we have to decentralize it the only way to be efficient it also the only
way to avoid the same problems happening in haiti again
the talks are aimed at defining key strategies to rebuild the country from the
ground up after the january quake which killed people and left one
million homeless
washington has taken frontline role in the disaster relief effort sending in
troops as well as rescue teams and anchoring hospital ship offshore to
treat injured haitians
us secretary of state hillary clinton sought to address concerns over the us
role in supervising the effort the international community must ensure we are
working in sync aid coordination has long been challenge in haiti even
before the earthquake clinton said
we must find better mechanisms for coordination oversight and accountability
to ensure that aid and investments are used effectively
in the immediate aftermath of the quake france charged that us troops were
heavy handed at the port au prince airport delaying humanitarian operations on
sunday italy public safety chief criticized the lack of leadership saying
the situation could have been managed much better
donor countries are seeking to use the groundswell of support for haiti as an
opportunity to transform country that has historically faced grinding poverty
political corruption and bloodshed
diplomats have raised the possibility of kind of marshall plan for the island
nation similar to the us led postwar reconstruction of europe which would take
decades and require huge commitment of resources and money
canadian foreign minister lawrence cannon said clear vision coordination and
adherence to key principles of aid effectiveness will be essential to accelerate
our efforts and avoid duplication
an umbrella group of canadian and haitian aid organizations meanwhile called on
donors to cancel haiti foreign debt
we hope that you use the weight of your governments to convince international
financial institutions to cancel haiti entire foreign debt said eric
faustin director of rocahd the coalition of canadian haitian development
organizations
ministers and officials from the united nations also discussed how to streamline
delivery of food water drugs and medical supplies to people living in
makeshift camps around the shattered capital of port au prince
foreign ministers and other officials from brazil chile france peru uruguay
mexico costa rica the dominican republic japan and spain were also present in
montreal for the talks
they were joined by officials from the european union the organization of
american states the inter american development bank the world bank and the
international monetary fund
japan said it would pledge million dollars in aid to haiti and deploy as many
as peacekeepers to the un mission there
football hammers make mccarthy move
blackburn england jan afp
south africa benni mccarthy could be on his way from blackburn to west ham
after his current club confirmed monday they received written offer from
their premier league rivals
the year old striker has grown disillusioned with his lack of first team
starts under blackburn boss sam allardyce and has been agitating for move to
ensure regular football in the run up to the world cup finals in his home
country in june and july
relations between mccarthy and allardyce were not helped by the forward non
appearance at blackburn last two training sessions
we are very disappointed with benni non appearance for training and will deal
with it separately should he remain here after the transfer window has closed
allardyce said monday
we have said all along that we will listen to offers but only agree to sell if
both the commercial and football reasons satisfy blackburn rovers that
situation remains unchanged
west ham have been in the market for striker following the london club
takeover by david sullivan and david gold the former owners of birmingham
co chairman gold confirmed monday the hammers had tried to bring real madrid
striker ruud van nistelrooy to upton park on loan move
last weekend the former manchester united striker joined bundesliga team hamburg
from spanish giants real madrid
gold insisted west ham despite their dire financial position were not in
danger of over extending themselves in trying to sign van nistelrooy
let me just state on the record that there is big difference when you are
paying player pounds for four months to paying someone pounds
year for four year contract gold told sky sports on monday
wouldn want people to say we were mad to be paying pounds if we
were paying that on four or five year contract maybe we would be mad but for
super player like that felt and david sullivan felt it was good business
we ve really gone the extra mile and what we must be pleased about what
pleased about as west ham fan is that we have stopped the sale of two maybe
three top players
that is the main prize and the bonus is if we can now bring in one or two
players
the hammers are only presently above the premier league relegation zone on goal
difference while blackburn are five points clear of the bottom three
afp americas news agenda for january
washington jan afp
duty editor michael langan
tel
what happening in the americas on tuesday
aid efforts continue in haiti
fed opens meeting amid doubts over bernanke new term
port au prince international aid continues to flow into devastated haiti as
world leaders warn it could take decade to rebuild the ravaged nation expect
coverage haiti quake graphic picture video
washington the federal reserve opens its two day meeting amid doubts over
senate vote to reappoint chief ben bernanke to second term expect coverage
us economy bank
buenos aires argentine lawmakers meet to debate political crisis triggered by
row between the government and the head of the central bank coverage on
merit
park city utah following the sundance film festival expect coverage
entertainment us film festival sundance
united nations un security council meeting on sudan coverage on merit
washington congressional budget office publishes its prospects for the us
budget until expect coverage gmt us economy budget
the head of naval operations along with top officials from the joint chiefs
of staff for the us air force and the national security agency present report
on the future challenges to the united states gmt expect coverage
attacks us defense
first lady michelle obama addresses military wives coverage on merit
roundtable on yemen coverage on merit
us lawmakers study aid to haiti coverage on merit
the two chairmen of the commission of inquiry into the september
attacks discuss with the senate homeland security panel the botched christmas
day attack coverage on merit
three blasts targeting baghdad hotels kill at least
baghdad jan afp
three huge and apparently co ordinated minibus bombs targeted hotels used by
foreigners in baghdad on monday killing at least people and wounding less
than six weeks before general election
iraqi politicians and us forces have warned of rising violence ahead of the
march vote the second parliamentary ballot since the us led invasion
ousted saddam hussein but ushered in deadly and long lasting insurgency
us secretary of state hillary clinton said extremists were trying to upend
progress toward democracy while un chief ban ki moon urged iraqis to remain on
path to reconciliation despite persistent unrest that plagues the country
the first bomb struck near the palestine and sheraton hotels in abu nawaz close
to where giant statue of saddam was symbolically toppled almost seven years
ago at around pm gmt
the second and third blasts just minutes later targeted the babylon hotel in the
central district of karrada and the hamra hotel in jadriyah in the south of the
capital said an interior ministry official who also gave the toll
iraqi military spokesman in baghdad major general qassim atta said all three
bombings were suicide attacks
the streets leading to the hotels which are used by foreign businessmen were
immediately sealed off preventing reporters from approaching
security source said armed clashes broke out near the hamra which houses
several international journalists in what appeared to be diversionary attack
before the suicide bomber drove his minibus at the hotel seconds later and
detonated it
the first explosion in abu nawaz shook ground miles away from the site of the
blast and sent plumes of smoke rising hundreds of metres yards into the sky
the surrounding area is heavily guarded with only two access zones however
iraqi security forces in the area use the ade hand held device to detect
bombs which is sold by british company but was last week banned from export
it is said to be able to detect explosives such as and tnt as well as
weapons but baghdad has launched an investigation into its purchase and use
after british tests showed it was not suitable for bomb detection
the director of atsc the company that sells it was arrested on suspicion of
fraud by misrepresentation by british police and subsequently bailed
monday attacks differed from recent high profile bombings in baghdad in that
they targeted hotels one of the capital few remaining symbols of tourism
rather than government buildings
the hotel bombings were followed around minutes later by government
announcement that saddam notorious cousin and henchman chemical ali hassan
al majid symbol of the fallen regime had been executed
nearly people were killed and more than were wounded last year in co
ordinated vehicle bombings at government buildings including the ministries of
finance foreign affairs and justice in august october and december
insurgents weakened in the past year have in the past six months changed
tactics and mounted successful attacks on hard targets such as government
offices rather than so called soft targets in civilian areas
there are widespread fears in the wake of the bloody attacks to hit baghdad in
the second half of that political violence will rise in the weeks leading
up to the march vote
the election is seen as crucial step towards consolidating iraq democracy
and securing complete us military exit by the end of as planned
however bitter row has broken out in recent weeks after hundreds of candidates
were banned from taking part because of their alleged links with saddam which
could see sunni arabs marginalised from the political process
the dispute has alarmed the united states and the latest bombings will add to
washington concerns
when people believe in the political system and that they can chart their own
future then that poses direct rebuke to those who try to govern by fear
intimidation and violence clinton told reporters on monday
we unfortunately believe that there will be continued efforts by the terrorists
by al qaeda in iraq in particular to try to upend the commitment of the
iraqi people toward democratic future
the iraqis themselves by their actions are demonstrating great deal of
courage
us vice president joe biden made hour visit to baghdad at the weekend after
which he said he was confident iraq leaders would find just solution to
the exclusions issue
rugbyu stevens to join saracens after doping ban
london jan afp
matt stevens currently in the middle of two years drugs ban from rugby union
is to join saracens in january when his suspension expires the english
premiership side announced monday
england prop stevens was banned last year from all rugby after testing positive
for cocaine while player with sarries premiership rivals bath
statement issued monday by saracens said the year old would join the club
on january upon completion of his two year period of ineligibility
it added he will not train with the saracens squad or be integrated within the
club in any way until his ban has expired
brendan venter saracens director of rugby said this is massively
significant signing for the club it demonstrates the scale of our ambition
and it also shows that top players recognise saracens as well run club with
bright future
matt is world class prop with his best rugby ahead of him and sure he
will flourish in our environment the former springbok said of saracens
decision to sign the south africa born front row
stevens capped times by england since and member of the british
and irish lions squad that toured new zealand added am looking forward to
launching the next phase of my rugby career at saracens in january next year
have many great memories and friends in bath but there is something special
happening at saracens and am very eager to be part of it
stevens resigned from bath in march last year quitting four year deal with
the west country club worth reported one million pounds
since being suspended stevens has opened coffee shop in bath in partnership
with former bath and england colleague lee mears
saracens are currently in contention for the premiership title having become
resurgent force in english rugby this season under venter
stevens was banned after testing positive for cocaine following bath european
cup clash with glasgow in december
but his projected return with saracens still gives him an outside chance of
representing england at the world cup in new zealand
and saracens chief executive edward griffiths said he expected stevens to hit
the ground running telling bbc radio five on monday he not exactly been
lying on the beach
anyone who knows matt stevens or has spent seconds in his presence will know
that he phenomenally committed young man and he magnificently talented
griffiths added
don think there rugby club in europe who wouldn like to be announcing
tonight that matt stevens will be joining them next year
there nothing certain under the sun but if was to say anything was certain
it that matt stevens will return hungrier more competitive and even more
influential as front row forward next year
we ve had lots of discussions with matt and we re keen to move forward we re
very confident that matt is the type of person the kind of character who will
not only fit in to the environment we have here but will contribute and enhance
it
england are currently struggling for test class props with both phil vickery and
andrew sheridan sidelined by injuries while leicester julian white will be
next year
not long after he quit bath stevens told the bbc hope with every grain of
my soul that one day will be able to come back and be better rugby player
than was
football nigeria zambia at half time
lubango angola jan afp
nigeria and zambia were drawing at half time on monday in an africa cup of
nations quarter final at tundavala stadium
us conditionally clear ticketmaster live nation tie up
washington jan afp
us authorities monday gave conditional approval to merger between ticket and
marketing giant ticketmaster and concert promoter live nation
the justice department said it would require ticketmaster entertainment to
license its ticketing software divest ticketing assets and make other business
changes to promote more competition
the antitrust watchdog which had originally opposed the planned tie up said as
one of the changes ticketmaster must license copy of its primary ticketing
software to aeg the second largest us concert promoter
additionally ticketmaster must divest paciolan ticketing company that it
currently owns within days to either comcast spectacor which has already
signed letter of intent to purchase the assets or some other buyer suitable
to the justice department
paciolan is used by major concert venues around the country to sell event
tickets
thirdly the merged firm will be forbidden from retaliating against any venue
owner that chooses to use another company ticketing services or another
company promotional services the justice department said
the settlement also sets up firewalls that protect confidential and valuable
competitor data by preventing the merged firm from using information gleaned
from its ticketing business the statement said
britain competition watchdog the competition commission last month dropped
its opposition to the deal
los angeles based live nation bills itself as the world largest concert
promoter producing more than concerts for artists in countries
west hollywood based ticketmaster is the world biggest live entertainment
ticketing and marketing company and sold more than million tickets worth
more than billion dollars in
corrected iraq hangs chemical ali saddam cousin and henchman
baghdad iraq jan afp
saddam hussein notorious cousin and henchman chemical ali was executed on
monday just days after he was sentenced to death for the gassing of
thousands of kurds crime that shocked the world
ali hassan al majid was better known by his macabre nickname and as the king of
spades in the pack of cards of most wanted iraqis issued by the us military in
and will forever be associated with mass killings
he was executed by hanging until death government spokesman ali al dabbagh
said the execution happened without any violations shouting or cries of joy
in sharp contrast to saddam death on the gallows he added
state television later aired two still photographs of majid showing him wearing
an orange red jumpsuit and the first of which clearly displayed his face
the second picture showed him on platform with black hood over his head and
with two men wearing balaclavas standing on either side
the execution which was welcomed by kurdish victims came as three massive car
bombs targeting hotels rocked central baghdad killing at least people and
wounding in an apparently coordinated but as yet unclaimed attack
majid was sentenced to death on january for ordering the gassing of kurds in
the northeastern town of halabja which killed an estimated people and was
one of the worst crimes committed by saddam iron fisted regime
was happy to see the news of the execution on television said kamal
abdelkadir who lost his parents five sisters and brother in the atrocity
and who continues to require medical treatment for his injuries
fadhel rifat who now lives in sulaimaniyah the eponymous kurdish province
in which halabja is situated was also just young boy at the time of the
attack
my father and many relatives died because of chemical ali he said am
happy that he is dead
three quarters of the victims at halabja whose crumpled bodies were shown in
television broadcasts to an appalled world were women and children in what is
thought to have been the deadliest ever gas attack against civilians
his conviction for the gas attack that came as the iran iraq war drew to
close was the fourth time that majid who was arrested in august had
received death sentence
handing down the ruling judge abud mustapha al hamani branded majid offences
as deliberate murder crime against humanity when the verdict was delivered
amid muffled applause in the courtroom
prime minister nuri al maliki said majid execution was warranted as he was
one of the worst henchmen of the former regime who committed heinous crimes
against the iraqi people
his name is associated with the mass graves that fill iraqi land from north to
south maliki said this turns another dark page in the genocide repression
and crimes against humanity committed by saddam and his agents
majid execution had previously been held up by legal wrangling it had first
been due to be carried out by october but was delayed so as not to coincide
with the muslim holy month of ramadan
saddam majid close cousin was himself hanged in december for the
killing of shiite villagers after an attempt on his life in
in contrast with majid hanging however footage of that execution posted on
the internet showed shouts of applause and barracking of the dictator both
before and as he died
majid earned his moniker for ordering poisonous gas attacks in brutal
scorched earth campaign of bombings and mass deportations that killed an
estimated kurds in the
he had already been sentenced to hang for genocide over the kurdish offensives
when in december he received second death sentence for war crimes
committed during the ill fated shiite uprising in southern iraq
last march the iraqi high tribunal handed down third death sentence over the
murders of dozens of shiites in the sadr city district of baghdad and in
the central shrine city of najaf
majid orchestrated the halabja attack when in march iraqi jets swooped
over the small town and for five hours sprayed it with deadly cocktail of
mustard gas and the nerve agents tabun sarin and vx
considered saddam right hand man and bearing strong resemblance to the
former dictator he was member of the decision making revolutionary command
council and was regularly called upon to crush rebellion
nba wizards crittenton pleads guilty to gun charge
washington jan afp
washington wizards guard javaris crittenton pleaded guilty on monday to
misdemeanor gun possession charge in connection with locker room incident
involving teammate gilbert arenas last month
in plea agreement district of columbia superior court prosecutors agreed to
drop second misdemeanor charge in exchange for the guilty plea and recommend
the year old nba reserve be sentenced only to probation
crittenton had been charged with unlawful firearm possession and attempting to
carry pistol without license each carrying maximum punishment of one year
in jail
mr crittenton who was years old at the time of this incident has never
before been arrested or charged with any crime and with today misdemeanor plea
to possession of an unregistered firearm accepts responsibility for his
conduct said peter white crittenton attorney
he looks forward to explaining his actions to the nba and returning to the
basketball court as soon as possible
the move comes days after arenas pleaded guilty to felony gun charge in
plea deal arenas was indefinitely suspended by the nba and will be sentenced
march
prosecutors agreed not to seek more than six months in jail for arenas in
exchange for his guilty plea
the charges stem from december locker room incident involving arenas that
was rooted in dispute over gambling debts during an airplane flight in which
crittenton and arenas joked about how they would attack each other crittenton
saying he would shoot arenas in the knees
two days later arenas brought four guns into team the locker room and put
them on chair near crittenton locker with note saying pick one in what
he later called joke
prosecutors said crittenton told arenas he did not need any of his guns and then
brandished one of his own
mr crittenton brought lawfully owned unloaded handgun into washington only
because he legitimately feared for his life white said in his statement
the government proffer of facts acknowledges that his handgun was not loaded
and that he never threatened anyone with it
the gun was legally purchased but bringing it into the district even for self
defense violated the city strict gun control laws
police searched crittenton home earlier this month but did not find gun or
seize any evidence
crittenton who has not played this season because of injuries is set to become
free agent after the season
no more french combat troops for afghanistan sarkozy
paris jan afp
french president nicolas sarkozy said france will send no more combat troops to
afghanistan in an interview on monday three days before an international
conference on stabilising the country
said year and half ago that there would no more combat troops sent by
france to afghanistan and am trying to scrupulously keep my commitments and
my word he said in rare televised interview
france may still send extra non combat military personnel to train the afghan
security forces sarkozy added
if there is need for more people to train supervise the police carry out
civil engineering and help the population why not he said
france has soldiers helping fight the islamist taliban movement on the
ground in afghanistan they are among foreign troops under us and nato
command there to which about are due to be added this year
sarkozy also cited concerns for the threat posed by the unrest in afghanistan to
stability in its nuclear armed neighbour pakistan
france will stay in afghanistan because it is question of our own security
sarkozy said if the taliban win in afghanistan then pakistan will fall
britain is to host the meeting on thursday with afghan president hamid karzai
us secretary of state hillary clinton and foreign ministers
it is expected to focus on how nato led troops can hand over to afghan forces
and efforts to persuade taliban militants to stop fighting
no more french combat troops for afghanistan sarkozy
paris jan afp
french president nicolas sarkozy said france will send no more combat troops to
afghanistan in an interview on monday three days before an international
conference on stabilising the country
said year and half ago that there would no more combat troops sent by
france to afghanistan and am trying to scrupulously keep my commitments and
my word he said in rare televised interview
france may still send extra non combat military personnel to train the afghan
security forces sarkozy added
if there is need for more people to train supervise the police carry out
civil engineering and help the population why not he said
france has soldiers helping fight the islamist taliban movement on the
ground in afghanistan they are among foreign troops under us and nato
command there to which about are due to be added this year
sarkozy also cited concerns for the threat posed by the unrest in afghanistan to
stability in its nuclear armed neighbour pakistan
france will stay in afghanistan because it is question of our own security
sarkozy said if the taliban win in afghanistan then pakistan will fall
britain is to host the meeting on thursday with afghan president hamid karzai
us secretary of state hillary clinton and foreign ministers
it is expected to focus on how nato led troops can hand over to afghan forces
and efforts to persuade taliban militants to stop fighting
football paraguayan striker shot in the head in mexican bar
mexico city jan afp
paraguayan striker salvador cabanas who helped his nation qualify for the world
cup was in critical condition in mexican hospital after being shot in the
head monday at mexico city bar
the year old forward for club america of the mexican league was shot in the
front of the head and doctors were trying to remove the bullet
the paraguayans will face defending champion italy slovakia and new zealand in
the opening round of the world cup which begins june in south africa
while cabanas has played in mexico since sunderland of the english premier
league had shown interest in obtaining him earlier this month
cabanas has scored goals in games in mexico and is former scoring
champion in both mexico and chile
iraq hangs chemical ali saddam cousin and henchman
baghdad jan afp
saddam hussein notorious cousin and henchman chemical ali was executed on
monday just days after he was sentenced to death for the gassing of
thousands of kurds crime that shocked the world
ali hassan al majid was better known by his macabre nickname and as the king of
spades in the pack of cards of most wanted iraqis issued by the us military in
and will forever be associated with mass killings
he was executed by hanging until death government spokesman ali al dabbagh
said the execution happened without any violations shouting or cries of joy
in sharp contrast to saddam death on the gallows he added
state television later aired two still photographs of majid showing him wearing
an orange red jumpsuit and the first of which clearly displayed his face
the second picture showed him on platform with black hood over his head and
with two men wearing balaclavas standing on either side
the execution which was welcomed by kurdish victims came as three massive car
bombs targeting hotels rocked central baghdad killing at least people and
wounding in an apparently coordinated but as yet unclaimed attack
majid was sentenced to death on january for ordering the gassing of kurds in
the northeastern town of halabja which killed an estimated people and was
one of the worst crimes committed by saddam iron fisted regime
was happy to see the news of the execution on television said kamal
abdelkadir who lost his parents five sisters and brother in the atrocity
and who continues to require medical treatment for his injuries
fadhel rifat who now lives in sulaimaniyah the eponymous kurdish province
in which halabja is situated was also just young boy at the time of the
attack
my father and many relatives died because of chemical ali he said am
happy that he is dead
three quarters of the victims at halabja whose crumpled bodies were shown in
television broadcasts to an appalled world were women and children in what is
thought to have been the deadliest ever gas attack against civilians
his conviction for the gas attack that came as the iran iraq war drew to
close was the fourth time that majid who was arrested in august had
received death sentence
handing down the ruling judge abud mustapha al hamani branded majid offences
as deliberate murder crime against humanity when the verdict was delivered
amid muffled applause in the courtroom
prime minister nuri al maliki said majid execution was warranted as he was
one of the worst henchmen of the former regime who committed heinous crimes
against the iraqi people
his name is associated with the mass graves that fill iraqi land from north to
south maliki said this turns another dark page in the genocide repression
and crimes against humanity committed by saddam and his agents
majid execution had previously been held up by legal wrangling it had first
been due to be carried out by october but was delayed so as not to coincide
with the muslim holy month of ramadan
saddam majid close cousin was himself hanged in december for the
killing of shiite villagers after an attempt on his life in
in contrast with majid hanging however footage of that execution posted on
the internet showed shouts of applause and barracking of the dictator both
before and as he died
majid earned his moniker for ordering poisonous gas attacks in brutal
scorched earth campaign of bombings and mass deportations that killed an
estimated kurds in the
he had already been sentenced to hang for genocide over the kurdish offensives
when in december he received second death sentence for war crimes
committed during the ill fated shiite uprising in southern iraq
last march the iraqi high tribunal handed down third death sentence over the
murders of dozens of shiites in the sadr city district of baghdad and in
the central shrine city of najaf
majid orchestrated the halabja attack when in march iraqi jets swooped
over the small town and for five hours sprayed it with deadly cocktail of
mustard gas and the nerve agents tabun sarin and vx
considered saddam right hand man and bearing strong resemblance to the
