the us deputy military commander allyn said there were now around daily
flights into 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
afp gmt economics news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor nathaniel harrison
telephone
finance economy germany politics merkel
berlin
after shaky start to her second term in office german chancellor angela
merkel seeks to wrest back the initiative with spirited defence of her
policies and fiery attacks on her opponents
words gmt by richard carter
forex europe wrap
london
the euro slides against the dollar as worries mount over the outlook for the
european economy in light of weak german data and greece fiscal woes dealers
say
words gmt
stocks europe
london
europe main stock markets weaken with traders awaiting crucial rsults from
the battered us banking sector and despite bumper overnight gains on wall
street
words gmt
commodities energy oil price wrap
london
world oil prices dip as many traders cash recent gains and the easing cold snap
in the northern hemisphere dents demand for heating fuel traders say
words gmt
afp graphics advisory
paris jan afp
wednesday graphics
available now
haiti quake toll
updated graphic with map on the devastation caused by the haitian earthquake
text slug haiti quake violence
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haiti un mission factfile
updated fact file on the un mission in haiti the security council has voted to
send extra troops to help maintain order and protect aid convoys
text slug haiti quake un
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us vote massachusetts map
map locating massachusetts where senate election won by republican scott
brown
text slug us vote politics senate
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nigeria jos attacks map
map of nigeria locating sectarian clashes in jos
text slug nigeria unrest religion
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us asian carp factfile
factfile on the asian carp fast breeding species which could have devastating
effects on ecosystems in north america
text slug us fish environment court
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india pondicherry map
map locating pondicherry in india for an afp focus on replica eiffel tower
being built there
text slug india france travel architecture
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china internet market shares
pie chart showing the market share of internet search engines in china
text slug china us internet court company baidu
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japan airlines chrono
chronology of historical milestones for japan airlines which declared
bankruptcy on tuesday
text slug japan airline company distress jal
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jal shares
chart showing daily closing values for japan airlines for the past month
text slug japan airline company distress jal
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asia pacific markets
closings for key asia pacific markets
text slug stocks
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moved earlier
nigeria jos attacks map mm
afghanistan kabul attacks chrono mm
kraft cadbury factfile mm
korea joint venture factfile mm
other graphics available on haiti quake
usns comfort hospital ship mm
quake damaged towns map mm
identification using dna mm
search and rescue methods mm
tectonic plates caribbean map mm
earthquakes world mm
country factfile mm
paris hong kong
tel
bomb attack injures pakistani lawmaker
peshawar pakistan jan afp
roadside bomb on wednesday injured pakistani provincial lawmaker and four
others in the northwest city of peshawar frequent target of attacks by
taliban militants officials said
orangzeb khan local legislator with the secular awami national party anp
saw his politician brother alam zeb khan killed in similar bombing last year
but escaped life threatening injury in wednesday attack
local television stations showed footage of blackened car rubble and small
crater in the centre of the capital of the north west frontier province which
is governed by coalition led by the pashtun nationalist anp
it was remote controlled bomb buried in the road kiramat khan police
official on the scene told reporters
the explosives detonated near khan home as the politician passed by in car
peshawar top administrative official sahibzada mohammad anis told afp while
the main hospital treated five people with blast wounds
we have received total of five injured orangzeb has wounds on his
forehead chest and one arm but he is out of danger said abdul hameed afridi
chief executive of the city lady reading hospital
there was no claim of responsibility for the attack but the bombing bore the
hallmarks of the islamist taliban who are blamed for most of the strikes which
have killed nearly people across pakistan since july
government officials are frequent target of militants who are battling to
impose harsh brand of islamic law across parts of the northwest and oppose
islamabad alliance with the united states in the so called war on terror
orangzeb khan won his brother provincial seat after alam zeb khan was killed
by bomb planted in bicycle in peshawar in february
last month another anp northwest provincial assembly member shamsher ali khan
was killed when suicide bomber walked onto the grounds of his home in swat
valley and blew himself up
peshawar on the edge of pakistan lawless tribal belt has seen the worst of
the taliban insurgency last october about people were killed in the city
when suicide car bomb ripped through busy market
pakistani troops have fanned out across the tribal belt to try to quash taliban
strongholds in the mountainous zone along the afghan border which is also
haven of al qaeda linked extremists
french court rules nice cathedral is russian property
nice france jan afp
french court on wednesday ruled that russian orthodox church built on the
orders of tsar nicolas ii belongs to russia ending long running dispute
between moscow and local parishioners
the onion domed saint nicolas cathedral located in the riviera city of nice and
its entire contents including some icons are the property of the russian
federation the tribunal in nice said
russia had laid claim to the cathedral built on land first acquired by tsar
alexander iii after year lease expired in
but the nice russian orthodox cultural association that had benefited from the
lease challenged the move saying they were the legitimate heirs to the building
and not the russian state
the nice court ruled that the parishioners did not have the right to buy the
property under the terms of the long term lease and that the cathedral the
largest russian orthodox church outside of russia should revert to moscow
the association immediately announced that it would appeal the decision
cannot see how an association that has occupied the cathedral for years in
peaceful and continuous fashion cannot be considered its owner said the
group lawyer antoine chatain
russian embassy spokesman andrei kleymenov said moscow was satisfied with the
decision which he said recognised the russian state long standing claim to
the historic building
france sees record public debt in
paris jan afp
the french public debt will be lower than expected this year but will still hit
record percent of gross domestic product the government said on
wednesday
the government had initially warned of public debt an accumulation of annual
public deficits that would come to percent of gdp
it said the public deficit the shortfall of revenues to expenditures in one
year would also be better than had been feared coming to percent of output
in rather than percent
both the debt and deficit figures exceed limits stipulated by the european
union percent of output for the debt and percent for the deficit
the revised figures reflect in part improved growth prospects with
momentum now expected to hit percent rather than percent
the administration presenting revised budget said government
borrowing scheme proposed by president nicholas sarkozy would have only
limited impact on public finances
the loan worth billion euros billion dollars would widen the public
deficit by to billion euros in and the years to come
urgent tennis henin outlasts fifth seed dementieva in epic
melbourne jan afp
justine henin fairytale comeback stayed on track when she beat fifth seeded
russian elena dementieva in marathon second round match at the
australian open on wednesday
alert
henin upsets fifth seed dementieva at australian open
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor martin bennitt
tel
haiti survivors defy deadly earthquake odds
nigeria clashes spread with hundreds dead
yemen jets target al qaeda
eight killed in new us shooting rampage
haiti quake ndlead wrap
port au prince
rescuers haul woman out of the haiti earthquake rubble after she survived for
week without food or water and barely able to move
words gmt by daphne benoit and beatriz lecumberri graphic picture
video
nigeria unrest religion lead
kano nigeria
fighting between christians and muslims in the flashpoint nigerian city of jos
spreads after three days of clashes which have left more than dead despite
permanent curfew
words gmt by aminu abubakar
attacks yemen qaeda airstrike thlead
sanaa
yemeni aircraft launch air strikes on the home of suspected al qaeda leader
as the military steps up pressure on the group believed behind the botched
attempt to bring down us airliner
words gmt
us crime shooting ndlead wrap
washington
us police hunt gunman who went on the rampage in virginia state killing eight
people and shooting police helicopter
words gmt
americas
us vote politics obama analysis
washington
as barack obama marks year in power republicans cast huge doubts on his
reform hopes by capturing the senate seat once held by the us president mentor
edward kennedy
words gmt
europe
finance economy germany politics merkel
berlin
after shaky start to her second term in office german chancellor angela
merkel seeks to wrest back the initiative with spirited defence of her
policies and fiery attacks on her opponents
words gmt by richard carter
entertainment britain us literature film people segal obit newseries
london
tributes pour in for love story author erich segal whose popular romantic
drama coined the phrase love means never having to say you re sorry after
his death at the age of
words gmt
france russia trial religion
nice france
french court rules that russian orthodox cathedral in nice on the orders of
tsar nicolas ii belongs to russia ending long running legal battle between
the moscow government
local organisation
words gmt file picture
france environment climate politics tax lead
paris
france renews efforts to become the first big economy to tax harmful carbon
emissions with the government thrashing out new plans for the measure to curb
climate change
words gmt
armenia turkey diplomacy lead
yerevan
efforts to establish ties between turkey and armenia after decades of hostility
hit fresh snags after ankara accuses yerevan of trying to set new conditions on
landmark deal
words gmt by mariam harutunian
middle east
mideast conflict gaza un health
gaza city
the united nations says it is deeply concerned about the deterioration of
health care in the gaza strip because of israeli sanctions on the hamas ruled
territory
words gmt by joseph krauss
asia
india pakistan us afghanistan qaeda military lead wrap
new delhi
us defence secretary robert gates warns that south asian militant groups are
seeking to destabilise the entire region and could trigger war between
nuclear armed pakistan and india
words gmt by dan de luce pictures
vietnam rights trial thlead
ho chi minh city
democracy campaigners go on trial in vietnam facing possible death sentences on
charges of trying to overthrow the communist regime in case which has sparked
global concern
words gmt by aude genet picture
australia britain royals william ndlead wrap
sydney
britain visiting prince william says he was so thrilled by his warm welcome to
sydney that he like to buy house in the australian harbourside city
words moved by amy coopes picture
afp
eight dead in virginia shooting
washington jan afp
police in virginia said they had surrounded year old suspect in woods after
lone gunman killed eight people and shot at police helicopter forcing it to
make an emergency landing
massive manhunt was launched early wednesday after they discovered seven
bodies at rural home and another victim nearby
the suspect had been tracked down to woods west of the historic town of
appomattox
state and local law enforcement continue their search efforts tuesday night in
appomattox county for gunman responsible for killing eight people earlier in
the day virginia state police said in statement
more than deputies officers and state troopers will continue working
through the night to locate and apprehend the armed subject
the suspect named as christopher speight was thought to be alive but snared
in police cordon as night fell
the perimeter has been established and we believe the suspect is within the
quarantined area sergeant thomas molnar spokesman for the virginia state
police earlier told afp
the suspect earlier shot at helicopter called in to help with the search at
least four shots hit the craft forcing it to make an emergency landing
officials said
nearby residence was evacuated as the manhunt grew ever tenser
the incident unfolded around noon on tuesday when deputy from the appomattox
sheriff office responded to an emergency call about an injured man lying on
country road
when the deputy arrived on scene the deputy heard several gun shots molnar
said
the male subject was transported by med flight state police helicopter to
lynchburg general hospital where the man later died police said
officers who stayed at the scene found four bodies outside nearby home and
three bodies inside the residence
the victims were male and female according to police who did not give motive
for the attack although local media reported the wife and the son of the
suspect were among the dead
police issued call for information about two cars owned by the suspect tan
ford escort and green ford pickup truck
the office of recently elected virginia governor robert mcdonnell described the
shootings as horrific tragedy according to statement reproduced by the
washington post
the governor thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families he
is closely monitoring the situation senior state officials were also
dispatched to the scene
the shooting come just under two years after virginia was rocked by the fatal
shooting of people at virginia tech by gunman seung hui cho
appomattox small down in the south of the state is better known as the venue
for the final battle of the american civil war
former thai pm thaksin arrives in cambodia
phnom penh jan afp
fugitive former thai premier thaksin shinawatra arrived in cambodia on wednesday
for his third trip as controversial economic adviser to the country said
government spokesman
thaksin whose visits have stoked diplomatic row between the thai and
cambodian governments landed in private jet at phnom penh international
airport spokesman khieu kanharith told afp
he has arrived he just landed khieu kanharith said don know about his
itinerary yet
thailand and cambodia recalled their ambassadors in november and expelled senior
diplomats over cambodian premier hun sen appointment of thaksin who is living
abroad to avoid jail term for corruption in his home country
tensions between the neighbouring countries soared further when phnom penh then
refused to extradite thaksin during his first visit to cambodia in his new role
during his previous stays in cambodia thaksin has addressed top government
officials on how to boost investment tourism and agriculture
he also met scores of his red shirt supporters from thailand where he remains
hugely influential figure
before thaksin appointment as an adviser relations between thailand and
cambodia were already tense due to string of deadly gunbattles at their
disputed border where troops have faced off since july
nato russia top brass to meet next week
brussels jan afp
nato and russian military chiefs will meet next week for the first time since
talks were frozen over the georgia war with the conflict in afghanistan
topping the agenda officials said wednesday
the russian chief of staff nikolai makarov is expected on january for
meeting with the military commitee which brings together top brass from the
nato nations russian diplomat told afp on condition of anonymity
he said tuesday meeting would amount to nato russia council the highest
level forum for relations between the two which were badly strained over
moscow decision to send troops into georgia in august
it will be the first time that the russian chief of staff has taken part in
such meeting since the georgian affair confirmed the spokesman for the nato
military committee colonel massimo panizzi
he said that russia possible contribution to the nato led military efforts in
afghanistan as well as the fight against terrorism would be the chief topics
for discussion at the meeting in brussels
afghanistan will be one of the most important items on the agenda given that
these discussions will take place on the eve of the international conference on
the country organised in london he said
the london meeting takes place on january
on december nato and russian foreign ministers announced their intention to
relaunch relations including military ties which have also been strained over
missile defence arms pacts and the recognition of kosovo
youtube to stream ipl cricket live google
mumbai jan afp
internet giant google said wednesday it would stream all the upcoming indian
premier league ipl cricket matches live via its youtube videosharing website
under the terms of the agreement google will have exclusive online rights for
ipl content for two years and both google and ipl will jointly share revenues
from sponsorships and advertising
we are thrilled to have the ipl as our global partner said shailesh rao
senior manager of google india in statement
youtube offers an open platform for sports and entertainment companies to take
their content to global audience and great opportunity for advertisers
the third edition of the popular twenty tournament featuring the world top
players in eight teams owned by rich businessmen and bollywood stars will be
held from march to april this year
this unique initiative by ipl to partner google india will give the league
global reach on single distribution platform lalit modi chairman of the ipl
said in statement
tennis del potro beats blake after five set thriller
melbourne jan afp
argentina fourth seed juan martin del potro survived five set thriller to
down american james blake and advance to the
third round of the australian open on wednesday
displaced in nigerian religious clashes ngo
kano jan afp
muslim christian clashes in nigeria central city of jos have displaced some
people in three days and caused water and food shortages in the city
relief agencies said on wednesday
the greatest challenge which we are facing now is providing food water and
medicine to the displaced people in the camps whose number has swollen to about
mark lipdo coordinator of local aid agency stefanus foundation told
afp
food water and medicine supplies have been running low in the city amid
round the clock curfew authorities imposed tuesday after christian and muslim
gangs fought pitched street battles leaving around people dead
meanwhile the humanitarian situation has worsened in respect of displaced
people said the head of the red cross in the city awwalu mohammed
he said five makeshift camps set up on sunday are bursting at the seams with
many more people than we anticipated
taps are dry throughout the city because water plants have been shut down
said mohammed
jos resident hashim tijani told afp everybody is now inside with no food and
water the taps are not running
fighting between muslim and christian mobs ignited on sunday over plans to build
mosque in mainly christian district of the city which has been riven by
sectarian tensions
the country vice president goodluck jonathan ordered extra troops into the
city late tuesday after terrified residents reported shooting in the streets and
smoke billowing from parts of the plateau state capital despite hour
curfew
imf chief says asia may need capital controls
hong kong jan afp
the imf chief said wednesday asia may need to erect temporary capital controls
warning of the potential for new economic bubbles as speculative money floods
into the region
dominique strauss kahn said the global economy looked on course to beat the
percent growth forecast currently expected by the international monetary fund
for as post crisis recovery accelerates
speaking in hong kong the imf managing director also reiterated his call for
china to boost the value of its currency the yuan which critics say is kept
artificially low to boost chinese exports
there is broad concern about the influx of foreign money pouring into asia
which has sent property prices rocketing in hong kong singapore and mainland
china as the region leads the recovery
strauss kahn said the cash flowing into asia was in stark contrast to the global
financial crisis when the fear was of money drying up
understandably however policymakers in recipient countries are concerned now
with how to manage these flows their impact on exchange rates domestic
demand financial stability and the danger of asset bubbles he said
strauss kahn said options to discourage the inflow included cutting interest
rates accumulating reserves or tightening fiscal policy
he added capital controls can also play role particularly where the surge
in capital flows is expected to be temporary or where exchange rate
overshooting is real danger
as long as it temporary it may be the only way to ward off bubble
strauss kahn told the asian financial forum gathering of political and
business leaders
and in veiled comment on china he said in many countries exchange rate
appreciation should be the key response especially in those where the
exchange rate is undervalued
in statement after his speech wednesday strauss kahn said he had told hong
kong officials that money pouring into the former british colony could lead to
rapid credit growth that in turn unduly drives up asset prices and creates
macroeconomic volatility
malaysia was ridiculed by financial institutions and foreign governments in
when it became the first crisis hit asian country to roll out capital controls
to protect its financial markets and collapsing currency
but the measures including pegging the ringgit to the dollar and barring
investors from taking money out of malaysia were later hailed by the imf and
other free market proponents as an effective tool against speculation
economies worldwide went into tailspin in late when credit dried up due
largely to the collapse of us property bubble
but strauss kahn said some emerging economies could begin exiting stimulus
programmes sooner than rich countries with world growth likely to outstrip the
imf forecast figure of percent this year
excluding japan asia may expand by more than seven percent the imf boss said
he again dismissed fears of double dip recession for the world economy but
said the pace of recovery had been uneven with asia bouncing back faster than
the rest of the world
the region must also look at boosting domestic demand to cut its reliance on
foreign consumers especially in the hard hit united states he said
strauss kahn said world leaders should press on with financial reforms to
prevent repeat of last year credit crisis including better regulation and
oversight of the banking sector
we need reform and we need political will he said
there is still lot to do my concern is that in six to months everybody
will be back to business as usual and will have forgotten the lessons of the
financial crisis
yemen air strike hits qaeda leader home tribal source
sanaa jan afp
yemeni aircraft launched wave of air strikes wednesday on the home of
suspected al qaeda leader ayed al shabwani whom the government said it had
killed last week tribal source said
the attacks which began in the morning blasted the house in the village of erq
al shabwan in maarib province al shabwan region and were continuing into the
afternoon said the source asking not to be named
tribal forces in the village were responding with anti aircraft fire and
number of people had been killed the source added
the strike comes less than week after yemen said it killed six suspected
leaders of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula in saada province north of the
capital including shabwani
aqap denied that anyone was killed in the attack on three vehicles in
