the government will provide such incentives as cheaper land tax cuts and
government subsidies to lure firms college campuses research institutes and
hospitals there
some million square metres of land will be open for foreign investors
an international science and business belt will be centred on sejong the
ministry of education science and technology said adding this could create new
growth opportunities and allow the new city to become self sufficient
president lee myung bak called for national unity and reconciliation as
opposition parties vowed to block the revised plan in parliament
business groups welcomed the change we believe it will spur balanced
development and enhance the competitiveness of our nation the korea employers
federation said in statement
samsung the country largest conglomerate promised to invest trillion
won in the city it will build plants to produce solar cells light emitting
diode backlight units batteries and bio healthcare devices
government officials said hanwha would launch an energy related business in the
city with an investment of trillion won
yemen using war on al qaeda to bolster regime analysts
dubai jan afp
faced with an armed revolt in the north and separatist movement in the south
yemen president is using the western backed war against al qaeda to bolster
his regime and muzzle opponents say analysts
the threat from islamist militants poses less of danger for sanaa than the
zaidi shiite insurrection on the border with saudi arabia or the independence
calls in southern yemen according to yemen experts
the regime is exploiting the war against al qaeda to attract foreign aid and
curb the opposition said anthropologist and yemen specialist franck mermier
with the west pressuring president ali abdullah saleh to crack down on the yemen
branch of al qaeda it is in the interests of the regime to play the al
qaeda card to silence its opponents mermier added
saleh at the weekend stressed the government will crack down heavily on those
who resort to violence but at the same time said he is open to dialogue with al
qaeda militants in his country
if al qaeda militants lay down their arms renounce violence and terrorism
and return to wisdom we are prepared to deal with them saleh told abu dhabi
tv in an interview carried by yemen saba news agency on sunday
analyst mermier said the government was trying to al qaeda ise its enemies
it suggests they are linked to osama bin laden network especially shiite
rebels in the north who have been fighting the government since and the
southerners most of whom are opposed to armed struggle mermier said
the south which was an independent state from until yemen was united in
has been the scene of protests against the government policies and its
attempts to amalgamate the southern movement and al qaeda according to one of
the movement leaders
separatists often complain of discrimination by northerners and lack of
financial aid
but even if us military and financial support in the name of the war on al
qaeda ends up strengthening sanaa initially the government could see
second more dangerous front opening up in the south mercier warned
the regime policies are pushing its opponents towards more radical options
like separatism for the south
mohammad al zahiri professor of political science at sanaa university agrees
that yemen government is deliberately exaggerating the al qaeda threat in
order to export or internationalise its problems
the state is taking advantage of the west interest in combating al qaeda
and avoiding its own internal problems he added
but such an approach cannot resolve yemen problems and is very short
sighted said zahiri concerned that military solutions will only lead to
rise in anti americanism in the country
he said only dialogue can achieve permanent solution
zahiri was referring to the rebellion in the north the demands of southerners
and also the domestic opposition angered by parliament agreement last
february to delay legislative elections by two years
has been the worst year for yemen said fares al saqqaf director of the
centre for future studies in sanaa
the country now faces five challenges the rebellion in the north which is
intensifying the southern question which has turned into separatist movement
and is no longer peaceful the al qaeda threat internal political opposition
and the economic crisis
for saqqaf the key to the solution is not military but political and economic
yemen cannot confront al qaeda except by pacifying its other fronts
especially in the north and south
the whole world wants to crush al qaeda in yemen the country could take
advantage of this conflict to demand economic aid which would help to resolve
its problems
he proposed the oil rich gulf states offer aid to the impoverished arabian
peninsula state in the form of marshall plan referring to the post world
war ii reconstruction plan for europe
the government has turned to the six gulf cooperation council states for help
but analysts say it has been almost negligible although riyadh has given sanaa
billion dollars in aid over the past years
clinton starts asia tour amid concerns over japan ties
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton will travel monday to hawaii for talks
aimed at mending cracks in the year old us japan security alliance the first
leg of new asia tour
following her two night stop in hawaii clinton will travel to papua new guinea
before winding up her ten day tour in new zealand and australia where security
in the pacific and beyond will also be high on the agenda
in honolulu on tuesday her aides said clinton will urge her japanese
counterpart katsuya okada to help end row over us airbase and clarify
japan stand over an alliance that has underpinned security in asia for
years
in tokyo yomiuri newspaper and other japanese reports said sunday that clinton
and okada will make final arrangements for statement stressing the crucial
contribution of their alliance to global peace
the governments are preparing for the statement with which prime minister
yukio hatoyama and president barack obama will celebrate the th anniversary
and commit to further deepen the alliance japanese defense minister toshimi
kitazawa said according to jiji press
the security treaty signed on january has formed the bedrock of the
post war japan us alliance under which pacifist japan relies on massive us
military presence to guarantee its security
tokyo relations with its most important ally have hit turbulence over the
controversial futenma air base which hatoyama has suggested should be moved off
the southern island of okinawa or even outside japan altogether
the center left hatoyama who took power in september has pledged to review
past agreements on the us military presence including plans to shift futenma
within okinawa and to deal with washington on more equal basis
the stand has raised questions about the future of the alliance
kurt campbell the us assistant secretary of state for asia and pacific affairs
said clinton and okada will also discuss mutual security concerns over the
nuclear ambitions of both north korea and iran
they will also talk about china rising power as well as the military junta in
myanmar
clinton will meet with the us military pacific command and visit the uss
arizona memorial which commemorates the americans who died in the japanese
surprise attack on december that triggered war with the united states
she will arrive in port moresby on thursday to discuss economic development and
efforts to combat climate change it will be the first visit to papua new guinea
by us secretary of state since madeleine albright visited in
on january clinton will travel to auckland new zealand
she travels to january to melbourne and canberra australia
in canberra clinton and us defense secretary robert gates will hold the th
australia united states ministerial consultations with their counterparts
foreign minister stephen smith and defense minister john faulkner
highlighting the region growing international clout it will be clinton
fourth tour of asia since she became secretary of state one year ago
somalia men flogged for un islamic romance
mogadishu jan afp
the al qaeda linked shebab group religious police in the somali city of
kismayo flogged man for flirting and another for having secret marriage
an official said monday
they received and lashes respectively in front of crowd in central
kismayo large southern harbour which has been under shebab administration
since mid and where strict form of sharia is enforced
one of the young men was found engaging in secret wedlock which is illegal
under islamic law sheikh mohamed moalim senior shebab official told afp
from kismayo
the other one was found seducing lady alone both of them confessed to the
charges in front of court and they were publicly punished he said
the flogging took place over the weekend
youths in some muslim countries where sex before marriage is forbidden and the
cost of wedding prohibitive sometimes resort to secret marriage known as
qudbosir in somalia and urfi in most arab countries
the custom which keeps the matrimony secret from the couples parents and
sometimes from another wife is frowned upon in most of somalia but has been
practised in southern regions
the punishment was only to show that people will be held responsible for
violating sharia islamic law sheikh mohamed said we are here to correct
deviant social behaviour and force the people to implement sharia to the full
many people came to watch these two boys being punished they were both flogged
on the back as they stood facing the crowd of onlookers local resident abdi
gure said
the shebab whose leader last year proclaimed his allegiance to al qaeda supremo
osama bin laden also arrested women selling khat mild narcotic leaf very
popular with somali men
the shebab religious police last week arrested several men for shaving their
beards arguing that too was violation of sharia
rugbyu melbourne rebels appoint storm ceo
sydney jan afp
australia new super rugby union team the melbourne rebels on monday
appointed melbourne storm administrator brian waldron as its chief executive
during waldron six year tenure the melbourne storm became australia most
successful rugby league club
melbourne rebels chairman harold mitchell said waldron will commence his duties
with the rebels in march
the rebels will be australia fifth team alongside the new south wales
waratahs queensland reds western force and act brumbies in the southern
hemisphere elite provincial competition
south africa new zealand and australia rugby sanzar is moving to expand its
current super formerly super competition from the season in bid
to boost popularity
two held in angola after rebel attack on togo team
luanda jan afp
police in angola are holding two suspects in connection with the shooting of the
togolese football team which left at least two people dead angolan state media
said monday
two suspects were arrested in cabinda an angolan enclave inside the democratic
republic of congo close to where friday attack took place national radio
reported
two people have been captured when we have more information we will pass it
on to the public antonio nito cabinda provincial attorney general told
the station
the attack occurred as the team bus headed into the oil rich province of cabinda
from the republic of congo where they were to take part in the africa cup of
nations tournament which opened sunday
togo assistant coach amalete abalo and the team media spokesman stanislas
ocloo died in friday attack nine other people were injured including togo
reserve goalkeeper kodjovi obilale who was flown to south africa for surgery
the togolese team withdrew from the tournament following the attack and left
angola on sunday evening to return home
splinter group of the independence movement flec front for the liberation of
the enclave of angola has claimed responsibility for the attack
cabinda has been the scene of long running independence struggle peace deal
was signed in but low level insurgency continues in more remote areas of
the province
calls to scrap the cup matches scheduled to be held in cabinda one of four host
locations for the three week competition have been dismissed by the angolan
government despite claims by flec that they may strike again
burkina faso and ghana are due to play the first game in the province chiazi
stadium on tuesday
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor chris otton
tel
top stories
first arrests after togo team shooting
german foreign minister in yemen
north korea wants peace treaty with us
violence angola togo fbl afr
luanda
police in angola are holding two suspects in connection with the deadly shooting
by separatist rebels of the togolese football team angolan state media reports
words gmt by louise redvers
attacks yemen wrap
sanaa
german foreign minister guido westerwelle arrives in sanna as pressure mounts on
yemen leaders to rein in al qaeda militants believed behind botched attempt
to bomb us airliner
words gmt by deborah cole
nkorea nuclear weapons us skorea thlead
seoul
north korea says it wants peace treaty with the united states as
precondition for giving up its nuclear weapons and calls for sanctions to be
scrapped before it returns to disarmament talks
words gmt by simon martin
filing plans by region
europe
croatia vote newseries
zagreb
social democrat ivo josipovic who pledged to lead croatia into the european
union and crack down on corruption is elected president with over percent of
the vote official results show
words gmt by lajla veselica picture
europe weather wrap lead
berlin
europeans struggle to get to work after weekend of winter weather mayhem left
motorists stranded in their cars forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights
and cut off power to thousands of homes
words gmt pictures
france britain crime
versailles france
the niece of british government minister goes on trial in versailles accused
of murdering young frenchman by slitting his throat after she picked him up in
bar
words gmt by rory mulholland
nireland britain politics newseries
belfast
northern ireland first minister peter robinson faces intense pressure to quit
over his wife affair with year old as its assembly returns after
christmas amid fears the power sharing executive could collapse
words gmt file picture
france politics martinique guiana newseries
fort de france
two french overseas department martinique and french guiana vote against
more autonomy from paris in referendum vote that signalled their desire to
keep french financial support intact
words gmt
mideast
lebanon weather snow tourism ski
faraya lebanon
while much of europe is fighting subzero temperatures lebanon is praying for
snow as unusually warm weather cuts into the country lucrative ski season
words gmt by rita daou picture
americas
attacks yemen somalia us politics military qaeda newseries
washington
president barack obama says he has no intention of sending us troops to fight
militants in yemen and somalia despite growing concern over the presence of
militant cells there
words moved by olivia hampton
we have also moved ex dubai attacks yemen qaeda politics analysis
us diplomacy asia
washington
us secretary of state hillary clinton will travel monday to hawaii for talks
aimed at mending cracks in the year old us japan security alliance the first
leg of new asia tour
words gmt by lachlan carmichael
us auto show lead
detroit michigan
diminished detroit auto show is expected to shed its traditional theatrics as
it opens in the motor city monday with badly battered automakers working to
make more out of less
words gmt by mira oberman picture
us abortion trial justice politics
wichita kansas
the man who gunned down one of america best known abortion doctors goes on
trial here monday in case that once again focuses attention on the legal but
controversial medical procedure
words gmt by joe stumpe
africa
mali france spain kidnap qaeda thlead
paris
the north african branch of al qaeda threatens to execute french hostage
unless four of its militants are freed from jail in mali in days two us
monitoring groups say
words gmt
asia
malaysia religion catholic church attack lead
kuala lumpur
malaysia government defends its refusal to allow non muslims to use the word
allah as ninth church comes under attack in spate of fire bombings and
vandalism linked to the dispute
words moved by romen bose
skorea construction city lead
seoul
south korea government announces billion dollar blueprint to develop
new city as science and education hub but drops controversial plans to move
several ministries there
words gmt by lim chang won picture
china population men marriage lead
beijing
more than million chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without
spouses in state media say citing sex specific abortions as major
contributing factor
words gmt
afghanistan politics cabinet analysis
kabul
afghan president hamid karzai second attempt to form cabinet raises concerns
of return to patronage politics with batch of largely unknown figures who
appear to come with useful connections
words moved by sardar ahmad
two held in angola after rebel attack on togo team
luanda jan afp
police in angola are holding two suspects in connection with the shooting of the
togolese football team which left at least two people dead angolan state media
said monday
two suspects were arrested in cabinda an angolan enclave inside the democratic
republic of congo close to where friday attack took place national radio
reported
two people have been captured when we have more information we will pass it
on to the public antonio nito cabinda provincial attorney general told
the station
togo assistant coach amalete abalo and the team media spokesman stanislas
ocloo died in friday attack nine other people were injured
the attack occurred as the bus headed into the oil rich province of cabinda from
the republic of congo where the team were to take part in the africa cup of
nations tournament which opened sunday
india bangladesh to cement ties during hasina visit
new delhi jan afp
talks between the leaders of india and bangladesh in new delhi later monday were
due to focus on strengthening the previously difficult bilateral ties between
the two south asian neighbours
cross border relations have improved in recent years and bangladeshi prime
minister sheikh hasina was expected to sign cooperation agreements in areas
ranging from security and crime to power supplies during her four day visit
hasina who has received strong support from delhi since she came to power
year ago was likely to discuss her crackdown on bangladesh based indian
separatist rebels with indian prime minister manmohan singh
new delhi has often accused dhaka of providing shelter to militant groups active
in india northeast but hasina has detained several senior rebels and handed
them over to india
both countries resolved bitter dispute on sharing the waters of the ganges
river in and will likely work to end disagreements over how to use waters
of smaller rivers flowing through both countries
other thorny issues include dhaka apparent reluctance to allow new delhi
transit rights through its territory to india landlocked northeast and
india refusal to grant bangladeshi goods duty free access
sheikh hasina visit is an opportunity to lay the foundations of much more
stable relationship arundhati ghosh retired indian official formerly posted
in dhaka told afp
it is india strategic interest to cooperate with its small neighbour she
said
european stocks rise at open london up percent
london jan afp
europe main stock markets began the week in buoyant mood with london ftse
index climbing percent to points at the start of trading on
monday
frankfurt dax gained percent to points and in paris the cac
advanced by percent to reach
hong kong china shares end higher
hong kong jan afp
hong kong and shanghai stocks both closed higher on monday as dealers welcomed
beijing green light to new futures market as well as short selling
experiment in china
hong kong benchmark hang seng index gained percent or points to
with turnover reaching billion hong kong dollars billion
us
and the shanghai composite index which covers both and shares was up
percent or points at on turnover of billion yuan
billion dollars
plumbing giant wolseley announces sale of irish unit
london jan afp
wolseley the world biggest distributor of plumbing and heating products said
on monday it had agreed to sell its irish business for million euros to
concentrate on its core british business
wolseley announced today that it has agreed to dispose of percent of its
shareholding in wolseley ireland holdings limited wihl to wibhm limited
private investor backed company for total consideration of million euros
the group said in statement
commenting on the disposal which is worth the equivalent of million
dollars wolseley chief executive ian meakins said am confident that the
transaction we have concluded with wibhm limited represents good outcome for
wolseley shareholders
it will also enable us to bring an even greater degree of focus on driving
performance improvement in our core uk businesses he added in the statement
hong kong gold closes higher
hong kong jan afp
hong kong gold closed higher on monday at us dollars an ounce
up from dollars on friday
it opened at dollars
german foreign minister in surprise yemen visit
sanaa jan afp
germany foreign minister guido westerwelle on monday started surprise visit
to sanaa where five germans have been held hostage since june an afp
correspondent said
westerwelle became the first european minister to visit sanaa since the yemeni
branch of al qaeda claimed responsibility for botched attempt to bomb us
airliner on christmas day
he was to hold talks with president ali abdullah saleh and other top yemeni
officials
the visit follows the german minister talks in saudi arabia qatar and the
united arab emirates on tour focused on regional issues including the
situation in yemen
based on his talks in the gulf westerwelle made the quick decision to go to
yemen to get the feeling of the situation on the ground member of his
delegation said
germany is by far the biggest european contributor of development aid to yemen
with some million euros million dollars earmarked for the impoverished
country for
the foreign minister is concerned that further destabilisation in yemen could
have negative impact on the entire region and beyond the delegate said
westerwelle who informed key european partners and washington in advance of his
visit was expected to deliver message that european and arab partners seek
stable government in sanaa
but he was also to press for good governance
the official said the minister would raise the issue of widespread corruption in
yemen while also calling for national dialogue to resolve internal strife as
means to restore stability
five germans including three children and british national were kidnapped in
yemen last june
urgent two held in angola after rebel attack on togo team
luanda jan afp
police in angola are holding two suspects in connection with the deadly shooting
of the togolese football team angolan state media said monday
cricket india put bangladesh in to bat
dhaka jan afp
india captain mahendra singh dhoni elected to field after winning the toss
against bangladesh in the last league match of triangular one day series here
on monday
sri lanka and india have already advanced to the final to be held here on
wednesday
bangladesh shakib al hasan capt tamim iqbal imrul kayes mohammad ashraful
raqibul hasan mushfiqur rahim mohammad mahmudullah naeem islam abdur razzak
shafiul islam syed rasel
india mahendra singh dhoni capt dinesh karthik gautam gambhir virat kohli
suresh raina yuvraj singh ravindra jadeja amit mishra ashish nehra sudeep
tyagi shanthakumaran sreesanth
umpires simon taufel aus and sharfuddoula shahid ban
tv umpire enamul haque ban
match referee andy pycroft zim
alert
two held in angola after rebel attack on togo bus media
lr cw
arrested after philippine gun ban police
manila jan afp
policemen and soldiers were among people arrested for illegally carrying guns
in the philippines on the first day of firearms ban imposed ahead of national
elections authorities said monday
national police deputy director general jefferson soriano said tens of thousands
of officers had been deployed to man checkpoints set up across the country
on sunday to enforce the ban on the unauthorised carrying of weapons
the ban is introduced ahead of every philippine election but it has taken on
more significance in recent months following massacre of people and the
separate killings of at least five other people in poll linked violence
soriano said five policemen and three soldiers were among the people arrested
on sunday when the ban was introduced
in an interview with abs cbn television soriano said soldiers and policemen who
are not on active duty were subject to the ban
the officers and soldiers arrested on sunday were not on duty he said
under the terms of the ban civilians with regular permits to carry guns are
also not allowed to take their weapons out of their homes
in addition politicians are also not allowed to have armed bodyguards common
practice normally
authorities say there are more than one million unlicensed firearms in the
philippines and dozens of people are killed each election season when
politicians seek to eliminate rivals or critics
fuelling the violence are the private armies controlled by so called political
warlords
it was one such militia that allegedly carried out the november massacre of
people in the southern maguindanao province
about gunmen controlled by local mayor andal ampatuan jnr allegedly
abducted relatives of rival politician plus group of journalists travelling
with them to an election office then murdered them
the massacre allegedly took place to stop ampatuan rival from running against
him for the post of maguindanao governor in the may national elections
since then at least five candidates in the elections when positions ranging
from the president to local councillor will be up for grabs have been shot
dead in separate attacks
the firearms ban will last until june those caught illegally carrying weapons
can be jailed for up to six years although not everyone arrested each time the
ban is introduced goes to prison
oil prices back above dollars
singapore jan afp
oil prices were back above dollars in asian trade monday as cold snap in
the northern hemisphere led to higher demand for heating fuel analysts said
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for february delivery
jumped cents to dollars barrel
brent north sea crude for february delivery rose cents to dollars
