beirut jan afp
the head of syrian backed palestinian militia in lebanon has said palestinians
will never be disarmed inside or outside of refugee camps in lebanon newspapers
reported on monday
we categorically reject the disarmament of palestinians outside refugee camps
in lebanon said fatah al intifada chief said mussa who is also known as abu
mussa
this is solely palestinian decision and not in the hands of any other power
he told reporters in the southern port city of sidon after meeting with the
mayor
the statement came less than month after prime minister saad hariri landmark
visit to syria after which hariri said he and syrian president bashar al assad
had discussed the arms of palestinian groups outside camps in lebanon
abu mussa also said he was open for talks with the lebanese government as long
as they do not try to hinder our struggle
we believe that conflict with the zionist enemy has not ended and we also
believe that the presence of our arms outside the camps has never constituted
threat to lebanese security he added
in feuding lebanese leaders agreed on the disarmament of palestinians
outside camps at national dialogue session
un security council resolution adopted in calls on lebanon to assert
sovereignty on the whole of its territory and disarm all militias including
armed palestinian factions
by longstanding convention however the lebanese army does not enter lebanon
palestinian refugee camps where groups like fatah al intifada are based
leaving security inside in the hands of palestinians
along with armed lebanese factions palestinian guerrilla groups played major
part in lebanon civil war
palestinian factions and lebanon shiite militant group hezbollah were the only
parties which did not give up their weapons after the war saying they were
needed to defend themselves against israel
pope failed assassin released from turkish prison lawyer
ankara jan afp
the turk who tried to kill pope john paul ii in mehmet ali agca was
released from prison monday after almost three decades behind bars his lawyer
said
the release procedure has been completed yilmaz abosoglu told an army of
reporters outside high security prison near ankara
wearing blue sweater agca was seen driving away in car escorted by several
other vehicles
the lawyer explained that the year old would be immediately taken to an army
recruitment office to sort out procedures concerning his status as draft
dodger
agca at age was militant of the notorious far right grey wolves on the run
from turkish justice facing murder charges when he resurfaced in the vatican
saint peter square on may and opened fire on the pope as he drove to
an audience in an open vehicle
john paul ii was seriously wounded in the abdomen and agca spent the next
years in italian prisons
the motive behind the attack remains mystery
agca has claimed it was part of divine plan and has given often contradictory
statements frequently changing his story and forcing investigators to open
dozens of inquiries
charges that the soviet union and then communist bulgaria were behind the
assassination attempt were never proved
in italy pardoned agca and extradited him to turkey where he was
convicted for the murder of prominent journalist abdi ipekci two armed
robberies and escaping from prison crimes all dating back to the
the turkish authorities had released agca in january amid legal mix up
but re arrested him after eight days when court ruled that reductions to his
jail term under amnesty laws and penal code amendments had been miscalculated
on sunday his lawyer said military authorities considered agca draft dodger
and required him to undergo check up immediately after his release because an
earlier medical report declaring him unfit had not been approved
agca was declared unfit for military service obligatory for turkish men
because of advanced anti social personality disorder when he underwent
check up at military hospital during his short lived release in
israel pm heads to germany
jerusalem jan afp
israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu headed to berlin on monday with
leading members of his centre right government to hold joint cabinet meeting
with the german government
netanyahu and german chancellor angela merkel were also to hold bilateral talks
focused on middle east peace efforts threats to regional security and on
iran the prime minister spokesman mark regev said
defence minister ehud barak and foreign minister avigdor lieberman were among
members of the cabinet joining the premier for the day long trip
ministerial talks will cover broad range of issues including defence
cooperation media have widely reported that israel has ordered sixth dolphin
class diesel submarine from germany israel currently has three dolphins and has
confirmed it ordered two more
the submarines are believed to have range of kilometers miles
and the capacity to launch nuclear capable cruise missiles
we attach great importance to our ties with germany because of their economic
and political impact and mainly because of israel security netanyahu told
journalists ahead of his trip
germany is playing leading role in efforts to broker prisoner exchange
between israel and the islamist hamas movement for an israeli soldier held by
palestinian militants inside the gaza strip since
the joint cabinet meeting was initially planned for november but was postponed
because prime minister benjamin netanyahu came down with viral infection
merkel and several of her ministers had made similar visit to jerusalem in
march
israel collectively punishing gaza amnesty
jerusalem jan afp
amnesty international on monday accused israel of collectively punishing the
population of gaza with border closures tightened after the islamist hamas
movement bloody takeover
the british based rights group said the firing of rockets by palestinian
militants which the israeli military says has dropped by about percent
since its offensive in gaza last year did not justify the sanctions
the blockade does not target armed groups but rather punishes gaza entire
population by restricting the entry of food medical supplies educational
equipment and building materials said malcolm smart the group middle east
and north africa director in statement
the blockade constitutes collective punishment under international law and must
be lifted immediately
amnesty said egypt was partly to blame because it only occasionally opens its
rafah crossing with the gaza strip the only terminal bypassing israel
it also faulted cairo for starting work on an underground border wall in bid
to halt the smuggling tunnels that have become an economic lifeline to the
territory but are also used by hamas to smuggle in weapons and money
however as the occupying power it is israel that bears the foremost
responsibility for ensuring the welfare of the inhabitants of gaza amnesty
said
responding to the report israeli government spokesman mark regev blamed hamas
the palestinians in gaza are under the thumb of the brutal hamas regime that
places violent jihad against israel above the well being and the welfare of the
people of gaza he said
like its patron the iranian regime hamas has no qualms whatsoever in abusing
gaza civilian population on the altar of its extremist agenda
monday was the one year anniversary of the mutual ceasefires that ended the
day gaza war which killed about palestinians and flattened entire
neighbourhoods thirteen israelis were killed during the fighting
israel imposed strict sanctions on gaza in following the capture of an
israeli soldier by hamas and other militants in deadly cross border raid
it tightened the blockade when hamas which is pledged to israel destruction
seized power in june after week of bloody street battles with forces
loyal to the western backed palestinian president mahmud abbas
alert
yanukovich leads tymoshenko by percent in ukraine polls partial results
mazda ford deny plans to dismantle china venture
beijing jan afp
japan mazda motor corp and us giant ford motor company on monday denied
reports they planned to dismantle or restructure their joint venture in china
with chinese partner changan automobile
ted liu shanghai based spokesman for ford told afp that reports the
partnership would be dissolved were speculation
japan nikkei newspaper reported on sunday that mazda planned to end its
partnership with ford in china by to allow itself to independently make
decisions such as production increases
mazda spokesman in china naodo oikawa told afp the report was conjecture
the three partners mazda ford and changan continue to enjoy positive
relationship he said
meanwhile the wall street journal said mazda and ford were discussing ways to
split their shared manufacturing bases in the southwestern city of chongqing and
the eastern city of nanjing into separate entities
the wall street journal report said ford and changan would own and operate the
chongqing site while the nanjing base would be run by mazda and changan it
cited an unidentified person close to mazda
afp calls to changan went unanswered
however mazda confirmed it would move production of its mazda compact car
from chongqing to nanjing where it already makes its mazda
oikawa said mazda would start to manufacture its mazda in nanjing by the
middle of this year but denied this was part of restructuring of the three
way venture
the reason is to enhance mazda production and further increase enthusiasm for
the cfma changan ford mazda automobile corporation brand oikawa told afp
the move by mazda was meant to give more production room for ford in the
chongqing factory said mazda tokyo based spokesman yuji kato
afghan health ministry says wounded in kabul fighting
kabul jan afp
afghanistan health ministry said monday that people most of them
civilians have been wounded in fighting in the centre of the city between
militants and government forces
the wounded were taken to hospital as gunfire and explosions continued to ring
out over the commercial and political heart of the city said ministry spokesman
ahmad farid rahid
at this time can tell you that people have been wounded most of them
civilians and have been evacuated to our hospitals he told afp
most of them are civilians but they also include security personnel he said
he had no details about reports from nato that two militants had been killed by
afghan security forces
the standoff began at the height of the morning rush hour
automatic weapons fire and explosions have brought central kabul to standstill
as afghan police and military snipers take up positions on buildings around the
central pashtunistan square
at least two shopping malls have been blown up possibly by suicide bombers
according to television reports
kenya detains somali immigrants
nairobi jan afp
kenyan police detained illegal somali immigrants during sweep that
followed deadly protest at nairobi main mosque senior official told afp
monday
the raid on the city eastleigh neighbourhood was carried out by the elite
general service unit and anti terrorism police following claims by the
government that somalia hardline islamist shebab group infiltrated the
demonstration
those arrested are in the country illegally they had no valid documents
senior police officer said they are being detained in various police stations
as investigations into their stay in kenya continue
on friday hundreds of muslim youths demonstrated after friday prayers in and
around nairobi main mosque compound clashing with police as they demanded the
release of controversial jamaican imam
five people died and several were wounded during running street battles that
lasted hours and during which police fired live rounds and tear gas
the security operation is part of the investigation going on after friday
demonstrations by muslim youths in the city centre the senior police official
added speaking on condition of anonymity
abdullah al faisal who is on global terror watchlist and served four years in
british jail for inciting racial hatred has been in kenyan custody for more
than week after the authorities tried and failed to deport him
kenyan interior minister george saitoti alleged that somalia al qaeda linked
shebab movement was involved in the demonstration
kenya muslim leadership distanced itself from al faisal demanding that his
deportation be completed
urgent afghan health ministry says wounded in kabul fighting
kabul jan afp
afghanistan health ministry said monday that people most of them
civilians have been wounded in fighting in the centre of the city between
militants and government forces
philippine truck accident kills
manila jan afp
nineteen people were killed after the truck they were riding turned over in the
southern philippines police official said on monday
the dump truck was carrying people back from wedding when it turned over
while driving through sagun town in the southern island of mindanao on
saturday said senior superintendent ramon ochotorena
thirteen people died at the scene while the others died in hospital he added
ochotorena who is the regional police chief said the driver of the truck was
in police custody and could face charges of reckless driving leading to multiple
deaths
heavy rain may have made the road slippery ochotorena said but he also said
that witnesses reported the driver was drinking heavily before the accident
alert
afghan health ministry says wounded in kabul fighting
two armed insurgents killed in kabul fighting nato
kabul jan afp
two armed insurgents were killed by afghan security forces after taliban
launched wave of attacks in kabul on monday nato said in statement
nato international security assistance force isaf said that afghan security
forces had secured roads in central kabul as taliban militants took over
buildings in the political and commercial heart of the city
initial reports are they have killed at least two armed insurgents at the
shopping centre after clearing the building the isaf statement said
urgent two armed insurgents killed in kabul fighting nato
kabul jan afp
two armed insurgents were killed by afghan security forces after taliban
launched wave of attacks in kabul on monday nato said in statement
singapore exports up percent in december
singapore jan afp
singapore main exports surged strongly in december from year ago on rising
external demand the government said monday strengthening expectations of
rebound for the economy this year
non oil domestic exports nodx climbed percent year on year lifted by
robust shipments of electronics and pharmaceuticals the government trade
promotion body international enterprise ie singapore said
on seasonally adjusted month on month basis nodx was up percent it said
electronics exports such as semiconductors rose percent year on year
reversing the percent decline in november while pharmaceuticals jumped
percent
ie singapore said shipments to the country top export markets except
japan increased
singapore trade dependent economy shrank percent last year as consumption
in its major trading partners plunged due to the global economic crisis
gross domestic product gdp however is expected to rebound and expand between
and percent this year the government has said
alert
two armed insurgents killed in kabul battle nato
tennis safina murray through as sharapova crashes out
melbourne jan afp
former champion maria sharapova was high profile casualty at the australian
open on monday but there were no dramas for dinara safina and andy murray who
spearheaded the charge into the second round
american andy roddick also cruised through as did comeback queen kim clijsters
in stark contrast to sharapova who was shadow of her former self in
defeat to fellow russian maria kirilenko
it was disastrous start to the year for the underdone year old seeded
who opted to only play exhibitions in thailand and hong kong as warm up to the
opening grand slam of the season
playing with the roof closed on the rod laver arena due to persistent rain
which disrupted play on outside courts she struggled to find consistency
against player ranked
certainly had my chances and just didn execute she said
there is no grey area it was just up and down in many areas and just finished
at the down level
the pin up won here in but was deprived of defending her title last year
after failing to recover from shoulder surgery which kept her out of action
until may
another of the russian contingent safina downed slovakia th ranked
magdalena rybarikova while third seed svetlana kuznetsova also
progressed
safina battled double faults and unforced errors in an emotional and spasmodic
performance and was happy to get the win under her belt
it was not an easy first round match she very good opponent said the
number two seed who was thrashed in the final last year by serena williams
had some good moments and bad moments but overall happy went through
clijsters who sensationally won the us open last year after coming out of
retirement was too good for canada valerie tetreault romping home
in under an hour
the powerful belgian along with justine henin lurk as dark horses to
bookmakers favourite williams who gets her title defence underway on tuesday
against poland urszula radwanska
on the men side scotland andy murray was in imposing form as he breezed
past south african qualifier kevin anderson
murray fancied to become the first british man to win grand slam singles
title since could scarcely have been more impressive as he destroyed the
world number in just minutes
american seventh seed roddick motored past dutchman thiemo de bakker
to stay on track for potential quarter final clash with us open champion
juan martin del potro
roddick is now for the new season after coming into the australian open as
the winner of the lead up brisbane international
first rounds are always little uncomfortable especially at slam you re
kind of built up you re maybe little bit over anxious he said
but thought overall it was all right
croatia ivan ljubicic also progressed with the th seed crushing year old
australian wildcard jason kubler while former finalist fernando gonzalez of
chile seeded stayed alive with victory over olivier rochus
world number two and defending champion rafael nadal plays later monday against
australia peter luczak
world number one roger federer opens his tournament on tuesday against russia
igor andreev with third seed novak djokovic and sixth seed nicolay davydenko
posing the main threat for him in his top half of the draw
pope failed assassin released from turkish prison lawyer
ankara jan afp
mehmet ali agca the turk who tried to kill pope john paul ii in was
released from prison monday after almost three decades behind bars his lawyer
said
the release procedure has been completed yilmaz abosoglu said outside high
security prison near ankara where an army of reporters awaited agca to emerge
from the compound
the lawyer explained that the year old would be immediately taken to an army
recruitment office to sort out procedures concerning his status as draft
dodger
agca was year old militant of the notorious far right grey wolves on the
run from turkish justice facing murder charges when he resurfaced in saint
peter square in rome on may and opened fire on the pope as he drove
to an audience in an open vehicle
john paul ii was seriously wounded in the abdomen and agca spent the next
years in italian prisons
he has claimed the attack was part of divine plan and given often
contradictory statements frequently changing his story and forcing
investigators to open dozens of inquiries
charges that the soviet union and then communist bulgaria were behind the
assassination attempt were never proved
in italy pardoned agca and extradited him to turkey where he was
convicted for the murder of prominent journalist abdi ipekci two armed
robberies and escaping from prison crimes all dating back to the
deadly unrest flares in sri lanka ahead of vote
colombo jan afp
sri lankan opposition supporter was killed on monday as fresh unrest erupted
ahead of next week presidential election despite security crackdown police
said
the man was killed in clash with ruling party activists in northwestern sri
lanka marking the third politically related death in the run up to the
presidential vote on january
supporters of the main opposition candidate former army chief sarath fonseka
were attacked in the town of wariyapola while they were putting up election
posters police said
one man was killed and several others sustained injuries spokesman for the
police election secretariat said
police say they have reports of nearly poll related incidents of violence
already
president mahinda rajapakse who is running for re election has ordered
security crackdown to quell unrest his spokesman chandrapala liyanage said
the president is deeply concerned about the violence and has already ordered
police to make sure that there is tighter security liyanage told afp on
sunday
he is also appealing to all parties to ensure there is no violence
opposition activist kusuma kuruppuarachchi was the first to be killed in
the poll campaign when she was shot in the southern town of hungama last week
police also fired tear gas to disperse thousands of party workers in the eastern
town of polonnaruwa after mobs destroyed vehicles and buildings on wednesday
the us embassy in colombo said it was concerned about the escalating violence in
sri lanka where the government last may crushed the separatist tamil tiger
rebels last year and ended decades of ethnic war on the island
those who lost their lives are not the only victims of these brutal attacks
democracy is also victim the embassy said in statement such violence
undermines the democratic rights and traditions of sri lanka
the united states was recently accused by ruling party legislator of funding
the main opposition to oust rajapakse the allegations were denied by the
embassy
opposition leader ranil wickremesinghe has accused rajapakse people alliance
of inciting violence and using intimidation to swing voters
rajapakse is facing tough challenge from fonseka who quit the army and
entered politics in november
inter korean talks to go ahead despite north threats
seoul jan afp
north and south korea will go ahead with scheduled talks this week seoul
officials said monday despite threats by the communist state of halt to
dialogue and possible attack
the two day talks on economic cooperation will begin tuesday at joint
industrial estate just north of the border the unification ministry said
spokeswoman told afp the north on monday afternoon approved the cross border
visit by seoul delegates
france societe generale may exit australia
sydney jan afp
french bank societe generale on monday said that it was considering pulling out
of australia and was in discussions with regulators regarding its banking
licence
australian branch chief executive john harvey said no decision had yet been made
but that total exit was clearly on the agenda adding that the bank was in
talks with the australian prudential regulation authority apra
we are in regular dialogue with apra and their position is that we retain our
branch banking licence whilst societe generale continues to conduct banking
operations in australia harvey said dow jones newswires reported
there is no official close date as we continue to operate substantial
businesses in treasury and equipment finance he added
the bank one of the top french banks with strong international activities has
already transferred some staff to hong kong and moved its interest rates and
foreign exchange business to the chinese territory
there will be further reductions over the course of harvey said
societe generale last week warned that fourth quarter results would be weaker
than investors had expected owing to risks linked to the us housing market
it said it would only make slight profit in the last quarter of because
of charge of billion euros billion dollars for assets considered at
risk
sports india lone olympic champion in games muddle
new delhi jan afp
india only olympic individual champion abhinav bindra was on monday embroiled
in tug of war with sports officials over his participation in the commonwealth
games later this year
bindra who won the air rifle shooting gold medal at the beijing olympics
is not assured of place at the games which india hosts in new delhi from
october
the national rifle association of india nrai wants bindra to attend trials
like other contenders if he wanted to be picked for international events
bindra prefers to train abroad on his own and wants the nrai to judge his
current form on his scores in competitions in which he takes part in various
countries
the nrai dropped bindra for next month commonwealth shooting championships in
new delhi test event for the games saying it was only following sports
ministry guidelines which makes it mandatory to attend trials
frustrated and distressed bindra has appealed to the association and the
ministry to let him train abroad as per the schedule charted out by his coaching
staff
don see the chance of future success if am not going to be allowed to
prepare in the way my professional team has planned the shooter said in
statement over the weekend
these modules have worked very well for me in the past and have helped me be
the current world and olympic champion
it is quite unfortunate and extremely distressing to me that my point of view
is not being appreciated and respected it leaves me very frustrated and upset
and does not really leave me with much motivation
bindra said he will go ahead with planned training tour of europe next week
and speak to his coaching staff on his future course of action
nrai secretary baljit sethi defended his federation saying it was bound by
sports ministry regulations
we have been told by the ministry to select teams after trials sethi told
afp the team we have picked for the commonwealth championships has been
approved by the government
sports ministry official confused the issue further by saying the government
had no objection if bindra was exempted from attending trials
it for the national sports federations to lay down the selection criteria
ministry official injeti srinivas told the press trust of india pti
if the nrai tells the ministry it wants to follow separate approach for the
top shooters and exempt abhinav from trials we would have no objection but we
have not received any such request till now
the ministry only insists on federations having well calibrated selection
criteria implemented in transparent manner so that it results in the best team
representing the country
urgent inter korean talks to go ahead despite north threats
seoul jan afp
north and south korea will go ahead with scheduled talks this week seoul
officials said monday despite threats by the communist state of halt to
dialogue and possible attack
china holds defector over american in korea activists
seoul jan afp
beijing appears to have detained man who helped us christian missionary robert
park cross from china into north korea last month on one man human rights
crusade activists said monday
the man north korean defector living in south korea was arrested last friday
by police in the chinese city of yanji radio free north korea said on its
website
park himself has been detained in north korea after crossing frozen border
river on christmas day to make protest against repression in the hardline
communist north
his helper identified only as kim guided park to the border and took video
footage of him praying on the frozen river before crossing
kim appeared to have been detained last week in yanji cho sung rae one of
park fellow activists in seoul told afp confirming the report by the radio
station which is run by defectors
cho said kim and another companion of park had demanded million won about
dollars for the video clip and tried to sell it to media organisations
heard through sources in china that the video clip is safe and being kept by
one of kim colleagues cho said
the north has confirmed it is investigating an american detained for illegal
entry from china an apparent reference to park us citizen of korean
ancestry who comes from tucson in arizona
the united states has expressed concern over park detention saying swedish
diplomats who represent us interests in pyongyang will try to meet him
park is now in pyongyang and believe there will be talks probably next week
between north korean officials and swedish diplomats over his fate cho said
citing sources inside the north for his information
park claimed he had seen vision from god of north korea liberation and
redemption according to his colleagues they said he had crossed the border
shouting came here to proclaim god love
some analysts believe the north which has said it wants better relations with
the united states will eventually deport the missionary
wall street sell off hits asian shares
hong kong jan afp
wall street worst performance so far in hit asian stocks monday amid
fresh concerns over the pace of recovery while japan airlines jal sank to
new low ahead of its expected bankruptcy
dive in oil prices also hit sentiment as crude tumbled after the
international energy agency iea last week predicted sluggish demand this
year in the developed world with emerging markets accounting for increases
doubts about the strength of recovery in the united states the world biggest
energy user were raised earlier last week when it reported that crude reserves
