internal affairs foreign ministry spokeswoman jiang yu said in statement
us official in taipei said on thursday the us defense department had approved
the sale of patriot missile equipment to taiwan as part of package passed by
congress more than year ago
the latest foreign ministry statement came hours after china defense ministry
issued separate warning that it reserved the right to take unspecified further
action if washington followed through with the plan
the us side clings obstinately to the bush administration plan of arms sales
to taiwan which severely undermines the mutual trust between the two
militaries defense ministry spokesman huang xueping was quoted as saying by
the official xinhua news agency
it also brings severe obstacle to the improvement and development of china us
military ties we reserve the right of taking further actions he was quoted as
saying
when us president barack obama visited beijing in november the united states
and china vowed to take concrete steps to advance sustained and reliable
military to military relations in the future
the foreign ministry said it had raised solemn representations to the us over
the matter
we urge the us to stop arms sales to taiwan to avoid undermining china us
cooperation jiang said
we urge the us to clearly recognize the severe consequences of arms sales to
taiwan reject the cold war mentality she added
the us defense department awarded lockheed martin corp the contract to provide
patriot missile defence systems to taiwan as part of big arms deal approved by
congress in said spokesman for the american institute the de facto us
embassy in taipei
the us defense department said in statement on wednesday the contract for
lockheed martin involved basic missile tooling upgrades
the pentagon notified congress in october of billion dollars in arms
sales to taiwan sparking condemnation from china
the package included patriot advanced capability pac missiles worth up
to billion dollars
the contract now awarded by the pentagon which totals million dollars and
also covers deals not involving taiwan appears to be for only part of the
missile sale announced in
taiwan and china have been governed independently since the end of civil war
in but beijing considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to
get it back by force if necessary
relations have improved since taiwan current administration assumed power in
may pursuing programme of stepping up economic ties
yachting world championship results
freeport bahamas jan afp
standings after the second day of the er world championships on friday
standings after races
iker martinez de lizarduy xabier fernandez esp points
emmanuel dyen st phane christidis fra
dylan flether alain sign gbr
pietro sibello gianfranco sibello ita
nathan outteridge iain jensen aus
ireland leader vows to clear name over wife lover
belfast jan afp
northern ireland first minister peter robinson said friday he was determined to
clear his name over allegations he knew about financial dealings linked to his
wife affair with teenage lover
robinson ordered an official inquiry into his conduct on discovering his
politician wife iris had secured pounds euros dollars
from two wealthy developers to help her then year old lover set up
restaurant
the leader of the british run province devolved government said his wife had
kept secret both the affair and the nature of the donations she obtained
had no information he said absolutely no information about that nor of
any of the other financial arrangements which is hardly surprising if somebody
is hiding an affair from you it probably not surprise they are hiding the
other arrangements relating to that affair
the story of the affair emerged this week in an emotionally charged admission by
robinson and his wife who tried to commit suicide last year while suffering
from depression
but it developed into political crisis after bbc tv documentary revealed
that iris robinson had secured the donation for her lover kirk mccambley
mccambley now refused to comment about the allegations
iris robinson who is lawmaker but announced her resignation last month on
health grounds faces charges that she failed to declare her financial interest
since she sat on the council which approved the business project
more seriously for her husband it is claimed that he became aware of the
situation but failed to alert the appropriate watchdog authorities which would
be breach of parliamentary rules
peter robinson admitted some of the details revealed in the documentary came as
shock to me but he was defiant saying have consistently indicated that
have done nothing wrong that acted properly
but me believing that and saying it in my view is not sufficient because am
being if you like tried by the press and therefore think that we need to
have an investigation
the new revelations come amid heightened tension between robinson pro british
democratic unionists dup and its partners in the power sharing government in
belfast sinn fein who want united ireland
protestant conservative unionists the dup and catholic socialist republicans
sinn fein have shared power since but concern over return to violence
was fuelled by the death of two british soldiers and policeman in attacks by
dissident republicans last year
fresh fears of violence were raised on friday when catholic police officer was
seriously injured after bomb exploded under his car as he was driving to work
dissident republicans were blamed for the attack in randalstown northwest of
belfast
the good friday agreement ended most of the violence which had plagued
northern ireland for decades killing at least people and paved the way
for the establishment of devolved self rule in
it emerged that robinson partner at the head of the power sharing government
sinn fein martin mcguinnness has also requested that officials seek legal
advice over the allegations against the robinsons
sinn fein leader gerry adams meanwhile voiced growing frustration over the
transfer of justice and police powers
he said we are totally dissatisfied with the approach taken by the dup and
this has continued in recent days their return to business as usual is just
that
they are still refusing to honour the commitment which they made in relation to
the transfer of powers on policing and justice and indeed in relation to power
sharing itself
ireland leader vows to clear name over wife lover
belfast jan afp
northern ireland first minister peter robinson said friday he was determined to
clear his name over allegations he knew about financial dealings linked to his
wife affair with teenage lover
robinson ordered an official inquiry into his conduct on discovering his
politician wife iris had secured pounds euros dollars
from two wealthy developers to help her then year old lover set up
restaurant
the leader of the british run province devolved government said his wife had
kept secret both the affair and the nature of the donations she obtained
had no information he said absolutely no information about that nor of
any of the other financial arrangements which is hardly surprising if somebody
is hiding an affair from you it probably not surprise they are hiding the
other arrangements relating to that affair
the story of the affair emerged this week in an emotionally charged admission by
robinson and his wife who tried to commit suicide last year while suffering
from depression
but it developed into political crisis after bbc tv documentary revealed
that iris robinson had secured the donation for her lover kirk mccambley
mccambley now refused to comment about the allegations
iris robinson who is lawmaker but announced her resignation last month on
health grounds faces charges that she failed to declare her financial interest
since she sat on the council which approved the business project
more seriously for her husband it is claimed that he became aware of the
situation but failed to alert the appropriate watchdog authorities which would
be breach of parliamentary rules
nba jamison said wizards embarrassed by arenas gun play
washington jan afp
antawn jamison pleaded with washington fans to continue bringing their families
to games despite the embarrassment of the events surrounding an alleged gun
incident involving teammate gilbert arenas
we need you guys to continue to support us jamison said friday in an unusual
pre game address to the crowd which follows probe into how arenas allegedly
managed to sneak guns into the nba team dressing room
to make this an exciting place place where you can bring your kids your
families your buddy to come have good time
the year old american jamison said that his teammates never meant to make
light of the situation
before tuesday game at the verizon center arena against philadelphia the
players stood around the court as arenas pretended to shoot his teammates with
his fingers
there been picture that been shown of us taking this event very lightly
this is serious situation jamison said from centre court
this thing right here is very embarrassing for my teammates and the coaching
staff
the united states relaxed many of its anti gun laws under the previous george
bush government
in the us supreme court ruled that ban on handguns in washington dc was
unconstitutional and that americans have right to own guns for personal use
according to the fbi firearms are used in two thirds of the murders in america
shackled nigerian bomb suspect betrays no emotion
detroit michigan jan afp
his expression flat his eyes averted from the gathered crowd the year old
nigerian accused of trying to blow up an airplane on christmas day hobbled into
detroit courtroom friday
the rote routines of the us justice system could not dampen the tension in the
room during umar farouk abdulmutallab four minute arraignment as he stood
quietly while his lawyer entered not guilty plea
reporters craned their necks to catch glimpse of the fresh faced son of
prominent nigerian banker accused of trying to detonate explosives stitched into
his underwear as packed northwest flight from amsterdam began its descent into
detroit
security in the ornate marble floored theodore levin courthouse was tight ahead
of abdulmutallab first appearance since he was tackled by passengers and
escorted from the plane
metal barricades blocked off the street along the austere building where news
crews and small group of demonstrators stood shivering in the slush as
bitter wind tossed light dusting of snow down from blue skies
inside two bomb sniffing golden retrievers and their handlers cautiously combed
every corner of the depression era courthouse
armed federal marshals and local police patrolled the halls and the streets
abdulmutallab hobbled into the courtroom in leg irons his arms swinging at his
side his head shaved and his slight body nearly lost in loose white shirt
and beige trousers
he fidgeted in his chair and whispered to his lawyers then clutched his left
hip as he walked up to the dock to answer brief series of questions from judge
bernard friedman
he spoke quietly as he spelled his name for the record and said yes did and
yes do when friedman asked if he had received the indictment and understood
the six charges which include attempted murder of the people aboard the
plane
when asked whether he had taken any medication in the past hours
abdulmutallab who was badly burned and briefly hospitalized after the
explosives caught fire said hours yes painkillers
then his court appointed lawyer miriam siefer stepped up to the microphone
at this time our client would like to enter plea of not guilty she told
the judge
with respect to bond we have with our client consent consented to
detention
after few more questions from the judge abdulmutallab was escorted from the
room which had no view of the circus outside
crush of cameras mobbed woman wearing black and white headscarf as she
left the courthouse
the woman told reporters inside the building her name was maryam uwais and she
was an attorney from nigeria hired by abdulmutallab parents
the crowd outside was not privy to that exchange one man believing she was
abdulmutallab mother shouted shame on you for how you raised your kids
hebba aref who sat six rows behind abdulmutallab on northwest flight sat
behind him again on friday as she watched the proceedings in heavy wooden
courtroom bench
it was strange not frightening to see abdulmutallab in court said aref
corporate lawyer in kuwait originally from michigan
felt something in my stomach and in my heart at the time of the incident he
was completely blank this time he was talking
aref who is muslim said she was glad to see abdulmutallab prosecuted and
called his actions misuse of beautiful religion
small group of demonstrators outside waved bright american flags and signs
declaring not in the name of islam and islam is against terrorism
moad taleb marketing representative who moved to the detroit area in
from yemen shivered as he spoke of how he was frightened by talk of potential
us military strikes against his homeland
if there are terrorists we need to get rid of them but have family back
home civilians just trying to live their lives said taleb
majed moughni who moved to michigan from lebanon said he was worried there
would be backlash against muslims
we are here to let the world know we re going to stand in the cold against
terrorism and we hope americans don leave us out in the cold moughni told
afp
we re trying to unite as muslims and we re going to eradicate all terrorism
from our homes and our mosques and we re going to send terrorists back to the
caves of afghanistan
three arrested after london airport scare police
london jan afp
three people were arrested at london heathrow airport on friday after
security scare on dubai bound emirates flight police said amid reports
officers stormed the plane and took the suspects off
three people have been arrested at heathrow this evening they are currently in
police custody the airport remains open statement from london
metropolitan police service said
the alert came amid heightened security at airports around the world following
an alleged attempt by young nigerian to bomb plane landing in detroit on
christmas day by concealing explosives in his underwear
sky news television said police intervened after verbal threats were made and
that the men arrested were english and appeared to be drunk
the broadcaster showed photograph purportedly of officers in black overalls
inside the aircraft taken by passenger on the flight
the passenger cameron mclean told sky news armed police burst onto the plane
before making arrests
some special police just came on the plane and arrested these two guys few
rows in front of me said mclean
the police just swarmed the guy and then rushed him out think he was white
male there was another one as well didn see him he said
one of the men was taken off in handcuffs mclean said
the passenger added there were about five armed officers who were wearing
helmets body armour and carrying what appeared to be automatic weapons
spokesman for airport operator baa confirmed security incident on the
plane but said it only affected the dubai bound emirates plane
the alert came after umar farouk abdulmutallab allegedly tried to detonate
device stitched into his underwear on flight from amsterdam as it landed in
detroit on christmas day
in court in detroit on friday he pleaded not guilty to six charges related to
the incident which has led to security being stepped at airports worldwide
full body scanners are to be introduced at britain airports and heathrow
one of the world busiest air hubs will be the first to receive the devices
before the end of the month home secretary alan johnson has said
two men arrested in ny bomb plot probe one charged
new york jan afp
two suspected associates of an afghan immigrant accused of al qaeda links and
plotting bombing spree in new york were arrested friday
one of the men taxi driver zarein ahmedzay pleaded not guilty in brooklyn
new york federal court to single charge of making false statements to the
federal bureau of investigation
fbi agents arrested ahmedzay and also bosnian immigrant adis medunjanin earlier
friday charges against the latter were not immediately made public
both men remained in custody
law enforcement source described the two as associates of najibullah zazi
who is accused of training with al qaeda in pakistan and planning to detonate
bombs in new york around last year anniversary of the september
attacks
the arrests came as the us government and security services are reeling from
their failure to prevent an attempt to blow up northwest plane bound for
detroit on christmas day
president barack obama has repeatedly singled out the zazi investigation as
proof that us intelligence is in fact doing good job against an increasingly
multi headed foe
however it was not immediately clear how much of breakthrough in the zazi
probe the arrests would prove
zazi who is also being held in detention pending trial in brooklyn is accused
of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction little detail has been
revealed by the authorities about what he allegedly plotted
conspiracy requires more than one perpetrator and so far no one has been
charged as zazi co conspirator
the indictment against ahmedzay does not accuse him of terrorism or taking part
in the alleged plot against new york but lying to investigators
ahmedzay attorney michael marinaccio said his client who says he is
naturalized us citizen is accused of having lied about whether he knew whether
john doe went to pakistan for military training
ahmedzay made trips to afghanistan and pakistan in and was questioned by
the fbi in marinaccio said he has family in both countries
john doe the legal term used when real name cannot be made public
appears to refer to zazi who allegedly received training from group linked to
al qaeda while he was in pakistan
but to infer that ahmedzay was part of terrorist plot would be stretching
the charge against him marinaccio said
the new york times reported that both ahmedzay and medunjanin had participated
in zazi pakistan trip making them prime suspects in the unfolding bomb plot
probe it said the trio attended the same new york high school
dressed in gray sweatshirt and gray pants the bearded ahmedzay spoke in
barely audible voice to say not guilty during his brief court appearance
marinaccio said his client was arrested while working the night shift as cab
driver in manhattan
according to us media reports medunjanin was arrested after car accident he
reportedly tried to flee fbi agents who were trailing him they had earlier gone
to his house with search warrant and confiscated his passport
the only other people charged in the alleged zazi plot are zazi father and
new york imam both of them also accused of lying to the fbi but not terrorism
prosecutors say zazi traveled to new york with bomb making instructions in
laptop he also allegedly shopped for large quantities of chemicals found in
beauty products that could have been the ingredients for explosives
few other details about his alleged activities have been made public
clinton urges mideast talks to resume without preconditions
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton on friday urged palestinians and israelis
to resume peace talks without preconditions backing palestinian aims for
state along the boundaries
however trying to revive obama administration diplomacy that fell flat last
year clinton said the lines would be modified through mutually agreed land
swaps presumably to account for some israeli settlements that would remain
flanked by jordanian foreign minister nasser judeh clinton urged the
palestinians to try to stop settlement building through negotiations on core
issues rather than conditioning the resumption of talks on total freeze
as minister judeh and discussed earlier resolving borders resolves
settlements resolving jerusalem resolves settlements the chief us diplomat
told reporters
we are working with the israelis the palestinian authority and the arab
states to take the steps needed to relaunch the negotiations as soon as possible
and without preconditions clinton said
the parties can reach solution that reconciles the palestinian goal of an
independent and viable state based on the lines with agreed swaps and the
israeli goal of jewish state with secure and recognized borders she said
clinton was referring to the boundaries existing before the arab israeli war in
moving in the direction of palestinian demands for state in the west
bank and gaza strip with east jerusalem as its capital
the united states says the status of jerusalem all of which israel claims as
its capital and the exact boundaries of future state must be determined
through negotiations
in her opening remarks clinton also said both washington and amman were
concerned about recent activities in jerusalem echoing their opposition to
new jewish settlement building in annexed arab east jerusalem
clinton and judeh both alluded to two year timeline for negotiations mentioned
in television interview wednesday by us envoy george mitchell whom the
jordanian met here friday though judeh was more explicit
we agreed on the need to relaunch serious negotiations between palestinians
and israelis negotiations that are bound by timeline and clear plan judeh
said
on monday israel maariv newspaper said washington was pushing plan to
restart peace talks that foresees reaching final deal in two years and
agreeing on permanent borders in nine months
clinton and mitchell also met with both egyptian foreign minister ahmed abul
gheit who spoke of trying to regenerate energy for peace and intelligence
chief omar suleiman
egypt and jordan are the key arab mediators as the only arab countries to have
made peace with israel
the us initiative will continue when mitchell leaves sunday for paris and
brussels for consultations with allies and more members of the quartet made up
of the united states the european union the united nations and russia
us officials said friday that mitchell already met in the last few days with un
secretary general ban ki moon
mitchell is due to return to the united states before heading to the middle east
by the end of the month
days after entering the white house in january last year president barack obama
signaled that arab israeli peace was top priority
but the effort stalled as arab nations accused the administration of reneging on
its demand that hawkish israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu government
completely freeze jewish settlement construction
this is year of renewed commitment and increased effort toward what we see as
an imperative goal for the region of the world clinton said
both clinton and judeh underlined how middle east peace would blunt terrorism
african migrants head for colombia
bogota jan afp
authorities detained more than mainly african migrants last year in
colombia growing hub for people trafficking to the united states that is
aided by links to powerful drug traffickers
colombian officials are concerned the south american nation is becoming
regular stop on trafficking routes of undocumented migrants many from africa
and also asia who are seeking better lives in the united states
in the most recent case almost two weeks ago marines rescued undocumented
africans from the caribbean who later sought refugee status on arrival on
colombia northern coast
we re not returning to africa there are lots of problems with politics and
religion there we dream of arriving in the united states samy kol member
of the group of somalis and eritreans told local media
we paid lot for our dream we risked our lives and we won rest until we
achieve it
people trafficking networks choose colombia for its privileged geostrategic
position according to felipe munoz head of colombia migration and
intelligence services
the south american nation borders two oceans that easily connect with central
american ports
illegal immigrants are victims and they deserve all the attention respect and
help from colombian authorities but behind this is very elaborated network
that seeks to make links with local drug traffickers for new routes munoz
said
traffickers leave people to work for them in colombia to hook up with drug
lords they wish to work with he added
one month ago colombian police caught four members of people trafficking
network led by ethiopian johenes elnefue negussie who had been in colombia
since and had contacts in other colombian cities
colombia deported african and asian citizens in and expelled other
foreigners according to official figures
most migrants who reached colombia were from somalia ethiopia sudan benin
zimbabwe ivory coast and liberia according to the foreign ministry
authorities said many migrants arrive at buenaventura its main pacific port
they had also set up mobile patrols on the country borders with venezuela
peru ecuador and brazil
the latest african immigrants said they paid dollars each for promised
voyage to the united states
as they waited for response from the foreign ministry on their demands for
refugee status many played football or read the bible to pass the time
some told the un refuge agency that they wished to work in colombia
it ironic that these people seek refuge in colombia one of the countries
with the highest rate of displacement and asylum requests in other countries
said jorge rojas director of the codhes local rights group
florida cold snap disaster for tropical wildlife
miami jan afp
iguanas dropping from trees manatees huddling around waters warmed by power
plants and marine turtles being whisked away to shelters florida unusual
cold snap is deadly one for tropical wildlife
the cold front sweeping in from the arctic with temperatures below freezing in
parts of the southeastern state is killing many animals accustomed to
temperate climate that sends droves of tourists swarming to enjoy yearlong
warmth in the sunshine state
the cold blooded iguanas comfort level begins at degrees fahrenheit
celsius and they positively thrive at
when temperatures drop below about they become less able to move
around below about they become completely immobile due to lack of
blood flow unable to hold on the mohawked lizards which shelter in tree
branches and crevices drop to the ground
iguanas and other tropical wildlife are bearing the brunt of the severe arctic
weather in florida where miami subtropical beaches have been left all but
deserted this week with temperatures plummeting to around zero degrees
celsius
cold weather impacts iguanas severely and many are killed said gabriella
ferraro spokeswoman for the florida fish and wildlife conservation commission
fwc
that is not bad thing it good thing because iguanas are an exotic
animal they don belong to florida this seasonal kill helps us to manage the
population
travelers from mexico central and south america originally introduced the
creatures to florida in the
although suffering from the cold python snakes which abound in particularly
large numbers in florida everglades swamp reserve can survive in cooler
temperatures
the good thing is that the cold weather brings the pythons out of the
vegetation they need warmer bodies and they come out to get some sun and so it
is easier for hunters to find them ferraro explained to afp
manatees and sea turtles are the most vulnerable during the cold weather she
added noting that some of the animals had died in central florida
known as sea cows for their bulky frame adults are an average of three meters
feet long and weigh between and pounds and kilograms
manatees abound in florida warm waters close to river mouths and can die from
prolonged exposure to low temperatures
when water temperatures drop manatees gather in warm water habitats such as
discharge canals at power plants canal systems or springs to avoid deadly
cold stress syndrome
with thermometers dropping to record lows large groups of manatees huddled in
recent days seeking the warmth of power plants in riviera beach north of miami
and apollo beach near tampa off the gulf of mexico
the fwc says it has rescued about sea turtles so far and placed them in
special shelters where they can rest while waiting for the sea to warm
the seemingly lifeless iguanas can be revived however passersby can usually
bring them back to life by picking up the lizards and setting them in the sun
after brief warm up most will scamper off into the bushes
florida exotic creatures may have to brace for worse with forecasters saying
new polar front could sweep in over the weekend in the state where some parts
have already seen temperatures degrees below normal
weak us jobs report highlights sluggish recovery
washington jan afp
hopes for quick us economic rebound were dashed friday as data showed us
employers cut jobs in december while the unemployment rate held at
percent
analysts said the report highlighted slow and painful recovery from recession
while president barack obama said it shows that the road to recovery is never
straight
the labor department report on nonfarm payrolls was far worse than the consensus
expectation for no change in overall employment levels
the unemployment rate meanwhile was in line with expectations remaining near
its highest level since the but also reflected large number of people
dropping out of the workforce
in revising data for prior months the data showed net gain of jobs in
november instead of loss of previously reported the first positive
month after months of losses
obama said the report highlights the need for more efforts to create jobs
the figures are reminder that the road to recovery is never straight and that
we have to continue to work every single day to get our economy moving again
obama said as he unveiled plans for tax credits for green jobs
still he said the employment picture is better than when he began as president
when the economy was shedding some jobs per month
the overall trend of job loss is still pointing in the right direction he
added
economists said the news was disappointing but consistent with gradually
