she travels to january to melbourne and canberra australia
in canberra clinton and us defense secretary robert gates will hold the th
australia united states ministerial consultations with their counterparts
foreign minister stephen smith and defense minister john faulkner
highlighting the region growing international clout it will be clinton
fourth tour of asia since she became secretary of state one year ago
alert
imf mission to visit debt stricken greece at request of authorities
saudi tycoon gears up for investment spree
riyadh jan afp
saudi tycoon prince alwaleed bin talal said on monday he is gearing up his
kingdom holdings group for major new investments including gulf hotels and
one kilometre tall tower in jeddah on the red sea
alwaleed said he was transferring million of his own shares in us banking
giant citigroup into kingdom holdings at no cost to shore up its balance sheet
am very positive about the future he told rare press conference at his
headquarters the kingdom tower skyscraper in riyadh
we are always looking for new investments said alwaleed kingdom chairman
and percent shareholder
the year old nephew of king abdullah said kingdom was in talks on four major
new investments without giving details
but he added that kingdom which owns major luxury brands like the george in
paris the fairmont raffles hotels group and the four seasons hotels group
would invest in new hotel properties in the gulf region and arab world
the injection into kingdom of his own personal shares of citigroup which was
facing severe problems only one year ago will allow the leading saudi
investment house to raise more funds alwaleed said
the transfer of the million shares boosted kingdom assets by million
dollars he said while the bank recovery would bring strong returns to the
group
it is very clear that the worst for citi is over he said citi is on the
right path right now
alwaleed also strongly hinted that kingdom would return to profit in the just
finished fourth quarter of after decreasing losses in each of the previous
three quarters
all the accumulated losses have been wiped out he said
he said kingdom was determined to move ahead on an estimated billion dollar
residential and commercial real estate project in jeddah including skyscraper
that would top metres feet
that would be metres higher than the just crowned world tallest building
in dubai the metre burj khalifa
both kingdom and the prince personal investments took heavy hits in the us
financial crisis and the global economic meltdown
kingdom which holds an investment portfolio that includes apple news corp
luxury retailer saks proctor amp gamble and pepsico and host of major
saudi companies turned in billion dollar loss at the end of
between and last year kingdom sold several key luxury hotel properties and
refinanced others to raise more than million dollars to strengthen its
finances
the assets it shed included its percent stake in four seasons hotel des
bergues in geneva for net gain of million dollars
alwaleed own fortune also took huge hit in forbes magazine ranked him
the world fifth richest man with an estimated billion dollars in assets
by march forbes ranked him number with billion in assets
by december arabian business estimated his wealth at billion dollars making
him the wealthiest arab
alwaleed flips carla bruni family castle back on sale
riyadh jan afp
less than year after buying french first lady carla bruni family chateau in
turin saudi prince alwaleed bin talal is flipping it back onto the market an
aide confirmed on monday
the flamboyant tycoon bought the room castello di castagneto po which sits
on hectares acres in turin northwest italy from bruni family for
what an aide said was significantly less than the million euro million
dollar asking price
it has been listed for sale by christie great estates since late with
reports putting the price at million euros
the elegant red brick mansion dates back to the th century and bruni father
alberto bruni tedeschi bought it and renovated it in the
alwaleed who has met french president nicolas sarkozy and his ex model wife
bruni several times and entertained them at his paris luxury hotel the georges
bought the turin property last year
his intention was to fix it up the aide said but has since decided not to he
thinks he can sell it without renovating it
german catholic church sets up hotline for abused kids
berlin jan afp
germany catholic church said monday it would set up telephone hotline for
people who suffered physical and mental abuse as children in care homes run by
the church after world war ii
the hotline in place from wednesday is aimed at former care home children
housed in catholic institutions in the and the german bishops
conference said in statement
the head of the organisation father hans langendoerfer said the church deeply
regrets that children and youths in catholic care homes were mistreated and
suffered psychological and physical violence
the bishops conference said no figures were available on the number of children
that suffered abuse in the homes
all we know is that there were to children in care homes run by
the catholic church in the and nina schmedding spokeswoman told
afp
this hotline is step towards finding out more he added
the hotline will be staffed by trained psychologists and will be available for
an initial period of one year to be extended if necessary
last year child sex abuse scandal rocked ireland and led several of the
country top bishops to step down
afp gmt economics news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor nathaniel harrison
telephone
finance economy bis bank banking emerge thlead
basel switzerland
emerging economies are driving global economic recovery the head of the
european central bank says after central bankers conclude that the world economy
is returning to normality
words gmt by andre lehmann
us auto show lead
detroit michigan
new sense of optimism fills the detroit auto show as the industry looks
forward to recovery from one of its worst years on record
gmt words by mira oberman picture video
stocks europe lead wrap
london
european stocks rise with london main index hitting its highest level since
september on encouraging data from china and in line with positive start
to the day on wall street
words gmt
forex europe lead wrap
london
the euro climbs above dollars for the first time in more than three weeks
with traders prepared to take risks on positive economic data from global
powerhouse china
words gmt
commodities energy oil price lead wrap
london
oil prices strike month high close to dollars per barrel after positive
chinese energy data and as cold snap raises demand for heating fuel analysts
say
words gmt
saudi investment company kingdom alwaleed lead
riyadh
saudi tycoon prince alwaleed bin talal says he is gearing up his kingdom
holdings group for major new investments including gulf hotels and one
kilometre tall tower in jeddah on the red sea
words gmt by paul handley picture
afp graphics advisory
paris jan afp
monday graphics
available now
angola cabinda factfile
fact file and chronology of angola oil rich enclave of cabinda
text slug violence angola togo fbl afr cabinda flec
mm
angola cabinda map
map of cabinda
text slug violence angola togo fbl afr
mm
israel air strike
map locating deir el balah in gaza where israeli warplanes killed three islamic
jihad gunmen on sunday
text slug mideast conflict gaza
mm
mali french hostage
map showing mali where the north african branch of al qaeda has threatened to
execute french hostage shows mauritania where the group is holding three
kidnapped spaniards
text slug mali france spain kidnap qaeda
mm
uae torture case factfile
fact file on the court case in the united arab emirates that resulted in the
acquittal of the president brother sheikh issa bin zayed al nahayan of charges
of torturing an afghan merchant
text slug uae rights torture
mm
malaysia church attacks
map of malaysia locating states where attacks on nine churches have occurred
since friday
text slug malaysia religion catholic church attack
mm
malaysia demographics
graphic on ethnicity and religion in malaysia
text slug malaysia religion catholic church attack
mm
us drones factfile
fact file on the predator drone used by the us against suspected terrorists in
afghanistan and pakistan
text slug us afghanistan cia qaeda intelligence
mm
croatia vote result
bar chart illustrating the results of the croatian presidential election
text slug croatia vote
mm
football africa cup of nations presentation
updated graphic showing groupings and fixtures for the africa cup of nations
football tournament
text slug violence angola togo fbl afr
mm
asia pacific markets
closings for key asia pacific markets
text slug stocks
mm
moved earlier
afghanistan helmand nawa map mm
russia dagestan makhachkala map mm
yemen oil sector factfile mm
tennis graphics
australia open venue mm
australia open women mm
australia open men mm
hawkeye factfile mm
paris hong kong
tel
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor chris otton
tel
top stories
nothern ireland leader steps aside for six weeks
two arrested over togo football squad gun attack
world economy returning to normal bank chiefs
nireland britain politics ndlead
belfast
northern ireland leader peter robinson is to step aside as first minister for
six weeks to clear his name amid scandal linked to his wife affair with
teenager which is threatening the province power sharing government
words gmt by eamonn mallie
we will also move nireland britain politics robinson bio profile
nireland britain politics offbeat
violence angola togo fbl afr rdlead wrap
cabinda angola
angolan police grill two suspects in deadly shooting attack by separatist
rebels on togo team which cast long shadow over the start of africa
premier football tournament
words gmt by colin droniou picture graphic
finance economy bis bank banking emerge thlead
basel switzerland
emerging economies are driving global economic recovery the head of the
european central bank says after central bankers conclude that the world economy
is returning to normality
words gmt by andre lehmann
europe
europe weather rdlead wrap
berlin
europe battles to recover from arctic cold amid warnings over the cost of the
weeks long freeze that has caused the cancellation of thousands of flights and
train journeys and been blamed for dozens of deaths
words gmt by simon sturdee picture
weather climate lead
paris
frigid weather that has gripped the northern hemisphere this winter is unusual
but does not undermine an overall global trend of warming say experts
words gmt by richard ingham
britain military nepal politics pensions thlead
london
former gurkha soldiers from nepal lose test case over british pension rights
at the high court in london after winning the right to settle in britain in
landmark case last year
words gmt by katherine haddon
eu politics parliament commission diplomacy ndlead
brussels
the eu new foreign affairs chief urges europe to respond to growing calls for
it to play greater role in world affairs but steers clear of thorny issues
during grilling at the european parliament
words gmt picture
croatia vote ndlead
zagreb
opposition social democrat ivo josipovic won croatia presidential election by
wide margin after pledging crack down on corruption and vowed to transform
the nation into star of europe
words gmt by lajla veselica picture
france britain crime thlead
versailles france
the niece of britain junior defence minister tells french court that in
drunken stupor she plunged knife into the naked body of young frenchman she
had picked up in bar
words gmt by rory mulholland pictures video
americas
us auto show lead
detroit michigan
new sense of optimism fills the detroit auto show as the industry looks
forward to recovery from one of its worst years on record
gmt words by mira oberman picture video
us society gays marriage court
los angeles
opponents and defenders of gay marriage gear for an epic court showdown in
california which could see the controversy go all the way to the supreme court
words gmt by romain raynaldy file picture
us diplomacy asia lead
washington
us secretary of state hillary clinton heads to hawaii for talks aimed at mending
cracks in the year old us japan security alliance the first leg of new
asia tour
words gmt by lachlan carmichael
mideast
yemen germany diplomacy thlead wrap
sanaa
germany foreign minister guido westerwelle says on surprise visit to sanaa
that yemeni authorities have assured him they know the whereabouts of five
germans and briton held hostage since june
words gmt by deborah cole picture
jordan israel archaeology religion lead
amman
jordan complains to the united nations in bid to acquire the dead sea scrolls
from israel saying the jewish state seized the ancient texts during the
six day war
words gmt by ahmad khatib file picture
asia
afghanistan unrest wrap
kabul
six international soldiers including three americans and at least one french
soldier are killed in wave of violence in afghanistan nato and french defence
authorities say
words gmt by sardar ahmad
nkorea nuclear weapons us skorea thlead
seoul
north korea calls for talks on treaty to formally end the korean war saying
it wants better ties with the united states and an end to sanctions before
pushing ahead with nuclear disarmament
words moved by simon martin
africa
nigeria politics rally president lead
lagos
regional governors from nigeria states head into emergency talks to discuss
the country power vacuum as calls grow for ailing president umaru yar adua to
step down officials said
words gmt
gurkha veterans lose british court battle on pensions
london jan afp
former gurkha soldiers from nepal lost test case against britain ministry of
defence over pension rights at the high court in london on monday
the ruling came after the british government last year granted gurkha veterans
the right to settle in britain following high profile campaign led by actress
joanna lumley
the latest legal action was launched by the british gurkha welfare society which
says around veterans and dependants who served in the british army before
receive only third of the normal payments
it said afterwards that it would appeal against the ruling
it is very regrettable that the gurkhas were yet again forced to take the
british government to court and disappointing that we did not win the case
though we have understood that this was not likely to be the end of the road
said general secretary chhatra rai
this is above all moral issue as the majority of gurkha veterans in this
group are now becoming increasingly old and fragile and do not have the level of
english necessary to find job
most of these gurkhas are therefore not able to work in their old age to
supplement their pension rai said
judge ian burnett spoke of the high regard british people had for gurkhas but
he rejected their challenge on the grounds the ministry of defence had not acted
unlawfully
the mod had argued that because gurkha pensions are payable over longer time
than regular armed forces pensions gurkhas end up receiving the same amount as
british veterans
about gurkhas fought for britain in world war and world war ii and
more than have died in british uniform
around now serve in the british army including in afghanistan
in may last year the british government turned to allow all gurkha veterans
with minimum of four years service to settle in britain lumley subsequently
visited nepal and was hailed as heroine
dozens of british lawmakers had signed house of commons motion backing
improved pension rights for gurkhas
one of the lawmakers supporting the move veteran conservative ann widdecombe
said the gurkhas have always been an integral part of the british armed
forces fighting the same wars and carrying out the same duties as british
soldiers
it is an injustice to give these veterans pension based on their country of
origin instead of the country in whose army they loyally served
one thousand day injured on swiss slopes
geneva jan afp
about people day nearly half of them foreign holidaymakers are
injured in winter sports accidents in switzerland according to official data
out monday
every year some people are hurt in tumbles collisions and avalanches
while they hurtle down the slopes on skis snowboards or sledges an average of
about day over the season according to the swiss council for accident
prevention bpa
more than percent of those who practice snow sport and are injured in
switzerland about people are foreign tourists the bpa said on its
winter sports campaign website
between and an average of people year died in winter sports
accidents percent of them in avalanches that are often triggered by off
piste skiing when skiers venture away from secured slopes into the wilderness
the bpa estimated that winter sport accidents cost about million swiss
francs year million dollars million euros partly through medical
costs or loss of productivity from injured employees
about percent of the injuries are regarded as light but still sideline
people from work for an average of nine days period that doubles for those
who require more extensive treatment
head wrist and knee injuries abound mainly due to tumbles while just four to
seven percent are hurt in collisions on densely packed slopes according to the
bpa
the public agency is trying to promote the systematic use of helmets to cut head
injuries and of long gloves to protect the wrists
tennis sydney international results collated
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
elena vesnina rus bt vera zvonareva rus retired ankle
aravane rezai fra bt anna lena groenefeld ger
vera dushevina rus bt casey dellacqua aus
li na chn bt caroline wozniacki den
kimiko date krumm jpn bt nadia petrova rus
victoria azarenka blr bt sabine lisicki ger
men
first round
richard gasquet fra bt feliciano lopez esp
andreas seppi ita bt marinko matosevic aus
pablo cuevas uru bt michael llodra fra
potito starace ita bt frederico gil por
marcos baghdatis cyp bt nick lindahl aus
leonardo mayer arg bt igor andreev rus
ireland leader to step aside assembly speaker
belfast jan afp
northern ireland leader peter robinson is to step aside as first minister for
six weeks to clear his name amid scandal linked to his wife affair with
teenager top official said monday
enterprise minister arlene foster has been asked to take on the functions of
first minister during his absence northern ireland assembly speaker william hay
told lawmakers
french soldier killed in attack in afghanistan
paris jan afp
french soldier was killed and another seriously wounded in an attack in
afghanistan on monday president nicolas sarkozy office said in statement
the attack struck convoy of french and afghan forces in the alasay valley
northeast of kabul according to the statement
non commissioned officer paid with his life for the commitment of france to
the peace and security of the afghan people and an officer was very gravely
wounded it said
sarkozy strongly condemned this blind violence and expressed france
determination to continue to work within the nato led international security
assistance force the statement added
the victim was the th french soldier to die in afghanistan since the current
war began in
french defence minister herve morin who also paid tribute to the dead man and
his wounded colleague said the nco was member of the french army medical
corps attached to the nd artillery regiment
france has troops in afghanistan serving in nato mission to stabilise
the country against fierce resistance from fighters loyal to the ousted taliban
regime
nato and military officials separately reported the death of the french soldier
as well as three americans in the south of the country and two other
international soldiers of unspecified nationality
the deaths brought to the number of foreign soldiers who have died fighting
in afghanistan already this year
on friday sarkozy had indicated that french troops would be kept in afghanistan
for the time being
the conditions for withdrawal are not yet in place he had said we must
continue to help the afghans until they are able to handle their security and
development alone
france has signalled it may agree to send reinforcements to afghanistan in
response to request from us president barack obama who is looking to boost the
troop presence there and end the war
major conference on afghanistan is scheduled in london at the end of this
month bringing together all the major allies and afghan officials to chart
new course for the afghan mission in light of the new us strategy
wall street up as corporate earnings season set to kick off
new york jan afp
wall street stocks traded marginally higher monday at the beginning of the
fourth quarter company earnings reporting period and amid robust trade data from
china underscoring global economic recovery
the dow jones industrial average rose points percent in opening
trades to after closing last week at its highest level since early
october
the technology heavy nasdaq composite advanced points percent to
and the broad market standard amp poor index added points
percent to
stocks extended gains chalked up last week after weekend data revealed that
china had overtaken germany as the world biggest exporter
the main attraction in the reports is that china exports increased for the
first time in months offering hopeful sign about the building momentum of
global economic recovery said patrick hare of briefing com
china exports surged percent in december to snap month falling
streak the government said on sunday
data out of germany last week showed that china overtook europe biggest
economy in november to become the world top exporting nation
market analysts said sentiment was also largely upbeat on corporate earnings as
top aluminum producer alcoa kicks off the fourth quarter earnings reporting
season after market closes monday
expectations are that there would be plenty of upside surprises especially
from companies that are doing more business abroad said ed yardeni president
of yardeni research
we are expecting particularly strong results from technology companies
britain tate unveils mislaid blake etchings
london jan afp
britain tate gallery unveiled monday eight powerful etchings by th century
writer and artist william blake which lay undiscovered for decades before
turning up at second hand book sale
the hand coloured works were inherited by blake widow catherine after his
death in but they later disappeared for decades until they were found
tucked inside railway timetable in box of books
blake work is rarely available for purchase making recent discovery like
this all the more remarkable said the tate announcing it had bought the
pictures for pounds dollars euros
tate director nicholas serota added this was an extraordinary find and am
delighted we have been able to acquire it for the nation
blake has always been central to our historic collection of british art here at
tate and these beautiful etchings will help us represent the amazing diversity
of his work he added
stephen deuchar head of the art fund which contributed to buying them said
these powerful etchings reveal the immense technical skill of william blake as
well as his legendary imaginative range and the story behind their discovery
makes this acquisition all the more exciting
the works will go on public display at tate britain in july and will travel to
the pushkin state museum of fine art in moscow in november for the
exhibition william blake and british visionary art
