note top two in each group qualify for the finals in qatar
hosts qatar as well as iraq saudi arabia and south korea the top three in the
tournament qualify automatically as do india the afc challenge cup
winners the afc challenge cup winners will also make it through
football asian cup qualifying standings
singapore jan afp
asian cup qualifying standings ahead of wednesday matches played won
drawn lost goals for goals against points
group
japan
bahrain
yemen
hong kong
group
kuwait
australia
oman
indonesia
group
uzbekistan qualified
uae
malaysia
group
syria
china
vietnam
lebanon
group
iran
singapore
thailand
jordan
note top two in each group qualify for the finals in qatar
hosts qatar as well as iraq saudi arabia and south korea the top three in the
tournament qualify automatically as do india the afc challenge cup
winners the afc challenge cup winners will also make it through
us skeptical on myanmar elections
washington jan afp
the united states on monday voiced doubts on whether myanmar upcoming
elections would be credible and urged the military regime to engage the
opposition and ethnic minorities
myanmar leader senior general than shwe in message read out monday for the
nation nd independence anniversary urged people to make correct choices
in the elections which the junta wants to hold sometime in
state department spokesman ian kelly said the united states was taking
measured approach to elections until it could assess the conditions including
whether the opposition and ethnic groups will participate
so far we have not seen any meaningful steps by the regime to indicate it is
putting in place measures that would lead to credible elections kelly said
much of the opposition leadership remains in prison there is no space for
political dissent or debate and no freedom of press kelly said
kelly called for myanmar formerly known as burma to engage opposition leader
aung san suu kyi and ethnic leaders in comprehensive dialogue on democratic
reform
this would be first step towards inclusive elections he said
the election would be the first since aung san suu kyi national league
for democracy won the last election by landslide but was never permitted to
take office
instead aung san suu kyi has spent most of the past two decades under house
arrest despite appeals for her release and her winning of the nobel peace
prize
president barack obama administration has switched gears on myanmar opening
up dialogue to improve relations with state that has long been treated as
pariah by the united states
myanmar opposition leaders say the elections will be sham to legitimize
military rule and some have voiced fear that the junta sees the dialogue with
the united states as way to bide time before the vote
senator jim webb the leading us advocate of engagement of engagement with
myanmar said he was pleased by than shwe indication that elections would
take place this year
have expressed my view to the burmese leadership that the united nations or
other international organizations could provide valuable election assistance
and thus enhance the integrity of the process said webb who held rare
meeting with the reclusive than shwe in
stand ready to help in all appropriate ways as we work toward the day when
the burmese people can fully rejoin the world community webb said
football asian cup qualifying fixtures
singapore jan afp
asian cup qualifying fixtures being played on wednesday
group
at sann
yemen japan
at manama
bahrain hong kong
group
at kuwait city
kuwait australia
at jakarta
indonesia oman
group
at dubai
uae malaysia
group
at beirut
lebanon vietnam
at zheijang
china syria
group
at bangkok
thailand jordan
at singapore
singapore iran
hong kong shares open percent higher
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares opened up percent on tuesday with the benchmark hang seng
index rising points in early trading to stand at
football japan australia on verge of asian cup
singapore jan afp
world cup qualifiers japan and australia plan to secure their places at the
asian cup finals on wednesday as the scrap to make the grade enters crucial
phase
japan will make if through if they pick up point against yemen in sana
match that was under threat of being called off following the attempted bombing
on christmas day of us bound airliner
al qaeda in the arabian peninsula the group yemen based arm claimed
responsibility for the attack
japan decided to go ahead with the game and coach takashi okada has included
uncapped players in his man squad
don feel any particular danger at the moment wish nothing happens as our
stay is short we will focus on football okada told reporters after training
session in front of machine gun toting police
the players are highly motivated and they are working out in fine condition
bahrain are likely to join them in the finals in qatar from group with milan
macala men playing the already eliminated hong kong at home with victory
enough to secure their berth
pim verbeek australia travel to kuwait looking for the win that will assure
them of place at the january showpiece
but it won be an easy ride with the kuwaitis upsetting the socceroos when
they clashed in canberra last year
verbeek has an under strength squad with the likes of lucas neill tim cahill
and mark schwarzer not available
dynamo moscow midfielder luke wilkshire is the most prominent of verbeek
overseas players and he believes the team fighting spirit will carry them over
the line
we re all winners we re all fighters he said from the socceroos training
camp in dubai
playing for our country you won see any of us dropping off or giving up or
letting things go easily it just inside of us
in the other group clash indonesia have home advantage against oman and need
win to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying
they have three points from their four games so far one less than oman and four
adrift of australia and kuwait with only the top two from each group qualifying
indonesia caoch benny dolo said he will stick to the same formation despite not
getting the results he hoped for
we will still maintain our or formation which we have been using
all this while said dolo who will be without suspended defenders ismed sofyan
and maman abdurahman
uzbekistan have already qualified from group with the second berth between
united arab emirates and malaysia who play each other
uae are firmly in the driving seat with home advantage and victory against
malaysia when they last met year ago
they need point to qualify but coach srecko katanec is taking nothing for
granted
football is strange game and we must take this match very seriously so as
not to create any problems for ourselves he said
with syria already through from group the onus is on china with three points
against the syrians in zhejiang enough to book their place in qatar
vietnam still have slim chance of progressing from the group but victory in
lebanon is essential
group is more finely balanced with iran on seven points singapore on six
bryan robson thailand on five and jordan point further adrift
singapore have home fixture against iran while the thais must beat jordan to
stay in the hunt
golf game maker electronic arts sticks with woods
san francisco jan afp
electronic arts incorporated is sticking with embattled golfer tiger woods and
plans to roll out an online game featuring the world number one this month
ea sports president peter moore said woods is still one of the greatest
athletes in history despite the personal scandal that enveloped woods at the
end of
our relationship with tiger has always been rooted in golf moore wrote on
company blog on monday we didn form relationship with him so that he could
act as an arm length endorser
moore also noted ea extensive work over the past year in developing the new
game tiger woods pga tour online
ea wouldn comment on whether plans for new edition of the popular tiger
woods pga tour console game would be affected
us telecoms giant at amp and accenture the dublin based technology
management and outsourcing consultancy both dropped their sponsorships of woods
in december
their moves came after woods was embroiled in sex scandal admitted cheating
on his wife and decided to take an indefinite break from competitive golf
other sponsors swiss watchmaker tag heuer and razor blade giant gillette
have stopped using his image for the time being
sports equipment giant nike which pays woods an estimated million dollars
year has issued unqualified support for woods
sunset leads to eerie predicament on death and taxes
washington jan afp
america millionaires and billionaires can die now and not pay later under
quirk in the us estate tax law that congress failed to act on in
the inheritance tax which critics deride as death tax officially expired
on december for those who pass away in but stiff tax will come back
for anyone who survives into
this bizarre scenario results from law enacted in under president george
bush which gradually phased out the estate tax by increasing the exemption
to million dollars in and eliminated the tax entirely in
for budget reasons the law had sunset provision that meant it would expire
and the tax would return in at the pre enactment levels of percent of
any inheritance amounts above one million dollars
paul krugman princeton economist and nobel laureate said that he dubbed the
law the throw momma from the train act but that didn really think
that we get to the point where there would be strong financial incentives for
wealthy heirs to bump off their parents
but because congress failed to act krugman wrote on his blog it really
happening
the estate tax has been among the most bitterly debated in the past decade
number of conservatives have sought to abolish the so called death tax saying
it hurts family farms and businesses
others including some wealthy americans who would be subject to the tax say
that killing the tax would simply be another giveaway to mega rich families who
don need it
the macabre reality of has led to speculation both tragic and comic about
the implications of the tax free opportunity if the law is not amended
bill gates senior father of the microsoft founder and supporter of the estate
tax wrote in column with activist chuck collins that the current tax loophole
evokes fiction novels in which seemingly robust and healthy billionaires perish
in mysterious accidents while multimillionaires die with smiles on their faces
knowing they ve outfoxed uncle sam one last time
more seriously the wall street journal reported that some wealthy americans
were kept on life support through the end of while others were considering
trip to the netherlands in to take advantage of an assisted suicide law
for terminally ill patients with the tax loophole in mind
lee farris an estate tax specialist at united for fair economy which
supports reinstatement of the inheritance tax said the current situation is
unfortunate
think people should make life and death plans on what best for that person
and not on tax law she said
people are very upset that congress has not taken care of this they ve had
eight years of notice
farris said that congress is likely to enact law retroactive to january
but that may be tested in the courts
william ahern of the tax foundation said people with taxable estates will die
tomorrow and every day of and executors are supposed to rely on the law as
it stands would the federal government really try to collect tax revenue that
had already been lawfully distributed to heirs or charities
the house of representatives in december passed measure that would freeze the
estate tax at current levels allowing for amounts up to million dollars to
be exempted and top tax rate of percent
but the senate failed to act on the measure
collins co founder of the activist group wealth for the common good expresses
disbelief that congress would leave the country in such predicament
never thought this day would come he said
thought congress would act either to abolish the estate tax or reform it the
idea that the estate tax would go away one year and come back is unbelieveable
still collins argues that the return of tax in will create pressure on
lawmakers to find compromise
meanwhile the state of limbo has led to nightmare to tax advisers and estate
planners as well as families
the so called death tax is now taking on completely different meaning
says kelly phillips erb tax attorney in philadelphia as morbid as it seems
the timing of your death if you re wealthy that is clearly matters
google phone fever high on eve of android event
san francisco jan afp
google is expected to step into the mobile arena tuesday with its own nexus one
smartphone in direct challenge to apple heavyweight iphone handsets
google has seized the spotlight in week when the technology world attention
would typically turn to premier consumer electronics show that officially
begins thursday in las vegas
everybody seems to think it is google supplied phone gartner analyst ken
dulaney said on the eve of what the internet giant has dubbed an android press
event at its mountain view california headquarters
it doesn make any sense it can be true google phone think it is about
android software but everyone today is guessing
true google phone would be one shipped by the internet firm according to the
analyst who believes it is more likely that new generation android software and
applications are being crafted into hardware sold by the manufacturer
you could call it google phone but it is not going to be google phone
dulaney said
if it really is google phone they are going to make people mad don
think they are that stupid
google selling its own phone would irk makers of handsets based on android
software
internet buzz surrounding nexus one included some reports by people claiming to
have toyed with the touch screen smartphones
one reviewer lauded the nexus one as worthy rival for the iphone while
another contended that google mastery of software wasn reflected in the
hardware
the internet search and advertising giant has already gained foothold in the
market with its android mobile operating system featured in number of phones
starting with mobile in october and more recently with the droid
from motorola
but the nexus one designed by taiwanese handset maker htc represents
significant departure in that google is expected to sell the google branded
phone directly to consumers who will not be tied to any one telecom carrier
apple popular iphone for example is available exclusively in the united
states through at amp but buyers of the google phone will reportedly have
their choice of wireless carriers
technology blog gizmodo citing leaked documents said the nexus one will cost
dollars unlocked meaning it isn tied to specific carrier or
dollars with two year service agreement with mobile subsidiary of
germany deutsche telekom ag
google has been coy about any plans to jump headfirst into the fast growing
smartphone market dropping hints but not confirming its intentions outright
agence france presse and other media outlets have been invited to press event
on tuesday at google headquarters
with the launch of the first android powered device just over year ago we ve
seen how powerful open platform can spur mobile product innovation the
invitation said and this is just the beginning of what possible
among the hints dropped by google was blog post last month in which the
company said employees were testing mobile product internally in an exercise
known in the industry as dogfooding
google plunge into the smartphone market has drawn mixed reaction
it looks like google is moving to see if they can do the apple thing said
analyst rob enderle of enderle group in silicon valley in reference to the
iphone which has enjoyed phenomenal success since it was introduced in
pointing to google pending million dollar acquisition of mobile
advertising company admob number of analysts said google hopes to replicate
its web advertising success in the mobile space
ovum research fellow jonathan yarmis said google will have to walk fine line
between marketing its own smartphone and being supportive partner for the
growing number of firms making their own handsets based on android
although android share of the us smartphone market is relatively small it has
doubled in the past year to percent in october according to comscore and
gartner predicts android based smartphones will capture percent of the global
market by the year
hong kong gold opens higher
hong kong jan afp
hong kong gold opened higher on tuesday at us dollars an
ounce up from monday close of dollars
clinton warns about yemen as us updates terror watch lists
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton monday said unrest in yemen threatens
global instability after western powers closed their embassy in sanaa and
washington overhauled its terror watch and no fly blacklists
the instability in yemen is threat to regional stability and even global
stability clinton told reporters following talks with qatari prime minister
sheikh hamad bin jassem bin jabr al thani
and certainly we know that this is difficult set of challenges but they
have to be addressed clinton said as the us government grappled with the
implications of the attempted jetliner bombing linked to an al qaeda group in
yemen
she noted that washington was working closely with its allies to chart the best
way forward to address the security concerns
warnings of possible al qaeda attack prompted washington to close its embassy
in the yemeni capital on sunday the british and french authorities followed
suit while japan suspended consular services at its embassy
the united states will reopen its embassy in yemen when the conditions permit
clinton added noting security was under constant review
long standing concerns that yemen has become haven for islamic terror groups
were thrown into sharp relief when nigerian man allegedly trained in yemen was
charged with trying to blow up jet on december
umar farouk abdulmutallab reportedly confessed to being trained by an al
qaeda bombmaker in yemen for the suicide mission on the northwest airlines
flight from amsterdam to detroit
it was foiled when explosives allegedly sewn into the man underwear failed to
detonate and passengers jumped on him
us president barack obama has revealed that abdulmutallab spent time in yemen
during the summer where he was allegedly in contact with al qaeda in the arabian
peninsula aqap aqap has claimed responsibility for the plot
clinton noted that the state department was reviewing whether to revise
procedures that allowed abdulmutallab to board the amsterdam detroit flight
the bombing attempt triggered an overhaul of us terror watch blacklists adding
dozens more suspects to no fly lists
probably thousands upon thousands upon thousands of names were scrubbed and
probably dozens were moved to different lists white house spokesman bill
burton told reporters on monday referring to the lists which determine whether
person is allowed to board us bound flight in foreign airport
new rules at international airports also went into effect from early monday
meaning all passengers boarding us bound flights may now be subjected to random
pat downs and baggage searches
further boosting security measures all travelers coming from or via terror
linked countries will have to undergo compulsory enhanced screening
afghanistan cuba iran libya nigeria pakistan somalia sudan and syria and
yemen are among the countries affected
with western pressure growing for sanaa to tackle aqap yemeni forces shot dead
two al qaeda militants monday in bid to capture mohammed al hanq one of the
group most senior leaders who managed to flee the firefight
yemeni foreign minister abu bakr al kurbi rejected any comparison between his
country and afghanistan as an al qaeda haven
yemen is capable of confronting these groups but it needs international aid to
form and train anti terrorist units as well as economic aid since the problem
also has an economic dimension kurbi told reporters during visit to doha
un chief ban ki moon meanwhile voiced support for upcoming international talks
on strife torn yemen proposed by british prime minister gordon brown later this
month
britain has denied accusations that it failed to share information about
abdulmutallab graduate of university college london who was put on
watchlist barring him from future entry into britain in may
brown office said information gathered while he was student in london
between and had been passed to us authorities
as the investigation into the botched bombing continued obama prepared to meet
tuesday with intelligence and security chiefs at the white house
federal bureau of investigation agents were also in ghana investigating
abdulmutallab stay where he allegedly bought the ticket for the bomb targeted
flight
nigerian officials meanwhile hit out at the new air travel rules it is
unfair to discriminate against over million people because of the behavior
of one person information minister dora akunyili told journalists
cuba communist party newspaper granma blasted the measures as anti terrorist
paranoia
us overhauls terror watch lists
washington jan afp
the united states revamped its terror watchlists monday as president barack
obama readied for talks with his intelligence chiefs on the security situation
after foiled attack on us bound jet
tougher screening procedures for all us bound air travelers also swung into
effect in airports around the world prompting complaints by some countries that
they were unfair
obama who has denounced systemic intelligence failures in the christmas day
bombing attempt was scheduled to meet tuesday with us intelligence chiefs on
findings of two reviews into nigerian man attempt to bring down the
jetliner
the president planned to speak to reporters after the meetings the white house
said
white house spokesman bill burton said safety and security measures are moving
forward even as the review goes on in bid to plug security gaps
there already been rescrubbing of all the different lists he told
reporters referring to the lists which determine whether person is allowed to
board us bound flight in foreign airport
probably thousands upon thousands upon thousands of names were scrubbed and
probably dozens were moved to different lists he said
obama has directly linked the al qaeda network responsible for the september
attacks on the united states to the botched bid to blow up northwest
jet with people on board
umar farouk abdulmutallab year old nigerian is alleged to have tried to
detonate explosives sewn in his underwear as the plane was approaching to land
but was overpowered by passengers on the flight from amsterdam
the administration ordered tight new security measures for us bound passengers
including random patdowns and baggage checks
travelers flying from or via countries including iran nigeria yemen and
cuba will have to undergo mandatory enhanced screening before boarding their us
bound flights under the new rules
the draconian measures drew protests from some of the countries singled out
it is unfair to discriminate against over million people because of the
behaviour of one person said nigeria information minister dora akunyili
cuba official communist party daily gramma blasted the tightened measures as
anti terrorist paranoia
prominent us muslim rights group criticized the move as ethnic profiling
that disproportionately targets muslims including us citizens visiting family
and friends in countries on the lists or performing pilgrimage to the holy
city of mecca in saudi arabia
while singling out travelers based on religion and national origin may make
some people feel safer it only serves to alienate and stigmatize muslims and
does nothing to improve airline security council on american islamic relations
cair national executive director nihad awad said in statement
obama received review into the incident from the cia on monday and met with
his top counter terrorism advisor john brennan
brennan has defended the nation security agencies saying there had been
no smoking gun that could have helped unmask the plot earlier despite warnings
from abdulmutallab father wealthy nigerian banker
as the country searched for answers to how the attack was only narrowly avoided
fbi agents in ghana investigated abdulmutallab stay there amid allegations he
bought his ticket for detroit in the country
obama has revealed that abdulmutallab had spent time in yemen during the summer
where he was allegedly in contact with al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap
the group has claimed responsibility for the thwarted attack
secretary of state hillary clinton meanwhile called instability in yemen
global and regional threat adding that the united states would reopen its
embassy closed since sunday only when conditions permit
us lawmakers are gearing up for series of hearings and briefings into the
botched attack next week and lawmakers are expected to receive the preliminary
findings of the reviews obama ordered
burton said it was unlikely the results of the two reviews ordered by the
president would be published
pakistan acid attack victims pin hope on new laws
islamabad jan afp
naziran bibi knows exactly what she would consider apt justice for the person
who hurled acid in her face burnt out her eyes disfigured her beyond
recognition and destroyed her life
an eye for an eye she tells afp her rage palatable in her small rooms at
charity office in pakistan capital her children scrambling over her as she
gropes for sewing box and twists thread round her fingers
if someone burns face with acid his face should also be burnt with acid if
someone blinds someone eyes his eyes should also be blinded says bibi
yes want it done my life is over now
bibi is locked in complicated legal tussle over the attack and is fighting for
custody of her young children while learning how to live without sight and
struggling with surgeries to rebuild her ruined face
she is only years old but with no upper lip barely reconstructed nose
scar tissue where her right eye should be and raw red socket where her left
eye once was her youth is impossible to discern
married off against her will as second wife to her brother in law after her
husband died bibi says she was treated abysmally then one night last year
someone poured acid over her as she slept causing horrendous burns
confused in pain and fearing for the safety of her two daughters she was
coerced by her husband into blaming man she believes was innocent and is now
trying to retract her initial statement
bibi thinks her husband was responsible but he remains free
was in terrible condition had psychological problems was not normal
mentally simply want punishment for him want to throw acid on him not
only on him but on everybody who throws acid on others she said
the uneducated woman from pakistan cotton belt in rural punjab province may
want brutal justice but activists are pressing for change in the law to help
prevent such attacks
thanks to struggle in the highest court in the land by another acid attack
victim naila farhat campaigners are hopeful that this devastating form of
violence can be curtailed
pakistan is conservative muslim country where women especially in poor
rural areas can be treated like commodities with little protection from the
police and under pressure not to disgrace their families
their families will say it the wrong thing to go to the courts what will
society think about you said sana masood the legal coordinator with
pakistan acid survivors foundation asf
the nation remains without domestic violence law it has been drafted but
lawmakers say it is still under debate as senator from hardline islamic
party raised objections and sent the bill back to parliament
acid attacks are rising with asf recording cases in and masood says
countless more probably go unreported because of social stigma
that is up from about cases in rise masood says could be blamed on
increased stress in people lives as inflation soars
