reed otar japaridze geo ramona elsener florian roost sui
nikki georgiadis graham hockley gre oksana klimova sasha
palomaki fin lesia valadzenkava vitali vakunov blr
withdrew virginiya hoptman pavel filchenkov aze
in saudi erdogan voices support for palestinians
riyadh jan afp
turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan expressed support for the
palestinians and called on saudi businessmen to invest in his country during
trip to the middle eastern oil giant
there is nothing more natural than for turkey to show concern for the
palestinians and gaza not because we are muslim but because we are humans he
told meeting of businessmen in the saudi capital
would we not send aid to haiti because they are christian he added on the
first full day of his visit to the kingdom according to the turkish anatolia
news agency
meanwhile erdogan urged meeting of the riyadh chamber of commerce 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
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
us tech sector job cuts highest since report
washington jan afp
the number of job cuts in the us technology sector rose for the second year in
row last year hitting the highest level since according to report
released on tuesday
chicago based consultancy firm challenger gray amp christmas inc said
however that sharp downward trend in the number of job cuts in the second
half of the year offers hope of turnaround in
challenger said the technology sector which includes computer electronics and
telecommunications firms announced planned job cuts last year
the total was percent higher than the job cuts announced in
it said and the most since when tech sector employers announced
job cuts
the firm said the pace of job cuts slowed as the year went on there were
job cuts between january and june and in the last six months of
the year
challenger said the job cuts announced by the technology sector accounted for
percent of the million job cuts announced across all industries last
year
it said electronics firms announced layoffs up percent from the
previous year computer firms cut jobs about the same as in and
the number of job cuts by telecoms firms fell percent to
the recession impact on the tech sector was inescapable said challenger
chief executive john challenger even with the economy showing some nascent
signs of recovery beginning the second half of year many companies are holding
off on investments in new technology
it going to be slow climb out of this recession but computer and
electronics firms should be among the first to see the turnaround as companies
try to postpone hiring by achieving productivity gains through technology
icrc to retry haiti aid distribution after halt over tensions
geneva jan afp
the international red cross said it hoped to resume distribution of relief items
in part of haiti capital port au prince on tuesday after it was forced to
suspend distribution day before amid tension
team which was in charge of the distribution of non food items such as
kitchen utensils had to withdraw due to intense tension in the delmas district
in north east port au prince marcal izard an international committee of the
red cross spokesman said in geneva
the team will try again today he added
riccardo conti who manages icrc operations in haiti said the tensions were
understandable given the extremely difficult situation people who have lost
everything find themselves in
on monday the icrc which was carrying out aid work in port au prince before
the quake said that violence and looting were on the rise there
the united nations noted that while there was looting and violence most
security incidents have been reported from areas that were categorized as high
risk prior to the earthquake said elisabeth byrs spokeswoman for the un
office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs
citi caps year of red ink with big quarterly loss
new york jan afp
citigroup said tuesday it suffered net loss of billion dollars in the
final quarter of capping another year in red ink as the battered financial
giant struggled to emerge from the financial crisis
the fourth quarter result amounted to loss of cents share and was in line
with forecast by wall street analysts
the beleaguered global bank full year loss in was billion dollars
much lower than the hefty billion dollars suffered in when the
collapse of rival us investment bank lehman brothers highlighted the worst
financial crisis in decades
citigroup said its fourth quarter revenues were billion dollars or
billion dollars excluding repayment of government bailout loan down from
billion dollars in the prior quarter
citigroup was the last of the major money center banks operating in the shadow
of us government bailout of financial institutions whose foundations were
shaken by the crisis arising from home mortgage meltdown
the government injected total of billion dollars in the firm once the
world biggest banking group
last month citigroup repaid some billion dollars to the government by
repurchasing preferred shares from us treasury investment in the company
through the troubled asset relief program tarp massive billion dollar
effort to stabilize the financial system
but the government still holds major stake in citi from having converted some
of its investment to common shares
troubled loans remain concern for citigroup
it said tuesday that provision for loan losses in the fourth quarter was
billion dollars down percent from the prior year and percent from the
previous quarter
despite the losses chief executive vikram pandit said the banking group had
made enormous progress in
it was our responsibility to get our own house in order he said citing
series of steps that improved capital strength reduced company size and staff
refocused business strategy and overhauled risk management that cut costs by
over billion dollars annually
as we enter we are strongly capitalized significantly more efficient
and are executing on clear strategy that is focused on clients said pandit
two tumultous years at the helm
pandit said that in the near term the company would continue to focus on
sustainable profitability and growth and supporting the global economic
recovery
john gerspach citigroup chief financial officer said although the company
remained cautious and continued to monitor the future impacts of its loss
mitigation efforts there were indications that credit may be stabilizing or
improving particularly in asia and latin america
even though earnings lived up to expectations wall street punished citigroup
stock pulling it down percent to dollars as at gmt
market sentiment for most other financial stocks was also dampened
the financial sector weakness primarily stems from disappointment with
citigroup which posted another quarterly loss though it was in line with
expectations analysts at briefing com said in note to clients
today citigroup stepped to the plate and failed to lift sentiment with its
report said briefing com patrick hare
last week jpmorgan chase opened the us earnings season for banks quadrupling
its fourth quarter net earnings to billion dollars and doubling its profits
for the full year to billion dollars
its chief executive jamie dimon said he was gratified by the results but
lamented consumer credit costs remained high
montreal talks must pledge to rebuild haiti canada fm
ottawa jan afp
haiti donors gathering in montreal next week must win an international
commitment to build new haiti out of the rubble of devastating quake
canada top diplomat said tuesday
immediate needs of haitians are being addressed such as food water shelter
infrastructure port and airport as well as communications canadian foreign
minister lawrence cannon told press conference
but we need to move beyond reconstruction to build new haiti he said
echoing earlier remarks by prime minister stephen harper
the january meeting of foreign ministers and other key players is to be
chaired by cannon and will set the agenda for future leaders summit on haiti
reconstruction
the meeting will serve to establish clear and common vision among the key
partners involved in relief efforts in haiti said cannon
with robust agenda to guide us the conference will address coordinating
priorities governance capacity building needs as identified by the government
of haiti and set the program centres for any future leaders reconstruction
conference
the conference is supported by haiti prime minister and others including us
secretary of state hillary clinton brazilian foreign minister celso amorim and
french foreign minister bernard kouchner
cannon said he expects argentina chile costa rica the european union mexico
the organization of american states peru and the united nations to keep up
their aid efforts in haiti
we must stand ready to further contribute police and security forces as soon as
the minustah signals conditions allow this he added referring to the un
peacekeeping force in haiti
obama calls for renewing alliance with japan
washington jan afp
president barack obama called tuesday for renewing and bolstering the us
japanese alliance as both countries marked the th anniversary of security
pact at time of increasing mistrust
obama hailed the benefits of the treaty of mutual cooperation and security
signed in washington on january even as new center left government
reviews key agreements governing the us military presence in japan
america commitment to japan security is unshakable and our cooperation
to meet common challenges is critical part of our engagement with the world
obama said in statement distributed by the white house
and just as we honor the countless americans and japanese who have built the
ties that bind our nations we also look to the future with determination to
build upon the foundation of their progress he said
obama highlighted the treaty role in supporting regional security and
prosperity and strengthening our two democracies
half century on the alliance has been strained since center 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 signaled 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 refueling mission that has
backed us led forces engaged in afghanistan since and has announced
review of pact on the relocation of major us airbase
the 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
death sentence to be reconsidered for ex black panther
washington jan afp
the us supreme court ordered tuesday lower court to reconsider its decision
not to execute ex black panther mumia abu jamal for murdering philadelphia
police officer in
the judgment is vacated and the case is remanded to the united states court of
appeals the highest court in the united states said in its ruling
the death penalty sentence of black panther turned human rights campaigner abu
jamal was overturned in march after his conviction for the murder of
police officer daniel faulkner
three member pennsylvania appeals court voted two to one to overturn the
former radio journalist death sentence automatically commuting his sentence
to life in prison
but the us supreme court order new court review of the case following an
appeal by prosecutors and decision last week in separate case in the state
of ohio in which the death penalty verdict against another inmate was upheld
abu jamal has always claimed his innocence while on death row for some years
while in prison he has become leading crusader against the death penalty
abu jamal was serving as the president of the philadelphia association of black
journalists at the time of his arrest he was founding member of the
philadelphia chapter of the black panther party as teenager
the black panther party was leftist african american organization from the
and established to promote black power and self defense
un agrees to send extra troops police to haiti
united nations jan afp
the security council voted unanimously tuesday to send extra un troops and
police to quake hit haiti to help maintain order and protect humanitarian
convoys amid scenes of lawlessness in the stricken capital port au prince
the member security council recognizing the dire circumstances and urgent
need for response endorsed reinforcement request made by un secretary
general ban ki moon on monday
the resolution decided that the un mission in haiti minustah which had its
headquarters destroyed in the january quake will consist of military
component of up to troops of all ranks and of police component of up to
china un ambassador zhang yesui the council chair this month said the extra
troops and police would be deployed for period of six months
the council vote came exactly week after the earthquake struck the
impoverished caribbean nation of nine million people killing at least
according to the haitian government while the world body confirmed the deaths of
at least staffers with more than missing
am grateful to to the security council for its swift action ban told
reporters adding that the council sent clear signal that the world is with
haiti
we must do all we can to get these extra forces on the ground as soon as
possible so that they can help maintain order and deliver humanitarian
assistance he added
ban briefed the council monday on his six hour visit to port au prince sunday
during which he was able to witness the extensive devastation and express
solidarity with quake victims and shell shocked un staff
our chief priority is to get the relief distribution in port au prince fully
operational so that we may more efficiently distribute supplies food water
medicines tents the un boss said
ban call came amid fears that survivors desperation over the slow pace of aid
could spill over into widespread violence in country that has long running
security troubles
thousands of homeless haitians were prey to roving bands of looters swarming
through the ruins of port au prince with police and military officials tasked
with protecting the vulnerable populace nowhere to be found
monday french ambassador 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 monday the extra troops
would be used to protect humanitarian convoys and build aid corridors linking
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 curently has roughly troops police and
about civilian personnel
it has been deployed since mid to help stabilize the impoverished nation
which was the already poorest in the americas prior to the earthquake
un agrees to send extra troops police to haiti
united nations jan afp
the security council voted unanimously tuesday to send extra un troops and
police to quake hit haiti to help maintain order and protect humanitarian
convoys amid scenes of lawlessness in the stricken capital port au prince
the member security council recognizing the dire circumstances and urgent
need for response endorsed reinforcement request made by un secretary
general ban ki moon on monday
the resolution decided that the un mission in haiti minustah which had its
headquarters destroyed in the january quake will consist of military
component of up to troops of all ranks and of police component of up to
china un ambassador zhang yesui the council chair this month said the extra
troops and police would be deployed for period of six months
the council vote came exactly week after the earthquake struck the
impoverished caribbean nation of nine million people killing at least
according to the haitian government while the world body confirmed the deaths of
at least staffers with more than missing
am grateful to to the security council for its swift action ban told
reporters adding that the council sent clear signal that the world is with
haiti
we must do all we can to get these extra forces on the ground as soon as
possible so that they can help maintain order and deliver humanitarian
assistance he added
ban briefed the council monday on his six hour visit to port au prince sunday
during which he was able to witness the extensive devastation and express
solidarity with quake victims and shell shocked un staff
our chief priority is to get the relief distribution in port au prince fully
operational so that we may more efficiently distribute supplies food water
medicines tents the un boss said
ban call came amid fears that survivors desperation over the slow pace of aid
could spill over into widespread violence in country that has long running
security troubles
thousands of homeless haitians were prey to roving bands of looters swarming
through the ruins of port au prince with police and military officials tasked
with protecting the vulnerable populace nowhere to be found
monday french ambassador 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 monday the extra troops
would be used to protect humanitarian convoys and build aid corridors linking
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 curently has roughly troops police and
about civilian personnel
it has been deployed since mid to help stabilize the impoverished nation
which was the already poorest in the americas prior to the earthquake
nearly die in fresh nigeria religious clashes
kano nigeria jan afp
new clashes between christians and muslims in the nigerian city of jos left
nearly dead senior muslim cleric and paramedic said tuesday
state authorities placed the city under hour curfew and terrified residents
reported gunshots and smoke billowing from parts of the plateau state capital in
central nigeria all flights to the city were suspended aviation sources said
the fighting broke out at the weekend over the building of new mosque jos has
been hotbed of sectarian tensions in recent years with hundreds killed
most bodies from the latest clashes were taken to the city central mosque
according to its head balarabe dawud we received dead bodies this morning
and another this afternoon dawud said
he said at least people had been wounded of whom had been taken to
military hospitals with serious injuries
fighting spread to bukuru on the outskirts of jos during the day leaving
another three dead and injured paramedic maryam mohammed said at clinic
there
dawud said the jos central mosque had run out of medical supplies to treat the
injured even neighbourhood private clinics are full with the injured normally
these are the places we would have gone to for supplies but they are also in
need of them he said
mosque employee mohammed shittu told afp that the mosque is full with the
injured and the dead
announcing the extension of weekend curfew state information commissioner
gregory yenlong told afp all residents are hereby directed to stay indoors as
security agents work towards restoring peace
david maiyaki christian resident of the dutse uku area of jos where the new
fighting erupted said the clashes had gone on despite the curfew fighting is
continuing unabated he said
we woke up to new fighting this morning as am talking to you we are indoors
but there is burning and gunshots all around us maiyaki told afp by phone
ibrahim mudi resident of sabon fegi suburb said from here can hear
gunshots and see burning buildings from neighbourhood in the northern part of
the city
it seems that jos north is completely on fire added mudi who spoke by phone
from his veranda
mohammed ahmad from the unguwarrogo area said the city is enveloped in smoke
and gunshots have filled the air
it quite terrifying we are indoors but we don feel safe it like any
moment something is going to happen to us said ahmad
sunday fighting had been confined to the predominantly christian nassarawa
gwon area but has since spread to other parts of the city the army said
it is not concentrated it is not limited to one area it is scattered army
spokesman colonel galadima shekari told afp
fighting first erupted when christian youths protested the building of mosque
in christian majority area of nigeria th city houses and vehicles were
set ablaze
sunday clashes killed at least people according to muslim leaders the red
cross said more than people were seriously injured and that it was
struggling to cope with around displaced people
state authorities said on monday that calm had returned after hundreds of troops
and police had been drafted in to impose order and hour dusk to dawn
curfew
yenlong vowed the state government will do all it takes to ensure the return of
normalcy to the city
jos situated between the muslim dominated north and the christian south has in
recent years been hotbed of religious violence in nigeria whose million
people are divided almost equally between followers of the two faiths
in november hundreds of people were killed in two days of fighting in the
city triggered by rumour that the mainly muslim all nigerian peoples party had
lost local election to the christian dominated people democratic party
at least people were killed in borno state last july when security forces
put down an insurrection by muslim fundamentalist sect in december around
were killed in clashes between security forces and members of another radical
sect in bauchi state
updated afptv news advisory for tuesday
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
jordan quake victims come home new offer
amman
the bodies of three jordanian soldiers with the un killed in the magnitude
earthquake which hit haiti last week are arriving back on home soil the flight
will be welcomed at the airport by jordan king and queen
news
images to be transmitted by gmt
raw vid
web mmv
the debate over being french
aubervilliers france
president nicolas sarkozy government is staging major public consultation on
france national identity move some have attacked as pandering to the far
right afptv goes to meet men and women from the multiracial paris suburbs to
see how they feel about the debate and what it means to them to be french
special report
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
visit to drug lord mansion
mexico city
mexican law enforcement have been leading relentless campaign against drug
lords as they ve rounded up suspects in their homes they have come across an
eye popping display of wealth villas full of the latest luxuries including
swimming pools and private zoos
special report
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
religious fervor in ukraine chilly waters
kiev
on the th orthodox christianity celebrates the epiphany as every year
hundreds of pilgrims across ukraine will be bathing in rivers and glacial lakes
symbol of christ baptism in the river jordan only far colder
special report
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
we have already transmitted the following videos
homes flooded after heavy rains in gaza new offer
gaza city
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
news
images
raw vid
web mmv
un envoy bill clinton in haiti meets survivors in hospital
port au prince
un special envoy bill clinton on monday defended the pace of incoming foreign
aid and praised doctors working in shocking conditions as he toured the
devastation in haiti capital
news
images and soundbites
raw vid
web mmv
tough haitians still clinging to life under rubble
port au prince
more than hours after an avalanche of rubble plunged her into painful
solitary black hell and hours after international teams heard her faltering
cries marie france was rescued french and us firefighters and medics drilled
away the concrete slabs that buried her then ground their way through the steel
door that protected but also imprisoned her when the haitian capital was hit by
catastrophic earthquake
news
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
lack of petrol fuels post quake chaos
port au prince
week on from haiti killer earthquake it not just food water and
medicines in short supply lack of petrol is also fuelling the post quake
chaos as survivors scramble to get their share of dwindling reserves from the
service stations still standing
news
