after fonseka campaign released photograph of rajapakse eldest son namal
with tamil rebel leader at london nightclub
rajapakse reputation as war hero president is staked on his victory over the
tamil tiger rebels last year who were wiped out in huge government offensive
after years of fighting
since the photograph showed some sort of link between the president family
and the tamil tigers alles had been receiving death threats the spokesman
said even yesterday we complained that he could be targeted
alles had previously campaigned for rajapakse victory at the november
election but fell out when few dissidents were sacked from the government
since his fall from grace within the rajapakse administration alles had worked
with the opposition and was partly credited with arranging for fonseka to come
forward as common opposition candidate
the attack against his house at the nawala quarter of colombo came despite
stepping up of security across the country following orders from rajapakse to
ensure violence free vote
international concern over escalating election related violence has poured in
with the united nations chief ban ki moon on thursday expressing alarm over the
increasing number of violent incidents and killings
ban urged all sri lanka parties and their supporters to show restraint and
refrain from violence to adhere to the electoral laws and rules and to avoid
provocative acts throughout the election period and its aftermath
the independent election commissioner dayananda dissanayake was quoted as saying
wednesday that he had stopped giving directives to the police and public
officials who disregarded his orders for conducting free and fair vote
rajapakse called tuesday vote two years ahead of schedule to benefit from the
government defeat of the separatist tamil tiger rebels after decades of ethnic
warfare on the island
but he faces surprise rival to power in fonseka the former general who led
the troops to victory in may
india bharti quarterly profit rises percent
new delhi jan afp
top indian mobile phone firm bharti airtel squeezed out two percent rise in
quarterly profit on friday as fierce price war cut into revenues in the
world fastest growing mobile market
net profit totalled billion rupees million dollars under us
accounting norms in the fiscal third quarter to december as revenues rose one
percent to billion rupees
bharti achieved the profit despite the hyper competition in the indian market
company chairman sunil bharti mittal said in statement
india cellular market has been adding at least billion subscribers month
fuelled by some of the cheapest calling rates in the world making it the
world most rapidly expanding
the results announcement came nearly two weeks after bharti said it would take
percent controlling stake in bangladesh based warid telecom as the company
moves to expand its global footprint
the drive into bangladesh came after bharti plan to ally with south africa
mtn to create an emerging market telecom giant collapsed last september
beijing per capita gdp tops dollars in
beijing jan afp
average living standards in beijing improved in with per capita gross
domestic product topping dollars for the first time official data showed
friday
the capital economy grew percent on year to trillion yuan
billion dollars exceeding the national gdp growth rate of percent
according to figures published on the beijing bureau of statistics website
this means per capita gdp for the city million residents reached
yuan or dollars the bureau said
the breakthrough is milestone for beijing bureau deputy director yu xiuqin
was quoted by state media as saying
china economy expanded by percent in after the government went on
four trillion yuan spending spree and bank lending nearly doubled from
according to official data released thursday
average annual disposable income for beijing city dwellers rose percent to
dollars while for rural residents around the capital the figure reached
dollars up percent on the previous year
average living standards in beijing still lag behind those in southern guangzhou
and shanghai where per capita gdp reached and dollars
respectively in according to latest official figures
football new china football head named amid probe
beijing jan afp
china has appointed new chief of the country scandal rocked football
association state media said friday one day after reports said its previous
head had been taken into custody amid graft probe
xinhua news agency said wei di china former head of water sports has been
named to lead the chinese football association which is mired in huge police
investigation into match fixing and other corruption
on thursday reports said former association chief nan yong and two other top
officials were taken away by police last week for questioning
none of the reports has made clear whether nan and the others cfa vice heads
yang yimin and zhang jianqiang were suspected of wrongdoing
the xinhua report quoted cui dalin deputy director of the general
administration of sport as saying friday that nan and yang were assisting the
police investigation and had thus been excused from their posts
it made no mention of zhang
it was not immediately clear whether the personnel change was temporary or
permanent
officials at the cfa could not immediately be reached by afp on friday the
association had earlier this week declined requests for comment
xinhua reported thursday that nan who was named to head the beleaguered cfa
year ago and the others were taken away in beijing for interrogation by
police from the northeastern city of liaoning where the probe is being led
it quoted the public security ministry as saying they were being questioned as
part of efforts to stamp out corruption which has plagued the sport in china
for years
following widespread allegations of organised gambling crooked referees and
match fixing earlier this decade the cfa announced in late that it had set
up joint task force with police to root out corruption in the sport
the arrests of at least football and club officials have been announced since
november with police interrogating more than suspects according to press
reports
corruption on field fights and other misbehaviour by players have plagued
chinese football for years leading to dwindling attendance and frustration
among fans and sponsors
korean air swings to profit as fuel costs drop
seoul jan afp
south korea main flag carrier korean air announced friday it swung to net
profit in the fourth quarter compared to year earlier thanks to increased
travel stronger won and lower fuel costs
the airline said it recorded net profit of billion won million
dollars for october december compared to net loss of billion year
earlier
operating profit rose sharply to billion won from billion while sales
fell percent to trillion won from trillion
korean air said in statement that operating costs during the quarter fell
almost percent year on year to trillion won and spending on jet fuel
dropped percent to billion
for the whole of last year the airline posted net loss of billion won
narrowing from trillion year earlier
the airline this year expects oil prices to average dollars barrel up from
dollars year earlier and exchange rates to be around won to the
dollar compared to last year
it aims for an operating profit of billion won for the year
korean air plans capital spending of trillion won in up from
trillion year earlier
dow jones newswires contributed to this report
tennis roddick grinds out four set win over lopez
melbourne jan afp
andy roddick ground out four set win over tenacious spaniard feliciano lopez
to reach the fourth round of the australian open on friday
the american seventh seed four time semi finalist here was on court for
three and half hours before winning on rod
laver arena
roddick who is now for the new season after his lead up brisbane tournament
victory will now play chilean th seed fernando gonzalez former finalist
here
feel fine roddick said had longer match today and relieved to get
through to the next round
in tight match the american earned three service breaks and left handed lopez
just one as both players probed for openings with patient long rallies
but it was roddick greater groundstroke consistency that won through as the
th ranked lopez committed unforced errors to the american
roddick stretched his record over lopez to with his first win over the
spanish davis cup player in grand slam tournament
lopez opening tiebreak set win was only his second against roddick in their
six matches
the spaniard edged roddick in the opening set and wrapped up the tiebreaker
with backhand cross court
but after the early setback roddick began to dominate more and broke lopez in
the fifth game of the second set when the spaniard overhit forehand
roddick broke lopez service in the ninth game to take the third set and
clinched the match after dominant fourth set tiebreaker
roddick is looking to go at least one stage better than his four losing semi
final appearances here against rainer schuettler lleyton hewitt
and roger federer in and last year
tennis australian open results day five nd update
melbourne jan afp
results from day five of the australian open at melbourne park here friday
denotes seeding
men singles
rd round
andy roddick usa bt feliciano lopez esp
fernando gonzalez chi bt evgeny korolev kaz
women singles
rd round
dinara safina rus bt elena baltacha gbr
alona bondarenko ukr bt jelena jankovic srb
justin henin bel bt alisa kleybanova rus
yanina wickmayer bel bt sara errani ita
maria kirilenko rus bt roberta vinci ita
tennis australian open results day five nd update
melbourne jan afp
results from day five of the australian open at melbourne park here friday
denotes seeding
men singles
andy roddick usa bt feliciano lopez esp
fernando gonzalez chi bt evgeny korolev kaz
women singles
rd round
dinara safina rus bt elena baltacha gbr
alona bondarenko ukr bt jelena jankovic srb
justin henin bel bt alisa kleybanova rus
yanina wickmayer bel bt sara errani ita
maria kirilenko rus bt roberta vinci ita
tennis gonzalez digs deep to win five setter
melbourne jan afp
chilean th seed fernando gonzalez dug deep to beat unseeded kazak evgeny
korolev and move into the fourth round of the
australian open on friday
taiwan says china will not block free trade pacts
taipei jan afp
top taiwanese official on friday dismissed concerns that china will block
other countries from signing free trade agreements with the island
taiwan government is eager to conclude trade pact with china known as the
economic cooperation framework agreement ecfa saying it will pave the way for
similar agreements with other countries
but critics are doubtful that china which still claims sovereignty over the
island will allow it to act as bona fide diplomatic player by striking such
deals
from our experience negotiating with china we don think it will
interfere said lai shin yuan head of the mainland affairs council taiwan
top china policy making body
ties with china improved after ma ying jeou beijing friendly politician
became president of taiwan in with economic agreements resulting after
the two sides resumed direct talks
signing ecfa with china is major starting point and we will simultaneously
begin negotiations on the free trade agreements with other countries ecfa will
make them more willing to talk to us lai said
her remarks came after taiwan economics minister shih yen shiang confirmed
thursday the first round of ecfa talks with china would start late this month
the opposition democratic progressive party which favours independence from
china fears ecfa will increase taiwan reliance on china and imperil the
island de facto separate status
taiwan and china split in after civil war but beijing still sees the
island as part of its territory awaiting reunification by force if necessary
lebanese designers lace up for paris couture catwalks
beirut jan afp
from the catwalks of paris and new york to the red carpets of cannes and the
oscars lebanese designers are taking the couture scene by storm pitching the
glamorous side of country long associated with violence
for decades lebanon has been the fashion queen of the middle east but with the
noughties regional favourites like georges chakra zuhair murad basil soda
rabih kayrouz and the man who started it all elie saab became the
darlings of international runways
saab shot to stardom overnight in when actress halle berry landed an
academy award in one of his creations full skirted burgundy gown with sheer
top with strategically embroidered flowers today his clientele includes slew
of list celebrities like angelina jolie marion cotillard and beyonce
saab and rabih kayrouz are also among the few foreigners who have been admitted
to france prestigious chambre syndicale de la haute couture an exclusive
trade guild of top designers and fashion houses
and despite flagship store on paris champs elysees saab heart and work
remain faithful to beirut
always say breathe differently in lebanon the designer told afp in
recent interview at his office in downtown beirut as he put the final touches to
his latest collection ahead of paris haute couture week which runs from january
to
very attached to this country said the silver haired saab it gives me
strength the fact that my parents are from here the light in lebanon even
its history
long known as the godfather of young lebanese designers the year old is
today upheld as an icon in his native country
but saab had humble beginnings as child he made dresses for his sisters out
of his mother tablecloths and curtains
like many lebanese his childhood was marred by war and displacement at the age
of he opened his first atelier at the height of lebanon devastating
civil war
more than two decades later he still entrusts lebanese needle workers some
of whom have been with him for quarter of decade with creating the gowns
that grace runways and red carpets around the world
lebanon can be another haute couture capital easily with all the young talents
who are already making show worldwide saab said
walk through some beirut districts largely rebuilt after the war reflects
the country complex history bullet riddled apartment buildings and posh
shopping centres sit side by side
though lebanon political woes remain far from resolved the country has topped
travel destination lists over the past year and its sidewalk cafes are bustling
with tourists and style savvy local urbanites
lebanese born new york based designer reem acra recalls her childhood in
beirut which she says helped form her sense of style at very young age
acra leading name in luxury bridal and evening wear still has dress in
white guipure lace she designed in beirut when she was just seven years old
since was five my mother would take me to the souks to show me how to buy
fabrics acra told afp in telephone interview
they were amazing everything was embroidered and the organzas were
exquisite said acra who designed the strapless red inaugural ball gown of us
vice president joe biden wife jill
at very young age understood luxury hands on and knew how to negotiate
she added
and while some high end fashion names like christian lacroix were dealt
serious blow by the global credit crunch business for lebanese designers is
bursting at the seams
lebanese designers are very competitive for red carpet appearances because
their dresses correspond to hollywood celebrity standards feminine sexy
glamorous but not provocative not too personal said lydia kamitsis
fashion curator and writer based in france
their designs are not only attractive but also wearable
fresh face on the fashion scene is year old rabih kayrouz who trained with
dior and chanel and has base in paris but still produces his dresses at his
bright beirut atelier
when came back from paris in everything was being rebuilt and it was
then that discovered culture which was more oriental than the western
culture where had trained said kayrouz who also runs starch non profit
organisation offering young designers free show space in beirut
was happy so stayed he told afp
georges chakra another red carpet favourite caught major international
attention when his designs appeared in the motion picture the devil wears
prada starring meryl streep
today he regularly dresses celebrities like tyra banks carrie underwood and
queen latifah and showcases his collection at private show during paris haute
couture week
beirut has this unique magic when it calm said chakra who made
headlines at the oscars last year with british actress helen mirren floor
length red gown with swarovski crystal sleeves
and when it not it affects you when you re lebanese you live it too he
told afp in reference to bloody war between hezbollah and israel
but chakra who is also based in beirut insists that the growing number of star
designers can offer different image of the middle east hottest capital
ten years ago we said this trend of lebanese designers would die chakra
said
well it hasn yet and it doesn look like it will anytime soon
punk not dead in military ruled myanmar
yangon jan afp
the singer smashes his guitar to pieces on the stage as thousands of spiky
haired punk fans cheer loudly rare display of countercultural exuberance in
military ruled myanmar
at this concert in land where all song lyrics must be submitted to the
regime censors there are no openly anti establishment messages from either
the musicians or the crowd with their dyed blond blue and red locks
but as the band launches into the next number raw release entitled want to
kill you fans moshing at the open air park in the former capital yangon say
they want the freedom to express themselves
as punk do whatever want says year old ko pyae dressed head to toe
in black and sporting smeared black eye shadow the unofficial uniform of
punks and goths all around the world
at home don care about anyone don care about my neighbours
yangon vibrant youth music scene is unexpected in city where the streets ran
with blood less than three years ago as the ruling junta crushed massive pro
democracy protests led by buddhist monks
but the regime thought police still exert their control even when most
bands would rather sing about vague themes of fun teenage rebellion and
relationships than anything political
heavy rock group outsider are in dingy studio on the outskirts of yangon
working on their first album and must submit all their song lyrics to the
censors
if want to write something about freedom if want to write about the things
want can write it directly says drummer and songwriter thar nge
stepping over the blankets next to his drum kit that serve as his bed
if want to show something that represents the myanmar people not just me
personally there no way can do it if write that it becomes political
he adds
the censors do not stop at politics he says any mention of alcohol cigarettes
or anything else deemed not to conform to the buddhist nation values is struck
out
bands like outsider learn to sing in analogies and become masters of euphemism
even though they say they are no trailblazers for democracy and don want
their music to have any overtly political message
we do as much as we can says thar but we don try to change politics in
our heads we are musicians
debbie stothard bangkok based pro democracy campaigner and coordinator of the
altsean burma network said the reluctance of some of myanmar young musicians
to play at politics was legacy of the system
myanmar formerly known as burma has been ruled by the military since and
the regime has cracked down on protesters not only in but also in
besides locking up hundreds of dissidents
they include nobel peace prize winner and author aung san suu kyi
young people have been brought up to believe that politics is dangerous and by
being political they are asking to be locked up they are asking to lose their
job opportunities they are asking to be tortured and killed stothard said
but eventually everyone gets to point where they have to sing what they re
thinking
music is not the only way of getting point across in myanmar
aung is successful painter whose commercial works sell for hundreds of dollars
each big sum in this impoverished nation but he says his real interest lies
in conceptual art
live by selling paintings but there less freedom with paintings make
videos and do performance art to express myself that gives me sense of
satisfaction afterwards says aung not his real name
one of his videos shows goldfish swimming in small glass of water hand
drops in tablet that fizzes and sends the fish into frenzy when the froth
clears it lies floating dead on the surface
an apparent commentary on the junta handling of the protests known as
the saffron revolution after the colour of the monks robes he says that he
has drawn fire for cruelty to the fish
people have criticised this video because fish is killed what about all the
people killed here in myanmar why don they speak up about that he says
meanwhile at the end of the punk concert in yangon unrest brews fuelled by
cheap beer vendors as fans throw bottles try to tear apart the stage and stamp
then urinate on concert posters
but there is no sign of any security forces moving in and no chants of political
activism the marauding punks are angry that the band didn play an encore
pakistan top female squash player defies tribal tradition
peshawar pakistan jan afp
pakistan squash champion maria toor pakay cut her teeth fighting boys in
tribal district synonymous with the taliban and al qaeda defying convention to
become trailblazer in her sport
she hails from south waziristan part of pakistan tribal belt branded by
washington as the most dangerous place in the world it is rife with islamist
militant groups while tribal customs often force women to remain at home
none of that stopped year old pakay however who is now pakistan top rated
female squash player and the world number
never acted like girl and always played and fought with the tribal boys
she told afp in the northwestern city of peshawar now her home
my early days roaming around the shakai streets wearing boys clothes and
fighting against them eventually made me an independent young woman
dressed in shorts and smart shirt hair boyishly cut above the neck she would
stand out in her home village of shakai on the outskirts of south waziristan
capital wana where many women wear the all encompassing burka
muscular pakay smacks the ball against the wall almost times in minute
face perspiring with aggression and gripping the racket tightly she moves
swiftly across the squash court
it was pakay father shamsul qayum government servant and elder of the wazir
tribe who first noticed her athletic potential concerned about her days spent
brawling with street boys he decided to channel her anger into sports
risking the scorn of his conservative muslim tribe he took his daughter to
peshawar and began training her as weightlifter
but with few opportunities for female weightlifters in pakistan he was forced
to disguise year old pakay as boy and enter her in the national boys
weightlifting championship under fake boy name changez khan
and changez khan won the championship pakay says with laugh
it was the first step for me my first achievement and then never got scared
by any pressure restrictions or tribal tradition
it was meeting soon after with former world squash champion jansher khan that
set pakay life on its current course and in she became pakistan top
female squash player and started climbing the international ranks
she has risen seven places in the world rankings in the past month and made the
semi finals of the world junior squash championship in india last year
she is regular player on the malaysian circuit and aims this year to
participate in the cayman islands open and the texas open championship
but her determination to defy tradition and champion girls sports in the
conservative northwest has won her some enemies
taliban militants who operate across swathes of the northwest oppose co
education of girls and boys and advocate harsh brand of islamic law staging
bomb attacks to try and advance their aims
have received some threats from unknown people who have advised me to stop
playing and going out of the house otherwise they would kill me but they can
detract me would never quit playing she tells afp
feel pity for other women of the area they are confined in the walls and
have no rights feel pity for my cousins who don have rights and can go
out and who have to wear burkas
although she is glad to be free from the restrictions of tribal customs pakay
says she owes great deal to her upbringing in the badlands along the afghan
border which sit outside direct government control
my strong muscles are gift from hiking the rocks of shakai love the solid
mountains and feel sorry that can go there now she said
the streets of shakai where pakay once fought neighbourhood boys have now become
battlefield for the taliban and pakistan armed forces
the military sent troops into south waziristan in october last year to
try and quash taliban strongholds and the fighting rages on
the instability was one of the reasons pakay father wanted her to break free
of the tribal region and he has nothing but pride now in his daughter
achievements despite the reaction from his wazir tribe
they call me honourless and say you have lost pride and gone away from the
traditions of islam and the tribe shamsul qayum told afp but don care
have won for my girl and her victories are my pride
afp features
paris jan afp
we will shortly move the following stories
highlights
lebanese designers lace up for paris couture catwalks
punk not dead in military ruled myanmar
lifestyle france fashion lebanon feature
beirut
from the catwalks of paris and new york to the red carpets of cannes and the
oscars lebanese designers are taking the couture scene by storm pitching the
glamorous side of country long associated with violence
words by natacha yazbeck picture video
lifestyle myanmar music politics feature
yangon
the singer smashes his guitar to pieces on the stage as thousands of spiky
haired punk fans cheer loudly rare display of countercultural exuberance in
military ruled myanmar
words picture video
pakistan unrest squash women feature
peshawar pakistan
pakistan squash champion maria toor pakay cut her teeth fighting boys in
tribal district synonymous with the taliban and al qaeda defying convention to
become trailblazer in her sport
words by khurram shahzad picture
for questions email nancy shields afp com or call
tennis roddick grinds out four set win at open
melbourne jan afp
american seventh seed andy roddick progressed to the fourth round at the
australian open with win over unseeded spaniard
feliciano lopez on friday
mass relocation for haiti homeless
port au prince jan afp
haiti launched huge operation thursday to move hundreds of thousands of
homeless outside the ruined capital as hopes of finding more survivors fade
nine days after the devastating quake
medics treated the countless injured in makeshift hospitals as gangrene began to
set in and fresh looting broke out in devastated port au prince even as some
signs of normal life returned
it is difficult to work as before but we re on course to regain control
president rene preval told reporters seeking to counter charges that the
government has been largely absent since the january disaster
alongside the haitian plan french and us rescue workers have begun to clear
debris and human waste from around the city ceremonial square the champ de
mars which has become giant ad hoc refugee camp
we want to stop living like animals said carole deslouis who finally
received the promise of food and shelter in the square thursday after days of
washing her children with filthy water and begging for rice
us forces are also repairing the main port hoping to slowly reopen it from
friday and bring in enough aid to feed people across the country and brought in
temporary control tower for the country overburdened main airport
the magnitude quake has killed at least and left million homeless
haiti government said it would try to relocate an estimated left
destitute moving them out of squalid stinking bivouacs into temporary
accommodation outside port au prince
the government has made available to people free transportation large
operation is taking place we re in the process of relocating homeless people
said interior minister paul antoine bien aime
the government will hire about buses to take quake victims to the south and
north of the caribbean nation to hastily set up villages designed to hold
people each and work with local mayors to identify sites
rescue teams from around the world still combed the debris for survivors in and
around port au prince after two children were rescued alive on wednesday but
thursday brought no new signs of life from beneath the silent debris
those pulled from the rubble still face desperate fight for survival
around two dozen orphans adopted by french families were due to be flown out
