the japanese carrier is understood to favour tie up with delta because it has
stronger trans pacific flight network than american airlines
tennis players to discuss world cup proposal djokovic
melbourne jan afp
revolutionary plan for world cup of tennis will be discussed among the
players during this month australian open novak djokovic said here on
wednesday
djokovic member of the atp player council headed by roger federer said the
idea floating around for world cup nations playing once every two years
to replace the annual davis cup was an idea from the player council
reports said it was envisaged to have biennial day tournament involving
teams which would feature shorter matches in which players have to watch the
clock between points and compulsory mid match substitutions
djokovic who is playing in the kooyong classic here said players would hold
talks during the australian open starting on monday which would be crucial for
upcoming years
the serbian star said nothing had been settled yet but various options were on
the table
it all fresh and it all ideas we didn decide to put anything on an
official term because we have to consider other sides as well djokovic told
reporters
this is the bottom line without sponsors there wouldn be tournament
without tournaments you know players wouldn exist
but still players are the ones who are making the show and their opinions have
to be greatly considered
this time think that slowly things will get better but these are things
that cannot happen overnight
croatian ivan ljubicic who is also playing in the kooyong classic said the
davis cup format was now outdated
the top guys are not able to play all the matches that they would love to play
for their nation ljubicic said
it because the format is not suited for the players at the moment
our sport is going forward so you have to change something about it
maybe it was perfect or years ago but now it really too much for us
best of five sets three days in row and for sure the week after you can
play the week before you can play
and it shame because percent sure that every player would love to
play for his nation
in fact not going to play davis cup any more for the same reason
argentina death flights pilot drops extradition fight
madrid jan afp
an argentine pilot suspected of having flown death flights under the latin
american country former dictatorship on wednesday dropped his fight against
extradition from spain judicial sources said
julio alberto poch had been fighting extradition since he was arrested at
valencia airport in eastern spain in september but agreed during madrid court
appearance to face trial in argentina to be able to defend himself the
sources said
the former argentine navy lieutenant is wanted for allegedly piloting death
flights in which more than prisoners were thrown alive out of planes
during argentina dirty war in the and
pope urges generous response to haiti tragic situation
vatican city jan afp
pope benedict xvi on wednesday urged generous response to the tragic
situation in haiti where hundreds are feared dead following massive
earthquake
the pope lamented haiti tragic situation involving huge loss of human life
great number of homeless and missing and considerable material damage
appeal to the generosity of all to ensure our concrete solidarity and the
effective support of the international community for these brothers and sisters
who are living time of need and suffering the pontiff said at the end of his
weekly general audience
the roman catholic church will activate its humanitarian institutions to help
address the immediate needs of the quake victims benedict said
he urged people to unite in prayer for the victims and those who mourn their
loss
the strongest earthquake to hit haiti in over century rocked the impoverished
caribbean nation late tuesday afternoon
some of the country oldest buildings including haiti presidential palace
were destroyed by the magnitude quake which was followed by dozens of
strong aftershocks
argentina death flights pilot drops extradition fight
madrid jan afp
an argentine pilot suspected of having flown death flights under the latin
american country former dictatorship on wednesday dropped his fight against
extradition from spain judicial sources said
julio alberto poch had been fighting extradition since he was arrested at
valencia airport in eastern spain in september but agreed during madrid court
appearance to face trial in argentina to be able to defend himself the
sources said
the former argentine navy lieutenant is wanted for allegedly piloting death
flights in which more than prisoners were thrown alive out of planes
during argentina dirty war in the and
asia markets fall as china moves to curb credit
hong kong jan afp
fears that the global recovery may lose steam weighed on asian shares wednesday
as china moved to curb its credit boom and wall street earnings season got off
to weak start
tokyo closed percent lower as shares in stricken japan airlines tumbled
percent to just seven yen eight us cents on flood of sell orders due to
fears the carrier which faces bankruptcy will be delisted
the nikkei shed points to the selling is unstoppable said
hideaki higashi strategist at smbc friend securities
beijing move to raise the amount of money banks must hold in reserve by
basis points sent hong kong shares tumbling percent and shanghai
percent the heaviest falls so far this year for both bourses
hong kong closed down points to while the shanghai composite
index fell points to
all hell broke loose today francis lun general manager at fulbright
securities told dow jones newswires the bottom just fell out of the banks and
properties because confidence is so brittle following the central bank
announcement
beijing decision followed move to raise the yield on one year chinese
government bills for the first time in five months after last week similar
move on another benchmark sale
citic securities analyst yu jun said concerns over further monetary tightening
will make investors more cautious in the future
sydney lost points or percent to led by resources as
investors took fright at china tightening
anything from stocks to currencies exposed to china are being sold said ig
markets research analyst ben potter the market wasn expecting the measures
so soon
engineering and maintenance group worleyparsons dropped percent to
australian dollars us dollars after lowering its full year profit
guidance
seoul kospi closed down points or percent at led by
steelmakers shipbuilders and brokerages on concerns china may soon raise rates
wall street provided weak lead with the dow jones index dropping
percent
traders mulled monday disappointing profit forecast from aluminium giant
alcoa the first of the blue chip us companies to release financial results
possible new us government fee or tax on financial institutions to help recoup
taxpayer bailout funds also weighed on banks
the dollar was mixed in asia as china moves sparked demand for the safe
haven greenback dealers said
the us unit gained to yen in tokyo afternoon trade from in new york
late tuesday the euro climbed to dollars from dollars and to
yen from
in singapore crude fell from month highs posted earlier this week on
prospects of softening fuel demand in the united states the world biggest oil
consumer
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for delivery in february
fell cents to dollars
brent north sea crude fell cents to dollars
hong kong gold ended lower at us dollars an ounce down from
tuesday close of dollars
in other markets
singapore straits times index fell percent or points to
sentiment will be influenced by the financial results of major us banks next
week and us retail data expected thursday dealers said
these will determine market movements for the next few weeks if they
disappoint it could trigger the long awaited correction dealer with
foreign brokerage said
taipei lost points or percent to on concerns china may
take further steps to prevent overheating dealers said
it may take the market day or two to digest the selling pressure said mars
hsu of grand cathay securities
jakarta lost percent or points to
the index was hit by selloff in most commodity related stocks on lower oil
prices
coal miner bumi resources fell percent to and nickel miner inco lost
percent to telkom closed down percent to rupiah
kuala lumpur fell percent or points to
after strong gains last week the index has entered into consolidation
phase we think this is healthy and remain bullish on the index over the
medium term dealer said
construction firm ijm slid percent to ringgit while semiconductor
company unisem climbed percent to ringgit
manila closed percent or points down at
philippine long distance telephone shed percent to pesos
wellington nzx index fell percent or points to
bangkok bucked the trend gaining points or percent to close at
points
energy giant ptt plc lost baht to but coal producer banpu jumped
baht to baht
mumbai also rose adding percent or points to
the index rise which broke four straight losses was helped by software
stocks on optimism for earnings growth
india second largest software exporter infosys technologies rose percent
to after it posted smaller than expected fall in net profit tuesday
the market also recovered from earlier falls after the government said high food
prices could ease in coming weeks with measures being considered
but banking stocks were hurt by fears of monetary tightening from new delhi the
nation largest bank state bank of india fell percent or rupees to
fresh british snowfalls shut airports schools
london jan afp
fresh snowfalls hit parts of britain on wednesday forcing airports to close as
businesses counted the cost of the worst winter in decades
more than schools told pupils and teachers to stay at home as road and
rail transport transport links were gripped by renewed chaos following several
days of warmer weather during which snow had melted
london gatwick london city birmingham cardiff and southampton airports were
closed while london heathrow reported the cancellation of mostly short haul
or domestic flights both arrivals and departures the bbc said
our airfield team is working round the clock to keep both runways clear but the
threat of further snow and ice at the airport remains the world busiest
international passenger airport said
the federation of small businesses estimated that the bad weather was costing
the british economy at least million pounds million dollars
million euros day
small businesses have been particularly hard hit during the recent bad weather
with staff unable to make it to work because of school closures and snowbound
roads said fsb chairman john wright
eurostar said it was running near normal service wednesday between britain
and continental europe with small number of cancellations
two trains from london to brussels one from london to paris and the same
numbers in the opposite directions were not running though customers with
tickets had seats reserved for them on the next train
some domestic train services were also affected
on the roads some hill routes were closed while the severn bridge crossing
between south wales and england was shut in both directions
the government has said road gritting must be cut to as little as half the
levels seen last week to conserve stocks
driving conditions are already treacherous with ice and snow said edmund
king from the aa motoring association
roads are crumbling underneath and after the thaw potholes will become the
next menace for drivers and their cars
temperatures were set to range between zero and three degrees celsius on
wednesday forecasters said
yemen puts conditions on qaeda talks offer
sanaa jan afp
yemen said on wednesday that its offer to talk to al qaeda militants was
conditional on their joining the government programme to rehabilitate rebels
who lay down their weapons
yemen follows several paths in its fight against terrorism including
intellectual dialogue with those who have been tricked into joining the
extremist young men in the terror cells of the al qaeda organisation the
state owned saba news agency quoted foreign ministry official as saying
this would be within the framework of the rehabilitation programme for those
who have been led astray to stress the government wish to open the door to
those elements to return to reason the official added
the official said that comments by foreign minister abu bakr al kurbi on tuesday
had been misunderstood
kurbi said that dialogue is the best way to resolve differences even with the
shiite rebel huthis and the al qaeda organisation if they lay down their arms
and abandon violence and terrorism
president ali abdullah saleh already said on sunday that he was open to dialogue
with al qaeda militants if they abandon violence
if al qaeda militants lay down their arms renounce violence and terrorism
and return to wisdom we are prepared to deal with them saleh said
the al qaeda branch in the impoverished country claimed responsibility for
botched christmas day attack on us airliner with the united states accusing
the group of training the alleged perpetrator umar farouk abdulmutallab
british manufacturing output stalls in november data
london jan afp
british manufacturing output stalled in november for second successive month
dampening hopes for swift economic recovery in the fourth quarter of
official data showed wednesday
output was unchanged in november from october but dropped by percent
compared with november the office for national statistics ons said in
statement manufacturing has dropped on an annual basis for months in row
market expectations had been for percent monthly gain and an annual drop
of percent
the ons also revealed that wider measure of industrial production which
includes mining quarrying and energy increased by percent in november from
october but was down percent year on year
manufacturing as whole has been treading water for two months said
economist colin ellis at daiwa capital markets
he added even if the uk has now escaped technical recession there is still
little sign of the strong sustained bounceback that the bank of england is
basing its policy decisions on
britain has begun as the only top economy in recession after the eurozone
france germany japan and the united states last year each emerged from the
deep downturn that was sparked by the global financial crisis
however most economists predict that the economy escaped from recession in the
fourth quarter of last year or three months to december
dow jones newswires contributed to this report
convicted saudi murderer executed
riyadh jan afp
saudi man convicted of murder was beheaded by the sword on wednesday in mecca
the interior ministry announced
redha bin abid bin abdullah almabadi had stabbed to death ahmed bin mohammad al
harbi in an argument the ministry said in statement carried by the official
spa news agency
the statement gave no other details about the crime
it was the kingdom second announced execution of after people were
put to death last year and in
under the strict version of islamic sharia law enforced in saudi arabia the
death penalty can be imposed for rape murder apostasy armed robbery and drug
trafficking
working group created to resolve finnish airport dispute
helsinki jan afp
finland state owned airline finnair has set up working group to resolve
dispute which has disrupted helsinki airport operations since early december
the government said wednesday
finnair together with barona rtg and iau have established working group to
clear up the problems related to air traffic outsourcing and develop operating
practices and models for outsourcing cases the government said in statement
the nordic country main airport has suffered from flight cancellations delays
and luggage pile ups since baggage handlers staged four day strike in december
to protest finnair outsourcing of hundreds of jobs to barona
extreme weather in finland and across europe has added to the difficulties
baggage handlers in helsinki went on strike in early december after finnair
announced its plans to outsource staff from ground handling company northport to
barona igniting worker worries that the transfer would worsen work conditions
and lead to part time work or redundancies
pope urges generous response to haiti tragic situation
vatican city jan afp
pope benedict xvi on wednesday urged generous response to the tragic
situation in haiti where hundreds are feared dead following massive
earthquake
the pope lamented haiti tragic situation involving huge loss of human life
great number of homeless and missing and considerable material damage
appeal to the generosity of all to ensure our concrete solidarity and the
effective support of the international community for these brothers and sisters
who are living time of need and suffering the pontiff said at the end of his
weekly general audience
urgent pope urges generous response to haiti tragic situation
vatican city jan afp
pope benedict xvi on wednesday urged generous response to the tragic
situation in haiti where hundreds are feared dead following massive
earthquake
polish police recover monet stolen in arrest suspect
warsaw jan afp
polish police said wednesday they had recovered painting by french
impressionist master claude monet stolen over nine years ago and had arrested
the suspected thief
police spokesman andrzej borowiak told afp that the man whom he identified only
as robert had been arrested tuesday in olkusz southern poland
we re convinced that this is the individual who stole the painting borowiak
said
he declined to say where the artwork itself monet oil painting plage
de pourville had been found
it had been kept in good condition it hasn suffered any visible damage
he said
the study of beach in northern france was the only monet on public display in
poland and was exhibited in state museum in the western city of poznan
the theft was discovered on september
investigators had long been trying to trace an individual who was seen making
sketches of paintings in the museum two days earlier borowiak explained
in december we obtained new evidence that helped us identify that individual
as well as the place where the painting was he said
police believe that robert was the mysterious artist he added
the thief had cut the painting from its frame and replaced it with copy
shortly before the theft insurers had valued it at million dollars
euros
alert
pope urges generous response to quake hit haiti tragic situation
controversial israel fm visits cyprus
nicosia jan afp
ultranationalist israeli foreign minister avigdor lieberman who has angered
greek cypriots by hailing cyprus as model of ethnic partition visited the
island on wednesday for the first time since taking up his post
he was due to hold with his cypriot counterpart markos kyprianou ahead of the
scheduled signing later wednesday of shipping agreement between the two
mediterranean nations
lieberman sparked furore in cyprus in by calling on israelis to follow
the island lead and divide historic palestine with the arabs along ethnic
lines
minorities are the biggest problem in the world lieberman who heads the far
right yisrael beitenu israel our home party said in an interview with
britain sunday telegraph newspaper at the time
think separation between two nations is the best solution cyprus is the best
model before the greeks and turks lived together and there were frictions
and bloodshed and terror
the leader of the far right yisrael beitenu party lieberman was appointed
foreign minister last march in prime minister benjamin netanyahu largely
right wing cabinet
his blunt comments particularly regarding israel arab minority have earned
him reputation as needed firm hand among admirers and as racist bully
among critics
in turkish troops invaded cyprus and occupied its northern third in
response to greek cypriot coup in nicosia aimed at union with greece the
turkish cypriots declared breakaway state in that is recognised only by
turkey
cyprus president demetris christofias has been engaged in months of un
brokered talks with turkish cypriot leader mehmet ali talat aimed at ending the
island long division
facebook fugitive recaptured by british police
london jan afp
criminal who taunted police via facebook while on the run from prison in
britain has been recaptured four months after his break out police said
wednesday
craig lazie lynch became cult figure thanks to his defiant status
updates on the internet social networking site
dubbed the facebook fugitive by media lynch whose profile picture showed
him raising his middle finger to the camera notched up tens of thousands of
friends from around the world
there was also separate facebook page where is craig lazie lynch
calling for information which could lead to his capture
lynch was serving seven year term for aggravated burglary when he escaped
prison in suffolk eastern england in september
but he could now have his spell behind bars extended after being charged with
escaping from lawful custody
lynch who was recaptured in kent southeast of london on tuesday night is due
to appear in court later wednesday
spokesman for london metropolitan police confirmed lynch had been recaptured
but could not say whether information posted on facebook had helped officers
locate him
new snowfalls heap more misery on shivering europe
london jan afp
fresh snowfalls heaped further misery on parts of beleaguered europe wednesday
with motorists trapped in cars and airports closed as authorities in france
banned lorries from driving through paris
some of the heaviest snowfalls were recorded in central and southern britain
forcing the closure of london gatwick and birmingham airports
cardiff airport also closed temporarily while southampton and london city were
among the others struggling to cope
we are working with our airlines and business partners to reopen the runway as
soon as it is safe to do so said spokesman at gatwick
delays and cancellations are likely passengers are advised to contact their
airline for the latest flight information
there was similar disruption for air travellers in france
forty percent of all flights from paris main charles de gaulle airport were
also cancelled due to snow and sleet showers while half of flights were
cancelled at orly the other main paris international air hub
regional airports across france were also forced to close or reduce traffic
because of snow
french road authorities issued ban against heavy commercial road traffic from
midnight until noon on wednesday in eight departments around paris due to the
winter storm brewing
while warming temperatures led authorities to reduce the number of departments
with severe weather warnings the restrictions on lorries were kept in place as
the storm was dumping three to five centimetres one to two inches of snow
across the north of the country and threatened to turn to sleet
more than trucks were forced to park west of the capital region due to the
restrictions france highway authority said while others were parked on the
main autoroute east of the capital
in england which has been suffering its most severe winter for three decades
motorists were trapped in their cars late tuesday amid fierce blizzards in the
southwest of the country
heavy snowfalls also caused whiteout conditions in parts of wales leading to
the cancellation of bus services and disrupting rail travel
the government has said road gritting must be cut to as little as half the
levels seen last week to conserve stocks
edmund king from the aa motoring association said driving conditions are
already treacherous with ice and snow
roads are crumbling underneath and after the thaw potholes will become the
next menace for drivers and their cars
eurostar said it would be running near normal service wednesday with
small number of cancellations
two trains from london to brussels one from london to paris and the same
numbers in the opposite directions were not running though customers could
travel with tickets had seats reserved for them on the next train
germany one of the countries worst hit by the big freeze was spared fresh
snowfalls and there were no major transport problems although the motoring
organisation adac said some secondary roads remained impassable in the north
switzerland main publicly owned salt works said that it had turned down new
orders from the snowbound netherlands and germany in order to cater for booming
domestic needs in the cold snap
the situation is so fragile that were can take the risk of delivering
abroad said armin roos sales manager at schweizer rheinsalinen monopoly
owned by swiss regional governments we re running round the clock
further south in spain temperatures rose several degrees improving road rail
and air traffic conditions although heavy rainfall was reported in some parts of
the country
parts of balkans have been hit by flooding caused by downpours
in montenegro hippo was found wandering in village of plavnica on lake skadar
after flooding at private zoo led him to escape from his pen
israeli statement in row with turkey inadequate report
ankara jan afp
israeli statements aimed at appeasing ankara anger over israel treatment of
the turkish ambassador are inadequate anatolia news agency quoted turkish
foreign ministry officials as saying wednesday
we find israel statement to be inadequate unnamed ministry officials told
the agency in moscow where prime minister recep tayyip erdogan and foreign
minister ahmet davutoglu were on visit
turkey on tuesday demanded an apology after israeli deputy foreign minister
danny ayalon embarrassed the turkish ambassador making him sit on low couch
and removing the turkish flag from the table in meeting called to convey
israeli protests over turkish television series
in response israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu office said the
foreign ministry protest to the turkish ambassador was just in its essence but
should have been conveyed in an acceptable diplomatic manner
and ayalon said in the future will clarify my position in diplomatically
acceptable ways
the television series that sparked the row aired on the private star tv
channel shows turkish secret agent storming an israeli diplomatic mission to
rescue turkish boy kidnapped by mossad an episode which israel slammed for
portraying israel and jews as baby snatchers and war criminals
the incident fanned tension between turkey and israel whose once flourishing
ties took sharp downturn last year when the islamist rooted government in
ankara launched an unprecedented barrage of criticism of israel following its
devastating war on the gaza strip
davutoglu said tuesday the gaza offensive was at the core of tensions with
israel denying suggestions they were symptom of islamisation in turkish
foreign policy
if israeli policy turns towards policy of peace orientation next day the
turkish israeli relations will change in positive direction he said during
visit to london
italy ferrero drops bid for britain cadbury report
milan jan afp
italian chocolate maker ferrero has dropped out of the race to buy british
confectioner cadbury after deciding to end talks for joint bid with us
counterpart hershey media reported on wednesday
the italian group which is owned by the ferrero family and sells the nutella
hazelnut spread and kinder chocolates informed its bank advisers at mediobanca
about its decision on tuesday the wall street journal reported
the offer which would have competed with hostile bid from us giant kraft
foods was not in line with the family strategy source close to the issue
told the wall street journal
ferrero dropped out because it was unable to come to an agreement with hershey
on how to divide cadbury assets italian financial daily il sole ore
reported
bid would have also required the two companies to go deeply into debt to match
kraft offer media reported
ferrero and its bank mediobanca refused to comment on the reports
the italian financial daily il sole ore reported on tuesday that ferrero had
lined up billion euros billion dollars from mediobanca and billion
euros from unicredit to help finance its joint takeover
hershey planned to borrow another billion dollars billion euros for
the operation il sole said
kraft offer in cash and shares would be worth billion pounds
billion euros billion dollars an offer which cadbury dismissed again
tuesday as derisory
urgent argentina death flights pilot accepts extradition from spain
madrid jan afp
an argentine pilot suspected of having flown death flights under the latin
american country former dictatorship on wednesday agreed to be extradited to
stand trial judicial sources said
