maintains to respond to international emergency situations
the massive mobilization means there is little breathing room for the military
should be it be faced with another unexpected call
we can do anything else says one army officer deployed in haiti
olympics freestyle skiing snowboarding bluffer guide
vancouver canada jan afp
afp bluffer guide to freestyle skiing and snowboarding at the winter
olympics
snowboarding how long has that been around as an olympic sport
it young sport the first official competition was held in colorado in
and it wasn seen at the olympics until when halfpipe and
individual giant slalom were introduced parallel giant slalom replaced the
individual version in and snowboard cross was introduced four years ago
is it real sport
judge for yourself there are three events at the olympics the halfpipe
including acrobatic jumps twists and tricks on the inside of half cylinder
shaped snow tube or ramp parallel giant slalom in which two boarders race
head to head down course turning through series of gates and snowboard
cross where competitors race over rolling terrain and series of jumps and
ramps
anyone should look out for
red headed snowboarding superstar shaun white has huge collection of wins
under his belt and last time was awarded an outstanding points out of in
the first leg of the final he had the luxury of knowing he was olympic champion
before his second run
tell me more about freestyle skiing thought it was just downhill or cross
country
freestyle is another relative newcomer freestyle moguls became medal
discipline in and aerials were added two years later tricks in freestyle
include the twister spread eagle iron cross and helicopter an upright
degree spin
and what the new event in freestyle this year
ski cross makes its debut in vancouver timed qualification run is used to
seed skiers into different heats of four skiers each the course is designed to
test skills with turns flat sections and traverses as well as rolls banks and
ridges structures on the course resemble those found in snowboard cross
olympics moguls champions eye repeat show
hong kong jan afp
olympic moguls champions dale begg smith and jennifer heil will be looking to
dazzle in vancouver as they bid to defend their freestyle skiing titles with
confidence sky high
the top draw in snowboarding is shaun white the reigning halfpipe gold
medallist highly fancied to add to his huge haul of trophies as he takes to the
air in routine of acrobatic jumps twists and tricks
australia begg smith who took gold in the men moguls in turin in
was on hot streak earlier this month winning three world cup
competitions in row until his run was snapped but he still tops the overall
moguls standings
steve desovich coach of the canadian born begg smith said his charge was
quite pleased with his form in the run up to vancouver
he feeling really good and he really peaking right in time for the
games not that he will allow himself to think that way because moguls is such
precarious event he told the australian newspaper
canada heil is also in top form heading into the games going one better
than begg smith and making it four world cup wins on the trot to also top the
overall standings in the moguls in which competitors are required to perform
two different jumps
the year old is confident despite the inevitable pressure of defending her
crown
dealt with lot of pressure in but ve grown up lot since then
she said after her recent win in calgary
china are targeting two golds in freestyle han xiaopeng took gold last time
around in the men aerials in which competitors soar into the air
performing different jumps that combine back flips and twists and three time
reigning world champion li nina took silver in the ladies event
the freestyle programme is bolstered this year by the addition of ski cross
which involves timed qualification run before four skiers race down the course
incorporating turns flat sections and traverses as well as rolls banks and
ridges
in snowboarding there is no question that shaun white will be the star
attraction white performs in the halfpipe in which competitors perform their
routine on the inside of half cylinder shaped snow tube or ramp
the year old took gold in turin in one of three snowboarding wins for
the united states matched by switzerland whose haul included the men and
ladies parallel giant slalom
but his task will be made little easier by the absence of kevin pearce one of
the few riders to have beaten white in head to head competition pearce suffered
serious head injury in training this month
in the ladies halfpipe american gold medallist hannah teter is expected to
face competition from compatriot gretchen bleiler who earned silver behind
teter in
two time world champion and two time world cup winner lindsey jacobellis is
looking to add the elusive olympic title to her medal collection in the
snowboard cross in which four racers bomb downhill over series of jumps and
ramps
the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events will be held at cypress mountain
near vancouver the skiing runs were closed to the public earlier than planned
to protect the course after spell of warm and wet weather
poe toaster misses year ritual at poet tomb
washington jan afp
mysterious visitor who each year leaves roses and cognac on edgar allen poe
tomb in baltimore maryland missed his rendezvous tuesday for the first time in
years the poe society said
he did not show up this morning jeffrey savoye secretary and treasurer of
the member society told afp
each year since the th anniversary of poe birth an often times
cloaked individual left bottle of cognac and few roses at the foot of poe
tomb usually at night in tribute to the legendary poet
occasionally he showed up early like the evening before but
normally it from midnight to am savoye said
around people waited in vain from tuesday night to watch the poe toaster
as the visitor has been dubbed he added many traveled from across the united
states for the st anniversary of poe birth
as far as we know they have not missed year until now savoye said of the
poe toaster
the original yearly visitor apparently died in but left the pilgrimage up
to his two sons
we were left note some years ago saying that the original toaster had died
we interpreted the message that the torch will be passed we are assuming that
two sons of this person have been carrying it on he said
we don know who they are
olympics short track speed skating bluffer guide
vancouver canada jan afp
afp bluffer guide to short track speed skating at the winter olympics
short track speed skating how does it conpare to its long track cousin
it packed with thrills and controversial spills disqualifications several
skaters jockey for position around tiny metre oval until sprint
finish
sounds like roller derby on ice
not quite pushing blocking and colliding are punished by disqualifications
at salt lake city in south korean kim dong sung closed the door on local
hero apolo anton ohno in the final turn to finish first in the metres the
gold medal went to the american
isn the sport rife with controversy as result
kim ouster prompted his fans to send angry mails which crashed the
international olympic committee website ohno skipped world cup event
in south korea for security fears in he finally went there and won races
before an unexpectedly friendly crowd
with so many incidents the race for gold medal must be something of
lottery
steven bradbury won the metres in as the last man standing the
unfancied year old followed the pack at safe distance the four men in
front of him got tangled up and crashed into the boards around the final bend
leaving him with australia first ever winter olympic gold
is pecking order firmly in place after its full olympic debut in
south korea have won short track medals out of their total winter olympic
haul of canada and china follow with each and the united states
china the most medalled nation at the summer games won their first winter
gold through short tracker yang yang in
olympics south korea aim to tighten golden stranglehold
tokyo jan afp
world champion lee ho suk is determined to tighten south korea stranglehold on
olympic short track speed skating gold despite the daunting challenges from the
united states and canada
china wang meng who won the to prevent south korean women gold medal
monopoly at the turin games is ready to reign supreme after taking the
overall and titles at last year world championships
for south korea short track skating and the winter olympics are blood brothers
although world figure skating champion kim yu na could be poised to grab the
headlines in vancouver
in turin the south korea team collectec an all time high of six gold three
silver and two bronze medals all but one of the bronzes coming in the short
track
my goal is to win gold by beating apolo anton ohno of the united states and
canada charles hamelin said lee the runner up to compatriot ahn hyun soo in
the men and at the last games
when get my first gold will then aim at another added the year old
famous for his dynamic outside pass
he also teamed with ahn in powering south korea to the relay gold in
turin
ahn has not raced internationally since injuring his knee two years ago and
failed to qualify for vancouver leaving south korea hopes pinned on lee
ohno denied south korea sweep of four men gold medals in turin by winning
the it was his second olympic title after he claimed the in his
media hyped olympic debut in in salt lake city
the year old american beat lee into second spot overall at the world
championships but finished fifth last year when compatriot celski ended
second and hamelin third behind the korean
ohno who has collected five olympic medals and nine world titles still managed
to rank second in this season world cup he won the third race of the
four leg series
believe in my heart that if show up and physically ready and mentally
ready and feel good there no way can win he said
hamelin who won the world title in and and finished top in this
season world cup aims for his first individual olympic medal
celski who grew up watching ohno skate for glory on television missed the
world cup after his skate blade deeply sliced his left leg at the national
championships in september
but he has recovered for his first olympic challenge
wang beat south korean kim min jung into second overall spot with teammate zhou
yang third last year to win the back to back world titles
the year old chinese looks still more formidable in the absence of south
korean jin sun yu who collected the and relay golds in
turin hampered by injury jin could not win ticket to vancouver
have lot of hope not only for me but for all the team hope that we will
realise historical breakthrough in all the races wang told afp
the sport became full olympic sport in and china won their first short
track title in which was also the first ever winter olympic gold for the
asian sporting superpower
winter olympics advisory
paris jan afp
the winter olympics take place in vancouver from february and afp
sports is filing package of advancers
in the build up to the games we will file individual sports previews guides to
the ins and outs of winter sports as well as focus on the stars to watch on the
snow and ice of vancouver and whistler
we will also be filing series of colour stories focussing on national
prospects as well as the offbeat side to the olympics
questions queries etc can be directed to our olympic desk contact is
david james afp com
we are about to move
oly sskate short preview
tokyo
world champion lee ho suk is determined to tighten south korea stranglehold on
olympic short track speed skating gold despite the daunting challenges from the
united states and canada
word by shigemi sato
oly sskate short preview guide
vancouver canada
afp bluffer guide to short track speed skating at the winter olympics
oly freestyle snowboard preview
hong kong
olympic moguls champions dale begg smith and jennifer heil will be looking to
dazzle in vancouver as they bid to defend their freestyle skiing titles with
confidence sky high
words by john weaver
oly freestyle snowboard preview
vancouver canada
afp bluffer guide to freestyle skiing and snowboarding at the winter
olympics
already moved
jan
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jan
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jan
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jan
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several fatalities in virginia shooting police
washington jan afp
shooting in virginia on tuesday caused several fatalities and large
contingent of law enforcement officials was still searching for the gunman
state police said
sergeant thomas molnar spokesman for the virginia state police told afp there
had been several fatalities that relate to shooting that was in the area
there is just one male suspect he added
authorities had yet to say how many people had been killed or wounded
the incident unfolded around noon gmt when deputy from the appomattox
sheriff office responded to call about man lying down beside road
when the deputy arrived on scene the deputy heard several gun shots and he in
turn contacted his dispatch center and they dispatched several more of their
deputies to the scene along with contacting the virginia state police for
assistance molnar said
local media reported that the suspect shot police helicopter that was called
to the scene forcing it to land after its fuel line was hit by bullet
six hours later officers from the appomattox sheriff office the virginia
state police and several other local county police departments were still
searching for the suspect within cordoned off perimeter
the perimeter has been established and we believe the suspect is within the
quarantined area molnar said
the lynchburg news and advance reported that more than law enforcement
personnel were involved in the search while other police worked to notify the
families of the victims
there were no immediate details on the casualties or indication about the
gunman motive
tennis fourth seed wozniacki battles into second round
melbourne jan afp
fourth seed caroline wozniacki of denmark downed canada alexsandra wozniack
to get her australian open campaign off to winning start on
wednesday
prince william says he gets bad rap for his music
sydney jan afp
britain prince william took self deprecating dig at his musical tastes
during visit to youth rehab centre in australia wednesday saying it often
made him the butt of jokes
the year old prince made the remarks following rap jam session at the
centre in eastern sydney which he toured with australian prime minister kevin
rudd
can do any beatboxing not so good at that he told rudd referring to
the vocal percussion stylings of the hip hop trio before them
normally get the piss taken out of me for my choice of music he joked
mine very varied like rock linkin park kanye west
after his visit to the ted noffs centre which runs three month residential
treatment programmes for young people with serious drug and alcohol problems
william travelled to major army base on sydney western outskirts
william graduated as fully fledged royal air force helicopter pilot just
before his trip to australia and he took part in live firing exercise with
elite snipers who have served in afghanistan and iraq
he is due to visit marine research vessel on sydney harbour later wednesday
before enjoying barbecue lunch in the royal botanic gardens along the city
picturesque waterfront
second in line to the british throne william is in australia on an unofficial
three day visit which he personally requested as way to get to know the
country and its people
he was welcomed tuesday with traditional aboriginal smoking ceremony in the
poor inner city neighbourhood of redfern which was presided over by an elder
daubed in body paint and bearing smouldering gum leaves
thousands of cheering fans packed the suburb narrow streets for glimpse of
the prince who last visited the country in the arms of his late mother
princess diana when he was just nine months old in
he met with aboriginal elders to discuss among other things the repatriation
of indigenous artefacts and remains including the head of indigenous warrior
pemulwuy
william reportedly slipped out for seafood platter and few beers at
exclusive sydney nightspot bungalow on tuesday night
he will visit bushfire ravaged areas near melbourne on thursday before returning
home the following day his australia tour follows an official visit to new
zealand where he represented his grandmother queen elizabeth ii for the first
time
haiti ambassador to us calls for more stable relief
washington jan afp
haiti ambassador to the united states called tuesday for an end to the chaotic
helicopter drops of earthquake aid saying the general population needed stable
relief
we don like it because when they make aid drops only the strong get
it said ambassador raymond joseph there should be staging areas where the
helicopters can land and supplies handed out he said
joseph spoke at candlelight vigil outside the haitian embassy in washington
one week after devastating earthquake slammed the impoverished nation
at least people had been killed were injured and million left
homeless by the quake the haitian government said tuesday
when the earthquake hit all the ministries were down all the people who
should be coordinating the aid were nowhere to be found it took us two to three
days to find where everybody was joseph told afp
think now if the aid is not distributed it time for us to start pointing
fingers he added
now the aid is there at the airport let get it out he said
around people gathered at the embassy and held up their candles during
second moment of silence starting at pm the exact time the earthquake
struck on january
joseph acknowledged to the well wishers that his country had been beaten down
but the ambassador struck note of hope as dusk fell in the us capital and more
candles were lit for new arrivals
we are like the reed we are bent but we are not really broken we ask you to
stand with us as we work to put haiti on its feet he said
rallying quake survivors and haitians in the united states the ambassador
recalled the historic independence cry emblazoned on the national haitian flag
union fait la force or in unity there is strength
that is how we got our independence and that how we are going to work
together and that how we are going to rebuild haiti he said saying he
never tired of using the phrase
us troops fanned out across the ruined haitian capital tuesday as part of the
enormous recovery operation there while the united nations said over
billion dollars had been pledged for aid funding
kraft wins bid for cadbury ending long battle
new york jan afp
kraft foods sealed deal tuesday for cadbury as the famed british chocolate
maker accepted sweetened bid worth some billion dollars creating world
leader in confections
ending bruising months long hostile takeover battle cadbury board agreed to
an improved offer valuing the british group at billion pounds billion
dollars or pence per share the companies said in statement
under the agreement cadbury shareholders will also receive pence per share
via special dividend lifting kraft offer to billion pounds
billion dollars
the deal would make us based kraft the world second biggest food company one
of the biggest global players in chocolate and confections giving the us group
the brands of dairy milk and creme egg to go along with kraft toblerone
milka suchard and cote or among others
analyst ildiko szalai at euromonitor international said the deal fits into
kraft strategy of becoming global powerhouse in snacks confectionery and
quick meals
with this acquisition kraft will gain strong value share and leading position
in many core emerging markets in latin america the middle east and africa and
asia pacific such as india the analyst said
the research firm dealogic said the takeover was the seventh biggest cross
border merger of all time by value and sixth largest in the food sector
but the plan has left bitter taste in the mouths of britons over the loss of
the year old iconic brand with the potential for job losses as well
british prime minister gordon brown whose labour party is widely tipped to lose
an upcoming general election said the government was determined to help save
jobs at cadbury
britain biggest union unite warned that kraft would be saddled with huge
debts following the takeover putting at risk cadbury posts and
jobs at the company subcontractors
cadbury which began as small grocer shop in birmingham central england in
has grown into global operation spanning countries with
employees
london listed cadbury led by chief executive todd stitzer an american
repeatedly rejected kraft since an initial approach in september arguing that
its previous cash and shares offer worth billion pounds was derisory
but cadbury chairman roger carr said the latest offer represented good value
for cadbury shareholders
the new firm will create global market leader with more than confectionery
brands each with annual sales of more than million dollars
once formally approved by regulators and cadbury shareholders the takeover will
see new company eclipse privately held us firm mars the world biggest
confectioner
investors welcomed tuesday news sending cadbury us listed shares up
percent to dollars kraft shares fell percent to dollars
douglas mcintyre at wall street said the extra cash kraft agreed to put in
to sweeten the pot ended the opposition from cadbury
that was all it took to close the deal rich offer made and accepted he
said
it was never about the strategic fit that cadbury board flaunted as reason
to stay independent it was never about cadbury rosy forecasts or kraft
less robust picture of the future
kraft chief executive irene rosenfeld said her company bid represents
compelling opportunity for cadbury shareholders providing both immediate value
certainty and upside potential in the combined company
kraft which traces its history to when jl kraft started selling cheese
from horse drawn wagon said the tie up provides the potential for meaningful
cost savings
markets meanwhile were waiting to see if us chocolate maker hershey would make
its own offer for cadbury the wall street journal has reported that hershey
planned to bid at least billion dollars this week
however jefferies international analyst simon marshall lockyer said the chances
of successful counter bid now appeared remote
british authorities said that if hershey or italy ferrero want to make an
offer they must do so before the london market opens on january
nba neal hits another scoring milestone
cleveland ohio jan afp
cleveland cavaliers giant centre shaquille neal has become the fifth player in
national basketball association history to score points
neal reached the milestone with his opening basket in the first minute of
game tuesday against toronto
neal joined kareem abdul jabbar karl malone michael jordan
and wilt chamberlain as the only players to reach the
milestone
the crowd gave neal standing ovation during timeout in the opening
quarter neal is in his first year with the cavaliers
tennis australian open results day three
melbourne jan afp
results from day three of the australian open at melbourne park here wednesday
denotes seeding
women singles
st round
li na chn bt marina erakovic nzl
vera zvonareva rus bt kristina kucova svk
victoria azarenka blr bt stephanie cohen aloro fra
nd round
svetlana kuznetsova rus bt anastasia pavlyuchenkova rus
tennis kuznetsova makes open third round
melbourne jan afp
russian world number three svetlana kuznetsova became the first player into the
third round of the australian open when she beat countrywoman anastasia
pavlyuchenkova on wednesday
golf tiger staying at sex addiction rehab clinic reports
jackson mississippi jan afp
tiger woods is receiving treatment for sexual addiction at sex rehabilitation
clinic in nearby hattiesburg according to two television stations and an author
on the topic
television stations wjtv and wlbt reported citing unnamed sources that woods
was at the pine grove behavioral health and addiction services center where
security is tight and dark tarps have been placed upon wire fences
benoit denizet lewis who wrote book on sex addiction wrote in blog entry
that woods was receiving treatment at the sex rehab facility where he spent
time while working on the book regarding sexually compulsive behavoir
clinic officials have refused to confirm woods is there to the television
stations espn also reported officials would not confirm woods is patient
woods has admitted infidelity to wife elin and more than dozen women have
claimed to have had affairs with the world top golfer scandal touched off
when woods drove his vehicle into hydrant and tree nearly two months ago
woods who became punch line for commedians in december has said he is taking
an indefinite leave from golf to sort out his personal life giving no hint as
to when he might return
the us pga tour third event of starts wednesday
tennis seventh seed azarenka blasts into second round
melbourne jan afp
belarusian seventh seed victoria azarenka blasted her way past france
stephanie cohen aloro to move into the second round of the australian
open on wednesday
tennis china li storms into open second round
melbourne jan afp
china th seeded li na stormed into the australian open second round on
wednesday with win over new zealand marina erakovic
tennis zvonareva into australian open second round
melbourne jan afp
ninth seeded russian vera zvonareva crushed slovakia kristina kucova
in the first round of the australian open on wednesday
cricket arthur has mixed feelings over reviews
london jan afp
south africa coach mickey arthur has weighed into the debate surrounding the
umpire decision review system udrs by saying he views its use with mixed
feelings
he has also questioned the accuracy of the predictive element of hawkeye
technology which has been used to assess leg before wicket decisions
was always in favour of the udrs but now that we have seen the system in
operation for decent period of time have mixed feelings said arthur
writing in the february edition of the wisden cricketer magazine
the udrs system was responsible for flashpoint in last week fourth and final
test between south africa and england in johannesburg
australian television umpire daryl harper failed to overturn not out decision
against south african captain graeme smith because he allegedly did not turn up
the sound on an audio feed from the stump microphone
smith who was on at the time went on to make century and the proteas won
