unemployment in ohio is percent even higher than the brutal national
average of percent
but the white house obama says obama billion dollar economic stimulus plan
has created jobs in ohio
turkish plane makes emergency landing in greece after threat
salonika greece jan afp
turkish plane flying from germany to turkey made an emergency landing friday
in salonika in greece after cabin crew found death threat message airport
officials said
the pilot of the sun express flight from stuttgart to izmir made the request
after one of the six member cabin crew found the message in toilet they said
the plane carrying passengers was evacuated and searched
woman rescued from haiti rubble family medics
port au prince jan afp
friends rescued year old marie carida roman alive from the rubble of her
port au prince home friday days after she was buried by haiti devastating
earthquake her son and doctors told afp at her hospital bedside
trying to find out how can help her survive she has crushed chest and
lots of maggots said ernest benjamin an emergency volunteer from sinai
hospital in new york city
it worth everything to try to save her benjamin added
urgent woman rescued from haiti rubble family medics
port au prince jan afp
friends dug year old marie carida roman out of the rubble of her port au
prince home friday days after she was buried by haiti devastating
earthquake her son and doctors told afp at her hospital bedside
swiss court upholds us taxpayer appeal in ubs test case
zurich jan afp
swiss court said friday that it had upheld an appeal by us taxpayer in
ruling that could jeopardise landmark deal between switzerland and the united
states settling tax fraud charges against swiss bank ubs
in state brokered settlement in the united states last year switzerland
banking flagship ubs warded off bruising us government lawsuit by agreeing to
hand over secret details about clients and us taxpayers
however the swiss federal administrative tribunal effectively halted that
handover by ruling in favour of one of the clients who had lodged an appeal in
test case
the federal administrative tribunal has upheld the appeal by us taxpayer
against the decision by the federal tax authority to transmit their banking data
to us tax authorities irs under procedure for mutual assistance relative to
ubs the tribunal said in statement
it described the decision as pilot ruling and denied leave for appeal to
switzerland supreme court
the tribunal ruled that the agreement between the us and swiss governments
could not take precedence over the rules set out in the existing swiss us dual
taxation agreement
the out of court settlement last august ended months of diplomatically sensitive
negotiations over massive us probe of taxpayers with secret accounts at the
world largest wealth manager allowing ubs to avoid costly lawsuit
current swiss legislation requires ubs to pass the client details to the swiss
government which in turn would decide if they should be transmitted to the
united states
the swiss government said in statement that it would decide after cabinet
meeting next wednesday how to ensure that the settlement could be applied
following the court ruling
it said the settlement had been aimed at solving the dispute within the bounds
of the law thereby allowing the threat of conflict between swiss and us
legal regimes to be lifted
the us taxpayer was accused of omitting to file declaration form with the
internal revenue service taking advantage of swiss banking secrecy
however that omission could not be considered to be fraudulent and the offence
therefore did not warrant the handover of their swiss banking details to the
united states the federal administrative tribunal said
alert
woman pulled alive from haiti rubble family medics
ubs swiss court upholds us taxpayer appeal in test case
zurich jan afp
swiss court said friday that it had upheld an appeal by us taxpayer in
test case that could jeopardise landmark deal between switzerland and the
united states settling legal action against swiss bank ubs
in government brokered settlement for charges of tax fraud in the united
states switzerland banking flagship ubs last year agreed to hand over details
of about clients and us taxpayers to us authorities
however the swiss federal administrative tribunal effectively halted that
handover by ruling on thursday in favour of one of the clients who had lodged an
appeal
the federal administrative tribunal has upheld the appeal by us taxpayer
against the decision by the federal tax authority to transmit their banking data
to us tax authorities irs under procedure for mutual assistance relative to
ubs the tribunal said in statement
it described the decision as pilot ruling and denied leave for appeal to
switzerland supreme court
the tribunal ruled that the agreement between the us and swiss governments
could not take precedence over the rules set out in the existing swiss us dual
taxation agreement
the out of court settlement last august ended months of diplomatically sensitive
negotiations over massive us probe of taxpayers with secret accounts at the
world largest wealth manager
current legislation requires ubs to pass these details to the swiss government
which in turn would decide if they should be transmitted to the united states
the ruling handed down on thursday was made public on friday
baseball phillies victorino agree on million dollar deal
philadelphia pennsylvania jan afp
the philadelphia phillies and center fielder shane victorino finalized
million dollar three year deal on friday
the move came day after the phillies agreed on three year deal worth
million dollars with right handed hurler joe blanton
victorino who hit with doubles triples home runs rbis and
stolen bases for the national league champions last season also earned his
second gold glove for fielding
under the terms of the contract he ll get five million dollars this year
million dollars in and million dollars in
catcher carlos ruiz is the only remaining phillies player in salary arbitration
haitians burn bodies in downtown port au prince reporter
port au prince jan afp
haitians burned bodies in downtown port au prince after no one had claimed them
days after the devastating january earthquake an afp reporter on the
scene said friday
at least three charred skeletons were identifiable on pile of garbage in the
middle of the street and at least three others could be seen in the nearby ruins
of an enormous building that housed school church and technical college
we decided to burn them yesterday nobody came to get them they smelled very
badly said hored stanley resident on rue du centre in the heart of the
haitian capital
stanley said he was one of survivors of group of people who were meeting
in the school to discuss plans for carnival when the magnitude earthquake
struck
residents of the area estimated that some people were killed inside when the
building collapsed
on an adjacent wall someone had spray painted the words goodbye to and then
listed names
they are some of the dead we recovered we are alive but it as if we are
dead said stanley surrounded by other inhabitants of the area
irish bishops welcome vatican child abuse summit plan
dublin jan afp
ireland bishops on friday welcomed pope benedict xvi plan for vatican
summit next month to chart way forward over child sex abuse scandal that has
shaken the country
the pope has summoned irish bishops to february meeting to address the
aftermath of revelations that church authorities covered up for paedophile
priests in the mainly catholic country for three decades
in statement issued after an all day meeting the bishops said the pope
request was made in the context of the very serious situation that prevails in
the irish church
the pope already met on december with ireland two most senior roman
catholic churchmen primate of all ireland cardinal sean brady and dublin
archbishop diarmuid martin following shock government report on the scandal
in the dublin archdiocese
the report by judge yvonne murphy said the church had carried out cover up to
avoid damaging its reputation and assets the findings caused widespread shock
in ireland
one priest admitted to sexually abusing over children while another
accepted that he had abused on fortnightly basis over years
the bishops said they had been listening to the widespread and justifiable
anger and frustration from victims priests and laity across their dioceses
bishops recognise that in the critical area of safeguarding children people
want accountability and transparency in terms of policy and procedures
the meeting also discussed preparations for the pope plan for pastoral
letter to the faithful in ireland and the follow up listening and
consultation process which will take place
since the murphy report four bishops have resigned but pressure remains on
other prelates and senior churchmen to quit over the scandal
as the bishops met catholic lay organisation called for the immediate
resignation of all bishops implicated in the sexual abuse cover up
the voice of the faithful ireland votfi said the moral authority of the papacy
in ireland and of catholic bishops was likely to collapse if the papal letter
to ireland does not squarely address the issue of the widespread cover up by
bishops of the outrage of clerical child sexual abuse
it said the reluctance of implicated bishops to resign and the failure of the
papacy to declare that the cover up would be investigated have so seriously
damaged the moral prestige of the office of catholic bishops and of the papacy
that recovery may already be impossible
china to send strong medical team to haiti state media
beijing jan afp
china will send member military medical team to help relief efforts in
quake hit haiti the official xinhua news agency reported on saturday citing
defence ministry spokesman
the team whose members have peacekeeping experience and helped after china
massive sichuan earthquake in will carry out rescue work provide medical
treatment and help with epidemic prevention said huang xueping
they are being deployed in response to united nations request and will leave
for haiti shortly coordinating their work with the un and other rescuers huang
said
member chinese rescue team has already been deployed in the haitian capital
since january and has so far rescued or offered help to more than
people xinhua said citing the china earthquake administration
afptv agenda
paris jan afp
we plan to file the following videos over the next week please consult the
daily advisories for additions and amendments
saturday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
madrid maria was beaten by her husband for years today she has an emergency
phone just in case her ex gets too close just one of raft of measures taken
by the spanish government in its pioneering struggle against domestic violence
voiced report
as part of our african nations cup coverage we plan to file the following
algiers algeria meets the ivory coast on sunday in the quarter finals of can
the fennecs have come far they gave their fans scare when they suffered
humiliating defeat against malawi in the first round but have since regained
ground and their supporters once again have high hopes voiced report
paris as the paris lingerie show gets underway we look behind the scenes at
the cadolle fashion house where the modern brassiere was invented and that
still holding up well voiced report
as part of our winter olympics coverage we plan to file the following
vancouver canada the winter olympics in vancouver will be the first games
hosted jointly with the aboriginal people of the land where the events are being
held the lil wat musqueam squamish and tseil waututh nations of british
colombia have been actively involved in the planning and execution of the
sporting event that will welcome the world but while some see opportunity
others are concerned about the impact this could have on indigenous communities
sunday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
in advance of thursday international conference on afghanistan we are
providing the following report
la teste de buch france us troops preparing to head for afghanistan have new
training ground in southwest france soldiers from the th rescue squadron
of the us air force in europe have joined their french counterparts for joint
rescue and recovery exercises in the pyrenees mountain range where the terrain
is similar to what they will face in afghanistan voiced report
on the eve of the european council parliamentary hearing on the human
trafficking treaty we are re filing the following report
limassol priest on the mediterranean island of cyprus looks after women who
enter the country on so called artist visas and end up working as prostitutes
over the past five years he has provided more than women with accommodation
and medical help voiced report
paris bugatti salvaged from the depths of swiss lake is among the
cars expected to sell for at least million euros at an auction in paris that
takes place over the week end images and soundbites
as part of our african nations cup coverage we plan to file the following
cairo egypt meets cameroon in the quarter finals of can on monday replay of
the finals egypt national team holds the title and have breezed through
the group matches they are the only team to win all three matches voiced
report
as part of our winter olympics coverage we plan to file the following
montreal canada it not the first time that canada has hosted the olympic
games montreal won the bid for the games but vancouver does not want to
follow in its tracks in many respects montreal came to regret the choice as it
had no infrastructure for the event the final bill ended up being astronomical
to this day the olympic stadium is still struggling to find purpose
monday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
montreal the united states france brazil and other friends of haiti will
hold emergency talks in montreal on monday to coordinate aid for the quake hit
caribbean nation and prepare later summit on reconstruction the meeting
whose dignitaries will include us secretary of state hillary clinton and french
foreign minister bernard kouchner is expected to affirm the central role of the
united states in post quake haiti already illustrated by its massive military
presence and relief efforts there images and soundbites
london as france debates ban on the burka in public places the issue is also
heating up across the channel in britain the minority party ukip is also
backing ban on veils that cover the face while muslim groups and the ruling
labour government would rather see freedom of expression to prevail voiced
report
dubai the united arab emirates have become the latest country to impose anti
smoking laws but what future for dubai famous shisha cafe voiced report
yangon mandalay bagan myanmar stock footage from the reclusive country
showing everyday scenes images
as part of our african nations cup coverage we plan to file the following
algiers reactions from the algerian capital on the quarter final match with
ivory coast images and soundbites
istanbul with high pay and low taxes turkey has attracted top foreign talent
to its football leagues among the stars are roberto carlos from brazil and
kader keita from the ivory coast for some young african players playing in
turkey is way to get toe hold on the european football scene but there are
many budding footballers who try their luck without success afptv meets up with
some of these down and out players
in advance of the th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz birkenau death
camp we are providing the following reports
warsaw some survivors of auschwitz birkenau are gathering in the polish
capital to commemorate the liberation of the death camp years ago most were
imprisoned as children and have formed powerful bonds since the end of world war
ii voiced report
moscow on january the soviet red army marched into auschwitz to free
the death camp inmates as they lay on the brink of starvation ivan martynuchin
was one of the soldiers he shares his story with afptv voiced report
tuesday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
paris when they need opulent embroidery haute couture designers at chanel
dior and many others go to lesage visit to the embroidery giant workshops
voiced report
paris global political and business elites gather wednesday in davos for this
year world economic forum wef with reconstruction in haiti reform of the
world financial system set to top the debate voiced report
cotonou carla bruni sarkozy and melinda gates visit benin images
colombo the country goes to the polls on january to vote in key presidential
elections which comes months after government troops killed top tamil tiger
leadership ending the group ruthless decades long separatist campaign but
also triggering accusations of human rights abuses ironically the post war
election could be decided by voters from the tamil minority as the sinhalese
majority is split between two candidates incumbent mahinda rajapakse who
ordered the final military push and former general sarath fonseka who executed
it but more recently has pledged reconciliation voiced report
in advance of the th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz birkenau death
camp we are providing the following reports
warsaw as the world marks years on wednesday since the liberation of
auschwitz birkenau survivors of the nazi death camp kazimierz albin and
marian turski are living witnesses to one of the darkest pages in history
voiced report
in advance of thursday international conference on afghanistan and yeman we
are providing the following reports
kabul as international leaders prepare to attend key conference on
afghanistan in london residents of kabul are getting increasingly worried about
the future the gap between rich and poor has widened but whether it rich
traders overseeing businesses that have thrived since the fall of the taliban
or poor families struggling to make living they have some issues in common
concerns over corruption and the deteriorating security situation many wonder
if yet another conference will make any difference to their daily lives voiced
report
sanaa with an armed rebellion in the north growing separatist sentiment in the
south and al qaeda active in various parts of the country security in yemen is
constantly under threat the economy is hardly doing much better the country
tourism industry is suffering and jobs are hard to find this year promises to
be difficult voiced report
bogota they are the children of military officers policemen or politicians
but they all share the same heartbreak they have parent stolen from them by
colombia leftist farc rebel group how to live life when your parent is taken
hostage voiced report
varallo sesia italy while france is debating whether to ban the full islamic
veil in italy the anti immigration northern league is already pushing bill
aimed at banning the burqa in public places one italian town in northwestern
piedmont has already banned the islamic burquini from its swimming pools and
the full veil from its streets voiced report
as part of our winter olympics coverage we plan to file the following
tokyo three of the world top female figure skating champions come from japan
the country dominates the sport and it likely one of its skating stars will
bring home gold from vancouver why does the land of the rising sun dominate the
skating rink afptv visits skating school in tokyo voiced report
wednesday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
bagdad it tough finding man in iraq after multiple wars since the
eighties the country has lost many men the result an imbalance between the
number of men and women young iraqi women now find it hard to find suitable
mate voiced report
as part of our coverage of the international conferences on afghanistan and
yemen we are providing the following reports
london britain hosts an international conference on yemen on wednesday as the
country battles surge of al qaeda militancy convened after the islamist
network franchise in yemen claimed responsibility for the botched christmas
day attack on plane bound for detroit images and soundbites
sanaa thousands of foreign students are thought to be in yemen learning arabic
or studying islam at universities or religious schools handful become
radicals and authorities try to keep track of them one institution under watch
is al iman university founded in sanaa by radical yemeni cleric sheikh
abdulmajeed al zendani who has been on washington list of specially
designated global terrorists since voiced report
kabul london look ahead to key conference on afghanistan which will take
place in london on january it will focus on fighting corruption in the war
torn country along with the security situation good governance and
reconciliation with taliban fighters voiced report
berlin german chancellor angela merkel delivers policy statement on berlin
operations in afghanistan on the eve of an international conference on
afghanistan in london images and soundbites
davos switzerland opening of the world economic forum wef images and
soundbites
auschwitz poland ceremonies to mark since the liberation of the nazi death
camp at auschwitz birkenau in presence of israeli prime minister benjamin
netanyahu images and soundbites
as part of our african nations cup coverage we plan to file the following
paris douala cameroon the organization solidarity football is fighting
against the trafficking of young african football players afptv meets the
organizers
thursday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
as part of our coverage of the international conferences on afghanistan we are
providing the following videos
london international conference on afghanistan images and soundbites
shenzhen hong kong as world leaders and businessmen gather in davos to discuss
the economy china is both star and source for concern china red hot
economy expanded by percent in but economists are worry the world
third largest economy is at risk of overheating after starting trying to
prop up economic growth beijing ended it faced with growing inflationary
pressures and the threat of asset bubbles what next voiced report
aquila italy the quake which hit this italian town last april th ravaged
numerous works of art hundreds of paintings and statues have regained their
past glory thanks to the devotion of experts from around italy who have come
here to restore the pieces voiced report
durango colorado more and more american states have decided to legalize
marijuana for medical purposes for example in colorado several so called
coffee shops have opened and become so popular that one city has taken
measures to limit their number
as part of our winter olympics coverage we plan to file the following
lipno nad vltavou czech republic eleven kilometres wide eight across welcome
to what may be the world biggest ice skating rink lake lipno nad vltavou on
the austrian border in the southern czech republic freezes over from december to
march to the delight of hundreds of skaters but the frozen lake is also used
by drivers as shortcut to austria at the risk of falling through the ice
sheet voiced report
germany world slalom champion maria riesch heads to the winter olympics
with high hopes of medal at the german athlete is back at the top of her
game after string of injuries threatened to derail her stellar career voiced
report
as part of our african nations cup coverage we plan to file the following
luanda we follow the semi finals in luanda images and soundbites
friday january
port au prince the latest news coverage out of quake hit haiti where millions
are struggling to survive
kfifane lebanon lebanon has found its niche in the world wine market with
thriving export market for it top names but until now only few vineyards
monopolized the market since more wine producers have jumped into the
market pumping out quality wine voiced report
bangkok forget cheap rolexes and gucci sunglasses the latest fake goods to
come out of thailand are replica ferraris and lamborghinis how one man crafts
shiny sports cars in his barn on the outskirts of bangkok voiced report
aviemore scotland with rising global temperatures threatening snow fall levels
in scotland how is the scottish ski industry coping voiced report
london former prime minister tony blair is questioned by britain public
inquiry into the iraq war images and soundbites
rio de janeiro the brazilian bikini is no longer in rio has returned to more
classic look in its swimwear we get sneak preview of what in store for this
summer on the beach in europe as we look at what sizzling in brazil voiced
report
saturday january
abu dhabi the falcon is the symbol of the united arab emirates the bird has
special place in arab culture some breeds are used for hunting and are worth
thousands of dollars when one of these highly valued birds become ill it is
taken to hospital afptv visits one of these clinics in abu dhabi voiced
report
singapore hundreds of tamil devotees are due to take part in colourful and
bloody festival in singapore the hindu festival of thaipusam is not for the
faint hearted in special ritual of purification the faithful pierce their
bodies with hooks and spikes to thank the god murugan images and soundbites
paris once renowned for its lively night scene where the most famous night
owls used to sip cocktails until the wee hours it seems that paris has suddenly
gone to bed early now ranked behind london berlin or barcelona in the list of
european party capitals club owners say they face an array of obstacles poor
night time transportation smoking ban and over zealous police officers
nearly bar and club owners have signed petition pointing out the
problems ahead of general meeting with the authorities
as part of our winter olympic coverage we are providing the following report
chine set to hit the track in vancouver
beijing
china is ready to storm the olympic speed skating track in vancouver with
triple turin medallist wang meng looking to defend her title in the women
sunday january
as part of our winter olympic coverage we are providing the following report
courmayeur italy after failing to make the french team for the turin winter
olympics the skater samuel contesti crossed the alps to italy since crowned
european vice champion under italian colours he is taking his italian passport
to the vancouver games voiced report
michelle hoffman
afptv
place de la bourse
paris france
biden in iraq to defuse row over barred election candidates
baghdad jan afp
us vice president joe biden arrived in iraq on friday on mission aimed at
defusing political crisis after hundreds of candidates allegedly linked to
saddam hussein were barred from march elections
biden visit was not announced in advance for security reasons but it comes
amid the festering row on election candidates which has alarmed the white house
and united nations just weeks from polling day
white house statement said that biden president barack obama pointman on
the war torn country would meet with iraqi leaders receive updates from us
military and civilian leaders and visit us troops
he will also meet iraqi president jalal talabani prime minister nuri al maliki
parliament speaker iyad al samarrai and other political leaders as well as the
un secretary general special representative for iraq ad melkert
blacklist of more than election candidates said to have links with
executed dictator saddam regime has stoked tensions between the shiite
majority now leading the government and the sunni arab former elite
saleh al mutlak leading sunni mp and persistent critic of maliki shiite
dominated government is among those who have been barred but maliki has denied
that sunnis were being targeted ahead of the election
foreign minister hoshyar zebari told afp the purpose of biden visit would be
to salvage the electoral process
if there are delays in publishing the final candidates list it will affect the
us withdrawal process also he said
we need to get the final list of candidates for the election from ihec and if
we don it will have an impact on the timing of the election zebari added of
the country independent high electoral commission
the election row sparked flurry of contacts in recent days by biden aimed at
brokering compromise notably through president talabani who is kurd
biden proposed that the disqualifications be deferred until after the election
and that those candidates who have been barred condemn and disavow the baath
party and undertake to act through democratic means talabani said
ihec chief faraj al haidari told afp more candidates could be barred from the
march polls with the defence and interior ministries publishing lists naming
numerous candidates who have criminal records or false diplomas
during his last visit to iraq in september biden said he remained
confident iraq security situation was not heading for new bout of sectarian
violence and reiterated american forces would withdraw by the end of
baghdad has twice since seen devastating bomb attacks targeting government
buildings in which hundreds of people have been killed
he also said that america role was switching from deep military engagement to
one of diplomatic support ahead of the exit
however when he visited soon after the urban pullback baghdad warned washington
to back off in its attempts to resolve rows between the strife torn country
sects saying that such interference could cause fresh problems
biden has repeatedly voiced concern about lingering feuds between iraq shiite
sunni and kurdish communities causing obstacles to political progress
on friday iraq government said the disqualified candidates would have to
denounce saddam regime and its crimes in order to reintegrate into society
without specifically offering reinstatement on ballot papers
the baathists must declare their innocence and condemn the crimes and
failings of saddam hussein regime and the baath party government spokesman
ali al dabbagh said
haidari said the list of barred ex baathists includes an equal proportion of
sunnis and shiites think it is there are shiites sunnis kurds
communists all the components of iraqi society he said
but he said the government has no authority to reintegrate the baathists
since only the supreme court has the power to declare that the candidates
disqualifications lacked legal basis and to reinstate their names
talabani called on thursday for just such referral to the supreme court
