it came less than two weeks after world leaders failed to reach climate
binding deal at the copenhagen summit
consumer groups had complained that the new tax would have hit rural households
harder along with cash strapped families who are unable to afford the energy
saving home renovations that could make difference
france aims to be the biggest economy to apply direct carbon tax mirroring
measures that exist in sweden denmark and finland
before the copenhagen summit we tried to be pioneers said jean arthius
centrist lawmaker and president of the senate finance committee
but this is an issue that must be dealt on supra national level we should
have held talks with neighbouring countries
the government said it would make revamped proposal on january
eurozone faces debt crisis
frankfurt jan afp
the eurozone new year heralds debt crisis that has alarm bells ringing and
markets tracking government plans to tame the growing shortfall
officials have borrowed heavily to pull the nation zone out of its first
recession and debt levels are set to smash huge hole in the ceiling set by
the european union in its stability and growth pact
soaring budget deficits low growth and banking sector support are feeding into
significantly higher public debt levels the european commission has warned
average eurozone public debt could reach percent of gdp gross domestic
product by an increase of percentage points from it said far
above the pact limit of percent
government debt ratings have been downgraded in greece by all three major
international agencies and by some of them in ireland and spain as well
the fitch agency has urged all governments with top ratings to tame debt
mentioning in particular britain which is not eurozone member along with
france and spain which are
germany long considered the cornerstone of eurozone fiscal discipline
forecasts public debt at around percent of gdp this year while in france
the second biggest eurozone economy public debt jumped to record percent
in the third quarter of
greece says its shortfall come to percent of output in
debt is raising the cost of borrowing for many countries and adding to the
weight of reimbursing obligations on future budgets
with unemployment rising and weak growth expected in officials cannot
count on increased tax revenues for much help in paying down debt lot of
which is owed abroad
the economic crisis is weighing on the sustainability of public finances and
potential growth the eu commission has warned as economists leave open the
possibility of double dip recession this year
finances will be undermined further by an ageing population that will need
expensive health care in the years to come
but tightening the financial screws as many capitals have pledged to do could
choke off an economic recovery if officials act too soon analysts warn
natixis economist patrick artus said that in the near term it will not be
possible to return to less expansionary monetary policies at the risk of
creating huge problems as money pumped out to boost activity has begun to
generate fresh problems of its own
they include new speculative bubbles in emerging economy assets commodities and
possibly even real estate key factor in the mid financial meltdown
failing to act on deficits and debt however will spark reaction at some point
from financial markets which will demand higher interest payments on loans
especially from highly exposed countries like greece
on friday the yield or interest on year greek bonds was hefty
percentage points higher than that for benchmark german bonds
before the financial crisis erupted in august the spread was just
points and in early december greek prime minister george papandreou warned
either we eradicate the debt or the debt will eliminate the country
the greek debt debacle constitutes one of the eurozone biggest tests ever as
europe single currency begins its th year in existence
that has weighed on the euro which traded for dollars on thursday ahead of
the new year holiday
markets want to know if solidarity will prevail within the nation bloc as
most analysts expect or whether it will plunge into an existential crisis
european central bank governing council member ewald nowotny has underscored
no bail out principle contained in eu treaties while german chancellor angela
merkel head of europe biggest economy has suggested otherwise
merkel said last month that we all share common responsibility for greece
the afp sunday economics news advisory
paris jan afp
we shall shortly move the following economics business and financial news
stories
eurozone economy finance debt
frankfurt
the eurozone new year heralds debt crisis that has alarm bells ringing and
markets tracking government plans to tame the growing shortfall
words by william ickes
france environment climate politics tax focus
paris
the french government first job for is to revise its planned carbon
emissions tax raising fears among businesses they will be hurt by changes to
the environmental measure
words by jeremy tordjman and francesco fontemaggi
netherlands environment climate warming
barendrecht netherlands
plan by oil giant shell to store tonnes of carbon dioxide year in
depleted gas reservoir beneath this dutch city has drawn the ire of residents
and local officials who have vowed to thwart it
words by martine pauwels
china trade copyright piracy focus
beijing
while china has talked up its recent progress in stamping out copyright piracy
the market for fake iphones and bootleg dvds still flourishes and its trading
partners insist it could do better
words by allison jackson picture
india auto advancer
new delhi
small will be big at the indian auto show when the world leading manufacturers
unveil slew of compact cars designed for one of the world fastest growing
markets
words by adam plowright file picture
japan asahi to tie up with carlsberg in hong kong report
tokyo jan afp
japan top beer maker asahi breweries will tie up with danish brewery carlsberg
this month to market its best selling product asahi super dry in hong kong
press report said sunday
the move is the first step of an alliance that the two firms are considering
broadening to include other markets the business daily nikkei said
asahi will use the marketing network of carlsberg hong kong unit which has
strong ties with local western restaurants convenience stores and supermarkets
the report said
the company sold cases of beer in hong kong in one case contains
millilitre bottles
asahi aims to double that figure by through the tie up the report said
asahi domestic rival suntory holdings is also tying up with us beverage giant
pepsico inc to promote its sales in china nikkei said
afghan mps rejects karzai cabinet nominees
kabul jan afp
afghan president hamid karzai suffered new blow to his authority when
parliament rejected most of his nominees for new cabinet including the only
woman and warlord
only seven out of nominees were approved by more than lawmakers in
secret ballot saturday throwing afghanistan into new political uncertainty just
weeks ahead of an international conference on the war ravaged nation
of the nominees introduced to parliament seven have succeeded in getting
your vote of confidence parliamentary speaker mohammad yunus qanoni said after
counting ended
karzai cabinet list was seen by his western backers as test of his
commitment to building clean and accountable government and eradicating the
corruption that blights afghanistan and helps fuel the taliban insurgency
us and nato countries fighting the taliban have made it clear that the billions
of dollars in military and development assistance they pour into afghanistan now
depend on concrete action against corruption
those voted down included warlord ismail khan nominated for the post of water
and energy minister widely seen as reward for supporting karzai during the
fraud tainted august presidential election that returned him to power
also rejected was the only woman nominated to cabinet post incumbent women
affairs minister husn banu ghazanfar who lost out by two votes
karzai has long relied on warlords to prop up his fragile government but aides
say he has recognised the need to appease the west to stay in power and bring
some momentum to the development of his poverty stricken country
he had been hoping to finalise his cabinet before an international conference in
london on january to discuss the future of the country
the position of foreign minister the th cabinet post will not be filled
until after the conference which will be attended by outgoing incumbent rangin
dadfar spanta parliamentary spokesman hasib noori said
those approved were the choices for defence agriculture interior finance
education culture and mines and industries mostly people backed by karzai
western supporters as competent and clean technocrats
under the constitution rejected nominees cannot be tapped again for the same
post noori said adding that parliament will begin day winter recess on
january leaving little time for karzai to submit new line up
kabul university law professor nasrullah stanikzai said the high number of
rejections showed that karzai had not thoroughly considered his list before
presenting it to parliament last month
the high rate of rejections will have negative effect on those ministries
which are without leadership and policy in the lead up to the london
conference stanikzai told afp
on the other hand the high rate of rejections shows that parliament has risen
above internecine considerations that have plagued afghan politics in the past
such as tribal issues and ethnic divisions
ministries without approved heads will be run by deputy ministers until nominees
were approved he said
the most notorious warlords abdul rashid dostum and mohammad mohaqiq leaders
of two minority ethnic groups which supported karzai in the election and were
expected to be rewarded with high office were not nominated
the international community deploys troops to fight an increasingly
bloody taliban led insurgency
up to more troops are due to arrive over the course of backed by
thousands of civilians as the war strategy turns from battleground tactics to
development and aid
afghanistan independent election commission meanwhile confirmed that
parliamentary election will take place on may
commenting on reports the poll could be delayed because of fraud problems that
plagued the presidential vote the commission said security budget and timing
requirements had been met with the help of the international community
japan mobile phone marvels go back to the future
tokyo jan afp
in the japan of stressed out salaryman may unwind from his hectic
futuristic lifestyle by time travelling back few centuries and taking
virtual stroll through medieval tokyo
as he walks over arched wooden bridges he will chat with the avatars of his
real world friends admire pollution free views of mount fuji and perhaps do
some cash free souvenir shopping for digital download of woodblock print
he will navigate through the city once called edo from the comfort of his
intelligent living room wearing glasses and moving about by waving super
networked mobile phone that is attached to his wrist like watch
this is nihonbashi in virtual edo an invisible tour guide will say in an
upbeat if slightly tinny voice it virtual community that is popular
worldwide lot of people have logged on today already
welcome to the future as imagined by ntt docomo japan mobile telephone giant
with million subscribers which has long been leading force for innovation
in the high tech paradise that is japan
its shangri la is the future station located in skyscraper floors above
tokyo where visitors are taken on guided tours of the company mobile phone
marvels and treated to glimpse of what to come
such as the wearable phone of that docomo envisions will be the user
constant companion fitted with small flip out screen and capable of
projecting images onto wall or into thin air in the form of hologram
it will be an id to enter the family home or to board flight device to
video chat with friends and the office and remote control to activate the
robo vacuum cleaner or tell the fridge to order new groceries
made from recyclable materials and partially charged kinetically through body
movements the device will be equipped with simultaneous translation software to
connect the user to everyone else anywhere anytime
the vision is bold but in japan that doesn make it unrealistic
in many ways the mobile phone future has already arrived in japan where the
evolution of the devices has taken separate path to the rest of the world
on tokyo crowded subway trains newspapers are rare sight as most commuters
plug themselves into their cellphones or other handheld electronic devices
web surfing mailing playing games or watching television
japanese cellphones started sending email years ago have had terrestrial tv
for years and long boasted video cameras barcode readers and an concierge
assistant that gives hints on late train or traffic jam
docomo phones since feature cashless payment system which allows users
to buy soft drink from vending machine or lunch at hamburger chain simply
by swiping their phone over an electronic pad
the american and european markets have rapidly japanised
by having phone you can do almost everything said takeshi natsuno known as
the father of mode the popular internet service docomo launched decade
ago and now professor at tokyo keio university
all convenience stores and percent of tokyo taxis are equipped with readers
so you can pay by phone he said adding that this is one reason the central
bank three years ago started to reduce the number of new coins minted
docomo co develops phones with manufacturers such as nec fujitsu and panasonic
who then custom make the handsets for it usually the makers are identified only
discreetly with their initials in the model name
among recent offerings is the bright yellow kids phone by fujitsu which
features pull string alarm that emits shrill noise and sends an email alert
to the parents that instantly pin points the child location
in another new model the two halves of the phone are held together magnetically
and can be easily separated allowing users to talk and web surf at the same
time or to split the device into tv and remote control
other newcomers include cellphone with small solar panel that in pinch can
give the user few extra minutes of power phone with megapixel camera
and range of waterproof models to use in the bathtub
despite or perhaps because of their sophistication japan mobile marvels are
rarely seen outside the archipelago the only japanese maker with strong
international presence is sony ericsson
experts say japan more than half dozen big manufacturers have long relied on
the huge domestic market and designed phones specifically for japanese tastes
customs and with their often hefty price tags wallets
during the cellphone boom years of the and japanese companies raced
ahead and adopted the second and then third generation standards years before
their international counterparts effectively insulating the market
more recently however the sector has taken beating as deep recession has
rocked japan economy an end to industry subsidies meanwhile has made phones
more expensive at time of few real technological breakthroughs
cellphone sales fell by one third from million in fiscal to just
million in rebound is expected in coming years but in the long
term the market is set to shrink as japan population greys and falls
meanwhile the iphone and other smartphones have marked quantum leap for the
rest of the world in turning phones into multi functional personal gadgets with
internet access gps guided maps and universe of software applications
the iphone has caught on only gradually in japan where it is marketed by docomo
rival softbank but the device and other smartphones show that japan mobiles
no longer have an undisputed edge over foreign makes
the american and european markets have rapidly japanised in terms of
mobiles said natsuno who warned that the new phones made by information
technology companies are rapidly shaking up the industry
natsuno who uses japanese phone and an iphone said his foreign made device
has only few drawbacks such as lacking the wallet function and privacy
mode that he joked made having an extra marital affair dangerous
why are so many people using the iphone now he said
the phone is the closest device to the human body pcs are too big and easily
run out of batteries if you consolidate all the functionality within one device
the mobile phone is the best device for human life
natsuno said in future he expects mobiles to boast advances such as basic
artificial intelligence sophisticated biometrics and batteries that last one
week but he says it may not be japanese companies who make them first
now the leaders of the industry are it players and telecom players are
following he said china the us and europe are becoming more like japan
canada chinese immigrants assimilate quickly easily
richmond canada jan afp
in cafe in this western canadian town customer orders soda from his
server though both customer and waitress are chinese the pair converse easily
and comfortably in english
the waitress speaks both mandarin and cantonese so she would have no difficulty
understanding the order in either of china main languages
so why speak in english that what we speak here she said
the interaction is not an anomaly in this town where nearly half the
residents are of chinese origin nor in vancouver the nearest city where some
people one in five residents are originally from china
it is an example of the way the majority of chinese immigrants to canada have
assimilated quickly and easily into the country population
immigration from china has grown rapidly in recent years with the number of
newcomers swelling the chinese population in vancouver by percent between
and and percent from to according to government
agency statistics canada
contrary to popular belief economic opportunity is not always the primary
motive for those who choose to move from china to canada and those who emigrate
may even seek funds from family back home rather than sending remittances
that was the case for eileen lao who left guangzhou for vancouver in
february
our level of living is worse she told afp we had no financial problems in
china lao added but to buy house in richmond she and her husband an
engineer who has only been able to find part time work had to borrow money
from family back home
so why cross the ocean and move
wanted to change my life she said adding that despite few lifestyle
changes she is quite happy with her new life in canada
lao had visited canada four times before emigrating with her husband and their
daughter huang
the family speaks cantonese at home but huang attends school where only
english is spoken
eileen lao speaks the language with ease and has hard time pinpointing any
difficulties adapting to life in her new home
mailboxes are green in china they are red here she said finally because of
the color it took while before we knew these were mailboxes
she also acknowledged finding it tough to accept the approach of canada media
which she deals with in her capacity as public relations person for success
an ngo that helps new immigrants to canada
media is different here in china it is propaganda promotion of things well
done here they speak of disasters or human rights look for negative sides
she said
despite the differences lao hopes to one day acquire canadian citizenship
expressing comfort with her new country that is echoed by many chinese
immigrants
according to study by statistics canada percent of chinese immigrants
felt strongly attached to canada and percent said they also strongly
identified with their own ethnic and cultural group
for lao there no reason to pick one side or the other whether the issue is
identity language or even sporting events like the winter olympics that
vancouver will host in february
no matter who wins will give my wholehearted congratulations to him that is
also the beauty of the olympics isn it
cuba santeria priests foresee turmoil in
havana jan afp
cuba high priests of the afro american santeria religion announced their
visions for saturday predicting big social changes and internal conflicts
that should be handled with sincere dialogue and mutual respect
we can reach all we aspire to but we can also destroy it all the
possibilities in are greater than last year it all rests in our hands
babalawo santeria priest lazaro cuesta said on presenting his group the
letter of the year report
put together by some babalawos in the country the annual predictions for
cuba and the world include coup etats sudden changes in political
systems betrayal and usurpation among top government officials as well as
falling farm and livestock production and the breakup of agreements wars
and military interventions
as antidotes to these problems the babalawos recommend sincere dialogue
respect for the decisions of the majority and the opinion of the minorities
and new reforms in the political economic and social orders
while they make no specific references to cuba government the predictions
seem to point to the aging cuban leadership of president raul castro and
his ailing brother and communist party head fidel castro
the soothsayers recommended people heed the saying the young palm trees grow
taller and thicker than the old ones which babalawo victor betancourt
interpreted as meaning making an overhaul which is what needed at the
moment and is not taking place
the babalawos also forecast serious environmental pollution problems on
global scale and rising sea levels
and regarding human health they warned about an increase in cerebral vascular
diseases and in problems of the eyes lungs and bones
santeria was brought to cuba by african slaves and has many followers among the
island million people
we re not critics we re spiritual counselors said betancourt about his
brotherhood
far off museum to save an ethiopian tribe soul
konso ethiopia jan afp
women jump up in their fluffy orange cotton skirts waggling their shoulders at
men who are swift to join the dance sporting white feathers in their hair and
shepherd crooks in their hands
this tribal dance pays tribute to the heroes of the small konso community an
ethnic group which has lived for years in remote region of southeast
ethiopia kilometres miles from the capital addis ababa
the fete was organised to celebrate the inauguration in december of local
museum dedicated to konso culture which will above all serve to preserve the
waka or funeral steles in carved wood that have long been placed on the tombs
of konso clan chiefs
these rare carvings have long been easy prey for arts traffickers and tomb
raiders without scruples who sell them abroad for few thousand euros dollars
apiece
ethiopian customs agents have since impounded more than of the statues
often the size of man but no system of conservation was put in place until
french ambassador went to the konso region
it was pure chance was on my way back with colleagues from paleontological
site said stephane gompertz the former ambassador who is now the africa
director at the french foreign ministry
we visited konso villages and from there we were taken to see the premises of
the cultural office and the police station where they kept the waka stolen from
the tombs and recovered by the customs he explained
konso officials asked us if we could help them to build museum to protect
these statues gompertz said emphasising the help that was provided for the
project by the museum of primitive arts on the quai branly in paris
the waka are traditionally placed on the tombs of chiefs or of tribal heroes
recognised for their feats of valour in hunting and in war
the waka are made of very tough woods like acacia and can last for years
said denote kusia shenkri konso elder but when they are taken or rot then
the spirit of the dead man flies away it can be replaced because the konso
believe that you only die once
the museum is vast edifice constructed in the spirit of the konso culture
renowned for its fortifications built around villages its farming terraces and
its tukuls which are round huts with thatched roofs
thought it mattered to take inspiration from local traditions so that the
konso think of the building as their own and help in the construction said
architect thierry begat who conceived the building that took three years to
build
the total budget is euros dollars with france paying two
thirds and the rest provided by the konso
wearing tall blue turban kala gesagn woldedawit the traditional leader of
the konso is proud of the creation of the museum especially since there will
be fewer and fewer waka
the waka are stolen and thus there are no more heroes because there are no
wild beasts nor enemies to kill so this museum is important for keeping up our
old traditions and future generations will be able to see the waka and
understand our traditions
even if the waka are no longer in their original place they can have strong
symbolic significance and here they will be well looked after the chief added
ethiopia junior culture minister mahamouda gaas stressed that the museum is
only first step since our goal is that the konso culture be recognised as
world heritage by unesco
the waka museum has opened at time when ethiopia on an aggressive campaign
to boost tourism figures is opening its south to visitors like it long has
its north with the orthodox churches carved in the rock at lalibela the gondar
castles and the axoum obelisks
once seen by the west as famine country thanks to photos of parched land and
emaciated children during devastating drought in the the country is
slowly emerging as favoured african tourist hub like its more illustrious
southern neighbour kenya
in the course of the past couple of years tourists have begun to combine the
visit of the historic north of ethiopia with visit to the south said freddy
hess who is tour operator
the authorities are asphalting the roads but they have not reached konso which
is hour drive from addis ababa
however konso chief kaka gesagn woldedawit is optimistic that tourism brings
us lots of opportunities
trade is developing for our handicrafts people are employed in the hotels and
the restaurants and even our traditional dancers perform for the tourists it
encourages the young people to stay
us britain widen anti terror front in yemen
honolulu hawaii jan afp
the united states and britain stepped up the fight against an emerging
terrorist threat in yemen as president barack obama for the first time blamed
al qaeda for attacking us airliner
obama on saturday accused yemen based affiliate of osama bin laden group of
targeting the jet on christmas day us general david petraeus meanwhile held
talks in sanaa with yemen president
prime minister gordon brown office revealed early sunday the british leader
and obama had agreed to fund special counter terrorism police in yemen and
believed more peace keepers were needed to curtail militancy in somalia
obama on vacation in hawaii promised to hold the affiliate al qaeda in the
arabian peninsula aqap to account and said us probes were revealing new
evidence about the suspected bomber umar farouk abdulmutallab
we know that he traveled to yemen obama said in his weekly video address
it appears that he joined an affiliate of al qaeda and that this group al
qaeda in the arabian peninsula trained him equipped him with those explosives
and directed him to attack that plane headed for america
it was the first time that obama had blamed the al qaeda cell for the attack
though aqap had previously claimed the thwarted bombing and us officials spoke
of linkage to the group
adulmutallab is accused of trying to destroy northwest jet carrying people
as it approached detroit by setting off explosives stitched into his underwear
the bid failed when he was stopped by passengers
brown office said obama and the british leader had agreed us uk funding for
special counter terrorism police unit in yemen
downing street and the white house have agreed to intensify joint us uk work to
tackle the emerging terrorist threat from both yemen and somalia in the wake of
the failed detroit terror plot british statement said
on friday britain called an international meeting on combating extremism in
yemen for london january in parallel with conference on afghanistan
drawing senior ministers or leaders from over nations
yemen praised the talks step in the right direction that will mobilize
international support for yemeni development and its efforts to battle
unemployment and the effects of poverty
petraeus the us regional commander met yemeni president ali abdullah saleh on
saturday the local saba news agency said
obama aides gave few details of the talks which coincided with reports of
american involvement in strikes against extremists there
general petraeus was in yemen today as part of our ongoing consultations with
and efforts in support of yemen senior obama administration official said on
condition of anonymity
obama was briefed on the talks by his top anti terror official john brennan
saba said petraeus praised saleh for the success of the operations against al
qaeda and reaffirmed washington support for yemen in its efforts to fight
terrorism
cbs news citing us special operations expert sebastian gorka meanwhile
reported that recent strikes on al qaeda positions in yemen including cruise
missile attacks were led by the united states
obama was expected back in washington monday on the eve of key meeting on the
attack with chiefs of us spy agencies and government departments with national
security responsibilities
michael leiter director of the us national counterterrorism center warned
saturday the christmas day attack would not be the last
while this attempt ended in failure we know with absolute certainty that al
qaeda and those who support its ideology continue to refine their methods to
test our defenses and pursue an attack on the homeland he said
the nctc was set up after the september attacks in exposed disastrous
lack of intelligence sharing among us spy services but has been one of number
of agencies criticized over the northwest airlines attack
obama last week angrily denounced systemic failures in the us intelligence and
homeland security operation and vowed to put them right
the wider threat from islamic militancy was also underscored saturday after
danish police charged man linked to somali islamists with the attempted murder
of cartoonist notorious for his drawing of the prophet mohammed
the year old somali national has broken into cartoonist kurt westergaard
wielding an axe and was shot and wounded by police
afp features
