to clear record snowfalls as freezing temperatures left roads and highways icy
in many areas
weathermen said snow stopped falling late monday in seoul and nearby areas but
the southwest coast received up to centimetres inches of snow between
late monday and early tuesday
almost centimetres of snow fell in seoul on monday the heaviest reported in
the country since records began in according to the korea meteorological
administration
man in his fell to his death from the roof of badminton court in seoul
while trying to clear snow on monday yonhap news agency said
in the central city of cheongju some chickens perished as their coops
collapsed under the weight of snow it said
in seoul alone about people including civil servants and volunteers were
mobilised to remove snow
the defence ministry said solders were deployed for snow clearing
nationwide as military helicopters carried blankets and food to isolated
villages
cars crawled along icy roads as temperatures plunged to minus degrees
celsius degrees fahrenheit in seoul and minus in cheolwon
kilometres miles northwest of the capital
day after heavy snowfalls grounded many flights service on international
routes returned to normal tuesday but domestic air traffic and railway
transportation remained crippled in some areas
thousands of fishing boats had to take shelter at ports along the southwest
coast
urgent nestle buys kraft american pizza unit for bln dollars
zurich jan afp
food giant nestle on tuesday announced it was buying kraft foods frozen pizza
units in the united states and canada for billion dollars billion
euros
tennis hopman cup results
perth australia jan afp
results from hopman cup tennis tournament at perth burswood dome on tuesday
group
australia bt united states
women singles samantha stosur aus bt melanie oudin usa
men singles lleyton hewitt aus bt john isner usa
mixed doubles melanie oudin john isner usa bt samantha stosur lleyton hewitt
aus match tiebreak
oil stays above dollars in asian trade
singapore jan afp
oil prices edged up in asian trade tuesday supported by higher consumption of
heating fuel due to cold snap in the northern hemisphere analysts said
data showing that the us manufacturing sector posted its strongest pace of
activity since april also bolstered prices with analysts saying that
firmer recovery in the world biggest economy is good for energy demand
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for delivery in february
was up cents to dollars barrel in afternoon trade
brent north sea crude for february delivery gained cents to dollars
it an encouraging sign to see quite reasonable declines in the stockpiles of
distillates so you ve got bit of momentum in the market said mark pervan
senior commodities analyst at anz bank in melbourne
prices were also lifted by news of robust activity in the us manufacturing
sector in further sign that the us economy key engine for global growth
is well on its way to recovering from deep recession
the institute for supply management said its manufacturing index also known as
the purchasing managers index climbed to percent in december from
percent in november for fifth consecutive month of expansion
the figure was stronger than the consensus estimate of modest rise to
percent any number above percent indicates growth
most analysts are brushing over their outlook and think most of the
market is taking more favourable outlook on demand than last year pervan
said
london based consultancy capital economics said the rebound in the us
manufacturing index should restore some faith in the sustainability of the
industrial recovery
however it said the continued decline in construction spending illustrates
that the recovery is still far from being an economy wide phenomenon
china says still room for talks on iran nuclear issue
beijing jan afp
china on tuesday called for continued dialogue to resolve the international
standoff over iran nuclear programme saying there was still room for
diplomacy
we believe that dialogue and negotiation are the proper way to resolve the iran
nuclear issue foreign ministry spokeswoman jiang yu told reporters
we still have room for diplomatic efforts and we hope all parties will adopt
more flexible and pragmatic policies to enhance the diplomatic efforts so as to
promote an early resumption of talks
the statement came after the united states on monday said the door is still
open for iran to meet world demands on its nuclear aims but warned it was
discussing with its allies the next steps which could include sanctions
korean court jails serial rapist for life
seoul jan afp
south korean court on tuesday sentenced wedding planner to life in jail for
the rape of at least women most of whom he attacked after breaking into
their apartments in the early hours
the court in the central city of cheongju found the year old man identified
only by his surname choi guilty of carrying out the attacks in the city over
six year period court authorities said
choi targeted single women living in studio apartments after climbing up gas
pipes in the early morning
his unsuspecting wife believed he was going to work
the accused continued his double life for long time committing crimes at
dawn and working during the day the court said in statement adding that
choi had shown no remorse
police had difficulty tracking him down as he left little dna evidence at the
scene of the attacks and concealed his identity by covering his victims faces
with blankets while raping them
he was arrested in july last year after police stakeout lasting more than
days
urgent china says still room for talks on iran nuclear issue
beijing jan afp
china on tuesday called for continued dialogue to resolve the international
standoff over iran nuclear programme saying there was still room for
diplomacy
us embassy in yemen reopens
sanaa jan afp
the us embassy in yemen reopened tuesday after two day closure prompted by al
qaeda threats against western targets in the country the embassy said
highlighting successful yemeni security measures
the embassy said that yemeni security forces addressed specific area of
concern in the north of the capital on monday prompting the embassy decision
to reopen
successful counter terrorism operations conducted by the government of yemen
security forces january north of the capital have addressed specific area of
concern and have contributed to the embassy decision to resume operations
it said
the united states commends the government of yemen for its efforts to disrupt
al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap networks and reiterates its commitment
to continue to support these efforts it said
the statement was referring to al qaeda franchise in yemen which claimed
responsibility for the failed attack on us airliner on christmas day and
urged attacks on western interests in the country
the embassy statement appeared also to refer to security operation conducted
by yemeni police monday in the area of arhab kilometres miles north of
sanaa where two suspected members of al qaeda were killed and three others
wounded
the interior ministry said tuesday that all foreign missions and interests were
safe pointing out that it has reinforced security measures around embassies
and residents of foreigners
the british and french embassies had followed the us mission decision to close
over security concerns there was no sign on tuesday that they had reopened
the culprit of the botched attack on the northwest airlines flight from
amsterdam to detroit umar farouk abdulmutallab has reportedly confessed to
being trained by an al qaeda bombmaker in yemen for his suicide mission
us president barack obama has revealed that abdulmutallab spent time in yemen
during the summer where he was allegedly in contact with aqap
alert
china says still room for talks on iran nuclear issue
alert
nestle buys kraft american frozen pizza unit for billion dollars
squeegees ready for three month burj window clean
melbourne jan afp
an australian company has described the epic task of cleaning the windows of the
world biggest skyscraper in dubai using squeegees buckets and million
us dollars of high tech equipment
dale harding general manager of cox gomyl said the firm designed and installed
the burj khalifa unique window cleaning carousels which were in action ahead
of its official opening this week
twelve machines weighing tonnes carry up to cleaners who use ordinary
soapy water to wash down the burj reflective windows in process that
takes three months top to bottom
it the same as an average shop front cleaner would use there nothing
complex about it at all he told afp tuesday
the cleaners stand on the specially designed machines which emerge from
cavities in the skyscraper and track along rails skirting its curved towers
he said the company had been working overtime to get the metre foot
building gleaming for monday extravagant opening ceremony
it an enormous challenge the architects had some fairly high expectations
harding said
it an iconic building with high exposure they wanted it as clean as
possible particularly for the opening there have been some fairly tight
deadlines over the past few months
he said the burj which towers over the dubai desert has square metres
of glass square feet and square metres of aluminium and
stainless steel panels
it an incredible construction people are focusing on the height of the
building but the sheer size of it the footprint is huge it really
conventional buildings harding said
tuna nets dollars in tokyo new year auction
tokyo jan afp
huge bluefin tuna was sold for dollars in the first auction of the
year at tokyo fish market on tuesday amid growing pressure on japan to help
save the threatened fish
the kilogramme pound bluefin tuna caught off japan northern
region of aomori fetched winning bid of million yen
dollars said an official at the tsukiji fish market
it was the second highest such bid yet after record million yen paid
for bluefin tuna in the official said
the fish was bought by pair of japanese and hong kong sushi restaurant owners
who had also made joint top bid for bluefin tuna in the first auction of
at tsukiji the world largest fish market
want to make an impact on the japanese and hong kong economies by buying the
highest priced tuna the hong kong sushi restaurant owner said according to
the sankei shimbun daily website
the auction came amid worries among japanese the world largest consumers of
bluefin tuna about growing calls for trade ban for the fish which
environmentalists warn is on its way to extinction
in move to protect the species an international body meeting in brazil in
november agreed to cut the allowable bluefin tuna catch in the eastern atlantic
and mediterranean by about percent this year compared to
japan which consumes more than percent of tuna caught in the mediterranean
endorsed the proposal and agreed to reduce its own catch quota accordingly
tuna is precious food which is the core of japanese food culture said
keiichi suzuki president of the tsukiji fish market where some tuna fish
were bid for on tuesday
we would like to provide stable supply while saving resources he said as
crowd of bidders clapped to celebrate this year first auction with an opening
bell echoing through the pre dawn market
taiwan resumes ban on some us beef imports
taipei jan afp
taiwan parliament resumed ban on certain us beef imports tuesday triggering
an angry response from the united states and fears the move could damage ties
with the island most important ally
lawmakers 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 said parliamentary speaker wang jin pyng
this is victory for the taiwanese people and display of people power
said lawmaker kuan bi ling from the opposition democratic progressive party
us beef has been restricted for years over concerns about mad cow disease
the american institute in taiwan ait expressed its dismay at the latest move
and warned it would undermine taiwan credibility as responsible trading
partner
the ait handles unofficial ties with taipei after washington switched diplomatic
recognition to beijing in
this will make it more difficult for the us to conclude further agreements to
expand and strengthen bilateral trade and economic ties said ait acting
spokesman christopher kavanagh
the taipei based liberty times last week cited an unnamed official as saying the
government hoped any us punitive measures would be limited to trade and not
affect arms sales
washington has remained key ally and leading arms supplier to taiwan despite
the lack of official ties
taiwan plans to send delegation of government officials lawmakers and experts
to the united states in bid to limit the fallout from the beef controversy
officials said
we will continue to communicate with the us on the beef issue while trying to
ease the concerns of taiwan public said presidential spokesman wang yu chi
parliament move backed by both the dpp and the governing kuomintang party
effectively overturned health department decision late last year to allow
imports of us beef on the bone cow organs and minced beef which was met with
public outcry
this is vote of no confidence in president ma ying jeou and he should
apologise for disregarding public opinion said lawmaker tsai huang liang of
the dpp
the dpp and some activists have accused the authorities of bowing to pressure
from washington to downplay the alleged health risks of certain us beef
products
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
us embassy in yemen reopens
sanaa jan afp
the us embassy in yemen reopened tuesday after two day closure prompted by al
qaeda threats against western targets in the country the embassy website said
the embassy said that yemeni security forces addressed specific area of
concern in the north of the capital on monday prompting the embassy decision
to reopen
successful counter terrorism operations conducted by the government of yemen
security forces january north of the capital have addressed specific area of
concern and have contributed to the embassy decision to resume operations
it said
australia suffers hottest decade as globe warms
sydney jan afp
australia has sweltered through its hottest decade on record officials said
tuesday linking rise in heatwaves drought dust storms and extreme wildfires
with global warming
the bureau of meteorology also said was the second warmest year since
detailed records began in with an annual mean temperature almost one
degree celsius degrees fahrenheit above average
senior climatologist dean collins said the average for the decade about
degrees celsius fahrenheit was degrees celsius above
australia benchmark average and an indication of man made global
warming
for the past six decades each decade has been warmer than the preceding one
collins told afp
to get six seven decades in row that are warmer than the previous one it
doesn happen by chance it reflecting what happening at the global level
collins said while the higher temperatures were partly caused by an el nino
event in the pacific weather effect associated with drier conditions
they had been superimposed on human induced global warming
australia experienced three record breaking heatwaves around the country in
highly unusual event which collins said was consistent with global
warming
global warming increases the chance of getting heatwaves like that but we can
categorically say it wouldn have happened without global warming he said
all we can really say is that global warming has increased the chance of
getting those kinds of events
the bureau expects more of the same in with bias towards warm weather in
the first three months of the year collins said
australia began with uncomfortably hot temperatures in the country south
with extreme heatwaves in victoria and the island of tasmania
the bureau said these conditions contributed to the so called black saturday
bushfires in which people perished as firestorms levelled entire villages
destroying more than homes
an unusual winter heatwave hit large parts of inland australia mid year and
resulted in the country warmest august on record while another hot spell in
november broke records in south australia and new south wales
based on the analysis of daily maximum and minimum temperature data above and
below set thresholds there are clear upward trends in the number of hot events
and downward trends in the number of cold events over the period to date
consistent with the background of global warming the bureau said
according to the world meteorological organization was the fifth warmest
year for the planet on record
deep freeze brings more travel chaos to north china
beijing jan afp
heavy snow has brought more travel chaos to north china stranding thousands of
truckers for two days on beijing highway and rail passengers in inner
mongolia state media said tuesday
the snow that blanketed the region at the weekend has ended in beijing but the
national weather centre said the mercury dipped tuesday to degrees celsius
four fahrenheit the coldest temperature in more than two decades
the freezing weather was expected to continue until thursday for the chinese
capital nearby tianjin and inner mongolia with temperatures forecast to fall
as low as minus degrees celsius it said on its website
on the outskirts of beijing truck drivers were forced to sleep in their
vehicles for two nights on highway when snow made the road impassible causing
kilometre mile back up the beijing news reported
the newspaper citing transit police said the highway would only be cleared on
tuesday after two chilly nights for the drivers some of whom said they were
afraid to sleep for fear of dying of exposure
others said they were prepared for the traffic mess
we brought food as we expected the jam said one trucker who had two cases of
instant noodle and one thermos of water on board
the heavy snow and freezing temperatures have led to hundreds of flight
cancellations and delays in beijing shuttered schools on monday and snarled
traffic throughout the capital
in inner mongolia train hit wall of snow more than two metres feet
high on sunday leaving travellers in the dark and without heating
overnight before they could be evacuated the china daily reported tuesday
though snow stopped yesterday the temperature was celsius freezing the
doors the paper quoted zhang jianwen police officer involved in the rescue
effort as saying
nearly people including police and local farmers were mobilised to dig out
the train which was heading from the city of harbin in heilongjiang province to
baotou in inner mongolia the report said
central china was now under snow storm warning until wednesday stretching
from henan to hunan provinces the national weather bureau said on its website
urgent us embassy in yemen reopens
sanaa jan afp
the us embassy in yemen reopened tuesday after closing for two days in the wake
of al qaeda threats against western targets in the country the embassy website
said
alert
us mission in yemen reopened embassy statement
football japan oks visit by korean female football team
tokyo jan afp
japan said tuesday it would allow the north korean women football team to
visit in february for the east asian championships in an exception to sanctions
on the communist country
the decision was made considering it is sporting event said chief cabinet
secretary hirofumi hirano the top government spokesman
some state ministers had voiced opposition to their entry including hiroshi
nakai who is in charge of the government efforts to resolve the issue of
japanese nationals kidnapped by north korean agents in the cold war era
nakai said tuesday the decision was special case and did not mean japan was
easing its overall entry restrictions for north korean nationals
the north korean women team have applied for visas to join the round robin
contest organised by the east asian football federation with japan china
and south korea
relations are tense between north korea and japan which once colonised the
korean peninsula
after north korea staged its first nuclear test in japan imposed sanctions
on pyongyang to stop all trade freeze air and sea transport links and ban
almost all visits by north korean citizens
north korea has admitted kidnapping japanese in the and it
allowed five of them to return to japan and said the others had died
tokyo suspects some victims are still alive and has pressed the north to come
clean about the fate of the rest
small cars take centre stage at delhi auto show
new delhi jan afp
host of new small cars jostled for attention on tuesday at the start of the
indian auto show showpiece event for compact vehicles in one of the world
fastest growing markets
in sign of the attraction of india for foreign manufacturers japan toyota
took the wraps off its first compact model designed especially for the country
the etios will probably be launched later this year the company said featuring
suspension designed for bad roads and price so far undisclosed that will
attract middle class families and professionals
it not copy of japanese or european model said kazuo okamoto vice
chairman of toyota at the presentation etios is newly developed for customers
in india
this year show is the th but it first caught the world attention in
when indian manufacturer tata motors unveiled its nano the world cheapest car
that has since hit the roads
the rupee dollar nano kickstarted the race to produce cheap
small vehicles which account for percent of all car sales in india
total car sales are forecast to reach two million this year and triple in the
next decade according to industry estimates
autoexpo which runs in new delhi until january features global
releases of cars designed for india new consumer generation whose appetite
for vehicles is driving sales growth of more than percent year
recent months have seen foreign giants ford general motors hyundai and renault
join stampede to india where each has promised small cheap model designed
for what ford boss alan mulally termed the sweet spot of the market
japan honda was also set to unveil compact car for india while general
motors new vehicle for the market the beat and the india made polo by
germany volkswagen will also be on display
organisers are keen to stress the range of cars and technology at the show the
percent increase in exhibition space compared with the last edition in
and the more than exhibitors from countries
that what makes us feel now that delhi is as big and as important as any auto
show in the world pawan goenka president of the society of indian automobile
manufacturers siam told reporters monday
ahead of the event general motors took the wraps off the beat which it intends
to sell in more than countries worldwide including europe parts of asia and
north america
karl slym head of gm india said the beat priced at rupees
dollars in its basic form would help increase indian sales by percent this
year to units but he admitted that the competition was getting tough
there is competitive market in india he told reporters there are more and
more players coming in with different capabilities
all new entrants are looking to unseat indo japanese alliance maruti suzuki
which accounts for percent of all car sales in india and has been top
selling brand for two decades
incomes are rising steadily meaning indians are following the familiar pattern
of upgrading their personal transport from push bikes to motorbikes then to
cars
ten global launches of vehicles from heavy trucks to two wheelers are planned at
the delhi event which will see an expected million visitors pass through
its doors
deep freeze brings more travel chaos to north china
beijing jan afp
heavy snow has brought more travel chaos to north china stranding thousands of
truckers for two days on beijing highway and rail passengers in inner
mongolia state media said tuesday
the snow that blanketed the region at the weekend has ended in beijing but the
national weather centre said the mercury dipped tuesday to degrees celsius
four fahrenheit the coldest temperature in more than two decades
the freezing weather was expected to continue until thursday for the chinese
capital nearby tianjin and inner mongolia with temperatures forecast to fall
as low as minus degrees celsius it said on its website
on the outskirts of beijing truck drivers were forced to sleep in their
vehicles for two nights on highway when snow made the road impassible causing
kilometre mile back up the beijing news reported
the newspaper citing transit police said the highway would only be cleared on
tuesday after two chilly nights for the drivers some of whom said they were
afraid to sleep for fear of dying of exposure
others said they were prepared for the traffic mess
we brought food as we expected the jam said one trucker who had two cases of
instant noodle and one thermos of water on board
the heavy snow and freezing temperatures have led to hundreds of flight
cancellations and delays in beijing shuttered schools on monday and snarled
traffic throughout the capital
in inner mongolia train hit wall of snow more than two metres feet
high on sunday leaving travellers in the dark and without heating
overnight before they could be evacuated the china daily reported tuesday
though snow stopped yesterday the temperature was celsius freezing the
doors the paper quoted zhang jianwen police officer involved in the rescue
effort as saying
nearly people including police and local farmers were mobilised to dig out
the train which was heading from the city of harbin in heilongjiang province to
baotou in inner mongolia the report said
central china was now under snow storm warning until wednesday stretching
from henan to hunan provinces the national weather bureau said on its website
tokyo stocks end up percent
tokyo jan afp
japanese stocks closed up percent on tuesday as overnight gains on wall
street underpinned positive sentiment that has lifted the tokyo market to
month highs
the tokyo stock exchange benchmark nikkei index climbed points to
earlier in the day the nikkei hit its highest intraday level since october
touching points
the broader topix index of all first section shares added points or
percent to end at
overall sentiment is upbeat tsuyoshi kawata senior strategist at nikko
cordial securities told dow jones newswires
shares in japan airlines extended their rebound after percent surge on
monday following the government pledge to double state funded loan to the
cash strapped carrier
philippine massacre suspect pleads not guilty
manila jan afp
the prime suspect in the massacre of people in the volatile southern
philippines last year pleaded not guilty on tuesday to multiple counts of
murder
the case against andal ampatuan jnr local mayor and leader of powerful
clan has thrown the spotlight on the nation corruption plagued political and
justice systems
more than heavily armed police escorts took ampatuan to special court
inside the national police headquarters for his arraignment and bail hearing
the first steps in judicial proceedings that many fear could drag on for years
not guilty ampatuan jnr lawyer sigfrid fortun told the court when asked to
enter plea as his client stood beside him
the judge adjourned the hearing until january after the prosecution asked to
present over dozen witnesses to block ampatuan application for bail
ampatuan jnr allegedly led of his men in stopping convoy carrying
supporters of political rival and journalists in the southern province of
maguindanao on november
the victims were systematically murdered and buried in shallow pits or dumped in
grasslands near highway in maguindanao where amapatuan jnr father and
namesake was governor
those killed in the worst political murders in the philippines included pregnant
women and about journalists
ampatuan jr pleaded not guilty to counts of murder on tuesday but is
expected to be charged with counts when final death certificates are
processed
ampatuan snr and several other clan members were arrested after martial law was
imposed in manguindanao and charged with rebellion no date for their court
appearance has been set
ramon casiple an analyst with the institute for political and economic reform
said the public must monitor the trial every step of the way
what we are facing here is very strong clan with very strong political
connections and the capability to intimidate or even kill witnesses he told
afp
this puts the justice system to test because past cases with heavy political
overtones have never been satisfactorily concluded
casiple cited the trial of former president joseph estrada who was deposed in
military backed popular revolt in for massive corruption
