plunged to their worst level post independence
he spent much energy on historical issues close to his heart insisting that the
deaths from starvation of several million ukrainians in the under soviet
dictator josef stalin should be recognized as genocide
such focus was hardly surprising from the former central bank chief who shows
an interest bordering on an obsession in ukraine heritage and makes point of
climbing its highest mountain hoverla every year
as ukrainian politics lurched from one crisis to another the urgent challenges
facing the country ending corruption and improving state efficiency were
left unanswered
yushchenko biggest achievement was to get elected in the first place his
first big mistake was then not to govern as he campaigned said ukraine expert
andrew wilson of the european council on foreign relations
yushchenko main interests outside work are said to be bee keeping and
collecting ukrainian folk art and he adopted an aloof pose of intellectual
superiority in the chaotic world of ukrainian politics
am not politician am an economist do not like politics he said this
week describing himself as black sheep
and as the economy faltered badly in the global slowdown yushchenko attention
appeared more concentrated on bitter personal row with his one time orange
revolution ally turned nemesis prime minister yulia tymoshenko
such hatred meant yushchenko has spent the election campaign seeking to destroy
her charachter and dredge up muck from her past ironically boosting the
campaign of his defeated rival in the pro russia viktor yanukovich
the poisoning that ravaged yushchenko face was initially blamed on agents
working for russia
with the case still mysteriously underinvestigated his supporters and several
medical experts have blamed deliberate dioxin poisoning while others insist on
natural explanation his face has now largely recovered
olympics figure skating bluffer guide
vancouver jan afp
afp bluffer guide to figure skating at the winter olympics
figure skating how can an event where you smile dance and don bizarre
sparkling costumes be considered sport
despite the attempt to look effortless figure skating mixes art and huge
amount of athleticism with high speed jumps steps and spins although in the
end like gymnastics and boxing it subjective sport with marks awarded by
judges
how many events are there in figure skating
figure skating comprises four disciplines men and women referred to as
ladies pairs and ice dancing
where does it get its name from
figure skating was named for the art form which involved executing set
patterns or the figure eight on the ice which were then measured by judges
this tedious business was scrapped in as result of more demanding tv
interests now there are two sections the short programme techncial which
lasts two and half minutes and the long programme freeskate of four minutes
for the women and four and half for men ice dancing has three routines the
compulsory dance original dance and free dance
what is the difference between ice dancing and pairs skating
both look similar but are very different ice dancing is ballroom dancing on
ice while in pairs the man lifts the woman over his head and they perform
acrobatic moves spins are done in both but pairs also involves diffciult solo
jumps and spins done in unison
axels lutz toe loops what are the differences between the jumps
the difference is very small with the number of turns within the jump that
changes the difficulty the two types of jumps are edge jumps axel salchow
and loop and toe assisted jumps the toe loop flip and lutz an edge jump is
when the takeoff is from the edge of the blade while toe assisted leap is when
the skater digs the serrated front edge of the blade into the ice to help propel
himself off the ice
isn there always voting controversy in figure skating
the turin games saw the introduction of new system aimed at eliminating
vote rigging after the olympics pairs gold had to be shared when it emerged
there collusion between the french and russian judges the old maximum mark
was dumped and cumulatve points system introduced where each programmed is
given technical score and programme components score
olympics pretenders line up to take plushenko crown
paris jan afp
defending champion yevgeny plushenko has been lured out of retirement by the
dream of second olympic gold but the pretenders will be lining up to take the
russian crown in vancouver
in turin four years ago plushenko blew away the opposition to claim his first
olympic title after winning silver in
the year old retired after his turin success following knee problems
but the skater from st petersburg is now back and bidding to keep the title in
russian hands for the fifth consecutive games
gold would also see the three time world champion surpass the exploits of his
once great rival alexei yagudin who won gold ahead of him at the salt lake
city games
if he were to win in vancouver he would become just the third man to claim
consecutive titles and first since dick button successfully defended his at the
oslo games
the maestro showed he still has the golden touch by capturing the cup of russia
the only grand prix event he competed in this season and his first international
competition since
the real test for him however will be the european championships in talinn
estonia which start on tuesday
one thing is sure the russian can expect battle from challengers including
world champion evan lysacek and fellow american jeremy abbott former two time
world champion stephane lambiel of switzerland and france brian joubert
japan daisuke takahashi and nobunari oda canada patrick chan and czech
tomas verner are also in the running
year after thigh injury forced him to announce his retirement olympic
silver medallist lambiel is back challenging in one final games
the gold medal is possible said lambiel who will also be testing his form in
his first major competition for nearly two years at the europeans
lysacek placed fourth in turin but at the world championships in los
angeles he skated near perfect routine to win gold
the american lost out to oda in the cup of china this season but hit back by
stealing oda thunder at the grand prix final in tokyo with personal bests in
the short programme free skate and overall scorre
oda has shown his form with two grand prix wins in paris and china but finished
second at the japanese nationals behind former world silver medallist takahashi
who has returned after knee surgery which forced the world silver medallist
to miss the season
both oda and takahashi would love nothing more than to become the first japanese
man to claim an olympic figure skating medal
world runner up chan returning following calf injury will also be
competing in his first olympics with the dream of gold for the hosts
former world champion joubert has the experience as he competes in his third
olympics but is also fighting back from right foot injury
the year old frenchman placed just fourth at the paris grand prix but
bounced back to win the nhk trophy in japan before injury struck
although the last two world championships have been won without quadruple
jump it could prove the difference between gold and podium finish in
vancouver where changing of the guard is assured with older veterans up
against younger stars hoping to make big impression
olympics asian skating queens set to dominate
paris jan afp
the long running rivalry between south korea kim yu na and japan mao asada
is set to spice up the women figure skating competition at the winter
olympics
the fact that world champion kim has dominated the season so far and asada the
world champion has struggled takes nothing away from the much anticiplated
clash between the year old rivals
kim is the hot favourite having lost just twice in the past two seasons both
times to asada at the worlds and the grand prix final
and she opened this season in impressive fashion winning the trophee eric
bompard in paris by beating asada with the highest ever women total score with
points
although canada joannie rochette will be hoping to rise to the occasion in
front of her home crowd the battle for gold in vancouver looks set to be an
asian one between kim asada and japan miki ando
kim asada and ando have won the last three world titles
and of the nine medals on offer over the last three world championships the
trio have won seven with ando leading sweep ahead of asada and kim in
asada failed to qualify for the grand prix final after finishing fifth at the
cup of russia
but she has come back sealing her berth to vancouver by winning the japanese
championships scoring personal best in the free skate and overall with
putting her closer to kim world record
asada admits that the rivalry has helped her over her poor year
kim has been good source of inspiration for me said asada
both will be competing in their first olympics after missing the turin
games because they were too young to be eligible to compete
ando competed at the turin olympics where she finished disappointing th
this year she has won the cup of russia and the nhk trophy but was runner up
behind kim at the grand prix final
once best known for her jumps ando who landed the first and only quad by
woman in competition back in has become more rounded skater and coached
by russian nikolai morozov who helped shizuka arakawa to surprise gold in
turin four years ago is hoping to emulate her countrywoman
the third member of the japanese team is akiko suzuki who won the cup of china
placed second at nationals and third at the grand prix final and is also eyeing
podium spot
the year old finished third at last year worlds behind kim and rochette
who is hoping to put the hosts on the women podium for the first time in
years despite mixed season
meanwhile former giants the united states could find themselves off the
women podium for the first time since the innsbruck games
olympic silver medallist sasha cohen who has not skated internationally since
has returned to competition but was forced to pull out of skate america
and the trophee eric bompard with tendinitis in her right calf
she is nevertheless hoping to qualify meaning vancouver would be her first
major competition in four years
but the olympic games can always spring surprises with the last three women
champions tara lipinsky sarah hughes and arakawa not the favourites
ukraine tigress sinks teeth into presidency
kiev jan afp
ukraine iron lady the gas princess lady yu tigriulia
as befits pragmatic politician known for readily shifting allegiances
ukraine charismatic prime minister yulia tymoshenko has seen variety of
incarnations over the last years
in campaign posters for sunday first round of presidential elections
tymoshenko has been shown in new pose fondling bengal white tigress cub she
received as gift last year the name of the animal tigriulia
if tymoshenko is to pull back the deficit to her main rival viktor yanukovich in
time for the expected run off vote on february she will need to call on all
her feline snarl and cunning
thanks to witty campaign that at one stage took to styling tymoshenko
simply as vona she analysts believe the prime minister has just enough time
and skill to have chance of catching up
always deeply conscious of her image tymoshenko traditional golden hair braid
tied on top of her head has become one of the iconic images of post soviet
ukraine
tymoshenko presidency would be just the latest chapter in an extraordinary
career that has seen her briefly held in jail reportedly make fortune as an
oligarch and emerge as champion of ukrainian nationalism
tymoshenko has traditionally been seen as pro western figure compared with
the pro russian lilt of yanukovich in may she published an article in
foreign affairs magazine denouncing moscow imperial ambitions
but she has repeatedly shown capacity to change her political skin when the
need arises and in the last two years struck more pro russian tone
she signed the deal with russian prime minister vladimir putin that ended the
new year gas standoff and held conspicuously warm summit meeting with him
in november
born in the central industrial city of dnipropetrovsk tymoshenko won prominence
and allegedly huge wealth in the chaotic as chief executive of united
energy systems of ukraine which imported russian gas
she was briefly arrested and detained in february but the charges of
forgery and gas smuggling were annulled her supporters insist the affair was
linked to her opposition to then president leonid kuchma
her businessman husband olexander whom she married as teenager was
implicated in the same scandal and spent one year in jail and then two more
years in hiding from the authorities
tymoshenko was the chief comrade in arms of president viktor yushchenko in the
orange revolution that swept the old pro kuchma order from power and has
served twice as prime minister under his presidency
but despite chronic financial crisis the pair relationship descended into
sometimes comical bickering
the tymoshenkos daughter yevgenia meanwhile sparked tabloid interest in
with her marriage to sean carr british heavy rock musician
china confirms eight nationals dead in haiti quake report
beijing jan afp
china said sunday the bodies of eight nationals buried in haiti devastating
earthquake had been found state media reported
quoting the nation ministry of public security the official xinhua news
agency said the victims were members of china peacekeeping team in the country
and police officers
huge magnitude earthquake hit haiti on tuesday leaving tens of thousands
of dead in the capital port au prince and surrounding areas
the quake toppled buildings including the headquarters of the un mission which
has run peacekeeping operations in haiti since
china foreign ministry spokeswoman jiang yu said thursday that four nationals
buried in the rubble were part of the un peacekeeping mission while another four
were from working group sent by the public security ministry
jiang confirmed all other chinese in haiti were safe including more than un
peacekeepers
the bodies of the eight dead comrades will be repatriated back to china as soon
as possible xinhua said
the public security ministry was unavailable for comment
china has sent chinese rescue personnel and load of relief supplies to
haiti amid mounting fears for the thousands still trapped under the ruins
china central government has also said the chinese red cross society will
donate one million dollars in aid supplies
olympics alpine skiing races at the winter olympic games
vancouver canada jan afp
the winter olympic games in vancouver are between february with the
alpine skiing forming an essential part of the two week event
as in the season to season world cup male and female skiers race in four
disciplines two speed races in the downhill and super and two technical
races in the slalom and giant slalom
the super combined event incorporating downhill and slalom completes the
line up
speed events
downhill
the self proclaimed blue riband event of alpine skiing the rules for which were
drawn up by briton sir arnold lunn in is bone rattling danger laden
race which regularly features gruesome crashes
dressed only in figure hugging catsuits and helmets the skiing speed kings
and queens hurtle down long steep and icy slopes at speeds sometimes topping
kph with an altitude drop of metres for men and for
women
the margin of error over the one run race is tiny for skiers who put their trust
into physical form and technical proficiency on the two skis strapped to their
feet
given the risk involved in downhill racing skiers have the chance to try out
the course three times in training and enjoy regular pre race course
inspections
super
the super giant slalom or the super as it is more commonly known combines
elements of the downhill and the giant slalom and is decided over one race
skiers must negotiate widely spaced gates as in giant slalom over long
course with speeds approaching those in downhill over course that drops
for men and for women
the minimum number of gates for men is and for women
unlike the downhill skiers do not have the chance of pre race training run
only one hour visual inspection on the morning of the race
technical events
slalom
the slalom is the slowest of all the alpine skiing disciplines but also the
trickiest and most technical featuring the shortest course but gates that are
closer together
skiers are obliged to make quick rapid fire turns over two runs on the same
slope one centimetre out with turn and skier risks adding himself to the
estimated percent of the field that does not complete the course or is
disqualified for straddling or missing gate
the men have to negotiate between gates the women marked with
alternating red and blue poles
the skiers are not allowed to have any practice runs on the actual course but
are allowed to ski alongside the course in one hour pre race inspection
giant slalom
giant slalom demands that skiers pass through series of gates not as close to
each other as the slalom but not as displaced as the super
the number of gates for men is between and for women with an
altitude drop of for the former and for the latter
the discipline is raced over two runs on the same slope with the starting order
for the second run dependant on results from the first run the skier placed
th will start with the leader running last
skiers do not have the chance of pre race training run only one hour visual
inspection on the morning of the race
others
super combined
the super combined discipline comprises slalom and downhill the winner
being the skier with the fastest aggregate time
the two runs are held on the same day with the skiers having the benefit of
having trained on the downhill course
olympics alpine skiing bluffer guide
vancouver canada jan afp
afp bluffer guide to alpine skiing at the winter olympics
alpine skiing that done by people from the alps yeah
well sort of racers from the alpine heartlands of austria france italy and
switzerland dominate start lists but the most successful women skier at the
moment is american lindsey vonn
and are they all rich
no not at all most racers are born and raised in the mountains and are
definitely not your moneyed weekend recreational skiers relying primarily on
sponsors and equipment deals to see them through long season that involves
much travel in north america and europe
isn it just question of strapping on some skis and bombing down the hill
suppose the answer to that must be definitive yes but there are
actually four disciplines in alpine skiing two speed events downhill and
super and two technical slalom and giant slalom with combined race of one
speed and one technical event
what does that mean
racers change equipment to suit the particular disciplines the faster the
event the longer the skis to aid gliding the shorter the event the shorter
the skis in bid to maximise grip and edge for sharper turns poles also change
design while waxing of skis can also cut vital hundredths of seconds off time
and what with the outfits
goggles helmets and gloves are given racers also wear all in one lycra
catsuits that are skintight to cut down on wind drag they are often multi
coloured and laden with sponsors badges normally peeled over backbraces
speaking of backbraces everyone loves to see great crash
there is no doubt that the downhill and super events are incredibly
dangerous with skiers often hitting speeds of kph and sometimes
unfortunately losing control crashes are part and parcel of the sport but
authorities are trying to cut down on them
how can they do that
race organisers under supervision from the international ski federation
fis oversee the pre race grooming of courses transforming them from already
testing runs into treacherous and icy pistes the injection of water to aid the
icing of gruelling courses has been cut down
isn skiing down steep icy slopes more than just little stomach churning
it certainly is skiers put their trust in their own tip top physical
condition and the growing technological advances in ski equipment most racers
will not admit to having death wish as such but they do take almost maniacal
pleasure in revelling in the most testing of conditions
so are top skiers like formula one drivers just racers with access to the
best equipment winning the day
while it is moot point that grand prix races are often won by the car with
the fastest engine there is no way the skier with the fastest skis will ever
win if his technique is anything less than spot on
and what the story with all the cowbells you always see and hear at ski
events
fine if slightly annoying testament to the sport fans from the
hinterlands of switzerland where skiing is the national sport
so do you see racers hailing from outside the traditional skiing areas
to an extent the olympics attracts skiers from snowy outposts such as india
iran lebanon and mongolia however many racers you see from more obscure
african or asian countries are likely skiing for adopted countries
olympics vonn eyes vancouver golden treble
paris jan afp
american star lindsey vonn is set to make up for her olympic heartbreak in turin
by targeting at least three golds at the vancouver games
it may seem bold objective given the fact that for many athletes the
olympics represent career highlight
however statistics speak for themselves and even some of vonn closest rivals
admit they can do little to stop the american dominating the coveted speed
events in vancouver
she unbeatable at least on some of the downhill courses germany maria
riesch said at the val isere round of the women world cup in december where
vonn won super combined and placed third in the super
since then the year old vonn has left the likes of riesch picking up the
crumbs skiing confidently towards third consecutive overall world cup title
winning five downhills super combined and super in the process
at haus im ennstal in austria last week she joined the elite few to have
achieved clean sweep of three races in single weekend when she won two
downhills and super
as well as leading the world cup overall competition in what appears two woman
race with her great friend riesch vonn has tightened her grip on the downhill
and super standings and also leads the super combined
with the super combined downhill and super all held within six days in
vancouver beginning february vonn most recent successes have left her with
the confidence she needs ahead of the olympic challenge
after training accident curtailed her ambitions in turin four years ago vonn
both mentally and physically could not be in better place
it good to know that can do it vonn said last week after her impressve
hat trick gave her her th win of her career
there was definitely little bit more pressure because everybody was wanting
me to do the three in row and wanted to do it myself
so it just good to know can ski under pressure and it just gives me more
and more confidence going into vancouver
at whistler franz run will host the women competition
in the super combined vonn downhill skills are likely to give her the kind of
cushion she needs for the second leg slalom not her strongest event
three days later she will bid to succeed retired downill defending champion
michaela dorfmeister the austrian also won the super in turin and vonn will
start that race as favourite on february
from there things get more complicated for the american who is less at ease in
the technical events
germany kathrin hoelzl is the current world cup giant slalom leader but she is
likely to be pushed all the way by kathrin zettel currently third in the world
cup race
riesch whose early career was curtailed by injury which robbed her of two
seasons admitted she has just had to get used to seeing vonn win all the time
although she is putting up fight
the big german currently leads the women world cup slalom competition and will
likely battle austria marlies schild and frenchwoman sandrine aubert for the
olympic title
however riesch an all rounder who is second to vonn in the world cup overall
and downhill standings remains one of the few women capable of upsetting the
american in the blue riband event
ban to visit haiti the un worst ever disaster
united nations jan afp
un chief ban ki moon pays lightning visit to haiti sunday after the worst
disaster in the world body history dealt crippling blow to the strong
mission there
ban will assess the caribbean nation needs in the wake of tuesday
devastating earthquake and attempt to boost the shattered morale of the
brazilian led united nations stabilization mission in haiti minustah
he said friday that his one day visit aimed to show his solidarity with the
people of haiti and un staff and to assess the humanitarian assistance effort
and the scale of the disaster for himself
the un secretary general is expected to meet haitian president rene preval and
pledge the world body full support in the wake of the disaster which could
have claimed more than lives
on the eve of his departure ban grimly confirmed that minustah civilian chief
hedi hannabi his brazilian deputy luiz carlos da costa and acting police
commissioner doug coates of the royal canadian mounted police were confirmed
to have died
the united nations was his life and he ranked amongst its most dedicated and
committed sons the un boss said of annabi veteran tunisian un
troubleshooter
annabi was meeting with visiting chinese police delegation when the quake
flattened minustah main headquarters building in port au prince christopher
hotel building
ban has sent edmond mulet top un peacekeeping official and annabi
predecessor to port au prince to take charge of the decapitated minustah in an
interim capacity
the three deaths announced saturday brought to the number of un staffers
confirmed dead in the quake with nearly others still unaccounted for
accompanying ban will be un development program head helen clark top un
peacekeeper alain leroy un humanitarian chief john holmes and susana malcorra
who is in charge of the world body field support operations
holmes on friday appealed for million dollars from the world community to
help three million quake victims in the western hemisphere poorest country for
period of six months
the money is to be used for urgently needed food water and sanitation medical
supplies tents and blankets logistics and education
ban last toured haiti with former us president bill clinton in march to
urge the international community to aid the island nation after it was battered
by hurricanes the previous year
clinton named by ban last may as un special envoy to haiti joined us
president barack obama and another former president george bush to issue
united appeal for haiti quake victims
olympics janka spearheading swiss charge in vancouver
paris jan afp
the men winter olympic alpine skiing events promise to be mouth watering
showdown between powerhouses austria and switzerland with handful of other
racers bidding to upset their likely podium dominance
austria dominated the turin games in winning total of medals four
gold five silver and five bronze with the united states claiming two golds
and croatia taking third place on the medal table with gold and two silvers
benjamin raich led the rout with two golds in the giant slalom and slalom and
it should have been three but for missed gate in the slalom of the super
combined which handed american ted ligety gold
raich will again spearhead the austrian team shorn of the talismanic figure of
hermann maier now retired after sparkling career but revelling in the
youthful exuberance of the likes of marcel hirscher
the swiss team misfired in turin the men winning just two bronzes through bruno
kernen downhill and ambrosi hoffman super but bounced back at last year
world championships
and this time around at the olympics they are sure to be potent force
youngster carlo janka heading up team that also boasts veterans didier cuche
and didier defago
janka claimed world giant slalom gold at val isere ahead of raich as well
as downhill bronze with cuche taking super gold and downhill silver
the year old janka has laid out his claims for skiing super stardom setting
this season world cup alight by sweeping the board at beaver creek and
latterly winning the testing wengen downhill the longest and most gruelling on
the circuit
the only other austrian medal in the championships was gold for manfred
pranger in the slalom and the shortest race in alpine skiing promises to be
hotly contended in the canadian resort town of whistler
french hopes were shattered with the withdrawal of jean baptiste grange and now
lie on the shoulders of julien lizeroux silver medallist at last season
championships
croatian ivica kostelic also seems to have made miraculous return from sixth
knee operation to push himself into the reckoning
but they will be up against the austrian duo of reinfried herbst and pranger as
well as raich
aksel lund svindal should not be counted out in the speed events the towering
norwegian always threat on his day as shown when he picked up super
combined gold and super bronze in val isere
slovenian andrej jerman is also another who should not be discounted after
shining on the downhill circuit winning at bormio
canada manuel osborne paradis the host country main medal hope after
reigning world downhill champion john kucera suffered broken leg won the
downhill at val gardena and notched up second place at wengen
compatriots robbie dixon and erik guay will also look to shine on home snow
with world slalom bronze medallist michael janyk hoping to replicate that form
italian hopes will lie with manfred moelgg and werner fill in the downhill and
massimiliano blardone in the giant slalom with davide simoncelli an outside bet
in the same event
ligety could again be threat in this discipline and who could write off bode
miller
the one time bad boy of skiing has rejoined the us team and after season in
the wilderness seems back to his fighting best with comprehensive win in the
