may play in all forms of cricket for lancashire
my first love remains playing for lancashire and want to help them win
trophies and hopefully can help achieve that later this english summer
the statement added flintoff decision to undergo another operation this week
was taken in consultation with williams and took into account he would not be
able to fulfil the second year of his contract with chennai in the ipl
it is disappointing not to be able to play for chennai who have been very
supportive throughout my time with them but took this decision because love
playing cricket and want to give myself the best chance of extending my career
flintoff added
pledges to back un plea for haiti
ottawa jan afp
the group of industrialized nations and largest emerging economies on
thursday pledged assistance for quake stricken haiti in response to un call
for help
in statement the said it was committed to sending immediate economic and
in kind assistance to attend to the basic human needs of the haitian population
at this time of hardship
it would also follow the relief and reconstruction process it said expressing
its solidarity and sincere condolences to the people of haiti for the
devastation caused by tuesday magnitude quake
the group also sent its deepest sympathies to the united nations and nations
with un peacekeepers in haiti for deaths of workers and the collapse of the
un headquarters in port au prince
amp cuts some of jamaica debt ratings to default
washington jan afp
international credit rating agency standard amp poor slashed some of
jamaica sovereign debt ratings to default thursday after the ailing country
launched debt exchange program with creditors
amp said it had downgraded the credit ratings after the jamaican government
launched domestic debt exchange program thursday
we consider this exchange to constitute default so we have revised the
foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on jamaica to sd from
ccc the rating agency said in statement
the rating sd stands for selective default which indicates default on some
obligations
amp also said that it revised its ratings on the rated bonds that are
included in the proposed domestic debt exchange to default
these rating actions follow jamaican prime minister golding announcement
yesterday of the domestic debt exchange and its official launch today roberto
sifon arevalo an amp credit analyst said in the statement
the offer seeks to exchange all categories of the jamaican domestic debt except
treasury bills it does include foreign currency denominated domestic debt
which carries foreign currency ratings which is why we have revised the
foreign currency credit rating to sd
amp noted that the ratings on the government securities not included in the
debt exchange remain at ccc and external debt was excluded from the
transaction
the agency said it classified the debt exchange as default because the
investor will receive less value than promised as per the original securities
based on the lower interest rate with an average reduction of six percent
and the extension of maturity to an average increase of two years
we view this offer as distressed rather than opportunistic because of the risk
that the issuer will not fulfill its original obligations it said
the agency said the interest cost savings because of the debt exchange was
substantial and could help the government major fiscal consolidation
strategy but that the government debt burden would remain high
overall the domestic efforts together with the ongoing multilateral support
should help jamaica manage its long standing fiscal and structural problems
going forward sifon arevalo added
the international monetary fund earlier announced tentative agreement on
billion dollar aid package for jamaica hit hard by the global financial
crisis
imf managing director dominique strauss kahn said fund staff and the jamaican
authorities reached agreement thursday on an economic program supported by
billion dollar loan under month stand by arrangement
the program could go to the the imf executive board for approval in the next
few weeks pending some prior actions to be taken by the jamaican government he
said in statement
approval of the program was expected to catalyze about billion dollars in
funding from other international financial institutions he said
wall street struggles higher after weak retail report
new york jan afp
wall street looked past disappointing data on us retail sales and posted modest
gains thursday as traders banked on positive news on corporate earnings
the dow jones industrial average rose points percent to
at the closing bell reversing weak opening and hitting new month high
the nasdaq composite rose points percent to while the
broad market standard amp poor index advanced points percent
to preliminary close of
the market wobbled at the opening on the news that us retail sales fell
unexpectedly by percent in december poor sign for the critical holiday
shopping season
the report stunned analysts expecting gain of percent in sales the key
driver of us economic activity
others said the market focus was on corporate profit reports the flow of which
increases with releases from intel after thursday close and jpmorgan chase on
friday
this should give investors good gauge on the strength of the global economic
recovery and an update look at technology spending said fred dickson at da
davidson amp co
revenue growth will be more important than ever as investors are becoming
anxious to see the reported top line revenue growth needed to sustain an
economic recovery and eventually drive employment growth and consumer spending
afp americas news agenda for january
washington jan afp
duty editor jim mannion
tel
what happening in the americas on friday
the hunt for quake survivors continues as aid trickles into haiti
un coordinates response after greatest single blow to global body
port au prince rescuers continue their search for survivors of massive
earthquake that devastated the haitian capital port au prince as international
aid arrives on the island expect coverage haiti quake
united nations after confirming staffers died in the quake the worst
disaster in its history un officials craft its response to the unfolding
situation expect coverage haiti quake un
united nations un security council members discuss situation in nepal
gmt coverage on merit nepal politics un
new york banking giant jpmorgan chase publishes earnings results and reveals
bonus figures for some employees coverage on merit us economy banking
britain says more than britons safe and well on haiti
london jan afp
britain on thursday said more than of its citizens had been found safe and
well on quake hit haiti and it had received no reports of british casualties
the foreign office said its staff had located and checked on more than
britons who have confirmed they are safe and well
we have no reports at present of british casualties the ministry said in
statement
aid agencies were scrambling to find survivors among the piles of dead in haiti
with officials warning the magnitude quake that struck tuesday may have
killed more than people
us retail sales drop caps worst year on record
washington jan afp
us retail sales fell unexpectedly in december capping the worst year on record
official data showed thursday in disappointing report on crucial driver of
economic growth
the commerce department said adjusted retail sales were billion dollars
decline of percent from november instead of the consensus analyst forecast
of percent increase
the consumer didn hit the stores nearly as much as thought this holiday
season and that another indication that the recovery is likely to be
sluggish said joel naroff of naroff economic advisors
for all of retail sales key indicator of consumer spending that
drives two thirds of the country economic activity plunged percent from
year ago as consumers snapped wallets shut in the face of high unemployment
and economic turmoil
it was the steepest annual plunge since the data series began in sales had
slipped mere percent in the first full year of the worst recession
in decades
although we may never see the same pre crisis propensity of individuals to
consume as increasing household saving was byproduct of the downturn
today report was disappointing as it indicated that consumers remain
hesitant amid the backdrop of high unemployment and substantially deteriorated
net worth charles schwab amp co analysts said in note to investors
the surprise month over month decline in december followed sharp half point
upward revision to november rise to percent the department revised the
october sales increase up notch to percent
ian shepherdson of high frequency economics said the november and december data
taken together are not bad at all
we need the january data for final verdict on the holiday season but so far
it looks better than the december headlines alone suggest he said
separately weak unemployment data underlined the painful conditions in the
labor market where the unemployment rate held at percent in december and
employers cut jobs
the seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits in
the week ending january stood at an increase of from the
previous week revised figure
the economy has shed more than seven million jobs since the economy officially
entered recession in december
the december retail sales report offered signs of improvement that would be key
to underpinning the fragile economic recovery
on month basis retail sales rose hefty percent from december
near the height of the global financial crisis
and fourth quarter sales were up percent from the prior quarter suggesting
positive contribution by household spending to gross domestic product gdp
broad measure of goods and services output
the commerce department is scheduled to release the initial estimate of fourth
quarter gdp on january
the world largest economy grew percent in the third quarter after year
of contraction
real consumer spending is still on track to expand by just under percent in
the fourth quarter of and real gdp is still on track to expand by close to
percent said brian bethune chief us financial economist at ihs global
insight
although the full year retail sales decline marked the steepest falloff on
record the fourth quarter data broadly trended upward though auto and gasoline
sales were flat
there is an unusual amount of noise in these monthly numbers related to recent
sharp increases in gasoline prices which tended to push up sales in the past
two months and major discounting by retailers electronics suppliers and auto
companies at the end of the year in order keep inventories lean bethune said
he predicted the volatility would probably become even more apparent in
friday official data on december consumer prices
amid haiti carnage baby is born report
sao paulo jan afp
just two hours after horrific quake brought death upon haiti capital port
au prince brazilian soldiers in makeshift medical post found themselves
coaxing out new life in the form of baby girl report said thursday
the infant was born to haitian woman who was one of people seeking
treatment at the facility set up in garage which was geared up for little
more than first aid treatment brazil state owned news agency agencia brasil
said
the baby was doing well but the mother was on the verge of death with
hemorrhaging that would not stop medical captain fabricio almeida de moura
said
the mother was not injured when she sought help for premature labor said
almeida de moura
the shock of the earthquake made her go into labor and we had to carry out the
delivery in garage the child is doing well and is being fed with milk but
the mother suffered complications with hemorrhaging that would not stop he
said
he did not give the names of the baby or mother
almeida de moura said the little medical post quickly found itself overwhelmed
by the gravity of the injuries sustained by patients many arrived with
destroyed limbs requiring amputation and with fever indicating life threating
infections had already begun
americans evacuated from haiti state department
washington jan afp
over us citizens were evacuated out of haiti thursday after devastating
earthquake slammed the caribbean nation and more were to be rescued later in
the day the state department said
we have evacuated more that americans said state department spokesman
philip crowley adding there were private citizens us officials and
others evacuated with the help of icelandic authorities
roughly americans are registered to depart today crowley added saying
evacuations were also being coordinated through the santo domingo capital of
neighboring dominican republic
the us military base at guantanamo bay cuba is also gearing up to take in
evacuees largely to accommodate those wounded in tuesday powerful quake
nearly americans have been in contact with the us embassy in haiti where
there remains an estimated us citizens
the department of state later issued another travel warning to us citizens on
the situation in haiti following the quake that hit the impoverished nation
the department has also ordered non emergency us government personnel to depart
haiti officials said in statement
evacuation flights have begun to depart port au prince strained international
airport the department said although the landing strip is clogged with aid
shipments arriving on the island
us citizens wishing to depart haiti should make their way to the airport during
early daylight hours in as safe manner as possible the travel advisory
said
secretary of state hillary clinton said earlier that washington had dispatched
massive aid operation to the island including coast guard cutters helicopters
transport planes and the uss carl vinson aircraft carrier along with
marines have been deployed
in order to help coordinate the us response to the disaster the top us diplomat
cut short an international tour wednesday that would have seen her in australia
new zealand and papua new guinea
the secretary wants to make sure that the state department is working in
totally coordinated fashion crowley said
she also focused not just on saving lives today and to expand and sustain
the disaster response in the short term but knowing that we have considerable
challenge in terms of helping haiti recover
the united states had developed long term strategy for haiti crowley said
saying that while it will have to be updated in the wake of tuesday
catastrophe the fundamental points of plan are in place for helping the
nation recover
brazil offers to build voodoo cemetery for haiti quake dead
brasilia jan afp
brazil is offering to build cemetery in haiti for the thousands killed in this
week quake and promising it will respect the voodoo beliefs of part of the
caribbean country population officials said thursday
the proposal stemmed from the great concern over the presence of abandoned
bodies in the streets which could create epidemics the defense ministry said
in statement
some people are burying their dead on the sides of hills which risks the
corpses emerging when it rains it noted
special attention will be given to adherents of voodoo religion with
strong following in haiti the statement said
one of the considerations in that regard is that relatives do not accept that
anybody touches their dead until their rituals are over
voodoo was brought to haiti from africa during the time of slavery version of
it called candomble exists in brazil which also became home to large african
slave population
brazil is among the leading countries providing aid to haiti because of its
military command of the un peacekeeping force that has been in the country since
the cemetery issue was one of several points contained in an emergency plan
brazil is proposing for the quake hit haitian capital port au prince
other initiatives include the setting up of field hospitals debris clearing
security and the distribution of food and water
haitian officials estimate that the number of dead from the temblor could range
anywhere from to more than
oil prices slip on concerns about weak us demand
new york jan afp
oil prices slipped thursday as traders weighed weak energy demand in the united
states that raised concern about the strength of fragile recovery in the
world largest economy
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for delivery in february
dipped cents to close at dollars per barrel
london brent north sea crude for february slid cents to settle at
dollars
the market again felt pressure from an unexpected increase in us petroleum
reserves reported by the department of energy doe on wednesday analysts said
the inventories from yesterday were big surprise and the market is trying to
digest that said jason schenker of prestige economics
the doe said crude oil reserves soared by million barrels in the week ending
january far more than the consensus forecast for million barrel gain
distillates including heating fuel and diesel rose by million barrels
the doe said confounding forecasts for million barrel drop
distillates are in focus amid an ongoing cold snap in the united states
forecasters have predicted milder weather for the weeks ahead
the new york benchmark contract lost more than dollar wednesday in response to
the petroleum reserves data for the world biggest energy consuming nation
mike fitzpatrick of mf global pointed out that oil remains below dollars
if optimism was spreading there should have been follow through buying at the
top of the market and that is just not the case he said
new highs have been accompanied of late with lower closes and that is usually
strong technical indication of reversal
new york crude on monday rose to month high near dollars on the back of
robust chinese data but subsequently tumbled on news that beijing was tightening
money supply in bid to tame economic growth and forecasts of moderating cold
in the northern hemisphere
pvm oil analyst tamas varga warned that the market might have further to fall
the tightening of monetary policy in china and what seems to be the end of
cold spell in the northern hemisphere serve as warning that prices in general
could be overheated in the short term varga said
the early euphoria seen last week and at the end of last year seems to be
running out of steam and more downside pressure might be on the cards before the
herd changes direction again
us boosts airline security amid al qaeda threat
washington jan afp
the united states on thursday said it would step up airport security measures in
response to the threat from al qaeda
we must remain vigilant about the continued threat we face from al qaeda
homeland security secretary janet napolitano said in statement we are taking
an additional set of aviation security precautions to protect the american
people
some of these measures include enhanced random screening additional federal
air marshals on certain routes and adding individuals of concern to our
terrorist watch list system
the announcement comes after president barack obama launched wide ranging
investigation into the attempted bombing of trans atlantic jet on christmas
day
us lawmakers have been sharply critical of intelligence failures that allowed
young nigerian man to board crowded detroit bound airliner allegedly looking
to blow it up with potent explosive sewn into his underwear
umar farouk abdulmutallab has been charged with attempted murder and trying
to use weapon of mass destruction on board northwest plane carrying
people from amsterdam to detroit
the attack which is thought to have been hatched in yemen has also brought al
qaeda operations in that arabian gulf state into sharp focus
we are facing determined enemy napolitiano said warning that travelers
visiting the united states should expected longer airport delays
as result of these measures and others we have put in place since christmas
travelers should allot extra time when flying particularly into the united
states from overseas
obama had already unveiled measures to strengthen us watchlists as well as new
steps to boost airport screening and bomb detection after the botched attack
while laborious airport screening irks many foreign visitors to the united
states tougher measures may not be unpopular with americans according to
series of polls released since the incident
on thursday quinnipiac university survey showed percent of respondents
said us anti terror policies leaned too far toward protecting civil rights
rather than national security
eighty four percent supported greater use of airport body scanners despite the
privacy concerns voiced by some opponents
gay marriage generates millions expert tells court
san francisco jan afp
legalizing same sex marriage would generate millions of dollars for san
francisco the city chief economist said thursday as trial on california
gay wedding ban entered fourth day
edmund egan who directs san francisco office of economic analysis said
legalization of same sex marriage would increase the intake of real estate
payroll and sales taxes and would slash the number of uninsured
testifying at landmark federal trial which ultimately could seal the fate of
same sex marriage in the united states egan said legalizing gay marriage would
also boost real estate values and increase school district revenues
further because married people amass more wealth than unmarried individuals
they are likely to spend more spurring sectors of the economy
same sex marriage supporters are seeking to overturn california law known as
proposition which limits marriage to unions between men and women socially
conservative opponents are fighting the lawsuit
if gay marriages are legalized the city will be able to trim down the
million dollars it spends each year providing healthcare for the uninsured egan
said that because businesses will extend health benefits to the spouses of
their married gay employees he said
legalizing same sex marriage would ultimately increase the number of people who
have health insurance in san francisco egan said and that would reduce the
local burden for covering the uninsured
moreover he said citing studies demonstrating that married people are
generally healthier than unmarried people the legalization of same sex marriage
would lead to healthier more productive workforce
the long term cost of discrimination egan said is that it weakens people
productivity in the workforce
he added higher productivity leads to higher wages and higher wages lead to
higher payroll taxes for the city
egan outlined number of ways in which the legalization of gay marriage might
spur economic activity in san francisco
egan estimated that there could be million dollars in increased spending on
weddings here million dollars of per diem spending by wedding guests who
will fill an additional million dollars worth of hotel rooms
this egan said would lead to million dollars in sales tax revenue and
dollars in hotel tax revenue
other jurisdictions in california also would benefit from what egan called the
san francisco effect because the state of california receives percentage of
the sales tax generated in san francisco egan said
on cross examination an attorney an attorney for proposition campaign
committee coalition called protect marriage took issue with egan analysis
suggesting that he overestimated the number of gay couples that would get
married should they be offered the option and ignored potential additional
costs of administering gay weddings
desperation in haiti in race to help survivors
port au prince jan afp
rescuers raced against the clock thursday to reach survivors among thousands of
corpses in quake hit haiti as planeloads of international aid swamped the main
airport
officials have warned the overall death toll may top and say three
million people could have been affected by tuesday powerful quake which
ravaged the poorest nation in the americas
the stench from rows of unclaimed rotting corpses hung over the capital port au
prince amid fears that desperate haitians who survived the quake will soon fall
prey to hunger and disease
an international aid operation led by the united nations and the united states
was swinging into place but within few hours haitian officials at the clogged
airport pleaded for temporary halt to flights
it was blow to relief workers racing against time both to reach thousands
still feared trapped in the rubble of the city and to distribute vital aid to
destitute survivors before tensions spill over into violence
sporadic gunshots were heard across the city and witnesses said there had
already been some looting in city which has seen bloodshed and violence over
the past decades
planeload of chinese soldiers clad in orange jumpsuits had flown into the
airport at first light bringing with them three sniffer dogs swiftly followed
by two teams of french firefighters also backed by trained dogs
people throughout the world want to help un chief ban ki moon said as he
also revealed that un staff had been killed in tuesday quake in the
worst disaster ever for the global body
one of our biggest challenges will be to help them to help haiti to the
utmost he said adding un members states have responded with an outpouring of
support and assistance
rescue teams from france china the united states the dominican republic and
venezuela were already on the ground he said as the first contingent of
thousands of us troops headed to haiti in massive us operation for its
stricken neighbor
food water and shelter are all in desperate need with scores of people
erecting makeshift tents from sheets and awnings in city square
schools hospitals hotels ministries and the presidential palace lie in ruins
and people caked in blood and dust pleaded for help next to the bodies of the
dead dumped in the grounds of the damaged main hospital
global charity warned that two million children may be at risk following the
disaster as they struggle to cope alone many sleeping next to corpses
us president barack obama sought to lift up despairing people who were facing
third night without shelter and basic supplies
to the people of haiti we say clearly and with conviction you will not be
forsaken you will not be forgotten he said
washington is sending ships helicopters planes rescue teams floating
hospital and more than troops
the uss carl vinson aircraft carrier was to arrive later in the day with
destroyers and more coast guard ships en route and troops on stand by
meanwhile special us rescue team from virginia and their sniffer dogs were
combing the rubble in port au prince there were shouts of joy as one man was
miraculously pulled out alive and in good shape from the remains of the un
compound where some are still missing
it was rare moment of hope among deepening despair
this is an unbelievably traumatic experience for children in haiti said
gareth owen director of emergencies for the london based global charity save
the children shocked by seeing images of children sleeping next to the dead
no generation of haitian children in hundred years has experienced this scale
of disaster before and we have to act fast to minimize both the physical and
psychological damage to them owen said
with every hour crucial international rescue teams were using heavy lifting
gear and sniffer dogs to search the ruins as well as distributing desperately
needed medicines food and water
but lacking heavy lifting equipment harrowing scenes were being repeated across
the city as frustrated workers dug with hands and simple tools to reach the
trapped
casualty figures were impossible to calculate although haitian prime minister
jean max bellerive said the final death toll could be well over
us secretary of state hillary clinton who canceled an asia trip and returned to
washington said the death toll would reach tens of thousands
former us president bill clinton united nations special envoy to haiti
warned of an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and said the early estimates
were that nearly three million people almost third of haiti population
may need aid making this one of the great humanitarian emergencies in the
history of the americas
football africa cup of nations angola malawi
luanda jan afp
full result of an africa cup of nations group match thursday
angola flavio manucho malawi
teams
angola
carlos fernandes jose mabina alberto rui marques stelvio cruz carlos
kali alonso capt fernando chara costa felisberto gilberto amaral
jamuana alexandre zuela santos djalma campos david magalhaes flavio
amado pedro mantorras manuel mateus manucho alberto
coach manuel jose por
malawi
swadick sanudi ivis kafoteka peter mponda capt james sangala moses
chavula hellings mwakasungula davie banda jospeh kamwendo robert ng ambi
peter wadabwa jimmy zakazaka esau kanyenda victor nyirenda chiukepo
msowoya
coach kinnah phiri
referee noumandiez desire doue civ
yellow cards stelvio banda chavula zakazaka
chad parades captured rebel chief
ndjamena jan afp
chadian authorities on thursday paraded rebel leader djibrine dassert before the
press after his movement for peace reconciliation and progress denied he had
been captured
chadian interior and security minister ahmat mahamat bachir said that dassert
with his hands and feet chained and his head shaved was being presented to
journalists so as to prove his capture
warn all mercenaries rebels who would attempt these adventures they will
suffer the same fate said bachir adding that dassert had been tried in
absentia and would soon be sentenced for his activities
military official told afp last week that dassert had been arrested with some
of his men in southern chad on january and had been brought to the capital
ndjamena
but the mprd france based deputy leader djedouboum sadoum on saturday insisted
