huge aid operation races against time in haiti
curfew in nigerian city where hundreds killed
first anniversary of obama inauguration
port au prince rescuers search for more survivors after haiti devastating
earthquake but attention increasingly turns to helping the living haiti quake
jos nigeria more security forces are deployed and round the clock curfew is
enforced after deadly christian muslim clashes spread across nigeria central
city of jos nigeria unrest religion
washington first anniversary of obama inauguration us politics year
amsterdam dutch far right lawmaker geert wilders appears for preparatory
hearing ahead of his trial for inciting hatred against muslims including in
anti islam film fitna gmt netherlands islam film politics court
beirut damascus jerusalem us envoy george mitchell shuttles between lebanon
syria israel and the west bank in his latest efforts to restart the stalled
middle east peace process mideast us diplomacy
boston massachusetts republicans win stunning upset in massachusetts
senate election dealing potentially fatal blow to us president barack obama
health care reforms us vote senate
ho chi minh city trial of four democracy activists on charges of trying to
overthrow the communist regime in vietnam in case that sparked global concern
vietnam rights trial
milton keynes england pop star amy winehouse due in court over an alleged
assault at theatre last month britain music
moscow court hears appeal by the descendants of the russian imperial family to
reopen probe into the murder of last tsar nicolas ii russia royals history
new delhi us defence secretary robert gates warns al qaeda is seeking to
destabilise the entire south asia region and could trigger war between
nuclear armed pakistan and india us india
new york bank of america and wells fargo announce earnings gmt us
banking earnings company
sydney first visit to australia by britain prince william since
australia britain royals william
washington us homeland security secretary janet napolitano testifies before the
senate committee on commerce science and transportation about the failed
christmas day attack on northwest flight attacks us politics
afp
cricket bangladesh india first test scoreboard
chittagong bangladesh jan afp
scoreboard at tea on the fourth day of the first test between india and
bangladesh on wednesday
india st innings tendulkar not out sehwag shahadat hossain
shakib al hasan
bangladesh st innings mohammad mahmudullah zaheer khan mishra
india nd innings overnight
gambhir nafees shafiul
sehwag raqibul shakib
mishra tamim mahmudullah
dravid run out
tendulkar lbw rubel
laxman not out
yuvraj singh ashraful shahadat
karthik rubel mahmudullah
zaheer khan not out
extras lb nb
total for seven wickets overs
fall of wickets sehwag mishra gambhir dravid
tendulkar yuvraj karthik
bowling shafiul shahadat rubel nb
shakib mahmudullah ashraful
toss bangladesh
umpires billy bowden nzl and marais erasmus rsa
tv umpire enamul haque ban
match referee andy pycroft zim
nigeria religious clashes spread
kano nigeria jan afp
nigeria sent more troops to the troubled city of jos as clashes between muslim
and christian mobs that have left about people dead spread to new
districts
vice president goodluck jonathan ordered extra soldiers to jos late tuesday to
clamp down on the violence as authorities enforced hour curfew
the unrest erupted on sunday over plans to build mosque in mainly christian
district of the city which has riven by sectarian tensions for many years
mobs have set fire to buildings while many of the fatalities were just shot
dead muslim leaders said about bodies had been taken to the central mosque
in jos
several hundred have been reported wounded and casualties have filled hospitals
some clinics were reportedly running out of medical supplies
residents said the fighting spread during the night to areas on the fringes of
jos capital of plateau state
idris sarki who fled into jos from the nearby town of kuru karama said
attacks are still going on in areas in the southern parts of the city including
kuru karama bisiji sabongidan and kanar
the area came from has been sacked all residents like me who are fortunate
have left but many many have been killed he told afp
other residents said they had seen the army reinforcements on the streets
the vice president vowed the government was determined find permanent
solution to the jos crisis
this is one crisis too many and the federal government finds it most
unacceptable retrogressive and capable of further sundering the bonds of unity
in our country johnson said in statement released by his office
the human rights watch hrw lobby group urged authorities to act with care to
stamp out the fighting
nigeria should ensure that its security forces use restraint and comply with
international standards on the use of force in responding to the latest deadly
outbreak of inter communal violence said hrw
muslim and christian leaders and paramedic gave tolls of nearly dead but
there was no official confirmation
hrw said more than people have died in religious or ethnic clashes since
the end of military rule in in the west african country
this is not the first outbreak of deadly violence in jos but the government
has shockingly failed to hold anyone accountable said hrw researcher corinne
dufka
jonathan ordered nigerian security chiefs to put in place comprehensive
security strategies to ensure that these constant eruptions do not happen
again
jos situated between the muslim dominated north and the christian south has in
recent years been hotbed of religious violence in nigeria whose million
people are divided almost equally between followers of the two faiths
in november hundreds were killed in two days of fighting in jos triggered
by rumour that mainly muslim party had lost local election to christian
dominated party
at least people were killed in nearby borno state last july when security
forces put down an insurrection by muslim fundamentalist sect
in december around were killed in clashes between security forces and
members of another radical sect in bauchi state
china to rein in bank loans
hong kong jan afp
china will rein in credit after explosive growth last year but has no plans to
stop banks lending top regulator said wednesday as the nation vies to cool
its red hot economy
liu mingkang chairman of the china banking regulatory commission said new bank
loans this year would fall to about trillion yuan trillion us dollars
from about trillion yuan in
this year we will continue to control the pace of the credit supply liu told
the asian financial forum in hong kong
but the watchdog chief denied report that it had asked several banks to stop
extending new loans for the rest of this month
chinese state media had reported that major banks received verbal orders from
authorities to stop lending for the rest of january
ve made it very clear about bank lending we have never asked the banks to
stop lending he told dow jones newswires on the sidelines of the forum
liu also told the conference that china banking sector has undergone
substantial and qualitative changes over the last few years
his comments come after china central bank moved earlier this month to hike
the minimum amount of money that banks must keep in reserve
analysts have said the policy was likely response to concerns about asset
bubbles bad loans and an overheating economy
beijing is also expected to raise interest rates and let the yuan which has
been effectively pegged to the us dollar since mid appreciate in value as
critics accuse china of keeping the currency artificially low
in the past year china adopted what it called moderately loose monetary
policy and embarked on an unprecedented four trillion yuan billion dollar
spending spree to keep the economy growing amid the global downturn
it also urged banks to pump up lending but after the amount of new loans
subsequently surged the government in recent months reversed course and called
for reasonable lending as inflation fears rose
china to rein in bank loans
hong kong jan afp
china will rein in credit after explosive growth last year but has no plans to
stop banks lending top regulator said wednesday as the nation vies to cool
its red hot economy
liu mingkang chairman of the china banking regulatory commission said new bank
loans this year would fall to about trillion yuan trillion us dollars
from about trillion yuan in
this year we will continue to control the pace of the credit supply liu told
the asian financial forum in hong kong
but the watchdog chief denied report that it had asked several banks to stop
extending new loans for the rest of this month
chinese state media had reported that major banks received verbal orders from
authorities to stop lending for the rest of january
ve made it very clear about bank lending we have never asked the banks to
stop lending he told dow jones newswires on the sidelines of the forum
liu also told the conference that china banking sector has undergone
substantial and qualitative changes over the last few years
his comments come after china central bank moved earlier this month to hike
the minimum amount of money that banks must keep in reserve
analysts have said the policy was likely response to concerns about asset
bubbles bad loans and an overheating economy
beijing is also expected to raise interest rates and let the yuan which has
been effectively pegged to the us dollar since mid appreciate in value as
critics accuse china of keeping the currency artificially low
in the past year china adopted what it called moderately loose monetary
policy and embarked on an unprecedented four trillion yuan billion dollar
spending spree to keep the economy growing amid the global downturn
it also urged banks to pump up lending but after the amount of new loans
subsequently surged the government in recent months reversed course and called
for reasonable lending as inflation fears rose
report says eads responsible for cost overruns
frankfurt jan afp
an independent report on the airbus military transport project has laid
blame for delays and cost overruns with directors of parent company eads
report said on wednesday
auditors from pricewaterhouse coopers pwc concluded that the plane maker
considerably under estimated on permanent basis the actual costs of the
project the german business daily handelsblatt said
the european aeronautic defence and space company eads has asked seven
countries that ordered the military transport plane to cover billion euros
billion dollars in unanticipated costs
but according to pwc eads has the resources to cover the overruns itself up to
limit of billion euros
in the programme was given budget of billion euros for
aircraft but development ran into problems and the plane needs an estimated
billion euros more for production to be completed successfully
on thursday crisis meeting is scheduled in berlin with representatives from
belgium britain france germany luxembourg spain and turkey the client
countries and eads directors on how to share the extra costs
imf chief says asia may need capital controls
hong kong jan afp
the imf chief said wednesday asia may need to erect temporary capital controls
warning of the potential for new economic bubbles as speculative money floods
into the region
dominique strauss kahn said the global economy looked on course to beat the
percent growth forecast currently expected by the international monetary fund
for as post crisis recovery accelerates
speaking in hong kong the imf managing director also reiterated his call for
china to boost the value of its currency the yuan which critics say is kept
artificially low to boost chinese exports
there is broad concern about the influx of foreign money pouring into asia
which has sent property prices rocketing in hong kong singapore and mainland
china as the region leads the recovery
strauss kahn said the cash flowing into asia was in stark contrast to the global
financial crisis when the fear was of money drying up
understandably however policymakers in recipient countries are concerned now
with how to manage these flows their impact on exchange rates domestic
demand financial stability and the danger of asset bubbles he said
strauss kahn said options to discourage the inflow included cutting interest
rates accumulating reserves or tightening fiscal policy
he added capital controls can also play role particularly where the surge
in capital flows is expected to be temporary or where exchange rate
overshooting is real danger
as long as it temporary it may be the only way to ward off bubble
strauss kahn told the asian financial forum gathering of political and
business leaders
and in veiled comment on china he said in many countries exchange rate
appreciation should be the key response especially in those where the
exchange rate is undervalued
malaysia was ridiculed by financial institutions and foreign governments in
when it became the first crisis hit asian country to roll out capital controls
to protect its financial markets and collapsing currency
but the measures including pegging the ringgit to the dollar and barring
investors from taking money out of malaysia were later hailed by the imf and
other free market proponents as an effective tool against speculation
economies worldwide went into tailspin in late when credit dried up due
largely to the collapse of us property bubble
but strauss kahn said some emerging economies could begin exiting stimulus
programmes sooner than rich countries with world growth likely to outstrip the
imf forecast figure of percent this year
excluding japan asia may expand by more than seven percent the imf boss said
he again dismissed fears of double dip recession for the world economy but
said the pace of recovery had been uneven with asia bouncing back faster than
the rest of the world
the region must also look at boosting domestic demand to cut its reliance on
foreign consumers especially in the hard hit united states he said
strauss kahn said world leaders should press on with financial reforms to
prevent repeat of last year credit crisis including better regulation and
oversight of the banking sector
we need reform and we need political will he said
there is still lot to do my concern is that in six to months everybody
will be back to business as usual and will have forgotten the lessons of the
financial crisis
nepal claims victory over leprosy
kathmandu jan afp
leprosy has been eliminated in nepal one of the last countries to rid itself of
the disease the government announced wednesday
the health ministry said nepal had cut the number of leprosy patients to fewer
than one in of the population the world health organisation who
standard for declaring the disease eliminated
the disease prevalence rate dropped to per people in november last
year said ministry official sudha sharma
this is remarkable achievement for nepal health sector the disease will no
longer be categorised as public health problem
sharma said the government hoped to eradicate leprosy completely within five
years and had launched major awareness programme in rural nepal where social
stigma still surrounds the disease
that has paid off but there are still lots of challenges she said
leprosy patients face discrimination so they don come forward for treatment
for fear that they will be rejected by society but that problem is slowly
disappearing
leprosy is slow progressing bacterial infection that affects the skin
peripheral nerves in the hands and feet and mucous membranes of the nose
throat and eyes
it is characterised by disfiguring skin sores nerve damage and gradual
debilitation
it has been eradicated in most countries but remains prevalent in some areas of
africa brazil and india according to who research
india issues warning after latest australia assault
new delhi jan afp
india on wednesday warned that the latest in series of attacks on indians
living in australia did not augur well for already cool ties between the two
countries
foreign minister krishna said he was in touch with india embassy in
australia for more details of the attack late friday on the year old taxi
driver in the town of ballarat victoria
it is very unfortunate that this should keep repeating which does not augur
well for our bilateral relations krishna told reporters in new delhi
the man suffered bruising to his upper body and swelling to his face after being
assaulted by four passengers aged between and
australian police have said those involved in the beating were opportunistic
it was the second time in as many days an indian taxi driver had been targeted
in ballarat kilometres miles west of melbourne
number of attacks against indian nationals including the fatal stabbing this
month of punjab born student have inflamed diplomatic tensions
the issue has prompted strong reaction in the indian press with one newspaper
likening australian police to the ku klux klan for their inability to halt the
assaults
radical us yemeni cleric will not surrender journalist
sanaa jan afp
fugitive radical us yemeni imam anwar al awlaqi suspected by washington to be
linked to failed attack on us airliner has said he has no intention of
surrendering to yemeni authorities according to yemeni journalist close to
him
abdullah shaea told afp on wednesday that the cleric had made that declaration
to him recently and had also denied yemeni government claims that negotiations
were underway aiming at surrender
anwar al awlaqi told me that no one contacted him and that nothing has been
negotiated he has no intention of giving himself up
shaea is considered in yemen to be one of the country most knowledgeable
journalists on al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap which washington on
tuesday formally listed as terrorist group
anwar is at home protected by his tribe shaea said without indicating
precisely where the police and the army know that it is impossible to go and
look for him there
he is probably under the protection of al qaeda members not because he is
member but because they are from the same tribe
he has absolutely no confidence in government that jailed him in without
any charges and freed him after year and half without ever trying him
white house aide has directly accused awlaqi of having links with the man
suspected of shooting dead people at texas military base in november major
nidal hasan
us homeland security and counterterrorism adviser john brennan has also said the
us born imam might have had contact with the man who allegedly attempted to blow
up us airliner on christmas day umar farouk abdulmutallab
born in the us state of new mexico in awlaqi went to yemen when his family
returned home in where he attended school he returned to america in
for his studies graduating from colorado state university in civil engineering
he later obtained master degree in education leadership from san diego state
university
while in the united states he began delivering sermons in mosques across
several states as well as working for charity association founded by the
yemeni cleric abdul majeed al zendani whom the us government has described as
global terrorist
in he returned to yemen and was arrested few months after his arrival for
his role in kidnapping the son of rich yemeni family and demanding ransom
money to finance al qaeda yemeni security sources said
he was set free in after the intervention of yemeni officials on condition
that he stayed in the capital and reported to police daily
but several months after his release he left sanaa for the eastern province of
shabwa where he hid in his grandfather house security sources said
it was not until after the fort hood shooting rampage that yemeni police renewed
their search for him
the prospects of the married father of five being captured are scant given
shaea description of sentiment in shabwa after deadly december air raid
there by government forces that killed al qaeda suspects and number of
civilians
after that raid on an area controlled by the awlaqi tribe people were
furious throughout the region they all went over to the side of al qaeda and
prevent anyone from approaching shaea said
there was fighting the government well knows that if it sends forces into the
area they will be beaten it will not even try that is why anwar is safe where
he is
yemen is al qaeda leader osama bin laden ancestral homeland and has seen
spate of attacks against western targets over the past decade
gates warns of militant threat to india pakistan ties
new delhi jan afp
us defence secretary robert gates warned wednesday that south asian militant
groups were seeking to destabilise the entire region and could trigger war
between nuclear armed pakistan and india
reflecting anxiety in the region about new delhi reaction if it were attacked
by militant group with roots in pakistan gates said restraint by india could
not be counted on
gates said militants under al qaeda syndicate which includes the taliban
in pakistan and afghanistan as well as pakistan based islamist group
lashkar taiba posed danger to the region as whole
they are trying to destabilise not just afghanistan not just pakistan but
potentially the whole region by provoking conflict perhaps between india and
pakistan through some provocative act gates said during visit to new delhi
it important to recognise the magnitude of the threat that the entire region
faces he said following talks with his indian counterpart antony
india and pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in and
tension spiked again in when militants that new delhi identified as
belonging to lashkar taiba attacked the city of mumbai killing people
india did not mobilise forces unlike in when it massed troops on the
border with pakistan after an attack on its parliament
this drew praise from gates but he said such restraint might not be repeated
next time
think it not unreasonable to assume india patience would be limited were
there to be further attacks gates warned
new delhi suspects the pakistani intelligence service of supporting terror
groups that target india and has consistently called on islamabad to crack down
on militants operating on its soil
gates described india as vital partner in the struggle against extremist
threats expressed appreciation for its economic aid to afghanistan and said
that he had discussed how to bolster us india military cooperation
during his two day trip to india gates has also reassured leaders in new delhi
that washington will not abandon afghanistan despite timeline for the
withdrawal of us troops
in separate meetings with prime minister manmohan singh and foreign minister
krishna on tuesday gates discussed regional security and offered
reassurances over the target date of july for starting drawdown of
american forces us defence official said
gates mindful of india concerns about an early us exit pledged the united
states would remain committed to kabul with major economic and diplomatic
support even as its military presence is gradually scaled back the official
told reporters
he told singh and krishna that we intend to be involved in the region for
very long time said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity
the united states which armed afghan islamic fighters against soviet forces in
the had made the mistake of turning away from afghanistan after the
soviets were driven out but would not repeat that mistake gates said according
to the official who attended the meetings
the prime minister and foreign minister for their part offered to keep up
india major reconstruction aid for afghanistan the official said
us officials said the visit reflected blossoming relationship between the two
countries that has dramatically transformed since the mutual unease of the cold
war
defence ties have expanded following the attacks of september and
deal in july between the two countries helped clear the way for the sale of hi
tech us weaponry to india
gates told the prime minister and foreign minister that there were more
opportunities for defence trade and promised to help remove us legal barriers
blocking india access to some military technology defence officials said
number of cooperation agreements were under discussion that would permit india
to purchase wider array of weaponry with sophisticated technology the
officials said
grisly massacre footage shown at philippine trial
manila jan afp
philippine politician accused of massacring people displayed no emotion
wednesday as grisly footage was shown in court of the victims mangled and
bloodied bodies being pulled from mass graves
the video clips were part of evidence introduced by prosecutors against andal
ampatuan jnr who is charged with murder over the election related killings in
the southern province of maguindanao in november last year
cried when saw that had to go out of the courtroom said emmy intia
coordinator of the anti crime organisation volunteers against crime and
corruption one of several people in the court who found the footage unbearable
what they did was too brutal it was worse than demonic intia said adding
that those behind the crime should be skinned alive
filmed by local government employee who accompanied police as they retrieved
the victims from the mass graves in the two days after the murders the video
showed bloodied bodies some of which were already decomposing
as the footage was shown sister of one of the female victims broke down and
had to be helped out of the courtroom
male lawyer representing the victims also rushed out of the silent courtroom
covering his mouth as he headed for the bathroom to vomit
however ampatuan jnr who has pleaded not guilty had no visible reaction to
the footage at one point applying liniment to his neck as he stifled yawn
he looked bored it was like the most ordinary thing to watch lilian de lima
head of the government commission on human rights who was in the courtroom
told reporters
sitting in lavender shirt flanked by security escorts and lawyers the main
suspect in the massacre watched the footage impassively as body after body was
dug up from the earth
the footage lasting minutes and covering two days of excavations showed
dozens of bodies as well as at least three motor vehicles being dug out of mass
graves in an isolated area of maguindanao where they had been buried in an
attempt to hide the crime
prosecutors allege ampatuan jnr and about of his gunmen abducted and shot
dead the victims to stop rival esmael mangudadatu from running against him
for the post of maguindanao governor in may elections
mangudadatu wife and pregnant sister as well as at least journalists
travelling with them were among the killed mangudadatu relatives had been
on their way to an election office to register his candidacy
police have said ampatuan jnr father and namesake the patriarch of the clan
who was then governor of maguindanao should also be charged over the killings
ampatuan snr and several other clan members were arrested after martial law was
briefly imposed in maguindanao and charged with rebellion
however no date for his rebellion trial has been set and prosecutors have yet
to lay murder charges against him
before the killings the ampatuans were close political allies of president
gloria arroyo who armed and used them to help contain muslim separatist rebels
in the southern philippines
they were expelled from the ruling party after the news of the massacre broke
out triggering worldwide outrage
rescued from haiti debris since quake un
geneva jan afp
the united nations said wednesday that people had been rescued by
international teams from the debris of collapsed buildings in haiti since the
january earthquake
we are at people found elisabeth byrs spokeswoman for the un
organisation for the coordination of humanitarian affairs told afp
on tuesday the un said people had been extracted alive compared to on
saturday
malaysia anwar sodomy trial postponed lawyer
kuala lumpur jan afp
malaysian opposition leader anwar ibrahim sodomy trial has been postponed to
february his lawyer said wednesday amid legal battle over access to the
prosecution evidence
the federal court agreed to the postponement after hearing an appeal by anwar
lawyers who are pushing for disclosure of key evidence relating to the trial
which had been scheduled to start on january
anwar lawyers want access to evidence including dna samples medical reports
and cctv footage which they say is key to providing anwar with proper
defence
lawyer sankara nair said the federal court decision on the evidence request by
anwar former deputy premier who was sacked and jailed on separate sodomy and
corruption charges decade ago would be delivered on january
the justices have reserved judgment after both the prosecution and defence made
our arguments this morning and say they will deliver the judgment on january
and pushed anwar sodomy trial to february he told afp
anwar says the new allegations are conspiracy to neutralise his career after
he rallied the opposition to unprecedented election gains in and threatened
the government half century long hold on power
anwar resurrected his political career after spending six years in jail before
the earlier sex conviction was overturned and he was freed in
he now faces up to years imprisonment if he is convicted of sodomising
year old mohamad saiful bukhari azlan who was an aide in his office
the trial which was originally to have begun last july has been delayed by
series of legal manoeuvres by the defence team including failed application
to disqualify the prosecutors as biased
malaysian police arrest eight over church firebombing
