singapore airlines was up cents to dollars and singapore telecom eased
three cents to
taipei closed down percent or points at
formosa plastics fell percent to taiwan dollars and asustek was down
percent at
wellington fell percent or points to
auckland international airport fell one cent to dollars declining total
of percent since news on monday last week it would buy quarter share in
north queensland airports
kuala lumpur gained percent or points to
food company nestle rose percent to ringgit as public bank climbed
percent to ringgit
manila shed or points to
telecom giant philippine long distance telephone co dropped percent to
pesos
jakarta gained percent or points to
at least six dead as somali pirates fight over ransom
mogadishu jan afp
at least six people have been killed during intense fighting between rival
somali pirates arguing over record ransom paid for an oil laden greek
supertanker elders and pirates said tuesday
three pirates and civilian were killed in the latest bout of fighting that
erupted in the town of harardhere late monday elders and pirates told afp by
phone
tension has been high in the central somali pirate lair ever since an estimated
seven million dollars were dropped by small plane on sunday for the release of
the vlcc maran centaurus greek flagged supertanker third of kilometre
yards long and carrying two million barrels of crude oil
the situation is calm this morning but there is still tension between the
pirates three of them including senior pirate leader were killed so far and
three others were injured local elder moalim abdalla hasan told afp
we are trying to mediate between them because they are disturbing our peace
civilian was killed in the crossfire and the residents are very concerned about
this feud he added
hasan nile local grocer who could not open his shop on tuesday because of the
security situation in harardhere said the pirate vendetta involved vehicles and
heavy weapons
think there will not be trust between them any more since they killed each
other three pirates have died already since yesterday and if there no swift
mediation more will die including civilians nile said
harardhere resident husein warsame said late monday that the fighting had
brought life to standstill
there is no movement so far the pirates are exchanging heavy machinegun fire
inside the town and there are dead bodies in the streets he said
according to other sources in harardhere two pirates died when dispute flared
on sunday immediately after the maran centaurus ransom was delivered bringing
to six the number of people killed over the disputed ransom
somalia pirates treat every successful hijacking like private venture in
which businessmen from all over the country can invest by offering financial or
material assistance buying and selling shares
the bigger the captured vessel the more complex the shareholder structure
squabbling over ransom is not uncommon but monday night clashes were some of
the most violent recorded in somalia otherwise relatively united piratehood
according to ecoterra international an environmentalist ngo monitoring illegal
maritime activity in the region the pirates received up to nine million dollars
in at least two separate payments
upward of seven million dollars were dropped on the deck of the maran centaurus
on sunday and the rest paid by cash transfer
while pirates have been known to redistribute part of their share to friends and
locals some residents have complained that the modern day buccaneers have
brought inflation alcohol and prostitution to the region
the operators of the maran centaurus the second largest vessel captured by
pirates yet confirmed the supertanker and its crew of were freed on monday
and were heading for the south african port of durban
asian shares mixed as jal files for bankruptcy
hong kong jan afp
japan airlines filed for bankruptcy protection on tuesday as it battles to
overcome crippling debts while uncertainty over us bank earnings led to mixed
day for asian markets
asia biggest carrier will receive billions of dollars in public aid to keep it
flying as it undergoes painful revamp that will see it cut about jobs
about third of its staff
management at japan airlines jal formally began proceedings tuesday afternoon
making it one of the highest profile victims yet of japan economic woes
soon after its filing the tokyo stock exchange said the company would be
delisted from the bourse on february
the firm has estimated debts of about two trillion yen billion dollars and
as well as cutting jobs will also look to slash routes and sell assets
as dealers expected the decision which came after the stock market closed jal
shares hit an all time low of three yen three us cents cutting its market
value to about million dollars far less than the cost of new jumbo jet it
finished flat at five yen
the nikkei ended down percent or points at
investors are expected to be left out of pocket if jal goes bust although tokyo
says it will stay in the skies during the restructuring which is expected to be
similar to the process used for us auto giant general motors
the government has prepared various support measures transport minister seiji
maehara told reporters we want to help jal to recover while operating
safely he added
with wall street closed for public holiday on monday markets elsewhere in the
region were given little direction and dealers were looking ahead to us banks
fourth quarter reports
jp morgan chase last week announced fourth quarter net earnings quadrupled and
profits doubled for the full year but the news came in below many analysts
expectations weighing on the stock on friday
while investor sentiment started with flourish mixed dose of us
corporate earnings has seen risk appetite fade little danica hampton
forex strategist at bank of new zealand told dow jones newswires
citigroup is set to announce its results later tuesday with bank of america
morgan stanley and wells fargo to follow later in the week
sydney fell percent or points to
financials ended percent lower while the materials sector including miners
rio tinto and bhp billiton dropped percent
the market opened the session slightly higher but by mid morning the
financials had begun to lead the sell off said ig markets analyst ben potter
seoul closed flat with the index edging down points to
but shanghai and hong kong rose helped by banks and property developers due to
easing concerns over monetary tightening in china dealers said
hong kong rose percent or points to
and the shanghai composite index which covers both and shares was up
percent or points to
oil majors were also helped by slight upturn in crude prices
china banking regulator said overnight it had always required banks to base
lending on real economic demand and properly manage the pace and quality of
lending signalling an attempt to defuse concerns over new loan guidelines
oil was mixed tuesday after suffering big losses at the end of last week and on
monday
new york main contract light sweet crude for february delivery was cents
higher at dollars barrel while brent north sea crude for february
delivery eased cents to dollars
the dollar slipped to yen in tokyo afternoon trade from late monday
in europe while the euro edged up to dollars from but declined to
yen from
in hong kong gold closed higher at us dollars an ounce from
monday close of dollars
in other markets
singapore closed flat edging up points to
the index seems somewhat undecided at this point in time however the range
in which the index is trading in is shrinking said phillip securities
analyst phua ming weii
singapore airlines was up cents to dollars and singapore telecom eased
three cents to
taipei closed down percent or points at
formosa plastics fell percent to taiwan dollars and asustek was down
percent at
wellington fell percent or points to
auckland international airport fell one cent to dollars declining total
of percent since news on monday last week it would buy quarter share in
north queensland airports
kuala lumpur gained percent or points to
food company nestle rose percent to ringgit as public bank climbed
percent to ringgit
manila shed or points to
telecom giant philippine long distance telephone co dropped percent to
pesos
jakarta gained percent or points to
debt ridden japan airlines goes bust
tokyo jan afp
japan airlines went bankrupt tuesday with billion dollars of debt in one of
the country biggest ever corporate failures beginning painful overhaul
involving more than job cuts
jal asia biggest carrier reassured passengers that its flights would not be
interrupted after it sought court protection from its creditors and moved to
delist its shares from the stock exchange
the government announced billion dollar injection of public funds and
fresh emergency loans of billion dollars for the airline which will slash
about jobs percent of its workforce
jal went bust with debts of about trillion yen billion dollars
becoming one of the highest profile victims of japan long economic malaise
but the airline said it was confident it could swiftly revitalise its business
under the corporate rehabilitation law and be reborn as leading airline group
that could again lead the global airline industry
effects on customers will be avoided it added
japan airlines shares will be delisted from the tokyo stock exchange on february
or earlier the bourse said on its website move expected to result in
shareholders losing most or all of their investment
the bankruptcy is japan biggest corporate failure outside the financial sector
since world war ii according to tokyo shoko research an advisory firm
jal has been hit hard by industry turbulence unleashed by the september
terror attacks in the united states the iraq war and the global financial
crisis as well as global health scares in the past decade
jal shares plunged to an all time low of just three yen three us cents at one
point earlier tuesday reducing the market value of the group to about
million dollars far less than even the cost of new jumbo jet
the government has tapped kazuo inamori year old entrepreneur and ordained
buddhist monk to run the stricken airline during its overhaul replacing haruka
nishimatsu who resigned as president tuesday
inamori is one of japan most respected business executives and management
gurus having founded both high tech parts supplier kyocera corp and company
that later became part of kddi corp now japan number two telecoms firm
he seems to have charisma which is good thing said makoto murayama an
analyst at nomura securities
at the moment jal employees don really want to admit that they work for the
company if someone can restore their pride and lead them the chances of
recovery could increase
eyeing its lucrative asian landing slots us carriers american airlines and
delta air lines are now in bidding war for slice of jal
the japanese airline made no announcement tuesday about which us carrier it
would tie up with
dutch carrier klm said on monday that talks involving air france klm and delta
on jal future were going well after reports that the japanese airline had
agreed to tie up with delta and switch to the skyteam alliance
experts say radical downsizing is long overdue at jal which has been hobbled by
high costs since its days as state owned flag carrier and is overexposed to
unprofitable domestic and overseas routes
the problem is that the government lacks clear vision on what to do with
jal international network said yasuhiro matsumoto credit analyst at
shinsei securities they are focused on assisting jal
afptv news advisory for tuesday
paris jan afp
we will file the following videos
un envoy bill clinton in haiti meets survivors in hospital
port au prince
un special envoy bill clinton on monday defended the pace of incoming foreign
aid and praised doctors working in shocking conditions as he toured the
devastation in haiti capital
news
images and soundbites already transmitted
raw vid
web mmv
tough haitians still clinging to life under rubble
port au prince
more than hours after an avalanche of rubble plunged her into painful
solitary black hell and hours after international teams heard her faltering
cries marie france was rescued french and us firefighters and medics drilled
away the concrete slabs that buried her then ground their way through the steel
door that protected but also imprisoned her when the haitian capital was hit by
catastrophic earthquake
news
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
lack of petrol fuels post quake chaos
port au prince
week on from haiti killer earthquake it not just food water and
medicines in short supply lack of petrol is also fuelling the post quake
chaos as survivors scramble to get their share of dwindling reserves from the
service stations still standing
news
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
kabul on high alert after brazen taliban strikes
kabul
the afghan capital was on high alert on tuesday day after taliban gunmen and
suicide bombers struck the heart of kabul launching wave of attacks and
triggering battles with security forces that left five people dead and sent
terrified residents fleeing images of department store on fire taliban
militant shot dead and afghan security forces in gunfight
news
images already transmitted
raw vid
web mmv
once proud jal victim of japan economic decline
tokyo
japan airlines former state owned flag carrier that was once source of
national pride has become one of the highest profile victims of the country
long economic malaise
economy
images and soundbites to be transmitted by gmt
raw vid
web mmv
the debate over being french
aubervilliers france
president nicolas sarkozy government is staging major public consultation on
france national identity move some have attacked as pandering to the far
right afptv goes to meet men and women from the multiracial paris suburbs to
see how they feel about the debate and what it means to them to be french
special report
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
anti doping lab gears up for winter games
montreal canada
olympic chief jacques rogge warned this week that doping cheats will be rooted
out at next month the winter games in vancouver promising that doping
problems would not spoil the sporting occasion afptv visited the team of
technicians who will be processing thousands of samples during the games on the
lookout for banned substances
sport
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
visit to drug lord mansion
mexico city
mexican law enforcement has been leading relentless campaign against drug
lords as they ve rounded up suspects in their homes they have come across an
eye popping display of wealth villas full of the latest luxuries including
swimming pools and private zoos
special report
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
the middle east conflict plays out in tiny village
ghajar israel lebanon
ghajar is divided village in the united nations marked the southern
part of the village as an israeli territory and the northern part as lebanese
but since the war israel has taken over the northern area as well the un
calls the occupation illegal and local residents are protesting the israeli
presence
special report
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
as part of our african nations cup coverage we plan to file the following
face off between benin and egypt
cotonou
as benin and egypt prepare to battle it out on the field wednesday look at
the big hopes the people of benin have for their football team
sport
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
religious fervor in ukraine chilly waters
kiev
on the th orthodox christianity celebrates epiphany as every year hundreds
of pilgrims across ukraine will be bathing in rivers and glacial lakes symbol
christ baptism in the river jordan only far colder
special report
voiced report to be transmitted by gmt
nsv vid
broadcast ready vid
web mmv
contact
warwick wise
gabrielle chatelain moor
afptv
place de la bourse
paris france
tel
fax
tennis australian open schedule
melbourne jan afp
wednesday schedule of play on show courts for the australian open tennis at
melbourne park denotes seeding all sessions start at am gmt
unless stated
rod laver arena
anastasia pavlyuchenkova rus svetlana kuznetsova rus
kim clijsters bel tamarine tanasugarn tha
lukas lacko svk rafael nadal esp
not before pm gmt
elena dementieva rus justine henin bel
marin cilic cro bernard tomic aus
hisense arena
caroline wozniacki den aleksandra wozniak can
andy roddick usa thomaz bellucci bra
barbora zahlavova strycova cze dinara safina rus
james blake usa juan martin del potro arg
margaret court arena
jarmila groth aus sofia arvidsson swe
yanina wickmayer bel flavia pennetta ita
sophie ferguson jessica moore aus venus williams serena williams usa
antonio veic cro gael monfils fra
not before pm gmt
andy murray gbr marc gicquel fra
show court
stephanie cohen aloro fra victoria azarenka blr
maria kirilenko rus yvonne meusburger aut
feliciano lopez esp rainer schuettler ger
jelena jankovic srb katie brien gbr
show court
vera zvonareva rus kristina kucova svk
marsel ilhan tur fernando gonzalez chi
aravane rezai fra angelique kerber ger
sorana cirstea rom alisa kleybanova rus
us defence chief praises india restraint after attacks
new delhi jan afp
us defence secretary robert gates began visit to india on tuesday and praised
the country for showing restraint since the mumbai attacks saying it had kept
tensions with pakistan under control
speaking to reporters before landing in new delhi gates expressed admiration
for how indian leaders had reacted to the attacks that left dead
the bombing in mumbai was really terrible event and frankly believe that
the indians responded subsequently with great deal of restraint and have
conducted themselves in very statesmanlike manner since that attack he said
india has blamed the assault by heavily armed gunmen on the pakistan based
islamist group lashkar taiba and called for stepped up pressure on pakistan
to rein in militants
think that even within the framework of that attack and the suspicions that
it created that the two sides have managed to keep the tensions between them at
manageable level gates said
his comments came as he began two day visit to india during which the threat
posed by militants in afghanistan and pakistan will be high on the agenda
gates who was to meet prime minister manmohan singh and foreign minister
krishna later tuesday said that india and the united states faced common
threat from violent extremists
both of our countries know all too well the terrible human cost of terrorist
attacks gates wrote in commentary in the times of india before his arrival
leaders of both governments have agreed to expand cooperation in sharing tactics
and information in countering terror threats including efforts to disrupt
militant financial networks and safeguard public transit he wrote
gates told reporters he also planned to provide india with an update on the
nato led war in afghanistan mission that his host has strongly endorsed
washington has been grateful for india generous reconstruction aid to
afghanistan and steadfast backing for the war against taliban insurgents
after decades of mutual unease during the cold war india relations with the
united states have steadily improved and defence ties have expanded since the
attacks of september including annual joint military exercises
defence related trade is also on the rise after deal in july between the two
countries opened the way for the sale of sophisticated us weaponry to india
gates called the end use monitoring agreement hugely important but said more
needed to be done to expand arms trade between the two countries
he said more us legal barriers needed to be removed that would give india access
to american made military hardware citing agreements on communications and
logistics cooperation that still needed to be sealed
in his newspaper commentary gates wrote that we both have to reexamine
policies dealing with exchanging technology and us regulations particularly
needed to be reformed
india last year bought six hercules transport aircraft from us aviation giant
lockheed martin and boeing said this month that india had expressed interest in
potential purchase of transport planes
the us defence firms also are keenly interested in lucrative contract to build
fighter jets for india along with european russian french and swedish
companies
over people rescued from haiti debris since quake un
geneva jan afp
more than people have been pulled out alive since international search and
rescue teams began combing through the debris from last week earthquake in
haiti the united nations said tuesday
this is always good news our rescue and humanitarian efforts are now
concentrated outside of port au prince elisabeth byrs spokeswoman of the un
office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs told afp
by saturday more than people had been freed from under collapsed buildings
by the teams according to the un this means that about people were rescued
five or six days after the earthquake struck
besides the capital the earthquake has wreaked massive damage on nearby cities
including jacmel to the south of the capital and carrefour gressier and
leoganne to the west
ocha said the immediate priorities for relief agencies remained medical
assistance corpse management shelter water and food and sanitation
while food and tents are arriving in the country the un agency said access to
fuel essential for the transport of relief items continues to be an issue
the world food programme is now planning to move gallons of diesel fuel
day from neighbouring dominican republic to help relieve the situation said
ocha in its latest situation report
japan airlines files for bankruptcy
tokyo japan jan afp
japan airlines announced tuesday that it had filed for bankruptcy protection as
part of biting overhaul of the debt ridden carrier in one of the country
biggest ever corporate failures
asia biggest carrier said its flight operations would not be interrupted by
the bankruptcy filing with tokyo court part of radical restructuring
announced after years of losses as the company sank deeper into debt
jal is to slash about jobs and receive billion dollar injection of
public funds as part of its turnaround efforts the government said
japan airlines shares will be delisted from the tokyo stock exchange on february
or earlier the bourse said on its website
with estimated debts of about two trillion yen billion dollars the
bankruptcy is japan biggest failure outside the financial sector since world
war ii according to tokyo shoko research an advisory firm
jal shares plunged to an all time low of just three yen three us cents at one
point tuesday reducing the market value of the group to about million
dollars far less than even the cost of new jumbo jet
taliban attacks cast shadow over kabul security
kabul jan afp
the brazen taliban attacks on the heart of kabul highlighted the vulnerability
of the afghan capital defences and proved that the islamist militants still
pose long term threat to the nation security officials and residents said
security forces were on high alert day after gunmen and suicide bombers
launched blitz attack on commercial and government buildings setting off
bombs and blazing fires and fighting street battles with security forces
the attack the most spectacular by the taliban in year throws into question
president hamid karzai plan to bring the militants in from the cold and casts
shadow over an international conference on afghanistan future
five people were killed including child and four members of the security
forces along with seven of the militants and some parts of the city resembled
disaster zone with burnt out buildings and rubble on the streets
while the afghan authorities investigated how the bombers could penetrate the
commercial political and diplomatic heart of the city security forces won
praise for averting potentially far greater loss of life
afghan national security forces effectively dealt with the situation and should
be commended said us general stanley mcchrystal commander of international
forces in afghanistan sentiment echoed by the nato chief
the attack by the taliban in kabul is yet another example of their brutality
and contempt for the afghan people mccrystal said in statement
karzai declared that the afghan security forces which are set to stand on
their own within five years had brought the situation under control after
three hours
but the attack was highly symbolic as it struck the only part of afghanistan
which is controlled by local forces just as the western backed karzai was
swearing in ministers for his new cabinet
terrorist attacks are phenomenon that unfortunately we will be facing for
long time said amrullah saleh the head of afghanistan intelligence agency
the national directorate for security nds
but he added the enemy does not have the capability for face to face battle
with security forces
saleh said investigations were still in the early stages
the attack bore the hallmarks of the haqqani network whose usual area of
operation is the eastern border regions neighbouring pakistan and has close ties
with al qaeda
we have big portion of the information we know who they are saleh said
whether it was planned inside afghanistan or outside our message to afghans
is that we ll bring to justice those who are responsible
karzai is due to announce new reconciliation plan this week before major
international conference on afghanistan in london on january but monday
attack cast doubt on its chances for success
us defence secretary robert gates on monday said it was unlikely taliban leaders
would reconcile with afghanistan government though lower ranks those who
fight for cash rather than ideology might be open to making peace
just speaking personally be very surprised to see reconciliation with
taliban chief mullah omar gates told reporters aboard his plane en route to
india
think it our view that until the taliban leadership sees change in the
