police officials told anatolia
police held further people and seized kalashnikov assault rifle in raids
in ankara according to anatolia
weapons ammunition and computers were also seized in the operations in adana
the police were questioning the suspects the agency said without giving other
details
turkish cell of al qaeda was held responsible for four truck bomb attacks in
istanbul in that killed people including the british consul and left
hundreds injured
the bombs struck two synagogues the british consulate and british bank
seven men were jailed for life in over the bombings among them syrian
national who masterminded and financed the attacks
pro russia rivals face off in ukraine presidential run off
kiev jan afp
voters in ukraine forced two old rivals who both favour close ties with russia
into tense presidential election run off monday after rejecting the pro
western leader of the orange revolution
almost final results showed dour pro moscow candidate viktor yanukovich had won
sunday first round of voting in stunning turnaround for the politician
blamed for organising poll rigging in that sparked the orange uprising
but having failed to muster majority yanukovich will face the second place
candidate the glamorous prime minister yulia tymoshenko in run off on
february
in stinging rebuke for the pro west revolt just over five years ago its
leader incumbent president viktor yushchenko was eliminated in the first round
with miserable single digit result
with ballots from about percent of polling stations counted yanukovich had
garnered percent of the vote and tymoshenko percent the central election
commission said
third place went to businessman sergiy tigipko who polled percent his
electorate will now prove crucial in determining the fate of the second round
yushchenko meanwhile languished on five percent in fifth place behind youthful
former parliament speaker aresniy yatseniuk who took fourth with seven percent
while tymoshenko must make up serious deficit in the run off analysts have
said the image conscious prime minister could reel in the difference if she
mobilises anti yanukovich voters
the polls promise to be gloves off affair and analysts have warned of high
risk that the result will be taken to the courts perhaps even sparking fresh
street protests
it going to end up pretty close said andrew wilson ukraine expert with
the european council on foreign relations
it could end up in the courts or on the streets both candidates are hinting
strongly at that
but international observers from groups including the organisation for security
and cooperation in europe osce said the first round election was of high
quality and met its democratic commitments
whoever wins the new president is likely to reverse yushchenko anti moscow
line
tymoshenko famed for her peasant style blond hair braid was leader of the
orange revolution along with yushchenko but has since played up her close ties
to russian strongman prime minister vladimir putin
while yanukovich has long been seen as kremlin favourite he has sought to
reinvent himself with the help of western public relations strategists and to
present himself as defender of ukrainian interests
yanukovich never distanced himself from the fraud of said nico lange of
the konrad adenauer foundation in kiev but my impression is that the
yanukovich of is different to the yanukovich of
the orange revolution swept yushchenko to power in re run of the rigged
poll and raised hopes of new era free of kremlin influence for the country of
million that would set precedent for other ex soviet states
though ukraine now boasts improved freedom of speech steps to implement reform
and end corruption were forgotten as government became paralysed in bitter
power struggle between yushchenko and tymoshenko
as in previous votes sunday election showed ukraine to be divided nation
with the industrial and largely russian speaking east of the country backing
yanukovich and the ukrainian speaking west going for tymoshenko
yanukovich polled crushing percent of the vote in his eastern regional
stronghold of donetsk but could manage mere six percent in the lviv region
close to the polish border the results showed
the candidates shady pasts were once again dredged up in the bitter election
campaign
yanukovich was jailed twice in the soviet era for theft and assault though the
convictions were erased in the late tymoshenko herself was briefly
detained in on smuggling charges that were later quashed
ambassador likens haiti destruction to atomic blast
washington jan afp
haiti quake ravaged capital looks like it was hit by nuclear blast us
ambassador ken merten said monday adding that conditions were improving as aid
seeps in
port au prince looks like tokyo probably did after world war ii it flat it
looks like an atomic bomb went off merten told cnn
the streets are completely blocked there are rescue efforts going on he
said but it remains physically hard to get there
but merten said over food rations were delivered to quake victims as
part of the international aid effort evidence that desperately needed aid was
reaching people six days after the capital was shaken to the ground by
quake
the united states and our international partners though are with every day
that passes getting out more and more food more and more water more and more
medication merten said
so think today will be reasonably good day as was yesterday he said
the us hospital ship comfort was scheduled to arrive in haiti on tuesday as part
of efforts to bring aid to the country
the us aircraft carrier carl vinson was already at the scene equipped with four
water distilling units able to each produce gallons liters of
water day critical part of the recovery effort where the most basic
supplies are in need
the latest figures from the military said there were already us troops on
the ground in haiti and another stationed on vessels offshore
further were due to arrive by monday fact sheet issued late sunday by
the us southern command said
pro russia rivals face off in ukraine presidential run off
kiev jan afp
voters in ukraine forced two old rivals who both favour close ties with russia
into tense presidential election run off monday after rejecting the pro
western leader of the orange revolution
almost final results showed dour pro moscow candidate viktor yanukovich had won
sunday first round of voting in stunning turnaround for the politician
blamed for organising poll rigging in that sparked the orange uprising
but having failed to muster majority yanukovich will face the second place
candidate the glamorous prime minister yulia tymoshenko in run off on
february
in stinging rebuke for the pro west revolt just over five years ago its
leader incumbent president viktor yushchenko was eliminated in the first round
with miserable single digit result
with ballots from about percent of polling stations counted yanukovich had
garnered percent of the vote and tymoshenko percent the central election
commission said
third place went to businessman sergiy tigipko who polled percent his
electorate will now prove crucial in determining the fate of the second round
yushchenko meanwhile languished on five percent in fifth place behind youthful
former parliament speaker aresniy yatseniuk who took fourth with seven percent
while tymoshenko must make up serious deficit in the run off analysts have
said the image conscious prime minister could reel in the difference if she
mobilises anti yanukovich voters
the polls promise to be gloves off affair and analysts have warned of high
risk that the result will be taken to the courts perhaps even sparking fresh
street protests
it going to end up pretty close said andrew wilson ukraine expert with
the european council on foreign relations
it could end up in the courts or on the streets both candidates are hinting
strongly at that
but international observers from groups including the organisation for security
and cooperation in europe osce said the first round election was of high
quality and met its democratic commitments
whoever wins the new president is likely to reverse yushchenko anti moscow
line
tymoshenko famed for her peasant style blond hair braid was leader of the
orange revolution along with yushchenko but has since played up her close ties
to russian strongman prime minister vladimir putin
while yanukovich has long been seen as kremlin favourite he has sought to
reinvent himself with the help of western public relations strategists and to
present himself as defender of ukrainian interests
yanukovich never distanced himself from the fraud of said nico lange of
the konrad adenauer foundation in kiev but my impression is that the
yanukovich of is different to the yanukovich of
the orange revolution swept yushchenko to power in re run of the rigged
poll and raised hopes of new era free of kremlin influence for the country of
million that would set precedent for other ex soviet states
though ukraine now boasts improved freedom of speech steps to implement reform
and end corruption were forgotten as government became paralysed in bitter
power struggle between yushchenko and tymoshenko
as in previous votes sunday election showed ukraine to be divided nation
with the industrial and largely russian speaking east of the country backing
yanukovich and the ukrainian speaking west going for tymoshenko
yanukovich polled crushing percent of the vote in his eastern regional
stronghold of donetsk but could manage mere six percent in the lviv region
close to the polish border the results showed
the candidates shady pasts were once again dredged up in the bitter election
campaign
yanukovich was jailed twice in the soviet era for theft and assault though the
convictions were erased in the late tymoshenko herself was briefly
detained in on smuggling charges that were later quashed
haiti quake relief gains pace aid agencies
geneva jan afp
aid agencies said huge international relief operation nearly week after
haiti devastating earthquake was gaining pace on monday but one warned that
survivors were growing increasingly desperate
un agencies and the red cross said field hospitals and food distribution had
multiplied in and around the capital port au prince where the magnitude
quake wrought huge destruction leaving tens of thousands dead hundreds of
thousands homeless and countless injured
but the international committee of the red cross icrc warned in statement
that incidents of violence and looting are on the rise as the desperation
grows in port au prince
access to shelter sanitation water food and medical care remains extremely
limited said riccardo conti the icrc head of delegation in haiti even if
the international presence was starting to be felt
elisabeth byrs spokeswoman for the un organisation for the coordination of
humanitarian affairs ocha admitted the population was on edge but said this
was measure of the scale of the january disaster
we are accelerating the pace we are fanning out on the ground but the needs
are enormous enormous she told afp
the ocha said hospitals on the dominican republic border with haiti were
overwhelmed with quake victims who had fled in recent days to seek treatment
while international relief workers struggled with transport bottlenecks and the
lack of local resources
the un led aid effort was broadening to thousands more people in severely
battered outlying communities in the south of haiti
the overall aim is to cover the needs for families one million people
within the next few weeks ocha said in its daily situation report
about one week food rations have been distributed since the emergency
relief operation began last week with more due to be handed out on
monday by aid workers and un peacekeeping troops the un world food programme
said
by the end of today we are expecting to have distributed more than
rations in and around port au prince wfp spokeswoman emilia casella told afp
as new supply routes were opened through the dominican republic
the ocha and the red cross said more field hospitals were in operation carrying
out long delayed emergency surgery on victims of crush injuries while two
mobile health units and water specialists fanned out in the quake zone
they included norwegian and canadian red cross field hospital outside the
university hospital in the centre of the capital which was severely damaged in
the quake last tuesday
yesterday we finished the logistical deployment today they swing into action
said jean luc martinage spokesman for the international federation of red
cross and red crescent societies
three other emergency field hospitals were running with four more in the
pipeline said byrs backing up the five local hospitals that withstood the
tremor
relief workers were expanding to battered towns west and southwest of port au
prince including gressier petit goave where some people live and
leogane with population of
un teams reported three days ago that to percent of the buildings in
leogane were destroyed
now the emphasis is on all the communities around port au prince those are the
priority byrs said monday
meanwhile the fuel situation in haiti is becoming more and more critical
ocha said warning that shortage could have serious impact on relief
the national telecommunications system has been partly restored but without
access to fuel the mobile network will be cut off within days which will have
serious implications for the humanitarian operation ocha added
some gallons litres of fuel are to be ferried in by truck daily
on congested roads from the dominican republic
the international organisation for migration said it was planning with haitian
authorities to resettle people possibly in an area about kilometres
eight miles northeast of port au prince
like the tsunami the response will be on huge scale and last for months
said byrs referring to the december disaster in asia
greek farmers block roads to demand financial help
athens jan afp
greek farmers blocked monday some roads in the centre and north of the
country and shut down number of border posts to demand financial help because
of low prices for their products police said
the farmers began setting up roadblocks in the thessaly region in the country
centre and in east macedonia in the north at the weekend but minister warned
the crisis hit government could not afford more payouts
on monday the farmers blocked border posts with turkey and bulgaria notably
those of kipi in the northeast and promachonas above serres in the north
inciting anger from bulgarian lorry drivers
the farmers burnt cotton as well as threw hundreds of litres of milk on the
roads in addition to corn and wheat the press agency ana said
they are seeking financial assistance because of drop in prices for products
including wheat cotton and milk
they are also asking for price reductions on fertilisers pharmaceutical
products and seeds rebate on the price of electricity and petrol and
three year freeze on their debts to the greek agricultural bank
in the southern peloponnese region citrus farmers threatened to take their
tractors to athens in protest
deputy finance minister philippos sachinidis traveled to roadblock near lamia
in thessaly on sunday and told protesters that the government had already
provided financial aid to farmers in december and could afford no more
there is no more room for other subsidies he said
bulgarian lorry drivers slammed the protests as illegal anti european and
inhumane their association called on the government to intervene and open the
borders
greece government spokesman georges petalotis appealed to the farmers to raise
the roadblocks and discuss the issue with the public authorities
katerina batzelis minister of rural development and food invited the farmer
unions to roundtable talks on january and
greece has been hit by major financial crisis with debt constituting
percent of gdp
the european commission has published damning report on the country
unreliable economic figures increasing chances the eu executive will launch
infringement proceedings against the country
greece socialist government came to power in october after over five years of
conservative rule
greek farmers protested at the same time last year for similar reasons putting
down roadblocks that lasted over two weeks
world leaders make new call for clean energy commitments
abu dhabi jan afp
world leaders raised fresh alarm on global warming monday urging
international action to increase use of clean energy at four day forum that
opened in the oil rich emirate of abu dhabi
if we don act now our coral reefs and rainforests will die desert
countries will become unbearably hot and low lying countries like the maldives
will slip beneath the rising seas said the president of the maldives mohammed
nasheed
tackling climate change is not like dealing with other global issues such as
trade or disarmament we do not have the luxury of time to meet year after
year in endless negotiations the leader of the low lying indian ocean nation
told participants at the world future energy summit
nasheed was referring to the copenhagen climate talks last month which ended
with non binding agreement to reduce rises in global temperatures seen as
lukewarm commitment to save the planet
the copenhagen accord in its current form will not prevent catastrophic
climate change our challenge this year and next is therefore to strengthen
the accord so it becomes blueprint for planet saving action nasheed said
turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan echoed the warnings of global
warming stressing the gravity of the challenge
mitigating global carbon emission is one of the important hurdles ahead of us
he said addressing the opening session of the forum
he highlighted the measures taken by turkey to reduce dependency on fossil
energy saying that renewable sources represent percent of the country
generated power and that ankara aims to increase this share to percent by
he also said turkey wants to contribute to europe security of energy resources
through transporting gas which is cleaner source of energy than coal and oil
our country aims to contribute to europe energy security he said
pointing to the nabucco gas pipeline agreement signed in july between turkey
and four eu states which is aimed at reducing europe gas dependence on
russia
meanwhile qatar energy minister abdullah bin hamad al attiyah whose country
is the world largest exporter of liquefied natural gas protested against the
use of the term alternative when referring to renewable energy
not against renewables don like the word alternative we need mix
in energy sources but we don need to eliminate each other he told
participants
qatar reserves of natural gas amount to approximately trillion cubic feet
trillion cubic metres almost percent of total world reserves and the
world third largest behind russia and iran
spain prince felipe said interdependence amongst nations is no longer of an
abstract nature as he called for nations to work together to combat global
warming
he said spain was currently generating megawatts of electricity through
wind power and was hoping to double that figure by
denmark prince frederik said the presence of businesses at the forum proves
that green technology is not only good for the environment but also for
business there is significant potential for employment growth in this
industry
and malaysian prime minister najib razak said energy efficiency is the lowest
hanging fruit our planet can no longer withstand man wastage
parallel to the summit runs an exhibition of the latest technologies of
renewable energy
abu dhabi was chosen last year to be the host of the newly established
international renewable energy agency irena in an apparent acknowledgement of
its commitment to harness clean energy
the emirate sits on more than percent of the proven oil reserves of the
united arab emirates the world fifth largest
it has established the masdar initiative to create zero carbon emissions city
that would be home to people masdar will host the headquarters of irena
as well as research institutes that would aim to build abu dhabi status as
leading party in renewable energy
football angola algeria teams
luanda jan afp
teams for an africa cup of nations group game here on monday
angola
carlos fernandes jose mabina alberto rui marques jamuana alexandre carlos
kali alonso capt fernando chara costa felisberto gilberto amaral
zuela santos djalma campos nsimba zekalanga baptista mateus manucho
alberto
coach manuel jose por
algeria
faouzi chaouchi madjid bougherra rafik halliche nadir belhadj abdelkader
laifaoui karim ziani hassan yebda yazid mansouri capt karim matmour
abdelkader ghezzal hamer bouazza
coach rabah saadane
referee damon jerome rsa
football berbatov injury not as bad as fergie feared
manchester england jan afp
sir alex ferguson has downgraded dimitar berbatov latest fitness problem from
recurrence of knee injury to dead leg
the bulgaria striker united record million pound signing now still has
an outside chance of playing in tuesday league cup semi final first leg
against manchester city at eastlands
berbatov scored the opening goal in champions united premier league win
over burnley at old trafford on saturday but was substituted before full time
after the match ferguson said the former tottenham hotspur forward had suffered
recurrence of knee injury which berbatov has been advised requires an
exploratory operation
however berbatov had in fact only suffered dead leg and while he may not be
fit enough to face city he should be available for saturday league match
against hull
thought dimitar had got knock on the knee it turned out it was dead leg
and we are having look at it ferguson said monday
am hoping he will be all right but he is doubt and we will see what he is
like in the morning
ferguson added that veteran forward ryan giggs would not feature in tuesday
derby tie for the league cup holders and nor would rio ferdinand even though
the england central defender is nearing full fitness after three months out with
back injury
rio is training quite well now ferguson said he is lot closer now but he
is not in contention for tomorrow tuesday
meanwhile with united having suffered shock fa cup exit at the hands of third
division leeds ferguson said he would include some senior players in his team
to play city despite having used the tournament in the past as an opportunity to
blood young talents
have got to think about getting mix in terms of the programme we have got
and also the fact have given young players game in the past he said
will have strongish team but there will be some young players as well
oil prices rise uae welcomes current level
london jan afp
oil prices rose on monday as opec member the united arab emirates described
current price levels as very reasonable
crude futures had fallen earlier on monday amid doubts over the strength of
economic recovery in the united states the world biggest energy consumer
analysts said
new york main contract light sweet crude for february delivery jumped
cents to dollars barrel
brent north sea crude for delivery in march rose cents to dollars
barrel in london midday deals
united arab emirates energy minister mohammad bin dhaen al hamli on monday said
that world oil prices are very reasonable
hamli was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of four day alternative
energy forum being held in the uae capital
he was subsequently asked if he preferred prices to be in excess of dollars
barrel and said don like over and don like
am not comfortable with volatility in prices the uae is member of the
organization of petroleum exporting countries
at its last meeting in december the opec oil producers cartel warned of
lingering weakness in the world economy as it decided to hold its crude output
quotas unchanged
oil prices jumped by around percent in as traders were heartened by
evidence that the battered global economy was on the mend with the eurozone
japan and the united states escaping fierce recession
however crude futures have struggled to make much headway in early as
economic data disappoints
oil is under pressure primarily from economic considerations said purvin and
gertz energy analyst victor shum
some of the economic data out of the us were not really robust and so these
data raised doubts about the health of the us consumer and the strength of the
us economy
figures released friday showed us consumer prices barely rose in december and
were interpreted by economists as sign of lingering weakness in the economy
where consumer spending is major driver of economic activity
the us is still in the grip of intense disinflationary forces despite the
basis effect lifting the headline year on year rate deflation risk is real
said ian shepherdson chief us economist at high frequency economics
meanwhile the international energy agency on friday said oil demand in
would be sluggish in the developed world with emerging markets accounting for
any increases
the agency left unchanged prior forecast of percent rise in global
demand this year to million barrels per day
one killed one missing in israel floods
jerusalem jan afp
one person was killed and another was missing after their jeep was swept away by
flash floods monday the army said as unusually heavy downpours drenched
israel southern negev desert
the deluge came as israel experienced its heaviest storm of the winter the
rains which hit the desert region hardest washed away bridge and closed
dozens of roads
vehicle carrying three people tried to cross the swollen arava river but was
swamped military helicopter managed to pull out two of the people in the
vehicle but the third was washed away the army said
one of the civilians died as result of the floods and the other was in
moderate condition military spokeswoman said adding search for the third
was under way
winter rains routinely cause flash floods in the desert as water rushes through
dry riverbeds but this year storms were particularly strong
the amount of water in the river was enormous tremendous rescue worker yair
cohen told public radio
international power says ends merger talks with gdf suez
london jan afp
british power plant operator international power on monday said it had ended
talks with french energy giant gdf suez regarding part merger
international power said it held preliminary discussions regarding potential
combination of international power and certain power assets of gdf suez adding
that no agreement was reached and talks are no longer ongoing
reports at the weekend suggested that gdf suez has made takeover approach to
london listed energy group international power causing the latter share price
to shoot higher on monday
international power worth about billion pounds billion euros
billion dollars has interests in power stations around the world and owns
half dozen power plants in britain
afp graphics advisory
paris jan afp
monday graphics
available now
haiti quake toll
updated death toll from the haiti earthquake
text slug haiti quake
mm
also available
quake epicentre map mm
port au prince map mm
quake damaged towns map mm
international aid mm
identification using dna mm
search and rescue methods mm
un mission in haiti mm
tectonic plates caribbean map mm
earthquakes world mm
country factfile mm
afghanistan kabul attacks map
map of central kabul locating monday attacks by the taliban
text slug afghanistan unrest
mm
afghanistan faryab map
map of afghanistan locating kidnapping of chinese engineers in faryab province
text slug afghanistan unrest
mm
ukraine vote results
results of the first round of ukraine presidential election on sunday
text slug ukraine vote
mm
ukraine factfile mm
chile vote results
results of the second round of chile presidential election on sunday
text slug chile vote
mm
chile factfile mm
nigeria jos attacks map
map of nigeria locating sectarian clashes in jos
text slug nigeria unrest religion
mm
golden globes winners
table showing the key winners of the th golden globes awards on sunday
text slug entertainment us film globes
mm
japan airlines share price
chart showing daily closing values for japan airlines for the past month
