coached the likes of future scotland internationals jim renwick colin deans and
tony stanger
mclaren was good enough player to be selected for hawick then one of
scotland leading clubs before world war ii
after war service in the british army he played in scotland trial in and
was close to full international cap as flanker when he contracted
tuberculosis disease that nearly killed him
was desperately ill and fading fast when the specialist asked five of us to
be guinea pigs for new drug called streptomycin mclaren said in
three of the others died but made what amounted to miracle recovery
mclaren was meticulous in his preparation for every match he broadcast listing
every conceivable detail of interest about players and officials on giant
piece of foolscap paper his big sheet which he would lay out in front of
his microphone
he was already planning his future career while young child
ve still got the fictional reports used to write when was wee boy of
seven or eight he once said scotland always won they beat the world once by
such was the esteem in which mclaren whose speciality after someone scored
try or matchwinning penalty was to say they will be dancing in the streets of
the player hometown was held in he became the first man who hadn
played test to be inducted into the international rugby hall of fame
mclaren received several national honours for his work including cbe
commander of the order of the british empire
cbe is one rank below knighthood and last year mclaren was the subject of an
internet campaign calling for him to be knighted
his son in law alan lawson played for scotland and two of mclaren
grandchildren gloucester and scotland scrum half rory lawson and edinburgh back
jim thompson are current professional players
france seeks to dispel tensions with us over haiti
paris jan afp
french president nicolas sarkozy moved tuesday to ease strains with the united
states over the relief effort in haiti saying paris and washington were fully
cooperating to help the quake hit country
france found itself on the defensive after development minister alain joyandet
called on the united nations to clarify the us role in haiti saying the
priority was helping haiti not occupying haiti
seeking to dispel talk of rift sarkozy said france was working in close
cooperation with us president barack obama administration to bring relief to
haiti and chart course for reconstruction
would like to salute the exceptional mobilisation shown by president obama
and the us administration said sarkozy during visit to the french island of
la reunion
the role that they are playing with us on the ground is essential
there have been grumblings from french politicians after the united states
cemented its leadership role in haiti with some troops deployed to the
caribbean island nation
us forces control the airport in port au prince and decide which relief planes
are allowed to land
joyandet who returned from visit to haiti on saturday lodged formal
protest with washington after us troops in port au prince prevented french
plane carrying medical supplies from landing at the weekend
it about helping haiti it not about occupying haiti we need to act so
that haiti can come back to life joyandet said on monday
sarkozy has led calls for an international conference on rebuilding haiti
former french colony that retains strong ties to paris despite the fact that us
influence in the island nation has increased since the early
brazilian official said obama on monday had asked leaders in brazil and canada
to join him in shepherding the humanitarian drive
france minister for europe pierre lellouche downplayed suggestion that paris
was being sidelined by the united states in haiti
no one is excluding anyone lellouche said america needs europe and europe
needs the united states
an international conference is to be held in montreal on january to help
haiti rebuild after the magnitude earthquake leveled buildings schools and
homes week ago
haitian officials fear the death toll could top with more than three
million left homeless in haiti the poorest country in the western hemisphere
sarkozy office earlier issued statement stressing the essential american
role in the quake struck country
french authorities are fully satisfied with the level of cooperation between
the two countries said the elysee statement
they welcome the exceptional mobilisation of the united states for haiti and
the essential role they are playing on the ground it added
france has sent hundreds of rescuers two navy ships and tonnes of aid to haiti
while pressing the european union to deploy security force to quell the chaos
from desperate survivors fighting for food and water
sarkozy has said he plans to travel to haiti in the coming weeks for talks with
haitian president rene preval on how we can very quickly after this
catastrophe rebuild this battered country
there is no american takeover of haiti commented analyst philippe moreau
defarges from the french institute of international relations
by intervening quickly in haiti the united states could prevent massive
influx of refugees on its shores he said they are right to put the maximum
resources because the consequences could be dramatic
brazil toll from haiti quake rises to
brasilia jan afp
the brazilian army said tuesday it has identified the body of another of its
soldiers in haiti raising the total number of brazilian dead in the quake to
that tally comprises soldiers with the un peacekeeping force in haiti and
two civilians the deputy head of the un mission luiz carlos da costa and
high profile children rights campaigner zilda arns
the army said in its statement that another brazilian peacekeeper was missing
the bodies of of the dead peacekeepers will be repatriated to brazil on
wednesday
brazil is in military command of the strong un peacekeeping force in
haiti to which it has contributed troops
us troops secure haiti presidential palace hospital
port au prince jan afp
us troops descended by helicopter to take control of haiti ruined presidential
palace tuesday afp reporters saw as the military earthquake relief operation
gathered pace
paratroopers from the nd airborne division arrived in at least four choppers
to secure the executive mansion once elegant white building in the devastated
city center now surrounded by vast refugee camp
from the palace strong infantry company headed on foot to the city
general hospital swamped with injured left behind by last week catastrophic
earthquake which the haitian government says killed at least
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
the arrival was the most spectacular deployment so far in the us military
operation to bring relief to port au prince but was not welcomed by some in the
crowd who saw the arrival as an affront to haitian sovereignty
haven seen the americans in the streets giving out water and food but now
they come to the palace said wilson guillaume as some of the homeless living
rough in the champ de mars square before the palace shouted abuse
it an occupation the palace is our power our face our pride said feodor
desanges
while most haitians have welcomed the international intervention there is
mounting frustration as what many see as the slow pace of moves to provide food
and shelter to the homeless and looting has broken out
while army paratroopers took charge of key downtown sites marines were landing
southwest of the city to link up with un peacekeepers and prepare to land
larger flow of troops and equipment us military official said
magnitude quake rattles cayman islands
george town cayman islands jan afp
magnitude earthquake shook the cayman islands on tuesday us geologists
said but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties
frantic locals poured out of buildings into the streets after homes and office
buildings took solid jolt
it really shook me right through to the soul of my body one government
employee told afp tremors were felt across most of the island
the united states geological survey usgs said the quake with depth of some
kilometers miles struck the caribbean island at gmt
mcclearly frederick with hazard management cayman islands said however the worst
of the earthquake was over and that it was not considered major temblor
magnitude earthquake was the last quake cayman experienced back in
december
the usgs said the quake one of several to hit south america and the caribbean
in recent days struck some kilometers miles east southeast of bodden
town on gran cayman
it struck one week after massive magnitude quake hit haiti leveling the
capital city of port au prince and surrounding towns and villages killing as
many as people according to some preliminary estimates
canada pledges million canadian dollars for haiti aid
ottawa jan afp
canada pledged million canadian dollars million us in aid for haiti on
tuesday in response to united nations call for help for nearly three million
people affected by last week quake
international cooperation minister bev oda said contributions were starting to
make difference in caring for the injured preventing the spread of disease
and providing water food and other essentials
today announcing that we will contribute million dollars to the
united nations appeal to help un organizations deliver essential services to
approximately three million people over the next six months
oda outlined
million dollars million us would be directed to food security needs
through the world food program to help provide million meals in the next
days
million dollars million us will go to unicef for health nutrition
water and sanitation for women and children
million dollars million us will go to six canadian aid
organizations to provide water and sanitation medical treatment shelter and
security and
million dollars million us is earmarked for the international red
cross and red crescent whose canadian and norwegian branches are providing care
for people day at field hospital set up over the weekend
the funding is in addition to five million dollars million us in aid
announced last week and on top of million dollars million us in
donations collected so far from canadians that are to be matched by the federal
government
us first lady waxwork joins obama at london museum
london jan afp
waxwork of us first lady michelle obama went on display at london madame
tussauds tourist attraction on tuesday to mark the first anniversary of her
husband taking office
model of barack obama was installed year ago at the famous waxwork museum
and his wife is joining him for limited period to mark the january
anniversary
we are thrilled that michelle is joining barack in the attraction to celebrate
an historic year in office said spokeswoman describing the painstaking
recreation of the oval office for the first couple models
president obama is one of our most popular figures and guests particularly
enjoy being able to step into the oval office now they get to meet not just mr
president but the mrs too and we re sure it will be big hit
figure skating world champions lead ice dance at euros
tallinn jan afp
world champions oksana domnina and maxim shabalin lived up to their status as
favourites by leading russian after the compulsory dance section at the
european figure skating championships here on tuesday
less than month ahead of the winter olympics domnina and shabalin lead
reigning european champions jana khokhlova and sergei novitski by points
going into thursday original dance section with the free dance final set for
friday
but their compatriots are determined to hold on to their european title
the europeans is like final test before the olympic games and we ll debut our
new free dance here we hope to repeat last year success said khokhlova
dancing to the tango romantica domnina and shabalin achieved points with
khokhlova and novitski achieving
italy federica faiella and massimo scali are sitting third with with
britain brother and sister team sineda kerr and john kerr fourth after scoring
liberian minister resigns over graft allegations
monrovia jan afp
the liberian information minister has stepped down over accusations he netted
more than dollars by pocketing the salaries of fictional employees the
president office said tuesday
laurence bropleh close ally of president ellen johnson sirleaf has also
vowed to clear his name of the charges presidential media official cyrus badio
said
the president has accepted the resignation of information minister laurence
bropleh badio told journalists
the president supports his decision to clear his name by submitting to whatever
process including judicial proceedings to prove his innocence he said
state auditors this month ordered bropleh to repay dollars
euros that they said he had amassed from the salaries of ghost employees of
his department
the minister suspended last september pending an investigation immensely
interfered with financial transactions resulting in system failure and complete
breakdown of internal control the auditors said in report
sirleaf became africa first female head of state in elections pledging to
make the fight against corruption in her war ravaged country top priority
us troops pour into haiti to ramp up quake aid
port au prince jan afp
us troops led by marines descended from helicopters onto the ruined haitian
capital tuesday as week after massive quake the us military ramped up moves
to ferry aid to desperate haitians
in spectacular operation paratroopers from the nd airborne division landed
from the skies in at least four choppers to secure the ruined presidential
palace once elegant white building now surrounded by stinking miserable
refugee camp
from the palace strong squad of soldiers headed on foot to the city
general hospital swamped with injured after last week catastrophic
magnitude quake which the haitian government says killed at least
in several pronged operation us marines also landed southwest of the capital
to link up with un peacekeepers and assess conditions for larger flow of
troops and equipment us military official said
we are here to release aid supplies and equipment as close as possible to the
devastation area jose ruiz spokesman for the us southern command told afp
some marines and sailors were expected to take part in the relief
operation although most were to stay aboard us navy ships off haiti
they were preparing to use helicopters and hovercraft to move ashore more than
vehicles two water purification systems nine water tanks six fuel tanks
generators tents and medicine military spokesman said
but the arrival at the presidential palace the most spectacular deployment so
far in the us military operation was not welcomed by some in the crowd who
saw it as an affront to haitian sovereignty
haven seen the americans in the streets giving out water and food but now
they come to the palace said wilson guillaume as some of the homeless living
rough in the champ de mars square before the palace shouted abuse
it an occupation the palace is our power our face our pride said feodor
desanges
us commanders have promised more than personnel would be in the disaster
zone in coming weeks
and amid reports of sporadic looting and growing tensions on the streets the un
security council voted unanimously tuesday to send extra un troops and
police to haiti to help maintain order and protect aid convoys
the member security council recognizing the dire circumstances and urgent
need for response endorsed reinforcement request made by un secretary
general ban ki moon who visited the caribbean nation on sunday
security forces are struggling to control looters in haiti capital with
thousands of homeless prey to gangs swarming through the ruins
haitian police in combat gear fired off rounds on monday and hauled some people
to the ground to try to stop the worst of the pillaging
while the scope of the disaster is still not clear extraordinary stories of
children and adults surviving several days under collapsed buildings fan rare
glimmers of hope among desperate people
an month old child was found alive monday six days after the quake and
rescuers are clinging to hopes that more can be found
the child was covered with dust but otherwise appeared healthy no one knew her
name and rescuers believe her family died when their home collapsed
medics at an israeli field hospital outside the capital also treated jean louis
brahms an eight month old boy trapped for five days under his family house
the baby father and older brother escaped in time with just minor injuries
but jean louis remained trapped until neighbor heard him crying and contacted
un peacekeepers
figures provided by the united nations indicated that about of the more than
people hauled out in the past week had been found on sunday or monday
hope persists there is still hope said elisabeth byrs spokeswoman of the un
office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs ocha
relief efforts are now focusing on the estimated quarter of million injured
and million homeless many of them orphans who lost their parents in the
disaster
officials have expressed fears the final death toll may top and
government minister said sunday that bodies had already been buried
hospitals in neighboring dominican republic which borders haiti are also
overflowing with badly injured survivors
nandez emil was still in shock he told afp that wall fell on top of him
trapping him for two days relatives finally managed to free him and took him to
the dominican republic for his injuries
didn know what to do thought was going to die he murmured as he
waited to be treated
finland vaeyrynen eyes party leadership pm job
helsinki jan afp
finnish trade and development minister paavo vaeyrynen said tuesday he hoped to
succeed prime minister matti vanhanen as centre party leader and possibly prime
minister when he steps down in june
believe would be able to overcome the challenges am in good health
paavo vaeyrynen was quoted by public broadcaster yle as saying at press
conference
vaeyrynen is the only person to confirm he will run for the centre party
leadership after vanhanen said in december he would step down at his party
next congress in june citing health reasons
vanhanen has served as party leader since and as prime minister since june
his successor as party leader could also become the next prime minister of the
coalition government which consists of the centre party the national coalition
party the green league and the swedish people party of finland
but it is up to parliament to elect finland prime minister an appointment
which must then be formally approved by the president
media speculation about the centre party leadership has been intense since
vanhanen announcement that he was stepping down environment minister paula
lehtomaeki was seen as the favourite until her announcement at the weekend that
she would not run
two other top contenders european commissioner olli rehn and finnish transport
minister anu vehvilaeinen have also said they would not run and there has been
speculation that vanhanen could be asked to stay on as prime minister until the
next parliamentary elections in despite stepping down as party leader
vaeyrynen is veteran politician and finland longest serving minister
currently in office he headed the centre party from until
according to finnish news agency stt vaeyrynen told reporters he had been
surprised by the strong support he had received for his candidacy since
vanhanen announcement
but online discussion forums of finland largest daily helsingin sanomat and
commercial television channel mtv were filled with criticism of the minister
whose outspoken style is known to ruffle feathers
force behind kraft cadbury is powerful woman
new york jan afp
the driving force behind the long kraft foods struggle for british confectioner
cadbury is the us firm chief executive irene rosenfeld seen as one of the
most powerful women in american business
rosenfeld year veteran of the food and beverage industry was ranked last
year as number six on the forbes magazine list of the most powerful women in
the world list topped by german chancellor angela merkel
fortune magazine ranked her second on list of the most powerful women in
american business behind pepsico chairman and ceo indra nooyi
rosenfeld was named ceo at kraft in june and became chairman in march
when kraft was spun off from the conglomerate altria
with hobbies that include piano and rollerblading rosenfeld has bachelor
degree in psychology from cornell university and master degree in business
administration as well as ph in marketing and statistics
she began her career at the dancer fitzgerald sample advertising agency in new
york and later joined general foods which was merged into kraft in the
in consumer research
at kraft she led restructuring and turnaround efforts of key businesses in the
united states canada and mexico and the integration of the nabisco
acquisition
in she was appointed chairman and chief executive of frito lay division
of pepsico where she led efforts to introduce healthy products before
returning to kraft
on her official company biography rosenfeld says her favorite kraft product is
its macaroni and cheese but added that oreo cookies are high up on the list
too
she played four varsity sports in high school and said her career ambition was
to become president of the united states
rosenfeld has spent more than years with kraft including stint as
president of its north american businesses president of kraft canada executive
vice president for desserts and marketing director for beverages
italian senate remembers exiled late premier craxi
rome jan afp
italy senate on tuesday weathered opposition criticism as it hosted ceremony
honouring former prime minister bettino craxi years following his death in
exile after fleeing corruption convictions
prime minister silvio berlusconi close friend of the controversial figure who
symbolised the tangentopoli bribesville scandal of the attended the
ceremony but did not speak
the socialist leader fled to tunisia in after being sentenced to nearly
years in prison for corruption and illegal party financing
craxi who was italy first socialist prime minister from to always
claimed that he was scapegoat in the affair which eventually brought down the
old guard christian democratic party
they didn give craxi any breaks said senate speaker renato schifani at
the ceremony more than any other person he paid for the defects of an entire
political system at the time
antonio di pietro the prosecutor who led the clean hands campaign targetting
tangentopoli harshly criticised the event saying it acclaimed fugitive
criminal
felice belisario lead senator in di pietro small anti corruption italy of
values party denounced what she called the shameful beatification of
convicted criminal in an institutional setting like the senate
also tuesday left wing politicians staged protest march in rome
craxi who hailed from italy northern industrial capital like berlusconi
helped his friend set up real estate and media empire
the billionaire berlusconi himself has faced battery of court cases since the
including two cases pending against him for corruption and tax fraud
italian president giorgio napolitano former communist was among those in
favour of at least partial rehabilitation of craxi describing him as
mixture of shadow and light
writing to craxi widow he said consider it my duty to contribute to the
memory of the work and figure of your husband because of the indelible mark he
left in mixture of shadow and light in the life of our political state
napolitano said craxi history as political leader proponent of dialogue
with the italian and european left cannot be sacrificed to the fact which
should nevertheless be recalled of his penal conviction
putin under fire over world deepest fresh water lake
moscow jan afp
environmentalists on tuesday condemned russian prime minister vladimir putin for
allowing controversial paper plant on siberia pristine lake baikal to
reopen calling it crime
putin decree signed on january but made public on monday reverses an
earlier ban on the production of cellulose paper and storage of waste around
lake baikal the world deepest freshwater lake
it is expected to allow operations to restart at the baikal paper plant owned
by russian billionaire oleg deripaska which has been closed since october
this decree is crime because to protect the interests of one particular
oligarch putin is casting aside russia entire net of ecological laws roman
vazhenkov head of greenpeace lake baikal campaign told afp
to allow chemical wastes to be dumped there what else can you call it but
crime he added
lake baikal which is on unesco world heritage list contains percent of
the world fresh water supply and has been hailed as the galapagos of russia
for its endemic flora and fauna
generations of environmental activists have fought to shut the soviet era paper
mill founded in which they say endangers baikal fragile ecosystem by
spewing waste into the lake
but the plant is also an economic boon to the region and employees were
cut loose when it was forced to shut in october driven bankrupt by fines
for polluting and difficulties amid the global economic crisis
activists had worried the aged plant would be reopened in august when putin in
surprise stunt plumbed the lake depths aboard mini submarine and emerged
to declare it ecologically clean
putin decree is mistake for economic as well as ecological reasons said
igor chestin head of the world wildlife fund wwf in russia
though long the largest employer in the thickly forested region the paper mill
has now become less crucial and ecotourism has developed as competing source
of jobs chestin said
in the year and three months since the factory closed the situation has
changed people have already begun to find work in other spheres specifically
in tourism and hospitality chestin told afp
this is mistake not only because it relaxes the law but because it allows for
the comeback of manufacturer whose importance is waning
both chestin and vazhenov vowed to appeal to unesco to add lake baikal to its
list of world heritage site in danger
this not on some secret site but lake baikal unesco site and place the
whole country should be proud of vazhenkov added this will be huge blow to
russia prestige
the russian government has taken numerous measures to shore up its struggling
soviet era industry and halt mass job losses amid fears that social unrest
could spread in economically hard hit regions
metals tycoon deripaska had been russia richest man before the financial
crisis but saw his fortune decimated by the slowdown
federal regulators in required the baikal paper factory to install
closed water system to mitigate waste leakage into the lake but the huge cost
of the requirements led to the plant financial insolvency
activists said it was unclear whether the new decree would allow the plant to
function without the closed water system
erdogan urges saudi businessmen to invest in turkey
riyadh jan afp
turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan called on saudi businessmen to
invest in his country during the first full day of trip to the middle eastern
oil giant
erdogan urged saudis to take advantage of the investment environment provided
by the turkish government for foreign investment in all fields in particular
agriculture
the official spa news agency said he pledged to boost bilateral trade which
reached nearly five billion dollars in but reportedly slowed last year at
meeting of the riyadh chamber of commerce
the turkish leader is on an official three day visit with plans for talks with
saudi king abdullah on bilateral and regional issues including the middle east
peace process
he also is due to travel to jeddah on wednesday to meet the turkish head of the
organisation of the islamic conference
erdogan was recently honored by the saudis with the king faisal international
prize for service to islam
he is accompanied by foreign minister ahmet davutoglu state minister zafer
caglayan finance minister mehmet simsek energy natural resources minister
taner yildiz and other officials and businessmen
wto to rule on china us tyre tariff dispute
geneva jan afp
the world trade organisation said tuesday it would rule on complaint lodged by
china against punitive us tariffs on chinese tyres
the panel was established said wto spokesperson referring to the group of
experts which will decide if china claim was justified
amid warnings that rise in chinese made tyres had cost more than jobs
us president barack obama in imposed punitive duties of percent on the
chinese imports igniting the first trade spat of his presidency with the asian
giant
beijing later reacted strongly against the move filing complaint at the wto
in september
during meeting of wto member states on tuesday chinese diplomat reiterated
that beijing deeply regretted the us move
since the us decision itself runs short of factual bases and breached us
obligations under the wto china once again urges the us to promptly withdraw
its measures said the diplomat
china official xinhua news agency had quoted experts as saying that
chinese jobs could be lost as result of us tariffs and that china tyre
industry would be worse off to the tune of one billion dollars
the united states meanwhile pledged to vigorously defend our measures
us diplomat said that over four years tyre imports into the united states
tripled by volume biting into domestic production
us production shrunk by more than quarter and percent of workers in the
industry lost their jobs he said
these facts alone show that china claims lack merit
in addition he pointed out that washington had the right to impose the punitive
tariffs by invoking safeguard clause which was among conditions of china
accession to the wto
the united states rejects the notion that having recourse to this bargain
through the proper application of the safeguard mechanism is unfair
unreasonable or protectionist he said
urgent high court orders new look at case of death row abu jumal
washington jan afp
the us supreme court on tuesday ordered lower court in pennsylvania to
