the bbc which did not cite its source said kraft might hike its offer to
between and pence share adding that at pence cadbury would be
valued at around billion pounds
cadbury spokeswoman refused to comment further on tuesday while kraft was
unavailable for comment
cadbury created in birmingham central england in is the world
second biggest confectionery company behind mars its leading brands include
dairy milk chocolate and trident chewing gum
kraft the world second biggest snacks group after nestle makes numerous
well known products including dairylea cheese milka and toblerone chocolate and
oreo cookies
israel confident of joining oecd
jerusalem jan afp
israeli finance minister yuval steinitz on tuesday expressed confidence the
jewish state would join the oecd this year even though certain corruption issues
have yet to be resolved
things are going well steinitz said in remarks to public radio that coincided
with visit by angel gurria secretary general of the organisation for economic
cooperation and development oecd
the visit by the secretary general symbolises the fact that is decisive
year for our integration our chances appear to be good steinitz said when
asked if international criticism of last year gaza offensive could delay
israel entry into the member organisation
it is important for us to join the oecd the most prestigious organisation from
an economic point of view but also because of our international status he
said
but he acknowledged some issues were still outstanding and that it was possible
israel would join with some technical issues still to be resolved on the
implementation of anti corruption measures
in december report the oecd said israel should be more proactive in
detecting investigating and prosecuting foreign bribery cases notably those
involving the defence industry
israeli foreign minister avigdor lieberman and gurria were to sign on tuesday an
agreement regulating the immunities and rights granted to missions of both
parties
gurria was also due to meet prime minister benjamin netanyahu central bank
governor stanley fischer and other top officials during his two day visit
israeli officials expect to join the oecd which seeks to coordinate economic
policies among the world leading industrialised nations within months three
years after the start of the membership process in may
japan upholds death sentence for doomsday cult member
tokyo jan afp
japan supreme court on tuesday rejected an appeal against death sentence for
senior member of the doomsday cult behind the deadly sarin nerve gas
attack on the tokyo subway
the ruling means tomomitsu niimi will be the th member of the aum supreme
truth cult who will face execution after exhausting all legal appeals three
others are awaiting verdicts on appeals against their death sentences
the supreme court upheld the death sentence handed down by two lower courts
against niimi who was convicted on counts including the subway attack that
killed people and the murders of lawyer his wife and their baby
niimi who was involved in the deaths of total of people including other
killings by the cult and his lawyers had contended that he simply followed the
orders of aum leader shoko asahara in the series of crimes
fifteen years since the attack niimi still worships aum leader asahara
whose real name is chizuo matsumoto making prayers in his cell jiji press
said asahara is on death row for the gas attack and other crimes
the bearded guru was revered as god by his sect which preached blend of
buddhist and hindu dogma mixed with apocalyptic visions he was obsessed with
nazi invented sarin gas and paranoid his enemies would attack him with it
japan usually carries out the death penalty only in cases of multiple homicide
no convicts have been executed since centre left government took power last
september ending more than five decades of nearly unbroken conservative rule
hong kong shares percent higher
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares rose percent on tuesday as dealers moved to pick up
bargains following earlier losses while fears eased over possible monetary
tightening by beijing
the benchmark hang seng index rose points to turnover was
billion hong kong dollars billion us
and chinese shares added percent with the shanghai composite index which
covers both and shares up points to on turnover of
billion yuan billion dollars
celebrations muted as japan us security pact turns
tokyo jan afp
japan and the united states on tuesday marked the th anniversary of one of the
cold war defining security pacts but an unprecedented level of mistrust
between the allies kept celebrations muted
no major state events or ceremonies were planned in tokyo to mark the milestone
treaty in which the former world war ii adversaries in stood united
against communist russia and china
half century on the alliance has been strained since centre left government
took power in tokyo four months ago vowing more equal ties with washington
after more than five decades of almost unbroken conservative rule
the government has signalled new embrace of japan pacifist stance and
announced review of key agreements governing the often unpopular us military
presence in japan where american troops are now based
prime minister yukio hatoyama last week ended naval refuelling mission that
has backed us led forces engaged in afghanistan since and has announced
review of pact on the relocation of major us airbase
us president barack obama administration has repeatedly asked japan new
leaders to stick by the original agreement under which new marine corps
airbase would be built on the southern island of okinawa by
despite the row both sides praised the treaty signed on january which
strengthened pact allowing us forces to be stationed in japan while
providing for the nation defence under the us nuclear umbrella
in joint statement by their foreign and defence ministers both countries
called the treaty indispensable and the anchor of regional stability
secretary of state hillary clinton in video message on the us embassy website
said that although the world has changed greatly over the past years this
alliance is no less critical today than it was in
she added the united states is committed to strengthening this partnership as
we embark on this new century am confident that our alliance will adapt
thrive and be even stronger in the years and decades ahead
hatoyama said it was thanks to the pact that japan has maintained peace while
respecting freedom and democracy and enjoyed economic development in that
environment since the end of the last world war to this day
he said he plans to further deepen the us japan alliance in order to adapt
to the evolving environment of the st century would like to present the
people of japan with the results of this work before the end of this year
the anniversary was marked by naval ceremony with sailors from both
countries led by japan naval commander vice admiral masahiko sugimoto and
rear admiral richard wren commander of us naval forces in japan
but no japanese politicians or diplomats and no us officials or embassy staff
attended the event at yokosuka port us base southwest of tokyo
the two countries can celebrate this occasion in big way because it is
unclear how japan wants to change the alliance said tetsuro kato political
science professor at hitotsubashi university they couldn say anything more
than to confirm that the past years were good
us ambassador john roos said the treaty remains important because of new
challenges to both sides citing north korea ballistic missile and nuclear
programmes and the lack of transparency in china military buildup
writing in the asahi shimbun he noted that japan benefits from the assistance
of us forces in its defence and is able to spend far less on its own defence as
percentage of gdp than any other state in the region
dozens of homes flooded after heavy rains in gaza
gaza city jan afp
dozens of homes and farms south of gaza city were inundated by flood waters
overnight as heavy rains drenched parts of the middle east palestinian
officials and witnesses said on tuesday
the rising waters flooded some homes in wadi gaza farming area south of
gaza city mostly inhabited by bedouins as islamist hamas run security forces
worked through monday night to evacuate residents they said
the flooding cut off roads linking gaza city to the south of the impoverished
territory for several hours and an afp reporter said bridge was washed away
as waters rose to three metres more than nine feet in places
at least people were injured in the flooding according to dr muawiya
hassanein the head of gaza emergency services
mohammed al agha agriculture minister in the hamas run government in gaza
warned of humanitarian disaster
the flooding of wadi gaza endangers the lives of citizens because there are
built up homes farmlands and livestock pens that are completely flooded he
said
yussef al mansi the housing and public works minister said the government had
declared state of emergency in the area
the infrastructure of the impoverished territory of million people has been
strained by israeli border closures tightened after hamas seized power in
that prevent the import of most construction materials and spare parts
on monday one person was killed and another went missing after their jeep was
swept away by flash floods in israel southern negev desert
the deluge came as the jewish state the israeli occupied west bank the gaza
strip and other parts of the eastern mediterranean experienced unusually heavy
winter storms
thailand extends emergency rule in south
bangkok jan afp
thailand extended nearly five year state of emergency in the troubled muslim
majority south on tuesday as bomb attack by suspected insurgents blew off
senior soldier legs
prime minister abhisit vejjajiva said his cabinet had renewed emergency rule in
the kingdom southernmost provinces bordering malaysia for further three
months until april
but he said he would push at meeting of the national security council next
month for the imposition of law granting an amnesty to islamist militants in
the south and their sympathisers
more than people have died since shadowy separatist militants launched an
insurgency in the region in january emergency rule was imposed in
mid
suspected rebels detonated roadside bomb with mobile phone signal as
military truck escorting teachers passed by in yala province early tuesday
wounding four soldiers security officials said
the captain of the teacher protection unit lost both legs in the blast and
another of the troops was also seriously wounded they said
the militants in the impoverished south often target teachers deeming them
symbol of the bangkok government efforts to impose buddhist culture on the
predominantly muslim region
rights groups have however blamed the continued state of emergency for
encouraging culture of impunity for alleged rights abuses by the security
forces
hong kong gold closes higher
hong kong jan afp
hong kong gold closed higher tuesday at us dollars an ounce
up from monday close of us dollars
it also opened at dollars
un chief seeks reinforcements for un mission in haiti
united nations jan afp
the security council was expected tuesday to approve request for extra
un troops and police to be deployed to haiti amid scenes of lawlessness on the
streets of the stricken capital port au prince
un secretary general ban ki moon called for his organization battered
peacekeeping mission to haiti to be reinforced as he briefed the council
member states on six hour visit to the haitian capital
ban said he had requested that the un mission known as minustah which had
its headquarters destroyed in the january earthquake be considerably
beefed up
recommended that the security council boost the number of troops by
nearly percent increase for six months and that the number of un police
officers should rise by or percent he said
diplomats said the council would meet tuesday morning to adopt draft
resolution to that effect proposed by the united states
copy of the text obtained by afp endorsed ban reinforcement request and
said minustah will consist of military component of up to troops of
all ranks and of police component of up to
french amabssador gerard araud said the security council would also have to
examine minustah mandate in the near future to see what is necessary to
adjust it to the new situation
he noted that paris had proposed an international conference on rebuilding the
haitian economy and said the talks should ideally be held in march after
preparatory meeting in montreal scheduled for monday
alain leroy head of un peacekeeping operations said the extra troops would be
used to build humanitarian corridors to link port au prince with the neighboring
dominican republic and northern haitian port
the haitian capital main port was heavily damaged in tuesday quake and
will require weeks if not months of repairs
the extra minustah troops would also serve as reserve force in case the
security situation deteriorates leroy said
extra police would include forensic experts and prison officers including more
than to deal with detainees who escaped leroy said their mission
would generally be to back up the haitian police
leroy said the dominican republic had agreed to dispatch battalion of
troops for arrival as early as this week and that other countries notably from
latin america and the european union were considering offers
he also addressed the sensitive issue of coordination between minustah and the
some troops being deployed by the united states
leroy said there was clear division of labor with minustah in charge of
general security in haiti and the us troops there to secure their huge
humanitarian operation
susana malcorra head of the un department of field support logistics
stressed the need to open up alternative aid routes to the badly damaged and
overrun port au prince airport the main entry point for international aid
the un mission in haiti has roughly troops police and about
civilian personnel
it has been deployed since mid to help stabilize the impoverished caribbean
island nation of nine million people where officials fear the final death toll
could soar above
quarter of million more were injured and million left homeless in the
wake of the magnitude quake
the disaster was also the worst yet in terms of fatalities for the un and ban
spokesman martin nesirky said un personnel were now confirmed dead and more
than missing or unaccounted for
the heartbreaking things saw yesterday compel us to act swiftly and
generously ban said
the un chief said he got clear message from his encounter with haitians who
told him we need the united nations we need jobs we need food and water
he said the priority was to improve the coordination of the massive
international relief effort and unclog the bottlenecks to make sure that the aid
was reaching the people who needed it most
ban late sunday flew back from port au prince with the remains of his special
envoy to haiti hedi annabi and his brazilian deputy luiz carlos da costa both
killed in the quake
the un boss made the morale boosting visit to the haitian capital to show
solidarity with haitian quake victims and shell shocked local un staff
he visited the flattened minustah headquarters to praise the work of some
rescue workers battling to save as many lives as possible and to offer comfort
to the staff
guinea heads for delicate political transition
dakar jan afp
guinea is entering delicate transition due to end within six months with the
first democratic presidential elections since now that junta chief moussa
dadis camara has bowed out
after more than half century of autocratic regimes initially civilian and
then military the west african country has historic chance to take big step
towards democracy under an accord signed in burkina faso last week
but the challenges to be overcome notably how to get the military back into
barracks call for prudence
after the long reign of ahmed sekou toure the father of
independence who turned from progressive leader to bloody dictator the army
took power under general lansana conte
camara mounted new coup on conte death on december but was shot
and seriously wounded by his aide de camp less than year later
it the number one problem because the army is not republican thierno
maadjou sow president of the guinean organisation for the defence of human
rights ogdh told afp within the armed forces groups are instruments at the
service of the authorities and they don want to quit
the plan agreed in burkina faso capital ouagadougou on friday provides for
camara continued convalescence abroad pending elections within six months
it also stipulates that the authorities during the transition junta members and
active personnel in the defence and security forces can play no part in the
planned election
but the mention of active personnel implies that soldiers who have left the
army can be candidates
the accord mediated by burkina faso president blaise compaore needs to bind
an army which though it has remained the backbone of successive regimes is
riven with deep divisions that are political ethnic and between young and old
the second challenge is what to do with camara who is currently in burkina faso
following treatment for his wounds in morocco the ouagadougou accord stipulates
that he will remain in convalescence and on sunday he confirmed need to
rest thus sustained convalescence
but he added am free to spend the convalescence where like in the same
hesitant speech after calling for calm among his supporters he said will
be among you soon
camara appeared thin speaking with difficulty and had long scar on the
right hand side of his skull following the attempt on his life general sekouba
konate took over as head of the junta
among others camara has been named by un inquiry panel as suspect in the
massacre of more than opposition demonstrators during rally in conakry
stadium on september which plunged guinea into crisis
the united nations has accused troops who also injured hundreds of others and
raped women and young girls of crimes against humanity
in october the prosecutor office at the international criminal court in the
hague opened preliminary investigation to decide whether crimes within its
remit had been committed
the other main problem is how to organise free and fair polls as provided for
in the ouagadougou accord within just six months in the past all elections
presidential and parliamentary have been strongly challenged or even boycotted
by the opposition
the ouagadougou accord provides for revision of the electoral rolls but sow
said six months is bit short there are so many problems and challenges
the timing also means that the vote could come right in the middle of the rainy
season which would lead to logistical difficulties
moreover in the provinces senior administrative officials such as governors
district administrators and their deputies are in the hands of the
authorities according to sow we need to change all the personnel but where
to find the men and who is going to choose them he asked
yemen needs help of tribes to win battle against qaeda
sanaa jan afp
yemen has launched new campaign to eradicate al qaeda but the government will
need the cooperation of the country powerful tribes if it has any hope of
winning the war analysts say
unlike pakistan with tribal zone that is virtually off limits to the
central government yemen is an impoverished country where tribes and their
influence are omnipresent
except for the coastal plains and in major cities where immigration and greater
contact with the outside world have diluted their influence the rest of yemen
is largely the fief of various tribes
and the central government has never really tried to extend its power to any
significant degree to the mountains plateaus and deserts in the interior
western diplomat in sanaa said the tribal structure is so much historic part
of yemen fabric that the central government modern invention has chosen
to graft itself on to that structure by means of permanent negotiation
effectively you have two powers superimposed said the diplomat who asked
not to be named
but tribal power which is more influential and more powerful in certain areas
has the ability to act that is immeasurably stronger than the state he said
the mountains and the plateaus are ruled by tribes with warring history
heavily armed and capable of mobilising thousands of fighters that the security
forces would not want to take on
but this does not mean the two sides are permanently at odds
since its foundation the yemeni state has played the tribal card explained
french anthropologist franck mermier with tribal sheikhs recognised as part of
the system
they are paid salaries given gifts many of them are deputies in parliament
their sons or nephews are officers in the army or the police the idea of
setting the state against the tribes makes no sense in yemen
hamid alawadhi head of the humanities faculty at the university of sanaa
expanded on that
in the tribal zones it is possible for the state to intervene but it always
prefers to go through the tribal chief in places the presence of the state is
purely symbolic the sheikhs run the place
when the government is hunting suspected criminal or an al qaeda militant it
contacts the dominant tribe in the area where the person is thought to be
hiding
if the tribe is not prepared to cooperate there is little that can be done
but mohammed saleh al zihadi member of tribe in dhamar south of sanaa
said we work very well with the state many of our members are in the police
which makes things much easier and in the army sons brothers cousins
in sign of possible change the head of yemen security services who is
nephew of president ali abdullah saleh on sunday issued clear warning to
tribes harbouring al qaeda suspects
we broadly tell citizens in the concerned regions that they should not accept
the presence of al qaeda elements amongst them said general yahya saleh
if the tribes accept the presence of al qaeda despite the warnings that we put
out on television newspapers and radio then they are doing it with the full
knowledge of the facts they have been warned he told afp
on december and yemeni planes raided suspected sites of al qaeda in the
arabian peninsula aqap along with suspected militants dozens of local
civilians were also killed
if an al qaeda militant is granted the hospitality of tribe it is rarely for
ideological reasons but rather because one of them with comrades has sought
refuge among his own people
tribal leader sheikh arfaj hamad bin hadhban said the war on al qaeda was the
central government business not that of the tribes
at the same time he said the tribe is not going to hand over someone simply
because he happens to be suspected militant whether he is member of the
tribe or not
first his guilt has to be established
this al qaeda business because of its international dimension is outside the
framework of tribal customs he said referring to the custom of providing
hospitality to anyone even to one enemies if they are in your home
central security chief saleh has more cynical view
if some tribes aid or protect al qaeda it is usually because some members of
the tribe are part of the network or because terrorist has married woman
from the tribe or because they have been paid by al qaeda he said
yemen is not afghanistan nor pakistan where the jihad holy war ideology is
strong here the tribes are always on the side of the one who pays according
to their interests
they could sell an al qaeda man from one day to the next
saleh is not in favour of forming tribal anti qaeda militia along the lines
of the american backed sunni awakening movement in iraq created to fight the
terror network
such measures would be very dangerous in yemen if you do so the tribes
would hand us presumed al qaeda militants in their hundreds just for money it
would be very easy but hardly efficient
qaeda hunt in yemen is government job tribal leader
sanaa jan afp
yemeni tribal leader sheikh arfaj hamad bin hadhban says he can field
fighters with just about everything but tanks and planes but that the war on
al qaeda is the central government business
sheikh arfaj president of the bakil tribal confederation council told afp in
an interview that we are not state functionaries whose job it is to track down
al qaeda suspects the state has its own security services who can carry out
that mission
but at the same time he also says the tribe is not going to hand over to the
government anyone simply because he happens to be suspected al qaeda militant
whether he be member of the tribe or not
first his guilt has to be proven he says
if the guilt of the suspect is proven then we will do what we can to ensure
that the rendition is done as peacefully as possible if that is not possible
we will remove them because this al qaeda business because of its international
dimension is outside the framework of tribal customs
he was referring to the custom of providing hospitality to anyone even one
enemies if they are in your home
the bottom line on this in sheikh arfaj view is that the central
government writ applies only in sanaa in other major cities and along the
coast elsewhere it is tribal law and justice that prevails whatever the
government might want
and the bakil are the biggest tribe in the country spread out over some two
thirds of the map and representing around percent of yemen total
population president ali abdullah saleh comes from the second largest tribe
the hashid
sheikh arfaj sunni comes from the dahm branch of the bakil which is
concentrated in the north of the country in al jawf and saada provinces the
latter the base of shiite rebels battling the government
he says in that area there are probably no more than dozen al qaeda militants
who pop up briefly before being eclipsed for long periods of time
he also points to the saada locality of wadi al abu jabara which he says has
been rendez vous point for al qaeda militants for years
its members meet there then they disperse we are aware of them and we advise
the leaders of the tribes there to intervene and put them on the right path in
life
sheikh arfaj insists with respect to al qaeda that we do not accept them but
he says he understands why they have succeeded in taking root in yemen
one reason is what he considers the unnecessarily violent government campaign to
eradicate the group that has resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians
al qaeda is also strengthened in the popular mind because of palestine the
west policy of double standards toward this question is benefiting al qaeda
in the end sheikh arfaj hardline stance on tribal law trumping the wishes and
demands of the central government outside the capital could set the stage for
serious confrontation
on sunday the head of yemen central security general yahya saleh warned the
country tribes that if they harbour suspected members of al qaeda they could
face dire consequences
we broadly tell citizens in the concerned regions that they should not accept
the presence of al qaeda elements amongst them said saleh who is the nephew
of the president
if the tribes accept the presence of al qaeda despite the warnings that we put
out on television newspapers and radio then they are doing it with the full
knowledge of the facts they have been warned he told afp
saleh did not say what consequences might result but on december and
yemeni planes carried out raids against suspected sites of al qaeda in the
arabian peninsula aqap not only were suspected militants killed but also
dozens of tribal civilians living in the vicinity
yemen has stepped up its campaign against al qaeda militants based in the
country after aqap claimed responsibility for the failed bomb attack on us
airliner on christmas day
venezuela seizes three banks orders two others closed
caracas jan afp
venezuela firebrand leader hugo chavez seized three banks and ordered two
other financial institutions closed monday as the country reeled from
currency devaluation he hopes will improving cratering state finances
in order to guarantee healthy national banking and financial system the
board has decided to intervene with regard to the following firms
inverunion banco comercial banco del sol and mi casa banking regulator
sudeban said in statement
the closures come despite warnings that now regular business seizures could
further spook foreign investors and undermine chavez efforts to put state
revenues on solid footing
the nationalization of eight small and medium sized institutions last year
prompted fears of run on the country banks as investors moved to withdraw
funds it also sparked dip in venezuelan bonds and the country currency in
free trading
the banking regulator defended monday move as boost to the sector
stability claiming the three seized banks were facing serious administrative
and managerial problems that resulted in insufficient liquidity to cover their
short term obligations
sudeban also closed down investment bank baninvest and banco real banco de
desarrollo due to inefficient operations and announced that the banks
clients would not have immediate access to their deposits
the government currently controls around percent of the banking sector
largely due to the purchase of the banco de venezuela from the spain santander
group in
venezuela national assembly on december passed banking reform law giving
the state more power to regulate the sector move that coincided with chavez
drive to revamp national finances with an eye on legislative elections next
year observers said
supporters of chavez had faced tough fight at the polls as the government saw
its ability to woo supporters with popular spending programs curbed by
evaporating state revenue
in an effort to increase oil revenue chavez earlier this month announced the
bolivar would trade at against the dollar for non essential goods
double the previous rate and rate of bolivars against the dollar for
basic goods
the venezuelan military then moved to shutter firms including european
backed supermarket amid panic buying by customers who feared imminent price
hikes
the currency move is already being felt by firms exporting to venezuela
goodyear us tire company on monday said the devaluation would cost it
million dollars in the first three months of this year
senate election pushes obama agenda to cliff edge
boston massachusetts jan afp
voters in massachusetts decide on new senator tuesday and possibly the fate
