with the help of the internet
they broadly disseminated information to distort reality and make people
disbelieve party and state leadership the charge said
although the defendants did not enter formal pleas dinh and trung told the
court in ho chi minh city the former saigon that they had violated the law
thuc testified that he wanted to warn people about socio economic problems like
corruption
my behaviour did not violate the law he said admitting that he signed
confession saying he had called for multi party system
but he alleged he was mistreated during the investigation process which was
not conducted in accordance with the law
all except long were accused of having links to the banned democratic party of
vietnam dpv which dinh testified wants to establish multiparty system and
calls for pluralism
what did violated the law dinh said
the dpv which the indictment says seeks to overthrow the government has its
roots in the communist party it was dissolved in the but revived in
by hoang minh chinh former communist official turned dissident who died in
trung also testified that he violated the law and had been immature
he and the others are accused of preparing dozens of anti state documents and
blogs
thuc foresaw the elimination of the communist party by dinh drafted new
constitution while trung together with students in france established
democratic youth movement the indictment said
long testified that he and thuc were part of group that discussed socio
economic issues and ways to develop the country
long who admitted writing articles and sending them to foreign radio service
said think my discussion is natural and it within my citizen rights
neither relatives of the accused nor foreign journalists and diplomats were
allowed into the courtroom and watched the trial via closed circuit television
dozens of police surrounded the people court complex in central ho chi minh
where the defendants were arrested between may and july last year
dinh arrest in particular sparked concern in europe and the united states and
among global association of lawyers human rights watchdogs and press freedom
groups
their real crime in the eyes of the authorities was to have requested more
freedoms said press freedom watchdog reporters without borders
us consul general kenneth fairfax who monitored the trial said the case
related to exercise of free speech and called for their release
toyota to join lithium project in argentina
tokyo jan afp
toyota motor trading company said wednesday that it would join project to
tap lithium deposits in argentina securing supplies for the auto giant hybrid
and electric cars
toyota tsusho corp said it would team up with australia orocobre ltd to
develop the project in the salar de olaroz salt lake in northwestern argentina
becoming the first japanese firm to acquire rights to extract lithium
the company the sole trading company of the toyota group wants to start
tapping the deposits from
the deal comes as toyota prepares to ramp up production of hybrid vehicles
which use lithium batteries to meet the robust global demand for
environmentally sound vehicles
major economies are vying to secure rare metal resources for production of
lithium batteries for use in cars as well as electronics such as cellphones
computers and music players
toyota tsusho will pay million us dollars to fund feasibility study and
other projects before the actual development with view to taking percent
interest in the joint venture in the future orocobre said
the deal would allow the australian mining company to link up with toyota motor
as well as its partners such as electronics giants panasonic and sanyo orocobre
managing director richard seville said
these companies have significant expertise and understanding of supply
requirements he said
vietnam begins work to conserve ancient citadel
hanoi jan afp
vietnam wednesday began work on project to conserve the ancient citadel in
hanoi which later this year celebrates its th anniversary as the country
seat of power officials said
the effort comes ahead of the anniversary when the citadel ruins are expected
to be recognised by unesco as world heritage site said ngo thi thanh hang
vice chairwoman of the hanoi people committee the local government
japan is providing more than million dollars for the three year project
which aims to support archeological and other studies identify conservation
measures and develop local expertise she said in statement
conservation of the site is worthwhile not only because of its priceless
cultural and historical value but also because it is located in the centre of
rapidly expanding city the people committee and the united nations
educational scientific and cultural organization unesco said in joint
statement
the efforts to overcome these challenges would make this site an important
model for many similar sites across asia
hanoi became the capital of vietnam in under the ly dynasty and was then
known as thang long or ascending dragon symbolising the desire for
independence after millennium of chinese domination
the remains of the ancient citadel and relics from feudal dynasties were first
discovered about eight years ago during excavation work to build new national
assembly in the centre of the capital putting construction on hold
archeologists found thousands of artifacts including terracotta figures of
dragons and phoenix heads ceramics cannon swords and coins
the dig unearthed ancient palace foundations and the remains of the central
forbidden city with ruins dating back years to the chinese tang dynasty
vietnam designated the site national architectural and historical relic in
and pledged to preserve the vestiges of the citadel
cricket india seize initiative in first bangladesh test
chittagong bangladesh jan afp
india were on course for setting stiff target for bangladesh in the opening
test after gautam gambhir achieved rare feat here on wednesday
left handed opener gambhir became the fourth batsman to smash century in
five successive tests as india reached in their second innings at tea on
the penultimate day
venkatsai laxman was unbeaten on at the interval and zaheer khan was not out
on
australian don bradman holds the world record of making hundreds in six
consecutive tests south african jacques kallis and pakistan mohammad yousuf
are the others to have made centuries in five consecutive tests
gambhir completed his hundred in style hoisting left arm spinner shakib al
hasan over long on for six he also hit fours in his ball knock
his last four centuries came against new zealand at napier and wellington and
sri lanka at ahmedabad and kanpur in
gambhir fell playing shots cutting debutant seamer shafiul islam to shahriar
nafees at third man few overs after reaching his ninth test hundred in
matches
india went for quick runs in bid to set challenging fourth innings target
scoring in the first session and in the second after resuming at
the visitors lost sachin tendulkar and yuvraj singh in the afternoon session
but laxman kept his end intact for more than two hours to boost his team
total
tendulkar who scored century in the first innings was trapped leg before by
seamer rubel hossain after making
yuvraj who looked uncomfortable against short pitched bowling on few
occasions fell to loose shot when he uppishly drove paceman shahadat hossain
to mohammad ashraful at short cover after making
the morning session was dominated by gambhir and nightwatchman amit mishra who
put on for the second wicket
mishra hit an impressive for his maiden half century before being caught by
tamim iqbal at mid off by off spinner mohammad mahmudullah he hit six fours in
his ball knock
gambhir rarely looked in trouble against bangladesh pace spin combination
playing handsome strokes while adding to his overnight score of
he offered sharp chance on but imrul kayes failed to latch on to the ball
at forward short leg off shakib
india lost their third wicket in the morning when rahul dravid was run out
following direct hit at the non striker end by shakib
poachers threaten malaysia defence of tigers experts
kuala lumpur jan afp
conservationists called on wednesday for war on the poachers who are
undermining malaysia ambitious goal to double its population of wild tigers to
with declared the year of the tiger according to the chinese zodiac
experts fear there will be an upsurge in poaching of one of the world most
endangered species
the demand for tiger parts has been strong it will remain strong in the year
of the tiger said dinoysius sharma executive director of wwf malaysia
prices may increase amid dwindling numbers in the wild which makes it more
lucrative to hunt for tigers he said security should be beefed up for the
tigers
sharma said that in the past year tigers have been taken by poachers from
one of malaysia main habitats the belum temengor forest in northern perak
state
we have evidence of poachers living in the jungle for long period of times
he said
sharma said that in the last months tiger traps have been destroyed and
poachers arrested in the belum temengor forest
malaysia wild tigers are mostly found near the malaysia thai border but there
are also some living in central pahang state and as far south as johor which
borders singapore
in malaysia unveiled an ambitious national tiger action plan aimed at
doubling the number of wild tigers in peninsular malaysia to by
in the there were as many as tigers in malaysia but their numbers
fell as the country opened up more land for agriculture
elizabeth john from traffic southeast asia said poaching is the most
immediate and worst threat to malaysia wild tigers and that poachers are
well armed and well equipped
other threats include loss of habitat and prey she said adding that areas
close to the thai border are poaching hotspots
melvin gumal director for malaysia wildlife conservation society said that
tigers are killed by poachers for their skin meat claws and other body parts
which are prizes for their supposed medicinal value
enforcement must be our priority to reach the ambitious target of
tigers the target is achievable he said
football egypt tackle spain in world cup warm up
benguela angola jan afp
african champions egypt will take on their european counterparts spain in pre
world cup friendly in june at venue yet to be agreed on by the teams
officials have disclosed
egypt football association efa president samir zaher told reporters here
that the pharaohs have accepted to face spain on june at venue in europe
which will soon be decided
egypt coach hassan shehata has also accepted this match up
sat down with hassan shehata and he has no problems to play the game zaher
said
both teams last clashed four years ago in another friendly with spain winning
spain are drawn in group of the world cup in south africa along with
switzerland honduras and chile
egypt who remain on course for third africa cup of nations crown in row
here in angola are also billed to face another world cup bound team england
in friendly in march
somalia puntland lawmaker shot dead
mogadishu jan afp
gunmen shot dead lawmaker in somalia northern semi autonomous region of
puntland police said wednesday
mohamed ali jibril was shot on tuesday in bosasso puntland main port and
economic capital and died later in hospital
the lawmaker was gunned down by unidentified attackers and the police have so
far arrested two suspects puntland police official mohamed awale told afp
witnesses told how they saw the puntland assembly member gunned down
saw man shooting the lawmaker several times in the head he managed to
escape after the shooting bosasso resident ahmed fanah told afp by phone
three men one of them with gun in his hand ran into an alley close to where
the lawmaker was shot sure they were the killers said hasan mohamed
another witness
puntland which proclaimed its autonomy in has been spared most of the
unrest that has rocked central and southern somalia in recent years but is still
blighted by political and clan killings
indonesian minister warns of job losses over trade pact
jakarta jan afp
indonesian economic ministers appeared split wednesday over the impact of
regional free trade deal with china as lawmakers sought answers over possible
layoffs and factory shut downs
industry minister hidayat told parliament he feared the free trade
agreement between china and the association of southeast asian nations asean
which took full effect on january could lead to job losses
he said the most serious impact would fall on the steel textile inorganic
chemical furniture and energy saving lamp industries and called for the pact
to be renegotiated to shield such sectors from chinese competition
if there aren any protective steps taken for these industries we re afraid
that there will be layoffs and even the closure of those industries he
said
but in sign of the tensions within the government of president susilo bambang
yudhoyono hidayat told reporters outside parliament he was not allowed to
give estimates of potential job losses
meanwhile trade minister mari pangestu defended the deal saying it was good
news for indonesian exporters to china and would bring badly needed foreign
direct investment from chinese firms
she spoke vaguely about benefits arising from strategic alliances and
technology transfers between asean and china
but she also said the government was communicating with asean to find win win
solution that best for national interests after some local industries
expressed concerns about flood of cheap chinese imports
pangestu and foreign minister marty natalegawa have said indonesia is committed
to abiding by its international agreements under the asean china fta
the industry ministry backs delay to full liberalisation on tariff lines
for another two years but it is unclear whether the government has formally made
any such request to asean
asean chief surin pitsuwan told reporters in vietnam last week that indonesia
had expressed difficulties but there had been no appeal for any change or any
renegotiation of the pact
the asean china fta establishes the world largest free trade area by
population and has been under negotiation since
under the pact china and the six founding asean states brunei indonesia
malaysia philippines singapore and thailand agreed to eliminate barriers to
investment and tariffs on percent of products by january
members that joined asean later including vietnam and cambodia have until
to follow
french deficit projections lowered minister
paris jan afp
the french government said wednesday that its public deficit for and
would be better than once feared though still outside european union targets
budget minister eric woerth told france television we ll be at percent of
gdp for the public sphere in the government until now had foreseen
shortfall of percent
the figure while better than expected remains well above the percent
limit stipulated for countries in the euro currency zone
the public deficit covers state and local spending along with social welfare
accounts
the government is to present an updated version of its budget on wednesday
that takes account of the revised data
for authorities now predict public deficit of about percent rather
than percent
the new figures reflect improved economic momentum while the government
officially expects the economy shrunk by percent last year president
nicolas sarkozy has said the contraction could have been between and
percent
for the growth forecast has been revised upwards to percent from
percent
woerth said the administration was determined to control public spending
we spent less in than in apart from the stimulus plan which
constituted exceptional spending
the european union executive commission has given france until to bring
its public deficit in line with the percent limit
woerth said that the government priority was to consolidate an economic recovery
from the global finance crisis
even before the question of public spending the real question is how to
strengthen the recovery he said adding that if the financial crisis is
behind us the economic crisis is still there
sony to launch ps motion controller in autumn
tokyo jan afp
sony said wednesday it would launch its new motion controller for the
playstation video game console in late in fresh challenge to rival
nintendo hit wii console
the controller along with camera installed in the console tracks players
movements which will be mimicked by onscreen characters wielding anything from
swords to tennis racquets guns and baseball bats sony said
sony computer entertainment inc chief kazuo hirai promised an exciting and
varied line up of games to go with the controller which will go on sale this
autumn in japan north america europe and other markets
sony unveiled lollipop shaped prototype of the controller last year bearing
similarities to the hand held controller developed by nintendo
sony and microsoft maker of the xbox were left badly trailing behind the wii
when it was first launched in with motion sensing controller that can
simulate gun sword golf club or orchestra baton
now they are seeking to emulate the wii success
microsoft is expected to launch by the end of the year technology that enables
people to play videogames using natural body movements instead of hand held
controllers
the natal system uses camera and voice and face recognition software to
recognise people and their actions allowing people to play driving games by
simply moving their hands as if turning car steering wheel
china mourns eight martyrs killed in haiti quake
beijing jan afp
china top leaders bid final and sombre farewell wednesday to the eight
nationals who died in last week devastating earthquake in haiti where four of
them had served as un peacekeepers
in ceremony broadcast on state television the eight were buried at the
babaoshan cemetery in western beijing where revolutionary heroes and the ruling
communist party top officials are laid to rest
the nine members of the politburo standing committee the party top
leadership wearing black suits and white paper flowers in their buttonholes
filed past the coffins draped with the national flag
president hu jintao premier wen jiabao and the other leaders also saluted
family members of the victims
beyond the four peacekeepers the four others killed had just arrived in haiti
capital port au prince as part of delegation to hold talks with un officials
when the magnitude quake struck
between and people are thought to have died
the bodies of the chinese victims were given hero homecoming on tuesday in
beijing and they were officially declared revolutionary martyrs
state television and newspapers have devoted non stop coverage to the victims
and kung fu star jackie chan has even recorded song in tribute to them with
chinese singer tan jing entitled send you home
china permanent member of the un security council that does not have
diplomatic relations with haiti has nevertheless been present in the country
since with trade bureau and is active in the un peacekeeping force
the caribbean country is one of nations that still officially recognises the
self ruled island of taiwan where the nationalists fled in after the
communist victory in civil war on the mainland
china has sent strong rescue team to haiti and allocated million yuan
million dollars in aid
on tuesday foreign ministry spokesman ma zhaoxu angrily denied accusations that
chinese rescuers were searching only for chinese nationals missing in port au
prince as false and made out of ulterior motives
the chinese rescue team departed china immediately after the quake they not
only found the bodies of the chinese peacekeepers they also found the bodies of
un officers in haiti and many others ma told reporters
these actions are not selfish and brook no accusations the accusers should be
accused he said after media reports about china contribution to the
humanitarian operation in haiti
president says stricken haiti cannot cope with aid
paris jan afp
haiti president rene preval said emergency teams faced difficulties
coordinating the huge deliveries of aid reaching his quake stricken country in
comments to french radio on wednesday
help came very fast but the problem now is coordination aid is arriving and
we are not prepared to receive it he told the rfi station
when it arrives the question is where are the trucks to transport it where
are the depots he said
the magnitude earthquake devastated the country on january some
officials have estimated up to dead
the aid is going to keep growing it is the coordination of the aid knowing
how much when and how to distribute it that is important he said
he said he hoped international aid would continue to support haiti in the
medium and long term while political stability and democracy are the
fundamental conditions to developing the country
preval took power in after former president jean bertrand aristide was
forced out in revolt
bankrupt japan airlines scrambles to reassure passengers
tokyo jan afp
japan airlines sought to reassure the travelling public wednesday that it will
keep flying despite declaring bankruptcy as its share price dropped to new
record low of just two us cents
the debt laden carrier apologised in full page newspaper advertisements for
causing tremendous worries to customers and promised that jal will keep
flying and that passengers air miles will remain valid
please be reassured and use us as before the company pleaded
the once iconic airline symbol of japan rise to prosperity filed for
bankruptcy protection tuesday with billion dollars in debt in the country
biggest post war corporate failure outside the financial sector
it is set to undergo painful overhaul under new corporate chief with more
than jobs to be cut reducing the workforce by third and many loss
making routes expected to be slashed
jal which carries more than million passengers year is set to receive
almost billion dollars in public funds and emergency loans under three year
turnaround plan
cabin crew have changed their inflight announcements now promising passengers
that the airline is striving for an early revival
we ask for your continued patronage of the jal group cabin attendant said
in choked voice as she rehearsed the announcement before television cameras at
meeting at tokyo haneda airport
the tokyo stock exchange will delist jal shares by february move expected
to wipe out shareholders investments
jal shares closed at new record low of two yen two us cents down three yen
or percent from tuesday
the company has made no announcement regarding its tie up talks with american
and delta air lines which are in bidding war for slice of the carrier
eyeing its lucrative asian landing slots
jal is understood to prefer switching its alliance from the american airlines
led oneworld grouping to skyteam with delta
the government has tapped kazuo inamori year old entrepreneur and ordained
buddhist monk to run the stricken airline during its overhaul replacing haruka
nishimatsu who resigned as president tuesday
jal woes analysts said are the result of years of bad management high costs
stretching back to its days as state owned flag carrier as well as government
pressure to service unprofitable routes to small domestic airports
jal was also hit particularly hard by the global economic downturn because it
has bigger network of overseas flights than its smaller rival all nippon
airways which was supported by relatively stable demand on domestic routes
shinsei securities credit analyst yasuhiro matsumoto said jal turnaround plan
involved getting rid of money losing businesses to return to profit and is not
based on unfounded optimism that travel demand will grow in the future
however he said the government still has no growth strategy it doesn have
strategy on how jal should design its international network
standard amp poor said its credit ratings on japan financial institutions
and insurance companies many of which are owed money by jal would be
unaffected by request for debt waiver of billions of dollars
the bankruptcy dominated newspaper front pages
the nikkei business daily said debt ridden jal failure should serve as
warning to other companies and the government in country where the public debt
now stands at about percent of gross domestic product
if you shun the pain that is ahead of you greater pain will come some day
the nikkei warned the fall of jal which shone in the past sends this message
to the state and companies
rescued from haiti debris since quake un
geneva jan afp
the united nations said wednesday that people had been rescued by
international teams from the debris of collapsed buildings in haiti since the
january earthquake
we are at people found elisabeth byrs spokeswoman for the un
organisation for the coordination of humanitarian affairs told afp describing
it as miracle
on tuesday the un said people had been extracted alive compared to on
saturday
it was not immediately clear when the extra survivors were pulled out
experts said the chances of survival are greatly diminished three days after an
earthquake
byrs said second international relief operations centre was set up in the
capital of the neighbouring dominican republic santo domingo alongside the one
in haiti capital port au prince
three airports as well as ports in the dominican republic were being used for
international aid deliveries she added to relieve bottlenecks that have
stifled the relief effort over the past week
korean court clears tv staff over beef protests
seoul jan afp
south korean court on wednesday cleared staff at leading tv station of
intentionally distorting report which fuelled weeks of mass street protests in
against us beef imports
four producers and scriptwriter at mbc were charged last june with defaming
government officials by exaggerating the risk of mad cow disease associated with
the us imports
the court rejected charges by prosecutors that the report had deliberately
distorted facts and intentionally mistranslated interviews
although there was some exaggeration or errors in translation it is hard to
say they deliberately distorted the facts related to the threat of mad cow
disease judge mun sung gwan said in verdict quoted by yonhap news agency
prosecutors who had sought years in jail for the defendants said they
would appeal libel is criminal and not civil offence in south korea
the conservative ruling grand national party which has alleged that some judges
have left wing bias described the ruling as unreasonable
party members are already fuming about the recent acquittal of leftist
legislator over disturbances in parliament
south korea stopped us beef imports following cases of mad cow disease in the
united states
the two sides reached deal in april to resume most beef imports sparking
daily protests which rocked president lee myung bak government and led him to
sack three cabinet ministers
tens of thousands of people rallied for months many of them apparently
responding to internet scare campaigns and to mbc investigative news programme
pd notebook
the rallies which soon took on an anti government tone subsided only after
seoul secured extra health safeguards for the meat
mbc said its report was aimed at safeguarding public health
min dong seok chief negotiator of the beef deal expressed regret at the court
decision he said the mbc report made him look like traitor and caused
irreparable damage to his career
pd notebook led large number of people to participate in the anti us beef
street rallies by inspiring them with fabricated distorted and exaggerated
reports based on their ideological bias yonhap quoted min as saying
media groups including the mbc producers association and the korea broadcast
journalist association hailed the court decision
china lifts ban on international calls in xinjiang govt
beijing jan afp
china said wednesday it had lifted its ban on international phone calls in
restive xinjiang further easing restrictions on communications triggered by
deadly ethnic unrest over six months ago
xinjiang international long distance call services were restored at midnight
today spokesman for the regional government who refused to be named told
afp
ending the ban came just days after authorities restored text messaging services
in the troubled region internet access has also been partly reintroduced
some websites such as sina and sohu two popular chinese web portals have
been reopened other websites should reopen very soon the spokesman said
at present it is still not possible to go onto foreign websites
riots erupted in xinjiang capital urumqi on july pitting mainly muslim
uighurs against china majority han total of people were killed
according to official data in the worst ethnic violence in china in decades
authorities quickly reacted by restricting the flow of information going in and
out of the region in china far west
the government says terrorists separatists and religious extremists used the
internet telephones and mobile text messages to spread rumours and hatred as
the july violence erupted
but residents in xinjiang complained that they remained isolated from the
outside world due to the long lasting internet and phone cuts and some
businesses were even forced to relocate to other parts of china
china roughly eight million turkic speaking uighurs have long complained of
religious political and cultural oppression by chinese authorities which
china denies
tensions in the vast and remote region bordering on central asia have simmered
for years
mbx sai bsk
afp world news agenda
paris jan afp
what coming up around the world
