angry mourners chanting anti american and anti israeli slogans buried the
professor at shrine in northern tehran on thursday
greece to present crisis plan to eu on friday
athens jan afp
greece will present the european commission on friday with its blueprint for
emerging from financial crisis that has shaken the eurozone the socialist
government said on thursday
the plan aims to rein in the country runaway public deficit and bring it under
the limits imposed for countries sharing the euro currency by prime
minister george papandreou said
our three year effort will be decisive for the future of the country
papandreou told cabinet meeting on the crisis programme which european
authorities have requested we want to turn the page as fast as possible
we have defied predictions in the past we will do it again today he said
am sure that our european partners will appreciate our efforts not only from
government but from an entire population
finance minister george papaconstantinou described the greek plan as roadmap
to overcome great obstacles and reverse the huge credibility gap that greece
is facing in the financial markets
the crisis plan aims to reduce the public deficit to percent of gross
domestic product by under the percent limit for countries sharing the
euro currency he said the deficit reached percent of gdp last year
the programme seeks to stabilise greece debt burden one of the highest in
the eurozone and reduce it to percent of gdp by
the programme also forecasts an economic contraction of percent in it
foresees return to growth of percent in and percent in
across europe there is concern that serious fiscal problems in greece and
elsewhere threaten the credibility of the eurozone and could be precursor to
similar debt crises in other european economies
in the recent past we ourselves gave reason for mistrust and it is up to us
to restore our country reputation again papandreou told news conference on
wednesday
greek officials concede that athens still has mountain to climb to regain
credibility and analysts are still sceptical that greek plans will work
the further details provided by the greek government today on how it plans to
tackle the fiscal crisis are unlikely to reassure the markets much capital
economics european economist ben may said in note
its fairly optimistic forecasts for the economy to shrink by this year
expand by in and pick up thereafter suggest that it is relying on
cyclical upturn to do much of the work he said
on thursday the greek statistics service said unemployment in the country had
risen to percent in october from percent month earlier
greece woes were set to dominate meeting of european central bank governors
on thursday that was nominally supposed to focus on interest rates
athens is not the only eurozone capital causing alarm in frankfurt however
the credit rating agency moody has warned that portugal economy also faces
slow death unless it becomes more competitive and officials collect more tax
revenues
korea proposes talks on resuming tourism projects
seoul jan afp
cash strapped north korea thursday proposed talks with south korea about
resuming tourism projects which had earned it tens of millions of dollars year
until relations soured
the north asia pacific peace committee the state agency in charge of cross
border exchanges suggested meeting on january in message to south
korea unification ministry
it is very regretable that tours of mount kumgang and the area of kaesong in
north korea have been suspended for one and half years the communist
state official news agency quoted the message as saying
the unification ministry confirmed it had received the message
it positive move and we will consider it positively an unidentified
seoul official told yonhap news agency
in further apparent sign that pyongyang wants to improve relations the two
countries have also agreed to hold separate talks next week on ways to
revitalise their jointly run industrial estate in the north
south korea suspended the tours after the north army shot dead seoul
housewife at the scenic mount kumgang resort in july she had strayed into
poorly marked closed military zone while on stroll
pyongyang began making peace overtures to seoul last august after months of
bitter hostility which began when conservative south korean government came to
power in february and linked major aid to progress in denuclearisation
some analysts believe the north recent overtures to both south korea and the
united states were prompted by tougher sanctions imposed following its nuclear
and missile tests last year
in november last year the north made proposal through visiting south korean
businesswoman to resume the tours south korea ignored the overture saying it
did not come through official channels
it says the two governments should hold talks to work out firm agreements on the
safety of south korean visitors before the trips can resume
the mount kumgang tours have earned some million dollars in fees for the
north since they began in cross border visitors could also previously take
day trips to the historic city of kaesong just across the frontier
kaesong is also the location of the joint industrial estate where north
koreans work in south korean factories
all the cross border projects are run by south korea hyundai asan company
which has lost millions of dollars since the tours were suspended
the unification ministry said the two sides would meet on tuesday to discuss
ways to develop the kaesong estate following up last month joint survey of
overseas industrial parks
ministry spokesman said he hoped the meeting would develop into regular
forum on developing the project
the kaesong estate is the last joint reconciliation project still operating
after the tours shut down but fears grew early last year that the north may
shut it down as political relations worsened
the north last year ordered hundreds of south koreans to leave the estate
intermittently restricted cross border access to it and demanded huge pay rise
for its workers
in september it dropped demands for the pay rise last month the two sides
inspected industrial plants run by south korean companies in china and vietnam
in the north received million dollars in wage payments from the estate
afghan market bombing kills army general
kandahar afghanistan jan afp
twenty people were killed when suicide bomber blew himself up in crowded
market in restive province of southern afghanistan on thursday an afghan army
general said
this was suicide bomber on foot who detonated himself at the gate of money
exchange market said general abdul hameed the commander of the afghan
national army in uruzgan province
up to now civilians have been killed and wounded he said of the attack
in the town of dihrawud
police officer was also killed in separate bombing in the province of
helmand to the south of uruzgan officials said
the nato led international security assistance force isaf described the second
bombing in the musa qala district as taliban style attack which also wounded
at least four other people
abdul salam the district chief of musa qala said five people were wounded
the taliban widely use suicide bombers and roadside bombs in their escalating
war against pro government forces which include international troops
under us and nato command
both uruzgan and helmand are flashpoints of the insurgency which appears to be
peaking at its bloodiest phase since the taliban militia was overthrown in us
led invasion in late
over un staff still missing after haiti quake un spokeswoman
geneva jan afp
more than un staff members are still missing two days after deadly
earthquake flattened much of haiti capital united nations spokeswoman said
thursday
over people are unaccounted for said elisabeth byrs spokeswoman of the
un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs
the un was very anxious not just for international staff but also national
staff from whom we have no news she said
afp graphics advisory
paris jan afp
we shall move the following graphics
haiti quake search
graphic illustrating the methods used by emergency services to try to locate
victims of earthquakes trapped in collapsed buildings
text slug haiti quake
mm
available by gmt
un mission in haiti
fact file on the un mission in haiti
text slug haiti quake un
mm
available now
haiti quake aid
graphic on international aid pledged after the magnitude haiti quake
text slug haiti quake
mm
available now
haiti quake locator
updated graphic showing the epicentre of the magnitude quake in haiti
text slug haiti quake
mm
available now
still available
port au prince map
detailed map of the haiti capital port au prince locating key buildings
damaged or destroyed by the earthquake
mm
tectonic plates caribbean map
map of the caribbean showing the region tectonic plates includes data on the
haitian earthquake
mm
haiti factfile mm
other graphics available
pakistan attack
map of pakistan locating north waziristan where us drone attack at an
extremist training camp killed at least people thursday
text slug pakistan unrest us taliban
mm
google revenue
graphic showing google revenue from various world markets
text slug us china it company internet
mm wide
internet asia audience
chart comparing internet audience in asian countries
text slug us china it company internet
mm
afghanistan toll
graphic on the civilian and foreign death toll in afghanistan
text slug afghanistan unrest
mm
india festival
map of india locating haridwar and rishikesh where the three month hindu
festival of kumbh mela starts thursday
text slug india religion festival
mm
asia pacific markets
closings for key asia pacific markets
text slug stocks
mm
moved earlier
afghanistan garmsir map mm
somalia map mm
ireland political chrono mm
solar eclipse mm
solar eclipse asia mm
philippines massacre factfile mm
japan us bases map mm
japan airlines mm
german gdp mm
tennis australia open
venue mm
previous female winners mm
previous male winners mm
hawkeye factfile mm
paris hong kong
tel
iraq sentences men to death over baghdad bombings
baghdad jan afp
an iraqi court thursday sentenced to death men including al qaeda militants
over devastating truck bombs in baghdad that killed more than people in
august and dealt harsh blow to the government
the trial was the first to convict suspects arrested in the wake of three major
attacks in the second half of that saw insurgents defy the war torn
country fledgling security forces and penetrate the heart of the capital
they are sentenced to death for the crime they planned ali abdul sattar
president of the criminal court said at hearing in the iraqi capital
the august attacks just minutes apart outside the ministries of finance and
foreign affairs was an embarrassing security breach and caused massive
destruction left people dead and wounded around others
those convicted on thursday included salim abed jassim who confessed that he
received funding for the attacks from brigadier general nabil abdul rahman
senior army officer during the rule of saddam hussein now living in syria
also sentenced to death by hanging were ishaq mohammed abbas an al qaeda in
iraq leader and his brother mustapha the court official told afp
both men had once been detained but were later released from camp bucca now
closed us run prison in the southern city of basra
these men were the brains behind the attacks in august security official
involved in an investigation into the bombings told afp on condition of
anonymity
the others bought the explosives and transported them into baghdad he added
the august truck attacks on what was dubbed black wednesday marked iraq
worst day of violence in months and prompted outrage among citizens at how
insurgents had been able to commit such atrocities
the government which blamed the bombings on al qaeda and saddam loyalists from
the executed dictator outlawed baath party admitted at the time that
negligence at checkpoints allowed the attackers to enter the capital
dozens of members of the security forces were later arrested for alleged
dereliction of duty but have yet to face trial
all men found guilty on thursday have days to appeal the judgment
despite outrage over the august atrocities bombers managed to commit similar
carnage in october and december when they again struck government buildings in
attacks that killed at least people and wounded more
all three attacks dealt severe blow to prime minister nuri al maliki largely
successful efforts to portray himself as guardian of security ahead of
nationwide parliamentary elections now scheduled for march
violence in iraq dropped dramatically in to its lowest level since the
invasion figures showed on january but monitoring group warned that
security gains were levelling off
according to an afp tally of statistics released by the defence interior and
health ministries total of civilians were killed by violence last year
less than half of toll of
iraq body count ibc an independent britain based group however put the
civilians toll at and said while there had been significant improvements
in security in such violence still afflicts iraq population more than
any other
the second half of saw around the same number of civilian deaths as the
first which ibc said may indicate that the situation is no longer improving
afp gmt economics news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor dario thuburn
tel
us finance economy banks obama rdlead
washington
president barack obama is to unveil fee on top financial firms which each
hold at least billion dollars in assets to recoup billions of taxpayer
dollars used to bail out the industry
words gmt by stephen collinson
ecb eurozone bank rate forex money ndlead
frankfurt
the eurozone faces an unprecedented internal crisis as european central bank
governors meet with financial woes in greece and other bloc members pushing
interest rate talk to the back burner
words gmt by william ickes picture
greece eu finance economy wrap
athens
greece unveils crisis plan to bolster its debt hit economy pledging to cut
soaring deficit to below european union requirements in three years
words gmt
eu eurozone economy industry output lead
brussels
factory output across continental europe core euro currency zone rises by
sharp percent in november beating analyst expectations as the economic
recovery gathers pace
words gmt
us china it internet google lead wrap
beijing
china declares its internet open but defends the censorship that prompted web
giant google to threaten to pull out of the country adding potential new
irritant in china us relations
words gmt by dan martin picture graphic video
eu aerospace defence company airbus britain lead wrap
london
partner countries in the multi billion dollar euro airbus military
transport aircraft programme meet in london to address soaring costs amid doubts
about the future of the troubled project
words gmt
stocks europe wrap
london
europe main stock markets charge higher as investors await an interest rate
decision from the european central bank
words gmt
forex europe wrap
london
the euro wilts giving back gains against the dollar as investors sell off the
single currency ahead of the ecb rate call
words gmt
commodities energy oil price rdlead
london
world oil prices rebound above dollars following heavy losses that were
sustained the previous day on signs of weakening energy demand in the united
states traders say
words gmt
russia urges armenia turkey to move quickly on ties
yerevan jan afp
russian foreign minister sergei lavrov on thursday called on armenia and turkey
to move forward quickly on stalled efforts to ratify landmark deal to
establish full diplomatic relations
we are interested in ties being normalised the quicker this happens the
better for the entire region lavrov said during joint press conference with
his armenian counterpart eduard nalbandian
lavrov said russia was ready to assist both countries with infrastructure
projects including electricity and rail links once they agree to establish
ties and open their border
he also rejected any links between the normalisation process and the dispute
between armenia and turkish ally azerbaijan over the breakaway nagorny karabakh
region
we see no connections between the process of normalising turkish armenian
relations and resolving nagorny karabakh lavrov said in my opinion it is not
correct to try to artificially link these two processes
turkey and armenia signed two protocols in october to establish diplomatic ties
and reopen their shared border in deal hailed as historic step towards
ending decades of hostility stemming from world war era massacres
but armenia in recent weeks has expressed growing frustration over the turkish
parliament failure to ratify the protocols the armenian parliament also has
yet to ratify the accord
turkish officials have repeatedly said the agreements will not be ratified
without progress in the dispute over nagorny karabakh
backed by yerevan ethnic armenian separatists seized control of karabakh and
seven surrounding districts from azerbaijan during war in the early that
claimed an estimated lives
turkey closed its border with armenia in in show of solidarity with
azerbaijan with which it has strong ethnic trade and energy links against
yerevan support for the enclave separatists
largest religious festival on earth under way in india
haridwar india jan afp
close to million hindu pilgrims bathed in india holy river ganges on
thursday in an immense display of colour and devotion at the start of the
world biggest religious festival
braving chilly weather hordes of pilgrims rose before sunrise in and around the
northern town of haridwar and walked in darkness to the banks of the river to
immerse themselves in the sacred waters
for the rest of the day crowds of families and couples wealthy and poor as
well as itinerant sadhus or holy men draped in saffron coloured robes took
part in the spectacle under the watchful eye of police and paramilitary forces
for hindu devotees the three month kumbh mela festival offers them the chance
to wash away their sins and break the karmic cycle of life and rebirth
even in country where mass events are commonplace the sheer size of the kumbh
mela sets it apart
ram prakash kumbh mela organising committee member told afp that
people had bathed by local time gmt with the figure set to continue
rising throughout the day
millions more are expected to pass through the sprawling festival encampment set
up in haridwar over the next weeks
your soul will be cleansed and you will be free from disease if you take such
bath during this period sushant raj professional astrologist said as he
emerged from his dip
the water is cleaner and has more natural power in the early morning he
added
smaller bathing rituals were held along the entire length of the ganges
in the eastern state of west bengal seven pilgrims including one child were
crushed to death and were injured during separate harvest festival
celebrations that take place across the country to mark the end of winter
the crush happened as hundreds of devotees rushed for places on ferry to take
them to pilgrimage site on an island where the holy waters of the ganges flow
into the bay of bengal
in haridwar women clustered on the last of the ghats or steps leading down to
the river unravelling their saris and using copper bowls to collect the water
and pour it over their heads and torsos
as the day wore on and temperatures rose many stepped further into the current
immersing their entire bodies strong smell of soap mingling with incense and
perfume wafted over the river
the water was really cold said bhawna agri who travelled with her family
from the neighbouring state of uttar pradesh to attend her first kumbh mela
only washed my hair and face and still freezing she said shivering on
the ghat steps
foreign tourists and amateur photographers were also out in force some looking
for their own awakening
it was my dream to come here am looking for something more spiritual in my
life year old machine operator stefan martinka from slovakia told afp
meditated this morning by the river it was fantastic
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
the triennial festival also marks the only public gathering of hundreds of naga
sadhus who otherwise live in relative isolation in mountains caves and
communes in the himalayas and other regions of india
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
the nagas carrying ritual swords and tridents will lead ceremonies on the most
auspicious bathing day of all on april when the mela draws to close
soham baba considered the leader of the nagas told reporters recently in
kolkata that they planned 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 he said
pristine lakes and waterfalls that existed till few years ago have dried up
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor chris otton
tel
top stories
haiti awaits quake relief feared dead
pakistani taliban say leader escapes us strike
european bank governors tackle eurozone crisis
haiti quake ndlead wrap
port au prince
desperate haitians await global effort to find and treat survivors from an
earthquake that left streets strewn with corpses and death toll that may top
words gmt by clarens renois graphic picture video
pakistan unrest us taliban thlead wrap
peshawar pakistan
us drone missile strike targets pakistani taliban leader hakimullah mehsud
officials say but the militia deny reports he was among killed in the
lawless northwest
words gmt by lehaz ali graphic file picture
we will also move pakistan unrest taliban hakimullah profile
ecb eurozone bank rate forex money ndlead
frankfurt
the eurozone faces an unprecedented internal crisis as european central bank
governors meet with financial woes in greece and other bloc members pushing
interest rate talk to the back burner
words gmt by william ickes picture
haiti quake
haiti quake horror lead scene
port au prince
mournful songs and prayers rise above the ruins in haiti overnight as darkness
draws veil over the rows of corpses in this caribbean nation quake hit
capital
words moved by beatriz lecumberri graphic picture video
haiti quake world aid lead reax
washington
rescuers doctors and soldiers rush to haiti by air and sea in sweeping global
response to the devastating earthquake feared to have killed more than
people
words gmt graphic picture video
we will also move haiti quake aid world facts facts
hait quake health
paris
urgent treatment of survivors providing shelter for the sick and homeless and
warding off the threat of infectious disease head daunting list of medical
needs in haiti whose already meagre health infrastructure was wrecked in
tuesday quake say experts
words at gmt by marlowe hood and richard ingham
europe
greece eu finance economy wrap
athens
greece unveils crisis plan to bolster its debt hit economy pledging to cut
soaring deficit to below european union requirements in three years
words gmt
ukraine vote
kiev
the two main challengers for the ukrainian presidency exchange bitter
accusations of planning to rig the vote as tensions rise with only three days
left before the fiercely contested polls
words gmt by stuart williams picture
eu parliament commission bulgaria lead
sofia
bulgarian prime minister boyko borisov stands by his choice for eu aid
commissioner rumiana jeleva despite widespread calls to withdraw her over
claims of financial impropriety and her husband alleged mafia links
words gmt by vessela sergueva
russia europe justice rights rdlead wrap
moscow
russia will ratify key protocol clearing the way for long delayed reform of
the european court of human rights the leader of the lower house of parliament
says
words at gmt by alissa de carbonnel
middle east
attacks yemen lead wrap
sanaa
yemen council of clerics calls for jihad if foreign troops join the war on al
qaeda in the impoverished arabian peninsula country while the government vows to
eradicate the extremists
words gmt by taieb mahjoub picture video
iraq unrest trial thlead
baghdad
an iraqi court sentences to death men including al qaeda militants over
devastating truck bombs in baghdad that killed more than people in august
and dealt harsh blow to the government
words gmt by ammar karim file picture
iran unrest nuclear wrap
