the detroit three which held percent share of the us market as recently
as and percent stake decade ago ended with percent
stake
asian automakers captured percent share in up from percent in
autodata said
it still market suffering and trying to recover said karl brauer editor
in chief of the automotive website edmunds com
everybody think we ve hit bottom but nobody expects to get out quickly
turkey lebanon lash out at israel
ankara jan afp
the prime ministers of turkey and lebanon on monday lashed out at israeli
violations of lebanese airspace and air strikes in gaza warning they were
undermining prospects for peace in the region
attacks on lebanon is terrorism itself we have to stand shoulder by shoulder
against the enemy plans we have to stop israel visiting lebanese prime
minister saad hariri told press conference
lebanese anti aircraft guns opened fire on four israeli warplanes which were
violating its airspace at low altitude on monday the military said
israel argues that the overflights are necessary to monitor what it says is
massive arms smuggling by hezbollah
hariri counterpart recep tayyip erdogan whose country once flourishing ties
with israel took sharp downturn last year said that turkey will never stay
silent on israeli violations of lebanese airspace
he slammed the israeli overflights as unacceptable action that threatens global
peace
erdogan also questioned deadly israeli air raid on the gaza strip sunday
which the israeli army said targeted militants who were preparing attacks
is the israeli government in favour of peace or not gaza was bombed again
yesterday why there were no rocket attacks erdogan said
they the israelis have disproportional capabilities and power and they use
them they do not abide by un resolutions they say they will do what they
like we can in no way approve of such an attitude he said
hariri accompanied by several ministers and businessmen is on three day trip
to turkey which he will wrap up tuesday
jordan complains to un over the dead sea scrolls
amman jan afp
jordan has complained to the united nations in bid to acquire the dead sea
scrolls from israel saying the jewish state seized the ancient texts during the
six day war an official said on monday
the kingdom has filed complaint to unesco that the scrolls belong to jordan
rafea harahsheh of the country antiquities department said in statement
the government has legal documents that prove jordan owns the scrolls
harahsheh did not say when the kingdom which signed peace treaty with israel
in filed the complaint to the united nations educational scientific and
cultural organisation
the scrolls some of which are as old as the third century bc were part of
display at toronto royal ontario museum in canada that ended on sunday
jordan has asked canada to seize the scrolls invoking the convention for
the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict to which the
two countries are signatories
so far canada has reservations we are still studying our options tourism
and antiquities minister maha khatib told afp without elaborating
canadian foreign ministry spokesman told afp earlier this month that it would
not be appropriate for canada to intervene in differences between jordan and
israel over the scrolls
the parchments have shed light on the earliest origins of judaism and
christianity and are considered to be one of the greatest archaeological finds
of all time
the first fragments were discovered in arid caves along the shores of the dead
sea by bedouin shepherd in
israel antiquities authority has said israel is the rightful custodian of the
dead sea scrolls
gurkha veterans lose british court battle on pensions
london jan afp
former gurkha soldiers from nepal lost test case against britain ministry of
defence over pension rights at the high court in london on monday
the ruling came after the british government last year granted gurkha veterans
the right to settle in britain following high profile campaign led by actress
joanna lumley
the latest legal action was launched by the british gurkha welfare society which
says around veterans and dependants who served in the british army before
receive only third of the normal payments
judge ian burnett spoke of the high regard british people had for gurkhas but
he rejected the challenge on the grounds the ministry of defence mod had not
acted unlawfully
about gurkhas fought for britain in world war and world war ii and
more than have died in british uniform
around now serve in the british army including in afghanistan
the mod had argued that because gurkha pensions are payable over longer time
than regular armed forces pensions gurkhas end up receiving the same amount as
british veterans
dozens of british lawmakers had signed house of commons motion backing
improved pension rights for gurkhas
two held in angola after rebel attack on togo team
cabinda angola jan afp
angolan police grilled two suspects in deadly shooting attack by separatist
rebels on togo team which cast long shadow monday over the start of africa
premier football tournament
the pair were arrested in cabinda an angolan enclave inside the democratic
republic of congo close to the scene of friday attack which ended with the
death of the squad assistant coach and media spokesman
two assailants were captured on friday one few minutes after the attack and
the second at the border while crossing into congo brazzaville cabinda
deputy governor macario lembe told afp
the first suspect was injured in his left thigh by police who responded when he
opened fire from tree at the togolese bus
officials said the two suspects were part of group of five gunmen who launched
the attack with automatic weapons the other three managed to escape
the togolese team withdrew from the african cup of nations following the attack
and left angola on sunday evening for home following orders from their
government despite appeals by the players to be allowed to stay
it very sad it hard for africa and for us togo captain emmanuel adebayor
told afp at the airport in cabinda
these things are part of life you have to accept it the manchester city
striker added
the tournament was meant to showcase angola recovery after year civil war
which ended in
but the attack has instead shone the spotlight on the government inability to
end low level insurgency in oil rich cabinda
splinter group of the independence movement flec claimed responsibility for
the attack saying it had warned the confederation of african football boss issa
hayatou against holding matches in cabinda
this is going to continue because the nation is at war said rodrigues
mingas secretary general of the forces for the liberation of the state of
cabinda military position flec pm
speaking at the tournament opening match in luanda on sunday night which
ended in dramatic draw between the hosts and mali angola veteran
president jose eduardo dos santos denounced friday attack
we condemn this act of terror but the competition will continue in cabinda
dos santos said
his government and african football officials pleaded to the last for togolese
authorities to allow the players to fulfill their wish to compete in the
tournament to honour their slain colleagues
the attack occurred as the togo convoy drove into cabinda from congo brazzaville
on friday leaving players cowering under their seats during minute
gunbattle with security forces
goalkeeper kodjovi obilale was airlifted to johannesburg hospital where he is
now in stable condition after surgery to treat gunshot wounds to the back and
abdomen
the attack prompted calls for the tournament to be scrapped and ghana
government has demanded extra security for its players
it has also raised questions about players security at this year world cup in
south africa the first time the tournament has been staged in africa
but south africa police chief said that while lessons would be learned from
the attack it was not fair to draw parallels with the situation in angola
comparing what happens there to what might happen in south africa in june is
like suggesting that the train bombing in madrid and the terrorist attack in
london would affect the football world cup in germany police
commissioner bheki cele told reporters on his return from angola
togo withdrawal has plunged the organisation of the tournament into confusion
they had been due to play ghana in cabinda on monday evening but that match has
now been cancelled
however the match between burkina faso and tournament favourites ivory coast
the first of the series in cabinda is due to kick off at gmt
football poulsen out for month with broken leg
rome jan afp
juventus injury problems continue to mount after the club revealed monday that
denmark midfielder christian poulsen will miss month after fracturing his
fibula during sunday defeat to ac milan
juve were already without fellow defensive midfielder mohamed sissoko away on
african nations cup duty but not fully fit anyway goalkeeper gianluigi buffon
winger mauro camoranesi and strikers vincenzo iaquinta and david trezeguet
and following tests on monday morning poulsen was diagnosed with fracture and
italian press speculate it will be two months before he is match fit
the news is unwelcome in turin where the italian giants are in crisis having
lost six of their last eight matches in all competitions
they now sit points behind serie leaders inter milan and were dumped out of
the champions league in december following home defeat to bayern munich
coach ciro ferrara job is rumoured to be on the line but sports director
alessio secco refused to comment when he told reporters ahead of football
related meeting in rome have no comment to make this is not time for
words but for actions
ferrara missed the meeting that is supposed to be held between coaches captains
and referees at the halfway point of the season
juve captain alessandro del piero was also missing as juve were represented by
secco and young italy midfielder claudio marchisio
six international soldiers killed in afghanistan nato
kabul jan afp
six international soldiers were killed on monday in wave of violence in some
of the most volatile regions of insurgency wracked afghanistan nato said
the dead included three americans killed in southern afghanistan one french
soldier northeast of the capital kabul and two more whose nationalities were
not officially given nato and military officials said
the deaths bring to the number of foreign soldiers who have died in
afghanistan fighting virulent taliban insurgency since the start of this year
an isaf service member was killed today in an ied strike in southern
afghanistan nato international security assistance force isaf said in
statement announcing the sixth death of the day
the three us soldiers were killed while fighting militants in southern
afghanistan isaf said
the deaths followed that of french soldier who died from wounds sustained
during similar attack in an area not far from the capital kabul president
nicolas sarkozy office and military officials said
nato official who wished to remain anonymous told afp that the fifth soldier
who died was also french wounded in the same attack but this information could
not be confirmed by isaf or french authorities
the sixth death was caused by an improvised explosive devise or ied the
hallmark of the taliban insurgency isaf said
nato and the us have troops in afghanistan fighting alongside the afghan
army to quell the insurgency which is becoming more deadly and spreading its
footprint across previously peaceful areas of the country
another troops are being deployed this year by the united states and nato
partners as part of new war strategy aimed at taking the fight to the taliban
while concentrating on rebuilding and aid
cold snap severely disrupts norway gas exports
oslo jan afp
the cold snap that has gripped europe for two weeks has caused severe
disruptions to natural gas exports from the world second biggest gas exporter
norway norwegian pipeline operator gassco said monday
it very hard to put number on the reduction of exports since production
generally varies from day to day but it is significant gassco spokesman kjell
varlo larsen told afp
ice build up in the pipes has forced anglo dutch oil and gas company shell to
halt production in the ormen lange field in the norwegian sea large gas field
that supplies britain through the undersea langeled pipeline the longest in the
world
work is being done to assess the situation and measures are being put in place
to remedy it shell spokesman david williams said providing no other details
gas treatment plant in kaarstoe in southwestern norway has also been
experiencing problems since saturday because of the cold on monday at midday
production was restored to two thirds according to its operator norwegian oil
and gas group statoil
the inspection and de icing of lot of pipes takes long time larsen said
we hope the situation will be back to normal soon he added
according to gassco norway is the world second biggest gas exporter behind
russia
in the scandinavian country exported some billion cubic metres of gas
primarily to britain germany france the netherlands belgium italy and
spain
terrorism charge for danish attack suspect prosecutor
copenhagen jan afp
danish prosecutors said monday they had added terrorism charge to one of
attempted murder for somali man accused of trying to kill cartoonist over
caricature of islam prophet mohammed
the year old is accused of breaking into the home of cartoonist kurt
westergaard on january and threatening to kill him with an axe and knife
he was questioned this weekend and we decided afterwards to charge him with an
attempted act of terrorism in addition to trying to kill kurt westergaard
prosecutor marian thomsen told afp
the man had also been charged with attempted murder of policeman who came to
westergaard rescue and with using violence against law enforcement officer
and violating the weapons law she said
danish police shot the somali in the hand and leg when they burst into
westergaard home to rescue him he has denied the accusations
the suspect whose name has not been disclosed has been remanded in custody
until january and risks life sentence if found guilty on the terrorism
charge
date has not yet been set for the trial thomsen said
westergaard was badly shaken by the attack at his home at viby near
aarhus but was unharmed he hid in the bathroom
he drew the most controversial of caricatures of the prophet published in
danish newspaper in that were considered offensive by many muslims and
sparked violent protests worldwide as well as string of death threats
his cartoon depicted mohammed wearing turban in the shape of bomb
danish intelligence agency pet has said the suspect has ties to somalia
radical shebab islamic movement and leaders of al qaeda in east africa pet
chief jakob scharf said it appeared however that he had acted alone
in florida no reprieve from arctic blast
miami jan afp
florida woke monday to another day of bone chilling temperatures after days of
arctic air that have kept the southern united states including the usually
balmy sunshine state in deep freeze
florida usually mild and sunny winter weather has given way to record low
temperatures during the historic cold snap
in miami the thermometer dropped over the weekend to degrees fahrenheit
celsius the coldest since
the cold wave has wreaked havoc with florida billion dollar year citrus
industry and threatened regional agriculture elsewhere as well including
louisiana sugar cane crop
south of miami the national weather service nws early monday reported
record low temperature in key west florida of degrees fahrenheit five
degrees celsius the coldest temperature in years
the miami area and the rest of southeast florida were warned to brace for more
temperatures skirting freezing before warming up later in the week
and forecasters said winds of up to miles kilometers per hour in some
areas were making weather conditions seem much colder
forecasters said it was rare that the cold weather lasts as long as it has in
florida home to warm weather winter destinations as miami fort lauderdale
tampa and orlando
meanwhile wildlife conservation groups have warned that python snakes and other
cold blooded critters might slither inside residents homes seeking shelter from
the cold
the frigid weather also caused several fatal accidents over the weekend
on saturday in the outskirts of atlanta georgia two boys aged and
drowned when the frozen lake they were playing on suddenly cracked open
atlanta constitution journal said
georgia authorities have issued warnings to the population to avoid playing
skating or driving on frozen lakes ponds and other bodies of water where the
ice can be dangerously thin
the cold weather has not spared the rest of the united states however
subnormal temperatures and unusually heavy snows have plagued the entire eastern
seaboard over the past several weeks
in the northeastern state of vermont three people including three year old
child perished when their snowmobile was swallowed by frozen lake local
television said
ford wins best car truck awards at auto show
detroit jan afp
ford won both car and truck of the year awards at the north american
international auto show monday for its fusion hybrid and transit connect
models
the awards are made by panel of automobile journalists who vote for best
the vehicle of the year in the car and truck categories taking into account
innovation design safety handling driver satisfaction and price
ford touted its fusion hybrid as the most fuel efficient mid size sedan in the
us market rated to get an estimated miles per gallon in the city and
miles per gallon on the highway
the transit connect truck developed with small business owners as its target
market boasts double the fuel economy of full size vans ample cargo space and
maneuverability in crowded urban areas
to qualify for the award the vehicle must be either all new or substantially
changed from the previous model
us keeps top rating with fitch despite long term concerns
washington jan afp
fitch ratings monday affirmed its top aaa credit rating for the united states
with stable outlook but said washington faces difficult decisions on its
finances to maintain long term confidence
the british based credit rating agency said the near term risk to us credit is
minimal given its exceptional financing and economic flexibility and the us
dollar role as the world predominant reserve currency
but it said that over the long term the world biggest economy needs to do
more to get its finances in order
difficult decisions will have to be made regarding spending and tax to underpin
market confidence in the long run sustainability of public finances and the
commitment to low inflation said brian coulton head of global economics at
fitch
in the absence of measures to reduce the budget deficit over the next three to
five years government indebtedness will approach levels by the latter half of
the decade that will bring pressure to bear on the us aaa status coulton
said
having top credit rating is key to keeping interest rates low and getting
access to funds from investors around the world any hint of problem with the
us rating could be shock to the global financial system
fitch said the us government remains exceptionally creditworthy supported by
its pivotal role in the global financial system and flexible diversified and
wealthy economy that provides its revenue base despite an unprecedented
deterioration in fiscal performance
this unparalleled financing flexibility enhances debt tolerance and has
allowed the government to take aggressive counter crisis and counter cyclical
policy measures which now appear to be working in terms of restoring stability
to the us financial sector and the economy
but fitch said washington faces significant medium term fiscal challenges with
sizeable structural deficit narrow tax base limited expenditure
flexibility and exposure to potential interest rate shocks
the us public debt including state and local governments is expected to hit
percent of gross domestic product in and percent in which would
mark the highest level among aaa rated governments fitch said
the us government deficit is estimated by fitch at percent of gdp in
and forecast at percent in and percent in this includes
sizeable structural component that will not be eliminated by the economic
recovery and the unwinding of stimulus measures
fitch said the dollar role as the predominant global reserve currency and the
benchmark status of us treasuries reduce the risk for interest rate shocks
but the high debt burden and the high share of non resident holdings of
government debt at around percent increase the potential for volatility in
us asset prices if foreign investors were to become concerned about public debt
sustainability or risks to the credibility of the monetary policy framework
qaeda threatens to execute french hostage in mali
bamako jan afp
al qaeda said it will kill french hostage held since november unless mali
frees four of its militants from jail within days two us monitoring groups
said on monday
the groups which monitor islamist websites said al qaeda issued its ultimatum in
statement dated january
the mujahedeen have decided to inform the french and malian governments of
their only demand to release the french hostage pierre camatte the release of
our four prisoners one of the sites intelcenter quoted the ultimatum as
saying
but according to an intermediary involved in the negotiations for the
frenchman release in mali al qaeda is also claiming ransom for camatte
they are demanding lot of money to free the french hostage the source said
without specifying the amount
the intermediary who declined to be identified also said the malians and the
french were informed more than week ago of the demands we ve brought them
the news and proof of life of the frenchman
if people are talking like that it negotiating technique said another
source involved in negotiations to free three spanish aid workers kidnapped the
same week as camatte in neighbouring mauritania
the year old camatte from the vosges area in eastern france was abducted
from his hotel in menaka more than kilometres miles from the
capital bamako during the night of november
let france and mali be forewarned that we give days to fulfill our just
demand or the two governments shall be fully responsible for the life of the
french hostage the al qaeda in the islamic maghreb ultimatum said
we also call upon the french public opinion and the hostage family to
pressure french president nicolas sarkozy government to prevent the
repetition of british prime minister gordon brown folly against his british
citizen
aqim had claimed responsibility for the killing of british hostage edwin dyer
who was executed in june six months after being kidnapped in niger near the
mali border
security official in mali said the four militants that aqim wants freed were
picked up months ago in the north of the country
several months ago we arrested four elements of aqim in search operation in
the north the official told afp on condition of anonymity
amongst them there is one person from burkina faso two from mauritania and an
algerian he said without identifying them further
malian and western security forces say camatte was regular visitor to mali
where he cultivates plant known for its anti malaria properties and was being
held by hardline faction within al qaeda north african branch
aqim claimed in video released by pan arab television station al jazeera in
december that it was holding the four europeans
the three spanish volunteers two men and women were travelling in mauritania
in convoy delivering humanitarian aid to west africa when they were kidnapped
on november
they have been identified as albert vilalta alicia gamez and roque
pascual working on behalf of spanish group barcelona accio solidaria
spain el mundo newspaper reported last month that aqim was demanding seven
million dollars and the release of several of its members in return for the
three spaniards
spanish foreign minister miguel angel moratinos on thursday ruled out paying any
ransom for the release of the three
mali security source said last month that the hostages were being held by
hardline faction of aqim led by man called abou zeid who was said to have
been behind the killing of the briton
aqim has also claimed responsibility for the abduction of two italians in
mauritania on december and posted pictures on the internet of the hostages
sergio cicala and philomene kabore
saudi tycoon gears up for investment spree
riyadh jan afp
saudi tycoon prince alwaleed bin talal said on monday he is gearing up his
kingdom holdings group for major new investments including gulf hotels and
one kilometre tall tower in jeddah on the red sea
alwaleed said he was transferring million of his own shares in us banking
giant citigroup into kingdom holdings at no cost to shore up its balance sheet
am very positive about the future he told rare press conference at his
headquarters the kingdom tower skyscraper in riyadh
we are always looking for new investments said alwaleed kingdom chairman
and percent shareholder
the year old nephew of king abdullah said kingdom was in talks on four major
new investments without giving details
but he added that kingdom which owns major luxury brands like the george in
paris the fairmont raffles hotels group and the four seasons hotels group
would invest in new hotel properties in the gulf region and arab world
the injection into kingdom of his own personal shares of citigroup which was
facing severe problems only one year ago will allow the leading saudi
investment house to raise more funds alwaleed said
the transfer of the million shares boosted kingdom assets by million
dollars he said while the bank recovery would bring strong returns to the
group
it is very clear that the worst for citi is over he said citi is on the
right path right now
alwaleed also strongly hinted that kingdom would return to profit in the just
finished fourth quarter of after decreasing losses in each of the previous
three quarters
all the accumulated losses have been wiped out he said
he said kingdom was determined to move ahead on an estimated billion dollar
residential and commercial real estate project in jeddah including skyscraper
that would top metres feet
that would be metres higher than the just crowned world tallest building
in dubai the metre burj khalifa
football malawi algeria teams
luanda jan afp
teams for africa cup of nations group game here on monday
malawi
swadick sanudi ivis kafoteka peter mponda capt james sangala moses
chavula hellings mwakasungula davie banda jospeh kamwendo peter wadabwa
esau kanyenda russell mwafulirwa
coach kinnah phiri
algeria
faouzi chaouchi madjid bougherra rafik halliche nadir belhadj samir zaoui
karim ziani rafik saifi hassan yebda yazid mansouri capt karim matmour
abdelkader ghezzal
coach rabah saadane
referee diatta badari sen
two held in angola after rebel attack on togo team
cabinda angola jan afp
police in angola are holding two suspects in connection with the shooting of the
togolese football team which left two squad members dead officials told afp
monday
two assailants were captured on friday one few minutes after the attack and
the second at the border while crossing into congo brazzaville said macario
lembe the deputy governor of cabinda an angolan enclave inside the democratic
republic of congo where friday attack took place
the first suspect was injured in his left thigh by police who responded when he
opened fire from tree at the togolese bus said lembe adding the suspects
were on monday still being held by police in cabinda
he said there were five attackers in total but the other three remained at
large
the attack occurred as the team bus headed into the oil rich province of cabinda
from the republic of congo where they were to take part in the africa cup of
nations tournament which opened sunday
togo assistant coach amalete abalo and the team media spokesman stanislas
ocloo died in friday attack
nine other people were injured including togo reserve goalkeeper kodjovi
obilale who was flown to south africa for surgery
splinter group of the independence movement flec front for the liberation of
the enclave of cabinda has claimed responsibility for the attack
cabinda has been the scene of long running independence struggle peace deal
was signed in but low level insurgency continues in more remote areas of
the province
the attack has cast shadow on the continent year of football as neighbouring
south africa prepares to host the football world cup in june
we will ask people not to confuse south africa with another country judge
south africa on its own preparations we are percent ready police minister
nathi mthethwa said monday
gurkha veterans lose british court battle on pensions
london jan afp
former gurkha soldiers from nepal lost test case against britain ministry of
defence over pension rights at the high court in london on monday
the ruling came after the british government last year granted gurkha veterans
the right to settle in britain following high profile campaign led by actress
joanna lumley
afp middle east news summary
nicosia jan afp
top middle east stories on monday
yemen germany diplomacy
sanaa german foreign minister guido westerwelle said on surprise visit to
sanaa that yemeni authorities have assured him they know the whereabouts of five
germans and briton held hostage since june
yemen unrest rebels
