ben zhang the organiser of mr gay china said he was still worried about
government intervention ahead of the contest which he hoped would help raise
awareness about the country gay community
expect the pageant will encourage those who are in their shell to be more
comfortable with their sexuality he said
jiang however said he would not come out to his parents even if he won
but if they find out will not deny it he said let destiny lead me
tennis gonzalez completes australian open fine tuning
melbourne jan afp
fernando gonzalez wound up his formal australian open preparation with defeat
of ivan ljubicic in relegation round play at the kooyong classic
friday
the programme was reduced to the gonzalez ljubicic match after juan martin del
potro withdrew thursday from friday semi final against jo wilfried tsonga at
the eight man event
tsonga played practice match against tommy haas defeating the veteran german
tsonga the australian open finalist will play for the title on saturday
against spain fernando verdasco he good test lost to him in the
open quarter finals last year said tsonga
hitting the ball well perfect my game is improving match after
match playing better and better every day will be ready for the open
feel good physically very confident
gonzalez who lost to roger federer in the melbourne park title match three
years ago now turns his mind to first round open opponent olivier rochus
you don have easy matches in the slam and olivier is coming back the
chilean said of his th ranked challenger we know each other really well for
long time so it going to be tough match
gonzales won both their previous meetings at the beijing olympics and in
auckland in
the year old south american saved ljubicic set point and took the straight
sets win on his third match point on shot called as an ace to the
disappointment of the croatian
it already friday so two more days to go the winner said of the fast
approaching major feel better and better these three matches were really
good for my game
year ago was little bit nervous at this stage but this time calm
played full season last year and played good in the slams
first shipment of us bone in beef arrives in taiwan
taipei jan afp
the first shipment of us beef on the bone arrived in taiwan on friday amid
controversy over the island decision to re impose ban on other beef imports
because of health concerns
the six boxes of beef products totalling kilograms pounds will be kept
by customs officials for about three days pending inspections health officials
said
the shipment arrived one week after taiwan parliament re imposed ban on
certain us beef imports triggering an angry response from washington and fears
the move could damages ties with the island most important ally
lawmakers unanimously passed an amendment to the food health law banning imports
of cow organs minced beef and other items seen as high risk such as spines and
eyes
meanwhile leading taiwanese advocacy group has vowed to press ahead with
preparations for referendum aimed at extending the ban to beef on the bone
taiwan banned all us beef imports in december over concerns about mad cow
disease in taipei relaxed the rules to permit imports of boneless beef
some scientists believe that consumption of the brains and spinal cords of
animals infected with mad cow disease can lead to the potentially fatal
creutzfeldt jakob disease in humans
google treats china staff to avatar after threat
beijing jan afp
google employees in china may soon be facing unemployment following the
internet giant ultimatum to beijing but the us firm let them know they are
appreciated by taking them to see avatar
the company bought more than tickets for the blockbuster and allowed staff
members to take the afternoon off on thursday to see it the beijing youth daily
reported friday
the internet giant said this week it may abandon its operations in china the
world largest online market with million web users over web censorship
and cyber attacks on its systems that allegedly originated in china
employees when contacted by afp refused to immediately comment on the situation
at the google china offices
china employs vast system of web censorship dubbed the great firewall of
china that blocks content viewed as objectionable including expressions of
political dissent pornography and violent material
hong kong shares down percent by break
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares fell percent by the break on friday weighed by fears
beijing could further tighten its monetary policy
the benchmark hang seng index was points down at turnover was
billion hong kong dollars billion us
tennis isner and clement through to auckland final
auckland jan afp
unseeded john isner of the us and frenchman arnaud clement overcame more fancied
opponents in straight sets victories friday to go through to the heineken open
singles final in auckland
the towering isner beat eighth seed albert montanes of spain and
veteran year old clement downed fifth seed german philipp kohlschreiber
in their semi finals
neither had charmed ride through to the final
isner beat seventh seed juan monaco and top seed tommy robredo on his way
through to the semis while the frenchman defeated second seed david ferrer and
sixth seed jurgen melzer in the earlier rounds
the centimetre six feet nine inches isner used his serve to pummel his
opponent montanes in the semi final hitting aces and landing percent of
his first serves
served exceptionally well today that really was the difference isner said
he might have played little bit loose in the first set but he tightened his
game up in the second
the spaniard meekly surrendered the first set in just over minutes with
double fault on set point but fought back gamely in the second
the year old american will be playing his second atp final and the first
since his career has achieved new heights his ranking rising more than
places in the last year to his current high of
the th ranked clement will also be playing his first final since
although it is his th in career which includes australian open final
loss to andre agassi and four tour titles
clement strong all round game and deft touch were too much for auckland
champion kohlschreiber whose game was marred by unforced errors
the frenchman said afterwards his game has gone from strength to strength in the
last week
am so happy played my best match of this tournament it was very great
feeling today on the court he said
play better and better every day so hope will play better tomorrow
also
years after kobe quake japan preparing for big one
tokyo jan afp
days after quake in haiti reminds the world that ripple in the earth crust
can unleash untold devastation japan this weekend remembers the kobe quake that
years ago killed more than people
sunday marks the anniversary of the disaster that levelled much of the port
city and sparked major review of quake preparedness in the island nation that
suffers about percent of the earth most powerful tremors
tectonics experts have warned of an percent chance that the big one
magnitude eight earthquake or worse will strike the greater tokyo region
home to around million people within the next years
on sunday prime minister yukio hatoyama crown princess masako and crown prince
naruhito are set to attend ceremony in kobe where magnitude quake hit
at am on january killing people
the memorial service will come just days after magnitude quake hit the
impoverished caribbean nation of haiti levelling much of the capital port au
prince with the death toll feared to top
in the kobe quake buildings were also flattened highway overpasses and train
tracks uprooted and residents buried while fires raged through collapsed timber
houses and acrid smoke darkened the sky over the city
heavy damage to the harbour area where nearly all of the shipping berths
were destroyed dealt an economic blow to the city that contributed to
population exodus over the following months and years
the human and economic toll highlighted lack of preparedness and served as
wake up call for authorities to better ready citizens for quakes in country
hit by an average of tremors of varying strength every year
we have learned lot from the kobe quake wrote nomura research analyst
satoru saito as result japan quake proofing technology has developed
dramatically japan is undoubtedly leading the world in that technology
in the aftermath of the kobe disaster japan stepped up quake response drills
held regularly at schools and workplaces where people learn to quickly duck
under table or other furniture when the earth rumbles
law passed in mandated tougher quake proofing of new buildings
under the new law skyscrapers factories power stations bridges and railway
stations were built or retrofitted to withstand stronger tremors so that
magnitude five quake would now normally cause little damage
in the same year tokyo also unveiled what was billed as the world first wide
scale quake alert system designed to give public utilities and citizens few
seconds advance notice before tremor reaches them
the warning system operated by the meteorological agency works by detecting
primary waves which spread from the epicentre and travel faster than the more
violent secondary or shear waves
alarms are set off when primary waves of certain intensity are detected ahead
of the shear waves public broadcaster nhk relays the alerts almost instantly to
its television and radio audiences
citizens can have as much as seconds warning to dive under table turn off
the gas or put on helmet
sanyo home division of electronics giant sanyo has built home equipped
with similar warning system although the technology has been plagued by
glitches including false alarms and failures to go off
geologists warn that major quake is technically overdue in tokyo
the last time monster quake struck the city was in when the great kanto
earthquake claimed more than lives many of them in fires
previously the ansei edo quake devastated the city in
basketball deng points lift bulls over depleted celtics
boston massachusetts jan afp
luol deng scored points and the chicago bulls won third straight national
basketball association contest with victory over boston on thursday
the celtics whose only lead came with the opening basket of the game narrowed
the gap to when paul pierce hit three pointer with to play
but chicago scored eight of the next nine points including six from joakim
noah to take lead
noah notched his th double double of the season with points and
rebounds while derrick rose added points for chicago noah also had four of
chicago blocked shots
pierce scored points and rajon rondo chipped in for boston who were
playing their fourth game in five nights and looked weary at times
the celtics were also without kevin garnett who missed his eighth game with
hyper extended right knee and rasheed wallace who missed his third straight
game with sore left foot
celtics coach doc rivers said wallace might return when boston host dallas on
monday while there is an outside chance garnett could return next friday
in the meantime the celtics fell to at home after they lost just six home
games in each of the past two seasons
shopping in kabul life goes on in war zone capital
kabul jan afp
the security check at the entrance to french restaurant in kabul can be both
cursory and confusing
anybody got weapon the guard asks as small group crowds into holding
chamber called cage before being admitted into the restaurant complex
yes ve got gun says one man
ok says the guard and waves everybody through
diner in the upmarket heetal plaza hotel meanwhile might find thickset man
chomping hamburger at the next table with large pistol in holster on his
hip
but while kabul is the capital of country at war it doesn always feel that
way as the sun glints off distant snowcapped peaks and street life reflects
vibrancy uncowed by three decades of conflict
guns guards and soldiers are everywhere
but so are markets and shoppers who risk their lives crossing chaotic roads
crammed with everything from trotting donkey carts to smart four wheel drives
and menacing military vehicles
in the labyrinth of dusty streets and back alleys deep potholes determine the
side of the road drivers choose to use leading to skilful weaving of traffic
which would do credit to an afghan carpet maker
walk through chicken street of hippy trail fame before the soviet union
invaded on christmas day and it is possible to forget there is war on
shops offering jewellery furs afghan scarves and hats vie for attention
alongside butchers and money changers plying their trades at stalls in the
street itself
heavily bearded men in flowing baggy clothes wrapped in scarves and turbans
against the nose numbing cold chat and make deals but women are scarce
of the few who venture out some wear the all enveloping blue burqas derided in
the west as symbols of the extreme subjugation of women under the former taliban
regime
but many of them carry babies and beg suggesting the face concealing burqa may
sometimes play bigger role in hiding shame than in conforming to taliban dress
codes years after the islamists were ousted by the us led invasion in
despite the threat of kidnap whether by taliban or criminal gangs brief
stroll down chicken street by westerner is likely to be disturbed by little
more than the enthusiastic attention of street urchins
but the sudden roar of fleet of military helicopters overhead is reminder
that afghanistan has had little relief from conflict in the past years
despite that like urbanites around the world many love their city
ve lived all my time in kabul says mohammad siddique driver for an
international company who describes himself as living history of the years
of conflict
saw lot of war but never moved from kabul and like my city
doug wankel former us drug enforcement administration chief of operations
who lived in kabul for two years before the soviet invasion of returned in
and has lived here ever since
like the afghan people they are very strong proud and independent they
make good friends and you can rely on them says wankel now managing partner
of security firm spectre group international
windows in his home were blown out by the most recent suicide attack in kabul
opposite the heetal plaza hotel on december which killed eight people and
wounded others
it cost of doing business in afghanistan but it still worth it he
told afp
despite the devil may care attitude of kabul citizens they face rapidly
escalating war
the number of civilians killed in the conflict jumped last year to making
the deadliest year for ordinary afghans since the us led invasion the
united nations said
last year was also the deadliest for foreign forces fighting the taliban with
troop deaths up from for the year before as the insurgency has
escalated and spread
but carnage is nothing new for afghanistan and kabul
in the courtyard of the gandamack lodge named after battle in an
ancient cannon stands as reminder of britain disastrous and bloody invasion
of afghanistan more than years ago
best quotes from around the world over the past week
paris jan afp
best quotes from around the world over the past week
you will not be forgotten
to the people of haiti we say clearly and with conviction you will not be
forsaken you will not be forgotten in this your hour of greatest need
america stands with you the world stands with you
us president barack obama offering haitians million dollars in immediate
earthquake aid and every element of us power to help them
three million people
early estimates indicate that nearly three million people almost third of
haiti population may need aid making this one of the great humanitarian
emergencies in the history of the americas
former us president bill clinton warning of an unprecedented humanitarian
disaster in haiti in an op ed in the washington post and imploring americans and
others to open their wallets to aid the quake stricken nation
miracle
it small miracle
un chief ban ki moon announcing that an estonian police officer was pulled
out of the rubble alive and transferred to an argentinian hospital in port au
prince the united nations said at least of its staffers were confirmed to
have died in the devastating haiti quake the worst disaster in its history to
strike the global body
very sorry
had no intention to humiliate you personally and apologise for the way the
demarche was handled and perceived
israeli deputy foreign minister danny ayalon apologising to turkish
ambassador oguz celikkol for giving him an angry dressing down in front of
cameras to protest turkish television series portraying mossad agents as baby
snatchers
no you can
such filthy actions are easy to carry out but such adventurism will do you no
good
iran parliament speaker ali larijani accusing us president barack obama of
state terrorism over the killing in bomb attack in tehran of leading atomic
scientist
no slave labour
the tombs are located in the direct vicinity of the pyramid and even overlook
it if they were slaves they would not have been able to build their tombs in
this area
egypt antiquities chief zahi hawass about workers tombs found near egypt
largest pyramid
another man war
the american empire war in afghanistan is not our war it not in jordan
interest
jordanian opposition figures including influential muslim brotherhood
leader hammam said in statement demanding an end to jordan cooperation with
the cia
mourning google
don know what ll do without google ve come here to pay my respects to
google
message placed on top of google sign at its beijing headquarters after the
internet giant vowed to stop bowing to chinese internet censors and risk
banishment in protest at cyberattacks aimed at chinese human rights activists
shot in the dark
he shot them even the ones who were already dead
rasul sangki deputy mayor of the town of ampatuan in the philippines tells
court how he saw andal ampatuan jnr the chief suspect in the philippines
worst political massacre personally lead cold blooded ambush and murder of
people
out of hiding
we are no longer hiding any more
zeng anquan featured in front page photo of the english language china
daily after being married to his partner in what the paper called the first
public gay partnership ceremony in china
in our defence
this test is defensive in nature and not targeted at any other country
china announces successful test of missile intercept system in what
analysts described as show of its advanced air defence capabilities
kicking the ball
now the ball is in the thai court it up to thailand whether to kick it or
not
cambodian foreign minister hor namhong on festering row with thailand
victim of porn
it is because of the influence of pornography on the internet that was only
able to go to junior college
an unidentified chinese student who said his studies suffered after he
discovered internet porn but has been rewarded for reporting pornographic
websites
off the job
paresh baruah has been removed from the railway service with immediate effect
statement from indian railways after realising that one of the country most
wanted militants was still on the payroll years after he last turned up for
work
venezuela shutters stores for price gouging
caracas jan afp
venezuela has temporarily shuttered retail stores for price gouging in the
wake of the devaluation of the country currency last week official news
agency abn said thursday
many of the store owners had hiked their prices up to percent said public
defense institute director valentina querales
she said about shops were inspected this week to make sure their prices
were fair adding that were closed down
in addition to being shuttered the shops accused of speculation must also pay
fine
on monday when the devaluation of the bolivar kicked in the government closed
stores for price gouging including the supermarket caracas owned by the
french colombian exito group
on friday chavez announced the bolivar would trade at to the us dollar for
non essential goods double the previous rate and rate of bolivars
against the dollar for basic goods
the venezuelan leader warned sunday that any price speculation by shopkeepers
would trigger business seizures and called on the national guard to help people
fight price hikes
to those gentlemen let call them looters of the people if they want to
go ahead and do it but we ll take their business and hand them over to the
workers chavez said on his weekly radio and tv talk show alo presidente
the announcement sent shoppers thronging the stores to buy up what they could at
the old prices
the bolivar devaluation was the first since and was designed in part to
bolster public finances that have withered amid dwindling oil revenues and
rapidly contracting economy
critics said the move would allow chavez to boost public spending ahead of
elections in september but would severely damage the health of the economy
since coming to office chavez has sought to remake the venezuelan economy
vowing to create more equitable socialist system
he has initiated string of nationalizations of foreign firms and banks as
well as measures that have sent inflation soaring to percent the highest
in latin america
the largest oil producer in south america venezuela slipped into recession in
for the first time in six years due to drop in oil prices and production
taiwan tsmc to hire new engineers in
taipei jan afp
taiwan semiconductor manufacturing co said friday it will hire more than
engineers this year to meet rising global demand for its high tech products
the hiring reflects tsmc needs for larger workforce to enforce research and
development as well as production expansion company official said
tsmc the world largest contract chip maker currently has about
employees worldwide
the firm capital expenditure in totalled billion us dollars and the
market expects that to rise to billion dollars this year
the company suffered as the technology industry was hit hard by the global
economic downturn and requested its employees take unpaid leave in december
it has since benefitted from worldwide recovery and began paying staff for
their time off in april last year while all its employees were given
percent salary rise starting from january
thai pm urges end to reliance on royal intervention
bangkok jan afp
thai prime minister abhisit vejjajiva has said his politically divided nation
would be better off if it stopped relying on the widely revered king to
intervene in times of difficulty
speaking to the foreign correspondents club of thailand abhisit said the
country had struggled at times of crisis to solve problems in which year
old king bhumibol adulyadej role had been critical crucial vital
he noted in particular events of when the king publicly admonished the
then pm and protest leader to end bloody clashes in bangkok the monarch has
also made more recent calls for unity to prevent the country collapse
now what saying is that it would be better if we can all resolve these
issues without having to rely on his majesty interventions even though they
are always within the framework of the constitution it will take time abhisit
said late thursday
matters surrounding king bhumibol the world longest reigning monarch are
sensitive topic as the king regarded as the only stabilising force in
politically turbulent country has been in hospital since september
rights activists have criticised sharp rise in the number of accusations of
insulting the monarchy punishable by up to years in jail under tough lese
majeste law designed to protect the royal family
but abhisit said new advisory board on the law would create clarity
hope in not too long perhaps few months time there will be clear
guidance and lot of cases that are sitting with the police and attorney
general will be cleared he said
rights groups were also outraged last year when thai police charged four people
under computer law with spreading false rumours about the king health after
concerns over his condition sent thailand stock market plunging
thailand has been politically divided since former pm thaksin shinawatra now
living abroad to avoid jail term for corruption was ousted in coup
pro thaksin red shirts are planning new protests in coming weeks
british born abhisit took office in december after blockade of bangkok
airports by the rival royalist yellow shirts helped to topple the previous
pro thaksin government
us newspaper industry bible editor amp publisher gets lifeline
washington jan afp
editor amp publisher magazine which has chronicled the us newspaper
industry for over century was sold on thursday exactly two weeks after being
shut down by its owner the nielsen co
duncan mcintosh co the irvine california based publisher of boating world and
other magazines announced it had bought amp for an undisclosed price from
nielsen
such critical information source for newspaper industry so desperately in
need of help should not go away said duncan mcintosh whose company also
produces the newport boat show
ve been reader of amp over the course of years and know its
incredible value to readers and advertisers mcintosh said
duncan mcintosh co said charles mckeown will remain publisher of amp
everyone knew what was at stake here mckeown said
newspapers which are transforming beyond the printed page to all forms of
digital media simply could not lose the one place where the industry could have
conversation with itself and exchange ideas and best practices for navigating
the uncertain waters ahead he said
known as the bible of the news industry amp has been closely following
the struggles of us newspaper industry grappling with declining circulation
falling print advertising revenue and the migration of readers to free news
online
amp new owner said there would be february print issue of the magazine
amp website immediately resumed operations upon the completion of the
sale
nielsen announced last month it was closing amp and kirkus reviews book
review publication which was founded in and selling several other brands
including the hollywood reporter and billboard
editor amp publisher was launched in and merged in with the
journalist weekly founded in
nba arenas faces felony gun possession charge
washington jan afp
suspended washington wizards star guard gilbert arenas faces felony charge of
unlawful gun possession after bringing four weapons into the locker room of the
nba club last month
arenas was charged thursday with carrying pistol without license outside
home or business
the felony carries maximum five years in jail and fine but the washington
post reported thursday night that arenas had reached plea agreement that could
result in less or even no jail time
under the plea deal the post said arenas is scheduled to plead guilty on
friday afternoon before district of columbia superior court judge robert
morin who will decide arenas sentence
the post cited sources close to the case in reporting the plea deal but
neither arenas nor his lawyer nor prosecutors had confirmed an arrangement
the charge was filed by the us attorney office for the district of columbia
we are aware of the charge filed against gilbert arenas and will continue to
follow the ongoing legal process very carefully the wizards said in
statement
we will also continue to cooperate fully with the proper authorities and the
nba
in the charges prosecutors said that on december arenas did carry openly
and concealed on or about his person in place other than his dwelling place
place of business or on other land possessed by him pistol without license
issued pursuant to law
arenas and teammate javaris crittenton argued after card game last month and
crittenton said he should shoot arenas in his surgically repaired left knee
only to have arenas bring four guns to the locker room few days later and put
them on chair next to crittenton locker with note saying pick one
according to the post
grand jury was convened last week but the charges filed thursday came from
prosecutors and not from an indictment as result of the investigation
potential sign of plea deal
wizards coach flip saunders team president ernie grunfeld and eight wizards
players have been interviewed by the grand jury or spoken with authorities
police searched crittenton apartment early thursday morning
nba commissioner david stern suspended arenas indefinitely without pay on
january an nba investigation that could bring more suspensions and fines
could come in the next week
arenas missed most of the past two seasons with knee injuries and had hoped for
breakout comeback season instead the team has pulled his image from an arena
banner and pre game video and stopped displaying his no zero jersey
afp news calendar
paris jan afp
