kiev jan afp
ukraine braced for nail biting run off between two old rivals in presidential
elections after sunday first round vote eliminated discredited orange
revolution hero president viktor yushchenko
exit polls forecast the election was led by pro russia politician viktor
yanukovich the man accused of rigging the elections which sparked the
peaceful orange revolution uprising that swept the old order from power
second place was set to go to prime minister yulia tymoshenko former orange
revolution comrade of yushchenko who subsequently fell out with the president
and adopted more pragmatic tone on relations with russia
as yanukovich failed to win majority the election will go to second round
on february with all to play for between the two old foes who have savaged
each other reputation in the campaign
the polls showed yushchenko taking miserable six percent of the vote
reflection of ukraine frustration that the orange revolution failed to realise
the dreams of those who protested in
yanukovich is set to obtain percent of the vote and tymoshenko percent
according to the initial results of an exit poll of sunday ballot organised by
the foundation for democratic initiatives
another poll by the gfk ukraine organisation showed yanukovich ahead on
percent and tymoshenko on percent official results are due on monday morning
while turnout was percent the election commission said
if tymoshenko is less than percent behind then her chances of winning in the
second round climb sharply said analyst igor zhdanov of the open policy think
tank
both polls also showed strong performance of around percent from
businessman sergiy tigipko who made late campaign surge and whose electorate
will now prove crucial in determining the second round outcome
the polls represent good news for tymoshenko as they indicate she has narrowed
the gap on her main opponent compared with the last opinion polls before the new
year
yanukovich who represents criminal circles has no chance in the second
round said the prime minister at her post election news conference resplendent
in pure white costume
the second round promises to be gloves off affair and analysts have warned of
the risk of the result being taken to the courts and even once more sparking
street protests
the bitter campaign has already seen the shady pasts of the candidates once
again dredged up
yanukovich was jailed twice in the soviet era for theft and assault though the
convictions were erased in the late tymoshenko herself was briefly
detained in on smuggling charges that were later quashed
the orange revolution raised hopes of new era free of kremlin influence
for the country of million that would set precedent for other former soviet
states
but although ukraine now boasts improved freedom of speech steps to implement
reform and end corruption were forgotten as government became paralysed in
bitter power struggle between yushchenko and tymoshenko
tymoshenko famed for her peasant style blonde hair braid is seen as more in
favour of eu integration than yanukovich but has also played up her close ties
to russian strongman prime minister vladimir putin
since yanukovich has sought to reinvent himself with the help of western
pr strategists and to show he is not servant of the kremlin but defender of
ukrainian interests
he has also sought more support in the country ukrainian speaking west
traditionally the heartland of tymoshenko and yushchenko supporters while
holding on to his powerbase in the russian speaking east
this time allegations of vote rigging have not shadowed the vote although
scandal has erupted over the presence of hundreds of georgians in the eastern
city of donetsk whom officials allege were sent to disrupt the poll
football africa cup of nations cameroon zambia
lubango angola jan afp
full result of an africa cup of nations group match at tundavala stadium on
sunday
cameroon njitap eto idrissou zambia mulenga katongo
pen
teams
cameroon
idriss kameni geremi njitap nicolas koulou rigobert song henri bedimo
augustin binya stephane mbia alexandre song jean makoun achille emana
aurelien chedjou samuel eto capt tchoyi somen mohamadou idrissou
coach paul le guen fra
zambia
kennedy mweene chintu kampamba joseph musonda emmanuel mayuka emmanuel
mbola thomas nyirenda rainford kalaba francis kasonde felix katongo
isaac chansa stoppila sunzu james chamanga christopher katongo capt
jacob mulenga
coach herve renard fra
referee khalil al ghamdi ksa
yellow cards mbia kampamba kalaba makoun kameni
holocaust hangs over pope visit to rome synagogue
rome jan afp
the role of the roman catholic church during the holocaust hung over landmark
visit sunday by pope benedict xvi to rome main synagogue
unfortunately many remained indifferent as the nazis slaughtered millions of
jews before and during world war ii the german born pope said in speech often
punctuated by applause in the cavernous temple
but silence greeted his assertion that the holy see performed actions of
support often hidden and discreet
the year old pontiff respected theologian punctuated his speech with
hebrew words stressing the two faiths common heritage
we pray to the same god and have the same roots but often remain unknown to
each other he said
the much anticipated visit came barely month after the pope angered many jews
by moving his wartime predecessor pius xii accused of inaction during the
holocaust further on the road to sainthood
the catholic church has long argued that pius xii who was pope from to
saved many jews who were hidden away in religious institutions and that
his silence was born out of wish to avoid aggravating their situation
speaking before pope benedict the head of rome jewish community demanded
access to vatican archives on pius xii
awaiting shared judgement we wish with the utmost respect that historians
will have access to the vatican archives concerning this period riccardo
pacifici said referring to the painful silence of the wartime pope
maybe he could not have stopped the death trains but he could have sent
signal word of extreme comfort of human solidarity for our brothers taken
off to auschwitz he said
pacifici whose grandparents died at auschwitz however said in voice choked
with emotion that he was grateful to catholic nuns in florence for sheltering
his father and uncle
in another emotion charged moment pacifici paid homage to holocaust survivors
present many of whom had tears in their eyes as the pope rose to applaud them
the vatican said last year that some five or six years of work remained before
the secret archives on pius xii could be opened to researchers
archivist sergio pagano said the documents would show that he had taken risks
including personal risks to save the jews
benedict visit announced in october appeared at risk of being cancelled amid
howls of protest over papal decree bestowing the title venerable on pius
xii
adding fuel to the fire the head of the roman catholic church on friday urged
vatican doctrinal experts to speed rapprochement with catholic fraternity that
includes holocaust denying bishop richard williamson
the tension on sunday was in stark contrast to the warm welcome reserved for
benedict predecessor john paul ii who became the first modern pope to visit
synagogue the same imposing temple on rome river tiber in
high profile stayaway was the president of italy assembly of rabbis
giuseppe laras who said benedict had weakened ties between catholics and
jews
laras said afterward that the pope remarks included no new elements inducing
greater optimism on relations between judaism and catholicism
he noted that benedict did not cite pius xii by name saying only that many
priests helped the jews point that no one disputes
rome jewish community has some members
while pius xii was pope the nazis rounded up more than roman jews for
deportation on october only handful returned from the death camps
benedict placed wreath before plaque commemorating this tragedy before going
into the synagogue
he also stopped before another inscription marking attack by palestinian
extremists that killed two year old child and wounded other people
pope benedict has visited two other synagogues as pontiff in cologne in his
native germany and in new york
football cameroon edge zambia in lubango thriller
lubango angola jan afp
cameroon edged zambia in an africa cup of nations group thriller at
tundavala stadium on sunday to revive hopes of winning the tournament for
fifth time
substitute mohamadou idrissou headed the th minute winner to complete late
scoring flurry in which cameroon struck twice within five minutes to snatch the
lead only for zambia to level from penalty
geremi and samuel eto were the other marksmen for the winners while jacob
mulenga gave zambia an early lead and captain christopher katongo levelled from
spotkick with nine minutes left
gabon who fought out dour goalless draw with tunisia in the first half of
double header lead the pool with four points cameroon have three tunisia two
and zambia one ahead of the final mini league fixtures next thursday
cameroon coach paul le guen made two changes from the team shocked by gabon
in their opening match with midfielder stephane mbia and striker tchoyi somen
replacing landry nguemo and achille webo
zambia also coached by frenchman in herve renard stuck with the side that
led tunisia before having to settle for draw in match they could easily
have won
the chipolopolo copper bullets needed no incentive to beat the indomitable
lions having suffered humiliating defeat against them at the same stage
of the last nations cup in ghana two years ago
renard had warned his squad that there is nothing more dangerous than wounded
lion and they heeded his advice by snapping at the feet of their more
illustrious opponents from the kick off
the in your face approach of country trying to reach the second round for the
first time since paid off after only eight minutes when netherlands based
mulenga struck
this goal once again exposed cameroon as team prone to slapstick defending
with careless geremi pass intercepted by felix katongo who burst past the
veteran defender and crossed from the left
rigobert song another long serving defender who was held responsible for the
gabon goal headed the ball against his goalkeeper carlos kameni as he attempted
to avert danger and the rebound fell to mulenga who tapped it home
cameroon boasted an attack starring three time african footballer of the year
eto but zambia goalkeeper kennedy mweene was not tested until the th minute
when he reacted swiftly to push away jean makoun drive
double save from kameni soon after saved cameroon from falling further behind
as he parried rainford kalaba free kick and got up quickly to foil katongo
who reached the rebound first
the second half goal deluge began on minutes when an innocuous geremi cross
from the touchline crept under the body of mweene into the far corner before
eto blocked clearance to fire his team in front four minutes later
katongo equalised when mulenga was sent flying by kameni only for idrissou to
soar above stoppila sunzu and head wide of mweene to give cameroon their third
triumph over zambia in four nations cup clashes
haiti facts and figures after the quake
port au prince jan afp
aid is pouring into the earthquake stricken caribbean nation of haiti even as
officials try to estimate the scale of the devastation in complex and evolving
human tragedy
here are some of the latest figures provided by various organizations which are
constantly being modified and updated
death and destruction
death tolls are difficult to estimate the red cross has spoken of to
dead but lieutenant general ken keen the us general running the relief
effort said the international community should be prepared for the worst and
the toll could be as high as
at least corpses have already been buried according to haitian
government figures
the united nations has estimated that three million people were affected and
left homeless some tent cities have sprung up in port au prince the
red cross has estimated
some to percent of buildings in the town of leogane just outside port au
prince near the epicenter of tuesday quake were destroyed and to
percent of buildings in jacmel to the west were leveled
the international organization of migration has estimated that families
comprising up to one million people need immediate shelter and non food
assistance
rescues
some international search and rescue teams with about personnel and
rescue dogs are on the ground the us state department said
sixty percent of the areas in port au prince have already been searched scores
of people mostly haitians but of many nationalities have been rescued from the
rubble the united nations put the figure of survivors found by foreign rescue
teams through saturday at another four were found sunday rescuers told afp
aid
the un humanitarian department has appealed for millions dollars from the
world community to assist haiti quake victims
the world food program launched an appealed for million dollars to feed two
million people for the next six months plans to provide one week rations of
ready to eat meals for two million people
usaid and partners have some metric tons of emergency food aid already in
haiti estimated at million dollars the state department said so far the
united states as provided million dollars in humanitarian aid
us military helicopters airlifted humanitarian daily rations from
guantanamo bay to port au prince on saturday
paratroopers from the nd airborne division have already delivered more than
bottles of water and rations
concern worldwide aid workers were distributing jerry cans and
water purification tablets on sunday the british based disasters emergency
committee said in statement
save the children gave water food and hygiene supplies to people at
hospital saturday it added and families received water and clothing kits
from world vision
british red cross convoy which traveled overland from the dominican republic
was sunday setting up bed field hospital
oxfam was sunday distributing water to thousands of people in two locations in
port au prince installing temporary flexible tanks that hold up to
liters
three usaid and office of us foreign disaster assistance water treatment
facilities have arrived on aircraft they have combined capacity of
liters of drinking water day
the aircraft carrier uss carl vinson docked off port au prince has delivered
pallets of relief supplies to be transported to distribution points state
department said
the international organization for migration said that in jacmel it had
distributed aquatabs jerry cans hygiene and kitchen kits
mosquito nets as well as plastic sheeting and tarpaulins
logistics
the port at port au prince is likely to be out of operation for to days
the pentagon has said and damage to the fuel delivery pier means no fuel
supplies can be unloaded estimates that two days of fuel left in bulk storage
the airport is damaged but functioning round the clock under us military
control
the united nations has recommended using the road from santo domingo in the
dominican republic as the main entry point for humanitarian aid
the wfp is setting up shuttle service between port au prince and santo domingo
with flights for shuttling passengers three times day
football leading africa cup of nations scorers
lubango angola jan afp
leading africa cup of nations scorers after second series of group matches was
completed sunday
flavio amado ang
mateus manucho alberto ang seydou keita mli jacob mulenga zam
football africa cup of nations group standings
lubango angola jan afp
africa cup of nations group standings after late match on sunday played won
drawn lost goals for against points
gabon
cameroon
tunisia
zambia
fixtures
times gmt
jan
at lubango
cameroon tunisia
at benguela
gabon zambia
note group winners and runners up qualify for quarter finals
saab drivers hit the road to support car brand
stockholm jan afp
more than saab drivers gathered in their cars in the swedish brand
hometown sunday to show support for the iconic mark that owner general motors
said it would wind down an organiser said
it hard to know exactly how many cars there were but an estimate we ve done
puts the number at claes robertsson the head of saab turbo club of
sweden group of saab admirers told afp
robertsson said both saab employees and brand enthusiasts had attended the
rally in which drivers from germany denmark norway the netherlands and
britain also took part
swedish news agency tt said the demonstration started at the saab museum in its
southwestern swedish hometown of trollhaettan and ended at the saab factory
according to local police the four kilometer mile stretch was entirely
filled by saab cars tt reported
general motors announced on december that it would wind down the brand which
has barely turned profit during two decades under gm ownership but several
groups have since made last ditch bids for it
they include dutch sportscar maker spyker group comprised of formula one boss
bernie ecclestone and luxembourg investment firm genii capital and swedish
group fronted by the former chief executive of german truck manufacturer man and
former politician
amid media reports that spyker was the only bid still being considered genii
ecclestone negotiator lars carlstroem told afp sunday his group was still in the
running to acquire saab from gm
saab which employs people in sweden is one of four major brands being
sold by gm as part of massive restructuring that began in and accelerated
last year when the largest us automaker went bankrupt
analysts have warned that some jobs could be lost with saab closure
football africa cup of nations cameroon zambia
lubango angola jan afp
result of an africa cup of nations group match on sunday
cameroon njitap eto idrissou zambia mulenga katongo
pen
urgent football cameroon beat zambia in africa cup of nations
lubango angola jan afp
cameroon beat zambia in an africa cup of nations group match on sunday
alert
football cameroon beat zambia in africa cup of nations
football egypt fine zidan for cup of nations tantrum
beguela angola jan afp
egypt will fine borussia dortmund striker mohamed zidan after he reacted angrily
to being substituted during his team african cup of nations win over
mozambique
zidan refused to shake the hand of his replacement ahmed eid as he left the
pitch after minutes of saturday game he also threw his wrist band and
kicked chair in the dugout in frustration
egypt coach hassan shehata said zidan will pay be fined and that the player
apologised to the entire squad sunday
zidan felt that he wasn playing well that why he was upset it wasn
because of the substitution said shehata
last year the striker fell out with shehata after he stayed away from an
international friendly against guinea in cairo
he was subsequently banned and fined but was recalled to the pharaohs squad for
november world cup qualifiers against algeria
santo domingo new gateway into quake hit haiti
santo domingo jan afp
with bottlenecks at haiti main airport hampering the delivery of much needed
aid neighboring santo domingo has become the second main port of entry into the
quake devastated nation
as soon as they arrive in the dominican republic humanitarian workers
journalists and people just trying to help are approached by individuals
proposing flight to haiti for dollars as time runs out to find any more
survivors
hotels are full it impossible to find rental car freelance journalists
said as they negotiated transfer to port au prince for dollars seat
with armed looters roaming the streets of the haitian capital and others
protesting the slow trickle of aid distributed to the needy few dare venture on
the roads at night
air caraibes offers bus trip for dollars plus taxes on top of fees
depending on the weight of luggage the bus travels to tabar five kilometers
three miles from port au prince but the company warns that passengers are
responsible for their own safety
staff from major aid organizations like the red cross which saw members
from six different countries arrive late saturday doctors without borders and
south africa gift of the givers foundation arriving in santo domingo are
ferried to buses
haitian president rene preval was scheduled to visit the dominican republic
which makes up the richer two thirds of the island of hispaniola it shares with
haiti on monday to prepare for an international donors conference
representatives from the united nations world bank inter american development
bank and caricom were also expected for the preparatory event
dominican president leonel fernandez was the first foreign head of state to
visit the devastated haitian capital
he ordered border hospitals to open their doors to survivors of the quake which
decimated much of the haitian infrastructure
thousands of gravely injured haitians have sought refuge and medical attention
in the dominican republic but dominican authorities have also stepped up
immigration controls fearing an influx of illegal migrants and escaped convicts
but for many dominicans it was sunday like any other some went to the beach
leaving no hint of the terrible drama unfolding just three hour drive away
bill clinton headed to quake devastated haiti
washington jan afp
former us president bill clinton the un special envoy to haiti said he will
travel to the quake devastated country monday to deliver relief supplies and
meet with leaders and survivors
as un special envoy for haiti feel deep obligation to the haitian people
to visit the country and meet with president rene preval to ensure our
response continues to be coordinated and effective clinton said
the clinton foundation said the former president would deliver emergency relief
supplies including water food medical supplies solar flash lights portable
radios and generators
he will also meet with members of the haitian government and the international
community to discuss the way forward as well as visit with personnel and
volunteers on the ground
clinton and former president george bush have been asked by president barack
obama to lead major fundraising effort in the devastated caribbean republic
muslim christian clashes erupt in nigeria
kano jan afp
clashes erupted between muslims and christians in nigeria central city of jos
sunday killing at least people and prompting the government to impose
dusk to dawn curfew residents and officials said
the fighting started when christian youths protested the building of mosque in
christian dominated nassarawa gwom district where houses and vehicles were also
set alight residents said
ten bodies have so far been brought to the hospital some with gunshot wounds
nurse at the jos university teaching hospital told afp on condition of
anonymity
six wounded people were also admitted all with deep cuts he said
journalist in the city flashpoint for inter religious violence said he had
seen nine bodies in the hospital and several wounded some by machetes
several houses and vehicles were also torched said the journalist musa habibu
was at the jos university hospital where saw nine dead bodies and six
people injured with machete cuts on admission he told afp
can see billows of dark smoke from burning houses in nassarawa gwom
three bodies had been taken to mosque said resident mohammed bashir
saw three bodies at the central mosque where they were brought with bullet
wounds can still hear gunshots an hour into the curfew he said
authorities in plateau state of which jos is the capital confirmed the clashes
but could not say how many people were killed or wounded
can give any casualty details because we are still awaiting comprehensive
report on the violence state information commissioner gregory yenlong told
afp
the government has placed hour curfew from pm to am on the
city following some violence in nassarawa gwom district of the city he said
plateau police spokesman mohammed lerema said the situation had been brought
under control we have arrested suspects including five in military
uniforms he said
the trouble began when christian youths protested the building of mosque by
wealthy muslim in nassarawa gwom resident david maiyaki said
nigeria africa most populous country of some million people is evenly
divided by mainly muslim dominated north and mainly christian south
jos and other central and northern areas have been plagued by religious
violence
in november hundreds of people were killed in jos in two days of fighting
triggered by rumour that majority muslim all nigerian peoples party had lost
local election to the mainly christian peoples democratic party
soldiers and policemen were brought in to restore order state officials put the
death toll at about but other sources gave toll twice that figure
last month at least people were killed in violent clashes between security
forces and members of radical islamist sect in the northern bauchi state
the kala kato sect has lead religious uprisings that claimed thousands of lives
in the northern cities of kano and yola in and
the sect abhors modernity including western style education and medicine and
bans television and radio in its members homes also rejecting any literature
except the koran
it is estimated to have several thousand followers
similar sect boko haram which means western education is sin led an
insurrection in july in nearby borno state when at least people were killed
as security forces crushed the violence
football spanish league table
madrid jan afp
spanish league table ahead of sunday late match played won drawn lost
goals for goals against points
barcelona
real madrid
valencia
real mallorca
deportivo la coruna
sevilla
athletic bilbao
getafe
sporting gijon
villarreal
atletico madrid
osasuna
racing santander
espanyol
almeria
malaga
valladolid
tenerife
real zaragoza
xerez
football buoyant atletico win again to continue league climb
madrid jan afp
atletico madrid made it perfect three league wins in with home win
victory over sporting gijon at the vicente calderon as they continued their push
towards the european places
atletico had scored nine goals in their last two matches and the goals continued
to flow with diego forlan paulo assuncao and ibrahima on target as resurgent
madrid moved seven points off sixth placed sevilla
the home fans were in high spirits after their side overturned first leg
deficit with thumping of recreativo huelva to reach the quarter finals of
the kings cup in midweek
uruguayan forlan netted on minutes to put atletico in front but sporting got
back into the match quickly when madrid goalkeeper sergio asenjo needlessly
brought down diego castro for penalty after minutes and castro picked
himself up to convert the spot kick
early in the second half atletico produced lightning counter attack and forlan
headed across goal for assuncao to bundle home
senegalese substitute ibrahima balde on for the injured forlan wrapped up the
points with third on minutes and it proved important with luis moran
pulling one back in the final minute
real mallorca moved up to fourth recording ninth successive home win with
win over rivals deportivo la coruna
julio alvarez gave an early warning hitting the post for mallorca on minutes
and the goal duly arrived minute after the interval through mario suarez and
chori castro added second eight minutes later
it capped fine week for mallorca who reached the quarter finals of the kings
cup in midweek with win over rayo vallecano and now sit in the champions
league places after leapfrogging deportivo now two points behind in fifth as
they maintained their flawless home record
this was our best game of the season said mallorca coach gregorio manzano
it was fair result and we have also completed great first half of the
season at home
we are close to getting the points to secure safety and hope that at the
