for advice on steroids he would tell them not to do it
it was the stupidest thing ever did there is no reason to go down that road
it is an illusion
mcgwire feels his records on the field were not connected to the drugs asked if
he could have hit home runs in season without them mcgwire didn
hesitate
absolutely he said look at my track record as far as hitting home runs
they still talk about home runs hit in high school was given the gift to
hit home runs
he insists he took steroids because he was trying to recover quicker from
injuries and get sense of normality back in his game
with the toll my body was going through and the level had to play at
thought with the low dosages it would make me feel normal
he asks people not to judge him too harshly
hope people truly see how sorry am will take it as it comes they say
the truth sets you free we will see if this is really true
it is the most regrettable thing have done in my life wish it never came
into my life apologized to everybody in major league baseball the roger
maris my family and the commissioner bud selig
roger maris held the single season home run record of in until mcgwire
came along in three years later barry bonds who has admitted taking
steroids but not knowingly hit to surpass mcgwire
the maris family now believes that the mark should once again be considered
the official record
mcgwire waffled when asked whether maris homer season is the legitimate one
it is unfortunate that played in this steroid era mcgwire said can
turn back the clock
mcgwire said he kept nothing from that historic season giving away all the
memorabilia to people he worked with and came in contact with at the time
don have one thing from the season he said didn keep any of
that stuff gave it away to coaches players and umpires it made more sense
for them to keep it
mcgwire has kept out of the public eye since his retirement from baseball but he
says his time away from the game was not sad
wasn in exile it is called retirement he said chose to be retired
was happy
dollar under pressure in asia
tokyo jan afp
the dollar remained under pressure in asian trade tuesday as weaker than
expected us jobs report disappointed investors in tokyo returning from three
day weekend dealers said
the dollar fell to yen in tokyo morning trade down from in new york
late on monday when japanese markets were closed the euro dropped to
dollars from and to yen from
market players are reacting to the disappointing us jobs report after the long
weekend here said hideaki inoue chief forex manager at mitsubishi ufj trust
and banking corp
the us economy lost jobs in december official data showed friday
dampening hopes for return to positive employment growth that could lead to
hike in us interest rates and support the greenback
the us unemployment rate held steady at percent partly reflecting large
number of people dropping out of the workforce
the greenback losses however were capped by recent signs that tokyo is
toughening its stance against strong yen dealers said
new finance minister naoto kan last week called for weaker yen to boost
japan export led economy triggering speculation that the government might
order market intervention to sell the currency
investors are also monitoring us corporate reports for leads on the health of
the world largest economy
we are looking ahead to series of us earning reports for the fourth quarter
inoue said
oil falls below dollars in asian trade
singapore jan afp
oil fell below dollars barrel in asian trade tuesday on forecasts that the
relentless frigid weather in the united states will moderate and ease demand for
heating fuel analysts said
new york main futures contract light sweet crude for february delivery was
trading at dollars barrel in the morning down cents from the new
york close on monday
the new york contract hit an intra day peak of dollars barrel monday
its highest level since october before slipping into the red as
investors locked in profits for the rest of the day
brent north sea crude for february was down cents at dollars
weaker oil prices are the result of weather forecast in the united states that
the temperatures would be moderating this week said victor shum senior
principal at purvin and gertz energy consultancy in singaore
it looks like in the us the cold snap is coming to an end
oil prices however are likely to remain high gaining support from robust
supplies and expected stronger fourth quarter company profits in the united
states shum said
oil pricing remains very strong given the supply demand balance he said
it going to take two very severe winters to consume all the distillate fuels
that has been stored both onshore and in floating storage facilities
weather aside shum said the start of the us corporate earnings season this week
should give boost to equities and along with them oil prices
expect the earnings results for the fourth quarter of to be generally
better than the results in the same period in the ancicipated stronger
corporate results would boost equities and that will likely support oil prices
he said
venezuela military shutters stores amid devaluation panic
caracas jan afp
the venezuelan military on monday shuttered firms including european
backed supermarket apparently fulfilling pledge to close businesses that
raise prices after massive currency devaluation
the government of leftist president hugo chavez asked the national guard to
close the stores for alleged irregularities state run news agency abn said
caracas branch of french backed supermarket exito was earlier closed for
hours for alleged price gouging
the news came as venezuelans rushed to empty supermarket shelves of televisions
refrigerators in anticipation that prices would soar for imported items
on friday chavez announced the bolivar would now trade at to the dollar
for non essential goods double the present rate and rate of
bolivars against the dollar for basic goods
the firebrand leader warned sunday that any price speculation by shopkeepers
would trigger business seizures and called on the national guard to help people
fight price hikes
to those gentlemen let call them looters of the people if they want to
go ahead and do it but we ll take their business and hand it over to the
workers chavez said on his weekly radio and television talk show alo
presidente
abn said food car part and other businesses were closed on monday for changing
the price of products and for speculation
yet consumers remained anxious
we have sold three times as much as normal said the owner of an appliance
shop in caracas as panicky buyers formed long lines outside stores
one shopper systems analyst who asked not to be named said the devaluation
prompted him to buy television he had been eyeing for months
pretty soon they are all going to cost twice as much but am not going to be
earning twice as much he said
fellow shopper rosaura martinez echoed similar concerns really am not sure
whether the price is going to go up not but just in case came down here to
get my oven she said
the bolivar devaluation was the first since and was designed in part to
bolster public finances that have withered amid dwindling oil revenues and
rapidly contracting economy
critics said the move would allow chavez to boost public spending ahead of
elections in september but would severely damage the health of the economy
the measures will see the government net twice as much for each dollar of oil
revenue and will move the bolivar closer to its rate on the black market of
around six bolivars per dollar
international investors hailed the devaluation as long overdue but warned it
would do little to stem the decline of venezuela once booming economy unless
steps are made to boost investor confidence
the new devaluation will not correct the problem long term since the
government refuses to take steps to stimulate private investment continuing its
interventionist policy said moody ratings agency
fitch another ratings agency also voiced concerns
venezuelan businesses currently face variety of constraints in terms of
changing regulatory framework unstable macroeconomic environment price
controls and bottlenecks in the energy sectors which in turn have deterred
investment it said in statement
since coming to office chavez has sought to remake the venezuelan economy
vowing to create more equitable socialist system
he has initiated string of nationalizations of foreign firms banks and
measures that have sent inflation soaring to percent the highest in latin
america
the largest oil producer in south america venezuela slipped into recession in
for the first time in six years due to drop in oil prices and production
years later guantanamo still angers activists ex inmates
washington jan afp
human rights groups and former inmates took to the streets in washington monday
to protest guantanamo bay still open and occupied eight years after it housed
its first prisoners
dressed in orange uniforms similar to the prison garbs first seen on january
some demonstrators marched briefly outside the white house to drive
their protest home to president barack obama
their complaints focused on obama broken promise sealed in an executive
order on january two days after he took office to close the us
military prison in southern cuba within the first year of his mandate
protesters said obama was no different than his predecessor george bush in
wielding his presidential powers to incarcerate terror suspects at the prison
widely seen as symbol of abuses carried out in the name of america war on
al qaeda and other extremists
some detainees still linger at the prison including dozens already cleared
for release
almost one year into the obama presidency we now see that president obama has
no intention of returning to the people the power that he inherited from george
bush center for constitutional rights ccr director vince warren told
reporters
ccr is the main provider of lawyers to guantanamo prisoners
nothing changed inside the prison people are still being tortured still
being beaten psychologically harmed omar deghayes former inmate from libya
raised in britain said via video link
the united states recognizes it made mistake but refuses to apologize said
former inmate lakhdar boumediene who addressed the press conference by
telephone from france
an algerian who lived in bosnia boumediene was among the first to be locked up
in guantanamo he was finally released in may after seven years at guantanamo
including two and half years on hunger strike
try but can forget when wash my hand see the mark of the shackles
he said
furious over the white house recent decision to suspend the transfer of yemeni
prisoners who account for about half the prison population out of concern
they might take up arms against the united states warren called the move
unjustified
obama suspended the transfers after it emerged that the nigerian man accused of
trying to blow himself up aboard us bound airliner carrying nearly people
was allegedly trained by an al qaeda affiliate in yemen
you don have to be from yemen to be in touch with people who plan horrible
things warren said
there have also been reports that two former guantanamo inmates rejoined osama
bin laden organization after their release
when cleared their situation doesn change because nigerian trained in
their country said human rights watch counterterrorism adviser stacy sullivan
referring to the still imprisoned yemenis
mohammed sulaymon barre who was transferred to somaliland last month urged
obama to close the prison soon
hurry up and close this prison that has become blot of shame upon all of
america do it fast do it quickly he said
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 bankruptcy looms large for asia
biggest carrier
investors took fright at media reports that jal shares were likely to be
delisted from the tokyo stock exchange as the debt ridden airline prepares for
court backed bankruptcy filing 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
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
delisted from the stock market so that investors share the burden of the
company woes the yomiuri and nikkei newspapers reported
transport minister seiji maehara was reportedly meeting with the heads of jal
creditor banks later tuesday to explain the government decision to back the
body plan for jal to file for bankruptcy with public financial support
he will also ask the airline private lenders which have been wary of the
bankruptcy option to provide financial assistance to help jal cope with cash
crunch as it undergoes court backed restructuring the reports said
maehara was to hold news conference after cabinet meeting at pm
gmt transport ministry official said
jal is seeking its fourth government bailout since to enable it to keep
flying in the face of mounting debts
the airline 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
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
millions gather on the ganges for mass hindu festival
dehradun india jan afp
hundreds of ash covered naked holy men and millions of hindu pilgrims are
making their way to northern india to take part in one of the largest religious
gatherings on earth
for hindu devotees the three month kumbh mela which begins thursday in the
towns of haridwar and rishikesh offers the chance to wash away their sins with
ritual bath in the holy waters of the river ganges
even in country where mass events are commonplace the kumbh mela stands apart
for its sheer size and the enormous logistical task involved in its
organisation
putting on the kumbh mela is like setting up city within city said alok
sharma the director general of the event
an area of square kilometres square miles has been set aside to host
the five million pilgrims expected to participate in the first of four
auspicious bathing dates on january
millions more will pass through the site as the festival unfolds with the
largest gathering of all expected on the final and most auspicious bathing day
of all on april which is led by the naked naga sadhus saints
the mela marks the only public gathering of the nagas many of whom live in
remote spartan conditions in mountains caves and communes in the himalayas and
other regions of india
the highest ranked among them will ride in chariots decorated with marigolds and
pulled by tractors while others follow behind carrying swords tridents and
saffron flags
naked and generally covered in layer of grey ash they are regarded by
devotees as earthly representatives of the gods because of their self sacrifice
and denial of the material world
their isolation does not however prevent their organising for particular
causes and they plan to use the kumbh mela to highlight the issue of global
warming
sadhus like us who go up to the higher reaches of the himalayas to meditate
have clear picture of how bad the situation is soham baba considered as the
head of the nagas told reporters recently in kolkata
pristine lakes and waterfalls that existed till few years ago have dried up
he said
the kumbh mela will be the appropriate place to protest he added
the mass of humanity poses enormous challenges not least of all from security
angle
sharma said police and paramilitary forces have been deployed around the bathing
ghats and bomb disposal units will be on standby for the duration
every inch of haridwar will be closely monitored on close circuit televisions
he added
special tented areas will be reserved for men and women and first aid units
will attend to the injuries that inevitably occur as the millions of pilgrims
congregate at the bathing ghats
the festival commemorates mythical battle between gods and demons over
pitcher of the nectar of immortality
during the struggle few drops of nectar fell in four different places
allahabad in the state of uttar pradesh haridwar in uttarakhand ujjain in
madhya pradesh and nasik in maharashtra
the kumbh mela alternates between these four places and takes place every three
years once every years an even larger maha kumbh mela is held the next
will be in allahabad in
as well as cleansing them of their sins pilgrims believe bathing in the ganges
during the festival will help liberate them from the cycle of birth and
reincarnation
japanese shares down percent at break
tokyo jan afp
tokyo shares slipped percent in morning trade on tuesday weighed down by
mounting fears that ailing japan airlines will file for bankruptcy wiping out
investors stakes dealers said
the tokyo stock exchange benchmark nikkei index dropped points to
by the lunch break easing back from month closing high seen on
friday before the market closed for three day weekend
but the broader topix index of all first section shares rose points or
percent to
investors reacted negatively to media reports that jal shares are likely to be
delisted from the tokyo stock exchange as the debt ridden airline prepares for
an expected court backed bankruptcy filing 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
delisting now looks almost certain so selling won stop smbc friend
research center analyst mitsuru miyazaki told dow jones newswires
hong kong shares open percent lower
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares opened down percent on tuesday with the benchmark hang
seng index falling points in early trading to
auto industry gets boost from new owner us government
detroit michigan jan afp
two powerful new salesmen showed up at the detroit auto show to make pitch on
behalf of general motors and chrysler transportation secretary ray lahood and
house speaker nancy pelosi
today is new beginning for the automotive industry lahood told reporters at
an early morning press conference ahead of the show opening monday
when people have an opportunity to see the kind of products that are now being
manufactured and will be on display they will realize the auto industry is
manufacturing products people want to drive
the us government which had long held hands off approach to the automotive
industry became major stakeholder last year after loaning gm and chrysler
more than billion dollars to keep them afloat during the economic crisis and
finance their restructuring under bankruptcy protection
lahood insisted the products on display and in development and the fact that gm
has begun to repay its loans will show american taxpayers it was good
investment that will pay dividends by helping revive the flagging economy
this industry is one of the pillars of our economy lahood told reporters
as this industry comes back the economy will come back jobs will come back
and we ll be on the way to the kind of recovery we re all hoping for
speaking in front of tree lined track set up to test drive electric vehicles
lahood also expressed his appreciation for the industry willingness to move
forward on developing more fuel efficient vehicles after years of fighting
tighter standards
we have made progress that was never possible before thanks to the industry and
thanks to the leadership of president barack obama he said
congressional delegation led by house speaker nancy pelosi also toured the
show where host of new electric hybrid and small cars were among the
highlights
but while the new vehicles are impressive they still represent only tiny
fraction of the actual industry cautioned ihs global insight analyst rebecca
lindland
they re going to try to show the visiting dignitaries the people from
washington who are going and the journalists and american consumer that they
are listening so they re bringing out more green cars lindland told afp
but she noted that in terms of sales hybrid vehicles only went from to
percent market last year
while there lot of talk about green cars consumers simply do not want hyper
hybrids and the industry will have to focus on improving the fuel efficiency of
their standard offerings she said
gm vice chairman bob lutz who has long railed against the fact that washington
did not offer the auto industry the same kind of support received by rivals in
asia and europe welcomed the newfound attention
since they basically own two us automobile companies they probably would
logically think that it good thing to see how their investment is doing
lutz told reporters sunday
it took the financial failure of the american automobile industry to make the
whole country aware of the importance of the american automobile industry but
personally very much welcome where we are at
gm chairman ed whitacre last week acknowledged that the automaker had lot of
work to do to repair its strained relations in washington
on monday he gave pelosi and handful of congressmen tour of gm offerings
including the upcoming plug in hybrid the chevy volt
what we saw here today was vibrant optimistic leadership to leapfrog over the
competition and to keep america number one pelosi said following the tour
which also included stops at chrysler and ford
we ve been impressed we re optimistic we have confidence in what was
accomplished and we ll be back again next year
pelosi dismissed critics including handful of protesters who stood outside in
the snow to show their dismay at the government bailout for failing to
understand the importance of the us auto industry to both economic and national
security
it about america innovation our entrepreneurial thinking and our
competitiveness worldwide she told reporters
our hopes are riding on the auto industry succeeding in our country and we
thank all those who are making the progress possible
tennis djokovic vows bid to shorten gruelling atp schedule
melbourne jan afp
novak djokovic said tuesday he would try to use his influence as member of the
atp player council to work for shorter schedule for the men tour
the world number three will start in low key fashion wednesday facing
tommy haas on the opening day of the eight man kooyong classic considered the
top tune up event for the australian open
this is main priority said the serb but fixing the season is not just
about the players we have to consider everyone
we are trying to fight for player rights said djokovic winner of five titles
last season during which he played more matches than any other competitor
it important that people understand how we feel the season is too long four
or five weeks before the start of new season is so little
we need at least two months at minimum
djokovic said the controversial topic will come up for discussion in meetings
during the australian open with the first grand slam of the season starting on
monday
djokovic heads kooyong field that is missing regular roger federer who on
sunday declined place that had been held open for him
joining djokovic are french open finalist robin soderling chile fernando
gonzalez german veteran haas us open winner juan martin del potro frenchman
jo wilfried tsonga and spain fernando verdasco
croatian ivan ljubicic was added as late replacement for federer
officials announced that after saturday final legends pat cash and henri
leconte would meet with briton andy murray also expected to play practice
match against an unnamed opponent during the four day event
str hg
optimism at detroit auto show as industry banks on recovery
detroit michigan jan afp
new sense of optimism filled the detroit auto show as the industry looked
forward to recovery from one of its worst years on record
automakers are still reeling from collapse in sales to levels not seen since
bankrupting general motors and chrysler and dethroning the detroit three
as the biggest sellers in the us market
china also surpassed the united states for the first time as the world biggest
vehicle market the china association of automobile manufacturers announced in
beijing monday
but the overall mood is significantly more upbeat than year earlier when gm
and chrysler very existence was in doubt as congress sparred over providing
billions of dollars in emergency loans
today is new beginning for the automotive industry transportation secretary
ray lahood told reporters
when people have an opportunity to see the kind of products that are now being
manufactured and will be on display they will realize the auto industry is
manufacturing products people want to drive
ford gm toyota and honda kicked off the show by highlighting their focus on
fuel efficient vehicles
ford which managed to both stay afloat and increase its piece of the shrunken
us market in introduced much anticipated update to its compact ford
focus sedan
companies have to pay attention to the three es economy efficient and the
environment chairman bill ford said as he touted the automaker new global
vehicle platforms which will radically reduce costs
toyota unveiled prototype of compact dedicated hybrid vehicle the ft ch
while honda revealed hybrid sports coupe the cr that will hit us
showrooms later this year
gm opened its presentations by introducing boxy low lying new compact sport
utility vehicle the gmc granite concept that would be aimed at young
urban drivers if it ends up being tapped for mass market production
the automaker also introduced several new smaller cars to be sold under its
chevrolet brand including the spark mini car and sporty aveo prototype
notably absent from the schedule was chrysler which had little to present after
the turmoil of painful divorce from daimler brief takeover by private
equity group cerberus and quick spin through bankruptcy that left the number
three us automaker under the management of italy fiat
new chief sergio marchionne was on hand however to speak with the media and
give lawmakers tour of the scaled back chrysler display filled with
aggressive trucks muscle cars shiny new sports cars and thanks to the
alliance with fiat maserati ferrari and the fiat minicar
congressional delegation led by house speaker nancy pelosi saw strong
emphasis on small cars and fuel efficiency at the show with square
foot square meter exhibit of different electric vehicles replete with
tree lined test track
there were also plenty of luxury vehicles on display despite the poor economy
and host of trucks and sport utility vehicles to tempt consumers who are less
environmentally conscious
kia capitalized on its corner of the lower cost market with kitchy press
conference styled like an infomercial with the constant refrain but wait
there more as it described its new offerings
what we saw here today was vibrant optimistic leadership to leapfrog over the
competition and to keep america number one pelosi said
our hopes are riding on the auto industry succeeding in our country and we
thank all those who are making the progress possible
there is no doubt that will be challenging year and the competition will
be fierce
most analysts are forecasting moderate rebound in us auto sales to between
and million vehicles this year after dropping percent to million
vehicles in
that will still be drastically below the to million vehicle range posted
in each of the previous years and sales could be sharply hit should the
economy take another bad turn
football jacob tells pompey fans to lay off al faraj
portsmouth england jan afp
portsmouth executive director mark jacob has called on the south coast
side fans to stop giving owner ali al faraj hard time saying he had saved
the club from administration
saudi businessman al faraj has been nicknamed al mirage by some supporters
having yet to visit the club fratton park home ground since taking over the
cash strapped side in october
portsmouth who lifted the fa cup in but have seen most of that squad
leave since are four points adrift at the bottom of the english premier league
but their off field problems so far this season have arguably been worse than
anything that happened on the pitch
before the campaign started portsmouth were hampered by the protracted takeover
of the club by the uae based sulaiman al fahim from former owner alexandre
gaydamak
fans who were led to believe that al fahim would invest heavily in the club were
stunned when in matter of weeks he relinquished control to al faraj
however he has struggled to raise the funds to cope with portsmouth mounting
debts with gaydamak alone saying he is still owed nearly million pounds by
the club
portsmouth have also been threatened with legal action by hm revenue and customs
over unpaid tax bills
meanwhile with the january transfer window now open pompey cannot currently
sign any new players as they remain the subject of premier league transfer
embargo regarding unpaid fees on previous deals
there are fresh protests planned against al faraj for saturday home game
against birmingham city but jacob said fans should stop venting their anger at
the owner
at the arsenal game there were chants which left ahmed al faraj the brother
of ali al faraj who watched the game on the internet most upset jacob
told monday edition of local newspaper the portsmouth news
mr al faraj feels supporters do not see or haven been told perhaps what
has happened since october and it was like pressure cooker that had suddenly
exploded
jacob added the club financial position was improving and that al faraj had
