soaring costs in vancouver have prompted some local fears that next month
winter olympics could leave legacy of debt
organisers have set the official operating budget for the games at billion
dollars
that does not include billion dollar high speed rail extension one
billion dollar waterfront media centre expansion and million dollars for
mountain highway to the ski resort of whistler
greek sovereign bonds fall on debt fears
paris jan afp
greek sovereign bonds weakened sharply thursday with yields rising above
percent in the face of investor unease about the greek government debt and
deficit crisis
greece on friday is to present the european union executive commission with
plan to rein in public spending and restore the country credit standing on
international markets
european central bank head jean claude trichet on thursday said greece alone was
responsible for getting its finances in order amid widespread speculation that
athens might need financial help from eurozone partners to meet its obligations
the problem is not to get help the problem is to help oneself trichet
declared following meeting of ecb policymakers in frankfurt
on thursday the yield on year greek government bonds rose above percent
for the first time since march hitting percent from percent on
wednesday
bond prices and yields move in opposite directions thursday movement means
that the greek government will have to pay more to attract investors to its
bonds
the differential between the yield on german bund which serves as reference
for the european bond market and the year greek bond rose to points
approaching the points reached on december its highest reading since
the start of the financial crisis
greek sovereign bonds have been under heavy pressure after all three of the
leading ratings agencies last month downgraded the country credit standing
today was important for two reasons said ioannis sokos bond strategist at
bnp paribas bank
greek prime minister george papandreou outlined his financial stability program
which is to be presented to the european commission on friday
we have to see the reaction of the european union that most
important sokos said
he added that while trichet comments in frankfurt were nothing new the fact
that they were made by trichet in an official capacity adds weight to the
words and was responsible for the rise in greek bond yields
canada to attend haiti donors summit
ottawa jan afp
canada will participate in an international conference on rebuilding haiti after
powerful earthquake struck the prime minister spokesman said thursday
the donors summit to help france former colony was earlier proposed by french
president nicolas sarkozy
canada will be participating in such conference dimitri soudas spokesman
for prime minister stephen harper told afp
rallying dakar rally results
san rafael argentina jan afp
dakar rally th stage results on thursday km km special run from san
juan to san rafael
motorcycles
th stage
francisco lopez chi aprilia les km hr min sec david
fr tign fra yamaha at pal ullevalseter nor ktm marc
coma esp ktm helder rodrigues por yamaha jakub przygonski
pol ktm alain duclos fra ktm cyril despres fra ktm
juan pedrero garcia esp ktm jonah street usa ktm
overall standings
cyril despres fra ktm hr min sec francisco lopez chi aprilia at
pal ullevalseter nor ktm helder rodrigues
por yamaha david fr tign fra yamaha alain
duclos fra ktm jonah street usa ktm jakub
przygonski pol ktm olivier pain fra yamaha juan
pedrero garcia esp ktm
eu lawmakers lash bulgarian pm in commissioner row
brussels jan afp
european lawmakers lashed out thursday at bulgarian prime minister boyko borisov
for wading into an assembly debate on the suitability of his foreign minister to
become an eu commissioner
the former bodyguard of the former communist dictator of bulgaria has no right
to attack us in such way martin schulz the head of the second biggest bloc
in the parliament the socialists said in statement
foreign minister rumiana jeleva is an element of borisov strategy to put his
style of attacking everybody who disagrees with him as communist or whatever
he said
ms jeleva and her incompetence are what represent the borisov government
in hearings in brussels to see whether she is fit to become new eu humanitarian
aid commissioner jeleva had to fend off allegations that her list of financial
interests was incomplete and that her husband has mafia links
lawmakers grilled jeleva for failing to mention in her declaration of financial
interests that she was manager and owner of the private consultation company
global consult from until april
they also enquired about reports in the bulgarian press which claimed to expose
her husband alleged links to powerful yet rather controversial business
group in the black sea city of burgas
jeleva played down the accusations
on thursday borisov told state television that he would wait for ruling by
the eu parliament juridical service on possible conflict of interest in
jeleva case before making any decision
asked whether he was wrong to nominate her he said did not make mistake
but confirmed he had other options for commissioner if jeleva is rejected
the parliament votes on january whether to endorse the new european
commission under president jose manuel barroso for five year term it cannot
reject individual commissioners but can pressure nations to change their
nominee
the head of the liberals group in the assembly guy verhofstadt also rejected
borisov statements saying that the lawmakers were only doing their jobs
the european parliament would be doing disservice to those who elected them
if we failed to take our responsibilities seriously he said
it is both the right and the duty of meps to raise any concerns now in order to
clarify matters and clear up misunderstandings than brush them under the carpet
and risk them creating difficulties at later stage once the commission is
approved
jeleva retains the backing of the conservative grouping the largest in the
assembly and her supporters have even threatened to block the socialist
candidate for another commission portfolio as tit for tat response
eu ministers to pressure greece over debt statistics
brussels jan afp
european finance ministers will seek next tuesday to pressure greece to improve
the reliability of its economic statistics after scathing criticism from
brussels
the ministers will strongly urge athens to tackle outstanding methodological
issues and technical procedures in its accounting and to improve the
governance and institutional structures identified by the european commission
according to draft statement seen thursday by afp
the commission published damning report on greece unreliable economic
figures increasing the chances of the eu executive launching infringement
proceedings against athens
the report on greek government deficit and debt statistics highlighted the
general lack of quality of the greek fiscal statistics and failures of the
relevant greek institutions in broad sense
greece which is mired in recession has public spending deficit that rose to
percent of output last year far above the percent ceiling permitted to
countries sharing the euro
it is also saddled with debt constituting percent of gross domestic
product gdp
the eu finance ministers who will meet in brussels on tuesday are set to
welcome the greek government initiative to reform its national statistics
system
greece unveiled crisis plans on thursday to put its fiscal house in order and to
restore international credibility especially among its eurozone partners in
the management of its struggling economy
the socialist government aims to raise some billion euros billion
dollars extra this year through improved tax collection and to cut costs to
reduce the public deficit to percent of gross domestic product by
under the eu percent limit
the government also pledged to restore the credibility of official figures
having caused an uproar in brussels in october by announcing that the previous
conservative administration had under reported the deficit
for years and thanks to the euro greece notched up strong growth on the
back of easy access to loans but also ran large public and current account
deficits in the absence of fiscal discipline
across europe there is concern that serious fiscal problems in greece could
threaten the credibility of the eurozone and could be precursor to similar
debt crises in other weaker european economies
us lawmakers look to boost haiti giving
washington jan afp
looking to spur private sector donations to haiti earthquake relief group of
us senators pushed thursday for enhanced tax benefits for charitable giving to
help the battered country
this is time of crisis in haiti and haitians need all the help they can get
this will encourage and empower people and organizations to contribute to the
recovery and relief effort said republican senator george lemieux
the legislation offered by lemieux and democratic senators chuck schumer
kirsten gillibrand and bill nelson was inspired by similar bill to boost
charitable giving in hurricane katrina wake
under us law individuals cannot take tax deductions for donations larger than
half of their annual income and corporations cannot write off donations larger
than percent of their income
the legislation would waive those limits for donations designated for haiti
relief in
the gmt news advisory
washington jan afp
duty editor alex ogle
news desk
top stories
aid groups race to reach haiti survivors
britain apologizes for thalidomide scandal
obama proposes banks fee to recoup bailout
iran says zionists behind attack on scientist
haiti quake thlead wrap
port au prince
rescuers race against the clock to find survivors among thousands of corpses in
quake hit haiti as planeloads of international aid begin arriving swamping the
airport in the ruined nation
words gmt by beatriz lecumberri picture video graphic
health britain drug ndlead
london
britain issues long awaited expression of regret over the thalidomide drug
scandal which left hundreds of babies deformed years ago and confirms
million dollars in support to survivors
words gmt
us finance economy banks obama thlead
washington
president barack obama lashes at obscene corporate bonuses and proposes fee
to raise billion dollars in years from top banks to recoup every single
dime of wall street bailout
words moved by stephen collinson
iran unrest nuclear ndlead wrap
tehran
iran president mahmoud ahmadinejad says zionist methods were used in the
bombing of top atomic scientist as angry mourners chanting anti us and anti
israeli slogans bury the slain professor
words gmt by siavosh ghazi picture video
haiti quake
haiti quake world aid rdlead reax
washington
rescue teams doctors and soldiers rush by land sea and air to help drag
survivors of haiti devastating earthquake from the rubble and bring its people
life saving food and medicines
words gmt graphic picture video
haiti quake anger scene
port au prince
shock begins to give way to anger in quake hit haiti as thousands of traumatized
residents left without homes food or water roam the streets which echoes with
gunshots in some areas
words gmt by beatriz lecumberri picture video graphic
haiti quake hospital scene
port au prince
hundreds of cadavers lie rotting outside haiti devastated central hospital
which after this week earthquake is less place to heal the sick than an
improvised morgue for the dead
words gmt by beatriz lecumberri picture
haiti quake rescues tax scene
port au prince
from under the rubble of the tax office in the center of port au prince man
moans he shakes his head with pain his legs are stuck as his friends
desperately try to lever him out from under the rubble
words gmt by stephane jourdain picture video
haiti quake un lead
united nations
the united nations confirms of its staffers were killed in the devastating
haiti quake the worst disaster in its history to strike the global body
words gmt by gerard aziakou
haiti quake us aid lead focus
washington
president barack obama promises haitians they will not be forgotten offering
million dollars in immediate earthquake aid and the backing of every element
of us power
words gmt by michael mathes
we have also moved haiti quake aid us coordination
haiti quake children ndlead
haiti quake us aid business
americas
us economy retail sales thlead
washington
us retail sales fell unexpectedly in december capping year showing the worst
decline on record official data shows in disappointing report on crucial
driver of economic growth
words gmt by veronica smith file picture
europe
nireland britain ireland politics rdlead
london
british and irish leaders gordon brown and brian cowen voice confidence that
northern ireland can overcome crisis threatening the power sharing government
in belfast after the province leader steps aside in sex and money scandal
words gmt by katherine haddon picture graphic
middle east
mideast bomb jordan israel lead wrap
amman
israeli diplomats escape injury as their convoy is targeted by roadside bomb
in jordan
words gmt by ahmad khatib
iraq unrest najaf thlead
najaf iraq
as many as people are killed and dozens more are wounded as three bombs
explode simultaneously in rare attack in the shiite muslim shrine city of
najaf officials say
words gmt by hassan abdul zahra picture
asia
us china it internet google ndlead wrap
beijing
china declares its internet open but defends the censorship that prompted web
giant google to threaten to pull out of the country adding potential new
irritant in china us relations
words moved by dan martin picture graphic video
pakistan unrest us taliban thlead wrap
peshawar pakistan
us drone missile strike targets pakistani taliban leader hakimullah mehsud
officials say but the militia denies reports that he was among killed in the
lawless northwest
words moved by lehaz ali picture graphic
rallying sainz sights dakar triumph after th stage win
san rafael argentina jan afp
former world champion carlos sainz took another huge step towards the dakar
rally title on thursday when he captured the th stage
the spaniard has opened up sec gap over his volkswagen teammate nasser al
attiyah following the gruelling km run of which km was timed between san
juan and san rafael
al attiyah was second on the day but time is running out for the qatari driver
with the race due to finish in buenos aires on saturday
chile francisco lopez won the motorcycling stage
the aprilia rider finished ahead of france david fretigne on yamaha who was
seconds off the pace with norway pal ullevalseter on ktm min sec
behind the winner
overall leader cyril despres of france on ktm stayed in charge of the
overall standings an hour ahead of the chilean despite losing more than
minutes on the stage
indigenous people have years less life expectancy un
rio de janeiro jan afp
indigenous people have up to years less life expectancy than non indigneous
people in their countries un report released thursday said
poverty malnutrition and various infectious diseases conspire to cut their
lives shorter said the report which was released simultaneously in several
countries with significant indigenous populations including australia brazil
colombia mexico south africa and the united states
australia aborigines and nepal ethnic kirat descendants fared worst when
their lifespans were compared to those of non indigenous folk dying years
earlier on average than their better off compatriots
canada first nations inuit and metis lived years less while guatemala
amerindians had spans shorter by years and new zealand maoris died
years younger than non indigenous citizens
this report reveals several alarming data about indigenous populations the
head of the un information center in brazil giancarlo summa told news
conference in rio de janeiro
it notably highlighted the gaps that remained in the economic social and
cultural rights of indigenous populations he said
the un report stated that indigenous populations were comprised of around
million people around the world in countries roughly five percent of the
world inhabitants
indigenous people make up more than third of the million people living in
extreme poverty in rural zones it noted
marcos terena brazilian indian rights campaigner of indigenous terena
descent said indians live in poverty illiteracy excluded from economic and
political power in some countries they re not even recognized by the
government
he said that in brazil the indian was not poor when the portuguese arrived
in but became poor through colonization
the un report denounced the violence often suffered by indigenous people as
well as politics of assimilation the expropriation of traditional lands forced
evictions and the alarming sanitary conditions they live in
employees at algerian bus maker end strike
algiers jan afp
strikers at algeria state run heavy vehicles maker thursday ended an day
strike after talks began on their pay claim and other demands one of their
union representatives said
we have ended our strike today we ve received guarantees from our labour
federation the ugta general union of algerian workers that our demands will
be satisfied strike leader hamoud boukehal told afp
the strike halted work at the national industrial vehicles company snvi at
rouiba an algiers suburb where workers clashed with police in the first days
of the work stoppage
dialogue has been opened with the authorities with first meeting held today
to set up negotiating committees boukehal added
the workers at the snvi algeria sole heavy goods vehicle firm asked
for rise in wages and also went on strike in protest at government decision
late in to cancel the possibility for workers to take early retirement
we trust our labour federation but we remain mobilised if our demands are not
satisfied it possible that we will go on strike again boukehal said
web campaign rallies support for host conan brien
los angeles jan afp
an internet campaign in support of tonight show host conan brien has gone
viral after the funnyman threatened to quit if the program was pushed back to
new slot just after midnight
brien warned this week he would not participate if nbc television went ahead
with plans to shift the long running chat show to am gmt start
time in order to accommodate new talk show hosted by jay leno
brien heartfelt statement was the latest twist to the ongoing saga of nbc
late night programming which has transfixed television industry analysts and
outraged fans of the tonight show
now supporters of brien whose ratings have surged this week after the
wrangling went public have launched support page on social networking site
facebook with coco which has attracted more than fans
huge conan fan founder mike mitchell told entertainment weekly went
to one of the first test shows here in la and been big fan for long
time the whole thing just crappy situation
brien said tuesday he had been told of the tonight show new airtime by nbc
chiefs following the decision to yank predecessor jay leno talk show from its
prime time slot after months of dismal ratings
leno stepped down as host of the tonight show in may which he had taken
over from legendary long time host johnny carson in and was replaced by
brien as part of long standing agreement
leno surprised television industry analysts however by returning in september
with new prime time talk show airing just before the brien hosted tonight
show
however on sunday nbc confirmed leno show was being pulled from its coveted
pm gmt slot and would be given new minute window at pm
the space currently occupied by brien tonight show
brien voiced his dismay in an open letter
after only seven months with my tonight show in its infancy nbc has decided
to react to their terrible difficulties in prime time by making change in
their long established late night schedule brien said
sincerely believe that delaying the tonight show into the next day to
accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what consider to be
the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting
the tonight show at simply isn the tonight show cannot
participate in what honestly believe is its destruction
brien said he was still hopeful that the differences with nbc could be
resolved and said he had not received any offers from other rival networks
brien has repeatedly referenced the dispute in his show signature opening
monologue this week
everybody wants to know what my plans are brien quipped on monday all
can say is plan to keep putting on great show night after night while
stealing as many office supplies as humanly possible got cartridges of
toner shoved in my pants right now
cycling decision delayed in valverde doping row
geneva switzerland jan afp
the court of arbitration for sport cas on thursday was unable to rule on
demands to impose two year international ban on cyclist alejandro valverde
the spanish rider is already serving two year suspension in italy for alleged
links to the notorious operation puerto doping scandal
cycling ruling body the uci and anti doping authority wada believe
worldwide ban should be handed down but cas said the matter was outside its
jurisdiction
the panel considered that the requests filed by uci and wada to suspend
alejandro valverde world wide for period of two years could not be entertained
by the cas given that they were outside the scope of the present arbitration
procedure validity or not of the suspension of valverde on italian soil said
cas statement
the organisation added that final decision is not expected before march
israeli diplomats escape jordan convoy bombing
amman jan afp
roadside bomb exploded near an israeli embassy convoy headed to israel from
the jordanian capital on thursday causing no casualties one of the jewish
state diplomats in amman said
the israeli embassy convoy left amman and was headed for the hussein bridge
when the blast occurred nobody was hurt the diplomat told afp
he was referring to the crossing between jordan and the israeli occupied west
bank also known as allenby bridge
israeli media reported earlier that the bomb had detonated near the convoy
taking israeli ambassador to jordan dani nevo to the allenby crossing
kilometres miles west of amman
but sources in jordan said it was former israeli ambassador yakov rosen in the
convoy not nevo
the israeli foreign ministry said it was not clear whether nevo was in the
convoy at the time
israel ynet news said four embassy staff members and two security guards were
in the convoy while haaretz newspaper said on its website that two remotely
detonated bombs exploded causing one car to flip over
jordan information minister said there had been no casualties and no damage
while cars including two israeli embassy cars were travelling near the town
of naur on the road between amman and the jordan valley bomb exploded without
causing casualties or damage the cars were not damaged by the blast nabil
sharif told afp
an investigation is under way to determine the circumstances of the explosion
the minister did not say what kind of explosives had been used
source close to the investigation said the blast left crater
centimetres four inches deep and centimetres inches wide
an afp photographer said police blocked all roads leading to the scene of the
blast
israeli diplomats often travel home on thursdays the start of the muslim
weekend in jordan and return on sundays to jordan which has had peace treaty
with the jewish state since
israeli diplomats in jordan usually use rental cars
there have been several attacks or attempted attacks against israelis in jordan
since the signing of the peace treaty between the two countries but such
incidents have been rare in recent years
in jordanian driver crossed the southern border with israel and opened
fire at group of foreigners in the transit zone he was shot by israeli
soldiers non israeli tourist was killed and five others were wounded
israeli analysts said there was excellent security coordination between jordan
and israel and that jordan had foiled several attempts to attack israeli targets
in the past
sure this was surprise for the jordanians these people are probably
islamic or al qaeda that pose danger to the hashemite kingdom too as in the
past they will try and deal with violent elements in their society ephraim
inbar the director of the begin sadat centre for strategic studies told afp
woman survives eight days trapped in lift spanish police
madrid jan afp
police and firefighters in spain have rescued woman who spent eight days
trapped in the lift of her apartment building police said thursday
the year old was found conscious but disorientated and was taken to hospital
after she was found in the private lift in the town of sitges near the
northeastern city of barcelona police said
the police were alerted by relatives in madrid who had reported her missing and
then heard her cries for help when they visited the building
police said it was not clear how the woman who lived alone managed to survive
for that length of time
the lift had apparently stalled due to an electrical fault
prominent haitian canadian writer died in quake
ottawa jan afp
canadian writer and geographer georges anglade who was also minister in
haitain governments in the died in haiti earthquake this week his
daughter said thursday
born in the haitian capital of port au prince anglade and his wife mireille
both died beneath the ruble of friend house in the city turgeau
quarter during visit people close to the couple told canadian media
anglade had traveled to haiti to participate in an international literary
festival that was to open on thursday some haitian and foreign writers were
to showcase their new works
opposed to the barbarous regimes of papa doc duvalier and his son jean claude
duvalier anglade fled haiti in to france where he obtained geography
doctorate
in he moved to montreal where he helped found universit du qu bec
montr al uqam and taught geography there until
he frequently returned to haiti over the years was imprisoned there in
was twice exiled in and often received death threats founded the
haitian solidarity movement mas and published its manifesto calling for
democracy in haiti
after being named an advisor and minister by presidents jean bertrand aristide
and rene preval in the mid he focused on writing
his latest french language books include les blancs de moire memory
blanks leurs jupons passent their slips are showing ce pays qui
habite this country that lives inside me and et si ha ti clarait la
guerre aux usa and what if haiti declared war on the usa
more arrests in cabinda following attack on togo team
luanda jan afp
three more people including university professor have been arrested in the
angolan enclave of cabinda following gun attack on togo football team human
rights watch told afp thursday
the arrests in recent days of professor former policeman and civil
society campaigner are not in direct connection with last week separatist
shooting that killed two and led to togo pulling out of the africa cup of
nations can
but the us based lobby group which has published several reports about
arbitrary arrests and human rights abuses in the oil rich province believes it
could be tactic by the government to silence pro independence voices
