the programme will feature the opening in july of the museum of innocence
conceived by nobel literature laureate orhan pamuk the exhibition from
byzantium to istanbul from september to november the european universities
theatre festival in may and concert by irish rock ban in september
nc han ms boc
rugbyu hodgson admits surprise over england saxons call
london jan afp
england fly half charlie hodgson admits he was surprised to be handed recall
to the international fold this week
sale sharks star hodgson has been in england exile for months after being
tormented by new zealand ma nonu during his last test appearance
the year old has amassed more than points in england appearances but
thought he would struggle to return to the fold following that chastening
display
but england head coach martin johnson has picked hodgson and danny cipriani in
an england saxons squad that will face ireland on january and italy seven
days later
it was surprise to be selected hodgson said had not had any contact
from england for while and wasn really expecting anything to come of it
so was delighted to hear the news
at the end of the day your form can change but overall ve been pleased with
how things have been going
am happy and just enjoying my rugby and probably that has been the big
factor for me
if you are happy in yourself then you are bit more relaxed and as result
you tend to play bit better
alert
military chief of al qaeda in arabian peninsula killed senior official
german teenage serial arsonist jumps under train
berlin jan afp
german teenager and self confessed serial arsonist committed suicide by
jumping in front of train two days after he was taken into custody by
authorities police said friday
the year old whose name was withheld admitted wednesday to starting
reported fires in the area since november he was in police detention for
questioning over mysterious blazes that had plagued the area
the boy was released into his parents custody as after discussions with
prosecutors there was no legal reason for his immediate arrest police said in
statement
he visited psychiatric clinic thursday that police had recommended to him
where appointments for outpatient treatment were arranged
that night he threw himself under an oncoming train
police had suspected the teenager because he often appeared at the scene of
fire while authorities were investigating in most cases he had set garbage or
recycling containers ablaze which put nearby people and buildings at risk
local news reports said excessive alcohol consumption and boredom might have
motivated the arson attacks
yassir arman the moderate chosen to take on sudan beshir
khartoum jan afp
charming and media savvy yassir arman secular muslim from north sudan was
selected on friday by his ex rebel group to challenge omar al beshir in april
presidential election the first multi party poll since
during sudan year civil war between the mainly muslim north and largely
christian and animist south which killed two million people thousands of
southerners served as backup troops for the north while northerners campaigned
for the southern rebellion
arman in his late forties was one of the latter
native of gezira sudan agricultural heartland along the nile he studied
law in the at cairo university in khartoum where he was an active member
of the communist movement
at the time he was close to the southern rebels who wanted the advent of new
sudan with the country society based on civic rather than ethnic or religious
grounds
in arman was accused of murdering an islamist and left the capital
khartoum he read news bulletins for southern rebel radio and kept keen
interest in the media
the end of the north south civil war marked the formation of unity government
between the national congress party ncp of beshir author of an islamist
backed military coup in and the ex rebel sudan people liberation
movement splm
arman the whipping boy of radical islamists in khartoum became parliamentary
leader of the splm in the national assembly and attempted to boost the training
of southern branches in the north
he is northern muslim so the ncp cannot play the card of religion or race
against him ali al hajj waraq said ahmed former editor of ajras al hurriyam
leftist newspaper close to the splm told afp
many observers are sceptical about the holding of free elections believing that
arman chances of dislodging the incumbent beshir from power are either minimal
or non existent
the sudanese president is wanted by the international criminal court icc for
alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the darfur region of
western sudan in the conflict that erupted there in
beshir party wants landslide victory as way of strengthening its
legitimacy and as rebuff to the western powers that support the icc
the elections were provided for in the comprehensive peace agreement cpa
signed in between north and south sudan that brought an end to the
devastating civil war the african continent longest
the cpa is meant also to pave the way for referendum on southern independence
in january an explosive issue seen as complicating matters for arman
native of the north
by choosing yassir to compete in the national election and sudan vice
president salva kiir in the south it shows the splm prefers separation from
the north said nhial bol editor of citizen an english language newspaper
based in juba the capital of south sudan
arman is married to woman from the dinka tribe the most influential in south
sudan his nomination must still be ratified by the country electoral
commission
uganda pastor attacks president over anti gay bill comment
kampala jan afp
prominent evangelical pastor friday accused ugandan president yoweri museveni
of caving in to foreign policy pressure over the country controversial anti
gay bill
museveni on tuesday urged caution on the bill and said uganda first needed to
consult with the united states and european nations before declaring its
position because uganda needed to consider its foreign policy interests
he said the draft law should be handled in way which does not compromise our
principles but also takes into account our foreign policy interests
we are calling on president museveni and parliament to not be intimidated
by the sodomites of america and europe pastor martin ssempa an influential
anti gay crusader with ties to the first family told reporters
any country that puts sodomy as pillar of its foreign policy is failed
state he said
ssempa who said he was speaking on behalf of several religious and civil
society groups also lauded the speaker of uganda parliament for insisting
lawmakers should debate and vote on the bill despite foreign opposition
there is no way we can be intimidated by remarks from the president to stop the
bill the daily monitor newspaper cited the speaker edward ssekandi as saying
friday
ssempa also announced plans to stage march on february involving one
million anti homosexuality demonstrators
we want to give the president post card he can send to barack obama he
added the united states is among the countries that have condemned the bill
the proposed bill would impose the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality
applicable in cases of rape of minor by person of the same sex or where one
partner carries the aids virus
it would also criminalise public discussion of homosexuality and could penalise
an individual who knowingly rents property to homosexual
homosexuality is illegal in uganda punishable by life imprisonment in some
instances the penal code identifies carnal knowledge against the order of
nature as an offence
rolls royce gets raf engine contract
london jan afp
the british defence ministry announced on friday it had awarded fighter jet
engine contract worth million pounds million euros billion
dollars to british engine maker rolls royce
the british company will provide ej engines for the raf eurofighter typhoon
and maintain them under year contract deal that will help to sustain up to
high skilled jobs the ministry said in statement
this contract will ensure that our typhoon aircraft continue to meet their
operational commitments as cornerstone of the uk air defence capabilities
said the minister for defence equipment and support quentin davies
fpo lth nh
urgent bank of italy raises growth forecast to percent
milan jan afp
italy central bank on friday forecast weak recovery in the next two years
because of flagging domestic demand but raised its economic growth prediction
for to percent
alert
bank of italy raises growth forecast to percent
urgent yemen may have killed qaeda military boss security official
sanaa jan afp
an air strike friday on an al qaeda position in the north of yemen killed six
people including the man thought to be the group military boss qassem al
rimi and three other leaders security official said
haitians claw for life after quake apocalypse
port au prince jan afp
haitians grasped for fading signs of life friday in the rubble of their quake
hit capital as frustration grew over an aid bottleneck and tens of thousands of
bodies rotted in the tropical heat
looters raided un food stores in port au prince in sign of the desperate
situation facing its homeless scarred and traumatized residents after
quake the red cross said may have killed people
volunteers clawed through piles of concrete and twisted metal looking for
survivors but there was no sign of heavy lifting equipment despite the launch of
massive global aid operation
tons of material and badly needed supplies piled up at the international airport
where flights jostled for space on the tarmac and single runway
the united states has assumed air traffic control but flights were delayed as
staff struggled to unload supplies and the major problem was getting it to where
it was needed most
the physical destruction is so great that physically getting from point to
point with the supplies is not an easy task said world food programme
spokeswoman emilia casella
getting physically tons and tons of equipment of food and water is not as
instant as twitter or skype or hour satellite news
casella said wfp food warehouses in port au prince had been looted and it was
having to restock to provide urgent aid for two million people
un teams urged countries to stop sending search and rescue teams into the aid
logjam but called for doctors and medical personnel to treat thousands of
casualties suffering crush injuries or fractures
every street has its row of corpses and crowds of wandering refugees
under the pancaked wreck of dress store one woman cried out faintly for help
they re going to die they re going to die spat jean rald rocher as he and
other volunteers clawed vainly at the concrete and twisted metal crushing her
and at least one other woman showing signs of life
he and others howled with rage as big trucks with diplomats and aid workers
drove past without stopping
at nursing training school some nurses had had time to huddle together before
their building collapsed one continued to cry under the rubble for day
witnesses told afp
none survived
un assessment by helicopter found some areas of the capital suffered
percent destruction estimating people had been left homeless
the international committee of the red cross said the quake the largest to hit
the caribbean country in more than years had killed to
people after haitian officials earlier warned the toll may exceed
this is nightmare for survivors and aid workers alike the british aid
charity oxfam international director penny lawrence said
the airport is near ruined communications are fractured and people are
traumatized and in great need we are now beginning to get aid through despite
the challenges
in the agonising wait for help some residents erected makeshift shelters with
sheets and covers others trekked with their meager belongings looking for
refuge outside the city
doctors struggled to treat the vast numbers of sick and injured
hundreds of corpses some mutilated and half clothed lay rotting outside the
flattened central hospital waves of distraught haitians moving from body to
body in search of loved ones
haitian born rap star wyclef jean who spent thursday helping pick up the dead
called it the apocalypse
the international commmunity has so far pledged some million dollars
million euros in aid according to the un
governments promised money experts and equipment donations rolled in by text
message and internet and hollywood idols lent their star power to appeals for
funds
the aid coming in includes field hospitals doctors medicines search and
rescue teams with sniffer dogs water and water purification equipment food
tents blankets heavy lifting equipment as well as soldiers and experts
us president barack obama said to the people of haiti we say clearly and with
conviction you will not be forsaken you will not be forgotten
secretary of state hillary clinton and defense secretary robert gates were
coordinating the us effort including million dollars in immediate aid and
more than us troops plus three ships and several coast guard cutters
the uss carl vinson giant nuclear powered aircraft carrier was due to arrive
later friday with helicopters ready to dispatch water medicine and other
aid
the united states said it had received rare permission to use cuban airspace for
its aid and evacuation flights
obama and french president nicolas sarkozy along with brazil canada and
others plan conference on haiti reconstruction
the united nations which has been assuming security in the impoverished
nation since said staffers had been killed in the quake the worst
disaster in the global body history while were missing
eads says ready to negotiate acceptable deal
paris jan afp
european aerospace giant eads said on friday it is ready to negotiate an
acceptable deal over the rising costs of the airbus military plane
project during talks with seven client countries
the british defence ministry said earlier the project partners were inviting
european plane maker airbus and its parent group eads to meeting in the next
few days to try and achieve an acceptable settlement
source close to the issue said the meeting may take place in the middle of
next week
we understand we will be invited to the next meeting of defence ministers and
eads will go to this meeting with willingness to negotiate an acceptable
solution an eads spokesman said
the seven nations belgium britain france germany luxembourg spain and
turkey held crunch talks in london on thursday but neither eads nor airbus
were invited to that meeting
the heads of airbus and eads ramped up pressure on the seven nations this week
to pledge more money for the programme by the end of january warning that the
future of the european aerospace giant depended on it
airbus has said it could scrap the project unless it gets extra money
the seven client nations have ordered total of aircraft for some
billion euros billion dollars but the project has been plagued by delays
and is expected to cost an up to an additional billion euros
alert
al qaeda military chief thought killed in yemen air raid official
central african opposition quits electoral process
bangui jan afp
opposition parties in the central african republic on friday announced that they
were quitting the electoral process and demanded the resignation of the head of
the independent electoral commission
the opposition suspends its participation in the commission and demands the
immediate resignation of the head of the cei jean jacques demafouth the head
of former rebel movement told afp
the commission chief joseph binguimale was accused of breaching his oath
total absence of independence scheming with the aim of promoting massive fraud
dubious morality and notorious incompetence demafouth said
the walkout involved of the members of the commission which was set up in
august to organise and supervise elections at dates that have yet to be
announced all those to quit including former rebels as well as the political
opposition demanded binguimale resignation
nicolas tiangaye the chairman of the republican convention for social progress
crps said that binguimale is far from bringing together all the qualities
necessary to carry out the electoral process in peace and national harmony he
openly displays his allegiance to president francois bozize
tiangaye accused binguimale of trampling on the electoral code by setting up
local committees in the name of kwa na nwa knn the presidential party at the
expense of other parties which took part at the end of in forum for peace
with the government the opposition rebels and civil society
demafouth demanded the dissolution of these local committees as well as an
audit of electoral commission finances
he also wanted the immediate implementation of decision taken during the
national dialogue namely to set up permanent framework for consultation to
prevent further political crises
bolivia syria look to establish diplomatic ties
la paz jan afp
bolivia and syria are intent on establishing diplomatic relations to further
what bolivian president evo morales called the struggle against imperialism
bolivian foreign minister david choquehuanca said
the move discussed by morales and visiting syrian information minister mohsen
bilal on thursday would be another blow to us influence in south america
bolivia along with venezuela and brazil already enjoys cordial relations with
us arch foe iran syria state treated as state sponsor of terrorism by
washington is an ally of iran
morales has long vented against imperialism which is his codeword for the
united states
we still don have diplomatic relations but we are going to move towards
establishing ties choquehuanca told reporters after bilal visit
bolivia and syria are two brother countries fighting for peace for prosperity
and which also fight against common enemy which is interested in occupation
and upsetting world peace bilal was quoted as saying
we form part of group that has common problems and that is fighting for
common solution he said
morales is to travel to syria this year to discuss ways to develop the budding
relationship with the middle east nation choquehuanca said
china criticises hk referendum bid
beijing jan afp
china on friday condemned bid by opposition hong kong legislators to force
de facto referendum on the chinese territory political system saying such
vote would be illegal
statement released by china hong kong and macao affairs office expressed
gave concern over the plan saying it was not in line with china
constitution or the basic law which spells out hong kong political system
the hong kong special administrative region basic law does not provide for
referendum system said the statement which said any such move would have no
legal effect
officials with hong kong civic party said on monday five of the territory
opposition lawmakers would quit this month in protest aimed at drawing
attention to the pace of democratic reforms in the city
they will give up their seats in the former british colony seat legislature
in the hope of speeding up progress towards direct elections said civic party
secretary general kenneth chan
they hope that by resigning they can force by elections that will become de
facto referendum on the controversial issue
at present only half of hong kong legislature is directly elected while
largely pro beijing committee effectively controls the selection of the
remainder and appoints the city chief executive
hong kong is local administrative region and has no right to create
referendum the chinese government statement said
it added that hong kong will be able to distinguish right and wrong and reject
the attempt
the five legislators who will step down january have not yet been named
thousands of people took to the streets on new year day to call for universal
suffrage and the release of jailed chinese dissident liu xiaobo
beijing has said the chief executive could be directly elected by and the
legislature by while pro democracy lawmakers want universal suffrage in
critics charged that the latest democracy plan was vague and left the door open
to beijing maintaining control over the city which was handed back to china in
us consumer prices edge up percent in december
washington jan afp
us consumer prices rose percent in december pushing prices up percent
in from year ago official data showed friday suggesting inflation
remains tame amid recovery from recession
the small rise in the consumer price index cpi was matched by percent
increase in the so called core cpi which excludes food and energy prices the
labor department reported in seasonally adjusted data
the headline cpi increase was weaker than the average analyst forecast of
percent rise while the core reading was in line with expectations
the unadjusted percent inflation reading marked sharp increase over
inflation of percent the first full year of the worst recession in
decades
in the annual inflation rate stood at percent
bulgarian pm getting cold feet over eu candidate
sofia jan afp
bulgarian prime minister boyko borisov appeared to distance himself friday from
his foreign minister rumiana jeleva as candidate for top job at the european
commission
until now borisov has always publicly backed jeleva as bulgaria candidate for
the post of european aid commissioner even though critics said she was
unsuitable for the job and despite allegations that she made incomplete
declarations of her financial interests
but speaking on national television borisov seemed to be hesitating about her
candidacy
while he insisted on jeleva competence for the post on the commission the
european union executive arm he said he was not in position to judge the
various allegations against her
if she accepted to become european commissioner it was her duty to get her
papers in order if this was not the case she will not have my support
borisov said
jeleva came under fire in parliament earlier this week over her alleged failure
to declare her management and ownership of private consultancy firm while
being member of the european parliament between and
the european parliament juridical service is scheduled to rule whether there
was possible conflict of interest in jeleva case on monday and borisov said
he would wait until then before making decision
jeleva has tried to play down the accusations against her but her nomination
nevertheless turned into fierce battle between left and right within the
european parliament
in sofia on friday the justice ministry continued to support jeleva arguing
that bulgarian members of the european parliament were free to participate in
private enterprises unlike lawmakers in the national parliament who are banned
from economic activity
sources within borisov right wing gerb party have acknowledged that jeleva may
be compelled to withdraw her candidature
and gerb deputy chief tsvetan tsvetanov said the party has many well
prepared candidates to nominate for the job of eu commissioner
according to media reports defence minister nikolay mladenov and bulgaria
european people party parliamentary group chief andrey kovachev are seen as
possible substitute candidates
urgent six qaeda suspects killed in north yemen air raid ministry
sanaa jan afp
yemeni warplanes killed six suspected extremists in an air raid on an al qaeda
position in the north of the country on friday the defence ministry said
myanmar suu kyi meets junta liaison official
yangon jan afp
myanmar detained pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi met the ruling junta
liaison officer friday officials and her party said in the latest sign of
dialogue between the two sides
myanmar official who spoke on condition of anonymity said labour minister
aung kyi the government liaison with suu kyi met her for minutes at
state run guesthouse in yangon he gave no details of their discussions
it is the fourth meeting between the pair since the beginning of october and
comes after the country supreme court agreed last month to hear final appeal
against her house arrest
we do not know details about the meeting but we expect future talks there are
several things to discuss said khin maung swe spokesman for suu kyi
national league for democracy nld
he said the nld hoped the junta would allow members of the party central
executive committee to meet suu kyi at later date
nobel laureate suu kyi was ordered to spend another months in detention
in august after being convicted over an incident in which an american man swam
to her house lower court rejected an initial appeal in october
myanmar military rulers have kept suu kyi in detention for of the last
years having refused to recognise her political party landslide victory in
the country last democratic elections in
the extension of her house arrest after trial at yangon notorious insein
prison sparked international outrage as it effectively keeps her off the stage
at elections promised by the regime some time in
friday meeting was further sign of shifting relations between suu kyi and
the junta since she wrote in september to the military head senior general than
shwe offering to cooperate in getting western sanctions lifted
she wrote second time in november requesting meeting with than shwe
state media reported in december that she had been insincere and dishonest
in sending the letters accusing her of leaking them to foreign media and of
highly questionable change of tack after years of favouring sanctions
pakistan army probes reports of taliban leader death
islamabad jan afp
pakistan military is investigating reports that taliban leader hakimullah
mehsud was killed in us bombing raid the army spokesman said friday as the
militant group insisted he was alive and well
missiles fired from an unmanned us aircraft killed at least islamist
insurgents at training camp in the lawless northwest tribal belt thursday and
security officials said mehsud may have been among the dead
so far we do not have confirmation of him either getting killed or getting
injured it will take little more time to confirm this or otherwise chief
military spokesman major general athar abbas told afp
intelligence agencies are at their work they are trying to probe and find out
from their sources
the us strike hit in remote and mountainous area between the districts of
north and south waziristan and abbas said issues of access in the taliban
controlled area were one hurdle in obtaining information
we only have the information that there was strike and there was the
presence of militants in the compound but whether the leadership was there or
not is yet to be confirmed he added
as reports emerged thursday of mehsud possible demise in the strike the
tehreek taliban pakistan ttp group he commands swiftly put out statement
saying he was alive and on friday repeated their claims
hakimullah is alive and safe met with him last night there was not even
scratch on him ttp spokesman azam tariq told afp by telephone
he left the place of the strike or minutes beforehand he said
referring to the remote shaktoi area pounded by the missiles
tariq said meeting of taliban elders would be convened soon to decide whether
to release new video of mehsud proving their claims
conflicting reports emerged from intelligence agents and security officials in
the northwest on friday with some saying mehsud was injured while others said
the ttp chief and some of his top commanders were likely killed
hakimullah mehsud assumed leadership of the group blamed for the deaths of
thousands of people in attacks in pakistan after his predecessor baitullah
mehsud was killed in us drone strike in august last year
the ttp denied baitullah mehsud death for weeks apparently amid fierce
infighting over his successor
more than people have been killed in about us drone strikes since august
with surge in under the presidency of barack obama seven drone
strikes have hit the tribal northwest this month alone
the bombings fuel anti american sentiment in muslim pakistan and the ttp vowed
to avenge the raids
pakistan is helping america in drone strikes we will take revenge for all
these strikes by attacking pakistani forces inside pakistan and american forces
in afghanistan tariq said
with washington pressing islamabad to tackle militants who use its soil to
launch attacks in neighbouring afghanistan pakistan armed forces last year
carried out multiple assaults on ttp strongholds across the tribal belt
it has made huge impact on the organisation and their capability of striking
back said abbas the leadership is on the run and in hiding
despite the offensives attacks blamed on the ttp show no sign of abating with
bombings increasingly hitting civilians in pakistan
on january hakimullah mehsud appeared in video clip alongside jordanian
who blew himself up on us military base in afghanistan last month killing
seven cia agents and his jordanian handler
jpmorgan reports big jump in profits
washington jan afp
banking giant jp morgan chase reported on friday big jump in net profit to
billion dollars in the fourth quarter of highlighting renewed health
in the troubled sector
the new york based financial giant doubled its profits for the full year to
billion dollars and quadrupled the numbers put up in the fourth quarter of
the results highlight return to health in the banking sector after more than
year of crisis but were expected to fuel public resentment over hefty profits
and compensation of firms bailed out by the government and at time when much
of the us economy continues to struggle and unemployment remains high
chairman and chief executive jamie dimon said he was gratified by the results
but said they fell short of both an adequate return on capital and the firm
earnings potential
while we are seeing some stability in delinquencies consumer credit costs
remain high and weak employment and home prices persist accordingly we remain
cautious he said in statement
the profit for the quarter amounted to cents shares better than the
cents expected by analysts
