displaced persons
in serbia the organisation noted that cooperation with the un war crimes
tribunal has improved although it has still not led to the arrest of the
court most wanted fugitive bosnian serb general ratko mladic
the european union has said that full cooperation with the un court is
precondition for belgrade possible entry into the european bloc eu member the
netherlands insists that full cooperation means mladic arrest
in croatia country considered to be the closest to becoming an eu member war
crimes suspects have been prosecuted but disproportionate number of
defendants are serbs and its cooperation with the tribunal has been
inconsistent the ngo said
it said progress on accountability for war crimes has been slowest in kosovo but
praised some encouraging signs such as the start of small number of war
crimes proceedings by the new eu justice and police mission eulex
both serbia and kosovo were condemned for their treatment of roma minorities
with the report saying they have been pushed towards marginal position
human rights watch also warned of harassment of human rights defenders and
independent journalists in the balkans
kenya in fresh bid to deport radical jamaican imam
nairobi jan afp
kenya on thursday made fresh attempt to deport radical jamaican imam abdulla
al faisal on private jet scheduled to fly him back to his country officials
said
have been told by the anti terrorism police unit officers that the subject is
no longer within the court jurisdiction his destination is jamaica state
counsel edwin okello told high court judge in nairobi
the cleric checked through immigration at nairobi international airport but it
was not clear whether his jet had taken off an immigration official told afp on
condition of anonymity
however government spokesman alfred mutua said the imam had left kenya
abdullah al faisal was deported earlier today and he is no longer in kenya
mutua said in statement denying reports by some muslim rights officials that
the cleric was still in the country
al faisal who was jailed for four years in britain for inciting racial hatred
was arrested in the port city of mombasa on december by kenyan police who
had since twice tried and failed to deport him
the year old firebrand cleric arrest without charge sparked an outcry among
kenya muslim community and protests which left five dead following friday
prayers on january
the unprecedented riots outside nairobi main mosque had led to massive sweep
in which police arrested somalis and drew renewed threats from somalia al
qaeda linked shebab group
al faisal immigration card copy of which was obtained by afp shows he was
to leave kenya from nairobi main international airport on private flight
gulfstream zsjgc
the high court had been due to decide whether or not to keep abdulla al faisal
who is on several international terror watchlists in detention
earlier thursday the police filed several security documents accusing the
jamaican cleric of engaging in preaching activities that violated the terms of
his tourist visa and of being national security threat
kenyan foreign minister moses wetangula had said earlier this week that the
cleric would be out of the country by thursday
it was unclear where al faisal jet was scheduled to stop for re fuelling
he is persona non grata in most western countries and was denied transit in
several african countries
kenya two previous efforts to deport him earlier this month failed when
neighbouring tanzania and later nigerian airline refused to take him
al faisal lawyer reacted with dismay at his client deportation even as his
fate was being discussed in court
we want to be furnished with documents to show which atpu anti terrorism
police unit officers followed him who is the pilot which plane and such
other documents harun ndubi told the judge
news of the controversial cleric exit from kenya comes on the eve of fresh
demonstration in mombasa which some muslim groups planned to hold after friday
prayers despite police ban
despite unconfirmed reports that jamaican cleric abdulluah faisal has been
deported we shall go on with our demonstration tomorrow said sheikh abubakari
ahmed muslims youth leader
amid simmering confessional tension in kenya members of somalia hardline
shebab group on wednesday posted on website song in swahili threatening
attacks in nairobi
the islamist armed movement has repeatedly threatened to retaliate for kenya
support for the internationally backed transitional federal government
remembering its own deadly quake macedonia sends aid to haiti
skopje jan afp
macedonia whose capital skopje was devastated in earthquake will send
aid to quake hit haiti government spokesman said thursday
the government decided to send dollars euros to help quake
victims in haiti spokesman martin martinovski told reporters
macedonia also offered to send medical team to join international rescue
efforts while the capital city will send an additional euros in aid to
haiti the government said
skopje was levelled by an earthquake in which killed over people
and left homeless some percent of the town was destroyed
belgian beer blockade nears end
brussels jan afp
blockade that threatened to strangle supplies of top belgian beers to home and
neighbouring european markets should end on friday after management and unions
said compromise was reached
two weeks after workers first barricaded stella artois jupiler and hoegaarden
breweries in protest at owners anheuser busch inbev plans to cut percent
of its european workforce citing reduced consumption drinkers can breathe
easier
deal seems to me to be acceptable union rep tangui cornu told afp he added
that plan was being presented to workers at different sites on thursday and
if apporoval was forthcoming the barricades should be lifted by late friday
the protest action began after the group announced on january that it planned
to cut around jobs in western europe in belgium of the jobs at
ab inbev the world biggest brewers were slated to go
the action had achieved its initial goals leading to shortages being reported
by large supermarket chains and spike in guerrilla sales tactics from rival
brewers
france luxembourg and the netherlands were also threatened by critically low
levels of stocks for bars tied through distribution deals
the company has agreed to pay workers wages for wednesday and thursday
we re going to start again with blank page talking through all the company
problems in order to find socially acceptable solutions the union
representative added
the company said in statement it had accepted proposal aimed at re starting
social dialogue with the goal of lifting the blockade by january at the
latest
ab inbev produces around percent of the volume of beer consumed in belgium
bars and cafes according to the national hoteliers and restaurants federation
obama announces plan to rein in banks finance firms
washington jan afp
president barack obama on thursday announced plan to limit the size and scope
of us banks and finance firms in bid to roll back corporate excess and limit
dangerous risk taking
the announcement was the latest attempt by the white house to harness popular
fury at massive wall street bonuses and tight credit markets which is adding up
to an angry political mood in crucial election year
the plan will effectively force finance firms to chose between proprietary
activities trading in stocks and sometimes risky financial instruments and
commercial activities like making loans and collecting deposits
while the financial system is far stronger today than it was one year ago it
is still operating under the exact same rules that led to its near collapse
obama said in an advance copy of his remarks on the plan
my resolve to reform the system is only strengthened when see return to old
practices at some of the very firms fighting reform obama said
it is exactly this kind of irresponsibility that makes clear reform is
necessary
israel arrests suspects in abducted african refugees case
jerusalem jan afp
israeli police said on thursday they have arrested two men suspected of running
ring that abducted and swindled african refugees in egypt seeking to illegally
enter israel
the two eritreans aged and allegedly used network of informers and an
egyptian gang to catch the refugees most of them from eritrea trying to enter
israel from the sinai desert police said
according to police statement the abducted refugees were held in appalling
conditions in tents in the heart of the desert and were subjected to awful
abuse and torture
they were forced to contact relatives and friends in israel or their country of
origin in order to raise ransom for their release and transfer into israel
police said
investigators seized dollars in cash in the jerusalem apartments of the
suspects who were brought before court on thursday
the israel egypt border has become major transit route for migrants asylum
seekers and drug smugglers and israel has asked egypt to clamp down on the
traffic
israel has struggled to put lid on the influx of human traffic and earlier
this month prime minister benjamin netanyahu announced the construction of
barrier along the kilometre mile desert frontier in bid to halt
infiltration
according to the interior ministry some illegal aliens including
migrants tourists who overstayed their visit and palestinians live
in israel which is home to seven million people
european stocks fall london down percent
london jan afp
european stocks dropped on thursday amid market jitters over the outlook for
china economy giant debts in europe and the effects of increased regulation
of the banking sector
london benchmark ftse index plunged percent to points the
frankfurt dax fell percent to points and the paris cac slumped
percent to points
football win bid win world cup ginola tells england
london jan afp
david ginola reckons england chances of winning the world cup would be boosted
if they hosted the edition
the frenchman who spent seven years playing in the premier league with
tottenham and newcastle was appointed thursday as an ambassador for england
world cup bid
the only time that england have won the world cup was when staging the
tournament in although hopes have been growing that under their italian
boss fabio capello the team could lift the trophy in south africa this year
when you are playing in your home country in the world cup as football player
that must be something really special said ginola omitted from the france
squad crowned world champions on home soil in
when you are playing for your country you are so proud about it and when you
are not involved you are so depressed about not being involved so guess it
must be fantastic feeling just the fact that the target will be for the
players to get to the final at wembley
it would be tremendous push for them every day in training every single game
until the final
turning his attention to this year world cup the former playmaker added
capello has brought great discipline to the team he has brought some
confidence he has the players worried about playing for england because of
that guess england have to be one of my favourites for south africa
ginola moved back to live in england from france six months ago
moving back to this country when you are living in the south of france wasn
an easy decision to make he said
when was asked to become an ambassador was delighted because think it
wonderful opportunity as frenchman to show the entire world the quality of
england in terms of its football organisation and passion so it was straight
yes from me
ginola who joined newcastle from paris st germain in added there is
lot of passion in the english game
as foreigner when arrived the first thing realised about the country was
the passion not only the passion on the pitch but it was all over the place
we need to be very down to earth about the bid there are other bids but
think everything is set up well for england in to host the perfect world
cup
hooliganism has been blight on english football and while the problem has
largely been brought under control inside grounds the sight of flare in the
crowd at this week manchester derby was warning against complacency
meanwhile concerns remain about the behaviour of some england fans at
international tournaments but ginola said he did not expect these to scupper
england bid come december vote on the host nation
in seven years of playing football in this country never experienced
something bad on the pitch or off it he said
english people are very patriotic they love their country their flag and
anthem but don think there ll be any problems off the pitch
england face competition from australia indonesia japan and russia as well as
from joint bids by belgium and the netherlands and spain and portugal
mass funerals as troops patrol nigeria riot city
jos nigeria jan afp
tank rumbled through the troubled nigerian city of jos thursday as soldiers
escorted truck loaded with bodies to mass grave after four days of inter
religious clashes left some dead
with permanent curfew relaxed for few hours religious leaders conducted
mass funerals after the government ordered in troops to quell attacks by
rampaging gun and machete wielding gangs that had raged largely unchecked here
since sunday
one after another bodies shrouded in white were laid in rows and on top of
each other in square metre square foot grave at the city
narukuta cemetery
the city chief imam balarabe dawud appealed to muslims not to avenge the
killings and urged the government to bring to justice the perpetrators of this
week incessant slaughter
appeal to all muslims in plateau to remain calm and law abiding our
muslim brethren in all parts of the country to refrain from any reprisal
attacks he said
many of the shrouds were visibly blood stained testimony to the shocking
violence of the slaughter that began here sunday reportedly sparked by
muslim christian land dispute many were hacked to death with machetes others
simply shot according to the international committee of the red cross
whatever action one takes can bring these people back dawud said pointing
to the burial pit
impunity is the fuel that has been the fire of senseless killings burning in
jos said the cleric in eulogy delivered in the local hausa dialect
dawud spoke as security was reportedly being stepped up in selected states in
the predominantly muslim north where violence linked to islamist sects has
killed hundreds over the past year alone
leaders of both faiths claim the fighting had little to do with religion and was
an expression of the failure of the political leadership to address ethnic
differences
christian leaders have blamed nigerian troops for the killings in jos which
straddles the rough dividing line between nigeria muslim dominated north and
the largely christian south
the senate said it would investigate reports that some of those arrested were
wearing military uniform
we are sad to announce that the real culprits that have been killing our
christian brethren are nigerian soldiers said the plateau state christian
elders forum in statement
the top muslim body in nigeria the jamaatul nasril islam jni said it was
highly disturbed with the repeated act of mass killing of innocent people and
destruction of property by hoodlums in jos
figures provided by christian and muslim leaders and paramedics pointed to
death toll of around with hundreds more wounded being treated in
overflowing hospitals and clinics
the red cross said people had been forced to flee the violence many of
them taking refuge in military barracks churches and mosques around the city
some displaced people with relatives outside jos are moving out and leaving
town they are too traumatised and don have anything having lost their
homes and properties said local red cross director awwalu mohammed
thousands of troops patrolled the streets on thursday manning checkpoints and
stopping and searching vehicles every few metres along the streets
residents said unrest eased the night before and authorities relaxed
permanent curfew allowing people to leave their homes to replenish depleted
stocks of food and water after the curfew halted supplies to the city of some
the situation is calm said david maiyaki resident of nassarawa gwom
predominantly christian area where the clashes first erupted on sunday
plateau police commissioner gregory anting said normalcy has returned
there hasn been any report of violence since morning and those who fled at
the wake of the crisis are gradually returning home
but life was slow in picking up as most of the shops markets banks and the
airport remained shut
jos has been hotbed of religious violence in nigeria whose million people
are divided almost equally between followers of the two faiths
un chief ban ki moon has expressed alarm over the clashes and appealed to all
sides for restraint and seek peaceful solutions to religious and other
differences in the country
football win bid win world cup ginola tells england
london jan afp
david ginola reckons england chances of winning the world cup would be boosted
if they hosted the edition
the frenchman who spent seven years playing in the premier league with
tottenham and newcastle was appointed thursday as an ambassador for england
world cup bid
the only time that england have won the world cup was when staging the
tournament in although hopes have been growing that under their italian
boss fabio capello the team could lift the trophy in south africa this year
when you are playing in your home country in the world cup as football player
that must be something really special said ginola omitted from the france
squad crowned world champions on home soil in
when you are playing for your country you are so proud about it and when you
are not involved you are so depressed about not being involved so guess it
must be fantastic feeling just the fact that the target will be for the
players to get to the final at wembley
it would be tremendous push for them every day in training every single game
until the final
turning his attention to this year world cup the former playmaker added
capello has brought great discipline to the team he has brought some
confidence he has the players worried about playing for england because of
that guess england have to be one of my favourites for south africa
ginola moved back to live in england from france six months ago
moving back to this country when you are living in the south of france wasn
an easy decision to make he said
when was asked to become an ambassador was delighted because think it
wonderful opportunity as frenchman to show the entire world the quality of
england in terms of its football organisation and passion so it was straight
yes from me
ginola who joined newcastle from paris st germain in added there is
lot of passion in the english game
as foreigner when arrived the first thing realised about the country was
the passion not only the passion on the pitch but it was all over the place
we need to be very down to earth about the bid there are other bids but
think everything is set up well for england in to host the perfect world
cup
hooliganism has been blight on english football and while the problem has
largely been brought under control inside grounds the sight of flare in the
crowd at this week manchester derby was warning against complacency
meanwhile concerns remain about the behaviour of some england fans at
international tournaments but ginola said he did not expect these to scupper
england bid come december vote on the host nation
in seven years of playing football in this country never experienced
something bad on the pitch or off it he said
english people are very patriotic they love their country their flag and
anthem but don think there ll be any problems off the pitch
england face competition from australia indonesia japan and russia as well as
from joint bids by belgium and the netherlands and spain and portugal
world bank waives haiti debt payments
washington jan afp
the world bank said thursday it was waiving haiti debt payments for the next
five years due to the devastation caused by the earthquake and is studying
efforts to cancel the nation remaining debt
in statement the washington based multilateral lender said haiti debt to
the world bank which is interest free is about million dollars or around
four percent of haiti total external debt
due to the crisis caused by the earthquake we are waiving any payments on this
debt for the next five years and at the same time we are working to find way
forward to cancel the remaining debt the statement said
last week the world bank said it planned to provide an additional million
dollars in emergency aid to haiti
us top court lifts limits on corporate campaign funds
washington jan afp
the us supreme court on thursday lifted year ruling which had set limits on
campaign financing by american businesses
the nine justices ruled that us corporations could dip freely into their general
funds to finance campaign ads either in support or against particular
political candidate
the move overturns ruling made two decades ago that forced companies to only
use specially earmarked funds from political action committee
the supreme court also ruled that any campaign ads not financed by the candidate
or their party must be clearly marked with the name of the sponsor
ignoring statements by the administration of president barack obama defending
the previous law the court said it did not think using campaign finance limits
would lead to corruption
they also rejected the argument that company share holders could see their money
being used in support of political views which they did not agree with
the ruling came in case about documentary titled hillary the movie made
by conservative group in against the white house bid by hillary clinton
the case pitted the federal election commission fec against citizens united
the group that made the biting film but was barred by the fec from airing ads
for it during the presidential election
the fec ruled the producers had to conform to existing us laws on campaign
financing which required political adverts to reveal the source of their
funding
federal judges ruled in favor of the fec but in supreme court hearing in
march last year the justices already appeared to be leaning in favor of
loosening federal controls on spending by corporations
football cameroon tunisia teams
lubango angola jan afp
cameroon and tunisia teams for africa cup of nations group match on thursday
cameroon kameni mandjeck chedjou nkoulou binya song nguemo makoun
eyong eto capt idrissou
coach paul le guen fra
tunisia mathlouthi souissi haggui capt jemal mikari khorbi ragued
nafkha dhaouadhi chermiti jemaa
coach faouzi benzarti
referee doue normandiez desire civ
urgent world bank waives haiti debt payments
washington jan afp
the world bank said thursday it was waiving haiti debt payments for the next
five years due to the devastation caused by the earthquake and is studying
efforts to cancel the nation remaining debt
security in haiti is under control un
port au prince jan afp
the un peacekeeping mission in haiti said thursday that security in the
caribbean nation was under control despite scenes of looting since the
devastating earthquake nine days ago
the situation is under control in the capital and in the rest of the country
apart from isolated cases of looting said vicenzo puguese spokesman for the
un stabilization mission in haiti minustah
in the capital port au prince which was left devastated by the magnitude
quake on january police have been impotent to stop the looting of houses
official buildings banks and businesses
international aid groups have also had to suspend some relief missions in port
au prince and leogane badly hit town west of the capital as desperately
hungry and thirsty survivors fight over the supplies
however according to minustah the security situation has not deteriorated
since the quake which killed at least people according to preliminary
figures tens of thousands more dead could still lie in the rubble
the un security council on tuesday voted to send more security personnel
to haiti to maintain order and protect aid convoys
thousands of us troops have also poured into haiti since the quake and other
nations have pledged security forces to help distribute aid provide medical
treatment and try to keep the streets secure from looters and gangs
brazil has military command of the un peacekeeping force in haiti which is
currently strong and has been in haiti since initially charged with
trying to maintain the rule of law in the anarchic state
the force currently counts soldiers from various nations and police
urgent obama announces plan to rein in banks finance firms
washington jan afp
president barack obama on thursday announced plan to limit the size and scope
of us banks and finance firms in bid to roll back corporate excess and limit
dangerous risk taking
alert
world bank waives haiti payments for five years works to cancel debt
alert
obama announces plan to limit size and scope of us banks finance firms
alleged former nazi guard raided germany
berlin jan afp
german police on thursday raided the flat of an year old man suspected of
having helped murder hundreds of thousands of jews and others while guard at
the nazi death camp belzec prosecutors said
the man named only as samuel is suspected of having been guard at the
camp between in and and of personally shooting dead several jews
prosecutors in the western german city of dortmund said
he admitted being guard at belzec in german occupied poland in world war ii
but he denied being personally involved in killing people according to the
statement no incriminating material was recovered in the raid
since the nuremberg trials after the war where several top nazi henchmen were
sentenced to death german authorities have examined more than cases but
the vast majority never came to court
but now as the suspected war criminals approach their nineties there has been
flurry of arrests and court cases dealing with war time atrocities in what
nazi hunters say is welcome change of policy in berlin
in the most high profile case year old john demjanjuk went on trial in
munich on november on charges of assisting in the murder of people
while guard at the sobibor death camp he denies the charges
spiegel magazine reported in november that samuel was due to appear as
witness in demjanjuk trial and has admitted several times working as guard
at belzec
it was clear to us all that jews were killed there and were later burned too
we could smell it every day the magazine cited him as saying
moose blood on norway roads to raise motorist awareness
oslo jan afp
small town in norway has decided to leave the blood of moose killed in traffic
accidents on the road in order to raise motorists awareness about the dangers
posed by the hulking animals
before when there was an accident we tried to clean up the mess as much as
possible now it the opposite said rolf ihler in charge of dealing with
roadkill in the soer odal municipality
imagine that you re speeding along past wooded area what do you do if you
see pool of blood on the road automatically you ll slow down he said
ihler said more than moose or elk as they re known in europe have been
killed in recent weeks in road accidents in the hedmark county near the swedish
border
the sheer number of collisions shows that the triangular traffic signs placed by
the roadside featuring black moose on white background no longer serve as
warning to motorists
they re there all year long and the motorists don pay attention anymore he
said
according to norwegian media several municipalities used to pour pig blood on
the road with varying degrees of success but the practice was banned by
the european union ihler said
profit rich goldman sachs seeks to limit row on pay
new york jan afp
goldman sachs blasted past forecasts thursday with impressive fourth quarter and
full year profits as the us banking giant moved to deflect criticism about
jump in its compensation levels
goldman sachs one of the leading wall street investment banks said it had
net profit of billion dollars in the fourth quarter
the bank at the center of public outrage over lavish bonuses blamed for
excessive risk taking that led to the crisis said it had paid billion
dollars in compensation and benefits in the year percent more than the year
earlier amount
still chairman and chief executive lloyd blankfein said the outlay was our
lowest ever compensation to net revenues ratio
the ratio stood at percent down from percent year earlier and below
what the ceo had said in november conference call was ratio that averaged
percent between and
goldman sachs one of the most successful survivors of the financial crisis
announced in december it would pay bonuses to top executives in stock
instead of cash under policy adopted despite its full reimbursement of
taxpayer aid that eliminated government equity stake
the wall street giant also said compensation in the fourth quarter was reduced
to fund charitable contribution of million dollars to one of the firm
philanthropy programs aimed at stimulating us economic growth and job creation
earnings per share in the fourth quarter were dollars shattering the
average analyst forecast of dollars
net revenues were billion dollars slightly below the billion dollars
expected
the quarterly profit compared with year earlier loss of billion dollars
amid the financial sector meltdown following the lehman brothers collapse
that period in ended on november in the bank previous reporting
calendar
for all of the influential wall street bank posted net profit of
billion dollars sixfold increase from billion dollars in
