strike haiti occured in
already the poorest nation in the americas haiti has been hit by series of
recent disasters
three hurricanes and tropical storm pounded haiti in killing people
and leaving more than others missing according to government figures
the country was also gripped by tense political standoff in amid riots
over skyrocketing food prices un troops are regular sight in the country
seventy percent of haiti population lives on less than two dollars per day
and half of its million people are unemployed
korea jobless rate rises in december
seoul jan afp
south korea unemployment rate rose in december despite growing signs of an
economic recovery official figures showed wednesday
the rate stood at percent last month up from percent in november
according to statistics korea
it was the second consecutive monthly rise after the rate hit an month low of
percent in october
the number of employed people totalled million in december down
from year earlier the year on year jobs decline compared with fall
in november
the finance ministry says job creation is its top priority for
it predicts the economy will grow percent this year after expanding an
expected percent last year
caste system traps nepal hereditary prostitutes
bankhet nepal jan afp
durpati nepali hides her face in shame as she recalls how she was forced to
return to work as prostitute after her husband was killed during nepal
year civil war
the year old mother of five says she resorted to prostitution an
occupation she first took up aged just in desperation after the food stall
she set up failed because customers were abusive and refused to pay
nepali was victimised because she is badi caste of so called untouchables
living mainly in western nepal whose women have traditionally earned their
living as sex workers
once high class courtesans and musicians the badi are now among the poorest and
most downtrodden groups in nepal where discrimination on caste grounds remains
rife despite being outlawed more than four decades ago
many are disadvantaged from birth because they carry the surname nepali often
used on the birth certificates of children where paternity is unclear making
them vulnerable to persecution
when my husband died had no option but to go back into prostitution to feed
my family said nepali whose husband died eight years ago victim of the
civil conflict that ended in
even when wasn working as prostitute people treated me like one but it
has brought many problems she told afp in her tiny mud hut in the village of
bankhet in mid western nepal
last month more than villagers came and threatened to burn down our home if
we did not leave the village
activists say that lack of education and continuing caste based prejudices in
majority hindu nepal often make it difficult for badi women to earn their living
any other way trapping them in cycle of poverty and social rejection
nepali mother was sex worker and now her two youngest daughters one aged
one have followed her into prostitution
had high hopes for my daughters wanted them to marry into good families
but they say they want to look after me like looked after them when their
father died she said
not happy that they have become prostitutes but if they had not there
would be no food on the table
mahesh nepali director of the advocacy group social awareness for education
safe nepal and himself badi said the community faced discrimination even
from other untouchable castes and were viewed as the lowest of the low
even among the untouchables badis are seen as the most untouchable he said
as result they have no sense of self worth on top of that they are very
weak economically so it is almost impossible for them to change their destiny
without outside help
in hundreds of badi women travelled to the capital kathmandu where they
held series of rowdy protests to demand government help some stripping off
outside the parliament building
some help is now available in the form of government funding for the
rehabilitation and rehousing of vulnerable badi women although the
implementation of such programmes has been hampered by political instability
the badi estimated to number around across the himalayan country
have also benefited from recent change in the law that for the first time
permitted fatherless children to obtain citizenship
but sapana pradhan malla renowned women rights lawyer who last year became
member of nepal parliament said the government needed to do much more to
help the badi people
because of the social stigma they have not been political priority she told
afp
urge the government to ensure justice for these people after all they are
our sisters and mothers how can we treat them differently
handful of women have managed to change their destiny among them kalpana
nepali who grew up in hostel for the children of badi sex workers
my father died when was two and half forcing my mother to go into the sex
trade said kalpana who now runs small cooperative bank for her community
one day my mother and some other women sold all their jewellery to fund
hostel for the children because they did not want them to grow up in that
environment
as result most of us managed to finish high school but if it had not been
for the hostel sure we would also be doing sex work
but there are many more who have received no such help such as durpati
year old daughter binita who left school aged just and went into the sex
trade
miss school sometimes wonder why left she told afp
dreamt of becoming doctor or doing some other honest job but what can you
do we have no money so cannot fulfil those dreams
claw of death is hand of god at giant paris art show
paris jan afp
giant claw of death is at work and shades of the holocaust on view at paris
grand palais hall this week in the city first big art show of the year
hand of god installation by france christian boltanski
the show opening wednesday inside the vast dome topped exhibition hall
overlooking the seine river features giant mechanical claw hovering above
mountain of old clothes some metres yards high
in icy cold and to the loud sound of beating heart the claw picks few bits
of discarded clothing from the pile that are left to flutter back down
it like metaphor on the hand of god on fate on our destinies the
year old artist told afp it picks up clothes by chance in the same way we
fall by chance
one of the country foremost avant garde artists boltanski was born in paris
in to mother who was writer and doctor father from jewish family
who lived more than year hidden under the floorboards
the war and being jewish are the two most important things that have happened
in my life he said in recent interview
but while death has long been of interest to boltanski he says his concern over
the last decade is primarily to do with aging and his own demise
death is covered up in contemporary western societies old age is covered up
he added seeking to ask questions here about fate and life and death
to stage the show which ends february boltanski gathered tonnes of old
clothes from specialist recycling company using some for the mound and others
for concentration camp like display on the floor
carefully choosing hundreds of bits of clothing for their colour and cut
boltanski laid them out on the ground in dozens of rectangles framed by metal
poles and speakers blaring heartbeats
in the last years boltanski has recorded thousands of individual heartbeats and
visitors to both the grand palais or sister show just outside paris can record
their heartbeats and take home cd
he interested in the traces we leave behind us said alexia fabre curator
of the sister show also opening this week at the mac val museum in vitry sur
seine and running until march
the grand palais show is titled personnes which in french means persons
but sounds like nobody while the mac val show is titled apres or after
and is described by the artist as being infinitely more joyous
held in what he imagines to be post death limbo it features dark world of
big black cubes peopled by scarecrow like creatures who ask the visitor
tell me how did you die tell me were you alone when it happened tell
me was it an accident
asked if his dark message was really all about life boltanski laughed
happy person who enjoys life hope everyone will find message
said curator fabre he humanist who first and foremost think believes in
hope
murder mystery over germany rosa the red
berlin jan afp
it year old murder mystery that dates from the turbulent aftermath of
germany defeat in world war and the birth pangs of social democracy what
happened to rosa luxemburg body
the communist icon corpse was buried in tomb in berlin where every year
thousands of sympathisers have honoured her fight for workers paradise
or so everyone thought
it turns out an unidentified body found two years ago in wooden coffin in
basement room at berlin charite hospital could be luxemburg according to the
head of the institution forensic medicine department
michael tsokos says the body which is without arms legs and head bears
astonishing similarities to luxemburg indicating her last resting place was
not in fact in grave at cemetery in the german capital later vandalised by
the nazis
but his claims are fiercely disputed and have generated an intense debate in
germany around the fate of woman still widely respected on all sides of the
political spectrum
on sunday several thousand people mainly from germany left party again
gathered at the memorial to pay tribute to her struggle just ahead of the
anniversary of her death
luxemburg life was also the subject of film by margarethe von trotta
which won barbara sukowa best actress award at the cannes film festival
born into jewish family in russian controlled poland in luxemburg was
philosopher and activist who sought to incite the working classes into the
revolutionary overthrow of capitalist regimes
she argued communist theory with lenin agitated in the press and in public for
direct action and was jailed in germany for opposing world war
luxemburg was freed in amid germany humiliating defeat and in the
ensuing chaos she and close friend karl liebknecht co founded the communist
party of germany and led violent attempt to set up workers republic
they were arrested by militia troops on january and executed and her
body thrown into berlin landwehr canal she was
tsokos citing abnormalities in the autopsy report has said that he doubts
luxemburg was ever buried at berlin friedrichsfelde cemetery
when the body in the basement was discovered german prosecutors opened probe
into suspicion of non natural death and ordered new autopsy
however it has been unable to confirm the identity
carbon dating indicated death in the early part of the th century but
although tsokos has uncovered distant relative it too tenuous for dna
analysis
he says tests show that the body which had remained under water for some time
was that of woman of to with arthritis and hip complaint who limped
because one leg was shorter
those indicators all match luxemburg
tsokos theory roused klaus gietinger writer and amateur historian who
published tome on luxembourg in to issue new book insisting she was
indeed buried at friedrichsfelde
volkmar schneider tsokos predecessor at the charite forensic medicine
department is also dismissive
he said the story was desperate publicity stunt to publicise book by
tsokos on amazing forensic cases
but tsokos has supporter in joern schuetrumpf publisher of luxemburg
letters the autopsy report was falsified he says adding it was done on
the orders of authorities
the mysterious body in the basement is due to be buried shortly with little sign
of an imminent end to the debate over its identity
afp features
paris jan afp
we will shortly move the following stories
highlights
murder mystery over germany rosa the red
caste system traps nepal hereditary prostitutes
germany history communists luxemburg feature
berlin
it year old murder mystery that dates from the turbulent aftermath of
germany defeat in world war and the birth pangs of social democracy what
happened to rosa luxemburg body
words by audrey kauffmann file picture
entertainment art france boltanski
paris
giant claw of death is at work and shades of the holocaust on view at paris
grand palais hall this week in the city first big art show of the year
hand of god installation by france christian boltanski
words by claire rosemberg picture video
nepal rights prostitution feature
bankhet nepal
durbati nepali hides her face in shame as she recalls how she was forced to
return to work as prostitute after her husband was killed during nepal
year civil war
words by claire cozens picture video
for questions email nancy shields afp com or call
urgent haiti president alive after massive quake official
mexico city jan afp
haiti president rene preval is alive after massive earthquake that
destroyed the presidential palace and other buildings in port au prince haiti
ambassador to mexico said
nine dead in koran protest shooting in afghanistan police
kandahar afghanistan jan afp
nine people were killed when shooting broke out during mass demonstration in
provincial afghan town over the alleged burning of koran by foreign troops
police said wednesday
the violence erupted on tuesday in the garmsir district of the southern province
of helmand over rumours that nato led forces had defiled copy of the muslim
holy book during military operation local residents and police said
eight protesters were killed when the protesters attacked national security
officials in garmsir deputy provincial police chief khamal dinkhan told afp
the shooting of the protesters occurred after an afghan national guardsman was
killed by gunfire from the demonstrators side he said
nato international security assistance force isaf said in statement on
tuesday that its troops had shot dead an insurgent sniper who had shot an
afghan official in the garmsir area
but spokesman for the force said there was no information to back up claims of
civilian deaths in the incident adding that investigations with afghan security
officials were under way
doctor at the emergency hospital in the provincial capital lashkar gah who
spoke on condition of anonymity said that more than people had been brought
in with gunshot wounds to the stomach head and legs
two of them are in serious condition he said
the incident occurred when more than afghan villagers gathered in garmsir
to protest over the alleged burning of koran during nato operation on
monday local residents and police said
during today tuesday protest an insurgent sniper shot an afghan official
who was within fob forward operating base delhi in garmsir district isaf
said in statement
isaf service members identified the insurgent sniper shot and killed him
there were no other injuries or shots fired it said
singapore tiger airways launches share offer
singapore jan afp
singapore budget carrier tiger airways on wednesday launched an initial public
offering ipo with the aim of raising million singapore dollars
million us to fund its expansion plans
tiger kicked off the share sale soon after registering its prospectus with the
monetary authority of singapore fixing maximum price of dollars share
the under developed low fare low cost model in the majority of countries in
the region presents opportunities for our future growth said tiger president
and chief executive tony davis
we are now ready to embark on the next stage of growth and believe that
listing will help fuel that growth he said in statement
tiger airways which is percent owned by flag carrier singapore airlines
said it would set aside million dollars from the proceeds to pay for the
planned purchase of new airbus jets
it is also looking to establish potential new operating bases and airlines when
the opportunities arise as well as repay short term loans
tiger airways said it would be the first budget carrier to list on the singapore
exchange
the airline which began its first commercial flights in september flies
from singapore to destinations across asia including popular holiday spots such
as penang in malaysia and bangkok and phuket in thailand
it has also expanded into australia where it offers domestic flights between key
cities and towns across the continent
alert
haitian president alive after quake official
china paper splashes nation first gay marriage
beijing jan afp
homosexuality in china took another stride forward wednesday with the official
english language china daily splashing front page photo of the nation first
publicly married gay couple
zeng anquan and pan wenjie tied the knot in wedding ceremony at gay bar in
the southwest city of chengdu on january the paper said calling it the
first such public event in the country
homosexuality in china is still an extremely sensitive issue and was up until
officially considered mental illness same sex marriages are not
recognised
we are no longer hiding any more the wedding is our happiest and most precious
moment zeng year old divorced architect told the paper
thousands of gays and lesbians get married in france finland the uk why
couldn we
such sensitivities have also quickly put an end to the couple matrimonial
bliss as the families of the two men have come out against the wedding
my sister warned me she would never call me her brother unless break up with
pan and have answered hundreds of phone calls from friends and relatives who
say they feel ashamed of me said zeng
but we are deeply in love and will never desert each other he said of his
year old lover demobilised soldier
according to chinese experts there are an estimated million homosexuals in
china with million of them men the paper said
last month china first government backed gay bar opened in the tourist town
of dali in southwestern yunnan province after three week delay sparked by
intense media attention in bid to boost hiv aids prevention efforts
on friday the country first gay pageant is scheduled to be held in beijing to
choose the asian nation candidate for the mr gay world contest in norway next
month organisers said
taiwan to eliminate ministries cut cabinet jobs
taipei jan afp
taiwan plans to cut eight ministry level agencies and eliminate tens of
thousands of jobs in the biggest revamp of its cabinet system in six decades
the government said wednesday
the reorganisation law passed late tuesday will cut the number of ministries and
cabinet level agencies to from and reduce the number of staff by
according to cabinet officials
amongst other moves the sports affairs council will be merged into the
education ministry while the national science council and atomic energy council
will be combined to form new technology ministry they said
the law which will take effect in also imposes hiring limit for cabinet
staff of down over percent from the current employees the
central personnel administration said
the law is aimed at streamlining administrative procedures to boost efficiency
and national competitiveness the administration said in statement
it also comes after recent survey by the china times paper showed several
cabinet ministers were known by less than one percent of all taiwanese
triggering concerns they were not doing enough to promote government policies
the present cabinet structure was introduced shortly after chinese nationalists
fled to taiwan after having lost civil war to the communists on the mainland
us calls on china to explain google attacks
honolulu hawaii jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton called on beijing tuesday to explain
cyberattacks originating from china against google and at least other firms
google earlier vowed to defy chinese internet censors and risk banishment from
the lucrative market in outrage at highly sophisticated cyberattacks aimed at
chinese human rights activists
we have been briefed by google on these allegations which raise very serious
concerns and questions said clinton in statement issued while she was
visiting hawaii for talks with japanese foreign minister katsuya okada
we look to the chinese government for an explanation the chief us diplomat
added
the ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in modern
society and economy she said
will be giving an address next week on the centrality of internet freedom in
the st century and we will have further comment on this matter as the facts
become clear the chief us diplomat added
in san francisco google said china based cyber spies struck the internet giant
and at least other unidentified firms in an apparent bid to hack into the
email accounts of activists around the world
the online espionage has google reconsidering its business operations in china
and it said it will no longer filter internet search engine results in that
country
us calls on china to explain google attacks
honolulu hawaii jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton called on beijing tuesday to explain
cyberattacks originating from china against google and at least other firms
we look to the chinese government for an explanation clinton said in
statement after google vowed to defy chinese internet censors in outrage at
highly sophisticated cyberattacks aimed at chinese human rights activists
guinea junta chief on the move as deputy calls for democracy
ouagadougou jan afp
guinea junta chief moussa dadis camara unexpectedly left morocco on tuesday
where he had been recuperating following an assassination attempt as the
country interim military leader called for democracy
camara arrived in ouagadougou much to the surprise of burkina faso which has
tried to help mediate between the military junta and opposition groups in the
west african country according to officials
the junta leader had not appeared in public since being evacuated to rabat for
medical treatment after being shot in the head by his aide de camp on december
following dispute allegedly over bloody crackdown on an opposition rally
camara was supported by two people as he descended from the plane and walked
with difficulty according to local journalist
he is lucid he is speaking source in the office of burkina faso president
blaise compaore told afp
it was not immediately clear if camara intended to stay in burkina faso return
to guinea or travel to another country
we don know yet its for him to tell us for the moment he hasn told us
anything said the presidential source
burkina faso compaore has been acting as mediator between guinea interim
junta leader defence minister general sekouba konate and the opposition
compaore was initially rejected as mediator last year by the guinean
opposition which considered him too close to the junta
but since konate has taken over the interim leadership has asked the forces
vives coalition of opposition parties trade unions and civil society to share
power
konate went further in speech delivered before camara departure calling for
democracy in the country which has lived under authoritarian rule for most of
the time since independence from france in
today our country has economic problems the country is boycotted by the
international monetary fund world bank following the example of other
african countries would like that we move towards democracy konate said at
speech at military camp that was broadcast on national media
we need democracy like that advocated by the international community we need
to renew ties with the international community so the young generation may live
better he added
konate praised the army for supporting the power sharing proposal with the
opposition and bluntly warned soldiers that if the country remains isolated the
junta risks both popular anger and failing to be able to pay army salaries
the united states expressed concern about the possible return of camara to his
country
any effort by dadis camara to return to guinea would concern us said us
state department official who requested anonymity
the bauxite rich west african country has been under military rule since
december military coup launched by camara following the death of longtime
leader lansana conte tensions peaked last september when troops massacred at
least people at an opposition rally
recent un report on the stadium massacre in guinea capital conakry named
camara as suspect as it accused the army of crimes against humanity during
the crackdown on the rally
rugbyu macqueen to coach melbourne rebels in super
sydney jan afp
world cup winning coach rod macqueen has been appointed the coaching director
and head coach of the melbourne rebels for three years team officials said on
wednesday
macqueen who coached the wallabies to the world cup has come out of an
almost decade long retirement to accept the challenge of putting together
australia fifth super rugby team in their inaugural super season in
macqueen has not been involved with full time coaching since stepping away from
the wallabies in
he is arguably australia most successful national coach winning of his
tests and during his tenure australia held every international
trophy on offer
macqueen said his initial consultancy work with those involved in the rebels
super bid re ignited his passion to coach saying it was great opportunity
it made me think like to have bigger involvement because there
something special that can happen in this area melbourne macqueen said at
the announcement
we want to take the team to the community we want to embrace the community
and we want the team to put back into the community
macqueen appointment follows the rebels signing of melbourne storm national
rugby league boss brian waldron as chief executive earlier this week
he said the rebels wanted to build winning culture and not splurge on coaxing
current wallabies overseas internationals and would be rugby league converts
into their ranks
we don want players coming here for the money macqueen said
we don want money to be the motivation we want it to be consequence of
what they do
that comes into the sort of culture we want to build here
macqueen assistant at the rebels will be sydney university club coach damian
hill
vietnam airlines profit falls percent
hanoi jan afp
vietnam airlines profits tumbled percent year on year as the state owned flag
carrier was hit by the effects of the global recession and swine flu outbreak
the airline pre tax profit fell to million dollars last year down from
million dollars year earlier it said late tuesday
the carrier also cited epidemic outbreaks for its profit fall an apparent
reference to the global swine flu pandemic
but vna noted it had still posted profits as other global airlines suffered
losses in one of the worst years on record for airlines
vietnam airlines still earned profits while increasing its fleet and opening
new domestic routes it said
vna revenue for the year reached billion dollars against billion
dollars reported year earlier the figure was four percent higher than
the target it said
the airline said it transported million passengers up from million
the previous year one third of the passengers were foreigners it said
vietnam airlines is targeting million passengers this year
the international air transport association an industry group has said global
passenger demand is expected to grow this year after fall during difficult
for the industry
shares of asia largest carrier japan airlines jal have plunged this week
on fears the carrier is preparing for court backed bankruptcy filing
vna said that on wednesday it would begin direct flights to osaka five times
week to replace previous cooperative flights with jal
vietnam airlines expects to triple its fleet of aircraft by and
officials have said it is seeking to become one of the region leading
carriers
urgent us calls on china to explain google attacks
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton called on beijing tuesday to explain
highly sophisticated cyberattacks originating from china against google and at
least other firms
hong kong shares fall percent by break
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares tumbled percent by the break wednesday after china moved
to tighten monetary policy and as investors mulled weak lead from wall street
the benchmark hang seng index fell points to turnover was
billion hong kong dollars billion us
nba duncan parker power spurs past lakers
san antonio texas jan afp
tim duncan finished with points and rebounds and tony parker chipped in
as the san antonio spurs defeated the los angeles lakers on tuesday
lakers star kobe bryant scored just points as he is playing with splint
over his broken right index finger
bryant playing time was also limited because of back spasms in the fourth
quarter and coach phil jackson said bryant was probable for wednesday game
against dallas
during the last decade the spurs and lakers have been the nba top teams
winning seven titles between them
the spurs came out quickly in tuesday game before the lakers went on run and
pulled within six points before san antonio kicked it up notch and finished in
rout
bryant took season low shots from the field hitting seven
