hatoyama said fujii resignation was unavoidable due to exhaustion and high
blood pressure caused by months of hard work drawing up the national budget
it matter of his health it can be helped he told reporters adding
that kan would also retain the post of deputy prime minister
finance minister fujii has been exhausted the doctors medical certificate
said it is difficult for him to execute his official duty as minister have
no choice but to take the doctors diagnosis seriously hatoyama said
kan is co founder of the governing democratic party of japan and known
for his tough legislative debating skills
he is best known for his work as health minister in the when he pushed
civil servants to disclose the ministry involvement in allowing the use of
imported blood products tainted with hiv
fujii was hospitalised on december suffering from fatigue after months of
wrangling over the national budget
the veteran politician was picked by hatoyama in september to steer asia
biggest economy out of its worst recession in decades returning to post he
held briefly in the early
he is one of the few members of the cabinet with previous government experience
and his departure is seen as blow to hatoyama efforts to revive the world
number two economy reeling from its worst downturn in decades
hatoyama took office in mid september with vow to tackle wealth inequalities
curb the power of japan bureaucrats and pursue more equal relationship with
washington
tokyo stocks closed up percent earlier wednesday as investors reacted
calmly to the possibility of fujii stepping down
do not expect any substantial impact on the japanese economy as whole
said yutaka harada chief economist at daiwa research institute
china deep freeze triggers power shortage
beijing jan afp
frigid siberian cold front gripping northern and central china has caused coal
and power shortages as residents scramble to keep warm state press reported
wednesday
temperatures early wednesday in beijing fell to minus degrees celsius two
degrees fahrenheit the lowest in the capital since as rare snows
fell in central and eastern china the state weather bureau said
the icy weather has strained the nation power grid with the eastern city of
shanghai and the provinces of jiangsu shandong and hubei cutting power to some
areas as they rationed electricity the china business news reported
rolling blackouts could also occur in other regions it said amid forecasts of
continued cold weather in central and eastern regions where such temperatures
are extremely rare
hundreds of thousands of children were kept home from school wednesday in the
hubei provincial capital wuhan where more than centimetres four inches of
snow fell the xinhua news agency reported
forecasters with the china meteorological administration have said the cold
weather would continue through the week with perhaps more snowfall in beijing
on friday
in northeastern china the nation coldest region low temperatures were
expected to recover to minus degrees celsius wednesday after plummeting to
minus on monday
the spike in electricity use has crimped coal supplies at power plants as
transport out of the nation northern coal regions was disrupted due to the
cold the guangdong daily reported
the situation evoked memories of an icy cold front that hit in january
bringing record low temperatures transport chaos fuel shortages and power
outages to huge swathe of the country
with coal supplies at some power plants in central china down to about three
days the price of the fossil fuel was rapidly rising the newspaper said
coal producers in china north had begun charging up to percent more per
tonne while in guangdong users were paying up to percent more per tonne and
expecting higher prices it said
the cold front blanketed much of northern china with snow at the weekend
including the biggest snowfall in beijing in decades
the weather caused hundreds of flight cancellations school closures and snarled
traffic across northern china
cricket south africa stretch lead beyond
cape town jan afp
england claimed the wickets of graeme smith and jacques kallis but could not
stop south africa stretching their lead beyond on the fourth morning of the
third test at newlands on wednesday
south africa were for four in their second innings at lunch an overall lead
of
after the aggressive batting of smith on tuesday it was relatively sedate
morning play with south africa adding runs while england bowled only
overs in two hours
smith took his overnight score of to as he and kallis batted comfortably
against the second new ball which was taken at the start of play
smith showed attacking intent as he added runs off balls but was caught on
the fine leg boundary when he top edged hook against graham onions he made
his off balls with fours
having successfully asked for review of leg before wicket decision when he
was on smith might have survived again had umpire tony hill spotted that
onions over stepped the bowling crease or smith asked for another review
england have only bowled two no balls in the first three matches of the series
kallis followed up his first innings century by making before he edged an
attempted square cut against james anderson and was caught behind
england went on the defensive in the second hour slowing down their over rate
and setting run saving fields only ten overs were bowled after the mid morning
drinks with anderson and stuart broad both taking six minutes or more to bowl
an over
alert
sandp puts icelandic debt on negative watch after icesave veto
urgent bomb alert at us embassy swiss police
geneva jan afp
swiss police on wednesday announced bomb alert at the united states embassy in
bern after suspicious object was found
taiwan urges us to treasure ties despite beef dispute
taipei jan afp
taiwan wednesday urged its key ally the united states to treasure their
relationship despite dispute over the island decision to ban imports of us
ground beef over mad cow disease concerns
the amount of us beef imports that may be influenced accounts for only
marginal two percent of taiwan total beef imports from the united states
government spokesman su jun pin said in statement
the united states should treasure its economic and trade ties with taipei and
continue promoting economic cooperation to the benefit of both sides
the remarks came day after taiwan parliament unanimously passed an amendment
to the food health law banning imports of cow organs minced beef and other
items seen as high risk such as spines and eyes
the move backed by the ruling party and the opposition overturned
decision late last year to allow imports of us beef on the bone cow organs and
minced beef that decision had been met with public outcry in taiwan
the us said in an earlier statement it was deeply disappointed warning that
the decision could undermine taiwan credibility as responsible trading
partner
taiwan economic minister shih yen shiang has said the talks on trade and
investment originally scheduled for february would be deferred
taiwan president ma ying jeou vowed to patch up ties with washington saying
he hoped the fallout from the beef dispute would be limited to the trade area
taiwan banned all us beef imports in december over fears of mad cow
disease in taipei relaxed the rules to permit imports of boneless beef
some scientists believe that consumption of the brains and spinal cords of
animals infected with mad cow disease can lead to the potentially fatal
creutzfeldt jakob disease in humans
three more drowned migrants found off greece
athens jan afp
greek harbour police said wednesday they had found the bodies of three more
migrants following the earlier discovery of nine bodies off greece
northeastern port of alexandroupolis
all of the victims were from asia or africa they had drowned while trying to
enter greece by boat from turkey
the bodies of the first nine victims six men and three women were
recovered between december and tuesday the most recently discovered bodies
were those of men
greece has become one of the main points of entry into the european union for
would be migrants and asylum seekers from war torn countries in africa and
central asia who often make the crossing in small boats or inflatable dinghies
around people have drowned in the aegean sea trying to enter greece most
often from turkey over the past three years according to ahmet moavia head of
the greek migrants forum
alert
bomb alert at us embassy after suspicious object found swiss police
football fulham fear lengthy zamora ko
london jan afp
fulham were wednesday sweating on the results of scan on top scorer bobby
zamora who is facing lay off of at least several weeks after suffering
serious looking injury in the defeat at stoke
fulham manager roy hodgson is resigned to being without his leading striker for
some time after he suffered what was initially thought to be dislocation of
either the collar bone or his shoulder
either way it is bad injury said hodgson who also saw influential
norwegian centre back brede hangeland forced off at half time
it was very expensive day for us hogson added we were forced to replace
hangeland at half time with recurrence of his knee injury and we lost zamora
early in the second half and we have also lost the game
zamora has scored goals in all competitions for fulham this season including
six in his last seven games
hodgson added andy johnson dislocated his collar bone and he made swift
recovery and was back on the field in three weeks
having said that for the injury to heal fully it takes longer because as
forward you always being buffeted around and you can protect it as well
as you would like
stoke seized control of tuesday encounter at the britannia stadium after
tuncay sanli had headed them into an early lead and further strikes from
abdoulaye faye and mamady sidibe gave them commanding three goal advantage by
half time
ireland winger damien duff pulled goal back for fulham just after the hour
mark and clint dempsey strike five minutes from time made things frantic at
the end but stoke were able to hold out for win that lifts them to tenth in
the table place and three points behind their visitors
thought we did well to come out in the second half after conceding those
disastrous goals in the first half hodgson reflected
didn think we were particularly out played in the first half but in any
league is very difficult deficit to come back from
thought we gave it our best shot and just wish the game had gone on for
another minutes who knows we might have sneaked one in
stoke victory was their first since in the league since november and ended
run of six league matches without win in which they had failed to score in
all but one
thought it was very good first half performance and we could have scored
more goals to be honest said manager tony pulis
we really pressed them in and got after them and thought we did really well
and looked tight together
fair play to fulham in the second half they came out and pushed bodies forward
and made it nervous for us
cricket south africa england scoreboard
cape town jan afp
scores at lunch on the fourth day of the third test between south africa and
england at newlands on wednesday
south africa first innings
england first innings
south africa second innings overnight
prince lbw swann
smith collingwood onions
amla cook swann
kallis prior anderson
de villiers not out
duminy not out
extras lb nb pen
total wkts overs
fall of wickets prince amla smith kallis
to bat boucher steyn morkel harris de wet
bowling anderson onions nb swann broad
pietersen trott
match position south africa lead by runs with six wickets remaining in the
second innings
toss england
umpires daryl harper aus tony hill nzl
tv umpire aleem dar pak
match referee roshan mahanama sri
militant attack in indian kashmir summer capital police
srinagar india jan afp
suspected muslim militants on wednesday opened fire in the main market area of
indian kashmir summer capital srinagar killing at least one police officer
and sending residents ducking for cover
police said one or two gunmen had taken up positions in city centre hotel
which was quickly surrounded by heavily armed members of the security forces
we are trying our best to evacuate people police officer at the scene told
afp three civilians were reported injured in the fighting
local resident joginder singh said the gunmen appeared to be directing their
fire at paramilitary camp near the hotel in srinagar busy lal chowk
district
pro pakistan militant group jamiat ul mujahedin said it was behind the
assault
three of our men have launched fidayeen suicide attack in lal chowk the
group spokesman jameel ahmed told afp by telephone from an undisclosed
location
the last such attack in the city was staged by militants in october during
which two gunmen who stormed paramilitary camp in srinagar were killed and
three soldiers wounded
wednesday assault came as indian kashmir chief minister marked his first
year in office by pledging to slash the security force presence in the revolt
hit muslim majority region if militant violence continued its recent downwards
trend
incidents of unrest in kashmir wracked by muslim separatist insurgency for
two decades were down by about percent last year police say india last
year responded by pulling out some troops from the himalayan region
kashmir is divided into indian and pakistani controlled zones and has been the
trigger for two wars between the south asian rivals since their independence
from britain in
earlier wednesday suicide bomber had killed three pakistani soldiers near the
demarcation line with india in kashmir the latest in spike of attacks in the
pakistani administered zone
the bombing occurred one day after pakistani president asif ali zardari had
visited the area fault line that has distracted pakistani attention from an
expanding taliban menace along the afghan border
the attacker detonated his explosives outside barracks in tarar khal
southeast of muzaffarabad the capital of pakistani administered kashmir
the separatist insurgency in indian kashmir has left more than people
dead since
afptv advisory
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
yemen police capture key qaeda chief
sanaa
yemeni police on wednesday arrested key al qaeda chief believed to be behind
threats that saw several foreign missions in the capital sanaa close their
doors for the government the goal is to show it can eradicate extremists and
protect the interests of foreigners
news
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all eyes on yemen after failed terror attack
sanaa
us and western anti terror efforts have refocused on the arab state of yemen in
the wake of last month failed terror plot blamed on an al qaeda branch located
there umar farouk abdulmutallab the year old nigerian suspected of trying
to destroy us airplane in midflight is believed to have studied and received
training in yemen afptv visits the language school in sanaa where abdulmutallab
studied
special report
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german credit card crisis cuts off millions of shoppers
berlin
more than million german bank cards have been hit by software bug that
cropped up on new year day keeping the cardholders from being able to
withdraw money from cash machines or make payments the problem stems from
faulty software unable to recognise the year according to bank
associations who have warned the feared computer bug has cropped up years
later than expected
news
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hurt as egyptian police activists clash over gaza relief convoy already
transmitted
cairo
about people were injured late tuesday in clashes between egyptian police and
pro palestinian activists trying to get relief convoy into the gaza strip
militants and medics said some activists belonging to the convoy led by
charismatic and outspoken british mp george galloway broke down the gate at
the port in el arish to protest an egyptian decision to ship some of the goods
through israel
news
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survivors evicted after brazil landslides already transmitted
angra dos reis brazil
brazilians affected by widespread landslides have been evicted from their homes
to make way for preventive demolition mudslides set off by torrential rains
have killed more than people in the past days along the brazilian coast as
hopes for more rescues dimmed with each passing hour but the demolitions mean
that many survivors are now left with nowhere to go
news
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prayers at tokyo temples to ease worries over future already transmitted
tokyo
huge crowds are flocking to tokyo temples to celebrate the new year
marks the year of the tiger for many it an opportunity to pray for good
health and prosperity at time of increased uncertainty
lifestyle amp culture
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space age powerboat destroyed in japan whaling clash
at sea antartica
futuristic powerboat sent to harass japanese whalers has been sliced in two
and is sinking after clash in antarctic waters activists said on wednesday
all six crew on the ady gil trimaran which holds the round the world record
were rescued unharmed the sea shepherd animal rights group said in statement
news environment
images of clashes provided by japan institute of cetacean research icr
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by gmt
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chile prepares for post bachelet presidency
santiago
chileans go to the polls on january for presidential run off to elect
successor to president michelle bachelet who is barred from seeking second
consecutive term under the constitution chile first female leader leaves
legacy of moderate socialist reform and reputation as one of the nation most
popular leaders ever
special report
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quiet national holiday for crisis struck cameroon
yaounde
this year cameroon is celebrating years of independence the central african
nation was first german colony and before being divided between france and
britain there are few commemorative ceremonies but most cameroonians are more
preoccupied by the future as the economic crisis has hit the country hard
special report
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french shopping spree as seasonal sales begin
paris
tight fisted consumers are expected to go bargain hunting in france biannual
sales which begin on wednesday with paris stores expecting the traditional
swarm of crowds
news economy amp finance
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sarkozy bruised by rings in new year
cholet france
france president nicolas sarkozy is to deliver his new year wishes to
industrial and labor representatives on tuesday the leader battered in the
previous year in popularity polls is expected defend his record on steering the
country out of recession and to warn of more challenges ahead
news economy amp finance
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the african nations cup kicks off in angola on sunday as part of our series on
african football we will file the following report
angola minibus unavoidable for visiting football fans
luanda
angola is hosting the african nations cup for the first time in the event
year history the oil rich nation has built brand new stadiums for the
occasion but improving the transport infrastructure has proved more
troublesome task massive traffic jams and lack of public transport force city
dwellers to use private minibuses to get around
sport
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we have filed the following report overnight
google unveils new smartphone
washington
google unveiled its new nexus one smartphone on tuesday in direct challenge to
heavyweight apple iphone handsets
news
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only for license to this service please contact your afp commercial agent no
access usa japan australia
ecb feels inflation tamed economist says
rome jan afp
the european central bank top economist said on wednesday that inflation was
likely to be subdued for two years suggesting the ecb main interest rate
could remain at percent for longer than had been expected
on the basis of current economic and monetary analyses don see risks for
price stability from now to the end of chief economist juergen stark told
the italian financial daily il sole ore
the eurozone has high degree of price stability which allows us to keep the
cost of money appropriate he added using an ecb code word for no immediate
change in the benchmark cost of borrowing for commercial banks
the rate has stayed at record low of percent since may but many
economists expect gradual increase starting later this year as the nation
economy begins to recover from its first recession
stark high profile member of the central bank governing council which is to
unveil its next interest rate decision next week said am in no way worried
neither by the current inflation level nor by the level forecast for the next
two years
the ecb has mandate to keep inflation close to but below percent and
european union data showed tuesday that it had risen to percent in december
from percent in november the first increases since april
risks on this front could emerge only if growth turns out to be stronger than
expected or if we are unable to absorb excess market liquidity in timely way
two conditions don see today stark said
indonesian president seeks coalition loyalty amid scandals
jakarta jan afp
indonesian president susilo bambang yudhoyono called for loyalty from his
coalition partners on wednesday as his government struggles early in his second
term to deal with string of graft scandals
the centrist ex general reminded his coalition allies that they had signed
loyalty pact as he announced new appointments to vice ministerial posts
let proceed according to the integrity pact and working contract that you all
signed he said in an address to an audience including all his cabinet
ministers
we all signed that coalition agreement and will evaluate it with the hope
that everybody is solid loyal and consistent with what we have signed
yudhoyono was re elected in landslide in july but his new rainbow coalition
has been beset by party infighting and allegations over controversial bank
bailout
certain coalition partners have been pursuing parliamentary probe into the
roles of vice president boediono and finance minister sri mulyani indrawati in
the trillion rupiah million dollar rescue of bank century in
boediono and indrawati who strongly deny any wrongdoing are two of the most
respected economic brains in yudhoyono team but as independent technocrats
they are filling posts coveted by coalition party chiefs
the bank century bailout has been condemned by government auditors and linked to
allegations of graft involving political cronies and campaign finance for
yudhoyono democratic party
yudhoyono who campaigned on promises of clean government has denied
allegations that his party funnelled some of the money through charitable
organisations into its election war chest
the bank scandal follows on the heels of another corruption furore related to an
alleged conspiracy among police and prosecutors to frame top anti corruption
investigators
iran president opens new turkmenistan iran gas link
dovletabad turkmenistan jan afp
iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad on wednesday inaugurated new gas
pipeline link to iran from its energy rich neighbour turkmenistan which will
more than double supplies to his country
ahmadinejad on his first trip abroad since crackdown on opposition supporters
in tehran left at least eight dead said the gas pipeline that is being opened
today will take our relations to new level
it will raise the supply of turkmen gas to iran to billion cubic metres
annually
turkmen president gurbanguly berdymukhamedov who was there at the launch said
the pipeline had major international significance and was an answer to the
problem of energy security
the kilometre mile pipeline from turkmenistan southeast dovletabad
field will supply iran khangiran gas refinery initially with billion cubic
metres of gas per year according to the turkmen energy ministry
when working at full capacity the new pipeline is planned to increase supply to
iran up to total of billion cubic metres the two leaders said this
figure includes supply from an existing pipeline between southwest turkmenistan
and iran which opened in and has capacity of around billion cubic
metres
the two leaders flew in by helicopter to the ceremony in desert region after
holding talks wednesday morning they turned wheel to open the gas pipeline
which was labelled turkmenistan iran
several thousand people attended the ceremony including children holding flags
of each country portraits of the two leaders decorated the site
ahmadinejad was set to fly back to ashgabat and leave turkmenistan later
wednesday
previously gas from the dovletabad field close to the iranian border was used
exclusively for export to russia but turkmenistan hailed the new project as
means of diversifying its exports from its former soviet overlord
the opening of the gas pipeline is the result of the neighbourly relations
between turkmenistan and iran turkmen leader berdymukhamedov said wednesday
calling it continuation of our peaceful policies
the new pipeline is the logical continuation of turkmenistan politics of
diversification of its gas pipeline network to expand and add to traditional
routes in order to access new promising markets the foreign ministry said in
