pittsburgh
ny rangers
philadelphia
ny islanders
northeast division
buffalo
boston
montreal
ottawa
toronto
southeast division
washington
atlanta
tampa bay
florida
carolina
western conference
central division
chicago
nashville
detroit
st louis
columbus
northwest division
calgary
colorado
vancouver
minnesota
edmonton
pacific division
san jose
phoenix
los angeles
anaheim
dallas
note overtime losses ot are worth one point in the standings and are not
included in the loss column
friday january th schedule
nashville at calgary pm
toronto at washington pm
all times are eastern
afp
urgent wfp planning urgent food aid for two million after haiti quake
geneva jan afp
the world food programme said friday that it was planning urgent food aid for
two million people affected by the deadly earthquake in haiti
football police probe assault claim against rangers keeper
glasgow jan afp
strathclyde police have confirmed that they were investigating allegations that
rangers goalkeeper allan mcgregor sexually assaulted young woman
police spokesman said we can confirm we have received complaint which is
being investigated
mcgregor who has also played for scotland has denied the claim and described
it as vile lie aimed at blackmailing him
the year old who been with rangers for years lost his place in george
burley scotland side after late night drinking session during last year
doomed world cup campaign
but he has come back into the picture since burley sacking and replacement by
craig levein
alert
wfp says planning urgent food aid for two million people after haiti quake
eurozone trade surplus falls to billion euros
brussels jan afp
the nation eurozone trade surplus with the rest of the world fell to
billion euros billion dollars in november official figures showed friday
the october surplus was revised billion euros
the trade deficit for the european union as whole swelled to billion euros
from billion euros
russia duma ratifies european court reform
moscow jan afp
the lower house of russia parliament voted on friday to ratify long delayed
protocol on reforming the european court of human rights clearing the way for
the reform to proceed
the duma ratified the protocol with an overwhelming majority of votes in
favour and opposed reversing its position after it previously rejected the
protocol in
russia was the last member of the nation council of europe not to have
ratified protocol of the european convention on human rights aimed at
streamlining the court work and reducing its backlog of cases
officials in moscow have frequently complained about the strasbourg based court
which has ruled numerous times against russia in cases concerning atrocities in
chechnya and conditions in russian prisons
the ratification of the protocol is important for the european court said
vladimir pligin head of the duma constitutional law committee and member of
the ruling united russia party
we deeply respect the work of the european court and think that many of its
decisions will find an appropriate reflection in the work of russian courts
pligin added
some lawmakers complained that the court was anti russian when the duma
initially rejected the protocol in
russian officials said they had dropped their opposition after the council of
europe agreed to provision stating that russian judge would participate in
any decisions concerning russia
ratification was all but assured after united russia the party chaired by prime
minister vladimir putin said it would support the protocol
russia is the biggest source of pending cases at the court some cases
out of the cases awaiting review by the court originated from russia
according to the russian foreign ministry
this week the court delayed hearing billion dollar billion euro case
brought against russia by former oil giant yukos which contends it was unfairly
prosecuted and driven into bankruptcy
basketball nba results and standings
washington jan afp
results and standings after thursday national basketball association games
thursday january th results
chicago boston
utah cleveland
eastern conference
atlantic div pct gb
boston
toronto
new york
philadelphia
new jersey
central div pct gb
cleveland
chicago
milwaukee
indiana
detroit
southeast div pct gb
orlando
atlanta
miami
charlotte
washington
western conference
northwest div pct gb
denver
portland
utah
oklahoma city
minnesota
pacific div pct gb
la lakers
phoenix
la clippers
sacramento
golden state
southwest div pct gb
dallas
san antonio
houston
new orleans
memphis
friday january th schedule
san antonio at charlotte pm
sacramento at philadelphia pm
phoenix at atlanta pm
washington at chicago pm
new orleans at detroit pm
minnesota at memphis pm
indiana at new jersey pm
toronto at new york pm
oklahoma city at dallas pm
miami at houston pm
milwaukee at golden state pm
la clippers at la lakers pm
orlando at portland pm
all times are eastern
afp
fall in spanish house prices eases government
madrid jan afp
decline in property prices in spain where decade long real estate bubble
burst in eased further in the fourth quarter of last year the government
said friday
prices fell percent year on year during the three months to december
compared to percent fall in the third quarter and percent in the
second the housing ministry said
prices slipped percent in the fourth quarter from the third it said
spain economy the fifth largest in europe entered recession at the end of
as the global financial crisis hastened correction that was already
underway in the contruction sector the driver of more than decade of economic
growth
property association tinsa on tuesday estimated that prices plunged
percent last year and percent since the end of before the collapse
of the housing market
japan airlines revamp plan to be announced tuesday govt
tokyo jan afp
japan government said friday it would announce restructuring package for
japan airlines on january when the troubled carrier is widely expected to
file for bankruptcy protection
the government will make an announcement on the same day regarding its
assistance for the group transport minister seiji maehara told reporters
jal asia biggest airline is believed to be on the verge of seeking court
protection from creditors and delisting its shares from the tokyo stock exchange
to make it easier to restructure its debt and slash costs
the airline market value now stands at just million dollars having
plummeted by about billion dollars over the past week
while the government has pledged to do its utmost to ensure the airline keeps
flying during restructuring equity investors are expected to lose most or all
of their money if the company files for bankruptcy
jal which lost about billion dollars in the six months to september is
seeking public aid in the face of mounting debts
according to japanese media the company is set to receive an injection of
government funds worth several hundred billion yen several billion dollars
under turnaround plan that would see it file for bankruptcy
at the same time jal creditor banks are expected to be asked to forgive loans
worth several hundred billion yen
the airline is reportedly set to slash more than jobs and sell non core
assets such as hotels to stem massive losses us carriers american airlines and
delta air lines are in bidding war for slice of the airline
blazing ring eclipse races across africa asia
thiruvananthapuram india jan afp
solar eclipse that reduced the sun to blazing ring surrounding sombre disk
plunged millions of people in africa and asia into an eerie semi darkness on
friday
the spectacle visible in roughly kilometre mile band running
kilometres miles across the globe set record for the longest annular
eclipse that will remain unbeaten for more than thousand years
an annular eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly in front of the sun but
does not completely obscure it thus leaving ring an annulus of sunlight
flaring around the lunar disk
the moon shadow first struck the southwestern tip of chad and western central
african republic at gmt and then reached uganda kenya and somalia before
racing across india bangladesh myanmar and china
local media in the affected areas issued warnings about the dangers of looking
directly at the sun but fascinated onlookers thronged streets to witness the
celestial phenomenon
it getting interesting birds are singing it actually getting cold here
said john saitega year old father of six in olte tefi kilometres
miles south of nairobi
in india where the eclipse was visible from the southern most tip astronomers
and curious spectators watched in awe using sunglasses and even ultra dark
welding masks as day turned into darkness
there were cheers and applause in the city of bangalore when clouds cleared just
in time to show the moon glide into position to cover about percent of the
sun
veteran eclipse chaser daniel fischer from german astronomy magazine
interstellarum picked vantage spot on cliff in varkala kilometres
miles north of the city of thiruvananthapuram in the indian state of kerala
thrilled my first eclipse was indonesia in said fischer who has
witnessed eclipses in total
the bangalore based indian space research organisation isro launched three
small rockets on thursday and another five on friday to study the effects of the
event on the atmosphere
we will compare the data obtained on normal days with data during and
immediately after the eclipse to study the difference project director
ratnakar rao told afp from thiruvananthapuram
the eclipse which was followed live on cable television in india and china
temporarily put halt to the world biggest religious gathering in northern
india
temples in haridwar site of the kumbh mela which sees millions of hindus bathe
in the holy river ganges were closed for the duration of the eclipse because
the phenomenon is considered inauspicious an organiser told afp
residents in the ugandan capital kampala got good view although some were
afraid of the intensity of the light with many sharing dark glasses to gaze up
at the sky
can it burn someone you can even look direct because fearing for my
eyes fearing it can burn me said angela namukwaya shopkeeper in
kampala suburb
the maximum duration of annularity the time the moon is in front of the sun
was minutes eight seconds at gmt making it the longest annular
eclipse of the rd millennium according to nasa
only on december will this record be beaten
in china capital beijing partial eclipse made crescent of the setting
orange sun before the lunar shadow expired over the shandong peninsula at
gmt
japanese investors eye data us earnings
tokyo jan afp
the robust rally of japanese shares in the past several weeks could hit snag
in the near future on worries about overheating analysts said friday
the japan market is little overheated so there may be some correction next
week depending on us earnings hiroyuki fukunaga chief executive at
investrust told dow jones newswires
in the week to friday the nikkei gained points or percent to
the best finish since early october
the broader topix index of all first section shares added points or
percent to
cheerful earnings news from us firms brightened investor sentiment and boosted
shares on wall street and in tokyo in recent days
the tokyo also remained upbeat despite gloomy news about flagship carrier japan
airlines which is expected to file for bankruptcy on tuesday
the nikkei however could face resistance as it draws near the level
daiwa securities said in note to clients
the less than expected improvement of the us employment for december was
weighing on the dollar against the yen posing short term risk for japanese
shares going forward daiwa added
in the coming week investors will keep their eyes on earnings reports from us
high tech giants such as ibm and google as well as major financial institutions
including bank of america citigroup and morgan stanley
fresh us housing starts and other key data in the coming week will also provide
clues daiwa said
china october december gross domestic product data next week will also
influence the market nomura securities said expecting the nikkei to move
between
world cognac sales plunge in
cognac france jan afp
worldwide sales of cognac fell for the second year in row in with
percent drop even sharper than the percent fall in the industry
association said on friday
nearly million bottles were shipped last year compared to million in
said the bnic national trade office based in the cognac region of france
where the drink is made
sales dropped by percent in europe percent in eastern asia percent
in the nafta trade group united states canada and mexico and percent in
other countries
but demand for cognac surged in the last quarter of in the united states
where exports rose by percent compared to the same period in they also
rose by percent in china hong kong and singapore
global sales had already dropped in the first slump in six years
from and cognac sales worldwide soared percent
football angola edge towards last eight but at what cost
luanda jan afp
angola registered their first win at the africa cup of nations to edge closer
towards the quarter finals but thursday victory over malawi may have come at
high price
the hosts lost two key players flavio and gilberto during an impressive
performance which lifted the black antelopes up to the top of group
al ahly winger gilberto one of angola best players and the scorer of goal
in the opening draw with mali had to come off towards the end of the first
half
then on minutes influential striker flavio who put angola into th minute
lead was stretchered off with what appeared to be recurrence of hamstring
problem
angola had to go into battle against malawi without midfielder dede who had to
come off in the first half an hour last sunday with thigh problem
coach manuel jose will be praying this trio recover in time for his team
remaining first round game against world cup qualifiers algeria on monday
jose noting gilberto importance to his side cup campagin said gilberto
played great game against malawi but wished he could have stayed on longer
if he had played on think we would have solved this game sooner than we did
flavio also had to come off and zuela had problem at the end but these are
the sacrifices you make if you want to be crowned champions
should not be afraid to trust the players and fortunately we were
successful
spurred on by partisan fans at the november stadium angola put the
trauma of seeing four goal lead evaporate in the last quarter of an hour of
their opening game well and truly behind them
the result put angola on four points with malawi and algeria on three and mali
beaten by the algerians in thursday first match propping up the table on
one point
angola with president jose eduardo dos santos sporting the team scarf
watching burst out of the blocks
they almost took lightning lead when manucho volleyed flavio cross only for
malawi keeper swadick sanudi to smother the ball
djalma who replaced dede then squandered chance when his shot flew over the
bar as the black antelopes had the flames of malawi on the rack
on minutes djalma set up former manchester united and hull city striker
manucho whose fierce effort was only stopped by superb save from sanudi
there was touch of artistry from malawi peter wadaba in the th minute
when with his back to the angola goal he flicked the ball with his heel at
keeper lama whose reflex save was equal to the threat
then in first half injury time flavio corner found manucho in the box but the
mohican haired striker headed over the woodwork from close range
the second half was only three minutes old when angola got the goal they
deserved
djalma enjoying bright game raced down the left in move started by mabina
and lofted the ball into the box for charging flavio the striker based in
saudi arabia heading past sanudi
the president tapping his white trainers excitedly beamed
his smile was even wider when on minutes manucho beat off malawi skipper
peter mponda to score from close range
mali had defied greater odds to grab point last sunday but angola weren
about to be caught napping twice
the one sting in the tail for coach manuel jose was the sight of raft of his
troops hit the deck with various degrees of injury flavio had to be
stretchered off as the hour struck
group final batch of games are on monday when angola play algeria in luanda
and malawi take on mali in cabinda
iran arrests cleric close to montazeri website
tehran jan afp
iran has arrested cleric close to late dissident grand ayatollah hossein ali
montazeri amid fresh crackdown on opposition supporters reformist website
reported on friday
mid ranking cleric hojjatoleslam mohammad taghi khalaji was arrested at his
home in the city of qom on tuesday norooznews said
the cause of his arrest is not known yet but he had on several occasions backed
protests against election results which saw president mahmoud ahmadinejad
returned for second term amid allegations of massive fraud
the website described khalaji as being close to montazeri and grand ayatollah
yusuf sanei both strong supporters of the opposition
thousands of opposition supporters poured into streets of the city of qom during
montazeri december funeral
since montazeri passed away in december aged sanei has come under mounting
pressure by hardliners
the website said khalaji was also regular speaker at tehran dar ol zahra
religious venue run by reformists
the detained cleric son mehdi khalaji is senior research fellow at the
washington institute for near east policy and two members of the us house of
representatives condemned the arrest
the regime intimidation and imprisonment of clerics critical of the current
government must cease at once ileana ros lehtinen and howard berman said in
statement
we are deeply concerned by reports that the iranian regime has arrested
ayatollah khalaji and confiscated both his and his family personal
possessions and passports thereby preventing them from leaving iran they
added
norooznews did not say whether passports and possession had been seized
iranian authorities have launched new wave of arrests following bloody
protests during shiite mourning rituals of ashura on december
prominent journalist and human rights campaigner emadeddin baghi was arrested in
late december reportedly for interviewing montazeri an outspoken critic of the
islamic regime he helped create
philippines remittances surge as crisis eases central bank
manila jan afp
cash sent home by filipinos abroad surged percent to billion dollars in
november the most for months helped by manila moves to support its
overseas workforce the central bank said friday
remittances also rose percent to billion dollars for the months to
november central bank governor amando tetangco said in statement
the slowdown in the displacement of overseas filipino workers has partly
stemmed from the government job generation programmes which have helped
displaced overseas workers find alternative jobs in emerging markets he said
displacement refers to manila finding work for overseas workers in foreign
countries after they have been laid off in another
he also said the rise could be partly attributed to extra money sent back to
support rebuilding efforts for families hit by series of typhoons in september
and october
the cash transfers from the roughly nine million filipinos working away are
equivalent to nearly percent of the philippines economic output and are
major impetus for the private consumption that fuels the domestic economy
guinea acting ruler threatens to quit junta source
dakar jan afp
the interim head of guinea ruling junta has threatened to resign over the
proposed return to the country of junta leader moussa dadis camara recovering
from an assassination attempt in burkina faso
split emerged within the junta when interim leader sekouba konate and other
members met with camara thursday in ouagadougou to discuss his future on
thursday an unnamed junta member told afp from the burkina faso capital
camara flew into ouagadougou late tuesday from morocco where he had received
treatment after he was shot in the head in december asassination bid
interim leader general konate offered to resign when other junta members pressed
for camara return to conakry said the source contacted by telephone from
dakar
camara ally colonel moussa keita permanent secretary and minister in the
junta insisted that camara return
if that is what you want then offer my resignation the source quoted the
interim leader as saying
konate accused keita of looking to plunge guinea into war the source said
moussa are you looking for war in guinea you will get it he was quoted as
saying
the united states is hoping burkina faso president blaise compaore will
persuade camara not to return home senior state department official told afp
thursday
compaore has been mediating peace in guinea which has been mired in political
crisis sparked by military coup ld by camara on december
unrest worsened when troops massacred more than people at an opposition
rally in september last year according to un figures
recent un report on the massacre in guinea capital conakry named camara as
suspect and accused the army of crimes against humanity
konate has offered to share power in transitional government with the
opposition in an effort to bring peace to the country
two killed in kashmir police station attack spokesman
srinagar india jan afp
policeman and civilian were killed and eight people were injured friday when
suspected islamic militants launched grenade and gun attack on police
station in indian kashmir police said
the assault in sopore town about kilometres miles north of the state
summer capital srinagar sent people running for cover it was the latest
incident in sudden upsurge in violence in the volatile region
after the attack on the police station security forces have sealed off the
area and launched search out operation abdul waheed senior police officer
in the town told afp
he said the injured comprised four policemen and three civilians including
latief mirchal pro india politician who had unsuccessfully contested
state elections
waheed said police returned fire on the militants and the exchange continued for
nearly minutes the militants are believed to have fled after the assault
kashmir had been relatively stable in recent months but indian police have
reported spike in violence over the past days
on thursday last week indian commandos stormed hotel in srinagar and killed
two gunmen who had been holed up in the guesthouse for nearly hours
civilian and policeman were also killed during the siege
suspected rebels have also killed three former accomplices during the last week
police said
the latest attack came as chief minister omar abdullah was engaged in security
review meeting in srinagar with top police and intelligence officers an
official spokesman said
abdullah flew into srinagar friday morning from jammu the state winter
capital
the insurgency erupted in against indian rule of the muslim majority region
and has claimed more than lives according to an official count
un says homeless after haiti quake
geneva jan afp
an estimated people have been left homeless by the devastating
earthquake in haiti with one in homes in the capital port au prince the
united nations said on friday
helicopter assessment by the un mission in haiti found that some areas
suffered percent destruction
first estimates suggest some percent of the housing in port au prince has
been destroyed which roughly translates to about people left homeless
said elisabeth byrs spokeswoman of the un office for the coordination of
humanitarian affairs ocha
an ocha in situation report said some million people live in areas hit by
strong shaking from the magnitude earthquake that flattened much of
haitian capital port au prince this week
the estimated population of port au prince is million with some
million people living in areas affected by strong shaking from the earthquake
it said
besides port au prince jacmel an area south of the capital and carrefour
suburb close to the capital are also affected according to the aerial
assessment carried out by the un
the agency stressed that search and rescue assistance remains the top priority
while food clean water and sanitation are also critical
needs are expected to increase in the short term as assessments take place it
said noting that casualty numbers are increasing at hospital and clinics
ocha said first flash appeal is due to be launched for haiti on friday but so
far the international community has already pledged million dollars
million euros in aid for victims of the devastating earthquake
