debt ridden russian metals giant uc rusal makes its stock market debut this week
in billion us dollar offering that marks one of the most controversial
listings ever in hong kong
words moved by peter brieger file picture
iraq reinstates election candidates
baghdad jan afp
iraq has reinstated election candidates among more than who had been
blacklisted because of their alleged links to executed dictator saddam hussein
an official said on monday
ali al allami senior official from an integrity and accountability committee
said people had appealed for their names to be removed from the
controversial list of candidates excluded from the march poll
the blacklist includes iraqis from the minority sunni arab community as well as
dominant shiites but analysts say the barring of those with links to saddam
could exclude sunnis from the political arena and spark new sectarian tensions
after we got new information we decided to accept the requests of
candidates allami told afp referring to errors in applicants names dates of
birth or other personal details that have since been corrected
we received total of requests he added without specifying the status
of the appeals that remain active
according to allami people are currently barred from contesting the
election
the move also threatens to damage the ballot by creating campaign battleground
where past quarrels will be exposed rather than healed under much vaunted but
stumbling national reconciliation process
the excluded candidates are accused of membership or other links to saddam
outlawed baath party feared fedayeen men of sacrifice militia or mukhabarat
intelligence agency
the integrity and accountability committee whose probe has inflamed the
political climate less than six weeks from polling day is headed by shiite
politician ahmed chalabi who was deputy prime minister after the us led
invasion that toppled saddam
the election row sparked flurry of diplomatic activity in the past week
including visit by us vice president joe biden at the weekend who said he was
confident that iraq leaders would resolve the dispute
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor chris otton
tel
top stories
saddam henchman chemical ali hanged in iraq
dozens killed as blasts target baghdad hotels
haiti pleads for aid in colossal rebuilding
no survivors from lebanon plane crash tragedy
iraq execution chemicalali rdlead
baghdad
saddam hussein notorious henchman chemical ali is executed the iraqi
government says after he was sentenced to death for the gassing of
thousands of kurds in the northern town of halabja
words gmt by arthur macmillan file picture
we have also moved iraq justice chemicalali profile
iraq unrest thlead wrap
baghdad
three massive car bombings targeting hotels in baghdad kill at least people
and wound in an apparently co ordinated series of attacks less than six weeks
from general election
words gmt by salam faraj picture video
we will also move iraq unrest timeline chrono
haiti quake rdlead wrap
port au prince
haiti hobbled government insists it can lead efforts to help struggling
survivors nearly two weeks after devastating earthquake as donors meet to draw
up recovery plan for the shattered nation
words gmt by jordi zamora graphic picture video
lebanon plane crash rdlead wrap
beirut
an ethiopian airliner carrying passengers and crew exploded in ball of
flames during fierce storm and plunged into the mediterranean sea off lebanon
with rescuers finding bodies but no survivors
words gmt by jocelyne zablit pictures graphic video
we will also move lebanon plane crash families ndlead scene
haiti quake
haiti quake aid canada summit newseries
montreal
haitian prime minister jean max bellerive urges the international community to
assist in the colossal task of rebuilding quake hit haiti as aid groups urge
the cancellation of the country near billion dollars in foreign debt
words gmt by judi rever picture video
haiti quake society beach scene
montruis haiti
far from the dead bodies and ruins of port au prince children splash in the sea
and laugh in sudden reminder that life continues in the earthquake ravaged
country
words moved by deborah pasmantier
europe
britain nireland politics lead
belfast
british and irish leaders race to belfast in an unscheduled mission to urge
northern ireland power sharing partners to resolve deadlock on policing that
threatens their joint government
words gmt picture
eu competition australia britain mining iron riotinto bhp thlead
brussels
the european union announces new probe into controversial anglo australian
iron ore giants rio tinto and its peer bhp billiton who are already under
pressure from china the world biggest importer
words gmt
france migration kurds
lyon france
french authorities release more than kurdish migrants and agree to hear
their asylum claims after they disembarked illegally on corsican beach in
mass landing rare for france
words gmt picture video
africa
nigeria unrest religion
lagos
police in nigeria central plateau state say they have arrested suspects
over last week inter religious violence that killed nearly people
words gmt
zimbabwe politics justice lead
harare
zimbabwe high court strikes out evidence from the main witness in the treason
trial of top aide to premier morgan tsvangirai after the man said he had been
tortured into testifying
words gmt by fanuel jongwe
asia
turkey afghanistan pakistan diplomacy rdlead
istanbul
the presidents of afghanistan and pakistan meet under turkish auspices to seek
closer cooperation against taliban militants as nato commander brings up the
possibility of negotiated peace with the insurgents
words gmt by nicolas cheviron picture
americas
us politics economy obama
washington
president barack obama throws the spotlight on creating jobs and trimming the
massive budget deficit previewing his state of the union address this week
which he is hoping to use to revive his bond with us voters
words gmt by stephen collinson
mideast
iran politics opposition lead wrap
tehran
iran opposition leader mehdi karroubi who had refused to accept mahmoud
ahmadinejad re election reveals that he now recognises the hardliner as
president
words moved by farhad pouladi file picture
us existing home sales fall in december
washington jan afp
sales of us existing homes fell more than expected in december by nearly
percent following three month surge driven by government tax credit an
industry organization said monday
the national association of realtors nar said sales fell percent to
seasonally adjusted annual rate of million units from million in
november
the reading fell short of the average analyst forecast of million units
the decline nevertheless was expected after sales surged from september through
november as first time buyers rushed to take advantage of federal tax credits
originally due to expire on november
congress passed and president barack obama signed an extension of the first time
tax credit that expands it to include other home purchases that are made prior
to april
the december number was percent above the year ago level of million
units
biden son won run for us senate
washington jan afp
us vice president joe biden son beau biden announced monday that he would
not run to fill the senate seat previously held by his father feeding
democratic election year worries
cannot and will not run for the united states senate in the younger
biden said adding that he would instead run for reelection as attorney general
in his home state of delaware
president barack obama democrats fear the november mid term elections
contest that typically sees the party that holds the white house lose seats in
the congress could cost them dearly
beau biden had widely been expected to run for the seat his father held for
years and left to serve as obama vice president but recent polls showed he
faced tough opponent in republican representative mike castle
long time biden aide ted kaufman is currently serving out the rest of joe
biden term but has repeatedly said he has no interest in running
the decision came as democrats still reeled from the shock republican victory in
special election in massachusetts to fill the seat held by the late democratic
icon ted kennedy
in his statement beau biden made no reference to democrats sour political
prospects and said he was staying on to prosecute horrific child abuse case in
which an pediatrician has been charged with raping nine patients and may have
molested up to
justice can be done and am determined to see that it is have job to
finish and that what must do said the delaware attorney general
middle class measures an obama state of the union preview
washington jan afp
president barack obama monday unveiled set of tax breaks and measures designed
to help middle class americans as he seeks to address voter frustration over the
punishing economic crisis
we are fighting every single day to put americans back to work create good
jobs and strengthen our economy for the long term obama said
the additional steps laid out today focus on easing the burdens on middle class
families who are struggling in this economy and providing the help they need to
get ahead the president said in statement
obama was set to formally roll out the measures part of his response to
tumbling approval ratings and increasing voter anger with democrats at meeting
of his middle class task force led by vice president joe biden
the measures will see the white house double child care and dependent care tax
credit for people earning less than dollars year and provide an extra
billion dollars for child care funding
students saddled with huge federal loans will only have to make payments equal
to percent of their income and tax credits will be expanded to protect
retirement savings
white house official said the move was in part preview of obama critical
debut state of the union address on wednesday which comes with the president
under intense political pressure
football egypt cameroon teams
benguela angola jan afp
teams for the africa cup of nations quarter final between egypt and cameroon
here monday
egypt
essam el hadary mahmoud fata alla hany said wael gomaa ahmed
fathi ahmed al muhammadi sayed moawad hosni abdrabou ahmed hassan
mohamed zidan emad motaeb
coach hassan shehata
cameroon
carlos kameni geremi njitap henri bedimo constant mandjeck
nicolas koulou alexandre song aurelien chedjou enoh eyong achille emana
samuel eto mohamadou idrissou
coach paul le guen
referee jerome damon rsa
afp
greek bond sale attracts high demand
paris jan afp
greece first bond sale of the year attracted four times more than the amount
being sought on monday as yields fell from historic highs in tentative sign
of greater investor confidence
greece was seeking up to five billion euros billion dollars but the amount
offered ranged up to billion euros dow jones newswires reported
the yield on greek bonds was at percent at gmt down from
percent on friday at gmt and peak of percent earlier on friday
the yield level and the interest rate spread between greek and german year
bonds hit levels unseen since greece joined the eurozone in
high yield levels are sign of the perceived risk in buying sovereign debt
greece has been hit by three credit downgrades in reaction to concerns over the
country huge debt and public deficit which reached percent of output
last year far above the percent ceiling for eurozone members
the socialist government which was elected in october has since proposed
three year crisis plan to slash the deficit to percent of output in
the government plans to borrow billion euros on debt markets this year
dow jones newswires contributed to this report
air strikes kill militants in nw pakistan officials
khar pakistan jan afp
pakistani fighter jets and gunship helicopters shelled two taliban strongholds
killing suspected militants on monday in the northwest tribal belt security
officials said
the air strikes hit in mountainous and remote areas of bajaur district which
borders afghanistan and has been the target of repeated military operations to
try to destroy islamist insurgent hideouts
the first bombing raid took place in mamoond town well known stronghold of
taliban militants about kilometres miles northeast of the main district
town of khar
air strikes by the jet fighters continued for more than two hours ten
militants have been killed and several hideouts were destroyed paramilitary
frontier corps official in khar told afp
firamosh khan local administrative official confirmed the shelling and said
it is true that several militants were killed
gunship helicopters also shelled salarzai town about kilometres northwest of
khar and killed two militants security official said
local intelligence official confirmed the attack and toll he also refused to
be named as he was was not permitted to speak to the media
bajaur was the scene of major anti militant operation in august and in
february the military claimed the area had been secured
but unrest has rumbled on and the military have again been staging ground and
air assaults on bajaur part of an ambitious new push against taliban
strongholds across the northwest launched last year
pakistan sent about troops backed by fighter jets and helicopter gunships
into battle against the taliban in south waziristan in october and says they
are making progress and that militants are fleeing
police arrest over nigeria inter religious clashes
lagos jan afp
police in nigeria central plateau state have arrested suspects over last
week inter religious violence that killed nearly people spokesman said
monday
we have people arrested state police spokesman mohammed lerama told afp
but gave no immediate details of what charges they faced
russia settles soviet era debt with london club
moscow jan afp
russia has settled its last soviet era debt with the london club group of
foreign bank creditors the russian finance ministry said on monday
the russian finance ministry announces the settlement of russia remaining
obligations on the foreign debt of the former ussr before the london group of
creditors the ministry said in statement
the club represented european us and japanese banks that extended billions of
dollars worth of loans to the soviet union before its collapse in
in russia converted most of its debt to the london club some
billion dollars worth into eurobonds
monday announcement only pertained to the small part left over after the
eurobond conversion and series of debt swaps
finance ministry spokesperson told afp that russia still owed million
dollars to london club creditors in
the ministry statement said russia had paid one million dollars to settle the
debt at the end of and that no further talks were needed with the remaining
debt holders
after the collapse of the soviet union russia inherited foreign debts
amounting to about billion dollars most of which had been accumulated at the
end of the soviet era
in russia flush with oil revenues paid off billion dollars worth of
soviet era debt to the paris club another group of creditor nations
clinton hails iraq courage after bombings
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton on monday hailed iraqis courage after
set of deadly car bombings saying extremists were trying to upend progress
toward democracy
clinton linked the violence to iraq election due on march which is seen as
crucial step in consolidating democracy ahead of us military exit next year
when people believe in the political system and that they can chart their own
future then that poses direct rebuke to those who try to govern by fear
intimidation and violence clinton told reporters
we unfortunately believe that that there will be continued efforts by the
terrorists by al qaeda in iraq in particular to try to upend the
commitment of the iraqi people toward democratic future she said
the iraqis themselves by their actions are demonstrating great deal of
courage she said at joint news conference with italian foreign minister
franco frattini
at least people were killed and wounded in three apparently coordinated
car bombings against hotels in baghdad
at least killed as three blasts target baghdad hotels
baghdad jan afp
at least people were killed and wounded in three massive apparently co
ordinated minibus borne bombings that targeted hotels in baghdad on monday less
than six weeks from general election
iraqi politicians and us forces have warned of rising violence ahead of the
march vote the second parliamentary ballot since the us led invasion
ousted saddam hussein but ushered in deadly and long lasting insurgency
the first bomb struck near the palestine and sheraton hotels in abu nawaz close
to where giant statue of saddam was symbolically toppled almost seven years
ago at around pm gmt an interior ministry official said
the second and third blasts just minutes later targeted the babylon hotel in the
central district of karrada and the hamra hotel in jadriyah in the south of the
capital he added
iraqi military spokesman in baghdad major general qassim atta said all three
bombings were suicide attacks
an interior ministry official told afp that people had been killed and
were wounded the streets leading to the hotels were immediately sealed off
preventing journalists from approaching
security source said armed clashes broke out near the hamra in what appeared
to be diversionary attack before the suicide bomber drove his minibus at the
hotel seconds later and detonated it
the first explosion in abu nawaz shook ground miles away from the site of the
blast and sent plumes of smoke rising hundreds of metres yards into the sky
monday attacks differed from recent high profile bombings in baghdad in that
they targeted hotels rather than government buildings
nearly people were killed and more than were wounded last year in co
ordinated vehicle bombings at government buildings including the ministries of
finance foreign affairs and justice in august october and december
the latest attacks occurred less than two weeks after security forces sealed off
baghdad after being tipped off that bomb laden cars had been parked in the city
insurgents weakened in the past year have in the past six months changed
tactics and mounted successful attacks on hard targets such as government
buildings rather than so called soft targets in civilian areas
there are widespread fears in the wake of the bloody attacks to hit baghdad in
the second half of that political violence will rise in the weeks leading
up to the march vote
the election is seen as crucial step towards consolidating iraq democracy
and securing complete us military exit by the end of as planned
however bitter row has broken out in recent weeks after hundreds of candidates
were banned from taking part in the election because of their alleged links with
saddam regime
the dispute has alarmed washington and the united nations us vice president joe
biden flew in to baghdad on hour visit at the weekend after which he said
he was confident iraq leaders would find just solution
monday bombings will add to washington concerns although biden said the
united states supported the exclusion of candidates linked to saddam outlawed
baath party as well as his military and intelligence services
the issue is not the goal of holding individuals accountable for their past
actions but the process of disqualification itself biden said urging
legitimate procedures
iraqis under their leaders understand that if the people see the process as
fair and transparent it will enhance the credibility of the election
haitian government can lead reconstruction effort bellerive
montreal jan afp
the haitian government can lead efforts to rebuild its country after killer
earthquake flattened the capital and surrounding areas prime minister jean max
bellerive said monday
the haitian government is working in precarious conditions but it can provide
the leadership that people expect bellerive told world officials holding
emergency talks to hash out plans to rebuild haiti nearly two weeks after
killer earthquake devastated the impoverished caribbean nation
the top priority right now is to satisfy the vital needs of victims like food
and water shelter and health care
citing the colossal reconstruction effort to come bellerive urged the
international community to bring massive support to his country
haiti needs the massive support of its partners in the international community
in the medium and long term the extent of the task requires that we do more
that we do better and without doubt that we work differently he said
urgent police arrest over nigeria inter religious clashes
lagos jan afp
police in nigeria central plateau state have arrested suspects over last
week inter religious violence that killed nearly people spokesman said
monday
alert
more than arrested over nigeria inter religious violence police
peres begins german trip to commemorate holocaust
berlin jan afp
israeli president shimon peres arrived in germany monday at the start of visit
set to culminate in historic speech in parliament to mark the holocaust
peres who was accompanied by survivors of nazi death camps will also hold
talks with chancellor angela merkel and his german counterpart horst koehler
his spokesman said in statement
the trip marks the completion of personal circle for the president whose own
grandparents and uncle were burned alive in the vishneva synagogue spokesman
ayelet frish said referring to town in modern day belarus
the president speech on january the international holocaust remembrance
day will mourn the six million jewish lives that perished in the holocaust
including those of his grandparents and his uncle frish said
the speech in hebrew will conclude with his vision and hope for the future of
israel germany and the middle east
in what is likely to be an emotional visit peres will also hold memorial
service at platform of the grunewald train station from where berlin jews
were expelled to nazi labour and death camps
peres trip comes exactly one week after prime minister benjamin netanyahu
visited berlin for meeting between the german and israeli cabinets dominated
by the middle east peace process and the iranian nuclear programme
netanyahu was also due to attend wednesday anniversary ceremony marking the
liberation of auschwitz by soviet troops
afghan pakistani presidents meet for security talks
istanbul jan afp
the presidents of afghanistan and pakistan met monday for talks on closer
cooperation against the taliban after the nato commander in the war against the
militants said he wanted negotiated peace
the meeting between afghanistan leader hamid karzai and asif ali zardari of
pakistan is the fourth round of fence mending talks since to be held under
turkish auspices
it comes just days before major conference in london aimed at promoting
afghanistan development at which karzai will unveil plan to pay off the
insurgents
turkish president abdullah gul hosting the summit in istanbul met karzai and
zardari seperately earlier monday
the meeting is also being attended by military and intelligence chiefs from
afghanistan and pakistan joint declaration is expected to be issued at its
conclusion
relations between kabul and islamabad have become increasingly strained as
extremists who fled the us led ouster of afghanistan taliban regime in late
found safe haven in pakistan northwestern tribal regions
afghanistan claims much of its insurgent violence including attacks on us and
nato soldiers is planned in pakistan and has accused its neighbour of not doing
enough to curb the militants
afghan and us officials suspect pakistan powerful military is sponsoring the
taliban preparing for when us troops leave so islamabad can influence taliban
government and offset regional superpower india
turkey the sole muslim country in nato is using its traditionally close ties
with both countries to mediate in the dispute
under plan announced by us president barack obama in december us
troops will go to afghanistan this year on top of more than already
there before they begin withdrawing in july
in an interview with britain financial times published monday the nato
commander in afghanistan said he aims to use the surge to weaken the taliban
insurgency to the extent its leaders would accept political settlement
as soldier my personal feeling is that there been enough fighting us
general stanley mcchrystal said
believe that political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome
and it the right outcome
on tuesday gul is hosting gathering in istanbul of leaders and officials of
nations bordering afghanistan on how to help it achieve stability security and
prosperity
the meeting will be attended by karzai zardari and senior officials from iran
china tajikistan and turkmenistan turkish government official said
several countries and organisations will send observers among them british
foreign secretary david miliband
the aim is to encourage countries to tackle problems in their own region rather
than allowing the west to take the lead and underline the need to back up the
military fight against the taliban with economic and social measures
there cannot be more important strategy than winning the minds and hearts of
the afghan people the turkish official said on condition of anonymity
sometimes drilling simple water well for instance can be more valuable in
the eyes of the people than costly project
turkey has some soldiers stationed in afghanistan and takes part in
several restructuring projects as well as role in training afghan police
following the istanbul meetings karzai will fly to berlin and then london
where the conference will focus on corruption security good governance and
reconciliation with taliban fighters
karzai is due to present an ambitious western backed reconciliation package
aimed at tempting fighters away from their taliban masters and back to normal
civilian life by offering money and jobs
urgent haitian government can lead reconstruction effort bellerive
montreal jan afp
the haitian government can lead efforts to rebuild its country after killer
earthquake flattened the capital and surrounding areas prime minister jean max
bellerive told world officials monday
clinton says foreign troops vital to haiti
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton said monday that military contributions
from around the world were vital to helping haiti as she headed to an emergency
aid conference in montreal
clinton meeting in washington with italian foreign minister franco frattini
applauded rome decision to send an aircraft carrier with soldiers and
floating hospital to earthquake battered haiti
what we see is an enormously committed and effective international effort that
could not succeed without additional military assets clinton told reporters
it just easier for the united states to get there first because haiti is our
neighbor she said
frattini offered strong backing to the us efforts to help haiti after minister
in his government criticized washington handling of the tragedy that left more
than people dead
we very much appreciate the american leadership of all this frattini said
he spoke one day after guido bertolaso italy public safety chief said that
the united states had too many officers in haiti and was not able to find
capable leader
the americans should lead the aid operation but they need an emergency obama
that they have evidently not been able to find bertolaso said in haiti
ethiopian plane crashes off lebanon fierce storm blamed
beirut jan afp
an ethiopian airliner carrying passengers and crew exploded in ball of
flames and plunged into the sea off lebanon during fierce storm early monday
officials and witnesses said
