postponed spectator safety unless stated
burnley stoke
fulham portsmouth
hull chelsea
sunderland bolton
wigan aston villa frozen pitch
football michel joins birmingham yeung generation
birmingham england jan afp
miguel marcos michel has become the first major signing of carson yeung reign
as birmingham city owner after the blues announced monday they signed him from
spanish side sporting gijon
the year old has joined in deal worth reported three million pounds
birmingham manager alex mcleish almost signed the midfielder in august but the
clubs were unable to agree on the structure of payments for the player
hong kong tycoon yeung who took over birmingham in october has promised to
back mcleish in the transfer market
michel is in great age group and has got good legs and lovely touch on the
ball as you would imagine from spanish player performing at la liga level
mcleish told the club official website on monday
michel scored seven goals in appearances for sporting gijon since making his
debut in the season and had been the club player of the season during
each of the last two campaigns
former scotland manager mcleish who could have at least million pounds to
spend on new signings said he was still interested in one or two players
but he said each potential acquisition would be judged on its own merits
if there million pounds to spend then sure carson means that but
whether spend that remains to be seen he said
would probably need to bring four or five players in to get through that
money certainly not going to spend it on one player because don think
we re ready for that step
there are few clubs that are desperate for cash and we re aware of that as
well mcleish added
so prices can be inflated at the beginning of the month and they start to see
sense towards the end of january
last weekend draw with champions manchester united saw birmingham extend
their club record of successive unbeaten top flight games to matches and left
them an impressive eighth in the table
un chief sees poverty fight as priority this year
united nations jan afp
un chief ban ki moon said monday he would make the drive to achieve key poverty
reduction goals around the world by one of his key priorities this year
after meeting with representatives of the member un general assembly the
secretary general called the year of development
ban said he would convene special millennium development goals mdgs summit
here in september on the sidelines of the general assembly session to speed up
the lagging process to achieve those targets by the deadline
the september meeting will take stock of what has been achieved in the past nine
years and participants will reaffirm their commitment to achieve the eight mdgs
set in ban said
the targets include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger achieving universal
primary education promoting gender equality reducing child mortality
improving maternal health combating hiv aids and other disease ensuring
environmental sustainability and creating global partnership for development
my message is simple the mdgs are too big to fail investing in development
is crucial to global health national security and the lives and livelihoods of
families everywhere the secretary general said
among other top priorities for this year ban listed ending violence against
women and girls through female empowerment worldwide making progress on
disarmament and nuclear non proliferation preventing conflict and advancing
human rights and the rule of law
the un boss said he was heading later monday for retreat in the new york
suburb of manhasset with more than dozen heads of international and regional
organizations for talks on cooperation in times of crisis
nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen is among top officials attending
the gathering which ends tuesday
ban earlier attended ribbon cutting ceremony marking the formal opening of the
un secretariat temporary new home pending the renovation of its aging complex
he said the completion of the million dollar white structure was key
building block in the five year plan to modernize the acre seven hectare
compound to make it greener safer and more energy efficient
the renovation of the year old floor glass building is expected to be
completed by at total cost of billion dollars
major tourist attraction the glass tower has leaking roof is riddled with
asbestos and lacks fire detectors sprinkler system and other emergency safety
devices
ban stressed that the three story no frills north lawn building designed to
serve for limited period and to be cost effective will accommodate the un
general assembly in two years but the security council will continue operating
in the main complex
venezuela military shutters store amid devaluation panic
caracas jan afp
the venzuelan military shuttered european owned supermarket on monday
apparently meeting pledge to close businesses that put up prices after
massive currency devaluation
the government of left wing president hugo chavez said the national guard had
closed caracas store owned by the french owned exito chain for hours
after alleged irregularities
the news came as venezuelans rushed to empty supermarket shelves of televisions
refrigerators in anticipation that prices would soar for imported items
on friday chavez announced the bolivar would now trade at to the dollar for
non essential goods double the present rate and rate of bolivars
against the dollar for basic goods
chavez warned sunday that any price speculation by shopkeepers will trigger
business seizures and called on the national guard to help people fight price
gouging
to those gentlemen let call them looters of the people if they want to
go ahead and do it but we ll take their business and hand it over to the
workers chavez said on his weekly radio and television talk show alo
presidente
still consumers here were not feeling comforted
we have sold three times as much as normal said the owner of an appliance
shop in caracas as panicky buyers formed long lines outside stores
on shopper systems analyst who asked not to be named said the devaluation
prompted him to buy television he had been eyeing for months
pretty soon they are all going to cost twice as much but am not going to be
earning twice as much he said
fellow shopper rosaura martinez echoed similar concerns really am not sure
of the price is going to go up not but just in case came down here to get my
oven she said
the bolivar devaluation was the first since and was designed in part to
bolster public finances that have withered amid dwindling oil revenues and
rapidly contracting economy
critics said the move would allow chavez to boost public spending ahead of
elections in september but would severely damage the health of the economy
the measures will see the government net twice as much for each dollar of oil
revenue and will move the bolivar closer to its rate on the black market of
around six bolivars per dollar
international investors hailed the devaluation as long overdue but warned it
would do little to stem the decline of venezuela once booming economy unless
steps are made to boost investor confidence
the new devaluation will not correct the problem long term since the
government refuses to take steps to stimulate private investment continuing its
interventionist policy said the moody ratings agency
since coming to office chavez has sought to remake the venezuelan economy
vowing to create more equitable socialist system
he has initiated string of nationalizations of foreign firms banks and
measures that have sent inflation soaring to percent the highest in latin
america
the largest oil producer in south america venezuela slipped into recession in
for the first time in six years due to drop in oil prices and production
simon cowell quits reality show american idol
los angeles jan afp
simon cowell confirmed monday he will quit talent show american idol later
this year to concentrate on launching us version of his british hit the
factor
the acid tongued star of fox reality series the highest rated show on us
television told reporters he had negotiated contract which would see the
factor make its long awaited debut also on fox in early
cowell previous contract with fox had barred him from launching us edition
of the factor talent contest while he continued as judge idol which
begins its th season on tuesday
fox broadcasting entertainment chairman peter rice told reporters at press
event in pasadena that the factor and american idol would air at different
times of the year
the factor made its debut in britain in and has since been exported to
other nations
it differs from american idol in that it allows contestants as young as
idol limits contestants to the ages fo does not have an upper age
limit allows groups has different categories and has the judges serving as
mentors cowell said
thrilled that we have put date on the launch of the us version of the
factor and delighted to be continuing to work with fox said cowell who has
become famous for his merciless put downs of idol contestants
asked who fox should seek as his replacement cowell replied just get somebody
who knows what they re talking about
white house confident in yemen extremism fight
washington jan afp
the white house on monday expressed confidence in yemeni president ali abdullah
saleh willingness to fight extremism after he said he was open to talking to
disarmed al qaeda militants
yemen capacity to combat extremism has emerged as hot button political issue
in washington following the thwarted christmas day attack on us airliner
heading for detroit which was allegedly planned in the arab country
washington has said it is looking to significantly boost military and financial
support to yemen but some analysts have questioned the willingness and ability
of the sanaa government to live up to us expectations
asked whether the united states had confidence in yemen fight against
militancy white house spokesman robert gibbs said yes
he offered as evidence the steps that the president has taken over the last
many months to deal with it
we believe that the president is taking the necessary steps and we continue to
support his efforts to combat extremism
gibbs did not however directly address saleh comments on abu dhabi tv that if
al qaeda militants lay down their arms renounce violence and terrorism and
return to wisdom we are prepared to deal with them
after the thwarted attack on northwest airliner at christmas the united
states and britain announced plans to fund counter extremism police in yemen
the base of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula which is blamed for the plot
but with an eye on the unstable political environment in yemen and neighboring
nations obama is making clear that he does not envisage openly deploying us
troops to the country
never rule out any possibility in world that is this complex in
countries like yemen in countries like somalia think working with
international partners is most effective at this point obama told people
magazine
have no intention of sending us boots on the ground in these regions
nevertheless radical yemeni cleric accused by washington of supporting
terrorism warned on monday against any us troop deployment to the country osama
bin laden ancestral homeland
sheikh abdulmajeed al zendani also denied having links with us yemeni cleric
anwar al awlaqi who washington believes is behind the christmas day attack
we reject any military occupation of our country and we do not accept the
return of colonialism zendani told news conference
yemenis rulers and people must be vigilant before protectorate is imposed
on them he warned
washington was concerned about the threat from extremism in yemen even before
the christmas day attack and intends to significantly increase public support
for the government
us development and security assistance to yemen is due to rise in to
million dollars from total of million dollars in the fiscal year
state department spokesman darby holladay said in december
cbs news meanwhile reported earlier this month that recent attacks on al qaeda
positions in yemen including cruise missile strikes were led by the united
states
in another development related to the christmas day attack obama said tuesday
he had suspended transfers of freed guantanamo bay inmates to yemen
the administration is under intense pressure from domestic critics not to send
more detainees back to yemen because of fears they will slip back into
extremism there
football michel joins birmingham yeung generation
birmingham england jan afp
miguel marcos michel has become the first major signing of carson yeung reign
as birmingham city owner after the blues announced on monday they signed him
from spanish side sporting gijon
the year old has joined in deal worth reported three million pounds
birmingham manager alex mcleish almost signed the midfielder in august but the
clubs were unable to agree on the structure of payments for the player
hong kong tycoon yeung who took over birmingham in october has promised to
back mcleish in the transfer market
the former scotland manager has said he is looking to bring in two or three
quality players during the january transfer window
michel is in great age group and has got good legs and lovely touch on the
ball as you would imagine from spanish player performing at la liga level
mcleish told the club official website on monday
mayor aide held in chad embezzlement case
djamena jan afp
police on monday arrested and detained the mayor of chad capital djamena and
one of his aides on suspicion of embezzlement police and municipal officials
told afp
the case against mayor mahamat zene bada and second deputy annour djibrine
hinges on complaint lodged on thursday by the ministry in charge of auditing
government departments police source said on condition of anonymity
an official at city hall confirmed the arrests adding that about dozen
municipal officials had been arrested during inspections carried out by the
ministry since october
suspicion centres on alleged bogus expense claims made through non existant
businesses worth around three billion cfa francs nearly million euros
million dollars the official said
monday arrests came few hours after the start of an extraordinary national
assembly session to decide whether to pursue legal action against three
government ministers and lawmaker named in corruption scandal involving the
purchase of schoolbooks that came to light in october
the session was convened at prime minister youssouf saleh abbas request
prosecutors submitted report to national assembly members on monday
identifying six serving members of the government in relation to the school
books case judicial official told afp on condition of anonymity
they include finance minister gata ngoulou education minister abderamane koko
and public health minister ngombaye dja be the source said
the report also names two secretaries of state oumar boukar gana and khadidja
hassaballah both with budget responsiblities plus the minister for relations
with the national assembly limane mahamat the source added
prosecutors are asking for the six to be tried for the same reasons that led
to the indictment and jailing of haroune kabadi who was chief of staff in the
president office and presidential adviser the source said
last november the cabinet gave its consent for decree authorising judicial
officials to hear testimonoy from six members of the government in connection
with the affair but only as witnesses
us rebuffs north korean call for peace treaty
washington jan afp
the white house on monday dismissed north korea call for talks on treaty to
formally end the korean war before putting the issue of dismantling pyongyang
nuclear program on the table
the north koreans are well aware of what they need to do to come back to
six party talks in dealing with this issue that is give up the idea of
nuclear state on the peninsula white house spokesman robert gibbs said
if they re willing to live up to those obligations then we will make progress
in those talks
north korea foreign ministry statement marked the first time the reclusive
communist state has publicly stated its position on the disarmament negotiations
since us envoy stephen bosworth visited pyongyang last month
bosworth was trying to persuade north korea to return to the six nation talks it
abandoned in april month before staging second nuclear test no firm
agreement was reached
monday statement said repeated frustrations and failures in the talks
which began in and group the two koreas the united states china russia
and japan showed the need to build confidence among parties concerned
if confidence is to be built between the dprk north korea and the us it is
essential to conclude peace treaty for terminating the state of war root
cause of the hostile relations to begin with said the statement carried by
official media
but senior us official accused pyongyang of trying to use back door to get
bilateral or negotiation start with the us
this is not gonna work they ve got to walk through the front door restart the
six party process the official added speaking on condition of anonymity
and when they do that then within the context of the six party process they
can have bilateral discussion with the us on any number of issues
the north has long called for treaty to officially end the conflict
which terminated only with an armistice leaving the parties technically at war
us led united nations force fought for the south and china backed the
communist north
six party agreements in and envisage talks on peace treaty but only
in return for full denuclearization the north said the peace pact should come
first
it has also offered to resume negotiations if the sanctions against it are
lifted
state department official rejected that idea we ve made clear going back
several months we re not going to pay north korea for coming back to the six
party process said spokesman pj crowley
col cs jkb oh
toyota unveils compact hybrid concept in detroit
detroit michigan jan afp
toyota unveiled compact hybrid concept car at the north american auto show
aiming to capitalize on its popular prius and growing interest in gasoline
electric vehicles
the ft ch concept car is aimed at toyota strategy to offer wider variety of
conventional hybrid choices to its customers as it begins to introduce plug in
hybrids and battery powered vehicles in global markets the company said
within the next to years we will not only reach peak oil we will enter
period where demand for all liquid fuels will exceed supply said jim lentz
president of toyota us unit
century after the invention of the automobile we must re invent it with
powertrains that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of conventional
petroleum fuels he said
one of many alternatives is through what is commonly called the electrification
of the automobile by far the single most successful example of this has been
the gas electric hybrid
in toyota sold hybrid vehicles worldwide including in the
united states according to lentz
the ch stands for compact hybrid and is some centimeters inches shorter
than the mid size prius
it package toyota dealers and customers have been asking for said lentz
the ft ch designed at toyota european design and development center in nice
france is aimed at younger less affluent buyer demographic according to
the company
football french cup draw
paris jan afp
revised draw for the french cup round of after monday match
compiegne or lens marseille
auxerre saint ouen aumone or sedan
thiers or nancy plabennec
la grande motte or villefranche saone st etienne or lorient
beauvais agen
toulouse pontivy or brest
raon etape vesoul
quevilly or st quentin angers
marquette us or mulhouse guingamp
saint louis neuweg or sochaux le mans
vannes grenoble or montpellier
paris sg evian thonon gaillard
monaco lyon
avranches or saumur rennes
boulogne or colmar lille
bordeaux ajaccio
matches to be played january and
football french cup results
paris jan afp
french cup round of result on monday
amiens auxerre
played sunday
lattes angers
versailles beauvais
bompchamp les laval guingamp
plabennec nice
trelissac marseille
paris saint germain aubervilliers
played saturday
chauray agen
ajaccio cannes
vannes troyes after extra time
vannes win on penalties
seclin boulogne
laval vesoul aet
saint dizier raon etape
les herbiers toulouse
monaco tours aet
monaco win on penalties
strasbourg lyon
bordeaux rodez
rennes caen
le mans valenciennes
postponed matches
compiegne lens
saint louis neuweg sochaux
marquette mulhouse
saint ouen aumone sedan
colmar lille
pontivy brest
la grande motte villefranche saone
saint etienne lorient
grenoble montpellier
thiers nancy
rearranged dates for postponed matches
jan
avranches saumur
quevilly saint quentin
played friday
pau evian thonon gaillard
vw seat to slash jobs in spain company
madrid nov afp
seat the ailing spanish subsidiary of german auto giant volkswagen said monday
it plans to cut non production jobs in spain due to downturn in demand
the job cuts represent about six percent of the jobs at the company which
are not directly involved in the production of vehicles it said
seat employs another people directly in the manufucturing of vehicles
about percent of the job cuts or posts will be carried out through
early retirement
seat president james muir said the goal was to increase the efficiency and
productivity of the company
earlier monday volkswagen said seat saw sales drop percent to cars
following sharp decline in its domestic market
football benin hit by injury doubt over key midfielder
benguela angola jan afp
benin midfielder muri ogunbiyi is major doubt for their opening africa cup of
nations group clash here on tuesday against mozambique after he suffered
thigh strain in training
the nigerian born midfielder who plays for french side guingamp limped
out of training on monday at the ombaka stadium in benguela after about
minutes and had to be attended to by the team doctors who bandaged an ice pack
around his right thigh
no benin official was willing to comment on ogunbiyi injury
in the meantime mozambique had to cut short their training on monday night in
benguela after power surge at the new ombaka stadium
the mambas were on the pitch for few minutes when the power supply at the
ombaka stadium was interrupted they waited for power to be restored and after
about minutes they retired to their hotel few kilometres outside benguela
both benin and mozambique are bidding to record their first ever victory in the
tournament history
canada switzerland to negotiate new tax treaty
ottawa jan afp
the canadian and swiss governments will hold talks next month to update an
income tax treaty at time when canada is seeking client information from
swiss bank ubs to catch tax cheats ottawa said monday
the treaty negotiations are to start the week of february in bern canada
finance department said in statement
ottawa asked canadians whose interests may be affected to inform the government
of any particular issues of double taxation that might be taken into account
during the course of negotiations
the government is particularly interested in learning of any difficulties that
might be encountered by canadians under the tax system of switzerland the
ministry said
canadian revenue minister jean pierre blackburn has been pressing ubs for months
to hand over list of its canadian clients in an effort to nab possible tax
cheaters
on friday blackburn said canadians were among some tax evaders on list
handed over to french authorities by former hsbc employee
british bomb disposal expert killed in afghanistan ministry
london jan afp
british bomb disposal expert was killed in an explosion in southern
afghanistan on monday amid wave of violence that left six foreign soldiers
dead the ministry of defence said
the soldier from the royal logistic corps was killed by blast in northern
helmand province his death was the second for british forces in afghanistan
this year
he was tasked with combatting the threat of improvised bombs known as
improvised explosive devices ieds which have caused many deaths and
injuries among troops battling the taliban in afghanistan
it is with deep sadness must inform you that this morning soldier from
explosive ordnance disposal regiment royal logistic corps part of the counter
ied task force was killed by an explosion said military spokesman lieutenant
colonel david wakefield
his resolution and his gallantry in the fight to protect the lives of others
from improvised explosive devices in helmand will not be forgotten
his family have been informed the defence ministry added
the bomb disposal expert was among six foreign soldiers killed by fighting in
afghanistan on monday the ministry confirmed
three americans and at least one french servicemen were also among the dead
said the nato led alliance in the country
total of british service personnel died in afghanistan last year the
bloodiest for the british military since the falklands war total of
have been killed since operations began in
british journalist rupert hamer of the sunday mirror newspaper was killed
after being hit by roadside bomb on saturday as he accompanied marines on
patrol
cyprus media mogul shot dead outside home
nicosia jan afp
year old cypriot media group chief was shot dead outside his home on monday
night in what police believe was professional hit his tv station reported
antis hadjicostis was ceo of the dias media group which owns private channel
sigma daily newspaper simerini and radio proto
sigma interrupted its programmes to announce the father of two had been shot
twice from close range and killed when ambushed by two men one carrying
pistol the media empire is owned by his tycoon father costis hadjicostis
hadjicostis was getting out of his car at the time of the attack according to
witnesses who saw the assailants escape on motorbike
the shooting happened at around pm gmt metres yards away from
the heavily guarded us embassy in the capital nicosia
the motive for the killing is unknown but attacks on media figures are rare in
cyprus sigma called the attack an unprecedented and shocking crime
politicians family and friends visited the crime scene as news of the shooting
spread
wall street cautious as corporate earnings season begins
new york jan afp
wall street stocks traded mixed monday as investors paused at start of the
fourth quarter earnings period that will offer clues on the health of corporate
america
the dow jones industrial average rose points percent to
in final trades hitting fresh month highs
the technology heavy nasdaq composite fell points percent to
and the broad market standard amp poor index added points
percent to provisional close of
all three key stock indexes opened on positive note after weekend data
revealed that china had overtaken germany as the world biggest exporter but
turned mixed in choppy trading later as investors turned cautious ahead of the
earnings reporting season
top aluminum producer alcoa will be the first blue chip company to report its
earning result after the market close monday
traders appear to be playing their cards close to their vests ahead of the
fourth quarter earnings season analysts at charles schwab amp co said
expectations are that there would be plenty of upside surprises especially
from companies that are doing more business abroad said ed yardeni president
