saturday
two isaf service members were killed in southern afghanistan as result of an
ied strike yesterday said statement from nato international security
assistance force referring to an improvised explosive device
isaf did not give their nationalities
ieds along with suicide bomb attacks are the main weapons deployed by taliban
militants and have become more powerful and deadly as foreign forces enhance
security procedures military officials have said
the bombs made principally from fertiliser and detonated by remote control can
range up to pounds kilograms senior us military intelligence
official said recently destroying even the heaviest armoured vehicles
the southern provinces of helmand and kandahar are the most violent but the
taliban has spread its fight to previously peaceful regions
foreign troops under us and nato command currently number around and are
being reinforced with another over the course of this year as the
counterinsurgency strategy moves into high gear
five soldiers four american and one french died on wednesday on monday
three us two french and british soldier were killed in violence in the
deadliest day for international troops since october
bomb explodes outside greek ministry no injuries
athens jan afp
bomb exploded outside greek ministry in athens late on friday causing
material damage but no injuries police source said
the bomb went off outside the greek secretariat for information shortly after
two private television stations received anonymous warnings by telephone that an
explosion was imminent
the incident is the second targeting greek state building in week
last saturday an explosive device went off outside the greek parliament without
injuring anyone the attack was claimed by far left organisation calling
itself conspiracy of fire nuclei which has carried out string of arson
strikes against the homes and offices of politicians in recent months
greece has been rocked by string of attacks against economic interests and
political targets since youth was killed by police officer in december
the last such attack caused extensive damage to the ground floor of greece
largest insurance company ethniki asfalistiki on december
top us lawmaker quake aid may give haiti new fresh start
washington jan afp
president barack obama top ally in the us congress said friday that she hoped
us aid to earthquake hit haiti would help the devastated country make new
fresh start and build boom economy
democratic house speaker nancy pelosi whose home state of california is no
stranger to earthquakes spoke as us lawmakers promised to pass legislation to
spur private sector donations to the ambitious relief effort for haiti
pelosi acknowledged this very sad time for the caribbean nation but said
from my own experience with earthquakes being from san francisco think that
this can be an opportunity for real boom economy in haiti
they can leapfrog over its past challenges economically politically and
demographically in terms of the rich and poor and the rest there and have just
new fresh start she said after democrats held an annual policy meeting
pelosi praised former president bill clinton who briefed the democrats behind
closed doors saying that nobody is better suited to harness all of the
concern and compassion and enthusiasm to help the people of haiti
looking to sustain the flood of us charitable donations beyond the early
outpouring key lawmakers said they were introducing legislation inspired by
bill passed after the indian ocean tsunami to bolster giving
the measure crafted and championed by top democrats and republicans on the
senate finance committee and house ways and means committee would allow cash
contributions made through march to count against taxes
this proposal is call to arms for all americans to give to the relief and
rebuilding of this struggling nation to help ease the suffering they face each
day and for days and weeks to come said democratic senator max baucus
chairman of the senate finance committee
to the extent that we can encourage additional giving sooner by making these
donations tax deductible it is the right thing to do said representative dave
camp the top republican on the house ways and means committee
the lawmakers said they would push for immediate approval of the legislation
when the us congress returns to work next week
madonna gives dollars for haiti quake response
washington jan afp
us pop star madonna said friday she would donate dollars to aid haitian
recovery efforts in the wake of this week devastating earthquake
my prayers are with the people of haiti can imagine the terrible pain and
suffering they are experiencing the starlet said on her website
have given donation of dollars to assist haiti earthquake victims
through partners in health she said referring to charity that ran projects
in haiti before the quake struck
more than killed in haiti quake minister
port au prince jan afp
more than people were killed and injured by this week
earthquake in haiti which also left nearly million homeless haitian
minister said friday
the government headquarters was moved to police station near the international
airport and all sports centers in the capital will be turned into makeshift
hospitals to treat the injured public health minister alex larsen told
reporters in announcing the latest toll
the bodies of more than people have already been collected and buried
haitian prime minister jean max bellerive said acknowledging that toll was
extremely partial
we simply settled with picking up the dead who were in the main streets
explained bellerive while thousands of bodies remained buried under the rubble
and an unbearable stench of death hung over the capital
french cooperation minister alain joyandet earlier said some to
dead have been counted according to an official toll by the haitian
authorities
but no doubt it going to be difficult to have reliable toll he
acknowledged
red cross officials have estimated that up to people may have died in
tuesday devastating magnitude quake
with thousands of bodies still piled up on the streets of port au prince
rotting in the tropical sun there was also race against time to reach any
survivors still in the ruins and treat those who were badly injured
after three days of haitians being left to fend mostly for themselves in one of
the world poorest countries foreign relief teams were increasingly seen on
the streets some backed by vital heavy lifting equipment
as anger and frustration mounted machete wielding looters brought more terror
to the caribbean nation already long accustomed to violence and bloodshed
bomb explodes outside greek ministry no injuries
athens jan afp
bomb exploded outside greek ministry in athens late on friday causing
material damage but no injuries police source said
the bomb went off outside the greek secretariat for information shortly after
two private television stations received anonymous warnings by telephone that an
explosion was imminent
football klose breaks goal drought to fire bayern top
berlin jan afp
germany striker miroslav klose came off the bench to help fire bayern munich
back to the top of the bundesliga after more than days away as the german
giants beat hoffenheim on friday
despite being top scorer at the world cup this was klose first league
goal of the season and he started the game as third choice striker behind
germany team mate mario gomez and croatia ivica olic
klose took over from olic after minutes and then netted from close range
on minutes to hand louis van gaal bayern single point lead at the top of
the table as action resumed after the long winter break
it is good to be league leaders again and it was nice to be able to get
goal said klose
it was the best proof to van gaal that klose is back in business and the
dutchman said the victory is clear message to the rest of the bundesliga
bayern are back in business
think the rest of the league has seen we have good team said van gaal
have always wanted us to spread some fear through the other teams and think
we did this today in the first half we did not play well and we gave away too
many passes
we played much better in the second half and we created many chances not all
of which were taken
argentina centre back martin demichelis had opened the scoring for bayern in the
first half but despite the win bayer leverkusen could regain the lead on
saturday when they face mid table mainz
bayern have been crowned german champions times but may was the
last time they had sat on top of the bundesliga
the hosts took the lead at munich allianz arena after minutes when germany
midfielder bastian schweinsteiger crossed in the ball from the right and
hoffenheim defender josip simunic headed the ball onto the back post
demichelis who is set to play for his country against germany in pre world
cup friendly in munich in march stabbed the ball home from five metres out
klose who has only made eight league starts this season due to injury proved
his status as germany number one striker with some clinical finishing to make
sure van gaal team claimed the three points
dutch winger arjen robben passed back to captain mark van bommel on the edge of
the penalty area and his speculative shot was stabbed home by klose who was the
fastest to react
with goals for germany in appearances klose showed just why he is injury
permitting almost sure of being in joachim loew squad for the world cup in
south africa in june
the defeat leaves hoffenheim seventh but bayern could still finish the weekend
only third if both leverkusen and schalke who face second from bottom nuremberg
on sunday pick up three points
us fears haitian boat exodus
miami jan afp
us officials expressed fears friday that terrified haitians could take to the
sea in makeshift boats to try and escape the mounting despair in the quake hit
caribbean island nation
hundreds of haitians attempt the perilous mile kilometer journey to
the florida coast each year some in rafts others smuggled by traffickers
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
last july wooden sail boat carrying up to illegal migrants capsized off
the turks and caicos islands only were safely recovered
for this serious situation there is an increased risk of crisis of
immigrants from haiti said us coast guard spokeswoman marilyn fajardo in
miami
she told afp that 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
so far we have not seen evidence that this will happen we have not recorded
any event in the area added fajardo
tuesday powerful magnitude quake has left tens of thousands of people dead
and international aid agencies estimate that three million people were affected
haitians who lost their homes and their belongings but were lucky enough to be
alive walked aimlessly through the streets at times chanting and singing hymns
despite the desperation of so many of his people haiti consul general in
miami ralph latortue said he did not anticipate an immigration crisis at this
time
attempts at illegal immigration from haiti usually come from the north and
northwest of the island not from the port au prince region which is currently
stricken he said
don anticipate any more illegal immigration than usual
some illegal immigrants from haiti live in the united states and
further legally reside here two thirds of them adults of working age
according to the non profit migration policy institute
most live in florida or new york
in the wake of the disaster people in tight knit haitian communities across
florida gathered around radios and computers eager to hear the latest about the
plight of their loved ones after telephone lines to the impoverished caribbean
nation went dead
us authorities are processing deportation orders for haitians now in the
united states according to immigration and customs enforcement ice
rights advocates have long depicted the current immigration laws as uneven they
have joined lawmakers in urging the white house to grant special shield to
thousands of haitians living in the united states illegally given the massive
destruction in their homeland
temporary protected status would allow undocumented haitians living in the
united states to remain for set period of time usually months that
would allow them to renew or obtain drivers licenses and work legally
the coast guard is participating in the us government humanitarian assistance
and disaster response to haiti off loading relief supplies and sending support
personnel ashore
four coast guard cutters five helicopters and nine aircraft are responding to
the affected area fifth cutter is on its way
the service branch has also evacuated nearly us citizens from the haitian
capital port au prince to santo domingo in the neighboring dominican republic
currently we are focused on giving humanitarian assistance and support to
local and international agencies and we hope to open the ports in haiti as soon
as possible fajardo said
hillary clinton to visit haiti saturday
washington jan afp
us secretary of state hillary clinton said she will travel to haiti on saturday
to see earthquake relief efforts first hand deliver supplies and meet haitian
president rene preval
clinton who cut short her tour of the asia pacific region this past week told
reporters in washington on friday that she made the decision after consulting
with us president barack obama
will be taking supplies with me will also be meeting president preval
said clinton who will be traveling with us agency for international development
usaid coordinator rajiv shah and other officials
we will be meeting with president preval and other members of the haitian
government along with the members of the us government team on the ground
including our civilian and military leaders the chief us diplomat said
we will also be conveying very directly and personally to the haitian people
our long term unwavering support solidarity and sympathies to reinforce
president obama message that they are not facing this crisis alone she
added
will also be able to see first hand the ongoing efforts and deployment of us
government personnel and resources for maximum impact to support the vital
lifesaving relief and recovery efforts clinton said
football ivory coast reach quarter finals with men
cabinda angola jan afp
ivory coast became the first team to reach the africa cup of nations
quarter finals with triumph over severely depleted ghana in group on
friday
it was polished performance by the elephants who were reduced to men on
minutes when arsenal defender emmanuel eboue was red carded for vicious tackle
from behind on opoku agyemang with his team one goal ahead
victory lifted the title favourites to four points from two matches and they
will be joined in the knockout phase by burkina faso or ghana who clash tuesday
in the final mini league fixture
togo the other country drawn in the group withdrew before the tournament
kicked off last sunday after the bus convoy carrying them into angola was
attacked in this restive northern angolan enclave
lille forward kouassi gervinho yao put ivory coast ahead midway through the
first half at the new seat chiazi stadium siaka tiene scored direct
from free kick after minutes and chelsea striker didier drogba completed
the victory in the final minute
ghana got stoppage time consolation goal via an asamoah gyan penalty after he
had been fouled by souleman bamba
we re all relieved said drogba we were consistent from the start even if
we had difficulties we succeeded in remaining solid and performing the counter
attacks
coach vahid halilhodzic made one change to the ivorian team that failed to
sparkle when held to goalless draw by burkina faso last monday with chelsea
forward salomon kalou replacing bakary kone
ghana kicked off without eight first choice players in defenders john pantsil
and john mensah midfielders anthony annan stephen appiah michael essien
laryea kingson and sulley muntari and striker asamoah gyan
the absence of so many regulars meant wigan goalkeeper and fourth choice captain
richard kingson brother of laryea wore the armband until essien came on for
the second half with gyan
midfielder didier zokora stung the fingers of kingson with fierce drive that
was parried for corner and captain drogba blazed free kick over during the
early exchanges
ivory coast took the lead with master class in counter attacking as sliding
tackle just outside their penalty area deprived ghana of possession and set in
motion one of the slickest goals so far seen in the tournament
the ball was stroked into the path of barcelona man yaya toure and his superb
pass sprang the offside trap for kalou who crossed for gervinho to tap the ball
into an unguarded net
ghana made little impact in attack until six minutes before half time when
ivorian goalkeeper boubacar barry often considered the weak link in the team
dived to his left and superbly parried kwadwo asamoah drive
the presence of essien playing for the first time since early december when
injured in champions league clash offered hope to the four time champions and
the dismissal of eboue threatened to tilt the balance
mathew amoah was unlucky not to equalise soon after on pitch that was cutting
up alarmingly as his volley struck the base of post and flew wide with barry
helpless
but midway through the half the ivorians doubled their lead against the run of
play as tiene curled left footed free kick from wide on the right over kingson
and into the roof of the net
playing man short appeared to be having no effect on the ivorians as they
continued to attack and drogba headed in left wing cross on minutes to
complete handsome success
brazil to send non lethal arms to haiti fearing riots
rio de janeiro jan afp
brazil is to send guns with rubber bullets and other non lethal weapons to haiti
because of rising fears of riots by an angry population desperate for aid
defense minister nelson jobim said friday
brazil is sending to haiti non lethal instruments like rubber bullet weapons
according to the president rene preval of haiti with the lack of water fuel
and food people are starting to become restive jobim told reporters in rio
the minister who returned to brazil friday after two day visit to haiti to
see the situation of the quake hit country and speak to preval earlier said he
feared an explosion of unrest was around the corner
as long as the people are hungry and thirsty as long as we haven fixed the
problem of shelter we run the risk of riots he said
we are worried about security he said
jobim added that what he saw in haiti capital port au prince were the worst
scenes of his life
brazil is in command of the un peacekeeping force deployed to haiti before
the quake and is using its troops there for disaster relief efforts
haitians have become increasingly agitated and frustrated at the perceived
slowness of help to arrive
looting has broken out in parts of the city were residents have been left to
fend for themselves in the absence of any handouts of food water and medicine
shots have also been heard underlining the rampant criminality that reigned in
port au prince even before tuesday quake
brazil was mourning the loss of at least of its citizens in the disaster
it lost soldiers deployed in the un peacekeeping mission as well as high
profile civilian campaigner for children rights the deputy un representative
in haiti luiz carlos da costa and another unidentified brazilian according
to jobim
another four brazilian soldiers were missing though jobim said that term was
really euphemism indicating he believed they were also dead
the brazilian army said of its soldiers were injured in the quake of whom
arrived in brazil on friday for medical treatment
one of them corporal carlos pimentel de almeida told televised media
conference that when the quake struck he thought his military post was under
attack
thought it was an attack that bomb exploded he said
he showed head wound he sustained from falling debris and recounted that
several of his comrades died when the building collapsed
he added that once recovered he wanted to return to haiti because the
population needs help
brazil has sent at least six flights full of aid for haiti quake survivors and
its troops including water food medical supplies and rescue personnel more
are to leave in the coming days
rugbyu european cup tables
paris jan afp
european cup tables after friday matches played won drawn lost points
for points against bonus points points
pool
munster
northampton
perpignan
treviso
pool
biarritz
glasgow
gloucester
newport gwent
pool
ospreys
clermont
leicester
viadana
pool
stade francais
ulster
edinburgh
bath
pool
toulouse
sale
cardiff blues
harlequins
pool
london irish
leinster
scarlets
brive
note the six pool winners and two best placed runners up qualify for the
quarter finals
foreigners in us military get fast track to citizenship
washington jan afp
us military personnel who have served since the september attacks will
be put on fast track to us citizenship under rules enforced friday as part of
bid to attract new recruits
expediting the citizenship process for service members reflects our commitment
to honoring those who come from all over the world to serve our country and
become its newest citizens said homeland security secretary janet napolitano
in bid to boost recruiting numbers foreigners in the us military can now
apply immediately for citizenship if they served after september
if they served during peace time the wait to become eligible has decreased from
three years to one
the decision formalizes deal that has seen an estimated foreigners
become us citizens since spokesperson for the country citizenship and
immigration services told afp
the lure of us citizenship has drawn thousands of new recruits many from latin
america to us forces eager to snap up personnel to fight wars in iraq and
afghanistan
football belgian league results
brussels jan afp
belgian league results on friday
ghent fc courtrai
un launches million dollar appeal for quake hit haiti
united nations jan afp
the united nations on friday appealed for million dollars from the world
community to help victims of the earthquake that devastated haiti and is thought
to have killed more than people
un humanitarian chief john holmes launched the flash appeal saying the funds
would be used to help three million haitians badly affected by tuesday quake
holmes head of the un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs
ocha said priority needs were for food medical supplies water and emergency
shelters
twenty countries organizations and companies have already pledged million
dollars million euros in aid for victims of the magnitude quake
according to ocha data
more than people were killed and injured by this week
earthquake in haiti which also left nearly million homeless haitian
minister said friday
wall street slips unimpressed by earnings
new york jan afp
wall street stocks suffered their biggest drop of as investors ignored
handsome fourth quarter profits from top chip maker intel and banking giant
jpmorgan chase
the dow jones industrial average dropped points percent to
pulling back from month high
the nasdaq composite tumbled points percent to while the
broad market standard amp poor index fell points percent to
stocks opened lower with the decline accelerating as investors digested the
fourth quarter earnings declared by intel after market closed on thursday as
well as the results of jpmorgan chase early friday
there was lack of enthusiasm over better than expected earnings from both
intel and jpmorgan analysts said
intel the world biggest computer chip maker said net profit soared nearly
nine fold to billion dollars in the last three months of on the back of
percent jump in revenue to billion dollars
jpmorgan also posted big jump in net profit to billion dollars with
revenues rising to billion dollars
the lack of buying interest following the reports underscores how the market
bar of expectations has risen along with stock prices which have climbed by
about percent since march said patrick hare of briefing com
analysts said plan unveiled thursday by president barack obama to tax big
firms in the banking sector to recoup bailout funds also dampened sentiment
the bulls are being stalled by concerns toward the financial sector analysts
at charles schwab amp co said in note to clients
judging by today trading it seems the financial sector will no longer be
reaping the benefits of rock bottom expectations said elizabeth harrow of
schaeffer investment research
jpmorgan chase stock tumbled percent to dollars amid concerns of
loss in its retail bank an increase in provisions for credit losses and
revenues that trailed most analysts estimate
other key banks also fell bank of america by percent to dollars and
goldman sachs by percent to dollars
intel shed percent to dollars
cf industries rose percent to dollars after it dropped its hostile
takeover bid for fellow fertilizer maker terra industries ending months long
pursuit
the bond market rose the yield on the year us treasury bond fell to
percent from percent thursday and that on the year bond dropped to
percent from percent bond yield and prices move in opposite
directions
rugbyu european cup round results
paris jan afp
european cup results on friday
pool
glasgow sco newport gwent dragons wal
pool
ulster irl edinburgh sco
saturday
pool
treviso ita munster irl
pool
gloucester eng biarritz fra
pool
clermont auvergne fra ospreys wal
leicester eng viadana ita
pool
stade francais fra bath eng
pool
cardiff blues wal sale eng
pool
leinster irl brive fra
sunday
pool
northampton eng perpignan fra
pool
toulouse fra harlequins eng
pool
scarlets wal london irish eng
canada mini madoff fraudster pleads guilty
montreal jan afp
canadian financier on friday pleaded guilty to swindling nearly million
dollars million us from investors said local media
bertram earl jones was accused of carrying out pyramid scheme that bilked
investors by using new financial injections to pay older clients much like the
multi billion dollar scheme orchestrated by disgraced wall street financier
bernard madoff
he entered surprise guilty plea to two fraud charges in montreal courtroom
on friday morning and is to be sentenced on february said broadcaster ctv
according to police and quebec securities regulator jones scammed at least
investors mostly pensioners in quebec but also in other parts of canada
and in the united states
the scam was uncovered after anxious customers contacted the regulator saying
they were unable to reach jones who went on the lam for two weeks before his
arrest in july
jones and his financial services firm have since been declared bankrupt and his
wife has filed for divorce
madoff was jailed in june for years for extraordinarily evil crimes in the
largest investment fraud in us history
