brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets the bill
in portugal provoked only muted opposition even from the political right
if the bill is passed at the second vote it will fall to president anibal
cavaco silva practising roman catholic and member of the main right wing
party to sign it into law
so far the president has refused to comment on the question of gay marriage
saying he was concerned with other problems like unemployment and the national
debt
ratifying the bill would mean portugal joined the list of european countries
allowing gay marriage which currently includes belgium sweden spain the
netherlands and norway
number of other european countries including britain france and germany
permit same sex civil partnerships
some of the fiercest debate on the bill came over proposals from the left bloc
and green parties to extend adoption rights to same sex couples
they said that by not allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt the government
was effectively making them second class citizens
defending the government decision to exclude adoption rights from the gay
marriage bill socrates said the issues at stake were different
adoption is different matter from marriage because adoption does not only
involve free consenting adults adoption is not couple right it is the
child right he said
socrates also rejected demand backed by the right for referendum on gay
marriage following petition which collected more than signatures
gay rights campaigners outside parliament greeted the result of friday vote
with cries of joy and celebrated with champagne and wedding cake
while normally vocal on the role of marriage and the family in society the
catholic church refused to mobilise on the issue which lisbon cardinal
patriarch jose policarpo said was parliament responsibility
recent poll showed voters were fairly split on the issue of on gay marriage
with percent against and percent in favour
however the same survey by the eurosondagem institute showed clear majority
percent of portuguese opposed to adoptions by same sex couples
alert
judge orders argentine central bank boss to be reinstated
driver dead nine hurt in togo football bus shooting federation
lome jan afp
the driver of the bus carrying togo side to the african nations cup was killed
in friday ambush that left nine others wounded the head of the togolese
football federation told afp
driver was killed and nine members of the delegation including two players
were injured said federation official willy dogbatse
the other injured are members of the sporting administrative and medical
staff
national football officials are currently in meeting we are seeking to take
swift steps to get to cabinda on saturday he added
sanyo rolls electric bicycles into us market
las vegas nevada jan afp
japanese electric bicycle titan sanyo thinks that notoriously car loving folks
in the united states are prime for peddle power
eneloop peddle assist bicycles that had been exclusively available in japan
made us debut at the consumer electronics show in las vegas where attendees
go to saddle up and ride in carpeted casino hotel ballroom
we think of it as an electric vehicle david politis of sanyo north america
said before letting afp take one for spin
it is designed for people who want to commute to work and not be sweaty or who
want to get back on the bike for the first time and may be out of shape or even
mom who needs little help peddling to keep up with the kids
dynamotor built into the hub of the front wheel charges bicycle battery
when it is cruising downhill or rider is braking
the motor kicks in when rider peddles providing virtual wind at one back
and making inclines feel more like flat terrain each bicycle have three gears
changed with twists of handlebar grip
three is power boost mode for daunting uphill climbs
eneloop bicycles weigh in at pounds kilograms each and the luxury of
sweat free peddling comes with steep dollar us price tag
sanyo thinks it is clear that energy consciousness and environmental awareness
continue to grow around the world politis said
we have to do something to break us dependence on foreign oil
most car trips in the us are less than five miles eight kilometers and cars
pump out the bulk of polluting gases in the first miles kilometers of
trip according to statistics cited by sanyo
china is reported to be the top market in the world for electric bicycles with
india ranking second and europe taking the third spot
sanyo is the world top maker of rechargeable batteries many used in cars or
trucks
clinton urges mideast talks to resume without preconditions
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton on friday urged palestinians and israelis
to resume peace talks without preconditions backing palestinian aims for
state along the boundaries
however trying to revive obama administration diplomacy that fell flat last
year clinton said the lines would be modified through mutually agreed land
swaps presumably to account for some israeli settlements that would remain
flanked by jordanian foreign minister nasser judeh clinton urged the
palestinians to try to end settlements through negotiations on core issues
rather than conditioning the resumption of talks on total freeze
as minister judeh and discussed earlier resolving borders jerusalem resolves
settlements resolving jerusalem resolves settlements the chief us diplomat
told reporters
we are working with the israelis the palestinian authority and the arab
states to take the steps needed to relaunch the negotiations as soon as possible
and without preconditions clinton said
the parties can reach solution that reconciles the palestinian goal of an
independent and viable state based on the lines with agreed swaps and the
israeli goal of jewish state with secure and recognized borders she said
clinton was referring to the boundaries at the end of the arab israeli war in
moving in the direction of palestinian demands for state in the west
bank gaza strip with east jerusalem as its capital
the united states says the status of jerusalem all of which israel claims as
its capital and the exact boundaries of future state must be determined
through negotiations
in her opening remarks clinton also said both washington and amman were
concerned about recent activities in jerusalem echoing their opposition to
new jewish settlement building in annexed arab east jerusalem
though clinton did not say so judeh alluded to two year timeline for
negotiations mentioned in television interview wednesday by us envoy george
mitchell whom the jordanian met here friday
we agreed on the need to relaunch serious negotiations between palestinians
and israelis negotiations that are bound by timeline and clear plan judeh
said
the risk of violence increases if negotiations are open ended he warned
clinton and mitchell also met with egyptian foreign minister ahmed abul gheit
and intelligence chief omar suleiman
we come to try and regenerate energy and to create enough momentum for peace
efforts abul gheit told reporters as he and clinton posed for the cameras
before their meeting it is crucial that we would win
egypt and jordan are the key arab mediators as the only arab countries to have
made peace with israel
the us initiative will continue when mitchell leaves sunday for paris and
brussels for consultations with allies and more members of the quartet made up
of the united states the european union the united nations and russia
us officials said friday that mitchell already met in the last few days with un
secretary general ban ki moon
mitchell is due to return to the united states before heading to the middle east
by the end of the month
days after entering the white house in january last year president barack obama
signaled that arab israeli peace was top priority
but the effort stalled as arab nations accused the administration of reneging on
its demand that hawkish israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu government
completely freeze jewish settlement construction
on monday israel maariv newspaper said washington was pushing plan to
restart peace talks that foresees reaching final deal in two years and
agreeing on permanent borders in nine months
tight security as nigerian bomb suspect pleads not guilty
detroit michigan jan afp
hobbled by leg irons young nigerian accused of trying to blow up us plane
on christmas day pleaded not guilty friday as he made his first court appearance
amid heightened security
umar farouk abdulmutallab spoke softly from the dock to confirm his name
how it was spelt and his age he also said he understood the six charges against
him
his court appointed lawyer miriam siefer entered the plea of not guilty to all
six charges including attempted murder of people on board the plane and
trying to use weapon of mass destruction he faces life imprisonment if
convicted
at this time our client would like to enter plea of not guilty siefer said
but added we have with our client consent consented to detention
abdulmutallab son of prominent nigerian banker was arrested after the
botched al qaeda plot in which device allegedly stitched into his underwear
failed to detonate on board northwest flight from amsterdam to detroit
he was badly burned when the device sparked fire and when asked if he had
taken any medication in the past hours he said hours yes painkillers
holding his left hip
the thwarted bombing has triggered us and global alarm leading the united
states to adopt stringent new screening and security measures at airports around
the world dozens of names have also been added to no fly lists
us president barack obama on thursday ordered sweeping overhaul of flawed
intelligence services which he has blamed for missing red flags which could have
detected the plot earlier
but he said ultimately the buck stops with me
obama unveiled measures including strengthening us watchlists and boosting
airport screening as part of broad orders to close us security gaps
releasing two reports on the plane plot obama said spy agencies did not
properly connect and understand disparate data that could have detected the
plot earlier as it was planned by an al qaeda affiliate in yemen
he said the probes revealed that us analysts knew abdulmutallab was an extremist
and knew al qaeda in yemen was plotting an attack but could not connect the
two strands of intelligence
ahead of abdulmutallab arraignment us marshals were helping local police
secure the area
our security measures have been ramped up to the highest level we don
anticipate any problem but we are taking this very seriously kevin pettit
spokesman for the us marshals service in detroit told afp
police blocked off the street in front of the majestic depression era theodore
levin courthouse as light dusting of snow covered the streets and stiff
wind chilled the news crews gathered outside
inside two bomb sniffing dogs had earlier checked every room and as is now
standard for us courtrooms every visitor to the building passed through metal
detector
man who said he represented the nigerian embassy but would not give his name
told reporters that abdulmutallab family had not attended the hearing
in continued sign of the heightened vigilance two alleged associates of an
afghan immigrant accused of planning attacks in new york around the anniversary
of the september attacks were arrested by the fbi on friday
dismissing criticism that his administration has been too soft on terror obama
said thursday the united states was at war with al qaeda
but he vowed americans would not be forced into adopting siege mentality
in detroit around demonstrators stood shivering outside the courthouse
holding american flags and signs declaring not in the name of islam and islam
is against terrorism
majed moughni who moved to the detroit area from lebanon said he was worried
there would be backlash against muslims
we re trying to unite as muslims and we re going to eradicate all terrorism
from our homes and our mosques and we re going to send terrorists back to the
caves of afghanistan he said
nigeria worried at africa cup security
lagos jan afp
nigerian football authorities called friday for tighter security at the african
nations cup in angola after machine gun attack on the togolese team bus left
one dead and nine injured
we are really concerned about the security at the tournament nigerian
football federation nff spokesman ademola olajire told afp
the convoy of buses was sprayed with bullets as it crossed into the cabinda
enclave
we cannot remember when we had such tragedy in the years of the
competition he said
we urge the local organisers to tighten security more so as the nigerian team
has just arrived in benguela this evening he said
cabinda rebels claim togo football bus shooting
lisbon jan afp
the armed wing of the front for the liberation of the enclave of cabinda flec
claimed responsibility on friday for deadly machine gun attack on the togolese
football team bus portugal lusa news agency reported
on friday at january the flec pm resistance carried out an
attack in the massabi sector against angolan armed forces escorting togo
national selection it said in communique lusa reported
the attack left one dead and three seriously wounded added the communique
signed by the group secretary general rodrigues mingas
it added this operation is only the start of series of targeted actions that
will continue in all the territory of cabinda
angolan minister calls togo squad shooting terrorist act
luanda jan afp
an angolan minister and former cabinda separatist leader denounced friday
shooting of the togo squad to the african nations cup as terrorist act
have always associated this type of act as terrorist acts as they target
civilians antonio bento bembe told afp
but he insisted that the shooting was not the work of the separatist front for
the liberation of the enclave of cabinda flec which he led until signing
deal with the government
the group has already claimed responsibility for the attack according to the
lusa news agency in lisbon
cannot say that flec remains in cabinda because was part of this guerrilla
movement said bento bembe minister without portfolio in charge of human
rights
these are small unorganised groups that sometimes undertake subversive
actions terrorist acts
urgent football african nations cup to go ahead caf
luanda jan afp
the african nations cup will go ahead as planned despite friday deadly attack
on the togo team bus which killed the driver and injured nine the confederation
of african football confirmed to afp
us awards billion dollars for green jobs
washington jan afp
the administration of president barack obama announced friday it was awarding
billion dollars in tax credits aimed at promoting green jobs
the funds from the billion dollar stimulus bill approved by congress last
year will provide credit for investments in manufacturing facilities for clean
energy technologies
officials said the projects are expected to create more than jobs
the awards will cover manufacturing facilities for cleanenergy products
across states officials said they include aid for products ranging from
solar energy technology and wind turbines to electrical grid improvements
officials said some percent of these projects would produce new products or
services in and that must be placed in service by
building robust clean energy sector is how we will create the jobs of the
future said obama
he added that the fund will help close the clean energy gap that has grown
between america and other nations while creating good jobs reducing our carbon
emissions and increasing our energy security
vargas llosa backs chile billionaire frontrunner
santiago jan afp
peruvian writer mario vargas llosa on friday backed chile right wing
presidential candidate sebastian pinera billionaire seeking to overturn two
decades of leftist rule
vargas llosa said that outgoing chilean president michelle bachelet
concertacion coalition which has held power since the end of general augusto
pinochet year military dictatorship had lost dynamism
it has lost dynamism it has lost energy and think that the best proof of
that is the result of the first round vargas llosa said at an event in chile
bachelet chosen successor former president eduardo frei garnered just
percent of the first round vote on december while percent went to pinera
pinera represents modern center right which will promote chile
development vargas llosa said
bachelet government invited the latin american writer to chile to take part in
monday inauguration of museum honoring victims of the country military
regime
pinera said friday that he would not rule out working with former employees of
pinochet regime if he won the election
the truth is that the fact of having worked for government including the
military government is not sin nor crime what is sin is those who
committed crimes pinera said in an interview on national television
pinera right wing alliance includes former pinochet collaborators
the presidential second round takes place on january
alert
football african nations cup goes ahead caf
spanish soldier killed in road accident in afghanistan
madrid jan afp
year old spanish soldier serving in afghanistan died friday after he was
run over by vehicle at military base in the western city of herat the
defence ministry said
christian quishpe aguirre was taken to hospital after the accident at the
vehicle maintenance site of the base where he died from his injuries it said in
statement
the defence ministry said an investigation had been opened into the accident
aguirre of ecuadorian origin was married and father of young daughter he
joined the spanish army in september
his death comes two days after poll published in daily newspaper el mundo
showed that spaniards are largely opposed to the government decision to send
further troops to the nato led international security assistance force
isaf in afghanistan
over percent considered the decision bad or very bad percent judged
it normal and only percent felt the decision was good or very good
the extra troops were among the around additional military personnel that
us allies and partners announced after us president barack obama pledged
further us troops to bolster the already in afghanistan fighting
the taliban led insurgency
spain troops currently in afghanistan are located in the west of the
country
urgent cabinda rebels claim togo football bus shooting
lisbon jan afp
the front for the liberation of the enclave of cabinda flec claimed
responsibility on friday for deadly machine gun attack on the togolese
football team bus portugal lusa news agency reported
astronomers spot super earth light years away
washington jan afp
us astronomers have detected the second smallest exoplanet ever discovered with
mass just four times heavier than the earth adding to growing number of
low mass planets dubbed super earths
this is quite remarkable discovery said andrew howard an astronomer at the
university of california at berkeley
it shows that we can push down and find smaller and smaller planets he said
in presentation at the th meeting of the american astronomical society in
washington dc this week
the exoplanet name given to planets outside our solar system has been dubbed
hd and is located around light years from earth in the direction of
the hercules constellation
light year is rough billion kilometers
the planet orbits around its parent star in just over four days
the smallest exoplanet previously discovered by astronomers was gliese
detected by swiss astronomer in april some light years from earth in
the balance constellation
but it orbits much closer to its star making its temperature much higher than
that on earth
earlier this week the scientific team responsible for the kepler us space
telescope launched in march to find planets similar to earth outside our
solar system announced at the same meeting their discovery of five new
exoplanets
all five planets dubbed kepler and have high masses and very
high temperatures ranging from to degrees celsius to
degrees fahrenheit
the five kepler discoveries and hd join more than exoplanets already
discovered by astronomers using various terrestrial telescopes since
some exoplanets have been identified by astronomers so far according to
specialist site exoplanet eu but none appear to be similar to earth or capable
of supporting life
however astronomers generally express confidence that either the kepler
telescope or the european corot telescope will eventually find exoplanets like
earth
john morse head of the astrophysics division at nasa headquarters in
washington said it was only matter of time before more kepler observations
lead to smaller planets with longer period orbits coming closer and closer to
the discovery of the first earth analog
the team of astronomers who discovered hd used one of two keck telescopes
at the meter foot summit of mount mauna kea in hawaii
the astronomers used the so called wobble method which measures the
gravitational effects of planet on its star
when the planet passes in front of its star it produces slight change in the
star color spectrum shifting it towards blue
tennis cilic marches into chennai open semi finals
chennai india jan afp
defending champion marin cilic of croatia led charge of seeded players into
the semi finals of the atp chennai open on friday
the second seeded cilic favoured to retain the title after top seed robin
soderling was knocked out in the first round beat santiago giraldo of colombia
in quarter final that ended past midnight
also moving into the last four following lengthy rain delay were third seed
stanislas wawrinka of switzerland fourth seeded janko tipsarevic of serbia and
fifth seed dudi sela of israel
cilic will clash with tipsarevic and sela takes on wawrinka in saturday semi
finals of the dollar event warm up for the australian open which
starts in melbourne on january
the th ranked cilic needed an hour and minutes to win the first set in the
tie breaker after giraldo had run up lead
but the croat wrapped up the second set in just minutes and said later he
was delighted to have fought his way into the semi finals
it was tough in the first set but came out of it well and did everything
right in the second set said cilic
some indian fans braved the damp weather to watch play begin at pm
gmt after light rain delayed the start by three hours
the organisers juggled the order of play to avoid very late finish scheduling
two quarter finals on the centre court and the remaining two on the outer
courts
wawrinka who opened the night proceedings on centre court survived tough
first set against seventh seed michael berrer of germany to win
in an hour and minutes
it really good first tournament of the year for me so far said the st
ranked wawrinka the number two swiss player behind roger federer
to win in straight sets in quarter final is great in fact to win three
matches in straight sets is ideal
on the tour we re used to waiting to play because of the rain it part of the
job pretty easy to handle they put me for the first match so it wasn
problem at all
tipsarevic who struggled with his serves overcame thiemo de bakker of the
netherlands in hard fought match that lasted two hours and six
minutes
the dutchman playing in his maiden atp tour quarter final led in the first
set and in the second but failed to build on the early advantage against
the experienced serb
really happy that am in the semifinals but not happy with the way
played today said tipsarevic
the only satisfaction is fought well was down in both sets and managed
to find way to win in straight sets
lukas lacko promising year old from the slovak republic made good start
against sela before the israeli emerged victor
top designers to highlight biodiversity loss at un fashion show
geneva jan afp
top designers including diane von furstenberg and john rocha will hold catwalk
at the european headquarters of the united nations on january to appeal
against the loss of biodiversity
more than prominent figures from government international organizations
and the fashion and cosmetics industries will meet in geneva on january to
call for action against the rapid loss of the world biodiversity said the un
conference on trade and development which is organising the event
seminar and exhibition will be held on issues including the rise of eco
fashion and luxury brands as role models on sustainability while the fashion
show is set to close the event
according to the updated global red list of endangered species by the
international union for conservation of nature percent of all known mammals
and percent of plant species surveyed are under threat of extinction
the problem of the declining number of species and ecosystems is expected to be
highlighted by scientists in coming months as has been named the
international year of biodiversity
football big freeze hits epl programme
london jan afp
five of this weekend english premier league fixtures have been postponed
because of concerns for the safety of spectators making their way to grounds in
freezing conditions
saturday fulham portsmouth sunderland bolton and burnley stoke matches
were all called off on friday as was sunday liverpool tottenham match at
anfield and the game between hull and leaders chelsea after heavy snowfall in
hull
as result of chelsea match being postponed second placed manchester united
can now go top if they win at in form birmingham
with much of britain blanketed in thick snow almost half this weekend
fixtures in england lower divisions have been called off and only handful of
matches have survived in scotland
although all premier league clubs are required to have under soil heating which
means the playing surfaces would be in good condition iced up streets
surrounding the grounds mean there is safety risk for supporters and clubs
generally follow advice from local police in making decision
clubs are also wary of delaying decision to call off match until the last
possible minute for fear some supporters may have already embarked on long
journeys as happened to bolton fans who had travelled to london for midweek
match at arsenal only for the game to be postponed in late afternoon
arsenal manager arsene wenger however feels that matches are being called off
too easily
personally know only the inside of the stadiums don know the
surroundings well enough but must say it is the price we pay for living in
society where everybody wants percent security wenger said friday
nobody accepts any risk any more and everybody is always guided by fear
if one of people has an accident you feel very guilty and nobody
accepts anymore that the slightest insecurity could exist in our society and
that is why the games are postponed when there is no real need for it
urgent driver dead nine hurt in togo football bus shooting federation
lome jan afp
the driver of the bus carrying togo side to the african nations cup was killed
in friday ambush that left nine others wounded the head of the togolese
football federation told afp
urgent angolan minister calls togo squad shooting terrorist act
luanda jan afp
an angolan minister and former cabinda separatist leader denounced friday
shooting of the togo squad to african nations cup as terrorist act
alert
cabinda rebels claim togo football bus shooting lusa news agency
lf rom cw
two immigrants shot in italian town
rome jan afp
two immigrants were shot in the legs on friday in second night of violence in
southern italian town the italian news agency ansa reported
the pair were wounded with hunting shotguns in rosarno in the calabria region
but were not seriously injured ansa quoted police sources as saying
the incident came day after violence erupted when hundreds of immigrants most
of them africans employed illegally as farm labourers protested after some of
their number were shot at with an air rifle ansa reported
demonstrators set alight cars and smashed windscreens on thursday night the
agency said before police intervened leading to scuffle that left several of
the demonstrators wounded
the disturbances continued on friday with about immigrants holding sit
in in the centre of rosarno while italian residents blocked roads and occupied
the town hall to demand immigrants be removed italian media reported
around people armed with batons and metal bars set up barricade on friday
evening near place where many immigrants meet
ansa said that five immigrants were deliberately run over by vehicles driven by
residents though none were seriously injured
the un high commissioner for refugees is to visit the area on saturday and is
concerned there could be an immigrant hunt or that residents may seek revenge
on them the agency spokeswoman in italy laura boldrini said
we are very worried about the situation at rosarno and the tension which
remains high today she told afp
boldrini said authorities must find those responsible for the aggression against
the immigrants who included political refugees and asylum seekers
she said there should be immediate dialogue including about the inhuman
conditions in which these workers are living the unhealthy cabins without
water without hygiene
interior minister roberto maroni member of the anti immigrant northern league
party said the tensions were result of too much tolerance towards
clandestine immigration
according to italy main trade union cgil about immigrant workers in
italy live in poor conditions similar to those in rosarno
