international donors conference in montreal on monday the kyodo news agency
reported
the japanese government has decided to increase its aid for quake hit haiti
from five million dollars to million dollars kyodo reported from new york
citing unnamed government sources
chavez muzzles tv stations for not airing his speeches
caracas jan afp
six tv stations including opposition rctv were forced off the air sunday for not
broadcasting president hugo chavez speeches prompting pot banging
demonstrations and complaints from journalists and rights groups
the new rules passed in december require stations to air chavez speeches
among other mandates
rctv spokeswoman gladys zapiain said all venezuelan cable television providers
dropped the station and the other television channels from their line ups
we have just been taken off the air said zapiain there was no prior
notification
mario seijas president of the venezuelan chamber of cable television told afp
that in addition to rctv the dropped channels include ritmo son momentum
america tv american network and tv chile
the providers argued that the stations had failed to comply with government
regulation issued in december zapiain said
we can allow anything of the sort chavez said sunday on his weekly alo
presidente radio and television talk show
under the measure every television or radio station whose programming is at
least percent venezuelan made is considered national media outlet
as such they are obligated to carry speeches by the president and other
officials as well as official government announcements
chavez critics view many of those speeches which can last for hours as
government propaganda
the media reprisal triggered spontaneous pot banging demonstrations around
caracas and at the baseball championship game there were cheers of support for
rctv
the stadium at one point erupted in single chant one two three strikes
chavez is out
the national association of journalists cnp the top reporters union as well
as the international federation of journalists and reporters without borders
called for massive peaceful protest to repudiate the measure
we all have the right to open newspaper and tune in to whatever television
channel we choose said cnp president william echeverria
the washington based inter american commission on human rights expressed its
serious concern over the shuttering of the television stations and
emphatically rejected the muzzling law
with this decision the right to freedom of expression in venezuela is further
eroded as it blocks cable media outlets from operating independently and
without fear of being silenced on account of the focus of their reporting or
their editorial stance the commission said in statement
on saturday rctv had failed to comply with the regulation for second time
that day chavez addressed thousands of followers in western caracas demanding
absolute loyalty and telling them he embodied the heart and soul of the
venezuelan people
am not an individual am the people chavez told crowd of supporters
it my duty to demand respect for the people
the president asked for voters to renew the ruling party control of both
national assembly houses in upcoming elections in order to be able to continue
building our new socialist state
venezuela will hold crucial legislative elections in september in which chavez
hopes to secure at least two thirds of seats to maintain his current legislative
majority
according to opinion polls the president popularity which approached
percent approval at the beginning of stands now at less than percent
chavez vocal critic of us influence in the region has been in power since
still great or too late armstrong questions remain
adelaide australia jan afp
as lance armstrong flew out of australia on private jet the big question was
left hanging in the adelaide air can he really win the tour de france again
the texan was in better shape than in last year tour down under when he
returned after three and half years in retirement
he is apparently happy with new team radioshack and his th place finish this
year is four places better than in
armstrong form will not trouble his great rival tour de france champion and
early favourite alberto contador but the american believes the dream of an
eighth tour de france is alive
it something think would be possible armstrong said it going to be
the hardest one to win the competition is better than it ever has been before
think can win the tour again might be fool to think that but going
to go down my foolish way and find out
armstrong only made two notable breaks in australia one during kilometre
mile warm up and doomed foray in the latter part of stage four his best
finish was th on day three
he stresses that it is far too early to make predictions for july when the
three week tour de france race he won record seven times rolls into
action
not much can be taken from here in terms of what happens in the summer in fact
nothing he said
armstrong who finished third in last year tour de france will compete
against riders decade his junior contador is as he bids to break
belgian firmin lambot year old record in winning the tour aged in
however he has made habit of silencing doubters after surviving testicular
cancer to win one of sport most gruelling events not just once but seven
times and in consecutive years
radioshack team boss johan bruyneel who masterminded each of those victories
sees positive signs in man he knows so well that he sometimes finishes his
sentences
lance is good he lot different than last year physically his form is
lot better he feels good in the bunch and he feels good in the team so that
three things that are better than last year bruyneel said
he added that armstrong is carrying less unnecessary muscle than last year and
is more comfortable on the bike after adjusting his riding position
dave brailsford principal of britain team sky describes armstrong as the
benchmark and warns it would be mistake to write off his chances
he definitely got it in him for another tour de france and being right up
there there no doubt about it brailsford told afp
whether he can win it or not time will tell you can say that he will but
you certainly can say that he can as long as you say that lance armstrong
can then he in with chance
armstrong popular figure in adelaide has given himself only another two
seasons to pull off one of the great sporting comebacks
don want to say going to win an eighth tour but will tell you that
expect to be better than he said
wouldn be here if didn think could do it
israeli pm heads to poland for emotional auschwitz visit
jerusalem jan afp
israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu travels on monday to poland for
highly emotional visit to the auschwitz death camp after he warned of sharp
rise in anti semitism across the world
ceremony on wednesday will mark international holocaust remembrance day and
the th anniversary of the liberation of the nazi camp where some jews
perished between june and january
netanyahu will be accompanied by delegation of israeli mps and holocaust
survivors
the visit was set to be particularly emotionally charged for the hardline
premier whose wife father was the only member of his family to survive the
nazi holocaust in which some six million jews were murdered
this will be very emotional visit no jew can go to such venue without
having the weight of history and memory on his shoulders the premier
spokesman mark regev said
the son of prominent nationalist historian netanyahu views the jewish state
as the shield against the growing expressions of holocaust denial in recent
years mainly by iran and its president mahmoud ahmadinejad
we will not allow holocaust deniers to carry out another jewish holocaust this
is the supreme commitment of the state of israel and it is my supreme
commitment as prime minister of israel he said in speech in parliament last
year
the state of israel is the shield it is the comfort and hope of the jewish
people
and on the eve of his trip netanyahu warned against new rise of anti semitism
in the wake of israel devastating war in the gaza strip last year when some
palestinians and israelis were killed
the fight against anti semitism is more important than ever because there has
been significant rise in the number of expressions of anti semitism since
operation cast lead he said on sunday
this anti semitism is mixed with new attempt to deny the jewish state the
right of self defence
israel on sunday released report saying that was record year for acts
of anti semitism across the world
most of the incidents reflected long standing and known anti semitic ideas but
were extreme intensive and louder than before many of the expressions of
anti semitism in created total link between israelis and jews
the gaza war was an overwhelming military victory for israel but sparked
international condemnation with un human rights council report accusing both
israel and palestinian militants of war crimes
last august german publishing house presented netanyahu with the original
blueprints of auschwitz which will be put on display on wednesday at the yad
vashem holocaust memorial museum in jerusalem
there are those who deny that the holocaust happened netanyahu said upon
receiving the yellowed documents in berlin let them come to jerusalem and look
at these plans these plans for the factory of death
on tuesday netanyahu will also hold talks in warsaw with president lech
kaczynski prime minister donald tusk and other officials
the auschwitz birkenau nazi concentration camp outside the city of krakow was
liberated on january by soviet troops the day was designated
international holocaust memorial day by the united nations in
us allies discuss ways to transform haiti in wake of quake
montreal jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton and foreign ministers from host of
countries convene in montreal monday to hash out plans for the reconstruction of
haiti nearly two weeks after killer earthquake
haitian prime minister jean max bellerive canadian prime minister stephen
harper and officials from the united nations will attend the emergency talks
canada is eager to assert its role in coordinating the emergency response to the
january disaster which left more than dead and hundreds of thousands
of others homeless hungry and wounded
together with the government of haiti we need to roll up our sleeves and begin
to lay the groundwork for the enormous task ahead we must and we need to arrive
at common understanding and commitment on certain basic principles of
responsibility accountability and long term engagement canada foreign
minister lawrence cannon said
french foreign minister bernard kouchner founder of the international charity
doctors without borders will also participate in the six hour closed door
discussions
the ministers will discuss how to streamline the delivery of food water drugs
and medical supplies to the swelling number of people living in makeshift camps
around the shattered capital of port au prince
washington has taken frontline role in the disaster relief effort sending in
thousands of troops and rescue teams and now anchoring hospital ships offshore
to treat injured haitians
television and internet images of the destitute and dying as the able bodied
search amid the tangled steel and concrete rubble of the capital have
triggered worldwide outpouring of donations
donor countries wish to use the groundswell of support for haiti as an
opportunity to transform country that has historically faced grinding poverty
political corruption and bloodshed
diplomats have raised the possibility of kind of marshall plan for the island
nation similar to the us led postwar reconstruction of europe which would take
decades and require colossal commitment of resources and money
experts have warned that hundreds of thousands of haitians will be living off
foreign aid and in temporary housing for years to come as rebuilding the country
may take years thousands have been left disabled
in ottawa cannon spoke of canada intention to fully support prime minister
jean max bellerive commitment to move beyond reconstruction to rebuild new
haiti
the conservative government is keen to shore up political support for canada
role in assisting haiti as it faces growing protests at home for its decision to
prorogue parliament until march while it deals with the haiti crisis
prime minister stephen harper is fully engaged in the humanitarian response to
this devastating earthquake and has set in motion rapid comprehensive and
determined disaster relief effort on behalf of the government of canada cannon
said
foreign ministers and officials from brazil chile peru uruguay mexico costa
rica the dominican republic japan and spain are also expected to participate
in monday meeting along with officials from the european union the
organization of american states the inter american development bank the world
bank and the international monetary fund
venezuela nicaragua and bolivia leftist regimes that criticized the presence
us troops on haiti soil are not attending the conference
the talks are expected to lay the groundwork for full fledged donors
conference on haiti in the coming weeks
new sri lankan leader to face challenges with west analysts
colombo jan afp
sri lanka next president will face immediate pressure to investigate war
crimes allegations and to mend relations with western powers which provide key
export markets for the island analysts say
this tuesday election pitting incumbent mahinda rajapakse against his former
army chief sarath fonseka is the first peacetime presidential vote since
separatist tamil tigers took up arms against the state in
rajapakse and fonseka proved their military mettle by crushing the rebels last
may but the final victor will need to show skillful statesmanship to secure the
prosperity they have promised analysts say
on the diplomatic front the war against the tigers led to allegations of
serious war crimes that continue to dog both men and have damaged relations with
former allies in the west
the united states britain and the european union have been critical of
rajapakse handling of the war media freedom and holding of nearly
war displaced tamil people for months in internment camps
as consequence the island nation colonised first by the portuguese then
the dutch then britain until has deepened its ties with japan india
china and myanmar as well as iran
there has been shift in sri lankan foreign policy charu lata hogg sri
lanka expert at british think tank chatham house told afp
from looking to the west for support it is now focused more on asia for
instance japan china and india continue to be important investors
any closer alliances with the west particularly the eu would necessarily
invite greater scrutiny on human rights and accountability for past crimes
but western nations are vital markets for the island key exports clothing
tea and ceramics and the business community is lobbying for an improvement in
the strained relations
we need to stop burning bridges and start making friends sunil wijesinghe
who heads the japanese owned dankotuwa porcelain company told afp
last month the eu announced plans to suspend important tariff concessions to
sri lanka that facilitate exports to the giant european market
the suspension followed year long european commission probe that concluded the
sri lankan government was in breach of commitments on human rights and good
governance that come with the preferential trade status
the west is the biggest buyer of our exports and now that the war is over it
time to tone down our overly aggressive foreign policy and take more practical
approach said asantha sirimanne who edits lanka business online the island
biggest business news portal
whoever finally triumphs will have to deal with reviving the war battered
economy where growth fell to percent in from percent in amid
rising unemployment
the threat of war crimes investigation will also continue to hang over the
victor
the un western nations and international rights groups are seen as likely to
continue pressing for some sort of probe as allegations and evidence continues
to seep out about extrajudicial killings and weapon use
the un estimates that civilians perished in the final stages of fighting
last year sri lanka has always argued that there are no grounds for war
crimes investigation
internally the biggest challenge for rajapakse and fonseka both sinhalese
nationalists will be maintaining the relative peace that reigns across the
island at present
the minority tamil community in the north on whose behalf the tigers waged
their war for independence must be integrated economically and politically to
prevent the re emergence of popular armed resistance movement analysts say
the victory over tamil militancy will remain fragile unless sinhalese dominated
political parties make strong moves towards more inclusive and democratic
state said donald steinberg from the brussels based think tank international
crisis group
how the new president wins over the tamils by devolving power and preventing
another conflict will also be closely watched by foreign investors said nirosh
de silva partner for hong kong based private equity firm leopard capital
urgent japan to give million dollars in aid to haiti kyodo
tokyo jan afp
japan will pledge million dollars in aid to quake hit haiti at an
international donors conference in montreal on monday the kyodo news agency
reported
football unbeaten barca maintain ruthless consistency
madrid jan afp
after winning their historic treble last season it was always going to be
difficult for barcelona to produce that consistency again but statistics show
their high standards have not dipped much
barcelona beat valladolid on saturday to stay five points ahead of real
madrid who won at home to malaga on sunday to complete fantastic first
half of the season with last kings cup exit to sevilla the only real blip
barcelona became only the fifth team to be unbeaten at the midway point of
games joining real madrid athletic bilbao espanyol and real sociedad in the
elite club
no spanish team has ever gone the whole season unbeaten over game season
with real the last side to go the whole campaign unbeaten back in although
there were only games
record of wins and four draws has produced points just one less than
their record breaking point total at this stage last season
we got last season and this season so we are on the same track but there
are lots of games left in the season said coach pep guardiola
it is not bad to finish the first half of the season unbeaten but there are so
many games left to play
at this stage last season we were points clear of madrid and we had to go to
the santiago bernabeu to win the league
last season barca streaked points clear of their rivals real but then let
their guard down and had to produce title winning win at the bernabeu to
all but clinch the title
guardiola is obviously keen to avoid the same thing happening again and
preferred not to dwell on the five point gap
still don think the points difference is an issue there plenty of
games left to play added guardiola how we get through now is up to us not
any other team
as well as going unbeaten barca have the best attack in the league with goals
and the meanest defence conceding just goals
barca win over valladolid meant third consecutive clean sheet in the
league and lot of that was down to goalkeeper victor valdes who pulled off
some key saves
on personal level am happy and thanks to the confidence we have and the run
the team are on am not conceding many goals said valdes
letting in just ten goals is to everyone credit and am proud of the whole
defensive system and my team mates
following their elimination from the kings cup and with the champions league
ties against vfb stuttgart not until february barca can focus solely on the
league something they couldn do much last season
it is time for the league now and we don have any other competitions at the
moment said andres iniesta
iniesta also defended striker zlatan ibrahimovic who has hit dry patch with
his last goal coming back in december
he ibrahimovic understands the game well and gives us lots of options and for
central midfielder that is essential explained iniesta
he doesn need to worry about not scoring because he is great striker and
the goals will come
goals have not really been problem for barca of late with lionel messi scoring
six in the last three games to take his season tally to while the team has
plundered in the last three outings
devastating haiti quake toll to top
port au prince jan afp
haiti earthquake death toll will top minister said sunday as
rescuers located possible new survivor beneath the rubble of the capital
days after the disaster
the united nations appealed for more troops to be sent in as police struggled to
control fresh outbreaks of looting in devastated port au prince while new
aftershock rocked the stricken country
the cme health commission told me that they expected figure of dead
by monday communications minister marie lawrence jocelyn lassegue told afp
referring to those bodies that have been found and counted
it very difficult to estimate how many more people might be dead but the
prime minister has spoken of she added previously haitian health
officials had quoted figure of just over dead
magnitude aftershock rattled haiti days after the original
earthquake the us geological survey and local residents said although there
were no reports of new casualties
heard sound like grumbling then drumbeat as if something wanted to
burst from the belly of the earth said patrice dumont teacher from the
ruined town of leogane west of the capital
aid workers have been moving into the recovery phase after the government
officially called off search and rescue efforts after days but french rescue
workers said on sunday they had detected what might be another survivor
we detected movement on radar we don know what it is it could be an
animal or person we have been digging since gmt and it will take
hours commandant philippe chaussinaid of french civil defense told afp
five hours after the search began at the scene narrow street in the downtown
district of delmas two dozen french firefighters were working in and around the
building behind cordon protected by armed french gendarmes
there was someone who came to talk to tell us that they heard noises from that
house there commander samuel bernes of the french civil defense service told
afp at the scene of the rescue bid
search teams on friday dug out year old shop employee wismond exantus
from the ruins he said he survived his days beneath the ruins by drinking
coca cola and eating snacks
hundreds of thousands of haitians remained in desperate need of food water and
shelter despite large scale us military intervention and un run aid program
in port au prince earthmovers demolished damaged buildings and cleared downtown
rubble spewing rotting corpses into the streets and opening new routes for
looters to swarm through the ruins
haitian police shouted out from time to time to deter the gangs but with little
conviction and less success the police shot one young man witnesses said who
was treated by us troops
police also detained three looters who were raiding pharmacy and forced them
to the ground but eventually released them what can do we have no jail
one officer said
with the hobbled haitian government almost nowhere to be seen the first lady
defended her husband president rene preval handling of the aftermath of the
quake following scattered protests by desperate survivors
there have been criticisms that we ve heard about but like to urge people
to have sense of proportion elizabeth preval told reporters after visit to
the french warship moored off port au prince
with the potential for chaos rising the new un chief of mission in haiti called
for more manpower and vehicles and said that clearing rubble and counting
victims could take years
need manpower need soldiers edmond mulet whose predecessor was killed
when the un headquarters in port au prince collapsed in the january quake
told cnn
the influx of us troops whose number is set to reach on sunday was
vital for getting the food and assistance that had already reached the country
out to survivors of the disaster mulet said
conditions remain grim for survivors in the capital although most of the bodies
which lay rotting for days on the streets in the chaotic aftermath of the quake
have now been collected and buried in mass graves
experts warn that hundreds of thousands of haitians will be living off foreign
aid and in temporary housing for years to come as rebuilding the nation may take
at least decade thousands have been left disabled
the united states canada france brazil and other donors meeting in montreal
on monday will attempt to craft long term strategies to lift the crippled
country onto path to recovery
alert
japan to step up haiti aid to million dollars kyodo
football mowbray expects title charge after crucial win
glasgow jan afp
celtic manager tony mowbray believes his side win at st johnstone proves
they are ready to launch sustained challenge to knock rangers off the top of
the scottish premier league
mowbray was without injured players on sunday but celtic still showed enough
courage and quality to come from goal down to claim the victory that moved
them within seven points of bitter rivals rangers
the hoops can narrow the gap even further if they win their game in hand and
mowbray whose side host hibernian on wednesday is convinced they are capable
of overhauling walter smith side
he said it just three points for us but the target and challenge for us was
to keep chipping away
we have another big game on wednesday against hibs side on form in
confident mood and we are looking forward to that
the strength of the squad is going to be significant and the pleasing thing for
me is that scott brown and shaun maloney will probably join in full training on
monday
scott mcdonald is probably tuesday or wednesday and stephen mcmanus and mark
wilson are also ready to join in full training so we will be stronger as we
move on
everybody is different but scott brown will be desperate to put shirt on for
wednesday after being out for weeks
however mowbray could be without defender glenn loovens who was carried off
with head injury after clashing with kenny deuchar and that may mean an
appearance for new signing jos hooiveld
loovens has six stitches in wound and slight concussion and we will wait and
see how he reacts mowbray added if it turns out to be bad concussion we will
obviously not risk him
jos hooiveld celtic new signing from aik has had eight weeks sitting on his
backside and we will have to decide if loovens doesn make it whether he is
ready to play or not
loovens was the guilty party when st johnstone took the lead as he needlessly
gave away penalty by hauling down steven milne in the th minute
referee william collum pointed to the spot and liam craig stepped up to send
artur boruc the wrong way
just seconds after the restart st johnstone graham gartland was shown
straight red card for desperate last ditch tackle on marc antoine fortune just
outside the penalty area
celtic pressure finally told as fortune fired superb strike past the graeme
smith from the edge of the penalty area in the th minute
georgios samaras broke st johnstone resolve in the th minute when he pounced
on josh thompson header and drove perfectly struck shot past smith
smith was under siege now and in the st minute the st johnstone keeper could
only parry paddy mccourt long range drive to fortune who sent the rebound
back past the keeper and into the far corner
mccourt rubbed salt into st johnstone wounds in the th minute when he
finished off typically incisive run with fine finish
football redknapp won let spurs dwell on leeds let down
london jan afp
tottenham manager harry redknapp has told his players to put recent
disappointments behind them and renew their push for top four premier league
finish when fulham visit white hart lane on tuesday
redknapp side have endured frustrating week in which they were denied
victory against hull by goalkeeper boaz myhill impressive display and then
out played by liverpool one of their main rivals for champions league place
saturday fa cup fourth round clash with league one leeds was meant to provide
an opportunity to get back on track but jermaine beckford stoppage time
penalty condemned tottenham to replay at elland road
spurs remain in the coveted fourth spot for the time being but will be
overhauled if either aston villa or manchester city win their games in hand
while liverpool sit just one point behind having played the same number of
games
despite their recent slump redknapp knows his squad can still enjoy
successful season if they pick themselves up quickly
we won dwell on it disappointed because we threw the game away when we
had it in the bag but you have to pick yourself up and go again tuesday
redknapp said
unsettled russia striker roman pavlyuchenko scored in the draw with leeds
and earned praise from redknapp who scotched rumours he was about to be sold to
birmingham
pav is here he part of the squad and if he plays like he did when he came on
every week he will be in the team every week there nothing in the offing
redknapp said
one player less likely to figure in tuesday game is david bentley after
redknapp left the former arsenal man out of the squad for the cup clash in
favour of youngster danny rose paving the way for possible move away from the
lane
he bentley is here and he has to work hard to get in the team that is all
asked them to do come in every day train hard and work hard redknapp added
footballers have fantastic living so it is not lot to ask is it come in
every day train hard and show good attitude
fulham are equally in need of change of fortunes as their impressive start to
the league campaign has spluttered in recent weeks
although roy hodgson team are still sitting pretty in ninth place the west
london club have lost their last three league games and haven won in the
league since their demolition of manchester united in december
the cottagers claimed victory in saturday fa cup tie against accrington
stanley but hodgson team struggled in disposing of their lower league
