higher and higher and higher we discovered that by doing that process we
were able to reach heights much higher than we ever thought we could
we learned quite bit from burj dubai would think we could easily do one
kilometre tower we are optimistic about the ability to go even higher
spiralling shaped design by som architect adrian smith was used to support
the structural core of the tower which narrows as it ascends higher up it
becomes steel structure topped with huge spire
to reach the final stages concrete was propelled to height of metres
feet world record
the inauguration of the burj dubai comes however after the once booming real
estate sector of the emirate has crashed halving the value of most dubai
properties in comparison with peak prices recorded in the summer of
it also comes as dubai battles serious debt crisis resulting from the heavy
borrowing by some of its state corporates to finance grandiose real estate
projects
the emirate had narrowly escaped financial catastrophe last month as
neighbouring deep pocketed abu dbabi threw it last minute lifeline worth
billion dollars to pay imminent debt owed by its group dubai world
the group began last month negotiations with its creditors with the hope of
reaching an agreement over restructuring an accumulated debt of billion
dollars amassed by its troubled subsidiaries
dubai total debt mostly that of its state owned companies amounts to
billion dollars
abu dhabi and the abu dhabi based central bank of the united arab emirates
have already extended financial aid of billion dollars to dubai since it
announced early in that it needed to sort the debt problem of its firms
dubai economy was hard hit by the global financial crisis which turned off
the tap on vital foreign financing badly needed for its breakneck speed growth
iranian president visits central asia
dushanbe jan afp
iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad visited the central asian republic of
tajikistan monday on his first international trip since crackdown on
opposition supporters in tehran left at least eight dead
after talks with his tajik counterpart emomali rakhmon ahmadinejad told
journalists the two countries would cooperate on regional security
we will make efforts to ensure security and prevent challenges he said we
are following the situation in afghanistan and pakistan and the region and we
want peace and stability to be established as soon as possible
islamist taliban militants have stepped up violent campaign in afghanistan and
pakistan
rakhmon said the meeting had also expressed support for the realisation of
iran peaceful nuclear programmes and the resolution of this problem through
talks and political and diplomatic methods
the united states israel and other world powers suspect tehran is making
nuclear bomb under the guise of civilian programme something iran vehemently
denies tehran is under threat of more sanctions over its nuclear activities
ahmadinejad also said that tehran intended to continue investing in energy
agriculture and other spheres in tajikistan an impoverished country that
depends on earnings sent back by migrant workers
iran has already put around million dollars into the construction of
hydroelectric power station in tajikistan that is expected to open at the end of
the year
the two leaders signed preliminary memorandum saying that iran would invest in
the construction of second hydroelectric power station in northern tajikistan
dushanbe also invited tehran to take part in oil and gas prospecting and
extraction in tajikistan the country energy minister sherali gul told
journalists
tajikistan gets percent of its natural gas from uzbekistan the main supplier
of natural gas to neighbouring countries
ahmadinejad was later due to meet the speaker of the tajik parliament and
members of the iranian diaspora in tajikistan
under rakhmon who has ruled the nation of almost million since shortly
after the collapse of the soviet union tajikistan has moved to develop ties
with iran major importer of tajik cotton and aluminium
the two countries also share cultural ties and common language the tajik
language is variant of persian the language spoken in iran although it is
written in cyrillic script
ahmadinejad was scheduled to travel on to the central asian republic of
turkmenistan on tuesday to meet president gurbanguly berdymukhamedov and for
ceremony wednesday to open gas pipeline between turkmenistan and iran
ahmadinejad government has come under heavy western criticism for its
crackdown on opposition supporters in december protests in which at least
eight people died and hundreds were arrested
the protests were the bloodiest since demonstrations that erupted directly after
contested june vote that gave ahmadinejad another term authorities said
protesters were killed although the opposition put the toll at
urgent france closes yemen embassy after al qaeda threats official
paris jan afp
france has closed its embassy in yemen following similar move by the united
states and britain after threats from local branch of al qaeda the french
foreign ministry said monday
dollar makes poor start to
london jan afp
the dollar slid on monday against the euro and yen making weak start to
as traders took profits and awaited key us data for fresh direction dealers
said
in london morning deals the european single currency firmed to dollars
from dollars in new york late on thursday before the new year holiday
weekend
against the japanese currency on monday the us unit slid to yen from
on thursday
the greenback had ended on an upbeat note in the wake of government data
indicating that new us claims for jobless benefits fell to the lowest level
since july
later monday dealers will digest us manufacturing data from the institute for
supply management ism further ahead crucial non farm payrolls data is slated
for publication on friday
today we will see the publication of december ism index for the manufacturing
sector which is likely to display moderate rise thus supporting the dollar
said commerzbank analyst antje praefcke
market attention will however concentrate on november labour market report on
friday
should this provide negative surprise the dollar is likely to come under
increasing pressure today markets are likely to be relatively calm though with
euro dollar losing some ground if the ism index is strong
in the meantime the euro garnered some support from the latest newsflow in the
eurozone
manufacturing activity across the eurozone expanded in december but at slower
pace than initially detected and with the shadow of price pressures building
survey showed
the nation euro currency bloc purchasing managers index pmi for the
manufacturing sector published by data and research group markit rose to
points in december from points in november
it was the third month running in which the widely watched reading has been
above the crucial boom or bust line but the readings were uneven
the dollar also softened on monday against the yen after japanese exporters sold
the greenback to settle their accounts after the holiday break shinkin central
bank senior dealer shinichi hayashi told dow jones newswires
in london the euro was changing hands at dollars against dollars
late on thursday yen pounds and swiss
francs
the dollar stood at yen and swiss francs
the pound was at dollars
on the london bullion market the price of gold rose to dollars an
ounce from dollars on thursday
football defoe fined for speeding
london jan afp
england striker jermain defoe pleaded guilty monday to another motoring offence
and was fined for breaking the speed limit
the tottenham hotspur forward through his lawyer dean george admitted driving
land rover at miles kilometres per hour in mph kph zone
in portsmouth on the southern english coast on may last year
the year old londoner did not attend the one day hearing at portsmouth
magistrates court
it was am there was no other traffic on the road there were no other
aggravating features george said
defoe was given four points on his driving licence fined pounds
dollars euros and ordered to pay pounds costs plus pound
surcharge
defoe previous driving offences were four points for speeding in october
six points for speeding in april disqualified from driving for six months
in july and further six month ban in july
former west ham hitman defoe rejoined tottenham from portsmouth for million
pounds on january last year
defoe who has scored goals in full internationals is the english premier
league joint top scorer this season with goals
us plan calls for mideast peace deal in two years report
jerusalem jan afp
washington is pushing plan to restart israeli palestinian peace talks that
foresees reaching final deal in two years and agreeing on permanent borders in
nine months daily said monday
under the plan the israelis and palestinians will immediately start final
status talks that were suspended during the gaza war year ago israel maariv
newspaper reported citing unnamed sources
the paper said that egyptian president hosni mubarak was expected to press
palestinian president mahmud abbas to agree to the plan during meeting later
monday in the red sea resort of sharm el sheikh
there were no immediate comments on the report from palestinian egyptian or us
officials
however israel hardline foreign minister avigdor lieberman spoke out monday
against setting time limits to talks
meeting with former british prime minister and middle east envoy tony blair
lieberman said it is important to hold an open and honest dialogue with the
palestinians without sowing delusions that are disconnected from reality and
which will only lead to violence and frustration
it is not possible to reach an agreement on permanent borders in nine months
and full agreement in two years lieberman said according to statement from
his office
what we need to do is begin direct talks without time frame he told blair
who serves as the envoy for the so called quartet on the middle east peace
process the united states european union russia and the united nations
it was also not clear that the palestinians would return to talks they have
demanded full freeze on israeli settlement activity before resuming
negotiations
after meeting mubarak abbas told reporters that he was open to negotiations
with israel but talks could only resume when jewish settlement activity ends
under the us plan the two sides will first discuss the issue of permanent
borders with deadline of nine months for reaching an agreement maariv said
the idea is to have an agreement on borders before the expiry of an israeli
moratorium on new settlement construction in the occupied west bank so israel
will start to build again only in those settlements that will be inside its
borders under the final status agreement it said
underlying the discussions will be the principle of land swap that has figured
prominently in past peace negotiations israel will keep its major settlement
blocks in the occupied west bank and the palestinians will get land inside
israel in return
after reaching an agreement on borders the sides will move on to discuss the
other core issues jerusalem and refugees maariv said
to entice both sides to agree to the deal washington is preparing letters of
guarantee
the palestinians will get letter guaranteeing that the two year deadline will
be final with no delay if no agreement is reached the palestinians will
request us backing for their demand to receive an area equal in size to the
territory under arab rule prior to maariv said
the israelis will likely receive note ratifying letter that former us
president george bush wrote to then israeli premier ariel sharon in in
which he said that final status agreement will be based on the principle of
land swaps that will allow israel to keep its major settlement blocs
arab diplomats in cairo told afp last week that us president barack obama
administration was drafting letters of guarantee but did not provide details
iran says foreign nationals among protest detainees
tehran jan afp
iran has arrested several foreign nationals in bloody anti government protests
last week that left at least eight people dead intelligence minister heydar
moslehi said on monday
some of the detainees are foreign nationals pursuing propaganda and
psychological warfare moslehi said on state television
they had entered iran only two days before ashura their cameras and equipment
have been seized he added without specifying how many had been arrested or
their nationality
iranian police are still holding of the people they arrested in tehran
on december when opposition supporters staged protests during the shiite
religious commemoration of ashura
police said other security agencies had also detained protesters
one of the foreigners arrested was an iran based syrian journalist working for
dubai tv and pro government website rajanews said british citizen who was
carrying his passport was arrested while attacking mourners in central
tehran
iran foreign ministry could not confirm the rajanews report
french researcher clotilde reiss was arrested in late june and put on trial
for allegedly taking part in protests that followed the disputed re election of
president mahmoud ahmadinejad
she was freed on bail in august and has since been staying at the french embassy
awaiting the outcome of her case
ahmadinejad has accused the united states and israel of staging the opposition
protests during the ashura rituals
avalanches skiing accidents kill in europe
geneva jan afp
alpine avalanches and skiiing accidents killed at least people in europe over
the weekend with three people missing and warnings of more danger emergency
services and police said on monday
two avalanches bore down the bernese alps in central switzerland on sunday
together killing at least five people including doctor in mountain rescue
team despatched to the scene they said
the first killed skier and the second struck as emergency services were
searching for survivors
eight helicopters carrying doctors rescuers and avalanche dogs were despatched
to the site of the disaster and pulled out eight people alive officials said
some of the survivors were in critical condition and three died later in
hospital including the doctor who had arrived to treat people following the
first avalanche
rescuers also found the body of hiker who had been buried in the snow while
three other people were reported missing police from the canton of bern said in
statement
another avalanche struck in switzerland western canton of valais on sunday
killing skier although his mountain guide was able to come out alive
officials said
the body was found buried under cm inches of snow
the swiss institute for snow and avalanche research warned that there remained
considerable avalanche danger in much of the swiss alps on monday although the
threat would drop on tuesday and wednesday
in western austria meanwhile rescue officials said they had found on monday
the bodies of two german skiers aged and who had fallen into ravine in
the state of vorarlberg
the man and woman were found near the diedamskopf station they said
another avalanche hit mountains on france border with italy on friday killing
three people french police said
two of the bodies were found on friday but rescue officials could only retrieve
the third on saturday they said
the dead were mountain guide aged and two skiers aged and who had
been in well known off piste section of the les arcs they said
series of avalanches in the italian alps the previous weekend killed seven
people including year old german boy and four rescue workers sent out to
help two tourists
western europe is shivering through one of its coldest winters in decades with
heavy snowfalls causing serious disruption to road rail and air traffic over
the christmas holiday period
heavy snowfall overnight led to almost unheard of delays on the swiss rail
network and traffic disruption in geneva
in britain some revellers were forced to drink beer and play cards for three
days after they became stranded in british pub cut off by snowstorms on new
year eve
the guests had booked in to celebrate the new year at the tan hill inn
england highest pub standing feet metres above sea level in the
northern yorkshire dales
gritter and snowplough finally broke through the seven foot snow drifts that
had sealed off the hotel on sunday ending the revelry dubbed britain
longest running new year eve party by newspapers on monday
alert
france closes embassy in yemen foreign ministry
hundreds arrive in african village for zuma fifth wedding
nkandla south africa jan afp
south africa political and business elite as well as hundreds of villagers in
traditional dress on monday gathered for president jacob zuma fifth wedding in
his remote home village
three large tents were erected for the udendwe wedding ceremony under overcast
skies in zuma rural homestead in nkandla deep in the countryside of kwazulu
natal province
during the service his year old bride thobeka madiba will be introduced to
the elders as well to ancestors two years after year old zuma paid dowry
to her family gift known as ilobolo
several sheep goats and cows have already been slaughtered for the feast to
follow
media were kept distance from the proceedings but buses transporting the
guests were seen outside zuma house local villagers many dressed in animal
skins and african prints walked along muddy trails to the ceremony
madiba who reportedly already has three children with zuma attended the
president inauguration in may where she was treated as one of the country
three first ladies
since then she has attended official functions and is referred to in the media
as thobeka madiba zuma
she will become his third current wife one of zuma wives kate mantsho zuma
committed suicide in
in zuma divorced nkosazana dlamini zuma but she remains in his inner
circle as she is currently home affairs minister
even while preparations for this wedding were underway zuma is reportedly
preparing for his sixth marriage
earlier this week gift giving ceremony was held signalling that he had paid
ilobolo for his latest fiancee bongi ngema
zuma has also been linked to swazi princess but has given no clear indication
that he plans to wed her
monday wedding is to take place in private under heavy police presence but
the couple are expected to make public appearance so that zuma can introduce
his wife to the community
polygamy is legally recognised in south africa but is mostly practised in rural
areas of the country
the practice came under the spotlight before the presidential elections
when zuma polygamous lifestyle became topic of discussion especially
amongst women rights activists
media and political analysts also debated the issue but their attention focused
mainly on logistical matters such as security arrangements and medical costs for
treating his large family
zuma is still married to his first wife sizakele khumalo whom he has known for
years and married in
khumalo was given the place of honour at his inauguration in may given higher
prestige than madiba or his other wife nompumelelo ntuli zuma whom he married
in in lavish ceremony
zuma and khumalo have no children together and she still lives in nkandla
generally preferring to avoid the public spotlight and rarely attending official
functions
usually zuma brings only one wife to state functions or on overseas trips
he is reportedly father to at least children
tougher security for flights to us over al qaeda fears
washington jan afp
the united states enforced tough new security on passenger jets monday as the us
and british embassies in yemen remained closed because of fears of an al qaeda
attack
with new terrorism alert after failed christmas day bomb attack on us
plane stricter measures will be compulsory on flights from nations while
random enhanced checks will be carried out on all planes landing at us
airport officials said
president barack obama has faced pressure to intensify security after
acknowledging intelligence failures surrounding the failed attack blamed on
year old nigerian who had trained with al qaeda in yemen
all passengers flying into the united states will be subject to random
screening the transport security administration tsa said
every individual flying into the us from anywhere in the world traveling from
or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of
interest will be required to go through enhanced screening the tsa added
all travelers from the targeted countries would be subjected to extra body pat
downs and advanced screening of baggage us official said imaging and
explosive detection technology might also be used
cuba iran sudan and syria are the only four countries designated state
sponsors of terrorism by the united states
but senior administration official told afp the new measures would apply to
all passengers traveling from or via total of countries including
afghanistan libya nigeria pakistan somalia and yemen
the new york times and washington post quoted government officials as saying the
other four countries were algeria lebanon saudi arabia and iraq
flights out of one terminal at newark international airport were temporarily
halted on sunday after an unauthorised man was observed walking in specially
secured area officials said
international fears over al qaeda were highlighted by an attempt on friday on
the life of danish cartoonist who sparked riots in the muslim world with his
caricatures of the muslim prophet mohammed
security has been ratcheted up around yemen main airport the us british and
other foreign embassies in sanaa officials said amid fears of strikes by an
al qaeda branch linked to the failed christmas attack
the us and british embassies remained shut monday for second day yemeni
officials asking not to be named told afp security had also been tightened
outside other foreign missions
the us embassy on sunday said it was closing its doors in response to ongoing
threats by al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap to attack american interests
in yemen britain quickly followed suit
obama has accused the aqap of arming and training umar farouk abdulmutallab the
nigerian said to have carried explosives on the northwest airlines jet flying
from amsterdam to detroit
aqap claimed responsibility for the failed attack and called for strikes on
embassies in yemen
security had already been tight around the us embassy which was the target of
car bomb in september that killed people outside the complex obama
counter terrorism advisor john brennan warned sunday of possible attacks by al
qaeda in yemen
but he indicated that there was no plan to send troops to yemen to fight al
qaeda
wouldn say we re opening second front this is continuation of an
effort that we had underway as said since the beginning of the
administration brennan said
the united states and britain have agreed to fund yemen special counter
terrorism unit special force which has received us assistance while
london will host an international meeting on combatting extremism in yemen on
january
according to us prosecutors abdulmutallab tried to bring down the northwest
airlines airbus using device containing the explosive petn also known as
pentaerythritol
stitched into his underwear it was not spotted by the traditional metal
detectors it failed to go off properly but sparked fire that was put out by
passengers
dutch officials have said they now plan to put full body scanners into use
within three weeks and british prime minister gordon brown said sunday british
airports would also gradually introduce such equipment
japan airlines shares soar on credit lifeline
tokyo jan afp
japan airlines jal shares skyrocketed on monday after the government agreed to
expand financial lifeline to the troubled carrier easing fears that it might
file for bankruptcy
jal stock ended up percent at yen off high of as investors
welcomed tokyo decision at the weekend to double state backed loan to asia
largest carrier to billion yen billion dollars
there was talk about the company operating funds drying up unless it secured
bigger credit line by january suppose that worry eased said makoto
sengoku market analyst at tokai tokyo securities
but concern lingered that jal might eventually file for bankruptcy protection to
aid its restructuring development that would be likely to leave investors
out of pocket
jal future is still uncertain sengoku said
shares in the airline had nose dived almost percent on wednesday the final
trading day of hitting record low at one point after local media
reported that bankruptcy was possibility for the beleaguered airline
the market jitters come as jal seeks to pull itself out of deepening financial
misery by reducing international flights cutting pension payments to retirees
and tying up with foreign carrier
jal has been offered financial assistance by both american airlines and delta
air lines which are competing to take stake in the japanese carrier as way
to expand into the asian market
the yomiuri shimbun daily reported in its online edition monday that jal had
decided to forge capital tie up with delta air lines and join the skyteam
global alliance leaving the oneworld group which includes american airlines
jal denied the report saying it was still in negotiations with the two us
carriers
there is no such fact that we have decided on delta we re continuing talks
with both american and delta company spokesman told afp
american airlines added in statement that it was continuing talks with jal on
the aid offer and remained convinced that it and its alliance were the best
partners for japan airlines
jal battered by the global recession is seeking its fourth government bailout
since in the face of mounting losses
as temporary stopgap cabinet ministers agreed sunday on an increased credit
line from the state backed development bank seeking to soothe investors fears
before the market reopened for the new year
local media have reported that the state backed enterprise turnaround initiative
corp etic which is overseeing jal restructuring is considering the
possibility of the carrier filing for protection from creditors
the body is expected to decide on financial package for the carrier in mid
january
jal president haruka nishimatsu told local media that he was opposed to any
bankruptcy filing
legal liquidation gives an image that will affect us and reduce the number of
our clients he said in an interview with the asahi shimbun daily published on
sunday
the airline which lost about billion dollars in the six months to
september has said it plans thousands of job cuts and drastic reduction in
routes as part of its efforts to return to profitability
jal has suffered long period of financial turbulence stretching back to its
privatisation more than two decades ago
metro unveils media markt plans in china
frankfurt jan afp
the german retail group metro said on monday that it is to open its first media
markt electronics outlet in china this year and plans to operate about
there within five years
the first store is set to open in shanghai once metro wraps up talks with
suppliers statement said
media markt and saturn another electronics retail chain owned by metro are its
two most profitable units and together hold around percent of the german
market
but percent of metro sales are made outside its home country and it has
been present in china for years with its cash amp carry stores
the media markt venture will take on taiwan foxconn technology group as
partner with percent share
novartis spends hugely on eye care for ageing populations
basel switzerland jan afp
swiss group novartis announced on monday billion dollar investment in eye
care as the sight of ageing populations falters by seeking full control of
alcon the world biggest company in the sector
alcon and novartis now cover about percent of the global vision care sector
novartis said
novartis had announced deal with nestle last year to buy about quarter of
alcon for billion dollars with an option to purchase nestle additional
percent majority stake from january
the cash from the deal is expected to strengthen nestle ability to make
takeovers
on monday the pharmaceutical giant said it had decided to acquire the
percent stake for billion dollars billion euros and that it would
also buy remaining alcon shares held by minority shareholders for billion
dollars
this values the complete purchase of the eye care firm at billion dollars
novartis intends to gain full ownership of alcon inc by first completing the
april agreement with nestle to acquire percent majority stake in
global leader in eye care novartis said
it would then enter into an all share direct merger with alcon for the remaining
percent minority stake
the addition of alcon will strategically strengthen our health care portfolio
and our position in eye care sector with dynamic growth due to the increasing
patient needs of an aging population the chairman and chief executive of
novartis daniel vasella said
at cm cic analyst arsene guekam said that the acquisition was perfectly
appropriate to the strategy pursued by novartis
the growth of this market is very sustained and the level of margin comparable
to that of the pharmaceutical industry he said
novartis added that full ownership of the eye care firm could generate cost
