then prospective owners and dogs were brought together while staff watched for
interaction or incompatibility
from there events moved quickly
oleg became upset because someone behind him in the line beat him to selecting
the dog that had caught his eye
wanted the brown one he complained
it already gone it happening fast an aspca staffer said trying to keep
calm in corridor crowded with people and animals
another four dogs were held back while minor health problems are attended to
one called sherlock had elevated enzymes and bit of dental issue
staffer said sherlock would be ready to go in few days but in the meantime
he would benefit from the aspcas on site veterinary hospital
oleg who finally picked tina dark haired one year old joked they say
sometimes that dogs are looked after better than people
but not everyone in new york went gaga over the cuties
can stand chihuahuas yelled passing bus driver through his window
go get pit bull
rugby union selection policy is ship hape says defiant johnson
london jan afp
martin johnson insisted he no qualms in selecting former new zealand rugby
league international shontayne hape for england six nations squad
the year old bath centre qualified to play for england on residency grounds
this month and johnson wasted little time in picking him ahead of homegrown
candidates such as shane geraghty and dominic waldouck
johnson move made with world cup winner mike tindall injured means
england could field an all new zealand born midfield combination of hape and
riki flutey in their six nations opener against wales on february
and that team could also feature northampton hooker dylan hartley the third
new zealand born player in england squad
hape was not the only former rugby league player called up by johnson england
world cup winning captain on wednesday with northampton in form wing
chris ashton given chance to win first cap
with the notable exception of world cup winner jason robinson england
converts from league such as hape fellow ex kiwi internationals henry paul
and lesley vainikolo since rugby union went professional have rarely lived up
to their initial billing
and with england boasting the largest playing base of any major rugby union
nation and the rugby football union investing millions of pounds in player
development there is bound to be unease among some fans at hape selection
the rugby team situation is not without parallel in english sport the
national cricket side are about to conclude test series in south africa where
captain andrew strauss and batsmen kevin pietersen and jonathan trott have been
playing against the land of their birth
an unrepentant johnson speaking after his squad was announced said wednesday
it is what the players do when they are here how they handle themselves how
they play and the commitment they have to that team
said that to shontayne when spoke to him the other day riki has been one
of our outstanding players and characters in the team dylan hartley as well
am looking forward to having shontayne there
have played with guys who are born overseas throughout my career you could
never doubt south africa born mike catt commitment to the england cause
the former lock added
shontayne has got an opportunity we have been impressed with him as player
we have made enquiries about him as person and character and everything is
positive
am fully expecting him to come in and work hard and knuckle down
johnson said he was confident hape could make more of an impact at test level
than the likes of paul and vainikolo because of his all round game
his defence is outstanding his ball playing his ability to off load in the
tackle and make decisions in that area is fantastic as well said johnson
the position has been little bit tricky for us in the last few years it is
fantastic to have him in there it gives us some depth
flutey full back delon armitage fly half toby flood and no nick easter all
return to the squad from injury after missing november series where england
struggled to defeat argentina and were well beaten by both australia and new
zealand
flanker lewis moody england outstanding player in november world cup winning
hooker steve thompson and year old courtney lawes were among those whose
squad places were confirmed
johnson has frequently praised steve borthwick yet on wednesday refused to say
if the saracens lock would continue as england captain raising the possibility
of new second row combination taking the field against wales at twickenham
next month
meanwhile england are waiting on the fitness of props andrew sheridan shoulder
and julian white hamstring
decisions on the duo availability are expected by january when england head
to portugal for week of warm weather training ahead of the six nations
rugbyu contrite bastareaud proving stade has hard centre
paris jan afp
stade francais centre mathieu bastareaud stunning try in the top victory
over biarritz last saturday confirmed that the youngster has put behind him the
scandal that almost destroyed his career last summer
the year old had made real impact on the national and club scene up to the
moment of madness in new zealand when appearing with facial injuries the day
after the second test defeat to the all blacks he explained them away by
saying he had been assaulted outside his hotel
however embarrassingly after the new zealand government had made formal
apology it transpired that no such incident had taken place and in fact he had
drunkenly fallen over table in his hotel room
for moment it looked as if the musclebound player might even quit the sport
when it was revealed he had been so affected by the furore that he had been sent
to mental hospital and was subsequently ordered to perform community service
by the rugby authorities
however he has transformed himnself this term thanks to combination of his
strength of character and the help of his club especially from president max
guazzini
so much so that bastareaud cousin of arsenal and france defender william
gallas has proved to be rock for stade side which has failed to fire all
season with australian coach ewen mckenzie sacked and injuries to several key
players
bastareaud admitted that the team had been treading water for long periods of
the season
it was imperative that we finally clicked that we woke up because since the
beginning of the season it has not been very pretty what we have been doing he
admitted
we were not getting much pleasure from our play on the pitch it was beginning
to become little worrying
bastareaud who has been as impressive in defence as in attack especially in an
earlier match with toulouse said that the biarritz match had been crucial
this match fell at exactly the right time he admitted
we really wanted to win against biarritz we live together and we love each
other but we have not been aggressive enough on the pitch
rugby is also about that it is great to want to play nice rugby but if one
doesn stick one heads into ruck at the very least then there is not lot
we can do in the backs
bastareaud who will be in action this weekend in the european cup clash with
bath in group that the french side leads by four points with two matches
remaining is cautious about forcing his way back into the french squad for the
six nations opener against scotland on february in edinburgh
his chances have increased with the recent injuries to centres maxime mermoz and
veteran damien traille
it not my problem he said my problem is to help my club qualify for the
european cup knockout stages and to win after that we will see the choices
will be made and the list will be announced
am trying to play well on the pitch to give my all for the club after that
what will come will come
rolling blackouts leave venezuelans confused angry
caracas jan afp
venezuelans reacted with anger and confusion wednesday as the government
power saving campaign kicked in turning off electricity across wide swathes of
caracas and the country amid drought driven energy crisis
in the capital thriving central la candelaria neighborhood homeowners and
shopkeepers alike threw up their hands in frustration at the looming electricity
cuts announced by the government on tuesday
we don know anything nobody knows anything if they turn off the electricity
we ll have to close nothing will be sold and things will go bad family
grocery owner irene de freitas told afp
in caracas power cuts will take place on alternate days in specific sectors at
certain times the head of state run electricidad de caracas said tuesday
the rest of the country also faces power cuts that could last until the start of
the rainy season in may he added
but there was confusion as to when and where the power cuts would start
rather have it at night because if it happens during the day it would hurt
us lot said jorge costa who runs an arepa cornbread stand that wednesday
morning was full of customers
if they switch off the light how can stay open adjacent barber shop owner
pedro ramirez chimed in
in an office building nearby security guards were telling workers on all nine
floors that the elevators and faucets would stop working at midday the start of
an announced four hour power cut
in the upscale chacao neighborhood people got together and improvised human
traffic light system to keep traffic flowing during the power cuts
venezuela is flush with oil the country chief export and natural gas but
meets domestic energy demand with electricity generated by its massive guri dam
hydroelectric complex on the orinoco river which supplies percent of the
nation power needs
but with drought affecting large swathes of latin america water levels at the
guri dam have dropped to critical nine meters feet below normal and are
still falling at rate of centimeters four inches daily experts said
the government blames the drought on the cyclical el nino climate pattern
leftist president hugo chavez on wednesday fielded public complaints over the
new measures
it hasn rained neither chavez or the government is to blame it just hasn
rained he said in televised speech
now it the rich and middle class who get angry and what do they want do you
want only the poor to be rationed that how it was before chavez said
calling on everybody to accept the electricity cuts they are necessary
just like when you re fat and you ve got to go on diet and exercise
you have to cut back on something he added
some caracas residents are worried the blackouts will spur more crime in the
already dangerous city of five million
power went off before nightfall and didn have any problem but on friday
when the next cut is due at midnight afraid of being in the dark during the
night because live near some dangerous neighborhoods katian castro told afp
the power cuts compound daily woes for venezuelans that lately include other
cost cutting measures ranging from water rationing to major devaluation of the
bolivar
when did we ever see this in venezuela complained homemaker maria miranda at
grocery store ve always used all the electricity and water wanted
haiti eye witness reports aid appeals flood twitter
washington jan afp
with communications in haiti ravaged by an earthquake tech savvy residents
turned to twitter to send pictures and news of the destruction while others used
the web service to mobilize appeals for aid
harrowing personal accounts heart rending pictures and rallying cries for
relief for quake ravaged haiti spread swiftly on twitter as the microblogging
platform once again became key communications tool during disaster
haiti solidarity groups sprang up on social network facebook meanwhile
including one that quickly attracted more than members and video of the
aftermath of the magnitude quake appeared on youtube
one clip on youtube which appeared to have been taken within minutes of the
quake with mobile phone included images filmed from hilltop of an enormous
cloud of dust completely obscuring the city of port au prince
in twitter message haitian born hip hop star wyclef jean who now lives in
the united states said he was making his way to haiti and urged his million
followers on twitter to pray for the people of haiti me please
yele the name of charity foundation set up by jean was top trending
topic on twitter on wednesday and the website for his group yele org was
struggling to handle deluge of visits
red cross and help haiti claimed other spots in twitter list of most
popular items and so did pat robertson after the controversial us preacher
said haitians had made pact to the devil
with telephone lines disrupted by the quake but some web connections still
available some of the first photos video and eye witness reports from haiti
came from users of twitter
one of the most gripping accounts came from troy livesay who identifies himself
on his blog livesayhaiti blogspot com as working with heartline ministries and
world wide village in haiti
livesay provided stream of twitter messages throughout the day on tuesday on
his account at troylivesay
just experienced major earthquake here in port au prince walls were
falling down we are all fine pray for those in the slums was his first
tweet
it was followed soon afterwards by for those that don know haiti does not
enforce building codes
walking around he said we saw few bodies that had been pulled out of the
rubble laying dead in the sidewalk many others injured
after nightfall livesay wrote church groups are singing throughout the city
all through the night in prayer it is beautiful sound in the middle of
horrible tragedy
aftershocks continued all night long he said the next morning the sun went
down shortly after the big quake it is up now it is eerily quiet
as livesay gave running account on twitter of the devastation haitian radio
host carel pedre documented it in pictures sent to flickr and twitpic
interspersed with appeals for international aid
richard morse an american musician who said on his twitter feed ramhaiti that
he has lived in haiti since and works at the hotel oloffson also provided
window on the misery
what are the poor supposed to do no homes no jobs no savings no medical
attention bodies half buried nearby he wrote
priest came to see me asked him why so many churches collapsed he
left without an answer god works in mysterious ways morse said
with livesay morse pedre and others providing first hand information via
twitter the los angeles times cnn national public radio new york times
huffington post and other media outlets created lists of twitter accounts in
haiti for readers to follow
haiti solidarity groups appeared on facebook meanwhile throughout the day
including one from italy which attracted more than members and another
earthquake haiti which drew more than members
while the internet was being used as communications and rallying tool the us
federal bureau of investigation warned potential donors of relief funds that it
can also be used for fraud schemes
the fbi today reminds internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the
aftermath of tuesday earthquake in haiti to apply critical eye and do their
due diligence before responding to those requests the fbi said
top official presumed killed in haiti quake is respected un veteran
port au prince jan afp
hedi annabi the civilian head of the un mission to haiti who was presumed dead
after devastating quake in the country is quiet but highly respected
veteran un troubleshooter
haitian president rene preval announced wednesday that annabi was killed when
the main headquarters of the un mission in haiti minustah in port au prince
collapsed during tuesday powerful quake
un officials however cautioned that they were not in position to confirm
annabi death and said they were trying to ascertain the source of preval
information
we cannot confirm that he is dead said alain leroy head of the un department
of peacekeeping operations dpko
but earlier wednesday french foreign minister bernard kouchner also said that
annabi personal friend and that all those who were with him and around him
are dead
the respected tunisian official served as deputy head of un peacekeeping
operations from to
several un officials said he was holding talks with visiting chinese police
delegation in the minustah headquarters five story concrete building known as
the christopher hotel when the earthquake struck
un chief ban ki moon late wednesday said total of un personnel three
police officers from jordan one from argentina one from chad and brazilian
peacekeepers were now confirmed dead in the disaster
susana malcorra head of the un department of field support said the total
number of un personnel still unaccounted for is in the range of
annabi is well liked by un diplomats for his dedication and quiet demeanor
hedi annabi has earned huge amount of respect and of trust farhan haq un
spokesman told afp
but we don want to base our statement on anything but confirmed facts on the
ground and we cannot confirm that he is dead he said
annabi born in assumed his haiti post in september taking over from
edmond mulet of guatemala
former tunisian career diplomat annabi joined the united nations in and
served in series of senior posts in the un department of peacekeeping
operations from
philippines says four troops missing in haiti quake
manila jan afp
four philippine soldiers are missing after the massive haiti quake believed
trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings used by un peacekeepers military
spokesman said thursday
three sergeants including two female soldiers were on duty at the headquarters
of the un stabilisation mission in the capital port au prince when magnitude
quake struck on tuesday
corporal was also believed trapped in the ruins of the montana hotel in port
au prince building also used by the united nations armed forces spokesman
colonel romeo brawner told local television and radio stations
we are hoping that they are still alive he said as of now they are
missing
the four are part of strong filipino contingent in the un force
comprising police soldiers and military observers brawner said the rest are
now taking part in the rescue effort he added
manila has said it has had no news on more than filipino civilians in haiti
including people working for un agencies there
australian unemployment at pct beats forecasts
sydney jan afp
australian unemployment fell to percent in december official figures showed
on thursday down from november revised figure and defying economists
forecasts of percent
the better than expected seasonally adjusted figure was driven by rise
in part time jobs while another people found full time work the
australian bureau of statistics said
the amp asx jumped percent to points shortly after the
announcement which heightened expectations of fourth successive interest rate
rise in february
bill clinton calls for aid helicopters for haiti
united nations jan afp
former us president bill clinton who is now the special envoy for the united
nations in haiti wednesday launched fund for the stricken nation saying even
dollar or two would help
we got to save as many lives as possible clinton said so the most important
thing individuals who care can do is to send cash even if it dollar or two
he was speaking at the un general assembly as the world body was rocked by the
scale of the earthquake amid fears that the death toll could top
clinton said water food shelter and medical supplies were all badly needed to
help the people particularly in the capital port au prince which took the full
force of tuesday quake
he added that people could also donate through the website of his clinton
foundation at www clintonfoundation org haitiearthquake
clinton told cnn later that as much as third of the country had been adversely
affected by the quake and rescue teams were urgently needed
it devastating problem last night the streets of port au prince were
littered with wounded people sleeping and the bodies of those who had perished
he said
and we re going to have think another three or four really hard days of
just clearing through the rubble to find the living and those who have died
one of the things that we re worried about is that some people will die from
exposure from dehydration from their injuries who could be saved he warned
which is why getting these search and rescue teams in there is so important and
why think it very important to realize that we are going through about
week here maybe even days to two weeks where the critical needs are
very simple food water shelter first aid supplies
asked about fears from haiti prime minister jean max bellerive that the death
toll could top clinton said he felt that may be bit high
hoping is that when they clear the rubble away they ll find that more
people have survived these collapsing buildings than we think we just don
know
he said un teams were working to get the cell phone communications restored and
said with many roads left impassable helicopters would play vital role in the
aid operation
if you can provide any of this emergency help if you can give us
helicopters if you can give us basic medical supplies we need that but
remember this is going to be long term process the former us president
said
transport planes could help fly in heavy digging and lifting equipment
especially from the dominican republic clinton said adding that there was
already some in haiti but he was not sure it was in the capital
in haiti darkest hour songs and prayers rise from ruins
port au prince jan afp
mournful songs and prayers rose above the ruins of the haitian capital wednesday
as night plunged the quake hit caribbean nation into darkness blanketing the
view of lines of corpses
in the twilight hours exhausted rescuers dug without respite clawing with bare
hands in desperate race against time to free those trapped under tons of
twisted concrete after tuesday powerful quake
there are fears the death toll could top
baby cried its wails echoing across the rubble as group of men worked
silently to reach it suddenly the earth shook again with one of the dozens of
aftershocks plaguing the terrified people and the rescuers scattered in panic
all except jeanwell antoine who held the baby arm and sought to comfort it as
he calmly continued his difficult task
it is not me who is pushing back this earth it is the hand of god who loves
life and is guiding me so can save this baby he said
such scenes were repeated across this devastated city of two million people as
more than hours after the quake struck foreign aid and heavy lifting
equipment had yet to arrive
in the ruins of homes many lay dead frozen in their last moments before the
earth convulsed couple struck down as they slept young girls covered in
dust women with their clothing ripped to shreds and charred bodies in cars
some bodies released from the ruins were laid out on the roads many covered in
sheets in tragic display which reduced passersby to tears
help me my husband is still trapped in here please help me know he
alive sobbed one woman
in the saint honore street man covered from head to toe was trapped outside
the wreckage of car standing up and unable to free his foot for the past
hours as his helpless friends and family looked on he seemed to show signs of
internal bleeding
he will die before we can get him out said sociology student wilson softly
disoriented dazed survivors aimlessly wandered the streets not knowing which
way to turn while others tried to help those still trapped
there were no diggers no ambulances not even any fire engines to be seen
like the collapsed presidential palace its once proud white cupola now
shattered the nation which is already the poorest country in the americas lies
in ruins
we urgently need international assistance said prime minister jean max
bellerive who earlier told cnn he believed the death toll could reach
as the sun set over the ravaged streets of port au prince thousands were facing
their second night in the open with the bodies of the dead lying nearby
older children sobbed as they cried for their lost parents
hospitals many of them either collapsed or damaged have struggled to cope with
flow of wounded as basic services such as power and water as well as medical
supplies dwindled
and as the morgues began to overflow there were fears that amid the sticky
tropical climate disease could soon break out if corpses are left to fester
we need help the hospital is full we are lacking in everything said one
woman on radio station stressing how the wounded were left lying next to the
dead
president rene preval said all the morgues are full the hospitals are
overflowing there is not enough medicines
what has this country done to deserve such misfortune lamented year old
rody baptisa sitting in chair by the ruins of his home
he said he wasn going anywhere until he could release the bodies of two of his
children from the rubble
few yards away group of women were singing and clapping the tuneful sounds
piercing the evening hush
small groups appeared to be gathering around the city to sing and pray in their
hour of despair
the praying and singing is getting louder more and more people are
gathering so much suffering so much destruction said us musician richard
morse based in haiti in message posted on his twitter account
people have remained very calm and helpful once more as the sun sets the
singing begins the night brings uncertainty he said on the micro internet
networking site
hear help is coming tomorrow
bur jkb arb
white house backs free internet in google china dispute
washington jan afp
with google threatening to pull out of china over censorship the white house
said wednesday that it backs the right to free internet and confirmed it has
held talks with the internet giant
white house spokesman robert gibbs said he would not go into details about the
administration discussions with google which announced on tuesday it would no
longer filter search results from china on its web search engine
we have had conversations and discussions with them about what they have talked
about yesterday gibbs told reporters here don want to get much further
afield than that
the president and this administration have beliefs about the freedom of the
internet gibbs added noting that president barack obama had expressed them in
china last year
the right of free internet is what many of you heard the president talk about
in china gibbs said
during visit to china in november obama pushed for an unshackled internet
saying he was strong supporter of open internet use and big supporter of
non censorship
gibbs also recalled that secretary of state hillary clinton had asked for an
explanation from china for what google said was wave of highly sophisticated
cyberattacks aimed at chinese human rights activists
as the secretary of state said we look forward to the response from the
chinese the white house spokesman said
china said wednesday it was seeking more information on google move
the state run xinhua news agency quoted an anonymous official at the press
office of the state council the nation cabinet as saying that internet
authorities were looking for clarification of google statement
it is still hard to say whether google will quit china or not nobody knows
the official was quoted as saying
google said china based cyber spies struck the internet giant and at least
other unidentified firms in an apparent bid to hack into the email accounts of
chinese human rights activists around the world
the mountain view california based company whose motto is don be evil
said the cyberattacks originating from china and web censorship demands were
forcing it to review its business operations in china
democratic house speaker nancy pelosi praised google on wednesday for
threatening to quit china and urged other high tech companies to resist beijing
the announcement that google will fully review its business operations in china
and will no longer tolerate censorship of its search engine should serve as an
example to businesses and governments pelosi said in statement
the chinese government operates one of the most sophisticated operations in the
world to control the internet pelosi said it is essential that technology
companies not assist in efforts that violate human rights or prohibit the free
exchange of ideas
republican member of congress chris smith of new jersey urged pelosi on
wednesday to bring the global online freedom act bill that would prevent us
it companies from working with repressive governments to vote
smith praised google move and said legislation is desperately needed to stop
us companies from working hand in glove with dictatorships attempting to crack
down on democratic activists who use the internet
paris based reporters without borders hailed google move meanwhile saying
foreign it company has finally accepted its responsibilities towards chinese
users and is standing up to the chinese authorities
we call on other it companies to form common front and we urge the chinese
authorities to reconsider their position rsf said
golf veterans rookies eager to launch season at sony
honolulu hawaii jan afp
the sony open the first full field us pga tour event of starts thursday
and veteran ernie els said he was feeling the thrill of new season as much as
the four tour rookies who will tee it up
when you have love of the game you still want to achieve things said the
south african the first week is still quite exciting you look around this
week at who might be doing what for the future of the tour
players like myself retief goosen phil mickelson will be this year
it like the sand in the hourglass is starting to run out and we like to
prove to everyone we still belong
fijian veteran vijay singh will be seeking to launch solid season after
failing to win in
john daly slimmed down by some pounds is playing on sponsor exemption
now but without tour card daly said he feels more pressure to perform at
this point in his career
feel tremendous amount of pressure not from my sponsors but from myself
daly said my goal is to get my card if make enough money fine if win
fine just so can finally set up with schedule
meanwhile rookie brian stuard was getting the hang of tour event
trying to approach it like any other golf tournament said stuard who
just missed out on securing his card via his finish on the nationwide tour then
earned it in qualifying school
his business as usual approach was little harder to maintain when he found
