chief and an ideologist
words gmt by hammoud mounassar picture video
we have also moved attacks yemen qaeda timeline chrono
attacks yemen qaeda background
pakistan unrest taliban thlead wrap
peshawar pakistan
the pakistani taliban release an audio recording allegedly made of leader
hakimullah mehsud denying he had been killed in us bombing raid as the
military investigated the reports amid continuing drone strikes
words gmt by khan
ukraine vote rdlead wrap
kiev
ukraine presidential election candidates make final effort to appeal for the
support of voters deeply disillusioned with the orange revolution on the last
day of campaigning
words gmt by stuart williams picture graphic video
haiti quake
haiti quake us military ndlead scene
port au prince
troopers from the us army nd airborne division fan out across haiti main
airport sparking angry scenes as they struggle to control crowds desperate to
leave the country
words gmt by dave clark picture
haiti quake crime violence scene
port au prince
daylight in haiti brings accounts of growing anger on the streets of the capital
port au prince with residents fearing machete wielding thieves are sign of
worse violence to come
words gmt by stephane jourdain picture video
haiti quake aid wrap
paris
the un says it will launch an appeal for million dollars from donors
following the earthquake that devastated haiti as the world tiniest nations
dig deep into their pockets to help the victims
words gmt
haiti quake us migration boats focus
miami
the devastation left in the wake of the powerful quake that rocked haiti this
week could spark of wave of immigrants to launch into the sea in desperate bid
to get out of the country us officials say
words gmt by juan castro olivera
haiti quake aid un appeal lead
united nations
the un is set to appeal for million dollars from donors to assist victims of
the earthquake feared to have killed people in haiti as chief ban ki moon
says he will travel to the devastated caribbean island very soon
words gmt
haiti quake aid technology ndlead focus
washington
text haiti to or yele to americans are digging deep for haiti and
sending millions of dollars to relief organizations via innovative mobile phone
giving campaigns
words gmt by karin zeitvogel
haiti quake us migration
miami florida
rights advocates and lawmakers call on the white house to grant special shield
to thousands of haitians living in the united states illegally given the
massive destruction in their homeland
words moved by ruth morris
we have also moved haiti quake aid charity contributions
haiti quake us history focus
haiti quake safrica aristide newseries
americas
us military crime shooting lead
washington
report into the fort hood shooting spree calls for holding accountable
several us military officers who supervised the suspected gunman the probe
authors say
words gmt by dan de luce
us company banking earnings jpmorgan thlead
washington
jpmorgan chase reports big jump in profits to billion dollars in the
fourth quarter highlighting renewed health in the banking sector under intense
scrutiny for hefty executive pay
words gmt by rob lever file picture
us economy inflation rdlead
washington
us consumer prices barely rose in december amid sluggish recovery from
recession official data shows as falling wages pinched spending that drives
most of the world largest economy
words gmt by veronica smith file picture graphic
europe
ukraine vote yanukovich scene
kiev
dancers jive in skimpy dresses and blonde pop stars belt out rousing anthems as
the frontrunner in ukraine presidential elections viktor yanukovich seeks to
shake off his dour image with glitzy end of campaign rally
words gmt by stuart williams picture
africa
guinea unrest politics junta rdlead
ouagadougou
guinea political rivals agree to set up an interim government and hold
elections in six months in deal aimed at ending political crisis exacerbated
by the ruling junta brutal crackdown on opponents
words gmt
asia
afghanistan unrest lead wrap
kabul
us soldier was killed in afghanistan by the type of crude bomb used by taliban
militants in their war against the kabul government as nato reported five afghan
civilians were shot and wounded by troops outside military base
words gmt
lifestyle china homosexuality pageant thlead
beijing
beijing police block china first gay pageant shortly before it is to start
stopping an event billed as heralding new chinese openness about
homosexuality
words moved by marianne barriaux picture
us china it internet google rdlead wrap
beijing
china says that google threat to stop operating in the country will not affect
sino us trade ties after washington pressed for an explanation of china based
cyberattacks on the internet giant
words moved by susan stumme picture graphic
itablet scavenger hunt raises apple hackles
san francisco jan afp
silicon valley gossip website has evidently triggered apple ire by offering
rewards for proof that the notoriously secretive company has made tablet
computer
valleywag com on wednesday offered dollars for bona fide pictures of an
apple tablet dollars for video of one in action and dollars if
apple chief executive steve jobs was in the pictures or video
the reward would jump to dollars if you let us play with it for an
hour the website promised while announcing what it dubbed the apple tablet
scavenger hunt
by friday valleywag had declared apple the first winner of its contest due to
letter it said it received from the iconic california company lawyers
we believe you and your company have crossed the line by offering bounty for
the theft of apple trade secrets an apple lawyer said in copy of the
letter posted online by gawker owned valleywag
apple demands that gawker media discontinue this program and retract the offer
to pay for photos video or samples of apple unannounced product
the valleywag scavenger hunt was still on friday with gawker warning anyone
considering going for the prize not to break the law in the process
silicon valley has been buzzing with rumors that apple will hold press event
the last week of january to unveil an itablet computer that builds on the
popularity of its iphone and ipod touch devices
true to form apple has refused to comment on itablet talk letting anticipation
and speculation build
the specter of an itablet hovered over the international consumer electronics
show in las vegas last week with manufacturers of tablet computers jockeying
for head starts in the marketplace
killed in us missile strikes in nw pakistan officials
miranshah pakistan jan afp
two us drone missile attacks killed at least militants in pakistan tribal
belt on the afghan border friday destroying their compounds pakistani
officials said
the first attack took place friday evening in zanini village near the town of
mir ali about kilometres miles east of miranshah the main town of
restive north waziristan tribal district
us drones fired four missiles at militant compound and at least five
militants were killed senior security official told afp on condition of
anonymity
two intelligence officials in the area and local administrative official also
confirmed the attack and the toll
the officials said that five us drones flew over at low altitude above the area
and two of the drones descended further and fired four missiles at the
militants compound destroying it completely
it was the eighth missile strike by an unmanned us spy plane so far this year
as the administration of us president barack obama puts pakistan at the heart of
its fight against al qaeda and islamist extremists
the second drone attack and the ninth drone strike this month less than two
hours later killed at least six suspected militants at bichi village in the
same region
at least six people believed to be militants were killed in us drone
attack the security official said
two missiles were fired at militant compound in the area which borders with
south waziristan he said
the pakistani taliban released an audio recording allegedly made friday in which
the group leader hakimullah mehsud says he is alive after reports he was
killed in us missile strike
the message came after missiles from unmanned us aircraft pounded the northwest
tribal belt on thursday killing at least militants with some security
officials saying mehsud was among the dead
commodities shaken as china reins in economy
london jan afp
commodity markets were rattled this week as china tightened money supply in
bid to tame economic growth and prevent looming asset bubble analysts said
china one of the biggest consumers of raw materials moved tuesday to rein in
surge of aggressive lending by banks that had raised fears of inflation and an
unhealthy concentration of assets
the nation central bank hiked the minimum amount of money that banks must keep
in reserve for the first time in more than year
it also raised the interest rate on its one year treasury bills after last week
lifting the rate on its three month bills increasing borrowing costs
china move to raise the minimum reserve requirements for chinese banks
brought the entire commodity sector under pressure said commerzbank analysts
in note to clients
oil world crude prices slumped under dollars barrel this week on concerns
over weak energy demand but not before spiking to month high thanks to
recent robust chinese energy data analysts said
in choppy trade new york crude had struck month high of dollars on
monday
china the world second largest energy consumer behind the united states saw
exports surge percent in december after months of declines
chinese oil imports rose to record five million barrels day in december
percent jump compared with the same month in
however prices began tumbling as china moved to tighten lending conditions in
the asian powerhouse economy
the market also fell on expectations of lower energy demand amid the easing
northern hemisphere winter
sentiment has been hit by easing weather predictions higher than expected
stockpiles and indications of tightening in monetary policy in china said
odl markets analyst marius paun
the us department of energy said crude reserves soared million barrels in
the week ending january far more than the consensus forecast for
million barrel gain
distillates including heating fuel and diesel rose million barrels
the doe said confounding forecasts for million barrel drop
distillates are currently in focus amid an ongoing cold snap in the united
states but forecasters have predicted milder weather for the weeks ahead
prices were also impacted by the commodity futures trading commission proposal
thursday to regulate the energy futures market
meanwhile the international energy agency said friday that oil demand in
will be sluggish in the developed world with emerging markets accounting for
any increases and top producers switching supplies to eastern growth markets
the iea also warned of possible downside risks to economic recovery for
members of the organisation for economic cooperation and development which
groups the world richest economies
by late friday new york main futures contract light sweet crude for delivery
in february dived to dollars barrel from dollars week earlier
london brent north sea crude for march delivery plunged to dollars
compared with dollars for the now expired february contract week
earlier
precious metals platinum and palladium hit fresh multi month highs buoyed by
chinese demand and last week us launch of exchange traded funds etfs
platinum rallied as high as dollars per ounce the best level since
august and palladium hit dollars an ounce which was last witnessed in
july that year
the newly launched us platinum group metal exchange traded funds continue to
attract investor interest said barclays capital analysts
the new etfs allow traders to invest money more easily in the commodities
without trading on the futures market
gold meanwhile forged five week peak amid prediction from consultancy gfms
that it would likely hit new historic highs this year thanks to wave of
investment money
this gold market is now almost entirely driven by investment flows gfms
boss paul walker told afp
the flows can come very strongly and drive the price well above dollar
range towards even dollars
gold whose two main drivers are jewellery and investment buyers had smashed
series of records last year on the back of inflationary fears and increasing
moves by central banks to diversify assets away from the dollar
the glamorous metal which is traditionally viewed as safe haven investment
hit record pinnacle of dollars an ounce on december
gfms also forecast wednesday that investment demand for gold would be propelled
by fears of so called double dip recession which would see the battered
world economy plunged back into another downturn
by friday on the london bullion market gold rose to dollars an ounce
from dollars the previous week
silver gained to dollars an ounce from dollars
on the london platinum and palladium market platinum increased to dollars
an ounce from dollars
palladium jumped to dollars an ounce from dollars
base metals base metals mainly fell as many investors re allocated their cash
elsewhere and after china attempted to cool its economy but tin forged
month pinnacle on the back of keen demand
the continued re allocation in commodity indices is contributing to the current
price correction in base metals as most metals weights are being reduced
commerzbank analysts wrote in note
china announcement to raise the minimum reserve requirements for its
domestic banks also weighed on market sentiment
however tin struck dollars reaching the highest level since mid
september
by friday on the london metal exchange copper for delivery in three months fell
to dollars tonne from dollars the previous week
three month aluminium slid to dollars tonne from dollars
three month lead recoiled to dollars tonne from dollars
three month tin increased to dollars tonne from dollars
three month zinc dipped to dollars tonne from dollars
three month nickel declined to dollars tonne from dollars
sugar sugar prices ran into profit taking after scoring year highs the
previous week on forecasts of lower output from india
by friday on the new york board of trade nybot the price of unrefined sugar
for march dipped to us cents pound from cents on thursday of the
previous week
on liffe london futures exchange the price of tonne of white sugar for
delivery in march fell to pounds from pounds
cocoa prices soared close to year pinnacle on news of resurgent demand for
the raw material that is mostly used to make chocolate
in london cocoa struck pounds tonne which was whisker away from
the dollars hit on december that was last seen in october
news about pick up in demand was the major underlying price driver said
commerzbank analysts in note
accordingly the cocoa processing volume in europe rose by percent year on
year during the fourth quarter of the first increase in one year
germany where cocoa processing companies reported an annual increase of
percent was largely attributable for this increase
by friday on liffe the price of cocoa for delivery in march rose to
pounds tonne from pounds the previous week
on the nybot the march cocoa contract gained to dollars tonne from
dollars
coffee coffee prices drifted lower in quiet trade
by friday on liffe robusta for delivery in march eased to dollars tonne
from dollars the previous week
on the nybot arabica for march fell to us cents pound from
cents
grains and soya grains and soya prices dipped on news of record corn crop in
the united states
by friday on the chicago board of trade maize for delivery in march fell to
dollars bushel from dollars the previous week
march dated soyabean meal used in animal feed sank to dollars from
dollars
wheat for march declined to dollars bushel from dollars
bosnian born war crimes suspect remanded in custody in sweden
stockholm jan afp
stockholm court decided on friday to remand in custody bosnian born swede
suspected of committing war crimes against serbs in during the bosnian war
his lawyer told afp
the year old man is to stay in custody for one month so far ve yet to
decide whether we ll appeal the custody order or not ola salomonsson told
afp
the man whose name has not been released was arrested in northern sweden
tuesday
he is suspected of war crimes murder kidnapping and being an accessory to
kidnapping between may and august when he was prison guard at detention
camp for bosnian serb civilians the swedish prosecution authority said in
statement tuesday
salomonsson told afp friday his client denied all the crimes that the
prosecutor stated
the prosecution authority said the suspect arrest was the result of
lengthy investigation during which people were questioned and for which
numerous countries as well as the un war crimes tribunal for the former
yugoslavia in the hague cooperated with sweden in the investigation
us tv to air global haiti fundraiser
new york jan afp
us tv networks announced friday they will air two hour global telethon
fundraiser for earthquake victims in haiti next week
music channel mtv will present hope for haiti airing uninterrupted across
abc cbs nbc fox cnn hbo and other major networks
the telethon will be hosted by cnn star reporter anderson cooper in haiti
actor george clooney in los angeles and rapper wyclef jean in new york
proceeds will be split between oxfam america partners in health the red cross
unicef and the yele haiti foundation the five organizations currently
operating in the stricken caribbean nation
facebook and myspace will also join to drum up donations
patients die in cuba mental hospital official
havana jan afp
twenty six patients at havana psychiatric hospital have died as result of
cold weather in the past week prompting an investigation into possible
negligence the government said friday
we have seen an increase in deaths among patients in the last week
government statement said they are related to the long spell of cold weather
that has occurred
patients die in cuba mental hospital official
havana jan afp
twenty six patients at havana psychiatric hospital have died as result of
cold weather in the past week prompting an investigation into possible
negligence the government said friday
we have seen an increase in deaths among patients in the last week
government statement said they are related to the long spell of cold weather
that has occurred
rugbyu stade prop attoub guilty of gouging
paris jan afp
stade francais prop david attoub was found guilty of gouging on friday and now
faces season ending ban
attoub was cited for gouging ulster lock stephen ferris during stormy european
cup clash in belfast on december
after the initial hearing had been adjourned for more evidence to be gathered
european cup rugby disciplinary panel on friday decided the player was guilty
his punishment will be decided at later date
the independent judicial officer found that an act of foul play had occurred in
that attoub had made contact with the eye eye area of ulster player stephen
ferris said statement
the ban is likely to be lengthy after team mate and scrum half julien dupuy was
handed week ban for gouging the same player in the same tie
dupuy appealed but his ban was only cut by week
football algeria press turn their backs on national team
luanda jan afp
the relationship between algeria press and the national team reached new low
at the africa cup of nations here friday when the travelling media pack was
refused entry into training session
in protest algerian journalists formed human wall and turned their backs on
the players as they left the behind closed doors session at luanda escoqueirus
stadium
algeria coach rabah saadane has been upset at the flak his side have received
from the country media generated by the team dismal opening cup defeat
to malawi on monday
after algeria defeat of mali in their second game on thursday he made
clear his displeasure when he told the team local media in the post match
press conference this win is the perfect answer to all our critics
friday training was originally planned as an open session with bus full of
algerian journalists turning up at the training ground only to find they were
refused admission
then followed their unprecedented protest not one acknowledging players like
rangers defender madjid bougherra or portsmouth duo nadir belhadj and hassan
yebda as they made their way to the team bus and back to their hotel
saadane kept silent and it was left to algeria sports minister hachemi djiar
to try and act as peacemaker in the damaging row between the two sides
holding private training session was not move against the press he told
afp
what would be the point in that we need everyone to work together
the coach decided to hold it behind closed dooors so as to help concentrate the
minds of the players with an important game coming up against angola on monday
the algerian journalists who numbered around looked on sceptically
one of their number said the team are upset because we criticised them after
they lost so badly to malawi surely that our job to criticise constructively
whhen things aren right
for example the coach used marseille as training base before the competition
the temperatures were freezing there so why did he choose that place and then
blame the hot and humid conditions for last monday defeat
he should have chosen base better suited to getting the players acclimatised
to the conditions they were going to face in angola
algeria are one of six teams competing at the africa cup of nations who are
using the competition as dress rehearsal for the world cup where the desert
foxes are drawn in first round group which includes england the united
states and slovenia
us troops reach haiti amid fears of unrest
port au prince jan afp
us troops began pouring into quake hit haiti friday to start unblocking tons of
aid amid growing fears of violence with millions left destitute and scores still
trapped in the rubble
sporadic looting has already broken out amid mounting frustration in one of the
world poorest nations as quake victims clamor for badly needed food water
and medical aid three days after tuesday quake
as long as the people are hungry and thirsty as long as we haven fixed the
problem of shelter we run the risk of riots warned brazilian defense minister
nelson jobim after visit to the capital port au prince
un officials on the ground pleaded for more medical and food aid for survivors
amid estimates that some three million people third of the population
had been affected
we really need to focus on the living and what we can do for them nicholas
reader spokesman for the united nations office for the coordination of
humanitarian affairs ocha told afp at the capital airport
there were angry chaotic scenes at the airport deluged by both incoming aid
supplies and people frantic to leave the caribbean nation
back up back up not trying to be rude but you ve got to back up
soldier shouted as french official tried to lead group of french nationals
into the terminal
troopers from the us army nd airborne division were the first of an
estimated due to pour into the country over the course of the day and
swiftly moved to secure the airport and get the backlog of aid flowing
the united states is deploying as many as troops to haiti over the next
few days although many will remain on an armada of naval vessels gathering
offshore led by the aircraft carrier uss vinson the pentagon said
the toussaint louverture international airport the hub of ballooning
international relief effort is brimming with air force transports from dozen
nations unloading humanitarian and military supplies on the tarmac
the nuclear powered us aircraft carrier uss carl vinson also arrived in the
caribbean nation equipped with helicopters water purification plant and
carrying tons of medicines
an estimated people have been left homeless in the devastation wrought
by the earthquake with one in homes in the capital destroyed the un said
friday
with thousands of bodies still piled up on the streets of the capital rotting
in the tropical heat there was also race against time to reach any survivors
still in the ruins and treat those who were badly injured
for three days and nights volunteers have clawed through piles of concrete and
twisted metal looking for survivors without any heavy lifting equipment
did what could it tough said mark henry cineus an employee at the
city tax office who worked in vain for nine hours to save colleague trapped
in the rubble who finally succumbed to massive heart attack late thursday
president barack obama finally reached haiti president rene preval by
telephone friday and offered full support in earthquake relief aid and long
term rebuilding
he warned difficult days lay ahead noting the nation main port was closed
roads were damaged and severe logistical problems loomed
so many people are in need of assistance the port continues to be closed and
the roads are damaged food is scarce and so is water he said later in
brief white house statement
un officials urged countries to stop sending search and rescue teams into the
aid logjam but called for doctors and medical personnel to treat thousands of
casualties suffering crush injuries or fractures
every street has its row of corpses and crowds of wandering refugees under the
pancaked wreck of dress store one woman cried out faintly for help
they re going to die they re going to die spat jean rald rocher as he and
other volunteers clawed vainly at the concrete and twisted metal pinning her and
at least one other woman who showed signs of life
at nursing training school some nurses had had time to huddle together before
their building collapsed one continued to cry under the rubble for day
witnesses told afp none survived
the international committee of the red cross said the quake the largest to hit
the caribbean country in more than years had killed to
people after haitian officials earlier warned the toll may exceed
thousands remained unaccounted for including more than canadians
in the agonizing wait for help some residents have erected makeshift shelters
with sheets and covers others trekked with their meager belongings looking for
refuge outside the city
ruling party lawmaker arrested in japan prosecutors
tokyo jan afp
prosecutors friday arrested lawmaker from japan ruling party over growing
political funding scandal further damaging the troubled government and its
political kingpin
tomohiro ishikawa lower house member of the democratic party of japan
was held over accounting irregularities at political funding group run by
ichiro ozawa dpj secretary general tokyo prosecutors said in brief
statement
ishikawa arrest came as investigators probe separate funding scandal
involving prime minister yukio hatoyama whose centre left government took power
four months ago in landslide win masterminded by ozawa
hatoyama said he was surprised by the arrest of ishikawa who once worked as
ozawa aide before winning his seat
am seriously surprised by the arrest of mr ishikawa sitting lawmaker from
the democratic party of japan hatoyama said in statement to japanese press
according to national network japan broadcasting corp nhk
want to monitor the situation since have no knowledge about the
investigation said hatoyama who once served as the right hand man for
year old ozawa veteran backroom fixer nicknamed the shadow shogun
the arrest came two days after special investigation unit from the tokyo
district prosecutors office raided offices related to ozawa
