we grew up together playing junior tournaments she said we know each
other games really well we haven played each other in long time but
she great player
tennis heineken open men singles final
auckland jan afp
result from the final of the heineken open here on saturday
john isner usa bt arnaud clement fra
tennis bondarenko beats peer in hobart final
hobart australia jan afp
ukraine alona bondarenko swept past israeli shahar peer in straight sets to
capture the hobart wta international title here on saturday
the fourth seeded bondarenko downed the second seed in the final in
minutes
it was the nd ranked bondarenko second career wta title and took her career
record to against the th ranked peer it was only peer second loss in
seven wta finals
bondarenko now heads to melbourne where she will face yet unknown qualifier in
the opening round of the australian open while peer takes on czech lucie
hradecka
japan korea rebuff korea proposal for peace treaty
tokyo jan afp
japan and south korea on saturday brushed aside north korea call for early
talks on peace treaty saying they have no plans to lift sanctions unless it
first makes progress in scrapping nuclear weapons
japanese foreign minister katsuya okada met his south korean counterpart yu
myung hwan ahead of two day meeting of top diplomats from east asian and latin
american countries japanese foreign ministry official said
the two foreign ministers held their first meeting since north korea on monday
called for talks on treaty to formally end the war before it puts the
issue of dismantling its nuclear programme on the table
during the talks okada and yu said their countries will never allow pyongyang
to go ahead with nuclear and missile development and agreed not to accept any
plan to lift sanctions immediately the official said
they agreed that stalled six party nuclear disarmament talks must resume first
and confirmed the importance of urging north korea to take concrete and
forward looking action the official said
minister yu said it important to maintain two track approach opening the
window of dialogue and carrying out sanctions firmly and minister okada
replied that he agreed on it the official added
the north has long called for treaty to officially end the conflict which
ended only with an armistice leaving the parties technically at war us led
united nations force fought for the south china backed the north
six party agreements in and envisage talks on peace treaty but only
in return for full denuclearisation the north said the peace pact should come
first
pyongyang has also offered to resume negotiations if the sanctions against it
are lifted
figure skating canadian championships results
london canada jan afp
selected results here on friday in the canadian figure skating championships
qualifier for the vancouver winter olympics
women
short programme
cynthia phaneuf pts joannie rochette amelie lacoste
myriane samson adriana desanctis diane szmiett
pairs
short programme
anabelle langlois cody hay jessica dube bryce davison
meagan duhamel craig buntin mylene brodeur john mattatall
paige lawrence rudi swiegers kirsten moore towers dylan moscovitch
ice dance
original dance
tessa virtue scott moir kaitlyn weaver andrew poje
vanessa crone paul poirier kharis ralph asher hill allie
hann mccurdy michael coreno tarrah harvey keith gagnon
standings after original dance
tessa virtue scott moir kaitlyn weaver andrew poje
vanessa crone paul poirier allie hann mccurdy michael coreno
kharis ralph asher hill andrea chong guillaume gfeller
men
short programme
patrick chan vaughn chipeur joey russell shawn
sawyer kevin reynolds marc andre craig
britain brown tries to woo middle classes
london jan afp
british prime minister gordon brown tried to reach out to middle class voters on
saturday bringing the looming election battle back to the theme of class
brown said his governing centre left labour party would create more middle
class jobs than ever before if it overturns the opinion polls and wins the
general election due by june
brown has previously sniped at main opposition centre right conservative leader
david cameron for his privileged education and background
that led the tories to accuse him of fighting an old fashioned left wing class
war in bid to shore up labour traditional vote in the face of looming
defeat
in major speech to centre left activists brown was to say social mobility
will be our theme for the coming election and the coming parliamentary term
fair society is one where everyone who works hard and plays by the rules has
chance to fulfil their dreams whether that owning bigger house taking
holiday abroad buying new car or starting small business
this is the next project for new labour the coming decade will provide the
uk with more middle class jobs than ever before
brown wrote in the guardian newspaper that he wanted to see an expanded middle
class not squeezed middle class
opportunity and reward cannot be hoarded at the top and it is not enough to
protect people at the bottom he said
our values demand genuine meritocracy for all british people and want to
set out how in the coming decade we can unleash the biggest wave of social
mobility since the second world war to spread opportunity across society and
to realise the aspirations of all those on middle and modest incomes
labour manifesto would be pitched at anyone who wants to get home start
business build career or save for their children future the premier
wrote
the conservatives blasted brown latest move
one minute gordon brown class warrior the next he is friend of middle
britain said treasury spokesman philip hammond
middle britain won forget that it was gordon brown who destroyed their
pensions increased their taxes and crippled social mobility
the idea that man who has spent his whole career at war with the middle
classes can be their champion is laughable
meanwhile brown de facto deputy business secretary peter mandelson said
veering to the left for the core vote was not winning strategy as every
member of the government knows
the election is not won by us nor is it yet lost he told the daily telegraph
newspaper
he also said the new percent top income tax rate for those earning more than
pounds dollars euros year should be abandoned as
soon as the public finances allow it
obama invokes king memory to ask for aid for haiti
washington jan afp
us president barack obama on friday invoked the legacy of legendary civil rights
leader martin luther king to ask americans to give support to haiti devastated
by an earthquake
the devastating earthquake in haiti and the urgent need for humanitarian
support reminds us that our service and generosity of spirit must also extend
beyond our immediate communities obama said in proclamation dedicated to
martin luther king day celebrated in the united states on monday
as our government continues to bring our resources to bear on the international
emergency in haiti ask all americans who want to contribute to this effort to
visit www whitehouse gov haitiearthquake the president continued
by lifting up our brothers and sisters through dedication and service both
at home and around the world we honor dr king memory and reaffirm our
common humanity
new zealand police sick of emergency calls report
wellington jan afp
new zealand police are getting hot under the collar over emergency calls
including woman whose husband didn spray air freshener after using the
toilet and another complaining of pressure to attend family wedding
the dominion post newspaper reported saturday that police in the north island
town of wairoa responded to an emergency call from year old woman who hung
up after police answered the phone
when police arrived at her house she complained her husband had forgotten to
spray the toilet with air freshener after visit police said
the police restored harmony in the household and did not lay charges over the
call
it pathetic really someone dialling the emergency number for something
like that wairoa polce sergeant aubrey ormond said
day earlier police in the southern city of christchurch responded to an
emergency call from woman who demanded police help to get her sister in law
off her back
she said the sister in law was pressuring her to attend family wedding
afghan parliament set to vote on second cabinet list
kabul jan afp
afghan lawmakers are set to vote on saturday for president hamid karzai second
list of cabinet nominees after rejecting most of his first choices but are
again expected to veto high number
lawmakers voted against of karzai original choices earlier this month
delivering blow to his authority already undermined after he was declared
winner of an august election marred by massive fraud mostly in his favour
parliamentarians diplomats and analysts said they expect up to one third of his
second round of choices to be rejected in secret ballot likely to take most of
the day
afghanistan parliament has spent this week grilling the new nominees men
and three women on their suitability for the posts after being ordered by
the president to cancel their winter break to consider the list
there has been high degree of absenteeism during the questioning of the
nominees and expect large number of them perhaps one third will be
rejected said haroun mir director of afghanistan centre for research and
policy studies
lack of political parties means there is little cohesion among lawmakers or
consultation before they vote
mp shukria barakzai said line seemed to have been drawn between those
parliamentarians who do not like what they see and those who want to finalise
the government
barakzai said she believed more candidates would pass the second round of
voting despite divisions among lawmakers
but she added one thing is sure not all the nominees will be passed this
time either
parliament initial rejection of names was seen as huge blow to karzai
who is under enormous pressure to prove his commitment to clean and competent
government in return for ongoing western support to rebuild the country and
fight taliban insurgents
the rejection has left the country without functioning government dragging
out the political stasis that has prevailed since the august election
diplomats said karzai wants government in place ahead of an international
conference in london on january to discuss the country future
the london conference will provide an opportunity for afghanistan and its
western supporters who together have troops fighting the taliban led
insurgency under us and nato command to formalise development and security
plan in one european diplomat said
known for travelling with large entourages karzai is expected to be accompanied
by up to ministers diplomats and analysts said
karzai first list of nominees was clear attempt to appease his critics in
the international community many of whom have made continued support
conditional on concrete progress on eradicating corruption
the seven ministerial nominees who did win approval including interior
defence agriculture and education had largely been given the nod by his
western backers
we think the first names were broadly ok and it was government we could do
business with senior european diplomat said speaking anonymously
with the second lot our concern is that they are political virgins and that
there is lot of political patronage involved he said echoing concerns that
many have little experience but useful connections
analysts said the new nominees represent cross section of afghanistan ethnic
mix of pashtun uzbek tajik and hazara
the list includes three women after the sole female nominee was initially
rejected but analysts said political connections and not competence appeared to
be the main qualification for many in the new line up
other nominees have links to powerful warlords who helped karzai in the august
election analysts said
at least one is aligned with feared uzbek warlord general abdul rashid dostam
two are associated with former president and warlord burhanuddin rabbani and
several with haji mohammad mohaqiq an ethnic hazara former militia leader
also on the list is economy portfolio nominee abdul hadi arghandiwal former
member of hizb islami who now leads pro government wing of the moderate
islamist party
baseball dodgers to visit taiwan in march report
taipei jan afp
us major league baseball team the los angeles dodgers are scheduled to visit
taiwan in march for two exhibition games taipei based report said saturday
the dodgers will play the matches against local professional team from march
the united daily news reported citing jim small vice president of mlb
asia
the paper quoted small as saying that he hoped the dodgers visit would give
morale boost to fans of taiwan favourite sport which has been hit by string
of game fixing scandals
taiwanese authorities last year launched an investigation into the latest
allegations which led to the arrest of six bookies and former players
prosecutors have declined to say how many players are suspected of involvement
in the alleged scam but so far more than have been questioned in the ongoing
probe
local media reported that some players allegedly received cash luxury cars and
even paid for sex services from bookies to deliberately lose games
pacific islands governor in hot water over prisoner massage
saipan jan afp
the governor of the us administered northern mariana islands is feeling the heat
after ordering the temporary release of jailed suspect to give him massage
benigno fitial the most senior politician in the western pacific territory
demanded chinese masseuse qing mei cheng be set free on january to treat him
for back pain
the masseuse was taken from the local prison where she was being held on people
smuggling charges to the governor mansion before being returned to jail
made this request because this was an unusual situation where needed to
address the extraordinary pain was experiencing fitial said in statement
received saturday
federal court in saipan on friday postponed hearing to investigate the
unusual release of suspect
fitial who won re election for second term in run off election in november
made headlines late last year when he had to drive himself around after his
driver was convicted of dealing drugs from the official car
deluge of haiti aid but officials say more needed
united nations jan afp
donors ranging from the world richest countries to individuals sending text
messages have contributed massive aid for quake stricken haiti but officials
said friday much more was needed
the un said it planned an appeal for hundreds of millions of dollars with the
deeply poor country desperate for food and medical supplies and its shattered
infrastructure making distribution of assistance difficult
twenty countries organisations and companies have already pledged million
dollars million euros in aid for victims of the magnitude quake
according to un data
on friday the united nations said it would launch an appeal for million
dollars from donors following the quake that is thought to have killed an
estimated people
there were estimates that some three million people third of the population
had been affected and un officials on the ground pleaded for more medical
and food aid for survivors
we really need to focus on the living and what we can do for them nicholas
reader spokesman for the united nations office for the coordination of
humanitarian affairs ocha told afp at the port au prince airport
as part of the un appeal the world food programme called for million dollars
to feed two million people and provide logistical support for month
emergency operation in haiti
in the initial phase of the operation wfp will provide one week rations of
ready to eat food to up to million people who no longer have access to
kitchens or cooking facilities
major world powers and large emerging countries including the united states
britain brazil and china all contributed substantially to the aid effort
us troops began pouring into the country friday to start handling tons of aid
and the nuclear powered us aircraft carrier uss carl vinson arrived with
helicopters water purification plant and carrying tons of medicines
us forces were to deploy field hospital and three dozen medics by sunday us
air force official said
the un has around personnel in haiti including blue berets and civilian
representatives and is considering ordering staff who are not in port
au prince to the capital
brazil was in command of the un peacekeeping force deployed to haiti before the
quake and is using its troops for disaster relief efforts it lost of
its citizens in the disaster
the latin american country has also offered to build cemetery in haiti for the
thousands killed promising it will respect the voodoo beliefs of part of the
caribbean country population officials said
haiti president rene preval praised the massive international relief effort
but warned that the aid operation remains uncoordinated
preval said planes from countries including the united states france and
venezuela had arrived at port au prince overwhelmed airport in single day
china is to send million yuan million dollars in aid to haiti the
government announced plane carrying emergency supplies including food
medicine and water purification equipment was due to leave saturday
besides the contributions from major countries innovative text message services
and internet campaigns had brought in millions with former us president bill
clinton calling for donations as small as dollars
mobile phone campaign set up by the us red cross had raised more than
million dollars friday with the money pouring in at the rate of dollars
an hour officials said
celebrities urged the world to help as well and text message campaign run by
yele haiti grassroots group founded by former fugees singer wyclef jean who
has haitian roots had raised more than two million dollars
us pop star madonna said she would donate dollars my prayers are with
the people of haiti can imagine the terrible pain and suffering they are
experiencing the star said on her website
us tv networks also announced they will air two hour global telethon
fundraiser for earthquake victims in haiti next week
even some of the world tiniest nations offered help with countries like
crisis hit iceland sending rescue team and mauritius and equatorial guinea
donating cash
but the scale of chaos and desperation was daunting posing logistical
nightmares with haiti main port closed and roads damaged
un officials urged countries to stop sending search and rescue teams into the
aid logjam but called for doctors and medical personnel to treat thousands of
casualties suffering crush injuries or fractures
there were angry chaotic scenes at the airport deluged by both incoming aid
supplies and people frantic to leave the caribbean nation
as of early this friday morning there are countries participating
people are on the ground with dogs said reader the word we are getting
back is that they don need any more search and rescue teams
korea ends peace initiative toward korea analysts
seoul jan afp
rare statement by north korea top decision making body may herald deep
freeze in inter korean ties and further delay in resuming nuclear disarmament
talks analysts said saturday
the north threatened friday to break off all dialogue with south korea unless
seoul apologises for allegedly drawing up contingency plan to handle regime
collapse in the communist state
the powerful national defence commission ndc which is headed by leader kim
jong il denounced the alleged plan as crime vowing to stage holy war
against those responsible for it blaming seoul presidential blue house
unconfirmed south korean news reports say officials have blueprint to
administer the north in the event of regime collapse coup or popular
uprising there
the ndc said the emergency ruling plan is aimed at bringing down the north
socialist regime and was worked out by south korean authorities to complement
joint us south korea military operation to overthrow the regime
unless seoul apologises it will be thoroughly excluded from any dialogue and
negotiations aimed at improving inter korean ties and securing peace and
stability it said
the ndc statement perplexed south korean authorities coming only hours after
pyongyang red cross authorities said they would accept food aid which the
north had shunned for two years as political tensions with the south rose
we find it deeply regretful that north korea took threatening stance toward
us based on some unconfirmed media reports unification ministry spokesman
chun hae sung said
the ministry deputy spokeswoman lee jong joo downplayed the ndc statement
saying north korea has routinely protested against contingency plans
it was unclear from the ndc statement whether the north would participate in
planned talks on tuesday on revitalising joint industrial estate which would
be first inter korean contact this year
the talks would serve as the first test to see whether the latest warning would
accompany real action according to lee
but analysts said the statement by the north most powerful body in effect
reversed earlier peace offers made since last august when pyongyang sent an
envoy to mourn the death of former south korean president kim dae jung
the north believes the plan puts into concrete form the scenario for
reunification through absorption by the south kim yeon chul of the private
hankyoreh peace institute told afp on saturday
this statement marks an end to north korea peace initiatives taken following
its second nuclear test in may last year he said
the north will probably boycott all inter korean talks and relations will
become worse this will also have negative impact on the six party talks on
disarming north korea he added
the north abandoned the six party nuclear disarmament talks last april
pyongyang wants talks on peace treaty with the united states and demands that
sanctions be lifted before it returns to the six party forum grouping the two
koreas china the united states japan and russia
the us state department has rejected an end to sanctions at this stage
yang moo jin professor at the university of north korean studies in seoul
said the rare ndc statement should be taken seriously as it carries the very
intent of kim jong il and it stands above all others
non governmental contact between the two koreas and international efforts led
by china and the united states are required to calm the situation yang said
looters roam haiti streets as us troops pour in
port au prince jan afp
machete wielding looters brought more terror to haiti streets friday as us
troops poured into the quake ravaged nation to start streaming tons of aid to
traumatized and destitute people
three days after tuesday earthquake anger and frustration mounted in the
ruined capital city with thousands of people still desperate for food and water
amid the stench of corpses left rotting in the tropical sun
vanguard of the us troops being deployed to haiti took control of the
airport clogged with tons of relief supplies and began the first mass
distributions of aid seeking to quell any threat of violence
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 warned brazilian defense minister
nelson jobim after visit to the capital port au prince
haitian officials said at least people had been killed and million
left homeless in the caribbean nation one of the poorest countries in the
world which has long witnessed violence and bloodshed
as un officials on the ground pleaded for more medical and food aid for
survivors looting became widespread and there were angry scuffles at the few
distribution points
the fourth night after the quake brought fresh fears for many families already
terrorized by armed gangs
men suddenly appeared with machetes to steal money said evelyne buino
young beautician after long night in neighborhood not far from the ruined
city center this is just the beginning
we need to protect and guard our home there are many armed men lot of
looting eglide victor whose shabbily built house was the only one left
standing on his street in the heart of the haitian capital told afp
officials have estimated that some three million people third of the
population were affected by the magnitude quake
we really need to focus on the living and what we can do for them nicholas
reader spokesman for the united nations office for the coordination of
humanitarian affairs ocha told afp
un chief ban ki moon is set to visit haiti on sunday as the world body appealed
for million dollars from donors ban said the un system was mobilizing all
its resources as fast as we possibly can
the un mission in haiti minustah was hit hard by the quake with of its
employees confirmed dead and unaccounted for
un officials said the world food programme was now feeding around people
several times day and hopes to feed roughly one million people within days
and two million people within month
people had reserves for few days but now they are dwindling they are afraid
to go downtown in search of food because it has become too dangerous said
haiti resident patricia etique swiss citizen
with thousands of bodies piled up on the streets of the capital there was also
race against time to reach any survivors still in the ruins and treat those
who were badly injured
foreign relief teams were increasingly seen on the streets some backed by vital
heavy lifting equipment
scores more survivors were pulled alive from the rubble belgian rescue team
extracted year old haitian woman from one building after first amputating
her leg above her right knee
we re very happy it what we re here for and after this amount of time and
the heat it great to still find people alive sergeant major edouard
dekoster part of specialized search and rescue team told afp
us president barack obama finally reached haiti president rene preval by
telephone friday and offered full support in earthquake relief aid and long
term rebuilding
but president preval told afp that the aid operation needs to be better
organized
we need international aid but the problem is the coordination he said
preval whose temporary seat of government is now police station near the
capital airport said planes from countries including the united states
france and venezuela had arrived in single day
scientists warned that haiti and its neighbors must prepare themselves for more
massive quakes after the devastating tremors this week increased pressure along
lengthy fault line
paul mann senior research scientist at the institute for geophysics at the
university of texas at austin warned that just because the rebuilding process
had started people shouldn assume the risk was over
this relief of stress along this area near port au prince may have actually
increased stress in the adjacent segments on the fault he told afp
cancer stricken dennis hopper files for divorce
los angeles jan afp
cancer stricken actor dennis hopper has filed for divorce from his wife of
nearly years court records showed friday
hopper who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year filed his petition
to divorce victoria hopper in los angeles superior court on thursday
the couple married on april and separated tuesday according to the
petition which cited irreconcilable differences for the split
hopper is seeking joint legal and physical custody of the couple daughter
galen
hopper has appeared in several classic films during career spanning more than
half century
notable early role came in the james dean hit rebel without cause in
and he later appeared in easy rider apocalypse now and blue
velvet
thousands join armstrong twitter ride
adelaide australia jan afp
lance armstrong drew thousands of amateur cyclists to an impromptu social ride
ahead of the tour down under on saturday causing chaotic scenes
police estimated up to people joined armstrong and australian star robbie
mcewen after the seven time tour de france winner invited bike riders to come
one come all on micro blogging site twitter
just surprised by the sheer numbers this is out of control mcewen said
riders gathered at wigley reserve outside adelaide and followed armstrong and
mcewen along coastal road to semaphore park and back again distance of
about kilometres miles
whoa adelaide came out thx to every for being there armstrong tweeted
afterwards
several riders came off in the crush but there were no serious injuries
according to police
there was lot of cyclists and it difficult to control when they re in
bunch that big police traffic coordinator harry mccallum told afp
we saw couple of people that had fallen off their bicycles but there was
nothing that looked serious he added
armstrong who is headlining next week tour down under has reputation for
twitter rides after organising similar events in los angeles glasgow and
dublin
the year old american will seek an eighth tour de france title in july after
ending three and half year retirement at last year adelaide race
saturday large turnout comes after thousands of fans mobbed golf megastar
tiger woods at melbourne australian masters in november his last tournament
before string of affairs came to light
judge urged to deny polanski absentia bid
los angeles jan afp
los angeles prosecutors on friday urged judge to reject request by lawyers
for roman polanksi seeking to have the oscar winning director sentenced in
absentia to resolve his child sex case
in papers filed with the los angeles superior court deputy district attorney
