critics said the move would allow chavez to boost public spending ahead of
elections in september but could severely damage the health of the economy
us troops pour into haiti to ramp up quake aid
port au prince jan afp
us troops led by marines descended from helicopters onto the ruined haitian
capital tuesday as week after massive quake the us military ramped up
huge aid operation for desperate haitians
in spectacular move paratroopers from the nd airborne division landed in at
least four choppers to secure the ruined presidential palace once elegant
white building now surrounded by stinking squalid refugee camp
from the palace strong squad of soldiers headed on foot to the city
general hospital swamped with injured after the catastrophic magnitude
quake seven days ago which the haitian government says killed at least
we are here to provide security to the hospital we work with the government of
haiti we have rules of engagement but we are on humanitarian mission
sergeant bill smith told afp
in several pronged operation us marines also landed southwest of the capital
port au prince to link up with un peacekeepers and assess conditions for
larger flow of troops and equipment
some marines and sailors are expected to take part in the relief
operation although most will stay aboard us navy ships off haiti eventually
over us troops are expected in or around the caribbean island nation
they were preparing to use helicopters and hovercraft to move ashore more than
vehicles two water purification systems nine water tanks six fuel tanks
generators tents and medicine military spokesman said
but the arrival at the presidential palace was not welcomed by all of the
homeless destitute refugees camping outside who saw it as an affront to haiti
sovereignty
it an occupation the palace is our power our face our pride said feodor
desanges
amid reports of sporadic looting and growing tensions on the streets the un
security council voted unanimously to send extra un troops and police to
haiti to help maintain order and protect aid convoys
secretary general ban ki moon was to attend ceremony at un headquarters at
gmt the moment the quake struck week ago to remember the un
workers killed and unaccounted for in the world body worst tragedy ever
while the full scale of the disaster remains unclear extraordinary stories of
children and adults surviving several days under collapsed buildings provide
rare glimmers of hope
but with hopes of finding more survivors fading the deputy commander of the
military operation in haiti said us forces would soon change searching for
survivors to recovering bodies
we fully expect that we will transition very soon from the search phase to the
recovery phase and obviously we continue to be in prayer said major general
daniel allyn
relief efforts are focusing on the estimated quarter of million injured and
million homeless many of them orphans who lost their parents in the
disaster some orphans whose paperwork had been processed prior to the quake
arrived in the united states for treatment and adoption
allyn said there were now some daily flights at the capital damaged
airport and that two additional airstrips in the coastal city of jacmel and
in san isidro in the neighboring dominican republic would be used by thursday
to relieve some of the pressure
the us military has delivered over bottles of water and food
rations so far he said
in huge global effort more than billion dollars has been pledged in aid
funding for haiti united nations data showed tuesday
canada has pledged million dollars the united states has already paid up
million dollars and the european commission has pledged million
dollars
international efforts are also focusing on the rebuilding of haiti with major
donor conference to be held on monday in montreal to be attended by us
secretary of state hillary clinton
we need to move beyond reconstruction to build new haiti said canadian
foreign minister lawrence cannon
haiti biggest foreign investor digicel said tuesday it was working alongside
former us president bill clinton the special un envoy to haiti on marshall
plan to rebuild the country saying foreign investment would be key
meanwhile in surreal scene the giant cruise ship liberty of the seas which
has capacity for passengers was to drop anchor later tuesday off the port
of labadee where the company leases private resort with beautiful beaches and
sparkling turquoise waters
royal caribbean international which has donated one million dollars to the
haiti relief effort defended the move by saying it was important to keep the
haitian economy ticking over despite the tragedy
us military to use two more airports for haiti aid
washington jan afp
the us military is to start operations at two other haiti airports as port au
prince damaged airport equipped with single strained runway struggles to
deal with over aid flights day
the pentagon told reporters tuesday it would begin using other runways inside
haiti and across the border in the dominican republic
the first runway in haiti proper will go into operation in the vicinity of
jacmel within the next hours said major general daniel allyn the deputy
commander of the us task force responding to last week massive earthquake
jacmel to the south west of port au prince was badly hit by the magnitude
quake but has an airfield that allyn said had been assessed for use
we will begin to use that airfield primarily initially supporting the build
up of the canadian humanitarian assistance efforts that will be centered there
in jacmel allyn told reporters at the pentagon
he added the airport would also be used to continue to deliver food and
emergency supplies to the people in the southern provinces of haiti
the other airport that will be used is san isidro in the dominican republic
allyn said we are obviously very conscious of the need to have multiple ports
of entry
international military and aid personnel have struggled with haiti limited
airport capacity since the launch of massive relief effort last week
port au prince airport which is being run by the us military has single
airstrip and is being operated with damaged control tower
the country main seaport was also damaged in the disaster but allyn said the
military was close to initial operating capability in the port of port au
prince and was doing assessments of the other ports to rapidly support joint
logistics brought from afloat to shore
police arrest dozens of rights protesters in moscow
moscow jan afp
police in moscow arrested tuesday nearly three dozen human rights activists who
were marking the anniversary of the murder of russian lawyer and journalist
year ago an afp photographer said
the activists had gathered in central moscow with portraits of stanislav
markelov lawyer who had exposed abuses in chechnya and anastasia baburova
reporter for an opposition newspaper both murdered january
police arrested people out of the or so activists the interfax news
agency said
they were picked up after they had moved their protest from one area to another
with moscow authorities saying they had authorised gatherings in various city
squares but not march
the police said that people should have moved around in small groups of to
and not more one organiser told local radio
member of russian rights organisation memorial quoted by interfax accused
the police of provoking protesters and arresting some who were not marching
in saint petersburg police prevented another protest planned to mark the
anniversary of the double murder
russia liberal opposition has complained that it rarely gets official
permission to hold protests
auto racing indycar founder george resigns from board
indianapolis indiana jan afp
former indycar president tony george has resigned from the board of directors of
the indy racing league and the family firm owning it chairman mari hulman
george announced tuesday
george used control of the famed mile km indianapolis motor speedway oval
to split off the indy racing league from indycar in and eventually assume
control of the sport after merger in ended year civil war
but george was forced out last june as president of the speedway and at the same
time left similar role with the indycar series he founded he cut all
remaining ties by leaving the board which also includes his three sisters
as members of his family we are sorry to see tony leave hulman george said
we are grateful for his service to our company as board member and of course
for formerly serving as chief executive and president of our companies
speak for our whole family in wishing him well all of us had hoped that tony
would continue to serve on the board and we made that clear to him we are
disappointed with his decision to step down despite our wishes
issues involved with the expense of running the indycar series were thought to
be at the heart of issues that divided george and others in charge
george only remaining involvement in auto racing is his ownership of vision
racing team in the indycar series ed carpenter george stepson is one of
the drivers for the team
iran welcomes west new realism on nuclear drive
tehran jan afp
iran on tuesday welcomed what it called the west newfound realism on
tehran controversial atomic programme after world powers failed to decide on
new sanctions
the united states meanwhile said iran response to the international
community demands for assurances about its nuclear programme was inadequate
while britain warned of punitive financial measures
but china one of six world powers with washington and london involved in talks
on iran urged flexibility in the standoff over tehran nuclear drive and
return to talks
however iranian defence minister ahmad vahidi renewed warning that tehran
forces could hit western warships in the gulf if it comes under attack over the
nuclear standoff
on the diplomatic front foreign ministry spokesman ramin mehmanparast told
reporters speaking of sanctions is repetitive and it is not constructive
some western countries should correct their approach and be realistic about
our nuclear rights and we feel there are traces of realism to be seen he
added
on monday foreign minister manouchehr mottaki made similar positive comments
we are ready to help with the realistic approach and at the same time we will
wait for public and backstage developments in iran nuclear case mottaki told
reporters
us state department spokesman philip crowley said recent talks by six world
powers on the nuclear standoff with iran were constructive we are moving on
both tracks he said about diplomacy and the threat of further sanctions
but iran response to demands for assurances about its nuclear program remains
inadequate he said
british foreign secretary david miliband said financial sanctions could help
bring the islamic state into line
we believe that financial sanctions have an important role to play in
exerting pressure at the appropriate points in the iranian regime and not
affecting the iranian people miliband told lawmakers
world powers made up of the un security council five permanent members plus
germany met in new york on saturday but failed to reach an agreement about new
sanctions
the six are concerned about tehran rejection of un brokered deal under which
most of iran low enriched uranium leu stockpile would be shipped abroad to
be further enriched into reactor fuel
iran has come up with its own counter proposal of staged and simultaneous swap
of leu with nuclear reactor fuel this has been largely rejected by world
powers insisting tehran accept the international atomic energy agency offer
the new york meeting brought together senior officials from britain france
germany russia and the united states but china signalling its reluctance to
back tougher sanctions pushed by the west sent lower level diplomat
in beijing mehmanparast opposite number ma zhaoxu also at press
conference on tuesday said china has all along proposed the proper settlement
of the iran nuclear issue through dialogue and consultation
we hope relevant parties can enhance consultations show flexibility and
promote the early peaceful solution of the relevant issue in proper manner
ma said his country was aware of the proliferation concerns of the western
nations but insisted the islamic republic had the right to the peaceful use of
nuclear energy
iran defence minister reiterated that his country was not cowed by the threat
of military action
why are there so many warships there the westerners know that these warships
are the best target for operation by iran if they do anything against us
vahidi said
iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to deliver crushing response
and hit us targets including its bases in the gulf and neighbouring iraq and
afghanistan if iran nuclear sites are attacked
the united states and its regional ally israel which accuse iran of seeking
atomic weapons under the guise of civilian nuclear programme have never ruled
out military option to thwart tehran nuclear drive
iran denies the charges
haitians crowd us embassy to try to flee devastation
port au prince jan afp
hundreds of haitians crowded around the us embassy building in port au prince on
tuesday clutching us and haitian documents some in pieces week after
quake shook the capital into ruins
michael renee ran up and down rope barriers dividing lines of haitians
holding us documents from those without trying desperately to attract the
attention of soldier who could help him return to the united states
renee lives in new jersey but came back to haiti from the neighboring dominican
republic two days after last week devastating earthquake to try to track down
his family
had to come back to see if my family was all right it was crazy when got
here can believe what has happened renee said
he found his girlfriend four year old daughter and seven month old baby all
shaken but unhurt they have since been sleeping in the street
renee said he hoped to obtain us passport for his girlfriend and clutched
receipt for an application in his hand
with all this stuff that happened it not safe for her to stay here he said
among the lucky ones holding some us documents his family joined the long line
of people many dressed in smart clothes and carrying small bags or umbrellas
that snaked around the embassy wall
heavily armed soldiers held back the crowds in the busy dusty street in front
of the embassy which showed no obvious structural damage
amid rumors that the united states was giving out passports to all haitians who
wanted them soldiers said more people were appearing each day
we came out at am thinking we beat them but there were already
people here said one soldier declining to be named there were people by
am
the emphasis was on evacuating americans and their immediate family he said
anyone who has an active passport or visa we want them to go straight to the
airport the soldier added
since the quake scores of haitians with us documents have joined aid workers
soldiers marines and journalists at the increasingly chaotic airport waiting
anywhere from an hour to more than day for room on plane out
back at the embassy us consular officials were only sleeping few hours
night to deal with the influx since the quake
in general no non immigrant visas have been issued since the earthquake
gordon duguid from us consular affairs told afp by text message
as of yesterday monday immigrant visas have been issued for children who
were being adopted by american parents but the consular section is still working
on many others
outside the embassy hundreds more people mostly without legal documents for
the united states or only distant connections there looked on in the boiling
sun at those carrying precious us documents
some sobbed or told of how they had lost their documents along with other
valuables in the ruins of collapsed houses
one man held up pieces of shattered us driving license before soldier told
him to move on
meanwhile some said they hoped the latest disaster would finally help them
leave the impoverished nation after years of trying
antoine woolny wore suit and tie and held pile of crumpled papers in
his hand the result of years of efforts to obtain us visa to join his
mother in new york
haven spoken to the us embassy officials yet they seem so busy woolny
said
want to know if they can consider people who have family in the united states
and documents to prove it
small group of americans caught up in the disaster were getting out
didn plan on evacuating said an emotional kelly shannon of boston
leaving haiti after five months helping out at small orphanage
shannon said all the orphans had been evacuated to santo domingo the capital of
the neighboring dominican republic and port salut in southern haiti
hopefully ll be able to raise money to help the kids he said expressing
concerns that there was going to be major famine and disease in the coming
weeks
urgent us names al qaeda in arabian peninsula terrorist group
washington jan afp
the united states on tuesday named al qaeda in the arabian peninsula terrorist
group move aimed at blocking material support for members of the group
alert
us names al qaeda in the arabian peninsula terrorist group
ice hockey peca retires after nhl seasons
new york jan afp
michael peca year old forward who spent seasons in the national hockey
league and helped canada to olympic gold announced his retirement on
tuesday
no team had signed him for the current campaign after he played last season for
the columbus blue jackets peca scored goals in nhl games with
vancouver toronto columbus and the new york islanders
peca played for two stanley cup playoff runner up squads buffalo in and
edmonton in he also twice won the selke trophy as the nhl top defensive
forward
danish pm condemns self censorship in halted westergaard sale
copenhagen jan afp
danish prime minister lars loekke rasmussen on tuesday criticised an auction
house for refusing to sell drawing by kurt westergaard the cartoonist behind
the most controversial mohammed caricature
speaking to reporters rasmussen warned of the dangers of self censorship and
stigmatisation of which we are seeing the first signs
if we start isolating or turning our back on those who need our protection and
support the most we are giving up he said
online auction house lauritz com on monday refused to include in charity sale
to benefit victims of the haiti earthquake westergaard watercolour citing
security fears for its employees among other concerns
we have in the past refused objects if they had debate provoking religious or
political connotation the head of lauritz com mette rode sundstroem told tv
news
westergaard told afp he was very pleased by the prime minister support
because self censorship destroys freedom of expression to which we are very
attached in denmark
the cartoonist said he found it difficult to grasp how non political non
religious watercolour could be censored especially since the sale was for
good cause
the small galleri draupnher in the town of skanderborg has put the watercolour
on sale from tuesday to saturday
westergaard said his name now triggered great anxieties in some and that even
his hairdresser had dropped him out of concern for the potential risks
she is very nice woman of the muslim faith but she informed me with great
regret that she could not no longer have me as client because she was risking
problems with her circle he said
westergaard is one of cartoonists whose drawings on islam were first
published in danish newspaper jyllands posten in september his cartoon
depicted mohammed wearing turban in the shape of bomb
the cartoons were considered offensive by many muslims and their publication
sparked violent protests worldwide in january and february as well as
string of death threats
on the night of january to year old somalian attempted to murder
westergaard in his house the cartoonist has been under round the clock police
protection since then
sudan sentences two more darfur rebels to death
khartoum jan afp
sudanese court sentenced another two darfur rebels to death on tuesday for
deadly attack raising to the number of justice and equality movement
fighters ordered hanged for the raid
abdullah ali adam and al murdi bakheet were sentenced to death by hanging for
their alleged involvement in the unprecedented attack on the sudanese capital
twin city of omdurman in may their lawyer adam bakr told afp
more than people were killed when rebels thrust more than kilometres
miles across the sandy expanse from conflict torn darfur in western sudan
to omdurman just across the nile from the presidential palace
special tribunals set up in the wake of the attack have judged the alleged
rebels in batches with the last sentencing handed down in june against
rebels
during tuesday hearing third suspect was sentenced to three years in prison
on charges of collaboration with the rebels bakr said adding that he will be
appealing the verdicts
the court also found fourth man guilty of involvement in the deadly attack but
freed him because he is over years old the lawyer said
five other defendants were acquitted of any wrongdoing he added
the united nations as well as human rights groups expressed concern over the
trials in sudanese courts especially created for the case and urged khartoum to
abolish capital punishment
defence lawyers have argued that the special courts are unconstitutional and
have not guaranteed their clients legal rights
under sudanese law any death sentence must be ratified by an appeal court and
the high court all death warrants must then be signed and approved by president
omar al beshir
the united nations says up to people have died and million have fled
their homes since ethnic minority rebels in darfur rose up against the arab
dominated regime in khartoum in february
sudan says have been killed
yachting oracle on the water amid america cup confusion
valencia spain jan afp
the giant trimaran of america cup challenger oracle took to the water off
spain for the first time on tuesday as confusion continued to surround its
planned duel with swiss defender alinghi next month
the us yacht with its metre fixed wing sail sailed in the bay off the
mediterranean port of valencia with australia james spithill at the helm
everyone was very excited to get out on the water oracle team ceo russell
coutts said after the boat was sailed at the sight of the rd america cup for
the first time
it been quite process to get here get set up and be ready to sail but
that the point we re at now and it big milestone for the team the new
zealand sailor added
coutts said the boat which had been called the bor was now named the usa
it was sporting the name usa emblazoned on its stern when it hit the water
oracle and alinghi are due to face off in best of three event from february
in valencia to decide the rd edition of yachting most prestigious
competition
but the event remains in doubt amid new legal row between the two bitter
rivals
oracle last week asked the supreme court of the state of new york to rule on
whether alinghi had infringed nationality rules by allegedly using us made sails
for its catamaran
alinghi has said the sails are made in switzerland
oracle on monday had offered to drop the court action if alinghi signed deal
to resolve the issue that the two had negotiated in singapore
alinghi refused saying it isn possible to negotiate under the threat of
lawsuit
oracle has said it is prepared to give alinghi several weeks to change the
sails if the new york court rules in its favour on the issue
if the court does not make decision before february oracle said it would
take part in the competition under protest and the result could be overturned
oracle and alinghi owned respectively by billionaires larry ellison and
ernesto bertarelli have been arguing over the rules of the america cup in
court since the swiss syndicate won the last edition in valencia in
the new york court ruled in april that the cup should be settled by one on one
multihull duel between the two sides next february instead of the traditional
fully fledged regatta involving several teams
guinea chooses interim prime minister
ouagadougou jan afp
guinea on tuesday named opposition figure jean marie dore as interim prime
minister under deal aimed at guiding the military ruled country out of
month political and human rights crisis
dore will be tasked with leading the beleaguered west african state to
presidential elections in six months time and restoring democratic government
derailed by december coup
jean marie dore has been designated prime minister said idriss cherif
spokesman for interim junta leader general sekouba konate
he said konate would sign decree formalising dore appointment later tuesday
in conakry
source close to the junta said konate and moussa dadis camara the regime
leader who is recuperating from an assassination attempt last month had jointly
agreed on the choice of dore as prime minister
the union leader rabiatou serah diallo and military regime figure general
mamadouba toto camara had been appointed as deputy prime ministers in the
power sharing transitional government the source told afp
but later cherif said that in fact the deputy roles were not retained
they were not part of the proposals from the mediator burkina faso president
blaise compaore and we do not want to create problems for the prime minister
cherif told afp
diallo said he was waiting for konate to return from the burkina faso capital
ouagadougou where he held final talks with compaore and camara on tuesday
afternoon to clarify the situation
an agreement signed in ouagadougou on friday paved the way for unity
government led by prime minister to be chosen from the forces vives coalition
of opposition parties trade unions and civil society members
the opposition had been divided over the choice of dore who was backed by
political parties and managed to edge out diallo who was supported by labour
unions and civil society groups
dore is spokesman for the forces vives coalition while diallo is general
secretary of the national confederation of guinean workers
cherif said dore had been chosen as prime minister not only for his experience
but also for his knowledge of guinean politics
he will lead government whose mission notably will be the pursuit of the
transition with road map
the government will be composed of members designated by the cndd
national council for democracy and development the junta by the
opposition and from the four regions of guinea he said
under friday accord elections are to be held within six months and junta
chief camara will keep out of guinea politics and remain in convalescence
the accord seen as chance for guinea to move towards democracy after more
than half century of autocratic regimes stipulates that during the
transition junta members and active personnel in the defence and security
forces can play no part in the planned election
but the mention of active personnel implies that soldiers who have left the
army can be candidates
an opposition leader complained about the fact key discussions were held in
ouagadougou saying the forces vives had not been properly consulted
konate the defence minister has taken over the day to day running of the
military government from camara
camara was shot in the head by an aide de camp in december after what some said
was dispute over bloody crackdown on an opposition rally in september in
which more than people were shot dead
camara launched coup etat on december within hours of the death of
long time dictator general lansana conte
nhl injured hejduk hands czechs olympics worry
denver colorado jan afp
colorado avalanche right wing milan hejduk underwent arthroscopic knee surgery
on tuesday that will sideline him from two to four weeks
hejduk has goals and assists in games for the avalanche having
missed six games due to the injury which could sideline him until the national
hockey league mid season break for the vancouver winter olympics
losing hejduk could be major setback for the czech republic at vancouver
hejduk played in the past three olympics helping the czechs claim gold at the
nagano games
citi caps year of red ink with big quarterly loss
new york jan afp
citigroup said tuesday it suffered net loss of billion dollars in the
final quarter of capping another year in red ink as the battered financial
giant struggled to emerge from the financial crisis
the fourth quarter result amounted to loss of cents share and was in line
with forecast by wall street analysts
the beleaguered global bank full year loss in was billion dollars
much lower than the hefty billion dollars suffered in when the
collapse of rival us investment bank lehman brothers highlighted the worst
financial crisis in decades
citi said its fourth quarter revenues were billion dollars or billion
dollars excluding repayment of government bailout loan down from
billion dollars in the prior quarter
citigroup was the last of the major money center banks operating in the shadow
of us government bailout of financial institutions whose foundations were
shaken by the crisis arising from home mortgage meltdown
the government injected total of billion dollars in the firm once the
world biggest banking group
last month citigroup repaid some billion dollars to the government by
repurchasing preferred shares from us treasury investment in the company
through the troubled asset relief program tarp massive billion dollar
effort to stabilize the financial system
but the government still holds major stake in citi from having converted some
of its investment to common shares
troubled loans remain concern for citigroup
it said tuesday that provision for loan losses in the fourth quarter was
billion dollars down percent from the prior year and percent from the
previous quarter
despite the losses chief executive vikram pandit said the banking group had
made enormous progress in
it was our responsibility to get our own house in order he said citing
series of steps that improved capital strength reduced company size and staff
