southern niger delta
observers said his were the most credible steps taken by authorities to stamp
out the unrest but it appeared the peace was under threat this week with an
attack on pipelines and the kidnapping of four expat workers
the self declared servant leader has track record of financial prudence and
accountability sticking out as one among handful of former state governors to
be absolved of corruption by the country anti graft police
the year old former chemistry teacher is seen as quiet and honest by the
political establishment qualities not widely used for most nigerian
politicians he is the first nigerian president to have publicly declared an
inventory of his assets
he is the son of former minister in the first post independence government
while his elder brother late politician and retired general shehu musa
yar adua was number two under obasanjo military rule
he is the first elected nigerian president to take over from another
born in katsina on august yar adua is from family of children
born to polygamous father he himself has seven children five with his
current wife turai who observers say is the force behind the president
katsina is one of northern nigerian states to have adopted sharia law
european stocks close lower
london jan afp
european stock markets closed lower on tuesday as us corporate results fell
short of forecasts casting doubt on the strength of the economic recovery and
the substantial stock gains made in recent months
dealers said that after prices rose percent and more made from the lows seen
in march investors are wary that they may have got too far ahead of underlying
fundamentals and so were hoping to see solid us company results
on monday us aluminium giant alcoa kicked off with figures well short of
expectations
they said news that china has begun tightening monetary policy added to the
negative tone with the miners who have led the way for months badly hit on
concerns about one of their most important markets
in london the ftse index of leading shares closed down percent to
points in paris the cac shed percent to points and
in frankfurt the dax fell sharp percent to points breaching
the key points support level
the us earnings season kicked off with alcoa missing expectations said
trader arifa sheikh usmani at financial betting firm spreadex
coupled with friday disappointing us job data this sparked feeling that
equity markets have got ahead of themselves sheikh usmani said
alcoa earned one cent per share in the fourth quarter well short of analyst
forecasts for six cents per share
it was wait and see today with the market catching its breath after recent
gains and ahead of more corporate results said xavier villepion of global
equities in paris
villepion said the early us results had disappointed and the chinese move to
tighten its policy stance had dampened sentiment
this week will be dominated by us earnings as the likes of intel and jp morgan
are still to come said james hughes of cmc markets
alcoa numbers have dampened the mood and left many feeling rather more nervy
about the earnings season if the disappointing theme continues many
predictions of strong first quarter could be well wide of the mark
in new york the blue chip dow jones industrial average was down percent
and the tech heavy nasdaq composite fell percent at around gmt
alcoa top line weakness speaks to the reality that the economic recovery
isn as strong as the stock market might lead one to think it is said patrick
hare of briefing com
elsewhere in europe amsterdam lost percent brussels dropped percent
milan fell percent madrid was down percent and swiss stocks shed
percent
in asia earlier tuesday tokyo rose percent as the market played catch up
with regional gains after being closed for public holiday on monday
hong kong fell percent but shanghai bounced back percent
sydney ended down percent with its miners weaker on the china lead
formula one auto racing nascar niche for nelson piquet jr
sao paulo jan afp
brazilian racing driver nelson piquet jr at the centre of the crashgate
storm said on tuesday he will compete in nascar next season having failed to
obtain drive in formula one
have spent the past few months carefully assessing my alternatives for this
year had to choose direction and it was difficult decision to take my
first months in formula one did not exactly go according to plan so decided
to do something different piquet said on his website
nascar is extremely competitive and nobody coming in from outside it has
managed to win the category
it will be an incredible challenge and something totally new for me he added
without revealing which team he will compete for
piquet lost his place at renault following crashgate which saw him
deliberately crash his car on the orders of team officials in singapore stunt
which helped team mate fernando alonso to win the race
last year he was invited to test nascar vehicle by red horse racing at
rockingham speedway in north carolina
crashgate was one of the worst scandals ever to hit formula one and its
aftermath saw renault sporting director flavio briatore banned for life and
former chief engineer pat symonds suspended for five years by the international
automobile federation fia
but last week french court threw out the ruling although the fia said earlier
on tuesday it is to appeal
aide to ex british pm denies sexing up iraq dossier
london jan afp
tony blair former chief spin doctor alastair campbell fiercely denied tuesday
sexing up dossier which claimed iraq could launch chemical or biological
weapons within minutes ahead of the war
in defiant appearance before public inquiry on the conflict campbell said
that while the highly controversial document could have been clearer he still
defended every single word of it and the invasion itself
think britain as country should feel incredibly proud of the role it played
in taking on one of the most brutal barbarous regimes in history said
campbell one of the former prime minister closest allies
the first big name to appear before the chilcot inquiry he appeared days before
blair gives evidence later this month or early next
current prime minister gordon brown who campbell said was one of the key
ministers blair consulted in the run up to war will appear after this year
general election expected in may
large part of campbell evidence focused on september dossier which
the british government issued to explain its growing concerns over iraq six
months before britain joined the invasion
the bbc subsequently reported that campbell had sexed up the report which
claimed iraq could launch chemical or biological attack within minutes
sparking an angry row with downing street
on tuesday campbell again insisted he had never tried to beef up anything
written by the dossier author john scarlett then chairman of high level
committee advising the government on intelligence
at no point did anybody from the prime minister down say to anybody within the
intelligence services you have got to tailor it to fit this judgment or that
judgment campbell said
the whole way through it could not have been made clearer to everybody that
nothing would override the intelligence judgments and that john scarlett was the
person who if you like had the single pen
campbell downing street former director of communications and strategy
resigned in august the month after ministry of defence weapons expert dr
david kelly was found dead near his home with slashed wrists
kelly believed he may have been the source of the bbc sexing up story and
officials confirmed his name as such to some reporters
at the time campbell insisted he wanted to resign to spend more time with his
family well before kelly death and previous official inquiry exonerated him
over the affair the chilcot inquiry is not covering kelly death
its committee members have faced criticism over alleged soft questioning of
witnesses but the ex bbc journalist who made the original sexing up claim was
among those to praise their hard line with him tuesday
campbell inevitably ran classic no surrender defence andrew gilligan
wrote on his blog for the daily telegraph
but the behaviour of chilcot committee the people on the other side of the
table was much more interesting and unexpected they asked often exactly the
right questions
elsewhere in his evidence campbell admitted second intelligence dossier
published weeks before the war started featuring material copied from
doctoral student research and dubbed the dodgy dossier by media was
mistake
campbell also insisted blair was determined to deal with saddam hussein regime
peacefully right up to crucial vote on the iraq war in the house of commons on
march
think the prime minister was all the way through trying to get it resolved
without single shot being fired he said
us led forces began their invasion of iraq two days after that vote despite the
lack of explicit backing from the un security council britain was the second
biggest troop contributor its deployment peaking at
campbell also said while britain pressed the us to seek diplomatic solution
blair wrote notes in to then president george bush saying he would
support military action if this did not work
if that cannot be done diplomatically and it is to be done militarily britain
will be there that would be the tenor of the communication to the president
he said
his evidence came as an independent commission in the netherlands found that the
iraq war lacked legitimacy under international law
football campbell on brink of dramatic arsenal return
london jan afp
sol campbell was nearing an extraordinary return to arsenal on tuesday
the english premier league club confirmed the year old former gunners captain
would play for arsenal reserves against west ham later on tuesday with the
aim of making permanent move back to the north london club
tonight tuesday reserve team to face west ham united at upton park
features sol campbell who plays tonight on reserve league registration with
view to permanent move back to arsenal football club statement on
arsenal official website said
the central defender capped times by england left arsenal for premier
league rivals portsmouth in
he has been training with the gunners since his ill fated brief stint with
fourth tier outfit notts county earlier this season
last week arsenal manager arsene wenger spoke in glowing terms about campbell
member of the londoners unbeaten league team and portsmouth captain
when they won the fa cup two years ago
he has fantastic attitude and good fitness said wenger of course he is
not the youngest but he is in very good shape he can still play in the premier
league ve said that many times
he is important in the dressing room as well he positive with the young
players
every year we have one or two like that and think premier league club will
sign him added the frenchman who would be breaking one of his sacred cows as
he has never before re signed former player
in his five years with arsenal campbell won two premier league titles and
three fa cups
were he to return campbell would along with year old mikael silvestre
provide cover for the first choice central defensive pairing of william gallas
and thomas vermaelen
but second gunners stint for campbell would cast doubt on the arsenal future
of philippe senderos
the swiss centre back currently out with foot injury spent last season on
loan at italian giants ac milan and was linked with pre season move to
everton
despite dismal economy luxury on display at us auto show
detroit jan afp
despite recession shaken global economy this year north american
international auto show features surprising number of luxury cars tailored for
drivers in search of the best wheels money can buy
the leading brands in luxury are all here corvettes bentleys maseratis
cadillacs names that cause heart palpitations as much for their pricetags as
for their performance
but after lackluster year in car sales some well heeled customers appear
willing to pay top dollar for high performance and an aura of automotive
elegance
among the car companies pushing its appeal to high end customers is daimler
maker of the storied mercedes benz
the company expects to gain market share this year in revived global
automobile market after what the german carmaker acknowledged was challenging
daimler says its prospects are bright for the current year after year of
reorganization and soul searching
we used the time to do our homework and get very promising base for
said daimler chairman dieter zetsche
he said there was strong momentum for daimler brands including mercedes
during the fourth quarter of that gives the company lot of confidence
heading into
that why with cautiously optimistic market growth forecast of three to
four percent worldwide we are more optimistic for the development of mercedes
in he said monday we expect to gain some market share in
electric vehicle producer tesla motors believes it has come up with winning
combination with its roadster car the california based company said proves
that luxury and environmental efficiency can co exist in the same vehicle
tesla began development in of its first electric vehicle its nimble
roadster the first and only highway capable electric vehicle for sale in
north america or europe the roadster has an estimated average range of about
kilometers miles per charge and produces zero tailpipe emissions
according to the company the car retails for around dollars
for drivers whose pocket are not quite so deep tesla also has added to its
line up the model the world first fully electric sedan with production due
to start in late with pricetag of dollars
people of means trolling the floor of the car show also were likely to consider
the abcs of luxury autos audi bentley and cadillac
audi unveiled its new prototype of tron high end electric car with
formula one drive
britain bentley was probably hardest hit by the recession with sales cut in
half for its super luxury cars in the dollar range but the cars which
attain top speeds of miles per hour also were generating some interest
here
meanwhile the highly rated much ballyhooed cadillac cts sport wagon
retails for relative bargain price of between dollars to
dollars
sporty luxury wagons are common in europe but the cts is the first north
american wagon in cadillac year history another cadillac offering is the
prototype hybrid xts platinum with its powerful liter fuel injection
engine
and japan honda has answered with its luxury cr hybrid available for sale
in us dealerships later this year with the ability to reach top speeds of more
than kilometers miles per hour
break with consumerism to save the world report urges
washington jan afp
the world faces environmental havoc unless people shift from culture where
success is measured by the accumulation of goods to one where people are admired
for living sustainably experts warned in report published tuesday
it no longer enough to change our light bulbs we must change our very
cultures said erik assadourian project director of the state of the world
released by independent research organization the worldwatch institute
the culture of consumerism has taken root in culture upon culture over the past
half century and become powerful driver of the inexorable increase in
demand for resources and production of waste that marks our age says the
report
but consumer cultures are unsustainable and are driving the planet towards
great collision between finite planet and the seemingly infinite demands of
human society the report warns
more than billion human beings are now demanding ever greater quantities of
material resources decimating the world richest ecosystems and dumping
billions of tons of heat trapping gases into the atmosphere each year it says
the numbers will continue to rise as people in developing nations aspire
towards the same consumer lifestyles as their peers in the west the report
says calling for wholesale transformation of dominant cultural patterns to
prevent the collapse of human civilization
this transformation would reject consumerism the cultural orientation that
leads people to find meaning contentment and acceptance through what they
consume as taboo and establish in its place new cultural framework
centered on sustainability the report says
in more human terms the shift would mean that machismo is not about the size
of your car but the fact that you don have one at all said assadourian
to achieve the shift everyone from religious leaders governments educators
to everyday citizens will have to play role the report said
the good news is this is not only possible but already happening from
incorporating earth rights into the constitution of ecuador to schools
integrating ecologic awareness assadourian said
serb leader war crimes trial resumes
the hague jan afp
the war crimes trial of ultra nationalist serb leader vojislav seselj resumed
tuesday in the hague after being adjourned indefinitely more than year ago
because of witness safety concerns
tuesday proceedings began with the evidence of protected prosecution witness
who testified his face hidden from the public on radical serb paramilitary
units in the war in bosnia in especially in the municipality of zvornik
seselj trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity started in november
seventy one witnesses have testified so far on his alleged role in the
persecution of croat muslim and other non serbs and their expulsion from areas
of croatia bosnia and serbia between and
the trial was adjourned last february when judges found it was not possible to
guarantee the safety of remaining witnesses
in july seselj was sentenced to months in prison for identifying three
protected witnesses in book he wrote he has appealed that ruling
the court said last november that new facts allowed the trial to resume and
ordered measures to ensure efficient protection of the security of the victims
and witnesses
seselj is accused of having participated in joint criminal enterprise that
sought the establishment of greater serbia through violent means this
included the explusion of non serbs from zvornik and other municipalities
mlr ach
france accepts google role in book scanning
paris jan afp
france agreed tuesday to work with google in programme to digitally scan
french library books but insisted it would not surrender legal control of its
cultural heritage to the us internet giant
culture minister frederic mitterrand said he would discuss sharing digital files
of works from france in return for items from google online library while
also pressing on with france own digitisation efforts
he approved an experts report published tuesday which proposed partnership
with google and its online library google books
we are going to propose to google an exchange of documents without
exclusivity in transparent way and with respect for the authors the
minister was quoted as saying by le monde newspaper
google said it welcomed the spirit of cooperation in tuesday report but did
not give details of possible partnership with france
google welcomes any private public initiative that aims to promote french
culture and make it accessible to as many people as possible the head of
google france books programme philippe colombet said in statement
this collaboration will enrich google books and improve the service for
internet users who will be able to access thousands of works in french
mitterrand said he would visit google bosses at their us headquarters in march
will say to them again when visit them in california that respect for
authors rights must be strict condition of any strong and viable
partnership he said
france has been searching in recent months for ways to bring its vast cultural
holdings into the digital age including through scanning books and museum
objects so they can be viewed online
last month president nicolas sarkozy announced million euro billion
dollar package of state funding for digitisation of the content of our
museums our libraries and our cinematographic heritage via public private
partnership
the report proposed setting up common platform where all works could be
accessible to internet users via public private partnership involving public
libraries and publishers
google the world leader in internet searches is an obvious candidate with the
expertise for mass digitisation project having already scanned millions of
works for its online library google books
last month it began scanning antique books from the major public collection in
the southeastern french city of lyon under contract with the municipal library
that controversially gives google the rights to the works for years
but suspicion of the huge california based company runs deep and discussions
between google and france national library over similar project raised
concerns that french heritage could fall into private hands
mitterrand said meanwhile france should push on with its own book scanning
project an online catalogue of national library documents called gallica
the report commissioned by mitterrand acknowledged google status as leading
player in digitisation but urged caution in negotiating the contracts with it to
keep commercial control and digital distribution rights
carlyle beijing set up yuan based investment fund
washington jan afp
us investment giant carlyle forged deal tuesday with beijing for establishing
chinese currency denominated fund that will invest in companies in the world
most populous nation
carlyle asia partners regional unit of the world second largest private
equity firm signed memorandum of understanding with the beijing municipal
bureau of financial work for the yuan or renminbi denominated fund company
statement said
the value of the fund was not revealed
the carlyle asia partners rmb fund to be registered in beijing will be
entitled to preferential treatment from the beijing municipal government it
said
the municipal government will provide full support to the rmb fund which once
established will invest alongside carlyle asia partners and pursue independent
investments in larger growth companies the statement said
the fund will help expand our investment capabilities in beijing and across
china further carlyle strategy of localizing our franchise in china and
contribute to the healthy development of the local private equity industry
said daniel niello the carlyle group managing director
huo xuewen head of the beijing municipal bureau of financial work said that
the fund could capitalize on the unique advantages beijing enjoyed as the
capital city
carlyle has invested more than billion dollars in china in more than
deals
football leonardo tells team to concentrate on their own game
rome jan afp
ac milan coach leonardo urged his team on tuesday to concentrate on their
performances and not the league table
milan are second in serie eight points behind bitter city rivals inter milan
following sunday humbling of juventus in turin
they have game in hand away to fiorentina though which they will play at the
end of the month
they also have the milan derby to look forward to on january meaning that
milan could even be top of the pile come february if inter drop points somewhere
else
but leonardo is not counting on that
inter looked headed for rare defeat on saturday when they trailed at home
to rock bottom siena with two minutes left but goals from wesley sneijder and
walter samuel got the champions out of jail and earnt them an unlikely
victory
we re very happy about what we re doing but the gap is still there because
inter consistency is incredible said leonardo
but even so there are still matches to play plus the game in florence so
this is not the time to start doing your sums now is the time to maintain the
level of play we ve attained
first up though milan tackle third division novara who are unbeaten this
season and have already claimed two serie scalps in parma and siena
and although leonardo will ring the changes he insisted he is not taking
lightly their opponents
we ve prepared well for this match and whoever plays they have been waiting for
this moment to show what they can do
football is continuous examination for everyone this match is part of our
calendar and of course it important because players will walk out onto the san
siro pitch wearing milan shirt
football campbell on brink of dramatic arsenal return
london jan afp
sol campbell was nearing an extraordinary return to arsenal on tuesday
several reports said the year old former gunners captain was set to play for
arsenal reserves against west ham later on tuesday
the central defender capped times by england left arsenal for premier
league rivals portsmouth in
he has been training with the gunners since his ill fated brief stint with
fourth tier outfit notts county earlier this season
last week arsenal manager arsene wenger spoke in glowing terms about campbell
member of the londoners unbeaten league team and portsmouth captain
when they won the fa cup two years ago
he has fantastic attitude and good fitness said wenger of course he is
not the youngest but he is in very good shape he can still play in the premier
league ve said that many times
he is important in the dressing room as well he positive with the young
players
every year we have one or two like that and think premier league club will
sign him added the frenchman who would be breaking one of his sacred cows as
he has never before re signed former player
in his five years with arsenal campbell won two premier league titles and
three fa cups
were he to return campbell would along with year old mikael silvestre
provide cover for the first choice central defensive pairing of william gallas
and thomas vermaelen
but second gunners stint for campbell would cast doubt on the arsenal future
of philippe senderos
the swiss centre back currently out with foot injury spent last season on
loan at italian giants ac milan and was linked with pre season move to
everton
british minister niece jailed for french sex murder
versailles france jan afp
british government minister niece was convicted of murder tuesday and
sentenced to years in jail for drunkenly stabbing frenchman she picked up
in bar
the court convicted jessica davies of killing year old olivier mugnier
in november in her apartment in the chic paris suburb of saint germain en
laye
the niece of the multi millionaire junior defence minister quentin davies
admitted killing her victim but said she had blackout and only remembered
coming round to find him bleeding to death on her bed
she was sentenced to years jail and years of probation and psychological
monitoring
the judge and jury in the versailles court heard davies had suffered from
psychological problems since her english father and french mother divorced
acrimoniosuly when she was
she took to drink and drugs and casual sex scraped through school and
university and failed to hold down any job for long the court heard
she also made several suicide attempts once using the same knife she killed
mugnier with to slash her wrists and thighs
corrected nissan aims to expand in us boost image with electric leaf
detroit michigan jan afp
nissan hopes to take advantage of weakened detroit to grow its share of the us
market with host of new products including high profile electric car the
japanese automaker top us executive told afp
is going to be for us very strong year in terms of product carlos
tavares executive vice president in charge of the americas said in an
interview monday
we are going to bring eight new products to this market in the next months
nissan managed to expand its share of the us market by points to percent
in even as the overall industry suffered percent drop amid broad
economic crisis
that came on the back of point rise in and helped nissan end the year
in sixth position just points behind chrysler
tavares said will continue to be challenging year but forecast overall
us sales will rise to between to million vehicles from in
we still expect and hope to grow our market share steadily he said adding
that nissan has no intention of buying market share with deep discounts
that would not be healthy we want to do things right and protect our
brand
the troubles at general motors and chrysler which restructured under
bankruptcy protection after seeking billions in emergency government loans
have created additional opportunities for expansion
both automakers have sharply cut back their dealerships and vehicle offerings
and gm is in the midst of eliminating the saturn pontiac and saab brands
while some of those brands buyers will naturally migrate to another gm product
some of those customers are orphans and that creates opportunities tavares
said on the sidelines of the detroit auto show
it offers an opportunity for everybody that fact he said
nissan will reach out with direct marketing to those orphaned customers and help
its dealers take advantage of the void left after neighboring competitor shut
its doors
it impossible to predict what the future will be because it the net balance
of competing moves he cautioned
tavares forecast that gasoline prices will rise as the economy picks up and that
consumers will continue to favor more fuel efficient vehicles
we are in good shape because we continue to reinforce our passenger car
offerings especially the price points between and dollars he said
the all electric leaf set to reach limited number of showrooms later this
year and to be sold on the mass market in will initially contribute
largely by raising the automaker profile
we are not rushing for very steep ramp up tavares said
the first vehicles will be imported from nissan plant in japan which currently
has an annual capacity of battery packs in they will begin to be
manufactured in the united states at plant which has an annual capacity of
battery packs
while most of the early adopters will likely purchase the leaf out of desire
