police were unable to comment on his nationality spokesman had cautioned that
the scanner could have been set off by harmless chemicals such as perfumes
about flights were delayed or cancelled during the alert
alert
hold off on healthcare til new senator arrives obama to democrats
new york times to begin charging web readers in
washington jan afp
the new york times in move that will be closely watched by other newspapers
suffering from plunging print advertising revenue announced wednesday it will
begin charging online readers next year
the new approach referred to as the metered model will offer users free
access to set number of articles per month and then charge users once they
exceed that number the new york times co said
the times co did not announce pricing for full access to the newspaper
website which currently draws more than million unique visitors month or
how many articles would be available for free
the paid model will be introduced at the beginning of times co
statement said while the newspaper reported it would begin in january
print subscribers to the times will continue to have free online access to
nytimes com once the metered model is in place
like other newspapers and magazines in the united states the times has been
grappling with declining print advertising revenue falling circulation and the
migration of readers to free news on the internet
dan kennedy an assistant professor of journalism at boston northeastern
university said the move was expected and something the times needed to try
over the past year or so it become increasingly clear that advertising alone
may never support the heavy infrastructure of traditional newspaper website
kennedy told afp increasingly people have been thinking about various ways for
readers to pick up more of the share
kennedy said that while other struggling newspapers will be watching the times
efforts to get readers to pay online don think it ends up being very
valid test or experiment for the industry as whole
they re likely to be far more successful with this than other newspapers might
be because when it comes to mainstream journalism the times is the gold
standard he said there are lot of people who would pay for access to the
times
times co chairman and publisher arthur sulzberger said times readers are very
loyal and will pay for our award winning digital content and services
the new york times experimented with pay wall in charging for access to
columnists and other content with system called timesselect but abandoned the
move two years later
times co president and chief executive janet robinson said the latest bid to
charge online is driven by our desire to achieve additional revenue diversity
that will make us less susceptible to the inevitable economic cycles
the news corp owned wall street journal and long island newsday are currently
the only major us newspapers charging readers for full online access but
number of other publishers are also considering the move
britain financial times uses similar metered system to that being proposed
by the times and news corp chairman rupert murdoch has announced plans to begin
charging online readers of all of the newspapers in his vast stable
other newspaper publishers have been reluctant to take the step fearing it would
drive readers to free news sites and result in loss of revenue from online
advertising
besides the flagship newspaper the times co owns the international herald
tribune the boston globe other daily newspapers and more than websites
the times co last year sought to sell the money losing boston globe and carried
out series of job cuts in its more than strong newsroom
the times co also completed sale leaseback deal for part of its manhattan
headquarters last year in move aimed at raising cash to pay down its debt and
received million dollar loan from mexican billionaire carlos slim
the times is also seeking buyer for its percent stake in new england
sports ventures which owns the boston red sox baseball team and their iconic
stadium fenway park
times co shares were trading percent lower at dollars on wall street
in early afternoon
chile billionaire president elect profits from share surge
santiago jan afp
stock market surge has added hundreds of millions of dollars to the value of
investments held by chile new president elect sebastian pinera triggering
outrage among leftwing opponents
pinera year old conservative billionaire elected president last weekend
has seen the value of his principal holding company axxion soar more than
percent this week
much of the impetus comes from expectations that pinera will fulfill campaign
vow to sell off his percent stake in chile lan airline latin america
biggest before taking office march
before axxion price rocketed pinera stake was estimated at million
dollars more than half his billion dollar fortune
the windfall has angered chile leftwing dominated media and outgoing
government which is still digesting its historic electoral defeat
pinera who has promised to open the window and let in fresh air put an end
to the year hold on power enjoyed by the concertacion coalition which took
over after general augusto pinochet military dictatorship
it scandal said center left senator jorge pizarro
these companies keep going up in the stock market and that is an ethical and
moral breach for someone who is to run this country he said
finance minister andres velasco added my opinion as citizen is that if the
then candidate pinera had sold his shares at the right time before and not
after the election that would have been much more preferable
outgoing president michelle bachelet who was barred from seeking re election
had raised conflict of interest questions over pinera lan stake during the
presidential campaign
pinera who also owns one of the country four television networks and the
popular colo colo football club set up blind trust to manage his fortune and
promised specifically to sell his lan investment if he won
on wednesday he reaffirmed that pledge saying will fulfill that
commitment
he added to reporters am already very disconnected from the investments
the truth is that have not been following the stock market over the past few
days
axxion called an extraordinary share holders meeting for february to decide
the sale
but even if that issue is addressed pinera already has another potential
conflict brewing with his plans to possibly privatize part of codelco chile
copper mining company the world biggest
copper is chile most important export and codelco accounts for billion
dollars in annual revenues for the government
even though pinera has not revealed his plans economists believe he is looking
at selling off percent of the company
that prospect has raised hackles in the outgoing government and in powerful
unions
an initiative of this type will only raise tensions and create big conflict
in chilean society warned the copper workers federation which represents
codelco workers
call but nobody answers us haitians wait for news
miami jan afp
more than week has gone by since deadly earthquake devastated haiti and
many of the hundreds of thousands of haitians living in florida keep phoning
home even if calls do not get answered
telephone every single day but nodody picks up on the other end marie
pierre haitian who works at garland fruit and vegetable importer and
distributer in miami told afp distraught
like many haitians here she would rather not address the possibility she may
have lost her family in tragedy that has claimed at least lives and
perhaps many thousands more
she would rather believe she could hear from them at any time
haven heard thing from my brothers from my sisters from anybody she
said
if there is anybody in port au prince who knows what happened with them and can
help me please she said noting her entire family lived in the ravaged
haitian capital
haiti population tops nine million and there are more than half million
haitians living in the united states more than of whom live in the us
state of florida officials say
since the force earthquake left their caribbean country capital in ruins
january thousands upon thousands here in florida have been waiting
desperately frustrated and helpless for news of their loved ones
with some calls starting to get through in recent days the news for many has
been tragic
george cadet another worker at garland says he learned he had lost his brother
and two small nephews
feel so terrible really worse every day cadet said lot of people have
had news and in most cases they have found out that they have loves ones who
were killed
at the notre dame haiti church father jean marie reginald sees people day and
night searching for reason for what has happened at home he tries to console
them but he also has lost relatives
just found out yesterday that they brought my brother out of the rubble on
saturday but we still do not have any word on my sister doude who is just
said the priest fixture in miami little haiti which some
haitians call home
windsy forestal said that while he has been heard second hand that his relatives
were not hurt he has not been able to contact anyone by phone and is
desperately worried about them
haven spoken with anybody and am not sure about anything forestal
said
have my wife axelle pierre and daughter annie mayard just in port au
prince he said quietly adding don know if they are alive
football atalanta comeback keeps bologna in danger
rome jan afp
atalanta fought back from down to grab draw and keep bologna hovering
above the serie relegation trapdoor on wednesday
brace from former italy forward marco di vaio gave bologna lead and had
the score stayed that way they would have moved six points clear of the drop
zone
instead goals from thomas manfredini and javier chevanton earned the away side
share of the spoils from match that was postponed in december due to bad
weather
atalanta remain in the relegation zone in th one place and three points
behind bologna
in the day other game bari held genoa to draw to ensure both sides stay
in the hunt for europa league place
bari are two points behind sixth placed palermo with genoa one point further
back
paulo barreto gave visitors bari fourth minute lead but omar milanetto
equalised eight minutes after the break
rallying star kubica forced out of monte carlo
monte carlo jan afp
formula one star robert kubica endured quickfire end to his monte carlo rally
debut on wednesday when he was forced to retire his renault from the race
the polish driver who will race for renault in the world championship
quit when the engine in his clio blew on the km prologue that preceded
wednesday first full stage
before the start of the th edition of this classic race kubica said he had
been looking forward to the challenge
if the conditions will be like they were on the recce very changeable then it
will be very big challenge and one of the biggest challenges of my life to
finish the rally said the year old
meanwhile finland mikko hirvonen the runner up to sebastien loeb in the
world rally championship last year leads the race in his ford fiesta with
sec advantage over britain kris meeke in peugeot
it not going too badly little surprised to be in the lead didn
know what to expect said hirvonen
afp gmt news advisory
washington jan afp
duty editor michael mathes
tel
huge aftershock brings terror to haiti
white house reels after election blow
thousands flee nigerian clashes
yemeni jets pound al qaeda leader home
haiti quake lead wrap
port au prince
powerful new earthquake rumbles across the ruins of haiti sending thousands
of already traumatized survivors running through the streets screaming in
terror
words gmt by sophie nicholson and stephane jourdain picture video
graphic
us vote politics obama lead
washington
the white house sets out to save president barack obama ambitious agenda and
insists his health reform plan is not dead after massachusetts voters dealt
democrats stinging blow
words gmt by stephen collinson picture
nigeria unrest religion rdlead
kano nigeria
thousands of people flee the nigerian city of jos after clashes stoked by
religious zealots spread to nearby towns following several days of violence that
has left dead
words gmt by aminu abubakar graphic
attacks yemen qaeda wrap
sanaa
yemeni jets pound the home of suspected al qaeda leader as top us officials
acknowledge the sanaa government has made decisive turn against the
extremists believed behind botched bid to down us airliner
words gmt by hammoud mounasser picture
haiti quake
haiti quake camps health scene
port au prince
the stench at place saint pierre camp perceptible from meters away becomes
overpowering as one enters the makeshift settlement home to thousands of
destitute haitians
words gmt by deborah pasmantier picture
haiti quake imf public aid thlead
washington
imf chief dominique strauss kahn calls for multilateral aid plan for
earthquake devastated haiti like the us marshall plan that rebuilt europe
after world war ii
words gmt by veronica smith
haiti quake us family
miami
more than week has gone by since deadly earthquake devastated haiti and
many of the hundreds of thousands of haitians living in florida keep phoning
home even if calls do not get through
words gmt by juan castro olivera
we have also moved haiti quake survivors
haiti quake aftershock scene
haiti quake toll missing facts
filing plans by region
americas
attacks us nigeria intelligence thlead
washington
top us intelligence chiefs take full blame for failing to stop botched
christmas day plane bombing admitting that they missed slew of warning signs
words gmt by clement sabourin
us company banking earnings sector wrap lead
washington
deeper than expected losses reported by bank of america and morgan stanley
dampens the mood for the us banking sector struggling to get out from bailouts
and the financial crisis
words gmt by rob lever
us it company media newspapers internet nytimes ndlead
washington
the new york times in move that will be closely watched by other newspapers
suffering from plunging print advertising revenue says it will begin charging
online readers next year
words gmt by chris lefkow
chile politics economy
santiago
stockmarket surge that is adding hundreds of millions of dollars to
investments held by chile new president elect sebastian pinera triggers
outrage among leftwing opponents
words gmt by paulina abramovich
europe
germany attacks thlead
munich germany
police sound the all clear at munich airport after major alert sparked by
man running away from security check when his laptop tested positive for
possible explosives
words gmt
ukraine vote wrap
kiev
embattled president viktor yushchenko accepts defeat in ukraine presidential
elections but defiantly refuses to withdraw from politics as the campaign
between the two remaining candidates heats up
words moved by anya tsukanova picture
vatican pope ireland crime child abuse rdlead
vatican city
pope benedict xvi summons irish bishops to the vatican in february to chart
way forward following revelations that church authorities covered up for
paedophile priests in mainly catholic ireland for some three decades
words moved by gina doggett
asia
india pakistan us afghanistan qaeda military ndlead wrap
new delhi
us defense secretary robert gates warns that south asian militant groups are
seeking to destabilize the entire region and could trigger war between
nuclear armed pakistan and india
words gmt by dan de luce picture
vietnam rights trial thlead
ho chi minh city
vietnamese court sentences group of dissidents to up to years in prison
for trying to overthrow the communist regime in case that has sparked
international concern
words gmt by aude genet picture
nkorea politics skorea kim lead
seoul
north korea ailing leader kim jong il may die in two or three years and this
could spark upheavals such as coup mass unrest or massacres in the communist
nation south korean state think tank says
words moved by park chan kyong
iran warns dailies for printing reformists criticism
tehran jan afp
iran has officially warned newspapers for publishing criticism by reformists
of the situation after last june disputed presidential election the official
irna news agency reported on wednesday
the warnings were handed down by the domestic press and media bureau of the
culture and islamic guidance ministry
eight papers etemad confidence etelaat information asrar secrets
tose development jahan san at world of industry rouzan daily mardom
salari democracy and bahar spring were cited for reporting the views of
former president mohammad khatami
they carried quotes by khatami in which it is said that the country faces
crisis and implying that government supporters are creating division irna
said
bahar tose rouzan and two other dailies tehran emrouz tehran today and
jahan eqtesad world of economy were warned for publishing material
considered insulting to the revered president mahmoud ahmadinejad
bahar tehran emrouz arman ravabet omoumi ideal public relations
farhikhtegan the educated jomhouri eslami islamic republic asrar etemad
jahan san at poul money afarinesh creation and rouzan were also warned
for publishing remarks by former top nuclear negotiator hassan rohani
his reported comments implicitly described the atmosphere as security one and
lacking freedom as well as giving an unreal image of the economy the report
said
the country hardline press watchdog has banned several publications and warned
another dozen in recent months
the authorities have cracked down on the media and arrested scores of
journalists since anti government protests erupted after ahmadinejad re
election
his disputed win last june bitterly divided iran political elite amid
persistent allegations the election was massively rigged in his favour
ahmadinejad government has cracked down on critical media mostly in the rival
reformist camp but some conservative publications have also been hit by
closures
us soldier dies of non battle injuries in afghanistan nato
kabul jan afp
us soldier died in eastern afghanistan on wednesday from injuries not
sustained in fighting the nato led international security assistance force
announced
the soldier died of non battle injuries today in eastern afghanistan the
headquarters of the international force in the country said giving no further
details
thirty one foreign soldiers of them american have died in afghanistan so
far this year after last year saw record losses totalling foreign soldiers
in raging insurgency
us military deaths in afghanistan doubled in to compared to the
previous year
football italian serie table
rome jan afp
italian serie table on wednesday played won drawn lost goals for
against points
inter milan
ac milan
as roma
napoli
juventus
palermo
cagliari
fiorentina
bari
parma
genoa
chievo
sampdoria
livorno
udinese
lazio
bologna
atalanta
catania
siena
asian pollution worsens us air levels study
paris jan afp
pollution from asia is boosting levels of ozone in the skies above the western
united states trend that could hamper us efforts to meet tougher smog
standards experts said on wednesday
their study focusses on data for ozone in springtime above western north america
at an altitude of between three and eight kilometers two and five miles
this height is between the stratosphere where thin layer of ozone helps to
filter out dangerous ultra violet light from the sun and ground level where
ozone can be bad hazard for people with cardiac or respiratory problems
the paper published in the british journal nature said that ozone levels in
the monitored area rose by percent in springtime from and
when data were included for the year with the lowest average ozone level
the increase from that date up to was whopping percent
the surge could only be explained by pollutants that are the precursors to ozone
and were borne across the pacific from east and south asia by powerful winds it
says
the chief man made sources of ozone are nitrogen oxides and volatile organic
compounds which are gases that are the byproduct of burning fossil fuels they
react with sunlight to produce ozone triple molecule of oxygen
during the time monitored in the study us domestic emissions of these precursor
gases declined
in springtime pollution from across the hemisphere not nearby sources
contributes to the ozone increases above western north america lead author
owen cooper of the cooperative institute for research in environmental sciences
at the university of colorado said
when air is transported from broad region of south and east asia the trend
is largest he said in press release
the findings are important as previous research suggests pollution at the
altitude monitored in the study can descend and mix with surface air
if so long standing question may be answered there has been rise in ozone
levels in parts of the rural western united states but there is little road
traffic or industry in these regions to explain the increase
the paper says the phenomenon could have repercussions for efforts in the united
states to roll back its smog problem with tougher car exhaust measures and other
initiatives
the observed increase in springtime background ozone mixing ratio may hinder
the usa compliance with its ozone air quality standard it says
football odemwingie strikes twice as nigeria reach last eight
lubango angola jan afp
russia based osaze odemwingie scored just before and after half time as nigeria
beat mozambique on wednesday to reach the africa cup of nations quarter
finals
the midfielder from lokomotiv moscow was given time and space in the final
minute of the opening half at tundavala stadium in this southern angola town to
rifle low shot past goalkeeper joao rafael at his near post
and the veteran of four nations cup campaigns scored far simpler goal two
minutes into the second half as he tapped in cross from captain yakubu
aiyegbeni
memorable match for odemwingie was completed midway through the second half
when everton striker yakubu was substituted by injury troubled obafemi martins
and the matchwinner became skipper of the super eagles
odenwingie said happy for the team we had lot of pressure on us but
since the start of the competition we have made daily progress from the
goalkeepers to the strikers
under fire nigeria coach shuaibu amodu added my job is to do good can
can avoid the critics happy that the boys were able to deliver the goods
as for our next rivals let me enjoy this victory today before speaking about
cameroon or any other team
mozambique coach maart nooij commented can be disappointed my players
gave everything they had to give we arrived here with our heads held high and
we re leaving with our heads held high
victory for nigeria and an equally predictable triumph for defending
champions egypt over benin in benguela at the same time brought predictable
climax to group of the biennial african football showcase
egypt topped the table with nine points after comfortable victories over all
three mini league opponents as they seek record third consecutive nations cup
title having won at home in and in ghana two years ago
nigeria recovered from opening match loss to egypt with wins over the
minnows to collect six points while benin and mozambique brought up the rear
with solitary point each on the final standings
who the pharaohs and the super eagles face in january quarter finals will
be decided on thursday when gabon cameroon tunisia and zambia fight to finish
first and second in group
egypt will face the pool runners up at ombaka stadium in benguela early next
monday with nigeria remaining in lubango to face the group winners later and
surprise packets gabon occupy top spot after two rounds
nigeria needing draw to clinch last eight place looked the more
threatening side in the opening half at sparsely populated seat stadium
and chinedu obasi missed sitter midway through
the germany based striker last minute inclusion in the squad headed at
rafael from few metres when seemingly certain to break the deadlock in match
that seldom rose above the pedestrian
mozambique pushed the ball around impressively and martinho paito mucana stung
the hands of nigeria goalkeeper victor enyeama with long range effort that
brought good parried save
martins completed the scoring five minutes from full time when he pounced on
rebound to drive the ball low into the far corner after rafael failed to grasp
close range mikel shot
curfew relaxed in nigeria violence wracked city official
lagos jan afp
authorities in nigeria central city of jos where muslim christian clashes left
nearly dead on wednesday relaxed curfew imposed on the city senior
government official said
the hour curfew has now been relaxed it will now run from gmt
to gmt the director general in the plateau state information
ministry ezekiel dalyop told afp by phone from jos
football italian serie results
rome jan afp
italian serie results on wednesday
bologna di vaio atalanta manfredini chevanton
genoa milanetto bari baretto
us recalls million strollers after fingertip amputations
washington jan afp
the united states ordered recall wednesday of million baby strollers
manufactured in china for us company graco children products after fingertip
amputations suffered by children
the us consumer product safety commission announced the voluntary recall of the
graco passage alano and spree strollers and travel systems manufactured
between october and february
graco has received seven reports of children placing their fingers in the
stroller canopy hinge mechanism while the canopy was being opened or closed
resulting in five fingertip amputations and two fingertip lacerations it said
in statement
the hinges on the stroller canopy pose fingertip amputation and laceration
hazard to the child when the consumer is opening or closing the canopy
the strollers were sold in us retail stores such as burlington coat factory
babies us toys us kmart sears target and walmart
