beijing is under all the more pressure he added as russia is now on the same
wavelength as the west
the russians have changed their attitude they are very helpful they changed
after the unveiling of the second site in qom the diplomat said
the united states and other powers forced iran to come clean in september on
second uranium enrichment site buried in mountain near the holy city of qom
the tightening of ranks among the six powers has already produced results the
diplomat said citing unanimous vote by the negotiating group members for an
iaea resolution condemning iran last november
the united states and its european allies are hoping that the six powers will be
in position to present new un resolution in february
the security council will be chaired then by france before passing to gabon in
march then japan in april it will then be involved in the review of the
nuclear non proliferation treaty in may
the western powers refuse meanwhile to discuss hard and fast deadline for
their efforts aware that convincing beijing to join them will take time
in the event of failure and as the impasse with tehran lasts for months the
europeans may end up by having to take their responsibilities in other words
impose sanctions of their own the diplomat said
the idea is one being weighed on both sides of the atlantic
we continue our conversations in terms of options that are available to us
both in terms of the security council going forward but also steps that can be
taken in coordinated way on national basis state department spokesman
philip crowley said tuesday
police rioters clash in china over land reports
beijing jan afp
villagers tossed petrol bombs in clash with police in southern china that left
up to injured the latest in rash of violent incidents linked to land
disputes state press reports said thursday
up to rioters in guangdong province fearing eviction clashed tuesday with
more than police officers who responded with non lethal riot guns and tear
gas said the qingyuan daily guangdong newspaper
it said police had arrived in the township to arrest local man surnamed huang
suspected of storing petrol to make bombs
tensions were high as the local yangshan county government had sought for years
to evict families from their homes to make way for public project but
locals have refused complaining of insufficient compensation the global times
said
the reports did not specify what sort of project was planned
huang and others suspecting that the police were there to evict them and
demolish their homes incited the crowd into confrontation with the police
the qingyuan daily report said
one policeman and villager were injured in the hour long battle that left two
police cars destroyed and seven other vehicles damaged it said
however the global times said at least villagers were injured in the
clashes some when police fired riot guns into the crowd and others when
police threw tear gas grenade into home
reports described the guns as non lethal weapons used to suppress violent crowds
but gave no further specifics no arrests had been made so far according to the
reports
the yangshan government and police refused to comment on the incident when
contacted by afp thursday but the press reports were posted on the local
government website suggesting it sanctioned those accounts
china has seen rash of violent clashes over land many sparked by forced
evictions as officials and property developers seek to cash in on soaring real
estate market
last week police in neighbouring guangxi province shot and wounded at least
five demonstrators in clashes over land dispute that also left law
enforcement officers injured state media reports and local official said
on january one person was killed and scores injured when police clashed with
villagers in eastern china jiangsu province after up to thugs allegedly
hired by local government tried to forcefully evict farmers from their
land residents and hong kong based rights group confirmed
gates warns of dangers in pakistan militant havens
islamabad jan afp
us defense secretary robert gates warned thursday that taliban safe havens along
the pakistan afghanistan border must be tackled or both nations would suffer
more lethal and more brazen attacks
the pentagon chief in islamabad for two days said he would ask pakistan
leaders about possible plans to broaden military operation against islamist
insurgents in the country northwest frontier region
gates also praised pakistan military offensives against the taliban saying
they had caused al qaeda and some of the other terrorists that we ve been
concerned about to flee their safe havens
it was his first visit to pakistan under the administration of us president
barack obama which views pakistan as central part of its fight against
islamist extremists operating in the region
us officials have made clear that washington is anxious to see islamabad also
target the afghan taliban within its borders and al qaeda linked militants using
the tribal region to plot and launch attacks into afghanistan
gates said he planned to ask pakistani leaders about plans to broaden their
campaign to north waziristan bastion of al qaeda and the haqqani network
known for attacking us and nato troops fighting the taliban in afghanistan
think the way will approach it is to simply ask them what their plans are
for north waziristan he told reporters on his flight from new delhi adding
that he heard about plans to move into the area later this year
pakistan launched multiple assaults into tehreek taliban pakistan ttp
strongholds last year and gates said washington was ready to provide training
and equipment but it was up to islamabad to decide the pace for any new push
reacting to gates comments pakistan military spokesman major general athar
abbas said it will take between six months to year to completely stabilise
south waziristan the focus of current army operations
with troops currently in south waziristan the region would need to be
secured before any new assaults were launched he added
he dismissed criticism that pakistan had been slow to move against the haqqani
network said the cia had failed to provide actionable intelligence
in an editorial in english language daily the news published thursday gates
wrote that making distinctions between the different extremist groups as
pakistan is often accused of doing was counterproductive
it is important to remember that the pakistani taliban operates in collusion
with both the taliban in afghanistan and al qaeda so it is impossible to
separate those groups gates wrote
if history is any indication safe havens for either taliban on either side of
the border will in the long run lead to more lethal and more brazen attacks in
both nations he added in the editorial
the pentagon chief visit comes at time of diplomatic tension as volley of
us drone missile strikes hit militants in the northwest fuelling anti american
sentiment and drawing public condemnation from the government
officials in his delegation said gates hoped to reassure wary pakistan public
and leadership that the united states was not going turn its back on them as
in the past
gates has lamented that washington lost interest in the region after the soviets
withdrew from afghanistan and lost the trust of pakistani armed forces after
us ban on military aid over islamabad nuclear programme in the
gates was due to meet pakistan army chief general ashfaq kayani defence
minister ahmed mukhtar intelligence chief lieutenant general ahmed shuja pasha
and to hold talks later on thursday with president asif ali zardari
the visit was part of broader effort to overcome what officials on both sides
call the trust deficit between the two countries with the united states
receiving dismal ratings in polls of pakistanis
in new delhi wednesday gates warned that south asian militant groups were
seeking to destabilise the entire region and could trigger war between
nuclear armed pakistan and india
mass funerals as troops patrol nigeria riot city
jos nigeria jan afp
military tank towed trailer loaded with dozens of bodies through the
nigerian city of jos on thursday as religious leaders prepared for mass burials
after four days of christian muslim clashes left nearly dead
with permanent curfew relaxed for few hours mass funeral got underway
thursday morning after the government ordered in troops to quell attacks by
rampaging gun and machete wielding gangs which had raged largely unchecked since
sunday
christian leaders have blamed nigerian troops for the killings and the senate
said it would investigate reports that some of those arrested were wearing
military uniform
we are sad to announce that the real culprits that have been killing our
christian brethren are nigerian soldiers said the plateau state christian
elders forum in statement
the top muslim body in nigeria the jamaatul nasril islam jni said it was
highly disturbed with the repeated act of mass killing of innocent people and
destruction of property by hoodlums in jos
leaders of both faiths said wednesday the fighting had little to do with
religion and was an expression of the failure of the political leadership to
address ethnic differences
figures provided by christian and muslim leaders and paramedics pointed to
death toll of around with hundreds more wounded being treated in
overflowing hospitals and clinics
tens of thousands of people have taken refuge in military barracks churches and
mosques around the city capital of nigeria central plateau state
thousands of troops patrolled the streets on thursday manning checkpoints and
stopping and searching vehicles every few metres along the streets
residents said unrest eased the night before and authorities relaxed
permanent curfew allowing people to leave their homes to replenish depleted
stocks of food and water after the curfew halted supplies to the city of some
the situation is calm fighting has ceased said david maiyaki resident of
nassarawa gwom predominantly christian area where clashes first erupted on
sunday over plans for mosque
it seems it all over for now it calm everywhere there no one on the
streets except lots of soldiers said mohammed anguarrogo speaking from his
house in northern jos
plateau police commissioner gregory anting said normalcy has returned
there hasn been any report of violence since morning and those who fled at
the wake of the crisis are gradually returning home
jos situated between the muslim dominated north and the christian south has
been hotbed of religious violence in nigeria whose million people are
divided almost equally between followers of the two faiths
security was reportedly being stepped up in selected states in the predominantly
muslim north where violence linked to islamist sects has killed hundreds over
the past year alone
the violence erupted on sunday when muslim landlord building property
encroached onto piece of land owned by christian residents said
un chief ban ki moon has expressed alarm over the clashes and appealed to all
sides for restraint and seek peaceful solutions to religious and other
differences in the country
plateau governor jonah jang blamed the latest wave of violence on culture of
impunity
one of the problems we have with the security is that when people are caught
they are never punished he said on wednesday
german body scanner firm sees business taking off
frankfurt jan afp
tighter security at airports may be an inconvenience to passengers but for one
firm near frankfurt airport europe third largest hub it is once
in lifetime business opportunity
smiths detection german subsidiary of british firm already holds around
one third of the global market in airport security systems and hopes that
stricter controls after number of alerts will boost this share further
the september attacks on the united states transformed our industry
bernhard semling the firm director of strategy told afp in an interview
founded in by manufacturer of television components the firm moved into
ray scanners in the and is now pinning its hopes on body scanners
technology that allows police to detect items concealed under clothing
for semling thursday meeting of european union interior ministers and us
homeland security secretary janet napolitano about installing such scanners at
eu airports is key moment in the development of the industry
for the body scanning market to take off properly we need legislative
framework he said
washington is trying to overcome european doubts over personal privacy in bid
to increase security after failed bid to blow up flight from amsterdam to
detroit an event semling said instantly boosted demand for his products
he dismissed concerns about personal privacy our system does not show the
body just video indicating suspect areas
we can also offer to blur out certain zones such as the face he continued
adding that the computer can be configured to ensure for instance that images
of women can be accessed only by female staff
smiths detection exports roughly percent of its products but semling
acknowledged the potential is limited by cultural differences for example
there is minimal demand for body scanners in the more sensitive middle east
in emerging markets too the technology is less in demand countries where
manpower is cheap prefer to develop body searching by hand rather than invest in
technology he said
nevertheless in the past five years the market for airport security has
enjoyed annual growth of between eight to percent
and in response to some analysts who doubt whether airports will install the
body scanners semling said it is completely imaginable to sell them in
private establishments
eu approves oracle bid for sun microsystems
brussels jan afp
brussels regulators on thursday approved us business software giant oracle bid
for hardware and software vendor sun microsystems saying the deal would not
skew the market in europe
major concern for eu competition watchdogs was the effect the takeover would
have on the open source database market which means freely accessed software
for millions of business users
the european commission had been investigating since september last year whether
oracle would continue to push sun software option that is free despite it
potentially affecting oracle paid for alternatives
however it accepted proposals made by oracle in the wake of the probe and
spokesman said on thursday that oracle has already taken steps to implement
some of its pledges
oracle promised to continue to support develop and provide mysql technology
the billion euro billion dollar deal for sun one time silicon
valley star and developer of the popular java programming language was approved
by sun shareholders in july and the us department of justice in august
am now satisfied that competition and innovation will be preserved on all the
markets concerned eu competition commissioner neelie kroes said in
statement
oracle acquisition of sun has the potential to revitalise important assets
and create new and innovative products
concessions by oracle included the company extension for up to five years of
the terms and conditions of existing commercial licenses
sun were responsible for the world leading open source database mysql whereas
oracle is the world leading proprietary database vendor
oracle ibm and microsoft control about percent of the market in terms of
revenue sun revenue share was low given users download and use the database
software for free
nevertheless mysql is data management system used in millions of business
networks worldwide
commission spokesman jonathan todd said the commission was concerned whether
oracle would have an incentive to degrade mysql potential to constrain
oracle business
but the investigation found that in the high end of the market competition
primarily came from other proprietary database solutions
ethiopian dam to wreck lives in kenya conservation group
nairobi jan afp
the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of kenyans around the world largest
desert lake will be wrecked by an ethiopian dam on the lake main tributary
conservationists said wednesday
the ethiopian dam project is going to bring nothing but tragedy and harm to
kenya warned renowned archeologist and environmentalist richard leakey
the gilgel gibe iii dam being built on the omo river which supplies percent
of the water in lake turkana on the kenya ethiopia border is one third
complete
during the two years it will take to fill the dam reservoir lake turkana will
recede increasing its salinity damaging the local economy degrading
biodiversity and increasing the risk of cross border conflicts the friends of
lake turkana conservationist organisation said
the group called for construction to be halted pending an assessment by kenya
which has said it will import power generated from ethiopia on the impact the
dam will have on the locals and the environment
what we are asking the kenya government is to reassess to rethink about what
they are doing before it too late said samia bwana top official of the
kenyan group
around fishermen and herders depend on lake turkana while hundreds of
thousands more mainly farmers rely on the omo annual flooding for river bank
cultivation and grazing of livestock
we are depending on country that is known for drought known for rainfall
failure to provide expensive power to kenya leakey told reporters
there is no future for hydroelectric schemes in arid parts of africa
ironically kenya plans to build africa biggest wind farm around lake turkana
which is expected to produce mw the omo dam is projected to have capacity
of mw when it is completed in
leakey said the feasibility study for the ethiopian dam was so badly done that
the dam may never even fill up because of cracks that are already known to
exist
if it never fills up they will never let the water out and if they never let
the water out lake turkana will not only drop some metres it will be wiped
out he added with gesture of despair
gates warns of dangers in pakistan militant havens
islamabad jan afp
us defense secretary robert gates warned thursday that taliban safe havens along
the pakistan afghanistan border must be tackled or both nations would suffer
more lethal and more brazen attacks
the pentagon chief in islamabad for two days said he would ask pakistan
leaders about possible plans to broaden military operation against islamist
insurgents in the country northwest frontier region
gates also praised pakistan military offensives against the taliban saying
they had caused al qaeda and some of the other terrorists that we ve been
concerned about to flee their safe havens
it was his first visit to pakistan under the administration of us president
barack obama which views pakistan as central part of its fight against
islamist extremists operating in the region
us officials have made clear that washington is anxious to see islamabad also
target the afghan taliban within its borders and al qaeda linked militants using
the tribal region to plot and launch attacks into afghanistan
gates said he planned to ask pakistani leaders about plans to broaden their
campaign to north waziristan bastion of al qaeda and the haqqani network
known for attacking us and nato troops fighting the taliban in afghanistan
think the way will approach it is to simply ask them what their plans are
for north waziristan he told reporters on his flight from new delhi adding
that he heard about plans to move into the area later this year
pakistan launched multiple assaults into tehreek taliban pakistan ttp
strongholds last year and gates said washington was ready to provide training
and equipment but it was up to islamabad to decide the pace for any new push
reacting to gates comments pakistan military spokesman major general athar
abbas said it will take between six months to year to completely stabilise
south waziristan the focus of current army operations
with troops currently in south waziristan the region would need to be
secured before any new assaults were launched he added
he dismissed criticism that pakistan had been slow to move against the haqqani
network said the cia had failed to provide actionable intelligence
in an editorial in english language daily the news published thursday gates
wrote that making distinctions between the different extremist groups as
pakistan is often accused of doing was counterproductive
it is important to remember that the pakistani taliban operates in collusion
with both the taliban in afghanistan and al qaeda so it is impossible to
separate those groups gates wrote
if history is any indication safe havens for either taliban on either side of
the border will in the long run lead to more lethal and more brazen attacks in
both nations he added in the editorial
the pentagon chief visit comes at time of diplomatic tension as volley of
us drone missile strikes hit militants in the northwest fuelling anti american
sentiment and drawing public condemnation from the government
officials in his delegation said gates hoped to reassure wary pakistan public
and leadership that the united states was not going turn its back on them as
in the past
gates has lamented that washington lost interest in the region after the soviets
withdrew from afghanistan and lost the trust of pakistani armed forces after
us ban on military aid over islamabad nuclear programme in the
gates was due to meet pakistan army chief general ashfaq kayani defence
minister ahmed mukhtar intelligence chief lieutenant general ahmed shuja pasha
and to hold talks later on thursday with president asif ali zardari
the visit was part of broader effort to overcome what officials on both sides
call the trust deficit between the two countries with the united states
receiving dismal ratings in polls of pakistanis
in new delhi wednesday gates warned that south asian militant groups were
seeking to destabilise the entire region and could trigger war between
nuclear armed pakistan and india
briton in court over iraq shootings of security guards
baghdad jan afp
the case against british security guard danny fitzsimons who is accused of
shooting dead two colleagues in baghdad green zone was thursday postponed
until next month on medical grounds
the lawyer who did not give his name told an afp reporter at the court that
the case had been adjourned until february to allow time to prepare
medical evaluation of his client state of health at the time of the crime
fitzsimons an employee of british based security firm armorgroup was arrested
after the shootings of briton paul mcguigan and australian darren hoare in
reportedly drink fuelled brawl on august
wearing blue jeans and black shirt and with his head shaven fitzsimons
appeared in court briefly before being led away in handcuffs to waiting van by
police
the former security guard at the time of the incident and from manchester
said in comments published in the times newspaper in london on august that he
was acting in self defence
three killed hurt in nw pakistan bomb blast officials
khar pakistan jan afp
roadside bomb on thursday killed two anti taliban tribal elders and woman
travelling on bus in pakistan lawless northwest officials said adding
other passengers were injured
the incident happened in salarzai district in the tribal region of bajaur day
after similar bomb planted in the road injured provincial parliamentarian in
the northwest capital peshawar
it was an improvised explosive device which exploded as the bus headed to the
region main town of khar local government official mazhar ali said
confirming that about people were injured in the blast
senior administration official abdul kabir said one woman died on the spot while
two others succumbed to their injuries in the hospital
the two men were members of tribal militia formed to fight against taliban
insurgents in the region he said in the latest in string of killings of
elders who have spoken out against the islamist extremists
also in bajaur two taliban militants were killed when bomb they were
preparing exploded in savaei village local official farooq khan said
pakistan tribal belt has become stronghold for local taliban and hundreds of
islamist extremists who fled afghanistan after us led invasion ousted the
hardline taliban regime in kabul in late
bajaur was the scene of major anti militant operation in august security
forces in february claimed the six month operation cleared the area of
militants but unrest rumbles on
in northwest swat valley meanwhile at least five militants were killed in
gunfight which erupted near the town of madyan officials said
the gunfight started when militants opened fire at military convoy passing
through the area local military spokesman told afp
senior police official qazi ghulam farooq confirmed the incident and said that
the bodies of five militants had been taken to local police station
farmers will be key to haiti rehabilitation un food agency
rome jan afp
farmers will play key role in haiti post earthquake rehabilitation the
head of the un food agency said thursday urging immediate support for
agriculture ahead of the spring planting season
to prevent this urban disaster becoming rural tragedy as well it is crucial
that we save the upcoming planting season starting in march said jacques diouf
of the rome based food and agriculture organisation
the priority is to supply them with seeds fertilisers livestock feed and
animal vaccines as well as agricultural tools he said
the rehabilitation of haiti agricultural infrastructure such as storage
facilities and irrigation canals is all the more urgent in view of the
thousands of people fleeing the devastated capital port au prince for the rural
areas diouf said
these people will need to be provided with the necessary means to survive and
be provided with an income generating activity added the fao director general
the january quake that levelled the haitian capital killed least
people and left million homeless
some percent of haiti population live in rural areas the fao said
the spring planting season which lasts until may accounts for percent of
haiti national agricultural production
food prices are rising in port au prince and elsewhere because of food and fuel
shortages damage to the supply chain warehouses and the port threatening
survival of the poor all over haiti the fao warned
the un food agency has million dollars million euros worth of exisiting
programmes to increase food production in haiti implemented by staff of
around
global it spending to rise nearly pct in gartner
mumbai jan afp
spending on information technology worldwide will grow nearly five percent in
as an upturn in the global economy prompts companies to spend more
consultancy said thursday
all major segments from computing hardware to telecom services are expected to
grow as confidence returns and more credit is made available research and
advisory services provider gartner said
the percent projected increase to trillion dollars marks significant
improvement from when worldwide it spending declined by percent the
global consultancy said in note issued in mumbai
last quarter we did not expect to see it spending levels recover to
levels until said richard gordon research vice president at gartner
but now although recovery will be slow gross domestic product is projected to
increase consumer confidence is expected to improve and the availability of
credit should increase gordon said
at the same time pent up demand for new technologies will be released as
enterprises focus on new growth opportunities he said
it growth in emerging markets is expected to lead the way with spending forecast
to grow percent in latin america percent in the middle east and africa
and seven percent in the asia pacific region
the forecast comes as india flagship software services companies tata
consultancy services infosys technologies and wipro announced forecast beating
quarterly earnings
cricket injured laxman to miss second bangladesh test
chittagong bangladesh jan afp
veteran indian batsman venkatsai laxman will miss the second and final test
against bangladesh because of finger injury team manager arshad ayub said on
thursday
laxman was left with bleeding finger after diving in the slips during the
first test which india won by runs on thursday
laxman is flying home but we have not asked for replacement ayub told
reporters
seamer shanthakumaran sreesanth is doubtful starter for the second test which
starts in dhaka on sunday after suffering hamstring strain
it is too early to say if sreesanth will be fit for the game said ayub his
condition is being monitored
skipper mahendra singh dhoni and harbhajan singh who were sidelined for the
first test with injuries are expected to play in dhaka ayub said
afptv advisory
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
ha ti looters threaten new strife
port au prince
one week after an earthquake devastated the country haitian security forces are
struggling to control looters in the capital port au prince thousands of
homeless haitians are prey to bands of looters swarming through the ruins and
the handful of haitian police on patrol are helpless to stop them
news
voiced report already transmitted
nsv vid
broacast ready vid
web mmv
haiti survivors find solace in faith
port au prince
quake scarred haiti was rocked by powerful aftershock wednesday jolting the
frayed nerves of survivors and fanning new wave of religious fever among the
nation deeply religious people
news
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
us general tracks progress in haiti
port au prince
lieutenant general ken keen leads us contingent of thousands of men and women
in uniform deployed to assist haiti in the wake of last week massive
earthquake afptv follows the general as he tours cite soleil the most
dangerous part of the capital
news
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
us military repatriates nationals and haitian residents
port au prince
the us military is repatriating americans as well as haitians with us residency
papers people are being flown out of the haitian capital on military transport
jets sitting on the floor with their luggage strapped down up to
