cutting spinner abdur razzak for four
jayawardene hit fours in his ball knock before being caught behind off
spinner naeem islam while man of the match tharanga ball knock contained
fours
we should have scored at least more runs but lost too many wickets in the
end hopefully we ll do better next time said bangladesh skipper shakib
sri lanka earlier did not allow the hosts to build big partnerships with
disciplined bowling effort with seamers thissara perera and nuwan kulasekara
and off spinner suraj randiv grabbing two wickets apiece
the highest stand of the innings was for the fourth wicket between shakib
and raqibul hasan but it was not good enough to help their side set
stiff target
imrul kayes mushfiqur rahim and tamim iqbal also got starts but
failed to convert them into big knocks mohammad mahmudullah hit run ball
not out late in the innings
gm will still consider offers for saab as liquidation begins
detroit michigan jan afp
general motors said friday it had begun an orderly wind down of its swedish
unit saab but would continue to review any late proposals to buy the brand
gm said it hired the consulting firm alixpartners to supervise the orderly
wind down of saab and has requested approval of the selection by the
appropriate authority in sweden
the us auto giant in the process of massive restructuring after bankruptcy
last year said the process for saab is expected to take several months and
will ensure that employees dealers and suppliers are adequately protected
gm also confirmed that it has received several proposals for saab and is
continuing to evaluate these proposals even as it begins liquidation of the
auto division
several groups including dutch sportscar maker spyker and group comprised of
formula one boss bernie ecclestone and genii capital luxembourg investment
firm have said they presented gm with last ditch bids to rescue saab
cycling saxo bank ends cycling deal year early
copenhagen jan afp
bjarne riis successful cycling outfit will be on the lookout for new title
sponsor during after saxo bank decided to end their deal year earlier
than planned
the bank has sponsored the team since when it competed under the name csc
saxo bank it took over as the main sponsor in january and changed the name
to team saxo bank
saxo bank announced today that it will no longer continue its sponsorship
of the cycling team team saxo bank after the bank said in statement
friday
calling its collaboration with riis and the rest of the team fantastic saxo
bank said the sponsorship has not been ideal in reaching our narrow target
group
we have to take this seriously and after we will use our marketing funds
differently it is our belief that sponsor with broader profile will achieve
much more from sponsoring the cycling team it said
statement from riis said we have already started the process of finding
new title sponsor for the coming years
we have one of the strongest teams in the world that includes some of our
sport biggest profiles the experiences and challenges of the last two years
have prepared our company for this challenge
saxo bank team has some of the sport big names such as fabian cancellara
tour de france runner up andy schleck and former paris roubaix winner
stuart grady
us drone missile strike kills five in nw pakistan officials
miranshah pakistan jan afp
us drone missile attack killed five militants in pakistan tribal belt on the
afghan border on friday pakistani officials said
the attack took place in tappi village in north waziristan stronghold of
taliban and al qaeda linked militants and was the fourth suspected us missile
attack in the tribal district in the last eight days
the us drone fired two missiles on house the house was completely
destroyed senior security official told afp on condition of anonymity
five militants were killed and three were injured in the attack vehicle
parked in the house was also destroyed he added
two intelligence officials in the area and local administrative official also
confirmed the attack and the toll
ugandan minister breaks ranks on anti gay bill
kampala jan afp
ugandan minister on friday opposed bill which could see homosexuals punished
with death throwing doubt over the legislation which has drawn widespread
international condemnation
investment minister aston kajara said the country already had sufficient
legislation against homosexuality and the anti homosexuality bill was not
needed
the government position is that the existing provisions in our penal code
against homosexuality are strong enough and that this new bill is not
necessary kajara told afp
the penal code already sufficiently covers this issue
but ethics minister james nsaba buturo staunch supporter of the bill who has
in the past said homosexuals can forget about human rights dismissed kajara
as not representing the government on the issue
the bill already before parliament would impose the death penalty for
aggravated homosexuality applicable in cases of rape of minor by person
of the same sex or where one partner is hiv positive
it would also criminalise public discussion of homosexuality and could penalise
an individual who knowingly rented property to homosexual
homosexuality is already illegal in uganda punishable by life imprisonment in
some instances and is an offence of carnal knowledge against the order of
nature under the penal code
widespread condemnation by rights groups and western nations have been heaped on
the legislation
the united states and the european union have called on kampala to scrap the
bill criticising is as setback to human rights
the bill sponsor david bahati said consultations were ongoing over the draft
law
every single day we are in consultation with different stakeholders at the
moment it is premature to say whether the bill will be adjusted or won be
adjusted he told afp
but angelo izama an analyst with kampala based think tank fanaka kwa wote said
watered down version of the bill may be adopted
suspect that if it comes for discussion it will be greatly watered down
version where the death penalty will be removed that seems to have been the
early consensus he wotld afp
last month buturo said concerns over the death penalty could force changes
that one of the issues that has concerned not only our friends but some
ugandans he told reporters may be parliament should consider life sentence
as opposed to death penalty
izama said the bill has damaged president yoweri museveni government image as
the accusation in the that idi amin kept the skull of his enemies in the
fridge referring to ugandan dictator ruthless rule
but buturo also last month stressed uganda sovereignty
nobody nobody nobody has the right to think for ugandans nobody has the
right to impose their values on sovereign state he said
okello oryem junior foreign minister said on friday that uganda would not
bow to external pressure
we are not going to accept intimidation from anybody if any country who claims
to be one of uganda friends threatens to withdraw aid we will tell them they
can keep their aid he told afp
the time of threatening to give aid or not give aid is over
other observers said that uganda has failed to acknowledge the diplomatic
repurcussions of the legislation
think generally there has been serious failure to appreciate the foreign
policy implications of this bill said busingye kabumba law lecturer at
kampala makerere university
in uganda we have semblance of democracy not full democracy so all sorts
of ministers can shout about how foreigners should stay out of uganda
business
at the end of the day everyone knows it all comes down to one man the
president
financial regulators issue new guidelines to tighten oversight
geneva jan afp
international financial regulators on friday issued new recommendations to
toughen up regulation of the industry including the mortgage sector in bid
to prevent repeat of the global credit crisis
there are some key recommendations in this report that once implemented will
reduce those gaps and strengthen regulation of the financial system said john
dugan who chaired the group of regulators until the end of
the list of recommendations covers the banking insurance securities
mortgage and hedge fund sectors
under the new guidelines lenders offering teaser rate mortgages home loans
that allow very low initial monthly payments should no longer use the lower
rates as the basis when calculating borrowers ability to pay
they also should not consider future house price appreciation as factor in
determining the ability of borrower to repay mortgage the joint forum
group said in statement
the joint forum is made up of the central bankers group the basel committee on
banking supervision the international organization of securities commissions
and the international association of insurance supervisors
subprime or higher risk us home mortgages have been blamed for triggering the
financial crisis during which once venerable banks such as lehman brothers went
bust
lenders had approved loans for people with poor credit history often enticing
them with low interest rate payments for the initial months
however when interest rates suddenly shot up borrowers were unable to meet
their higher monthly payments with the ensuring collapse in housing prices
borrowers were also unable to refinance their mortgages sending the problem
into vicious circle which led to the worst global slump since the
the poor quality subprime mortgages were packaged and then sold on to investors
as securities by mainstream banks with subsequent defaults sparking global
credit crunch
in its recommendations the joint forum called for standards that focus on an
accurate assessment of each borrower capacity to repay their loans
the joint forum also broadened the regulatory scope to cover the hedge fund
industry asking that these groups be required to identify sources of systemic
risk and to allow for monitoring
hedge funds have been clearly identified as one of the most significant group
of institutions in the shadow banking system it said
china ministry warns against us weapons sales to taiwan
beijing jan afp
china defence ministry warned on friday that us approval for sales of upgraded
missile equipment to taiwan severely undermined trust between the us and
chinese militaries xinhua reported
we urge the united states to respect china core interests the state news
agency quoted spokesman huang xueping as saying
the us side clings obstinately to the bush administration plan of arms sales
to taiwan which severely undermines the mutual trust between the two
militaries
it also brings severe obstacle to the improvement and development of china us
military ties huang said we reserve the right of taking further actions
his comments came after us official in taipei said the us defense department
had approved the sale of patriot missile equipment to taiwan part of package
passed by congress more than year ago
the us defense department awarded lockheed martin corp the contract to provide
patriot missile defence systems to taiwan as part of big arms deal approved by
congress in said the spokesman with the american institute the us de
facto embassy in taipei
the us defense department said in statement on wednesday the contract for
lockheed martin involved basic missile tooling upgrades
on tuesday chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman jiang yu told reporters we
urge the us to recognise the gravity of selling arms to taiwan
she added that beijing had held serious consultations with washington on the
issue
the us should cancel any plans to sell arms to taiwan and stop selling arms to
taiwan so as not to damage china us relations she said
the pentagon in october notified congress of billion dollars in arms
sales to taiwan triggering stern condemnation from china
the package included patriot advanced capability pac missiles worth up
to billion dollars
the contract now awarded by the pentagon which totals million dollars and
also covers deals not involving taiwan appears to be for only part of the
missile sale announced in
taiwan and china have been governed independently since the end of civil war
in but beijing considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to
get it back by force if necessary
relations have improved since taiwan current administration assumed power in
may pursuing programme of stepping up economic ties
tennis qatar open tennis results st update
doha jan afp
results from the fifth day of the qatar open here on friday denotes seeding
semi finals
rafael nadal esp bt viktor troicki srb
nikolay davydenko rus bt roger federer sui
urgent us drone missile strike kills five in nw pakistan officials
miranshah pakistan jan afp
us drone missile attack killed five militants in pakistan tribal belt on the
afghan border on friday pakistani officials said
alert
five killed in us drone missile strike in nw pakistan officials
iberdrola wins bid for british wind farm contract
madrid jan afp
spanish energy group iberdrola renovables said on friday it had won joint bid
with sweden vattenfall to build one of the biggest offshore winds farms in
the world in britain
the amount of the deal was not disclosed but the spanish business paper
eleconomista said it could be about billion euros billion dollars
iberdrola renovables the global leader in wind power made the bid through its
affiliate scottishpower renewables which it acquired in
the wind farm which would have an energy capacity of megawatts would be
built in the north sea off east anglia iberdrola renovables said in
statement
iberdrola renovables the global leader in wind power and vattenfall the
world leading developer of offshore wind farms have formed joint
venture company called east anglia offshore wind ltd to build the project
the preliminary permits required could be obtained in and construction
could start three years later
iberdrola renovables is present in countries it ended with an installed
capacity for wind power production of around megawatts
cricket south africa call up pakistan born spinner
johannesburg jan afp
south africa included pakistan born leg spinner imran tahir in man squad
for the fourth and final test against england starting at the wanderers stadium
on thursday
tahir was born in lahore and represented pakistan before moving to south
africa where he married local woman he completed residential qualification
at the start of the current season
he has played for the easterns amateur team and the titans franchise in south
african domestic cricket he was the leading wicket taker for the titans who
won the south african first class competition in with wickets at an
average of
tahir has also played in english county cricket for middlesex yorkshire and
hampshire
tahir will be competing with left arm spinner paul harris for place in the
starting line up for what selection convenor mike procter described as must
win test
england lead the series and south africa need win to share the honours
fast bowler friedel de wet was included in the squad despite bowling only four
overs during the last day of the drawn third test in cape town on thursday
because of back muscle spasms de wet inclusion will depend on scan of his
injury
left arm fast bowler wayne parnell was included in the squad but there was no
recall for makhaya ntini who was dropped from the team for the third test
the remaining members of the squad were part of the party that was selected for
the cape town test
the squad graeme smith captain ashwell prince hashim amla jacques kallis
ab de villiers jp duminy mark boucher dale steyn morne morkel paul harris
friedel de wet alviro petersen ryan mclaren wayne parnell and imran tahir
us sheds jobs highlighting sluggish recovery
washington jan afp
the us economy lost jobs in december while the unemployment rate held at
percent the government said friday in report highlighting slow and
painful recovery from recession
the labor department report on nonfarm payrolls was disappointment to those
hoping for job growth which is critical to economic recovery
the figure was far worse than the consensus expectation for no change in overall
employment levels and came amid wide array of predictions ranging from steep
losses to modest gains
the unemployment rate meanwhile was in line with expectations remaining near
its highest level since the
in revising data for prior months the data showed net gain of jobs in
november instead of loss of previously reported the first positive
month after months of losses
but the agency also revised its october estimate to show loss of jobs
in october instead of
christina romer head of president barack obama council of economic advisors
called the latest figures setback but said they were consistent with the
gradual labor market stabilization we have been seeing over the last several
months
as the president has said for year the road to recovery will not be
straight line romer added
the monthly employment and unemployment numbers are volatile and subject to
substantial revision therefore it is important not to read too much into any
one monthly report positive or negative
private economists said the news was disappointing but consistent with
gradually healing economy
we re getting steady but very slow improvement in the job market said
robert macintosh economist at eaton vance
we are going to have to get used to frustratingly high unemployment rate
on the surface this was disappointing report especially since we did finally
have positive number in november said joel naroff at naroff economic
advisors
but the seasonal adjustments are difficult in this type of cautious environment
and wouldn be surprised if in january there was another job increase
cary leahey senior economist at the research firm decision economics called
the data consistent with still sluggish economy
the labor market is struggling and is stuck in the water he said
you are seeing gains in output and manufacturing because of liquidation of
inventories but we haven seen decisive turn in the labor market
the world biggest economy expanded at percent pace in the third quarter
after four quarters of decline in the worst recession in decades most analysts
expect continued growth for the fourth quarter and but say recovery could
be held back by unemployment which hurts consumer spending and confidence
it is starting to look like those in the shaped recovery camp are in better
shape than those in the shaped recovery camp said ian pollick economics
strategist at td securities
while the worst of the recession is likely over the fact that the duration of
unemployment remains rigid is concern though silver lining is that we are
likely to see net job creation assisted by census hiring in the first quarter of
the december report showed the goods producing sector shed jobs including
in manufacturing and in construction
the services sector lost modest jobs with loss of in retail
offset by gains in education health care and professional services government
sector employment fell by
average hours worked sometimes seen as proxy for economic activity was
unchanged in december average hourly earnings meanwhile rose percent
the civilian labor force fell by in the month suggesting that more
people are stopping their search for employment
the unchanged unemployment rate of percent understates labor market slack
since labor force participation fell sharply said sophia koropeckyj at moody
economy com
profiles of croatia presidential run off rivals
zagreb jan afp
ivo josipovic law professor representing the main opposition social
democrats and milan bandic the zagreb mayor running as an independent face
each other in croatia presidential election run off on sunday
josipovic who in the december first round garnered percent of the vote
more than double the support for bandic his former party colleague holds an
almost point lead over his rival an opinion poll showed on friday
the survey by the mediana fides agency expected to be the last one published
before sunday run off vote was similar to earlier ones giving josipovic
stable lead
the candidates share similar agenda stressing the fight against corruption
and the country integration into the european union that zagreb hopes to
achieve by as their priorities however in terms of their image and
rhetoric josipovic and bandic are worlds apart
here are short profiles of the two candidates
ivo josipovic josipovic the candidate of the main opposition social
democratic party sdp was born and educated in zagreb where he graduated with
law and music degrees to become both legal expert and composer of classical
music
criminal and international criminal law lecturer at zagreb university
josipovic was elected to parliament in after nine year absence from
politics
analysts say josipovic has reputation for competence and an untarnished
political career but some feel he lacks charisma with grey hair and glasses
critics say he is colourless and failed to shake his boring image of jurist
and professor
however croatia public bombarded by series of high level corruption
affairs might be longing for president who brings sense of civil virtue to
the table even if it is sterile other analysts argue
the mild mannered intellectual has campaigned under the slogan justice for
croatia insisting on the need to fight corruption and the return of morals in
politics
decisive fight against corruption and crime is my main task josipovic said
he vowed to eradicate enrichment founded on corruption instead on work and
political and family ties as top criteria for one progress
josipovic is married and has daughter
milan bandic bandic the popular mayor of zagreb is running as an
independent candidate after being expelled from the main opposition spd party in
november when he announced his candidacy for the presidency
with his conservative viewpoints notably strong links with the powerful roman
catholic church and support of traditional values bandic was often an odd
man out within the opposition social democrats
the bosnian born veteran politician studied politics at zagreb university and
first became major of zagreb in
forced to resign after three years following drink driving scandal in which
he fled from police bandic styles himself as an ordinary man of flesh and
blood
passionate long distance runner he has promised to work like horse for
croatia if he is elected president bandic names his leading virtues as
patriotism philanthropy and love of god and promises to stand up for the
little man
critics point to bandic suspected links with corruption in the capital his
alleged incompetence for the job and reputation for empty rhetoric the
energetic populist has countered that deeds are better than words and stresses
the country needs man who had already proved himself
bandic is expected to attract the votes of those backing the ruling
conservatives whose candidate did not make into the run off as well as
supporters of rightwing parties he is also very popular among the some
ethnic croats living in bosnia who have the right to vote in the presidential
elections
bandic is married and has daughter
clinton puts onus on khartoum to ensure peace pact survives
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton on friday put more of the burden on
sudan northern based government than on southern leaders for ensuring their
fragile peace accord survives
marking the fifth anniversary of the comprehensive peace agreement cpa ending
africa longest civil war clinton voiced concern about recent violence that
has killed more than people and displaced others
threats to progress are real clinton told reporters adding true democratic
transformation remains elusive
the cpa was signed by the national congress party ncp of president omar al
beshir the country arab and muslim leader and the former southern rebel
sudan people liberation movement which represents the mainly christian or
animist south
it provided for general election in april and an independence referendum
year later as well as for sharing the nation vast oil wealth but us
officials are worried the provisions may not be carried out properly
the national congress party and the sudan people liberation movement must be
willing to make the compromises and commitments necessary to build mutual
confidence and achieve stability and lasting peace clinton said
the national congress party must recognize that as the dominant political
party it bears greater responsibility in ensuring the full and successful
implementation of the cpa she added reading statement to reporters
the ncp therefore must use its executive authority to suspend elements of the
national security and public order laws that are incompatible with free and fair
elections said the chief us diplomat flanked by her sudan envoy scott
gration
there must be no efforts to restrict freedom of speech and assembly and there
must be no prohibitions on peaceful protests clinton added
there must be sincere efforts to appoint members of the two referenda
commissions and determine voter criteria for voter eligibility she said
she also urged both parties to begin immediate negotiations on how to share
wealth and resources in anticipation of the cpa expiry in july next year
gration said he would travel to sudan neighbors uganda and kenya on january
oil prices dip on us jobs report
london jan afp
oil prices fell after news that the us economy lost more jobs than expected last
month dampening hopes of swift recovery in the world number one energy
consuming nation
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for february delivery
dropped cents to dollars barrel
the contract topped dollars on wednesday for the first time in months
before closing lower on thursday for the first time in trading sessions
brent north sea crude for february delivery lost cents to at dollars in
late afternoon london trading on friday
the american economy lost jobs in december while the unemployment rate
held at percent the us government said on friday in report highlighting
slow and painful recovery
the report seems to set back at least temporarily some of the more optimistic
views of recovery said peter beutel president of us trading advisory firm
cameron hanover cited by dow jones newswires
and with that of course one has to reassess the prospect for higher oil
demand he added
the labor department report on nonfarm payrolls was disappointment to those
hoping for growth in jobs which is critical to recovery from recession
the figure was far worse than the consensus expectation for no change in overall
employment levels and came amid wide array of predictions ranging from steep
losses to modest gains
the unemployment rate meanwhile was in line with expectations remaining near
its highest level since the
in earlier deals on friday oil traded in negative territory as the dollar
strengthened and on signs of slackening us energy demand analysts said
stronger dollar often tends to dampen demand for dollar priced crude oil and
other commodities as they become more expensive to holders of weaker currencies
us energy inventory data showing easing demand in the world biggest economy
also helped push down prices analysts said
us crude oil reserves rose by million barrels in the week ending january
instead of the expected drop of some barrels
stockpiles of distillates including heating fuel and diesel fell
barrels last week sharply below the average analyst forecast of drop of
million barrels amid cold weather across parts of the united states
football wolfsburg gentner to sign for stuttgart
stuttgart germany jan afp
wolfsburg german international midfielder christian gentner will join former
club stuttgart at the end of the season the buying club announced friday
gentner played for stuttgart between and has signed three year
deal stuttgart are currently th in germany bundesliga
afp middle east news agenda
nicosia jan afp
duty editor albion land
news desk
middle east news agenda for saturday
baghdad monitoring after iraqi politicians and parties linked to saddam
hussein baath party were barred from taking part in march elections iraq
vote politics
damascus pakistani president asif ali zardari wraps up two day visit
pakistan syria diplomacy
sanaa following developments as yemen warns that us military intervention to
back its fight against al qaeda militants could backfire and strengthen the
jihadist network attacks yemen
monitoring developments as the government says briton and five germans held
captive by unknown kidnappers for the past six months are alive yemen
germany britain kidnap
monitoring continued fighting in northern yemen between the army and huthi
rebels who are also engaged in border clashes with saudi forces yemen
unrest saudi
cricket afridi signs up for hampshire campaign
london jan afp
english county hampshire have signed pakistan one day star shahid afridi as
their second overseas player for this year domestic twenty competitioin
afridi player of the tournament as pakistan won the world twenty last summer
will join sri lanka spinner ajantha mendis at the rose bowl
the year old has previously played in england with leicestershire and kent
and hampshire first team manager giles white said he is renowned as one of the
best twenty players in the world and is match winner with both bat and ball
it is an exciting prospect for the club and its supporters to have two such
