economy
citrus growers feared their billion dollar year industry could be hit
hard and financial analysts warned there may be far reaching impact of the
cold front on the fruit market value
liz compton spokesperson for florida department of agriculture maintained
however that the citrus industry had not experienced major damage
the temperatures have gotten low but in most areas it has not stayed below
degrees fahreinheit celsius for more than four hours which is what it
takes to damage crop she said
she warned the greatest concern is the cold front forecast to come in this
weekend that could change things
farmer steve crump of de leon springs in northern florida which sells fruit
juice to beverage giants tropicana or minute maid said ice had formed in around
percent of his produce
some fruits that were damaged may fall off the trees on the ground but the
trees look fine and really that is what we are concerned about he told afp
tourism florida other major earner was also hit
on thursday the terraces of miami ocean drive normally replete with mojito
downing tourists were deserted as patrons opted to sip hot chocolate indoors
cruise operators offering caribbean beach trips that depart from miami were also
caught off guard by the intemperate cold snap
it is strange situation royal caribbean cintia martinez told afp but
many people come from cold climates so they are adjusting well luckily the
places where we travel are not so badly affected
casio picture frame turns digital photos into art
las vegas jan afp
casio pulled back the curtain on picture frame that transforms digital
pictures into virtual oil paintings pastels or water colors
this is the first product to create paintings using our camera technology
casio president and founder kazuo kashio said while showing off the digital art
frame at the consumer electronics show taking place in las vegas
it will change the culture of photo frames
the frames have software that lets users turn digital pictures into artwork by
selecting from set of effects including pointillism watercolor airbrush
pastel and oil painting according to casio
have you ever wanted to decorate your home with an original oil painting
asked casio america executive vice president of sales and marketing john
homlish
well now you can digital art frame transforms snapshots into works of art at
the push of button
the frames are to be available by mid year and the price was not disclosed
casio also unveiled an enhanced line up of high speed compact digital cameras
with tenfold optical zoom lenses to capture action from distance
smashed anti whaling superboat sinks in antarctic activists
sydney jan afp
high tech anti whaling powerboat that was badly damaged in collision with
japanese fishermen sank overnight after salvage attempts failed activists said
on friday
the super fast ady gil trimaran which had its front end sheared off in the
smash was being taken to an antarctic port when the tow line snapped peter
hammarstedt first officer of the bob barker ship told afp
at this point unfortunately the ady gil is on the bottom of the southern
ocean he said
urgent smashed anti whaling superboat sinks in antarctic activists
sydney jan afp
high tech anti whaling powerboat that was badly damaged in collision with
japanese fishermen sank overnight after salvage attempts failed activists said
on friday
alert
smashed anti whaling superboat sinks in antarctic activists
new jersey legislature defeats gay marriage bill
new york jan afp
the new jersey legislature upper house on thursday threw out bill meant to
allow gay marriage in the state
the bill failed in the state senate which had previously delayed the vote
because of lack of support
pro same sex lawmakers had been racing to push through the measure before
democratic governor jon corzine steps down on january his successor
republican chris christie has said he would veto any bill
while appreciate the senate willingness to publicly debate the marriage
equality bill am deeply disappointed by the final tally corzine said
afterwards
sponsors sought to make new jersey the sixth us state giving homosexuals full
marriage rights new jersey allows civil unions for gay couples
new york state assembly overwhelmingly rejected gay marriage bill while
voters in maine repealed the local government approval as did voters in
california and hawaii
the five states that have moved to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples
connecticut iowa massachusetts and vermont with new hampshire did so
through court rulings or through their legislatures
regret that the state recognition of equal justice and equal treatment
under the law will be delayed corzine said
certainly this process and the resulting debate is historic but unfortunately
today vote was squarely on the wrong side of history
arctic front chills us
chicago jan afp
bitterly cold arctic front swept through the central united states thursday
bringing temperatures as low as minus degrees fahrenheit minus degrees
celsius
the national weather service nws said the winter snap which has gripped the
southern states this week will deposit snow and ice from texas and louisiana in
the south to the northern us border
in north dakota safety warnings were issued as strong winds were expected to
bring temperatures down to minus degrees fahrenheit
governor rick perry of texas state known for its relatively mild winter
conditions directed the activation of state resources including military
personnel to help residents weather the cold front
an arctic system sweeping over texas communities will bring severe cold weather
and could create dangerous road conditions for drivers perry warned in
statement thursday
record low temperatures in florida saw residents and tourists swapping bikinis
and beach wear for sweaters and bobble hats as farmers battled to salvage some
of the temperate and tropical crop that form the backbone of the local economy
citrus growers feared their billion dollar year industry could be hit
hard local media reported that as many has four harvests could already be
ruined
tourism florida other major earner also was hit the terraces of miami
ocean drive normally replete with mojito downing tourists were deserted on
thursday as patrons opted to sip hot chocolate indoors
further north in kentucky transportation officials said highway crews had been
mobilized to battle snowstorm expected to leave extremely cold temperatures in
its wake
nws winter weather advisory warned temperatures would drop overnight to
degrees fahrenheit degrees celsius
forecasters said several inches of snow could fall over parts of the state with
heavier build up in parts due to strong winds and snow drifts
airports in the chicago area meanwhile already have canceled more than
flights aviation officials said in anticipation of the winter storm
britain condemns egypt border shooting
london jan afp
britain condemned thursday the fatal shooting of an egyptian policeman at the
border with the gaza strip and deplored the violence from all quarters
the egyptian policeman was killed in cross border gunfire on wednesday in the
border town of rafah in the southern gaza strip the officer died during
palestinian protest on the border officials have said
the uk government condemns the shooting of an egyptian border guard and
deplores the violence from all quarters the foreign office said in
statement
it also said it had raised with egyptian authorities the issue of clashes on
tuesday between egyptian police and pro palestinian activists trying to get
relief convoy into gaza
the fighting injured more than people after activists from the viva palestina
convoy broke down the gate at the egyptian port of el arish according to
activists and medics
members of the convoy smashed through the gate in protest at an egyptian
decision to ship some of their goods through israel
the ministry added it had also expressed concern over reports that one or more
british citizens may have been detained
mexico stocks close at record high
mexico city jan afp
mexico stock exchange closed thursday at record high of more than
points the latest in string of latin american equity markets to break
historic closing highs
after hovering for weeks just below its record close the bolsa mexicana de
valores bmv index rose or points to close at
the previous closing high of points was reached in october
latin america second biggest economy is believed to have contracted seven
percent in with the swine flu outbreak compounding the damage from
plummeting exports and remittances
jg shn jm
icc to assess guinea deadly september assault official
the hague jan afp
the international criminal court said thursday deputy prosecutor would travel
to guinea to assess if crimes against humanity occurred at military assault on
an opposition rally in september
the united nations says at least people were killed or are missing after the
assault by forces loyal to coup leader moussa dadis camara on an opposition
protest in stadium in the capital conakry on september
deputy prosecutor fatou bensouda was expected to travel to guinea on january
at the invitation of the guinean authorities special advisor to the prosecutor
beatrice le fraper told afp
the objective is to determine if the crimes committed on september were
crimes against humanity she said the guinean authorities have invited us to
go to guinea
the authorities had indicated they wanted to take action against anyone who
might have committed such crimes she said
the icc said in october it had launched preliminary examination of the
september violence to determine whether the alleged crimes fell within the
court jurisdiction
the junta says people were killed while rights groups say that at least
people were killed and more than hurt including women who were raped by
soldiers
guinea is state party to the founding statute of the court the world only
permanent tribunal for the adjudication of genocide war crimes and crimes
against humanity
football spanish cup results
madrid jan afp
results from the first legs of spanish cup last matches on thursday
rayo vallecano michel collantes real mallorca alvarez
hercules alicante cristian del olmo osasuna galan
malaga apono edinho getafe stepanov own goal
wednesday
celta vigo arthuro villarreal rossi
alcorcon lopez gomez racing santander christian geijo
moraton
valencia silva deportivo la coruna guardado alvarez
recreativo huelva fornaroli barrales pen candeias atletico
madrid
tuesday
barcelona ibrahimovic fc sevilla capel negredo pen
obama urged to halt some guantanamo transfers
washington jan afp
us president barack obama should halt all transfers of detainees from guantanamo
bay to afghanistan pakistan saudi arabia somalia algeria and sudan two
republican senators said thursday
in letter to obama republican senators lindsey graham and john mccain praised
his decision to freeze such transfers to yemen amid charges that the foiled
christmas day airliner bombing plot hatched there
we ask that you expand that order to include the transfer of detainees to
countries that have significant al qaeda presence at minimum afghanistan
pakistan saudi arabia somalia algeria and sudan they said
and mccain obama defeated republican white house rival in and
graham criticized the president approach to releasing detainees from the
notorious facility saying it lacked coherent standards
they also declared themselves profoundly troubled by the questionable nature of
the assurances from some potential destination countries for released detainees
that the former prisoners will be detained or monitored
graham and mccain both members of the senate armed services committee also
called for the declassification of report the pentagon says showed an increase
in the number of detainees who have forged links to militant groups after their
release
human rights groups have dismissed the pentagon numbers as propaganda saying
the information was too vague and that most of the detainees that had allegedly
returned to the fight were not identified
sony makes eco friendly mini laptop
las vegas nevada jan afp
sony unveiled mini notebook computer aimed at the hearts of environmentalists
vaio series notebooks have chassis made of plastic consisting of about
percent recycled compact disks and will be shipped in stylish reusable
carrying cases made from recycled plastic bottles
the series is so green it doesn have printed manual sony president stan
glasgow said while unveiling the line at the consumer electronics show taking
place in las vegas
sony is out to lower the power consumption of products and greenhouse gas
emissions at its facilities
vaio series machines were billed by sony as ideal secondary personal
computers for light tasks internet browsing and online social networking
the notebooks have high definition inch screens and hard drives with
gigabytes of storage vaio notebooks come in sugar white but the interiors
are naturally green
vaio notebooks were available for pre order online thursday at
sony com pr wseries at prices starting at dollars us
nfl burress bid for work release from prison denied
new york jan afp
former new york giants star plaxico burress serving two year prison sentence
on gun charge was denied permission to participate in work release program
authorities said thursday
burress pleaded guilty in august to gun charge after shooting himself in
nightclub he began two year prison term on september
the new york department of correctional services denied his application for
work release because of the nature of his crime
burress then star receiver with the national football league new york
giants was at manhattan night club when gun he had tucked in the waistband
of his trousers slipped down and discharged wounding him in the leg
his permit to carry the weapon which was issued in florida and not new york
had expired
at no time did you report this incident to local law enforcement as such it
is determined that you must serve greater portion of your sentence prior to
consideration for potential participation in the temporary release program the
ruling said
burress applied for work release which would have allowed him to spend some
portion of his sentence at home on november
it not surprising that he was denied as fewer than five persent of the more
than work release applications in were granted
burress can appeal and can reapply in six months
burress pleaded guilty to one count of attempted criminal weapons possession and
agreed to the two year sentence with two years of supervision upon release
with time off for good behavior burress is likely to serve months and could
be released as early as spring of
the giants released burress in april but the year old told espn in august
that he hopes to resume his nfl career when he completes his sentence
burress is suspended by the nfl but the league said he will be reinstated after
he completes his prison sentence
burress caught the winning touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the super
bowl in february when the giants defeated new england patriots team that
hadn lost game all season
israeli air strikes hit gaza no casualties witnesses
gaza city jan afp
israeli air strikes hit five targets in the hamas run gaza strip early friday
palestinian witnesses and security officials said there were no reports of
injuries
the raids came after palestinians fired more than mortars and rocket into
israel thursday according to the military also without causing casualties
israeli aircraft hit three targets near gaza city and two near the southern town
of khan younis witnesses and hamas officials said all the strikes hit empty
buildings or open spaces
the army had no immediate comment
on thursday israeli planes dropped thousands of leaflets over the gaza strip
warning residents to stay clear from the border after palestinian militants
fired mortar shells into israel
the letters which were dropped over northern gaza and gaza city warned
residents not to get within range of metres yards from the heavily
secured border with israel
anyone who gets closer than this will be in danger the leaflet read in
arabic
palestinian militants earlier fired salvo of more than five mortar shells that
fell near the israeli community of kerem shalom causing no casualties or
damage an army spokesman said
as result israel closed down the kerem shalom crossing with the gaza strip
until further notice the defence ministry said in statement
the strikes marked the latest violence along gaza border which has been
mostly quiet since war israel launched on the islamist hamas in gaza on
december in response to rocket fire ended with mutual ceasefires on
january
the ceasefires have largely held despite violations by both sides
debt holders deem argentina offer unacceptable
washington jan afp
argentina new debt swap offer to us creditors is unacceptable and does not
improve on proposal it made five years ago the president of the debt holding
group argentina task force robert shapiro told afp on thursday
president cristina kirchner in december got argentina congress to approve
settlement offer to creditors holding billion dollars in defaulted debt that
would reimburse them for percent of the money owed
the offer an attempt to close the chapter on argentina default worth
some billion dollars could be presented shortly to the us securities and
exchange commission in new york according to media reports
argentina is trying to sway creditors who have been holding out for more since
the offer was first made five years ago kirchner husband nestor was
president in when the default occurred
after five years the kirchners have come with an offer that is not better than
the offer that created this crisis it was unacceptable to lot of lenders five
years ago and for most of them will be unacceptable again expect shapiro
told afp
handled by three international banks including barclays citi and deutsche bank
argentina offer however could interest investment funds that bought
argentine bonds at discount after the crisis
for them the old offer is good offer in the sense they bought deeply
discounted debt shapiro said
the argentina task force representing some us national and state associations
and thousands of small us investors is requesting the us congress to approve
law banning countries that default on their debt from international financial
markets indefinitely
shapiro did not comment on the current struggle between kirchner and the head of
argentina central bank who was fired thursday by presidential decree
central bank president hernan martin perez redrado refused to hand over
billion dollars from argentina foreign currency reserves to pay off part of
billion dollar payment of the national due this year after the president
ordered him to do so
four dead five wounded in missouri gun rampage
st louis missouri jan afp
disgruntled employee shot dead three people and wounded five others before
killing himself in rampage thursday at missouri plant of swiss power
company police and reports said
police did not release his name but said man believed to be the gunman was
found dead inside the abb plant in st louis after apparently turning his gun on
himself
we re very confident that this is the shooter police chief dan isom told
news conference he added police officers had not fired any shots
three of the wounded were said to still be in critical condition
earlier as police combed the offices of abb power they had named the suspect as
year old timothy hendron he was an employee at the plant and reported to be
divorced with grown up son
local media reported some employees had sought refuge on the roof of the
building to escape the gunman while the drama unfolded
for four hours police combed the building not sure if the gunman was still
hiding in the complex or had fled the highway interstate was briefly closed
as precaution
it very large complex and it connected to an even larger complex so it
very slow and methodical process and it will take several hours police
captain sam dodson said earlier
the suspect was armed with an assault rifle and hand gun and the whole
complex was involved in the shooting from the exterior to the interior he
added
isom confirmed that three weapons an assault rifle shotgun and handgun
had been found at the scene he did not detail the reason behind the attack
we are not really sure what was the motive he said it will take long time
for us to put together the pieces of what happened
but according to kansas city court documents hendron was involved in legal
dispute with the firm over the management of employees retirement funds
one of hendron aunts marge stanger said she was sick with grief but could
not explain why he had snapped
she told the st louis post dispatch tim should not be judged for this
everybody loved him he had terrific personality and he was devoted to his
boy
neighbor and lawyer mike sweney who lived two doors from the hendron home
told the local daily that hendron asked him three years ago for the names of
labor lawyers
tim was laid back and easy going guy who was always ready to have beer and
talk things over sweney said
he asked me if knew an attorney who handled employee side labor law disputes
he had mentioned couple times that he was having some types of issues with
supervisors at work
abb spokesman bob fesmire said earlier there would normally be around people
in the factory from the start of the first shift at around am to am
but he added there were fewer workers at the plant on thursday thanks to snow
blizzard and temperatures which plunged to degrees fahrenheit minus
celsius forcing some colleagues to stay at home
police said about to workers were inside at the time of the shooting at
the beginning of the shift
the plant is part of zurich based abb engineering business and makes power
transformers
in statement issued from zurich abb said this is obviously very serious
situation and we are working to gather more information as it becomes available
the welfare of our employees is of utmost importance to us
us environmental agency gets tough on smog
washington jan afp
the environmental protection agency on thursday proposed tougher standards for
how much smog can be in the air move the us agency said would save money and
protect health especially in children
epa is stepping up to protect americans from one of the most persistent and
widespread pollutants we face smog in the air we breathe poses very serious
health threat especially to children and individuals suffering from asthma and
lung disease epa administrator lisa jackson said in statement
it dirties our air clouds our cities and drives up our health care costs
across the country she said
the new standards would replace those set by the previous administration which
many believe were not protective enough of human health the epa said
under the new proposals the primary standard for smog the standard to
protect public health would be tightened to the strictest level ever in the
united states between and parts per billion ppb measured over eight
hours
the administration of former president george bush in set the primary
standard for smog at ppb for eight hours
that level was judged too high by health and environmental groups and lawsuit
was brought against the epa in late in which joint complainants the
american lung association ala and natural resources defense council nrdc
said standard of ppb ignored science and the law
the ala applauded thursday proposals in statement posted on its website and
john walke senior attorney at the nrdc called them very good news
they have put out strong proposal consistent with the science to strengthen
the smog standard he told afp but added that environmental and health groups
would strongly urge the epa to set the smog limits at the lower level of
ppb rather than
the numbers represent the pollution level at which air is deemed to be safe to
breathe in other words under the current rules set by the bush
administration smog levels below ppb are safe to breathe and levels above
are unsafe
day period for public comment has been opened and three public hearings
will be held on the proposals starting early next month
if the lower level is passed the savings to health care could be in the region
of billion dollars as there would be fewer premature deaths visits to the
emergency room and days off work and drop in aggravated asthma and bronchitis
cases the epa said
the epa also proposed thursday setting secondary standard designed to
protect plants and trees from damage from repeated ozone exposure which can
reduce tree growth damage leaves and increase susceptibility to disease
smog which is also known as ground level ozone forms when emissions from
industrial facilities power plants landfills and motor vehicles react in the
sun
the sierra club grassroots environmental group with million members
called the proposals breath of fresh air and applauded the epa for
listening to health professionals and scientists and proposing rule that
provides real protection for millions of people
this rule will help ensure that all major sources of pollution get cleaned up
sierra club director carl pope said in statement
it will drive the need for cities and states to reduce the smog pollution
spewing from vehicle tailpipes investing in transportation choices that
enable americans to travel safely and efficiently without using their cars will
be part of the solution he said
once the levels are set which experts believe will be later this year or early
in states and the federal government will be required to outline
comprehensive plans for how every sector from factories to public
transportation to private cars to power plants will reduce pollution
the aim is to have concentration of ozone in the atmosphere of given area
that does not exceed the epa set level grace period would allow areas to
meet the new standards with cities like los angeles known for its clouds of
smog getting more time than less polluted cities such as new york or
washington
malaysian church fire bombed ahead of muslim protests
kuala lumpur jan afp
church in malaysia has been fire bombed in an attack that gutted its ground
floor church officials said friday escalating dispute over the use of the
word allah by non muslims
fire department official said all stations were on alert for more blazes at
religious buildings ahead of planned nationwide protests friday by muslim
groups angry over the use of the word as translation for god by christians
the three storey metro tabernacle church in suburban kuala lumpur part of the
assemblies of god movement was set ablaze in the attack which took place around
midnight said church leader peter yeow
witnesses saw four people smash the glass and throw incendiaries into the
church building they came on two motorcycles he told afp at the scene as fire
department forensic officers picked through the wreckage
there were no casualties in the attack on the church which occupies the corner
lot of row of shop houses and which yeow said draws some people weekly
the fire destroyed the administrative part of the church we do not know if the
prayer hall on the third floor suffered any damage he said warning all other
churches to double their guard against any attacks
anuar harun who headed the fire department operation said that forensic
experts were working with the police and canine unit to probe the blaze
we are investigating the cause of fire we cannot provide any more details it
is sensitive issue he said when asked if it was case of arson
we have asked all our fire stations to be on alert for such fires on religious
premises he told afp
the high court last week ruled in favour of the catholic herald newspaper
which has used allah as translation for god in its malay language section
the government has said the word should be used only by muslims
the ruling was suspended on wednesday pending an appeal after the government
argued the decision could cause racial conflict in multicultural malaysia where
muslim malays make up percent of the population
the security guard at the metro tabernacle church year old mariappan
said he had just walked away from the main entrance of the building to use the
bathroom when the building erupted in flames
when came back there was huge fire inside the church building there was
few loud explosions like bombs exploding he said adding he saw two motorcycle
helmets lying on the road in flames
the herald editor father lawrence andrew has warned of campaign of
intimidation including hacker attacks against the weekly website protest
plans and widespread criticism in the media over last week ruling
we believe these actions are designed to create climate of fear and
perceived threat to national security so as to pressure the court in reversing
its decision he said this week
religion and language are sensitive issues in multiracial malaysia which
experienced deadly race riots in
the row over the use of allah is among string of religious disputes that
have erupted in recent years straining relations between malays and minority
ethnic chinese and indians who fear the country is being islamised
malaysia population includes indigenous tribes as well as the large ethnic
chinese and indian communities practising buddhism christianity and
hinduism among others
more than half of malaysia catholics are from indigenous groups most of whom
