also fun and entertaining for those watching he explained to afp
it not easy at all you need to be on the same wavelength with your partner
at all times
asrat glamorously dressed in skimpy black and white dress and high heels is
equally keen
it was all by accident was invited to party three years ago and found
latino music being danced to by most of my friends said the year old
ve never looked back ever since ve taken courses and now competing
salsa could not be more different from the traditional national dance of eskista
performed to drum beat and in which dancers gyrate and turn in sharp twists
from the waist up
but the differences have failed to deter salsa popularity
they styles are at the extreme ends of the spectrum salsa is all about the
movement from the waist down said mekonnen bizuwork who has taught latin
dance for the past four years
the year old takes pride in his skills and points that merengue cha cha
cha bachata and the caribbean zouk routine are among his specialties
at first every newcomer finds it difficult to adjust but ends up addicted in
short period of time he said
feseha girmay the organiser of the inaugural competition addis salsa clash
said the event was so popular he was now unsure how many more to hold next
year
there so much excitement it has put me in dilemma on whether to organise
the event twice year when initially thought once was enough he said
the trend also reflects steady growth in ethiopia middle class population
and change of attitude towards the west since when secretive and anti us
communist dictatorship was overthrown by the present government
from mtv to channel to american idol and britain got talent
ethiopians now have access to entertainment shows via cable and free satellite
channels luxuries that were once banned by the old regime
feseha is even considering television version that would attract participants
from across the country
ve been very encouraged by the enthusiasm from participants constantly
asked about the possibility of hosting more competitions he said
think television show would make everyone happy
for nigussie and asrat who eventually lost in unanimous decision by panel
of three judges the experience was what mattered most
wasn here to become star came here to enjoy myself and really
did nigussie added
afp features advisory
paris jan afp
we will shortly move the following stories
highlights
latino beat sweeps ethiopian capital
india transsexuals try internet dating
lifestyle ethiopia music salsa
addis ababa
it far cry from ethiopia traditional eskista shoulder shake dance but
salsa is sweeping addis ababa with aficionados twirling and spinning their way
across the city dance floors each night
words by aaron maasho picture
lifestyle india internet sex feature
new delhi
it worked for thousands of singletons the world over and now india
transsexuals are hoping internet dating can help their marginalised community
find love
words by adam plowright picture
malaysia britain history building feature
kuala lumpur
the future is uncertain for malaysia carcosa seri negara the year old
grande dame of colonial malaya once home to the country former british rulers
and now an exclusive hotel it is up for redevelopment
words by romen bose picture
for questions email nancy shields afp com or call
cia mourns devastating loss in afghanistan
washington dec afp
the central intelligence agency mourned thursday the loss of seven employees in
suicide attack in afghanistan one of the deadliest blows ever for an agency
increasingly on the frontlines of us wars
the cia lowered the flag to half mast at its tightly guarded headquarters in the
washington suburbs but did not release the names of the casualties who died
cloaked in the same anonymity with which they lived
your triumphs and even your names may be unknown to your fellow americans but
your service is deeply appreciated president barack obama wrote in letter to
cia employees
obama said that since the september attacks on the united states the
cia has been tested as never before
because of your service plots have been disrupted american lives have been
saved and our allies and partners have been more secure obama said
he said stars would be added in their name to the already on the memorial
wall at cia headquarters honoring spies who have fallen in the line of duty
while more than us and coalition forces have died in afghanistan this year
wednesday suicide attack showed new level of sophistication for the taliban
who infiltrated the very agency in charge of finding them
the cia said that taliban bomber clad as an afghan soldier managed to
penetrate the defenses of forward base in khost pivotal province near the
pakistan border detonating an explosives belt in room described as gym
the new york times said cia officers at the base recently had begun an
aggressive campaign against militant group run by sirajuddin haqqani
citing current and former intelligence officials it said the early indications
were that the bomber was brought onto the base as possible informer and might
not have been subjected to rigorous screening
by all accounts it was devastating blow for the spy agency the deadliest
since us embassy bombing in beirut that killed eight cia officers and
decimated the agency operations there
this one took the lives of war hardened operators who will be difficult to
replace and could undermine confidence at time when the agency faces rising
dangers in the field
us press reports said the seven dead included the base chief mother of three
six others were wounded their lives saved by us military doctors and nurses
cia director leon panetta said
this attack is something that will never be forgotten in langley virginia
said jack rice former cia officer in afghanistan and talk show host
the impact can be huge not just in terms of the capabilities of these
particular people but in the relationships that they themselves have built he
said
you can simply go pick up five or more of these guys they may be the best
guys in the world at what they do and they re gone he said
the attack comes as the united states increasingly relies on the cia and other
covert forces to pursue strategic goals
cia and special forces were at the forefront of the us invasion of afghanistan
after the september attacks paving the way to overthrow the taliban
extremist regime
more recently and controversially the cia has been operating unmanned
drones that target extremists in lawless areas of pakistan
intelligence operatives are also seen as crucial in laying out the groundwork as
obama and nato allies send in another troops as part of surge expected
to last until late
purported taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid said by telephone from an
undisclosed location that the taliban took responsibility for the attack
yesterday evening on base near the old airport in khost city suicide bomber
by the name of samiullah committed suicide attack by detonating his vest and
killed americans said mujahid
the taliban routinely exaggerate the impact of their operations
taliban militants also claimed responsibility for the deaths tuesday of four
canadian soldiers and journalist killed when roadside bomb exploded under an
armored vehicle in the southern militant stronghold of kandahar
suspected taliban meanwhile have kidnapped two french journalists working for
france public television broadcaster and three afghan companions
gunmen snatched the group as they were traveling around kilometres miles
from the afghan capital on wednesday french journalist working with them told
afp
afghan president hamid karzai strongly condemned the terrorist attacks that
killed foreign civilian and military personnel in the provinces of khost and
kandahar
obama to examine probes into foiled plane attack
honolulu hawaii dec afp
president barack obama planned to ring in the new year by plowing through
initial probes into the botched bombing of us plane after slamming systemic
intelligence failures
the top us intelligence official dennis blair meanwhile delivered sobering
warning that future attacks would be harder to stop as al qaeda deepens its
knowledge of us defense systems and how to get past them
obama angered by how narrowly tragedy was averted in country still scarred by
the september attacks said he was expecting to receive two reports on
reviews he demanded into the christmas day attack later in the day
he went to see the hollywood blockbuster avatar with his children and friends
and then played golf thursday but aides said he would make an in depth study of
the reports in the evening
after reviewing the assessments over the weekend the president plans to meet
heads of intelligence agencies and government departments next week to discuss
the findings after returning from vacation in hawaii
on tuesday in washington will meet personally with relevant agency heads to
discuss our ongoing reviews as well as security enhancements and intelligence
sharing improvements in our homeland security and counter terrorism operations
obama said in statement
the president spoke earlier thursday about the two reviews with homeland
security secretary janet napolitano and his top counterterrorism advisor john
brennan
obama has ordered one assessment of the no fly list system and separate probe
into how suspect umar farouk abdulmutallab sneaked an explosive device past
security at amsterdam airport onto plane bound for the united states
intelligence itself and the collection thereof is always going to be difficult
and is not always going to result in complete information and he understands
that senior us official said on condition of anonymity
but by the same token when we do have good information the failure to
share that information is not going to be tolerated
obama has been receiving regular updates on the probes and issues related to the
attack on paper and online and officials and us agencies were working overtime
to plug gaps in the us aviation security system
it heck of happy new year the official said
blair the director of national intelligence told his staff in letter on
thursday that the fight against al qaeda which has claimed the christmas day
attack was about to get even tougher
what concerns me most now is not only stopping the types of attacks of the
past but also anticipating and stopping the different more cunning attacks of
the future he said
al qaeda and its affiliate organizations as well as individual suicide
terrorists have observed our defenses and are designing future attacks to
circumvent them
these attacks will be even harder to uncover interpret and stop
blair also referenced obama scathing assessment of intelligence failures ahead
of the attack
this is tough message for us to receive but we have received it and now we
must move forward and respond as team he said
an official traveling with obama in hawaii said that he did not see the message
before it was released
in another development napolitano said she would send senior deputies to meet
officials in charge of airport security in asia europe africa the middle east
and south america
we are looking not only at our own processes but also beyond our borders to
ensure effective aviation security measures are in place for us bound flights
napolitano said
nigeria said thursday that abdulmutallab had started his journey in ghana and
transited through lagos before connecting with the northwest flight in
amsterdam
he is accused of trying to blow up the plane as it approached detroit by setting
off explosives stitched into his underwear the attempt failed when he was
stopped by passengers
according to the washington post and the new york times electronic
communications intercepted from yemen by the national security agency had warned
that an unidentified nigerian was training for an al qaeda mission
other communications spoke of plans for christmas day attack
korea trade surplus hits record high in
seoul jan afp
south korea trade surplus hit record high of billion dollars in
thanks to drastic cut in imports as the global economy slumped official data
showed friday
exports fell percent from year earlier to billion dollars while
imports nosedived percent to billion dollars the ministry of
knowledge economy said
the ministry predicted the country trade surplus this year would shrink to
billion dollars as improvement in global demand will prompt local exporters to
import more
this year total exports are forecast to increase percent to billion
dollars and imports are expected to reach billion dollars up percent it
said
expanding consumption in emerging markets is expected to lead the global
economy despite decrease in consumption in advanced nations it said in
statement
nba fans back mcgrady iverson in all star voting
new york dec afp
allen iverson recently returned to philadelphia could find himself back in the
nba all star game as well
tracy mcgrady keen to head out of houston could be heading to the mid season
exhibition as well
iverson jumped into second place among eastern conference guards thursday in the
third returns of all star fan ballotting released by the league
that puts him in position to make his ninth start iverson is more than
votes ahead of number three vince carter or orlando
iverson is listed with the western conference guards on the paper ballot having
started the season in memphis
but his votes count toward the east since he rejoined his longtime team on
december
mcgrady edged back in front of the suns steve nash by votes for second
among western guards
coming back from knee surgery he played only six games for the rockets before
they decided he would leave the team while they explored possible trades
starters for the february game in dallas will be announced on january
world rings in new decade with fireworks and parties
london jan afp
revellers rang in the new year across the globe with spectacular fireworks
displays and massive parties hosted by world capitals against backdrop of
tightened security
more than people lined the banks of the river thames in london to watch
fireworks explode out of the london eye the giant ferris wheel across from the
houses of parliament and big ben
up to people also turned out in edinburgh for the annual hogmanay outdoor
street party some sporting furry horned tartan helmets against the bitter cold
as they gathered to watch fireworks by edinburgh castle
earlier more than russians crowded onto moscow red square to toast
as president dmitry medvedev thanked his nation for bearing with the
economic crisis
the past year was not very easy one for our country and want to thank you
all for bearing up together he said in his traditional new year address
party goers in the south pacific were the first to raise their glasses to
leading the world into new decade after one scarred by war terror attacks
natural disaster and financial turmoil
in australia about million people crowded the sydney harbour foreshore to
watch vast array of fireworks burst into the night sky at midnight launched
from the iconic sydney harbour bridge and four barges on the water
thousands of people also crammed into hong kong harbour where fireworks
were unleashed from the city tallest skyscraper as well as other buildings in
display that lasted nearly five minutes
such spectacles were banned in thailand after fireworks caused new year eve
blaze at bangkok nightclub year ago killing people
in paris about people gathered near the eiffel tower for multicoloured
light show while more than police were deployed across the city and
suburbs where cars were burned last new year eve
the filling of portable containers at petrol pumps was banned as were glass
bottles and fireworks on the champs elysees the parisian avenue where another
people gathered to see in the new year
pope benedict xvi in traditional prayers in st peter basilica on the last day
of the year called on christians across the world to help families affected by
the economic downturn and unemployment
in berlin more than one million revellers were expected on the boulevard
leading to the brandenburg gate the symbol of german unity with live bands and
djs to crank up the party
in spain which took over the rotating presidency of the eu at midnight
thousands of people attended light and sound show at the central puerta del
sol square where giant image of the eu flag was projected onto building
this is the best street party in the world now am going to work on my first
hangover of said gerry shalloe year old english teacher from
ireland who lives in madrid and who attended the countdown with friends
in poland some people brought in the new year at concert in warsaw in
memory of michael jackson attended by the late singer sister la toya
ukraine president viktor yushchenko seeking re election on january
assured his countrymen in new year message that they would become part of
the european union and nato
but the fiercely pro western leader looked unlikely to be in charge for much
longer with opinion polls putting him far behind pro russian opposition leader
viktor yanukovich and prime minister yulia timoshenko
in new york downpour of confetti was to mark midnight at traditional mass
celebration in times square in the heart of manhattan
but after security jitters rekindled by christmas day bomb plot against
passenger jet claimed by al qaeda undercover police surveillance cameras and
radiation and biological detection equipment were to monitor the crowds
it will be full fledged deployment of resources city police commissioner
raymond kelly said we assume here that new york is the number one terrorist
target in america
the us embassy in indonesia said meanwhile it had received warning of
possible attack on the resort island of bali the scene of multiple bombings
targeting westerners but local authorities denied knowledge of any alert
in pakistan where the taliban bloody campaign rebounded in spirits were
dampened in the city of karachi by deadly suicide attack during holy shiite
muslim ceremony on monday that killed people
in neighbouring afghanistan soldiers maintained their alert after two deadly
militant attacks claimed the lives of eight americans and five canadians while
two french journalists were reported kidnapped by taliban
for cyprus new year eve was the last chance to smoke in pubs clubs and cafes
with new anti smoking law in force from january
and in south africa president jacob zuma used his new year message to rally for
unity for the football world cup the first ever to be held in africa
new year eve also presented the world with blue moon the name for
second full moon in one single month for only the second time in nearly two
decades
football ferguson delighted with united sweet birds of youth
manchester england jan afp
sir alex ferguson enters new year and new decade as manager of manchester
united confident the future of the club is in safe hands
new generation of young stars have been given their opportunities in the first
half of the current campaign and ferguson has promised he will retain his policy
of using relatively inexperienced side for the first leg of united eagerly
anticipated league cup semi final with manchester city next week
ferguson is confident the current crop of emerging talent is on par with any
in his years in charge at old trafford an impressive claim given the quality
of young players associated with his club
think the young players are doing well here ferguson insisted
their progress has been good and they are getting their opportunities said
ferguson citing wednesday thrashing of wigan result that left the
champions just two points behind english premier league leaders chelsea as
evidence
danny welbeck came on in our game against wigan rafael was outstanding in that
game and showed fantastic energy and desire to do well
federico macheda is unfortunately injured but we all know the qualities he
has and gabriel obertan has joined the club and has fantastic potential he is
only years of age
in the main if they stay clear of injuries they will be top players
it has always been that way here we have always tried to bring on young
players and think we re good at it added ferguson ahead of united fa cup
third round tie at home to fallen giants leeds
the recent performances of young right back rafael have been particularly eye
catching and with his twin brother fabio ferguson predicts day in the near
future when united have two brazilians in the full back positions
that definite possibility yes said ferguson we ve always thought
highly of rafael and his brother
fabio is just coming back from injury and he will come in for the games now
think the two of them are equally good you couldn separate the two of them
you couldn separate the two of them in terms of their looks it impossible
to tell the difference unless they re wearing numbers
but they are brazilians and don think you need to give brazilians any
targets they re always shooting for the moon
as for ferguson himself the united manager who turned on the final day of
shows no signs of losing his own vitality or enthusiasm for one of the
most high profile jobs in sport
and in keeping with his policy since he announced his retirement in only
to change his mind he is making no predictions about how long he will remain in
charge
hope my health is okay that for sure said ferguson when asked if he saw
himself still at the helm in five or six years
whether managing then who can be sure you never can be sure
spain takes reins of revamped eu
madrid jan afp
spain on friday assumed the rotating presidency of the european union the first
under new leadership structure for the bloc which includes its first full time
president and new foreign policy supremo
the positions occupied by belgium herman van rompuy and britain catherine
ashton were created under the lisbon treaty which came into effect on december
during the final weeks of sweden six month term at the helm of the eu
the treaty aims to streamline decision making in the nation bloc but critics
argue the new system is no less complex and multi layered than the previous one
with too much scope for overlapping roles
spain has set as the priorities for its presidency of the eu smooth
implementation of the treaty and tackling the continent economic woes
in message posted on the official web site of the spanish presidency of the
eu spain prime minister jose luis rodriguez zapatero said the main challenge
will be to provide europe with an economy that is more productive innovative
and more sustainable
zapatero added that he was convinced that the lisbon treaty will make europe
more efficient and dynamic and contribute to make europeans more united
one of the aims of the eu new leadership structure is to give europe greater
voice on the world stage in talks with major powers like china and the united
states
under the lisbon treaty rompuy ashton and jose manuel barroso the european
commission president are intended to be the eu public face
but spain will still chair important eu ministerial meetings on the economy the
environment and energy during the presidency as well as host several summits
including one between the bloc and the united states in may which president
barack obama is expected to attend
jerzy buzek president of the european parliament said the coming six months
are extremely important for the implementation of the lisbon treaty the spanish
presidency will shape the new model of co operation between eu institutions and
member states under the lisbon treaty
during the spanish presidency the eu needs to agree on replacement for the
bloc long term growth strategy known as the lisbon agenda which was supposed
to make it the world most competitive economy by
new year growth strategy dubbed the strategy is likely to be
adopted in march during summit of eu leaders
the unemployment rate in the entire eu rose to percent in october
representing million people from percent during the same time last
year according to eu statistic agency eurostat
the jobless rate in individual member states varies from lows of percent in
the netherlands and percent in austria to highs of percent in latvia
and percent in spain
as fireworks greeted the new year spain raised the level of its anti terrorist
alert fearing spectacular attack by armed basque group eta during its eu
presidency
gm india chief says china partnership start of asia thrust
new delhi jan afp
for gm india chief karl slym the expansion of the us auto giant year
alliance with its chinese partner saic motor to tap india burgeoning vehicle
market is win win for both sides
the two companies announced in december joint venture with an initial focus on
selling mini commercial vehicles and inexpensive entry level cars in india that
will later embrace other asian emerging markets
our first business move will be in india but it won be the last we will be
spreading to other areas in asia we ve made commitment to expand in emerging
markets slym told afp in an interview
there is big benefit to saic to be able to spread its business outside of
china there is also big benefit for us to partner with them slym said
in china where general motors entered in the detroit based company is the
second largest automaker helped by its partnership with china biggest
carmaker shanghai automotive industry corp or saic
gm which is undergoing drastic restructuring after being bailed out by the us
government is expected to post sales in china of million vehicles this
year
but in india asia third largest car market after china and japan where
japanese owned maruti suzuki holds commanding leadership position gm has been
slower out of the starting blocks
the us auto company which started selling its chevrolet marque in india only in
is the fifth largest carmaker in the country
it sold vehicles last year up percent from the previous year
analysts see the tie up in which saic is investing cash and gm is
supplying its indian plants and sales network as giving gm more resources to
grab bigger share of the indian market
it also gives the chinese carmaker its first foothold in india furthering its
aspirations of being an international player
india with its nearly billion population is one of the world last
remaining big growth markets for global automakers like gm ford toyota
hyundai and honda as they grapple with wrenching slump in developed markets
indian car sales are expected to cross two million units next year
at next week auto expo in new delhi gm will unveil its compact hatchback
chevrolet beat its latest entry in india where small cars make up percent
of the market
lately gm sales volumes in india have been picking up with the company
clocking percent year on year increase in sales in november monthly
record
gm has really reached point now where we re at tipping point in india and
the saic tie up will help continue this growth slym said
recently the new joint venture announced an investment of million dollars
for the first phase of its operations in india on top of the one billion dollars
gm has already invested since it entered the country
the production capacity of gm stands now at around units year it
expects that to rise to units by
under the joint venture gm and saic will roll out small cars from gm chinese
product offerings along with offerings from gm existing plants in india
crucially for gm slym notes the tie up will also allow the us company to sell
in india for the first time its low cost micro minivans and buses that gm makes
now with its chinese partners
india commercial vehicle market is already the world fourth largest and the
light commercial market is an increasingly important segment as india cities
expand on the back of fast growing economy
heavy trucks won be able to go into the cities because of restrictions you
will need smaller light commercial vehicles lcvs and expect this market to
increase hugely slym said
but the partnership will face big competition from local indian producers such
as mahindra and mahindra and tata motors
football wenger will give up fa cup hopes to boost title bid
london jan afp
arsene wenger admits he is ready to sacrifice arsenal fa cup hopes to keep
their premier league title challenge on track
wenger side make the short trip across london to face west ham in the third
round of the cup on sunday in derby clash that would usually be treated with
the utmost respect by arsenal manager
wenger has won the cup four times during his years in north london and the
club last major silverware came in the competition back in
yet the french coach has no intention of letting fond memories of the tournament
distract him from keeping his players fresh for wednesday crucial home league
game against bolton
arsenal are firmly back in the title race after their win at portsmouth in
midweek and victory over the managerless trotters would close the gap on
leaders chelsea to just one point
with that in mind wenger is prioritising the league and plans to send out an
under strength side at upton park even if this means his team being eliminated
at the first hurdle
cesc fabregas robin van persie theo walcott and denilson are all sidelined
through injury but wenger will also rest several other players as the likes of
mikael silvestre and lukasz fabianski get rare outings
will have to rest some players that is for sure wenger said we want to
win but we want to protect our home games against bolton and everton as well
to keep the momentum going
the premier league is always more important than the fa cup the premier league
is so hard that you want to take care of your position
at the moment we have to keep our spirit and our attitude then we have
chance
season is judged on the overall achievement and people look to who has won
the trophies but also look at how we have done and how consistently we have
played
although wenger will shuffle his starting line up he insists he has enough
respect for the cup not to send out the kind of youthful team that he regularly
