it is unintelligible and irresponsible to do that now without reviewing the
serious bids that have been placed for saab loefven said
gm decision is not in line with the signals we have received from the company
about its sincere intentions of wanting to sell saab and seriously reviewing
incoming bids he added
gm europe spokesman stefan weinmann confirmed to afp on friday his company had
received several proposals for saab but said the us auto giant was still going
ahead with its planned closure of the swedish brand while considering any new
bids
essentially the two processes will continue in parallel which means we ll
continue with winding up and at the same time we will look at the proposals
and analyse them and see whether we can find good solution for everybody
weinmann said
gm actions regarding the saab sale which it put on the block year ago have
been repeatedly denounced by the swedish government and saab unions
the carmaker employs people in sweden and is one of four storied brands
being shed by gm as part of massive restructuring effort that began in
and accelerated last year when the largest us automaker went bankrupt
analysts have warned that some jobs could be lost with saab closure
saab board met friday in the carmaker hometown of trollhaettan gm source
told afp thursday that the closing of the operation was on the meeting agenda
us sheds jobs highlighting sluggish recovery
washington jan afp
the us economy lost jobs in december while the unemployment rate held at
percent the government said friday in report highlighting slow and
painful economic recovery
the labor department report on nonfarm payrolls was disappointment to those
hoping for growth in jobs which is critical to recovery from recession
the figure 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
the unemployment rate meanwhile was in line with expectations remaining near
its highest level since the
in revising data for prior months the data showed net gain of jobs in
november instead of loss of previously reported the first positive
month after months of losses
but the agency also revised its october estimate to show loss of jobs
in october instead of
we re getting steady but very slow improvement in the job market said
robert macintosh economist at eaton vance
we are going to have to get used to frustratingly high unemployment rate
cary leahey senior economist at the research firm decision economics called
the data disappointing and consistent with still sluggish economy
the labor market is struggling and is stuck in the water he said
you are seeing gains in output and manufacturing because of liquidation of
inventories but we haven seen decisive turn in the labor market
the world biggest economy expanded at percent pace in the third quarter
after four quarters of decline in the worst recession in decades most analysts
expect continued growth for the fourth quarter and but say recovery could
be held back by unemployment which hurts consumer spending and confidence
it is starting to look like those in the shaped recovery camp are in better
shape than those in the shaped recovery camp said ian pollick economics
strategist at td securities
while the worst of the recession is likely over the fact that the duration of
unemployment remains rigid is concern though silver lining is that we are
likely to see net job creation assisted by census hiring in the first quarter of
robert brusca at fao economics said however the labor market is healing and
that the losses were probably due to bad weather and government cuts
pessimists are out in force but the good trends remains in place he said
you cannot take each monthly jobs report as though it is an authentic change in
trend or speed in fact most of the good stuff is still underway
the december report showed the goods producing sector shed jobs including
in manufacturing and in construction
the services sector lost modest jobs with loss of in retail
offset by gains in education health care and professional services
government sector employment fell by in the month
average hours worked sometimes seen as proxy for economic activity was
unchanged in december average hourly earnings meanwhile rose percent
the civilian labor force fell by in the month suggesting that more
people are stopping their search for employment
the unchanged unemployment rate of percent understates labor market slack
since labor force participation fell sharply said sophia koropeckyj at moody
economy com
accordingly the broader measure of unemployment increased to percent
she said
the labor department data showed that for all of employment dropped by
percent the worst since the economy lost million jobs for the year
the most since data collection began in
iraq bars politicians parties from election
baghdad jan afp
fourteen iraqi politicians and parties linked to saddam hussein baath party
have been barred from taking part in march elections in blow for efforts
towards national reconciliation
the decision to ban them from the polls the second since saddam ouster after
us led invasion in was made by iraq independent commission for justice
and accountability in bid to purge parties alleged to have been sponsored by
diehard elements of the banned baath party
among the most prominent politicians banned was saleh al mutlak secular sunni
lawmaker who heads the national dialogue front
it is clear that this decision is against the law and the constitution mutlak
told press conference at his party headquarters in central baghdad
we will go to the iraqi courts and we will try to deal with this issue through
the appeals court if the courts are not exposed to political pressure we are
sure that we will win
he added we are fighters and we will continue to fight if the appeal
fails
any appeal would be heard by federal court and it was not immediately clear
how long it would take for ruling to be made
mahmud othman an independent kurdish mp said the decision would harm efforts
towards national reconciliation seen as key to reducing instability in
country that was engulfed in sectarian bloodshed in and
this will not help reconciliation othman told afp
if someone even if he is baathist if he is not criminal if he has not
been leader in the past regime so what if he is baathist he can still come
and work this has been politicised
baath party membership was key condition for advancement in public sector
employment during saddam regime
earlier falah shanshal an mp loyal to radical shiite cleric moqtada al sadr
and head of the parliamentary committee charged with de baathification said
the decision has been taken by the commission after the emergence of evidence
showing that mutlak promoted and glorified the forbidden baath party
mutlak said in parliament will vote in the name of the baath these words
themselves are propaganda for the baath party of saddam hussein and the
constitution prevents voting for the baath
shanshal confirmed that other individuals or parties had been barred but did
not give details
according to othman among those barred from running were saad assim janabi
sunni businessman who owns al rasheed television station and nehru abdul karim
kurd whose brother owns al mashrik newspaper and television channel
haidar al mullah spokesman for the national dialogue front accused iran of
being behind the decision to bar mutlak from contesting the polls just day
after iranian foreign minister manouchehr mottaki completed one day visit to
baghdad
there are regional influences particularly from iran taking such decisions
which aim to destabilise the iraqi political process he said
meanwhile hamdia al husseini senior election official told afp iraq
independent high electoral commission had not received any request to block any
names from participating in the election
on october the national dialogue front confirmed that it was joining forces
with iraq sunni vice president tareq al hashemi and the bloc headed by ex
prime minister iyad allawi secular shiite to contest the march election
eurostar cancels half london paris trains
paris jan afp
the beleaguered eurostar train service on friday cancelled half of its trains
between london and paris because of freezing temperatures spokeswoman said
on friday percent of the traffic is cancelled on the route the
spokeswoman told afp adding that eurostar urged passengers to travel only if
their trip was essential
given that the meteorological conditions are still very complicated with
temperatures between minus nine and minus degrees celsius traffic will be
reduced until sunday she said
those who decided to postpone their trips could change their tickets free of
charge or be reimbursed while eurostar would do its best to ensure that those
who turn up at stations reached their destination she said
travellers arriving at the eurostar terminal at paris gare du nord on friday
found themselves delayed by more than an hour as staff rebooked them on later
services
the atmosphere at the station was calmer than last month chaos when eurostar
services were shut down for three days stranding tens of thousands of angry
passengers in paris brussels and london just before christmas
eurostar faced fresh embarrassment on thursday when brussels to london train
had to be towed out of the channel tunnel after being stuck there for more than
two hours
snow and freezing temperatures were blamed for the breakdown last month of
several eurostar trains in the undersea tunnel between britain and france
friday delays came as europe again found itself in the grip of snow and
freezing weather conditions causing widespread travel chaos
afp graphics advisory
paris jan afp
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paris hong kong
tel
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor chris otton
tel
top stories
nigerian in court over failed christmas day attack
portugal parliament approves same sex marriage law
saab wound up despite last ditch eccclestone move
attacks us nigeria thlead wrap
detroit michigan
young nigerian accused of trying to blow up us plane on christmas day
appears in court for the first time as police and marshals lock down security
around detroit courthouse
words gmt by mira oberman picture video graphic
sweden us netherlands auto takeover company saab gm lead wrap
stockholm
swedish carmaker saab is put into liquidation despite last ditch bids for
general motors loss making iconic brand by formula one boss bernie ecclestone
and dutch sportscar maker spyker among others
words gmt by rita devlin marier file picture
portugal society gay politics rdlead
lisbon
portugal parliament approves plans to legalise gay marriage less than three
decades after homosexuality was still crime but rejects proposals to allow
same sex couples to adopt
words gmt
filing plans by region
europe
nireland britain politics attacks lead wrap
belfast
car bomb seriously injures northern ireland policeman in the latest upsurge
of violence in the province as looming political crisis threatens the
already strained government here
words gmt by eamonn mallie picture
we will also move nireland britain politics ndlead
europe weather rdlead wrap
london
europe is blasted by more snow and ice after britons endure their coldest night
of the winter forcing the cancellation of dozens of eurostar trains and
triggering gas cutoffs to save supplies
words gmt by robin millard picture video
greece finance economy tax lead
athens
the greek government orders an immediate percent increase in tobacco and
alcohol taxes and an inheritance tax as it fends off eu pressure for drastic
action to tackle its debt mountain
words gmt by catherine boitard
eu spain economy ndlead focus
madrid
spain plans to use its eu presidency to push for form of european government
on economic issues with the promise of rewards for members who meet binding
targets and the threat of sanctions for those that don
words gmt by yacine le forestier pictures
croatia vote ndlead
zagreb
final polls ahead of croatia run off presidential vote give the opposition
social democrats candidate clear lead over the populist mayor of zagreb with
both candidates vowing to crack down on corruption to secure eu entry
words gmt by lajla veselica picture
mideast
iraq vote politics sunni rdlead
baghdad
fourteen iraqi politicians and parties linked to saddam hussein baath party
are barred from taking part in march elections in blow for efforts towards
national reconciliation
words gmt by salam faraj picture video
mideast conflict gaza egypt britain lead
cairo
egypt declares british mp george galloway persona non grata after activists who
joined him to send an aid convoy to gaza clashed with police
words gmt by samer al atrush picture
egypt religion unrest copt focus
nagaa hammadi egypt
fast food solutions to muslim christian tensions won work says rami
reacting to the arrest of three suspects in the christmas eve shooting of six
coptic christians in southern egyptian town
words gmt by jailan zayan picture
americas
us economy unemployment thlead
washington
the us economy lost jobs in december according to disappointing
government report that analysts said highlights slow and painful recovery from
recession
words gmt by rob lever
mideast diplomacy us lead
washington
us secretary of state hillary clinton meets key arab counterparts in bid to
revive the obama administration high priority push to revive israeli
palestinian peace negotiations
words gmt
argentina economy bank politics debt rdlead
buenos aires
an argentine judge thwarts government efforts to use central bank reserves to
pay down the national debt deepening political and institutional crisis
words gmt
africa
uganda politics gay rights rdlead
kampala
ugandan minister opposes bill which could see homosexuals punished with
death throwing doubt over the legislation which has drawn widespread
international condemnation
words gmt by ben simon
guinea unrest opposition lead
dakar
the interim chief of guinea junta general sekouba konate is said to be sick
and due to be admitted to hospital in dakar two days after making proposals to
the opposition to end political crisis
words gmt
asia
srilanka un unrest rights warcrimes lead wrap
colombo
sri lanka comes under new pressure to submit to war crimes investigation after
the united nations authenticated video allegedly showing prisoners being
executed by troops last year
words moved by amal jayasinghe picture video
swedish suspect in auschwitz theft speaks out
stockholm jan afp
swede who admitted taking part in planning the theft of the infamous nazi
german arbeit macht frei sign from auschwitz spoke out in the swedish media
friday appearing with his name and photograph
anders hoegstroem former swedish neo nazi said he was supposed to act as
an intermediary to pick up the sign and sell it to buyer but in the end he
wound up informing polish police about the people behind the plot
was asked if wanted to take the sign from one location to another he told
tabloid aftonbladet
we had person who was willing to pay several millions of kronor or hundreds
of thousands of dollars euros for the sign he said
he claimed he helped police nab the people behind the december theft
police recovered the five metre foot metal sign which means work will
set you free in german on december in northern poland and arrested the
five polish men
the sign had been cut in three parts
proud to have revealed everything hoegstroem said
questioned by afp after hoegstroem made similar comments to the swedish media
under cover of anonymity cracow police spokeswoman denied he played role
helping police catch the robbers
the phone call from sweden came as we were already in the process of arresting
the thieves she said
hoegstroem in founded the national socialist front swedish neo nazi
movement he headed for five years before quitting
after leaving his party he distanced himself from the movement and became
model citizen joining an association called exit which helps youths quit far
right movements aftonbladet claimed
the national socialist front was dissolved in late
polish prosecutors said wednesday they wanted to question three swedish
residents over the theft without revealing their names and have formally
submitted request to swedish authorities for legal assistance
the sign above auschwitz gateway has long symbolised the horror of the camp
created by nazi germany in occupied poland in and in operation until soviet
troops liberated it in
afp world economic news summary
paris jan afp
the top world economic stories on friday
us economy unemployment
washington the us economy lost jobs in december while the unemployment
rate held at percent the government said in report dashing hopes of
turnaround in the ailing labor market
eu eurozone economy growth unemployment
brussels the human cost behind europe jobless recovery was laid bare with
data showing that one in every workers across the continent core euro
currency area is now unemployed
germany china economy trade
frankfurt china and its population of billion has overtaken germany
population million as the world top exporter trade figures from the
german national statistics office showed
china auto sales
beijing china auto sales and output exceeded million units in
state media reported cementing the asian giant status as the world biggest
car market
eu spain economy
madrid spain plans to use its eu presidency to push for form of european
government on economic issues with the promise of rewards for members who
meet binding targets and the threat of sanctions for those that don
greece finance economy tax
athens the greek government announced an immediate percent increase in
tobacco and alcohol taxes as it fended off eu pressure for drastic action to fix
its crippling budget deficit
argentina economy bank politics debt
buenos aires an argentine judge upended government plans to use central bank
reserves to pay down the national debt proposal that has sparked political
crisis
switzerland us banking regulate tax
zurich swiss court ruled that banking watchdog finma violated swiss laws by
authorising the transfer of data on ubs clients to us tax authorities
iceland britain netherlands spain eu economy
madrid the spanish eu presidency warned iceland that the row over the icesave
bank collapse could hurt its bid of join the bloc
sweden us auto company saab gm liquidation
stockholm swedish carmaker saab whose us owner gm has received several bids
for the loss making brand was placed in liquidation the head of sweden main
industrial union said
spain britain alternative wind company contract iberdrola
madrid spanish energy group iberdrola renovables said it had won joint bid
with sweden vattenfall to build one of the biggest winds farms in the world
in britain
iran arrests members of banned bahai sect over protests
tehran jan afp
members of iran outlawed bahai faith have been arrested in connection with
recent anti government protests and some weapons were seized irna news agency
quoted the tehran prosecutor as saying on friday
they were arrested because they played role in organising the ashura protests
and namely for having sent abroad pictures of the unrest abbas jafari
dolatabadi said
the prosecutor did not say how many bahais were arrested over the december
protests that coincided with the shiite religious commemoration of ashura
iranian websites said bahais were arrested in recent days
they were not arrested because they are bahais the prosecutor said arms and
ammunition were seized in the homes of some of them he added
irna also quoted the prosecutor as saying that when their cases are wrapped up
their files will be sent to the revolutionary tribunal for verdict
president mahmoud ahmadinejad whose disputed june re election triggered wave
of opposition protest has accused iran arch foes the united states and israel
of staging the latest anti government demonstrations
on december eight people were killed in clashes between security forces and
opposition supporters who staged fresh protests during ashura ceremonies
hundreds of people were arrested during the protests at least of whom are
still being held in tehran police say
on thursday isna news agency said that iran will put on trial five people
arrested following the ashura protests but it did not identify them
followers of the bahai faith founded in iran in are regarded as infidels
and suffered persecution both before and after the islamic revolution
the bahais consider bahaullah born in to be the last prophet sent by god
this is in direct conflict with islam the religion of the vast majority of
iranians which says mohammed was the last prophet
fhockey pakistan hockey players fined for hugging woman
islamabad jan afp
the pakistani parliament sports committee fined members of the country
hockey team on friday for hugging female official at tournament in
argentina saying it violated national culture
photographs shown in pakistani newspapers and on television showed players from
the national team hugging female argentine liaison officer on the eve of their
final against new zealand at the champions challenge last month
hugging lady is against our culture jamshed dasti chairman of the national
assembly standing committee on sports told reporters
the pictures were unethical and against our culture and prove that players and
officials were not controlled
the pakistan hockey federation phf had defended the players saying the
pictures were taken at an official function and were put on social networking
site facebook by the argentine official
forward rehan butt pictured hugging the woman was fined rupees
dollars while coach shahid ali khan and manager asif bajwa also secretary of
the phf were fined dollars rupees each
we have fined butt because he is role model as an international player and
the coach and manager because they failed to ensure the proper conduct of the
players dasti said
pakistan is conservative mostly muslim nation where many women do not shake
