the scene was almost surreal just steps from makeshift campsite and rubble
strewn with corpses haitians prayed and danced to the rhythm of drums they
prayed they danced and they forgot
thousands stood before the evangelical christian church in port au prince
center swaying from left to right their arms in the arms smiling and
exchanging glances
few competed against each other in dance others formed conga line singing
and clapping their hands
satan had bad thought and jesus they sang led by the
evangelists at the shalom church tabernacle of glory accompanied by guitars and
drums
on some stairs one woman danced alone
it does me good to dance to pray it eases the stress when here forget
about everything said suze pierre
the spectacle unfolded on the champs de mars plaza where people seemed
momentarily and completely oblivious to the misery and stench surrounding them
they moved from prayer to dance just next to the site where some
survivors have set up massive open air campsite in nightmarish conditions
opposite the now crumbled national palace
the ceremony saturday was the first official religious service to be organized
in the center of port au prince since the january earthquake which killed at
least people
pastor andre muscadin said prayers were offered to chase away the spirits some
haitians believe were transported to their country from africa along with
slaves and also to offer repentance and seek forgiveness for the violence that
has been committed throughout the country troubled past
all the spirits in the palace must disappear he shouted to the crowd which
responded with long cry directed at the crumpled edifice once gleaming
white building that has become symbol of the destruction wrought by last
week magnitude quake
when haitian has sinned all the world has sinned grace grace pardon us
the evangelist continued new cries rang out from the crowd as the faithful
again lifted their arms into the air
some thought of their sins and those of others
my husband is voodoo priest he prepares food for the devil said marinatha
felix trembling slightly
political leaders make sacrifices to protect their posts young girls are
corrupted just to get job said dieunel jean baptiste year old
technician
muscadin the pastor counted off haiti past wrongs duvalier dictatorship
the coups etat the endemic violence the tribal grudges with roots in africa
the mismanagement the underdevelopment
in this country we have had bloody scenes we have killed burned looted
kidnapped brothers it the intolerance the corruption there has never been
harmony he said
the earthquake has given us wakeup call champs de mars is telling us
something to come back to life we must think about haiti again we must seize
this opportunity
jean baptiste lifted his eyes from his bible skeptically
hope that people will not just pray because of the shock of the earthquake
but that the country will have spiritual and social revival he said
for those in the crowd those who have lost everything the moment was simply
chance to lose themselves even for moment
they danced let loose forgot against the backdrop of swaying sheets made into
makeshift tents
we have always said that the haitian people cry sing and dance man in the
crowd said
tennis police probe child assault at aussie open
melbourne jan afp
investigations are underway into an indecent assault of year old girl who
was attacked while she watched two players warm up at the australian open
police said sunday
the girl was standing near court exit saturday when she was approached from
behind by middle aged man who indecently assaulted her then ran off
police said they were viewing security footage in the hope of identifying the
culprit
she was at the tennis with her family and was separated briefly when the
incident took place detective acting inspector mark zervaas told reporters
it disgusting act and the girl and her family are being counselled
the opening grand slam of the year has previously had isolated offences in the
grounds of melbourne park
security was tightened last year after men used covert cameras to film up
women skirts and in boy was dragged into toilet and sexually
assaulted
amid daily battle to survive haitians eye the future
port au prince jan afp
hundreds of thousands of haitians will be living off foreign aid and in
temporary housing for years to come as experts warn rebuilding the quake
ravaged nation may take at least decade
almost two weeks after magnitude earthquake shattered the lives of the
nine million people in one of the world poorest countries massive aid
operation has cranked into place to provide food water and shelter
with the government on saturday officially calling off the search and rescue
efforts for any more survivors beneath the rubble the focus for international
aid organizations has switched to helping hundreds of thousands left destitute
the haitian government estimates more than people were killed in the
january quake making it the deadliest ever recorded in the americas
most of the bodies which lay rotting for days on the streets in the chaotic
aftermath of the quake have now been collected in grim operation and buried
in mass graves outside the caribbean nation capital
almost people were injured when for almost minute the plates along
the enriquillo plantain garden fault shook with such force that buildings in the
capital port au prince and other towns like leogane and jacmel toppled like
decks of cards
us naval vessels and floating hospitals have backed up an army of field and
tents hospitals set up by aid organizations amid accusations that scores may
have died in the first few days because medical aid was too slow to arrive
isabel lopez of the world health organization said health facilities were
now up and running in the city but she added there is still strong need for
post operative care
around million people were left homeless the interior ministry estimates and
the government has embarked on massive relocation program to move
people to camps hastily erected in the countryside
chief un spokesman nicholas reader said the haitian government had identified
sites where tented encampments might be set up for those now living in
squalid makeshift camps
haiti recovery must begin with its people strong resilient and impatient
to get to work rebuilding their lives and their country un chief ban ki moon
has said
according to un data more than billion dollars has been pledged in funding
to help haiti
some foreign search and rescue teams are still in port au prince and helped
pull young man out of the rubble saturday days after the quake
but with hopes almost extinguished of finding more survivors the aid operation
led by the united states and the united nations is now concentrated on
distributing tonnes of food and water to the needy
and the needs are enormous even before the quake percent of haitians were
living on less than two dollars day
but fears of an eruption of violence in nation which has known decades of
bloodshed and political upheaval have failed to materialize with many praising
the haitians dignified response among their despair
there have been tales of neighbors sharing out their meager supplies and
organizing watches to keep looters and pillagers at bay
think the people have been heroic said former us president bill clinton
now un special envoy to haiti as he toured one hospital last week
despite damage to the main airport in port au prince it has been kept open
under us military control and aid flights are also now unloading on three other
airstrips including two in neighboring dominican republic
us forces due to reach troops have also worked to reopen the damaged
port to unblock logjams of aid which has poured into the country from overseas
haitians are grieving but they are also buoyed by the generous outpouring of
support from around the world said mark fried of oxfam
despite the losses they have suffered they are working hard to turn the empty
lots golf courses and churchyards where they have taken refuge into places
where they can live in dignity
but many organizations warn the coming weeks will be crucial in race to
provide more permanent shelter before the rainy season comes
michael delaney director of humanitarian response at oxfam america said there
were serious fears of disease
there concern over sewage human waste very few of the hundreds of sites
where people have set up camp have latrines set up he told afp warning that
if waste was washed into other areas it will create public health mess
international donors meet monday in montreal to prepare summit on rebuilding
haiti amid hopes the quake may prove turning point in the nation history
the un which suffered its worst ever disaster in the quake with the deaths of
more than un staffers has launched program to create jobs in
rubble removal and reconstruction paying each person some five dollars day
there is going to be long and challenging recovery and we need sustained
support said jonathan reckford chief executive officer of the organization
habitat for humanity people need to think in terms of year time frame
top us senators say fed chief will win second term
washington jan afp
top democratic senators saturday rallied in support of embattled federal reserve
chief ben bernanke bid for second term amid some tense party rifts
the influential us senate banking committee threw its weight behind bernanke
chairman democrat chris dodd and the top committee republican judd gregg
acknowledged media speculation in recent days over bernanke confirmation but
said he had done an excellent job responding to one of the most significant
financial crises our country has ever encountered
the pair said that based on discussions with fellow senators we are very
confident that chairman bernanke will win confirmation by the senate for
second term
they said they support bernanke nomination because he is the right leader
to guide the federal reserve in this recovering economy
president barack obama administration has been scrambling to save his
nomination in the face of opposition emerging from members of the president
own party
two senate democrats barbara boxer and russell feingold announced friday they
would vote against bernanke bid to carry on after his first term ends on
january
the moves underscore major populist shift in the political landscape since
republican stunning massachusetts victory ended the democratic supermajority
in the senate
the embattled chief fate spilled over into wall street contributing in part
to three day slump of nearly five percent spurred by renewed fears over the
economic outlook tougher white house stand on banks and financial market
regulation and worries over china overheating economy
obama remains however confident the senate will confirm bernanke white
house spokesman has said despite sharp criticism of his role in the global
financial meltdown
as many as democrats are thought to oppose bernanke along with several
republicans
senate finance committee member and democrat john kerry said saturday that
debate over bernanke nomination was understandable in view of the reckless
fiscal policies and excessive deregulatory zeal of the previous george bush
administration
still out of this near calamity believe chairman bernanke provided
leadership that was urgent nimble strong and vital in staving off greater
disaster kerry said adding that he would vote to reconfirm him
while have some concerns about the fed approach to banking accountability
chairman bernanke should not be scapegoat for systemic failings added the
democrats presidential candidate
late friday senate democratic majority leader harry reid issued statement to
throw his support behind bernanke hinting that democrats may still manage to
secure the votes necessary to block any republican parliamentary delaying
tactics
conventional wisdom rarely credits those who averted disaster but that
precisely what chairman bernanke did reid said noting his support is not
unconditional and that he would hold bernanke to his pledge of transparency
and accountability
assistant majority leader dick durbin on saturday said bernanke would get his
vote adding that in the country most serious economic crisis since the great
depression we need his steady hand as we build our economy and create new jobs
across america
no vote has yet been scheduled in the senate but administration officials said
treasury secretary timothy geithner and obama chief of staff rahm emanuel were
working to secure enough votes for the nomination
the opposition highlighted deep national worries about the economy as dominant
theme ahead of november mid term elections bernanke most vocal critics charge
he has coddled wall street and turned deaf ear to main street
analysts warned meanwhile that tossing out bernanke could trigger new turmoil in
financial markets
time magazine named bernanke its person of the year in december
crediting him with helping guide the united states through financial turmoil
golf rookie prugh seizes lead at rain hit bob hope classic
la quinta california jan afp
rookie alex prugh who is playing in just his third tour event fired seven
under saturday to take one stroke lead after three rounds of the rain hit
bob hope classic
prugh moved to under total for slim lead in the five million dollar
event over fellow americans bubba watson who shot on saturday and martin
flores who carded
prugh is in his first season on the uspga tour after finishing th on the
nationwide tour money list last year his nationwide season included win in
new zealand where he shot closing round
was almost bored with myself little bit prugh said it not bad
thing was hitting the driver very well and kept on hitting fairway after
fairway boring rounds are actually fine with me
the five round event has been hampered by rain all week as storms washed out
play on thursday
the start of the second round on friday was also delayed so golfers went out in
twosomes off split tees on all four courses that are being used this week
conditions were much better saturday as the players teed off under sunshine but
organizers are still looking at monday finish to the tour only hole
championship
prugh who became the first rookie since aussie john senden in to lead
round at the bob hope said the pro am format is benefit because his amateur
playing partners keep him loose
just trying to entertain my amateur partners as well as can and
hopefully they get their money worth when they re out here prugh said
the outcome is still very much in the air with seven players within five shots
of the hole leader including second round leader watson and rookie flores
watson the crowd pleasing long hitter who had held the overnight lead after
playing the two toughest layouts in the first two rounds couldn build on that
momentum
after slow start he nabbed four birdies on his back nine to stay in
contention but he had been hoping for more
just played bad watson said the was getting lot out of my round
today so not mad at it just wanted to play better my caddie kept
yelling at me trying to get me to pay attention and stay focused just hung
in there
joe ogilvie was four shots back of prugh while south africa tim clark
chad collins and bill haas comprise group of three on
prugh moved ahead of watson and flores with birdie on the th hole he then
parred the th
us base row focus of japan city vote
tokyo jan afp
japanese voters in city on okinawa island go to the polls to elect new mayor
sunday in vote that throws spotlight on dispute with the united states
over where to build controversial new us air base
the two candidates in nago city are squaring off over whether or not to give
local support to plan currently under review by the centre left national
government to build major new marine corps air base there
the issue has strained ties between tokyo and washington who marked the th
anniversary of their security pact last tuesday since japan new leaders took
power four months ago ending half century of conservative rule
prime minister yukio hatoyama has said he may scrap an agreement with washington
to relocate the base from its current site in crowded urban area of okinawa to
quieter coastal site in the nago area by
in sunday mayoral race which polls have said is too close to call the
incumbent yoshikazu shimabukuro supports building the replacement base in
nago while his rival susumu inamine opposes it
the southern island of okinawa which saw some of the bloodiest battles of world
war ii now hosts more than half of the us troops in japan
while some local businesses benefit from the heavy american military presence
many residents have long opposed it citing crimes committed by servicemen as
well as noise pollution and the threat of accidents
hatoyama whose coalition government includes pacifist groups and stern
opponents of the us military presence has said he will make decision by may
on where to move the controversial futenma air base
some observers have voiced frustration with the premier for making at times
contradictory statements on the base issue that have left both okinawans and
washington officials confused about his intentions
what mr hatoyama has said so far is inconsistent and don know how he
wants to settle the base row said yoshinobu yamamoto professor of
international politics at aoyama gakuin university
yamamoto pointed out that as an opposition politician years ago hatoyama
advocated the withdrawal of all permanent us forces from japan
hatoyama last month said that his thoughts had changed but added that there is
an argument about whether it is appropriate to have foreign troops stationed in
japan if you think about the future or years from now
yamamoto said if he truly believes in an alliance without the permanent
presence of us troops in japan there may be fundamental differences in the
perception of the alliance between him and the united states
it could be disaster for the future of the alliance
group of liberal academics last week supported hatoyama review of the base
agreement called for review of the japan us alliance and said we should
also make efforts to remove other us bases in the future
football beckford can pick premiership move leeds boss
london jan afp
simon grayson the leeds united manager believes jermaine beckford now has
pick of premier league clubs to join at the end of the season
the year old forward scored both his side goals in fa cup fourth
round draw at tottenham hotspur including penalty equaliser six minutes into
stoppage time
the league one side who beat manchester united at old trafford in the third
round thanks to beckford goal will have the opportunity to try for another
premier league scalp via an elland road replay next month
beckford handed in transfer request after the manchester united victory but
subsequently withdrew it and it is grayson understanding that the player will
remain with leeds until the summer when he will then become free agent
everton are understood to be interested in signing him then
grayson said have said all along would rather jermaine leave on free and
wish him well rather than sell him now because hopefully in that meantime he
got us promoted
jermaine can only win because if he scores to goals until the end of the
season he will be linked with bigger clubs than he being linked with now
newcastle united have had bids turned down this month and grayson was not
inviting any other offers
it would have to be lot of money because we have turned down decent money
already for him he said jermaine wants to stay and finish the job off if
someone comes in with ridiculous money and talking lot more than two
million pounds million dollars then we look at it again
but ve got no intention of selling him in the window because it too late to
get replacement and he too valuable to lose
leeds also had goalkeeper caspar ankergren to thank for string of saves
especially in the first half the most important was from jermain defoe ninth
minute penalty and the england striker will now be taken off spot kick duties
tottenham manager harry redknapp explained he has had two penalties now and he
hasn scored so we will probably look elsewhere now
redknapp was more annoyed with his defenders for surrendering possession in
stoppage time when substitute roman pavlyuchenko th minute strike had
appeared to have been enough for home win
we should have just kept the ball he complained that all we had to do and
we would have won the game we should have made sure there was no coming back
for them from that position
instead gareth bale the wales left back launched the ball upfield and leeds
replied with an attack that saw michael dawson bring beckford down in the box
redknapp had no complaints about referee alan wiley decision it was tight
one he said but wouldn argue with the referee he made an honest
decision sometimes you get them and sometimes you don
peter crouch had given tottenham the lead three minutes before half time with
beckford making it in the nd minute in goalmouth scramble that followed
corner
football mcleish impressed by birmingham hunger for success
liverpool england jan afp
birmingham manager alex mcleish believes his side fa cup fourth round victory
against everton proves they have the hunger and ability to win the competition
goals from christian benitez and barry ferguson put the blues ahead at goodison
park and they held on for success despite leon osman second half
strike for the toffees
birmingham have been the surprise package this season and are now unbeaten in
matches
that has seen them transformed from relegation favourites to contenders for
europa league position while this win also means they now have to be considered
as danger side in the last of the fa cup
thought the players showed great composure and two go in at half time up
was quite feat mcleish said
both goals were absolutely delicious and the second in particular has to be
contender for goal of the month if not the season these players are really
hungry and ambitious
we will lose game one day can guarantee you that but would back these
boys to come back from the set back because know the character and power we
have in that dressing room
it would be great to go further in the cup but it would be good if the draw
could be bit kinder
but why shouldn we have ambitions to try and go bit further the league is
the ambition but it would be lovely to get bit further
benitez gave birmingham the lead after just seven minutes after an everton
free kick broke down ferguson superbly switched play to the right wing with
fine pass to keith fahey
fahey then delivered wonderful cross into the box and benitez managed to head
past tim howard to give mcleish men the early advantage
everton played like team devoid of ideas and inspiration in the first half
they never looked like threatening and were left to rue their inefficiency when
birmingham scored truly stunning second goal
fahey brought sebastian larsson into play on the right wing and although his
cross looked poor ferguson created something from nothing when he dummied and
stepped over the ball in move which completely threw the everton defence
james mcfadden beautifully clipped the ball back to ferguson who then curled
past howard as the everton merely stood and watched and went into the break with
it all to do
they had glimmer of hope after minutes when leighton baines brilliantly
beat stephen carr lunge and laid off to steven pienaar and after his simple
pass along the edge of the box found osman the midfielder shot past joe hart to
make it
it ignited the goodison park crowd and everton poured forward but louis saha
missed two close opportunities as did marouane fellaini and birmingham held on
for deserved win
we were so poor in the first half that it would have needed very good second
half performance moyes said
thought we had enough chances to get the draw but you have to give birmingham
the credit
they have come to everton and performed well and got couple of goals and
deserve to go through there is no argument about that
football anelka earns plaudits after firing chelsea into fifth round
preston england jan afp
france striker nicolas anelka took the plaudits after his goal inspired
win at preston kept chelsea on course to land the fa cup for the third time in
four seasons
anelka set the platform for the premier league club fourth round success at
deepdale on saturday with his fifth goal in four games
young strike partner daniel sturridge doubled the holders lead in the second
half as carlo ancelotti team saw off darren ferguson championship outfit
but it was anelka performance which caught the eye of chelsea assistant
manager ray wilkins and he was keen to salute the former arsenal and real madrid
star
he playing some outstanding football at the minute wilkins said he
clearly enjoying his football and training
he an outstanding player and hopefully he will carry in this rich vein of
scoring form
wilkins insisted chelsea professional performance against preston is proof
that the west london club are determined to retain the fa cup they won last may
after beating everton in the final
thought our lads were extremely professional he added this is not an easy
place to come and the preston fans really got behind their team
but we are the holders and we want to retain it this is not an easy place to
come and the fact that carlo picked strong team shows how seriously we are
treating the competition
wilkins refused to blame referee mike dean for disallowing goal by substitute
florent malouda when the tie was goalless
malouda found the net soon after coming on in the first half for the injured
juliano belletti with the scores locked at the goal was ruled out as the
referee had blown for foul committed on chelsea midfielder frank lampard
in our eyes it was the wrong decision added wilkins but not going to
have go at the referee we got free kick out of it and didn make the most
out of it
lampard was substituted in the second half after suffering calf problem but
wilkins is hopeful he will be available for wednesday home game with
birmingham city
the tie might have had different ending had preston midfielder darren carter
not missed from three yards towards the end of the first half when the score
was
ferguson son of manchester united manager sir alex refused to criticise carter
for his astonishing blunder which came after portuguese keeper hilario had
failed to hold header by chris brown
at half time said to him to keep getting stuck in said ferguson taking
charge of his first home game since replacing alan irvine as preston manager
earlier this month
didn want him hiding in the second half the lad needed bit of lift
but that football
few minutes before half time we miss great chance and two minutes in the
second half we concede goal
but can have any complaints about my players we played some great
football
ferguson revealed celtic had made an inquiry for republic of ireland
international defender sean st ledger but said celtic have no chance of
getting him on what they are offering
football cameroon seek revenge in ghana final rematch versus egypt
benguela angola jan afp
revenge will be in the air on monday when cameroon battle champions egypt for
place in the semi final of the africa cup of nations here
in what is arguably the pick of the four quarter final matches of angola
the indomitable lions will first wish to avenge for the defeat they
suffered at the hands of the pharaohs in the final of the nations cup in
ghana
mohamed aboutrika squeezed the ball home to give egypt their record sixth
nations cup trophy and extend their superiority over cameroon
three weeks earlier they had beaten the same team in group game in kumasi
egypt also ensured that cameroon lost out on the world cup when they
held them to draw in yaounde to pave the way for the ivory coast to make
their world cup debut in germany
in two years egypt have beaten us including in the nations cup final in
ghana it is time we beat them said cameroon skipper samuel eto
egypt are great football nation but we must be well prepared and take
risks because we re looking far beyond the quarter finals
there are nations cup titles between these two african giants egypt
have clinched six championships and cameroon four
the pharaohs have also been the team on form in angola they achieved
perfect record to advance from first round group that included nigeria
mozambique and benin and in the process they shattered cameroon unbeaten run
of games in the tournament
cameroon on the other hand have looked far less impressive after they fell
to gabon and had to come back from the brink of defeat against both tunisia
and zambia
such record may not inspire much confidence but it has shown that despite
lining up shaky defence that has so far let in five goals and midfield of
fighters this is team with character
french coach paul le guen who was behind the indomitable lions
qualification for the world cup after rather poor start has praised his
team mental strength with warning that the defending champions have to be
wary of them
we re going to be dangerous against egypt warned le guen
the conditions were difficult for us to play good football against
tunisia but in the end our strong character saw us fight back twice to come
through because our ambition in angola is to go very far
young arsenal midfielder alexandre song said he expects another tough duel
on monday against egypt
know that cameroonians especially expect lot from us but we should
learn to accept that in sports you cannot win all the time said the nephew of
veteran central defender rigobert song
whenever teams play against us they come prepared and determined
believe this was the case in lubango where all the teams that played against
us came prepared
egypt welcome back several of their key stars who were rested against benin
including defender hany said who suffered knock on the knee against
mozambique while skipper ahmed hassan would set new egyptian record for the
most international caps after he equalled hossam hassan appearances
even in the absence of mohamed aboutrika and mohamed barakat they have
looked solid team netting seven goals and conceding just one while hoping
