in the first quarter of spyker manufactured cars and sold with
prices starting at euros dollars according to spokesman niels
molewijk
saab in comparison sold close to cars in
spyker chief executive officer and co founder victor muller has himself
described the company with about assembly workers as mosquito compared
to the elephant that is saab with its employees in sweden alone
thirty percent of the shares in the dutch company based in zeewolde in the
central netherlands are owned by russian finance group convers which is
controlled by russian billionaire vladimir antonov
another percent is held by the mubadala development company owned by the
government of abu dhabi
the spyker company founded in by brothers jacobus and hendrik jan spijker
built luxury cars and aircraft engines until when it ceased trading
the spyker brand was relaunched in
the cars are designed according to client specifications built by hand and
destined for niche market journalist andre hoogeboom author of book on
the company told afp
spyker has never made profit it produced cars in and sold
reporting turnover for the year of million euros up percent from
but still representing loss of million euros
in the first quarter of it recorded an million euro net loss
last november the company announced it would move its assembly line from
zeewolde to coventry in the united kingdom to cut costs resulting in about
jobs out of total of being scrapped
lot of this could be explained by limited production line said hoogeboom
but also by spyker participation in formula one racing in at cost of
tens of millions of euros
spyker has yet to confirm whether it will sponsor racing team for
including for the le mans endurance race
alert
sweden grants million euro loan guarantee to saab minister
hrw raps mideast governments over rights record
beirut jan afp
middle eastern governments are failing to improve their human rights records
human rights watch hrw said on tuesday at the release of its world report
in beirut
the year was one of the missed opportunities for women and migrants in the
region the watchdog middle east director sarah leah whitson said as the
group released its jordan lebanon saudi arabia syria and yemen country
studies
for human rights defenders their small space for manoeuvring shrank even
further whitson said in statement
the five chapters largely focus on torture discrimination against women and
minorities and the treatment of foreign workers
women in lebanon syria jordan and saudi arabia continued to face legal
discrimination where they cannot pass citizenship on to their children the
report said
saudi arabia also requires women to secure male guardian permission for
travel
hrw underlined the need for jordan and syria to fight wave of honour
killings the murder of women often by male relative on suspicion of pre
marital or extra marital relationship
saudi arabia syria and yemen also continued to repress human rights defenders
and journalists the group said in its page report
hundreds of thousands of palestinian refugees especially in lebanon continued
to live in appalling social and economic conditions and were subject to wide
ranging restrictions on housing and employment the report said
ethnic kurds in syria were subject to systematic discrimination including the
arbitrary denial of citizenship to an estimated born in syria it
added
kurds make up around nine percent of syria population
hrw also highlighted the poor treatment of migrant domestic workers in saudi
arabia lebanon and jordan where they faced exploitation and abuse by
employers including excessive work hours non payment of wages and
restrictions on their liberty
hundreds of thousands of workers from countries including the philippines sri
lanka and ethiopia travel to the middle east to find employment mainly as
domestic workers
ban top aide to represent un at london yemen parley
united nations jan afp
un chief ban ki moon top political adviser lynn pascoe will represent the
world body at wednesday london conference on yemen the un spokesman said
tuesday
martin nesirky told press briefing that pascoe the un under secretary general
for political affairs would lead the un delegation at the conference which will
be chaired by british foreign secretary david miliband
from the un perspective this meeting is an opportunity for the international
community and the government of yemen to have focused discussion on how they
can jointly address the many pressing problems and challenges facing the country
and their underlying causes and that includes economic developmental and
humanitarian issues he added
nesirky said sustained international support will be necessary to ensure the
prosperity security and stability of yemen and the region as whole
he expressed hope that the two hour london meeting to be attended by
countries will kick off long term process of cooeration between yemen and
relevant regional and international partners
the talks will focus on fears that yemen is becoming failed state where an al
qaeda outpost is increasingly training extremists for attacks on the west
they come month after the attempted bombing of an airliner as it approached
the us city of detroit us authorities have charged year old nigerian
thought to have been trained in yemen over the incident
al qaeda chief osama bin laden claimed in tape released sunday that his
network had sent the nigerian on the mission and said more attacks were on the
way
meanwhile ban is to attend an international conference on afghanistan in london
on thursday
in bid for more users ebay changes fees
washington jan afp
ebay in bid to attract more users cut the fees on tuesday it charges for
listing on the online auction site and did away with upfront payments for
occasional sellers
the san jose california based ebay said that beginning on march items with
starting price of cents or less will be listed for free with ebay taking
nine percent of the final sale price but never more than dollars
sellers will be allowed free listings per month ebay said
ebay said that for sellers who list often it was now offering fees of as low as
three cents per listing for days it said that was percent reduction
from its current rates
ebay said this could save high volume sellers those with listings per
month up to nearly dollars year in fees
ebay said the new success based pricing had already been put in place in
europe and had driven strong growth in britain and germany
ebay shares were trading percent higher on wall street at gmt at
dollars
sweet temptation at chanel
paris jan afp
as light as meringues and mouth watering as sorbets karl lagerfeld haute
couture lines for next summer on tuesday looked inspired by the patisserie
counter even if the designer no longer allows himself such sweet indulgences
since his draconian diet
models had their hair elaborately coiffed into heart shaped sixties beehives
adorned with bows and baubles their feet shod in shiny silver ankle boots and
hands in dinky fingerless silver mittens
even the guests reclined on silver upholstered sofas while the salon was lit
with fluorescent tubes in ice cream shades of vanilla strawberry and
peppermint reflecting the clothes on the catwalk
for next season daywear suits in the house hallmark tweeds lagerfeld mostly
dispensed with skirts opting for tailored long shorts
jackets came with mandarin collars wisp of pleated tulle peeping out at the
neck and trimmed with passementerie or pearls
he also showed double breasted coat dresses with stand away collars and simple
sleeveless shifts cut square across the shoulders with sunbursts of silver
embroidery down the front
moving into the cocktail hour lagerfeld whipped up tulle into waffled frothy
skirts as wobbly as jellies
for evening lagerfeld turned up the glamour and piled on the couture detail
like the tiny pearl buttons running down the side seam of draped column dress
with extra strings of pearls left dangling from the hip or the rhinestone
straps holding up an ice blue satin sheath with the bosom encased by pointed
leaves
the only black mark might be for lagerfeld for completely avoiding the fashion
crowd default colour for next summer he has decreed candy floss pink
apricot almond green lilac and primrose anything but black
french designer stephane rolland collection also shown tuesday was sometimes
more akin to sculpture than clothes with outsize cowl necklines finishing in
point and trumpet sleeves like wind cones trailing to the ground and accordion
pleated lapels on jackets
witty trompe oeil dresses incorporated jackets which looked as if they were
separate items from the front but were all of piece behind
deliberately modern and less opulent than the grand couture houses rolland
relied on shock effects like the splash of crimson lacquer against white
dress or spattered gold paint on black to liven up his palette which centred
on creams browns and black
meanwhile in salons near the champs elysees italian giovanni bedin unveiled
capsule collection of eight pieces for the house of worth which is being
revived since its acquisition by indian owner delesh metha
english born charles worth whose house closed in is credited with being
founding father of haute couture
bedin delved into the archives for inspiration for series of delicate bodices
and corsets with exquisite details like hand painted ostrich feather to look
like leopardskin
afptv updated advisory
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
yemen tribal chiefs issue warning to london conference
sanaa
close to yemeni sheikhs and tribal chiefs gathered sunday in sanaa to
speak out against western intervention in yemen affairs world powers gather
in london wednesday to discuss tackling violent extremism in yemen in the wake
of an alleged bid to blow up us airliner by nigerian linked to al qaeda
there one tribal leader accused western powers of seeking to carve up the
middle east among themselves on the model of the secret sykes picot agreement
of struck between britain and france while others declared that only
economic and not military aid would be tolerated
news
images and soundbites transmitted by gmt
raw vid
web mmv
french parliament report calls for burqa ban
paris
french parliament report called tuesday for ban on the full islamic veil in
all schools hospitals public transport and government offices saying the
burqa was an excess and an affront to french values home to europe biggest
muslim minority estimated at about six million france is heading into
uncharted territory and has triggered fears that it may drive anti muslim
sentiment and stigmatise minorities news report reactions from muslim and non
muslim residents in paris
news special report
voiced report transmitted by gmt revised filing time
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
images and soundbites transmitted by gmt new offer
raw vid
web mmv
paraguay footballer attackers caught on cctv film new offer
mexico city
two men who police say were behind the attack on paraguay star striker
salvador cabanas were caught on video surveillance camera at the mexico city bar
where the football player was shot in the head on monday
news
images and soundbites transmitted by gmt
raw vid
web mmv
goodwill trip to benin by two top philanthropists
cotonou
french first lady carla bruni sarkozy and us philanthropist melinda gates visit
benin images
news
images transmitted by gmt
raw vid
web mmv
world cup kicks off with record bid
london
the olympics may have its torch relay but the world cup has its own travelling
icon hand made leather football that is being kicked all the way from
london to host nation south africa while in london where the first ever
football association match was contested in the ball is being escorted by
man attempting new world record by juggling it miles across the capital
sport offbeat
images and soundbites transmitted by gmt
raw vid
web mmv
we have already filed the following
yemen jails seven qaeda militants
sanaa
yemeni court sentenced on tuesday seven suspected al qaeda members to between
five and years in jail after convicting them of plotting to attack foreign
interests and tourists the seven went on trial in october after being arrested
while preparing explosives and monitoring tourist buses to attack them
according to police images of trial and convicts being transferred to prison
under heavy security
news
images
raw vid
web mmv
haitian looter puts himself in harm way
port au prince
in the streets of haiti earthquake savaged capital the rubble is regularly
scavenged by people desperate for food or goods to sell when they clash with
police forces the consequences can scarcely be coped with by the country
devastated medical facilities afptv follows the story of one man from
building overrun with apparent looters to an emergency operating table
news special report
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
sri lanka heads for contested election result
colombo
sri lanka government said it would contest the legitimacy of the main
opposition candidate in tuesday presidential vote setting up clash that
threatens new instability on the war torn island sarath fonseka former four
star general took on his former boss incumbent mahinda rajapakse in the vote
after bitter and personal campaign that saw both sides accuse the other of
planning foul play file of rajapaksa and fonseka and of army campaign against
tamil tigers images of poll opening in colombo and rajapakse voting further
images of voting
news
file images
raw vid
images of polls opening and rajapakse
raw vid
web mmv
images and soundbites of voters in colombo
raw vid
web mmv
paraguay striker critical after mexico bar shooting
mexico city
dozens of football fans are holding vigil at mexico city hospital where
paraguayan star striker salvador cabanas is in critical condition after being
shot in the head at bar in the capital
news special report
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
search continues for remains of lebanon crash
beirut
rescuers combed the waters off the coast of lebanon tuesday for victims and the
black boxes of an ethiopian airliner that crashed into the sea with officials
offering little hope of finding survivors ethiopia airlines flight
carrying passengers on board went down in stormy weather just minutes after
takeoff from beirut en route for addis ababa images of helicopter and boats in
search and recovery operations
news
images
raw vid
web mmv
as part of our ongoing coverage of the africa cup of nations we have filed the
following video
fans of defending champs egypt cheer victory over cameroon
cairo
egyptian flags bedecked the capital cairo late on monday after the national
football team kept their title defence firmly on track with extra time win
over cameroon in the africa cup of nations egypt will play algeria in semi
finals on thursday three months after their tense last encounter in khartoum
images and soundbites of post match celebrations
news sport
images and soundbites
raw vid
web mmv
ahead of the world economic forum opening wednesday in davos we have filed the
following report
look ahead to davos
paris
political and business elites gather wednesday in davos for this year world
economic forum wef with reconstruction in haiti and global reform of the
financial system set to top the debate
news economy
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
in advance of thursday international conference on afghanistan and yemen we
have filed the following reports
rich or poor afghans share common worries about future
kabul
as president hamid karzai prepares to attend key conference on afghanistan in
london residents of kabul are getting increasingly worried about the future
the gap between rich and poor has widened but whether it poor families
struggling to make living or entrepreneurs who have thrived since the fall of
the taliban all have issues in common concerns over corruption and the
deteriorating security situation many wonder if yet another conference can make
any difference to their daily lives
special report
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv note new number
yemen sputtering economy counts on international help
sanaa
with an armed rebellion in the north growing separatist sentiment in the south
and al qaeda active in various parts of the country security in yemen is
constantly under threat the economy is hardly doing much better in what is the
arab world poorest nation yemenis hope world powers can help them regain some
confidence in the future
special report
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
sundance welcomes fiction and fact alike
park city utah
the th sundance film festival is going strong in the us ski resort of park
city with more than independent films on offer including rich mix of
feature length fiction and documentaries in particular several probing the
ongoing conflict in and us strategy for afghanistan
news culture amp lifestyle
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
ahead of the th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz birkenau we have
filed the following report
the bonds that tie the children of auschwitz
warsaw
the world marks years on wednesday since the liberation of auschwitz
birkenau many survivors who were imprisoned as children formed powerful bonds
since the end of world war ii and created an association in warsaw while they
have managed to survive the horrors of war it is harder to escape the
inevitable march of time
special report
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
figure skating japan national sport
tokyo
three of the world top female figure skating champions come from japan why
are there so many how is the discipline taught which kind of training do
athletes undergo afptv visits figure skating school near tokyo
sport
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
as haute couture fashion week continues in paris we have filed the following
related report
stitching with style
paris
when they need opulent embroidery haute couture designers at chanel dior and
other luxury labels go to lesage afptv makes visit to the embroidery giant
workshops
culture amp lifestyle
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
marinsky conductor gergiev casts musical spell on paris
paris
valery gergiev conductor of russia fabled marinsky theatre has returned to
paris to perform series of concerts showcasing tchaikovsky symphonies
interview with the conductor
culture amp lifestyle
images and soundbites
raw vid
web mmv
american conductor christie helps to lead baroque revival
paris
american conductor william christie will take seat on wednesday on france
prestigious academie des beaux arts christie leads the the arts florissants
ensemble which has been performing baroque music on period instruments for
years and is main force behind worldwide resurgence of early music refile
of voiced report originally transmitted on october
culture amp lifestyle
voiced report
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
contact
gabrielle chatelain moor
football united swoop for smalling
manchester england jan afp
manchester united have agreed to sign central defender chris smalling from
premier league rivals fulham the english champions announced tuesday
premier league leaders united said the year old smalling would join up at old
trafford from the start of the season meaning he spend the rest of
the current campaign with london club fulham
manchester united has agreed terms for the transfer of chris smalling from
fulham club spokesman told united official website on tuesday
chris has agreed personal terms with the club and will join for the beginning
of the campaign he will remain at fulham until the end of the current
season
however fulham did cast the proposed move into some doubt tuesday by saying
final terms had still to be agreed with united
fulham statement said fulham can confirm that it has reached an agreement
with manchester united for the transfer of central defender chris smalling
should successful medical be completed and final terms agreed the player will
join sir alex ferguson team at the start of the season staying at
fulham for the remainder of the current season
united title rivals arsenal were also looking at signing smalling but gunners
boss arsene wenger said tuesday it just looks like manchester united offered
more money than us
nevertheless the frenchman added as long as the player has not signed
anywhere it is not the end of it let see what happens there
us budget deficit to hit trillion dollars in cbo
washington jan afp
the us government budget deficit is expected to narrow slightly to
trillion dollars in but its fiscal outlook remains bleak amid mounting
debt estimates by congress showed tuesday
accumulating deficits beyond this year could double federal debt held by the
public to trillion dollars within decade the congressional budget office
cbo said in report
the warning came as president barack obama moves to unveil partial spending
freeze in his state of the union address on wednesday
the cbo an independent nonpartisan agency that provides economic data to
lawmakers said the budget gap for the fiscal year ending september would
be slightly smaller than the record trillion dollars chalked up in
last year deficit was the largest since the end of world war ii and as share
of gdp the basic measure of country overall economic output
but the cbo cautioned that if legislation were enacted in the next several
months that either boosted spending or reduced revenues the deficit could
equal or exceed last year shortfall
it said the federal fiscal outlook beyond this year was daunting citing
projected deficits averaging about billion dollars per year over the
period even as they were expected to fall
the accumulating deficits could double federal debt held by the public to
trillion dollars or percent of gdp by the end of it said
at the end of debt held by the public was trillion dollars or
percent of gdp
with such large increase in debt plus an expected increase in interest rates
as the economic recovery strengthens interest payments on the debt are poised
to skyrocket the cbo said
the us government closed its fiscal year with record trillion
dollar budget deficit as it poured resources into the economy to contain
serious financial crisis that plunged the nation into recession
the white house in october had forecast an even bigger gap of trillion
dollars in fiscal
obama on wednesday will call for three year partial freeze on spending that
would save billion dollars over decade in bid to show he is serious
about cutting the huge deficit officials said
obama will unveil the plan to cap discretionary non security government spending
in his state of the union address showpiece event shaping up as chance to
recast his presidency amid fierce political storm
but the republican party seized on the latest deficit estimates to attack the
the democrats and the obama administration
these numbers are just staggering and it appears that the sky is the limit for
this tax spend and borrow democratic majority said republican senator judd
gregg ranking member of the senate budget committee
despite all of the dire news about our mountain of debt the spending spree
continues and only lip service is being paid to the issue of debt reduction
he charged
on saturday obama offered support for bipartisan attempt in congress to
create fiscal task force intended to tackle the burgeoning deficit
the bill would establish an member task force of democrats and eight
republicans with bipartisan co chairs and seek to examine all aspects of the
financial condition of the us government
africa releases tunisian linked to islamist group
johannesburg jan afp
the south african authorities have released tunisian convicted of terror
linked offences in his home country because they were not given the right
paperwork police said on tuesday
mohammed ali harrath was detained after being named on an interpol notice but
south african officials said they had to free him after the tunisian police
failed to give them documents relating to his crimes
harrath lawyer in tunis said he had been sentenced in absentia to total of
years in prison over the founding of an islamist organisation in the north
african country
