of favour with washington amid claims of vote rigging in the elections and
political violence
faced with an armed insurrection and large street protests aristide bowed to
pressure from the united states france and canada
in recent years he has lived in exile in south africa with his wife and two
daughters
in aristide said that he hoped to return to his country and devote himself
to education but south african authorities said they would not send him back
without first securing agreement from the current president of the caribbean
country
aristide drew parallel with former south african president nelson mandela who
still commands respect as statesman despite having left office in
when look at madiba president mandela it compelling to see what he can do
for his country and for the world without being the president of the country
aristide said
am confident can serve my country without being involved as president of
the country
haitian president rene preval said at the time that aristide was welcome to
return as he was still citizen of the country
while washington did not oppose aristide return it moved quickly to shore up
preval while dismissing aristide as man of the past paris meanwhile warned
that his return might cause political instability
the organization of american states said aristide potential return was
something that has to be dealt with by the haitians themselves
he is haitian national and as with all haitian nationals would like to
assist in process of reconstruction the regional grouping said
but the organization also expressed its support for haiti current leader
president rene preval
from our prospective there only one government in haiti and this is the
government of president preval
hell in haiti for destitute families
port au prince jan afp
his house may have been left cracked and damaged but it is the only one still
standing in the street providing shelter for eglide victor and his family in
daily fight for survival
god works in mysterious ways he wanted our home to remain intact while others
that were better built collapsed said eglide pointing to his shabbily built
house in the heart of the haitian capital
his now precarious home has become small measure of comfort for eglide and his
many relatives since tuesday magnitude quake as they mourn their dead
struggle to find food and beat back menacing looters
on friday nearly people crowded into the wood and tin shack even though it
threatened to collapse at any moment amid the frequent aftershocks that still
rattle the shocked caribbean nation
the year old teacher miraculously survived the earthquake that decimated the
capital of port au prince killing tens of thousands of haitians
initially his family fled their home fearing the flimsy structure could collapse
over their heads in another earthquake
they sought refuge in public park where many haitians have spent sleepless
nights under the stars since tuesday but feeling more helpless and vulnerable
there they finally returned home
we need to protect and guard our home there are many armed men lot of
looting eglide explained
henry claude the oldest brother in the family was trapped beneath the mountain
of concrete stones and wires that used to be the once majestic cathedral
someone spoke to him yesterday he screamed out his name and said he was
surrounded by people but this morning he didn answer us eglide said
softly
his sister marie edithe saint juste was among the first to seek shelter in his
home she left her husband buried in the rubble of their own home
felt the tremor and reacted quickly left my house with my son and ran
my husband was inside but know he died walked miles to get home to my
family it was terrible scene she recalled
as countless bodies lay piled on the streets or buried in mass graves the
stench of death hung over the city growing more unbearable by the hour
former us president bill clinton warned that worse might yet be to come for
eglide and his family
you may see some things in the next seven or days that don just tug at
your heart strings but upset you clinton told fox news
you may see lot of very angry people you may see some people looting you
may see some people doing and saying some things you don like
when the first foreign contingents of humanitarian aid finally reached eglide
neighborhood on friday the family despair lifted slightly after three days of
total abandonment
desperately they have been searching for food and water particularly fearful of
contracting deadly water borne diseases like cholera and dysentery from unclean
supplies
have this bag of water for the day have to ration it for my three year old
son said victor cousin norberta noiset showing her precious asset
we had many needs in the past but now we have even more it unimaginable
today don know what we will eat yesterday we had only coffee and bread
we are many people to feed marie edithe said
when night fell the family began gathering in their yard to sleep they said
they felt safer inside the house but the walls could crush them at moment
notice
our life is in god hands said eglide leave port au prince no never
americas aid to haiti tops million dollars oas
washington jan afp
members of the organization of american states have so far collected million
dollars and tons of aid for quake devastated haiti statement from the
regional grouping said friday
the hemisphere response has exceeded million dollars and tons of
humanitarian and medical aid the statement said
the oas has suggested its members which include all the nations in the americas
except for cuba and honduras create hemispheric fund for development for
haiti the statement added citing the oas deputy secretary general albert
ramdin
the organization has already donated dollars in immediate aid and is
preparing fund of close to million dollars ramdin added
international aid is flooding to haiti capital port au prince which was
ravaged by massive magnitude earthquake that struck tuesday
nba nfl each give one million dollars to haiti relief effort
new york jan afp
national basketball association and national football league officials announced
friday that each league has donated one million dollars to the unicef relief
effort for earthquake victims in haiti
in addition the tiger woods foundation said friday it will support relief
efforts for groups that provide resources for children while us stock car and
indy car racing groups announced relief efforts as well
philadelphia ers center samuel dalembert native of haiti videotaped
public service announcement for unicef encouraging nba supporters to contribute
to relief efforts in the disaster stricken caribbean nation
the messages will start playing immediately on all league telecasts
dalembert is making dollar donation and was set to match the amount of
donations collected for unicef haitian relief efforts at the ers friday home
game
nba players are deeply affected by this tragedy national basketball players
association president derek fisher said we hope our contribution helps provide
immediate relief to those suffering in haiti
retired nba star alonzo mourning arrived in haiti on friday morning flight to
assist relief workers
mourning former club the miami heat has asked fans to contribute money and
goods for the relief effort in exchange for game ticket vouchers
the nfl and its players union will provide dollars each to the american
red cross and partners in health for relief efforts
in addition the nfl will feature public service announcements during this
weekend playoff telecasts by new orleans saints linebacker jonathan vilma and
san diego chargers defensive end jacques cesaire both sons of haitian parents
each will be trying to set aside the tragedy and focus on getting his team into
next month super bowl in american football playoff games this weekend
nfl washington redskins owner dan snyder will support business partner diageo in
flying medical supplies personnel and clothing to haiti
we re not relief organization but there are times when our resources allow
us to step in and make difference if only small one snyder said
hendrick motorsports of the national association for stock car auto racing
nascar has loaned an airplane and two flight crews to group flying aid to
haiti the first flight on saturday will take medical supplies and people
team owner rick hendrick is covering the cost of all flights with one round
trip day planned for now
the indianapolis motor speedway began an on line auction friday to raise money
for the american red cross relief effort in haiti with autographed indianapolis
memorabilia and souvenirs on offer
greg mclaughlin tiger woods foundation president said his staff was evaluating
an appropriate role
our plan is be part of the relief effort to help rebuild haiti by supporting
organizations that provide critical resources to young people which is
consistent with our mission and previous efforts regarding hurricane rita
hurricane katrina and the tsunami mclaughlin said in statement
the world number one golfer foundation whose latest report says it has helped
million children gave dollars to tsunami relief efforts in with
money aimed at two groups giving sanctuary for children
mclaughlin said he had no information regarding twitter posting by rap music
mogul russell simmons that woods is providing three million dollars to aid
relief efforts
us congress staff to do christmas bomber probe
washington jan afp
the us house of representatives homeland security committee said friday that
some of its staff will travel to london and amsterdam this week as part of
probe into the foiled christmas bomb plot
the group will meet with officials from airports and us embassies to discuss
intelligence border security and aviation security matters the panel said
in statement
democratic representative bennie thompson the committee chairman said the
trip would gather information ahead of january hearing on young nigerian
man attempt to blow up us bound airliner
the visit will provide insights on information sharing infrastructure the
watchlisting process and passenger screen technologies thompson said in
statement
us lawmakers have been sharply critical of the failures that allowed umar farouk
abdulmutallab to get aboard crowded us bound airliner allegedly looking to
blow it up with potent explosive sewn into his underwear
more bad days to come for haiti bill clinton warns
washington jan afp
former us president bill clinton warned friday that more bad days were ahead for
haiti as the impoverished caribbean nation struggles to cope with the aftermath
of devastating earthquake
you may see some things in the next seven or days that don just tug at
your heart strings but upset you clinton told fox news as bodies piled up in
the streets of port au prince were left rotting in the tropical sun and others
were carted off into mass graves
you may see lot of very angry people you may see some people looting you
may see some people doing and saying some things you don like
machete wielding looters were bringing more terror to the caribbean nation
already long accustomed to violence and bloodshed as anger and frustration
mounted after haitians were left mostly fending for themselves for three days
clinton the united nations special envoy for haiti made fresh appeal for
donations saying he and aid agencies can take your dollars and put it with
the dollars of millions of other people and immediately turn it into food
medicine shelter and clean water and distribute it
us president barack obama has enlisted both clinton and ex president george
bush to lead private sector fund raising for haiti he said he would meet with
them saturday to discuss their efforts
clinton urged people to rush donations through clintonfoundation org haiti
earthquake or to text haiti to to make dollar donations
you ve got unprecedented numbers of the people roaming the streets at night
with no place to sleep they haven had any sleep in two days they don have
water they don have food he said earlier on cnn
the former president wife secretary of state hillary clinton said she will
travel to haiti on saturday to see earthquake relief efforts first hand deliver
supplies and meet haitian president rene preval she cut short her tour of the
asia pacific region this week to address the humanitarian crisis
the clintons have long running involvement with haiti where they spent their
honeymoon
bill clinton writing in the washington post on thursday spoke of long term
partnership where aid should go to building better future for the western
hemisphere poorest nation including improved buildings schools and health
care
establishing this foundation for better haitian future will require
assistance from governments businesses and private citizens the people of
haiti deserve our support he said
un moving troops from across haiti to port au prince
mexico ciy jan afp
the united nations is redeploying some peacekeepers soldiers and police
officers from across haiti to the capital port au prince un official in
mexico said friday
the united nations has ordered personnel who are not in port au prince
to move to the capital and reinforce their colleagues said united nations
system coordinator magdy martinez during press conference in mexico city
un peacekeepers often known as blue berets are currently deployed throughout
earthquake stricken haiti but the capital is the main source of concern over
the issue of public order martinez said
he added that development assistance the un had planned to send to haiti would
be converted for the most part for use in accelerated reconstruction
the aid will go towards schools hospitals communication systems and
telecommunication infrastructure martinez added
the un has some personnel in haiti including blue berets and civilian
representatives he said
the international organization suffered unprecedented losses in tuesday
earthquake which brought down the headquarters of its haiti peacekeeping force
minustah
at least un staffers were killed in the disaster and some remain
unaccounted for spokesman at un headquarters in new york city said friday
woods foundation plans to contribute to haiti quake relief
irvine california jan afp
tiger woods plans to help with relief efforts in earthquake stricken haiti the
president of the tiger woods foundation said friday
greg mclaughlin said the foundation staff was evaluating the most appropriate
role to help the haitian people
our plan is be part of the relief effort to help rebuild haiti by supporting
organizations that provide critical resources to young people which is
consistent with our mission and previous efforts regarding hurricane rita
hurricane katrina and the tsunami mclaughlin said in statement
mclaughlin said he had not received any information from rap mogul russell
simmons who has said on twitter that woods is providing three million dollars
to help with the recovery
woods has not been seen in public since november car accident that touched
off media frenzy over marital infidelity
he said in december he would take an indefinite break from golf to address
issues in his personal life
woods established the foundation when he turned professional in it focuses
on providing educational resources and opportunities to disadvantaged youth
woods foundation gave dollars to tsunami relief efforts in through
give asia with the money directed toward two groups providing sanctuary and
relief to children
it also gave the baton rouge area foundation dollars to set up
hurricane katrina educational fund
rugbyu ulster cling onto european cup quarter final hopes
paris jan afp
former champions ulster kept their hopes of european cup quarter final place
alive on friday with victory over edinburgh in windswept belfast
ulster champions in moved into second spot in pool alongside stade
francais on points but the french side will be favourites to restore their
advantage when they meet already eliminated bath on saturday
issac boss and darren cave scored tries and ian humphreys kicked eight points
with niall connor adding penalty for the irishmen
edinburgh replied with jim thompson try and eight points from the boot of
chris paterson
it wasn ideal conditions but four points any which way is ideal for us said
scrum half boss
we worked hard in defence which also helped set up few scoring opportunities
for us hopefully bath or edinburgh will do us favour over the next two
weekends
in friday other game glasgow edged newport gwent dragons but neither
side can qualify for the last eight from pool dominated by biarritz who have
perfect record of four wins in four games and points
on saturday ospreys face french league leaders clermont boasting four point
lead over their hosts as well as english giants leicester who sit in third place
in pool
we are at crunch time now and you can fail to be excited about it said
ospreys and wales back row forward ryan jones
we ve worked hard to put ourselves in good position after four rounds of the
tournament but this is where the hard work really starts
losing bonus point at clermont and home win over leicester next weekend
would be enough for ospreys who welcome back welsh internationals lee byrne
prop adam jones and lock ian evans into team complemented by ex all black
enforcer jerry collins and compatriot marty holah at open side flanker
the nail biting nature of european cup action sees only the six pool winners and
two best placed runners up qualify for the quarter finals
three time champions toulouse play harlequins at home on sunday with pool
second placed sale travelling to cardiff blues for what is must win game for
the welsh outfit
jean baptiste elissalde comes in for the injured toulouse playmaker david
skrela
reigning champions leinster currently second in pool behind london irish
host french club brive with the exiles playing away at scarlets
northampton must beat perpignan in pool at home on sunday and then conjure up
win away in limerick against munster if they are to reach the knock out stages
for only the second time
nba arenas faces jail after pleading guilty to gun charge
washington jan afp
washington wizards guard gilbert arenas pleaded guilty in superior court on
friday to felony charge of carrying an unlicensed pistol which should mean
jail time for the three time nba all star
the charge carries maximum sentence of five years behind bars but prosecutors
are recommending arenas serve no more than six months as part of plea bargain
to obtain an admission of guilt that puts his nba career at risk
arenas admitted bringing four guns to the wizards locker room on december but
faced only one charge under terms of the deal however judge robert morin will
not be bound by the six month limit when he sentences arenas on march
he accepted full responsibility for his actions acknowledged that those
actions were wrong and against the law and has apologized to all who have been
affected by his conduct arenas lawyer kenneth wainstein said in statement
arenas on indefinite suspension by the nba was released until sentencing after
surrendering his passport and being instructed not to possess handguns of any
sort
playing with firearms is no joke us attorney channing phillips said
today guilty plea to felony count of carrying pistol without license
reflects the seriousness and grave risk of such conduct
we commend mr arenas for accepting responsibility and hope he fully
appreciates the gravity of his actions
the guilty plea leaves his nba career in limbo opening the door for the wizards
to void his million dollar contract and dump the four years on it although
the club gave no hint of doing so in short reaction statement
we are deeply saddened and disappointed in his actions that have led to the
events of this afternoon the statement said gilbert used extremely poor
judgment and is ultimately responsible for his own actions
arenas and teammate javaris crittenton argued over gambling losses during card
game on flight december when crittenton said he should shoot arenas in his
often repaired knee
two days later arenas put four guns on chair near crittenton locker with
note saying pick one in what he later called joke
arenas told authorities that crittenton pulled gun of his own in the locker
room police searched crittenton apartment on thursday but seized no evidence
authorities said probe into crittenton actions is ongoing
arenas was suspended indefinitely last week by nba commissioner david stern
after using his fingers as pretend pistols and firing at teammates before
game stern calling arenas not currently fit to take the court
goof ball and that what am so even doing something like this
going to make fun of it and that how am arenas said in twitter message
about the incident
arenas found guilty of possessing an unregistered gun in said he brought
the guns to the locker room to keep them out of reach of his children and was
unaware doing so violated not only nba rules but strict gun laws in the us
capital
the wizards took down banner outside their arena featuring arenas and dropped
agent zero from pre game video
even jerseys bearing his number zero are no longer on display in the souvenir
shop vanishing act for the once most marketable wizard
arenas played just games since signing his wizards contract largely
because of knee injuries he was averaging points and assists game
this season for washington which at is last in the southeast division
football ferguson confident owen has united future
manchester england jan afp
manchester united manager sir alex ferguson is adamant that michael owen who is
desperate to feature in the world cup has future at old trafford
despite champions league hat trick against wolfsburg owen has been on the
bench for united last three games and on saturday was even overlooked in
favour of new recruit mame biram diouf at birmingham
owen frustrations would not have been eased by the ongoing concerns over
dimitar berbatov whose form has been affected by lingering knee injury
michael needs games and we are going to try and solve the problem said
ferguson
it is just about the blend with your strikers sometimes with the strength
have got in midfield it suits us to play with one striker and we like to see
wayne rooney through the middle
everyone knows michael is last defender player there is no one better at
that because his movement and positional sense in the last third of the field is
excellent
it is difficult choice to play two directly through the middle in the modern
day game but michael is not out of the equation at all he will come into it
boxing jury finds in favor of pacquiao trainer
los angeles jan afp
manny pacquiao trainer freddie roach was cleared by jury on friday of
assaulting former member of the filipino fighter entourage at gym in
hollywood
after deliberating for part of thursday afternoon and friday morning the jury
found in favor of roach and rejected claims brought by gregorio asuncion and his
wife allyson in lawuit
roach denied asuncion claim that the trainer punched him twice outside the
locker room of the wild card gym on october
according to court documents asuncion was taken to nearby hospital and
treated for neck sprain and contusion to the head
roach testified this week that he only put his hands on the man shoulders as
he tried to shepherd him out of the gym when pacquiao was beginning to train
he said he then squeezed asuncion shoulders in order to keep his balance when
he felt asuncion pull back
roach arrived at the court in shorts and sweat shirt on friday just as
the verdict was being read
he leaned back and looked upward in apparent relief as his lawyer arthur
chapman told him the news
outside the courtroom roach personally thanked jurors took photo with at
least one of them and offered them all tickets to pacquiao fight against
joshua clottey at cowboys stadium in dallas on march
roach said he was relieved by the verdict
didn get much sleep last night but when heard there was verdict after
such short time believed it was in my favor roach said
not bad person simply asked this man to leave and he didn don
go around hitting people and if he wants to come back to the gym sometime he
can
rampage at fort hood was act of terrorism us official
washington jan afp
the shooting rampage at fort hood was an act of terrorism senior us
official said on friday employing phrase that the obama administration has
previously avoided to describe the attack
the administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the
november shooting spree that left dead at the army base in texas was
terrorist tactic but the suspected gunman links to extremist groups remained
under investigation
it certainly in my mind was an act of terrorism the official told reporters
he said it was unclear if the suspected gunman army psychiatrist major nidal
hasan was directed to act by outside extremists
this is an ongoing investigation said the official motivation is always
difficult thing to determine
the official made the comment as he presented the findings of white house
review into the assault
some lawmakers in congress have been quick to call the fort hood rampage an act
of terrorism citing reports hasan had contacts with radical islamic cleric in
yemen anwar al awlaqi
the same us yemeni cleric also has been tied to the nigerian man accused of
trying to blow up us airliner bound for detroit on christmas day
but officials in president barack obama administration have tended to be
careful not to portray the incident as an act of terrorism
although the alleged shooter possible ties to outside extremists were still
being examined the official told reporters that extremist propaganda and
activity coming from al qaeda branch in yemen was cause for serious concern
any interaction with these extremist elements and terrorist elements in yemen
cause me great concern he said
the white house review of the circumstances around the fort hood shooting showed
that more rigorous actions should have been taken prior to the attack and
procedures strengthened to ensure better coordination among intelligence and law
enforcement agencies the official said
asked if the government could have averted the assault at fort hood if key clues
had been pieced together in time the official said it difficult to say
but he said certain things went uncovered both in terms of information as
well as how information was handled and how information was acted upon
dollar jumps against euro on safety flight
new york jan afp
the dollar jumped against the euro friday on concerns over greece budget
deficit and weak us economic data that led to an investment flight to the safe
haven greenback
the euro fell sharply to dollars at gmt from dollars late
thursday in new york falling below the psychological level for the first
time in week
the single european unit hit an intra day low of dollars it lowest since
december
the dollar however fell against the japanese currency another safe haven to
yen from day earlier
the market was dogged by persistent fears that other debt stricken eurozone
members could face the same fate as debt and deficit ridden greece
german chancellor angela merkel denied friday that she had sought to criticise
greece day earlier with forecast that the euro would face very difficult
phase because of athens budget crisis
in rare critical remarks made on wednesday merkel had voiced concern that the
euro is in very difficult phase for the coming years because the greek debt
debacle had fueled speculation regarding eurozone cohesion
weak us economic data this week also showed that recovery in the world largest
economy may not be as strong as early thought triggering some flight from
riskier assets such as stocks to the safety of the dollar
wall street stocks suffered their biggest drop in about month as investors
ignored handsome fourth quarter profits chalked up by top chip maker intel and
banking giant jpmorgan chase
risk aversion has finally hit the forex markets following another round of
weaker us economic data said kathy lien director of currency research at
global forex trading
the dollar rallied against higher yielding currencies as there are only so many
disappointments the market can take before the optimism fades she said
we are getting more and more evidence that the us recovery is not as strong as
previously thought especially compared to other countries around the world
us economic data friday failed to excite investors
consumer sentiment measured by the university of michigan was below expectations
while december industrial production rose percent the same pace as the
previous month after downward revision to the november report
december consumer prices also grew at slower pace at percent according to
government report which confirm that discounts led to weak consumer spending
last month lien said
in late new york trade the dollar rose to swiss francs from
the british pound fell to dollars from
hell in haiti for destitute families
port au prince jan afp
his house may have been left cracked and damaged but it is the only one left
standing in the street providing shelter for eglide victor and family in
daily fight for survival in haiti
god works in mysterious ways he wanted our home to remain intact while others
that were better built collapsed said eglide pointing to his shabbily built
house in the heart of the haitian capital
his now precarious home has become small measure of comfort for eglide and his
many relatives since tuesday magnitude quake as they mourn their dead
struggle to find food and beat back menacing looters
on friday nearly people crowded into the wood and tin shack even though it
threatened to collapse at any moment amid the frequent aftershocks that still
rattle the shocked caribbean nation
the year old teacher miraculously survived the earthquake that decimated the
capital of port au prince killing tens of thousands of haitians
initially his family fled their home fearing the flimsy structure could collapse
over their heads in another earthquake
they sought refuge in public park where many haitians have spent sleepless
nights under the stars since tuesday but feeling more helpless and vulnerable
there they finally returned home
we need to protect and guard our home there are many armed men lot of
looting eglide explained
