government has decided today to give the loan guarantee to saab automobile
olofsson told press conference in stockholm
she said the loan saab had requested from the european investment bank still
needed to be approved by the institution and the european commission
general motors said tuesday it had agreed to sell its saab brand to dutch luxury
sports car manufacturer spyker as part of restructuring of its business to
cope with the impact of the global slump on the industry
french government warns total over refinery shutdown
paris jan afp
the french government is ready to pressure total to prevent it from shutting
down refinery in northern france that would lead to hundreds of job losses
the industry minister said tuesday
president nicolas sarkozy stepped in this month to tell carmaker renault that it
should not move production of its new clio model to turkey and he could do the
same with total said christian estrosi
when the president determination and that of the government is there we can
see that we can reverse avoid and prevent certain number of initiatives
said estrosi on france info radio
the government must tell the president of total and his board of directors that
we must have shared vision of the economic development of the dunkirk
factory he added
the minister later told parliament that total was considering building methane
plant so as to offset the impact of any closure of the refinery on employment in
the region
total announced in december that it was considering shutting down its refinery
in flanders near dunkirk which employs people directly and sub
contractors
workers at the flanders plant went on strike on january to protest the
planned closure and the factory works council is due to meet on monday to
discuss the future of the site
unlike renault which is percent owned by the french state total is wholly
private company although the state did have stake in the oil giant
predecessor elf
total france biggest company last year announced record profit for of
billion euros billion dollars
us troops start joint operations in iraq disputed zones
baghdad jan afp
us troops have started joint operations with iraqi forces both arab and kurdish
in disputed northern zones aiming to boost trust and reduce tensions between
sunni arabs and kurds the army said tuesday
the deal marks new chapter in the us military role since the invasion
that toppled saddam hussein and could once again see them involved in full scale
operations in urban areas
general ray odierno the top us officer in iraq told reporters that joint
training began three weeks ago in kirkuk nineveh and diyala provinces and about
percent of the tripartite force checkpoints had been set up
by january they will all be manned and we will begin joint security
patrols he said without specifying how many american soldiers had deployed
alongside iraqi troops and kurdish peshmerga former rebel fighters
it is about protecting the population who have been targets of al qaeda and
others who are trying to exploit political differences
there are disputed zones in iraq including all of oil rich kirkuk province
large parts of nineveh and two districts in diyala
odierno first raised the prospect of joint operations in august arguing that
insurgents were taking advantage of poor cooperation between the mostly arab
iraqi army and kurdish security forces to launch attacks
have been very pleased with how it has gone so far cooperation has been
very very good he said on tuesday there ll be some political challenges but
we will work our way through it
kurdish leaders want their autonomous region which currently consists of three
distinct provinces to be expanded into historically kurdish inhabited parts of
nineveh and diyala as well as all of kirkuk
the central government in baghdad however says the kurdish region borders
should not extend past its existing provinces of arbil sulaimaniyah and dohuk
iraqi soldiers and kurdish peshmerga have clashed several times in the past two
years as prime minister nuri al maliki troops have tried to bolster their
presence in and around iraq disputed areas
nineveh sunni arab stronghold and kirkuk which has mixed population of
arabs kurds turkmen and some christians are major flashpoints
thousands of kurds who were deported by saddam hussein to make way for mainly
sunni arabs have returned to kirkuk and built homes since the dictator
overthrow
hussein ali juburi sunni arab member of kirkuk provincial council objected
to the joint patrols
the peshmerga is an armed force designed for the kurdish region and their
presence in kirkuk will be divisive he said
abdullah sami assi another sunni arab member of the council added there is
no justification for this and it will have negative results
however mohammed kamal of the patriotic union of kurdistan puk wing of the
council said the joint force was good news it will help in stabilising
security and eliminate terrorism he said
the us military which presently has troops in iraq believes that
tension between sunni arabs and kurds is the main driver of instability in the
country and major threat to its long term future
odierno held discussions with prime minister maliki and kurdish regional
president massud barzani whose approval was needed for the joint force
us combat troops exited iraq cities towns and villages in june last year and
are scheduled to leave completely by august all american soldiers must withdraw
from the country by the end of under landmark security agreement signed
between baghdad and washington
odierno did not reveal the conditions for establishing the new force but has
previously said the need for us soldiers to be stationed in villages in the
disputed zones could require an exception to the existing security accord
sri lanka heads for contested election result
colombo jan afp
sri lanka government said it would contest the legitimacy of the main
opposition candidate in tuesday presidential vote setting up clash that
threatens new instability on the war torn island
sarath fonseka retired army chief took on his former boss incumbent mahinda
rajapakse in the election after bitter and personal campaign that saw both
sides accuse the other of planning foul play
just before polls closed after day of voting that saw violence in the north of
the country fonseka announced he had been unable to cast ballot because he
was not registered on the electoral list
the government said this made him ineligible to be president despite strong
statement from the independent election commissioner saying the issue did not
prevent the year old military man from taking office if he won
we are seeking court order on the suitability of this candidate because he is
not eligible to be declared as candidate foreign minister rohitha
bogollagama told reporters
he said the statement from election commissioner dayananda dissanayake was
mere opinion that would be challenged in the supreme court
the winner was set to be announced around midday on wednesday the first
inconclusive results from the counting of postal votes in some parts of the
country began to trickle out late tuesday
as ruling party lawmakers took to the airwaves to attack him earlier tuesday
fonseka said he had sent papers to be registered at the time the last electoral
roll was made in june and could not explain his omission
my name is not on the register and therefore cannot vote at this
election fonseka told afp the government is trying to use this to mislead
the public at the last minute
rajapakse as commander in chief and fonseka his army commander defeated sri
lanka tamil tiger rebels together in may last year ending year
separatist conflict that left people dead
the military campaign which has since been mired in war crimes allegations
made both men national heroes in the eyes of the sinhalese majority electorate
but from close allies on the battlefield they became irreconcilable enemies
after fonseka political novice decided to challenge his year old former
boss at the ballot box on an anti corruption platform
the vitriolic nature of the campaign coupled with warnings of protests fraud
and possible coups had already raised fears that the loser might reject the
result leading to more unrest
if there is war we will face it fonseka said on monday referring to the
opposition willingness to resist with street protests if the government tried
to go against the will of the people
rajapakse has ruled sri lanka since during the conflict the us and the
european union cut off aid because of alleged human rights abuses meaning he
leant on china iran and libya as well as other asian nations for cash and arms
his three brothers and other family members are in key government positions
including the ministries of defence and ports
the government has denied any human right abuses during the fight against the
tigers
sri lanka constitution stipulates that the president must be above years of
age and be sri lankan citizen
opposition leader ranil wickremesinghe said the supreme court had already
rejected legal challenge to an elected official on the basis that he had not
voted
the supreme court has said you can contest without casting vote as recently
as last december in regional elections he said commenting on the furore
before the government made its announcement
this is the last desperate attempt to seek to turn the tide towards rajapakse
he said
ahead of the election fonseka alleged the government would intimidate voters
and was preparing coup if it lost he has been accused in turn of working with
militia of army deserters to disrupt the ballot
shortly before the government made its announcement wickremesinghe gave an
upbeat press conference at which he expressed confidence that fonseka would win
comfortably after strong turnout
there was high poll turnout and that will ensure that sarath fonseka will
be president he told reporters
us military may reduce haiti role in months admiral
washington jan afp
the us military could start rolling back its relief operation in haiti within
three to six months if international organizations are able to take on larger
role top officer said on tuesday
think there commitment to continue to provide support and stay engaged
until other organizations can take over the role said vice admiral alan
thompson director of the us defense logistics agency
my sense would be that probably in the three to six month time period would be
when there would be efforts to try to transition some of the support he told
reporters
but he added that was just personal opinion and he was not aware of the
details of long term plan for the military effort in haiti
military officers said the immediate priority was getting food and medical
assistance to haitians two weeks after the country devastating earthquake and
that contingency plans for scaling back the military role remained fluid
that probably good logistics planning window said captain john kirby
spokesman for the chairman of the us joint chiefs of staff admiral mike mullen
but as admiral mullen has made clear the military will stay committed to the
mission as long as we re needed kirby told afp
the commander of us troops in haiti lieutenant general ken keen said in
separate news conference it was unclear how long it would take before the us
military could hand over to us and international civilian aid organizations
as they build up their capacity to provide that much needed assistance the
need for our military forces will decrease and we are talking to them as they
build the capacity to do just that keen said by video link from haiti
but right now our focus is on providing just emergency relief that is so
desperately needed he said
president barack obama has sent about us troops to haiti to help deliver
food water and medical assistance with many stationed on ships offshore
keen said the us military was working with the united nations haitian officials
and other aid organizations to set up bed hospital to treat patients
recovering from emergency surgery
equipment for the hospital was expected to arrive within about hours and non
governmental organizations were recruiting doctors he said
admiral thompson said the relief operation in haiti had not affected the
military logistics effort for the war in afghanistan where additional
us troops are due to deploy
he said his logistics agency had begun to move million meals to haiti over
the next days including rations for five million meals that were already on
the way to two ports in florida on tuesday
mexico exhibition in paris breaks museum record
paris jan afp
the biggest exhibition held of treasures from ancient mexico mysterious city
of gods teotihuacan wound up this week breaking visitor records for the paris
museum that hosted it
the quai branly museum said people had seen the show of pre
columbian pieces including feathered serpents and sacred jaguars left from the
year history of the city which mysteriously fell around ad
this is the highest visitor attendance for temporary exhibition since the
museum opened in june said the museum the french capital newest
arthouse
miguel baez of mexico national institute of anthropology and history said when
the show opened in october that it was biggest exhibition ever on teotihuacan
france tells eu it can oversee renault plans sources
brussels jan afp
france on tuesday warned european regulators that its percent public
shareholding in renault gives it the right to oversee the automaker plans
france number two carmaker renault has come under heavy pressure from paris
to keep jobs at home following press reports about planned shift from plant
outside paris to bursa in turkey from
renault chief carlos ghosn assured french president nicolas sarkozy days ago
that production of its new clio model would not be entirely transferred to
turkey as the government had feared
sarkozy told millions of prime time viewers on french television late on monday
that he would not stand for french owned cars being built elsewhere when they
are sold to french drivers
the european commission wrote to france after sarkozy meeting with ghosn and
french diplomat and european union source said that the long awaited reply was
received on tuesday
in it paris stressed that it has the right to act with vigilance this point
cannot be denied said the french diplomat
tensions have risen over french state interference in the car industry in
europe which is undergoing deep restructuring with production moving out of the
region plants being shut and thousands of jobs being lost
however the french diplomat insisted that paris did not ask renault for any
deal involving the relocation of activity in france and said such demands
would not be asked of any french manufacturer
the commission is querying the french stance under conditions allowing paris to
grant temporary loans to the battered car industry at the height of recession
last year
according to the eu official who requested anonymity france told brussels in
its letter that automakers are free to develop their activity according to
strategies decided by their boards of directors
spokesman jonathan todd said brussels could only intervene directly using anti
competitive legislation if france blocked access to its market for car exporters
from other eu member states
venezuela italy to form joint oil exploration venture
caracas jan afp
venezuela and italy on tuesday signed an agreement to create an billion
dollar new oil exploration and refinery venture
under the deal venezuela petroleos de venezuela pdvsa is to team up with
italy eni to develop the junin block in the eastern orinoco region
this is one of the most solid steps that we have taken in it bid to expand its
oil production president hugo chavez said at signing ceremony formalizing the
deal
the project when it gets under way in is expected to produce some
barrels of crude oil per day and by is expected to produce as many as
at present venezuela produces about million barrels of crude oil each day
according to government data
the deal comes just days after chavez who has history of expropriating
foreign investments seized franco colombian supermarket chain ordering its
assets be added to socialist network of state owned discount stores
the takeover was the latest in flurry of government seizures that included
three private banks earlier this month
urgent sweden grants million euro loan to saab minister
stockholm jan afp
sweden will guarantee million euro million dollar loan swedish
carmaker saab requested from the european investment bank enterprise minister
maud olofsson said tuesday following gm confirmation of saab sale to
spyker
sri lanka leader gets public sector backing first results
colombo jan afp
sri lanka president mahinda rajapakse won strong backing from the country
civil servants in the presidential election on tuesday according to the first
counts of postal votes
election officials said counting of ballots from tuesday bitterly contested
election was under way and they hoped to release results throughout the morning
on wednesday
the first results to be announced were of postal ballots the votes cast by mail
by public servants deployed for the election in which rajapakse main
challenger was his former army chief sarath fonseka
in the districts of ratnapura puttalam and moneragala rajapakse polled
votes while fonseka picked up official results showed
officials said they estimated about percent of the million electorate
turned out to vote at an election the opposition said was by and large fair and
peaceful
afp gmt news advisory
washington jan afp
duty editor michael mathes
tel
top stories
sri lanka challenger declared illegal
french report recommends veil ban
new aftershocks in haiti
imf upbeat on world growth
srilanka vote thlead wrap
colombo
sri lanka government says it will challenge the legitimacy of the main
opposition figure in the country presidential election setting up clash
that threatens more instability on the war torn island
words gmt by amal jayasinghe pictures graphic video
we have also moved srilanka vote polling lead scene
srilanka vote tamils unrest focus
france politics religion islam women rights thlead
paris
french parliament report calls for ban on the full islamic veil saying
muslim women who wear the burqa are posing an unacceptable challenge to french
values
words moved by carole landry picture
haiti quake lead wrap
port au prince
two new aftershocks rattle weary haitians as top us officials defend the huge
american military led aid operation from criticisms of being too heavy handed
words gmt by daphne benoit picture graphic video
imf economy growth forecast thlead
washington
the international monetary fund sees the global economy bouncing back better
than anticipated after two years of crisis but warns the recovery remains
fragile and fraught with risks
words gmt by veronica smith file picture
we also have moved imf economy growth forecast asia china
uae economy dubai finance imf lead
imf economy growth forecast table
haiti quake
haiti quake aid us clinton rdlead
washington
secretary of state hillary clinton staunchly defends the us response to haiti
earthquake lashing out at foreign critics and calling the us military vital to
the relief effort
words gmt by shaun tandon
haiti quake health women lead scene
port au prince
when the screams of women giving birth die down you can hear the subdued cries
of those babies born into the chaotic post quake suffering at port au prince
general hospital
words gmt by charles onians picture
we have also moved haiti quake homeless scene
haiti quake golf scene
haiti quake health scene
port au prince
the disturbed man shuffles as the metal door swung open his eyes wild with
fear he quickly pats the lump under his filthy brown blanket to make sure
whatever it is he held precious was safe
words moved by dave clark picture
filing plans by region
americas
us netherlands auto company gm saab spyker takeover rdlead
detroit michigan
general motors announces binding agreement to sell its saab division to
dutch luxury sports car manufacturer spyker in an th hour deal saving the
storied swedish car brand
words gmt
us politics economy obama lead
washington
new data on the gaping us budget deficit cranks up pressure on president barack
obama over the economy as he gears up to unveil partial spending freeze in
his state of the union address
words gmt by stephen collinson
us economy bank rate lead
washington
the federal reserve opens two day monetary policy meeting overshadowed by the
suspense surrounding the confirmation of central bank chairman ben bernanke to
second term
words gmt by rob lever
finance economy us government budget thlead
washington
the us government budget deficit is expected to narrow slightly to
trillion dollars in but its fiscal outlook remains bleak amid mounting
debt estimates by congress show
words gmt by parameswaran file picture
europe
britain iraq military politics inquiry rdlead
london
the invasion of iraq in was illegal former top british government lawyer
tells public inquiry into the war three days before ex prime minister tony
blair appears
word gmt by alice ritchie picture
lifestyle spain food gastronomy people adria thlead
madrid
el bulli the spanish restaurant repeatedly crowned the world best will be
closed for two years from its chef ferran adria announced citing fatigue
and need to perfect new recipes
words gmt picture
middle east
iraq politics military kurds us lead
baghdad
american troops have started joint operations with iraqi and kurdish forces in
iraq disputed northern zones aiming to boost trust and reduce tensions between
sunni arabs and kurds the us army says
words gmt by arthur macmillan
we have also moved iraq unrest wrap
africa
nigeria unrest religion telecom internet
lagos
text messages that urged people to murder and then burn their victims bodies
helped stoke inter religious violence in central nigeria that killed hundreds of
people last week police and rights activists say
words moved by susan njanji
asia
afghanistan unrest kabul thlead wrap
kabul
suicide bomber strikes near us military base in kabul injuring at least nine
afghans police and the nato force say just days ahead of global summit on
tackling taliban led insurgency
words moved by waheedullah massoud picture
police chief found dead on eve of davos meeting
davos switzerland jan afp
the swiss police commander overseeing security for the world economic forum in
davos was found dead tuesday police said adding that it appeared to be
suicide
the announcement came as political and business leaders began arriving in the
swiss mountain resort amid fortress like security for the start wednesday of the
annual blue chip meeting
dr markus reinhardt commander of the graubuenden cantonal police was found
dead in his hotel room in davos in the morning swiss police said in
statement all indications point to suicide
the force paid tribute to the year old who had headed the canton police
force since as treasured important personality while another
senior officer was immediately named to take charge of davos security
switzerland is deploying about soldiers for the forum which is to be
attended by around people including heads of state and more than
ministers
world economic forum wef organisers stressed that reinhardt was not member
of its staff but said the forum had long worked with him in preparing for the
annual davos mega conference
the world economic forum has with great sadness and regret learned of the
tragic death said wef statement
during the many years during which we co operated with him over security for
our annual meeting at davos we appreciated his professionalism and his
kindness
the swiss security forces continue to have our full confidence and trust in
their work it added
the head of graubuenden police department barbara janom steiner called the
death human tragedy
while suicide appeared the most likely motive no further details would be
released while investigations continued she said
reinhardt deputy robert willi was immediately named to succeed the late police
chief while another senior officer marcel suter was put in charge of davos
security swiss newspaper le temps reported
reinhardt who oversaw strong force had reputation for no nonsense
handling of unauthorised protestors at the annual davos meeting which in the
saw violence on at least one occasion
he was also known locally for controversial case in which he authorised the
shooting dead of man who had taken refuge in his apartment after starting
shooting spree injuring one officer
reinhardt was put on trial charged with murder in but was acquitted le
temps said
switzerland neighbour austria said tuesday it was deploying troops and
aircraft to help davos security including fighter jets to guard the airspace
above western austria close to the swiss ski resort
tennis us ski star miller could make racket at us open
new york jan afp
us ski star bode miller will be among the entrants when the us tennis
association launches national playoff system in april that provides chance
at wild card spot into us open qualifying
the national playoffs announced tuesday will allow all players and older the
chance to compete in sectional tournaments across the nation from april to
june with winners advancing to the playoff finals
top prizes are places in the men and women qualifying tournaments august
at the us tennis center with lucky few earning spots in the main draw of
the year final grand slam tournament which begins august
miller two time world cup overall champion and three time world champion who
twice took silver medals in the olympics will compete in one of the sectional
tournaments he was maine state prep school singles champion
tennis has always been part of my life miller said the us open national
playoffs is great concept and look forward to playing it will give me an
outlet to focus my competitiveness after the olympics and world cup season
usta memberships and dollar entry fee are required and each sectional is
limited to players there will be no seedings and players can only enter and
play at one site registration begins monday
while professionals are eligible to play we expect the draws to be filled with
top junior players collegians teaching professionals and even recreational
players who will now have chance to play themselves into the us open for the
first time us open tournament director jim curley said
slovenia environment minister resigns
ljubljana jan afp
slovenian environment minister karel erjavec resigned tuesday during
parliamentary debate called by prime minister borut pahor to dismiss him from
the post
inform you that resigning erjavec told lawmakers during the debate
after accusing the head of government of having proposed his dismissal in
violation of the constitution
pahor the leader of the centre left senior coalition partner social democrats
asked parliament to dismiss erjavec after the country court of audit blamed
him for the failure of the environment ministry to secure an efficient waste
management system as requested by the law
erjavec desus party is to decide on thursday whether to stay in the four party
coalition government and propose candidate to take over the environment
ministry
erjavec took over the ministry when desus joined the centre left coalition that
won the elections
in the previous centre right government erjavec headed the defence ministry
that signed million euro million dollar contract with finnish
defence firm patria which is currently undergoing bribery investigation in
finland
facts on dutch sportscar maker spyker
the hague jan afp
dutch luxury sportscar maker spyker which is to buy sweden saab from us auto
giant general motors is minnow in the global automotive industry
