minustah main building the christopher hotel which was flattened in
tuesday quake
he said some un staffers were missing in the rubble of that building and
another in other un facilities in the haitian capital
haitian authorities have said more than people may have been killed in
the disaster which hit the impoverished caribbean country of nine million
people
ban said he still was not in position to confirm the death of his special
envoy to haiti hedi annabi which was announced by haitian president rene preval
wednesday
the haiti tragedy is the worst disaster to hit the un since the august
suicide attack on un offices in baghdad in which people including un
special envoy sergio vieira de mello were killed
in december two suicide blasts targeting un offices in algiers killed at
least people including un staffers three of them foreign nationals
britain says sorry in pregnancy drug scandal
london jan afp
britain issued long awaited expression of regret thursday over the thalidomide
drug scandal which left hundreds of babies deformed years ago and confirmed
million dollars in support
the announcement including the million pound million euro package was
welcomed by many victims although some questioned why it had taken so long and
others claimed the wording did not amount to full apology
total of survivors of the drug which caused children to be born with
physical deformities after their mothers took thalidomide for morning sickness
during pregnancy are eligible for support
know many thalidomiders have waited long time for this health minister
mike brien told the house of commons using the term for victims of the drug
at the end of the
the government wishes to express its sincere regret and deep sympathy for the
injury and suffering endured by all those affected when expectant mothers took
the drug thalidomide between and he said
we acknowledge both the physical hardship and the emotional difficulties that
have faced both the children affected and their families as result of this
drug and the challenges that many continue to endure often on daily basis
thalidomide was banned in britain in after its effects including stunted
limbs brain damage and other problems were highlighted notably by media
campaigners
thalidomide campaigner guy tweedy described the government apology as
absolutely wonderful
highly delighted and so glad that it actually came years too late but
never mind it an apology not just to thalidomide victims but to the parents
and parents who lost their children in the early days he said
but freddie astbury head of campaign group thalidomide uk dismissed the
minister words as not real apology
as the song says sorry seems to be the hardest word he said adding it
wasn really an apology it was wave of regret they didn say they were
sorry
the million pound funding package was announced last month but tweedy said
the formal apology means as much in some ways as the money adding it
big day
the maker of the drug in britain distillers biochemicals paid some million
pounds in compensation in the after legal battle by the families of
victims
there are an estimated thalidomide survivors worldwide according to
thalidomide uk the first thalidomide victim was born in germany it said
last year brazil federal court ordered the government there to compensate
children of mothers who took thalidomide
brien said he could not explain why previous british governments had not
decided to voice regret saying that enoch powell health minister at the
time could not explain himself from beyond the grave
think it will be important to the many families and the thalidomiders
themselves who have for the past years been looking for words like that to be
said he told bbc television
prime minister gordon brown government is struggling to avoid predicted defeat
in elections due by june this year after years in power
scientists cautiously optimistic as doomsday clock reset
new york jan afp
the minute hand of the doomsday clock was moved back slightly thursday
indicating the world has inched away from nuclear or environmental catastrophe
but stressing it was not out danger
it is six minutes to midnight the bulletin of atomic scientists which
created the doomsday clock in said in statement read out as the clock
countdown to midnight was nudged back by one minute from where it has been since
for the first time since atomic bombs were dropped in leaders of nuclear
weapons states are cooperating to vastly reduce their arsenals and secure all
nuclear bomb making material the statement by the panel of international
scientists including nobel laureates said
for the first time ever industrialized and developing countries alike are
pledging to limit climate changing gas emissions that could render our planet
nearly uninhabitable
these unprecedented steps are signs of growing political will to tackle the
two gravest threats to civilization the terror of nuclear weapons and runaway
climate change it said
since it was created by scientists who helped to develop the world first
atomic weapons the doomsday clock has come to be seen as barometer of what
progress if any the world has made in moving away from the risk of nuclear
climate caused or bio warfare catastrophe
midnight on the clock signifies the apocalypse and the minute hand symbolizes
the countdown to disaster
the last time the minute hand of the clock was moved was in when it was
bumped two minutes closer to midnight
in resetting the clock this year the scientists said they were encouraged by
recent developments but had put back the clock by only one minute to show they
were mindful that the clock is ticking said bas lawrence krauss
we moved it back by just one minute and what that means is that there great
potential for it to move again in either direction said krauss physicist
and co chair of bas board of sponsors
we have unique opportunity right now to begin to free ourselves from the
terror of nuclear weapons and to slow drastic changes to our shared global
environment
we must take advantage of that opportunity now said krauss calling on world
leaders scientists and ordinary people to work together to make the world
safer
let not blow it he urged
the bulletin of atomic scientists was founded in by scientists from the
university of chicago who had helped to develop the first atomic weapons
rallying lopez wins dakar th stage
san rafael argentina jan afp
chilean motorcyclist francisco lopez won the th stage of the dakar rally on
thursday km timed run from san juan to san rafael
lopez riding an aprilia finished ahead of france yamaha rider david
fretigne who was seconds off the pace
overall leader cyril despres of france on ktm stayed in charge of the
overall standings an hour ahead of the chilean despite losing more than
minutes on the stage
formula one ecclestone concerned about new boys
berlin jan afp
formula one boss bernie ecclestone said on thursday he fears several teams may
not make it onto the grid when the season starts because of the financial
crisis
the new season begins in bahrain on march but ecclestone is not convinced
all registered teams particularly the four new additions will be ready to
race
can already imagine that certain teams will not be on the starting grid
ecclestone said according to report from german sports agency sid
they assure us the situation is not dramatic but am not so sure as we all
know there is world economic crisis and so it is very difficult for new
team to raise the necessary funds especially if the budgets are reduced
lotus campos usf and manor are the four new teams and both campos and usf
are thought to be struggling to be ready in time for bahrain
ecclestone also said he is looking at ways to make grand prix racing more of
spectacle including adding shortcuts to the circuits in the future
the year old briton is looking at the idea of allowing each formula one
driver the option of using shortcut on each grand prix track maximum of five
times to help make the races more appealing to television audiences
have already looked at proposals to find solutions but so far in vain he
said
one simple idea is that there is shortcut on the circuit which each driver
could use five times per race
it would mean no one would be wedged behind slower car and it would be very
good both for the race and television audiences
ecclestone said the idea would need to be discussed with both the formula one
teams and grand prix organisers
the president and ceo of formula one management said he is also thinking of
increasing the number of points awarded to drivers who win formula one race
from to
my idea is to create greater differential between not only first and second
but also second and third said ecclestone
it would encourage the drivers to show more desire
urgent iraq election officials bar nearly candidates from poll
baghdad jan afp
iraq election commission on thursday barred nearly politicians and parties
from contesting the country upcoming national poll including many linked to
saddam hussein outlawed baath party
us russia on the verge of nuclear treaty burns
moscow jan afp
the united states and russia are on the verge of new nuclear disarmament
treaty after months of talks us under secretary of state william burns said in
comments released on thursday
we re on the verge of completing the agreement and optimistic that
we ll complete it soon burns said according to the transcript of an interview
released by the us embassy in moscow as he was visiting russia
washington and moscow have been seeking to agree the terms of new pact to
replace the strategic arms reduction treaty start which expired on
december
us president barack obama and his russian counterpart dmitry medvedev had
originally sought to have new treaty by december but the talks have been
bogged down in recent months amid disagreements over various issues
urgent iraq election officials bar nearly candidates from poll
baghdad jan afp
iraq election commission on thursday barred nearly politicians and parties
from contesting the country upcoming national poll including many linked to
saddam hussein outlawed baath party
coordination as important as haiti quake aid experts say
washington jan afp
as aid begins to pour in to haiti experts are stressing the importance of
coordination between weak central government constellation of non
governmental groups and international governments
this is very critical in our belief said albert ramdin assistant secretary
general of the organization of american states
whatever assistance is going to be offered it has to be based on the needs
expressed and identified by the haitian authorities or by those coordinating the
relief efforts in haiti
destroyed presidential palace un peacekeeping mission minustah crippled
by the disaster and power and communications outages are complicating the race
against time to comb through the rubble for survivors even as officials warned
the death toll could reach in the tens of thousands of people
elisabeth byrs spokeswoman of the united nations office for the coordination of
humanitarian affairs noted that relief agencies faced major logistic
challenge on the ground
the brazilian aid group viva rio meanwhile reported looting in the capital
port au prince
after being hit by four successive hurricanes that left untold damage two years
ago haiti suffered massive magnitude quake tuesday that devastated the
capital and the central region of the country which was already the poorest
nation in the western hemisphere
some percent of the government budget comes from international donations
the exact number of non governmental groups working in the country is unknown
but former us president bill clinton the un special representative to haiti
has criticized the crush of projects many of which overlap
the government never really had much of power it sets back the country
progress substantially said peter deshazo former senior state department
official who is an expert at the center for strategic and international studies
john andrews of the pan american health organization noted that international
aid works best when it is calculated based on the needs on the ground
sending food and clothing is not very helpful in the immediate aftermath of
disaster on the scale of haiti quake he said
we urge donors and relief organizations to keep in mind the importance of
rebuilding haiti infrastructure and keep them safe for future disasters he
told reporters on wednesday
we ask that all field hospitals should be fully self sufficient and should not
request any support from the affected community
the first hours are critical after any natural disaster experts say
the quake only underscores the need of the community to remain engaged in haiti
for very sustained period of time deshazo said
andrews urged that efforts focus on building disaster proof hospitals or
upgrading existing ones
jz oh jm
alert
israel jordan embassy confirms bomb near diplomatic convoy
cricket south africa dominate opening day against england
johannesburg jan afp
south africa dominated the first day of the fourth and final test against
england at the wanderers stadium on thursday bowling out their opponents for
and reaching for no wicket in tricky batting conditions
england captain andrew strauss won the toss but that was virtually his only good
moment of the day
batting first was always gamble in conditions which favoured the bowlers and
england troubles started with the first ball of the match when strauss was
caught at backward short leg off dale steyn
steyn took five for and morne morkel three for as england crumbled
the tourists leading the series lost their first four wickets for runs
inside the first hour
paul collingwood and ian bell put on for the fifth wicket but when
collingwood provided first test wicket for ryan mclaren soon after lunch the
slide resumed and england were bowled out shortly before tea
south african captain graeme smith and his opening partner ashwell prince faced
only balls scoring runs before rain stopped play for minutes
the players returned under heavily overcast skies with the floodlights on
england opening bowlers james anderson and ryan sidebottom both made the ball
swing but the batsmen survived until bad light stopped play for the day
sidebottom was playing ahead of graham onions in surprise move by england
onions was one of england most impressive bowlers in the first three tests
despite taking only eight wickets at an average of and as number eleven
batsman twice played out the last over to secure draw for his team in the
first and third tests
with south africa choosing an all pace line up giving first caps to left armer
wayne parnell and all rounder mclaren strauss had to make tough decision on
winning the toss
there was always going to be help for the bowlers on well grassed pitch with
clouds building up to aid swing bowling but batting last was also likely to be
problematical
having chosen to bat strauss turned lifting delivery on leg stump from steyn
firmly behind square leg but hashim amla dived to his right to hold an excellent
catch
morkel followed up in the second over when jonathan trott played across full
delivery and was leg before wicket
kevin pietersen run of poor scores continued when he pulled morkel straight to
parnell at mid on after making seven
alastair cook went back on his stumps against morkel and was second leg before
victim after making he asked for review but umpire tony hill decision
was upheld
collingwood looked in good form before he was squared up by mclaren and caught
at point off leading edge he made his off balls with five fours and two
sixes
steyn bowled bell with delivery which cut back between bat and pad after
series of away swingers and england resistance was effectively broken
although graeme swann made breezy off balls before he was last man out
swann playing typically aggressive innings gave difficult chances on nought
and six he and anderson added for the last wicket before swann was caught
behind off steyn giving the fast bowler his th five wicket haul in tests
bomb explodes by israeli diplomatic cars in jordan radio
jerusalem jan afp
roadside bomb blew up on thursday near convoy of israeli diplomatic cars
close to the jordanian capital amman causing no casualties israeli media
reported
the bomb detonated as the convoy carrying israel ambassador to jordan was
travelling between amman and the king hussein border crossing also known as the
allenby bridge
afptv updated advisory
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
haiti global rescue effort under way amid chaos
port au prince haiti
aid and food supplies started to arrive in haiti on thursday afternoon and the
first injured people were airlifted to nearby french island of martinique for
treatment but in the devastated capital port au prince fears were mounting for
thousands still trapped under the ruins the number of casualties following
tuesday quake could stretch into the tens of thousands
news
images of damaged presidential palace bodies lined up in the streets shot by
an afp photographer refile of better quality us coastguard aerials
already transmitted
raw vid
web mmv
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt revised filing time
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
interview excerpts of french foreign minister bernard kouchner
raw vid
web mmv
images and soundbites of french ngo medecins du monde new offer already
transmitted
raw vid
web mmv
images of quake survivors arriving in martinique to be transmitted by
gmt new offer
raw vid
web mmv
we have already transmitted the following
iran mourns slain nuclear scientist new offer
tehran
mourners chanting anti us and anti israel slogans carried the coffin of nuclear
physicist massoud ali mohammadi who was slain on tuesday in targeted bomb
attack through the streets of tehran iranian officials have accused the cia
and mossad the intelligence agencies respectively of the united states and
israel of having hand in the murder of the atomic scientist
news
images of funeral procession
raw vid
web mmv
yemen clerics call for jihad in case of foreign intervention
sanaa
yemen council of clerics called thursday for jihad or holy war in case of
foreign military intervention amid speculation the united states might join
sanaa pursuit of al qaeda extremists
news
images and soundbites
raw vid
web mmv
berlusconi trial to resume
milan
the trial for corruption against italian premier silvio berlusconi resumes on
friday as he stands accused of having bough the silence of his former british
lawyer david mills
special report
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
defiant china internet users back google
beijing hong kong
defiant chinese internet users flood the web appealing for google not to close
down its operations in the country after the us giant ultimatum to beijing
over censorship and cyberattacks
science amp technology
images
raw vid
web mmv
as part of our african nations cup coverage we have filed the following report
algeria look for improvements in african nations cup
algiers
after their humiliating defeat to malawi on monday the algerian team are now
taking on mali in the african cup of nations they ll need the help of their
supporters who are already buoyed up by the team qualification for the
world cup later in the year
sport
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
as part of our coverage ahead of the vancouver games beginning next month we
have filed the following report
hosting the olympics during the great recession
vancouver canada
olympics organisers couldn have seen the worldwide recession coming when they
first won the bid to host the winter games in vancouver and whistler
years ago but as canada prepares to welcome athletes and fans from across the
world it boasts completed state of the art venues and facilities even if
there were some challenges in pulling them all together
economy sport
voiced report
nsv vid corrected number
broadcast ready vid
tintin breaks through in china
beijing
more than years after tintin first landed in china all of the comics will be
published in mandarin this year this time with very carefully vetted
translation this will mark new start for the cartoon character of an
intrepid reporter in china where he has in the past fallen victim to hapless
copies and bad translations
culture amp lifestyle
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
polish ski stations cash in on cold snap
goldap poland
europe cold snap has covered poland in blanket of snow gift to the
country private ski resorts afptv reports from the mazurian lakes region in
the north of poland
economy sport
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
french producers find ethics in traditional foie gras
aux assat france
foie gras that standard bearer of french haute cuisine is eaten primarily in
winter often as an exceptional dish served up during christmas and new year
meals its production involves the force feeding of ducks and geese procedure
condemned by rights groups who blame the automated methods of several producers
but in handful of farms across france artisanal methods and respect for
the animals hold sway producing foie gras they say is the taste of true
french tradition
culture amp lifestyle economy
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
liberia taylor gave naomi campbell blood diamond court told
the hague jan afp
liberia ex president charles taylor gave so called blood diamond to
supermodel naomi campbell after dinner hosted by nelson mandela the
prosecution in his war crimes trial charged thursday
the diamond was among those taylor had obtained from sierra leone rebels and
took to south africa to sell or exchange them from weapons prosecutor
brenda hollis asserted in cross examining taylor
from among those diamonds that you took to south africa after this dinner that
you attended you sent your men to ms campbell room to provide her with large
diamond she said
that is totally incorrect taylor responded
that diamond that you sent to naomi campbell was one of the diamonds that you
had been given by the junta in sierra leone
total nonsense
hollis said the alleged gift was made after dinner hosted by south africa
then president mandela in september which was attended by celebrities like
singer quincy jones and actress mia farrow
campbell told farrow of the diamond the following morning according to the
prosecution the actress is listed as witness in taylor trial
taylor has pleaded not guilty to counts of war crimes and crimes against
humanity stemming from the brutal civil war in neighbouring sierra
leone
these include charges of murder rape conscripting child soldiers enslavement
and pillaging
he has been on trial since january accused of having fuelled war in sierra
leone by arming the rebel revolutionary united front ruf in exchange for
blood diamonds
sometimes referred to as conflict diamonds blood diamonds is the name given to
diamonds mined in rebel held regions of africa used to fund war
the ruf is blamed for the mutilation of thousands of civilians who had their
hands and arms severed in one of the most brutal wars in modern history which
claimed some lives
taylor took the stand in his own defence last july and completed his evidence
in november
wall street struggles after weak retail report
new york jan afp
wall street traded mixed thursday as the market positioned for upcoming
corporate earnings reports and looked past disappointing data on us retail
sales
the dow jones industrial average rose points percent to at
gmt shaking off opening losses day after closing at month high
the nasdaq composite rose points percent to while the
broad market standard amp poor index dipped point percent to
the market wobbled at the opening on the news that us retail sales fell
unexpectedly by percent in december poor sign for the critical holiday
shopping season
the report stunned analysts expecting gain of percent in sales the key
driver of us economic activity
the uneven nature of the retail sales results provides sobering reminder that
the economic recovery isn on truly sound footing given the weakened state of
the labor market said patrick hare at briefing com
others said the market focus was on corporate profit reports the flow of which
begins to increase with releases from intel late thursday and jpmorgan chase on
friday
corporate earnings begin to dominate trading concerns today said joseph
hargett at schaeffer investment research
hargett said major mover would be intel which has in recent quarters posted
better profits than analysts had expected
historically intel has bested these expectations in each of the prior four
reporting periods with an average upside surprise of percent he said
bob dickey at rbc wealth management said he expects more volatility amid
flurry of corporate and economic news
this wave of activity should keep things hopping with some sharper intraday
swings possible he said
we seem to have been somewhat lulled into an expectation that the market will
continue to make slow progress to the upside as the past two months have been
training us to believe but we see the volatility coming back soon so don
be alarmed if things get little more exciting over the near term it all
part of the normal cycles that move the markets
intel rose percent to dollars ahead of its report while jpmorgan
chase added percent to dollars
in the retail space target rose percent to dollars as it announced
that it is resuming its share buyback and hinted at better results in both its
retail and credit card segments
bonds gained the yield on the year us treasury bond eased to percent
from percent wednesday and that on the year bond dipped to
percent from percent bond yields and prices move in opposite directions
urgent us russia on the verge of nuclear treaty burns
moscow jan afp
the united states and russia are on the verge of new nuclear disarmament
treaty after months of talks us under secretary of state william burns said in
comments released on thursday
cricket south africa england scoreboard
johannesburg jan afp
scores at stumps on the first day of the fourth test between south africa and
england at the wanderers stadium on thursday
england first innings
