layoffs and factory shut downs
industry minister hidayat told parliament he feared the free trade
agreement between china and the association of southeast asian nations asean
which took full effect on january could lead to job losses
he said the most serious impact would fall on the steel textile unorganic
chemical furniture and energy saving lamp industries and called for the pact
to be renegotiated to shield such sectors from chinese competition
if there aren any protective steps taken for these industries we re afraid
that there will be layoffs and even the closure of those industries he
said
but in sign of the tensions within the government of president susilo bambang
yudhoyono hidayat told reporters outside parliament he was not allowed to
give estimates of potential job losses
meanwhile trade minister mari pangestu defended the deal saying it was good
news for indonesian exporters to china and would bring badly needed foreign
direct investment from chinese firms
pangestu and foreign minister marty natalegawa have said indonesia is committed
to abiding by its international agreements under the asean china fta
but the trade minister has also indicated jakarta is quietly trying to
renegotiate key elements of the deal and has talked about holding informal
discussions with asean over indonesia concerns
the industry ministry backs submitting formal request to asean and china for
delay to full liberalisation on tariff lines for another two years
asean chief surin pitsuwan told reporters in vietnam last week that indonesia
had expressed difficulties but there had been no appeal for any change or any
renegotiation of the pact
the asean china fta establishes the world largest free trade area by
population and has been under negotiation since
under the pact china and the six founding asean states brunei indonesia
malaysia philippines singapore and thailand agreed to eliminate barriers to
investment and tariffs on percent of products by january
members that joined asean later including vietnam and cambodia have until
to follow
cricket gambhir feat puts india in strong position
chittagong bangladesh jan afp
gautam gambhir on wednesday became the fourth batsman to hammer century in
five successive tests as india consolidated their position against bangladesh
the left handed opener cracked solid to help india reach in their
second innings at lunch on the penultimate day of the first test
venkatsai laxman was unbeaten on nine at the break and sachin tendulkar was not
out on five
india are now ahead with six wickets in hand having gained one run lead
on first innings
gambhir completed his hundred with an aggressive shot hoisting left arm spinner
shakib al hasan over long on for six he also hit fours in his ball
knock
australian don bradman holds the world record of making hundreds in six
consecutive tests south african jacques kallis and pakistan mohammad yousuf
are the others to have made centuries in five consecutive tests
the morning session belonged to india who added runs to their overnight
total of for the loss of three wickets
nightwatchman amit mishra also defied the bangladeshi attack completing
his maiden half century before being caught by tamim iqbal at mid off by off
spinner mohammad mahmudullah
mishra who hit six fours in his ball knock added for the second wicket
with gambhir
but there was no stopping gambhir who continued to dominate the hosts attack
with attractive strokes as he added to his overnight score of
he eventually fell playing shots cutting debutant seamer shafiul islam to
shahriar nafees at third man few overs after reaching his ninth test hundred
in matches
gambhir last four centuries came against new zealand at napier and
wellington and sri lanka at ahmedabad and kanpur in
india lost their third wicket in the morning session when rahul dravid was run
out after contributing
haiti aid relief steps up as us troops pour in
port au prince jan afp
us troops fanned out across the ruined haitian capital as the military ramped up
huge aid operation wednesday with tensions mounting on the streets more than
week after the catastrophic quake
camped out under makeshift tents among the rubble of buildings flattened by last
tuesday devastating magnitude quake desperate survivors were hunting for
food as international aid finally began flowing
the haitian government said people had been killed with another
injured and more than million left homeless
while the full scale of the disaster remains unclear extraordinary stories of
children and adults surviving under collapsed buildings provided rare glimmers
of hope
two women one of them elderly were pulled out of the rubble seven days after
the massive tremor wrecked the capital port au prince
but on the streets tensions were running high between local police and many
people as looting has become survival strategy
look when you are hungry and poor nobody helps you have to steal defiant
young man named vicent said as people plunged into the ruins of flattened
supermarket in the hope of finding food or something to sell
on tuesday us paratroopers secured the presidential palace once elegant
white building in port au prince now in ruins and surrounded by squalid
refugee camp
from there strong squad of soldiers marched to the city general
hospital which is swamped with injured people
we are here to provide security to the hospital we work with the government of
haiti we have rules of engagement but we are on humanitarian mission
sergeant bill smith told afp
in multi pronged operation us marines also landed southwest of port au prince
to link up with un peacekeepers and assess conditions to start moving in more
troops and equipment
state department spokesman gordon duguid said there were troops in or
around haiti with about marines and sailors also expected to take part in
the relief operation
the military arrival at the palace was not welcomed by all of the
refugees camping outside it an occupation the palace is our power our
face our pride said feodor desanges
but duguid stressed our troops are here at the invitation of the people in the
name of your president as soon as the haitian people no longer need our
presence we will leave
the un security council voted unanimously to send extra un troops and
police to haiti to help maintain order and protect aid convoys
relatives told afp that haitian police killed year old girl fabienne
cherisma while firing warning shots over looters in the capital
some witnesses in the angry crowd including the girl father said policeman
had aimed deliberately at the girl while others spoke of warning shot that
went astray
even as hopes of finding more survivors were fading year old woman
hoteline losana was pulled from the ruins of port au prince shopping center
after surviving without food or water for full week
she is conscious and in good form rescue worker thiery cerdan told afp at the
end of nine hour search effort
mexican firefighters also rescued an elderly woman from beneath the ruins of
haiti roman catholic cathedral
anna zizi aged or was pulled from rubble at about pm two hours
short of full week after the quake struck
it seems rescuers were communicating with her and managing to get water to her
through tube she was singing when she emerged said sarah wilson of british
charity christian aid
but major general daniel allyn deputy commander of the military operation in
haiti said us forces would soon switch the focus of the operation to recovering
bodies rather than looking for survivors
allyn said there were now around daily flights at the capital damaged
airport and that two airstrips in the coastal city of jacmel and in san isidro
in neighboring dominican republic would be in use by thursday
in huge global effort more than billion dollars has been pledged in aid
funding for haiti united nations data showed tuesday
international efforts are also focusing on rebuilding the country with major
donor conference set for monday in montreal
meanwhile in surreal scene the giant berth cruise ship liberty of the
seas dropped anchor off the port of labadee where royal caribbean international
leases private resort with beautiful beaches
the company which has donated one million dollars to the relief effort
defended its decision to keep taking passengers there by saying it was important
to still support the haitian economy
hrw urges nigerian forces to use restraint in jos clashes
lagos jan afp
global rights watchdog on wednesday urged nigerian security forces to use
restraint as authorities ordered more troops into jos city to clamp down on
clashes that have killed nearly people
nigerian vice president goodluck jonathan late tuesday sent more troops to jos
after sectarian muslim and christian mobs clashed for three days
nigeria should ensure that its security forces use restraint and comply with
international standards on the use of force in responding to the latest deadly
outbreak of inter communal violence said human rights watch hrw
authorities placed the city under hour curfew amid reports of continuing
armed clashes terrified residents spoke of gunshots and smoke billowing from
parts of the plateau state capital on tuesday
jonathan also ordered security chiefs to proceed to jos immediately to assess
the situation and advise on further steps his office said
leaders of both sides and paramedic issued death tolls that put the number of
dead in fighting which erupted sunday in mainly christian area and spread at
nearly but there was no official confirmation
the clashes were sparked by dispute over the building of mosque residents
said
religious sectarian clashes occur frequently in northern and central nigeria
hrw says more than people have died in religious or ethnic clashes since
the end of military rule in in the west african country but many of the
offenders go unpunished
this is not the first outbreak of deadly violence in jos but the government
has shockingly failed to hold anyone accountable said hrw researcher corinne
dufka
enough is enough nigeria leaders need to tackle the vicious cycle of
violence bred by this impunity she said
taiwan denies arms smuggling report
taipei jan afp
taiwan wednesday dismissed as groundless report linking the brother of
romania president to smuggling obsolete taiwanese arms
taipei based next magazine reported that mircea basescu brother of president
traian basescu was suspected of assisting in redirecting the weaponry to groups
in africa and the middle east accused of terrorism
the arms landed up with hezbollah in lebanon and angola front for the
liberation of the enclave of cabinda after tonnes of grenades smoke bombs
and landmines had been sent to bulgaria for destruction next reported
calling the report groundless the defence ministry said the taiwanese
ammunition was destroyed in bulgaria in by explomo technical services
singapore based firm
the report is based on speculation and there is no evidence to support its
claims said ministry spokesman yu sy tue
however we will look into the matter and seek compensation if there is new
evidence indicating that our contractor has violated the contract he told afp
next said president basescu had rejected reports on the case in the romanian
media while his brother had denied involvement in handling taiwanese ammunition
destined for destruction
romania has no diplomatic representation in taipei the romanian embassy in
beijing was not immediately available for comment
china liquidity fears unsettle investors
hong kong jan afp
uncertainty over beijing monetary policy weighed on shares in shanghai and
hong kong wednesday overshadowing strong lead overnight from wall street as
asian markets traded mixed
shanghai fell percent on liquidity concerns following state media reports
that some major banks had received verbal orders from authorities to stop
lending for the rest of january in an effort to cool the economy
there are worries that there will be more restrictions on lending so liquidity
will likely tighten amy lin an analyst from capital securities said
hong kong hang seng index where mainland lenders are also listed dived
percent by midday
however china top banking regulator liu minkang denied he had told banks to
stop lending but said the pace of credit growth would be controlled this year
according to dow jones newswires
china central bank last week unexpectedly raised the reserve requirements on
its lenders the first increase in months
other markets were mixed following wall street overnight percent rise
us shares were helped higher on news british confectioner cadbury agreed to
sweetened billion dollar takeover bid from american giant kraft foods
however tokyo shed earlier gains to end down percent as investors turned
cautious ahead of another batch of us corporate earnings results
the nikkei shed points to close at
investors continued to dump shares in japan airlines day after the debt
ridden carrier filed for bankruptcy and announced it would delist its shares
next month in move expected to wipe out investors
jal ended at record low of two yen two us cents down three yen or
percent
investors were eyeing upcoming chinese economic data and fourth quarter us
earnings reports from companies including bank of america and wells fargo after
citigroup on tuesday posted net losses of billion dollars for the final
quarter of
australian shares moved marginally higher but earlier gains led by major miner
bhp billiton were eroded by uncertainty over beijing monetary policy
the amp asx index added points or percent to close at
it was pretty solid open with the financial and materials sectors adding
good points but then about midday those reports came out of china ig markets
research analyst ben potter said
shares in bhp billiton rose percent to dollars us after it
reported record iron ore production in the six months to december
seoul closed percent higher led by telecom and utility stocks the kospi
gained points to
in singapore shares fell percent in afternoon trade
mounting worries over the outlook for the european economy in light of weak
german data and greece fiscal woes hit the euro in asian trade
the european currency slid to dollars in tokyo hitting its lowest
against the greenback this year from in new york late tuesday it
weakened to yen from
the dollar strengthened to yen from
oil was lower new york main contract light sweet crude for february
delivery was down cents to dollars barrel
brent north sea crude for delivery in march dipped cents to
hong kong gold opened at us dollars an ounce down from
tuesday close of dollars
in other markets
taipei fell points or percent to on profit taking
dealers said
wellington closed flat with the nzx index edging points lower to
on low summer holiday volumes
air new zealand rose five cents to dollars after the consumer price index
showed percent seasonal increase in international airfares
manila ended flat shedding points to as investors took profits
on key blue chips after wall street rally gave an early cue
philippine long distance telephone was unchanged at pesos
bulgarian foreign minister resignation accepted deputy premier
sofia jan afp
bulgaria ruling right wing gerb party has accepted foreign minister rumiana
jeleva resignation after she withdrew as the country eu commission nominee
the deputy prime minister said wednesday
the resignation of rumiana jeleva as foreign minister was accepted tsvetan
tsvetanov told state bnt television
tsvetanov who is also interior minister and gerb deputy chairman said that
the decision taken late last night was in line with jeleva wish to quit
after her withdrawal tuesday as eu aid commissioner designate
jeleva came under fire from members of the european parliament during
confirmation hearing last week over her competence for the post of eu
humanitarian aid commissioner and also over alleged gaps in her declaration of
financial interests
bulgarian prime minister boyko borisov had agreed on tuesday to pull jeleva from
her eu bid but said he had no reasons to accept her resignation from the
cabinet
but tsvetanov said that borisov had finally decided to let jeleva go and prevent
an expected negative reaction if he had kept her
tennis safina powers into open third round
melbourne jan afp
russian dinara safina was typically unpredictable as she moved into the
australian open third round with straight sets win over the czech republic
barbora zahlavova strycova on wednesday
safina the second seed made nine more unforced errors to than her
th ranked opponent in winning in minutes
however she could never accused of playing conservatively and also belted
winners while zahlavova strycova hit just seven
the biggest drama for safina came when serving for each set facing multiple
break points each time
when the year old served for the match in the second set she had to come
from down and save four break points to close it out
it was match where the emotions of both players were laid bare for all to see
the pair taking it in turns to vocalise their frustrations about missed
opportunities
zahlavova strycova frustration was understandable as he was unable to convert
any of nine break points while safina made two of just six
the pair had split their two previous encounters although their last meeting
was back in
safina will face unseeded englishwoman elena baltacha in the third round
cycling armstrong warning as greipel tightens grip
adelaide australia jan afp
germany andre greipel extended his dominance of the tour down under into stage
two wednesday but trailing lance armstrong warned the race was far from over
the htc columbia rider produced trademark sprint finish to beat the pack
narrowly for the second day running maintaining his percent record and
boosting hopes of adding to his title
greipel back after high speed crash ended his title defence last year showed
ice cool nerves in the australian heat to inch home ahead of team sky greg
henderson and katusha australian rider robbie mcewen
surprised how tired am today greipel in the end it was like the
finish two years ago waited long time again before starting the sprint
and we won again
htc columbia and sky rich new british team were again at the forefront as
they clawed back three man breakaway minute lead by the final section of
the picturesque kilometre mile stage from gawler to hahndorf
greipel has only failed to win four tour down under stages including last
year stage three when he ploughed into parked police motorbike and missed
four months with shoulder surgery
he said he would not let down his guard on thursday hilly and demanding stage
four with new zealand henderson lurking second overall in sky debut road
race
we want to run good race and that what we re doing greipel said
won relax tomorrow ll work hard for the next stage
armstrong who has played down his chances here as he works towards an eighth
tour de france title in the second year of his comeback admitted greipel was in
pole position but pointed out some tough challenges ahead
it never over you ve got finish like tomorrow you ve got willunga stage
you ve got some hard days so no it not over said the american
he obviously showing great form he been here for weeks probably doing
some racing and some intense training he definitely the man to beat
he warned all riders would feel the pace on thursday with an arduous uphill
finish and temperatures forecast to hit degrees celsius fahrenheit
armstrong who claimed his record seven tour de france titles in consecutive
years from to finished in the pack to trail greipel by seconds
overall alongside australian world road champion cadel evans
remember being in little break last year and paying the price armstrong
said it painful finish no two ways about it everybody in the bike race
tomorrow is going to suffer
the tour down under raced over kilometres miles around adelaide is
the southern hemisphere biggest race the sixth and final stage is on sunday
korea think tank warns of mass chaos if kim dies
seoul jan afp
north korea ailing leader kim jong il may die in two or three years and this
could spark upheavals such as coup mass unrest or massacres in the communist
nation south korean state think tank says
in rare report forecasting possible regime collapse in the north the korea
institute for national unification kinu also warned that such internal unrest
could prompt the north to start limited war on the peninsula
kinu study on unification was released this week days after pyongyang
reacted angrily to reports of separate seoul government contingency plan to
handle unrest in the north
there is high possibility that kim jong il may not exist in the north by
kinu said in its report
the north stated goal is to become powerful and prosperous nation by
the th anniversary of the birth of founder kim il sung
kim jong il who succeeded his father will be next month he is widely
thought to have suffered stroke in august and is also reportedly
suffering from diabetes and heart disease
the post kim jong il era would likely see change in power elites possibly
including military coup and upheavals such as civil unrest and popular
uprisings massacres and massive outflows of refugees it said
the report presented three scenarios for life after kim succession by his
son jong un collective military leadership or the rise of single ruler from
the military
it said post kim power vacuum would likely aggravate shortages and corruption
sparking civil unrest and breakdown in order and giving the military an excuse
to step in
whatever happens after kim jong il dies south korea should pursue policy of
non intervention and respect its people rights to self determination the
report said
discussion of the leader fate is taboo in the north and some analysts said the
kinu report could anger the isolated regime
on friday the north powerful national defence commission ndc led by kim
jong il threatened to break off all dialogue with south korea unless seoul
apologises for an alleged contingency plan to tackle regime collapse
south korean media has reported the existence of the plan which has not been
confirmed by the government
the ndc denounced the alleged plan as crime and said it would stage holy
war against those who drew it up it accused the conservative seoul government
of seeking reunification through absorption
making such sensitive kinu report public in the south is likely to irritate
north korea greatly kim yeon chul of the private hankyoreh peace institute
told afp
yang moo jin of seoul university of north korean studies said the kinu report
touched raw nerve among north koreans by considering the sensitive topic of
regime collapse and could bring an angry response
the report said upheaval in the north could trigger an international row
involving the united states and china especially over control of the north
weapons of mass destruction
these include six to eight nuclear bombs ballistic missiles and tonnes of
bio chemical weapons the report said
if and when the regime collapses it would be an urgent task to find those
weapons and secure them
key dates in obama first year as president
washington jan afp
here are the key events in the first year of the us presidency of barack obama
who was sworn into office on january
january obama orders the closure within one year of the guantanamo
bay prison in cuba in symbolic break with the policy of his predecessor
george bush faced with practical difficulties in closing the prison he
acknowledges on november the deadline will not be met
february obama signs his huge billion dollar stimulus bill into law
declaring the beginning of the end of the worst us economic crisis since the
in august he says that his administration has saved the us economy from
catastrophe
march he launches his reform of health care system that burdens public
budgets and excludes millions of americans dossier on which many of his
precessesors in the white house failed
on september he pleads his cause in joint address to both chambers of
congress in which he declares the time for bickering is over
his personal commitment is rewarded with two votes in favour of the plan dubbed
historic by obama on november in the house of representatives and on
december in the senate
march obama launches an historic direct appeal to the iranian people
urging an end to decades of animosity and offering honest engagement with the
islamic republic in video mesage marking the iranian new year
april obama steps officially onto the international stage as us president
at the summit of the group of in london
april he pledges to lead quest for world purged of nuclear weapons
during summit with european union leaders in prague
june he says he wants new beginning with the world billion
muslims and calls for an end to cycle of suspicion and discord in speech
at cairo university
september he hosts leaders in pittsburgh at summit aimed at
laying the ground for new economic and financial governance and averting new
world economic crisis
october he suffers his first failure with the elimination during the first
round of voting of chicago as candidate to host the olympic games after
obama had personally visited copenhagen to plead the cause of his hometown
before the international olympic committee ioc
october obama is awarded the nobel peace prize which he receives in oslo
on december
december after weeks of consultations he announces the deployment in
of extra soldiers in afghanistan at the fastest pace possible and in
the name of vital national interest of the united states
january he promises rapid coordinated and energetic response to
the devastating earthquake in haiti sending nuclear aircraft carrier and more
than soldiers
polanski lawyers urge sentencing in absentia
los angeles jan afp
lawyers for roman polanski have urged judge to sentence the fugitive film
maker in absentia to resolve his decades old child sex case
in court papers filed ahead of hearing scheduled for friday polanski
attorneys urged los angeles judge peter espinoza to settle the case without the
film director having to return to the united states
polanski is under house arrest in switzerland where he has been held since
his detention in september on an arrest warrant
the film maker fled the united states years ago before being sentenced on
charges of having sex with year old girl
prosecutors last week filed motion opposing any move to sentence polanski in
absentia asserting it would set dangerous precedent
however polanski lawyers challenged the prosecution stance on tuesday
contrary to the district attorney assertions mr polanski is not seeking to
dictate anything to this court attorneys chad hummel and bart dalton wrote
in their page brief
polanski lawyers contend there are numerous compelling reasons why espinoza
should conduct hearing into allegations of judicial and prosecutorial
misconduct and to enter legal judgment in mr polanski absence
to allow mr polanski to be sentenced in absentia could finally end this case
without mr polanski needing to return to the jurisdiction his attorneys
wrote
california appeals court last month rejected bid by the director legal
team to have the case dismissed on the grounds of judicial misconduct during the
initial proceedings
polanski is alleged to have given his victim champagne and drugs during
photo shoot at the hollywood hills home of actor friend jack nicholson before
having sex with her despite her protests
the director was initially charged with six felony counts including rape and
sodomy the charge was later reduced to unlawful sexual intercourse after plea
deal agreed in part to spare his victim the ordeal of trial
polanski later served days at secure unit undergoing psychiatric evaluation
but fled the united states on the eve of his sentencing hearing amid fears that
the trial judge planned to go back on previously agreed plea deal
korea holds political prisoners watchdog
seoul jan afp
north korea operates six political prison camps holding some inmates who
suffer frequent torture and beatings south korea state human rights watchdog
said wednesday
some inmates are executed without trial the national human rights commission
said in its first report on political prisoners in the communist country
seoul previously took low key approach so as not to anger pyongyang but
conservative president lee myung bak who took office in early has said he
would not shy away from raising the subject
the us state department estimates that north koreans are held in
political prison camps
north korea frequently violates international norms on human rights although
it is obliged to protect and promote human rights and freedom as united
nations member the south korean commission said
it said its report was based on the testimony of defectors including
people formerly held in the camps
the inmates include not only political opponents but christians and refugees who
were repatriated by china it said
vitit muntarbhorn un special rapporteur on north korean human rights said in
seoul last week that human rights conditions in north korea remain dire and
punishment of people who try to flee the country has become harsher
more than north koreans have fled to the south since the end of the
war to escape hunger or repression
virtually all cross the border to china before trying to travel on to other
nations so they can make their way to the south china repatriates those
refugees whom it catches as economic migrants
euro slides in asia
tokyo jan afp
the euro tumbled in asian trade wednesday as worries mounted over the outlook
for the european economy in light of weak german data and greece fiscal woes
