that worse is still to come
words gmt by hui min neo
asia
afghanistan unrest politics lead wrap
kabul
afghan president hamid karzai orders parliament to cancel its winter recess so
lawmakers can consider his new cabinet nominees as nato announced its first
deaths of the year
words gmt by lynne donnell
africa
safrica politics zuma wives lead
nkandla south africa
south africa polygamous president jacob zuma marries for the fifth time
donning leopard skins and dancing with his new bride at traditional ceremony
that drew hundreds of revellers in his remote home village
words gmt by rajesh jantilal pictures
middle east
mideast diplomacy palestinian egypt rdlead
cairo
palestinian president mahmud abbas says he is open to peace negotiations with
israel but that as agreed with egypt talks could only resume when jewish
settlement activity ends
words gmt by jailan zayan picture
tennis atp chennai open results
chennai india jan afp
results from the dollar atp chennai open tennis tournament here on
monday denotes seed
st rd
marin cilic cro bt igor kunitsyn rus
janko tipsarevic srb bt carlos moya esp
jan hajek cze bt simon greul ger
santiago giraldo col bt bjorn phau ger
yachting alinghi oracle arrive in spain as legal spat continues
madrid jan afp
the yachts of swiss defender alinghi and us challenger oracle arrived monday in
the spanish port of valencia for the rd america cup despite uncertainty
over whether the event can take place as scheduled next month
oracle last month launched legal challenge that charged alinghi boat fails
to meet the competition nationality rules
the two sides are to meet in singapore on january to discuss the issue along
with the head of the international jury australia david tillett and
representative of the international sailing federation us sources said
alinghi catamaran was shipped from the gulf emirate of ras al khaimah to
valencia where the crew is to begin training in mid january alinghi said
oracle trimaran with its giant fixed wing sail reached valencia from san
diego california and is expected to begin training this week
the event is scheduled to held from february over three legs but both
syndicates have indicated they are ready to delay the start by several days and
to make it best of seven event
but the meeting in singapore could also alter the schedule further if alinghi
is forced to modify its boat to meet the nationality rules
the competition could then be pushed back by two months to april as preferred
