iraq election officials bar nearly candidates from poll
baghdad jan afp
iraq election organisers on thursday barred nearly politicians and parties
from contesting the country upcoming national poll including many linked to
saddam hussein outlawed baath party
we decided this afternoon to exclude around names and political entities
from the list of candidates said hamdia husseini senior official with the
independent high electoral commission ihec
husseini did not specifically mention the baath party but said the excluded
candidates fell under the law of the committee of justice and integrity which
bars saddam loyalists from taking part in elections
she said those who had been barred had three days to appeal the decision during
which time they could also present an alternative list of names to contest the
march vote
the decision follows the exclusion on january of politicians and parties
linked to saddam and is likely to be seen as further blow for national
reconciliation efforts
among the most prominent to be banned was saleh al mutlak secular sunni
lawmaker who heads the national dialogue front
mahmud othman an independent kurdish mp said that decision would harm efforts
towards national reconciliation seen as key to reducing instability in
country that was engulfed in sectarian bloodshed in and
baath party membership was key condition for advancement in public sector
employment during saddam regime
according to ihec figures around candidates registered to compete in the
march poll the second national parliamentary vote since saddam ouster from
political parties comprising coalitions as well as independents
the election which falls on sunday the first day of the working week in
iraq is seen as crucial step towards consolidating its democracy and securing
complete us military exit by the end of as planned
the poll was originally scheduled for january but was delayed because of
repeated disagreements over the electoral law governing the ballot
the election will see the number of mps increase from to including
three additional ones for provinces in the northern autonomous kurdish region
of the total eight seats will be allocated to minorities including christians
and seven to smaller parties which win national support but not enough votes to
gain representation at provincial level
spain urges reasonable deal to save project
brussels jan afp
spanish defence minister carme chacon urged airbus and partner countries in the
military transport plane thursday to come to reasonable deal and save
the delayed multi billion euro project
the countries and the company must reach reasonable agreement that will allow
this great project to be success she told reporters in brussels as the
seven partner nations involved in the project held talks in london
chacon declined to say how much of the burden spain could assume but she noted
that airbus shared responsibility and therefore should show some generosity
it just not possible that we be unable to make this project succeed she
said
france has vowed to do everything to save the but germany appears
reluctant to invest more cash britain said that it remains committed but
not at any cost
turkey has already refused to plough more money into the programme which is
three years behind schedule and is estimated to need more than five billion
euros billion dollars and up to billion euros more to be completed
belgium luxembourg and spain are the three other countries involved
european aircraft maker airbus and its parent group the european aeronautic
defence and space company eads were not invited to the talks at the british
defence ministry
airbus has said it could pull the plug on the project unless it gets extra money
pledges by the end of the month warning that the failure of the programme
could hurt the viability of the company as whole
airbus has employees around europe with some working on the
transporter that can carry troops armoured vehicles and helicopters
the seven client nations have ordered total of aircraft for some
billion euros billion dollars
biathlon norway svendsen wins ruhpolding biathlon sprint
ruhpolding germany jan afp
norway emil hegle svendsen beat home compatriot ole einar bjoerndalen to win
the world cup sprint here on thursday
the norwegian victory was his third of the season and th in his career on
the world biathlon circuit
both svendsen and bjoerndalen enjoyed an exemplary day on the shooting ranges
with no penalties but it was the latter who led through to the final kilometre
of the km race
however his younger team mate tracked the veteran down to finish sec ahead
with germany michael greis in third sec off svendsen pace
missing british girl libel trial to resume next month
lisbon jan afp
libel trial pitting the parents of missing british girl madeleine mccann
against the portuguese police officer who led the initial probe into her
disappearance will reopen next month the couple lawyer said thursday
kate and gerry mccann are suing goncalo amaral for million euros
million dollars for defamation over allegations he made in book that their
daughter was dead and they were involved in her disappearance
the case in lisbon was expected to finish on thursday but will now resume on
february with two extra witnesses and closing arguments the mccanns lawyer
isabel duarte told journalists
during three days of hearings so far the court has mainly heard evidence from
police officers who supported their former colleague and defended his
investigation
kate mccann said she thought suing amaral was the right thing to do
it difficult to hear something that incorrect and inaccurate at the bottom
of all this is little girl and think it important that we don forget
that she said
this is definitely the right course of action truly believe we are doing
this to help the search for madeleine believe in the portuguese judicial
system and that we will get justice and that we can take the search for
madeleine forward
portuguese court issued an interim injunction in september banning sales of
the book in which amaral made the claims maddie the truth of the lie
and prohibiting him from repeating them in the media
the mccanns who have always said they believe their daughter was abducted have
asked the lisbon court to confirm the interim ruling as definitive
madeleine went missing from holiday apartment in the algarve resort of praia
da luz on may few days before her fourth birthday as her parents and
their friends dined at nearby restaurant
the mccanns were named as official suspects in their daughter disappearance in
september although this was lifted in july
amaral initially headed the inquiry but was removed in october after he
criticised british police in newspaper interview
despite massive international publicity and investigations by both portuguese
and british police madeleine has never been found
the portuguese are no longer investigating the case but other investigators
acting on the couple behalf are still looking for the missing girl and
appealing to the public for information
football africa cup of nations group standings
luanda jan afp
africa cup of nations group standings after early thursday game played won
drawn lost goals for against points
malawi
algeria
angola
mali
fixtures
luanda unless noted times gmt
jan
angola malawi
jan
angola algeria
at cabinda
malawi mali
note group winners and runners up qualify for quarter finals
biathlon norway svendsen wins ruhpolding biathlon sprint
ruhpolding germany jan afp
norway emil hegle svendsen beat home compatriot ole einar bjoerndalen to win
the world cup sprint here on thursday
the norwegian victory was his third of the season and th in his career on
the world biathlon circuit
both svendsen and bjoerndalen enjoyed an exemplary day on the shooting ranges
with no penalties but it was the latter who led through to the final kilometre
of the km race
however his younger team mate tracked the veteran down to finish sec ahead
with germany michael greis in third sec off svendsen pace
football africa cup of nations algeria mali
luanda jan afp
result of an africa cup of nations group gane thursday
algeria halliche mali
scientists praise obama as doomsday clock reset
new york jan afp
international scientists nudged back the minute hand of the symbolic doomsday
clock thursday as they praised president barack obama for helping to pull the
world back from nuclear or environmental catastrophe
it is six minutes to midnight the bulletin of atomic scientists bas which
created the doomsday clock in as barometer of how close the world is to
an apolcalyptic end said in statement read out as the clock countdown to
midnight was turned back by one minute
for the first time since atomic bombs were dropped in leaders of nuclear
weapons states are cooperating to vastly reduce their arsenals and secure all
nuclear bomb making material the statement by the panel of international
scientists including nobel laureates said
for the first time ever industrialized and developing countries alike are
pledging to limit climate changing gas emissions that could render our planet
nearly uninhabitable
key player in the new global era of cooperation was obama whose election in
ushered in change in the us government orientation toward
international affairs said lawrence krauss co chair of bas board of
sponsors speaking at the ceremony to turn back the hands of the symbolic clock
obama brought with him to the white house more pragmatic problem solving
approach than his predecessor george bush the scientists said
not only has obama initiated new arms reduction talks with russia he has
started negotiations with iran to close its nuclear enrichment program and
directed the us government to lead global effort to secure loose fissile
material in four years krauss said reading from the bas statement
since it was created by scientists who helped to develop the world first
atomic weapons the doomsday clock has come to be seen as measure of what
progress if any the world has made in moving away from the risk of nuclear
climate caused or bio warfare catastrophe
midnight on the clock signifies the apocalypse and the minute hand symbolizes
the countdown to disaster
the last time the minute hand was moved was in when bush was president
then the clockwas bumped two minutes closer to midnight
in resetting the clock this year the scientists said they were encouraged by
recent developments but had chosen to put back the clock by only one minute to
show they were mindful that the clock is ticking said krauss
by shifting the hand back from midnight by only one additional minute we
emphasize how much needs to be accomplished while at the same time recognizing
that global cooperation has moved forward he said
putting back the clock by only one minute also meant that there great
potential for it to move again in either direction said krauss
which way the hands of the clock are moved next time was up to scientists world
leaders and ordinary people said krauss urging them all to seize the unique
opportunity we have right now to begin to free ourselves from the terror of
nuclear weapons and slow drastic changes to our shared global environment
we are now poised at unique time with hope and opportunity let not blow
it he said
urgent eu seeks answers from france over renault pressure
brussels jan afp
the eu competition watchdog said thursday it would seek explanations from france
about its pressure to prevent car maker renault from moving production of its
clio models to turkey
football africa cup of nations algeria mali
luanda jan afp
result of an africa cup of nations group gane thursday
algeria halliche mali
football redknapp charged with tax evasion
london jan afp
tottenham hotspur manager harry redknapp was charged with tax evasion on
thursday spokesman for english prosecuting authorities said
the charges which relate to redknapp time in charge of premier league
strugglers portsmouth result from month police investigation into alleged
corruption in english football
redknapp who has repeatedly protested his innocence said he would fight the
charges
henry harry redknapp the former football manager of portsmouth football
club has today been charged with two counts of cheating the public revenue
crown prosecution service cps spokesman said thursday
meanwhile redknapp lawyer ian burton said his client had voluntarily
attended london police station on thursday to be charged by officers
the charges against redknapp came two days after former portsmouth chairman
milan mandaric whom he worked alongside at fratton park was charged with two
counts of tax evasion during his time at the south coast club
the cps announced tuesday that mandaric now chairman of leicester had been
ordered to appear before london magistrates court on february in
connection with payment of dollars to another person via bank
account in monaco
mandaric was first informed of the impending charges last month at which point
his solicitors confirmed that they related to monies paid to redknapp
the cps statement thursday said the charges facing redknapp were connected to
those they had laid against mandaric
the cps revenue and customs division decided there was sufficient evidence and
it was in the public interest to charge mr redknapp
he is jointly charged with milan mandaric the former chairman of portsmouth
city football club following an investigation by the city of london police and
hm revenue and customs
burton who insisted his client would clear his name said harry has
cooperated fully with investigators during the course of this inquiry and is
confident of successful outcome to these court proceedings
peter storrie the chief executive of portsmouth is due back in court on
january to answer charges of tax evasion in connection with signing on fee
allegedly paid to midfielder amdy faye when he joined from french club auxerre
storrie continues to be employed by the premier league basement club grappling
with financial crisis which has resulted in players and other staff having the
payment of their salaries delayed repeatedly this season
teams owed money for transfers by portsmouth who under redknapp won the fa
cup have also complained of payments being delayed and on thursday the english
premier league announced they would be diverting the south coast side seven
million pounds share of television revenues direct to creditor clubs
as well as pursuing mandaric redknapp and storrie individually the british tax
authorities are seeking to have portsmouth wound up because it does not believe
it will be able to recover payments they say they are owed by the club court
hearing is due in february
corrected ecb chief rejects talk of greece leaving eurozone
frankfurt jan afp
european central bank head jean claude trichet on thursday dismissed the notion
that greece could leave the eurozone because of its debt crisis but told athens
it had to get its finances in order
trichet said suggestions that greece might resign or be expelled from the
nation eurozone because of its soaring deficit and debt reflected an absurd
hypothesis
he added however that greece and several other eurozone members had lot of
hard work to do
trichet spoke after the central bank kept its key interest rate at record low
percent to underpin what it said would be moderate economic recovery
in message to all eurozone countries hit by global slump the ecb chief
said they have to address the situation in taking the appropriate bold and
courageous measures to get strained public finances under control
greece debt debacle thrust it to the top of the bank list of problems but
ireland italy portugal and spain have troubles of their own and analysts say
market fears could fuel full blown crisis if officials do not act credibly and
soon
trichet said there would be no exception for greek government bonds within the
bank collateral requirements which are to revert to pre crisis criteria at
the end of this year
that would mean that greek bonds would not be accepted as collateral by the bank
at current ratings
no government no state can expect from us any special treatment he stressed
although direct assistance by the bank or eurozone members to greece would
violate rules on which the single currency is based observers widely expect
some kind of eu help for greece in the end
for the ecb chief however the problem is not to get help the problem is to
help oneself
he commended an austerity budget unveiled by dublin saying what have seen
coming from ireland has been quite impressive in terms of adjusting to new
circumstances without losing time
greek officials pledged to present friday plan for resolving the debt crisis
with finance minister george papaconstantinou calling it roadmap to reverse
the huge credibility gap greece faces in financial markets
barclays capital economist thorsten polleit told afp unsound public finances
are not natural catastrophe they are the result of political decisions that
gives hope that governments are going to take action
he warned however that if people become convinced that this is not the case
this could be serious
the rest of trichet press conference suggested the ecb will leave its main
lending at on hold for most if not all of the year while gradually withdrawing
exceptional monetary supply measures as market conditions permit
the bank said the economy should grow at moderate pace in but that the
recovery would likely be uneven and was subject to uncertainty
with current rates deemed appropriate little news was expected in the coming
months therefore
after all the excitement of the last year healthy dose of boredom has
returned to the ecb meetings ing senior economist carsten brzeski concluded
urgent football algeria beat mali in africa cup of nations
luanda jan afp
world cup qualifiers algeria beat mali in an africa cup of nations group
game thursday
football injury blows add to benitez liverpool woes
london jan afp
just when liverpool manager rafael benitez thought things could not get any
worse he found himself facing up to the prospect of being without star players
fernando torres and steven gerrard
the pain felt around anfield following wednesday shock extra time fa cup
defeat by second division reading was compounded thursday by news that torres
gerrard and yossi benayoun had all sustained injuries during the extra time
loss
torres who lasted barely half an hour at anfield faces the longest lay off of
the trio
the spain striker is set to be sidelined for six weeks with knee injury while
inspirational club captain gerrard substituted at half time is expected to be
out for fortnight with hamstring injury
meanwhile israeli playmaker benayoun one of liverpool better players in
terrible season so far for the merseysiders sustained fractured rib against
reading and could be unavailable for at least month
torres is to undergo an operation but england midfielder gerrard may not need
surgery
steven gerrard and fernando torres both underwent scans earlier today
thursday after coming off in the fa cup tie against reading liverpool
spokesman said
steven has hamstring strain and will be out for fortnight while fernando
has torn cartilage in his right knee the injury will require surgery and he
is expected to be sidelined for six weeks
yossi benayoun also suffered fractured rib in the game and will be
unavailable for between three and four weeks
the trio will miss this weekend match against stoke and the subsequent premier
league encounters with tottenham and wolves but the reds will hope to have
gerrard back in time to face bolton on january
but the extent of torres injury means he is set to miss next month
merseyside derby against everton and february league match with arsenal as
well as the fixture with high flyers manchester city
as well as being blow to liverpool torres injury will be concern to
european champions spain ahead of this year world cup finals in south africa
the injury setbacks came as pressure grew on benitez with former liverpool
captain ronnie whelan calling for the spaniard to be sacked
he should have gone long time ago whelan told the bbc they have got to do
it now
liverpool started the season fancied to end the club year wait for the
english title but they are currently points behind premier league leaders
chelsea
benitez recently guaranteed the five times european cup winners would finish
in the top four and so qualify for next season champions league but they are
currently seventh in the table having already crashed out of this season
tournament at the group stage
now the only chance liverpool desperate for finance but hampered by the stand
off between feuding american co owners george gillett and tom hicks have of
winning trophy this season rests with the europa cup
it was only last year that benitez signed contract extension that is set to
keep him with liverpool until and doubts remain over whether even if they
wanted to sack him the club would be willing to afford the multi million pounds
pay off they would have to give the spaniard
defiant benitez speaking after the reading match said he got used to
criticism
for three months everyone was talking about me at the end as manager you
have to be disappointed but then move forward and think about stoke on
saturday added the spaniard who has been in charge at anfield since
we are frustrated but you have to carry on
and as the knives were being sharpened benitez did at least receive support
from former liverpool striker john aldridge
we can turn the tide don think to get rid of rafa now is the answer he
told sky sports
dakar challenges regional court power to try habre official
lagos jan afp
senegal thursday challenged the competence of west africa regional court to
hear chad former president hissene habre suit against dakar efforts to try
him for alleged rights violations court spokesman said
at the court session thursday in abuja dakar government lawyers filed an
objection against the hearing of habre suit by the court arguing that their
country sovereign state was at liberty to make its laws amend them and try
offenders felicien hounkarin told afp
they confirmed that they amended their laws including those dealing with
torture to allow them conform with un international convention and in order to
enable dakar to try cases of rights violations and torture he said
habre lawyers argued that senegal decision to amend its laws specifically
targeted habre and that his rights could be violated if he was tried in the west
african country he also said
they urged the court of the economic community of west african states ecowas
to stop habre trial in senegal he added
if he is tried in senegal he will be the sole person to be so treated and this
trial will amount to selective justice he is not going to get justice and
fair hearing in senegal habre leading lawyer francois serres told afp by
telephone from abuja
even now lot of rights violations are going on in senegal in dakar
preparation of this case we are worried that he might be indicted if tried in
senegal serres said
habre accused of crimes against humanity which senegal is charged with the
responsibility of trying has alleged the violation of some of his rights by
dakar where he has been exiled since
habre blamed for killing and torturing thousands during his and rule
has been living in senegal since being toppled from power and fleeing his own
country in after eight years in power
an official truth commission report in accused habre regime of committing
some political murders
habre lawyers last october filed suit in senegal against the violation of
his rights under various articles of the african charter on human rights
awa daboya nana president of the ecowas court adjourned until march his
ruling on whether or not the tribunal was competent to hear habre suit serres
said
alert
football algeria beat mali in africa cup of nations
at least un staffers confirmed dead in haiti quake
united nations jan afp
total of un staffers have been confirmed dead in the devastating haiti
quake spokesman for the un mission in port au prince said thursday the worst
disaster in the world body history
speaking by videolink from the haitian capital david wimhurst spokesman for
the mission known as minustah told reporters here that the dead include four
police officers military personnel and civilians
updating figures earlier provided by un chief ban ki moon the spokesman said
total of soldiers were confirmed dead injured and were missing
among civilian un personnel he reported fatalities injured and
missing
the military fatalities include brazilian peacekeepers
the brazilian military said thursday the were in their base headquarters
which collapsed tuesday when the magnitude temblor struck port au prince
it added that brazilian soldiers who survived were badly injured and would be
repatriated to brazil for medical treatment
brazil is in charge of the military component of the strong un
stabilization mission in haiti minustah and the biggest contributor with
soldiers
minustah comprising troops and police has been deployed since
mid to help stabilize the impoverished caribbean island nation of nine
million people
ga jm
afptv agenda
paris jan afp
we plan to file the following videos on friday please consult the advisory for
any additions or amendments
scramble to save haiti quake survivors
port au prince
rescuers are racing against the clock to find earthquake survivors among
thousands of corpses in haiti as planeloads of international aid begin arriving
in the ruined nation news coverage from haiti
images and soundbites
voiced report
aristide mourns quake victims
johannesburg
former haitian president jean bertrand aristide is due to speak on the quake
disaster on friday from his exile in south africa where he has lived since his
ouster in statement aristide has called the event tragedy that defies
expression and expressed solidarity with the haitian people news coverage
images and soundbites
haitian expats mobilise for quake victims
paris
thousands of haitians living abroad are mobilising to send aid and money to
family caught up in the disaster afptv joins one group of expats in paris
organising an emergency fund
image and soundbites
voiced report to be confirmed
annular solar eclipse in asia
hong kong beijing
an annular solar eclipse will be visible across asia from southern india
bangladesh myanmar to china
images and soundbites
ukraine struggles as presidential vote looms
mariupol ukraine
this sunday ukrainians will head to the polls to elect new president whoever
emerges victorious will have to deal with one of the biggest economic crises the
country has seen afptv paid visit to mariupol city with half million
inhabitants where unemployment is high and prospects almost non existent
voiced report
french finance minister outlook for
paris
french finance minister christine lagarde is expected to give her view on the
country economic prospects for as she presents her new year message to
the press alongside industry minister christian estrosi and her junior
ministers laurent wauquiez herv novelli and anne marie idrac news coverage
images and soundbites
as part of our african nations cup coverage we plan to file the following
ousted from world cup tunisia bets all on nations cup
tunis
after maiden match against zambia tunisia will be seeking victory from gabon
with goal of making it past the nations cup first round to fans at home it
may brunt the disappointment of not having made the cut for the world cup finals
later this year
voiced report
french micro beers slake thirst for difference
saint amand les eaux france
france thirst for cold draught beer may be slowly be drying up but brewers
in the north of the country are still making inroads with specially concocted
brews kins to the famous fruit flavoured lambics and homegrown specialties of
their belgian neighbours
voiced report
golf unknown south african shoots to lead joburg open
johannesburg jan afp
international golf unknown neil schietekat of south africa fired nine under
par thursday to take one stroke first round lead in the joburg open
seeking his first professional victory the year old from the free state town
of harrismith snapped up nine birdies and did not drop shot as he lowered the
tournament record by one stroke
the last of four tournaments on the south africa leg of the european tour
produced flurry of low scoring despite wet stormy conditions at royal
