of being an open road enthusiast living in the gaza strip tiny territory
sandwiched between israel and egypt and blockaded by both
words by djallal malti picture
entertainment india film language oscars feature
mumbai
for many people indian cinema is bollywood but the popular hindi language
movie industry and others like it across the country might have been different
without man called dhundiraj govind phalke
words by shail kumar singh picture
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american airlines says to raise investment offer for jal to billion dollars
indonesian military business empire poses threat hrw
jakarta jan afp
indonesia military has failed to dismantle its dangerous business empire as
ordered under law designed to enhance civilian rule in the budding
democracy human rights watchdog said tuesday
promises of increased oversight by president susilo bambang yudhoyono market
friendly ex general were totally inadequate and left the military
unaccountable to government human rights watch hrw said in report
it outrageous that despite the parliamentary directive the government has no
plan to take over ownership or management of single business hrw researcher
and report author lisa misol said in statement
promising to monitor them more closely simply isn good enough
despite law ordering the military tni to get out of the business sector
by the end of the generals still control foundations and over
cooperatives including ownership of companies the report says
these interests had gross assets worth million dollars in and turned
profit of million dollars according to official figures cited by the
report
yudhoyono issued decree on october promising greater oversight but hrw
said the measures merely entailed partial restructuring of the business
entities and required no divestment
an inter ministerial oversight team established on november has no clear
authority lacks independence and is not required to report publicly hrw said
nor do the new measures address accountability for human rights violations and
economic crimes associated with military business activities it added citing
examples including the killing of protesters by military personnel
in in pasuruan east java hrw said navy personnel opened fire on villagers
who were protesting over expropriations of land by the navy decades earlier
killing four
the sailors were providing security for state owned company that had leased
the land from the navy to operate plantation
in other examples the military has had prominent role in large timber
operations that have displaced communities from their ancestral lands and
fuelled rampant illegal logging it said
military units providing protection services to companies have earned off
budget cash payments raising serious corruption concerns the military also
has been implicated in illegal businesses and extortion operations
hrw said money making ventures by the military contribute to crime and
corruption impede military professionalism and distort the function of the
military itself
former defence minister jowono sudarsono admitted last year that rogue
elements of the military could be behind spate of shootings targeting
employees of us miner freeport mcmoran in eastern papua province
unidentified gunmen ambushed and killed an australian mine worker and two
indonesians including policeman in july near freeport massive gold mine
which pays troops for protection
sudarsono rejected suggestions of direct military involvement and police have
blamed poorly armed papuan separatists but the mine has long been linked to
alleged human rights abuses by the security forces
during his tenure as defence minister from the time yudhoyono took office in
until last year sudarsono argued the military should be allowed to keep
its smaller business interests to support soldiers families
the task of bringing the indonesian military fully under civilian control
remains incomplete more than decade after the collapse of general suharto
military backed dictatorship
china says successfully tests missile defence system
beijing jan afp
china has said it successfully tested missile intercept system in what
analysts said was show of its advanced air defence capabilities amid tensions
over us arms sales to taiwan
china conducted test on ground based midcourse missile interception
technology within its territory the test has achieved the expected objective
xinhua news agency said of monday test in brief dispatch
the test is defensive in nature and is not targeted at any country it added
without giving any specifics about the technology used
the news comes soon after us official in taipei said the pentagon had approved
the sale of patriot missile equipment to taiwan as part of package passed by
congress more than year ago
beijing which considers taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to take
the island back by force if necessary has repeatedly voiced its opposition
to the sales and urged washington to cancel the deal
china defence ministry had warned at the weekend that it reserved the right to
take unspecified action if washington followed through with the sale which it
called severe obstacle to china us military ties
the united states is the leading arms supplier to taiwan even though it
switched diplomatic recognition from taipei to beijing in
but analysts said while the test would keep pressure on the united states over
the taiwan weapons sales it was likely conducted as general show of force
rather than for washington benefit especially given the preparation time
needed
it sounds pretty significant to me richard bitzinger an expert on china
military at nanyang technological university in singapore told afp
the information is pretty thin but the critical fact is that they conducted
successful missile intercept
arthur ding an expert at taiwan national chengchi university said the test
would send political signal to the united states and to other countries that
china is prepared for air operations full scale operations by whatever
country
frankly speaking there is no detailed information so it is very hard to assess
how much china has achieved but at least it can show trend that air defence
is an area of focus for the overall military modernisation he said
beijing has poured money into its military in recent years as part of major
drive to upgrade the equipment used by the nation million strong armed
forces
china military spending rose percent in to billion dollars
according to budget submitted to parliament in march the latest in more than
decade long string of double digit increases
but amid growing concern overseas about china military intentions beijing
frequently stresses the defensive nature of its armed forces
the global times quoted senior military strategist yang chengjun as saying that
the test had ushered china into new phase in terms of missile interception
technologies
china needs an improved capability and more means of military defence as the
country faces increasing security threats yang was quoted as saying
one western military expert based in beijing who asked not to be identified
told afp what important is that they showed their willingness to demonstrate
china capabilities
ding said the recent test was quite different than one in that saw china
destroy one of its own orbiting satellites with missile sparking
international concerns
that test came after the united states under former president george bush
announced robust us plan to weaponise space move vocally countered by
beijing and moscow
monday missile intercept test has to do with china own comprehensive air
defence system defence against cruise missiles and against ballistic missiles
in the future or any other air war operations ding said
baseball mark mcgwire factfile
los angeles jan afp
factfile on former major league baseball star mark mcgwire who revealled monday
he used performance enhancing drugs for almost decade including when he
broke the single season home run record with
mark mcgwire
age
born pomona california
bats right
throws right
mlb debut august with oakland athletics
last mlb game october with st louis cardinals
career statistics batting average home runs runs batted in
teams oakland athletics and st louis cardinals
all star teams
world series champion one
gold glove award
al rookie of the year
lou gehrig memorial award
mlb records most home runs in single season for rookie with
un chief encouraged by guinea power sharing offer
united nations jan afp
un chief ban ki moon is encouraged by moves toward possible power sharing
between guinea ruling junta and its opposition his spokesman said monday
the secretary general is encouraged by recent political developments in guinea
particularly the commitment expressed by the interim head of state general
sekouba konate for return to constitutional order martin nesirky said in
statement
in speech last week konate invited the opposition to choose the next prime
minister ahead of the formation of transition government and called on
opposition leaders who fled to return saying he guaranteed their safety
ban welcomes both the invitation extended to the opposition to put forward
consensus prime minister and the guarantees of security given for all guineans
including the country political leaders the statement added
the un boss urged guinea military junta and government to honor their earlier
commitment not to contest the forthcoming elections and urged all political
stakeholders to work together to find lasting solutions to the challenges facing
the west african country
top opposition leader cellou dalein diallo welcomed konate speech of
appeasement saying it paved the way for talks but failed to take account of
the major demands of the opposition
konate who also serves as defense minister took charge after junta leader
captain moussa dadis camara was shot in the head and seriously wounded on
december by his aide de camp during an altercation camara has since been
hospitalized in morocco
ga oh
honda beats toyota to sporty hybrid for us market
detroit michigan jan afp
honda unveiled sporty new hybrid vehicle monday that will land in us showrooms
this summer at least two years ahead of similar prototype introduced by
rival toyota
now know you ve heard from others with plans to offer up product in this
new segment said american honda motor vice president john mendel
but this is real car coming to you in just few months
the honda cr is sporty two seater designed to evoke memories of the japanese
automaker popular but now defunct cr
it will build on honda existing us lineup of hybrid vehicles the civic and
the insight the automaker also announced plans to add hybrids to its luxury
acura brand
cr is an altogether new vision renaissance if you will for car of
the future mendel said
the cr was developed for more discerning customer who is seeking unique
combination of forward looking style fun to drive spirit advanced safety and
fuel efficiency
toyota which is expected to introduce eight new hybrids in the next few years
introduced prototype of two seater hybrid with somewhat less of sporty
style
the ft ch concept car is aimed at toyota strategy to offer wider variety of
conventional hybrid choices to its customers as it begins to introduce plug in
hybrids and battery powered vehicles in global markets the company said
it is expected to go on sale in
honda was the first automaker to introduce mass market hybrid in with the
hatch back two door insight revived last year as roomier four door
but toyota soon dominated the hybrid market with its popular dedicated model
the prius
honda said it is continuing to forge ahead in developing alternative powertrains
and plans to introduce an all electric commuter car to the us market in the
coming years
we continue to believe that fuel cell electric vehicle is the ultimate
solution to reducing co carbon dioxide emissions said takanobu ito
president and chief executive officer of honda motor
fuel cell car is full electric vehicle but rather than use electricity
from the grid fuel cell vehicle generates electricity on board and refills
more quickly
while the technology already exists to build fuel cell vehicles ito said the
manufacturing costs must come down and the infrastructure to support hydrogen
fueling must be developed
but make no mistake as vehicle the honda fcx clarity is ready now he
said
further honda is unique in making long term investments to develop the
refueling infrastructure for alternative fuel vehicles
the automaker will begin operating its next generation solar hydrogen station at
its los angeles research station later this month
under the system which could fit on the roof of typical us home solar panels
help transform water into hydrogen fuel
the latest generation eliminates the need for costly compressor and also
allows the system to be small enough to fit in standard garage
but ito said expanding the use of hybrid vehicles is the most important near
term approach
to increase the opportunity for more customers to choose hybrid we must be
able to meet different needs with family luxury and sporty hybrid vehicles he
said
we will apply hybrid systems which are compact lightweight and affordable to
wider range of products in the near future
hong kong shares fall percent by break
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares were percent lower by the break tuesday in line with
other regional markets as dealers took profits from recent gains
the benchmark hang seng index fell points to turnover was
billion hong kong dollars billion us
taiwan ma to stopover in us report
taipei jan afp
taiwan president ma ying jeou is set to stopover in the united states either
side of scheduled visit to honduras this month on trip likely to irritate
china local media said tuesday
ma will leave the island on january for the inauguration of honduran
president elect porfirio lobo sosa two days later with transit stop in san
francisco said the state funded central news agency
ma will make another stopover in los angeles before returning home on january
the trip will be his fourth to latin america aimed at bolstering ties with
the region since taking office in the report said
during his stops in california he is expected to contact us congressmen to
discuss controversial decision by taiwan to re impose an import ban on certain
us beef products the local tvbs cable news channel said
foreign ministry spokesman james chang declined to comment on the reports
saying the trip was yet to be finalised
ma last year dropped honduras from planned three leg visit to central america
following the ouster of the nation president manuel zelaya
the trip met with protests from china despite an improvement in ties between
the former rivals following the inauguration of beijing friendly ma as
president
beijing opposes any overseas visits by officials from taiwan which it still
regards as part of its territory awaiting reunification with the mainland
honduras is among only countries worldwide that formally recognise taipei
instead of beijing almost all of them are developing nations in africa latin
america and the pacific
beijing repeatedly protested to washington whenever ma predecessor chen shui
bian high profile advocate of independence made transit stops in the united
states
extreme cold sparks blackout concerns in korea
seoul jan afp
south koreans were urged tuesday to save energy after unusually icy weather
caused surge in power demand sparking concern about possible blackouts
knowledge economy minister choi kyung hwan said the country used record amount
of electricity over the past four days peaking at million kilowatts last
friday morning
this is million kilowatts more than recorded during last summer peak
when air conditioners are widely used
unless people reduce usage the nation power reserve capacity will fall below
four million kilowatts which would be considered an emergency situation choi
said
power companies say reserve of million kilowatts is needed to ensure
emergency backup in case of an unexpected generating problem
if large power plant is knocked out in this situation there would be
blackouts over wide areas choi said
he urged banks department stores malls and hotels to help save energy and
called on homes and offices to reduce the use of heaters he also asked people
to walk instead of using elevators
the temperature in seoul fell as low as minus degrees celsius
fahrenheit last week on tuesday the low was forecast at minus celsius with
high of minus
nfl recession takes bite out of super bowl ads
los angeles jan afp
the price of running commercial during the super bowl has dipped lower but
remains the most expensive ad on american television
the global recession has taken bite out of super bowl ads as prices fell for
the just the second time in the game history
second commercial during next month super bowl on cbs are now selling for
between million dollars and million dollars according to reports from
advertisers and media buyers
the figure is down from last year when ads averaged record three million
dollars on nbc
for the first time in years pepsi won advertise its drinks last year
fedex and general motors pulled out
those figures could change because as of friday there are still four of the
commercial slots left
cbs could charge last minute buyers higher prices to bump up the average costs
the super bowl airs february
abortion doctor slaying trial delayed in kansas
wichita kansas jan afp
the trial of man accused of murdering well known abortion doctor was delayed
monday in case refocusing attention on the legal but controversial medical
procedure
scott roeder is charged with first degree murder in the may death of
george tiller who was gunned down in his kansas church
tiller was one of handful of doctors in the united states to perform
abortions into the third trimester of pregnancies he had been lightning rod
for anti abortion foes who nicknamed him tiller the baby killer
jury selection was to have begun monday but judge warren wilbert said he needed
to time to consider prosecution argument that roeder should not be able to
claim he is guilty of voluntary manslaughter lesser crime
voluntary manslaughter does not apply in cases that involve premeditation
prosecutors said
premeditation and heat of passion are mutually exclusive concepts the
prosecutors motion said
roeder has admitted in jailhouse interviews that he shot tiller but has pleaded
not guilty saying the act was necessary to protect the lives of unborn
children
judge wilbert also ruled to keep jury selection closed to the public due to the
very personal and sensitive nature of the questions posed to prospective
jurors
several media organizations have asked the kansas supreme court to overturn
wilbert ruling
tiller slaying was an act of domestic terrorism designed to intimidate other
abortion providers said terry neill president of the pro choice national
organization for women now
scott roeder murder was aimed at other doctors not just dr tiller she told
afp that the essence of terrorism
tiller death drew international headlines still it remains unclear what
effect if any it had in the on going abortion debate in this country
neill called tiller slaying wake up call for many people who had not
taken strong stand on abortion resulting in pledge from president barack
obama administration to provide greater protection for abortion clinics
however the slaying did not appear to influence the debate in washington over
the proposed national health care bill pending in congress which in its current
form places severe limits on publicly funded abortions
tiller was killed while serving as an usher in the foyer of his church but the
doctor and his clinic located just off busy whichita highway had been the
targets of decades of protests and occasional violence by anti abortion forces
to some extent roeder plan worked neill conceded
tiller family closed the clinic after his death and nebraska doctor
initially interested in reopening it decided against the move in the face of
threatened protests
roeder who lived in the kansas city area has long history of anti abortion
activities and according to one family member suffers from mental illness
judge has already ruled that roeder cannot pursue the so called necessity
defense by arguing that tiller death was necessary to save the life of others
but the judge may permit the defense to introduce evidence of roeder beliefs
that might allow jurors to consider lesser crime such as voluntary
manslaughter
apparently to that end roeder attorney has subpoenaed phill kline the former
kansas attorney general who aggressively investigated tiller in an attempt to
shut down his clinic
before leaving office kline charged tiller with misdemeanor counts of which
jury quickly acquitted him two months before his murder
jal shares dive as bankruptcy fears deepen
tokyo jan afp
japan airlines shares nose dived tuesday hammered by deepening fears that
investors will see their stakes wiped out as the spectre of bankruptcy looms
large for asia biggest carrier
investors dumped jal on reports that the debt ridden airline is likely to be
delisted from the tokyo stock exchange and is preparing for court backed
bankruptcy filing possibly next week
jal share price plunged by the daily limit of yen or almost percent to
yen with the stock untraded amid glut of sell orders the shares have
tumbled percent over the past three months
delisting now looks almost certain so selling won stop smbc friend
research center analyst mitsuru miyazaki told dow jones newswires
the state backed body overseeing jal turnaround efforts wants shares in jal
taken off the stock market so that investors share the burden of the company
woes the nikkei business daily and other media reported
prime minister yukio hatoyama suggested tuesday that shareholders should share
the pain saying they had certain responsibilities
transport minister seiji maehara reportedly met the heads of jal creditor
banks tuesday to ask them to back plan for jal to undergo bankruptcy
proceedings with public financial support
jal creditor banks are expected to be asked to forgive loans worth several
hundred billion yen
the airline is seeking its fourth government bailout since to enable it to
keep flying in the face of mounting debts
the yomiuri newspaper reported that the enterprise turnaround initiative corp
would provide capital injection of billion yen for jal as part of
restructuring plan that would involve the airline filing for bankruptcy
it said that in addition the state owned development bank would offer loans of
billion yen to help the carrier keep flying
earlier this month the government announced it was doubling state backed loan
to jal to billion yen
the carrier which lost about billion dollars in the six months to
september has said it plans thousands of job cuts and drastic reduction in
routes as part of its efforts to return to profitability
kyodo news reported monday that jal is poised to slash jobs or about
percent of its group workforce over three years in an effort to return to
profitability
jal has been offered financial assistance by both american airlines and delta
air lines which are competing to take stake in the japanese company and
increase their share of the lucrative asian market
jal reportedly favours delta over american for tie up although the nikkei
reported at the weekend that it may forgo deal with either carrier for now
the government and the turnaround body are said to be considering tapping kazuo
inamori the year old honorary chairman of electronics maker kyocera corp
to become chief executive of jal during the restructuring process
korea lg unveils billion dollar investment plan
seoul jan afp
south korea lg group tuesday announced plans to invest record billion
dollars this year to develop future growth engine by focusing on next
generation technology
the group said its investments for would rise percent from year
earlier to trillion won billion dollars including trillion for
research and development
the country third largest conglomerate set its revenue target for this year at
trillion won up from trillion won last year
it said the investment would help lg focus on advanced technology products such
as next generation mobile phones smart televisions and solar batteries
the group plans to spend about trillion won on lg electronics the world
third largest maker of mobile handsets
it set aside trillion won for lg chem the country top chemical producer
which has developed lithium ion batteries for electric cars
some trillion won will be funnelled into telecommunications and service
areas
us strongly condemns iran spy trial of bahais
washington jan afp
the united states decried on monday iran decision to try seven members of the
banned bahai religion on charges of spying for arch foe israel
the united states strongly condemns the iranian government decision to
commence the espionage trial against seven leaders of the iranian bahai
community us state department spokesman pj crowley said in statement
authorities have detained these persons for more than months without making
public any evidence against them and giving them little access to legal
counsel he said adding that tehran was responsible for the bahais safety
during their detention
these persons are entitled to due process the right to fair and public
hearing is embodied in the universal declaration of human rights
tehran prosecutor abbas jafari dolatabadi said saturday the seven suspects would
be put on trial this week in tehran adding they were arrested because they
played role in organizing the ashura protests and for having sent abroad
pictures of the unrest
the iranian regime has stepped up crackdown on the opposition following bloody
anti government protests on december during the shiite commemoration of
ashura when eight people were killed
hardliners now accuse protesters of opposing the islamic republic leadership
and regime
spokeswoman for the bahai detainees rejected charges they had weapons in their
homes
we are deeply concerned about iran ongoing persecution of bahais and
treatment of other members of religious minorities who continue to be targeted
solely on the basis of their beliefs crowley said
we join the international community in urging the iranian authorities to
release all religious minorities who are currently in detention for peacefully
exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms
the us commission on international religious freedom non partisan official
body that advises the us government criticized iran last week for ramping up
vilification of bahais in light of recent unrest
president mahmoud ahmadinejad disputed june re election triggered wave of
opposition protest amid charges that the vote was marred by massive fraud
at least of those arrested during protests are still held in tehran police
say
followers of the bahai faith founded in iran in are regarded as infidels
and suffered persecution both before and after the islamic revolution
the bahais consider bahaullah born in to be the last prophet sent by god
in direct conflict with islam the religion of the vast majority of iranians
which says mohammad was the last prophet
japan current account surplus up for fourth month
tokyo jan afp
japan current account surplus grew in november for fourth straight month
boosted by solid exports to the rest of asia government data showed tuesday
the surplus in the current account the broadest measure of trade with the
rest of the world rose percent from year earlier to trillion yen
billion dollars in the month the finance ministry said
the world second largest economy logged trade surplus of billion yen
against deficit of billion in the same month of the previous year
exports were down percent to trillion yen while imports fell
percent to trillion yen
historically japan has had large surplus in its current account which
measures the flow of goods services and investment income but the global
recession has hit demand for its key exports such as cars and high tech goods
nfl recession takes bite out of super bowl ads
los angeles jan afp
the price of running commerical during the super bowl has dipped lower but
remains the most expensive ad on american television
the global recession has taken bite out of super bowl ads as prices fell for
the just the second time in the game history
second commercial during next month super bowl on cbs are now selling for
between million dollars and million dollars according to reports from
advertisers and media buyers
the figure is down from last year when ads averaged record three million
dollars on nbc
for the first time in years pepsi won advertise its drinks last year
fedex and general motors pulled out
those figures could change because as of friday there are still four of the
commercial slots left
cbs could charge last minute buyers higher prices to bump up the average costs
the super bowl airs february
