state media said friday
when the gas leak occurred at the puyang iron and steel co in hebei province on
monday officials initially said that only seven workers were killed xinhua
news agency said citing local authorities
but company executives confessed thursday that they had covered up the death
toll during questioning by joint investigative group made up of police and
work safety officials the report said
the deputy manager of the plant was subsequently arrested and two other factory
officials placed under house arrest for the alleged cover up it said
the gas leak occurred as workers were assembling furnace it added
china work safety record is notoriously bad with thousands of people dying
every year in mines factories and on construction sites according to official
tallies
in northwest gansu province five people were missing after huge explosion at
chemical plant belonging to state run china national petroleum corporation on
thursday xinhua said previous reports put the death toll at two
also on thursday more than workers at an electrical factory in southern
guangdong province tested positive for suspected mercury poisoning stemming from
lax work safety regulations reports said
us wary of allowing bagram inmates to challenge detention
washington jan afp
us appeals court appeared reluctant thursday to grant detainees at the bagram
prison in afghanistan the same rights given in to prisoners in guantanamo
to be able to challenge their detention in us civilian courts
judges here were wary of extending three detainees such rights at the military
prison at the bagram air base north of kabul indicating such ruling could
lead to other prisoners held oversees by the united states to seek redress in
federal court
in april last year us district judge john bates recognized the right of the
detainees held at bagram without charge for at least six years to challenge
their detention in the united states according to their lawyers
he based the ruling on the landmark supreme court move in to allow such
rights to prisoners held at the us naval base at guantanamo bay cuba
these detainees have been denied due process insisted attorney tina foster
on thursday
the three appeals court judges however expressed concern that an approval of
bates ruling would open the door to more than prisoners currently held at
bagram and serve as precedent for other people detained in us military bases
around the world
the bagram prison has served since as holding site for terror suspects
captured outside afghanistan and iraq
in september the united states granted bagram prisoners the nominal right to
challenge their detention but not in us courts
bates originally ruled that foreign prisoners held at bagram should also be
provided the right enshrined in the writ of habeas corpus
in responding however the administration has argued bates ruling reverses
long standing law imposes great practical problems conflicts with the
considered judgment of both political branches and risks opening the federal
courts to habeas claims brought by detainees held in other theaters of war
during future military actions
many of the detainees at bagram have languished for years
but unlike prisoners at guantanamo bay where some war on terror
detainees are still held the bagram inmates have had no access to lawyers no
right to hear the allegations against them and only rudimentary reviews of their
status as enemy combatants
japan finance minister will act on yen if needed
tokyo jan afp
japan new finance minister said friday that tokyo would take action over the
strong yen if needed but added that in general markets should set currency
levels
basically the market determines foreign exchange rates naoto kan said at
news conference
as finance minister however it was his duty to take action on foreign
exchange when necessary he added
kan remarks came day after he rattled markets with call for weaker yen
prompting thinly veiled rebuke from prime minister yukio hatoyama who warned
him not to publicly comment on currency levels
the government basically should not discuss foreign exchange hatoyama told
reporters regarding foreign exchange stability is desirable
kan former health minister with little experience in financial matters said
that he agreed in principle with hatoyama comments
the finance minister call thursday for further decline in the value of the
yen caused the currency to drop sharply on the foreign exchange market
kan said he would work with the central bank to steer the yen to an
appropriate level in break from his predecessor tolerance of stronger
currency
his remarks sparked speculation that tokyo might act to sell the yen although
japan has not made an official foray into the currency market since march
allowing the yen to find its own level against the dollar
in november the dollar fell to around yen its lowest level since the mid
raising fears that japanese exporters such as toyota and sony would lose
competitiveness in overseas markets
kan predecessor hirohisa fujii who stepped down for health reasons had
repeatedly said while in the job that in principle tokyo should refrain from
market intervention to weaken the yen and protect exporters
indian ku klux klan cartoon condemned in australia
sydney jan afp
australia on friday condemned as deeply offensive the suggestion that its
police were racist after an indian newspaper ran cartoon likening the force
to the ku klux klan
india mail today ran the cartoon showing figure with an australian police
badge wearing pointed white hood following the stabbing murder of year old
indian national nitin garg in melbourne last weekend
deputy prime minister julia gillard said she had not seen the cartoon which
came as the indian media accused australian police of not doing enough to solve
the murder of accounting graduate garg
but she said any suggestion of the kind is deeply offensive and would
condemn the making of such comment
gillard said police in victoria state where the murder occurred had increased
patrols in areas where violent attacks have taken place following string of
crimes against indians in the past months
they have worked in close collaboration with representatives of the indian
community as they have gone about with this step up in policing she said
victoria police minister bob cameron also condemned the cartoon which featured
the hooded figure saying we are yet to ascertain the nature of the crime
victoria police is very tolerant organisation and victoria is very tolerant
state and to suggest that victoria police is racist is just plain wrong
cameron said
victoria state police force made no comment on the cartoon but the union
representing the state officers said the drawing was based on nothing but
slow news day in delhi
cartoons in australia are normally done by people who are either clever or
witty and this one neither the secretary of victoria police association
greg davies told reporters
davies said it was incredibly offensive and wrong to suggest police were not
investigating the murder and that it was too early to categorise garg death
as race hate crime
garg was stabbed fatally in the abdomen as he walked to work at hamburger
restaurant in melbourne on january
his killing prompted india to issue travel warning to its students in
australia and threatens to damage diplomatic ties as well as australia
billion us dollar education export industry
oil stays below dollars in asian trade
singapore jan afp
oil prices were down in asia friday on stronger dollar and signs of easing
energy demand in the united states the world biggest oil consuming nation
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for february delivery fell
cents to dollars barrel the contract topped dollars on wednesday
for the first time in months
brent north sea crude for february delivery fell cents to dollars
the weakening of the us dollar was something that helped oil rally over mid
december as the us dollar strengthens that has an opposite effect on oil
prices said ben westmore minerals and energy economist for the national
australia bank in melbourne
the dollar firmed after japan new finance minister naoto kan spooked
financial markets with call for weaker yen raising speculation about
government intervention in the market
trade in oil is reasonably thin so we re not reading too much into the price
movements but in terms of the daily movement lot of it has to do with the us
dollar westmore added
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
part of the downward correction in the oil prices has to do with the high
level of stockpiles at the moment and the fact that the outlook for global
growth is still reasonably uncertain westmore said
weekly report by the us department of energy doe released wednesday showed
that 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 by
barrels in the week sharply below the average analyst forecast of
drop of million barrels amid cold weather across sections of the us
asian shares higher as yen lifts japanese exporters
hong kong jan afp
asian shares were higher friday lifted by gains on wall street as japanese
exporters were boosted by lower yen in the wake of remarks by japan new
finance minister
day after rattling markets with call for weaker currency naoto kan said
friday that tokyo would take action over strong yen if needed but added that
in general markets should determine foreign exchange rates
earlier investors were cheered after the dow jones industrial average closed at
its highest level since october on better than expected sales results from
retailers
however gains were capped by caution ahead of friday key unemployment data
seen as barometer of us recovery
asian markets hit highs not seen for more than year in tokyo the nikkei was
up percent by the break after hitting an intraday high of the
strongest since october
sydney gained percent with the amp asx hitting at noon the
highest for months hong kong was up percent in morning trade while
singapore lifted percent
in japan exporters such as toyota and sony were boosted by weaker yen after
kan said he would like to see the currency decline further
the remarks stand in contrast to those of his predecessor hirohisa fujii who
was widely seen as being tolerant of stronger currency
bucking the trend in tokyo japan airlines plunged more than percent as fears
grew that it will be forced to file for bankruptcy
there is no point in holding jal shares any longer trader at japanese
brokerage firm told dow jones newswires
elsewhere chinese shares fell percent on selloff in metal companies
after drop in metal prices overnight seoul was percent lower after the
central bank held interest rates steady for the th consecutive month
the dollar moved higher overnight following kan comments the euro fell to
dollars from in new york late on wednesday
the dollar jumped to yen from yen
crude oil prices were lower in asian trade after overnight falls new york
main futures contract light sweet crude for february delivery shed cents to
dollars barrel
brent north sea crude for february dropped cents to dollars
hong kong gold opened lower on friday at us dollars an ounce
down from thursday close of dollars
argentine central bank chief resigns vows legal action
buenos aires jan afp
argentina central bank chief has stepped down but promises to go to court over
president cristina kirchner decree thursday that he be removed from office
his spokesman said thursday
although martin redrado has agreed to leave his office the spokesman added he
will not resign and will take his bitter row with the president over payments
on the country national debt to court
kirchner thursday issued decree firing redrado who maintains the bank
charter stipulates he can only be removed by congress
the confrontation stems from redrado refusal to hand over billion dollars
from argentina foreign currency reserves to pay off part of billion
dollar payment of the national debt due this year after the president ordered
him to do so
christian groups try to reverse mexican gay marriage law
mexico city jan afp
christian groups on thursday said they had asked mexico attorney general to
overturn newly voted mexico city law allowing gay marriage and the possibility
of adoption because it was unconstitutional
the capital legislature approved gay marriage on december in the first
such law passed anywhere in latin america
the contraternice group of evangelical churches and the college of catholic
lawyers said they believed the new law that allows marriage between people of
the same sex and the possibility to adopt was unconstitutional statement
said
the complaint was based on christian principles but also included legal
issues on which the supreme court should decide including possible violations
of the constitution and the convention on the rights of the child it added
the mexico city law changes the meaning of marriage from free union between
man and woman to free union between two people
the mexican capital authorized civil unions for homosexuals in november and
decriminalized abortion in april contrasting with mostly conservative
policies across the largely catholic nation
urgent argentine central bank chief resigns vows legal action
buenos aires jan afp
argentina central bank chief has stepped down but promises to go to court over
president cristina kirchner decree thursday that he be removed from office
his spokesman said thursday
tennis auckland classic results
auckland jan afp
results from the fifth day of the auckland classic women tennis tournament
here friday denotes seed
semi finals
yanina wickmayer bel bt shahar peer isr
flavia pennetta ita bt francesca schiavone ita
japan finance minister will act on yen if needed
tokyo japan jan afp
japan new finance minister said friday that tokyo would take action over
strong yen if needed but added that in general markets should determine foreign
exchange rates
naoto kan remarks came day after he rattled markets with call for weaker
yen prompting thinly veiled rebuke from prime minister yukio hatoyama who
warned him not to publicly comment on currency levels
brutal europe winter sparks travel chaos energy alert
london jan afp
europe was blasted by more snow and ice on friday amid brutal winter that has
caused travel chaos across the continent
britons were enduring their coldest night yet of the freezing winter with
temperatures expected to fall below the previous low point of minus degrees
celsius zero degrees fahrenheit
temperatures will struggle to rise above freezing across most of the country by
day with severe and penetrating frosts at night said chief forecaster richard
young at the met office
the conditions also raised fears for energy supplies in britain suffering its
worst winter for decades as gas was cut off on thursday to almost major
firms in bid to avert crisis
the beleaguered eurostar train service linking france britain and belgium
faced further disruptions after train got stuck in the channel tunnel
air travellers in europe waited anxiously to see if flights would depart after
services in france britain and ireland were cancelled on thursday as
treacherous conditions kept planes firmly on the runway
at orly airport south of paris outgoing flights were cancelled or delayed and
incoming ones diverted spokesman for aeroports de paris told afp
in britain budget airline easyjet axed around flights citing weather
conditions mostly from gatwick airport and british airways said it had
cancelled services and others were delayed
in ireland there were flight cancellations and delays at dublin airport
eurostar troubles continued thursday when train travelling between brussels
and london got stuck in the tunnel for two hours and passengers eventually had
to be towed to safety
french railway operator sncf the biggest shareholder in eurostar blamed
the problem on signal failure in the train driver cab
the disruptions came as eurostar was already reeling from bad publicity after
its pre christmas breakdown
meanwhile in britain major supplier national grid ordered big companies and
industrial manufacturers to turn off their gas and switch to alternative fuels
thursday as demand rocketed and temperatures hit their lowest yet
the company said the number of companies asked to use alternative supplies would
be reduced on friday
transport links across the country were snarled up and the salt used to thaw out
roads was running perilously low as the long chill dragged on
british media reported that at least people have died in accidents related to
the weather since before christmas when the country was hit by the wintry blast
which the met office weather service has called the worst cold spell since
ireland has been swept by severe weather not seen for almost years with
forecasters warning that thaw was unlikely to come for six or seven days
snow caused the closure of section of the autoroute linking southwestern
france with barcelona in northeastern spain
the route crossing the pyrenees mountains was reopened early on friday but
line of trucks seven kilometres long was waiting in france for weather to
improve further highway authorities said
on thursday norway was among the coldest countries with temperatures ranging
from minus to minus degrees celsius oslo had reduced bus service as
engine oil froze while ice kept ferries from sailing
the only winners from the big freeze sweeping northern europe appeared to be
children hundreds of schools in britain in ireland remained closed giving
the youngsters an extended christmas holiday in the snow
urgent japan finance minister will act on yen if needed
tokyo jan afp
japan new finance minister said friday that tokyo would take action over
strong yen if needed but added that in general markets should determine foreign
exchange rates
alert
argentine central bank chief quits but vows legal action spokesman
alert
japan finance minister will take action on yen if needed
israeli strikes on gaza kill two palestinians medics
gaza city jan afp
israeli air strikes hit seven targets in the hamas run gaza strip early friday
killing two men and wounding two others palestinian medics said
the casualties occurred near gaza border with egypt when israeli jets bombed
two tunnels which palestinians use to smuggle goods into the besieged coastal
strip medics and hamas security officials said
the raids came after palestinians fired more than mortars and rocket into
israel thursday without causing casualties according to the military
israeli aircraft also hit three targets near gaza city and two near the southern
town of khan younis witnesses and hamas officials said all the strikes hit
empty buildings or open spaces
the army had no immediate comment
on thursday israeli planes 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
the strikes marked the latest violence along gaza border which has been
mostly quiet since war israel launched on the islamist hamas in gaza on
december in response to rocket fire ended with mutual ceasefires on
january
the ceasefires have largely held despite violations by both sides
charlie chaplin to be animated star
mumbai jan afp
charlie chaplin is to be brought to life as cartoon character via an indian
french collaboration that will see the legendary british comedian featured in an
animated television series
dq entertainment an animation and special effects firm based in the southern
city of hyderabad says it is to reproduce the entertainer slapstick in and
computer generated images for television
the eight million euro million dollar project is joint venture with
french media groups method animation and mk according to the companies
further details were set to be announced by dq entertainment at press
conference in mumbai on friday
dq and method animation will make total of six minute episodes in india
and france method chairman aton soumache told afp in paris last november
the animated shorts aimed at children aged six and above will not have any
dialogue and are set to hit screens from early next year
we ve been working for more than year on the graphics concept to find an
original way of adapting chaplin world said soumache
it won be realistic portrayal but more like puppet in an offbeat
universe we ll put him in modern situations but at the same keeping his poetic
child like view of the world with retro feel
the episodes have been inspired by sketches and gags culled from some short
films made by chaplin involving his trademark bowler hatted vagabond character
sporting toothbrush moustache ill fitting suit and twirling cane
but there will also be original content soumache added
london born chaplin who died in is recognised as one of the most
influential and recognisable comic actors and directors of the silent film
period
his most famous works include the kid the gold rush city
lights modern times and the great dictator
discussions are ongoing to show the series in france from as well as in
britain and germany soumache said
dq entertainment has worked with number of high profile studios and production
houses including nickelodeon the disney group cartoon network and host of
international broadcasters
the indian firm has percent stake in method and has previously worked with
them on computer animated adaptations of french children classics le petit
prince the little prince and le petit nicolas little nicolas
mk is one of france biggest independent film companies and owns the
international rights to the chaplin films which it has restored and reissued on
dvd and in cinemas
the chaplin estate gave its permission for the project which mk hopes will
allow new generations to discover the comic genius
india business standard newspaper said thursday that funds for the projects
will be raised by share offering from dq entertainment
the financial daily said dq hoped to raise billion rupees million
dollars by divesting nearly percent of the company equity in an initial
public offering
an additional million rupees would be raised from internal sources and bank
loans it added
animation and special effects have become growth market in india as the
domestic film industry including bollywood turns to more modern production
methods
the trend has led to the creation of number of specialist companies who are
being increasingly used by hollywood and other foreign studios because of their
lower costs
home grown computer generated television series based on hindu epics like
ramayana and the mahabharat have proved popular
disney worked with india yash raj films last year on full length animation
feature roadside romeo although the movie flopped at the box office
india animation and special effects industry is expected to be worth
billion rupees this year and is expected to grow to billion rupees by
consultants kpmg said last year
the animation sector is projected to grow by percent in the five years to
it added in report on the media and entertainment industry for the
federation of indian chambers of commerce and industry
convicted murderers executed in texas ohio louisiana
washington jan afp
three convicted murderers were put to death by lethal injection thursday in
texas ohio and louisiana the first executions this year in the united states
ohio put to death year old abdullah sharif kaazim mahdi the second person to
be killed using single drug that was introduced to prevent botched executions
born vernon smith the muslim convert was pronounced dead at am local time
gmt eight minutes after receiving dose of thiopental sodium rather
than the three drug cocktail previously used
he was sentenced to death for killing year old palestinian father and store
owner from toledo ohio
texas executed kenneth mosley who was convicted of murdering white police
officer during botched bank robbery in mosley an african american was
pronounced dead at pm local time gmt
it was the first execution of the year in texas which holds the country
capital punishment record texas executed men in and since the
supreme court allowed states to resume capital punishment in
louisiana put to death gerald bordelon who was convicted of raping and killing
his year old stepdaughter in he was pronounced dead at pm
gmt louisiana wafb television channel said
after his conviction bordelon refused to appeal his sentence so he could have
speedy execution death row inmates usually wait at least years before their
day of reckoning and only one in nine choose the quick path according to the
death penalty information center
bordelon was louisiana first execution since may and the th since
eighty three men are on death row in the state
in december ohio used thiopental sodium to execute convicted murderer kenneth
biros
it switched to the new method after disastrous attempt in september to execute
another inmate romell broom
the new method replaces three drug cocktail used in executions in of the
other us states where capital punishment is practiced
wool hats over bikinis in freezing florida
miami jan afp
surprised residents and tourists swapped beach attire for sweaters and wool hats
this week as severe arctic weather sweeping the united states left the normally
balmy us state of florida in sub freezing conditions
the terraces of miami ocean drive normally replete with mojito downing
tourists were deserted as patrons opted to sip hot chocolate indoors an
unexpected sight in the sunshine state that is suffering temperatures in parts
degrees below normal
this subtropical city fabled beaches normally thronging with sun worshippers
at this time of year have been all but deserted this week with temperatures
plummeting to around zero degrees celsius degrees fahrenheit
it is strange situation cruise operator royal caribbean cintia martinez
told afp but many people come from cold climates so they are adjusting well
luckily the places where we travel are not so badly affected
marja vesikko sorsa from helsinki finland could not believe the conditions
here differed little from her native northern europe
little disappointed and frustrated was hoping to get tan she told
afp on south beach
swathes of the state famous for its oranges alligators and retirees seeking
year round sun faced near freezing temperatures and even colder conditions
further north
ricardo velazquez year old cuban waiting with five friends in miami
parking lot complained of the uncomfortable cold because he was working
outdoors
don have coat at home and not going to buy one because ll never
use it he said before heading to nearby store for hot chocolate
cold front from the arctic regions is causing temperatures of minus degrees
fahrenheit degrees celsius in some parts of the united states with the
national weather service warning the snap could bring rare snow and ice to the
southern states from texas to the carolinas on the atlantic seaboard
as floridians raced to uncover their long unused jackets farmers were also
battling to salvage some of the temperate and tropical crop that form the
backbone of the local economy
citrus growers feared their billion dollar year industry could be hit
hard and financial analysts warned there may be far reaching impact of the
cold front on the fruit market value
farmer steve crump of de leon springs in northern florida which sells fruit
juice to beverage giants tropicana or minute maid said ice had formed in around
percent of his farm produce
some fruits that were damaged may fall off the trees on the ground but the
trees look fine and really that is what we are concerned about he told afp
liz compton spokesperson for florida department of agriculture maintained
however that the citrus industry had not experienced major damage yet
the temperatures have gotten low but in most areas it has not stayed below
degrees fahreinheit celsius for more than four hours which is what it
takes to damage crop she said
but she warned the greatest concern is the cold front forecast to come in this
weekend that could change things
afp news calendar
paris jan afp
the afp news calendar
monday january
brussels members of the european parliament quiz new eu commissioners
dubai german foreign minister guido westerwelle wraps up his tour of turkey and
the gulf
seoul robert king new us special envoy for north korean human rights to visit
south korea
sydney us secretary of state hillary clinton begins tour of australia new
zealand and papua new guinea to
the hague special court for sierra leone resumes trial of former liberian
president charles taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity
tuesday january
