the main evidence rested on video dating from october which the
prosecution says was used to recruit new al qaeda members
he may have advocated violence anti semitism and violence against women but
none of those are specific in time place or means said civilian defense
lawyer michel paradis
he also argued bahlul had the right to invoke the first amendment of the us
constitution which upholds the right to freedom of speech and expression
but that argument was rejected by the prosecution which said the video was an
incitement to violence and argued bahlul was an enemy combatant who had been
correctly tried before the military commissions
the appeals court is due to make its ruling in the next month pentagon source
told afp
us faults al jazeera coverage of haiti
washington jan afp
the us state department on tuesday faulted the coverage of the haiti earthquake
by qatar based al jazeera saying it falsely suggested us militarization of
the country
philip crowley the assistant secretary of state for public affairs said he
complained to the network english language service about what we felt was
unfair unbalanced coverage of operations in haiti
it suggested there was militarization of the effort crowley told reporters
he criticized an instance in which he said al jazeera compared the port au
prince airport the hub of us relief operations to the green zone where us
forces are stationed in baghdad
crowley pointed to al jazeera in response to question seeking clarification of
remarks earlier tuesday by secretary of state hillary clinton who said some
foreign media either misunderstood or deliberately misconstrued the us
decision to send thousands of troops to haiti
clinton strongly defended the us military involvement in haiti saying it was
vital to the relief efforts in the wake of the tragedy that killed more than
people
leftist latin american nations such as venezuela and cuba have accused the
united states of occupying haiti the united states sent troops to the poor
caribbean nation in establishing military government that lasted until
the united states has also faced criticism from nato ally italy where senior
official on sunday said washington had sent too many officers to haiti and
could not find capable leader
prime minister silvio berlusconi distanced himself from the remarks tuesday
hailing the united states for its generous and significant intervention in
haiti
al jazeera has had rocky relationship with us authorities who have faulted
its coverage of us foreign policy and its airing of tapes by osama bin laden but
also turned to the network to reach an arab audience
nigerian opposition politician shot dead police
lagos jan afp
gunmen shot dead prominent opposition politician in nigeria southwestern
ogun state police said tuesday amid rising tensions ahead of general elections
next year
chief dipo dina was killed monday night in ota by unknown gunmen who ambushed
his vehicle senior police officer told afp
we are still investigating the circumstances of his death he said
dina who like many politicians held the traditional title of chief was the
opposition action congress ac gubernatorial candidate in disputed april
poll
tensions have been rising as the country prepares for general elections in
several prominent politicians including justice minister and two
gubernatorial candidates have been murdered by unidentified gunmen in recent
years and police have failed to prosecute the killers
gubernatorial poll in southern anambra state on february is being seen as
bellwether for next year election
vice president goodluck jonathan ordered the security agencies to find the
killers
the vice president views this incident seriously and has directed the police in
concert with the other intelligence agencies to find and arrest the killers of
dina without delay his office said in statement
the ac said tuesday that dina killing was the latest indication of rising
culture of intolerance and insecurity in the country and signals dangerous
trend that must be curbed urgently
nation that is not at war and yet loses high number of its prominent and
non prominent citizens to senseless killings cannot and should not expect to be
taken seriously by civilised nations ac spokesman lai mohammed said
this madness must stop he said
guinea new prime minister seeks free vote
conakry jan afp
guinea new prime minister opposition leader jean marie dore said tuesday he
wanted to lead the transition government to free transparent and credible
elections and would seek military overhaul
we hope for free transparent and credible elections because it is indeed the
required path for our country to attain stability dore said at ceremony
transferring power to him from the outgoing prime minister
he also called general sekouba konate the president of the transition
government to reorganise and restructure the military with the support of the
international community
football birmingham sign gardner from local rivals villa
birmingham england jan afp
birmingham raided local rivals aston villa to sign former england under
midfielder craig gardner for three million pounds on tuesday
gardner agreed four and half year contract with alex mcleish team
after opting to quit villa park in search of more regular first team action
he had made just league starts for villa since making his debut in and
becomes birmingham second signing of the transfer window following mcleish
swoop for sporting gijon midfielder michel
mcleish bolstered by new owner carson yeung funds also admitted he is keen
to sign striker and winger before the transfer window closes on february
he is interested in spurs striker roman pavlyuchenko while liverpool winger
ryan babel is another target
am building squad we have to have squad of players and it is about
enhancing the quality as you go along and craig gardner will enhance the
quality of the squad mcleish said
from two years ago to now this is major signing for us because we wouldn
have been able to do this two seasons ago
are any other deals close to being completed there is nothing close but we are
trying couple of things
still believe we have to spend some more money to bring in striker and
wide man for more cover
clinton lashes out at critics on haiti
washington jan afp
secretary of state hillary clinton on tuesday staunchly defended the american
response to haiti earthquake lashing out at foreign critics and calling the
us military vital to the relief effort
italian prime minister silvio berlusconi quickly issued statement praising
american efforts hoping to defuse row after one of his ministers accused the
us of weak leadership in the tragedy that claimed more than lives
deeply resent those who attack our country the generosity of our people and
the leadership of our president in trying to respond to historically disastrous
conditions after the earthquake clinton told state department employees at
forum marking one year in office
clinton did not single out critics but said that some of the international
press either misunderstood or deliberately misconstrued the us decision to send
thousands of troops to haiti
the united states needed to send both troops and civilians to deliver aid to
the haitians who desperately needed it clinton said
we re scrambling as quick as we could to do everything we needed in the past
two weeks she said
italy chief public safety official guido bertolaso said sunday that the united
states had sent too many officers to haiti and could not find capable
leader
bertolaso who won praise for his handling of last year earthquake in the
italian town of aquila said that the united states could have been more
effective if it had will and capacity for coordination and leadership
but berlusconi on tuesday praised the us operation in haiti day after his
foreign minister franco frattini also distanced himself from the disaster
minister remarks in meeting with clinton in washington
without the generous and significant intervention of the united states
everything would have been much more difficult berlusconi said
in critical situations like this it is unfortunately inevitable that
difficulties will emerge in the coordination of aid efforts he said
statements that might inadvertently spark debate should be avoided he said
besides nato ally italy the united states has faced criticism from leftist
latin american nations such as venezuela bolivia and cuba that accused the
superpower of occupying the country rather than helping its people
the united states sent troops to haiti in at time of instability in the
poor nation establishing military government that lasted until
clinton in an interview with the african american oriented american urban radio
networks strongly refuted suggestions that haitians did not want us troops on
their soil
boy are people glad to see us clinton said have lots of pictures of
haitians embracing our soldiers waving at our helicopters expressing their
thanks
we know that some want to draw some historical parallel that is not applicable
but we are not paying any attention to that she said
at the state department town hall clinton pointed to her strong response to
criticism on haiti as model for the future
while the obama administration has pledged humbler approach to foreign affairs
after george bush divisive presidency clinton said the united states must
be ready to defend itself against allegations it sees as unfair
have absolutely no argument with anyone lodging legitimate criticism
against our country think we can learn from that and we are foolish if we
keep our head in the sand and pretend we can clinton said
what we re asking for is that people view us fairly she said
israeli pm honours holocaust victims in polish capital
warsaw jan afp
israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu honoured holocaust victims at war
memorial in the polish capital tuesday the eve of the th anniversary of the
auschwitz death camp liberation
the israeli leader bowed his head in front of the imposing grey marble
umschlagplatz collection point memorial in central warsaw laying wreath
draped in banner in the blue and white colours of the israeli flag
with him were holocaust survivors and polish woman whom israel has honoured as
righteous among the nations title it awards to non jews who risked their
lives to save jews
at this place from where hundreds of thousands of our people were sent to death
camps and where we meet today the righteous among the nations we encounter the
worst evil in the history of mankind together with the greatest courage in the
history of humanity netanyahu told reporters
it was from the infamous umschlagplatz site that in warsaw wwii nazi
german occupiers sent more than jews by train to the notorious treblinka
death camp kilometres miles northeast of the city
this is not an easy encounter but it gives us hope and direction for our
future may god avenge the victims said the israeli leader standing alongside
his wife sara whose father was the only member of his family to survive the nazi
holocaust in which some six million jews were murdered
netanyahu later visited the city warsaw uprising museum where he honoured
victims of the bloody and doomed revolt by polish partisans against the nazi
occupiers
the uprising came over year after jewish resistance fighters led an equally
doomed revolt in the warsaw ghetto against the nazis in
netanyahu wrote in hebrew in the museum guestbook the people of israel have
learnt their lesson
on the eve of the trip to poland netanyahu had warned that jews were again
facing calls for their extermination in an apparent reference to iranian
president mahmoud ahmadinejad
there is evil in the world if it is unstopped it expands and it is
expanding and it is threatening the same people the jewish people but we know
it only starts with the jewish people netanyahu said on monday
there is new call for the extermination of the jewish people he said at the
opening of an exhibition of the auschwitz blueprints at the yad vashem holocaust
memorial in jerusalem
ahmadinejad has repeatedly said the jewish state was doomed to be wiped off the
map and has questioned the scale of the holocaust israel considers iran to be
an existential threat
the son of prominent nationalist historian netanyahu views the jewish state
as the shield against growing expressions of holocaust denial
earlier tuesday netanyahu met with polish foreign minister radoslaw sikorski
senior israeli official told reporters the talks had focused on the middle
east peace process international efforts to halt iran nuclear programme and
ways to impose effective sanctions on tehran
they also discussed bilateral and trade relations including the sale of israeli
drones to the polish army said the official who requested anonymity
netanyahu was expected later tuesday to hold talks with president lech kaczynski
and his polish counterpart donald tusk
on wednesday he is due to visit the former nazi auschwitz death camp for
ceremony marking international holocaust remembrance day and the th
anniversary of the liberation of the camp where some one million jews perished
between june and january
olympics bobsleigh minichello to undergo more eye surgery
london jan afp
british bobsleigh world champion nicola minichello is set to have third eye
operation on wednesday before heading out to vancouver in search of winter
olympic gold
minichello and brakewoman gillian cooke are one of britain best hopes for
medal in canada next month
but as recently as december sled driver minichello feared she might not make it
to the games after losing percent of the sight in her left eye
feared my olympic games were over she said tuesday
however she was given cause for optimism when british team doctors diagnosed
minichello was suffering from retinitis the same condition that once affected
manchester united midfielder paul scholes
minichiello underwent two bouts of laser surgery which ensured she could return
to the track with cooke and complete their olympic qualification
minichiello sight is up to percent in her left eye now but she still needs
one more operation before the british bobsleigh team head to canada
over the course of about four or five days went from having full vision to
losing percent of the sight in my left eye minichello said
it was pretty worrying time but the surgery removed percent of the fluid
which allowed us to go back on the ice and complete our qualification
it was just random thing and one of the hurdles we have had to overcome this
season it has made us more focused
we are world champions and that gives us confidence that on our day we can beat
anybody in the world
minichiello and cooke are members of british team set to be the biggest for
the winter olympics since albertville in
the competitors announced tuesday took britain squad to across six
sports and disciplines
among those included were several skiers including medal prospect chemmy alcott
despite the british sport governing body snowsports gb struggling to avoid
bankruptcy
funding agency uk sport have set the british team target of three medals
which would equal their best return from winter olympics since
urgent guinea new prime minister seeks free elections
conakry jan afp
the new prime minister in guinea transition government opposition leader
jean marie dore said tuesday he wanted free transparent and credible
elections and would seek military overhaul
hard labor for haiti amputee mothers
port au prince jan afp
when the screams of women giving birth died down you could hear the subdued
cries of those babies who made it alive into the chaotic post quake suffering of
port au prince general hospital
the women lay atop mattresses on gravel in the sweltering heat of tents erected
in the hospital courtyard some had limbs amputated others pelvic fractures in
haiti the joy of parenthood must wait sometimes forever
women give birth after being pulled from the rubble their legs or arms
amputated some have deep wounds doctor jean herby lafrance cuban trained
haitian doctor who flew in with group of cuban medics last week told afp
before the january quake thought to have killed people the
impoverished caribbean nation had the highest rate of maternal mortality in the
western hemisphere deaths per births
fifteen percent of births involved hemorrhaging or other complications
requiring operations according to the united nations population fund unfpa
with an estimated pregnant women among haiti affected population
doctors nurses and mothers alike labored long parents cradled newborns in
their arms some nursed most faces were expressionless stuck between awe at
the destruction and the joy of survival others smiled in spite of it all
so far lafrance had delivered babies including five by cesarean section and
two premature births brought on by stress from the earthquake
we ve had eight women miscarry some three or four months pregnant said the
year old who has two children of his own at home in santiago de cuba
we have problems with equipment particularly for cesareans said lafrance
the situation for operations is very critical we don have the material but
we operate anyway it very difficult
he said there were no doctors in maternity when he arrived today with
volunteers arrived from around the world he said there were enough doctors but
almost everything else was lacking
we have nothing to prepare the women no compresses sometimes no anesthetic
and the operating tables are incomplete we need material
some women can make it to hospital and give birth without assistance in the
many makeshift camps that have sprung up in and around port au prince
conditions beyond the capital can be much worse
around women are expected to give birth in affected areas over the next
month with another expected miscarriages the unfpa jemilah mahmood
told afp
the unfpa was trying to get hygiene kits to women to help them deliver in safer
conditions
lafrance said there was no comparison between hospitals in aid dependent haiti
and in cuba where us sanctions have for half century prevented medicine and
medical supplies getting in
in cuba the hospitals are good and the people very well organized the
birthing rooms in cuba are air conditioned it not like that here we can
practice what we learn we just try to save people with what we have
we can disinfect women properly but amazingly so far we ve had no postpartum
infections
lafrance said there was little chance of volunteer us and cuban doctors working
together at the general hospital where us paratroopers provide security and irk
the cubans by checking their ids
there real rivalry if they worked together it would be like lemon and milk
he said
gm clinches last minute deal to sell saab to spyker
detroit michigan jan afp
general motors on tuesday announced binding agreement to sell its saab
division to dutch luxury sports car maker spyker in an th hour deal saving
the storied swedish brand
as part of the agreement spyker will form new company saab spyker
automobiles which will carry the saab nameplate forward
gm officials said the deal calls for spyker to pay million dollars in cash
and allow gm to retain redeemable preferred shares worth an estimated
million dollars
assuming quick action the transaction is expected to close in mid february
according to gm which said that it would suspend its previously announced wind
down activities at saab
today announcement is great news for saab employees dealers and suppliers
great news for millions of saab customers and fans worldwide and great news for
gm gm vice president for corporate planning and alliances john smith said
general motors spyker cars and the swedish government worked very hard and
creatively for deal that would secure sustainable future for this unique and
iconic brand and we re all happy for the positive outcome
spyker said the terms call for an installment of million dollars by the
expected closing date of february and million to be paid on july
we are very much looking forward to being part of the next chapter in saab
illustrious history said spyker chief executive victor muller
saab is an iconic brand that we are honored to shepherd we are delighted to
have secured the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of loyal saab employees
suppliers and dealers and to have given reassurance to the million saab
drivers and enthusiasts around the world
sweden will guarantee loan of million euros million dollars from the
european investment bank to support the transaction swedish enterprise minister
maud olofsson said in stockholm
throughout the negotiations gm has always had the hope to find solution for
saab that would avoid wind down of the brand said nick reilly president of
gm europe
we ve worked with many parties over the past year including governments and
investors and very pleased that we could come to such good conclusion
one that preserves jobs in sweden and elsewhere gm will continue to support
saab and spyker on their way forward
the announcement appears to end series of on again off again deals for the
lengendary swedish automaker amid intense fears of job losses in the
scandinavian country
in december gm nixed proposed deal with spyker following the withdrawal of
bid from swedish sportscar maker koenigsegg group ab with chinese backing
gm has been undergoing massive restructuring since emerging from bankruptcy
with support from the us and canadian governments last year the company has
decided to end its saturn and pontiac brands in the united states and has
reached deal to sell its hummer brand to chinese buyer
gm also agreed to sell some saab assets to china beijing automotive industry
holding co
saab employs some people in sweden and sold just over cars
worldwide in
up to an estimated jobs were seen as at risk in saab shutdown
including those of suppliers and subcontractors saab liquidation also could
impact sweden other carmaker volvo owned by us based ford motor co
under gm stewardship spanning almost two decades saab rarely posted profit
and last year lost billion kronor the equivalent of million euros or
million dollars at the time
gm in november reversed plans to sell its european opel vauxhall division and to
restructure those operations on its own analysts noted that opel unlike saab
is integrated into gm global operations
saab history as an automaker dates back to the when the first cars were
produced by the swedish aircraft maker svenska aeroplan aktiebolaget or saab gm
acquired saab automobile in
with bernanke fate in balance fed to hold steady
washington jan afp
the federal reserve opened two day monetary policy meeting tuesday
overshadowed by the suspense surrounding the confirmation of central bank
chairman ben bernanke to second term
analysts say the federal open market committee is likely to signal steady
policy course at its upcoming meeting in an effort to keep fragile economic
recovery on track
the federal open market committee expected to issue statement wednesday
around gmt is likely to keep the federal funds base rate at range of
zero to percent which has been in place for more than year as part of
plan to revive economic activity
bernanke fate hung in the balance as growing number of senators caught in
new political landscape came out publicly opposed to the fed chief for going too
easy on wall street banks and doing too little for average americans
the senate top democratic lawmaker majority leader harry reid said tuesday
that bernanke confirmation vote for second term could come thursday or
friday his term expires sunday
with bernanke fate uncertain questions remain on the fed so called exit
strategy from its massive stimulus to help lift the us economy out of its worst
recession in decades
deutsche bank economist joseph lavorgna said he does not expect any surprise
from the fed that might roil fragile financial markets
policymakers will seek to avoid an outsized reaction from financial markets
which could perceive such move to be the beginning of rate hiking cycle he
said
other questions remain about the fed plans to wind down series of special
programs aimed at pumping more than one trillion dollars into the financial
system initiatives set to expire in the coming months
sung won sohn economist at california state university said he has concerns
about what will happen to the mortgage market and the overall economy if the fed
holds to its schedule of ending purchases of mortgage backed securities at the
end of march
without the support of the fed the mortgage market would essentially fall
apart sohn said
they said they would conclude their purchases by the end of march but think
there is good chance they would have to extend it for fear the mortgage market
would falter
others say the fed will end this program as test for the mortgage markets
while we expect the fed asset purchases to end on schedule in march the
committee is likely to keep the door open to extend or restart the program
should conditions warrant said jan hatzius economist at goldman sachs
ryan sweet economist at moody economy com said the key monetary policy
meeting has taken back seat to the political debate on extending bernanke
term
political tension combined with fragile recovery gives the fomc plenty of
reason to sit tight at this week meeting he said
sweet said he expected bernanke to ultimately be confirmed despite the noise
but if he is rejected sweet said the impact would be seen immediately in
financial markets investors will reassess expectations about when the central
bank will start to unwind its emergency monetary stimulus policies refusal
to give bernanke second term may be perceived as politicizing decisions on
monetary policy complicating matters for the central bank and damaging its
credibility as well as its independence
alert
guinea new prime minister seeks free elections and military overhaul
imf says global recovery stronger but still frail
washington jan afp
the international monetary fund said tuesday the global economy is bouncing back
better than expected after two years of crisis but warned stimulus was still
needed to support the recovery
the imf projected global growth of percent in bouncing back from
percent contraction in that marked the first downturn since world war ii
the global recovery is off to stronger start than anticipated earlier but is
proceeding at different speeds in the various regions the fund said in an
update of its twice yearly world economic outlook report published on october
the growth forecast was solid percentage points higher than the
percent estimated four months ago reflecting sluggish growth in advanced
economies offset by relatively vigorous growth in emerging and developing
economies
global production and trade bounced back in the second half of and
confidence rebounded strongly on both the financial and real fronts as
extraordinary policy support forestalled another great depression the
washington based institution said
the recovery in gross domestic product gdp or goods and services output
still needs extraordinary support because there were few signs that private
demand on its own account was taking hold the fund said
key risk is that premature and incoherent exit from supportive policies may
undermine global growth and its rebalancing the report said
for the moment the recovery is very much based on policy decisions and policy
actions the question is when does private demand come and take over said imf
chief economist olivier blanchard
dominique strauss kahn the imf managing director has repeatedly cautioned
against premature exits from anti crisis measures saying they risk return to
recession
the united states the world largest economy was expected to post gdp growth
of percent in sharp percent increase from the prior forecast
china the emerging market leader and massive engine of the global recovery
will see growth accelerate to percent this year full percent higher
than previously estimated
the imf held unchanged its growth forecast for japan the second largest
economy at percent
the nation eurozone gdp was set to expand percent up from the prior
percent estimate
advanced economies overall would grow by percent eclipsed by the
percent pace seen for the emerging and developing economies
the global recovery will face the challenge of rising crude oil prices which
were expected to climb to dollars barrel on average this year and to
dollars in after dollars in
big risks remain to the recovery including elevated unemployment and fiscal
deficits and debt the nation fund said
high fiscal deficits and debt are raising concerns about sustainability and
sovereign risk which is the primary consideration in many countries
low interest rates that might be contributing to asset price bubbles were also
concern
jorg decressin head of the imf world economic studies division ruled out
immediate bubble risks in china despite its sizzling economy
asset prices in some specific sectors in some specific regions of china may
be thriving but there certainly no widespread asset bubble he said at news
conference after the report release
the report said that crucially there remains pressing need to continue
repairing the financial sector in advanced and the hardest hit emerging
economies
in separate update of its global financial stability report the imf said
even though some bank capital has been raised substantial additional capital
may be needed to support the recovery of credit and sustain economic growth
olympics snowboard us sets vancouver olympic lineup
park city utah jan afp
reigning olympic champions seth wescott shaun white and hannah teter and season
halfpipe star kelly clark were on the us olympic snowboard roster announced late
monday
americans have dominated olympic snowboarding since it debuted in at
nagano japan and have expectations soaring as high as their competitors ahead
of the vancouver winter olympics
we are going in to the games with one of the strongest athletic lineups
possible us snowboarding coach peter foley said we re hoping to go into
vancouver and build on the successes we saw in this team is in position to
do great things
defending men halfpipe champion white known as the flying tomato because of
his red hair leads lineup that also includes double corkers greg bretz and
louie vito plus scotty lago
