he will cancel his engagements starting with concert at the vienna state
opera on january until at least june but said he hoped to make full
recovery by august
really am sorry for the audience and also for vienna ozawa told press
conference in tokyo
some people must have already left for vienna to listen to figaro he said
referring to his cancelled engagement this month to perform les noces de figaro
the marriage of figaro
ozawa cancer was found in its early stage his chief doctor masato okada said
at the same news conference
he will be hospitalised and undergo the treatment okada said adding that the
type of treatment including possible surgery was still being decided
ozawa pledged to return to work in time to conduct an orchestra in august at the
month long saito kinen classical music festival in the central japanese city of
matsumoto which he attends every summer
about engagements are to be cancelled including with the mahler chamber
orchestra in february and march the vienna philharmonic in may and the berlin
philharmonic in june
ozawa has also pulled out of conducting the farewell concert in june for ioan
holender general manager of the vienna state opera but said he still hoped to
attend
believe my treatment won really need six months ozawa said will be
there for the concert for holender if cannot conduct will sit in the same
box with him for sure
the maestro who will also conclude his tenure at the vienna state opera in
june has suffered ailing health in recent years most recently undergoing
emergency surgery for hernia last year
he has had long international career spending nearly three decades at the
boston symphony orchestra before moving to vienna in
sudan could plunge into new war aid agencies
khartoum jan afp
sudan africa largest country blessed with oil reserves could descend into
new war unless the world community takes action to salvage peace accord that
ended one of the continent longest conflicts five years ago aid groups have
warned
the agencies said lethal combination of rising violence crippling poverty
and political tensions has left the peace deal close to collapse as its fifth
anniversary approaches this week
it is not yet too late to avert disaster but the next months are
crossroads for africa largest country said the report co author maya
mailer from oxfam
last year saw surge in violence in southern sudan this could escalate even
further and become one of the biggest emergencies in africa in she added
in some people were killed and fled their homes higher
death toll than occurred in war torn darfur in the same period
saturday marks the anniversary of the north south comprehensive peace agreement
cpa which ended devastating civil war between majority muslim north
sudan and the mainly christian south
the accord is meant to pave the way in april for the country first multi party
elections in years with parliamentary and regional ballots held at the same
time as presidential vote ahead of key referendum on southern independence
in
but the report said cpa failed to rein bloodshed or improve living conditions
while the world stood by overlooking the suffering
the aid agencies urged the un security council to ensure that protecting
civilians becomes priority for the un peacekeeping force unmis at this
crucial juncture
growing frustration over the lack of development in southern sudan was hampering
the chances of peace they warned
us special representative to sudan scott gration and analysts echoed concern by
the aid agencies that the next months will be critical for africa largest
nation
the country enters the final year of the cpa interim period it may in fact be
entering its final year as the nation that we have known prominent analyst
alex de waal said on his blog www ssrc org
in just weeks time the southerners are due to vote in referendum which
will probably bring an end to sudan as unified country the year may be
the last year of sudan he wrote
gration echoed him in message released at the end of the year
it clear that will be critical year in securing peaceful future
for sudan the us envoy said adding that he expected the road ahead would be
tough and urging all sides to take positive steps for progress
make no mistake failure to make progress and continuation of the
unacceptable status quo by any party will be met by credible pressures from the
united states and our partners in the international community he said
on december the sudanese parliament adopted key law setting up the planned
referendum on southern independence after northern and southern leaders
overcame dispute that had threatened the country peace deal
day later parliament passed another law for referendum in the disputed oil
rich region of abyei on the border between north and south sudan to let
residents decide if they want to remain part of the north or join the south
but before the referendum can take place the north and the south must agree on
number of crucial issues such as the status of southerners who live in the
north and the breakdown of the national debt
sudan has oil reserves estimated at six billion barrels and most of it is
located on the border between the north and the south with percent of oil
royalties going to the khartoum government and percent for the south
sudanese politicians hope for gentlemen agreement between the north and the
south in case the referendum paves the way for independence but the spectre of
fresh armed conflict hangs low over the war wrecked country
cricket south africa england scoreboard
cape town jan afp
scores at lunch on the fifth day of the third test between south africa and
england at newlands on thursday
south africa first innings
england first innings
south africa second innings dec
england second innings overnight
strauss amla harris
cook boucher de wet
trott steyn
pietersen lbw steyn
anderson prince harris
collingwood not out
bell not out
extras lb
total wkts overs
fall of wickets cook strauss pietersen
anderson trott
to bat prior broad swann onions
bowling morkel steyn de wet harris
kallis duminy
match position england need another to win with five wickets remaining in
the second innings
toss england
umpires daryl harper aus tony hill nzl
tv umpire aleem dar pak
match referee roshan mahanama sri
sale of kuwait zain stake to take longer
kuwait city jan afp
the sale of percent stake of kuwait telecom giant zain to an indian
malaysian consortium is not dead but the process will take longer national
invesments co said on thursday
the company which has been negotiating the deal on behalf of major private
investors including al khorafi group the largest private investor in zain said
in statement on the kuwaiti bourse website that the delay is due to economic
developments
the investors had said the deal was to be completed within four months when they
first officially announced it on september
due to the recent economic and financial developments in the region the sale
is expected to take longer than originally planned but it is still ongoing
the statement said
khorafi group has said that consortium consisting of bharat sanchar nigam ltd
bsnl mahanagar telephone nigam ltd mtnl and vavasi group from india and
malaysia al bukhary group was interested to buy the stake
doubts over the sale grew as the state owned bsnl and mtnl have remained non
committal to the deal at times saying it was too expensive the price initially
agreed was two dinars seven dollars per share
when the deal was announced zain shares traded at around dinars
dollars while on thursday it was trading at one dinar dollars
zain one of three mobile operators in kuwait is the largest company on the
kuwaiti bourse with capitalisation of billion dollars it operates in
countries and has over million clients
malaysia exports drop percent in november ministry
kuala lumpur jan afp
malaysian exports fell percent in november as demand fell off for electrical
and electronic goods according to official data released thursday
the trade ministry said exports declined to billion ringgit billion
dollars year on year although imports rose percent to billion
ringgit with surplus of billion ringgit
there was also drop off in shipments of chemicals as well as machinery goods
exports had risen percent in october for the first time in months after
slumping percent in september and percent in august
total trade from in the first months was billion ringgit decrease
of percent from the same period year earlier according to the ministry
malaysia export dependent economy has been hit hard by the global recession
contracting by forecast percent this year and jeopardising its ambitions
of becoming developed nation by
israel drops warning leaflets over gaza
gaza city jan afp
israeli planes on thursday dropped thousands of leaflets over the gaza strip
warning residents to stay clear from the border after palestinian militants
fired mortar shells into israel
the letters which were dropped over northern gaza and gaza city warned
residents not to get within range of metres yards from the heavily
secured border with israel
anyone who gets closer than this will be in danger the leaflet read in
arabic
palestinian militants earlier fired salvo of more than five mortar shells that
fell near the israeli community of kerem shalom causing no casualties or
damage an army spokesman said
as result israel closed down the kerem shalom crossing with the gaza strip
until further notice the defence ministry said in statement
eurostar blocked for two hours in channel tunnel rail firm
paris jan afp
eurostar high speed train travelling between brussels and london was stuck for
two hours in the tunnel under the english channel after breaking down on
thursday the french rail firm sncf said
the train was due to be towed out towards the english side of the tunnel an
sncf spokesman said
he was not able to say what caused the breakdown which came as northern europe
shivered in bitterly cold temperatures and snow that has caused transport chaos
taiwan exports growth highest in almost years
taipei jan afp
taiwan major producer of microchips and other electronics said thursday
exports had hit the highest growth rate in nearly years in december due to
recovering global demand
shipments from the island last month totalled billion us dollars rise
of percent from year earlier the finance ministry said in statement
the figures marked the highest growth rate since it said
december export data represented month high and percent rise from
november
but analysts said they were worried whether the momentum could last through
amid fears of overbooking by clients from abroad
the base of comparison from year earlier was very low it remains to be seen
how far the growth momentum will last chen yu yu of capital securities said
imports last month also hit month high of billion dollars rise of
percent year on year leaving trade surplus of billion dollars the
ministry said
last month exports in electronic products rose percent year on year to
billion dollars the ministry said the sector accounted for percent of
december total exports
exports to china and hong kong rose percent from year earlier to
billion dollars while those to the united states rose percent billion
dollars
sales to japan increased percent to million dollars the ministry added
for the whole year exports fell percent from year earlier to
billion dollars while imports dropped percent to billion dollars
the ministry said
the trade surplus for last year was billion dollars percent
increase it added
afghan parliamentary elections will go ahead official
kabul jan afp
afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections on schedule in may despite
international concerns that they could be plagued by corruption and logistical
problems an official said thursday
the assurances came after visiting us republican senator john mccain warned that
the polls could be delayed by up to three months amid fears of lack of funds
and worsening security as taliban militants stage bloody attacks
according to the constitution the election should take place in may said the
deputy head of the independent electoral commission iec daud ali najafi
we are determined to hold the elections on time he told reporters
iec officials have said the poll will go ahead on may but western diplomats
in kabul say they doubt afghan authorities can eradicate the problems that
turned last august presidential poll into ballot stuffing farce
nor are they likely to have the necessary funds to hold nationwide ballot
najafi said his commission had received assurance from authorities that the
funds and necessary security would be provided to hold the ballot
we ll obviously face challenges should the money not be paid but the
government has pledged to provide that money where they get it from that
their business he said
the united nations has said it would need to see evidence of significant reform
before agreeing to release money to stage the election
najafi said that any reforms including replacing senior iec officials were
the responsibility of afghan president hamid karzai and that his commission had
measures to avoid fraud
we have learnt lessons from the last elections we won be sending ballot
papers to areas where there no good security he said
most cases of fraud during the august presidential elections were reported in
areas rife with taliban and other islamist militants battling the government
and where afghan security forces had no or little control
we also favour reforms he said it is for the betterment of the process
najafi said the commission had million dollars left over from the august
presidential vote and needed further million dollars to stage the
parliamentary elections in may
afghanistan held its first direct parliamentary election in september the
iec has said the next poll must be held no later than days before the end of
the legislative cycle which ends on june
mccain speaking to reporters at the end of brief visit to afghanistan said
the authorities were considering delay
know there are discussions part of it is perhaps two or three months delay
in order to get the mechanisms in place said mccain who met karzai
that is an issue that would be decided by the president and parliament as to
when the elections take place mccain said
karzai was sworn into office for second five year term in november following
controversial election steeped in fraud mostly in his favour and marred by low
voter turnout and taliban violence
christian copts police clash in south egypt official
cairo jan afp
clashes broke out thursday in southern egypt between more than christian
copts and police after the christmas eve killing of six copts in drive by
shooting police officials said
the violence broke out in the southern town of nagaa hammadi where policeman
was also killed and six copts wounded wednesday when three men in car opened
fire on christmas eve shoppers in the centre of town they said
thursday clashes erupted outside hospital morgue where the bodies of the six
christians killed the previous day were kept with protesters hurling stones at
law enforcing agents and police firing tear gas the official said
vietnam police tear gas beat catholics over cross priest
hanoi jan afp
several vietnamese catholics were injured after police used electric prods and
fired tear gas during dispute over crucifix priest said thursday
the incident occurred early wednesday in dong chiem parish about kilometres
miles from hanoi when parishioners tried to stop large group of police
and troops sent to dismantle the cross on top of mountain said nguyen van
huu the parish priest
he said parishioners told him the police used electric prods tear gas and
stones against the crowd two of whom were seriously injured and taken to hanoi
for treatment
four or five other parishioners were hurt said the priest who was not present
at the time of the incident
the clash as described by the priest is one of the most serious recent
incidents in long running series of church state land disputes
police refused to comment
greenpeace says made to pay for climate summit failure
madrid jan afp
the head of greenpeace spain freed from days in danish custody along with
three others on thursday accused authorities in copenhagen of making them pay
for the failure of the climate summit
juan lopez de uralde and norwegian nora christiansen fooled security staff at
the danish parliament in copenhagen by drawing up to december gala dinner
in limousine and wearing evening attire
there they unfurled banners reading politicians talk leaders act at the
entrance
they were arrested along with two others christian schmutz of switzerland who
posed as their bodyguard and joris thijssen of the netherlands all four were
released on wednesday
we were made to pay for the anger of the danish government after the problems
of the copenhagen summit lopez de uralde told spanish national radio
he also denounced their treatment in prison
we were very shocked by the way in which we were treated he said we did not
expect to get off scot free we were taking risk what was completely
disproportionate was the days in isolation in prison without knowing the
extent of the charges against us with speaking to anyone
he rejected suggestions that the isolation was necessary as part of the police
investigation
police did not question until the last day if it was really for the purposes
of the investigation why not question us on the first day he said
the four have been charged with illegally entering state property among other
things they still face trial and possible prison sentences
their release came day in advance of their detention being reviewed by
danish judge
the two week un climate conference in december gave birth to non binding
agreement leaving many observers skeptical about the possibility of limiting
global warming to levels considered acceptable
vw says chinese sales hit record million cars
frankfurt jan afp
the biggest european carmaker volkswagen said on thursday that chinese sales
hit record million vehicles in in what is now its most important
market
the figure represented leap of percent from the figure of
million statement said adding that has been an extraordinary year
the automotive market went beyond everybody expectations it said
the group sold million vw brand cars in china along with nearly
high end audi models and less expensive skodas
we are full of confidence for and expecting growth rate of to
percent for the total automotive market in china said winfried vahland
president and chief executive of volkswagen group china
last year vw also sold so called supercars in china including bentleys
and lamborghinis
vw owns brands in all including its most recently acquired one porsche
the group plans to launch seven new locally produced models in china this year
and invest more than four billion euros there in the next three years the
statement said
but vw still trails the us group general motors which said chinese sales leapt
by percent in to million vehicles
china is now the biggest auto market in the world having surpassed the united
states
central bankers financiers to discuss undue risk report
geneva jan afp
top bankers will meet leading central bankers over the weekend to discuss the
problem of excessive risk taking that had been blamed for the financial crisis
the financial times said on thursday
the newspaper said that the meeting to be held at the bank for international
settlements would look at the rising concern that financial institutions may
once again take excessive risks amid cheap and ample funding
spokeswoman from the bis told afp that meeting would be held but would
neither confirm the issues to be raised at the session nor the list of
participants
according to the ft bankers expected to attend include citigroup vikram
pandit and larry fink of blackrock
while chief executives from goldman sachs and jp morgan have both been invited
they were not planning to attend added the newspaper
eurozone retail sales hit pre christmas reverse eu
brussels jan afp
retail sales in the nations using the euro fell in november as consumers
tightened their belts ahead of christmas spending official eu data released on
thursday showed
the volume of retail sales in the eurozone fell by percent compared to the
previous month and by percent compared to one year earlier the european
union eurostat data agency said
across the nation bloc as whole retail trade contracted by percent
over the previous month and percent on month comparison
euro economic confidence up eu survey
brussels jan afp
european business and consumer confidence firmed in december for ninth month
running an eu survey showed on thursday with big jump in key recession
straggler britain
the european commission economic sentiment indicator for the nations using
the euro single currency rose to points in december up points from one
month earlier the index hit record low points in march
for the nation eu as whole economic confidence also increased according to
the commission survey up points to points in december with the
bloc economy as whole having emerged from recession
in britain which went into reverse between october and november the index rose
by points to match the overall eu figure of points
the improvement in both the eurozone and the wider eu was due to higher
confidence mainly in industry the commission said
meanwhile the commission separate business climate indicator also improved in
december in the eurozone for ninth consecutive month standing at minus
points up from minus points in november
new for anti wrinkle bras protein undies
paris jan afp
bras that pump up or down with body temperature and smooth out ageing cleavages
are among hot new undies to be unveiled at this month paris lingerie show
organisers said thursday
dutch designed anti wrinkle bra that can iron out crinkly cleavages as woman
sleeps and smart slovenian brassiere whose foam cups expand with body heat
when the wearer works out or flirts are amid innovations at the january
paris trade fair
high tech playing growing role in underwear said the fair fashion
manager sophie morin take ultra sounds for example now used as well as laser
technology to cut and construct garments without seaming or stitching
also touted is range of french lingerie called milkshake in fabric made of
milk proteins that contains amino acids to hydrate the skin
the knit is as soft as satin said morin
the cupless anti wrinkle bra designed by decollete is supposed to be thrown on
at bedtime keeping breasts apart to prevent the formation of feared crinkles
that appear in the night
dread to think of my husband likely reaction if was to come to bed
wearing it said one blogger on www truthinaging com site that has already
consigned the bra to its department of daft
the smart bra from slovenia lisca boasts cups made of memory foam that ebbs
and flows with body heat nasa patented technology from the
some lingerie types from more than nations are due to attend the end
month paris fair bringing together more than brands including brazil lz
flying in with an ultra light bra that weighs in at grammes two ounces
urgent eurostar blocked for two hours in channel tunnel rail firm
paris jan afp
eurostar high speed train travelling between brussels and london was stuck for
two hours in the tunnel under the english channel after breaking down on
thursday the french rail firm sncf said
qaeda says cia attack revenge for drone killings
kabul jan afp
al qaeda hailed the suicide bombing that killed seven cia agents in afghanistan
as revenge for the deaths of top militants in us drone strikes in pakistan
islamist websites said on thursday
jordanian doctor said to have been triple agent blew himself up at us
military base in khost near the pakistani border on december the deadliest
attack against the cia since responsibility was claimed the day after by
the taliban
the head of al qaeda in afghanistan mustafa abu al yazid said the bomber wrote
in his will that the attack was revenge for our righteous martyrs and named
several top militants killed in drone attacks in pakistan
yazid described bomber humam khalil abu mulal al balawi mission as an epic
breakthrough in penetrating both american and jordanian intelligence said
islamist websites
the slain militant masterminds named in the message included baitullah mehsud
who was leader of pakistan taliban and was blamed for wave of deadly
attacks notably the december killing of former prime minister benazir
bhutto he was killed when us missile slammed into his father in law house
on august last year
also named was abu saleh al somali described as part of al qaeda core
leadership and responsible for plotting attacks in europe and the united states
he was killed in drone strike in the north waziristan area near the afghan
border last month
us media have described the us base as key anti terror facility that oversaw
the drone strikes targeting al qaeda and taliban on the pakistani border and as
centre for recruiting and debriefing informants
balawi blew himself up at forward operating base chapman during meeting with
the cia killing seven agents and his jordanian handler who was senior
intelligence officer and member of the royal family
jihadist websites have said balawi was triple agent who duped western
intelligence services for months before turning on his handlers
the jordanian intelligence services believing the bomber to be their double
agent reportedly took him to eastern afghanistan with the mission of finding
al qaeda number two ayman al zawahiri
the al qaeda statement surfaced after another round of us strikes killed
militants including four foreigners in north waziristan on wednesday
washington has made pakistan front line in the war on al qaeda and the eight
year conflict against the taliban in afghanistan pinning success on dismantling
militant sanctuaries along the porous border
us senator john mccain visiting afghanistan on thursday hailed the drone
attacks for knocking al qaeda and other extremist groups off balance
think it should continue think it an important tool in our overall
strategy and we can claim measurable success in carrying out those operations
he told reporters
strikes by unmanned us spy planes have soared since president barack obama took
office they have killed more than people since august inflamed anti
americanism and prompted extremists to vow revenge
drone attacks are radicalising other people who may not have supported the
taliban rahimullah yusufzai tribal affairs expert told afp
maybe local militants targeted by drones are not big threat to america but
in the future they could become threat as they could see america as their big
enemy he added
although the pakistani government which depends on us assistance officially
opposes the operations public criticism has lessened considerably since mehsud
was killed and analysts say they have islamabad tacit approval
intelligence experts said it was possible the base let its guard down in
searching the bomber because he was coveted informant
it was the deadliest incident for the cia since when eight agency
employees were killed by islamist militants who bombed the us marine barracks in
beirut killing americans and french
the united states is increasingly reliant on the cia and other covert forces to
pursue its strategic goals
cia and special forces were at the forefront of the us led invasion of
afghanistan that overthrew the taliban extremist regime after the september
attacks
urgent christian copts police clash in south egypt official
cairo jan afp
clashes broke out thursday in southern egypt between more than christian
copts and police after the christmas eve killing of six copts in drive by
shooting police officials said
nigerian bomb accused met radical cleric awlaqi official
sanaa jan afp
the nigerian who has been charged over botched christmas day bomb attack
onboard us airliner had met with radical us yemeni cleric anwar al awlaqi
top yemeni official said on thursday
the nigerian hid in shabwa area in wadi rafadh east of sanaa where he met
awlaqi and mohammad omair who was killed in the air raid on wadi rafadh said
deputy prime minister for defence and security affairs rashad al aleemi
he was referring to december raid carried out by yemeni jets at wadi
rafadh in shabwa province about kilometres miles east of the capital
sanaa in which suspected al qaeda militants were killed according to yemeni
officials
aleemi added that based on investigations the explosives found on the year
old alleged bomber umar farouk abdulmutallab came from nigeria and not from
yemen as previously reported
abdulmutallab was on wednesday indicted on six counts arising out of the botched
christmas day plot to blow up northwest airliner packed with passengers
