rallying coma wins motorbike stage al attiyah closes on sainz
la serena chile jan afp
spanish motorcyclist marc coma won the ninth stage of the dakar rally on monday
the kilometres special from copiapo
qatar nasser al attiyah kept his hopes alive of winning the car section as he
took the stage closing in on volkswagen team mate carlos sainz who was second
sainz holds lead of just min sec over the qatari
coma who fell out of contention for the overall title when he was penalised
six hours at the weekend for an illegal tyre change edged out france cyril
despres who remains overall leader
it was coma third stage victory of this year renewal
chile francisco lopez winner of two stages finished third in the stage and
stayed in third place overall while pal ullevalseter of norway was fourth on the
stage and remains in second overall
however with deficit of hr min to make up on despres the norweigan
realistically needs the frenchman to suffer engine problems to have chance of
taking the overall title
vatican newspaper slams racism in italy after violence
vatican city jan afp
the vatican newspaper on monday denounced racism in italy after wave of
violence against migrant farm workers in the south of the country
more than sickening the episodes of racism reveal mute and savage hatred
towards another skin colour that we thought we had overcome the osservatore
romano said under the headline italians and racism
authorities helped more than africans to flee the southern italian town of
rosarno at the weekend after the assaults
for once the press is not exaggerating we have never excelled in our sense
of openness we italians from the north to the south lamented the writer who
cited key episodes of racism over the centuries
the american example has been futile obamamania has taken hold from politics
to art from style to language but has not breached the gap in showing the
value of bringing different races together the paper said
police in the regional capital reggio di calabria said sunday that african
migrants had left the rosarno area with more than transferred to reception
centres in the southern towns of crotone and bari
calm was generally restored sunday after two days of unrest
pope benedict xvi spoke out against the violence saying sunday we have to go
to the heart of the problem of the significance of the human being
an immigrant is human being different in where they came from in their
culture and tradition but person to respect who has rights and
responsibilities
violence must never be means to solve difficulties the pope said
snooker williams masters mcleod
london jan afp
former champion mark williams proved too strong for qualifier rory mcleod as the
welshman won in the preliminary round of the masters snooker tournament at
the wembley arena here on monday
victory meant williams twice masters winner will face england ali carter
in the first round proper on tuesday
williams won the first frame only for mcleod making his masters debut at the
age of to level in the next
however williams was up by the interval after break of in the fourth
frame before missed pink allowed mcleod to close the gap to just solitary
frame
but in the sixth frame mcleod who needed snookers got two but on williams
third miss turned down the option of using the black as free ball
instead few shots later the englishman failed with an outlandish pot on the
yellow and williams took the frame to go up
williams was happy to have made it to london never mind win after being snowed
in at his home in cwm wales but sponsor provided him with car that
allowed him to drive up to wembley
my sponsor gave me to allow me to get to practise and get over here
wembley williams told worldsnooker com it awful back at home even now
there over two foot of snow
williams who won the last of his masters titles in added it was scrappy
all round
it looked straight forward black to me in the sixth frame it was strange
that he turned it down ran back to the table before he changed his mind then
he took on the craziest yellow after that
gay marriage goes on trial in california
los angeles jan afp
opponents and defenders of gay marriage geared monday for an epic court showdown
in california which could see the controversy go all the way to the supreme
court
at issue is the so called proposition approved by percent of california
voters in november referendum which annulled state supreme court
decision that had allowed gay marriage
the court decision affected thousands of couples who had rushed to get legally
married in the west coast state after the state supreme court decision
but just months later proposition amended the california constitution to state
that only marriage between man and woman is valid or recognized in the
state of california
opponents argue that the amendment discriminates against gays and therefore
violates the us constitution
federal court judge vaughn walker has now agreed to hear the suit filed by
supporters of gay marriage and said it was constitutional issue that belonged
in federal court
but the decision has angered those against gay marriage who argue that
californians have already spoken on the issue
this lawsuit is an attempt by judge walker to put the voters of california on
trial and it wrong walker has not dealt with this properly he doesn care
about the law brian brown director of the national organization for marriage
which opposes gay marriage told afp
think our founding fathers would be rolling over in their graves if they
heard that the constitution guarantees the right to redefine marriage this is
absurd he said
whatever ruling judge walker eventually makes is likely to be challenged and the
issue seems set to go all the way to washington and the nine justices who sit on
the nation highest court
the san francisco trial was supposed by transmitted live via youtube but the us
supreme court on monday issued stay blocking live streaming of the proceedings
beyond the courthouse proper while it considers the matter
still those who support gay marriage believe the court case would be an
opportunity to enlighten the public
discrimination hurts us and doesn help anyone the trial will offer chance
for the public to listen to the expert witnesses on both sides and hear the
cross examinations of those witnesses said jennifer pizer director of lambda
legal national marriage project
she added people have so many misconceptions and misunderstandings about gay
people and what sexual orientation is all about
pizer is also counting on the two star lawyers representing the plaintiffs
theodore olson and david boies who are teaming up here after being fierce
opponents in the supreme court fight for the presidency between george
bush and al gore
olson who defended bush is prominent conservative and pizer believes his
advocacy and passion for equal treatment of lesbian and gay couples here will
reach the ears and hearts of many people who have not understood this issue
before
but the stakes are huge for both supporters and opponents of gay marriage
no one in america thinks that this trial is going to end at this level brown
said eventually it will go to supreme court
supreme court ruling would seal the fate of gay unions across the united
states without possibility for appeal by one side or the other
the california court case follows several setbacks for gay marriage proponents
on thursday new jersey lawmakers rejected bill authorizing gay marriages as
did lawmakers in new york state few weeks ago
only five us states today permit gay unions iowa connecticut massachusetts
vermont and new hampshire
affluent toronto man faces terrorism charges
ottawa jan afp
toronto man who earned six figure salary as computer programmer appeared
in court on monday for the first day of his trial on charges of plotting to
attack canada main stock exchange and other targets
shareef abdelhaleem is accused of conspiring to bomb canada main stock
exchange spy agency offices and military base in order to try to provoke
canada withdrawal from afghanistan
he was arrested with alleged islamic extremists in police sting operation
in after the group sought to purchase three tonnes of bomb making
ingredient ammonium nitrate from undercover police officers
while his co conspirators were impressionable young men with modest means bent
on destruction and mayhem for religiously inspired political purposes
prosecutors say abdelhaleem was motivated primarily by financial gain
born in the middle east abdelhaleem moved to canada with his family in the
according to reports he saw an opportunity to profit from blowing up the
toronto stock exchange by short selling stocks before the bombings and reap
windfall that could be used to fund more terror attacks abroad
the plan was to affect the economy to make it lose half trillion dollars
said the daily globe and mail citing court documents
police said abdelhaleem was taped describing the plot to detonate fertilizer
bomb to destroy three blocks around the toronto stock exchange to paid police
informant posing as co conspirator
the informant reportedly wore wire at their frequent meetings at coffee shops
and chinese buffet in toronto
abdelhaleem lawyer william naylor told the globe and mail his client had been
entrapped by police
five muslims guilty over anti military march in britain
london jan afp
five muslim men who accused british soldiers of being murderers at homecoming
parade when they returned from afghanistan were found guilty of public order
offences monday
the five carried placards and shouted slogans including british army
murderers british soldiers burn in hell and baby killers at the parade for
british troops in luton north of london in march
the incident provoked public outcry and was raised by lawmakers in
parliament lower house of commons
munim abdul jalal ahmed yousaf bashir shajjadar choudhury
and ziaur rahman all from luton were convicted at luton magistrates court
of using threatening abusive or insulting words or behaviour likely to cause
harassment alarm or distress
they were each given conditional discharges and ordered to pay pounds
euros dollars towards legal costs this means they were not punished for
the offence but could still be if they get in trouble again within certain
period
jubair ahmed and ibrahim anderson also from luton were cleared of the
same charge
lawyers for the men said police had not objected to their slogans at the time of
the protest
but district judge carolyn mellanby said that prosecuting them was
proportionate response to the legitimate aim of protection of society and
maintenance of public order
the case was back in the news recently when radical islamic group islam uk
proposed an anti war march through wootton bassett small town in southwest
england
wootton bassett has become symbol of britain war effort because hearses
carrying the bodies of soldiers killed in afghanistan are driven through the
town after leaving nearby royal air force base
but after facing intense criticism from locals and politicians including prime
minister gordon brown islam uk announced sunday it was abandoning the plan
saying it had successfully highlighted the plight of muslims in afghanistan
football africa cup of nations group standings
cabinda angola jan afp
africa cup of nations group standings on monday played won drawn lost
goals for against points
burkina faso
ivory coast
ghana
note togo withdrew after deadly attack on team bus convoy when entering angola
fixtures
times gmt
jan
ghana ivory coast
jan
burkina faso ghana
note group winners and runners up qualify for quarter finals
euro surges on chinese data
london jan afp
the euro surged to one month high against the dollar monday with traders
regaining risk appetite on the strength of healthy chinese economic data
the euro in late day trade was at dollars against dollars late
friday in new york the single european currency at one point jumped to
dollars its best showing since december
the dollar was at yen down from yen on friday
the shared european unit which is seen as higher risk currency than the
dollar and tends to rise with investor confidence won ground after weekend data
revealed soaring chinese exports
china exports surged percent in december to snap month falling
streak the government said sunday confirming the asian power new status as
the world biggest exporter
exports hit billion dollars during the month as global trade perked up
bringing china full year export figure to trillion dollars according to
figures from the general administration of customs
data out of germany last week showed that china had overtaken europe biggest
economy in november to become the world top exporting nation
china trade surplus hit billion dollars for the month of december while
the full year surplus posted rare fall to billion dollars the customs
bureau said
the trade surplus was down percent from it said
whilst the data especially the strength in exports will support calls for
stronger chinese currency it also highlights china growing influence on
world trade and the important role that the country is providing for global
economic recovery said calyon analyst mitul kotecha
the dollar also remained on the backfoot monday as the foreign exchange market
continued to digest downbeat us jobs report
data from the us labor department released friday showed loss of jobs
in december dampening hopes for return to positive job growth that could lead
to hike in us interest rates and support the greenback
the labor department report on nonfarm payrolls was far worse than the consensus
expectation for no change in overall employment levels
the unemployment rate held at percent but also reflected large number of
people dropping out of the workforce
while the november data had caused an appreciation trend for the dollar
markets now reacted with inevitable greenback losses noted analysts from
commerzbank
added jane foley of forex com friday us payrolls data proved that the
market had got too far ahead of itself with respect to optimism on the us
economy
in london late monday the euro was changing hands at dollars against
dollars late on friday yen pounds and
swiss francs
the dollar stood at yen and swiss francs
the pound was at dollars
on the london bullion market the price of gold rallied to dollars an
ounce at the fixing from dollars on friday
romanian parliament debates austerity budget
bucharest jan afp
the romanian parliament on monday began debating the austerity budget with
its adoption key condition for new disbursements from an international aid
package to the crisis hit country
the budget will help romania emerge from the economic crisis spur growth
and improve living standards for romanians prime minister emil boc told
lawmakers
the draft is marked by reduction in the public deficit from percent of the
gross domestic product in to percent
after contraction estimated at percent in the economy should resume
its upward course with percent growth
inflation is expected to drop to percent and unemployment should stand at
percent at the end of the year down from average in boc said
will be better year than but we should not delude ourselves as
tough measures will have to be taken he stressed
forced to cut overspending romania plans to freeze public sector salaries and
pensions as well as to lay off some public servants including
teachers
if the draft budget is adopted in the form negotiated with international
lenders the international monetary fund imf and the european union could
quickly clear new tranches worth around billion euros of their global
billion euro billion dollar loan to romania
the imf the eu and the world bank decided in november to postpone new
disbursements after the toppling of emil boc first government
we are determined to respect our commitments towards international institutions
because we must shore up investors confidence and because we need these
resources in order to modernize the country boc said
he warned that romania could no longer afford to go ahead with the growth model
developed over the past years based on consumption and credits
instead in about billion euros or percent of the gdp will be
directed towards investment in infrastructure he said
but the opposition criticised the draft and said it would not vote for it
this budget will only worsen the economic crisis and turn more people into
paupers social democrat leader mircea geoana said
according to the ruling liberal democrats the vote should take place before the
end of the week
football africa cup of nations ivory coast burkina faso
cabinda angola jan afp
result of an africa cup of nations group match on monday
ivory coast burkina faso
urgent football ivory coast held by burkina faso
cabinda angola jan afp
title favourites ivory coast were held by burkina faso on monday in the
opening africa cup of nations group match
alert
football ivory coast held by burkina faso on monday in africa cup of
nations
toyboy of ireland leader wife earning gay following
belfast jan afp
kirk mccambley the young man whose fling sparked the political scandal
engulfing northern ireland is being headhunted by britain top gay magazine
which wants him to to be its cover boy
aged at the time but now the cafe proprietor romance with lawmaker iris
robinson the year old wife of northern ireland first minister peter
robinson is earning him an unlikely fan base in the gay community
her alleged role in helping mccambley get the cafe licence has led to her
husband stepping aside for six weeks in bid to clear his name over the affair
christian iris robinson sparked controversy in when she told bbc radio
she considered homosexuality an abomination and had met gays who had sought
psychiatric counselling turned around and become heterosexual
the editor of attitude britain best selling gay magazine said they had been
trying to contact mccambley
we would love to see him on the cover of attitude we think our readers would
go wild for him matthew todd said most people think that would be fun he
told afp
lot of gay people are feeling grateful to him for exposing her
there something very satisfying when somebody is being very pious and
religious the fact that he young and attractive brings it down to earth
but he admitted don think it likely that he want to be on the cover of
attitude we tried few times and the phone rang off
todd said there was lot of real anger in the gay community towards iris
robinson but now that she had been humiliated by her affair the family had
suffered enough
on the internet more than people joined mccambley appreciation society
on social networking website
meanwhile last week download sales of the song mrs robinson by new york
folk duo simon and garfunkel were up percent in northern ireland on the
week before the official uk charts company told afp
the song was written for the film the graduate which is about young
university graduate played by dustin hoffman being seduced by the much older
mrs robinson
it contains the lyrics and here to you mrs robinson jesus loves you more
than you will know and it little secret just the robinsons affair
ban ki moon opens un temporary new home
united nations jan afp
with an oversize pair of scissors un chief ban ki moon cut the ribbon monday at
ceremony marking the formal opening of the un secretariat temporary new home
pending the renovation of its aging complex
sixteen months after breaking ground at the site of the million dollar white
structure the secretary general hailed the completion of what he called key
building block in the five year plan to modernize the acre compound to make
it greener safer and more energy efficient
ban his deputy and his staff have already moved into the temporary structure
located on the compound north lawn which houses secretariat offices and
conference rooms
the renovation of the year old floor glass building is expected to be
completed by at total cost of billion dollar billion euros
the un headquarters is being gradually emptied for massive overhaul to make it
more energy efficient and bring it into conformity with new york city health and
safety codes while improving security
major tourist attraction the glass tower has leaking roof is riddled with
asbestos and lacks fire detectors sprinkler system and other emergency safety
devices
ban stressed the three story no frills north lawn building was designed to
serve for limited period and to be cost effective it has no escalators no
carpets and windows are limited
the new building will accommodate the un general assembly in two years time
but the security council will continue operating in the main complex
some staff have moved from the main tower to an adjacent library building or to
rented premises in new york manhattan district
once the full renovation is completed the temporary structure is to be
dismantled its components recycled or re used and the north lawn on which its
stands will be restored
us court blocks web streaming of gay marriage trial
washington jan afp
the us supreme court on monday blocked the live transmission via youtube of
trial on gay marriage ban in california until wednesday to give it time to
consider the matter
the stay was handed down just hours before the start of an epic trial in
federal court in san francisco that could put the controversial issue on same
sex unions before the supreme court
the federal judge presiding over the trial had authorized live streaming of the
proceedings on youtube the video sharing site prompting opponents of gay
marriage to appeal his decision before the supreme court
the high court granted the stay barring live streaming of the trial except as
it permits streaming to other rooms within the confines of the courthouse in
which the trial is to be held
any additional order permitting broadcast of the proceedings is also stayed
pending further order of this court the court said
to permit further consideration in this court this order will remain in effect
until wednesday january at pm eastern time gmt it said
the trial centers on challenge to proposition an amendment to the
california constitution that states that only marriage between man and woman
is valid or recognized in the western state
supporters of gay marriage argue the amendment is discriminatory and therefore
unconstitutional while opponents say the federal courts have no business ruling
on measure that was passed by referendum of california voters
fast acting impotency drug outpaces rivals study
washington jan afp
biotech firm vivus unveiled would be player monday in the billion dollar
erectile dysfunction market avanafil effective in just minutes far faster
than blockbuster rivals viagra and cialis
the magnitude of success in the first minutes was surprising leland
wilson the company ceo said in statement
wilson put the spotlight on upbeat results for the class three investigational
drug to treat male impotency now in its last step before it can get green
light from the food and drug administration fda
this new data further strengthens the profile and differentiation of avanafil
from other currently available oral ed therapies wilson said referring to
erectile dysfunction
while we knew from the pharmacokinetic profile that avanafil works very
quickly this data is exciting evidence of how fast avanafil really works he
stressed
from our discussions with patients and physicians we knew that rapid onset was
an important attribute in the selection of an ed therapy he added
knowing avanafil acts in minutes and lasts the length of sexual encounter
should be huge pluses for the drug in this highly lucrative market said dr
charles bowden with vivus
the company is eyeing market launch in early
pfizer which makes viagra says its drug acts within minutes to an hour
after it is taken cialis made by eli lilly starts working from minutes to
six hours after ingestion
third competitor levitra acts starting between and minutes after it is
taken
recent report by the american college of physicians published in october found
that some million men worldwide will have erectile dysfunction by
afptv updated advisory
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
new barrier on egyptian border
rafah gaza strip rafah egypt
egyptian authorities have confirmed they are building barrier that digs deep
beneath the border with the gaza strip move aimed at stopping the smuggling
through the underground tunnels that serves as lifeline for the palestinian
enclave
special report
voiced report transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
as part of our africa cup of nations coverage we file the following
nigeria footballers prepare for battle in africa cup of nations
lagos
defending champions egypt and nigeria clash in the africa cup of nations group
curtain raiser in angola on tuesday even though nigeria has won the tournament
twice they are regarded as underachievers considering the huge pool of talent
at their disposal angola will be their th appearance after losing in
the finals four times and finished third on five other occasions fans in
nigeria will be watching closely for signs of what the fortnight holds in store
sport
voiced report transmitted gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
already transmitted
goalkeeper improving as togo quit africa cup of nations
johannesburg
togo goalkeeper kodjovi obilale condition slightly improved said doctors
at south african hospital on monday where the player is being treated for
gunshot wounds obilale was shot during in rebel attack in angola that killed
two members of the togo national football team the team traveled home sunday
against the players wishes as the africa cup of nations kicked off in angola
images and soundbites from doctors in south africa on obilale condition
news sport
images and soundbites
raw vid
web mmv
yemen cleric denies terrorism link warns us against deployment
sanaa
prominent yemeni cleric sheikh abdulmajeed al zendani denied on monday having
links with us yemeni imam anwar al awlaqi who is suspected of being behind the
botched christmas day us plane bombing zendani whom the us government has
identified as global terrorist also told press conference that any us
military deployment in yemen to fight al qaeda would be tantamount to an
occupation
news
images and soundbites
raw vid
web mmv
us envoy to middle east in paris for latest on peace talks
paris
president barack obama middle east envoy george mitchell met french foreign
minister bernard kouchner in paris ahead of meeting wednesday in brussels of
the diplomatic peace quartet mitchell moved to rally europe behind fresh
efforts for two state peace deal between the israelis and palestinians saying
the united states had set timetable for negotiations
news
images and soundbites
raw vid
web mmv
british minister niece on trial for murder in france
versailles france
the niece of sitting british minister told police she was monster after
she confessed to the drunken murder of young frenchman in french court
heard on monday jessica davies the year old niece of britain multi
millionaire junior defence minister quentin davies told the court of her long
history of alcohol and drug abuse battle against depression and two suicide
attempts
news
images and soundbites
raw vid
web mmv
new tombs show egypt pyramid builders were free labourers
cairo
egyptian archaeologists have unearthed number of tombs of workers who helped
to construct the country largest pyramid the tombs date back to the period of
