we are trying to protect and persuade
while at local level many agents knew lot about their districts such
information was rarely collated and disseminated through the intelligence
hierarchy
too often intelligence teams were focused on reacting to enemy tactics at the
expense of finding ways to strike at the very heart of the insurgency
failure to understand who the local afghan powerbrokers are and ignorance of
local economics and landowners had contributed to hazy knowledge said the
report released monday by the center for new american security
and some officers said they acquired more helpful information on the situation
on the ground and the local population from reading us newspapers than through
reviewing regional command intelligence summaries
flynn who has long career in intelligence gathering including tours in iraq
acknowledged the report entitled fixing intel blueprint for making
intelligence relevant in afghanistan and published on the think tank website
was unconventional
but he said its recommendations aimed at reaching commanders intelligence
professionals and instructors hoped to provide shift in emphasis and
departure from the comfort zone of many in the intelligence community
the report will also raise eyebrows in washington and among allies as the us
ramps up the war against deadly taliban led insurgency in afghanistan
the khost attack will prove blow to cia services wiping out years of
intelligence work in the notoriously complex afghan conflict riven by tribal
rivalries
both jihadist websites and western intelligence agents cited by us network nbc
news identified the bomber as humam khalil abu mulal al balawi alias abu dujana
al khorasani
balawi was arrested in late and recruited as double agent by the
jordanian intelligence services but in reality continued to work for al qaeda
they said
but senior jordanian official who asked not to be named said there was no
evidence balawi was the bomber adding he had supplied valuable information he
did not say whether balawi was still alive
balawi was reportedly taken to the cia base in khost because he claimed to have
urgent information about zawahiri the ana muslim website said
he then pretended to detail plans for an operation on piece of paper and asked
the agents to gather round to look before blowing himself up it added
nbc news said his handler in afghanistan captain in the jordanian
intelligence services identified by the jordanian state news agency petra as ali
bin zeid was killed in the attack along with seven cia officers
that report has not been confirmed in jordan which just said zeid died in an
attack in afghanistan without saying where
tennis tennis results men singles st round
doha jan afp
results from the nd day of the qatar exxonmobil open here on tuesday denotes
seeding
st round
roger federer swi bt christophe rochus bel
andreas seppi ita bt scar hern ndez esp
lukasz kubot pol bt karim maamoun egy
steve darcis bel bt guillermo garc pez esp
younes el aynaoui mar bt ryler deheart usa
rafael nadal esp bt simone bolelli ita
brown calls yemen president about conference state media
sanaa jan afp
british prime minister gordon brown called yemeni president ali abdullah saleh
on tuesday about preparations for an international conference on the strife torn
arab country state media reported
the telephone conversation focused on preparations and mechanisms for the
london conference said the official saba news agency adding that the yemeni
leader thanked brown for the initiative
saleh whose impoverished country faces unrest on several fronts including
branch of al qadea stressed the determination of yemen to continue its efforts
in the fight against terrorism saba reported
on friday brown called an international meeting on fighting extremism in yemen
after an alleged attempt to blow up us airliner threw the spotlight on
militancy there
the british premier office said the meeting would take place in london on
january running in parallel with conference on afghanistan expected to
be attended by leaders and senior ministers from about nations
long standing concerns that yemen has become haven for islamic terror groups
materialised on christmas day when nigerian man allegedly trained in yemen was
charged with trying to blow up us bound jet
umar farouk abdulmutallab reportedly confessed to being trained by an al
qaeda bombmaker in yemen for his alleged mission to blow up the plane as it came
into land in detroit sparking major international security scare
tennis tennis results men singles st round
doha jan afp
results from the nd day of the qatar exxonmobil open here on tuesday denotes
seeding
st round
roger federer swi bt christophe rochus bel
andreas seppi ita bt scar hern ndez esp
lukasz kubot pol bt karim maamoun egy
steve darcis bel bt guillermo garc pez esp
younes el aynaoui mar bt ryler deheart usa
rafael nadal esp bt simone bolelli ita
google unveils new smartphone
mountain view california jan afp
google on tuesday unveiled its new nexus one smartphone in direct challenge
to heavyweight apple iphone handsets
the touch screen device was billed by google as superphone and the next step
in the evolution of its android software
the internet giant worked with taiwanese electronics titan htc to make the nexus
one
think you will see it pushes the limits of what possible on smart phone
htc chief executive peter chou said as the smartphone was unveiled at google
headquarters in mountain view california
it is very thin and feels good in your hand he added
urgent google unveils new smartphone
mountain view california jan afp
google on tuesday unveiled its new nexus one smartphone in direct challenge
to heavyweight apple iphone handsets
nigerian fm protests to us envoy over tighter air security
abuja jan afp
nigerian foreign minister ojo maduekwe on tuesday protested to the us ambassador
to the west african country over washington introduction of tighter screening
for passengers from nigeria
made it clear through the us ambassador to the us government that this is
unacceptable to nigeria maduekwe told journalists after meeting in his abuja
office with ambassador robin sanders
told the us ambassador that listing nigeria on the second tier of countries
that are indicated on the radar of security measures from the us is an
unacceptable new year gift to friendly country like nigeria he said
washington on sunday introduced new security measures for passengers flying to
the united states from countries including nigeria after year old
nigerian was accused of trying to blow up us jetliner over detroit on
christmas day
umar farouk abdulmutallab trained mechanical engineer who had explosives
sewn into his underwear had boarded northwest flight from amsterdam to
detroit
the son of renowned banker from nigeria had flown to amsterdam on klm flight
from lagos
the minister lawyer underlined that nigeria has been traditionally friendly
with america and it is country whose million muslims are among the most
peaceful mulims anywhere in the world
portugal government to discuss budget with opposition
lisbon jan afp
portugal government said tuesday it would negotiate the forthcoming
budget with the conservative opposition as the country struggles to emerge from
the economic crisis
minister of parliamentary affairs jorge lacao said in press release he had
proposed dialogue prior to the announcement of the budget due in the
third week of january in the name of the national interest
the two parties on the right reacted favourably to the proposal saying they
were open to negotiations
the vote on the budget delayed due to the legislative elections in september
last year is considered by all commentators as decisive test for the future
of prime minister jose socrates government
socrates was re elected to second term but his socialists lost parliamentary
seats and were forced to form minority administration
being aware of the serious situation in the country we are available to
discuss and eventually allow the adoption of the budget the head of the main
opposition social democratic party jose pedro aguiar said
the public deficit in portugal is expected to have exceeded eight percent in
for debt estimated by brussels at percent of gdp
at the start of december portugal received blow from rating agency standard
and poor when it said the country debt to gross domestic product ratio could
hit percent or more by after percent in
alert
google unveils new smartphone
apple app store downloads top three billion
san francisco jan afp
apple on tuesday announced that more than three billion mini applications for
iphone and ipod touch devices have been downloaded from the firm online app
store
three billion applications downloaded in less than months this is like
nothing we ve ever seen before apple chief executive steve jobs said in
release
we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon
the announcement came as reporters and bloggers swarmed to google headquarters
in mountain view california for an android press event at which the internet
giant is expected to unveil its own smartphone
google phone would weigh in contender in smartphone market dominated by
iphones
football austrian world cup preparation for koreans
vienna jan afp
south korea have chosen austria for pre world cup preparation stint officials
told afp tuesday
according to provisional schedule unveiled by specialist organising firm slfc
the team will fly in to the western tyrol region on may and stay until june
serbia and england are also fine tuning their preparations in austria
the koreans were drawn against argentina nigeria and greece in the finals
internet witches and warlocks help nab us drug dealer
washington jan afp
popular online game featuring witches and warlocks has helped us law
enforcement to track down and detain fugitive wanted for drug dealing news
reports said tuesday
police in kokomo town in the midwestern state of indiana about miles
kilometers southeast of chicago tried to serve warrant on alfred
hightower last year for drug dealing but were told he had fled the united states
and was believed to be in canada
put that information in my pocket and continued to gather evidence and one
day got information that this guy was regular player of an online gaming
system which was referred to as some wizards and warcraft game sheriff
deputy matt roberson told afp
knew from the description that he was playing world of warcraft knew
because used to play it roberson said
blizzard entertainment the company that developed and publishes world of
warcraft was subpoenaed and several months later sent the deputy package
of information on hightower including the fugitive ip address
popped it into an ip address search and was able to locate the guy in ottawa
canada roberson said
the us police contacted their canadian counterparts and hightower was arrested
and deported back to the united states he was due to arrive back in kokomo on
tuesday and was expected to appear in court by week end said roberson
if convicted he could face up to years in prison the deputy said
blizzard entertainment was not immediately available for comment about whether
hightower arrest was the first made with the help of the witches and warlocks
of world of warcraft or if the company had previously provided police with
details of users of their gaming systems including an ip address
but law enforcement officials are entering the online world on regular basis
to nab criminals
the new york post reported in december that police were able to recover stash
of stolen goods after kid whose xbox was stolen noticed that someone was
playing online with his game system and told his parents
the parents told the police who tracked the ip address to home in the bronx
where suspect was arrested
police in new zealand last year arrested man who tried to break into safe in
pub after posting still image of his face which they got from closed
circuit tv inside the site of the attempted burglary on facebook
and in massachusetts last year police officer and fire chief used young
girl mobile phone and google streetview to track her after she was taken from
her legal guardians by her grandmother
the girl and her grandmother were eventually tracked to motel in virginia
around hour drive from massachusetts where the grandmother was taken
into police custody the young girl was returned to her legal guardians in
massachusetts
roberson himself was able to nab another drug dealer in kokomo on tuesday after
tracking him down on social networking site facebook
knew the guy name but had no idea what he looked like so plugged his
name into facebook and there he was along with incriminating messages on his
wall and picture of him in motel with stack of money and some marijuana
roberson told afp
dollar boosted by us data
london jan afp
the dollar recovered some ground lost against the euro after positive us
industrial orders figures bolstered the case for the us unit against its higher
yielding peers dealers said
they said that after monday switch back into the euro as investors looked for
better returns data showing us november industrial orders doing well gave pause
for thought that the dollar might deserve more support as the us economy
recovers
at the same time key us employment data is due on friday and with some analysts
expecting the figures to show jobs being created for the first time in some two
years the market was wary about making any big move too soon they added
in late london deals the european single currency was weaker at dollars
down from dollars in new york late on monday
the dollar meanwhile fell to yen from yen on monday
friday us december jobs report will be key in resolving some of the
concerns regarding the likely strength of the us economy this year said jane
foley of forex com
neil looker of city index said there may be some bargain hunting in the us
dollar after the weakness over the last few sessions as we approach the jobs
report on friday
the crucial issue is when the us federal reserve will decide to hike interest
rates
recent positive us data has suggested that might happen sooner than expected and
markets are wary about getting that call right dealers said
on monday the us institute for supply management said its purchasing managers
index rose to percent in december from percent in november fifth
consecutive expansion and well above forecasts for percent
manufacturing in china meanwhile continued to expand in december with new
factory orders up for the ninth month in row according to survey by hsbc
china
after the pace of global expansion in manufacturing activity cooled in november
it has accelerated again in the final month of raising hopes that growth
in will be much better than last year nab capital analysts wrote in
note
this has buoyed stock markets pushed commodity prices higher and increased the
likelihood that global economic growth will continue to exceed that in the us by
comfortable margin weighing on the greenback
in london on tuesday the euro was changing hands at dollars against
dollars late on monday at yen pounds
and swiss francs
the dollar stood at yen and swiss francs
the pound was at dollars
on the london bullion market the price of gold edged up to dollars an
ounce from dollars on monday
ford us auto sales up percent in december
chicago jan afp
ford motor co saw its us sales rise percent in december amid steady market
share gains the automaker said tuesday
ford said it posted its first full year market share gain since as december
marked the th time in months that the second largest us automaker increased
its retail share
the automaker estimated that its market share would be about percent
full percentage point higher than in
ford plan is working said ken czubay ford vice president for us marketing
sales and service
people increasingly are discovering that the ford difference is the strength of
our products particularly our leadership in quality fuel efficiency safety
smart technologies and value
december sales rose to vehicles from year earlier
total sales for were down percent to million vehicles amid broad
economic downturn
unlike rivals general motors and chrysler ford managed to cope with the
collapse of auto sales last year without resorting to bankruptcy protection or
the need for billions of dollars in government aid
ford posted surprise earnings of nearly billion dollars in the third quarter
and said it was on track to become solidly profitable by after years of
painful losses drastic cost cutting and major revamp of its product
offerings
sales at ford three key brands ford lincoln and mercury were up
percent at in december and down percent in at million
sales at volvo which ford is in the midst of selling to china geely were
up percent in december at and down percent in at
ford said it had posted higher sales in every product category and for every
brand in december with car sales up percent trucks up percent
crossovers up percent and larger sport utility vehicles up percent
formula one paris court overturns briatore ban
paris jan afp
paris court on tuesday ruled in favour of former renault boss flavio briatore
overturning lifetime suspension from motor sports imposed by formula one
governing body fia
the high court ruled the sanction illegal citing irregularities in fia
decision in september to ban briatore for allegedly ordering nelson piquet
junior to crash at the singapore grand prix
the scandal centred on driver piquet junior claims that the team had ordered
him to crash deliberately at singapore to enable teammate fernando alonso to go
on and win
briatore who said he felt immense happiness at the news had fiercely denied
any involvement in the scheme dubbed crashgate
must express my immense happiness after the decision handed down by the
tribunal in paris said briatore
today decision gives me back my dignity and the freedom which they
arbitrarily tried to take away from me
the court said it judged irregular the september decision of the world
council of the fia regarding its rulings concerning messrs briatore and
symonds
clearly this is an exceptional result for my client we have obtained
practically everything we asked for said briatore lawyer philippe ouakrat
ouakrat had in his submissions to the court in november queried the
discretionary power of the fia to ban briatore
the fia must withdraw its decision as it is an illegal order both in its
results and in the manner in which it has been elaborated said ouakrat
the court duly found that the fia had overreached itself in handing down the
ban
ouakrat said he was unaware if briatore who did not attend the court hearing
would seek to return to an active role in formula one where he has produced
championship winning performances with both benetton and renault
briatore was not giving much away
there time for that just want to thank those who stood behind me during
difficult times he said
the court found that even if the fia were able to sanction officials in the
sport it cannot take with regard to third parties measures tantamount to
sanctions
for ouakrat briatore did not wish to see imposed upon him completely
scandalous decision decision in his absence and without his being able to
defend himself
this decision will mark motor sport and think it will also influence to
great degree the way justice is served in the world council added ouakrat who
noted the poor relationship between briatore and former fia president max
mosley
the court noted that the decision to discipline briatore came while the council
was chaired by mosley who was known to have been in conflict with mr
briatore it said
jean fran ois prat the fia counsel said that our client will most likely
appeal tuesday verdict
briatore had insisted that the punishment he received last september from motor
sport governing body the fia had no legal basis
the world motor sport council had found renault breached its sporting code
adding the affair comprised conduct of unparalleled severity
the paris court awarded briatore who had been seeking million euros in
damages from the fia mere euros while former renault technical
director pat symonds who had been handed five year ban also had the
suspension overturned
symonds had sought euros in damages but received just euros
the court also called on the fia to notify its members of tuesday judgment
within days or face daily euro penalty
representatives of symonds and briatore insisted that the procedures followed in
the investigation into crashgate contravened the fia international sporting
code
the fia did not take action against piquet after he blew the lid on the affair
afptv agenda for wednesday
paris jan afp
we plan to file the following videos on wednesday please consult the advisory
for additions and amendments
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
images and soundbites
all eyes on yemen after failed terror attack
sanaa
us and western anti terror efforts have refocussed 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
voiced report
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
voiced report
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
voiced report
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
recent popularity polls is expected defend his record on steering the country
out of recession and warn of more challenges ahead news coverage
images and soundbites
the african nations cup kicks off in angola on sunday as part of our series on
african football we plan to 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
voiced report
french shopping spree as seasonal sales begin
paris
tight fisted consumers are expected to go bargain hunting in france biannual
sales which begin on tuesday with paris stores expecting the traditional swarm
of crowds news coverage
images and soundbites
afptv
formula one paris court overturns briatore ban
paris jan afp
paris court on tuesday ruled in favour of former renault boss flavio briatore
overturning lifetime suspension from motor sports imposed by formula one
governing body fia
the high court ruled the sanction illegal citing irregularities in fia
decision in september to ban briatore for allegedly ordering nelson piquet
junior to crash at the singapore grand prix
the scandal centred on driver piquet junior claims that the team had ordered
him to crash deliberately at singapore to enable teammate fernando alonso to go
on and win
briatore who said he felt immense happiness at the news had fiercely denied
any involvement in the scheme dubbed crashgate
must express my immense happiness after the decision handed down by the
tribunal in paris said briatore
today decision gives me back my dignity and the freedom which they
arbitrarily tried to take away from me
the court said it judged irregular the september decision of the world
council of the fia regarding its rulings concerning messrs briatore and
symonds
clearly this is an exceptional result for my client we have obtained
practically everything we asked for said briatore lawyer philippe ouakrat
ouakrat had in his submissions to the court in november queried the
discretionary power of the fia to ban briatore
the fia must withdraw its decision as it is an illegal order both in its
results and in the manner in which it has been elaborated said ouakrat
the court duly found that the fia had overreached itself in handing down the
ban
ouakrat said he was unaware if briatore who did not attend the court hearing
would seek to return to an active role in formula one where he has produced
championship winning performances with both benetton and renault
briatore was not giving much away
there time for that just want to thank those who stood behind me during
difficult times he said
the court found that even if the fia were able to sanction officials in the
sport it cannot take with regard to third parties measures tantamount to
sanctions
for ouakrat briatore did not wish to see imposed upon him completely
scandalous decision decision in his absence and without his being able to
defend himself
this decision will mark motor sport and think it will also influence to
great degree the way justice is served in the world council added ouakrat who
noted the poor relationship between briatore and former fia president max
mosley
the court noted that the decision to discipline briatore came while the council
was chaired by mosley who was known to have been in conflict with mr
briatore it said
jean fran ois prat the fia counsel said that our client will most likely
appeal tuesday verdict
briatore had insisted that the punishment he received last september from motor
sport governing body the fia had no legal basis
the world motor sport council had found renault breached its sporting code
adding the affair comprised conduct of unparalleled severity
the paris court awarded briatore who had been seeking million euros in
damages from the fia mere euros while former renault technical
director pat symonds who had been handed five year ban also had the
suspension overturned
symonds had sought euros in damages but received just euros
the court also called on the fia to notify its members of tuesday judgment
within days or face daily euro penalty
representatives of symonds and briatore insisted that the procedures followed in
the investigation into crashgate contravened the fia international sporting
code
the fia did not take action against piquet after he blew the lid on the affair
afptv updated advisory
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
us revamps terror blacklists as obama gathers security chiefs
washington
us president barack obama is to hold key talks on tuesday with intelligence and
national security chiefs on botched plane bombing which has prompted the
united states to revamp its terrorist watchlists
news
images and soundbites to be transmitted by gmt
raw vid
