kuala lumpur jan afp
malaysian police said wednesday they had arrested eight people over the
firebombing of church the first in spate of attacks that has escalated
ethnic tensions
eleven churches across predominantly muslim malaysia have been pelted with
molotov cocktails stones and paint in violence triggered by court ruling
overturning ban on non muslims using allah as translation for god
federal criminal investigation chief bakri zinin said police were investigating
whether the eight accused over the first firebombing which gutted the ground
floor of church were also linked to the other attacks
eight people have been arrested and they are believed to be involved in the
arson attack on the metro tabernacle church they have been remanded for seven
days to facilitate investigations he told reporters
bakri said he believed police had solved this case so please advise the
public don do something that will threaten racial and religious harmony
the three storey metro tabernacle church in suburban kuala lumpur part of the
assemblies of god movement was set ablaze on january witnesses saw arsonists
smash windows and throw fuel into the building
church spokesman peter yeow welcomed the arrests and said the congregation
believed the situation was under control
we have put this behind us we are trying to get out of the limelight and go on
with our lives and relocate our church rather than look at who is to blame we
will let the police do their job he told afp
bakri said the first of the eight to be arrested was detained on tuesday after
seeking hospital treatment for burns on his hand and chest
the group were all aged between and and included three relatives two
brothers and their uncle the remainder were all friends police statement
said the eight were muslim malays
religion and language are sensitive issues in multiracial malaysia which
experienced deadly race riots in
the row over the use of allah is among string of religious disputes that
have erupted in recent years straining relations between malays and minority
ethnic chinese and indians who fear the country is being islamised
the high court on december ruled in favour of the catholic herald newspaper
which has used allah as translation for god in its malay language section
the ruling has been suspended pending an appeal
the government has said the word should be used only by muslims and that
although it is commonly used by christians in the middle east and in
neighbouring indonesia the situation in malaysia is different
malaysia christians argue they have used the disputed word for centuries in
prayer and in translations of the bible and that the ban was an erosion of
their rights
malaysia population is percent malay but also includes indigenous tribes
as well as the large ethnic chinese and indian communities practising
buddhism christianity and hinduism among others
more than half of malaysia catholics are from indigenous groups most of whom
live in the borneo island states and who mainly speak malay
suicide car bomb wounds in northern iraq
mosul iraq jan afp
suicide car bomber targeted an iraqi army base in the northern city of mosul
on wednesday wounding at least people including members of the security
forces military official said
the attack occurred around am gmt in the east of the city located
kilometres miles north of baghdad
the military official said soldiers and five policemen were among the
wounded
dogs partly eat owner corpse in taiwan report
taipei jan afp
two pet dogs partly ate the body of their owner whose corpse was discovered at
his home in taiwan nearly month after he had died local report said
wednesday
the dogs had eaten most of the unidentified year old right side by the time
two police officers visited his home in chungho city outside taipei
according to the liberty times newspaper
in addition to the two dogs with blood stained mouths and paws the officers
also found the deceased former wife who appeared to have stayed with the
corpse for the entire period after his death it said
police made the discovery by chance when serving summons on the woman to
appear at the local prosecutor office for investigation on burglary charges
police were still investigating the case but believe that the man died from
liver disease they were also looking into the possibility that his former wife
whom he divorced in was mentally ill
police in chungho were not immediately available for comment when contacted by
afp wednesday
china baidu sues us web firm over hacker attack
beijing jan afp
china top internet search engine baidu said wednesday it had sued us web
firm after its site was hacked new salvo in growing spat after google
threat to quit the country because of cyberattacks
google which trails baidu in market share in china said last week it may
abandon its chinese search engine and possibly leave the country altogether
after what it called highly sophisticated attack by china based hackers and
over state censorship
the announcement has thrown spanner into already frayed sino us ties with
washington calling for an explanation and beijing defending its right to filter
information available on the web and telling foreign firms to obey the law
today baidu filed lawsuit against its domain name registration service
provider register com inc in us court in new york seeking damages over the
incident of baidu service interruption last week the chinese firm said
nasdaq listed baidu said its site went down for hours after the january
attack by group identifying itself as the iranian cyber army the name used
by hackers who briefly shut down the twitter microblogging site last month
baidu spokesman victor tseng said at the time that service had been interrupted
due to external manipulation of its dns domain name server in the united
states
in its statement wednesday baidu said the software behind its domain name was
unlawfully and maliciously altered as result of the gross negligence of
register com
this led to users from many places around the world being unable to access the
baidu website for number of hours and causing serious damages to baidu
register com is leading domain registration service that manages more than
million domain names according to the company website officials there were
not available for immediate comment
baidu spokeswoman said the company would not provide any further information
on the lawsuit
baidu had percent of china search engine market in the final quarter of
last year followed by percent for google china according to internet
research firm analysys international
kaiser kuo beijing based internet consultant said the timing of the suit
would fuel speculation that it was in response to the google ultimatum
the suspicion will be that baidu wants it to appear that even as its american
rival was under attack from sophisticated chinese hackers baidu was also
suffering attacks that though perhaps not originating in the us were at least
made possible by the negligence of an american domain name registrar he said
google has said the cyberattacks against it were likely aimed at gaining access
to the gmail accounts of chinese human rights activists but has said it does
not believe that goal was achieved
the company is checking whether any of its china staff helped hackers lead the
attack the wall street journal reported tuesday
google also said tuesday it had postponed the launch in china of two mobile
phones featuring its android operating system and developed in conjunction with
motorola and samsung evidence of potential commercial fallout from the row
chinese commerce ministry spokesman said last week the row would not affect
overall trade and economic relations between china and the united states
in washington senior us diplomat kurt campbell said tuesday that us and chinese
officials had held multiple meetings over the google case and plan to have
more in the coming days
google china employees are very important to google we are going to have
communication with the government we want to have positive outcome with the
government google spokeswoman marsha wang told afp on wednesday
israel economy withstands global recession oecd
jerusalem jan afp
israel has withstood the global downturn but must curb social inequalities that
mainly affect arabs and ultra orthodox jews the oecd said wednesday as the
jewish state readies to join the organisation
gross domestic product grew by an estimated percent in more than
previously expected the organisation for economic cooperation and development
said in reports released in jerusalem
gdp growth in is expected to reach between three and three and half
percent
but there are weaknesses in the israeli economy particularly on the social
welfare side said oecd secretary general angel gurria who on tuesday met
israeli leaders for talks aimed at paving the way for the accession of the
jewish state to the organisation likely later this year
the report praised the authorities response to the global downturn but pointed
to what it called weaknesses in economic policy particularly the bank of
israel continued intervention in foreign currency markets
another report on labour and social issues said that one in five israelis lives
in poverty higher ratio than in any oecd country
poverty is highest among the youngest and fastest growing population groups
just over half of arab israelis and percent of ultra orthodox jews known
as haredi have disposable income that is less than half the national median
about percent of israelis aged between and are not working compared to
an average of percent among oecd member states
most low paid jobs with little security are filled by arabs haredim and foreign
workers and employment levels are particularly low among arab women and haredi
men
israel spends the equivalent of only percent of gdp on social policies as
compared with an average of percent for oecd countries the report said
the report called for the government to encourage the haredim to strengthen
their vocational skills as part of drive for more self sufficient and
less poverty ridden balance between religious worship and work
it also urged action to promote fair employment opportunities among the most
vulnerable parts of society
both reports stress that employment and social inclusion are vital to israel
future economic development and require increased public spending
real progress on social issues requires more inclusive society and better
chances for all citizens to share the fruits of economic growth said gurria
the oecd also urged israel to reduce the inequalities faced by arab israelis in
education
it stressed that while there is need for increased spending on social policy
israel must nevertheless reduce the burden of public debt on sustainable
basis
gurria said on tuesday after meeting israel leaders that the country is on
track to join the oecd
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
when founded in oecd membership represented percent of global wealth
today it accounts for percent and efforts are being made to enlarge
membership to incorporate rapidly growing economic powers
asml announces mln euro net loss for
the hague jan afp
dutch company asml key supplier of computer chip making systems reported
million euro million dollar net loss for despite making
million euro fourth quarter net profit
we closed the year as planned with improved sales and strong bookings as the
semiconductor business recovers company chief executive officer eric meurice
said in statement
the net loss compared to net profit of million euros in while
the fourth quarter figure represented an improvement on an million euro net
loss recorded in the same period year earlier
asml said net sales for the year were percent lower at billion euros than
sales of billion euros for the quarter sales grew to million
euros from million euros in the previous quarter and million euros in
the fourth quarter of
the company received orders for of its systems to the value of million
euros in the fourth quarter and expects bookings of the same order of
magnitude for the first quarter of confirming an upturn of the
semiconductor industry said meurice
asml expected net sales of about million euros for the first quarter of
and about million in the next
asml will submit proposal to the general meeting of shareholders to
declare an unchanged dividend paid in respect of of euro cents per
ordinary share approximately million euros the statement said
the company has about employees in countries it claims to be the
world leading provider of lithography systems for the semiconductor industry
manufacturing machines for the production of integrated circuits or chips
hong kong gold closes lower
hong kong jan afp
hong kong gold closed lower wednesday at us dollars down from
tuesday close of dollars
it opened at dollars
ravaged haiti adds weight to burdened us military shoulders
port au prince jan afp
the massive us military mobilization helping provide relief in quake stricken
haiti is adding new stress to the already stretched us armed forces worn down
by multiple tours to two distant war zones
hundreds of personnel attached to the us marine expeditionary corps arrived
south west of haiti devastated capital port au prince tuesday to help
distribute international aid to the survivors of last week massive
earthquake
they are just part of the enormous international effort underway to assist the
haitians believed to have been injured in the disaster which also left
an estimated million people homeless
the us response has been immediate with president barack obama swiftly pledging
to use every element of us power to assist haiti
among the military personnel dispatched were marines who arrived in haiti
last week aboard the bataan an amphibious ship
in all approximately military personnel are currently supporting
task force operations within haiti and from us navy and coast guard vessels off
shore us southern command said on its website tuesday
military personnel are engaged in every aspect of the relief effort from
distributing food and evacuating people to treating the wounded and helping
operate port au prince small airport
but with soldiers already deployed in two conflict areas in
iraq and in afghanistan the pentagon is being called upon to show
flexibility to find the resources to contribute to the haiti aid effort
adding to the pressure is obama decision to send another troops to
afghanistan to battle resurgent taliban
providing relief in haiti could be the final straw
obama on sunday ordered the mobilization of reserve forces for the mission
which will allow medical staff to be deployed aboard the usns comfort as well as
coast guard personnel to secure haiti seaports
homeland security secretary janet napolitano on tuesday authorized the
activation of up to coast guard reservists in bid to boost aid efforts
activating our reserve coast guard forces will expand our capacity to assist in
aid efforts in haiti she said in statement
other military resources deployed include the uss carl vinson an aircraft
carrier scheduled to sail from the us east coast to san diego california around
the tip of south america before it was diverted to assist in haiti
the nuclear powered craft brought helicopters to help deliver supplies and
evacuate the wounded
am happy we can help but hope we can start sailing again once the bataan
is here said one young enlisted man aboard the vinson on monday
also assisting is brigade of the army nd airborne division some
soldiers being deployed as part of the global response force that washington
maintains to respond to international emergency situations
the massive mobilization means there is little breathing room for the military
should it be faced with another unexpected call
we can do anything else says one army officer deployed in haiti
radical yemeni american cleric says he will not surrender
sanaa jan afp
fugitive radical us yemeni imam anwar al awlaqi suspected by washington to be
linked to the failed al qaeda attack on us airliner has said he has no
intention of surrendering to yemeni authorities
abdullah shaea yemeni journalist close to awlaqi told afp on wednesday that
the cleric had made that declaration to him recently and had also denied yemeni
government claims that negotiations were underway aiming at surrender
anwar al awlaqi told me that no one contacted him and that nothing has been
negotiated he has no intention of giving himself up
shaea is considered in yemen to be one of the country most knowledgeable
journalists on al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap which washington on
tuesday formally listed as terrorist group
anwar is at home protected by his tribe shaea said without indicating
precisely where the police and the army know that it is impossible to go and
look for him there
he is probably under the protection of al qaeda members not because he is
member but because they are from the same tribe
he has absolutely no confidence in government that jailed him in without
any charges and freed him after year and half without ever trying him
white house aide has directly accused awlaqi of having links with the man
suspected of shooting dead people at texas military base in november major
nidal hasan
us homeland security and counterterrorism adviser john brennan has also said the
us born imam might have had contact with the man who allegedly attempted to blow
up us airliner on christmas day umar farouk abdulmutallab
born in the us state of new mexico in awlaqi went to yemen when his family
returned home in where he attended school he returned to america in
for his studies graduating from colorado state university in civil engineering
in he returned to yemen and was arrested few months after his arrival for
his role in kidnapping the son of rich yemeni family and demanding ransom
money to finance al qaeda yemeni security sources said
he was set free in after the intervention of yemeni officials on condition
that he stayed in the capital and reported to police daily
but several months after his release he left sanaa for the eastern province of
shabwa where he hid in his grandfather house security sources said
it was not until after the fort hood shooting rampage that yemeni police renewed
their search for him
the prospects of the married father of five being captured are scant given
shaea description of sentiment in shabwa after deadly december air raid
there by government forces that killed al qaeda suspects and number of
civilians
after that raid on an area controlled by the awlaqi tribe people were
furious throughout the region they all went over to the side of al qaeda and
prevent anyone from approaching shaea said
there was fighting the government well knows that if it sends forces into the
area they will be beaten it will not even try that is why anwar is safe where
he is
yemen is al qaeda leader osama bin laden ancestral homeland and has seen
spate of attacks against western targets over the past decade
hong kong gold closes lower
hong kong jan afp
hong kong gold closed lower wednesday at us dollars down from
tuesday close of dollars
it opened at dollars
republicans deal obama massive blow with senate victory
boston massachusetts jan afp
republicans won stunning upset in massachusetts senate election tuesday
dealing potentially fatal blow to us president barack obama health care
reforms
republican scott brown pulled off the shock victory capturing the late
democratic icon edward kennedy seat in stern rebuke of obama exactly year
after he swept into office
with nearly all votes counted brown had percent to percent for his
democratic rival martha coakley
coakley originally expected cakewalk in the historically left leaning state
but brown populist challenge to democratic rule in washington turned the race
into an unstoppable insurgency
tonight the independent voice of massachusetts has spoken brown said in
rousing victory speech the voters of this commonwealth defied the odds and the
experts
coakley for her part said she was heartbroken at the result
but know we will get up tomorrow and continue the fight coakley told
supporters in boston
have offered him my congratulations she said
the biggest loss is obama
when brown takes up his seat the democrats will retain hefty majority in the
senate but lose the crucial th vote allowing them to override republican
blocking of the white house agenda
the first big victim analysts say is likely to be obama cherished health
care reforms package which has been struggling to pass in congress even with
the democratic majority
obama congratulated brown on his win and on well run campaign according to
white house spokesman robert gibbs
the president told senator brown that he looks forward to working with him on
the urgent economic challenges facing massachusetts families and struggling
families across our nation he added
brown who will become the st republican in the senate has promised to vote
against health care thereby derailing easy passage of the bill
think you can make pretty good argument that health care might be dead
democratic congressman anthony weiner told msnbc television
supporters at brown headquarters were jubilant shouting it miracle
and people seat people seat
think this very good sign this indicates people want something new in
government said one voter derek ho
analysts point to lackluster campaign by coakley and misreading by the
democrats of popular anger at washington in time of recession and at what
republicans say is an over expanding government
the white house admitted that obama who rushed to campaign alongside coakley on
sunday was surprised and frustrated and not pleased about the race but the
administration denied the election showed obama was out of touch with the
nation mood
beyond health care brown triumph will have wider implications for obama
agenda and political prestige and complicate his bid to pass items like cap
and trade climate legislation and immigration reform
republican win will also likely scare some conservative democrats from obama
side as they face mid term congressional polls in november with the
president approval ratings slipping and the economy in the mire
voters have had enough of the binge spending and government growing agenda
coming from washington democrats everywhere are officially on notice
republican national committee chairman michael steele said after the result came
in
steele democratic counterpart tim kaine said it goes without saying that we
are disappointed
there will be plenty of time to dissect this race and to apply the lessons
learned from it those to come this fall he said
meanwhile senior republican figure mitt romney heralded political sea change
this is really referendum on the barack obama agenda and think way of
working in washington which is kind of an arrogant approach to politics in this
country romney former presidential candidate told fox news
the white house disputes the idea that the massachusetts vote was referendum
on the president pointing out he still enjoys high approval in the state
aides also reject the idea voters are out to thwart his health care reform
which seeks to rein in health insurance companies cut costs and grant health
care to of the million americans currently without coverage
obama views the race as more evidence of the popular upset and anger at
incumbent politicians which powered his own election race spokesman robert
gibbs said
that not surprise to us in this administration because in many ways
we re here because of that upset and anger gibbs said
two koreas hold second day of talks despite tensions
seoul jan afp
north and south korea held second day of talks wednesday about their joint
business project despite pyongyang threats last week to break off dialogue
with its neighbour
the two sides were holding comprehensive discussion on ways to improve the
kaesong industrial estate just north of the border said seoul unification
ministry spokeswoman lee jong joo
she said the talks due to end later wednesday had been extended by few hours
to allow more discussions
kaesong is the last reconciliation project still operating and valuable source
of hard currency for the cash strapped north some north koreans work in
south korean run plants producing cookware textiles and other light
industrial goods
analysts say the communist north hit harder by international sanctions
following its nuclear and missile tests last year seems willing to promote
economic exchanges with the south despite an angry broadside last friday
its national defence commission the top decision making body threatened to cut
all dialogue and cooperation unless the south apologises for an alleged
contingency plan to handle regime collapse in the north
the commission also warned of holy war against the south should there be any
attempt to carry out the plan
south korean media has reported the existence of the contingency plan which has
not been confirmed by the government
south korean state think tank in separate report issued this week said the
north ailing leader kim jong il may die in two or three years and this could
spark upheavals such as coup mass unrest or massacres
in rare report forecasting possible regime collapse in the north the korea
institute for national unification also warned that such internal unrest could
prompt the north to start limited war on the peninsula
the seoul representatives to the talks at kaesong were due to return later
wednesday across the heavily fortified border
sm elw
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor gunther kern
tel
top stories
more pulled from haiti quake rubble
republicans win massachusetts senate election
gates warns al qaeda seeking to destabilise south asia
haiti quake lead wrap
port au prince
woman is pulled from the rubble of port au prince shopping centre after
spending seven days trapped without food or water as the massive relief
operation is stepped up
words gmt by daphne benoit and beatriz lecumberri graphic picture
video
us vote politics senate thlead wrap
boston massachusetts
republicans win stunning upset in massachusetts senate election dealing
potentially fatal blow to us president barack obama health care reforms
words gmt by marcia scott harrison picture
india us military pakistan qaeda newseries wrap
new delhi
us defence secretary robert gates warns that al qaeda is seeking to destabilise
the entire south asia region with possible attack on india that could trigger
new war with pakistan
words gmt by dan de luce
haiti
haiti quake aid us military lead
port au prince
the massive us military mobilization helping provide relief in quake stricken
haiti is adding new stress to the already stretched us armed forces worn down
by multiple tours to two distant war zones
words gmt by daphne benoit picture
we have also moved haiti quake china aid diplomacy focus
europe
france environment climate politics tax
paris
france government offers amendments to its planned carbon tax vowing not to
hit households hauliers and fishermen hard while seeking compromise on heavy
industry after earlier proposals were struck down as unfair
words gmt
georgia ukraine russia diplomacy politics analysis
tbilisi
ukraine expected turn towards russia under new president will leave pro
western georgia to go it alone in opposing moscow in the former soviet union
analysts say
words gmt by michael mainville
middle east
attacks yemen qaeda awlaqi lead
sanaa
fugitive radical us yemeni imam anwar al awlaqi whom washington suspects is
linked to the botched christmas day al qaeda attack on us airliner says he
has no intention of surrendering to yemeni authorities
words gmt by michel moutot
israel economy oecd
jerusalem
israel has withstood the global downturn but must curb social inequalities that
mainly affect arabs and ultra orthodox jews the oecd says as the jewish state
readies to join the organisation
words gmt by patrick moser
americas
us crime shooting
washington
gunman shoots dead eight people during rampage in the us state of virginia
us media report
words gmt
us vote politics obama analysis
washington
on the last day of barack obama first year in power republicans cast huge
doubts on his hopes of transformative presidency by capturing the senate seat
once held by his mentor edward kennedy
words gmt
entertainment us film sundance advancer
los angeles
films about the war in afghanistan and the assassination of former pakistan
prime minister benazir bhutto are among the offerings as the th sundance film
