monday
the layoffs coupled with cuts in benefits and wages will be carried out
together with the sale of jal subsidiaries including jal hotels co kyodo
news reported citing unspecified sources
the carrier workforce will be trimmed to about by the business year to
march the report said
the state backed enterprise turnaround initiative corp etic plans to decide
on its bailout package for jal as early as january the same time the airline
is expected to file for bankruptcy protection kyodo said
the etic estimated the liabilities of asia top carrier exceed its assets by
more than billion yen billion dollars kyodo quoted the sources as
saying
it plans to reduce jal liabilities by billion yen through the court backed
bankruptcy the report said
it will also invest billion yen in jal so the carrier assets would exceed
its liabilities by more than billion yen the report added
even after the bankruptcy proceedings the state backed body will guarantee more
than billion yen for payments of fuel and other commercial transactions
necessary to keep jal flying the report added
the company creditor banks will be required to waive about billion yen
out of an approximate billion yen in unsecured bank loans kyodo quoted the
sources as saying
the etic estimated jal consolidated operating loss to expand to about
billion yen for the current business year to march compared with year
earlier loss of billion yen due to drop in passenger numbers
through restructuring measures under the etic rehabilitation plan jal will
aim to achieve billion yen in operating profit by the year to march
the sources said
china hong kong lead asian markets rally
hong kong jan afp
shanghai and hong kong led regional stocks rally on monday as investors
welcomed beijing green light for new futures market as well as short
selling experiment in china
the markets were also given lift by data released the day before that showed
mainland exports surged percent in december to snap month falling
streak
the week across the region started on high despite disappointing jobs figures
out of the eurozone and the united states on friday which put damper on
recent optimism for the global economic recovery
shanghai shares rose percent early on as securities firms and banks rallied
on beijing approval friday of the launch of stock index futures market and
trial for short selling and margin trading dealers said
hong kong shares were percent up
the approval raises expectations that brokerages may gain lot from the
diversification of investment tools huatai securities analyst zhou lin told
dow jones newswires
there were also gains in sydney which was up percent by noon on the back
of the china export figures
seoul added percent and taipei percent
tokyo was closed monday for public holiday
the us labor department reported the economy lost jobs in december while
the unemployment rate held at percent
and in the european union the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the
euro countries hit percent in november the highest since the currency was
launched decade ago and up from percent in october
that news hit the dollar which ended last week new york trading at yen
down from yen
crude jumped in asian trade as the cold snap in the northern hemisphere boosted
demand for heating fuel
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for february delivery
jumped cents to dollars barrel
brent north sea crude for february delivery rose cents to dollars
gold opened higher in hong kong at us dollars an ounce up
from friday close of dollars
oil prices back above dollars
singapore jan afp
oil prices were back above dollars in asian trade monday as cold snap in
the united states and northern asia powered higher demand for heating fuel
analysts said
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for february delivery
jumped cents to dollars barrel
brent north sea crude for february delivery rose cents to dollars
prolonged cold snap is going to chew up some of those very high inventories
of heating oil and middle distillates said jason feer vice president and
general manager for asia pacific at argus media
what you really need to see is some indication of sustained heavy duty
economic growth and so far the signals from that front have been quite mixed so
what you re looking at in the short run is pretty much weather related he
added
the united states the world biggest economy lost jobs in december
while the unemployment rate held unchanged at percent the us labor
department said friday in report highlighting slow and painful recovery from
recession
the report on non farm payrolls was disappointment to those hoping for growth
in jobs which is critical to any rebound for the us economy key engine for
global growth
analysts said the data was far worse than the consensus expectation for no
change in overall employment levels and came amid wide array of predictions
ranging from steep losses to modest gains
oil prices back above dollars
singapore jan afp
oil prices were back above dollars in asian trade monday as cold snap
across the northern hemisphere powered higher demand for heating fuel analysts
said
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for february delivery
jumped cents to dollars barrel
brent north sea crude for february delivery rose cents to dollars
prolonged cold snap is going to chew up some of those very high inventories
of heating oil and middle distillates said jason feer vice president and
general manager for asia pacific at argus media
what you really need to see is some indication of sustained heavy duty
economic growth and so far the signals from that front have been quite mixed so
what you re looking at in the short run is pretty much weather related he
added
the united states the world biggest economy lost jobs in december
while the unemployment rate was unchanged at percent the us labor department
said friday in report highlighting the slow and painful recovery from
recession
the report on non farm payrolls was disappointment to those hoping for growth
in jobs which is critical to any rebound for the us economy key engine for
global growth
analysts said the data was far worse than the consensus expectation for no
change in overall employment levels and came amid wide array of predictions
ranging from steep losses to modest gains
str mba dan
guiana rejects autonomy from france martinique likely
paris jan afp
voters in french guiana voted against more autonomy for the french department in
south america and early results from martinique show voters on the caribbean
island also shot down the referendum
slightly over percent of guianian voters cast ballots in the sunday
referendum with percent voting against more autonomy for the overseas
french department bordering brazil and suriname according to definitive results
released by french authorities
definitive results from martinique were expected to be known after gmt but
early results show voters had also rejected the measure
an opinion poll published thursday in martinique said percent of voters on
the island would say no
the votes were held year after french overseas departments in the caribbean as
well as the indian ocean island of la reunion were convulsed by strikes and
rioting over low wages and high prices
president nicolas sarkozy proposed holding the referendums when he travelled to
martinique in june as part of drive to heal ties following the general strike
which degenerated into weeks of rioting at the start of
martinique which has around residents and guiana vast territory
with some residents were asked to approve or reject change in status
for their departments
the wording of the question was technical but in essence it asked voters if they
wanted to change the status to make it more like that governing more autonomous
french territories such as new caledonia in the pacific
sixty years after being granted the status of department which makes them
legally as french as normandy or provence the tropical territories face
recurrent social problems including high unemployment and low wages despite
massive financial support from the state
the mayor of guiana capital cayenne rodolphe alexandre said the question of
financing drove the campaign and the result of the referendum
while recognising the current statute has its drawbacks alexandre said in the
end its not problem of powers or the statute but of financing and strategy
that is what changed people minds
he called the result victory for democracy for the silent majority
france opposition socialists suggested that sarkozy warning that more
autonomy would come with less state support influenced the result
what could have weighed on the result is the president saying in february
that with the transfer of powers to overseas departments funding should be from
local resources socialist party chief for overseas departments axel urgin said
on rfo radio
martinique major rum and banana producer and tourist destination for
mainland french seeking winter sunshine has an unemployment rate topping
percent more than twice that of metropolitan france
guiana perhaps best known as the launch site for europe ariane space rockets
faces similarly high joblessness
no campaigners had warn the french state might be seeking to disengage from
its overseas departments and reduce their people social benefits which are
largely the same as in france
voters on the caribbean island of guadeloupe which had also been convolsed by
strikes did not take part in the consultation as their local leaders decided
that the tense social climate was not conducive to holding referendum
golf aussie ogilvy holds off sabbatini to defend sbs title
kapalua hawaii jan afp
aussie geoff ogilvy wasted no time booking his return trip to the sbs
championship firing closing round to defend his title in the season
opening pga event
the year old from melbourne sizzled on the back nine sunday rolling in
crucial back to back birdies to blunt final day challenge from south african
rory sabbatini
get to come back said ogilvy of the million dollar tournament which
comprises only the winners from last season
ogilvy finished at under for one stroke victory over sabbatini who
made him work for the win at the kapalua resort in maui
ogilvy had to battle back from two shot deficit with remaining holes to
defend his crown he won by six strokes last year
korea must improve appalling rights record us envoy
seoul jan afp
north korea must improve its appalling human rights record if it wants better
relations with the united states visiting us envoy said monday
the comments from robert king the new us special envoy for north korean rights
issues came days after the communist state said it wants warmer ties with
its traditional enemy
it one of the worst places in terms of lack of human rights the situation is
appalling king said on the first full day of fact finding visit to south
korea
as we have said on many occasions relationship between the us and north korea
will have to involve human rights king told reporters after meeting foreign
minister yu myung hwan
to improve relations between the us and north korea will have to involve
greater respect for human rights by north korea that one of the important
conditions
king also said washington still has no information about us christian activist
detained on christmas day as he walked into the north from china across frozen
border river on lone rights crusade
the north has confirmed it is investigating us citizen believed to be
robert park for illegal entry
the missionary carried letter calling on north korean leader kim jong il to
release political prisoners shut concentration camps and improve rights and
conditions according to his colleagues
we are actively working to find out where he is being held and to urge that he
be released king said
we have requested that our protecting power in pyongyang the swedish embassy
determine his condition and we have not heard what that is
in its traditional new year editorial the north called for an end to hostile
relations with the united states and vowed to work towards nuclear free
peninsula seven months after its last atomic test
the fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability on the korean peninsula
and in the rest of asia is to put an end to the hostile relationship between the
dprk north korea and the usa the editorial said
the us envoy said rights must be addressed as part of stalled six party nuclear
disarmament talks
washington sent envoy stephen bosworth to the north last month to try to
persuade it to return to the six party forum it abandoned last april but
pyongyang made no firm commitment
king stressed that north koreans fleeing their communist homeland should be
recognised as refugees under un convention neighbouring china repatriates
them as economic migrants
he said his country would expand opportunities for them to resettle in the
united states
at hearing of the united nations human rights council in geneva last month
the north faced demands from western countries to open up to international
organisations and independent monitors
countries also raised concerns about serious human rights violations including
reports of child labour executions the detention of political prisoners and
torture
the north representative dismissed many of the allegations as fabricated
the united states was among others that asked the north to grant access to the
united nations special rapporteur on human rights
vitit muntarbhorn who is also visiting south korea this week has been barred
from travelling there
china hong kong lead asian markets rally
hong kong jan afp
shanghai and hong kong led regional stocks rally on monday as investors
welcomed beijing green light for new futures market as well as short
selling trial in china
the markets were also given lift by data released the day before that showed
mainland exports surged percent in december to snap month falling
streak
the week across the region started on high despite disappointing jobs figures
out of the eurozone and the united states on friday which put damper on
recent optimism for the global economic recovery
shanghai shares rose percent early on as securities firms and banks rallied
on beijing approval friday of the launch of stock index futures market and
trial for short selling and margin trading dealers said
hong kong shares opened up percent
the approval raises expectations that brokerages may gain lot from the
diversification of investment tools huatai securities analyst zhou lin told
dow jones newswires
there were also gains in sydney which was up percent by noon on the back
of the china export figures
seoul added percent and taipei percent
tokyo was closed monday for public holiday
the us labor department reported the economy lost jobs in december while
the unemployment rate held at percent
and in the european union the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the
euro countries hit percent in november the highest since the currency was
launched decade ago and up from percent in october
that news hit the dollar which ended last week new york trading at yen
down from yen
gold opened higher in hong kong at us dollars an ounce up
from friday close of dollars
china officials have taken billion overseas state media
beijing jan afp
thousands of officials have fled china over the past years with some
billion dollars in public funds state media said monday as the government
scrambles to stem the tide of corruption
as many as officials have disappeared using criminal gangs mainly in the
united states and australia to launder their ill gotten gains buy real estate
and set up false identities the global times said
joint task force involving chinese ministries has been set up to choke off
graft in government ranks the paper said
in authorities investigated cases involving the outbound travel of
more than officials the paper said citing party official tasked with
disciplinary issues
in one case the disappearance to france in of yang xianghong top
communist party official in wenzhou city led to the arrest of his wife who was
charged with trying to launder million yuan million dollars it said
the paper did not detail how the billion dollars were funneled overseas or
how the officials were linking up with criminal gangs abroad
chinese president hu jintao has for years made fighting official corruption
priority saying that the scourge is matter of life and death for the ruling
communist party
in recent years china has sought to negotiate more extradition treaties with
western nations to help it repatriate and punish officials fleeing overseas with
public funds
tennis sydney international results st update
sydney jan afp
results from the second day of the sydney international wta atp tennis
tournament on monday denotes seed
women
first round
agnieszka radwanska pol bt jill craybas usa
dominika cibulkova svk bt timea bacsinszky sui
agnes szavay hun bt jelena jankovic srb
flavia pennetta ita bt samantha stosur aus
maria jose martinez sanchez esp bt varvara lepchenko usa
men
first round
richard gasquet fra bt feliciano lopez esp
andreas seppi ita bt marinko matosevic aus
pablo cuevas uru bt michael llodra fra
australia warns china could extend rio exec detention
sydney jan afp
china could again extend the detention of rio tinto mining executive stern hu on
monday an australian minister said as chinese authorities faced deadline for
dealing with the case
trade minister simon crean said australia was awaiting the chinese decision
which could include extending the probe proceeding with the case or dropping
the charges defence lawyers told afp they had yet to receive any news
crean said canberra was making very strong representations about australian
passport holder hu who was arrested in shanghai in july with three chinese
colleagues and initially accused of stealing state secrets
the accusations were later watered down to industrial espionage centring on
alleged bribery during high stakes iron ore contract talks
clearly there can be further extension but it also the case that they can
decide whether they re going to proceed or drop the charges crean told sky
news
we wait for that system to determine what the next step is we re not going to
advance it by making public calls one way or the other
we certainly continue to make very strong representations privately for this
case to be dealt with expeditiously openly and with due process served
several lawyers involved in the case told afp on monday that they had no
information so far from authorities on the status of the case
hu was detained on july and prosecutors have gained permission to extend the
probe twice most recently for two months in november
his arrest soured diplomatic relations and raised questions about dealing with
rapidly industrialising china the world biggest iron ore consumer
it came just weeks after mining giant rio snubbed massive cash injection from
chinese state firm and during annual iron ore contract talks which later
failed
rio an anglo australian company has said it does not believe its employees
have done anything wrong
golf sbs championship scores
kapalua hawaii jan afp
final round scores here on sunday in the season opening million dollar sbs
championship usa unless noted
geoff ogilvy aus
rory sabbatini rsa
matt kuchar usa
sean hair usa martin laird sco
kenny perry usa retief goosen rsa ryan moore
usa
stewart cink usa
steve stricker usa paul casey gbr pat perez
usa angel cabrera arg
john rollins usa lucas glover usa
dustin johnson usa nick watney usa
zach johnson usa
yang kor
stephen ames can
brian gay usa
nathan green aus
troy matteson usa jerry kelly usa
bo van pelt usa michael bradley usa
heath slocum usa mark wilson usa
diminished detroit auto show set to shed theatrics
detroit michigan jan afp
diminished detroit auto show is expected to shed its traditional theatrics
monday as the motor city badly battered automakers work to make more out of
less
much of the glitz and glam will be gone from the press preview days as
automakers cut back their marketing budgets in the wake of collapse in sales
to levels not seen since
but the overall mood is significantly more upbeat than year earlier when the
very existence of general motors and chrysler was in doubt as congress sparred
over providing billions in emergency loans
while the restructuring of gm and chrysler under bankruptcy protection was
extremely painful it has left detroit in much stronger position gm vice
chairman bob lutz said sunday
genuinely optimistic about the future lutz told the society for
automotive analysts annual conference
the detroit three have dramatically reduced their fixed costs after years of
painful cuts and lutz said gm balance sheet is in the strongest position in
decades
detroit the american auto industry and the detroit auto show are going to
experience in the next three to five years prestige renaissance lutz said
it is kind of the phoenix rises from the ashes because this is the first time
when we can deploy the full power of gm without the burden of all those horrible
legacy cost and the crushing debt load that all gone now now we re under
new ownership and much much healthier company
gm new owner the us government which holds percent stake will have
substantial presence at the show
transportation secretary ray lahood is hosting press conference before the
show opens on monday and house speaker nancy pelosi will speak to the press at
the end of the day after touring the show with congressional delegation
they will see strong emphasis on small cars and fuel efficiency with
square foot display of different electric vehicles which they can test on an
indoor track
there will also be plenty of luxury vehicles on display despite the poor economy
and host of trucks and sport utility vehicles to tempt consumers who aren as
environmentally conscious
despite the poor shape of the domestic auto industry we do see some signs of
hope from the big three said cars com editor in chief patrick olsen
string of model introductions and redesigns could bring them back to solvency
and beyond if done well or mean disaster if they don win over consumers
there is no doubt that will be challenging year and the competition will
be fierce
most analysts are forecasting moderate rebound in us auto sales to between
and million vehicles this year after dropping to percent to million
vehicles in
but that will still be drastically below the to million vehicle range
posted in each of the previous years and sales could be sharply hit should
the economy take another bad turn
it still market suffering and trying to recover said karl brauer editor
in chief of the automotive website edmunds com
everybody think we ve hit bottom but nobody expects to get out quickly
japan finance chief talks down yen
hong kong jan afp
shanghai and hong kong led regional stocks rally on monday as investors
welcomed beijing green light for new futures market as well as short
selling trial in china
the markets were also given lift by data released the day before that showed
mainland exports surged percent in december to snap month falling
streak
the week across the region started on high despite disappointing jobs figures
out of the eurozone and the united states on friday which put damper on
recent optimism for the global economic recovery
shanghai shares rose percent early on as securities firms and banks rallied
on beijing approval friday of the launch of stock index futures market and
trial for short selling and margin trading dealers said
hong kong shares opened up percent
the approval raises expectations that brokerages may gain lot from the
diversification of investment tools huatai securities analyst zhou lin told
dow jones newswires
there were also gains in sydney which was up percent by noon on the back
of the china export figures
seoul added percent and taipei percent
tokyo was closed monday for public holiday
the us labor department reported the economy lost jobs in december while
the unemployment rate held at percent
and in the european union the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the
euro countries hit percent in november the highest since the currency was
launched decade ago and up from percent in october
that news hit the dollar which ended last week new york trading at yen
down from yen
gold opened higher in hong kong at us dollars an ounce up
from friday close of dollars
britain probes allegations troops executed iraqi woman
london jan afp
british military investigators will examine allegations about the death of
year old iraqi woman who was caught up in crossfire during raid on her home
the ministry of defence said monday
one of sabiha khudur talib sons claims british soldiers were involved in
torturing and executing the grandmother in
police in the iraqi city of basra reportedly concluded that the woman body was
dumped on roadside in british body bag and documents detailing their
findings are to be passed to british ministers the independent newspaper said
the newspaper reported that police had established there was bullet hole in
her abdomen and her face bore injuries consistent with torture
the mod confirmed the woman was shot by british troops when she was caught in
crossfire but deny she was murdered or tortured
her family say the house was raided in the early hours of november and
they saw talib being led away live by soldiers afterwards
another of her sons karim gatii karim al maliki reportedly fired rifle into
ceiling to scare off what he believed were criminal intruders and he was
killed when the soldiers fired into the house
lawyers for the family demanded full inquiry
phil shiner of public interest lawyers told the independent the possibility
that british forces in could have tortured and executed an innocent elderly
woman should shock the nation
such an allegation must be immediately independently investigated as possible
murder
the case is one of claims of abuse and torture lodged by iraqis represented
by shiner which are being investigated by the british government
spokesman for the mod said post incident report from st battalion the
princess of wales royal regiment pwrr describes an incident on november
in which soldiers from the unit were conducting an arrest operation when an
iraqi national karim gatii karim opened fire on them
one british soldier was wounded and karim gatii karim was shot dead mr karim
mother sabiha khudur talib was regrettably wounded in the crossfire and
despite attempts to save her she sadly died of her wounds
she was not tortured by british forces and her body was not dumped by the
roadside it was returned to iraqi authorities
the royal military police will be investigating allegations made by mr karim
brother and attempting to ascertain exactly where sabiha khudur talib was
treated and by whom she was pronounced dead
the spokesman added british troops served in iraq and the vast vast
majority conducted themselves to the highest standards of behaviour displaying
integrity and selfless commitment
heineken near buying mexico femsa brewery
washington jan afp
the dutch beer maker heineken is close to acquiring mexico fomento economico
mexicano sa femsa brewery the wall street journal reported sunday on its
online edition
both groups are at the closing stage of negotiations and the deal could be worth
between billion and eight billion dollars sources close to the dealmaking
told the daily
an agreement could be concluded this week they added
deal between femsa latin america biggest brewery and heineken would come
as surprise since south africa sabmiller plc was considered top bidder for
the mexican brewer the daily said
nfl ravens run over pats cards triumph in aerial duel
foxboro massachusetts jan afp
baltimore ran riot from the first play on sunday to end new england streak of
