offering to help un rescue operations
rugbyu dupuy season over as suspension cut by just one week
paris jan afp
stade francais scrum half julien dupuy season came to premature end on
wednesday when his appeal to an independent appeals committee against week
suspension for gouging was only reduced by week according to his club
president max guazzini
the year old capped six times had received the original punishment on
december on being found guilty of gouging ulster irish international
backrow forward stephen ferris in their european cup clash on december
european rugby cup the organising body of the european cup confirmed the
reduction of the suspension for dupuy who is in his first season for stade
having had an outstanding spell at english premiership club leicester tigers
the initial decision was mistaken in terms of the length of the ban on
technicality read statement by the appeals committee
in conclusion the original decision should be adjusted and consequently the
suspension reduced by week
mister dupuy is suspended for weeks he can recommence playing on may
however whilst reducing the suspension by minimal amount the committee made
no bones about how serious they thought his offence was
the offence is at the top end in the level of seriousness for an offence of
this type they said
stade president max guazzini was furious at the decision but took solace from
the fact that fault had been found with the initial judgement
the appeals committee conceded that judge blackett who handed down the first
judgement had made mistake and reduced the suspension to weeks said
guazzini
however guazzini said he intended to try and have it reduced still further at
least in domestic terms through the french rugby federation ffr and the
national rugby league lnr
this suspension is totally unjustified the irish player even originally
testified that it wasn case of gouging said guazzini
should guazzini fail with an appeal to the ffr and lnr it would mean that dupuy
would return just two days before the final of the top championship
something which stade francais are struggling to even make the play offs for at
the moment
dupuy stade francais team mate prop david attoub will have to wait till friday
to learn his fate over accusations that he too had also gouged ferris during the
same match after the erc said they needed time to go over the evidence
his defence is based on doubts over the accuracy of the incriminating
photograph
if it turns out to be an anti sporting offence the punishment will be announced
at later date said the erc who were hearing attoub case for the first
time
third hearing for french player perpignan prop jerome schuster over
headbutting munster player had to be put off to later date as he was unable
to travel to england because of the severe weather
spain sending disaster relief experts to haiti
madrid jan afp
spain is sending disaster relief experts to haiti to help efforts to find the
thousands missing in the rubble of buildings that collapsed in the massive
earthquake spanish national radio said late wednesday
it said the plane would leave overnight wednesday from military base outside
madrid for port au prince carrying police firefighters and members of the
emergency services along with specially trained dogs
they will be accompanied by secretary of state for latin america juan pablo de
laiglesia and foreign ministry officials
second flight is planned on thursday with surgeons medical equipment and
field hospitals
the spanish government earlier wednesday unblocked three million euros in
emergency aid to haiti and announced it planned to send three planes carrying
tonnes of humanitarian aid to its logistics base in panama
the aid is in addition to another three million euros already announced by the
european union of which spain holds the six month rotating presidency
more than people were feared dead wednesday after cataclysmic
earthquake struck haiti filling the streets with corpses and burying thousands
under razed schools hotels and hospitals
injured haitians flee across dominican border
jimani dominican republic jan afp
dozens of gravely injured haitians sought refuge and medical attention in
neighboring dominican republic on wednesday afp journalist at the scene said
buses from earthquake struck port au prince arrived to the general meleciano
hospital kilometers miles west of santo domingo carrying the
injured
president leonel fernandez ordered border hospitals to open their doors
but dominican authorities also stepped up immigration controls fearing an influx
of illegal migrants and convicts who had escaped from the wreckage of port au
prince prison
victims were seeking treatment for range of serious injuries from badly
damaged limbs to skull fractures
the most serious cases were transferred to larger hospitals dominican
authorities said
earlier on wednesday members of the un peacekeeping force in haiti were
transferred to the dominican capital of santo domingo for treatment
haiti has long had troubled relations with its eastern neighbor which has
frequently been bombarded with refugees fleeing haiti political and natural
disasters
in the dominican dictator rafael trujilo ordered the slaughter of tens of
thousands of haitians in an assault on the border
mistrust between citizens of the two countries remains strong but it appeared
to be put aside wednesday as dominicans offered help to their neighbors from
the western third of hispaniola
other dominican hospitals near the border also received injured haitians
including those in barahona province
in jimani logistics center was also set up for aid groups to use trucks
carrying water and food left from the camp along with mobile kitchens the first
batch of mission to supply around meals day
doses of tetanus shots were also being transported local media reported
the dominican military and police were reinforcing rescue teams looking for
survivors on the other side of the border
supreme court halts broadcast of california gay marriage case
washington jan afp
the us supreme court on wednesday barred the live broadcast of audio and video
from california court where rights activists are challenging state ban on
gay marriage
in decision that split the top judges along their political leanings the
supreme court said the san francisco courtroom had likely failed to follow
regulations when its altered its existing rules to allow the transmissions
we do not here express any views on the propriety of broadcasting court
proceedings generally the majority decision said
instead our review is confined to narrow legal issue whether the district
court amendment of its local rules to broadcast this trial complied with
federal law
we conclude that it likely did not the ruling said adding that it would be
premature to order similar halt to non live rebroadcast of the proceedings
over the internet
the california case involves the state controversial proposition which
banned gay marriage and is being challenged by gay rights activists as
discriminatory and unconstitutional
few days before the closely watched case began monday the judge overseeing
the arguments decided to allow live broadcast of the proceedings to five other
courtrooms
plan to rebroadcast the arguments online was not implemented but the decision
to make the proceedings available to viewers outside of the courtroom was
vigorously criticized by opponents of gay marriage who petitioned the supreme
court to halt the transmissions
in dissenting opinion wednesday four of the supreme court justices argued
that there was no justification for banning the broadcasts
can find no basis for the conclusion that were the transmissions to other
courtrooms to take place the applicants would suffer irreparable harm wrote
justice stephen breyer
he also cited the public interest in observing trial proceedings to learn
about this case and about how courts work
liberal and conservative judges have often found themselves on opposite sides on
the question of whether courtroom proceedings should be broadcast
the supreme court in particular has opposed live transmissions of audio or video
from inside its washington courthouse
japan core machinery orders down percent in november
tokyo jan afp
japan core machinery orders leading indicator of corporate capital
spending fell percent in november from the previous month official data
showed thursday
the figure was worse than the monthly drop of percent in october and was
below market expectations of small rise
the core orders which exclude particularly volatile demand from power companies
and for ships are seen as key barometer of business investment
core orders from manufacturing companies tumbled percent month on month in
november while those from non manufacturers fell percent the cabinet
office said
feared dead in horrific haiti quake
port au prince jan afp
more than people were feared dead wednesday after cataclysmic
earthquake struck haiti filling the streets with corpses and burying thousands
under razed schools hotels and hospitals
desperate victims pleaded for help from beneath mountains of concrete and the
capital port au prince was mostly destroyed an afp correspondent said as
humanitarian disaster loomed for survivors facing second night outdoors
in horrific scenes some injured lay in the back of pick up truck dead
victim was seen pinned between the fallen roof of her home and her bed and
rescuers tore at the wreckage of children hospital with their bare hands
with every hour crucial for those trapped massive aid operation swung into
action with rescue teams flying in from across the globe bringing heavy
lifting gear and desperately needed medicines and food
casualty figures were impossible to calculate but prime minister jean max
bellerive told cnn the final death toll from the quake could be well over
president rene preval told the network could be dead
us secretary of state hillary clinton compared the tragedy to the asian tsunami
which killed more than people five years ago
the indian ocean tsunami was such terrible tragedy and with such high loss of
life this will be very high loss of life as well she said
as people clawed fallen masonry to search for bloodied survivors preval painted
scene of utter devastation
parliament has collapsed the tax office has collapsed schools have collapsed
hospitals have collapsed he told the miami herald
with thousands of people missing dazed survivors in torn clothes wandered
through the rubble as more than aftershocks rocked the ramshackle capital
where more than two million people live most in extreme poverty
dust filled the air scattered fires broke out and injured people slumped on
the blood soaked floor of one clinic waiting for treatment elsewhere outside
field hospital mothers huddled with shell shocked children
some injured survivors wore makeshift slings and blood soaked bandages others
were carried on bits of debris used as stretchers past piles of smashed
concrete from which crushed bodies protruded
fanning safety fears in the crime hit capital the united nations said the main
prison had collapsed allowing some inmates to flee into city where basic
services and communications were shut down
the earthquake was the latest tragedy to hammer haiti which has been scarred by
years of unrest crime and political tumult
they have had long and tortured history but they are good people they are
survivors said former us president bill clinton the un envoy to haiti
these people deserve chance to bury their dead to heal their wounded to
eat to sleep to begin to recover and they can do it with just government
help alone clinton said appealing on cnn for cash to buy food aid
the quake late tuesday struck just below the earth surface on notorious
fault line meaning the shock was intense and damage severe scientists said
preval said that head of the un mission to haiti hedi annabi was killed when the
un headquarters collapsed
un officials could not confirm that but said at least of its staffers were
dead were injured and further were missing
preval wife first lady elisabeth preval told the miami herald she had seen
bodies in the streets of port au prince and had heard the cries of victims still
trapped in the rubble of the parliament building
stepping over dead bodies lot of people are buried under buildings the
general hospital has collapsed we need support we need help we need
engineers she said
us president barack obama vowed swift and aggressive effort to save lives and
spoke with an array of regional leaders to coordinate the aid operation
this tragedy seems especially cruel and incomprehensible he said
officials said the first us search and rescue teams workers were already
deploying from the airport in port au prince
the us military also mobilized ships and aircraft and an aircraft carrier the
uss carl vinson was due to arrive thursday
officials said the naval base in guantanamo bay cuba home to controversial
camp for terror detainees may also be used to house refugees
hillary clinton meanwhile cut short trip to asia to return to washington to
help deal with the crisis
plane loads of rescue teams and relief supplies were quickly dispatched from
nations including britain canada russia spain france germany the
netherlands and russia
the world bank said it planned to extend an additional million dollars in
emergency aid to haiti to help recovery and reconstruction
the massive quake toppled the cupola on the gleaming white presidential palace
major hotel where tourists were missing and the headquarters of the un
mission in haiti
jordan reported that three of its peacekeepers were killed and wounded in the
quake brazil said of its peacekeepers were killed while eight chinese
soldiers were buried in rubble and were missing state media said
the haitian resort town of jacmel was also devastated
was driving back to jacmel in the mountains when the entire mountain seemed
to fall down all around me said emmet murphy local head of the us non
governmental organization adci voca
two hundred foreigners were missing at the hotel montana french secretary of
state for cooperation alain joyandet said
tokyo stocks open higher
tokyo jan afp
japanese share prices opened higher thursday with the benchmark nikkei
index rising points or percent to in the first minute of
trading
afp
afp world news service no unauthorized reproduction
britain gets fourth michelin three starred restaurant
london jan afp
britain got its fourth three star michelin restaurant on friday as french chef
alain ducasse restaurant at the dorchester hotel earned the rare top ranking
ducasse joins heston blumenthal gordon ramsay and alain roux in the three star
elite club in the michelin guide great britain and ireland
to receive such prestigious recognition from michelin is great honour said
ducasse
the team here has worked very hard to maintain the level of service and
cuisine and am very proud of our achievements
the dorchester general manager roland fasel said the restaurant presents
outstanding cuisine in elegant surroundings with an unmatched level of service
features that mark our success and ones which michelin recognise as symbols of
excellence
guide editor derek bulmer said last year was clearly difficult year for
hotels and restaurants but those establishments who reacted by being more
flexible and creative appear to be riding the storm
chefs have had to be more resourceful and restaurants have had to adapt to
changing eating habits some have even introduced credit crunch menus to help
fight the recession
long established restaurants have proved to be resilient but we have also seen
plenty of new openings
as we head into this new decade the hotel and restaurant industry appears to
be leaner and fitter
greater emphasis is being placed on satisfying customers needs diversity
continues to be one of the uk greater strengths and the public interest in
chefs food and cooking shows no sign of abating
the michelin guide which comes out on wednesday recommended more than
hotels and guesthouses and around restaurants and pubs
the michelin has been the top food guide for more than century
the michelin red guide began in as way of promoting tyres and guiding
owners of the first motor cars to france best restaurants
the firm feared inspectors are still regarded as the most serious in the
business and winning and losing michelin stars can make or break restaurant
or the reputation of chef
britain michelin three starred restaurants
gordon ramsay chelsea london
alain ducasse at the dorchester mayfair london
the fat duck heston blumenthal bray on thames berkshire
the waterside inn alain roux bray on thames berkshire
hershey to bid at least billion dollars for cadbury report
washington jan afp
us chocolate maker hershey plans to bid at least billion dollars next week
for british confectioner cadbury after concluding it can top us food giant
kraft offer the wall street journal reported friday
hershey was finalizing financing package that now includes loan of at least
billion dollars from banks five billion in new hershey shares and at least
three billion from private investors and the hershey trust the journal said
citing people familiar with the matter
urgent hershey to bid at least billion dollars for cadbury report
washington jan afp
us chocolate maker hershey plans to bid at least billion dollars next week
for british confectioner cadbury after concluding it can top us food giant
kraft offer the wall street journal reported friday
us seeking new ports to funnel aid to haiti
washington jan afp
with the capital port destroyed by devastating earthquake us forces in
haiti are looking for other places to dock ships filled with humanitarian
supplies top coast guard official said friday
noting it would take months to repair the badly damaged port au prince port
where large ships cannot dock rear admiral paul zukunft told reporters that we
are looking for other ports where we can move large volumes of cargo
battered haiti struggled to cope with the crush of aid flooding into the
impoverished caribbean nation closing its saturated airspace for several hours
on thursday
twenty countries organizations and companies have already pledged million
dollars in aid for victims of tuesday magnitude quake that has killed tens
of thousands while many remain trapped under the rubble according to united
nations data
the sea port is the most efficient way to bring in relief supplies said
zukunft the coast guard director of response policy
the us military is examining several options including lafiteau city less
than dozen of miles from the capital that cannot however accommodate large
ships
you can only bring barge you can bring large ship in there but at least
it is close to port au prince said zukunft
the other options being considered such as gonaives or cap haitien present
several challenges far port au prince they are only connected to it by very
rough roads he added
alert
hershey to bid at least billion dollars for cadbury report
us grants haitian illegals temporary asylum
washington jan afp
the us government on friday granted temporary asylum to haitians already living
illegally in the united states before their homeland was struck by devastating
earthquake
rights advocates and lawmakers had earlier called on the white house to grant
special shield to thousands of haitians who have sneaked into the country over
the past years
homeland security secretary janet napolitano said haitians would be granted
temporary protected status or tps that would allow undocumented individuals
living in the united states to remain for months that would allow them to
renew or obtain drivers licenses and work legally
providing temporary refuge for haitian nationals whose personal safety
would be endangered by returning to haiti is part of this administration
continuing efforts to support haiti recovery napolitano said
the special protection is meant as relief for immigrants from countries reeling
from natural disaster or political strife
supporters of the move argued that the status would also help haiti to rebuild
as immigrants send remittances to loved ones in the poorest country in the
americas devastated by magnitude earthquake on tuesday
democratic congressman kendrick meek who represents miami district where many
haitians live hailed the decision saying it had been long time coming
president barack obama demonstrated that our policies are built upon pillars of
morality and justice said meek
the administration lived up to the full potential of our government and stood
shoulder to shoulder with our haitian neighbors in this time of need
before the order was given according to immigration and customs enforcement
authorities had been processing deportation orders for haitians now in
the united states
the non profit migration policy institute however said illegal immigrants
from haiti live in the united states with further legally residing
here two thirds of them being adults of working age
rights advocates have long depicted the current immigration laws as uneven
while even proponents of strict curbs on immigration said tps was appropriate
for haiti now
some central americans have long enjoyed the immigration shield while haitians
did not
this is why tps exists said dustin carnevale spokesman for the washington
based federation for american immigration reform referring to the quake
aftermath if this isn case for tps then what is
carnevale warned however that tps had been abused in the past with continued
extensions
immigrants from honduras and nicaragua have enjoyed the shield since hurricane
mitch which occurred in
today announcement only applies to haitians who currently reside in the united
states noted meek
he stressed haitians in the united states should urge their family members not
to take to sea which often results in tragic outcomes and will further hamper
recovery efforts already underway in haiti
hundreds of haitians attempt the perilous mile kilometer journey to
the florida coast each year some in rafts others smuggled by traffickers
but us officials estimate that thousands of haitians have died at sea in failed
bids to flee the poverty unrest and natural disasters that have beset their
homeland the poorest country in the americas for decades
for this serious situation there is an increased risk of crisis of
immigrants from haiti acknowledged us coast guard spokeswoman marilyn fajardo
on friday in miami
she told afp the possibility of large influx of haitian migrants into the
united states was the subject of ongoing analysis but that the coast guard
has not yet taken any extraordinary measures
the migration policy institute also estimated that one in every haitians
lived in the united states more than percent of them in new york or florida
former rbs chief gets new job in architecture
london jan afp
former royal bank of scotland boss fred goodwin has new job working for an
architectural firm the bbc said friday
goodwin who came to symbolise the greed of bankers blamed for britain worst
financial crisis in decades has been appointed as senior adviser with
architectural practice rmjm
the edinburgh based company has offices in countries worldwide including
bases in shanghai dubai and new york
rmjm was involved in designing the controversial scottish parliament building
spokesman for goodwin dubbed fred the shred said he did not want to
comment on the appointment
rmjm will design the athletes village for the commonwealth games in
glasgow
this is very odd appointment and will confuse people said michael connarty
the lawmaker for linlithgow and east falkirk
people wonder what he knew about banking and will now wonder what he knows
about building
the royal bank of scotland was undone by the global credit crunch and its
takeover of dutch banking giant abn amro at the top of the market in just
before the financial crisis ravaged markets and economies across the world
some observers blame the banking sector bonus culture for encouraging
excessive risk taking and helping to tip the world economy into recession
us army suicides hit grim record for
washington jan afp
suicides in the us army rose to new record in with soldiers taking
their lives the military said friday calling it painful year
army leaders had warned that the suicide rate was on track to surpass last
year toll of but said the causes of the spike remain unclear
there no question that was painful year for the army when it came to
suicides said colonel christopher philbrick deputy director of an army
suicide prevention task force
ten suspected cases of suicide in december for active duty soldiers brought the
total number for last year to the pentagon said in statement
the army has come under severe strain from years of war in iraq and afghanistan
with officers citing repeated deployments and the stress of combat as fueling an
increase in depression and marital problems
but the grim toll of suicides was not necessarily triggered by repeated combat
tours in afghanistan and iraq according to the military own research
the causes appeared to vary from base to base and about one third of the
soldiers who committed suicide had not yet deployed to combat missions in
afghanistan or iraq officials say
top military leaders including the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
admiral mike mullen have appealed to officers to ensure soldiers who need
psychological help do not face ridicule or risk to their careers
the army has adopted range of initiatives to try to contain the problem
hiring hundreds of mental health specialists and launching an elaborate
scientific research project to try to understand the trend
officials have also expressed concern about suicides among veterans and among
military spouses and family members
admiral mullen wife deborah mullen told conference this week that more
needed to be done to monitor suicides of spouses and members of military
families something the pentagon does not track precisely
often the spouses of service members are reluctant to seek help as they fear it
could damage their loved one career prospects she said
boxing roger mayweather to face trial on charges of battery
las vegas nevada jan afp
boxing trainer roger mayweather uncle of fighter floyd mayweather jnr was
bound over for trial friday on felony charges alleging he beat and choked
woman boxer
the confrontation on august occurred at an apartment owned by roger
mayweather
the woman year old melissa st vil was the only person to testify at an
evidentiary hearing on friday after which las vegas justice of the peace pro
tem james gubler decided there was enough evidence to try mayweather on
coercion battery strangulation and battery causing substantial bodily harm
charges
if convicted of all counts mayweather could face three to years in prison
gubler set arraignment for january in clark county district court
mayweather attorney jack buchanan said mayweather will plead not guilty and
challenge the charges against him
on friday st vil pointed to mayweather and said he did this to me referring
to four photographs taken at hospital in the wake of the scuffle that showed
injuries to her neck face and head
mayweather himself former fighter did not testify at the hearing he remains
free on dollars bail
mayweather once trained st vil and he owned the apartment where she lived with
mayweather tenant cornelius lott
st vil said that mayweather was angry that she was in the apartment when he
arrived looking for lott
st vil said she called the police and hit mayweather with lamp before
officers arrived she said mayweather grabbed her neck from behind and choked
her until she couldn breathe
written police reports said officers found the front door open and saw
mayweather behind st vil in the kitchen with his arms around her as she
struggled to get away
police reported mayweather had injuries on the head and the side of his face
and his lawyers said they were from punches thrown by st vil
buchanan said he ll show at the trial that st vil started the altercation and
that she has given conflicting accounts of the incident which she hoped to use
to obtain civil financial settlement
former haiti president aristide ready to return
johannesburg jan afp
former haitian president jean bertrand aristide exiled in south africa since
said friday he was ready to return to help rebuild the country in the
wake of the devastating earthquake
as far as we are concerned we are ready to leave today tomorrow at any time
to join the people of haiti to share in their suffering help rebuild the
country he told reporters
friends from around the world have confirmed their willingness to organise an
airplane carrying medical supplies emergency needs and ourselves he said
standing alongside his wife
the year old former priest was haiti first democratically elected leader
but was forced to flee popular revolt in following two stints as
president
as we all know many people remain buried under tonnes of rubble and debris
waiting to be rescued when we think of the suffering we feel deeply and
profoundly that we should be there in haiti with them trying our best to
prevent death
aristide has long maintained that he was forced to step down under pressure from
the united states and france
as parish priest working in an impoverished and embattled district of port
au prince he became the spokesman for popular movement against the series of
military regimes that ruled haiti after the collapse in of the duvalier
dictatorship
he swept to power in only to be overthrown in coup eight months later
with backing from the united states he returned to power in but fell out
