humanitarian response and in bid to provide desperately needed security to
back up those efforts
and food rations provided by the united nations and humanitarian organizations
slowly began to trickle out to haiti desperate recipients
at challe camp for displaced haitian people supplies began to come to
those in need but one desperate father said the aid was not nearly enough to
feed so many hungry people
meanwhile more than marines were to arrive monday aboard the amphibious
ship uss bataan tanya bradsher spokeswoman from us southern command told
afp boosting troop numbers to either in haiti or offshore
and lieutenant general ken keen us commander of the joint task force in haiti
told reporters monday that there would be us troops in the area in the
next few weeks providing hope that peace may be restored to port au prince in
the foreseeable future
they need as many troops on the ground as possible keen said
is too much sitting as bad as too little exercise
paris jan afp
sitting all day may significantly boost the risk of lifestyle related disease
even if one adds regular dose of moderate or vigorous exercise scientists
said tuesday
the health benefits of pulse quickening physical activity are beyond dispute
it helps ward off cardiovascular disease diabetes and obesity among other
problems
but recent scientific findings also suggest that prolonged bouts of immobility
while resting on one rear end may be independently linked to these same
conditions
sedentary time should be defined as muscular inactivity rather than the absence
of exercise concluded team of swedish researchers
we need to consider that we are dealing with two distinct behaviours and their
effects they reported in the british journal of sports medicine
led by elin ekblom bak of the karolinska institute in stockholm the scientists
proposed new paradigm of inactivity physiology and urged fellow researchers
to rethink the definition of sedentary lifestyle
they point to recent study of australian adults showing that each daily one
hour increase in sitting time while watching television upped the rate of
metabolic syndrome in women by percent regardless of the amount of
moderate to intensive exercise performed
thirty minutes of daily physical exercise decreased the risk by about the same
percentage suggesting that being couch potato can cancel out the benefits of
hitting treadmill or biking for example
metabolic syndrome is defined as the presence of three or more factors including
high blood pressure abdominal obesity high cholesterol or insulin resistance
new research is required to see if there is causal link between being
sedentary and these conditions and if so how it works the researchers said
one candidate is lipoprotein lipase or lpl an enzyme that plays crucial role
in breaking down fat within the body into useable forms
recent research has shown that lpl activity was significantly lower in rats with
restrained muscle activity as low as one tenth of the levels of rats allowed
to walk about
the lpl level during such activity was not significantly different from that of
rats exposed to higher levels of exercise the scientists reported
this stresses the importance of local muscle contraction per se rather than
the intensity of the contraction
these studies suggest that people should not only exercise frequently but avoid
sitting in one place for too long they said
climbing stairs rather than using an elevator taking five minute breaks from
desk job and walking when possible to do errands rather than driving were all
recommended
canadian terror plotter sentenced to life in prison media
ottawa jan afp
ring leader of group of alleged islamic extremists accused of plotting to
bomb canada main stock exchange and other targets was sentenced on monday to
life in prison local media reported
public broadcaster cbc said zakaria amara would however be eligible for
parole in less than seven years after having spent four years in jail awaiting
trial which are counted as double under canadian law
un envoy bill clinton in haiti meets survivors in hospital
port au prince jan afp
un special envoy bill clinton on monday defended the pace of incoming foreign
aid and praised doctors working in shocking conditions as he toured the
devastation in haiti capital
ll be surprised and disappointed if hours from now we re not feeding and
bringing fresh water to dramatically larger amounts of people clinton told
reporters here
the former us president was whisked to the general hospital in port au prince
and given first hand look at the ruined city and the misery facing survivors
and those treating them after last week cataclysmic quake
they have done an amazing job given the adversity they have faced clinton
told afp of the medical personnel as he walked through the crowded hospital
largely unrecognized by most of the ailing haitians around him
clinton somber looking as he bent down and comforted wounded woman lying on
the floor said he was shocked by what the doctors have been able to do
without even rudimentary medical supplies such as alcohol
think the people have been heroic said clinton who was accompanied by his
daughter chelsea as they walked down hospital hallways crowded with the injured
and the dying
with the morgue overflowing quake survivors had laid hundreds of corpses
outside the hospital last week and while those bodies have since been moved
the stench of death still filled the air in and around the hospital
despite the dire conditions clinton stressed that aid was flowing at an
acceptable pace
no don think they were slow coming in said clinton
the infrastructure broke down as result of the earthquake and that what
we re building up
but simmering unrest has been stoked by the agonizing delays in supplies
reaching the hundreds of thousands of people who have been without steady
source of food or water since the quake struck
haiti collapsed government ruined port and roads an overcrowded airport and
mounting threat of lawlessness in port au prince all have conspired to snarl
relief efforts
the international red cross warned monday that access to clean water food
shelter and medical care remains extremely limited
on the grounds of the hospital desperate haitians seeking shelter under plastic
sheeting told of their misery and the immediate need for outside help
nadia meranvivne sat outside awaiting news of her month old son whose arm and
leg were broken in the earthquake
we hope that mr clinton will help us save our lives and the lives of our
children she wept
he clinton can help us because this country doesn have anything
before leaving clinton was supposed to meet with president rene preval and
other haitian leaders at the port au prince airport to discuss ways to more
effectively coordinate the distribution of aid
we are trying to be very targeted with what we re bringing in he told afp at
the hospital referring to the water food medical supplies and other supplies
such as solar flashlights portable radios and generators being provided by the
clinton foundation
spain speeds up paperwork for adopted haitian children
madrid jan afp
spain has sped up the paperwork required to allow child who has completed the
adoption process in quake hit haiti to travel to spain to join its new family
the foreign ministry said monday
the ministry said it was taking all possible steps so that haitian minors who
have been adopted by spanish families can travel to spain given the special
conditions affecting haiti
it is holding meetings with families which had completed adoptions of children
in haiti but had not yet brought the children to spain to help them navigate the
process more quickly as well as with adoption agencies
after adoptions are finalised in haiti it can still take months for final
approval to bring the children to their new homes in spain
many families around the world who adopted in haiti are now in desperate
search for answers as to how their children are doing
some fear the needed paperwork may be buried and lost forever in crumpled
buildings stalling the adoption process for good
earlier on monday plane chartered by the netherlands and two adoption agencies
flew out to haiti to fetch around haitian children aged from few months to
seven years who are being adopted by dutch families
five dead as taliban militants strike across kabul
kabul jan afp
taliban gunmen and suicide bombers attacked buildings in the heart of kabul on
monday in security breach that triggered fierce gun battles and killed at
least five people including child
fires raged after two shopping centres cinema and kabul only five star
hotel were targeted by heavily armed militants who set off wave of explosions
apparently targeting nearby government buildings
the attack came as president hamid karzai swore in new cabinet ministers at his
palace part of the painfully slow process of forming government since his own
swearing in in november
five people were killed and wounded interior minister mohammad hanif atmar
said in the most dramatic strike on kabul since taliban militants laid siege to
government buildings in february killing at least people
atmar said child and security forces personnel were among the dead while
seven militants were also killed
they were killed either by detonating themselves or they were shot by security
forces he said of the militants at news conference
with questions likely to be raised about how the attackers penetrated kabul
karzai said the situation was under control after more than three hours of
fighting
the enemies of the afghan people conducted series of attacks today causing
fear and terror among the population karzai said the president condemns
these terrorist attacks
following the chaos in the city centre which has seen far fewer attacks than
some other parts of the country nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen
praised afghan security forces defence of the capital
the attackers made it clear in their choice of targets that their aim is to
reverse the progress that afghans are making in building better lives and
better future he said
the attacks began in the morning rush hour when suicide bombers stormed
buildings around pashtunistan square setting off explosions that sent clouds of
black smoke into the sky and people fleeing in terror
atmar said suicide bomber was challenged by security agent in front of the
central bank and immediately blew himself up
by am security forces had moved into key positions defence minister abdul
rahim wardak told the same press conference
at am suicide bomber driving an ambulance was stopped by afghan
security forces and detonated himself he said
the taliban waging an increasingly deadly insurgency against the western backed
kabul government and foreign troops claimed responsibility
twenty of our suicide bombers have entered the area man calling himself
zabihullah mujahid who said he was taliban spokesman told afp
he said the presidential palace and ministries around pashtunistan square were
the targets but it appeared that government buildings had not been breached
smoke billowed from the qari sami shopping mall on the square five storey
building that used to be the bamiyan hotel and one of the buildings in the
serena hotel the city only five star hotel
saw four people wrapped up in blankets coming and the guard went forward and
asked them what are you doing said local grocer ismail who was in his shop
in one of the malls when militants stormed in
one of them opened his blanket and showed the guard suicide vest packed with
explosives and said to him get out of my way or you ll die
the head of afghanistan national directorate for security nds amrullah
saleh said militants took two children hostage but later freed them after
negotiations
the united states condemned the attacks as ruthless act by the taliban
whose rebellion to topple the government and oust foreign troops has been
gaining strength
the attacks came day after the government said karzai was to announce new
plan aimed at forging peace with the islamist taliban although the militants
have repeatedly rebuffed efforts at negotiation
the last major attack on the capital was on december when suicide car
bomber blew up his vehicle outside the homes of former senior government
officials killing eight people and wounding more than
haiti surge fails to bring security
port au prince jan afp
us marines surged in to help the haiti relief effort on monday but lawlessness
pervaded with looters raiding shops in the quake hit capital as rescue workers
struggled to save lives and stave off disease
un secretary general ban ki moon requested more troops and police to boost
his battered mission that had been trying to bring stability to the
dysfunctional caribbean state even before disaster struck
six days after magnitude earthquake brought devastation on an
unprecedented scale the massive international relief effort spearheaded by the
us military was still failing to bring security to despairing populace
in the stinking capital port au prince where corpses lay unpicked under the
rubble and palace gardens had become putrid slums groups of survivors roamed
the streets to scrounge supplies largely unchallenged by the authorities
troops in combat gear fired off rounds and hauled some people to the ground to
try and stop the worst of the looting but the paltry numbers of security
personnel in the city made this futile task
the red cross warned that violence by desperate haitians was growing although
lieutenant general ken keen the top us officer on the ground insisted the
level of violence we see now is below pre earthquake levels
officials have expressed fears the final death toll may top if it is
ever known at all while government minister said sunday that bodies
had already been buried
un agencies said field hospitals and food distribution had multiplied in and
around the capital where the quake wrought huge destruction
prices for food and transport have skyrocketed since last tuesday and incidents
of violence and looting are on the rise as the desperation grows the
international committee of the red cross said in statement
many residents of port au prince felt they were in catastrophic situation
it added
us paratroopers deployed out of the main haitian airport in waves of navy
seahawk helicopters to set up bases from which to begin humanitarian operations
while more than marines rushed to the disaster zone
we have seen dramatic improvement in the efficiency and coordination of the
flow of goods coming in world food programme executive director josette
sheeran told reporters in rome
but she was far from the scenes of utter desperation in the capital where
conditions appeared to have barely improved for hundreds of thousands of
wretched people sleeping rough in the streets
homeless injured and traumatized survivors trawled the streets desperate for
food water and medicine all around was the stench of rotting bodies
international aid was trickling in but supplies remained scarce amid the
enormity of crisis the united nations estimates affected three million people
and left homeless
former us president bill clinton special un envoy to haiti defended the
relief effort as he arrived in port au prince to meet with haitian leaders and
survivors to get first hand account of conditions
no don think they were slow coming in clinton told afp as he walked down
hospital hallways cluttered with injured survivors the infrastructure broke
down and that what we re building up
president barack obama has mobilized his military reserves and the overall us
deployment on the island or in ships off haiti was due to swell from
personnel by the end of monday to more than in the coming weeks
time is still of the essence we re getting better but there is still lot of
misery in haiti said rear admiral ted branch who commands the us aircraft
carrier carl vinson strike group
amidst the death and desperation were life affirming tales of survival against
all the odds but the rescue teams in haiti fear these may be among the last
text message to the united nations set in motion relief operation that led
to the rescue two days later of maria ariel and lamy after being buried for
more than hours under collapsed supermarket
seven ariel shouted to rescuers seeking signs of life adding that she
was stuck next to dead man but covered with supermarket food
emergency workers were expanding to battered communities outside of port au
prince including gressier petit goave and leogane which were all flattened
by the quake
aid group medecins sans frontiers doctors without borders said their doctors
and surgeons had been working around the clock amputating limbs and performing
caesarian sections on pregnant women
patients arrived on handcarts or on men backs said msf emergency
coordinator hans van dillen
european union nations on monday promised more than million euros
million dollars in emergency aid and reconstruction funds for haiti
iraq inquiry sets blair date as aide defends invasion
london jan afp
former prime minister tony blair will give testimony to britain iraq war
inquiry next week officials said monday as one of his former aides robustly
defended his conduct
blair who backed the us led invasion of iraq in despite strong opposition
at home and in the united nations will face full day of questioning on
january at the chilcot inquiry
the former premier is the star witness at the inquiry which was launched in
november after virtually all of britain forces withdrew in june
interest in his appearance is intense public ballot was held monday for
public seats at the hearings and the lucky few will be allowed into either the
morning or afternoon sessions
last month blair admitted in television interview that he would have backed
the war even if he knew iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction
triggering fresh criticism
blair who quit as premier in and is now the middle east quartet envoy
told the bbc it would still have been right to remove iraqi leader saddam
hussein because of the threat he posed to the region
his support for us president george bush over the invasion caused
major backlash in britain contributing to his decision to step down in june
despite having led his labour party to three election wins
in evidence monday blair chief of staff at the time jonathan powell
robustly defended the former prime minister conduct
he acknowledged public opposition to the iraq war saying the million strong
protest through london just weeks before the invasion made big impression on
us and said they had feared it could cost blair his job
but powell said he decided to do something that was unpopular because he
thought it was right
however while he insisted there had been some success in iraq he admitted the
deaths in the conflict were something that was very hard to live with
previous inquiry witnesses have suggested blair was committed to removing saddam
hussein from the beginning but while powell accepted the premier had wanted him
gone he said he was determined to act through the united nations
the iraqi leader had repeatedly violated un resolutions concerning his weapons
of mass destruction wmd and this was used to justify the invasion even though
there was no explicit approval from the un security council
at meeting in at bush ranch in crawford texas powell said blair had
promised support for the united states in pressuring iraq but said this was in
order to gain influence with bush and denied war was inevitable
it was absolutely clear we were not signing up to war on this we were going
down the un route and giving saddam chance to comply powell said
he said there had actually been huge gulf between britain and the americans
on the issue of regime change that they had sought to keep hidden from the
public
blair had urged the us administration to think through the unintended
consequences of any military action to depose saddam powell said
we were trying to say to them don rush into anything above all build
coalition he said adding that then us secretary of state colin powell had
shared their view and actually tried to influence bush through britain
the wmd were never found but blair aide disputed suggestions that britain
should have been more sceptical about intelligence related to their existence
the iraqi leader had used chemical weapons on his own people he noted adding
we had the assumption that they had weapons of mass destruction the
intelligence confirmed that and we didn really have any doubts about it
afp americas news agenda for january
washington jan afp
duty editor jim mannion
tel
what happening in the americas on tuesday
search continues in haiti for quake survivors as aid seeps in
senate elections in massachusetts crucial to obama agenda
port au prince amid dimming hopes teams press the search for quake survivors
as international relief efforts to help the living intensify
expect coverage haiti quake picture video graphic
boston massachussets voters cast ballots to fill senate seat left vacant by
the death of teddy kennedy in crucial special election with major implications
for president barack obama reform agenda
expect coverage us politics senate vote
new york start of the trial of aafia siddiqui pakistani accused of opening
fire on american officers while she was detained in afghanistan coverage
expected us pakistan afghanistan trial qaeda
court hearing for adis medunjanin the alleged accomplice of najibullah zazi
the afghan national accused of plotting attacks in the united states gmt
coverage on merit
citigroup once the world largest bank and rescued from collapse with state
funds releases its annual results gmt coverage expected
united nations the un security council meets time to be determined coverage
on merit
financial questions still hang over bulgaria eu candidate
strasbourg jan afp
the fate of bulgaria eu commission hopeful rumiana jeleva hung in the balance
monday after parliamentary legal experts failed to clear the air on allegations
that she hid financial interests
it is for the president of the commission jose manuel barroso to scrutinise
the declaration of interests which she presented to back up her bid to become
eu aid and crisis commissioner the european parliament legal experts said in
statement to the meps assessing jeleva competence for the post
the legal service has no means to verify the veracity and accuracy of the
declaration submitted by ms jeleva they insisted in their statement seen by
afp
it can only assess whether the elements of the declaration as submitted are
or are not contradicted by the documents made available to the legal service
the statement added
last week european lawmakers grilled the bulgarian foreign minister over the
absence of any mention of the global consult company in her declaration of
interests
without pronouncing on the key issue of her latest declaration the
parliamentary legal service did speak of the possibility of earlier
discrepancies regarding the bulgarian consultancy company
in late and january she had nothing to declare whereas she signed
documents as manager of global consult in and february
the european parliament is in the process of grilling all commissioners
delegate chosen by european governments to serve under barroso during his
second five year term at the helm of the eu executive body
the new team is due to start work next month
socialist meps have strongly criticised jeleva expressing concerns over her
competence for the post more than for her financial declarations
however the centre right european people party epp the biggest group in
the european parliament is backing its natural ally
her fate could be decided later monday at the european parliament in strasbourg
at meeting of representatives from the main political groups
airbus partners to meet in berlin ministry
paris jan afp
the seven partner countries in the troubled airbus military transport
aircraft programme are set to meet with airbus executives in berlin on thursday
french defence ministry spokesman told afp
the seven nations belgium britain france germany luxembourg spain and
turkey met in london last week as doubts grew on the future of the delayed
and over budget multi billion euro dollar project
airbus has threatened to scrap the project if it does not get more money from
the partner countries and has warned this could in turn hurt the financial
viability of all of airbus which employs people around europe
britain defence ministry said the partners had voiced commitment to the
project during their meeting in london but not at any price
airbus parent group eads the european aeronautic defence and space company has
said it is ready to negotiate an acceptable deal over the
the seven client nations have ordered total of aircraft for about
billion euros billion dollars but the project has been plagued by setbacks
and is expected to cost up to an additional billion euros
cnn star performs brain surgery on us military ship
on board the uss carl vinson jan afp
star cnn medical correspondent sanjay gupta practicing neurosurgeon
performed brain surgery on year old haitian girl monday aboard us
military ship
the girl whose name was not released was injured in last week devastating
earthquake and was diagnosed as having cm inch chunk of concrete
embedded in her skull
the ship surgeon called for neurosurgeon which are in short supply in the
region amidst the mammoth and often chaotic rescue and recovery operation
with the help of cnn producer we called cnn in atlanta who then patched us
through to doctor gupta in port au prince said the vinson deputy public
affairs officer erik schneider
someone got hold of our international desk year old gupta later
recalled they said there was an urgent call from the carl vinson so put
call in to them and there was something about head injury
assisted by los angeles surgeon henri ford and the ship surgeon kathryn
berndt gupta pulled off the surgery between his multiple reports for the
international news network on the massive quake that hit the caribbean nation
gupta and ford said they anticipate the girl making full recovery
was honored to help out said gupta afterward have profound respect
for the capabilities of the us navy and the medical team on board the carl
vinson he said
gupta was considered for the post of president barack obama surgeon general
but withdrew his name in march last year due to family and career reasons
quake off el salvador guatemala triggers alarm
san salvador jan afp
residents in el salvador and guatemala reacted in alarm monday when strong
magnitude quake hit offshore from the central american nations where there
were no immediate reports of casualties
the countries seismological monitoring services and the us geological survey
usgs said the quake struck just nine kilometers six miles off guatemala
pacific coast close to the border with el salvador at am local time
gmt
the nearest towns were ahuachapan el salvador kilometers miles away
and cuilapa guatemala kilometers distant
el salvador service said the epicenter was kilometers underground while
the usgs put it at depth of kilometers
the upheaval has nothing to do with the earthquake that happened last tuesday
in haiti the coordinator of el salvador seismological service griselda
marroquin said
this strong temblor comes from shock between the cocos and caribbean plates
she said referring to two lithospheric plates that connect under el salvador
and which are the source of quakes in the area
marroquin added that two aftershocks followed the quake but at too low
magnitude to be felt by local populations
the quake shook buildings in the capitals san salvador and guatemala city
provoking panic by people fearing haiti sized disaster was heading their way
but emergency services reported no casualties nor damage
luis arreola of guatemala seismological institute said the quake was the
worst of seismological disturbances recorded in the area so far this year
earthquakes are frequent in central america according to the usgs two big
temblors in early with magnitudes of and killed total
people in el salvador
in guatemala in people died when magnitude quake struck
haiti quake relief gains pace aid agencies
geneva jan afp
aid agencies said huge international relief operation nearly week after
haiti devastating earthquake was gaining pace on monday but one warned that
survivors were growing increasingly desperate
un agencies and the red cross said field hospitals and food distribution had
multiplied in and around the capital port au prince where the magnitude
quake wrought huge destruction leaving tens of thousands dead hundreds of
thousands homeless and countless injured
but the international committee of the red cross icrc warned in statement
that incidents of violence and looting are on the rise as the desperation
grows in port au prince
access to shelter sanitation water food and medical care remains extremely
limited said riccardo conti the icrc head of delegation in haiti even if
the international presence was starting to be felt
elisabeth byrs spokeswoman for the un organisation for the coordination of
humanitarian affairs ocha admitted the population was on edge but said this
was measure of the scale of the january disaster
we are accelerating the pace we are fanning out on the ground but the needs
are enormous enormous she told afp
the ocha said hospitals on the dominican republic border with haiti were
overwhelmed with quake victims who had fled in recent days to seek treatment
while international relief workers struggled with transport bottlenecks and the
lack of local resources
the un led aid effort was broadening to thousands more people in severely
battered outlying communities in the south of haiti
the overall aim is to cover the needs for families one million people
within the next few weeks ocha said in its daily situation report
about one week food rations have been distributed since the emergency
relief operation began last week with more due to be handed out on
monday by aid workers and un peacekeeping troops the un world food programme
said
by the end of today we are expecting to have distributed more than
rations in and around port au prince wfp spokeswoman emilia casella told afp
as new supply routes were opened through the dominican republic
the ocha and the red cross said more field hospitals were in operation carrying
out delayed emergency surgery on victims while two mobile health units and
water specialists fanned out in the quake zone
the german red cross announced it would send mobile hospital with two
operating rooms beds and able to treat patients hundred or so
medical staff and technicians will accompany the mission leaving from berlin
