international relief effort
six days after the magnitude quake aid workers are still struggling to
reach hundreds of thousands of homeless injured and traumatized people
desperate for food water and medicine
violence has erupted as survivors fight for whatever they can find while all
around the stench of burning bodies clings to the air as tens of thousands of
rotting corpses are hurriedly disposed of
officials fear the eventual death toll may top and by sunday some
had already been buried in mass graves
international aid is trickling in but supplies remain scarce amid the enormity
of crisis the united nations estimates affected three million people and left
homeless
us president barack obama has mobilized military reserves and another
troops were to join us forces already on the scene or in ships off haiti
time is still of the essence we re getting better but there is still lot of
misery in haiti said rear admiral ted branch who commands the us aircraft
carrier carl vinson strike group
un chief ban ki moon promised after visiting the disaster zone to speed up the
aid effort
am here to say we are with you you are not alone he said after flying over
the ruined capital port au prince in helicopter
but amidst the death and desperation were life affirming tales of survival
against all the odds
text message to the united nations set in motion relief operation that led
to the rescue two days later of maria ariel and lamy after being buried for
more than hours under collapsed supermarket
seven ariel shouted to rescuers seeking signs of life adding that she
was stuck next to dead man but covered with supermarket food
it was electric when we saw the fruit of our labor when that little girl came
out said joseph fernandez of florida search and rescue team
two australian news crews dug by hand to rescue an month old baby lying
alongside her dead parents
she did not cry reporter robert penfold told the australian newspaper she
looked astonished almost as if she was seeing the world for the first time
at the un building in port au prince jen kristensen emerged from the debris
and there was fresh hope at pancaked commercial building where us fire
captain miguel garcia said one woman was talking to them
she indicates that there more but we can hear them he said we ve seen
hand but they can get out from where they re at
elsewhere residents abandoned the search for survivors and began torching the
squalid ruins to stop the spread of disease
survivors besieged hospitals and makeshift clinics some carrying the injured on
their backs or on carts
hundreds of rioters ransacked hyppolite market in the capital police armed with
shotguns and assault rifles shot dead one rioter an afp photographer said
the un humanitarian relief coordinating body said hospitals on the dominican
republic border with haiti were overwhelmed with quake victims and running
short of medicines equipment and doctors
it said the fuel shortage in haiti was becoming more and more critical
emergency workers are expanding to battered communities outside of port au
prince including gressier petit goave and leogane which were all badly hit
even where aid is getting through it is still not enough
emergency food rations reached challe camp for displaced people for
the first time but survivors were angry that only small packets of dry biscuits
were handed out
un soldier at the camp said the world food programme had lot of food and
water in warehouse close to the airport but there were not enough trucks to
distribute it
some emergency centers coordinated by the wfp were to be set up monday to
distribute aid and provide shelter haitian government source said
clearly this is disaster of epic proportions and we ve got lot of work
ahead of us said lieutenant general ken keen in charge of the vast us
military relief operation
ban who met president rene preval on sunday was to brief the un security
council on monday
european nations promised tens of millions more in reconstruction aid for haiti
hoping to reach million euros and discussed deploying security mission to
help maintain law and order
canada said donor nations would meet on january in montreal to discuss
reconstruction
foreign leaders make fresh call for clean energy commitments
abu dhabi jan afp
foreign leaders raised fresh alarm on global warming monday urging
international action to increase use of clean energy at four day forum that
opened in the oil rich emirate of abu dhabi
if we don act now our coral reefs and rainforests will die desert
countries will become unbearably hot and low lying countries like the maldives
will slip beneath the rising seas said the president of the maldives mohammed
nasheed
tackling climate change is not like dealing with other global issues such as
trade or disarmament we do not have the luxury of time to meet year after
year in endless negotiations the leader of the low lying indian ocean nation
told participants at the world future energy summit
nasheed was referring to the copenhagen climate talks last month which ended
with non binding agreement to reduce rises in global temperatures seen as
lukewarm commitment to save the planet
the copenhagen accord in its current form will not prevent catastrophic
climate change our challenge this year and next is therefore to strengthen
the accord so it becomes blueprint for planet saving action nasheed said
turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan echoed the warnings of global
warming stressing the gravity of the challenge
mitigating global carbon emission is one of the important hurdles ahead of us
he said addressing the opening session of the forum
he highlighted the measures taken by turkey to reduce dependency on fossil
energy saying that renewable sources represent percent of the country
generated power and that ankara aims to increase this share to percent by
he also said turkey wants to contribute to europe security of energy resources
through transporting gas which is cleaner source of energy than coal and oil
our country aims to contribute to europe energy security he said
pointing to the nabucco gas pipeline agreement signed in july between turkey
and four eu states which is aimed at reducing europe gas dependence on
russia
abu dhabi was chosen last year to be the host of the newly established
international renewable energy agency irena in an apparent acknowledgement of
its commitment to harness clean energy
the emirate which sits on over percent of the proven oil reserves of the
united arab emirates the world fifth largest has established the masdar
initiative to create zero carbon emissions city that would be home to
people
masdar will host the headquarters of irena as well as research institutes that
would aim to build abu dhabi status as leading party in renewable energy
norway doubles aid to haiti to euros
oslo jan afp
norway will more than double its emergency aid to earthquake ravaged haiti to
million kroner million euros million dollars the ministry of
international development said monday
of that sum million kroner will go to the united nations ministry
spokeswoman ragnhild simenstad told afp
the un said friday that it was launching an appeal for million dollars from
donors following tuesday magnitude quake which devastated the poverty
stricken caribbean nation of nine million and was the strongest in more than
century
the remaining million kroner will go to un agencies non governmental
organisations and norwegian rescue services
haiti will need help for long time international development minister erik
solheim said in statement published over the weekend will therefore be
considering ways to support haiti even after the emergency phase is over he
added
on thursday norway said it would donate million kroner for emergency aid to
haiti
at least bodies have been buried in mass graves and officials fear the
final death toll could top while people were injured and up to
million were left homeless
eu pledges million euros for haiti diplomat
brussels jan afp
european union nations pledged million euros monday from the eu budget to
help rebuild quake ravaged haiti over and above emergency aid being sent an eu
diplomat said
the prelimary indication for long term reconstruction aid is million euros
from the european commission budget the diplomat said after eu development
ministers held emergency talks in brussels
security forces patrol nigerian city after deadly unrest
kano nigeria jan afp
nigerian security forces on monday cordoned off district of the city of jos
where clashes between christians and muslims at the weekend left dead
according to religious leader
we have received dead bodies since yesterday eleven of them were buried
yesterday and we are conducting funeral for the remaining five so far we have
over injured people most of them from gun shots the head of jos central
mosque balarabe dawud told afp
he said the bodies were recovered from the scene of sunday fighting in the
nassarawa gwom area of the city which erupted when christians protested at the
building of mosque in the christian dominated district
so far these bodies were brought from the scene of the fighting to the
mosque he said adding that these were in addition to the ones counted at
hospital morgue on sunday
if some bodies were taken to the hospital they should be counted separately
from this dawud explained
the red cross said over people have been displaced as result of the
fighting but declined to give any casualty toll
so far we are still compiling list of casualties and displaced people
therefore we don have an exhaustive figure to give out the head of the red
cross in jos awwalu mohammed told afp
however from our records so far we have over displaced people
sheltering in mosques churches and police barracks we have also taken the
injured to various hospitals in the city for treatment he added
there is no official confirmation of any death toll
police and troops were deployed on monday and hour dusk to dawn curfew was
imposed in the nassarawa gwom district after the clashes
security forces searched cars and people on the street for weapons residents
said
security personnel have succeeded in quelling the unrest and restoring calm in
the affected area of the city plateau state police spokesman mohammed lerema
told afp
we have cordoned the nassarawa gwom district as strategy to prevent the
violence from spilling over to other parts of the city he said
jos has fast become the focus of sectarian tensions in central nigeria but
state information commissioner gregory yenlong said the disturbances had ended
am happy to announce that peace has returned to the city following the
restoration of law and order in nassarawa gwom by security agents he said
he said the curfew would remain in force to ensure that no security breach
happens the government calls on the people to go about their normal business
without fear
the clashes began when christian youths protested the building of mosque in
the christian dominated nassarawa gwom district houses and vehicles were set
alight
under the curfew university of jos authorities told students to go home
nigeria africa most populous country with some million people is evenly
divided between the mainly muslim north and mainly christian south
jos and other central and northern areas have been plagued by religious
violence
in november hundreds of people were killed in jos in two days of fighting
triggered by rumour that the mainly muslim all nigerian peoples party had lost
local election to the christian dominated peoples democratic party
state officials put the death toll at about but other sources gave toll
twice that figure
last month at least people were killed in clashes between security forces
and members of radical islamist sect in the northern bauchi state
another sect boko haram which means western education is sin staged an
insurrection in july in nearby borno state when at least people were killed
as security forces crushed the unrest
urgent eu pledges million euros for haiti diplomat
brussels jan afp
european union nations pledged million euros monday from the eu budget to
help rebuild quake ravaged haiti over and above emergency aid being sent an eu
diplomat said
uae energy minister says oil prices very reasonable
abu dhabi jan afp
united arab emirates energy minister mohammad bin dhaen al hamli said on monday
that world oil prices are very reasonable
hamli was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of four day alternative
energy forum being held in the uae capital
he was subsequently asked if he preferred prices to be in excess of dollars
barrel and said don like over and don like
am not comfortable with volatility in prices
he repeated in english and arabic more than once that he considered current
prices to be very reasonable
cricket cook to captain england in bangladesh
johannesburg jan afp
alastair cook will captain england on their tour of bangladesh next month while
regular captain andrew strauss will be rested
england test and one day international squads were announced in johannesburg
on monday at the end of tour of south africa during which strauss led england
to win in one day series and share of test series
the england selectors resisted calls from former england captains mike atherton
david gower and nasser hussain for strauss to lead the side in bangladesh
the england and wales cricket board announced last september that some senior
players would be rested from the bangladesh tour in order to manage their
workload and it was suggested at the time that strauss would be one of those to
sit out
the only other member of the test side against south africa who will miss the
tour is fast bowler james anderson who will undergo rehabilitation for chronic
right knee injury
three uncapped players hampshire batsman michael carberry yorkshire fast
bowler ajmal shahzad and kent off spinner james tredwell were named in
man test squad while shahzad and tredwell were also selected in man
one day squad
england will play three one day internationals and two tests in bangladesh
the tour will be preceded by two twenty internationals against pakistan in the
united arab emirates where the side will be captained by paul collingwood
selection convenor geoff miller said andrew strauss has provided outstanding
leadership for the team in both forms of the game over the past months and
the selectors feel it is important that he takes break ahead of an extremely
busy programme of international cricket leading up to and including the ashes
series in australia and the icc cricket world cup in
our decision to appoint alastair cook to the test vice captaincy last year
clearly demonstrated the belief that he has the potential to be future england
captain
alastair will now have an opportunity to develop his leadership skills still
further by leading the side in both forms of cricket in bangladesh and know
that he is excited by the challenge and looking forward to working closely with
andy flower
test squad alastair cook essex captain ian bell warwickshire stuart
broad nottinghamshire michael carberry hampshire paul collingwood
durham steven davies surrey wkt graham onions durham kevin pietersen
hampshire liam plunkett durham matt prior sussex wkt ajmal shahzad
yorkshire ryan sidebottom nottinghamshire graeme swann nottinghamshire
james tredwell kent jonathan trott warwickshire luke wright sussex
one day squad cook captain tim bresnan yorkshire broad collingwood joe
denly kent eoin morgan middlesex prior pietersen plunkett shahzad
sidebottom swann tredwell trott wright
england schedule
february arrive in dubai
england lions abu dhabi
first pakistan dubai
second pakistan dubai
bangladesh board xi fatullah
bangladesh board xi fatullah
first odi bangladesh dhaka
march second odi bangladesh dhaka
third odi bangladesh chittagong
bangladesh chittagong
first test chittagong
second test dhaka
alert
eu pledges million euros reconstruction aid for haiti diplomat
tough haitians cling to life under rubble
port au prince jan afp
half day after international rescue teams heard her determined cries marie
france finally emerged from under the avalanche of rubble that had plunged her
into painful solitary hell
french and us firefighters and medics had drilled away the concrete slabs that
buried her then ground their way through the steel door which protected and
imprisoned her when port au prince was hit by catastrophic earthquake
it already remarkable that she alive and has so much energy said
emergency medic denis larger during the rescue sadly concrete beam has
crushed her right arm and we ll have to amputate it to get her out
long after tuesday quake that killed tens of thousands of people far
smaller number of victims who were lucky enough to have been trapped with an
open airway may still be clinging to life
but time is running out
medics and firefighters from french martinique and us rescue crew from fairfax
county urban search and rescue part of an international coalition of first
responders worked late into the night to save marie france
they broke dozen cutting disks sawing through the double reinforced steel door
that shielded the year old under collapsed row of shops
the team worked in hole they dug amid the still unstable buildings at one
point doctor was lowered in dangling by his feet under arc lights and the
protection of squad of brazilian un peacekeepers
she is someone who wants to live she survived thanks to her mental strength
her physical condition and coolness in the rocks where she was that protected
her from the intense heat said fire commander daniel vigee
the rescue began in the baking caribbean noon but as sunset infused the dust
choked streets of the ruined capital with pink glow the task became more
complicated
the rest of the city bereft of electricty was already black when round of
tired applause greeted marie france anaesthetised form being carried out and
rushed to an israeli field hospital
the people of port au prince desperate for the start of large scale food
handouts are critical of the international aid operation that has shuddered
chaotically into action in the quake aftermath
is that all there is vanel louis paul father of three children threw his
hands up in the air when biscuits provided by the un and aid organizations
reached challe camp for displaced haitian people
we have been waiting since tuesday and that is all that has arrived
but the search and rescue effort has been impressive with teams from more than
dozen countries fanning out far ahead of the us military forces massing at the
airport to save as many lives as possible
hundred meters yards down the street from where the french and american
teams were working another us crew was talking to another survivor
voices had been heard in the wreckage of the upper storeys of commercial
building twisted at crazy angles and hanging over the street
local people believed four people were trapped there and bertrande eveward
thought her year old son junior was among them
my son is there she declared as firefighters of the los angeles county
search and rescue scaled the rubble of neighbouring block to investigate the
sounds
overcome with emotion she fluttered between french english and creole as she
tried to tell the story of her family achievements as if invoking their
successful history would stave off the worst
her eldest son bertrand paul is serving with the us military in japan joey and
his sister rebecca live with their father jean baptiste in boston while junior
was in haiti when the block collapsed
bertrande tried to comfort junior wife slight girl with tightly braided
hair who appeared in shock
she tried to explain what had happened but couldn find the words and as tears
welled up she turned away
hauling equipment to the search site fire captain miguel garcia had news there
was at least one person alive but it was not junior
we ve confirmed that there one female she talking to us he said she
indicates that there more but we can hear them we ve seen hand but they
can get out from where they re at
as the search continues anyone still in the rubble will have to be strong to
survive
twitter airport joke lands briton in deep trouble
london jan afp
british man was arrested by anti terrorism police and suspended from his job
after he sent twitter message joking that he was going to blow up an airport
report said monday
when heavy snow at robin hood airport in doncaster northern england threatened
to ruin paul chambers plans to fly to ireland he vented his frustration by
tapping out message on the social networking site
robin hood airport is closed he wrote according to the independent
newspaper you ve got week and bit to get your shit together otherwise
blowing the airport sky high
week after posting the message chambers was arrested under anti terrorism
laws at his office after police had apparently received tip off
the year old was questioned for seven hours by officers who failed to see the
joke in his message he has been bailed to february when he will find out if
he will be charged with conspiring to create bomb hoax
he has also been suspended from work pending an internal investigation and
banned from the airport for life
detectives have confiscated his iphone laptop and home computer
would never have thought in thousand years that any of this would have
happened because of twitter post chambers told the independent the
most mild mannered guy you could imagine
south yorkshire police confirmed the arrest and said investigations were
continuing
security has been stepped up at airports worldwide since nigerian student
allegedly tried to detonate explosives concealed in his underwear on flight
from amsterdam to detroit on december
british man appeared in court last week charged with making bomb threat and
being drunk on board an emirates flight to dubai as it sat on the runway at
london heathrow airport
germany to raise growth forecast ministry
berlin jan afp
the german economy europe largest is likely to expand at faster rate than
previously expected this year berlin said monday as the country recovers from
its worst recession since world war ii
finance ministry spokesman told regular briefing here that output would grow
by percent in an upward revision from the percent forecast last
year
together with the economy ministry we have assumed figure of percent in
our annual economic report michael offer told reporters adding that he
considered this estimate realistic
we are pleased that the economic development is now somewhat better than when
we originally assumed real growth of percent he added
germany is clambering back off its knees after its worst post war slump in
with the economy contracting five percent
berlin upward revision followed near doubling of france growth forecast
earlier on monday from percent to percent this year
kenyan premier proposes free trade pact with singapore
singapore jan afp
visiting kenyan prime minister raila odinga has proposed free trade agreement
between singapore and group of african nations the city state foreign
ministry said monday
the ministry said in statement that singapore prime minister lee hsien loong
welcomed the proposal for free trade pact with the east african community
comprised of kenya tanzania uganda rwanda and burundi
odinga is on five day visit to singapore that ends on thursday
singapore an open export driven economy has signed network of free trade
agreements with its trading partners such as the united states japan and
australia
the kenyan and singapore leaders also witnessed the signing by their transport
ministers of an air services agreement between their countries separate
singapore government press statement said
under the deal air carriers from singapore and kenya have the flexibility to
operate any number of air services between and beyond both countries the
statement said
however there will be some restrictions on passenger services by singapore
carriers between kenya and selected third countries it said without giving
details
depp says sexiest man title is joke
mokra gora serbia jan afp
emir kusturica is trying to stop hollywood tainting his kuestendorf arts
festival but the renowned director did not reckon with johnny depp
kusturica winner of two awards at the cannes film festival said he wants the
festival now in its third year to be devoted only to movies music and life
far from the blockbusters that pollute the spirit
but the journalists following depp around the event deep in the serbian
mountains five hour drive from belgrade wanted to know about his reputation
as sex symbol and his thoughts on us president barack obama
pirates of the caribbean star depp could not escape having to comment on the
the sexiest man alive title bestowed on him last year by us magazine people
that should be someone else that confuses me beyond recognition don know
how to react depp said really thought it was joke
turning to politics he is not among those who have turned against the us
president obama has great intentions he is decent man he is strong man
as well look forward to very good things
depp starred in kusturica film arizona dream the bosnian born film
maker said he would soon start preparations for film about th century
mexican bandit revolutionary pancho villa who would be played by depp
that is one reason why the american superstar made the trek to serbia to meet
with independent artists and film students at the mountain resort close to the
bosnian border
the drvengrad mountain settlement near mokra gora is where kusturica now lives
and was the setting for his film life is miracle
kusturica wants the quirky festival which included celebration for the
serbian orthodox new year and musical performances by kusturica own no
smoking orchestra to enable film artists to exchange ideas and expertise as an
alternative to the hollywood dominated industry
last year american director jim jarmusch advised film students on how to make
their dream scripts come true
this year the festival which runs until tuesday will show films from
countries vying for the golden silver and bronze egg awarded by three member
international jury chaired by french iranian author and director marjane
satrapi
it is really great to rediscover people talk about film trade at festival
without protocol satrapi one of the directors of the oscar nominated
animation movie persepolis told afp
when you arrive in drvengrad after five hour drive from belgrade you do not
know exactly where you are satrapi said clearly amused
at an ordinary festival you never have time to meet the people there are
always people behind you always posing always trying to give themselves
role
it always necessary to be smart to have great haircut to be beautiful to
be everything satrapi said
in drvengrad there is no red carpet and only handful of photographers and
journalists made the journey
festival goers could pass depp surrounded by security guards leaving wooden
cabin where he was kusturica guest of honour for late night celebration of
the orthodox new year
the hollywood star said he was very impressed with the festival place
where there is possibility for communication possibility of meeting someone
kenyan premier proposes free trade pact with singapore
singapore jan afp
visiting kenyan prime minister raila odinga has proposed free trade agreement
between singapore and group of african nations the city state foreign
ministry said monday
the ministry said in statement that singapore prime minister lee hsien loong
welcomed the proposal for free trade pact with the east african community
comprised of kenya tanzania uganda rwanda and burundi
odinga is on five day visit to singapore that ends on thursday
singapore an open export driven economy has signed network of free trade
agreements with its trading partners such as the united states japan and
australia
the kenyan and singapore leaders also witnessed the signing by their transport
ministers of an air services agreement between their countries separate
singapore government press statement said
under the deal air carriers from singapore and kenya have the flexibility to
operate any number of air services between and beyond both countries the
statement said
however there will be some restrictions on passenger services by singapore
carriers between kenya and selected third countries it said without giving
details
pope failed assassin released after three decades behind bars
ankara jan afp
mehmet ali agca the turk who tried to kill pope john paul ii in was freed
from prison monday after almost three decades behind bars but immediately faced
authorities over his status as draft dodger
wearing blue sweater the greying year old raised his fist as he drove away
in car from high security prison near ankara escorted by several other
vehicles afp correspondents said
his car closely pursued by an army of reporters agca was taken to military
hospital
his lawyers said earlier the military authorities still considered him draft
dodger and had required him to undergo medical check up as soon as he was
released
agca was year old militant of the notorious far right grey wolves on the
run from turkish justice facing murder charges when he resurfaced in saint
