city triggered by rumour that the mainly muslim all nigerian peoples party had
lost local election to the christian dominated people democratic party
state officials put the death toll in that violence at about but other
sources gave toll twice that figure
other parts of nigeria north and central regions have lately been plagued by
religious violence
last month at least people were killed in clashes between security forces
and members of radical islamist sect in the northern bauchi state
another sect boko haram which means western education is sin staged an
insurrection in july in nearby borno state when at least people were killed
as security forces crushed the unrest
iran threatens to hit western warships in gulf if attacked
tehran jan afp
iran defence minister ahamd vahidi said tuesday that western warships
stationed in the gulf are best targets for the islamic republic if its nuclear
sites are attacked fars news agency reported
iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to deliver crushing response
and hit us targets including its bases in the gulf and neighbouring iraq and
afghanistan if iran nuclear sites are attacked
why are there so many warships there the westerners know that these warships
are the best target for operation by iran if they do anything against us
vahidi told conference entitled persian gulf in tehran
the united states and its regional ally israel which accuse iran of seeking
atomic weapons under the guise of civilian nuclear programme have never ruled
out military option to thwart tehran nuclear drive
iran denies the charges and has continued to expand its nuclear programme
despite un sanctions
britain to ban binge drinking promotions
london jan afp
britain is to ban irresponsible promotions which fuel binge drinking and
alcohol related crime in the latest bid to curb the notorious practice
minister said tuesday
from april pubs clubs and bars will be barred from offering all you can drink
for pounds style promotions as well as events like speed drinking
competitions said home secretary alan johnson
alcohol related crime costs the uk billions of pounds every year he said
stressing that the idea was to target irresponsible retailers not to clamp down
on the ordinary drinks industry
while the vast majority of retailers are responsible minority continue to
run irresponsible promotions which fuel the excessive drinking that leads to
alcohol related crime and disorder
the new measures designed to curb alcohol related crime which costs britain
some billion pounds year also include forcing pub landlords to ask for
identification proving that drinkers are over
they would also ban dentist chairs events where drink is poured directly
into the mouths of customers as well as making water more easily available and
smaller measures of beers wines and spirits
but they do not give local authorities the power to ban happy hour promotions
during which drinks are cheaper or bulk offers in supermarkets
british authorities have long struggled to contain binge drinking culture
which makes some town centres no go zones on friday and saturday nights and to
introduce so called continental style moderate drinking habits
britons reputation for drunken antics abroad is also well known typically
involving stag nights in prague or budapest or all night benders in spanish and
other mediterranean countries bars
johnson added these practices have real impact on society not to mention
the lives of those who just want to enjoy good night out the government and
the industry have duty to act
iran threatens to hit western warships in gulf if attacked
tehran jan afp
iran defence minister ahamd vahidi said tuesday that western warships
stationed in the gulf are best targets for the islamic republic if its nuclear
sites are attacked fars news agency reported
iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to deliver crushing response
and hit us targets including its bases in the gulf and neighbouring iraq and
afghanistan if iran nuclear sites are attacked
why are there so many warships there the westerners know that these warships
are the best target for operation by iran if they do anything against us
vahidi told conference entitled persian gulf in tehran
the united states and its regional ally israel which accuse iran of seeking
atomic weapons under the guise of civilian nuclear programme have never ruled
out military option to thwart tehran nuclear drive
iran denies the charges and has continued to expand its nuclear programme
despite un sanctions
google postpones launch of mobiles in china
beijing jan afp
google said tuesday it had postponed the launch of two mobile handsets in china
in the latest fallout from its threat last week to withdraw from the asian giant
over cyberattacks and censorship
the us company said in an email to afp that the phones featuring google
android operating system and developed in cooperation with motorola and samsung
had been scheduled to be unveiled wednesday with china unicom
the launch has been postponed google said without specifying when or if the
launch would take place
google said last week it was considering abandoning its chinese search engine
and could shut its china offices over theft of its intellectual property by
hackers allegedly based there
the row has threatened to strain ties between the united states and china
the california based company says it is no longer willing to bow to chinese
internet censors by filtering search results on google cn but is still seeking
talks with beijing on solution
when asked about the status of talks on tuesday chinese foreign ministry
spokesman ma zhaoxu said he was not aware of the situation and countered that
china was in fact the biggest victim of hacking activities in the world
the spokesman also reiterated that foreign firms operating in china need to
follow china laws and regulations respect the interests of the general public
and shoulder the corresponding responsibilities
google is not an exception he said
google said the cyberattacks were likely aimed at gaining access to the gmail
accounts of chinese human rights activists but has said it does not believe
that goal was achieved
the company is checking whether any of its china staff helped hackers lead the
attack the wall street journal reported tuesday
the search giant said more than other unidentified firms were targeted in the
highly sophisticated attacks believed to have originated in china while
other reports have put the number of companies attacked at more than
the row has threatened to rattle ties between washington and beijing already
frayed over number of issues from the copenhagen climate change debacle to
the value of the chinese yuan and number of other trade disputes
the united states has informally asked for an explanation from beijing over the
google dispute and could launch formal diplomatic request on the issue as
soon as this week the state department has said
chinese commerce ministry spokesman said last week the row would not affect
overall trade and economic relations between china and the united states
google android mobile operating system has been featured in number of
phones starting with mobile in october and more recently with the
droid from motorola
the company earlier this month unveiled its own nexus one smartphone in the
united states in direct challenge to apple iphone handsets
karzai orders security review after taliban attacks
kabul jan afp
afghan president hamid karzai on tuesday ordered review of security in the
capital after audacious attacks by taliban militants highlighted the
vulnerability of the city defences
karzai called in security officials to discuss how the islamist militants could
have brought their war to the gates of his fortified palace on monday morning
gunmen and suicide bombers bringing the city to standstill
security forces were put on high alert after the blitz on commercial and
government buildings in the most spectacular assault by the taliban in year
that left raging fires and saw pitched street battles
the attacks have thrown into question karzai plan to bring the militants in
from the cold and casts shadow over an international conference on
afghanistan future
five people were killed including child and four members of the security
forces along with seven of the militants
after security briefings by the ministers of defence and interior it was
agreed that the current security plan for kabul be reviewed and that they report
back to the president for approval presidential statement said
as the clean up of kabul was under way residents and analysts voiced concern
about security
kabul is big city with five million inhabitants mainly poor people and the
taliban and al qaeda can take advantage of it and infiltrate the city said
analyst haroun mir
shopkeeper fahim whose store in the qari sami mall was destroyed when the
building was stormed and set ablaze said he had lost everything and blamed the
government for allowing the attack to happen
the taliban succeeded here they have shown what they can do he told afp
while the afghan authorities investigated how the bombers could penetrate the
commercial and political heart of the city security forces won praise for
averting potentially far greater loss of life
afghan national security forces effectively dealt with the situation and should
be commended said us general stanley mcchrystal commander of international
forces in afghanistan sentiment echoed by the nato chief
karzai declared that the afghan security forces which are set to stand on
their own within five years had brought the situation under control after
three hours
but the attack was highly symbolic as it struck the only part of afghanistan
controlled by local forces just as the western backed karzai was swearing in
ministers for his new cabinet
the taliban said tuesday the attack aimed to send several messages and was timed
to coincide with the cabinet swearing in ceremony
purported spokesman zabihullah mujahid told afp the attacks proved the
taliban can be bought off with money they wage jihad and heed the orders of
god
more troops are not the solution he said in an apparent reference to the
extra troops being deployed to afghanistan this year by the us and nato
to reinforce the international troops already fighting the taliban
seven of our people proved what we can do mujahid said
the attacks also sent message to the international community before the
london conference telling them that they have invested in an administration that
is not capable he said speaking by telephone from an unknown location
karzai is due to announce new reconciliation plan this week before major
international conference in london on january but monday attack cast doubt
on its chances for success
us defence secretary robert gates on monday said it was unlikely taliban leaders
would reconcile with afghanistan government though lower ranks those who
fight for cash rather than ideology might be open to making peace
amrullah saleh head of afghanistan intelligence agency the national
directorate for security said the taliban were not able to fight face to face
but he conceded terrorist attacks are phenomenon that unfortunately we will
be facing for long time
oil prices mixed as opec predicts modest demand growth
london jan afp
oil prices traded mixed on tuesday as opec forecast modest growth in world crude
demand this year and warned that prices would likely remain volatile over the
coming months
brent north sea crude for delivery in march fell cents to dollars
barrel in midday london trading
new york main contract light sweet crude for february delivery rose cents
to dollars barrel
the opec oil producers cartel on tuesday left unchanged its forecast for annual
oil demand growth
world oil demand in is forecast to grow by million barrels per day
bpd to average million bpd representing no major change from last
month the organization of petroleum exporting countries said in its january
report
nevertheless prices are likely to be particularly vulnerable to economic
developments during the upcoming low demand second quarter the report said
the persisting stock overhang low seasonal demand and start of refining
maintenance point to the need for continued caution over the coming months as
market volatility is expected to remain
opec member the united arab emirates on monday said it was comfortable with
current price levels
uae energy minister mohammad bin dhaen al hamli said world oil prices were very
reasonable at the moment
asked if he preferred prices to be in excess of dollars barrel he told
reporters on the sidelines of four day alternative energy forum in the uae
capital don like over and don like
oil prices jumped by around percent in as traders were heartened by
evidence that the battered global economy was on the mend with the eurozone
japan and the united states escaping fierce recession
however crude futures have struggled to make much headway in early as
economic data disappoints
investors are buying on this weakness in oil prices we ve seen in the last
few days national australia bank energy analyst ben westmore said on tuesday
investors are perceiving that the base levels are reasonably low given the
outlook for the global economy and the oil markets
at its last meeting in december the opec cartel warned of lingering weakness in
the world economy as it decided to keep crude output quotas unchanged
the international energy agency said last week that oil demand in would be
sluggish in the developed world with emerging markets accounting for any
increases
the agency left unchanged prior forecast of percent rise in global
demand this year to million barrels per day
iceland to hold icesave referendum on march officials
reykjavik jan afp
iceland will hold referendum on march on controversial compensation deal
for britain and the netherlands for the icesave bank collapse the government
said on tuesday
voting day for the national referendum on the future value of the law no
will be march the government said in its official agenda in
reference to the so called icesave bill
the bill narrowly approved by the icelandic parliament on december defines
the terms of the payout of billion euros billion dollars to london and
the hague for having compensated more than british and dutch savers who
lost money in the collapse of the icelandic bank
but president olafur ragnar grimsson refused to sign the bill into law earlier
this month referring the issue to referendum instead because of public
opposition
the payout has stirred up resentment among many ordinary icelanders hard hit by
their country financial meltdown in october
about people or quarter of the electorate have signed petition
protesting against the bill and calling for referendum on the issue
both the british and dutch governments initially reacted angrily to grimsson
decision to submit the bill to vote warning it could impact their support for
iceland ambitions to join the european union
but grimsson has said that international understanding for his position was
growing
recent polls have suggested that majority of icelanders would vote no to the
bill
the icelandic government which has staked its political future on the icesave
legislation has indicated in recent days that it would like to reopen talks
with britain and the netherlands in bid to avoid referendum
oil prices mixed as opec predicts modest demand growth
london jan afp
oil prices traded mixed on tuesday as opec forecast modest growth in world crude
demand this year and warned that prices would likely remain volatile over the
coming months
brent north sea crude for delivery in march fell cents to dollars
barrel in midday london trading
new york main contract light sweet crude for february delivery rose cents
to dollars barrel
the opec oil producers cartel on tuesday left unchanged its forecast for annual
oil demand growth
world oil demand in is forecast to grow by million barrels per day
bpd to average million bpd representing no major change from last
month the organization of petroleum exporting countries said in its january
report
nevertheless prices are likely to be particularly vulnerable to economic
developments during the upcoming low demand second quarter the report said
the persisting stock overhang low seasonal demand and start of refining
maintenance point to the need for continued caution over the coming months as
market volatility is expected to remain
opec member the united arab emirates on monday said it was comfortable with
current price levels
uae energy minister mohammad bin dhaen al hamli said world oil prices were very
reasonable at the moment
asked if he preferred prices to be in excess of dollars barrel he told
reporters on the sidelines of four day alternative energy forum in the uae
capital don like over and don like
oil prices jumped by around percent in as traders were heartened by
evidence that the battered global economy was on the mend with the eurozone
japan and the united states escaping fierce recession
however crude futures have struggled to make much headway in early as
economic data disappoints
investors are buying on this weakness in oil prices we ve seen in the last
few days national australia bank energy analyst ben westmore said on tuesday
investors are perceiving that the base levels are reasonably low given the
outlook for the global economy and the oil markets
at its last meeting in december the opec cartel warned of lingering weakness in
the world economy as it decided to keep crude output quotas unchanged
the international energy agency said last week that oil demand in would be
sluggish in the developed world with emerging markets accounting for any
increases
the agency left unchanged prior forecast of percent rise in global
demand this year to million barrels per day
debt ridden japan airlines declares bankruptcy
tokyo jan afp
japan airlines went bankrupt tuesday with billion dollars of debt in one of
the country biggest ever corporate failures beginning painful overhaul
involving more than job cuts
jal once proud flag carrier now worth less than jumbo jet reassured
passengers its flights would not be interrupted during the bankruptcy which is
similar to the process used to revive ailing us auto giant general motors
asia biggest airline which carries more than million passengers every
year will slash percent of its workforce and receive almost billion
dollars of public funds and emergency loans under three year turnaround plan
jal said it aimed to be reborn as leading airline group
but transport minister seiji maehara warned the government would not keep
bailing out jal indefinitely saying it would have pulled the plug on the group
if it were not such an important company
jal will have to fly on its own after three years he said looking to the
future for the aviation industry we have to determine if two mega carriers
should exist or not
japan top carrier has fared much worse than smaller rival all nippon airways
in recent years
its shares plunged to an all time low of just three yen three us cents at one
point earlier tuesday reducing the market value of the group to about
million dollars far less than even the cost of new boeing jumbo
the stock will be delisted from the tokyo stock exchange on february or
earlier move expected to wipe out shareholders investments
even so analysts said bankruptcy appeared to have been the best option
filing for bankruptcy protection was done in quick and transparent way and
this is positive for jal business outlook said mitsushige akino fund
manager at ichiyoshi investment management co
the approach of the four month old government contrasts with the approach of
previous conservative administrations which simply threw money at jal to keep
it afloat he said
jal made no announcement regarding its tie up talks with american airlines and
delta air lines which are in bidding war for slice of the japanese carrier
eyeing its lucrative asian landing slots
delta said it and the skyteam airline alliance fully support japan airlines and
stand ready to provide assistance and support in any way possible delta said
tuesday
american airlines issued statement saying jal bankruptcy would not affect
the japanese carrier current relationship with the oneworld alliance
the government has tapped kazuo inamori year old entrepreneur and ordained
buddhist monk to run the stricken airline during its overhaul replacing haruka
nishimatsu who resigned as president tuesday
inamori is one of japan most respected business executives and management
gurus having founded both electronic parts maker kyocera corp and company
that later became part of kddi corp now japan number two telecoms firm
the collapse of the carrier once pillar of japan inc has raised concerns
among japanese about the broader woes of their economy which is back in
deflation and set to be overtaken by china as the world number two
with jal bankruptcy people are becoming increasingly gloomy about the
economy hideharu seiyama year old regular jal passenger told afp at
tokyo haneda airport
jal carried the country on its back and it was known the government would foot
the bill so it was managed on the assumption it would never fail
jal went bust with debts of about trillion yen billion dollars
becoming one of the highest profile victims of japan long economic malaise
it is the country biggest ever bankruptcy outside the financial sector
the airline is expected to post massive operating loss of about billion
dollars in the current financial year to march according to the state backed
body overseeing its turnaround efforts
creditors will forgive billion yen of debt and the airline said it was
confident it could swiftly revitalise its business under the corporate
rehabilitation law japan version of chapter in the united states
the group has been hit hard by industry turbulence unleashed by the september
terror attacks in the united states the iraq war and the global
financial crisis as well as global health scares in the past decade
it aims to retire its gas guzzling boeing jumbo and switch to more
fuel efficient aircraft
france alarmed over anthrax tainted heroin in europe
paris jan afp
the french health ministry issued warning on tuesday after eight people died
and seven fell sick in two european countries from using heroin contaminated by
anthrax
since december there have been confirmed cases of anthrax among heroin
users in scotland and one in germany the ministry general directorate
for health dgs said in statement
eight people died it said the likeliest source is heroin contaminated by
anthrax spores
most of the casualties had injected the heroin but others also inhaled it or
smoked it
anthrax is potentially lethal bacterium that exists naturally in the soil and
can also occur among cattle it is also more notoriously potential bio
terror weapon
the ministry said the contaminated drug may also be circulating in france and
other european countries
there is no outward sign or colour enabling the user to tell whether the heroin
has been contaminated by anthrax and contaminated heroin dissolves or is used
in the same way as uncontaminated heroin it said
senate election pushes obama agenda to cliff edge
boston massachusetts jan afp
voters in massachusetts headed to the polls tuesday to decide on new us
senator and possibly the fate of president barack obama health care reform
and other ambitious domestic plans
the special election to fill the senate seat of the late democratic icon edward
kennedy could see republican scott brown score stunning upset against democrat
martha coakley in race she had been expected to easily win
the latest public policy polling survey conducted over the weekend gives brown
percent of the vote to coakley percent while poll commissioned by the
politico website showed the republican ahead percent to percent
yet another poll showed the two candidates neck and neck hinting at the
crucial role voter turnout might play on day when meteorologists forecast
snow for some parts of the state
the stakes are huge not so much for who will represent the northeastern state
but because brown victory would demolish the fragile supermajority democrats
hold in the senate enabling the party to override opposition to health care
reform and the rest of obama domestic agenda
with senate votes democrats are able to prevent republican filibusters and
push through legislation if the party ends up with only senators democrats
would need some republican support which they are unlikely to muster in the
current climate of rancorous partisan divide
evidence of the democrats alarm over the massachusetts election was evident
sunday as obama took time off from the haiti earthquake crisis and other
pressing issues to campaign in boston
he told noisy crowd of coakley supporters that the big initiatives of his
presidency health care clean energy and attempts to repair the damage from
last year financial meltdown are on the line
lot of these measures are going to rest on one vote in the united states
senate obama said that why the opponents of change and progress have been
pouring money in
incredibly obama faces this perilous situation just year after his january
inauguration when he made lofty promise of cross party cooperation
republicans who took drubbing during the presidential and general
election now believe they are poised for comeback while democrats are scared
about their prospects
most damaging of all to the democrats would be the collapse of their bogged down
health care reform plan the party says the health care bill is almost ready to
be passed in final vote but if that th senate vote is not there obama
landmark initiative could die
democrats are racing to draw up contingency plans for rapid passing of health
care bill in the event of losing the massachusetts seat but that would likely
provoke firestorm of republican complaints
republicans could start legal battle over the legitimacy politico reported
equally alarming for obama is the potential for this special election to herald
defeat in the nationwide mid term congressional elections in november
the president will try to regain some momentum when he addresses the nation on
january in his first state of the union address
especially troubling for democrats about the massachusetts poll is brown
popularity with independents crucial factor in many elections across the
country
registered democrats outnumber republicans three to one in massachusetts but
there are even more independents and public policy polling found that brown
leads percent to percent in that sector
also he is getting percent of the vote from people who backed obama in the
november presidential election while coakley is getting only four percent
of one time john mccain supporters
republican strategist bradley blakeman wrote on politico that if brown wins
then republicans will see the race as barometer of the storm that is coming
this fall for democrats throughout the country
the analytical rothenberg report said the result as usual in special elections
could depend on turnout and therefore is harder to predict
however the combination of public and private survey research and anecdotal
information now strongly suggests that republican scott brown will defeat
democrat martha coakley
insideradvantage which conducted the poll for politico claimed that coakley
was finished
actually think the bottom is falling out said insideradvantage ceo matt
towery think that this candidate is in freefall clearly this race is
imploding for her
in last minute bid to reverse that momentum coakley aired new tv campaign
ad monday featuring obama appearance on sunday in which he praised her
achievements that analysts said was aimed at getting the party base to come
out and vote
the white house insists that coakley can pull off victory and that health
care reform is safe
the plan to get health care passed is to continue to do what we re doing in
ironing out the differences between the house and senate spokesman robert
gibbs said sunday
said this on friday when was asked and ll say it on sunday on the ride
home we think martha coakley is going to win this race
european stocks drop as kraft buys cadbury
london jan afp
european stock markets fell tuesday as investors awaited key us results while
digesting downbeat german economic news and kraft friendly takeover of british
chocolate firm cadbury
markets also absorbed news that japan airlines filed for bankruptcy protection
on tuesday as it battled to overcome crippling debts
in midday european trade london benchmark ftse index of leading shares
fell percent to points
frankfurt dax slid percent to points and in paris the cac
handed back percent to points near the half way stage
the dj euro stoxx index of top eurozone shares shed percent to reach
investors decided to sit on the sidelines and sell out of their riskier
positions as cautionary move in case citigroup and ibm earnings disappoint
said analyst joshua raymond at spread betting firm city index
he added that investors remain little nervous having seen the market reaction
to disappointing credit losses at jp morgan last week and therefore we may see
little positive action from investors until the numbers come out
wall street reopens for business later tuesday following public holiday in the
united states on monday
back in london on tuesday cadbury said it had agreed to takeover from us
giant kraft worth around billion pounds creating world leader in food
and confectionery
the pair announced in statement that cadbury management had agreed to
takeover worth pence per share valuing the group at the equivalent of
billion euros or billion dollars
in response the share price of british confectioner cadbury rallied
percent to pence
the combined group will provide large cost savings and create global market
leader with annual sales totalling more than million dollars they added
in the foreign exchange market meanwhile the euro slid against the dollar on
tuesday in reaction to news of drop in sentiment among investors in germany
europe biggest economy traders said
german investor sentiment fell for fourth month running in january as europe
biggest economy braced for burdensome and long recovery the zew economic
