the reported comments from wu officially the second ranking figure in the
government hierarchy behind president hu jintao and ahead of premier wen jiabao
did not specifically mention the google case
xinhua news agency quoted wu as telling delegation of visiting us senators
that the two sides should respect each other core interests and properly
handle sensitive affairs in order to maintain good ties
the phrase is typically used by chinese leaders to express their displeasure
about diplomatic or other developments
wu also said in the half hour meeting on wednesday that washington and beijing
should handle ties from strategic and long term point of view the report
said
google announced on tuesday it would no longer censor search engine results in
china and possibly pull out of the world largest online market complaining
about cyberattacks and censorship by the communist regime
china based cyber spies struck the internet giant and reportedly more than
other firms in an apparent bid for computer source codes intellectual property
and information about human rights activists around the world
us secretary of state hillary clinton has asked beijing for an explanation on
the google case and the white house confirmed it had held talks with the
internet firm on the matter
wu called the china us relationship one of the world most important and said
ties had leapt forward in since us president barack obama came to power
world scrambles to help quake hit haiti
washington jan afp
rescuers sniffer dogs equipment and supplies headed to haiti by air and sea
thursday in global response to horror earthquake feared to have killed more
than people
us president barack obama spearheading international efforts ordered
sweeping military and civilian operation as governments and aid groups unlocked
funds and appeals were launched on an array of internet sites
much of the capital of the destitute caribbean nation was reduced to rubble by
tuesday magnitude quake but the airport was operational allowing
international relief by air as well as sea
have directed my administration to respond with swift coordinated and
aggressive effort to save lives obama said as us civilian and military experts
began landing in haiti and us aircraft searched for survivors
the people of haiti will have the full support of the united states in the
urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble and to deliver the
humanitarian relief food water and medicine that haitians will need
after haitian prime minister jean max bellerive said the death toll could reach
well over the initial effort was focused on saving as many lives as
possible
the priority is to find survivors elisabeth byrs spokeswoman for the un
office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said as the un mobilised
search and rescue teams
we are working against the clock she said
general douglas fraser head of the us southern command told reporters that an
initial survey of the earthquake aftermath from the air indicated the damage
was mainly concentrated around the capital but the number of casualties and the
scale of the disaster was still unknown
we don have clear assessment right now of what the situation on the ground
is he said
the uss carl vinson aircraft carrier was en route and set to arrive thursday
while destroyers and more coast guard ships were on the way
former us president bill clinton now the un special envoy in haiti launched
quake fund saying even dollar or two would help while pope benedict xvi urged
generous response to the tragic situation
the world bank said it would provide an extra million dollars in aid to
haiti which has long suffered unrest crime political tumult and natural
disasters
this is shocking event and it is crucial that the international community
supports the haitian people at this critical time said robert zoellick
president of the nation development lender
the international federation of red cross and red crescent societies said it was
gearing up to help maximum of three million people based on numbers on the
ground and was drawing on emergency stocks in haiti
the red cross launched million dollar appeal for donations and the world
food programme said it could quickly provide tonnes of food
the world health organization deployed specialists to help handle mass
casualties and corpses warning of the danger of communicable diseases such as
diarrhea
latin american nations many with experience of earthquakes and with un
peacekeepers in haiti scrambled to help
cuba which felt the quake sent doctors to add to its medical staff already
in haiti brazil said it was sending million dollars in immediate aid while
peru venezuela mexico colombia guatamala and chile also promised help
canada readied two warships helicopters and planes with supplies as well as
large relief and rescue force
from the asia pacific australia pledged nine million dollars taiwan whose
ambassador to haiti was hurt in the quake south korea and new zealand also
offered aid
in europe the european commission released three million euros in emergency
assistance while britain france germany italy the netherlands and spain all
volunteered help plane carrying search and rescue teams left from moscow and
russia pledged to send field hospital
aid organizations impromptu groups and individuals used the internet and
twitter to make rally donations bolstering their messages with harrowing
footage from haiti ruins
indonesian foreign minister marty natalegawa whose country was at the center of
the asian tsunami which killed more than people appealed for the
world to help haiti at meeting of asian ministers
as country that has been itself devastated by similar situations we are
absolutely saddened we call on the international community including
ourself to do what it can to assist them he said
japan pledged to help haiti but said it was still studying how much financial
and technical assistance to give government spokesman said
tennis hobart international results
hobart australia jan afp
results from the fifth day of the hobart international women tennis tournament
here thursday denotes seed
quarter finals
alona bondarenko ukr bt zheng jie chn
sara errani ita bt kirsten flipkens bel
anabel medina garrigues esp bt gisela dulko arg
korea trade surplus hits record in
seoul jan afp
south korea trade surplus hit record high of billion dollars last year
as exports recovered faster than expected from the global recession while
imports shrank the customs service said thursday
exports totalled billion in down percent from year earlier
while imports dropped percent to billion the service said
the revised data follows preliminary figure issued earlier this month by the
ministry of knowledge economy
exports led by ships and flat panels for tvs recovered fast in the latter part
of last year the customs service said
china was the largest export destination and although shipments there declined
percent last year sales still accounted for percent of the total
exports to the united states fell percent in and those to the european
union declined percent
sony delays release of blockbuster game gran turismo
tokyo jan afp
sony computer entertainment said thursday it had delayed the launch of the
latest version of its blockbuster video game gran turismo without giving new
release date
gran turismo driving simulator for the playstation game console was
originally set for release in march
but the company said it would indefinitely postpone the launch citing only
production related reasons that are not to be disclosed company spokeswoman
said
the gran turismo series has been blockbuster for sony selling more than
million units worldwide since its first release in the company said
the last major version of the series hit the market in december
record chasing aussie teen sailor rounds cape horn
sydney jan afp
an australian schoolgirl bidding to become the youngest solo round the world
sailor rounded south america challenging cape horn her supporters said
thursday nearing the halfway point of her journey
jessica watson has now done almost miles and she has rounded cape horn
in difficult conditions about knot winds and swells of up to six metres
watson spokesman andrew fraser told the aap newswire
watson left sydney on her ambitious circumnavigation bid days ago and
rounded the horn south america southernmost point at am gmt on
wednesday fraser said
strong winds currents large waves and icebergs make navigation around chile
cape horn one of yachting major challenges and it is among key milestones
watson must reach to qualify for the circumnavigation record
fraser said it was the maritime equivalent of conquering mount everest and
watson was almost nautical miles into her nautical mile journey
which began on october
she hopes to complete the trip in eight months attempting to break the record
set by fellow australian jesse martin then aged in
in brief blog post watson said the cape looked almost mythical in the mist
despite the conditions rounding cape horn was amazing the highlight of the
trip to date she wrote
it is the first time in months the solitary watson has seen land or another
person and her parents were planning to fly over her bright pink metre
foot yacht ella pink lady to speak with her by radio
the teenager said she was also expecting visit from the chilean and
argentinian navies as she headed north east towards the falkland islands
it been over month since ve seen another boat and almost three months
since ve seen another person so feel totally thrilled and spoiled to have
so many guests all at once watson wrote on her blog
was extra careful brushing my hair this morning which is of course
completely pointless in this wind she joked
watson left australia under cloud of controversy after hitting massive coal
freighter during test sail in september
preliminary inquiry found she had been asleep and tracking the wrong vessel
when she collided with the hong kong flagged silver yang prompting concern that
she was too young to attempt the dangerous voyage
japanese stocks end up percent
tokyo jan afp
japanese stocks closed up percent on thursday tracking gains on wall
street where there was renewed optimism about the outlook for corporate
earnings
shares in troubled carrier japan airlines jal pulled out of their tailspin
after several days of heavy losses as short term speculators bought the stock
in the hope of making quick profit dealers said
the tokyo stock exchange benchmark nikkei index climbed points to
the broader topix index of all first section shares added
points or percent to
jal shares rose one yen to close at eight yen following plunge of almost
percent over the previous two days sparked by signs that the debt ridden carrier
is close to filing for bankruptcy protection and delisting its stock
some people are buying jal shares at six or seven yen hoping the price will
go up said kazuhiro takahashi equity information chief at daiwa securities
capital markets
this kind of trading will likely continue for some days to come
afp graphics advisory
hong kong jan afp
we shall move the following graphics
un mission in haiti
fact file on the un mission in haiti
text slug haiti quake un
mm
available now
haiti quake aid
graphic on international aid pledged after the magnitude haiti quake
text slug haiti quake
mm wide
available by gmt
haiti quake locator
updated graphic showing the epicentre of the magnitude quake in haiti
text slug haiti quake
mm
available now
google revenue
graphic showing google revenue from various world markets
text slug us china it company internet
mm wide
available by gmt
internet asia audience
chart comparing internet audience in asian countries
text slug us china it company internet
mm
available now
afghanistan toll
graphic on the civilian and foreign death toll in afghanistan
text slug afghanistan unrest
mm
available now
india festival
map of india locating haridwar and rishikesh where the three month hindu
festival of kumbh mela starts thursday
text slug india religion festival
mm
available now
asia pacific markets
closings for key asia pacific markets
text slug stocks
mm
available by gmt
other quake graphics
port au prince map
detailed map of the haiti capital port au prince locating key buildings
damaged or destroyed by the earthquake
mm
tectonic plates caribbean map
map of the caribbean showing the region tectonic plates includes data on the
haitian earthquake
mm
haiti factfile mm
moved earlier
afghanistan garmsir map mm
somalia map mm
ireland political chrono mm
solar eclipse mm
solar eclipse asia mm
philippines massacre factfile mm
japan us bases map mm
japan airlines mm
german gdp mm
tennis australia open
venue mm
previous female winners mm
previous male winners mm
hawkeye factfile mm
paris hong kong
tel
oil rebounds in asian trade but stays below dollars
singapore jan afp
oil prices rebounded in asian trade thursday but remained below dollars
barrel following an overnight plunge on signs of weakening energy demand in the
united states
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for delivery in february
rose cents to dollars per barrel in the afternoon
the contract sank dollars in new york on wednesday to close at
dollars per barrel after plumbing an intraday low of dollars
london brent north sea crude for february gained cents to dollars per
barrel
analysts said the sharp fall in oil prices on wednesday was triggered by the key
us department of energy doe report that showed crude oil reserves surged by
million barrels in the week ending january
that was far more than most analyst expectations of gain of million
barrels
distillates including heating fuel and diesel rose by million barrels
the doe said confounding forecasts of million barrel drop
distillates are in the market focus amid an ongoing cold snap in the united
states forecasters have predicted milder weather for the weeks ahead
the united states is the world biggest energy consuming nation and its usage
influences oil prices
however the doe report was not all that pessimistic said serene lim an oil
analyst with anz bank in melbourne adding that it indicated demand could soon
pick up
the refinery inputs were up for most of the areas and the refineries were
operating at slightly higher rate than the past month lim said
koreas agree on talks to revamp industrial estate
seoul jan afp
north and south korea will hold talks next week on ways to revitalise joint
industrial estate in further apparent sign that the north wants to improve
relations it was announced thursday
the two sides will discuss ways to follow up on their joint survey of overseas
industrial parks last month seoul unification ministry said they will meet
at the seoul funded industrial estate in kaesong just north of the heavily
guarded border
yonhap news agency said the meeting would be held next tuesday
kaesong is the last inter korean reconciliation project still operating but
fears grew early last year that the communist north may shut it down as
political relations worsened
the north ordered hundreds of south koreans to leave the estate intermittently
restricted cross border access to it and demanded huge pay rise for its
workers in south korean owned factories
in september amid peace overtures to the south the north dropped demands for
the huge pay rise and last month the two sides inspected industrial plants run
by south korean firms in china and vietnam
during the survey the north paid attention to wage and insurance systems while
the south showed greater interest in infrastructure and safety issues tax
benefits and customs systems yonhap said
the cash strapped north received million dollars in in wage payments at
kaesong
lord come and save us haitians sing amid ruins
petionville haiti jan afp
as night engulfed petionville an upscale suburb of haiti devastated capital
thousands lay amid the rubble praying for help and singing lord come and save
us
in this overwhelmingly devout nation which locals often joke is percent
catholic and percent voodoo victims of the country strongest quake in
over century desperately sought succor from above when government help did not
come
my house is destroyed my two brothers patrick and gregory are dead and we
haven even found their bodies francesca said wednesday night sitting
in the street with black bandana tied around her head
now we want to find house to sleep in there is no one but the good lord who
can help us she said
with relatives she prepared to spend the night in saint pierre place
alongside thousands of haitians who laid covered with makeshift sheets
torches candles and light bulbs connected to car batteries threw dim light onto
the scene in city squares illuminating people sheltering beneath trees
their possessions abandoned they slept outside too terrified of the debris
that aftershocks might dislodge to rest near buildings
at dusk hundreds walked through the makeshift camp singing the glory of god
forward christian soldiers deliverance is near they shouted in french
clapping their hands against their elbows and knees
the procession shuffled forward through streets lined with rubble and corpses
marching with the group samuel maxilis described the terror that hit when
the magnitude quake struck on tuesday
blocks of concrete were falling everywhere people were crying climbed like
cat onto water tank to save my cousins my house is destroyed could not
live in it anymore he said
nearby in front of the saint pierre church small group prayed in creole
lord come and help us amen
celita st john said she was trying to gain some small comfort after learning
desperate news
communications were reestablished an hour ago learned that my sister and her
child have disappeared she said
building fell on their house no one can find them they don know if she is
dead waiting for daybreak to go and look for them she added standing
next to dust covered cars and gripping friend hand for support
under umbrellas or tarpaulins small groups gathered to listen to the latest
news from local radio station eating pork grilled over coals
others tried to find safe spot to sleep if only to escape the horror for
few hours
group of young boys wheeled barrow full of haiti local alcohol offering
bottles for few gourdes the haitian currency
take it it good for getting drunk they called to passers by
australian unemployment falls to jaw dropping pct
sydney jan afp
australia thursday said unemployment has dropped to surprise eight month low
of percent stunning analysts and boosting confidence the economy recovery
is on track
december seasonally adjusted figure was down points from the revised
percent in november smashing economists forecasts of rise to percent
had thought the labour market was looking pretty good but even my optimistic
jaw dropped when saw these numbers come up said adam carr senior economist
at icap
the better than expected result was driven by rise in part time jobs
while another people found full time work the australian bureau of
statistics said
australia has been dubbed the wonder from down under after government stimulus
and chinese resources demand helped it avoid recession in the global downturn
and become the first advanced economy to raise rates in october
today figures provide further evidence of how australia has outperformed
virtually every other advanced economy during the global recession said deputy
prime minister julia gillard
compared to an unemployment rate of percent in both the us and now europe
today result shows what we ve achieved by australians pulling together in
tough times and getting behind the government stimulus actions
the benchmark amp asx closed percent higher at points on the
news amid heightened expectations of fourth successive interest rate rise in
february
if policymakers and businesses are going to worry about anything in coming
months it is that the job market is tightening too quickly said craig james
chief economist at commonwealth securities
full employment is considered to be situation where unemployment is around
five percent and that is certainly not far away
dow jones newswires contributed to this report
football injury ravaged ghana bank on essien against ivorians
cabinda angola jan afp
chelsea midfielder michael essien faces great challenge of his international
career when he captains ghana against ivory coast here on friday
the box to box workaholic with the biting tackle and thunderous drive must
inspire an injury ravaged black stars side against the under pressure africa
cup of nations title favourites in crunch group clash
it will be the second fixture in this restive northern angola enclave where an
ambush last friday claimed two lives as the togolese delegation crossed the
border from congo training camp
togo later withdrew leaving ghana ivory coast and outsiders burkina faso
fighting for two quarter fianls places and the burkinabe threw spanner in the
works by forcing goalless stalemate with the ivorians
ghana go into the match without midfielders anthony annan stephen appiah
laryea kingston and central defender john pantsil and john mensah because of
injuries while sulley muntari was axed for indiscipline
withdrawals ahead of the tournament saw the number of starlets from the ghana
world youth championship winning squad called up by serb coach milovan
rajevac swell to eight
and rajevac admitted that several could be in the starting line up at the
seat chiazi stadium alongside essien who has had his own problems ahead
of the biennial african football showcase
hamstring tear sidelined him in the build up to the three week tournament
being staged in portuguese speaking country for the first time and he arrived
only hours before the kick off owing to snow hit london airports
he has arrived in cabinda and after training with his club recently should be
physically fit to face the ivorians ghana team spokesman told reporters
here
the ivorian elephants fourth two years ago in ghana and runners up to
hosts egypt looked far from champions elect against the ultra cautious well
drilled burkinabe stallions in the least exciting first round match
captain and chelsea striker didier drogba said the aftermath of the togo tragedy
had affected squad boasting stars like kolo and yaya toure emmanuel eboue
didier zokora salomon kalou and kouassi gervinho yao
drogba says this will probably be his nations cup swansong and craves glory for
squad known as the golden generation but without trophy to show for their
sometimes sublime cocktail of skill and steel
defeat by ghana who have won five and drawn one of eight previous nations cup
clashes between the west african neighbours could lead to sensational first
round exit for ivory coast
we are now in very difficult position but still have all the cards in our
hands and know we can go through to the knockout phase insists bosnian coach
vahid halilhodzic
he also knows that first round failure would almost certainly cost him his job
and chance to lead the ivory coast against portugal brazil and north korea at
the world cup in south africa
the final mini league fixture between ghana and burkina faso is scheduled for
the seat november stadium in the angolan capital luanda next tuesday
china issues swine flu travel warning for lunar new year
beijing jan afp
china health ministry has urged vulnerable groups to get swine flu
vaccinations or limit travel during the upcoming chinese lunar new year holiday
due to the spread of the virus
pregnant women children the elderly obese people and those with chronic
diseases should avoid public travel during the peak period of spring festival
travel the ministry said in statement posted on its website late wednesday
such vulnerable groups should also get swine flu vaccinations and steer clear of
crowded public places and people showing obvious flu symptoms it said
the ministry also urged for prevention measures to be stepped up including
wearing face masks frequently washing hands and getting early medical checkups
for coughs and other flu symptoms it said
tens of millions of people are expected to pack into trains planes and buses
during the upcoming lunar new year travel period when chinese return to their
hometowns and villages for annual family reunions
this year travel period extends from january to march lunar new year
day or the start of the traditional spring festival falls on february
last week the ministry announced it had recorded swine flu deaths in china
in nearly all of them in the last two months of the year and warned that
the danger of mass outbreaks still existed in certain areas
the total number of infections recorded in stood at it
said
at the end of october the reported death toll stood at just six the number of
recorded deaths then spiked reaching about at the start of december and
by the end of the month
on wednesday the ministry said it had recorded new cases of the swine flu
and deaths due to the disease from january to
us drone strike kills in nw pakistan officials
peshawar pakistan jan afp
missiles fired from us drone aircraft slammed into militant training camp in
pakistan northwest tribal belt on thursday killing at least people
security officials said
the attack took place in pasalkot village in north waziristan stronghold of
taliban and al qaeda linked militants and was the seventh suspected us missile
attack in the tribal district this month
at least people were killed in the missile strike senior security
official said adding that four missiles were fired from the unmanned plane
local intelligence official confirmed that bombing telling afp it was us
drone strike which took place between am gmt and am
he said the area hit by the strike was very remote and borders south
waziristan another taliban stronghold where pakistan military are currently
locked in an offensive to dismantle insurgent strongholds
at least people mostly militants have been killed in the missile strike
the toll is likely to rise the official said the targeted site was
militant training camp
it was not immediately clear if any senior militants had been killed
it was the seventh missile strike by an unmanned us spy plane so far this year
as the administration of us president barack obama puts pakistan at the heart of
its fight against al qaeda and islamist extremists
suspected us drones have increasingly targeted north waziristan bastion of
al qaeda fighters the taliban and the haqqani network that attacks the
us and nato troops fighting in neighbouring afghanistan
washington is increasing pressure on pakistan to tackle militants who use its
soil to launch attacks in afghanistan and american officials have said that the
highly secretive drone programme has eliminated some top fighters
but the attacks on pakistani territory fuel anti american sentiment in the
nuclear armed muslim nation and the government publicly condemns the strikes as
violation of pakistan sovereignty
us senator however scolded pakistan leaders wednesday charging them with
privately supporting us drone strikes while publicly denouncing them
what troubles me is the public attack on these drone attacks when at the same
time they ve privately obviously not told us that we must stop they have not
done that said senator carl levin
pakistan leaders not only understand and acquiesce but in many cases
privately support the drone attacks levin said adding that the minimum we
should expect is silence on their part rather than public attack on us
