israel imposed in november after months of us pressure
france rejects iran nuclear counter proposal
paris jan afp
france rejects iran latest move to set new deadline to end the standoff over
its contested nuclear programme foreign minister bernard kouchner said monday
we are not the ones who have to decide whether to accept what they want to
impose on us kouchner told rtl radio no this is not the way it is done
iran said at the weekend that it had until the end of january to reach agreement
on deal to swap uranium for nuclear fuel after rejecting december
deadline set by world powers
kouchner said iran was trying to side step the issue by giving an ultimatum
to those who have offered to help them that is the international community
including france
turning to opposition protests challenging the iranian regime kouchner said the
establishment was under threat by very determined people some of them very
religious and by the shiite leadership
there is enormous repression we must condemn those that cause unarmed
protesters to be exposed to bullets arrests and very severe convictions
including death sentences he added
scores of opposition activists protesters and journalists have been arrested
since clashes during the latest major demonstration on december that left at
least eight killed
record snow brings travel misery to china south korea
beijing jan afp
record snow disrupted air and road travel in northeast asia on monday grounding
dozens of planes in china and south korea and forcing schools to close in
beijing with more freezing weather on the way
one person was killed and at least two others were missing in the mountains of
central japan after snow fell across the region
the chinese capital on sunday received its heaviest daily snowfall in nearly six
decades the state xinhua news agency reported
the central meteorological administration reported that up to centimetres
inches had fallen on beijing and tianjin over the weekend while skies were
clear in the capital monday more snow was expected in northeast china
at beijing international airport where nearly flights were cancelled
or delayed on sunday workers had cleared the runways and the situation was
returning to normal an airport spokesman told afp
more than flights were nevertheless delayed and two dozen cancelled as of
early monday the spokesman said adding that workers needed to de ice the snow
covered planes that were stuck at the weekend
don remember ever seeing such heavy snowfall in the city one female
beijinger surnamed zhou told the china daily
in the south korean capital seoul around centimetres inches of snow
fell monday marking the biggest snowfall since record keeping began in
according to the korea meteorological administration kma
the blanket of thick white snow forced the cancellation of dozens of domestic
flights and about international flights were delayed airport officials said
on the roads up to highways in beijing and the surrounding areas were closed
or only partially open to traffic on monday the china news service reported
inner city roads remained icy and covered with snow
more than volunteers were deployed to keep order at crowded bus stops
xinhua quoted song jianguo head of the beijing traffic management bureau as
saying
in seoul traffic was chaotic forcing the late start of cabinet meeting with
ministers stuck in the wintry mess more snow was expected in seoul later
monday but clear skies were forecast for tuesday and wednesday
the city government in the south korean capital said it was mobilising
civil servants and vehicles to remove snow from all major roads and
streets
more than schools in beijing and tianjin were forced to shut their doors
on monday giving more than million students an extra day of new year
holiday state media reported
temperatures in beijing were expected to drop to minus degrees celsius three
fahrenheit on monday the coldest in the capital in decades the china daily
reported
in northern heilongjiang province the mercury has already plummeted to minus
celsius the paper said
farther east in japan police said they had found the body of climber on mount
hodaka in central gifu prefecture it was not immediately clear if it was the
body of one of three climbers who went missing there at the weekend
another party of seven were rescued safely after becoming stranded on mount
terachi also in gifu prefecture due to the heavy snow he said
the south korean weather office said snow also fell in north korea with at
least eight centimetres reported in the western port of haeju
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
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
european stocks rise on first trading day of
london jan afp
european stock markets rose in opening deals on monday as traders returned to
their desks for the first trading day of
shortly after the open london ftse index of leading shares added
percent to points the paris cac index increased by percent to
points and frankfurt dax index won percent to
all three markets which had closed early last week for the new year holiday
weekend each gained more than percent in amid growing investor
confidence over economic recovery
afp gmt news advisory
paris jan afp
duty editor smith
tel
top stories
tough security measures for us bound passengers
bomb kills four us soldiers in afghanistan
heavy snow causes chaos in china korea
attacks qaeda newseries wrap
washington
passengers flying to the united states face tougher security measures after the
us government announces that people traveling from or via terror linked
nations will now have to undergo mandatory enhanced screening
words gmt by jo biddle picture graphic
afghanistan unrest wrap
kabul
four us soldiers serving with nato forces are killed in bomb blast in southern
afghanistan just days after seven cia agents died in suicide bombing on
military base the alliance says
words gmt
asia weather lead wrap
beijing
heavy snow disrupts air and road travel in northeast asia grounding dozens of
planes and shutting down roads in china and south korea with more freezing
weather on the way
words gmt picture graphic
filing plans by region
middle east
yemen unrest qaeda us britain lead
sanaa
the american and british embassies in sanaa remain shut for second day while
security at other foreign missions is beefed up amid fears of further strikes by
an al qaeda branch linked to botched attack on us airliner
words gmt by hammoud mounassar
americas
us attacks nigeria politics obama newseries
honolulu hawaii
us president barack obama wraps up his hawaiian vacation and heads back to
washington where he will grapple with issues like resurgent fears of terror
attack and iran nuclear defiance
words gmt by stephen collinson picture video
brazil floods lead
angra dos reis brazil
two nuclear plants close to southern brazilian town hit by landslides may shut
down as precaution the mayor says as the regional toll from deadly floods
rises to
words moved graphic picture
asia
solomons earthquake thlead wrap
honiara solomon islands
at least homes are destroyed or damaged when powerful magnitude quake
strikes near the solomon islands in the western pacific affecting several
thousand people
words gmt by evan wasuka graphic
pakistan us unrest trial lead
sargodha pakistan
five us militant suspects are due to appear in court in pakistan after police
said they would seek life jail terms on charges of plotting attacks in the
muslim country
words gmt by khurram shahzad
japan us politics diplomacy lead
tokyo
japanese prime minister yukio hatoyama pledges to pursue more equal relations
with the united states as tokyo seeks to defuse row with its close ally over
where to move an american military base
words gmt picture
dead after ferry sinks in eastern india police
kolkata jan afp
at least people including children died after an overcrowded ferry
capsized in river in the eastern indian state of west bengal police said
monday
the small vessel with passengers on board sank on sunday while crossing the
runarayan river in kolaghat about kilometres miles southwest of the
state capital kolkata
the ferry was overcrowded and leaking and it overturned in the middle of the
river west bengal police inspector general surojit kar purakayastha told afp
rescuers have found bodies swept away by the strong current it sad that
rescuers could not save single child
the vessel hit bridge before it capsized he said
eleven survivors were treated in hospital
obama leaves hawaii after christmas vacation
honolulu hawaii jan afp
us president barack obama left hawaii after christmas vacation late sunday and
headed to washington where he will have to grapple with resurgent fears of
terror strikes and iran nuclear defiance
air force one left the islands with us first family at about gmt
on the last afternoon of their vacation the family enjoyed private visit to
the honolulu zoo which was arranged after closing time
when reporters held at distance asked if the first family was ready to go
back to the mainland the answer was resounding no
let stay joked first lady michelle obama we ll all stay are we all in
trying to mount coup
obama plans to meet with intelligence and security officials on tuesday to
address what he says are systemic us failures in homeland security that have
become evident in the wake of botched christmas day attempt to blow up us
airline
china records swine flu deaths in
beijing jan afp
china said monday it had recorded swine flu deaths in nearly all of
them in the last two months of the year and warned that the danger of mass
outbreaks still existed in certain areas
the health ministry said in statement that the total number of
infections recorded since the virus was first detected last year stood at
at the end of october the reported death toll stood at just six the number of
recorded deaths then spiked reaching about at the start of december and
by the end of the month
in november renowned medical whistle blower zhong nanshan who helped expose
the scale of the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak said the true
death count was being covered up
the government responded by ordering more accurate case reporting by officials
the danger of an explosion of outbreaks in some places exists and the number
of fatalities and serious cases will remain at rather high level the
ministry said
it noted that serious difficulties remained in containing the spread of the
virus in rural areas and at schools
ministry officials had already warned of grim winter flu outlook and are
urging caution ahead of the february lunar new year holidays when hundreds of
millions of people swamp the roads and rails to visit family
china has so far vaccinated million people the ministry said the
largest campaign in the world
chinese laboratories were at the forefront of worldwide efforts to develop and
mass produce swine flu vaccine but the quick clinical trials and production
cycle led to concerns that the shot was perhaps unsafe
officials have said that adverse reactions were only reported in handful of
cases about one out of million jabs
iran hangs three rapist murderers state agency
tehran jan afp
iran hanged on monday three men convicted of raping women and murdering seven
of them in town south of tehran the official irna news agency reported
the men identified by their first names as brothers alireza and amir and afghan
citizen dolat khan were hanged in prison in varamin small town
kilometres south of tehran irna and other media said
these were the first executions reported in iran this year
iran hanged at least people in according to an afp count based on news
reports
in iran executed people the highest number in any country bar china
tehran says the death penalty is necessary for maintaining public security and
is applied only after exhaustive judicial proceedings
murder rape armed robbery drug trafficking and adultery are all punishable by
death in the islamic republic
japan pm vows to pursue more equal ties with us
tokyo jan afp
japan prime minister pledged monday to pursue more equal relations with the
united states as tokyo seeks to defuse row with its close ally over where to
move an american military base
it important to show that japan and the united states are in relationship
in which we need each other prime minister yukio hatoyama said in televised
new year address
japan should avoid situation where we just give up what we want to say only
because it difficult or where one simply obeys the other he said
soon after coming to power in september hatoyama government provoked
irritation in washington by announcing review of agreement to move us
air base from an urban area to coastal region on the island of okinawa
tokyo is considering alternative sites for the us marine corps futenma air
station but washington has repeatedly called for tokyo to stick to the
deal which is opposed by many local residents
the agreement was part of broader realignment of us forces in japan that
includes the redeployment of around marines from okinawa to the us pacific
territory of guam
hatoyama said he aimed to find solution to the relocation issue within the
coming months
don mean to waste any time at all he said
the government has previously said it aims to make decision on futenma by may
hatoyama told us president barack obama to trust me when the two leaders met
in tokyo in november
the united states which defeated japan in world war ii and then occupied the
country now has troops stationed there more than half of them on
okinawa the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the war
under the agreement the futenma base would be closed and its air
operations moved to an alternative site to be built on reclaimed land in okinawa
by
many okinawans and activists also oppose the new base fearing it could damage
marine habitat that is home to corals and an endangered sea mammal the dugong
futenma located in densely populated urban area has emerged as flashpoint
for local opponents who have been angered by aircraft noise pollution the risk
of accidents and crimes committed by us service personnel
okinawans reacted with fury to the rape of schoolgirl by three us
servicemen demands to close the base on safety grounds grew when us
helicopter crashed in the grounds of local university in
in the latest case to strain ties between local residents and the us military
okinawa police on monday sent to prosecutors papers on deadly hit and run
incident allegedly involving us serviceman
the year old us army staff sergeant is suspected of hitting year old
local resident with car in november police spokesman said
hatoyama has called on the us military to hand over the soldier while seeking
to review an agreement on the powers japanese police have over us service
members suspected of crimes
us soldiers are now usually handed over for suspected crimes only after
indictments are issued
carrefour appeals indonesian antitrust ruling spokesman
jakarta jan afp
the indonesian subsidiary of french supermarket chain carrefour said monday it
has filed an appeal against an antitrust ruling ordering it to sell its
percent stake in local retailer
the business competition supervisory commission in november ordered carrefour
indonesia to sell its stake in alfa to outside parties after it ruled that the
chain dominated more than percent of the market
the appeal was filed with the south jakarta district court in mid december last
year spokesman irawan kadarman told afp
in principle we disagree with the business competition supervisory
commission verdict which said we re in dominant position and that we should
divest our shares in alfa he added
carrefour has not been conducting monopolistic practices the commission
findings are baseless so we ve filed an appeal kadarman said adding that the
first hearing is scheduled for mid january
carrefour the world second biggest retailer bought alfa in for
billion rupiah million dollars
it has stores across indonesia while alfa has
hong kong gold closes higher
hong kong jan afp
hong kong gold closed higher on monday at us dollars an ounce
up from thursday close of dollars
it opened at dollars
the market was closed on friday for new year day
hanged obama effigy found in jimmy carter hometown report
washington jan afp
the us secret service is investigating an effigy of president barack obama found
hanging from building in the hometown of ex president jimmy carter the
atlanta journal constitution reported monday
the paper said footage from the local walb tv station showed the doll was
hanging by noose in front of red white and blue sign that says plains
georgia home of jimmy carter our th president
witness told the television station that the doll wore sign with obama
name on it according to the report
secret service spokesman said the doll was removed saturday but declined
further comment the paper said
hong kong shares close percent lower
hong kong jan afp
hong kong shares closed down percent monday in quiet first trading day of
the new decade with the benchmark hang seng index falling points to
turnover was billion hong kong dollars billion us
british soldier killed in afghanistan official
london jan afp
british soldier has been killed in an explosion in afghanistan the ministry
of defence said monday announcing its first fatality in the conflict for
the soldier from st battalion the royal anglian regiment died after the blast
hit foot patrol in the southern province of helmand on sunday
it is my sombre duty to inform you that soldier from st battalion the royal
anglian regiment was killed by an explosion in the nad ali area of helmand
province military spokesman lieutenant colonel david wakefield said
he was on foot patrol when the explosion happened his dauntless courage and
his sacrifice will not be forgotten he said in statement
the soldier has not yet been publicly identified but his family have been
informed
total of british service personnel died in afghanistan last year the
bloodiest for the british military since the falklands war total of
have been killed since operations began in
the british troops are part of an international security assistance force isaf
which announced in kabul on monday that four us soldiers were killed in bomb
blast in afghanistan south on sunday
indian police suspended over crime gang party claim
mumbai jan afp
five police officers in mumbai have been suspended over claims that they spent
christmas eve partying with some of the city most notorious criminals the
state government said
grainy photographs and security camera footage broadcast by the indian media
appeared to show the officers dancing with key figures from gang led by
alleged underworld boss chhota rajan
one of the officers deputy police commissioner salve headed intelligence
gathering and security for visiting dignitaries while another assistant police
commissioner prakash wani was top crime branch official
ashok chavan the chief minister of maharashtra state of which mumbai is the
capital told reporters on sunday that he had confirmed the officers
suspension
action has to be taken if something is wrong he said
salve protested his innocence describing the allegations against him as
baseless
have not attended any party hosted by criminal elements he was quoted as
saying by the press trust of india news agency
wani alleged that the images were fabricated adding it seems to be
conspiracy against me
chhota rajan who is wanted for string of offences including murder
extortion and drug trafficking is former aide of mumbai crime lord dawood
ibrahim one of the world most wanted men
organised crime syndicates held firm grip on the city until the
controlling land smuggling and even financing bollywood films though police
have recently fought back and regained some control
the revelations come amid high profile claims of corruption intimidation and
cover up in the case of top police officer in northern haryana state who was
convicted of molesting year old girl in
rathore allegedly connived to persecute ruchika girhotra her family and
friends after she dared to lodge complaint the teenager later committed
suicide tormented by the stress she believed she had inflicted on her family
the officer is alleged to have used his position to bribe his way out of
previous investigations sparking claims that confidence in india public
officials has hit rock bottom
three policemen killed in north iraq blasts
kirkuk iraq jan afp
three policemen were killed and eight people were wounded on monday by two
explosions in iraq northern oil rich city of kirkuk police said
the first blast occurred in the wahad zahar neighbourhood in the south of the
ethnically mixed city kilometres miles north of baghdad killing
policeman and injuring five other people police major salam zengana said
later second bomb apparently targeting an official convoy in the same area
killed two other policemen and injured three other people zengana added
three of the wounded from the two blasts are in critical condition he said
kirkuk has mixed population of arabs kurds and turkmen long standing kurdish
demands for the city to be incorporated into their autonomous region have fanned
ethnic tensions
national hockey league results
washington jan afp
national hockey league results and standings after sunday games
sunday january rd results
buffalo montreal
ottawa philadelphia
florida pittsburgh
chicago anaheim
eastern conference
atlantic division
new jersey
pittsburgh
ny rangers
ny islanders
philadelphia
northeast division
buffalo
boston
ottawa
montreal
toronto
southeast division
washington
atlanta
tampa bay
florida
carolina
western conference
central division
chicago
nashville
detroit
st louis
columbus
northwest division
colorado
calgary
vancouver
minnesota
edmonton
pacific division
san jose
phoenix
los angeles
dallas
anaheim
note overtime losses ot are worth one point in the standings and are not
included in the loss column
monday january th schedule
boston at ny rangers pm
los angeles at san jose pm
all times are eastern
afp
basketball nba results and standings
washington jan afp
results and standings after sunday national basketball association games
sunday january rd results
charlotte cleveland
new york indiana
toronto san antonio
philadelphia denver
la lakers dallas
eastern conference
atlantic div pct gb
boston
toronto
