it took place on the eve of the dpj annual convention while the diet or
parliament is set to convene for day session from monday as the
opposition step up attacks against the government
increasing pressure further on ozawa tokyo prosecutors also arrested mitsutomo
ikeda who also once served as an aide to ozawa in connection with the case to
which ishikawa has been linked
investigators were also reportedly seeking to arrest yet another ozawa aide
takanori okubo going through criminal trial over separate illegal donation
allegation involving ozawa political funding group called rikuzankai
the two arrested men face charges over land purchase by rikuzankai using an
unregistered million yen million dollars
politicians use funding groups to collect and manage contributions from
individual supporters
ozawa has maintained he and his associates are innocent of any wrongdoing and
has reportedly refused to respond to prosecutors requests to question him on
voluntary basis
ozawa stepped down as the head of the dpj in last may after okubo was indicted
over the illegal donation charge
but ozawa was credited with engineering the devastating poll defeat inflicted
last summer on the conservative liberal democratic party ldp which had ruled
japan with only one interruption for more than five decades
the ballooning money troubles of ozawa and hatoyama have increased the pressure
on the government which has seen its public support plunge to just above
percent in the latest polls
opposition parties intensified their attacks against the government
as matter of principle we will seriously press hard on the current
administration problems said sadakazu tanigaki who leads the conservative
ldp
lebanese muslim accuses christian teacher of veil snatching
tripoli lebanon jan afp
lebanese muslim man said friday he has filed complaint against christian
teacher for trying to snatch veil from his daughter head sensitive issue
in this multi confessional nation
after the year end holidays christian teacher tried to tear off the veil of
my year old daughter ghiwa and banned her from entering the classroom
veiled ahmad al baarin told afp
the teacher made offensive remarks and tried to snatch the veil he even
made her fall over by pushing her when she tried to defend herself he told
afp
baarin said he has also filed complaint against the school director for
complicity after the principal expressed solidarity with the teacher
contacted by afp director yussef beshara insisted the student was not
mistreated or forced to remove her veil at the public school in the mixed
region of kura whose teachers are all christian and half its pupils muslim
but the father won support from the muslim community
this case is contrary to the law and the spirit of coexistence in the country
it undermines muslims said ihab nafeh president of the muslim students
association in northern lebanon
the constitution bans any abuse of religious symbols in lebanon country of
different religious communities and where civil war was fought at
least partly across muslim christian divide
baarin meanwhile told afp he had moved his daughter and son khaled to new
school saying my children have right to education and at the same time to
preserve their religious beliefs
nfl broncos to face ers at wembley next october
new york jan afp
the denver broncos will meet san francisco in national football league game at
wembley stadium on october and the league might play another game in the
united kingdom the nfl announced friday
the broncos ers clash will mark the fourth year in row that regular season
american football game will be staged in london the first three having drawn
sell out crowds of more than spectators
we have seen the extraordinary passion that exists for nfl football in the uk
nfl commissioner roger goodell said we want to continue to build on that
passion by strengthening our ties to existing uk fans and creating new ones
the ers five time nfl champions will be the home team for the halloween
clash
london is wonderful venue for two of the most storied franchises in nfl
history to square off we support the league initiative to bring nfl games
to the international stage ers president jed york said
the broncos two time super bowl champions played in london in in pre
season exhibition
to play regular season game overseas is truly special broncos president pat
bowlen said it wonderful historic opportunity for our franchise and
will be an unforgettable experience
an nfl statement said the league is continuing to explore the possibility of
playing second game in the uk in opening the door for possible
regular season game to take place outside england
us radio free europe launches station for pakistan tribal zones
prague jan afp
the czech based us funded station radio free europe radio liberty on friday said
it had launched new service in pakistan in an attempt to help undermine
islamic militants there
in statement rfe rl said that its pakistan based radio mashaal will offer an
alternative to the growing number of islamic extremist radio stations in the
region
mashaal means torch in the pashto dialects spoken in pakistan conflict
ravaged tribal zones as well as over the border in afghanistan
the new station offers local and international news with in depth reports on
terrorism politics women issues and health care rfe rl said
it will also feature roundtable discussions and interviews with tribal leaders
and local policymakers plus phone in shows
there is an urgent need for accurate objective news and information in
pakistan tribal areas richard holbrooke washington special envoy to
afghanistan and pakistan was quoted as saying by rfe rl
radio mashaal commitment to professional journalism in the local language
will be an important contribution toward peace reconciliation and democracy in
the region holbrooke said
rfe rl which broadcasts in languages was founded in the at the height
of the cold war to beam programmes into the communist bloc
in it moved across the old iron curtain to prague from munich germany six
years after the collapse of the communist regime in former czechoslovakia
it gradually shifted its focus to broadcasting to countries such as russia
belarus ukraine and the ex soviet caucasus and central asia and more recently
to afghanistan iraq and iran
urgent patients die in cuba mental hospital official
havana jan afp
twenty six patients at havana psychiatric hospital have died as result of
cold weather in the past week prompting an investigation into possible
negligence the government said friday
spanish millionaire leaves fortune to royal family
madrid jan afp
spanish businessman who died last year has left his fortune to members of the
country royal family source in the royal palace said friday
in his will juan ignacio balada llabres asked that his estate be divided into
two parts with percent going to the eight grandchildren of king juan carlos
and queen sofia and the rest to crown prince felipe and his wife letizia to
create foundation the source said
llabres died on november on the island of menorca and his executor contacted
the members of royal family earlier this month to notify them of his wishes
the source said prince felipe and his wife had never had any contact
previously with llabres
the royal family is waiting to receive more details from the executor before
taking any decision
the newspaper ultima hora menorca said llabres owned various properties and an
investment company that could be worth tens of millions of euros
serbia against bosnian break up fm
belgrade jan afp
serbian foreign minister vuk jeremic on friday repeated that belgrade would not
support possible break up of bosnia amid long political stand off in
sarajevo over constitutional reforms
we would not support any kind of dismemberment or break up of any state in the
world including our nearest neighbor bosnia and hercegovina jeremic said
friday following meeting with his bosnian and turkish counterparts
the political leaders of the three bosnian communities croats muslims and
serbs have so far failed to reach an accord on package of constitutional
reforms proposed by brussels and washington in last year
the reforms which have been unacceptable for them for various reasons are
aimed at making the country central institutions more functional and ending
political impasse hindering bosnia rapprochement with the eu
several meetings called to break the impasse have had no effect jeremic on
friday stressed that any opposition to break up of bosnia meant serbia would
abandon its allies in the republika srpska the bosnian serb entity in bosnia
that does not mean that we are not wholeheartedly supporting our friends in
republika srpska but the future of the republika srpska as we see it is as
prosperous and democratic entity that is part of territorially integral and
sovereign nation of bosnia and hercegovina he said
serbia has stressed the issue of territorial integrity since kosovo unilaterally
proclaimed independence in it has since been recognised by countries
including the us and the majority of eu members much to the dismay of serbia
which still considers the territory breakaway serbian province
earlier on friday the foreign ministry announced that belgrade had withdrawn its
ambassador to montenegro for urgent talks after podgorica announced that it had
formally established diplomatic ties with kosovo through an exchange of official
letters montenegro had already recognized kosovo independence in
quake hits off venezuela coast us geologists
washington jan afp
an earthquake measuring on the moment magnitude scale struck near the
venezuelan coast friday us seismologists said just three days after massive
quake devastated haiti
local authorities reported no immediate victims or damage but the venezuelan
foundation of seismological research funvisis said the quake measured on
the richter scale
the temblor hit at pm gmt at depth of kilometers miles
in the northeastern state of sucre according to the us geological survey
its epicenter was kilometers miles southwest of carupano and
kilometers miles east of the capital caracas
afp animated graphics advisory
paris jan afp
we have moved the following animated graphic
haiti
interactive graphic on haiti highlighting the history of the
impoverished caribbean nation as it deals with its latest
catastrophe devastating earthquake which has killed thousands
format adobe flash cs player px haitihistoryen available
now
slug haiti quake
afp animated graphics
peter shard tel
barroso letter backs under fire bulgarian commissioner designate
brussels jan afp
eu commission chief jose manuel barroso backed friday bulgaria controversial
nominee for commissioner saying she was qualified for the job and had provided
assurances over her financial declarations
in letter to european parliament president jerzy buzek barroso supported
bulgarian foreign minister rumiana jeleva who has come under attack from the
parliament over her competence for the post of eu aid commissioner and alleged
omissions from her declaration of financial interests
jeleva has the necessary general competence international experience and shows
the necessary levels of european commitment to exercise these functions
barroso said
on her financial declarations he relied on her assurances
ms jeleva has also confirmed once again that her declaration of interest
is fully accurate and complete he added attaching the statement in question
however barroso pointed out that the commission the eu executive arm did not
have any specific procedure of control for vetting such declarations
barroso whose member team of new commissioners are being quizzed by meps
over their aptness and competence also pointed out that jeleva had been twice
elected to bulgarian parliament and was vetted before she became the country
conservative foreign minister last year
so far jeleva parliamentary grilling was by far the toughest with the
socialist camp leading the detractors and prompting the response from barroso
earlier friday bulgarian prime minister boyko borisov appeared to distance
himself from his foreign minister eu candidacy
speaking on national television he insisted on jeleva competence for the
commission post but added that he was not in position to judge the various
allegations against her
if she accepted to become european commissioner it was her duty to get her
papers in order if this was not the case she will not have my support
borisov said
the european parliament does not have the power to veto an individual commission
nominee but can reject the whole team if it is not happy
the parliamentary hearings continue next week with the assembly due to give its
overall endorsement in vote on january after they are completed
alert
patients in cuban mental hospital die in cold wave official
football ivory coast ghana teams
cabinda angola jan afp
teams for africa cup of nations group match at chiazi stadium friday
ivory coast
boubacar barry kolo toure didier zokora yaya toure cheik tiote kouassi
gervinho yao emmanuel eboue souleman bamba siaka tiene salomon kalou
didier drogba capt
ghana
richard kingston capt samuel inkoom isaac vorsah eric addo ibrahim ayew
opoku agyemang moussa narry emmanuel badu andre ayew kwadwo asamoah mathew
amoah
referee jerome damon rsa
football everton will miss neill admits moyes
liverpool england jan afp
everton manager david moyes admits his side will miss lucas neill after the
australia defender agreed surprise switch to turkish side galatasaray
neill only joined everton in the close season but he is already on his way out
of goodison park and is set to join galatasary on sunday in transfer reported
to be worth pounds
the year old could make farewell appearance in saturday premier league
clash against manchester city and moyes knows the versatile star will be hard to
replace
lucas will be here on saturday and will possibly play so his deal not
completely finalised albeit we have agreed terms and lucas has agreed terms
moyes said on friday
it was an opportunity for the lad that came about think he was very
surprised about it and we were surprised also
we only heard about in on sunday so from that point of view it moved on very
quickly
but think with the chance for the lad to get contract for couple of
years we had to give him the opportunity to see if he wanted it or not
he done great for us and ll be sad if he leaves but he ll go with my best
wishes
everton have promoted lucas he got in the team here played and showed his
worth and we always knew he was good player
he been out of business for while and into the start of the new season but
think for both parties hopefully it all worked well
moyes has been linked with move for arsenal defender phillipe senderos as he
looks to replace neill but the scot isn convinced he will be able to do
deal before the transfer window shuts on february
wouldn be optimistic about replacing anybody because think it
difficult market moyes said
certainly won talk about players at other clubs because that not the
right thing to do but wouldn be confident that we would be able to get
replacement in
it could leave us gap certainly in the short term joseph yobo could be back
in couple of weeks time and phil jagielka not too far away on the horizon
but maybe in the short term it may leave me short
but over the piece think if get over the next couple of weeks then think
would be okay
moyes defensive options have been further reduced after he discovered full
back tony hibbert will be out for around four weeks as he prepares for hernia
operation
hibbert will undergo surgery on saturday as result of an injury suffered
during everton fa cup win over carlisle earlier this month
tony hibbert has to have hernia operation which is blow to us moyes
said that will probably rule him out for around four weeks
we are getting little bit better in terms of injuries but you can take two
steps forward and one step back at times
urgent venezuela coast rocked by quake us
washington jan afp
an earthquake measuring on the moment magnitude scale struck near the coast
of venezuela friday the us geological survey said just three days after
massive quake devastated haiti
barroso letter backs under fire bulgarian commissioner designate
brussels jan afp
eu commission chief jose manuel barroso backed friday bulgaria controversial
nominee for commissioner saying she was qualified for the job and has given him
assurances him over her financial declarations
in letter to european parliament president jerzy buzek barroso gave no
effusive praise for bulgarian foreign minister rumiana jeleva who has come under
attack from the parliament over her competence for the post of eu aid
commissioner and alleged omissions from her declaration of financial interests
jeleva has the necessary general competence international experience and shows
the necessary levels of european commitment to exercise these functions
barroso said
on her financial declarations he relied on her assurances
ms jeleva has also confirmed once again that her declaration of interest
is fully accurate and complete he added attaching the statement in question
football evra certain united will retain premier league title
manchester england jan afp
manchester united defender patrice evra is convinced his side will prove the
critics wrong by retaining the premier league
sir alex ferguson side have been criticised by some pundits after an
inconsistent first half of the season marred by five league defeats and shock
fa cup third round exit against league one club leeds united
united missed chance to replace chelsea on top of the table when they were
held to draw at birmingham last weekend but france left back evra insists the
way the champions have stayed in touch with the leaders despite host of
injuries is proof that they will last the pace better than anyone
am sure we will win the league this year he said tell me another team
that would have nine defenders injured like that and still only be one point
away from the leaders
chelsea and arsenal do have game in hand but no one else could do so well
we would definitely be well ahead at the top of the table without these
problems
ferguson and his squad flew to qatar this week for warm weather training camp
and evra admits the players took the opportunity to talk about united recent
struggles
it was chance to make sure everyone understands we must not throw the league
away evra said
we talked lot about tactics and what we needed to achieve until the end of
the season it is chance to write the story
lot of people talk about manchester united attack but if you look back at
our last three titles the real strength is the defence
people say we are not going to win the title and we have dropped too many
points but am proud and happy where we are fear no one
biathlon world cup results
ruhpolding germany jan afp
world cup results on friday
women km relay penalty for each missed target
sweden penalties russia at norway
germany china
world cup standings after four of five rounds
russia pts germany sweden france norway
un to launch million dollar appeal for quake hit haiti
united nations jan afp
the un on friday said it will launch an appeal for million dollars from
donors to assist victims of the earthquake that devastated haiti and is thought
to have killed people
un humanitarian chief john holmes said he would later friday launch flash
appeal for emergency aid as un chief ban ki moon said he would himself travel to
haiti very soon
holmes head of the un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs
ocha said he would formally request the funds for urgently needed food
medical supplies water and tents following tuesday quake in the poor
caribbean nation of nine million people
twenty countries organizations and companies have already pledged million
dollars million euros in aid for victims of the magnitude quake
according to ocha data
an estimated people have been left homeless with one in homes in the
capital destroyed the un said friday
ban said major humanitarian effort was now under way with the un system
mobilizing all its resources as fast as we possibly can
myself will go to haiti very soon both to show solidarity with the people of
haiti and our un staff and to assess the situation for myself the un secretary
general told reporters
un spokesman martin nesirky said the confirmed death toll among the un
local and expatriate employees operating in haiti now stood at while
were unaccounted for
ban said the un has set up an operations center at port au prince airport that
despite damage to the control tower coordinates the search and rescue
efforts of teams arriving from countries around the world
he said priority was still being given to search and rescue with an urgent need
for heavy lifting equipment
preliminary estimates from our un emergency teams show widespread damage to
infrastructure in port au prince and other affected areas with as many as
percent of buildings in the worst hit areas damaged or destroyed the un boss
said
he said high proportion of the haitian capital three million people were
without access to food water shelter and electricity
un officials said the world food program was now feeding around people
several times day and hopes to feed roughly one million people within days
and two million people within month
edmond mulet top un peacekeeping official sent to haiti to take charge of the
decapitated un mission in haiti minustah in an interim capacity met with
haitian president rene preval and his prime minister thursday
ban said he was sending another senior un official tony banbury to serve as
mulet main deputy
and nesirky said there was still no news about the fate of un special envoy to
haiti hedi annabi whose death was announced by preval wednesday
annabi tunisian and his brazilian deputy luiz carlos da costa missing are
listed as missing buried under the rubble of minustah main headquarters
which was flattened by tuesday quake
obama warns of difficult days ahead for haiti
washington jan afp
president barack obama warned on friday that difficult days lay ahead in the
haiti relief effort noting the nation main port was closed roads were
damaged and severe logistical problems loomed
there are going to be many difficult days ahead obama said in brief remarks
at the white house
so many people are in need of assistance the port continues to be closed and
the roads are damaged food is scarce and so is water
obama also announced that he would hold meeting on saturday with ex presidents
bill clinton and george bush to discuss their role in spearheading recovery
and rebuilding efforts in haiti
un to launch million dollar appeal for quake hit haiti
united nations jan afp
the un on friday said it will launch an appeal for million dollars from
donors to assist victims of the earthquake that devastated haiti and is thought
to have killed people
un humanitarian chief john holmes said he would later friday launch flash
appeal for emergency aid as un chief ban ki moon said he would himself travel to
haiti very soon
holmes head of the un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs
ocha said he would formally request the funds for urgently needed food
medical supplies water and tents following tuesday quake in the poor
caribbean nation of nine million people
twenty countries organizations and companies have already pledged million
dollars million euros in aid for victims of the magnitude quake
according to ocha data
an estimated people have been left homeless with one in homes in the
capital destroyed the un said friday
ban said major humanitarian effort was now under way with the un system
mobilizing all its resources as fast as we possibly can
myself will go to haiti very soon both to show solidarity with the people of
haiti and our un staff and to assess the situation for myself the un secretary
general told reporters
un spokesman martin nesirky said the confirmed death toll among the un
local and expatriate employees operating in haiti now stood at while
were unaccounted for
ban said the un has set up an operations center at port au prince airport that
despite damage to the control tower coordinates the search and rescue
efforts of teams arriving from countries around the world
he said priority was still being given to search and rescue with an urgent need
for heavy lifting equipment
preliminary estimates from our un emergency teams show widespread damage to
infrastructure in port au prince and other affected areas with as many as
percent of buildings in the worst hit areas damaged or destroyed the un boss
said
he said high proportion of the haitian capital three million people were
without access to food water shelter and electricity
un officials said the world food program was now feeding around people
several times day and hopes to feed roughly one million people within days
and two million people within month
edmond mulet top un peacekeeping official sent to haiti to take charge of the
decapitated un mission in haiti minustah in an interim capacity met with
haitian president rene preval and his prime minister thursday
ban said he was sending another senior un official tony banbury to serve as
mulet main deputy
and nesirky said there was still no news about the fate of un special envoy to
haiti hedi annabi whose death was announced by preval wednesday
annabi tunisian and his brazilian deputy luiz carlos da costa missing are
listed as missing buried under the rubble of minustah main headquarters
which was flattened by tuesday quake
alert
quake measuring hits off venezuela coast us seismologists
afptv agenda for the week ahead
paris jan afp
we plan to file the following videos over the next week please consult the
daily advisories for additions and amendments
saturday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
kiev mariupol ukraine on the eve of the ukrainian presidential election
leading opinion polls favour pro russian candidate viktor yanukovich he was
defeated in when the orange revolution street protests forced re run of
rigged polls and sparked hope of new era voiced report
cairo egypt top opposition movement the muslim brotherhood will be electing
successor to their supreme guide mohammed mahdi akef who stepped down after
the end of his mandate images and soundbites
tokyo as japan prepares to mark the th anniversary of the kobe earthquake
firefighters conduct massive and spectacular drill the country has been hit
by percent of the world most powerful quakes and seismologists warn
major temblor could hit anytime voiced report
alpe huez france it the latest olympic discipline fast and furious
form of skiing where you re up against your rivals as well as against the clock
ski cross modelled on motocross is time trial event which also
incorporates jumps and other obstacles organisers hope it will attract
younger crowd while enthusiasts are delighted their sport is finally getting
the attention they think it deserves voiced report
as part of our african nations cup coverage we plan to file the following
douala cameroon cameroon which meets zambia in its second nations cup match
on sunday is grooming new set of young players to take the team to future
glory afptv goes to visit their training schools voiced report
saint amand les eaux france france thirst for cold draught of lager may be
slowly drying up with sales shrinking but micro brewers in the north of the
country are making inroads with specially concocted brews these beverages are
similar to the famous fruit flavoured lambics and homegrown specialities of
their belgian neighbours voiced report
sunday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
kiev ukrainians go to the polls to elect new president five years after the
orange revolution images and soundbites
santiago the second round of chile presidential election will elect
successor to president michelle bachelet images and soundbites
los angeles the golden globe awards are often good indicator of what to
expect at the oscars major contenders for glory at the start of the awards
season include hollywood heavyweights james cameron for his high tech
blockbuster avatar actor george clooney and oscar veteran meryl streep
afptv looks at the line up of nominees voiced report
rome pope benedict xvi will visit rome main synagogue on sunday he has
angered many italian jews by moving world war ii era pope pius xii closer to
sainthood images and soundbites
istanbul the turkish capital is one of the three designated european capitals
of culture in the city is celebrating its title with street performances
and shows at key city landmarks images and soundbites
boulogne billancourt france with the winter olympics coming up in vancouver
hopes are high that reigning world ice dance champions isabelle delobel and
olivier schoenfelder can bring home medal for france but the duo know they re
facing an uphill battle the games come just four months after isabelle gave
birth voiced report
nile delta egypt global warming has reached the banks of the nile with
